NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 28, 2023

by | Feb 28, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 28, 2023

Connor McDavid reaches 50 goals and leads the three stars of the week, the Leafs acquire two players from the Blackhawks, an update on Erik Karlsson and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid scored twice to reach the 50-goal plateau for the first time but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Boston Bruins from winning the game 3-2. Pavel Zacha snapped a 2-2 tie with 30 seconds remaining in the third period as the Bruins picked up their seventh straight win and improved to 46-8-5 to open a nine-point lead atop the overall standings with 97 points. The Oilers (32-21-8) remain in third place in the Pacific Division with 72 points.

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: McDavid is the first player to reach 50 goals this season and holds an eight-goal lead over Boston’s David Pastrnak. He also remains the points leader with 115, sitting well ahead of teammate Leon Draisaitl, who sits in second place with 89 points.

Bruins winger and former Oiler Taylor Hall missed this game as he’s returned to Boston with a lower-body injury. He’s listed as day-to-day.

The Colorado Avalanche collected their sixth straight victory by blanking the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 with a 31-save shutout by Alexandar Georgiev. Mikko Rantanen scored twice to reach the 40-goal plateau for the first time in his career as the Avalanche (34-19-5) sit in second place in the Central Division with 72 points, three back of the division-leading Dallas Stars. The Golden Knights (35-19-6) hold a two-point lead over the Los Angeles Kings for first place in the Pacific Division with 76 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Golden Knights goalie Laurent Brossoit missed this game with a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day. Meanwhile, Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon said it’s too early to determine whether captain Mark Stone will return to action this season. He’s been sidelined indefinitely since undergoing back surgery on Jan. 31.

Speaking of the Stars, they dropped a 5-4 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on an overtime goal by Andrei Kuzmenko. The Stars (31-16-13) had rallied back from a 4-2 deficit to force the extra frame on goals by Roope Hintz and Nils Lundkvist. Anthony Beauvillier and Quinn Hughes each had three points for the 24-31-5 Canucks, who got a 34-save performance from Thatcher Demko in his first game since being sidelined by a lower-body injury on Dec. 1.

Ottawa Senators forward Claude Giroux had a goal and three assists to lead his club to a 6-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Thomas Chabot had three points and Brady Tkachuk tallied his 25th goal of the season for the 29-26-5 Senators (62 points) as they sit five points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth. Tyler Bertuzzi and David Perron replied for the Red Wings (28-23-8) as they remain three points behind the Penguins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Red Wings activated winger Lucas Raymond off injured reserve for this game but placed defenseman Jordan Oesterle on IR.

The Anaheim Ducks doubled up the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2, snapping the latter’s five-game win streak. Troy Terry had a goal and an assist for the 20-34-7 Ducks as they stretched their win streak to three games. Max Domi and Tyler Johnson each had two points for the 21-33-5 Blackhawks.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark and Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson are the NHL’s three stars for the week ending Feb. 26.

TORONTO SUN: The Maple Leafs acquired defenseman Jake McCabe, forward Sam Lafferty, a conditional fifth-round pick in 2024 and a conditional fifth-rounder in 2025 from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a conditional first-round pick in 2025 (top-10 protected), a second-round pick in 2026 and forwards Joey Anderson and Pavel Gogolev. The Blackhawks also retained 50 percent of McCabe’s $4 million cap hit.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas continues shoring up his roster with this move coming on the heels of his acquisition of Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari from the St. Louis Blues. Unlike those two, McCabe has two years left on his contract while Lafferty is signed through next season.

Some observers have criticized Dubas for trading away too much of his club’s future in his recent moves. For the Leafs GM, however, the future is now. In the final year of his contract, he has to deliver if he hopes to garner an extension. He’ll be out of a job if the Leafs fail once again to get out of the first round. The further the Leafs go in this year’s postseason, the better his chances of staying in his job.

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson acknowledged the recent trade of winger Timo Meier to New Jersey indicate there’s no quick turnaround coming for his club’s fortunes.

“I’ve been around the game long enough to understand what needs to be done from an organizational perspective, and it just sucks that it happened to be where I’m at in this stage of my career.”

Karlsson said he hasn’t been approached by management about waiving his no-movement clause. General manager Mike Grier admitted it would be difficult to move the 32-year-old defenseman’s hefty contract before the approaching trade deadline.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Karlsson’s on pace for a career-high 105-point season. There’s plenty of interest in him, especially from the Edmonton Oilers. However, his $11.5 million annually through 2026-27 remains a significant obstacle in the path to a trade.

NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: Flyers winger Travis Konecny will be out for an extended period of time with an upper-body injury.

TSN: Florida Panthers forwards Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett will be sidelined until this weekend with minor injuries.

TSN: The New Jersey Devils placed goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (lower body) on injured reserve.

THE PROVINCE: The Vancouver Canucks traded defenseman Riley Stillman to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for prospect forward Josh Bloom.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 3, 2022

by | May 3, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 3, 2022

The opening night of the Stanley Cup playoffs saw the Leafs shut out the Lightning, the Kings upset the Oilers, the Blues blank the Wild & the Hurricanes tame the Bruins. Details and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Auston Matthew scored twice in a three-point performance and Jack Campbell made 24 saves as the Toronto Maple Leafs shut out the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning 5-0 in Game 1 of their best-of-seven opening-round series. Mitch Marner scored to snap an 18-game playoff goal drought and collected two assists. Leafs forward Kyle Clifford was ejected from the game in the first period for boarding Lightning forward Ross Colton.

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was total domination by the Leafs. They out-skated and outworked the Lightning, who were stymied on the power play and gave up too many odd-man rushes. This lopsided defeat could spark a better effort from the Lightning in Game 2, but the Leafs deserve full marks for their strong effort in this series-opening contest.

A turnover by Edmonton Oilers goaltender Mike Smith led to Phillip Danault’s game-winning goal as the Los Angeles Kings got a 4-3 upset win in Game 1 of their opening-round series. The Kings jumped to an early 2-0 lead but the Oilers bounced back on goals by Connor McDavid and Kailer Yamamoto. Kings netminder Jonathan Quick made 37 saves for the win while Trevor Moore had a goal and two assists. Kings forward Viktor Arvidsson (undisclosed) missed this game.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I don’t know what Smith was thinking but attempting to pass the puck up the middle from behind his own net rather than chipping it up along the boards was a big mistake. Quick was outstanding for the Kings, showing the form that backstopped his club to two Stanley Cups.

St. Louis Blues winger David Perron tallied a hat trick while Ville Husso had a 37-save shutout to blank the Minnesota Wild 4-0 in the first game of their opening-round series. Perron finished with four points while Torey Krug collected three assists. It was reported the league will review a nasty downward cross-check by Wild captain Jared Spurgeon across the ankle of Blues winger Pavel Buchenich.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Wild controlled the play for most of this game, out-shooting and out-chancing the Blues. Husso, however, proved up to the challenge in his first-ever NHL playoff game while his teammates capitalized on their chances, including two power-play goals.

Third-period goals by Teuvo Teravainen, Vincent Trocheck and Andrei Svechnikov carried the Carolina Hurricanes to a series-opening 5-1 victory in Game 1 against the Boston Bruins. Backup Antti Raanta kicked out 35 shots for the win.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Raanta was superb between the pipes as this game went along, shaking off what appeared to be a nervous start with several big saves as the Bruins pressed to open the scoring. The Hurricanes will need more of that from him as starter Frederik Andersen could remain sidelined for Game 2 with a sprained knee.

HEADLINES

DAILY FACEOFF: The Philadelphia Flyers will be moving on from interim head coach Mike Yeo as they’ll search for a new bench boss. Yeo took over from Alain Vigneault when the latter was fired in December.

WINNIPEG SUN: The Jets are also searching for a new head coach, though interim Dave Lowry will have the opportunity to interview for the job. Lowry replaced Paul Maurice when the latter resigned in December. Associate coach Jamie Kompon and assistant coach Charlie Huddy face uncertain futures.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: No surprise the Flyers and Jets will be seeking new coaches given their disappointing performances this season.

VANCOUVER HOCKEY NOW: Bruce Boudreau is confident he’ll be returning next season as the Canucks’ head coach. The club missed the playoffs but made significant improvement after he took over behind the bench in December. Boudreau said he’s spoken with Canucks management and is hopeful a contract can be worked out.

TSN: Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (left leg injury) will miss the first two games of his club’s opening-round series with the Colorado Avalanche.

TRIBLIVE.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins winger Jason Zucker has been cleared to play in Game 1 of his club’s first-round series with the New York Rangers. Zucker was sidelined on April 26 with an undisclosed injury.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond will no longer be participating in the upcoming World Championships for his native Sweden as originally planned. His father, Jean Raymond, and his agent, Peter Werner, explained the rigors of his first NHL season took more physical and mental energy than expected. “My advice to Lucas was to listen to his mind and body,” said Werner. “He needs this time to during the summer to recharge the batteries.”










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 2, 2021

by | Dec 2, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 2, 2021

​Game recaps, players and rookie of the month, the Islanders’ schedule resumes following a COVID outbreak, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Auston Matthews’ hat trick powered the Toronto Maple Leafs to an 8-2 drubbing of the Colorado Avalanche. John Tavares had a goal and two assists while William Nylander and Mitch Marner each collected two points. Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon had two assists in his return after missing eight games with a lower-body injury. With 35 points, the Leafs have won five straight games and move into first place in the overall standings.

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (NHL Images).

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid had a goal and three assists to power his club past the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2. Zach Hyman scored twice and Mikko Koskinen made 32 saves for the win. McDavid has reached 40 points and sits one back of league-leader and teammate Leon Draisaitl in the NHL scoring race.

Quinn Hughes collected four assists as his Vancouver Canucks rolled to a 6-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators, handing the latter their sixth straight loss. J.T. Miller had a goal and two assists for the Canucks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sitting dead last in the overall standings, it’s increasingly apparent the rebuild isn’t over for the Senators. The defense remains porous and the goaltending atrocious.

Shootout goals by Dylan Larkin and Adam Erne gave the Detroit Red Wings their fourth straight win by nipping the Seattle Kraken 4-3. Lucas Raymond scored his 10th goal for the Red Wings and leads all NHL rookies in goals and points with 22. Fellow Wings rookie Moritz Seider chipped in two assists. Ryan Donato tallied twice for the Kraken. The Wings played without Tyler Bertuzzi, who will miss five games after being placed in COVID protocol.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bertuzzi was the only unvaccinated NHL player.

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin made 33 saves to backstop his club over the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1. Artemi Panarin had a goal and an assist for the Rangers as they picked up their eighth win in their last nine games. The Flyers, meanwhile, have dropped seven in a row. They also lost winger Joel Farabee in the first period to an upper-body injury.

Trevor Zegras and Sonny Milano each collected three assists as the Anaheim Ducks held off the Vegas Golden Knights 6-5. Jamie Drysdale had a goal and an assist for the Ducks, who’ve won three of their last four games. Max Pacioretty had a goal and an assist for the Golden Knights.

HEADLINES

Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl, Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Jack Campbell and Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri are the NHL’s three stars for November 2021.

Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond was named rookie of the month for November 2021.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Raymond’s teammate Moritz Seider was rookie of the month in October. The duo has quickly established themselves among the Wings’ core players and are playing key roles in the rebuilding club’s improvement this season.

The New York Islanders returned to practice yesterday after having two games postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak. They’re scheduled to face the San Jose Sharks tonight. Five players who were in COVID protocol (Anders Lee, Josh Bailey, Ross Johnston, Andy Greene and Adam Pelech) practiced with their teammates yesterday.

MONTREAL GAZETTE: Mathieu Darche and Daniel Briere appear to be leading candidates for the general manager role with the Montreal Canadiens. Hall-of-Famer Patrick Roy has openly expressed interest in the job but it doesn’t appear he’s on the Canadiens’ shortlist.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: With all due respect to Roy, his mercurial temperament could clash with executive VP of hockey operations Jeff Gorton. The last thing the Canadiens need is a media circus with Roy stirring the pot.

Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reports the Tampa Bay Lightning will not stand in Darche’s way if he agrees to interview for the Habs job. He’s currently the Lightning’s assistant GM.

TVA SPORTS’ Renaud Lavoie reports Martin Brodeur isn’t looking to leave the New Jersey Devils even if his name is out there as a candidate for the GM job in Montreal.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Brodeur, Roberto Luongo and Luc Robitaille were all mentioned as possible management material for the Canadiens. I don’t see any of them leaving their current roles with their respective teams for Montreal.

The WHL’s Vancouver Giants announced former Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook has joined their club as an interim volunteer assistant coach.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: The death of Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks on July 4 has been ruled accidental and no criminal charges will be sought.

TSN: The Los Angeles Kings reclaimed defenseman Christian Wolanin off waivers from the Buffalo Sabres, who had claimed Wolanin from the Kings back in October.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 8, 2021

by | Nov 8, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 8, 2021

​The Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane reaches a milestone, the Ducks’ Troy Terry’s point streak reaches 11 games, the Red Wings’ Lucas Raymond regains the rookie goals lead, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: An overtime goal by Alex DeBrincat lifted the Chicago Blackhawks (2-9-2) over the Nashville Predators 2-1 to give interim head coach Derek King his first NHL win behind the bench. Patrick Kane set up DeBrincat’s goal to earn his 1,100th career NHL point, becoming the third player in Blackhawks history and the fourth American-born NHL player to reach that plateau. Brandon Hagel also scored for the Hawks while Alexandre Carrier replied for the Predators.

Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane (NHL Images).

Anaheim Ducks winger Troy Terry scored the game-winning goal in a 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues. Terry has a team-leading 14 points in 12 games and extended his points streak to 11 games. Benoit-Olivier Groulx had a goal and an assist while John Gibson picked up the win with 35 saves.

The Detroit Red Wings (6-5-2) picked up their second straight win by beating the Vegas Golden Knights 5-2. Winger Lucas Raymond scored his sixth goal of the season to regain the rookie goal-scoring lead, Thomas Greiss kicked out 38 shots and Tyler Bertuzzi and Pius Suter each had a goal and an assist. Wings captain Dylan Larkin returned to action after missing three games for personal reasons.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Raymond also leads the rookie points race with 14 points and sits one back of Bertuzzi for the lead among Red Wings scorers. He and teammate Moritz Seider (10 points) are emerging as the early favorites for the Calder Memorial Trophy.

Four unanswered third-period goals by Ryan Hartman, Brandon Duhaime, Jonas Brodin and Matt Dumba rallied the Minnesota Wild over the New York Islander 5-2. Anders Lee scored both Islanders’ goals while Semyon Varlamov gave up three goals on 37 shots in his season debut for the Isles.

J.T. Miller scored twice while Elias Pettersson and Bo Horvat each had a goal and two assists to give the Vancouver Canucks (5-6-1) a 6-2 win over the Dallas Stars (4-5-2). Quinn Hughes picked up three assists and Brock Boeser collected two points for the Canucks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Stars are the only NHL team without a regulation win thus far this season.

HEADLINES

TSN: The Toronto Maple Leafs placed goaltender Petr Mrazek on injured reserve with a groin injury retroactive to Nov. 4. He’s expected to be sidelined for four weeks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs will rely heavily on starter Jack Campbell during that period as they lack a decent third goalie within their system. They’ll be in deep trouble if Campbell should become sidelined.

NHL.COM: Philadelphia Flyers forward Derick Brassard was fined $2,000.00 for unsportsmanlike conduct during Saturday’s game against the Washington Capitals.

OTTAWA SUN: The Senators will be without Austin Watson, Nick Holden and associate coach Jack Capuano. They were placed on the COVID protocol list over the weekend. They’ve also reassigned goaltender Filip Gustavsson to their AHL affiliate in Belleville.

SPORTSNET: Edmonton Oilers forward Devin Shore will be sidelined for four to six weeks with a lower-body injury.

STLTODAY.COM: The NHL will not be providing salary-cap relief for teams dealing with COVID-related absences. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said it is no different than dealing with players sidelined by short-term injuries. The St. Louis Blues were among the clubs hit hard with COVID-related absences this season with as many as six players at one point on the protocol list.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 25, 2021

by | Oct 25, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 25, 2021

​Red Wings rookie Lucas Raymond joins some elite company, the Sharks and Wild are no longer undefeated, the Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin collects his second straight shutout and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Detroit Red Wings rookie Lucas Raymond tallied his first NHL hat track and collected an assist in a 6-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. The 19-year-old joins Steve Yzerman as the only teenagers in franchise history to tally a hat trick. Raymond, Yzerman and Gordie Howe are also the only teens in Wings history to net four points in a game. Dylan Larkin collected three assists and Tyler Bertuzzi added a goal and two assists in his return to the lineup. The Blackhawks got Erik Gustafsson and Ryan Carpenter back from COVID protocol but Jujhar Khaira and Riley Stillman were added to the protocol before game time.

Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Now the Red Wings general manager, Yzerman draft Raymond with the fourth-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. The youngster leads all rookies this season with four goals and seven points. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are winless in six and have yet to hold a lead in a game this season. . Patrick Kane also missed this game as he remained in COVID protocol.

The San Jose Sharks suffered their first defeat of the season as the Boston Bruins held on for a 4-3 win. Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron each had two points for the Bruins. The Sharks made it close with third-period goals by Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier.

Romas Josi collected four points (1 goal, three assists), Ryan Johansen scored twice and rookie goalie Connor Ingram made 33 saves in his NHL debut as the Nashville Predators downed the Minnesota Wild 5-2, handing the latter their first loss of the season. Predators forwards Matt Duchene and Filip Forsberg each had two points. Nashville winger Eeli Tolvanen left the game with an upper-body injury.

New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin collected his second straight shutout to blank the Vegas Golden Knights 2-0. Sorokin kicked out 42 shots while teammates Josh Bailey and Mathew Barzal scored the only goals. The Golden Knights’ record stands at 1-4-0 to start the season.

HEADLINES

OTTAWA SUN: Senators goaltender Matt Murray was placed on injured reserve with a head/neck injury following a collision with New York Rangers winger Chris Kreider on Saturday. There is no timetable for his return.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Injuries continue to dog Murray, who missed 16 games last season with lower-body injuries.

NBC SPORTS BAY AREA: Speaking of the Senators, they sent a seventh-round pick in the 2022 draft to the San Jose Sharks for center Dylan Gambrell.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Trade rumors linked the Senators to a center named Dylan. Many assumed it was the Blackhawks’ Dylan Strome. Injuries to Colin White and Shane Pinto made this move necessary for the Senators to shore up their depth at center.

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: John Klingberg is expected to return to the lineup tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The defenseman has been sidelined by a lower-body injury since their season opener on Oct. 14.

SPORTSNET: Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf was fined $1,000.00 for a dangerous trip of Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek on Oct. 23.

NHL: The department of player safety also fined Philadelphia Flyers winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel $2,687.50 for kneeing Florida Panthers winger Mason Marchment on Oct. 23.