NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 30, 2024

by | Oct 30, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 30, 2024

Alex Ovechkin continues his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s goal record, Penguins fans salute Marc-Andre Fleury in his last game in Pittsburgh, the Red Wings ship Olli Maatta to Utah, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin continued to pursue Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record, tallying twice in a 5-3 victory over the New York Rangers. Aliaksei Protas has a goal and two assists for the Capitals, who improved their record to 6-2-0. Igor Shesterkin made 41 saves for the Rangers, who were outshot 46-19 by the Capitals.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun left this game in the first period with an upper-body injury. Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery mentioned a little concern in his postgame press conference but didn’t know the extent of the injury.

Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (NHL Images).

Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made 26 saves as his club beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 in what is likely his final game in Pittsburgh. Frederick Gaudreau scored twice and collected an assist and Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and two assists for the Wild. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby had three assists and teammate Rickard Rakell scored two goals.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Fleury began his NHL career in Pittsburgh, playing 13 seasons for the Penguins and helping them win three Stanley Cups. He intends to retire at the end of this season. The fans chanted Fleury’s name following the game as he saluted the crowd to a standing ovation.

Pittsburgh has lost six straight (0-5-1) and sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. They also announced winger Bryan Rust is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury suffered during Saturday’s loss to the Vancouver Canucks.

The Seattle Kraken thumped the Montreal Canadiens 8-2. Brandon Montour led the way with his first career hat trick and added an assist while Chandler Stephenson had two helpers for the Kraken. Montreal goaltender Sam Montembeault got the hook after giving up five goals on 10 shots. Canadiens winger Cole Caufield sniped his ninth goal, tying New Jersey’s Nico Hischier for the league goal-scoring lead.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Montour and Stephenson came to Seattle as free agents this summer. Their performance against the Canadiens puts them among the Kraken’s leading scorers.

Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle scored two goals and collected two assists as his club crushed the St. Louis Blues 8-1. Brady Tkachuk and Adam Gaudette each scored twice and Linus Ullmark turned aside 26 shots. Blue goalie Joel Hofer was pulled after giving up five goals on 21 shots.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The start of this game was briefly delayed by a power outage at Canadian Tire Centre due to electrical storms in the area. Blues winger Kasperi Kapanen left this game with an upper-body injury in the second period. There was no postgame word regarding his condition. Before the game, the Blues announced forward Alexey Toropchenko agreed to a one-year contract extension worth $1.7 million. 

Philadelphia Flyers netminder Samuel Ersson made 23 saves to shut out the Boston Bruins 2-0. Tyler Foerster and Joel Farabee were the goal scorers. Joonas Korpisalo stopped 17 shots for the Bruins (4-5-1) as they slipped into last place in the Atlantic Division.

The San Jose Sharks doubled up the Los Angeles Kings 4-2 to pick up their second straight win after starting the season 0-7-2. Jake Walman had a goal and two assists and Vitek Vanecek made 26 saves for Los Tiburones. Akil Thomas and Alex Laferriere replied for the Kings.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kings forward Kevin Fiala was a healthy scratch for missing a team meeting. Meanwhile, the Sharks placed Ty Dellandrea (upper body) on injured reserve. 

Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal kicked out 40 shots, including 17 in the first period, in a 3-1 victory over the New York Islanders. Frank Vatrano and Mason McTavish each had two points for the Ducks. Mathew Barzal scored for the Isles.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury and is listed as day-to-day.

HEADLINES

MLIVE.COM: The Detroit Red Wings traded defenseman Olli Maatta to the Utah Hockey Club in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Utah needed to add some experienced depth to their injury-battered blueline with Sean Durzi and John Marino out for months recovering from surgeries. The 30-year-old Maatta has averaged over 18 minutes of ice time per game in his 11 NHL seasons and won two Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: The Oilers called up forwards Noah Philp and Drake Caggiula from their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield as they await word on the severity of Connor McDavid’s leg injury. The Oilers captain was sidelined on Monday after falling awkwardly into the boards during the opening shift against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

SPORTSNET: The NHL’s department of player safety fined Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin $5,000 for high-sticking Florida Panthers forward Anton Lundell.

CALGARY SUN: Flames captain Mikael Backlund is scheduled to play in his 1,000th career NHL regular-season game when his club faces Utah HC on Wednesday.

SPORTSNET: The Toronto Maple Leafs sent forward Fraser Minten to their AHL affiliate.

RG.ORG: Hockey Hall-of-Famer Sergei Zubov believes Philadelphia Flyers forward Matvei Michkov and Montreal Canadiens prospect Ivan Demidov represent the future of Russian Hockey. Zubov praised Michkov’s focus on goal scoring and Demidov’s growth playing alongside veterans like former NHL center Evgeny Kuznetsov.

TORONTO SUN: Steve Simmons ponders the mystery of Alexander Mogilny’s exclusion from the Hockey Hall of Fame.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Simmons isn’t the only person wondering why the HHoF continues to snub Mogilny. The Sun scribe says he’s asked several Hall of Fame voters about it but they’re sworn to secrecy about the selection process.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 29, 2024

by | Oct 29, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 29, 2024

The Leafs end the Jets’ win streak, the Sharks long losing skid is over, the Lightning honor former captain Steven Stamkos, and Oilers captain Connor McDavid suffers an injury against the Blue Jackets. Get the details on these and other stories in the NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Toronto Maple Leafs downed the Winnipeg Jets 6-4, ending the latter’s season-opening win streak at eight games. John Tavares had a hat trick while William Nylander and Max Pacioretty each picked up three points for the Leafs. Jets winger Kyle Connor had two goals and two assists.

Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs outshot the Jets 36-23, including 19-6 in the first period. Winnipeg made it interesting as Mark Scheifele and Connor scored third-period goals to cut the Leafs lead to 5-4 before Tavares put it out of reach with an empty-net goal.

The Leafs announced defenseman Jake McCabe agreed to a five-year contract extension with an average annual value of $4.51 million. McCabe, 31, was slated to become an unrestricted free agent next July. He’s earning an AAV of $4 million on his current deal.

The cap hit is alright from the Leafs’ point of view. However, the concern is whether McCabe will still be worth that AAV in the latter years of the contract. He’ll be 32 when it goes into effect next season and will soon reach his mid-thirties when a player’s skills usually decline.

The San Jose Sharks snapped a nine-game losing skid with a 5-4 victory over the Utah Hockey Club on an overtime goal by Alexander Wennberg. They overcame a 4-1 deficit with three unanswered third-period goals by Fabian Zetterlund, Mikael Granlund and Tyler Toffoli to force the extra frame. Zetterlund finished with two goals and Granlund with three points. Matias Maccelli tallied twice for Utah.

An overtime goal by Nick Paul lifted the Tampa Bay Lightning past the Nashville Predators 3-2. Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel each had two points and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 35 shots for the win. Predators forward Steven Stamkos picked up two assists against his former club.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was an emotional return to Tampa Bay for Stamkos. The Lightning honored his 16 seasons with the club with a three-minute video tribute as he took to the ice acknowledging the crowd, who greeted him with a lengthy standing ovation.

The Columbus Blue Jackets thumped the Edmonton Oilers 6-1. Sean Monahan scored twice and Cole Sillinger had a goal and two assists for the Blue Jackets. Oilers captain Connor McDavid left the game after suffering a lower-body injury during the opening shift.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: McDavid injured his left foot falling awkwardly into the boards as he was tripped while chasing the puck. He skated off and was on the bench for several minutes before leaving. McDavid returned to Edmonton for treatment and will miss the remaining two games of the Oilers’ current road trip.

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov returned from a lower-body injury with a two-point performance in a 5-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe also had two points in this contest for the Panthers. Jason Zucker and Rasmus Dahlin replied for the Sabres.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before this game, the Sabres placed forward Zach Benson (lower body) on injured reserve.

The Chicago Blackhawks ended a four-game losing skid by beating the Colorado Avalanche 5-2, snapping the latter’s five-game win streak. Ryan Donato led the way for the Blackhawks with two goals and an assist. Avalanche stars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar each picked up a point to extend their season-opening points streaks to 10 games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Avalanche forward Ross Colton will miss some time recovering from a lower-body injury after blocking a shot in the first period. He played through the second period before leaving this contest.

Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho scored in overtime for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Martin Necas had a goal and an assist as the Hurricanes took a 3-1 lead before the Canucks battled back to tie it on third-period goals by Quinn Hughes and Pius Suter.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen missed this game dealing with an undisclosed injury. It is unrelated to the blood clots that sidelined him for most of last season.

The Vegas Golden Knights blanked the Calgary Flames 5-0. Keegan Kolesar and Nicolas Roy each had three points and Adin Hill made 16 saves for the shutout. Dan Vladar turned aside 33 shots for the Flames, who’ve dropped three straight games after starting the season 5-0-1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Flames are mourning the passing of former equipment manager Gus Thorson, who died in Calgary on Saturday at age 65. Thorson was the Flames head equipment manager from 1999 to 2010. My condolences to Thorson’s family, friends and the Flames organization.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone, Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros and Dallas Stars center Matt Duchene are the league’s three stars for the week ending Oct. 27.

TRIBLIVE.COM: Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is preparing for his final game in front of Pittsburgh Penguins fans. Fleury, 39, intends to retire at the end of this season. He spent the first 13 seasons of his NHL career with the Penguins, helping them win three Stanley Cups. The Wild face the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Speaking of the Penguins, winger Bryan Rust was still be evaluated on Monday for an injured right leg suffered during Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks.

CBS SPORTS: The Montreal Canadiens placed defenseman Kaiden Guhle (upper body) on injured reserve.

STLTODAY.COM: The Blues will send forward Mathieu Joseph back to St. Louis to receive treatment for a lower-body injury suffered during Saturday’s game against the Canadiens.

NEW YORK POST: The Rangers recalled forward Matt Rempe from their AHL affiliate in Hartford.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 28, 2024

by | Oct 28, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 28, 2024

Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar extend their points streaks, anticipating Steven Stamkos’ return to Tampa Bay on Monday for the first time with the Predators, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar extended their season-opening points streaks to nine games as the Colorado Avalanche held off the Ottawa Senators 5-4. MacKinnon had a goal and an assist while Makar collected an assist. Casey Mittelstadt also had three assists for the Avalanche, who’ve won five straight games. Senators forward Claude Giroux tallied twice for the Senators.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A skate blade issue forced Ottawa goalie Anton Forsberg to leave the game twice for repairs. The Senators also announced that center Shane Pinto is week to week with an undisclosed injury. Pinto last played in Tuesday’s 4-0 win over the Utah Hockey Club.

Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (NHL Images).

Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl treated himself on his 29th birthday, scoring twice (including the winning goal) and picking up an assist in a 3-2 overtime win over the Detroit Red Wings. Andrew Copp and Patrick Kane each had two points for the Red Wings.

For the first time this season, the Montreal Canadiens won their second straight game as they hung on for a 4-3 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers. Nick Suzuki and Brendan Gallagher each had a goal and an assist and Cole Caufield sniped his eighth goal of the season. Travis Sanheim scored twice and picked up an assist for the Flyers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Philadelphia made it interesting with two late goals but couldn’t get the equalizer. Flyers goalie Alexei Kolosov made history, becoming the first Belarusian-born netminder to start an NHL game. Forward Garnet Hathaway was fined $5,000 by the league’s department of player safety for elbowing Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek on Saturday.

A four-goal second period lifted the New Jersey Devils over the Anaheim Ducks 6-2. Stefan Noesen tallied two goals and Devils captain Nico Hischier scored his league-leading ninth goal. Ryan Strome had a goal and an assist for the Ducks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Devils forward Curtis Lazar left the game in the second period with a lower-body injury following a hip check from Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas. After the game, Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe said Lazar will likely miss some time.

IN OTHER NEWS…

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Steven Stamkos returns to Tampa Bay on Monday for the first time since signing with the Nashville Predators. The 34-year-old forward spent 16 seasons with the Lightning, leading them to two Stanley Cup championships and a Presidents’ Trophy.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The former Lightning captain will receive a warm welcome from Tampa Bay fans. He’s their single-season goal leader (60) and all-time leader with 1,082 games played, 555 goals and 1,137 points.

THE BUFFALO NEWS: Sabres forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel will return to the lineup after missing eight games with a knee sprain. Defenseman Owen Power is dealing with an illness and remains questionable for Monday’s game against the Florida Panthers.

CBS SPORTS: Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust left Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks with a lower-body injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: No word on Rust’s status since the incident. An update is expected before the Penguins face the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.

Speaking of the Canucks, they sent defenseman Erik Brannstrom and forward Arshdeep Bains to their AHL affiliate in Abbotsford.










NHL Rumor Mill – April 25, 2024

by | Apr 25, 2024

NHL Rumor Mill – April 25, 2024

Check out the latest on the Penguins, Red Wings and Blue Jackets in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

LATEST PENGUINS SPECULATION

THE ATHLETIC: Rob Rossi reports Sidney Crosby wants to stay with the Pittsburgh Penguins and they want to keep him. Contract extension talks have not started yet between the two sides.

Sources told Rossi that both sides expect to have a new deal in place before or soon after July 1. The length of the contract and annual average value are the main elements to be worked out.

The Penguins prefer Crosby’s next contract to take him up to retirement. They’re also believed willing to do a short-term deal.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (NHL Images).

Crosby’s earned an AAV of $8.7 million on his last two contracts. It’s speculated his annual cap hit could be $10 million to $10.5 million on a two or three-year deal.

The Penguins prefer a longer contract that keeps Crosby’s AAV at or below $8.7 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Crosby will re-sign with the Penguins before next season. It’s just a question of how much and for how long.

Rossi also reported Bryan Rust was told by Penguins management before the March trade deadline that he would be back with the club next season. Multiple teams called about the 31-year-old winger but general manager Kyle Dubas retained him because he was preparing to trade Jake Guentzel.

Dubas shopped Reilly Smith before the trade deadline but found no takers because he wasn’t on an expiring contract. That will change next season and Dubas expects a more favorable market for the 33-year-old winger in the offseason.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Hockey News’ Nick Horwat cited Rossi’s colleague Josh Yohe reporting Penguins sources claim Smith never wanted to come to Pittsburgh. If that’s the case, it’s best to move him out this summer if there’s a market for his services.

UPDATE ON THE RED WINGS

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Kevin Allen reports the Red Wings have a projected cap space of around $28 million for 2024-25. However, that will shrink quickly once restricted free agents Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond are signed to new contracts.

The best comparables for Seider are Ottawa’s Jake Sanderson (eight years, $8.05 million AAV) and Buffalo’s Owen Power (seven years, $8.35 million AAV). However, his agent could seek over $9 million annually on a long-term deal. Raymond’s best comparables are Ottawa’s Tim Stutzle (eight years, $8.35 million AAV) and Montreal’s Cole Caufield (eight years, $7.85 million AAV).

Allen speculates Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin’s $8.75 million is the team ceiling. Assuming Seider and Raymond come in at $8.3 million and $8.1 million respectively, it will take a big chunk out of the Wings’ cap space.

General manager Steve Yzerman might have to shed salary to retain Patrick Kane and Shayne Gostisbehere. Allen suggested moving defenseman Justin Holl, who is earning $3.5 million through 2025-26, but that’s questionable unless Yzerman retains some of Holl’s cap hit.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Athletic’s Max Bultman noted that Yzerman hopes to bring back Gostisbehere. He indicated that Kane hasn’t shut the door on returning with the Wings for another season. Bultman also suggested Holl as a trade candidate and didn’t rule out Yzerman buying out his contract.

BIG DECISIONS FACING THE BLUE JACKETS’ NEXT GM.

THE ATHLETIC: Aaron Portzline looked at some of the big decisions facing whoever takes over as the next general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

One of those decisions is whether Elvis Merzlikins deserves another chance as the Jackets’ starting goaltender. He was better on the ice this season but is also a constant source of dressing-room drama and has been hampered by illnesses and injuries.

A change of scenery might also be needed for Patrik Laine. The 26-year-old winger has struggled with injuries and is currently in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.

The Blue Jackets have a glut of wingers. They must ensure veteran players don’t get in the way of a young player’s development.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The new Jackets GM might have no choice but to stick with Merzlikins given the issues mentioned by Portzline. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with Laine once he comes out of the player assistance program. Given those injury issues, he could prove difficult to move. The Jackets could stick with Laine for next season to see how he performs.










NHL Rumor Mill – March 8, 2024

by | Mar 8, 2024

NHL Rumor Mill – March 8, 2024

The trade deadline is at 3 pm ET today. Check out the latest on Tyler Toffoli, Elias Lindholm, Jacob Markstrom, Frank Vatrano, Jason Zucker, Jakob Chychrun, Bryan Rust, Ryan Johansen and more in the NHL Rumor Mill.

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: The Devils scratched winger Tyler Toffoli from last night’s game against the St. Louis Blues for trade-related reasons. No indication as to which teams are calling about him or potential destinations.

TSN: Pierre LeBrun said it’s not 100 percent that Toffoli gets traded as they still believe they can get back into the playoff race. However, the teams that were in on Jake Guentzel before he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes also kept tabs on the Devils winger.

New Jersey Devils winger Tyler Toffoli (NHL Images).

Chris Johnston reports Vancouver Canucks center Elias Lindholm isn’t going anywhere. It was rumored he would be on his way to the Boston Bruins had the Canucks acquire Jake Guentzel from the Pittsburgh Penguins. That’s not happening now.

Johnston thinks the Canucks could try to add one more piece before the deadline. They were believed to have an interest in Arizona Coyotes winger Jason Zucker. Speaking of Zucker, Johnston tweeted the Coyotes held the veteran winger and defenseman Matt Dumba out of last night’s game against the Minnesota Wild for trade-related reasons.

Darren Dreger reports Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom remains in the rumor mill. He believes the New Jersey Devils want to make one more attempt to acquire the 32-year-old Markstrom, who has a full no-movement clause. A rumored trade that would’ve sent him to the Devils last month reportedly fell through over salary retention amid speculation that Flames ownership nixed the deal.

Johnston believes the Winnipeg Jets could try to add a depth forward or defenseman…The Ottawa Senators have received some interest in Jakob Chychrun as well as Erik Brannstrom…The Montreal Canadiens remain open for business. The players they want to move (Jake Allen and David Savard) have a year remaining on their contracts.

THE ATHLETIC: The Philadelphia Flyers hope to find a trade partner for Ryan Johansen. They acquired the 31-year-old center on Wednesday from the Colorado Avalanche as part of the Sean Walker trade.

Johansen cleared waivers on Thursday and was reassigned to the Flyers AHL affiliate. However, general manager Daniel Briere said he informed the center to stand pat for a day or two as they attempt to see if another team could use him.

NEW YORK POST: Mollie Walker reports the Rangers are eyeing a reunion with Anaheim Ducks winger Frank Vatrano, who is signed through next season with $3.65 million cap hit. They’ve also been linked to St. Louis Blues winger Pavel Buchnevich but the Blues would have to retain part of his $5.8 million cap hit.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Kevin Allen reports rumors of the Red Wings acquiring Pittsburgh Penguins winger Bryan Rust are running hot. However, he believes it’s unlikely to happen as the Penguins haven’t asked Rust to waive his no-movement clause.

THE SEATTLE TIMES: Geoff Baker reports the Kraken’s improving odds of qualifying for the playoffs could complicate a possible trade of winger Jordan Eberle. Contract discussions were underway but reportedly stalled on Wednesday. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli believes Eberle will be traded by today’s deadline.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Brian Hedger considers Jack Roslovic to be the Blue Jackets’ most likely trade candidate. The 27-year-old forward is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: Marc Dumont reports The Toronto Maple Leafs were among the clubs that inquired about Canadiens defenseman David Savard. However, those teams have balked at the Canadiens’ high asking price.

BUFFALO HOCKEY NOW: Jason Moser lists Erik Johnson, Kyle Okposo, Zemgus Girgensons and Victor Olofsson among the Sabres’ most likely trade candidates as today’s deadline approaches.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 1, 2024

by | Mar 1, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 1, 2024

The Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon reaches 100 points, the Panthers surge into first overall, the Leafs acquire Ilya Lyubushkin from the Ducks, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist to reach 100 points as the Colorado Avalanche blanked the Chicago Blackhawks 5-0. Justus Annunen stopped 24 shots for his first career NHL shutout while Zach Parise scored twice and collected an assist for the 37-19-5 Avalanche, who sit third in the Central Division with 79 points. Petr Mrazek made 29 saves for the 15-40-5 Blackhawks.

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (NHL Images)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: In his 61st game of the season, MacKinnon became the second-fastest player in Avalanche history to reach 100 points during a season. He sits one game behind Peter Statsny, who did it in 60 games in 1981-82. The Avalanche center sits second in the league scoring race.

The Florida Panthers nipped the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 to move into first place in the overall standings with 84 points. Sam Reinhart tallied twice to reach 41 goals on the season, Aleksander Barkov had three points and Anton Lundell scored the winning goal in a shootout for the 40-16-4 Panthers. Nick Suzuki had a goal and two assists for the 23-28-9 Canadiens.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Panthers are tied with the Boston Bruins in points but have five more wins and a game in hand over the Bruins. Reinhart sits second in the goal-scoring race. Suzuki, meanwhile, had a productive February with 11 goals and 17 points in 11 games.

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll made 30 saves in his return from injury in a 4-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes. Auston Matthews netted his league-leading 53rd goal of the season while William Nylander had a goal and two assists for the Leafs (34-17-8), who sit third in the Atlantic Division with 76 points. The Coyotes (23-31-5) have lost 14 straight games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Maple Leafs also swung a trade as they reacquired defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin from the Anaheim Ducks in a three-way deal involving the Carolina Hurricanes. The Leaf sent the Ducks a third-round pick in 2025 and a 2024 sixth-rounder to the Hurricanes. The Ducks retained half of Lyubushkin’s $2.75 million cap hit with the Hurricanes retaining half of the remainder ($687,500).

Lyubushkin, 29, played 31 games and 7 playoff contests for the Leafs last season. A shutdown defenseman, he brings some much-needed depth to the right side of their blueline.

The Leafs could use another defenseman if Mark Giordano ends up sidelined for a lengthy period. The 40-year-old rearguard left the game in the first period with a head injury after falling hard into the boards. There was no postgame update regarding his condition.

Meanwhile, Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe was fined $25,000.00 by the league for unprofessional conduct directed at on-ice officials during the Leafs’ loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday.

The Boston Bruins downed the Vegas Golden Knights 5-4. Morgan Geekie scored his first career NHL hat trick while Mason Lohrei snapped a 4-4 tie for the 35-12-14 Bruins. Chandler Stephenson had a goal and an assist for the Golden Knights (33-20-2) as they’re perched in second place in the Pacific Division with 73 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, it was reported that Golden Knights captain Mark Stone (upper-body injury) is sidelined for the remainder of the regular season and is questionable to return for the playoffs. It’s believed he suffered a lacerated spleen in a 5-3 loss to the Nashville Predators on Feb. 20. I’ll have more about how this could affect the Golden Knights leading up to the trade deadline in today’s Rumors update.

Drew Doughty and Kevin Fiala each had a goal and two assists to lead the Los Angeles Kings to a 5-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks. With 70 points, the Kings (30-19-10) hold the first Western Conference wild-card berth. Brock Boeser scored the only goal for the 38-17-7 Canucks, who hold first place in the Western Conference with 83 points but slipped into fourth in the overall standings.

Speaking of Western Conference wild-card spots, the Nashville Predators picked up their seventh straight win by beating the Minnesota Wild 6-1. Roman Josi collected three points while Juuse Saros turned aside 33 shots for the 34-25-2 Predators, who also have 70 points but have played two more games than the Kings. Connor Dewar scored for the 28-26-6 Wild, who now sit eight points behind the Predators.

Dallas Stars rookie Logan Stankoven scored his third goal in four NHL games in a 4-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets. Joe Pavelski and Roope Hintz each had two points for the 36-17-9 Stars as they hold first place in the Central Division with 81 points. Winnipeg (37-16-5) remain two points behind the Stars. Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi missed the third period with an upper-body injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Stars will have to wait a few days until trade acquisition Chris Tanev joins them. He remains in Calgary sorting out his work visa and is expected to make his debut on Tuesday.

An overtime goal by Rasmus Dahlin lifted the Buffalo Sabres over the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2. Tage Thompson’s game-tying goal set the stage for Dahlin’s OT heroics for the 28-28-4 Sabres. Nikita Kucherov collected an assist as he remains the league’s points leader with 104. The Lightning (32-24-6) hold the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth with 70 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sabres coach Don Granato was fined $25,000.00 by the NHL for unprofessional conduct toward on-ice officials during Tuesday’s loss to the Panthers. 

The Carolina Hurricanes doubled up the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2 with Brady Skjei getting a goal and an assist. Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen also scored for the Hurricanes (36-18-6) as they hold second place in the Metropolitan Division with 78 points. Alex Nylander had a goal and an assist for the 19-30-10 Blue Jackets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the Blue Jackets announced forward Kent Johnson is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury.

New York Islanders center Brock Nelson scored two goals in a 5-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings, snapping the latter’s six-game win streak. Mathew Bazal collected two points for the 25-20-4 Islanders as they sit six points out of the final Eastern wild-card spot. Olli Maatta tallied twice for the Red Wings (33-21-6) as they hold the first Eastern wild-card berth with 72 points.

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ fading playoff hopes suffered another blow as they fell to the Seattle Kraken 2-0. Philipp Grubauer made 33 saves for the shutout while Oliver Bjorkstrand and Alex Wennberg scored for the 26-22-11 Kraken (63 points) as they sit seven points out of the final Western wild-card berth. Tristan Jarry made 23 saves for the 27-22-8 Penguins, who are eight points behind the Lightning with 62 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before this game, the Penguins announced that winger Bryan Rust is week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Meanwhile, Kraken forward Andre Burakovsky is listed as day-to-day with an unspecified injury.

The Anaheim Ducks held off the San Jose Sharks 6-4. Adam Henrique had a goal and two assists for the 21-35-3 Ducks while Anthony Duclair scored twice and collected an assist for the 15-38-5 Sharks.

IN OTHER NEWS…

THE OTTAWA SUN: Senators center Josh Norris’ season could be over as he’s expected to be sidelined for an extended period with an upper-body injury suffered during their 4-1 loss to the Predators on Tuesday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Norris is one of the Senators’ core players but he’s been hampered by serious injuries since 2021-22. Shoulder surgery limited him to just eight games last season.