NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 6, 2025

by | Apr 6, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 6, 2025

The Kings, Lightning and Panthers clinch playoff berths, the Blues set a franchise record for consecutive wins, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: The Los Angeles Kings clinched a playoff berth by blanking the Edmonton Oilers 3-0. Darcy Kuemper turned in a 27-save shutout while Kevin Fiala tallied his 30th goal of the season as the Kings sit second in the Pacific Division with 97 points, reaching the postseason for the fourth straight year. The Oilers remain in third place behind the Kings with 93 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Oilers forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, defenseman Mattias Ekholm and goaltender Stuart Skinner missed this game with injuries. McDavid is expected to return later this week.

Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson scored his 40th goal as the Buffalo Sabres upset the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on shootout goals by Jack Quinn and Alex Tuch. Brayden Point and Gage Goncalves tallied for Tampa Bay, who clinched a playoff berth in second place in the Atlantic Division with 94 points. It’s the eighth straight season the Lightning have qualified for the playoffs.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sabres have surged recently, winning seven of their last 10 games. Sitting 11 points out of a wild-card berth with seven games remaining, this hot streak comes too late to save their season.

Ottawa Senators netminder Anton Forsberg kicked out 40 shots to shut out the Florida Panthers 3-0. Jake Sanderson had a goal and an assist for the Senators as they hold the first Eastern Conference wild-card berth with 88 points, four back of the third-place Panthers in the Atlantic Division. Despite the loss, the Panthers clinched a playoff berth for the sixth straight season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Florida has gone 3-6-1 in their last 10 games while Ottawa is 5-4-1. Both teams have six games left. The Senators could overtake the Panthers in the standings if the latter doesn’t snap out of its funk.

St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas (NHL Images).

The St. Louis Blues set a franchise record with their 12th straight win by holding off the Colorado Avalanche 5-4. Robert Thomas scored the game-winner and collected three assists, Cam Fowler had three helpers and Zack Bolduc tallied twice as the Blues hold a four-point lead over the Minnesota Wild for the first Western Conference wild-card spot. Nathan MacKinnon scored for the Avalanche, who sit third in the Central Division with 98 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: With 115 points, MacKinnon holds a three-point lead over Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov in the scoring race.

Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz turned aside 27 shots in a 5-0 shutout of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Nick Robertson and William Nylander each scored two goals for the Leafs, who hold a four-point lead over the Lightning for first place in the Atlantic Division with 98 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews scored his 30th goal, becoming the first American-born NHL player to reach that milestone in nine consecutive seasons. The loss puts the Blue Jackets (77 points) six points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the final Eastern wild card.

Speaking of the Canadiens, they got third-period goals by Lane Hutson and Nick Suzuki for a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers, eliminating the latter from the playoff race. The Canadiens have won four straight games and opened a four-point lead over the New York Rangers for the final Eastern wild card with 83 points. Ryan Poehling and Tyson Foerster replied for the Flyers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Suzuki is two points away from becoming the first Canadien to reach 85 points in a season since Pierre Turgeon and Vincent Damphousse in 1995-96. Habs winger Josh Anderson missed this game as his wife is due to give birth soon.

New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom made 26 saves to blank the Rangers 4-0. Timo Meier scored two goals for the Devils, who sit third in the Metro Division with 89 points. With 79 points, the Rangers are four back of the Canadiens in the Eastern wild-card chase.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blueshirts are sputtering with a record of 3-6-1. They and the Canadiens have six games remaining with the latter riding a four-game win streak.

Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak had a hat trick and two assists in a 5-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Morgan Geekie had a goal and four assists for the Bruins, who were officially eliminated from the postseason race. Hurricanes rookie Justin Robidas scored his first NHL goal. His club sits second in the Metropolitan Division with 96 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Pastrnak’s been among the few bright spots in a miserable season for the Bruins. He reached the 40-goal plateau for the fifth time, tying him for second with Rick Middleton among the Bruins all-time scoring leaders. Phil Esposito holds the franchise record with seven 40-goal campaigns.

If Robidas’ last name sounds familiar, he’s the son of former NHL defenseman Stephane Robidas.

An overtime goal by Reilly Smith lifted the Vegas Golden Knights past the Calgary Flames 3-2. Smith finished the game with two goals and Shea Theodore collected three assists as the Golden Knights remain atop the Pacific Division with 100 points, three up on the Kings. Joel Hanley and Matt Coronato scored for the Flames (85 points), who collected a point to sit four behind the Wild for the final Western wild-card spot.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby had a hat trick and collected an assist in a 5-3 upset of the Dallas Stars, snapping the latter’s seven-game win streak. Evgenii Dadonov had a hat trick for the Stars, who remain four points behind the first-place Winnipeg Jets in the Western Conference.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Crosby reached the 30-goal mark for the 13th time in his career.

Utah Hockey Club goalie Karel Vejmelka stopped 32 shots to beat the Jets 4-1. Clayton Keller, Barrett Hayton and Kevin Stenlund each had a goal and an assist for Utah. Mark Scheifele tallied his 38th goal of the season for the league-leading Jets (108 points).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers missed this game with a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day.

A five-goal first period lifted the Vancouver Canucks to a 6-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. Thatcher Demko made 30 saves while Brock Boeser and Quinn Hughes each had two points. Troy Terry and Trevor Zegras scored for the Ducks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The win keeps the Canucks’ fading playoff hopes alive. With 83 points, they’re six behind the Wild in the Western wild-card race.

The Seattle Kraken defeated the San Jose Sharks 5-1. Jared McCann had two goals and an assist for the Kraken. Rookie Will Smith tallied his 14th goal for the Sharks.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 2, 2025

by | Apr 2, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 2, 2025

Alex Ovechkin within four goals of becoming the all-time goal-scoring leader, the Golden Knights clinch a playoff berth, the Blues pick up their 10th straight win, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin tallied his 891st NHL regular-season goal in a 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins. Third-period goals by Dylan Strome and Tom Wilson enable the Capitals (105 points) to hold off the Bruins, moving to within one point of the first-overall Winnipeg Jets. David Pastrnak scored twice to reach 37 goals on the season for the Bruins, who are 0-8-1 in their last nine games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ovechkin needs four more goals to break Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894. The Capitals have eight games remaining in their regular-season schedule.

The Vegas Golden Knights dropped a 3-2 decision to the Edmonton Oilers but became the fourth team to clinch a playoff berth. Second-period goals by Jake Walman, Leon Draisaitl and Viktor Arvidsson gave the Oilers (91 points) the win, moving them two points behind the second-place Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific Division. Nicolas Roy and Pavel Dorofeyev scored for the Golden Knights, who sit atop the Pacific with 98 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Golden Knights signed top prospect Trevor Connolly yesterday to a three-year entry-level contract.

An overtime goal by Cam Fowler lifted the St. Louis Blues over the Detroit Red Wings 2-1, extending their win streak to 10 games. Fowler also assisted on Jordan Kyrou’s 32nd goal of the season as the Blues moved one point ahead of the Minnesota Wild into the first Western Conference wild-card berth with 89 points. J.T. Compher scored for the Wings (75 points), who sit four points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot.

Speaking of the final Eastern wild card, the Montreal Canadiens (79 points) opened a two-point lead over the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers with a 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers. Nick Suzuki scored the tying goal with nine seconds remaining in the third period and the winning goal 29 seconds into overtime. Lane Hutson collected assists on all three goals for the Canadiens as they swept their season series with the defending Stanley Cup champion. Niko Mikkola and Mackie Samoskevich scored for the Panthers, who sit third in the Atlantic Division with 92 points.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hutson became the 10th rookie defenseman in league history to reach the 60-point plateau, finishing the game with 62 points. The 21-year-old blueliner leads this season’s rookie class with 57 assists, 62 points, power-play points (25) and ice time per game (22:40).

Blue Jackets winger Kirill Marchenko tallied a hat trick and collected an assist in an 8-4 drubbing of the Nashville Predators. Sean Monahan scored twice and added two assists and Adam Fantilli netted two goals and an assist as the Blues Jackets kept pace with the Canadiens in the Eastern wild-card race. Predators winger Filip Forsberg scored his 29th goal of the season.

The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the New York Islanders 4-1. Nikita Kucherov had two assists to extend his points streak to nine games as the Lightning (93 points) moved one point ahead of the Panthers into second place in the Atlantic Division, one point behind the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bo Horvat replied for the Islanders, who sit five points behind the Canadiens in the wild-card chase.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Lightning’s Ryan McDonagh became the eighth player in NHL history to reach the 2,000 blocked shots milestone. Meanwhile, Islanders coach Patrick Roy singled out winger Anthony Duclair for his poor play, calling him “god awful”.

Los Angeles Kings forwards Anze Kopitar, Andrei Kuzmenko and Adrian Kempe each had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. The Kings sit second in the Pacific Division with 93 points. Cole Perfetti scored for the Jets, who remain first overall with 106 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: They’ll have to call Kopitar, Kuzmenko and Kempe the “AK Line” if they keep producing together at that pace.

Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson scored to extend his goal streak to five games as his club upset the Ottawa Senators 5-2. Rasmus Dahlin and Alex Tuch each had a goal and an assist for the Sabres, who’ve won five of their last six games. Claude Giroux and Jake Sanderson scored for the Senators (84 points), who sit five points ahead of the Canadiens in the first Eastern wild-card spot.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Senators captain Brady Tkachuk missed this game with an upper-body injury. Meanwhile, the club is close to a deal with Canadian Tire to extend their arena naming rights agreement by another five years.

The Utah Hockey Club dealt a blow to the Calgary Flames’ playoff hopes with a 3-1 victory. Karel Vejmelka stopped 33 shots while Kevin Stenlund, Barrett Hayton, and Clayton Keller scored for Utah. Rasmus Andersson replied for the Flames (82 points), who are six points behind the Wild for the final Western wild-card berth.

A shootout goal by Mason McTavish lifted the Anaheim Ducks over the San Jose Sharks 4-3. McTavish also had three assists in regulation time. Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored his first goal of the season for the Sharks.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel, Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares, and St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington are the league’s Three Stars for March 2025. Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson was named Rookie of the Month.

ROTOWIRE: Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal (lower body) is doubtful for Wednesday’s game against the Capitals.

ESPN.COM: Vancouver Canucks center Filip Chytil might miss the rest of the season as he attempts to recover from another concussion.

TORONTO SUN: Former NHL goaltender Mark Laforest died suddenly on March 31 at 62. He spent six seasons in the NHL between 1985-86 and 1993-94 with the Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators. He had a record of 25-54-4 in 103 games played with two shutouts, a 4.23 goals-against average and a .868 save percentage.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Laforest’s family, friends, former teammates and coaches.










NHL Rumor Mill – April 1, 2025

by | Apr 1, 2025

NHL Rumor Mill – April 1, 2025

The latest Predators speculation, a Sabres forward is suggested as an offer-sheet target, and Cam York’s future with the Flyers in today’s (no foolin’) edition of the NHL Rumor Mill.

WHO SHOULD THE PREDATORS MOVE THIS SUMMER?

DAILY FACEOFF: Frank Seravalli asked Carter Hutton which veteran player he would pick to trade this summer.

Nashville Predators winger Jonathan Marchessault (NHL Images).

Hutton thinks it should be Steven Stamkos or Jonathan Marchessault. Both players were signed to four-year contracts last summer. He doesn’t think they can move away from long-time Predators like Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi. Hutton also sees them sticking with goaltender Juuse Saros now that Yaroslav Askarov is gone.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hutton acknowledged moving either player would be tricky.

Stamkos, 35, has a full no-movement clause and an average annual value of $8.5 million on his contract. The 34-year-old Marchessault has a more affordable AAV ($5.5 million) and a 15-team no-trade list. He also carries a no-movement clause that prevents him from being sent to the minors.

The Predators will likely hang onto both players and hope for a bounce-back performance next season. If they attempt to trade one of them, interested clubs could squeeze them to retain some salary in the deal.

COULD SABRES FORWARD JJ PETERKA BECOME AN OFFER-SHEET TARGET?

DAILY FACEOFF: Frank Seravalli and Carter Hutton discussed which player they would target with an offer sheet this summer.

Seravalli believes JJ Peterka of the Buffalo Sabres would be a prime candidate. The 23-year-old forward is completing a three-year entry-level contract.

Hutton believes Peterka is someone the Sabres will have to pay a significant raise to prevent him from becoming an offer-sheet target.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Peterka has steadily improved since his 2022-23 rookie campaign. He had 32 points in 77 games that season, 28 goals and 50 points in 82 games in 2023-24, and 23 goals and 59 points in 68 games this season.

The Sabres have a projected cap space for next season of over $22 million with 17 active roster players under contract. Bowen Byram, Jack Quinn, Ryan McLeod and Jacob Bernard-Docker are also restricted free agents.

They should have enough space to sign everyone if they spend to the cap ceiling. Otherwise, things could get interesting if a rival club makes Peterka a tempting offer.

DOES CAM YORK STILL HAVE A FUTURE WITH THE FLYERS?

SPORTSNET: Last week, Elliotte Friedman talked about Cam York’s future with the Philadelphia Flyers following the firing of head coach John Tortorella.

Friedman said Flyers management and York’s representatives discussed a contract extension earlier this season but it didn’t happen. There were times this season when the 24-year-old defenseman came up in trade talks, but Friedman doesn’t believe the Flyers made him available.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: York was benched for part of last Tuesday’s loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, which was Tortorella’s final game with the Flyers. He was also benched for Thursday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens.

Interim coach Brad Shaw said the benching for the Canadiens game was for “disciplinary reasons”. It was subsequently reported that there was a heated exchange between York and Tortorella during the Leafs game. The blueliner declined to discuss it, saying he took full responsibility for his actions.

York is part of a young core of players who were supposed to play significant roles for the rebuilding Flyers. However, two of them (Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee) were traded to the Calgary Flames in January, raising questions about his place with the club.

A restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer, York has struggled this season with 15 points in 60 games, down significantly from last season’s career-high of 30 points. His situation could be worth monitoring during the offseason.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 31, 2025

by | Mar 31, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 31, 2025

Alex Ovechkin reaches 890 goals, the Jets widen their lead in the overall standings and the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth changes hands again. Details and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is five goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 goals. He scored his 890th goal in an 8-5 loss to the Buffalo Sabres and also collected two points to finish the game with three points. Sabres forwards Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch each scored two goals for the Sabres.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Washington holds first place in the Eastern Conference with 103 points but has gone 0-2-1 in their last three games. Capitals head coach Spencer Carberry shook up his top-two in the third period, saying his team needs more from its top-six forwards amid a three-game skid.

The Winnipeg Jets widen their lead in the overall standings with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Kyle Connor had a goal and an assist and Connor Hellebuyck made 23 saves for the Jets (106 points), opening a three-point lead over the Capitals. Pius Suter scored for the Canucks (81 points), who remain six points behind the St. Louis Blues for the final Western Conference wild-card berth.

Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki (NHL Images).

Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki scored the winning goal and picked up two assists to double up the Florida Panthers 4-2. Rookie defenseman Lane Hutson set up three goals and Juraj Slafkovsky had a goal and an assist for the Canadiens, who regained the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot with 77 points. Sam Reinhart and Seth Jones replied for the Panthers as they sit third in the Atlantic Division with 91 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hutson leads all rookies this season with 59 points. The Canadiens have the same points total as the New York Rangers but hold the wild card with a game in hand. Meanwhile, the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning are tied in points but the latter holds second place in the division with 37 regulation wins.

The Toronto Maple Leafs opened a three-point lead atop the Atlantic Division (94 points) with a 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Steve Lorentz broke a 2-2 tie, Mitch Marner scored his 23rd goal of the season, and Joseph Woll stopped 29 shots for the Leafs. Leo Carlsson tallied his 20th of the season for the Ducks.

Carolina Hurricanes winger Seth Jarvis scored two goals as his club downed the New York Islanders 6-4. Sebastian Aho had a goal and two assists for the Hurricanes, who sit second in the Metropolitan Division with 94 points. Pierre Engvall tallied twice for the Islanders, who’ve gone 0-3-2 in their last five contests.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Hurricanes are on a roll, winning 11 of their last 13 games. Meanwhile, the Islanders are three points behind the Canadiens for the final Eastern wild-card spot.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby’s overtime lifted his club to a 1-0 blanking of the Ottawa Senators. Tristan Jarry kicked out 31 shots for his first shutout of the season. Anton Forsberg turned aside 34 shots for the Senators (84 points) as they collected a point to sit seven points ahead of the Canadiens in the first Eastern wild-card position.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Penguins played without forward Boko Imama as he underwent surgery on Friday to repair a torn bicep. His recovery timeline is four-to-six months.

Los Angeles Kings forwards Adrian Kempe and Warren Foegele each scored two goals to crush the San Jose Sharks 8-1. Team captain Anze Kopitar collected three assists as the Kings moved ahead of the Edmonton Oilers into second place in the Pacific Division standings with 91 points. Sharks rookie Cam Lund scored for the second straight game.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kopitar notched his 316th multipoint game, moving ahead of Sergei Fedorov into ninth place all-time among NHL players born outside North America. Jaromir Jagr is the leader with 540.

Utah Hockey Club forward Alex Kerfoot had a goal and two assists in a 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Mikhail Sergachev had a goal and an assist for Utah while Ryan Donato netted his 29th of the season for Chicago.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Utah defenseman Robert Bortuzzo returned to action after missing 35 games with a lower-body injury.

IN OTHER NEWS…

EDMONTON JOURNAL: Oilers captain Connor McDavid (lower-body injury) will not travel with his teammates as they begin their four-game road trip. There is a slight chance he could rejoin the club before their road trip ends in Anaheim on April 7.

THE ATHLETIC’s Michael Russo reports Minnesota Wild forwards Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek practiced for the first time yesterday, but their return to action remains to be determined.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Boston Bruins placed Patrick Brown and Vinni Lettieri on waivers. The Wild did the same with Brendan Gaunce and Devin Shore. If they are claimed off waivers, they will be ineligible to play in the postseason with their new teams following the trade deadline.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: The Lightning must free up salary-cap space to sign prospect Isaac Howard to an entry-level contract.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 28, 2025

by | Mar 28, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 28, 2025

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby sets a notable offensive record, Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning with a four-point game, the Blues strengthen their hold on the final Western wild card, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPPING THURSDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby broke Wayne Gretzky’s record of consecutive seasons averaging a point-per-game in a 7-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Jiri Kulich scored twice for the Sabres while Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Rasmus Dahlin, Bowen Byram and Peyton Kreb had two points each.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Crosby has 20 consecutive seasons averaging a point-per-game. That’s an impressive display of offensive consistency, especially at this stage of his career on a team rebuilding its roster.

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov had a goal and three assists and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 saves to shut out the Utah Hockey Club 8-0. Victor Hedman had a goal and two assists while Jake Guentzel and Oliver Bjorkstrand each scored twice for the Lightning (89 points), who moved within one point of the first-place Toronto Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Lightning are tied with the Florida Panthers in points but the latter holds a game in hand.

Speaking of the Maple Leafs, they overcame a 5-3 deficit in regulation to the San Jose Sharks but fell 6-5 on shootout goals by Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini. Tyler Toffoli scored twice and picked up an assist for the Sharks. William Nylander tallied twice and Mitch Marner collected three assists for the Leafs, who sit atop the Atlantic Division with 90 points.

The St. Louis Blues strengthened their hold on the final Western Conference wild-card berth by nipping the Nashville Predators 3-2, picking up their eighth straight win. Dylan Holloway scored two goals, including the game-winner in the third period. Robert Thomas had two assists for the Blues (85 points), opening a five-point lead over the Vancouver Canucks. Fedor Svechkov and Brady Skjei scored for the Predators, who’ve been officially eliminated from the playoff race.

Minnesota Wild forward Frederick Gaudreau scored twice and Matt Boldy had a goal and an assist in a 4-2 win over the Washington Capitals. Filip Gustavsson stopped 28 shots for the Wild, who remain two points ahead of the Blues for the first Western wild card. Matt Roy and Brandon Duhaime replied for the Capitals, who remain in first place in the overall standings with 103 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin was held off the score sheet and remains six goals from breaking Gretzky’s all-time goals record of 894. Following the game, Ovechkin led his teammates in a handshake lineup for Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who is expected to retire following this season.

The Dallas Stars got a 46-save performance by backup goalie Casey DeSmith to beat the Calgary Flames 5-2. Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Mikko Rantanen, Matt Duchene, Mikael Granlund and Mason Marchment each collected two points for the Stars, who picked up their fourth straight win to sit second in the Central Division with 98 points. Nazem Kadri scored both goals for the Flames (79 points), who sit six points back of the surging Blues in the Western wild-card race.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Flames had two goals disallowed, leaving them feeling like the referees robbed them. They also lost forward Connor Zary as he left the game early in the third period favoring his left knee after colliding with Rantanen.

Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark turned aside 31 shots as his club held off the Detroit Red Wings for a 4-3 victory. Michael Amadio scored what proved to be the game-winner as the Senators (81 points) opened a six-point cushion over the Montreal Canadiens in the first Eastern Conference wild-card berth. Lucas Raymond had a goal and an assist for the Red Wings, who remain three points behind the Canadiens with 72 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This game featured two teams going in different directions. The Senators have won eight of their last 11 games while the Red Wings have only three wins in their last 14 contests.

Meanwhile, the Canadiens (75 points) blew a golden opportunity to expand their lead in the final Eastern wild-card spot by dropping a 6-4 decision to the Philadelphia Flyers, who had fired head coach John Tortorella earlier in the day. Sean Couturier and Matvei Michkov each had two goals and an assist for the Flyers, who got their first win under interim coach Brad Shaw. Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson picked up two assists, becoming the first rookie defenseman since 1985-86 to have 50 assists.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before this game, Flyers general manager Daniel Briere spoke to the media about the decision to fire Tortorella. He claimed a number of reasons led to the decision, not just Tortorella’s comments on Tuesday expressing frustration over the club’s losing skid in recent weeks. He declined to get into the specifics, saying it wouldn’t be fair to his former coach.

Flyers defenseman Cam York was benched for the entire game against the Canadiens. Shaw claimed it was for disciplinary reasons but didn’t go into detail.

The last rookie defenseman to reach the 50-assist plateau was Gary Suter with the Calgary Flames. He went on to win the Calder Memorial Trophy that season.

Colorado Avalanche goalie Mackenzie Blackwood had 22 saves to blank the Los Angeles Kings 4-0. Martin Necas scored twice and picked up an assist while Nathan MacKinnon had an assist to extend his home points streak to 23 games. The Avalanche sit third in the Central Division with 93 points, while the Kings are second in the Pacific Division with 89 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: MacKinnon (108 points) holds a three-point lead over Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov atop the points race. Kings forwards Alex Turcotte and Tanner Jeannot missed this game as they’re day-to-day with undisclosed injuries.

A five-goal second period carried the Seattle Kraken to a 6-1 upset of the Edmonton Oilers. Jaden Schwartz scored twice and Joey Daccord kicked out 36 shots for the Kraken. Zach Hyman scored for the Oilers, who remain third in the Pacific Division with 87 points.

IN OTHER NEWS…

NHL.COM: Boston Bruins defenseman Michael Callahan was fined over $2,000.00 by the department of player safety for cross-checking Anaheim Ducks forward Jansen Harkins on Wednesday.

NEW YORK POST: Rangers forward Matt Rempe is listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 27, 2025

by | Mar 27, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 27, 2025

Recaps of Wednesday’s games, the Flyers fire head coach John Tortorella, an update on Brad Marchand, Dylan Cozens is thriving since being traded to the Senators, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Dallas Stars got a natural hat trick from Jason Robertson as they held off the Edmonton Oilers 4-3. Roope Hintz collected three assists and Jake Oettinger stopped 41 shots for the Stars, who’ve won their third straight game and sit second in the Central Division with 96 points. Corey Perry and Adam Henrique each had a goal and an assist for the Oilers, who lost goaltender Stuart Skinner following a third-period collision with Stars winger Mikko Rantanen. The loss leaves the Oilers in third place in the Pacific Division with 87 points.

Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Skinner will not be traveling with the Oilers to Seattle after being struck in the head by Rantanen’s knee. His teammates’ tepid response to the incident sparked criticism of the club’s toughness.

Vancouver Canucks forward Kiefer Sherwood scored twice and picked up an assist in a 5-2 victory over the New York Islanders. Thatcher Demko made 26 saves while Pius Suter and Drew O’Connor had two assists each for the Canucks (80 points), who sit three points behind the St. Louis Blues for the final Western Conference wild-card berth. Casey Cizikas had a goal and an assist for the Islanders (74 points), who remain one point back of the Montreal Canadiens for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot.

The Boston Bruins’ fading playoff hopes took another hit with a 6-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Leo Carlsson tallied twice and Jackson LaCombe had a goal and an assist for the Ducks. David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie replied for the Bruins (69 points), who’ve lost seven straight games and remain six points behind the Canadiens.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov missed this game to return to Boston to deal with a family matter.

New Jersey Devils forward Dawson Mercer scored two goals to lead his club over the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3. Luke Hughes collected three assists as the Devils ended a three-game losing skid. They’re third in the Metropolitan Division with 83 points. Tyler Bertuzzi and Ilya Mikheyev replied for the Blackhawks, who’ve dropped eight of their last nine games.

HEADLINES

**UPDATE** The Philadelphia Flyers relieved John Tortorella of his coaching duties. 

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Brad Marchand is inching closer to his debut with the Panthers. Head coach Paul Maurice said the plan is for the 36-year-old winger to participate in a full team practice on Thursday and be in the lineup for Friday’s game against Utah.

The Panthers acquired Marchand from the Bruins at the March 7 trade deadline. He’s been sidelined with an upper-body injury since March 1.

SPORTSNET: Dylan Cozens has been thriving with the Ottawa Senators. Acquired from the Buffalo Sabres on March 7, he has three goals and five assists for eight points in nine games. The Senators have gone 6-3-0 during that stretch.

THE ATHLETIC: Matthew Fairburn believes the Sabres’ long playoff drought is testing the limits of their fans’ patience. The club is seeing thousands of empty seats in their arena this season, with some season-ticket holders opting not to renew for 2025-26.

Fairburn points out the Sabres are 30th in attendance by average capacity with 84 percent. They’re 27th in average raw attendance with 16, 070. He believes the constant losing hurts the club’s bottom line.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sabres have been floundering for nearly 15 years under team owner Terry Pegula. Sabres fans are long-suffering but their patience could be nearing the breaking point. Buffalo is a hockey town with a rich history, However, if fan support keeps dwindling, whispers of franchise relocation won’t be far behind.

SPORTSNET: Eric Francis reported on some details for the Calgary Flames’ new arena. Construction began on the 18,400-seat venue eight months ago and is expected to open midway through 2027.

OTTAWA SUN: Senators CEO Cyril Leeder said the club is expected to remain in its current arena for at least five years. Talks are ongoing between the Senators and Ottawa’s National Capital Commission (NCC) to construct a new arena at LeBreton Flats.