NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 10, 2024

by | Nov 10, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 10, 2024

The Jets set an early-season wins record, Alex Ovechkin’s pursuit of the all-time goal record continues, Nathan MacKinnon takes over the scoring lead with a multipoint game, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Winnipeg Jets are the first team in NHL history to win 14 of their first 15 games with a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars. Vladislav Namestnikov and Alex Iafallo each had a goal and an assist and Cole Perfetti collected two assists for the 14-1-0 Jets, who sit atop the overall standings with 28 points. Roope Hintz replied for the Stars.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jets goaltender Connor Hellebucyk set a franchise record for the longest shutout streak (191:47), which ended late in the third period when Hintz scored.

Alex Ovechkin scored two goals to lead the Washington Capitals to an 8-1 rout of the St. Louis Blues. Connor McMichael also scored two goals, Dylan Strome had three assists and Jakob Chychrun had a goal and an assist as he returned to action after missing the last five games with an upper-body injury. Scott Perunovich scored for the Blues, who gave up five goals in the third period.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ovechkin has 10 goals in 14 games and 863 for his career. He needs 32 to break Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894. The Capitals placed forward Sonny Milano on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (NHL Images).

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and three assists to lead his club over the Carolina Hurricanes 6-4, snapping the latter’s eight-game win streak. Mikko Rantanen tallied twice and picked up an assist as the Avalanche overcame 2-0 and 3-2 deficits. Hurricanes forward Jordan Martinook scored two goals and picked up an assist.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: MacKinnon moved past Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov (27 points) into first place in the scoring race with 29 points.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid had a goal and two assists as his club cruised to a 7-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Connor Brown scored two goals and Mattias Janmark collected three assists for the Oilers. Canucks forward Elias Pettersson had a goal and an assist.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canucks played without winger Brock Boeser as he remains sidelined with a suspected concussion. There is no timetable for his return.

A shootout goal by Evan Rodrigues gave the Florida Panthers a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Rodrigues also picked up two assists in regulation while netminder Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 34 shots in regulation and overtime as the Panthers picked up their seventh straight victory. Scott Laughton had two assists for the Flyers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov was a healthy scratch for the second straight game. Teammate Samuel Ersson made 28 saves as he returned to action following a two-game absence with a lower-body injury.

Nashville Predators netminder Juuse Saros had a 26-save shutout to blank the Utah Hockey Club 4-0. Filip Forsberg and Jonathan Marchessault each tallied two goals as the Predators ended a three-game losing skid. Utah has only three wins in their last 10 games (3-5-2).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Predators placed defenseman Dante Fabbro on waivers before this game. He’s been the subject of recent trade speculation. I’ll have more in the Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup.

The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-1, handing the latter their sixth straight defeat (0-5-1). Leafs winger Mitch Marner had a goal and an assist to extend his points streak to eight games. Brendan Gallagher scored his seventh of the season for the floundering Canadiens.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Leafs winger Max Pacioretty left this game in the first period with a lower-body injury following a collision with Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson. He’s listed as day-to-day.

The rebuilding Canadiens hoped to improve when this season began but that optimism has now evaporated. Management is reportedly shopping around for a defenseman and a gritty forward but deals are difficult to find at this time of year. Head coach Martin St. Louis is safe from losing his job but he might benefit from a better staff of assistant coaches, particularly those with goaltending and defense expertise.

New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes scored in overtime as his club rallied from a 3-1 deficit to nip the New York Islanders 4-3. Hughes finished the game with two goals and an assist while teammate Dougie Hamilton had three helpers. Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin stopped 29 shots while Simon Holmstrom had a goal and an assist.

The New York Rangers got 37 saves from goalie Jonathan Quick to shut out the Detroit Red Wings 4-0. Rangers winger Artemi Panarin had a goal and an assist while Chris Kreider, Jimmy Vesey and Reilly Smith also found the back of the net. The Red Wings have lost two straight games.

Los Angeles Kings winger Warren Foegele had a goal and an assist as his club beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2, handing the latter their fourth straight loss. Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe each had two assists for the Kings. Dmitri Voronkov and Ivan Provorov each netted their first goals of the season for the Blue Jackets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Kings placed forward Alex Turcotte on injured reserve before this game. He missed their previous two games with an upper-body injury.

The Buffalo Sabres blew a 2-0 lead but a shootout goal by JJ Peterka gave them a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames. Tage Thompson tallied his 10th goal of the season and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen kicked out 24 shots for the Sabres’ third straight win. Matt Coronato and Mikael Backlund replied for the Flames.

An overtime goal by Brady Tkachuk gave the Ottawa Senators a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins. Linus Ullmark made 14 saves for the win over his former team. Pavel Zacha and Brad Marchand scored for the Bruins.

IN OTHER NEWS…

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports the NHL will reveal the full rosters for the 4 Nations Face-Off on Dec. 4. The tournament will take place from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston and replaces the 2025 All-Star Game.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Penguins recalled goaltender Tristan Jarry from his conditioning stint with their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. They also assigned forward Matt Nieto to their affiliate for conditioning.

ROTOWIRE: Seattle Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn is expected to remain sidelined for another three weeks as he recovers from an upper-body injury.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Former Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen was inducted into the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame as an influencer on Saturday. Former NHLers Pekka Rinne and Jussi Jokinen were among the inductees in the player category.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 7, 2024

by | Nov 7, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 7, 2024

Alex Ovechkin extends his goal streak, Connor McDavid returns from injury sooner than expected, and the latest on Cale Makar, Gabriel Landeskog, Dylan Holloway, Thatcher Demko and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin scored the winning goal and picked up an assist as his club nipped the Nashville Predators 3-2. Ovechkin extended his goals streak to five games and Dylan Strome collected two assists for the Capitals, who sit second in the Metropolitan Division with 18 points. Juuso Parssinen and Steven Stamkos scored for the Predators, who’ve dropped four of their last five games (1-3-1).

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ovechkin needs 34 goals to break Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 goals. He has eight goals in 12 games this season.

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin scored twice in the third period as his club doubled up the Edmonton Oilers 4-2. Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev each finished with three points as their team sits atop the Pacific Division with 19 points in 13 games. Brett Kulak and Zach Hyman replied for the Oilers (6-7-1).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Oilers captain Connor McDavid returned to action after missing 10 days with an ankle injury. He was originally expected to be sidelined for up to three weeks. He played over 21 minutes but was held scoreless.

The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1. Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat each had a goal and an assist and Cam Talbot stopped 29 shots for the Wings. Nick Foligno scored for the Blackhawks.

HEADLINES

THE DENVER POST: Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said Cale Makar is ok after suffering a lower-body injury on Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken. He traveled with the Avs and could play Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets.

TSN: Bednar also said captain Gabriel Landeskog suffered a setback as he attempts a comeback after knee surgeries sidelined him for the past two seasons. Bednar said it’s part of the on-again, off-again recovery process and remains hopeful Landeskog can return to action this season.

SPORTSNET: St. Louis Blues forward Dylan Holloway suffered no ill effects from taking a puck to the neck in Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He left the game on a stretcher and was taken to a hospital for observation but was released and rejoined his teammates in practice yesterday. Holloway hopes to play against Utah on Thursday.

TSN: Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko participated in some practice drills on Wednesday with some of his teammates. It’s the latest step in his recovery from a nagging knee injury that has sidelined him since Game 1 of the opening round of the 2024 playoffs.

DAILY FACEOFF: Canucks defenseman Derek Forbort is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment is out day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.

OTTAWA SUN: Center Shane Pinto and defenseman Artem Zub could return to the Senators lineup for Thursday’s contest with the New York Islanders. Zub has missed nine games with a concussion while Pinto was out six games with an undisclosed ailment.

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said defenseman Jake Walman was a healthy scratch from Tuesday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets for non-hockey reasons. “Jake did not play because of hockey play,” said Warsofsky. “There was nothing to do with that. It was something in between (us) that we’ll keep in-house.”.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Walman’s absence raised eyebrows given his role on the Sharks. He logs the second-most minutes and is their best offensive defenseman.

MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: The Canadiens have loaned forward Oliver Kapanen to Timra IK in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: The Devils announced they’ve relieved Kevin Dineen of his duties as head coach of their AHL affiliate in Utica. Assistant coach Ryan Parent takes over on an interim basis for the rest of the season. The move comes as Utica is off to one of the worst starts (0-9-1) in franchise history.

ESPN.COM: Emily Kaplan recently examined several key issues potentially at stake in the next round of collective bargaining between the NHL and NHL Players’ Association. The current agreement will expire in September 2026.

The players hope for a bigger slice of the growing revenue pie. Many would like to see escrow eliminated. They’d also like to get a cut of future expansion fees. Some players wonder if the league might implement a luxury tax given the willingness of some teams to spend over the salary cap.

Some players would like to see the preseason shortened and expand the regular season to 84 games if it means starting the season earlier. Others would like to see the playoff schedule return to the 1-8 seeding by conference.

TSN: Pierre LeBrun reports the CBA negotiations are expected to start in the New Year. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly will summarize the main points he’s learned from meeting with individual general managers at the upcoming GMs meeting.

The general managers would like to tweak the salary arbitration process and revise the compensation rates for offer sheets. One GM would like to see them revisit term limits on player contracts.

LeBrun doesn’t feel either side wants to have a big war in this round of CBA negotiations. He believes they want this to go smoothly.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kaplan cited one player saying growing league revenue was the priority and doesn’t want to squabble about points. That is the main factor for both sides. Revenue has grown significantly in recent years and neither side wants to do anything that could jeopardize that growth.

There will be some tweaks coming out of the next round of CBA but nothing that will require a work stoppage. There is no rancor between the two sides and no sense of foreboding compared to the lead-up to the three previous lockouts. Some think an agreement could be reached next summer.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 3, 2024

by | Nov 3, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 3, 2024

The Panthers sweep the Stars in the 2024 Global Series, more multipoint performances for Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar keep their point streaks alive, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Third-period goals by A.J. Greer and Sam Reinhart lifted the Florida Panthers over the Dallas Stars 4-2 to sweep their two-game NHL 2024 Global Series in Tampere, Finland. Reinhart finished with two points and Spencer Knight made 23 saves as the Panthers picked up their fifth straight win. Evgenii Dadonov and Matt Duchene replied for the Stars.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stars forward Tyler Seguin missed this game with a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day.

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin (NHL Images).

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin had his third straight multipoint game with a goal and two assists in a 7-2 thrashing of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Dylan Strome also had a goal and two assists while Connor McMichael tallied twice for the Capitals, who moved into first place in the Metropolitan Division with 16 points (8-2-0). Damon Severson and Kevin Labanc scored for the Blue Jackets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ovechkin now has 859 career regular-season goals and needs 36 to break Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894. The Capitals announced before this game that defenseman Jakob Chychrun (upper body) was placed on injured reserve.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby scored two goals for the second straight game to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1. Alex Nedeljkovic got the win with 25 saves. Christian Dvorak scored the only goal for the Canadiens, who have lost three straight games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Crosby needs three more goals to reach the 600-goal plateau. Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky left the game late in the third period after being elbowed in the head by Penguins forward Noel Acciari. There was no immediate update regarding Slafkovsky’s injury.

The Canadiens’ charter flight home was grounded when a tanker truck collided with the wing of the aircraft as it sat on the tarmac. The accident took place during the game and no injuries were reported.

The Nashville Predators got a goal and an assist each from Steven Stamkos, Roman Josi and Gustav Nyquist as they downed the Colorado Avalanche 5-2. Avalanche stars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar also each had a goal and an assist, extending their season-opening point streaks to 12 games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Avalanche have lost three straight despite the efforts of MacKinnon and Makar. Goaltending remains their Achilles’ heel, giving up a league-leading 4.25 goals-against per game.

St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko scored two goals and collected an assist in a 4-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jordan Binnington kicked out 35 shots for the Blues. Mitch Marner and Steven Lorentz scored for the Leafs.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This game was the first for Leafs coach Craig Berube against his former club in St. Louis. The Blues honored him with a video tribute while the fans gave him a standing ovation. Blues defenseman Philip Broberg left the game in the second period after injuring his right leg following a collision with Marner. There was no postgame update regarding his condition.

Boston Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo made 20 saves to shut out the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0. Matthew Poitras, Justin Brazeau and Brad Marchand scored for the Bruins. Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson left this game in the first period with a lower-body injury and didn’t return. The club didn’t provide a postgame update.

The Ottawa Senators got a 22-save shutout performance from Anton Forsberg in a 3-0 win over the Seattle Kraken. Adam Gaudette, Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle tallied for the Senators. Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer turned aside 20 shots.

Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin scored both of his club’s goals in a 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres, snapping a three-game losing skid. Red Wings netminder Cam Talbot stopped 31 shots. Alex Tuch scored for the Sabres as they’ve dropped three straight.

A shootout goal by Ryan Donato lifted the Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-3 upset of the Los Angeles Kings. Blackhawks forward Tyler Bertuzzi scored the tying goal that sent the game into overtime and the shootout rounds while Hawks goalie Petr Mrazek made 37 saves in regulation and OT. Alex Laferriere scored twice for the Kings.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Laferriere is on track for a breakout sophomore campaign. After netting 12 goals and 23 points in 81 games last season, he has eight goals and 11 points in 12 games thus far.

The Vegas Golden Knights nipped the Utah Hockey Club 4-3 on an overtime goal by Brett Howden. Noah Hanifin had a goal and two assists for the Golden Knights. Utah’s Logan Cooley had a goal and an assist.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Golden Knights called up Akira Schmid to back up starter Adin Hill for this game.

Vancouver Canucks forward Pius Suter scored twice, including the game-winner with 26 seconds left in the third period, to give his team a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks, ending the latter’s three-game win streak. Jake DeBrusk scored his first of the season for the Canucks. Nico Sturm and Mikael Granlund replied for the Sharks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canucks placed forward Nils Aman on waivers Saturday.

IN OTHER NEWS…

SPORTSNET: The Islanders got bad news on Saturday as they learned forward Mathew Barzal and Adam Pelech will be sidelined for four to six weeks with upper-body injuries. Barzal was placed on long-term injury reserve while Pelech was placed on IR.

The Islanders also announced defensemen Mike Reilly and Alexander Romanov are day-to-day with upper-body injuries. They called up blueliners Grant Hutton and Samuel Bolduc from their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport.

NEW YORK POST: Rangers forward Jimmy Vesey will make his season debut after recovering from a suspected shoulder injury suffered during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final on May 24. The Rangers have returned forward Matt Rempe to their AHL affiliate in Hartford.










NHL Rumor Mill – October 30, 2024

by | Oct 30, 2024

NHL Rumor Mill – October 30, 2024

Could Connor Bedard’s frustration over the Blackhawks’ slow start force the club to seek help in the trade market? Are there some potential blueline trade options for the Oilers and Senators? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

SPORTSNET: During Monday’s “32 Thoughts: The Podcast” episode, Elliotte Friedman observed Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard’s frustration over his club’s slow start to this season.

Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard (NHL Images).

Friedman dismissed any suggestion that Bedard is unhappy in Chicago and wants to be traded. However, he thinks the rebuilding Blackhawks might want to consider short-term roster improvements to keep Bedard happy without derailing their long-term plan.

According to Friedman, the Blackhawks attempted to acquire Jake Guentzel in the offseason before he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning, who signed him to a long-term contract. That shows they’ve tried to land a high-caliber star to play with Bedard.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Chicago has added veterans to their young roster over the last two years, bringing in Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno, Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, TJ Brodie, Alec Martinez and Laurent Brossoit.

The Blackhawks have plenty of trade bait in prospects and draft picks to make a competitive bid for a star. They’ll also have plenty of salary cap space to pursue one in next summer’s free-agent market.

Finding a star in their playing prime, however, is a difficult task. Most don’t want to join a rebuilding team that could be years away from contender status.

It’s believed the Blackhawks would like to add a second-line center, with some observers wondering if Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras could be available. It will take time to address that issue and might not occur during this season.

THE ATHLETIC: Allan Mitchell recently looked at five righthanded defensemen who should be trade targets for the Edmonton Oilers. One of them is Rasmus Andersson of the Calgary Flames.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Mitchell acknowledged the notion of the Flames trading Andersson to Edmonton is slim at best but felt he’d be the ideal option for the Oilers. I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for that trade to go down.

Meanwhile, Julien McKenzie examined some potential defensive trade targets for the Ottawa Senators. They included Timothy Liljegren of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Cam Fowler of the Anaheim Ducks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Liljegren’s reportedly been available for nearly a month but his $3 million cap hit and lack of playing time hurts his trade value. Fowler has a four-team trade list but he’s reportedly willing to expand it to double-digits. Whether the Senators would be among his preferred destinations is another matter.










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 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.