NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 2, 2025

by | Dec 2, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 2, 2025

Sidney Crosby moves closer to overtaking Mario Lemieux’s franchise points record, Macklin Celebrini reaches another points milestone, the three stars of the week are revealed, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF MONDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: Sidney Crosby tallied two goals to lead his Pittsburgh Penguins to a 5-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Bryan Rust had a goal and two assists for the 13-7-5 Penguins. Tyson Foerster scored for the Flyers (14-8-3) as their three-game win streak ended.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Crosby has 1,716 points, putting him within eight points of overtaking Mario Lemieux’s franchise record of 1,723 points, which is eighth on the NHL’s all-time points list. The 38-year-old Penguins captain has 18 goals, putting him third behind Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon and Boston Bruins winger Morgan Geekie (20 goals each) among this season’s goal-scoring leaders.

Meanwhile, Foerster exited the game in the second period after injuring his right shoulder. There was no postgame update regarding his condition.

San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (NHL Images).

San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini collected three assists in a 6-3 win against the Utah Mammoth. Tyler Toffoli had two goals and two assists, and Will Smith scored twice and picked up an assist as the Sharks improved to 13-11-3 on the season. Lawson Crouse netted two goals for the Mammoth (12-12-3), who dropped their fourth straight game.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Celebrini is the second player to reach the 40-point plateau this season. The 19-year-old Sharks center is the third-fastest teenager in NHL history to reach 40 points in a season, doing so in 27 games. Wayne Gretzky did it in 24 games in 1980-81, and Sidney Crosby did it in 26 games in 2006-07.

The Anaheim Ducks defeated the St. Louis Blues 4-1. Leo Carlsson and Pavel Mintyukov each had a goal and an assist for the Ducks (16-9-1), who hold first place in the Pacific Division with 33 points. Jordan Kyrou replied for the 9-11-1 Blues.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ducks forward Beckett Sennecke collected an assist to become the first rookie to reach 20 points this season. He also extended his points streak to eight games, tying Paul Kariya’s franchise rookie record.

Blues starting goaltender Jordan Binnington was pulled halfway through the first period after giving up two goals on five shots. Earlier in the day, the Blues announced that rookie winger Jimmy Snuggerud will undergo wrist surgery and will be reevaluated in six weeks, while forward Alexey Toropchenko is week-to-week after suffering burns to his legs in a home accident.

Buffalo Sabres center Josh Norris tallied twice and picked up an assist in his return to action in a 5-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets. Norris had missed 24 games with a lower-body injury. Zach Benson and Josh Doan each had two assists as the Sabres improved to 11-11-4. Kyle Connor scored for the slumping Jets (13-12-0), who have dropped five of their last six contests.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The loss prompted a players-only meeting by the Jets following this game. Their recent struggles coincide with the absence of Connor Hellebuyck. The three-time Vezina Trophy winner is currently sidelined after undergoing knee surgery on Nov. 22. He’s expected to be sidelined until late December.

The Columbus Blue Jackets snapped a four-game losing skid with a four-goal rally to defeat the New Jersey Devils 5-3. Charlie Coyle had a goal and two assists, Sean Monahan scored twice, and Elvis Merzlikins stopped 30 shots for the 12-9-5 Blue Jackets. Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt each had two points for the Devils (16-9-1).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon played in his 1,000th career NHL regular-season game, but had to leave this contest after he was injured in a tussle with Blue Jackets forward Dmitri Voronkov. Devils blueliner Jonas Siegenthaler was ejected following a fight with Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli for not having the fight strap on his jersey secured.

Meanwhile, Monahan left the game in the third period with an undisclosed injury. He’s been playing through some nagging injuries and might need to sit for a stretch.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Dallas Stars forward Wyatt Johnston, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel, and Washington Capitals winger Tom Wilson are the league’s three stars for the week ending Nov. 30, 2025.

TSN: Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said defenseman Brandon Carlo suffered a setback in his recovery from a lower-body injury. Carlo has returned to Toronto for further assessment. His last game was on Nov. 13 against the Los Angeles Kings.

DAILY FACEOFF: Detroit Red Wings forward Mason Appleton will miss Tuesday’s game against the Boston Bruins with an undisclosed injury.

RG.ORG: Former Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov is looking forward to his tribute night in Montreal on Tuesday. Markov played all 990 of his NHL regular-season games with the Canadiens over 16 seasons, and remains popular among Montreal fans.

TSN: Veteran forward Robby Fabbri signed a professional tryout offer with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. The 29-year-old Fabbri has appeared in 442 NHL games over the past nine seasons.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Dallas Stars had their 1999 throwback third jersey launch last week. It reportedly became the most successful one-day jersey sale in NHL history, though details have yet to be released.

SPORTSNET: Team Canada assistant coach Pete DeBoer said the ice surface for the Olympic arena currently under construction outside Milan, Italy, could be three or four feet smaller than a standard NHL arena.

Arenas under IIHF rules tend to have larger ice surfaces than the NHL. DeBoer doesn’t understand how the Milan arena could end up with a smaller surface.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: As reported earlier in the week, there is no “Plan B” if the Milan arena’s construction isn’t completed in time for the 2026 Winter Olympics in February. The construction delays and the push to completion likely account for the smaller ice surface.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 1, 2025

by | Sep 1, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 1, 2025

The latest on Bruins center Elias Lindholm, Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey, Canadiens blueliner Mike Matheson, and more in this Labor Day edition of the NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

DAILY FACEOFF: Elias Lindholm is determined to have a bounce-back performance following his disappointing 2024-25 performance with the Boston Bruins.

Lindholm signed with the Bruins last summer, but managed only 17 goals and 47 points as they missed the playoffs for the first time in eight years. The 30-year-old center blamed his poor start to a nagging back injury, which kept him out of training camp and hampered his performance.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A healthy season could enable Lindholm to regain his solid two-way game. Improvement on his part could also help the Bruins stay in the hunt for a playoff berth this season.

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS: Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey recovered from the knee injury that sidelined him from last spring’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, taking his place last week with the other 44 invitees to Canada’s Olympic orientation camp in Calgary.

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey (NHL Images).

Morrissey, 30, indicated that the injury wasn’t too severe. He’d also dealt with a similar injury to his other knee during the 2023 playoffs, so he already had a template on how to rehab and recover.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Morrissey played a key role in the Jets winning their first Presidents’ Trophy last season. The puck-moving blueliner was also part of Canada’s gold-medal team at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, potentially giving him an inside track to secure a spot on Canada’s Olympic team.

RDS.CA: Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson and New York Islanders winger Jonathan Drouin are among five players whose jerseys will be retired by the Lac St-Louis Lions of the Quebec U18 AAA Development League on Sept. 5.

Anaheim Ducks winger Alex Killorn, Islanders forward Anthony Duclair, and former San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic will also have their jerseys retired.

The five have each played at least 600 NHL games. Matheson, Drouin, and Duclair were teammates in 2010-11 with the Lions.

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH: Jimmy Snuggerud is expected to be one of the young building blocks for the Blues.

The 21-year-old winger joined the club late last season, averaging 15:28 of regular-season ice time and finishing with four points in seven games.

In the playoffs, he logged over 17 minutes of ice time per game with two goals and two assists in seven games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Snuggerud is one of the notable rookies worth watching this season. A strong performance on his part will improve the Blues’ chance of securing a playoff spot. It could also make him a contender for the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year.

ESPN.COM: Greg Wyshynski recently listed the best NHL draft pick ever at every slot from No. 1 to 224.

Wyshynski had Pittsburgh Penguins great Mario Lemieux at No. 1, but acknowledged a trio of generational players (Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, Sidney Crosby of the Penguins, and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers) complicates the debate.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Lemieux remains the greatest first-overall pick of all time, but like Wyshynski, I acknowledge that a case can be made for the other three. Feel free to weigh in on that topic in the comments section below.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 29, 2025

by | Mar 29, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 29, 2025

The Blue Jackets regain the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth, Brad Marchand gets a point in his debut with the Panthers, Jets stars Connor Hellebucyk and Mark Scheifele set franchise records, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF FRIDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: The Columbus Blue Jackets regained the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth, overcoming a 5-3 deficit to defeat the Vancouver Canucks 7-6 on a shootout goal by Kent Johnson. Boone Jenner and Dante Fabbro each had three points for the Blue Jackets (75 points), who hold that wild card for the first time since March 14. Aatu Raty scored twice and Kiefer Sherwood and Pius Suter collected three assists each for the Canucks (81 points), who sit four points behind the St. Louis Blues for the final Western Conference wild-card spot.

Columbus Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Jackets have won two straight in a shootout after going 1-7-1 over their previous nine games.

Carolina Hurricanes winger Jackson Blake had a goal and two assists to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 4-1. Second-period goals by Taylor Hall and Sebastian Aho gave the Hurricanes the win. They sit second in the Metropolitan Division with 92 points. Josh Anderson scored for the Canadiens (75 points), who’ve dropped out of the final Eastern wild-card spot after going 0-3-2 in their last five games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Carolina winger Andrei Svechnikov scored in his first game since missing the last seven games with an upper-body injury. Hurricanes defenseman played in his 915th consecutive NHL regular-season game, moving into fourth place on the league’s all-time Ironman list.

An overtime goal by Mason McTavish lifted the Anaheim Ducks to a 5-4 win over the New York Rangers. Leo Carlsson had a goal and three assists as the Ducks a 4-2 deficit to force the extra frame. J.T. Miller, Adam Fox and Alexis Lafreniere each had a goal and an assist for the Rangers (75 points), who have one win in their last six games (1-5-1) to sit outside the Eastern wild card.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blue Jackets, Canadiens and Rangers each have 75 points, but the Jackets hold the wild card with a game in hand over the Canadiens and two games in hand over the Rangers. The New York Islanders are one point back and the Detroit Red Wings are three points back.

Brad Marchand set up Sam Bennett’s overtime goal in his debut with the Florida Panthers as they nipped the Utah Hockey Club 2-1. Bennett scored both goals for the Panthers as they picked up their seventh straight home win, regaining first place in the Atlantic Division with 91 points. Sean Durzi scored for Utah.

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebucyk made 24 saves for his league-leading seventh shutout in a 4-0 win over the New Jersey Devils. Alex Iafallo tallied twice for the Jets, who’ve overtaken the Washington Capitals for first place in the overall standings with 104 points. New Jersey defenseman Luke Hughes was a late scratch for precautionary reasons with a lower-body injury. The Devils are third in the Metropolitan Division with 83 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Jets are the first team to reach the 50-win plateau this season. Hellebucyk’s shutout set a single-season franchise record. Scheifele also set a franchise record for the most multi-point games with 201, surpassing former teammate Blake Wheeler.

The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3. Victor Olofsson scored two goals and William Karlsson had three assists for the Golden Knights, who sit atop the Pacific Division with 96 points. Blackhawks forward Ryan Donato tallied his first NHL hat trick.

HEADLINES

DAILY FACEOFF: Anthony Di Marco provides a breakdown of what led the Philadelphia Flyers to fire head coach John Tortorella on Thursday, citing a source claiming a series of consistent events since the March 7 trade deadline culminated in his dismissal.

NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: Cam York and the Flyers are moving past a reported incident that led to his benching on Thursday against the Canadiens. He said he took full responsibility for his actions.

The benching was described as for disciplinary reasons. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reported Friday that an incident occurred between York and Tortorella during Tuesday’s 7-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli claimed the incident was a heated verbal exchange between the two men.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: General manager Daniel Briere said it wasn’t any one thing that prompted the decision to replace Tortorella. Nevertheless, the incident with York contributed to their decision to make a coaching change following the incident. 

THE ATHLETIC: Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet has been suggested by some pundits as a full-time replacement for Tortorella behind the Flyers bench. However, Thomas Drance cited a team source saying the club fully intends to use their club option next season to retain Tocchet. They also prefer to negotiate a contract extension for Tocchet this summer.

STLTODAY.COM: Blues winger Pavel Buchnevich returns to action on Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche after missing four games with an illness. The Blues also signed top prospect Jimmy Snuggerud to an entry-level contract.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: The Lightning will honor Ryan McDonagh for reaching the 1,000-game plateau during a ceremony before Saturday’s game against the New York Islanders. McDonagh reached the milestone on Thursday against the Utah Hockey Club.

RG.ORG: Ryan Lindgren is enjoying his fresh start with the Colorado Avalanche after being traded by the New York Rangers before the March trade deadline. The 27-year-old defenseman is due to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 but his current focus is on helping the Avalanche win.

TSN: Minnesota Wild defenseman David Jiricek is out for the season with a lacerated spleen. He suffered the injury playing for their AHL affiliate in Iowa and is expected to fully recover before the start of next season.

DAILY FACEOFF: Matt Larkin looks at whether last month’s 4 Nations Face-Off adversely affected the overall performance of the players who participated in the tournament.

THE ATHLETIC: NHL attendance is seeing nearly league-wide gains heading into the final stretch of the 2024-25 regular season. The biggest gainers include the Winnipeg Jets, Florida Panthers, Washington Capitals and San Jose Sharks.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 3, 2024

by | Apr 3, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 3, 2024

The Islanders, Penguins and Sabres keep their playoff hopes alive, David Pastrnak reaches a Bruins’ scoring milestone, the three stars and rookie of the month for March are announced, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Third-period goals by Bo Horvat and Simon Holmstrom gave the New York Islanders a 2-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. The goal was Horvat’s 31st of the season for the 33-27-15 Islanders (81 points) as they moved to within one point of Washington Capitals for the final Eastern Conference wildcard berth. Petr Mrazek made 27 saves for the 22-48-5 Blackhawks.

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin each tallied twice as the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied for five goals in the third period to defeat the New Jersey Devils 6-3. The Penguins improved to 34-30-11 (79 points) and sit three points behind the Capitals. Timo Meier and Jesper Bratt each scored their 25th goal of the season for the Devils as they fell to 36-35-4 and dropped six points back of the Capitals.

Speaking of the Capitals, they dropped a 6-2 decision to the Buffalo Sabres. JJ Peterka scored twice and collected an assist while Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin and Alex Tuch each had a goal and two assists for the Sabres, who moved to 36-35-4 (77 points) and are five points behind Washington. Dylan Strome netted his 26th goal of the season for the 36-28-10 Capitals.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sabres winger Jeff Skinner played his 1,000th NHL game. Teammate Jordan Greenway missed this game with an upper-body injury.

Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak (NHL Images).

Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark turned in a 31-save shutout to blank the Nashville Predators 3-0. David Pastrnak had a goal and an assist for the Bruins (44-17-15), who sit third in the overall standings with 103 points. Juuse Saros turned aside 29 shots for the 43-28-4 Predators, who hold the first Western Conference wildcard spot (90 points) but have lost three straight games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Pastrnak became the first Bruin since Adam Oates in 1992-93 to have at least 35 multi-point games in a season. With 46 goals, he’s also on pace to become the third player in franchise history with multiple 50-goal seasons, joining Phil Esposito (five) and Cam Neely (three).

The Vegas Golden Knights rode a four-goal first period to a 6-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks, extending their points streak to seven games. Jonathan Marchessault tallied his 41st goal of the season and picked up two assists as the Golden Knights improved to 42-25-8. With 92 points, they’re third in the Pacific Division. Quinn Hughes scored two goals for the Canucks (46-21-8), who sit fifth overall with 100 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Canucks defenseman Nikita Zadorov was ejected from this game for boarding Vegas forward Brett Howden during the first period.

Speaking of the Golden Knights, trade deadline acquisition Tomas Hertl joined practice on Tuesday as a full participant. The 30-year-old center is recovering from knee surgery. Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy hinted he might return to action for Friday’s game against the Arizona Coyotes.

Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki scored twice to reach the 70-point plateau for the first time in a 5-3 upset of the Florida Panthers. Sam Montembeault kicked out 37 shots for the 29-33-12 Canadiens, who’ve won four of their last five games. Anton Lundell had a goal and an assist for the slumping Panthers (47-24-5), who’ve won two of their last 10 games and sit seventh overall with 99 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad left this game with an undisclosed injury. The Panthers played without forwards Matthew Tkachuk (illness) and Carter Verhaeghe (upper-body injury). Verhaeghe is week-to-week and is expected to be ready for the playoffs.

The Minnesota Wild nipped the Ottawa Senators 3-2. Marc-Andre Fleury made 30 saves and Vinni Lettieri snapped a 2-2 tie for the 36-29-9 Wild (81 points) as they’re six points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the final Western wildcard. Drake Batherson netted his 27th goal of the season for the 33-37-4 Senators.

Anaheim Ducks winger Alex Killorn scored twice in a 5-3 victory over the Calgary Flames. Troy Terry and Olen Zellweger each had three points for the 25-47-4 Ducks. Andrei Kuzmenko potted two goals for the 34-35-5 Flames.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid, Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon and Nashville Predators winger Filip Forsberg are the league’s three stars for March 2024. Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard was named Rookie of the Month for March 2024.

STLTODAY.COM: Blues top prospect Jimmy Snuggerud will return to the University of Minnesota’s Golden Gophers for his junior year. The 19-year-old winger has scored 42 goals in 79 NCAA games. He had 21 goals and 13 assists this season for the Golden Gophers and was named first-team All-Big Ten.

SPORTSNET: The ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers franchise had its membership terminated by the league’s board of governors.

The Growlers were the Toronto Maple Leafs’ ECHL affiliate. Deacon Sports and Entertainment, the majority owners of the Growlers and ECHL club Trois Rivieres Lions, had proposed a sale of both teams but only the Lions were saved.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports Saturday that there had been a lengthy battle behind the scenes over payments to cities and some NHL teams.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Sports media insider Jonah Sigel reports Rogers Communications could sell TV rights to its Monday night games (including playoff games) to Amazon over the final two years of its contract.

Sigel believes Amazon’s interest in getting a foothold in NHL broadcasting suggests it could be part of a broader strategy.

Rogers Communications’ current broadcasting agreement with the NHL has two years to go. The league could prioritize streaming services in its next TV deal.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Some readers wondered what effect the end of Rogers’ TV contract two years from now might have on the NHL’s hockey-related revenue (HRR). It could be a lucrative deal with Amazon or another streaming service. If so, there would be no negative impact on HRR.