NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 12, 2025

by | Apr 12, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 12, 2025

The Oilers clinch a playoff berth, the Senators widen their lead for the first Eastern wild card, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF FRIDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: The Edmonton Oilers clinched a playoff berth by doubling up the San Jose Sharks 4-2. Connor McDavid collected assists on all four goals and Corey Perry scored the winning goal for the Oilers, who sit third in the Pacific Division with 97 points. Will Smith and Henry Thrun replied for the Sharks, who dropped their eighth straight game.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was a costly win for the Oilers as defenseman Mattias Ekholm and winger Zach Hyman left the game with injuries. Ekholm might not return for the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Sharks announced that sidelined defenseman Mario Ferraro suffered a broken ankle during their 8-7 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday but he won’t have to undergo surgery.

Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto scored twice in a 5-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens, snapping the latter’s six-game win streak. Ridly Greig had a goal and an assist as the Senators opened a five-point lead over Montreal for the first wild-card berth with 92 points. Christian Dvorak and Nick Suzuki scored for the Canadiens, who hold the final wild-card spot with 87 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Montreal needed a regulation win to clinch their first postseason berth since 2021. They’ll get another opportunity on Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Meanwhile, Canadiens prospect Jacob Fowler won the Mike Richter Award as this season’s best goaltender in US college hockey.

The Detroit Red Wings kept their playoff hopes alive by nipping the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3. Marco Kasper tallied two goals (including the winner in overtime) for the Red Wings, who sit six points behind the Canadiens with 81 points. Gage Goncalves scored twice for the Lightning (98 points), who remain two points behind the first-place Toronto Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tampa Bay forward Luke Glendening missed this game with an upper-body injury and could be sidelined for their remaining regular-season games. The Lightning got some good news on Friday as their top prospect Isaac Howard won the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the top player in US college hockey.

A 4-2 victory by the Calgary Flames (90 points) over the Minnesota Wild moved the former within three points of Minnesota and St. Louis Blues in the race for a Western Conference wild-card berth. Nazem Kadri and Mikael Backlund scored for the Flames as they have a game in hand over the Wild and Blues, who have two games each remaining in their schedule.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf tied Mike Vernon for the most starts by a Flames rookie goaltender (51). Meanwhile, Wild captain Jared Spurgeon left this game after taking a puck to the throat in the second period and feeling lightheaded afterward. The Wild expect top prospect Zeev Buium to sign his entry-level contract and join their roster soon.

The Pittsburgh Penguins scored four unanswered goals to beat the New Jersey Devils 4-2. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin each had a goal and an assist. Erik Haula and Ondrej Palat scored for the Devils, who are third in the Metropolitan Division with 89 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Devils expect sidelined defenseman Dougie Hamilton to be available for their upcoming first-round playoff series with the Carolina Hurricanes.

HEADLINES

COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog’s comeback took a big step forward on Friday with a solid performance skating for their AHL affiliate Colorado Eagles in a 2-0 win. The 32-year-old winger saw just over 15 minutes of ice time with the Eagles in his first game since Game 6 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final. He’s since been recovering from multiple knee surgeries that threatened to end his playing career.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before this game, the Avalanche were said to have “guarded optimism” that Landeskog could return to the lineup for the upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs. His performance with the Eagles suggests that could become a reality.

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Stars center Tyler Seguin hopes to see some regular-season play before the postseason begins. He underwent hip surgery four months ago and hasn’t played since Dec. 1.

TORONTO SUN: The Maple Leafs will face the Canadiens on Saturday with only five defensemen as Oliver Ekman-Larsson is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. The Leafs lack the cap space to call up a replacement from their AHL affiliate.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Carolina Hurricanes prospect defenseman Alexander Nikishin signed a two-year entry-level contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The 6’4”, 220-pound Nikishin could be in the Hurricanes lineup for their remaining regular-season games.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 23, 2025

by | Jan 23, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 23, 2025

Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli nets his first career hat trick against the Leafs, the Devils unveil their Quarter-Century Team, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPPING WEDNESDAY’S NHL GAMES

NHL.COM: Columbus Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli collected his first NHL hat trick to upset the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-1. Elvis Merzlikins made 28 saves and Luca Del Bel Belluz had a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets, who hold the first Eastern Conference wild-card berth with 53 points. Toronto captain Auston Matthews scored his 20th of the season, extending his goal streak to five games as his club’s three-game win streak ended. The Leafs hold first place in the Atlantic Division with 62 points.

Columbus Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs also lost winger Matthew Knies to an upper-body injury in the second period. They placed winger Max Pacioretty (upper body) on injured reserve earlier in the day.

An overtime goal by Neal Pionk propelled the Winnipeg Jets to a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche. Gabriel Vilardi tallied his 20th of the season, Josh Morrissey collected two assists and Connor Hellebuyck turned aside 25 shots for the Western Conference-leading Jets (67 points), who moved within two points of the league-leading Washington Capitals. Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar scored for the Avalanche, who are 1-2-1 in their last four and hold the first Western Conference wild-card spot with 58 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: NHL linesman Jonny Murray left the game with an injury following a collision with Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews. Earlier in the day, the Avs announced winger Valeri Nichushkin suffered a setback in his return from a lower-body injury and is listed as week-to-week. Meanwhile, the Jets played without captain Adam Lowry, who is week-to-week with an upper-body injury suffered during Monday’s game against the Utah Hockey Club.

The New Jersey Devils defeated the Boston Bruins 5-1. Devils captain Nico Hischier led the way with a goal and two assists and Dawson Mercer scored twice as the Devils snapped a four-game win streak and sit third in the Metropolitan Division with 60 points. Morgan Geekie scored for the Bruins, who sit outside the final Eastern wild-card spot with 52 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was a costly win for the Devils as goaltender Jacob Markstrom left this game in the second period with an injured left leg following a collision with Bruins forward Justin Brazeau. Following the game, Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said Markstrom could miss some time.

Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe snapped a 1-1 tie in the third period as his club nipped the Florida Panthers 2-1. Samuel Helenius also scored and Darcy Kuemper made 27 saves as the Kings sit third in the Pacific Division with 57 points. Evan Rodrigues scored and Spencer Knight stopped 26 shots for the Panthers (59 points), who remain three points behind the Leafs in the Atlantic Division.

HEADLINES

The New Jersey Devils unveiled their Quarter-Century Team.

Forwards Patrik Elias, Jack Hughes and Zach Parise, defensemen Scott Niedermayer and Scott Stevens, and goaltender Martin Brodeur comprised the First Team.

The Second Team featured goaltender Cory Schneider, defensemen Andy Greene and Brian Rafalski, and forwards Scott Gomez, Jamie Langenbrunner and Travis Zajac.

THE SCORE: Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov and defenseman Jared Spurgeon are expected to return from injuries on Thursday against the Utah Hockey Club.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’ll be the first time since late December that Kaprizov and Spurgeon have been in the lineup together. Kaprizov missed 12 games and Spurgeon nine games with lower-body injuries. The Wild won seven of those 12 games but dropped four of their last six contests.

OTTAWA SUN: Senators winger David Perron will return to action on Thursday against the Bruins. He missed the last 26 games with a back injury. Meanwhile, forward Josh Norris is out for the weekend with an upper-body injury suffered during their 5-0 loss to the New York Rangers on Tuesday.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Vancouver Canucks placed defenseman Noah Juulsen on injured reserve.

NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: The Flyers’ three-goalie system for this season has ended as Aleksei Kolosov has been sent to their AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 7, 2025

by | Jan 7, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 7, 2025

Recaps of Monday’s games, the three stars of the week are revealed, injury updates and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPPING MONDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: Colorado Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews scored two goals and added an assist in a 3-1 victory over the Florida Panthers. Mikko Rantanen extended his points streak to 14 games with an empty-net goal as the Avalanche have won seven of their last eight games. Carter Verhaeghe scored for the Panthers (50 points), who remain four points behind the first-place Toronto Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division.

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews (NHL Images).

The Buffalo Sabres snapped a three-game losing skid by nipping the Washington Capitals 4-3 on shootout goals by Alex Tuch and JJ Peterka. Tuch also tallied twice and Peterka collected two assists in regulation. Tom Wilson scored two goals for the Capitals and teammate John Carlsson had two assists to become the seventh US-born defenseman to reach 700 regular-season points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Capitals picked up a point to sit two points ahead of the Leafs for first place in the Eastern Conference with 56 points.

New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom made 21 saves and Dawson Mercer had a goal and an assist to down the Seattle Kraken 3-2, ending a four-game losing skid. Adam Larsson and Shane Wright replied for the Kraken, who are winless in their last three contests (0-2-1).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Twelve members of the Kraken’s roster were named to the club’s Quarter-Century Team. That’s not unusual since this franchise has existed since 2021-22. Jordan Eberle, Adam Larsson and Vince Dunn comprise part of their First Team while Matty Beniers, Brandon Montour and Philipp Grubauer are part of the Second Team.

Meanwhile, Devils forward Erik Haula is expected to miss several weeks with a sprained ankle.

An overtime goal by Nick Suzuki capped a three-point night for the Montreal Canadiens captain as he led his team over the Vancouver Canucks 5-4. Lane Hutson also had a goal and two assists and Cole Caufield tallied his 22nd goal of the season for the Canadiens, who’ve won eight of their last 10 and moved into the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot with 41 points. Canucks center J.T. Miller scored two goals and two assists and Quinn Hughes collected two assists after missing four games with an undisclosed injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canadiens are one point behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the first wild-card berth but the Lightning hold three games in hand. The Pittsburgh Penguins also have 41 points but have played one more game and have two fewer wins. The Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets are one point back and the Philadelphia Flyers are two points behind.

Hutson leads all rookies this season with 30 points. The Canucks placed forward Dakota Joshua (leg injury) on injured reserve and recalled Jonathan Lekkerimaki, who scored his second goal of the season in this contest.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi, Anaheim Ducks winger Troy Terry, and Los Angeles Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper are the NHL’s three stars for the week ending Jan. 5.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: The Minnesota Wild placed defenseman Jared Spurgeon (lower body) on injured reserve.

DAILY FACEOFF: Nashville Predators defenseman Jeremy Lauzon is on IR with a lower-body injury.

TORONTO SUN: Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe (upper-body injury) was placed on IR. Meanwhile, Leafs forward Max Domi was fined $5,000.00 by the NHL’s department of player safety for elbowing Philadelphia Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway during Sunday’s game between the two clubs.

OTTAWA SUN: Senators defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker was helped off the ice during practice on Monday after suffering an injury to his left leg.

NEW YORK POST: The Rangers claimed winger Arthur Kaliyev off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings.

DAILY FACEOFF: Former NHL forward Alex Chiasson announced his retirement. He spent 11 seasons in the league (2012-13 to 2022-23) with the Dallas Stars, Ottawa Senators, Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings, winning a Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2017-18. Chiasson had 120 goals and 113 assists for 233 points in 651 regular-season games and seven points in 37 playoff contests.

ARIZONA INSIDER: Craig Morgan reports that newly elected Maricopa Board of Supervisors Chairman Tom Galvin announced the formation of a committee dedicated to bringing the NHL back to the Phoenix Metro Area. The Arizona Coyotes relocated to Utah last spring after their former owner’s plans for a new arena fell through.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The NHL hasn’t given up on returning to Phoenix. However, it will require stable ownership and a new arena in metro Phoenix.

TSN: Former NHL player, coach and executive Al MacNeil passed away at the age of 89. MacNeil played 11 seasons (1955-56 to 1967-68) as a defenseman with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, and Pittsburgh Penguins.

MacNeil was head coach of the Canadiens for one season, winning the Stanley Cup in 1970-71. He also spent six seasons with their AHL affiliate in Halifax, NS, winning three Calder Cup championships. He also spent three seasons coaching the Atlanta/Calgary Flames (1979-80 to 1981-82) and served as an interim coach with the Flames in 2002-03.

MacNeil also spent stints as the Flames’ assistant general manager and director of player personnel and scouting.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Former NHL forward Dwight Foster passed away at age 67. He spent 10 seasons in the NHL (1977-78 to 1986-87) with the Boston Bruins, Colorado Rockies, New Jersey Devils, and Detroit Red Wings. In 541 games, Foster scored 111 goals and 163 assists for 274 regular-season points and had 17 points in 35 playoff games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to the families, friends, former teammates, and associates of MacNeil and Foster.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 3, 2025

by | Jan 3, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 3, 2025

Recaps of Thursday’s action and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines

RECAPS OF THURSDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: The Colorado Avalanche overcame a 5-3 deficit to defeat the Buffalo Sabres 6-5 on an overtime goal by Devon Toews, who finished with three points. Nathan MacKinnon collected three assists, including setting up Jonathan Drouin for the tying goal with eight seconds remaining in the third period. Sabres winger Jason Zucker scored a hat trick and added an assist while Tage Thompson had three helpers.

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: MacKinnon leads the league with 64 points and is the first player this season to reach the 50-assist plateau. The Avalanche have won six straight games.

Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood suffered a lower-body injury in the third period following a collision with Sabres forward Zach Benson, who scored to make it 4-2. Avs head coach Jared Bednar was visibly angry with the officials for not whistling the play dead when it was apparent Wedgewood was hurt before Benson scored. Mackenzie Blackwood replaced Wedgewood for the rest of the game.

The Avalanche also played without winger Valeri Nichushkin. He’s day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Anaheim Ducks winger Troy Terry scored his second goal in overtime as his club upset the Winnipeg Jets 4-3. Terry finished with three points and Radko Gudas had a goal and an assist as the Ducks picked up their third straight victory. Mark Scheifele tallied his 23rd goal of the season while Alex Iafallo had a goal and an assist for the Jets, who remain in first place in the overall standings with 56 points.

The Vegas Golden Knights picked up their seventh win in their last eight games with a 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Mark Stone, Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin each collected two points for the Golden Knights as they sit one point behind the Jets in the overall standings. Tyson Foerster and Travis Konecny replied for the Flyers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Golden Knights placed winger Ivan Barbashev on injured reserve retroactive to Dec. 17.

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin scored his 871st regular-season goal but his club fell 4-3 to the Minnesota Wild. Matt Boldy scored the winner in a shootout and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 28 shots as the Wild have won four of their last five games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ovechkin is 24 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 regular-season goals. His Capitals picked up a point and hold first place in the Eastern Conference with 53 points. Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury suffered by a slew-foot from Nashville Predators forward Zachary L’Heureux, who received a three-game suspension for his actions.

The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Florida Panthers 3-1. Jaccob Slavin snapped a 1-1 tie and Martin Necas added an empty-netter to seal the win. Anton Lundell scored for the Panthers, who got a 37-save performance from goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. They’ve lost three of their last four games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hurricanes forward Tyson Jost missed this game as he was sent back to Raleigh for treatment for an injury suffered during Tuesday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz tallied twice in a 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators. Matt Duchene had a goal and an assist while goalie Jake Oettinger faced only 13 shots as the Stars picked up their third straight win. Senators captain Brady Tkachuk had a goal and an assist as his club has dropped three of their last four contests and cling to the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth with 40 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Senators welcomed back defenseman Artem Zub as he returned to action after missing 16 games with a broken foot.

Toronto Maple Leafs winger Bobby McMann scored twice as his club nipped the New York Islanders 2-1. McMann got the tiebreaker with 2:59 remaining in the third period while Joseph Woll stopped 32 shots as the Leafs lead the Atlantic Division with 50 points. Scott Mayfield scored for the Islanders as they’ve lost four of their last five games.

The Vancouver Canucks regained the final Western Conference wild-card spot (44 points) with a 4-3 shootout victory over the Seattle Kraken. J.T. Miller scored the winning goal for the Canucks while Kevin Lankinen replaced Thatcher Demko after the latter left the game with back spasms in the second period. Matty Beniers and Vince Dunn each collected two points, including goals as the Kraken overcame a 3-1 deficit to tie the game in the third period.

Utah Hockey Club forward Lawson Crouse netted two goals in a 5-3 win over the Calgary Flames, who slipped one point behind the Canucks in the Western wild-card race. Blake Coleman had a goal and an assist for the Flames. The win was Utah’s first in five games (0-4-1).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Utah forward Matias Maccelli missed this game due to illness.

New York Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick kicked out 32 shots for his 399th career NHL win to backstop his club over the Boston Bruins 2-1. Mika Zibanejad and Brett Berard scored for the Rangers as they snapped a four-game losing skid. Elias Lindholm scored for the Bruins, who’ve dropped three of their last four contests.

The San Jose Sharks upset the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1. Yaroslav Askarov turned aside 24 shots for the win while Tyler Toffoli and Mario Ferraro scored for the Sharks as they snapped an eight-game losing streak. Anthony Cirelli replied for the Lightning.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic made his season debut after being sidelined with an upper-back injury since training camp.

Detroit Red Wings forward Jonathan Berggren scored with 36 seconds remaining in the third period in a 5-4 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Alex DeBrincat had a goal and two assists while Dylan Larkin and Patrick Kane scored a goal and an assist each for the Wings, who’ve won three straight. James van Riemsdyk and Zach Werenski each collected three points for the Blue Jackets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blue Jackets Quarter-Century Team was unveiled yesterday.

Werenski, Seth Jones, Rick Nash, Artemi Panarin, Cam Atkinson and Sergei Bobrovsky were named to the First Team. Johnny Gaudreau, Boone Jenner, Nick Foligno, David Savard, Fedor Tyutin and Steve Mason made up the Second Team.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 14, 2024

by | Oct 14, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 14, 2024

The Jets, Stars, Flames and Golden Knights pick up their third straight wins to open the season. Check out the details and the latest injury updates, waiver news and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: An overtime goal by Kyle Connor lifted the Winnipeg Jets past the Minnesota Wild 2-1. Mark Scheifele had a goal and an assist and Connor Hellebucyk made 26 saves for the win. Jake Middleton scored for the Wild while Filip Gustavsson stopped 33 shots.

Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Jets are 3-0-0 partly because of Scheifele’s red-hot offensive play. He’s second in goals with four and points with six among all NHL skaters.

The Wild played without center Joel Eriksson Ek (broken nose) and defenseman Jared Spurgeon (lower-body injury). They also face a logjam in goal with Gustavsson, Marc-Andre Fleury and Jesper Wallstedt. That could result in Wallstedt bouncing between the Wild and their AHL affiliate for salary-cap reasons because he’s waiver-exempt this season.

The Dallas Stars picked up their third straight win by blanking the Seattle Kraken 2-0. Casey DeSmith turned in a 25-save shutout in his debut with the Stars while Sam Steel and Wyatt Johnston were the goal scorers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stars defenseman Matt Dumba missed this game with a lower-body injury suffered during Saturday’s game against the New York Islanders. He’s listed as day-to-day.

Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson had a goal and two assists in a 4-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Dan Vladar turned aside 25 shots while Anthony Mantha now has four points in his first three games with a goal in this contest. Jeff Skinner scored his first with the Oilers, who are still seeking their first win of the season. They had back-to-back goals called back for goaltender interference and offside.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Oilers remain out of sorts to start the season. They’re struggling partly due to the offseason departures of depth players Dylan Holloway, Philip Broberg, Warren Foegele, Ryan McLeod, Vincent Desharnais and Cody Ceci, who all played crucial roles in their march to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.

One would expect the Flames to struggle this season after trading away key veterans like Jacob Markstrom, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, Elias Lindholm, Andrew Mangipane and Nikita Zadorov throughout 2023-24. During training camp, center Nazem Kadri boldly stated his team would surprise folks this season. They’re doing just that thus far with a 3-0-0 start.

The Vegas Golden Knights are 3-0-0 after downing the Anaheim Ducks 3-1. Tomas Hertl snapped a 1-1 tie in the third period while Ilya Samsonov made 22 saves in his debut with the Golden Knights. Troy Terry replied for the Ducks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Golden Knights center Jack Eichel collected an assist to sit atop the league’s scoring leaders with seven points.

IN OTHER NEWS…

STLTODAY.COM: Jordan Binnington holds the Blues franchise record for goalies with four season-opening wins. He’s also closing in on some other Blues goaltending milestones.

Binnington is tied with Curtis Joseph for third in games played and for second in starts with 275. With 146 wins, he’s two behind Jake Allen for second place and five away from career leader Mike Liut. He also needs 455 more saves to pass Joseph for second all-time.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hockey-Reference shows Binnington now in sole possession of third place for games played by a Blues goalie with 282.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Detroit Red Wings placed goaltender Ville Husso on waivers. The Montreal Canadiens did the same with forward Alex Barre-Boulet.

CBS SPORTS: Red Wings forward Christian Fischer will miss Monday’s game against the New York Rangers with an upper-body injury. He’s listed as day-to-day.

BUFFALO HOCKEY NOW: The Sabres announced that the 2024-25 inductee into their Hall of Fame is former player and broadcaster Rob Ray. He spent 14 seasons and 889 regular-season games with the Sabres. He’s been part of their broadcast team since 2003-24.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to Ray on receiving this honor. During his 16 NHL seasons with the Sabres and Ottawa Senators, he was a popular enforcer, amassing 3,207 PIMs in 900 total NHL regular-season games.

YARDBARKER: Former NHL forward Riley Sheahan announced his retirement at age 32. Sheahan spent 12 seasons in the NHL with the Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida Panthers, Oilers, Sabres and Kraken, amassing 74 goals and 120 assists for 194 points in 637 regular-season games and seven points in 33 playoff contests.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 19, 2024

by | Jan 19, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 19, 2024

The Oilers’ win streak continues, Auston Matthews, David Pastrnak and T.J. Oshie enjoy hat-trick performances and Kings coach Todd McLellan gets a vote of confidence from management. Details on these and other stories in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Edmonton Oilers tied the 1967-68 Montreal Canadiens for the longest win streak by a Canadian team (12 games) with a 4-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken. Warren Foegele scored two goals while Leon Draisaitl had a goal and three assists for the 25-15-1 Oilers, who overcame a 2-0 deficit to vault over the Los Angeles Kings into third place in the Pacific Division with 51 points. Eeli Tolvanen and Jared McCann scored for the 19-17-9 Kraken (47 points), who dropped their third straight game and sit three points behind the Kings for the final Western Conference wild-card berth.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Oilers have staged a remarkable surge up the standings in the past month. When they suffered their last loss (3-1 to the New York Islanders on Dec. 19), the Oilers had the fourth-worst record in the Western Conference (13-15-1, 27 points), sitting seven points out of a wild-card spot and only six points ahead of the bottom-feeding San Jose Sharks.

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (NHL Images).

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews tallied a hat trick and collected an assist as his club overcame a 2-0 deficit to hold off the Calgary Flames 4-3. William Nylander picked up two assists for the 22-13-8 Leafs, who regained third place in the Atlantic Division with 52 points. Jonathan Huberdeau had two assists for the 21-19-35 Flames (47 points), who sit three points out of the final Western wild-card spot.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: With 37 goals, Matthews expanded his league in the goal-scoring lead by four over Florida’s Sam Reinhart. Meanwhile, Flames center Martin Pospisil left this game in the first period with an upper-body injury.

The Boston Bruins defeated the Colorado Avalanche 5-2 on a hat trick by winger David Pastrnak, who sits third in the goal-scoring race with 29. Jeremy Swayman made 30 saves for the Bruins (27-8-9), who sit second in the overall standings with 63 points. Nathan MacKinnon scored to extend his points streak to 10 games as the Avalanche (29-14-3) sit second in the Central Division with 61 points.

A hat trick by T.J. Oshie powered the Washington Capitals over the St. Louis Blues by a score of 5-2. Max Pacioretty, John Carlsson and Dylan Strome each had two points for the 22-15-6 Capitals (50 points), who sit one point out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth. Nathan Walker scored both goals for the 21-20-2 Blues.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin collected an assist after returning from a three-game absence dealing with a nagging lower-body injury.

The Nashville Predators got a 33-save performance by Juuse Saros in a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings, who have dropped 10 of their last 11 games. Ryan O’Reilly had a goal and an assist for the Predators (25-19-1) as they hold the first Western wild-card spot with 51 points. Drew Doughty replied for the 21-13-8 Kings, who hold the final wild card spot with 50 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Earlier in the day, Kings general manager Rob Blake gave head coach Todd McLellan a vote of confidence. He expects the solution to his club’s struggles will come internally from his players. However, Blake’s faith in McLellan will be put to the test if the Kings fail to improve over the next few weeks, especially if the club slips out of a playoff berth.

Elias Pettersson and Dakota Joshua scored as the Vancouver Canucks nipped the Arizona Coyotes 2-1, becoming the first team this season to reach the 30-win mark (30-11-4). Thatcher Demko turned aside 20 shots for the Canucks as they sit atop the overall standings with 64 points. Travis Dermott scored for the 21-19-3 Coyotes.

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman had a goal and three assists as his club tamed the Minnesota Wild 7-3. Nikita Kucherov collected three assists to become the first player this season to reach 75 points while Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli each had three points for the 23-17-5 Lightning, who hold the final Eastern wild-card berth with 51 points. Marco Rossi had a goal and an assist for the 18-21-5 Wild, who announced before the game that team captain Jared Spurgeon will miss the remainder of the season with hip and back injuries.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Spurgeon undergoes hip surgery on Feb. 6 followed by back surgery four weeks later. Speaking of the Lightning, scout and former player Tony Hrkac saved a man from choking on a pretzel during a game between the Detroit Red Wings and Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena. He applied the Heimlich maneuver and saved the man’s life.

The Philadelphia Flyers downed the Dallas Stars 5-1 for their fifth straight victory. Owen Tippett tallied twice while Morgan Frost had two assists for the 25-14-6 Flyers (56 points) as they sit two points behind the first-place New York Rangers in the Metropolitan Division. Tyler Seguin netted the only goal for the Stars (26-13-5) as they sit third in the Central Division with 57 points.

Speaking of the Rangers, they dropped a 5-1 decision to the Vegas Golden Knights. Ivan Barbashev scored two goals, Jonathan Marchessault had a goal and an assist while Logan Thompson stopped 29 shots for the 26-14-5 Golden Knights, who sit second in the Pacific Division with 57 points. Mika Zibanejad scored for the 28-14-2 Rangers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Golden Knights winger Michael Amadio missed this game with an upper-body injury.

The Ottawa Senators beat the Montreal Canadiens 6-2. Tim Stutzle led the way for the 16-24-0 Senators with a goal and two assists. Cole Caufield netted his 15th goal of the season for the Canadiens as they slipped to 19-19-7 on the season.

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 20 saves for his second straight shutout in a 3-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Rasmus Dahlin scored his 13th goal of the season for the 20-21-4 Sabres. Arvid Soderblom stopped 28 shots for the 13-30-2 Blackhawks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sabres played without forward Dylan Cozens as he’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury.