NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 29, 2023

by | Apr 29, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 29, 2023

The Hurricanes and Stars advance to the second round, the Panthers and Avalanche avoid elimination to force Game 7 in their respective series, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: An overtime goal by Paul Stastny lifted the Carolina Hurricanes to a 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers to win their best-of-seven first-round series four games to two. Sebastian Aho scored the tying goal for the Hurricanes while Frederik Andersen made 33 saves in his 2023 playoff debut. Ilya Sorokin stopped 39 shots and Cal Clutterbuck scored for the Islanders.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Islanders made this game a tight-checking low-scoring contest but they were undone by a lack of scoring punch that dogged them throughout this series and during the regular season. Addressing that issue should be their offseason priority.

Andersen played well after an illness sidelined him from most of this series. He and his teammates await the winner of the New Jersey Devils-New York Rangers series.

Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz (NHL Images)

The Dallas Stars defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-1 to take their first-round series four games to two. Jake Oettinger turned aside 23 shots, Roope Hintz scored his playoff-leading 12th point while Mason Marchment and Max Domi each had a goal and an assist for the Stars. Frederick Gaudreau replied for the Wild.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Dallas dominated most of this series led by a new generation of Stars like Hintz, Oettinger, Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen along with a resurgent Tyler Seguin.

This was a disappointing series for the Wild. Leading goal-scorers Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy had just one goal between them while their defense at times struggled to contain the Stars’ scorers. With a salary-cap crunch coming for next season, management will find it difficult to improve their roster.

There will be a seventh and deciding game between the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers as the latter tied the series with a 7-5 victory in Game 6. Eetu Luostarinen broke a 5-5 tie with 5:38 remaining in the third period. Matthew Tkachuk led the way for the Panthers with two goals and an assist. David Pastrnak scored twice for the Bruins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The series returns to Boston for Game 7 on Sunday as the Panthers battled back from being down three games to one to force this winner-take-all situation. They also had to do with winger Ryan Lomberg sidelined for this game with an upper-body injury.

Game 6 was an entertaining throwback to 1980s high-scoring hockey with the two clubs combining for seven goals in the third period. One team would score and the other would quickly reply to tie the game. It was punch and counterpunch that was only really settled by Sam Bennett’s empty-netter in the dying seconds of the third.

Boston fans and pundits are calling for Bruins coach Jim Montgomery to replace starting goalie Linus Ullmark with Jeremy Swayman for Game 7 as the former has struggled over the last two games. Ullmark hasn’t been helped by his teammates as the vaunted Bruins defense has grown porous of late. If they don’t regain their form in Game 7 it might not matter if Swayman is the starter for that contest.

The Colorado Avalanche forced a Game 7 with a series-tying 4-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken. Artturi Lehkonen tallied twice, Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist and Alexandar Georgiev made 22 saves for the Avalanche. Vince Dunn replied for the Kraken. Game 7 goes Sunday in Colorado.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Avalanche got the win with defenseman Josh Manson sidelined from this game with a lower-body injury. It’s not known yet if he’ll return to the lineup for Game 7.

Few observers expected this series to go the distance, let alone that the Avalanche would be the club facing a do-or-die situation in Game 6 to force a seventh-and-deciding contest. No matter the outcome of Game 7, the Kraken should be commended for how they’ve held their own in this series against the defending Stanley Cup champions.

HEADLINES

NEW YORK POST: Vladimir Tarasenko ranks seventh among Rangers forwards in overall ice time and power-play ice time. Larry Brooks believes it’s imperative for head coach Gerard Gallant to give the sniper more playing time if the Rangers hope to avoid elimination by the New Jersey Devils in Game 6 of their first-round series tonight.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak will be sidelined for Game 6 tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Cernak hasn’t played since being hit in the head in Game 1 by Leafs winger Michael Bunting, who received a three-game suspension. Toronto leads the series three games to two.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: Mattias Ekholm is enjoying the role of mentoring young Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bouchard’s performance has improved since being paired with Ekholm after the latter was acquired from the Nashville Predators before the trade deadline.

SPORTSNET: Actor Ryan Reynolds and the Remington Group led by real-estate mogul Christopher Bratty are said to be preparing to bid more than $1 billion for the Ottawa Senators. The deadline for the second and final round of bids is May 15.

 










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 26, 2023

by | Apr 26, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 26, 2023

The Oilers and Stars take 3-2 leads in their respective series, the Islanders stave off elimination, Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar suspended, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Edmonton Oilers are poised to eliminate the Los Angeles Kings following a 6-3 victory in Game 5 of their best-of-seven first-round series. Nick Bjugstad scored twice while Connor McDavid, Darnell Nurse and Mattias Ekholm each collected two assists for the Oilers, who hold a 3-2 lead in the series. Adrian Kempe had a goal and an assist for the Kings, who pulled goaltender Joonas Korpisalo after he gave up four goals on 19 shots.

Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz (NHL Images)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There will be a long layoff for both clubs as Game 6 goes Saturday in Los Angeles. The Oilers will hope this doesn’t stall their momentum following back-to-back wins while the Kings attempt to regroup and prepare for a season-saving win on home ice.

Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz had three assists in his club’s 4-0 win over the Minnesota Wild in Game 5 of their first-round series. Jake Oettinger kicked out 27 shots to become the first goaltender in the 2023 playoffs to record a shutout. With a 3-2 series lead, the Stars can close out the series in Game 6 on Friday in Minnesota.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hintz has 11 points this postseason, setting a franchise record for most points in a single series. Wild forward Marcus Foligno was ejected from this game for a knee-on-knee hit on Stars forward Radek Faksa, who was helped from the ice but did return to action later in the game.

The New York Islanders staved off elimination by nipping the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2. Brock Nelson and Pierre Engvall each had a goal and an assist while Ilya Sorokin stopped 34 shots. Sebastian Aho and Paul Stastny replied for the Hurricanes, who hold a 3-2 series lead heading into Game 6 on Friday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A big win by the Islanders as they showed considerably more energy and determination than they did in Game 4 on home ice.

PLAYOFF HEADLINES

NHL.COM: The department of player safety levied a one-game suspension on Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar for interference against Seattle Kraken forward Jared McCann during Game 4 of their series on Monday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: McCann suffered an upper-body injury. He will miss Game 5 tonight and could be sidelined indefinitely.

TAMPA BAY TIMES/TORONTO SUN: Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy isn’t solely to blame for his club’s collapse in their last two games putting them on the brink of elimination. However, the Bolts need him to be at his best in Game 5 on Thursday to avoid elimination by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Vasilevskiy remains a very good goaltender but the team in front of him isn’t as deep as it once was. The Lightning’s roster has been steadily depleted as salary-cap constraints led to several key players departing via free agency or cost-cutting trades. That means the Lightning’s opponents are getting more scoring chances.

Fatigue could also be a factor. Vasilevskiy and his fellow Lightning core players have played a lot of hockey over the past three seasons. Reaching the Stanley Cup Final in three straight seasons eventually takes its toll.

WINNIPEG SUN: Jets center Mark Scheifele traveled with the Jets to Las Vegas for Game 5 of their series against the Golden Knights. He left Game 4 with an apparent shoulder/collarbone injury but it’s hoped he’ll be able to play in Thursday’s crucial game. The Jets face elimination as they’re down three games to one to Vegas.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jets coach Rick Bowness said Scheifele is day-to-day but added he looked better yesterday. “Let’s put him in the hopeful category for Thursday,” said Bowness.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: Speaking of the Golden Knights, team captain Mark Stone warned his teammates against complacency as they head into Game 5 with a chance to close out the series on home ice. “It’s going to be the hardest one, boys,” said Stone following their Game 4 victory. “Be ready!”

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Patrice Bergeron could make his series debut against the Florida Panthers in Game 5 tonight in Boston. The Bruins captain has been sidelined by an upper-body injury. Center David Krejci remains out with an upper-body injury.

THE SCORE: Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad and winger Anthony Duclair will return to action in Game 5 against the Bruins tonight. Both players missed Game 4 with injuries.

NEW YORK POST: Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant is calling out his best players following their lackluster loss to the New Jersey Devils in Game 4. “For me, it’s the top-six forwards,” said Gallant. “They’ve got to be a lot better. They’ve got to be more productive.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Those players include Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko and Vincent Trocheck. The only one who’s played well consistently is winger Chris Kreider. He’s had points in every game and leads the Rangers with five goals.

IN OTHER NEWS…

CALGARY SUN: The long, sometimes acrimonious negotiations between the city of Calgary and the Flames regarding a new arena have finally ended in a deal. The city has an agreement in principle with the team and the province of Alberta on a $1.22-billion deal to replace the aging Saddledome.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: On the one hand, I’m happy for Flames fans and players that they’re going to get a new state-of-the-art arena. It will put an end to concerns about the club relocating without a deal, ensuring their longstanding rivalry with Edmonton (“The Battle of Alberta”) continues to provide entertainment for hockey fans for a long time.

On the other hand, that $1.22 billion price tag is considerably higher than the original estimate of $550 million before cost escalations to $634 million prompted the city to reject it. This new agreement sees the bulk of the cost being picked up by municipal and provincial governments.

Speaking of the Flames, winger Andrew Mangiapane is recovering from shoulder surgery and is expected to be ready for the start of training camp. He admitted that his shoulder had bothered him on and off during the season. That would explain the drop in his production this season.

OTTAWA SUN: The Senators’ improved performance this season resulted in improved ticket sales. They played to 90 percent capacity in their 41 home games this season. They averaged 16, 757 fans this season, their highest since 2016-17.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 24, 2023

by | Apr 24, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 24, 2023

The Oilers and Stars tie their first-round series while the Bruins and Hurricanes take commanding 3-1 series leads. Details and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: An overtime goal by Zach Hyman gave the Edmonton Oilers a 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Kings to even their best-of-seven first-round series at two games apiece. The Oilers overcame 3-0 and 4-3 deficits with Evander Kane scoring the tying goal to send it into overtime. Jack Campbell got the win with 27 saves after replacing Stuart Skinner in goal following the first period. Leon Draisaitl scored twice and Connor McDavid had three assists for the Oilers while Viktor Arvidsson and Kevin Fiala each had two points for the Kings.

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Jack Campbell (NHL Images)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Campbell had a horrible campaign with the Oilers, losing the starter’s job to Skinner. His performance in this game may have saved their season. At the very least, he prevented them from falling behind 3-1 in this series and facing elimination on home ice in Game 5 on Tuesday.

Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin scored twice as his club held off the Minnesota Wild 3-2 to tie their first-round series 2-2. Jake Oettinger made 32 saves and Roope Hintz collected three assists for the Stars while John Klingberg and Frederick Gaudreau replied for the Wild. The series returns to Dallas for Game 5.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Stars made the Wild pay on the power play scoring twice with Marcus Foligno in the penalty box. Foligno was not impressed with the officiating in this contest. He’s not the only player unhappy over how the games are being called as the complaints are being heard in every series thus far.

The Boston Bruins took a 3-1 lead in their series with the Florida Panthers with a convincing 6-2 victory in Game 4. Taylor Hall scored twice and set up two others, Jake DeBrusk tallied two goals and Linus Ullmark stopped 41 shots for the win. Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett scored for the Panthers, who will try to stave off elimination in Game 5 on Wednesday in Boston.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ullmark and Tkachuk both received misconduct penalties late in the game as they nearly got into a fight following a scrum near the Bruins’ net.

Carolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis scored two goals in a 5-2 win over the New York Islanders to take a commanding 3-1 lead in their series. Sebastian Aho had a goal and two assists, setting the franchise record for postseason goals with 20. Adam Pelech and Bo Horvat scored for the Islanders.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That was Horvat’s first goal of the series. He vowed that he would do better in contributing more meaningful offense for the Islanders, who’ll certainly need it as they’re facing elimination in Game 5 on Tuesday in Carolina. Meanwhile, Hurricanes forward Jack Drury left this game with an upper-body injury.

HEADLINES

NEW YORK POST: The Rangers lead their first-round series with the New Jersey Devils but there is concern over Artemi Panarin’s lack of goal production. The Bread Man only has two assists thus far in this series.

NHL.COM: Toronto Maple Leafs forward Sam Lafferty was fined $3,108.11 for cross-checking Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ross Colton during Game 3 of their first-round series on Saturday.

DAILY FACEOFF: Speaking of the Lightning, defenseman Erik Cernak will be sidelined for Game 4 tonight in Tampa Bay. He’s been sidelined since Game 1 after receiving an illegal hit to the head by Leafs winger Michael Bunting, who got a three-game suspension for his actions. Bolts coach Jon Cooper has not ruled out Cernak returning later in the series.

THE DENVER POST: There is no timetable for Valeri Nichushkin’s return to the Colorado Avalanche. He missed Game 3 of their series with the Seattle Kraken and returned to Denver for personal reasons.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: The Blackhawks were one of the worst teams in the NHL but it didn’t adversely affect their attendance as previously feared. The club averaged 17, 167 tickets sold per game, ranking 20th overall and assuaging fears that ticket sales would plummet during the first season of the club’s rebuild.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 20, 2023

by | Apr 20, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 20, 2023

The Hurricanes take a 2-0 series lead over the Islanders while the Oilers, Panthers and Stars tie their first-round series at a game apiece. Details and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: An overtime goal by Jesper Fast gave the Carolina Hurricanes a 4-3 victory over the New York Islanders in Game 2 of their first-round series. Brent Burns collected two assists for the Hurricanes while Jaccob Slavin’s game-tying goal in the third period set the stage for Fast’s game-winner. Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri each had a goal and an assist for the Islanders. The Hurricanes lead the best-of-seven series 2-0

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Isles defenseman Scott Mayfield was high-sticked by Hurricanes forward Jordan Martinook prior to Fast’s goal. The incident occurred in front of two on-ice officials but there was no call on the play.

It was a costly win for the Hurricanes as Teuvo Teravainen suffered a broken hand in the third period from an unpenalized slash by Islanders center Jean-Gabriel Pageau. He will undergo surgery and is sidelined for at least the remainder of this series.

Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz (NHL Images)

A hat trick by Roope Hintz led the Dallas Stars to a 7-3 romp over the Minnesota Wild to even their opening-round series at a game apiece. Hintz became the first player in eight years to score at even strength, shorthanded and with the man advantage during a playoff game. Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen collected four assists in this contest. Gustav Nyquist collected two assists for the Wild.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Eyebrows were raised when Marc-Andre Fleury started this game for Minnesota instead of Filip Gustavsson, who made 51 saves in their 3-2 double-overtime win in Game 1. Wild coach Dean Evason defended the decision by pointing out that his club has rotated both goalies throughout this season. Fleury called his performance in this one “embarrassing” but Evason put the blame on his club for giving up too many odd-man rushes.

Stars winger Joe Pavelski missed this game as he’s in concussion protocol recovering from a high hit by Wild defenseman Matt Dumba in Game 1. Head coach Peter DeBoer said Pavelski is getting better with each day but offered no timeline for the winger’s return.

The Florida Panthers evened their series with the Boston Bruins at a game apiece with a 6-3 win in Game 2. Brandon Montour scored two goals while Alex Lyon stopped 34 shots for the Panthers. Brad Marchand, Tyler Bertuzzi and Taylor Hall replied for the Bruins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A convincing win by the Panthers as they took advantage of Boston’s unusually sloppy defense. The Bruins were the top defensive team during the regular season but looked nothing like it during this contest.

Third-period goals by Klim Kostin and Evander Kane lifted the Edmonton Oilers past the Los Angeles Kings 4-2 to tie their series at one game apiece. Derek Ryan and Leon Draisaitl stake the Oilers to an early lead but the Kings rallied in the second period on goals by Phillip Danault and Gabriel Vilardi. Draisaitl finished with a goal and two assists.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Oilers center Mattias Janmark missed this game amid reports he may be done for the series at least with an injured right foot.

POSTSEASON HEADLINES

NHL.COM: The department of player safety suspended Toronto Maple Leafs winger Michael Bunting for three games for an illegal hit to the head and interference on Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak during Game 1 of their first-round series on Tuesday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Leafs fans are drawing comparisons to former Leaf Nazem Kadri as he received suspensions during back-to-back playoff series against the Boston Bruins several years ago. The Leafs must adjust to the pesky winger’s absence as they try to shake off a poor outing in Game 1 against the Lightning.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Lightning forward Tanner Jeannot (leg injury) could be in the lineup for Game 2 of their first-round series with the Maple Leafs. Cernak (upper-body injury) and Mike Eyssimont (upper-body) will be sidelined from tonight’s contest while defenseman Victor Hedman (undisclosed injury) is a game-day decision.

THE DENVER POST: Colorado Avalanche defenseman Jack Johnson and forwards Andrew Cogliano and Darren Helm are listed as day-to-day.

IN OTHER NEWS…

DAILY FACEOFF: NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman once again denied the link made by medical doctors between hits to the head occurring in hockey and the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) during an interview with National Public Radio (NPR) on Wednesday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Admitting the link means the NHL would face paying out expensive claims from former players and their families as the National Football League has done following their acknowledgment of the link in 2016.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Forward Alexandre Texier will be returning to the Blue Jackets next season after missing all of this season for personal reasons as per a recommendation from the NHL/NHLPA Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program.

THE PROVINCE: There could be two Elias Petterssons in the Vancouver Canucks lineup next season. The club signed defenseman Elias Pettersson to a three-year entry-level contract. He is not related to the Canucks star center.

THE MERCURY NEWS: Former San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson’s health has improved to the point where he might return to the NHL in some capacity. He stepped down as Sharks GM last April due to his recovery from an undisclosed illness.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 14, 2023

by | Apr 14, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 14, 2023

The Golden Knights and Hurricanes clinch division titles as six first-round playoff series matchups are confirmed, Mikko Rantanen and Brayden Point reach goal-scoring milestones, and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: The Vegas Golden Knights finished first overall in the Western Conference and clinched the Pacific Division crown after beating the Seattle Kraken 3-1. Vegas will face off against the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs starting on Tuesday, April 18. The Kraken, meanwhile, will face the Colorado Avalanche or Dallas Stars depending on the outcome of Friday’s game between the Avalanche and Nashville Predators.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Kraken will be playing without winger Andre Burakovsky for at the first two rounds of the playoffs if they make it that far. He underwent surgery on Tuesday for a lower-body injury that has sidelined him since Feb. 7.

Colorado Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen (NHL Images).

As for the Avalanche, Mikko Rantanen scored to set the club’s single-season record of 55 goals as they doubled up Winnipeg 4-2. They also announced that captain Gabriel Landeskog will miss the entirety of the 2023 playoffs with a knee injury. Meanwhile, Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers missed this game with an upper-body injury. He’s not in concussion protocol and will be reevaluated on Friday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rantanen set the Avalanche single-season record. Michel Goulet still holds the overall franchise record (57) dating back to the club’s days as the Quebec Nordiques. Landeskog, meanwhile, has been sidelined all season by that knee injury, which could also keep him out of the start of next season.

The Carolina Hurricanes clinched the Metropolitan Division title with a 6-4 victory over the Florida Panthers. Brent Burns scored twice for the Hurricanes, who will meet the New York Islanders in their opening-round series starting Monday, April 17. The Panthers will square off against the Boston Bruins starting Monday.

Speaking of the Bruins, they finished their Presidents’ Trophy-winning season with a record-setting 65 wins and 135 points after defeating the Montreal Canadiens 5-4. Boston captain Patrice Bergeron left the game for precautionary reasons with an upper-body injury but is expected to be good to go when the playoffs open on Monday. Bruins goaltenders Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman won the William M. Jennings Trophy for the fewest goals against (177) this season.

For the first time since 2012, there will be a Battle of the Hudson River as the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers will face each other in the first round starting on Tuesday. The Devils clinched second overall in the Metropolitan Division by nipping the Washington Capitals 5-4 while the Rangers fell 3-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Luke Hughes got the win for the Devils with his first career NHL goal while Leafs forward William Nylander reached the 40-goal plateau for the first time.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs meet the Tampa Bay Lightning in a rematch of last season’s opening-round series commencing Tuesday. For the fourth straight game, the Leafs went the amateur tryout route for a backup goaltender as Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov remain sidelined. Former UNB goalie Samuel Richard backed up Joseph Woll for this contest. Samsonov is expected to be the Leafs starter on Tuesday.

Speaking of the Lightning, Brayden Point scored twice to reach the 50-goal plateau for the first time (51) while Brian Elliott made 32 saves to shut out the Detroit Red Wings 5-0.

For the second straight year, the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings face each other in an opening-round series. The Oilers clinched second place in the Pacific Division with a 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks while the Kings got a hat trick from Adrian Kempe to finish third in the division after downing the Anaheim Ducks 5-3. Oilers captain Connor McDavid collected an assist to finish the season with 64 goals and 153 points, winning his first Richard Trophy as the season’s leading goal scorer and his fifth Art Ross Trophy as the leading scorer in points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Only Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman have collected more points in a single season than McDavid. Speaking of the Ducks, they finished last in the overall standings, giving them the best odds of winning the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery on May 8.

The Dallas Stars shut out the St. Louis Blues 1-0. Jake Oettinger kicked out 25 shots while Wyatt Johnston scored the only goal for the Stars, who will face the Minnesota Wild or the Kraken in the opening round next week. The Wild, meanwhile, dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to the Nashville Predators. Frederick Gaudreau tallied twice for the Wild, who announced before the game that they re-signed him to a five-year, $10.5 million contract extension.

An overtime goal by Ivan Provorov lifted the Philadelphia Flyers to a 5-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Travis Konecny scored twice and added two assists while Jonathan Toews scored in his last game with the Blackhawks as they announced yesterday that he will not be re-signing with them.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s the end of an era for the Blackhawks. Following the game, Toews thanked the franchise, its fans and the city of Chicago, receiving a long, heartfelt ovation from the hometown crowd. Meanwhile, Flyers defenseman Justin Braun said this game was likely his last as a player after 13 seasons.

Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller collected an assist to tie Keith Tkachuk’s franchise single-season record of 86 points in a 5-4 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. Conor Garland had a hat trick for the Canucks, including the winning goal.

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Craig Anderson announced his retirement after winning his final start by beating the Ottawa Senators 4-3 on an overtime goal by Casey Mittelstadt. The 41-year-old Anderson’s career lasted 20 seasons, including nine with the Senators as their franchise leader with 435 games played and 202 wins.

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ season ended with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Johnny Gaudreau netted the winning goal while Penguins captain Sidney Crosby collected two assists to finish the season with 93 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry revealed he’d been hampered by an injury throughout the season. That’s raising questions among the Pittsburgh media over why management didn’t attempt to acquire a healthy goaltender before the trade deadline.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 13, 2023

by | Apr 13, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 13, 2023

The Islanders clinch an Eastern Conference playoff berth as the Penguins are eliminated from contention and the Stars’ Jason Robertson reaches another scoring milestone. Details on these and other stories are in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The New York Islanders clinched an Eastern Conference playoff berth by doubling up the Montreal Canadiens 4-2. Brock Nelson scored twice for the Islanders as they hold the first wild-card berth with 93 points, one up on the Florida Panthers who qualified for the postseason earlier this week. The Islanders’ win eliminated the Pittsburgh Penguins from playoff contention.

New York Islanders center Brock Nelson (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That ends the Penguins’ streak of consecutive playoff appearances at 16 seasons stretching back to 2006-07. Meanwhile, only one opening-round playoff series has been set (Toronto Maple vs Tampa Bay Lightning). The rest should be determined tonight as most of the remaining playoff clubs will be playing their final regular-season games.

Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson collected three assists in a 5-2 win over the St. Louis Blues. He now has the most points in a single season (109) by a US-born player who is 23 or younger. With the win, the Stars (106 points) vaulted one point ahead of the Colorado Avalanche into first place in the Central Division.

The Calgary Flames defeated the San Jose Sharks 3-1. Nikita Zadorov netted his first career hat trick while Dustin Wolf made 23 saves to win his NHL debut. The Flames were eliminated from playoff contention earlier this week.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic missed this game with a lower-body injury. It’s not considered a long-term injury and won’t require surgery.

HEADLINES

TWINCITIES.COM: Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman received a one-game suspension by the NHL department of player safety for interference when he leveled Winnipeg Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers with a hard hit during Tuesday’s game between the two clubs.

NHL.COM: Jets defenseman Neal Pionk was fined $5,000.00 for cross-checking Wild forward Marcus Johansson during Tuesday’s game.

CBS SPORTS: Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett (groin) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday.

Anaheim Ducks forward Mason McTavish will miss his club’s final game of the season tonight with an upper-body injury requiring one-to-two weeks of recovery.