NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 19, 2025

by | Jan 19, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 19, 2025

A major comeback win for the Leafs, the Senators rally for a big win over the Bruins, milestone performances by the Avalanche’s Cale Makar and the Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov, the Capitals reveal their Quarter-Century Team, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: The Toronto Maple Leafs overcame a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 7-3, snapping the latter’s six-game points streak. Oliver Ekman-Larsson tallied the winning goal and collected two assists, Mitch Marner had two helpers, and Joseph Woll stopped 32 shots as the Leafs sit atop the Atlantic Division with 60 points. Kirby Dach, Patrik Laine and Josh Anderson scored for the Canadiens (48 points), who sit two points behind the Ottawa Senators for the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canadiens dominated the first half of this game but took their foot off the gas in the second half and the Leafs made them pay. Woll made several big saves to prevent the Canadiens from running away with the game, enabling his teammates to stage their comeback.

A shootout goal by Tim Stutzle completed a three-goal comeback for the Ottawa Senators in a 6-5 victory over the Boston Bruins. Nick Jensen and Josh Norris scored late in the third period to set the stage for Stutzle’s winning goal, with Norris finishing the game with two goals. David Pastrnak had a goal and two assists for the Bruins, who slipped behind the Senators out of the final Eastern wild-card spot.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Senators and Bruins each have 50 points but the Sens have two games in hand and one more victory (23 to 22). Bruins coach Joe Sacco made the puzzling decision to bench captain Brad Marchand for overtime and the shootout.

Colorado Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen scored two goals and set up two others in a 6-3 win against the Dallas Stars. Cale Makar scored twice while Jonathan Drouin and Casey Mittelstadt each had a goal and two assists for the Avs, who hold the first Western Conference wild-card berth with 57 points. Jason Robertson tallied twice and picked up an assist and Wyatt Johnston had three assists for the Stars, who sit third in the Central Division with 57 points.

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Makar reached the 100-goal plateau, becoming the sixth-fastest blueliner in NHL history to reach that milestone. George Boucher was the fastest (223 games played), followed by Bobby Orr (299), Paul Coffey (300), Raymond Bourque (329) and Denis Potvin (348).

The Tampa Bay Lightning downed the Detroit Red Wings 5-1. Nikita Kucherov and Jake Guentzel each had a goal and two assists and Andrei Vasilevskiy kicked out 39 shots for the Lightning, who’ve won three of their last four games and hold third place in the Atlantic Division with 53 points. Lucas Raymond replied for the Red Wings (46 points), who sit four points behind the Senators.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kucherov became the second player in Lightning history to reach 600 NHL regular-season assists. Victor Hedman was the first to do so, reaching that milestone on Jan. 16 against the Anaheim Ducks. Following this game, the Red Wings sent goaltender Ville Husso back to their AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids.

Utah Hockey Club forward Clayton Keller had a goal and three assists as he led his team to a 4-2 win over the St. Louis Blues. Logan Cooley had a goal and two assists as Utah snapped a three-game losing skid. Tyler Tucker and Jake Neighbours replied for the Blues (48 points), who sit three points behind the Calgary Flames for the final Western Conference wild-card spot.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev missed this game as he’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

Speaking of the Flames, they got a 38-save performance by Dustin Wolf to upset the Winnipeg Jets 3-1. Blake Coleman had a goal and two assists and Andrei Kuzmenko scored his first goal since Oct. 15. Adam Lowry tallied Winnipeg’s only goal as their three-game win streak ended. With 65 points, the Jets sit second in the overall standings.

The Washington Capitals took over sole possession of first place in the overall standings (67 points) by dropping the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1, extending their points streak to 10 games (7-0-3). Aliaksei Protas and Pierre-Luc Dubois each had a goal and an assist for the Capitals. Bryan Rust scored for the Penguins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Capitals unveiled their Quarter-Century Team on Saturday.

Forwards Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie, defensemen John Carlson and Mike Green, and goaltender Braden Holtby comprised the First Team.

The Second Team featured forwards Peter Bondra, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson, blueliners Sergei Gonchar and Dmitry Orlov, and goaltender Olaf Kolzig.

The Capitals also removed goalie Charlie Lindgren from injured reserve after missing the last three games with an upper-body injury.

New York Rangers netminder Igor Shesterkin made 27 saves to shut out the Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0. Vincent Trocheck scored the only goal in the shootout. Daniil Tarasov stopped 26 shots for his first career shutout, becoming the first netminder in league history to record a shutout and suffer a loss in the same game.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: On Friday, the Blue Jackets announced defenseman Jake Christiansen signed a two-year contract extension with an average annual value of $975K.

Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes tallied twice and J.T. Miller picked up two assists as their club held on for a 3-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers. It was the Canucks’ second win in their last eight games, leaving them one point behind the Flames in the Western wild-card race. Leon Draisaitl scored both goals for the Oilers as their four-game win streak ended.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Oilers captain Connor McDavid and Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers could face supplemental discipline from the league. McDavid cross-checked Canucks forward Conor Garland in the head after the latter pinned him to the ice. In the ensuing scrum, Myers cross-checked Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard in the face. Both players received match penalties.

Miller was the subject of trade buzz yesterday with some reports suggesting this game may be his last with the Canucks. I’ll have more details in the Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup.

The Chicago Blackhawks upset the Vegas Golden Knights 5-3, leaving the latter with five losses in their last six games. Tyler Bertuzzi scored two power-play goals and Nick Foligno collected an assist in his 1,200th NHL regular-season game as the Blackhawks snapped a four-game winless skid (0-3-1).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Vegas and Edmonton are tied with 61 points but the Golden Knights hold first place in the Pacific Division with 26 regulation wins.

Philadelphia Flyers forward Bobby Brink snapped a 1-1 tie and Travis Konecny potted the insurance goal into an empty net in a 3-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils. The Flyers are 4-0-1 in their last five (48 points) and sit two points out of the final Eastern wild-card spot. Dougie Hamilton scored for the Devils, who are winless in their last three games (0-1-2) and hold second place in the Metropolitan Division.

Florida Panthers goaltender Spencer Knight turned aside 34 shots to blank the Anaheim Ducks 3-0. Jesper Boqvist, Anton Lundell and Gustav Forsling were the goalscorers for the Panthers, who sit second in the Atlantic Division with 57 points. John Gibson made 42 stops for the Ducks, who are 1-4-2 in their last seven contests.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Panthers forward Sam Reinhart received a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for kneeing Ducks forward Isac Lundestrom late in the first period. Lundestrom left the game in obvious pain favoring his right leg.

The New York Islanders defeated the San Jose Sharks 4-1, handing the latter their fifth loss in their last six contests. Mathew Barzal and Brock Nelson each had a goal and an assist for the Islanders as they ended a two-game losing skid. Barclay Goodrow replied for the Sharks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Brent Sutter was inducted into the Islanders’ Hall of Fame in a pregame ceremony. Sutter spent 12 of his 18-season NHL playing career with the Islanders, helping them win two of the franchise’s four Stanley Cups. He had 610 points in 694 games with the Islanders, including a career-high 102 in 1984-85.

Nashville Predators winger Filip Forsberg scored twice and collected two assists in a 6-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild. Juuse Saros made 27 saves for the Predators, who picked up their third straight win. David Jiricek and Matt Boldy scored for the Wild as they are 1-4-0 in their last five contests.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Predators placed winger Luke Evangelista (lower body) on injured reserve before this game. He’s not expected to return until early February. Defenseman Adam Wilsby was taken off IR. Meanwhile, the Wild placed blueliner Jonas Brodin (lower body) on IR. They also recalled goalie Dylan Ferguson on an emergency basis as Filip Gustavsson was out of the lineup with an illness.

A hat trick by Jaden Schwartz led the Seattle Kraken to a 4-2 upset of the Los Angeles Kings. Kaapo Kakko collected three assists and Joey Daccord made 28 saves for the Kraken. Adrian Kempe and Jordan Spence replied for the Kings, who sit third in the Pacific Division with 55 points.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 16, 2022

by | Jun 16, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 16, 2022

The Avalanche take Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, highlights of Commissioner Gary Bettman’s annual state of the league press conference, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: Andre Burakovsky’s overtime goal gave the Colorado Avalanche a 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final.

Colorado Avalanche forward Andre Burakovsky (NHL Images).

Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin each had a goal and an assist while Mikko Rantanen collected two assists for the Avalanche, who took a 3-1 lead into the second period. Nick Paul, Ondrej Palat and Mikhail Sergachev replied for the Lightning, who rallied to tie the game and force overtime.

Game 2 will be on Saturday, June 19, at 8 pm ET in Denver.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: We’re in store for a very entertaining, fast-paced series if Game 1 is any indication. The Avalanche dominated the play in the first period and much of the third, while the Lightning once again showed their poise and experience by overcoming that early deficit in the second period. Penalty killing was crucial for the Avs as they successfully killed off three shorthanded situations.

The Lightning’s Brayden Point made his long-expected return to the lineup from a lower-body injury suffered in the first round. Avalanche center Nazem Kadri remains sidelined with a thumb injury with no timetable for his return.

NHL.COM: Commissioner Gary Bettman announced the league generated record revenues projected to exceed $5.2 billion as it continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. He anticipates more significant increases to the salary cap within the next two-three years.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: As per the NHL-NHLPA Memorandum of Understanding from 2020, the salary cap will increase by $1 million annually until the players have paid back their overage of hockey-related revenue still owed to the owners for 2019-20 and 2020-21.

THE ATHLETIC: Bettman indicated the 2022-23 season will return to a normal calendar schedule beginning on Oct. 11.

Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the league doesn’t believe at this point that there need to be changes made to the long-term injury reserve system. It had been discussed during the general managers’ meeting in March with an idea of a playoff salary cap.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That came about over complaints of teams garnering a salary-cap advantage by placing a player on long-term injury reserve, using the cap relief to add players for the postseason, only to see the LTIR player return to action in the playoffs.

The insinuation was that some teams may be attempting to circumvent the cap by leaving players on LTIR when they may be healthy enough to return to action. However, the league hasn’t found any instance where this was the case.

Daly also said the league has begun its investigation of a sexual assault lawsuit filed against Hockey Canada and the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The suit alleges eight players, including some members of Canada’s 2018 World Junior team, sexually assaulted a young woman in 2018.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Some of the players on that team are now in the NHL. It has yet to be determined whether any of them were among those who assaulted the woman.

NHL.COM: Daly said the league is “very optimistic” that it will be able to stage a World Cup of Hockey tournament in February 2024. Discussions between the NHL, NHL Players’ Association and the International Ice Hockey Federation are ongoing.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I like the idea of a World Cup of Hockey in February rather than September as in previous years. After all, if the league was prepared to shuttered the season for two weeks to accommodate Olympic participation, they can do it for a World Cup.

Unlike the Olympics, the league and the players would reap the financial benefits from a World Cup. The players would be in midseason game shape, making for a better tournament and drawing more potential fans to the game.

DAILY FACEOFF: Daly indicated the players on the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning have been informed that the winner of this year’s Stanley Cup Final will not be allowed to take the Cup to Russia or Belarus in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Three Lightning players – Nikita Kucherov, Mikhail Sergachev and Andrei Vasilevskiy – are from Russia while Valeri Nichushkin is the only Russian-born Avalanche player. There are no Belarussians on either club.

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Daly also said the arbitration on Evander Kane’s contract termination grievance with the San Jose Sharks may not be resolved until July 13, which is the start of the NHL’s free agent period. The arbitrator assigned to the case isn’t available to conduct the hearing until next month.

Kane is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 13. If his case remains unresolved by then, it’s not expected to prevent him from signing another contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That will have significant implications for the Sharks. They will have $7 million in salary-cap limbo until such time as Kane’s case is resolved.

It could also affect Kane’s efforts to sign with another club. Interested parties could prefer to await the outcome of his hearing before making offers to him.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: There won’t be any changes in how NHL teams report injuries. It was assumed the league’s partnership with gambling outlets would lead to more specific information being released on player injuries other than “upper-body” or “lower-body.”

OTTAWA SUN: It’s expected the NHL Board of Governors will be informed today that it is business as usual for the Senators since the passing of team owner Eugene Melnyk in March. The club continues to be run by a board of directors and a professional management group while Melnyk’s daughters do their due diligence on the franchise.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: In other words, the club isn’t being sold and it won’t be relocated to another city.

Speaking of the Senators, they signed center Dylan Gambrell to a one-year, $950K contract extension.

TSN: The agent for Johnny Gaudreau denied a report claiming his client had reached an agreement on a long-term extension with the Calgary Flames. “There is no truth to it,” said Lewis Gross.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s believed negotiations are ongoing between the Flames and the Gaudreau camp. Both sides agreed at the start of this season that they would keep those discussions out of the media.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: The Blue Jackets signed goaltender Daniil Tarasov to a three-year contract extension worth a total of $3.15 million.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 24, 2022

by | Feb 24, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 24, 2022

​Corey Perry reaches a goal milestone in the Lightning’s win over the Oilers, the Avalanche extends their lead atop the overall standings, the Leafs place Jake Muzzin on LTIR, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Corey Perry tallied his 400th career goal as he helped the Tampa Bay Lightning hold off the Edmonton Oilers 5-3. The Lightning surged to a 4-1 lead and sealed the win with Nikita Kucherov’s empty-netter after the Oilers rallied to within one goal. Perry, Kucherov and Pat Maroon each finished the night with a goal and an assist. Oilers captain Connor McDavid scored twice and teammate Leon Draisaitl collected three assists as both are tied for the points lead with 73. With 72 points, the Lightning sits three back of the Atlantic Division-leading Florida Panthers. The loss dropped the Oilers (59 points) into the second Western Conference wild-card berth.

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Corey Perry (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The loss has some pundits wondering what Oilers general manager Ken Holland will do to address his club’s leaky goaltending. It’s been a problem all season, renewing speculation over whether Holland will make a move to address this issue before the March 21 trade deadline.

The Colorado Avalanche (78 points) opened a three-point lead over the Panthers for first place in the overall standings with a 5-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Pavel Francouz made 32 saves for the win while Gabriel Landeskog scored two goals and Cale Makar picked up two assists. Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin and defenseman Moritz Seider each collected two assists. Avs center Nathan MacKinnon missed this contest with a lower-body injury but is expected to play against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.

Los Angeles Kings winger Viktor Arvidsson tallied two goals (including the game-winner) as his club nipped the Arizona Coyotes 3-2. The win vaults the Kings (61 points) over the Oilers into third place in the Pacific Division.

An overtime goal by Tyler Seguin lifted the Dallas Stars to a 3-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets. Seguin finished the night with two points while teammate Jamie Benn had a goal and two assists. Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck turned aside 36 shots. The Stars (58 points) are one point behind the Oilers and Anaheim Ducks while the Jets (53 points) are six points out of that final Western wild-card berth.

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault kicked out 32 shots for his first NHL shutout to blank the Buffalo Sabres 4-0. Nick Suzuki scored twice and collected an assist while Cole Caufield had a goal and an assist. Canadiens forwards Josh Anderson (head injury) and Paul Byron (upper-body injury) left the game and will be re-evaluated later today. The Habs have won four straight.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Caufield remains on a torrid scoring pace under the tutelage of interim coach Martin St. Louis. The rookie winger has six goals and 10 points in his last seven games.

HEADLINES

TORONTO SUN: The Maple Leafs placed defenseman Jake Muzzin on long-term injury reserve as he recovers from a head injury (concussion) suffered during Monday’s 5-2 loss to the Canadiens. He’ll be sidelined for at least 10 games and 24 days. The move would allow the Leafs to exceed the salary cap by roughly the equivalent of Muzzin’s $5.625 million annual cap hit if they choose to add a player or two before the March 21 trade deadline.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bear in mind the Leafs would have to become cap compliant if they use that LTIR space to acquire a player should Muzzin return to action before the end of the season. It’ll be interesting to see how general manager Kyle Dubas addresses this situation.

The Leafs also announced yesterday prospect forward Rodion Amirov has a brain tumor. The 20-year-old is receiving treatment and remains upbeat that he’ll overcome this condition and resume his playing career.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Best wishes to Amirov for a swift and complete recovery.

TSN: The Montreal Canadiens will provide a medical update on Friday on the condition of Carey Price. The 34-year-old goaltender has been recovering from off-season knee surgery. He also spent the first month of this season in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program for substance abuse and mental health reasons.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Price’s on-ice workouts stopped on Feb. 15 but he’s continuing off-ice workouts. It remains to be seen if he’ll return at all this season. At this stage, it might be best if he puts his focus on working toward returning next season.

MONTREAL GAZETTE: Speaking of the Canadiens, they promoted John Sedgwick to assistant general manager. He’d been their vice-president of hockey operations and legal affairs since 2017.

NBC SPORTS CHICAGO: Blackhawks forward Jujhar Khaira underwent surgery on his lower back on Tuesday. He’s expected to be sidelined 10-12 weeks, effectively ending his season.

ABC 6: Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to Feb. 15 with a lower-body injury. NHL.com reports Jackets netminder Daniil Tarasov’s season is over after undergoing surgery on his right hip. His recovery period is six months.

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Sharks president Jonathan Becher declared it’s “highly unlikely” his club will undergo a “proactive rebuild” of its roster. He felt it would be difficult selling season tickets for the next three to five years if the club wasn’t going to be very good over that period.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: What also hurts season ticket sales is a club in need of a rebuild refusing to do so and icing a product that fails to improve. If you do a rebuild correctly you can sell your fans on hope for the future. Of course, there could be other factors at play here. The pandemic hit all teams hard, some more than others. Perhaps the Sharks could have a more pressing need for revenue compared to other clubs.

TSN: Former NHL forward Sean Avery, 41, has signed a standard player contract with the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears. He last played professional hockey 10 years ago.