NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 19, 2025

by | Mar 19, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 19, 2025

Sidney Crosby passes Wayne Gretzky for most points with a franchise, the Canadiens climb back into a wild-card spot, three Capitals reach personal milestones, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby scored to reach his 1,670th regular-season point in a 4-2 loss to the New York Islanders. Kyle Palmieri had a goal and two assists as the Islanders scored four unanswered third-period goals. With 70 points, the Isles are three points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Crosby took sole possession of fourth place on the all-time list for most points with a single franchise. Gordie Howe is the all-time leader, netting 1,809 with the Detroit Red Wings. Steve Yzerman is second, tallying 1,755 with the Wings. Mario Lemieux is third with 1,723 with the Penguins.

Crosby, 37, is under contract for two more seasons with the Penguins. He has 74 points in 68 games this season. If he remains close to that pace between now and the end of 2026-27, he could overtake Howe.

Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech returned to the lineup due to an illness, but blueliner Alexander Romanov missed the game with a similar illness.

The Montreal Canadiens regained the second wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference by defeating the Ottawa Senators 6-3. Christian Dvorak had a goal and three assists, Josh Anderson tallied twice, and Brendan Gallagher had a goal and two assists for the Canadiens (73 points) as they tallied five goals in the third period for their sixth straight win. Travis Hamonic had a goal and an assist for the Senators, who hold the first Eastern wild card with 77 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canadiens briefly held that wild-card spot on Jan. 21, only to tumble by dropping eight of their next nine games (1-8-1). Since Feb. 22, the Habs have gone 8-1-2.

Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson and forwards Tom Wilson and Aliaksei Protas reached notable personal single-season milestones in a 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings. Thompson stopped 23 shots for his first NHL 30-win season, Wilson scored for his first 30-goal season, and Protas had two assists to set the single-season points record (61) for an NHL player born in Belarus. Dylan Larkin replied for the Red Wings.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Capitals regained first place in the overall standings with 98 points, holding a game in hand over the Winnipeg Jets. The Wings (70 points) continue to flounder, losing eight of their last 10 to sit three points behind the Canadiens.

Speaking of the Jets, they dropped a 6-2 decision to the Vancouver Canucks. Brock Boeser scored two goals and had an assist and Pius Suter tallied twice as the Canucks maintained their grip on the final Western Conference wild card with 75 points. Nikolaj Ehlers and Alex Iafallo scored for the Jets (98 points).

St. Louis Blues winger Jordan Kyrou scored twice in a 4-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Dylan Holloway collected three assists as the Blues picked up their third straight win, sitting behind the Canucks with 75 points. Brady Skjei scored for the Predators.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canucks hold that final wild-card spot with a game in hand over the Blues. Predators forward Michael McCarron was ejected after accruing 20 minutes in penalties, including a major penalty for a dangerous hit on Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich, a five-minute major for fighting Jake Neighbours, and a 10-minute game misconduct.

The Calgary Flames kept pace in the Western wild-card race by nipping the New York Rangers 2-1. Nazem Kadri had a goal and an assist, MacKenzie Weegar collected two assists, and Matt Coronato tallied the winner for the Flames, who sit two points back of the Canucks. Artemi Panarin scored for the Rangers, who sit one point behind the Canadiens.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jonathan Huberdeau was held scoreless in this contract, but RG.Org’s Jim Biringer reports the 31-year-old winger has improved his overall game this season, earning praise from general manager Craig Conroy. With 50 points in 67 games, he’s on pace for his best season since joining the Flames in 2022.

The Rangers announced forward Arthur Kaliyev will miss the rest of the regular season and the playoffs with an upper-body injury.

Edmonton Oilers winger Zach Hyman scored two goals and picked up an assist in a 7-1 drubbing of the Utah Hockey Club. Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Mattias Ekholm each had a goal and two assists as the Oilers sit second in the Pacific Division with 84 points. Sean Durzi scored for Utah (71 points), who sit four points behind the Canucks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hyman missed Sunday’s game with an undisclosed injury while Ekholm (undisclosed) had missed six games.

The Dallas Stars nipped the Anaheim Ducks 4-3. Mikael Granlund tallied twice, including the winner in overtime, while Thomas Harley had a goal and two assists for the Stars, who hold second place in the Central Division with 89 points. Leo Carlsson scored twice for the Ducks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stars coach Peter DeBoer said sidelined forward Tyler Seguin continues skating regularly and should be ready to return around the end of the season. The news regarding top defenseman Miro Heiskanen (knee surgery) is less positive, as he could remain sidelined through at least the first round of the playoffs.

Shane Wright scored twice as the Seattle Kraken netted six unanswered goals in a 6-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Adam Larsson had a goal and two assists for the Kraken. Connor Bedard and Tyler Bertuzzi scored for the Blackhawks.

IN OTHER NEWS…

SPORTSNET: The NHL announced the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators will play a pair of games in Stockholm, Sweden next season as part of its annual Global Series on Nov. 14 and 16 at Avicii Arena.

TSN: Pierre LeBrun reports each of the men’s hockey teams participating in the 2026 Winter Olympics will name its first six roster players in June. It’s the first time the NHL will participate in the Winter Games since 2014. The rest of the rosters will be announced in December.

THE ATHLETIC: New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald made an impassioned plea for cut-resistant equipment during Tuesday’s meeting of NHL general managers in Florida. He cited his son Casey’s close call last December when a skate blade slashed his neck during an AHL game. Casey is the captain of the Hartford Wolfpack. The wound required 25 stitches to close.

DAILY FACEOFF: US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the possibility of an America-Russia hockey series involving players from the NHL and the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). The NHL released a statement indicating they were made aware of the conversation between Trump and Putin, however, they were not a party to them and thus considered it inappropriate to comment.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Such a tournament would require the NHL’s blessing and that of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), which has banned Russia’s participation in international tournaments due to its war with Ukraine.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 24, 2024

by | Jan 24, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 24, 2024

The Oilers win their 14th straight game, Nikita Kucherov regains the scoring lead, the Devils re-sign general manager Tom Fitzgerald, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

ESPN.COM: The Edmonton Oilers picked up their 14th consecutive win by downing the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1. Warren Foegele and Evander Kane each had a goal and an assist for the 27-15-1 Oilers, who sit third in the Pacific Division with 55 points. Dmitri Voronkov scored for the Blue Jackets (14-23-9) as they dropped to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with 37 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Oilers need just three more wins to tie the league record of 17 straight wins currently held by the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins.

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov (NHL Images).

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov regained the league in the NHL scoring race (80 points) with a hat trick and an assist in a 6-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Anthony Cirelli collected two assists for the Lightning (25-18-5) as they moved past the idle Toronto Maple Leafs into third place in the Atlantic Division with 55 points. Cam Atkinson had a goal and an assist for the 25-17-6 Flyers, who have lost three straight but remain in second place in the Metropolitan Division with 56 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kucherov sits three points ahead of Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon in the scoring race…Earlier in the day, the Lightning announced forward Austin Watson is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

Meanwhile, the Flyers announced before this game that goaltender Carter Hart was on an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons…They also placed winger Owen Tippett on injured reserve.

The Vegas Golden Knights nipped the New York Islanders 3-2 thanks to a 40-save performance by Adin Hill. Ivan Barbashev and Nicolas Roy each had a goal and an assist for the 28-14-6 Golden Knights as they sit second in the Pacific Division with 62 points. Brock Nelson and Jean-Gabriel Pageau replied for the 20-16-11 Islanders (51 points) as they sit two points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth.

Speaking of the Red Wings, they dropped a 5-4 decision to the Dallas Stars. Roope Hintz tallied twice and collected an assist while Wyatt Johnston collected three assists for the Stars (28-13-6) as they sit in third place in the Central Division with 62 points. Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond each had two points for the 24-18-5 Red Wings.

An overtime goal by Tomas Hertl gave the San Jose Sharks a 3-2 upset victory over the New York Rangers. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 29 shots for the 13-31-4 Sharks (30 points). Adam Fox had a goal and an assist for the Rangers (29-15-3), who hold first place in the Metropolitan Division with 61 points but have won just three of their last 10 games.

The Minnesota Wild picked up their third straight win by dropping the Washington Capitals 5-3. Marcus Johansson tallied twice while Filip Gustavsson made 30 saves for the 21-21-5 Wild (47 points) as they move within four points of the final Western Conference wild-card spot. Anthony Mantha scored two goals for the 22-17-6 Capitals (50 points) as they sit three behind the Red Wings for the final Eastern wild-card berth.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Capitals defenseman Ethan Bear was a healthy scratch from this game as Rasmus Sandin returned from injury.

St. Louis Blues winger Brandon Saad scored twice, including the winning goal as his club rallied to a 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames. Nick Leddy picked up three assists while Jordan Binnington turned aside 32 shots for the Blues (23-20-2) as they sit three points out of a Western wild-card spot with 48 points. Yegor Sharangovich had a goal and an assist for the 21-21-5 Flames (47 points) as they dropped their third straight contest.

The Anaheim Ducks doubled up the Buffalo Sabres 4-2. Jakob Silfverberg tallied two goals while John Gibson made 28 saves for the 16-30-0 Ducks. Jordan Greenway had a goal and an assist for the 20-23-4 Sabres.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ducks rookie Olen Zellweger collected an assist in his NHL debut. Meanwhile, the Sabres announced before this game that defenseman Erik Johnson would miss this contest and Wednesday’s matchup with the Los Angeles Kings.

Ottawa Senators goaltender Joonas Korpisalo made 24 saves in a 4-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Shane Pinto scored his first goal of the season for the 18-24-1 Senators while Johnathan Kovacevic replied for the 19-21-7 Canadiens, who have lost three straight games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kovacevic returned to the Canadiens lineup after being out of the lineup for the last three games. Winger Tanner Pearson played his first game since being sidelined on Dec. 9 with an upper-body injury while defenseman Arber Xhekaj was recalled from their AHL affiliate in Laval.

HEADLINES

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: The Devils yesterday announced they’d reached an agreement with general manager Tom Fitzgerald on a multi-year contract extension. He’s also been promoted to president of hockey operations.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Fitzgerald has done a good job rebuilding the Devils back to respectability despite their struggles this season. He signed Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt to reasonable long-term contracts, acquired Timo Meier, Dougie Hamilton, Tyler Toffoli and Ondrej Palat and drafted Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec. His biggest challenge remains addressing his club’s inconsistent goaltending.

THE SCORE: Los Angeles Kings head coach Todd McLellan has called out center Pierre-Luc Dubois. “At the end of the day, whether PL gets four minutes or 24 minutes, he has to be a difference-maker,” said McLellan.

The Kings acquired Dubois from the Winnipeg Jets last summer and signed him to an eight-year contract worth an average annual value of $8.5 million. He’s managed just nine goals and 19 points in 44 games this season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That’s not the kind of positive impact the Kings envisioned when they traded for Dubois. It’ll be interesting to see whether McLellan’s remarks light a fire under the 25-year-old center.

CBS SPORTS: The Seattle Kraken activated goaltender Philipp Grubauer off long-term injury reserve and sent Chris Driedger to their AHL affiliate in Coachella Valley.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Toronto Maple Leafs activated winger Ryan Reaves from injured reserve and designated winger Tyler Bertuzzi as a non-active roster player as he and his wife await the birth of their child.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 19, 2023

by | Jun 19, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 19, 2023

Oddsmakers don’t favor the Golden Knights’ chances of repeating as Stanley Cup champs, Valeri Nichushkin is expected to rejoin the Avalanche, the latest notable draft news and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee headlines.

VEGAS HOCKEY NOW: Oddsmakers aren’t bullish on the Golden Knights’ chances of repeating as Stanley Cup champions. Vegas Insider has the Colorado Avalanche as the favorite to win the Cup in 2024 while the Golden Knights have the sixth-best odds, tied with the Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone raises the Stanley Cup (NHL.com).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: You don’t need oddsmakers to tell you how difficult it is in today’s NHL to repeat as Stanley Cup champions or for a defending champ to return to the Final.

Since 1990, only three teams – the Pittsburgh Penguins (1991 and 1992, 2016 and 2017), Detroit Red Wings (1997 and 1998) and Tampa Bay Lightning (2020 and 2021) repeated as Cup champions.

The Penguins and Red Wings faced off in the 2008 and 2009 Finals, with the Wings winning in 2008 and the Penguins the following season.

The Lightning reached the Final in three straight years (2020 to 2022), becoming the first team to do so since the Edmonton Oilers (1983 to 1985).

THE DENVER POST: Sources claim Valeri Nichushkin is expected to rejoin the Colorado Avalanche for 2023-24. The 28-year-old winger left the team before Game 3 of the Avalanche’s first-round series against the Seattle Kraken following an incident involving an intoxicated woman in his Seattle hotel room.

There was no criminal investigation of the incident and Nichushkin is not being investigated by the league. The winger has been out of sight since returning to Denver following the incident while the Avalanche have declined to comment.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Nichushkin and the Avalanche will have to face questions from the media about this incident at some point before the start of next season. It remains to be seen how forthcoming they’ll be about this situation.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen admitted he’s received several calls from clubs wondering if he’s willing to trade his first-round pick (third overall) in the upcoming 2023 NHL Draft.

Kekalainen said none of the offers he’s received have convinced him to part with the pick. “I’m 99.9 percent sure that we won’t be trading the pick.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There were also reports last week of the Montreal Canadiens contacting the Anaheim Ducks (second overall) and San Jose Sharks (fourth overall) to gauge their willingness to trade their picks. Perhaps they were among those who contacted Kekalainen about his pick.

One of those clubs could be convinced to move their selection for the right price. Given how rarely those picks are traded, however, I’ll be surprised if any of them are moved between now and the opening round on June 28.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Russian prospect Matvei Michkov avoided meeting with NHL teams and didn’t meet with them after KHL games this season. A gifted offensive winger, the 18-year-old Michkov is considered among the top prospects in this year’s draft and could be among the top-five picks.

Kevin Allen writes that Michkov’s actions have prompted speculation that he’s trying to manipulate the selection process to get to a specific team.

Allen thinks he could be angling to be chosen by the Washington Capitals (eighth overall) for an opportunity to play with Russian superstar Alex Ovechkin.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Michkov also didn’t attend the NHL Draft Combine earlier this month. His agent claims his client will be in attendance at the upcoming NHL Draft.

Rumored character issues plus his lengthy KHL contract could prompt some teams to skip on Michkov, possibly making him available to lower-seeded clubs in the first round.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery admitted he didn’t read his players well during their stunning first-round loss to the underdog Florida Panthers. After rewatching the games, Montgomery said he could tell that the Bruins weren’t anywhere close to playing with the same tempo as they did during their record-breaking regular season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Overconfidence plus injuries to some key players seemed to play a role in the Bruins’ demise against the determined Panthers. After setting the records for most wins (65) and points (135) in the regular season, Boston seemed to have Florida on the ropes after taking a commanding 3-1 series lead.

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald disputed the notion that he believes in a salary hierarchy. This comes after he re-signed winger Jesper Bratt to an eight-year extension with an average annual value of $7.87 million, coming in just under center Jack Hughes’ $8 million AAV.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: In other words, Timo Meier’s AAV on his next contract could be higher than Hughes’ if he and the Devils agree to a new deal.