NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 28, 2025

by | Apr 28, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 28, 2025

The Penguins part ways with head coach Mike Sullivan, Oilers and Blues tied their playoff series while the Capitals and Hurricanes took stranglehold leads in their respective postseason rounds. Check out the recaps and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines

**BREAKING NEWS**

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas announced this morning that the club and head coach Mike Sullivan have agreed to part ways. Sullivan took over as head coach in December 2015. He guided them to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sullivan had a year remaining on his contract and had intended to honor it. It’ll be interesting to learn what brought about this development and where Sullivan’s next coaching job will be. It’s rumored the New York Rangers could be interested if he became available. 

NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl scored his first NHL playoff overtime goal as his club overcame a 3-1 deficit to beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 in Game 4 of their opening-round series, tying it at two games apiece.

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard (NHL Images).

The Kings opened a 2-0 lead on goals by Trevor Moore and Warren Foegele and Kevin Fiala made it 3-1 after Corey Perry got Edmonton on the board. Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard scored two unanswered third-period goals to set the stage for Draisaitl’s OT winner. Calvin Pickard made 38 saves for the Oilers while Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper stopped 44 shots.

Game 5 of this best-of-seven series is Tuesday, Apr. 29, at 10 pm ET in Los Angeles.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bouchard has been clutch for the Oilers in this series. The puck-moving blueliner had three assists in Game 1 as the Oilers’ rally fell short in a 6-5 loss. He also scored twice (including the winning goal) in Game 3.

The St. Louis Blues scored three unanswered second-period goals en route to a 5-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets in Game 4 of their first-round series, tying it at two games apiece.

Jake Neighbours led the way with a goal and two assists and goaltender Jordan Binnington kicked out 30 shots for the Blues. Kyle Connor scored for the Jets, who replaced Connor Hellebuyck with Eric Comrie early in the third period after Hellebuyck gave up five goals on 18 shots.

Game 5 of this series returns to Winnipeg on Wednesday, Apr. 30, at 9:30 pm ET.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is the second straight game Hellebuyck gave up five goals. Jets followers are worried that the two-time Vezina Trophy winner could suffer another meltdown like last year against the Colorado Avalanche and in 2023 against the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Blues are getting plenty of production from their defensemen in this series. Cam Fowler picked up an assist in Game 5 for his team-leading eighth point. Colton Parayko had two assists and Justin Faulk scored, giving them three points each in four games.

Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker left this game after injuring his right leg (knee?) in the second period. There was no immediate postgame update, but he could miss the remainder of this series.

Carolina Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov scored his second NHL playoff hat trick to lead his club over the New Jersey Devils 5-2 in Game 4 of their first-round series.

Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns also scored for the Hurricanes, who took a commanding 3-1 lead in the series. Nico Hischier and Timo Meier replied for the Devils.

The Hurricanes can wrap this up in Game 4 on home ice in Raleigh on Tuesday, starting at 7:30 pm ET.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Svechnikov is the only player in Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers history to score hat tricks in the postseason.

Canes goaltender Frederik Andersen left this game in the second period with an undisclosed injury following a collision with Meier. He was replaced by Pyotr Kochetkov, who stopped 14 of 15 shots. Andersen will be evaluated on Monday and an update on his status should soon follow.

The Washington Capitals scored four unanswered third-period goals (two of them empty-netters) for a 5-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 of their series.

Andrew Mangiapane snapped a 2-2 tie for Washington with 3:37 remaining in the third period. Forward Brandon Duhaime tallied twice for the Capitals. Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield scored on the power play for the Canadiens while rookies Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov each collected two assists.

The series returns to Washington for Game 5 with the Capitals holding a 3-1 lead. They can wrap it up on Wednesday starting at 7 pm ET.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Capitals forward Tom Wilson’s physical play made the difference in this contest. His thunderous (but clean) bodycheck on Montreal defenseman Alexandre Carrier in the third period resulted in a turnover that led to Duhaime’s tying goal. It also knocked Carrier out of the game with an undisclosed injury, leaving the Canadiens without their best all-around defenseman at a critical juncture in the game.

Capitals starting goaltender Logan Thompson returned to action in this contest after an injury forced him to leave Game 3 in the third period. Canadiens starter Sam Montembeault remained sidelined by a lower-body injury suffered in Game 3 and is considered day-to-day. Jakub Dobes took his place in Game 4, stopping 21 shots.

One bright spot for the Canadiens was the performance of their top power-play unit of Slafkovsky, Hutson, Demidov, Caufield and Nick Suzuki. Those young guns continue to give their fans a tantalizing glimpse at a promising future for this club.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 1, 2025

by | Mar 1, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 1, 2025

Recaps of Friday’s games plus the latest on Brady Tkachuk, Kirby Dach, Nick Foligno and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Dallas Stars rolled to a 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Roope Hintz collected a career-best four assists, Jason Robertson had three points, Logan Stankoven tallied twice, and Wyatt Johnston scored to extend his home points streak to 11 games for the Stars, who sit second in the Central Division with 78 points. Warren Foegele and Trevor Moore replied for the Kings as they remain in third place in the Pacific Division with 70 points.

Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz. (NHL Images).

Colorado Avalanche forward Ross Colton scored twice and set up another as his club overcame a 2-1 deficit to defeat the Minnesota Wild 5-2. Oliver Kylington picked up two assists for the Avalanche as they hold the first Western Conference wild-card berth with 72 points. Mats Zuccarello and Vinnie Hinostroza scored for the slumping Wild as they dropped their third straight game.

The Toronto Maple Leafs picked up their fourth straight win by nipping the New York Rangers 3-2. Matthew Knies broke a 2-2 tie in the third period, William Nylander netted his 34th goal of the season, and Anthony Stolarz made 33 saves as the Leafs regained first place in the Atlantic Division with 76 points. Mika Zibanejad had a goal and an assist for the Rangers, who remain four points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot with 62 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the Leafs announced they had placed winger Max Pacioretty on injured reserve. 

HEADLINES

OTTAWA SUN: Senators captain Brady Tkachuk is confirmed to return to action when his club faces the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. Tkachuk has been sidelined since the 4 Nations Face-Off with a lower-body injury. Sidelined forwards Josh Norris and Shane Pinto took part in practice on Friday and appear poised to return to the lineup.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Senators need a boost to get them out of their five-game losing skid. Like the Rangers, they’re four points out of the final Eastern wild-card spot.

THE MONTREAL GAZETTE: Canadiens center Kirby Dach underwent successful surgery on his right knee in Montreal earlier this week. He will miss the remainder of this season but is expected to be fully recovered for next season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s the same knee Dach had surgically repaired in October 2023. This latest injury raises questions over his once-promising future with the Canadiens.

DAILY FACEOFF: Chicago Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury.

NEW YORK POST: Islanders defenseman Mike Reilly has been cleared for contact as he continues his recovery from last November’s heart surgery.

STLTODAY.COM: The Blues signed defenseman Tyler Tucker to a two-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $925K.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 24, 2020

by | Sep 24, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 24, 2020

Steven Stamkos returns as the Lightning take 2-1 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final, the latest on a potential Patric Hornqvist-for-Mike Matheson trade, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: Steven Stamkos scored in his return to action as the Tampa Bay Lightning downed the Dallas Stars 5-2 in Game 2 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Final. The Lightning hold a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos (NHL Images).

Stamkos, who’s been dealing with a core-muscle issue that sidelined him since July, played only five shifts in the first period but scored the Lightning’s second goal, eluding Stars defenseman Esa Lindell and sniping a wrister past Anton Khudobin. He spent the rest of the game on the Lightning bench. In his post-game interview, Stamkos said he’s still working through the issue, adding it was too early to tell if he’ll suit up for Game 4 on Friday.

Victor Hedman had a goal and two assists, becoming the third defenseman in Stanley Cup playoff history to score at least 10 goals in a postseason. Only Paul Coffey (12 goals) and Brian Leetch (11) have more. Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat each had a goal and an assist.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stamkos’ brief return in Game 3 still provided a big lift to his teammates. You could see it by the way they played and their reaction to their captain’s goal. They took control of the game in the second period, scoring three goals and outshooting the Stars 21-4.

Hedman, meanwhile, is making a strong case as the favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy. In addition to his goal-scoring efforts, he’s been the Lightning’s leader during Stamkos’ absence, playing a strong game at both ends of the rink.

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports a potential trade in which the Pittsburgh Penguins would send winger Patric Hornqvist to the Florida Panthers for defenseman Mike Matheson could be falling apart over Hornqvist’s no-trade clause and concerns over whether his contract was covered by insurance.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This deal could still go through if those issues are sorted out, but Friedman sounds skeptical. “One hurdle would be challenging enough…but two? Big problem.” If the deal goes through, the Penguins will have a surplus of left-side defensemen, meaning another trade could be likely.

TSN: Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion confirmed his club won’t be re-signing long-time goaltender Craig Anderson.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The decline in the 39-year-old Anderson’s performance over the past two years made this inevitable. Nevertheless, it’s the end of an era between the pipes for the Senators. Anderson is their all-time leader in wins, losses, and games-played, and played a big role in their surprising run to the 2017 Eastern Conference Final.

MONTREAL GAZETTE: The Canadiens re-signed forward Jake Evans to a two-year contract extension. The first year is a two-way deal paying him $750K at the NHL level. He’ll earn $800K in the second year.

TORONTO STAR: The Canada Revenue Agency alleges former Maple Leafs Shayne Corson and Darcy Tucker participated in a scheme to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. The duo claimed millions in business losses related to foreign currency trading during their years with the Leafs, but the CRA alleges it was a sham to claim the losses to lower their taxable income. Corson and Tucker deny the allegations.