NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 30, 2020

by | Jul 30, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 30, 2020

​Recaps of the second day of exhibition games, an update on John Chayka’s departure from the Coyotes, the Blackhawks announce initiatives to honor Native American culture, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

EXHIBITION GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The line of Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, and Ondrej Palat combined for 10 points as the Tampa Bay Lightning blanked the Florida Panthers 5-0. Point led the way with two goals and two assists. Andrei Vasilevskiy picked up the shutout with a 26-save performance.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky gave up five goals on 34 shots, but he was hung out to dry by his teammates. The Panthers must improve their defensive play before they face off against the New York Islanders in their qualifying round series.

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin (NHL Images).

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin tallied twice and set up another to lead his club over the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2. Capitals defenseman John Carlson left the game in the final 10 minutes as a precautionary measure after crashing awkwardly into the boards. An update on his condition is expected today. Hurricanes goalie Petr Mrazek gave up three goals on 16 shots before being replaced by James Reimer.

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck kicked out 37 shots in a 4-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Jets captain Blake Wheeler had a goal and an assist. Teammate Nikolaj Ehlers also scored, but left the game in the third period with an apparent lower-body injury. No word yet as to his status.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Looks like the long layoff had little effect on Hellebuyck’s performance. The Vezina Trophy finalist was on top of his game against the Canucks. Ehlers may have aggravated an ailment that nagged him throughout training camp.

Dominik Kubalik scored twice and added an assist as the Chicago Blackhawks blanked the St. Louis Blues 4-0. Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford made 11 saves through two periods.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Crawford looked sharp in this contest after missing most of the Blackhawks’ training camp when he tested positive for COVID-19. His performance against the Blues is a good sign as he and his teammates face the Edmonton Oilers in the qualifying round.

Colorado Avalanche forwards Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Joonas Donskoi were the goal scorers as their club edged the Minnesota Wild 3-2. Wild center Eric Staal had a goal and an assist. The Avs killed off seven of eight penalties.

Semyon Varlamov and Thomas Greiss combined for 26 saves as the New York Islanders held off the New York Rangers 2-1. Anthony Beauvillier and Devon Toews scored for the Isles. Rangers defenseman Marc Staal left the game in the second period for precautionary reasons and isn’t expected to miss their qualifying series against the Hurricanes.

HEADLINES

NEW YORK POST: Howie Kussoy cites multiple reports claiming former Arizona Coyotes general manager John Chayka’s relationship with the club’s ownership was irrevocably damaged when he lied about having a job interview with the New Jersey Devils, who then were uninterested in hiring him. Chayka resigned from the Coyotes last weekend as the club was preparing to head to Edmonton for Phase 4 of the return-to-play plan.

An NHL team approached Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo about a month ago seeking permission to speak to Chayka, which Meruelo rejected. Chayka then reportedly lied to Meruelo about the Devils’ interest, only to subsequently request his contract be terminated so he could pursue an opportunity within the Devils ownership’s sports portfolio.

Meruelo felt betrayed but wanted to wait until the season ended to discuss this with Chayka, but the latter felt that was unreasonable. The situation quickly deteriorated, culminating in Chayka’s departure from the team.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This has degenerated into a messy they-said/he said situation with each side blaming the other. If Chayka lied about the Devils interview, it could damage his reputation and his efforts to find employment elsewhere in the NHL.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: The Blackhawks are taking steps designed to honor Native American culture. They’ve banned headdresses at their games and intend to incorporate Native American culture and education into their arena and the games there. The club has resisted calls to change its nickname and logo after the NFL’s Washington Redskins announced they were moving on from their nickname.

NBC SPORTS BOSTON: The Bruins re-signed forward Anders Bjork to a three-year, $4.8-million contract extension. The annual average value is $1.6 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Cap Friendly indicates the Bruins now have over $65.1 million invested in 19 players for 2020-21. Torey Krug, Jake DeBrusk, Matt Grzelcyk, and team captain Zdeno Chara are among the notables still to be re-signed.

TSN: Former Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock has taken on a volunteer advisory role with the Vermont Catamounts coaching staff.

LA PRESSE: Montreal Canadiens winger Dale Weise denied a report out of Switzerland claiming he signed a contract with Swiss club HC Lausanne.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 28, 2020

by | Jan 28, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 28, 2020

Milestone nights for Patrick Marleau and Rasmus Sandin, injury updates and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: Patrick Marleau scored two goals as the San Jose Sharks doubled up the Anaheim Ducks 4-2. Marleau passed Guy Lafleur and moved into a tie with Mike Modano for 25th on the all-time goals list with 561. While Marleau has 1,185 career points, he also became the first player to reach 1,100 points as a member of the Sharks. He’s their franchise leader with 1,101.

Patrick Marleau sits 25th on the NHL’s all-time goal list (Photo via NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Marleau is one of just two active players (Washington’s Alex Ovechkin being the other) sitting among the NHL’s top-50 all-time goal scorers. That’s a testament to his consistency and durability over his long career. 

Toronto Maple Leafs rookie defenseman Rasmus Sandin tallied his first career NHL goal in a 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators. He also collected an assist while teammates William Nylander and Zach Hyman each had a goal and an assist. It was a costly victory as winger Kasperi Kapanen left the game with an injured arm. X-rays were negative and he’ll be reevaluated today.

The Washington Capitals rode a 31-save performance by Braden Holtby to a 4-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Jakub Vrana and Tom Wilson each had a goal and an assist. The Capitals played without captain Alex Ovechkin, who served a one-game suspension for skipping the 2020 NHL All-Star Game. Canadiens forward Dale Weise played his 500th career NHL game.

Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn scored twice, including the winner in overtime, as his club edged the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2. Lightning captain Steven Stamkos also tallied two goals as teammate Andrei Vasilevskiy’s winning streak ended at 10 games. Stars forward Roope Hintz left the game with an upper-body injury and Andrew Cogliano was sidelined by a lower-body injury.

The Vancouver Canucks picked up their ninth straight home win by downing the St. Louis Blues 3-1. J.T. Miller scored two goals and Chris Tanev collected two assists as the Canucks opened a three-point lead atop the Pacific Division.

Shootout goals by Nikita Gusev and Jack Hughes carried the New Jersey Devils to a 4-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Ottawa goaltender Marcus Hogberg kicked out 50 shots to carry his club into the shootout frame.