Shutout victories for the Devils and Kings, the three stars of the week are announced, and the latest on Connor McDavid, David Pastrnak, Connor Hellebuyck, Macklin Celebrini and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
GAME RECAPS
NHL.COM: New Jersey Devils goaltender Jake Allen made 31 saves to shut out the Edmonton Oilers 3-0. Stefan Noesen, Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier were the goal scorers as the Devils have won three of their last four games. Bratt also collected an assist to finish the night with two points.
New Jersey Devils goaltender Jake Allen (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Oilers got some good news earlier in the day when captain Connor McDavid took part in an optional skate. McDavid was expected to be sidelined for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered last Monday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, he indicated he might be ready to return to action this Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks.
Allen is closing in on a personal milestone. He needs two more victories to reach the 200-win plateau.
The Los Angeles Kings got a goal and an assist from Adrian Kempe and 16 saves from Darcy Kuemper to blank the Nashville Predators 3-0, handing the latter their third defeat in their last four games. Anze Kopitar and Kevin Fiala also scored for the Kings.
HEADLINES
NHL.COM: Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, Carolina Hurricanes forward Martin Necas, and Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby were the league’s three stars for the week ending Nov. 3.
BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Bruins winger David Pastrnak downplayed his third-period benching during his club’s 2-0 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Sunday. “I’ve got to be better, and I take full responsibility,” he told reporters on Monday. “I’m just moving on. Yesterday was yesterday, and I never looked back. I just came in today and worked on my game.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Pastrnak leads the Bruins in scoring with six goals and 11 points in 13 games but was held scoreless in five games and has been inconsistent in other areas of his play.
Speaking of the Bruins, they signed Tyler Johnson to a one-year, $775K contract.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The 34-year-old forward joined the Bruins in training camp on a professional tryout offer but had to wait a month until the club accrued sufficient cap space to sign him. He spent the interim participating in practices with the Bruins.
WINNIPEG SUN: Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is getting weary in his efforts to get more clarity from the league regarding goalie interference rules. “If it’s not going to get anywhere, I might have to move on to the next guy, pass it on. I’ve tried to help, I’ve tried to make it more black and white.”
Hellebuyck’s comments come after the Jets’ 7-4 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday. Lightning forward Conor Geekie shoved Hellebuyck’s pad out of the way, allowing teammate Brandon Hagel to score. The Jets raised a coach’s challenge claiming goalie interference but the call on the ice stood.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hellebucyk is understandably tired of banging his head against this brick wall. The maddening inconsistency regarding what constitutes goalie interference is part of the ongoing decline of NHL officiating.
SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Sharks rookie Macklin Celebrini is expected to return to action on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 18-year-old center has been sidelined since opening night after re-aggravating a hip injury he’d been nursing since training camp.
Speaking of the Sharks, forward Ty Dellandrea is also expected to be good to go for Tuesday’s game against Columbus. He’s been sidelined by an injured hand since late October.
NHL.COM: Valeri Nichuskin has been cleared to return to practice with the Colorado Avalanche. The 29-year-old winger will return to action on Nov. 15 against the Washington Capitals.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Nichushkin is completing a six-month suspension as part of Phase 3 of the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.
CHEK-TV’s Rick Dhaliwal reports Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko (knee injury) is “in the last stages of hurdles that need to be cleared before he can return to practice. There’s still no timetable for his return but Dhaliwal indicates he made “very good progress.”
STLTODAY.COM: Blues defenseman Philip Broberg will be sidelined for four to six weeks with a lower-body injury (right leg).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Broberg was on a tear to start the season with nine points in 12 games, sitting second among Blues scorers.
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE: The Penguins face a decision regarding their goaltending with Tristan Jarry’s two-week AHL conditioning stint ending on Saturday.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jarry is expected to return to the Penguins with Alex Nedeljkovic as his backup. Promising netminder Joel Blomqvist is waiver-exempt and will likely be returned to their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
DAILY FACEOFF: The Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Flyers swapped minor-leaguers on Monday with defenseman Ronnie Attard heading to Edmonton in exchange for blueliner Ben Gleason.