Alex Ovechkin scores in his return from injury, a milestone game for Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour, the Predators and Avalanche make a trade, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
GAME RECAPS
NHL.COM: Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin continued to pursue Wayne Gretzky’s goal record by scoring an empty-netter for career goal 869 in a 5-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ovechkin returned to action after missing 16 games with a fractured left fibula. Jakob Chychrun and Andrew Mangiapane each had a goal and an assist and Logan Thompson stopped 35 shots for the win. John Tavares and Bobby McMann replied for the Leafs.
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ovechkin extended his league record for empty-net goals to 60, four more than Gretzky. The Washington captain needs 26 goals to break The Great One’s record. Meanwhile, the Capitals (50 points) sit one point behind the Eastern Conference-leading New Jersey Devils.
Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour became the fastest NHL coach to reach 300 regular-season wins as his club defeated the Devils 5-2. Brind’Amour achieved the feat in 488 games (300-143-45) thanks to Jack Roslovic scoring twice and setting up another while Seth Jarvis collected three assists. Paul Cotter and Ondrej Palat were the Devils’ scorers.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Devils forward Timo Meier received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for kneeing Hurricanes forward Martin Necas, who hobbled off the ice but would return to finish the game. Hurricanes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere missed this game with an upper-body injury and was replaced by call-up Ty Smith.
Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes turned in a 34-save shutout in his first NHL game in a 4-0 upset of the Florida Panthers. Kirby Dach tallied twice, Jake Evans netted a shorthanded goal and Cole Caufield potted his 18th of the season for the Canadiens, who’ve gone 11-8-1 over their last 20 games. Spencer Knight stopped 21 shots for the Panthers as their four-game win streak ended.
Three unanswered third-period goals set the stage for Vince Dunn’s overtime winner as the Seattle Kraken overcame a 4-1 deficit to upset the Vancouver Canucks 5-4. Dunn finished the game with two goals and an assist and teammate Jaden Schwartz also tallied twice for the Kraken as they ended a five-game losing skid. Brock Boeser scored twice while fellow Canucks forwards Conor Garland and Jake DeBrusk also found the back of the net.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Canucks captain Quinn Hughes and center Elias Pettersson missed this game due to injuries but they’re not expected to be out of action for long. Vancouver starter Thatcher Demko looked rusty as he continues to work his way back into game form after missing most of the season recovering from a knee injury.
Los Angeles Kings forward Quinton Byfield scored twice, including the winner in overtime, to lead his team over the Edmonton Oilers 4-3. Former Oiler Warren Foegele tallied his 10th of the season as he and Byfield each finished with three points to give the Kings their first win in three games. Kasperi Kapanen, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and former King Viktor Arvidsson scored for the Oilers as their three-game win streak was snapped.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Kings placed forward Trevor Moore on injured reserve. They recalled forward Arthur Kaliyev from his AHL conditioning stint but he didn’t play in this game.
Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman turned aside 18 shots to shut out the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-0. Morgan Geekie had a goal and an assist and David Pastrnak netted his 13th of the season as the Bruins improved to 5-1-1 in their last seven. Daniil Tarasov made 24 saves in his first game since Dec. 5 as his Blue Jackets saw their two-game win streak end.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Despite the loss the Blue Jackets (36 points) are just two points behind the Ottawa Senators for the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth. The Bruins called up forward Fabian Lysell, who was held scoreless in his NHL debut.
The Winnipeg Jets overcame a 2-0 deficit for a 4-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele each scored their 22nd goal of the season, Nikolaj Ehlers collected three points and Connor Hellebuyck kicked out 33 shots as the Jets sit first overall with 53 points. Tim Stutzle and Ridly Greig scored for the Senators.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Senators had to rely on the goalie tandem of Mads Sogaard and Leevi Marilainen with their regular netminders Linus Ullmark and Anton Forsberg sidelined by injuries. Soggard was the starter in this game with Marilainen expected to start on Sunday against the Minnesota Wild.
Tampa Bay Lightning forwards Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point each had a goal and two assists in a 6-2 victory over the New York Rangers. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 42 shots as the Lightning have won eight of their last 10 games. Vincent Trocheck had a goal and an assist for the struggling Rangers as they pulled goalie Igor Shesterkin after he gave up five goals on 13 shots. The Blueshirts have just two wins in their last 10 contests.
The New York Islanders defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3. Casey Cizikas and Anders Lee each scored two goals for the Islanders while Rickard Rakell had a goal and an assist for the Penguins.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Islanders head coach Patrick Roy demoted rookie forward Maxim Tsyplakov to the fourth line during this game, citing two penalties and several turnovers committed by the winger.
Calgary Flames winger Jonathan Huberdeau tallied twice and Nazem Kadri collected two assists to defeat the San Jose Sharks 3-1. Mikael Backlund also scored for the Flames while Dustin Wolf got the win with a 21-save effort. Sharks netminder Yaroslav Askarov stopped 30 shots while fellow rookie Macklin Celebrini scored his 12th of the season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The win moves the Flames into a tie with the Dallas Stars but the latter holds the final Western Conference wild-card spot with a game in hand and 20 wins to the Flames 17. Sharks forward Carl Grundstrom left this game in the first period with an undisclosed injury. Meanwhile, it was revealed that Sharks goaltender Vitek Vanecek suffered a fractured cheekbone earlier this month and is week to week.
Philadelphia Flyers forward winger Noah Cates scored to extend his goal streak to five games in a 3-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee also scored for the Flyers as Samuel Ersson made 32 saves for the win. Troy Terry replied for the Ducks.
IN OTHER NEWS…
THE TENNESSEAN/COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: The Nashville Predators traded forward Juuso Parsinen and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Colorado Avalanche for minor-league forward Ondrej Pavel and a 2026 third-rounder.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is the second trade between these two clubs. They recently swapped goaltenders with the Predators shipping Scott Wedgewood to the Avalanche for Justus Annunen.
Parsinen, 23, had a promising start to his NHL career in 2022-23 with 25 points in 45 games but struggled to earn a regular roster spot with the Predators. The Avalanche hope the 6’3”, 212-pounder can provide depth to their center position.
ROTOWIRE: Speaking of the Avalanche, defenseman Oliver Kylington is listed as month-to-month with an upper-body injury.
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS/THE ATHLETIC: It’s been a difficult month for the Dallas Stars.
It was reported yesterday that sidelined center Tyler Seguin’s home was broken into earlier this season. They also learned yesterday that forward Mason Marchment is week-to-week after suffering a “gruesome” facial injury during their 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Friday.
The NHL is also investigating the Stars for a potential CBA violation for staging an “optional skate” on Dec. 26 during the league’s holiday break.