Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck reaches a career milestone, the Panthers, Hurricanes and Wild each reach the 20-point plateau, the Sabres upset the Rangers, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
GAME RECAPS
NHL.COM: Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 35 saves for his second straight shutout (and the 40th of his NHL career) as his club held on to blank the Colorado Avalanche 1-0. Gabriel Vilardi scored the only goal at 1:06 of the first period for the Jets, who extended their league-leading record to 13-1-0 (26 points). Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev stopped 27 shots.
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hellebuyck became the sixth US-born goaltender to record 40 career shutouts, joining Jonathan Quick (66 shutouts), Ryan Miller (44), Craig Anderson (43), Frankie Brimsek and John Vanbiesbrouck (40 each).
The shutout snapped the 13-game season-opening points streaks of Avalanche stars Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon. Cale Makar suffered an injury against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday but played over 25 minutes in this contest, recording two shots on net.
The Florida Panthers picked up their sixth straight win with a 6-2 victory over the Nashville Predators, handing the latter their fifth loss in their last six games. Carter Verhaeghe scored two goals and collected an assist, Aleksander Barkov picked up three assists and Sam Reinhart extended his goal streak to five games. Steven Stamkos and Juuso Parssinen replied for the Predators.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers sit atop the Eastern Conference with a record of 10-3-1 (21 points). Predators forward Colton Sissons missed this game as he’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Carolina Hurricanes netminder Pyotr Kochetkov turned aside 35 shots to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1. The Hurricanes picked up their eighth straight victory as Jack Roslovic scored twice and picked up an assist and Jalen Chatfield had three assists. Blake Lizotte scored for the Penguins.
The Buffalo Sabres romped to a 6-1 upset of the New York Rangers. Zach Benson had a goal and an assist and Jack Quinn picked up two assists for the Sabres. Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin got the hook early in the second period after giving up five goals on 12 shots.
An overtime goal by Brad Marchand lifted the Boston Bruins over the Calgary Flames 4-3. Bruins forward Pavel Zacha had a goal and an assist while Joona Korpisalo made 34 saves for the win. The Flames forced the extra frame by overcoming a two-goal deficit on third-period goals by Yegor Sherangovich and Nazem Kadri.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Flames winger Anthony Mantha missed this game with a lower-body injury and was placed on injured reserve.
Dallas Stars forwards Logan Stankoven and Sam Steel each had a goal and an assist in a 3-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Tyler Seguin also scored and Jake Oettinger made 25 saves for the Stars. Tyler Bertuzzi replied for the Blackhawks.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stankoven leads all rookie scorers with 12 points.
The Minnesota Wild got three assists from Kirill Kaprizov to drop the San Jose Sharks 5-2. Matt Boldy tallied twice for the Wild, who sit second in the Western Conference with a record of 9-2-2 (20 points). Sharks rookie Macklin Celebrini scored both goals for the Sharks.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sharks defenseman Jake Walman missed this game with an upper-body injury. He missed their previous contest for non-hockey reasons.
Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes had a goal and an assist as his club doubled up the Los Angeles Kings 4-2. Canucks winger Brock Boeser left this game midway through the first period following a blindside hit to the head by Kings forward Tanner Jeannot. There was no update on his condition following the game. Quinton Byfield and Vladislav Gavrikov scored for the Kings.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jeannot received a match penalty for his illegal hit on Boeser. The incident will be reviewed by the league but remains to be seen whether he receives supplemental discipline.
A shootout goal by Owen Tippett lifted the Philadelphia Flyers to a 2-1 upset of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tipett also scored in regulation while Ivan Fedotov made 23 saves for his first NHL victory. Nikita Kucherov replied for the Lightning, who played without Brayden Point as he remains sidelined by a lower-body injury.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov was a healthy scratch as head coach John Tortorella expressed concerns over Michkov’s play at even strength. The 19-year-old winger is second among NHL rookie scorers with 10 points, seven of which were on the power play. He was held to one assist in his last five games.
The Utah Hockey Club defeated the St. Louis Blues 4-2 as Dylan Guenther scored the go-ahead goal late in the third period. Guenther finished the night with two points. Colton Parayko and Jordan Kyrou tallied for the Blues.
New Jersey Devils forwards Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt each collected three points in a 5-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens, handing the latter their fifth straight loss (0-4-1). Alex Newhook scored twice for the struggling Canadiens.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canadiens’ leading scorers have been shut down lately. Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield have no points in their last three games while Juraj Slafkovsky was held to an assist in his last four contests. Meanwhile, the Devils reassigned defenseman Simon Nemec to their AHL affiliate in Utica. He’d been a healthy scratch for over two weeks.
The New York Islanders doubled up the Ottawa Senators 4-2. Bo Horvat led the way with a goal and two assists while Semyon Varlamov stopped 28 shots for the win. Nick Jensen and Drake Batherson replied for the Senators, who’ve dropped five of their last seven games.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Senators forward Tim Stutzle was cut above his right eye after taking a puck to the face in the first period. He left the game but returned at the start of the second period, finishing the game with two assists.
IN OTHER NEWS…
TORONTO SUN: Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews missed practice on Thursday as he remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Leafs coach Craig Berube hasn’t ruled out Matthews from their upcoming two games against the Detroit Red Wings on Friday and the Canadiens on Saturday.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Seattle Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer is listed as day-to-day after suffering what the club called “an unfortunate accident” at home. He’s expected to return within the next couple of days.
RG.ORG: Former New Jersey Devils forward John Madden remains puzzled as to why former teammate Alexander Mogilny continues to be passed over for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
“It was crazy how many key goals he scored for us at the right moments, at the right time, whether it was regular season or playoffs; he just had that knack for burying goals that mattered,” said Madden. He considers Mogilny “one of the best players not to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Madden’s not the only person wondering why the Hall of Fame has continually passed over Mogilny since his first year of eligibility in 2009. A growing number of fans and pundits have openly questioned the Hall’s ongoing snub of one of the most skillful and exciting forwards to play the game.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: The NCAA has voted to allow major junior players to maintain college eligibility if they are not signed to a pro contract. This decision allows players in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), which includes the QMJHL, OHL and WHL to transfer to NCAA teams beginning next season.
The move would enable players drafted by NHL teams out of the CHL to play NCAA Division I hockey as their next step in developing their game before signing a professional contract. How it will impact other leagues like the United States Hockey League (USHL) or the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) remains to be seen.