Connor McDavid moves up among the Oilers’ all-time scoring leaders, the Sabres accomplish a unique feat, Leafs center John Tavares is injured during practice, Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry goes on waivers, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
RECAPPING TUESDAY’S GAMES
NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid moved into second place among his club’s all-time leading scorers as his club defeated the Minnesota Wild 5-3. McDavid scored twice and collected an assist to move past Jari Kurri with 1,044 points while the Oilers picked up their seventh win in their last eight games. Matt Boldy had a goal and an assist for the Wild as they’ve lost three of their last four games.
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Wayne Gretzky is the franchise leader with 1,669 points.
McDavid angered the Wild by going unpenalized for elbowing Marcus Johansson in the jaw during the second period. Johansson left the game with an upper-body injury.
Oilers winger Jeff Skinner was a healthy scratch for the third straight game. He has 15 points in 40 games.
Buffalo Sabres forward Ryan McLeod collected his first NHL hat trick in a 4-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 35 shots and Jason Zucker collected two assists as the Sabres picked up their third win in their last four contests. Jacob Slavin and Martin Necas replied for the Hurricanes
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sabres accomplished a unique feat by scoring a goal without registering a shot during a full 20-minute period. The goal occurred in the final minute of the third period with the Sabres hanging onto a 3-2 lead.
As per Daily Faceoff, McLeod attempted a shot on the empty Hurricanes net but his stick snapped and didn’t make contact with the puck. Meanwhile, Carolina defenseman Brent Burns’ attempt to get the puck out of the slot caused him to trip McLeod. That resulted in what would’ve been a penalty shot, but with the net empty, became an automatic goal, giving McLeod a hat trick and the Sabres the win.
HEADLINES
NHL.COM: The Buffalo Sabres revealed their Quarter-Century Team on Wednesday.
The First Team consists of forwards Daniel Briere, Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek, defensemen Brian Campbell and Rasmus Dahlin, and goaltender Ryan Miller.
The Second Team is comprised of forwards Chris Drury, Derek Roy and Jack Eichel, defensemen Jay McKee and Tyler Myers, and goaltender Dominik Hasek.
TORONTO SUN: Maple Leafs center John Tavares left practice on Wednesday favoring his right leg after getting tangled up with defenseman Chris Tanev. Head coach Craig Berube said Tavares was still being evaluated and he’s hoping he’ll be okay. Meanwhile, defenseman Jake McCabe took part in his first full practice after missing the last four games with an upper-body injury.
PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Penguins placed goaltender Tristan Jarry on waivers and plan on assigning him to their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. They have called up netminder Joel Blomqvist.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s unlikely that a rival club will pluck Jarry off waivers. He has a record of 8-8-4 with a 3.31 goals-against average and a save percentage of .886. Jarry also carries an average annual value of $5.375 million through 2027-28.
NESN: Boston Bruins president Cam Neely said his club is looking at two approaches leading up to the March 7 trade deadline. They could be buyers or they could be “retooling a little bit” depending on where they are in the standings by the deadline. They’re holding one of the two wild-card berths in the Eastern Conference.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: They’ll likely be retooling if their play throughout the first half is anything to go by. Their lack of a reliable first-line center is a significant factor in their struggles this season. However, they might have to wait until the offseason to address that need.
DAILY FACEOFF: Los Angeles Kings winger Alex Laferriere has been sidelined by an upper-body ailment. A further update on his status is expected later this week.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The 23-year-old Laferriere has had a solid sophomore season with 13 goals and 26 points in 41 games.
New Jersey Devils defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic was fined $1,996.53 by the NHL’s department of player safety for cross-checking Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk.
Utah Hockey Club center Jack McBain was fined $4,166.67 for high-sticking Montreal Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher.
RG.ORG: The upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off is forcing NHL general managers to move up their timelines to prepare for the March 7 trade deadline. The tournament takes place from Feb. 12-20, with 28 of the 32 NHL teams being off from Feb. 9-22, leaving the general managers less than two weeks to prepare for the trade deadline.
Teams are moving up their pro scouting meetings to narrow down their trade boards.
TSN: The Winnipeg Jets and Chicago Blackhawks made a minor trade on Wednesday, with the Jets acquiring defenseman Isaak Phillips from the Blackhawks for defenseman Dmitry Kuzmin.
