Recapping Monday’s games, Oilers captain Connor McDavid suspended, the Avalanche reveal their Quarter-Century Team, the three stars of the week, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
RECAPS OF MONDAY’S GAMES
NHL.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby had a goal and an assist to lead his club to a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings, ending the latter’s nine-game home win streak and handing them their fourth loss in their last five games. Kevin Hayes and Anthony Beauvillier also had a goal and an assist each for the Penguins (48 points), who sit four points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth. Adrian Kempe tallied his 23rd goal of the season for the Kings, who sit third in the Pacific Division with 55 points.
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Kings honored firefighters and first responders during a pregame ceremony in their first game in their downtown arena since wildfires devastated large parts of Los Angeles.
Crosby reached a notable milestone, reaching the 50-point plateau for the 18th time in his NHL career. The Penguins got the win without winger Rickard Rakell, who returned to Pittsburgh for family reasons.
The Utah Hockey Club upset the Winnipeg Jets 5-2. Barrett Hayton had a goal and two assists as his club picked and Logan Cooley scored to extend his goal streak to four games as Utah picked up their second straight win. Nino Niederreiter and Dylan DeMelo replied for the Jets (65 points), who’ve lost two straight and remain two points behind the league-leading Washington Capitals.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jets head coach Scott Arniel wasn’t happy with his club’s performance, calling the loss their most embarrassing game of the season. Utah forward Clayton Keller took a puck to the face during the second period but returned before the end of the frame after receiving several stitches. “That’s a hockey player, eh?,” said Utah coach Andre Tourigny.
An overtime goal by Sebastian Aho gave the Carolina Hurricanes a 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Frederik Andersen made 23 saves in his first game since Oct. 26 when he suffered a knee injury requiring surgery on Nov. 22. Blackhawks goalie Petr Mrazek kicked out 44 shots.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This game was also Andersen’s 500th in the NHL. Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal reached a significant milestone as this was his 1,300th NHL regular-season game. Staal scored to reach 700 regular-season points.
The St. Louis Blues blew 3-1 and 4-2 leads before defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 5-4 on a shootout goal by Brayden Schenn. Jordan Binnington stopped 28 shots and Jordan Kyrou collected two assists for the Blues (50 points), who moved within one point of the final Western Conference wild-card spot. Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore collected four assists as his club dropped their fourth straight game.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Golden Knights cling to first place in the Pacific Division with 62 points. Following this game, head coach Bruce Cassidy singled out goaltenders Adin Hill and Ilya Samsonov. “We need better play out of the goaltending position right now,” said Cassidy.
Toronto Maple Leafs forwards Mitch Marner and Matthew Knies each collected three points in a 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Leafs captain Auston Matthews scored to extend his goal streak to four games as his club picked up their third straight win and sit in first place in the Atlantic Division with 62 points. Nick Paul tallied twice for the Lightning, who sit third in the Atlantic Division with 53 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Marner surpassed Hall-of-Famer Borje Salming for the most multi-assist games in franchise history with 123. Leafs winger Max Pacioretty missed this contest with an upper-body injury
The New York Islanders got two goals from Bo Horvat to down the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1, snapping the latter’s seven-game points streak (6-0-1). Mathew Barzal had two assists for the Islanders. Kent Johnson replied for the Blue Jackets.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson left this game early in the third period with an injury to his right leg following a hit from Blue Jackets center Cole Sillinger. There was no post-game update on his status.
Boston Bruins center Charlie Coyle tallied twice in a 6-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks. Coyle finished with three points while David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Elias Lindholm each had a goal and an assist for the Bruins. Will Smith scored and collected an assist for the Sharks, who have lost three straight games.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The win vaulted the Bruins (52 points) one point ahead of the Blue Jackets into the final Eastern wild-card berth. The Ottawa Senators also have 52 points but hold the first wild-card spot with two games in hand over the Bruins.
Third-period goals by Yakov Trenin and Brock Faber lifted the Minnesota Wild over the Colorado Avalanche 3-1. Marc-Andre Fleury turned aside 26 shots as the Wild snapped their three-game losing skid. Nathan MacKinnon replied for the Avalanche.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Wild sit second in the Central Division with 60 points while the Avalanche hold the first Western wild-card spot with 57 points.
Seattle Kraken forward Jared McCann had a goal and two assists in a 6-4 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Chandler Stephenson and Adam Larsson each had a goal and an assist as the Kraken picked up their fourth win in their last six games. Tage Thompson and Jason Zucker each had a goal and an assist for the Sabres, who’ve dropped three of their last four games.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jiri Kulich returned to the Sabres lineup after missing the last two weeks with a lower-body injury.
HEADLINES
NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid received a three-game suspension for cross-checking Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland on Saturday.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: McDavid’s cross-check resulted from Garland pinning him to the ice for over 10 seconds late in the third period with no call from the on-ice officials. I don’t believe this suspension is justified.
However, McDavid should’ve received a suspension for his sneaky elbow to the head of Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Johansson on Jan. 15, which went unpunished by the officials and the league. Johansson remains on injured reserve.
Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers received a three-game suspension for cross-checking Oilers blueliner Evan Bouchard. The incident occurred in the scrum following McDavid’s cross-check on Garland.
The Colorado Avalanche unveiled their Quarter-Century Team on Monday.
Goaltender Patrick Roy, defensemen Adam Foote and Cale Makar, and forwards Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg and Nathan MacKinnon comprised the First Team.
The Second Team featured forwards Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog and Milan Hejduk, defensemen Rob Blake and Erik Johnson, and goaltender Semyon Varlamov.
Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson, Nashville Predators winger Filip Forsberg, and Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak are the league’s three stars for the week ending Jan. 19, 2025.
MONTREAL GAZETTE: Former NHL winger Marcel Bonin recently passed away at age 93. Bonin played 454 goals with the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens from 1952-53 to 1961-62, tallying 97 goals and 175 assists for 272 points. He also had 25 points in 50 playoff games, winning a Stanley Cup with Detroit (1954-55) and three more with the Canadiens between 1957-58 and 1959-60.
NHL.COM: Former NHL coach Tom McVie passed away at the age of 89. McVie was a long-time minor-league player from 1956-57 to 1973-74. He coached the Washington Capitals from 1975-76 to 1978-79, the Winnipeg Jets from the 1979 WHA playoffs through 1980-81, and the New Jersey Devils from 1990-91 to 1991-92.
McVie was an assistant coach with the Boston Bruins from 1992-93 to 1994-95. He spent the past 30 years as a Bruins ambassador.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to the families and friends of Bonin and McVie.
