Oilers captain Connor McDavid leads his club to a big win over the Sharks, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin talks about his future, the Masterton Trophy finalists are announced, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
RECAPS OF WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid had a five-point performance (three goals, two assists) to lead his club to a 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks. Macklin Celebrini and Kiefer Sherwood replied for the Sharks. With 90 points, the 40-29-10 Oilers hold first place in the Pacific Division. Meanwhile, the loss leaves the 37-33-7 Sharks (81 points) sitting three points behind the Nashville Predators for the final Western Conference wild-card berth.
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (NHL Images)
SPECTOR’S NOTE: McDavid has 133 points, opening a five-point lead over Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov for the lead in the scoring race. Celebrini is fourth with 108 points. Meanwhile, Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram left this game after two periods with an undisclosed injury. Forward Jason Dickinson departed in the third period after taking a shot to the foot.
The Buffalo Sabres got three unanswered third-period goals from Alex Tuch, Jason Zucker, and Zach Benson to defeat the New York Rangers 5-3. Benson had two goals while Zucker and Ryan McLeod each had a goal and an assist for the Sabres (48-23-8), who have sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division with 104 points. Alexis Lafreniere tallied twice for the 33-37-9 Rangers.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sabres are two points behind the Eastern Conference-leading Carolina Hurricanes, who hold a game in hand.
Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson turned in a 21-save shutout in a 4-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Dylan Strome and Martin Fehervary each had a goal and an assist for the 40-30-9 Capitals (89 points), who sit three points behind the Ottawa Senators for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot. Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz left the game early with a lower-body injury. Joseph Woll made 14 saves on 17 shots in relief for the 32-32-14 Leafs.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Capitals rookie Ilya Protas collected his first point with an assist in his NHL game, while his older brother Aliaksei also had an assist.
Before the game, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin said he won’t decide his future until after this season is over.
The 40-year-old left wing is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He said he intends to speak with his family and Capitals management before deciding during the summer.
Some observers think Ovechkin will retire or return to Russia to finish his player career where it started. TSN’s Chris Johnston said he wouldn’t be surprised if last night’s game against the Maple Leafs was his last in Toronto as an NHL player.
HEADLINES
NHL.COM: Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy, Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, and Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark are among the 32 players nominated for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
The Masterton Trophy is awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey, as voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA).
Other notable players nominated this season include Buffalo Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin, Carolina Hurricanes winger Taylor Hall, Florida Panthers winger Brad Marchand, Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar, St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington, Utah Mammoth captain Clayton Keller, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, and Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to all the nominees. You can see the complete list by following the above link.
OTTAWA SUN: Ullmark had mixed feelings about being nominated for the Masterton. He was honored to be recognized, but knows that it was based partially on the hardships he went through off the ice.
“It’s both good and bad, in a way, because it’s one of those honors where you don’t really want it, because that means you’ve gone through a lot of stuff, and it means you’ve gone through hardships that maybe people don’t want you to go through,” Ullmark said.
The 32-year-old Senators goaltender took time away from the team earlier this season to seek help dealing with his mental health. He expressed his gratitude to the Senators organization, his teammates, family, and friends for their support.
“They haven’t treated me any differently, which I don’t want them to, either. I’m still the same person. The only difference is that I’m now more aware that I am broke, that I was broken, and am still very much fighting the demons every day,” he said.
THE SEATTLE TIMES: The Kraken announced Ron Francis is stepping down from his role as president of hockey operations by mutual agreement.
Francis was named the Kraken’s first general manager in 2019, a role he held until last summer when Jason Botterill was promoted as GM and Francis was shifted into his current role. His contract runs through 2026-27.
During his tenure with the Kraken, Francis was unable to bring a scoring star to Seattle. Their expansion draft core has struggled offensively, while former Kraken players such as Morgan Geekie and Tye Kartye have found success with other teams.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Botterill will be staying on as general manager.
NHL.COM: Calgary Flames forward Ryan Strome was fined $5,000 for cross-checking Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson on Tuesday.
BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: The Bruins signed top prospect James Hagens to a three-year entry-level contract.
THE ATHLETIC: The Utah Mammoth is only five games away from becoming the first NHL team in the salary-cap era to go a full season without a single game ending in a shootout.