Oilers star Leon Draisaitl injured against the Predators, the Ducks take over first place in the Pacific Division, the Kraken regain the final Western wild-card spot, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
NHL.COM: The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Nashville Predators 3-1, but lost forward Leon Draisaitl as he left the game after the first period with an apparent injury. Draisaitl opened the scoring, and Connor McDavid collected three assists for the 33-26-9 Oilers, who hold third place in the Pacific Division with 75 points. Fedor Svechkov replied for the 29-28-9 Predators (67 points), who are four points out of the final Western Conference wild-card berth.
Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said Draisaitl’s injury didn’t seem too bad, and he’s not expected to be sidelined long term. Meanwhile, McDavid sits atop the NHL scoring race with 114 points.
McDavid also called out the league over the wrist-slap suspension handed down to Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas for injuring Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews. While he understands that the department of player safety has a difficult job, he felt that the level of frustration around the league about the suspension process suggests there’s room for improvement.
Anaheim Ducks forwards Leo Carlsson and Troy Terry each had three points as their club overcame a 3-2 deficit for a 4-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens. Cutter Gauthier tallied the winning goal for the Ducks (37-27-3), as they regained first place in the Pacific Division with 77 points. Nick Suzuki had a goal and an assist for the 36-20-10 Canadiens, who cling to third place in the Atlantic Division with 82 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Canadiens winger Cole Caufield scored his 39th goal of the season. He’s second to Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, who leads all goal scorers this season with 44. Meanwhile, Canadiens forward Kirby Dach left the game in the first period with an upper-body injury. There was no word postgame regarding his condition.
Ducks center Mason McTavish was a healthy scratch from this game. He had two assists in his last 12 games.
The Seattle Kraken regained the final Western wild-card spot (71 points) with a 6-2 victory over the Florida Panthers. Kaapo Kakko had a goal and two assists while Bobby McMann was among five other Kraken players with a goal and an assist as they improved their record to 32-27-9. Vinnie Hinostroza and Eetu Luostarinen scored for the 33-30-3 Panthers.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: McMann had three goals and two assists for five points in his first two games with the Kraken. Meanwhile, the Panthers played without Sam Reinhart, who is sitting out their current four-game road trip recovering from an undisclosed injury.
Ottawa Senators winger Drake Batherson tallied twice, including the game-winner, in a 7-4 win over the San Jose Sharks. Brady Tkachuk, Fabian Zetterlund, and Warren Foegele each had a goal and an assist for the 34-23-9 Senators (77 points), who are three points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth. Tyler Toffoli and Mario Ferraro each had a goal and an assist for the Sharks (32-27-6), as they slipped one point behind the Kraken.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sharks played without forward Alex Wennberg, who is nursing an upper-body injury.
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Bo Groulx scored twice for his first multipoint NHL game in a 4-2 upset of the Minnesota Wild. Anthony Stolarz kicked out 36 shots for the 29-27-12 Maple Leafs. Vladimir Tarasenko scored both goals for the Wild (38-18-12), who sit third in the Central Division with 88 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the Maple Leafs signed goaltender Artur Akhtyamov to a three-year, $2.7 million contract extension.
The Winnipeg Jets kept their playoff hopes alive with a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues. Haydn Fleury had a goal and an assist while Eric Comrie made 29 saves for the 28-28-10 Jets (66 points), who are five points behind the Kraken. Dalibor Dvorsky and Dylan Holloway scored for the 27-30-10 Blues.