NHL Daily: Kris Letang, Chris Tanev, Sebastian Aho
NHL Daily: Penguins defenseman Kris Letang expected to miss two weeks, Canucks defenseman Chris Tanev could return on Friday, Sebastian Aho finding his way with the Hurricanes, and more! (Morning Coffee Headlines)
Grab your morning cup of coffee and join us here at Puck Prose for a compilation of NHL daily links that will help keep you updated with everything going on in the hockey world.
8 games were on the schedule Thursday. Among the winners, Chicago edged the Islanders 5-4 on the road. Former Leaf Peter Holland scored the shootout winner in a 3-2 win for Arizona on the road in Toronto. St. Louis toppled New Jersey 5-2 at home. Minnesota also won 5-2 against the Predators. Lastly, Winnipeg snapped their recent drought with a 4-3 victory over Florida at home.
Here is your highlight of the night:
NHL Daily: Morning Coffee Headlines
Letang Out 2 Weeks
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang is expected to miss the next two weeks with a lower-body injury. They’ll likely turn to Justin Schultz in his absence, hoping he can give them a boost offensively. [NHL.com]
Tanev Possible for Friday
Live Feed class=inline-text id=inline-text-8
Union and Blue
After returning to practice on Thursday, it sounds like Vancouver Canucks defenseman Chris Tanev could be ready to go soon. Coach Willie Desjardins is optimistic he could be in the lineup on Friday. Tanev has been out since November 2nd. [The Canuck Way]
Jagr Ready to Pass Messier
Florida Panthers forward Jaromir Jagr is nearing a historic milestone. He now sits just four points shy of surpassing Mark Messier on the All-Time points list for 2nd place. Jagr currently has 1884, while Messier finished with 1887. [ESPN]
Aho Finding His Way
Charles Taylor over at Cardiac Cane takes a look at the progression of Finnish rookie Sebastian Aho. He talks about how the young Finn is really starting to find his stride as the season grows older and discusses what the future may hold for him. [Cardiac Cane]
Vigneault Upset Over Eakin Hit
New York Rangers bench boss Alain Vigneault sounded off following a 2-0 win on Thursday night. He thinks the NHL needs to do something about the hit by Dallas Stars F Cody Eakin on netminder Henrik Lundqvist. King Henrik was shaken up and left temporarily, but managed to stay in the game. [Sportsnet]
Wild Hitting Their Stride
The Minnesota Wild are hitting their stride in December. They’ve won six straight games dating back to Dec.4 and have a point in every game so far this month. Following their big win on Thursday, the Wild now sit tied for 2nd in the Central with St. Louis. [Gone Puck Wild]
Next: NHL Power Rankings: Week 10
NHL Daily Morning Rant
New York Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault had good reason to be upset following their win on Thursday night. Stars F Cody Eakin made no attempt to avoid the collision behind the net with King Henrik. In fact, it looks as though he buries his shoulder on Lundqvist, similar to what Andrew Shaw did to Mike Smith a few years ago in the playoffs. Whether players like it or not, you can’t hit a goalie outside of his crease. And this was a blatant attempt to make contact.
When the league reviews this, a suspension should be in order. Knowing the NHL, I wouldn’t be surprised if they slap him with a fine. Then again, if Shaw received three games in the postseason, isn’t this worthy of five-plus? It’ll be interesting to see how the league reacts.
Make sure to like us on facebook and follow us on twitter for more NHL daily updates!