NHL Daily: Alex Ovechkin, Roberto Luongo, Columbus Blue Jackets

Dec 27, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) reacts after scoring during the third period against the New York Islanders at Barclays Center. The Islanders won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) reacts after scoring during the third period against the New York Islanders at Barclays Center. The Islanders won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

NHL Daily: Alex Ovechkin ties Maurice “Rocket” Richard on the NHL All-Time scoring list, Roberto Luongo passes Terry Sawchuk for 5th All-Time in goalie wins, Columbus Blue Jackets waive backup Curtis McElhinney, 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.

Four games were on the schedule Monday. Florida grabbed two points on the road with a 3-0 victory in New Jersey. Washington also collected two difficult points at the Bell Centre defeating the Habs 4-1. Jets starter Connor Hellebuyck recorded a shutout in a 2-0 win over Calgary. In the late game, Dallas edged the Kings in a high-scoring 6-4 finish.

Here is your highlight of the night:

NHL Daily: Morning Coffee Headlines

Ovechkin Reaches Milestone

Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin is now tied with Maurice “Rocket” Richard on the NHL All-Time scoring list. He scored his 544th career goal and with three points on the night, Ovie now sits just one point shy of 1000. [Washington Times]

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Should Rangers Trade Buchnevich?

The team over at Blue Line Station held a twitter poll to see which forward fans would trade to acquire a talented young defender. J.T. Miller won the vote, with Pavel Buchnevich being the most coveted by fans. Still, Garrett Gartino argues that trade Buchnevich might be the best thing for the Rangers. [Blue Line Station]

Luongo Reaches Milestone

The Florida Panthers defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-0 on Monday night. With the win, Roberto Luongo moves solely into 5th on the all-time wins list passing Terry Sawchuk. It was also the 73rd shutout of his career, which ranks 11th all-time. [NHL.com]

Blackhawks Roundtable

The team over at Blackhawk Up held one of their weekly roundtables. In this week’s edition, they discuss the rivalry between Chicago/Detroit (their opponent on Tuesday night), and up-and-coming youngsters in the AHL. Definitely worth a read for Blackhawks fans. [Blackhawk Up]

McElhinney Waived by Columbus

In a bit of a surprise, the Columbus Blue Jackets put backup goaltender Curtis McElhinney on waivers Monday. GM Jarmo Kekalainen cited his rough outing in a recent 5-4 loss, but truth be told, McElhinney was having one of the best seasons of his career prior to that start. It looks like Anton Forsberg will serve as Columbus’ backup for the time being. [Columbus Dispatch]

A Look at Blues AHL Prospects

The St. Louis Blues have some very talented prospects down in the AHL with Chicago. Todd Panula over at Bleedin’ Blue takes a closer look at some of those players to determine how many of these guys have serious NHL potential. [Bleedin’ Blue]

Next: 5 Hypothetical Deals for James van Riemsdyk

NHL Daily Morning Rant

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a vacancy behind Frederik Andersen. Prospect Antoine Bibeau has looked solid in relief of Jhonas Enroth, who was waived after a terrible start in 2016-17. TSN’s Darren Dreger says the Leafs are in no rush to address the hole, which is clear after passing on Boston’s Anton Khudobin. But Cory Wilkins over at The Score wonders if Toronto might bite on Curtis McElhinney. There’s a definite possibility, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Toronto waits until closer to the deadline. Any goaltender they bring in will be vulnerable at the expansion draft, so there’s no point of investing too much in any netminder that isn’t automatically exempt.

Other potential options as a temporary fill-in: Jared Coreau (DET), Reto Berra (FLA), Jeff Zatkoff (LA) – if Quick is near returning by the deadline, Marek Mazenec (NSH), Scott Wedgewood (NJ), Michal Neuvirth (PHI), Carter Hutton (STL), Ondrej Pavelec (WPG)

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