OK Daily: Howden and Coghlan are Best Buds, Jets Lose First Game Without Maurice

The Vegas Golden Knights are on a roll having won four straight and have are unbeaten on their current road trip. They will journey to UBS Arena Sunday afternoon to take on the New York Islanders at 2:00 EST (noon local). Last night the Golden Knights got a big win in the shootout thanks to a wonderful performance from Laurent Brossoit. The team also had two big depth goals with Dylan Coghlan and Brett Howden scoring.

Around the NHL COVID-19 still is causing more concerns in the league, and more players are hesitant on going to the Olympics as a result. The Winnipeg Jets have lost their first game under their new head coach, and Jason Spezza has had his suspension reduced by two games.

Vegas: The Golden Knights failed to get scoring from both of their top-two forward lines but were still able to find a way to win against the New York Rangers Friday night 3-2 in the shootout.

Brett Howden had one heck of a game against his former team and scored a goal and an assist. Self-proclaimed “best bud” Dylan Coghlan spoke highly of his teammate after Friday night’s win.

NHL: Former Golden Knight’s goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is one of only three goaltenders in the NHL that uses a wooden stick in their goalie stick rotation. “There’s not many of us left,” Fleury told NHL.com’s, Kevin Woodley.

NHL News, Trade Rumors, and National Hockey Now

San Jose: Superstar Swedish defenseman Erik Karlsson says that he will not go to the 2022 Winter Olympics if the current quarantine rules stay the same.

Edmonton: Connor McDavid calls the potential three-to-five week quarantine “unsettling.”

Winnipeg: After nine seasons with the Winnipeg Jets organization, Paul Maurice unexpectedly resigned from the organization. The Jets lost their first game without Maurice to the Washington Capitals.

Toronto: Maple Leaf’s forward Jason Spezza has had his six-game suspension for kneeing Jets defenseman Niel Pionk reduced down to four games.

Colorado: Avalanche prospect Oskar Olausson is excited for the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championships. Olausson was a 2021 first-round pick of the Avalanche and will play for Team Sweden.

Pittsburgh: The Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins got into two fights on Friday night. Zach-Aston Reese and Sam Lafferty dropped the mitts for the Penguins.

National Hockey Now: For live game highlights, postgame chats, and podcasts from the National Hockey Now family, check out the YouTube Channel for National Hockey Now!

Florida/Colorado: More bad news with the NHL and COVID-19. The Avalanche and Panthers join the Calgary Flames with teams who are currently on pause due to COVID-19 concerns. Both teams will be shut down until after the NHL’s Christmas break.

Washington: Nicklas Backstrom has entered COVID-19 protocols for the Washington Capitals. The team is now without three of their four regular centers in Backstrom, Dowd, and Kuznetsov.

Detroit: With Paul Maurice now leaving the Winnipeg Jets, Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill is now the second-longest serving coach in the NHL currently.