The latest on the Panthers and Oilers on the eve of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Blue Jackets make a coaching change, the Blues are talking contract extension with Pavel Buchnevich, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

STANLEY CUP NOTEBOOK

NHL.COM: Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, and Aaron Ekblad did not practice with their Florida Panthers teammates on Monday. Head coach Paul Maurice said they are expected to play in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. “All good,” said Maurice when asked specifically about the three players.

DAILY FACEOFF: Speaking of Tkachuk, Frank Seravalli believes his performance compared to last year’s playoffs has been disappointing. The winger has 20 points in 21 playoff games this year, but he hasn’t scored a goal since Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final and has four assists and a plus/minus of minus-3 in his last nine games.

Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tkachuk, Bennett, and Ekblad could be nursing injuries that necessitated skipping practice yesterday. Most players are banged up by this point in the postseason. Those three played through serious injuries in last year’s Stanley Cup Final.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Maurice also suggested that Ryan Lomberg could draw back into the lineup for Game 5. He was skating in Steve Lorentz’s spot on the Panthers’ fourth line during practice on Monday. He and Nick Cousins have been out of the lineup since Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final.

Speaking of the Panthers, the Savannah Ghost Pirates will become their new ECHL affiliate starting next season.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: The Oilers are saying all the right things before Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. Leon Draisaitl talked about drawing the positives from his club’s lopsided victory in Game 4. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said he and his teammates were taking it one game at a time. Darnell Nurse believes his club has plenty of motivation heading into this crucial game.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The answers are cliches but there is also truth to what they’re saying. Despite that big win in Game 4, they’re still facing elimination down 3-1 to the Panthers in this series. Drawing positives from Saturday’s win, being motivated, and taking things a game at a time is the best approach for the Oilers right now.

Meanwhile, Oilers fans continue to hope that their team can garner momentum from their Game 4 victory to equal the greatest comeback in Stanley Cup Final history. Only one team, the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, overcame a 3-0 series deficit to win hockey’s holy grail.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs’ achievement has not been equaled in 82 years. That shows how difficult it is to overcome a 3-0 series deficit in the Stanley Cup Final. If the Oilers pull it off, it’ll be the greatest playoff comeback of the post-expansion era.

HEADLINES

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: The Blue Jackets fired head coach Pascal Vincent after one season. General manager Don Waddell said no further decision had been made regarding the coaching staff. The search for Vincent’s replacement has begun.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blue Jackets’ recent management change combined with the club’s poor performance last season made this change inevitable. Vincent did the best he could last season, taking over after Mike Babcock stepped down before training camp amid allegations of invasion of privacy related to players’ cell phones. However, he also made some questionable moves that likely greased the skids for his firing.

STLTODAY.COM: Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said he and assistant Alexander Steen met with Pavel Buchnevich’s agent to discuss the possibility of a contract extension. Buchnevich, 29, has a year remaining on his deal with a cap hit of $5.8 million. He’s eligible to sign an extension on July 1.

Armstrong said the talks “have been really good.” He added they have to consider the type of term Buchnevich will seek approaching his 30s, as well as the fact he’ll be dealing with Steen when he takes over from Armstrong in two years.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli has Buchnevich on his summer Trade Targets list. He wondered if Armstrong was prepared to pay Buchnevich a hefty raise on a long-term deal as the winger approaches his 30s. The Blues GM seems willing to consider it depending on how many years Buchenvich wants on his next contract.

Speaking of the Blues, Brian Elliott is returning to the club as a goaltending coach and development scout. He played 181 games with the Blues during his 16-season NHL career. He last played professionally in 2022-23 as a backup with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Elliott played 543 games (starting 496) with a record of 279 wins, 167 losses, and 54 overtime losses with a 2.57 goals-against average, a save percentage of .909, and 45 shutouts. He played for the Ottawa Senators, the Blues, Calgary Flames, Philadelphia Flyers, and Tampa Bay Lightning from 2007-08 to 2022-23. He won the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2011-12.

TSN: The Winnipeg Jets hired Dean Chynoweth and Davis Payne as assistant coaches. Chynoweth spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Payne worked as an assistant coach with the Ottawa Senators for the last five seasons.