Daily Faceoff Morning Report — 10/14/22

Michael Bondy
Michael Bondy
Daily Faceoff Morning Report — 10/14/22
Credit: Gaelen Morse-USA TODAY Sports

The Daily Faceoff Morning Report will be released on weekdays, recapping the key news and events from the day before.

We will highlight injuries affecting today’s games, hot streaks, cold streaks, and anything relevant for everyone from the casual hockey fan to the Fantasy Hockey grinder.

Sabres surprise Senators as Anderson steals Opener, lose Samuelsson

Craig Anderson looked like he drank from the fountain of youth as he put on a classic performance stopping 35 of 36 shots (.972) to lead Buffalo to an impressive opening-night victory over Ottawa.

JJ Peterka kicked off the scoring for the Sabres, scoring his first career goal early in the second period. Rasmus Dahlin scored the game-winning goal minutes after, as he led the team with 24:16 TOI, the GWG and five shots on goal. Victor Olofsson led all skaters with six SOG while popping home two empty net goals to solidify Buffalo’s victory. On the opposite side, Brady Tkachuk scored the Senators’ lone goal while adding five shots and two hits. Anton Forsberg had a strong opening showing despite the loss, stopping 32 of 34 shots (.941 SV%) on goal. Mattias Samuelsson left the game early after blocking a shot in the third period and is day-to-day for the time being

Matthews first of the season lifts Leafs over Capitals

It took nearly five and a half periods, but the 2021-22 Rocket Richard winner Auston Matthews finally scored his first of the season, pushing the Maple Leafs ahead for a 3-2 win over Washington.

Matthews added five shots and five hits to go along with his GWG. Calle Jarnkrok got his first as a Maple Leaf, while John Tavares picked up his third point of the season with a first-period goal. Ilya Samsonov stood tall in his Leafs’ debut, stopping 24 of 26 shots (.923 SV%). The Capitals struggled to score for the second straight night, getting goals from Marcus Johansson and Nick Dowd. Alex Ovechkin was held pointless for the second straight contest. Charlie Lindgren took the loss for the Capitals stopping 36 of 39 shots (.923 SV%).

Konecny, Hart, Lead the Flyers to a surprising opening night victory over Devils

Travis Konecny and Morgan Frost each scored a pair of goals as the Philadelphia Flyers easily handled the New Jersey Devils on the back of a 35-save performance (.946 SV%) from Carter Hart. Tony DeAngelo, Ivan Provorov and Kevin Hayes all started their season off on the right foot with two assists each. The pairing of DeAngelo and Provorov was a combined plus-7 on the night. Provorov stood out, especially in banger leagues, as his 10 blocked shots and five hits were both game-highs. To the Flyers’ excitement, Mackenzie Blackwood struggled, as he did much of last year, allowing four goals on 24 shots (.833%) while looking shakey throughout. Jesper Bratt was the lone Devil to finish with multiple points (2A).

Penguins roll Coyotes on the back on Crosby’s dominant performance

Sidney Crosby started 2022-23 without missing a beat leading all skaters in points (1G / 2A), power-play points (2) and shots (7) on the way to an easy 6-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes.

The Coyotes’ night would start on a bad note with first-liner Nick Schmaltz exiting due to an upper-body injury. The rest of the game would be highlighted by the Penguins, as 11 different skaters collected a point. On the losing side, Nick Ritchie scored two power-play goals, both assisted by J.J. Moser and Shayne Gostisbehere.

Panarin’s 4-point night fuels Rangers’ Win over Wild

Artemi Panarin was the fantasy performer of the night, scoring a goal with three assists on the way to the Rangers getting their second win in as many games with a 7-3 smacking of Minnesota. Chris Kreider scored two goals, while Vincent Trochek and Adam Fox each had one goal and one assist. Igor Shesterkin continued to impress, stopping 33 of 36 shots (.917 SV%) and earning his second win of the season. Matt Boldy was Shesterkin’s only kryptonite, scoring two goals on three shots in the Wilds’ opener. Marc-Andre Fleury’s season can only go upward after getting shelled for seven goals on 35 shots (.800 SV%).

Bobrovsky stands tall as Panthers handle Islanders in goaltending battle

Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 32 of 33 shots (.970) on the way to narrowly beating Ilya Sorokin and the Islanders, who allowed two goals on 26 shots (.929) in a 3-1 loss. It was a low-scoring affair as Florida got contributions from rare sources Eetu Luostarinen and Patric Hornqvist, with an additional empty netter from offseason acquisition Matthew Tkachuk. On the other side of the ice, Noah Dobson got his first power-play goal of the season.

Marchment dazzles in Debut, leading Dallas over Nashville

Mason Marchment’s two first-period goals are all the Dallas Stars would need to take down the Predators as Jake Oettinger stood tall, stopping 31 of 32 shots (.969). Tyler Seguin had an impressive first game leading all players in points (3A). Rookie Wyatt Johnston started his NHL career on a high note scoring a power-play goal in the third period. Juuse Saros was less impressive than his season debut, moving to 1-1-0 after allowing four goals on 29 shots (.862 SV%).

Thompson Shuts out Blackhawks in unexpected goaltending duel

Logan Thompson would only need one goal Thursday as the Vegas Golden Knights knocked off the Chicago Blackhawks on the back of a 25-save shutout. Alex Stalock undeservedly took the loss for Chicago, stopping 36 of 37 shots (.973 SV%) in his Blackhawks debut.

Flames top Avalanche in 2021 Playoff Revenge Game

Coming in on a back-to-back, the Colorado Avalanche looked slow and helpless as the Calgary Flames took the Western battle 5-3. Two Flames defensemen led Calgary in scoring as Mackenzie Weegar (2A), and Rasmus Andersson (1G / 1A) both had big opening nights. Calgary spread out their scoring through five different players (Andersson, Dube, Ritchie, Lindholm, Toffoli), with 12 players getting at least a point. Pavel Francouz struggled for the Avalanche as he allowed five goals on 27 shots (.816 SV%), but Nathan Mackinnon got his first goal and his fourth point of the year. Valeri Nichuskin added his third power-play goal in the loss.

Kraken beat Kings in Pacific Division battle

Martin Jones stopped 26 of 27 shots (.966 SV%) as Seattle won a dominating 4-1 showdown against Los Angeles. Johnathan Quick struggled, stopping 18 of 21 shots (.857 SV%) while earning his second loss of the season. Seattle got points from nine different skaters as their offence continued to hum early in the season.

Fantasy Hockey Standouts

  • [ARI] Nick Ritchie scored two power-play goals and add four minutes in penalties Thursday.
  • [ARI] Shayne Gostisbehere recorded two power-play assists while leading all Coyotes’ skaters with 23:36 TOI.
  • [BUF] Victor Olofsson led all skaters in shots (6) while adding a pair of empty net goals.
  • [BUF] Ilya Lybushkin contributed more than double the Sabres’ hits (5) while adding an assist in his debut
  • [BUF] Craig Anderson stopped 35 of 36 shots (.972 SV%) on way to his first victory of the year
  • [CGY] Rasmus Andersson scored a goal and added a power-play assist to his three-shot performance.
  • [CGY] Mackenzie Weeger led all Flames with two assists while playing 20:43 in his Flames’ debut.
  • [CHI] Alex Stalock stopped 36 of 37 shots (.973%) as the Blackhawks lost to Vegas on Thursday.
  • [COL] Nathan Mackinnon scored a goal and added an assist to bring his season total to four points (1G/3A) in two games.
  • [COL] Valeri Nichuskin scored his third power-play goal in the last two nights while leading all Avalanche forwards with 23:51 TOI.
  • [FLA] Sergei Bobrovsky won a tight contest stopping 32 of 33 shots (.970 SV%).
  • [MIN] Matt Boldy scored two goals on three shots in the Wilds’ first game of the season.
  • [NJD] Dawson Mercer led all Devils in shots (6) while adding an opening-night assist.
  • [NJD] Jesper Bratt collected was the lone Devil to finish with multiple points (2A).
  • [NYI] Ilya Sorokin stopped 24 of 26 shots (.929 SV%) while taking the loss Thursday.
  • [NYR] Chris Kreider returned to the goal column in 2022-23 with two goals on three shots.
  • [NYR] Artemi Panarin collected four points (1G/3A) on only 16:39 TOI.
  • [NYR] Vincent Trocheck recorded his first points as a Ranger after a two-point night (1G/1A) with four SOG.
  • [NYR] Adam Fox had a goal and an assist while leading all Rangers within SOG (6)
  • [OTT] Anton Forsberg posted a .941 SV% after facing 34 shots in Ottawa’s opener.
  • [PHI] Carter Hart stopped 35 of 37 shots (.946 SV%)
  • [PIT] Sidney Crosby led all skaters in his matchup in points (1G/2A), shots (7) and PPP (2)
  • [PIT] Jake Guentzel enjoyed a goal and an assist while putting six shots on net
  • [PIT] Jason Zucker scored a goal and an assist on four shots across 14:27 TOI
  • [PHI] Morgan Frost scored twice including the GWG alongside three hits, three SOG and three blocked shots
  • [PHI] Travis Konecny scored twice while adding four SOG across while leading all forwards with 21:12 TOI
  • [PHI] Ivan Provorov went crazy with 10 Blocked Shots, five SOG, and a +4 rating while also collecting two assists
  • [SEA] Martin Jones stopped 28 of 29 shots (.966 SV%) on way to his first win as a member of the Seattle Kraken
  • [SEA] Yanni Gourde had a strong banger league game collecting an assist to go along with his five PIM, three SOG and seven Hits.
  • [TOR] Auston Matthews recorded a GWG, five shots and five hits Thursday while leading the Maple Leafs to a win.
  • [TOR] Morgan Reilly added two assists as he now has three in two games to start the year.
  • [TOR] Ilya Samsonov stopped 24 of 26 shots (.923 SV%) while collecting his first win as a Maple Leaf.
  • [VGK] Logan Thompson recorded the 2022-23 season’s first shutout with a 27-save standout performance.

Fantasy Injury News

  • [ARI] Nick Schmaltz left Thursday with an upper-body injury. He has already been announced out for Saturday’s game in Boston
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