Daily Faceoff is a news site with no direct affiliation to the NHL, or NHLPA

Daily Faceoff Morning Report — 03/24/22

Nick Szeman
Nick Szeman
Mar 24, 2022, 01:29 EDT
Daily Faceoff Morning Report — 03/24/22

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

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

Leafs score two shorthanded; Mrazek wins

Ilya Mikheyev (LW, RW) and Pierre Engvall (C, LW, RW) each scored shorthanded goals for the Toronto Maple Leafs on route to defeating the New Jersey Devils 3-2. Mikheyev has three goals in his last four games and three shorthanded goals on the season, tied for second-most in the league.

Mitch Marner (RW) set a new career-high by scoring his 27th goal in only his 54th game this season, eclipsing the 26 he scored in 82 games in 2018-19. Petr Mrazek (G) made his first start since being placed on waivers earlier in the week. He made 20 saves on 22 shots and allowed fewer than four goals for the first time in five starts (2-2-0). Nico Hischier (C) had two points (1G / 1A) in the loss for the Devils to give him two-point games in four consecutive contests (2G / 6A / 8PTS).

Halak, Canucks defeat Avalanche 3-1

Jaroslav Halak (G) entered play with an 0-2-0 record and a .731 SV% in his previous four appearances so when he got the start against the second-highest scoring team in the league on Wednesday, naturally, he made 32 saves on 33 shots to help the Vancouver Canucks defeat the Colorado Avalanche. Halak has the lowest save percentage of his career (.894 SV%) in a poor season with the Canucks (3-6-1), but Halak has gained most of the notoriety in his career from big-game performances. Be it when he backstopped the Montreal Canadiens to the Eastern Conference Finals or when he lead team Slovakia to a fourth-place finish at the Olympics in 2010.

Putting this theory to the test in a small sample size this season, Halak has played significantly better against good teams. In his eight starts against teams not currently in a playoff position, he has a 2-5-1 record and a .849 SV%. Conversely, against playoff teams, he has a 1-1-1 record and .955 SV%. Thatcher Demko (G) is a workhorse and has been lights out this season, but perhaps more meaningful games for Halak would equate to better results. Then again, it’s hard to argue with giving Demko the net in any challenging situation given the way he has played this season.

Sabres win third straight; top Pens in SO

Tage Thompson (C, LW, RW) scored two goals and added another in the shootout to lead the Buffalo Sabres to a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Thompson has six points (4G / 2A) in his last five games while averaging 4.4 shots on goal.

Kyle Okposo (RW) recorded an assist in the game to give him 36 points on the season (15G / 21A), a 0.62 point-per-game pace, his highest pace since his first season as a Sabres in 2016-17 (0.69). Sidney Crosby had two points (1G / 1A) in the loss, giving him seven points (3G / 4A) in his last three games as he continues an incredible season (53GP / 23G / 43A / 66PTS). At age 34, Crosby has a 1.25 point-per-game pace, a mark he has hit only one other time in his previous seven seasons.

Blackhawks hand Ducks eighth straight loss

Patrick Kane (RW) had three points (1G / 2A) in a 4-2 win for the Chicago Blackhawks over the Anaheim Ducks. No player in the league has more points than Kane since February 20th, with 27 points (8G / 19A) in only 13 games. Taylor Raddysh (RW) scored again and now has three points (2G / 1A) in his three games since joining the Blackhawks while being a fixture on their top powerplay unit. The Anaheim Ducks continue their slide down the standings, having now lost eight in a row (0-6-2) and 14 of their last 18 (4-12-2).

Other News and Notes

MORE FACEOFF.IN YOUR INBOX.
CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR DAILY NEWSLETTER
Keep scrolling for more content!