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Daily Faceoff Morning Report — 04/08/22

Nick Szeman
Nick Szeman
Apr 8, 2022, 01:47 EDT
Daily Faceoff Morning Report — 04/08/22

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.

Matthews leads Leafs over Stars in OT

After two periods, the Toronto Maple Leafs had a 2-1 lead and were outshooting the Dallas Stars by a margin of 32-11. Auston Matthews (C) was nearly outshooting the entire Stars team on his own, with 10 shots at the second intermission. He finished the game with a season-high 12 shots on goal and scored two goals, including the overtime game-winner. Matthews has a league-leading 56 goals on the season and set a new franchise record for most goals by a Maple Leaf in a season. Matthews is on an incredible run right now with 49 goals in his last 49 games. William Nylander (LW, RW) had two points (1G / 1A) in the victory and extended his point streak to five games (4G / 5A / 9PTS). Morgan Rielly (D) also scored to give him 16 points (4G / 12A) in his last sixteen games. Rielly is tied for second-most points among all defensemen since March 6th with Stars defenseman, John Klingberg (D), who also scored in the game and has 16 points (5G / 11A) in his last 16 as well.

Shesterkin bounces back

After suffering consecutive losses (0-1-1) for only the second time this season and posting a .864 SV% in those games, Igor Shesterkin made 30 saves for his fourth shutout of the season in a 3-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Andrew Copp (C, LW, RW) recorded an assist in the victory and now has points in all but one of his nine games as a New York Rangers (3G / 7A / 10PTS). The Penguins were without Sidney Crosby (C), who was ruled out just before the game with a non-COVID illness.

Josi sets record in Predators 3-2 win

Roman Josi (D) had three assists to give him 87 points (19G / 68A) on the season, passing Paul Kariya’s 85-point season for most in Nashville Predators franchise history. Josi is playing in a league of his own right now and has 43 points (6G / 37A) in his last 24 games. The Predators have won four of their last five games (4-1-0) and sit in the top Wild Card position in the Western Conference with a two-point cushion over the Dallas Stars. Mathieu Joseph (C, LW, RW) scored in the loss for the Senators to extend his point streak to four games (4G / 6A / 10PTS).

Devils can’t keep the puck out of their nets

The New Jersey Devils lost 7-4 to the Montreal Canadiens and have allowed 29 goals during a five-game losing streak (0-4-1). Dougie Hamilton (D) was held pointless for the sixth time in the last seven games for the Devils and had a -4 rating on the night. In contrast, Damon Severson (D), who has seemingly taken over as the top offensive defenseman on the Devils, managed to record one assist and a +4 rating. Severson has seven points (2G / 5A) in his last nine games. Chris Wideman (D) led the way for the Canadiens with three points (1G / 2A) and is on a very impressive run with 14 points (2G / 12A) in his last 14 games.

Hurricanes top Sabres 5-3

The Carolina Hurricanes scored four unanswered goals to win 5-3 over the Buffalo Sabres. Sebastian Aho (C) and Jordan Staal (C) both had two-goal games for the Hurricanes. Aho has 10 points (6G / 4A) in his last nine games while Staal has four points (2G / 2A) in his last two games. Tage Thompson (C, LW, RW) scored again for the Sabres as part of a two-point night (1G / 1A) and has 15 points (9G / 6A) in his last 13 games.

Blackhawks lose sixth straight

Phillip Grubauer (G) saved all 29 shots he faced for the Seattle Kraken for his second shutout of the season in a 2-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks have only scored four goals combined in their last four games (0-3-1) and have lost six straight (0-4-2) as well as nine of their last 11 (2-6-3). Alexander Wennberg (C, LW) scored the game-winning goal for the Kraken and has four points (2G / 2A) in his last four games.

Canucks stay alive in playoff race

The Vancouver Canucks had a commanding 5-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes to move within six points of the Dallas Stars for the final Wild Card position, despite having played two fewer games. In the next two weeks, the Canucks will host the Stars and Golden Knights in games that can decide their playoff fate one way or another. Elias Pettersson (C) had three points (1G / 2A) for the Canucks to give him nine points (5G / 4A) in his last four games. Alex Chiasson (RW) was recently moved up to the top powerplay unit for the Canucks and had a big three-point night (2G / 1A) and has five points (3G / 2A), along with three powerplay points, in his last four games. Bo Horvat (C) also had a three-point game (2G / 1A) and remarkably went 17-0 in the faceoff circle. Since the injury of Clayton Keller (C, LW), the Coyotes have been held to only five goals in four games (1-3-0).

Oilers hand Kings tough loss

The Edmonton Oilers held on to defeat the Los Angeles Kings 3-2, who sit third in the Pacific Division, only four points ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights. Mike Smith (G) made 31 saves on 33 shots in the victory and has a .923 SV% in his last eight games (6-1-1). Connor McDavid (C) had two points (1G / 1A) and extended his point streak to 15 games (13G / 16A / 29PTS).

Vladar shines in 4-2 Flames win

Dan Vladar (G) saved 31 of 33 shots as the Calgary Flames defeated the San Jose Sharks 4-2. Vladar played for only the third time in the last month (2-1-0) but has been excellent in all three of those games, posting a .933 SV%. Elias Lindholm (C, LW) scored two goals for the Flames to give him 10 points (8G / 2A) in his last 10 games. Johnny Gaudreau (LW, RW) recorded two assists to tie his career-high of 99 points (34G / 65A). Gaudreau has scored 19 points (6G / 13A) in his last nine games.

Other News and Notes

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