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Daily Faceoff Morning Report — 04/15/22

Nick Szeman
Nick Szeman
Apr 15, 2022, 01:55 EDT
Daily Faceoff Morning Report — 04/15/22

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.

Bunting ends skid, Leafs defeat Capitals

Michael Bunting (LW, RW) scored two goals for the Toronto Maple Leafs, snapping an 18-game goalless drought, in a 7-3 win over the Washington Capitals. Ilya Mikheyev (LW, RW) and William Nylander (LW, RW) also had two-goal games for the Maple Leafs. Nylander has points in all but one of his last eight games (6G / 6A / 12PTS). Auston Matthews (C) recorded two assists to give him 101 points (58G / 43A) this season, which ranks fourth most in Maple Leafs history. He is one of only three players to reach the milestone and the first since Doug Gilmour scored 111 points in 1993-94. John Carlson (D) had two points in the loss for the Capitals to give him 11 points (4G / 7A) in his last five games.

Thomas and Tarasenko have a night

The St. Louis Blues won their seventh straight game as they defeated the Buffalo Sabres 6-2. Jordan Binnington (G) saved 35 of 37 shots to give him consecutive quality starts for only the second time since mid-November (10-12-3). The line of Vladimir Tarasenko (RW), Roberto Thomas (C, RW), and Pavel Buchnevich (LW, RW) factored in on all six goals Thursday night. Tarasenko scored a hat-trick and had five points (3G / 2A) and Thomas continued his playmaking wizardry with a five-point night of his own (0G / 5A). Tarasenko has eclipsed 30 goals for the sixth time in his career and, with 72 points (31G / 41A), is now only three points short of his career-high 75-point total in 2016-17. Thomas extended his point streak to 11 games and has 23 points (6G / 17A) in that span.

Nedeljkovic has big night against former team

Alex Nedeljkovic improved to 2-1-0 against the team that drafted him after recording a stunning 46-save shutout in a 3-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Nedeljkovic has three shutouts this season, most recently a 43-save shutout. Moritz Seider (D) scored the opening goal, the eventual game-winner, for the Red Wings. Seider has slowed down a little after an incredible start to his rookie season and only has six points (1G / 5A) in his last 19 games after having had 17 points (2G / 15A) in his previous 16.

Bruins fall to Senators

Linus Ullmark (G) left the game in the first period after taking a shot to the head and was replaced by Jeremy Swayman (G), who continued his recent struggles by allowing three goals on 24 shots in a 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators. Swayman has performed miserably of late for the Boston Bruins, posting a .855 SV% in his last five starts (1-4-0). Tim Stutzle had three points (1G / 2A) for the Senators to give him 11 points (4G / 7A) during a seven-game point streak.

Smith, Draisaitl shut down Predators

Mike Smith (G) saved all 30 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season in a 4-0 win for the Edmonton Oilers over the Nashville Predators. Smith has performed exceptionally of late and looks like his old self, posting a .945 SV% in his last five starts (5-0-0). Leon Draisaitl (C, LW) scored a hat-trick in the victory to give him 54 goals on the season, four back of Auston Matthews (C) for most in the league. Draisaitl has 17 points (12G / 5A) in his last 10 games. The Predators lost for the third time in their last four games (1-2-1) and have scored only four goals combined in those games.

Fleury, Wild hold off Stars

Marc-Andre Fleury (G) gave up a weak goal to Jason Robertson (LW), allowing the Dallas Stars to tie the game but later made a brilliant heads-up play to set up Frederick Gaudreau (C) for the game-winning goal in overtime. Fleury saved 34 of 36 shots for the Wild while Gaudreau had a career-high three-point night (1G / 2A) in the 3-2 win for the Wild. Kevin Fiala (LW, RW) also had a three-point night (2G / 1A) to give him seven points (5G / 2A) during a four-game point streak. Jason Robertson (LW) scored both goals for the Stars to give him 70 points on the season (36G / 34A) and nine points (5G / 4A) in his last eight games. The point the Stars gained in the overtime loss ties them with the Nashville Predators at 89 points for the top Wild Card position.

Golden Knights top Flames in statement-making victory

In their biggest game of the season to date, the Vegas Golden Knights turned to Logan Thompson (G) to man the crease and put together a stellar performance, saving 35 of 36 shots in a 6-1 victory over the Calgary Flames. Thompson had not played since April 1st but has a sparkling .938 SV% in his last nine games (6-3-0). Jonathan Marchessault (C, LW) and William Karlsson (C) both had three-point nights (1G / 2A) to lead the way for the Golden Knights. Marchessault has recorded 15 points (4G / 11A) in his last nine games. Karlsson has also stepped up his production for the Golden Knights during this late-season run, posting nine points in his last eight games (3G / 6A). Vegas is now two points behind the Dallas Stars for the final Wild Card position and only one point behind the Los Angeles Kings for third place in the Pacific Division with one game in hand. Jacob Markstrom (G) allowed four goals on 17 shots before being pulled and has a .833 SV% in his last six starts against playoff teams (2-3-1).

Penguins clinch playoff spot

Thanks to a 6-3 win over the New York Islanders, the Pittsburgh Penguins clinched a playoff berth for the 16th consecutive season. Jake Guentzel (LW, RW) led the way with a four-point night (2G / 2A) and reached a new career-high with 78 points on the season (37G / 41A). Sidney Crosby (C) had three points (1G / 2A) to give him 80 points (29G / 51A) for the 11th time in his career. In all of the six seasons that Crosby has failed to score 80 points, he has played 55 or fewer games. In his 64th for the Islanders, 45-year-old Zdeno Charo (D) scored his first goal of the season.

Canucks win big, stay in the hunt

The Vancouver Canucks had a dominating 7-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes to keep themselves alive in the Western Conference playoff race. The Canucks are three points back of the Golden Knights, who are two points out of a Wild Card position. Alex Chiasson (RW) scored two goals for the Canucks and has turned into an offensive threat of late with 10 points (6G / 4A) in his last seven games. J.T Miller (C, LW) continued to make scoring points look easy with a season-high five-point night (0G / 5A). Miller has 91 points (29G / 62A) with seven games remaining this season. Only five players have recorded 100-point seasons in Canucks history, most recently Daniel Sedin with 104 points in 2010-11.

Blackhawks defeat Sharks 5-4 (SO)

The Chicago Blackhawks reunited the line of Alex DeBrincat (LW, RW), Dylan Strome (C, RW), and Patrick Kane (RW) and saw instant success as they defeated the San Jose Sharks 5-4 in a shootout. DeBrincat (0G / 3A) and Kane (1G / 2A) both had three-point nights while Strome contributed with a two-point night (1G / 1A). Much has been made of Kane slowing down this season but his 86 points (24G / 62A) this season actually ranks as the fifth-best total and third-best point-per-game pace (1.23) in his 15-year career. Timo Meier (LW, RW) had two points (1G / 1A) for the Sharks and continues his season-long run of consistent production, with 14 points (7G / 7A) in his last 12 games.

Other News and Notes

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