Daily Faceoff Morning Report — 11/16/22
Welcome to the Daily Faceoff Morning Report brought to you by NHL Odds site Betway!
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.
Bunting helps Murray gets first win as Maple Leafs top Penguins
Matt Murray returned from a groin injury stopping 35 of 37 shots (.946 SV%) to earn his first win as a member of the Maple Leafs as Toronto beat Pittsburgh 5-2. Michael Bunting snapped a five-game pointless streak in a big way, picking up two goals (3,4) and an assist (5) for his second multi-point game of the season. John Tavares increased his team lead in goals (9) with a first period marker and an assist (9), as he’s now up to 18 points in 17 games. William Nylander moved above a point-per-game on the season as he added a goal (7) and an assist (10) to bring his point totals to 17 in 16, while Auston Matthews (9,10) and Morgan Rielly (13,14) each had a pair of assists in the victory. Casey Desmith was unable to beat the Maple Leafs for the second time in four days, allowing four goals on 32 shots (.875 SV%) as he moved to 2-4-1 on the year. Sidney Crosby added his seventh goal of the season to build on his team lead in points with 17 (7G/10A) in 16 games played but was a minus-4 after getting worked all night by the Leafs’ top units.
Barkov, Bobrovsky help Panthers get back into win column over struggling Capitals
Sergei Bobrovsky had his best start of the 2022-23 season, stopping 40 of 42 shots (.952 SV%) to move to 4-4-1 as Florida beat Washington at home 5-2 Tuesday. Aleksander Barkov kicked off the scoring (4) and added two assists (9,10) as he picked up his first multi-point effort in seven games. Carter Verhaeghe scored a pair of goals (9,10) to add to his team lead in the category, while Sam Reinhart (3) and Nick Cousins (2) had the other pair of Panthers’ markers. Matthew Tkachuk added to his team lead in points by picking up three assists (13,14,15) to bring his season totals to 20 points (5G/15A) in 14 games since joining Florida. Darcy Kuemper lost his sixth game in seven starts as he allowed four goals on 42 shots (.905 SV%) to move to 5-8-1 in his first season with the Capitals. John Carlson did all that he could to keep the Capitals’ in the game, scoring a goal (3) and adding an assist (6) along with a game-high seven SOG and four blocked shots across 26:36 TOI.
Vanecek returns from injury and to the victory column as Devils beat Canadiens
Vitek Vanecek returned from a lower-body injury which caused a one-game absence, to win his seventh straight game, stopping 25 of 26 shots (.962 SV%) and moving to 7-1-0 as New Jersey beat Montreal 5-1 Tuesday. Jack Hughes continued his incredibly hot run of late with two goals (6,7), an assist (11), and a game-high seven SOG to bring his early season totals to 18 points in 16 games. Jesper Bratt added to his team lead in points and moved into the top-10 in the NHL scoring with a goal (6) and an assist (15), bringing him to 21 points in 16 games. Dougie Hamilton picked up a point in his fifth straight game (3G/4A) with a goal (5) and an assist (9) in the win. Jake Allen ended a two-game win streak as he allowed four goals on 38 shots (.895 SV%) to move below .500 with his 5-6-0 record. Evgenii Dadonov picked up his first point as a member of the Canadiens by scoring a second-period goal (1) and adding a team-high four SOG.
Horvat has a big night as Canucks edge out the Sabres
Spencer Martin picked up his fourth win in five starts stopping 28 of 32 shots (.875 SV%) to move to 4-1-1 on the season as Vancouver narrowly beat Buffalo 5-4. Bo Horvat added his 14th goal of the season to stay second in the NHL in the category, while also adding two assists (5,6) and a game-high eight SOG as he now leads holds the Canucks’ lead in points with 20 in 17 games. Elias Petterson was the other Vancouver player to hit the 20-point mark after he scored a goal (7) and added an assist (13) across 18:49 TOI. J.T. Miller (10), Dakota Joshua (3) and Ethan Bear (1) had the other three Vancouver goals. Craig Anderson had his worst start of the season as he lost his third straight game allowing five goals on 32 shots (.844 SV%) as the NHL’s oldest player moved to 3-3-0 on the season. Jeff Skinner continued his recent hot run with two goals (4,5) as he now has 12 points (5G/7A) in his last 10 games. Alex Tuch picked up his first point in four games with a three-point performance (1G/2A), while Tage Thompson added two assists (9,10) to move to ninth on the NHL point list with 21 (11G/10A) in 16 games. Rasmus Dahlin moved into a tie for second among defensemen as he added an assist in the loss to give him 18 points (7G/11A) in 15 games.
Blue Jackets win in OT but lose Merzlikins to injury
Elvis Merzlikins allowed two goals on 17 shots (.882 SV%) before leaving due to a lower-body injury as Columbus beat Philadelphia 5-4 in overtime Tuesday. Joonas Korpisalo picked up the victory in relief (2-1-1), stopping 18 of 21 shots (.857 SV%) while captain Boone Jenner led the team across multiple statistical categories with two goals (5,6), five SOG, four hits, and four blocked shots in 18:16 TOI. Eric Robinson had his first multi-point game of the year with a goal (2), and an assist (3) joined by Vladislav Gavrikov, who also picked up a (game-winning) goal (2) and an assist (2). Carter Hart struggled and took the overtime loss to move to 6-2-3 as he allowed five goals on 33 shots (.848 SV%) in his worst start of the season. Kevin Hayes added to his impressive start to the season as he scored (4) and added an assist (12) to move to a point per game with 16 points in 16 games. His linemate Travis Konecny also scored a goal (7) and added an assist (12) to increase his team lead in points to 19 in 16 games. Noah Cates joined the other two with a goal (3) and an assist (3).
Saros has a second straight strong start as Nashville beats Minnesota at home
After struggling early in the season, Juuse Saros backed up his best start of the season by stopping 33 of 34 shots (.971 SV%) as he moved to 5-6-1 in Nashvile’s 2-1 win over the Wild. Matt Duchene scored the game-winning goal on the powerplay (4) halfway through the first period and added an assist to lead the Predators while Nino Niederreiter had the other Nashville goal (7). Marc-Andre Fleury got limited offensive help for a third straight start (1.0 GF/GP) as he stopped 23 of 25 shots (.920 SV%) in a losing effort to move to 6-4-1 on the season. Frederick Gaudreau had the lone Minnesota goal (3) with Kirill Kaprizov adding an assist (8) to extend his point streak to four games (3G/2A).
Stars steal a point in overtime loss in Tampa
Brian Elliott allowed four goals on 32 shots (.875 SV%) yet still picked up his fourth straight victory (4-1-0) as Tampa Bay beat Dallas 5-4 in overtime. Alex Killorn was one of five Lightning players to finish with at least a goal and an assist as he scored the overtime winner (5) and added two assists (7,8) to lead Tampa. Steven Stamkos was another skater with a goal (8) and an assist (9) as he’s now above a point-per-game with 17 points in 16 games. Ian Cole, Ross Colton and Nick Paul joined their captain with a goal and an assist each. Jake Oettinger allowed five goals for the second time in three starts since returning from injury as he stopped 33 of 38 shots (.868 SV%) while picking up his first overtime loss of the season (6-2-1). Joe Pavelski continued to prove age is just a number as he grabbed a goal (9) and an assist (10) to extend his hot start to the season with 19 points in 16 games for the 38-year-old centre. Jason Robertson extended his team lead in points and moved to third in the NHL after a goal (11) and an assist (14) Tuesday brought him to 25 points in 16 games.
Sharks score four in the third period to knock off Golden Knights on the road
James Reimer stopped 24 of 26 shots (.923 SV%) as he won his third straight start to move to 5-5-2 as San Jose won in come-from-behind fashion on Tuesday. Luke Kunin (3) got the Sharks on the board in the 2nd before San Jose struck for four goals (two ENG) in the third period from Logan Couture (7), Matt Nieto (2), Timo Meier (8) and Matt Ferraro (1). Erik Karlsson added to his NHL lead in points for a defenseman with two assists (13,14), bringing him to 24 points in 17 games (10G/14A), while Alexander Barabanov also added a pair of assists (8,9) in the Sharks’ win. Logan Thompson took his first loss in seven starts as he allowed three goals on 27 shots (.889 SV%) to move to 8-3-0. Jack Eichel became the first Golden Knight to reach 20 points (10G/10A) as he added a goal on two SOG with Jonathan Marchessault (7) adding the other Vegas goal.
Red Wings blow late lead as Ducks steal overtime victory at home
John Gibson enjoyed his first win in four starts Tuesday (3-8-1), stopping 31 of 33 shots (.939 SV%) in a 3-2 overtime victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Ryan Strome completed the Ducks’ comeback with an overtime goal (5) with less than a minute left, while Mason McTavish (2) and John Klingberg (1) grabbed the Ducks’ goals in regulation. Trevor Zegras (7,8) and Cam Fowler (2.3) each led Anaheim with a pair of assists. Ville Husso bounced back after an eight-goal shelling his last time out but was still the hard-luck loser as he allowed three goals on 30 shots (.900 SV%) to move to 5-2-3 in his first 10 starts as a member of the Detroit Red Wings. Jonatan Berggren scored his first career goal seven minutes into the game, and Michael Rasmussen scored his second of the season on an impressive solo effort goal.
PRESENTED BY BETWAY
