Daily Faceoff Morning Report — 12/02/22
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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.
Lightning coast to win over Flyers
Andrei Vasilevsky stopped 21 of 22 shots (.955 SV%), allowing two or fewer goals for his third straight start and moving to 9-7-1 as Tampa beat the struggling Flyers 4-1 Thursday. Nick Paul kickstarted the Lightning’s scoring with a first and second-period goal. Paul now has seven points (5G/2A) in his last five games and 18 on the season. Ian Cole snapped a four-game pointless drought with a goal (2) and an assist (6), while Corey Perry added two assists (4,5) for his first multi-point effort of the season. Carter Hart allowed four goals on 27 shots (.852 SV%) for his eighth loss in nine starts, moving him to 7-6-4 on the season. Travis Konecny, who entered the night as a game-time decision, played well with the only Flyers goal (8), as he now has 20 points (8G/12A) through his first 18 games.
MacKinnon’s five-point performance propels Avalanche over Sabres
Nathan MacKinnon was the top fantasy performer of the night with two goals (7,8), three assists (23,24,25) and a game-high eight SOG as he now is fifth in the NHL in points with 33 points in 21 games as Colorado beat Buffalo 6-4. Alexandar Georgiev got back in the win column despite allowing four goals on 28 shots (.857 SV%), moving him to 11-3-1. J.T. Compher had the best game of his 361-game career with two goals (2,3) and two assists (8,9) in 22:09 TOI. Mikko Rantanen moved into the top 10 in NHL scoring as he had a goal (14) and an assist (17) to move to 31 points in 21 games. Devon Toews (12,13) and Cale Makar (16,17) each picked up a pair of assists as the Avalanche leaned heavily on their superstars in the victory. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was lit up for a second straight start after allowing five goals on 33 shots (.848 SV%) to move to 1-2-1 through limited action after being called up last week. Tage Thompson’s incredible breakout season continued as he added a goal (15) and two assists (16,17) to extend a three-game point streak (2G/4A) and move to 32 points in 24 games. Dylan Cozens also stayed hot as the 21-year-old picked up a goal (9) and two assists (11,12) and now has 10 points (5G/5A) in his last seven games. Jeff Skinner moved above a point-per-game with two assists (13,14) as he now has 25 points in 24 games, while Rasmus Dahlin added an assist (19) to move to 27 points in 23 games and second in the NHL in points among defensemen.
Johansen scores twice to hand New Jersey a rare loss
Juuse Saros stopped 25 of 28 shots (.893 SV%) as he won his sixth start in seven tries as Nashville topped the red-hot Devils 4-3 in overtime. Ryan Johansen added his second goal (6,7) of the night just 33 seconds into overtime to go along with an assist (7) as he led all skaters with three points in the win.
TIES IT LATE 🤝 WINS IT EARLY
Ryan Johansen scores the @SUBWAYCanada OT winner for the Preds! pic.twitter.com/OPPCGXvSFR
Mikael Granlund (3) and Colton Sissons (3) had the other two Nashville goals, while Nino Niederreiter led all Nashville skaters with five SOG. Vitek Vanecek struggled for the first time in a long time, allowing four goals on 24 shots (.833 SV%) to pick up his first loss in extra time and move to 11-2-1 in his first season in New Jersey. Kevin Bahl scored the second goal of his career (2), while Alexander Holtz (2) and Jesper Bratt (9) potted the other Devils’ markers. Jack Hughes had a pair of assists (15,16) as he now has 16 points (8G/8A) in his last 11 games. Erik Haula (9,10) joined him with a pair of assists.
Penguins come back in the third period to squeak past Vegas
Tristian Jarry stayed hot, stopping 34 of 37 shots (.919 SV%) to move to 9-3-3 as Pittsburgh scored two third-period goals to top Vegas 4-3 Thursday. Jake Guentzel led all skaters with a goal (12), an assist (11) and five SOG as the winger now has 23 points in his first 20 games, while Kasperi Kapanen and Brock McGinn each joined Guentzel with a goal and an assist themselves. Logan Thompson was on his toes all night, turning aside 43 of 47 shots (.915 SV%) in his busiest start of the season. Following the loss, he is now 12-5-0 on the season. Jack Eichel led all skaters with seven SOG while also adding a goal (12) and an assist (16) as the 26-year-old is 14th in the NHL with 28 points in 25 games. Riley Smith (11) and Shea Theodore (4) picked up the other two Vegas goals on the man advantage.
Third line carries the Hurricanes to win over the Blues
After falling down 2-0, the Hurricanes scored three goals in 64 seconds in the second period to take a 3-2 lead. Jordan Martinook scored one of those goals and added two more in the third period to complete the hat-trick and the Hurricanes’ comeback. The Blues’ top line enjoyed a strong night in Robert Thomas’ return to the lineup, combining for one goal and four assists in the loss. Antti Raanta started Thursday’s game but was pulled after allowing three goals on 15 shots. Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 10 of 11 to earn the victory.
Wild down the Oilers on home ice
Kirill Kaprizov led the way for the Wild, scoring one goal with two assists in their 5-3 win over the Oilers on Thursday. Minnesota is now 7-0-0 in their last seven meetings with the Oilers and 11-9-2 on the season, which is tied for fourth in the Central Division. Despite the loss, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl stayed hot, each potting a goal and adding an assist. They now sit first (McDavid – 43) and third (Draisaitl – 38) in the NHL in points.
Robertson and Oettinger dominate the Ducks
Jason Robertson’s outrageous season continued on Thursday, as he scored his third career hat-trick in a 5-0 win over the Ducks. Robertson now sits first in the NHL in goals (22) and second in points (39).
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ROBO HATTY pic.twitter.com/62Q66jZgyT
Robertson likely isn’t going to maintain a 21.2 SH%, but he’s on pace for 75 goals and 133 points. Jake Oettinger also turned in a standout performance, stopping all 31 shots that he faced for his second shutout of the season. Getting is now 9-2-3 with a 2.35 GAA and .923 SV%, ranking as the No.6 fantasy netminder in Yahoo! Standard Scoring leagues.
Allen steals road victory in Calgary
Jake Allen turned aside 45 of the 46 shots he faced in the Canadiens’ 2-1 win over the Flames. The Canadiens had no business winning this game, as they were outshot 46 – 19 and lost the Expected Goals battle 4.3 – 1.8. Sean Monahan recorded an assist on both Canadiens’ goals, making it a triumphant return to Calgary for the veteran centre. Rookie Juarj Slafkovsky opened the scoring with his fourth of the campaign, and Cole Caufield tallied his 13th in the second period, which would hold as the game-winner.
Panthers blitz Canucks for 5-1 win
The Panthers scored three goals in 59 seconds in the late stages of the first period and never looked back. Sam Bennett added a goal in the second (6) and third (7) periods to cap the Panthers’ win. Thatcher Demko left the game with a lower-body injury, and head coach Bruce Boudreau did not have an update on his status post-game.
Thatcher Demko was helped off of the ice after suffering an injury during the Panthers' third goal. pic.twitter.com/uJJ1bpHFqc
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 2, 2022Spencer Martin will become the Canucks’ No.1 goaltending option if Demko is to miss an extended period of time.
Kraken win their seventh straight game
Matty Beniers scored seconds into overtime to give the Kraken their seventh consecutive victory, moving them to 15-5-3 (2nd in the Pacific) on the season. For Beniers, it was his 10th goal of the season, and he’s now registered five goals and seven assists (12 points) in his last six games. Martin Fehervary and Conor Sheary were the Capitals’ goal-scorers, and Alex Ovechkin picked up assists on both tallies. Yanni Gourde scored with under three minutes to play to force overtime.
Kings score four unanswered to beat Coyotes
The Kings trailed 3-1 midway through the second period before scoring four unanswered to win 5-3. Anze Kopitar and Kevin Fiala led the way for the Kings, as they combined for three goals and one assist. Goaltending remained a problem area for the Kings, as Jonathan Quick surrendered three goals on just 21 shots (.857 SV%). Karel Vejmelka gave up four-plus goals for the seventh time in 15 appearances and is 6-6-2 with a 3.04 GAA and .913 SV%.
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