Daily Faceoff Morning Report — 12/07/22
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.
Vanecek blanks Blackhawks in New Jersey
Vitek Vanecek stopped all 24 shots he faced in the Devils’ 3-0 shutout win over the Blackhawks on Tuesday. The shutout was Vanecek’s second of the season. He now sits tied for fourth in the NHL in wins (12), third in GAA (2.10) and sixth in SV% (.922) in 17 appearances this season. Dougie Hamilton and Jack Hughes led the way for New Jersey, with Hamilton factoring in on all three goals (1G / 2A), including scoring the eventual game-winner in the first period.
Crosby scores twice as Pittsburgh downs Columbus
Johnny Gaudreau opened the scoring one minute into the game, but that would be all the Blue Jackets would get in their 4-1 loss in Pittsburgh. Tristan Jarry shut the door after the early goal, stopping 38 of 39 shots to win for the seventh time in eight games (7-0-1) while posting a .943 SV% and one shutout. Sidney Crosby was a game-time decision due to illness, but you would never have guessed it as he looked dominant, scoring two goals in the victory. Crosby is now tied for fifth in the NHL with 35 points (15G / 20A).
Husso helps Red Wings hold onto win in Tampa
Former Lightning assistant coach Derek Lalonde won his first trip back to Tampa as the Red Wings head coach as Detroit downed the Lightning 4-2. The Red Wings took a 2-0 lead and were able to preserve the lead during an intense late flurry from the Lightning. Ville Husso was outstanding yet again, stopping 44 of 46 shots for his 11th win of the season. Husso is 6-2-0 with a .914 SV% and one shutout in his last eight outings. Detroit had some unlikely goal-scorers, with Michael Rasmussen tallying his fourth of the season, Jonatan Berggren scoring his second and Adam Erne notching his fourth. David Perron would add the empty netter to seal the victory. The Lightning threw everything at the net, particularly Brayden Point (9 SOG), Anthony Cirelli (8) and Nikita Kucherov (5). No Lightning player finished with more than one point, with Steven Stamkos (14) and Brayden Point (11) scoring their goals.
Four-goal first period leads Kings over Senators
The Kings took a 2-0 lead just 2:15 into the game and added two more first-period goals to finish the frame up 4-1. That’s all they needed, as Pheonix Copley shut the door in his Kings’ debut, turning aside 31 of 33 shots. It was Copley’s first NHL win since March 19th, 2019. The Kings’ new-look top line had a nice night, with Anze Kopitar picking up three assists and Kevin Fiala scoring one goal with one assist. Viktor Arvidsson added two goals of his own, giving him 21 points (7G / 14A) in his last 21 games. It was a disappointing night for the Senators, but Tim Stützle (2A) and Thomas Chabot (1G / 1A) helped out their fantasy owners. Chabot has eight points (2G / 6A) in six games since returning from injury.
Blues score seven to end four-game losing skid
The Blues continue to be the most confusing team in hockey, as they scored seven on Ilya Sorokin on Tuesday. St. Louis found themselves up 5-1 in the third period before a late push from the Islanders made it 5-4. Robert Thomas and Noel Acciari would add empty net goals to re-extend the lead as the Blues won and snapped a four-game losing streak. The Blue s had 14 players earn at least one point, with multi-point contributions coming from Josh Leivo (1G / 1A), Noel Acciari (2G) and Justin Faulk (2A). Zach Parise and Noah Dobson stayed hot with two points each. Parise’s two goals gave him four in his last five games. Dobson had one goal and one assist and is now 17th among defensemen with 18 points (8G / 10A) in 27 games.
Jets fly by injured Panthers team
Paul Maurice returned to Winnipeg on Tuesday with a banged-up Panthers team that had a tough time beating Connor Hellebuyck. The Jets’ netminder stopped 39 of 41 shots in the 5-2 win and has now won five in a row while posting a .944 SV% and one shutout. The Jets were fuelled by multi-point efforts from Kyle Connor (2G / 1A), Pierre-Luc Dubois (3A), and Mark Scheifele (2G).
Murray shines in Maple Leafs shutout win in Dallas
Matt Murray’s re-birth in Toronto continued on Tuesday, as he stopped all 44 shots he faced in the 4-0 win. However, Murray was overshadowed by Mitch Marner, who extended his point streak to 20 games with a first-period assist on John Tavares’ 13th goal. With the Stars getting shutout, that means that Jason Robertson’s point streak was snapped at 18 games–he had 34 points (21G / 13A) during that stretch. After an underwhelming start to the season, Auston Matthews is starting to heat up. He had one goal and one assist in the win and now has nine points (4G / 5A) during a five-game point streak.
Ducks win back-and-fourth game vs. Carolina
The Ducks and Hurricanes traded goals on Tuesday before Ryan Strome ended things with an overtime winner. Pyotr Kochetkov had a rare poor outing, allowing four goals on 30 shots (.867 SV%), while John Gibson stopped 34 of 37 (.919 SV%) for his fifth win of the season. No goalie has faced more shots (710) or made more saves (637) than Gibson this season. The Ducks didn’t have a single player with multiple points but got contributions from 12 of 18 skaters. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Hurricanes, who sit second in the Metropolitan Division at 14-6-6.
Allen backstops Habs to a win in Seattle
The Canadiens only had 16 shots on Martin Jones, but Jake Allen stopped 31 of 33 shots to earn his eighth win of the season. The Canadiens got some unexpected goals from Jonathan Kovacevic and Rem Pitlick, but Cole Caufield scored his 15th, and Josh Anderson scored in back-to-back games to give him seven. In his first game back in the NHL, Shane Wright scored his first NHL goal in the first period. He finished with one goal and three shots in 11:12 TOI.
PRESENTED BY BETWAY
Fantasy Standouts
Skaters
Goalies
