DailyFaceoff Morning Report — 02/09/22
The DailyFaceoff 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.
Bruins loss overshadowed by injuries of Bergeron, Rask
The Pittsburgh Penguins scored four unanswered goals, including the 499th of Sidney Crosby’s career, en route to defeating the Boston Bruins 4-2. The bad news for the Bruins started early in the game when it was reported that Tuukka Rask was not expected to return to the team this season, and the possibility of his impending retirement was looming. Yesterday coach Bruce Cassidy said that Rask would not be practicing with the team for the rest of the week after suffering a setback in his attempt to return from off-season hip surgery.
The blows for the Bruins didn’t stop there as Patrice Bergeron left the game in the third period after taking an awkward hit from Crosby and falling into the boards. There was no update on his status after the game.
Marchand incident will be reviewed by the NHL
To cap off the night for the Bruins, frustrations boiled over in the final minute of the game when Brad Marchand threw a punch at the head of Tristan Jarry. Marchand could potentially face supplemental discipline as he was assessed a match penalty, which will initiate an automatic review by the NHL.
Tkachuk scores his first goal in 15 games in win vs. the Hurricanes
Brady Tkachuk scored his 13th and 14th goals of the season, snapping a 15 game goalless drought, to help give the Senators a 4-0 lead going into the second intermission. The Hurricanes outshot the Senators 16-7 in the third period but fell short in their comeback effort, losing 4-3.
Canadiens lose seventh straight
The New Jersey Devils were without Jack Hughes (COVID-19) but had no problem cruising past the Montreal Canadiens in a crushing 7-1 victory. Michael McLeod scored two goals and was one of seven Devils with multi-point games. Montreal has now lost seven straight (0-5-2) and given up 40 goals (5.7 goals allowed per game) over that stretch as their nightmare season continues.
Hellebuyck tops Kahkonen in a battle of goalies
Connor Hellebuyck made 27 saves and recorded his third shutout of the season to help the Winnipeg Jets defeat the Minnesota Wild 2-0. The shutout was a nice rebound performance for Hellebuyck, who had lost his previous seven starts (0-5-2) and given up 25 goals during that losing streak. Kaapo Kahkonen also made 27 saves for the Wild and only allowed one goal and despite the loss, continued his excellent season (10-3-2). The Jets added an empty netter to secure their victory.
Foligno and Lowry fight
The low-scoring game between the Jets and Wild wasn’t short of action. There were three fights in the game between the division rivals, including two tilts between Marcus Foligno and Adam Lowry. The second of the two fights ended with Foligno seemingly kneeing Lowry in the head as they wrestled onto the ice. The league will surely take a look at the incident.
Golden Knights shutout Oilers, 4-0
Mike Smith returned from a thumb injury to play only his fourth game since mid-October, and only his seventh game of the season. He made 24 saves on 28 shots for the Oilers in a 4-0 loss to the Golden Knights. Before being placed in COVID protocol Monday, Mikko Koskinen was playing his best hockey of the season, having won four of his last five starts (4-0-1). If Smith can stay healthy, it will be interesting to see how the goalie situation unfolds in Edmonton.