DailyFaceoff Morning Report — 02/21/22
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.
Four years between starts; Two wins
Decent day for the grit grinder goalies.#Habs Andrew Hammond 🍔 first #NHL win since April 9, 2016 (2144 days).#CBJ J-F Berube first #NHL win since April 4, 2018 (1419 days).
Both made their first NHL starts in nearly four full years. Both won.
You love to see it. 👏🏻
The Columbus Blue Jackets won for the sixth time in their last eight games and have crept to within nine points of the Boston Bruins for the final Wild Card spot. If the Blue Jackets are able to keep up their winning ways, things could get interesting as they still have three games remaining against the Bruins.
Patrik Laine scored on a lethal wrist shot that was eventually called back on an offside challenge but still led the way with another multi-point game (0G / 2A). Laine has 18 points (10G / 8A) in his last nine games after having scored only four points (2G / 2A) in his previous 11.
Shesterkin can do it all (almost)
Artemi Panarin had a goal and an assist in a 2-1 win over the Ottawa Senators, bringing him to 19 points (4G / 15A) over his last 12 games. Igor Shesterkin saved 29 of 30 shots and has posted 11 quality starts in his last 12 games (10-1-1). Shesterkin tried to cap off the night by becoming the first goalie to score a goal in over two years.
Shesterkin was sooooo close 📏 pic.twitter.com/yPLdpjsnsH
— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 21, 2022Hurricanes win battle for first in Metropolitan Division
The Carolina Hurricanes set an NHL record, becoming the first team to score goals in the opening 10 seconds of the second and third period in their 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The @Canes (34-11-4, 72 points) scored four goals – two of which came in the opening nine seconds of the second and third period – to earn a win against the Penguins (31-13-8, 70 points) and bolstered their lead atop the Metropolitan Division.#NHLStats: https://t.co/Y5ov3j4vPk pic.twitter.com/iBHYKMtvvD
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 20, 2022Evan Rodrigues scored a goal in the loss for the Penguins. Before Evgeni Malkin returned to the lineup, Rodrigues was having an incredible season with 30 points (15G / 15A) in 34 games. His goal on Sunday was his first in the 18 games since.
Blackhawks, Fleury fall again
Coming off a shutout on Friday, Marc-Andre Fleury allowed three goals and had a .870 SV% in a 5-2 loss to the Florida Panthers. Fleury has been wildly inconsistent of late, posting consecutive quality starts only once over his last 12 games (3-7-2).
Stars road scoring woes continue
The Dallas Stars took a step back in their fight for a playoff spot, losing 3-1 to the Arizona Coyotes. The Stars are now 9-5-0 in their last 14 games and have lost two of those games to the two lowest-seeded teams in the league, the Coyotes and Montreal Canadiens.
The Stars fall to 10-13-1 on the road, where they have struggled to score all season. The Stars average the eighth-most goals per game at home (3.4) and the fourth-fewest on the road (2.3). They are the only team in the NHL that ranks top-10 on home-ice and bottom-10 on the road.
Eichel looking good in Vegas
Logan Thompson made his second career start and recorded his first career win, making 35 saves on 36 shots for the Vegas Golden Knights in a 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks. The start for Thompson came as a surprise as the Golden Knights don’t play again until Friday and Laurent Brossoit was expected to see the majority of the action with Robin Lehner injured. The Golden Knights only play twice next week in a back-to-back so both Thompson and Brossoit should expect to see a start. Beyond that, if Lehner’s injury proves to be more serious, Thompson could end up duelling with Brossoit for starts.
Jack Eichel scored a goal and an assist in the victory and now has three points (1G / 2A) in his first three games.
Jack Eichel’s first with Vegas 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/3t1XOBWTbI
— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 21, 2022Woodcroft loses first game
The Edmonton Oilers lost for the first time in the six games (5-1-0) since Jay Woodcroft took over as coach–a 7-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild. It was also only the second time during that span that they faced a team currently in a playoff spot.
Mats Zuccarello continued his dynamic season with a goal and an assist, giving him 25 points (8G / 17A) in his last 14 games and 11 multi-point performances in that stretch.
Mats Zuccarello (@zuccarello36) put on the jets for this one. 💯 pic.twitter.com/20txXh67Xk
— NHL (@NHL) February 21, 2022Other News and Notes
- Chris Gear breaks down Maple Leafs-Coyotes trade over the weekend.