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DailyFaceoff Morning Report — 02/22/22

Nick Szeman
Nick Szeman
Feb 22, 2022, 08:25 ESTUpdated: Feb 22, 2022, 08:32 EST
DailyFaceoff Morning Report — 02/22/22

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.

Kuemper loses in regulation

Darcy Kuemper allowed five goals on 45 shots in a 5-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on Monday afternoon. It was the first time Kuemper has lost in regulation in over two months, a stretch where he went 16-0-2. It was also the first time he allowed more than three goals in his last 11 starts.

Taylor Hall had three assists in the victory for the Bruins and, dating back to early December, has completely transformed his season. He now has 25 points (6G / 19A) in his last 28 games after only having 11 (5G / 6A) in his first 22.

Mrazek continues to struggle

The Montreal Canadiens continued their first winning streak of the season (3-0-0) with a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, improving their record under head coach Martin St. Louis to 3-3-0. Cole Caufield had a three-point game (1G / 2A) and has seemingly transformed into the player he was advertised to be with eight points (5G / 3A) in the six games since St. Louis took over.

Petr Mrazek had another rough game in the loss, allowing five goals on 24 shots. He has recorded a .889 SV% or lower in seven of his 10 games this season. Mrazek allowed several questionable goals in the game but did manage an incredible glove save on Josh Anderson in the second period.

The Maple Leafs added to their goalie-depth, announcing mid-game that they had acquired Carter Hutton from the Arizona Coyotes.

Hurricanes top Flyers 4-3

The Philadelphia Flyers lost for the 18th time in their last 20 games (2-13-5) in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Martin Jones got the start in net for the Flyers as Carter Hart missed the game with an eye infection.

Vincent Trocheck had two points (1G / 1A) in the win for the Hurricanes, including a beautiful assist on Brett Pesce’s game-winning goal in overtime. Trocheck has 22 points (10G / 12A) in his last 28 games after previously going a span of 11 games with only two points (1G / 1A).

Two Canadian teams going in two different directions

The Calgary Flames are the hottest team in the NHL. On Monday, they defeated the Winnipeg Jets 3-1, tying a franchise record with 10 consecutive wins. Over that span, the Flames have been extremely stout defensively, allowing only 1.5 goals per game thanks in part to a league-leading 96 percent penalty kill. Oddly enough, their high-octane offence that is averaging 4.2 goals per has been produced mostly at even-strength, as they have only scored five powerplay goals during their win streak and have a bottom-half powerplay efficiency of 18.5%. Elias Lindholm scored the go-ahead goal for Calgary, tying a franchise record with goals in eight consecutive games. Lindholm has nine goals and four assists (13 points) over the stretch and is on pace for a career-high of 39 goals and 83 points.

With the loss, the Jets have dropped 11 of their last 16 games (5-8-3) and are seven points out a Wild Card position.

Canucks beat Kraken

38-year old Mark Giordano was shot out of a cannon in the second period and scored a beautiful shorthanded breakaway goal but it wasn’t enough as the Vancouver Canucks went on to score four unanswered goals to defeat the Seattle Kraken 5-2.

The goal by Giordano might have been the prettiest highlight of the night but the most memorable came in the second period when both teams lost sight of the puck.

JT Miller had two assists in the victory, giving him 14 multi-point games this season and 17 points (7G / 10A) in his last 13 games.

Other News and Notes

Injury Report

  • Tony DeAngelo (CAR) left Monday’s game with an upper-body injury and did not return.
  • Jake Muzzin (TOR) left Monday’s game with an upper-body injury stayed in Montreal for observation.
  • Vladimir Tarasenko (STL) is expected to be back in the Blues lineup on Tuesday.
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