DailyFaceoff Morning Report — 02/25/22

Nick Szeman
Nick Szeman
Feb 25, 2022, 09:14 EST
DailyFaceoff Morning Report — 02/25/22

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.

Matthews does what he does best

Going into action on Thursday night, Petr Mrazek had allowed fewer than three goals in only three of his 10 starts (6-4-0) and had yet to play a game where he was called upon to be a difference-maker. Mrazek saved 29 of 30 shots on Thursday, playing arguably his best game of the season, in a 3-1 win over the high-scoring Minnesota Wild.

Auston Matthews continued to make goal-scoring look easy, scoring his 35th and 36th goals of the season. Matthews has sole possession of the goal-scoring lead and is currently on pace to score 59 goals this season.

Caps can’t score, can’t win

Alex Ovechkin scored with 62 seconds remaining to spoil the shutout bid for Igor Shesterkin, as he made 36 saves on 37 shots in the 4-1 victory for the New York Rangers. Shesterkin continues to have a truly remarkable season and has allowed two goals or fewer in each of his last six games (5-0-1).

In contrast, goaltending trouble for the Washington Capitals continued as Ilya Samsonov allowed four goals on 21 shots and has allowed three goals or more in eight of his last 12 appearances (4-6-1). There have been very few instances of a Capitals goaltender stealing a win for the team this year. In the 19 games that the Capitals have been held to two goals or fewer, they have a record of 4-11-4. Last week, our Mike McKenna broke down the Capitals’ need for better goaltending to be a contender.

Bratt comes back in style

Jesper Bratt returned to action after missing two games with an upper-body injury and had three points (2G / 1A) along with Jack Hughes (0G / 3A) and Nico Hischier (1G / 2A) in a dominating 6-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Bratt is in the midst of a breakout season and now has 46 points (16 G / 29A) in 46 games.

Dougie Hamilton also made his return from injury after missing seven weeks with a broken jaw. He was held off the scoresheet and registered five shots and four hits while spending the majority of the game on the second powerplay unit.

Nico Daws played in his fourth career game for the Devils and made a career-high 37 saves on 38 shots. Daws could potentially see more action as he is currently serving as a backup to Jon Gillies on most nights.

Predators win goalie duel

On a night where Pekka Rinne had his number retired by the Nashville Predators, Juuse Saros did his best to honour the franchise leader in wins and shutouts by saving 27 of 28 shots in a 2-1 shootout victory over the Dallas Stars. Jake Oettinger was terrific in the loss for the Stars and has now allowed two goals or fewer in each of his last five games (3-1-1).

The Stars continue to struggle scoring on the road, ranking fourth-worst overall in goals per game, and have only scored two goals in their last three road contests (1-1-1).

Berube wins, Laine scores and life is good in Columbus

Jean-Francois Berube continued his storybook return to the NHL, winning his third consecutive game after seeing his first NHL action in over four years earlier in the week. Patrik Laine scored a goal in the 6-3 victory over the Florida Panthers, extending his point streak to 11 games with 21 points (13G / 8A). The Blue Jackets have won eight of their last 10 (8-2-0) but are still nine points back of the Boston Bruins for the final Wild Card spot.

Bruins beat Kraken 3-2 (OT)

Jake DeBrusk had two goals, including the overtime winner, and is doing his best to increase his trade value after requesting a trade earlier in the season. He now has four goals in his last three games. Frank Seravalli has DeBrusk listed as number 23 in his list of trade deadline targets.

Canucks do their best Flames impression; snap win-streak at 10

The Calgary Flames entered action Thursday on a franchise-best 10 game win streak while outscoring their opponents 42-15. The Vancouver Canucks erupted offensively, highlighted by a five-goal second period, in a 7-1 shellacking of the Flames. JT Miller had four points (2G / 2A) and Elias Pettersson had three points (2G / 1A), helping the Canucks move to three points from the final Wild Card position. After posting just 17 points (6G / 11A) in his first 37 games, Pettersson has scored 10 goals with 10 assists (20 points) in his last 16 games.

Sharks snap losing skid, spoil milestone nights for Islanders

A day after fellow 2003 first-round pick Corey Perry scored his 400th career goal, Zach Parise scored his 400th in a 4-3 shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks. Perry and Parise both have remarkably similar totals in their 17-year careers. Perry has 846 points (400G / 446A) in 1144 games and Parise has 831 points (400G / 431A) in 1107 games.

Zdeno Chara played in his 1,652nd career game, setting the record for most games played all-time by an NHL defenseman. Chara was held off the scoreboard but had a fight with Jeffrey Viel to celebrate the momentous occasion.

James Reimer was the story on the ice as he had a remarkable performance, stopping 44 of 47 shots, including an onslaught in the final 45 minutes where the Sharks were outshot 35-14. Reimer and the Sharks picked up their first win in eight games (1-3-4).

Other News and Notes

Injury Report

  • Tony DeAngelo (CAR) is expected to miss four weeks with a mid-body injury.
  • TJ Oshie (WSH) returned from injury and played his first game in over a month.
  • Mats Zuccarello (MIN) returned to the lineup after missing one game with an upper-body injury.
MORE FACEOFF.IN YOUR INBOX.
CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR DAILY NEWSLETTER
Keep scrolling for more content!