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DailyFaceoff Morning Report — 03/03/22

Nick Szeman
Nick Szeman
Mar 3, 2022, 08:28 ESTUpdated: Mar 3, 2022, 08:42 EST
DailyFaceoff Morning Report — 03/03/22

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.

Leafs’ goaltending issues take center stage

The Toronto Maple Leafs were able to play in front of a full capacity crowd at Scotiabank Arena for the first time in 81 days but didn’t give their fans much to cheer about as the Buffalo Sabres won 5-1, their first victory in seven games (1-6-0). Tage Thompson scored a goal in the win for the Sabres and has a remarkable stat line in his last nine games with nine goals and zero assists.

Petr Mrazek allowed five goals on 31 shots in the loss on Wednesday, but Toronto’s recent defensive troubles haven’t been tied to just one goalie’s struggles. Since Jan. 1, the Maple Leafs have allowed the ninth-most goals in the league, the most of any team in a playoff spot. Despite putting up an impressive 15-7-2 record during that stretch, they have a lowly .889 team save percentage. Mrazek and Jack Campbell will get the opportunity to improve their numbers with five of their next six games against teams either outside the playoffs or ranking in the bottom 11 of goal scoring.

Rangers beat Blues 5-3; Fox is in fine company

Just when it was starting to look like Ville Husso was set to take over the starting goaltender role for the St. Louis Blues, things have become a little more complicated. Husso has continued to play well but has now allowed three or more goals in four consecutive games (2-1-1) after allowing three goals only twice in his previous nine games (8-1-0). In comparison, Jordan Binnington, who seems to have turned a corner, has only allowed one goal over his last two games combined (2-0-0).

With three assists in the victory, Adam Fox improved his season totals to 53 points (7G / 46A) in 51 games, good for 1.04 points per game. He joins Cale Makar (1.16) and Roman Josi (1.06) as the only defensemen in the league above a point per game. With Victor Hedman (0.98) and Devon Toews (0.98) not far behind, this could be the first time in almost 30 years that multiple defensemen end the season at a point-per-game pace. This was last done in the 1995-96 season when Brian Leetch (1.04), Sergei Zubov (1.03), and Ray Bourque (1.00) all accomplished the feat.

Stars defeat Kings; move into Wild Card spot

Phillip Danault opened the scoring with his 16th goal of the season, already a career high, and continued his terrific run centering the second-line in Los Angeles with his eighth point (6G / 2A) in his last nine games. Danault’s winger, Trevor Moore, had an assist on the goal to continue his incredible run, now at 25 points (7G / 18A) in his last 25 games.

The Dallas Stars were down 3-1 with under six minutes remaining in the second period but scored three goals before the end of the frame and hung on to win 4-3. Alexander Radulov played in his 500th career game and scored the game-winning goal, only his third goal of the season. In his eight previous NHL seasons, he has never finished with a goal per game pace below 0.24. This year, his pace is 0.06.

Three quick goals seal fate for Predators

The Seattle Kraken scored three goals in under three minutes in the second period to give them a 3-2 lead on route to an eventual 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators. The Predators have lost six of their past eight (2-6-0) and are in the top Wild Card spot, now only one point ahead of the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers. Roman Josi scored his 500th career point in the loss and has 12 points (1G / 11A) in his last eight games.

Goalie goal in AHL

Lukas Dostal was recently sent back down to the AHL after serving as a backup for the Anaheim Ducks earlier in the week. His first action back with the San Diego Gulls was pretty memorable as he made 50-saves in a 5-2 win and scored the 16th goal by a goalie in AHL history.

Other News and Notes

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