Daily Faceoff Morning Report — 04/30/22

Nick Szeman
Nick Szeman
Daily Faceoff Morning Report — 04/30/22

The Daily Faceoff 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.

Coyotes comeback to upset Preds

The Nashville Predators needed only one point in the standings to secure the top Wild Card spot in the Western Conference and things looked promising for them as they jumped out to a 4-0 lead over the Arizona Coyotes in the first seven minutes of the game. The Coyotes, however, made their final game at Gila River Arena a memorable one by scoring five unanswered goals to defeat the Predators 5-4 in regulation. Shayne Gostisbehere (D) scored two goals for the Coyotes, including the game-winner, and finishes the season with seven points (3G / 4A) in his last three games. Harri Sateri(G) came in to replace Karel Vejmelka (G) after allowing four goals on six shots and shut the door the rest of the way. After starting his Coyotes career winless in his first four appearances (0-2-1) and posting an abysmal .822 SV%, Sateri now ends the season with a 2-0-0 record and .946 SV%.

Stars defeat Ducks in goalie carousel

A different goalie started each period for the Anaheim Ducks, a goalie carousel that was capped off by EBUG Tom Hodges (G) starting the third period of a 2-2 hockey game. Hodges gave up one goal in an eventual 4-2 loss to the Stars. The lone goal he allowed was a powerplay goal by 41-goal scorer Jason Robertson (LW), and the Ducks elevated their game in front of the emergency goaltender but the result of the game did end up playing a significant role in the playoff picture.

Standings are set

It came down to the final seconds of the game between the Predators and Coyotes and, in the most dramatic of fashion, the standings and playoff matchups are finally set in the Western Conference.

The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the New York Islanders 6-4 to end their season on a 5-1-0 run and secure themselves a first-round matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Eastern Conference.

Check out all of the playoff schedules and matchups here.

Hot heading into the playoffs

Kirill Kaprizov (LW, RW) had a two-point game (1G / 1A) and is riding a seven-game point streak (4G / 11A) heading into the playoffs. In his second season with the Minnesota Wild, Kaprizov has set the franchise records in goals (47), assists (61), and points (108).

Steven Stamkos (C, RW) finished the season with a hat-trick and is the hottest player in the league heading into the playoffs. Stamkos added to his career-best point totals (106) and has an absurd 26 points (10G / 16A) during a season-ending nine-game point streak.

Scoring race

Missing from the list are Nikita Kucherov (RW), Nathan MacKinnon (C), and Aleksander Barkov (C), who all missed significant time due to injuries and rank above Stamkos, Tkachuk, and Miller in terms of point-per-game pace. Kucherov finishes the season second (1.47), MacKinnon finishes seventh (1.35), and Barkov finished 10th (1.31).

First vs. Last

In a battle of the first-place and last-place teams in the NHL, the Montreal Canadiens demolished a talent-thin Florida Panthers team with a 10-2 victory. The Panthers started third-string netminder Jonas Johansson (G) and gave rest-days to Gustav Forsling (D), Anton Lundell (C), Sam Reinhart (C, RW), Sam Bennett (C, RW), Claude Giroux (C, RW), Aleksander Barkov (C), and Jonathan Huberdeau (LW). Regardless of the depleted lineup for the Panthers, the Canadiens will end their forgettable season on a nice note with a two-game winning streak. Cole Caufield (LW, RW) scored his first career hat trick in the victory and finishes the season with a very respectable 43 points (23G / 20A) in 67 games. Caufield ends the season with 35 points (22G / 13A) in his last 37 games after recording only eight points (1G / 7A) in his first 30. Even with his abysmal start to the season, Caufield still managed to finish second in goals and sixth in points among all rookies.

Chara scores in potential final game

Zdeno Chara (D) scored for the New York Islanders in the final minute, his second goal of the season, in a 6-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in what could be the final game of his career. Chara, 45 years old, is still undecided on what his future holds. After the game, the home crowd cheered his name while both teams and officials congratulated him on a terrific career.

Seider caps off terrific rookie season

Moritz Seider (D) capped an incredible rookie season with the Detroit Red Wings with his seventh goal of the season in a 5-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils. Seider finishes the season with 50 points (7G / 43A) and likely cements himself as a frontrunner for the Calder Trophy.

Vegas wins low-stakes game

With the pressure finally off, the Vegas Golden Knights finished their first season outside of the playoffs with a 7-4 win over the St. Louis Blues. The Golden Knights’ win was only their second in their last seven games (2-2-3) and only the third time they have scored more than three goals in that stretch. Heading into the game, Jack Eichel (C) only had one point (0G / 1A) in his last six games but finished the season with a three-point effort (1G / 2A) in his final contest.

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