Daily Faceoff Morning Report — 04/06/22

Nick Szeman
Nick Szeman
Daily Faceoff Morning Report — 04/06/22

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.

Red Wings drop Bruins

Dating back to February 19th, the Boston Bruins accumulated more points than any team with 35 (17-4-1) while the Detroit Red Wings had a league-worst 11 (4-12-3). So when they met on Tuesday, as expected, the Red Wings defeated the Bruins 5-3. Alex Nedeljkovic (G) made 47 saves on 50 shots for his first win in his last five starts (1-3-1). Nedeljkovic is 3-1-1 with a .938 SV% in games where has made at least 40 saves this season. Jakub Vrana (LW) had two points (1G / 1A) for the Red Wings to give him six points (3G / 3A) in his last five games.

Never count the Panthers out

On Saturday, the Florida Panthers trailed the New Jersey Devils 6-2 before coming back to win 7-6 in overtime. They did it again on Tuesday, coming back from a 5-1 deficit against the Toronto Maple Leafs to win 7-6 in overtime. Jonathan Huberdeau (LW) had a five-point night (2G / 3A) to reach 102 points (26G / 76A) and become the first non-Edmonton Oilers player to reach 100 points this season. Huberdeau has been held pointless only once in his last 16 games and has 27 points (8G / 19A) in that span. Aleksander Barkov (C) had four points (1G / 3A) to give him 12 points (6G / 6A) in his last five games. Mitch Marner (RW) had four points (2G / 2A) in the loss and extended his point-streak 11 games where he has an incredible 26 points (8G / 18A). Erik Kallgren (G) and Jack Campbell (G) combined to allow seven goals on 49 shots as the Leafs lost for the first time in six games (5-0-1).

Johansen, Predators stop red-hot Wild

The Minnesota Wild lost for the first time in regulation in 11 games (9-1-1) thanks to an inspired 6-2 win by the Nashville Predators. With the win, the Predators remain in the top Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. Ryan Johansen (C) scored his first career hat-trick to lead the way and has 18 points (7G / 11A) in his last 17 games. Johansen now has 20 goals for the first time since the 2014-15 season. Roman Josi (D – 1G / 2A) and Filip Forsberg (LW – 0G / 3A) both had three points to continue hot runs of their own. Josi was held pointless in back-to-back games before Tuesday but still has 31 points (5G / 26A) in his last 16 games. Forsberg has 24 points (11G / 13A) in his last 13 games and has now reached the 70-point mark (38G / 32A) for the first time in his career.

Marc-Andre Fleury (G) allowed five goals on 32 shots and registered his first loss as a member of the Wild (3-1-0). He had only allowed four goals total in his previous three games.

Stars win, move back into playoffs

The Dallas Stars moved back into the second Wild Card position with a 4-3 win over the New York Islanders, effectively ending the Islanders’ slim playoff hopes. Tyler Seguin (C, RW) scored his 20th goal of the season and has five points (1G / 4A) in his last four games. Seguin has now scored 20 goals or more in eight of his 12 NHL seasons. John Klingberg (D) recorded an assist in the win and ranks second among all defensemen with 15 points (4G / 11A) in his last 15 games. The Stars’ powerplay woes continued as they went 0 for 2 and have only scored once in 18 opportunities in their last seven games (5-2-0). Brock Nelson (C) scored in the loss for the Islanders and ranks second amongst all players since March 5th with 14 goals in 18 games.

Anderson betters Andersen

Craig Anderson (G) made 32 saves on 34 shots as the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2. Anderson is 6-1-2 with a .906 SV% in his last nine games. Meanwhile, Frederik Andersen (G) allowed four goals on 22 shots to give him two consecutive games with a sub-.845 SV% (0-2-0). Victor Olofsson (LW, RW) led the Sabres with two points (1G / 1A) and has seven points (4G / 3A) in his last five games.

Avalanche hit 50 wins, clinch playoff spot

For the second time in as many games, the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Avalanche became the first team to record 50 wins this season and the second team to clinch a playoff spot, the first in the Western Conference. Darcy Kuemper (G) made 41 saves on 45 shots in the 6-4 victory and is 3-0-0 with a .963 SV% in his last three games where he has faced 45 or more shots, all in the last month. Mikko Rantanen (C, RW) had two assists and extended his point streak to six games (4G / 5A / 9PTS). Artturi Lehkonen (LW, RW) scored a goal into the empty net, his first point in four games as a member of the Avalanche. Sidney Crosby (C) was held off the scoresheet for only the third time in his last 20 games (12G / 14A / 26PTS).

Top line stays hot for Senators

The Ottawa Senators’ top line of Brady Tkachuk (LW), Josh Norris (C), and Mathieu Joseph (C, LW, RW) all continued their high-level production in a 6-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens. Tkachuk led the way with three points (1G / 2A) to give him eight points (4G / 4A) in his last six games. Norris had two assists to extend his point streak to six games (4G / 5A / 9PTS). Joseph also had two assists to give him a whopping nine points in his last three games (3G / 6A). The Senators have now won three straight games for the second time this season.

Kreider scores again for Rangers

The New Jersey Devils played their first game without Jack Hughes (C, LW) after it was announced he will miss the remainder of the season, and lost 3-1 to the New York Rangers. Chris Kreider (LW, RW) had two points (1G / 1A), including the game-winning goal, to give him 47 goals on the season. Kreider leads the league with 25 powerplay goals and has 11 points (6G / 5A) in his last eight games.

McDavid caps off Oilers’ comeback

The Edmonton Oilers trailed the San Jose Sharks 1-0 for the majority of the game until Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (C, LW) scored a shorthanded goal late in the third period to tie the game and eventually send it to overtime. Mike Smith (G) appeared the be hurt late in the third period but fought it off and remained in the game, eventually making a terrific heads-up play to spring Connor McDavid (C) for a breakaway goal to win the game in overtime. McDavid extended his point streak to 14 games (12G / 15A / 27PTS). Smith made 31 saves on 32 shots and improved to 5-1-1 with a .921 SV% in his last seven games.

Other News and Notes

Injury Report

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