NHL Rink Wrap: Marner rages on; Matthews reaches 30 before injury scare

During the NHL action on Monday, player of the night candidates waxed and waned. Auston Matthews scored two goals to reach 30+, but there were scares after he left with an injury. Anthony DeAngelo collected two points, while Frederik Andersen looked like he might help beat his former teammates.

You could even make a feel-good argument for Matt Murray stopping 32 out of 33 shots for a win in 2022.

Eventually, Mitch Marner emerged as the clear player of the night for Monday in the NHL (just two games).

Marner scored the goal to send Hurricanes – Maple Leafs to overtime, then scored the overtime game-winner. He also collected an assist, so it was a three-point night for Marner, who reached 40 points in 34 games overall.

Most impressively, Marner’s now on a five game multi-point streak (7G, 7A). Marner’s on an eight-game point and goal streak (10G, 9A for 19 points in 8 GP). He’s scored multiple points in seven of eight contests. Goodness.

We have a tie game at Scotiabank Arena, thanks to @Marner93 and his eighth straight contest with a goal. #NHLStats: https://t.co/CpP1Jj4ab0 pic.twitter.com/iEXh24kUcI

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 8, 2022

Two strong NHL teams battled it out on Monday, as the Maple Leafs hosted the Hurricanes in front of a condensed Canadian crowd. (You might have heard Gary Bettman complaining about that.)

If this was a playoff preview for the Hurricanes and Maple Leafs, then fans are in for a treat:

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When the Devils play the Senators, are the highlights for the winners, or the losers?

With Monday representing something of a soft return to NHL action (Senators – Devils, Maple Leafs – Hurricanes being the only games played), there were some injury and COVID updates out of the break for 2022 NHL