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  • April 11th, 2019 — News and Notes

    April 11th, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Thursday, April 11th, 2019 and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were five contests yesterday in action for the first day of Stanley Cup Playoff action.

     

    TXHT is going to have all of your coverage and you will our coverage in the games below.

     

    NEW YORK ISLANDERS 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT) (New York Islanders lead the series 1-0)

    The New York Islanders would take Game 1 in this contest by downing the Pittsburgh Penguins by the score of 4-3 in overtime, thanks to Josh Bailey scoring the game winner at the 4:39 mark in overtime.

     

    Game 2 takes place Friday night at 7:30 p.m., ET, when the Islanders will look to take the 2-0 series lead.

     

    TXHT’s Christopher Vasilas has your full recap of the contest at the following page.

     

    Columbus 4, TAMPA BAY 3 (Columbus leads the series 1-0)

     

    The Columbus Blue Jackets would take Game 1 from the Tampa Bay Lightning after being down 3-0 at the end of the first period, winning the contest by the score of 4-3.

     

    Columbus looks to take the 2-0 series lead Friday night in Tampa.

     

    TXHT’s Russell Hartman has your full coverage of Game 1 at the following page.

     

    St. Louis 2, WINNIPEG 1  (St. Louis leads the series 1-0)

     

    In a hard fought contest, the St. Louis Blues would take the home-ice advantage, downing the Winnipeg jets by the score of 2-1.  The St. Louis Blues lead the series 1-0.

     

    The St. Louis Blues will look to take the 2-0 series lead when the two teams face off for Game 2 on Friday night.

     

    TXHT’s Aryan Weisenfeld has your coverage of the contest between the St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets at the following page.

     

    Dallas 3, NASHVILLE 2 (Dallas leads the series 1-0)

     

    The Dallas Stars would take Game 1 from the Nashville Predators with the 3-2 win.  Dallas’ defenceman Miro Heiskanen would score two of the Stars goals in the contest, after being down 1-0 early in the contest.

     

    Mats Zuccarello would go on to score his first postseason goal as a member of the Dallas Stars organisation and Nashville’s defenceman P.K. Subban would bring Nashville within a goal but Nashville could not tie the game late in the third period.

     

    Dallas looks to take the 2-0 series lead when the two teams face off Saturday night at 6 p.m., ET.

     

    TXHT’s Dickson Kendrick has your full coverage of the contest at the following page.

     

    SAN JOSE 5, Vegas 2 (San Jose leads the series 1-0)

     

    The San Jose Sharks would get five goals past Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to down the Vegas Golden Knights by the score of 5-2.

     

    Five different goal scorers in total emerged in the contest on the Sharks side whereas Mark Stone would register the only two goals for the Golden Knights.

     

    TXHT’s Michael Lindenbaum has your full recap of the contest at the following page.

     

    Today there are three games in Stanley Cup Playoff action…

     


    *Image is the property of the NHL, NHL Public Relations, and their respective owners

     

    TXHT will have your full previews and gameday recaps of all three contests so make sure to stay tuned for all of your Stanley Cup playoff coverage.

  • 2019 NHL Playoffs – 1st Round Preview – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    2019 NHL Playoffs – 1st Round Preview – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Carolina Hurricanes (46-29-7 99pts) v. Washington Capitals (48-26-8 104pts)

     

    Regular Season Series:

    CAR: 0-3-1

    WAS: 4-0-0

     

    Preview:

    For the first time in both franchise’s history, the Washington Capitals will face the Carolina Huuricanes in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For the Capitals they will be looking to defend the title as Stanley Cup Champions and are looking to this series as the beginning of their championship defense.

     

    Meanwhile for the Hurricanes, they will be participating in the playoffs for the first time since 2009. The Hurricanes will be looking to replicate past successes when the team has made it into the playoffs, and view the Capitals as a solid test as to what they are made of going into this playoff run.

     

    Offense:

    For the Hurricanes they had five 20 goal scorers with only one of them hitting the 30 goal mark and that being Sebastian Aho. Compare this to the Capitals who have seven 20 goal scorers, with one 50 goal scorer in Alex Ovechkin, the Capitals are a bit deeper than the Hurricanes are in regards to scoring depth, but it will be a matter of sysytems that will dictate how much scoring will happen in this series.

     

    Defense:

    For defense, both teams will be looking to play responsible hockey in both the neutral zone and in their own zones. The last two games these two had against eachother, both teams played defensively responsible, but it would the Capitals high powered offense eventually pushing through for victories in both games.

     

    Key players that both teams will be looking to to have an impact in these playoffs will be Dougie Hamilton and Justin Faulk for the Hurricanes, and John Carlson for the Capitals. With Michal Kempny out until next season, the Capitals will be looking to both Christian Djoos and Jonas Siegenthaler to step up in Kempny’s absence.

     

    Goaltending:

    For the Capitals, Braden Holtby will be tasked once again to carry the Capitals to the promised land. This time though Holtby will be starting the series instead of his backup like last postseason.

     

    For the Hurricanes, they have a one-two punch in Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney. While Mrazek is slated to be the starting goalie for this series, McElhinney can steal some games if called upon.

     

    Special Teams:

    CAR Powerplay: 17.8% 20th Overall

    WAS Powerplay: 20.8% 12th Overall

    The 2018-19 season was a dip in the Capitals powerplay, despite a hot start to the season. However, the Capitals were able to remain consistent throughout the season despite drought spurts.

     

    For the Hurricanes they were right around everyone expected them to be this season despite the dangerous duo of Aho and Teuvo Teravainen.

     

    CAR Penalty Kill: 81.6% 8th Overall

    WAS Penalty Kill: 78.9% 24th Overall

    This season under first time head coach Rod Brind’Amour, the Hurricanes were able to improve on their penalty kill, and the use of both Aho and Teravainen brought speed to the penalty kill unit.

     

    However, for the Capitals they dropped excessively this season after the departure of Barry Trotz and Lane Lambert. Also the loss of Jay Beagle during the offseason took away one of their biggest faceoff threats. The Capitals can get hot with their penalty killing as we have seen at times this season, but they need it to be consistent throughout the entire series and playoffs.

     

    Prediction: WAS in 6

  • 2019 NHL Playoffs – 1st Round Preview – Toronto Maple Leafs v. Boston Bruins

    2019 NHL Playoffs – 1st Round Preview – Toronto Maple Leafs v. Boston Bruins

    Matchup:

    Toronto Maple Leafs (46-28-8, 3rd in Atlantic) vs Boston Bruins (49-24-9, 2nd in Atlantic)

    Regular Season Series: 3 – 1 Boston with 16 goals scored and 1-3 for Toronto with 10 goals scored

    Outlook:

    Boston:

    The Bruins walk into a very familiar situation where they have had extraordinary results. This being the 3rd time in the last 4 seasons the Bruins and the Leafs have met in the 1st round of the playoffs, with the Bruins taking 2 of the 3 so far in 7 games – one of which is the heartbreaking 3 goal collapse in the 3rd period. The Bruins look to keep things that way and not allow the Leafs to gain any momentum.

    Leafs:

    The Leafs, on the other hand, are looking to get over the 1st round playoff hump for the first time since 2004 and the beating the Bruins would be the best way to do it. But the Leafs went 1-3 against the Bruins in the season surrendering 16 goals, averaging 34 shots a game and going 3/8 on the Powerplay, which 37.5%. The Leafs bring a lot of new faces into this matchup or a lot of guys who have some experience this season. Players like Kasperi Kapanen, Andreas Johnsson, Jake Muzzin, Frederik Gauthier, John Tavares, and Trevor Moore all either have seasoned a bit and become an integral part of the core or are veterans who will play massive roles in the success or detriment of this team.

    Game Changers:

    Brad Marchand – Marchand tallied 100 points for the first time in his career this season and he looks better than ever. His ability to annoy and put tremendous amounts of points make him the perfect playoff player. He will be one of the players to watch in this post-season and if the Leafs don’t find a way to contain Marchand, they may be watching the second round of the playoffs from home.

    Auston Matthews – Matthews missed 14 games with a shoulder injury and yet still was able to total 73 points and score 37 goals. But last year in the playoffs he went dry and this is the reason why he is being chosen as a game changer. When Matthews is on his game and dangerous, the Leafs can roll out 3 lines that can score and with the arrival of Tavares some eyes might be taken off of Matthews and put on the Tavares, Marner, Hyman line. If Matthews brings his game this series turns interesting and could see the Bruins watching the second round of the playoffs from their couches.

    Advantage Overview:

    Goaltenders:

    Boston

    Tuukka Rask started the season off very low and seemingly lost the number 1 spot to backup goaltender Jaroslav Halak. But after a 19 game point streak where he truly regained his form, there were no more questions. Rask finished 27-12-5, with a 2.42 GAA and .912 save percentage. While Halak put in a solid effort when called upon to hold down the fort, finishing 22-11-4 with a 2.34 GAA and .922 save percentage.

    Toronto

    This is a far cry from the Leafs goaltending. In fact, the exact opposite. Frederik Andersen started the season on fire and was just about in every conversation that had the name Vezina in it. But Andersen struggled heavily in March and April adding some serious question marks to the crease, especially considering the struggles backup netminder Garret Sparks has had – Eventually being sent away from the team – Michael Hutchinson will serve as Andersen’s backup. Andersen still managed to finish with pretty good numbers.  Andersen finished 36-16-7, with a 2.77 GAA and .917 save percentage.

    Advantage: Goaltending overall goes to Boston with Halak and Rask. But If we’re talking head to head Andersen vs Rask, it comes down to which Andersen shows up.

    Forwards:

    Boston

    The Bruins are top line heavy after that players drop off considerably. The Bruins have Krecji who has had a revolving door of wingers this season. But rely heavily on that top line and it’s not to say that others are bad players they just aren’t on the level of reliance or scoring ability as Pastrnak, Marchand and Bergeron. Scoring significantly tales off after the top line for the Bruins but their style of hockey is conducive to that.

    Toronto 

    The Leafs, on the other hand, are three lines deep of scoring. One of the highest scoring teams in the league during the regular season. The question on the Bruins mind must be who do we defend the most Tavares/Marner/Hyman or Matthews/Kapanen/Johnsson – all 20 or more goal scorers.

    Advantage – Leafs, because there offense is deadly, especially if the powerplay is working and it did versus the Bruins all season.

    Defense:

    Boston 

    Bruins have a good defense especially if you’re talking on the defensive side of the game. Offensively not the best but defensively one of the top defenses in the League. Anchored by Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy, through Torey Krug and Kevan Miller, then the 3 remaining in  Matt Grezelcyk,  Brandon Carlo and John Moore.

    Toronto

    The Leafs have struggled defensively but look to turn the tides in the playoffs. Having all hands on deck for the first time in over a month will help with the defensive play for sure. Anchored by Morgan Rielly and Ron Hainsey, through Jake Muzzin and Nikita Zaitsev and down to the X-factors on the Leafs defense Jake Gardiner and Travis Dermott. Those 2 will be the factors on how well the Leafs defense play.

    Advantage – Boston

     

    Projected Lineups

    Bruins 

    Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — David Pastrnak

    Jake DeBrusk — David Krejci — Marcus Johansson

    Danton Heinen — Charlie Coyle — Chris Wagner

    David Backes — Joakim Nordstrom — Noel Acciari

    Zdeno Chara — Charlie McAvoy

    Brandon Carlo — Torey Krug

    Matt Grzelcyk — Kevan Miller

    Tuukka Rask

    Jaroslav Halak

    Scratched: Karson Kuhlman, Steven Kampfer, Connor Clifton

    Injuries: Sean Kuraly (shoulder) and John Moore (Upper-Body)

     

    Maple Leafs 

    Zach Hyman — John Tavares — Mitchell Marner

    Andreas Johnsson — Auston Matthews — William Nylander

    Patrick Marleau — Nazem Kadri — Kasperi Kapanen

    Trevor Moore — Frederik Gauthier — Connor Brown

    Ron Hainsey — Morgan Rielly

    Nikita Zaitsev — Jake Muzzin

    Jake Gardiner — Travis Dermott

    Frederik Andersen

    Michael Hutchinson

    Scratched: Calle Rosen, Tyler Ennis, Nic Petan

    Injuries: None

     

    Winning Scenarios:

    1. Bruins win if the top line of Pastrnak, Marchand, and Bergeron can how the same ability to tear the Leafs defense apart again this year.
    2. The Leafs win if Frederik Andersen comes back to form and gives the Leafs some much needed solid goaltending.

    Final Thought/ Numbers:

    Boston has allowed the 3rd lowest goals against in the league this year with a 2.59 per game. Only behind the Islander (2.33) and Stars (2.44). This will be the test for Toronto who is 4th best in goals for in the league, which sits 3.49 per game.

    Frederik Andersen sat at 2.56 GAA and .924 save percentage through 50 games. But in his last 9, allowed 3.85 goals per game with an .878 save percentage.

     

     

     

  • Gameday Recap: Nashville Predators vs. Dallas Stars (First Round: Game 1)

    Gameday Recap: Nashville Predators vs. Dallas Stars (First Round: Game 1)

     

    Game Recap:  In Game 1 of this Western Conference First Round Match-up between the Nashville Predators and the Dallas Stars the first half of the first period would end up being a feel out process for both teams.  A strong showing would be shown during the contest however there would be a hard but clean hit by Nashville’s Brian Boyle to Dallas’ Jason Dickinson.  With that hit, Dickinson would have to go into the concussion protocol.  The rest of the first period would be a tough battle with both teams fighting strong for possession of the puck.  Roman Josi would score at the 12:12 mark in the period to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.

    In the second period, it would be a hard hitting period with good hits being thrown by both squads.  Midway through the period, Dickinson would return to the ice after the Boyle hit earlier in the contest.  Nashville would also spend a lot of this period trying to get shots off but were unsuccessful in making any of that happen.  Rinne would have a brilliant save to prevent the Stars from making it a 2-1 lead, with less than five minutes left in the period with Nick Bonino clearing the puck.  Look for both teams going into the third period to finish off strong as this has been a big defensive battle, despite the penalties that were taken in this period.

    When Miro Heiskanen scored for Dallas to make it a tie game, he would become the youngest defenceman in franchise history to register a postseason goal.

    In the third period, it would be a slow start before Heiskanen would score his second goal in the game at the 6:10 mark to give the Stars their first lead in the game, leading 2-1.  A few minutes later, Mats Zuccarello would score his first postseason goal as a member of the Stars organization at the 10:39 mark.  Predators defenceman P.K. Subban would bring the game to within a goal with his goal at the 13:24 mark and then Mattias Janmark would get called for a holding penalty at the 15:08 mark to give Nashville a much needed chance to score on a critical power play.  Nashville would pull Rinne with five seconds left in the power play, but after several great chances to tie the game at 3 a piece, Nashville would fall to Dallas.

    The Dallas Stars would escape with the win, winning 3-2, and would take the home-ice advantage away from Nashville.  Nashville will look to even out the series on Saturday.  Game 2 will take place at 6 p.m., ET and I will have your full coverage of the contest.

     

    First Period:

     

    Dallas Penalty:  Mattias Janmark for Slashing —  2 min minor  —  8:51

     

    Nashville Goal:  Roman Josi (1) assisted by Ryan Ellis (1) and Nick Bonino (1)  —  12:12

     

    Nashville Penalty:  Brian Boyle for Hooking —  2 min minor  —  14:13

     

    End of 1st – DAL – 0       NSH – 1

    Shots              09                12

    Faceoffs         07                10

    Hits               06                  14

    PP                 0/1                 0/1

     

     

    Second Period:

     

    Nashville Penalty: Colton Sissons for Goaltender Interference —  2 min minor  —  3:18

     

    Dallas Penalty:  Ben Bishop for Embellishment (served by Mats Zuccarello) —  2 min minor  —  3:18

     

    Dallas Penalty:  John Klingberg for Roughing  —  2 min minor —  8:08

     

    Nashville Penalty:  Colton Sissons for Holding  —  2 min minor  —  11:10

     

    Dallas PPG:  Miro Heiskanen (1) unassisted  —  12:37

     

     

    Dallas Penalty:  Roman Polak for Tripping  —  2 min minor  —  15:30

     

    Nashville Penalty: Kyle Turris for Interference  —  2 min minor  —  17:16

     

     

    End of 2nd – DAL – 1       NSH – 1

    Shots              19                17

    Faceoffs         13               20

    Hits               11                  19

    PP                 1/3                 0/3

     

     

    Third Period:

     

    Dallas Goal:  Miro Heiskanen (2) assisted by John Klingberg (1)  —  6:10

     

     

    Dallas Goal:  Mats Zuccarello (1) assisted by Ben Lovejoy (1) and Jamie Benn (1)  —  10:39

     

     

    Nashville Goal:  P.K. Subban (1) assisted by Brian Boyle (1) and Mattias Ekholm (1)  —  13:24

     

    Dallas Penalty:  Mattias Janmark for Holding  —  2 min minor  —  15:08

     

    End of 3rd – DAL – 3       NSH – 2

    Shots              29                32

    Faceoffs         00                00

    Hits               14                  00

    PP                 1/3                 0/4

     

     

    Nashville Predators Lines and Defensive Pairings:

    Filip Forsberg-Ryan Johansen-Viktor Arvidsson

    Mikael Granlund-Kyle Turris-Craig Smith

    Colton Sissons-Nick Bonino-Austin Watson

    Brian Boyle-Calle Jarnkrok-Wayne Simmonds

    Roman Josi-Ryan Ellis

    Mattias Ekholm-P.K. Subban

    Dan Hamhuis-Dante Fabbro

    Pekka Rinne

    Juusa Saros

    Injured: Rocco Grimaldi (upper body)

    Scratched: Matt Irwin, Yannick Weber, Rem Pitlick, Zac Rinaldo, Miikka Salomaki, Cody McLeod, Frederick Gaudreau, Niclas Westerholm

     

    Dallas Stars Lines and Defensive Pairings:

    Jason Dickinson-Tyler Seguin-Alexander Radulov

    Jamie Benn-Roope Hintz-Mats Zuccarello

    Andrew Cogliano-Radek Faksa-Blake Comeau

    Mattias Janmark-Justin Dowling-Tyler Pitlick

    Esa Lindell-John Klingberg

    Miro Heiskanen-Roman Polak

    Taylor Fedun-Ben Lovejoy

    Ben Bishop

    Anton Khudobin

    Injuries: Stephen Johns (upper body), Marc Methot (lower body), Martin Hanzal (back), Brett Ritchie (hand)

    Scratched: Julius Honka, Jason Spezza, Jamie Oleksiak, Valeri Nichushkin

  • AwesomeMania – 4/9/2019 – Post Mania Madness *18+ Podcast*

    AwesomeMania – 4/9/2019 – Post Mania Madness *18+ Podcast*

    Welcome to AwesomeMania!!

    Twitch Version:

    https://www.twitch.tv/videos/408812360

     
    This week on AwesomeMania Ben and Michael talk recap NXT Takeover: New York, G1 Supercard, WWE Hall of Fame, and WrestleMania.

     

    This week’s episode was recorded on Tuesday, April 9th, 2019

    Have a question you want answered on the show? Ask us! Comment on here or on one of our Social Media outlets, and we’ll answer it.

  • 2019 NHL Playoffs – 1st Round Preview – Vegas Golden Knights v. San Jose Sharks

    2019 NHL Playoffs – 1st Round Preview – Vegas Golden Knights v. San Jose Sharks

    Vegas Golden Knights (43-32-7 93pts) v. San Jose Sharks (46-27-9 101pts)

     

    Regular Season Series:

    VGK 2-1-1

    SJ 2-2-0

     

    Preview:

    For the second time in franchise history, the Vegas Golden Knights will be taking on the San Jose Sharks in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Last season these two teams met in the Western Conference Second Round which saw the Golden Knights defeat the Sharks in six games.

     

    Offense:

    For the Knights, they took a step back this season compared to last as they lost key veteran forwards James Neal and David Perron to free agency, however, they would pick up forward Paul Stastny via free agency and forward Max Pacioretty via trade with the Montreal Canadiens during the offseason. Also William Karlsson scored 24 goals this season compared to last season’s career high of 43. The Trade Deadline acquisition of forward Mark Stone from the Ottawa Senators gives the Knights a solid scoring threat going into these playoffs.

     

    For the Sharks Evander Kane did not disappoint in his first full season with the team. Netting 30 goals and becoming a vital part of the powerplay, Kane is ready for a deeper run with the Sharks this postseason. Also Joe Pavelski had himself a solid 38 goal season, and is looking to step up and continue to help lead the Sharks in the playoffs.

     

    Defense:

    On defense for the Golden Knights having Nate Schmidt in the lineup is vital for the team. Vegas went 8-11-1 during his 20 game suspension, but once Schmidt got reinserted into their lineup the Knights would turn it around and go 11-3-1 in their first 15 games with Schmidt in the lineup. Plus the continued growth of Colin Miller and Shea Theodore have helped greatly during this season.

     

    On defense the Sharks went for broke when they traded for All Star Erik Karlsson during the offseason. Him along with fellow All Star Brent Burns will be looked upon to bring the offence from the blue line. However, one has to wonder about the health of Karlsson as he has missed a lot of time due to a groin injury.

     

    Goaltending:

    For Vegas they have Marc-Andre Fleury who was the driving force for the Golden Knights run to the Stanley Cup Finals last year. Fleury, who is a three time Stanley Cup champion, knows what it takes to win in the playoffs and this will be his third time facing off against the Sharks in the playoffs.

     

    For the Sharks they have Martin Jones who will be hoping that the third time is the charm for him in his head to head battle with Fleury. Jones has proven that he is a reliable goalie taking them to their lone Stanley Cup Finals appearance in which they lost in six games to Fleury and the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016.

     

    Special Teams:

    VGK Powerplay – 16.8% 25th Overall

    SJ Powerplay – 23.6% 6th Overall

    Going into the playoffs the Sharks have the advantage over the Knights in regards to the powerplay. With threats like Karlsson, Burns, Joe Thornton amongst others, the edge is in the Sharks favor.

     

    VGK Penalty Kill – 80.9% Tied 12th Overall

    SJ Penalty Kill – 80.8% 15th Overall

    For the penalty kill, both teams are very even with eachother. If the Sharks dominate powerplay can overpower the Knights penalty killers then this will be the difference maker between the two teams.

     

    Prediction: SJ in Six Games

  • 2019 NHL Playoffs – 1st Round Preview – Dallas Stars v. Nashville Predators

    2019 NHL Playoffs – 1st Round Preview – Dallas Stars v. Nashville Predators

    Today we are going to take a look at the First Round match-up between the Nashville Predators and the Dallas Stars

     

    How We Got Here:

    The Nashville Predators come into this series winning the Central Division, with a record of 47-29-6 (100 pts) and the Dallas Stars getting the first wild card spot in the Western Conference with a record of 43-32-7.

    In the five match-ups between the two teams this season, the Nashville Predators had a record of 3-2-0 with the Dallas Stars having a record of 2-1-2.

     

    The Season Overview:

    While the Nashville Predators were not as dominant as the were last year when they won the President’s Trophy with the NHL’s best record, Nashville would win the Central Division again this season.

    Nashville did have the injury bug hit them during the season with defenceman P.K. Subban missing 19 games with an upper body injury and forward Viktor Arvidsson missing 21 games with a thumb injury, the Predators would finish off the season strong, going 8-2-1 in the teams final games.  Forward Filip Forsberg would also miss 17 games with an upper body injury during the season as well.

    For the Dallas Stars, they did everything they could to hold off the Colorado Avalanche from getting the top wild card spot by winning five of their last seven contests (5-1-1).

    On the defensive side of the puck, the Stars allowed the second fewest goals against per game (2.44) and in doing so goaltenders Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin were in the mix for the William M. Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals allowed until the latter part of the season.

     

    Game Changers:

    Nashville:  While Filip Forsberg was not the top point scorer this season, Forsberg still brings on a high energy to the team and will look to break out during this matchup.  Forsberg also had a few highlight-reel goals during the 2018 playoffs and will look to add to his post-season point total with 42 points (22 goals and 20 assists) in the 55 Stanley Cup Playoff games that he has played thus far.

    Dallas:  Mats Zuccarello was acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers on February 23rd for a conditional second round 2019 draft pick and a conditional third round 2020 NHL Draft pick, but Zuccarello has not played a full game for the team.  However, when Zuccarello has been in action, he has looked good, scoring three points (one goal, two assists) in two games, and has 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) in 60 NHL playoff games.

    Advantage:  Nashville

     

    Goaltenders:

    Nashville: Pekka Rinne, once again, had an excellent season by going 30-19-4 with a GAA of 2.42 and a .918 save percentage.  Rinne will look to have solid back-up in the net with Jusse Saros.  Saros had a good season as the back-up, going 17-10-4 with a 2.62 GAA and a .915 save percentage.

    Dallas:  Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin had a great season teaming up in net, coming close to winning the William M. Jennings trophy, given to the goaltenders for allowing the fewest goals during the regular season, until they would fall toward the end of the season.  Bishop had a record of 27-15-2 with a 1.98 GAA and an NHL best save percentage of .934.  Bishop would also miss 16 games during the season due to injuries, but he will look to be 100% healthy during the postseason.  Backup goaltender Anton Khudobin would go on to have a record of 16-17-5 with a 2.57 GAA and a .923 save percentage with two shutouts.

    Advantage: Even

     

    The Teams Will Win If:

    Nashville:  The special teams come out strong after finishing in last place on the power play with a 12.9% and keep the Stars from scoring.  The Predators had a strong Penalty Kill, ranking sixth in the NHL with a 82.1% percentage on the PK.

    Dallas:  The Stars will win if they can get firepower scoring to match up with the goaltending during the season.  Dallas finished 29th in the NHL with 2.55 goals per game and will look to improve and come out scoring early and often against a strong goaltender in Pekka Rinne.

     

    Series Prediction: Nashville in 6

     

    First Round Schedule is as follows (times are in ET):

    Wednesday, April 10, 9:30 p.m.: Dallas Stars @ Nashville Predators | USA, SN1, TVA Sports

    Saturday, April 13, 6 p.m.: Dallas Stars @ Nashville Predators | CNBC, SN, TVA Sports

    Monday, April 15, 9:30 p.m.: Nashville Predators @ Dallas Stars| NBCSN, SN, TVA Sports

    Wednesday, April 17, 8 p.m. Nashville Predators @ Dallas Stars| USA, SN, TVA Sports

    *Saturday, April 20, TBD: Dallas Stars @ Nashville Predators | TBD

    *Monday, April 22, TBD: Nashville Predators @ Dallas Stars| TBD

    *Wednesday, April 24, TBD: Dallas Stars @ Nashville Predators | TBD
    *-if necessary

     

     

  • NHL Draft Lottery Results are in…..

    NHL Draft Lottery Results are in…..

    One of the biggest events of the season the NHL Draft Lottery has taken place tonight and it added a little drama to the night for the Ottawa Senators as they eagerly awaited to see if they traded away the #1 overall draft pick to the Colorado Avalanche as a part of the Matt Duchene deal. Well, they don’t need to wait any longer the results are in and they look like this…

    15th – Montreal Canadiens

    14th – Arizona Coyotes

    13th – Florida Panthers

    12th – Minnesota Wild (Down 1 Spot)

    11th – Philadelphia Flyers (Down 1 Spot)

    10th – Vancouver Canucks (Down 1 Spot)

    9th – Anaheim Ducks (Down 1 Spot)

    8th – Edmonton Oilers (Down 1 Spot)

    7th – Buffalo Sabres (Down 2 Spots)

    6th – New York Rangers (Down 2 Spots)

    5th – LA Kings (Down 3 Spots)

    4th – Colorado Avalanche (Down 3 Spots)

    3rd – Chicago Blackhawks (were 12th)

    2nd – New York Rangers (were 6th)

    1st – New Jersey Devils (were 3rd)

    So there you have it the NHL draft has an amazing outcome and the AVS and the Kings drop out of the top 3 and the Hawks and Rangers Jump in.

     

  • NHL Suspends Slava Voynov for 2019-20 Season and Entire 2020 Playoffs

    In breaking news, it was announced today that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has suspended defenseman Slava Voynov for the entire 2019-20 NHL season, as well as the entire 2020 NHL Playoffs for his Domestic Violence charges back in 2014.

     

    Voynov, who was suspended indefinitely back on October 20th, 2014, was charged with a felony charge of corporal injury to a spouse. While his wife defended him, Voynov would plead no contest to the charges and serve 90 days in jail and 3 years on probabtion. However, the conviction was expunged from his record thus opening the door for his potential return to the NHL.

     

    In Bettman’s statement announcing Voynov’s year long suspension, he had the following to say:

    IMG_20190409_162919

     

    Now many will want to compare this case to that of Auston Watson’s from earlier this season, but the two are completely separate cases. While what Watson did is wrong, the initial 27 game suspension was correct for him and his actions. For Voynov, we are talking about an individual who beat his wife bloodly and had her hospitalized. Voynov has been gone now for five seasons, and with this new suspension, will be banned from the League for a total of six years.

     

    While I agree with the notion that Voynov should never play in the NHL ever again, when you look at this punishment that totals 6 years of his NHL career gone because of his actions, I’m ok with this being a one year suspension.

     

    Now with that said there are some serious questions that need to be asked, and the first one that comes to everyone’s mind is will this be appealed? We’ve seen two suspensions shortened this season for Watson and Tom Wilson, but will we see one for Voynov? This is a very unprecedented event taking place, and the only thing I can think of that is remotely close to this is back in 2000 when Marty McSorley was suspended for his assault on Donald Brashear during a game that brought criminal charges. However, once McSorley’s suspension was doled out it effectively ended his career as he was nearing retirement at the time of his transgressions. If we get an appeal, it will be one of the most interesting cases that we will have upon us, but at this point and given the situation, an appeal should not be entertained.

     

    Another question that is being asked is should any teams entertain the thought of signing Voynov? As mentioned earlier, Voynov will have been out of the NHL for 6 years come July 2020, and he has been playing in the KHL, but it’s not the same as playing in the NHL. Plus you have to look at any backlash that an organization may face just for even considering the notion of signing him.  It’s a very slippery slope for any team to appraoch.

     

    Lastly, a question that needs to be answered is will Voynov be allowed to play anywhere while he is suspended from the NHL for the 2019-20 season and playoffs? This is a very interesting topic, as normally when you are suspended you are not allowed to play, but Voynov is currently a free agent because of the Los Angeles Kings voiding his contract back in 2014. So will Voynov be allowed to play in say the American Hockey League or even back in Russia in the KHL? My assumption would be that he would not be allowed to play as he is in fact suspended, but only time will tell in that regard.

     

    In my humble and honest opinion I agree with the suspension that has been doled out here today by Gary Bettman. Six years is a very long time to be away from the League, and by the time July 1st, 2020 comes around interest in Voynov could die completely and he just goes away.

     

    Got any comments? Share away, but please do keep it civil.

  • TXHT Appearance! – Michael Lindenbaum joins Mike Jones on “Whatcha Playing”

    TXHT Appearance! – Michael Lindenbaum joins Mike Jones on “Whatcha Playing”

    TXHT is proud to announce that Michael Lindenbaum is on the latest episode of “Whatcha Playing” with Mike Jones of DC101.

     

    Michael and Mike talk about SoulCalibur VI, as well as some WWE and NHL gaming.

     

    You can listen to the episode here.

     

    TXHT would like to thank Mike Jones and DC101 for having Michael on “Whatcha Playing”.

     

    You can catch Michael and his gaming adventures on his returning Twitch show “X75 Unsanctioned” in the near future. Stay tuned for more details!