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  • Sweden: Impacting the Hockey World

    The impact of Sweden on Ice Hockey has been insurmountable. Players such as Mats Sundin, Peter Forsberg, Victor Hedman, Borje Salming, The Sedins and soo many more – I could go on with this list for days – have taken this game to a whole new level and continue to help it grow until this day.

    This article will contain a little background on how Sweden itself changed how we play hockey. Then how some individual players shaped aspects of the game.

    Swedish Hockey:

    A Swedish Hockey Player has been by many as a Hybrid player of sorts.  A strong two-way player who was disciplined in his game – rarely caught out of position, or caught taking penalties – and who was adaptable to any situation and style. A Swedish player possessed brilliant speed and stickhandling skills – which in turn usually meant playmaking skills – but the greatest skill of all that Swedish players possessed was their need to not be under the spotlight. Now there are exceptions to this just like everything else but this, for the most part, is considered a Swedish player. If you’ve ever watched hockey back in the ’60-’70s even earlier it was a lot about crash and bang – hit everything, play physical – but Sweden came in with this new blend of player who wasn’t as physical but could burn at both ends of the ice. Borje Salming a prime component of this, not overly physical but could skate and play amazing at both ends of the ice – you never knew where the puck was going with those puck handling skills.

    Borje Salming

    Borje Salming was one of the first European players to make an impact in the National Hockey League (NHL). His ability to play like a North American player – as they called it, with tenacity, grit, and brute – combined with his skills that made him truly an impactful Swedish player and NHL player – His hands, speed, and scoring ability – paved the way for many up and coming European players. Salming opened the doors for the many Europeans and would be forever remembered for his impact on the game when he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996.

    Nicklas Lidstrom

    Followed the Swedish hockey philosophy to a Tee. Lidstrom played in a very gritty time in the NHL and yet he played the game with finesse, amazing skating and vision, tremendous poise and most of all without being overly physical. Lidstrom used his stick well and would begin to pave the way for what would become the NEW style of NHL defencemen. Not overly physical, could skate and really knew how to use their sticks. Lidstrom would win 4 Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings and would show what all teams were looking for in player true LOYALTY.

    Peter Forsberg

    Forsberg became something that many NHL teams could quite fathom back in the day, today it’s normal for us to see – a Skilled Power Forward. Most Power Forwards were considered to be big, hard-hitting and scored the majority of their goals from in front of the net. Tomas Holmstrom comes to mind – another Swedish hockey player – But Forsberg was different in some senses, he wasn’t overly physical – he could play the body but Forsberg never went out of his way to take anyone out. Forsberg scored from the dirty areas but he could play a skills game and I mean out of this world skill, Forsberg would open up the doors for guys like James Van Riemsdyk, Rick Nash and many more. He would also show tremendous loyalty which seems to be a trait of Swedish players – Sundin, Backstrom, Lidstrom, Sedins etc.

    The Sedins – Henrik and Daniel

    One of a kind that’s all I can say when I hear these 2 names. Because they put on a clinic of skill for many many years. Their impact on Hockey was how they handled themselves on and off the ice. Never criticized anyone,  they let their game do the talking and gave it everything they had every night. Even when they played with Superstar Markus Naslund, their egos never got in the way, they let him take the spotlight and drowned into the background. The ultimate teammates. No one can take away what they brought to the game offensively, they meshed with anyone, it was like their goal. But how they impacted the game was with who they were. True sportsman. Amazing teammate and a legacy of so much skill.

    Henrik “King” Lundqvist

    Lundqvist is a winner, Yeah you will say he hasn’t won a cup. Sure, say go ahead. Problem is that he is the winningest European Goaltender in NHL history. The Rangers haven’t had the greatest of teams but with Lundqvist, you always knew you were getting a chance to win. His nickname King is because he came in and took over New York with his game, his humility and how he would always find ways to win. Lundqvist impacted the NHL by his goalie style one of the first goaltenders ever to master the art of my goalie techniques and use them all in different situations. Lundqvist is known as a butterfly goaltender by name with his strong positional play, but his athleticism and his ability to stop pucks from an upright position allowed him to mesh together many different techniques -Lundqvist at one time mixes, Butterfly, Standup, and aggressive unorthodoxy, for those who don’t know that  think Dominik Hasek. Nowadays you’ll find a lot of European Goalies who learn multiple styles in order to use in a game, this is the Lundqvist effect.

    So there you have it Sweden’s impact on the NHL and Hockey in general. Look out for the next segment of Impacting the Hockey World, when TXHT takes a look at Russia and hockey impacted the hockey world.

  • March 3rd, 2019 — News and Notes

    March 3rd, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Sunday, March 3rd, 2019, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were 10 games in NHL action yesterday. (Home team in italics)

    Edmonton 4, COLUMBUS 0

     

    LOS ANGELES 6, Chicago 3

    There would be six different scorers for the Los Angeles Kings last night in the 6-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks yesterday afternoon.

     

    BOSTON 1, New Jersey 0

    Boston Bruins Brad Marchand would score the lone goal in the contest with the goal at the 2:37 mark in the first period and he would be unsuccessful on registering the penalty shot in the first period at the 7:16 mark.

     

    TORONTO 5, Buffalo 2

    The Toronto Maple Leafs would have a convincing 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres last night in Toronto.  For Toronto, there would be five different goal scorers in the contest.

     

    TXHT has your coverage of the contest between the Maple Leafs and the Sabres at the following page.

    The Maple Leafs would also reach the 40 win plateau for the season in the fastest amount in the long and storied history of the franchise.

     

    Pittsburgh 5, MONTREAL 1

    The Pittsburgh Penguins would face off against the Montreal Canadiens last night and there would be four different goal scorers in the contest with Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel scoring two of the goals.

     

     

    TAMPA BAY 5, Ottawa 1

    The Tampa Bay Lightning would tie the League record for fewest games to get to the 50 win mark with Lightning’s 5-1 win over the Ottawa Senators last night.

     

    Carolina 4, FLORIDA 3 (OT)

    The Carolina Hurricanes would win their fifth straight game with the 4-3 win in overtime over the Florida Panthers.

    Carolina’s Sebastian Aho would become the first player in franchise history to score the game winner in three consecutive games.

     

    Dallas 4, ST LOUIS 1

     

     

    ARIZONA 3, Detroit 1

    In this contest, the Arizona Coyotes would take down the Detroit Red Wings with the 3-1 win and with the win, the Coyotes would win their sixth straight contest for the first time in seven seasons.

     

    This win streak at six games means it is also the last time the team reached the postseason in the 2011-12 season, when they would reach the Western Conference Final.

     

    Minnesota 4, CALGARY 2

    There would be four different goal scorers for the Minnesota Wild as they would take down the Calgary Flames with the 4-2 win at the Calgary Saddledome last night.

    In a pre-game ceremony, the Calgary Flames retired Jarome Iginla’s number 12 to the rafters.

     

    There are eight games in NHL action today.

     

    For more news, notes, information, and stats, you can see it at the following page.

    NWHL

    In NWHL action yesterday, the Minnesota Whitecaps would defeat the Boston Pride with the 2-1 win.    Minnesota’s Jonna Curtis would score the goal late to seal the win for the Whitecaps.  This would be a crucial contest for the NWHL playoff standings.

    Minnesota Whitecaps 2, BOSTON PRIDE 1

     

    Buffalo Beauts 5, CONNECTICUT WHALE 2

    The other NWHL contest yesterday pitted the Buffalo Beauts against the Connecticut Whale and the Beauts would come away with their seventh straight win with the 5-2 win.

    The Buffalo Beauts would open up the scoring with the games first five goals, with all five goals coming from different Beauts players.

    The contest would be a hard fought battle, with a fair share of penalties throughout the entire contest.

    There are two NWHL games today…

    The NWHL Twitter Game of the Week pits the Metropolitan Riveters against the Buffalo Beauts and that game will be available on the NWHL’s Twitter page at 3 p.m., ET.

    The other game today is the Minnesota Whitecaps facing off against the Connecticut Whale at 3 p.m., ET and that contest can be seen on the NWHL’s website at NWHL.zone.

    The playoff outlook for the NWHL playoffs will be determined at the conclusion of today’s game with the NWHL Isobel Cup Playoff schedule being announced tomorrow.

  • Buffalo Sabres vs Toronto Maple Leafs – 2/3/2019 – Game Recap

    Buffalo Sabres vs Toronto Maple Leafs – 2/3/2019 – Game Recap

    Buffalo Sabres (30-26-8 68pts) v. Toronto Maple Leafs (39-20-4 82pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Leafs have another big second period against the Buffalo Sabres. Martin Marincin and Nic Petan did not look out of place tonight and JT, Marner, and Matthews looked like they pulled it all together.

     

    Lineups:

    Toronto:

    Andreas Johnsson – Auston Matthews – Kasperi Kapanen

    Mitch Marner – John Tavares – Zach Hyman

    Patrick Marleau – Nazem Kadri – William Nylander

    Nic Petan – Frederik Gauthier – Trevor Moore

     

    Morgan Rielly  – Ron Hainsey

    Jake Muzzin – Nikita Zaitsev

    Martin Marincin – Igor Ozhiganov

     

    Frederik Andersen

    Garrett Sparks

     

    Scratched: none

    Injuries: Nathan Horton (Back), Jake Gardiner (Back) and Travis Dermott (Shoulder)

    Suspension: None

     

    Buffalo:

    Jeff Skinner – Jack Eichel– Sam Reinhart

    Conor Sheary – Evan Rodrigues –Kyle Okposo

    Scott Wilson – Casey Middlestadt– Tage Thompson

    Zemgus Girgensons – Johan Larsson– Jason Pominville

     

    Jake McCabe –Rasmus Ristolainen

    Rasmus Dahlin – Zach Bogosian

    Marco Scandella – Brandon Montour

     

    Linus Ullmark

    Carter Hutton

     

    Scratched: Matt Hunwick

    Injuries:  Vladimir Sabotka

    Suspension: None

    GameDay:

    First Period:

    Toronto Goal – 4:20 – John Tavares (37) assisted by Mitch Marner (54) and Martin Marincin (3)

    Buffalo Goal – 6:00 – Jason Pominville (15) assisted by Zemgus Girgensons (11) and Marco Scandella (7)

    Buffalo Goal – 7:34 – Conor Sheary (12) assisted by Kyle Okposo (14)

    Buffalo Penalty – 11:21 – Kyle Okposo, 2 minutes for Hooking

    Toronto Penalty – 14:08 – Mitch Marner, 2 minutes for Slashing

    Toronto Goal – 19:40 – Morgan Rielly (16) assisted by Auston Matthews (30) and Ron Hainsey (15)

    End of 1st – BUF – 0       TOR – 0

    Shots              10                16

    Faceoffs         5/14            9/14

    Hits               13                  9

    PP                 0/1                 0/1

    Second Period:

    Toronto Penalty – 11:40 – Kasperi Kapanen, 5 minutes for Fighting

    Buffalo Penalty – 11:40 – Evan Rodrigues, 5 minutes for Fighting

    Toronto Penalty – 12:00 – Brandon Montour, 2 minutes for Cross Checking

    Toronto Goal – 15:02 – Nic Petan (1) assisted by Trevor Moore (4)

    Toronto Goal – 19:05 – Nikita Zaitsev (3) assisted by Mitch Marner (55) and John Tavares (33)

     

    End of 2nd – BUF- 0        TOR- 0

    Shots             17                 23

    Faceoffs       10/29              19/29

    Hits                 18                  22

    PP                   0/1                 0/2

    Third Period:

    Toronto Penalty – 2:22 – John Tavares, 2 minutes for Hooking

    Toronto Goal – 18:03 – Mitch Marner (23) assisted by John Tavares (34) and Jake Muzzin (24)

    End of 3rd – BUF – 2         TOR- 5

    Shots              00                   00

    Faceoffs        00                    00

    Hits               00                     00

    PP                 0/0                    0/0

    Next Up:

    Toronto (40-20-4 84pts) v. Calgary (41-16-7 89pts)

    Edmonton (28-30-7 65pts) @ Buffalo (30-26-8 68pts)

  • Game Recap – 3/2/2019 – Liberty University v. Washington Pride

    Game Recap – 3/2/2019 – Liberty University v. Washington Pride

    Liberty University Flames v. Washington Pride

     

    Game Recap:

    In Women’s Hockey action tonight in Rockville, MD it was the Washington Pride hosting the Liberty University Flames at Rockville Ice Arena for Senior’s Night. Getting right into the game it wouldn’t take long for us to get some action as Alison Curry of the Pride would be called for Hooking, however, the Flames would not be able to take advantage of the early powerplay and then would take one themselves as Lexi Palmert would be called for tripping. The Pride could not capitalize on the opportunity, and not long after the penalty expired Rachel Gibson would score to give the Flames a 1-0 lead. After that things would get a bit chippy between both teams as the Flames would take back to back tripping penalties, but after failing to cash in their opportunities on the powerplay the Pride would then take back to back penalties for hooking and roughing respectively to end the period.

     

    Then in the second period the Pride would not do themselves any favors as Alexa Crist would go off for body checking (great hit too should we add. Good solid, clean hit), but the Flames still would not be able to capitalize on the powerplay. Shortly after Crist’s penalty expired the Pride would get a great sequence leading to Katelyn Brightbill scoring to tie the game at one a piece. After that goal the Flames would do a parade to  the penalty box with three straight penalties including a too many woman on the ice penalty. Unfortunately for the Pride they would not be able to cash in on any of those chances including the brief 5 on 3 that they had.

     

    For the third period with a fresh sheet of ice the Pride would get the jump on the Flames as Julia Blitz would rifle a shot to give the Pride a 2-1 lead. Then Kayelynn Heflin would be penalized for interference, but the Flames could not capitalize on the powerplay, but would score not long after to tie the game at two with Gibson’s second goal of the game. Then the choppiness would come back into this game as Deena Birney of the Flames and Mikaela Langbacka of the Pride would be involved in scuffle that would send Birney off for two minutes for cross checking, but Langbacka would get two for boarding and a ten minute misconduct thus ending her night. Then Danica Polson would score for the Flames to regain the lead, and then some more rough stuff would take place as Grace Macholz of the Flames and Curry from the Pride would both get two minutes each for roughing. However, Macholz would not let that penalty hold her down as she would come out and net the fourth goal of the game for the Flames to cement the victory at 4-2.

     

    The next time these two team will face off against one another will be tomorrow March 3rd at 920a at Rockville Ice Arena.

     

    First Period:

    Pride Penalty – :58 – #6 Alison Curry 2 minutes for Hooking

    Liberty Penalty – 6:17 – #57 Lexi Palmert 2 minutes for Tripping

    Liberty Goal – 10:37 – #65 Rachel Gibson from #95 CJ Tippings

    Liberty Penalty – 11:14 – #97 Tiana Lisle 2 minutes for Tripping

    Liberty Penalty – 13:01 – #4 Emily John 2 minutes for Tripping

    Pride Penalty – 16:43 – #26 Kayelinn Heflin 2 minutes for Hooking

    Pride Penalty – 19:09 – #16 Meagan Byrum 2 minutes for Roughing

     

    End of 1st – LU – 1       WAS – 0

    Shots              10                08

    PP                 0/2                 0/3

     

    Second Period:

    Pride Penalty – 6:53 – #27 Alexa Crist 2 minutes for Body Checking

    Pride Goal – 10:41 – #12 Katelyn Brightbill from #14 Julia Blitz and #9 Mollie Dalby

    Liberty Penalty – 13:29 – #11 Deena Birney 2 minutes for Cross Checking

    Liberty Penalty – 14:56 – Bench (#57 Lexi Palmert) 2 minutes for Too Many Women

    Liberty Penalty – 18:30 – Aislyn Stretch 2 minutes for Slashing

     

    End of 2nd – LU – 1        WAS – 1

    Shots               20                 19

    PP                   0/4                  0/5

     

    Third Period:

    Pride Goal – 2:21 – #14 Julia Blitz from #12 Katelyn Brightbill and #15 Lily Wildman

    Pride Penalty – 5:21 – Kayelynn Heflin 2 minutes for Interference

    Liberty Goal – 8:48 – #65 Rachel Gibson (2) from #95 CJ Tippings (2)

    Liberty Penalty – 11:48 – #11 Deena Birney 2 minutes for Cross Checking

    Pride Penalty – 11:48 – #10 Mikaela Langbacka 2 minutes for Boarding (served by #2 Madeline Craven)

    Pride Penalty – 11:48 – #10 Mikaela Langbacka 10 minute Misconduct

    Liberty Goal – 13:06 – Danica Polson from unassisted

    Liberty Penalty – 13:28 – #98 Grace Macholz 2 minutes for Roughing

    Pride Penalty – 13:28 – #6 Alison Curry 2 minutes for Roughing

    Liberty Goal – 17:41 – #98 Grace Macholz from unassisted

     

    End of 3rd – LU – 4         WAS – 2

    Shots              34                   32

    PP                 0/4                    0/6

     

    Next Up:

    Liberty University Flames v. Washington Pride 3/3/2019 920a at Rockville Ice Arena

  • Buffalo Sabres vs Toronto Maple Leafs – 01/03/2019 – Game Preview

    Buffalo Sabres vs Toronto Maple Leafs – 01/03/2019 – Game Preview

    Buffalo Sabres (30-26-8 68pts) v. Toronto Maple Leafs (39-21-4 82pts)

     

    Time: 7p EST

    Station: SportsNet/CBC

     

    Preview:

    The Leafs come back home after a rough game in New York against the Islanders and hope to bounce back against the Buffalo Sabres. Frederik Andersen will get the nod against Carter Hutton for Buffalo. Expect this to be a game full of speed and action on all ends of the ice.

     

    Top Scorers/Goalie Matchup

    Mitch Marner –75 points (22 goals 53 assists)
    John Tavares – 68 points (36 goals 32 assists) 54% on face-offs
    Morgan Rielly – 61 points (15 goals 46 assists)
    Auston Matthews – 59 points (30 goals 29 assists) 53% on Face-offs

    Jack Eichel – 70 points (23 goals 47 assists)
    Sam Reinhart–58 points (18 goals 40 assists)
    Jeff Skinner – 57 points (36 goals 21 assists)
    Rasmus Ristolainen  –38 points (5 goals 33 assists)

    Frederik Andersen
    30-13-3 2.59GAA .923SV%

    Carter Hutton
    16-18-4 2.84GAA .910SV%

    Toronto Maple Leafs:

    Projected Lineup:

    Andreas Johnsson – Auston Matthews – Kasperi Kapanen

    Mitch Marner – John Tavares – Zach Hyman

    Patrick Marleau – Nazem Kadri – William Nylander

    Tyler Ennis – Frederik Gauthier – Trevor Moore

     

    Morgan Rielly  – Jake Muzzin

    Justin Holl – Nikita Zaitsev

    Martin Marincin – Ron Hainsey

     

    Frederik Andersen

    Garrett Sparks

     

    Scratched: none

    Injuries: Nathan Horton (Back), Jake Gardiner (Back) and Travis Dermott (Shoulder)

    Suspension: None

     

    Buffalo:

    Jeff Skinner – Jack Eichel– Sam Reinhart

    Conor Sheary – Evan Rodrigues –Kyle Okposo

    Scott Wilson – Casey Middlestadt– Tage Thompson

    Zemgus Girgensons – Johan Larsson– Jason Pominville

     

    Jake McCabe –Rasmus Ristolainen

    Rasmus Dahlin – Zach Bogosian

    Matt Hunwick – Brandon Montour

     

    Carter Hutton

    Linus Ullmark

     

    Scratched: None

    Injuries: Marco Scandella, Vladimir Sabotka

    Suspension: None

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Be consistent in the faceoff circle

    • This will allow more puck possession and time in the attacking zone.

    2. Shut down the top line

    • The Sabres top line is deadly, don’t let them skate or cycle. They will cause serious damage if allowed to move.

    3.  Use your speed.

    • Make them chase you and have to play defence the majority of the game. Will tire their top players out.

     

     

     

  • AwesomeMania – 3/2/2019 – McMahon-o-Mania *18+ Podcast*

    AwesomeMania – 3/2/2019 – McMahon-o-Mania *18+ Podcast*

    Welcome to AwesomeMania!!

    Audio Version:

     

    YouTube Version:


    This week on AwesomeMania Ben and Michael talk about Roman Reigns and his battle with Leukemia, The Road to WrestleMania and how the McMahons factor into this years storylines. Plus News and Notes and the first ever inductees into the AwesomeMania Hall of Fame.

     

    This week’s episode was recorded on Thursday, February 28th, 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.

  • March 2nd, 2019 — News and Notes

    March 2nd, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Saturday, March 2nd, 2019, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were eight contests in NHL action last night.

     

    BUFFALO 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT)

    The Pittsburgh Penguins would face off against the Buffalo Sabres and would come out of this contest with a point, falling to the Buffalo Sabres by the score of 4-3 in the overtime frame.

     

    *Image is the property of the Pittsburgh Penguins and their respective owners

    Philadelphia 6, NEW JERSEY 3

    The Philadelphia Flyers would double up the New Jersey Devils last night with the 6-3 win and this would also mark the first win as a Philadelphia Flyer for Cam Talbot.

     

     

    Washington 3, NY ISLANDERS 1

    The Washington Capitals would visit the New York Islanders last night and would come away with two crucial points in the division standings.  Washington would go on to defeat the Islanders by the score of 3-1.

    Alex Ovechkin would register his 45th goal on the season for the 10th time in his career and now holds the League record for most 45 goals in a season.

    TXHT has your full complete coverage of the contest at the following page.

     

    Montreal 4, NY RANGERS 2

    The Montreal Canadiens would visit the New York Rangers and they would come out of New York with the 4-2 win last night with Montreal’s Joel Arima registered hat trick in the contest.

     

    CAROLINA 5, St. Louis 2

    The Carolina Hurricanes would come away from this contest against the St. Louis Blues with a 5-2 in Raleigh last night.

    Carolina’s Sebastian Aho would score his fourth SHG (shorthanded goal) on the season and would move into a tie with three others for the League lead.

     

    WINNIPEG 5, Nashville 3

    There would be five different goal scorers for the Winnipeg Jets in their 5-3 win over the Nashville Predators last night.  With the win for the Jets, they leapt ahead of the Predators for the Central Division lead.

     

    Vegas 3, ANAHEIM 0

    Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury would come away with a shutout win for Vegas in their 3-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks last night.

     

    SAN JOSE 4, Colorado 3

    The San Jose Sharks would squeak by the Colorado Avalanche with the 4-3 win, with San Jose’s Marcus Sorensen scoring two goals in the contest.  On the three Avalanche goals, Gabriel Landeskog would have an assist on all three goals.

    *Image is the property of the San Jose Sharks Twitter page.

     

    There are 10 contests in NHL action today

    *Image is the property of the NHL and NHL Public Relations Twitter page

     

    For more news, notes, information, and statistics, please check out the NHL’s Morning Skate at the following page.

     

    The final games on the NWHL Regular Season begin tonight with the Minnesota Whitecaps visiting the Boston Pride at 7:30 p.m., ET.  The game can be seen on NWHL.zone.

    TXHT will have coverage of the contest tomorrow.

  • Game Recap – 3/1/2019 – Washington Capitals v. New York Islanders

    Game Recap – 3/1/2019 – Washington Capitals v. New York Islanders

    Washington Capitals (36-21-7 79pts) v. New York Islanders (37-19-7 81pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals head to Nassau Coliseum for the first time to take on the New York Islanders, and it would be the Islanders that would get on the board early as Tom Kuhnhackl would score in the opening minutes of the game on a very casual breakaway due to a blown offside by the officials. Then Alex Ovechkin would take a very blatant interference penalty, but the Capitals would kill the penalty off.

     

    A very uneventful second period outside of a Brett Connolly penalty, and some heavy hits on both ends of the ice.

     

    Unlike the second period, the third period would be fast and hectic in the first half of the period. The Capitals would strike early as Jakub Vrana would battle in front of the net and knock in the rebound to tie the game at one, then right away on the powerplay it would be Alex Ovechkin batting the puck and getting a lucky bounce to get his 45th of the season and give the Capitals a 2-1 lead. This would be followed with 3 penalties that would start with a Capitals powerplay, and then end in a Capitals powerplay. Then to ice the game for the Capitals, with Thomas Griess pulled TJ Oshie would clear the puck out of the zone and without paying attention Josh Bailey accidentally shot the puck into his own net to give the Capitals a 3-1 victory.

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals :

    Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Carl Hagelin — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Nick Jensen

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Chandler Stephenson, Christian Djoos

     

    New York Islanders :

    Anders Lee — Brock Nelson — Jordan Eberle

    Tom Kuhnhackl — Mathew Barzal — Josh Bailey

    Anthony Beauvillier — Valtteri Filppula — Leo Komarov

    Ross Johnston — Casey Cizikas — Cal Clutterbuck

    Nick Leddy — Johnny Boychuk

    Adam Pelech — Ryan Pulock

    Devon Toews — Scott Mayfield

    Thomas Greiss

    Robin Lehner

    Scratched: Thomas Hickey, Luca Sbisa, Andrew Ladd, Matt Martin

     

    First Period:

    Islanders Goal – 2:43 – Tom Kuhnhackl (4) from unassisted

    Capitals Penalty – 3:47 – Alex Ovechkin 2 minutes for Interference

     

    End of 1st – WAS – 0       NYI – 1

    Shots              12                09

    Faceoffs         09                07

    Hits               10                  16

    PP                 0/0                 0/1

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Penalty – 2:53 – Brett Connolly 2 minutes for Tripping

     

    End of 2nd – WAS- 0        NYI- 1

    Shots               19                 13

    Faceoffs          19                 18

    Hits                 21                  29

    PP                   0/0                  0/2

     

    Third Period:

    Capitals Goal – 3:26 – Jakub Vrana (19) from Nicklas Backstrom (46) and Michal Kempny (15)

    Islanders Penalty – 4:21 – Anders Lee 2 minutes for Interference

    Capitals PPG – 4:34 – Alex Ovechkin (45) from TJ Oshie (21) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (42)

    Islanders Penalty – 8:11 – Anthony Beauvillier 2 minutes for Goalie Interference

    Capitals Penalty – 8:26 – John Carlson 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Islanders Penalty – 9:58 – Ryan Pulock 2 minutes for Tripping

    Capitals ENG – 18:32 – TJ Oshie (21) from unassisted

     

    End of 3rd – WAS – 3         NYI – 1

    Shots              29                   21

    Faceoffs        31                    24

    Hits               28                     36

    PP                 1/3                    0/2

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (37-21-7 81pts) @NY Rangers (27-27-4 67pts)

    NY Islanders (37-20-7 81pts) v. Philadelphia (31-26-8 70pts)

  • Trade Deadline Winners & Losers

    On Monday,  TXHT covered the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline. It started off slow and then came fast and then calmed down before the floodgates opened just before the deadline. Some teams sold, some teams bought, some teams made smart deals. Here is TXHT Winners and Losers recap of the NHL Trade Deadline.

    1200px-Anaheim_Ducks.svg Anaheim Ducks

    Sellers or Buyers: Sellers

    Traded: Michael Del Zotto, Brian Gibbons, Brandon Montour

    Brought in: 6th round pick 2019 STL, Patrick Sieloff, Brendan Guhle, 1st round pick 2019 BUF

    Explanation: The Ducks job during this trade deadline was to begin a restructuring process in Anaheim. Most people wish they would full out rebuild and move on from certain parts – but that doesn’t look like it will be happening. Moving Del Zotto and Gibbons was positive for them when some youth or picks is brought back the other way. But the deal of intrigue for most is moving 24 years old stud blueliner, Brandon Montour. It was apparent from sources around the league that the Ducks had thrown his name out there as potential trade bait. But most believed it was just the Ducks trying to gauge his worth on the open market – especially considering he’s a right-handed defenceman who was logging 20 minutes a night for the Ducks. But for the Ducks to get back Brendan Guhle – a young 2-way defender, who should easily be a top 4 defenceman in NHL – and a 1st round pick in 2019 – gauging it will be around 15-20th overall – is a steal for the Ducks.

    Winner or Loser: Winner

    ARI Thumb - CopyArizona Coyotes

    Sellers or Buyers: Neither

    Traded: Jordan Weal

    Brought in: Michael Chaput

    Explanation: The Coyotes made quite a few moves earlier on in the season and because deadline trackers were open for business. Shipping out Dylan Strome, Brandon Perlini, Laurent Dauphin, Adam Helweka and bring in Nick Schmaltz, Jordan Weal, Emil Petterson. But unfortunately for the Coyotes, their season has gone down in injuries.

    Winner or Loser: Neither

    BOS Thumb - CopyBoston Bruins

    Sellers or Buyers: Buyers

    Traded: Ryan Donato, 2019 5th round pick (conditional), 2nd round pick 2019 (BOS), 4th round pick 2020 (BOS)

    Brought in: Marcus Johansson, Charlie Coyle

    Explanation: The Bruins find a way to come out winners at the trade deadline almost every year. This season the Bruins did it again acquiring a mixture of speed, skill, and grit in Charlie Coyle and offensive winger in Marcus Johansson. The Bruins were already dangerous this just makes them more dangerous right down their lineup.

    Winner or Loser: Winner

    BUF Thumb - CopyBuffalo Sabres

    Sellers or Buyers: Buyers

    Traded: 1st round pick 2019, Brendan Guhle

    Brought in: Brandon Montour

    Explanation: The Sabres got their right-handed defencemen and improved their blueline. Will it bring them the playoffs? Who knows but they definitely improved their blueline moving forward.

    Winner or Loser: Winner

    CAL Thumb - CopyCalgary Flames

    Sellers or Buyers: Buyers

    Traded: 4th round pick 2020 (CGY)

    Brought in: Oscar Fantenberg

    Explanation: The Flames had a rough go at the trade deadline. Most analysts and reporters reporting that the Flames had 3 big deals in the work that we’re all finished but fell through last second. Jason Zucker to Calgary was all but done but something happened that Minnesota called off the deal last second. A lot of sources say that the Flames had the best deal on the table for Wayne Simmonds but that Simmonds would not wave his No Trade to go to Calgary. Finally, most outlets are reporting that Calgary was all in for Alex Edler but the deal was contingent on Edler resigning with Calgary, and within the last hour or 2 the Canucks decided against trading Edler and pulled out.

    Winner or Loser: Losers

    DAL ThumbDallas Stars

    Sellers or Buyers: Buyers

    Traded: 2nd round pick 2019 (DAL), 3rd round pick 2019 (DAL), 3rd round pick 2020 (DAL), Conor Carrick

    Brought in: Mats Zuccarello, Ben Lovejoy

    Explanation: The Stars made the tough choice of whether to throw in the towel for this season or go for it – they decided to go for – acquiring speedy winger Mats Zuccarello – highly sought after – and Ben Lovejoy – solid stay at home guy who works hard. Zuccarello scored a goal and an assist in his first game as a star but then was injured and is out 4 weeks. But still, these deals make them better

    Winner or Loser: Winner

    DET Thumb - CopyDetroit Red Wings

    Sellers or Buyers: Sellers

    Traded: Gustav Nyquist, Nick Jensen, 5th round pick 2019 (DET)

    Brought in: 2nd round pick 2019 (SJ), 3rd round pick 2020 (SJ), Madison Bowey,  2nd round pick 2020 (WSH)

    Explanation: The Red Wings had another excellent deadline for their rebuilding process. Grabbing a couple of 2nd rounders and a 3rd rounder would have been a nice haul but grabbing Madison Bowey – Who could potentially turn into a number 2 or 3 defenceman and will be given the opportunity to do so in Detroit – is an amazing pick up for the Wings.

    Winner or Loser: Winner

    FLA Thumb - CopyFlorida Panthers

    Sellers or Buyers: Sellers

    Traded: Derrick Brassard, 6th round pick 2019 (FLA), Chris Wideman

    Brought in: 3rd round pick 2020 (COL), Sebastian Dea

    Explanation: The Panthers season has been an utter failure and so was their trade deadline. Bring in a pick and prospect but have yet to bring in an impact player to play with Barkov. Panthers should have been looking for players with term on their contract to compliment Barkov.

    Winner or Loser: Loser

    LA Thumb - CopyLos Angeles Kings

    Sellers or Buyers: Sellers

    Traded: Oscar Fantenberg, Carl Hagelin

    Brought in: 4th round pick 2020 (CGY), 3rd round pick 2019 (WSH), 6th round pick 2020 (WSH)

    Explanation: The Kings fell short on what should have been a firesale in LA. Names like Kovalchuk, Toffoli, Carter, Clifford were all thrown out there. Rumors swirled all day at Boston taking a jab to get Toffoli – who seemed to be Boston’s first choice for a winger, but the price was a 1st pick and the Kings wouldn’t come down off that price – But none of the trades seemed to come to pass, which leads to believe like many analysts have reported that the Kings were overpricing their players.

    Winner or Loser: Loser

    MIN Thumb - CopyMinnesota Wild

    Sellers or Buyers: Neither

    Traded: Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle

    Brought in: Kevin Fiala, 4th round pick 2019 (BOS), Ryan Donato

    Explanation: The Wild seemed to be sellers coming into the deadline but with the deals, they made at the deadline they didn’t lose much skill and what they did lose in skill they gained in potential. Donato has been lights out since coming from Boston -Donato seemed to lose favor with the coaching staff in Boston – while Kevin Fiala is a young kid who looked good in Nashville and oozes potential.

    Winner or Loser: Winner

    MON Thumb - CopyMontreal Canadiens

    Sellers or Buyers: Buyers

    Traded: Ryan Donato, 2019 5th round pick (conditional), 2nd round pick 2019 (BOS), 4th round pick 2020 (BOS)

    Brought in: Marcus Johansson, Charlie Coyle

    Explanation: The Bruins find a way to come out winners at the trade deadline almost every year. This season the Bruins did it again acquiring a mixture of speed, skill, and grit in Charlie Coyle and offensive winger in Marcus Johansson. The Bruins were already dangerous this just makes them more dangerous right down their lineup.

    Winner or Loser: Winner

    NAS Thumb - CopyNashville Predators

    Sellers or Buyers: Buyers

    Traded: Ryan Hartman, 4th round pick 2020, Kevin Fiala

    Brought in: Wayne Simmonds. Mikael Granlund

    Explanation: The Preds found a way again to end up with one of the top talents in the league and really give up very little for him. Then swapping a young player with potential for a proven top-six winger isn’t old at all. Preds got everything they want without sacrificing Tolvanen.

    Winner or Loser: Winner

    NJ Thumb - CopyNew Jersey Devils

    Sellers or Buyers: Sellers

    Traded: Ben Loveoy, Keith Kincaid

    Brought in: Connor Carrick, 3rd round pick 2019 & 5th 2019

    Explanation: The Devils find a way to deal some guys. The Kincaid deal was a head-scratcher, almost a shot at Kincaid’s ability but none the less decent deadline for Jersey

    Winner or Loser: Winner

    NYR Thumb - CopyNew York Rangers

    Sellers or Buyers: Sellers

    Traded: Adam McQuaid, Kevin Hayes, Mats Zuccarello

    Brought in: Julius Bergman, 4th round pick 2019 (CBJ), 7th round pick 2019 (CBJ), Brendan Lemieux, 1st round pick 2019 (WPG), 4th round pick 2022 (WPG), 2nd round pick 2019 (DAL), 3rd round pick 2020 (DAL)

    Explanation: The Rangers did some amazing things at the deadline – bringing in a ton of picks and some good prospects to add to an already impressive young core. Give the Rangers 2-3 years and they could be very dangerous.

    Winner or Loser: Winner

    OTT Thumb - CopyOttawa Senators

    Sellers or Buyers: Sellers

    Traded: Matt Duchene, Julius Bergman, Ryan Dzingel, 7th round pick 2019 (OTT), Patrick Sieloff, Mark Stone

    Brought in: Vitaly Abramov, Jonathan Davidsson, 1st round pick 2019 (CBJ), Conditional 1st round pick 2020 (CBJ), Anthony Duclair, 2nd round pick 2020 (CBJ), 2nd round pick 2021 (CBJ), Brian Gibbons, Oscar Lindberg, Erik Brannstrom, 2nd round pick 2020 (VGK)

    Explanation: The Sens did all the right things at the deadline, the rumors about signing Duchene and Stone would have been nice from an organizational perspective. But the Senators did everything right, all these prospects and picks especially Brannstrom. Senators fans are in for a real treat.

    Winner or Loser: Winner

    COL Thumb - CopyColorado Avalanche

    Sellers or Buyers: Buyers

    Traded: 3rd round pick 2020 (COL)

    Brought in: Derrick Brassard, 6th round pick 2019 (FLA)

    Explanation: The Avalanche told everyone they wouldn’t be making any big moves at the deadline, but they quietly made one of the best low risk/high reward moves of the deadline. Brassard has struggled but with the right team could flourish and they didn’t give away anything of huge substance.

    Winner or Loser: Winner

    CLB Thumb - CopyColumbus Blue Jackets

    Sellers or Buyers: Buyers

    Traded: Vitaly Abramov, Jonathan Davidsson, 1st round pick 2019 (CBJ), Conditional 1st round pick 2020 (CBJ), Anthony Duclair, 2nd round pick 2020 (CBJ), 2nd round pick 2021 (CBJ), Julius Bergman, 4th round pick 2019 (CBJ), 7th round pick 2019 (CBJ), 5th round pick 2019 (CBJ)

    Brought in: Matt Duchene, Julius Bergman, Ryan Dzingel, 7th round pick 2019 (OTT), Adam McQuaid, Keith Kincaid

    Explanation: The Blue Jackets know that Panarin might be on his way out but in a last-ditch effort to convince Duchene to sign and Panarin to stay they went all in. I’m sure they will regret this in the future but I guess we will find out.

    Winner or Loser: Winner/Loser

    PHI Thumb - CopyPhiladelphia Flyers

    Sellers or Buyers: Sellers

    Traded: Wayne Simmonds, Anthony Stolarz

    Brought in: Ryan Hartman, 4th round pick 2020 (NSH), Cam Talbot

    Explanation: The Flyers sold a UFA in Simmonds but picked one up in Talbot as well. So kind of a half sale in Philly. Don’t think the Flyers are sold they are out of a playoff spot just yet.

    Winner or Loser: Loser

    PIT Thumb - CopyPittsburgh Penguins

    Sellers or Buyers: Buyers

    Traded: Sebastian Dea, Tyler Toffoli

    Brought in: Chris Wideman, Erik Gudbranson

    Explanation: The Penguins made their small depth moves as normal with such a strong core you can’t really blame them. Gudbranson could be a gamechanger for the Penguins.

    Winner or Loser: Winner

    SJ Thumb - CopySan Jose Sharks

    Sellers or Buyers: Buyers

    Traded: 2nd round pick 2019 (SJ), 3rd round pick 2019 (SJ)

    Brought in: Gustav Nyquist

    Explanation: The Sharks are also all in this solidifies the wing position and gives them some more scoring punch. Sharks didn’t pay a premium price.

    Winner or Loser: Winner

    STL Thumb - CopySt. Louis Blues

    Sellers or Buyers: Small buyers

    Traded: 6th round pick 2019

    Brought in:  Michael Del Zotto

    Explanation: The Blues just adding a little more offensive flair to the blue for cheap. Del Zotto has never really found a home. So can’t really say winner or loser.

    Winner or Loser: undetermined

    TOR Thumb - CopyToronto Maple Leafs

    Sellers or Buyers: Buyers

    Traded: Par Lindholm

    Brought in: Nic Petan

    Explanation: The Leafs had an underwhelming deadline. They were expected to come in and grab one of the power forwards – Wayne Simmonds or Kreider – to add some size and grit to the team. But didn’t do it. Instead, Kyle Dubas decided to stay the course and ship off an expiring contract of a player that the Leafs probably wouldn’t resign and get a player that is smallish but oozes potential. This still doesn’t make up for the terrible deadline and not addressing needs.

    Winner or Loser: Loser

    VAN Thumb - CopyVancouver Canucks

    Sellers or Buyers: Sellers

    Traded: Erik Gudbranson

    Brought in: Tyler Toffoli

    Explanation: The Canucks had an interesting deadline considering they almost dealt Alex Edler away but pulled out of the potential deal just before finalizing it. This deal is an interesting one because I’m not sure what sense this makes for the Canucks, From all accounts Gudbranson was a good locker room guy and was the hardest worker on the defence.

    Winner or Loser: Loser

    VGS Thumb - CopyVegas Golden Knights

    Sellers or Buyers: Buyers

    Traded: Erik Brannstrom, Oscar Lindberg, 2nd round pick 2020 (VGK)

    Brought in: Mark Stone

    Explanation: The Golden Knights bring in one of the most prized possessions at the deadline in Mark Stone and yet still considered losers because of the package they paid. A lot of talk was going on that the Knights would not part with Brannstrom, no matter what – But not only did they give up one of the most highly touted prospects in the league, they gave up a young forward in Lindberg who hasn’t been given top 6 minutes as of yet.  This trade could come back to bite Vegas but they did resign Stone so this could be interesting for both sides.

    Winner or Loser: Winner/Loser

    WAS Thumb - Copy Washington Capitals

    Sellers or Buyers: Buyers

    Traded: Madison Bowey, 2nd round pick 2020 (WSH), 3rd round pick 2019 (WSH), 6th round pick 2019 (WSH)

    Brought in: Nick Jensen, 5th round pick 2019 (DET), Carl Hagelin

    Explanation: The Caps wanted to add some speed and little more offensive flair to their lineup. They accomplished both with Hagelin and Jensen. Jensen is a great young defender as well so locking him up was key.

    Winner or Loser: Winner

    WIN Thumb - CopyWinnipeg Jets

    Sellers or Buyers: Buyers

    Traded: Brendan Lemieux, 1st round pick 2019 (WPG), 4th round pick 2022 (WPG), Nic Petan

    Brought in: Kevin Hayes, Par Lindholm

    Explanation: The Jets did everything right. Acquiring a big number two centermen who can score and skate. Then adding some 4th line grinding defensive help. Jets are geared up for a big run this season.

    Winner or Loser: Winner

     

  • Toronto Maple Leafs vs New York Islanders – 28/02/2019 – Recap

    Toronto Maple Leafs vs New York Islanders – 28/02/2019 – Recap

    Toronto Maple Leafs (39-20-4 82pts) v. Toronto Maple Leafs (36-19-7 79pts)

    Lineups:

    Toronto:

    Andreas Johnsson – Auston Matthews – Kasperi Kapanen

    Mitch Marner – John Tavares – Zach Hyman

    Patrick Marleau – Nazem Kadri – William Nylander

    Tyler Ennis – Frederik Gauthier – Trevor Moore

     

    Morgan Rielly  – Jake Muzzin

    Justin Holl – Nikita Zaitsev

    Martin Marincin – Ron Hainsey

     

    Garrett Sparks

    Frederik Andersen

     

    Scratched: none

    Injuries: Nathan Horton (Back), Jake Gardiner (Back) and Travis Dermott (Shoulder)

    Suspension: None

     

    Islanders:

    Anders Lee – Brock Nelson– Jordan Eberle

    Andrew Ladd – Matthew Barzal–Leo Komarov

    Anthony Beauviller – Valtteri Filppula – Josh Bailey

    Matt Martin – Casey Cizikas– Cal Clutterbuck

     

    Nick Leddy – Johnny Boychuk

    Adam Pelech – Ryan Pulock

    Thomas Hickey – Devin Toews

     

    Robin Lehner

    Thomas Greiss

     

    Scratched: None

    Injuries: None

    Suspension: None

    Game Recap:

    Leafs look flat after the first period and struggle the rest of the game to get any rhythm or gain any momentum. As the Islanders ruin John Tavares trip back to New York with a 6-1 dismantling of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The forecheck was slow and giveaways were abundant but despite giving up 6 goals Garrett Sparks was the only bright spot as he gave his team a chance to win in the beginning.

    First Period:

    Toronto Penalty – 3:54 – Auston Matthews, 2 minutes for Interference on the Goaltender

    Toronto Goal  – 13:33 – Zach Hyman (14) assisted by Mitch Marner (53) and Ron Hainsey (14)

    Islanders Goal –16:16 – Anthony Beauvillier (15) assisted by Josh Bailey (34) and Matthew Barzal (35)

    Islanders Penalty – 17:54 – Valtteri Filppula, 2 minutes for Hooking

     

    End of 1st – TOR – 1       NYI – 1

    Shots              13               10

    Faceoffs         7/16            9/16

    Hits               7                  13

    PP                 0/1                 0/1

     

    Second Period:

    Islanders Goal – 4:49 – Anders Lee (22) assisted by Brock Nelson (23) and Jordan Eberle (16)

    Islanders Penalty –11:48 – Leo Komarov, 2 minutes for Holding

    Islanders SH Goal –13:40 – Casey Cizikas (18) assisted by Cal Clutterbuck (11)

    Islanders Goal –19:00 – Valtteri Filppula (13) assisted by Andrew Ladd (6) and Leo Komarov (14)

    End of 2nd – TOR- 1        NYI- 4

    Shots               27                25

    Faceoffs          14/32              18/32

    Hits                 14                  26

    PP                   0/2                  0/1

     

    Third Period:

    Islanders Goal –0:33 – Nick Leddy (2) assisted by Cal Clutterbuck (12) and Matt Martin (8)

    Islanders Goal –8:41 – Brock Nelson (20) assisted by Jordan Eberle (17) and Ryan Pulock (24)

    End of 3rd – TOR – 1        NYI – 6

    Shots              35                  37

    Faceoffs        21/48            27/48

    Hits               22                     39

    PP                 0/2                    0/1

     

    Next Up:

    Buffalo Sabres (39-20-4 82pts) v. Toronto Maple Leafs (29-26-8 66pts)

    Washington Capitals (36-21-7 79pts) @ NY Islanders (37-19-7 81pts)