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  • Game Recap – 12/27/2018 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 12/27/2018 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Carolina Hurricanes (15-15-5 35pts) v. Washington Capitals (22-10-3 47pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals return from the Holiday break well rested as they took on the Carolina Hurricanes in a Metropolitan Division match up. The Capitals would control most of the tempo of this game despite taking three penalties in the first period. The second period would feature the Capitals forcing the play in the Hurricanes zone and cause the Hurricanes to take three penalties in the second period with the Capitals converting on the third one. The Capitals would keep up the pressure against the Hurricanes in the third period to secure their third straight victory.

     

    Lineups:

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Andrei Svechnikov — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen

    Micheal Ferland — Clark Bishop — Justin Williams

    Warren Foegele — Lucas Wallmark — Jordan Martinook

    Janne Kuokkanen — Victor Rask — Brock McGinn

    Jaccob Slavin — Brett Pesce

    Calvin de Haan — Justin Faulk

    Trevor van Riemsdyk — Dougie Hamilton

    Petr Mrazek

    Curtis McElhinney

    Scratches: Phillip Di Giuseppe

    Injured: Haydn Fleury (concussion), Jordan Staal (upper body)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Chandler Stephenson — Travis Boyd — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Madison Bowey

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratches: Nic Dowd, Dmitrij Jaskin, Tyler Lewington

    Injured: Christian Djoos (leg), Brooks Orpik (knee)

     

    First Period:

    Hurricanes Penalty – 1:50 – Sebastian Aho 2 minutes for Slashing

    Capitals Penalty – 9:35 – Nicklas Backstrom 2 minutes for Tripping

    Capitals Penalty – 13:56 – Brett Connolly 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals Penalty – 16:25 – TJ Oshie 2 minutes for Interference

     

    End of 1st – CAR – 0       WAS – 0

    Shots              08                16

    Faceoffs         05                13

    Hits               07                  05

    PP                 0/3                 0/1

     

    Analysis:

    This was a good period for the Capitals, but they kept getting themselves into penalty trouble. However, the Capitals did a great job of winning the battles to the puck to diffuse the Hurricanes powerplay opportunities. Also the Capitals did a very good job of pressuring the Hurricanes in their own zone and creating scoring chances for themselves.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to keep playing the strong game that they are, but they need to stay out of the penalty box, and force the Hurricanes to make mistakes and capitalize on them.

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Goal – 3:33 – Chandler Stephenson (4) from unassisted

    Hurricanes Penalty – 4:16 – Andrei Svechnikov 2 minutes for Goalie Interference

    Hurricanes Penalty – 6:18 – Andrei Svechnikov 2 minutes for Interference

    Hurricanes Penalty – 17:18 – Brett Pesce 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals PPG – 18:16 – TJ Oshie (11) from John Carlson (31) and Alex Ovechkin (16)

     

    End of 2nd – CAR – 0        WAS – 2

    Shots               16                 25

    Faceoffs          19                 22

    Hits                 18                  14

    PP                   0/3                  1/4

     

    Analysis:

    Another good period for the Capitals that saw them force the Hurricanes to take 3 penalties this period and capitalizing late on their third chance. Great play by the Capitals earlier in the second period by forcing the pressure in the zone and making the Hurricanes defense cough up the puck and lead to Chandler Stephenson’s goal.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to keep their foot on the gas, and continue to force the play in the Hurricanes zone. Also the Capitals need to make sure they stay out of the penalty box, and not allow the Hurricanes an opportunity to get back into this game.

     

    Third Period:

    Hurricanes Goal – 12:25 – Sebastian Aho (15) from Micheal Ferland (6)

    Capitals Penalty – 16:12 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Capitals ENG – 19:09 – John Carlson (6) from Nicklas Backstrom (32)

     

    End of 3rd – CAR – 1         WAS – 3

    Shots              29                   33

    Faceoffs        27                    33

    Hits               24                     29

    PP                 0/4                    1/4

     

    Analysis:

    A slower moving third period that saw the Hurricanes get on the board and ending Braden Holtby’s shutout chances after Matt Niskanen was driven into the boards from behind by Clark Bishop while Niskanen was entangled with Justin Williams. Overall a good period for the Capitals as they walk out the victors in this one.

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (23-10-3 49pts) @ Ottawa (15-18-4 34pts)

    Carolina (15-16-5 35pts) @ New Jersey (13-16-7 33pts)

  • Gameday Preview – 12/27/2018 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Gameday Preview – 12/27/2018 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Carolina Hurricanes (15-15-5 35pts) v. Washington Capitals (22-10-3 47pts)

     

    Time: 7p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Washington and Fox Sports Carolinas

     

    Preview:

    With the Holiday break behind us, the NHL gets right back to it as the Washington Capitals host the Carolina Hurricanes. The Capitals went into the break winning both games of their back to back, while the Hurricanes were not successful in their first game, but when they donned the Hartford Whalers uniforms, they defeated the Boston Bruins in convincing fashion.

     

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Projected Lineup:

    Jordan Martinook — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen

    Micheal Ferland — Victor Rask — Brock McGinn

    Andrei Svechnikov — Lucas Wallmark — Justin Williams

    Warren Foegele — Clark Bishop — Phillip Di Giuseppe

    Jaccob Slavin — Brett Pesce

    Calvin de Haan — Justin Faulk

    Trevor van Riemsdyk — Dougie Hamilton

    Petr Mrazek

    Curtis McElhinney

    Scratched: Janne Kuokkanen

    Injured: Haydn Fleury (concussion), Jordan Staal (upper body)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Continue Special Teams Dominance

    While the Hurricanes were not successful on their powerplay opportunities against the Bruins, they did however use them to swing the momentum in their favor. Plus getting two shorthanded goals from Teuvo Teravainen and Sebastian Aho was huge for the Hurricanes in their victory.

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Projected Lineup:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Chandler Stephenson — Nic Dowd — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Madison Bowey

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Travis Boyd

    Injured: Christian Djoos (leg), Brooks Orpik (knee)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Control the tempo

    As mentioned for Carolina, they were very good at using their special teams units to take control of the game against Boston. The Capitals will need to combat that by controlling the tempo of the game and keep themselves out of the penalty box.

     

    2. Get Special Teams back on track

    The Capitals need to shore up their penalty kill, especially against Carolina. Also the Capitals need to shake up their powerplay a bit as well, and be less predictable.

     

    *Editors Note – Projected Lineups were taken from both teams last games played. We anticipate potential line changes.

  • Top 31 NHL Goalies of 2018 – Statistically

    Top 31 NHL Goalies of 2018 – Statistically

    Here are my top 31 goalies in the league this season solely based on statistics. Also, this is not a ranking system, just the top 31 goalies one from each team so far this season. So please don’t feel offended if your team’s goalie is at the bottom or lower than you think. I’m not rating them just stating each team’s best goaltender statistically.

    1. Pekka Rinne – Nashville Predators: 14-6-1  .926 SV% 1.97GAA NSH

    Numbers really speak for themselves here. Only goalie on the list allowing less than 2 goals a game and in the .920s for save percentage. Rinne has always been a fantastic regular season goalie, it’s the playoffs that seem to cause him trouble.

    1. Mikko Koskinen –Edmonton Oilers: 11-4-1 .928SV% 2.18GAA

    What a surprise Koskinen has been for the Oilers this season. The last time we saw Koskinen he couldn’t stop a beachball, went overseas and signed with the Oilers in the offseason as a relatively small signing and seems to have reinvented himself here in the NHL after a lengthy absence. He faces a lot of shots, but seems up to the task.

    1. Andrei Vasilevskiy – Tampa Bay Lightning: 11-3-2 .930SV% 2.35GAA

    Vasilevskiy’s numbers won’t be the most shocking as he was superb last season as well, but even after coming back from injury he came out and shut the door on the Toronto Maple Leafs high octane offence.

    1. David Rittich – Calgary Flames: 11-4-1 2.20 .925

    Rittich has had some ups and downs but for the most part has stolen the starting job from Mike Smith with some impressive numbers.  He has been a catalyst in helping Calgary off to a very strong first 30 games.

    1. Ben Bishop – Dallas Stars 11-8-1 .922SV% 2.35GAA

    Bishop quietly has put up some solid numbers. Dallas has had some under performers and tons of injuries so it really hasn’t shown on their record a lot but don’t count Bishop out.

    1. John Gibson – Anaheim Ducks: 15-9-4 .927SV% 2.52GAA

    Gibson has put up unreal numbers for a team that has struggled at times with the injury bug and even with their own consistency.

    1. Frederik Andersen – Toronto Maple Leafs: 18-9-1 .923SV% 2.53GAA

    Andersen has been probably the Leafs most consistent player all season. He’s been solid, Spectacular and a model of consistency when the Leafs needed it the most. He’s another goaltender that gets a lot of shots but has learned how to handle it.

    1. Jaroslav Halak – Boston Bruins: 10-5-2 2.27SV% .929GAA

    Halak is a bit of surprise here on the list considering there is no doubt who the number 1 goalie is in Boston. Tuukka Rask has struggled a bit this season with injuries and at time with his play. He is slowly coming back to form. But as of now Halak as been the better goalie.

    1. Jack Campbell – Los Angeles Kings: 5-7-0 2.33SV% .923GAA

    He is a real shocker, no Jonathan Quick and I have one reason for that injuries. Campbell was the back up and stepped and played really solid. His record doesn’t show it but those stats do.

    1. Casey DeSmith – Pittsburgh Penguins: 12-6-4 .923SV% 2.49GAA

    Another backup who got a chance because of injury to the starter and boy has he impressed. The Penguins are probably very happy that they have 2 goalies who can play.

    1. Thomas Greiss – New York Islanders: 12-6-1 .919SV% 2.52GAA

    Islanders have been a slight surprise this year. After losing John Tavares everyone thought the team was doomed to be in the basement of the league. But Greiss has helped them to a respectable record and his numbers are pretty good considering.

    1. Curtis McElhinney – Carolina Hurricanes: 7-3-1 .920SV% 2.36GAA

    Leafs put McElhinney on waivers and he was shocked but took it as another challenge in his career. Picked up by Carolina and has been very impressive. As a Leafs fan this really doesn’t shock me.

    1. Marc-Andre Fleury – Vegas Golden Knights: 19-10-2 .907SV% 2.58GAA

    Vegas struggled out of the gate and Fleury stayed consistent. Number are down from last season but I think everyone knew that Vegas was going to come back down to earth a little bit.

    1. Carter Hutton – Buffalo Sabres: 13-9-2 .917SV% 2.61GAA

    Hutton a career back up, who looked like he was poised to take a starter role finally after a superb year last season. Has taken the reigns in Buffalo and has yet to let go. He’ll have to keep up these numbers if he wants to keep the job as rookie Linus Ullmark knocks at the door.

    1. Devan Dubnyk –Minnesota Wild: 12-11-2 .911SV% 2.64GAA

    Minnesota has not been great this season, But Dubnyk has been the epitome of consistency. Posting solid numbers and being one of the reasons why they have a decent record.

    1. Jimmy Howard – Detroit Red Wings: 10 – 7 – 4 .922SV% 2.69GAA

    Howard has not had a very good team this year, as the Red Wings are in a rebuild. But Howard has shown he can be a good goalie when called upon.

    1. Semyon Valarmov – Colorado Avalanche: 11-8-3 .913SV% 2.79GAA

    This could be Varlamov’s last season in Colorado with his contract ending and Grubauer signing during this offseason and don’t get me wrong Varlamov has been good but he hasn’t run away with the starting job. Some would say that Grubauer has given him more than a push and he may have even taken the starting role.

    1. Martin Jones – San Jose: 14-7-3 .901SV% 2.81GAA

    Martin Jones has taken a step back this season. His numbers have dropped and it shows in how his team is playing. Barely hitting over the 900 save percentage and pushing almost 3 goals a game.

    1. Brayden Holtby – Washington Capitals: 13-8-2 .911SV% 2.86GAA

    Holtby has a good record and decent stats but the last few season has struggled in the season. But in the playoffs be careful he’s a different beast.

    1. Sergei Bobrovsky –Columbus Blue Jackets: 13-10-1 .905SV% 2.86GAA

    Bobrovsky has really tailed off this season, really struggling to find his groove but Joonas Korpisalo hasn’t really done much to steal the job away.

    1. Henrik Lundqvist –NY Rangers: 10-9-5 .914SV% 2.87GAA

    Lundqvist is finally showing his age, putting up much below his normal numbers. Expect ”The King” to stay around this numbers till he retires.

    1. Darcy Kuemper – Arizona Coyotes: 4-8-2 .909SV% 2.87GAA

    Antti Raanta should be here but injuries have foiled what looked to be a great season for him. Kuemper has been their next best option in net. Hill came up from the minors and has played fantastic but on a very small sample size , I wasn’t prepared to make him the best they have right now.

    1. Conor Hellebyuck – Winnipeg Jets: 15-9-1 .908SV% 2.90GAA

    Hellebyuck had an amazing season last year but this year has started off much almost average 3 goals a game and getting close to a 900 save percentage. After signing a big deal the hope is he’ll continue to improve.

    1. Carey Price -Montreal Canadiens: 13-10-4 .902SV% 2.91GAA

    Price is a having a comeback year of sorts but still not back to his normal self. Averaging almost 3 goals a year and a close to 900 save percentage. Now this could be due to the Canadiens not being great, but being a middle of the pack team.

    1. Roberto Luongo – Florida Panthers: 7-5-1 .906SV% 2.05GAA

    Started off the season with a few injuries but age has grown well on Luongo who is still posting good numbers.

    1. Keith Kincaid – New Jersey Devils: 11-9-6 .902SV% 3.00GAA

    Kincaid is in a tough spot in New Jersey, as they are not the greatest team in the league. Despite the numbers and playing on a subpar team Kincaid has looked really good on most nights.

    1. Jacob Markstrom – Vancouver Canucks: 13-9-3 .904SV% 3.01GAA

    Who else thinks that if the Canucks had some consistent goaltending they would be a team to be scared of? The Canucks are hoping Demko is he answer to the problems.

    1. Jake Allen – St. Louis Blues: 11-9-4 .899SV% 3.14GAA

    What a terrible year Jake Allen is having. He was trusted with becoming the number one in ST.Louis and has been a complete flop.

    1. Craig Anderson – Ottawa Senators: 14-12-3 .907SV% 3.49GAA

    Anderson has had his struggles this season but I believe it’s mainly becaue of a very very young defence. With Ottawa very clearly in rebuild mode. Ottawa is letting their young guys play and that could mean Anderson’s year could get worse.

    1. Corey Crawford – Chicago Blackhawks: 6-14-2 .902SV% 3.28GAA

    Injury plagued season for Crawford yet he still is the best goalie in this organization.

    1. Brian Elliot – Philadelphia Flyers: 6-7-0 .911SV% 2.59GAA

    Not really much to say about Elliot, since leaving St.Louis he has never reclaimed the form he once had.

     

    Thoughts? Disagreements? Let me know would love to talk!

  • Mitch Marner Proving all the Critics Wrong

    Mitch Marner Proving all the Critics Wrong

    When the Leafs Drafted Mitch Marner from the London Knights of the OHL, General Managers from around the league second-guessed the decision and wondered if the Leafs Management had messed up on another draft pick.

    Marner’s tenure in London was marked by nothing but success. In Marner’s 3 years with the London Knights organization, he amassed 96 goals 205 assists for 301 points in 184 games. That puts Marner at about 1.6 points per game. Everyone thought great another junior player will not be able to translate their offensive abilities into the NHL.

    Most scouts said he’s fast but too small and has no muscle build to help with his board work. Scouts also implied that his offensive ability would not translate into the style that the NHL plays. But the Leafs saw something in him that they felt was worth what was considered the minimal risk. The payoff has been everything and more than the Leafs could have asked for.

    In his first 2 seasons with Toronto, Marner has put up impressive numbers. In his first 159 games, Marner put up 41 goals 89 assists for 130 points. Earning him 0.82 points per game average and improving on his rookie number totals in year 2 showed that Marner is growing as a player. This season is no different for Marner. In 34 games this season Marner has put up sensational numbers, 9 goals and 35 assists for 44 points. If Marner was to keep the same pace and played all 82 games he would put up 106 points this season.

    While Marner has become one of the elite playmakers in the league, guys like Dylan Strome are still trying to find his groove and become a full-time NHL player. Expect Marner to become more of a two-way player, he already begun that process but expect more improvement in that aspect of his game.

    But as Leaf fans we get to enjoy Marner’s magic for what we hope is a long time coming.

  • December 24th, 2018 — News and Notes

    December 24th, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is Monday, December 24th, 2018, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were eight games yesterday.

     

    Columbus 3, NEW JERSEY 0

    The Columbus Blue Jackets would go on to defeat the New Jersey Devils yesterday afternoon by the score of 3-0.

     

     

    The New Jersey Devils would wear their own heritage jerseys in this contest.  The jerseys were worn by the Devils from the 1982-83 season, the first season for the team in New Jersey, until the 1991-92 NHL season.

     

    https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1076891123904335877

     

    Blue jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky would register his 14th shutout since the 2016-17 NHL season, the most shutouts in that time frame.

     

    CAROLINA 5, Boston 3

    In this contest, the Carolina Hurricanes would wear their Hartford Whalers throwbacks for a Hartford Whalers night last night in Raleigh and would go on to defeat the the Boston Bruins by the score of 5-3.

     

     

    Carolina’s Sebastian Aho would go on to have a four-point performance (2G, 2A) in the contest and Carolina’s Petr Mrazek would go on to have a 27 save performance on 30 shots.

    In addition to Aho, Teuvo Teravainen would also have a four-point game.

     

     

    Carolina would also go on to have two shorthanded goals in this game.

     

     

     

    TXHT was live at the game and has your full recap of the contest at the following page.

    Game Recap – 12/23/2018 – Boston Bruins v. Hartford Whalers

     

     

    Philadelphia 3, NY RANGERS 2 (SO)

    The Philadelphia Flyers would go on to defeat the New York Rangers yesterday and this would mark the fifth consecutive win the Flyers would have over the Rangers.

     

    Despite the loss in the shootout, the Rangers would still get a point in the standings.

     

     

    Florida 6, CHICAGO 3

    In the Florida Panthers 6-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks yesterday, Florida’s Jayce Hawryluk would score the first two goals of his NHL career.

    Florida has won four out of their last five contests.

     

    In addition to Hawryluk having two goals, Panthers defenceman Mackenzie Wagner would also have a two point performance.  Wagner would have two assists in this contest.  This would be the first multi-point contest for both players.

     

    TORONTO 5, Detroit 4 (OT)

    Detroit’s Dylan Larkin would extend his point streak to a career-high of 11 contests.  This makes it the longest such streak since Henrik Zetterberg had an 11 game run during the 2010-11 season.

    Toronto’s Patrick Marleau would play in his 1,612th regular season NHL game, tying Hall of Famer Ray Bourque for the tenth most in NHL history.

    Detroit’s Trevor Daley would go on to play in his 1,000th NHL career contest last night in this game.

     

     

     

    NY Islanders 3, DALLAS 1

    With the Islanders 3-1 win at the Dallas Stars last night, the New York Islanders would finish off their road trip going into the holiday break with a 3-1-0 record.

     

    Los Angeles 4, VEGAS 3 (OT)

    The Los Angeles Kings won their 36th regular season overtime game since the 3-on-3 overtime format was introduced in the 2015-16 season when the Kings go on to defeat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3.

     

    This would be the Vegas Golden Knights second consecutive overtime loss.

     

    Arizona 4, SAN JOSE 3 (SO)

    The Arizona Coyotes would go on to defeat the San Jose Sharks 4-3.

     

    With Joe Thornton’s assist in the first period on Tim Heed’s goal, Thornton would register his 1,041st career assist.  He passed Marcel Dionne for tenth place all time in the NHL.  He is now eight assists shy on his career from tying Gordie Howe for ninth place.

     

     

     

    The NHL resumes action Thursday night.

     

     

  • Game Recap – 12/23/2018 – Boston Bruins v. Hartford Whalers

    Game Recap – 12/23/2018 – Boston Bruins v. Hartford Whalers

    Boston Bruins (20-12-4 44pts) v. Hartford Whalers (14-15-5 33pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Hartford Whalers are back, and were they victorious. The Whalers had a rough start against the Boston Bruins, but as the game went on the more the Whalers played their game and forced the play in the Bruins zone and at one point score 4 unanswered goals which featured a shorthanded goal. Overall it was a great effort by the Whalers, and the next time we will see them will be Tuesday March 5th, 2019 in Boston.

     

    Lineups:

    Boston Bruins:

    Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — Danton Heinen

    Joakim Nordstrom — David Krejci — David Pastrnak

    Sean Kuraly — Colby Cave — David Backes

    Ryan Donato — Noel Acciari — Chris Wagner

    Torey Krug — Brandon Carlo

    Matt Grzelcyk — Charlie McAvoy

    John Moore — Steven Kampfer

    Tuukka Rask

    Jaroslav Halak

    Scratched: Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson

    Injured: Jake DeBrusk (concussion), Urho Vaakanainen (concussion), Kevan Miller (throat), Zdeno Chara (knee)

     

    Hartford Whalers:

    Jordan Martinook — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen

    Micheal Ferland — Victor Rask — Brock McGinn

    Andrei Svechnikov — Lucas Wallmark — Justin Williams

    Warren Foegele — Clark Bishop — Phillip Di Giuseppe

    Jaccob Slavin — Brett Pesce

    Calvin de Haan — Justin Faulk

    Trevor van Riemsdyk — Dougie Hamilton

    Petr Mrazek

    Curtis McElhinney

    Scratched: Janne Kuokkanen

    Injured: Haydn Fleury (concussion), Jordan Staal (upper body)

     

    First Period:

    Whalers Penalty – 1:27 – Micheal Ferland 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Bruins PPG – 2:40 – Ryan Donato (4) from Torey Krug (18) and Brad Marchand (28)

    Bruins Penalty – 5:35 – Steven Kampfer 2 minutes for Holding

    Bruins Penalty – 6:39 – Noel Acciari 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Bruins Goal – 8:56 – Steven Kampfer (2) from Sean Kuraly (6) and Brad Marchand (29)

    Whalers Penalty – 10:09 – Justin Faulk 2 minutes for Interference

    Whalers Goal – 12:55 – Teuvo Teravainen (7) from Jaccob Slavin (9) and Sebastian Aho (23)

    Whalers Penalty – 19:44 – Andrei Svechnikov 2 minutes for High Sticking

     

    End of 1st – BOS – 2       HFD – 1

    Shots              11                13

    Faceoffs         14                09

    PP                 1/2                 0/2

     

    Analysis:

    Not a good start for the Whalers as they took an early penalty that lead to a powerplay goal for the Bruins, and then another goal before the 9 minute mark after killing a 5 on 3 Whalers powerplay opportunity. However, it would be that same 2 man advantage that would help the Whalers start to turn the tide against the Bruins as they would score to cut the deficit to 1 before the 1st period would end.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Whalers need to stay out of the penalty box, and continue to build on their momentum from their goal. The Whalers also need to continue to apply pressure in the Bruins zone.

     

    Second Period:

    Whalers SHG – 1:29 – Sebastian Aho (13) from Teuvo Teravainen (20)

    Whalers Goal – 7:11 – Sebastian Aho (14) from Teuvo Teravainen (21)

    Whalers Goal – 11:47 – Justin Faulk (2) from Micheal Ferland (5) and Justin Williams (13)

    Bruins Goal – 16:05 – Ryan Donato (5) from Colby Cave (4) and David Backes (7)

     

    End of 2nd – BOS – 3        HFD – 4

    Shots               18                 29

    Faceoffs          30                 19

    PP                   1/3                  0/2

     

    Analysis:

    A really good solid period for the Whalers that saw them score shorthanded while killing off their late 1st period penalty. That goal would spark the Whalers and their play as they played strong in the Bruins zone and forced the Bruins defense to make mistakes and turnover the puck in their own zone.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Whalers need to keep the puck in the Bruins zone and continue to pressure the defense into making turnovers in their own zone.

     

    Third Period:

    Whalers Penalty – 5:44 – Micheal Ferland 2 minutes for Hooking

    Whalers SHG – 7:20 – Teuvo Teravainen (8) and Sebastian Aho (24)

    Bruins Penalty – 14:27 – Bench (Ryan Donato) 2 minutes for Too Many Men

    Whalers Penalty – 17:20 – Andrei Svechnikov 2 minutes for Boarding

     

    End of 3rd – BOS – 3         HFD – 5

    Shots              30                   37

    Faceoffs        45                    30

    Hits               41                     32

    PP                 1/5                    0/3

     

    Analysis:

    A solid third period for the Whalers. They got themselves into a little bit of penalty trouble, but were able to kill off both penalties, and getting another shorthanded goal in the process.

     

    Next Up:

    Boston (20-13-4 44pts) v. New Jersey (12-16-7 31pts)

    Carolina (15-15-5 35pts) @ Washington (22-10-3 47pts)

  • Gameday Preview – 12/23/2018 – Boston Bruins v. Hartford Whalers

    Gameday Preview – 12/23/2018 – Boston Bruins v. Hartford Whalers

    Boston Bruins (20-12-4 44pts) v. Hartford Whalers (14-15-5 33pts)

     

    Time: 5p EST

    Station: Fox Sports Carolina, NESN, and SportsNet 1

     

    Preview:

    The Hartford Whalers are BACK!! For the first time since 1997, the Carolina Hurricanes will be embracing their past as they take on the Boston Bruins as the Hartford Whalers. For both teams they’ll be finishing their back to backs going into the Holiday break. Yesterday the Bruins got back star center Patrice Bergeron who helped lead the Bruins to a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators, while the Hurricanes are looking to bounce back from their 3-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins last night.

     

    Boston Bruins:

    Projected Lineup:

    Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — Danton Heinen

    Joakim Nordstrom — David Krejci — David Pastrnak

    Sean Kuraly — Colby Cave — David Backes

    Ryan Donato — Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson — Chris Wagner

    Torey Krug — Brandon Carlo

    Matt Grzelcyk — Charlie McAvoy

    John Moore — Steven Kampfer

    Scratched: Noel Acciari

    Injured: Jake DeBrusk (concussion), Urho Vaakanainen (concussion), Kevan Miller (throat), Zdeno Chara (knee)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Continue their strong play

    The Bruins are coming off a very impressive win over the Predators yesterday, and will be looking to comtinue that success today in Carolina.

     

    Hartford Whalers:

    Projected Lineup:

    Jordan Martinook — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen

    Micheal Ferland — Jordan Staal — Brock McGinn

    Andrei Svechnikov — Lucas Wallmark — Justin Williams

    Warren Foegele — Victor Rask — Phillip Di Giuseppe

    Jaccob Slavin — Brett Pesce

    Calvin de Haan — Justin Faulk

    Trevor van Riemsdyk — Dougie Hamilton

    Curtis McElhinney

    Petr Mrazek

    Scratched: None

    Injured: Haydn Fleury (concussion)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Generate solid scoring opportunities

    The fans want to hear “Brass Bonanza” play im PNC Arena, but the Hurricanes need to score to make that happen.  They need to generate better scoring opportunities, to make that a reality.

  • Gameday Preview – 12/22/2018 – Washington Capitals v. Ottawa Senators

    Gameday Preview – 12/22/2018 – Washington Capitals v. Ottawa Senators

    Washington Capitals (21-10-3 45pts) v. Ottawa Senators (15-17-4 34pts)

     

    Time: 7p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Washington+, City, and SportsNet 360

     

    Preview:

    The Washington Capitals travel to Ottawa to take on the Senators in the final game of their back to back before going into the Holiday break. The Capitals are coming off of a hard fought 2-1 win over Buffalo at home will be looking for their second straight win, meanwhile the Senators are looking to bounce back from their game last night against the New Jersey Devils that saw them fall 5-2.

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Projected Lineup:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Chandler Stephenson — Nic Dowd – Devante Smith-Pelly

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Madison Bowey

    Pheonix Copley

    Braden Holtby

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Travis Boyd, Tyler Lewington

    Injured: Christian Djoos (leg), Brooks Orpik (knee)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Stay Fresh

    The Capitals will be playing in their second game of their back to back and will need to keep their legs fresh throughout the game. Short shifts and rolling all 4 lines and all 3 pairs will be key to that.

     

    2. Stay out of the box

    The Capitals are still taking too many penalties and it disrupts the flow of their game. The Capitals need to draw more penalties, and take fewer penalties.

     

    Ottawa Senators:

    Projected Lineup:

    Chris Tierney — Matt Duchene — Mikkel Boedker

    Brady Tkachuk — Colin White — Mark Stone

    Ryan Dzingel — Zack Smith — Bobby Ryan

    Magnus Paajarvi — Tom Pyatt

    Thomas Chabot — Dylan DeMelo

    Maxime Lajoie — Cody Ceci

    Mark Borowiecki — Christian Jaros

    Ben Harpur (D)

    Craig Anderson

    Mike McKenna

    Scratched: Justin Falk, Nick Paul

    Injured: Jean-Gabriel Pageau (Achilles)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Play with motivation

    The Senators are coming off of a 5-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils last night and will be home to take on the Capitals. The Senators need to feed off of their home crowd and play with motivation.

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (21-10-3 45pts) v. Carolina (14-14-5 33pts)

    Ottawa (15-16-4 34pts) @ NY Islanders (17-13-4 38pts)

  • Game Recap – 12/21/2018 – Buffalo Sabres v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 12/21/2018 – Buffalo Sabres v. Washington Capitals

    Buffalo Sabres (20-10-5 45pts) v. Washington Capitals (20-10-3 43pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals defeat the Buffalo Sabres in a tightly contested game that saw Braden Holtby make 36 saves on 37 shots, and Tom Wilson clinch the game with the game winning goal 7 minutes left in regulation.

     

    Lineups:

    Buffalo Sabres:

    Jeff Skinner — Jack Eichel — Sam Reinhart

    Conor Sheary – Vladimir Sobotka — Evan Rodrigues

    Zemgus Girgensons — Casey Mittelstadt — Kyle Okposo

    Remi Elie — Johan Larsson — Tage Thompson

    Rasmus Dahlin — Zach Bogosian

    Lawrence Pilut — Rasmus Ristolainen

    Marco Scandella — Jake McCabe

    Carter Hutton

    Linus Ullmark

    Scratched: Brendan Guhle, Matt Hunwick

    Injured: Jason Pominville (undisclosed), Nathan Beaulieu (upper body), Casey Nelson (upper body), Scott Wilson (ankle)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Chandler Stephenson — Nic Dowd – Devante Smith-Pelly

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Madison Bowey

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Travis Boyd, Tyler Lewington

    Injured: Christian Djoos (leg), Brooks Orpik (knee)

     

    First Period:

    Sabres Penalty – 4:32 – Jeff Skinner 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals Penalty – 8:28 – Tom Wilson 2 minutes for Hooking

     

    End of 1st – BUF – 0       WAS – 0

    Shots              09                08

    Faceoffs         07                09

    Hits               03                  10

    PP                 0/1                 0/1

     

    Analysis:

    This was a very fast paced and very even first period for both teams. Both the Capitals and Sabres are doing a very good job of taking care of the neutral zone and keep the the slot area clear for their goalies.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to keep their feet moving and continue playing really good team defense against the Sabres. The Capitals also need to do a better job in reducing the amount of giveaways. They had 7 to Buffalo’s 4 in the first period.

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Penalty – 2:37 – Jonas Siegenthaler 2 minutes for Tripping

    Capitals SHG – 2:50 – Chandler Stephenson (3) from Nic Dowd (9)

    Sabres Penalty – 7:12 – Evan Rodrigues 2 minutes for Holding

    Sabres Penalty – 9:38 – Casey Mittelstadt 2 minutes for Holding

     

    End of 2nd – BUF – 0        WAS – 1

    Shots               19                 16

    Faceoffs          14                 19

    Hits                 03                  19

    PP                   0/2                  0/3

     

    Analysis:

    This was another very good back and forth period between both teams. The Capitals were better than the Sabres on special teams as they held Buffalo shotless on their lone powerplay of the period, and the Capitals scored while shorthanded. The Capitals powerplay was buzzing on both opportunities and with some controversy to the first one.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to continue playing strong team defense and limit the scoring chances for the Sabres. Also the Capitals need to cut down on their giveaways. They almost shot themselves in the foot a few times this game with their giveaways.

     

    Third Period:

    Sabres Goal – 9:01 – Johan Larsson (3) from Tage Thompson (3) and Rasmus Ristolainen (19)

    Capitals Penalty – 9:24 – Matt Niskanen 2 minutes for Tripping

    Capitals Goal – 13:00 – Tom Wilson (10) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (25)

    Sabres Penalty – 14:23 – Vladimir Sobotka 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals Penalty – 17:48 – Nic Dowd 2 minutes for Tripping

     

    End of 3rd – BUF – 1         WAS – 2

    Shots              37                   24

    Faceoffs        23                    28

    Hits               06                     19

    PP                 0/4                    0/4

     

    Analysis:

    A good solid period. Both teams scored hard earned goals, but it would be the Capitals penalty kill that would upset the Sabres and not allow them to get any quality chances on the powerplay.

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (21-10-3 45pts) @ Ottawa (15-16-4 34pts)

    Buffalo (20-11-5 45pts) v. Anaheim (19-13-5 43pts)