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  • November 7th, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is Wednesday, November 7th, and these are your news and notes…

    There were nine league contests last night.

     

    The Maple Leafs won their 10th game of the season out of 15 games for the 11th time in franchise history and the first since the 2013-14 season when they won 10 games out of the first 14.

     

     

    Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist won his 436th career game and is now one win shy of tying Jacques Plante for seventh place all time.

     

     

    Max Domi would score all three of Montreal’s goals in the contest to give him a goal-scoring streak of four contests and has 16 points on the season, including nine goals thus far.

     

     

    TXHT and Last Word on Sports Armand Kilsvitch has his recap of the contest here.

     

     

    The Columbus Blue Jackets have defeated the Dallas Stars for the sixth consecutive time.

     

     

    Ottawa’s Mark Stone had a five-point game to lift Ottawa to the win over New Jersey. Stone is the fifth player in Senators’ history to have multiple five point games in the regular season.

     

     

    Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson would score yet again and continues to lead all rookies in goals and points but would still fall to the Detroit Red Wings in a shootout.

     

    Pettersson has scored 10 goals in 10 games played. He is the fifth player outside of the League’s first season to score 10+ goals through their first 10 NHL games.

     

     

    In Tampa Bay’s Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness night, Tampa Bay would get the win in the contest over the Edmonton Oilers and move to a record of 11-3-1 and into first place in the NHL standings.

     

     

    St. Louis F Ryan O’Reilly registered a hat-trick and would extend his point streak to eight games in the contest against the Hurricanes. O’Reilly also had an eight-game point streak during the 2015-16 season.

     

     

    In this match-up, Ilya Kovalchuk had one goal and two assists in the first game for new Kings head coach, Willie Desjardins.

     

     

     

    San Jose’s Joe Thornton played in his 1499th NHL contest last night and tied Mike Modano for 19th all time.

     

     

    With his next game, Thornton will become the first overall pick in the history of the NHL Draft to reach the 1500 game milestone.

     

    As a note from the contests yesterday, this would only be the fifth time in League history where the home teams swept a schedule of 9+ games.

     

     

    Today’s slate of games…

     

    nov_7th_schedy-07021021

     

    For other news, notes, and stats…

     

     

    Today in NHL News…

     

    -Edmonton Oilers Milan Lucic will have a hearing today for roughing Tampa Bay’s Mathieu Joseph in last night’s contest.

     

     

    The NHL’s Department of Player Safety in accordance to the hearing announced that Lucic has been fined $10,000, the maximum allowed under the CBA, for roughing Mathieu Joseph.

     

     

    -Sportsnet and Hockey Night in Canada’s Elliotte Friedman released his “31 Thoughts” article yesterday. The topic revolves around the Ottawa Senators Uber video and the fallout.

     

     

    -The Los Angeles Kings announced that Adam Oates has joined the team in a consulting role.

     

     

     

    You can watch TXHT Live next Tuesday at 8p EST on both Twitch and Facebook Live.

  • TXHT – 11/6/2018

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPgR7_4DX8s&w=560&h=315]

    Join Michael as he breaks down the past week for the Washington Capitals, plus NHL News and Notes.
    You can watch TXHT Live next Wednesday at 8p EST on both Twitch and Facebook Live.
  • Montreal Canadiens Lose Lead, Then Game to New York Rangers

    Montreal Canadiens Lose Lead, Then Game to New York Rangers

    The Montreal Canadiens blow a 3-1 Lead to lose 5-3 to the New York Rangers. A sloppy third period leads to too many odd-man chances by the Rangers which killed the Habs. Habs will look to redeem themselves at Home when they face the Sabres on Thursday Night at 7:30 PM. Tomas Tatar picked up two goals and was a bright spot for the Habs tonight. Price made a bunch of key saves to try and save the Habs but the defense decided not to show up.

    First Period Analysis
    A fast start again for the Habs as Tomas Tatar gets the Habs on the board in the first minute of the game. Habs gave up way too many turnovers which led to a number of odd-man chances for the Rangers.

    Second Period
    Very Physical play. The Habs have to be careful and not be stupid and let the Rangers tie this game up. Habs are taking way too many penalties in the game, This will come back to bite them in the third period.

    Third Period:
    Too Many Penalties+Too Many Men= 2 points wasted. No defense, too many penalties and just from a Habs perspective painful to watch.

    You can watch TXHT Live next Wednesday at 8p EST on both Twitch and Facebook Live.
  • Game Recap – Vegas Golden Knights v. Toronto Maple Leafs

    Game Recap – Vegas Golden Knights v. Toronto Maple Leafs

    Time: Tuesday, Novemeber 6th, 2018

    Toronto: 9-5-0 for 18 points

    Vegas: 6-2-1 for 13 points

    The Toronto Maple Leafs head back home where they have struggled big time only scoring 5 goals in their last 7 games. But Vegas has been just as bad on the road, having a hard time scraping wins away from their home arena.

    Top Scorers/Goalie Matchup

    Morgan Rielly – 18 points (6 goals 12 assists)

    Mitch Marner – 18 points (4 goals 14 assists)

    Auston Matthews – 16 points (10 goals 6 assists) 53% on Face-off

    John Tavares – 14 points (8 goals 8 assists) 48% on face-offs

     

    Jonathan Marchessault –13 points (6 goals 7 assists)

    William Karlsson– 10 points (3 goal 10 assists)

    Erik Haula– 7 points (2 goal 5 assists)

    Rielly Smith– 6 points (3 goal 3 assists)

     

    Frederik Andersen

    7-5-0 2.28GAA .924SV%

     

    Marc-Andre Fleury

    6-5-1 2.51GAA .901SV%

     

    Probable Lineups:

    Toronto:

    Mitch Marner – John Tavares – Zach Hyman

    Kasperi Kapanen – Nazem Kadri– Patrick Marleau

    Tyler Ennis – Pars Lindholm – Connor Brown

    Andreas Johnsson – Frederik Gauthier – Josh Leivo

    Morgan Rielly – Ron Hainsey

    Jake Gardiner – Nikita Zaitsev

    Travis Dermott – Igor Ozhiganov

    Frederik Andersen

    Garrett Sparks
    Scratched: Justin Holl & Martin Marincin

    Injuries: Nathan Horton (Back), Auston Matthews (Shoulder)

    Suspension: None

     

    Vegas:

    Jonathan Marchessault – William Karlsson – Reilly Smith

    Max Pacioretty – Erik Haula– Alex Tuch

    Tomas Nosek– Cody Eakin – Tomas Hyka

    William Carrier – Pierre-Eduoard Bellmore – Ryan Reaves

    Brayden McNabb –Collin Miller

    Shea Theodore – Nick Holden

    Jon Merril – Brad Hunt

    Marc-Andre Fleury

    Macolm Subban
    Scratched: None

    Injuries: Paul Stastny (Lower Body)

    Suspension: None

     

    Keys to Winning against Vegas:

    1. Attack the defence
      1. Vegas defence is young and although they played well last year they have been so good this year. Attack hard.
    2. Depth
      1. Needs to score take some pressure off the stars
    3. Score 1st
      1. Leafs have struggled at home and need to get off to a good start. 1st goal of the game would easily help that

    Game Day Lineups:

    First Period:

    Toronto Goal – 05:30 – Connor Brown (2) Unassisted

    Vegas Penalty – 06:43 – Bryaden McNabb 2 minutes from Holding

    Toronto Penalty – 13:58 – Jake Gardiner 2 minutes from Hooking

    End of 1st – VGK – 0     TOR – 1

    Shots              13                08

    Faceoffs         7/17          10/17

    Hits               6                  12

    PP                 0/1               0/1

    Analysis:

    Leafs are aggressive on the defence and attacking the net not worrying about finesse but just getting the puck in the net anyway possible.

    Need to Do:

    Get more bodies in front of Fleury really having a hard time tracking the puck.

    Second Period:

    Toronto Goal – 00:09 – Mitch Marner (5) from John Tavares (9) and Zach Hyman (7)

    Toronto Penalty – 04:01 – Mitch Marner 2 minutes for Hooking

    Vegas Goal – 11:22 – Cody Eakin (4) from Shea Theodore (5) and Jon Merill (2)

    End of 2nd –VGK – 1      TOR – 2

    Shots               29                 16

    Faceoffs          16/40            24/40

    Hits                 14                  17

    PP                   0/2                  0/1

    Analysis:

    Leaf came out flying and then took their foot off the gas pedal. Allowing Vegas to dominate the 2nd half of the 2nd period and score once.

    Need to Do:

    Get back to being aggressive on the forecheck.

     

     

    Third Period:

    Toronto Penalty – 03:32 – Jake Gardiner 2 minutes for Slashing

    Toronto EN Goal – 19:25 – Nazem Kadri(4) from Connor Brown (4) and Patrick Marleau (5)

    End of 3rd –VGK – 1           TOR – 3

    Shots              37                      21

    Faceoffs        23/59             36/59

    Hits               23                      25

    PP                 0/3                    0/1

    Analysis:

    Mitch Marner was by far the best player on the ice tonight. Backchecked hard and forechecked hard and even fought hard in front of the net. But his only comparable was Freddie Andersen who came to play tonight stopping 36 of 37 shots for an amazing performance.

     

    Next Up:

    New Jersey (6-5-1 13pts) @ Toronto (10-5-0 20pts)

    Vegas (6-8-1 13pts) @ Ottawa (5-6-3 13pts)

     

    You can watch TXHT Live this Wednesday at 8p EST on both Twitch and Facebook Live.

     

  • November 6th, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is Tuesday, November 6th, 2018, and these are your news and notes..

    There were five contests yesterday…

     

    Boston Bruins Brad Marchand recorded his 13th overtime goal to give the Bruins a record of 8-4-2 thus far on the season. Marchand sits at a five-way tie for 10th place in NHL for overtime winners.

     

     

    Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello became the third general manager in League history to reach the 2400 game plateau. He trails only David Poile and Glen Sather in the 2400+ game mark. Lamoriello won three Stanley Cup championships as the GM of the New Jersey Devils.

     

     

    For the Montreal Canadiens, Joel Armia was the only player to score in the shootout and with the win, Montreal is now 8-4-2 on the season.

     

     

    Brian Boyle netted a hat trick in the contest, the first in his career. Boyle, who recently announced that his cancer is in remission, netted this hat-trick on Hockey Fights Cancer night in Pittsburgh.

     

     

    Washington Capitals F Alex Ovechkin netted his 234th career power-play goal to give the Capitals the victory. This would be Ovechkin’s fifth power-play goal in the season. Since Ovechkin’s debut in the 2005-06 season, Ovechkin has 99 more power-play goals than the next closest player.

     

     

    Connor McDavid in the contest would extend his point streak to eight games, six shy of his personal best at 14 games.

     

    TXHT’s Full Recap

     

     

    Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux registered at least three points in a contest for the 49th times in his career. The franchise record is held by Bobby Clarke who had 110 games of at least three points.

     

     

    There are nine contests tonight…

    skeddy-06123417

    In NHL news…

    -Earlier today, the Chicago Blackhawks announced that Joel Quenneville has been relieved of his coaching duties and announced Jeremy Colliton as the 38th head coach in the franchise’s history.

     

    -The Tampa Bay Lightning will host their annual Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness night tonight when Tampa Bay takes on the Ottawa Senators.

     

    -The Ottawa Senators released a statement about the group of Senators players who mocked coaches and laughed about their play.

     

     

    TXHT has a great article on what a team is and you can read that article here.

     

    You can watch TXHT Live next Tuesday at 8p EST on both Twitch and Facebook Live.

  • The Meaning of Being a Team

    As we all learned late yesterday, members of the Ottawa Senators were filmed by an Uber driver while in Arizona during their road trip. In the video you can see the players talking and joking about the coaching staff and the meetings that take place for the team.

     

    Now this doesn’t come as a major surprise that this is happening in Ottawa given the recent track record of drama that has engulfed the team since the 2017-18 season, but the level of dissention that we can see brewing is truly unheard of. It is common to hear of coaches or specific players losing the locker room and their support, which in effect causes change, but this one is much different as it is also evident that the owner of the Senators, Eugene Melnyk, has lost the entire organization.

     

    Now many have asked why the NHL has not stepped in to fix the issue, and the answer is rather simple. The NHL does not own the team, and unless the Ottawa Senators become a financial mess, and on the verge of folding, then the League can become involved like they have with the Arizona Coyotes, and a couple others to keep them be stable until they could get new ownership. From a financial standpoint the Senators are not being poorly managed, but that still doesn’t change the fact that Melnyk needs to sell the Senators so they can all get a fresh start.

     

    What can the NHL do? Honestly nothing, but have conversations with Eugene Melnyk and the other owners about the situation.  However, there will come a point where something needs to happen.

     

    How about the players on the video? What should happen with them? For a situation like this it’s rather difficult. There will obviously be team imposed punishments for the players behavior, but for something like this the League may not be able to do anything, unless the CBA states other wise.

     

    But this also begs a bigger question from someone like me and that is this. If you aren’t happy with the team you’re on, why don’t you say something to those in charge of the team? It’s not the League’s job to fix the problem for you. You need to speak to those in charge of your team, be it the Captain, the Coach, or even the General Manager, or the Owner. Despite what people think, they will talk to you and listen to your grievances and do what they can to help fix the issue for you, but doing it behind those people’s backs is not the way to do it.

     

    Hopefully soon we’ll see real change in Ottawa, but until then this will be a bumpy ride.

     

    You can watch TXHT Live tonight at 8p EST on both Twitch and Facebook Live.

  • Game Recap – 11/5/2018 – Edmonton Oilers v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 11/5/2018 – Edmonton Oilers v. Washington Capitals

     

    Edmonton Oilers (8-4-1 17pts) v. Washington Capitals (5-4-3 13pts)

    Time: 7p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Washington

     

    Edmonton Oilers:

    Lineup:

    Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — Connor McDavid — Drake Caggiula

    Tobias Rieder — Leon Draisaitl — Alex Chiasson

    Milan Lucic — Ryan Strome — Jesse Puljujarvi

    Jujhar Khaira — Kyle Brodziak — Zack Kassian

    Oscar Klefbom — Adam Larsson

    Darnell Nurse — Kris Russell

    Jason Garrison — Matt Benning

    Cam Talbot

    Mikko Koskinen

    Scratched: Ty Rattie, Kailer Yamamoto, Kevin Gravel

    Injured: None

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Lineup:

    Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov – Dmitrij Jaskin

    Chandler Stephenson — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Jakub Vrana — Travis Boyd — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Christian Djoos — Madison Bowey

    Pheonix Copley

    Braden Holtby

    Scratched: Nic Dowd

    Injured: Brooks Orpik (lower body)

    Suspended: Tom Wilson

     

    First Period:

    Capitals Goal – 2:44 – Jakub Vrana (4) from Devante Smith-Pelly (2) and Travis Boyd (1)

    Capitals Goal – 5:44 – Devante Smith-Pelly (2) from Travis Boyd (2)

    Capitals Penalty – 6:13 – Matt Niskanen 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals Penalty – 9:04 – Alex Ovechkin 2 minutes for Slashing

    Oilers PPG – 10:24 – Connor McDavid (10) from Oscar Klefbom (7) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (12)

    Oilers Penalty – 18:03 – Leon Draisaitl 2 minutes for Slashing

     

    End of 1st – EDM – 1      WAS – 2

    Shots               12               11

    Faceoffs          11               09

    Hits                  03               06

    PP                    1/2              0/1

     

    Analysis:

    The Capitals came out flying and scored two quick ones but then they would take two penalties that the Oilers would use to get themselves back into this game. Especially like Dmitrij Jaskin on the first line and Jakub Vrana on the fourth line.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to stay out of the penalty box. Edmonton is dangerous on the powerplay and proved it on their second opportunity. Also the Capitals need to keep on pressuring in the Oilers zone.

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Goal – 8:11 – TJ Oshie (7) from Nicklas Backstrom (13) and John Carlson (10)

    Capitals Penalty – 8:38 – Devante Smith-Pelly 2 minutes for Delay of Game

    Oilers Goal – 10:41 – Leon Draisaitl (8) from Adam Larsson (5) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (13)

    Oilers Penalty – 12:24 – Adam Larsson 2 minutes for Slashing

    Capitals PPG – 13:09 – Alex Ovechkin (11) from John Carlson (11) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (12)

     

    End of 2nd – EDM – 2      WAS – 4

    Shots               22                 21

    Faceoffs          25                 20

    Hits                 08                  16

    PP                   1/3                 1/2

     

    Analysis:

    This was an even period for the Capitals. They were able to get 2 more goals this period and were able to do a much better job on their second powerplay.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to close this game out. The 3rd period has been their worst period lately and they need to play with urgency and need to stay out of the penalty box.

     

    Third Period:

    Capitals Penalty – 18:57 – Nicklas Backstrom 2 minutes for Boarding

     

    End of 3rd – EDM – 2     WAS – 4

    Shots               33               23

    Faceoffs          36               26

    Hits                  16               25

    PP                    1/4              1/2

     

    Analysis:

    Despite being out shot by Edmonton 11-2 in the third period, the Capitals did play a more solid third period than we have seen the past few games. However, the Capitals will need to be at the top of their game come this Wednesday when they take on the arch rival Pittsburgh Penguins.

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (6-4-3 15pts) v Pittsburgh (6-3-3 15pts)

    Edmonton (8-5-1 17pts) @ Tampa Bay (10-3-1 21pts)

     

    You can watch TXHT Live tomorrow at 8p EST on both Twitch and Facebook Live.

  • A Maple Leaf prospect overview – Part 1

    A Maple Leaf prospect overview – Part 1

    If you don’t follow much of the American Hockey League, OHL, KHL or any of the Swedish Leagues that’s 100% ok. By the end of this article you have a overview of what you can expect coming out of the Leafs organization over the next few years and if I can give you hint you should be very excited. These are no particular order just going to do my best to give you an overview of what’s in the Maple Leafs system over the next few weeks. Part 1 will consist of 4 players more known in the Maple Leafs system.

    1. Rasmus Sandin – Drafted 1st round 2018 (29th overall) From the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
      Position: Defence
      Shoots: Left
      Born: March 7th, 2000 — Uppsala, Sweden
      Height: 5’11”
      Weight: 190 lbs [180 cm / 86 kg

      • Background: Started his professional playing career in Brynas IF in 2016 at the age of 16. In 2017 Sandin was drafted 52nd overall by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) at the Canadian Hockey League import draft. Started playing for Rogle SK of the Swedish Hockey League before joining the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and by seasons being awarded Rookie of the Year by the team and nominated a finalist for the Emms Family award (awarded top rookie)
      • Scouting Report:
        1. Skating – Above average skater, don’t expect him to out skate very many. Better skater backwards then forwards. Fantastic retreat skater, always able to keep the play in front of him. Good, strong lower half which makes Sandin strong on his skates.
        2. Offensively – Highly intelligent puck mover, he is always poised with the puck on his stick. Amazing vision and a great passer, has the ability and skill to use the stretch pass with ease but will not force a play if it’s not there. Sandin brings a great shot arsenal to the ice, he favors his wrist shot or snap shot over the slapper. Knows when to pick his spots to pinch
        3. Defensively – Sandin brings very strong positioning along with some physicality to his game. Tough in the corners, clears the net well. Sandin doesn’t chase the play in order to be physical but picks his spots well. Sandin is very good at anticipating plays, making him a very valuable defencemen.
        4. Comparision –  If I had to choose someone solely based on potential I really couldn’t find someone because the potential that Rasmus Sandin has seems to be above and behind some of his peers. But what I’ve heard and saw game style wise he compares Jake Muzzin.
    1. Trevor Moore – Undrafted free agent signing
      Position: Left Wing
      Shoots: Left
      Born: March 31, 1995 – USA
      Height: 5‘10”
      Weight: 174 lbs

      • Background: Moore decided to go the same route as former Leaf Center Tyler Bozak, heading straight to the University of Denver. At Denver Moore was setup under current Dallas head coach Jim Montgomery and played on a line with current NHLer Dalton Heinein of the Boston Bruins. It was there that he would begin to flourish and the Leafs scouts caught a glimpse of it and rushed to sign Moore in 2016. His development with the Marlies has been quick and fun to watch. Moore was expected by some to be the Leafs first call up this season if necessary and they were correct.
      • Scouting Report:
        1. Skating: Most scouts describe Moore’s skating ability as NHL ready. Extremely quick and strong on his skates. Hard to bump off the puck.
        2. Offensively: The way I’ve heard it described about Trevor Moore’s offence was this; “Great hands and vision with a nice shot and knack for going to the net hard, we could be looking at a 3rd liner who scores 20 goals.”
        3. Defensively: You really couldn’t ask for a more defensively responsible player. Sheldon Keefe head coach of the Toronto Marlies has Moore play in every situation, Keefe stress Moore has developed an unbelievable 2-way game. Great backchecker who never gives up, amazing hockey sense and the ability to read a play defensively before it happens, this is on top of his shot blocking ability.
        4. Comparison: Closest comparison would be Zach Hyman but much offensive flair and a much more dynamic skater and player.
    1. Carl Grundstrom – Drafted in the 2nd round (57th overall) in the 2016 NHL draft
      Position: Right Wing
      Shoots: Left
      Born: December 1st, 1997 Umea, Sweden
      Height: 6‘00”
      Weight: 194 lbs

      • Background: Scored 13 goals in the Swedish Hockey League, those numbers may not jump off the page at you, but considering he was 18 years old and playing in a super defensive league 13 goals in the SHL is probably like a solid 25-30 in the AHL.
      • Scouting Report:
        1. Skating: Not a strength of his game, needs to improve his skating a bit and his edging. Plays more of a north/south game. But this doesn’t mean he’s a bad skater either.
        2. Offensively: Only way to describe his offensive game is this, Shoot!. Grundstrom has an unbelievable shot and is really good around the net. Good hockey IQ, and a very competitive player. He’s one of those guys like a Zach Hyman who will give you everything he’s got every shift.
        3. Defensively: Solid defensive player, who is always on the right side of the puck. Good stick and a very high hockey sense.
        4. Comparison: Closest comparison Leo Komarov
    1. Timothy Liljegren – Drafted in the 1st round (17th overall) in 2017
      Position: Defence
      Shoots: Right
      Born: April 30, 1999– Kristianstad, Sweden
      Height: 6‘00”
      Weight: 192 lbs

      • Background: Liljegren was drafted much lower than most people thought he should have been. Before Liljegren had a bout with mono, he was said to be drafted as high as 3rd overall but he couldn’t find his game in the 2nd half of the season after returning and no one wanted to take the risk.
      • Scouting Report:
        1. Skating: Have fun catching this kid if he gets going. Very strong skater, great edge work and pretty strong on the puck. Let me tell you if you let him get skating he will get into the zone every time. Without question.
        2. Offensively: Liljegren admittingly models his game after Erik Karlsson and with that comparable he does a lot of the samethings that Karlsson does. Great zone entries and strong ability to control the line, great hands, phenomenal stickhandling and probably the most talk about thing is the cannon of a shot he possesses. Most scouts say that they will be shocked if Liljegren isn’t a multiple Norris Trophy winner.
        3. Defensively: Much like Karlsson, Liljegren doesn’t get much credit for his defensive work and while playing in Sweden I would agree. But since playing under Sheldon Keefe on the Toronto Marlies his defensive abilities have looked miles better. He’s garnered a good stick and some good position.
        4. Comparison: Closest comparison Erik Karlsson, not saying he’s as good but the same style and set of skills, but obviously at different levels.

     

  • Game Day Preview: Montreal Canadiens vs New York Islanders

    Montreal Canadiens (7-4-2) vs New York Islanders (8-4-1)

    Game Time: 7:00 Pm

    Referees: #15 Jean Herbert, #3 Chris Schlenker

    Linesmen: #84 Tony Sericolo, #66 Darren Gibbs

    The Montreal Canadiens come into tonight’s game after a rough 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Islanders are another team who is having a surprisingly strong start to the year. Thomas Griess will get the start for the Islanders tonight, Griess is currently 4-2-0 with a 1.85 (3rd in the NHL) and .944 SV Percentage (3rd in the NHL). Antti Niemi will get the start for the Habs as the Habs play back to back games with Price getting the start tomorrow at MSG.

    Keys To The Game

    The Habs have done nothing on the Power-Play in their last 15 attempts and are 24th in the league on the power-play. Scoring tonight on a power-play would give a huge confidence boost to the Special Teams. The Habs PK hasn’t been terrible as they are close to 80% on the kill. Coming into tonight the Canadiens haven’t lost back-back games this season.

    Injury Update: Paul Byron will miss the next two games as he is still suffering through a lower-body injury.

    Tonight’s Line-Up

    Forwards

    Tomas Tatar-Phillip Danault- Brendan Gallagher

    Jonathan Drouin- Max Domi- Charles Hudon

    Artturi Lehkonen- Jesperi Kotkaniemi- Joel Armia

    Nichoals Deslauriers- Matthew Peca- Andrew Shaw

    Defensemen

    Jordie Benn-Jeff Petry

    Mike Reilly- Noah Juulsen

    Xavier Ouellet- Victor Mete

     

  • November 5th, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is Monday, November 5th, 2018 and these are your news and notes…

    There were three contests last night.

     

     

    Brayden Point had a stellar game in netting the game-tying goal with less than 30 seconds left in regulation and recorded an assist on Yanni Gourde’s game-winning goal in the overtime frame to move the Tampa Bay Lightning to a record of 10-3-1.  Tampa Bay is now the second team so far this season to have won at least 10 games with Nashville winning 11 games so far.

    Tampa Bay has won each of their first seven contests against foes from the Eastern Conference for the first time in franchise history.

    The League record for this mark is 12 contests.

     

     

    The New York Rangers scored two goals in 19 seconds and G Henrik Lundqvist made 39 saves to give the Rangers their third consecutive win.  This was the fifth time the Rangers would score two goals in the first minute of the contest and the first since March 24, 1982, when they did it against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

    For Lundqvist, he earned his 435th career win and moved within two wins of tying Jacques Plante for 437 career wins.

     

     

    Cam Fowler in this contest recorded his first career hat-trick, scoring the game-winner just 39 seconds into overtime. Fowler became only the seventh defenceman in NHL history to complete the hat trick with an overtime winner.

    These goals would move him into a second-place tie with Francois Beauchemin on the franchise all-time list among defencemen.

    More news, notes, and stats…

    Today’s schedule of games:

    nov_5th_schedy-05122030

    In NHL news, the Three Stars of the Week were announced…

    -FanDuel and the NHL announced earlier today that the two have entered an agreement for FanDuel to become the official daily fantasy partner and an official betting partner of the NHL.

    -In reference to the note in Saturday’s news and notes, Winnipeg’s Brendan Lemieux had his hearing today in regards to the illegal check to the head in Friday’s contest to Florida Panthers F Vincent Trochek.

    Lemieux was suspended for two games by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety hearing today.

    -Tonight the Pittsburgh Penguins will host their Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness night.

    -In Wednesday’s contest when the Washington Capitals face-off against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Capitals C Nicklas Backstrom will be honoured for achieving the 600 career assists plateau.

    -In Women’s Hockey, the Four Nations tournament kicks off tomorrow.

    You can watch TXHT Live TOMORROW at 8p EST on both Twitch and Facebook Live.