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Category: NHL

  • NHL News and Notes from Thursday, November 14th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Thursday, November 14th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Thursday, November 14th, 2019

     

    News:

    • The NWHL announced a new round of equity funding for the growth of the league and Women’s Hockey.

     

     

    • The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that forward Sidney Crosby will be out a minimum of six weeks after undergoing successful surgery on a core muscle injury.

     

    • The New York Islanders have placed forward Andrew Ladd on waivers.

     

     

    • The Calgary Flames announced that defenseman TJ Brodie experienced an episode on the ice at practice, and is at the hospital alert and responsive as of 4p ET Thursday.

     

    Game Recaps:

    Carolina Hurricanes v. Buffalo Sabres – 7p EST Start Time

    CAR RoadBUF Home

    The Buffalo Sabres host the Carolina Hurricanes as they look to win their 10th game of the season. In the first period Jeff Skinner would strike against his former team to give the Sabres the 1-0 lead with his eighth of the season. then in the second half of the first period the Hurricanes would strike as Jordan Staal would score his third of the season to tie the game at one, then would get a goal from Sebastian Aho on the powerplay to take the 2-1 lead. In the second period both teams would trade goals as Teuvo Teravainen would score for the Hurricanes, then Curtis Lazar would tally for the Sabres. Then in the third period the Sabres would tie the game at three when Henri Jokiharju would score his second of the season, but the Hurricanes would strike back on the powerplay with Andrei Svechnikov’s eighth of the season. However, Jeff Skinner would score his second of the season to tie the game at four in the final minute of regulation to send the game to overtime. And in overtime Dougie Hamilton would strike for the Hurricanes to win the game 5-4.

     

    New York Rangers v. Tampa Bay Lightning – 7p EST Start Time

    NYR RoadTB Home

    In Tampa Bay the Lightning would strike early and often in the first period against the New York Rangers. The Lightning would get goals from Luke Schenn, Alex Killorn (PPG), Nikita Kucherov (PPG) and Ondrej Palat to take the 4-0 lead in the first seven minutes of the game. Before the first period would end the Rangers would finally strike as Chris Kreider would net his fifth of the season. Then in the second period Steven Stamkos would score twice on the powerplay, and Pat Maroon and Kevin Shattenkirk would both score for another four goal period for the Lightning. In the third period Filip Chytil would score shorthanded for the Rangers, but Yanni Gourde would score for the Lighting to grow their lead back to seven. The Rangers would get one more goal from Chytil, but it wouldn’t be enough as the Lightning would go on to win 9-3.

     

    Winnipeg Jets v. Florida Panthers – 7p EST Start Time

    WIN RoadFLA Home

    The Winnipeg Jets head south to face the Florida Panthers and after a scoreless first period both teams would trade goals in the second period. Josh Morrissey would get the Jets on the board first, but the Panthers would strike on the powerplay with a Aleksander Barkov tally. Then in the third period the Panthers would get two goals from Vincent Trocheck, but the Jets would get goals from Nikolaj Ehlers, Mark Scheifele, and Andrew Copp to secure the 4-3 victory.

     

    Arizona Coyotes v. Minnesota Wild – 8p EST Start Time

    ARI RoadMIN Home

    In Minnesota the Wild would strike first with a Kevin Fiala goal to take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. Then in the second period Conor Garland would score his ninth of the season for the Arizona Coyotes to tie the game at one. Then in the third period the Wild would regain the lead with a Zach Parise powerplay goal, however, Lawson Crouse would strike back for the Coyotes to tie the game back up at two. The Wild would respond a few minutes later as Jordan Greenway would score his first of the season to regain the lead and take the 3-2 victory.

     

    Colorado Avalanche v. Edmonton Oilers – 9p EST Start Time

    COL RoadEDM Home

    The Edmonton Oilers would start of their home game against the Colorado Avalanche as Andre Burakovsky would get the Avalanche on the board first, but then the Oilers would score four straight to end the first period as Connor McDavid would score two powerplay goals, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zack Kassian would score to give the Oilers the 4-1 lead heading into the first intermission. In the second period McDavid would complete the hat trick to give the Oilers their fifth straight goal of the game and a commanding four goal lead while on the powerplay. However, the Oilers still would not stop as in the final minutes of the second period, Nugent-Hopkins would score his second of the game while on the powerplay to take the 6-2 lead and the victory.

     

    Dallas Stars v. Vancouver Canucks – 10p EST Start Time

    DAL RoadVAN Home

    The Dallas Stars would come to Vancouver and would get the jump on the Canucks as Justin Dowling would strike in the first four minutes of the game to give the Stars the 1-0 lead. Then in the second period both teams would trade goals as the Canucks would get goals from Jake Virtanen and Troy Stetcher, while the Stars would get goals from Blake Comeau and Tyler Seguin to keep the one goal lead. Then in the third period Alexander Radulov would tally to give the Stars the 4-2 victory.

     

    San Jose Sharks v. Anaheim Ducks – 10p EST Start Time

    SJ RoadANA Home

    In the Anaheim Ducks 1000th home game at the Honda Center they would strike in the opening 69 seconds of the game on a Rickard Rakell tally. However, the San Jose Sharks would look to spoil the occasion when they tied the game at one on a Tomas Hertl marker. In the second period Herlt would score his second of the game for the Sharks, and Jakob Silfverberg would tally on the powerplay for the Ducks. Then in the third period Max Jones would get on the board for the Ducks, but the Sharks would get three goals from Brent Burns (PPG), Evander Kane (SHG), and Logan Couture to secure the 5-3 victory.

     

    Detroit Red Wings v. Los Angeles Kings – 1030p EST Start Time

    DET RoadLA Home

    In Los Angeles the Kings would strike first against the Detroit Red Wings as Anze Kopitar would score to take the 1-0 lead. In the second period the Wings would get the lone goal from Tyler Bertuzzi to tie the game at one. Then in the third period Bertuzzi would score his second of the game for the Wings to take the lead, but Adrian Kempe would tie the game at two for the Kings and send the game to overtime. In overtime Alex Iafallo would secure the 3-2 victory for the Kings.

  • TXHT Report Card – The Washington Capitals Through 20 Games

    TXHT Report Card – The Washington Capitals Through 20 Games

    The Washington Capitals have played their first 20 games of the 2019-20 season and it is time for their first TXHT Report Card of the season. TXHT will be doing report cards for the Capitals every 20 to 21 games during the regular season, and comparing how they do each quarter of the season to the previous quarters.

     

    Key Stats

    Record: 14-2-4

    Points: 32

    Goals Forward: 79

    Goals Against: 60

    Powerplay: 22.9% (9th)

    Penalty Kill: 84.9% (8th)

     

    First 10 Games

    In the first ten games of the season the Capitals kicked off things off against the defending Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues on the road where they would win 3-2 in overtime, then would follow up with another road victory against the New York Islanders. The Capitals would then come home to face the Carolina Hurricanes, but this would be the start of the Capitals small slide as they would fall to the Hurricanes 3-2 in overtime. The Capitals would also proceed to lose to the Dallas Stars at home 4-3 in overtime, and to the Nashville Predators on the road 6-5. The Capitals would bounce back in Dallas with a 4-1 victory over the Stars, but would be embarrassed by the Colorado Avalanche at home with a 6-3 defeat. However, the Capitals would end the last three games of their first ten games of the season with victories over Toronto (4-3), the New York Rangers (5-2), and Chicago (5-3).

     

    The Capitals would go 6-2-2 for 14 points. Despite the positive record the Capitals had a lot of issues, especially in the first five games, with keeping the lead as the Capitals would blow three consecutive leads which resulted in them being dealt with the loss in all three. The Capitals would also come out flat against the Avalanche to suffer their worse loss of the young season. However, on the plus side the Capitals would not be shut out in any game, and would score 3 or more goals in each game except for one.

     

    Next 10 Games

    In the next ten games the Capitals would continue their winning ways as they would continue their five game road trip with a 5-3 victory over the Calgary Flames, but would then fall to the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in overtime. The Capitals would end their road trip on a winning note as they would defeat Vancouver 6-5 in the shootout, and Toronto 4-3 in overtime. Back at home the Capitals would trounce the Buffalo Sabres 6-1, and with the new World Series Champion Washington Nationals in the house, the Capitals would put out the Flames 4-2. The Capitals would then gut out an overtime victory against the Florida Panthers on the road, then back at home the Capitals would route the Vegas Golden Knights 5-2. In a Veteran’s Day matchup with the Arizona Coyotes the Capitals would fall in the shootout 4-3. Then to finish the second half of their first twenty games the Capitals would defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 in the shootout.

     

    The Capitals would go 8-0-2 for 18 points. The Capitals on their road trip would experience some turbulence in Edmonton and Vancouver as the Capitals would blow another lead in the third period as the Oilers would defeat them in overtime. While in Vancouver the Capitals would mount the comeback as they would erase a four goal deficit to defeat the Canucks in the eventual shootout. Against Arizona the Capitals would comeback from a three goal deficit against the Coyotes, but would eventually fall in the shootout. The great resolve the Capitals showed after going down three goals showed, and even almost had the game won until TJ Oshie’s assumed second of the game was waived off due to the play being offsides. The loss to the Coyotes, and the close matchup with the Flyers were both great tests for the Capitals as they have been coasting these first twenty games with some turbulence, but not enough adversity to challenge this team going down the stretch.

     

    Top Players

    John Carlson – 8g, 22a, 30p

     

    Alex Ovechkin – 13g, 10a, 23p

     

    Both Carlson and Ovechkin leads the team with goals (Ovechkin), assists and points (both Carlson) to lead the charge for the Capitals. Carlson, an early candidate for the Norris Trophy, was the first star for the month of October in the NHL for his historic month.While with Ovechkin he continues to produce as an all around player for the team and has not slowed down as a goal scorer.

     

    Players on the Bubble

    Jakub Vrana – 9g, 8a, 17p

     

    Tom Wilson – 8g, 8a, 16p

     

    Both Vrana and Wilson are on the bubble for me, as both are producing very well on the second line with Evgeny Kuznetsov (8g, 10a, 18p) as their center. Vrana I’d like to see cut down on the penalties and clean up his overall play as he’s been sloppy with the puck, and has also seemed lost out on the ice too. For Wilson he needs to finish a bit more. In the game against Philadelphia he had great opportunities, but couldn’t finish. I wouldn’t be surprised if both Vrana and Wilson hit 30 goals this season, and is very likely they both can.

     

    Needs Improvement

    Richard Panik – 0g, 0a, 0p

     

    I know many find me picking on Panik, but you can’t deny the fact that he just hasn’t produced in the ten games he has played so far this season, and is the only member of the team to not have a point yet this season. Panik has had a few great opportunities but couldn’t seal the deal for himself or the Capitals. Panik would miss ten games due to injury, and would have one semi breakaway opportunity in his return game against Philadelphia, but was very unnoticeable the remainder of the game. The biggest thing Panik can do is score a goal or get an assist to boost his confidence. Once he can get a goal or an assist that will help him relax more and allow him to focus on the game with some more clarity.

     

    Overall the Capitals are off to a great start, but there is not enough adversity to challenge the team. A few losses will be good for the Capitals, and some tougher matchups will help prepare this team for the long run.

  • NHL News and Notes from Wednesday, November 13th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Wednesday, November 13th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Wednesday, November 13th, 2019

     

    News:

    • The Florida Panthers have named Roberto Luongo as Special Advisor to the General Manager.

     

     

    Game Recaps:

    Ottawa Senators v. New Jersey Devils – 7p EST Start Time

    OTT RoadNJ Home

    The New Jersey Devils would play host to the Ottawa Senators, and it would be the Devils taking a lead into the second period as Wayne Simmonds and Will Butcher would score for the Devils, while Jean-Gabriel Pageau would score for the Senators. Then after a scoreless second period the Senators would get three goals in the third as Pageau would score two more goals to complete the hat trick and Mark Borowiecki would score to secure the 4-2 victory for the Senators. Scott’s Recap

     

    Toronto Maple Leafs v. New York Islanders – 7p EST Start Time

    TOR RoadNYI Home

    In a back and forth contest the Toronto Maple Leafs would fall to the New York Islanders in regulation. In the first period the Islanders would get on the board with Mathew Barzal and Anthony Beauvillier (PPG) tallies. Then in the second period Kasperi Kapanen and William Nylander would score for the Leafs to tie the game at two, but Beauvillier would score his second of the game to retake the Islanders lead. And in the third period Justin Holl and John Tavares would score for the Leafs, but the Islanders would get goals from Derick Brassard and Casey Cizikas to secure the 5-4 victory.

     

    Washington Capitals v. Philadelphia Flyers – 730p EST Start Time

    WAS RoadPHI Home

    In a tightly contested matchup the Washington Capitals would top the Philadelphia Flyers in the shootout to earn points in their 13th straight game. TXHT Recap

     

    Dallas Stars v. Calgary Flames – 930p EST Start Time

    DAL RoadCAL Home

    In Calgary the Flames would face the Dallas Stars, and after a scoreless first period the Stars would get on the board with a Joe Pavelski powerplay tally in the second for the lone goal of the game through 40 minutes of play. Then in the third period Justin Dowling would score for the Stars to grow their lead to two, but then Sean Monahan would score for the Flames on the powerplay tocut the deficit to one. However, late in regulation Pavelski would score his second of the game to secure the 3-1 victory for the Stars.

     

    Chicago Blackhawks v. Vegas Golden Knights – 10p EST Start Time

    CHI RoadVGK Home

    The Chicago Blackhawks would come to town to take on the Vegas Golden Knights, and the first period would not disappoint as the Knights would get goals from William Carrier and William Karlsson (PPG) to take the 2-0 lead, but seconds after taking the two goal lead the Blackhawks would cut the lead in half on a Patrick Kane tally. Then in the second period the Blackhawks would net two more goals as Calvin de Haan and Erik Gustafsson would score to take the 3-2 lead. Then in the third period Kirby Dach and Dylan Strome would score for the Blackhawks to take the 5-2 lead, but Nate Schmidt would score for Vegas late in regulation but it would be too little too late as the Blackhawks would win 5-3.

  • Game Recap – 11/13/2019 – Washington Capitals v. Philadelphia Flyers

    Game Recap – 11/13/2019 – Washington Capitals v. Philadelphia Flyers

    Washington Capitals (13-2-4 30pts) v. Philadelphia Flyers (10-5-2 22pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    Coming to Philadelphia to visit an old friend, the Washington Capitals would take on Matt Niskanen and the Flyers for a Metropolitan Division matchup. In the first seven minutes of the game the Capitals would swarm the Flyers in all three zones and it would pay off as the Capitals would not only out shoot the Flyers 7-1, but would also strike first off of a hard hustle from the Capitals grind line of Garnet Hathaway, Nic Dowd, and Brendan Leipsic as they would get the puck to John Carlson for a point shot and Leipsic would crash the net to cash in on the rebound to take the 1-0 lead. The Capitals and Flyers would both trade powerplay opportunities, but neither team would be able to capitalize on them. Especially the Capitals who looked very sloppy with their first powerplay. the Capitals would draw another penalty in the final minute of the period to give them an abbreviated powerplay to start the second period.

     

    In the second period the Capitals would waste away the powerplay opportunity to start the period and would then be outplayed for the first half of the period, including a powerplay opportunity for the Flyers that they would not capitalize on themselves. The Capitals would get another powerplay opportunity in the second half of the period, and would waste their opportunity once again. The Capitals powerplay so far through three chances has looked horrible. Passes aren’t connecting and are trying to force it too much. However, the Capitals penalty kill has been spectacular killing off all three chances the Flyers have had. The Flyers would out shoot the Capitals 12 to 6 in the second period, but Braden Holtby would stand tall for the Capitals to keep the 1-0 lead.

     

    In the third period the Capitals would play with a very lackluster play as the Flyers would once again be buzzing on the Capitals, and on a Nic Dowd tripping call it would be Claude Giroux tying up the game while on the man advantage. In the final five minutes of regulation the Capitals would start to pick up the play and Tom Wilson in particular would get golden opportunity after golden opportunity only to be denied by Carter Hart on three to four high quality scoring chances. Then in overtime the Flyers would take advantage of the long change as they would be able to do three line changes while Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Dmitry Orlov were trapped on the ice for over two minutes, but to their credit were able to keep the Flyers to the outside and kept the shot quality as low as possible. Then in the shootout the Capitals would get goals from Evgeny Kuznetsov and TJ Oshie to clinch the 2-1 victory over the Flyers.

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Chandler Stephenson — Lars Eller — Richard Panik

    Brendan Leipsic — Nic Dowd — Garnet Hathaway

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Radko Gudas

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Nick Jensen

    Braden Holtby

    Ilya Samsonov

    Scratched: None

    Injured: Carl Hagelin (upper body)

     

    Philadelphia Flyers:

    James van Riemsdyk — Claude Giroux — Joel Farabee

    Oskar Lindblom — Sean Couturier — Travis Konecny

    Carsen Twarynski — Kevin Hayes — Jakub Voracek

    Andy Andreoff — Michael Raffl — Tyler Pitlick

    Ivan Provorov — Matt Niskanen

    Shayne Gostisbehere — Justin Braun

    Travis Sanheim — Philippe Myers

    Carter Hart

    Brian Elliott

    Scratched: Chris Stewart, Robert Hagg

    Injured: Nolan Patrick (migraine disorder), Scott Laughton (broken finger)

     

    First Period:

    WAS Goal – 6:13 – Brendan Leipsic (2) from John Carlson (22) and Nic Dowd (2)

    PHI Penalty – 9:23 – Matt Niskanen 2 minutes for Holding

    WAS Penalty – 15:26 – Jakub Vrana 2 minutes for Slashing

    PHI Penalty – 19:02 – Travis Sanheim 2 minutes for Hooking

     

    End of 1st

    11-13 at PHI.png

     

    Second Period:

    WAS Penalty – 5:46 – Richard Panik 2 minutes for High Sticking

    PHI Penalty – 10:47 – James van Riemsdyk 2 minutes for Tripping

    WAS Penalty – 13:01 – Jakub Vrana 2 minutes for Slashing

     

    End of 2nd

    11-13 at PHI-2.png

     

    Third Period:

    WAS Penalty – 6:15 – Nic Dowd (Jakub Vrana) 2 minutes for Tripping

    PHI PPG – 6:38 – Claude Giroux (5) from Jakub Voracek (9) and Ivan Provorov (8)

     

    End of 3rd

    11-13 at PHI-3.png

     

    Overtime:

    N/A

     

    Shootout:

    1 – PHI – Jakub Voracek – Missed

    1 – WAS – TJ Oshie – Goal

    2 – PHI – Claude Giroux – Goal

    2 – WAS – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Goal

    3 – PHI – Sean Couturier – Save

     

    Final

    11-13 at PHI-4.png

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (14-2-4 32pts) v. Montreal (9-5-3 21pts)

    Philadelphia (10-5-3 23pts) @ Ottawa (7-10-1 15pts)

  • Game Recap: New Jersey Devils vs Ottawa Senators

    Game Recap: New Jersey Devils vs Ottawa Senators

    New Jersey Devils (5-8-4 14pts) vs Ottawa Senators (7-10-1 15pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    After a five game road trip across Canada mainly, the New Jersey Devils return home to host the Ottawa Senators. Tonight features a battle between the two teams who are at the bottom of the eastern conference standings. New Jersey would take a 1-0 lead at the 4:54 mark as winger Wayne Simmonds would score on a breakaway. About ten minutes later, Senators Center Jean-Gabriel Pageau would tie the game at 1-1. However, Devils defenseman Will Butcher would give the Devils the lead back 2-1 after the first period.

    Unfortunately for the Devils, the second goal at the end of the first period would be their last goal on the evening. The recurring theme of not being able to hold onto a lead continued this evening. In the third period, The Ottawa Senators would go on to score 3 unanswered goals to complete the comeback as they would win by the final score of 4-2. Jean-Gabriel Pageau struck twice and would complete the hat trick and Mark Borowiecki would snap in his second goal of the season from the point. The Devils hope to redeem themselves yet again as they host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night. 

     

    Lineups

    New Jersey Devils

    https://twitter.com/njdevils/status/1194762369211273216?s=21

     

    Ottawa Senators

     

    Game Highlights

    https://twitter.com/njdevils/status/1194774148532318211?s=21

    https://twitter.com/njdevils/status/1194781446663217154?s=21


    https://twitter.com/senators/status/1194815344495538176?s=21

     

    Final Stats      NJ-2       OTT-4

    Shots:                23             25

    Hits:                  08             19

    PP:                    0/3            0/1

    Faceoffs:         40%          60%

  • A Battle in the City of Brotherly Love: Washington Capitals vs Philadelphia Flyers

    A Battle in the City of Brotherly Love: Washington Capitals vs Philadelphia Flyers

    Washington Capitals (13-2-4) vs Philadelphia Flyers (10-5-2)

     

     Predicted Goaltender Record GAA / SV% / # SO
    Washington CapitalsBraden Holtby8-1-33.25 / .898% / 0
    Philadelphia FlyersCarter Hart6-3-12.71 / .893% / 1

     

    The Washington Capitals made the short drive up to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to take on the Flyers before heading right back to DC to face the Canadiens on Friday. Despite dropping their last game versus the Arizona Coyotes, the Capitals have not lost in regulation since mid-October, and are riding a 12-game point streak, of which they’ve picked up at least one point (TheScore, Washington Capitals). The last time the Capitals played the Flyers was back in March, where they defeated Philadelphia 3-1 at Wells Fargo Center.

    The Washington Capitals lost 4-3 in the shootout to the Arizona Coyotes on Monday night. With just two wins in their last six games, Arizona played desperate. Clayton Keller of the Coyotes started off the scoring at the 14:15 mark of the first period, establishing a 1-0 lead. Each team received a power play in the first period, but neither the Caps nor the Coyotes converted. To start the second, Christian Fisher scored his first goal of the season, a goal that, much to the surprise of fans in attendance, would be reviewed, and ultimately ruled as a good goal. Just 30 seconds later, on what seemed to be the Coyotes 100th breakaway of the game thus far (hyperbole), Michael Grabner scored, adding to Arizona’s already-cushy lead. Just by looking at the score, it would be easy to assume that rookie goal-tender Ilya Samsonov was exclusively at fault for the three goals by the Coyotes, but fatal defensive breakdowns and falling behind plays directly led to each goal. Swallowed whistles by the referees allowed Arizona to take advantage of missed calls, and the Capitals suffered. Evgeny Kuznetsov would score the Capitals’ first goal of the game at the 8:47 mark of the second, re-instilling some of the hope that Caps’ fans had seemed to lose. The Capitals would receive a late second period power play, but did not score in the last 30 seconds of the period, or the first 1:30 of the final frame. Kuznetsov would score his second of the game two minutes and 23 seconds into the third period, bringing the game within reach for the first time of the night. Washington held the Coyotes to just 6 shots on goal in the third, and Samsonov stopped all six. With under a minute and a half remaining, and the Caps’ down by one, TJ Oshie would score the game-tying goal, his 9th of the season. Capital One Arena exploded, and the fans broke out into chants of ‘TJ OSHIE! *clap clap clap*’, as it seemed that Washington truly could complete another monumental comeback. For the 5th time in 8 games, extra time would be required. Just over halfway through the overtime period, TJ Oshie scored his second of the night, a goal that fans and teammates alike believed to be the overtime game winning goal. Exuberant joy that was, after what seemed like an eternity, fleeting. Officials determined that the preceding play was off-sides, and thus the goal was overturned. The remainder of the overtime period expired, and now an individual skills competition would be what decided the winner and the loser. At that moment, the Capitals’ fate was all but sealed. Although the Capitals had won their last shootout, Arizona had too, and backup goaltender Antti Raanta stopped nearly every shot he faced. Shootout hero TJ Oshie missed his shot, and Nick Schmaltz made his. Evgeny Kuznetsov missed, and Conor Garland was then the one to win it for Arizona. Ilya Samsonov stopped 32 of 35 shots faced, excluding shootout attempts, ending the night with a .914 save percentage (TheScore, ARI @ WSH). The Capitals are hoping to come back from the loss tonight, and Braden Holtby is expected to start.

    The Philadelphia Flyers are riding a four-game win streak, after defeating the Boston Bruins on Sunday. Their second consecutive shootout win came on the second night of a back-to-back, where the night prior they had defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in a shootout. This was Philadelphia’s third consecutive game requiring extra time. Interestingly enough, each of those three wins came from 3-2 victories. This is the first time that Washington will play against former defenseman Matt Niskanen after trading him for Radko Gudas in the off-season. Niskanen, the only Stanley Cup champion on the Flyers’ roster, has established himself as a difference-maker for Philadelphia, scoring two goals of his own, and tallying six assists through 17 games (NHL.com). The Flyers are 6-1-1 at home, and boast the second-best face-off percentage (yes, again) at 54% of all face-offs taken (TheScore, Philadelphia Flyers). In their game versus the Bruins, Philadelphia actually established a two-goal lead in the first period that would hold until the six-minute mark of the third period. Travis Konecny scored his 8th of the season just short of the 14-minute mark of the first and Phillipe Myers, his 3rd at the 17:56 mark. Konecny leads the team with 19 points, and is tied with Oskar Lindblom for most goals with eight (TheScore, Philadelphia Flyers). Three of Lindbloms’ goals and two of Konecnys’ have come on Philadelphia power plays. Flyers’ veterans Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier have just 9 goals between the two of them. Only three penalties were called in all of regulation, and neither team converted on their respective power plays. Danton Heinen would score Bostons’ first goal of the night six minutes into the final frame, and everyone’s favorite Brad Marchand scored the game-tying goal, his 11th of the season, at the 12:22 mark of the third. The overtime period saw a power play for the Flyers, but would expire with 2 shots on goal by Philadelphia, and one by Boston. Flyers rookie Joel Farabee, in his 2nd shootout appearance, would ultimately win the game in the shootout for Philadelphia. Both teams were held to less than 30 shots throughout the entire game, and Carter Hart tallied his 6th win of the season, stopping 26 of 28 shots faced, excluding the shootout (TheScore, PHI @ BOS). Hart is expected to start versus the Capitals tonight.

    Carl Hagelin did not practice yesterday, and did not travel with the team to Philadelphia. He is still listed as day-to-day with an upper body injury, but speculation is mounting regarding if and when he will return to the lineup. Philadelphia will be without Scott Laughton (DL-finger), Samuel Morin (OUT-knee), and Nolan Patrick (IR-NR-head).

    Coverage of the game begins at 6:30pm with Caps Faceoff Live, followed by Caps Pregame Live at 7:00pm, all on NBCSN/NBCSWA, with puck drop shortly after 7:30pm.

     

     

    References:

    NHL.com. (2019). Matt Niskanen Stats & News. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/player/matt-niskanen-8471702.

    TheScore. (2019). Arizona Coyotes @ Washington Capitals. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/events/21996.

    TheScore. (2019). Philadelphia Flyers @ Boston Bruins. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/events/21993.

    TheScore. (2019). Philadelphia Flyers News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/9.

    TheScore. (2019). Washington Capitals News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/15.

  • NHL News and Notes from Tuesday, November 12th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Tuesday, November 12th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Tuesday, November 12th, 2019

     

    News:

    • Per Elliotte Friedman, the Los Angeles Kings have informed forward Ilya Kovalchuk that he will not be in the Kings’ lineup for the forseeable future.

    https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1194393422737661953?s=20

     

    Game Recaps:

    Florida Panthers v. Boston Bruins – 7p EST Start Time

    FLA RoadBOS Home

    In Boston the Bruins would face the Florida Panthers, and after a scoreless first period the Bruins would explode for four goals in the second period as they would get goals from David Pastrnal, Joakim Nordstrom, Anders Bjork (PPG), and Zdeno Chara. Then in the thrid period the Panthers would strike back with four of their own as Aaron Ekblad, Frank Vatrano (PPG), Mike Hoffman (PPG), and Keith Yandle as they would force overtime. After the extra five minutes both teams would go to the shootout and Hoffman would strike again as the Panthers would complete the comeback with the 5-4 victory.

     

    Columbus Blue Jackets v. Montreal Canadiens – 7p EST Start Time

    CLB RoadMON Home

    In Montreal we would see a back and forth matchup between the Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets. In the first period Eric Robinson would score his first goal for the Jackets. Then after a scoreless second period Brendan Gallagher would tie the game at one. However, late in regulation Zach Werenski would score for the Jackets, but Tomas Tatat would score in the final minute to send the game to overtime. In the shootout Jonathan Drouin would score the lone goal of the shootout to give the Canadiens the 3-2 victory.

     

    Pittsburgh Penguins v. New York Rangers – 730p EST Start Time

    PIT RoadNYR Home

    At Madison Square Garden the New York Rangers would get the early jump on the Pittsburgh Penguins as they would get first period goals from Kaapo Kakko and Adam Fox. However, in the second period the Penguins would strike back as Justin Schultz and Jared McCann (PPG) would score to tie the game at two. Then after a scoreless third period it would be Kakko scoring his second of the game in overtime to secure the 3-2 victory for the Rangers.

     

    Arizona Coyotes v. St. Louis Blues – 8p EST Start Time

    ARI RoadSTL Home

    In St. Louis the Blues would strike first as Jaden Schwartz would net his fourth of the season. However, the Arizona Coyotes would strike as Clayton Keller would score his fourth of the season, but Colton Parayko would retake the lead for the Blues. Then in the third period Conor Garland would score on the powerplay to tie the game at two. Then in the shootout the Coyotes would do it for the second straight night as NickSchmaltz and Conor Garland would score in the shootout to secure the victory for the Coyotes.

     

    Colorado Avalanche v. Winnipeg Jets – 8p EST Start Time

    COL RoadWIN Home

    In Winnipeg the Jets would not have an answer for the Colorado Avalnache as Cale Makar would strike late in the first period, and then Nathan MacKinnon would score two goals in the third along with a Joonas Donskoi powerplay goal to secure the 4-0 victory. This game would also see the NHL debut of Adam Werner, and his first career shutout.

     

    Nashville Predators v. Vancouver Canucks – 10p EST Start Time

    NAS RoadVAN Home

    In Vancouver the Canucks would host the Nashville Predators, and after a scoreless first period the Canucks would strike as Tanner Pearson would score on the powerplay to give the Canucks the 1-0 lead. Then late in the second period Calle Jarnkrok would score for the Predators to tie the game at one. Then in the third period the Predators would get goals from Mikael Granlund and Filip Forsberg (PPG), but the Canucks would double up the Predators as they would get two goals from Elias Pettersson (PPG and EVS), and goals from Andrew Gaudette (PPG) and Tanner Pearson (second of the game) to take the 5-3 victory.

     

    Detroit Red Wings v. Anaheim Ducks – 10p EST Start Time

    DET RoadANA Home

    In Anaheim the Ducks would look for their tenth victory of the season as the Detroit Red Wings come to visit, and after a scoreless first period the Ducks would get goals from Jakob Silfverberg and Josh Mahura in the first minute of the second period to take the 2-0 lead. Then midway through the second Filip Hronek would score for the Wings to cut the deficit to one, but the Ducks would get their two goal lead back as Cam Fowler would score his fourth of the season. However, before the end of the second period Andreas Athanasiou would score to cut the deficit back to one. Then in the third period Dylan Larkin would score on the powerplay to tie the game at three. In overtime Dennis Cholowski would strike to complete the comeback for the Red Wings as they defeat the Ducks 4-3.

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1194493583409086470?s=20

     

    Minnesota Wild v. Los Angeles Kings – 1030p EST Start Time

    MIN RoadLA Home

    In Los Angeles the Kings would get a quick strike against the Minnesota Wild as Anze Kopitar would give the Kings the 1-0 lead in the first period. In the second period Jeff Carter would score to grow the Kings lead to two, but Matt Dumba would score to get the Wild on the board to cut the deficit to one. Then in the third period Sean Walker would seal the deal for the Kings as they defeat the Wild 3-1.

     

    Edmonton Oilers v. San Jose Sharks – 1030p EST Start Time

    EDM RoadSJ Home

    The Sna Jose Sharks would play host to the Edmonton Oilers, and in the first period the Sharks would get goals from Brent Burns, Evander Kane, and Patrick Marleau to take a 3-0 lead into the first intermission. In the second period the Sharks would continue to swarm as Barclay Goodrow would grow their lead to four, but then Leon Draisaitl would respond for the Oilers only to be countered by a Tomas Hertl goal to retake the four goal lead. Then in the third period Zack Kassian would score for the Oilers, but would be responded to by a Timo Meier marker for the Sharks. Sam Gagner would also score for the Oilers in the third period but would not be enough as the Sharks would hold on to win 6-3.

  • TXHT Opinion: Sportsnet fires Don Cherry from Hockey Night in Canada

    TXHT Opinion: Sportsnet fires Don Cherry from Hockey Night in Canada

    On Saturday night while on his usual “Coach’s Corner” on Hockey Night in Canada, commentator Don Cherry made some very displeasing & uncomfortable comments about immigrants in Canada. Cherry used his “Coach’s Corner” segment to publicly criticize immigrants who didn’t wear poppy pins while leading up to Canada’s Remembrance Day. These poppy pins are sold by military veterans groups and are they are worn in honor of those who served in the Canadian military.

    Don Cherry used the following language Saturday night during his “Coach’s Corner” segment about immigrants below as well as a video to better hear and see the context of what was said:

    “I live in Mississauga [Ontario]. Very few people wear the poppy. Downtown Toronto, forget it. Nobody wears the poppy…. Now you go to the small cities. You people … that come here, whatever it is — you love our way of life. You love our milk and honey. At least you can pay a couple bucks for a poppy or something like that. These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada. These guys paid the biggest price for that,” Cherry said.

     

     

    His words caused a big uprising around social media with many people calling for Don Cherry to be fired. Coach’s Corner” co-host Ron MacLean noticeably during the segment remained silent to these uncomfortable words and was even seen giving his thumbs up approval of what Cherry was saying. Since then, MacLean has released a statement through Sportnet as well as publicly apologizing live on Sportsnet’s “Hometown Hockey” last night for his behavior during the segment below:

     

    Sportsnet has since released a statement about the firing of Don Cherry also seen below:

     

    My take on the firing/Ron MacLean:

    To be 100% honest, Don Cherry should have been fired a long time ago. This is not the first time Cherry has used vulgar, displeasing, and/or uncomfortable words about immigrants and especially European NHL players. Unfortunately, the language which he’s been using for years has been given a blind eye to and it should not be a surprise that it was done on Saturday night. In particular, he has been very well known and critical of NHL players from Russia specifically calling out players such as Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov, amongst others as well. His views and mindset on today’s modern NHL are very outdated as well, and it was time for him to move on.

    The main point here is that Don Cherry was let go for using inappropriate language about immigrants and he needed to finally be held accountable for his actions. It took too long unfortunately to do so. The language that was used by him was very divisive when it shouldn’t be. Hockey and sports in general are meant to be the best of us all and bring fans of the game and human beings together and not divide us. It’s very sad that he made comments like these and he still has these kinds of viewpoints. He even doubled down on his comments as he briefly spoke to the Toronto Sun by stating “I have had my say”. The simple fact that he didn’t want to look at what he said was inappropriate and take responsibility for his actions shows that it was the correct decision to fire him and finally move on.

    As for cohost Ron MacLean, it was very disappointing that he stood there silent while Cherry was making the remarks and even gave his thumbs up. However, I am happy that he came out rather quickly to apologize and seemed very humble and genuine about his apology and about what transpired on Saturday night. Hopefully, he learned from this and he’s never a part of something like this again. Otherwise, like Don Cherry he’ll need to be held accountable too.

  • NHL News and Notes from Monday, November 11th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Monday, November 11th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Monday, November 11th, 2019

     

    News:

    • The St. Louis Blues have signed forwards Troy Brouwer and Jamie McGinn to Professional Tryouts. Both players will only be allowed to practice with the team for 10 days, and will not be allowed to play in a regular season game while under the tryout.

     

    • The Washington Capitals have assigned defenseman Tyler Lewington and forward Travis Boyd to Hershey of the AHL.

     

    • Sportsnet has fired Don Cherry from Hockey Night in Canada.

     

    • The NHL Department of Player Safety has announced that Columbus Blue Jackets forward Nick Foligno has been suspended for three games for elbowing Colorado’s Pierre-Edouard Bellemare on Saturday, November 9th.

    • Under the terms of the CBA, and based on his average annual salary, Foligno will forfeit $88,709.67.

     

    Game Recaps:

    Arizona Coyotes v. Washington Capitals – 7p EST Start Time

    ARI RoadWAS Alt

    The Washington Capitals come back from a 3 goal deficit, but fall to the Arizona Coyotes in the shootout to end their 6 game winning streak. TXHT Recap

     

    Ottawa Senators v. Carolina Hurricanes – 7p EST Start Time

    OTT RoadCAR Home

    In Carolina the Hurricanes would unleash the storm on the Ottawa Senators. In the first period Warren Foegele and Martin Necas (PPG) to take the 2-0 lead. Then in the second period Sebastian Aho (SHG), Hayden Fleury, and Dougie Hamilton would score to make it 5-0, but before the second period could end Colin White would score for the Senators. Then in the third period Brady Tkachuk would score for the Senators, but the Hurricanes would get three more goals from Aho (second of the game), Ryan Dzingel, and Joel Edmundson to win the game 8-2.

  • Game Recap – 11/11/2019 – Arizona Coyotes v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 11/11/2019 – Arizona Coyotes v. Washington Capitals

    Arizona Coyotes (9-6-2 20pts) v. Washington Capitals (13-2-9 29pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals break out the retro reds as they play host to the Arizona Coyotes. In the first period both teams would start the period with some very close chances but both Antti Raanta and Ilya Samsonov would be up to the task. Then much later in the period the Capitals would take the first penalty, but the Coyotes would not strike until after the powerplay had concluded as Vinnie Hinostroza would throw the puck on net and Clayton Keller would knock in the rebound to take the 1-0 lead. The Capitals would get a powerplay opportunity, but they would not be able to capitalize on the opportunity.

     

    In the second period the Coyotes would strike twice in 45 seconds as Christian Fischer would score his first of the season, after an officials review, 12 seconds into the game, and then 33 seconds later Michael Grabner would take advantage of a TJ Oshie turnover to go on the breakway and put it five hole on Samsonov for the 3-0 lead. However, the Capitals would finally respond as Evgeny Kuznetsov would break past the Coyotes to score and cut the deficit to two. With 29 seconds left the Capitals would draw a powerplay, and would start the third period with the extra man.

     

    In the third period the Capitals would not capitalize on the powerplay opportunity to start the period, but after a bad icing call for the Coyotes, Kuznetsov would score his second of the game to cut the Coyotes lead to one. The Capitals would get another powerplay opportunity, but the Capitals would once again waste another powerplay. Then late in the third with Ilya Samsonov pulled the Capitals would tie this one up as TJ Oshie would knock in the loose puck to tie the game at three.

     

    In overtime the Capitals thought they would have it won on a TJ Oshie marker, but the Coyotes would challenge for offsides on the play, and the Coyotes would win the challenge forcing the game to continue. Then in the shootout the Coyotes would get goals from Nick Schmaltz and Conor Garland to win the game 4-3.

     

    Lineups:

    Arizona Coyotes:

    Christian Dvorak — Nick Schmaltz — Phil Kessel

    Clayton Keller — Derek Stepan — Vinnie Hinostroza

    Lawson Crouse — Carl Soderberg — Conor Garland

    Michael Grabner — Brad Richardson — Christian Fischer

    Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Jason Demers

    Jakob Chychrun — Alex Goligoski

    Aaron Ness — Jordan Oesterle

    Antti Raanta

    Darcy Kuemper

    Scratched: Barrett Hayton, Ilya Lyubushkin

    Injured: Niklas Hjalmarsson (lower body)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Chandler Stephenson — Lars Eller — Richard Panik

    Brendan Leipsic — Nic Dowd — Garnet Hathaway

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Radko Gudas

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Nick Jensen

    Ilya Samsonov

    Braden Holtby

    Scratched: None

    Injured: Carl Hagelin (upper body)

     

    First Period:

    WAS Penalty – 10:54 – Jakub Vrana 2 minutes for Slashing

    ARI Goal – 14:15 – Clayton Keller (3) from Vinnie Hinostroza (4) and Alex Goligoski (10)

    ARI Penalty – 15:00 – Nick Schmaltz 2 minutes for Hooking

     

    End of 1st

    11-11 v ARI.png

     

    Second Period:

    ARI Goal – :12 – Christian Fischer (1) from Brad Richardson (2)

    ARI Goal – :45 – Michael Grabner (6) from unassisted

    WAS Goal – 8:47 – Evgeny Kuznetsov (7) from Jakub Vrana (8) and Tom Wilson (8)

    ARI Penalty – 19:31 – Jason Demers 2 minutes for Hooking

     

    End of 2nd

    11-11 v ARI-2.png

     

    Third Period:

    WAS Goal – 2:23 – Evgeny Kuznetsov (8) from Michal Kempny (8)

    ARI Penalty – 5:33 – Derek Stepan 2 minutes for Tripping

    WAS Penalty – 9:49 – TJ Oshie 2 minutes for High Sticking

    WAS Goal – 18:44 – TJ Oshie (9) from Alex Ovechkin (10) and John Carlson (21)

     

    End of 3rd

    11-11 v ARI-3.png

     

    Overtime:

    N/A

     

    Shootout:

    1 – WAS – TJ Oshie – Save

    1 – ARI – Nick Schmaltz – Goal

    2 – WAS – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Missed

    2 – ARI – Conor Garland – Goal

     

    Final

    11-11 v ARI-4.png

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (13-2-4 30pts) @ Philadelphia (10-5-2 22pts)

    Arizona (10-6-2 22pts) @ St. Louis (12-3-3 27pts)