X75 Productions

Category: NHL

  • Game Recap – 10/29/2019 – Washington Capitals v. Toronto Maple Leafs

    Game Recap – 10/29/2019 – Washington Capitals v. Toronto Maple Leafs

    Washington Capitals (8-2-3 19pts) v. Toronto Maple Leafs (6-5-2 14pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals head to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs to close up their five game road trip, but it would be the Leafs striking first as Andreas Johnsson would score 40 seconds into the game to take the quick 1-0 lead. Then after both teams traded powerplay opportunities it would be the Capitals striking to tie the game as John Carlson would blast a bullet past Frederik Andersen to tie the game at one. Both teams would powerplay opportunities again, including a two man advantage for Toronto, but neither team would capitalize on their opportunities as the game would remain tied at one going into the first intermission.

     

    In the second period the Capitals would strike on the powerplay to take the 2-1 lead when John Carlson would score his second of the game, but then the Capitals would do a march to the penalty box to allow the Leafs to take back the momentum. Then in the final minute of the second Auston Matthews would get one past Braden Holtby to tie the game at two as they entered the intermission.

     

    In the third period the Capitals and Leafs would trade goals once again as Auston Matthews would score his second of the game to give the Leafs the 3-2 lead, but then Alex Ovechkin would score his tenth of the season to tie the game and send it to overtime. then in overtime the Maple Leafs would put themselves into penalty trouble and the Capitals would take advantage as Ovechkin would score his second of the game to secure the Capitals the 4-3 overtime victory to close out their five game road trip.

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Carl Hagelin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Lars Eller — Garnet Hathaway

    Brendan Leipsic — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Nick Jensen

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Radko Gudas

    Braden Holtby

    Ilya Samsonov

    Scratched: Tyler Lewington, Chandler Stephenson

    Injured: Richard Panik (upper body)

     

    Toronto Maple Leafs:

    Andreas Johnsson — Auston Matthews — William Nylander

    Ilya Mikheyev — Alexander Kerfoot — Mitchell Marner

    Trevor Moore — Jason Spezza — Kasperi Kapanen

    Dmytro Timashov — Nicholas Shore — Frederik Gauthier

    Morgan Rielly — Cody Ceci

    Jake Muzzin — Tyson Barrie

    Travis Dermott — Justin Holl

    Frederik Andersen

    Michael Hutchinson

    Scratched: Nic Petan, Martin Marincin, Kevin Gravel

    Injured: John Tavares (broken finger), Zach Hyman (ACL)

     

    First Period:

    TOR Goal – :40 – Andreas Johnsson (4) from Auston Matthews (5)

    TOR Penalty – 3:10 – Morgan Rielly 2 minutes for Cross Checking

    WAS Penalty – 5:15 – Alex Ovechkin 2 minutes for Slashing

    WAS Goal – 10:47 – John Carlson (6) from Alex Ovechkin (6) and Nicklas Backstrom (8)

    TOR Penalty – 14:55 – Justin Holl 2 minutes for Interference

    WAS Penalty – 16:47 – Jakub Vrana 2 minutes for Hooking

    WAS Penalty – 18:04 – Lars Eller 2 minutes for Slashing

     

    End of 1st

    10-29 at TOR.png

     

    Second Period:

    WAS Penalty – 3:34 – TJ Oshie 2 minutes for Holding

    TOR Penalty – 6:31 – Alexander Kerfoot 2 minutes for High Sticking

    TOR Penalty – 7:53 – Cody Ceci 2 minutes for Holding

    WAS PPG – 7:59 – John Carlson (7) from Alex Ovechkin (7) and Backstrom (9)

    WAS Penalty – 10:57 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for Interference

    WAS Penalty – 15:20 – Jonas Siegenthaler 2 minutes for Interference

    TOR Goal – 19:27 – Auston Matthews (10) from Tyson Barrie (5) and Morgan Rielly (11)

     

    End of 2nd

    10-29 at TOR-2.png

     

    Third Period:

    WAS Penalty – 1:27 – Tom Wilson 2 minutes for Charging

    TOR Penalty – 1:27 – Frederik Gauthier 2 minutes for Roughing

    WAS Penalty – 1:27 – Tom Wilson (Brendan Leipsic) 2 minutes for Cross Checking

    TOR PPG – 1:46 – Auston Matthews (11) from William Nylander (6) and Mitch Marner (13)

    WAS Goal – 4:10 – Alex Ovechkin (10) from TJ Oshie (4) and Nicklas Backstrom (10)

    TOR Penalty – 7:40 – Justin Holl 2 minutes for Interference

    WAS Penalty – 16:46 – Radko Gudas 2 minutes for Delay of Game

     

    End of 3rd

    10-29 at TOR-3.png

     

    Overtime:

    TOR Penalty – :21 – William Nylander 2 minutes for Tripping

    TOR Penalty – 2:20 – Mitch Marner 2 minutes for High Sticking

    WAS PPG – 4:00 – Alex Ovechkin (11) from Dmitry Orlov (5) and Jakub Vrana (5)

     

    Final:

    10-29 at TOR-4.png

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (9-2-3 21pts) v. Buffalo (9-2-2 20pts)

    Toronto (6-5-3 15pts) @ Philadelphia (5-5-1 11pts)

  • Avalanche Captain Out ‘Indefinitely’

    Avalanche Captain Out ‘Indefinitely’

    Per the Colorado Avalanche, left winger Gabriel Landeskog is expected to miss significant time due to a lower-body injury (Hunter). Colorado is already struggling without Mikko Rantanen, who suffered a leg injury approximately one week ago. Landeskog has just seven points through 11 games, and is posting a -4 rating (HockeyReference). Last season, the Swede scored a career-high 34 goals through 73 games, and helped lead his team into the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. However, the Avalanche ultimately fell to the San Jose Sharks in seven games.

     

    HockeyReference. (2019). Gabriel Landeskog Stats. Retrieved from https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/l/landega01.html.

    Hunter, T. (2019). Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. Retrieved from https://www.milehighhockey.com/2019/10/29/20938205/colorado-avalanche-captain-gabriel-landeskog-out-indefinitely-with-a-lower-boy-injury .

  • Topping It All Off: Washington Capitals vs Toronto Maple Leafs

    Topping It All Off: Washington Capitals vs Toronto Maple Leafs

    Washington Capitals (8-2-3) v Toronto Maple Leafs (6-5-2)

      Predicted Goaltender Record (W-L-OTL) GAA/SA%
    Washington Capitals Braden Holtby 4-1-3 3.64/.886
    Toronto Maple Leafs Frederik Andersen 6-2-1 2.94/.904

     

    Tonight, the Washington Capitals will round out their five-game road trip as they face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Toronto has struggled considerably to start off the season, and Washington’s performance this October, particularly on the road, should bode well for tonight’s match. For comparisons’ sake, here are some stats from recent seasons, through nine games;

    2017-18 (Stanley Cup Champions); 4-4-1, 9 points

    2018-19 (Eliminated in Round 1, 7 games); 4-3-2, 10 points

    2019-20 (???); 5-3-1, 11 points

    • Through 13 games; 8-2-3, 19 points

    The Washington Capitals are coming off a thrilling monumental comeback win versus the Vancouver Canucks last Friday night. Caps’ fans are very familiar with blown third period leads this season, but this time it was the Vancouver Canucks that ended up on the receiving end of that blown lead. For only the fourth time in franchise history, and for the first time since 1991, the Capitals overcame a four-goal deficit to ultimately win the game. More impressively, it was only the third time that Washington has overcome a four-goal deficit to win with 21 minutes or less remaining in a game. Despite ranking 6th in the Pacific Division, the Canucks had actually won six of their last seven games prior to their meeting with the Caps. Evgeny Kuznetsov put the Caps on the board first, just three minutes into the game. However, Brock Boeser and Tim Schaller came back to score two shortly thereafter, one coming on the power play and the second coming short-handed, to give Vancouver a 2-1 lead heading into the 2nd frame. What seemed to be a manageable game, quickly turned south as Elias Pettersson, Tim Schaller, and Jake Virtanen added to the Canucks’ lead to establish a dominant 5-1 lead halfway through the game. It was certainly justified for fans to feel like throwing in the towel, but Todd Reirdens’ Capitals team had different plans. Evgeny Kuznetsov’s timely buzzer beater goal gave the Capitals life as they headed into the third period down by three goals. It was at this moment that the tides changed in British Columbia. Fortunately for Washington, and unfortunately for the home team, an early third period power play for the Canucks led to a short-handed goal by Lars Eller, bringing the Caps within two. Asserting that Michal Kempnys’ return to the lineup (after missing the second half of last season with an injury) was crucial for the Caps would prove to be a MASSIVE understatement. Kempny has three goals and two assists in five games, two of which couldn’t have come at a better time (TheScore, Michal Kempny). Back-to-back goals from the defenseman within three minutes of Ellers’ goal, and within four minutes of Kuznetsov’s goal TIED what once seemed to be an impossible deficit. The Capitals were able to hold off the Canucks for the remainder of the third period, and for the second time in as many games, extra hockey was needed to determine if the third period comeback would be enough. Despite a number of great opportunities by the Capitals, neither team would score the game-winning goal in overtime. Shootout star TJ Oshie gave Washington the advantage through one attempt, but in the second round, a missed shot attempt by Evgeny Kuznetsov, and a success by Elias Pettersson tied the two teams. It was, of course, none other than Nicklas Backstrom who once again won it for the Capitals in the shootout, as he so dominantly snuck the puck past Canucks’ goal tender Jacob Markstrom. In fact, neither the fans watching nor most of the players on the bench realized that Backstrom won it for Washington. Perhaps the most interesting detail of the night was just how much secondary scoring depth the Capitals have this season. The entire Caps’ top line of Ovechkin-Backstrom-Oshie had -2 ratings for the night, Tom Wilson -1, and John Carlson -3 (TheScore, Washington). All five goals and respective assists came from bottom nine forwards and defensemen. Rookie goal-tender Ilya Samsonov won his first career shootout, and improved his record to 4-1-0. One of those four wins for Samsonov came versus Toronto earlier in the season in a 4-3 win at Capital One Arena. Braden Holtby, however, is expected to start tonight versus the Leafs.

    The Toronto Maple Leafs, on the other hand, are off to a rough start this year. With four losses in their last six starts, John Tavares out with a broken finger, Zach Hyman on injured reserve with a knee injury, and Morgan Reilly having not shown up to practice for three days, Mike Babcocks’ Leafs seem to be imploding. Toronto dropped their last game 2-5 to the Montreal Canadiens, where defenseman Jake Muzzin and Andreas Johnsson scored the only two goals for the Leafs. Offensively, Toronto is roughly among the middle of the pack, with a power play operating at 21.1%, good enough for 16th, and ranking 6th in goals scored per game (3.54) (NHL.com). Auston Matthews leads the team in goals with nine, and Mitch Marner in assists with 12, but overall, the teams’ goal differential is a measly +1. However, their defense is among the worst in the league. Allowing an average of 32.8 shots and 3.38 goals against, the Leafs rank 7th worst in both categories. However, defenseman Travis Dermott is expected to make his season debut tonight, playing his first game since May, after undergoing shoulder surgery. Due to Michael Hutchinsons’ rocky start, we expect to see veteran Frederik Andersen start for the Maple Leafs tonight.

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

     

    Sources:

    NHL.com. (2019). Toronto Maple Leafs Stats. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/mapleleafs/stats/regular-season.

    TheScore. (2019). Michal Kempny: Stats, Age, News. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/players/5579.

    TheScore. (2019). Washington Capitals at Vancouver Canucks. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/events/21886.

  • NHL News and Notes from Monday, October 28th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Monday, October 28th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Monday, October 28th, 2019

     

    News:

    • The NHL announced the Three Stars of the Week for October 21st through 27th.
      • First Star – Brad Marchand (LW, Boston Bruins)
      • Second Star – Roman Josi (D, Nashville Predators)
      • Third Star – Brian Elliott (G, Philadelphia Flyers)

     

    • Winnipeg Jets forward Adam Lowry has been suspended for two games by the NHL Department of Player Safety for boarding Calgary Flames defenseman Oliver Kylington during the Heritage Classic on Saturday, October 26th.
      • Lowry is considered a repeat offender under the terms of the CBA, and will forfeit $71,138.22 in salary.

     

    • The Chicago Blackhawks traded forward Brendan Perlini to the Detroit Red Wings for defenseman Alec Regula.

     

    Game Recaps:

    Arizona Coyotes v. Buffalo Sabres – 7p EST Start Time

    ARI RoadBUF Home

    In Buffalo the Sabres would host the Arizona Coyotes, and in the first period it would be the Sabres striking early on the powerplay as Jack Eichel would score to gain the the 1-0 lead. Then Jeff Skinner would score a few minutes later to grown their lead to two, but the Coyotes would get one as Conor Garland would squeak the puck past Carter Hutton to cut the deficit to one heading into the first intermission. Then in the second period Carl Soderberg would tie the game at two on the powerplay, which would then be followed a scoreless third period and overtime to force a shootout. Then in the shootout it would be Nick Schmaltz scoring for the Coyotes to secure the 3-2 victory.

     

    Florida Panthers v. Vancouver Canucks – 10p EST Start Time

    FLA RoadVAN Home

    In Vancouver Canucks look to tame the Florida Panthers, and the first period would not disappoint for the Canucks. The Canucks would get goals from five different scorers in the first period as Brandon Sutter, Tim Schaller, Jake Virtanen, JT Miller, and Josh Leivo would all score for the Canucks to take a commanding lead into the first intermission. Brian Boyle would score his second of the season for the Panthers in the first period as well. In the second period the Panthers would continue to claw away at the Canucks lead as Mike Hoffman would score on the powerplay to cut the Canucks lead to three, but with 29 seconds left in the period JT Miller would score his second of the game to retake a four goal lead into the second intermission. Then in the third period the Canucks would get a goal from Brock Boeser to seal the deal with a 7-2 victory.

  • NHL News and Notes from Sunday, October 27th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Sunday, October 27th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Sunday, October 27th, 2019

     

    News:

    Blackhawks Brent Seabrook a healthy scratch last night against the LA Kings, as he continues to struggle.

     

    Islanders will be without tough guy Matt Martin and Tom Kuhnhackl for four to six weeks. Martin crashed into the boards hurting his leg. While Kuhnhackl left after the first period Friday night with an undisclosed injury.

     

    Game Recaps:

    Florida Panthers v. Edmonton Oilers – 4p EST Start Time

    FLA RoadEDM Home

    Panthers look to continue their winning ways against the Oilers in Edmonton. The first period would see teams both exchange decent chances, but the score would remain 0-0 after one. All cylinders would be rolling in the second for the Panthers as they would score three goals in under 3 minutes of play to take a commanding 3-0 lead. Edmonton goalie Mike Smith would be pulled from the game in favor of Mikko Koskinen. Koskinen wouldn’t fair much better as the Panthers would score two more in the third and add an empty netter to seal the win. After being down 4-0, the Oilers would squeeze in two goals in hopes of sparking a comeback but fall short. Panthers would win the game 6-2.

     

    St. Louis Blues v. Detroit Red Wings – 5p EST Start Time

    STL RoadDET Home

    Blues looking to recover from being shutout against the Red Wings in Detroit.  Period one would see Brayden Schenn and Zach Sanford of the Blues score goals 5 minutes apart to give the Blues a quick two-goal lead. In the second the Wings and Blues would exchange goals off the sticks of Filip Hronek and Ryan O’Reilly respectively to keep the two-goal lead after two periods. 3 goals in the third would spark the Detroit comeback as the Wings jumped in front 4-3. O’Reilly would strike again with under 5 minutes remaining this time on the powerplay to tie the game up and send it to overtime. Where David Perron would become the overtime hero and seal the 5-4 win for the Blues.

     

    San Jose Sharks v. Ottawa Senators – 7p EST Start Time

    SJ RoadOTT Home

    The Sens look to stop the Sharks momentum while creating some of their own. Ottawa would jump out in front 6 minutes into the game on Connor Brown’s 1st of the season. The Sens would score another late in the first after Sharks Evander Kane would score on the powerplay to tie the game. 2-1 heading into the second, once again the Sens would score two more goals and the Sharks would sandwich one of their own in there. Sens Anthony Duclair would add a goal late in the third to seal the 5-2 win for the Sens.

     

    Philadelphia Flyers v. New York Islanders – 7p EST Start Time

    PHI RoadNYI Home

    Flyers hoping to keep the lamp lit against the red hot Islanders. It looked like the Flyers were going to run away with this game early on as Jakub Voracek opened the scoring just over a minute into game. The Islanders would fire back with three goals of their own in the first, the Flyers would get one back just before the period would end. Period two would pick right up where the first one finished, Philadelphia would watch two more goals tickle the twine before 6 minutes would go by, bringing the Islanders lead to 5-2. Period three would see Flyers Claude Giroux score cutting the lead to 5-3 and that would the final.

     

    Boston Bruins v. New York Rangers – 7p EST Start Time

    BOS RoadNYR Home

    Bruins look to keep running over the competition as they come to New York to play the Rangers. Rangers forward Michael Haley would open the scoring in the first period and would bring to life the Perfection line. Over the next two period Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist and Alexandar Georgiev would face a combined 43 shots, as Brad Marchand (2 goals 3 assists), David Pastrnak (5 assists) and Patrice Bergeron (3 goals) would combine for 13 points in the four-goal second, and three-goal third for the Bruins. The Rangers would would score 3 themselves in the third period but it wouldn’t be enough to overcome seven goals from the Bruins on the night. Bruins would be happy as they walk away with a 7-4 victory.

     

    Los Angeles Kings v. Chicago Blackhawks – 7p EST Start Time

    LA RoadCHI Home

    Blackhawks looking to get things clicking as the Kings come to town. Dylan Strome, Alex DeBrincat and Robin Lehner would have games to never forget on this night. Strome would score twice and add an assist, DeBrincat would score once and add two assists in a four-goal 40 minutes. LA and Chicago would exchange third-period goals, while Lehner would put in a 39 save performance and only allow one goal in a 5-1 rout of the Kings.

     

    Anaheim Ducks v. Vegas Golden Knights – 8p EST Start Time

    ANA RoadVGK Home

    Anaheim looked to dethrone the Knights in Vegas. After a big win in Colorado yesterday the Ducks looked to come into the back to back with some energy as Ryan Getzlaf would open the scoring just under five minutes in. This would awaken the Knights as the next 55 minutes would see 49 shots and five unanswered goals until the Ducks Adam Henrique would answer with a goal late in the game. As the Golden Knights would slay the Ducks a 5-2.

     

    Sponsored by:

    DerpyCon_General Ad.png

  • NHL News and Notes from Saturday, October 26th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Saturday, October 26th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Saturday, October 26th, 2019

     

    Game Recaps:

    Chicago Blackhawks v. Carolina Hurricanes – 1p EST Start Time

    CHI RoadCAR Home

    The Blackhawks came into the night hoping to surprise the Hurricanes at home. But ended up running into a brick wall in Petr Mrazek, who would make 32 saves to shutout the lowly Chicago Blackhawks. Carolina would open the scoring in the first period off the stick of Andrei Svechnikov, who would score his first of two on the night. The Hurricanes would strike again in the second stretching the lead to 2-0. Canes would add two more in the third to secure 4-0 the shutout victory at home.

     

    St. Louis Blues v. Boston Bruins – 7p EST Start Time

    STL RoadBOS Home

    The Blue came into Boston looking to keep up their winning ways and shut down the Bruins in their own arena. The Bruins would open the scoring courtesy of the red hot David Pastrnak. The play would remain fairly even for the rest of the period. But the Bruins would strike again in the second period off the stick of Anders Bjork. The Bruins would control the play for the rest of the period and would add an empty netter in the third to seal the win and the 3-0 shutout for the Bruins.

     

    Toronto Maple Leafs v. Montreal Canadiens – 7p EST Start Time

    TOR RoadMON Home

    The Leafs coming into the second half of a back to back, look to take it to their division rival. Montreal would open the scoring with two quick strikes off the sticks of Brendan Gallagher and Jonathan Drouin to give the Habs a 2-0 lead. Muzzin would score for the Leafs late in the first to give hope in an otherwise terrible first period. The second period would see the Leafs tie the game courtesy of Andreas Johnsson. Then the floodgates would open as Montreal would score 3 unanswered goals to give the Habs 5-2 win. Terrible defensive miscues and terrible zone coverage would ultimately be the demise of the Leafs.

     

    Nashville Predators v. Tampa Bay Lightning – 7p EST Start Time

    NAS RoadTB Alt

    The Preds looking come into the game looking to steal one from one of the east’s best teams. Nashville would open the score in the first off the stick of Calle Jarnkrok to give the Preds a 1-0 lead after one period. Stamkos and Johnson would strike back in the second period to take the lead for the Lightning 2-1. But Nashville Captain Roman Josi would score to tie the game and take it to overtime. In overtime Nashville defenceman Ryan Ellis would score to give the Preds 3-2.

     

    Columbus Blue Jackets v. Philadelphia Flyers – 7p EST Start Time

    CLB RoadPHI Home

    Columbus is looking to grab some momentum as they take on the Flyers. Columbus Boone Jenner and Jakub Voracek of the Flyers would exchange goals in the first period.  Jenner would score in the second period as the Blue Jackets would add two more and James Van Riemsdyk would add one to cut the lead to 3-2 for Columbus. The Flyers would come out surging as Shayne Gostisbehere would score one of 5 goals in the third period for the Flyers, as the Blue Jackets would add just one of their own. The Flyers would walk away with a 7-4 win.

     

    Pittsburgh Penguins v. Dallas Stars – 8p EST Start Time

    PIT RoadDAL Home

    Pittsburgh comes into Dallas looking to keep the Stars down. The first two periods would see Matt Murray put on a clinic, making 22 saves and allowing no goals. But Pittsburgh would come out flying in the third scoring three unanswered goals to win the game 3-0 and record a shutout win for Matt Murray.

     

    Los Angeles Kings v. Minnesota Wild – 8p EST Start Time

    LA RoadMIN Home

    The Kings come into Minnesota hoping to pick up some points against the Wild. The Wild would open the score courtesy of Gerald Mayhew’s second of the season. The scoreboard would stay quiet until the second period where the Kings and Wild would exchange goals from Ben Hutton and Eric Staal respectively to bring the Wild’s lead to 2-1 after two periods. The third period would see the Wild score three unanswered goals to really take the pounding to the Kings 5-1.

     

    Anaheim Ducks v. Colorado Avalanche – 9p EST Start Time

    ANA RoadCOL Home

    The Ducks sport new defencemen in Colorado as they hope to overcome some injuries to beat the surging Avalanche. The first period would see a pair of goals from the Ducks courtesy of Adam Henrique and Carter Rowney to give the Ducks a 2-1 lead after one period. Ryan Getzlaf and Joonas Donskoi would exchange goals in the second to bring the score to 3-1 Ducks. The third period would see a powerplay goal from Nathan MacKinnon to bring the led to 3-2 Ducks. But the Ducks would respond in the third with two of their own to take the win 5-2.

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1188301588378484736

     

    2019 Heritage Classic LogoCalgary Flames v. Winnipeg Jets – 10p EST Start Time

    CAL 2WIN Heritage Classic

    The Heritage Classic was a match for the making. You could visibly see all the snow on the ice, but the players seemed to visibly enjoy the game. Jets and Flames players raving about the ice and the conditions. The first period would come and go with no score, but not short of chances at both ends. The second period would see the Flames take a 1-0 lead on a powerplay goal from Elias Lindholm, the rest of the period would see no scoring. The third period would bring drama, the Jets would tie the game thanks to a late goal by Josh Morrissey. This would send the game to overtime in Regina. Where Bryan Little would score to win the game and the Heritage Classic 2-1.

     

    Sponsored by:

    DerpyCon_General Ad.png

  • NHL News and Notes from Friday, October 25th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Friday, October 25th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Friday, October 25th, 2019

     

    News:

    Colorado Avalanche are currently #1 in the Western Conference

     

    Winnipeg Jets Justin Appleton out at least a month after breaking foot playing football

     

    Game Recaps:

    Colorado Avalanche v. Vegas Golden Knights – 6p EST Start Time

    COL RoadVGK Home

    Vegas Golden Knights looked to cool down the young fiery Colorado Avalanche. The first period would open with an exchange of goals Pierre-Edouard Bellemare would open the scoring against his old team just 28 second into the game. William Karlsson would tie it up with 1:30 left in the first to tie the game a 1-1, before Nazem Kadri would score 43 seconds later to take a 2-1 lead to the dressing room. The Avalanche would not look back, scoring 3 more goals in the second period to bring the lead to 5-1. The Golden Knight would pull Marc-Andre Fluery after 4 goals and bring in Garrett Sparks. The Avalanche would add a shorthanded goal in the 3rd to make it 6-1.

     

    San Jose Sharks v. Toronto Maple Leafs – 7p EST Start Time

    SJ RoadTOR Home

    Leafs looking to right the ship against the surging Sharks, as John Tavares remains out of the lineup. Kevin Lebanc would open the scoring for the Sharks at the midway point of the first period. The Sharks would shut down the Leafs thanks to stellar play from Martin Jones. The second period would see the Leafs dominate for the main part allowing only 3 shots from the Sharks, but still couldn’t beat Jones until with 2 seconds left in the second period Alexander Kerfoot would see another partial breakaway and be stopped again but Jake Muzzin would be left wide open for a tap-in to tie the game at 1-1 heading into the second intermission. The game would remain tied until the the 14 minute mark of the third period where Morgan Rielly would score his third of the season to give Toronto the 2-1 lead. Ilya Mikheyev would score an empty netter and Auston Matthews would follow up with a goal of his own 19 seconds later to seal the game at 4-1.

     

    Arizona Coyotes v. New Jersey Devils – 7p EST Start Time

    ARI RoadNJ Home

    The Coyotes coming off a loss last night to the Islander came into this game against New Jersey hoping to rebound. The first period would bring the Jack Hughes show, as he would setup one goal and score on of his own. The Coyotes would add one of their own to cut the lead in half before the period ended. The second period would have the opposite outcome, The Devils would score but it would be sandwiched in between two Coyote goals. The game would head into the 3rd period tied. In the third Barrett Hayden would score to give the Coyotes the 4-3 lead and Clayton Keller would add an empty net goal to save the win for the Coyotes. 5-3 would be the final.

     

    New York Islanders v. Ottawa Senators – 730p EST Start Time

    NYI RoadOTT Home

    The Islanders look to win on back to back nights, as they head into Ottawa for a game against the Senators. The Sens would open the scoring as Tyler Ennis would score to give the Sens the 1-0 lead. Then the Nick Leddy show would begin. Leddy would score two goals in the first period one on a penalty shot to give the Islanders a 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission. The second period would open with Leddy being involved again on a Matt Martin goal, Derrick Brassard would add another in the period as well to bring the lead to 4-1 heading into the third period. The third would bring another Tyler Ennis, this time on the powerplay. Thomas Griess would put in a 30 save performance for the win, while Anders Nilsson would only make 12 saves on the night in a losing effort. The final score from Ottawa would be 4-2 Islanders.

     

    Buffalo Sabres v. Detroit Red Wings – 730p EST Start Time

    BUF RoadDET Home

    Sabres look to pick up another win against the lowly Detroit Red Wings.                            The first period would open with no scoring and the Wings in control for most of the period, out shooting the Sabres 12-6. The second period would look much different as the Sabres would pick it up and get a goal midway through the period by Jake McCabe to give the Sabres a 1-0 lead. The rest of the period would remain scoreless. The Sabres would open the third period with a goal on the powerplay just over a minute in courtesy of Sam Reinhart. But the period would ultimely become the Linus Ullmark show as he would make 19 saves and 39 overall to preserve the shutout and win for the Sabres. 2-0 would be the final score in Detroit.

     

    Washington Capitals v. Vancouver Canucks – 10p EST Start Time

    WAS RoadVAN 50 Alt 1

    Vancouver looking to take down one of the top teams in the east, as the Capitals come to town on the second leg of a back to back. The first period would open with the Capitals scoring just over three minutes into the period off the stick of Evgeny Kuznetsov and then the floodgates would open. Between the 5 minute mark of the 1st period and the 15-minute mark of the second period, the Canucks would score 5 unanswered goals including 2 from Tim Schaller to give the Canucks a 5-1 lead with only five minutes remaining in the second period. Capitals Kuznetsov begins the comeback scoring with one second on the clock to cut the lead to 5-2 heading into the third period. The third period would bring 3 more unanswered goals including 2 from Michal Kempny,  as the Capitals clung to the energy that Kuznetsov’s late second-period goal gave them to tie the game at 5-5. Overtime would produce nothing, other than a flurry of shots by the Capitals. The Shootout would see the Capitals score on 2 of 3 shots against Jacob Markstrom, while the Canucks could only manage one past Ilya Samsonov. The Shootout giving the Capitals a huge comeback 6-5 victory.

     

    Sponsored by:

    DerpyCon_General Ad.png

  • Late Night Redemption: Washington Capitals vs Vancouver Canucks

    Late Night Redemption: Washington Capitals vs Vancouver Canucks

    Washington Capitals (7-2-3) v Vancouver Canucks (6-3-0)

    Predicted Goaltender Record (W-L-OTL) GAA/SA%
    Washington Capitals Ilya Samsonov 3-1-0 1.84/.933
    Vancouver Canucks Jacob Markstrom 4-2-0 2.15/.933

     

    Tonight, the Washington Capitals will play their second game in as many nights. It is extremely difficult for teams to play back-to-backs, and therefore, the Caps will try to get snag that extra point another blown third period lead cost them last night. The Vancouver Canucks on the other hand, will be well-rested, as they have not played since Tuesday.

    Washington dropped their last game versus the red-hot Edmonton Oilers. Last night, in a somewhat slow first period, it was Darnell Nurse that put the Oilers on the board first. Jakub Vrana added to his 3 goals on the season with the game-tying goal in the second, and Alex Ovechkin would add two to that lead with his 8th and 9th goals of the season. Unfortunately, the Capitals would blow another third period lead, with goals coming from Leon Draistaitl and Connor McDavid. Connor McDavid had never scored against net-minder Braden Holtby until their last game, where the prodigy would ultimately tie the game at three goals each with just over one minute remaining in the third. An overtime period would be required to settle the match, and it would be Leon Draisaitl that deceivingly snuck the puck past Holtby to keep the Oilers undefeated at home. Luckily, the Capitals walked away with an extra consolation prize point, and with Carolina losing to Columbus in overtime, Washington held onto that top spot in the division. With Braden Holtby having started last night, Ilya Samsonov will get the nod tonight.

    The Vancouver Canucks won their last game in a dominant 5-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings. Although Anthony Mantha put the Red Wings on the board first, and Dennis Cholowski added to that lead in the second period, the tides turned just moments into the third. Bo Horvat opened up the third period scoring with two goals less than four minutes in, tying the two teams with two goals each. In a similar fashion to both Detroit goals, Horvats’ two goals came on the power play. Vancouver killed off the five other power plays the Red Wings received. Jake Virtanen broke the tie with his first goal of the season, and just over two minutes later, Tim Schaller increased the Canucks’ lead by 2. Bo Horvat would score his first hat trick of the season courtesy of an empty net goal, giving him his 5th of the season (TheScore, VAN @ DET). Most of Vancouver’s games have been high-scoring affairs, and thus, the Canucks allow the 2nd most goals against in the league (2.11). However, thanks to faceoff extraordinaire Jay Beagle and improved offense, the Canucks rank third in faceoffs, winning an average of 54.4% of faceoffs taken (TheScore, Vancouver). It seems that regardless of which goaltender they start, both Markstrom and Demko are off to strong starts. Jacob Markstrom stopped 31 of 33 shots faced versus the Red Wings, and is 4-2-0 in six starts. He is expected to start tonight against the Caps.

    Coverage of the game begins at 9:00pm with Caps Faceoff Live, followed by Caps Pregame Live at 9:30pm, all on NBCSN/NBCSWA, with puck drop shortly after 10:00pm.

     

    Sponsored by:

    DerpyCon_General Ad.png

     

    Sources:

    TheScore. (2019). Vancouver Canucks. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/30.

    TheScore. (2019). Vancouver Canucks @ Detroit Red Wings. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/events/21863.

  • NHL News and Notes from Thursday, October 24th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Thursday, October 24th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Thursday, October 24th, 2019

     

    News:

    Dennis Seidenberg retires after 15 NHL Seasons

     

    Vladimir Tarasenko exits St.Louis vs LA with an Upper Body Injury

    https://twitter.com/HockeyFeedSTL/status/1187533838257401856

     

    Game Recaps:

    San Jose Sharks v. Montreal Canadiens – 7p EST Start Time

    SJ RoadMON Home

    Montreal looked to pick up a big win against the struggling Sharks, and in the first period, they would open the scoring courtesy of Nick Cousins 1st of the year. Evander Kane would kick start the offence for the Sharks by scoring with 0.55 seconds left in the first period on the power-play and then adding another five minutes into the second period once again on the power-play to give the Sharks a 2-1 advantage, in what would become a 4 goal second for the Sharks. The Canadiens would add one late in the second but it would be enough to make any sort of comeback, as the Canadiens would fall 4-2 to the Sharks.

     

    Arizona Coyotes v. New York Islanders – 7p EST Start Time

    ARI RoadNYI Home

    The Islanders would open the scoring against the Coyotes early in the first with Derrick Brassard scoring just over a minute into the game. Michael Grabner would answer back midway through the period and the scoring would stay 1-1 until Josh Bailey would bury his 4th of the season just over fourteen minutes into the second. Anders Lee and Conor Garland would exchange goals in the third until Scott Mayfield would put the icing on the cake with an empty netter. Islanders would walk away from this game with a 4-2 win.

     

    Buffalo Sabres v. New York Rangers – 7p EST Start Time

    BUF RoadNYR Home

    Rangers were hoping to steal a game from the red hot Sabres and would strike third times in the first period, all within an 8 minutes window to jump out to 3-0 lead. The second period would see the Sabres strike twice with a Tony DeAngelo goal sandwiched in the middle to make it a 4-2 game after two periods. There would continue to be no stop from the Rangers tonight as they would add two more goals in the third period to make the final 6-2 Rangers.

     

    Carolina Hurricanes v. Columbus Blue Jackets – 7p EST Start Time

    CAR RoadCLB Alt

    The Blue Jackets and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo came in with something to prove tonight against the Canes. Jackets would open the scoring with a goal from Alexander Texier just over three minutes into the game. The Canes would respond just over a minute later off the stick of Dougie Hamilton to tie the game at 1-1. The Canes would score two more goals in the first to stretch the lead to 3-1. The second period was a different story as goals by Ryan Murray and Sonny Milano would bring the Blue Jackets right back into this game at 2-2. The third would see no goals but many chances and the game would head to overtime where the Blue Jackets Speedster Cam Atkinson would put in the overtime winner. Blue Jackets would walk away with a 4-3 victory in overtime.

     

    Los Angeles Kings v. St. Louis Blues – 8p EST Start Time

    LA RoadSTL Home

    The Stanley Cup Champion St.Louis Blues were set to face off against the struggling LA Kings in St. Louis. Kings would open the scoring first thanks to Jeff Carter just before the 15-minute mark of the 1st. Vince Dunn would tie the game just over 3 minutes later on the powerplay, this would be the first of 3 powerplay goals in the game for the Blues. Just 3 minutes into the second Alex Iaffalo would score giving the Kings the 2-1 lead. The Blues would score twice in 1:40 courtesy of Alex Pietrangelo on the Powerplay and Robert Thomas, this would give the Blues their first lead of the night at 3-2. The Blues would add two more goals off the stick of Brayden Schenn in the third period, to run over the Kings 5-2.

     

    Minnesota Wild v. Nashville Predators – 8p EST Start Time

    MIN RoadNAS Home

    The Wild looked to steal a win from Pekka Rinne and the Predators on Thursday night but seemingly ran into a brick wall. The first period would open with the Wild furiously peppering Pekka Rinne with 13 shots, yet they couldn’t solve the netminder. The first period would end with the score 0-0, and that’s where the Preds would take over. Preds would score 37 seconds into the 2nd period and then add another with less than 30 seconds left in the period, to make 2-0 after two periods. The third period would come and it would see the Preds score twice again to make it 4-0. Pekka Rinne would put ina 26 save effort for the shutout.

     

    Philadelphia Flyers v. Chicago Blackhawks – 830p EST Start Time

    PHI RoadCHI Home

    Flyer looking to gain some momentum against the lowly Blackhawks in Chicago. The game would open with the Flyer grabbing ahold of the game and never looking back. Flyers Oskar Lindblom would score the only goal in the first period, as the Flyers would take a 1-0 lead into the intermission. Claude Giroux would be the only goal scorer in the second period just 59 seconds in, to give the Flyers a 2-0 lead. The first two periods would leave the Blackhawks with just 8 shots combined, while the Flyer had a 2 goal lead and 18 shots. The third period would bring about a more aggressive Blackhawks team as Brandon Saad would score a minute in. The third would see Chicago fire 16 shots at Brian Elliot but were only able to be him once. The Flyers would go on to score 2 more in the 3rd period and win 4-1.

     

    Anaheim Ducks v. Dallas Stars – 830p EST Start Time

    ANA RoadDAL Home

    The Ducks and Stars were ready for a goalies duel, with two of the leagues best goalies squaring off in Ben Bishop and John Gibson. Dallas Stars rookie Denis Guraniov would score two goals in the first period to give the Stars a 2-0 lead heading into the 2nd period. Ducks Max Comtois would score on the powerplay just over 4 minutes into the 2nd period to cut the lead in half. But that’s all the score that would come in this game as both goalies shut the door and never let another puck past them. Stars would squeak past the Ducks 2-1.

     

    Florida Panthers v. Calgary Flames – 9p EST Start Time

    FLA RoadCAL Home

    Flames looked to put themselves back on track at home, while the Panthers looked to keep their winning ways going. This game was not meant for the goaltenders at all. Calgary would open the score in the first with an Austin Czarnik goal on the powerplay and then the floodgates would open. The Second would see the Panthers score twice off the sticks of Huberdeau and Weegar, while the Flames would score in the middle of the two Panther goals courtesy of Matthew Tkachuk. 2-2 would be the score at the end of the second period. Flames Matthew Tkachuk and Captain Mark Giordano would both score respectively to open the 3rd period. The Panthers would storm back being down 4-2, scoring three of there own off the sticks of Josh Brown, Evgenii Dadonov, and Mark Pysyk to give the Panthers a 5-4 lead with five minutes remaining. Sam Bennett would send this game to overtime with his 2nd of the season with just under three minutes remaining in the game. Overtime would solve nothing but the shootout would see the Panthers miss both their shots while the Flames would score on theirs. Flames put out a spotty win against the Panthers 6-5

     

    Washington Capitals v. Edmonton Oilers – 9p EST Start Time

    WAS RoadEDM Home

    Oilers looking to start red hot, while the Caps look to find some consistency in holding leads. Darnell Nurse would open the scoring 13 minutes into the first to give the Oilers the 1-0 lead. But the Caps would not lay down and take a loss. The Caps came out flying in the second period scoring 3 goals, including 2 from Captain Alex Ovechkin. This would put the Caps on top 3-1 heading into the 3rd period. The 3rd period would be the Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl show and another defensive third-period meltdown for the Caps. Both McDavid and Draisaitl would score to tie the game up and send it to overtime. Just 1:18 into the 3rd period Leon Draisaitl would take the feed from Connor McDavid and bury it. Oilers would walk out with a 4-3 Overtime victory over the Caps.

     

    Sponsored by:

    DerpyCon_General Ad.png

  • The Road-trip Continues: Washington Capitals vs Edmonton Oilers

    The Road-trip Continues: Washington Capitals vs Edmonton Oilers

    Washington Capitals (7-2-2) v Edmonton Oilers (7-2-1)

    Predicted Goaltender Record (W-L-OTL) GAA/SA%
    Washington Capitals Braden Holtby 4-1-2 3.60/.884
    Edmonton Oilers Mikko Koskinen 4-0-0 2.20/.934

     

    Tonight, the Washington Capitals’ Canadian road-trip continues in Edmonton, Alberta. The Capitals and Oilers haven’t played each other since November of 2018, when the Caps topped Edmonton 4-2. Despite dropping their last two games, the Oilers have had the best start to their season in recent memory, and are undefeated at home at Rogers Place.

    The Capitals have won their last four games, and are 5-1-0 on the road. Some too-early-to-tell predictions have the Capitals once again winning the Metropolitan division with just under 100 points, which is a surprise to nobody.  (@IneffectiveMath). Washington extinguished the Calgary Flames the other night 5-3 in regulation. The first period was sleepy and scoreless. Each team received a power play, but neither team converted. Scotiabank Saddledome was eerily quiet, and despite relatively sloppy play from the Capitals, veteran netminder Braden Holtby made some incredibly timely saves, John Carlson continued his point streak with two goals of his own, and still leads the league with 20 points. He is now just the fourth defenseman in history to top 20 points in the month of October, and still has the chance to set an all-time record. With the feat, Carlson joins the ranks of Al MacInnis, Brian Leetch, and Paul Coffey (Wegman). Since making his season debut, Michal Kempny has three points in three games, including one goal. Chandler Stephenson scored his first goal since New Years’ Eve of 2018, breaking a nearly-year long scoreless streak, giving the Capitals a 2-0 lead, but goals from Elias Lindholm and Austin Czarnik brought the Flames up to speed, tying the game 2-2. Alexander Ovechkin would break the tie, closing the second period with 5 goals scored between the two teams. Tom Wilson would re-establish the Caps’ two goal lead, and John Carlson would seal the deal with an empty net goal at the 18:15 mark. Tobias Rieder would give the Flames an extra goal, but the Capitals emerged victorious for the 7th time this season.  Braden Holtby is expected to start tonight versus Edmonton.

    Despite being shut out by the pitiful Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, Edmontons’ special teams have been lights out through 10 games. The penalty kill is 4th best in the league, successfully killing off 88.2% of the penalties they’ve face, which is extremely impressive considering they average just over seven penalty minutes per game (TheScore). And while the Oilers haven’t had the most difficult of matchups, it should be noted that their power play is currently operating at a whopping 35.7%, good enough for first overall, with 6 power play goals coming from former Flame James Neal. After a disappointing 2018-19 season with the Flames, where he scored just seven goals through 63 games, Neal has surpassed even the great Connor McDavid in goal-scoring with the Oilers (Hockey Reference). Leon Draisaitl has six goals and 16 points in 10 games, and leads the team in power play time (3:47). The Oilers have been hit with the injury bug, as four defensemen and a left-winger are listed as either day-to-day, on injured reserve, or on the disabled list. Mike Smith is expected to start for Edmonton.

    Coverage of the game begins at 8:00pm with Caps Faceoff Live, followed by Caps Pregame Live at 8:30pm, all on NBCSN/NBCSWA, with puck drop shortly after 9:00pm.

     

    Sponsored by:

    DerpyCon_General Ad.png

     

    Sources:

    Hockey Reference. (2019). James Neal Stats. Retrieved from https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/n/nealja01.html.

    IneffectiveMath. (2019). “Point projections over the past fortnight”. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/IneffectiveMath/status/1187048523365322752.

    TheScore. (2019). Edmonton Oilers. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/28.

    Wegman, J. (2019). Carlson becomes 4th D-man ever with 20 points in October. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/1854811.