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Category: NHL

  • Game Recap: New Jersey Devils @ Buffalo Sabres 10/5/19

    Game Recap: New Jersey Devils @ Buffalo Sabres 10/5/19

    New Jersey Devils (0-1-1) vs Buffalo Sabres (2-0-0)

    Game Recap:

    The New Jersey Devils are back in action tonight and are looking to rebound against the Buffalo Sabres on the road. The Devils suffered a crushing loss to the Winnipeg Jets in their home opener in overtime the night before. Unfortunately for the Devils, they did not get off to the right start that they were hoping for in the first period. Buffalo would score twice on the power play from Victor Olofsson and their captain Jack Eichel. At the end of the first period, the Sabres would take a 2-0 lead.

    In the second period, the Devils were able to get their first goal of the game on a beautiful passing sequence from Taylor Hall and Nico Hischier to Kyle Palmieri, who buried the puck in the back of the net. However, the Sabres would maintain their dominance over the Devils as they scored three more times. Goals by the Sabres came from Kyle Okposo, Jeff Skinner, and Victor Olofson (his 2nd of the game). After two periods, the Sabres would take a commanding lead of 5-1 going into the final period.

    New Jersey would score one final goal in the third period as Travis Zajac scored his first goal of the season. However, it wouldn’t matter as Sam Reinhart would tack on his first two goals of the season to seal the victory for the Sabres. Buffalo would go on to win by a final score of 7-2.

     

    Lineups:

    New Jersey Devils

     

     

     

     

     

     

    https://twitter.com/njdevils/status/1180612137397473280?s=21

    Buffalo Sabres

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    1st Period Highlights:

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    2nd Period Highlights:

    https://twitter.com/njdevils/status/1180643673698131970?s=21

     

    3rd Period Highlights:

     

    Final Stats:    NJ-2        BUF-7

    Shots:             20            36

    Hits:               11             14

    PP:                  0/2           3/4

    Faceoffs:      51.0          49.0

     

    Next Up:

    New Jersey Devils @ Philadelphia Flyers 10/9/19 @ 7pm EST

    Buffalo Sabres @ Columbus Blue Jackets 10/7/19 7pm EST

  • Game Recap – 10/5/2019 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 10/5/2019 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Carolina Hurricanes (1-0-0 2pts) v. Washington Capitals (2-0-0 4pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals look to keep their winning ways going as they play their first game of the season at home against the Carolina Hurricanes. For the majority of the first period the Hurricanes would generate chances against the Capitals, but Braden Holtby would stand tall in net for the Capitals. Then late in the period Garnet Hathaway would pick off a poor pass attempt by Joel Edmundson and then drive to the net to score his first as Capital and to give them the 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

     

    In the second period the Capitals would still have some time to work on their first powerplay opportunity, but would not be able to convert. Then they would gain another opportunity when Jordan Staal would be called for tripping, but again could not convert on the powerplay. However, midway through the second it would be TJ Oshie who would bat the puck down and then get it past James Reimer to give the Capitals a 2-0 lead after an Official review. The Capitals would try to make it 3-0 off another potential Hathaway goal, but after a Coach’s Challenge it was ruled that Brendan Leipsic did in fact interfere with Reimer, and the goal would not count as a result.

     

    Then in the third period Radko Gudas would take an interference penalty and the Hurricanes would finally get their powerplay on point as Erik Haula would tap in a Teuvu Teravainen pass past Braden Holtby to cut the Capitals lead to one. The after killing off a Tom Wilson penalty, the Capitals would have a breakdown in their own zone and Jaccob Slavin would capitalize by getting the puck past Holtby to tie the game at two. Then in overtime the Capitals would dominate with 7 shots on goal and a powerplay opportunity, but were unable to capitalize. However, for the Hurricanes they would only need one shot to win it as Jake Gardiner would wrist a shot past Holtby to win the game 3-2 in overtime.

     

    Lineups:

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Nino Niederreiter — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen

    Andrei Svechnikov — Jordan Staal — Brock McGinn

    Ryan Dzingel — Erik Haula — Martin Necas

    Warren Foegele — Lucas Wallmark — Jordan Martinook

    Jaccob Slavin — Dougie Hamilton

    Joel Edmundson — Brett Pesce

    Jake Gardiner — Haydn Fleury

    James Reimer

    Petr Mrazek

    Scratched: None

    Injured: Trevor van Riemsdyk (shoulder)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Lars Eller — T.J. Oshie

    Carl Hagelin — Chandler Stephenson — Richard Panik

    Brendan Leipsic — Nic Dowd — Garnet Hathaway

    Jonas Siegenthaler — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Nick Jensen

    Martin Fehervary — Radko Gudas

    Braden Holtby

    Ilya Samsonov

    Scratched: Tyler Lewington, Travis Boyd

    Injured: Michal Kempny (hamstring)

    Suspended: Evgeny Kuznetsov

     

    First Period:

    WAS Penalty – 6:45 – Jonas Siegenthaler 2 minutes for Interference

    CAR Penalty – 8:11 – Erik Haula 2 minutes for Interference

    WAS Goal – 17:23 – Garnet Hathaway (1) from Brendan Leipsic (1)

    CAR Penalty – 19:22 – Nino Niederreiter 2 minutes for Slashing

     

    End of 1st

    10-05 v CAR.png

     

    Second Period:

    CAR Penalty – 4:29 – Jordan Staal 2 minutes for Tripping

    WAS Penalty – 8:19 – Jonas Siegenthaler 2 minutes for Interference

    WAS Goal – 11:40 – TJ Oshie (2) from Jakub Vrana (1) and Radko Gudas (2)

    CAR Penalty – 13:25 – Martin Necas 2 minutes for Tripping

    CAR Penalty – 18:51 – Andrei Svechnikov 2 minutes for High Sticking

     

    End of 2nd

    10-05 v CAR-2.png

     

    Third Period:

    WAS Penalty – 1:59 – Radko Gudas 2 minutes for Interference

    CAR PPG – 2:36 – Erik Haula (2) from Teuvu Teravainen (2) and Andrei Svechnikov (2)

    WAS Penalty – 7:17 – Tom Wilson 2 minutes for Tripping

    CAR Goal – 9:50 – Jaccob Slavin (1) from Jordan Martinook (1) and Warren Foegele (1)

    CAR Penalty – 12:29 – Joel Edmundson 2 minutes for Holding

    WAS Penalty – 12:29 – Lars Eller 2 minutes for High Sticking

     

    End of 3rd

    10-05 v CAR-3.png

     

    Overtime:

    CAR Penalty – :19 – Jordan Staal 2 minutes for Hooking

    CAR Goal – 4:04 – Jake Gardiner (1) from Andrei Svechnikov (2)

     

    End of OT:

    10-05 v CAR-4.png

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (2-0-1 5pts) v. Dallas (0-1-0 0pts)

    Carolina (2-0-0 4pts) v. Tampa Bay (1-1-0 2pts)

     

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  • The Capitals Home Opener: Back to Where It All Begins

    The Capitals Home Opener: Back to Where It All Begins

    Washington Capitals (2-0-0) v. Carolina Hurricanes (1-0-0)

     Predicted Goaltender Record (W-L-OTL) GAA/SV%
    Washington CapitalsBraden Holtby1-0-01.90/.909%  
    Carolina HurricanesPetr Mrazek1-0-02.77/.917%

    This is it. The night Capitals’ fans have been anticipating for months. The Home Opener. Although this is the third game the Washington Capitals will have played thus far, the Home Opener is the first opportunity for fans to watch their favorite team play at home, which always has a special feel to it. Last season, the Capitals raised their Stanley Cup Champions banner, made us all cry, and shut out the Boston Bruins 7-0 on the night of their home opener. This time, the boys in red are looking to Rock the Red and to defeat the team that knocked them out in the first round of the playoffs this past April; Rod Brind’amour and his Carolina Hurricanes.

    Last night, the Washington Capitals beat their former bench boss Barry Trotz and his New York Islanders, 2-1 in regulation. Ilya Samsonov, in his NHL debut, and first NHL win, proved that he is indeed NHL caliber, and the future of Capitals goal-tending. The young Russian net-minder stopped 25 of 26 shots faced, and remained calm, cool, and very collected between the pipes. Samsonov did not let the rambunctious and passionate Isles hometown fan base distract or divert his attention away from the task at hand. Jakub Vrana scored his second goal of the season halfway through the first period, but one fluke of a goal two minutes later tied the game 1-1. TJ Oshie would ultimately score the game-winning goal on the Capitals’ power play late in the second. The Capitals played extremely well, sans a couple of bad passes, and extended defensive zone play early in the third period. Playing two games in as many nights is certainly not an easy feat, and the Capitals will have to dig deep tonight to come out with a win for the fans, and to downgrade a gritty, dirty Hurricanes team. As tonight’s game will be the second game of a back-to-back, Braden Holtby is expected to start for the Washington Capitals.

    Capitals veteran goaltender Braden Holtby will start versus the Carolina Hurricanes.

    The Carolina Hurricanes won their first game of the 2019-20 season on home ice at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. Lucas Wallmark put Carolina on the board first, and rookie Martin Necas gave the Canes a short-lived 2-0 lead. Montreal would score 3 unanswered goals in the second period, but former Vegas center Erik Haula managed to tie the game at three goals apiece early in the final frame. In a nerve-wracking 4-3 shootout win over the Montreal Canadiens, it was Dougie Hamilton that would set off the Storm Surge in Raleigh. Through two preseason games, the Hurricanes actually out-shot the Capitals 45-43, but lost both, separated by just a single goal. Carolinas’ Dynamic Finnish Duo of Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen scored a combined 51 goals and tallied 108 assists for a total of 159 points last season. The two also led the team in short-handed goals with 4 from Aho, and 1 from Teravainen, and finished the season with +/- ratings of +25 and +30, respectively. Last season, versus the Capitals, Aho scored 3 goals and tallied 3 assists, and Teravainen, 1 goal and 1 assist (Sebastian Aho)(Teuvo Teravainen). To say that these two can, and have, done damage against the Capitals in recent times is definitely an understatement, but man, are they fun to watch (as long as they aren’t playing the Caps). Goaltender Petr Mrazek, in his second season with the Carolina Hurricanes, stopped 33 of 36 shots he faced, and is expected to get the start for the Canes in tonight’s contest (TheScore, Mrazek).

    Capitals head coach Todd Reirden still hasn’t forgiven, and probably won’t, Canes head coach Rod Brind’amour for his inappropriate and childish exchange from the Canes bench with Caps’ hard hitter Tom Wilson last Sunday. Reirden did not miss his chance to express his discontent, despite the Hurricanes’ head coach making a bee-line for the dressing room following the final buzzer (Brandt). Wilson ultimately received a 10 minute misconduct penalty, and an additional two minutes for roughing, in an already-penalty heavy scrappy preseason game. Between both clubs, 44 penalty minutes were tallied, and 48 hits were committed. It should be noted that 71% of those hits were made by Capitals’ players (TheScore, WAS v CAR). We expect tonight’s match-up to be just as physical, with lots of bad blood between the former Stanley Cup Champs and a team that made the playoffs for the first time in 10 years last spring. We firmly believe that those recent interactions will serve as a strong motivator for the Capitals.

    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.

     

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    Brandt, C. (2019). Todd Reirden still fired up at ‘Canes coach for ‘unprofessional’ exchange with Tom Wilson. Retrieved from https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/capitals/todd-reirden-still-fired-canes-coach-unprofessional-exchange-tom-wilson.

    NHL.com. (2019). Sebastian Aho Stats. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/player/sebastian-aho-8478427.

    NHL.com. (2019). Teuvo Teravainen Stats. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/player/teuvo-teravainen-8476882.

    TheScore. (2019). Petr Mrazek. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/players/2204.

    TheScore. (2019). WAS v CAR. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/events/23099.

  • NHL News and Notes from Friday, October 4th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Friday, October 4th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Friday, October 4th, 2019

     

    News:

    • The St. Louis Blues announced that they have re-signed forward Brayden Schenn to an eight year contract that will go through the 2027-28 season. The extension will carry an AAV of $6.5mil.

     

    Game Recaps:

    Chicago Blackhawks v. Philadelphia Flyers – 2p EST Start Time

    CHI RoadPHI Home

    As part of the Global Series the Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks faced off in Prague, Czech Republic and would see the Flyers down the Blackhawks 4-3. The Flyers would get goals from Travis Konecny (2), Oskar Lindblom, and Michael Raffl, while the Blackhawks got goals from Alexander Nylander, Alex DeBrincat, and Patrick Kane.

     

    Washington Capitals v. New York Islanders – 7p EST Start Time

    WAS RoadNYI Home

    In a tightly contested matchup the Washington Capitals would down the New York Islanders 2-1 to give Ilya Samsonov his first career NHL win. Click Here for TXHT’s Recap.

     

    Winnipeg Jets v. New Jersey Devils – 7p EST Start Time

    WIN RoadNJ Home

    Scott recaps the New Jersey Devils season opener which saw them blow a four goal lead and lose in a shootout to the Winnipeg Jets. Read Scott’s recap here.

     

    Toronto Maple Leafs v. Columbus Blue Jackets – 7p EST Start Time

    TOR RoadCLB Home

    The Toronto Maple Leafs took on the Columbus Blue Jackets which saw the Leafs spoil the Jackets home opener with a 4-1 victory. The Maple Leafs would get a two goal performance from Mitch Marner, as well as goals from Cody Ceci and Auston Matthews. For the Blue Jackets their lone goal would be scored by Cam Atkinson.

     

    Vegas Golden Knights v. San Jose Sharks – 1030p EST Start Time

    VGK RoadSJ Home\

    The Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks renewed their rivalry for the second time in three days as the Knights came to San Jose looking to ruin the Sharks home opener. The Knights would get on the board quickly as William Carrier would score 5:01 into the first period, and then a little later in the period Jonathan Marchessault would score to give the Knights a 2-0 lead going into the second period. Then in the second and third periods the Knights would keep up the pressure as they would get a goal from Brayden McNabb, and two goals from Tomas Nosek to guide them to a 5-1 victory over the Sharks. The Sharks lone goal would be scored by Barclay Goodrow. This game would also mark the the first time in franchise history that the Golden Knights would record two shorthanded goals in the same game and also the second consecutive game to start the season with a shorthanded goal for the Golden Knights as well.

     

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  • Game Recap: New Jersey Devils v.s Winnipeg Jets 10/4/19 (NJD Home Opener)

    Game Recap: New Jersey Devils v.s Winnipeg Jets 10/4/19 (NJD Home Opener)

    Game Recap:

    Tonight the New Jersey Devils opened up their season at home against the Winnipeg Jets. The first two periods saw the Devils come out and take a commanding 4-0 lead over the Jets. Goal scorers featured Nikita Gusev (who scored his 1st NHL goal), Sami Vatanen, and Blake Coleman who scored twice. Coleman’s second goal of the season is an early goal of the year candidate as he was down on the ice and lifted the puck with one hand on the stick and into the back of the net for a sensational highlight reel goal.

    In the second period, the Winnipeg Jets would score their first goal at the 19:49 mark as Dmitry Kulikov would blast a shot from the point past Devils goaltender Cory Schneider. The Devils would lead 4-1 after the second period.

    However, things started to turn around and change in the third. Devils goaltender Cory Schneider would leave the game due to injury and backup MacKenzie Blackwood would enter the game. The Jets were able to fight their way back in the third to tie the game on goals from Jack Roslovic, Matthieu Perrault, and newly acquired Neal Pionk. At the end of three periods, the scored would be tied 4-4 going into overtime.

    The first two minutes of overtime was extremely exciting as both teams would exchange several two on one chances to put the game away for either side. However, the game would be decided in a shoot out where the Jets got the game winning shootout goal by their captain Blake Wheeler. The Jets would go onto win the game with the final score being 5-4.

     

    Lineups:

    New Jersey Devils

     

    Winnipeg Jets

     

    1st Period Highlights

    https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1180272306641391617?s=20

     

    2nd Period Highlights

    https://twitter.com/njdevils/status/1180276319814406149?s=21

    https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1180280773234044929?s=20

    https://twitter.com/njdevils/status/1180279880329641985?s=21

     

    3rd Period Highlights

     

    Overtime/Shootout

     

    Final Stats:    NJ-4            WPG-5

    Shots:             39                30

    Hits:               21                13

    PP:                 0/2               0/2

    Face offs:     50.9             49.1

     

    Next Up:

    NJ Devils @ BUF Sabres 10/5/19 7pm EST

    WPG Jets @ NY Islanders 10/6/19 7pm EST

     

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  • Game Recap – 10/4/2019 – Washington Capitals v. New York Islanders

    Game Recap – 10/4/2019 – Washington Capitals v. New York Islanders

    Washington Capitals (1-0-0 2pts) v. New York Islanders (0-0-0 0pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals head to Long Island as the New York Islanders open up their season at Nassau Coliseum. For the first half of this game the Capitals would show some glimpses of offense, but it would be the Islanders who would control the play in the Capitals zone a little more than the Capitals would have liked. However, the Capitals would be the first to respond as Jakub Vrana would come down the wing and rip the puck past Semyon Varlamov to give the Capitals the 1-0 lead. But the lead wouldn’t last long as 2 minutes and 2 seconds later Devon Toews would tie the game at one after his shot would take an unfortunate bounce off of Radko Gudas’ skate and go past Ilya Samsonov. After both teams would trade goals in the midway part of the period, the pace of the game would slow down and the game would remain tied 1-1 going into the first intermission.

     

    In the second period both teams would trade powerplay opportunities, but neither would be able to convert on their opportunities. The Capitals in particular looked very sloppy, especially with their second unit. After being outworked by the Islanders for the majority of the period the Capitals would draw another powerplay and this time they would capitalize on this opportunity as TJ Oshie would find the loose puck and backhand it in while falling for the puck to give the Capitals the 2-1 lead going into the second intermission.

     

    In the third period we would have a very back and forth period as both teams looked to get their chances to try to get on the board. Still down by one the Islanders would pull Varlamov to gain the extra attacker, but the Capitals would shut it down and Ilya Samsonov would record his first career NHL victory.

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin – Nicklas Backstrom – Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana – Lars Eller – TJ Oshie

    Carl Hagelin – Chandler Stephenson – Richard Panik

    Brendan Leipsic – Nic Dowd – Garnet Hathaway

    Jonas Siegenthaler – John Carlson

    Dmitri Orlov – Nick Jensen

    Martin Fehervary – Radko Gudas

    Ilya Samsonov

    Braden Holtby

     

    New York Islanders:

    Anders Lee – Mathew Barzal – Jordan Eberle

    Michael Dal Colle – Brock Nelson – Josh Bailey

    Anthony Beauvillier – Derick Brassard – Leo Komarov

    Matt Martin – Casey Cizikas – Cal Clutterbuck

    Adam Pelech – Ryan Pulock

    Devon Toews – Scott Mayfield

    Nick Leddy – Johnny Boychuk

    Semyon Varlamov

    Thomas Greiss

     

    First Period:

    WAS Goal – 10:25 – Jakub Vrana (2) from Lars Eller (3) and Radko Gudas

    NYI Goal – 12:27 – Devon Toews (1) from Anthony Beauvillier (1)

     

    End of 1st

    10-04 at NYI

     

    Second Period:

    WAS Penalty – 2:23 – Lars Eller 2 minutes for Hooking

    NYI Penalty – 6:00 – Brock Nelson 2 minutes for Tripping

    NYI Penalty – 16:48 – Brock Nelson 2 minutes for Hooking

    WAS PPG – 17:43 – TJ Oshie (1) from John Carlson (3) and Nicklas Backstrom (1)

     

    End of 2nd

    10-04 at NYI-2.png

     

    Third Period:

    N/A

     

    End of 3rd

    10-04 at NYI-3.png

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (2-0-0 4pts) v. Carolina (1-0-0 2pts)

    NY Islanders (0-1-0 0pts) v. Winnipeg (0-0-0 0pts)

     

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  • Game Preview: New Jersey Devils v.s Winnipeg Jets 8/4/19 (Devils Home Opener)

    Game Preview: New Jersey Devils v.s Winnipeg Jets 8/4/19 (Devils Home Opener)

    Welcome back hockey fans to another amazing season in the NHL! Tonight we have the New Jersey Devils hosting their home & season opener against the Winnipeg Jets. The Devils are looking to show off their brand new acquisitions that were acquired in the off-season to help boost their lineup and compete for a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Offseason. acquisitions feature P.K Subban, Nikita Gusev & in particular the number one overall pick in this years NHL Entry Draft in Jack Hughes. Tonight, Hughes is making his NHL debut & is looking to show off the amazing potential talents and skills he has and show why he is an up and coming superstar in the National Hockey League. Also, the Devils are also getting a huge addition back into their lineup with Taylor Hall back to being healthy as he missed the second half of last season with a knee injury. The Devils are hoping he returns to his form of two years ago when he helped lead the Devils to the playoffs and posting a 93 point season which resulted in him winning the Hart Trophy (league MVP). If all falls into place, the Devils have the potential to be a playoff team. We shall see!

    Winnipeg is a different story compared to the Devils. The Winnipeg Jets are coming off another post season exit and had a very interesting and dramatic off-season. There was a lot of drama during the off-season about re-signing their top two restricted free agent in Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine. Both restricted free agents re-signed with the Jets this past week. Kyle Connor re-signed with the Jets on a 7 year $50 million dollar contract. Patrik Laine agreed to re-sign on a 2 year 13.5 million dollar deal. Now without the contract situation being a distraction, the Jets are hoping to keep building off their postseason appearances and go deeper into the Stanley Cup playoffs. They also had some big losses in particular on the defensive side. Winnipeg on paper seems like they’ll take a step back but then again, anything can happen!

    Game Prediction:

    NJ- 4

    WPG- 2

    Devils:

    Taylor Hall (2 goals) Jack Hughes (1g 1a), Nikita Gusev (2 assists, Blake Coleman ( 1 goal)

    Cory Schneider (27 Saves)

    Jets:

    Mark Scheifle ( 1g 1a) Bryan Little (1 goal)

    Connor Hellebyck (32 Saves)

  • It’s #ALLCAPS in New York; Capitals v Islanders

    It’s #ALLCAPS in New York; Capitals v Islanders

    Washington Capitals (1-0-0) v. New York Islanders (0-0-0)

      Record Predicted Goaltender
    Washington Capitals 1-0-0 (2019-20)Ilya Samsonov
    New York Islanders 5-2-0 (preseason)Semyon Varlamov

    *Full disclosure: this might give you a headache at first, so bear with me on this one.

    Washington Capitals’ newest back-up goaltender Ilya Samsonov is getting his first regular season NHL start against former Washington Capitals’ net-minder Semyon Varlamov, who now plays for former Washington Capitals’ head-coach Barry Trotz. Say that five times fast, and let me know if you can still remember who’s who.

    The Washington Capitals crashed the party on Wednesday, where they played the reigning Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues on the night of their combined Home Opener-Banner Raising. After falling behind two goals to none, just eight minutes into the contest, the Capitals made a comeback in what played much like an actual Stanley Cup Playoff game. Veteran netminder Braden Holtby allowed two soft goals, one just 53 seconds into the game, and a power play goal just short of the eight-minute mark. However, a goal from none other than The ‘GR8’ Alexander Ovechkin and a 2nd period power play goal from Dmitry ‘Scorlov’ Orlov got the good guys back in the game, and it took overtime for the score to be settled. Jakub Vrana, perhaps one of the best skaters of the night for the Capitals, would be the one to break a 28-minute tie in overtime with a perfectly calculated shot that Blues’ net-minder Jordan Binnington probably wishes he could get back. 19-year old Slovakian rookie defenseman Martin Fehervary made his NHL debut, but was able to handle the pressure as good as anyone could have hoped. Mistakes were made, which are to be expected, but Fehervary proved to us all why he deserves a roster spot. And hey, if the Capitals’ coaching staff are excited about him, well we are too. A little birdy told me that Fehervary received the iconic “hard hat” after Wednesday nights’ game, which coincidentally is a Nationals’ batting helmet (Tarik_ElBashir).

    Tonight, the New York Islanders will be playing in their home opener at the Nassau Coliseum, one of 27 games to be played on Long Island this season. The Islanders are currently transitioning to play the majority of their home games at the Coliseum, as opposed to Barclays Center, which has been ‘home base’ since 2015. In the meantime, work has just begun on the Islanders’ new arena, to be built at Belmont Park, Elmont, Long Island, New York. Fans are thrilled to bring Islanders hockey back to the Island, and to a considerably more commuter- and home-town fan-friendly location than both the Coliseum and Barclays Center. Last season, the New York Islanders found themselves in the playoffs for the first time in 17 years, and stunned fans from around the league when they swept the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round, only to be swept themselves by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second (yes, those Hurricanes). Over the summer, the Isles lost goaltender Robin Lehner to Chicago, who had played a pivotal role in the teams’ success during the 2018-19 season, but held on to Thomas Greiss, and acquired Semyon Varlamov from the Colorado Avalanche through free agency. Drafted by the Washington Capitals in 2006, Varlamov played 3 seasons in Washington (2008-2011), and in 2009, helped the Capitals advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 1998. In 2011, Varlamov was traded to the Colorado Avalanche, where he played for 8 seasons, and given struggles with poor performance and injuries, the Russian goaltender maintained a 183-156-38 record, and averaged a .915 SV% (NHL.com).

    Many Caps’ fans, just like Ilya Samsonov himself, have been anticipating this very moment for a quite a while now; the first chance to see the other Russian net-minder snag the back-up goalie spot for the Washington Capitals. Samsonov, a 2015 1st round draft pick by the Washington Capitals spent last season in the AHL with the Hershey Bears, and showed lots of promise through two preseason games, both of which were tallied as wins. On September 18th, where he split a win with Vitek Vanecek, versus the St. Louis Blues, Samsonov stopped 12 of 13 shots faced, and in a stand-alone win on the 21st versus Carolina, allowed two goals on 15 shots (TheScore, Samsonov). Alex Ovechkin, with one goal through one game thus far, is by default, on pace to score 82 goals this season. We’d be satisfied with another 50-goal season, but if a goal-a-game is what it takes to win another Rocket Richard Trophy in a league with so many prolific goal-scorers, (and maybe another Art Ross… or Stanley Cup), whatever it takes, right?

    Some good news on Caps’ defenseman Michal Kempny. Per Isabelle Khurshudyan, Kempny did in fact practice yesterday morning with the Capitals in a full-contact jersey, but head-coach Todd Reirden did in fact rule the blue-liner out of today’s line-up versus the Islanders (ikhurshudyan). It is to be determined if he will play in the Capitals’ home opener on Saturday, October 5th.

    Finally, last year’s back-up goaltender Pheonix Copley cleared waivers, and has been loaned to the Hershey Bears.

    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.

     

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    Ikhurshudyan. (2019). Kempny is out tomorrow. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/ikhurshudyan/status/1179813315058556928?s=20.

    NHL.com. (2019). Semyon Varlamov. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/player/semyon-varlamov-8473575?stats=career-r-nhl&season=null.

    Tarik_ElBashir. (2019). Here’s #Caps Coach Todd Reirden casually revealing that the team hard hat is a #Nats batting helmet. It went to rookie Martin Fehervary after Wednesday’s season opening OT victory in STL. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/Tarik_ElBashir/status/1179630138461478912?s=20

    TheScore. (2019). Ilya Samsonov. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/players/7675.

  • NHL News and Notes from Thursday, October 3rd, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Thursday, October 3rd, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Thursday, October 3rd, 2019

     

    News:

    • The Chicago Blackhawks re-signed forward Alex DeBrincat to a new three year deal. The contract will run through the 2022-23 season and will carry an AAV of $6.4mil.

     

    • Per Andrew Gross of Newsday, New York Islanders General Manager Lou Lamoriello confirmed that Josh Ho-Sang’s representative has requested a trade. Per Gross’ report Lamoriello has asked Ho-Sang to not report to Bridgeport of the AHL until he can explore all options.

     

    • The Calgary Flames have announced that they have re-signed General Manager Brad Treliving to a multi-year extension.

     

    Game Recaps:

    Florida Panthers v. Tampa Bay Lightning – 7p EST Start Time

    FLA RoadTB Home

    In the first battle of Florida for the 2019-20 season it would see the Tampa Bay Lightning down the Florida Panthers 5-2 in the Lightning’s home opener. The Lightning would get goals from Nikita Kucherov, Kevin Shattenkirk, Ondrej Palat, Pat Maroon, and Erik Cernak while the Panthers would get goals from Mike Hoffman and Vincent Trocheck.

     

    Montreal Canadiens v. Carolina Hurricanes – 7p EST Start Time

    MON RoadCAR Home

    In Carolina the Hurricanes would host the Montreal Canadiens for their home opener and this would be the first game of the 2019-20 NHL season to go to a shootout after being tied 3-3 after 65 minutes of action. The Huricanes would get goals from Linus Wallmark, Martin Necas, and Erik Haula while the Canadiens would get goals from Tomas Tatar, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Jordan Weal in regulation. Dougie Hamilton would score in the first round of the shootout and Petr Mrazek would stop all three shooters to win the game for the Hurricanes 4-3.

     

    Winnipeg Jets v. New York Rangers – 7p EST Start Time

    WIN RoadNYR Home

    In a matchup everyone has been waiting since the trade between these two teams, the New York Rangers hosted the Winnipeg Jets for their home opener, and would win 6-4 in a very tightly contested game between the two teams. The Rangers would get goals from newcomers Artemi Panarin (signed from Columbus) and Jacob Trouba (Trade with Winnipeg) as well as goals from Marc Staal, Mika Zibanejad, Brett Howden, and Brendan Smith. The Jets would get goals from Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and a pair from Blake Wheeler.

     

    Buffalo Sabres v. Pittsburgh Penguins – 7p EST Start Time

    BUF RoadPIT Home

    The Buffalo Sabres entered their 50th season by visiting the Pittsburgh Penguins, and they would spoil the home opener for the Penguins as they would get two goals from former Penguin Conor Sheary, and a late second period goal from Rasmus Dahlin to defeat the Penguins 3-1. The Penguins lone goal would be from Evgeni Malkin on an early second period powerplay.

     

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

    MIN RoadNAS Home

    The Nashville Predators would open up their season by hosting the Minnesota Wild, and the Predators would dominate the Wild 5-2 after scoring four unanswered goals in the third period to erase a one goal deficit for the victory. The Wild would get goals from Jason Zucker and Matt Dumba in a 43 second span late in the second period to make it 2-1 after Ryan Ellis initially gave the PRedators the one nothing lead. The Predators four third period goals would come from Markus Granlund, Austin Watson, Viktor Arvidsson, and Filip Forsberg.

     

    Boston Bruins v. Dallas Stars – 830p EST Start Time

    BOS RoadDAL Home

    After having a special ceremonial puck drop with the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush, the Stars would be dimmed by the visiting Boston Bruins as the Bruins would get two first period goals from Brett Ritchie and Danton Heinen within the first six minutes to guarantee them victory. The Stars lone goal of the 2-1 loss was from Roope Hintz.

     

    Calgary Flames v. Colorado Avalanche – 9p EST Start Time

    CAL RoadCOL Home

    In the Colorado Avalanche’s home opener against the Calgary Flames it would be Mikko Rantanen netting two goals for the Avalanche along with goals from Joonas Donskoi, who also scored two, and JT Compher to secure the 5-3 victory over the Flames. The Flames would get goals from Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, and Mark Giordano.

     

    Arizona Coyotes v. Anaheim Ducks – 10p EST Start Time

    ARI RoadANA Home

    In our final game of NHL action for the night the Anaheim Ducks would hold of the Arizona Coyotes with a 2-1 victory after Cam Fowler would score with 32 seconds left in the second period to break the 1-1 tie. Ducks would also get a goal from Derek Grant, while the Coyotes got their lone goal from Derek Stepan.

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1179980478532612096?s=20

     

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  • The Storm Surge Is Back!!

    The Storm Surge Is Back!!

    The Carolina Hurricanes have brought back the Storm Surge for all home victories!

     

    After their 4-3 shootout victory Dougie Hamilton, who scored the lone goal of the shootout, would lead the “Bunch of Jerks” in their first Storm Surge celebration of the 2019-20 season.

     

     

    As fans of the Storm Surge celebrations we here at TXHT are happy to see them returning for the 2019-20 season.

     

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