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Category: NHL

  • Game Recap – 1st Rd. Game 1 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 1st Rd. Game 1 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals begin their Stanley Cup defense at home against the Carolina Hurricanes, and the start of the game would see the Capitals weather the storm from the Hurricanes for the first half of the period followed by Nicklas Backstrom going top shelf on Petr Mrazek on the first shot of the game for the Capitals to make it 1-0. Then Justin Faulk would be called for high sticking, and on the powerplay Evgeny Kuznetsov would do a beautiful pass across to slot to Backstrom for his second of the game. The Hurricanes would not do themselves any favors though as Micheal Ferland would be called for interference and with a mad scramble Alex Ovechkin would net his first of the playoffs to make it 3-0 goinf into the first intermission.

     

    In the second period both teams would trade scoring opportunities, and some penalties as well. While the Capitals would kill their lone penalty early in the period, Carolina would give the Capitals two more powerplay opportunities. However, this time the Hurricanes would keep the Capitals off the score board while on the penalty kill.

     

    In the third period the Capitals would get some really good scoring opportunities to start the period, but Petr Mrazek would stand tall to keep the deficit to three. Then Andrei Svechnikov would score back to back goals to cut the Capitals lead to one in a span of two minutes and nineteen seconds. The Capitals would then get themselves into penalty problems, but would successfully kill both penalties. Then Lars Eller would score the empty netter to seal the deal for the Capitaks as they take the 1-0 series lead.

     

    Lineups:

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Nino Niederreiter — Sebastian Aho — Justin Williams

    Micheal Ferland — Jordan Staal — Teuvo Teravainen

    Andrei Svechnikov — Jordan Martinook — Brock McGinn

    Greg McKegg — Lucas Wallmark — Warren Foegele

    Jaccob Slavin — Dougie Hamilton

    Brett Pesce — Justin Faulk

    Haydn Fleury — Trevor van Riemsdyk

    Petr Mrazek

    Curtis McElhinney

    Scratched: Saku Maenalanen, Jake Bean

    Injured: Calvin de Haan (upper body)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — Tom Wilson

    Carl Hagelin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Andre Burakovsky — Nic Dowd — Chandler Stephenson

    John Carlson — Nick Jensen

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Christian Djoos

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Jonas Siegenthaler, Travis Boyd, Dmitrij Jaskin, Ilya Samsonov

    Injured: Michal Kempny (torn left hamstring)

     

    First Period:

    Capitals Goal – 9:58 – Nicklas Backstrom (1) from John Carlson (1) and Brooks Orpik (1)

    Hurricanes Penalty – 12:32 – Justin Faulk 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Capitals PPG – 13:10 – Nicklas Backstrom (2) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (1) and John Carlson (2)

    Hurricanes Penalty – 16:31 – Micheal Ferland 2 minutes for Interference

    Capitals PPG – 18:05 – Alex Ovechkin (1) from Tom Wilson (1) and John Carlson (3)

     

    End of 1st – CAR – 0       WAS – 3

    Shots              10                09

    Faceoffs         13                09

    Hits               21                  18

    PP                 0/0                 2/2

     

    Second Period:

    Hurricanes Penalty – 1:46 – Andrei Svechnikov 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals Penalty – 4:07 – Bench (Alex Ovechkin) 2 minutes for Too Many Men

    Hurricanes Penalty – 13:05 – Justin Williams 2 minutes for Holding the Stick

     

    End of 2nd – CAR – 0        WAS – 3

    Shots               21                 13

    Faceoffs          23                 21

    Hits                 32                  27

    PP                   0/1                  2/4

     

    Third Period:

    Hurricanes Goal – 5:07 – Andrei Svechnikov (1) from Lucas Wallmark (1) and Dougie Hamilton (1)

    Hurricanes Goal – 7:26 – Andrei Svechnikov (2) from Lucas Wallmark (2) and Justin Faulk (1)

    Capitals Penalty – 11:14 – Jakub Vrana 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals Penalty – 16:29 – TJ Oshie 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Capitals ENG – 19:24 – Lars Eller (1) from unassisted

     

    End of 3rd – CAR – 2         WAS – 4

    Shots              29                   18

    Faceoffs        39                    28

    Hits               37                     35

    PP                 0/3                    2/4

     

    Next Up:

    Game Two – Capitals Leads Series 1-0

  • Toronto Maple Leafs vs Boston Bruins – Round 1 – Game 1 Recap

    Toronto Maple Leafs vs Boston Bruins – Round 1 – Game 1 Recap

    Game Recap:

     

     

    Lineups:

    Toronto:

    Andreas Johnsson – Auston Matthews – Kasperi Kapanen

    Mitch Marner – John Tavares – Zach Hyman

    Patrick Marleau – Nazem Kadri – William Nylander

    Connor Brown – Frederik Gauthier – Trevor Moore

     

    Morgan Rielly  – Ron Hainsey

    Jake Muzzin – Nikita Zaitsev

    Jake Gardiner – Travis Dermott

     

    Frederik Andersen

    Garrett Sparks

     

    Scratched: Calle Rosen, Tyler Ennis, Nic Petan

    Injuries: Nathan Horton (Back)

    Suspension: None

     

    Buffalo:

    Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — David Pastrnak

    Jake DeBrusk — David Krejci — Marcus Johansson

    Danton Heinen — Charlie Coyle — Chris Wagner

    David Backes — Joakim Nordstrom — Noel Acciari

     

    Zdeno Chara — Charlie McAvoy

    Brandon Carlo — Torey Krug

    Matt Grzelcyk — Kevan Miller

     

    Tuukka Rask

    Jaroslav Halak

    Scratched: Karson Kuhlman, Steven Kampfer, Connor Clifton

    Injuries: Sean Kuraly (shoulder) and John Moore (Upper-Body)

    Suspension: None

    GameDay:

    First Period:

    Toronto Penalty – 8:55 – William Nylander, 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Boston PP Goal – 9:31 – Patrice Bergeron (1) assisted by Brad Marchand (1) and Torey Krug (1)

    Toronto Goal – 16:44 – Mitchell Marner  (1) assisted by Jake Muzzin (1) and John Tavares (1)

    End of 1st – TOR – 1       BOS – 1

    Shots              10                8

    Faceoffs         11/21            10/21

    Hits               17                  14

    PP                 0/1                 1/1

    Second Period:

    Toronto Penalty – 2:16 – Kasperi Kapanen, 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Boston Penalty – 2:47 – Jake DeBrusk, 2 minutes for Tripping

    Toronto SH Goal – 2:47 – Mitchell Marner  (2) unassisted (Penalty Shot)

    Toronto Goal – 18:25 – William Nylander  (1) assisted by Nazem Kadri (1) and Patrick Marleau (1)

    End of 2nd – TOR- 3        TOR- 1

    Shots               25                 29

    Faceoffs        20/42            22/42

    Hits                 25                  21

    PP                   0/0                  1/2

    Third Period:

    Boston Penalty – 11:45 – Zdeno Chara, 2 minutes for Interference

    Toronto EN Goal – 18:41 – John Tavares  (1) unassisted

    End of 3rd – TOR – 4         BOS – 1

    Shots              33                   38

    Faceoffs      32/64             32/64

    Hits               33                     31

    PP                 0/1                    1/2

    Next Up:

    Toronto Maple Leafs (1-0) v. Boston Bruins (0-1) – Saturday, April 13th 2019

     

  • 2019 NHL Playoffs – 1st Round Preview – Colorado Avalanche v. Calgary Flames

    2019 NHL Playoffs – 1st Round Preview – Colorado Avalanche v. Calgary Flames

    Colorado Avalanche (38-30-14 90pts) v.s. Calgary Flames (50-25-7 107pts)

     

    Ladies and Gentleman, the best time of year as a hockey writer or a fan has arrived in the Stanley Cup playoffs! My name is Scott Fairchild and I will be previewing this very intriguing first round match up between the Colorado Avalanche and the Calgary Flames. Let’s first take a look back and see how these two teams arrived to the Stanley Cup playoffs.

    https://twitter.com/NHLFlames/status/1115388856734486528?s=19

     

    How did the Colorado Avalanche get here?

    The Colorado Avalanche had some ups and downs this season but ultimately were able to get into “the big dance”. At one point in the season, the Avalanche had to weather one of their best players and captain Gabriel Landeskog being out of their lineup for a significant amount of time with a lower body injury. The Avalanche had to battle the Minnesota Wild and the Phoenix Coyotes in the standings during the final month of the season to qualify for the playoffs. The Avalanche clinched a spot in the playoffs on Game 81 as they defeated the Winnipeg Jets in overtime. Looking back on the season, there were two driving forces that helped the Avalanche get to the playoffs. The first of the driving forces that got them where they are is the outstanding play of their top line of Nathan MacKinnon (41g-58a-99pts), Gabriel Landeskog (34g-41a-75 pts), & Mikko Rantanen (31g-56a-87pts). Also, the hot hand in goal as of late in Phillip Grubauer (18-9-5, 2.64 GAA, & .917 SV%) really helped propel his team into the playoffs. It’s no surprise to see this kind of play from Grubauer as he similarly did this to help the Washington Capitals win their first Stanley Cup championship last season.

     

    How did the Calgary Flames get here?

    It is no surprise to see the Calgary Flames in the position that they are. The Flames have been a promising, young, and up incoming Stanley Cup contender for a little bit now. Calgary features dynamic forwards such as Johnny Gaudreau (36g-63a-99pts), Sean Monahan (34g-48a-82pts), Matthew Tkachuk (34g-43a-77pts), & Elias Lindholm (27-g-51a-78pts) who was acquired in an offseason trade from the Carolina Hurricanes. Lindholm has fit in very well on the top line with Gaudreau and Monahan as that trio developed instant chemistry creating one of the best lines in hockey this year. The Calgary Flames also feature a very deep defensive core lead by captain Mark Giordano, Travis Hamonic, & Noah Hanafin who was also acquired along with Elias Lindholm from the Hurricanes. Giordano was one of the overall leaders in scoring in the NHL by a defenseman this season as well as his stellar defensive play. It would not be a surprise to see him winning the Norris Trophy as the leagues best defenseman. The Calgary Flames finished the season as the second best team in the league overall with a 50-25-7 record with 107 points.

     

    How do these teams match up?

    Goaltending: Colorado Avalanche (advantage)- the Avalanche have had solid goaltending all season from the tandem of Semyon Varlamov & Phillip Grubauer. Grubauer especially has been on fire and is one of the main reasons Colorado qualified. Calgary on the other hand, has not had at times very solid or consistent play in net especially with their number one goalie in Mike Smith. Goaltending is always a factor in the Stanley Cup playoffs and if you don’t have it, normally teams don’t go very far.

     

    Forwards: Calgary Flames (advantage)- Calgary has more than one solid and dependable scoring line besides just their top line featuring Johnny Gaudreau. The Flames also feature talented forwards such as Sam Bennett, Mikael Backlund, & sniper James Neal. Colorado on the other hand primarily relies on their top line for offense. For the reasons I listed above I would give the advantage to the Flames as you need as much primary and especially secondary scoring in the playoffs.

     

    Defenseman: Calgary Flames (advantage)- Calgary’s defense led by Mark Giodano (who lead the league in plus/minus with a plus 39 rating) is very solid up and down their defensive lineup. Travis Hamonic (plus 18) and Noah Hanafin (plus 21) are also very reliable and defensively responsible. Colorado has very solid defenseman but are not as deep as what the Flames defensive corps have to offer. Their defensive group is more prepared to shutdown the Avalanche’s top scoring line than the Avalanche stopping the scoring depth the Flames offer. Having the potential/most likely Norris Trophy winner also helps swing things towards the Flames way as well.

     

    Power Play: Calgary Flames (slight advantage)- both teams featured a top 10 ranked in the league power play respectively. I’m giving the Flames the edge as they don’t rely on one line for offense while the Avalanche primarily do. The Flames have the better second Power Play unit as well. Their forward depth and ability to score puts them over the top here.

     

    Penalty Kill: Calgary Flames (advantage)- having one of the best defensive corps in the league as well as the favorite to win the Norris Trophy helps make your penalty kill look fantastic. Colorado is no slouch here on the PK either but based on the overall defensive personnel, the Flames have what it takes to kill off the important penalty kills in the playoffs. Their defenseman and forwards are better equipped to get the puck out more quicker.

     

    3 Keys to the Series for Both Teams

    Colorado Avalanche

    1. Great Goaltending

    2. Secondary scoring

    3. Grind it out defense

     

    Calgary Flames

    1. Mike Smith steps his game up

    2. Shutdown Avalanche top line

    3. Your best players are your best players

     

    My Prediction: Calgary in 7 Games

    I see this going ALL the way to seven games with Calgary coming out on top in Game 7. The Flames great primary and secondary scoring as well as their defense should propel them onto the second round. However, there is the potential for a big time upset here if Mike Smith is not on his “A” game and playing well in between the pipes for the Flames. Colorado’s top line can be very scary and could take over a series as well as the great play from the Avalanche’s goalie tandem of Varlamov and Grubauer.

  • April 11th, 2019 — News and Notes

    April 11th, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Thursday, April 11th, 2019 and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were five contests yesterday in action for the first day of Stanley Cup Playoff action.

     

    TXHT is going to have all of your coverage and you will our coverage in the games below.

     

    NEW YORK ISLANDERS 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT) (New York Islanders lead the series 1-0)

    The New York Islanders would take Game 1 in this contest by downing the Pittsburgh Penguins by the score of 4-3 in overtime, thanks to Josh Bailey scoring the game winner at the 4:39 mark in overtime.

     

    Game 2 takes place Friday night at 7:30 p.m., ET, when the Islanders will look to take the 2-0 series lead.

     

    TXHT’s Christopher Vasilas has your full recap of the contest at the following page.

     

    Columbus 4, TAMPA BAY 3 (Columbus leads the series 1-0)

     

    The Columbus Blue Jackets would take Game 1 from the Tampa Bay Lightning after being down 3-0 at the end of the first period, winning the contest by the score of 4-3.

     

    Columbus looks to take the 2-0 series lead Friday night in Tampa.

     

    TXHT’s Russell Hartman has your full coverage of Game 1 at the following page.

     

    St. Louis 2, WINNIPEG 1  (St. Louis leads the series 1-0)

     

    In a hard fought contest, the St. Louis Blues would take the home-ice advantage, downing the Winnipeg jets by the score of 2-1.  The St. Louis Blues lead the series 1-0.

     

    The St. Louis Blues will look to take the 2-0 series lead when the two teams face off for Game 2 on Friday night.

     

    TXHT’s Aryan Weisenfeld has your coverage of the contest between the St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets at the following page.

     

    Dallas 3, NASHVILLE 2 (Dallas leads the series 1-0)

     

    The Dallas Stars would take Game 1 from the Nashville Predators with the 3-2 win.  Dallas’ defenceman Miro Heiskanen would score two of the Stars goals in the contest, after being down 1-0 early in the contest.

     

    Mats Zuccarello would go on to score his first postseason goal as a member of the Dallas Stars organisation and Nashville’s defenceman P.K. Subban would bring Nashville within a goal but Nashville could not tie the game late in the third period.

     

    Dallas looks to take the 2-0 series lead when the two teams face off Saturday night at 6 p.m., ET.

     

    TXHT’s Dickson Kendrick has your full coverage of the contest at the following page.

     

    SAN JOSE 5, Vegas 2 (San Jose leads the series 1-0)

     

    The San Jose Sharks would get five goals past Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to down the Vegas Golden Knights by the score of 5-2.

     

    Five different goal scorers in total emerged in the contest on the Sharks side whereas Mark Stone would register the only two goals for the Golden Knights.

     

    TXHT’s Michael Lindenbaum has your full recap of the contest at the following page.

     

    Today there are three games in Stanley Cup Playoff action…

     


    *Image is the property of the NHL, NHL Public Relations, and their respective owners

     

    TXHT will have your full previews and gameday recaps of all three contests so make sure to stay tuned for all of your Stanley Cup playoff coverage.

  • 2019 NHL Playoffs – 1st Round Preview – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    2019 NHL Playoffs – 1st Round Preview – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Carolina Hurricanes (46-29-7 99pts) v. Washington Capitals (48-26-8 104pts)

     

    Regular Season Series:

    CAR: 0-3-1

    WAS: 4-0-0

     

    Preview:

    For the first time in both franchise’s history, the Washington Capitals will face the Carolina Huuricanes in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For the Capitals they will be looking to defend the title as Stanley Cup Champions and are looking to this series as the beginning of their championship defense.

     

    Meanwhile for the Hurricanes, they will be participating in the playoffs for the first time since 2009. The Hurricanes will be looking to replicate past successes when the team has made it into the playoffs, and view the Capitals as a solid test as to what they are made of going into this playoff run.

     

    Offense:

    For the Hurricanes they had five 20 goal scorers with only one of them hitting the 30 goal mark and that being Sebastian Aho. Compare this to the Capitals who have seven 20 goal scorers, with one 50 goal scorer in Alex Ovechkin, the Capitals are a bit deeper than the Hurricanes are in regards to scoring depth, but it will be a matter of sysytems that will dictate how much scoring will happen in this series.

     

    Defense:

    For defense, both teams will be looking to play responsible hockey in both the neutral zone and in their own zones. The last two games these two had against eachother, both teams played defensively responsible, but it would the Capitals high powered offense eventually pushing through for victories in both games.

     

    Key players that both teams will be looking to to have an impact in these playoffs will be Dougie Hamilton and Justin Faulk for the Hurricanes, and John Carlson for the Capitals. With Michal Kempny out until next season, the Capitals will be looking to both Christian Djoos and Jonas Siegenthaler to step up in Kempny’s absence.

     

    Goaltending:

    For the Capitals, Braden Holtby will be tasked once again to carry the Capitals to the promised land. This time though Holtby will be starting the series instead of his backup like last postseason.

     

    For the Hurricanes, they have a one-two punch in Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney. While Mrazek is slated to be the starting goalie for this series, McElhinney can steal some games if called upon.

     

    Special Teams:

    CAR Powerplay: 17.8% 20th Overall

    WAS Powerplay: 20.8% 12th Overall

    The 2018-19 season was a dip in the Capitals powerplay, despite a hot start to the season. However, the Capitals were able to remain consistent throughout the season despite drought spurts.

     

    For the Hurricanes they were right around everyone expected them to be this season despite the dangerous duo of Aho and Teuvo Teravainen.

     

    CAR Penalty Kill: 81.6% 8th Overall

    WAS Penalty Kill: 78.9% 24th Overall

    This season under first time head coach Rod Brind’Amour, the Hurricanes were able to improve on their penalty kill, and the use of both Aho and Teravainen brought speed to the penalty kill unit.

     

    However, for the Capitals they dropped excessively this season after the departure of Barry Trotz and Lane Lambert. Also the loss of Jay Beagle during the offseason took away one of their biggest faceoff threats. The Capitals can get hot with their penalty killing as we have seen at times this season, but they need it to be consistent throughout the entire series and playoffs.

     

    Prediction: WAS in 6

  • 2019 NHL Playoffs – 1st Round Preview – Toronto Maple Leafs v. Boston Bruins

    2019 NHL Playoffs – 1st Round Preview – Toronto Maple Leafs v. Boston Bruins

    Matchup:

    Toronto Maple Leafs (46-28-8, 3rd in Atlantic) vs Boston Bruins (49-24-9, 2nd in Atlantic)

    Regular Season Series: 3 – 1 Boston with 16 goals scored and 1-3 for Toronto with 10 goals scored

    Outlook:

    Boston:

    The Bruins walk into a very familiar situation where they have had extraordinary results. This being the 3rd time in the last 4 seasons the Bruins and the Leafs have met in the 1st round of the playoffs, with the Bruins taking 2 of the 3 so far in 7 games – one of which is the heartbreaking 3 goal collapse in the 3rd period. The Bruins look to keep things that way and not allow the Leafs to gain any momentum.

    Leafs:

    The Leafs, on the other hand, are looking to get over the 1st round playoff hump for the first time since 2004 and the beating the Bruins would be the best way to do it. But the Leafs went 1-3 against the Bruins in the season surrendering 16 goals, averaging 34 shots a game and going 3/8 on the Powerplay, which 37.5%. The Leafs bring a lot of new faces into this matchup or a lot of guys who have some experience this season. Players like Kasperi Kapanen, Andreas Johnsson, Jake Muzzin, Frederik Gauthier, John Tavares, and Trevor Moore all either have seasoned a bit and become an integral part of the core or are veterans who will play massive roles in the success or detriment of this team.

    Game Changers:

    Brad Marchand – Marchand tallied 100 points for the first time in his career this season and he looks better than ever. His ability to annoy and put tremendous amounts of points make him the perfect playoff player. He will be one of the players to watch in this post-season and if the Leafs don’t find a way to contain Marchand, they may be watching the second round of the playoffs from home.

    Auston Matthews – Matthews missed 14 games with a shoulder injury and yet still was able to total 73 points and score 37 goals. But last year in the playoffs he went dry and this is the reason why he is being chosen as a game changer. When Matthews is on his game and dangerous, the Leafs can roll out 3 lines that can score and with the arrival of Tavares some eyes might be taken off of Matthews and put on the Tavares, Marner, Hyman line. If Matthews brings his game this series turns interesting and could see the Bruins watching the second round of the playoffs from their couches.

    Advantage Overview:

    Goaltenders:

    Boston

    Tuukka Rask started the season off very low and seemingly lost the number 1 spot to backup goaltender Jaroslav Halak. But after a 19 game point streak where he truly regained his form, there were no more questions. Rask finished 27-12-5, with a 2.42 GAA and .912 save percentage. While Halak put in a solid effort when called upon to hold down the fort, finishing 22-11-4 with a 2.34 GAA and .922 save percentage.

    Toronto

    This is a far cry from the Leafs goaltending. In fact, the exact opposite. Frederik Andersen started the season on fire and was just about in every conversation that had the name Vezina in it. But Andersen struggled heavily in March and April adding some serious question marks to the crease, especially considering the struggles backup netminder Garret Sparks has had – Eventually being sent away from the team – Michael Hutchinson will serve as Andersen’s backup. Andersen still managed to finish with pretty good numbers.  Andersen finished 36-16-7, with a 2.77 GAA and .917 save percentage.

    Advantage: Goaltending overall goes to Boston with Halak and Rask. But If we’re talking head to head Andersen vs Rask, it comes down to which Andersen shows up.

    Forwards:

    Boston

    The Bruins are top line heavy after that players drop off considerably. The Bruins have Krecji who has had a revolving door of wingers this season. But rely heavily on that top line and it’s not to say that others are bad players they just aren’t on the level of reliance or scoring ability as Pastrnak, Marchand and Bergeron. Scoring significantly tales off after the top line for the Bruins but their style of hockey is conducive to that.

    Toronto 

    The Leafs, on the other hand, are three lines deep of scoring. One of the highest scoring teams in the league during the regular season. The question on the Bruins mind must be who do we defend the most Tavares/Marner/Hyman or Matthews/Kapanen/Johnsson – all 20 or more goal scorers.

    Advantage – Leafs, because there offense is deadly, especially if the powerplay is working and it did versus the Bruins all season.

    Defense:

    Boston 

    Bruins have a good defense especially if you’re talking on the defensive side of the game. Offensively not the best but defensively one of the top defenses in the League. Anchored by Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy, through Torey Krug and Kevan Miller, then the 3 remaining in  Matt Grezelcyk,  Brandon Carlo and John Moore.

    Toronto

    The Leafs have struggled defensively but look to turn the tides in the playoffs. Having all hands on deck for the first time in over a month will help with the defensive play for sure. Anchored by Morgan Rielly and Ron Hainsey, through Jake Muzzin and Nikita Zaitsev and down to the X-factors on the Leafs defense Jake Gardiner and Travis Dermott. Those 2 will be the factors on how well the Leafs defense play.

    Advantage – Boston

     

    Projected Lineups

    Bruins 

    Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — David Pastrnak

    Jake DeBrusk — David Krejci — Marcus Johansson

    Danton Heinen — Charlie Coyle — Chris Wagner

    David Backes — Joakim Nordstrom — Noel Acciari

    Zdeno Chara — Charlie McAvoy

    Brandon Carlo — Torey Krug

    Matt Grzelcyk — Kevan Miller

    Tuukka Rask

    Jaroslav Halak

    Scratched: Karson Kuhlman, Steven Kampfer, Connor Clifton

    Injuries: Sean Kuraly (shoulder) and John Moore (Upper-Body)

     

    Maple Leafs 

    Zach Hyman — John Tavares — Mitchell Marner

    Andreas Johnsson — Auston Matthews — William Nylander

    Patrick Marleau — Nazem Kadri — Kasperi Kapanen

    Trevor Moore — Frederik Gauthier — Connor Brown

    Ron Hainsey — Morgan Rielly

    Nikita Zaitsev — Jake Muzzin

    Jake Gardiner — Travis Dermott

    Frederik Andersen

    Michael Hutchinson

    Scratched: Calle Rosen, Tyler Ennis, Nic Petan

    Injuries: None

     

    Winning Scenarios:

    1. Bruins win if the top line of Pastrnak, Marchand, and Bergeron can how the same ability to tear the Leafs defense apart again this year.
    2. The Leafs win if Frederik Andersen comes back to form and gives the Leafs some much needed solid goaltending.

    Final Thought/ Numbers:

    Boston has allowed the 3rd lowest goals against in the league this year with a 2.59 per game. Only behind the Islander (2.33) and Stars (2.44). This will be the test for Toronto who is 4th best in goals for in the league, which sits 3.49 per game.

    Frederik Andersen sat at 2.56 GAA and .924 save percentage through 50 games. But in his last 9, allowed 3.85 goals per game with an .878 save percentage.

     

     

     

  • 2019 NHL Playoffs- Game 1 Review: Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Islanders

    2019 NHL Playoffs- Game 1 Review: Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Islanders

    Tonight, the NHL Playoffs kicked off with a spirited match up between two Metropolitan Division rivals. At the end of the night, the Islanders would take Game 1 in overtime, in front of a raucous crowd at Nassau Coliseum.

    The Islanders got off to a quick start when Tom Kuhnhackl skated in the zone and sent a beautiful wrist shot which beat Murray high to the glove side, just 33 seconds into the game. Unfortunately Matt Martin was slow coming back to the bench and was offsides on the play, nullifying the goal. However, about a minute later, Jordan Eberle would net a goal, that would count, and got the crowd back in the game.

    The lead wouldn’t last long, as Phil Kessel would notch his first of the playoffs. It came 4 minutes after the Eberle got the opening goal. Kessel beat Robin Lehner five hole in the slot, after Cizikas lost an edge in the neutral zone.

    After some great back and forth action between the two teams, the Penguins would find themselves on the penalty kill late in the first period. The Islanders would score a power play goal off the rush, giving them the lead heading into the intermission. The goal coming from Brock Nelson.

     

    At the start of the second period, the Islanders would get the early momentum, but could not capitalize with it, and after some great action that yielded no results, the Islanders would find themselves on the penalty kill. It would be Evgeny Malkin who would provide the power play goal for the Penguins. A great wrist shot that went off of Adam Pelech’s stick and over Lehner’s shoulder and in the net.

     

    In the third period, much like the second period, all of the action came at the back half of the period. It started when Erik Gudbranson and Anders Lee both went awkwardly into the boards at the 9 minute mark of the period. When the dust settled, Anders Lee earned a boarding penalty and Gudbranson went straight to the Penguins locker room. The Penguins would fail to score on the ensuing power play.

    3 minutes later, the Islanders would score the go ahead goal. Nick Leddy would take a shot from the point and it would knuckle past a screened Matt Murray, off the post and in. The Penguins then ramped it into high gear to try and tie the game, but were unsuccessful for a while because the Islanders defense was playing well. With about a minute thirty left in the game, the Penguins would pull their goalie, giving them the extra man. With their experience in the playoffs, they didn’t panic and Justin Shultz would net a goal from the point, that beat a screened Lehner.

     

    The Islanders had a chance to win the game off the rush before the end of the third. Josh Bailey would get a glorious chance in the slot that hit the post as time was expiring. This game would be the first playoff game to go to overtime.

    It would only take a little over 4 minutes to find a winner. Matthew Barzal would skate to the slot, stop and tried to beat Murray on the back hand. His shot hit the post and the rebound came right to Josh Bailey, who slotted it home to seal the victory for the Islanders.

     

    My 3 Stars of the Game

    Third Star: Phil Kessel (1g, 1a)

    Second Star: Jordan Eberle (1g, 1a)

    First Star: Josh Bailey (OTGWG)

     

    Boxscore

    https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/pit-vs-nyi/2019/04/10/2018030141#game=2018030141,game_state=final

     

    Game 2 of the series will be Friday night at 730p on NBCSN.

  • Gameday Recap: Nashville Predators vs. Dallas Stars (First Round: Game 1)

    Gameday Recap: Nashville Predators vs. Dallas Stars (First Round: Game 1)

     

    Game Recap:  In Game 1 of this Western Conference First Round Match-up between the Nashville Predators and the Dallas Stars the first half of the first period would end up being a feel out process for both teams.  A strong showing would be shown during the contest however there would be a hard but clean hit by Nashville’s Brian Boyle to Dallas’ Jason Dickinson.  With that hit, Dickinson would have to go into the concussion protocol.  The rest of the first period would be a tough battle with both teams fighting strong for possession of the puck.  Roman Josi would score at the 12:12 mark in the period to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.

    In the second period, it would be a hard hitting period with good hits being thrown by both squads.  Midway through the period, Dickinson would return to the ice after the Boyle hit earlier in the contest.  Nashville would also spend a lot of this period trying to get shots off but were unsuccessful in making any of that happen.  Rinne would have a brilliant save to prevent the Stars from making it a 2-1 lead, with less than five minutes left in the period with Nick Bonino clearing the puck.  Look for both teams going into the third period to finish off strong as this has been a big defensive battle, despite the penalties that were taken in this period.

    When Miro Heiskanen scored for Dallas to make it a tie game, he would become the youngest defenceman in franchise history to register a postseason goal.

    In the third period, it would be a slow start before Heiskanen would score his second goal in the game at the 6:10 mark to give the Stars their first lead in the game, leading 2-1.  A few minutes later, Mats Zuccarello would score his first postseason goal as a member of the Stars organization at the 10:39 mark.  Predators defenceman P.K. Subban would bring the game to within a goal with his goal at the 13:24 mark and then Mattias Janmark would get called for a holding penalty at the 15:08 mark to give Nashville a much needed chance to score on a critical power play.  Nashville would pull Rinne with five seconds left in the power play, but after several great chances to tie the game at 3 a piece, Nashville would fall to Dallas.

    The Dallas Stars would escape with the win, winning 3-2, and would take the home-ice advantage away from Nashville.  Nashville will look to even out the series on Saturday.  Game 2 will take place at 6 p.m., ET and I will have your full coverage of the contest.

     

    First Period:

     

    Dallas Penalty:  Mattias Janmark for Slashing —  2 min minor  —  8:51

     

    Nashville Goal:  Roman Josi (1) assisted by Ryan Ellis (1) and Nick Bonino (1)  —  12:12

     

    Nashville Penalty:  Brian Boyle for Hooking —  2 min minor  —  14:13

     

    End of 1st – DAL – 0       NSH – 1

    Shots              09                12

    Faceoffs         07                10

    Hits               06                  14

    PP                 0/1                 0/1

     

     

    Second Period:

     

    Nashville Penalty: Colton Sissons for Goaltender Interference —  2 min minor  —  3:18

     

    Dallas Penalty:  Ben Bishop for Embellishment (served by Mats Zuccarello) —  2 min minor  —  3:18

     

    Dallas Penalty:  John Klingberg for Roughing  —  2 min minor —  8:08

     

    Nashville Penalty:  Colton Sissons for Holding  —  2 min minor  —  11:10

     

    Dallas PPG:  Miro Heiskanen (1) unassisted  —  12:37

     

     

    Dallas Penalty:  Roman Polak for Tripping  —  2 min minor  —  15:30

     

    Nashville Penalty: Kyle Turris for Interference  —  2 min minor  —  17:16

     

     

    End of 2nd – DAL – 1       NSH – 1

    Shots              19                17

    Faceoffs         13               20

    Hits               11                  19

    PP                 1/3                 0/3

     

     

    Third Period:

     

    Dallas Goal:  Miro Heiskanen (2) assisted by John Klingberg (1)  —  6:10

     

     

    Dallas Goal:  Mats Zuccarello (1) assisted by Ben Lovejoy (1) and Jamie Benn (1)  —  10:39

     

     

    Nashville Goal:  P.K. Subban (1) assisted by Brian Boyle (1) and Mattias Ekholm (1)  —  13:24

     

    Dallas Penalty:  Mattias Janmark for Holding  —  2 min minor  —  15:08

     

    End of 3rd – DAL – 3       NSH – 2

    Shots              29                32

    Faceoffs         00                00

    Hits               14                  00

    PP                 1/3                 0/4

     

     

    Nashville Predators Lines and Defensive Pairings:

    Filip Forsberg-Ryan Johansen-Viktor Arvidsson

    Mikael Granlund-Kyle Turris-Craig Smith

    Colton Sissons-Nick Bonino-Austin Watson

    Brian Boyle-Calle Jarnkrok-Wayne Simmonds

    Roman Josi-Ryan Ellis

    Mattias Ekholm-P.K. Subban

    Dan Hamhuis-Dante Fabbro

    Pekka Rinne

    Juusa Saros

    Injured: Rocco Grimaldi (upper body)

    Scratched: Matt Irwin, Yannick Weber, Rem Pitlick, Zac Rinaldo, Miikka Salomaki, Cody McLeod, Frederick Gaudreau, Niclas Westerholm

     

    Dallas Stars Lines and Defensive Pairings:

    Jason Dickinson-Tyler Seguin-Alexander Radulov

    Jamie Benn-Roope Hintz-Mats Zuccarello

    Andrew Cogliano-Radek Faksa-Blake Comeau

    Mattias Janmark-Justin Dowling-Tyler Pitlick

    Esa Lindell-John Klingberg

    Miro Heiskanen-Roman Polak

    Taylor Fedun-Ben Lovejoy

    Ben Bishop

    Anton Khudobin

    Injuries: Stephen Johns (upper body), Marc Methot (lower body), Martin Hanzal (back), Brett Ritchie (hand)

    Scratched: Julius Honka, Jason Spezza, Jamie Oleksiak, Valeri Nichushkin

  • Gameday Recap- St. Blues – Winnipeg Jets (First Round – Game 1)

    Gameday Recap- St. Blues – Winnipeg Jets (First Round – Game 1)

    The Blues managed to pull out a 2-1 thriller after being down 1-0 going into the third period. The Jets took an early lead in the first period off a laser shot by Patrick Laine, who continues to torch the Blues. Even being down only 1-0, it was clear that the Jets had the upper hand – they were seemingly knocking the Blues off the puck every time they touched it, or the Blues fell victim to their own nerves. Robert Thomas, especially was quite jittery, bumbling several passes and falling down without any contact.

    All that changed in the third period. The Blues started funneling more pucks to the net and creating traffic. David Perron tied the game at 1, and later in the third, Tyler Bozak buried a Pat Maroon feed to take a 2-1 lead – a lead the Blues would not relinquish.

    In the end, the game turned out to look pretty even, with face-off percentage, shots, blocks and power play (in)efficiency largely equal between the two teams. The Blues, however, clearly looked like the better team in the third period – so much so that if that style of play and dominance continues, this will be a very short series.

    I suspect it will not, but given that the Jets were imposing their style of play the whole game and the Blues seemed content to simply ‘feel out’ the Jets to better plan for subsequent games, this was an ugly loss for Winnipeg.

    Look for more Laine in Game 2, with more offensive contributions from the Blues’ top line. Game 2 is Friday at 9:30 Eastern time.

  • Game One Recap – Columbus Blue Jackets v. Tampa Bay Lightning

    Game One Recap – Columbus Blue Jackets v. Tampa Bay Lightning

    Game one of the Lightning and Blue Jackets series was supposed to be a coming out party for the Lightning. They were supposed to run all over the Blue Jackets and start their march to the Stanley Cup Final. Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos were supposed to score hat tricks and… wait… that didn’t happen? No it didnt.

     

    Period one of game one started like everyone thought it would. The Lightning were using their speed and skill to great effect and were running over the Blue Jackets. On the Blue Jackets first power-play of the game, Alex Killorn stripped the puck from a Blue Jacket defender and sped into the offensive zone on a shorthanded breakaway. He would score to put the Lightning up 1-0. Soon after, Anthony Cirelli would capitalize on a rebound and beat Sergei Bobrovsky in close to give the Lightning a 2-0 lead. The Lightning would take a commanding 3-0 lead into the locker room after a Mikhail Sergachev blast was deflected by Yanni Gourde past Sergei Bobrovsky. Things were following the script.

     

    Until they weren’t.

     

    Whatever Columbus Head Coach John Tortorella said to his team in between the first and second periods worked. Half way through the second period, Nick Foligno, the captain and heart and soul of the Blue Jackets, would grab a loose puck and snipe the puck past Andrei Vasilevskiy to get the Jacket on the board. The momentum was beginning to shift in favor of the Jackets and they wouldn’t look back.

     

    The third period was one of the most insane periods of hockey I’ve seen in a long time. The Jackets would get a highlight reel goal from David Savard at 7:56 of the 3rd period when he deked around Victor Hedman and ripped the puck top shelf past Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Jackets were feeling it and the Lightning were powerless to stop it. Josh Anderson would join the party next and on a shorthanded opportunity he would skate cross-ice, out wait Vasilevskiy and shoot the puck past him to tie the game at three. The Jackets would take the lead at 14:05 of the 3rd period after a laser of a wrist shot by Seth Jones beat Vasilevskiy. The Lightning wouldn’t score and the Jackets would go on to win game one by a score of 4-3.

     

    Just like everyone predicted.

     

    The Blue Jackets now have the momentum going into game two and make no mistake; now that they’ve tasted this win and know what it takes to beat Tampa they are not going to back down. This is going to be a long series that no one, including myself, predicted. Will Jarmo Kekkalainen’s savvy moves at the deadline pay off? It remains to be seen but the Jackets are off to a damn good start.

     

    Game two is Friday night in Tampa.