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Category: NHL

  • December 17th, 2018 — News and Notes

    December 17th, 2018 — News and Notes

    It is Monday, December 17th, 2018, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were seven contests across the NHL yesterday…

     

    Vegas 4, NY RANGERS 3 (OT)

    The Vegas Golden Knights would defeat the New York Rangers in overtime yesterday afternoon with Vegas’ Alex Tuch would score the game-winner at 2:11 in the overtime frame.

     

     

     

    CAROLINA 3, Arizona 0

    Carolina Hurricanes G Petr Mrazek would go on to have a 23 save performance to seal the shutout victory for the Hurricanes.

     

    Calgary 7, ST. LOUIS 2

    The Calgary Flames would score a shorthanded goal for the third consecutive game for the eighth time in franchise history and would go on to defeat the St. Louis Blues 7-2 in St. Louis last night.

     

    Buffalo 4, BOSTON 2

     

    Buffalo’s Jack Eichel now has five regular-season games of at least four points before his 23rd birthday and joins four other Buffalo Sabres for this mark in franchise history.

     

     

    San Jose 7, CHICAGO 3

    San Jose Sharks D Brent Burns became the 38th player in League history to be listed as a defenceman to register at least 600 points in the contest against the Chicago Blackhawks.

     

     

     

    WINNIPEG 5, Tampa Bay 4 (OT)

     

    Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele would score the game-winner in the overtime frame with 42 seconds left to seal the 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

     

    VANCOUVER 4, Edmonton 2

     

    Vancouver’s rookie Elias Pettersson extended his point streak to seven games and now leads all rookies with 35 points on the season in 30 games played.

     

    There are five games taking place tonight in the NHL…

     

     

    Today in NHL news…

     

    The NHL today announced the Three Stars of the Week for the week ending December 16th.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    The Philadelphia Flyers announced earlier today that Head Coach Dave Hakstol has been relieved of his duties effective immediately and that Scott Gordon will be the head coach on an interim basis.

     

  • December 16th, 2018 — News and Notes

    December 16th, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is Sunday, December 16th, 2018, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were 10 contests on the NHL slate yesterday.

     

    Calgary 2, MINNESOTA 1

    In a penalty filled contest between the Calgary Flames and the Minnesota Wild, the Calgary Flames would come away from Minnesota with the 2-1 victory yesterday afternoon.

    Flames D Mark Giordano became the first player in Flames history to have shorthanded goals in consecutive games with his short-handed goal at 12:03 in the first period.

     

     

    Despite being outshot, Calgary would have the most important side of the stat sheet with their 2-1 win.

     

    MONTREAL 5, Ottawa 2

     

    This would be the Canadiens third win over the Senators in 12 days.

     

     

    The Montreal Canadiens, with their win, would give head coach Claude Julien his 600th NHL win.

     

    NY ISLANDERS 4, Detroit 3 (OT)

     

    NY Islanders Matthew Barzal would net the winner in the shootout frame to give the Islanders the win over Detroit.

     

    PITTSBURGH 4, Los Angeles 3

    With the overtime winner by Phil Kessel, Kessel now ties Hall of Famer Mike Modano, Bill Guerin, and David Legwand for the second most regular season overtime winners by a  U.S.-born player with nine goals.

     

    ANAHEIM 2, Columbus 1

    The Anaheim Ducks would seal the 2-1 win, holding off a late rally from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

    Anaheim’s Daniel Sprong would score the only two goals for the Ducks.  Anaheim has won 10 out of their last 12 contests with this win over Columbus.

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1074153104877076480

     

    FLORIDA 4, Toronto 3 (OT)

    With the Florida Panthers over the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime, the Panthers Aleksander Barkov would become the first player in the 25-year history of the franchise to complete the hat-trick with an overtime goal.

    Barkov, with his three goals in the contest, now has 114 goals as a Panther.  He moved past Radek Dvorak, who had 113 goals as a Panther.

    Despite Toronto scoring three goals in the third period, two by Mitchell Marner and other by John Tavares, the Maple Leafs were unable to take advantage in the overtime frame.

     

    TXHT’s Toronto Maple Leafs contributor, Steve Gardiner, has your recap of the contest between the Maple Leafs and the Panthers at the following page.

     

    Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers – 15/12/2018 – Game Day Recap

     

    WASHINGTON 4, Buffalo 3 (SO)

    Washington Capitals F Alex Ovechkin would extend his point-scoring streak to 14 games, a career-high, with his League-leading 29th goal on the season.

    Alex Ovechkin now sits one goal away from having his 14th consecutive season in which he has scored at least 30 goals in a season.

     

    Rasums Dahlin, last June’s number one overall pick, became the fifth different rookie defenceman in Buffalo Sabres history to record at least three points in a contest.

     

    https://twitter.com/PR_NHL/status/1074113761626218497

     

    TXHT has your full recap and analysis of the match-up between the Washington Capitals and the Buffalo Sabres at the following page.

    Game Recap – 12/15/2018 – Buffalo Sabres v. Washington Capitals

     

    NASHVILLE 2, New Jersey 1 (SO)

    Nashville Predators Ryan Johansen would seal the winner in the shootout frame to give the Predators a of 22-10-1 (45 pts), moving back the top of the Western Conference standings.

     

    Nashville would also move to a record of 10-0-0 against Eastern Conference opponents during the 2018-19 campaign with the win over the New Jersey Devils.

     

    https://twitter.com/PR_NHL/status/1074157670662373376

     

    COLORADO 6, Dallas 4

     

    In this contest, Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen would become the fifth set of teammates to reach the 50-point plateau since the 1981-1982 season.

     

     

    VANCOUVER 5, Philadelphia 1

    Philadelphia’s lone goal in the contest would be scored by Scott Laughton at 16:29 in the first period to bring the

     

    Meanwhile for the Vancouver Canucks, rookie sensation Elias Pettersson continues to find his way onto to scoring sheet.

    Pettersson has extended an assist and point streak to six games, amassing three goals and nine assists (12 points) and this matches a Vancouver Canucks rookie record for longest assist streak.

     

    The longest assist streak belongs to J.J. Daigneault during the 1984-85 season.

     

    The longest rookie point streak belong to Pavel Bure, who had a point in at least eight straight contests during the 1991-92 season.

     

  • Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers – 15/12/2018 – Game Day Recap

    Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers – 15/12/2018 – Game Day Recap

    Toronto Maple Leafs (21-9-1 41pts) v, Florida Panthers (11-13-6 28 pts)

    Toronto:

    Mitch Marner– John Tavares – Zach Hyman

    Kasperi Kapanen –Auston Matthews– Andreas Johnsson

    Patrick Marleau – Nazem Kadri – William Nylander

    Tyler Ennis– Pars Lindholm – Connor Brown

     

    Morgan Rielly – Ron Hainsey

    Jake Gardiner – Nikita Zaitsev

    Travis Dermott – Igor Ozhiganov

     

    Frederik Andersen

    Garrett Sparks
    Scratched: Justin Holl, Martin Marincin & Frederik Gauthier

    Injuries: Nathan Horton (Back)

    Suspension: None

     

    Tampa Bay:

    Jonathon Huberdeau – Aleksander Barkov – Mike Hoffman

    Evgenii Dadonov – Jared McCann– Anthony Greco

    Dryden Hunt– Denis Malgin – Frank Vatrano

    Troy Brouwer – Juho Lammikko – Colton Sceviour

     

    Keith Yandle –Aaron Ekblad

    Michael Matheson – Alex Petrovic

    Mark Pysyk – Mackenzie Weegar

     

    Roberto Luongo

    James Reimer
    Scratched: None

    Injuries: Jamie McGinn, Nick Bjugstad, Vincent Trocheck & Derek Mackenzie

    Suspension: None
    Gameday:

    First Period:

    Florida Penalty – 10:12 – Keith Yandle, 2 mins for Roughing

    Leafs Penalty – 10:12 – Zach Hyman, 2 mins for Goalie Interference

    Leafs Penalty – 10:12 – Zach Hyman, 2 mins for Roughing

    Florida Goal – 19:56 – Aleksander Barkov (12) from Evgenii Dadonov (16) and Mike Hoffman (15)

    Leafs Penalty – 18:47 – Nazem Kadri (Serving), 2 mins for Too Many Men

     

    End of 1st – TML – 0        FLA – 1

    Shots              8                     10

    Faceoffs     6/12               6/12

    Hits               5                     9

    PP                 0/0                   1/2

     

    Toronto Maple Leafs: 

    Analysis:

    Leafs looked to have jump at the beginning but once again tailed off quickly and looked out of sorts on the ice

    Need to Do:

    Get the offence flowing. Stop Standing still. Cycle the puck stop trying to be fancy.

    Second Period:

    Leafs Penalty – 07:06 – Kasperi Kapanen, 2 mins for Hooking

    Panthers Penalty – 11:56 – MacKenzie Weegar, 4 mins for Cross Checking

    Panthers Penalty – 11:56 – MacKenzie Weegar, 10 mins for Abuse of officials

    Panthers Penalty – 17:10 – Mike Hoffman, 2 mins for Hooking

    Panthers PP Goal– 08:03– Jonathan Huberdeau (9), from Keith Yandle  (24) and Mike Hoffman (16)

     

    End of 2nd – TML – 0          FLA – 2

    Shots              18                    24

    Faceoffs       13/31            18/31

    Hits               9                     18

    PP                 0/3                   2/3

    Analysis:

    Leafs looked sluggish and lack and offensive flair. This is looking to be a long game for Leafs. The Panthers dominated the whole period. Once again the defence looking really bad, but give credit to the Panthers on being aggressive on the defence.

    Need to Do:

    Get the puck out of the zone quick and up the ice. Prolonged puck control in the zone and big guns needs to show up.

    Third Period:

    Leafs Penalty – 01:46 – Mitch Marner, 2 mins for Tripping

    Panthers Penalty – 04:05 – Jayce Hawryluk, 2 mins for Tripping

    Leafs Goal – 10:24– John Tavares (20) from Jake Gardiner (17) and Morgan Rielly (24)

    Leafs Goal – 16:21– Mitch Marner (7) from Nazem Kadri (10) and Nikita Zaitsev (3)

    Panthers Goal – 16:48– Aleksander Barkov (13) from Jake Gardiner (17) and Morgan Rielly (24)

    Leafs Goal – 16:21– Mitch Marner (8) from Morgan Rielly (25) and Jake Gardiner (18)

     

    End of 3rd – TML – 3        FLA– 3

    Shots              32                  32

    Faceoffs     28/56              28/56

    Hits               12                     24

    PP                 0/4                    2/4

    Analysis:

    Leafs showed once again they are never out of a game. Being lead by Mitch Marner’s 2 goals in the third. We head to overtime tied at 3

    OT:

    Panthers Goal – 03:24– Aleksander Barkov (14) from Jonathan Huberdeau (29)

    End of 3rd – TML – 3        FLA– 4

    Shots              32                   32

    Faceoffs     30/59                29/59

    Hits               12                     24

    PP                 0/4                    2/4

     

    Next Up:

    Toronto (21-10-2 44pts) at New Jersey (11-13-6 28pts)

    Florida (12-13-6 30pts) at Buffalo (19-9-4 42pts)

    TORFLA

  • Game Recap – 12/15/2018 – Buffalo Sabres v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 12/15/2018 – Buffalo Sabres v. Washington Capitals

    Buffalo Sabres (19-9-4 42pts) v. Washington Capitals (19-9-3 41pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    For the second night in a row the Washington Capitals go to the shootout to continue their winning streak at five games. However it showed some of the same problems the Capitals had the previous night as they did in Carolina when they took on the Buffalo Sabres. The Capitals continue to have problems taking penalties, especially early in the game/period that they need to fix, plus their penalty killing is still a weakness that needs to be fixed.

     

    Lineups:

    Buffalo Sabres:

    Jeff Skinner — Jack Eichel — Sam Reinhart

    Conor Sheary — Casey Mittelstadt — Kyle Okposo

    Tage Thompson — Vladimir Sobotka — Jason Pominville

    Evan Rodrigues — Johan Larsson — Zemgus Girgensons

    Rasmus Dahlin — Zach Bogosian

    Lawrence Pilut — Rasmus Ristolainen

    Nathan Beaulieu — Matt Tennyson

    Carter Hutton

    Linus Ullmark

    Scratched: Remi Elie

    Injured: Marco Scandella (upper body), Jake McCabe (lower body), Casey Nelson (upper body), Scott Wilson (ankle), Matt Hunwick (neck)

    Suspended: Patrik Berglund

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Brett Connolly — Lars Eller — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Chandler Stephenson — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Madison Bowey

    Pheonix Copley

    Braden Holtby

    Scratched: Andre Burakovsky, Dmitrij Jaskin, Tyler Lewington

    Injured: Christian Djoos (leg), Brooks Orpik (knee)

     

    First Period:

    Capitals Penalty – :41 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Sabres Goal – 2:41 – Jack Eichel (11) from Sam Reinhart (20) and Rasmus Dahlin (13)

    Capitals Goal – 3:39 – Brett Connolly (7) from Devante Smith-Pelly (3)

    Capitals Goal – 9:41 – Jakub Vrana (10) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (24)

    Sabres Penalty – 10:12 – Evan Rodrigues 2 minutes for Tripping

     

    End of 1st – BUF – 1       WAS – 2

    Shots              08                10

    Faceoffs         05                12

    Hits               06                  10

    PP                 0/1                 0/1

     

    Analysis:

    The Capitals did not have a good start to this game by taking a penalty in the first minute of the game, and then just as the penalty ended gave up the first goal of the game, but the way the Capitals was responded was really good. Pressuring Carter Hutton to cough up the puck so the Capitals could tie the game was very well done and then Evgeny Kuznetsov feeding Jakub Vrana with a beautiful pass to give the Capitals a 2-1 lead.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to stay out of the penalty box. The Sabres are playing very good hockey and you don’t want to give them any chances. Also the Capitals need to clean up their passing and the play in their own zone. Lastly, the Capitals need to cut down on the fancy passing and get the pucks to the net.

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Penalty – :50 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for Hooking

    Sabres PPG – 2:25 – Jack Eichel (12) from Rasmus Dahlin (14) and Rasmus Ristolainen (18)

    Capitals Penalty – 6:10 – Madison Bowey 2 minutes for Hooking

    Sabres PPG – 7:21 – Rasmus Dahlin (3) from Jeff Skinner (11) and Sam Reinhart (21)

    Sabres Penalty – 8:12 – Tage Thompson 2 minutes for Interference

    Capitals Penalty – 11:51 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for Roughing

    Sabres Penalty – 11:51 – Sam Reinhart 2 minutes for Slashing

    Capitals Goal – 13:46 – Alex Ovechkin (29) from Nicklas Backstrom (30) and Dmitry Orlov (10)

    Sabres Penalty -14:42 – Zach Bogosian 2 minutes for Hooking

     

    End of 2nd – BUF – 3        WAS – 3

    Shots               17                 25

    Faceoffs          19                 21

    Hits                 13                  19

    PP                   2/3                  0/3

     

    Analysis:

    Once again not a good start the period as the Capitals took another penalty in the first minute of the period that resulted in a goal, this time while the penalty was still being served. Then with sloppy play in their own zone, the Sabres would capitalize and score to give themselves the lead. Good job by Dmitry Orlov to pinch in an force the turnover and have it lead to an Alex Ovechkin goal.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to stay out of the penalty box. They have had three penalties against them and all 3 have resulted in goals against. Also the Capitals need to mix up their powerplay unit a bit.

     

    Third Period:

    Sabres Penalty – :16 – Marco Scandella 2 minutes for Delay of Game

     

    End of 3rd – BUF – 3         WAS – 3

    Shots              21                   35

    Faceoffs        25                    30

    Hits               16                     30

    PP                 2/3                    0/4

     

    OT:

    Sabres Penalty – 3:29 – Evan Rodrigues 2 minutes for Roughing

    Capitals Penalty – 3:29 – TJ Oshie 2 minutes for Roughing

     

    End of OT – BUF – 3         WAS – 3

    Shots              28                   38

    Faceoffs        27                    31

    Hits               16                     32

    PP                 2/3                    0/4

     

    Shootout:

    WAS – TJ Oshie – Save

    BUF – Jack Eichel – Miss

    WAS – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Goal

    BUF – Tage Thompson – Save

    WAS – Nicklas Backstrom – Miss

    BUF – Casey Mittelstadt – Goal

    WAS – Alex Ovechkin – Goal

    BUR – Jason Pominville – Save

     

    End of SO – BUF 3     WAS 4

     

    Analysis:

    Overall it was an ok period for the Capitals, but they were a little too fancy with the puck. In OT the Sabres were the dominant team.

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (20-9-3 43pts) v. Pittsburgh (15-11-6 36pts)

    Buffalo (19-9-5 43pts) v. Boston (17-11-4 38pts)

  • Report: Andre Burakovsky on the Trade Block?

    Report: Andre Burakovsky on the Trade Block?

    As reported tonight on Hockey Night in Canada’s second intermission segment “Saturday Headlines” Chris Johnston brought up that Andre Burakovsky is somebody that teams are looking at, in particular the Vancouver Canucks.

     

    Burakovsky who is a healthy scratch for the third straight game has had a rocky season and overall tenure with the Washington Capitals which has seen him be injury prone and inconsistent, but he is a talented player.

     

    Elliote Friedman also chimed in noting the Capitals are looking to repeat so they would not want to do a “futures” trade, and will want to do an “impact now” type of deal for Burakovsky.

     

    We shall see what takes place as we get closer to the Trade Deadline.

     

    *Featured Graphic by Washington Capitals Twitter

  • TXHT’s Official* 2021 Seattle Expansion Mock Draft

    TXHT’s Official* 2021 Seattle Expansion Mock Draft

    Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls it is that magical time that we attempt to look into the future to June 2021 when the Seattle (insert name here) drafts their inaugural team for their entry into the NHL for the 2021-22 season. It is now time to answer the most difficult question of all time.

     

    So who will they take in this expansion draft?

    Who knows. We know it’s not anyone under contract to the Vegas Golden Knights. That’s for sure. Plus let’s be honest, how will we know who is where come June 2021, because there will be three NHL Trade Deadlines, two Free Agent Frenzies, and a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Wait… Did I just create a new little Holiday jingle? Anyways, back on topic. Where was I? Oh yes, all of the player personnel changes that will take place in the next two and a half years. Also you will have to take into account all of the buyouts, and other various trades that will take place as well.

     

    Everyone as you can tell, we here at TXHT are not even worried about the Expansion Draft for the new Seattle team that was announced two weeks ago because there is nothing to worry about right now. No team right now is seriously looking at the Expansion Draft this far out. If anything they will start a preliminary list of who they’ll want to protect, and who they won’t at the start of the 2020-21 season, and then once the Trade Deadline passes, the teams will start creating a more firm list of who they’ll protect and who they won’t. Plus the teams will factor in those that will become unrestricted and restricted free agents going into the 2021 offseason as well.

     

    So please, put the Kraken away, it’s not time to release it yet. Let’s enjoy the remainder of the 2018-19 season and playoffs shall we? I know we are.

  • December 15th, 2018 — News and Notes

    December 15th, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is Saturday, December 15th, 2018, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were eight contests in action yesterday.

     

    NEW JERSEY 5, Vegas 4 (OT)

    The Vegas Golden Knights would fall to the New Jersey Devils after be up 4-1.  New Jersey Devils would score four unanswered goals with New Jersey’s Nico Hischier scoring the game winner just 41 seconds into the overtime frame.

     

     

    Arizona 4, NY RANGERS 3 (OT)

     

    The Arizona Coyotes would also stage a come from behind win after being down three goals in the contest at the New York Rangers last night.  It would be the 12th time that the Coyotes franchise would accomplish this and the 29th time overall in franchise history.

     

     

    For the Rangers, goalie Henrik Lundqvist would register 30 saves on 34 opportunities.

     

     

    PITTSBURGH 5, Boston 3

     

    In an amazing performance, Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Casey DeSmith became the third goalie in the last 20 years to have a game in which he had at least 48 saves.  DeSmith joins Jeff Zatkoff and Ty Conklin.

     

    Boston Bruins goalie Jaroslav Halak had a performance of 23 saves on 28 save chances.

     

     

     

    Ottawa 4, DETROIT 2

     

    The Ottawa Senators would go on and get the road win when they would defeat the Detroit Red Wings 4-2 last night at Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit, Michigan last night.

     

    Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard would have 28 saves in the contest and Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson would have a performance of 26 saves on 28 save chances.

     

     

    Washington 6, CAROLINA 5 (OT)

     

    After the Washington Capitals would be down 4-1 at 6:41 mark in the second period, the Capitals would tie the game 4-4 toward the end of the second period.

     

    Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin would have consecutive games in which he would have a hat-trick, and now has 28 goals on the season.

     

     

     

     

    When Ovechkin scored the power-play goal in the third period at the 9:49 mark, it would be his 237th career power-play goal. He now ranks at seventh place on the all-time list for power-play goals.

     

    Finally, for the Washington Capitals, Jonas Siegenthaler registered his first NHL point with the assist on Alex Oveckin’s goal at the 3:56 mark in the first period.

     

     

    TXHT has your full game recap of the contest between the Washington Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes at the following page.

    Game Recap – 12/14/2018 – Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

     

    ST. LOUIS 4, Colorado 3 (OT)

    The St. Louis Blues would go on to defeat the Colorado Avalanche in overtime with the 4-3 win at home last night.

     

    At the 2:05 mark in the overtime period, St. Louis Blues Ryan O’Reilly would cap off a two-point night when O’Reilly scored the game winner.

     

     

    Also in the contest, Colorado Avalanche’s Mikko Rantanen would register his 40th assist on the season with the secondary assist on J.T. Compher’s eighth goal on the season at the 13:10 mark in the third period.

     

     

    Winnipeg 4, CHICAGO 3 (OT)

    Chicago Blackhawks captain Johnathan Toews would net two goals, but it would not be enough as the Blackhawks would fall to the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois last night.

     

     

     

    The Jets Mark Scheifele would net his sixth overtime winner, which is good for third place in franchise history.  Scheifele now only trails Ilya Kovalchuk and Dustin Byfuglien for the career lead.

     

    EDMONTON 4, Philadelphia 1

     

     

    Connor McDavid would have two goals, and an assist, good for his 34th career three-point performance.  It is now ranked tied for fifth place for most three-point games before one’s 22nd birthday.

     

     

    Today’s schedule of NHL games…

     

     

    This Week’s NHL European Game of the Week features the Calgary Flames facing off against the Minnesota Wild.

     

     

    Images are the property of the NHL, NHL Public Relations, and NHL Media.

     

    In NHL news…

    With the comebacks last night, this has been the season of come-from-behind wins.

     

     

    The Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins would both unveil thier logos that will be used for the upcoming Stadium Series game on February 27th, 2019.  The logos are “stripped-down” versions of their current logos.  The jerseys will be released at a later date.

     

     

  • Gameday Preview – 12/15/2018 – Buffalo Sabres v. Washington Capitals

    Gameday Preview – 12/15/2018 – Buffalo Sabres v. Washington Capitals

    Buffalo Sabres (19-9-4 42pts) v. Washington Capitals (19-9-3 41pts)

     

    Time: 7p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Washington and MSG Buffalo

     

    Preview:

    The Washington Capitals return home to finish off their back to back as they face the much improved Buffalo Sabres. The Capitals will look to win their fifth straight game, and do so in a much more better effort than they did last night against the Carolina Hurricanes where they won in the shootout.

     

    Buffalo Sabres:

    Projected Lineup:

    Jeff Skinner — Jack Eichel — Sam Reinhart

    Conor Sheary — Casey Mittelstadt — Kyle Okposo

    Tage Thompson — Vladimir Sobotka — Jason Pominville

    Evan Rodrigues — Johan Larsson — Zemgus Girgensons

    Lawrence Pilut — Rasmus Ristolainen

    Rasmus Dahlin — Zach Bogosian

    Nathan Beaulieu — Matt Tennyson

    Carter Hutton

    Linus Ullmark

    Scratched: Remi Elie

    Injured: Marco Scandella (upper body), Jake McCabe (lower body), Casey Nelson (upper body), Scott Wilson (ankle), Matt Hunwick (neck)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Control the tempo

    The Sabres have the luxury of not having to have played last night, so they will want to go into this game and control the tempo of it right off the bat.

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Projected Lineup:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Brett Connolly — Lars Eller — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Dmitrij Jaskin — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Madison Bowey

    Pheonix Copley

    Braden Holtby

    Scratched: Andre Burakovsky*, Chandler Stephenson, Tyler Lewington

    Injured: Christian Djoos (leg), Brooks Orpik (knee)

    * Andre Burakovsky is rumored to be in the lineup tonight, but it is unknown as to who will come out for him to replace.

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Play a full 60 minutes

    Last night the Capitals were outplayed and did not control the tempo very well, and going into tonight’s game, the Capitals will need to do that. The Buffalo Sabres are a much improved team and will be wanting to prove themselves against the defending Stanley Cup Champions. The Capitals have to be ready to play the full 60.

     

    2. Special teams needs to improve

    The Capitals need to stay out of the penalty box. Last night they took 6 penalties and the Carolina Hurricanes scored on three of them. The Capitals need to generate more powerplay opportunities for themselves as well, but with their powerplay they need to mix it up a bit. Get Tom Wilson out there a bit more, as he will create space on the powerplay. Also the Capitals need to get their penalty killing figured out. How they have performed lately is not acceptable.

     

  • Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers – 15/12/2018 – Game Day Preview

    Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers – 15/12/2018 – Game Day Preview

    Time: Saturday, December 15th , 2018

    Toronto: 21-10-1 for 43 points

    Florida: 11-13-6 for 28 points

    The Toronto Maple Leafs continue on their bring your mother road trip in Florida. Looking for some sort of redemption after playing a fantastic game but being out bested by metal bars and an unbelievable performance by Tampa Ba goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. While Florida took a whooping from the Minnesota Wild in their last game.

    Top Scorers/Goalie Matchup

    Mitch Marner – 41 points (6 goals 35 assists)

    John Tavares – 33 points (19 goals 14 assists) 49% on face-offs

    Morgan Rielly – 33 points (10 goals 23 assists)

    Auston Matthews – 27 points (16 goals 11 assists) 53% on Face-off

     

    Jonathan Huberdeau–36 points (8 goals 28 assists)

    Brayden Point 29 points (15 goal 14 assists)

    Evgeni Dadonov – 29 points (14 goal 15 assist)

    Aleksander Barkov– 28 points (11 goal 17 assists)

     

    Frederik Andersen

    17-9-0 2.50GAA .925SV%

    Roberto Luongo

    14-4-2 3.03GAA .903SV%

     

    Probable Lineups:

    Toronto:

    Mitch Marner– John Tavares – Zach Hyman

    Kasperi Kapanen –Auston Matthews– Andreas Johnsson

    Patrick Marleau – Nazem Kadri – William Nylander

    Tyler Ennis– Pars Lindholm – Connor Brown

     

    Morgan Rielly – Ron Hainsey

    Jake Gardiner – Nikita Zaitsev

    Travis Dermott – Igor Ozhiganov

     

    Frederik Andersen

    Garrett Sparks
    Scratched: Justin Holl, Martin Marincin & Frederik Gauthier

    Injuries: Nathan Horton (Back)

    Suspension: None

     

    Tampa Bay:

    Jonathon Huberdeau – Aleksander Barkov – Mike Hoffman

    Evgenii Dadonov – Jared McCann– Anthony Greco

    Dryden Hunt– Denis Malgin – Frank Vatrano

    Troy Brouwer – Juho Lammikko – Colton Sceviour

     

    Keith Yandle –Aaron Ekblad

    Michael Matheson – Alex Petrovic

    Mark Pysyk – Mackenzie Weegar

     

    Roberto Luongo

    James Reimer
    Scratched: None

    Injuries: Jamie McGinn, Nick Bjugstad, Vincent Trocheck & Derek Mackenzie

    Suspension: None

     

    Keys to Winning against Florida:

    1. Be Aggressive
      1. Young team with tremendous offensive potential but has yet to figure out the defensive side of things. Attack fast and furiously your bound to get some turnovers.
    2. Shots
      1. Both goalies for Florida have been much less then expected and you’ll never know what you’re really going to get out of them. Put as many pucks to the net and score some dirty goals.
    3. Zach Hyman
      1. A lot has been said about Hyman being in the top 6. But the Leafs sorely missed his gritty grind it out play on the PK, and on the Tavares, Marner line. Leafs need him to get back to being that impact player again.
    4. Travis Dermott
      1. Has really been upping his game lately. Expect him to be a huge impact for the Leafs tonight and moving forward.

     

    TORFLA

  • Game Recap – 12/14/2018 – Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

    Game Recap – 12/14/2018 – Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

    Washington Capitals (18-9-3 39pts) v. Carolina Hurricanes (13-13-4 30pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals managed to leave Carolina with the shootout victory over the Hurricanes. The Capitals did so while constantly putting themselves in the penalty box which the Hurricanes made them pay for that 3 times. Also Alex Ovechkin’s 2nd goal came controversially as Jonas Siegenthaler clearly interfered with Dougie Hamilton to allow Ovechkin to get into the slot area to score.

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Brett Connolly — Lars Eller — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Dmitrij Jaskin — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Madison Bowey

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Andre Burakovsky, Chandler Stephenson

    Injured: Christian Djoos (leg), Brooks Orpik (knee)

     

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Jordan Martinook — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen

    Janne Kuokkanen — Victor Rask — Brock McGinn

    Andrei Svechnikov — Lucas Wallmark — Justin Williams

    Warren Foegele — Clark Bishop — Phillip Di Giuseppe

    Jaccob Slavin — Brett Pesce

    Calvin de Haan — Justin Faulk

    Trevor van Riemsdyk — Dougie Hamilton

    Scott Darling

    Petr Mrazek

    Scratched:

    Injured: Jordan Staal (concussion), Curtis McElhinney (lower body), Micheal Ferland (upper body), Haydn Fleury (concussion)

     

    First Period:

    Hurricanes Goal – :47 – Jordan Martinook (8) from Sebastian Aho (21) and Calvin de Haan (4)

    Capitals Goal -3:56 – Alex Ovechkin (26) from Jonas Siegenthaler (1) and Nic Dowd (6)

    Capitals Penalty – 7:59 – Madison Bowey 2 minutes for Interference

    Hurricanes Penalty – 7:59 – Warren Foegele 2 minutes for Unsportsmanlike Conduct

    Capitals Penalty – 10:06 – Madison Bowey 2 minutes for Holding the Stick

    Hurricanes Penalty – 11:54 – Dougie Hamilton 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Hurricanes SHG – 13:18 – Sebastian Aho (10) from Teuvo Teravainen (17)

     

    End of 1st – WAS – 1       CAR – 2

    Shots              10                10

    Faceoffs         08                12

    Hits               05                  16

    PP                 0/1                 0/1

     

    Analysis:

    Not a solid period for the Capitals. Giving up the first goal of the game in the first minute was not ideal, especially for going up against a team that got home last night at 3 in the morning. The Capitals responded very well by getting a goal of their own to tie the game. However, it would be poor play on their powerplay that would result in a shorthanded goal against, plus Madison Bowey needs to play smarter. The penalties he has been taking have been hurting the Capitals.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to clean up their play in their own zone. They have been sloppy, and it has been costly. The Capitals need to come out and start the 2nd period with a better pace to their game, and on their next power play opportunity they need to get Tom Wilson out there.

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Penalty – 4:00 – Alex Ovechkin 2 minutes for Holding

    Hurricanes PPG – 4:39 – Sebastian Aho (11) from Justin Faulk (8) and Teuvo Teravainen (18)

    Capitals Penalty – 5:03 – Tom Wilson 2 minutes for Interference

    Hurricanes PPG – 6:41 – Teuvo Teravainen (6) from Andrei Svechnikov (8) and Sebastian Aho (22)

    Capitals Goal – 12:37 – Tom Wilson (8) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (23)

    Capitals Goal – 17:25 – Alex Ovechkin (27) from Nic Dowd (7)

    Capitals Goal – 18:19 – Travis Boyd (3) from John Carlson (28) and Nic Dowd (8)

     

    End of 2nd – WAS – 4        CAR – 4

    Shots               21                 16

    Faceoffs          14                 21

    Hits                 16                  20

    PP                   0/1                  2/3

     

    Analysis:

    Yet again another rough period for the Capitals, but this time they ended it strong. They took a couple bad penalties, one of which was very questionable, and the Hurricanes made them pay for it. The Capitals were able to tie it up late, even though Alex Ovechkin’s 2nd goal should have not happened as it was clear interference by Jonas Siegenthaler, and has gotten them some confidence.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to play a full 20 minutes. They need to play smart and stay out of the penalty box. The Capitals also needs to contain the hurricanes speed as right now they are being burned by Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen.

     

    Third Period:

    Capitals Penalty – 3:19 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for Hooking

    Hurricanes Penalty – 9:20 – Jordan Martinook 2 minutes for Slashing

    Capitals PPG – 9:49 – Alex Ovechkin (28) from John Carlson (30) and Nicklas Backstrom (29)

    Capitals Penalty -11:49 – TJ Oshie 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Hurricanes PPG – 13:48 – Justin Williams (7) from unassisted

     

    End of 3rd – WAS – 5         CAR – 5

    Shots              25                   26

    Faceoffs        23                    35

    Hits               23                     22

    PP                 1/2                    3/5

     

    OT:

    Capitals Penalty – 3:25 – Matt Niskanen 2 minutes for Tripping

     

    End of OT – WAS – 5         CAR – 5

    Shots              29                   27

    Faceoffs        25                    35

    Hits               25                     26

    PP                 1/2                    3/6

     

    Shootout:

    CAR – Janne Kuokkanen – Save

    WAS – TJ Oshie – Save

    CAR – Jaccob Slavin – Save

    WAS – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Save

    CAR – Phil Di Giuseppe – Save

    WAS – Alex Ovechkin – Save

    CAR – Dougie Hamilton – Goal

    WAS – Nicklas Backstrom – Goal

    CAR – Justin Williams – Save

    WAS – Lars Eller – Save

    CAR – Brock McGinn – Save

    WAS – Jakub Vrana – Goal

     

    End of SO – WAS 6    CAR 5

     

    Analysis:

    A decent 3rd period and overtime period for the Capitals. They did great getting the lead on their lone powerplay of the 3rd period only to blow it one a sloppy play by Braden Holtby behind the net to let former Capital Justin Williams tie it up on a powerplay. In overtime the Capitals started strong, and then was forced to kill off a late Matt Niskanen tripping call. As for the shootout, why did Rod Brind’Amour not put in Sebastian Aho or Teuvo Teravainen?

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (19-9-3 41pts) v. Buffalo (19-9-4 42pts)

    Carolina (13-13-5 31pts) v. Arizona (14-15-2 30pts)