Category: NHL

  • Game Recap – 11/14/2018 – Washington Capitals v. Winnipeg Jets

    Game Recap – 11/14/2018 – Washington Capitals v. Winnipeg Jets

     

    Washington Capitals (8-6-3 19pts) v. Winnipeg Jets (10-5-1 21pts)

    Time: 8p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Washington

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Projected Lineup:

    Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov – Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Chandler Stephenson — Travis Boyd — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Dmitry Orlov — John Carlson

    Michal Kempny — Matt Niskanen

    Christian Djoos — Madison Bowey

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Jonas Siegenthaler, Nic Dowd, Dmitrij Jaskin

    Injured: Brooks Orpik (lower body)

     

    Winnipeg Jets:

    Projected Lineup:

    Nikolaj Ehlers — Mark Scheifele — Blake Wheeler

    Kyle Connor — Bryan Little — Mathieu Perreault

    Brandon Tanev — Adam Lowry — Patrik Laine

    Jack Roslovic — Andrew Copp — Nic Petan

    Josh Morrissey — Jacob Trouba

    Ben Chiarot — Dustin Byfuglien

    Joe Morrow — Tyler Myers

    Connor Hellebuyck

    Laurent Brossoit

    Scratched: Brendan Lemieux, Sami Niku

    Injured: Dmitry Kulikov (upper body)

     

    Official Lineups:

     

    First Period:

    Jets Penalty – 8:52 – Brandon Tanev 2 minutes for Illegal Hit to the Head

    Capitals Goal – 13:00 – Jakub Vrana (5) from Madison Bowey (2) and Dmitry Orlov (4)

    Jets Penalty – 14:53 – Patrik Laine 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Capitals Penalty – 17:16 – Andre Burakovsky 2 mins for Tripping

     

    End of 1st – WAS – 1       WIN – 0

    Shots              10                02

    Faceoffs         10                07

    Hits               05                  03

    PP                 0/2                 0/1

     

    Analysis:

    This was a very good period for the Capitals. They played a very solid defensive game , and they clogged up everything against the Jets. One of the biggest things the Capitals did was hold the Jets to only 2 shots.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals pelted Connor Hellebuyck with a lot of shots on their powerplay, but he is playing deep in his crease so the Capitals need to make him move some more and get close and high on him. The Capitals also need to continue playing with this style of game and keep executing their game plan.

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Penalty – 4:58 – Alex Ovechkin 2 minutes for Intereference

    Jets PPG – 5:05 – Mark Scheifele (10) from Kyle Connor (7) and Blake Wheeler (21)

    Capitals Penalty – 5:31 – Madison Bowey 2 minutes for Roughing

     

    End of 2nd – WAS – 1        WIN – 1

    Shots               20                 17

    Faceoffs          15                 18

    Hits                 08                  08

    PP                   0/2                  1/3

     

    Analysis:

    This was not a very good period for the Capitals as they took their foot off of the gas and allowed the Jets into this game. Also some penalty problems let the Jets tie this game at 1.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to get back to how they were playing in the 1st period and put their foot back on the gas. They need to play that stiff defensive style and clog up the zones for the Jets.

     

    Third Period:

    Jets Goal – 12:51 – Ben Chiarot (3) from Brandon Tanev (5)

    Jets Penalty – 15:18 – Andrew Copp 2 minutes for Tripping

    Jets ENG – 19:00 – Kyle Connor (8) from unassisted

     

    End of 3rd – WAS – 1         WIN – 3

    Shots              28                   24

    Faceoffs        24                   24

    Hits               13                     15

    PP                 0/3                    1/3

     

    Analysis:

    The Capitals started strong, but could not finish this one. The Capitals looked like they ran out of gas as part of this back to back, but the played very good overall. Key thing now is the health of Braden Holtby (Upper Body), Evgeny Kuznetsov (possible concussion), and TJ Oshie (Upper Body – Potentially Shoulder), as they prepare to take on the Colorado Avalanche in Denver on Friday night.

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (8-7-3 19pts) @ Colorado (8-6-3 19pts)

    Winnipeg (11-5-1 23pts) v. Buffalo (10-6-2 22pts)

     

    You can watch TXHT Live next Tuesday at 8p EST on both Twitch and Facebook Live.

  • November 14th, 2018 — News and Notes

    November 14th, 2018 — News and Notes

     

     

    Today is Wednesday, November 14th, 2018, and these are your news and notes…

     

    There were nine contests in action last night…

     

    NEW JERSEY 4, Pittsburgh 2

    New Jersey’s Taylor Hall recorded his eighth career four-point performance in the Devils 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

     

    NY ISLANDERS 5, Vancouver 2

     

    Mathew Barzal of the NY Islanders would register his 100th career point in his 101st game, becoming the sixth player to reach the 100 point mark among active NHL players.

     

     

    The Islanders would go on to rout the Vancouver Canucks 5-2

     

    Florida 2, PHILADELPHIA 1

    Florida’s Mike Hoffman would score to extend his point-scoring streak to an NHL-high 13 games on the season in the Florida Panthers one-goal win over the Philadelphia Flyers last night.

    Also in this contest, Panthers G Roberto Luongo became the fourth goaltender in League history to win four contests to be at the age of 39 or older.

    BUFFALO 2, Tampa Bay 1

    Buffalo has now won three in a row and seven out of their last 11 in the big win over the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in Buffalo last night.

     

    DETROIT 6, Arizona 1

     

    Before the contest, the Detroit Red Wings held their pre-game skate in the Hockey Fights Cancer practice jerseys.

     

    https://twitter.com/DetroitRedWings/status/1062505290602631168

     

    Washington 5, MINNESOTA 2

    Tom Wilson would return to action, by registering his first goal of the season, and helped the defending champions take down the Minnesota Wild with a 5-2 win.

    Full Gameday Preview and Coverage – 11/13/18 – Washington Capitals v. Minnesota Wild

     

    EDMONTON 6, Montreal 2

    Edmonton’s Connor McDavid would have his 31st three-point contest, all assists, in Edmonton’s big win over the Canadiens.  Evgeny Malkin and Patrick Kane are the two players behind McDavid with 28 and 27, respectively.  This mark dates back to the 2015-16 NHL season.

    Despite Montreal Canadiens Max Domi registering a goal in the first six minutes in the contest to tie the game 1-1, it would not be enough as the Edmonton Oilers would go on to defeat Montreal 6-2.

    Domi’s goal would be his 10th of the season and the most of his career since the 2015-16 season.

     

    Toronto 5, LOS ANGELES 1

    The Toronto Maple Leafs began their West Coast trip with a big win over the Los Angeles Kings 5-1.

    TXHT’s Toronto Maple Leafs contributor, Steve Gardiner has your recap of that contest at the following link.

    Toronto @ Los Angeles – 14/11/2018 – Game Day Preview and Recap

     

    SAN JOSE 5, Nashville 4

    San Jose Sharks Erik Karlsson would become the fifth player to record 400 career assists and achieved this mark in 646 games with the Sharks defeating the Nashville Predators 5-4.

    Joe Thornton of the Sharks would reach the 400 career goal mark and became the 11th player to have at least 400 goals and 1,000 assists in their careers.

    Today, there are four games on the schedule:

     

    For more news, notes, info, and stats:

     

    In NHL news…

    -Sportsnet and Hockey Night in Canada’s Elliotte Friedman released a new episode of the “31 Thoughts” podcast today.

    https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1062805606145286144

     

    -The Los Angeles Kings traded F Tanner Pearson for Pittsburgh Penguins F Carl Hagelin earlier today.

     

    You can watch TXHT Live tonight at 7p EST on both Twitch and Facebook Live.

  • Toronto @ Los Angeles – 14/11/2018 – Game Day Preview and Recap

    Toronto @ Los Angeles – 14/11/2018 – Game Day Preview and Recap

    Time: Tuesday, Novemeber 13th , 2018

    Toronto: 11-6-0 for 22 points

    Los Angeles: 5-10-1 for 11 points

    The Toronto Maple Leafs comes to Los Angeles hoping to get back to their winning ways on the road, after being taken apart by the Boston Bruins. While LA is still adjusting to new coaching and having lost both their starting and backup goalies and have turned to Peter Budaj to steer the ship.

    Top Scorers/Goalie Matchup

    Morgan Rielly – 21 points (7 goals 14 assists)

    Mitch Marner – 20 points (5 goals 15 assists)

    John Tavares – 19 points (10 goals 9 assists) 49% on face-offs

    Auston Matthews – 16 points (10 goals 6 assists) 53% on Face-off

    Ilya Kovalchuck –14 points (5 goals 9 assists)

    Jeff Carter– 10 points (4 goal 6 assists)

    Drew Doughty– 10 points (1 goal 9 assist)

    Tyler Toffoli– 9 points (4 goal 5 assists)

    Frederik Andersen

    9-5-0 2.10GAA .933SV%

    Peter Budaj

    0-0-0 2.00GAA .909SV%

    Probable Lineups:

    Toronto:

    Kasperi Kapanen – John Tavares – Zach Hyman

    Mitch Marner – Nazem Kadri– Patrick Marleau

    Tyler Ennis – Pars Lindholm – Connor Brown

    Andreas Johnsson – Frederik Gauthier – Josh Leivo

    Morgan Rielly – Ron Hainsey

    Jake Gardiner – Nikita Zaitsev

    Travis Dermott – Igor Ozhiganov

    Frederik Andersen

    Garrett Sparks
    Scratched: Justin Holl & Martin Marincin

    Injuries: Nathan Horton (Back), Auston Matthews (Shoulder)

    Suspension: None

    Los Angeles:

    Aaron Iaffalo – Anze Kopitar – Dustin Brown

    Ilya Kovalchuck – Jeff Carter– Tyler Toffoli

    Tanne Pearson– Mike Amadio – Trevor Lewis

    Kyle Clifford – Adrian Kempe – Nate Thompson

    Derek Forbort –Drew Doughty

    Alec Martinez – Jake Muzzin

    Dion Phaneuf – Oscar Fantenberg

    Peter Budaj

    Cal Petersen

    Scratched:

    Injuries: Jonathan Quick (Knee), Jack Campbell (Knee), Jonny Brodinski (Shoulder), Gabriel Valardi (Back)

    Suspension: None

    3 Keys to Winning against LA:

    1. Use your speed
      1. Los Angeles is considered one of the slower teams in the league. Keep your legs moving to give yourself a huge advantage.
    2. Score 2 or more
      1. Los Angeles has struggled to score 2 goals. If the Leafs score more than 2 goals then LA would be hard pressed to win.
    3. Powerplay, Get some.
      1. One of the top powerplays on the road. Need to get chances against LA.

    Game Day Lineups:

    First Period:

    Los Angeles Penalty – 01:15 – Dustin Brown 2 minutes from Slashing

    Toronto Goal PP – 02:42 – Nazem Kadri (6) from Mitch Marner (16) and John Tavares (10)

    Los Angeles Penalty – 04:17 – Tanner Pearson 2 minutes from Slashing

    Toronto PP Goal – 06:12 – John Tavares (11) from Ron Hainsey (5) and Morgan Rielly (13)

    Toronto Penalty – 09:26 – Morgan Rielly 2 minutes from Tripping

    Los Angeles Goal – 14:28 – Adrian Kempe (2) from Dion Phaneuf (1)

    Los Angeles Penalty – 16:08 – Jeff Carter 2 minutes from Tripping

     

    End of 1st – TOR – 2       LA – 1

    Shots              16                08

    Faceoffs         7/16          9/16

    Hits               6                  4

    PP                 2/3              0/1

    Analysis:

    Leafs came ready to be aggressive against the Kings. Attacking offensively and defensively putting everything at the net and getting the most chances possible and preparing for rebounds. Using speed to get chances and not give LA any chances.

    Need to Do:

    Keep the pace up, the Kings have trouble with the up-tempo style of play

    Second Period:

    Toronto Goal – 01:15 – Morgan Rielly (8) from John Tavares (11)

    Toronto Goal – 04:33 – Andreas Johnsson (2) from Travis Dermott (2) and Par Lindholm (5)

    Los Angeles Penalty – 05:38 – Alex Iafallo 4 minutes for High Sticking

    Toronto PP Goal – 07:19 – Nazem Kadri (7) from Patrick Marleau (7) and Mitch Marner (17)

    End of 2nd – TOR – 5        LA – 1

    Shots               29                   16

    Faceoffs          14/33            18/33

    Hits                 8                       6

    PP                   3/4                  0/2

    Analysis:

    Leafs continued the pace and kept moving their feet. Which lead to more chances and goals. The Kings and the goalie combo of Budaj and Peterson couldn’t survive

    Need to Do:

    Shut it down in the 3rd and make sure you close down any chance of a comeback.

    Third Period:

    Los Angeles Penalty – 01:51 – Par Lindholm 2 minutes for Slashing

    End of 3rd – TOR – 5         LA – 1

    Shots              34                   24

    Faceoffs        27/56             29/56

    Hits               12                    8

    PP                 3/5                   0/2

     Analysis:

    Huge win for Toronto after the rough night in Boston. Leafs basically dominated for 40 minutes and then settled in defensively to shut it down in the 3rd.

    Next Up:

    Toronto (12-6-0 24pts) @ San Jose (10-6-3 23pts)

    Los Angeles (5-11-1 11pts) @ Chicago (6-8-4 17pts)

     

    You can watch TXHT Live tonight at 7p EST on both Twitch and Facebook Live.

     

  • Full Gameday Preview and Coverage – 11/13/18 – Washington Capitals v. Minnesota Wild

    Full Gameday Preview and Coverage – 11/13/18 – Washington Capitals v. Minnesota Wild

     

    Washington Capitals (7-6-3 17pts) v. Minnesota Wild (11-4-2 24pts)

    Time: 8p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Washington

     

    Preview:

    After fizzling out at the end of their 5 game home stand, the Washington Capitals get a major boost with the return of Tom Wilson, who had his suspension reduced to 14 games earlier in the day, as they begin a 4 game road trip in Minnesota who have been 10-2-0 in their past 12 games.

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Projected Lineup:

    Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov – Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Chandler Stephenson — Travis Boyd — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Dmitry Orlov — John Carlson

    Michal Kempny — Matt Niskanen

    Christian Djoos — Madison Bowey

    Pheonix Copley

    Braden Holtby

    Scratched: Jonas Siegenthaler, Nic Dowd, Dmitrij Jaskin

    Injured: Brooks Orpik (lower body)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Get your act together

    The Capitals have not been playing inspired hockey as of late, and they need to get their act together and start playing the way they were that took them to a Stanley Cup victory this past summer.

     

    2. Play Smart

    With Tom Wilson being injected back into the lineup, all eyes will be on him tonight and he will need to play smart, and choose his spots wisely when throwing hits.

     

    Minnesota Wild:

    Projected Lineup:

    Zach Parise — Mikko Koivu — Nino Niederreiter

    Jason Zucker — Eric Staal — Mikael Granlund

    Jordan Greenway — Joel Eriksson Ek — Charlie Coyle

    Marcus Foligno — Eric Fehr — J.T. Brown

    Ryan Suter — Matt Dumba

    Jonas Brodin — Jared Spurgeon

    Nick Seeler — Greg Pateryn

    Devan Dubnyk

    Alex Stalock

    Scratched: Nate Prosser, Matt Hendricks

    Injured: None

     

    Official Lineups:

     

    First Period:

    Wild Penalty – 2:56 – Matt Dumba 2 minutes for Interference

    Capitals Goal – 6:33 – Dmitry Orlov (1) from Lars Eller (6) and Andre Burakovsky (2)

    Capitals Goal – 19:32 – Tom Wilson (1) from Dmitry Orlov (3) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (15)

    Capitals Penalty – 19:32 – Tom Wilson 2 minutes for Goalie Interference

     

    End of 1st – WAS – 2       MIN – 0

    Shots              12                06

    Faceoffs         12                07

    Hits                 03                11

    PP                   0/1               0/0 *First in progress

     

    Analysis:

    This was a good first period for the Capitals. They squandered their lone powerplay of the period but responded very well with the first goal of the game. Also seeing Wilson score late in the period is good for the Capitals momentum wise, despite the odd goalie interference penalty at the same time.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to clean up their game a bit. They had too many odd passes trying to get into the offensive zone and they need to stop doing the “slingshot while on the powerplay as it is killing their entries into the zone.

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Goal – 3:13 – Andre Burakovsky (2) from Lars Eller (7) and Brett Connolly (8)

    Wild Penalty – 3:49 – Nick Seeler 2 minutes for Slashing

    Capitals Penalty – 9:50 – Andre Burakovsky 2 minutes for Tripping

    Wild Goal – 11:57 – Mikko Koivu (3) from unassisted

    Wild Penalty – 11:58 – Marcus Foligno 5 minute major for Fighting

    Capitals Penalty – 11:58 – Tom Wilson 5 minute major for Fighting

     

    End of 2nd – WAS – 3        MIN – 1

    Shots               27                 14

    Faceoffs          24                 16

    Hits                 05                  15

    PP                   0/2                  0/2

     

    Analysis:

    This was a good period to start as it showed the Capitals out shoot the Wild 9-0 to start, but some sloppy play allowed the Wild to cut the lead to 3-1.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to clean up their game a bit and make sure they play a full 20 minutes to close out the Wild. Cleaner passes and puck control will be key as well in the 3rd.

     

    Third Period:

    Capitals Penalty – 4:27 – Matt Niskanen 2 minutes for Holding

    Capitals Goal – 5:23 – Dmitry Orlov (2) from Alex Ovechkin (8) and Matt Niskanen (6)

    Capitals Goal – 9:48 – TJ Oshie (9) from Nicklas Backstrom (16) and Jakub Vrana (4)

    Capitals Penalty – 10:41 – Dmitry Orlov 2 minutes for Holding

    Wild Penalty – 12:11 – Nino Niederreiter 2 minutes for Roughing

    Capitals Penalty – 12:11 – John Carlson 2 minutes for Roughing

    Capitals Penalty – 12:18 – Madison Bowey 2 minutes for Delay of Game

    Wild PPG – 14:08 – Matt Dumba (6) from Mikko Koivu (10) and Marcus Foligno (3)

    Capitals Penalty – 17:41 – Evgeny Kuznetsov 2 minutes for Elbowing

     

    End of 3rd – WAS – 5         MIN – 2

    Shots              33                   28

    Faceoffs        30                    29

    Hits               09                     21

    PP                 0/2                    1/6

     

    Analysis:

    This was a good win for the Capitals. The return of Tom Wilson was definitely a boost for the Capitals. However, the third period was dominated by the Wild as they out shot the Capitals 14-6, but on the plus side the Capitals did score on their first 2 shots of the 3rd period. Also the penalties were a killer this period to end the game.

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (8-6-3 19pts) @ Winnipeg (10-5-1 21pts)

    Minnesota (11-5-2 24pts) v. Vancouver (10-8-2 22pts)

     

    You can watch TXHT Live tomorrow at 7p EST on Facebook Live and then on Twitch after the Capitals game

  • Game Day Preview: Montreal Canadiens vs Edmonton Oilers

    Montreal Canadiens (9-5-3) vs Edmonton Oilers (8-8-1)

    Game Time: 9pm

    Referees: #6 Francis Charron, #4 Wes McCauley

    Linesmen: #79 Kiel Murchison, #53 Bevan Mills

    The Montreal Canadiens come into tonight’s game after snapping their first two game losing streak in a 5-4 win against the Vegas Golden Knights. Claude Julien hasn’t announced his starters for tonight’s game after Antti Niemi picked up the win on Saturday night making 34 of 38 saves.  Carey Price has struggled all year and has yet to find his game but is crucial that Julien go back to him to give Price a boost of confidence moving forward. Connor McDavid has been held off the scoresheet in two of the last three games for Edmonton. Goaltending will be the key tonight as both teams have looked shaky in net so far this season

    Projected Lines for Tonight’s Game:

    Forwards

    Tomas Tatar- Philip Danault- Brendan Gallagher

    Jonathan Drouin- Max Domi- Andrew Shaw

    Kenny Agostino- Jesperi Kotkaniemi- Arrturi Lehkonen

    Defense

    Nicholas Deslauriers- Jeff Petry

    David Schlemko- Victor Mete

    Karl Alzner- Mike Reilly

    Scratches:

    Noah Juulsen, Xavier Oullet

     

     

     

     

  • November 13th, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is Tuesday, November 13th, 2018, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were four contests last night…

     

    NY RANGERS 2, Vancouver 1

    There were two different Rangers players that scored last night that were under the age of 21 in New York’s contest against the Vancouver Canucks last night.

     

    Henrik Lunqvist moved into a tie for seventh place for wins by a goaltender with 437 in the win over Vancouver.

     

    CAROLINA 3, Chicago 2 (OT)

     

    Carolina so far this season has registered the most shots on goal in NHL history through the first 18 games of the season

     

    Chicago Blackhawks Alex DeBrincat played in his 100th NHL career game and scored his 37th career goal.

     

    Only six other Blackhawks have scored at least 37 goals in 100 NHL career games.

     

     

    Columbus 2, DALLAS 1

     

    The Columbus Blue Jackets to 7-0-0 against the Dallas Stars in the last seven games dating back to December 29th, 2015.

     

    ANAHEIM 2, Nashville 1 (SO)

     

    Anaheim Ducks G John Gibson earned his 99th career win with the Ducks shootout victory over the Nashville Predators last night.

     

    Tonight’s schedule of games.

    For more news, notes, info, and stats…

     

    In NHL news…

     

    -Washington Capitals F Tom Wilson’s 20-game suspension for his illegal check to the head of St. Louis Blues F Oskar Sundqvist was reduced to 14 games by independent arbitrator Shyam Das earlier today.

     

     

    In the NWHL…

    -The National Women’s Hockey League announced today that the 2019 NWHL All-Star Game will be held in Nashville, Tennessee.

    The NWHL returns to action this weekend.

     

     

    You can watch TXHT Live tomorrow at 8p EST on both Twitch and Facebook Live.

  • November 11th, 2018 — Arizona Coyotes at Washington Capitals Full Gameday Preview and Coverage

    November 11th, 2018 — Arizona Coyotes at Washington Capitals Full Gameday Preview and Coverage

     

    Washington Capitals (7-5-3 17 pts) v. Arizona Coyotes (7-7-1 17 pts)

    Time: 5p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Washington

     

    Preview:

    In the first match-up between the two clubs this season, Washington looks to bounce back after the 2-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets Friday night.  Arizona looks to get back in the win column after their 4-0 loss last night to the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Arizona has scored nine shorthanded goals thus far on the season and Washington looks to stop the Coyotes from making it ten shorthanded goals on the contest.

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Projected Lineup:

    Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — T.J. Oshie

    Chandler Stephenson — Nicklas Backstrom — Jakub Vrana

    Brett Connolly — Lars Eller — DeVante Smith-Pelly

    Andre Burakovsky — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd

    Dmitry Orlov — John Carlson

    Michal Kempny — Matt Niskanen

    Christian Djoos — Madison Bowey

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

     

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Jonas Siegenthaler, Aaron Ness

    Injured: Brooks Orpik (LTIR)

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Be consistent on the defensive side of the puck

     

    2. Keep your feet moving

     

    3. Stay more consistent on the penalty-kill

     

     

    Arizona Coyotes:

    Projected Lineup:

    Richard Panik — Alex Galchenyuk — Christian Fischer

    Brendan Perlini — Derek Stepan — Clayton Keller

    Michael Grabner — Brad Richardson — Vinnie Hinostroza

    Nick Cousins — Dylan Strome — Josh Archibald

    Oliver Ekman-Larsson — Jason Demers

    Jordan Oesterle — Niklas Hjalmarsson

    Kevin Connauton — Ilya Lyubushkin

    Darcy Kuemper

    Hunter Miska

    Scratched: Lawson CrouseAlex Goligoski, Dakota Mermis

    Injured: Jakob Chychrun, Christian Dvorak, Antti Raanta

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Get a good start

    2. Shoot the puck toward the net as much as possible.

     

     

    First Period:

    Washington Penalty — Dmitry Orlov for Hooking — 2 min minor — 1:15

    Washington Penalty — Matt Niskanen for Tripping — 2 min minor — 15:00

    Arizona PPG — Vinnie Hinostroza (4) from Dylan Strome (2) and Richard Panik (2)

     

    End of 1st – WAS – 0       ARI – 1

    Shots              10                12

    Faceoffs         12               10

    Hits               09                06

    PP                 0/0                 1/2

     

    Analysis:  The Capitals would not put enough pressure on the defensive side throughout all 20 minutes.  Both teams would shoot the puck well and good saves were being made with a lot of traffic at the net.

     

     

    Need to Do:  The Capitals need to play a full 20 minute period of all around great hockey.  The Capitals also need to create havoc around the net and take advantage of any and all opportunities to get any goals that they can get.

     

     

    Second Period:

    Arizona Penalty — Brendan Perlini for Hooking — 2 min minor — 4:43

    Arizona Goal — Richard Panik (4) unassisted — 11:57

    Washington Goal — Nicklas Backstrom (4) from Alex Ovechkin (7) and Madison Bowey (1) — 12:41

    Washington Penalty — Evgeny Kuznetsov for High-sticking — 2 min minor — 13:22

    Arizona PPG — Alex Galchenyuk (3) from Brendan Perlini (3) and Oliver Ekman-Larsson (9) — 14:38

    Arizona Penalty — Dylan Strome for High-sticking — 2 min minor — 15:34

     

    End of 2nd – WAS – 1       ARI – 3

    Shots               26                 17

    Faceoffs          22                 20

    Hits                 16                  12

    PP                   0/2                  2/3

     

    Analysis:  The Capitals did not play a smart second half in the second period.  The Capitals allowed a goal by not focusing and they were not playing smart on the defensive side of the puck.

     

    Need to Do: The Capitals need to once again create more havoc around the net.  The defence is not up to par and the Capitals need to maintain focus and play their game and not get called for penalties.  Instead, the Capitals need to draw penalties and get on the power-play.

    If the Capitals want to win this game, the next 20 minutes must be smart hockey and attack the net and take advantage of any turnovers they get.

     

    Third Period:

    Washington Penalty — T.J. Oshie for High-sticking — 4 min double minor — :58

    Arizona  EN Goal — Derek Stepan (4) from Alex Galchenyuk (5) and Clayton Keller (7) — 18:28

    Washington Penalty — Nicklas Backstrom for Tripping — 2 min minor — 19: 10

    End of 3rd – WAS – 1         ARI – 4

    Shots              39                 22

    Faceoffs        32                   30

    Hits               20                    19

    PP                 0/2                   2/6

     

    Analysis: This was a very sloppy contest for the Washington Capitals.  A lot of opportunities were missed in this contest.  There were too many sloppy passes and despite having a lot of shots on goal, only one was able to find the back of the net.  The Capitals need to figure out how to make cleaner chances and not take as many penalties.

    This was unacceptable play overall and the consistency was not where it needs to be.  The Capitals need to figure out what the issues are quick.

    Washington starts a very tough road trip on Tuesday night when they travel to St. Paul, Minnesota to take on the Minnesota Wild.

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (7-6-3 17 pts) at Minnesota  (11-4-2 24 pts)

    Arizona  (10-6-1 21 pts) at  Detroit (7-8-2 16 pts)

     

    You can watch TXHT Live Tuesday at 8p EST on both Twitch and Facebook Live.

  • A Maple Leaf prospect overview – Part 3

    A Maple Leaf prospect overview – Part 3

    If you don’t follow much of the American Hockey League, OHL, KHL or any of the Swedish Leagues, that’s 100% ok. By the end of this article, you will have an overview of what you can expect coming out of the Leafs organization over the next few years and if I can give you hint, you should be very excited. These are in no particular order, just going to do my best to give you an overview of what’s in the Maple Leafs system over the next few weeks.

    Part 3 will consist of 5 players that we haven’t discussed and are a mix of players on the verge of making the Leafs roster and a couple that are surprises to be on this list. This will conclude the prospect overview.

    1. Pierre Engvall– Drafted in the 7th round, #188 overall, in 2014
      Position: Left Wing
      Shoots: Left
      Born: May 31st, 1996 — Ljungby, Sweden
      Height: 6’3”
      Weight: 190 lbs
    1. Background: Engvall came from the Swedish leagues after scoring 20 goals and jumped onto the Marlies roster for the last 10 games putting up 8 points and again putting up strong point in the AHL Playoffs
    2. Scouting Report:
      • Skating – Engvall is not the fastest skater but by no means is he slow either. He has good agility and good edge work. Needs to build some more strength to make him harder to knock off the puck.
      • Offensively – Engvall can play the cycle game and has great on ice vision. Passing is his greatest strength, he’s creative in using whether it’s behind the back or right through the seam and on the top. Engvall can score with a very nice wrist shot and has a pretty decent slapper to top it off with
      • Defensively – Engvall blocks shots, has a great stick and is always in the right position. He never forgets to back either.
      • Comparison: If I had to choose on style alone, a bigger version of Connor Brown
    1. Calle Rosen– Free Agent signing from Sweden in 2017
      Position: Defence
      Shoots: Left
      Born: February 2nd, 1994 — Vaxjo, Sweden
      Height: 6‘1”
      Weight: 195

      1. Background: Another Swedish defencemen that signed with Toronto in 2017. Rosen much different, made the Leafs roster out of camp but only played 4 games and was sent to the Marlies where he put big numbers 4 goals and 22 assists in 62 games and then kicked it up in the AHL playoffs scoring 5 goals 11 assists in 16 games.
      2. Scouting Report:
        • Skating: Slick skater and excellent acceleration. Superb edge work and pivots. His skating ability is the bridge to his two-way game. Rosen could potentially be a top 4 guy if he puts on some lower body weight to make him more difficult to knock off the puck.
        • Offence: Amazing vision on the ice, and moves the puck well. He can retrieve dump-ins and skate them out effectively. Rosen is not a big risk taker and rarely jumps into the rush. Makes simple but smart plays at the blue and keeps the puck moving. Rosen has a good shot but it’s not overpowering
        • Defence: Rosen brings a solid defensive game, his speed keeps players in front of him and Rosen has a fantastic stick that causes a lot of turnovers. He then takes the puck and turns it into instant offence.
        • Comparison: Closest Style comparison would be Kris Letang (with less offence and better defence)
    1. Yegor Korshev – Drafted in the 2nd round, #31 overall, in 2016
      Position: Right Wing
      Shoots: Left
      Born: July 10th, 1996 — Novosibirsk, Russia
      Height: 6‘4”
      Weight: 180 lbs

      1. Background: Korshev continues to improve every season setting career highs in points every year the last 3 years.
      2. Scouting Report:
        • Skating: Korshev has good skating and good acceleration and is very strong on his skates. He uses the balance and strength on his skates to cradle the puck and fight through the checks.
        • Offence: Great stickhandler will dangle you one on one. Excellent playmaker and uses his stickhandling and positioning to make room for his teammates. He needs to put on more weight, loves the cycle game and wins tons of puck battles with his size. Which will get better as he puts more weight on and grows into his body. Has high end hockey IQ and always seems to make the smart play. Has a decent wrist shot but could improve his release. Korshev scores the majority of his goals from right around the night using his big body. Can also score by rebounds, tip-ins and one timers.
        • Defence: Korshev brings a gritty game to defence, loves to hit. His stick is huge at cutting down lanes and he’s in position pretty well all the time, from time to time he makes the normal young player makes while playing defence.
        • Comparison: Closest comparison of style Nikolai Kulemin. But with more high ends to his game.

    4. Jeremy Bracco– Drafted in the 2nd round, #61 overall in 2015- Kitchener Rangers
    Position: Right Wing
    Shoots: Right
    Born: March 17th, 1997 — Freeport, New York
    Height: 5‘10”
    Weight: 190 lbs

    1. Background: Bracco had a solid first season with the Marlies, although he was scratched for most of the AHL playoffs due to the Leafs sending back players like Andreas Johnsson and Carl Grundstrom to the Marlies for their playoff run. Bracco has always been talked about for his diminutive size and told he might never make an NHL roster because of it.
    2. Scouting Report:
      • Skating: If you’re a small forward in the NHL, there’s one thing you need to have to make up for it. Bracco has enough speed to pass it on to 5 more players. Excellent speed, acceleration and edge work to avoid defenders on a dime.
      • Offence: Bracco has great hands that always make him dangerous off the rush with his insane speed. He has fantastic vision and passing skills which make him the ideal playmaker. Bracco has a good wrist shot but is hesitant to shoot it, that will be something that needs to change, as it did with Mitch Marner. The one thing you’ll about this kid is he’s not afraid to go to the dirty areas.
      • Defence: This is where Bracco needs work. He has tendency to not back check hard and to fly the zone early. He won’t earn any roster spots playing like that in the NHL. Especially not under Mike Babcock.
      • Comparison: Closest comparison Johnny Gaudreau

    5. Andreas Borgman– Free Agent signing from Sweden in 2017
    Position: Defence
    Shoots: Left
    Born: June 18th, 1995 — Stockholm, Sweden
    Height: 6‘0”
    Weight: 212 lbs

    Background: Borgman was a free agent signing who made impact on last years roster. He won a spot right out of camp and played in 48 NHL games. This season he faired so well, with Ozhiganov, Holl, Rosen and Marincin outplaying him for the final spot.

    Scouting Report:

    Skating: Decent skater, with adequate edgework and a strong lower body that helps him win puck battles

    Offence: Borgman’s slapper is a force to be reckoned with. A bomb and accurate, he finds ways to get it through. But an even bigger weapon for the Swede is his wrist shot. Borgman has a good first pass and stretch pass. His stickhandling, and poise with the puck is decent as well. Borgman is not afraid to take chances and join the rush and even can skate the puck out of danger.

    Defence: Borgman’s defensive game needs work. He plays a very physical brand of hockey but he needs to pick his spots better when throwing hits.  His physicality tends to make him out of position.

    Comparison: Closest comparison Colton Parayko

     

    You can watch TXHT Live Tuesday at 8p EST on both Twitch and Facebook Live.

  • November 11th, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is Sunday, November 11th, 2018, and these are your news and notes.

    There were 11 games on tap yesterday…

     

    BUFFALO 4, Vancouver 3 (SO)

     

    The Buffalo Sabres overcame a multi-goal deficit in the last five minutes and would win the contest for the seventh time in franchise history and the first since March of 2010 in a 3-2 win in a shootout over the Montreal Canadiens.

     

    PHILADELPHIA 4, Chicago 0

    Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux became the ninth player to reach the 50 game mark while registering three points in a contest.

     

    Nashville 5, DALLAS 4 (OT)

     

    Mattais Ekholm netted the game-winner in the extra frame to give the Nashville Predators the 5-4 win over the Dallas Stars.

     

    Nashville is 8-0-0 on the road this season.  They are the third team in League history to win at least eight of their first road games to start the season.

     

    BOSTON 5, Toronto 1

    Boston Bruins David Pastrnak registered a hat trick for the second time this season against the Toronto Maple Leafs and joins six others for the same mark between the regular-season and the playoffs.

    TXHT’s Toronto Maple Leafs contributor Steve Gardiner has his recap of the contest at the following link.

     

    Toronto Maple Leafs @ Boston Bruins – 10/11/2018 – Game Preview & Recap

     

    MONTREAL 5, Vegas 4

     

    Between three lead changes in this contest, the Montreal Canadiens would go on to defeat the Vegas Golden Knights 5-4.  Tomas Tatar would net the game winner against his former club.

    Prior to the contest, the Montreal Canadiens honoured Max Pacioretty with a video tribute.

     

    Ottawa 6, TAMPA BAY 4

    Ottawa Senators Bobby Ryan has a three point performance, one goal and two assists, to lift the Senators over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

     

    FLORIDA 4, NY Islanders 2

     

    Florida Panthers Mike Hoffman extended his point-scoring streak to 11 games with a goal in the second period to help the Florida Panthers defeat the New York Islanders 4-2.

     

    PITTSBURGH 4, Arizona 0

     

    Pittsburgh Penguins G Casey DeSmith would net the shutout against the Arizona Coyotes with a 39 save performance and help the Penguins snap a five game slide.

     

    Detroit 4, CAROLINA 3 (SO)

     

    Detroit Red Wings G Johnathan Bernier made 45 saves and helped lift the Detroit Red Wings over the Carolina Hurricanes in a 4-3 shootout win.


    The Red Wings would also overcome a multi-goal deficit to win three consecutive games for the first time in the decorated franchise history of the Detroit Red Wings.

     

    NY Rangers 5, COLUMBUS 4 (SO)

     

    The New York Rangers have extended their point-streak in the standings to 6 games.

     

     

    Jimmy Vessey would net the winner in the shootout frame for the Rangers.

     

     

    Calgary 1, LOS ANGELES 0

     

    In the lone goal of the contest, Calgary’s Travis Hamonic would score his second goal of the season in the first three minutes of the contest.

     

    Today’s slate of games:

    nov_11th_schedy-10065829

     

    In NHL news…

    -The Florida Panthers honoured original team President, Mr. Torrey, last night with a video.  Mr. Torrey passed away back in May at the age of 83.

    Mr. William A. Torrey

    -The Dallas Stars honoured Jason Spezza who played in his 1,000th NHL game.

    -The Montreal Canadiens held their annual Military Tribute night by wearing camouflage practice jerseys before their contest against the Vegas Golden Knights last night.

     

  • Toronto Maple Leafs @ Boston Bruins – 10/11/2018 – Game Preview & Recap

    Toronto Maple Leafs @ Boston Bruins – 10/11/2018 – Game Preview & Recap

    Time: Saturday, November 10th, 2018

    Toronto: 11-5-0 for 22 points

    Pittsburgh: 8-5-2 for 18 points

    The Toronto Maple Leafs come into Boston with backup goalies ready to battle each other. Rask on leave in Boston and Andersen coming off a sensational game last night in New Jersey. Big guns will going at it tonight.

    Top Scorers/Goalie Matchup

    Morgan Rielly – 20 points (7 goals 13 assists)

    Mitch Marner – 19 points (5 goals 14 assists)

    John Tavares – 18 points (9 goals 9 assists) 49% on face-offs

    Auston Matthews – 16 points (10 goals 6 assists) 53% on Face-off

    Patrice Bergeron –21 points (8 goals 13 assists) 56.5% faceoffs

    David Pastrnak– 17 points (12 goal 5 assists)

    Brad Marchand– 17 points (5 goal 12 assist)

    David Krecji– 13 points (2 goal 11 assists)

    Garrett Sparks

    2-0-0 3.50GAA .892SV

    Jaroslav Halak

    4-1-2 1.96GAA .936SV%

    Probable Lineups:

    Toronto:

    Mitch Marner – John Tavares – Zach Hyman

    Kasperi Kapanen – Nazem Kadri– Patrick Marleau

    Tyler Ennis – Pars Lindholm – Connor Brown

    Andreas Johnsson – Frederik Gauthier – Josh Leivo

    Morgan Rielly – Ron Hainsey

    Jake Gardiner – Nikita Zaitsev

    Travis Dermott – Martin Marincin

    Garrett Sparks

    Frederik Andersen
    Scratched: Justin Holl & Igor Ozhiganov

    Injuries: Nathan Horton (Back), Auston Matthews (Shoulder)

    Suspension: None

     

    Bruins:

    Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – David Pastrnak

    Joakim Nordstrom – David Krecji– Jake DeBrusk

    Dalton Heinen– Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson – Anders Bjork

    Chris Wagner – Sean Kuraly – David Backes

    Zdeno Chara –Brandon Carlo

    Torey Krug – John Moore

    Matt Grzelcyk– Steve Kampfer

    Jaorslav Halak

    Daniel Vladar
    Scratched: None

    Injuries: Charlie MCaVoy (Upper Body), Urhu Vaakanainen (Concussion), Kevan Miller (Hand), Tuuka Rask (Leave of Absence)

    Suspension: None

     Keys to Winning against Boston:

    1. Be Aggressive
      1. Play fast, make Boston chase you, don’t let them dictate the play
    2. Shots
      1. Get shots, no Rask. Take advantage
    3. Limit Turnovers
      1. No crazy turnovers, especially against the top line.

    Game Day Lineups:

    First Period:

    Boston Penalty – 05:48 – Steven Kampfer 2 minutes from Interference

    Boston Goal – 16:12 – Patrice Bergeron (9) from David Pastrnak (6)

    End of 1st – TOR –0       BOS – 1

    Shots              20                06

    Faceoffs         12/23         11/23

    Hits               9                  11

    PP                 0/1               0/0

    Analysis:

    Leafs were flying all period and one bad tip and a goalie who hasn’t played in 20+ days, allowed the bruins to take the lead.

    Need to Do:

    Continue to play hard and aggressive and get bodies to the net.

    Second Period:

    Toronto Penalty – 00:41 – Zach Hyman 2 minutes for Cross Checking

    Boston Goal – 05:46 – David Pastrnak (13) from Patrice Bergeron (14) and Matt Grzelcyk (7)

    Toronto Penalty – 09:09 – Martin Marincin 2 minutes for Holding

    Boston PPG Goal – 10:34 – David Pastrnak (14) from Brad Marchand (13) and Patrice Bergeron (15)

    Boston Penalty – 17:28 – Brandon Carlo 2 minutes for Roughing

    Toronto Goal – 19:30 – John Tavares (10) from Mitch Marner (15) and Morgan Rielly (14)

     

    End of 2nd – TOR – 1       PIT – 3

    Shots               30                 22

    Faceoffs          22/47            25/47

    Hits                 17                    15

    PP                   0/2                  1/2

    Analysis:

    Leaf came out flat in the 2nd period and the Bruins took advantage scoring 2 goals and playing all over Toronto.

    Need to Do:

    Desperation mode. Need some kind of offence

    Third Period:

    Toronto Penalty – 11:28 – Kasperi Kapanen 4 minutes for High Sticking

    Boston PP Goal – 14:04 – David Pastrnak (15) from Brad Marchand (14) and Torey Krug (5)

    Boston Goal – 14:30 – Joakim Nordstrom (3) from David Krecji (3)

    Boston Penalty – 17:29 – Steven Kampfer 2 minutes for Slashing

    End of 3rd – TOR – 1        BOS – 5

    Shots              41                      34

    Faceoffs        32/68            36/68

    Hits               20                       22

    PP                 0/3                    2/4

    Analysis:

    Leafs came unraveled in the 2nd and 3rd periods. Sparks looked like a shadow of the goalie he was against LA and the offence couldn’t put almost anything past Halak.

    Next Up:

    Toronto (11-6-0 22pts) @ Los Angeles (5-9-1 11pts)

    Boston (8-5-2 18pts) @ Colorado (7-6-3 17pts)

     

    You can watch TXHT Live this Tuesday at 8p EST on both Twitch and Facebook Live.