X75 Productions

Category: NHL

  • November 10th, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is Saturday, November 10th, 2018, and these are your news and notes

    There were six contests last night.

     

    TORONTO 6, New Jersey 1

    In the annual Hockey Hall of Fame game, the Toronto Maple Leafs would go on to rout the New Jersey Devils 6-1, thanks to a four-goal burst in the second period.

    Toronto’s Patrick Marleau would record his 600th career assist and Morgan Rielly would be the sixth defenceman in team history to have at least seven goals in the team’s first 16 games.

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

    New Jersey @ Toronto – 09/11/2018 – Game Preview and Recap
    Columbus 2, WASHINGTON 1

    This contest featured a re-match of last year’s Eastern Conference First Round match-up between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Washington Capitals.

    The three goals scored in this contest were all power-play goals, with the final goal being scored by Anthony Duclair, his seventh of the season.  With Duclair’s goal, he became the fourth player in franchise history to have seven goals in 16 games played.

    November 9th, 2018 — Columbus Blue Jackets at Washington Capitals Full Gameday Preview and Coverage
    DETROIT 3, NY Rangers 2 (OT)

    The Detroit Red Wings won their fifth contest in six games after being down by two going into the third period.

    Dylan Larkin would score the game-winner with five seconds left in the overtime frame.


    ST. LOUIS 4, San Jose 0

    Ryan O’Reilly is the first player in St. Louis history to have a nine game point streak since the 2014-15 season when David Backes and Alexander Steen accomplished the same feat.


    WINNIPEG 5, Colorado 2

    Blake Wheeler had a five point contest in the Winnipeg Jets 5-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche.


    Minnesota 5, ANAHEIM 1

    The Minnesota Wild would win their fourth contest on their current road trip for the third time in franchise history as they would defeat the Anaheim Ducks 5-1.

    There are 11 contests on today’s slate…

    This week’s NHL European Game of the Week:

     

    In NHL news…

    The Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2018 participated in the ceremonial puck drop before the contest between the Toronto Maple Leafs and New Jersey Devils.

    -In the Washington Capitals Hockey Fight Cancer Awareness night, Capitals commentator, Craig Laughlin and his wife, Linda, participated in the ceremonial puck-drop.

     

  • New Jersey @ Toronto – 09/11/2018 – Game Preview and Recap

    New Jersey @ Toronto – 09/11/2018 – Game Preview and Recap

    Time: Friday, Novemeber 9th , 2018

    Toronto: 10-5-0 for 20 points

    New Jersey: 6-6-1 for 13 points

    The Toronto Maple Leafs play their first game of a back to back starting at home in Toronto verses the New Jersey Devils. The Devils have always seemed to cause problems for the Leafs and will try to come into Toronto and spoil it again for the Leafs.

    Top Scorers/Goalie Matchup

    Mitch Marner – 19 points (5 goals 14 assists)

    Morgan Rielly – 18 points (6 goals 12 assists)

    John Tavares – 17 points (8 goals 9 assists) 49% on face-offs

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

    Kyle Palmieri – 17 points (10 goals 7 assists)

    Taylor Hall– 15 points (3 goal 12 assists)

    Nico Hischier– 12 points (3 goal 9 assist)

    Travis Zajac– 10 points (5 goal 5 assists)

    Frederik Andersen

    8-5-0, 2.18 GAA .929SV%

    Keith Kincaid

    6-4-1, 2.59 GAA .918SV%

    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

    New Jersey:

    Taylor Hall – Nico Hischier – Kyle Palmieri

    Marcus Johansson – Brent Seney– Jesper Bratt

    Blake Coleman– Travis Zajac – Joey Anderson

    Brian Boyle – Travis Wood – Jean-Sebastian Dea

    Mirco Mueller –Sami Vatanen

    Andy Greene – Damon Severson

    Will Butcher – Ben Lovejoy

    Keith Kincaid

    Corey Schneider

    Scratched:

    Injuries: Stefan Noesen

    Suspension: None

     

    4 Keys to Winning against New Jersey:

    1. Use your speed
      1. Don’t give the Devils an opportunity to use their speed against you. Take it to them first.
    2. Puck Possession
      1. If the Leafs can have a lot of possession, it will negate the speed the devils which is how they create offence.
    3. Taylor Hall/Kyle Palmieri
      1. Control, be physical, don’t give these 2 much room on the ice. They will create and score.
    4. 3rd Line offence
      1. Need more offence from theses guys especially while Matthews remains out.

    Game Day Lineups:

    First Period:

    New Jersey Penalty – 08:28 – Sami Vatanen 2 minutes from Kneeing

    Toronto Goal – 12:24 – John Tavares (9) from Ron Hainsey (5) and Morgan Rielly (13)

    New Jersey Penalty – 14:26 – Marcus Johansson 2 minutes from High Sticking

    Toronto Penalty – 17:14 – Nikita Zaitsev 2 minutes from Holding

     

    End of 1st – NJD – 0       TOR – 1

    Shots              07                15

    Faceoffs         7/16          9/16

    Hits               11                  6

    PP                 0/1              0/2

    Analysis:

    Leafs came ready to be aggressive against the Devils. Attacking offensively and defensively putting everything at the net and getting the most chances possible and preparing for rebounds.

    Need to Do:

    Continue the pressure and press the pace.

    Second Period:

    Toronto Goal – 01:24 – Nazem Kadri (5) from Patrick Marleau (6)

    Toronto Goal – 05:07 – Connor Brown (3) from Par Lindholm(3) and Ron Hainsey (6)

    New Jersey Goal – 07:23 – Travis Zajac (6) from Blake Coleman (2)

    Toronto Goal – 15:44 – Andreas Johnsson (1) from Jake Gardiner(8) and Par Lindholm (4)

    Toronto Goal – 17:27 – Morgan Rielly (7) from Nazem Kadri (6)

    New Jersey Penalty – 19:24 – Joey Anderson 2 minutes for Interference

     

    End of 2nd – NJD – 1        TOR – 5

    Shots               23                   27

    Faceoffs          14/38            24/38

    Hits                 26                  15

    PP                   0/1                  0/3

    Analysis:

    Leafs took the foot off the gas pedal a little and New Jersey took advantage for a bit but then they came right back. Depth is taking control of the game. Exactly what Toronto needed.

    Need to Do:

    3rd period is all about continuing to play their game. Do that and that will be a win.

    Third Period:

    Toronto Penalty – 01:51 – Par Lindholm 2 minutes for Slashing

    Toronto Goal – 12:01 – Tyler Ennis (2) Unassisted

    Toronto Penalty – 14:39 – Frederik Gauthier 2 minutes for High Sticking

    New Jersey Penalty – 15:32 – Kyle Palmieri 2 minutes for Interference

     

    End of 3rd – NJD – 1         TOR – 6

    Shots              39                   32

    Faceoffs        23/58             35/58

    Hits               39                    23

    PP                 0/3                   0/4

     Analysis:

    Huge win for Toronto on the first half of a back to back. Strong showing from the bottom 6 and a dominating performance all around. Morgan Rielly consistently showed how much better he is this season.

    Next Up:

    Toronto (11-5-0 22pts) @ Boston (8-5-2 18pts)

    New Jersey (6-6-1 13pts) @ Winnipeg (8-5-1 17pts)

     

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

     

  • A Maple Leaf prospect overview – Part 2

    A Maple Leaf prospect overview – Part 2

    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 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 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 2 will consist of 4 players that aren’t very known in the Maple Leafs system.

     

    1. Sean Durzi– Drafted 2nd round 2018 (52nd overall) From the Owen Sound Attack (OHL)
      Position: Defence
      Shoots: Right
      Born: October 21st, 1998 — Mississauga, Ontario
      Height: 6’0”
      Weight: 195 lbs
    1. Background: Durzi had a rough last couple of years. In 2016 Durzi had to have surgery on his ankle as he found out that he had an extra bone and it would eventually cause serious damage. He returned in 2017 but didn’t have a strong season, in fact didn’t look anything like himself. 2017 NHL draft he was passed over by all 31 teams and went back to the OHL. He had a monster season making NHL teams take another look at him. 2018 the Leafs thought he could be a good player for them and drafted him in the 2nd
    2. Scouting Report:
      • Skating – Very good skater and intelligent puck mover. Durzi could use some edge work but his transition from offence to defence and vice versa is seamless.
      • Offensively – Great side to side movement, scores a lot of goals mainly by sneaking into nice shooting range and firing a wrister or a snapper. Improved his slap shot over the summer expect him to use it more and it’s a nice one. Amazing vision and passing ability. Needs to work on his puck protection and stickhandling. Not a Powerplay quarterback, but more of an in-zone offensive weapon.
      • Defensively – Durzi’s defensive game needs work. Durzi brings good positioning and the ability to cut down passing lanes. Very tough to beat in one-on-one situations, with a strength of Durzi’s being his backwards skating and good gap control.
      • Comparison: If I had to choose someone solely based on potential I really couldn’t find someone because of the potential that Sean Durzi has somewhat of an unknown. But what I’ve heard and saw game style wise he compares Tobias Enstrom.
    1. Semyon Der-Arguchintsev– 3rd round pick (76 overall) 2018 draft – Peterborough Petes
      Position: Center
      Shoots: Right
      Born: September 15, 2000– Moscow, Russia
      Height: 5‘10”
      Weight: 159 lbs

      1. Background: Arguchintsev has always been looked down upon because of his size. Most scouts within the KHL, and OHL and now the NHL have said he’s too small. Arguchintsev seems to have taken that as a challenge and so far he’s faired very well. KHL is trying to convince him to stay ( and seems to have failed), the OHL Peterborough Petes drafted him and helped him develop and become one of the most underrated playmaking centres in the OHL.
      2. Scouting Report:
        • Skating: Fantastic speed, can beat defenders in a heartbeat. He will need to work on his acceleration but once he gets moving it’s scary.
        • Offence: Amazing vision on the ice, Arguchintsev can easily make one tap passes right on the stick. He possesses the same kind of vision as Mitch Marner. Incredibly patient, but smart with the puck. Always thinking about his next move and can execute in a second. His Passes are always hard and accurate,, he can even make passes that jump many sticks and fall right on his teammates stick.
        • Defence: He needs to work on the defensive game, but he is not devoid of one at all. Arguchintsev backchecks and is a decent defensive player. If he can develop some acceleration (which I think he will) he could be a dynamic player at both ends of the ice.
        • Comparison: Closest comparison would Mitch Marner with less goal scoring ability.
    1. Riley Stotts – Drafted in the 3rd round (83rd overall) in the 2018 NHL draft – Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
      Position: Center
      Shoots: Left
      Born: January 5, 2000 – Winnipeg Manitoba
      Height: 6‘00”
      Weight: 174 lbs

      1. Background: Started off his seasons with the Swift Current Broncos and only had 2 points in 22 games. Was traded to the Hitmen and ended up scoring 41 points in 47 games. Stotts is a low-risk high reward kind of player.
      2. Scouting Report:
        • Skating: Good skater nothing fancy not bad not superb just good.
        • Offence & Defence: I put these 2 together for Stotts because he does nothing exceptional but everything great. He’ll probably be a 3rd line centre with good hands, faceoffs and defensive coverage. He’s a 3 zone player, always in the right position.
        • Comparison: Closest comparison Morgan Klimchuck or Joel Armia
    1. Mac Hollowell– Drafted in the 4th round (118th overall) in 2018 – Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
      Position: Defence
      Shoots: Right
      Born: Sep 26, 1998– Niagara Falls, Canada
      Height: 5‘9”
      Weight: 170 lbs
    1. Background: Just like Durzi faced some doubts about his abilities especially his size. But Hollowell took it as fuel to his game and came out flying as an over-ager in the OHL.
    2. Scouting Report:
      • Skating: Great mobility and acceleration. Once he gets moving he is hard to catch. He is at his best when he’s moving his feet.
      • Offence: Hollowell is confident with the puck on his stick and comes with really impressive vision and he never second guesses any of his decisions he makes them quick and precise. A very aggressive player, when Hollowell crosses the opposing blueline his thought are always pass or attack himself
      • Defence: a bit of neutral zone gamble, he can make a lot of mistakes there although his speed bails him out of a lot of the time. Where he gets into a lot of trouble defensively is when the opposing team is super aggressive while forechecking. His lack of size and strength are exposed in these instances.
      • Comparison: Closest comparison Nate Schmidt

  • Gameday Preview: Montreal Canadiens vs Buffalo Sabres

    Montreal Canadiens (8-5-2) vs Buffalo Sabres (7-6-2)

    Game Time: 7:30pm at Bell Centre

    Referees: #20 Tim Peel, #21 TJ Luxmore

    Linesmen: #78 Brian Mach, #82 Ryan Galloway

    The Montreal Canadiens are coming off a 5-3 loss to the New York Rangers on Tuesday night. The Habs looked solid for about 2 periods then fell apart in the third period of a very physical game on the second night of a back to back for the Habs. Tonight the Habs will play a Sabres team that beat them in the final minute two weeks ago. With the Habs currently down 2 wingers tonight’s line-up will look a little different. Carey Price will get the start between the pipes for the Habs.

    Keys To The Game

    • Fast Start, Fast Finish. The Habs are doing a great job getting on the board early but can’t seem to close out a game. This needs to change tonight
    • Stay out of the box. The Habs were great on the PK on Tuesday Night killing six penalties. Yes they have a good PK unit but let’s not make taking penalties a habit. It’s gonna come back to bite them
    • Carey Price looked good on Tuesday but the defense was lack-luster giving up way too many odd man chances.

     

    Forwards:

    Tomas Tatar- Phillip Danault- Brendan Gallagher

    Jonathan Drouin- Max Domi- Andrew Shaw

    Artturi Lehkonen- Jesperi Kotkaniemi- Kenny Agostino

    Nicholas Deslauriers- Matthew Peca- Charles Hudon

    Defensemen

    Jordie Benn- Jeff Petry

    Karl Alzner- Mike Reilly

    Xavier Ouellet- Victor Mete

    Tonight’s Scratches: Noah Juulsen (Healthy Scratch), Joel Armia (LBI)

  • Game Recap – 11/7/2018 – Pittsburgh Penguins v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 11/7/2018 – Pittsburgh Penguins v. Washington Capitals

     

    Pittsburgh Penguins (6-4-3 15pts) v. Washington Capitals (6-4-3 15pts)

     

    Lineups:

    Pittsburgh Penguins:

    Dominik Simon — Sidney Crosby — Bryan Rust

    Carl Hagelin — Evgeni Malkin — Patric Hornqvist

    Jake Guentzel — Riley Sheahan — Phil Kessel

    Zach Aston-Reese — Matt Cullen — Garrett Wilson

    Brian Dumoulin — Kris Letang

    Olli Maatta — Chad Ruhwedel

    Jack Johnson — Jamie Oleksiak

    Casey DeSmith

    Matt Murray

    Scratched: Juuso Riikola, Daniel Sprong

    Injured: Justin Schultz (left leg fracture), Derick Brassard (lower body)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Dmitrij Jaskin

    Chandler Stephenson — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Jakub Vrana — Travis Boyd — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Christian Djoos — Madison Bowey

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Nic Dowd

    Injured: Brooks Orpik (lower body)

    Suspended: Tom Wilson

     

    First Period:

    Penguins Penalty – 2:17 – Jamie Oleksiak 2 minutes for Slashing

    Capitals Penalty – 11:33 – Jakub Vrana 2 minutes for Tripping

    Penguins PPG – 12:16 – Sidney Crosby (7) from Jack Johnson (2)

    Penguins Penalty – 15:09 – Carl Hagelin 2 minutes for Goalie Interference

     

    End of 1st – PIT – 1       WAS – 0

    Shots            09                07

    Faceoffs       11                07

    Hits               14                04

    PP                 1/1               0/2

     

    Analysis:

    This was an ok period for the Capitals. They were able to generate some chances, but the Penguins were very aggressive with their coverage forcing the issue, especially on special teams.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to pick up their physicality. The Penguins are dominating them physically, and that is why the Penguins are generating some of the better quality scoring chances. Also the Capitals need to do a better job of establishing zone time in the Penguins zone.

     

    Second Period:

    Penguins Penalty – 6:33 – Sidney Crosby 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals PPG – 7:09 – Alex Ovechkin (12) from John Carlson (12) and Nicklas Backstrom (14)

    Capitals Penalty – 9:35 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for Tripping

    Penguins Penalty – 11:27 – Jake Guentzel 2 minutes for Tripping

    Penguins Penalty – 15:05 – Evgeni Malkin 2 minutes for Roughing

     

    End of 2nd – PIT – 1        WAS – 1

    Shots               26                 17

    Faceoffs          19                 18

    Hits                 22                  12

    PP                   1/2                  1/5

     

    Analysis:

    This was another ok period for the Capitals. They started well and drew a good amount of penalties against the Penguins, however, the Capitals only capitalized on one of those powerplays. It was very evident that both teams did not play a full 20 minutes.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to bring out their physical game. They are still getting out worked by Pittsburgh, and the Penguins are playing a lot choppier, and it is helping them generate scoring chances. Also the Capitals need to do a much better job on their powerplay opportunities. They’ve had 5 thus far and only one was successful.

     

    Third Period:

    Capitals Penalty – 2:36 – Christian Djoos 2 minutes for Holding

    Penguins Penalty – 3:27 – Evgeni Malkin 5 minute major for Illegal Hit to the Head & Game Misconduct

    Capitals Goal – 18:46 – TJ Oshie (8) from John Carlson (13) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (13)

     

    End of 3rd – PIT – 1         WAS – 2

    Shots              42                   22

    Faceoffs        31                    28

    Hits               28                     22

    PP                 1/3                    1/6

     

    Analysis:

    Despite the Capitals having a horrible night in the shot department and with the powerplay, they were able to persevere and win this one 2-1. TJ Oshie took a stick near his eye, and then much later was elbowed in the head by Evgeni Malkin, but neither events would keep him in the locker room as he would return both times, and the second time he came back would score the game winning goal to give the Capitals the victory. Also Braden Holtby played out of his mind and made a lot of amazing saves tonight.

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (7-4-3 17pts) v. Columbus (8-6-1 17pts)

    Pittsburgh (6-5-3 15pts) v. Arizona (7-6-0 14pts)

     

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

  • November 7th, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is Wednesday, November 7th, and these are your news and notes…

    There were nine league contests last night.

     

    The Maple Leafs won their 10th game of the season out of 15 games for the 11th time in franchise history and the first since the 2013-14 season when they won 10 games out of the first 14.

     

     

    Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist won his 436th career game and is now one win shy of tying Jacques Plante for seventh place all time.

     

     

    Max Domi would score all three of Montreal’s goals in the contest to give him a goal-scoring streak of four contests and has 16 points on the season, including nine goals thus far.

     

     

    TXHT and Last Word on Sports Armand Kilsvitch has his recap of the contest here.

     

     

    The Columbus Blue Jackets have defeated the Dallas Stars for the sixth consecutive time.

     

     

    Ottawa’s Mark Stone had a five-point game to lift Ottawa to the win over New Jersey. Stone is the fifth player in Senators’ history to have multiple five point games in the regular season.

     

     

    Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson would score yet again and continues to lead all rookies in goals and points but would still fall to the Detroit Red Wings in a shootout.

     

    Pettersson has scored 10 goals in 10 games played. He is the fifth player outside of the League’s first season to score 10+ goals through their first 10 NHL games.

     

     

    In Tampa Bay’s Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness night, Tampa Bay would get the win in the contest over the Edmonton Oilers and move to a record of 11-3-1 and into first place in the NHL standings.

     

     

    St. Louis F Ryan O’Reilly registered a hat-trick and would extend his point streak to eight games in the contest against the Hurricanes. O’Reilly also had an eight-game point streak during the 2015-16 season.

     

     

    In this match-up, Ilya Kovalchuk had one goal and two assists in the first game for new Kings head coach, Willie Desjardins.

     

     

     

    San Jose’s Joe Thornton played in his 1499th NHL contest last night and tied Mike Modano for 19th all time.

     

     

    With his next game, Thornton will become the first overall pick in the history of the NHL Draft to reach the 1500 game milestone.

     

    As a note from the contests yesterday, this would only be the fifth time in League history where the home teams swept a schedule of 9+ games.

     

     

    Today’s slate of games…

     

    nov_7th_schedy-07021021

     

    For other news, notes, and stats…

     

     

    Today in NHL News…

     

    -Edmonton Oilers Milan Lucic will have a hearing today for roughing Tampa Bay’s Mathieu Joseph in last night’s contest.

     

     

    The NHL’s Department of Player Safety in accordance to the hearing announced that Lucic has been fined $10,000, the maximum allowed under the CBA, for roughing Mathieu Joseph.

     

     

    -Sportsnet and Hockey Night in Canada’s Elliotte Friedman released his “31 Thoughts” article yesterday. The topic revolves around the Ottawa Senators Uber video and the fallout.

     

     

    -The Los Angeles Kings announced that Adam Oates has joined the team in a consulting role.

     

     

     

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

  • The Blues need to hire Joel Quenneville

    The Blues need to hire Joel Quenneville

    Let me restate that for the Twitter generation: the #stlblues need to bring #QTOTHELOU.

     

    Let me start be saying that I recognize having a knee-jerk reaction to the Blues’ lackluster start and calling for a new coach without digging deeper is not the way to run a successful organization, so let’s evaluate how current coach Mike Yeo has performed this season, then get to the merits of hiring Quenneville. The Blues stumbled out of the gate, winning just one of their first five games, but since then have performed semi-respectably, beating teams like Toronto and Vegas rather easily. Unfortunately, when they played the heavy-hitters of the Central, they came back down to earth, blowing a 3-1 third period lead to Winnipeg, and having one of their most embarrassing performances of recent memory in a 5-1 loss to Minnesota, being outshot 45-16. Is this all Mike Yeo’s fault? No. Has Mike Yeo done even one thing to make this team better? It does not seem like this. 

     

    Egregious infraction 1: the constant, and quite frankly baffling, use of Jay Bouwmeester. The Blues are in a precarious position with Robert Bortuzzo being injured and, up until recently, Carl Gunnarsson recovering from an ACL tear, so the Blues were forced into playing Bouwmeester. They were not, however, fired into playing him more than 19 minutes in 8 of the 11 games he has played in, or keeping him on the ice in critical late game situations. Would this be any different under Coach Q? We don’t really know, but looking at Brent Seabrook’s average time on ice, it has fallen about 2 minutes since 2015-2016. While he still gets about 20 minutes of ice time (according to hockey reference), the Blackhawks’ defense is much worse than the that of the Blues, and Seabrook is still capable of generating much more offense than Bouwmeester. If we say an n of 1 is significant (somewhere a statistician’s head just exploded), it stands to reason that Quenneville does not simply look at pedigree and contract value when determining whether to keeping playing an aging veteran exactly as he did in his prime. 

     

    Egregious infraction 2: inability to use young players properly. The Blues have a wealth of young players, including Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou – neither of which has been used well. Thomas, a highly-touted prospect, played the first five games, but was then benched for almost two weeks. Yeo’s rationale was that he was trying to find his confidence: 

     

     

    Nothing does more for a young player’s confidence than a benching 5 games into a 9-game trial. Within those first 5 games, that the Blues were losing all but 1, Thomas saw more than 10 minutes of ice time just twice. This does not help develop young players, and it does not help the current team win. Kyrou faired better under Yeo, slightly, but after not putting up many points in the first few games, he has been relegated to fewer than 10 minutes of ice time in each of his last three games (and has not played in the last 3). This type of player mismanagement makes me nostalgic for Mike Matheny, who once stated that coaches are not in the business of player development. 

     

    Now, would this change under Quenneville? That’s questionable. According to BlackhawkUp, one of Quenneville’s biggest critiques was that he would not trust younger players. However, the Blackhawks, at the time, were a dynasty in the making, with players like Toews and Kane (themselves fairly young), so it is understandable to trust these guys more. His development of Patrick Kane alone is enough to show how strong he is in the player development department. 

     

    This list can go on, but in the end, the Blues need to realize that Quenneville is an all-time great coach, while Yeo has not done anything in his career to prove he can ever reach that level. They are not playing well this year, an Q can help turn that around. It’s far from a given that a reunion is imminent, but the Blues would be foolish not to explore the possibility.

     

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

  • TXHT – 11/6/2018

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPgR7_4DX8s&w=560&h=315]

    Join Michael as he breaks down the past week for the Washington Capitals, plus NHL News and Notes.
    You can watch TXHT Live next Wednesday at 8p EST on both Twitch and Facebook Live.
  • Montreal Canadiens Lose Lead, Then Game to New York Rangers

    Montreal Canadiens Lose Lead, Then Game to New York Rangers

    The Montreal Canadiens blow a 3-1 Lead to lose 5-3 to the New York Rangers. A sloppy third period leads to too many odd-man chances by the Rangers which killed the Habs. Habs will look to redeem themselves at Home when they face the Sabres on Thursday Night at 7:30 PM. Tomas Tatar picked up two goals and was a bright spot for the Habs tonight. Price made a bunch of key saves to try and save the Habs but the defense decided not to show up.

    First Period Analysis
    A fast start again for the Habs as Tomas Tatar gets the Habs on the board in the first minute of the game. Habs gave up way too many turnovers which led to a number of odd-man chances for the Rangers.

    Second Period
    Very Physical play. The Habs have to be careful and not be stupid and let the Rangers tie this game up. Habs are taking way too many penalties in the game, This will come back to bite them in the third period.

    Third Period:
    Too Many Penalties+Too Many Men= 2 points wasted. No defense, too many penalties and just from a Habs perspective painful to watch.

    You can watch TXHT Live next Wednesday at 8p EST on both Twitch and Facebook Live.
  • Game Recap – Vegas Golden Knights v. Toronto Maple Leafs

    Game Recap – Vegas Golden Knights v. Toronto Maple Leafs

    Time: Tuesday, Novemeber 6th, 2018

    Toronto: 9-5-0 for 18 points

    Vegas: 6-2-1 for 13 points

    The Toronto Maple Leafs head back home where they have struggled big time only scoring 5 goals in their last 7 games. But Vegas has been just as bad on the road, having a hard time scraping wins away from their home arena.

    Top Scorers/Goalie Matchup

    Morgan Rielly – 18 points (6 goals 12 assists)

    Mitch Marner – 18 points (4 goals 14 assists)

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

    John Tavares – 14 points (8 goals 8 assists) 48% on face-offs

     

    Jonathan Marchessault –13 points (6 goals 7 assists)

    William Karlsson– 10 points (3 goal 10 assists)

    Erik Haula– 7 points (2 goal 5 assists)

    Rielly Smith– 6 points (3 goal 3 assists)

     

    Frederik Andersen

    7-5-0 2.28GAA .924SV%

     

    Marc-Andre Fleury

    6-5-1 2.51GAA .901SV%

     

    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 – Igor Ozhiganov

    Frederik Andersen

    Garrett Sparks
    Scratched: Justin Holl & Martin Marincin

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

    Suspension: None

     

    Vegas:

    Jonathan Marchessault – William Karlsson – Reilly Smith

    Max Pacioretty – Erik Haula– Alex Tuch

    Tomas Nosek– Cody Eakin – Tomas Hyka

    William Carrier – Pierre-Eduoard Bellmore – Ryan Reaves

    Brayden McNabb –Collin Miller

    Shea Theodore – Nick Holden

    Jon Merril – Brad Hunt

    Marc-Andre Fleury

    Macolm Subban
    Scratched: None

    Injuries: Paul Stastny (Lower Body)

    Suspension: None

     

    Keys to Winning against Vegas:

    1. Attack the defence
      1. Vegas defence is young and although they played well last year they have been so good this year. Attack hard.
    2. Depth
      1. Needs to score take some pressure off the stars
    3. Score 1st
      1. Leafs have struggled at home and need to get off to a good start. 1st goal of the game would easily help that

    Game Day Lineups:

    First Period:

    Toronto Goal – 05:30 – Connor Brown (2) Unassisted

    Vegas Penalty – 06:43 – Bryaden McNabb 2 minutes from Holding

    Toronto Penalty – 13:58 – Jake Gardiner 2 minutes from Hooking

    End of 1st – VGK – 0     TOR – 1

    Shots              13                08

    Faceoffs         7/17          10/17

    Hits               6                  12

    PP                 0/1               0/1

    Analysis:

    Leafs are aggressive on the defence and attacking the net not worrying about finesse but just getting the puck in the net anyway possible.

    Need to Do:

    Get more bodies in front of Fleury really having a hard time tracking the puck.

    Second Period:

    Toronto Goal – 00:09 – Mitch Marner (5) from John Tavares (9) and Zach Hyman (7)

    Toronto Penalty – 04:01 – Mitch Marner 2 minutes for Hooking

    Vegas Goal – 11:22 – Cody Eakin (4) from Shea Theodore (5) and Jon Merill (2)

    End of 2nd –VGK – 1      TOR – 2

    Shots               29                 16

    Faceoffs          16/40            24/40

    Hits                 14                  17

    PP                   0/2                  0/1

    Analysis:

    Leaf came out flying and then took their foot off the gas pedal. Allowing Vegas to dominate the 2nd half of the 2nd period and score once.

    Need to Do:

    Get back to being aggressive on the forecheck.

     

     

    Third Period:

    Toronto Penalty – 03:32 – Jake Gardiner 2 minutes for Slashing

    Toronto EN Goal – 19:25 – Nazem Kadri(4) from Connor Brown (4) and Patrick Marleau (5)

    End of 3rd –VGK – 1           TOR – 3

    Shots              37                      21

    Faceoffs        23/59             36/59

    Hits               23                      25

    PP                 0/3                    0/1

    Analysis:

    Mitch Marner was by far the best player on the ice tonight. Backchecked hard and forechecked hard and even fought hard in front of the net. But his only comparable was Freddie Andersen who came to play tonight stopping 36 of 37 shots for an amazing performance.

     

    Next Up:

    New Jersey (6-5-1 13pts) @ Toronto (10-5-0 20pts)

    Vegas (6-8-1 13pts) @ Ottawa (5-6-3 13pts)

     

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