Category: Carolina Hurricanes

  • Game Recap – 1st Rd. Game 5 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 1st Rd. Game 5 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Series Tied 2-2

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals return home for Game 5 looking to regain their series lead against the Carolina Hurricanes, and things would get chippy right away as Saku Maenalanen would take an ill advised roughig penalty when he would go after Tom Wilson after the whistle. After the Capitals failed powerplay attempt Carolina would get one of their own, but would lose it when Lucas Wallmark would be called for high sticking. On their second powerplay opportunity Nicklas Backstrom would would collect his own rebound and shoot it between Petr Mrazek’s legs to give the Capitals the 1-0 lead.

     

    In the second period the Capitals would get themselves into penalty trouble as they would take three consecutive penalties (though the one on John Carlson for goaltender interference was laughable), however, the Capitals would be perfect on the penalty kill, and after they killed off the third penalty the Capitals would turn on the offense as Alex Ovechkin would come charging and throw a perfet pass to Nicklas Backstrom for his second goal of the game. Then minutes later brett Connolly would net his first goal of the playoffs to make it 3-0.

     

    Going into the third period the Capitals would start with the continuation of their powerplay from the end of the second period, and the Capitals would continue their pressure and Tom Wilson would get Evgeny Kuznetsov’s rebound and get it past the defender and into the empty net with four seconds left on the powerplay to make it 4-0. Then on a breakaway Nic Dowd would be fouled and awarded a penalty shot which he would score on to make it 5-0. Then Lucas Wallmark would take a slashing penalty to which the Capitals would only need two seconds as Alex Ovechkin would rip it right off the faceoff to make it 6-0.

     

    Lineups:

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Nino Niederreiter — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen

    Warren Foegele — Jordan Staal — Justin Williams

    Brock McGinn — Lucas Wallmark — Saku Maenalanen

    Aleksi Saarela — Greg McKegg — Patrick Brown

    Jaccob Slavin — Dougie Hamilton

    Brett Pesce — Justin Faulk

    Calvin de Haan — Trevor van Riemsdyk

    Petr Mrazek

    Curtis McElhinney

    Scratched: Haydn Fleury

    Injured: Andrei Svechnikov (concussion), Micheal Ferland (upper body), Jordan Martinook (lower body)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Carl Hagelin

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Chandler Stephenson — Nic Dowd — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Jonas Siegenthaler — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Nick Jensen

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Christian Djoos, Travis Boyd, Dmitrij Jaskin, Ilya Samsonov

    Injured: Michal Kempny (torn left hamstring), T.J. Oshie (upper body)

     

    First Period:

    Hurricanes Penalty – 1:08 – Saku Maenalanen 2 minutes for Roughing

    Capitals Penalty – 4:41 – Brett Connolly 2 minutes for Hooking

    Hurricanes Penalty – 5:42 – Lucas Wallmark 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Capitals PPG – 7:33 – Nicklas Backstrom (4) from John Carlson (4) and Tom Wilson (2)

     

    End of 1st – CAR – 0       WAS – 1

    Shots              06                10

    Faceoffs         07                12

    Hits               14                  19

    PP                 0/1                 1/2

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Penalty – 4:18 – Evgeny Kuznetsov 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Capitals Penalty – 7:56 – John Carlson 2 minutes for Goaltender Interference

    Capitals Penalty – 12:02 – Jonas Siegenthaler 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals Goal – 14:21 – Nicklas Backstrom (5) from Alex Ovechkin (3)

    Capitals Goal – 16:11 – Brett Connolly (1) from Alex Ovechkin (4) and Nicklas Backstrom (2)

    Hurricanes Penalty – 19:07 – Sebastian Aho 2 minutes for Tripping

     

    End of 2nd – CAR – 0        WAS – 3

    Shots               21                 17

    Faceoffs          24                 25

    Hits                 22                  31

    PP                   0/4                  1/2*

    *3rd powerplay in progress

     

    Third Period:

    Capitals PPG – 1:04 – Tom Wilson (2) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (4) and John Carlson (5)

    Penalty Shot Goal – 8:57 – Nic Dowd (1)

    Hurricanes Penalty- 10:12 – Lucas Wallmark 2 minutes for Slashing

    Capitals PPG – 10:14 – Alex Ovechkin (3) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (5) and Nicklas Backstrom (3)

    Capitals Penalty – 17:29 – Nick Jensen 2 minutes for Hooking

     

    End of 3rd – CAR – 0         WAS – 6

    Shots              30                   28

    Faceoffs        30                    36

    Hits               32                     47

    PP                 0/5                    3/4

     

    Next Up:

    Game Six –  WAS Leads Series 3-2

     

    Make sure to follow TXHT’s extensive Playoffs coverage on our 2019 NHL Playoffs page.

  • TXHT Opinion – The Impact of the Loss of TJ Oshie

    TXHT Opinion – The Impact of the Loss of TJ Oshie

    Tonight when the Washington Capitals hit the ice to take on the Carolina Hurricanes for Game Five of the First Round of the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Capitals will be doing so without the services of forward TJ Oshie who was injured the other night in Game Four in Carolina by forward Warren Foegele.

     

    Now we can debate the hit that Foegele put on Oshie that caused the injury, but there is no point of doing that because what’s done is done and it’s time to move on and look forward to what the Capitals will need to do without their heart and soul player.

     

    Going into Game Five the Capitals will have to do some line juggling, and have also called up Devante Smith-Pelly from Hershey of the AHL to fill in for Oshie. Here is the Capitals projected lineup for tonight:

    Alex Ovechkin – Nicklas Backstrom – Tom Wilson
    Jakub Vrana – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Carl Hagelin
    Andre Burakovsky – Lars Eller – Brett Connolly
    Chandler Stephenson – Nic Dowd – Devante Smith-Pelly

    Jonas Siegenthaler – John Carlson
    Dmitry Orlov – Matt Niskanen
    Brooks Orpik – Nick Jensen

    Braden Holtby

     

    The reuniting of Tom Wilson with the first line of Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom will bring back some of the size and snarl that Wilson brings to the line after being on the second line in game four, and moving Carl Hagelin to Oshie’s normal spot on the second line will add some more speed to the line to compliment Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jakub Vrana. Plus with Hagelin, the second line will gain a player who will play a similar style to that of Oshie’s and will help establish net presence and create some space.

     

    For the bottom six however, the Capitals will need more from them. The line of Andre Burakovsky, Lars Eller, and Brett Connolly were stellar last season in the playoffs and so far in these playoffs have not done a whole lot to help the Capitals this series. Inserting Smith-Pelly back into the lineup on the fourth line with Chandler Stephenson and Nic Dowd will bring back some grit and some needed playoff experience.

     

    On the powerplay it’s time to let Wilson loose and put him in Oshie’s spot. Wilson is a magnet for attention and by putting him in Oshie’s spot in the slot area will force the Hurricanes and other teams to change their focus on how they will penalty kill to adjust for Wilson being in that spot instead of Oshie.

     

    Now with all of this said, there is one thing that needs to be done by the Capitals, and that’s not seek retribution by going after Foegele, but seek retribution by going out and winning thes next two games and winning the series. Next season Foegele can atone for his hit on Oshie that took him out of the playoffs due to injury, but the Capitals need to remain focused on the prize at hand, and that is the Stanley Cup and doing what Oshie said they could do last summer at the parade, and that is “Back to Back.”

     

    Make sure to follow TXHT’s extensive Playoffs coverage on our 2019 NHL Playoffs page.

     

    *Feature Graphic courtesy of the Washington Capitals

  • April 19th, 2019  —  News and Notes

    April 19th, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Friday, April 19th, 2019, and these are your news and notes covering yesterday’s contests.

     

    There were three contests in Stanley Cup playoff action yesterday and the recaps are written by the TXHT staff.

     

    Yesterday’s Results:

     

     

    CAROLINA 2, Washington 1 (Series is tied 2-2)

     

    Game 4. 2-2 Tie

     

    The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Washington Capitals by the score of 2-1 last night to tie their series at 2-2.  Both teams will look to take the 3-2 series lead when Game 5 takes place tomorrow night (April 20th) at Capital One Arena.

     

    You can find the recap of yesterday’s contest here or at the tweet below.

     

     

    St. Louis 3, WINNIPEG 2 (St. Louis leads the series 3-2)

     

    Game 5. 3-2 STL

     

    The St. Louis Blues would come back after being down 2-0 to defeat the Winnipeg Jets by the score of 3-2, to take the lead in the series.  The Blues will look to advance to the second round when Game 6 of this series takes place tomorrow night (April 20th) at Enterprise Center in St. Louis.

     

    You can find the recap of last night’s contest between the Jets and the Blues here or at the tweet posted below.

     

     

     

    SAN JOSE 5, Vegas 2 (Vegas leads the series 3-2)

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Today there are only two games in Stanley Cup playoff action…

     

    The Colorado Avalanche look to advance to the second round in their series and either the Boston Bruins or Toronto Maple Leafs will take the 3-2 series lead.

     

     

    Don’t forget to check out all of THXT’s 2019 Stanley Cup playoff action here.

  • Game Recap – 1st Rd. Game 4 – Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

    Game Recap – 1st Rd. Game 4 – Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

    Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

    Capitals Lead 2-1

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals head into Game 4 looking to extend their series lead before heading back home, but the Carolina Hurricanes would have different plans as they would force the play as they would create an odd man rush and 17 seconds into the game Warren Foegele would score his third of the playoffs to give the Hurricanes a quick 1-0 lead. Then Jakub Vrana would very ill advised penalty for charging, which the Capitals would kill off. The Capitals would get a powerplay oppurtinty shortly after, but they would not be able to generate anything on it as the Hurricanes smothered the Capitals.

     

    In the second period the Capitals would have a much better start as they would maintain a better tempo to the game and force the play in the Hurricanes zone.  Their pressure on the Hurricanes would force Teuvo Teravainen to take a penalty leading to the best powerplay the Capitals have had in a while this series. Alex Ovechkin would blast a Dmitry Orlov past a stickless Brock McGinn and goalie Petr Mrazek to tie the game at one. However, the game would not remain tied going into the second intermission as Teravainen would streak in on Braden Holtby to score and the Hurricanes get their lead back heading into the second intermission.

     

    In the third period it would be a chess match as both teams fought for space on a very sluggish ice that was causing the puck to bounce a lot. The Capitals would get another powerplay opportunity, but it would be the Hurricanes killing the powerplay. In the final minutes the Capitals would pull Holtby for the extra attacker but Petr Mrazek would stand tall and the Hurricanes will even the series at two a piece with a 2-1 victory.

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Carl Hagelin — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd

    John Carlson — Nick Jensen

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Jonas Siegenthaler

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Christian Djoos, Chandler Stephenson, Dmitrij Jaskin, Vitek Vanecek

    Injured: Michal Kempny (torn left hamstring)

     

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Nino Niederreiter — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen

    Warren Foegele — Jordan Staal — Justin Williams

    Brock McGinn — Lucas Wallmark — Jordan Martinook

    Saku Maenalanen — Greg McKegg — Patrick Brown

    Jaccob Slavin — Dougie Hamilton

    Brett Pesce — Justin Faulk

    Haydn Fleury — Trevor van Riemsdyk

    Petr Mrazek

    Curtis McElhinney

    Scratched: Saku Maenalanen, Jake Bean

    Injured: Andrei Svechnikov (concussion) Calvin de Haan (upper body), Micheal Ferland (upper body)

     

    First Period:

    Hurricanes Goal – :17 – Warren Foegele (3) from Jaccob Slavin (5) and Justin Williams (2)

    Capitals Penalty – :53 – Jakub Vrana 2 minutes for Charging

    Hurricanes Penalty – 4:13 – Bench (Justin Williams) 2 minutes for Too Many Men

     

    End of 1st – WAS – 0       CAR – 1

    Shots              09                08

    Faceoffs         08                09

    Hits               14                  12

    PP                 0/1                 0/1

     

    Second Period:

    Hurricanes Penalty – 8:42 – Teuvo Teravainen 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals PPG – 10:35 – Alex Ovechkin (2) from Dmitry Orlov (2) and Lars Eller (1)

    Capitals Penalty – 12:39 – John Carlson 2 minutes for Holding

    Hurricanes Goal – 19:32 – Teuvo Teravainen (1) from Nino Niederreiter (1) amd Sebastian Aho (2)

     

    End of 2nd – WAS – 1        CAR – 2

    Shots               23                 17

    Faceoffs          14                 17

    Hits                 21                  20

    PP                   1/2                  0/2

     

    Third Period:

    Hurricanes Penalty – 14:52 – Warren Foegele 2 minutes for Roughing

     

    End of 3rd – WAS – 1         CAR – 2

    Shots              32                   24

    Faceoffs        23                    21

    Hits               33                     33

    PP                 1/3                    0/2

     

    Next Up:

    Game Five – Series Tied 2-2

     

    Make sure to follow TXHT’s extensive Playoffs coverage on our 2019 NHL Playoffs page.

  • April 16th, 2019  —  News and Notes

    April 16th, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Tuesday, April 16th, 2019, and these are your news and notes

     

    There were four games in Stanley Cup playoff action yesterday

     

     

    TXHT, as they will for all 2019 Stanley Cup playoff games, has all of your recaps from last night’s contests.  Each of the contests and there you can check out all of TXHT’s recaps.

     

    CAROLINA 5, Washington 0 (Washington leads the series 2-1)

    Game 3. 2-1 WSH

     

    Game Recap – 1st Rd. Game 3 – Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

     

    TORONTO 3, Boston 2 (Toronto leads the series 2-1)

    Game 3. 2-1 TOR

     

    Boston Bruins vs Toronto Maple Leafs – Round 1 – Game #3 Recap

     

    Nashville 3, DALLAS 2 (Nashville leads the series 2-1)

    Game 3, 2-1 NSH

     

    Gameday Recap: Nashville Predators vs. Dallas Stars (First Round: Game 3)

     

    COLORADO 6, Calgary 2 (Colorado leads the series 2-1)

    Game 3 - 2-1 COL

     

     

    Today there are four games in action


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

     

     

    In NHL news…

     

    It was announced yesterday that Toronto Maple Leafs C Nazem Kadri has been suspended for the remainder of the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs.

     

     

    TXHT has your break down of the news and our reaction here.

     

    In addition, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced that San Jose Sharks F Joe Thornton has been suspended for one game for his Illegal Check to the Head of Vegas Golden Knights F Tomas Nosek in Sunday’s contest.

     

     

     

    For more news, notes, information, and stats, you can check out the NHL’s Morning Skate report at the following page.

     

     

    Don’t forget to check out all of TXHT’s extensive 2019 Stanley Cup playoff previews and recaps here.

  • Game Recap – 1st Rd. Game 3 – Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

    Game Recap – 1st Rd. Game 3 – Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

    Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

     

    Game Recap:

    In the first game in ten years in North Carolina, the Washington Capitals come to town looking to extend their series lead to three, but the Carolina Hurricanes have other things in mind as Warren Foegele would score the first goal of the game to give the Hurricanes their first lead of the series. Then tensions would boil over as Alexander Ovechkin and Andrei Svechnikov would get into a rare playoff fight that would see Ovechkin knock Svechnikov out of the game.

    Both teams would trade powerplay opportunities, but neither would be able to capitalize.

     

    Then in the second period, it would be the Hurricanes building on their lead as Foegele would score his second of the game. Then on the powerplay thanks to a Nicklas Backstrom penalty, Dougie Hamilton would score to make it 3-0 and continue to build the Hurricanes surge. The Hurricanes would also hold the Capitals to a franchise low one shot in the second period.

     

    In the third period the Hurricanes would continue their surge on the Capitals as they would abuse and frustrate the Capitals. After killing off two penalties, the Hurricanes would draw a penalty against Lars Eller which would then result in another Dougie Hamilton powerplay goal to make it 4-0. And to put the nail in the coffin, Brock McGinn would score the fifth and final goal to seal the victory for the Hurricanes as they cut the Capitals series lead in half to one.

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — T.J. Oshie

    Carl Hagelin — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Andre Burakovsky — Nic Dowd — Chandler Stephenson

    John Carlson — Nick Jensen

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Christian Djoos

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Jonas Siegenthaler, Travis Boyd, Dmitrij Jaskin, Vitek Vanecek

    Injured: Michal Kempny (torn left hamstring)

     

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Nino Niederreiter — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen

    Andrei Svechnikov — Jordan Staal — Justin Williams

    Micheal Ferland — Lucas Wallmark — Jordan Martinook

    Warren Foegele — Greg McKegg — Brock McGinn

    Jaccob Slavin — Dougie Hamilton

    Brett Pesce — Justin Faulk

    Haydn Fleury — Trevor van Riemsdyk

    Petr Mrazek

    Curtis McElhinney

    Scratched: Saku Maenalanen, Jake Bean

    Injured: Calvin de Haan (upper body)

     

    First Period:

    Hurricanes Goal – 9:43 – Warren Foegele (1) from Justin Faulk (2) and Brock McGinn (1)

    Capitals Penalty – 10:59 – Alex Ovechkin 5 minute major for Fighting

    Hurricanes Penalty – 10:59 – Andrei Svechnikov 5 minute major Fighting

    Hurricanes Penalty – 11:46 – Jordan Staal 2 minutes for Interference

    Capitals Penalty – 17:03 – Dmitry Orlov 2 minutes for Interference

     

    End of 1st – WAS – 0       CAR – 1

    Shots              09                15

    Faceoffs         12                11

    PP                 0/1                 0/1

     

    Second Period:

    Hurricanes Goal – 6:09 – Warren Foegele (2) from Sebastian Aho (1) and Teuvo Teravainen (1)

    Capitals Penalty – 9:48 – Nicklas Backstrom 2 minutes for Interference

    Hurricanes PPG – 11:40 – Dougie Hamilton (1) from Jordan Staal (1) and Jaccob Slavin (3)

    Capitals Penalty – 15:38 – John Carlson 2 minutes for Roughing

    Hurricanes Penalty – 15:38 – Warren Foegele 2 minutes for Slashing

     

    End of 2nd – WAS – 0        CAR – 3

    Shots               10                 33

    Faceoffs          23                 22

    PP                   0/1                  1/2

     

    Third Period:

    Hurricanes Penalty – 1:22 – Nino Niederreiter 2 minutes for Interference

    Hurricanes Penalty – 5:31 – Hayden Fleury 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Capitals Penalty – 8:19 – Lars Eller 2 minutes for Roughing

    Hurricanes PPG – 9:47 – Dougie Hamilton (2) from Jaccob Slavin (4) and Warren Foegele (2)

    Capitals Penalty – 13:01 – Brett Connolly 2 minutes for Roughing

    Hurricanes Goal – 15:35 – Brock McGinn (1) from Jordan Staal (2) and Jordan Martinook (1)

    Capitals Penalty – 15:46 – Jakub Vrana 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Hurricanes Penalty – 19:22 – Dougie Hamilton 2 minutes for High Sticking

     

    End of 3rd – WAS – 0         CAR – 5

    Shots              17                   45

    Faceoffs        36                    30

    Hits               34                     52

    PP                 0/4                    2/5

     

    Next Up:

    Game Four –  Capitals Leads Series 2-1

     

    Make sure to follow TXHT’s extensive Playoffs coverage on our 2019 NHL Playoffs page.

  • April 14th, 2019  —  News and Notes

    April 14th, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Sunday, April 14th, 2019, and these are your news and noted from yesterday.

     

    All of the game recaps are written by TXHT’s esteemed staff.

     

    There were four contests in action yesterday.

     

     

    WASHINGTON 4, Carolina 3 (OT) (Washington leads the series 2-0)

     

    The Washington Capitals would defeat the Carolina Hurricanes in overtime, 4-3, thanks to the game-winner from Capitals defenceman Brooks Orpik.

     

    The Capitals will look to a commanding 3-0 lead tomorrow night when Game 3 takes place in Raleigh.

     

    Michael Lindenbaum has your full recap of the contest between the Hurricanes and the Capitals at the following page.

     

    NASHVILLE 2, Dallas 1 (OT) (Series is tied 1-1)

     

    The Nashville Predators would defeat the Dallas Stars with the 2-1 win in overtime.  Craig Smith would net the game winner and Predators G Pekka Rinne would have 21 saves in the contest.

     

    Nashville will look to take the 2-1 series lead when Game 3 takes place tomorrow night in Dallas.

     

    Dickson Kendrick has your full recap of the contest between the Stars and the Predators at the following page.

     

     

    BOSTON 4, Toronto 1 (Series is tied 1-1)

     

    This would be a very physical contest between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs with the Bruins getting the 4-1 win, and tying the series 1-1.

     

    This game would not come without controversy as Toronto’s Nazem Kadri delivered a cross-check to the head of Boston’s Jake DeBrusk, which not only ejected him from the game but also earned him an in-person from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.

     

    TXHT should have more on this as soon as there is a decision reached from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.

     

    With the series now tied 1-1, both teams will try to take the series lead when Game 3 of the series takes place tomorrow night.

     

    Steve Gardiner has your full recap of the contest between the Maple Leafs and the Bruins at the following page.

     

     

     

    Colorado 3, CALGARY 2 (OT) (Series is tied 1-1)

     

    The Colorado Avalanche would defeat the Calgary Flames with the 3-2 win in overtime.

     

    Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon would net the game winner to tie this series at 1.

     

    Both teams will look to take the 2-1 series lead with Game 3 shifting to Colorado.  Game 3 takes place tomorrow night.

     

    Scott Fairchild has your full recap of the contest between the Colorado Avalanche and the Calgary Flames at the following page.

     

     

     

    Today there are four contests in action:

     

     

     

    For more news, notes, information, and stats, please check out the NHL’s Morning Skate report, which you can find below…

     

     

     

    You can catch up on all of TXHT’s extensive 2019 Stanley Cup playoff coverage at our website, https://txhthockey.com/2019-nhl-playoffs/

     

     

     

  • Game Recap – 1st Rd. Game 2 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 1st Rd. Game 2 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Capitals Lead 1-0

     

    Game Recap:

    Going into Game Two the Washington Capitals need to have a much better start to their game, and generate some scoring opportunities. And that they did as they would play with a much better pace to their game, and would create some really good chances in the Hurricanes zone. Less than four minutes into the game, it would be Alex Ovechkin feeding a really beautiful pass to Nicklas Backstrom for his third of the playoffs, and give the Capitals the 1-0 lead. Then after a failed powerplay attempt, it would be TJ Oshie with an amazing one-legged effort to score his first of the playoffs for a 2-0 lead. Then on a hard working shift for the Hurricanes, Lucas Wallmark would tip a Jaccob Slavin point shot to cut the Capitals lead to one. The Capitals would challenge for goalie interfernce, but it was ill advised as there was never any interference to Braden Holtby on the play. Alex Ovechkin would take an elbowing penalty, but the Capitals would kill off the penalty to finish the period.

     

     

    In the second period we would see a very undisciplined game from both teams starting with Micheal Ferland taking an offensive zone penalty, then Ferland again would take another penalty that would end his game for the day as he would receive a match penalty for illegal contact to Nic Dowd’s head, which also had Warren Foegele hook and high stick Dowd on the play with no calls made, but with some debate. While yes Ferland did in fact make contact with Dowd’s head (see tweet below), it doesn’t look like he went in with the intention to hurt Dowd. From the perspective of how the play unfolds, Dowd loses possession of the puck and is reaching to regain possession, while at the same time Ferland has already committed to the hit. Dowd is in a vulnerable position yes, but it does not look like Ferland’s intention was to hit the head, but due to Dowd’s posture, the head became the point of contact. Definitely a tough call to make.

    While on the Capitals five minute powerplay, they would not generate anything of substance. Also it would end prematurely as TJ Oshie would be called for hooking. Then the Capitals would go down two men when Dowd would be called for high sticking. While the Capitals were down, they were able to successfully kill both penalties. Then after another failed powerplay for the Capitals, Sebastian Aho would score to tie the game for the Hurricanes late in the period.

     

    Going into the third the Hurricanes would start off with some really solid chances, but Braden Holtby would stand tall in net. Then near the halfway point of the period Alex Ovechkin would feed Tom Wilson with the pass as he would blast it Petr Mrazek to give the Capitals a 3-2 lead. Then on a powerplay off of a Nic Dowd high sticking call, Jordan Staal would deflect a Dougie Hamilton point shot to tie the game at three a piece. The Capitals would get a couple chances before the end of the period, but Mrazek would holdnhis own and force overtime for the first time in this series.

     

    Going into overtime the Capitals would only need a little less than two minutes to close out this game and take a 2-0 series lead as Evgeny Kuznetsov would make a really crisp pass to Brooks Orpik who bombs it past Mrazek to win the game 4-3.

     

    Lineups:

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Nino Niederreiter — Sebastian Aho — Justin Williams

    Micheal Ferland — Jordan Staal –Teuvo Teravainen

    Andrei Svechnikov — Jordan Martinook — Brock McGinn

    Saku Maenalanen — Lucas Wallmark — Warren Foegele

    Jaccob Slavin — Dougie Hamilton

    Brett Pesce — Justin Faulk

    Haydn Fleury — Trevor van Riemsdyk

    Petr Mrazek

    Curtis McElhinney

    Scratched: Greg McKegg, Jake Bean

    Injured: Calvin de Haan (upper body)

     

     

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — Tom Wilson

    Carl Hagelin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Andre Burakovsky — Nic Dowd — Chandler Stephenson

    John Carlson — Nick Jensen

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Christian Djoos

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

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

    Injured: Michal Kempny (torn left hamstring)

     

     

    First Period:

    Capitals Goal – 3:37 – Nicklas Backstrom (3) from Alex Ovechkin (1) and Dmitry Orlov (1)

     

    Hurricanes Penalty – 4:52 – Trevor van Riemsdyk 2 minutes for Slashing

    Capitals Goal – 9:26 – TJ Oshie (1) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (2) and Matt Niskanen (1)

     

    Capitals Penalty – 10:32 – Brett Connolly 2 minutes for Interference

    Hurricanes Goal – 15:54 – Lucas Wallmark (1) from Jaccob Slavin (1) amd Warren Foegele (1)

     

     

    Capitals Penalty – 16:24 – Alex Ovechkin 2 minutes for Elbowing

     

    End of 1st – CAR – 1       WAS – 2

    Shots              12                07

    Faceoffs         10                06

    Hits               08                  16

    PP                 0/2                 0/1

     

    Second Period:

    Hurricanes Penalty – 1:11 – Micheal Ferland 2 minutes for Hooking

    Hurricanes Penalty – 4:09 – Micheal Ferland Match penalty for Illegal Contact to Head

    Capitals Penalty – 8:18 – TJ Oshie 2 minutes Hooking

    Capitals Penalty – 9:11 -Nic Dowd 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Hurricanes Penalty – 11:36 – Dougie Hamilton 2 minutes for Elbowing

    Hurricanes Goal – 16:49 – Sebastian Aho (1) from Justin Williams (1) and Jaccob Slavin (2)

     

    End of 2nd – CAR – 2        WAS – 2

    Shots               18                 23

    Faceoffs          22                 14

    Hits                 14                  24

    PP                   0/4                  0/4

     

    Third Period:

    Capitals Goal – 8:55 – Tom Wilson (1) from Alex Ovechkin (2) and Nicklas Backstrom (1)

    Capitals Penalty – 14:24 – Nic Dowd 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Hurricanes PPG – 15:00 – Jordan Staal (1) from Dougie Hamilton (2) and Andrei Svechnikov (1)

     

    End of 3rd – CAR – 3         WAS – 3

    Shots              28                   32

    Faceoffs        39                    22

    Hits               22                     33

    PP                 1/5                    0/4

     

    Overtime:

    Capitals Goal – 1:42 – Brooks Orpik (1) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (3) and Jakub Vrana (1)

     

    End of OT – CAR – 3         WAS – 3

    Shots              28                   33

    Faceoffs        39                    23

    Hits               22                     34

    PP                 1/5                    0/4

     

    Next Up:

    Game Three – Capitals Leads Series 2-0

     

    Make sure to follow TXHT’s extensive Playoffs coverage on our 2019 NHL Playoffs page.

  • April 12th, 2019  —  News and Notes

    April 12th, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Friday, April 12th, 2019, and these are your news and notes

     

    In Stanley Cup Playoff action, there were three games last night.

     

    Below you will find all of the game recaps from our TXHT writers.

     

     

    Toronto 4, BOSTON 1 (Toronto leads the series 1-0)

     

    The Toronto Maple Leafs would take Game 1 in this series from the Boston Bruins, winning the game 4-1.

     

    Toronto will look to take Game 2 when the two teams face off Saturday night.

     

    TXHT’s Steve Gardiner has your full recap of the contest below.

     

     

    The following image is the Boston Bruins infographic from last night’s contest and is the property of the Boston Bruins, NHL, NHL Public Relations, and their respective owners.

     

     

    WASHINGTON 4, Carolina 2 (Washington leads the series 1-0)

     

    The Washington Capitals, defending their Stanley Cup championship, defeated the Carolina Hurricanes last night with a 4-2 win.

     

    The Carolina Hurricanes mounted a comeback after being down 3-0 at the end of the first period, coming within a goal, before Washington’s Lars Eller scored an empty net goal with less than a minute left in the third period.

     

    The Capitals will look to take the 2-0 series lead when the two teams face off tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m., and the game will be available on NBC.

     

    Michael Lindenbaum has your full recap of Game 1 between the Capitals and the Hurricanes below.

     

     

    CALGARY 4, Colorado 0 (Calgary leads the series 1-0)

     

    The Calgary Flames crushed the Colorado Avalanche last night with a 4-0 win adn took the 1-0 series lead.

     

    Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk scored two goals and Flames goaltender Mike Smith registered 26 saves in the contest.

     

    The Flames will look to take the 2-0 series lead when Game 2 takes place Saturday night.

     

    Scott Fairchild has your full recap of the contest between Calgary and Colorado below.

     

     

    Calgary’s infographic from the 4-0 win is below and the infographic is the property of the Calgary Flames, NHL, NHL Public Relations, and their respective owners.

     

     

     

    Today’s schedule of games:


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

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

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

    Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

     

    Game Recap:

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

     

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

     

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

     

    Lineups:

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Nino Niederreiter — Sebastian Aho — Justin Williams

    Micheal Ferland — Jordan Staal — Teuvo Teravainen

    Andrei Svechnikov — Jordan Martinook — Brock McGinn

    Greg McKegg — Lucas Wallmark — Warren Foegele

    Jaccob Slavin — Dougie Hamilton

    Brett Pesce — Justin Faulk

    Haydn Fleury — Trevor van Riemsdyk

    Petr Mrazek

    Curtis McElhinney

    Scratched: Saku Maenalanen, Jake Bean

    Injured: Calvin de Haan (upper body)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — Tom Wilson

    Carl Hagelin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Andre Burakovsky — Nic Dowd — Chandler Stephenson

    John Carlson — Nick Jensen

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Christian Djoos

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

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

    Injured: Michal Kempny (torn left hamstring)

     

    First Period:

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

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

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

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

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

     

    End of 1st – CAR – 0       WAS – 3

    Shots              10                09

    Faceoffs         13                09

    Hits               21                  18

    PP                 0/0                 2/2

     

    Second Period:

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

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

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

     

    End of 2nd – CAR – 0        WAS – 3

    Shots               21                 13

    Faceoffs          23                 21

    Hits                 32                  27

    PP                   0/1                  2/4

     

    Third Period:

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

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

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

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

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

     

    End of 3rd – CAR – 2         WAS – 4

    Shots              29                   18

    Faceoffs        39                    28

    Hits               37                     35

    PP                 0/3                    2/4

     

    Next Up:

    Game Two – Capitals Leads Series 1-0