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Category: TXHT

  • Gameday Preview & Recap:  Dallas Stars vs Toronto Maple Leafs

    Gameday Preview & Recap:  Dallas Stars vs Toronto Maple Leafs

     

    Time: Thursday, Novemeber 1st, 2018

    Toronto: 8-4-0 for 16 points

    Dallas: 6-5-0 for 14 points

    The Toronto Maple Leafs play their second game of the season against the Dallas Stars. Game 1 ended in the Leafs walking away victorious 7-4 in Dallas. But the Leafs have had their troubles on home ice this year going 3-4. This also marks the 2nd game without Auston Matthews, expect the Leafs to come out with a little more fire than they did against Calgary. Dallas is coming off a 4 -1 over the Montreal Canadiens and seemingly firing on all cylinders.

    Top Scorers/Goalie Matchup
    Auston Matthews – 16 points (10 goals 6 assists) 53% on Face-off
    Mitch Marner – 126 points (4 goals 12 assists)
    Morgan Rielly – 15 points (4 goals 11 assists)
    John Tavares – 13 points (7 goals 6 assists) 49% on face-offs

    Tyler Seguin –12 points (3 goals 9 assists) 59.6% faceoffs
    John Klingberg– 11 points (5 goal 6 assists)
    Alex Radulov– 11 points (5 goal 6 assist)
    Jamie Benn– 9 points (4 goal 5 assists)

    Frederik Andersen
    6-4-0 2.53GAA .919SV%

    Anton Khudobin
    1-1 3.03GAA .898SV%

    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

     

    Dallas:

    Justin Dowling – Tyler Seguin – Alexander Radulov

    Jamie Benn – Jason Spezza– Mattias Janmark

    Valeri Nichuskin– Radek Faksa – Gemel Smith

    Devin Shore – Jason Dickinson – Blake Comeau
    Esa Lindell –John Klingberg

    Marc Methot – Miro Heiskanen

    Julius Honka – Roman Polak
    Anton Khudobin

    Ben Bishop
    Scratched: Connor Carrick

    Injuries: Martin Hanzal, Stephen Johns

    Suspension: None

    4 Keys to Winning against Dallas:

    1. Stay Out of the Box
      1. The Stars own one of the top power-plays in the league and the Leafs penalty kill has not been good.
    2. Puck Possession
      1. Puck possession is going to be something that the Leafs need to have during this game, don’t get into an offensive tug of war with Dallas.
    3. Nazem Kadri
      1. With the absence of Matthews, Kadri will be called upon to step up his game more offensively. Shouldn’t be an issue considering he is a former 30 goal scorer.
    4. Limit Turnovers
      1. No crazy turnovers, way too much talent on this Dallas roster. They will make you pay.

    Game Day Lineups:

    First Period:

    Dallas Penalty – 07:28 – Brett Ritchie 2 minutes from Holding

    End of 1st – DAL – 0       TOR – 0

    Shots              07                10

    Faceoffs         12/16          4/16

    Hits               17                  7

    PP                 0/0               0/1

    Analysis:

    Leafs came ready to be aggressive against the Stars. Pressing the Stars defence and forward even in the neutral zone. Not allowing the Stars much offensive zone time but forcing Dallas to take shots from the outside. All players are back checking hard, and clogging up the neutral zone. The 3rd and 4th lines are playing like they have something to prove and Travis Dermott is making sure he doesn’t give Babcock any reasons to take him out of the lineup again.

    Need to Do:

    Continue the pressure and get more bodies in front of the net.

    Second Period:

    Toronto Penalty – 09:53 – Par Lindholm 2 minutes for Holding

    Dallas Goal – 11:55 – Jamie Benn (5) from Tyler Seguin (10) and John Klingberg (7)

    Toronto Penalty – 12:41 – Justin Holl 2 minutes for Holding

    Dallas Penalty – 16:02 – Marc Methot 2 minutes for Tripping

    End of 2nd – DAL – 1        TOR – 0

    Shots               15                 16

    Faceoffs          21/31            10/31

    Hits                 28                  13

    PP                   0/2                  0/2

    Analysis:

    Leafs took the foot off the gas pedal and look to be really struggling to find any offence. Scoring needs to come from somewhere question is who will step up.

    Need to Do:

    Leafs need to put together a full period. Attack and Attack!

    Third Period:

    Dallas Penalty – 01:12 – Brett Ritchie 2 minutes for Holding

    Dallas Goal – 04:43 – Devin Shore (3) from Mattias Janmark (1) and Tyler Seguin (11)

    Dallas Penalty – 05:30 – Jason Dickinson 2 minutes for Tripping

    Dallas Penalty – 16:29 – Brett Ritchie 2 minutes for Tripping

    Toronto PPG Goal – 16:51 – Patrick Marleau (2) from Morgan Rielly (12) and John Tavares (7)

    End of 3rd – DAL – 2         TOR – 1

    Shots              18                   31

    Faceoffs        34                    18

    Hits               34/54             20/54

    PP                 0/2                    1/5

    Analysis:

    This game should have been a win for the Leafs, as they were the much better team for the majority of the game but a few posts and the realization of how much even the players relied on Auston Matthews for goals was at the forefront. Johnsson, Lindholm, Brown, Kapanen looked like they were there to play with speed and aggressiveness, which is a first all season for some of those guys. Take this as a building block for them to get the We Need Matthews to win games mentality out of their brain. Much better showing then against Calgary.

     

    Next Up:

    Toronto (8-5-0 16pts) @ Pittsburgh (6-2-1 13pts)

    Dallas (7-5-0 14pts) @ Washington (5-4-2 12pts)

     

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

     

  • OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! – TXHT Severs Ties with the DCHL

    TXHT Logo

     

    “The Xperience: Hockey Talk”, aka TXHT, has officially severed all ties to the DCHL and will no longer associate with the league.

     

    TXHT is committed to Serious Hockey Talk for Serious Hockey Fans, and we will be working diligently on looking for a new opportunity to bring you live local hockey games here in the DMV area.

     

    In the meantime, we will be removing our Street Sharks content for the time being until we have clear direction on where things will be heading for TXHT.

     

    We are excited to move away from the toxic atmosphere of the DCHL, and we looking forward to the future and what is to come.

     

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

     

  • How Good Are The Whitecaps? Scary Good.

    How Good Are The Whitecaps? Scary Good.

    When we were doing our previews for the NWHL teams, we asked how well the Whitecaps would transition into the league. Just a quick reminder, the Whitecaps were already an established franchise, and that this was their first season in the NWHL. It’s pretty fair to say, after six games, that they are one of the best teams in the league and are playing like legit Isobel Cup title contenders.

     

    They are currently in first place, having won all six games that they have played. They have put up the most goals for with 23 and have only allowed nine goals against, for a goal differential of +14. Breaking down their scoring by period, they have scored seven goals in the first period, six goals in the second period, and 10 goals in the third period. So they are getting pretty balanced scoring throughout the game.

     

    Already this season eleven players have found the back of the net for the Whitecaps. Leading the team in scoring is actually a tie with Jonna Curtis and Katie McGovern, both having scored four times. Another 14 players have also found the score sheet, with Lee Stecklein leading the team with six assists. However, it is Jonna Curtis leading the team in points, with nine.

     

    Complimented with their good play, their goaltending has been nothing short of phenomenal. It is Amanda Leveille leading the way having won all six games that she’s played. She has also put up some stellar numbers in all six games, she currently has a 1.50 GAA, a .947 Save Percentage, and she has also posted one shutout. She has truly picked up where she left off having already been named NWHL Goaltender of the Year for 2018.

     

    Currently the Whitecaps have a nice long break, as their next game will be on Saturday December 1st against the Boston Pride in Minnesota.

     

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

  • Gary Bettman and Suspensions – Why you should stop blaming him for everything

    So before I go into this, because this will probably be one of the most “controversial” topics I’ll ever write about, I’d like to start with a quote that my father always says and that is “11 out of 10 people are stupid”, and right now I’m going to try to fix the stupid so please wish me luck.

     

    So in the hockey world one of the hottest topics is that of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and the “controversy” surrounding him in regards to the suspensions of Auston Watson, for domestic abuse off the ice, and Tom Wilson, for an illegal check to the head during a game. Now these are two completely separate matters and I’d like to take deeper looks into both suspensions and explain why both of these cases need to be considered as such.

     

    First let’s take a look at Auston Watson of the Nashville Predators. During this past offseason Watson and his girlfriend had a domestic dispute that lead to some physicality and Watson being arrested for the incident. When all was said and done Watson pleaded no contest to the charges that were put against him. As a result of this off ice matter Commissioner Gary Bettman had a hearing with Watson, and then handed him a 27 game suspension for conduct detrimental to League. As a result of this ruling made by Bettman, per the CBA, Watson had the right to appeal this suspension, and since Bettman was the one handing out the suspension, to a neutral arbitrator. When Watson’s appeal was heard by the neutral arbitrator, the arbitrator reduced the suspension from 27 games to 18 games.

     

    Now let’s look at Tom Wilson’s suspension. During a preseason game Wilson delivered an illegal check to the head of St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist which resulted in a match penalty and game misconduct. Wilson had a Player Safety hearing with George Parros, the head of the Department of Player Safety, and was given a 20 game suspension given his recent history in the previous 12 months, and several sit down conversations and warnings that was given to him during that time. Recently Wilson and the NHLPA appealed the suspension which, per the CBA, was heard by Gary Bettman. This past Thursday Bettman upheld the suspension, and Wilson is now appealing to a neutral arbitrator that will hear the case on Wednesday October 31st.

     

    So now that the back story on both cases have been established, let’s look the similarities and differences of both cases.

     

    Differences:

    • Auston Watson’s suspension was a result of an off ice matter.
    • Tom Wilson’s Suspension was a result of a play on the ice.
    • Watson’s suspension was given to him by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
    • Wilson’s suspension was was given to him by George Parros from the Department of Player Safety.
    • Watson’s suspension could only be appealed to a neutral arbitrator per the CBA.
    • Wilson’s suspension has to be appealed to the Commissioner first, then, if upheld, can then be appealed to a neutral arbitrator per the CBA.

     

    Similarities:

    • Watson’s original suspension handed to him by Bettman was 27 games.
    • Wilson’s suspension handed to him by Parros is 20 games.
    • Per the CBA, any suspension six (6) or more games can be appealed.

     

    As you can tell the only similarity that these two have is that both suspensions were 20 or more games, but it’s what the differences are that matter here because this is where everyone is getting this confused. Auston Watson was suspended for an off ice offence and Gary Bettman handed down a punishment that he deemed appropriate for Watson’s particular case, whereas Tom Wilson was suspended for an illegal check to the head and has a history, and Bettman upheld the suspension originally given by George Parros.

     

    So what is the issue here? The correct answer is there is none, but people are making an issue of it anyways.

     

    Now there is the crowd that is going after Bettman and the League because there is no Domestic Violence policy in the NHL, which yes that is an issue and needs to be addressed in the next CBA talks with the NHLPA as there should be a Domestic Violence Policy with strict guidelines and penalties for when those types of matters occur, but right now there isn’t and we need to accept that fact that as of right now, and until a new policy can be put in place, this is how it works when it comes to Domestic disputes off the ice. The Commissioner reviews the off ice matter, and then he makes a ruling on the matter. Also let’s keep in mind that Slava Voynov is still considered suspended indefinitely, and if he were able to be allowed to return to the United States, which by the way per US law he can’t, then the League has made it known that more punishment would be coming his way as his Domestic Violence case is much more gruesome than the one concerning Auston Watson (and in no way are we saying that Watson’s case is minor, we are just stating that Voynov’s is a much more serious case as his wife beaten bloody, and hospitalized).

     

    Now with the above stated let’s get right to it. Stop blaming Gary Bettman for what is going on right now, but most importantly, stop comparing off ice matters as if it were an on ice matter. They are completely different, and they can’t be compared. What was handed out by the League to Auston Watson and to Tom Wilson can’t be compared because they happened under different circumstances. Gary Bettman is handling these situations the best he can, and has done so with respect.

     

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

  • 10/28/2018 – NHL and NWHL News and Notes

     

    Here is today’s News and Notes for 10/28/2018.

     

     

    In NHL Action:

    NEW JERSEY 3 – Florida 2

    NY Islanders 6 – PHILADELPHIA 1

     

    Edmonton 5 – NASHVILLE 3

     

    Washington 4 – CALGARY 3 (SO)

    COLUMBUS 5 – Buffalo 4 (OT)

    TORONTO 3 – Winnipeg 2

     

    Montreal 3 – BOSTON 0

    ST. LOUIS 7 – Chicago 3

    MINNESOTA 3 – Colorado 2

    ARIZONA 7 – Tampa Bay 1

     

    Pittsburgh 5 – VANCOUVER 0

     

    In NWHL Action:

    Metropolitan 3 – BOSTON 2

     

    MINNESOTA 3 – Buffalo 2

     

    NHL News and Notes:

    The Tampa Bay Lightning announced that Victor Hedman would miss at least one week due to an upper body injury and that Ondrej Palat is day to day with a lower body injury.

     

    Colorado Avalanche announced that Tyson Jost has a head injury.

     

    The Pittsburgh Penguins extended their condolences to the city of Pittsburgh and the Tree of Life synagogue after today’s horrific shooting that claimed (as of this publishing) 11 lives.

    https://twitter.com/6Schultz6/status/1056240645420081157

     

    In action today we have:

    NHL:

    NY Rangers (3-6-1) v. Los Angeles (2-7-1) 330p

    Dallas (5-4-0) v, Detroit (1-7-2) 5p

    NY Islanders (4-4-1) v. Carolina (6-3-1) 5p

    Edmonton (5-3-1) v. Chicago (6-3-2) 6p

    Ottawa (4-4-1) v. Vegas (4-5-1) 8p

    San Jose (5-3-2) v. Anaheim (5-5-1) 8p

     

    NWHL:

    Buffalo (2-1-0) v. Minnesota (5-0-0) 3p

     

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

  • 10/27/2018 –Toronto Maple Leafs vs Winnipeg Jets

    10/27/2018 –Toronto Maple Leafs vs Winnipeg Jets

     

     

    Toronto Maple Leafs (7-3-0 16pts) v Winnipeg Jets (6-2-1 13pts)

     

    Lineups:

    Toronto:

    Kasperi Kapanen – Auston Matthews – Patrick Marleau

    Mitch Marner – John Tavares– Zach Hyman

    Pars Lindholm – Nazem Kadri – Connor Brown

    Tyler Ennis – Frederik Gauthier – Josh Leivo

    Morgan Rielly  – Ron Hainsey

    Jake Gardiner – Nikita Zaitsev

    Martin Marincin – Igor Ozhiganov

    Frederik Andersen

    Garrett Sparks

    Scratched: Andreas Johnsson, Justin Holl & Travis Dermott

    Injuries: Nathan Horton (Back)

    Suspension: None

     

    Winnipeg:

    Patrik Laine – Mark Scheifle – Blake Wheeler

    Kyle Connor – Bryan Little– Nikolaj Ehlers

    Andrew Copp– Adam Lowry – Brandon Tanev

    Brendan Lemieux – Jack Roslovic – Matthieu Perrault

    Josh Morissey – Jacob Trouba

    Ben Chiarot – Dustin Byfuglien

    Joe Morrow – Tyler Myers

    Connor Hellebuyck

    Laurent Brossaint

    Scratched: None

    Injuries: None

    Suspension: None

     

    Gameday:

     

    First Period:

    Jets Penalty – 02:53 – Dustin Byfuglien, 2 mins for Slashing

    Leafs Penalty – 08:14 – Nazem Kadri, 2 mins for Boarding

    Jets PPG Goal  – 09:38 – Kyle Connor (6) Blake Wheeler (9) and Dustin Byfuglien (5)

    Jets Penalty – 20:00 – Tyler Myers, 2 mins for Roughing

    Leafs Penalty – 20:00 – John Tavares, 2 mins for Roughing

     

    End of 1st – TML – 0         WPG – 1

    Shots              10                      10

    Faceoffs     9/20                       11/20

    Hits               7                           13

    PP                 0/1                       1/2

     

    Toronto Maple Leafs: 

    Analysis:

    Leafs came out aggressive and looking ready to take over the game. But a questionable penalty on Kadri cost them the lead going into the 2nd period.

    Need to Do:

    Leafs need to continue being aggressive and attacking the defence of the Jets.

     

    Second Period:

    Jets Goal– 11:00 – Mark Schiefele (6), Unassisted

    Jets Penalty – 5:03 – Patrik Laine, 2 mins for Interference

     

    End of 2nd – TML – 0         WPG – 2

    Shots              19                    17

    Faceoffs       16/37            21/37

    Hits               12                    21

    PP                 0/2                   1/2

     

    Toronto Maple Leafs:

    Analysis:

    Leafs came out flat from the beginning and looked like they were just going to take the period off. Auston Matthews took a hard hit to the shoulder early in the 2nd period and didn’t return to the lineup in that period, remains to see if he will return tonight.

    Need to Do:

    Leafs better come to play in the 3rd even without Matthews, They have a huge hole to dig themselves out of.

     

    Third Period

    Leafs Goal – 06:33– Nazem Kadri (2) from Mitch Marner (10)  and Ron Hainsey (3)

    Jets Penalty – 9:31 – Jacob Trouba, 2 mins for Tripping

    Leafs Goal – 16:49– Jake Gardiner (1) from Mitch Marner (11)

    Leafs Goal – 17:15– Kasperi Kapanen (6) from John Tavares (6) and Zach Hyman (6)

     

    End of 3rd – TML – 3        WPG – 2

    Shots              31                   24

    Faceoffs     29/61                32/61

    Hits               20                       27

    PP                 0/3                    1/2

     

    Toronto:

    Analysis:

    Leafs were good for half of the first period and terrible in the 2nd, but Frederik Andersen bailed them out and kept them in the game until the 3rd. Where even without Auston Matthews the Leafs came out flying scoring 3 goals in the 3rd for the comeback win.

     

    Next Up:

    Calgary (5-5-1 11pts) vs Toronto (8-3-0 16pts)

     

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

     

  • 10/27/2018 – News and Notes

     

    Here is today’s News and Notes – EARLY EDITION!!

     

    Last night in the NHL we had four games:

     

    Today in the NHL we have a full day of action!!

     

    Which also features 2 games as the European Games of the Week:

     

    In NWHL action today we have two action packed games:

     

     

    In NHL Disciplinary News:

    Los Angeles Kings forward Kyle Clifford was fined for elbowing:

     

    Also in some sadder news, former NHL President John Ziegler passed away:

     

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

  • TXHT – 10/24/2018

    TXHT – 10/24/2018

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwsp8EgFHzE&w=560&h=315]

     

    Join Michael as he breaks down the past week for the Capitals, as well in the NHL and NWHL.

    Also TXHT Maple Leafs Writer Steve Gardiner joins the show to talk about the Leafs and so much more.

    Opening Music – “Human Chess” by Crimson Orchid

  • 10/24/2018 – Winnipeg Jets vs Toronto Maple Leafs

    10/24/2018 – Winnipeg Jets vs Toronto Maple Leafs

     

     

    Toronto Maple Leafs (6-3-0 12pts) @ St.Louis Blues (6-2-1 13pts)

    Lineups:

    Toronto:

    Kasperi Kapanen – Auston Matthews – Patrick Marleau

    Mitch Marner – John Tavares– Zach Hyman

    Pars Lindholm – Nazem Kadri – Connor Brown

    Tyler Ennis – Frederik Gauthier – Josh Leivo

     

    Morgan Rielly  – Ron Hainsey

    Jake Gardiner – Nikita Zaitsev

    Martin Marincin – Igor Ozhiganov

     

    Frederik Andersen

    Garrett Sparks

     

    Scratched: Andreas Johnsson, Justin Holl & Travis Dermott

    Injuries: Nathan Horton (Back)

    Suspension: None

     

    Winnipeg:

    Patrik Laine – Mark Scheifle – Blake Wheeler

    Kyle Connor – Bryan Little– Nikolaj Ehlers

    Andrew Copp– Adam Lowry – Brandon Tanev

    Brendan Lemieux – Jack Roslovic – Matthieu Perrault

     

    Josh Morissey – Jacob Trouba

    Ben Chiarot – Dustin Byfuglien

    Joe Morrow – Tyler Myers

     

    Connor Hellebuyck

    Laurent Brossaint

     

    Scratched: None

    Injuries: None

    Suspension: None
    Gameday:

    First Period:

    Leafs Goal  – 14:38 – Kasperi Kapenan (5) Unassisted

    Jets Penalty – 16:09 – Patrik Laine, 2 mins for Slashing
    End of 1st – TML – 1         WPG – 0

    Shots              18                     14

    Faceoffs     7/20                       10/20

    Hits               2                           7

    PP                 0/1                       0/0

     

    Toronto Maple Leafs: 

    Analysis:

    Leafs came out of the gate flying and it paid off on the scoreboard as Kasperi Kapanen put another one in. Leafs outplayed the Jets in this period, out shot and out scored.

    Need to Do:

    Continue to attack the defence of the Jets and directing everything towards the net

    Second Period:

    Leafs Goal– 2:25 – Tyler Ennis (1), from Josh Leivo (2)

    Leafs Penalty – 3:49 – Kasperi Kapanen, 2 mins for Slashing

    Leafs Goal– 11:43 – Nazem Kadri (1), from Connor Brown  (3) and Nikita Zaitsev (2)
    End of 2nd – TML – 3         WPG – 0

    Shots              11                    4

    Faceoffs       20/40            20/40

    Hits               5                     14

    PP                 0/1                   0/1


    Toronto Maple Leafs:

    Analysis:

    Leafs totally dominated this period, the Jets seemed sluggish and Leafs made them pay for it. Kadri got his first of the season was huge for Toronto in this period.

    Need to Do:

    Don’t get ahead of yourself with the 3 goal lead in the 3rd. The Jets can really score don’t give them room.

    Third Period

    Jets Goal – 04:57– Nikolaj Ehlers (1) from Jacob Trouba (6)  and Blake Wheeler (6)

    Leafs Penalty – 5:25 – Connor Brown, 2 mins for Hooking

    Jets PPG Goal – 06:28– Mark Scheifele (5) from Blake Wheeler (7)  and Kyle Connor (5)

    Leafs Goal – 08:28– John Tavares (7) from Mitch Marner (9)  and Pars Lindholm (2)

    Leafs Penalty – 9:46 – Igor Ozhiganov, 2 mins for Hooking

     

    End of 3rd – TML – 4        WPG – 2

    Shots              39                   40

    Faceoffs     29/64                35/64

    Hits               8                       21

    PP                 0/1                    1/3

     

    Toronto:

    Analysis:

    Probably the Leafs best game defensively. Third looked a little shaky but that’s why you have Andersen and why you went out to get a guy like Tavares.

    Next Up:

    Toronto (7-3-0 14pts) vs Winnipeg (6-3-1 13pts)

     

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

  • Gameday Preview:  Toronto Maple Leafs vs Winnipeg Jets

    Gameday Preview:  Toronto Maple Leafs vs Winnipeg Jets

     

    Time: Wednesday, October 24th 2018

    Toronto: 6-3-0 for 12 points

    Winnipeg: 6-2-1 for 13 points

    The Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg meet in a Wednesday matchup. 2 teams with 6 wins and both having offences that can score lots of goals. The problem this year for the Jets has been the goaltending of Connor Hellebuyck. After having a phenomenal season last year he seems to have come out a little flat in the 2019 season. While the Leafs look to kick start the offence that has been sleeping for the last 2 games.

    Look for Auston Matthews to be more aggressive tonight, but also look for Dustin Byfuglien to be extra physical.

    Top Scorers/Goalie Matchup

    Auston Matthews – 16 points (10 goals 6 assists) 53% on Face-offs
    Morgan Rielly – 14 points (4 goals 10 assists)
    John Tavares – 11 points (6 goals 5 assists) 49% on face-offs
    Mitch Marner – 12 points (4 goals 8 assists)

    Mark Scheifle –9 points (4 goals 5 assists) 47% faceoffs
    Kyle Connor– 8 points (4 goal 4 assists)
    Blake Wheeler– 7 points (2 goal 5 assist)
    Josh Morrisey– 7 points (1 goal 6 assists)

    Frederik Andersen
    4-3-0 2.75GAA .910SV%

    Connor Hellebuyck
    4-2-1 2.84GAA .909SV%

    Lineups & Injuries

    Toronto:

    Kasperi Kapanen – Auston Matthews – Patrick Marleau
    Mitch Marner – John Tavares– Zach Hyman
    Pars Lindholm – Nazem Kadri – 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: Tyler Ennis, Justin Holl & Martin Marincin

    Injuries: Nathan Horton (Back)

    Suspension: None

    Winnipeg:

    Patrik Laine – Mark Scheifle – Blake Wheeler
    Kyle Connor – Bryan Little– Nikolaj Ehlers
    Andrew Copp– Adam Lowry – Brandon Tanev
    Brendan Lemieux – Jack Roslovic – Matthieu Perrault

    Josh Morissey – Jacob Trouba
    Ben Chiarot – Dustin Byfuglien
    Joe Morrow – Tyler Myers

    Connor Hellebuyck
    Laurent Brossaint

    Scratched: None

    Injuries: None

    Suspension: None

    4 Keys to Winning against Winnipeg:

    1. Stay Out of the Box
      1. The Jets own the 4th best Powerplay in the league, they will burn you.
    2. Win faceoffs
      1. Winnipeg is not a great faceoff team. Win more faceoffs the more time you will have with the puck.
    3. Kadri
      1. Something has got to give with Nazem Kadri, so far he has been held goal-less this season and he is what drives that 3rd Need to find a way to get him going.
    4. Force the Jets to take penalties
      1. 2nd best powerplay in the league and with the offence seemingly drying up over the past 2 games, this is the perfect place to kick start it.

     

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