Category: Arizona Coyotes

  • Free Agent Frenzy – Capitals Sign Panik, Hathaway and Two Others.

    Free Agent Frenzy – Capitals Sign Panik, Hathaway and Two Others.

    Yesterday was July 1st where it is internationally known as Canada Day, or as us hockey fans know it, Free Agent Frenzy Day.

     

    Yesterday on the first official day of Free Agency their were many huge signings like Artemi Panarin to the New York Rangers and Sergei Bobrovsky to the Florida Panthers, but what did the Capitals do? Which is a great question given the holes they have to fill.

     

    The Capitals did not wait long as they inked forward Richard Panik to a four year deal worth $11 million.

    Panik, 28, recorded 14 goals and 33 points in 75 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season. He has also spent time with Tampa Bay, Toronto and Chicago.

     

    Panik is slated to play on the Capitals third line with Carl Hagelin and Lars Eller.

     

    Then an hour later they would sign forward Garnet Hathaway to a four year deal worth $6 million.

    Hathaway, 27, recorded 11 goals for 19 points in 76 games with the Calgary Flames last season. 2018-19 season would be career highs for him in both goals and points.

     

    Hathaway is slated to play on the Capitals fourth line with with Nic Dowd.

     

    Then the Capitals would sign minor league center Philippe Maillet to a two year, two way contract with an AAV of $700k.

     

    Then to end the day of signings for the Capitals, they would sign forward Brendan Leipsic to a one year $700k deal for the 2019-20 season.

    Leipsic, 25, recorded 7 goals and 23 points in 62 games with the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks last season, setting career highs in both goals and points. He has also spent time with Toronto and Vegas.

     

    This is the most interesting signing as one would have assumed that either Chandler Stephenson or Travis Boyd would take the last fourth line spot, but as of this writing it is Leipsic who is slated to be on the fourth line with Dowd and recently signed Hathaway.

     

    Also the Capitals re-signed goalie prospect Vitek Vanecek to a three year deal yesterday.

     

    TXHT will continue to cover NHL Free Agency and other offseason moves which you can follow with our Official Offseason Tracker.

  • April 7th, 2019  —  News and Notes

    April 7th, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Sunday, April 7th, 2019, and these are your news and notes covering the final day of the 2018-2019 Regular Season in the NHL.

     

    There were 15 contests yesterday across the NHL, with playoff implications on the line.

     


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

     

    Yesterday’s Results (Home team is in CAPS):

    Tampa Bay 6, BOSTON 3


    *Images are the property of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, NHL, NHL Public Relations, and their respective owners

     

    The Tampa Bay Lightning would get their 62nd win on the season, tying an NHL record with the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings, when they defeated the Boston Bruins with a 6-3 win yesterday afternoon.  Tampa Bay would get this win after being down 2-0 late in the second period and would score four unanswered goals before Boston would score in the third period to make it a 4-3 Tampa Bay lead. Tampa Bay would score two more goals, one being an empty netter late in the third, to give the Lightning a 6-3 win.

     

     

    Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov would set a record for points by a Russian NHL player with 128 points this season, when he registered his 41st goal on the season 53 seconds into the third period.

     

     

     

    ST. LOUIS 3, Vancouver 2 (SO)

     

    The St. Louis Blues would take down the Vancouver Canucks with a 3-2 win in a shootout and with the win, the St. Louis Blues would seal the third spot in the Central Division standings.

     

     

    Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson would score his 28th goal on the season and ended the season with 66 points, a rookie record for a Canucks player.

     

     

     

    MONTREAL 6, Toronto 5 (SO)

     

     

    The Montreal Canadiens would defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs with a 6-5 shootout win, thanks to a hat trick by Ryan Poehling in his first NHL game.

     

     

    In this back and forth contest, the Toronto Maple Leafs could not keep up with the upbeat Canadiens and would fall in the shootout loss.  However, despite the loss, the Maple Leafs would earn 100 points on the season, and it would be the first time Toronto would earn that mark in consecutive seasons.

     

     

     

    Columbus 6, OTTAWA 2

     

     

    The Columbus Blue Jackets would seal their spot in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 6-2 win over the Ottawa Senators yesterday.  This would also be a penalty free game from both teams.

     

    Buffalo 7, DETROIT 1

     

     

    The Buffalo Sabres would face off against the Detroit Red Wings and would end up crushing Detroit with a 7-1 win last night.

     

     

    Detroit’s lone goal in the contest would come on a power play goal in the first period with Anthony Mantha’s 25th goal on the season, setting a career-high.

     

     

     

    New Jersey 4, FLORIDA 3 (OT)

     

    Travis Zajac would score the game winner in overtime, his 19th goal on the season, to give the New Jersey Devils the 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers last night.

    New Jersey ends the season with 31-41-10 record, whereas the Florida Panthers end their season with a record of 36-32-14 0y 4 /8

     

    https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1114708929773174784

     

    Carolina 4, PHILADELPHIA 3

     

     

     

    Despite being outshot in the contest, the Carolina Hurricanes would go on to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3.  With the win by the Carolina Hurricanes, they earned the top wild card spot and will face the Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs.

     

    NY Rangers 4, PITTSBURGH 3 (OT)

     


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

     

    The Pittsburgh Penguins would fall to the New York Rangers yesterday, losing by the score of 4-3 in overtime last night.

     

    NY Islanders 3, WASHINGTON 0

     

    The Washington Capitals would fall to the New York Islanders with a 3-0 loss.  Despite the loss the Capitals will face off against the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs and the Islanders will face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

     

     

     

    NASHVILLE 5, Chicago 2

     

     

    The Nashville Predators would defeat the Chicago Blackhawks last night with a 5-2 win last night thanks to goals by five different Nashville skaters.

     

    With the Nashville win, they would go on to become back-to-back Central Division champions.

     

     

    DALLAS 3, Minnesota 0

     

    The Dallas Stars would defeat the Minnesota Wild with a 3-0 win, thanks to two goals from Dallas F Tyler Seguin.  Seguin would bring his regular season goal total to 33 goals, matching a mark he had in the 2015-16 season.

     

    The Minnesota Wild would be outshot throughout the entire contest and never could catch up to physicality and overall play of the Stars.

     

     

    Edmonton 3, CALGARY 1

    The Edmonton Oilers would defeat the Calgary Flames with a 3-1 win thanks to Leon Draisaitl’s 50th goal on the season as well as Alex Chiasson’s 22nd goal on the season.

     

    Calgary’s lone goal would come from Mark Jankowski, his 14th goal on the season, in the first period of the contest.  After that goal by the Flames, they would not any answer for the Oilers.

     


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

     

    Winnipeg 4, ARIZONA 2

     

    The Winnipeg Jets faced off against the Arizona Coyotes and would escape with a 4-2 win last night.

    There would be four different goal scorers for the Jets in the contest and it would be enough to clinch home ice for at least the first round of the playoffs.

     

    LOS ANGELES 5, Vegas 2

     

    The Los Angeles Kings would face off against the Vegas Golden Knights and escape with a convincing 5-2 win.

     

    Los Angeles Ilya Kovalchuk would score twice and with goals by Jeff Carter, Matt Roy, and Anze Kopitar, the Kings would end their season a win.

     

    For the Golden Knights, despite the loss to the Kings, their season will continue when they face off against the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

     

     

    SAN JOSE 5, Colorado 2

     


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

     

    The San Jose Sharks would go on to defeat the Colorado Avalanche by the score of 5-2 thanks to scorers from five different Sharks players in the contest.

     

     

    For more news, notes, information, and statistics, you can check out the NHL’s Morning Skate Report at the following link:

     

    5802__stanley_cup_playoffs-wordmark-2019

     

    The First Round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoff schedule was also announced earlier today.

     


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

     


    *Images are the property of the NHL, NHL Public Relations, and their respective owners

     

    TXHT will have a full playoff preview episode and articles to come so make sure to stay tuned.

  • April 3rd, 2019  —  News and Notes

    April 3rd, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Wednesday, April 3rd, 2019, and these are your news and notes

     

    There were 10 games in NHL action yesterday.


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

     

    Nashville 3, BUFFALO 2

     

    The Nashville Predators would take down the Buffalo Sabres with a 3-2 win.  With the win, the Predators are now 6-2-1 in their last nine contests.

     

    Nashville remains in a first place tie on points for the Central Division lead with the Winnipeg Jets.  However if the season were to end today, the Predators would be in second place in the Central Division based on ROW (regulation and overtime wins)

     

    Boston 6, COLUMBUS 2

     

    The Boston Bruins would defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets by the score of 6-2 and in doing so, the Bruins would snap Columbus’ five game win streak.

     

    Here is the infographic on Boston’s win over the Blue Jackets.

     


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

     

    Carolina 4, TORONTO 1

     

    The Carolina Hurricanes would defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs by the score of 4-1 and in doing so, the Hurricanes are trying to stay in contention for a postseason spot.

     

     

    With the loss by the Maple Leafs, Toronto clinched the third spot in the Atlantic Division.

     

    MONTREAL 4, Tampa Bay 2

     

    The Montreal Canadiens would double up the Tampa Bay Lightning with a convincing 4-2 win.

     

     

    DETROIT 4, Pittsburgh 1

     

    The Detroit Red Wings would win their sixth straight game with a 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins last night.

     

     

    The only goal scorer in the contest for the Penguins would be Phil Kessel, with his 25th goal on the season.

     

    Pittsburgh’s infographic from last night’s contest is pictured below


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

     

    MINNESOTA 5, Winnipeg 1

     

    The Minnesota Wild would defeat the Winnipeg Jets with a 5-1 win last night and with the win, the Wild prevented the Jets from climbing further for the division lead.

     

     

    DALLAS 6, Philadelphia 2

     

    The Dallas Stars would take down the Philadelphia Flyers with a convincing 6-2 win last night.

     

     

    Alexander Radulov would score two goals in the contest, giving him 29 goals on the season,

     

    With Dallas’ win, they clinched a spot in the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs.

     

    COLORADO 6, Edmonton 2

     

    The Colorado Avalanche would beat the Edmonton Oilers with a 6-2 in last night.

     

    After being down 2-0 at the end of the first period, the Avalanche scored six unanswered goals to seal the win.  Also in this contest, Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon would register his 400th NHL point.

     

    With Colorado’s win over the Oilers, the Minnesota Wild have been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention.  It will be the first time that the Wild are not in the playoffs since the 2011-12 season.

     

    VANCOUVER 4, San Jose 2

     

    Tanner Pearson would score twice in the contest to give the Vancouver Canucks a 4-2 win over the San Jose Sharks.

     

     

    San Jose’s Joe Thornton is now tied with Nicklas Lidstrom for 12th place on the all-time games played list with 1,564 regular-season games played.

     

    San Jose’s infographic from the 4-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks last night.

     


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

     

    Los Angeles 3, ARIZONA 1

     

    The LA Kings would take down the Arizona Coyotes with a 3-1 win.

     

     

    With the win by the Kings, the Coyotes postseason chances are now very slim as the remain four points behind the Colorado Avalanche for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference

     

     

     

     

    Today’s Schedule of NHL contests:


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

     

    For more news, notes, information, and stats, please check out the NHL’s Morning Skate report.

  • Three Stars and NHL Rookie of the Month (March 1-March 31) Announcements

    Three Stars and NHL Rookie of the Month (March 1-March 31) Announcements

    The National Hockey League yesterday announced the Three Stars of the Week and earlier today the Three Stars of the Month as well as the NHL Rookie of the Month was announced.

     

    First, TXHT will take a look at the announcements made for the Three Stars of the Week (week ending March 31)


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

     

    The First Star of the Week went to Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.

     

    Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky would be named the First Star of the Week thanks to a four wins on the week with two shutouts and would extend the Blue Jackets win streak to five games.

     


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

     

    The Second Star of the Week went to Detroit Red Wings F Tyler Bertuzzi.

     

    Tyler Bertuzzi shared the League lead with three goals and seven assists in four outings to power the Red Wings to a perfect week and their fifth consecutive victory overall.

    During the week, Bertuzzi would become the first Detroit player to record three consecutive three-point games since 1992-93.  Steve Yzerman achieved that feat twice during the 1992-93 season.


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

     

    The Third Star of the Week would go to Arizona Coyotes goaltender Darcy Kuemper.

     

    Arizona Coyotes goaltender Darcy Kuemper would achieve a record of 2-0-1 to keep the Coyotes in the hunt for a wild card spot and earn two shutouts over the week.

    Over the season, Kuemper has achieved a career high 26 wins in 53 appearances and ranks  in the top 10 in the NHL in goals-against average (6th place with a GAA of 2.34) and save percentage (9th place with a SV% of .924).


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

     

     

     

    Second, the National Hockey League earlier today announced the Three Stars of the Month (March 1-March 31).

     


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

     

     

     

    The First Star of the Month would go to Edmonton Oilers C Connor McDavid.

     


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

     

    McDavid would have 20 assists over a 14 game span during the month of March and lead the Oilers to a record of 7-5-2 for the month.  McDavid would also have 11 multi-point games over the course of March.

     

    The Edmonton captain also scored seven times, including his seventh career
    overtime goal March 16 at ARI and 40th goal of 2018-19 March 28 vs. DAL.  McDavid also ranks second in the NHL with a career-high 74 assists and 115 points in 75 total contests this season as well as sharing the League lead with nine game-winning goals.

     

    The Second Star of the Month would go to Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.


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

     

    Bobrovsky topped the NHL in wins, tied with nine and had four shutouts in 13 appearances.  In those 13 appearances for the month, Bobrovsky would compile a
    1.74 goals-against average and .940 save percentage to give the Blue Jackets a 9-6-1 March record and to the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.

     

    The Third Star of the Month would go to Boston Bruins D Brad Marchand.


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

     

    Marchand placed third in the NHL with nine goals and 14 assists in 15 games to propel the Bruins to a 9-6-0 March and help the Bruins clinch their third consecutive playoff berth.

     

    Marchand would register three points in four games (March 7 vs. the Florida Panthers, March 12 at the Columbus Blue Jackets, March 21 at the New Jersey Devils, and March 27 at home against the New York Rangers.

     

    Finally, the NHL also announced the Rookie of the Month for the month of March.

     

    St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington named as the NHL’s Rookie of the Month

     


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

     

    The NHL earlier today would announce that St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington would be named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for the month of March.  This would also be the second consecutive month in which Binnington would earn Rookie of the Month honours.

    Binnington would compile a record of 6-3-0 with a GAA (goals against average) of 2.37 and a save percentage of .912.

    Binnington allowed three or fewer goals in eight of his nine appearances to spark the Blues (43-28-8, 94 points) to their seventh playoff berth in eight seasons and would help get the Blues from the bottom of the NHL standings on January 2nd to second place in the Central Division standings as of the completion of yesterday’s games.

    Binnington has also compiled a record of 22-5-1 since he made his first NHL career start on January 7th.

    Binnington joins Vancouver Canucks rookie Elias Pettersson as the only two rookies to earn Rookie of the Month honours twice during the 2018-19 campaign.

     

    One final note to close out this article…

    Sportsnet and Hockey Night in Canada’s Elliotte Friedman released his “31 Thoughts” blog post for the week.

    One big highlight on this week’s “31 Thoughts” blog post is the news with the CWHL shuttering operations on May 1 and what the NHL needs to do to make a viable partnership with the NWHL.

    https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1113112788853972992

     

  • April 1st, 2019  —  News and Notes

    April 1st, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is April 1st, 2019, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were six contests in NHL action yesterday.

    Yesterday’s Results (Home team is in CAPS):

     

    NY Rangers 3, PHILADELPHIA 0

     

    The New York Rangers would take on the Philadelphia Flyers yesterday afternoon and would take down the Philadelphia Flyers with a 3-0 win yesterday in downtown Philadelphia.

     

     

    ARIZONA 4, Minnesota 0

     

    The Arizona Coyotes would shutout the Minnesota Wild yesterday afternoon with a 4-0 win.

     

     

    Arizona is still in postseason contention with three games left to play.,

     

     

    PITTSBURGH 3, Carolina 1

     

    The Pittsburgh Penguins would take down the Carolina Hurricanes with a 3-1 win and would not let the Carolina Hurricanes climb in the standings.

     


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

     

    Columbus 4, BUFFALO 0

     

    The Columbus Blue Jackets would defeat the Buffalo Sabres yesterday with a 4-0 shutout performance.

     

     

    Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky would have a 38 save performance, earning his 36th win on the season.

     

     

    DETROIT 6, Boston 3

     

    The Detroit Red Wings would take down the Boston Bruins with a 6-3 win, thanks to a three goal performance by Anthony Mantha.

     

     

    Despite the loss by the Bruins, they still are holding on strong to the second seed in the Atlantic Division playoff spot.

     


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

     

    Calgary 5, SAN JOSE 3

     

     


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

     


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

     

    With the 5-3 win over the San Jose Sharks, the Calgary Flames clinched the Pacific Division, their first division crown since the 2005-06 season when they won the Northwest Division, and the top seed in the Western Conference, which last happened in the 1989-90 season.

     

     

     

    Today’s schedule of contests:


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

     

    5802__stanley_cup_playoffs-wordmark-2019
    *Image is the property of the NHL and their respective owners

     

    Today’s playoff clinching scenarios:

    -The Washington Capitals can clinch the Metropolitan Division if they defeat the Florida Panthers AND the New York Islanders lose to the Toronto Maple Leafs in regulation

    -The Toronto Maple Leafs will clinch a postseason spot if they get at least one point against the Islanders

     

    With the win by the Calgary Flames, we now know one confirmed first round match-up in the postseason.

    The San Jose Sharks will take on the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

  • March 30th, 2019  —  News and Notes

    March 30th, 2019 — News and Notes

    After a lengthy absence, today is Saturday, March 30th, 2019, and these are your news and notes from yesterday.

     

    There were six NHL games yesterday.


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

     

    Yesterday’s Results (Home team is in CAPS):

     

    NY RANGERS 4, St. Louis 2

    The New York Rangers would take down the St. Louis Blues with the 4-2 win last night.

     

    Despite the Blues loss, St. Louis has reached the Stanley Cup playoffs for the seventh time in eight seasons.

    Per the NHL, St. Louis is now the 35th team in NHL history to reach the postseason after being last in the overall league standings at the 20th game played.

     

    Nashville 3, PITTSBURGH 1

     

    Highlights for the Nashville Predators at the Pittsburgh Penguins

     

     

    Infographic for the Pittsburgh Penguins game from the 3-1 loss to the Nashville Predators

     

     

    DETROIT 4, New Jersey 0

     

     

    The Detroit Red Wings shutout the New Jersey Devils yesterday with a 4-0 win last night.

     

     

    COLORADO 3, Arizona 2 (SO)

    The Colorado Avalanche would take down the Arizona Coyotes by the score of 3-2 in the shootout frame yesterday.  The win for Colorado puts them at 3 points ahead of the Coyotes for the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference playoff picture.

     

    With the win by the Avalanche, goaltender Philipp Grubauer is now 6-0-1 in his last seven consecutive starts and would reach a career high with 17 wins on the season.

     

     

    CALGARY 6, Anaheim 1

     

    Calgary’s Sean Monahan led all Flames skaters last night with two goals and two assists to establish a new career high with his 32nd and 33rd goal on the season.

     

     

    The infographic for the Calgary Flames 6-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks last night in Calgary.

     

     

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1111837462928613376

     

    Minnesota 3, VEGAS 2

     

    The Minnesota Wild would take down the Vegas Golden Knights with the 3-2 win.

     

     

    Minnesota’s goaltender Devan Dubnyk would reach the 30 win mark for the fifth consecutive season with the win last night.

    https://twitter.com/PR_NHL/status/1111862773707874304

     

    Despite the loss, the Vegas Golden Knights will return to the Stanley Cup playoffs.

     

     

     

     

    Today’s NHL Schedule of Games:


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

     

    5802__stanley_cup_playoffs-wordmark-2019
    *Image is the property of the NHL and their respective owners

     

    Today’s NHL playoff clinching scenarios are as follows:

    -Toronto will clinch a playoff berth if they get at least a point against the Ottawa Senators OR if the Montreal Canadiens lose to the Winnipeg Jets

    -The New York Islanders will clinch a playoff berth with the following scenarios:

    • They get a win over the Buffalo Sabres OR
    • They get a point AND Montreal loses OR
    • Montreal loses in regulation

     

    -The Calgary Flames, who are not playing tonight, will clinch:

    • The Pacific Division if the San Jose Sharks lose to Vegas Golden Knights in regulation
    • The Western Conference if the San Jose Sharks lose AND the Winnipeg Jets also lose

    -The Dallas Stars will clinch a berth in the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs if they defeat the Vancouver Canucks

  • Arizona: Top 10 Prospects

    Arizona: Top 10 Prospects

    TXHT begins another series on the top 10 prospects in each teams system. This will be alternating alongside the Impact on Hockey series. This series will take an in-depth look at the top 10 prospects in each system and give a little insight into the player they are and potentially could become.

    10. Goaltender – Aiden Hill

    Shoots L
    Born May 11, 1996 — Comox, BC
    Height 6.06 — Weight 202 [198 cm/92 kg]
    Drafted by Arizona Coyotes- round 3 #76 overall 2015 NHL Entry Draft

    Hill in 21 games this season with the Tucson Roadrunners carries solid numbers. Posting a 2.49 GAA and a .911 Save % – Which is pretty stellar considering he is playing for one of the most fantastic farm teams. Hill was a called up a few times this season with a rash of injuries occurring and once again posted some good numbers – 7-5-0 with a 2.76GAA and 901 Save %. Which is less than his AHL number but most goalies lately aren’t seeming to find their place in the NHL until between the ages of 27-29. Arizona owns a goalie right now that didn’t start until he was 29 – Antti Raanta – so at the age of 22 this kid has all the tools, including athleticism and great composure.

    9. Goaltender – Merrick Madsen

    Shoots L
    Born Aug 22 1995 — Acton, CA
    Height 6.05 — Weight 190
    Drafted by Philadelphia Flyers- round 6 #162 overall 2013 NHL Entry Draft

    Madsen doesn’t have the shot at the top that Hill does, he still is showing to be an excellent prospect. Playing for Havard of the NCAA, He had a 2.27 GAA and .918 save percentage, which is very nice numbers.

    Madsen will get his shot at the pro level as he joins the Tucson Roadrunners. Madsen deserves a look. He’s big enough (6’5″) which is the modern mold, and with some good development, he could develop in a nice Goaltender.

    8. Left Wing – Brayden Burke
    Shoots L
    Born Jan 1, 1997 — Edmonton, ALTA
    Height 5.10 — Weight 170

    Burke is an undrafted 22-year-old with some amazing offensive upside. So far in his first 53 games with Tucson,  Burke has amassed 11 goals and 14 assists for 24 points. He hasn’t had very many minutes, especially on the powerplay. But look for him to get some more ice-time in the 2019/2020 season, Burke may even get a look at the pro level given his age.

    7. Defense – Jordan Gross

    Shoots R
    Born May 9, 1995 — Maple Grove, MN
    Height 5.10 — Weight 195

    Gross, another NCAA player who is a bit of an overager. Clocked in at 22 years old, Gross played a pivotal goal-scoring role from the defense, scoring 10 goals and 20 assists in 40 games. He was known for his special team prowess, scoring the majority of his points there.

    Gross came into this season expecting a bigger role and he hasn’t disappointed. In 52 games this year with the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL, Gross has put together 5 goals and 16 assists. Gross has the ability to QB the powerplay, as well as open up ice for teammates on 5 on 5. Don’t be shocked if you see him in Arizona in the 2019/2020 season.

    6. Right Wing – Conor Garland

    Shoots R
    Born Mar 11, 1996 — Scituate, MA
    Height 5.10 — Weight 165 
    Drafted by Arizona Coyotes – round 5 #123 overall 2015 NHL Entry Draft
    Garland had back to back 120 point seasons in the Canadian Juniors. Garland is one of these weird breeds of players, the AHL doesn’t seem to suit him. Coming in from the juniors a playmaker, he just hasn’t been able to find it in the AHL. But with a rash of injuries in Arizona, they called up the 22-year-old and boy has been a scoring machine. Getting 4th line minutes as the Coyotes try to make the playoffs Garland has 12 goals and 3 assists in 39 games. But his defensive game, physical game and just overall game has looked leaps above what has been expected. Fun player to watch, especially when he forechecks.
    5. Center – Tyler Steenbergen
    Shoots R
    Born Jan 7, 1998 — Sylvan Lake, ALTA 
    Height 5.10 — Weight 188
    Drafted by Arizona Coyotes– round 5 #128 overall 2017 NHL Entry Draft
    Steenbergen is a lot of the same things as Brayden Burke – who was discussed earlier – but younger. After scoring 90 points last season, he followed it up with a 102 point debut. He was a Second-Team All-Star in the WHL and scored the Championship winning goal for Canada at the U20 World Juniors.
    Don’t expect to see Steenbergen in the minors long. He does everything right, plays a great 2-way game, good faceoff man, and plays a bigger game than his stature suggests.
    4. Defense – Kyle Capobianco
    Shoots L
    Born Aug 13 1997 — Mississauga, ONT
    Height 6.01 — Weight 196
    Drafted by Arizona Coyotes– round 3 #63 overall 2015 NHL Entry Draft

    Capobianco is probably the most intriguing of all the defencemen in Arizona’s system.Capobianco is a more rigid two-way presence and is better defensively than a lot of the guys in the Coyotes system. He was 38th in rookies in scoring and fourth in rookie defensemen in the AHL. But Capobianco plays with an edge and some grit to his game. Most project him as a potential partner for Oliver-Ekman Larsson. At least a top 4 guy for sure.

     

    3. Center – Barrett Hayton

    Shoots L
    Born Jun 9, 2000 — Peterborough, ONT
    Height 6.01 — Weight 191 [185 cm/87 kg]
    Drafted by Arizona Coyotes – round 1 #5 overall 2018 NHL Entry Draft
    Hayton was drafted 5th overall by the Coyotes for potential. 0.95 point per game player in the OHL – which is not great for a 5th overall pick. But what set Hayton apart was he was playing on a fantastic team in a depth role for the majority of the season – under a point per game isn’t so big then. The expectation is with a bigger role he would have been able to contribute more and as of right now he’s proving it to be true. Hayton so far in 37 games is averaging over a point per game – 22 goals 38 assists for 60 points.
    Hayton is still a diamond in the rough, but Arizona is ready to be patient and develop him. Should be at least a solid top 9 player, at his peak could be top 2 centermen.
    2. Defense – Pierre-Olivier Joseph
    Shoots L
    Born Jul 1, 1999 — Chambly, PQ
    Height 6.02 — Weight 168 
    Drafted by Arizona Coyotes– round 1 #23 overall 2017 NHL Entry Draft
    Another defenceman in the Coyotes pool. Joseph is built in the mold of someone like Hampus Lindholm – a mobile defensive defenseman who can play shutdown and throw a few points in here and there. He’s gonna carry a heavy defensive load and penalty kill a lot. Which makes for a great partner for all their offensive-minded defencemen.
    1. Right Wing – Nick Merkley
    Shoots L
    Born May 23, 1997 — Calgary, ALTA
    Height 5.10 — Weight 194 
    Drafted by Arizona Coyotes– round 1 #30 overall 2015 NHL Entry Draft
    Merkley has come along way from when he was drafted, He has the potential to be a top line winger but scoring was lacking at the beginning. But last season in Tuscan he seemed to turn a corner his defensive game was elevated, he showed flashes of offensive prowess and ended the season a point per game player. Look for Merkley to get some serious chances to become a top line winger in Arizona in the near future.
  • March 12th, 2019  —  News and Notes

    March 12th, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Tuesday, March 12th, 2019, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were seven contests in NHL action last night.

     


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

     

    Yesterday’s Results (Home team is in CAPS):

     

    Tampa Bay 6, TORONTO 2

    The Tampa Bay Lightning would take on the Toronto Maple Leafs and would win the contest by the score of 6-2.

    The Lightning would go on to out shoot the Maple Leafs in the contest.

    Tampa Bay’s Cedric Paquette and Tyler Johnson would each score twice in the contest to give the Lightning their 53rd win on the season.  And would be the seventh club to get the 110 point mark in 70 games or fewer.

    TXHT has your complete coverage of the contest between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs at the following page.

     

    NY ISLANDERS 2, Columbus 0

    The New York Islanders would go on to defeat the reeling Columbus Blue Jackets with a 2-0 win and in the contest, Islanders goaltender Thomas Greiss would have 31 saves.

     

    PHILADELPHIA 3, Ottawa 2

    The Philadelphia Flyers would go on to defeat the Ottawa Senators with a 3-2 win, thanks to three unanswered goals in the second period to seal the win for Philadelphia last night.

     

    San Jose 3, MINNESOTA 0

    The San Jose Sharks would go on to shutout the Minnesota Wild with a 3-0 win and with the win, San Jose would move to the top of the Pacific Division standings.


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

     

     

    CHICAGO 7, Arizona 1

    The Chicago Blackhawks would take on the Arizona Coyotes and would go on to crush the Coyotes by the score of 7-1.

    Chicago’s Brendan Perlini would go on to register a hat trick in the contest.

    Chicago’s Jonathan Toews would also go on to successfully register a penalty shot in the contest.

     

    Carolina 3, COLORADO 0

     

    The Carolina Hurricanes would go on to face off against the Colorado Avalanche and would escape with a shutout win.

    Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov would go on to score twice in the contest to guide the Hurricanes to the win.

     

     

    EDMONTON 3, NY Rangers 2 (OT)

    The Edmonton Oilers would have three different goal scorers in the contest and would go on to get a much needed win against the New York Rangers last night with the 3-2 overtime win.

     

     

     

    Today’s NHL schedule of games…

     

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

     

     

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    Due to the postponement of the semifinal game on Sunday between the Metropolitan Riveters and the Minnesota Whitecaps, that contest will now be played on Friday night with the winner taking on the Buffalo Beauts on Sunday at 2 p.m., ET/1 p.m., CT at TRIA Rink in St. Paul, Minnesota.

     

     

    The announcement of rescheduled contest was made yesterday and it would be determined that the 2019 NWHL Isobel Cup Final would be played at TRIA Rink.

     

    For more news on that, please check out the following tweets per the NWHL.

  • March 8th, 2019  —  News and Notes

    March 8th, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Friday, March 8th, 2019, and these are your news and notes.

    There were 11 NHL contests yesterday


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

    Yesterday’s Results (Home team in CAPS):

    BOSTON 4, Florida 3

    The Boston Bruins would sneak past the Florida Panthers with a 4-3 win last night.  Boston’s Patrice Bergeron would score twice in the contest and Brad Marchand would have a three assist night.  With Boston’s win, they would go on to extend their point streak to 18 contests.

     

    Boston’s goaltender Tuukka Rask would go on to have a 22 save performance in the contest.

     


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

     

    PITTSBURGH 3, Columbus 0

    The Pittsburgh Penguins would go on to shutout the Columbus Blue Jackets last night with the 3-0 win.


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

     

    NY Islanders 4, OTTAWA 2

    The New York Islanders would go on to double up the Ottawa Senators with the 4-2 win and Valtteri Filppula would go on to have two goals in the contest for the Islanders.

    With the win, the Islanders would go on to get the sweep in the home-and-home series against the Senators.

     

     

    DETROIT 3, NY Rangers 2 (SO)

    Detroit’s Andreas Athanasiou would score a goal in the contest and would get what would be the only goal in the shootout frame to seal the win for the Red Wings in the contest. 

     

     

    For the Rangers, Pavel Buchnevich would score what would be the two goals in the contest.

    Minnesota 3, TAMPA BAY 0

    The Minnesota Wild would cool off the white-hot Tampa Bay Lightning with the 3-0 win.  Minnesota’s Jason Zucker would score the only goals in the contest.

     

     

    With the lone goals scored by Zucker, he would be only the second player in franchise history and the 23rd in League history to not only have at least three goals that were the only goals in the contest but the team would also register a shutout as well.

     

     

    CHICAGO 5, Buffalo 4 (SO)

    The Chicago Blackhawks would go on to register the 5-4 shootout win against the Buffalo Sabres.

     

     

    Chicago’s Artem Anisimov would go on to have two goals in the contest, while Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane would both go on to have two assists in the contest.

     

     

    DALLAS 4, Colorado 0

    The Dallas Stars would go on to shutout the Colorado Avalanche in Dallas last night and Alexander Radulov would go on to register a hat trick in the contest, sealing the hat trick in the contest with 2:58 left in the third period with his empty net goal.

     

     

    EDMONTON 3, Vancouver 2

    The Edmonton Oilers would go on to sneak past the Vancouver Canucks with the 3-2 win last night.

    Edmonton’s Alex Chiasson, Zack Kassian, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would go on to score the goals for the Oilers in the contest.

    Vancouver’s Jay Beagle would go on to snap his scoreless streak in the contest with his third goal on the season late in the second period.  Alexander Edler would also go on to register a goal in the third period but that would not be enough to tie up the game.

     

    ARIZONA 2, Calgary 0

     

    The Arizona Coyotes would go on to blank the Calgary Flames last night and with the win, the Coyotes would move to a record of 33-29-5.

     

     

    Calgary Flames infographic from last night’s contest

     


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

     

    St. Louis 4, LOS ANGELES 0

     

     

     

    The St. Louis Blues would go on to record their fifth shutout in the past twelve contests and the NHL-best ninth shutout on the season as they would go on to blank the Los Angeles Kings by the score of 4-0.

     

    SAN JOSE 5, Montreal 2

     

    San Jose Sharks defenceman Brent Burns would go on to record his 60th assist on the season, and joins three other players to have at least 60 assists at the age of 33 or older.

     

     

     


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

     

    For the Montreal Canadiens, Andrew Shaw and Artturi Lehkonen would score the only goals, despite out shooting the Sharks in this contest.

     


    *Image in the property of the Montreal Canadiens, NHL, NHL Public Relations, and their respective owners

     

     

     

    Tonight’s NHL schedule of contests…


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

     

     

    FB_IMG_1551878102760

     

    Last night in the 2019 NWHL’s Isobel Cup Playoffs Play-in game, the Metropolitan Riveters would take on the Connecticut Whale and would come out with the 5-2 win.

    The contest would be fast-paced in the first period, with the game being tied a 2-2.  The second period in the contest would be filled with penalties and neither team would take advantage of the extra skater.  The third period would start out slow until Riveters Audra Richards would end up scoring what would be the game winner at the 2:35 mark.  There would not be another goal scored until toward the end of the period when Alexa Grushow would score her second goal in the contest and then with 16 seconds left, Audra Richards would score an empty net goal.

    The Metropolitan Riveters will now take on the Minnesota Whitecaps on Sunday 2:30 p.m., ET/1:30 p.m., CT.

    TXHT’s Christopher Vasilas has your full recap of the contest between the Connecticut Whale and Metropolitan Riveters at the following page.

  • March 6th, 2019 —  News and Notes

    March 6th, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Wednesday, March 6th, 2019, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were 10 contests in NHL action yesterday…


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

     

    BOSTON 4, Carolina 3 (OT)

     

    The Carolina Hurricanes would take on the Boston Bruins last night and the Hurricanes would don the Hartford Whalers throwbacks for the final time this season.

     

     

    The Boston Bruins would go on to defeat the Hurricanes in the contest with the 4-3 win in the overtime frame, thanks to David Krejci’s goal.  That goal would be his 16th on the season.

     

    Columbus 2, NEW JERSEY 1 (SO)

     

    The Columbus Blue Jackets would get a very important win last night against the New Jersey Devils with a 2-1 win, picking it up in the shootout frame.

     

     

    NY ISLANDERS 5, Ottawa 4 (SO)

     

    The New York Islanders would take on the Ottawa Senators and would come away with the 5-4 win in the shootout frame and with the win, Islanders head coach Barry Trotz would notch his 800th win.

     

    PITTSBURGH 3, Florida 2 (OT)

     

    The Pittsburgh Penguins would face off against the Florida Panthers last night in downtown Pittsburgh, and the Penguins would escape with the 3-2 win in overtime.

     


    *Image is the property of the NHL, Pittsburgh Penguins, and their respective owners

     

    Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby would have one goal and two assists to reach the career mark of 1,200 points for his career.

    In this contest, Pittsburgh’s Matt Cullen would become the 20th player in League history to play in at least 1,500 games.

     

    Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby would reach the 1,200 career point mark last night, tying Dino Ciccarelli for 47th place on the NHL’s all-time list in the contest.  He would reach the mark in 927 games, the 12th fastest in NHL history.

     

     

     

    TAMPA BAY 5, Winnipeg 2

    The Tampa Bay Lightning would go on to host the Winnipeg Jets last night and would go on to crush the Jets with the decisive 5-2 win in Tampa last night.

     

    NASHVILLE 5, Minnesota 4 (SO)

    The Nashville Predators would face off against the Minnesota Wild and would get the win tanks to the lone shootout goal in the contest by Nashville’s Ryan Johansen.  There would also be four different goal scorers in this contest for the Predators.

     

    DALLAS 1, NY Rangers 0

    In a penalty-filled contest last night, the Dallas Stars would defeat the NY Rangers last night by the score of 1-0.  The lone goal of the contest came from Stars John Klingberg, early in the second period.

    Dallas goaltender Ben Bishop would go on to have 28 saves in the contest and would earn his fourth shutout on the season.

     

    COLORADO 4, Detroit 3 (OT)

     

    After trailing twice in the third period, the Colorado Avalanche would come back and defeat the Detroit Red Wings with a 4-3 win in the overtime frame.

     

     

    Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen would go on to have one goal and two assists in the contest and Nathan MacKinnon would go on to net the game-winner in the overtime frame to clinch the win for the Avalanche.

     

    Anaheim 3, ARIZONA 1

     

    The Anaheim Ducks would snap the Arizona Coyotes six game win streak with the 3-1 last night in Glendale, Arizona.

     

    In this contest, Ryan Kesler would play in his 1,000th NHL game.

     

    Montreal 3, LOS ANGELES 1

     

    In this contest, the Montreal Canadiens would score the first three goals in the contest, which would help guide the Canadiens to a 3-1 win last night over the Los Angeles Kings in downtown Los Angeles last night.

     

     

     

    Tonight’s NHL schedule of games…

     


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

     

    TXHT’s Steve Gardiner has your preview of the contest between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Vancouver Canucks at the following page.

     

     

     

    FB_IMG_1551878102760
    *Image is the property of the NWHL and their respective owners

     

    With the 2019 NWHL Isobel Cup Playoffs kicking off tomorrow with the play-in game between the Connecticut Whale and the Metropolitan Riveters, TXHT’s Christopher Vasilas has your preview of the contest at the following page.