X75 Productions

Category: Washington Capitals

  • Capitals News – Fehervary Assigned to Hershey *UPDATED*

    Capitals News – Fehervary Assigned to Hershey *UPDATED*

    Today the Washington Capitals have assigned Martin Fehervary to the Hershey Bears of the AHL.

     

     

    In three games this season, the 20 year old rookie defenseman was averaging 14:29 minutes per game and had a 54.72 shot attempt percentage during five on five play.

     

    The move opens the door for defender Michal Kempny’s return after missing the rest of the latter portion of the regular season and playoffs last season, and the first three games of the 2019-20 season.

     

    *Update* 12:01p ET

    The Washington Capitals have also announced that they have placed forward Travis Boyd on waivers.

     

     

    Boyd is expected to be loaned to Hershey once he clears waivers.

     

    Sponsored by:

    DerpyCon_General Ad.png

  • NHL News and Notes from Saturday, October 5th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Saturday, October 5th, 2019

    MNHL News and Notes from Saturday, October 5th, 2019

     

    News:

    • The Ottawa Senators announced that they will be retiring Chris Phillips’ number 4 on February 18th, 2020.

     

     

    Game Recaps:

    New Jersey Devils v. Buffalo Sabres – 7p EST Start Time

    NJ HomeBUF 50

    Scott takes a look at the New Jersey Devils game against the Buffalo Sabres which would see the Sabres score a touchdown in their home opener. TXHT Recap

     

    Montreal Canadiens v. Toronto Maple Leafs – 7p EST Start Time

    MON RoadTOR Home

    The Toronto Maple Leafs would blow a three goal lead against the Montreal Canadiens, and would fall to the Habs 6-5 in the shootout after Paul Byron would score the lone goal of the shootout. The Leafs would get their goals from Alexander Kerfoot, Trevor Moore, William Nylander, and a pair from Auston Matthews, while the Canadiens would get their goals from Jonathan Drouin, Brendan Gallagher, Jeff Petry, and Phillip Danault.

     

    New York Rangers v. Ottawa Senators – 7p EST Start Time

    NYR RoadOTT Home

    The New York Rangers would get a hat trick from Mika Zibanejad after he would score a powerplay goal, even strength, and shorthanded goal to help lead the Rangers to a 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Rangers also got a powerplay goal from Artemi Panarin, which Zibanejad assisted on, while the Senators got their lone goal Brady Tkachuk.

     

    Tampa Bay Lightning v. Florida Panthers – 7p EST Start Time

    TB RoadFLA Home

    In a tightly contested matchup, the Florida Panthers would defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 after getting a hat trick from Mike Hoffman (2 PPG’s and 1 ESG) and a goal from Noel Acciari. The Lightning would get their goals from Gemel Smith, Steven Stamkos, and Mathieu Joseph.

     

    Columbus Blue Jackets v. Pittsburgh Penguins – 7p EST Start Time

    CLB RoadPIT Alt

    The Pittsburgh Penguins would get two goal games from both Patric Hornqvist and Jared McCann to lead them to a 7-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Penguins would also get goals from Marcus Pettersson, Kris Letang, and Teddy Blueger, while the Blue Jackets would get their two goals from Zach Werenski and Gustav Nyquist.

     

    Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals – 7p EST Start Time

    CAR RoadWAS Home

    The Carolina Hurricanes comeback from a two goal deficit to defeat the Washington Capitals in overtime 3-2 to spoil the Capitals Home Opener. TXHT Recap

     

    Dallas Stars v. St. Louis Blues – 8p EST Start Time

    DAL RoadSTL Alt

    The St. Louis Blues would score two goals in the third period to comeback from behind to defeat the Dallas Stars 3-2 in regulation. The Blues would get their goals from David Perron, Brayden Schenn, and Sammy Blais, while the Stars goal scorers were Mattias Janmark and Miro Heiskanen.

     

    Detroit Red Wings v. Nashville Predators – 8p EST Start Time

    DET RoadNAS Home

    The Detroit Red Wings would erupt for a three goal third period to defeat the Nashville Predators 5-3. The Red Wings would get a two goal game Tyler Bertuzzi, and goals from Anthony Mantha, Dylan Larkin, and Luke Glendening. The Predators would get goals from Viktor Arvidsson, Filip Forsberg, and Mattias Ekholm.

     

    Boston Bruins v. Arizona Coyotes – 9p EST Start Time

    BOS RoadARI Alt

    A late first period goal by Brad Marchand was all the Boston Bruins would need to put away the Arizona Coyotes in their home opener. This would be the second game of the Bruins four game road trip to start the season.

     

    Minnesota Wild v. Colorado Avalanche – 9p EST Start Time

    MIN RoadCOL Alt

    The Colorado Avalanche would get a late second period goal from Gabriel Landeskog and an empty netter from Ryan Graves to seal a 4-2 victory of the Minnesota Wild. Mikko Rantanen would score his third of the season on the powerplay, and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare would also score for the Avalanche, while the Wild would get goals from Ryan Suter and Zach Parise.

     

    San Jose Sharks v. Anaheim Ducks – 10p EST Start Time

    SJ RoadANA Alt

    The Anaheim Ducks host the struggling San Jose Sharks as they look to add to the woes of the Sharks, and pile on they would as they would score three goals in the first two periods to have a 3-1 lead going into the third period. The Ducks would get goals from Michael Del Zotto, Ryan Getzlaf, and Adam Henrique to seal the deal for the Ducks as those three goals would be all they would need to down the Sharks whose lone goal was from Logan Couture.

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1180703058377920512?s=20

     

    Vancouver Canucks v. Calgary Flames – 10p EST Start Time

    VAN RoadCAL Alt

    In Calgary the Flames would host the Vancouver Canucks, and allit would require for the Flames is goals from Elias Lindholm, Sean Monahan, and Johnnny Gaudreau plus some stellar goaltending from David Rittich to secure a 3-0 shutout victory over the Canucks.

     

    Los Angeles Kings v. Edmonton Oilers – 10p EST Start Time

    LA RoadEDM Home

    In a wild west matchup the Edmonton Oilers would host the Los Angeles Kings in what one would describe as a scoring festival. For the Kings they would get goals from Dustin Brown, Trevor Lewis, Anze Kopitar, Michael Amadio, and Drew Doughty, while the Oilers would get a pair of goals from James Neal, and goals from Connor McDavid, Zack Kassian, Joakim Nygard, and Darnell Nurse. Once the dust settled and the final buzzer sounded it would be the Oilers holding off the Kings with a 6-5 victory.

     

    Sponsored by:

    DerpyCon_General Ad.png

  • Game Recap – 10/5/2019 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 10/5/2019 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Carolina Hurricanes (1-0-0 2pts) v. Washington Capitals (2-0-0 4pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals look to keep their winning ways going as they play their first game of the season at home against the Carolina Hurricanes. For the majority of the first period the Hurricanes would generate chances against the Capitals, but Braden Holtby would stand tall in net for the Capitals. Then late in the period Garnet Hathaway would pick off a poor pass attempt by Joel Edmundson and then drive to the net to score his first as Capital and to give them the 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

     

    In the second period the Capitals would still have some time to work on their first powerplay opportunity, but would not be able to convert. Then they would gain another opportunity when Jordan Staal would be called for tripping, but again could not convert on the powerplay. However, midway through the second it would be TJ Oshie who would bat the puck down and then get it past James Reimer to give the Capitals a 2-0 lead after an Official review. The Capitals would try to make it 3-0 off another potential Hathaway goal, but after a Coach’s Challenge it was ruled that Brendan Leipsic did in fact interfere with Reimer, and the goal would not count as a result.

     

    Then in the third period Radko Gudas would take an interference penalty and the Hurricanes would finally get their powerplay on point as Erik Haula would tap in a Teuvu Teravainen pass past Braden Holtby to cut the Capitals lead to one. The after killing off a Tom Wilson penalty, the Capitals would have a breakdown in their own zone and Jaccob Slavin would capitalize by getting the puck past Holtby to tie the game at two. Then in overtime the Capitals would dominate with 7 shots on goal and a powerplay opportunity, but were unable to capitalize. However, for the Hurricanes they would only need one shot to win it as Jake Gardiner would wrist a shot past Holtby to win the game 3-2 in overtime.

     

    Lineups:

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Nino Niederreiter — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen

    Andrei Svechnikov — Jordan Staal — Brock McGinn

    Ryan Dzingel — Erik Haula — Martin Necas

    Warren Foegele — Lucas Wallmark — Jordan Martinook

    Jaccob Slavin — Dougie Hamilton

    Joel Edmundson — Brett Pesce

    Jake Gardiner — Haydn Fleury

    James Reimer

    Petr Mrazek

    Scratched: None

    Injured: Trevor van Riemsdyk (shoulder)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Lars Eller — T.J. Oshie

    Carl Hagelin — Chandler Stephenson — Richard Panik

    Brendan Leipsic — Nic Dowd — Garnet Hathaway

    Jonas Siegenthaler — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Nick Jensen

    Martin Fehervary — Radko Gudas

    Braden Holtby

    Ilya Samsonov

    Scratched: Tyler Lewington, Travis Boyd

    Injured: Michal Kempny (hamstring)

    Suspended: Evgeny Kuznetsov

     

    First Period:

    WAS Penalty – 6:45 – Jonas Siegenthaler 2 minutes for Interference

    CAR Penalty – 8:11 – Erik Haula 2 minutes for Interference

    WAS Goal – 17:23 – Garnet Hathaway (1) from Brendan Leipsic (1)

    CAR Penalty – 19:22 – Nino Niederreiter 2 minutes for Slashing

     

    End of 1st

    10-05 v CAR.png

     

    Second Period:

    CAR Penalty – 4:29 – Jordan Staal 2 minutes for Tripping

    WAS Penalty – 8:19 – Jonas Siegenthaler 2 minutes for Interference

    WAS Goal – 11:40 – TJ Oshie (2) from Jakub Vrana (1) and Radko Gudas (2)

    CAR Penalty – 13:25 – Martin Necas 2 minutes for Tripping

    CAR Penalty – 18:51 – Andrei Svechnikov 2 minutes for High Sticking

     

    End of 2nd

    10-05 v CAR-2.png

     

    Third Period:

    WAS Penalty – 1:59 – Radko Gudas 2 minutes for Interference

    CAR PPG – 2:36 – Erik Haula (2) from Teuvu Teravainen (2) and Andrei Svechnikov (2)

    WAS Penalty – 7:17 – Tom Wilson 2 minutes for Tripping

    CAR Goal – 9:50 – Jaccob Slavin (1) from Jordan Martinook (1) and Warren Foegele (1)

    CAR Penalty – 12:29 – Joel Edmundson 2 minutes for Holding

    WAS Penalty – 12:29 – Lars Eller 2 minutes for High Sticking

     

    End of 3rd

    10-05 v CAR-3.png

     

    Overtime:

    CAR Penalty – :19 – Jordan Staal 2 minutes for Hooking

    CAR Goal – 4:04 – Jake Gardiner (1) from Andrei Svechnikov (2)

     

    End of OT:

    10-05 v CAR-4.png

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (2-0-1 5pts) v. Dallas (0-1-0 0pts)

    Carolina (2-0-0 4pts) v. Tampa Bay (1-1-0 2pts)

     

    Sponsored by:

    DerpyCon_General Ad.png

  • The Capitals Home Opener: Back to Where It All Begins

    The Capitals Home Opener: Back to Where It All Begins

    Washington Capitals (2-0-0) v. Carolina Hurricanes (1-0-0)

     Predicted Goaltender Record (W-L-OTL) GAA/SV%
    Washington CapitalsBraden Holtby1-0-01.90/.909%  
    Carolina HurricanesPetr Mrazek1-0-02.77/.917%

    This is it. The night Capitals’ fans have been anticipating for months. The Home Opener. Although this is the third game the Washington Capitals will have played thus far, the Home Opener is the first opportunity for fans to watch their favorite team play at home, which always has a special feel to it. Last season, the Capitals raised their Stanley Cup Champions banner, made us all cry, and shut out the Boston Bruins 7-0 on the night of their home opener. This time, the boys in red are looking to Rock the Red and to defeat the team that knocked them out in the first round of the playoffs this past April; Rod Brind’amour and his Carolina Hurricanes.

    Last night, the Washington Capitals beat their former bench boss Barry Trotz and his New York Islanders, 2-1 in regulation. Ilya Samsonov, in his NHL debut, and first NHL win, proved that he is indeed NHL caliber, and the future of Capitals goal-tending. The young Russian net-minder stopped 25 of 26 shots faced, and remained calm, cool, and very collected between the pipes. Samsonov did not let the rambunctious and passionate Isles hometown fan base distract or divert his attention away from the task at hand. Jakub Vrana scored his second goal of the season halfway through the first period, but one fluke of a goal two minutes later tied the game 1-1. TJ Oshie would ultimately score the game-winning goal on the Capitals’ power play late in the second. The Capitals played extremely well, sans a couple of bad passes, and extended defensive zone play early in the third period. Playing two games in as many nights is certainly not an easy feat, and the Capitals will have to dig deep tonight to come out with a win for the fans, and to downgrade a gritty, dirty Hurricanes team. As tonight’s game will be the second game of a back-to-back, Braden Holtby is expected to start for the Washington Capitals.

    Capitals veteran goaltender Braden Holtby will start versus the Carolina Hurricanes.

    The Carolina Hurricanes won their first game of the 2019-20 season on home ice at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. Lucas Wallmark put Carolina on the board first, and rookie Martin Necas gave the Canes a short-lived 2-0 lead. Montreal would score 3 unanswered goals in the second period, but former Vegas center Erik Haula managed to tie the game at three goals apiece early in the final frame. In a nerve-wracking 4-3 shootout win over the Montreal Canadiens, it was Dougie Hamilton that would set off the Storm Surge in Raleigh. Through two preseason games, the Hurricanes actually out-shot the Capitals 45-43, but lost both, separated by just a single goal. Carolinas’ Dynamic Finnish Duo of Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen scored a combined 51 goals and tallied 108 assists for a total of 159 points last season. The two also led the team in short-handed goals with 4 from Aho, and 1 from Teravainen, and finished the season with +/- ratings of +25 and +30, respectively. Last season, versus the Capitals, Aho scored 3 goals and tallied 3 assists, and Teravainen, 1 goal and 1 assist (Sebastian Aho)(Teuvo Teravainen). To say that these two can, and have, done damage against the Capitals in recent times is definitely an understatement, but man, are they fun to watch (as long as they aren’t playing the Caps). Goaltender Petr Mrazek, in his second season with the Carolina Hurricanes, stopped 33 of 36 shots he faced, and is expected to get the start for the Canes in tonight’s contest (TheScore, Mrazek).

    Capitals head coach Todd Reirden still hasn’t forgiven, and probably won’t, Canes head coach Rod Brind’amour for his inappropriate and childish exchange from the Canes bench with Caps’ hard hitter Tom Wilson last Sunday. Reirden did not miss his chance to express his discontent, despite the Hurricanes’ head coach making a bee-line for the dressing room following the final buzzer (Brandt). Wilson ultimately received a 10 minute misconduct penalty, and an additional two minutes for roughing, in an already-penalty heavy scrappy preseason game. Between both clubs, 44 penalty minutes were tallied, and 48 hits were committed. It should be noted that 71% of those hits were made by Capitals’ players (TheScore, WAS v CAR). We expect tonight’s match-up to be just as physical, with lots of bad blood between the former Stanley Cup Champs and a team that made the playoffs for the first time in 10 years last spring. We firmly believe that those recent interactions will serve as a strong motivator for the Capitals.

    Coverage of the game begins at 6:00pm with Caps Faceoff Live, followed by Caps Pregame Live at 6:30pm, all on NBCSN/NBCSWA, with puck drop shortly after 7:00pm.

     

    Sponsored by:

    DerpyCon_General Ad.png

     

    Brandt, C. (2019). Todd Reirden still fired up at ‘Canes coach for ‘unprofessional’ exchange with Tom Wilson. Retrieved from https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/capitals/todd-reirden-still-fired-canes-coach-unprofessional-exchange-tom-wilson.

    NHL.com. (2019). Sebastian Aho Stats. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/player/sebastian-aho-8478427.

    NHL.com. (2019). Teuvo Teravainen Stats. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/player/teuvo-teravainen-8476882.

    TheScore. (2019). Petr Mrazek. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/players/2204.

    TheScore. (2019). WAS v CAR. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/events/23099.

  • NHL News and Notes from Friday, October 4th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Friday, October 4th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Friday, October 4th, 2019

     

    News:

    • The St. Louis Blues announced that they have re-signed forward Brayden Schenn to an eight year contract that will go through the 2027-28 season. The extension will carry an AAV of $6.5mil.

     

    Game Recaps:

    Chicago Blackhawks v. Philadelphia Flyers – 2p EST Start Time

    CHI RoadPHI Home

    As part of the Global Series the Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks faced off in Prague, Czech Republic and would see the Flyers down the Blackhawks 4-3. The Flyers would get goals from Travis Konecny (2), Oskar Lindblom, and Michael Raffl, while the Blackhawks got goals from Alexander Nylander, Alex DeBrincat, and Patrick Kane.

     

    Washington Capitals v. New York Islanders – 7p EST Start Time

    WAS RoadNYI Home

    In a tightly contested matchup the Washington Capitals would down the New York Islanders 2-1 to give Ilya Samsonov his first career NHL win. Click Here for TXHT’s Recap.

     

    Winnipeg Jets v. New Jersey Devils – 7p EST Start Time

    WIN RoadNJ Home

    Scott recaps the New Jersey Devils season opener which saw them blow a four goal lead and lose in a shootout to the Winnipeg Jets. Read Scott’s recap here.

     

    Toronto Maple Leafs v. Columbus Blue Jackets – 7p EST Start Time

    TOR RoadCLB Home

    The Toronto Maple Leafs took on the Columbus Blue Jackets which saw the Leafs spoil the Jackets home opener with a 4-1 victory. The Maple Leafs would get a two goal performance from Mitch Marner, as well as goals from Cody Ceci and Auston Matthews. For the Blue Jackets their lone goal would be scored by Cam Atkinson.

     

    Vegas Golden Knights v. San Jose Sharks – 1030p EST Start Time

    VGK RoadSJ Home\

    The Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks renewed their rivalry for the second time in three days as the Knights came to San Jose looking to ruin the Sharks home opener. The Knights would get on the board quickly as William Carrier would score 5:01 into the first period, and then a little later in the period Jonathan Marchessault would score to give the Knights a 2-0 lead going into the second period. Then in the second and third periods the Knights would keep up the pressure as they would get a goal from Brayden McNabb, and two goals from Tomas Nosek to guide them to a 5-1 victory over the Sharks. The Sharks lone goal would be scored by Barclay Goodrow. This game would also mark the the first time in franchise history that the Golden Knights would record two shorthanded goals in the same game and also the second consecutive game to start the season with a shorthanded goal for the Golden Knights as well.

     

    Sponsored by:

    DerpyCon_General Ad.png

  • Game Recap – 10/4/2019 – Washington Capitals v. New York Islanders

    Game Recap – 10/4/2019 – Washington Capitals v. New York Islanders

    Washington Capitals (1-0-0 2pts) v. New York Islanders (0-0-0 0pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals head to Long Island as the New York Islanders open up their season at Nassau Coliseum. For the first half of this game the Capitals would show some glimpses of offense, but it would be the Islanders who would control the play in the Capitals zone a little more than the Capitals would have liked. However, the Capitals would be the first to respond as Jakub Vrana would come down the wing and rip the puck past Semyon Varlamov to give the Capitals the 1-0 lead. But the lead wouldn’t last long as 2 minutes and 2 seconds later Devon Toews would tie the game at one after his shot would take an unfortunate bounce off of Radko Gudas’ skate and go past Ilya Samsonov. After both teams would trade goals in the midway part of the period, the pace of the game would slow down and the game would remain tied 1-1 going into the first intermission.

     

    In the second period both teams would trade powerplay opportunities, but neither would be able to convert on their opportunities. The Capitals in particular looked very sloppy, especially with their second unit. After being outworked by the Islanders for the majority of the period the Capitals would draw another powerplay and this time they would capitalize on this opportunity as TJ Oshie would find the loose puck and backhand it in while falling for the puck to give the Capitals the 2-1 lead going into the second intermission.

     

    In the third period we would have a very back and forth period as both teams looked to get their chances to try to get on the board. Still down by one the Islanders would pull Varlamov to gain the extra attacker, but the Capitals would shut it down and Ilya Samsonov would record his first career NHL victory.

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin – Nicklas Backstrom – Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana – Lars Eller – TJ Oshie

    Carl Hagelin – Chandler Stephenson – Richard Panik

    Brendan Leipsic – Nic Dowd – Garnet Hathaway

    Jonas Siegenthaler – John Carlson

    Dmitri Orlov – Nick Jensen

    Martin Fehervary – Radko Gudas

    Ilya Samsonov

    Braden Holtby

     

    New York Islanders:

    Anders Lee – Mathew Barzal – Jordan Eberle

    Michael Dal Colle – Brock Nelson – Josh Bailey

    Anthony Beauvillier – Derick Brassard – Leo Komarov

    Matt Martin – Casey Cizikas – Cal Clutterbuck

    Adam Pelech – Ryan Pulock

    Devon Toews – Scott Mayfield

    Nick Leddy – Johnny Boychuk

    Semyon Varlamov

    Thomas Greiss

     

    First Period:

    WAS Goal – 10:25 – Jakub Vrana (2) from Lars Eller (3) and Radko Gudas

    NYI Goal – 12:27 – Devon Toews (1) from Anthony Beauvillier (1)

     

    End of 1st

    10-04 at NYI

     

    Second Period:

    WAS Penalty – 2:23 – Lars Eller 2 minutes for Hooking

    NYI Penalty – 6:00 – Brock Nelson 2 minutes for Tripping

    NYI Penalty – 16:48 – Brock Nelson 2 minutes for Hooking

    WAS PPG – 17:43 – TJ Oshie (1) from John Carlson (3) and Nicklas Backstrom (1)

     

    End of 2nd

    10-04 at NYI-2.png

     

    Third Period:

    N/A

     

    End of 3rd

    10-04 at NYI-3.png

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (2-0-0 4pts) v. Carolina (1-0-0 2pts)

    NY Islanders (0-1-0 0pts) v. Winnipeg (0-0-0 0pts)

     

    Sponsored by:

    DerpyCon_General Ad.png

  • It’s #ALLCAPS in New York; Capitals v Islanders

    It’s #ALLCAPS in New York; Capitals v Islanders

    Washington Capitals (1-0-0) v. New York Islanders (0-0-0)

      Record Predicted Goaltender
    Washington Capitals 1-0-0 (2019-20)Ilya Samsonov
    New York Islanders 5-2-0 (preseason)Semyon Varlamov

    *Full disclosure: this might give you a headache at first, so bear with me on this one.

    Washington Capitals’ newest back-up goaltender Ilya Samsonov is getting his first regular season NHL start against former Washington Capitals’ net-minder Semyon Varlamov, who now plays for former Washington Capitals’ head-coach Barry Trotz. Say that five times fast, and let me know if you can still remember who’s who.

    The Washington Capitals crashed the party on Wednesday, where they played the reigning Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues on the night of their combined Home Opener-Banner Raising. After falling behind two goals to none, just eight minutes into the contest, the Capitals made a comeback in what played much like an actual Stanley Cup Playoff game. Veteran netminder Braden Holtby allowed two soft goals, one just 53 seconds into the game, and a power play goal just short of the eight-minute mark. However, a goal from none other than The ‘GR8’ Alexander Ovechkin and a 2nd period power play goal from Dmitry ‘Scorlov’ Orlov got the good guys back in the game, and it took overtime for the score to be settled. Jakub Vrana, perhaps one of the best skaters of the night for the Capitals, would be the one to break a 28-minute tie in overtime with a perfectly calculated shot that Blues’ net-minder Jordan Binnington probably wishes he could get back. 19-year old Slovakian rookie defenseman Martin Fehervary made his NHL debut, but was able to handle the pressure as good as anyone could have hoped. Mistakes were made, which are to be expected, but Fehervary proved to us all why he deserves a roster spot. And hey, if the Capitals’ coaching staff are excited about him, well we are too. A little birdy told me that Fehervary received the iconic “hard hat” after Wednesday nights’ game, which coincidentally is a Nationals’ batting helmet (Tarik_ElBashir).

    Tonight, the New York Islanders will be playing in their home opener at the Nassau Coliseum, one of 27 games to be played on Long Island this season. The Islanders are currently transitioning to play the majority of their home games at the Coliseum, as opposed to Barclays Center, which has been ‘home base’ since 2015. In the meantime, work has just begun on the Islanders’ new arena, to be built at Belmont Park, Elmont, Long Island, New York. Fans are thrilled to bring Islanders hockey back to the Island, and to a considerably more commuter- and home-town fan-friendly location than both the Coliseum and Barclays Center. Last season, the New York Islanders found themselves in the playoffs for the first time in 17 years, and stunned fans from around the league when they swept the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round, only to be swept themselves by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second (yes, those Hurricanes). Over the summer, the Isles lost goaltender Robin Lehner to Chicago, who had played a pivotal role in the teams’ success during the 2018-19 season, but held on to Thomas Greiss, and acquired Semyon Varlamov from the Colorado Avalanche through free agency. Drafted by the Washington Capitals in 2006, Varlamov played 3 seasons in Washington (2008-2011), and in 2009, helped the Capitals advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 1998. In 2011, Varlamov was traded to the Colorado Avalanche, where he played for 8 seasons, and given struggles with poor performance and injuries, the Russian goaltender maintained a 183-156-38 record, and averaged a .915 SV% (NHL.com).

    Many Caps’ fans, just like Ilya Samsonov himself, have been anticipating this very moment for a quite a while now; the first chance to see the other Russian net-minder snag the back-up goalie spot for the Washington Capitals. Samsonov, a 2015 1st round draft pick by the Washington Capitals spent last season in the AHL with the Hershey Bears, and showed lots of promise through two preseason games, both of which were tallied as wins. On September 18th, where he split a win with Vitek Vanecek, versus the St. Louis Blues, Samsonov stopped 12 of 13 shots faced, and in a stand-alone win on the 21st versus Carolina, allowed two goals on 15 shots (TheScore, Samsonov). Alex Ovechkin, with one goal through one game thus far, is by default, on pace to score 82 goals this season. We’d be satisfied with another 50-goal season, but if a goal-a-game is what it takes to win another Rocket Richard Trophy in a league with so many prolific goal-scorers, (and maybe another Art Ross… or Stanley Cup), whatever it takes, right?

    Some good news on Caps’ defenseman Michal Kempny. Per Isabelle Khurshudyan, Kempny did in fact practice yesterday morning with the Capitals in a full-contact jersey, but head-coach Todd Reirden did in fact rule the blue-liner out of today’s line-up versus the Islanders (ikhurshudyan). It is to be determined if he will play in the Capitals’ home opener on Saturday, October 5th.

    Finally, last year’s back-up goaltender Pheonix Copley cleared waivers, and has been loaned to the Hershey Bears.

    Coverage of the game begins at 6:00pm with Caps Faceoff Live, followed by Caps Pregame Live at 6:30pm, all on NBCSN/NBCSWA, with puck drop shortly after 7:00pm.

     

    Sponsored by:

    DerpyCon_General Ad.png

     

    Ikhurshudyan. (2019). Kempny is out tomorrow. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/ikhurshudyan/status/1179813315058556928?s=20.

    NHL.com. (2019). Semyon Varlamov. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/player/semyon-varlamov-8473575?stats=career-r-nhl&season=null.

    Tarik_ElBashir. (2019). Here’s #Caps Coach Todd Reirden casually revealing that the team hard hat is a #Nats batting helmet. It went to rookie Martin Fehervary after Wednesday’s season opening OT victory in STL. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/Tarik_ElBashir/status/1179630138461478912?s=20

    TheScore. (2019). Ilya Samsonov. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/players/7675.

  • NHL News and Notes from Wednesday, October 2nd, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Wednesday, October 2nd, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Wednesday, October 2nd, 2019

     

    News:

    Today the NHL announced all 31 team rosters going into the Opening Night of the 2019-20 Season.

     

    Tonight also marked the Banner Raising Ceremony for the 2019 Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues.

     

    Today the Toronto Maple Leafs announced that John Tavares as the new captain for the 2019-20 season. Tavares became the 25th captain in Maple Leafs history with the announcement.

     

     

    Game Recaps:

    Ottawa Senators v. Toronto Maple Leafs – 7p EST Start Time

    OTT RoadTOR Home

    In the first game of NHL action for the 2019-20 season the Ottawa Senators would visit the Toronto Maple Leafs, and get on the board first to take a one nothing lead over the Leafs.

    However, the Leafs would score two in the second followed by another Ottawa goal to tie the game back up. Ottawa would look to take the 3-2 lead but the play was ruled offsides on a coach’s challenge, and the Leafs would take advantage on an Auston Matthews goal for the 3-2 lead. Matthews would score again in the second to give the Leafs a 4-2 lead, and the game winner in a 5-3 win over the Senators.

     

    Washington Capitals v. St. Louis Blues – 8p EST Start Time

    WAS RoadSTL Home

    In a battle between the last two Stanley Cup Champions, the Washington Capitals defeated the St. Louis Blues 3-2 in overtime to complete the comeback from an early two goal deficit. – – TXHT Recap

     

    Vancouver Canucks v. Edmonton Oilers – 10p EST Start Time

    VAN RoadEDM Home

    Out west the Edmonton Oilers would host the Vancouver Canucks for their 2019-20 Home Opener, and it would be the Oilers striking first as Leon Draisaitl would score to give the Oilers the 1-0 lead. Then in the second period Alexander Edler would tie it up for the Canucks, but then in the third period the two teams would trade goals to make it a 2-2 tie. However with 5:23 left in the game Connor McDavid would score his first of the season to give the Oilers the 3-2 victory.

     

    San Jose Sharks v. Vegas Golden Knights – 1030p EST Start Time

    SJ RoadVGK Home

    In our final game of the night the Vegas Golden Knights hosted their rivals the San Jose Sharks. The Golden Knights would strike early on the powerplay and not look back as they would go on to defeat the Sharks 4-1. The Golden Knights received goals from Mark Stone, Reilly Smith (2), and Cody Glass. The Sharks lone goal would come from Marcus Sorenson.

     

    Sponsored by:

    DerpyCon_General Ad.png

  • Game Recap – 10/2/2019 – Washington Capitals v. St. Louis Blues

    Game Recap – 10/2/2019 – Washington Capitals v. St. Louis Blues

    Washington Capitals (0-0-0 0pts) v. St. Louis Blues (0-0-0 0pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    NHL hockey is back and the Washington Capitals start it up on the road as they visit the new defending Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues to start the 2019-20 campaign. The Blues would start everything off with their Banner Raising Ceremony before we would drop the puck.

     

    Once the banner was raised and the puck was dropped it wouldn’t take long for the Blues to strike as 53 seconds into the game Sammy Blais would score the first goal of the 2019-20 season to give the Blues a quick 1-0 lead. Then a little later in the period on a Jonas Siegenthaler slashing penalty, Alex Pietrangelo would net one on the powerplay to give the Blues a 2-0 lead. However, the Capitals would not go quietly as Alex Ovechkin would shoot one past Jordan Binnington to cut the lead to one again, and have the first period end with a 2-1 Blues lead.

     

    Then in the second period the Capitals would be given an opportunity on the powerplay as well as Dmitry Orlov would knuckle puck one past Binnington to tie the game at two a piece. The period would also feature some stellar goaltending from Braden Holtby especially in the opening minutes of the second period.

     

    In the third period both teams would not score and would send this one to overtime, which a little three minutes would see Jakub Vrana score to seal the Capitals comeback and give them the 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues. The next game for the Capitals will be this Friday at 7p ET as they visit the New York Islanders.

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin – Nicklas Backstrom – Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana – Lars Eller – TJ Oshie

    Carl Hagelin – Chandler Stephenson – Richard Panik

    Brandon Leipsic – Nic Dowd – Garnet Hathaway

    Jonas Siegenthaler – John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov – Nick Jensen

    Martin Fehervary – Radko Gudas

    Bradon Holtby

    Ilya Samsonov

     

    St. Louis Blues:

    Jaden Schwartz – Brayden Schenn – Vladimir Tarasenko

    Sammy Blais – Ryan O’Reilly – David Perron

    Robby Fabbri – Tyler Bozak – Robert Thomas

    Ivan Barbashev – Oscar Sundqvist – Alexander Steen

    Alex Pietrangelo – Justin Faulk

    Jay Bouwmeester – Colton Parayko

    Vince Dunn – Robert Bortuzzo

    Jordan Binnington

    Jake Allen

     

    First Period:

    STL Goal – :53 – Sammy Blais (1) from David Perron (1) and Ryan O’Reilly (1)\

    WAS Penalty – 6:40 – Jonas Siegenthaler 2 minutes for Slashing

    STL PPG – 7:55 – Alex Pietrangelo (1) from Justin Faulk (1) and Ryan O’Reilly (2)

    STL Penalty – 11:05 – David Perron 2 minutes for High Sticking

    WAS Goal – 15:37 – Alex Ovechkin (1) from John Carlson (1) and Lars Eller (1)

     

    End of 1st – WAS – 1       STL – 2

    Shots              05                 07

    Faceoffs         10                 04

    Hits                12                 09

    PP                 0/1                  1/1

     

    Second Period:

    WAS Penalty – 1:54 – Martin Fehervary 2 minutes for Delay of Game

    STL Penalty – 10:35 – Tyler Bozak 2 minutes for Tripping

    WAS Goal – 12:28 – Dmitry Orlov (1) from Nick Jensen (1) and Lars Eller (2)

     

    End of 2nd – WAS – 2       STL – 2

    Shots              20                 15

    Faceoffs         21                 17

    Hits                19                 19

    PP                 1/2                  1/2

     

    Third Period:

    STL Penalty – 3:29 – Jaden Schwartz 2 minutes for High Sticking

     

    End of 3rd – WAS – 2       STL – 2

    Shots              30                 22

    Faceoffs         28                 28

    Hits                25                 23

    PP                 1/3                  1/2

     

    Overtime:

    WAS Goal – 2:51 – Jakub Vrana (1) from John Carlson (2) and TJ Oshie (1)

     

    End of 3rd – WAS – 3       STL – 2

    Shots              34                 22

    Faceoffs         30                 31

    Hits                25                 23

    PP                 1/3                  1/2

     

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (1-0-0 2pts) @ NY Islanders (0-0-0 0pts)

    St. Louis (0-0-1 1pts) v. Dallas (0-0-0 0pts)

     

    Sponsored by:

    DerpyCon_General Ad.png

  • Wednesday Night Hockey: The Last Two Champs Face-off For the First Time.

    Wednesday Night Hockey: The Last Two Champs Face-off For the First Time.

    Washington Capitals (0-0-0) v. St Louis Blues (0-0-0)

     

      Pre-Season Record Predicted Goaltender Stanley Cup Champions
    Washington Capitals 5-1-0 Braden Holtby 2017-18
    St. Louis Blues 4-3-0 Jordan Binnington 2018-19

    It has been a long off-season for Caps’ fans, but we’re finally here. Does anyone else find it slightly more than coincidental that the two previous Stanley Cup Champions are facing off on the first day of the 2019-20 season? I know, I know, the schedule was made before the Blues won the cup, but raise your hand if you think that had something to do with the end result. The Capitals and Blues played each other twice during the preseason, splitting the games with one win a piece. Both teams won by just a single goal in each victory.

    On Sunday, the Washington Capitals rounded out their six-game preseason schedule with a tight 4-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. While many fans are hesitant about making associations between preseason performances the regular season, there are a couple of things we know for certain. Tom Wilson is about to have a heck of a year. In just 3 preseason matches, Wilson tallied two goals and an assist, including one short-handed goal against the Chicago Blackhawks. While Top Line Tom led the team in short-handed goals last season (2G), it is vital to remember he only played 63 games during the 2019-19 season. Setting a career-high of 22 goals last year, we anticipate he should set another personal record with at least 25 goals this coming season (TheScore, Wilson). Caps’ captain Alex Ovechkin is prepared to win himself another Rocket Richard Trophy this year, and has expressed his desire, and ability to have another 50+ goal season (Gulitti). By a margin of 236 goals, Ovechkin only needs 5 more seasons of 50 goals, or 6 seasons of 40 goals to bypass the all-time goals leader of the Great Wayne Gretzky (894G). With the final year of his contract looming in not-so-distant future, the Capitals front office have already begun playing out some possible scenarios that will need to be played out in order to keep the Great 8 a Capital until retirement. But perhaps the biggest what-if many Caps’ fans are trying to answer involves defenseman Michal Kempny, whom had his season cut short last year due to a hamstring injury he suffered in a March 20th match against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Many, including head coach Todd Reirden, hoped Kempny would be ready in time to make the Opening Night roster for the Capitals, but that is still to be determined, as the blue-liner was still practicing in a non-contact jersey as of September 28th (Khurshudyan). In 71 games played with the Washington Capitals during the 2018-19 season,, Michal Kempny led the team with a +/- rating of 24, tallied 6 goals of his own, and racked up 19 assists, as a defenseman (TheScore, Kempny). However, a number of mid- and off-season acquisitions by the Capitals including Nick Jensen (DET) and Radko Gudas (PHI) and will bolster the Caps’ roster and hopefully this season will play out as well in reality, as it should on paper.

                   The St. Louis Blues did not play their final scheduled preseason game due to a plane malfunction, but did beat the Caps’ on September 27 by a score of 4-3. For those not in the know, the St. Louis Blues won their first Stanley Cup Championship in team history this past June, similarly to the feat the Capitals accomplished in 2018. In true underdog fashion, the Blues went from worst, to first, in a matter of months. Was it the change in bench bosses? The puppy? The mid-practice brawls? Will the Blues fall victim to the infamous Stanley Cup Hangover? St. Louis elected to play eight preseason games (only played seven, see above), and managed to win 4 of 7, including one overtime win versus the Winnipeg Jets. Those 3 losses came resulted from a 2-3 loss to the Capitals, a 1-2 loss to the Dallas Stars, and an especially-embarrassing 4-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Fellow Russian Vladimir Tarasenko (a.k.a. Vladdy) is expected to have a bounce-back season after a seemingly lack-luster 2018-19 season, where he managed to score 33 goals in 76 regular season games (NHL.com). While Tarasenko led the Blues in goals, and points, he has seen a downward trend in goal-scoring since the 2015-16 season, where he scored a career-high 40 goals, and tallied 34 assists. During the 2018-19 playoffs, he scored 11 goals of the teams’ 75 total goals, good enough for second most on the team, but accounted for just 14.6% of total goals scored (NHL.com).

    While the St. Louis Blues and their fans are, of course, hoping to repeat their recent success, the Washington Capitals are out for blood (redemption) after a disappointing first round exit. It seems as though Caps’ PR is keeping on with the #ALLCAPS catch-phrase for this upcoming season, but #2Cups3Years sounds pretty good too.

    Coverage of the game begins at 6:00pm with Caps Faceoff Live, followed by Caps Pregame Live at 6:30pm, all on NBCSN/NBCSWA, with puck drop following the Blues’ Stanley Cup Banner Raising at Enterprise Arena in St. Louis, MO.

     

    Sponsored by:

    DerpyCon_General Ad.png

     

    Gulitti, T. (2019). Ovechkin talks 50-goal record, catching Gretzky, future with Capitals. https://www.nhl.com/news/alex-ovechkin-chases-wayne-gretzky-hopes-to-score-50-goals/c-308941324.

    Khurshudyan, I. (2019). Michal Kempny doubtful for Capitals’ season opener at Blues because of hamstring injury. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/09/28/michal-kempny-doubtful-capitals-season-opener-blues-because-hamstring-injury/.

    NHL.com. (2019). Vladimir Tarasenko. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/player/vladimir-tarasenko-8475765.

    TheScore. (2019). Michal Kempny. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/players/5579.

    TheScore. (2019). Tom Wilson. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/players/2592.