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Category: Washington Capitals

  • January 4th, 2019 — News and Notes

    January 4th, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Friday, January 4th, 2019, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were eight games in action today.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Minnesota 4, TORONTO 3

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    The Minnesota Wild would take on the Toronto Maple Leafs yesterday afternoon in the “Next Gen Game” in Toronto and the Maple Leafs would fall to the Wild by the score of 4-3.

    Toronto’s Mitch Marner would open up the scoring in the first seven seconds of the contest.  With that goal, he tied a mark set back in 1932 for the quickest goal by a Maple Leaf in the storied history of the Maple Leafs franchise.

     

     

     

     

     

    Mitch Marner would score again at the 5:38 mark in the contest and became the first Maple Leaf player to have two goals in the opening six minutes of the contest since Phil Kessel achieved the same feat back on January 30th, 2010.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    William Nylander would net the final goal for the Maple Leafs, his first of the season, at the 8:16 mark in the second period.

     

    Despite playing a strong first six minutes in this contest, Toronto would virtually fall flat for the duration of the contest with costly turnovers and being outshot the entire game.  On four Power-Play chances for Toronto, they would fail to take advantage of the extra-man on all four chances.

     

     

    Steve Gardiner, TXHT’s Maple Leafs writer, has the full recap of the contest at the following page.

    01/3/2019 – Minnesota Wild vs Toronto Maple Leafs

     

    BOSTON 6, Calgary 4

    The Boston Bruins, fresh off their win against the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2019 Winter Classic two days ago, would continue their winning ways with the 6-4 win over the Calgary Flames on home ice last night.

     

    For Calgary, they would register a League-high 13th shorthanded goal and this would be the ninth time that they would register at least 13 shorthanded goals in a season.

     

    Jake DeBrusk scored in the game twice, including the eighth game-winner in his career, and helped the Bruins win their third consecutive game.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Johnny Gaudreau would tie Bob MacMillan for the fewest games played (42) to reach the 60-point mark in franchise history in this contest for the Flames.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    BUFFALO 4, Florida 3

    Buffalo’s Jeff Skinner would score his 27th goal of the season to take over sole possession of second place in League goals.  He only trails Washington’s Alex Ovechkin, who has 30 goals thus far on the season.  At the time of Skinner’s goal, Ovechkin has 29 goals.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Carolina 5, PHILADELPHIA 3

    Carolina Hurricanes phenom Sebastian Aho would reach the 40-point mark in his 39th game on the season with two assists in the contest.  Carolina would go on to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers by the score of 5-3 in downtown Philadelphia last night.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    NY ISLANDERS 3, Chicago 2 (OT)

     

    The New York Islanders faced off against the Chicago Blackhawks at Nassau Coliseum and would go on to defeat Chicago 3-2 in overtime.

     

    Devon Toews would net the game winner in the overime frame, Toews’ first NHL goal.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    MONTREAL 2, Vancouver 0

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Jordie Benn and Jonathan Drouin would be the lone goal scores for the Canadiens in the contest and goaltender Carey Price would earn his 42nd career regular-season shutout in the contest and is four shy of tying the all-time franchise mark of 46 set by Ken Dryden.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    ST. LOUIS 5, Washington 2

    The St. Louis Blues would face off against the Washington Capitals last night and would come away with the 5-2 victory at Enterprise Center last night.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Blues defenceman Alex Pietrangelo would score his fifth goal of the season in the contest and now has possession of second place all-time for most goals by a defenceman in St. Louis Blues history with 85 goals.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Washington’s Alex Ovechkin would go on to score his 30th goal on the season in the contest and now has had 14 seasons of scoring at least 30 goals.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    TXHT has your recap of the contest between the Washington Capitals and the St. Louis Blues at the following page.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Tampa Bay 6, LOS ANGELES 2

     

    Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov would register his seventh straight multi-point game to become only the second player to have seven consecutive multi-point games and the first since Vincent Lecavalier had an eight-game streak during the 2007-08 season.

    Kucherov would also become the sixth different player since the 1993-1994 season to have at least 69 points through 41 team games.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    With Tampa Bay’s win, they now have a 12 point lead in the overall NHL standings and also marks the first time since the NHL’s expansion era (1967-68) that a team holds a 12 point lead at the mid-point of their season.

     

     

     

    Today there are seven games on the schedule…

  • Game Recap – 1/3/2019 – Washington Capitals v. St. Louis Blues

    Game Recap – 1/3/2019 – Washington Capitals v. St. Louis Blues

    Washington Capitals (24-11-3 51pts) v. St. Louis Blues (15-18-4 34pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals did not learn their lesson against the Nashville Predators from the other day as they started off their 3 game road trip in St. Louis and left feeling the Blues as they did not play a full 60 minutes and were dominated during the second half the game for the second straight game. The Capitals were horribly dominated in the faceoff circle and were not moving their legs to generate any scoring chances in the second half of the game. The Capitals need to turn it around when they face the Dallas Stars tomorrow night.

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Chandler Stephenson — Nic Dowd — Dmitrij Jaskin

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Matt Niskanen — Dmitry Orlov

    Brooks Orpik — Madison Bowey

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Devante Smith-Pelly, Travis Boyd, Jonas Siegenthaler

    Injured: Christian Djoos (leg)

     

    St. Louis Blues:

    Jaden Schwartz — Brayden Schenn — Robert Thomas

    Alexander Steen — Ryan O’Reilly — David Perron

    Robby Fabbri — Tyler Bozak — Pat Maroon

    Ivan Barbashev — Oskar Sundqvist

    Jay Bouwmeester — Alex Pietrangelo

    Joel Edmundson — Colton Parayko

    Vince Dunn — Robert Bortuzzo

    Carl Gunnarsson

    Jake Allen

    Evan Fitzpatrick

    Scratched: Jordan Schmaltz, Zach Sanford

    Injured: Vladimir Tarasenko (illness)

     

    First Period:

    Blues Penalty – :46 – Brayden Schenn 2 minutes for Tripping

    Blues Goal – 4:00 – Robert Thomas (4) from Robert Bortuzzo (4) and Jaden Schwartz (12)

    Capitals Penalty – 6:49 – Brooks Orpik double minor for High Sticking

    Capitals Goal – 15:34 – Alex Ovechkin (30) from Michal Kempny (9) and John Carlson (33)

    Blues Penalty – 16:47 – Alex Pietrangelo 2 minutes for Tripping

     

    End of 1st – WAS – 1       STL – 1

    Shots              13                09

    Faceoffs         08                07

    Hits               04                  02

    PP                 0/2                 0/2

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Penalty – 2:13 – Tom Wilson 5 minute major for Fighting

    Blues Penalty – 2:13 – Robert Bortuzzo 5 minute major for Fighting

    Capitals Goal – 3:00 – Brett Connolly (9) from Lars Eller (12) and Michal Kempny (10)

    Blues Penalty – 5:29 – David Perron 2 minutes for Slashing

    Capitals Penalty – 8:48 – Tom Wilson 2 minutes for Roughing

    Blues Penalty – 8:48 – Alex Pietrangelo 2 minutes for Roughing

    Capitals Penalty – 10:37 – Matt Niskanen 2 minutes for Holding

    Capitals Penalty – 11:59 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for Holding

    Blues Penalty – 11:59 – Pat Maroon 2 minutes for Tripping

    Blues PPG – 12:23 – Colton Parayko (8) from Ryan O’Reilly (21) and David Perron (13)

    Capitals Penalty – 13:19 – Evgeny Kuznetsov 2 minutes for Hooking

    Blues Goal – 16:33 – Oskar Sundqvist (7) from Ivan Barbashev (6) and Alex Pietrangelo (8)

     

    End of 2nd – WAS – 2        STL – 3

    Shots               23                 28

    Faceoffs          13                 20

    Hits                 10                  05

    PP                   0/3                  1/4

     

    Third Period:

    Blues Goal – 5:44 – Alex Pietrangelo (5) from David Perron (14) and Carl Gunnarsson (1)

    Blues Goal – 11:08 – Tyler Bozak (6) from unassisted

     

    End of 3rd – WAS – 2         STL – 5

    Shots              25                   42

    Faceoffs        15                    32

    Hits               16                     14

    PP                 0/3                    1/4

     

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (24-12-3 51pts) @ Dallas (21-16-4 46pts)

    St. Louis (16-18-4 36pts) v. NY Islanders (22-13-4 48pts)

  • Gameday Preview – 1/3/2019 – Washington Capitals v. St. Louis Blues

    Gameday Preview – 1/3/2019 – Washington Capitals v. St. Louis Blues

    Washington Capitals (24-11-3 51pts) v. St. Louis Blues (15-18-4 34pts)

     

    Time: 8p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Washington, Fox Sports Mid-West, and SportsNet 360

     

    Preview:

    The Washington Capitals will be kicking off their 2019 with a match up on the road as they take on the St. Louis Blues. The Capitals will be looking to bounce back from their 6-3 defeat at the hands of the Nashville Predators, while the Blues are looking to pick up a victory and try to turn their fortunes around.

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Projected Lineup:

     

    Capitals Notes:

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Don’t Back Off

    The capitals were playing great against a then struggling Nashville Predators only to back off when they took a 3-1 lead and then give up 5 unanswered goals to eventually lose the game. The Capitals can not do that against the Blues. Just because the Blues are second to last place in the NHL doesn’t mean you can over look them.

     

    St. Louis Blues:

    Projected Lineup:

    Jaden Schwartz — Brayden Schenn — Vladimir Tarasenko

    Alexander Steen — Ryan O’Reilly — David Perron

    Pat Maroon — Tyler Bozak — Robert Thomas

    Robby Fabbri — Ivan Barbashev — Oskar Sundqvist

    Jay Bouwmeester — Alex Pietrangelo

    Joel Edmundson — Colton Parayko

    Vince Dunn — Robert Bortuzzo

    Jake Allen

    Evan Fitzpatrick

    Scratched: Jordan Schmaltz

    Injured: Carl Gunnarsson (hand)

     

    Blues Notes:

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. How will Vladimir Tarasenko perform?

    Tarasenko usually raises his game when going head-to-head with Ovechkin, so if he does that, and can break our of his 2 goals for his last 11 games slump, the Blues stand a small chance. If not, then the key is, flatly, to get lucky. The Capital are a more dominant team in every way – from forwards, to defensemen; depth to goaltending. Failing Tarasenko having a dominant game, any chance the Blues have in winning boils down to simple chance. – Aryan Weisenfeld (TXHT St. Louis Blues Writer)

  • Capitals News – Alex Ovechkin elects to skip the 2019 NHL All Star Game

    Capitals News – Alex Ovechkin elects to skip the 2019 NHL All Star Game

    It was announced earlier today that Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin has elected to not attend the 2019 NHL All Star Game later this month in San Jose.

     

    As a result of Ovechkin, who was also voted as the Metropolitan Division captain by the fans, will be required to miss either the game before the All Star Break (Wed. 1/23 @ Toronto) or after the All Star Break (Fri. 2/1 v. Calgary) per NHL rules.

     

    Honestly, it would be in the best interest for both the Capitals and Ovechkin to miss the game going into the break against Toronto on the road, and return on February 1st at home against the Calgary Flames, but that’s just my take.

     

    Either way, with Ovechkin not going to the All Star Game that brings up two questions.

    1. Who will now be the Metropolitan captain?

    2. Who will represent the Capitals now?

     

    We will find out both in due time.

     

    *Feature Photo courtesy of the Washington Capitals

  • Game Recap – 12/31/2018 – Nashville Predators v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 12/31/2018 – Nashville Predators v. Washington Capitals

    Nashville Predators (22-15-2 46pts) v. Washington Capitals (24-10-3 51pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals end 2018 with a thud as the Nashville Predators come to town and end their losing skid at 6 games. The Capitals took a 3-1 lead midway through the 2nd period, but then the Predators would score 5 unanswered goals to secure the victory.

     

    Lineups:

    Nashville Predators:

    Ryan Hartman — Ryan Johansen — Viktor Arvidsson

    Kevin Fiala — Calle Jarnkrok — Craig Smith

    Miikka Salomaki — Nick Bonino — Austin Watson

    Zac Rinaldo — Frederick Gaudreau — Rocco Grimaldi

    Mattias Ekholm — P.K. Subban

    Roman Josi — Ryan Ellis

    Dan Hamhuis — Anthony Bitetto

    Pekka Rinne

    Juuse Saros

    Scratched: Matt Irwin

    Injured: Kyle Turris (lower body), Filip Forsberg (upper body), Colton Sissons (lower body), Yannick Weber (undisclosed)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Chandler Stephenson — Travis Boyd — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Brooks Orpik — Madison Bowey

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Dmitry Orlov

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Nic Dowd

    Injured: Christian Djoos (leg), Matt Niskanen (upper body)

     

    First Period:

    Capitals Goal – 4:33 – Michal Kempny (4) from Nicklas Backstrom (34)

    Capitals Penalty – 5:35 – TJ Oshie 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Capitals Goal – 8:45 – Jakub Vrana (12) from John Carlson (32) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (27)

    Predators Goal – 9:08 – Rocco Grimaldi (2) from Zac Rinaldo (1) and Mattias Ekholm (21)

     

    End of 1st – NAS – 1       WAS – 2

    Shots              11                09

    Faceoffs         13                12

    Hits               08                  06

    PP                 0/1                 0/0

     

    Analysis:

    This was a good period for the Capitals that saw them strike first. Also after a very strong penalty kill they would strike again to give themselves the 2-0 lead. However, 23 seconds later the Predators would score to cut the Capitals lead by one. This period had really good pace to it, and some really good opportunities for the Capitals.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to continue putting the pressure on the Predators in their zone, and see if they can force the Predators to take some penalties so the Capitals can get their powerplay unit out on the ice.

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Goal – 8:22 – Chandler Stephenson (5) from Devante Smith-Pelly (4) and Braden Holtby (2)

    Predators Goal – 9:57 – Miikka Salomaki (3) from Nick Bonino (9) and Mattia Ekholm (22)

    Predators Goal – 11:59 – Ryan Johansen (7) from Roman Josi (22)

    Predators Goal – 14:30 – Frederick Gaudreau (3) from Rocco Grimaldi (2) and Craig Smith (10)

     

    End of 2nd – NAS – 4        WAS – 3

    Shots               26                 19

    Faceoffs          26                 18

    Hits                 13                  17

    PP                   0/1                  0/0

     

    Analysis:

    This period started good for the Capitals by getting the first goal of the period and their 2 goal lead back, but then the Predators would storm back with three unanswered goals to erase the Capitals lead and take one of their own. Another thing that hurt the Capitals this period is the fact that the Predators are dominating in the faceoff circle and also making very difficult for the Capitals to get in the offensive zone with 1-4 defensive system at the neutral zone.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to do a much better job of forcing the play. After their 3rd goal the Predators just took over and imposed their will onto the Capitals. Also the Capitals need to do a much better job in the faceoff circle, plus the Capitals need to get to the front of the net and create some traffic in front of Pekka Rinne. Also the Capitals need to force the Predators to take a penalty or two to try to stymie the Predators momentum and swing it back their way.

     

    Third Period:

    Predators Penalty – 4:57 – Mattias Ekholm 2 minutes Cross Checking

    Predators Goal – 10:35 – Ryan Ellis (4) from Ryan Johansen (26) and Viktor Arvidsson (6)

    Capitals Penalty – 16:29 – Evgeny Kuznetsov 2 minutes for Interference

    Capitals Penalty – 16:29 – Alex Ovechkin 2 minutes for Roughing

    Predators PPG – 18:00 – Viktor Arvidsson (9) from Ryan Johansen (27) and Kevin Fiala (14)

     

    End of 3rd – NAS – 4         WAS – 3

    Shots              34                   25

    Faceoffs        34                    24

    Hits               14                     29

    PP                 1/3                    0/1

     

    Analysis:

    A very rough period for the Capitals. The Predators shut things down and made it very difficult for the Capitals to play in the neutral and offensive zones. The Predators also exposed the Capitals defensively and exploited them to score two more goals for the win.

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (24-11-3 51pts) @ St. Louis (15-17-4 34pts)

    Nashville (23-15-2 48pts) v. Philadelphia (15-17-5 35pts)

  • December 31st, 2018 — News and Notes

    December 31st, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is December 31st, 2018, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There was one contest yesterday in the NHL.

     

    Vegas 5, ARIZONA 1

     

    Arizona Coyotes Oliver Ekman-Larsson would collect his 312th career point to surpass Keith Yandle for the most points in Coyotes history as a defenceman since the club relocated to Arizona in 1996-97.

    However , he still trails Fredrik Olausson and Dave Babych in the long history of the Winnipeg Jets/Arizona Coyotes history for most points as a defenceman.

     

     

     

    Marc-Andre Fleury would move to 6-0-3 in his last nine contests with the win over the Coyotes.

     

     

    With the Vegas’ win, they are the first team in League history to have at least 50 points in the standings in their first two seasons before January 1.  The Golden Knights are also now tied for first place in the Western Conference standings.

     

     

    There is a 13 game slate today and that kicks off with the Washington Capitals taking on the Nashville Predators at 12:30 p.m., ET.  You can read TXHT’s preview of that contest at the following page.

    Gameday Preview – 12/31/2018 – Nashville Predators v. Washington Capitals

     

     

    Yesterday there were two contests in the NWHL.

     

     

    For the fourth and final time on the NWHL season, the Buffalo Beauts would go on to shutout the Minnesota Whitecaps by the score of 4-0.

    Buffalo’s Maddie Elia would have a hand on all four of the goals scored by the Beauts in this contest with two goals and two assists.

    With three minutes left in the first period, the Beauts would open up the scoring when Elia would re-direct a pass from Emily Pflazer from the top of the face-off circle to get the puck past the Whitecaps goaltender, Amanda Leveille.

    In the second period at the 3:15 mark, Pflazer would score off of asssits from Elia and Dani Cameranesi and then Hayley Scammura would make the score 3-0 with her goal at the 11:47 mark.

    Elia would score the final goal of the contest at the 12:35 mark in the third period.

    Buffalo’s win would prevent the Minnesota Whitecaps from sweeping the season series.

    The contest would not be without a penalty filled game, however.

     

    Buffalo Beauts vs. Minnesota Whitecaps Box Score

     

    The Boston Pride would go on to defeat the Connecticut Whale 2-1 thanks to Haley Skarupa scoring the game winner 37 seconds into the overtime frame yesterday afternoon.

    The Pride would open up the scoring when Toni Ann Miano netted her second goal of the season in the first period.  The contest would stay at 1-0 until Michelle Lowenheim scored the first NWHL goal of her career with less than five minutes left in the second period.

     

     

    Upcoming contests in the NWHL:

    • January 5th, 2019: Boston Pride at Buffalo Beauts (NWHL Twitter Game of the Week)
    • January 6th, 2019: Metropolitan Riveters at Connecticut Whale
    • January 12th, 2019: Metropolitan Riveters at Buffalo Beauts (NWHL Twitter Game of the Week)
    • January 12th, 2019: Minnesota Whitecaps at Boston Pride
    • January 13th, 2019: Minnesota Whitecaps at Connecticut Whale

     

    Day 5 of the the 2019 World Juniors had two contests…

     

     

    Today for Day 6 of the 2019 World Junior Championships, there are four games on tap.

  • Gameday Preview – 12/31/2018 – Nashville Predators v. Washington Capitals

    Gameday Preview – 12/31/2018 – Nashville Predators v. Washington Capitals

    Nashville Predators (22-15-2 46pts) v. Washington Capitals (24-10-3 51pts)

     

    Time: 1230p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Washington, Fox Sports Tennessee, Sportsnet, NHL Network

     

    Preview:

    The Washington Capitals will look for their fifth consecutive victory as they host the Nashville Predators for a New Year’s Eve matinee. The Predators come to DC with the hopes of ending their six game losing streak, and regain some ground in the Western Conference.

     

    Nashville Predators:

    Projected Lineup:

    Ryan Hartman — Ryan Johansen — Viktor Arvidsson

    Kevin Fiala — Calle Jarnkrok — Craig Smith

    Miikka Salomaki — Nick Bonino — Austin Watson

    Zac Rinaldo — Frederick Gaudreau — Rocco Grimaldi

    Mattias Ekholm — P.K. Subban

    Roman Josi — Ryan Ellis

    Dan Hamhuis — Anthony Bitetto

    Pekka Rinne

    Juuse Saros

    Scratched: Matt Irwin

    Injured: Kyle Turris (lower body), Filip Forsberg (upper body), Colton Sissons (lower body), Yannick Weber (undisclosed)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Get their game back on track

    The Predators are looking to end their losing streak and in order to do that they will need to get their game back on track. They need to play a solid team game and try to work themselves out of this  rut they are in.

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Projected Lineup:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Chandler Stephenson — Nic Dowd — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Madison Bowey

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Tyler Lewington

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Travis Boyd

    Injured: Christian Djoos (leg), Brooks Orpik (knee), Matt Niskanen (upper body)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Start strong, finish strong

    Against the Ottawa Senators the Capitals started strong, but in the second period they let off the gas after their third goal and let the Senators back into the game. The Capitals are facing a very hungry Predators team who wants to end their losing streak, and they need to play a full 60 minutes to look to keep their winning streak alive.

  • December 30th, 2018 — News and Notes

    December 30th, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is Sunday, December 30th, 2018, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were 15 contests in the NHL yesterday.

     

    NEW JERSEY 2, Carolina 0

    In the NHL European Game of the Week yesterday, the New Jersey Devils would go on to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes by the score of 2-0.  Mackenzie Blackwood became the third youngest goaltender in the history of the Devils franchise to record his first NHL shutout.

     

    VEGAS 4, Los Angeles 1

     

     

    San Jose 7, EDMONTON 4

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Minnesota 3, WINNIPEG 1

     

    Boston 3, BUFFALO 2 (OT)

     

     

    NY Islanders 4, TORONTO 0

    In the 4-0 win by the Islanders over the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York’s Mathew Barzal registered a hat trick in the contest.

     

     

     

    Washington 3, OTTAWA 2

     

    In a night of firsts for two Washington Capitals players, the Capitals would go on to defeat the Ottawa Senators 3-2.  Washington’s Tyler Lewington and Madison Bowey would go on to score their first career NHL goals in the contest.  Lewington would also go on to register a “Gordie Howe hat trick” in the contest as well.

     

     

    You can see the complete recap of the contest between the Capitals and the Senators at the following page.

    Game Recap — 12/29/2018 — Washington Capitals at Ottawa Senators

     

     

    TAMPA BAY 6, Montreal 5

     

    FLORIDA 2, Philadelphia 1

     

     

    Pittsburgh 6, ST. LOUIS 1

     

     

     

    NY Rangers 4, NASHVILLE 3

     

     

    DALLAS 5, Detroit 1

     

     

    Chicago 3, COLORADO 2

     

     

     

    Arizona 5, ANAHEIM 4

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1079251791877820418

     

    Vancouver 3, CALGARY 2

     

     

     

     

    NWHL

    In the lone NWHL contest of the day, the Buffalo Beauts took on the Minnesota Whitecaps.

    The Minnesota Whitecaps would get back in the win column when the Whitecaps would go on to defeat the Buffalo Beauts at KeyBank Center yesterday afternoon in downtown Buffalo.

    Minnesota’s Lee Stecklein would be the difference maker when she scored the game winner with 1:17 left in the game to seal the win for the Whitecaps.

    Kendall Coyne Schoefield would be responsible for the Whitecaps tying the score at 1 in the second period thanks to a power-play for the Whitecaps.

    With Minnesota’s win, they move to a record of 7-2 and Buffalo falls to a record of 4-4 on the season.

    Minnesota Whitecaps 2, BUFFALO BEAUTS 1

     

    The Whitecaps and Beauts face off again today at 1:30 p.m., ET.

    Also today, the Boston Pride visit the Connecticut Whale at 3 p.m., ET.

    Both games can be seen at NHWL.zone.

     

     

     

    In Day 4 of the 2019 World Junior Championships,

     

     

    Day 5 of competition has two games and that is Switzerland taking on Russia at 5 p.m., PST. and then Kazakhstan taking on Slovakia at 7:30 p.m., ET.

     

    Today there is only one NHL contest and that is the Vegas Golden Knights taking on the Arizona Coyotes.

     

     

  • Game Recap — 12/29/2018 — Washington Capitals at Ottawa Senators

    Game Recap — 12/29/2018 — Washington Capitals at Ottawa Senators

    Washington Capitals (23 – 10 – 3 (49 pts)) at Ottawa Senators (15 – 19 – 4 (34 pts))

     

    Game Recap:  The Washington Capitals would face-off against the Ottawa Senators and would come away with the 3-2 win.  The Washington Capitals would have two firsts in the contest with Tyler Lewington and Madison Bowey both scoring their first NHL career goals. Lewington and Bowey would become the first set of teammates to score their first goals against a goalie that is making his first career start since the Kings Gord Labossiere & Brian Kilrea vs Flyers Doug Favell on Oct 14, 1967.

    The second period would be a even-matched penalty-filled period with Bowey and Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk getting minors and matching fighting penalties. However, Tkachuk would get hit with a 10-minute misconduct penalty.  At the end of the second period, the Capitals would hold a 3-1 lead.  The third period would be  a slow, but evenly matched period for the Capitals.  The Senators would score late in the third period when they were caused chaos in front of the net but the Capitals would hold on to seal the 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators.

    The Capitals  look to take this energy into their next contest on Monday afternoon when they take on the Nashville Predators.

     

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T. J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Chandler Stephenson — Nic Dowd — DeVante Smith-Pelly

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Madison Bowey

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Tyler Lewington

    Pheonix Copley

    Braden Holtby

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Travis Boyd

    Injured: Matt Niskanen (Upper body), Christian Djoos (lower body), Brooks Orpik (knee surgery)

     

     

    Ottawa Senators:

    Brady Tkachuk  —  Colin White —  Mark Stone

    Zack Smith  —  Matt Duchene  —  Ryan Dzingel

    Mikkel Boedker  —  Chris  Tierney  —  Bobby Ryan

    Tom Pyatt  —  Nick Paul  —  Jack Rodewald

    Christian Wolanin  —  Dylan DeMelo

    Maxime LaJoie  —  Cody Ceci

    Mark Borowiecki  —  Ben Harpur

    Marcus Hogberg

    Mike McKenna

    Scratched: Stefan Elliott, Magnus Paajarvi, Christian Jaros

    Injured: Marian Gaborik (back), Justin Falk (upper body), Craig Anderson (concussion),  and Jean-Gabriel Pageau (torn Achilles), Thomas Chabot (upper body), Clarke MacArthur (undisclosed)

     

     

    First Period:

    Capitals Goal:  Tom Wilson (11) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (26) and Tyler Lewington — 7:12

    Capitals Goal:  Tyler Lewington (1) from Nicklas Backstrom (33) and Jonas Siegenthaler (3)  —  16:00

    Capitals Penalty:  Madison Bowey for Interference — 2 min minor– 16:37

     

    End of 1st – WSH – 2       OTT – 0

    Shots              10                07

    Faceoffs         05                10

    Hits               08                  07

    PP                 0/0                 0/1

     

    Analysis:  The first period started off slow until Tom Wilson registered his 11th goal of the season.  Capitals goaltender Pheonix Copley made a couple good saves in the first and the Capitals should maintain the pace of play they had in the first period for the next 40 minutes.

     

    Need to Do:  The Capitals need to apply more pressure to the Senators, as Ottawa is not known for shooting the puck well this season.  The Capitals also need to do better job at the faceoff circle.

     

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Goal:  Madison Bowey (1) from Tom Wilson (8)  —  1:01

    Senators Goal:  Colin White (10) from Mark Stone (25) and Brady Tkachuk (9)  — 4:22

    Capitals Penalty: Madison Bowey for Interference — 2 min minor — 4:55

    Capitals Penalty:  Madison Bowey for Fighting — 5 min major — 4:55

    Senators Penalty: Brady Tkachuk for Instigator– 2 min minor — 4:55

    Senators Penalty: Brady Tkachuk for Fighting — 5 min major — 4:55

    Senators Penalty: Brady Tkachuk for Misconduct —  10 min —  4:55

    Capitals Penalty: Tyler Lewington for Fighting  —  5 min major  —  15:36

    Senators Penalty:  Zack Smith for Fighting  —  5 min major —  15:36

     

    End of 2nd – WSH – 3        OTT – 1

    Shots               17                 20

    Faceoffs          11                 20

    Hits                 16                 18

    PP                   0/0                  0/1

     

    Analysis:  Madison Bowey would register his first career NHL goal one minute into the period and then seemed like things got very chippy.  Madison Bowey would be called for interference after what looked like a high hit under the chin, which started a brawl with Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk.  Tkachuk would be called for an instigator penalty, which kicked the brawl off.  Later in the period, Tyler Lewington would get the “Gordie Howe hat-trick” with a fight of his own with 4:24 left in the period with Ottawa’s Zack Smith.

     

    Need to Do:  The Capitals need to do whatever they can to stay of the penalty box, even if the penalties have been matching.  The Capitals also need to maintain focus and create a bit more chaos around the net.  Ottawa had very close calls with the puck coming into the net.  The Capitals blue-liners need to play smart and take advantages of the puck coming their way and re-direct shots the other way.

     

     

    Third Period:

    Senators Goal:  Mark Stone (18) from Brady Tkachuk (10) and Colin White (15) 16:30

     

    End of 3rd – WSH – 3         OTT – 2

    Shots              24                   33

    Faceoffs        24                    32

    Hits               22                     21

    PP                 0/0                    0/1

     

    Analysis:  Slow third period with the only noteworthy bit of information is the Ottawa goal.  Both teams played a strong third period but the Capitals would escape Ottawa with the 3-2 win.

     

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (24 – 10 – 3 (51 pts)) vs. Nashville (22 – 15 – 2 (46 pts))

    Ottawa (15 – 20 – 4 (34 pts)) at Columbus (22 – 13 – 3 (47 pts))

  • Gameday Preview – 12/29/2018 – Washington Capitals v. Ottawa Senators

    Gameday Preview – 12/29/2018 – Washington Capitals v. Ottawa Senators

    Washington Capitals (23-10-3 49pts) v. Ottawa Senators (15-19-4 34pts)

     

    Time: 7p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Washington+, City, and SportsNet 360

     

    Preview:

    The Washington Capitals head up to the Canadian capital to take on the Ottawa Senators in another Hockey Night in Canada match up. Last time these two teams faced off was last Saturday when the Capitals blanked the Senators 4-0.

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Projected Lineup:

     

    Capitals Notes:

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Don’t overlook the Senators

    While the Capitals did defeat the Senators last weekend, and the Senators are coming off of a 6-3 loss last night against the New York Islanders, the Senators are going to want to get the win at home for their fans.

     

    2. Play disciplined

    The Capitals need to play a much more disciplined game and stay out of the penalty box and draw more penalties against the Senators.

     

    Ottawa Senators:

    Projected Lineup:

    Brady Tkachuk — Colin White — Mark Stone

    Zack Smith — Matt Duchene — Ryan Dzingel

    Mikkel Boedker — Chris Tierney — Bobby Ryan

    Nick Paul — Magnus Paajarvi

    Thomas Chabot — Dylan DeMelo

    Ben Harpur — Cody Ceci

    Mark Borowiecki — Christian Jaros

    Maxime Lajoie

    Mike McKenna

    Marcus Hogberg

    Scratched: Tom Pyatt

    Injured: Craig Anderson (concussion), Justin Falk (upper body), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (Achilles), Thomas Chabot (upper body)

    *Either Stefan Elliott and Christian Wolanin are expected in the lineup with the injury to Chabot occurring last night.

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Get a good start

    The Senators need to get a good start to the game and not focus on the past. If they can get a good start and gain and maintain the momentum they can win this game.