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Category: Washington Capitals

  • Game Recap – 12/27/2018 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 12/27/2018 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Carolina Hurricanes (15-15-5 35pts) v. Washington Capitals (22-10-3 47pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals return from the Holiday break well rested as they took on the Carolina Hurricanes in a Metropolitan Division match up. The Capitals would control most of the tempo of this game despite taking three penalties in the first period. The second period would feature the Capitals forcing the play in the Hurricanes zone and cause the Hurricanes to take three penalties in the second period with the Capitals converting on the third one. The Capitals would keep up the pressure against the Hurricanes in the third period to secure their third straight victory.

     

    Lineups:

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Andrei Svechnikov — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen

    Micheal Ferland — Clark Bishop — Justin Williams

    Warren Foegele — Lucas Wallmark — Jordan Martinook

    Janne Kuokkanen — Victor Rask — Brock McGinn

    Jaccob Slavin — Brett Pesce

    Calvin de Haan — Justin Faulk

    Trevor van Riemsdyk — Dougie Hamilton

    Petr Mrazek

    Curtis McElhinney

    Scratches: Phillip Di Giuseppe

    Injured: Haydn Fleury (concussion), Jordan Staal (upper body)

     

    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

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Madison Bowey

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratches: Nic Dowd, Dmitrij Jaskin, Tyler Lewington

    Injured: Christian Djoos (leg), Brooks Orpik (knee)

     

    First Period:

    Hurricanes Penalty – 1:50 – Sebastian Aho 2 minutes for Slashing

    Capitals Penalty – 9:35 – Nicklas Backstrom 2 minutes for Tripping

    Capitals Penalty – 13:56 – Brett Connolly 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals Penalty – 16:25 – TJ Oshie 2 minutes for Interference

     

    End of 1st – CAR – 0       WAS – 0

    Shots              08                16

    Faceoffs         05                13

    Hits               07                  05

    PP                 0/3                 0/1

     

    Analysis:

    This was a good period for the Capitals, but they kept getting themselves into penalty trouble. However, the Capitals did a great job of winning the battles to the puck to diffuse the Hurricanes powerplay opportunities. Also the Capitals did a very good job of pressuring the Hurricanes in their own zone and creating scoring chances for themselves.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to keep playing the strong game that they are, but they need to stay out of the penalty box, and force the Hurricanes to make mistakes and capitalize on them.

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Goal – 3:33 – Chandler Stephenson (4) from unassisted

    Hurricanes Penalty – 4:16 – Andrei Svechnikov 2 minutes for Goalie Interference

    Hurricanes Penalty – 6:18 – Andrei Svechnikov 2 minutes for Interference

    Hurricanes Penalty – 17:18 – Brett Pesce 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals PPG – 18:16 – TJ Oshie (11) from John Carlson (31) and Alex Ovechkin (16)

     

    End of 2nd – CAR – 0        WAS – 2

    Shots               16                 25

    Faceoffs          19                 22

    Hits                 18                  14

    PP                   0/3                  1/4

     

    Analysis:

    Another good period for the Capitals that saw them force the Hurricanes to take 3 penalties this period and capitalizing late on their third chance. Great play by the Capitals earlier in the second period by forcing the pressure in the zone and making the Hurricanes defense cough up the puck and lead to Chandler Stephenson’s goal.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to keep their foot on the gas, and continue to force the play in the Hurricanes zone. Also the Capitals need to make sure they stay out of the penalty box, and not allow the Hurricanes an opportunity to get back into this game.

     

    Third Period:

    Hurricanes Goal – 12:25 – Sebastian Aho (15) from Micheal Ferland (6)

    Capitals Penalty – 16:12 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Capitals ENG – 19:09 – John Carlson (6) from Nicklas Backstrom (32)

     

    End of 3rd – CAR – 1         WAS – 3

    Shots              29                   33

    Faceoffs        27                    33

    Hits               24                     29

    PP                 0/4                    1/4

     

    Analysis:

    A slower moving third period that saw the Hurricanes get on the board and ending Braden Holtby’s shutout chances after Matt Niskanen was driven into the boards from behind by Clark Bishop while Niskanen was entangled with Justin Williams. Overall a good period for the Capitals as they walk out the victors in this one.

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (23-10-3 49pts) @ Ottawa (15-18-4 34pts)

    Carolina (15-16-5 35pts) @ New Jersey (13-16-7 33pts)

  • Gameday Preview – 12/27/2018 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Gameday Preview – 12/27/2018 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Carolina Hurricanes (15-15-5 35pts) v. Washington Capitals (22-10-3 47pts)

     

    Time: 7p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Washington and Fox Sports Carolinas

     

    Preview:

    With the Holiday break behind us, the NHL gets right back to it as the Washington Capitals host the Carolina Hurricanes. The Capitals went into the break winning both games of their back to back, while the Hurricanes were not successful in their first game, but when they donned the Hartford Whalers uniforms, they defeated the Boston Bruins in convincing fashion.

     

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Projected Lineup:

    Jordan Martinook — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen

    Micheal Ferland — Victor Rask — Brock McGinn

    Andrei Svechnikov — Lucas Wallmark — Justin Williams

    Warren Foegele — Clark Bishop — Phillip Di Giuseppe

    Jaccob Slavin — Brett Pesce

    Calvin de Haan — Justin Faulk

    Trevor van Riemsdyk — Dougie Hamilton

    Petr Mrazek

    Curtis McElhinney

    Scratched: Janne Kuokkanen

    Injured: Haydn Fleury (concussion), Jordan Staal (upper body)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Continue Special Teams Dominance

    While the Hurricanes were not successful on their powerplay opportunities against the Bruins, they did however use them to swing the momentum in their favor. Plus getting two shorthanded goals from Teuvo Teravainen and Sebastian Aho was huge for the Hurricanes in their victory.

     

    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 — Matt Niskanen

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Madison Bowey

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Travis Boyd

    Injured: Christian Djoos (leg), Brooks Orpik (knee)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Control the tempo

    As mentioned for Carolina, they were very good at using their special teams units to take control of the game against Boston. The Capitals will need to combat that by controlling the tempo of the game and keep themselves out of the penalty box.

     

    2. Get Special Teams back on track

    The Capitals need to shore up their penalty kill, especially against Carolina. Also the Capitals need to shake up their powerplay a bit as well, and be less predictable.

     

    *Editors Note – Projected Lineups were taken from both teams last games played. We anticipate potential line changes.

  • Gameday Preview – 12/22/2018 – Washington Capitals v. Ottawa Senators

    Gameday Preview – 12/22/2018 – Washington Capitals v. Ottawa Senators

    Washington Capitals (21-10-3 45pts) v. Ottawa Senators (15-17-4 34pts)

     

    Time: 7p EST

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

     

    Preview:

    The Washington Capitals travel to Ottawa to take on the Senators in the final game of their back to back before going into the Holiday break. The Capitals are coming off of a hard fought 2-1 win over Buffalo at home will be looking for their second straight win, meanwhile the Senators are looking to bounce back from their game last night against the New Jersey Devils that saw them fall 5-2.

     

    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 — Matt Niskanen

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Madison Bowey

    Pheonix Copley

    Braden Holtby

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Travis Boyd, Tyler Lewington

    Injured: Christian Djoos (leg), Brooks Orpik (knee)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Stay Fresh

    The Capitals will be playing in their second game of their back to back and will need to keep their legs fresh throughout the game. Short shifts and rolling all 4 lines and all 3 pairs will be key to that.

     

    2. Stay out of the box

    The Capitals are still taking too many penalties and it disrupts the flow of their game. The Capitals need to draw more penalties, and take fewer penalties.

     

    Ottawa Senators:

    Projected Lineup:

    Chris Tierney — Matt Duchene — Mikkel Boedker

    Brady Tkachuk — Colin White — Mark Stone

    Ryan Dzingel — Zack Smith — Bobby Ryan

    Magnus Paajarvi — Tom Pyatt

    Thomas Chabot — Dylan DeMelo

    Maxime Lajoie — Cody Ceci

    Mark Borowiecki — Christian Jaros

    Ben Harpur (D)

    Craig Anderson

    Mike McKenna

    Scratched: Justin Falk, Nick Paul

    Injured: Jean-Gabriel Pageau (Achilles)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Play with motivation

    The Senators are coming off of a 5-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils last night and will be home to take on the Capitals. The Senators need to feed off of their home crowd and play with motivation.

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (21-10-3 45pts) v. Carolina (14-14-5 33pts)

    Ottawa (15-16-4 34pts) @ NY Islanders (17-13-4 38pts)

  • Game Recap – 12/21/2018 – Buffalo Sabres v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 12/21/2018 – Buffalo Sabres v. Washington Capitals

    Buffalo Sabres (20-10-5 45pts) v. Washington Capitals (20-10-3 43pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals defeat the Buffalo Sabres in a tightly contested game that saw Braden Holtby make 36 saves on 37 shots, and Tom Wilson clinch the game with the game winning goal 7 minutes left in regulation.

     

    Lineups:

    Buffalo Sabres:

    Jeff Skinner — Jack Eichel — Sam Reinhart

    Conor Sheary – Vladimir Sobotka — Evan Rodrigues

    Zemgus Girgensons — Casey Mittelstadt — Kyle Okposo

    Remi Elie — Johan Larsson — Tage Thompson

    Rasmus Dahlin — Zach Bogosian

    Lawrence Pilut — Rasmus Ristolainen

    Marco Scandella — Jake McCabe

    Carter Hutton

    Linus Ullmark

    Scratched: Brendan Guhle, Matt Hunwick

    Injured: Jason Pominville (undisclosed), Nathan Beaulieu (upper body), Casey Nelson (upper body), Scott Wilson (ankle)

     

    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 — Matt Niskanen

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Madison Bowey

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Travis Boyd, Tyler Lewington

    Injured: Christian Djoos (leg), Brooks Orpik (knee)

     

    First Period:

    Sabres Penalty – 4:32 – Jeff Skinner 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals Penalty – 8:28 – Tom Wilson 2 minutes for Hooking

     

    End of 1st – BUF – 0       WAS – 0

    Shots              09                08

    Faceoffs         07                09

    Hits               03                  10

    PP                 0/1                 0/1

     

    Analysis:

    This was a very fast paced and very even first period for both teams. Both the Capitals and Sabres are doing a very good job of taking care of the neutral zone and keep the the slot area clear for their goalies.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to keep their feet moving and continue playing really good team defense against the Sabres. The Capitals also need to do a better job in reducing the amount of giveaways. They had 7 to Buffalo’s 4 in the first period.

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Penalty – 2:37 – Jonas Siegenthaler 2 minutes for Tripping

    Capitals SHG – 2:50 – Chandler Stephenson (3) from Nic Dowd (9)

    Sabres Penalty – 7:12 – Evan Rodrigues 2 minutes for Holding

    Sabres Penalty – 9:38 – Casey Mittelstadt 2 minutes for Holding

     

    End of 2nd – BUF – 0        WAS – 1

    Shots               19                 16

    Faceoffs          14                 19

    Hits                 03                  19

    PP                   0/2                  0/3

     

    Analysis:

    This was another very good back and forth period between both teams. The Capitals were better than the Sabres on special teams as they held Buffalo shotless on their lone powerplay of the period, and the Capitals scored while shorthanded. The Capitals powerplay was buzzing on both opportunities and with some controversy to the first one.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to continue playing strong team defense and limit the scoring chances for the Sabres. Also the Capitals need to cut down on their giveaways. They almost shot themselves in the foot a few times this game with their giveaways.

     

    Third Period:

    Sabres Goal – 9:01 – Johan Larsson (3) from Tage Thompson (3) and Rasmus Ristolainen (19)

    Capitals Penalty – 9:24 – Matt Niskanen 2 minutes for Tripping

    Capitals Goal – 13:00 – Tom Wilson (10) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (25)

    Sabres Penalty – 14:23 – Vladimir Sobotka 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals Penalty – 17:48 – Nic Dowd 2 minutes for Tripping

     

    End of 3rd – BUF – 1         WAS – 2

    Shots              37                   24

    Faceoffs        23                    28

    Hits               06                     19

    PP                 0/4                    0/4

     

    Analysis:

    A good solid period. Both teams scored hard earned goals, but it would be the Capitals penalty kill that would upset the Sabres and not allow them to get any quality chances on the powerplay.

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (21-10-3 45pts) @ Ottawa (15-16-4 34pts)

    Buffalo (20-11-5 45pts) v. Anaheim (19-13-5 43pts)

  • Gameday Preview – 12/21/2018 – Buffalo Sabres v. Washington Capitals

    Gameday Preview – 12/21/2018 – Buffalo Sabres v. Washington Capitals

    Buffalo Sabres (20-10-5 45pts) v. Washington Capitals (20-10-3 43pts)

     

    Time: 7p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Washington, SportsNet, and NBCSN

     

    Preview:

    The Washington Capitals host the Buffalo Sabres for the second time in 6 days as they start another backmto back weekend before they go into the Holiday break. For the Capitals, they will be looking to bounc3 back from their loss Wednesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Meanwhile, the Sabres will be looking to get back to their winning ways after winning one of their last three.

     

    Buffalo Sabres:

    Projected Lineup:

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Full team effort

    The Sabres need to get contributions from their depth players, and not just from their stars. Jack Eichel, and Jeff Skinner have neen on fire for the Sabres, bur they can’t win every game for them.

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Projected Lineup:

     

    Capitals Notes:

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Mix up the powerplay

    The Capitals need to change up their powerplay a little bit. Not a complete overhaul, but some changes here and there. In their game against the Penguins, Pittsburgh did a really great job of taking away the passing lanes, ans we have seen other teams play the Capitals more aggressively with their penalty kills. Do a few tweaks, maybe even change some of the personnel on the two units and see how that shakes things up.

     

    2. Clean defensive game

    The Capitals need to play a much better defensive game, especially in their own zone. They need to do better passes to get out of their zone and make sure the passes are clean tape to tape ones too.

  • December 20th, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is Thursday, December 20th, 2018, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were two contests last night in the NHL.

     

    • Pittsburgh 2, WASHINGTON 1

    Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby recorded his 23rd multi-point game against the Capitals in their second third match-up of the season and would lift the Penguins past Washington with the 2-1 win last night at Capital One Arena.

     

    Crosby has more multi-point games against the Islanders and the Flyers than he does against the Capitals.

     

    Penguins goaltender registered 31 saves in the contest against the Capitals and has six career wins against the Capitals and is tied for the most wins with Columbus.

    With his multi-point game, Crosby now has 344 on his career.  He is 36 behind Joe Thornton for the most among active NHL players.

     

     

    TXHT has your full recap of the contest between the Capitals and the Penguins at the following page.

    Game Recap – 12/19/2018 – Pittsburgh Penguins v. Washington Capitals

    • COLORADO 2, Montreal 1

     

    With Colorado’s win over the Montreal Canadiens, Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon, and Gabriel Landeskog have a combined 155 points thus far on the season.

     

    The total is 25 higher than the Tampa Bay Lightning’s trio of Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, and Braden Point.

    Gabriel Landeskog would go on to score the game-winner in this contest, his seventh on the season.  With that seventh game-winning goal, Landeskog leads all players this season, and it is the most game-winners thus far in his career.

     

     

     

     

     

    Tonight’s schedule of contests:

    For the Toronto Maple Leafs, check out TXHT’s Gameday Preview of the contest between the Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers.

     

    The Gameday Preview was written by TXHT’s Maple Leafs writer, Steve Gardiner.

     

    Florida Panthers vs Toronto Maple Leafs – 20/12/2018 – Game Day Preview

     

     

    In NHL News…

    Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet and Hockey Night in Canada released his weekly “31 Thoughts” article, which you can read below.

    https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1075816445810946048

     

     

    In the NWHL….

    Today the 2018 NWHL Draft concluded with rounds 3-5.

    Below are the results from all five teams.

     

  • Game Recap – 12/19/2018 – Pittsburgh Penguins v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 12/19/2018 – Pittsburgh Penguins v. Washington Capitals

    Pittsburgh Penguins (15-12-6 36pts) v. Washington Capitals (20-9-3 43pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals fall short against their rivals the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Capitals were lackluster with all five of their powerplay opportunities and the Penguins were able to make one count in four chances on the powerplay. The Capitals also were bit hard with some bad puck luck that saw one opportunity hit the post and another two getting on the goal line, but not cross the line. The Capitals now have to refocus and get back on track when they host the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.

     

    Lineups:

    Pittsburgh Penguins:

    Jake Guentzel — Sidney Crosby — Bryan Rust

    Zach Aston-Reese — Evgeni Malkin — Phil Kessel

    Tanner Pearson — Derick Brassard — Patric Hornqvist

    Riley Sheahan — Matt Cullen — Garrett Wilson

    Brian Dumoulin — Kris Letang

    Olli Maatta — Jamie Oleksiak

    Marcus Pettersson — Jack Johnson

    Matt Murray

    Casey DeSmith

    Scratched: Chad Ruhwedel, Derek Grant

    Injured: Justin Schultz (fractured left leg), Dominik Simon (lower body)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Brett Connolly — Lars Eller — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Dmitrij Jaskin — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Madison Bowey

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Andre Burakovsky, Chandler Stephenson, Tyler Lewington

    Injured: Christian Djoos (leg), Brooks Orpik (knee)

     

    First Period:

    Capitals Penalty – :55 – Tom Wilson 5 minute major for Fighting

    Penguins Penalty – :55 – Jamie Oleksiak 5 minute major for Fighting

    Capitals Penalty – 4:05 – Alex Ovechkin 2 minutes for Roughing

    Penguins Penalty – 4:05 – Kris Letang 2 minutes for Roughing

    Capitals Penalty – 6:54 – Jonas Siegenthaler 2 minutes for Holding

    Capitals Penalty – 14:10 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for Cross Checking

     

    End of 1st – PIT – 0       WAS – 0

    Shots              09                08

    Faceoffs         09                06

    Hits               07                  06

    PP                 0/2                 0/0

     

    End of 1st – PIT – 0       WAS – 0

    Shots              09                08

    Faceoffs         09                06

    Hits               07                  06

    PP                 0/2                 0/0

     

    Analysis:

    A really fast paced and penalty filled start of the game for the Capitals and Penguins. Both team’s goalies have come up big, and have both generated some really good scoring chances.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to stay out of the box and continue forcing the play in the Penguins zone. Keep the legs moving and draw some penalties on the Penguins so they can give their powerplay a chance to make a difference.

     

    Second Period:

    Penguins Penalty – :48 – Bryan Rust 2 minutes for Holding

    Penguins Penalty – 2:58 – Marcus Pettersson 2 minutes High Sticking

    Capitals Goal – 6:38 – Lars Eller (5) from Tom Wilson (7)

    Capitals Penalty – 8:06 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for Tripping

    Penguins PPG – 9:15 – Sidney Crosby (16) from Evgeni Malkin (26) and Kris Letang (20)

    Penguins Penalty – 12:12 – Jake Guentzel 2 minutes for Holding

    Penguins Goal – 18:58 –  Bryan Rust (7) from Jake Guentzel (16) and Sidney Crosby (22)

    Penguins Penalty – 20:00 – Brian Dumoulin 2 minutes for Holding

     

    End of 2nd – PIT – 2        WAS – 1

    Shots               21                 18

    Faceoffs          19                 16

    Hits                 16                  17

    PP                   1/3                  0/3

     

    Analysis:

    This has been a good game for the Capitals, but their powerplay has just been putrid this game. The Capitals have been good at even strength but their special teams needs improvement.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals have the luxury of starting the 3rd period with a full 2 minute powerplay, but they need to mix it up and take away the predictability. The Capitals are still in this, but they need to play smart and clean up their play in their own zone as well.

     

    Third Period:

    Capitals Penalty – 4:13 – Matt Niskanen 2 minutes for Tripping

    Penguins Penalty – 5:16 – Phil Kessel 2 minutes for Tripping

     

    End of 3rd – PIT – 2         WAS – 1

    Shots              30                   32

    Faceoffs        34                    22

    Hits               23                     24

    PP                 1/4                    0/5

     

    Analysis:

    A hard fought game from both teams, but the Capitals inability to capitalize on the powerplay opportunities, plus not having the puck luck on their side really hurt the Capitals in this game.

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (20-10-3 43pts) v. Buffalo (20-10-5 45pts)

    Pittsburgh (16-12-6 38pts) v. Minnesota (17-14-2 36pts)

  • December 19th, 2018 — News and Notes

    December 19th, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is Wednesday, December 19th, 2018, and this is a very quick recap of the games last night, and brief news and notes across the NHL

     

    There were 11 contests last night in the NHL.

     

     

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

    Toronto Maple Leafs vs New Jersey Devils – 18/12/2018 – Game Recap

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Two games are in action tonight.

    Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals, 8 p.m. ET (NBCSN)

    Montreal Canadiens at Colorado Avalanche, 8:30 p.m, ET

     

    You can read TXHT’s preview of the contest between the Penguins and the Capitals at the following page.

    Gameday Preview – 12/19/2018 – Pittsburgh Penguins v. Washington Capitals

     

    Today in the NHL…

     

     

    Today in the NWHL was the 2018 NWHL Draft.  Tomorrow the NWHL draft will conclude with rounds 3-5.

     

  • Gameday Preview – 12/19/2018 – Pittsburgh Penguins v. Washington Capitals

    Gameday Preview – 12/19/2018 – Pittsburgh Penguins v. Washington Capitals

    Pittsburgh Penguins (15-12-6 36pts) v. Washington Capitals (20-9-3 43pts)

     

    Time: 8p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Network

     

    Preview:

    The Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins renew their rivalry on Wednesday Night Hockey on NBC Sports Network. The Capitals will look to keep their 5 game winning streak going, while the Penguins will look to bounce back from their recent loss to the Anaheim Ducks, and gain some consistency.

     

    Pittsburgh Penguins:

    Projected Lineup:

     

    Penguins News:

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Consistency

    The Penguins need to play a much more consistent game than they have been to gain some more ground in the Metro Division.

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Projected Lineup:

     

    Capitals News:

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Get special teams on track

    The Capitals need to start getting their special teams back on track, especially the penalty kill. It has been the biggest weakness thus far as their penalty kill has given up too many goals and ranks 27th overall in the League.

     

    2. Smart defense

    The Capitals need to play smart defensively against the Penguins, and contain the Penguins speed and skill. The Capitals also need to make better plays to break out of their zone as well too.