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Tag: Washington Capitals

  • *UPDATED* Empire State of Mind: Washington Capitals vs New York Rangers

    *UPDATED* Empire State of Mind: Washington Capitals vs New York Rangers

    Washington Capitals (16-3-4) vs New York Rangers (8-8-2)

     Predicted Goaltender Record GAA / SV% / # SO
    Washington CapitalsBraden Holtby11-1-32.91 / .906% / 0
    New York RangersHenrik Lundqvist4-4-13.54 / .905% / 0

     

    Tonight, the Washington Capitals will face the New York Rangers for the 2nd time this season. Since the Caps’ defeated the Rangers 5-2 back on October 18th, New York has won 6 of 13 games. Conversely, the Capitals have won 11 of 15, and lead the league in wins, goals for, goal differential, and shot percentage.

    On Monday, the Washington Capitals defeated the Anaheim Ducks 5-2. However, that win was anything but run-of-the-mill. The league-leading Capitals have established themselves as the team to beat, and opposition will stop at almost nothing to give themselves a fighting chance. Literally. Richard Panik, who has not scored since joining the Caps, tallied his first goal of the season, just 50 seconds into the first period.

     

    Panik missed 10 games with an injury that landed him on IR. Travis Boyd tallied a primary assist on the goal, and now has three points in three consecutive games (NHL.com). TJ Oshie was called for delay of game at the 18:00 mark of the first period, but Washington successfully killed off the penalty. The second period saw the Capitals’ first power play of the night, and a beautiful pass from Evgeny Kuznetsov to Alex Ovechkin ended up in the back of the net, giving Washington a 2-0 lead. With his 15th goal of the season, Ovechkin ranks 3rd in goal scoring across the league.

     

    The remainder of the middle frame was fairly uneventful, despite some rough-housing between the two teams, and some non-calls from on-ice officials. It wasn’t until the final 30 seconds of the period that things really started to heat up. Capitals forward Brendan Leipsic was fed up with Anaheim’s shenanigans, and threw a massive hit, all 5’10” of him, after being tied up by Erik Gudbranson and repeatedly cross-checked by Brendan Guhle.

    https://youtu.be/gmL_HaRrJco

     

    Both Leipsic and Garnet Hathaway, who had also been very involved throughout the first two periods were then dragged into an all-out brawl behind the goal. In the midst of all the extra-curriculars, Chandler Stephenson scored on Ducks goaltender John Gibson, but many wondered if the goal would stand. Hathaway continued to get into it with Derek Grant and Brett Ritchie. Erik Gudbranson, who, with the Ducks, is playing on his third team in two years, sucker-punched Hathaway as the referees and linesmen were attempting to separate them. Hathaway, in sheer anger and disgust, then spat on Gudbranson, and John Carlson got involved as well. As the officials tried to decide what penalties would be doled out, and for how long, fans in Capital One Arena sat impatiently, trying to decide if the home team was up 3-0, or if Stephenson’s goal wouldn’t count. After what seemed like 15 minutes, the Caps and the Ducks would play two minutes of 4-on-4, and then Anaheim would have a three-minute power play.

     

     

     

    Garnet Hathaway received a match penalty, and therefore would not play the remainder of the game. Chandler Stephensons’ goal stood, and the Capitals led 3-0 heading into the third period. At the 5:44 mark of the final period, Jakub Vrana scored his 10th goal of the season, lifting the Caps to a score of 4-0.

    Just short of the 13-minute mark, TJ Oshie would receive his second penalty of the game, four minutes for high-sticking. Sam Steel scored his first of the season, ruining Braden Holtby’s hopes for a shutout. Less than four minutes later, Nicolas Deslauriers also scored his first of the season, cutting Washingtons’ lead to two. Ducks head-coach Dallas Eakins emptied their net for the extra skater, and Tom Wilson sealed the deal for Washington with an empty-net goal at the 18:49 mark.

    Braden Holtby allowed just two goals on 34 shots and is expected to start for Washington tonight.

    The New York Rangers last played on Saturday, and should be well-rested heading into tonight’s match. The Rangers lost to the Florida Panthers by a score of 4-3, after allowing two power play goals on four opportunities by the Panthers. All of the scoring in the first period came before the game was 10 minutes old. Mike Hoffman started the scoring with an early power play, but just about 30 seconds after Florida scored, Ryan Strome scored his 6th of the season to tie the game. Just short of seven minutes into the period, Evgenii Dadonov scored his 9th of the season, again on the Panthers’ power play, and two minutes later, Artemi Panarin tied it all up with his 9th goal. New York received their first power play opportunity one minute into the second period, but were unable to convert. The Rangers’ power play is alright, ranking 14th, and operating at 20.6% efficiency, but their penalty kill is not alright. The Rangers average 13.2 penalty minutes per game, and their 3rd worst penalty kill in the league doesn’t help their cause. Killing just 73.2% of penalties taken, the Rangers have allowed 12 power play goals, in 8 games played in November. Six of those PPG’s came versus the Tampa Bay Lightning, in an embarrassing 9-3 defeat back on November 14th. Tony DeAngelo scored his 6th just short of the six-minute mark of the third period, but two more goals for the Panthers, one from Brett Connolly, and another from Evgenii Dadonov proved too much for the Rangers to overcome (TheScore, NYR @ FLA). One month ago, when the Rangers last played the Capitals, New York boasted the 2nd best faceoff percentage in the league, but has since dropped to 29th, as they win 47.4% of all faceoffs taken. The Rangers also allow, on average, 3.61 goals against per game, 2nd most in the league (TheScore, New York Rangers). On the other hand, the Capitals score the most goals for, averaging 3.74 per game (TheScore, Washington). Versus the Panthers, goaltender Henrik Lundqvist allowed 4 goals on 30 shots, ending the night with a .867 save percentage. Lundqvist is expected to start tonight.

    The New York Rangers are without defenseman Marc Staal (OUT- infection), and center Mika Zibanejad (OUT- upper body). Zibanejad has played just three games this season. Carl Hagelin participated in an optional practice yesterday, donning a non-contact jersey. Nic Dowd did not participate. Nicklas Backstrom is out with an upper-body injury, and will not play versus the Rangers. The Washington Capitals have recalled forwards Beck Malenstyn and Mike Sgarbossa, as well as defenseman Tyler Lewington, and goaltender Ilya Samsonov from the Hershey Bears. With the moves, they have re-assigned Vitek Vanecek to Hershey. Washington has placed Nic Dowd on IR, and is eligible to be reactivated November 21st. Carl Hagelin has been placed on LTIR, and is eligible to be reactivated December 2nd. Garnet Hathaway will not dress for tonight’s game, as he has been issued a three-game suspension. We are absolutely shocked by the league’s decision, as Hathaway was wrongfully given a match penalty for an offense that was more deserving of a game misconduct penalty, if anything at all. It is disappointing, but not surprising, that the league continues to fail to punish those who are actually deserving of suspension.

    Coverage of the game begins at 7:00pm with Caps Faceoff Live, followed by Caps Pregame Live at 7:30pm, all on NBCSN/NBCSWA, with puck drop shortly after 8:00pm.

     

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    References

    NHL.com. (2019). Travis Boyd Stats and News. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/player/travis-boyd-8476329.

    TheScore. (2019). New York Rangers @ Florida Panthers. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/events/22032 .

    TheScore. (2019). New York Rangers News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/8 .

    TheScore. (2019). Washington Capitals News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/15 .

     

     

  • NHL News and Notes from Monday, November 18th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Monday, November 18th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Monday, November 18th, 2019

     

    News:

    • On November 17th, St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist was fined $7,392.47, maximum allowed under the CBA, for charging Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson.

     

    • The New Jersey Devils made a couple of moves as they recalled goaltender Louis Domingue from Binghamton of the AHL, and have placed goaltender Cory Schneider on waivers with the purpose of assignment to Binghamton.

    https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1196450512058621952?s=20

     

    • Montreal Canadiens have confirmed that forwards Paul Byron (knee) and Jonathan Drouin (wrist) will require surgery, and will miss time.

    https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1196464185107980289?s=20

     

    Game Recaps:

    Anaheim Ducks v. Washington Capitals – 7p EST Start Time

    ANA RoadWAS Home

    The fireworks would explode as the Washington Capitals defeat the Anaheim Ducks 5-2. TXHT Recap

     

    Los Angeles Kings v. Arizona Coyotes – 9p EST Start Time

    LA RoadARI Home

    In Arizona the Coyotes play host to the Los Angeles Kings, and in the first period the Coyotes would strike twice as Conor Garland would net his tenth of the season and Derek Stepan would strike on the powerplay to take the 2-0 lead into the first intermission. Then in the second period Jakob Chychrun would score on the powerplay to grow the Coyotes lead to three. The Coyotes would hold on in a scoreless third period to take the 3-0 victory over the Kings.

     

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  • Game Recap – 11/18/2019 – Anaheim Ducks v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 11/18/2019 – Anaheim Ducks v. Washington Capitals

    Anaheim Ducks (10-9-2 22pts) v. Washington Capitals (15-3-4 34pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    Coming off their 3-2 shootout victory against Boston, the Washington Capitals look to build on their momentum against the visiting Anaheim Ducks. In the first period the Capitals would need only 50 seconds to break the tie and take the first lead of the game as Richard Panik would score his first as a Capital off of a beautiful Travis Boyd pass to take the one goal lead. The ducks would get a late powerplay opportunity, but the Capitals would shut them down going into the first intermission.

     

    In the second period the Capitals would get their first powerplay opportunity of the game, and it would be the captain Alex Ovechkin from his office with his 15th of the season to give the Capitals the two goal lead. Theni in the final minute of the period there would be an explosion as Brendan Leipsic would throw his weight around and lay out two heavy hits to discombobulate the Ducks in their own zone and Chandler Stephenson would be the recipient of a Garnet Hathaway pass to take the 3-0 lead, but the goal would be overshadowed with the melee that would ensue as Leipsic would take on three Ducks at the same time the goal was scored and would result in Hathaway and Nick Ritchie to be tossed from the game, and a total of 50 penalty minutes between the two teams.

     

    In the third period after killing off the lone powerplay that would come out of the second period powder keg, the Capitals would strike once again as Jakub Vrana would find his own rebound and bank it past John Gibson to give the Capitals the 4-0 lead. However, on a TJ Oshie double minor for high sticking, the Ducks would strike as Sam Steel would score his first of the season to cut the Capitals lead to three. Nicolas Deslauriers would score to cut the Capitals lead to two, but Tom Wilson would deflect the puck into the empty net to give the Capitals the 5-2 victory.

     

    Lineups:

    Anaheim Ducks:

    Rickard Rakell — Ryan Getzlaf — Max Jones

    Devin Shore — Adam Henrique — Jakob Silfverberg

    Nick Ritchie — Sam Steel — Troy Terry

    Nicolas Deslauriers — Derek Grant — Carter Rowney

    Michael Del Zotto — Cam Fowler

    Josh Mahura — Erik Gudbranson

    Brendan Guhle — Korbinian Holzer

    John Gibson

    Ryan Miller

    Scratched: Ondrej Kase, Jacob Larsson

    Injured: Josh Manson (lower body), Hampus Lindholm (lower body)

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1196575060124827648?s=20

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Richard Panik — Lars Eller — Travis Boyd

    Brendan Leipsic — Chandler Stephenson — Garnet Hathaway

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Radko Gudas

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Nick Jensen

    Braden Holtby

    Vitek Vanecek

    Scratched: None

    Injured: Nic Dowd (upper body), Carl Hagelin (upper body)

     

    First Period:

    WAS Goal – :50 – Richard Panik (1)  from Travis Boyd (5) and Lars Eller (7)

    WAS Penalty – 18:00 – TJ Oshie 2 minutes for Delay of Game

     

    End of 1st

    11-18 v ANA.png

     

    Second Period:

    ANA Penalty – 6:19 – Carter Rowney 2 minutes for Slashing

    WAS PPG – 6:39 – Alex Ovechkin (15) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (12) and John Carlson (25)

    WAS Goal – 19:26 – Chandler Stephenson (3) from Garnet Hathaway (5)

    WAS Penalty – 19:26 – Garnet Hathaway 5 minute major for Fighting

    WAS Penalty – 19:26 – Garnet Hathaway (Boyd) 10 minute Match Penalty

    WAS Penalty – 19:26 – Brendan Leipsic 4 minutes for Roughing

    ANA Penalty – 19:26 – Erik Gudbranson 2 minutes for Roughing

    ANA Penalty – 19:26 – Erik Gudbranson 10 minute Misconduct

    ANA Penalty – 19:26 – Brendan Guhle 4 minutes for Roughing

    ANA Penalty – 19:26 – Nick Ritchie 5 minute major for Fighting

    ANA Penalty – 19:26 – Nick Ritchie (Game Misconduct)

     

    End of 2nd

    11-18 v ANA-2.png

     

    Third Period:

    WAS Goal – 5:44 – Jakub Vrana (10) from unassisted

    WAS Penalty – 12:55 – TJ Oshie double minor for High Sticking

    ANA PPG – 13:31 – Sam Steel (1) from Devin Shore (3) and Michael Del Zotto (3)

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1196617677101395968?s=20

    ANA Goal – 18:11 – Nicolas Deslauriers (1) from Rickard Rakell (9) and Ryan Getzlaf (7)

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1196619582519140352?s=20

    WAS Goal – 18:49 – Tom Wilson (9) from John Carlson (26) and Nicklas Backstrom (14)

     

    End of 3rd

    11-18 v ANA-3.png

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (16-3-4 36pts) @ NY Rangers (8-8-2 18pts)

    Anaheim (10-10-2 22pts) @ Florida (10-5-5 25pts)

     

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  • Duck Hunting in DC: Washington Capitals vs Anaheim Ducks

    Duck Hunting in DC: Washington Capitals vs Anaheim Ducks

    Washington Capitals (15-3-4) vs Anaheim Ducks (10-9-2)

     

     Predicted Goaltender Record GAA / SV% / # SO
    Washington CapitalsBraden Holtby10-1-32.97 / .904% / 0
    Anaheim DucksJohn Gibson7-9-02.83 / .915% / 0

     

    Tonight, the Washington Capitals will play the Anaheim Ducks back at Capital One Arena. Although the last time these two teams played each other was back on February 17th, 2019, with the Capitals losing 5-2, most fans remember the heartbreaking 6-5 loss that came versus Anaheim last December, after Washington gave up a lead by allowing five unanswered goals. This time around, the Washington Capitals are looking to avoid a similar fate. For comparisons’ sake, the Ducks’ record one year ago to the day was 8-9-4, and the Capitals’, 9-7-3 (HockeyReference).

    On Saturday, the Washington Capitals defeated the Boston Bruins for the 15th time in 16 meetings, in a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat 3-2 shootout win. Due to salary cap restraints, the Capitals were forced to send down goaltender Ilya Samsonov and Tyler Lewington to the Hershey Bears, and brought up Travis Boyd and Vitek Vanecek. After losing the previous nights’ match to the Montreal Canadiens, head coach Todd Reirden wanted to send a message, and thus scrambled up all four lines, and started veteran goaltender Braden Holtby. Promoted to the top line were Tom Wilson and Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Reirden swapped Richard Panik from the 3RW to the 3LW spot, dropped Chandler Stephenson to the 4C position, and brought up Hathaway from the 4RW to the 3RW position. The Capitals received the first power play of the night at the eight-minute mark as David Pastrnak went off for hooking. The Capitals would not convert. 90 seconds later, Charlie Coyle, for the second time in as many nights, scored the first goal of the game, giving the Bruins a first period 1-0 lead. However, three minutes later, Travis Boyd, who had just been called down from Hershey, scored his first goal of the season to tie the game 1-1. The Bruins would receive their first power play with 39 seconds remaining in the first period, and would start the second with the man advantage. The Capitals successfully killed off the Gudas penalty, but three minutes and 30 seconds into the middle frame, David Pastrnak scored his 17th of the season, renewing Bostons’ lead. After having just one point in four games, it was only a matter of time until Pastrnak struck again. Still, just two points in five games would be considered a slump for the Czech winger. The Caps’ would be given the opportunity to even up the score as Danton Heinen would be called for hooking, but was unable to do so. Goaltender Braden Holtby would actually be called for tripping, but Bostons’ 3rd ranked power play still did not convert. The Bruins would get another power play just before the second expired, and for the second time, Boston would start the next period on a power play. The Capitals killed off Bostons’ third power play, and successfully kept them off the board. Tom Wilson and Zdeno Chara received matching minors at the 13:59 mark, but the score remained unchanged. Time was winding down in the third period, and Todd Reirden elected to pull Braden Holtby for the extra skater, hoping to tie the game with two minutes left. Versus the Canadiens, the Capitals allowed an empty net goal. However, with 59 seconds left, TJ Oshie scored the game-tying goal, assuring that the Capitals would earn at least a single point. The sudden-death 3-on-3 overtime period would end without a winner, and a shootout would decide the victor. TJ Oshie missed on his opportunity, and Charlie Coyle who started the scoring for Boston, would give the Bruins the advantage in the shootout. Evgeny Kuznetsov missed, and Holtby robbed Pastrnak. Nicklas Backstrom, who won the shootout for the Caps vs Vancouver, finally solved Halak, and Brad Marchand missed for Boston. Alex Ovechkin missed for the Capitals, but David Krejci would also miss. Jakub Vrana, a la Pavel Datsyuk, would trick Halak giving Washington their first ‘lead’ of the game. That shootout attempt would be the eventual winning goal for the Capitals, as Holtby denied Chris Wagner. This would be the second time the young winger would win a shootout for the Capitals just this season alone. The Capitals peppered Jaroslav Halak with 44 shots on goal, setting a season-high. Braden Holtby stopped 21 of 23 shots faced, earning him a .913 save percentage. Holtby is expected to start tonight. It is worth noting that in his last 10 appearances, Braden Holtby is 9-0-1, with a 2.44GAA, and a .924 save percentage. A 2.44 GAA places him in 6th and his SV% 4th among top 10 goalies, with at least 10 starts since October 18th. However, his W-L-OTL record place him first among all NHL goalies (QuantHockey).

    The Anaheim Ducks, who are just 4-4-2 in their last 10, defeated the reigning Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues on Saturday. Ryan Getzlaf scored his 8th goal of the season just four minutes into the game. A minute and 41 seconds later, Derek Grant would add to the Ducks’ lead, as he scored his 3rd of the year. The Blues were absolutely stifled by Anaheim, despite the Ducks having lost five of their last six starts. Vince Dunn scored the singular goal for St. Louis at the 3:14 mark of the second period. The Blues received their first power play just short of six minutes into the second, as Dylan Shore was called for high-sticking. However, it was Derek Grant who would score a shorthanded goal, his 2nd of the game, and the Blues would expire their power play without a goal. Derek Grant would complete his first career hat trick as he scored an empty net goal at the 18:21 mark of the final frame. Jakob Silfverberg leads the Ducks with 9 goals and 17 assists, and Ryan Getzlaf, Adam Henrique, and Rickard Rakell are tied with 14 points each. Anaheim have just 4 wins on the road this season, but the Caps are only slightly better at home with 5. The Ducks’ power play all but bottoms out at 30 of 31, operating at just 9.1% efficiency. They allow just 2.91 goals against, on average (T-9th fewest) but they average 2.71 goals for (T-23rd), which, for the 2nd place Capitals, should be easy to overcome (TheScore, Anaheim Ducks). Versus the Blues, the Ducks were outshot 38 to 25, but goaltender John Gibson allowed just one goal (TheScore, ANA @ STL). Gibson, who has won 7 of 16 starts, is expected to start for Anaheim tonight.

    Carl Hagelin skated in a non-contact jersey this morning, and despite still being listed as day-to-day, staff suggests that he is improving. He will not dress tonight, and thus, will miss his sixth straight game. Nic Dowd’s injury seems to have been more severe than first anticipated, and did not skate this morning. We will continue to update this article as we receive further information from the Washington Capitals. The Anaheim Ducks will be without Patrick Eaves (IR-NR, undisclosed), Ryan Kesler (IR-NR, hip), Hampus Lindholm (DL, undisclosed), and Josh Manson (DL, knee).

    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.

     

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    References:

    HockeyReference. (2019). 2018-19 Washington Capitals Schedule and Results. Retrieved from https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/WSH/2019_games.html.

    TheScore. (2019). Anaheim Ducks News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/21.

    TheScore. (2019). Anaheim Ducks @ St. Louis Blues. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/events/22035.

    QuantHockey. (2019). 2019-2020 NHL Goalie Stats. Retrieved from https://www.quanthockey.com/nhl/seasons/2019-20-nhl-goalies-stats.html?sd=2019-10-18&ed=2019-11-17.

  • NHL News and Notes from Saturday, November 16th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Saturday, November 16th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Saturday, November 16th, 2019

     

    News:

    • The Washington Capitals recalled forward Travis Boyd and goaltender Vitek Vanecek. The Capitals also assigned goaltender Ilya Samsonov and defensman Tyler Lewington to Hershey.

     

    Game Recaps:

    Carolina Hurricanes v. Minnesota Wild – 2p EST Start Time

    CAR RoadMIN Home

    In Minnesota the Wild would take the Carolina Hurricanes to overtime. In the first period the Hurricanes would get goals from Joel Edmundson and Brock McGinn, then in the second perios a goal from Warren Foegele. However, in the second period the Wild would light the lamp three times as Luke Kunin, Zach Parise (SHG), and Carson Soucy to tie the game at three. Then after a scoreless third period it would be Andrei Svechnikov netting his ninth of the season to secure the 4-3 victory for the Hurricanes.

     

    Vegas Golden Knights v. Los Angeles Kings – 4p EST Start Time

    VGK RoadLA Alt

    The Los Angeles Kings would play host to the Vegas Golden Knights, and in the first period the Kings would net two goals by Blake Lizotte (SHG) and Drew Doughty (PPG) to take the 2-0 lead. Then in the second period Nikolai Prokhorkin would socre his first NHL goal for the Kings, but the Knights would strike for three goals in the second as Max Pacioretty, Jonathan Marchessault, and William Karlsson would all score to tie the game at three. However, in the third period Jeff Carter would score the lone goal of the period to secure the 4-3 victory for the Kings.

     

    Dallas Stars v. Edmonton Oilers – 4p EST Start Time

    DAL RoadEDM Home

    In Edmonton Oilers play host to the Dallas Stars and in the first period Dallas would strike first with a Jason Dickinson marker. However, the Oilers would respond with goals from Jujhar Khaira and Leon Draisaitl to take the 2-1 lead. In the second period Miro Heiskanen would strike for the Stars, but Khaira would score his second of the game, and Ethan Bear would score his third of the season on the powerplay to grow the Oilers lead to 4-2. In the third period the Stars would tie things up as Blake Comeau and Tyler Seguin would score to tie the game, and in overtime Jamie Benn would net the winner to complete the comeback and secure the 5-4 victory.

     

    Calgary Flames v. Arizona Coyotes – 4p EST Start Time

    CAL RoadARI Alt

    In Arizona the Coyotes would cool off the Calgary Flames as they would get second period goals from Derek Stepan and Carl Soderberg to take the 2-0 lead. Then in the third period Lawson Crouse would net his fourth of the season to secure the 3-0 victory for the Kachina clad Coyotes.

     

    Winnipeg Jets v. Tampa Bay Lightning – 4p EST Start Time

    WIN RoadTB Alt

    In Tampa Bay the Winnipeg Jets would make the Lightning pay for their horrible third jerseys that they wore. In the first period both teams would trade goals as Mathieu Perreault would strike first for the Jets, and then Victor Hedman would tie the game at one for the Lightning. In the second period Jack Roslovic and Nikolaj Ehlers (PPG) would score for the Jets to grow their lead to two.In the third period the Lightning would get goals from Steven Stamkos and Anthony Cirelli, but a late Kyle Connor tally would secure the 4-3 victory for the Jets.

     

    Washington Capitals v. Boston Bruins – 7p EST Start Time

    WAS RoadBOS Home

    The Washington Capitals would dominate the Boston Bruins throughout the game, but would require the shootout to earn the 3-2 victory. TXHT Recap

     

    Ottawa Senators v. Buffalo Sabres – 7p EST Start Time

    OTT RoadBUF Home

    In Buffalo it would be the Jack Eichel show against the Ottawa Senators. The Senators would get goals from Anthon Duclair (PPG) and Tyler Ennis, but it would be Jack Eichel scoring all four goals for the Sabres as they would go to win 4-2.

     

    New Jersey Devils v. Montreal Canadiens – 7p EST Start Time

    NJ RoadMON Home

    Scott recaps the New Jersey Devils overtime victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Scott’s Recap

     

    New York Rangers v. Florida Panthers – 7p EST Start Time

    NYR RoadFLA Home

    In Florida the Panthers and New York Rangers would trade goals int he first two periods of their game against each other. In the first period Ryan Strome and Artemi Panarin would score for New York while Mike Hoffman (PPG) and Evgenii Dadonov (PPG) would score for the Panthers. Then in the second period everything would get decided as Tony DeAngelo would score for the Rangers, but the Panthers would get goals from Brett Connolly and Dadonov (second of the game) to secure the 4-3 victory.

     

    New York Islanders v. Philadelphia Flyers – 7p EST Start Time

    NYI RoadPHI Alt

    In Philadelphia the Flyers would look to down the New York Islanders. In the first period the Flyers would get goals from Sean Couturier and Ivan Provorov (PPG) to take the 2-0 lead. Then in the second period the Flyers would strike again with an Oskar Lindbolm tally. However, the Islanders would strike three times in overtime as Anthony Beauvillier would tally two goals and Mathew Barzal would strike on the powerplay to tie the game at three. Then in the shootout Barzal would seal the deal as the Islanders defeat the Flyers 4-3.

     

    Toronto Maple Leafs v. Pittsburgh Penguins – 7p EST Start Time

    TOR RoadPIT Alt

    The Pittsburgh Penguins would light up the Toronto Maple Leafs for their Hockey Fights Cancer night. The Penguins would get goals from Jake Guentzel, Evgeni Malkin, Dominik Kahun (x2), Jared McCann, and Bryan Rust (SHG) to take the victory over the Leafs. The Leafs lone goal would come from Jason Spezza in their 6-1 defeat to the Penguins.

     

    Anaheim Ducks v. St. Louis Blues – 8p EST Start Time

    ANA RoadSTL Alt

    In St. Louis the Blues would take on the Anaheim Ducks. In the first period the Ducks would get goals from Ryan Getzlaf and Derek Grant. then in the second period Grant would score his second of the game for the Ducks, but Vince Dunn would strike for the Blues. Then in the third period Grant would complete the hat trick as the Ducks would go on to defeat the Blues 4-1.

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1195908631457193985?s=20

     

    Chicago Blackhawks v. Nashville Predators – 8p EST Start Time

    CHI RoadNAS Home

    In Nashville the Chicago Blackhawks would tame the Predators. In the first period the Blackhawks would get goals from Erik Gustafsson and Dominik Kubalik. Then in the second period the Blackhawks would pile on with goals from Brent Seabrook and David Kampf. In the third the Predators would get a pair of goals from Roman Josi, but the Blackhawks would get three more goals from Patrick Kane and a pair from Alexander Nylander to take the 7-2 victory.

     

    Colorado Avalanche v. Vancouver Canucks – 10p EST Start Time

    COL RoadVAN 50 Alt 2

    In Vancouver the Canucks would don the infamous Black Skate jerseys against the Colorado Avalanche. In the first period Pierre-Edouard Bellemare would strike first for the Avalanche, but Adam Gaudette would strike on the powerplay to tie the game at one on the powerplay. Then in the second period Nathan MacKinnon would strike on the powerplay, and Nazem Kadri would score his seventh of the season to grow Colorado’s lead to two, but Gaudette would score his second of the game on the powerplay to cut the deficit to one. In the third period Andre Burakovsky would score to retake the two goal lead.  The Canucks would stay in the fight though as late in the third Alexander Edler would score to get the Canucks within one of tying the game, and then with the goalie pulled Brock Boeser would score to tie the game at four to send the game to overtime. However, in overtime the Avalanche would pull off the victory with MacKinnon’s second of the game.

     

    Detroit Red Wings v. San Jose Sharks – 1030p EST Start Time

    DET RoadSJ Home

    In San Jose the Sharks would get the jump on the Detroit Red Wings as Kevin Labanc would get the Sharks on the board in the first period. Then in the second period Andreas Anthanasiou and Taro Hirose would get the Wings on the board, but the Sharks would respond in kind with goals from Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Erik Karlsson (PPG) to retake their lead. Then in the third Anthanasiou would score his second of the game to tie the game at three. Then in the shootout Kevin Lebanc wouls socre the lone tally to give the Red Wings the 4-3 victory.

  • Game Recap – 11/16/2019 – Washington Capitals v. Boston Bruins

    Game Recap – 11/16/2019 – Washington Capitals v. Boston Bruins

    Washington Capitals (14-3-4 32pts) v. Boston Bruins (12-3-4 28pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    Shipping up to Boston after a disappointing showing at home the night before against the Montreal Canadiens, the Washington Capitals look to rebound against the Bruins. In the first period the Capitals would get a powerplay opportunity near the half way point of the period, but their struggles from the night before continued as they were unable to handle the puck well, and squandered their powerplay. Then shortly after the powerplay ended for the Capitals, the Bruins would strike as Danton Heinen would feed a beautiful pass across the slot to Charlie Coyle to bank in his fourth goal of the season to give the Bruins the one goal lead. However, the Capitals would respond as Travis Boyd, who was recalled from Hershey earlier in the day, would cut through the slot area and redirect a John Carlson point blast to get his first of the season and tie the game at one.

     

    In the second period the Bruins would fail to capitalize on the remaining time left on their powerplay from the first period, but once it was over the Bruins would still respond anyways as David Pastrnak would score off a bad angle to retake the one goal lead over the Capitals. The Capitals would get a powerplay opportunity a little later, but would not do anything substantial with it. The Bruins would earn another powerplay as well, and just like the Capitals were unable to make anything of the opportunity.

     

    In the third period there wouldn’t be a lot outside of Tom Wilson and Zdeno Chara both getting minors for roughing until the final minute of regulation as the Capitals would pull Braden Holtby and a slick pass from behind the net to TJ Oshie who would bury it to tie the game at two and send the game to overtime. After a scoreless extra five minutes the game would head to the shootout. After being tied at one goal each after the first three rounds, Jakub Vrana would undress Jaroslav Halak to score the winning goal in the shootout and give the Capitals the 3-2 victory.

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Richard Panik — Lars Eller — Garnet Hathaway

    Brendan Leipsic — Chandler Stephenson — Travis Boyd

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Radko Gudas

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Nick Jensen

    Braden Holtby

    Vitek Vanecek

    Scratched: None

    Injured: Nic Dowd (upper body), Carl Hagelin (upper body)

     

    Boston Bruins:

    Brad Marchand — David Krejci — David Pastrnak

    Anders Bjork — Charlie Coyle — Danton Heinen

    Joakim Nordstrom — Sean Kuraly — Chris Wagner

    Trent Frederic — Par Lindholm — Paul Carey

    Zdeno Chara — Charlie McAvoy

    Matt Grzelcyk — Brandon Carlo

    Urho Vaakanainen — Connor Clifton

    Jaroslav Halak

    Tuukka Rask

    Scratched: Steven Kampfer

    Injured: Torey Krug (upper body), Jake DeBrusk (lower body), Brett Ritchie (upper body), David Backes (upper body), Zach Senyshyn (lower body), Karson Kuhlman (fractured tibia), Kevan Miller (knee), John Moore (shoulder), Patrice Bergeron (lower body)

     

    First Period:

    BOS Penalty – 8:03 – David Pastrnak 2 minutes for Hooking

    BOS Goal – 11:32 – Charlie Coyle (4) from Danton Heinen (5) and Charlie McAvoy (5)

    WAS Goal – 14:27 – Travis Boyd (1) from John Carlson (24) and Brendan Leipsic (5)

    WAS Penalty – 19:21 – Radko Gudas 2 minutes for Hooking

     

    End of 1st

    11-16 at BOS.png

     

    Second Period:

    BOS Goal – 3:30 – David Pastrnak (17) from Charlie McAvoy (6) and David Krejci (9)

    BOS Penalty – 4:42 – Danton Heinen 2 minutes for Hooking

    WAS Penalty – 10:05 – Brendan Leipsic 2 minutes for Tripping

    WAS Penalty – 19:44 – Evgeny Kuznetsov 2 minutes for Cross Checking

     

    End of 2nd

    11-16 at BOS-2.png

     

    Third Period:

    BOS Penalty – 13:59 – Zdeno Chara 2 minutes for Roughing

    WAS Penalty – 13:59 – Tom Wilson 2 minutes for Roughing

    WAS Goal – 19:01 – TJ Oshie (10) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (11) and Nicklas Backstrom (13)

     

    End of 3rd

    11-16 at BOS-3.png

     

    Overtime:

    N/A

     

    Shootout:

    1 – WAS – TJ Oshie – Save

    1 – BOS – Charlie Coyle – Goal

    2 – WAS – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Miss

    2 – BOS – David Pastrnak – Save

    3 – WAS – Nicklas Backstrom – Goal

    3 – BOS – Brad Marchand – Save

    4 – WAS – Alex Ovechkin – Save

    4 – BOS – David Krejci – Save

    5 – WAS – Jakub Vrana – Goal

    5 – BOS – Chris Wagner – Save

     

    Final

    11-16 at BOS-4.png

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (15-3-4 34pts) v. Anaheim (9-9-2 20pts)

    Boston (12-3-5 29pts) @ New Jersey (6-8-4 16pts)

  • Don’t Poke the Bear: Washington Capitals vs Boston Bruins

    Don’t Poke the Bear: Washington Capitals vs Boston Bruins

    Washington Capitals (14-3-2) vs Boston Bruins (12-3-4)

     

     Predicted Goaltender Record GAA / SV% / # SO
    Washington CapitalsBraden Holtby9-1-33.06 / .903% / 0
    Boston BruinsJaroslav Halak4-1-22.68 / .918% / 1

     

    The Washington Capitals will play their second game of a back-to-back tonight versus the Boston Bruins. Luckily, they have defined themselves as ‘road warriors’, as they are 9-1-1 on the road, and 7-1-1 against Eastern Conference teams. Despite dropping their last four games, the Bruins are still ranked first in the Atlantic Division and have not yet lost in regulation at TD Garden. The Caps and Bruins last played on February 3rd of 2019, where just a single goal decided the winner, and it was David Krejci of Boston who scored it. However, the Capitals won the two other meetings with the Bruins, including a 7-0 shutout on the eve of Washingtons’ combined home-opener/Championship banner raising.

    Last night, the Washington Capitals ended a 13-game point streak after losing 5-2 to the Montreal Canadiens. Washington played with just 11 forwards, and seven defensemen, after calling up Tyler Lewington from the Hershey Bears earlier in the day. As a result, we saw double-shifting from top nine forwards, and Lewington filling in on the fourth line center position, as well as on defense. The first 10 minutes were ALL CAPS, as play remained in the Habs’ defensive zone for much of the period, and the Capitals’ forecheck was extremely aggressive. Washington fell behind slightly in the second half of the first frame, and Montreal took full advantage, though Ilya Samsonov stopped all 15 shots he faced. The second period, in which the Capitals had dominated in goal-scoring, saw four goals from the Canadiens, each from four different players. Phillip Danault started off the scoring at the 6:22 mark, as he deceivingly snuck the puck past Samsonov. The Habs’ second goal, coming from Shea Weber, resulted directly from a defensive breakdown between the circles, and Samsonov was hung out to dry. Just over two minutes later, Jordan Weal scored his 3rd of the season. The first penalty of the game was called at the 12:36 mark of the second period, as Garnet Hathaway was called for tripping (TheScore, MTL @ WSH). Just moments after the Capitals successfully killed off the penalty, Nick Suzuki improved the Habs’ lead to four goals. The third period saw the only Capitals’ power play of the game, with Jeff Petry going off for interference. Just over a minute into the power play, Alex Ovechkin, from his office, scored his 14th goal of the season, and just his 2nd goal at home. Many fans, myself included, considered a spoiled shutout for Carey Price the singular bright spot of the night.  10 minutes later, Evgeny Kuznetsov, who had already taken the majority of the Caps’ faceoffs, scored his 9th of the season, bringing Washington within two. However, Tomas Tatar, who had already registered three assists, scored an empty net goal, securing Montreals’ win, after head coach Todd Reirden elected to pull Samsonov for the extra skater. Since no one likes +/- ratings, let’s talk Corsi for a moment, also known as shot-attempt differential at even strength. Stat heads like myself prefer to utilize this value over +/-, because it generally gives a better idea of in-game contributions. Brendan Leipsic was the only player of the night with a + corsi rating, totaling +3 (TheScore, MTL @ WAS). With Samsonov having played last night, Braden Holtby is expected to start for the Capitals tonight.

    Boston also played last night, where they defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-2 on the road. After losing their last four games, Boston head coach Bruce Cassidy was looking to his veterans to beat the team that they are nearly guaranteed to play in the first round of the playoffs, year in and year out. Charlie Coyle got the Bruins on the board at the 13:48 mark of the first period. David Pastrnak was called for interference shortly thereafter, but Bostons’ penalty kill successfully kept Toronto off the board. As the Leafs’ power play expired, Nicholas Shore was called for holding, and Bostons’ 3rd ranked power play unit would hope to add to their lead (TheScore, Boston Bruins). Neither team would score again until the 9:20 mark of the second, when Auston Matthews scored his 14th of the season. Boston ranks 5th in goals for, averaging 3.56 goals per game, and they also allow the 4th fewest goals against, averaging 2.5 goals per game (TheScore, Boston Bruins). Brad Marchand would give the Bruins a 1-goal lead just 11 seconds into the third period, and less than three minutes later, Kasperi Kapanen would score, tying the game. Just as quickly as Kapanen tied the game, Brad Marchand would score his second of the game, and his 13th of the season, a goal of which would be the eventual game-winner. Andreas Johnsson would be called for tripping at the 11:11 mark, which isn’t very lucky, but Boston would not convert on their second power play opportunity. Just under the 17 minute mark of third period, four-time Selke Trophy winner Patrice Bergeron would go off for slashing, and like Boston, Toronto was unable to score with the extra skater. With 90 seconds remaining, Zdeno Chara secured Bostons’ win with an empty net goal, giving the Bruins a 4-2 lead. David Pastrnak, who leads his team, and the league, in goals (16G), has just one point in his last four games. It is worth noting that nine, yes, nine, of his goals have come on the power play. After starting the season with points in 13 straight games (31P in 18 games), and five assists coming versus the New York Rangers on October 27th, Pastrnak, as he usually does, has gone cold for the moment. The Washington Capitals absolutely cannot let this Czech winger get behind their defense. Or offense, for that matter. Because he is one of those skaters who, given an inch, will take a mile. Or four. Brad Marchand leads the Bruins with 19 assists, and is close behind ‘Pasta’ with 30 points (TheScore, Boston Bruins). A right winger leads the Bruins in hits, with 47. That’s right. A forward, not a defenseman, and that wingers name is Chris Wagner. Arguably the most physical player on the squad, Wagner, who averages 13:37 TOI per night, is a heavy hitter, so sparks will likely fly between these teams tonight. Tuuka Rask stopped 29 of 31 shots, ending his night with a .935 save percentage (TheScore, BOS @ TOR). However, as they too will be playing the second game of a back-to-back, former Capitals’ goaltender Jaroslav Halak is slated to start tonight. In 21 career games VERSUS the Washington Capitals, Halak is 9-10-0, with a .900 SV% and 2.80 goals against (HockeyReference).

    Nic Dowd and Carl Hagelin are both listed as ‘OUT’, and timelines to return are unknown at this point. We will continue to update this article as we receive further information from the Washington Capitals. Due to tight salary cap restrictions, the Capitals have recalled forward Travis Boyd and goaltender Vitek Vanecek, and have reassigned Ilya Samsonov and Tyler Lewington to the Hershey Bears. Vanecek will serve as back-up goaltender to Braden Holtby tonight. The Boston Bruins have been to hell and back with their lengthy laundry list of injuries. See below:

    1. D- John Moore (IR-NR, shoulder)
    2. D- Kevan Miller (IR-NR, kneecap)
    3. D- Tory Krug (OUT, upper body)
    4. LW- Anton Blidh (IR-NR, shoulder)
    5. LW- Jake DeBrusk (DL, lower body)
    6. RW- David Backes (DL, upper body)
    7. RW- Brett Ritchie (OUT, upper body)
    8. RW- Zach Senyshyn (DL, lower body)
    9. RW- Karson Kuhlman (DL, leg)

    It is expected that none of these nine players will play tonight.

     

    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.

     

    References:

    HockeyReference. (2019). Jaroslav Halak Career Splits.Retrieved from https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/h/halakja01/splits/.

    TheScore. (2019). Boston Bruins News & Stats. Retrievedfrom https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/1.

    TheScore. (2019). Boston Bruins @ Toronto Maple Leafs. Retrievedfrom https://www.thescore.com/nhl/events/22020.

    TheScore. (2019). Montreal Canadiens @ Washington Capitals.Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/events/22022.

    Washington Capitals. (2019). Caps Recall Boyd and Vanecek From Hershey, Assign Samsonov and Lewington. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/capitals/news/caps-recall-boyd-and-vanecek-from-hershey-assign-samsonov-and-lewington/c-311381504.

  • NHL News and Notes from Friday, November 15th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Friday, November 15th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Friday, November 15th, 2019

     

    News:

    • In the NWHL, the Connecticut Whale have signed forward Elena Gualtieri for the 2019-20 season.

     

    • The Calgary Flames gave an update on defenseman TJ Brodie after the previous day’s episode. Per the team, Brodie is recovering and is out indefinitely at this time.

    https://twitter.com/NHLFlames/status/1195381136983130113?s=20

     

    • The Washington Capitals have recalled defenseman Tyler Lewington from Hershey.

     

    Game Recaps:

    Boston Bruins v. Toronto Maple Leafs – 7p EST Start Time

    BOS RoadTOR Home

    In Toronto the Maple Leafs would play host to their heated rival Boston Bruins, and in the first period the Bruins would strike as Charlie Coyle would net his third of the season. Then in the second period Auston Matthews would tie the game with his 14th of the season. Then in the third season Brad Marchand would net a pair and Zdeno Chara would give the Bruins a commanding lead. Kasperi Kapanen would score for the Leafs, but it would not be enough as the Bruins would hold on for the 4-2 victory.

     

    Pittsburgh Penguins v. New Jersey Devils – 7p EST Start Time

    PIT RoadNJ Home

    Scott has your recap as the New Jersey Devils take down the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 in a tightly contested matchup. Scott’s Recap

     

    Montreal Canadiens v. Washington Capitals – 7p EST Start Time

    MON RoadWAS Home

    The Washington Capitals drop the first game of their weekend back to back as the Montreal Canadiens take the 5-2 victory at Capital One Arena. TXHT Recap

     

    St. Louis Blues v. Columbus Blue Jackets – 7p EST Start Time

    STL RoadCLB Home

    The Columbus Blue Jackets and the St. Louis Blues did battle in Columbus as both teams would start off with trading goals in the first period as Vladislav Gavrikov would score his first goal of the season to give the Jackets the lead, but Mackenzie MacEachern would tie the game at one in the final minute of the first. Then in the second period Brayden Schenn would score on the powerplay to take the lead for the Blues, but in the third period Pierre-Luc Dubois would tie the game for the Jackets. In overtime Zach Werenski would score on the powerplay to secure the 3-2 victory for the Blue Jackets.

     

    Philadelphia Flyers v. Ottawa Senators – 730p EST Start Time

    PHI RoadOTT Home

    In Ottawa the Senators would get a two goal second period after Tyler Pitlick would give the Philadelphia Flyers the 1-0 first period lead. Both Tyler Ennis (PPG) and Filip Chlapik would score for the Senators to secure the 2-1 victory.

  • Game Recap – 11/15/2019 – Montreal Canadiens v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 11/15/2019 – Montreal Canadiens v. Washington Capitals

    Montreal Canadiens (10-5-3 23pts) v. Washington Capitals (14-2-4 32pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals prepare for a weekend back to back against Original Six foes, and they start it on a Friday night at home against the Montreal Canadiens. After a scoreless back and forth first period, the Canadiens would take over in the second period. Phillip Danault, Shea Weber, Jordan Weal, and Nick Suzuki would score four straight goals for the Canadiens to take a demanding 4-0 lead into the second intermission. The Capitals would respond with an Alex Ovechkin powerplay goal and an Evgeny Kuznetsov breakaway goal to get them back into the game, but the Canadiens would get an empty net goal from Tomas Tatar to secure the 5-2 victory.

     

    Lineups:

    Montreal Canadiens:

    Jonathan Drouin — Phillip Danault — Brendan Gallagher

    Paul Byron — Max Domi — Joel Armia

    Tomas Tatar — Nick Suzuki — Artturi Lehkonen

    Nick Cousins — Nate Thompson — Jordan Weal

    Victor Mete — Shea Weber

    Ben Chiarot — Jeff Petry

    Brett Kulak — Cale Fleury

    Carey Price

    Keith Kinkaid

    Scratched: Mike Reilly, Christian Folin

    Injured: Jesperi Kotkaniemi (groin)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Chandler Stephenson — Lars Eller — Richard Panik

    Brendan Leipsic — Garnet Hathaway —

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Radko Gudas

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Nick Jensen

    Tyler Lewington —

    Ilya Samsonov*

    Braden Holtby

    Scratched: None

    Injured: Nic Dowd (upper body), Carl Hagelin (upper body)

     

    First Period:

    N/A

     

    End of 1st

    11-15 v MON.png

     

    Second Period:

    MON Goal – 6:22 – Phillip Danault (6) from Tomas Tatar (10) and Brendan Gallagher (7)

    MON Goal – 9:16 – Shea Weber (6) from Ben Chiarot (3) and Phillip Danault (7)

    MON Goal – 11:41 – Jordan Weal (3) from unassisted

    WAS Penalty – 12:36 – Garnet Hathaway 2 minutes for Tripping

    MON Goal – 14:42 – Nick Suzuki (4) from Phillip Danault (8) and Tomas Tatar (12)

     

    End of 2nd

    11-15 v MON-2.png

     

    Third Period:

    MON Penalty – 4:13 – Jeff Petry 2 minutes for Interference

    WAS PPG – 5:34 – Alex Ovechkin (14) from John Carlson (23) and Nicklas Backstrom (12)

    WAS Goal – 15:38 – Evgeny Kuznetsov (9) from Tom Wilson (9)

    MON ENG – 17:29 – Tomas Tatar (7) from Ben Chiarot (4) and Shea Weber (10)

     

    End of 3rd

    11-15 v MON-3.png

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (14-3-4 32pts) @ Boston (11-3-4 26pts)

    Montreal (10-6-3 25pts) v. New Jersey (5-8-4 14pts)

  • *UPDATED* The Haves and the Hab-Nots: Washington Capitals vs Montreal Canadiens

    *UPDATED* The Haves and the Hab-Nots: Washington Capitals vs Montreal Canadiens

    Washington Capitals (14-2-4) vs Montreal Canadiens (10-5-4)

     Predicted Goaltender Record GAA / SV% / # SO
    Washington CapitalsIlya Samsonov5-1-12.45 / .915% / 0
    Montreal CanadiensCarey Price9-4-22.65 / .916% / 1

    Coming off a thrilling shootout win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night, the Washington Capitals are fired up to face-off against the Montreal Canadiens tonight back in DC. In the past, the first night of a back-to-back has treated Washington well. For some context, Washington played 12 back-to-backs last season. Eight of the ‘first-night’ games resulted in wins, and on three occasions, the Caps were able to win both games (HockeyReference). During the 2018-19 season, the Capitals defeated the Habs in 2 of 3 meetings, once at home, and once on the road. The last time these two teams played, Washington beat Montreal 2-1, with the first goal of the night coming from former-Canadien Lars Eller. That win also guaranteed another Metropolitan Division title for the Capitals.

    The Washington Capitals, who lead the league in points, goal-scoring, wins, and goal-differential, have scored at least two goals in every game, and that streak also continued tonight (NHL.com). Wednesday nights’ smack-down with the Flyers definitely wasn’t their best performance of the season, but the Capitals still managed to snag two points with a 2-1 shootout win. Caps’ defenseman Radko Gudas expressed his desire to ‘stick it’ to his former team, and he did just that. Gudas committed five hits of his own, tied for the most in one game with captain Alex Ovechkin. Just past the six-minute mark of the first period, Brendan Leipsic scored his 2nd goal of the season, giving the Capitals a lead that would hold as the only goal of the game, for 48 minutes (NHL.com, Washington Capitals). John Carlson was credited with the primary assist, and improved his record to points in 16 of 20 games. Washington held the Flyers to just five shots on goal in the first period, whereas the Caps more than tripled up theirs. Claude Giroux, who I reported only had four goals through 17 games, finally got the Flyers on the board, six minutes and 38 seconds into the final frame. The goal came on the Flyers’ 4th power play of the game, after Nic Dowd went off for tripping. Jakub Vrana served the minor penalty, as Dowd suffered a hand injury prior to committing the penalty. Sometimes, the best player on the ice will be your goalie, and that was certainly the case last night. In the second, Philadelphia doubled up 12 shots to the Caps’ six. At the end of regulation, Braden Holtby had allowed just one goal on 27 shots faced, his best showing of the season thus far. Tied at one goal apiece, the Capitals and Flyers would head to overtime for what felt like the 100th time in 20 games. Although both teams had a handful of prime opportunities, both Braden Holtby for the Capitals and Carter Hart for the Flyers were simply unbeatable in the overtime period. Sudden death 3-on-3 overtime concluded without a winner, so for the third straight game for Philadelphia, a shootout would decide who will steal an extra point with the win. The Washington Capitals have gone to overtime or a shootout five times in their last eight games, and the Philadelphia Flyers, five in their last six. Jakub Voracek would shoot first, but Braden Holtby successfully stopped his attempt. Versus the Coyotes, TJ Oshie missed his attempt, but this time, he snuck the puck past Carter Hart, giving the Capitals a one-nil advantage. Claude Giroux, who scored the single Flyers’ goal, tricked Holtby with his questionable stop-on-a-dime deke. Luckily for the Capitals’, Evgeny Kuznetsov would beat Hart, and Holtby would stop Philadelphias’ third shot attempt, securing Washingtons’ 14th win. The win would assure that a 12-game point streak was extended to 13. Ilya Samsonov, who still has just one regulation loss (a game in which he was calling in to relieve Holtby), is expect to start tonight for the Capitals.

    The Montreal Canadiens were last active on Tuesday night, where they defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets, also in a shootout. Montreal currently ranks 6th in goals for, scoring an average of 3.44 goals per game, as compared to Washingtons’ 1st place 3.85 goals for. The Habs rank 9th in shots on goal at 33.5%. but are 10th in shooting percentage, which is good for the Capitals and their goalies. Montreals’ special teams aren’t spectacular, with their power play operating at 20.7% efficiency, good enough for 14th overall, and their abysmal penalty kill, at 73.7% (28th place) (TheScore, Montreal Canadiens). Only the Los Angeles Kings (31st in standings), Winnipeg Jets (13th in standings), and Detroit Red Wings (29th in standings) have worse penalty kill percentages (NHL.com, NHL Hockey Standings). Joel Armia leads the team with three power play goals, and Tomas Tatar, Shea Weber, and Jeff Petry each have two. Impressively enough, the Canadiens have eight players with 10 or more points, and all but four players on their roster have at least one goal. Brendan Gallagher leads with eight goals, closely followed by Jonathan Drouin (7G). In their meeting with Columbus, Eric Robinson for the Blue Jackets would start the scoring, tallying his first NHL career goal. The entire second period was fairly uneventful, though the Canadiens successfully killed off two Columbus power plays. At the 3:27 mark of the third period, Brendan Gallagher would score for Montreal, tying the game 1-1. With just under two minutes remaining, Zach Werenski broke the tie, giving Columbus a one-goal lead. However, Tomas Tatar, in scoring his 6th goal of the season, re-established a tie-game, nearly guaranteeing at least a single point for Montreal. The 3-on-3 overtime period was scoreless, though Columbus registered three shots on goal to Montreals’ zero (TheScore, CBJ @ MTL). In the shootout, both Cam Atkinson and Paul Byron missed their shots, and Gustav Nyquist missed in the second round. Jonathan Drouin successfully scooped the puck past Blue Jackets’ back-up goaltender Elvis Merzlikins. With both third round shooters failing their attempts, the Montreal Canadiens would be the winner of this match, 3-2. Veteran goaltender Carey Price ended the night with a .943 save percentage, having stopped 33 of 35 shots faced, and is expected to start tonight (TheScore, Carey Price).

    Nic Dowd and Carl Hagelin are both listed as day-to-day with upper body injuries. Earlier today, we reported that Dowd skated solo this morning, and Hagelin was first on the ice for the Capitals’ optional practice. Neither Nic nor Carl are slated for tonights’ lineup. As of 3:00pm this afternoon, the Washington Capitals have called up defenseman Tyler Lewington from the Hershey Bears. This post will continue to be updated as we obtain more thorough information regarding the status of Dowd and Hagelin. The Montreal Canadiens are without Jesperi Kotkaniemi (DL-Groin).

    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.

    References:

    Hershey Bears Hockey. (2019). Capitals Recall Tyler Lewington. Retrieved from https://www.hersheybears.com/news/detail.php?id=6021.

    HockeyReference. (2019). 2018-19 Washington Capitals Schedule and Results. Retrieved from https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/WSH/2019_games.html.

    TheScore. (2019). Carey Price: Stats, Age, News. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/s/12465602.

    TheScore. (2019). Columbus Blue Jackets @ Montreal Canadiens. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/events/21999.

    TheScore. (2019). Montreal Canadiens News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/3.

    NHL.com. (2019). NHL Hockey Standings. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/standings/2019/league.  

    TheScore. (2019). Washington Capitals News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/15.

    NHL.com. (2019). Washington Capitals – Philadelphia Flyers. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/wsh-vs-phi/2019/11/13/2019020283#game=2019020283,game_state=final.