X75 Productions

Tag: NHL

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

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

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

     

    News:

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

     

    Game Recaps:

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

    CHI RoadPHI Home

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

     

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

    WAS RoadNYI Home

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

     

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

    WIN RoadNJ Home

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

     

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

    TOR RoadCLB Home

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

     

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

    VGK RoadSJ Home\

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

     

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  • Game Recap: New Jersey Devils v.s Winnipeg Jets 10/4/19 (NJD Home Opener)

    Game Recap: New Jersey Devils v.s Winnipeg Jets 10/4/19 (NJD Home Opener)

    Game Recap:

    Tonight the New Jersey Devils opened up their season at home against the Winnipeg Jets. The first two periods saw the Devils come out and take a commanding 4-0 lead over the Jets. Goal scorers featured Nikita Gusev (who scored his 1st NHL goal), Sami Vatanen, and Blake Coleman who scored twice. Coleman’s second goal of the season is an early goal of the year candidate as he was down on the ice and lifted the puck with one hand on the stick and into the back of the net for a sensational highlight reel goal.

    In the second period, the Winnipeg Jets would score their first goal at the 19:49 mark as Dmitry Kulikov would blast a shot from the point past Devils goaltender Cory Schneider. The Devils would lead 4-1 after the second period.

    However, things started to turn around and change in the third. Devils goaltender Cory Schneider would leave the game due to injury and backup MacKenzie Blackwood would enter the game. The Jets were able to fight their way back in the third to tie the game on goals from Jack Roslovic, Matthieu Perrault, and newly acquired Neal Pionk. At the end of three periods, the scored would be tied 4-4 going into overtime.

    The first two minutes of overtime was extremely exciting as both teams would exchange several two on one chances to put the game away for either side. However, the game would be decided in a shoot out where the Jets got the game winning shootout goal by their captain Blake Wheeler. The Jets would go onto win the game with the final score being 5-4.

     

    Lineups:

    New Jersey Devils

     

    Winnipeg Jets

     

    1st Period Highlights

    https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1180272306641391617?s=20

     

    2nd Period Highlights

    https://twitter.com/njdevils/status/1180276319814406149?s=21

    https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1180280773234044929?s=20

    https://twitter.com/njdevils/status/1180279880329641985?s=21

     

    3rd Period Highlights

     

    Overtime/Shootout

     

    Final Stats:    NJ-4            WPG-5

    Shots:             39                30

    Hits:               21                13

    PP:                 0/2               0/2

    Face offs:     50.9             49.1

     

    Next Up:

    NJ Devils @ BUF Sabres 10/5/19 7pm EST

    WPG Jets @ NY Islanders 10/6/19 7pm EST

     

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

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

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

     

    Game Recap:

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

     

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

     

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

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin – Nicklas Backstrom – Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana – Lars Eller – TJ Oshie

    Carl Hagelin – Chandler Stephenson – Richard Panik

    Brendan Leipsic – Nic Dowd – Garnet Hathaway

    Jonas Siegenthaler – John Carlson

    Dmitri Orlov – Nick Jensen

    Martin Fehervary – Radko Gudas

    Ilya Samsonov

    Braden Holtby

     

    New York Islanders:

    Anders Lee – Mathew Barzal – Jordan Eberle

    Michael Dal Colle – Brock Nelson – Josh Bailey

    Anthony Beauvillier – Derick Brassard – Leo Komarov

    Matt Martin – Casey Cizikas – Cal Clutterbuck

    Adam Pelech – Ryan Pulock

    Devon Toews – Scott Mayfield

    Nick Leddy – Johnny Boychuk

    Semyon Varlamov

    Thomas Greiss

     

    First Period:

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

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

     

    End of 1st

    10-04 at NYI

     

    Second Period:

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

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

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

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

     

    End of 2nd

    10-04 at NYI-2.png

     

    Third Period:

    N/A

     

    End of 3rd

    10-04 at NYI-3.png

     

    Next Up:

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

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

     

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  • Game Preview: New Jersey Devils v.s Winnipeg Jets 8/4/19 (Devils Home Opener)

    Game Preview: New Jersey Devils v.s Winnipeg Jets 8/4/19 (Devils Home Opener)

    Welcome back hockey fans to another amazing season in the NHL! Tonight we have the New Jersey Devils hosting their home & season opener against the Winnipeg Jets. The Devils are looking to show off their brand new acquisitions that were acquired in the off-season to help boost their lineup and compete for a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Offseason. acquisitions feature P.K Subban, Nikita Gusev & in particular the number one overall pick in this years NHL Entry Draft in Jack Hughes. Tonight, Hughes is making his NHL debut & is looking to show off the amazing potential talents and skills he has and show why he is an up and coming superstar in the National Hockey League. Also, the Devils are also getting a huge addition back into their lineup with Taylor Hall back to being healthy as he missed the second half of last season with a knee injury. The Devils are hoping he returns to his form of two years ago when he helped lead the Devils to the playoffs and posting a 93 point season which resulted in him winning the Hart Trophy (league MVP). If all falls into place, the Devils have the potential to be a playoff team. We shall see!

    Winnipeg is a different story compared to the Devils. The Winnipeg Jets are coming off another post season exit and had a very interesting and dramatic off-season. There was a lot of drama during the off-season about re-signing their top two restricted free agent in Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine. Both restricted free agents re-signed with the Jets this past week. Kyle Connor re-signed with the Jets on a 7 year $50 million dollar contract. Patrik Laine agreed to re-sign on a 2 year 13.5 million dollar deal. Now without the contract situation being a distraction, the Jets are hoping to keep building off their postseason appearances and go deeper into the Stanley Cup playoffs. They also had some big losses in particular on the defensive side. Winnipeg on paper seems like they’ll take a step back but then again, anything can happen!

    Game Prediction:

    NJ- 4

    WPG- 2

    Devils:

    Taylor Hall (2 goals) Jack Hughes (1g 1a), Nikita Gusev (2 assists, Blake Coleman ( 1 goal)

    Cory Schneider (27 Saves)

    Jets:

    Mark Scheifle ( 1g 1a) Bryan Little (1 goal)

    Connor Hellebyck (32 Saves)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

     

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

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

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

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

  • NHL News and Notes from Thursday, October 3rd, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Thursday, October 3rd, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Thursday, October 3rd, 2019

     

    News:

    • The Chicago Blackhawks re-signed forward Alex DeBrincat to a new three year deal. The contract will run through the 2022-23 season and will carry an AAV of $6.4mil.

     

    • Per Andrew Gross of Newsday, New York Islanders General Manager Lou Lamoriello confirmed that Josh Ho-Sang’s representative has requested a trade. Per Gross’ report Lamoriello has asked Ho-Sang to not report to Bridgeport of the AHL until he can explore all options.

     

    • The Calgary Flames have announced that they have re-signed General Manager Brad Treliving to a multi-year extension.

     

    Game Recaps:

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

    FLA RoadTB Home

    In the first battle of Florida for the 2019-20 season it would see the Tampa Bay Lightning down the Florida Panthers 5-2 in the Lightning’s home opener. The Lightning would get goals from Nikita Kucherov, Kevin Shattenkirk, Ondrej Palat, Pat Maroon, and Erik Cernak while the Panthers would get goals from Mike Hoffman and Vincent Trocheck.

     

    Montreal Canadiens v. Carolina Hurricanes – 7p EST Start Time

    MON RoadCAR Home

    In Carolina the Hurricanes would host the Montreal Canadiens for their home opener and this would be the first game of the 2019-20 NHL season to go to a shootout after being tied 3-3 after 65 minutes of action. The Huricanes would get goals from Linus Wallmark, Martin Necas, and Erik Haula while the Canadiens would get goals from Tomas Tatar, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Jordan Weal in regulation. Dougie Hamilton would score in the first round of the shootout and Petr Mrazek would stop all three shooters to win the game for the Hurricanes 4-3.

     

    Winnipeg Jets v. New York Rangers – 7p EST Start Time

    WIN RoadNYR Home

    In a matchup everyone has been waiting since the trade between these two teams, the New York Rangers hosted the Winnipeg Jets for their home opener, and would win 6-4 in a very tightly contested game between the two teams. The Rangers would get goals from newcomers Artemi Panarin (signed from Columbus) and Jacob Trouba (Trade with Winnipeg) as well as goals from Marc Staal, Mika Zibanejad, Brett Howden, and Brendan Smith. The Jets would get goals from Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and a pair from Blake Wheeler.

     

    Buffalo Sabres v. Pittsburgh Penguins – 7p EST Start Time

    BUF RoadPIT Home

    The Buffalo Sabres entered their 50th season by visiting the Pittsburgh Penguins, and they would spoil the home opener for the Penguins as they would get two goals from former Penguin Conor Sheary, and a late second period goal from Rasmus Dahlin to defeat the Penguins 3-1. The Penguins lone goal would be from Evgeni Malkin on an early second period powerplay.

     

    Minnesota Wild v. Nashville Predators – 8p EST Start Time

    MIN RoadNAS Home

    The Nashville Predators would open up their season by hosting the Minnesota Wild, and the Predators would dominate the Wild 5-2 after scoring four unanswered goals in the third period to erase a one goal deficit for the victory. The Wild would get goals from Jason Zucker and Matt Dumba in a 43 second span late in the second period to make it 2-1 after Ryan Ellis initially gave the PRedators the one nothing lead. The Predators four third period goals would come from Markus Granlund, Austin Watson, Viktor Arvidsson, and Filip Forsberg.

     

    Boston Bruins v. Dallas Stars – 830p EST Start Time

    BOS RoadDAL Home

    After having a special ceremonial puck drop with the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush, the Stars would be dimmed by the visiting Boston Bruins as the Bruins would get two first period goals from Brett Ritchie and Danton Heinen within the first six minutes to guarantee them victory. The Stars lone goal of the 2-1 loss was from Roope Hintz.

     

    Calgary Flames v. Colorado Avalanche – 9p EST Start Time

    CAL RoadCOL Home

    In the Colorado Avalanche’s home opener against the Calgary Flames it would be Mikko Rantanen netting two goals for the Avalanche along with goals from Joonas Donskoi, who also scored two, and JT Compher to secure the 5-3 victory over the Flames. The Flames would get goals from Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, and Mark Giordano.

     

    Arizona Coyotes v. Anaheim Ducks – 10p EST Start Time

    ARI RoadANA Home

    In our final game of NHL action for the night the Anaheim Ducks would hold of the Arizona Coyotes with a 2-1 victory after Cam Fowler would score with 32 seconds left in the second period to break the 1-1 tie. Ducks would also get a goal from Derek Grant, while the Coyotes got their lone goal from Derek Stepan.

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1179980478532612096?s=20

     

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  • The Storm Surge Is Back!!

    The Storm Surge Is Back!!

    The Carolina Hurricanes have brought back the Storm Surge for all home victories!

     

    After their 4-3 shootout victory Dougie Hamilton, who scored the lone goal of the shootout, would lead the “Bunch of Jerks” in their first Storm Surge celebration of the 2019-20 season.

     

     

    As fans of the Storm Surge celebrations we here at TXHT are happy to see them returning for the 2019-20 season.

     

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  • Russell’s Take – Previewing the 2019-20 New York Rangers

    Russell’s Take – Previewing the 2019-20 New York Rangers

    The New York Rangers are one of this NHL season’s most intriguing teams. On one hand, not much is expected of the Broadway Blueshirts. They acquired some amazing pieces to add to their roster this summer but they have a huge amount of rookies and young players on their roster who may hit the proverbial wall at some point. On the other hand, if all the pieces come together and the rookies begin to impress right away, a wild card berth isn’t out of the question. Let’s dive in.

     

    We begin with forward corps and what a top six this has an opportunity to be. Despite the defensive struggles many believe this team will have, they shouldn’t have an issue scoring. A revamped top six forward group now features 2019 second overall pick, Kaapo Kakko, and 2019 free agent signee, the 11.6 million dollar a year man, Artemiy Panarin. Mika Zibanejad showed the world last season that he could be a number once center in the NHL and put up 74 points despite playing with a revolving door of wingers. Now, Zibanejad has the uber-talented gamebreaking talent of Panarin on his left wing and the (hopeful) breakout star in Pavel Buchnevich on the other. The Rangers top line is primed to have a huge year with some analysts predicting that line could have over 200 combined points.

     

    The second line is impactful as well and features Kakko on the right wing. Kakko is expected to step in and be one of New York’s most impactful forwards in his age 18 season and after his history making season in Liiga and his ridiculous showing at the World Championships, it’s not out of the question that Kakko becomes a force during his first season in New York. Centering Kakko to start the year is former sixth overall pick Ryan Strome and on the other side of him on the left wing is power forward Chris Kreider. That line has a good amount of size and speed and Strome will simply just have to move the puck to his winger and watch them work magic. Kreider and Kakko on the same line will cause nightmares for opposing teams.

     

    The bottom six features a good amount of young talent as well. The bottom two lines will be centered by Lias Andersson and Brett Howden, two guys playing in just their second NHL seasons but essentially still rookies when you look at games played. The Rangers are entrusting their young kids to start doing the heavy lifting and that includes being defensively responsible and taking on a checking line role if needed. Brenden Lemieux returns after signing a one-year deal and will fit nicely in the Rangers bottom six providing grit, energy and a spark off the bench.

     

    Two guys who everyone thought would be on the opening night lineup, 2017 21st overall pick Filip Chytil and 2018 9th overall pick Vitali Kravtsov, were sent to the Hartford Wolf Pack and will begin the season in the AHL. Rangers head coach David Quinn said he thinks it’s best for their development if they play 20+ minutes a night in Hartford and play in all situations including the power-play and penalty kill. Chances are when the Rangers inevitably make trades this season, Chytil and Kravtsov will be inserted into the Rangers top-nine forward group and add to an already dangerous group of forwards. The Rangers are counting on Chytil to be a dominant center and see Kravtsov as another gamebreaking talent.

     

    The defense now gets their time to shine. It starts with the Rangers new number one defenseman, Jacob Trouba. Trouba, acquired from the Winnipeg Jets for a 1st round pick and defenseman Neal Pionk, was signed to a 7-year deal by the Rangers this summer worth about eight million a year and will be looked upon to play in every situation and be the guy the Rangers can rely on to shutdown top opposing lines. His defense partner, Brady Skjei, is being counted upon to have a bounce back season and take all his potential that he flashed in his rookie season and turn those flashes into consistency. The Rangers top-pair will be one to watch this season. The second pair featured Marc Staal and Tony DeAngelo was a pair put together last year by Quinn and as long as they don’t get as many minutes as they get last year, the Rangers should be fine. Staal is no longer the minute munching dman he used to be and although Tony DeAngelo has all the offensive potential in the world, he has to grow more and show more consistency in his game.

     

    The third pair is the most intriguing to me as ir will feature Adam Fox and Libor Hajek, Both of these young guys were acquired through trades and the Rangers are hoping both take big strides this year. Hajek was the main piece in the trade for Ryan McDonagh and Fox was traded from the Hurricanes to the Ranger for two draft picks. Fox has the potential to be the next great puck moving defenseman in the NHL and he’s a highlight reel in the making. Hajek, although projects to have a lower ceiling from Fox, is looking like he can be a great stay at home dman with a bit of offensive upside. It would be great of Hajek turned into McDonagh lite.

     

    Finally, the goaltenders. The battle in camp was impressive and rookie Igor Shesterkin put up a nice fight to claim the backup goaltenders job but ultimately Alexandar Georgiev reclaimed the back up job. Shesterkin is the goaltender of the Rangers future and will replace mainstay and Rangers legend Henrik Lundqvist when he retires but for now, he will dominate the AHL with Hartford. Georgiev has proven has be a backup in the NHL and possibly a 1A or 1B somewhere else. The only thing thats certain: Lundqvist starting in goal.

    *Russell appears courtesy of Forever Blueshirts.

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

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

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

     

    News:

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

     

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

     

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

     

     

    Game Recaps:

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

    OTT RoadTOR Home

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

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

     

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

    WAS RoadSTL Home

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

     

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

    VAN RoadEDM Home

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

     

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

    SJ RoadVGK Home

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

     

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

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

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

     

    Game Recap:

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin – Nicklas Backstrom – Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana – Lars Eller – TJ Oshie

    Carl Hagelin – Chandler Stephenson – Richard Panik

    Brandon Leipsic – Nic Dowd – Garnet Hathaway

    Jonas Siegenthaler – John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov – Nick Jensen

    Martin Fehervary – Radko Gudas

    Bradon Holtby

    Ilya Samsonov

     

    St. Louis Blues:

    Jaden Schwartz – Brayden Schenn – Vladimir Tarasenko

    Sammy Blais – Ryan O’Reilly – David Perron

    Robby Fabbri – Tyler Bozak – Robert Thomas

    Ivan Barbashev – Oscar Sundqvist – Alexander Steen

    Alex Pietrangelo – Justin Faulk

    Jay Bouwmeester – Colton Parayko

    Vince Dunn – Robert Bortuzzo

    Jordan Binnington

    Jake Allen

     

    First Period:

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

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

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

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

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

     

    End of 1st – WAS – 1       STL – 2

    Shots              05                 07

    Faceoffs         10                 04

    Hits                12                 09

    PP                 0/1                  1/1

     

    Second Period:

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

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

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

     

    End of 2nd – WAS – 2       STL – 2

    Shots              20                 15

    Faceoffs         21                 17

    Hits                19                 19

    PP                 1/2                  1/2

     

    Third Period:

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

     

    End of 3rd – WAS – 2       STL – 2

    Shots              30                 22

    Faceoffs         28                 28

    Hits                25                 23

    PP                 1/3                  1/2

     

    Overtime:

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

     

    End of 3rd – WAS – 3       STL – 2

    Shots              34                 22

    Faceoffs         30                 31

    Hits                25                 23

    PP                 1/3                  1/2

     

     

    Next Up:

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

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

     

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