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Tag: NHL

  • April 1st, 2019 — News and Notes

    April 1st, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is April 1st, 2019, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were six contests in NHL action yesterday.

    Yesterday’s Results (Home team is in CAPS):

     

    NY Rangers 3, PHILADELPHIA 0

     

    The New York Rangers would take on the Philadelphia Flyers yesterday afternoon and would take down the Philadelphia Flyers with a 3-0 win yesterday in downtown Philadelphia.

     

     

    ARIZONA 4, Minnesota 0

     

    The Arizona Coyotes would shutout the Minnesota Wild yesterday afternoon with a 4-0 win.

     

     

    Arizona is still in postseason contention with three games left to play.,

     

     

    PITTSBURGH 3, Carolina 1

     

    The Pittsburgh Penguins would take down the Carolina Hurricanes with a 3-1 win and would not let the Carolina Hurricanes climb in the standings.

     


    *Image is the property of the NHL, NHL Public Relations, Pittsburgh Penguins, and their respective owners

     

    Columbus 4, BUFFALO 0

     

    The Columbus Blue Jackets would defeat the Buffalo Sabres yesterday with a 4-0 shutout performance.

     

     

    Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky would have a 38 save performance, earning his 36th win on the season.

     

     

    DETROIT 6, Boston 3

     

    The Detroit Red Wings would take down the Boston Bruins with a 6-3 win, thanks to a three goal performance by Anthony Mantha.

     

     

    Despite the loss by the Bruins, they still are holding on strong to the second seed in the Atlantic Division playoff spot.

     


    *Image is the property of the NHL, NHL Public Relations, Boston Bruins, and their respective owners

     

    Calgary 5, SAN JOSE 3

     

     


    *Image is the property of the NHL, NHL Public Relations, the Calgary Flames and their respective owners

     


    *Image is the property of the NHL, NHL Public Relations, San Jose Sharks, and their respective owners

     

    With the 5-3 win over the San Jose Sharks, the Calgary Flames clinched the Pacific Division, their first division crown since the 2005-06 season when they won the Northwest Division, and the top seed in the Western Conference, which last happened in the 1989-90 season.

     

     

     

    Today’s schedule of contests:


    *Image is the property of the NHL, NHL Public Relations, and their respective owners

     

    5802__stanley_cup_playoffs-wordmark-2019
    *Image is the property of the NHL and their respective owners

     

    Today’s playoff clinching scenarios:

    -The Washington Capitals can clinch the Metropolitan Division if they defeat the Florida Panthers AND the New York Islanders lose to the Toronto Maple Leafs in regulation

    -The Toronto Maple Leafs will clinch a postseason spot if they get at least one point against the Islanders

     

    With the win by the Calgary Flames, we now know one confirmed first round match-up in the postseason.

    The San Jose Sharks will take on the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

  • March 31st, 2019 — News and Notes

    March 31st, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Sunday, March 31st, 2019, and these are your news and notes

     

    There were 12 contests in NHL action yesterday

     

     

    Yesterday’s Results (Home team is in CAPS):

     

    Florida 4, BOSTON 1

    Florida Panthers infographic from the contest between the Panthers and the Boston Bruins yesterday afternoon.

     

    CAROLINA 5, Philadelphia 2

    Highlights from the contest between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Philadelphia Flyers yesterday afternoon.

     

    OTTAWA 4, Toronto 2

    The Toronto Maple Leafs would fall to the Ottawa Senators yesterday with a 4-2 loss yesterday.

    Ottawa would ruin Toronto’s chances to climb in the playoff picture with the win.

     

    Washington 6, TAMPA BAY 3

    The Washington Capitals would take down the top seed in the Eastern Conference with a 6-3 win yesterday at Amalie Arena in downtown Tampa Bay last night.

     

    Goal scorers for Washington included Alex Ovechkin, who would notch two goals, his 50th and 51st on the season, as well as two goals scored by TJ Oshie, a goal by Nicklas Backstrom and another goal by Jakub Vrana.

     

    Tampa Bay would go convert on two out of five power plays in the contest, but those conversions would not be enough as the Capitals would out shoot and out perform the Lightning to seal the 6-3 win for Washington.

     

     

    TXHT has your full coverage of the contest between the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning at the following page.

     

     

    St. Louis 3, NEW JERSEY 2 (OT)

     

    The St. Louis Blues, who clinched a playoff berth on Friday, would take down the new Jersey Devils with a 3-2 win in overtime last night.

     

     

     

    NY ISLANDERS 5, Buffalo 1

     

    The NY Islanders would take down the Buffalo Sabres yesterday with a 5-1 win and with the win, the Islanders would clinch a berth for the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs.

     

     

     

    Montreal 3, WINNIPEG 1

     

    The Montreal Canadiens would take an early lead in the contest against the Winnipeg Jets and come out with a 3-1 win over the Jets last night.

     

     

    There would be three different goal scorers for the Canadiens in the 3-1 win last night.

     

     

    Columbus 5, NASHVILLE 2

     

    The Columbus Blue Jackets would notch their fourth straight win and get two much needed points in the race for the one of the last two wild card spots in the Eastern Conference with a 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators.

     

     

    Nashville, with the loss, would not gain any ground in the Central Division standings.  The Winnipeg Jets and the Nashville Predators remain tied with 94 points atop the division.

     

    SAN JOSE 4, Vegas 3 (OT)

     

    The San Jose Sharks would defeat the Vegas Golden Knights last night at SAP Center last night with a 4-3 win in overtime.

     

     

     

    Anaheim 5, EDMONTON 1

     

    The Anaheim Ducks would take down the Edmonton Oilers yesterday with a 5-1 last night.

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1112222361678278656

     

    Anaheim’s Richard Rakell would score three goals in the contest to seal the win for the Ducks in this contest last night.

     

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1112210962503761920

     

     

    VANCOUVER 3, Dallas 2 (SO)

     

    The Vancouver Canucks would take down the the Dallas Stars yesterday with a 3-2 win in the shootout frame.

     

     

    It would be the second consecutive game in which the Canucks would win a game in the shootout.  Canucks goaltender Jacob Markstrom would have a 38-save performance in the contest.

     

     

     

    LOS ANGELES 3, Chicago 2 (OT)

    In the final contest of the night, the Los Angeles Kings would defeat the Chicago Blackhawks by the score of 3-2 in overtime last night.

    Chicago, with the loss, has been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention.

     

     

    Today’s Schedule of Games:


    *Image is the property of the NHL, NHL Public Relations, and their respective owners

     

     

    5802__stanley_cup_playoffs-wordmark-2019
    *Image is the property of the NHL, NHL Public Relations, and their respective owners

     

    Today’s Stanley Cup Playoff clinching possibilities:

    -The Calgary Flames will clinch the Pacific Division AND the Western Conference if they defeat the San Jose Sharks

    -The Dallas Stars will clinch a berth in the playoffs if the Arizona Coyotes lose in any fashion

  • Game Recap – 3/30/2019 – Washington Capitals v. Tampa Bay Lightning

    Game Recap – 3/30/2019 – Washington Capitals v. Tampa Bay Lightning

    Washington Capitals (46-24-8 100pts) v. Tampa Bay Lightning (59-14-4 122pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    In their final meeting of the regular season the Washington Capitals head down to Tampa Bay with hopes of grounding the League leading Lightning. Early in the game it would be the Capitals gaining the advantage as Tom Wilson would feed Nicklas Backstrom for his 20th of the season to give the Capitals a 1-0 lead. Then TJ Oshie would net a pair goals both at even strength and on the powerplay to give the Capitals a 3-0 lead going into the first intermission.

     

    In the second period the Capitals would continue their strong play as Dmitry Orlov would put forth a strong individual effort to feed Backstrom for his second goal of the game to grow the Capitals lead to four. However, in the final minutes of the second period, JT Miller would tip in a Mikhail Sergachev point shot to cut the Capitals lead to three going into the second intermission.

     

    In the third period the Lightning would cut the Capitals lead to two when Tyler Johnson would net his 28th of the season. After that the fireworks would explode as Brooks Orpik and Anthony Cirelli would drop the gloves followed by a heavyweight tilt between Tom Wilson and Erik Cernak. Then the “Great Eight” Alex Ovechkin would score his 50th of the season, and then on a Nikita Kucherov penalty, Ovechkin would net his 51st of the season to give the Capitals a commanding 6-2 lead. However, in the final minute Nic Dowd would take a penalty for hooking and Kucherov would score to cut the Capitals lead to three, but it would be too little too late for the Lightning as the Capitals would go on to win 6 to 3.

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — T.J. Oshie

    Carl Hagelin — Lars Eller — Andre Burakovsky

    Travis Boyd — Nic Dowd — Chandler Stephenson

    Matt Niskanen — Dmitry Orlov

    Christian Djoos — John Carlson

    Nick Jensen — Brooks Orpik

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Jonas Siegenthaler

    Injured: Brett Connolly (illness), Michal Kempny (lower body)

     

    Tampa Bay Lightning:

    Tyler Johnson — Brayden Point — Nikita Kucherov

    Ondrej Palat — Steven Stamkos — J.T. Miller

    Alex Killorn — Anthony Cirelli — Mathieu Joseph

    Adam Erne — Cedric Paquette — Yanni Gourde

    Victor Hedman — Mikhail Sergachev

    Ryan McDonagh — Erik Cernak

    Braydon Coburn — Jan Rutta

    Andrei Vasilevskiy

    Louis Domingue

    Scratched: Cameron Gaunce, Ryan Callahan, Danick Martel

    Injured: Anton Stralman (lower body), Dan Girardi (lower body)

     

    First Period:

    Lightning Penalty – :21 – Andrei Vasilevskiy (Yanni Gourde) 2 minutes for Tripping

    Capitals Goal – 7:24 – Nicklas Backstrom (20) from Tom Wilson (18) and Christian Djoos (9)

    Capitals Goal – 10:45 – TJ Oshie (24) from Nick Jensen (18) Carl Hagelin (13)

    Lightning Penalty – 14:12 – Anthony Cirelli 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Capitals PPG – 16:00 – TJ Oshie (25) from John Carlson (55) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (50)

     

    End of 1st – WAS – 3       TB – 0

    Shots              13                05

    Faceoffs         08                09

    Hits               08                  05

    PP                 1/2                 0/0

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Goal – 7:53 – Nicklas Backstrom (21) from Dmitry Orlov (26)

    Lightning Penalty – 9:31 – Braydon Coburn 2 minutes for Boarding

    Capitals Penalty – 13:44 – Tom Wilson 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Lightning Goal – 17:25 – JT Miller (13) from Mikhail Sergachev (23) and Ryan McDonagh (34)

     

    End of 2nd – WAS – 4        TB – 1

    Shots               27                 14

    Faceoffs          18                 14

    Hits                 13                  13

    PP                   1/3                  0/1

     

    Third Period:

    Lightning Penalty – :47 – Mikhail Sergachev 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Lightning Goal – 3:36 – Tyler Johnson (28) from unassisted

    Lightning Penalty – 9:26 – Anthony Cirelli 5 minute major for Fighting

    Capitals Penalty – 9:26 – Brooks Orpik 5 minute major for Fighting

    Capitals Penalty – 9:26 – Brooks Orpik (Alex Ovechkin) 2 minutes for Roughing

    Lightning Penalty -12:13 – Erik Cernak 5 minute major for Fighting

    Capitals Penalty – 12:13 – Tom Wilson 5 minute major for Fighting

    https://twitter.com/NBCSCapitals/status/1112164578589376512?s=19

    Capitals Goal – 14:35 – Alex Ovechkin (50) from TJ Oshie (27) and Nicklas Backstrom (52)

    Lightning Penalty – 15:30 – Nikita Kucherov 2 minutes for Tripping

    Capitals PPG – 16:15 – Alex Ovechkin (51) from Johm Carlson (56) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (51)

    Capitals Penalty – 19:14 – Nic Dowd 2 minutes for Hooking

    Lightning PPG – 19:32 – Nikita Kucherov (39) from Mikhail Sergachev (24) and JT Miller (32)

     

    End of 3rd – WAS – 6         TB – 2

    Shots              35                   28

    Faceoffs        33                    28

    Hits               18                     22

    PP                 2/5                    0/3

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (47-24-8 102pts) @ Florida (35-32-12 82pts)

    Tampa Bay (59-15-4 122pts) @ Ottawa (28-44-6 62pts)

  • March 30th, 2019 — News and Notes

    March 30th, 2019 — News and Notes

    After a lengthy absence, today is Saturday, March 30th, 2019, and these are your news and notes from yesterday.

     

    There were six NHL games yesterday.


    *Image is the property of the NHL, NHL Public Relations, and their respective owners

     

    Yesterday’s Results (Home team is in CAPS):

     

    NY RANGERS 4, St. Louis 2

    The New York Rangers would take down the St. Louis Blues with the 4-2 win last night.

     

    Despite the Blues loss, St. Louis has reached the Stanley Cup playoffs for the seventh time in eight seasons.

    Per the NHL, St. Louis is now the 35th team in NHL history to reach the postseason after being last in the overall league standings at the 20th game played.

     

    Nashville 3, PITTSBURGH 1

     

    Highlights for the Nashville Predators at the Pittsburgh Penguins

     

     

    Infographic for the Pittsburgh Penguins game from the 3-1 loss to the Nashville Predators

     

     

    DETROIT 4, New Jersey 0

     

     

    The Detroit Red Wings shutout the New Jersey Devils yesterday with a 4-0 win last night.

     

     

    COLORADO 3, Arizona 2 (SO)

    The Colorado Avalanche would take down the Arizona Coyotes by the score of 3-2 in the shootout frame yesterday.  The win for Colorado puts them at 3 points ahead of the Coyotes for the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference playoff picture.

     

    With the win by the Avalanche, goaltender Philipp Grubauer is now 6-0-1 in his last seven consecutive starts and would reach a career high with 17 wins on the season.

     

     

    CALGARY 6, Anaheim 1

     

    Calgary’s Sean Monahan led all Flames skaters last night with two goals and two assists to establish a new career high with his 32nd and 33rd goal on the season.

     

     

    The infographic for the Calgary Flames 6-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks last night in Calgary.

     

     

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1111837462928613376

     

    Minnesota 3, VEGAS 2

     

    The Minnesota Wild would take down the Vegas Golden Knights with the 3-2 win.

     

     

    Minnesota’s goaltender Devan Dubnyk would reach the 30 win mark for the fifth consecutive season with the win last night.

    https://twitter.com/PR_NHL/status/1111862773707874304

     

    Despite the loss, the Vegas Golden Knights will return to the Stanley Cup playoffs.

     

     

     

     

    Today’s NHL Schedule of Games:


    *Image is the property of the NHL, NHL Public Relations, and their respective owners

     

    5802__stanley_cup_playoffs-wordmark-2019
    *Image is the property of the NHL and their respective owners

     

    Today’s NHL playoff clinching scenarios are as follows:

    -Toronto will clinch a playoff berth if they get at least a point against the Ottawa Senators OR if the Montreal Canadiens lose to the Winnipeg Jets

    -The New York Islanders will clinch a playoff berth with the following scenarios:

    • They get a win over the Buffalo Sabres OR
    • They get a point AND Montreal loses OR
    • Montreal loses in regulation

     

    -The Calgary Flames, who are not playing tonight, will clinch:

    • The Pacific Division if the San Jose Sharks lose to Vegas Golden Knights in regulation
    • The Western Conference if the San Jose Sharks lose AND the Winnipeg Jets also lose

    -The Dallas Stars will clinch a berth in the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs if they defeat the Vancouver Canucks

  • Game Recap – 3/28/2019 – Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

    Game Recap – 3/28/2019 – Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

    Washington Capitals (46-24-8 100pts) v. Carolina Hurricane (42-28-7 91pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals tonight conclude their season series against the Carolina Hurricanes on the road at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina.  Each teams traded goals in the first period.  Goals were scored by Nino Niedereitter of the Hurricanes and Brett Connolly of the Capitals.  The first period would end with both teams 1-1.

     

    In the second period, we did not see much action until the 12:30 mark when Warren Foegel scored a highlight reel worthy goal to take the lead for the Hurricanes.  The Capitals would have an opportunity on the power play later on in the period but were unable to convert.  After two periods, the Hurricanes would take a 2-1 lead going into the third period.

     

    Period three saw a lot of action as each team traded scoring chances.  The Capitals would tie it up early in the period at the 1:35 mark on a Jakub Vrana goal.  At the 15:04 mark, the Capitals would take the lead on a Nic Dowd goal which was deflected in front of the net on a Nic Jensen shot.  The Hurricanes came close to tying the game towards the end but, the Capitals were able to hold on and get the victory with the final score being 3-2.  As a result of tonight’s victory over the Hurricanes, the Capitals officially clinched a playoff spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  The Capitals continue their road trip on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Forwards

    Alex Ovechkin- Nicklas Backstrom- Tom Wilson

    Carl Hagelin- Evgeny Kuznetsov- Andre Burakovsky

    Jakub Vrana- Lars Eller- Brett Connolly

    Chandler Stephenson- Nic Dowd- Travis Boyd

    Defenseman

    Christian Djoos – John Carlson

    Dmitri Orlov – Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik – Nic Jensen

    Goalies:

    Starter- Braden Holtby

    Backup- Phoenix Copley

    Scratches:

    Dmitry Jaskin, TJ Oshie (illness), Jonas Siegenthaler

    Injury: Michal Kempny (lower body)

     

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Forwards

    Nino Niedereiter- Sebastian Aho- Justin Williams

    Andre Svechnikov- Jordan Staal- Teuvo Terravainen

    Michael Ferlund- Lucas Wallmark- Jordan Martinook

    Warren Foegele – Greg McKegg- Brock McGinn

    Defenseman

    Jacob Slavin – Dougie Hamilton

    Brett Pesce – Justin Faulk

    Calvin de Haan – Trevor van Riemsdyk

    Goalies

    Starter- Curtis McElhinney

    Backup- Petr Mrazek

    Scratches: Saku Maenalanen

     

    First Period:

    Carolina Goal-4:31- Nino Niedereiter (22) assisted by Justin Williams (28) & Sebastian Aho (51)

    Washington Goal-5:13- Brett Connolly (22) asssited by Brooks Orpik (7)

     

    End of 1st – WAS – 1      CAR – 1

    Shots              7                    5

    Faceoffs         7/16                9/16

    Hits                6                    10

    PP                 0/0                 0/0

     

    Second Period:

    Carolina Goal-12:30- Warren Foegele (8) assisted by Justin Faulk (24) & Brett Pesce (20)

    Carolina Penalty-16:01- Justin Williams 2 minutes for tripping

     

    End of 2nd – WAS – 1       CAR- 2

    Shots               16                    16

    Faceoffs          10/31             21/31

    Hits                 10                  20

    PP                   0/1                  0/0

     

    Third Period:

    Washington Goal-1:35- Jakub Vrana (23) assisted by Evgeny Kuznetsov (49) & Christian Djoos (8)

    Washington Goal-15:04- Nic Dowd (7) assisted by Nic Jensen (17)

    Washington Penalty-15:45- Brooks Orpik 2 minutes for tripping

     

    End of 3rd – WAS – 3         CAR – 2

    Shots              20                     26

    Faceoffs        18/46              28/46

    Hits               19                     25

    PP                 0/1                    0/1

     

    Next Up:

    Washington Capitals (45-24-8 98pts) v.s. Tampa Bay Lightning (59-14-4 122pts)

    Carolina Hurricanes (42-28-7 91pts) v.s. Philadelphia Flyers (37-32-8 82pts)

  • TXHT Opinion – Gambling and the Issues it WILL Bring

    TXHT Opinion – Gambling and the Issues it WILL Bring

    So I’ve been holding off on this because this is a topic I have not wanted to tackle, but with the continued poor decisions by the National Hockey League and now the Washington Capitals I feel that now is the best time to talk about it.

     

    Today Capitals owner Ted Leonsis announced that the Green Turtle at Capital One Arena would be getting replaced with a sportsbook for sports gambling. I for one think that this is a disgrace and I’m disgusted that Leonsis even considered doing this in the first place.

     

    Now according to the release you will be able to place your bets outside of the arena, and inside depending on the sport taking place that night, whatever that means as it’s not very clear what sports will not allow gambling in the arena. In the release Leonsis also states that there will be an operator in place to create distance from the gambling venue and Monumental Sports and Entertainment ownership. But let’s be honest, you just added gambling to your venue. You really think that an outside operator is really going to make a difference?

     

    Now I am going to be blunt and honest. I’m 100 percent against gambling in all forms, and the fact that the Capitals do a Casino Night every season makes me sick, and now adding a sportsbook to Capital One Arena is even more sickening. I had a family member who had a gambling addiction, and from what both of my parents told me that if it weren’t for constant interventions the issues with his gambling addiction would have been devastating, and from what has happened as a result of his gambling it was really bad.

     

    Also when my mother was growing up in Atlantic City, NJ, she worked at the casinos, and saw first hand what devastation gambling addiction can bring upon people. According to The Oaks at La Paloma approximately 2.6% of the US population has some type of gambling issue. That’s about 10 million people who struggle with gambling addiction.

     

    This issue also adds up to about 6 billion dollars each year which impacts both the US economy and us as citizens. Also did you know that ten States plus the District of Columbia do not offer any publicly funded gambling assistance programs (2016-PG-Services-Survey-Executive-Summary)?

     

    So Mr. Leonsis I have a series of questions to ask you sir, and starting off with the big one. Are you prepared for when things do get devastatingly bad? Are you prepared for when people who have gambling addictions hit rock bottom and that patrons are being victimized by the scalpers who will gladly by the tickets off of someone so they could feed their addiction? What are you going to do to help bring awareness to the dangers of gambling?

     

    But most importantly good sir, how are you going to keep it away from the game so it doesn’t drive the people who are there for the game, and only the game?

     

    When I come to Capital One Arena, I’m there for the Capitals and the game that they play. I don’t want to be pestered with the gambling nonsense, and if you can’t keep it away from the game, then I just won’t come anymore. Plain and simple. Which is a shame because I’d rather be at a hockey game in person, than watch it on tv.

     

    Mr. Leonsis, the door is open for a conversation, and I’m more than willing to sit down with you to discuss this topic with you. So I invite you to have one with me. Will you accept?

  • Game Recap – 3/26/2019 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 3/26/2019 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Carolina Hurricanes (42-26-7 91pts) v. Washington Capitals (44-24-8 96pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    As the Washington Capitals wind down their regular season with the playoffs in the horizon, the Capitals take on prospective first round opponent Carolina Hurricanes in their first game of a back to back with them. The first half of the game would be very fast paced, but then as the period progressed the Capitals would start to break out against the Hurricanes as TJ Oshie would get his 23rd of the season to give the Capitals a 1-0 lead going into the first intermission.

     

    For the second period, you would have another fast paced period that saw the Capitals generate some better scoring chances than they had in the first, but it would be Dougie Hamilton of the Hurricanes who would score while having an extra attacker on the ice during a delayed penalty to tie the game at one.

     

    In the third period it would be the Capitals on the attack against the Hurricanes as the Capitals would regain their lead when Tom Wilson would feed Alex Ovechkin for a one timer to score his 49th of the season. Then it would be John Carlson tipping in a Dmitry Orlov slap pass from the point to give the Capitals a two goal lead. Then to ice the game, Nicklas Backstrom would increase the lead to three as the Capitals defeat the Hurricanes in the first game of their back to back 4-1.

     

    Lineups:

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Nino Niederreiter — Sebastian Aho — Justin Williams

    Andrei Svechnikov — Jordan Staal — Teuvo Teravainen

    Micheal Ferland — Lucas Wallmark — Jordan Martinook

    Brock McGinn — Greg McKegg — Saku Maenalanen

    Jaccob Slavin — Dougie Hamilton

    Brett Pesce — Justin Faulk

    Calvin de Haan — Trevor van Riemsdyk

    Petr Mrazek

    Curtis McElhinney

    Scratched: Warren Foegele

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — Tom Wilson

    Carl Hagelin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Andre Burakovsky — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd

    Christian Djoos — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Nick Jensen

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Chandler Stephenson, Jonas Siegenthaler

    Injured: Michal Kempny (lower body)

     

    First Period:

    Hurricanes Penalty – 10:21 – Sebastoan Aho 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals Goal – 16:29 – TJ Oshie (23) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (46) and Carl Hagelin (12)

     

    End of 1st – CAR – 0       WAS – 1

    Shots              10                10

    Faceoffs         15                07

    Hits               09                  09

    PP                 0/0                 0/1

     

    Second Period:

    Hurricanes Penalty – 8:57 – Petr Mrazek (Justin Williams) 2 minutes for Hooking

    Hurricanes Goal -15:38 – Dougie Hamilton (15) from Justin Williams (27) and Nino Niederreiter (27)

     

    End of 2nd – CAR – 1        WAS – 1

    Shots               17                 21

    Faceoffs          26                 15

    Hits                 14                  13

    PP                   0/0                  0/2

     

    Third Period:

    Capitals Goal – 4:31 – Alex Ovechkin (49) from Tom Wilson (17) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (47)

    Capitals Goal – 11:16 – John Carlson (13) from Dmitry Orlov (25) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (48)

    Capitals ENG – 17:33 – Nicklas Backstrom (19) from Alex Ovechkin (37) and John Carlson (54)

     

    End of 3rd – CAR – 1         WAS – 4

    Shots              27                   28

    Faceoffs        36                    26

    Hits               25                     20

    PP                 0/0                    0/2

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (45-24-8 98pts) @ Carolina (42-27-7 91pts)

  • TXHT Opinions – The Case of Not Going to the White House

    TXHT Opinions – The Case of Not Going to the White House

    With great accomplishments comes great acknowledgments.

     

    With the Washington Capitals Stanley Cup victory last season they earned the greatest accomplishment in their franchise’s 44 year history, however, they won the Stanley Cup during a time that everything around us is very politically charged. For those that try to stay out of politics like we do, you can’t help but know what is going on in the world today thanks to social media and the reach it has. Unfortunately here in the United States we have a President who has been very divisive and hateful and has churned up the political angst around us.

     

    During the Stanley Cup Finals the press asked Capitals forward Devante Smith-Pelly, now with the Hershey Bears, if he would visit the White House to which said he would decline the opportunity to go if given the invitation to attend. After the Stanley Cup was won forward Brett Connolly made it known that he would not attend either as he stood behind Smith-Pelly and respected the decision to not attend the White House if/when invited.

     

    Then late last week it was announced that the Capitals would attend a private ceremony at the White House hosted by President Donald Trump on Monday, March 25th. Many have questioned why so late into the season for this with the Capitals getting ready to start the playoffs in two weeks. Some conspiracy theories have stated because of Smith-Pelly being on the team and because of what has happened with the NFL, NBA, and WNBA these past two years in dealing with this current Presidency that he was the source of the issue, and that the timing of Smith-Pelly’s demotion to Hershey paved the way for this to happen.

     

    However, something that no one expected was on Friday Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby, who is the team’s LGBT-Inclusion Ambassador, announced that he would not be attending the White House ceremony citing that he needs to stick to his moral values, which is something we can all respect.

     

    Now with the knowledge that both Connolly, who doubled down and stated that he will not attend, and Holtby that they will not be attending the White House with the team many on social media have gone on the attack with tweets and Facebook posts lambasting the two. Critizing them for not being American, both Connolly and Holtby are Canadian, or for not wanting to use the opportunity to discuss their differences with the President, which is not the time nor the place to do it when in a push for the playoffs.

     

    Should these issues be discussed and done in an open forum so we can bridge a gap and make progress to a better society? 100% yes we should, but we must always remember that there is a time and a place to do so. Also we must always remember that we live in a country that we have the right to choose what is best for us, no matter whether you agree or disagree with the decision or opinion of the other person.

     

    Both Brett Connolly and Braden Holtby decided that they would not attend the White House ceremony for the Capitals 2018 Stanley Cup victory, and we here at The Xperience: Hockey Talk support both Connolly and Holtby for decision, just as we support the rest of the team for their decision to attend the White House ceremony despite our personal opinions on the matter.

     

    **We will be keeping the comments open for this article, however, if we feel things are getting too toxic we will shut comments down on this specific article.

  • Game Recap – 3/24/19 – Philadelphia Flyers v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 3/24/19 – Philadelphia Flyers v. Washington Capitals

    Philadelphia Flyers (36-31-8 80pts) v. Washington Capitals (43-24-8 94pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals host the Philadelphia Flyers for an NBC matinee in their final meeting of the regular season. Early in the first period it would be the Capitals scorimg first as an Alex Ovechkin pass would be deflected to Nick Jensen who would shoot it from the point with Tom Wilson deflecting it past Briam Elliott for the 1-0 lead. The Capitals wouldvgain two powerplay opportunities, but would not be able to use them to build on their 1-0 lead going into the intermission.

     

    In the second period it would be the Flyers dominating the play against the Capitals for the first half of the period, but it would be the Capitals who would strike once again with a deflection in front of the net this time Travis Boyd deflecting Matt Niskanen’s point shot. However, the Capitals would continuously go to the penalty box, and the third time would be the charm as Jakub Voracek would score for the Flyers on their third powerplay opportunity on a TJ Oshie holding call.

     

    In the third period, it would be a tightly contested affair, but a Jakub Vrana breakaway courtesy of Brett Connolly would ice the game for the Capitals as they would sweep the regular season series with a 3-1 victory over the Flyers.

     

    Lineups:

    Philadelphia Flyers:

    Oskar Lindblom — Sean Couturier — Jakub Voracek

    James van Riemsdyk — Nolan Patrick — Claude Giroux

    Michael Raffl — Scott Laughton — Travis Konecny

    Justin Bailey — Corban Knight — Ryan Hartman

    Ivan Provorov — Travis Sanheim

    Shayne Gostisbehere — Philippe Myers

    Robert Hagg — Radko Gudas

    Brian Elliott

    Carter Hart

    Scratched: Cam Talbot, Andrew MacDonald, Samuel Morin, Phil Varone

    Injured: Michal Neuvirth (lower body)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — T.J. Oshie

    Carl Hagelin – Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Andre Burakovsky — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd

    Christian Djoos — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Nick Jensen

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Chandler Stephenson, Tyler Lewington

    Injured: Michal Kempny (lower body)

     

    First Period:

    Capitals Goal – 3:52 – Tom Wilson (22) from Nick Jensen (16) and Alex Ovechkin (36)

    Flyers Penalty – 7:18 – James van Riemsdyk 2 minutes for Interference

    Flyers Penalty – 14:22 – Justin Bailey 2 minutes for Tripping

     

    End of 1st – PHI – 0       WAS – 1

    Shots              11                11

    Faceoffs         13                04

    Hits               05                  02

    PP                 0/0                 0/2

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Penalty – :29 – Alex Ovechkin 2 minutes for Slashing

    Capitals Goal  – 10:47 – Travis Boyd (5) from Matt Niskanen (16) and Nic Dowd (14)

    Capitals Penalty – 13:22 – Tom Wilson 2 minutes for Tripping

    Capitals Penalty – 16:51 – TJ Oshie 2 minutes for Holding

    Flyers PPG – 17:10 – Jakub Voracek (20) from unassisted

     

    End of 2nd – PHI – 1        WAS – 2

    Shots               31                 18

    Faceoffs          25                 14

    Hits                 11                  12

    PP                   1/3                  0/2

     

    Third Period:

    Capitals Penalty – 3:25 – Brooks Orpik 2 minutes for Roughing

    Capitals Goal – 8:07 – Jakub Vrana (22) from Brett Connolly (23)

     

    End of 3rd – PHI – 1         WAS – 3

    Shots              36                   30

    Faceoffs        38                    22

    Hits               16                     22

    PP                 1/4                    0/2

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (44-24-8 96pts) v. Carolina (41-26-7 89pts)

    Philadelphia (36-32-8 80pts) v. Toronto (44-25-6 94pts)

  • Don Cherry Doesn’t Like Fun

    Don Cherry Doesn’t Like Fun

    As everyone knows Hockey Night in Canada is a staple for hockey fans every Saturday night, and not just for the hockey, but for the intermission segments. While we here at TXHT love Saturday Headlines for the insider knowledge that is shared with us, it’s Coach’s Corner featuring Don Cherry that always seems to spark a lot of conversation.

     

    Well Don has done it again to get us talking. This time by going after something that everyone loves to do in hockey, and that’s celebrating… again.

     

    For the third time now, Cherry has gone after Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov for his Kuzy Bird goal celebration that he does for his daughter, but for Don Cherry that makes Kuznetsov a “jerk”, and Cherry made such a claim last night saying it is “Hockey Karma” that the Capitals lost to Tampa Bay on Wednesday night because Kuznetsov pulled out the celebration after tying the game in the final minutes to send it to overtime.

     

    Cherry has also made such claims against the Carolina Hurricanes who have been doing their Storm Surge victory celebrations after the game is over at home, to the entertainment of the fans. Cherry even went as far as calling the Hurricanes a “Bunch of Jerks” which the Hurricanes adopted and made a part of their marketing to the fans delight.

     

    At the end of the day all we can say is this. Don Cherry doesn’t like fun. He thinks everyone has to be “professional” and no one can do professional like the way Canadians can. Anything outside of a fist pump or shake is too much for celebrating goals, and that right there proves that Cherry just doesn’t get it and won’t evolve with the times.

     

    The NHL values entertainment, and that’s what Evgeny Kuznetsov and the Carolina Hurricanes are providing, despite Cherry’s feelings or views. The celebrations are great for marketing, attracting new fans, and most importantly, putting butts in seats at the games.

     

    Personally I make a point to watch Coach’s Corner and Saturday Headlines, which is the better of the two, and it’s become clear that Don Cherry is not capable of being a true ambassador to the game and needs to be replaced. Cherry can still give you a gem or two every now and then, but you can tell he is not accepting to today’s NHL. But at least he’s given us some cool marketing this season.

     

    Also, did anyone tell Cherry that Kuznetsov had another reason to do the Kuzy Bird besides for his daughter?