Tag: NHL

  • Game Recap – 1/10/2019 – Washington Capitals v. Boston Bruins

    Game Recap – 1/10/2019 – Washington Capitals v. Boston Bruins

    Washington Capitals (26-12-4 56pts) v. Boston Bruins (25-14-4 54pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals came into Boston looking to extend their win streak to three, but how they would start the game with an early Jonas Siegenthaler holding penalty would force the Capitals to kill the Bruins powerplay opportunity. Then after a strong kill the Capitals would get on the board when Jakub Vrana would score his 15th of the season off of a breakaway pass from TJ Oshie. The Bruins would put the pressure on the Capitals which would cause Michal Kempny to take a tripping penalty, but once again the Capitals would shut down the Bruins powerplay. Braden Holtby had a spectacular first period which saw him stop all 17 Bruins shots.

     

    The Bruins would start the period pressuring the Capitals, but then the Capitals would get a very good shift from their second line that would draw a penalty against Patrice Bergeron. However, the Capitals would not be able to do much with their first powerplay opportunity. Then Lars Eller would challenge Brad Marchand after being chirped at by Marchand, but Marchand would cowardly turtle when Eller dropped his gloves thus getting an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and another Bruins powerplay. The Capitals would kill the penalty, and then on a rush Alex Ovechkin would be tripped by Brandon Carlo to give the Capitals their second powerplay opportunity of the game. The Capitals would fail on the powerplay, and then the Bruins would take that momentum to tie up the game with Ryan Donato’s 6th of the season. However, it would not remain tied as Tom Wilson displayed great patience behind the net to find Ovechkin for his 31st goal of the season.

     

    The Bruins started the period with a powerplay due to a late penalty against Brett Connolly, but the Capitals would do a great job of killing the penalty. However, the Capitals would shoot themselves in the foot with a too many men on the ice penalty that would see David Krejci tie the game for the Bruins on the powereplay, but 69 seconds later Nicklas Backstrom would respond to retake the lead for the Capitals. Late in the third period the Bruins would pull goalie Jaroslav Halak, but then Ovechkin would nab the empty netter for his second of the game. The Capitals would end the Bruins 5 game winning streak and grow their win streak to 3 games.

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Brett Connolly — Lars Eller — Travis Boyd

    Chandler Stephenson — Nic Dowd — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Jonas Siegenthaler

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Andre Burakovsky, Madison Bowey, Dmitrij Jaskin

    Injured: Christian Djoos (thigh)

     

    Boston Bruins:

    Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — David Pastrnak

    Jake DeBrusk — David Krejci — David Backes

    Sean Kuraly — Noel Acciari — Chris Wagner

    Ryan Donato — Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson — Danton Heinen

    Zdeno Chara — Brandon Carlo

    Torey Krug — John Moore

    Matt Grzelcyk — Kevan Miller

    Jaroslav Halak

    Tuukka Rask

    Scratched: Colby Cave, Steven Kampfer

    Injured: Charlie McAvoy (lower body), Joakim Nordstrom (fractured fibula)

     

    First Period:

    Capitals Penalty – 1:51 – Jonas Siegenthaler 2 minutes for Holding

    Capitals Goal – 6:38 – Jakub Vrana (15) from TJ Oshie (6)

    Capitals Penalty – 14:13 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for Tripping

     

    End of 1st – WAS – 1       BOS – 0

    Shots              05                17

    Faceoffs         09                10

    Hits               10                  05

    PP                 0/0                 0/2

     

    Second Period:

    Bruins Penalty – 5:10 – Patrice Bergeron 2 minutes for Tripping

    Capitals Penalty – 7:43 – Lars Eller 2 minutes for Unsportsmanlike Conduct

    Bruins Penalty – 10:57 – Brandon Carlo 2 minutes for Tripping

    Bruins Goal – 14:11 – Ryan Donato (6) from Torey Krug (25) from Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson (4)

    Capitals Goal – 14:50 – Alex Ovechkin (31) from Tom Wilson (9)

    Capitals Penalty – 19:52 – Brett Connolly 2 minutes for Holding

     

    End of 2nd – WAS – 2        BOS – 1

    Shots               12                 28

    Faceoffs          15                 26

    Hits                 24                  17

    PP                   0/2                  0/3

     

    Third Period:

    Capitals Penalty – 3:58 – Bench (Ovechkin) 2 minutes for Too Many Men

    Bruins PPG – 4:37 – David Krejci (8) from Danton Heinen (7) and David Backes (8)

    Capitals Goal – 5:46 – Nicklas Backstrom (11) from TJ Oshie (7) and Jonas Siegenthaler (4)

    Capitals ENG – 18:25 – Alex Ovechkin (32) from unassisted

     

    End of 3rd – WAS – 4         BOS – 2

    Shots              22                   41

    Faceoffs        22                    42

    Hits               32                     25

    PP                 0/2                    1/5

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (27-12-4 58pts) v. Columbus (25-15-3 53pts)

    Boston (25-16-4 54pts) @ Toronto (28-13-2 58pts)

  • Boston Bruins announce partnership with NWHL’s Boston Pride

    Boston Bruins announce partnership with NWHL’s Boston Pride

    This morning the NWHL’s Boston Pride and the NHL’s Boston Bruins announced  a partnership to advance the game of Women’s hockey in the state of Massachusetts and the surrounding area.

     

    With this announcement, the Bruins become the 4th NHL franchise to partner with an NWHL franchise in the past 15 months which started with the New Jersey Devils back in October 2017 when they announced a 3 year partnership with the Metropolitan Riveters. Then Pegula Sports & Entertainment, who own the Buffalo Sabres, acquired the Buffalo Beauts to become the first NWHL team to be fully owned and operated outside of the NWHL. Also during this past offseason the Minnesota Wild announced that they would be partnering with the expansion Minnesota Whitecaps. The NWHL has also worked jointly with the Pittsburgh Penguins (2017), Wild (2018) and Nashville Predators (2019) on NWHL All-Star Weekends.

     

    “In just the last 15 months, four NHL teams have secured mutually-beneficial partnerships with our clubs,” said NWHL Founder and Commissioner Dani Rylan. “We are proud of these alignments with NHL franchises. Our league office and teams work hard to be strong collaborators. As the Bruins will see, there is a lot that the Pride will bring to the table as they build women’s and girls’ hockey programs in their community.”

     

    With this new partnership between the Bruins and the Pride will be highlighted by the new Bruins Academy Girls Learn to Play program, which will offer girls ages four through ten the opportunity to learn the basics of hockey led by Boston Pride players. There will be a  $100 registration fee for the Learn to Play program which will include a full set of brand-new CCM equipment to keep valued at $500 retail, a professional equipment fitting, and four weeks of on ice instruction led by certified coaches. The girls program will also be held at five rinks beginning in March 2019: Philips Academy Rink in Andover, Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton, The Bog Ice Arena in Duxbury, Murphy Memorial Skating Rink in South Boston, and Veterans Memorial Skating Rink in Waltham.

     

    The NWHL is growing, and with yet another partnership with the NHL, the future is looking bright for the NWHL and for Women’s Hockey.

     

    *Feature photo courtesy of the NWHL.

  • Gameday Preview – 1/10/2019 – Washington Capitals v. Boston Bruins

    Gameday Preview – 1/10/2019 – Washington Capitals v. Boston Bruins

    Washington Capitals (26-12-4 56pts) v. Boston Bruins (25-14-4 54pts)

     

    Time: 7p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Washington and NESN

     

    Preview:

    The Washington Capitals head to Boston to take on the red hot Bruins. Currently the Bruins are on a five game winning streak which has been to the affect of their lineup becoming healthy, especially on the blue line. Meanwhile, the Capitals have won two straight and look to continue their winning ways against the Bruins.

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Projected Lineup:

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Be consistent in the faceoff circle

    The key to puck control is based on how well you do in the faceoff circle. Win the faceoff, you gain control right away. Lose the faceoff, and now your chasing. The other night against Philadelphia the Flyers were dominating the Capitals in the faceoff circle, but it didn’t look that way due to the Capitals better play in all three zones. The Bruins are not the Flyers and are more of a threat when they have puck possession and faceoffs will be a key to their success.

     

    2. Shock the powerplay

    The Capitals need their powerplay to be clicking against the Bruins. While their penalty kill has been on the rise since the return of Brooks Orpik to the lineup, however, the same cannot be said for the powerplay that is stagnant and predictable.

     

    Boston Bruins:

    Projected Lineup:

    Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — David Pastrnak

    Jake DeBrusk — David Krejci — David Backes

    Sean Kuraly — Noel Acciari — Chris Wagner

    Ryan Donato — Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson — Danton Heinen

    Zdeno Chara — Brandon Carlo

    Torey Krug — John Moore

    Matt Grzelcyk — Kevan Miller

    Tuukka Rask

    Jaroslav Halak

    Scratched: Colby Cave, Steven Kampfer

    Injured: Charlie McAvoy (lower body), Joakim Nordstrom (fractured fibula)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Stick to the plan

    The Bruins are on a five game winning streak, and it is a result of solid team play and sticking to the gameplan. If the Bruins can force their game on the Capitals, this will be a good game for them.

  • January 9th, 2019  —  News and Notes

    January 9th, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Wednesday, January 9th, 2019, and these are your news and notes.

    Yesterday there were 11 games in action.

     

    BOSTON 4, Minnesota 0

    Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask would register his 250th career win as well as his 42nd career shutout.  Rask is two wins shy of tying the franchise record for wins by a goaltender, currently held by Tiny Thompson.

     

    Minnesota @ Boston: Game Summary

     

    BUFFALO 5, New Jersey 1

    New Jersey @ Buffalo: Game Summary

     

    Carolina 4, NY ISLANDERS 3

    There would be four different goal scorers for the Carolina Hurricanes in their 4-3 win over the New York Islanders last night.

     

    Carolina @ NY Islanders: Game Summary

     

    PITTSBURGH 5, Florida 1

    The Pittsburgh Penguins would end up scoring two shorthanded goals in this contest  in the second period en route to a 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers last night.

    Penguins C Sidney Crosby would score his 20th goal on the season and with that goal, Crosby has scored at least 20 goals in 12 seasons on his career.

     

    Florida’s Aaron Ekblad would score the lone goal for the Panthers and when he did, he would become the top goal scorer among defenceman in Panthers history.

    https://twitter.com/PR_NHL/status/1082830340610314242

     

    Florida @ Pittsburgh: Game Summary

     

    Montreal 3, DETROIT 2

    With Montreal’s 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings last night, this would mark the second straight win for the Canadiens over the Red Wings.

     

    Montreal @ Detroit: Game Summary

     

    TAMPA BAY 4, Columbus 0

    Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov would become the first player to reach 70 points in the first 43 games of a season since Jaromir Jagr in the 1999-2000 season, who did that in 38 games played.

     

    Columbus @ Tampa Bay: Game Summary

     

    WASHINGTON 5, Philadelphia 3

    The Washington Capitals would go on to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-3 to notch their first win at home in the year 2019.

    Between both teams, there would be the 27th instance in League history when the Capitals and Flyers would score two goals in four seconds or less.

     

    TJ Oshie would register his 200th NHL goal in this contest when he scored at the 9:19 mark in the second period.

    TXHT has your full recap of the contest between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals at the following page.

    Philadelphia @ Washington: Game Summary

     

     

    Dallas 3, ST. LOUIS 1

    Stars Tyler Seguin would score two goals and goaltender Ben Bishop would have 26 saves in the contest as they would take down the St. Louis Blues by the score of 3-1.

    Over the last four games, Seguin has registered three, two-goal contests.

    Dallas’ Miro Heiskanen registered his 20th point on the season in the contest and marked the fifth time in the past six seasons in which multiple teenage defenceman have had at least 20+ points in a season.

    Despite outshooting the Stars 27-17, St. Louis would not be able to mount the comeback.

     

    Dallas @ St. Louis: Game Summary

     

     

    WINNIPEG 7, Colorado 4

    In the Winnipeg Jets 7-4 win, there would be seven different goal scorers in the contest.

     

    Colorado @ Winnipeg: Game Summary

     

     

    VEGAS 4, NY Rangers 2

    Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury would get the win for the Golden Knights, who went on to win their seventh straight contest.

    Fleury has not had a regulation loss in his last 12 games played and has posted a 9-0-3 record.

    NY Rangers @ Vegas: Game Summary

     

    SAN JOSE 7, Edmonton 2

     

    Edmonton @ San Jose: Game Summary

     

     

    Today there are three games on the NHL schedule

     

  • Game Recap – 1/8/2019 – Philadelphia Flyers v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 1/8/2019 – Philadelphia Flyers v. Washington Capitals

    Philadelphia Flyers (15-21-6 36pts) v. Washington Capitals (25-12-4 54pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    To start the game both the Washington Capitals and the Philadelphia Flyers would test each other out, and get a feel for the game, but it would be off a defensive zone faceoff that the Flyers would win but Jakub Vrana getting to the puck first and taking it all the way down tot he offensive zone and throwing the puck on net for Tom Wilson to tip in to get the first goal of the game. Then Andre Burakovsky would take an ill advised offensive zone penalty for hooking, but the Capitals would shut down the Flyers powerplay and prevent them from taking a shot on goal. However, the Flyers would strike back when Michal Kempny would make a bad pass out of the zone that would be picked off and lead to Jakub Voracek tying the game at 1 a piece. The period would end with game tied at one a piece, but one of the bigger points is the fact that the Flyers dominated the Capitals both in shots and in the faceoff circle. The Capitals would only generate 4 shots in the opening period.

    To start the second period, there would be a lot of back and forth between the two teams until Robert Hagg would be called for hooking against Evgeny Kuznetsov. However, on the powerplay the Capitals would not generate much with the opportunity. the Capitals would respond not that much longer as Lars Eller would let a shot of from the point that TJ Oshie would tip in front of the net to give the Capitals the lead. Then not the long after getting the lead, Vrana would cause a turnover and turn on the wheels as he does a great individual play to create a turnover and then convert it into a goal for the Capitals. The Capitals would keep the pressure going as ALex Ovechkin would draw a tripping penalty on Ivan Provorov, and the Capitals would strike in the final seconds of the powerplay as Vrana would score his second goal of the game. In the final minute of the second period, Brooks Orpik would get called for roughing which would give the Flyers a powerplay to start the third period. Biggest flaw in the Capitals game right now is in the faceoff circle as the Flyers are manhandling them in that category.

    The Capitals would start the period by killing the remainder of Orpik’s penalty, but not long after, Radko Gudas would lay a clean hit on Nic Dowd which Devante Smith=-Pelly would step up and fight Gudas. However, the Smith-Pelly would gain an additional two minutes for instigating to give the Flyers another powerplay. After the Capitals would kill off this penalty, Wilson would get called for slashing, but the Capitals would kill that one as well. Then Travis Konecny would be upset over a hit by Alex Ovechkin and would then take a slashing penalty as a result. On this powerplay, the Capitals would get some looks, but would not capitalize on the powerplay. The Flyers would respond though after a failed clearing attempt by Ovechkin as Wayne Simmonds crashed the net and was able to jam one home to cut the Capitals lead to 2. After this goal would be scored chaos would ensue as when Tom Wilson thought he had a empty net goal to seal the deal for the Capitals, it would be ruled offsides after a Coach’s Challenge, but it would also result in Shayne Gostisbehere penalty that would upset the Flyers and result in Simmonds getting a 10 minute misconduct. However, the Capitals would not be on the powerplay long as Evgeny Kuznetsov would be called for hooking, and then while 4 on 4 with the goalie pulled Claude Giroux would score to inch the Flyers closer, but then Oshie would get the empty netter to ice this win for the Capitals.

     

    Lineups:

    Philadelphia Flyers:

    Claude Giroux — Sean Couturier — Travis Konecny

    Oskar Lindblom — Nolan Patrick — Jakub Voracek

    James van Riemsdyk — Jordan Weal — Wayne Simmonds

    Michael Raffl — Scott Laughton — Dale Weise

    Ivan Provorov — Travis Sanheim

    Robert Hagg — Christian Folin

    Shayne Gostisbehere — Radko Gudas

    Mike McKenna

    Carter Hart

    Scratched: Jori Lehtera, Phil Varone

    Injured: Corban Knight (collarbone), Brian Elliott (lower body), Anthony Stolarz (lower body), Andrew MacDonald (lower body), Michal Neuvirth (lower body)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Lars Eller — T.J. Oshie

    Andre Burakovsky — Travis Boyd — Brett Connolly

    Chandler Stephenson — Nic Dowd — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Brooks Orpik — Jonas Siegenthaler

    Pheonix Copley

    Braden Holtby

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Madison Bowey

    Injured: Nicklas Backstrom (illness), Christian Djoos (leg)

     

    First Period:

    Capitals Goal – 4:21 – Tom Wilson (13) from Jakub Vrana (10)

    Capitals Penalty – 5:46 – Andre Burakovsky 2 minutes for Hooking

    Flyers Goal – 9:28 – Jakub Voracek (11) from Oskar Lindblom (8)

     

    End of 1st – PHI – 1       WAS – 1

    Shots              11                04

    Faceoffs         09                05

    Hits                10                 06

    PP                 0/1                 0/0

     

    Second Period:

    Flyers Penalty – 5:24 – Robert Hagg 2 minutes for Slashing

    Capitals Goal – 9:19 – TJ Oshie (12) from Lars Eller (13) and /john Carlson (34)

    Capitals Goal – 11:22 – Jakub Vrana (13) from unassisted

    Flyers Penalty – 14:12 – Ivan Provorov 2 minutes for Tripping

    Capitals PPG – 15:55 – Jakub Vrana (14) from Travis Boyd (8) and John Carlson (35)

    Capitals Penalty – 19:06 – Brooks Orpik 2 minutes for Roughing

     

    End of 2nd – PHI – 1        WAS – 4

    Shots               23                 17

    Faceoffs          30                 11

    Hits                 19                  09

    PP                   0/1                  1/2

     

    Third Period:

    Flyers Penalty – 2:04 – Radko Gudas 5 minute major for Fighting

    Capitals Penalty – 2:04 – Devante Smith-Pelly 5 minute major for Fighting

    Capitals Penalty – 2:04 – Devante Smith-Pelly (Burakovsky) 2 minutes for Roughing

    Capitals Penalty – 9:06 – Tom Wilson 2 minutes for Slashing

    Flyers Penalty – 13:31 – Travis Konecny 2 minutes for Slashing

    Flyers Goal – 16:33 – Wayne Simmonds (13) from Jakub Voracek (23) and Sean Couturier (15)

    Capitals ENG – 17:56 – Coaches Challenge for Offsides Successful – No Goal

    Flyers Penalty – 17:56 – Shayne Gostisbehere 2 minutes for Hooking

    Flyers Penalty – 17:56 – Wayne Simmonds 10 minute Misconduct

    Capitals Penalty – 19:28 – Evgeny Kuznetsov 2 minutes for Hooking

    Flyers Goal – 19:53 – Claude Giroux (14) from Sean Coutrier (16) and Jakub Voracek (24)

    Capitals ENG – 19:57 – TJ Oshie (13) from unassisted

     

    End of 3rd – PHI – 3         WAS – 5

    Shots              40                   26

    Faceoffs        45                    19

    Hits               23                     15

    PP                 0/4                    1/4

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (26-12-4 56pts) @ Boston (25-14-4 54pts)

    Philadelphia (15-22-6 36pts) v. Dallas (23-17-4 50pts)

  • Gameday Preview – 1/8/2019 – Philadelphia Flyers v. Washington Capitals

    Gameday Preview – 1/8/2019 – Philadelphia Flyers v. Washington Capitals

    Philadelphia Flyers (15-21-6 36pts) v. Washington Capitals (25-12-4 54pts)

     

    Time: 730p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Network

     

    Preview:

    The Washington Capitals are home for the first time in 2019 as they host their long time rival the Philadelphia Flyers. Last night the Flyers were shutout at home by the St. Louis Blues, while the Capitals ended their 3 game losing streak the other night as they defeated the Detroit Red Wings on the road.

     

    Philadelphia Flyers:

    Projected Lineup:

    Claude Giroux — Sean Couturier — Travis Konecny

    Oskar Lindblom — Nolan Patrick — Jakub Voracek

    James van Riemsdyk — Jordan Weal — Wayne Simmonds

    Michael Raffl — Scott Laughton — Dale Weise

    Ivan Provorov — Travis Sanheim

    Robert Hagg — Christian Folin

    Shayne Gostisbehere — Radko Gudas

    Mike McKenna

    Carter Hart

    Scratched: Jori Lehtera, Phil Varone

    Injured: Corban Knight (collarbone), Brian Elliott (lower body), Anthony Stolarz (lower body), Andrew MacDonald (lower body), Michal Neuvirth (lower body)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Consistency all game long

    The Flyers have a well built team, but are not a consistent team on the ice. If the Flyers can play a strong, consistent game for a full 60 minutes then they have a good chance of winning this game.

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Projected Lineup:

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Continue the heavy pressure

    The one key thing the Capitals have to do it continue playing wih heavy pressure in the offensive zone. When they are doing that, the Capitals are burden to play against.

     

    2. Mix up the Powerplay

    The powerplay is not working and it needs to be changed up a bit. Mix some of the players around and put in a different look for the powerplay.

  • January 8th, 2019  —  News and Notes

    January 8th, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Tuesday, January 8th, 2019 and these are your news and notes

     

    There were five games in action last night.

     

    Nashville 4, TORONTO 0

    Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne would have an 18 save performance and Toronto’s goaltender Michael Hutchinson would have a 28 save performance on 32 attempts.

    TXHT’s Steve Gardiner has your full recap of the contest at the following link.

    Nashville Predators vs Toronto Maple Leafs – 01/07/2019 – Game Day Preview and Recap

     

    St. Louis 3, PHILADELPHIA 0

     

    St. Louis Blues goaltender in this game, Jordan Binnington, would become the 35th different goalie in NHL history to record a shutout in his first career NHL start and the second to have a shutout in a debut joining Rich Parent back on January 26th, 1999.

     

    Minnesota 1, MONTREAL 0

    In a very ugly and penalty-filled game, the Minnesota Wild would go on to defeat the Montreal Canadiens by the score of 1-0.

    Minnesota’s Nick Seeler would be assessed a two-minute instigator, a five-minute major for fighting, as well as a 10-minute misconduct penalty and Montreal’s Kenny Agostino would be duelled out a five minute major for interference, a five minute major for fighting, as well as a 10-minute game misconduct penalty.

     

    This major chain of events came off of the two-minute interference penalty when Agostino was called for interference on Minnesota’s Eric Fehr.

     

    With the Wild’s win, this would be Devan Dubnyk’s second shutout on the season and the 38th for his career.

    Also with this win, this would be Minnesota’s ninth consecutive win against the Canadiens, matching franchise records for longest win streaks against an opponent.

    https://twitter.com/PR_NHL/status/1082473382162169858

     

     

    Calgary 4, CHICAGO 3

    Calgary Flames Johnny Gaudreau would have a two-goal performance, continuing his hot streak and help the Flames take down the Chicago Blackhawks by the score of 4-3.

    The Flames would also become the first team to have four players with at least 50 points in their first 45 games of a season since the 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins with Ron Francis, Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Toms Sandstrom.

     

    Chicago’s goalscorers would be Patrick Kane with his 24th goal on the season, Alex DeBrincat with his 20th goal of the season and Brandon Saad would score on the power play late in the third period with his 12th goal of the season, however that would not be enough as the Blackhawks would fall 4-3.

     

    SAN JOSE 3, Los Angeles 1

    San Jose Sharks D Erik Karlsson would register an assist in his 13th consecutive game and would be one of only six other players to do so.  Karlsson would go on to have three assists in the contest.

    The San Jose Sharks would go on to defeat the Los Angeles Kings last night by the score of 3-1.

    In NHL News…

     

    Yesterday the NHL announced the Three Stars of the Week (week ending January 6th)

    The first star went to Calgary Flames Johnny Gaudreau, who had an 11 point week in four games played.  Included was a back-to-back four-point performance which had not happened for a Flames player since Doug Gilmour back in November of 1988.

    The second star of the week went to San Jose Sharks Brent Burns.  Burns had a nine-point week across three multi-point outings over the weeks and leads the NHL among all defenceman for points with 47 points in 43 games played.

     

    The third star of the week would go to New York Islanders goaltender Robin Lehner.  Lehner would go 3-0-0 during the week and has a record of 7-0-0 since December 18th.  Lehner would become the fourth different Islanders goaltender to have a personal win streak of at least seven games and is the first the 2014-15 season when Jaroslav Halak had a similar mark.

     

     

    NWHL

     

    This week the NWHL announced co-players of the week.  Buffalo Beauts goaltender Shannon Szabados and Metropolitan Riveters Madison Packer were named the VEDA Co-Players of the Week.

    Szabados had a 30 save performance in the Beauts 5-0 shutout win over the Boston Pride on Saturday.  That contest was scoreless for the first 25 minutes until Buffalo opened up the scoring.  Szabados would also go on to have miraculous saves in the contest.

    Packer, in Sunday’s contest against the Connecticut Whale, had one goal and three assists to close out the regular-season series between the Riveters and Whale.  The Riveters had a six-goal outburst in the contest to give Metropolitan a 6-3 win.  Packer, a four-year veteran of the NWHL, led the league in goals last season and she will be playing in the NWHL All-Star Game next month in Nashville.

     

  • Nashville Predators vs Toronto Maple Leafs – 01/07/2019 – Game Day Preview and Recap

    Nashville Predators vs Toronto Maple Leafs – 01/07/2019 – Game Day Preview and Recap

    Time: Monday, January 7th , 2019

    Toronto: 27-12-2 for 56 points

    Nashville: 25-15-3 for 53 points

    After getting their first win of 2019 the Leafs invite Nashville into Toronto. The Leafs look to keep the offence clicking, but will have it tested against one of the best defensive teams in the League. Nashville gets their top player back in Filip Forsberg tonight.

    Top Scorers/Goalie Matchup

    Mitch Marner – 55 points (15 goals 40 assists)

    John Tavares – 47 points (27 goals 20 assists) 54% on face-offs

    Morgan Rielly – 45 points (13 goals 32 assists)

    Auston Matthews – 39 points (20 goals 19 assists) 51% on Face-off

     

    Ryan Johansen–36 points (8 goals 28 assists)

    Roman Josi – 30 points (7 goals 23 assists)

    Mattias Ekholm – 28 points (4 goals 24 assist)

    Craig Smith – 24 points (14 goal 10 assists)

     

    Michael Hutchinson

    1-1-0 2.05GAA .923SV%

    Pekka Rinne

    15-10-2 2.31GAA .919SV%

     

    Probable Lineups:

    Lineups:

    Toronto:

    Andreas Johnsson – Auston Matthews – William Nylander

    Mitch Marner – John Tavares – Patrick Marleau

    Kasperi Kapanen – Nazem Kadri – Connor Brown

    Trevor Moore – Pars Lindholm – Frederik Gauthier

     

    Morgan Rielly  – Ron Hainsey

    Jake Gardiner – Nikita Zaitsev

    Travis Dermott – Igor Ozhiganov

     

    Michael Hutchinson

    Kasimir Kaskisuo

    Scratched: Justin Holl & Martin Marincin

    Injuries: Nathan Horton (Back), Zach Hyman (Ankle), Frederik Andersen (Groin), Garrett Sparks (Concussion), Tyler Ennis (Leg)

    Suspension: None

     

    Nashville:

    Calle Jarnkrok – Ryan Johansen– Viktor Arvidsson

    Kevin Fiala – Colton Sissons – Craig Smith

    Ryan Hartman– Nick Bonino– Auston Watson

    Filip Forsberg – Gaudreau –Rocco Grimaldi

     

    Roman Josi –Ryan Ellis

    Mattias Ekholm – PK Subban

    Dan Hamuis – Matt Irwin

     

    Pekka Rinne

    Juuse Saros
    Scratched: None

    Injuries: Miika Salomaki, Kyle Turris, & Yannick Weber

    Suspension: None

     

    Keys to Winning against Nashville:

    1. Traffic in front of Rinne
      1. Leafs need to get bodies in front of Rinne. Rinne won’t let easy stuff through.
    2. Speed
      1. Speed have to use it force the defence back. Force Rinne to win the game.
    3. Travis Dermott
      1. He will be the key as I expect Rielly not to be open much this game unless on the powerplay

    Gameday:

    First Period:

    Nashville Penalty – 19:42 – Ryan Johansen, 2 mins for Tripping

    End of 1st – NSH – 0        TOR –0

    Shots              9                     7

    Faceoffs     12/15              3/15

    Hits               13                     9

    PP                 0/0                   0/1

     

    Analysis:

    Momentum seemed to flow back and forth. First 8 minutes was all Toronto, 2nd 8 minutes all Nashville and the last 4 all Toronto again. Toronto hit 2 posts one by Matthews and one by Kapanen. Leafs start the 2nd on the powerplay and look for them to continue the offensive possession in the 2nd period.

     

    Need to Do:

    Play a full period strong. Speed, Shots and defensively.

    Second Period:

    Leafs Penalty – 3:11 – Nikita Zaitsev, 2 mins for Interference

    Nashville PPG Goal– 4:08 – Mattias Eklholm (5), assisted by Craig Smith (11) and Kevin Fiala (17)

    Nashville Penalty – 8:12 – Matt Irwin, 2 mins for Holding

    Nashville Goal– 13:11– PK Subban (4), assisted by Matt Irwin(4) and Nick Bonino (10)

    End of 2nd – NSH– 2          TOR – 0

    Shots              24                   16

    Faceoffs      21/37             16/37

    Hits               25                       16

    PP                 1/2                   0/2

     

    Analysis:

    Leafs failed to capitalize on their chances and paid the price at the other end. On top of a goal called back against Matthews

    Need to Do:

    Need a big period

    Third Period:

    Toronto Penalty –4:33 – Par Lindholm, 2 mins for Interference

    Nashville Penalty –6:58 – Roman Josi, 2 mins for Hooking

    Nashville Goal – 17:23 – Colton Sissons (8) from Calle Jarnkrok (8)

    Nashville Goal – 19:22 – Kevin Fiala (8) from Colton Sissons (10) and Mattias Ekholm (25)

     

    End of 3rd – NSH – 4        TOR – 0

    Shots              31                   18

    Faceoffs     25/45               20/45

    Hits               31                       18

    PP                 1/2                  0/3

    Analysis:

    Bad defensive game for Toronto , along with some bad luck.

    Next Up:

    Toronto (27-12-2 56pts) at New Jersey (16-18-7 39pts)

    Nashville (25-15-3 53pts) at Chicago (16-21-7 39pts)

     

  • Game Recap – 1/6/2019 – Washington Capitals v. Detroit Red Wings

    Game Recap – 1/6/2019 – Washington Capitals v. Detroit Red Wings

    Washington Capitals (24-12-4 52pts) v. Detroit Red Wings (16-20-7 39pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    To start this game, both the Washington Capitals and Detroit Red Wings would have a feeling out process for the first few minutes, but then the Capitals would get a dominate shift from their second line that would carry over to their top line the very next shift as Tom Wilson would get the Capitals on the board first after continuing sustaining the pressure in the Red Wings zone. Then both teams would continue with some back and forth until Jakub Vrana turns the puck over in the defensive zone which leads to Anthony Mantha tying the game at one for the Red Wings. Late in the period the Capitals would get a powerplay after Dylan Larkin tripped Alex Ovechkin in the neutral zone, but would do nothing with it, and will have 37 seconds of powerplay time to start the second period.

    Going into the second period the Capitals looked sluggish and their powerplay time was wasted away. Also as a result of their sloppy play, the Red Wings would capitalize on a tic-tac-toe play as Filip Hronek would score his third of the season to give the Red Wings a 2-1 lead. The Capitals would then take back to back penalties in this very boring period. They would kill both penalties, and then would draw a penalty with 5 seconds left in the period.

    The start of the third period was not very ideal as the Capitals could not generate on their powerplay to start the third period. However, it would be a smart play by Travis Boyd that would generate in him scoring to tie the game at 2 for the Capitals. The goal would breathe life into the Capitals and would force Niklas Kronwall to take a hooking penalty, and while the Capitals generated a few good looks, could not capitalize on yet another powerplay. The Capitals would continue the pressure and get an ugly knuckle puck goal from Michal Kempny that would hold as the game winner despite the barrage of penalties to both teams near the end of the game.

    It was an ugly and boring win for the Capitals, but they ended their three game losing streak to end their road trip.

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Chandler Stephenson — Travis Boyd — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Matt Niskanen — Dmitry Orlov

    Brooks Orpik — Madison Bowey

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Nic Dowd, Dmitrij Jaskin, Jonas Siegenthaler

    Injured: Christian Djoos (leg)

     

    Detroit Red Wings:

    Gustav Nyquist — Dylan Larkin — Tyler Bertuzzi

    Thomas Vanek — Frans Nielsen — Anthony Mantha

    Darren Helm — Luke Glendening — Andreas Athanasiou

    Christoffer Ehn — Jacob de la Rose — Justin Abdelkader

    Niklas Kronwall — Filip Hronek

    Nick Jensen — Dennis Cholowski

    Jonathan Ericsson — Luke Witkowski

    Jimmy Howard

    Jonathan Bernier

    Scratched: Martin Frk, Brian Lashoff

    Injured: Evgeny Svechnikov (knee surgery), Danny DeKeyser (hand), Mike Green (foot), Trevor Daley (foot), Michael Rasmussen (lower body)

     

    First Period:

    Capitals Goal – 6:57 – Tom Wilson (12) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (28)

    Red Wings Goal – 14:08 – Anthony Mantha (10) from unassisted

    Red Wings Penalty – 18:37 – Dylan Larkin 2 minutes for Tripping

     

    End of 1st – WAS – 1       DET – 1

    Shots              13                09

    Faceoffs         10                11

    Hits               07                  05

    PP                 0/0                 0/0

     

    Second Period:

    Red Wings Goal – 6:47 – Filip Hronek (3) from Dylan Larkin (23) and Gustav Nyquist (26)

    Capitals Penalty – 10:33 – Alex Ovechkin 2 minutes for Slashing

    Capitals Penalty – 14:11 – Jonas Siegenthaler 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Red Wings Penalty -19:55 – Jonathan Ericsson 2 minutes for Holding

     

    End of 2nd – WAS – 1        DET – 2

    Shots               19                 19

    Faceoffs          17                 23

    Hits                 13                  08

    PP                   0/1                  0/2

     

    Third Period:

    Capitals Goal – 6:19 – Travis Boyd (4) from Alex Ovechkin (17)

    Red Wings Penalty – 7:01 – Niklas Kronwall 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals Goal – 16:08 – Michal Kempny (5) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (29) and Matt Niskanen (11)

    • Failed Coach’s Challenge for Goalie Interference by Detroit

    Capitals Penalty – 17:13 – TJ Oshie 2 minutes for Slashing

    Red Wings Penalty – 19:30 – Andreas Athanasiou 2 minutes for Tripping

    Capitals Penalty – 19:56 – TJ Oshie double minor for High Sticking

     

    End of 3rd – WAS – 2         DET – 2

    Shots              34                   25

    Faceoffs        25                    36

    Hits               20                     09

    PP                 0/4                    0/3

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (25-12-4 54pts) v. Philadelphia (15-20-6 36pts)

    Detroit (16-21-7 39pts) v. Montreal (22-15-5 49pts)

  • January 6th, 2019  —  News and Notes

    January 6th, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Sunday, January 6th, 2019, and these are your news and notes…

     

    There were nine contests yesterday

     

     

    Calgary 3, PHILADELPHIA 2 (OT)

    The Calgary Flames would come from behind to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers yesterday afternoon with the 3-2 overtime win.  TJ Brodie would score the game winner for the Flames at the 1:59 mark in the extra frame.  Matthew Tkachuk would even the score at the 15:43 mark.  Tkachuk would also assist on Brodie’s overtime game-winner.

     

    https://twitter.com/NHLFlames/status/1081669589589610497

     

    Minnesota 4, OTTAWA 3

    Minnesota’s Jared Spurgeon would end up having a two goal performance and would help the Wild defeat the Ottawa Senators with the 4-3 win yesterday afternoon.

    The scoring would not start until 54 seconds left in the first period when Ottawa’s Matt Duchene would score his 17th goal on the season.

     

     

    BOSTON 2, Buffalo 1

    Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask would have a 31 save performance while David Backes and Chris Wagner would both score as the Bruins would go on to defeat the Buffalo Sabres 2-1.  This would be Boston’s fourth consecutive victory.

     

     

     

    Buffalo’s lone goal scorer would be Rasmus Ristolainen at the 17:22 mark in the third period.  Buffalo goaltender Linus Ullmark would have 39 saves on 41 attempts in this contest.

     

     

     

    TORONTO 5, Vancouver 0

    The Toronto Maple Leafs would have a very strong performance in this contest as the Maple Leafs would defeat the Vancouver Canucks 5-0.  There would be five different goal scorers for the Maple Leafs in the contest.

    John Tavares would open up the scoring in the first period with his 27th goal of the season.

    Auston Matthews would score his 20th goal on the season in the third period and with that goal, he would be the first player in Maple Leafs history since the 1993-94 season to have 20 goals in fewer than 27 personal games played on the season.

    Maple Leafs goaltender Michael Hutchinson would have a 28 save performance in this contest.

    TXHT’s Steve Gardiner has your coverage of this contest between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks at the following link.

    01/5/2019 – Vancouver Canucks vs Toronto Maple Leafs -Game Recap

     

     

    Nashville 4, MONTREAL 1

    Montreal Canadiens Shea Weber would score his second career goal against the Nashville Predators but it would not be enough for Montreal as they would fall to the Predators by the score of 4-1.

    Nashville’s Craig Smith would play a big factor as he would score twice in this contest.

     

    With this win, Nashville would extend their point streak to four consecutive games.

     

    Columbus 4, FLORIDA 3 (OT)

    For the Florida Panthers, Keith Yandle would get his 500th NHL career point.  However, the Florida Panthers would fall to the Columbus Blue Jackets by the score of 4-3 in overtime.

    Also, Florida’s MacKenzie Weegar would play in his 100th NHL contest last night.

    The Columbus Blue Jackets would net their seventh consecutive win over the Florida Panthers in this contest and Seth Jones would net the game-winner 18 seconds into the the overtime frame.

    NY Islanders 4, ST. LOUIS 3

    The New York Islanders would score twice in 11 seconds to seal the come from behind win and the Islanders would go on to defeat the St. Louis Blues to notch their  sixth consecutive win.

     

    All across the scoresheet, there would be seven different goal scorers (four for the Islanders, three for the Blues) in a statistical filled game.

     

    LOS ANGELES 4, Edmonton 0

    Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick would notch his 300th career NHL win, good fior fifth place all time for most wins by a U.S.-born goaltender.

     

     

     

    SAN JOSE 5, Tampa Bay 2

    The San Jose Sharks would snap the seven game win streak and the 16 game point streak for the Tampa Bay Lightning with their 5-2 win last night in San Jose.  Evander Kane would factor in this contest, scoring two goals for the Sharks.

     

     

     

    There are seven contests in action today

     

    For the Washington Capitals at Detroit Red Wings Gameday Preview, you can check out TXHT’s preview of that contest at the following link.

     

     

    NWHL

     

    Yesterday’s NWHL game featured the Boston Pride taking on the Buffalo Beauts in the NWHL Twitter Game of the Week

     

    In a contest with meaningful standings points, the Buffalo Beauts would take down the NWHL-leading Boston Pride with a 5-0 win yesterday afternoon.

    Buffalo’s Dani Camersani would score twice in the contest and Kelly Babstock would net her first goal as a member of the Beauts to have a two-point performance in the contest.

    Maddie Elia would go on to have two assists in the contest herself.  Buffalo Beauts goaltender Shannon Szabados would have a 30 save performance in the contest and Boston’s goaltender Katie Burt would have a 35 save performance of her own.  Brittany Ott would allow the Beauts fifth goal in the contest.

    Both Szabados and Burt would have miraculous saves throughout this contest as well. however it would not be enough on Boston’s side.

    In the second period, the Beauts would have to kill off a major penalty when Emily Pfalzer was issued a five minute major penalty as well as a 10 minute game misconduct for a checking from behind penalty at the 3:26 mark.

    Toward the end of the second period, Boston’s Kaleigh Fratkin would be assessed a tripping minor at the 19:15 mark.

    Buffalo Beauts 5, Boston Pride 0

     

     

    Today in the NWHL…

     

    Upcoming games in the NWHL include:

    • January 6: Connecticut Whale at Metropolitan Riveters
    • January 12: Metropolitan Riveters at Buffalo Beauts; Minnesota Whitecaps at Boston Pride
    • January 13: Minnesota Whitecaps at Connecticut Whale
    • January 19: Connecticut Whale at Minnesota Whitecaps
    • January 20: Boston Pride at Metropolitan Riveters; Connecticut Whale at Minnesota Whitecaps

     

     

     

    TXHT would like to congratulate Team Finland on their Gold Medal victory over the United States in the championship game of the 2019 World Junior Championships last night.  Finland would go on to win the game 3-2.