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  • Game Recap – 12/15/2018 – Buffalo Sabres v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 12/15/2018 – Buffalo Sabres v. Washington Capitals

    Buffalo Sabres (19-9-4 42pts) v. Washington Capitals (19-9-3 41pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    For the second night in a row the Washington Capitals go to the shootout to continue their winning streak at five games. However it showed some of the same problems the Capitals had the previous night as they did in Carolina when they took on the Buffalo Sabres. The Capitals continue to have problems taking penalties, especially early in the game/period that they need to fix, plus their penalty killing is still a weakness that needs to be fixed.

     

    Lineups:

    Buffalo Sabres:

    Jeff Skinner — Jack Eichel — Sam Reinhart

    Conor Sheary — Casey Mittelstadt — Kyle Okposo

    Tage Thompson — Vladimir Sobotka — Jason Pominville

    Evan Rodrigues — Johan Larsson — Zemgus Girgensons

    Rasmus Dahlin — Zach Bogosian

    Lawrence Pilut — Rasmus Ristolainen

    Nathan Beaulieu — Matt Tennyson

    Carter Hutton

    Linus Ullmark

    Scratched: Remi Elie

    Injured: Marco Scandella (upper body), Jake McCabe (lower body), Casey Nelson (upper body), Scott Wilson (ankle), Matt Hunwick (neck)

    Suspended: Patrik Berglund

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Brett Connolly — Lars Eller — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Chandler Stephenson — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Madison Bowey

    Pheonix Copley

    Braden Holtby

    Scratched: Andre Burakovsky, Dmitrij Jaskin, Tyler Lewington

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

     

    First Period:

    Capitals Penalty – :41 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Sabres Goal – 2:41 – Jack Eichel (11) from Sam Reinhart (20) and Rasmus Dahlin (13)

    Capitals Goal – 3:39 – Brett Connolly (7) from Devante Smith-Pelly (3)

    Capitals Goal – 9:41 – Jakub Vrana (10) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (24)

    Sabres Penalty – 10:12 – Evan Rodrigues 2 minutes for Tripping

     

    End of 1st – BUF – 1       WAS – 2

    Shots              08                10

    Faceoffs         05                12

    Hits               06                  10

    PP                 0/1                 0/1

     

    Analysis:

    The Capitals did not have a good start to this game by taking a penalty in the first minute of the game, and then just as the penalty ended gave up the first goal of the game, but the way the Capitals was responded was really good. Pressuring Carter Hutton to cough up the puck so the Capitals could tie the game was very well done and then Evgeny Kuznetsov feeding Jakub Vrana with a beautiful pass to give the Capitals a 2-1 lead.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to stay out of the penalty box. The Sabres are playing very good hockey and you don’t want to give them any chances. Also the Capitals need to clean up their passing and the play in their own zone. Lastly, the Capitals need to cut down on the fancy passing and get the pucks to the net.

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Penalty – :50 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for Hooking

    Sabres PPG – 2:25 – Jack Eichel (12) from Rasmus Dahlin (14) and Rasmus Ristolainen (18)

    Capitals Penalty – 6:10 – Madison Bowey 2 minutes for Hooking

    Sabres PPG – 7:21 – Rasmus Dahlin (3) from Jeff Skinner (11) and Sam Reinhart (21)

    Sabres Penalty – 8:12 – Tage Thompson 2 minutes for Interference

    Capitals Penalty – 11:51 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for Roughing

    Sabres Penalty – 11:51 – Sam Reinhart 2 minutes for Slashing

    Capitals Goal – 13:46 – Alex Ovechkin (29) from Nicklas Backstrom (30) and Dmitry Orlov (10)

    Sabres Penalty -14:42 – Zach Bogosian 2 minutes for Hooking

     

    End of 2nd – BUF – 3        WAS – 3

    Shots               17                 25

    Faceoffs          19                 21

    Hits                 13                  19

    PP                   2/3                  0/3

     

    Analysis:

    Once again not a good start the period as the Capitals took another penalty in the first minute of the period that resulted in a goal, this time while the penalty was still being served. Then with sloppy play in their own zone, the Sabres would capitalize and score to give themselves the lead. Good job by Dmitry Orlov to pinch in an force the turnover and have it lead to an Alex Ovechkin goal.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to stay out of the penalty box. They have had three penalties against them and all 3 have resulted in goals against. Also the Capitals need to mix up their powerplay unit a bit.

     

    Third Period:

    Sabres Penalty – :16 – Marco Scandella 2 minutes for Delay of Game

     

    End of 3rd – BUF – 3         WAS – 3

    Shots              21                   35

    Faceoffs        25                    30

    Hits               16                     30

    PP                 2/3                    0/4

     

    OT:

    Sabres Penalty – 3:29 – Evan Rodrigues 2 minutes for Roughing

    Capitals Penalty – 3:29 – TJ Oshie 2 minutes for Roughing

     

    End of OT – BUF – 3         WAS – 3

    Shots              28                   38

    Faceoffs        27                    31

    Hits               16                     32

    PP                 2/3                    0/4

     

    Shootout:

    WAS – TJ Oshie – Save

    BUF – Jack Eichel – Miss

    WAS – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Goal

    BUF – Tage Thompson – Save

    WAS – Nicklas Backstrom – Miss

    BUF – Casey Mittelstadt – Goal

    WAS – Alex Ovechkin – Goal

    BUR – Jason Pominville – Save

     

    End of SO – BUF 3     WAS 4

     

    Analysis:

    Overall it was an ok period for the Capitals, but they were a little too fancy with the puck. In OT the Sabres were the dominant team.

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (20-9-3 43pts) v. Pittsburgh (15-11-6 36pts)

    Buffalo (19-9-5 43pts) v. Boston (17-11-4 38pts)

  • Report: Andre Burakovsky on the Trade Block?

    Report: Andre Burakovsky on the Trade Block?

    As reported tonight on Hockey Night in Canada’s second intermission segment “Saturday Headlines” Chris Johnston brought up that Andre Burakovsky is somebody that teams are looking at, in particular the Vancouver Canucks.

     

    Burakovsky who is a healthy scratch for the third straight game has had a rocky season and overall tenure with the Washington Capitals which has seen him be injury prone and inconsistent, but he is a talented player.

     

    Elliote Friedman also chimed in noting the Capitals are looking to repeat so they would not want to do a “futures” trade, and will want to do an “impact now” type of deal for Burakovsky.

     

    We shall see what takes place as we get closer to the Trade Deadline.

     

    *Featured Graphic by Washington Capitals Twitter

  • TXHT’s Official* 2021 Seattle Expansion Mock Draft

    TXHT’s Official* 2021 Seattle Expansion Mock Draft

    Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls it is that magical time that we attempt to look into the future to June 2021 when the Seattle (insert name here) drafts their inaugural team for their entry into the NHL for the 2021-22 season. It is now time to answer the most difficult question of all time.

     

    So who will they take in this expansion draft?

    Who knows. We know it’s not anyone under contract to the Vegas Golden Knights. That’s for sure. Plus let’s be honest, how will we know who is where come June 2021, because there will be three NHL Trade Deadlines, two Free Agent Frenzies, and a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Wait… Did I just create a new little Holiday jingle? Anyways, back on topic. Where was I? Oh yes, all of the player personnel changes that will take place in the next two and a half years. Also you will have to take into account all of the buyouts, and other various trades that will take place as well.

     

    Everyone as you can tell, we here at TXHT are not even worried about the Expansion Draft for the new Seattle team that was announced two weeks ago because there is nothing to worry about right now. No team right now is seriously looking at the Expansion Draft this far out. If anything they will start a preliminary list of who they’ll want to protect, and who they won’t at the start of the 2020-21 season, and then once the Trade Deadline passes, the teams will start creating a more firm list of who they’ll protect and who they won’t. Plus the teams will factor in those that will become unrestricted and restricted free agents going into the 2021 offseason as well.

     

    So please, put the Kraken away, it’s not time to release it yet. Let’s enjoy the remainder of the 2018-19 season and playoffs shall we? I know we are.

  • December 15th, 2018 — News and Notes

    December 15th, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is Saturday, December 15th, 2018, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were eight contests in action yesterday.

     

    NEW JERSEY 5, Vegas 4 (OT)

    The Vegas Golden Knights would fall to the New Jersey Devils after be up 4-1.  New Jersey Devils would score four unanswered goals with New Jersey’s Nico Hischier scoring the game winner just 41 seconds into the overtime frame.

     

     

    Arizona 4, NY RANGERS 3 (OT)

     

    The Arizona Coyotes would also stage a come from behind win after being down three goals in the contest at the New York Rangers last night.  It would be the 12th time that the Coyotes franchise would accomplish this and the 29th time overall in franchise history.

     

     

    For the Rangers, goalie Henrik Lundqvist would register 30 saves on 34 opportunities.

     

     

    PITTSBURGH 5, Boston 3

     

    In an amazing performance, Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Casey DeSmith became the third goalie in the last 20 years to have a game in which he had at least 48 saves.  DeSmith joins Jeff Zatkoff and Ty Conklin.

     

    Boston Bruins goalie Jaroslav Halak had a performance of 23 saves on 28 save chances.

     

     

     

    Ottawa 4, DETROIT 2

     

    The Ottawa Senators would go on and get the road win when they would defeat the Detroit Red Wings 4-2 last night at Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit, Michigan last night.

     

    Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard would have 28 saves in the contest and Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson would have a performance of 26 saves on 28 save chances.

     

     

    Washington 6, CAROLINA 5 (OT)

     

    After the Washington Capitals would be down 4-1 at 6:41 mark in the second period, the Capitals would tie the game 4-4 toward the end of the second period.

     

    Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin would have consecutive games in which he would have a hat-trick, and now has 28 goals on the season.

     

     

     

     

    When Ovechkin scored the power-play goal in the third period at the 9:49 mark, it would be his 237th career power-play goal. He now ranks at seventh place on the all-time list for power-play goals.

     

    Finally, for the Washington Capitals, Jonas Siegenthaler registered his first NHL point with the assist on Alex Oveckin’s goal at the 3:56 mark in the first period.

     

     

    TXHT has your full game recap of the contest between the Washington Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes at the following page.

    Game Recap – 12/14/2018 – Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

     

    ST. LOUIS 4, Colorado 3 (OT)

    The St. Louis Blues would go on to defeat the Colorado Avalanche in overtime with the 4-3 win at home last night.

     

    At the 2:05 mark in the overtime period, St. Louis Blues Ryan O’Reilly would cap off a two-point night when O’Reilly scored the game winner.

     

     

    Also in the contest, Colorado Avalanche’s Mikko Rantanen would register his 40th assist on the season with the secondary assist on J.T. Compher’s eighth goal on the season at the 13:10 mark in the third period.

     

     

    Winnipeg 4, CHICAGO 3 (OT)

    Chicago Blackhawks captain Johnathan Toews would net two goals, but it would not be enough as the Blackhawks would fall to the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois last night.

     

     

     

    The Jets Mark Scheifele would net his sixth overtime winner, which is good for third place in franchise history.  Scheifele now only trails Ilya Kovalchuk and Dustin Byfuglien for the career lead.

     

    EDMONTON 4, Philadelphia 1

     

     

    Connor McDavid would have two goals, and an assist, good for his 34th career three-point performance.  It is now ranked tied for fifth place for most three-point games before one’s 22nd birthday.

     

     

    Today’s schedule of NHL games…

     

     

    This Week’s NHL European Game of the Week features the Calgary Flames facing off against the Minnesota Wild.

     

     

    Images are the property of the NHL, NHL Public Relations, and NHL Media.

     

    In NHL news…

    With the comebacks last night, this has been the season of come-from-behind wins.

     

     

    The Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins would both unveil thier logos that will be used for the upcoming Stadium Series game on February 27th, 2019.  The logos are “stripped-down” versions of their current logos.  The jerseys will be released at a later date.

     

     

  • Gameday Preview – 12/15/2018 – Buffalo Sabres v. Washington Capitals

    Gameday Preview – 12/15/2018 – Buffalo Sabres v. Washington Capitals

    Buffalo Sabres (19-9-4 42pts) v. Washington Capitals (19-9-3 41pts)

     

    Time: 7p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Washington and MSG Buffalo

     

    Preview:

    The Washington Capitals return home to finish off their back to back as they face the much improved Buffalo Sabres. The Capitals will look to win their fifth straight game, and do so in a much more better effort than they did last night against the Carolina Hurricanes where they won in the shootout.

     

    Buffalo Sabres:

    Projected Lineup:

    Jeff Skinner — Jack Eichel — Sam Reinhart

    Conor Sheary — Casey Mittelstadt — Kyle Okposo

    Tage Thompson — Vladimir Sobotka — Jason Pominville

    Evan Rodrigues — Johan Larsson — Zemgus Girgensons

    Lawrence Pilut — Rasmus Ristolainen

    Rasmus Dahlin — Zach Bogosian

    Nathan Beaulieu — Matt Tennyson

    Carter Hutton

    Linus Ullmark

    Scratched: Remi Elie

    Injured: Marco Scandella (upper body), Jake McCabe (lower body), Casey Nelson (upper body), Scott Wilson (ankle), Matt Hunwick (neck)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Control the tempo

    The Sabres have the luxury of not having to have played last night, so they will want to go into this game and control the tempo of it right off the bat.

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Projected Lineup:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Brett Connolly — Lars Eller — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Dmitrij Jaskin — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Madison Bowey

    Pheonix Copley

    Braden Holtby

    Scratched: Andre Burakovsky*, Chandler Stephenson, Tyler Lewington

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

    * Andre Burakovsky is rumored to be in the lineup tonight, but it is unknown as to who will come out for him to replace.

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Play a full 60 minutes

    Last night the Capitals were outplayed and did not control the tempo very well, and going into tonight’s game, the Capitals will need to do that. The Buffalo Sabres are a much improved team and will be wanting to prove themselves against the defending Stanley Cup Champions. The Capitals have to be ready to play the full 60.

     

    2. Special teams needs to improve

    The Capitals need to stay out of the penalty box. Last night they took 6 penalties and the Carolina Hurricanes scored on three of them. The Capitals need to generate more powerplay opportunities for themselves as well, but with their powerplay they need to mix it up a bit. Get Tom Wilson out there a bit more, as he will create space on the powerplay. Also the Capitals need to get their penalty killing figured out. How they have performed lately is not acceptable.

     

  • Game Recap – 12/14/2018 – Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

    Game Recap – 12/14/2018 – Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

    Washington Capitals (18-9-3 39pts) v. Carolina Hurricanes (13-13-4 30pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals managed to leave Carolina with the shootout victory over the Hurricanes. The Capitals did so while constantly putting themselves in the penalty box which the Hurricanes made them pay for that 3 times. Also Alex Ovechkin’s 2nd goal came controversially as Jonas Siegenthaler clearly interfered with Dougie Hamilton to allow Ovechkin to get into the slot area to score.

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Brett Connolly — Lars Eller — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Dmitrij Jaskin — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Madison Bowey

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Andre Burakovsky, Chandler Stephenson

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

     

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Jordan Martinook — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen

    Janne Kuokkanen — Victor Rask — Brock McGinn

    Andrei Svechnikov — Lucas Wallmark — Justin Williams

    Warren Foegele — Clark Bishop — Phillip Di Giuseppe

    Jaccob Slavin — Brett Pesce

    Calvin de Haan — Justin Faulk

    Trevor van Riemsdyk — Dougie Hamilton

    Scott Darling

    Petr Mrazek

    Scratched:

    Injured: Jordan Staal (concussion), Curtis McElhinney (lower body), Micheal Ferland (upper body), Haydn Fleury (concussion)

     

    First Period:

    Hurricanes Goal – :47 – Jordan Martinook (8) from Sebastian Aho (21) and Calvin de Haan (4)

    Capitals Goal -3:56 – Alex Ovechkin (26) from Jonas Siegenthaler (1) and Nic Dowd (6)

    Capitals Penalty – 7:59 – Madison Bowey 2 minutes for Interference

    Hurricanes Penalty – 7:59 – Warren Foegele 2 minutes for Unsportsmanlike Conduct

    Capitals Penalty – 10:06 – Madison Bowey 2 minutes for Holding the Stick

    Hurricanes Penalty – 11:54 – Dougie Hamilton 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Hurricanes SHG – 13:18 – Sebastian Aho (10) from Teuvo Teravainen (17)

     

    End of 1st – WAS – 1       CAR – 2

    Shots              10                10

    Faceoffs         08                12

    Hits               05                  16

    PP                 0/1                 0/1

     

    Analysis:

    Not a solid period for the Capitals. Giving up the first goal of the game in the first minute was not ideal, especially for going up against a team that got home last night at 3 in the morning. The Capitals responded very well by getting a goal of their own to tie the game. However, it would be poor play on their powerplay that would result in a shorthanded goal against, plus Madison Bowey needs to play smarter. The penalties he has been taking have been hurting the Capitals.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to clean up their play in their own zone. They have been sloppy, and it has been costly. The Capitals need to come out and start the 2nd period with a better pace to their game, and on their next power play opportunity they need to get Tom Wilson out there.

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Penalty – 4:00 – Alex Ovechkin 2 minutes for Holding

    Hurricanes PPG – 4:39 – Sebastian Aho (11) from Justin Faulk (8) and Teuvo Teravainen (18)

    Capitals Penalty – 5:03 – Tom Wilson 2 minutes for Interference

    Hurricanes PPG – 6:41 – Teuvo Teravainen (6) from Andrei Svechnikov (8) and Sebastian Aho (22)

    Capitals Goal – 12:37 – Tom Wilson (8) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (23)

    Capitals Goal – 17:25 – Alex Ovechkin (27) from Nic Dowd (7)

    Capitals Goal – 18:19 – Travis Boyd (3) from John Carlson (28) and Nic Dowd (8)

     

    End of 2nd – WAS – 4        CAR – 4

    Shots               21                 16

    Faceoffs          14                 21

    Hits                 16                  20

    PP                   0/1                  2/3

     

    Analysis:

    Yet again another rough period for the Capitals, but this time they ended it strong. They took a couple bad penalties, one of which was very questionable, and the Hurricanes made them pay for it. The Capitals were able to tie it up late, even though Alex Ovechkin’s 2nd goal should have not happened as it was clear interference by Jonas Siegenthaler, and has gotten them some confidence.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to play a full 20 minutes. They need to play smart and stay out of the penalty box. The Capitals also needs to contain the hurricanes speed as right now they are being burned by Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen.

     

    Third Period:

    Capitals Penalty – 3:19 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for Hooking

    Hurricanes Penalty – 9:20 – Jordan Martinook 2 minutes for Slashing

    Capitals PPG – 9:49 – Alex Ovechkin (28) from John Carlson (30) and Nicklas Backstrom (29)

    Capitals Penalty -11:49 – TJ Oshie 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Hurricanes PPG – 13:48 – Justin Williams (7) from unassisted

     

    End of 3rd – WAS – 5         CAR – 5

    Shots              25                   26

    Faceoffs        23                    35

    Hits               23                     22

    PP                 1/2                    3/5

     

    OT:

    Capitals Penalty – 3:25 – Matt Niskanen 2 minutes for Tripping

     

    End of OT – WAS – 5         CAR – 5

    Shots              29                   27

    Faceoffs        25                    35

    Hits               25                     26

    PP                 1/2                    3/6

     

    Shootout:

    CAR – Janne Kuokkanen – Save

    WAS – TJ Oshie – Save

    CAR – Jaccob Slavin – Save

    WAS – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Save

    CAR – Phil Di Giuseppe – Save

    WAS – Alex Ovechkin – Save

    CAR – Dougie Hamilton – Goal

    WAS – Nicklas Backstrom – Goal

    CAR – Justin Williams – Save

    WAS – Lars Eller – Save

    CAR – Brock McGinn – Save

    WAS – Jakub Vrana – Goal

     

    End of SO – WAS 6    CAR 5

     

    Analysis:

    A decent 3rd period and overtime period for the Capitals. They did great getting the lead on their lone powerplay of the 3rd period only to blow it one a sloppy play by Braden Holtby behind the net to let former Capital Justin Williams tie it up on a powerplay. In overtime the Capitals started strong, and then was forced to kill off a late Matt Niskanen tripping call. As for the shootout, why did Rod Brind’Amour not put in Sebastian Aho or Teuvo Teravainen?

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (19-9-3 41pts) v. Buffalo (19-9-4 42pts)

    Carolina (13-13-5 31pts) v. Arizona (14-15-2 30pts)

  • Gameday Preview – 12/14/2018 -Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

    Gameday Preview – 12/14/2018 -Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

    Washington Capitals (18-9-3 39pts) v. Carolina Hurricanes (13-13-4 30pts)

     

    Time: 730p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Washington and Fox Sports Carolina

     

    Preview:

    The Washington Capitals embark on a trip down to Carolina to kick of their weekend back to back series as they take on the Hurricanes. The Capitals will look to continue their winning ways, while the Hurricanes will be playing in their second game of their back to back.

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Projected Lineup:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — TJ Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Brett Connolly

    Chandler Stephenson — Lars Eller — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Travis Boyd — Nic Dowd — Dmitrij Jaskin

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Christian Djoos — Madison Bowey

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Jonas Siegenthaler, Andre Burakovsky

    Injured: Tom Wilson (concussion), Brooks Orpik (knee surgery)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Mind the rough stuff

    The Hurricanes are a very competitive team. Always have, always will. The Capitals will need to bring their A game to Carolina and play a very competitive game against the Hurricanes.

     

    2. Keep up the Defensive play

    The Capitals have demonstrated these last couple of games that they have can shut down teams in the neutral zone and clog up the passing lanes. They will need to continue that against the Hurricanes.

     

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Projected Lineup:

    Jordan Martinook — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen

    Janne Kuokkanen — Victor Rask — Brock McGinn

    Andrei Svechnikov — Lucas Wallmark — Justin Williams

    Warren Foegele — Clark Bishop — Phillip Di Giuseppe

    Jaccob Slavin — Brett Pesce

    Calvin de Haan — Justin Faulk

    Haydn Fleury — Dougie Hamilton

    Petr Mrazek

    Scott Darling

    Scratched: Trevor van Riemsdyk

    Injured: Jordan Staal (concussion), Curtis McElhinney (lower body), Micheal Ferland (upper body)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Control the tempo

    The Hurricanes will be playing in their second game of their back to back, and one thing they will want to do is control the tempo of the game to help them stay fresh throughout the game.

  • Toronto Maple Leafs vs Tampa Bay Lightning – 13/12/2018 – Game Recap

    Toronto Maple Leafs vs Tampa Bay Lightning – 13/12/2018 – Game Recap

    Toronto Maple Leafs (21-9-1 41pts) v, Tampa Bay Lightning (24-7-1 49 pts)

    Lineups:

    Toronto:

    Andreas Johnsson – Auston Matthews – Kasperi Kapanen

    Mitch Marner – John Tavares– Connor Brown

    William Nylander– Nazem Kadri – Patrick Marleau

    Tyler Ennis – Pars Lindholm – Frederik Gauthier

     

    Morgan Rielly  – Ron Hainsey

    Jake Gardiner – Nikita Zaitsev

    Travis Dermott – Igor Ozhiganov

     

    Frederik Andersen

    Garrett Sparks

     

    Scratched: Justin Holl & Martin Marincin

    Injuries: Nathan Horton (Back)

    Suspension: Zach Hyman (2 Games) Game 2 of 2

     

    Tampa Bay:

    Ondrej Palat – Steven Stamkos – Yanni Gourde

    Tyler Johnson – Brayden Point– Nikita Kucherov

    Alex Killorn– Anthony Cirelli – JT Miller

    Mathieu Joesph – Cedric Paquette – Ryan Callahan

     

    Victor Hedman –Dan Girardi

    Ryan McDonagh – Erik Cernak

    Brayden Coburn – Mikhail Sergachev

     

    Andrei Vasilevskiy

    Louis Domingue
    Scratched: None

    Injuries: Anton Stralman

    Suspension: None

     

    Gameday:

    First Period:

    Leafs Goal – 05:26 – Kasperi Kapanen (12) Unassisted

    Lightning Penalty – 06:54 – Cedric Paquette, 2 minutes for High Stick

    Lightning SH Goal – 08:20 – Anthony Cirelli (9) assisted by Ryan Callahan (5)

    Leafs Penalty – 14:21 – Travis Dermott, 2 minutes for Slashing

    Lightning Penalty – 18:35 – Yanni Gourde, 2 minutes for Delay of Game

     

    End of 1st – TOR –1        TBL – 1

    Shots              10                   7

    Faceoffs     17/34              17/34

    Hits               6                     8

    PP                 0/2                  0/1

     

    Analysis

    Leafs came out strong in this one. Kasperi Kapanen made is 1-0 Toronto early who looked to be taking grasp of this game. But then a costly error on the powerplay by William Nylander cost them the lead.

    Need to Do:

    Keep Digging for pucks, and using your speed. Play hard against a bigger stronger defence in Tampa.

    Second Period:

    Leafs Penalty – 03:57 –Nazem Kadri, 2 mins for Closing Hand on Puck

    Lighnting PP Goal–05:31 – Nikita Kucherov (13), assisted by Victor Hedman (14)  and JT Miller (18)

    Lightning Penalty –06:32 – Alex Killorn, 2 mins for Interference

    Leafs Penalty – 08:44 –Nazem Kadri, 2 mins for Roughing

    Lighnting Penalty – 08:44 –Erik Cernak, 2 mins for Unsportsmanlike Conduct

    Lightning Penalty – 08:44 –Ryan Callahan, 2 mins for Roughing

    Leafs Penalty – 10:07 –Kasperi Kapanen, 2 mins for Tripping

    Lightning Penalty – 13:12 –Dan Girardi, 2 mins for Delay of Game

    Lightning Goal–19:24 – Alex Killorn (7), assisted by Anthony Cirelli (4)  and JT Miller (19)

    Lighnting Goal–19:58 – Tyler Johnson (13), assisted by Nikita Kucherov (34)  and Dan Girardi (8)

     

    End of 2nd – TOR– 1          TBL – 4

    Shots              33                    19

    Faceoffs       28/52              24/52

    Hits              12                      192

    PP                 0/5                  1/3

     

    Analysis:

    Leafs fall apart in the 2nd as some bad defensive plays let to late goals as the Leafs take a strong 2nd and let it fall apart.

     

    Need to Do:

    Need a big 3rd.

    Third Period:

    Lighning Penalty – 09:26 –Steven Stamkos, 2 mins for Cross Checking

     

    End of 3rd – TOR – 1        TBL – 4

    Shots             49                   21

    Faceoffs     43/79                36/79

    Hits               19                         27

    PP                0/6                    1/3

     

    Analysis:

    Leafs dominated the majority of the game but ran into a hot Andrei Vasilevskiy fresh off of the injury reserve. Vasilevskiy stood on his head as the Leafs poured on 49 shots and hit 3 posts.

    Next Up:

    Toronto (21-10-1 43pts) vs Florida (11-12-6 28pts)

    Tampa Bay (25-7-1 51pts) at Winnipeg (19-9-2 40pts)

  • Toronto Maple Leafs vs Carolina Hurricanes – 11/12/2018 – Game Recap

    Toronto Maple Leafs vs Carolina Hurricanes – 11/12/2018 – Game Recap

    Toronto Maple Leafs (20-9-1 41pts) v, Carolina Hurricanes (13-11-4 30pts)

    Lineups:

    Toronto:

    Andreas Johnsson – Auston Matthews – Kasperi Kapanen

    Mitch Marner – John Tavares– Connor Brown

    William Nylander– Nazem Kadri – Patrick Marleau

    Tyler Ennis – Pars Lindholm – Frederik Gauthier

    Morgan Rielly  – Ron Hainsey

    Jake Gardiner – Nikita Zaitsev

    Travis Dermott – Igor Ozhiganov

     

    Frederik Andersen

    Garrett Sparks

     

    Scratched: Justin Holl & Martin Marincin

    Injuries: Nathan Horton (Back)

    Suspension: Zach Hyman (2 Games) Game 1 of 2

     

    Carolina:

    Jordan Martinook– Sebastein Aho – Teuvo Teravainen

    Warren Foegele – Victor Rask – Phil Di Giuseppe

    Andrei Svechnikov – Lucas Wallmark– Justin Williams

    Brock McGinn– Clarke Bishop – Michael Ferland

     

    Jaccob Slavin – Dougie Hamilton

    Calvin De Haan– Justin Faulk

    Brett Pesce– Trevor Van Riemsdyk

     

    Petr Mrazek

    Scott Darling

     

    Scratched: None

    Injuries: Jordan Staal, Curtis McElhinny

    Suspension: None

     

    Gameday:

    First Period:

    Leafs Goal – 08:35 – Tyler Ennis (5) assisted by Frederik Gauthier (4) and Travis Dermott (6)

    Leafs Penalty – 13:31 – William Nylander, 4 minutes for High Stick

    End of 1st – TOR –1        CAR – 0

    Shots              15                   8

    Faceoffs     6/14              8/14

    Hits               7                     11

    PP                 0/0                  0/2

     

    Analysis

    Leafs came out strong in this one. Bringing their speed game and jumping for pucks which lead to Tyler Ennis scoring his 5th in the 3rd period.

    Need to Do:

    Keep Digging for pucks, and using your speed

    Second Period:

    Carolina Penalty – 09:07 –Dougie Hamilton, 2 mins for Tripping

    Leafs Penalty –11:30 – Ron Hainsey, 2 mins for Tripping

    Carolina PP Goal–12:44 – Justin Williams (6), assisted by Sebastian Aho (20) and Victor Rask (1)

    Toronto Goal–13:51 – Morgan Rielly (10), assisted by Auston Matthews (11)  and William Nylander (1)

    Leafs Penalty – 19:22 –William Nylander, 2 mins for Holding

    End of 2nd – TOR– 2          CAR – 1

    Shots              22                    18

    Faceoffs       16/32              16/32

    Hits              10                      19

    PP                 0/1                   1/4

     

    Analysis:

    Leafs and Hurricanes exchange goals in the 2nd and the Leafs still did all the right things with Frederik Andersen at the top of his game.

    Need to Do:

    Don’t sit back, press.

    Third Period:

    Leafs Penalty – 03:20 –Nazem Kadri, 2 mins for Slashing

    Leafs Goal– 05:49 – Patrick Marleau (8) assisted by William Nylander (2) and Nazem Kadri (9)

    Leafs Goal– 08:29 – John Tavares (19) assisted by Mitch Marner (35) and Jake Gardiner (16)

    Carolina Penalty – 15:41 –Jaccob Slavin, 2 mins for Interference

    Carolina Penalty – 17:49 –Warren Foegele, 2 mins for High Sticking

    Carolina Penalty – 19:57 –Brett Pesce, 2 mins for High Sticking

     

    End of 3rd – TOR – 4        CAR – 1

    Shots             29                   30

    Faceoffs     23/54                31/54

    Hits               16                         24

    PP                0/4                    1/5

     

    Analysis:

    Leafs come out flying ready to take advantage of every opportunity in the 3rd. They didn’t have very many shots but made sure the ones they had counted.

    Next Up:

    Toronto (21-8-1 43pts) vs Tampa Bay (24-7-1 49pts)

    Carolina (13-11-4 30pts) at Montreal (15-10-5 35pts)

  • Game Recap – 12/11/2018 – Detroit Red Wings v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 12/11/2018 – Detroit Red Wings v. Washington Capitals

    Detroit Red Wings (14-13-4 32pts) v. Washington Capitals (17-9-3 37pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals came to play as Alex Ovechkin scored the hat trick while Nicklas Backstrom helped guide the Capitals with 4 assists to give the Capitals their 3rd straight win. Good overall win for the Capitals as they played a full 60 minutes tonight.

     

    Lineups:

    Detroit Red Wings:

    Gustav Nyquist — Dylan Larkin — Justin Abdelkader

    Thomas Vanek — Frans Nielsen — Andreas Athanasiou

    Tyler Bertuzzi — Luke Glendening — Michael Rasmussen

    Christoffer Ehn — Jacob de la Rose — Martin Frk

    Niklas Kronwall — Mike Green

    Jonathan Ericsson — Nick Jensen

    Trevor Daley — Dennis Cholowski

    Jimmy Howard

    Jonathan Bernier

    Scratched: Wade Megan, Luke Witkowski

    Injured: Evgeny Svechnikov (knee surgery), Darren Helm (upper body), Anthony Mantha (hand), Danny DeKeyser (hand)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Brett Connolly

    Chandler Stephenson — Lars Eller — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Dmitrij Jaskin — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Christian Djoos — Madison Bowey

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Andre Burakovsky, Jonas Siegenthaler

    Injured: Tom Wilson (concussion), Brooks Orpik (knee)

     

    First Period:

    Red Wings Penalty – 2:10 – Frans Nielsen 2 minutes for Tripping

    Capitals PPG – 3:39 – Brett Connolly (6) from John Carlson (26) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (21)

    Capitals Goal – 10:50 – Travis Boyd (2) from Nic Dowd (5) and Dmitrij Jaskin (6)

    Capitals Goal – 12:59 – Alex Ovechkin (23) from Nicklas Backstrom (25) and Michal Kempny (8)

     

    End of 1st – DET – 0       WAS – 3

    Shots              11                10

    Faceoffs         12                12

    Hits               06                  04

    PP                 0/0                 1/1

     

    Analysis:

    This was a good period for the Capitals. They scored early and consistently throughout the period. They hustled to win battles, and they had bounces go their way.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to keep it going and not lose focus. They still need to do a good job of clogging up the neutral zone, and containing the Red Wings speed as they can burn anyone with it. Play these last 40 minutes and really choke the life out of the Red Wings.

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Goal – 9:05 – Alex Ovechkin (24) from John Carlson (27) and Nicklas Backstrom (26)

    Red Wings Penalty – 9:30 – Frans Nielsen 2 minutes for Interference

    Capitals PPG – 10:06 – TJ Oshie (10) from Nicklas Backstrom (27) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (22)

    Capitals Penalty – 16:18 – Dmitry Orlov 2 minutes for Hooking

     

    End of 2nd – DET – 0        WAS – 5

    Shots               21                 17

    Faceoffs          24                 22

    Hits                 13                  06

    PP                   0/1                  2/2

     

    Analysis:

    Another good period for the Capitals. They continued to clog up the neutral zone and containing the Red Wings speed. They did let the Red Wings have a few more opportunities, but not as many dangerous ones like in the 1st period. Capitals are definitely making the most of their opportunities.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to stay focused and not let the Red Wings any opportunities to get back into this game. Full 20 minutes to finish out this game.

     

    Third Period:

    Red Wings Goal – 1:03 – Dylan Larkin (13) from Gustav Nyquist (21) and Nick Jensen (5)

    Failed Coach’s Challenge for the Capitals for Goalie Interference

    Capitals Goal – 9:33 – Alex Ovechkin (25) from Christian Djoos (4) and Nicklas Backstrom (28)

    Red Wings Goal – 16:42 – Gustav Nyquist (8) from Justin Abdelkader (6)

     

    End of 3rd – DET – 2         WAS – 6

    Shots              37                   25

    Faceoffs        35                    32

    Hits               18                     12

    PP                 0/1                    2/2

     

    Analysis:

    Good third period. Capitals let off the gas a little bit which allowed Detroit two goals, but overall a solid period to close out the game.

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (18-9-3 39pts) @ Carolina (13-12-4 30pts)

    Detroit (14-14-4 32pts) v. Ottawa (13-14-4 30pts)