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Tag: NWHL

  • 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.

     

  • Sorokina Returns To Haunt The Whale

    Sorokina Returns To Haunt The Whale

    The Connecticut Whale faced off for the last time against the Metropolitan Riveters this season. It was a spirited bout that saw the Riveters pick up the 6-3 win over the Whale, giving both teams a split in the season series. Earlier in the week, the Connecticut Whale and the Metropolitan Riveters made a trade with each other, which saw backup Whale goalkeeper Maria Sorokina be shipped to the Riveters in exchange for future considerations.

    Here is a quick summary of the game, in which the Whale went down two goals before the ten minute mark of the first period. The first goal coming from Audra Richards, which is her first time scoring on the road this season. The second goal came from Madison Packer, on the breakaway, after a beautiful pass from Amanda Kessel. The Whale managed to get one back, as Nina Rodgers got the goal, when a Riveters penalty expired.

    The Riveters would add another goal before the period ended, and it was Alexa Gruschow with the goal.

    In the second period, there was a net mouth scramble in which Kayla Meneghin, while unfortunately not credited with an assist on the play, tied up traffic in front for Jamie Goldsmith to sweep the puck in the net. This goal is Goldsmith’s first of the year and it breaks her drought.

    The Riveters would then rattle off two more unanswered goals in the second. Goals coming from Rebecca Russo, off a rebound in front of the net; and Audra Richards notching her second goal of the game. Coincidentally, both goals she scored this game came via the power play. With her two goals in this game, it pushes her goal totals to eight. In the third period, the Whale would strike first and fast, as the puck went across the crease and Emily Fluke had a wide open net to shoot at; her goal coming on the power play.

    That would be as close as it gets for the Whale, as almost four minutes later, Miye D’Oench would notch an insurance marker for the Riveters, sealing them the victory.

    Some notable stats for some players in this game, Maria Sorokina would record 18 saves on 21 shots, and RÀisÀnen would make 13 saves on 19 shots in the game. Madison Packer had a goal and three assists for four points in the game. Amanda Kessel had five assists on the game and a lot of them were really pretty. For the Whale, Katerina Mråzovå improved her point totals adding two assists in the game.

    The Whale’s penalty kill coming into the game was the best in the league. Unfortunately they suffered a less than stellar performance. The penalty kill gave up two goals, both to Audra Richards. It really is something that they should forget, as the penalty kill has been one of the best things about the team all season long.

    It’s not going to get any easier for the Whale, as their next three games will be against the Whitecaps. The first of the three games will be on Sunday January 13th at Terry Conners Rink, at 3p.

    Boxscore
    https://www.nwhl.zone/game/show/22207053?subseason=512423&referrer=4170047

    Video Highlights

  • 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.

     

  • January 5th, 2019 — News and Notes

    January 5th, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Saturday, January 5th, 2019, and these are your news and notes.

    There were seven games on tap yesterday.

     

    PITTSBURGH 4, Winnipeg 0

    The Pittsburgh Penguins would go on to shutout the Winnipeg Jets and with the win, they would extend a personal win streak at home to 18 contests against the Jets/Thrashers franchise and this streak dates back to March 24, 2007.

    This win streak the second longest since the Anaheim Ducks would have a 25 game win streak at home against the Calgary Flames from April 4, 2007 through April 4, 2017.

    Four different Penguins would all score the goals and Penguins goaltender Matt Murray would turn aside all 33 shots he faced in the contest.

     

     

     

     

    DETROIT 4, Nashville 3 (OT)

    The Detroit Red Wings would take on the Nashville Predators and come away with the 4-3 win in overtime in downtown Detroit at Little Caesars Arena.

    Dylan Larkin would score the game-winner in the overtime frame for the Red Wings.

     

     

     

    CAROLINA 4, Columbus 2

    Carolina’s phenom Sebastian Aho would net an empty net goal with two seconds left in the contest as well as assisting on Micheal Ferland’s goal in the first period.

    Aho would play in his 200th NHL game since being drafted with the 35th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.

    Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovksy would have 13 saves on 16 shot attempts before being pulled in the second period for Joonas Korpisalo who turned aside all of the 14 shots he faced.

     

    DALLAS 2, Washington 1 (OT)

    The Washington Capitals losing streak would reach three ass they would fall to the Dallas Stars in overtime, losing 2-1.

    Stars Tyler Seguin scored in the overtime frame to extend Dallas’ winning streak at home against the Capitals to 17 games.  This win streak dates back to October 8, 1996.

     

    Dallas goaltender Anton Khudobin would have a great performance, recording 36 saves.

     

     

    TXHT has your coverage of the contest between the Washington Capitals and the Dallas Stars at the following link.

    Game Recap – 1/4/2019 – Washington Capitals v. Dallas Stars

     

    COLORADO 6, NY Rangers 1

    The Colorado Avalanche would face off against the NY Rangers last night and would defeat the Rangers by the score of 6-1.

     

    Colorado’s Ryan Graves would score his first NHL goal in this contest in the third period.

    Colorado’s trio of Gabe Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen would all score a goal in the contest for the fifth time and whenever this trio has scored in the same game, they are 5-0-0.

    At the same time, whenever this trio at least collects one point in a game, they have a record of 18-3-5 on the season.

     

    New York Rangers Alexander Georgiev had 41 saves on 47 shot attempts in this contest.

     

    New Jersey 3, ARIZONA 2 (SO)

     

    New Jersey’s Drew Stafford netted the winner in the shootout to give the Devils the 3-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes.

     

     

     

    Vegas 3, ANAHEIM 2

    The Vegas Golden Knights would extend their point streak to eight games on the season as well as extending their win streak to five games.

    Vegas’ goalscorers included Max Pacioretty, Nate Schmidt and Tomas Nosek.

     

    Today in NHL news…

     

    This week there will be two NHL European Games of the Week.

     

    For today’s news, notes, information, and other stats…

     

    Finally in NHL news, the coaches for the 2019 NHL All-Star Game were announced.

    https://twitter.com/PR_NHL/status/1081607129126064128

     

    Today in the NHL, there are nine games in action.

     

    In the NWHL, there are key points on the line when the Buffalo Beauts take on the Boston Pride in this week’s NWHL Twitter Game of the Week at 1:30 p.m., ET.

     

    The medal games of the 2019 World Junior Championships take place later this afternoon.

     

    Finally, TXHT has a brand new episode of The Xperience: Hockey Talk, which you can check out at the following link.

    TXHT – 1/5/2019 – We’re BACK!!!

  • December 31st, 2018 — News and Notes

    December 31st, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is December 31st, 2018, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There was one contest yesterday in the NHL.

     

    Vegas 5, ARIZONA 1

     

    Arizona Coyotes Oliver Ekman-Larsson would collect his 312th career point to surpass Keith Yandle for the most points in Coyotes history as a defenceman since the club relocated to Arizona in 1996-97.

    However , he still trails Fredrik Olausson and Dave Babych in the long history of the Winnipeg Jets/Arizona Coyotes history for most points as a defenceman.

     

     

     

    Marc-Andre Fleury would move to 6-0-3 in his last nine contests with the win over the Coyotes.

     

     

    With the Vegas’ win, they are the first team in League history to have at least 50 points in the standings in their first two seasons before January 1.  The Golden Knights are also now tied for first place in the Western Conference standings.

     

     

    There is a 13 game slate today and that kicks off with the Washington Capitals taking on the Nashville Predators at 12:30 p.m., ET.  You can read TXHT’s preview of that contest at the following page.

    Gameday Preview – 12/31/2018 – Nashville Predators v. Washington Capitals

     

     

    Yesterday there were two contests in the NWHL.

     

     

    For the fourth and final time on the NWHL season, the Buffalo Beauts would go on to shutout the Minnesota Whitecaps by the score of 4-0.

    Buffalo’s Maddie Elia would have a hand on all four of the goals scored by the Beauts in this contest with two goals and two assists.

    With three minutes left in the first period, the Beauts would open up the scoring when Elia would re-direct a pass from Emily Pflazer from the top of the face-off circle to get the puck past the Whitecaps goaltender, Amanda Leveille.

    In the second period at the 3:15 mark, Pflazer would score off of asssits from Elia and Dani Cameranesi and then Hayley Scammura would make the score 3-0 with her goal at the 11:47 mark.

    Elia would score the final goal of the contest at the 12:35 mark in the third period.

    Buffalo’s win would prevent the Minnesota Whitecaps from sweeping the season series.

    The contest would not be without a penalty filled game, however.

     

    Buffalo Beauts vs. Minnesota Whitecaps Box Score

     

    The Boston Pride would go on to defeat the Connecticut Whale 2-1 thanks to Haley Skarupa scoring the game winner 37 seconds into the overtime frame yesterday afternoon.

    The Pride would open up the scoring when Toni Ann Miano netted her second goal of the season in the first period.  The contest would stay at 1-0 until Michelle Lowenheim scored the first NWHL goal of her career with less than five minutes left in the second period.

     

     

    Upcoming contests in the NWHL:

    • January 5th, 2019: Boston Pride at Buffalo Beauts (NWHL Twitter Game of the Week)
    • January 6th, 2019: Metropolitan Riveters at Connecticut Whale
    • January 12th, 2019: Metropolitan Riveters at Buffalo Beauts (NWHL Twitter Game of the Week)
    • January 12th, 2019: Minnesota Whitecaps at Boston Pride
    • January 13th, 2019: Minnesota Whitecaps at Connecticut Whale

     

    Day 5 of the the 2019 World Juniors had two contests…

     

     

    Today for Day 6 of the 2019 World Junior Championships, there are four games on tap.

  • NWHL – Whale And Pride Set To Clash Before The New Year

    NWHL – Whale And Pride Set To Clash Before The New Year

    I hope that everyone enjoyed their holidays, because there is actually some NWHL action to be played this weekend! The Connecticut Whale and the Boston Pride are set to play against each other on December 30th in Stamford, CT. This will inevitably be a tough matchup for the Whale, as the Pride boast being the league leaders at this point of the season; eking out top spot from the Minnesota Whitecaps with a better goal differential.
    The last game that these two teams played against each other was all the way back on October 20th in which, the Boston Pride came out on top by a final score of 4-2. The goals in that game for the Pride came from Emily Field, Lauren Kelly, McKenna Brand, and Gold Medalist Gigi Marvin. In net for the Pride was Katie Burt, who made 13 saves in the game. For the Whale, it was Meeri RÀisÀnen in net, making 28 saves off of 31 shots in the game. Goals for the Whale came from Katerina Mråzovå and Emily Fluke.
    The last game that the Pride played, back on December 9th, was against the defending Isobel Cup Champions Metropolitan Riveters, they came away with a 5-2 victory in Newark. Goals in that game came from Amanda Pelkey, Dana Trivigno, Kaleigh Fratkin, Mallory Souliotis, and McKenna Brand. It was Katie Burt again playing and making 21 saves off of 23 shots.
    The last game that the Whale played, back on December 8th, was against the Buffalo Beauts in Buffalo. The game ended in defeat for the Whale by the final score of 3-1. It was a tough game that day, as Katerina Mråzovå got the lone goal for the Whale and Meeri RÀisÀnen made 32 saves off of 35 shots in the game.

    3 Players to Watch

    Emily Fluke: She really loves to play against Boston; no I mean really loves to play Boston. In the 7 career games she has played against the Pride, she has tallied 4 goals and added 3 assists for 7 points!

    Katerina Mrázová: Her first NWHL goal came against the Pride, and it set her off on a goal scoring streak. In the 6 games she’s played, she has scored 6 goals in her last 5 games.

    Meeri RÀisÀnen: In her last game against the Pride, she made 28 saves. In her last 3 games though, she has faced 104 shots and has made an impressive 98 saves.

    3 Dark Horse Players to Watch

    Nina Rodgers: The rookie from Boston University has been playing pretty well these last few games. She has been building off her 2 point performance in Pittsburgh, and with more attention possibly thrown at MrĂĄzovĂĄ and Fluke, she might get more offensive chances.

    Jamie Goldsmith: Having been one of the hardest working players for the Whale this season, and probably one of their best penalty killers. Her last goal came against the Pride last season, and maybe this is the game where she breaks her drought.

    Jordan Brickner: The only player on the Whale team who can boast that she is in the plus category of the plus minus stat; the veteran defensemen, like Jamie Goldsmith, her last goal came against the Pride last season. Maybe this is the game where she can also break her drought.

    The game will be played at Terry Conners Rink at 3p, and you can watch the game here:
    https://www.nwhl.zone/watch

  • December 30th, 2018 — News and Notes

    December 30th, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is Sunday, December 30th, 2018, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were 15 contests in the NHL yesterday.

     

    NEW JERSEY 2, Carolina 0

    In the NHL European Game of the Week yesterday, the New Jersey Devils would go on to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes by the score of 2-0.  Mackenzie Blackwood became the third youngest goaltender in the history of the Devils franchise to record his first NHL shutout.

     

    VEGAS 4, Los Angeles 1

     

     

    San Jose 7, EDMONTON 4

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Minnesota 3, WINNIPEG 1

     

    Boston 3, BUFFALO 2 (OT)

     

     

    NY Islanders 4, TORONTO 0

    In the 4-0 win by the Islanders over the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York’s Mathew Barzal registered a hat trick in the contest.

     

     

     

    Washington 3, OTTAWA 2

     

    In a night of firsts for two Washington Capitals players, the Capitals would go on to defeat the Ottawa Senators 3-2.  Washington’s Tyler Lewington and Madison Bowey would go on to score their first career NHL goals in the contest.  Lewington would also go on to register a “Gordie Howe hat trick” in the contest as well.

     

     

    You can see the complete recap of the contest between the Capitals and the Senators at the following page.

    Game Recap — 12/29/2018 — Washington Capitals at Ottawa Senators

     

     

    TAMPA BAY 6, Montreal 5

     

    FLORIDA 2, Philadelphia 1

     

     

    Pittsburgh 6, ST. LOUIS 1

     

     

     

    NY Rangers 4, NASHVILLE 3

     

     

    DALLAS 5, Detroit 1

     

     

    Chicago 3, COLORADO 2

     

     

     

    Arizona 5, ANAHEIM 4

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1079251791877820418

     

    Vancouver 3, CALGARY 2

     

     

     

     

    NWHL

    In the lone NWHL contest of the day, the Buffalo Beauts took on the Minnesota Whitecaps.

    The Minnesota Whitecaps would get back in the win column when the Whitecaps would go on to defeat the Buffalo Beauts at KeyBank Center yesterday afternoon in downtown Buffalo.

    Minnesota’s Lee Stecklein would be the difference maker when she scored the game winner with 1:17 left in the game to seal the win for the Whitecaps.

    Kendall Coyne Schoefield would be responsible for the Whitecaps tying the score at 1 in the second period thanks to a power-play for the Whitecaps.

    With Minnesota’s win, they move to a record of 7-2 and Buffalo falls to a record of 4-4 on the season.

    Minnesota Whitecaps 2, BUFFALO BEAUTS 1

     

    The Whitecaps and Beauts face off again today at 1:30 p.m., ET.

    Also today, the Boston Pride visit the Connecticut Whale at 3 p.m., ET.

    Both games can be seen at NHWL.zone.

     

     

     

    In Day 4 of the 2019 World Junior Championships,

     

     

    Day 5 of competition has two games and that is Switzerland taking on Russia at 5 p.m., PST. and then Kazakhstan taking on Slovakia at 7:30 p.m., ET.

     

    Today there is only one NHL contest and that is the Vegas Golden Knights taking on the Arizona Coyotes.

     

     

  • Shaggy’s 2018 State Of The Union Address: Connecticut Whale

    Shaggy’s 2018 State Of The Union Address: Connecticut Whale

    As 2018 draws to a close, and we head into the holiday season, now is a good time to reflect on the season that has been so far. I have often stated that the Whale this season have shown signs of improvement from last year; so I would like to compare and contrast the team last season, to the team this season. Each team, at this point of the year, have each played seven games on the season.
    Last year, at this time, the Whale’s record was two wins, five losses. They scored 11 goals at that point, and unfortunately given up 24 goals against, giving them a goal differential of -13. This season, the team’s record is two wins, four losses, and one shootout loss.

     

    They’ve scored 12 times this season and have given up 23 goals against, for a goal differential of -11. Although seemingly having very similar records, when you look closely at the difference in stats from this season compared to last season, it’s where you begin to notice the signs of improvement the team has gone through.
    Even though the goal totals have remained about the same, there are differences as to who leads the team in each department. Through seven games last season, there was a three way tie for the goals lead.

     

    Leading the way then was Kelly Babstock, who now plays for the Beauts; Sam Faber, who retired before the season started; and Emily Fluke, who is now the captain of the team. Each of these three players had two goals through seven games. Leading in the assist department was Kelly Babstock, she posted four assists through seven games, bringing her point totals to six.
    This year has been completely different, as it has been the rookie NWHLer and Czech native Katerina MrĂĄzovĂĄ who has been leading the way with six goals on the season. The six goals she has scored have come in her last five games.

     

    It seems that everything she is throwing at the net has gone in; she also finds herself in the right areas on the ice to put the biscuit in the basket. In her last game, she had a nice deflection goal off a shot that came from Emily Fluke.

     

     

    Additionally, MrĂĄzovĂĄ leads the team with eight points on the year, including two power play goals and one coming while the team was shorthanded. In terms of the setup, there is a tie for the team lead in assists. It is captain Emily Fluke and rookie NWHLer Michelle Löwenhielm who both have three assists on the year. One of Fluke’s assists on the year came via the power play; while Löwenhielm has had an assist on the power play and the penalty kill, feeding both goals to MrĂĄzovĂĄ.

     

     

    Although the team has a goal differential of -11, there is actually somebody on the team who is in the plus category of the plus/minus stat. She is the only one on the team who can say this and the honor goes to the veteran defensemen Jordan Brickner, who is a plus one.
    One of the biggest differences between last year’s team and this season has been the penalty kill. I know, I know, I have talked about the penalty kill to death, but it really needs to be continually stated how good the penalty kill has been all season long.

    Currently, the Whale has a 96 percent penalty kill rating, which is best in the league right now. Upon further inspection of the stats, they’ve been on the penalty kill 25 times this season through seven games.

     

    They have only been scored on ONCE all season long. The lone goal came from the Boston Pride on October 20th. Compare this to last season, through seven games; they went on the penalty kill 28 times, and the Whale were burned for seven goals through those games.

     

    As we have learned this season, a good penalty kill can stymie the opposition and can gather momentum, which can lead to greater offensive chances. The Whale proved that this was the case in the games against the Riveters.

     

     

    The power play is slightly better than it was last year, but not by much. Last year, through seven games, the Whale only scored one power play goal on 20 attempts. The lone player who got the goal on the power play was Jamie Goldsmith, and it came against the Boston Pride.

     

    This season, the Whale have been to the power play 21 times and have only managed to score two goals from it. Which is good for a 9.5 power play percentage; both of the goals came from MrĂĄzovĂĄ, in which she scored against the Riveters and the Pride.
    Goaltending has always been a strong suit for the Whale. The past two seasons, their goaltending always kept them in games and even giving them a shot of winning. In the seven games last year, three of them were one goal games, in which the Whale boasted a 2-1 record in those games. The stellar goaltending came from Sydney Rossman, who is now a member of the Minnesota Whitecaps.

     

    There have been two one goal games this season, in which the Whale are 1-1. The goaltending this season has been nothing short of spectacular and that is all thanks to first year NWHLer and the first ever Finnish player in the league Meeri RÀisÀnen. A very late signing in the offseason, just days before their first game, she has turned in some really incredible performances this season; which includes a shutout she recorded on her birthday against the Riveters in Pittsburgh. She has been by far, the reason why the penalty kill has been better and why the team continues to show signs of improvement.
    Earlier in the year, when I did my preview for the team, I asked three questions. This seems as good a time as any to see if we got some answers, and possibly ask some new questions for the second half of the season.

    First question: How will Emily Fluke build on her incredible rookie season?

    Earlier in the article I stated how Emily Fluke was tied for the team lead in goals through seven games with two. Well, she had also posted three assists giving her five points through those seven games, which was good for second best on the team behind Kelly Babstock. During the second half of the year, Emily Fluke went on to post another two goals and three assists, giving her 11 total points on the year and she finished with a plus 2; which was the team lead in every offensive category.
    How has she faired this season? Well, first things first, she was named captain of the Whale. A huge honor for her, I’m sure. She has transitioned into her new role very well and has registered one goal on the year, which came against the Pride (She really likes scoring against the Pride).  Additionally, she has added three assists on the year, for a total of four points through seven games. A slight dip in numbers, but she is definitely one of the hardest working players out there. It even garnered her honors of being named an NWHL All Star. Safe to say, she’s improved upon her rookie season.

    Second question: How will Cydney Roesler do in her new role of being a player/assistant coach?
    Earlier in the year, before the season started, the Whale announced that Cydney Roesler would be named an assistant coach. She was going to adjust to a new role of being player/coach. Last year, she was an assistant coach for Quinnipiac University, so it made the most sense to give her such a role. I think she has adjusted rather nicely to this role. There is always something new for her to learn while behind the bench, and she’s been on the ice in four games this season. Her first game wasn’t particularly good, a hat trick of penalties is never a good thing; but in the other three games, she definitely showed that the first game she played is not indicator of anything. I look forward to seeing her continued development in her new role.

    Third Question: Who will be the starting goalie for the Whale this season?
    As stated earlier in the article, Sydney Rossman was the starting goaltender all last season for the Whale. When the Whitecaps became an official NWHL team, she departed to go play goalie for them. She is from Minnesota, so it really made sense for her. However, it left the team looking for a new goalie. It seemed heading into the season that the goaltending tandem was going to be Sam Walther of Hamilton College or Maria Sorokina of the Russian National Team. Coincidentally, the team chose another option, Meeri RÀisÀnen. The team signed her the same week the Whale were going to face off against the Beauts in their home opener at Terry Conners Rink. She has been the clear cut favorite for the starting goaltender spot ever since, as she has started every game this season. She boasts a record of 2-4-1, a 2.76 GAA, and a .917 save percentage, including one shutout. She was also named an NWHL All Star.

    Questions I would like to ask for the second half of the season:

    Which players can step up and help create secondary scoring?
    As great as Mrázová has been all season long, she can’t do it all by herself. The team seems to go as she goes, which is good and bad. Good, in the sense of her current hot streak; again, everything she is firing at the net is going in, but bad if she (hopefully not) starts going cold. Others will need to start stepping up and help the team score more goals.

    What role will Colleen Murphy fulfill for the team on the blue line?
    Before the Whale played the Beauts, it was said that Murphy would make her debut. She played well, having one shot on goal in the game. It will be interesting to see what the former Beaut brings to the team with her veteran presence on the blue line.

    Can the Whale continue their improvement and finish with a better record than last season?
    As stated early on in this article, the Whale were 2-5 last year through seven games, seemingly pretty similar to this season. However last season was definitely not something worth remembering or repeating because the team went on and had a 1-6-2 record in the second half to finish out the year at 3-11-2.
    The team is 2-2 in their last four games, having shaken off the cobwebs of the first three games. They have continued to show the signs of improvement; can they keep taking the steps forward and make last season a thing of the past?

     

    We will certainly find out as the next game the Whale will play will be just before the new year on December 30th against the Boston Pride in Connecticut at Terry Conners Rink. The game will be at 3p.
    Happy Holidays Whale Fans!

  • December 20th, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is Thursday, December 20th, 2018, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were two contests last night in the NHL.

     

    • Pittsburgh 2, WASHINGTON 1

    Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby recorded his 23rd multi-point game against the Capitals in their second third match-up of the season and would lift the Penguins past Washington with the 2-1 win last night at Capital One Arena.

     

    Crosby has more multi-point games against the Islanders and the Flyers than he does against the Capitals.

     

    Penguins goaltender registered 31 saves in the contest against the Capitals and has six career wins against the Capitals and is tied for the most wins with Columbus.

    With his multi-point game, Crosby now has 344 on his career.  He is 36 behind Joe Thornton for the most among active NHL players.

     

     

    TXHT has your full recap of the contest between the Capitals and the Penguins at the following page.

    Game Recap – 12/19/2018 – Pittsburgh Penguins v. Washington Capitals

    • COLORADO 2, Montreal 1

     

    With Colorado’s win over the Montreal Canadiens, Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon, and Gabriel Landeskog have a combined 155 points thus far on the season.

     

    The total is 25 higher than the Tampa Bay Lightning’s trio of Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, and Braden Point.

    Gabriel Landeskog would go on to score the game-winner in this contest, his seventh on the season.  With that seventh game-winning goal, Landeskog leads all players this season, and it is the most game-winners thus far in his career.

     

     

     

     

     

    Tonight’s schedule of contests:

    For the Toronto Maple Leafs, check out TXHT’s Gameday Preview of the contest between the Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers.

     

    The Gameday Preview was written by TXHT’s Maple Leafs writer, Steve Gardiner.

     

    Florida Panthers vs Toronto Maple Leafs – 20/12/2018 – Game Day Preview

     

     

    In NHL News…

    Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet and Hockey Night in Canada released his weekly “31 Thoughts” article, which you can read below.

    https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1075816445810946048

     

     

    In the NWHL….

    Today the 2018 NWHL Draft concluded with rounds 3-5.

    Below are the results from all five teams.