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Tag: Tom Wilson

  • Game Recap – 1st Rd. Game 5 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 1st Rd. Game 5 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Series Tied 2-2

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals return home for Game 5 looking to regain their series lead against the Carolina Hurricanes, and things would get chippy right away as Saku Maenalanen would take an ill advised roughig penalty when he would go after Tom Wilson after the whistle. After the Capitals failed powerplay attempt Carolina would get one of their own, but would lose it when Lucas Wallmark would be called for high sticking. On their second powerplay opportunity Nicklas Backstrom would would collect his own rebound and shoot it between Petr Mrazek’s legs to give the Capitals the 1-0 lead.

     

    In the second period the Capitals would get themselves into penalty trouble as they would take three consecutive penalties (though the one on John Carlson for goaltender interference was laughable), however, the Capitals would be perfect on the penalty kill, and after they killed off the third penalty the Capitals would turn on the offense as Alex Ovechkin would come charging and throw a perfet pass to Nicklas Backstrom for his second goal of the game. Then minutes later brett Connolly would net his first goal of the playoffs to make it 3-0.

     

    Going into the third period the Capitals would start with the continuation of their powerplay from the end of the second period, and the Capitals would continue their pressure and Tom Wilson would get Evgeny Kuznetsov’s rebound and get it past the defender and into the empty net with four seconds left on the powerplay to make it 4-0. Then on a breakaway Nic Dowd would be fouled and awarded a penalty shot which he would score on to make it 5-0. Then Lucas Wallmark would take a slashing penalty to which the Capitals would only need two seconds as Alex Ovechkin would rip it right off the faceoff to make it 6-0.

     

    Lineups:

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Nino Niederreiter — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen

    Warren Foegele — Jordan Staal — Justin Williams

    Brock McGinn — Lucas Wallmark — Saku Maenalanen

    Aleksi Saarela — Greg McKegg — Patrick Brown

    Jaccob Slavin — Dougie Hamilton

    Brett Pesce — Justin Faulk

    Calvin de Haan — Trevor van Riemsdyk

    Petr Mrazek

    Curtis McElhinney

    Scratched: Haydn Fleury

    Injured: Andrei Svechnikov (concussion), Micheal Ferland (upper body), Jordan Martinook (lower body)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Carl Hagelin

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Chandler Stephenson — Nic Dowd — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Jonas Siegenthaler — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Nick Jensen

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Christian Djoos, Travis Boyd, Dmitrij Jaskin, Ilya Samsonov

    Injured: Michal Kempny (torn left hamstring), T.J. Oshie (upper body)

     

    First Period:

    Hurricanes Penalty – 1:08 – Saku Maenalanen 2 minutes for Roughing

    Capitals Penalty – 4:41 – Brett Connolly 2 minutes for Hooking

    Hurricanes Penalty – 5:42 – Lucas Wallmark 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Capitals PPG – 7:33 – Nicklas Backstrom (4) from John Carlson (4) and Tom Wilson (2)

     

    End of 1st – CAR – 0       WAS – 1

    Shots              06                10

    Faceoffs         07                12

    Hits               14                  19

    PP                 0/1                 1/2

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Penalty – 4:18 – Evgeny Kuznetsov 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Capitals Penalty – 7:56 – John Carlson 2 minutes for Goaltender Interference

    Capitals Penalty – 12:02 – Jonas Siegenthaler 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals Goal – 14:21 – Nicklas Backstrom (5) from Alex Ovechkin (3)

    Capitals Goal – 16:11 – Brett Connolly (1) from Alex Ovechkin (4) and Nicklas Backstrom (2)

    Hurricanes Penalty – 19:07 – Sebastian Aho 2 minutes for Tripping

     

    End of 2nd – CAR – 0        WAS – 3

    Shots               21                 17

    Faceoffs          24                 25

    Hits                 22                  31

    PP                   0/4                  1/2*

    *3rd powerplay in progress

     

    Third Period:

    Capitals PPG – 1:04 – Tom Wilson (2) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (4) and John Carlson (5)

    Penalty Shot Goal – 8:57 – Nic Dowd (1)

    Hurricanes Penalty- 10:12 – Lucas Wallmark 2 minutes for Slashing

    Capitals PPG – 10:14 – Alex Ovechkin (3) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (5) and Nicklas Backstrom (3)

    Capitals Penalty – 17:29 – Nick Jensen 2 minutes for Hooking

     

    End of 3rd – CAR – 0         WAS – 6

    Shots              30                   28

    Faceoffs        30                    36

    Hits               32                     47

    PP                 0/5                    3/4

     

    Next Up:

    Game Six –  WAS Leads Series 3-2

     

    Make sure to follow TXHT’s extensive Playoffs coverage on our 2019 NHL Playoffs page.

  • TXHT Opinion – The Impact of the Loss of TJ Oshie

    TXHT Opinion – The Impact of the Loss of TJ Oshie

    Tonight when the Washington Capitals hit the ice to take on the Carolina Hurricanes for Game Five of the First Round of the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Capitals will be doing so without the services of forward TJ Oshie who was injured the other night in Game Four in Carolina by forward Warren Foegele.

     

    Now we can debate the hit that Foegele put on Oshie that caused the injury, but there is no point of doing that because what’s done is done and it’s time to move on and look forward to what the Capitals will need to do without their heart and soul player.

     

    Going into Game Five the Capitals will have to do some line juggling, and have also called up Devante Smith-Pelly from Hershey of the AHL to fill in for Oshie. Here is the Capitals projected lineup for tonight:

    Alex Ovechkin – Nicklas Backstrom – Tom Wilson
    Jakub Vrana – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Carl Hagelin
    Andre Burakovsky – Lars Eller – Brett Connolly
    Chandler Stephenson – Nic Dowd – Devante Smith-Pelly

    Jonas Siegenthaler – John Carlson
    Dmitry Orlov – Matt Niskanen
    Brooks Orpik – Nick Jensen

    Braden Holtby

     

    The reuniting of Tom Wilson with the first line of Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom will bring back some of the size and snarl that Wilson brings to the line after being on the second line in game four, and moving Carl Hagelin to Oshie’s normal spot on the second line will add some more speed to the line to compliment Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jakub Vrana. Plus with Hagelin, the second line will gain a player who will play a similar style to that of Oshie’s and will help establish net presence and create some space.

     

    For the bottom six however, the Capitals will need more from them. The line of Andre Burakovsky, Lars Eller, and Brett Connolly were stellar last season in the playoffs and so far in these playoffs have not done a whole lot to help the Capitals this series. Inserting Smith-Pelly back into the lineup on the fourth line with Chandler Stephenson and Nic Dowd will bring back some grit and some needed playoff experience.

     

    On the powerplay it’s time to let Wilson loose and put him in Oshie’s spot. Wilson is a magnet for attention and by putting him in Oshie’s spot in the slot area will force the Hurricanes and other teams to change their focus on how they will penalty kill to adjust for Wilson being in that spot instead of Oshie.

     

    Now with all of this said, there is one thing that needs to be done by the Capitals, and that’s not seek retribution by going after Foegele, but seek retribution by going out and winning thes next two games and winning the series. Next season Foegele can atone for his hit on Oshie that took him out of the playoffs due to injury, but the Capitals need to remain focused on the prize at hand, and that is the Stanley Cup and doing what Oshie said they could do last summer at the parade, and that is “Back to Back.”

     

    Make sure to follow TXHT’s extensive Playoffs coverage on our 2019 NHL Playoffs page.

     

    *Feature Graphic courtesy of the Washington Capitals

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

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

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

     

    Game Recap:

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

     

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

     

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

     

    Lineups:

    Philadelphia Flyers:

    Oskar Lindblom — Sean Couturier — Jakub Voracek

    James van Riemsdyk — Nolan Patrick — Claude Giroux

    Michael Raffl — Scott Laughton — Travis Konecny

    Justin Bailey — Corban Knight — Ryan Hartman

    Ivan Provorov — Travis Sanheim

    Shayne Gostisbehere — Philippe Myers

    Robert Hagg — Radko Gudas

    Brian Elliott

    Carter Hart

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

    Injured: Michal Neuvirth (lower body)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — T.J. Oshie

    Carl Hagelin – Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Andre Burakovsky — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd

    Christian Djoos — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Nick Jensen

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Chandler Stephenson, Tyler Lewington

    Injured: Michal Kempny (lower body)

     

    First Period:

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

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

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

     

    End of 1st – PHI – 0       WAS – 1

    Shots              11                11

    Faceoffs         13                04

    Hits               05                  02

    PP                 0/0                 0/2

     

    Second Period:

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

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

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

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

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

     

    End of 2nd – PHI – 1        WAS – 2

    Shots               31                 18

    Faceoffs          25                 14

    Hits                 11                  12

    PP                   1/3                  0/2

     

    Third Period:

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

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

     

    End of 3rd – PHI – 1         WAS – 3

    Shots              36                   30

    Faceoffs        38                    22

    Hits               16                     22

    PP                 1/4                    0/2

     

    Next Up:

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

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

  • Game Recap – 3/19/19 – Washington Capitals v. New Jersey Devils

    Game Recap – 3/19/19 – Washington Capitals v. New Jersey Devils

    Washington Capitals (43-23-7 93 pts) v. New Jersey Devils (27-38-9 63pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals conclude their four game road trip tonight as they travel to the Garden State to take on the New Jersey Devils.  The Capitals started the scoring early as Andre Burakovsky put his 12th goal of the season in the back of the net at the 2:52 mark.  The first period was an uneventful one until Kenny Agostino scored late in the period at the 19:59 mark.  After the first period, the game would be tied 1-1.

     

    However, the 2nd period saw a more offensive and dominate showing from the Capitals as they put three goals in the back of the Devils net.  Goals in the 2nd period by the Capitals came from Brett Connolly, Evgeny Kuznetsov, & Tom Wilson.  Brett Connolly scored his 20th goal on the season.  This is the first time Brett Connolly has scored twenty goals in his career and is having his best offensive season yet.  After a dominant second period, the Capitals would take a 4-1 lead over the Devils into the third period.

     

    In the 3rd period, the depleted and struggling Devils were completely shutdown by the more dominant team in the Capitals as they finished off the game for the 4-1 victory.  The Capitals return home tomorrow as they face the Tampa Bay Lightning for the second time in less than a week.  The New Jersey Devils are next in action on Thursday at home against the Boston Bruins.

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Forwards:

    Alex Ovechkin – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana – Nicklas Backstrom – TJ Oshie

    Carl Hagelin – Lars Eller – Brett Connolly

    Andre Burakovsky – Nic Dowd – Chandler Stephenson

    Defenseman:

    Michal Kempny – John Carlson

    Dmitri Orlov – Matt Niskanen

    Christian Djoos – Nic Jensen

    Goalies:

    Starter – Phoenix Copley

    Back Up – Braden Holtby

    Scratches: Dmitry Jaskin, Brooks Orpik, Travis Boyd

     

    New Jersey Devils:

    Forwards:

    Blake Coleman – Travis Zajac – Stefan Noesen

    Kenny Agostino – Kevin Rooney – Kyle Palmeiri

    Drew Stafford – Blake Pietila – Joey Anderson

    Eric Tangradi – Michael McLeod – Kurtis Gabriel

    Defensemen:

    Andy Greene – Damon Severson

    Will Butcher – Connor Carrick

    Egor Yakolev – Steven Santini

    Goalies:

    Starter – Mackenzie Blackwood

    Back Up – Cory Schneider

    Scratches:  Nico Hischier (upper body, day-to-day); Jesper Bratt (lower body, week-to-week); Nathan Bastian (upper body); Miles Wood (broken ankle, practicing); Pavel Zacha (upper body, practicing, no contact); John Quenneville (upper body); Nick Lappin (healthy)

    Injured: Taylor Hall

     

    First Period:

    Washington Goal – 2:52 – Andre Burakovsky (12) assisted by Nic Dowd (13) & Brett Connolly (22)

    New Jersey Penalty – 9:59 – Kurtis Gabriel, 2 minutes for cross checking

    New Jersey Goal – 19:59 – Kenny Agostino (6) unassisted

     

    End of 1st – WAS – 1       NJ – 1

    Shots              4                  7

    Faceoffs         9/19            10/19

    Hits               6                    9

    PP                 0/1                 0/0

    https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1108159930379448320

     

    Second Period:

    Washington Goal – 5:57 – Brett Connolly (20) assisted by Christian Djoos (7) & Carl Hagelin (10)

    Washington Penalty – 6:34 – Lars Eller, 2 minutes for slashing

    Washington Goal – 12:16 – Evgeny Kuznetsov (19) assisted by Jakub Vrana (23)

    Washington Goal – 13:28 – Tom Wilson (21) assisted by Alex Ovechkin (34) & Nicklas Backstrom (50)

     

    End of 2nd – WAS – 4       NJ- 1

    Shots               13                 12

    Faceoffs          21/40           19/40

    Hits                 12                  15

    PP                   0/1                  0/1

    https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1108174096293158914

     

    Third Period:

    Washington Penalty – 0:51 – Michal Kempny, 2 minutes for tripping

     

    End of 3rd – WAS – 4        NJ – 1

    Shots              22                   21

    Faceoffs        23/53             29/53

    Hits               15                     20

    PP                 0/1                    0/2

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (43-23-7 93 pts) v.s Tampa Bay Lightning (56-13-4 116 pts)

    New Jersey Devils (27-38-9 63 pts) v.s Boston Bruins (44-20-9 97 pts)

  • TXHT Podcast – 3/16/19

    TXHT Podcast – 3/16/19

    The TXHT podcast is back with Serious Hockey Talk for Serious Hockey Fans!

     

    Audio Version:

     

    This week on TXHT, Michael Lindenbaum is joined by TXHT’s Toronto Maple Leafs writer Steve Gardiner.

     

    Michael and Steve talk about an array of topics going on in the world of hockey including a preview of the NWHL Isobel Cup Championship Game between the Minnesota Whitecaps and the Buffalo Beauts.

     

    Also amongst the topics discussed on the show, Michael and Steve talk about the Morgan Reilly situation, and how poorly it was handled by the media and the fans. Plus they discuss the current states of the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs, How Tom Wilson is doing, and the questionable decisions by the Department of Player Safety.

     

    This week’s episode was recorded on Saturday, March 16th, 2019

    Opening Music: “Human Chess” by Crimson Orchid

     

    Have a question you want answered on the show? Ask us! Comment on here or on one of our Social Media outlets, and we’ll answer it.

  • Game Recap- Washington Capitals v.s. Philadelphia Flyers 3/14/2019

    Game Recap- Washington Capitals v.s. Philadelphia Flyers 3/14/2019

    Washington Capitals (42-22-7 91 pts) v.s. Philadelphia Flyers (34-28-8 76 pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals continue their four game road trip tonight as they take on the Philadelphia Flyers. The first period began eerily similar to the previous match up against the Flyers as the Capitals started off with an early lead. Brett Connolly got the Capitals on the board first with assists going to Michal Kempny & John Carlson. Lars Eller would add to the lead and make it 2-0 with assists from Brett Connolly and Carl Hagelin. The period would end with Brooks Orpik being called for an interference penalty which gave the Flyers a power play that would continue into the 2nd period.

     

    In the second period, we saw each team score twice. Scoring from the Capitals would come from Brett Connolly (2nd goal of the game) & Tom Wilson who added his 20th goal on the season. For the Flyers, James Van Riemsdyk & Scott Laughton got the Flyers on the board. The Capitals would take a 4-2 leading going into the 3rd period.

     

    The third period featured three penalties called against the Capitals and one called against the Flyers. The Capitals would add an empty net goal by Evgeny Kuznetsov to seal the victory for the Capitals. The Capitals have won three of the four games against the Flyers so far with the final match up being on March 24th at Capital One Arena.

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin-Evgeny Kuznetsov-Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana-Nicklas Backstrom-TJ Oshie

    Carl Hagelin-Lars Eller-Brett Connolly

    Andre Burakovsky-Chandler Stephenson-Travis Boyd

    Michal Kempny-John Carlson

    Dmitri Orlov-Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik-Nic Jensen

    Braden Holtby

    Phoenix Copley

    Scratches: Dmitry Jaskin, Nic Dowd, Christian Djoos

     

    Philadelphia Flyers:

    Oskar Lindblom-Sean Couturiere-Claude Girioux

    James Van Riemsdyk-Nolan Patrick-Travis Konecny

    Michael Raffl-Scott Laughton-Ryan Hartman

    Phil Varone-Corban Knight-Justin Bailey

    Ivan Provorov-Travis Sanheim

    Shayne Gostisbehere-Phillippe Myers

    Robert Hagg-Radko Gudas

    Carter Hart

    Brian Elliott

    Scratches: Andrew MacDonald, Samuel Morin, Cam Talbot

    Suspension: Jakub Voracek

    Inuries: Michal Neuvirth

     

    First Period:

    Washington Goal-2:53-Brett Connolly (18) assisted by Michal Kempny (18) & John Carlson (51)

    Washington Goal-9:30-Lars Eller (11) assisted by Brett Connolly (20) & Carl Hagelin (8)

    Washington Penalty-19:00-Brooks Orpik, 2 minutes for interference

     

    End of 1st – WAS – 2       PHI – 0

    Shots               11                  5          

    Faceoffs        7/9                 2/9

    Hits              11                    10

    PP                 0/0                 0/0

     

    https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1106323526808678400
    https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1106333932851789824
    https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1106334979322204163
    https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1106339151941648390

     

    Second Period:

    Philadelphia Goal-1:03- James Vam Riemsdyk (21) assisted by Shayne Gostisbehere (26)

    Philadelphia Penalty-5:06- Radko Gudas, 2 minutes for holding

    Washington Goal-8:43- Brett Connolly (19) unassisted

    Washington Goal-9:48- Tom Wilson (20) assisted by Evgeny Kuznetsov (49) & Dmitry Orlov (22)

    Philadelphia Goal-12:22- Scott Laughton (12) assisted by Ryan Hartman (12) & Robert Hagg (13)

    Philadelphia Penalty-19:00- Michael Raffl, 2 minutes for holding

     

    End of 2nd – WAS- 4        PHI- 2

    Shots              25                  14

    Faceoffs          9/21            12/21

    Hits                16                  18

    PP                   0/2                0/1

     

    https://twitter.com/NHLFlyers/status/1106344348885704704
    https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1106348042385612802
    https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1106349167931199488
    https://twitter.com/NHLFlyers/status/1106350495399067648
    https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1106353764489924608
    https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1106355009955000320

     

    Third Period:

    Philadelphia Penalty-5:57- Michael Raffl, 2 minutes for hooking

    Washington Penalty-6:33- Evgeny Kuznetsov, 2 minutes for tripping

    Washington Penalty-9:06- Nicklas Backstrom, 2 minutes for hooking

    Washington Penalty-11:41- Nic Jensen, 2 minutes for interference

    Washington Goal (Empty Net)-17:34- Evgeny Kuznetsov (18) assisted by Alex Ovechkin (33) & Michal Kempny (18)

     

    End of 3rd – WAS – 5       PHI – 2

    Shots              32                    24

    Faceoffs        25/53             28/53

    Hits                22                    25

    PP                 0/3                  0/4

     

    https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1106368019406688256
    https://twitter.com/CapitalsPR/status/1106369061259300865
    https://twitter.com/NHLFlyers/status/1106367987605561349
    https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1106370840403292160

     

    Next Up:

    Washington Capitals (42-22-7 91 pts) v.s. Tampa Bay Lightning (54-13-4 112 pts)

    Philadelphia Flyers (34-28-8 76 pts) v.s. Toronto Maple Leafs (42-23-5 89 pts)

  • Game Recap – 3/6/2019 – Washington Capitals v. Philadelphia Flyers

    Game Recap – 3/6/2019 – Washington Capitals v. Philadelphia Flyers

    Washington Capitals (38-21-7 83pts) v. Philadelphia Flyers (32-26-8 72pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals would continue their road trip with a short train trip to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers, and in the early stages of the game both teams would share chances in a track style back and forth, but it would be the Capitals striking first as Alex Ovechkin would feed the puck to Tom Wilson while on his knees for Wilson’s 19th goal of the season. Then later in the period while going down the wing Brett Connolly would rip a shot past Brian Elliott that would seem to have hit the crossbar, but during the TV timeout the play would be reviewed in Toronto and deemed a goal as Connolly got the puck past Elliott and hit the goal cam with the puck completely crossing the line thus giving the Capitals a 2-0 lead going into the second intermission.

     

    To start the second period the Capitals would bring the domination as early in the period while on their first powerplay of the game it would be an Ovechkin snipe from the circles that would go five hole on Elliott. Then mere minutes later it would be Andre Burakovsky with a beautiful snipe to chase Elliott from the net and bring in Cam Talbot, but the Capitals would welcome him with that same domination as Nicklas Backstrom would net the first shot against Talbot to make this a 5-0 game. The Capitals would primarily control the play the rest of the period, but with 11.8 seconds left in the period Philippe Myers would score his first career goal to get the Flyers on the board.

     

    To start the third period it would be the Flyers to get on the board ten seconds into the period as Claude Giroux would net his 20th of the season. The Flyers would pick up the play after scoring their second goal and as a result the Capitals would start chasing the game to which would then lead to an Andrew MacDonald point shot to get tipped by Scott Laughton to make this a 5-3 game, and have the Flyers trail the Capitals by only two goals.

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Carl Hagelin — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Andre Burakovsky — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Nick Jensen

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Chandler Stephenson, Christian Djoos

     

    Philadelphia Flyers:

    Claude Giroux — Nolan Patrick — Travis Konecny

    Oskar Lindblom — Sean Couturier — Michael Raffl

    James van Riemsdyk — Scott Laughton — Ryan Hartman

    Phil Varone — Corban Knight — Justin Bailey

    Ivan Provorov — Travis Sanheim

    Shayne Gostisbehere — Philippe Myers

    Robert Hagg — Radko Gudas

    Brian Elliott

    Cam Talbot

    Scratched: Samuel Morin, Andrew MacDonald

    Injured: Michal Neuvirth (lower body), Carter Hart (ankle), Jakub Voracek (lower body)

     

    First Period:

    Capitals Goal – 5:55 – Tom Wilson (19) from Alex Ovechkin (31) and Dmitry Orlov (18)

    Capitals Penalty – 7:43 – TJ Oshie 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals Goal – 14:16 – Brett Connolly (17) from Carl Hagelin (7) and Matt Niskanen (15)

     

    End of 1st – WAS – 2       PHI – 0

    Shots              14                07

    Faceoffs         02                10

    Hits               04                  08

    PP                 0/0                 0/1

     

    Second Period:

    Flyers Penalty – 1:49 – Sean Couturier 2 minutes for Tripping

    Capitals PPG – 2:32 – Alex Ovechkin (46) from Nicklas Backstrom (47) and John Carlson (48)

    Capitals Goal – 4:18 – Andre Burakovsky (10) from Travis Boyd (14) and Dmitry Orlov (19)

    Capitals Goal – 5:37 – Nicklas Backstrom (16) from Jakub Vrana (22) and Nick Jensen (14)

    Flyers Penalty – 10:30 – Robert Hagg 2 minutes for Slashing

    Flyers Goal – 19:48 – Philippe Myers (1) from Claude Giroux (52) and Sean Couturier (35)

     

    End of 2nd – WAS- 5        PHI- 1

    Shots               25                 16

    Faceoffs          07                 20

    Hits                 09                  20

    PP                   1/2                  0/1

     

    Third Period:

    Flyers Goal – :10 – Claude Giroux (20) from Oscar Lindblom (15) and Sean Couturier (36)

    Flyers Penalty – 2:29 – Scott Laughton 2 minutes for Interference

    Flyers Goal – 7:48 – Scott Laughton (10) from Andrew MacDonald (9) and Michael Raffl (11)

    Capitals Penalty – 10:23 – Tom Wilson 2 minutes for Roughing

    Flyers Penalty – 10:23 – Andrew MacDonald 2 minutes for Roughing

     

    End of 3rd – WAS – 5         PHI – 3

    Shots              35                   30

    Faceoffs        14                    32

    Hits               17                     25

    PP                 1/3                    0/1

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (39-21-7 85pts) v. New Jersey (25-33-9 59pts)

    Philadelphia (32-27-8 72pts) @ NY Islanders (38-21-7 83pts)

  • Game Recap – 2/26/2019 – Ottawa Senators v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 2/26/2019 – Ottawa Senators v. Washington Capitals

    Ottawa Senators (22-35-5 49pts) v. Washington Capitals (35-21-7 77pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals host the Ottawa Senators as they close out the month of February and it would be the Senators who would get the first goal of the game when newly acquired forwards Brian Gibbons and Oscar Lindberg connect for Lindberg’s first goal with the Senators and Gibbons first point with the team to give them the 1-0 lead over the Capitals. Then on a Travis Boyd slashing penalty, the Senators would get a goal from another newly acquired forward Anthony Duclair on the powerplay  to give them a 2-0 lead. However, the Capitals would get back into it when they would take advantage of a poor line change by the Senators as the top line of Evgeny Kuznetsov, Alex Ovechkin, and Tom Wilson would play tic tac toe for Wilson’s 18th of the season, then 53 seconds late Lars Eller would rip one past Senators goaltender Anders Nilsson to tie the game at two.

     

    The Capitals started off the period flying and as a result they would get a powerplay opportunity when Chris Tierney would be called for tripping and the Capitals would make the most of their powerplay opportunity as it would be a John Carlson bomb from the point to give the Capitals a 3-2 lead, but then it would be back to back dirty goals by TJ Oshie and Brett Connolly to give the Capitals a powerful 5-2 lead. Then Oshie would get his second of the game in a confusing sequence as it would be Nilsson knocking the net off the moarings as Oshie shot the puck in the net, but a goal is a goal, and it is now 6-2 for the Capitals with the Senators pulling Nilsson for Craig Anderson.

     

    Going in the third period the Capitals would waste no time as Evgeny Kuznetsov would score 17 seconds into the game to make it 7-2 for the Capitals. The Capitals would control the play in the third to kill the clock and secure the victory.

     

    Lineups:

    Ottawa Senators:

    Brady Tkachuk — Colin White — Anthony Duclair

    Rudolfs Balcers — Chris Tierney — Mikkel Boedker

    Zack Smith — Jean-Gabriel Pageau — Bobby Ryan

    Brian Gibbons — Oscar Lindberg — Magnus Paajarvi

    Thomas Chabot — Dylan DeMelo

    Mark Borowiecki — Christian Jaros

    Ben Harpur — Cody Ceci

    Anders Nilsson

    Craig Anderson

    Scratched: Christian Wolanin

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Carl Hagelin — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Nick Jensen

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Chandler Stephenson, Christian Djoos

     

    First Period:

    Senators Goal – 3:16 – Oscar Lindberg (5) from Brian Gibbons (4) and Magnus Paajarvi (3)

    Capitals Penalty – 5:22 – Travis Boyd 2 minutes for Slashing

    Senators PPG – 7:10 – Anthony Duclair (12) from Cody Ceci (16) and Christian Jaros (7)

    Capitals Goal – 16:57 – Tom Wilson (18) from Alex Ovechkin (29) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (41)

    Capitals Goal – 17:50 – Lars Eller (8) from Dmitry Orlov (16) and Brett Connolly (19)

     

    End of 1st – OTT – 2       WAS – 2

    Shots              13                09

    Faceoffs         09                12

    Hits               05                  03

    PP                 1/1                 0/0

     

    Second Period:

    Senators Penalty – 2:00 – Chris Tierney 2 minutes for Tripping

    Capitals PPG – 2:38 – John Carlson (10) from Nicklas Backstrom (44) and TJ Oshie (21)

    Capitals Goal – 6:29 – TJ Oshie (19) from Brooks Orpik (5) and Nicklas Backstrom (45)

    Capitals Goal – 9:05 – Brett Connolly (16) from Andre Burakovsky (12)

    Capitals Goal – 10:33 – TJ Oshie (20) from Dmitry Orlov (17) and Jakub Vrana (21)

     

    End of 2nd – OTT – 2        WAS – 6

    Shots               18                 26

    Faceoffs          22                 23

    Hits                 11                  06

    PP                   1/1                  1/1

     

    Third Period:

    Capitals Goal – :17 – Evgeny Kuznetsov (17) from Alex Ovechkin (30) and Tom Wilson (15)

     

    End of 3rd – OTT – 2         WAS – 7

    Shots              23                   37

    Faceoffs        35                    30

    Hits               15                     08

    PP                 1/1                    1/1

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (36-21-7 79pts) @ NY Islanders (36-19-7 79pts)

    Ottawa (22-36-5 49pts) v. Edmonton (26-29-7 59pts)

  • Game Recap – 2/24/2019 – New York Rangers v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 2/24/2019 – New York Rangers v. Washington Capitals

    New York Rangers (27-26-8 62pts) v. Washington Capitals (34-21-7 75pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    For the Washington Capitals, they finally get to return home but it would be spoiled right away as Chris Kreider would score 21 seconds into the game to give the New York Rangers a 1-0 lead. However, the Capitals would respond late in the period as both Nicklas Backstrom and Michal Kempny would score to give the Capitals 2-1 lead going into the first intermission.

     

    Then in the second period it would be a penalty affair that would see Tom Wilson score on the powerplay for his 17th of the season to give the Capitals a 3-1 lead. But then later in the period Brady Skjei would do a blast from the point to beat Pheonix Copley to cut the Capitals lead to one going into the second intermission.

     

    The Rangers would open the period the same way they started the game with a goal 21 seconds into the period, this time by Jimmy Vesey with a knuckler from the point to tie the game. The Capitals would respond with back to back goals from Nic Dowd and Backstrom to give them their two goal lead back. However, on a Carl Hagelin hooking penalty the Rangers would get a weird bounce off of Vladislav Namestnikov for the powerplay goal and reduce the Capitals lead to one again. The with 30 seconds left in the period Skjei would score his second of the game to tie this game at 5 a piece and send the game to overtime.

     

    In overtime, this one would almost go the distance but it would be Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov connecting for the game winner with 40 seconds left in what was a mayhem filled sequence.

     

    Lineups:

    New York Rangers:

    Chris Kreider — Mika Zibanejad — Jimmy Vesey

    Vladislav Namestnikov — Ryan Strome — Jesper Fast

    Filip Chytil — Lias Andersson — Pavel Buchnevich

    Brendan Smith — Boo Nieves — Connor Brickley

    Brady Skjei — Fredrik Claesson

    Marc Staal — Neal Pionk

    Tony DeAngelo — Kevin Shattenkirk

    Henrik Lundqvist

    Alexandar Georgiev

    Scratched: Adam McQuaid, Kevin Hayes

    Injured: Brett Howden (knee sprain)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Carl Hagelin — Nic Dowd — Chandler Stephenson

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Nick Jensen

    Pheonix Copley

    Braden Holtby

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Travis Boyd, Christian Djoos

     

    First Period:

    Rangers Goal – :21 – Chris Kreider (26) from Jimmy Vesey (17) and Mika Zibanejad (35)

    Rangers Penalty – 4:19 – Brady Skjei 2 minutes for Cross Checking

    Capitals Goal – 18:42 – Nicklas Backstrom (14) from John Carlson (47) and TJ Oshie (20)

    Capitals Goal – 19:03 – Michal Kempny (6) from Brett Connolly (18) and Andre Burakovsky (11)

     

    End of 1st – NYR – 1       WAS – 2

    Shots              07                07

    Faceoffs         10                05

    Hits               00                  00

    PP                 0/0                 0/1

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Penalty – 1:24 – Dmitry Orlov 2 minutes for Hooking

    Rangers Penalty – 3:39 – Lias Andersson 2 minutes for Holding

    Capitals PPG – 5:09 – Tom Wilson (17) from Jakub Vrana (20) and Lars Eller (20)

    Rangers Penalty – 6:01 – Bench (Chris Kreider) 2 minutes for Too Many Men

    Rangers Penalty – 12:47 – Lias Andersson 2 minutes for Roughing

    Capitals Penalty – 12:47 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for Roughing

    Capitals Penalty – 15:50 – Lars Eller 2 minutes for Slashing

    Rangers Goal – 18:18 – Brady Skjei (5) from Connor Brickley (2) and Lias Andersson (4)

     

    End of 2nd – NYR – 2        WAS – 3

    Shots               20                 20

    Faceoffs          17                 16

    Hits                 12                  13

    PP                   0/2                  1/3

     

    Third Period:

    Rangers Goal – :21 – Jimmy Vesey (15) from unassisted

    Capitals Goal – 2:25 – Nic Dowd (6) from Travis Boyd (12) and Brooks Orpik (4)

    Capitals Goal – 3:01 – Nicklas Backstrom (15) from unassisted

    Capitals Penalty – 4:54 – Carl Hagelin 2 minutes for Hooking

    Rangers PPG – 6:01 – Vladislav Namestnikov (8) from Neal Pionk (16) and Anthony DeAngelo (18)

    Capitals Penalty – 6:23 – Matt Niskanen 5 minute major for Fighting

    Rangers Penalty – 6:23 – Dylan Strome 5 minute major for Fighting

    Capitals Penalty – 6:23 – Tom Wilson 2 minutes for Roughing

    Rangers Penalty – 6:23 – Ryan Strome 2 minutes for Roughing

    Rangers Penalty – 6:23 – Anthony DeAngelo 2 minutes for Roughing

    Capitals Penalty – 6:23 – Tom Wilson 2 minutes for Unsportsmanlike Conduct

    Capitals Penalty – 16:17 – Brooks Orpik 2 minutes for Roughing

    Rangers Penalty – 16:17 – Connor Brickley 2 minutes for Roughing

    Capitals Penalty – 16:17 – Brooks Orpik 2 minutes for Cross Checking

    Rangers Goal – 19:29 – Brady Skjei (6) from Kevin Shattenkirk (18) and Mika Zibanejad (36)

     

    End of 3rd – NYR – 5         WAS – 5

    Shots              30                   32

    Faceoffs        29                    28

    Hits               16                     20

    PP                 1/4                    1/3

     

    OT:

    Capitals Goal – 4:20 – Evgeny Kuznetsov (16) from Alex Ovechkin (28)  and Dmitry Orlov (15)

     

    End of OT – NYR – 5         WAS – 6

    Shots              31                   35

    Faceoffs        30                    28

    Hits               16                     20

    PP                 1/4                    1/3

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (35-21-7 77pts) v. Ottawa (22-34-5 49pts)

    NY Rangers (27-26-9 63pts) v. Tampa Bay (47-11-4 98pts)

  • Game Recap – 2/7/2019 – Colorado Avalanche v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 2/7/2019 – Colorado Avalanche v. Washington Capitals

    Colorado Avalanche (22-22-8 52pts) v. Washington Capitals (29-18-6 64pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals would have a slightly shaky start as the Colorado Avalanche would force Pheonix Copley to make some big saves early, but it would be the Capitals who would get the first goal of the game as TJ Oshie would throw the puck to the net and Andre Burakovsky would tip it in for his seventh of the season. The Capitals would get their first powerplay opportunity when Mikko Rantanen would be called for tripping, and it would look like Nicklas Backstrom would have scored on the power play to get a two goal lead, but the referee would call it no goal as he had already blew the whistle. To end the period the Capitals would be on the penalty kill when Devante Smith-Pelly would be called for high sticking.

     

    To open the second period the Capitals would finish off the penalty kill, but it would be Nathan MacKinnon scoring 35 seconds into the period to tie the game at one. The Capitals would challenge offsides, but would lose the coach’s challenge, which was the right decision as the play was onside, resulting in a delay of game penalty that the Capitals would kill off as well. The Capitals would get another power play opportunity when Ian Cole would be called for tripping Travis Boyd, and this time the Capitals would make it count when Evgeny Kuznetsov would knock it a loose puck in the crease to give the Capitals a 2-1 lead. The Avalanche would not do themselves any favors though as Nikita Zadorov would be called for interference and then after they killed that penalty, MacKinnon would be called for tripping, but the Avalanche would kill off that penalty too.

     

    The Capitals would kick start the third period with a Matt Niskanen goal when he would blast a Jakub Vrana rebound on net, and it would have gone over the net if it were not for hitting Semyon Varlamov’s blocker and dipping into the net. The Capitals would get another power play opportunity when Gabriel Landeskog would be called for holding, but once again the Avalanche would kill the penalty and Landeskog would put in hard work down low to to feed Mikko Rantanen to get the Avalanche within one of the Capitals. Then the fireworks would explode as an unnecessary hit from Ian Cole to Kuznetsov would bring in Tom Wilson as the two would scrap forcing themselves out of the game. However, the Capitals would get a three minute powerplay out of all this.

    After the Avalanche killed the three minute powerplay for the Capitals, a horrible play by Lars Eller on an odd man rush would turn the puck over to the Avalanche as Colin Wilson would score a goal Pheonix Copley would love to have back to tie the game and force overtime.

     

    Overtime would be fast paced and almost looked like it was going to go to the shootout, but it would be Alex Ovechkin feeding Evgeny Kuznetsov with the breakaway pass to score the game winner and continue the Capitals new winning ways.

     

    Lineups:

    Colorado Avalanche:

    Gabriel Landeskog — Nathan MacKinnon — Mikko Rantanen

    Matt Nieto — Carl Soderberg — Matt Calvert

    Alexander Kerfoot — J.T. Compher — Colin Wilson

    Sven Andrighetto — Sheldon Dries — A.J. Greer

    Ian Cole — Erik Johnson

    Nikita Zadorov — Tyson Barrie

    Patrik Nemeth — Samuel Girard

    Semyon Varlamov

    Philipp Grubauer

    Scratched: Anton Lindholm, Gabriel Bourque

    Injured: Vladislav Kamenev (shoulder), Mark Barberio (head)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Chandler Stephenson – Travis Boyd — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Madison Bowey

    Pheonix Copley

    Braden Holtby

    Scratched: Nic Dowd, Dmitrij Jaskin, Jonas Siegenthaler

    Injured: Christian Djoos (thigh)

     

    First Period:

    Capitals Goal – 6:31 – Andre Burakovsky (7) from TJ Oshie (15) and Matt Niskanen (13)

    Avalanche Penalty – 13:40 – Mikko Rantanen 2 minutes for Tripping

    Capitals Penalty – 18:14 – Devante Smith-Pelly 2 minutes for High Sticking

     

    End of 1st – COL – 0       WAS – 1

    Shots              09                12

    Faceoffs         11                07

    Hits               07                  13

    PP                 0/1                 0/1

     

    Second Period:

    Avalanche Goal – :35 – Nathan MacKinnon (28) from Tyson Barrie (34) and Gabriel Landeskog (26)

    Capitals Penalty – :35 – Bench (Ovechkin) 2 minutes for Delay of Game (Failed Coach’s Challenge)

    Avalanche Penalty – 7:06 – Ian Cole 2 minutes for Tipping

    Capitals PPG – 8:38 – Evgeny Kuznetsov (11) from Alex Ovechkin (22) and John Carlson (41)

    Avalanche Penalty – 13:27 – Nikita Zadorov 2 minutes for Interference

    Avalanche Penalty – 16:31 – Nathan MacKinnon 2 minutes for Tripping

     

    End of 2nd – COL – 1        WAS – 2

    Shots               25                 27

    Faceoffs          20                 18

    Hits                 10                  24

    PP                   0/2                  1/4

     

    Third Period:

    Capitals Goal – :34 – Matt Niskanen (8) from Jakub Vrana (16) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (36)

    Avalanche Penalty – 2:40 – Gabriel Landeskog 2 minutes for Hooking

    Avalanche Goal – 5:10 – Mikko Rantanen (24) from Gabriel Landeskog (27)

    Avalanche Penalty – 11:18 – Ian Cole 5 minute major for Fighting

    Capitals Penalty – 11:18 – Tom Wilson 5 minute major for Fighting

    Avalanche Penalty – 11:18 – Ian Cole 5 minute major for Interference

    Avalanche Penalty – 11:18 – Ian Cole Game Misconduct

    Capitals Penalty – 11:18 – Tom Wilson 2 minutes for Instigating

    Capitals Penalty – 11:18 – Tom Wilson 10 minute Misconduct

    Avalanche Goal – 17:53 – Colin Wilson (10) from Matt Calvert (12)

     

    End of 3rd – COL – 3         WAS – 3

    Shots              35                   39

    Faceoffs        27                    26

    Hits               18                     31

    PP                 0/2                    1/6

     

    OT:

    Capitals Goal – 4:12 – Evgeny Kuznetsov (12) from Alex Ovechkin (23)

     

    End of OT – COL – 3         WAS – 4

    Shots              37                   42

    Faceoffs        27                    27

    Hits               18                     33

    PP                 0/2                    1/6

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (30-18-6 66pts) v. Florida (22-22-8 52pts)

    Colorado (22-22-9 53pts) @ NY Islanders (31-16-6 68pts)