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  • Gameday Preview – 12/23/2018 – Boston Bruins v. Hartford Whalers

    Gameday Preview – 12/23/2018 – Boston Bruins v. Hartford Whalers

    Boston Bruins (20-12-4 44pts) v. Hartford Whalers (14-15-5 33pts)

     

    Time: 5p EST

    Station: Fox Sports Carolina, NESN, and SportsNet 1

     

    Preview:

    The Hartford Whalers are BACK!! For the first time since 1997, the Carolina Hurricanes will be embracing their past as they take on the Boston Bruins as the Hartford Whalers. For both teams they’ll be finishing their back to backs going into the Holiday break. Yesterday the Bruins got back star center Patrice Bergeron who helped lead the Bruins to a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators, while the Hurricanes are looking to bounce back from their 3-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins last night.

     

    Boston Bruins:

    Projected Lineup:

    Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — Danton Heinen

    Joakim Nordstrom — David Krejci — David Pastrnak

    Sean Kuraly — Colby Cave — David Backes

    Ryan Donato — Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson — Chris Wagner

    Torey Krug — Brandon Carlo

    Matt Grzelcyk — Charlie McAvoy

    John Moore — Steven Kampfer

    Scratched: Noel Acciari

    Injured: Jake DeBrusk (concussion), Urho Vaakanainen (concussion), Kevan Miller (throat), Zdeno Chara (knee)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Continue their strong play

    The Bruins are coming off a very impressive win over the Predators yesterday, and will be looking to comtinue that success today in Carolina.

     

    Hartford Whalers:

    Projected Lineup:

    Jordan Martinook — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen

    Micheal Ferland — Jordan Staal — Brock McGinn

    Andrei Svechnikov — Lucas Wallmark — Justin Williams

    Warren Foegele — Victor Rask — Phillip Di Giuseppe

    Jaccob Slavin — Brett Pesce

    Calvin de Haan — Justin Faulk

    Trevor van Riemsdyk — Dougie Hamilton

    Curtis McElhinney

    Petr Mrazek

    Scratched: None

    Injured: Haydn Fleury (concussion)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Generate solid scoring opportunities

    The fans want to hear “Brass Bonanza” play im PNC Arena, but the Hurricanes need to score to make that happen.  They need to generate better scoring opportunities, to make that a reality.

  • Gameday Preview – 12/22/2018 – Washington Capitals v. Ottawa Senators

    Gameday Preview – 12/22/2018 – Washington Capitals v. Ottawa Senators

    Washington Capitals (21-10-3 45pts) v. Ottawa Senators (15-17-4 34pts)

     

    Time: 7p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Washington+, City, and SportsNet 360

     

    Preview:

    The Washington Capitals travel to Ottawa to take on the Senators in the final game of their back to back before going into the Holiday break. The Capitals are coming off of a hard fought 2-1 win over Buffalo at home will be looking for their second straight win, meanwhile the Senators are looking to bounce back from their game last night against the New Jersey Devils that saw them fall 5-2.

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Projected Lineup:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Chandler Stephenson — Nic Dowd – Devante Smith-Pelly

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Madison Bowey

    Pheonix Copley

    Braden Holtby

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Travis Boyd, Tyler Lewington

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

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Stay Fresh

    The Capitals will be playing in their second game of their back to back and will need to keep their legs fresh throughout the game. Short shifts and rolling all 4 lines and all 3 pairs will be key to that.

     

    2. Stay out of the box

    The Capitals are still taking too many penalties and it disrupts the flow of their game. The Capitals need to draw more penalties, and take fewer penalties.

     

    Ottawa Senators:

    Projected Lineup:

    Chris Tierney — Matt Duchene — Mikkel Boedker

    Brady Tkachuk — Colin White — Mark Stone

    Ryan Dzingel — Zack Smith — Bobby Ryan

    Magnus Paajarvi — Tom Pyatt

    Thomas Chabot — Dylan DeMelo

    Maxime Lajoie — Cody Ceci

    Mark Borowiecki — Christian Jaros

    Ben Harpur (D)

    Craig Anderson

    Mike McKenna

    Scratched: Justin Falk, Nick Paul

    Injured: Jean-Gabriel Pageau (Achilles)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Play with motivation

    The Senators are coming off of a 5-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils last night and will be home to take on the Capitals. The Senators need to feed off of their home crowd and play with motivation.

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (21-10-3 45pts) v. Carolina (14-14-5 33pts)

    Ottawa (15-16-4 34pts) @ NY Islanders (17-13-4 38pts)

  • Game Recap – 12/21/2018 – Buffalo Sabres v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 12/21/2018 – Buffalo Sabres v. Washington Capitals

    Buffalo Sabres (20-10-5 45pts) v. Washington Capitals (20-10-3 43pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals defeat the Buffalo Sabres in a tightly contested game that saw Braden Holtby make 36 saves on 37 shots, and Tom Wilson clinch the game with the game winning goal 7 minutes left in regulation.

     

    Lineups:

    Buffalo Sabres:

    Jeff Skinner — Jack Eichel — Sam Reinhart

    Conor Sheary – Vladimir Sobotka — Evan Rodrigues

    Zemgus Girgensons — Casey Mittelstadt — Kyle Okposo

    Remi Elie — Johan Larsson — Tage Thompson

    Rasmus Dahlin — Zach Bogosian

    Lawrence Pilut — Rasmus Ristolainen

    Marco Scandella — Jake McCabe

    Carter Hutton

    Linus Ullmark

    Scratched: Brendan Guhle, Matt Hunwick

    Injured: Jason Pominville (undisclosed), Nathan Beaulieu (upper body), Casey Nelson (upper body), Scott Wilson (ankle)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Chandler Stephenson — Nic Dowd – Devante Smith-Pelly

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Madison Bowey

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Travis Boyd, Tyler Lewington

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

     

    First Period:

    Sabres Penalty – 4:32 – Jeff Skinner 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals Penalty – 8:28 – Tom Wilson 2 minutes for Hooking

     

    End of 1st – BUF – 0       WAS – 0

    Shots              09                08

    Faceoffs         07                09

    Hits               03                  10

    PP                 0/1                 0/1

     

    Analysis:

    This was a very fast paced and very even first period for both teams. Both the Capitals and Sabres are doing a very good job of taking care of the neutral zone and keep the the slot area clear for their goalies.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to keep their feet moving and continue playing really good team defense against the Sabres. The Capitals also need to do a better job in reducing the amount of giveaways. They had 7 to Buffalo’s 4 in the first period.

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Penalty – 2:37 – Jonas Siegenthaler 2 minutes for Tripping

    Capitals SHG – 2:50 – Chandler Stephenson (3) from Nic Dowd (9)

    Sabres Penalty – 7:12 – Evan Rodrigues 2 minutes for Holding

    Sabres Penalty – 9:38 – Casey Mittelstadt 2 minutes for Holding

     

    End of 2nd – BUF – 0        WAS – 1

    Shots               19                 16

    Faceoffs          14                 19

    Hits                 03                  19

    PP                   0/2                  0/3

     

    Analysis:

    This was another very good back and forth period between both teams. The Capitals were better than the Sabres on special teams as they held Buffalo shotless on their lone powerplay of the period, and the Capitals scored while shorthanded. The Capitals powerplay was buzzing on both opportunities and with some controversy to the first one.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to continue playing strong team defense and limit the scoring chances for the Sabres. Also the Capitals need to cut down on their giveaways. They almost shot themselves in the foot a few times this game with their giveaways.

     

    Third Period:

    Sabres Goal – 9:01 – Johan Larsson (3) from Tage Thompson (3) and Rasmus Ristolainen (19)

    Capitals Penalty – 9:24 – Matt Niskanen 2 minutes for Tripping

    Capitals Goal – 13:00 – Tom Wilson (10) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (25)

    Sabres Penalty – 14:23 – Vladimir Sobotka 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals Penalty – 17:48 – Nic Dowd 2 minutes for Tripping

     

    End of 3rd – BUF – 1         WAS – 2

    Shots              37                   24

    Faceoffs        23                    28

    Hits               06                     19

    PP                 0/4                    0/4

     

    Analysis:

    A good solid period. Both teams scored hard earned goals, but it would be the Capitals penalty kill that would upset the Sabres and not allow them to get any quality chances on the powerplay.

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (21-10-3 45pts) @ Ottawa (15-16-4 34pts)

    Buffalo (20-11-5 45pts) v. Anaheim (19-13-5 43pts)

  • Gameday Preview – 12/21/2018 – Buffalo Sabres v. Washington Capitals

    Gameday Preview – 12/21/2018 – Buffalo Sabres v. Washington Capitals

    Buffalo Sabres (20-10-5 45pts) v. Washington Capitals (20-10-3 43pts)

     

    Time: 7p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Washington, SportsNet, and NBCSN

     

    Preview:

    The Washington Capitals host the Buffalo Sabres for the second time in 6 days as they start another backmto back weekend before they go into the Holiday break. For the Capitals, they will be looking to bounc3 back from their loss Wednesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Meanwhile, the Sabres will be looking to get back to their winning ways after winning one of their last three.

     

    Buffalo Sabres:

    Projected Lineup:

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Full team effort

    The Sabres need to get contributions from their depth players, and not just from their stars. Jack Eichel, and Jeff Skinner have neen on fire for the Sabres, bur they can’t win every game for them.

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Projected Lineup:

     

    Capitals Notes:

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Mix up the powerplay

    The Capitals need to change up their powerplay a little bit. Not a complete overhaul, but some changes here and there. In their game against the Penguins, Pittsburgh did a really great job of taking away the passing lanes, ans we have seen other teams play the Capitals more aggressively with their penalty kills. Do a few tweaks, maybe even change some of the personnel on the two units and see how that shakes things up.

     

    2. Clean defensive game

    The Capitals need to play a much better defensive game, especially in their own zone. They need to do better passes to get out of their zone and make sure the passes are clean tape to tape ones too.

  • Florida Panthers vs Toronto Maple Leafs -20/12/2018-Game Day Recap

    Florida Panthers vs Toronto Maple Leafs -20/12/2018-Game Day Recap

    Florida Panthers (13-14-6 32 pts) v, Toronto Maple Leafs (23-10-2 48pts)

    Lineups:

    Toronto:

    Mitch Marner– John Tavares – Connor Brown

    Kasperi Kapanen –Auston Matthews– Andreas Johnsson

    Patrick Marleau – Nazem Kadri – William Nylander

    Tyler Ennis – Frederik Gauthier – Pars Lindholm

     

    Morgan Rielly – Ron Hainsey

    Jake Gardiner – Nikita Zaitsev

    Travis Dermott – Martin Marincin

     

    Frederik Andersen

    Garrett Sparks
    Scratched: Justin Holl, Martin Marincin & Frederik Gauthier

    Injuries: Nathan Horton (Back)

    Suspension: None

     

    Florida:

    Jonathon Huberdeau – Aleksander Barkov – Mike Hoffman

    Frank Vatrano – Henrik Borgstrom– Evgenii Dadonov

    Troy Brouwer – Jared McCann – Denis Malgin

    Michael Haley – Juho Lammikko – Jayce Hawryluk

     

    Keith Yandle –Aaron Ekblad

    Michael Matheson – Alex Petrovic

    Mark Pysyk – Mackenzie Weegar

     

    Roberto Luongo

    James Reimer
    Scratched: None

    Injuries: Jamie McGinn, Nick Bjugstad, Vincent Trocheck & Derek Mackenzie

    Suspension: None

     

    Gameday:

    First Period:

    Panthers Penalty – 17:20 – Aaron Ekblad, 2 minutes for Interference

    Leafs PP Goal – 18:17 – Auston Matthews (18) from Mitch Marner (36) and Morgan Rielly (26)

     

    End of 1st – FLA –0        TOR – 1

    Shots              11                   8

    Faceoffs     5/15              10/15

    Hits               9                     3

    PP                 0/0                  1/1

     

    Analysis

    Leafs came focused and happy to be at the Scotia Bank Arena again. The kicked the powerplay slump and look to be running on all cylinders.

    Need to Do:

    Keep motoring forward.

    Second Period:

    Leafs Goal–03:50 – Auston Matthews (19), assisted by Morgan Rielly (27) and Kasperi Kapanen (11)

    Leafs Goal–11:14 – Nazem Kadri (9), assisted by Connor Brown (10)  and Morgan Rielly (28)

    Leafs Penalty – 12:33 –Nikita Zaitsev, 2 mins for Holding

    Leafs Penalty – 17:19 –Martin Marincin, 2 mins for Tripping

     

    End of 2nd – FLA– 0          TOR – 3

    Shots              13                    17

    Faceoffs       14/30              16/30

    Hits              18                      6

    PP                 0/2                  1/1

     

    Analysis:

    Leafs stay kick it up a notch in the 2nd period with 2 more goals. Morgan Rielly with 3 assists and Auston Matthews with 2 goals.

    Need to Do:

    Lock down the 3rd

    Third Period:

    Florida Penalty – 02:24 –Alex Petrovic, 2 mins for Tripping

    Leafs PP Goal–02:38 – John Tavares (22), assisted by Auston Matthews (13)  and Nazem Kadri  (14)

    Leafs Goal–05:41 – John Tavares (23), assisted by Mitch Marner (37)  and Martin Marincin  (1)

    Leafs Penalty – 8:56 –Andreas Johnsson, 2 mins for Slashing

    Florida Goal–10:28 – Henrik Borgstrom (1), assisted by Jared McCann (8)  and Frank Vatrano (4)

    Florida Penalty – 14:44 –Troy Brouwer, 2 mins for Holding

    Leafs PP Goal–15:14 – Mitch Marner (10), assisted by Auston Matthews (14)  and Morgan Rielly (29)

     

    End of 3rd – FLA – 1       FLA – 6

    Shots             26                  26

    Faceoffs     28/57                29/57

    Hits               30                       9

    PP                1/3                    3/3

     

    Analysis:

    John Tavares comes out and scores 2 in third and Marner added another to bring another dominate performance to a close.

    Next Up:

    Florida (13-14-6 32pts) vs Detroit (15-16-5 35pts)

    NY Rangers (15-13-5 35pts) at Toronto (23-10-2 48pts)

  • 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.

     

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

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

    Time: Thursday, December 20th , 2018

    Toronto: 22-10-2 for 46 points

    Florida: 13-13-6 for 32 points

    The Leafs finally head back home for a rematch against the Florida Panthers. Where they were manhandled for most of the game and only showed up in the 3rd period. Leafs look to erase the thought of that game tonight.

    Top Scorers/Goalie Matchup

    Mitch Marner – 43 points (9 goals 35 assists)

    Morgan Rielly – 36 points (11 goals 25 assists)

    John Tavares – 36 points (21 goals 14 assists) 49% on face-offs

    Auston Matthews – 29 points (17 goals 12 assists) 53% on Face-off

     

    Jonathan Huberdeau–40 points (9 goals 31 assists)

    Evgeni Dadonov – 33 points (16 goal 17 assist)

    Aleksander Barkov– 33 points (15 goal 18 assists)

    Mike Hoffman –  31 points (15 goal 16 assists)

     

    Frederik Andersen

    18-9-1 2.53GAA .923SV%

    Roberto Luongo

    7-5-1 2.94GAA .906SV%

     

    Probable Lineups:

    Toronto:

    Mitch Marner– John Tavares – Zach Hyman

    Kasperi Kapanen –Auston Matthews– Andreas Johnsson

    Patrick Marleau – Nazem Kadri – William Nylander

    Tyler Ennis– Pars Lindholm – Connor Brown

     

    Morgan Rielly – Ron Hainsey

    Jake Gardiner – Nikita Zaitsev

    Travis Dermott – Igor Ozhiganov

     

    Frederik Andersen

    Garrett Sparks
    Scratched: Justin Holl, Martin Marincin & Frederik Gauthier

    Injuries: Nathan Horton (Back)

    Suspension: None

     

    Florida:

    Jonathon Huberdeau – Aleksander Barkov – Mike Hoffman

    Frank Vatrano – Henrik Borgstrom– Evgenii Dadonov

    Troy Brouwer – Jared McCann – Denis Malgin

    Michael Haley – Juho Lammikko – Jayce Hawryluk

     

    Keith Yandle –Aaron Ekblad

    Michael Matheson – Alex Petrovic

    Mark Pysyk – Mackenzie Weegar

     

    Roberto Luongo

    James Reimer
    Scratched: None

    Injuries: Jamie McGinn, Nick Bjugstad, Vincent Trocheck & Derek Mackenzie

    Suspension: None

     

    Keys to Winning against Florida:

    1. Dictate the Pace
      1. Last time the Leafs played the Panthers they let the Panthers dictate the pace of the game and it didn’t work in their favour.
    2. Quick out of the Zone
      1. The Leafs defence need to get the puck and up to the wingers on the boards quick and easy to ensure there is no prolonged zone time for especially the Barkov,Huberdeau and Hoffman line.
    3. Get a cycle going early
      1. A lot has been said about the Leafs speed but their cycle game has been just as good. Get it going early.

     

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

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

    Pittsburgh Penguins (15-12-6 36pts) v. Washington Capitals (20-9-3 43pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals fall short against their rivals the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Capitals were lackluster with all five of their powerplay opportunities and the Penguins were able to make one count in four chances on the powerplay. The Capitals also were bit hard with some bad puck luck that saw one opportunity hit the post and another two getting on the goal line, but not cross the line. The Capitals now have to refocus and get back on track when they host the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.

     

    Lineups:

    Pittsburgh Penguins:

    Jake Guentzel — Sidney Crosby — Bryan Rust

    Zach Aston-Reese — Evgeni Malkin — Phil Kessel

    Tanner Pearson — Derick Brassard — Patric Hornqvist

    Riley Sheahan — Matt Cullen — Garrett Wilson

    Brian Dumoulin — Kris Letang

    Olli Maatta — Jamie Oleksiak

    Marcus Pettersson — Jack Johnson

    Matt Murray

    Casey DeSmith

    Scratched: Chad Ruhwedel, Derek Grant

    Injured: Justin Schultz (fractured left leg), Dominik Simon (lower body)

     

    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, Tyler Lewington

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

     

    First Period:

    Capitals Penalty – :55 – Tom Wilson 5 minute major for Fighting

    Penguins Penalty – :55 – Jamie Oleksiak 5 minute major for Fighting

    Capitals Penalty – 4:05 – Alex Ovechkin 2 minutes for Roughing

    Penguins Penalty – 4:05 – Kris Letang 2 minutes for Roughing

    Capitals Penalty – 6:54 – Jonas Siegenthaler 2 minutes for Holding

    Capitals Penalty – 14:10 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for Cross Checking

     

    End of 1st – PIT – 0       WAS – 0

    Shots              09                08

    Faceoffs         09                06

    Hits               07                  06

    PP                 0/2                 0/0

     

    End of 1st – PIT – 0       WAS – 0

    Shots              09                08

    Faceoffs         09                06

    Hits               07                  06

    PP                 0/2                 0/0

     

    Analysis:

    A really fast paced and penalty filled start of the game for the Capitals and Penguins. Both team’s goalies have come up big, and have both generated some really good scoring chances.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to stay out of the box and continue forcing the play in the Penguins zone. Keep the legs moving and draw some penalties on the Penguins so they can give their powerplay a chance to make a difference.

     

    Second Period:

    Penguins Penalty – :48 – Bryan Rust 2 minutes for Holding

    Penguins Penalty – 2:58 – Marcus Pettersson 2 minutes High Sticking

    Capitals Goal – 6:38 – Lars Eller (5) from Tom Wilson (7)

    Capitals Penalty – 8:06 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for Tripping

    Penguins PPG – 9:15 – Sidney Crosby (16) from Evgeni Malkin (26) and Kris Letang (20)

    Penguins Penalty – 12:12 – Jake Guentzel 2 minutes for Holding

    Penguins Goal – 18:58 –  Bryan Rust (7) from Jake Guentzel (16) and Sidney Crosby (22)

    Penguins Penalty – 20:00 – Brian Dumoulin 2 minutes for Holding

     

    End of 2nd – PIT – 2        WAS – 1

    Shots               21                 18

    Faceoffs          19                 16

    Hits                 16                  17

    PP                   1/3                  0/3

     

    Analysis:

    This has been a good game for the Capitals, but their powerplay has just been putrid this game. The Capitals have been good at even strength but their special teams needs improvement.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals have the luxury of starting the 3rd period with a full 2 minute powerplay, but they need to mix it up and take away the predictability. The Capitals are still in this, but they need to play smart and clean up their play in their own zone as well.

     

    Third Period:

    Capitals Penalty – 4:13 – Matt Niskanen 2 minutes for Tripping

    Penguins Penalty – 5:16 – Phil Kessel 2 minutes for Tripping

     

    End of 3rd – PIT – 2         WAS – 1

    Shots              30                   32

    Faceoffs        34                    22

    Hits               23                     24

    PP                 1/4                    0/5

     

    Analysis:

    A hard fought game from both teams, but the Capitals inability to capitalize on the powerplay opportunities, plus not having the puck luck on their side really hurt the Capitals in this game.

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (20-10-3 43pts) v. Buffalo (20-10-5 45pts)

    Pittsburgh (16-12-6 38pts) v. Minnesota (17-14-2 36pts)

  • December 19th, 2018 — News and Notes

    December 19th, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is Wednesday, December 19th, 2018, and this is a very quick recap of the games last night, and brief news and notes across the NHL

     

    There were 11 contests last night in the NHL.

     

     

    Steve Gardiner, TXHT’s Maple Leafs writer, has your recap of the contest at the following page.

    Toronto Maple Leafs vs New Jersey Devils – 18/12/2018 – Game Recap

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Two games are in action tonight.

    Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals, 8 p.m. ET (NBCSN)

    Montreal Canadiens at Colorado Avalanche, 8:30 p.m, ET

     

    You can read TXHT’s preview of the contest between the Penguins and the Capitals at the following page.

    Gameday Preview – 12/19/2018 – Pittsburgh Penguins v. Washington Capitals

     

    Today in the NHL…

     

     

    Today in the NWHL was the 2018 NWHL Draft.  Tomorrow the NWHL draft will conclude with rounds 3-5.

     

  • Gameday Preview – 12/19/2018 – Pittsburgh Penguins v. Washington Capitals

    Gameday Preview – 12/19/2018 – Pittsburgh Penguins v. Washington Capitals

    Pittsburgh Penguins (15-12-6 36pts) v. Washington Capitals (20-9-3 43pts)

     

    Time: 8p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Network

     

    Preview:

    The Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins renew their rivalry on Wednesday Night Hockey on NBC Sports Network. The Capitals will look to keep their 5 game winning streak going, while the Penguins will look to bounce back from their recent loss to the Anaheim Ducks, and gain some consistency.

     

    Pittsburgh Penguins:

    Projected Lineup:

     

    Penguins News:

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Consistency

    The Penguins need to play a much more consistent game than they have been to gain some more ground in the Metro Division.

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Projected Lineup:

     

    Capitals News:

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Get special teams on track

    The Capitals need to start getting their special teams back on track, especially the penalty kill. It has been the biggest weakness thus far as their penalty kill has given up too many goals and ranks 27th overall in the League.

     

    2. Smart defense

    The Capitals need to play smart defensively against the Penguins, and contain the Penguins speed and skill. The Capitals also need to make better plays to break out of their zone as well too.