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

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

    Toronto Maple Leafs (21-9-2 41pts) v, New Jersey Devils (24-7-1 49 pts)

    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

     

    New Jersey:

    Taylor Hall– Nico Hischier – Kyle Palmieri

    Marcus Johansson – Pavel Zacha– Jesper Bratt

    Blake Coleman– Travis Zajac – Miles Wood

    Brian Boyle – Brett Seney – John Quenneville

     

    Andy Greene – Damon Severson

    Will Butcher –Sami Vatanen

    Mirco Mueller – Ben Lovejoy

     

    Keith Kincaid

    Mackenzie Blackwood

     

    Scratched: Drew Stafford

    Injuries: Corey Schneider (Concussion)

    Suspension: None

     

    Gameday:

    First Period:

    Leafs Penalty – 01:15 – Zach Hyman, 2 minutes for Holding

    Devils Penalty – 03:58 – Blake Coleman, 2 minutes for Hooking

    Leafs Goal – 06:01 – John Tavares (21) from Nazem Kadri (11) and Auston Matthews (12)

    Leafs Goal – 07:58 – Auston Matthews (17) Unasssisted

    Devils Penalty – 10:20 – Nico Hischier, 2 minutes for Holding

    Leafs Goal – 13:38 – Patrick Marleau (9) assisted by Nazem Kadri (12) and Travis Dermott (7)

    Devils Goal – 18:44 – Sami Vatanen (2) assisted by Brian Boyle (3)

     

    End of 1st – TOR –3        NJD – 1

    Shots              11                   8

    Faceoffs     6/24              18/24

    Hits               4                     5

    PP                 0/2                  0/1

     

    Analysis

    Leafs came out to play this game and began dominating from the out set. A Relentless forecheck and all cylinders clicking lead to a 3-1 after the 1st period.

     

    Need to Do:

    Don’t take your foot of the gas pedal. Keep applying the pressure.

    Second Period:

    Leafs Goal–01:15 – Mitch Marner (9), assisted by John Tavares (15)

    Devils Penalty – 05:15 –Kyle Palmieri, 2 mins for High Stick

    Leafs Penalty – 07:36 –William Nylander, 2 mins for Tripping

    Leafs Goal–19:59 – Morgan Rielly (11), assisted by Nazem Kadri (13)  and Connor Brown (7)

    End of 2nd – TOR– 5          NJD – 1

    Shots              22                    17

    Faceoffs       17/42              25/42

    Hits              5                      10

    PP                 0/3                  0/2

     

    Analysis:

    Leafs stay hot in the 2nd with a pair of goals and continue to apply pressure to the Devils.

    Need to Do:

    Lock down the 3rd

    Third Period:

    Devils Goal–14:47 – Nico Hischier (8), assisted by Taylor Hall (24)  and Kyle Palmieri (12)

    Leafs Goal–16:28 – Tyler Ennis (6), assisted by Connor Brown (8)  and Par Lindholm (8)

    Leafs Goal–18:30 – Tyler Ennis (7), assisted by Jake Gardiner (19)  and Connor Brown (9)

    Leafs Penalty – 19:00 –Travis Dermott, 2 mins for Delay of Game

     

    End of 3rd – TOR – 7       NJD – 2

    Shots             31                   29

    Faceoffs     29/61                32/61

    Hits               6                         14

    PP                0/3                    0/3

     

    Analysis:

    Leafs dominated this game from the outset and never really let up.

    Next Up:

    Florida (13-13-6 32pts) vs Toronto (22-10-2 46pts)

    New Jersey (11-14-7 29pts) at Columbus (18-12-3 39pts)

  • December 18th, 2018 — News and Notes

    December 18th, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is Tuesday, December 18th, 2018, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were five contests taking place in the NHL last night.

     

    Anaheim 4, PITTSBURGH 2

    The Anaheim Ducks faced off against the Pittsburgh Penguins last night and would come away with the 4-2 win.  With this win, the Ducks have won six consecutive road games, as well as their ninth game out of the last ten contests.

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1074866760438800384

     

    For the Pittsburgh Penguins, this loss would give them a record of 15-12-6 (36 points), and places them in fourth place in the Metropolitan division.

     

    COLUMBUS 1, Vegas 0

    The Columbus Blue Jackets faced off against the defending Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights and would come away with the 1-0 win.

    Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky would go on to register his 13th shutout since the start of the 2016-17 season and is tied with Pekka Rinne for the most shutouts in that time span.

     

    Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno would score the lone goal in the third period.  This contest would also mark the 800th NHL game for Foligno.

     

     

     

     

    Boston 4, MONTREAL 0

    The Boston Bruins would visit the Montreal Canadiens and would come out on Montreal with a 4-0 victory.

    With this win, the Bruins have won the last five contests against the Canadiens when they are the visitors.

     

    Bruins goaltender Jaroslav Halak would turn aside all 22 shots he faced whereas Canadiens goaltender Carey Price had 31 saves on 35 save opportunities.

     

     

    OTTAWA 4, Nashville 3 (OT)

     

    Ottawa Senators Brady Tkachuk would register his tenth career goal as a Senator in his 24th game played with the club last night.

     

     

    Ottawa rookie defenceman Max LaJoie would also register his seventh goal in this contest, good for a tie for third place all-time in Senators history for most goals by a rookie defenceman.

     

     

    Also for Ottawa, the rookies on this team account for most points combined between all players across the League thus far during the 2018-19 season.

     

     

    Thoms Chabot would seal the win for the Senators in the overtime frame.

     

     

    NY Islanders 4, COLORADO 1

    NY Islanders goaltender Thomas Griess would make 30 saves in the contest to give the Islanders the 4-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche last night.

    Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov would make 17 saves on 21 save opportunities.

     

     

     

    Two of the Islanders goals would come on the power-play in this contest and the penalty kill would end up playing a big factor in this win to start off the road trip for the Islanders in this contest.

     

     

    There are 11 contests taking place across the NHL tonight

    *image courtesy of the NHL Public Relations Department and the NHL

     

    For tonight’s contest between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New Jersey Devils, TXHT’s Maple Leafs writer, Steve Gardiner, has a preview of this contest.

     

    You can read the preview of the contest at the following page.

     

    Toronto Maple Leafs vs New Jersey Devils – 17/12/2018 – Game Day Preview

     

  • Toronto Maple Leafs vs New Jersey Devils – 17/12/2018 – Game Day Preview

    Toronto Maple Leafs vs New Jersey Devils – 17/12/2018 – Game Day Preview

    Time: Tuesday, December 17th , 2018

    Toronto: 21-10-2 for 44 points

    New Jersey: 11-13-7 for 29 points

    The Toronto Maple Leafs continue the road trip in New Jersey as they take on the Taylor Hall-less New Jersey Devils. The Leafs look to use this as a way back into the win column tonight, after 2 tough losses.

    Top Scorers/Goalie Matchup

    Mitch Marner – 43 points (8 goals 35 assists)

    Morgan Rielly – 35 points (10 goals 25 assists)

    John Tavares – 34 points (19 goals 14 assists) 49% on face-offs

    Auston Matthews – 27 points (16 goals 11 assists) 53% on Face-off

     

    Taylor Hall–31 points (8 goals 23 assists)

    Kyle Palmieri 28 points (17 goal 10 assists)

    Nico Hischier – 20 points (7 goal 13 assist)

    Travis Zajac– 19 points (10 goal 9 assists)

     

    Frederik Andersen

    17-9-1 2.55GAA .923SV%

     

    Keith Kincaid

    11-8-7 2.88GAA .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

     

    New Jersey:

    Marcus Johansson – Nico Hischier – Kyle Palmieri

    John Quenneville – Pavel Zacha– Jesper Bratt

    Blake Coleman– Travis Zajac – Mile Wood

    Brian Boyle – Brett Seney – Drew Stafford

     

    Andy Greene – Damon Severson

    Will Butcher –Sami Vatanen

    Mirco Mueller – Ben Lovejoy

     

    Keith Kincaid

    Mackenzie Blackwood

     

    Scratched:

    Injuries: Corey Schneider, Taylor Hall

    Suspension: None

     

     Keys to Winning against New Jersey:

    1. Use your speed
      1. Don’t give the Devils an opportunity to use their speed against you. Take it to them first.
    2. Puck Possession
      1. If the Leafs can have a lot of possession, it will negate the speed the devils which is how they create offence.
    3. Take advantage of the lack of Taylor Hall in the lineup
      1. Force New Jersey’s offence to work hard

     

  • December 17th, 2018 — News and Notes

    December 17th, 2018 — News and Notes

    It is Monday, December 17th, 2018, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were seven contests across the NHL yesterday…

     

    Vegas 4, NY RANGERS 3 (OT)

    The Vegas Golden Knights would defeat the New York Rangers in overtime yesterday afternoon with Vegas’ Alex Tuch would score the game-winner at 2:11 in the overtime frame.

     

     

     

    CAROLINA 3, Arizona 0

    Carolina Hurricanes G Petr Mrazek would go on to have a 23 save performance to seal the shutout victory for the Hurricanes.

     

    Calgary 7, ST. LOUIS 2

    The Calgary Flames would score a shorthanded goal for the third consecutive game for the eighth time in franchise history and would go on to defeat the St. Louis Blues 7-2 in St. Louis last night.

     

    Buffalo 4, BOSTON 2

     

    Buffalo’s Jack Eichel now has five regular-season games of at least four points before his 23rd birthday and joins four other Buffalo Sabres for this mark in franchise history.

     

     

    San Jose 7, CHICAGO 3

    San Jose Sharks D Brent Burns became the 38th player in League history to be listed as a defenceman to register at least 600 points in the contest against the Chicago Blackhawks.

     

     

     

    WINNIPEG 5, Tampa Bay 4 (OT)

     

    Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele would score the game-winner in the overtime frame with 42 seconds left to seal the 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

     

    VANCOUVER 4, Edmonton 2

     

    Vancouver’s rookie Elias Pettersson extended his point streak to seven games and now leads all rookies with 35 points on the season in 30 games played.

     

    There are five games taking place tonight in the NHL…

     

     

    Today in NHL news…

     

    The NHL today announced the Three Stars of the Week for the week ending December 16th.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    The Philadelphia Flyers announced earlier today that Head Coach Dave Hakstol has been relieved of his duties effective immediately and that Scott Gordon will be the head coach on an interim basis.

     

  • December 16th, 2018 — News and Notes

    December 16th, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is Sunday, December 16th, 2018, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were 10 contests on the NHL slate yesterday.

     

    Calgary 2, MINNESOTA 1

    In a penalty filled contest between the Calgary Flames and the Minnesota Wild, the Calgary Flames would come away from Minnesota with the 2-1 victory yesterday afternoon.

    Flames D Mark Giordano became the first player in Flames history to have shorthanded goals in consecutive games with his short-handed goal at 12:03 in the first period.

     

     

    Despite being outshot, Calgary would have the most important side of the stat sheet with their 2-1 win.

     

    MONTREAL 5, Ottawa 2

     

    This would be the Canadiens third win over the Senators in 12 days.

     

     

    The Montreal Canadiens, with their win, would give head coach Claude Julien his 600th NHL win.

     

    NY ISLANDERS 4, Detroit 3 (OT)

     

    NY Islanders Matthew Barzal would net the winner in the shootout frame to give the Islanders the win over Detroit.

     

    PITTSBURGH 4, Los Angeles 3

    With the overtime winner by Phil Kessel, Kessel now ties Hall of Famer Mike Modano, Bill Guerin, and David Legwand for the second most regular season overtime winners by a  U.S.-born player with nine goals.

     

    ANAHEIM 2, Columbus 1

    The Anaheim Ducks would seal the 2-1 win, holding off a late rally from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

    Anaheim’s Daniel Sprong would score the only two goals for the Ducks.  Anaheim has won 10 out of their last 12 contests with this win over Columbus.

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1074153104877076480

     

    FLORIDA 4, Toronto 3 (OT)

    With the Florida Panthers over the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime, the Panthers Aleksander Barkov would become the first player in the 25-year history of the franchise to complete the hat-trick with an overtime goal.

    Barkov, with his three goals in the contest, now has 114 goals as a Panther.  He moved past Radek Dvorak, who had 113 goals as a Panther.

    Despite Toronto scoring three goals in the third period, two by Mitchell Marner and other by John Tavares, the Maple Leafs were unable to take advantage in the overtime frame.

     

    TXHT’s Toronto Maple Leafs contributor, Steve Gardiner, has your recap of the contest between the Maple Leafs and the Panthers at the following page.

     

    Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers – 15/12/2018 – Game Day Recap

     

    WASHINGTON 4, Buffalo 3 (SO)

    Washington Capitals F Alex Ovechkin would extend his point-scoring streak to 14 games, a career-high, with his League-leading 29th goal on the season.

    Alex Ovechkin now sits one goal away from having his 14th consecutive season in which he has scored at least 30 goals in a season.

     

    Rasums Dahlin, last June’s number one overall pick, became the fifth different rookie defenceman in Buffalo Sabres history to record at least three points in a contest.

     

    https://twitter.com/PR_NHL/status/1074113761626218497

     

    TXHT has your full recap and analysis of the match-up between the Washington Capitals and the Buffalo Sabres at the following page.

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

     

    NASHVILLE 2, New Jersey 1 (SO)

    Nashville Predators Ryan Johansen would seal the winner in the shootout frame to give the Predators a of 22-10-1 (45 pts), moving back the top of the Western Conference standings.

     

    Nashville would also move to a record of 10-0-0 against Eastern Conference opponents during the 2018-19 campaign with the win over the New Jersey Devils.

     

    https://twitter.com/PR_NHL/status/1074157670662373376

     

    COLORADO 6, Dallas 4

     

    In this contest, Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen would become the fifth set of teammates to reach the 50-point plateau since the 1981-1982 season.

     

     

    VANCOUVER 5, Philadelphia 1

    Philadelphia’s lone goal in the contest would be scored by Scott Laughton at 16:29 in the first period to bring the

     

    Meanwhile for the Vancouver Canucks, rookie sensation Elias Pettersson continues to find his way onto to scoring sheet.

    Pettersson has extended an assist and point streak to six games, amassing three goals and nine assists (12 points) and this matches a Vancouver Canucks rookie record for longest assist streak.

     

    The longest assist streak belongs to J.J. Daigneault during the 1984-85 season.

     

    The longest rookie point streak belong to Pavel Bure, who had a point in at least eight straight contests during the 1991-92 season.

     

  • Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers – 15/12/2018 – Game Day Recap

    Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers – 15/12/2018 – Game Day Recap

    Toronto Maple Leafs (21-9-1 41pts) v, Florida Panthers (11-13-6 28 pts)

    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

     

    Tampa Bay:

    Jonathon Huberdeau – Aleksander Barkov – Mike Hoffman

    Evgenii Dadonov – Jared McCann– Anthony Greco

    Dryden Hunt– Denis Malgin – Frank Vatrano

    Troy Brouwer – Juho Lammikko – Colton Sceviour

     

    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:

    Florida Penalty – 10:12 – Keith Yandle, 2 mins for Roughing

    Leafs Penalty – 10:12 – Zach Hyman, 2 mins for Goalie Interference

    Leafs Penalty – 10:12 – Zach Hyman, 2 mins for Roughing

    Florida Goal – 19:56 – Aleksander Barkov (12) from Evgenii Dadonov (16) and Mike Hoffman (15)

    Leafs Penalty – 18:47 – Nazem Kadri (Serving), 2 mins for Too Many Men

     

    End of 1st – TML – 0        FLA – 1

    Shots              8                     10

    Faceoffs     6/12               6/12

    Hits               5                     9

    PP                 0/0                   1/2

     

    Toronto Maple Leafs: 

    Analysis:

    Leafs looked to have jump at the beginning but once again tailed off quickly and looked out of sorts on the ice

    Need to Do:

    Get the offence flowing. Stop Standing still. Cycle the puck stop trying to be fancy.

    Second Period:

    Leafs Penalty – 07:06 – Kasperi Kapanen, 2 mins for Hooking

    Panthers Penalty – 11:56 – MacKenzie Weegar, 4 mins for Cross Checking

    Panthers Penalty – 11:56 – MacKenzie Weegar, 10 mins for Abuse of officials

    Panthers Penalty – 17:10 – Mike Hoffman, 2 mins for Hooking

    Panthers PP Goal– 08:03– Jonathan Huberdeau (9), from Keith Yandle  (24) and Mike Hoffman (16)

     

    End of 2nd – TML – 0          FLA – 2

    Shots              18                    24

    Faceoffs       13/31            18/31

    Hits               9                     18

    PP                 0/3                   2/3

    Analysis:

    Leafs looked sluggish and lack and offensive flair. This is looking to be a long game for Leafs. The Panthers dominated the whole period. Once again the defence looking really bad, but give credit to the Panthers on being aggressive on the defence.

    Need to Do:

    Get the puck out of the zone quick and up the ice. Prolonged puck control in the zone and big guns needs to show up.

    Third Period:

    Leafs Penalty – 01:46 – Mitch Marner, 2 mins for Tripping

    Panthers Penalty – 04:05 – Jayce Hawryluk, 2 mins for Tripping

    Leafs Goal – 10:24– John Tavares (20) from Jake Gardiner (17) and Morgan Rielly (24)

    Leafs Goal – 16:21– Mitch Marner (7) from Nazem Kadri (10) and Nikita Zaitsev (3)

    Panthers Goal – 16:48– Aleksander Barkov (13) from Jake Gardiner (17) and Morgan Rielly (24)

    Leafs Goal – 16:21– Mitch Marner (8) from Morgan Rielly (25) and Jake Gardiner (18)

     

    End of 3rd – TML – 3        FLA– 3

    Shots              32                  32

    Faceoffs     28/56              28/56

    Hits               12                     24

    PP                 0/4                    2/4

    Analysis:

    Leafs showed once again they are never out of a game. Being lead by Mitch Marner’s 2 goals in the third. We head to overtime tied at 3

    OT:

    Panthers Goal – 03:24– Aleksander Barkov (14) from Jonathan Huberdeau (29)

    End of 3rd – TML – 3        FLA– 4

    Shots              32                   32

    Faceoffs     30/59                29/59

    Hits               12                     24

    PP                 0/4                    2/4

     

    Next Up:

    Toronto (21-10-2 44pts) at New Jersey (11-13-6 28pts)

    Florida (12-13-6 30pts) at Buffalo (19-9-4 42pts)

    TORFLA

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

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

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

     

    Game Recap:

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

     

    Lineups:

    Buffalo Sabres:

    Jeff Skinner — Jack Eichel — Sam Reinhart

    Conor Sheary — Casey Mittelstadt — Kyle Okposo

    Tage Thompson — Vladimir Sobotka — Jason Pominville

    Evan Rodrigues — Johan Larsson — Zemgus Girgensons

    Rasmus Dahlin — Zach Bogosian

    Lawrence Pilut — Rasmus Ristolainen

    Nathan Beaulieu — Matt Tennyson

    Carter Hutton

    Linus Ullmark

    Scratched: Remi Elie

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

    Suspended: Patrik Berglund

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Brett Connolly — Lars Eller — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Chandler Stephenson — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Madison Bowey

    Pheonix Copley

    Braden Holtby

    Scratched: Andre Burakovsky, Dmitrij Jaskin, Tyler Lewington

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

     

    First Period:

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

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

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

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

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

     

    End of 1st – BUF – 1       WAS – 2

    Shots              08                10

    Faceoffs         05                12

    Hits               06                  10

    PP                 0/1                 0/1

     

    Analysis:

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

     

    Need to Do:

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

     

    Second Period:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

     

    End of 2nd – BUF – 3        WAS – 3

    Shots               17                 25

    Faceoffs          19                 21

    Hits                 13                  19

    PP                   2/3                  0/3

     

    Analysis:

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

     

    Need to Do:

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

     

    Third Period:

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

     

    End of 3rd – BUF – 3         WAS – 3

    Shots              21                   35

    Faceoffs        25                    30

    Hits               16                     30

    PP                 2/3                    0/4

     

    OT:

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

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

     

    End of OT – BUF – 3         WAS – 3

    Shots              28                   38

    Faceoffs        27                    31

    Hits               16                     32

    PP                 2/3                    0/4

     

    Shootout:

    WAS – TJ Oshie – Save

    BUF – Jack Eichel – Miss

    WAS – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Goal

    BUF – Tage Thompson – Save

    WAS – Nicklas Backstrom – Miss

    BUF – Casey Mittelstadt – Goal

    WAS – Alex Ovechkin – Goal

    BUR – Jason Pominville – Save

     

    End of SO – BUF 3     WAS 4

     

    Analysis:

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

     

    Next Up:

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

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

  • Report: Andre Burakovsky on the Trade Block?

    Report: Andre Burakovsky on the Trade Block?

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

    *Featured Graphic by Washington Capitals Twitter

  • TXHT’s Official* 2021 Seattle Expansion Mock Draft

    TXHT’s Official* 2021 Seattle Expansion Mock Draft

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

     

    So who will they take in this expansion draft?

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

     

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

     

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

  • December 15th, 2018 — News and Notes

    December 15th, 2018 — News and Notes

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

     

    There were eight contests in action yesterday.

     

    NEW JERSEY 5, Vegas 4 (OT)

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

     

     

    Arizona 4, NY RANGERS 3 (OT)

     

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

     

     

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

     

     

    PITTSBURGH 5, Boston 3

     

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

     

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

     

     

     

    Ottawa 4, DETROIT 2

     

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

     

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

     

     

    Washington 6, CAROLINA 5 (OT)

     

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

     

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

     

     

     

     

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

     

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

     

     

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

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

     

    ST. LOUIS 4, Colorado 3 (OT)

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

     

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

     

     

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

     

     

    Winnipeg 4, CHICAGO 3 (OT)

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

     

     

     

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

     

    EDMONTON 4, Philadelphia 1

     

     

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

     

     

    Today’s schedule of NHL games…

     

     

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

     

     

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

     

    In NHL news…

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

     

     

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