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Tag: Washington Capitals

  • TXHT Podcast 2018-19 Season Finale

    TXHT Podcast 2018-19 Season Finale

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

     

    Part 1:

     

    Michael is joined by Russell Hartman and Aryan Weisenfeld as they talk about the St. Louis Blues, playing with injuries, the 2019 NHL Draft, and some rambling amongst friends.

     

    Part 2:

     

    For our final part of the 2018-19 Season Finale for the TXHT Podcast Michael is joined by Nate Oliver as they talk Women’s Hockey and the crazy offseason that it has had this Spring/Summer.

     

    The TXHT Podcast will be returning in September.

     

    This week’s episode was recorded on Tuesday June 25th, and Tuesday July 2nd, 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.

  • Trade News: Capitals Trade Burakovsky to the Avalanche

    Trade News: Capitals Trade Burakovsky to the Avalanche

    Today in NHL news the Washington Capitals have traded forward and Restricted Free Agent (RFA) Andre Burakovsky to the Colorado Avalanche for Colorado’s second round pick in 2020, Arizona’s third round pick in 2020 (previously acquired by Colorado in the Carl Soderberg trade earlier this week), and minor league forward Scott Kosmachuk.

     

    For both the Capitals and Burakovsky this has been a long time coming and is best for both parties. While the Capitals have been patient in working with Burakovsky and his development, that patience has run out as Burakovsky has never been able to bring consistency to his game which has resulted in being healthy scracthed at times to have the message sent to him that he can be better.

     

    Also for Burakovsky a fresh start somewhere else was also needed. He will have an opportunity to grow his game in a new atmosphere with a team that is hungry to win in the Avalanche. Plus the idea of Andre Burakovsky with the likes of a Gabriel Landeskog or Nathan MacKinnon doesn’t sound bad either.

     

    Now in return for the Capitals they were able to receive two draft picks in next year’s draft, as well as minor leaguer Scott Kosmachuk who will be a free agent on July 1st. the Capitals also freed up Cap Space going into Free Agency so they can re-sign some key players and see what other additions could be possibly out there to sign.

     

    For a trade that should have done months ago, it has finally happened. Both parties benefit from this trade, and that’s why this trade is good solid one for the Capitals and Avalanche.

  • Brooks Orpik Announces Retirement After 15 Seasons

    Brooks Orpik Announces Retirement After 15 Seasons

    Today Washington  Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik announced his retirement after playing for 15 seasons.

     

    Orpik, who was drafted 18th overall in 2000 by the Pittsburgh Penguins, would spend the first 10 seasons of his career with the Penguins before signing with the Capitals on July 1st, 2014 to a five year contract.

     

    With both the Penguins and Capitals Orpik would capture two Stanley Cups, the first coming in 2009 with Pittsburgh when they defeated the Detroit Red Wings in seven games. Then with the Capitals in 2018 when they defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.

     

    On the International stage, Orpik represented the United States on multiple occasions, including the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2000, the 2006 IIHF World Hockey Championship as well as the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympic Games. Orpik was a key defender on the 2010 US Olympic Team as they would win silver in Vancouver that year.

     

    Statement from the Washington Capitals: 

    “On behalf of the entire Washington Capitals organization, we would like to congratulate Brooks on a terrific NHL career. Throughout his tenure in the league, Brooks epitomized leadership and hard work. He had a tremendous influence on his teammates both on and off the ice and was instrumental in helping us capture our first Stanley Cup. We thank Brooks for the impact he had across the organization and the Washington, D.C., community over the course of five seasons and wish him, his wife Erin, and daughters Harlow and Brooklyn all the best.”

     

    Orpik’s impact in Washington was felt by all, and the love and support from his teammates was evident as some of his teammates had the following to say about him.

     

    Alex Ovechkin

    “Batya was a great leader in our locker room and was so important for us to win our first Stanley Cup. We will miss his presence in the room and on the ice. Not only was he a great leader and a player, but he was a better person. I’m so happy I had a chance to play with him and for our young guys to have had the chance to learn from him. I want to wish him, Erin and his kids the best. We will miss him and the Batya protein shakes!”

     

    Nicklas Backstrom

    “Brooks was one of the best leaders I’ve had the chance to play with in my career. It is difficult to find a better teammate, and a player who worked harder and enjoyed the game as much as Brooks. We all learned from Brooks and he made his teammates better every day. It was a pleasure playing with him and I wish him and his family all the best.”

     

    John Carlson

    “I had the great opportunity to see up close how impactful Brooks was for our team. Spending time as his defensive partner and playing alongside Brooks was something that I will always cherish. He showed his teammates the importance of hard work, accountability and always being there for your team every time he stepped on the ice. We all learned from Brooks; he was our role model and he made us better. I wish him and his family all the best!”

     

    We here at TXHT would like to congratulate Brooks Orpik on a fantastic NHL career, and that we wish him the best in everything he does in the future.

     

    *Feature Graphic courtesy of the NHLPA

  • Capitals Announce 2019-20 Preseason Schedule

    Capitals Announce 2019-20 Preseason Schedule

    Today the Washington Capitals have announced their 2019-20 Preseason Schedule which will feature six games against three opponents.

     

    The Capitals will take on the Chicago Blackhawks, 2019 First Round rival Carolina Hurricanes, and the 2019 Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues. For the Blackhawks they will be looking to continue thier turnaround under first time head coach Jeremy Colliton who went 30-28-9 in 67 games after taking over for Joel Quenneville last season.

     

    Then there is the Carolina Hurricanes who will be looking to build upon their exciting 2018-19 season that saw them reach the Eastern Conference Finals, only to be swept by the Boston Bruins. The Hurricanes will be the only Eastern Conference test the Capitals will have in the preseason.

     

    Lastly, the Capitals will be facing the newly crowned champion Blues in what will be the two most interesting games of the preseason given the what we have gotten the last two preseasons between these two teams. In a preview of the last two Stanley Cup Champions, there will now be some added value to seeing what both teams could look like going into the 2019-20 Regular Season.

     

    The 2019-20 Preseason is very far away, but is a good reminder of what is coming up next.

  • Capitals News: Hagelin Re-signs for 4 years $11 million

    Capitals News: Hagelin Re-signs for 4 years $11 million

    On Sunday June 16th the Washington Capitals announced that they have re-signed forward Carl Hagelin for four years and $11 million that has an AAV of $2.75 million per season.

     

    Hagelin, who was aquired from the Los Angeles Kings near the trade deadline, recorded 3 goals and 8 assists for 11 points in 20 games with the Capitals last season. Before coming to the Capitals Hagelin combined for eight points with both Los Angeles (1g, 4a in 22 games) and the Pittsburgh Penguins (1g, 2a in 16 games), and upon his arrival in the Nation’s Capital Hagelin averaged 2:21 minutes per game on the penalty kill, which was first amongst forwards for the Capitals since his debut on February 23rd.

     

    Now to take a look at where you could slot Carl Hagelin in the Capitals lineup next season. Now right now looking at the Capitals lineup here is what we can expect going into next season:

     

    Alex Ovechkin – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana – Nicklas Backstrom – TJ Oshie

    Carl Hagelin – Lars Eller – ???

    Travis Boyd – Nic Dowd – Chandler Stephenson

     

    For now it would make sense to have Hagelin on the third line with Lars Eller as that is the line that will need the most looking at right now given how it is expected that Devante Smith-Pelly will not be with the Capitals next season, and there is a chance the Capitals could let Brett Connolly go to free agency to test the market which means we could be seeing some new faces get opportunities to crack the Capitals 2019-20 lineup. I personally only see two players getting a true opportunity at taking that last open spot and the extra forward roster spot and that is Riley Barber and Shane Gersich. Barber has proven in the AHL with the Hershey Bears that he is a goal scorer and he deserves a legitimate chance at the NHL level. Then with Shane Gersich, he has had a taste of the NHL level, especially in the playoffs during the Cup run, and is a speedy player that has a very hard work ethic and a promising NHL career ahead of him. With that said I could see one of two potential lineups for next season:

     

    Option 1:

    Alex Ovechkin – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana – Nicklas Backstrom – TJ Oshie

    Carl Hagelin – Lars Eller – Riley Barber

    Travis Boyd – Nic Dowd – Chandler Stephenson

    Shane Gersich

     

    Option 2:

    Alex Ovechkin – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana – Nicklas Backstrom – TJ Oshie

    Carl Hagelin – Lars Eller – Riley Barber

    Travis Boyd – Nic Dowd – Shane Gersich

    Chandler Stephenson

     

    Now with both options that I see for the Capitals they both have Barber on the third line, but on the fourth line I could see Gersich and Chandler Stephenson switching off and on for the fourth line, but this is a conversation when we get closer to September once we see what other trades and signings General Manager Brian MacLellan may do in the coming months leading up to Training Camp.

     

    As for Hagelin, I see him starting the season on the third line. Him and Eller created some really good chemistry in the short time Hagelin was here in Washington. Now with a contract extension taken care of, their chemistry can continue to grow. However, on the same token Hagelin was also utilized on the other three lines, and just like with Tom Wilson, was able to breathe life into whatever line he was placed on so Hagelin is a true utility player that will can be used anywhere in the lineup.

     

    Overall this signing was a very good one for the Capitals and for Hagelin. The AAV is very generous, and allows the Capitals more Cap flexibility going into next season. Plus it gives the Capitals a player that they can utilize in multiple parts of their lineup, and one they are familiar with, and not one they have to teach the system to and start from scratch.

  • NHL Trade News – Capitals Trade Niskanen to Philadelphia for Gudas

    NHL Trade News – Capitals Trade Niskanen to Philadelphia for Gudas

    Today in NHL news the Washington Capitals have traded veteran defenseman Matt Niskanen to the Philadelphia Flyers for defenseman Radko Gudas.

    This trade comes at a time where the Capitals are looking to shed some salary going into the offseason so they can re-sign players and take a look at who they may have interest in going into July 1st with free agency opening up.

     

    For the Capitals they send Niskanen to Philadelphia with two years left on his contract with an AAV of $5.75 million, and in return receive Gudas who has one year left on his deal with an AAV of $3.35 million, but as part of the trade the Flyers retain 30% of his salary which would shed $1.005 million from his cap hit helping the Capitals clear $3.405 million in cap space with this trade.

     

    Now looking at this trade in-depth a little bit more outside of contracts and salary cap space, we take a look at what both players bring to the table for their new respective teams starting off with Matt Niskanen going to the Flyers.

     

    Now with Niskanen going to the Flyers, he will add a veteran presence on the blue line that will help elevate their very young core that features Shayne Gostisbehere, Robert Hagg, Ivan Provorov, Travis Sanheim, and Sam Morin, all of which are players born no earlier than 1993 (Average age is 24 years old amongst the five defensemen). Niskanen having won the Stanley Cup in 2018 with the Capitals will bring valued knowledge and experience to the Flyers dressing room as well, and will be used to help mentor the young defense on how to handle those high pressure situations. So for the Flyers, getting a skilled veteran defenseman who has a Cup is very valuable to this young team. Plus as Niskanen admitted in his conference call today, he may not be a number one defenseman anymore, but he sees himself as a really good support piece for the Flyers, and that he can still play top four minutes.

     

    Now for the Washington Capitals and the addition of Radko Gudas, they are picking up a solid defensive defenseman that was single handedly the Flyers best defenseman all season long. With Gudas you’re going to get a lot of grit and a lot of hits. Some of which has landed Gudas in trouble with NHL Player Safety, but overall Gudas will be a really good fit for the Capitals. Having just turned 29 on June 5th, Gudas is younger than Niskanen, 32 turning 33 in December, and can step in and play those top four minutes that Niskanen was playing for the Capitals. Also with the pending departure/retirement of veteran defenseman Brooks Orpik, it is more logical to see Gudas taking Orpik’s place in the lineup over Niskanen’s which some could say was taken care of with the Nick Jensen trade and signing right before the trade deadline.

     

    So if we look at the Capitals defensive pairings, this is what they looked like before Michal Kempny’s leg injury:

     

    John Carlson – Michal Kempney

    Dmitry Orlov – Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik – Nick Jensen

     

    With Jonas Siegenthaler and Christian Djoss as spare defensemen, we would see Djoos fall out of favor during the playoffs and Siegenthaler rise during the regular season and again during the 3 games he played in the playoffs. Now with that said, here is what we could see next season for the Capitals defense pairings:

     

    John Carlson – Michal Kempny

    Radko Gudas – Dmitri Orlov

    Nick Jensen – Jonas Siegenthaler

    Christian Djoos

     

    Djoos in my opinion would start the season as the seventh defenseman with Siegenthaler starting the season on the third pairing with Jensen. Now with that said I could easily see Gudas and Jensen flipping spots in the lineup pending on who they are playing or how one of them is performing over the other. Plus we have to put into factor about Kempny and how he will be once he returns from his leg injury, so that will play a factor into things as well. Also Gudas is a guy who we can put onto our penalty killing unit in Orpik’s place given how he plays with that same style as Orpik, and know that he can be relied on in that aspect of the game.

     

    Overall when I look at this trade that swaps Niskanen with Gudas, it makes a lot of sense in several aspects both on and off the ice. The Capitals get some cap space relief, while also getting a solid defensive defensman in Gudas, and at the same time the Flyers get a Stanley cup champion who can help elevate their young defensive core and take them to the next level. So overall a solid trade for both teams.

     

    And lastly to end this piece, the Capitals said it best on Twitter today:

     

  • TXHT Post Mortem – A Caps Fan’s Point of View

    TXHT Post Mortem – A Caps Fan’s Point of View

    With the Washington Capitals 2018-19 season over, there are a lot of opinions about the team, but we here at TXHT look to our good friend John Chick who wrote an amazing Post Mortem to this season.

     

    John, the floor is yours good sir…

     

    Here’s my post-mortem, for what it’s worth:

    1. Despite the sudden crowning of Barry Trotz as hockey’s version of Bill Belichick, he was one game away from being fired last year as the Caps coach. Reirden’s Caps won their division, so if it’s time to fire Reirden, then John Cooper in Tampa should’ve already been fired, along with Vegas’ coach. I loved Trotz, but let’s do a little deeper analysis than “Fire the Coach”, which seems to be the social media norm.

    2. For whatever reason, the Caps forgot how to win in the playoffs, choosing the ‘fancy’ goals over the dirty goals. Carolina had 3 players funneling to the net on every shot. The Caps usually chose not to shoot, and when they did, they rarely had more than one player anywhere near the net.

    3. The Caps also reverted to the old form of having the stars perform well enough to win, and the rest of the team serving as spectators. They won the Cup last year specifically because all four lines contributed, so opponents couldn’t just concern themselves with shutting down the first line.

    4. Losing Kempny was big. What I liked about him most is that he wouldn’t hesitate to shoot, so while he wasn’t at the same level as Nate Schmidt, he was equivalent. Nick Jensen doesn’t shoot, so we essentially have one defenseman who can (or more importantly)/will shoot. Having a big shot like Carlson isn’t even necessary – just put it on net.

    5. The slingshot – doesn’t work. They also used to place Oshie or someone else right in the slot on the PP which gave it another wrinkle and made the defense lay off Ovie. No idea why they tried to fix something that wasn’t broken.

    6. And finally – The Caps are the 2018 Stanley Cup Champions – something I thought I’d never live to see. They get a pass from me for getting bounced in the first round by what turned out to be a good team.

     

    John is a good friend of Michael, Aryan, and Chris.

     

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

  • Game Recap – 1st Rd. Game 7 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 1st Rd. Game 7 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Series Tied 3-3

     

    Game Recap:

    Heading into the dreaded Game 7, both the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes head into Capital One Arena looking to finish the series with win, and move on to face the idle New York Islanders. To start the game the Capitals would force the play in the Hurricanes which would see Andre Burakovsky forc2 Brett Pesce to cough up the puck and Burakovsky would skate into the slot and rip the puck past Petr Mrazek to make it 1-0 less than three minutes into the game. Then it would be a highly motivated Alex Ovechkin undressing Dougie Hamilton while entering the zone, and Ovechkin would then feed Tom Wilson who would one time it past Mrazek to make it 2-0.

     

    Going into the second period both teams looked to swing the momentum their way, and for a good portion of the period the Capitals would force the play, however, while on the lone powerplay the Capitals would cough it up and Sebastian Aho would get it past Braden Holtby to cut the lead to one. But the Capitals would get their two goal lead back as Evgeny Kuznetsov and Carl Hagelin would team up to give Kuznetsov his first goal of the playoffs, but that too would be short lived as Teuvo Teravainen would get the loose puck in the slot and rip it past Holtby to make it 3-2 Capitals going into the second intermission.

     

    Heading into the third period it would be the Hurricanes buildimg upom the momentum they gained in the second period as less than three minutes into the third frame Jordan Staal would streak down the wing and let go of a beautiful wrist shot past Holtby to tie the game at three. After a lot of back and forth in thebperiod, the game would remained tied after 60 minutes of play.

     

    In the first overtime period of the game it would be all Hurricanes as they dictated the pace of the period and held the Capitals without a shot through the first half of the overtime period. However, the Capitals would escape the first overtime period.

     

    Then in double overtime the Hurricanes would continue their dominant play against the Capitals, and after killing a delay of game penalty it would be Mr. Game 7 himself Justin Williams throwing it on net where Brock McGinn would tip it in past Holtby to win the game and the series 4-3.

     

    Lineups:

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Nino Niederreiter — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen

    Brock McGinn — Jordan Staal — Justin Williams

    Warren Foegele — Lucas Wallmark — Jordan Martinook

    Saku Maenalanen — 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)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — Tom Wilson

    Carl Hagelin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Jakub Vrana

    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, Parker Milner

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

     

    First Period:

    Capitals Goal – 2:13 – Andre Burakovsky (1) from unassisted

    Capitals Goal – 6:23 – Tom Wilson (3) from Alex Ovechkin (5) and Dmitry Orlov (3)

    Hurricanes Penalty – 13:39 – Greg McKegg 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals Penalty – 16:58 – Nicklas Backstrom 2 minutes for Interference

     

    End of 1st – CAR – 0       WAS – 2

    Shots              11                10

    Faceoffs         12                17

    Hits               15                  10

    PP                 0/1                 0/1

     

    Second Period:

    Hurricanes Penalty – 8:35 – Jordan Martinook 2 minutes for Tripping

    Hurricanes SHG – 9:51 – Sebastian Aho (2) from Brett Pesce (2) and Jaccob Slavin (7)

    Capitals Goal – 13:22 – Evgeny Kuznetsov (1) from Carl Hagelin (1)

    Hurricanes Goal – 16:37 – Teuvo Teravainen (3) from Brett Pesce (3) and Brock McGinn (3)

     

    End of 2nd – CAR – 2        WAS – 3

    Shots               19                 19

    Faceoffs          18                 27

    Hits                 30                  21

    PP                   0/1                  0/2

     

    Third Period:

    Hurricanes Goal – 2:56 – Jordan Staal (3) from Jaccob Slavin (8)

     

    End of 3rd – CAR – 3         WAS – 3

    Shots              24                   31

    Faceoffs        22                    31

    Hits               42                     29

    PP                 0/1                    0/2

     

    Overtime:

    N/A

     

    End of OT – CAR – 3         WAS – 3

    Shots              35                   35

    Faceoffs        30                    45

    Hits               51                     40

    PP                 0/1                    0/2

     

    Double Overtime:

    Hurricanes Penalty – 2:02 – Saku Maenalanen 2 minutes for Delay of Game

    Hurricanes Goal – 11:05 – Brock McGinn (2) from Justin Williams (3) and Jaccob Slavin (9)

     

    End of 2OT – CAR – 4         WAS – 3

    Shots              42                   37

    Faceoffs        33                    47

    Hits               60                     43

    PP                 0/1                    0/3

     

    Next Up:

    Carolina Wins Series 4-3

    2nd Round v. NY Islanders

     

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

  • April 23rd, 2019 — News and Notes

    April 23rd, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Tuesday, April 23rd, 2019, and these are your notes.

     

    There were two games in action yesterday.

     

    CAROLINA 5, Washington 2 (Series is tied at 3-3)

     

    Game 6. 3-3 Tie

     

    The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Washington Capitals yesterday to tie this series 3-3 with the win or go home game taking place tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m., ET at Capital One Arena.

     

    Michael Lindenbaum has your full recap of the contest between the Capitals and Hurricanes here.

     

    DALLAS 2, Nashville 1 (OT) (Dallas wins series 4-2)

     

    The Dallas Stars would defeat the Nashville Predators last night 2-1 in overtime to win the series and the Stars will now go on to face the St. Louis Blues in the second round.

     

    Dickson Kendrick has your full recap of the contest between the Predators and the Stars here.

     

    Today’s schedule of games:

     

    *Note: All images are the property of the NHL, NHL Public Relations, and their respective owners unless otherwise noted.

     

    For more news, notes, information, and stats, check out the NHL’s Morning Skate report at the following link.

     

     

    For TXHT’s extensive 2019 Stanley Cup playoff coverage, please go to txhthockey.com/2019-nhl-playoffs/

  • Game Recap – 1st Rd. Game 6 – Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

    Game Recap – 1st Rd. Game 6 – Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

    Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

    Capitals Lead 3-2

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals enter Game 6 looking to earn their first road win of the postseason as they also look to close out their series against the Hurricanes in Carolina. The Capitals would not need long as Brett Connolly would net his second of the playoffs when he would recieve a behind the night pass from Lars Eller, and Connolly would move to the front of the net area and roof over Petr Mrazek’s glove to make it 1-0. Then after a failed powerplay attempt, the Hurricanes would take advantage of a bad line change by the Capitals as Warren Foegele would score his fourth of the playoffs to tie the game at one. However, the Capitals would regaim the lead as Alex Ovechkin would dangle past a sliding Jaccob Slavin then rip the puck past Mrazek to make it 2-1 going into the second intermission.

     

    Going into the second period the Hurricanes would force the play in the Capitals zone, and after slashing Jonas Siegenthaler in the hands Sebastian Aho would do a nice dish to Teuvo Teravainen who would score his second of the playoffs to tie the game at two. As the period went on the Capitals would get two powerplay opportunities, but poor entry decisions would cost the Capitals on both powerplays.

     

    In the third period the Capitals would try to force the rush, but the Hurricanes would suffocate the Capitals and with the puck bouncing around in the slot area Jordan Staal would get the puck past Bradem Holtby to give the Hurricanes the lead for the first time in this game and also create the first lead change all season. Then the Capitals wouldvforce some good pressure to where they thought they scored, however, the goal would be waved off due to Alex Ovechkin’s contact with Petr Mrazek that pushed the puck in the net. Shortly after Justin Williams would tip a point shot from Brett Pesce past Braden Holtby to increase their lead to 4-2. Then on a very moronic decision by head coach Todd Reirden, Dougie Hamilton would score an empty net goal to ice this game and force a Game 7 with a 5-2 victory.

     

    Lineups:

    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, Parker Milner

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

     

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Nino Niederreiter — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen

    Brock McGinn — Jordan Staal — Justin Williams

    Warren Foegele — Lucas Wallmark — Jordan Martinook

    Saku Maenalanen — 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, Clark Bishop

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

     

    First Period:

    Capitals Goal – 5:06 – Brett Connolly (2) from Lars Eller (2) and Andre Burakovsky (1)

    Capitals Penalty – 8:30 – Nic Dowd 2 minutes for Hooking

    Hurricanes Goal – 10:35 – Warren Foegele (4) from Dougie Hamilton (3) and Jaccob Slavin (6)

    Capitals Goal – 15:12 – Alex Ovechkin (4) from Dmitry Orlov (3) and Matt Niskanen (2)

     

    End of 1st – WAS – 2       CAR – 1

    Shots              07                15

    Faceoffs         11                14

    Hits               18                  20

    PP                 0/0                 0/1

     

    Second Period:

    Hurricanes Goal – 1:56 – Teuvo Teravainen (2) from Sebastian Aho (3)

    Capitals Penalty – 2:36 – Tom Wilson 2 minutes for Slashing

    Hurricanes Penalty – 7:58 – Justin Williams 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Hurricanes Penalty – 15:36 – Nino Niederreiter 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Hurricanes Penalty – 19:29 – Jordan Martinook 2 minutes for Holding

    Capitals Penalty – 19:29 – Dmitry Orlov 2 minutes for Unsportsmanlike Conduct

     

    End of 2nd – WAS – 2        CAR – 2

    Shots               13                 24

    Faceoffs          17                 26

    Hits                 37                  30

    PP                   0/2                  0/2

     

    Third Period:

    Hurricanes Goal – 3:51 – Jordan Staal (2) from Brock McGinn (2) and Justin Faulk (3)

    Capitals Penalty – 6:15 – Chandler Stephenson 2 minutes for Tripping

    https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1120502427227127809?s=19

    Hurricanes Goal – 11:58 – Justin Williams (1) from Brett Pesce (1) and Jordan Staal (3)

    Hurricanes ENG – 16:54 – Dougie Hamilton (3) from Jordan Martinook (2)

    Capitals Penalty – 18:52 – Alex Ovechkin 2 minutes for Slashing

    Capitals Penalty – 18:52 – Alex Ovechkin – Misconduct

     

    End of 3rd – WAS – 2         CAR – 5

    Shots              25                   36

    Faceoffs        28                    38

    Hits               45                     38

    PP                 0/2                    0/4

     

    Next Up:

    Game Seven – Series Tied 3-3

     

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