X75 Productions

Tag: Washington Capitals

  • March 30th, 2019 — News and Notes

    March 30th, 2019 — News and Notes

    After a lengthy absence, today is Saturday, March 30th, 2019, and these are your news and notes from yesterday.

     

    There were six NHL games yesterday.


    *Image is the property of the NHL, NHL Public Relations, and their respective owners

     

    Yesterday’s Results (Home team is in CAPS):

     

    NY RANGERS 4, St. Louis 2

    The New York Rangers would take down the St. Louis Blues with the 4-2 win last night.

     

    Despite the Blues loss, St. Louis has reached the Stanley Cup playoffs for the seventh time in eight seasons.

    Per the NHL, St. Louis is now the 35th team in NHL history to reach the postseason after being last in the overall league standings at the 20th game played.

     

    Nashville 3, PITTSBURGH 1

     

    Highlights for the Nashville Predators at the Pittsburgh Penguins

     

     

    Infographic for the Pittsburgh Penguins game from the 3-1 loss to the Nashville Predators

     

     

    DETROIT 4, New Jersey 0

     

     

    The Detroit Red Wings shutout the New Jersey Devils yesterday with a 4-0 win last night.

     

     

    COLORADO 3, Arizona 2 (SO)

    The Colorado Avalanche would take down the Arizona Coyotes by the score of 3-2 in the shootout frame yesterday.  The win for Colorado puts them at 3 points ahead of the Coyotes for the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference playoff picture.

     

    With the win by the Avalanche, goaltender Philipp Grubauer is now 6-0-1 in his last seven consecutive starts and would reach a career high with 17 wins on the season.

     

     

    CALGARY 6, Anaheim 1

     

    Calgary’s Sean Monahan led all Flames skaters last night with two goals and two assists to establish a new career high with his 32nd and 33rd goal on the season.

     

     

    The infographic for the Calgary Flames 6-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks last night in Calgary.

     

     

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1111837462928613376

     

    Minnesota 3, VEGAS 2

     

    The Minnesota Wild would take down the Vegas Golden Knights with the 3-2 win.

     

     

    Minnesota’s goaltender Devan Dubnyk would reach the 30 win mark for the fifth consecutive season with the win last night.

    https://twitter.com/PR_NHL/status/1111862773707874304

     

    Despite the loss, the Vegas Golden Knights will return to the Stanley Cup playoffs.

     

     

     

     

    Today’s NHL Schedule of Games:


    *Image is the property of the NHL, NHL Public Relations, and their respective owners

     

    5802__stanley_cup_playoffs-wordmark-2019
    *Image is the property of the NHL and their respective owners

     

    Today’s NHL playoff clinching scenarios are as follows:

    -Toronto will clinch a playoff berth if they get at least a point against the Ottawa Senators OR if the Montreal Canadiens lose to the Winnipeg Jets

    -The New York Islanders will clinch a playoff berth with the following scenarios:

    • They get a win over the Buffalo Sabres OR
    • They get a point AND Montreal loses OR
    • Montreal loses in regulation

     

    -The Calgary Flames, who are not playing tonight, will clinch:

    • The Pacific Division if the San Jose Sharks lose to Vegas Golden Knights in regulation
    • The Western Conference if the San Jose Sharks lose AND the Winnipeg Jets also lose

    -The Dallas Stars will clinch a berth in the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs if they defeat the Vancouver Canucks

  • Game Recap – 3/28/2019 – Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

    Game Recap – 3/28/2019 – Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

    Washington Capitals (46-24-8 100pts) v. Carolina Hurricane (42-28-7 91pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals tonight conclude their season series against the Carolina Hurricanes on the road at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina.  Each teams traded goals in the first period.  Goals were scored by Nino Niedereitter of the Hurricanes and Brett Connolly of the Capitals.  The first period would end with both teams 1-1.

     

    In the second period, we did not see much action until the 12:30 mark when Warren Foegel scored a highlight reel worthy goal to take the lead for the Hurricanes.  The Capitals would have an opportunity on the power play later on in the period but were unable to convert.  After two periods, the Hurricanes would take a 2-1 lead going into the third period.

     

    Period three saw a lot of action as each team traded scoring chances.  The Capitals would tie it up early in the period at the 1:35 mark on a Jakub Vrana goal.  At the 15:04 mark, the Capitals would take the lead on a Nic Dowd goal which was deflected in front of the net on a Nic Jensen shot.  The Hurricanes came close to tying the game towards the end but, the Capitals were able to hold on and get the victory with the final score being 3-2.  As a result of tonight’s victory over the Hurricanes, the Capitals officially clinched a playoff spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  The Capitals continue their road trip on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Forwards

    Alex Ovechkin- Nicklas Backstrom- Tom Wilson

    Carl Hagelin- Evgeny Kuznetsov- Andre Burakovsky

    Jakub Vrana- Lars Eller- Brett Connolly

    Chandler Stephenson- Nic Dowd- Travis Boyd

    Defenseman

    Christian Djoos – John Carlson

    Dmitri Orlov – Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik – Nic Jensen

    Goalies:

    Starter- Braden Holtby

    Backup- Phoenix Copley

    Scratches:

    Dmitry Jaskin, TJ Oshie (illness), Jonas Siegenthaler

    Injury: Michal Kempny (lower body)

     

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Forwards

    Nino Niedereiter- Sebastian Aho- Justin Williams

    Andre Svechnikov- Jordan Staal- Teuvo Terravainen

    Michael Ferlund- Lucas Wallmark- Jordan Martinook

    Warren Foegele – Greg McKegg- Brock McGinn

    Defenseman

    Jacob Slavin – Dougie Hamilton

    Brett Pesce – Justin Faulk

    Calvin de Haan – Trevor van Riemsdyk

    Goalies

    Starter- Curtis McElhinney

    Backup- Petr Mrazek

    Scratches: Saku Maenalanen

     

    First Period:

    Carolina Goal-4:31- Nino Niedereiter (22) assisted by Justin Williams (28) & Sebastian Aho (51)

    Washington Goal-5:13- Brett Connolly (22) asssited by Brooks Orpik (7)

     

    End of 1st – WAS – 1      CAR – 1

    Shots              7                    5

    Faceoffs         7/16                9/16

    Hits                6                    10

    PP                 0/0                 0/0

     

    Second Period:

    Carolina Goal-12:30- Warren Foegele (8) assisted by Justin Faulk (24) & Brett Pesce (20)

    Carolina Penalty-16:01- Justin Williams 2 minutes for tripping

     

    End of 2nd – WAS – 1       CAR- 2

    Shots               16                    16

    Faceoffs          10/31             21/31

    Hits                 10                  20

    PP                   0/1                  0/0

     

    Third Period:

    Washington Goal-1:35- Jakub Vrana (23) assisted by Evgeny Kuznetsov (49) & Christian Djoos (8)

    Washington Goal-15:04- Nic Dowd (7) assisted by Nic Jensen (17)

    Washington Penalty-15:45- Brooks Orpik 2 minutes for tripping

     

    End of 3rd – WAS – 3         CAR – 2

    Shots              20                     26

    Faceoffs        18/46              28/46

    Hits               19                     25

    PP                 0/1                    0/1

     

    Next Up:

    Washington Capitals (45-24-8 98pts) v.s. Tampa Bay Lightning (59-14-4 122pts)

    Carolina Hurricanes (42-28-7 91pts) v.s. Philadelphia Flyers (37-32-8 82pts)

  • TXHT Opinion – Gambling and the Issues it WILL Bring

    TXHT Opinion – Gambling and the Issues it WILL Bring

    So I’ve been holding off on this because this is a topic I have not wanted to tackle, but with the continued poor decisions by the National Hockey League and now the Washington Capitals I feel that now is the best time to talk about it.

     

    Today Capitals owner Ted Leonsis announced that the Green Turtle at Capital One Arena would be getting replaced with a sportsbook for sports gambling. I for one think that this is a disgrace and I’m disgusted that Leonsis even considered doing this in the first place.

     

    Now according to the release you will be able to place your bets outside of the arena, and inside depending on the sport taking place that night, whatever that means as it’s not very clear what sports will not allow gambling in the arena. In the release Leonsis also states that there will be an operator in place to create distance from the gambling venue and Monumental Sports and Entertainment ownership. But let’s be honest, you just added gambling to your venue. You really think that an outside operator is really going to make a difference?

     

    Now I am going to be blunt and honest. I’m 100 percent against gambling in all forms, and the fact that the Capitals do a Casino Night every season makes me sick, and now adding a sportsbook to Capital One Arena is even more sickening. I had a family member who had a gambling addiction, and from what both of my parents told me that if it weren’t for constant interventions the issues with his gambling addiction would have been devastating, and from what has happened as a result of his gambling it was really bad.

     

    Also when my mother was growing up in Atlantic City, NJ, she worked at the casinos, and saw first hand what devastation gambling addiction can bring upon people. According to The Oaks at La Paloma approximately 2.6% of the US population has some type of gambling issue. That’s about 10 million people who struggle with gambling addiction.

     

    This issue also adds up to about 6 billion dollars each year which impacts both the US economy and us as citizens. Also did you know that ten States plus the District of Columbia do not offer any publicly funded gambling assistance programs (2016-PG-Services-Survey-Executive-Summary)?

     

    So Mr. Leonsis I have a series of questions to ask you sir, and starting off with the big one. Are you prepared for when things do get devastatingly bad? Are you prepared for when people who have gambling addictions hit rock bottom and that patrons are being victimized by the scalpers who will gladly by the tickets off of someone so they could feed their addiction? What are you going to do to help bring awareness to the dangers of gambling?

     

    But most importantly good sir, how are you going to keep it away from the game so it doesn’t drive the people who are there for the game, and only the game?

     

    When I come to Capital One Arena, I’m there for the Capitals and the game that they play. I don’t want to be pestered with the gambling nonsense, and if you can’t keep it away from the game, then I just won’t come anymore. Plain and simple. Which is a shame because I’d rather be at a hockey game in person, than watch it on tv.

     

    Mr. Leonsis, the door is open for a conversation, and I’m more than willing to sit down with you to discuss this topic with you. So I invite you to have one with me. Will you accept?

  • Game Recap – 3/26/2019 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 3/26/2019 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Carolina Hurricanes (42-26-7 91pts) v. Washington Capitals (44-24-8 96pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    As the Washington Capitals wind down their regular season with the playoffs in the horizon, the Capitals take on prospective first round opponent Carolina Hurricanes in their first game of a back to back with them. The first half of the game would be very fast paced, but then as the period progressed the Capitals would start to break out against the Hurricanes as TJ Oshie would get his 23rd of the season to give the Capitals a 1-0 lead going into the first intermission.

     

    For the second period, you would have another fast paced period that saw the Capitals generate some better scoring chances than they had in the first, but it would be Dougie Hamilton of the Hurricanes who would score while having an extra attacker on the ice during a delayed penalty to tie the game at one.

     

    In the third period it would be the Capitals on the attack against the Hurricanes as the Capitals would regain their lead when Tom Wilson would feed Alex Ovechkin for a one timer to score his 49th of the season. Then it would be John Carlson tipping in a Dmitry Orlov slap pass from the point to give the Capitals a two goal lead. Then to ice the game, Nicklas Backstrom would increase the lead to three as the Capitals defeat the Hurricanes in the first game of their back to back 4-1.

     

    Lineups:

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Nino Niederreiter — Sebastian Aho — Justin Williams

    Andrei Svechnikov — Jordan Staal — Teuvo Teravainen

    Micheal Ferland — Lucas Wallmark — Jordan Martinook

    Brock McGinn — Greg McKegg — Saku Maenalanen

    Jaccob Slavin — Dougie Hamilton

    Brett Pesce — Justin Faulk

    Calvin de Haan — Trevor van Riemsdyk

    Petr Mrazek

    Curtis McElhinney

    Scratched: Warren Foegele

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — Tom Wilson

    Carl Hagelin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Andre Burakovsky — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd

    Christian Djoos — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Nick Jensen

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Chandler Stephenson, Jonas Siegenthaler

    Injured: Michal Kempny (lower body)

     

    First Period:

    Hurricanes Penalty – 10:21 – Sebastoan Aho 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals Goal – 16:29 – TJ Oshie (23) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (46) and Carl Hagelin (12)

     

    End of 1st – CAR – 0       WAS – 1

    Shots              10                10

    Faceoffs         15                07

    Hits               09                  09

    PP                 0/0                 0/1

     

    Second Period:

    Hurricanes Penalty – 8:57 – Petr Mrazek (Justin Williams) 2 minutes for Hooking

    Hurricanes Goal -15:38 – Dougie Hamilton (15) from Justin Williams (27) and Nino Niederreiter (27)

     

    End of 2nd – CAR – 1        WAS – 1

    Shots               17                 21

    Faceoffs          26                 15

    Hits                 14                  13

    PP                   0/0                  0/2

     

    Third Period:

    Capitals Goal – 4:31 – Alex Ovechkin (49) from Tom Wilson (17) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (47)

    Capitals Goal – 11:16 – John Carlson (13) from Dmitry Orlov (25) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (48)

    Capitals ENG – 17:33 – Nicklas Backstrom (19) from Alex Ovechkin (37) and John Carlson (54)

     

    End of 3rd – CAR – 1         WAS – 4

    Shots              27                   28

    Faceoffs        36                    26

    Hits               25                     20

    PP                 0/0                    0/2

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (45-24-8 98pts) @ Carolina (42-27-7 91pts)

  • TXHT Opinions – The Case of Not Going to the White House

    TXHT Opinions – The Case of Not Going to the White House

    With great accomplishments comes great acknowledgments.

     

    With the Washington Capitals Stanley Cup victory last season they earned the greatest accomplishment in their franchise’s 44 year history, however, they won the Stanley Cup during a time that everything around us is very politically charged. For those that try to stay out of politics like we do, you can’t help but know what is going on in the world today thanks to social media and the reach it has. Unfortunately here in the United States we have a President who has been very divisive and hateful and has churned up the political angst around us.

     

    During the Stanley Cup Finals the press asked Capitals forward Devante Smith-Pelly, now with the Hershey Bears, if he would visit the White House to which said he would decline the opportunity to go if given the invitation to attend. After the Stanley Cup was won forward Brett Connolly made it known that he would not attend either as he stood behind Smith-Pelly and respected the decision to not attend the White House if/when invited.

     

    Then late last week it was announced that the Capitals would attend a private ceremony at the White House hosted by President Donald Trump on Monday, March 25th. Many have questioned why so late into the season for this with the Capitals getting ready to start the playoffs in two weeks. Some conspiracy theories have stated because of Smith-Pelly being on the team and because of what has happened with the NFL, NBA, and WNBA these past two years in dealing with this current Presidency that he was the source of the issue, and that the timing of Smith-Pelly’s demotion to Hershey paved the way for this to happen.

     

    However, something that no one expected was on Friday Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby, who is the team’s LGBT-Inclusion Ambassador, announced that he would not be attending the White House ceremony citing that he needs to stick to his moral values, which is something we can all respect.

     

    Now with the knowledge that both Connolly, who doubled down and stated that he will not attend, and Holtby that they will not be attending the White House with the team many on social media have gone on the attack with tweets and Facebook posts lambasting the two. Critizing them for not being American, both Connolly and Holtby are Canadian, or for not wanting to use the opportunity to discuss their differences with the President, which is not the time nor the place to do it when in a push for the playoffs.

     

    Should these issues be discussed and done in an open forum so we can bridge a gap and make progress to a better society? 100% yes we should, but we must always remember that there is a time and a place to do so. Also we must always remember that we live in a country that we have the right to choose what is best for us, no matter whether you agree or disagree with the decision or opinion of the other person.

     

    Both Brett Connolly and Braden Holtby decided that they would not attend the White House ceremony for the Capitals 2018 Stanley Cup victory, and we here at The Xperience: Hockey Talk support both Connolly and Holtby for decision, just as we support the rest of the team for their decision to attend the White House ceremony despite our personal opinions on the matter.

     

    **We will be keeping the comments open for this article, however, if we feel things are getting too toxic we will shut comments down on this specific article.

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

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

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

     

    Game Recap:

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

     

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

     

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

     

    Lineups:

    Philadelphia Flyers:

    Oskar Lindblom — Sean Couturier — Jakub Voracek

    James van Riemsdyk — Nolan Patrick — Claude Giroux

    Michael Raffl — Scott Laughton — Travis Konecny

    Justin Bailey — Corban Knight — Ryan Hartman

    Ivan Provorov — Travis Sanheim

    Shayne Gostisbehere — Philippe Myers

    Robert Hagg — Radko Gudas

    Brian Elliott

    Carter Hart

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

    Injured: Michal Neuvirth (lower body)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — T.J. Oshie

    Carl Hagelin – Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Andre Burakovsky — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd

    Christian Djoos — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Nick Jensen

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Chandler Stephenson, Tyler Lewington

    Injured: Michal Kempny (lower body)

     

    First Period:

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

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

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

     

    End of 1st – PHI – 0       WAS – 1

    Shots              11                11

    Faceoffs         13                04

    Hits               05                  02

    PP                 0/0                 0/2

     

    Second Period:

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

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

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

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

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

     

    End of 2nd – PHI – 1        WAS – 2

    Shots               31                 18

    Faceoffs          25                 14

    Hits                 11                  12

    PP                   1/3                  0/2

     

    Third Period:

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

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

     

    End of 3rd – PHI – 1         WAS – 3

    Shots              36                   30

    Faceoffs        38                    22

    Hits               16                     22

    PP                 1/4                    0/2

     

    Next Up:

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

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

  • Don Cherry Doesn’t Like Fun

    Don Cherry Doesn’t Like Fun

    As everyone knows Hockey Night in Canada is a staple for hockey fans every Saturday night, and not just for the hockey, but for the intermission segments. While we here at TXHT love Saturday Headlines for the insider knowledge that is shared with us, it’s Coach’s Corner featuring Don Cherry that always seems to spark a lot of conversation.

     

    Well Don has done it again to get us talking. This time by going after something that everyone loves to do in hockey, and that’s celebrating… again.

     

    For the third time now, Cherry has gone after Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov for his Kuzy Bird goal celebration that he does for his daughter, but for Don Cherry that makes Kuznetsov a “jerk”, and Cherry made such a claim last night saying it is “Hockey Karma” that the Capitals lost to Tampa Bay on Wednesday night because Kuznetsov pulled out the celebration after tying the game in the final minutes to send it to overtime.

     

    Cherry has also made such claims against the Carolina Hurricanes who have been doing their Storm Surge victory celebrations after the game is over at home, to the entertainment of the fans. Cherry even went as far as calling the Hurricanes a “Bunch of Jerks” which the Hurricanes adopted and made a part of their marketing to the fans delight.

     

    At the end of the day all we can say is this. Don Cherry doesn’t like fun. He thinks everyone has to be “professional” and no one can do professional like the way Canadians can. Anything outside of a fist pump or shake is too much for celebrating goals, and that right there proves that Cherry just doesn’t get it and won’t evolve with the times.

     

    The NHL values entertainment, and that’s what Evgeny Kuznetsov and the Carolina Hurricanes are providing, despite Cherry’s feelings or views. The celebrations are great for marketing, attracting new fans, and most importantly, putting butts in seats at the games.

     

    Personally I make a point to watch Coach’s Corner and Saturday Headlines, which is the better of the two, and it’s become clear that Don Cherry is not capable of being a true ambassador to the game and needs to be replaced. Cherry can still give you a gem or two every now and then, but you can tell he is not accepting to today’s NHL. But at least he’s given us some cool marketing this season.

     

    Also, did anyone tell Cherry that Kuznetsov had another reason to do the Kuzy Bird besides for his daughter?

  • Game Recap – 3/22/2019 – Minnesota Wild v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 3/22/2019 – Minnesota Wild v. Washington Capitals

    Minnesota Wild (35-31-9 79pts) v. Washington Capitals (43-24-8 94pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Capitals tonight are playing the second of their four game home stand against the Minnesota Wild.  The first period showed this was going to be a tight and defensive game between the two teams as the Wild are desperate to get back into a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.  The Wild struck first at the 16:33 mark on a drive to the net type of goal from Jordan Greenway.  The Wild would take a 1-0 lead over the Capitals going into the second period.

     

    The second period saw the same tight defensive period that was featured in the first period.  However, the Capitals managed to tie the game at 1-1 on a tip in goal by Brett Connolly off a Nic Jensen shot from the point.  Going into the third period, the game would be tied 1-1.

     

    In the third period, the Minnesota Wild took back the lead at the 12:25 mark on a Luke Kunin as he scored the game winning goal to seal the victory.  The Capitals continue their home stand tomorrow afternoon for a matinee game against the Philadelphia Flyers.  The playoff spot desperate Minnesota Wild take on the Carolina Hurricanes in their second of a back to back games on Saturday night.

     

    Lineups:

    Minnesota Wild:

    Zach Parise-Eric Staal-Kevin Fiala

    Ryan Donato-Luke Kunin-Jordan Greenway

    Jason Zucker-Victor Rask-Matt Read

    Marcus Foligno- Eric Fehr-J.T. Brown

    Defensemen:

    Ryan Suter- Jared Spurgeon

    Jonas Brodin – Brad Hunt

    Anthony Bitetto – Greg Pateryn

    Goalies:

    Starter- Devon Dubnyk

    Backup- Alex Stalock

    Scratches: Nick Seeler, Joel Eriksson Ek, Pontus Aberg

    Injuries: Miko Koivu, Matt Dumba

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Forwrads:

    Alex Ovechkin- Nicklas Backstrom- Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana- Evgeny Kuznetsov- TJ Oshie

    Andre Burakovsky- Lars Eller- Brett Connolly

    Chandler Stephenson- Nic Dowd- Travis Boyd

    Defensemen:

    Christian Djoos- John Carlson

    Dmitri Orlov- Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik- Nic Jensen

    Goalies:

    Starter-Braden Holtby

    Backup- Phoenix Copley

    Scratches: Dmitri Jaskin, Carl Hagelin (illness)

    Injury: Michal Kempny (Lower Body) 

     

    First Period:

    Minnesota Penalty-4:52- Kevin Fiala, 2 minutes for high sticking

    Minnesota Goal-16:33- Jordan Greenway (12) assisted by Ryan Donato (13) & Devon Dubnyk (2)

    Minnesota Penalty-18:46- Marcus Foligno, 2 minutes for tripping

     

    End of 1st – MIN – 1       WAS – 0

    Shots              6                       6

    Faceoffs         10/22             12/22

    Hits               3                     3

    PP                 0/0                 0/1

     

    Second Period:

    Minnesota Penalty-4:18- Brad Hunt, 2 minutes for slashing

    Minnesota Penalty-8:00- Jason Zucker, 2 minutes for roughing

    Washington Penalty-8:00- Brooks Orpik, 2 minutes for roughing

    Washington Goal-10:42- Brett Connolly (21) assisted by Nic Jensen (15) & TJ Oshie (26)

    Washington Penalty-19:51- Tom Wilson, 2 minutes for hooking

     

    End of 2nd – MIN – 1        WAS – 1

    Shots               21                       15

    Faceoffs          20/43              24/43

    Hits                 12                     7

    PP                   0/0                  0/3

     

    Third Period:

    Minnesota Goal-12:25- Luke Kunin (6) assisted by Zach Parise (33) & Ryan Donato (14)

     

    End of 3rd – MIN – 2         WAS – 1 

    Shots              27                   22

    Faceoffs        27/56               29/56

    Hits               16                     15

    PP                 0/1                    0/3

     

    Next Up:

    Washington Capitals (43-24-8 94pts) v.s Philadelphia Flyers (36-30-8 80pts)

    Minnesota Wild (35-31-9 79pts) @ Carolina Hurricanes (40-26-7 87pts)

  • Game Recap – 3/20/19 – Tampa Bay Lightning v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 3/20/19 – Tampa Bay Lightning v. Washington Capitals

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

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals head home for their lone matchup at Capital One Arena against the Tampa Bay Lightning as they also look to get some revenge from their game last week where the Lightning doubled up the Capitals 6-3. In the first period on a Tampa Bay turnover Carl Hagelin would flip the puck to Lars Eller who would score to give the Capitals a 1-0 lead. Afterwards the Capitals would draw two penalties, but would not be able to capitalize on either powerplay opportunity.

     

    The second period would not start very well for the Capitals as in the dying seconds of Tom Wilson’s holding penalty, Nakita Kucherov would score to tie the game at one. Then on an Alex Ovechkin elbowing penalty Steven Stamkos would only need four seconds to give the Lightning a 2-1 lead, but it would stop there as the Lighting would get a great drive in the Capitals zone and Anthony Cirelli would throw the puck in the crease and it would hit off of John Carlson’s skate and into the wide open net. However, the Capitals would not let this 2 goal lead deter them as an offensive rush would result in Carl Hagelin roofing the puck to cut the Lightning’s lead to one. The Capitals would then tie the game at three while on the powerplay as TJ Oshie stick to it and battle in front of the net to knock the puck into the net, but then on their third powerplay opportunity, the Lightning would make the Capitals pay as Nikita Kucherov would net his second of the game to give the Lightning their lead back going into the second intermission.

     

    In the third period we would see some solid playoff style hockey from both teams, but it would be the Capitals getting two powerplay opportunities in the first half of the period, however, they would not be able to capitalize on them. Then in the final minute of regulation with Braden Holtby pulled from his net, Evgeny Kuznetsov would score to send the game into overtime.

     

    Then in overtime it would be the Lightning taking advantage of an odd man rush as Victor Hedman would net his 11th of the season to win the game in 5-4 for the Lightning.

     

    Lineups:

    Tampa Bay Lightning:

    Ondrej Palat — Steven Stamkos — J.T. Miller

    Tyler Johnson — Brayden Point — Nikita Kucherov

    Alex Killorn — Anthony Cirelli — Mathieu Joseph

    Adam Erne — Cedric Paquette — Yanni Gourde

    Victor Hedman — Mikhail Sergachev

    Ryan McDonagh — Erik Cernak

    Braydon Coburn — Jan Rutta

    Andrei Vasilevskiy

    Louis Domingue

    Scratched: Ryan Callahan, Danick Martel, Cameron Gaunce

    Injured: Dan Girardi (lower body), Anton Stralman (lower body)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Carl Hagelin — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Andre Burakovsky — Nic Dowd — Chandler Stephenson

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Nick Jensen

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Christian Djoos, Dmitrij Jaskin, Travis Boyd

    Injured: None

     

    First Period:

    Capitals Goal – 7:32 – Lars Eller (12) from Carl Hagelin (11)

    Lightning Penalty – 9:30 – Steven Stamkos 2 minutes for Holding

    Lightning Penalty- 16:26 – Jan Ruuta 2 minutes for Tripping

    Capitals Penalty – 19:27 – Tom Wilson 2 minutes for Holding

     

    End of 1st – TB – 0       WAS – 1

    Shots              05                15

    Faceoffs         11                10

    Hits               04                  15

    PP                 0/0                 0/2

     

    Second Period:

    Lightning PPG – 1:19 – Nikita Kucherov (36) from Steven Stamkos (47) and Victor Hedman (38)

    Capitals Penalty – 2:08 – Alex Ovechkin 2 minites for Elbowing

    Lightning PPG – 2:12 – Steven Stamkos (37) from JT Miller (27)

    Lightning Goal – 6:45 – Anthony Cirelli (16) from Mathieu Joseph (11)

    Capitals Goal – 10:30 – Carl Hagelin (5) from Lars Eller (23)

    Lightning Penalty – 12:00 – Mikhail Sergachev 2 minutes for Slashing

    Capitals PPG – 13:40 – TJ Oshie (22) from Alex Ovechkin (35) and John Carlson (53)

    Capitals Penalty – 14:06 – Dmitry Orlov 2 minites for Slashing

    Lightning PPG – 15:01 – Nikita Kucherov (37) from Steven Stamkos (48) and Ondrej Palat (24)

    Lightning Penalty – 15:42 – Yanni Gourde 5 minute major for Fighting

    Capitals Penalty – 15:42 – Jakub Vrana 5 minute major for Fighting

    Lightning Penalty – 15:42 – Cedric Paquette 2 minutes for Roughing

    Lightning Penalty – 15:42 – Cedric Paquette 2 minutes for Cross Checking

    Capitals Penalty – 15:42 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Lightning Penalty – 15:42 – Mikhail Sergachev 2 minutes for Roughing

    Capitals Penalty – 15:42 – TJ Oshie 2 minutes for Roughing

     

    End of 2nd – TB – 4        WAS – 3

    Shots               16                 37

    Faceoffs          24                 22

    Hits                 09                  24

    PP                   3/3                  1/4

     

    Third Period:

    Lightning Penalty – 1:24 – Ondrej Palat 2 minutes for Slashing

    Lightning Penalty – 10:13 – Brayden Point 2 minutes for Slashing

    Capitals Goal – 19:07 – Evgeny Kuznetsov (20) from Nicklas Backstrom (51) and TJ Oshie (25)

     

    End of 3rd – TB – 4         WAS – 4

    Shots              26                   56

    Faceoffs        35                    33

    Hits               14                     32

    PP                 3/3                    1/6

     

    OT:

    Lightning Goal – 3:01 – Victor Hedman (11) from Yanni Gourde (24)

     

    End of OT – TB – 5         WAS – 4

    Shots              29                   58

    Faceoffs        35                    37

    Hits               17                     34

    PP                 3/3                    1/6

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (43-23-8 94pts) v. Minnesota (34-31-9 77pts)

    Tampa Bay (57-13-4 118pts) @ Carolina (40-25-7 87pts)

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

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

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

     

    Game Recap:

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

     

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

     

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

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Forwards:

    Alex Ovechkin – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana – Nicklas Backstrom – TJ Oshie

    Carl Hagelin – Lars Eller – Brett Connolly

    Andre Burakovsky – Nic Dowd – Chandler Stephenson

    Defenseman:

    Michal Kempny – John Carlson

    Dmitri Orlov – Matt Niskanen

    Christian Djoos – Nic Jensen

    Goalies:

    Starter – Phoenix Copley

    Back Up – Braden Holtby

    Scratches: Dmitry Jaskin, Brooks Orpik, Travis Boyd

     

    New Jersey Devils:

    Forwards:

    Blake Coleman – Travis Zajac – Stefan Noesen

    Kenny Agostino – Kevin Rooney – Kyle Palmeiri

    Drew Stafford – Blake Pietila – Joey Anderson

    Eric Tangradi – Michael McLeod – Kurtis Gabriel

    Defensemen:

    Andy Greene – Damon Severson

    Will Butcher – Connor Carrick

    Egor Yakolev – Steven Santini

    Goalies:

    Starter – Mackenzie Blackwood

    Back Up – Cory Schneider

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

    Injured: Taylor Hall

     

    First Period:

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

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

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

     

    End of 1st – WAS – 1       NJ – 1

    Shots              4                  7

    Faceoffs         9/19            10/19

    Hits               6                    9

    PP                 0/1                 0/0

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

     

    Second Period:

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

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

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

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

     

    End of 2nd – WAS – 4       NJ- 1

    Shots               13                 12

    Faceoffs          21/40           19/40

    Hits                 12                  15

    PP                   0/1                  0/1

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

     

    Third Period:

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

     

    End of 3rd – WAS – 4        NJ – 1

    Shots              22                   21

    Faceoffs        23/53             29/53

    Hits               15                     20

    PP                 0/1                    0/2

     

    Next Up:

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

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