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Tag: Washington Capitals

  • Progress Report – Tom Wilson 10 Games In

    Progress Report – Tom Wilson 10 Games In

    On September 30th, 2018 Tom Wilson did an illegal check to the head of St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist, which resulted to Wilson being suspended for 20 games by the NHL Department of Player Safety on October 3rd. After NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman upheld the suspension, neutral arbitrator Shyam Das would reduce Wilson’s suspension to 14 games after having already missed 16 games. Wilson would return to the lineup immediately on November 13th for the Washington Capitals against the Minnesota Wild.

     

     

    Upon his return Wilson made an impact right away scoring a goal and subsequently getting a goalie interference  call at the same time.

     

    After that Wilson would fight Marcus Foligno to help guide the Capitals to a 5-2 victory over the Wild. Then the next night in Winnipeg Wilson would be held off of the score sheet as the Capitals would fall to the Jets 3-1. However, in both games Wilson averaged 16:30 minutes in ice time, and registered two shots combined with 7 penalty minutes and was Even in +/-.

     

    Then in his next eight games Tom Wilson showed why the Capitals drafted him 16th overall in 2012, as he would explode on the first line with Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin, and at times with Lars Eller. In these next eight games Wilson would register 7 goals, 6 assists for 13 points which also include Wilson being on a 6 game goal streak and an 8 game point streak, which are both active currently. Also Wilson would register 4 multi-point games and one 2 goal game. On special teams Wilson would also register 2 goals and 3 points on the powerplay, and 1 shorthanded goal. Also in every game, with the exception of the November 30th game against New Jersey which we will talk about in a moment, Wilson would average over 20 minutes of playing time and 2 plus shots a game.

     

    In the span of these eight games the Capitals would go 7-1-0 with all seven wins happening consecutively. In all 10 games that Wilson has played in the Capitals have an 8-2-0 record, and also saw their penalty kill improve by 10.2% from October (going into their game on December 2nd versus Anaheim). Plus the Capitals as a whole have played a much better as a team.

     

    However, it would be a miss if we didn’t have a little controversy involving Tom Wilson as on November 30th against the New Jersey Devils, Wilson would unfortunately get attention for all of the wrong reasons. After scoring a shorthanded goal 8 seconds into the 2nd period, Wilson would be tracking his man into the Capitals zone and would lay a hit on Devils forward Brett Seney.

    The play would result in Wilson getting a Match penalty for an Illegal hit to the Head, however, as it would be shown in the still we were able to grab you can see that Wilson did not make contact with Seney’s head at all.

    Also as seen on the play Wilson does make an effort to try to avoid contact.

    https://twitter.com/EdFrankovic/status/1068687202224349184

    Of course the big reason that this is controversial is because it is Tom Wilson. Plus he was in his 9th game back from suspension and we all know that Wilson is under a microscope by the League. Luckily for Wilson the Department of Player Safety decided that there would be no supplementary discipline as it was deemed that Wilson did not make contact with the head.

     

    Outside of this one little (big) blip for Tom Wilson, he has been proving why the Capitals drafted him in the first round, and with his role on the team, he has helped turn the ship around after a slow start to the season. If Wilson keeps playing the way he has been and stays away from the bad hits, and keeps playing smart, Wilson will be setting all new career highs this season.

     

    Also please read Isabelle Khurshudyan’s article on Tom Wilson for The Washington Post. It is a definite must read.

     

    Feature Photo Credit – Washington Capitals Twitter

  • Game Recap – 12/2/2018 – Anaheim Ducks v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 12/2/2018 – Anaheim Ducks v. Washington Capitals

     

    Anaheim Ducks (13-10-5 31pts) v. Washington Capitals (15-7-3 33pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals blow a 5-1 lead with poor second half play and bad penalties while they give up 5 consecutive goals as the Anaheim Ducks halt the Capitals 7 game winning streak with their 4 straight win.

     

    Lineups:

    Anaheim Ducks:

    Rickard Rakell — Ryan Getzlaf — Jakob Silfverberg

    Nick Ritchie — Adam Henrique — Ondrej Kase

    Andrew Cogliano — Ryan Kesler — Kiefer Sherwood

    Brian Gibbons — Carter Rowney — Pontus Aberg

    Hampus Lindholm — Brandon Montour

    Jacob Larsson — Josh Manson

    Marcus Pettersson — Jake Dotchin

    John Gibson

    Ryan Miller

    Scratched: Andy Welinski, Ben Street, Josh Mahura

    Injured: Corey Perry (knee surgery), Cam Fowler (facial fractures), Patrick Eaves (back spasms)

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1069320167392342016

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Brett Connolly

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Chandler Stephenson — Nic Dowd — Dmitrij Jaskin

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Christian Djoos — Madison Bowey

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Jonas Siegenthaler, Travis Boyd

    Injured: T.J. Oshie (concussion), Brooks Orpik (knee surgery)

     

    First Period:

    Capitals Goal – :41 – Nicklas Backstrom (10) from Alex Ovechkin (13) and John Carlson (23)

    Capitals Goal – 6:08 – Chandler Stephenson (2) from Nic Dowd (3) and Dmitrij Jaskin (4)

    Ducks Goal – 9:24 – Ryan Getzlaf (8) from Rickard Rakell (15) and Pontus Aberg (5)

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1069327784835575808

    Ducks Penalty – 13:06 – Rickard Rakell 2 minutes for Boarding

    Capitals PPG -13:19 – Tom Wilson (8) from John Carlson (24) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (17)

    Ducks Penalty – 16:41 – Ryan Getzlaf 2 minutes for Goalie Interference

     

    End of 1st – ANA – 1       WAS- 3

    Shots              09                11

    Faceoffs         09                11

    Hits               09                  04

    PP                 0/0                 1/2

     

    Analysis:

    This was a very good period for the Capitals. They got an early jump on the Ducks on the score board, and took a 2-0 lead. When Ryan Getzlaf scored to get the Ducks back into the game, the Capitals responded very well by drawing a penalty and scoring on the subsequent powerplay.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to continue playing the way they are and keep the pace to their liking. The Ducks will look to use their size and power to wear down the Capitals, but the Capitals need to continue to use their speed and create more scoring opportunities for themselves.

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Goal – 4:59 – Evgeny Kuznetsov (7) from Brett Connolly (10)

    Ducks Penalty – 4:59 – Bench (Aberg) 2 minutes for Delay of Game (Offsides Challenge Failed)

    Capitals Goal – 13:30 – Nic Dowd (4) from Chandler Stephenson (4) and Dmitrij Jaskin (5)

    Ducks Goal – 14:31 – Andrew Cogliano (2) from Jacob Larsson (2) and Ryan Getzlaf (13)

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1069349429910499328

    Ducks Goal – 15:26 – Rickard Rakell (5) from Adam Henrique (10)

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1069350683386667008

     

    End of 2nd – ANA – 3        WAS – 5

    Shots               18                 19

    Faceoffs          19                 24

    Hits                 15                  05

    PP                   0/0                  1/3

     

    Analysis:

    For the first 14 minutes of the second period the Capitals were very dominate, but after Nic Dowd scored to make it 5-1 the Ducks dominated the final 6 minutes of the 2nd period and cutting the Capitals lead from 4 to 2.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to play a full 20 minutes and force the play in the Ducks’ zone. The Capitals cannot play “not to lose” hockey and turtle into their own zone. The Capitals need to keep their feet moving and force the Ducks to make mistakes and make them into opportunities for themselves.

     

    Third Period:

    Capitals Penalty – 1:56 – Evgeny Kuznetsov 2 minutes for Slashing

    Ducks Penalty – 3:41 – Nick Ritchie 2 minutes for Tripping

    Capitals Penalty – 6:25 – Dmitry Orlov 2 minutes for Boarding

    Ducks PPG – 7:16 – Pontus Aberg (8) from Hampus Lindholm (10) and Ondrej Kase (3)

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1069356089471262721

    Capitals Penalty – 8:10 – Dmitry Orlov 2 minutes for Boarding

    Ducks PPG – 9:01 – Hampus Lindholm (3) from Ryan Kesler (2) and Ondrej Kase (4)

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1069357589585002496

    Ducks Penalty – 12:48 – Kiefer Sherwood 2 minutes for Boarding

    Ducks Goal – 14:55 – Pontus Aberg (9) from Ryan Getzlaf (14) and Kiefer Sherwood (4)

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1069361224817664002

     

    End of 3rd – ANA – 6         WAS – 5

    Shots              25                   32

    Faceoffs        27                    35

    Hits               19                     09

    PP                 2/3                    1/5

     

    Analysis:

    The Capitals blew this one big time. All they had to do was play a full 20 minutes and keep the play in the Ducks zone, but instead they took bad penalties and allowed the Ducks back into this one and walk out of Washington with a 6-5 victory.

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (15-8-3 33pts) @ Vegas (14-13-1 29pts)

    Anaheim (14-10-5 33pts) v. Chicago (9-13-5 23pts)

  • Gameday Preview – 12/2/2018 – Anaheim Ducks v. Washington Capitals

    Gameday Preview – 12/2/2018 – Anaheim Ducks v. Washington Capitals

     

    Anaheim Ducks (13-10-5 31pts) v. Washington Capitals (15-7-3 33pts)

     

    Time: 3p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Washington

     

    Preview:

    The Washington Capitals look to continue their winning ways before heading out west as they host the Anaheim Ducks for a Sunday afternoon matinee. While the Capitals will be looking for their 8th consecutive victory, the Ducks are 5-1-0 in their past six games and will be looking for their fourth consecutive victory.

     

    Ducks Note:

    The other night’s overtime victory over the Carolina Hurricanes marked a Franchise milestone.

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1068732798620512256

     

    Anaheim Ducks:

    Projected Lineup:

    Rickard Rakell — Ryan Getzlaf — Jakob Silfverberg

    Nick Ritchie — Adam Henrique — Ondrej Kase

    Andrew Cogliano — Ryan Kesler — Kiefer Sherwood

    Brian Gibbons — Carter Rowney — Pontus Aberg

    Hampus Lindholm — Brandon Montour

    Jacob Larsson — Josh Manson

    Marcus Pettersson — Jake Dotchin

    John Gibson

    Ryan Miller

    Scratched: Andy Welinski, Ben Street, Josh Mahura

    Injured: Corey Perry (knee surgery), Cam Fowler (facial fractures), Patrick Eaves (back spasms)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Use their size

    The Ducks have a big team, and the Capitals have not been the most physical team. The Ducks will need to use that to their advantage, and wear down the Capitals.

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Projected Lineup:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Brett Connolly

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Chandler Stephenson — Nic Dowd — Dmitrij Jaskin

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Christian Djoos — Madison Bowey

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Jonas Siegenthaler, Travis Boyd

    Injured: T.J. Oshie (concussion), Brooks Orpik (knee surgery)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Get a good start

    The other night the Capitals started both the 1st and 2nd periods with hot starts by scoring quickly, but they then were dominated for the most part by the New Jersey Devils. However, despite the Devils best efforts, the Capitals persevered and won the game. The Capitals will need to get the jump on the Ducks, and expect the same.

     

    2. Stay out of the box

    The Capitals need to stay out of the penalty box and allow themselves the ability to roll all four lines. Also the Capitals need to do a better job at drawing penalties as well.

  • Game Recap – 11/30/2018 – New Jersey Devils v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 11/30/2018 – New Jersey Devils v. Washington Capitals

    New Jersey Devils (9-10-4 22pts) v. Washington Capitals (14-7-3 31pts)

     

    Preview:

    The Washington Capitals enter their weekend homestand on a 6 game winning streak as they take on the New Jersey Devils, who last time these two teams met whitewashed the Capitals 6-0. However, in their past six games the Devils have only won one game (1-2-3), and are looking to turn things around for them.

     

    For the Capitals, they have been 7-1-0 since the return of Tom Wilson from suspension, and without key players TJ Oshie and Evgeny Kuznetsov who are both out due to concussions, but with the promising prospect of gaining Kuznetsov back, that could add a kick to the Capitals powerplay that has struggled during these winning times.

     

    Lineups:

    New Jersey Devils:

    Taylor Hall — Nico Hischier — Jesper Bratt

    Marcus Johansson — Pavel Zacha — Kyle Palmieri

    Brett Seney — Travis Zajac — Blake Coleman

    Brian Boyle — Michael McLeod — Miles Wood

    Andy Greene — Damon Severson

    Mirco Mueller — Sami Vatanen

    Will Butcher — Ben Lovejoy

    Keith Kinkaid

    Cory Schneider

    Scratched: Drew Stafford, Stefan Noesen, Egor Yakovlev

    Injured: Steven Santini (broken jaw), Joey Anderson (lower body)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Brett Connolly

    Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Chandler Stephenson — Nic Dowd — Dmitrij Jaskin

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Christian Djoos — Madison Bowey

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Jonas Siegenthaler, Travis Boyd

    Injured: T.J. Oshie (concussion), Brooks Orpik (knee surgery)

     

    First Period:

    Capitals Goal – 3:51 – Nicklas Backstrom (7) from Alex Ovechkin (11) and Michal Kempny (5)

    Capitals Penalty – 6:02 – Lars Eller 2 minutes for Cross Checking

    Capitals Penalty – 18:38 – Devante Smith-Pelly 2 minutes for Interference

     

    End of 1st – NJ – 0       WAS- 1

    Shots              09                08

    Faceoffs         12                07

    Hits               07                  03

    PP                 0/1*               0/0     *2nd in Progress

     

    Analysis:

    This was an ok period for the Capitals. The scored early on a great play by Alex Ovechkin to Nicklas Backstrom. However, the Devils did a good job of attacking the Capitals and making it difficult to leave their own zone. Plus on the Devils powerplays so far they have exposed the Capitals at certain times because of the Capitals being extra aggressive on the penalty kill.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to do a better job of getting out of the zone cleaner, also the Capitals need to ease up on the aggression on their penalty kill a bit as mentioned above, the Devils have found an opening and is exposing it to their advantage. Lastly, the Capitals need to keep the feet moving and draw some penalties to get their powerplay on the ice.

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals SHG – :08 – Tom Wilson (7) from Matt Niskanen (8)

    Capitals Penalty – 1:05 – Madison Bowey 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Devils Penalty – 7:29 – Taylor Hall 2 minutes for Tripping

    Devils SHG – 9:23 – Travis Zajac (8) from Blake Coleman (7)

    https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1068677276697587714

    Capitals Penalty – 17:39 – Tom Wilson 5 minute major for Illegal Check to the Head

     

    End of 2nd – NJ – 1        WAS – 2

    Shots               26                 18

    Faceoffs          21                 12

    Hits                 09                  04

    PP                   0/3*               0/1     *4th in progress

     

    Analysis:

    This was a rough period for the Capitals. It started off well from when Tom Wilson scored 8 seconds into the period but after that the Devils out hustled and out worked the Capitals in many facets of the game. The Devils were also the more physical. Braden Holtby has been spectacular in this game and is a huge reason this game is still 2-1 Capitals.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to kill off the last 2:39 seconds of Tom Wilson’s Match penalty, which was an overblown call as he never made head contact, and once they do they need to pick up the pace and take it to the Devils. Also the Capitals are getting killed in the faceoff circle and needs to do a better job in the 3rd period.

     

    Third Period:

    Capitals Goal – 5:45 – Andre Burakovsky (4) from Michal Kempny (6) and Nicklas Backstrom (23)

    Devils Penalty – 8:26 – Miles Wood 4 minutes for Butt-Ending

    Devils Penalty – 10:17 – Sami Vatanen 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals PPG – 10:57 – Nicklas Backstrom (8) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (16) and John Carlson (22)

    Devils Goal – 12:35 – Nico Hischier (5) from unassisted

    Devils Goal – 18:10 – Marcus Johansson (4) from Nico Hischier (10) and Taylor Hall (18)

    Capitals ENG – 18:30 – Alex Ovechkin (19) from unassisted

    Capitals ENG – 19:37 – Nicklas Backstrom (9) from Alex Ovechkin (12)

    Capitals Penalty – 19:56 – Madison Bowey 2 minutes for Delay of Game

     

    End of 3rd – NJ – 3         WAS – 6

    Shots              36                   31

    Faceoffs        30                    27

    Hits               12                     06

    PP                 0/5                    1/4

     

    Analysis:

    In what was a very hard fought battle for the Capitals as they had to endure against a faster Devils team, as well as the loss of Tom Wilson to a very questionable Match penalty for an “illegal hit to the head” when replays clearly showed he hit the shoulder while trying to get out of the way of Brett Seney while Seney was backing up. However, the Capitals persevered and won their seventh straight game. The Devils made it difficult for the Capitals, but they found a way.

     

    Also after celebrating surpassing Peter Bondra to become 2nd Franchise history in Points, Nicklas Backstrom would record a hat trick (3 goals) and an assist to continue where he left off against the New York Islanders.

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (15-7-3 33pts) v. Anaheim (13-10-5 31pts)

    New Jersey (9-11-4 22pts) v. Winnipeg (14-8-2 30pts)

  • Gameday Preview – 11/30/2018 – New Jersey Devils v. Washington Capitals

    Gameday Preview – 11/30/2018 – New Jersey Devils v. Washington Capitals

     

    New Jersey Devils (9-10-4 22pts) v. Washington Capitals (14-7-3 31pts)

     

    Time: 7p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Washington+, MSG+, and NHL Network

     

    Preview:

    The Washington Capitals enter their weekend homestand on a 6 game winning streak as they take on the New Jersey Devils, who last time these two teams met whitewashed the Capitals 6-0. However, in their past six games the Devils have only won one game (1-2-3), and are looking to turn things around for them.

     

    For the Capitals, they have been 7-1-0 since the return of Tom Wilson from suspension, and without key players TJ Oshie and Evgeny Kuznetsov who are both out due to concussions, but with the promising prospect of gaining Kuznetsov back, that could add a kick to the Capitals powerplay that has struggled during these winning times.

     

     

    New Jersey Devils:

    Projected Lineup:

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Need to play with urgency

    When the Devils first played the Capitals, they played a very strong game that showed the team’s urgency to win battles and create scoring opportunities. They will need to find that urgency if they hope to replicate their previous victory as they are facing a more focused Capitals team.

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Projected Lineup:

     

    Capitals Notes:

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Get a good start

    I feel like we have to say this all the time now being how the Capitals keep starting slow and then getting better as the game goes on. This is a trend that needs to bucked by the Capitals and start stronger than they have.

     

    2. Get the powerplay rolling

    Lately the powerplay has not been a strong suit for the Capitals, and while many will blame the lack of players like TJ Oshie and Evgeny Kuznetsov, even before they were injured the powerplay was starting to get faulty. They have been having difficulty entering the zone and they have been over passing as well, and they just need to get the puck in the zone and just simplify everything.

  • OFFICIAL! – TXHT Podcast Changing Formats, Date and Time in 2019

    OFFICIAL! – TXHT Podcast Changing Formats, Date and Time in 2019

    Official Statement:

    “The Xperience: Hockey Talk”, aka TXHT, will be undergoing a format change for it’s podcast starting in January 2019. As a result of this format change that TXHT will be going through, TXHT will go on a break for the rest of the year effective Wednesday November 28th, 2018.

     

    We can announce that one of the changes that TXHT will be undergoing will be that TXHT will no longer air live on Facebook Live or on Twitch moving forward. Instead TXHT will now be recorded and then posted in an article here on TXHThockey.com every Saturday at 8a EST. the reason we are doing this is because our team has grown in the past few months since the creation of the TXHT website, and we want to give these new members of the TXHT team an opportunity to have their voices heard alongside their articles. However, we have been finding it difficult to try to get them on the show with the current format hence the changes that we are making to the podcast.

     

    TXHT will still feature Washington Capitals game coverage along with NWHL and NHL coverage, but will now feature some more unique features to the show that we can’t wait to debut.

     

    We thank everyone for your continued support, and we can’t wait to roll out the new and improved TXHT podcast in January.

  • November 27th, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is  Tuesday, November 27th, 2018, and these are your news and notes.

     

    Yesterday there were five games that took place.

     

    -TORONTO 4, Boston 2

    Boston Bruins David Pastrnak would score the only two goals in the Bruins 4-2 loss at the Toronto Maple Leafs last night.

     

    TXHT’s Toronto Maple Leafs contributor Steve Gardiner has your recap of the Maple Leafs versus the Boston Bruins at the following page.

     

    Boston Bruins vs Toronto Maple Leafs – 11/26/2018 – Game Recap

     

    -FLORIDA 4, New Jersey 3 (OT)

    With the Florida Panthers win, they are 6-0-0 against the New Jersey Devils in their last six home contests dating back to April 11, 2015.

     

    -Washington 4, NY ISLANDERS 1

     

    The Washington Capitals Alex Ovechkin would score his 625th career goal last night, placing him into a tie with Jarome Iginla and Joe Sakic for 15th place on the all-time list.

    Capitals F Tom Wilson would also score two goals in the contest to give Washington the 4-1 lead over the New York Islanders at Barclays Center last night.

     

    TXHT has your recap of the Washington Capitals at the New York Islanders at the following page.

    Game Recap – 11/26/2018 – Washington Capitals v. New York Islanders

     

    -NY RANGERS 4, Ottawa 2

     

     

    Columbus 7, DETROIT 5

    For the third time this season, the Columbus Blue Jackets would score at least seven goals in a contest.  They are tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the highest such amount on the season.

     

     

     

     

     

    There are 10 games on the NHL schedule tonight.

    Image credit goes to NHL Public Relations and NHL

    For more news, notes, info, and stats…

     

     

     

    In NHL news today…

     

    Elliotte Friedman released his weekly “31 Thoughts” blog post.  You can check that post out here.

    https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1067498467394613248

     

    Last night, Toronto Maple Leafs Patrick Marleau would play in his 1,600th NHL contest.

     

    You can watch TXHT Live tomorrow night at 8 p.m. ET on Facebook Live.

  • Game Recap – 11/26/2018 – Washington Capitals v. New York Islanders

    Game Recap – 11/26/2018 – Washington Capitals v. New York Islanders

    Washington Capitals (13-7-3 29pts) v. New York Islanders (12-8-2 24pts)

     

    Preview:

    The Washington Capitals continue their Mentors Trip with a visit to the New York Islanders as they look to win their sixth game in a row when they take on their former bench boss Barry Trotz. Meanwhile the Islanders will be looking to continue building off of their win Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes, where they are also 9-1-0 this season against Metropolitan Division rivals.

     

    Key players to watch will be Islanders forward Anthony Beauvillier who has five goals and two assists in his past five games. While for the Capitals, Tom Wilson has been a key catalyst for the team since returning from suspension.

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Andre Burakovsky — Travis Boyd — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Dmitrij Jaskin — Nic Dowd — Chandler Stephenson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Christian Djoos – Madison Bowey

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Jonas Siegenthaler

    Injured: Evgeny Kuznetsov (upper body), T.J. Oshie (concussion), Brooks Orpik (knee surgery)

     

    New York Islanders:

    Anders Lee — Brock Nelson — Jordan Eberle

    Anthony Beauvillier — Mathew Barzal — Josh Bailey

    Tom Kuhnhackl — Valtteri Filppula — Leo Komarov

    Matt Martin — Tanner Fritz — Cal Clutterbuck

    Nick Leddy — Johnny Boychuk

    Thomas Hickey — Ryan Pulock

    Adam Pelech — Scott Mayfield

    Thomas Greiss

    Robin Lehner

    Scratched: Luca Sbisa, Stephen Gionta, Ross Johnston

    Injured: Casey Cizikas (lower body), Andrew Ladd (lower body)

     

    First Period:

    Islanders Goal – :36 – Valtteri Filppula (7) from Ryan Pulock (6) and Leo Komarov (8)

    Capitals Goal – 2:50 – Tom Wilson (5) from Nicklas Backstrom (20) and Madison Bowey (4)

     

    End of 1st – WAS – 1       NYI – 1

    Shots              12                08

    Faceoffs         05                07

    Hits               07                  12

    PP                 0/0                 0/0

     

    Analysis:

    Not the greatest start for the Capitals as they were scored on quickly, but how they responded was spectacular. Tom Wilson would score not much later and after that it would be all Capitals as they controlled most of the tempo of the game. Also a very fast period with very few whistles and more exciting to watch despite a few obvious penalties not being called on both teams.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to keep up with this pace of game and continue to push the play in the Islanders zone. Also the Capitals need to continue to play disciplined, and keep their feet moving and draw some penalties against the Islanders.

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Penalty – :20 – Alex Ovechkin 2 minutes for Cross Checking

    Capitals Penalty – 4:22 – Bench (Vrana) 2 minutes for Too Many Men

    Capitals Goal – 7:58 – Nic Dowd (3) from Dmitrij Jaskin (3) and John Carlson (21)

    Capitals Penalty – 13:32 – Dmitry Orlov 2 minutes for Tripping

     

    End of 2nd – WAS – 2        NYI – 1

    Shots               15                 18

    Faceoffs          09                 19

    Hits                 13                  17

    PP                   0/0                  0/3

     

    Analysis:

    This was not a good period for the Capitals. They were out shot 10-3, they were killed in the faceoff circle, and most importantly, they were not very well disciplined. Even though they scored the lone goal of the period, this was not an ideal period.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to come out with fire lit under them and ready to play a full 20 minutes. The Capitals also need to play a more disciplined game and force the Islanders to take a few penalties so the Capitals can get their powerplay unit on the ice.

     

    Third Period:

    Capitals Penalty – 4:05 – Tom Wilson 2 minutes for Interference

    Islanders Penalty – 12:04 – Tanner Fritz 2 minutes for Hooking

    Islanders Penalty – 12:34 – Thomas Hickey 2 minutes for Tripping

    Capitals PPG – 14:21 – Tom Wilson (6) from Nicklas Backstrom (21) and John Carlson (22)

    Capitals Goal – 19:38 – Alex Ovechkin (18) from Tom Wilson (6) and Nicklas Backstrom (22)

     

    End of 3rd – WAS – 4         NYI – 1

    Shots              24                   33

    Faceoffs        20                    27

    Hits               19                     30

    PP                 1/2                    0/4

     

    Analysis:

    Not the greatest third period, but the Capitals were able to find a way to steal this game from the Islanders. Once again they were dominated in the shot department but was able to make their shots count, plus Braden Holtby played a stellar game to give the Capitals the victory. Definitely a great game for Tom Wilson who registered 2 goals and an assist.

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (14-7-3 31pts) v. New Jersey (9-10-4 22pts)

    NY Islanders (12-9-2 26pts) @ Boston (13-6-4 30pts)

     

    You can watch TXHT Live tomorrow at 8p EST on Facebook Live.

  • Gameday Preveiw – 11/26/18 – Washington Capitals v. New York Islanders

    Gameday Preveiw – 11/26/18 – Washington Capitals v. New York Islanders

     

    Washington Capitals (13-7-3 29pts) v. New York Islanders (12-8-2 26pts)

     

    Time: 7p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Washington+, MSG+, and Sportsnet

     

    Preview:

    The Washington Capitals continue their Mentors Trip with a visit to the New York Islanders as they look to win their sixth game in a row when they take on their former bench boss Barry Trotz. Meanwhile the Islanders will be looking to continue building off of their win Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes, where they are also 9-1-0 this season against Metropolitan Division rivals.

     

    Key players to watch will be Islanders forward Anthony Beauvillier who has five goals and two assists in his past five games. While for the Capitals, Tom Wilson has been a key catalyst for the team since returning from suspension.

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Projected Lineup:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

    Andre Burakovsky — Travis Boyd — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Dmitrij Jaskin — Nic Dowd — Chandler Stephenson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Christian Djoos — Madison Bowey

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Jonas Siegenthaler

    Injured: Evgeny Kuznetsov (upper body), T.J. Oshie (concussion), Brooks Orpik (knee surgery)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Start Strong

    The Capitals lately have not been starting well, but have been finishing strong. The Capitals need to start games off strong, and play the full 60 minutes. If this were the playoffs, some of these wins they’ve gotten would have been losses if they started slow.

     

    2. The Trotz Effect

    This will be the first time the Capitals will be facing their former head coach Barry Trotz, and they will know how he will be having the Islanders play against them, and like wise Trotz will be telling the Islanders on how to attack the Capitals. This will be a chess match between Trotz and his protege Todd Reirdon.

     

    New York Islanders:

    Projected Lineup:

    Anders Lee — Brock Nelson — Jordan Eberle

    Anthony Beauvillier — Mathew Barzal — Josh Bailey

    Tom Kuhnhackl — Valtteri Filppula — Leo Komarov

    Ross Johnston — Tanner Fritz — Cal Clutterbuck

    Nick Leddy — Johnny Boychuk

    Thomas Hickey — Ryan Pulock

    Adam Pelech — Scott Mayfield

    Thomas Greiss

    Robin Lehner

    Scratched: Luca Sbisa, Stephen Gionta

    Injured: Matt Martin (upper body), Casey Cizikas (lower body), Andrew Ladd (lower body)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Start Fast

    On Saturday the Islanders got two quick goals to get the jump on the Hurricanes, and played a complete game to win the game. The same will need to be done against the Capitals who will be looking for their sixth consecutive victory.

     

    You can watch TXHT Live this Wednesday at 8p EST on Facebook Live.