Tag: Toronto Maple Leafs

  • NHL News and Notes from Thursday, October 10th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Thursday, October 10th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Thursday, October 10th, 2019

     

    News:

    • Dallas Stars restricted free agent defenseman Julius Honka has signed with JYP Jyvaskyla in Finland. Honka’s agreement does include an out clause that will allow him to return to the NHL when the opportunity presents itself.

     

    • Carolina Hurricanes have announced that forward Jordan Martinook will undergo surgery on Friday, October 11th to repair a core muscle injury. Martinook is expected to miss between 6-8 weeks.

     

    Game Recaps:

    Tampa Bay Lightning v. Toronto Maple Leafs – 7p EST Start Time

    TB RoadTOR Home

    Coming to Toronto the Tampa Bay Lightning get forward Brayden Point back into the lineup after missing the first three games due to injury, and Point wouldn’t need long to get back into the groove of things as he would score in the first two and a half minutes to give the Lightning the early 1-0 lead over the Maple Leafs. However, the Leafs would score the next two as Andreas Johnsson would score on the powerplay, and John Tavares would follow up with a goal of his own to give the Leafs the 2-1 lead, but Nikita Kucherov (PPG) and Steven Stamkos would both score to regain the lead for the Lightning. Before the end of the first period both teams would trade goals as Auston Matthews would tie the game at three, but Stamkos on the powerplay would give the Lightning the 4-3 lead heading into the first intermission. Then going into the second period Point would strike again for the Lightning as they would take a 5-3 lead into the second intermission. Then in the third period the Lightning would get a goal from Ondrej Palat, and Nikita Kucherov would score his second of the game to give the Lightning the 7-3 victory.

     

    Detroit Red Wings v. Montreal Canadiens – 7p EST Start Time

    DET RoadMON Home

    In an Original Six matchup the Detroit Red Wings visit the Montreal Canadiens, and a little past the halfway mark of the first period Darren Helm would score his first of the season to give the Red Wings the 1-0 lead. Then heading into the first intermission both clubs would trade goals in the final minute of the period as Joel Armia would score for the Canadiens, then Tyler Bertuzzi would take the lead back for the Red Wings. In the second period Max Domi would score to tie the game at two, but then Anthony Mantha would score on the powerplay to give the Wings a 3-2 lead going into the second intermission. Then in the third period the Wings would get a goal from Luke Glendening to seasl the victory over the Canadiens 4-2.

     

    Edmonton Oilers v. New Jersey Devils – 7p EST Start Time

    EDM RoadNJ Home

    The New Jersey Devils host the Edmonton Oilers as they look to win their first game of the season, and the Devils would get an early jump on a Kyle Palmeri goal, but then Leon Draisaitl would score for the Oilers to tie the game up at one heading into the first intermission. Then in the second period Nikita Gusev would score for the Devils to regain the lead, but again the Oilers would strike as Jame sNeal would score his seventh of the season on the powerplay to tie the game back up at two heading into the second period.Then Damon Severson and Connor McDavid would swap goals to send the game to overtime tied 3-3. After a scoreless overtime period the game would go to the shootout where Draisaitl would be the lone goal scorer to give the Oilers the 4-3 shootout victory.

     

    Anaheim Ducks v. Pittsburgh Penguins – 7p EST Start Time

    ANA RoadPIT Home

    In Pittsburgh the Penguins would look to tame the Anaheim Ducks, and on the powerplay early in the second period Sidney Crosby would score the first goal of the game, but the Ducks would respond as Ondrej Kase would score to tie the game at one going into the second intermission. Going into the third period the Penguins would get a goal from Jake Guentzel who would score his first of the season to give the Penguins the 2-1 victory.

     

    St. Louis Blues v. Ottawa Senators – 730p EST Start Time

    STL RoadOTT Home

    In Ottawa, the Senators host the St. Louis Blues and Vitaly Abramov would score his first career NHL goal to give the Senators the 1-0 lead over the defending Stanley Cup Champions near the halfway point of the first period. Then to end the first the Senators would get a goal from Artem Anisimov to give them the 2-0 lead going into the first intermission. Then in the second period the Blues would respond with goals from David Perron (PPG) and Oskar Sundqvist to tie the game at two. To end the second period Chris Tierney would score shorthanded to give the Senators their lead back heading into the second intermission. Then in the third period Jay Bouwmeester and Brayden Schenn would score for the Blues, but Anthony Duclair would score late to tie the game at four for the Senators. But it would be Ryan O’Reilly to score the final goal to give the Blues the 6-4 victory.

     

    Washington Capitals v. Nashville Predators – 8p EST Start Time

    WAS RoadNAS Home

    The Capitals blow their third consecutive third period lead as they fall to the Predators 6-5 in their first regulation loss of the 2019-20 season. TXHT’s Recap

     

    Minnesota Wild v. Winnipeg Jets – 8p EST Start Time

    MIN RoadWIN Home

    In Winnipeg the Jets would host the Minnesota Wild, and the Wild would strike first as Ryan Hartman scored his first goal as a member of the Wild to give them the 1-0 lead going into the first intermission. In the second period it would be the Jets taking off as they would get goals from both Blake Wheeler and Patrik Laine to give the Jets the 2-1 lead over the Wild heading into the second intermission. Then in the third period the Wild would get a goal from Brad Hunt to tie the game at two, but the Jets would score three unanswered goals as Kyle Connor, Jack Roslovic, and Patrick Laine (second of the game) to give the Jets the 5-2 victory.

     

    San Jose Sharks v. Chicago Blackhawks – 830p EST Start Time

    SJ RoadCHI Home

    In Chicago the San Jose Sharks look to end their four game losing streak, but it would be the Blackhawks striking first as Dominik Kubalik would score his first of the season to give the Blackhawks the 1-0 lead, but then the Sharks would respond as Kevin Labanc would score on the powerplay to tie it up at one. The Blackhawks and Sharks would trade goals one more time before the period ends as Andrew Shaw would score to give the Blackhawks the lead again, but the returning Patrick Marleau would score on the powerplay to tie the game for the Sharks going into the first intermission. In the second period both teams would trade goals once again as the Blackhawks would get another goal from Shaw and Dylan Strome would net his first of the season, while for the Sharks would get goals from Brent Burns and Marleau (second of the game) to keep the game tied as both teams enter the second intermission tied a four a piece. Then in the third period Barclay Goodrow would score the lone goal of the period to give the Sharks their first win of the season with the 5-4 regulation victory.

     

    Calgary Flames v. Dallas Stars – 830p EST Start Time

    CAL RoadDAL Home

    For the Calgary Flames and Dallas Stars both teams are looking for their second win of the season, and in the first period neither team would get the puck in the net, but in the second period the Flames would score two early as Elias Lindholm (PPG) and Noah Hanafin would score to make it 2-0 Flames. However, before the end of the second Joel L’Esperance would score for the Stars cut the Flames lead to one heading into the second intermission. In the third period Jamie Benn would score his first of the season nine seconds into the third on the powerplay to tie the game at two. After a scoreless overtime period the game would go to the shootout which would see the Flames get goals from Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau to secore the 3-2 victory.

     

    Boston Bruins v. Colorado Avalanche – 9p EST Start Time

    BOS RoadCOL Home

    In Colorado the Boston Bruins look to end their four game road swing to start the 2019-20 season as they face the Avalanche. The Bruins would start out fast as they would get goals from David Pastrnak and Zdeno Chara to take the 2-0 lead, but Nathan MacKinnon would score late on the powerplay to start the Avalanche’s comeback. In the second period Pierre-Edouard Bellemare would score to tie the game at two, and then in the third period Andre Burakovsky would score his first goal as a member of the Colorado Avalanche to give them the 3-2 lead. Then late in the third Gabriel Landeskog would score to give the Avalanche a two goal lead and eventual 4-2 victory.

     

    Vegas Golden Knights v. Arizona Coyotes – 10p EST Start Time

    VGK RoadARI Home

    In Arizona the Coyotes play host to the Vegas Golden Knights and in the first period would get a two goal lead over the Knights as Conor Garland would score his first career NHL goal, and Nick Schmaltz would score his first of the season to give the Coyotes the 2-0 lead. But with five seconds left in the first period Shea Theodore would score to make it 2-1 Coyotes going into the first intermission. Then in the second period Garland would score his second of the game, and Niklas Hjalmarsson would score to give the Coyotes the 4-1 lead heading into the second intermission. There would be no goals scored in the third period as the Coyotes earn themselves the 4-1 victory.

     

    Sponsored by:

    DerpyCon_General Ad.png

  • NHL News and Notes from Monday, October 7th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Monday, October 7th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Monday, October 7th, 2019

     

    News:

    • In a late night trade the Detroit Red Wings acquired defenseman Alex Biega from the Vancouver Canucks for forward David Pope.

     

    • Washington Capitals Forward Travis Boyd has cleared waivers and was loaned to Hershey of the AHL.

     

     

    • The NHL announced their Three Stars of the Week for the week of October 2nd through 6th with Mika Zibanejad of the New York Rangers taking First Star honors. TXHT’s Report

     

    • Per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun is reporting that the Ottawa Senators have acquired Vladislav Namestnikov from the New York Rangers for a 2021 4th Round Pick and defender Nick Ebert. Garrioch is also reporting that the Rangers are retaining $750k of Namestnikov’s salary. TXHT’s Report

     

    Game Recaps:

    St. Louis Blues v. Toronto Maple Leafs – 7p EST Start Time

    STL RoadTOR Home

    The Toronto Maple Leafs host the St. Louis Blues as they look for their third win of the season, and after a scoreless first period the goals would come. The Blues would take the 1-0 lead with an Oskar Sundqvist goal, but then the Leafs would respond with two of their own as they would get goals from Frederik Gauthier and William Nylander in a 24 second span to take a 2-1 lead. However, with less than a minute left in the second the Blues would tie it at two when Brayden Schenn would score his second of the season. Then in the third period it would be Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo scoring his second goal of the season to give the Blues the 3-2 victory over the Maple Leafs.

     

    Buffalo Sabres v. Columbus Blue Jackets – 7p EST Start Time

    BUF RoadCLB Home

    Looking for their first win of the season, the Columbus Blue Jackets would get two late goals to end the first period as Oliver Bjorkstrand and Cam Atkinson would both score in the final two minutes to give them the 2-0 lead against the Buffalo Sabres. Going into the second period the Sabres would storm back and tie the game at two after getting an early goal from Marcus Johansson (1:38) then a little over ten minutes later Jeff Skinner would tie the game at two with his second of the season. Then in the third period both team would trade goals as Nick Foligno would score for the Blue Jackets, but late in the third while on the powerplay Victor Olofsson would score to tie and send the game into overtime. However, it would Alexandre Texier scoring his first of the season as the Blue Jackets claim their first victory of the 2019-20 with the 4-3 overtime win.

     

    Sponsored by:

    DerpyCon_General Ad.png

  • NHL Announces Three Stars for Week of 10/2-10/6

    NHL Announces Three Stars for Week of 10/2-10/6

    Today the National Hockey League announced their Three Stars of the Week for the week of October 2nd through 6th.

     

    First Star – Mika Zibanejad (C, New York Rangers)

    • Zibanejad was first in the NHL in points with 8 (4g-4a) in two games played. Zibanejad would collect four points in each game against the Winnipeg Jets (1g-3a), which would include the tying goal in the third period, on October 3rd. He would then post 3 goals, including the game winning goal, and 1 assist to lead the Rangers to a 4-1 victory over his former team the Ottawa Senators on October 5th. 1 Mika Zibanejad

     

    Second Star – Anthony Mantha (RW, Detroit Red Wings)

    • Mantha would share the League lead in goals (5) and was ranked second overall in the League in points (7) in two games for the Red Wings. Mantha would record 3 points (1g-2a) in a 5-3 victory over the Nashville Predators on October 5th, and then would score all four of Detroit’s goals against the Dallas Stars in their 4-3 win on October 6th. 2 - Anthony Mantha

     

    Third Star – Auston Matthews (C, Toronto Maple Leafs)

    • Matthews would tie with Mantha with five goals, but in three games played for the Maple Leafs. Matthews would score twice, including the game winner, in a 5-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators on October 2nd. He would also add a goal in a 4-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on October 4th, and would tally two more goals, including the game tying goal, in a 6-5 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens on October 5th. 3 - Auston Matthews

     

    *All Graphics courtesy of the NHL.

     

    Sponsored by:

    DerpyCon_General Ad.png

     

  • NHL News and Notes from Saturday, October 5th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Saturday, October 5th, 2019

    MNHL News and Notes from Saturday, October 5th, 2019

     

    News:

    • The Ottawa Senators announced that they will be retiring Chris Phillips’ number 4 on February 18th, 2020.

     

     

    Game Recaps:

    New Jersey Devils v. Buffalo Sabres – 7p EST Start Time

    NJ HomeBUF 50

    Scott takes a look at the New Jersey Devils game against the Buffalo Sabres which would see the Sabres score a touchdown in their home opener. TXHT Recap

     

    Montreal Canadiens v. Toronto Maple Leafs – 7p EST Start Time

    MON RoadTOR Home

    The Toronto Maple Leafs would blow a three goal lead against the Montreal Canadiens, and would fall to the Habs 6-5 in the shootout after Paul Byron would score the lone goal of the shootout. The Leafs would get their goals from Alexander Kerfoot, Trevor Moore, William Nylander, and a pair from Auston Matthews, while the Canadiens would get their goals from Jonathan Drouin, Brendan Gallagher, Jeff Petry, and Phillip Danault.

     

    New York Rangers v. Ottawa Senators – 7p EST Start Time

    NYR RoadOTT Home

    The New York Rangers would get a hat trick from Mika Zibanejad after he would score a powerplay goal, even strength, and shorthanded goal to help lead the Rangers to a 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Rangers also got a powerplay goal from Artemi Panarin, which Zibanejad assisted on, while the Senators got their lone goal Brady Tkachuk.

     

    Tampa Bay Lightning v. Florida Panthers – 7p EST Start Time

    TB RoadFLA Home

    In a tightly contested matchup, the Florida Panthers would defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 after getting a hat trick from Mike Hoffman (2 PPG’s and 1 ESG) and a goal from Noel Acciari. The Lightning would get their goals from Gemel Smith, Steven Stamkos, and Mathieu Joseph.

     

    Columbus Blue Jackets v. Pittsburgh Penguins – 7p EST Start Time

    CLB RoadPIT Alt

    The Pittsburgh Penguins would get two goal games from both Patric Hornqvist and Jared McCann to lead them to a 7-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Penguins would also get goals from Marcus Pettersson, Kris Letang, and Teddy Blueger, while the Blue Jackets would get their two goals from Zach Werenski and Gustav Nyquist.

     

    Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals – 7p EST Start Time

    CAR RoadWAS Home

    The Carolina Hurricanes comeback from a two goal deficit to defeat the Washington Capitals in overtime 3-2 to spoil the Capitals Home Opener. TXHT Recap

     

    Dallas Stars v. St. Louis Blues – 8p EST Start Time

    DAL RoadSTL Alt

    The St. Louis Blues would score two goals in the third period to comeback from behind to defeat the Dallas Stars 3-2 in regulation. The Blues would get their goals from David Perron, Brayden Schenn, and Sammy Blais, while the Stars goal scorers were Mattias Janmark and Miro Heiskanen.

     

    Detroit Red Wings v. Nashville Predators – 8p EST Start Time

    DET RoadNAS Home

    The Detroit Red Wings would erupt for a three goal third period to defeat the Nashville Predators 5-3. The Red Wings would get a two goal game Tyler Bertuzzi, and goals from Anthony Mantha, Dylan Larkin, and Luke Glendening. The Predators would get goals from Viktor Arvidsson, Filip Forsberg, and Mattias Ekholm.

     

    Boston Bruins v. Arizona Coyotes – 9p EST Start Time

    BOS RoadARI Alt

    A late first period goal by Brad Marchand was all the Boston Bruins would need to put away the Arizona Coyotes in their home opener. This would be the second game of the Bruins four game road trip to start the season.

     

    Minnesota Wild v. Colorado Avalanche – 9p EST Start Time

    MIN RoadCOL Alt

    The Colorado Avalanche would get a late second period goal from Gabriel Landeskog and an empty netter from Ryan Graves to seal a 4-2 victory of the Minnesota Wild. Mikko Rantanen would score his third of the season on the powerplay, and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare would also score for the Avalanche, while the Wild would get goals from Ryan Suter and Zach Parise.

     

    San Jose Sharks v. Anaheim Ducks – 10p EST Start Time

    SJ RoadANA Alt

    The Anaheim Ducks host the struggling San Jose Sharks as they look to add to the woes of the Sharks, and pile on they would as they would score three goals in the first two periods to have a 3-1 lead going into the third period. The Ducks would get goals from Michael Del Zotto, Ryan Getzlaf, and Adam Henrique to seal the deal for the Ducks as those three goals would be all they would need to down the Sharks whose lone goal was from Logan Couture.

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1180703058377920512?s=20

     

    Vancouver Canucks v. Calgary Flames – 10p EST Start Time

    VAN RoadCAL Alt

    In Calgary the Flames would host the Vancouver Canucks, and allit would require for the Flames is goals from Elias Lindholm, Sean Monahan, and Johnnny Gaudreau plus some stellar goaltending from David Rittich to secure a 3-0 shutout victory over the Canucks.

     

    Los Angeles Kings v. Edmonton Oilers – 10p EST Start Time

    LA RoadEDM Home

    In a wild west matchup the Edmonton Oilers would host the Los Angeles Kings in what one would describe as a scoring festival. For the Kings they would get goals from Dustin Brown, Trevor Lewis, Anze Kopitar, Michael Amadio, and Drew Doughty, while the Oilers would get a pair of goals from James Neal, and goals from Connor McDavid, Zack Kassian, Joakim Nygard, and Darnell Nurse. Once the dust settled and the final buzzer sounded it would be the Oilers holding off the Kings with a 6-5 victory.

     

    Sponsored by:

    DerpyCon_General Ad.png

  • NHL News and Notes from Friday, October 4th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Friday, October 4th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Friday, October 4th, 2019

     

    News:

    • The St. Louis Blues announced that they have re-signed forward Brayden Schenn to an eight year contract that will go through the 2027-28 season. The extension will carry an AAV of $6.5mil.

     

    Game Recaps:

    Chicago Blackhawks v. Philadelphia Flyers – 2p EST Start Time

    CHI RoadPHI Home

    As part of the Global Series the Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks faced off in Prague, Czech Republic and would see the Flyers down the Blackhawks 4-3. The Flyers would get goals from Travis Konecny (2), Oskar Lindblom, and Michael Raffl, while the Blackhawks got goals from Alexander Nylander, Alex DeBrincat, and Patrick Kane.

     

    Washington Capitals v. New York Islanders – 7p EST Start Time

    WAS RoadNYI Home

    In a tightly contested matchup the Washington Capitals would down the New York Islanders 2-1 to give Ilya Samsonov his first career NHL win. Click Here for TXHT’s Recap.

     

    Winnipeg Jets v. New Jersey Devils – 7p EST Start Time

    WIN RoadNJ Home

    Scott recaps the New Jersey Devils season opener which saw them blow a four goal lead and lose in a shootout to the Winnipeg Jets. Read Scott’s recap here.

     

    Toronto Maple Leafs v. Columbus Blue Jackets – 7p EST Start Time

    TOR RoadCLB Home

    The Toronto Maple Leafs took on the Columbus Blue Jackets which saw the Leafs spoil the Jackets home opener with a 4-1 victory. The Maple Leafs would get a two goal performance from Mitch Marner, as well as goals from Cody Ceci and Auston Matthews. For the Blue Jackets their lone goal would be scored by Cam Atkinson.

     

    Vegas Golden Knights v. San Jose Sharks – 1030p EST Start Time

    VGK RoadSJ Home\

    The Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks renewed their rivalry for the second time in three days as the Knights came to San Jose looking to ruin the Sharks home opener. The Knights would get on the board quickly as William Carrier would score 5:01 into the first period, and then a little later in the period Jonathan Marchessault would score to give the Knights a 2-0 lead going into the second period. Then in the second and third periods the Knights would keep up the pressure as they would get a goal from Brayden McNabb, and two goals from Tomas Nosek to guide them to a 5-1 victory over the Sharks. The Sharks lone goal would be scored by Barclay Goodrow. This game would also mark the the first time in franchise history that the Golden Knights would record two shorthanded goals in the same game and also the second consecutive game to start the season with a shorthanded goal for the Golden Knights as well.

     

    Sponsored by:

    DerpyCon_General Ad.png

  • NHL News and Notes from Wednesday, October 2nd, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Wednesday, October 2nd, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Wednesday, October 2nd, 2019

     

    News:

    Today the NHL announced all 31 team rosters going into the Opening Night of the 2019-20 Season.

     

    Tonight also marked the Banner Raising Ceremony for the 2019 Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues.

     

    Today the Toronto Maple Leafs announced that John Tavares as the new captain for the 2019-20 season. Tavares became the 25th captain in Maple Leafs history with the announcement.

     

     

    Game Recaps:

    Ottawa Senators v. Toronto Maple Leafs – 7p EST Start Time

    OTT RoadTOR Home

    In the first game of NHL action for the 2019-20 season the Ottawa Senators would visit the Toronto Maple Leafs, and get on the board first to take a one nothing lead over the Leafs.

    However, the Leafs would score two in the second followed by another Ottawa goal to tie the game back up. Ottawa would look to take the 3-2 lead but the play was ruled offsides on a coach’s challenge, and the Leafs would take advantage on an Auston Matthews goal for the 3-2 lead. Matthews would score again in the second to give the Leafs a 4-2 lead, and the game winner in a 5-3 win over the Senators.

     

    Washington Capitals v. St. Louis Blues – 8p EST Start Time

    WAS RoadSTL Home

    In a battle between the last two Stanley Cup Champions, the Washington Capitals defeated the St. Louis Blues 3-2 in overtime to complete the comeback from an early two goal deficit. – – TXHT Recap

     

    Vancouver Canucks v. Edmonton Oilers – 10p EST Start Time

    VAN RoadEDM Home

    Out west the Edmonton Oilers would host the Vancouver Canucks for their 2019-20 Home Opener, and it would be the Oilers striking first as Leon Draisaitl would score to give the Oilers the 1-0 lead. Then in the second period Alexander Edler would tie it up for the Canucks, but then in the third period the two teams would trade goals to make it a 2-2 tie. However with 5:23 left in the game Connor McDavid would score his first of the season to give the Oilers the 3-2 victory.

     

    San Jose Sharks v. Vegas Golden Knights – 1030p EST Start Time

    SJ RoadVGK Home

    In our final game of the night the Vegas Golden Knights hosted their rivals the San Jose Sharks. The Golden Knights would strike early on the powerplay and not look back as they would go on to defeat the Sharks 4-1. The Golden Knights received goals from Mark Stone, Reilly Smith (2), and Cody Glass. The Sharks lone goal would come from Marcus Sorenson.

     

    Sponsored by:

    DerpyCon_General Ad.png

  • 2019-20 NHL Previews – Toronto Maple Leafs

    2019-20 NHL Previews – Toronto Maple Leafs

    2018-19 Record: 46-28-8  10pts. – – 3rd Place in Atlantic

    Playoffs: Lost in First Round to Boston

     

    2019-20 Jersey Guide:

    TOR HomeTOR Road

     

    Key Additions: F – Kenny Agostino, F – Nick Shore, D – Tyson Barrie, F – Alexander Kerfoot, D – Cody Ceci, D – Ben Harpur, F – Jason Spezza, F – Pontus Aberg, D – Jordan Schmaltz

     

    Key Departures: F – Tyler Ennis, D – Calle Rosen, F – Connor Brown, D – Nikita Zaitsev, F – Nazem Kadri,  D – Ron Hainsey, F – Patrick Marleau, F – Josh Jooris, D – Igor Ozhiganov, D – Andreas Borgman, G – Garret Sparks

     

    2019-20 Preview:

    For the Toronto Maple Leafs the continued journey to make it past the first round of the playoffs and deep into the playoffs for a chance at the Stanley Cup would be addressed with a pair of trades that saw the Maple Leafs send forward Nazem Kadri and defenseman Calle Rosen to the Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Tyson Barrie and forward Alexander Kerfoot. Then they would do a big six person trade that would see the Maple Leafs aqcuire defensemen Cody Ceci and Ben Harpur from the Ottawa Senators.

     

    The Maple Leafs would also trade forward Patrick Marleau to the Carolina Hurricanes, whould buy him out five days later, and then sign forward Jason Spezza to keep some veteran depth on the team.

     

    The Maple Leafs, however, have a much bigger concern and that is with restricted free agent forward Mitch Marner who could go the route of William Nylander, but actually miss the entire season instead of signing at the 11th hour. Last season Nylander set a very dangerous precedent for Toronto’s top restricted free agents, and we will see a repeat performance from Marner as the days move closer to the start of the 2019-20 NHL season.

     

    Sponsored by:

    DerpyCon_General Ad.png

  • TXHT Jersey Share – Toronto celebrates NHL’s 100th anniversary

    TXHT Jersey Share – Toronto celebrates NHL’s 100th anniversary

    Today for Dickson’s entry in the TXHT Jersey Share series, we take a look at the Toronto Maple Leafs throwing back to the Toronto Arenas on the NHL’s official 100th anniversary.

     

    20190716_102325

     

    Dickson: When the Maple Leafs announced that this was to be worn as the throwback on December 19th, 2017, I bought this jersey, with Auston Matthews as the player that I chose.  I also chose the player option, as I really liked how the pattern on the numbers were and the numbers had an old-school like feel to them.

     

    20190716_102420

     

    This a jersey that is on the adiZero template and was purchased through the Toronto Maple Leafs official team store and I was glad to have purchased this jersey for my collection.

     

    Got a hockey jersey in your collection you’d like to share? Let us know, and we can add it to our TXHT Jersey Share series.

  • TXHT Jersey Share – Toronto St. Pats

    TXHT Jersey Share – Toronto St. Pats

    Today in the TXHT Jersey Share series we take a look at a throwback for the Toronto Maple Leafs from the 1922-25 season when they were known as the Toronto St. Pats.
    20190716_102516.jpg

     

    Dickson: When the Maple Leafs made the announcement that they would wear this jersey back in February 2017, I knew I had to pick this up.  Unless I know that there is a specific reason for me to get a player jersey, I get the replica jerseys with no name on the back.  This jersey is a very cool jersey to have and the Maple Leafs brought this back on the adiZero template this past season for two games.

     

    Got a hockey jersey in your collection you’d like to share? Let us know, and we can add it to our TXHT Jersey Share series.

  • 2019 NHL Playoffs – 2nd Round Preview – Columbus Blue Jackets v. Boston Bruins

    2019 NHL Playoffs – 2nd Round Preview – Columbus Blue Jackets v. Boston Bruins

    Matchup:

    Columbus Blue Jackets(47-31-4, 5th in Metro) vs Boston Bruins (49-24-9, 2nd in Atlantic)

    Regular Season Series: 3 – 1 Boston with 16 goals scored and 1-3 for Toronto with 10 goals scored

    Outlook:

    Boston:

    The Bruins walk into a new situation as they have never played the Blue Jackets in the playoffs. But you know what to expect from the Bruins hard in your face hockey. The only question that stands for Boston is how much will that affect this series as Columbus Player enjoy the physical aspects of the game.

    Columbus:

    The Blue Jackets went on a 7-3-0 run to end the season to solidify the last wild card spot in the East. From there, they walked into a series against the number one team in the league the Tampa Bay Lightning and shut them down. Let’s put it this way, the highest scoring team in the league scored 3 in the first game and then the Blue Jackets fought back with 4 to win the first game. Since the Lightning scored 3 in the first game they were held to 5 goals the rest of the series. The acquisitions of Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingle are paying huge dividends finally with Duchene leading the team in scoring and  Dzingle playing a pivotal role in the changing games.

    Game Changers:

    Brad Marchand – Marchand tallied 100 points for the first time in his career this season and he looks better than ever. His ability to annoy and put tremendous amounts of points make him the perfect playoff player.

    Nick Foligno – Foligno may not be a flashy goal scorer but he’s like Marchand in many ways. He comes to play every night plays physically and scorer dirty goals. Expect him to have a huge impact on this series.

    Advantage Overview:

    Goaltenders:

    Boston

    Tuukka Rask started the season off very low and seemingly lost the number 1 spot to backup goaltender Jaroslav Halak. But after a 19 game point streak where he truly regained his form, there were no more questions. Rask finished 27-12-5, with a 2.42 GAA and .912 save percentage. While Halak put in a solid effort when called upon to hold down the fort, finishing 22-11-4 with a 2.34 GAA and .922 save percentage.

    Columbus

    Sergei Bobrovsky shared the same kind of season that Rask did. Starting off slow and posting numbers much lower numbers than normal.  Bobrovsky’s final numbers were 2.58 GAA and a .913 save percentage. Despite Bobrovsky’s past poor playoff performances he had a bounce back and posted a .932 SV% and 2.01 GAA for Columbus against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

    Advantage: Goaltending overall goes to Boston with Rask. But If we’re talking head to head and this season only. I’d have to give the advantage to Bobrovsky here. This is in no way a knock on Rask but just based off this year’s performance.

    Forwards:

    Boston

    The Bruins are top line heavy after that players drop off considerably. The Bruins have Krecji who has had a revolving door of wingers this season. But rely heavily on that top line and it’s not to say that others are bad players they just aren’t on the level of reliance or scoring ability as Pastrnak, Marchand, and Bergeron. Scoring significantly tales off after the top line for the Bruins but their style of hockey is conducive to that. But during the Toronto series, the Bruins showed that their third line centered by newly acquired center Charlie Coyle can add some much-needed depth scoring to help the 1st and 2nd line.

    Columbus

    Columbus scorers have been flying high with new players Duchene and Dzingle finding their groove but adding those guys to a pretty strong offensive defense and 1st line that can score, a 3rd and 4th line that has shown they can pitch in offensively make this team offensively scary.

    Advantage – Boston, Only because that top line is so deadly offensively and their depth is top notch.

    Defense:

    Boston 

    Bruins have a good defense especially if you’re talking on the defensive side of the game. Offensively not the best but defensively one of the top defenses in the League. Anchored by Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy, through Torey Krug and Kevan Miller, then the 3 remaining in  Matt Grezelcyk,  Brandon Carlo and John Moore.

    Columbus

    Columbus brings a very young defense core, anchored by Seth Jones and Zach Werenski. Jones plays in every situation adding McQuaid to the mix helps on the defensive end. They’ve played tight in their own zone and been good at moving the puck.

    Advantage – Columbus – reasoning is in the Toronto series they were kind of on and off in Boston. One game the defense looked great, next game they looked a bit out of sort. So Columbus for now but this could change.

     

    Projected Lineups

    Bruins 

    Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — David Pastrnak

    Jake DeBrusk — David Krejci — Marcus Johansson

    Danton Heinen — Charlie Coyle — Karson Kuhlman

    Sean Kuraly — Joakim Nordstrom — Noel Acciari

    Zdeno Chara — Charlie McAvoy

    Brandon Carlo — Torey Krug

    Matt Grzelcyk — John Moore

    Tuukka Rask

    Jaroslav Halak

    Scratched: Steven Kampfer

    Injuries: Connor Clifton

     

    Columbus

    Artemi Panarin — Pierre-Luc Dubois — Olivier Bjorkstrand

    Ryan Dzingle — Matt Duchene — Cam Atkinson

    Alexandre Texier — Nick Foligno — Josh Anderson

    Riley Nash — Boone Jenner — Brandon Dubinsky

    Zach Werenski — Seth Jones

    Dean Kukan — David Savard

    Scott Harrington — Adam Clendening

    Sergei Bobrovsky

    Joonas Korpisalo

    Scratched: Alexander Wennberg,

    Injuries: Ryan Murray, Markus Nutivaara, Adam McQuaid

     

    Winning Scenarios:

    1. Bruins win if the top line of Pastrnak, Marchand, and Bergeron can show the same ability to tear the Jackets defense apart.
    2. Columbus wins if Bobrovsky continues to play with the confidence he showed in the series against Tampa.

    Overall Edge: Boston, for experience and a team that never gives up

     

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