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Tag: Carolina Hurricanes

  • April 16th, 2019 — News and Notes

    April 16th, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Tuesday, April 16th, 2019, and these are your news and notes

     

    There were four games in Stanley Cup playoff action yesterday

     

     

    TXHT, as they will for all 2019 Stanley Cup playoff games, has all of your recaps from last night’s contests.  Each of the contests and there you can check out all of TXHT’s recaps.

     

    CAROLINA 5, Washington 0 (Washington leads the series 2-1)

    Game 3. 2-1 WSH

     

    Game Recap – 1st Rd. Game 3 – Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

     

    TORONTO 3, Boston 2 (Toronto leads the series 2-1)

    Game 3. 2-1 TOR

     

    Boston Bruins vs Toronto Maple Leafs – Round 1 – Game #3 Recap

     

    Nashville 3, DALLAS 2 (Nashville leads the series 2-1)

    Game 3, 2-1 NSH

     

    Gameday Recap: Nashville Predators vs. Dallas Stars (First Round: Game 3)

     

    COLORADO 6, Calgary 2 (Colorado leads the series 2-1)

    Game 3 - 2-1 COL

     

     

    Today there are four games in action


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

     

     

    In NHL news…

     

    It was announced yesterday that Toronto Maple Leafs C Nazem Kadri has been suspended for the remainder of the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs.

     

     

    TXHT has your break down of the news and our reaction here.

     

    In addition, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced that San Jose Sharks F Joe Thornton has been suspended for one game for his Illegal Check to the Head of Vegas Golden Knights F Tomas Nosek in Sunday’s contest.

     

     

     

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

     

     

    Don’t forget to check out all of TXHT’s extensive 2019 Stanley Cup playoff previews and recaps here.

  • Game Recap – 1st Rd. Game 3 – Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

    Game Recap – 1st Rd. Game 3 – Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

    Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

     

    Game Recap:

    In the first game in ten years in North Carolina, the Washington Capitals come to town looking to extend their series lead to three, but the Carolina Hurricanes have other things in mind as Warren Foegele would score the first goal of the game to give the Hurricanes their first lead of the series. Then tensions would boil over as Alexander Ovechkin and Andrei Svechnikov would get into a rare playoff fight that would see Ovechkin knock Svechnikov out of the game.

    Both teams would trade powerplay opportunities, but neither would be able to capitalize.

     

    Then in the second period, it would be the Hurricanes building on their lead as Foegele would score his second of the game. Then on the powerplay thanks to a Nicklas Backstrom penalty, Dougie Hamilton would score to make it 3-0 and continue to build the Hurricanes surge. The Hurricanes would also hold the Capitals to a franchise low one shot in the second period.

     

    In the third period the Hurricanes would continue their surge on the Capitals as they would abuse and frustrate the Capitals. After killing off two penalties, the Hurricanes would draw a penalty against Lars Eller which would then result in another Dougie Hamilton powerplay goal to make it 4-0. And to put the nail in the coffin, Brock McGinn would score the fifth and final goal to seal the victory for the Hurricanes as they cut the Capitals series lead in half to one.

     

    Lineups:

    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 — Chandler Stephenson

    John Carlson — Nick Jensen

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Christian Djoos

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Jonas Siegenthaler, Travis Boyd, Dmitrij Jaskin, Vitek Vanecek

    Injured: Michal Kempny (torn left hamstring)

     

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Nino Niederreiter — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen

    Andrei Svechnikov — Jordan Staal — Justin Williams

    Micheal Ferland — Lucas Wallmark — Jordan Martinook

    Warren Foegele — Greg McKegg — Brock McGinn

    Jaccob Slavin — Dougie Hamilton

    Brett Pesce — Justin Faulk

    Haydn Fleury — Trevor van Riemsdyk

    Petr Mrazek

    Curtis McElhinney

    Scratched: Saku Maenalanen, Jake Bean

    Injured: Calvin de Haan (upper body)

     

    First Period:

    Hurricanes Goal – 9:43 – Warren Foegele (1) from Justin Faulk (2) and Brock McGinn (1)

    Capitals Penalty – 10:59 – Alex Ovechkin 5 minute major for Fighting

    Hurricanes Penalty – 10:59 – Andrei Svechnikov 5 minute major Fighting

    Hurricanes Penalty – 11:46 – Jordan Staal 2 minutes for Interference

    Capitals Penalty – 17:03 – Dmitry Orlov 2 minutes for Interference

     

    End of 1st – WAS – 0       CAR – 1

    Shots              09                15

    Faceoffs         12                11

    PP                 0/1                 0/1

     

    Second Period:

    Hurricanes Goal – 6:09 – Warren Foegele (2) from Sebastian Aho (1) and Teuvo Teravainen (1)

    Capitals Penalty – 9:48 – Nicklas Backstrom 2 minutes for Interference

    Hurricanes PPG – 11:40 – Dougie Hamilton (1) from Jordan Staal (1) and Jaccob Slavin (3)

    Capitals Penalty – 15:38 – John Carlson 2 minutes for Roughing

    Hurricanes Penalty – 15:38 – Warren Foegele 2 minutes for Slashing

     

    End of 2nd – WAS – 0        CAR – 3

    Shots               10                 33

    Faceoffs          23                 22

    PP                   0/1                  1/2

     

    Third Period:

    Hurricanes Penalty – 1:22 – Nino Niederreiter 2 minutes for Interference

    Hurricanes Penalty – 5:31 – Hayden Fleury 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Capitals Penalty – 8:19 – Lars Eller 2 minutes for Roughing

    Hurricanes PPG – 9:47 – Dougie Hamilton (2) from Jaccob Slavin (4) and Warren Foegele (2)

    Capitals Penalty – 13:01 – Brett Connolly 2 minutes for Roughing

    Hurricanes Goal – 15:35 – Brock McGinn (1) from Jordan Staal (2) and Jordan Martinook (1)

    Capitals Penalty – 15:46 – Jakub Vrana 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Hurricanes Penalty – 19:22 – Dougie Hamilton 2 minutes for High Sticking

     

    End of 3rd – WAS – 0         CAR – 5

    Shots              17                   45

    Faceoffs        36                    30

    Hits               34                     52

    PP                 0/4                    2/5

     

    Next Up:

    Game Four –  Capitals Leads Series 2-1

     

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

  • April 14th, 2019 — News and Notes

    April 14th, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Sunday, April 14th, 2019, and these are your news and noted from yesterday.

     

    All of the game recaps are written by TXHT’s esteemed staff.

     

    There were four contests in action yesterday.

     

     

    WASHINGTON 4, Carolina 3 (OT) (Washington leads the series 2-0)

     

    The Washington Capitals would defeat the Carolina Hurricanes in overtime, 4-3, thanks to the game-winner from Capitals defenceman Brooks Orpik.

     

    The Capitals will look to a commanding 3-0 lead tomorrow night when Game 3 takes place in Raleigh.

     

    Michael Lindenbaum has your full recap of the contest between the Hurricanes and the Capitals at the following page.

     

    NASHVILLE 2, Dallas 1 (OT) (Series is tied 1-1)

     

    The Nashville Predators would defeat the Dallas Stars with the 2-1 win in overtime.  Craig Smith would net the game winner and Predators G Pekka Rinne would have 21 saves in the contest.

     

    Nashville will look to take the 2-1 series lead when Game 3 takes place tomorrow night in Dallas.

     

    Dickson Kendrick has your full recap of the contest between the Stars and the Predators at the following page.

     

     

    BOSTON 4, Toronto 1 (Series is tied 1-1)

     

    This would be a very physical contest between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs with the Bruins getting the 4-1 win, and tying the series 1-1.

     

    This game would not come without controversy as Toronto’s Nazem Kadri delivered a cross-check to the head of Boston’s Jake DeBrusk, which not only ejected him from the game but also earned him an in-person from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.

     

    TXHT should have more on this as soon as there is a decision reached from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.

     

    With the series now tied 1-1, both teams will try to take the series lead when Game 3 of the series takes place tomorrow night.

     

    Steve Gardiner has your full recap of the contest between the Maple Leafs and the Bruins at the following page.

     

     

     

    Colorado 3, CALGARY 2 (OT) (Series is tied 1-1)

     

    The Colorado Avalanche would defeat the Calgary Flames with the 3-2 win in overtime.

     

    Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon would net the game winner to tie this series at 1.

     

    Both teams will look to take the 2-1 series lead with Game 3 shifting to Colorado.  Game 3 takes place tomorrow night.

     

    Scott Fairchild has your full recap of the contest between the Colorado Avalanche and the Calgary Flames at the following page.

     

     

     

    Today there are four contests in action:

     

     

     

    For more news, notes, information, and stats, please check out the NHL’s Morning Skate report, which you can find below…

     

     

     

    You can catch up on all of TXHT’s extensive 2019 Stanley Cup playoff coverage at our website, https://txhthockey.com/2019-nhl-playoffs/

     

     

     

  • Game Recap – 1st Rd. Game 2 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 1st Rd. Game 2 – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Capitals Lead 1-0

     

    Game Recap:

    Going into Game Two the Washington Capitals need to have a much better start to their game, and generate some scoring opportunities. And that they did as they would play with a much better pace to their game, and would create some really good chances in the Hurricanes zone. Less than four minutes into the game, it would be Alex Ovechkin feeding a really beautiful pass to Nicklas Backstrom for his third of the playoffs, and give the Capitals the 1-0 lead. Then after a failed powerplay attempt, it would be TJ Oshie with an amazing one-legged effort to score his first of the playoffs for a 2-0 lead. Then on a hard working shift for the Hurricanes, Lucas Wallmark would tip a Jaccob Slavin point shot to cut the Capitals lead to one. The Capitals would challenge for goalie interfernce, but it was ill advised as there was never any interference to Braden Holtby on the play. Alex Ovechkin would take an elbowing penalty, but the Capitals would kill off the penalty to finish the period.

     

     

    In the second period we would see a very undisciplined game from both teams starting with Micheal Ferland taking an offensive zone penalty, then Ferland again would take another penalty that would end his game for the day as he would receive a match penalty for illegal contact to Nic Dowd’s head, which also had Warren Foegele hook and high stick Dowd on the play with no calls made, but with some debate. While yes Ferland did in fact make contact with Dowd’s head (see tweet below), it doesn’t look like he went in with the intention to hurt Dowd. From the perspective of how the play unfolds, Dowd loses possession of the puck and is reaching to regain possession, while at the same time Ferland has already committed to the hit. Dowd is in a vulnerable position yes, but it does not look like Ferland’s intention was to hit the head, but due to Dowd’s posture, the head became the point of contact. Definitely a tough call to make.

    While on the Capitals five minute powerplay, they would not generate anything of substance. Also it would end prematurely as TJ Oshie would be called for hooking. Then the Capitals would go down two men when Dowd would be called for high sticking. While the Capitals were down, they were able to successfully kill both penalties. Then after another failed powerplay for the Capitals, Sebastian Aho would score to tie the game for the Hurricanes late in the period.

     

    Going into the third the Hurricanes would start off with some really solid chances, but Braden Holtby would stand tall in net. Then near the halfway point of the period Alex Ovechkin would feed Tom Wilson with the pass as he would blast it Petr Mrazek to give the Capitals a 3-2 lead. Then on a powerplay off of a Nic Dowd high sticking call, Jordan Staal would deflect a Dougie Hamilton point shot to tie the game at three a piece. The Capitals would get a couple chances before the end of the period, but Mrazek would holdnhis own and force overtime for the first time in this series.

     

    Going into overtime the Capitals would only need a little less than two minutes to close out this game and take a 2-0 series lead as Evgeny Kuznetsov would make a really crisp pass to Brooks Orpik who bombs it past Mrazek to win the game 4-3.

     

    Lineups:

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Nino Niederreiter — Sebastian Aho — Justin Williams

    Micheal Ferland — Jordan Staal –Teuvo Teravainen

    Andrei Svechnikov — Jordan Martinook — Brock McGinn

    Saku Maenalanen — Lucas Wallmark — Warren Foegele

    Jaccob Slavin — Dougie Hamilton

    Brett Pesce — Justin Faulk

    Haydn Fleury — Trevor van Riemsdyk

    Petr Mrazek

    Curtis McElhinney

    Scratched: Greg McKegg, Jake Bean

    Injured: Calvin de Haan (upper body)

     

     

     

    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 — Chandler Stephenson

    John Carlson — Nick Jensen

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Christian Djoos

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Jonas Siegenthaler, Travis Boyd, Dmitrij Jaskin, Ilya Samsonov

    Injured: Michal Kempny (torn left hamstring)

     

     

    First Period:

    Capitals Goal – 3:37 – Nicklas Backstrom (3) from Alex Ovechkin (1) and Dmitry Orlov (1)

     

    Hurricanes Penalty – 4:52 – Trevor van Riemsdyk 2 minutes for Slashing

    Capitals Goal – 9:26 – TJ Oshie (1) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (2) and Matt Niskanen (1)

     

    Capitals Penalty – 10:32 – Brett Connolly 2 minutes for Interference

    Hurricanes Goal – 15:54 – Lucas Wallmark (1) from Jaccob Slavin (1) amd Warren Foegele (1)

     

     

    Capitals Penalty – 16:24 – Alex Ovechkin 2 minutes for Elbowing

     

    End of 1st – CAR – 1       WAS – 2

    Shots              12                07

    Faceoffs         10                06

    Hits               08                  16

    PP                 0/2                 0/1

     

    Second Period:

    Hurricanes Penalty – 1:11 – Micheal Ferland 2 minutes for Hooking

    Hurricanes Penalty – 4:09 – Micheal Ferland Match penalty for Illegal Contact to Head

    Capitals Penalty – 8:18 – TJ Oshie 2 minutes Hooking

    Capitals Penalty – 9:11 -Nic Dowd 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Hurricanes Penalty – 11:36 – Dougie Hamilton 2 minutes for Elbowing

    Hurricanes Goal – 16:49 – Sebastian Aho (1) from Justin Williams (1) and Jaccob Slavin (2)

     

    End of 2nd – CAR – 2        WAS – 2

    Shots               18                 23

    Faceoffs          22                 14

    Hits                 14                  24

    PP                   0/4                  0/4

     

    Third Period:

    Capitals Goal – 8:55 – Tom Wilson (1) from Alex Ovechkin (2) and Nicklas Backstrom (1)

    Capitals Penalty – 14:24 – Nic Dowd 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Hurricanes PPG – 15:00 – Jordan Staal (1) from Dougie Hamilton (2) and Andrei Svechnikov (1)

     

    End of 3rd – CAR – 3         WAS – 3

    Shots              28                   32

    Faceoffs        39                    22

    Hits               22                     33

    PP                 1/5                    0/4

     

    Overtime:

    Capitals Goal – 1:42 – Brooks Orpik (1) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (3) and Jakub Vrana (1)

     

    End of OT – CAR – 3         WAS – 3

    Shots              28                   33

    Faceoffs        39                    23

    Hits               22                     34

    PP                 1/5                    0/4

     

    Next Up:

    Game Three – Capitals Leads Series 2-0

     

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

  • April 12th, 2019 — News and Notes

    April 12th, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Friday, April 12th, 2019, and these are your news and notes

     

    In Stanley Cup Playoff action, there were three games last night.

     

    Below you will find all of the game recaps from our TXHT writers.

     

     

    Toronto 4, BOSTON 1 (Toronto leads the series 1-0)

     

    The Toronto Maple Leafs would take Game 1 in this series from the Boston Bruins, winning the game 4-1.

     

    Toronto will look to take Game 2 when the two teams face off Saturday night.

     

    TXHT’s Steve Gardiner has your full recap of the contest below.

     

     

    The following image is the Boston Bruins infographic from last night’s contest and is the property of the Boston Bruins, NHL, NHL Public Relations, and their respective owners.

     

     

    WASHINGTON 4, Carolina 2 (Washington leads the series 1-0)

     

    The Washington Capitals, defending their Stanley Cup championship, defeated the Carolina Hurricanes last night with a 4-2 win.

     

    The Carolina Hurricanes mounted a comeback after being down 3-0 at the end of the first period, coming within a goal, before Washington’s Lars Eller scored an empty net goal with less than a minute left in the third period.

     

    The Capitals will look to take the 2-0 series lead when the two teams face off tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m., and the game will be available on NBC.

     

    Michael Lindenbaum has your full recap of Game 1 between the Capitals and the Hurricanes below.

     

     

    CALGARY 4, Colorado 0 (Calgary leads the series 1-0)

     

    The Calgary Flames crushed the Colorado Avalanche last night with a 4-0 win adn took the 1-0 series lead.

     

    Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk scored two goals and Flames goaltender Mike Smith registered 26 saves in the contest.

     

    The Flames will look to take the 2-0 series lead when Game 2 takes place Saturday night.

     

    Scott Fairchild has your full recap of the contest between Calgary and Colorado below.

     

     

    Calgary’s infographic from the 4-0 win is below and the infographic is the property of the Calgary Flames, NHL, NHL Public Relations, and their respective owners.

     

     

     

    Today’s schedule of games:


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

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

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

    Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

     

    Game Recap:

    The Washington Capitals begin their Stanley Cup defense at home against the Carolina Hurricanes, and the start of the game would see the Capitals weather the storm from the Hurricanes for the first half of the period followed by Nicklas Backstrom going top shelf on Petr Mrazek on the first shot of the game for the Capitals to make it 1-0. Then Justin Faulk would be called for high sticking, and on the powerplay Evgeny Kuznetsov would do a beautiful pass across to slot to Backstrom for his second of the game. The Hurricanes would not do themselves any favors though as Micheal Ferland would be called for interference and with a mad scramble Alex Ovechkin would net his first of the playoffs to make it 3-0 goinf into the first intermission.

     

    In the second period both teams would trade scoring opportunities, and some penalties as well. While the Capitals would kill their lone penalty early in the period, Carolina would give the Capitals two more powerplay opportunities. However, this time the Hurricanes would keep the Capitals off the score board while on the penalty kill.

     

    In the third period the Capitals would get some really good scoring opportunities to start the period, but Petr Mrazek would stand tall to keep the deficit to three. Then Andrei Svechnikov would score back to back goals to cut the Capitals lead to one in a span of two minutes and nineteen seconds. The Capitals would then get themselves into penalty problems, but would successfully kill both penalties. Then Lars Eller would score the empty netter to seal the deal for the Capitaks as they take the 1-0 series lead.

     

    Lineups:

    Carolina Hurricanes:

    Nino Niederreiter — Sebastian Aho — Justin Williams

    Micheal Ferland — Jordan Staal — Teuvo Teravainen

    Andrei Svechnikov — Jordan Martinook — Brock McGinn

    Greg McKegg — Lucas Wallmark — Warren Foegele

    Jaccob Slavin — Dougie Hamilton

    Brett Pesce — Justin Faulk

    Haydn Fleury — Trevor van Riemsdyk

    Petr Mrazek

    Curtis McElhinney

    Scratched: Saku Maenalanen, Jake Bean

    Injured: Calvin de Haan (upper body)

     

    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 — Chandler Stephenson

    John Carlson — Nick Jensen

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Brooks Orpik — Christian Djoos

    Braden Holtby

    Pheonix Copley

    Scratched: Jonas Siegenthaler, Travis Boyd, Dmitrij Jaskin, Ilya Samsonov

    Injured: Michal Kempny (torn left hamstring)

     

    First Period:

    Capitals Goal – 9:58 – Nicklas Backstrom (1) from John Carlson (1) and Brooks Orpik (1)

    Hurricanes Penalty – 12:32 – Justin Faulk 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Capitals PPG – 13:10 – Nicklas Backstrom (2) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (1) and John Carlson (2)

    Hurricanes Penalty – 16:31 – Micheal Ferland 2 minutes for Interference

    Capitals PPG – 18:05 – Alex Ovechkin (1) from Tom Wilson (1) and John Carlson (3)

     

    End of 1st – CAR – 0       WAS – 3

    Shots              10                09

    Faceoffs         13                09

    Hits               21                  18

    PP                 0/0                 2/2

     

    Second Period:

    Hurricanes Penalty – 1:46 – Andrei Svechnikov 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals Penalty – 4:07 – Bench (Alex Ovechkin) 2 minutes for Too Many Men

    Hurricanes Penalty – 13:05 – Justin Williams 2 minutes for Holding the Stick

     

    End of 2nd – CAR – 0        WAS – 3

    Shots               21                 13

    Faceoffs          23                 21

    Hits                 32                  27

    PP                   0/1                  2/4

     

    Third Period:

    Hurricanes Goal – 5:07 – Andrei Svechnikov (1) from Lucas Wallmark (1) and Dougie Hamilton (1)

    Hurricanes Goal – 7:26 – Andrei Svechnikov (2) from Lucas Wallmark (2) and Justin Faulk (1)

    Capitals Penalty – 11:14 – Jakub Vrana 2 minutes for Hooking

    Capitals Penalty – 16:29 – TJ Oshie 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Capitals ENG – 19:24 – Lars Eller (1) from unassisted

     

    End of 3rd – CAR – 2         WAS – 4

    Shots              29                   18

    Faceoffs        39                    28

    Hits               37                     35

    PP                 0/3                    2/4

     

    Next Up:

    Game Two – Capitals Leads Series 1-0

  • 2019 NHL Playoffs – 1st Round Preview – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    2019 NHL Playoffs – 1st Round Preview – Carolina Hurricanes v. Washington Capitals

    Carolina Hurricanes (46-29-7 99pts) v. Washington Capitals (48-26-8 104pts)

     

    Regular Season Series:

    CAR: 0-3-1

    WAS: 4-0-0

     

    Preview:

    For the first time in both franchise’s history, the Washington Capitals will face the Carolina Huuricanes in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For the Capitals they will be looking to defend the title as Stanley Cup Champions and are looking to this series as the beginning of their championship defense.

     

    Meanwhile for the Hurricanes, they will be participating in the playoffs for the first time since 2009. The Hurricanes will be looking to replicate past successes when the team has made it into the playoffs, and view the Capitals as a solid test as to what they are made of going into this playoff run.

     

    Offense:

    For the Hurricanes they had five 20 goal scorers with only one of them hitting the 30 goal mark and that being Sebastian Aho. Compare this to the Capitals who have seven 20 goal scorers, with one 50 goal scorer in Alex Ovechkin, the Capitals are a bit deeper than the Hurricanes are in regards to scoring depth, but it will be a matter of sysytems that will dictate how much scoring will happen in this series.

     

    Defense:

    For defense, both teams will be looking to play responsible hockey in both the neutral zone and in their own zones. The last two games these two had against eachother, both teams played defensively responsible, but it would the Capitals high powered offense eventually pushing through for victories in both games.

     

    Key players that both teams will be looking to to have an impact in these playoffs will be Dougie Hamilton and Justin Faulk for the Hurricanes, and John Carlson for the Capitals. With Michal Kempny out until next season, the Capitals will be looking to both Christian Djoos and Jonas Siegenthaler to step up in Kempny’s absence.

     

    Goaltending:

    For the Capitals, Braden Holtby will be tasked once again to carry the Capitals to the promised land. This time though Holtby will be starting the series instead of his backup like last postseason.

     

    For the Hurricanes, they have a one-two punch in Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney. While Mrazek is slated to be the starting goalie for this series, McElhinney can steal some games if called upon.

     

    Special Teams:

    CAR Powerplay: 17.8% 20th Overall

    WAS Powerplay: 20.8% 12th Overall

    The 2018-19 season was a dip in the Capitals powerplay, despite a hot start to the season. However, the Capitals were able to remain consistent throughout the season despite drought spurts.

     

    For the Hurricanes they were right around everyone expected them to be this season despite the dangerous duo of Aho and Teuvo Teravainen.

     

    CAR Penalty Kill: 81.6% 8th Overall

    WAS Penalty Kill: 78.9% 24th Overall

    This season under first time head coach Rod Brind’Amour, the Hurricanes were able to improve on their penalty kill, and the use of both Aho and Teravainen brought speed to the penalty kill unit.

     

    However, for the Capitals they dropped excessively this season after the departure of Barry Trotz and Lane Lambert. Also the loss of Jay Beagle during the offseason took away one of their biggest faceoff threats. The Capitals can get hot with their penalty killing as we have seen at times this season, but they need it to be consistent throughout the entire series and playoffs.

     

    Prediction: WAS in 6

  • April 7th, 2019 — News and Notes

    April 7th, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Sunday, April 7th, 2019, and these are your news and notes covering the final day of the 2018-2019 Regular Season in the NHL.

     

    There were 15 contests yesterday across the NHL, with playoff implications on the line.

     


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

     

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

    Tampa Bay 6, BOSTON 3


    *Images are the property of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, NHL, NHL Public Relations, and their respective owners

     

    The Tampa Bay Lightning would get their 62nd win on the season, tying an NHL record with the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings, when they defeated the Boston Bruins with a 6-3 win yesterday afternoon.  Tampa Bay would get this win after being down 2-0 late in the second period and would score four unanswered goals before Boston would score in the third period to make it a 4-3 Tampa Bay lead. Tampa Bay would score two more goals, one being an empty netter late in the third, to give the Lightning a 6-3 win.

     

     

    Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov would set a record for points by a Russian NHL player with 128 points this season, when he registered his 41st goal on the season 53 seconds into the third period.

     

     

     

    ST. LOUIS 3, Vancouver 2 (SO)

     

    The St. Louis Blues would take down the Vancouver Canucks with a 3-2 win in a shootout and with the win, the St. Louis Blues would seal the third spot in the Central Division standings.

     

     

    Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson would score his 28th goal on the season and ended the season with 66 points, a rookie record for a Canucks player.

     

     

     

    MONTREAL 6, Toronto 5 (SO)

     

     

    The Montreal Canadiens would defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs with a 6-5 shootout win, thanks to a hat trick by Ryan Poehling in his first NHL game.

     

     

    In this back and forth contest, the Toronto Maple Leafs could not keep up with the upbeat Canadiens and would fall in the shootout loss.  However, despite the loss, the Maple Leafs would earn 100 points on the season, and it would be the first time Toronto would earn that mark in consecutive seasons.

     

     

     

    Columbus 6, OTTAWA 2

     

     

    The Columbus Blue Jackets would seal their spot in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 6-2 win over the Ottawa Senators yesterday.  This would also be a penalty free game from both teams.

     

    Buffalo 7, DETROIT 1

     

     

    The Buffalo Sabres would face off against the Detroit Red Wings and would end up crushing Detroit with a 7-1 win last night.

     

     

    Detroit’s lone goal in the contest would come on a power play goal in the first period with Anthony Mantha’s 25th goal on the season, setting a career-high.

     

     

     

    New Jersey 4, FLORIDA 3 (OT)

     

    Travis Zajac would score the game winner in overtime, his 19th goal on the season, to give the New Jersey Devils the 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers last night.

    New Jersey ends the season with 31-41-10 record, whereas the Florida Panthers end their season with a record of 36-32-14 0y 4 /8

     

    https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1114708929773174784

     

    Carolina 4, PHILADELPHIA 3

     

     

     

    Despite being outshot in the contest, the Carolina Hurricanes would go on to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3.  With the win by the Carolina Hurricanes, they earned the top wild card spot and will face the Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs.

     

    NY Rangers 4, PITTSBURGH 3 (OT)

     


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

     

    The Pittsburgh Penguins would fall to the New York Rangers yesterday, losing by the score of 4-3 in overtime last night.

     

    NY Islanders 3, WASHINGTON 0

     

    The Washington Capitals would fall to the New York Islanders with a 3-0 loss.  Despite the loss the Capitals will face off against the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs and the Islanders will face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

     

     

     

    NASHVILLE 5, Chicago 2

     

     

    The Nashville Predators would defeat the Chicago Blackhawks last night with a 5-2 win last night thanks to goals by five different Nashville skaters.

     

    With the Nashville win, they would go on to become back-to-back Central Division champions.

     

     

    DALLAS 3, Minnesota 0

     

    The Dallas Stars would defeat the Minnesota Wild with a 3-0 win, thanks to two goals from Dallas F Tyler Seguin.  Seguin would bring his regular season goal total to 33 goals, matching a mark he had in the 2015-16 season.

     

    The Minnesota Wild would be outshot throughout the entire contest and never could catch up to physicality and overall play of the Stars.

     

     

    Edmonton 3, CALGARY 1

    The Edmonton Oilers would defeat the Calgary Flames with a 3-1 win thanks to Leon Draisaitl’s 50th goal on the season as well as Alex Chiasson’s 22nd goal on the season.

     

    Calgary’s lone goal would come from Mark Jankowski, his 14th goal on the season, in the first period of the contest.  After that goal by the Flames, they would not any answer for the Oilers.

     


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

     

    Winnipeg 4, ARIZONA 2

     

    The Winnipeg Jets faced off against the Arizona Coyotes and would escape with a 4-2 win last night.

    There would be four different goal scorers for the Jets in the contest and it would be enough to clinch home ice for at least the first round of the playoffs.

     

    LOS ANGELES 5, Vegas 2

     

    The Los Angeles Kings would face off against the Vegas Golden Knights and escape with a convincing 5-2 win.

     

    Los Angeles Ilya Kovalchuk would score twice and with goals by Jeff Carter, Matt Roy, and Anze Kopitar, the Kings would end their season a win.

     

    For the Golden Knights, despite the loss to the Kings, their season will continue when they face off against the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

     

     

    SAN JOSE 5, Colorado 2

     


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

     

    The San Jose Sharks would go on to defeat the Colorado Avalanche by the score of 5-2 thanks to scorers from five different Sharks players in the contest.

     

     

    For more news, notes, information, and statistics, you can check out the NHL’s Morning Skate Report at the following link:

     

    5802__stanley_cup_playoffs-wordmark-2019

     

    The First Round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoff schedule was also announced earlier today.

     


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

     


    *Images are the property of the NHL, NHL Public Relations, and their respective owners

     

    TXHT will have a full playoff preview episode and articles to come so make sure to stay tuned.

  • April 3rd, 2019 — News and Notes

    April 3rd, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Wednesday, April 3rd, 2019, and these are your news and notes

     

    There were 10 games in NHL action yesterday.


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

     

    Nashville 3, BUFFALO 2

     

    The Nashville Predators would take down the Buffalo Sabres with a 3-2 win.  With the win, the Predators are now 6-2-1 in their last nine contests.

     

    Nashville remains in a first place tie on points for the Central Division lead with the Winnipeg Jets.  However if the season were to end today, the Predators would be in second place in the Central Division based on ROW (regulation and overtime wins)

     

    Boston 6, COLUMBUS 2

     

    The Boston Bruins would defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets by the score of 6-2 and in doing so, the Bruins would snap Columbus’ five game win streak.

     

    Here is the infographic on Boston’s win over the Blue Jackets.

     


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

     

    Carolina 4, TORONTO 1

     

    The Carolina Hurricanes would defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs by the score of 4-1 and in doing so, the Hurricanes are trying to stay in contention for a postseason spot.

     

     

    With the loss by the Maple Leafs, Toronto clinched the third spot in the Atlantic Division.

     

    MONTREAL 4, Tampa Bay 2

     

    The Montreal Canadiens would double up the Tampa Bay Lightning with a convincing 4-2 win.

     

     

    DETROIT 4, Pittsburgh 1

     

    The Detroit Red Wings would win their sixth straight game with a 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins last night.

     

     

    The only goal scorer in the contest for the Penguins would be Phil Kessel, with his 25th goal on the season.

     

    Pittsburgh’s infographic from last night’s contest is pictured below


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

     

    MINNESOTA 5, Winnipeg 1

     

    The Minnesota Wild would defeat the Winnipeg Jets with a 5-1 win last night and with the win, the Wild prevented the Jets from climbing further for the division lead.

     

     

    DALLAS 6, Philadelphia 2

     

    The Dallas Stars would take down the Philadelphia Flyers with a convincing 6-2 win last night.

     

     

    Alexander Radulov would score two goals in the contest, giving him 29 goals on the season,

     

    With Dallas’ win, they clinched a spot in the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs.

     

    COLORADO 6, Edmonton 2

     

    The Colorado Avalanche would beat the Edmonton Oilers with a 6-2 in last night.

     

    After being down 2-0 at the end of the first period, the Avalanche scored six unanswered goals to seal the win.  Also in this contest, Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon would register his 400th NHL point.

     

    With Colorado’s win over the Oilers, the Minnesota Wild have been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention.  It will be the first time that the Wild are not in the playoffs since the 2011-12 season.

     

    VANCOUVER 4, San Jose 2

     

    Tanner Pearson would score twice in the contest to give the Vancouver Canucks a 4-2 win over the San Jose Sharks.

     

     

    San Jose’s Joe Thornton is now tied with Nicklas Lidstrom for 12th place on the all-time games played list with 1,564 regular-season games played.

     

    San Jose’s infographic from the 4-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks last night.

     


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

     

    Los Angeles 3, ARIZONA 1

     

    The LA Kings would take down the Arizona Coyotes with a 3-1 win.

     

     

    With the win by the Kings, the Coyotes postseason chances are now very slim as the remain four points behind the Colorado Avalanche for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference

     

     

     

     

    Today’s Schedule of NHL contests:


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

     

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

  • April 1st, 2019 — News and Notes

    April 1st, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is April 1st, 2019, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were six contests in NHL action yesterday.

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

     

    NY Rangers 3, PHILADELPHIA 0

     

    The New York Rangers would take on the Philadelphia Flyers yesterday afternoon and would take down the Philadelphia Flyers with a 3-0 win yesterday in downtown Philadelphia.

     

     

    ARIZONA 4, Minnesota 0

     

    The Arizona Coyotes would shutout the Minnesota Wild yesterday afternoon with a 4-0 win.

     

     

    Arizona is still in postseason contention with three games left to play.,

     

     

    PITTSBURGH 3, Carolina 1

     

    The Pittsburgh Penguins would take down the Carolina Hurricanes with a 3-1 win and would not let the Carolina Hurricanes climb in the standings.

     


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

     

    Columbus 4, BUFFALO 0

     

    The Columbus Blue Jackets would defeat the Buffalo Sabres yesterday with a 4-0 shutout performance.

     

     

    Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky would have a 38 save performance, earning his 36th win on the season.

     

     

    DETROIT 6, Boston 3

     

    The Detroit Red Wings would take down the Boston Bruins with a 6-3 win, thanks to a three goal performance by Anthony Mantha.

     

     

    Despite the loss by the Bruins, they still are holding on strong to the second seed in the Atlantic Division playoff spot.

     


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

     

    Calgary 5, SAN JOSE 3

     

     


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

     


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

     

    With the 5-3 win over the San Jose Sharks, the Calgary Flames clinched the Pacific Division, their first division crown since the 2005-06 season when they won the Northwest Division, and the top seed in the Western Conference, which last happened in the 1989-90 season.

     

     

     

    Today’s schedule of contests:


    *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 playoff clinching scenarios:

    -The Washington Capitals can clinch the Metropolitan Division if they defeat the Florida Panthers AND the New York Islanders lose to the Toronto Maple Leafs in regulation

    -The Toronto Maple Leafs will clinch a postseason spot if they get at least one point against the Islanders

     

    With the win by the Calgary Flames, we now know one confirmed first round match-up in the postseason.

    The San Jose Sharks will take on the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.