Tag: Washington Capitals

  • Caps Fall Flat to B’s in Opener

    Caps Fall Flat to B’s in Opener

    Boston Bruins (0-0-0 0pts) v. Washington Capitals (0-0-0 0pts)

    Game Recap:

    To kick off the 2022-23 NHL season the Washington Capitals would play host to the Boston Bruins, and to start the game the Caps would get an early powerplay, but good ole Blaine Forsythe didn’t bother to change a thing so it would be a non-existent powerplay for the Caps to start the game. Shortly after the Caps would go to the penalty kill and it would be Patrice Bergeron striking on the powerplay to give the B’s the 1-0 lead over the Caps. Then later in the period David Pastrnak would strike to grow the Bruins lead to two. The Caps would get a late powerplay opportunity, but once again did nothing with it.

    In the second period Taylor Hall would open the period with a tally to grow the B’s lead to three, but the Caps would respond as Dylan Strome would make a spectacular play to get the puck to the front of the net, and with the assist of a lucky bounce, as Anthony Mantha would bury the puck into the net for the Caps first goal of the young season. Then later in the period Conor Sheary would strike on a beautiful blast to get the Caps back within one of the Bruins.

    However, going into the third period the Capitals would fall flat as the Bruins would get goals from David Krejci and Hampus Lindholm to defeat the Caps 5-2. For the Caps this was a disappointing start for the team as the first half of the game they came out flat, and the fact that the powerplay was not really clicking and they were dominated in the faceoff circle (both of which fall under Forsythe) this was not a good solid effort from the Caps. They did have good opportunities, but they threw too many away with too many passes when they really should have gone for it.

    The Caps don’t have a lot of time to think about this one as they head to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs on Thursday night.

     Save 10% off orders of $20 or More On Your First Purchase with Promo Code DSCBRICC10!

    Lineups:

    Boston Bruins:

    Taylor Hall — Patrice Bergeron — Jake DeBrusk

    Pavel Zacha — David Krejci — David Pastrnak

    A.J. Greer — Charlie Coyle — Craig Smith

    Nick Foligno — Tomas Nosek — Jakub Lauko

    Hampus Lindholm — Brandon Carlo

    Derek Forbort — Jakub Zboril

    Mike Reilly — Connor Clifton

    Linus Ullmark

    Jeremy Swayman

    Scratched: Anton Stralman, Jack Studnicka, Trent Frederic

    Injured: Brad Marchand (hip), Charlie McAvoy (shoulder), Matt Grzelcyk (shoulder)

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Connor Brown

    Aliaksei Protas — Dylan Strome — Anthony Mantha

    Marcus Johansson — Lars Eller — T.J. Oshie

    Conor Sheary — Nic Dowd — Garnet Hathaway

    Martin Fehervary — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Nick Jensen

    Erik Gustafsson — Trevor van Riemsdyk

    Darcy Kuemper

    Charlie Lindgren

    Scratched: Joe Snively, Connor McMichael, Matt Irwin

    Injured: Nicklas Backstrom (hip), Tom Wilson (lower body), Carl Hagelin (hip, eye)

    The Official Jersey Retailer of TXHT

    First Period:

    BOS Penalty – 2:38 – Brandon Carlo – Tripping

    WAS Penalty – 7:12 – Evgeny Kuznetsov – High Sticking

    BOS PPG – 7:58 – Patrice Bergeron (1) from David Pastrnak (1) and David Krejci (1)

    BOS Goal – 15:03 – David Pastrnak (1) from David Krejci (2) and Connor Clifton (1)

    BOS Penalty – 17:23 – Taylor Hall – Roughing

    The Official Jersey Retailer of TXHT

    Second Period:

    BOS Goal – 6:14 – Taylor Hall (1) from David Pastrnak (2) and Mike Reilly (1)

    WAS Goal – 7:34 – Anthony Mantha (1) from Dylan Strome (1) and Erik Gustafsson (1)

    BOS Penalty – 9:43 – Taylor Hall – Slashing

    WAS Goal – 12:43 – Conor Sheary (1) from Nic Dowd (1)

    BOS Penalty – 17:54 – Brandon Carlo – Holding

    The Official Jersey Retailer of TXHT

    Third Period:

    WAS Penalty – 4:20 – Nick Jensen – Holding

    WAS Penalty – 7:09 – Martin Fehervary – Tripping

    BOS Goal – 16:17 – David Krejci (1) from David Pastrnak (3) and Pavel Zacha (1)

    BOS ENG – 18:55 – Hampus Lindholm (1) from unassisted

    Save 10% Off Your First Subscription Purchase of $18 or More with Promo Code DSCSQUATCH10! First Time Purchase Only

    TXHT may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through Cool Hockey and Dr. Squatch ads/links in this article.

  • 2022-23 Team Preview – Washington Capitals

    2022-23 Team Preview – Washington Capitals

    2021-22

    Record: 44-26-12 100p (4th in the Metropolitan)

    Playoffs: Lost in First Round to FLA

    Key Losses

    G – Vitek Vanecek (Trade – NJ), G – Ilya Samsonov (TOR), D – Justin Schultz (SEA), G – Pheonix Copley (LA), F – Johan Larsson, D – Michal Kempny (SEA)

    Key Additions

    G – Darcy Kuemper, G – Charlie Lindgren, D – Erik Gustafsson, F – Henrik Borgstrom, F – Dylan Strome, D – Gabriel Carlsson, F – Connor Brown

    The Official Personal Care Products Provider of TXHT.

    2022-23 Preview

    Heading into the 2022-23 season history will be made in many ways for the Washington Capitals as Alex Ovechkin continues the chase for Wayne Gretzky to become the all time leader in career goals in the NHL. Currently sitting at 780 goals Ovechkin looks to surpass Gordie Howe for second all time in the first few months of the season, and will also look to reach the 50 goal plateau for the 10th time in his career to take sole possession of first place in NHL history for most fifty goal seasons in an NHL career. While Ovechkin is doing all of this he will also become the first player in NHL history to score 800 goals with the same team. So there is a lot of history to be made this season with Ovechkin this season.

    For the Capitals as a whole the biggest change for them is between the pipes as both Ilya Samsonov (signed with Toronto) and Vitek Vanecek (traded to New Jersey) are both now gone, and in are Darcy Kuemper and Charlie Lindgren. Kuemper is fresh off of winning the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche, and will look to prove that it was not a fluke as he comes to DC with the intentions of helping the Capitals win their second Stanley Cup in franchise history. Before Colorado, Kuemper was a standout netminder for the Arizona Coyotes and after being traded to Colorado he proved that he was more than capable to backstop the Avalanche to the Cup. Here’s hoping he still has that magic and backstop the Caps to a deep run. As for Lindgren, he is a capable backup, but he doesn’t have a lot of experience either, and with Zach Fucale in wings, will make the battle for the backup position interesting. I’m also interested in seeing how Lindgren pushes Kuemper as the tandem works together to backstop the Caps.

    On defense both Justin Schultz and Michal Kempny are gone as both went to Seattle, and prospect Alexander Alexeyev will start the season on the IR after having shoulder surgery which means offseason signing Erik Gustafsson will slot in as the sixth defenseman with Matt Irwin and Gabriel Carlsson battling for the 7th defenseman spot. I see Dmitry Orlov being paired up as a shutdown pairing once again this season while John Carlson and Martin Fehervary will man the top pairing for the Caps. I see Fehervary breaking out a bit this season. I liked what I saw from him last season, and the future is bright for him. Trevor van Riemsdyk will be on the third pair and will get more opportunities this season, which is good in my opinion as van Riemsdyk is a responsible defender, and could slot higher if one of the other defenders struggles a bit.

    On offense the Capitals are going to be in good shape, and that’s with both Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson out of the lineup for at least the first half of the season. With Wilson we know he’ll be back in late December/early January, but Backstrom is the real question mark as his hip ins not in great shape and he had another surgery on it, and it’s the type that ends careers. So it’ll be very interesting to see if Backstrom does come back at all this season, and my prediction is that if he does, it’ll be in the playoffs because of the salary cap. Another question will be the status of Carl Hagelin and his eye injury. He’s been skating with the team during informal skates, and his been a full participant, which has been promising, but when training camp comes around (this is being typed and scheduled on 9/15/22) how will he do with the eye exam, and if he passes, what will it do to the Caps lineup? We bring this up because there had already been a lot of planning in what the lineup could look like, and with this being a prime example of what we could expect:

    Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Connor Brown
    Anthony Mantha — Lars Eller — TJ Oshie
    Dylan Strome — Connor McMichael — Conor Sheary
    Marcus Johansson — Nic Dowd — Garnet Hathaway

    Now obviously if Hagelin is on the opening night roster this will cause some pain for the Caps, not because of what everyone expected to have for the lineup, but also for Salary Cap implications as a move would be needed. Especially since that this is the year that Connor McMichael is really expected to get more responsibility and opportunities. That changes with Hagelin in the lineup as Marcus Johansson would most likely move into the 3C spot and McMichael would probably get scratched, but you’d still have the cap problem, and so someone will have to get moved. All signs point to Lars Eller due to him having the most expendable contract to help ease the cap pressure.

    I’m looking forward to seeing not just McMichael get more opportunities this season, but also to see how Dylan Strome and Connor Brown do. Brown will have the task to fill in for Wilson while he recovers from his knee surgery, and Strome will be getting a fresh start with the Caps after dumbfoundingly being let go by Chicago. Both players have a lot of solid potential. One player I do also want to see more of this season too is Aliaksei Protas. I really like what I saw from him last season, and would like to see more of him this season. It’ll be interesting to see what the Caps decide to do with Hendrix Lapierre. I really liked what I saw from him in the 9 games he played last season, and could be on the team this season along with Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (lot of young guys fighting for spots that aren’t there, and that’s a good thing). Will be really interesting to see how things shake out for the Caps coming out of training camp.

    One gripe that I need to address though, and that is of course Blaine Forsythe. He’s still employed when he really shouldn’t be. Without Backstrom he’s going to not change a thing with the powerplay and that is going to be a major concern. The powerplay is way to predictable, and he needs to change it up to take away that predictability, but Forsythe won’t do that. He also coaches the centers, and faceoff percentages have dropped horrendously under him. Blaine Forsythe has outstayed his welcome and he needs to go.

    Overall this will be an interesting season for the Caps, and they will fight for their spot in the playoffs this season. Should be a fun ride this season.

    The Official Jersey Retailer of TXHT
  • NHL News and Notes from Saturday, November 23rd, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Saturday, November 23rd, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Saturday, November 23rd, 2019

     

    Game Recaps:

    Vancouver Canucks v. Washington Capitals – 1230p EST Start Time

    VAN RoadWAS Home

    The Washington Capitals fall to the Vancouver Canucks 2-1 in the shootout on Hockey Fights Cancer Day. TXHT Recap

     

    Calgary Flames v. Philadelphia Flyers – 1p EST Start Time

    CAL RoadPHI Home

    In Philadelphia the Flyers look to cool the Calgary Flames, and after a scoreless first period the Flyers would strike in the second period with a Jakub Voracek tally to take the 1-0 lead. then in the third period Andrew Mangiapane would tie the game at one for the Flames, however, Kevin Hayes would strike late in the third period to retake the lead for the Flyers. But the Flames would not stay down as Elias Lindholm would strike for his 11th of the season to tie the game at two and send the game to overtime. After a scoreless extra frame, it would be Matthew Tkachuk scoring the lone goal of the shootout to secure the 3-2 victory.

     

    Arizona Coyotes v. Los Angeles Kings – 4p EST Start Time

    ARI RoadLA Alt

    In Los Angeles the Arizona Coyotes look to topple the Kings, and in the first period while on the powerplay Phil Kessel would strike to give the Coyotes the 1-0 lead. Then in the second period Anze Kopitar would strike on the powerplay for the Kings to tie the game at one, but Lawson Crouse would retake the lead for the Coyotes with his fifth of the season. Then in the third period Christian Fischer would score for the Coyotes to take the 3-1 lead, but Nikolai Prokhorkin would score for the Kings, but it wouldn’t be enough as the Coyotes would take the 3-2 victory.

     

    Toronto Maple Leafs v. Colorado Avalanche – 7p EST Start Time

    TOR RoadCOL Home

    In Colorado the Toronto Maple Leafs would explode for four goals against the Avalanche after Nathan MacKinnon would score 31 seconds into the game to take the lead, but the Leafs would get their goals from Nick Shore, Auston Matthews, Tyson Barrie (PPG), Kasperi Kapenen to take the 4-1 lead. Then in the second period the Avalanche would chip away at the deficit with an Andre Burakovsky powerplay goal, and then in the third period the Avalanche would get a goal from Valeri Nichushkin to cut the deficit to one. However, The Leafs would get a goal from Zach Hyman with one second left in the game to take the 5-3 victory.

     

    Columbus Blue Jackets v. Winnipeg Jets – 7p EST Start Time

    CLB RoadWIN Home

    In Winnipeg the Jets would face off against the Columbus Blue Jackets in a tightly contested matchup. In the first period the Jackets would strike first with a Pierre-Luc Dubois powerplay goal, but Blake Wheeler would strike to tie the game at one. Then in the second period Seth Jones (PPG) and Gustav Nyquist (PPG) would both strike for the Jackets, but Nikolaj Ehlers and Mathieu Perreault would keep the game tied up as they enter the second intermission. Then in the third period with less than two minutes left in regulation Andrew Copp would strike to give the Jets the 4-3 victory.

     

    Minnesota Wild v. Boston Bruins – 7p EST Start Time

    MIN RoadBOS Home

    In Boston the Bruins would play host to the Minnesota Wild, and in the first period it would be the first to strike with a Jason Zucker powerplay goal. Then in the second period Victor Rask and Eric Staal (PPG) would score for the Wild, but Jake DeBrusk and Brad Marchand would score for the Bruins. Then in the third period Kevin Fiala would grow the Wild’s lead back to two, but the Bruins would comeback with two goals from David Krejci (EVS and PPG) to tie the game up at four and send the game to overtime. In overtime Torey Krug would score to complete the comeback as the Bruins downed the Wild 5-4.

     

    New York Rangers v. Montreal Canadiens – 7p EST Start Time

    NYR RoadMON Home

    In Montreal the Canadiens would blow one against the New York Rangers. In the first period the Canadiens would get two goals from Max Domi and a goal from Artturi Lehkonen to take a commanding 3-0 lead. Then in the second period Shea Weber would strike to grow the lead to four, but the Rangers would start to mount the comeback as Filip Chytil, Pavel Buchnevich, and Brendan Lemieux would all strike to cut the Canadiens lead to one. Then in the third period Lehkonen would get his second of the game to give the Canadiens the two goal lead, but Artemi Panarin, Lemieux’s second of the game while shorthanded, and a Jacob Trouba tally would complete the comeback as the Rangers would defeat the Canadiens 6-5.

     

    Anaheim Ducks v. Tampa Bay Lightning – 7p EST Start Time

    ANA RoadTB Alt

    The Tampa Bay Lightning played host to the Anaheim Ducks, and in the first period Brayden Point would get the Lightning on the board first, but then while shorthanded Derek Grant would score for the Ducks to tie the game at one. Then in the second period Rickard Rakell would score for the Ducks, but the Lightning would get goals from Nikita Kucherov, a powerplay tally from Point for his second of the game, and from Pat Maroon to take a 4-2 lead. Then in the third period Anthony Cirelli (PPG) and Ondrej Palat (PPG) would score to give the Lightning the 6-2 victory.

     

    Detroit Red Wings v. New Jersey Devils – 7p EST Start Time

    DET RoadNJ Home

    Scott recaps the New Jersey Devils 5-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Scott’s Recap

     

    Florida Panthers v. Carolina Hurricanes – 7p EST Start Time

    FLA RoadCAR Alt

    In Carolina the Hurricanes would take on the Florida Panthers. In the first period both teams would trade goals as the Hurricanes would get goals from Brett Pesce and Martin Necas, and Aaron Ekblad and Brian Boyle would score for the Panthers. Then in the second period Dougie Hamilton would score to give the Hurricanes the 3-2 lead, and Andrei Svechnikov would score his 11th of the season to secure the 4-2 victroy for the Hurricanes.

     

    Nashville Predators v. St. Louis Blues – 8p EST Start Time

    NAS RoadSTL Alt

    In St. Louis the Nashville Predators would pounce on the Blues in the first period as they would get goals from Filip Forsberg, Mattias Ekholm, and Colton Sissons, but the Blues would get a goal as Klim Kostin would score his first of the season to cut the Predators lead to two. Then after a scoreless second period Alex Pietrangelo would strike on the powerplay for the Blues, but Calle Jarnkrok would secure the victory with the 4-2 win.

     

    Chicago Blackhawks v. Dallas Stars – 8p EST Start Time

    CHI RoadDAL Home

    In Dallas the Stars and Chicago Blackhawks would need the shootout to settle things. In the first period both teams would trade goals as Roope Hintz would strike for the Stars, and Olli Maatta would score for the Blackhawks. Then after two scoreless periods and a scoreless overtime it would be goals from Joe Pavelski and Tyler Seguin in the shootout to secure the 2-1 win for the Stars.

     

    Edmonton Oilers v. Vegas Golden Knights – 10p EST Start Time

    EDM RoadVGK Home

    In Vegas the Golden Knights would spring a leak as the Edmonton Oilers came to town. In the first period Connor McDavid and Ethan Bear would score for the Oilers, but Cody Eakin would strike late in the period to trail by one. Then in the second period Markus Granlund would strike to give the Oilers their two goal lead back. However, shea Theodore would strike for the Knights to cut the deficit to one. Then in the third period the Oilers would get their two goal lead as McDavid would score his second of the game while on the powerplay, and secure the 4-2 victory for the Oilers.

     

    New York Islanders v. San Jose Sharks – 1030p EST Start Time

    NYI RoadSJ Home

    In San Jose the Sharks and New York Islanders would do battle, and after a scoreless first period Marcus Sorensen would strike first for the Sharks. However, Casey Cizikas would strike less than three seconds later to tie the game at one for the Islanders. Then after a scoreless third period this game would require overtime, and it would be Logan Couture striking to give the Sharks the 2-1 victory.

     

    Support our friend’s Kickstarter campaign for Star Con today!

    Star Con

  • Game Recap – 11/23/2019 – Vancouver Canucks v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 11/23/2019 – Vancouver Canucks v. Washington Capitals

    Vancouver Canucks (11-8-4 26pts) v. Washington Capitals (16-4-4 36pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    Celebrating Hockey Fights Cancer with a special starting six, the Washington Capitals would play host to the Vancouver Canucks and a little over two minutes into the game Jakub Vrana would unleash a bullet past Jacob Markstrom to take the early 1-0 lead. The Capitals would then get a powerplay opportunity, but they would not be able to capitalize on it despite getting some quality chances. Then the Canucks would get the Capitals into penalty to get a 58 second two man advantage that would see Elias Pettersson score to tie the game at one. The Capitals would be able to kill off the second penalty to keep the game tied at one. After some more back and forth between the two teams, time would expire and remain tied at one going into the first intermission.

     

    In the second period there would be no goals scored, but the Capitals would give the Canucks two more powerplay opportunities. However, this time the Capitals were able to execute the penalty kill much better than in the first period. Tom Wilson would also draw an interference call on Tyler Myers to give the Capitals their second powerplay of the game, and will have a little over a minute of powerplay time to start the third period.

     

    In the third period the Capitals would fail to score on their powerplay to open the period, and again on a powerplay they earned while forcing the play in the Canucks zone they would fail to capitalize on the opportunity. Both teams would trade chances late in the third, but neither team would score and the game would go to overtime. In overtime Evgeny Kuznetsov would take a hooking penalty, but the Capitals would stay alive by killing off the penalty. In the final minute of overtime both Alex Ovechkin and TJ Oshie would try to secure the victory for the Capitals, but Jacob Markstrom would stand tall to force the game to go to the shootout. Then after six scoreless rounds, it would be Bo Horvat scoring in the seventh round to secure the 2-1 victory for the Canucks.

     

    Lineups:

    Vancouver Canucks:

    Tanner Pearson — Elias Pettersson — Brock Boeser

    J.T. Miller — Bo Horvat — Zack MacEwen

    Josh Leivo — Adam Gaudette — Jake Virtanen

    Tim Schaller — Jay Beagle — Tyler Graovac

    Alexander Edler — Troy Stecher

    Quinn Hughes — Christopher Tanev

    Jordie Benn — Tyler Myers

    Jacob Markstrom

    Thatcher Demko

    Scratched: Sven Baertschi, Loui Eriksson, Oscar Fantenberg

    Injured: Brandon Sutter (groin strain), Tyler Motte (foot), Antoine Roussel (knee), Micheal Ferland (concussion protocol)

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Lars Eller — T.J. Oshie

    Richard Panik — Chander Stephenson — Travis Boyd

    Beck Malenstyn — Michael Sgarbossa — Brendan Leipsic

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Nick Jensen

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Radko Gudas

    Braden Holtby

    Ilya Samsonov

    Scratched: Christian Djoos

    Injured: Nicklas Backstrom (upper body), Nic Dowd (upper body), Carl Hagelin (upper body)

    Suspended: Garnet Hathaway

     

    First Period:

    WAS Goal – 2:22 – Jakub Vrana (11) from Lars Eller (8)

    VAN Penalty – 10:29 – Jake Virtanen 2 minutes for High Sticking

    WAS Penalty – 12:42 – Chandler Stephenson 2 minutes for Interference

    WAS Penalty – 13:44 – Richard Panik 2 minutes for Tripping

    VAN PPG – 14:00 – Elias Pettersson (10) from JT Miller (14) and Quinn Hughes (16)

     

    End of 1st

    11-23 v VAN.png

     

    Second Period:

    WAS Penalty – 8:37 – Jonas Siegenthaler 2 minutes for Hooking

    WAS Penalty – 16:20 – Lars Eller 2 minutes for Hooking

    VAN Penalty – 19:14 – Tyler Myers 2 minutes for Interference

     

    End of 2nd

    11-23 v VAN-2.png

     

    Third Period:

    VAN Penalty – 4:43 – Zack MacEwen 2 minutes for Interference

     

    End of 3rd

    11-23 v VAN-3.png

     

    Overtime:

    WAS Penalty – 1:25 – Evgeny Kuznetsov 2 minutes for Hooking

     

    Shootout:

    1 – WAS – TJ Oshie – Save

    1 – VAN – Brock Boeser – Save

    2 – WAS – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Save

    2 – VAN – Elias Pettersson – Save

    3 – WAS – Alex Ovechkin – Save

    3 – VAN – Josh Leivo – Missed

    4 – WAS – Jakub Vrana – Save

    4 – VAN – JT Miller – Save

    5 – WAS – Lars Eller – Miss

    5 – VAN – Adam Gaudette – Miss

    6 – WAS – John Carlson – Save

    6 – VAN – Tanner Pearson –

    7 – WAS – Dmitry Orlov – Save

    7 – VAN – Bo Horvat – Goal

     

    Final

    11-23 v VAN-4.png

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (16-4-5 37pts) v. Florida (12-5-5 29pts)

    Vancouver (12-7-4 28pts) @ Philadelphia (11-7-4 26pts)

     

    Support our friend’s Kickstarter campaign for Star Con today!

    Star Con

  • Saturday Matinee: Washington Capitals vs Vancouver Canucks

    Saturday Matinee: Washington Capitals vs Vancouver Canucks

     

    Washington Capitals (16-4-4) vs Vancouver Canucks (11-8-4)

     

     Predicted Goaltender Record GAA / SV% / # SO
    Washington CapitalsBraden Holtby11-2-32.98 / .904 / 0
    Vancouver CanucksJacob Markstrom 6-6-32.84 / .909 / 0

     

     

    Tomorrow, the Washington Capitals will face-off against the Vancouver Canucks for the second time this season. Puck-drop is just after 12:30pm, so we will see how Washington handles the much earlier start time. The last time these two met, the Capitals pulled out the most monumental comeback of the season thus far. On October 25, the Caps were down 5-1 heading into the final frame, but three goals in five minutes, and four goals in eight gave Washington the chance to win it in overtime. TJ Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom would be the ones to win it for Washington in the shootout. Caps’ fans are hopeful to repeat the same performance, just without the need for a comeback.

    On Wednesday, the Washington Capitals lost 4-1 to the New York Rangers. Prior to practice, the Capitals placed Nic Dowd on IR and Carl Hagelin on LTIR, and recalled Beck Malenstyn, Mike Sgarbossa, Tyler Lewington, and Ilya Samsonov. Nicklas Backstrom did not play, as he was out with an upper-body injury, and Lars Eller filled in for him in the 2C position. Beck Malenstyn made his NHL debut, and Sgarbossa played in his first NHL game as a Capital. The first period was uneventful as far as goal scoring goes, as neither team scored, but the Capitals hit three posts, and Braden Holtby made several point-blank saves that kept the Rangers scoreless. The Rangers received the first power play of the night, as Tom Wilson went off for boarding with just over 30 seconds remaining in the period. Not having Carl Hagelin and Garnet Hathaway on the penalty kill proved to be fatal for the Caps, as Artemi Panarin scored at the 1:14 mark of the second period. Both Tom Wilson and Radko Gudas took liberty at throwing some world-rocking hits in the middle frame, luckily without incident.

    Just beyond the seven-minute mark, the Capitals received their first power play at Greg McKegg went off for tripping. Another shot off a pipe kept Washington off the board, and the Rangers successfully killed off their penalty. Fun fact, the Capitals actually lead the league in post/crossbar shots at 29, and the Dallas Stars rank 2nd, with 21. Again, the opposing team would start the next period on the power play, as Alex Ovechkin was called for tripping with eight seconds remaining in the second. It was imperative that Washington kill off this penalty without allowing another Rangers goal. Although the Capitals were successful, Dmitry Orlov would be called immediately for high-sticking, and the Rangers would receive another two minutes with the man-advantage. Artemi Panarin would score his second of the night, and 11th on the season as the Rangers power play would convert on their third opportunity. Moments later, Pavel Buchnevich would give the Rangers a 3-0 lead, as the Capitals’ defense broke down in front of the net, and Braden Holtby was faced with a nearly-impossible task of attempting to stop a wide-open shot. Brendan Smith would go to the box, and the Capitals would get an opportunity to avoid a shutout by the King, himself. Evgeny Kuznetsov would do just that, scoring on the Caps’ power play, and bringing Washington within two.

     

    A timely save on a breakaway by Braden Holtby kept the Capitals in the game. However, despite their efforts, the Capitals would drop their second meeting with the Rangers. Brett Howden would score his 3rd of the season at the 13:33 mark, reinstating the Rangers’ 3-goal lead. The ‘Holtby’ taunts would begin shortly thereafter, and with New York leading 4-1, this match was all but finished. Tom Wilson and Brendan Lemieux, after lots of sparring throughout the game, would drop the gloves, and with three minutes left, both would be given five-minute majors for fighting. Lemieux received an extra two-minute penalty, and the Capitals would receive a power play, with an empty net. Unfortunately, Washington was unable to convert. Braden Holtby made 27 saves on 31 shots, giving him a .871 save percentage on the night. Braden Holtby is expected to start for the Capitals versus the Canucks.

     

    The Vancouver Canucks last played on Thursday, where they defeated the Nashville Predators in a dominant 6-3 win. After losing 6-1 to the Dallas Stars, and dropping six of their last seven games, Vancouver desperately needed a sharp performance from their stars, and goaltender Jacob Markstrom. The Canucks relied entirely on their special teams for this win. Vancouver converted on five of six power play opportunities. Ryan Johansen scored first, giving Nashville an early lead, but at the 16:34 mark, Calder Trophy award winner Elias Pettersson tied the game with a power play goal on their first power play of the night. Exactly two minutes later, former Washington Capital Tyler Graovac scored his first of the season, also a power play goal. Calle Jarnkrok tied the game with a power play goal just short of the five-minute mark of the second period. However, JT Miller, again on the power play, gave Vancouver a 3-2 lead. At the 18:32 mark of the second, Brock Boeser scored his 10th of the season, another power play goal, and 30 second later, Bo Horvat scored on a Vancouver power play again. Matt Duchene kept the Predators within two goals eight minutes and 32 seconds into the final frame. However, Tanner Pearson scored an empty-net short-handed goal just short of 18 minutes, securing the win for Vancouver. Elias Pettersson leads Vancouver with 28 points, and Brock Boeser leads with 10 goals. Bo Horvat, however, leads with six power play goals, and although he did not score back when Washington completed that epic comeback, he did register two assists (WAS @ VAN). Tim Schaller hasn’t scored since October 28th versus the Florida Panthers. However, Schaller scored two goals against Washington, and therefore the Caps’ need to have all eyes on this one. Former Capital Jay Beagle ranks 5th overall in faceoff percentage (60.3%), which bolsters the entire teams 2nd place ranking (TheScore, Vancouver Canucks). Nashville doubled up on Vancouver in shots on goal with 48, but goaltender Jacob Markstrom allowed just 3 goals, ending his night with a .938 save percentage. Alternatively, the Canucks needed just 23 shots to win tonight’s match, and Pekka Rinne for the Predators made just 12 saves, and was relieved by backup Juuse Saros at the start of the third (TheScore, VAN @ NSH). Markstrom is expected to start for Vancouver.

     


    The Vancouver Canucks will be without Brandon Sutter (DL, groin), Michael Ferland (DL, concussion), Antoine Roussel (IR-NR, knee), and Tyler Motte (DL, lower body). Jay Beagle did not participate in the Canucks’ optional skate, but is hoping to play versus the Caps. The Washington Capitals reassigned Tyler Lewington to Hershey, and recalled Christian Djoos, though he is not expected to play. The Capitals are still without Carl Hagelin and Nic Dowd due to injury, and Garnet Hathaway will serve his 2nd of a three-game suspension. Nicklas Backstrom has also been ruled out of the roster for tomorrow. Playing without Hagelin and Hathaway will, and has been, extremely costly for the Caps’ penalty kill. The Capitals need to reduce the number of penalties taken, as Vancouver won their last game entirely with their special teams.

    Coverage of the game begins at 11:30am with Caps Faceoff Live, followed by Caps Pregame Live at 12:00pm, all on NBCSN/NBCSWA, with puck drop shortly after 12:30pm.


     

    Support our friend’s Kickstarter campaign for Star Con today!

    Star Con

     

    TheScore. (2019). Washington Capitals @ Vancouver Canucks. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/events/21886.

    TheScore. (2019). Vancouver Canucks @ Nashville Predators. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/events/22065.

    TheScore. (2019). Vancouver Canucks News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/30.

  • Capitals Recall Djoos, Send Down Lewington

    Capitals Recall Djoos, Send Down Lewington

    The Washington Capitals have announced that they have recalled defenseman Christian Djoos, and have re-assigned defenseman Tyler Lewington to Hershey of the AHL.

     

    The move allows the Capitals to have a more seasoned veteran in Djoos to be the seventh defenseman for the Capitals. The Capitals top six is pretty set, though an appearance in the lineup would not be out of the question for Djoos if the brass feels a slight change is necessary.

     

    Support our friend’s Kickstarter campaign for Star Con today!

    Star Con

  • NHL News and Notes from Wednesday, November 20th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Wednesday, November 20th, 2019

    NHL News and Notes from Wednesday, November 20th, 2019

     

    News:

    • The NHL and NHLPA announced that Bobby Ryan of the Ottawa Senators will be taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team to take part in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.

     

    • The Washington Capitals made four call ups and sent down one while also announcing that two players have been placed on injured reserve.

     

    • Elliotte Friedman’s 31 Thoughts were released today.

     

     

    • The Blues would also announce that forward Sammy Blais will undergo surgery on his right wrist, and will be out a minimum of ten weeks.

     

    • And lastly from the Blues, they would also announce that they have signed forward Troy Brouwer to a one year deal after being on a professional tryout.

     

    • The NHL has suspended Washington Capitals forward Garnet Hathaway for three games for spitting towards Anaheim Ducks defenseman Erik Gudbranson.

     

    • The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Mike Babcock, and have named Sheldon Keefe head coach.

    • Per Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, The Leafs will be retaining Babcock’s assistant coaches.

     

    Game Recaps:

    Ottawa Senators v. Montreal Canadiens – 7p EST Start Time

    OTT RoadMON Home

    In Montreal the Canadiens would host the Ottawa Senators in a tightly contested matchup. After a scoreless first period Nick Suzuki would break the tie for the Canadiens on the powerplay, but Jean-Gabriel Pageau would net his 13th of the season to tie the game at one. Then after a scoreless third period it would be Brady Tkachuk scoring his eighth of the season to secure the 2-1 victory.

     

    Washington Capitals v. New York Rangers – 8p EST Start Time

    WAS RoadNYR Home

    The Washington Capitals fall to the New York Rangers 4-1 in their Wednesday Night Hockey matchup. TXHT Recap

     

     

    Support our friend’s Kickstarter campaign for Star Con today!

    Star Con

  • Game Recap – 11/20/2019 – Washington Capitals v. New York Rangers

    Game Recap – 11/20/2019 – Washington Capitals v. New York Rangers

    Washington Capitals (16-3-4 36pts) v. New York Rangers (8-8-2 18pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    At the legendary Madison Square Garden the Washington Capitals look to continue their winning ways as they take on the New York Rangers for the second time this season. In the first period, the majority of the period would feature a lot of back and forth between the two clubs. Beck Malenstyn, who is making his NHL debut, would have a really great opportunity to break the scoreless tie, but Henrik Lundqvist would shut the door to keep the game tied at zero. in the final five minutes of the period Lundqvist would be bailed out by his friend the posts as the Capitals would hit the pipe three times. Then with 34 seconds left, Tom Wilson would get called for boarding to give the Rangers the extra man advantage to start the second period.

     

    In the second period the Rangers would be able to take advantage of the powerplay as Kaapo Kakko would do a great job of feeding Artemi Panarin to break the scoreless tie and take the 1-0 lead. The Capitals would gain a powerplay opportunity of their own, and while they would get some quality chances, the Capitals would not be able to capitalize on their extra man advantage. In the final seconds of the period Alex Ovechkin would be called for tripping Panarin, and the Rangers will start the third with the man advantage.

     

    In the third period the Rangers would not be able to convert on the Ovechkin penalty, but Dmitry Orlov would be called for high sticking and Artemi Panarin would strike for his second of the game on the powerplay to give the Rangers the two goal lead. Then 23 seconds later Pavel Buchnevich would score his third of the season to grow the Rangers lead to three. However, on a Brendan Smith tripping penalty Evgeny Kuznetsov would get the Capitals on the board to cut the Rangers lead back to two, but in the latter half of the third period Brett Howden would get on the board to reclaim the three goal lead for the Rangers and secure the 4-1 victory.

     

    Lineups:

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Jakub Vrana — Lars Eller — T.J. Oshie

    Richard Panik — Michael Sgarbossa — Travis Boyd

    Beck Malenstyn — Chandler Stephenson — Brendan Leipsic

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Radko Gudas

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Nick Jensen

    Braden Holtby

    Ilya Samsonov

    Scratched: Tyler Lewington

    Injured: Nicklas Backstrom (upper body), Nic Dowd (upper body), Carl Hagelin (upper body)

    Suspended: Garnet Hathaway

     

    New York Rangers:

    Artemi Panarin — Ryan Strome — Jesper Fast

    Chris Kreider — Filip Chytil — Pavel Buchnevich

    Brendan Lemieux — Brett Howden — Kaapo Kakko

    Tim Gettinger — Greg McKegg — Brendan Smith

    Libor Hajek — Jacob Trouba

    Brady Skjei — Tony DeAngelo

    Ryan Lindgren — Adam Fox

    Henrik Lundqvist

    Alexandar Georgiev

    Scratched: Micheal Haley

    Injured: Mika Zibanejad (upper body), Marc Staal (ankle)

     

    First Period:

    WAS Penalty – 19:26 – Tom Wilson 2 minutes for Boarding

     

    End of 1st

    11-20 at NYR.png

     

    Second Period:

    NYR PPG – 1:14 – Artemi Panarin (10) from Kaapo Kakko (3) and Adam Fox (6)

    NYR Penalty – 7:02 – Greg McKegg 2 minutes for Tripping

    WAS Penalty – 19:52 – Alex Ovechkin 2 minutes for Tripping

     

    End of 2nd

    11-20 at NYR-2.png

     

    Third Period:

    WAS Penalty – 2:32 – Dmitry Orlov 2 minutes for High Sticking

    NYR PPG – 3:57 – Artemi Panarin (11) from Kaapo Kakko (4) and Ryan Strome (13)

    NYR Goal – 4:20 – Pavel Buchnevich (3) from Filip Chytil (2) and Brendan Lemieux (6)

    NYR Penalty – 6:08 – Brendan Smith 2 minutes for Tripping

    WAS PPG – 07:24 – Evgeny Kuznetsov (10) from John Carlson (28)

    NYR Goal – 13:34 – Brett Howden (3) from Pavel Buchnevich (14) and Chris Kreider (6)

    NYR Penalty – 16:32 – Brendan Lemieux 5 minute major for Fighting

    WAS Penalty – 16:32 – Tom Wilson 5 minute major for Fighting

    NYR Penalty – 16:32 – Brendan Lemieux (Chris Kreider) 2 minutes for Roughing

     

    End of 3rd

    11-20 at NYR-3.png

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (16-4-4 36pts) v. Vancouver (10-8-4 24pts)

    NY Rangers (9-8-2 20pts) @ Ottawa (10-11-1 21pts)

     

    Support our friend’s Kickstarter campaign for Star Con today!

    Star Con

  • TXHT Opinion – Garnet Hathaway Suspended Three Games

    TXHT Opinion – Garnet Hathaway Suspended Three Games

    On Monday night at Capital One Arena during the final minute of the second period a melee would breakout after Brendan Leipsic would lay down the boom and Chandler Stephenson would grow the Washington Capitals lead to three over the Anaheim Ducks. During this melee would see Garnet Hathaway fight Nick Ritchie, then get tangled with Ducks defender Erik Gudbranson.

     

    While the referee and linesman were trying to untangle the players, Gudbranson would sucker punch Hathaway which would lead Hathaway to spitting on Gudbranson (see tweets above for videos). A decision Hathaway regretted once he realized what he did.

     

    Colin Campbell of the NHL announced yesterday that Hathaway would have a hearing today for his actions towards Gudbranson, however, Gudbranson is not seeing any form of discipline for his sucker punch to Hathaway that led to the spitting from him. It’s also very auspicious that Hathaway is getting a hearing while Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand spent the last two seasons licking opposing players, which is gross, to no disciplinary action outside of a talking to. Both the licking and the spitting can be seen as legitimate health concerns and should be handled accordingly, but yet some how the sucker punch is ok in today’s age of awareness of concussions and mental health, which NHL commissioner Gary Bettman still denies.

     

    So what does Hathaway’s immediate future hold? After going through his hearing with the NHL, Hathaway has been suspended for three games for the incident, and will forfeit, per the CBA, $24,193.53 in salary based on his average annual salary. Hathaway will be able to return to the Capitals lineup on Black Friday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

     

    Three games seems excessive given how Gudbranson received nothing for his sucker punch on Hathaway, and Marchand has never been fined or suspended for licking other players. A fine would have been more suitable for this offense, which is also a first time offense.

     

    Support our friend’s Kickstarter campaign for Star Con today!

    Star Con

  • Capitals Injury Report and Notes

    Capitals Injury Report and Notes

    The Washington Capitals are starting to get banged up as today senior vice president and general manager Briam MacLellan has announced the following moves:

     

    Placed on Injured Reserve

    Carl Hagelin (LTIR, eligible to be activated on Dec. 2nd)

    Nic Dowd (IR, eligible to be activated on Nov. 21st)

     

    Re-assigned to Hershey

    Vitek Vanecek (G)

     

    Called Up from Hershey

    Beck Malenstyn (F)

    Michael Sgarbossa (F)

    Tyler Lewington (D)

    Ilya Samsonov (G)

     

    Will Not Play Tonight

    Nicklas Backstrom (F, Upper Body)

     

     

    With the following moves the Capitals are feeling the sting of their injuries and crunch of the salary cap as well. Plus with Garnet Hathaway’s status for tonight and possible other games in doubt until after his hearing, it’s suffice to say that tonight’s lineup against the New York Rangers will be an interesting one to see.

     

    Support our friend’s Kickstarter campaign for Star Con today!

    Star Con