Category: Carolina Hurricanes

TXHT Opinion – The Impact of the Loss of TJ Oshie

Tonight when the Washington Capitals hit the ice to take on the Carolina Hurricanes for Game Five of the First Round of the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Capitals will be doing so without the services of forward TJ Oshie who was injured the other night in Game Four in Carolina by forward Warren Foegele.

 

Now we can debate the hit that Foegele put on Oshie that caused the injury, but there is no point of doing that because what’s done is done and it’s time to move on and look forward to what the Capitals will need to do without their heart and soul player.

 

Going into Game Five the Capitals will have to do some line juggling, and have also called up Devante Smith-Pelly from Hershey of the AHL to fill in for Oshie. Here is the Capitals projected lineup for tonight:

Alex Ovechkin – Nicklas Backstrom – Tom Wilson
Jakub Vrana – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Carl Hagelin
Andre Burakovsky – Lars Eller – Brett Connolly
Chandler Stephenson – Nic Dowd – Devante Smith-Pelly

Jonas Siegenthaler – John Carlson
Dmitry Orlov – Matt Niskanen
Brooks Orpik – Nick Jensen

Braden Holtby

 

The reuniting of Tom Wilson with the first line of Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom will bring back some of the size and snarl that Wilson brings to the line after being on the second line in game four, and moving Carl Hagelin to Oshie’s normal spot on the second line will add some more speed to the line to compliment Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jakub Vrana. Plus with Hagelin, the second line will gain a player who will play a similar style to that of Oshie’s and will help establish net presence and create some space.

 

For the bottom six however, the Capitals will need more from them. The line of Andre Burakovsky, Lars Eller, and Brett Connolly were stellar last season in the playoffs and so far in these playoffs have not done a whole lot to help the Capitals this series. Inserting Smith-Pelly back into the lineup on the fourth line with Chandler Stephenson and Nic Dowd will bring back some grit and some needed playoff experience.

 

On the powerplay it’s time to let Wilson loose and put him in Oshie’s spot. Wilson is a magnet for attention and by putting him in Oshie’s spot in the slot area will force the Hurricanes and other teams to change their focus on how they will penalty kill to adjust for Wilson being in that spot instead of Oshie.

 

Now with all of this said, there is one thing that needs to be done by the Capitals, and that’s not seek retribution by going after Foegele, but seek retribution by going out and winning thes next two games and winning the series. Next season Foegele can atone for his hit on Oshie that took him out of the playoffs due to injury, but the Capitals need to remain focused on the prize at hand, and that is the Stanley Cup and doing what Oshie said they could do last summer at the parade, and that is “Back to Back.”

 

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

 

*Feature Graphic courtesy of the Washington Capitals

April 19th, 2019 — News and Notes

Today is Friday, April 19th, 2019, and these are your news and notes covering yesterday’s contests.

 

There were three contests in Stanley Cup playoff action yesterday and the recaps are written by the TXHT staff.

 

Yesterday’s Results:

 

 

CAROLINA 2, Washington 1 (Series is tied 2-2)

 

Game 4. 2-2 Tie

 

The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Washington Capitals by the score of 2-1 last night to tie their series at 2-2.  Both teams will look to take the 3-2 series lead when Game 5 takes place tomorrow night (April 20th) at Capital One Arena.

 

You can find the recap of yesterday’s contest here or at the tweet below.

 

 

St. Louis 3, WINNIPEG 2 (St. Louis leads the series 3-2)

 

Game 5. 3-2 STL

 

The St. Louis Blues would come back after being down 2-0 to defeat the Winnipeg Jets by the score of 3-2, to take the lead in the series.  The Blues will look to advance to the second round when Game 6 of this series takes place tomorrow night (April 20th) at Enterprise Center in St. Louis.

 

You can find the recap of last night’s contest between the Jets and the Blues here or at the tweet posted below.

 

 

 

SAN JOSE 5, Vegas 2 (Vegas leads the series 3-2)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today there are only two games in Stanley Cup playoff action…

 

The Colorado Avalanche look to advance to the second round in their series and either the Boston Bruins or Toronto Maple Leafs will take the 3-2 series lead.

 

 

Don’t forget to check out all of THXT’s 2019 Stanley Cup playoff action here.

Game Recap – 1st Rd. Game 4 – Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

Washington Capitals v. Carolina Hurricanes

Capitals Lead 2-1

 

Game Recap:

The Washington Capitals head into Game 4 looking to extend their series lead before heading back home, but the Carolina Hurricanes would have different plans as they would force the play as they would create an odd man rush and 17 seconds into the game Warren Foegele would score his third of the playoffs to give the Hurricanes a quick 1-0 lead. Then Jakub Vrana would very ill advised penalty for charging, which the Capitals would kill off. The Capitals would get a powerplay oppurtinty shortly after, but they would not be able to generate anything on it as the Hurricanes smothered the Capitals.

 

In the second period the Capitals would have a much better start as they would maintain a better tempo to the game and force the play in the Hurricanes zone.  Their pressure on the Hurricanes would force Teuvo Teravainen to take a penalty leading to the best powerplay the Capitals have had in a while this series. Alex Ovechkin would blast a Dmitry Orlov past a stickless Brock McGinn and goalie Petr Mrazek to tie the game at one. However, the game would not remain tied going into the second intermission as Teravainen would streak in on Braden Holtby to score and the Hurricanes get their lead back heading into the second intermission.

 

In the third period it would be a chess match as both teams fought for space on a very sluggish ice that was causing the puck to bounce a lot. The Capitals would get another powerplay opportunity, but it would be the Hurricanes killing the powerplay. In the final minutes the Capitals would pull Holtby for the extra attacker but Petr Mrazek would stand tall and the Hurricanes will even the series at two a piece with a 2-1 victory.

 

Lineups:

Washington Capitals:

Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly

Carl Hagelin — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd

John Carlson — Nick Jensen

Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

Brooks Orpik — Jonas Siegenthaler

Braden Holtby

Pheonix Copley

Scratched: Christian Djoos, Chandler Stephenson, Dmitrij Jaskin, Vitek Vanecek

Injured: Michal Kempny (torn left hamstring)

 

Carolina Hurricanes:

Nino Niederreiter — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen

Warren Foegele — Jordan Staal — Justin Williams

Brock McGinn — Lucas Wallmark — Jordan Martinook

Saku Maenalanen — Greg McKegg — Patrick Brown

Jaccob Slavin — Dougie Hamilton

Brett Pesce — Justin Faulk

Haydn Fleury — Trevor van Riemsdyk

Petr Mrazek

Curtis McElhinney

Scratched: Saku Maenalanen, Jake Bean

Injured: Andrei Svechnikov (concussion) Calvin de Haan (upper body), Micheal Ferland (upper body)

 

First Period:

Hurricanes Goal – :17 – Warren Foegele (3) from Jaccob Slavin (5) and Justin Williams (2)

Capitals Penalty – :53 – Jakub Vrana 2 minutes for Charging

Hurricanes Penalty – 4:13 – Bench (Justin Williams) 2 minutes for Too Many Men

 

End of 1st – WAS – 0       CAR – 1

Shots              09                08

Faceoffs         08                09

Hits               14                  12

PP                 0/1                 0/1

 

Second Period:

Hurricanes Penalty – 8:42 – Teuvo Teravainen 2 minutes for Hooking

Capitals PPG – 10:35 – Alex Ovechkin (2) from Dmitry Orlov (2) and Lars Eller (1)

Capitals Penalty – 12:39 – John Carlson 2 minutes for Holding

Hurricanes Goal – 19:32 – Teuvo Teravainen (1) from Nino Niederreiter (1) amd Sebastian Aho (2)

 

End of 2nd – WAS – 1        CAR – 2

Shots               23                 17

Faceoffs          14                 17

Hits                 21                  20

PP                   1/2                  0/2

 

Third Period:

Hurricanes Penalty – 14:52 – Warren Foegele 2 minutes for Roughing

 

End of 3rd – WAS – 1         CAR – 2

Shots              32                   24

Faceoffs        23                    21

Hits               33                     33

PP                 1/3                    0/2

 

Next Up:

Game Five – Series Tied 2-2

 

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

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

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

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

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

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:


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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

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