NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Ovechkin close to winning Hart Trophy; Wild’s Kaprizov out for tonight vs. Washington; plus more

The Washington Capitals Alexander Ovechkin a three time MVP winner is up for the Hart Trophy Award (NHL.com file photo)

On the NHL podcast with Matt Harrington:

#1 The Washington Capitals Alexander Ovechkin who has won the MVP three times is up for the Hart Trophy so far with 24 goals, 50 points, and has helped the Capitals to get to first place in the Metropolitan Division.

#2 The Boston Bruins Trent Fredric hit the Minnesota Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov hitting him into the boards and Kaprizov’s skates got caught up with his teammate Matt Grzelcyk receiving an upper body injury at 10:09 of the second period in the 3-2 Wild win on Thursday night. Kaprizov will not play against the Washington Capitals tonight.

#3 The St Louis Blues dropped their odds a bit losing right winger Vladimir Tarasenko, defensemen Scott Perunovich, and Jake Walman to Coronavirus protocols. Each will miss two games after testing positive for Coronavirus.

#4 The Vegas Golden Knights know how to spoil a reunion as they defeated the New York Rangers 5-1 in the return of former Knights head coach Gerrard Gallant. Gallant was the Knights first coach in their franchise history before being replace by Peter DeBoer on Jan 15, 2020.

#5 Three games were canceled in Canadian cities due to attendance restrictions New Jersey had two games postponed @ Montreal Jan 15 and at Toronto Jan 17th. The Chicago Blackhawks at Edmonton Oilers were postponed for Jan 18. The Ottawa Senators had three games postponed.

#6 The San Jose Sharks gave Evander Kane his unconditional release today because of a fake Covid 19 card and he will no longer be skating for the Sharks minor league team the San Jose Barracuda. Kane has ability but because of off ice issues is no longer with San Jose.

Join Matt for the NHL podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: NHL action returns on Tuesday; Winter Classic is game on for New Years Day; plus more

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) gets in between Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton (22) and guard Cameron Payne at Footprint Center in Phoenix on Christmas Dec 25, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Matt:

#1 Matt, how important was it to delay the Holiday shutdown one more day as NHL action returns on Tuesday night instead of Monday night.

#2 The NHL Discover Winter Classic is on target to be played between St Louis Blues (17-9-5) and Minnesota Wild (9-19-2) at Target Field is still scheduled to be played on Sat Jan 1 barring no further Covid interruptions.

#3 According to former NHL great Wayne Gretzky said that Washington Capitals (18-6-7) Alexander Ovechkin will pass him up for most goals scored. Ovechkin could do it with 143 goals remaining. Ovechkin has 22 goals in 31 games this season. Gretzky said he’s on his way to 40-50 goals this season there is no he will break the record.

#4 It’s really no surprise that the NHL called off it’s players from participating in the Beijing 2020 Winter Olympics due to the surge in positive tests for Covid 19. The Feb 6-22 Olympic schedule now scratched the league will use those dates to make up games that were postponed.

#5 The Boston Bruins (14-10-2) surprisingly are in fifth place in the Atlantic Division three points out of a playoff spot. The Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy said that there is a lot of hockey to be played yet and their looking for some consistency to get right back in the hunt again.

Join Matt for the NHL podcast each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: NHL players get blessing from Bettman to compete in Beijing Olympics; Avalanche of goals Aves score 7 in three straight games; plus more

NHL players are welcome to participate in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics the league and the Olympic Committee are working out details of an agreement and Covid 19 protocols (file photo from Desert News)

On the NHL podcast with Matt:

#1 NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says that NHL players are welcome to participate in the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Bettman says the league is waiting for an agreement from the Beijing Olympic Committee and also waiting to receive Covid 19 protocols.

#2 The Colorado Avalanche (15-7-2) can’t be stopped as they have scored three consecutive seven goal games. Most recently Friday night against the Detroit Red Wings (13-12-3). The Aves Andre Burakovsky scored twice and has eight goals for the season among some of the hottest scorers on the team.

#3 The Pittsburgh Penguins Syd Crosby picked up two assists on Friday night against the Washington Capitals. Crosby has scored points in seven consecutive games and is looking like his old self again.

#4 The Vancouver Canucks (11-15-2) won their third straight game on Friday night defeating the Winnipeg Jets (13-9-5) in a 4-3 shootout in Vancouver. The Canucks Nils Hoglander scored two goals and two points to contribute towards the Canucks win. The Canucks have won four of their last five games.

#5 Alexander Georgiev the New York Rangers (8-15-3) goaltender stopped 36 shots and stood on his head stopping 17 shots in the third period as the Rangers just edged the Buffalo Sabers (8-15-3) 2-1 in Buffalo. The Rangers have won eight of their last nine games.

Join Matt for the NHL podcast each Saturday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Shut-Out by Caps, 4-0; Dahlen leaves in second period with shoulder injury

San Jose Sharks head coach behind the bench looks up at the scoreboard in the third period which reads bad news as the Sharks get shutout by four goals from the Washington Capitals at SAP Center on Sat Nov 20, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE– The San Jose Sharks (8-8-1) fell to the Washington Capitals (11-2-5) 4-0 Saturday. Conor Sheary and Alexander Ovechkin each scored two for the Capitals and Ilya Samsonov made 22 saves in the shut-out win. Adin Hill made 17 saves for San Jose in the loss.

Conor Sheary gave Washington an early lead with a goal at 2:17. Daniel Sprong carried the puck into the zone, battling to get by Sharks defenders. With Sharks all around him, Sprong still managed to get a pass across to Sheary for a shot that went under Adin Hill. Assists went to Sprong and Aliaksei Protas.

Alex Ovechkin scored on the power play at 13:58. John Carlson made a pass across the width of the ice, so that the puck landed nicely for an Ovechkin one-timer. The shot went by Hill on the blocker side, finding a gap that was not big. Assists went to Carlson and TJ Oshie.

Midway through the first period, Jonathan Dahlen left the ice and went to the dressing room with what appeared to be an upper body injury. He returned to play two shifts at the start of the second period.

The teams were tied in shots at the end of the first, 6-6. They each had two power plays, but three of those penalties were overlapping by at leaxt 30 seconds. Each team had two power play shots. The Capitals were better in the face-off circle, winning 55% of the draws.

The Capitals appeared to have scored a third goal at 14:31 of the second but the goal was waved off. Adin Hill was impeded by a Washington player being sprawled on top of him.

The Sharks out-shot the Capitals in the second, 10-7. The Sharks power play managed four shots on goal during double minor, and their penalty kill gave up one shot to the Capitals. The Sharks improved in the face-off circle to 67%.

The Sharks started the third period still on the penalty kill, but allowed no more shots during that Capitals power play.

Conor Sheary scored his second of the game to made it 3-0 at 15:10 of the third. Adin Hill stopped John Carlson’s shot but a small rebound went right to Sheary on the doorstep. Assists went to Carlson and Ovechkin.

Ovechkin scored into and empty net at 18:56 to make it 4-0. He took the shot from just inside his own zone. An assist went to Nic Dowd.

The final shot count was 22-21 Sharks. The Sharks had four power plays to the Capitals’ three, and the Sharks won 55% of the face-offs.

The Sharks next play on Monday against the Carolina Hurricanes, in San Jose at 7:30 PM PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks look to bounce back against Washington tonight at SAP Center

The San Jose Sharks Tomas Hertl (48) and company had a tough outing against the St Louis Blues as Blues goaltender Ville Husso (35) skates out of the crease to put a stop on Hertl during the third period on Thu Nov 18, 2021 at the Enterprise Arena in St Louis (AP News photo)

On the Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 The San Jose Sharks (8-7-1) who had suffered a tough defeat on Sat Nov 13, 6-2 against the Colorado Avalanche (6-5-1) got dropped again to the St Louis Blues (9-5-2) on Thursday night in St Louis 4-1.

#2 The loss to the Blues was the Sharks third loss in four games. On Thursday the Sharks goaltender James Reimer saved 44 shots and allowed four goals for the loss.

#3 The Blues in their own right had a four game losing streak going and got big help from Brandon Saad who scored twice and goaltender Ville Husso stopped 26 shots to end the lost streak .

#4 Talk about the Logan Couture goal that was taken away in the first period at 7:17 after it was ruled that Jonathan Dahlen was offsides. Did that seem to change to course of the game?

#5 Up next for the Sharks are the Washington Capitals (10-2-5) who have won four of their last six games and won their last game in Los Angeles defeating the Kings (8-6-2) in a shutout 2-0. The Caps Garnet Hathaway scored both Caps goals for the win. How do you see the Caps and Sharks who face off tonight at SAP Center in San Jose.

Join Len Shapiro for the Sharks podcasts each Saturday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Eichel expected back from surgery by Feb; Blackhawks win 3 in a row under new coach

Vegas Golden Knight Jack Eichel underwent successful disk surgery the Knights announced everything went as planned and expect Eichel to make his Knights debut by Feb 2022 (photo from nhl.com)

On the NHL podcast with Matt Harrington:

#1 The Vegas Golden Knights announced that Jack Eichel to make his Vegas debut by mid Feb 2022 Eichel wanted to have disk surgery when played for the Buffalo Sabers but the Sabers wanted Eichel have a fusion procedure. Eichel elected to come to Vegas and get the surgery he was requesting the disk surgery that turned out to be a success.

#2 The Chicago Blackhawks (4-9-2) who had their share of problems with the David Aldrich sex scandal and the team had previously lost 11 out of 12 games now have won three straight games under new head coach Derek King. The Blackhawks since King has taken over are feeling good and much better about themselves and hoping their situation since the scandal can improve.

#3 Washington Capitals (8-2-4) star Alexander Ovechkin continues to set records scoring his 742nd goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets (8-4-0) on Friday night in the first period at 10:19 passing Brett Hull on the all time goals list moving into third place.

#4 Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames had doubts that he would be a stand out All Star hockey player when he first join the NHL back in 1999-98 but Iginla who won two Olympic medals will be inducted with five other NHL players into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Monday. Iginla scored 625 goals and has 675 assists during his career.

#5 Matt, Brandon Coburn has announced his retirement after 16 NHL seasons. Coburn last played for the Ottawa Senators and New York Islanders this season. Coburn played for the Tampa Bay Lightning and was the third person to lift the Stanley Cup after the Bolts won the Finals. Coburn started with the Atlanta Thrashers in 2003 and finishes with 49 goals and 185 assists.

Join Matt for the NHL podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Flames open up on Sens for 6-3 win; Flyers Elliott throws shutout against Sabers; plus more

The Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Brian Elliott (37) shutout the Buffalo Sabers and stopped 23 shots on the way to a 3-0 victory in Buffalo on Sat Feb 27, 2021 (@PR_NHL photo)

On the NHL podcast with Matt:

#1 Matt, let’s take a look at some of today’s action in the NHL the Calgary Flames (10-10-2) are getting some offense as Mikael Backlund, Andrew Mangiapane,  Matt Tkachuk, Elias Lindholm, Sean Monahan, and Juuso Valimaki scored a goal each in their 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators (7-15-1) at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.

#2 The Philadelphia Flyers (10-4-3) goaltender Brian Elliott threw a shutout today against the Buffalo Sabers (6-9-3). Elliott stopped 23 Philadelphia shots for the shutout. You know about goaltending Matt talk about Elliott’s stops between the pipes today in Buffalo.

#3 The Flyers got some scoring help from Sean Couturier, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Scott Laughton each scored a goal a piece for the 3-0 win.

#4 The New Jersey Devils (7-7-2) may have shutdown the Washington Capitals (11-5-4) Alexander Ovechkin from scoring any goals on Saturday but they couldn’t stop the Caps offense from scoring five goals from Nic Dowd, Lars Eller, Garnet Hathaway, Daniel Sprong, and Jakub Vrana for the 5-2 win.

#5  In goal for the Capitals was Vitek Vanecek who stopped 22 out of 24 shots against the Devils on Saturday afternoon.

Join Matt for the NHL podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington Sat Feb 27, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

NHL podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Bolts first period 3 goal rally seals win over Preds 5-2; Bruins score four times in 3rd period for win; plus more;

The Nashville Predators left winger Filip Forsberg (9) take a shot at net but the Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) gets a quick glove save in the third period of Mon Feb 1, 2021’s game in Tampa Bay (AP News photo)

NHL podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh:

#1 The Tampa Bay Lightning (5-1-1) wasted no time getting on the scoreboard to defeat the Nashville Predators (4-5-0) on Monday night 5-2. The Lightning scored three times in the first period and Nashville goalie Juuse Saros took the loss facing 25 shots and saving 21.

#2 The Boston Bruins (6-1-2) down 3-1 to the Washington Capitals (6-1-3) in the third period erased the Caps lead scoring four goals to surpass Washington to get a 5-3 win at Capital One Center in DC.

#3 The Montreal Canadiens (6-1-2) are a machine after taking their first regulation loss of the season on Saturday to the Calgary Flames. The Habs got a big victory over the Vancouver Canucks (6-6-0) 6-2 at the Bell Center in Montreal. The Canadiens scored three times in each of the first and second periods.

#4 The Pittsburgh Penguins (5-4-1) and New York Rangers (3-4-2) tied in a 1-1 deadlock the Rangers were able to get two key goals in the third period and come up with a two goal win over the Penguins. Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin scored a goal each for the Rangers in the third period for the 3-1 win.

#5 The Calgary Flames down 2-1 against the Winnipeg Jets going into the third period scored twice with Johnny Gaudreau and Andrew Mangiapane scoring a goal each to force an overtime shootout. In the shootout the Flames got two goals and the Jets one for the Flames 4-3 win.

Join Mary Lisa for the NHL podcast each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh Tue Feb 2, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

 

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Sharks goalie Dubnyk can’t stop Wild in 4-2 loss; Caps pull off OT win with four players missing; plus more

The celebration would be short but in the first period the San Jose Sharks Matt Nieto (83) who scored is congratulated by Erik Karlsson (65) and Patrick Marleau (12) against the Minnesota Wild on Fri Jan 22, 2021 at the Xcel Energy Center (AP News photo)

On NHL podcast with Matt Harrington:

#1 The Minnesota Wild (5-3-1) and the San Jose Sharks (4-3-2) at the Xcel Energy Center The Wild got a convincing win over the Sharks 4-1. The Wild got scoring from Joel Eriksson, Zach Parise, Kevin Fiala, and Jordan Greenway each scored a goal a piece. San Jose goalie Devan Dubnyk stopped 25 of 27 shots against his former team.

#2 The Washington Capitals (5-2) had four players including team captain Alex Ovechkin sidelined against the Buffalo Sabers (1-4) on Friday night. The Caps despite being four players short due to due to positive Coronavirus tests and protocols got by with an overtime shootout win 4-3 in DC.

#3 The Edmonton Oilers (2-4) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (4-2) at Toronto. The Leafs scored two goals in each of the second and third periods for the 4-2 win. The Leafs Mitch Marner, Adam Brooks, John Taveras, and Jimmy Versey each had a goal.

#4 In another razor close game the Pittsburgh Penguins (3-2) got a 4-3 win against the New York Rangers (1-2-1) at PPG Paints Arena. The Rangers might have lost but it was a close contest does that mean despite the loss the Rangers still can bring it or were they just up for the Pens?

#5 The Chicago Blackhawks (1-3-1) scored in each period and the Blackhawks goalie Kevin Lankinen held the Detroit Red Wings (2-3-0) to one goal and stopped 30 shots in the 4-1 win.

Matt does the NHL podcast each Saturday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Saturday night’s action saw some great offense for opening weekend

The Philadelphia Flyers Travis Konecny (11) scores his third goal for a hat trick behind Pittsburgh Penguins Marcus Pettersson (28) and goalie Casey DeSmith (1) on Fri Jan 15, 2021 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia  (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Matt Harrington:

#1 The Philadelphia Flyers got a three goal win over the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2. The Flyers got scoring help from Travis Konecny who scored twice in the first period and got the hat trick in the third period at 17:53.

#2  Good back and forth hockey from the Washington Capitals and the Buffalo Sabers in a 2-1 win for the Caps. Washington got goal scoring help from Jakub Vrana his second of the year at 1:34 in the second period. The second Caps goal came from Tom Wilson who scored his first goal of the season at 7:47 in third period.

#3 The Tampa Bay Lighting got a three goal win over the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2. Tampa Bay got goals from five different Bolts, Ondrej Palot, Alex Killorn and Blake Coleman scored in the second period. In the third period Yanni Gourde and Steven Stamkos each had a goal.

#4 The Toronto Maple Leafs were no match for the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night for Hockey Night in Canada. The Sens got goal scoring help in their 5-3 win from Thomas Chabot, Brody Tkachuk, Austin Watson, and Derek Stepan. Leafs goalie Frederik Anderson stopped 19 shots and allowed five goals.

#5 Talk about the NHL Champs St Louis Blues who got blown out by the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night 8-0. Talk about St Louis goaltender Ville Husso who saw a lot shots in net last night.

Matt takes a look at Friday NHL action each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com