The Golden Knights and Canucks played only twice in the regular season, splitting the contests both staged in December. That seems like decades ago in pandemic time, so this series will surely surprise us.
What we learned in the first round: The Canucks went from potential contender to actual contender. Their qualification round win over the Minnesota Wild was proof of concept: That their talented offensive group could overcome a solid defensive team at 5-on-5, use the power play to put goals on the board and have goalie Jacob Markstrom do the rest. The formula was reapplied in their six-game series win over the St. Louis Blues. They weren’t always the best team in the series, but they certainly were the most animated. Their power play went 7-for-13 in their wins and 0-for-10 in their losses. Markstrom was the best goalie in the series. In summary, St. Louis: tired; Vancouver: wired.
The Golden Knights didn’t offer any surprises in the first round, and that’s fine: They rolled four lines, had strong two-way play and exhibited their goaltending depth in a five-game series win against Chicago. In eight playoff games, the Knights have a 62.11% expected goals percentage at 5-on-5, which is best in the league. This is a Vancouver team that excels at generating offense against a Vegas team that can match that output, while playing championship-level defense. And both teams can get a little nasty.
First line: The Canucks’ line of Elias Pettersson with Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller might win the prize for most creative of the postseason, thanks to Pettersson’s offensive invention. They didn’t dominate (49.48% expected goals percentage), but they’ve outscored their opponents 4-1 at even strength. Vegas has two lines that could be considered their best: Paul Stastny with Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith, along with William Karlsson with Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone. Based on ice time, we’ll go with the latter group as their top line. They can score, but more importantly they can defend, as Karlsson and Stone are among the league’s best two-way forwards. Advantage: Tie
Forward depth: It’s not the Marchessault line, but Vancouver’s second line of Bo Horvat, Loui Eriksson and Tanner Pearson has been strong. With the injured Tyler Toffoli nearing his return, it’ll be interesting to see on which line coach Travis Green slots him. Both teams have solid depth behind those featured lines. In Vancouver’s case, the play of their bottom six helped turn the series against St. Louis: Tyler Motte (four goals), Antoine Roussel (four points), Jake Virtanen and Jay Beagle, who scored the opening goal in Game 6. Brandon Sutter is also in the mix. The Knights’ third line is anchored by Alex Tuch (four goals), one of the true X factors in the postseason. He can be a physical force and a difference maker. He’s usually skating with Nick Cousins and Nicolas Roy. Ryan Reaves and William Carrier are as effective a fourth-line duo as you’ll find. Vegas’ ace in the hole? Chandler Stephenson, who can play up and down the lineup. (Frankly, the best version of their top line might be the one with Stephenson on it.) Advantage: Golden Knights
Defense: The Canucks’ third-leading scorer is a rookie defenseman. Calder Trophy finalist Quinn Hughes has 10 points in the postseason, skating with veteran Chris Tanev. Seven of those points have come on the power play, but Hughes is seeing more defensive assignments after being sheltered in the qualification round. Alexander Edler and Troy Stecher have chipped in offensively but have given up their share defensively (46.9% in expected goals percentage). The team hopes Tyler Myers is available this round after suffering a slightly separated shoulder. Jordie Benn and Oscar Fantenberg are also in the mix. For Vegas, trade deadline acquisitions Alec Martinez and Shea Theodore have created one of the playoffs’ better pairings. Brayden McNabb and Nate Schmidt continue to be a steady duo. Nick Holden and Zach Whitecloud — the Golden Knights’ own rookie defenseman — have also been effective. Deryk Engelland and Jon Merrill are waiting in the wings. Advantage: Tie
Goaltending:Robin Lehner had the crease in four of five games against the Blackhawks. He’s 5-1 in the playoffs but hasn’t quite been at his best yet (minus-2.26 goals saved above average). Marc-Andre Fleury calmed some fears about his game with a strong win over Chicago. But Markstrom has been incredible in this postseason with a plus-4.05 goals saved above average (fourth best in the playoffs). He’s 7-3 with a .929 save percentage. If Lehner gets the crease again, it’ll be a battle between two unrestricted free agents showing off in the spotlight. On paper, Vegas has the advantage here. But in the playoffs so far, Markstrom’s been the better goalie. Advantage: Canucks
Coaching: The strange journey of Peter DeBoer continues. He was fired by the Sharks and then hired by the Golden Knights to replace Gerard Gallant; in other words, taking over for the first coach in franchise history, as one of the franchise’s most notable villains during his time in San Jose. He has them playing well, has expertly juggled the lineup and has much more playoff experience than his counterpart. The days of calling Travis Green underrated are over. He has done a remarkable job managing this lineup, and in keeping a young team in line after the Blues looked like they might be taking over the series. Advantage: Golden Knights
Special teams: The Canucks are clicking at 26.2% on the power play in 10 games, while the Knights converted at 19.1%. But Vegas has the advantage on the penalty kill, converted at an 86.4% rate compared to a respectable 81.0% for the Canucks. Special teams are going to be an enormous factor here, and the Knights may have an advantage in their discipline: At 2.93 penalties per 60 minutes, Vegas is the second-least penalized team in the postseason. Vancouver has drawn more (5.51) than anyone still playing. So that’s a key development to watch. Advantage: Canucks
Prediction: Golden Knights in six. The Canucks are going to be a very tough out. GM Jim Benning has stealthily created a roster with the kind of balance — offense, defense and sandpaper — you want in a contender. They’ve upped their defensive game considerably. They were better than Minnesota. They caught the Blues flat-footed, undermanned and with an imploding goaltender. They get Vegas at time when the Knights looked composed, calculated and playing considerably well, with room for improvement. The series could come down to who wins the battle between the top two lines. We’ll take Vegas in that battle to advance, but the Canucks are primed for another upset.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
