Dominique Ducharme made three changes, two of his choosing and another one that he was forced to, from Friday night’s overtime loss. Leading Canuck slayer Tyler Toffoli picked up a lower-body injury late in that game, which sidelined him for Saturday. He was replaced in the lineup by Artturi Lehkonen, making the third line once more completely Finnish. Meanwhile, Carey Price moved into net to replace Jake Allen, while Victor Mete replaced Xavier Ouellet on the blue line.
With that overtime loss still lingering and Toffoli being out, the omens went from bad to worse when you could see the Canadiens dress in their dreaded Reverse Retro jerseys. However, the game started better than expected. The Finnish line drove to the net and was awarded with an interference call on Joel Armia’s old nemesis, Tyler Myers.
Since Alex Burrows took over the power-play duty from his predecessor Kirk Muller, man advantages are actually exciting to watch again. This one was no exception. It started off with a hard slapper from Shea Weber close to the slot, which Braden Holtby caught in his glove. It continued with Nick Suzuki demonstrating why last night’s pinpoint equalizer was by no means a one time thing. In an eerily similar manner, he took a few strides forward from his position out right before he struck with laser-sharp precision past Holtby, whose sight was efficiently blocked by Phillip Danault. Montreal got the early lead, and it is relieving for the remainder of this season to see Suzuki score on a regular basis again.
Vancouver seemed to still be on Pacific Time during the first period, creating next to no offence at all. If only Montreal had slightly more efficient timing and offensive awareness, the lead could have been more than just one goal going into the first break.
As it turned out, the Canadiens really could have used a bigger lead because it took only 22 seconds of second-period action before the Canucks had tied up the contest. Suzuki lost the puck in a moment of bewilderment behind his own net and J.T. Miller quickly served a surging Jake Virtanen in front of Price. This was Virtanen’s fourth goal of the season and, incidentally, it was to this point Vancouver’s fourth shot of the entire game.
Vancouver would subsequently take the lead as well. With Brett Kulak in the penalty box for a hold, Brock Boeser got enough time to breathe, load, and release from his favoured position to the left of the net. It felt like the Canadiens had a well-functioning penalty kill up until that shot, pressuring the Canucks high and not letting them create high-quality chances.
Regardless, Montreal suddenly found themselves one goal down, and Saturday was starting to feel like a Groundhog Day affair for the home side.
Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait until the last minute of the third period for the 2-2 equalizer on this evening. Speaking of players who need to get going in the scoring column, Tomas Tatar hadn’t found the net for 11 games heading into yesterday. That streak is not relevant anymore.
The goal occurred during a sequence that demonstrated just how positively frustrating Montreal’s offence could be to face when working as expected, as the Habs cemented themselves in Vancouver’s zone. With a delayed penalty call lingering, the Canucks could not get hold of the puck as the Canadiens players swarmed like bees around the white-and-blue net. Finally, Mete worked the puck around the net to Danault, who found Tatar on the right side of the slot. The Slovak picked the near corner, and Holtby was beaten.
There was nothing pointing to this game being tied after two periods. The expected goals-for percentage was at this point close to 70% and the high-danger chances were nearing 80% in favour of the team wearing blue. Therefore, it was by no means unfair that the Habs regained the lead toward the end of the period.
Once again, the Brendan Gallagher-Danault-Tatar line was at the centre of the attention. With their ferocity, Tatar and Gallagher gained possession in the offensive zone. After passing the puck back to the blue line, Weber quickly found an unlikely sharpshooter in Joel Edmundson. Holtby was efficiently screened once again, and the shot itself was perfectly placed above the netminder’s shoulder. This was Edmundson’s second goal in a Canadiens jersey. His first was scored nearly two months ago, on January 24, against the very same Canucks team.
It took Vancouver 22 seconds to tie the contest up in the second period. Well, in the third they repeated that feature. Bo Horvat won a faceoff, which went back to Quinn Hughes, who fired from the point. Horvat was quick to the net and steered it past Price.
Half a minute later, Vancouver scored again on their second shot of the period. Tyler Motte was left all alone in the slot and found the right gap. Should this end up as another one of those impossible losses?
Thankfully, there is Brendan Gallagher. On a clean faceoff win from Danault, he took one step and blazed the puck up over Holtby’s shoulder. A beautifully placed shot and, boy, was that important.
Vancouver seemed satisfied with just playing out the remainder of the game while waiting for Montreal’s inevitable implosion in overtime. The Canucks finished the third period with four shots on goal, of which two went in. There was no way that this game deserved to even be close after 60 minutes, but it was.
Ducharme elected to start Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jonathan Drouin instead of Paul Byron and Danault. An interesting choice, propelled by Kotkaniemi’s stellar form. An interesting choice was also the way these teams played during the five minutes of overtime. It was cautious hockey, like two wavering boxers knowing they’re both on the brink of losing an important fight.
Things heated up during the very last minute, and both Holtby and Price had to dig deep and demonstrate their talents. If Price hadn’t been quick as a cat on Boeser’s breakaway with nine seconds remaining, it would have been another night ending in despair.
Instead, this odd game continued on into an odd shootout. Corey Perry and Boeser scored on each team’s first penalty shot. This was then followed by eight straight misses from the ensuing shooters, including a couple of exquisite saves by Price.
Since Tatar had been red-hot all night, it was strange that he wasn’t selected for a penalty until the sixth round. Considering how perfect he administered his attempt, I think it’s safe to say he will be further up the pecking order the next time a shootout comes around.
Nils Höglander missed the subsequent shot, meaning that the Montreal Canadiens had done what seemed impossible; they had won in overtime whilst wearing their blue jerseys.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.
Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.
In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.
Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.
Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.
He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.
The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.
Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.
He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.
George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.
Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.
In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.
St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
ON DECK
Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.
The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
CALGARY – Mired in their first four-game losing skid in 20 years, the Calgary Stampeders are going back to Jake Maier at quarterback on Saturday after he was benched for a game.
It won’t be an easy assignment.
Visiting McMahon Stadium are the Eastern Conference-leading Montreal Alouettes (10-2) who own the CFL’s best record. The Stampeders (4-8) have fallen to last in the Western Conference.
“Six games is plenty of time, but also it is just six games,” said Maier. “We’ve got to be able to get on the right track.”
Calgary is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
“I do still believe in this team,” said Stampeders’ head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson. “I want to see improvement, though. I want to see guys on a weekly basis elevating their game, and we haven’t been doing that.”
Maier is one of the guys under the microscope. Two weeks ago, the second-year starter threw four interceptions in a 35-20 home loss to the Edmonton Elks.
After his replacement, rookie Logan Bonner, threw five picks in last week’s 37-16 loss to the Elks in Edmonton, the football is back in Maier’s hands.
“Any time you fail or something doesn’t go your way in life, does it stink in the moment? Yeah. But then the days go on and you learn things about yourself and you learn how to prepare a little bit better,” said Maier. “It makes you mentally tougher.”
Dickenson wants to see his quarterback making better decisions with the football.
“Things are going to happen, interceptions will happen, but try to take calculated risks, rather than just putting the ball up there and hoping that we catch it,” said Dickenson.
A former quarterback himself, he knows the importance of that vital position.
“You cannot win without good quarterback play,” Dickenson said. “You’ve got to be able to make some plays — off-schedule plays, move-around plays, plays that break down, plays that aren’t designed perfectly, but somehow you found the right guy, and then those big throws where you’re taking that hit.”
But it’s going to take a team effort, and that includes the club’s receiving corp.
“We always have to band together because we need everything to go right for our receivers to get the ball,” said Nik Lewis, the Stampeders’ receivers coach. “The running back has to pick up the blitz, the o-line has to block, the quarterback has to make the right reads, and then give us a catchable ball.”
Lewis brings a unique perspective to this season’s frustrations as he was a 22-year-old rookie in Calgary in 2004 when the Stamps went 4-14 under coach Matt Dunigan. They turned it around the next season and haven’t missed the playoffs since.”
“Thinking back and just looking at it, there’s just got to be an ultimate belief that you can get it done. Look at Montreal, they were 6-7 last year and they’ve gone 18-2 since then,” said Lewis.
Montreal is also looking to rebound from a 37-23 loss to the B.C. Lions last week. But for head coach Jason Maas, he says his team’s mindset doesn’t change, regardless of what happened the previous week.
“Last year when we went through a four-game losing streak, you couldn’t tell if we were on a four-game winning streak or a four-game losing streak by the way the guys were in the building, the way we prepared, the type of work ethic we have,” said Maas. “All our standards are set, so that’s all we focus on.”
While they may have already clinched a playoff spot, Alouettes’ quarterback Cody Fajardo says this closing stretch remains critical because they want to finish the season strong, just like last year when they won their final five regular-season games before ultimately winning the Grey Cup.
“It doesn’t matter about what you do at the beginning of the year,” said Fajardo. “All that matters is how you end the year and how well you’re playing going into the playoffs so that’s what these games are about.”
The Alouettes’ are kicking off a three-game road stretch, one Fajardo looks forward to.
“You understand what kind of team you have when you play on the road because it’s us versus the world mentality and you can feel everybody against you,” said Fajardo. “Plus, I always tend to find more joy in silencing thousands of people than bringing thousands of people to their feet.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
