The Toronto Maple Leafs (optional) and Edmonton Oilers skated at Scotiabank Arena on Monday.
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After missing Sunday’s practice, Jack Campbell was back on the ice at the morning skate, but will not start against the Oilers tonight.
“We’ve got to really be smart with how we manage Jack’s workload here,” head coach Sheldon Keefe explained. “The reality is that he hasn’t been playing at 100 per cent and the games take a toll on him. The combination of the fact that he’s not used to playing multiple games in a row and the fact that his body hasn’t quite co-operated with him the way he’d like it to through this season, we’ve got to be really smart.”
Campbell initially sustained a left leg injury on Jan. 24 in Calgary. He returned to the lineup on Feb. 27 in Edmonton posting a shutout, but also aggravating the issue and being forced to the sideline again.
Campbell has won three straight starts since returning to the lineup on March 20. However, he wasn’t happy with his performance on Saturday despite improving to 6-0-0 on the season.
“He took the day [off] yesterday, because he wasn’t feeling the best coming off of the game and I think he’s feeling a little better today, and that’s positive,” Keefe said. “I just think us continuing to roll him out there when he’s not 100 per cent is not smart. We’ve got to manage it.”
So, Michael Hutchinson will get his seventh start of the season. He posted a 31-save shutout in Edmonton on March 1, but has struggled in his past two starts. He was pulled after allowing two goals on three shots in his last outing on March 14 in Ottawa.
Keefe wasn’t sure if Campbell would be available to dress as the backup goalie. The recently acquired Veini Vehviläinen, who has played just one NHL game with Columbus, will suit up for the first time if Campbell isn’t available. The 24-year-old Finn has only skated twice with the team since emerging from a post-trade quarantine.
Frederik Andersen remained off the ice on Monday as the team awaits further clarity on his lower-body injury. He hasn’t skated since March 19.
Mike Smith will start again for the Oilers.
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Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl remained on the same line at the Oilers morning skate. Edmonton’s dynamic duo had a hand in all three goals scored by the team in Saturday’s 4-3 overtime loss.
“It can seem like a two-on-two [rush] and all the sudden it’s in the back of your net so that’s the element they bring,” said Leafs defenceman Justin Holl. “It’s just a reminder that you have to be absolutely perfect against them.”
It’s a big challenge for the coach as well. In Saturday’s game Keefe looked to get either the Auston Matthews line or the Pierre Engvall line out against Edmonton’s big boys.
“It’s harder to match against them when they’re on separate lines,” Keefe said. “When they’re together, you can control the matchup a little bit better and they’re also that much more dangerous when you make a mistake. Between the Matthews and Engvall line, we really tried to get that matchup going, but the difficulty is that they play so much. It has the ability to really disrupt your own flow. I actually felt some of that through the game where you’re worried about that matchup and you lose your flow a little bit with your own bench. I’ve got to manage that here tonight. Certainly, there’s that much more heightened awareness and narrowed focus when they’re together.”
‘They can make you pay’: Leafs focused on trying to stop high powered McDavid-Draisaitl line
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl’s line registered at least a point on all three of Edmonton’s goals on Saturday night, and the Leafs say that they have to be perfect when the two Hart candidates are on the ice together, or they will pay the price.
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The Leafs were able to grab two points on Saturday, because the John Tavares line outscored Edmonton’s second unit by two goals.
“We need to be able to contribute just like those [top-line] guys,” said Kailer Yamamoto. “Maybe not as much, but we need to be able get in there and contribute points. It’s definitely a challenge for me and I need to be better.”
Yamamoto registered just one shot while playing 15 minutes and 50 seconds in his first game back from injury.
“It felt different, but it’s game one. I got another one tonight so just trying to improve on it,” Yamamoto said. “The biggest thing for me is the speed of the game and getting your timing back. It’s a fast game and you have to react quick.”
“Connor’s line generated most of our chances,” acknowledged coach Dave Tippett. “So, we’ll look to tweak things a little bit to see if we can generate more.”
Dominik Kahun projects to be a scratch while Kyle Turris took reps alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Yamamoto at the morning skate. Turris hasn’t played since March 8. He recently spent time on the NHL’s COVID protocol list.
“We’d like to get him back up and going,” Tippett said. “He missed a week and that’s hard on players. You take a week in the middle of the season where they can’t skate, can’t really do anything so it’s taken him a few practices to get up and going. He works hard in practice. He’s got unbelievable skill. You talk to our goaltenders about the best goal scorers on our team and his name comes up all the time.”
Oilers’ not fazed by Saturday’s third period: ‘We’re confident against anyone in this division’
The Oilers know they let one get away against the Maple Leafs on Saturday as they were unable to hold a 3-1 lead in the third period. Their confidence playing with leads has been evident for most of the season and Darnell Nurse believes the Oilers put themselves in that position and just have to play better.
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Joe Thornton started Saturday’s game on the top line, but was dropped down to the fourth line with Alex Kerfoot and Jason Spezza. What’s it like bouncing around the lineup?
“I love it,” he said enthusiastically. “I love it. Just put me anywhere. It don’t matter. I’m starting to feel good. I’m starting to feel comfortable. It doesn’t matter where I play as long as we keep winning. That’s all that matters.”
Thornton was asked about the unlikely bond he’s formed with 22-year-old defenceman Mac Hollowell, who has been on and off Toronto’s taxi squad of late.
“He’s just a super kid,” the 41-year-old said. “He’s a fun guy to be around. The guys like him being in the locker room. He just lightens things up. He’s 20 years younger than me, but we have the same interests and it’s kind of cool. He’s teaching me a lot of things and I’m teaching him some things and it’s a good friendship.”
What are they teaching each other?
“He’s got some different music than me,” Thornton said. “I’m trying to teach him stuff about The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Def Leppard so we can teach each other lots of different things.”
Jumbo Joe strikes up unlikely bond with Hollowell
When asked about his moving up and down the line-up, Joe Thornton said he is happy to play anywhere, just as long as the Leafs keep winning. Thornton also spoke about his bond with prospect Mac Hollowell after an Instagram post showed the two together on a flight.
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With his sister Kia Nurse starring as part of TSN’s basketball coverage, Darnell Nurse was asked if he’s interested in being an analyst one day.
“It might intrigue me,” the Oilers defenceman said with a smile. “Seeing her do it and how well she’s been doing it for TSN, for me, that’s a lot of pressure to step in behind that. I don’t know if I have the confidence to hop in behind Kia, because she’s been doing such a great job. It’s been fun to watch. I know she did the Raptors game with the first all-female broadcast last week and, I mean, she can do it all. Not just an analyst in between games, but also during the game, so it’s so cool to see her do it. So, like I said, it might be a little too much pressure.”
Darnell Nurse in awe of sister Kia’s broadcasting work: ‘She can do it all’
Darnell Nurse had high-praise for his sister Kia and the job she has done on both TSN’s NCAA Basketball coverage and the work she did during the all-female broadcast of the Raptors’ game last week. Asked if he could do a similar job, Nurse quickly responded by saying ‘it might be too much pressure.’
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Projected Leafs lineup based on Sunday’s practice:
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.
