NHL postpones 8 games due to attendance restrictions in Canada
Senators add forwards Ennis, Norris to NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list
Devils coach Lindy Ruff tests positive, misses Oilers game
Clippers coach enters protocol ahead of Raptors match-up
Vikings lose Cousins to COVID list before game vs. Packers
Trio of G League referees get NBA games amid virus issues
Soccer games postponed in England, France
The NHL postponed eight games involving Canadian teams due to current attendance restrictions in certain provinces, the league announced on Friday.
The games are:
Minnesota Wild @ Ottawa Senators (Jan. 3)
New York Islanders @ Vancouver Canucks (Jan. 5)
New York Islanders @ Edmonton Oilers (Jan. 8)
New York Islanders @ Calgary Flames (Jan. 11)
Minnesota Wild @ Edmonton Oilers (Jan. 12)
Vegas Golden Knights @ Edmonton Oilers (Jan. 14)
Vegas Golden Knights @ Calgary Flames (Jan. 15)
Edmonton Oilers @ Winnipeg Jets (Jan. 16)
The league said the games will be rescheduled when the restrictions are either eased or lifted.
A game between the New York Islanders and the Seattle Kraken on Jan. 4 has also been postponed due to the Islanders having three other road games pushed back.
SCHEDULE UPDATE: The <a href=”https://twitter.com/NHL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@NHL</a> announced today that eight additional games will be rescheduled for dates later in the season. <br><br>Details: <a href=”https://t.co/8EuE4xfrpV”>https://t.co/8EuE4xfrpV</a> <a href=”https://t.co/B2Y1Ra5Gyw”>pic.twitter.com/B2Y1Ra5Gyw</a>
The NHL did not announce any further postponed dates for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are scheduled to host Ottawa on Saturday and Edmonton on Wednesday.
Friday’s announcement comes three days after the NHL postponed nine games in Canada due to capacity limitations. The NHL now has had a total of 89 games postponed this season.
The Ontario government limited capacity at large indoor venues to 1,000 people on Thursday. Major League Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Maple Leafs and the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, has said its games will be held without fans while that restriction is in place.
The Montreal Canadiens are not currently scheduled to play at home again until Jan. 15. A four-game Canadiens homestand between Tuesday and Jan. 10 had already been postponed
Senators add forwards Ennis, Norris to protocol
The Ottawa Senators have added forwards Tyler Ennis and Josh Norris to the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list, the team announced on Friday.
The Franchise also called up forwards Clark Bishop and Logan Shaw from the Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League to the team’s taxi squad.
The Senators returned to practise on Friday morning after cancelling Thursday’s session for precautionary reasons.
Devils coach tests positive hours before Oilers game
New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff tested positive for COVID-19 hours before the Devils’ game against the Edmonton Oilers and was isolated from the team.
The Devils made the announcement Friday, roughly 45 minutes after Ruff did not show up for a pregame news conference. When the conference started, assistant coach Alain Nasreddine walked in and said he would be running the team.
Nasreddine, who usually handles the defencemen in the game, said Ruff was going to stay in the Prudential Center for the contest. He said the two would be in communication during the game.
The 61-year-old Ruff was hired as Devils coach for the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and the team missed the playoffs. New Jersey is currently in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division.
Nasreddine coached the Devils on an interim basis for 43 games during the 2019-20 season after John Hynes was fired in early December. He posted a 19-16-8 record. Ruff kept him on his staff.
Also Friday, Chicago goaltender Kevin Lankinen was held out of practice because of COVID-19 protocol. With Marc-Andre Fleury already in the protocol, Collin Delia could make his first NHL start of the season when Chicago visits Nashville on Saturday.
Clippers coach enters protocol ahead of Raptors match-up
Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue has entered protocols Friday just hours before his team faces the Toronto Raptors at the Scotiabank Arena
The NBA began Friday with about 120 players in various stages of the protocols, with seven other head coaches sidelined, dozens of other staffers, including assistant coaches, athletic trainers, media relations staff and more.
The league has a 97% vaccination rate among players, 100% among coaches, and at least two-thirds of the league has received a booster shot. The NBA has postponed 11 games in recent weeks, while often changing its protocols — the latest moves designed to potentially get players who test positive back on the floor more quickly than has been the case.
About 100 players from the G League have been signed to NBA deals in recent weeks as teams have needed to fill rosters because of all the virus-related problems
Trio of G League referees get NBA games amid virus issues
The virus outbreak hasn’t just sent NBA teams looking for help from the G League. The NBA refereeing corps has had to do the same.
A trio of G League officials — Tyler Mirkovich, Clare Aubry and Pat O’Connell — were assigned games on Friday, the NBA debuts for all three. It was the first time that the NBA had to call up G League officials to work games this season.
Mirkovich was assigned Phoenix at Boston, Aubry got Atlanta at Cleveland and O’Connell was picked for New York at Oklahoma City.
None of the three G League refs called up Friday has even worked an NBA preseason game. But with about one-third of the league’s referees unable to work right now, mostly because of coronavirus-related reasons and a few because of injury, the NBA had no choice but to seek help.
Vikings lose Cousins to COVID list before game vs. Packers
Kirk Cousins has never missed a game in the NFL to injury.
His first unplanned absence, due to COVID-19, could not have come at a worse time for the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings placed their starting quarterback on the COVID-19 reserve list on Friday, two days before their most important game of the season at Green Bay.
Cousins, who is unvaccinated, couldn’t be cleared in time to play even if he were feeling fine. The NFL recently reduced the required quarantine period to five days for asymptomatic players.
The Vikings (7-8) are one game out of the last wild-card spot in the NFC with two weeks to go. The Packers (12-3) are in control of the top seed and a first-round bye.
The Vikings activated backup quarterback Sean Mannion from the COVID-19 reserve list, putting the seventh-year veteran in line to start at frigid Lambeau Field on Sunday night. Rookie Kellen Mond, who was drafted in the third round, has not developed quickly enough this season to be considered.
Soccer games postponed in England, France
A continuing continuing coronavirus outbreak at Newcastle has led to Sunday’s game at Southampton being postponed, the Premier League said Friday.
Newcastle’s previous game against Everton scheduled for Thursday had also been called off.
The Premier League said a combination of COVID-19 cases and injuries meant 19th-place Newcastle does not have the required 13 outfield players and one goalkeeper available to face Southampton at St. Mary’s Stadium.
The league said in a statement that it “was able to make its decision in advance of the fixture to give clarity to the affected clubs and their fans.”
It brings the total to 18 Premier League games postponed in the past three weeks, including last-place Norwich’s trip to Leicester on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Liverpool coach Juergen Klopp said Friday that three of his players have tested positive ahead of Sunday’s game at title rival Chelsea.
He did not name the trio and remains hopeful the game in London will go ahead.
The French league postponed the game between Angers and Saint-Etienne on Jan. 9 because of a high number of coronavirus cases in the Angers squad.
Angers asked for the postponement on Thursday, saying there were 19 confirmed cases among its squad of 30 players and that more than 10 are not authorized to play again until Jan. 10. Angers added that a further five staff members have the virus.
Angers had five players out with COVID-19 when it lost 4-1 at Montpellier on Dec. 22 before the winter break.
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings signed forward Lucas Raymond to an eight-year, $64.6 million contract Monday, completing a deal with one of their best young players less than 72 hours before training camp begins.
Raymond will count $8.075 million against the salary cap through 2032. The 22-year-old was a restricted free agent without a contract for the upcoming NHL season and was coming off setting career highs with 31 goals, 41 assists and 72 points.
The Red Wings have another one of those in defenceman Moritz Seider, who won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2021-22.
Detroit is looking to end an eight-year playoff drought dating to the Original Six franchise’s last appearance in 2016.
Raymond, a Swede who was the fourth pick in 2020, has 174 points in 238 games since breaking into the league.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kirk Cousins led a flawless last-minute drive for Atlanta and connected with Drake London for a 7-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left to give the Falcons a 22-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.
Saquon Barkley dropped a short pass that stopped the clock with 1:46 left and forced the Eagles to settle for a field goal instead of a game-sealing first down. That was plenty of time for Cousins — especially against an Eagles defense playing soft coverage with a nonexistent pass rush.
The 36-year-old veteran, playing his second game since tearing his Achilles tendon last Oct. 29 while playing for Minnesota, shook off an uneven effort and hit Darnell Mooney for 21 and 26 yards on consecutive plays during the decisive drive.
Cousins found London on a short pass to his right for the tying score, and Younghoe Koo put Atlanta (1-1) on top with a 48-yard extra point after London was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The go-ahead drive took just 65 seconds.
Jalen Hurts had his final pass intercepted by Jessie Bates III to seal Atlanta’s win and set off a wild celebration on the sideline.
The Eagles (1-1) went ahead on Hurts’ 1-yard tush push score with 6:47 left. Barkley finished with 95 yards on 22 carries in his home debut for Philadelphia, but his drop provided the Falcons with some hope.
And then Cousins started playing like the QB Atlanta thought it was getting when it signed him to a four-year, $180 million contract.
Cousins finished 20 of 29 for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Atlanta’s first TD was a 41-yarder from Cousins to Mooney, who finished with three catches for 88 yards.
Hurts was 23 of 30 for 183 yards, including a touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith. With No. 1 receiver A.J. Brown out with a hamstring injury, Smith led the Eagles with seven catches for 76 yards and a score.
Jake Elliott kicked two field goals for the Eagles. His 28-yarder with 1:39 left made it 21-15.
Atlanta kept stalling in the red zone, getting three field goals from Koo, before Cousins fired over the middle to Mooney, who shook loose from C.J. Gardner-Johnson and left him on the turf before he somersaulted into the end zone with 1:21 left in the third quarter for a 15-10 lead. Cousins failed on the 2-point conversion pass.
Hurts had some juice in his step during a second-quarter TD drive, running with abandon for big plays much like he did in the 2022 season. He spiked the ball in a rare, raw show of emotion on a 23-yard run, earning a delay-of-game penalty. He shrugged off the 5-yard setback and scrambled for 9 yards and 15 yards to move the Eagles to Atlanta’s 19.
With comedian Shane Gillis and actor Bradley Cooper among the fans cheering on the Eagles, Hurts connected with Smith in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard TD that made it 7-3.
Under new defensive coordinator Vince Fangio, the Eagles have established an early knack for allowing long drives that end with three points instead of seven. Koo kicked field goals of 39, 22 and 34 yards, the last one enough for a 9-7 lead in the third quarter. In their opener, the Eagles held the Packers to just three field goals when they drove inside the 20.
Questionable call
Rather than take a chip-shot field goal from Elliott, the Eagles’ fourth-and-4 gamble at Atlanta’s 9-yard line in the first quarter failed when Hurts threw an incomplete pass.
Elliott kicked a 29-yarder with 4:31 left in the third quarter for a 10-9 lead.
Running wild
Bijan Robinson ran for 97 yards for the Falcons. The Eagles stuffed him late on fourth-and-1 at the Atlanta 39.
Barkley was quiet until the go-ahead drive, a week after he rushed for 109 yards and scored three touchdowns against Green Bay. Eagles fans booed when the opening drive of the game ended without Barkley touching the ball. They went wild when he had consecutive 9-yard runs to open the second drive. Barkley had 40 yards rushing in the first half.
Foles honored
Former Eagles QB Nick Foles, who led the franchise to its only Super Bowl title, served as an honorary captain and led the crowd in a rendition of “Fly, Eagles, Fly.”
Injuries
The Falcons played without LB Nate Landman (calf, quad).
Up next
Atlanta hosts Super Bowl champion Kansas City on Sunday.
TORONTO – Singles star Leylah Fernandez and doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski will anchor Canada’s five-player lineup when the team tries to defend its Billie Jean King Cup title in mid-November.
The 26th-ranked Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open finalist from Laval, Que., is the lone Canadian in the top 100 of the WTA Tour’s singles rankings.
Dabrowski, from Ottawa, is ranked fourth on the doubles list. The 2023 U.S. Open women’s doubles champion won mixed doubles bronze with Felix Auger-Aliassime at the recent Paris Olympics.
Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., returns after a breakout performance last year, capped by her singles win in Canada’s 2-0 victory over Italy in the final. Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino is also back and Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion from Mississauga, Ont., returns to the squad for the first time since 2022.
“Winning the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023 was a dream come true for us, and not only that, but I feel like we made a statement to the world about the strength of this nation when it comes to tennis,” Canada captain Heidi El Tabakh said Monday in a release. “Once again, we have a very strong team this year with Bianca joining Leylah, Gaby, Rebecca and Marina, making it an extremely powerful team that is more than capable of going all the way.
“At the end of the day, our goal is to make Canada proud, and we’ll do our best to bring the same level of effort and excitement that we had in last year’s finals.”
Fernandez, who beat Jasmine Paolini to clinch Canada’s first-ever title at the competition, is ranked No. 42 in doubles.
Canada, which received an automatic berth as defending champion, will play the winner of the first-round tie between Great Britain and Germany on Nov. 17 at Malaga’s Martin Carpena Arena.
Australia, Italy and wild-card entry Czechia also received first-round byes. The tournament, which continues through Nov. 20, also includes host Spain, Slovakia, the United States, Poland, Japan and Romania.
Stakusic is up 27 spots to No. 128 in the latest world singles rankings. Marino is at No. 134 and Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, is ranked 167th.
Canada will look to become the first team since Czechia in 2016 to successfully defend its Billie Jean King Cup title.
Malaga will also host the Nov. 19-24 Davis Cup Final 8. The Canadian men qualified over the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Great Britain in Manchester.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
