A new-look Toronto team made its official debut Thursday night, with all six recent acquisitions getting in the lineup.
It wasn’t always pretty. In fact, the first period was quite sloppy. But integrating six new players into the lineup — with Luke Schenn and Erik Gustafsson making their debuts — isn’t easy. The team got better as the game went on with a strong third period to close out a 2-1 win over Calgary on the second night of a back-to-back. If nothing else, the game was much better than the poor showing in Edmonton on Wednesday night.
Could there be more changes to come on deadline day Friday? We’ll find out soon enough. Until then, let’s hand out grades.
Game score did not favour Marner — or his linemates tonight — likely due to the amount of chances Calgary got against them while at five-on-five (shot attempts were 16-10 in favour of Calgary). However, Marner was dancing around a lot tonight, and scored the Leafs’ opening goal in the second, in impressive fashion — as Marner does.
This was one of those nights where the puck seemed to always be on Marner’s stick, and he was almost always doing something with it. He had eight shots on goal and seven individual shot attempts.
I was going to give Luke Schenn the first star just because it’s wild to see him back in Toronto, but Marner was too good to do that. However, I have no issue giving him a second star. Sometimes we can have fun in these report cards, and appreciating Schenn putting on a No. 2 Leafs jersey after 10 years out of the organization is fun! Even Marner was doing it.
“Watching him when I was growing up (and) he was just blowing guys up,” he said pregame. “Not much has changed so it’s good to have him on our side.”
Schenn looked good, albeit in limited minutes (10:42), in his first game back since April 7, 2012. In that time though, he blocked two shots and tied for the team lead in hits (four). Schenn brings a physical element to the blue line that the Leafs were missing. I’ll admit, the second star is a bit of the nostalgia factor winning over, but it’s also fun to think about Schenn crushing people in the playoffs.
All Toronto needed Woll to do tonight was give them a chance to win. I know that sounds really corny, but it’s true, and he did just that.
I don’t blame him for the Blake Coleman goal against, plenty of goalies would have no chance on a clear breakaway like that. Otherwise he was sharp, and statistically perfect making 25 saves on 26 shots.
One thing I really liked about Woll’s game tonight, was that he did well to freeze pucks under pressure and not give the Flames too many second-chance opportunities. I recall that being a bit of an issue in a previous game he played this year, and he cleaned that area up tonight.
Jarnkrok gave the leafs the go-ahead goal with a nice play in tight to beat his childhood pal, Jacob Markstrom, in the third period. The hands, to pull the puck back and tuck it in with pressure behind him from Nikita Zadorov, were impressive. That gets him a solid grade in my books.
Tavares didn’t get a point in this game, but he was still impactful in all three zones, and the faceoff circle with an 81 percent efficiency. And with the Leafs’ captain on the ice in all situations, the Flames only had 10 shot attempts. Only five of those attempts made it to the net.
Giordano was looking young and fresh against his former team, particularly when he danced around Milan Lucic in the first period for a solid scoring chance. I know it’s Lucic, but Giordano is 39 years old!
With lots of new faces in the lineup, and some shuffling of the D pairs with seven guys in the lineup tonight, Giordano provided a steadying presence when he was on the ice.
There’s been a lot of talk about Jake McCabe and TJ Brodie being the new Leafs shutdown pair and while that’s true — they really didn’t allow many dangerous chances against, and were not on the ice for a goal against — let’s not forget that McCabe brings some decent offence to the table too. He has a solid release and put that on display with a few good offensive looks in this game. We know that it helps to ride shotgun with Brodie because you know he’ll be there for you if you decide to jump into the play, and I wonder how much offence that will unlock for McCabe. It’s early but there’s reason to be optimistic about with this duo.
Nylander had a few moments where he appeared to be coasting and got beat by someone on the Flames, like the first period power play when Mikael Backlund blew by him for a short-handed chance. But, he also had moments where he was impossible to knock off the puck, like in the first when he drew a penalty on Rasmus Andersson.
Matthews needed a bounce back after the game in Edmonton last night, and I thought he did just that. He was skating hard, creating in transition and was getting to open spots in the offensive zone. His eight shots on goal was tied for the team lead with Marner, and his 10 individual unblocked shot attempts were the most by a single player in the game at five-on-five.
Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews combined for 16 shots and 21 shot attempts against the Flames.
I know people want to see Matthews producing more on a consistent basis, but when the team is winning, and sitting fourth in the NHL standings — not to mention he’s still producing more than a point per game — it’s hard for me to be overly critical.
This was a bit of an odd game to evaluate O’Reilly because his linemates changed so frequently due to the 11 and seven configuration. And that’s not to say that he played poorly tonight either. He didn’t. But my biggest takeaway is that I’m still torn on where he fits best.
O’Reilly does so many good little things to gain and keep possession that he would work well between Tavares and Marner — who can put the puck in the net — or as the centrepiece of a killer matchup line. I guess his best fit depends if the Leafs want him producing in a top-six role, or freeing up the top six to go to work while he shuts down other teams’ top lines. Sheldon Keefe has time to figure that out, at least.
They didn’t play a lot (under 11 minutes each), but I enjoyed Acciari and Lafferty. They banged around — Acciari had five hits — and connected for nice passing on the Flames’ doorstep late in the game. Lafferty, by the way, made the stretch pass to spring Nylander for his second period breakaway, too.
The Leafs are still playing with their lineup and working to integrate new faces, but I’m intrigued about what these two will add to the bottom of the lineup in the stretch run and into the playoffs.
Kämpf did his job tonight. The highlight? He was in on the forecheck that caved in — and tired out — Calgary’s fourth line in the second period that led to Marner’s goal. Kämpf specifically did well to win the battle on the wall, keep possession of the puck, get it to the top line and get off the ice. It’s nothing flashy, but it led to Marner dancing around a gassed group of skaters, and the Leafs’ first goal of the game.
Rielly wasn’t exactly great in his own zone tonight, but he had the primary assist on the game-winning goal. Critics might say that’s a typical Rielly game. Overall he was fine.
C
Alex Kerfoot
Kerfoot was moving his feet, and looked good in transition, but he cannot buy himself a goal sometimes. He had a wide open net in the second period, with the puck right in front of him, but Noah Hanifin flipped it away before he could get his stick on it.
This was a pretty quiet night for Bunting. He established his presence on the doorstep on the Marner goal in the second period, and was active in the trenches, but he played more of a passenger role tonight.
Erik Gustafsson
Not a great debut for Gustafsson. He mishandled the puck and failed to hold the line while running the second power-play unit early in the first period with Coleman coming right at him. Coleman, who was very good for Calgary tonight I might add, scored on a short-handed breakaway as a result.
It was his first game post-trade, so I’m not overly concerned.
Game Score
Final grade: B+
Considering this was the second night of a back-to-back against a solid defensively-structured Flames team, a 2-1 road win is probably as good as we were going to get tonight. The game was sloppy early, but the team made adjustments and improved throughout, with a strong third period finish. And while there are still some kinks to work out in this lineup, like who plays where, who sits and who gets in the lineup, there was a lot to like in this game. The duo of Brodie and McCabe looked excellent, and Woll was steady, which could be important if Matt Murray does not return soon.
What’s next for the Leafs?
Toronto heads to Vancouver on Saturday night for a Luke Schenn homecoming on Hockey Night in Canada at 7 p.m.
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.
The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.
Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.
He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.
Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.
Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.
The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.
Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.
Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.
Veterans Tyson Beukeboom and Karen Paquin will lead Canada at the WXV 1 women’s rugby tournament starting later this month in the Vancouver area.
WXV 1 includes the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (England, France and Ireland) and the top three teams from the Pacific Four Series (Canada, New Zealand, and the United States).
Third-ranked Canada faces No. 4 France, No. 7 Ireland and No. 1 England in the elite division of the three-tiered WXV tournament that runs Sept. 29 to Oct. 12 in Vancouver and Langley, B.C. No. 2 New Zealand and the eighth-ranked U.S. make up the six-team WVX 1 field.
“Our preparation time was short but efficient. This will be a strong team,” Canada coach Kevin Rouet said in a statement. “All the players have worked very hard for the last couple of weeks to prepare for WXV and we are excited for these next three matches and for the chance to play on home soil here in Vancouver against the best rugby teams in the world.
“France, Ireland and England will each challenge us in different ways but it’s another opportunity to test ourselves and another step in our journey to the Rugby World Cup next year.”
Beukeboom serves as captain in the injury absence of Sophie de Goede. The 33-year-old from Uxbridge, Ont., earned her Canadian-record 68th international cap in Canada’s first-ever victory over New Zealand in May at the Pacific Four Series.
Twenty three of the 30 Canadian players selected for WXV 1 were part of that Pacific Four Series squad.
Rouet’s roster includes the uncapped Asia Hogan-Rochester, Caroline Crossley and Rori Wood.
Hogan-Rochester and Crossley were part of the Canadian team that won rugby sevens silver at the Paris Olympics, along with WXV teammates Fancy Bermudez, Olivia Apps, Alysha Corrigan and Taylor Perry. Wood is a veteran of five seasons at UBC.
The 37-year-old Paquin, who has 38 caps for Canada including the 2014 Rugby World Cup, returns to the team for the first time since the 2021 World Cup.
Canada opens the tournament Sept. 29 against France at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver before facing Ireland on Oct. 5 at Willoughby Stadium at Langley Events Centre, and England on Oct. 12 at B.C. Place.
The second-tier WXV 2 and third-tier WXV 3 are slated to run Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, in South Africa and Dubai, respectively.
WXV 2 features Australia, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa and Wales while WXV 3 is made up of Fiji, Hong Kong, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain.
The tournament has 2025 World Cup qualification implications, although Canada, New Zealand and France, like host England, had already qualified by reaching the semifinals of the last tournament.
Ireland, South Africa, the U.S., Japan, Fiji and Brazil have also booked their ticket, with the final six berths going to the highest-finishing WXV teams who have not yet qualified through regional tournaments.
Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team WXV 1 Squad
Forwards
Alexandria Ellis, Ottawa, Stade Français Paris (France); Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Courtney Holtkamp, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Emily Tuttosi, Souris, Man., Exeter Chiefs (England); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Gillian Boag, Calgary, Gloucester-Hartpury (England); Julia Omokhuale, Calgary, Leicester Tigers (England); Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Club de rugby de Quebec; Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., ASM Romagnat (France); McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Ottawa Irish; Rori Wood, Sooke, B.C., College Rifles RFC; Sara Cline, Edmonton, Leprechaun Tigers; Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England);
Backs
Alexandra Tessier, Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., CRFC; Asia Hogan-Rochester, Toronto, Toronto Nomads; Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Leicester Tigers (England); Fancy Bermudez, Edmonton, Saracens (England); Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Justine Pelletier, Rivière-du-Loup, Que, Stade Bordelais (France); Mahalia Robinson, Fulford, Que., Town of Mount Royal RFC; Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Paige Farries, Red Deer, Alta., Saracens (England); Sara Kaljuvee, Ajax, Ont., Westshore RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.
The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.
He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.
Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.
He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.
Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
