NASHVILLE — One of the big sponsors of Nashville Predators hockey is a local institution called the Fifth Third Bank. On Monday night in Music City, the Edmonton Oilers took that literally.
The Oilers pounded Nashville with five goals in the third period, breaking open a 3-3 tie to bulldoze the Predators 8-3. It was Muscle Beach, sand-in-your-face stuff by the Oilers and their two Hart Trophy favourites, as Leon Draisaitl (four goals and an assist) and Connor McDavid (1-4-5) had 10 points — six in the third period.
This was like John Belushi smashing the guitar in Animal House, as the Oilers penned a hurtin’ song on Nashville’s playoff chances.
Observed Nashville head coach John Hynes: “We got punched in the face pretty good tonight.”
It should be said, Pekka Rinne wasn’t very good in the Predators’ goal, allowing eight goals for the first time in a career that began as Nashville’s eighth-round draft pick back in 2004. A four-time Vezina finalist and the winningest Finnish goaltender in NHL history, the soul of this club was finally yanked with the score 8-3 and 10 minutes to play.
“It was enough,” Hynes said.
“Hate it,” spat Nashville defenceman Roman Josi. “What we did in the third, we just left him out to dry. It’s just not good enough from us. We’ve got to be so much better. You hate it for (Rinne), for sure.”
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The Oilers watched the Calgary Flames give up a goal with 0.1 seconds left in this building last week, then lose the extra point in overtime. And they saw the Vancouver Canucks cough up a 3-1 lead with 8:00 to play against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday, tossing away two points in a king-sized tank job.
So, as Edmonton walked out of the dressing room tied 3-3 — on a night when none of the teams it’s battling out West were playing — it was a defining moment.
Five goals in 5:13 defined things, all right. It defined the Oilers, a team that will have James Neal and Oscar Klefbom back by week’s end, as a club that might be better than we thought.
“It’s impressive,” said Draisaitl, after his second five-point night of the season. “All four lines … we probably could have scored a few more, too. Those nights, you don’t score five goals in every period. I wouldn’t get used to it.”
Edmonton sweeps the season series with Nashville 3-0, an incremental sign of where this team has come after years of playing doormat to the Preds. The worm is turning out West — this Oilers team is deep and good, and will take a serious run at the Vegas Golden Knights for the Pacific title, who they trail by two with a game in hand. They also host the Golden Knights at Rogers Place twice more this season.
This was another tour de force by the Hart favourite Draisaitl, with McDavid painting around the edges as he leap-frogged both Artemi Panarin and David Pastrnak into second spot in the NHL scoring race. McDavid has 32-64-94, but didn’t gain an inch on Draisaitl, who beefed up his totals to 43-64-107.
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With 14 games to play, suddenly Draisaitl looks good for his second 50-goal, 100-point campaign. He was money on a night when Edmonton scored eight, but went just one-for-one on their league-leading power play.
“If you look at he and McDavid tonight, you go into the third period, game on the line,” began Hynes. “There’s just a different level. Those guys are relentless.
“They have an ability,” he continued, “when big plays need to be made, when the game’s on the line, these guys just rise to a different level. Their compete level, when things are hot and when the game matters? That’s what separates those two guys.”
In a battle of two 37-year-old goalies, Mike Smith was by far the better ‘tendy, running his record in 2020 to 12-1-4. Darnell Nurse and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each had three helpers, while Kailer Yamamoto had 1-1-2 in his return. Kris Russell blocked a shot, left the game, and will be examined Tuesday, with Edmonton playing the Dallas Stars that evening in the Big D.
“Yamo comes in and he just balances out the whole lineup,” said McDavid, who had beaten Nashville once in 12 tries in his entire career before this season. He downplayed the turnabout. “We’re a little bit better, and they’re still a solid team. But we have a better group than we did in previous years, that’s for sure.”
CLEVELAND (AP) — Restricted free agent forward Isaac Okoro has agreed to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Okoro’s new deal is worth $38 million, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed or announced by the team.
ESPN.com first reported the agreement, citing Okoro’s representation.
The fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Okoro is Cleveland’s best perimeter defender, often drawing the assignment of guarding the opponent’s top scorer. Okoro also has worked to improve his offensive game.
The 23-year-old averaged 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 69 games — 42 starts — last season for the Cavs, who beat Orlando in the opening round of the playoffs before losing to eventual champion Boston.
Okoro shot a career-best 39% on 3-pointers, forcing teams to come out and guard him.
His agreement caps an extraordinarily busy summer for the Cavs that began with coach J.B. Bickerstaff being fired and replaced by Kenny Atkinson. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell signed a three-year, $150 million extension in July, ending months of speculation that he wanted out of Cleveland.
Also, power forward Evan Mobley signed a five-year, $224 deal and center Jarrett Allen signed a three-year, $91 million extension.
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.
