Sheldon Keefe on the Game 5 lineup decision with Michael Bunting’s return from suspension: "Matt Knies is certainly not coming out of the lineup… It’s not as easy or as simple of a decision as it may have been earlier in the series"
On an off-day on Tuesday, head coach Sheldon Keefe discussed his lineup decision coming up with Michael Bunting’s return from suspension, the team’s ability to solve Andrei Vasilevskiy with point shots and deflections, and the team’s resilience in its comeback victories in Tampa.
Can you talk about Morgan Rielly’s ability to get shots through from the point? It is not an easy thing even though those shots flutter in. What have you seen with the evolution of that with the team and how important it has been to your success?
Keefe: If you get to this time of the year, especially against a team like Tampa that defends the way that they do, it is a lot harder to get to the net. Getting clear shots and free shots is a lot harder to come by. The ability to get pucks to the net from distance becomes that much more important.
You want them to go in, but if they don’t, you are hoping there is going to be a spray or rebound opportunities, and then you can get a greater look from there.
Specific to Morgan, he is a guy that has worked really hard on his ability to get pucks to the net. He is an integral piece to our power play. That is a priority for us — to have him get pucks to the net.
As I say, it is important at this time of the year. Our forwards have done a nice job of being in that space to either provide traffic, deflections, or whatever it might be. Tampa makes it difficult with the way they block shots and their willingness to do so, but we have found ways to get some through there.
Derek Lalonde mentioned on the broadcast that the Lightning staff conducted a study and found that Andrei Vasilevskiy was one of the poorer goalies at tracking shots from the point, and they amended their defensive structure to guard against it. How much have you been aware of Andrei’s lack of proficiency in tracking shots from the point? Has it been a part of your approach to try to get as many shots of that nature toward him?
Keefe: Nowadays, if you click a few buttons, you can determine the results of such a thing. Of course, we have that type of information available to us, and you look at that.
I mean, despite that, it is a world-class goalie. That is the reality of it, but certainly, for us, the more we can get to the net, it makes it hard on anybody. There are not many goalies in the league that really excel with traffic, pucks coming through bodies, and deflections. It is a really difficult thing.
It is the reality of the team of the year. If you want to generate offense when there is not a lot happening, you have to be able to get some of those pucks through. These are two teams that have defended really hard.
Both teams haven’t given up much. Even when either team is carrying play significantly, there hasn’t been an abundance of scoring chances going either way. That is just part of it.
What stood out to you about Auston Matthews’ play in the Game 4 comeback?
Keefe: When you need goals the most, he steps up at a time when the game is clearly in the balance. There was the finish on a great passing play with Nylander and Marner there to get us started, and then an unbelievable tip out of the air to close out our power play there and bring us within one.
That obviously gave a shock to the system a little bit for our group to say there is lots of reason to continue to work and go here. That is the type of game-breaking and game-changing ability that he has. Certainly, he did that for us last night.
With Michael Bunting eligible to return, what are your thoughts on that? How difficult has Matthew Knies made our lineup decisions for Game 5?
Keefe: Matt Knies is certainly not coming out of the lineup. He has done a terrific job for us. He is a guy who definitely earned his spot and the opportunity to continue to play for us there.
With Bunting being available, it is a very good option for us. He is a good player for us. It is not as easy or as simple of a decision as it may have been earlier in the series or at a different time. We will take our time here and sort through it.
We have a group of guys here who have played really hard. We have some time now today and tomorrow to sort through it and make the decision.
How much of the team’s ability to come back and win these games in overtime is a psychology boost from you, how much is it the veteran players, and how much might it be a kid like Matthew Knies, who seems to rise to the occasion himself?
Keefe: The excitement of playing playoff hockey and everything that comes with it brings out the best in competitors. That is what we want to be: guys who rise up to those challenges and those occasions.
All throughout our lineup, we have had some really good moments from a lot of different people with various statuses on our team.
We can talk about O’Reilly’s clutch goal to tie the game in Game 3. You come to expect that from a player like him who has produced so much in the playoffs.
We already talked about Auston Matthews scoring two goals to bring us within one in the third period the other night. Mitch Marner, I thought, really took charge in different moments in the third period and overtime yesterday to really give us life and get us going at a difficult time.
Obviously, there is Kerfoot’s overtime goal, Morgan Rielly, and Ilya Samsonov with the competitiveness and saves he has brought in the net for us. All through the lineup, it has been really nice to see. Noel Acciari scored a goal in each of the two road games in Tampa.
There is lots of good stuff happening there. With guys who aren’t showing up on the scoreboard, there are good things happening with their shifts. There are not many easy shifts and not much easy ice available out there right now. Everybody is coming hard and pushing through that.
The group stands on the precipice of accomplishing something the organization has not done since 2004. With the emotions we’ve seen in the series — and certainly, what happened last night — what might the message be to the group over the next couple of days to make sure they are focused and ready to close it out?
Keefe: First of all, it is nice that we have a couple of days here. When you get off of the high and all of the emotions of last night’s game, this morning, it was pretty calm and quiet at breakfast. You travel home today. We will get a practice day tomorrow.
Really, for me, it will be about the focus. We have to prepare to win one hockey game — one very challenging hockey game. That is really it. Anything else outside of our preparation and then our execution when game time comes is a distraction.
It is on me as a coach and our players individually to eliminate as many distractions as possible and keep the focus where it needs to be.
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.
