What more legitimate litmus test of the Edmonton Oilers 16-game winning streak could there possibly be than the defending Stanley Cup Champion (the club that vanquished the Oilers last season) Vegas Golden Knights?
And in the end, the 17-game record set by the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins remained intact despite an entertaining, hard-fought affair in the desert.
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The Oilers out-shot and out-chanced (83-50) the Golden Knights. But Aiden Hill was terrific at the other end. Make the final 3-1 (EN).
Excellent hockey game. Here is the tale of the tape…
STUART SKINNER. 6. Managed a difficult shot from Hague from the point later in the 1st. Made the first save on the 1-1 goal but could not contain the rebound. Reacted as if he picked up the puck a shade late through a screen on the 2-1. 3rd goal was an empty netter. Stopped 21 of 23. In the end, Aiden Hill was one save better than Stuart Skinner.
CONNOR McDAVID. 7. Finished off a 2-on-0 with Leon Draisaitl by 1-timing Leon’s perfect pass home low glove for the 1-0, short-handed. Hard back check disrupted a Vegas sortie after a Bouchard shot was blocked at the point. Circled the net then fed Leon who was robbed by Hill’s diving stop. Bouchard hammered one of his passes off the post. Ticked one off the post later in the 1st. A sprint up the middle of the ice early in the 3rd chased by a wrister that Hill just got a piece of. Charged back to strip the puck then turned it back and fed Draisaitl for a 1-timer but Hill denied him.
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RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS. 6. Sneaky pass led to a hard Hyman jam later in the first. Highly effective with the puck creating in the Vegas zone. A fantastic 23-10, 70% CF 5v5.
ZACH HYMAN. 6. A hard jam in the latter stages of the 1st. The flow of play was strongly in Edmonton’s favor with him on the ice. Had 3 shots. But could not find net.
DARNELL NURSE. 8. Played a terrific game. A strong defensive play on Paul Cotter on what appeared to be a slow developing odd-man situation for Vegas late in the 1st. Elite speed on display as he tracked down a loose Kolesar on a partial break in the 2nd. Great up-ice feed to McDavid for a chance. Not able to corral the puck on the 2-1. HDSC’s 6-3 5v5.
CODY CECI. 6. Blocked shot on a 1st Period PK. Partial screen on the 2-1. 3 shots on net. But High Dangers were 6-2 with him on the ice and against strong competition.
LEON DRAISAITL. 7. Strong 2-way effort. Sifted a perfect little pass into the slot for McDavid to fire home for the 1-0. A couple shifts later, just missed by inches a 1-timer off a pass from Foegele. Swallowed some stick early in the 2nd but alas there was no call. Robbed by Hill’s arm in a cross-the-crease dive. An interception and then neat pass in front to Kane for an early 3rd period chance. Hard 3rd Period back-check. Stoned on a 1-timer off a McDavid feed. Then another back-check forced a Vegas chance wide.
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EVANDER KANE. 6. Good defensive stick in the 1st helped disrupt a Vegas play in the O-zone. Hard back check bailed out Foegele after a sloppy turnover. Solid play continued into the 2nd with a feed to Ceci for a shot, a shot of his own, then a net drive which drew a power play. Just missed a chance in front immediately before the eventual winner was scored down at the other end. Was physical, 3 hits.
WARREN FOEGELE. 4. Fought it tonight. Good feed across to Draisaitl for a 1-timer in the 1st. bad neutral zone turnover but bailed out by a hard back check by Evander Kane. Whistled for a 2nd Period hold. Poor positioning on the 2-1. Was back but part of the confusion on the 2-1. Busted his ass to save an empty net goal late.
MATTIAS EKHOLM. 6. Could not box out his man on the 1-1. Perfect timing to break up a developing Vegas off-man rush in the 2nd. But High Dangers were just 7-2 5v5 on his watch.
EVAN BOUCHARD. 5. Shot blocked at the blueline and turned the other way, but a McDavid back check helped erase it. Executed a tricky walk along the offensive blueline, leading to a good chance by Hyman in front. Had two shots at knocking his man off the puck on the 1-1 sequence and failed to, and then did not take a man in front with the rebound rattling around. A turnover late in the 1st. Hammered one off the post off a McDavid feed in the 2nd. He looked off too many shot attempts.
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RYAN McLEOD. 7. This line’s speed (71 & 55) and tenacity (90) disrupted the Vegas zone all night. McLeod and Holloway kept Vegas pinned deep with a rolling cycle in the 1st. A 3-way play between him, Perry and Holloway created a dangerous chance early in the 2nd, but the puck deflected high and wide. The trio struck again part way through the 3rd. Highly effectively line all night long. Just did not score.
DYLAN HOLLOWAY. 7. Part of a highly effective cycle with McLeod in the 1st. Another series by this line resulted in a chance. Hard 2nd Period back check. Chips a back over to McLeod whose shot deflects wide. Then created a good chance for Perry in deep. Yet another chance was created part-way through the 3rd. Led the Oilers in 5v5 CF at 14-3, 82%. Sure looks like be belongs here.
COREY PERRY. 6. Head’s up pass led to a McLeod chance. Got a chance in tight off a hard by play by Holloway. Could not finish a 3rd period chance created by this line as well. Looks good with the two kids so far.
BRETT KULAK. 7. Excellent performance. Darted in from the point with a hard shot in the 1st. A fine defensive play in the 2nd neutralized a Vegas off-man rush. An equally impressive play against Marchessault negated a chance.
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VINCENT DESHARNAIS. 7. Strong play at his own blueline helped quickly turn the play in the other direction, ending in the McDavid 1-0. A well-earned assist for him. A fine 2nd Period feed sent Kane in alone and helped draw a PP.
DEREK RYAN. 5. Gritty. 1st period blocked shot. Smart pass to Kulak for an excellent chance in the 1st. 67% on draws.
MATTIAS JANMARK. 5. Two 1st period hits. Could not jam home an industrious opportunity from Connor Brown.
CONNOR BROWN. 5. Smart clear up the wall in his own zone. Steal in the 2nd. Engineered a chance on net for Janmark in the 3rd. Was much better than his fancy stats suggested.
Edmonton’s record now sits at 29-16-1, 59 points. They remain 3rd in the Pacific Division. Anaheim is next.
Find me on Threads @kleavins, on Instagram at LeavinsOnHockey, Mastodon at KurtLeavins@mstdn.social, and X @KurtLeavins.
McCURDY: What exactly is Stanley Cup caliber goaltending
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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.
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AP NHL:
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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