Blue Jackets squash Oilers 6-1, McDavid leaves game with injury

WINNIPEG – John Tavares had a hat trick and Max Pacioretty chipped in three assists in a 6-4 Toronto Maple Leafs’ victory Monday that ended the Winnipeg Jets’ reign as the only unbeaten NHL team.

Winnipeg had opened the season with a franchise-record eight consecutive victories (8-1-0).

The Maple Leafs (5-4-1) snapped a three-game winless skid (0-2-1) in front of Winnipeg’s first sellout crowd of the season at Canada Life Centre. Many of the 15,325 fans cheered loudly while sporting Toronto jerseys.

William Nylander had a goal and two assists and Matthew Knies and Morgan Rielly also scored for Toronto. Pacioretty’s helpers came after he was moved from the fourth line to the second for the game.

Anthony Stolarz made 19 saves for the Maple Leafs.

Kyle Connor had a hat trick and added an assist for the Jets, extending his point streak to nine games (nine goals, five assists). That mark set a franchise-record for longest point streak to start a season, which had been held by former captain Blake Wheeler since 2015-16.

Mark Scheifele picked up a goal and assist and Josh Morrissey contributed three assists. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 30 shots for Winnipeg.

Toronto led 2-0 after the first period and 5-2 heading into the third.

Scheifele recorded his sixth goal at 7:36 to make it 5-3 and Connor fired in his third with 3:47 remaining. Tavares shot one into the empty net with 25 seconds left.

TAKEAWAYS

Jets: The hosts dug themselves a 4-0 hole by 3:25 of the second period by displaying some uncharacteristic defensive breakdowns, but it could have been worse if not for their strong special-teams play. They killed off two penalties and Connor scored twice with the man advantage.

Maple Leafs: Toronto pumped in its most goals in a game this season, but all were at even strength. The Leafs’ power play limped into the game at 10 per cent (3-for-30) and came up empty on two chances.

KEY MOMENT

After scoring twice and outshooting the Jets 19-6 in the first period, Winnipeg’s coverage in the slot was loose and Knies fired in a rebound to make it 3-0 just 56 seconds into the second frame.

KEY STAT

The Maple Leafs held the Jets to 23 shots on goal and blocked 18 shots.

UP NEXT

Maple Leafs: Host the Seattle Kraken on Thursday.

Jets: Visit the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

TORONTO – Canadian Jamal Murray scored five points in the final 5:01 of play as the Denver Nuggets stormed back against the Toronto Raptors for a 127-125 overtime win on Monday.

Murray, from nearby Kitchener, Ont., finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

Nikola Jokic led all scorers with 40 points, pulling down 10 rebounds as Denver (1-2) overcame a 15-point deficit. Aaron Gordon fell short of a triple-double with 16 points, 11 boards and eight assists.

RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., put up a three-point attempt in the dying seconds of the overtime period that could have been the winner for Toronto (1-3) but it hit the rim. He finished with 20 points, five rebounds and three assists in his first game of the regular season after missing time with a sprained shoulder.

Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl each had a double-double for the Raptors. Poeltl had 16 points and a career-high 19 rebounds while Barnes was an assist shy of a triple-double with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists.

Barnes had to be helped to the bench with 24 seconds left to play in the fourth after taking an elbow to the right eye. He did not return to the court.

It was the end of a physical night for Barnes. He was also the recipient of a flagrant foul by Nuggets point guard Russell Westbrook early in the fourth quarter. Westbrook and Barnes started jawing at each other after the play with their teammates, coaches, and officials having to separate them.

TAKEAWAYS

Nuggets: By percentage it was Denver’s best three-point shooting performance of the young season, making 45 per cent of their shots from beyond the arc. But that came on only 20 three-point attempts, woefully low in the modern NBA. It continued an alarming trend for the 2023 NBA champions, who entered Monday’s contest with 28.8 per cent three-point shooting. The Nuggets’ average of 95.5 points over the first two games of their season is worst in the NBA.

Raptors: Rookies Jamal Shead and Jonathan Mogbo as well as veteran Ochai Agbaji all added a spark off the bench. Toronto’s reserves outscored Denver’s 37-24, with Abaji getting 15, Shead scoring eight, and Mogbo registering six.

KEY MOMENT

Murray drove to the net for a layup with 0.1 seconds left in the fourth to tie the game at 114-114 after the Raptors led by as many as 15 points. It punctuated a 13-3 run that got Denver back into the game. He then added four more points in the extra period.

KEY STAT

The Raptors had 74 points in the paint to Denver’s 68. It was a surprising disparity with Jokic remaining his dominant self, months removed from his third NBA MVP.

UP NEXT

Nuggets: Visit the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday.

Raptors: Visit the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

TISDALE, Sask. – RCMP say a school bus crash in Saskatchewan has injured the driver as well as some of the children aboard.

Police say the bus, which was the only vehicle involved, crashed shortly before 4 p.m. Monday about 22 kilometres southwest of Tisdale.

In an evening news release, police said the bus was upright in the ditch near a rural intersection.

Police say the driver’s injuries were not life-threatening and that some children were also being treated for injuries.

Police did not provide details on the children’s ages, injuries or how many required treatment in hospital.

They note there is a road closure in the area and they continue to investigate.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.