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Nick Suzuki’s will drives Canadiens to bounce-back win over Senators – Sportsnet.ca

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It’s 1-1 between the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens during a second period that’s not going particularly well for Montreal, and Nick Suzuki has just taken a rush up the ice when the puck gets turned over in the Ottawa end.

Suzuki takes a sharp cut south, gets going in a full sprint to catch up to the play and arrives just in front of Canadiens goaltender Jake Allen to lift Chris Tierney’s stick and take away what would’ve been the Senators’ best scoring chance of the first 30 minutes.

It’s a subtle play, one of the dozens Suzuki customarily makes in any given game. But making it after he won a faceoff, blocked a shot, rushed up the ice and had to rush back offers you a window into the competitive drive of this 21-year-old kid.

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We’re usually talking about Suzuki’s craftiness, his skill, and the tantalizing moves that had him enter Saturday’s matinee as Montreal’s top-scoring centre (11 points in 11 games). But he does tend to get undersold on the will element, and in this game—a 2-1 win built much more on will than skill for a Canadiens side that didn’t play its best—it’s that element of Suzuki’s game which shone brightest.

Spotlight on his play on Tierney; on the first-period battles with former teammate Mike Reilly, who knocked Suzuki down twice in one shift but didn’t get the better of him on the whole sequence; on the way he beat Artem Zub to a loose puck to generate the rebound Josh Anderson buried his eighth goal of the season on for the game-winner; and on the two faceoffs he drew back in the final seconds of play—one of them with the Canadiens down two men, with Ben Chiarot looking on from the penalty box and the Senators icing an extra attacker while goaltender Matt Murray sat on the bench. This was all a direct contrast to how Suzuki played in Montreal’s 3-2 loss to the Senators on Thursday.

The London, Ont., native played a rare bad game, said afterwards that he fought the puck, struggled reading the play, got lost in his own zone and got beat clean in the faceoff circle.

Canadiens coach Claude Julien heard Suzuki’s comments before making his own that night, and then he said he was certain his young centreman would bounce back.

“(I) said that the other day that I’m sure he’s going to bounce back,” reminded Julien after Saturday’s win.

Why was he so sure?

“Just knowing the individual, his character and what we’ve seen from him in the past,” Julien explained.

No mention of Suzuki’s skill there. No mention of his vision, or his playmaking ability. It’s about will, when a player digs in to make a big defensive stop. It’s about will, when a player who’s lost 11 of 15 faceoffs gets into the circle late in the game and pulls back the two you need most.

Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman talk to a lot of people around the hockey world, and then they tell listeners all about what they’ve heard and what they think about it.

Phillip Danault, who had won 52 per cent of his faceoffs but was struggling on his weak side said he told Suzuki to take those last two because they were on the right-hander’s strong side.

“I told Suz to be a little hungrier,” Danault said.

Suzuki obliged. And he was hungrier all game.

Not everyone in a white sweater was. Julien felt a few players on the Canadiens didn’t quite push their chips into the middle, to the point that he felt the need to intervene after the second period to demand more of a commitment.

It’s what was needed with the way the Senators were playing.

“I thought their D were doing a great job of staying on top of us,” said Suzuki. “We had a lot of success with bringing out the puck earlier this season, and in these couple of games we struggled a little bit. They were right on top of us. So we’ve gotta do a better job of finding ways to move the puck out of our end, and you’ve gotta give them credit sometimes.”

We’ll give the Senators the share they deserve—they out-shot Montreal 27-14 over the final 40 minutes and played a simple, hard game that belied their 2-8-1 record coming into Saturday’s action at Canadian Tire Centre. The rest goes to Suzuki, Anderson, Jeff Petry, who scored the opening goal for Montreal, and Allen.

The Montreal goaltender was doing hockey’s version of a shirshasana (that’s Yoga speak for a headstand) in the crease, coming up with 34 saves for his fourth win in five starts.

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We suspected it was Julien’s plan to start Allen—the goaltender confirmed he was told he was getting the nod 48 hours before puck drop—and argued on Friday that Julien should alter it to get Carey Price into a rhythm and give him a chance to redeem himself from an off-night Thursday, especially with the Canadiens idle for the next three days.

But the coach stuck his guns, and has to be credited for doing so.

“We knew we had a good goaltender since the first day we got him,” Julien said of Allen, who’s sporting a .940 save percentage. “I know that we don’t have a busy schedule at the moment, but we’re able to keep our two goalies playing and keep them as fresh and as sharp as possible. It’s certain that as we move along there’s going to be more games where you’ll see that this (strategy) will be fruitful for both goalies.”

Price will surely get his shot at redemption Wednesday versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. He’ll have to be much better in a game that will require many other players on the Canadiens to redeem themselves after two relatively causal performances against a much weaker Senators team.

It’s also a game that will present Suzuki the opportunity to keep things rolling because he bounced back with one of the most competitive efforts in his short time in a Canadiens uniform.

Suzuki showed his maturity and his poise on Saturday.

“His character, as well,” said Danault. “Suz has been awesome for us so far. He works hard. He knows when he’s playing good or not, which gives him really another step, and he also can push himself to another level.”

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Red Wings sign Moritz Seider to 7-year deal worth nearly $60M

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8 hours ago

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September 19, 2024

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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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Veterans Tyson Beukeboom, Karen Paquin lead Canada’s team at WXV rugby tournament

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9 hours ago

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September 19, 2024

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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.

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Vancouver Canucks star goalie Thatcher Demko working through rare muscle injury

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9 hours ago

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September 19, 2024

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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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