VANCOUVER — With a depleted lineup to match the 50-per-cent seating capacity limit at Rogers Arena, the Vancouver Canucks conjured one of their most surprising performances yet under newish coach Bruce Boudreau.
They lost.
But they took a point from the powerful Florida Panthers despite missing five key players in COVID-19 protocol and giving goalie Spencer Martin his first National Hockey League start in five years.
The 26-year-old journeyman, elevated from minor-league goalie to NHL starter by positive COVID tests to Canuck star Thatcher Demko and backup Jaroslav Halak, stopped 33 of 34 shots Friday against the league’s highest-scoring team before losing 2-1 in a shootout in Vancouver’s first home game since Dec. 14.
“Just to know how hard it is to get to this level, the experiences that it takes to get opportunities,” Martin said after the game. “It’s hard to put (into words)… but it felt incredible to get the opportunity.”
“I love when American League players — and I played there for a while — get opportunities and show what they can do,” Boudreau said. “A lot of times, there’s a lot of good players and they get overlooked. . . and they’re really good players. And so, for Spencer to come in and play a game like that against the highest-scoring team in the league, I thought it was really impressive.
“You’re playing a really great team and you’re missing a lot of your better players. But everybody stepped up to the plate. Some of the guys played more minutes, I’m sure, than they’ve ever played at the NHL level before and they played good. When you lose, you lose. But when you get a point out of something like that, that’s a really good point.”
Beaten 5-2 in Florida last week with a much stronger lineup than was available to the Canucks on Friday — top forwards J.T. Miller, Bo Horvat and Conor Garland are also in COVID protocol — Vancouver led for nearly half the game after Tanner Pearson deflected a shot in off teammate Alex Chiasson for a power-play goal at 16:18 of the first period.
Sam Reinhart tied it for the Panthers at 1:41 of the third period, and Aleksander Barkov won it for Florida in the shootout with a one-handed backhand finish on Martin, who made several strong saves late in third period to ensure the Canucks got their point.
“He was awesome,” veteran defenceman Tyler Myers said. “He made it look like he was playing with a ton of confidence. I thought he had an unbelievable game for us, stepped up for us. To see a story like that is pretty cool.”
It’s a story about perseverance and belief, hope and second chances. This is why we love sports.
The last of Martin’s only three previous NHL appearances was Feb. 1, 2017 with the Colorado Avalanche. Friday was the five-year anniversary of what could have been the start of Martin’s NHL career, as the former third-round pick made 27 saves in his Avalanche debut during a 3-2 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks.
But there has been a lot of NHL disappointment and minor-league games since then. Martin has played on six different minor-league teams, two of them in the ECHL.
He probably learned something about winning as a taxi-squad goalie for the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning last season. But when the Lightning gave Martin to the Canucks last summer — there won’t be any “future considerations” in the trade — the goalie from Oakville, Ont., went to the back of the line in Vancouver and started this season fifth on the organizational depth chart. He was the third-string goalie on the Canucks’ minor-league team in Abbotsford, B.C.
Twenty pounds lighter than he was a couple of years ago, Martin embraced instruction from Canucks goalie guru Ian Clark and minor-league goaltending coach Curtis Sanford, and forced his way into the crease, taking starts from younger Canuck prospects Michael DiPietro and Arturs Silovs.
He posted a .921 save percentage in seven games in the American Hockey League before the Canucks elevated him to their taxi squad for the five-game U.S. road trip that started Jan. 11. So Martin was figuratively right in front of Boudreau when Demko followed Halak into COVID protocol on Thursday.
The Canucks are 10-3-2 since Boudreau took over as coach on Dec. 5.
Martin stopped the first 19 shots he faced Friday until he was beaten on a broken play during a Florida power play early in the third period after Canuck Nils Hoglander took a needless tripping penalty behind the Panthers’ net.
Vancouver penalty-killer Matthew Highmore blocked Anthony Duclair’s centring pass, but the ricochet caught Martin moving the wrong way and fell perfectly for Reinhart to tap-in for the tying goal.
Now four games into his NHL career, Martin is still looking for his first win. But the point he earned for them Friday was as appreciated by his team as it was unexpected by everyone else.
And he’ll get career start No. 5 Sunday against the St. Louis Blues. Another chance.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
