WINNIPEG — If you had any concerns about the level of engagement for Patrik Laine this season, you can throw those right out the window.
When Laine told reporters that he was focused solely on being a better player and not listening to any of the outside noise surrounding his future, he meant it.
He also backed up those heartfelt words with actions, producing two goals — including the overtime winner — and an assist as the Winnipeg Jets opened the season with a 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Thursday at Bell MTS Place.
“Hopefully I can just build off that game,” said Laine, whose second-effort shot came 78 seconds into the extra period. “There’s a lot of things we need to work on and the three points are not going to tell the true story of the game. Obviously, it’s a good start. You’ve got to produce, so that was good.”
If you had created a checklist of what a dominant game for Laine was going to look like, he basically ticked off all of the boxes.
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Laine took care of that by accepting a perfect stretch pass from linemate Kyle Connor and roofing a bar-down shot in the first period over the glove of Jacob Markstrom in what was one of the few highlights during a lethargic opening period for the Jets.
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Watch Laine thread the needle with a perfect cross-ice feed to Connor for a one-timer during a two-man advantage that tied the game 3-3.
Then after Connor was cross-checked in the back by Flames defenceman Noah Hanifin with 24.7 seconds to go in the second, Laine came to the aid of his linemate.
After a melee ensued, Laine was quick to find Flames resident agitator Matthew Tkachuk in the scrum and drop the gloves.
“That kind of play always looks dangerous. If you’re hitting one of our top guys like that, somebody needs to step up and it doesn’t matter who it is,” said Laine. “Teammates have to step up and now was my time and there’s been a bunch of guys who have stepped up for me. So just a normal situation.”
It may be a normal situation, but it’s not the act of someone who isn’t invested in his teammates.
“Yeah, I mean that’s just the type of guy he is. He’ll go to battle for his teammates and he’s a pretty selfless guy,” said Connor, who finished with two points and was sporting a cut on his nose as a result of going head-first into the boards. “I think you can see that, obviously, tonight and I’ve got his back out there and vice versa. He’s just an all-around great teammate, I would say.”
Laine figured he would toss in the overtime winner, just for good measure.
The Finnish forward is an essential piece of the puzzle for this Jets group and getting off to a start like that provides an immediate jolt of confidence.
“He knows that he’s worked hard here for two weeks. He’s worked harder here for two weeks than at any point in his time here,” said Maurice. “Then he gets just an incredible payoff. So now he’s feeling good. It’s all part of the development. You get bigger, stronger and you understand what a training camp is going to be like. You prepare for it.
“He’s a very driven young man. He wants to be great and sometimes, you have to learn how that unfolds. What he got tonight, he earned. He didn’t get lucky, he didn’t have a bunch of good bounces go for him or anything like that, he just worked and worked. For him to get down the ice in overtime the way that he did, that’s a fit guy. That’s a guy who has been pushing himself for two weeks after a good summer of training.”
Laine has the ability to be a game-breaker — and on Thursday night, he was.
“I mean, nothing surprises you with him. I’m probably his biggest, what’s the opposite of a critic, a praiser or whatever,” said Jets centre Paul Stastny. “I’ve always loved his game. Always loved when he gets engaged. He’s just such a physical specimen. You don’t see it because he’s just so smooth out there but he’s just so strong on the puck.”
After spending a good chunk of training camp discussing the need to limit the number of high-danger scoring chances allowed, the Jets had some issues in the defensive zone during the first period as they gave up three goals.
The Jets were hemmed in and had some issues in coverage, plus the penalty kill sprung a leak (thanks to a brilliant pass from Elias Lindholm) and the result was a two-goal deficit after 20 minutes of play.
But instead of wilting under the glare of opening night, the Jets came up with a much more determined second period.
Mark Scheifele took advantage of a blind pass from Flames forward Milan Lucic that ended up on the stick of Nikolaj Ehlers in the slot and the Jets centre cleaned up the loose change in the opening minute.
The early marker seemed to help the Jets find their skating legs and as the period wore on, they were quicker to the puck and won a lot more battles.
The tide turned dramatically over the final 40 minutes and the Flames simply couldn’t get it back.
When the Jets had a two-man advantage during the second period, Maurice quickly called a timeout to rest his first unit — and then unveiled an interesting wrinkle.
Instead of having Neal Pionk at the top of the first unit, he sent out five forwards, with Stastny taking Pionk’s place and captain Blake Wheeler running things from the top.
That move paid dividends as Laine found Connor for the quick one-timer, setting the stage for the 3-on-3 overtime session.
There was some drama surrounding the availability of Ehlers after he landed on the COVID Protocol Related Absence list on Wednesday and missed the morning skate the following day.
Ehlers revealed after the game it was merely a sore throat and he simply took the necessary precautions in this new world the players are still adjusting to.
“If it wouldn’t have been these COVID times right now, I would have come to practice, I would have practised. But it’s a precaution,” said Ehlers. “I don’t want to come to the rink in case that it is COVID. I don’t want to spread it. So I had no problem staying at home. Those are the protocols. I want to be safe, I want my teammates and everyone that’s close to me here to be safe as well. I’m glad that there are these protocols. Obviously, you want to be out there on the ice, even for practice, you want to be around your team. But there’s a reason those protocols are there and they’re a big reason we’re allowed to play. It was fine with me. I ended up playing and I’m happy I was out there.”
Ehlers certainly wasn’t lacking energy, as his speed and creativity were on full display throughout the contest.
During his post-game interview, Ehlers joked that his biggest contribution may have been harassing Laine about when he was going to drop his gloves for his first fight.
“I’ve maybe been a little bit in his head in the last week, saying he hasn’t fought yet and when is it going to happen. I think he took that a little personal,” said Ehlers. “He stood up for his teammate. It fires the guys up. Patty’s a big boy, and he went in there today and showed that. It’s exciting, it gets the boys going, it always does. And he got himself buzzing, too. It’s exciting for us.
“He played a great game today. Not just the goals and the passes that he ended up making. He played a great overall game, and everybody saw that out there today. He was working hard, he was stepping up for (Connor). He worked his ass off. That’s pretty exciting. He loves to play hockey.”
Laine laughed off Ehlers’ suggestion, though he made it clear he was disappointed he didn’t get credit for a major after the second-period melee.
“He’s a pigeon. Don’t listen to that guy,” said Laine. “I was pissed off because that would have been a Gordie Howe hat trick. That one time when I drop my gloves I get a two-minute penalty so that’s kind of embarrassing. I’m not a guy who likes to fight much. I’d rather stay on the ice and help the team that way.”
To echo his comments on the first day of training camp, Laine is most definitely here — and in Game 1, he was a man on a mission.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins will bring in another quarterback while starter Tua Tagovailoa deals with his latest concussion, coach Mike McDaniel said Friday.
For now, Skylar Thompson will be considered the Dolphins’ starter while Tagovailoa is sidelined. Tagovailoa left Thursday night’s 31-10 loss to Buffalo in the third quarter with the third known concussion of his NFL career, all of them coming in the last 24 months.
“The team and the organization are very confident in Skylar,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel said the team has not made any decision about whether to place Tagovailoa on injured reserve. Tagovailoa was expected at the team facility on Friday to start the process of being evaluated in earnest.
“We just have to operate in the unknown and be prepared for every situation,” McDaniel said, noting that the only opinions that will matter to the team will be the ones from Tagovailoa and the medical staff.
McDaniel added that he doesn’t see Tagovailoa playing in Miami’s next game at Seattle on Sept. 22.
“I have no idea and I’m not going to all of a sudden start making decisions that I don’t even see myself involved in the most important parts of,” McDaniel added. “All I’m telling Tua is everyone is counting on you to be a dad and be a dad this weekend. And then we’ll move from there. There won’t be any talk about where we’re going in that regard … none of that will happen without doctors’ expertise and the actual player.”
Tagovailoa was 17 for 25 passing for 145 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions — one of which was returned for a Buffalo score — when he got hurt. Thompson completed eight of 14 passes for 80 yards.
Thompson said he feels “fully equipped” to run the Dolphins’ offense.
“What’s going to lie ahead, who knows, but man, I’m confident, though,” Thompson said after Thursday’s game. “I feel like I’m ready for whatever’s to come. I’m going to prepare and work hard and do everything I can to lead this team and do my job.”
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion for the third time in his NFL career, leaving his team’s game Thursday night against Buffalo after running into defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf.
Tagovailoa remained down for about two minutes before getting to his feet and walking to the sideline after the play in the third quarter. He made his way to the tunnel not long afterward, looking into the stands before smiling and departing toward the locker room.
The Dolphins needed almost no time before announcing it was a concussion. The team said he had two during the 2022 season, and Tagovailoa was diagnosed with another concussion when he was a college player at Alabama.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa would get “proper procedural evaluation” and “appropriate care” on Friday.
“The furthest thing from my mind is, ‘What is the timeline?’ We just need to evaluate and just worry about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are,” McDaniel said. “We’ll get more information tomorrow and take it day by day from here.”
Some players saw Tagovailoa in the locker room after the game and said they were encouraged. Tagovailoa spoke with some players and then went home after the game, McDaniel said.
“I have a lot of love for Tua, built a great relationship with him,” said quarterback Skylar Thompson, who replaced Tagovailoa after the injury. “You care about the person more than the player and everybody in the organization would say the same thing. Just really praying for Tua and hopefully everything will come out all right.”
Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212 million extension before this season — a deal that makes him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL — and was the NFL’s leading passer in Week 1 this season. Tagovailoa left with the Dolphins trailing 31-10, and that was the final score.
“If you know Tua outside of football, you can’t help but feel for him,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said on Amazon following the game. “He’s a great football player but he’s an even greater human being. He’s one of the best humans on the planet. I’ve got a lot of love for him and I’m just praying for him and his family, hoping everything’s OK. But it’s tough, man. This game of football that we play, it’s got its highs and it’s got its lows — and this is one of the lows.”
Tagovailoa’s college years and first three NFL seasons were marred by injury, though he positioned himself for a big pay bump with an injury-free and productive 2023 as he led the Dolphins into the playoffs. He threw for 29 touchdowns and a league-best 4,624 yards last year.
When, or if, he can come back this season is anyone’s guess. Tagovailoa said in April 2023 that the concussions he had in the 2022 season left him contemplating his playing future. “I think I considered it for a time,” he said then, when asked if he considered stepping away from the game to protect himself.
McDaniel said it’s not his place to say if Tagovailoa should return to football. “He’ll be evaluated and we’ll have conversations and progress as appropriate,” McDaniel said.
Tagovailoa was hurt Thursday on a fourth-down keeper with about 4:30 left in the third. He went straight ahead into Hamlin and did not slide, leading with his right shoulder instead.
Hamlin was the player who suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a Monday night game in January 2023 at Cincinnati, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience.
Tagovailoa wound up on his back, both his hands in the air and Bills players immediately pointed at him as if to suggest there was an injury. Dolphins center Aaron Brewer quickly did the same, waving to the sideline.
Tagovailoa appeared to be making a fist with his right hand as he lay on the ground. It was movement consistent with something that is referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury.
Tagovailoa eventually got to his feet. McDaniel grabbed the side of his quarterback’s head and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Tagovailoa departed. Thompson came into the game to take Tagovailoa’s spot.
“I love Tua on and off the football field,” Bills edge Von Miller said. “I’m a huge fan of him. I can empathize and sympathize with him because I’ve been there. I wish him the best.”
Tagovailoa’s history with concussions — and how he has since worked to avoid them — is a huge part of the story of his career, and now comes to the forefront once again.
He had at least two concussions during the 2022 season. He was hurt in a Week 3 game against Buffalo and cleared concussion protocol, though he appeared disoriented on that play but returned to the game.
The NFL later changed its concussion protocol to mandate that if a player shows possible concussion symptoms — including a lack of balance or stability — he must sit out the rest of the game.
Less than a week later, in a Thursday night game at Cincinnati, Tagovailoa was concussed on a scary hit that briefly knocked him unconscious and led to him being taken off the field on a stretcher.
His second known concussion of that season came in a December game against Green Bay, and he didn’t play for the rest of the 2022 season. After that, Tagovailoa began studying ways where he may be able to fall more safely and protect himself against further injury — including studying jiu-jitsu.
“I’m not worried about anything that’s out of my hands,” McDaniel said. “I’m just worried about the human being.”
TORSBY, Sweden (AP) — David Beckham and former England coach Roy Hodgson were among the soccer dignitaries who attended the funeral of Sven-Goran Eriksson on Friday in the Swedish manager’s small hometown of Torsby.
Eriksson’s wooden coffin was covered in white flowers and surrounded by six tall candles and other floral wreaths as the ceremony began inside the 600-seat Fryksande church.
“It is a day of grief but also a day of thankfulness,” the priest, Ingela Älvskog, told those in attendance.
Beckham, who arrived by private jet on Thursday, greeted Eriksson’s 95-year-old father Sven and other family members with hugs inside the church before the funeral started.
Eriksson became England’s first foreign-born coach when he led the national team from 2001-06, and made Beckham his captain.
Eriksson, who also won trophies at club level in Italy, Portugal and Sweden, died on Aug. 26 at the age of 76, eight months after he revealed he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had at most one year to live.
Some 200 seats in the neo-Gothic church from 1898 were reserved for his family, friends and players from his career in the football world, according to his agent. The remaining seats were open for the public, according to Eriksson’s wish, with a big screen set up outside the church where hundreds more gathered to watch the ceremony. The funeral was also broadcast live on some Swedish media websites.
The wooden coffin was wheeled in by pallbearers at the church Friday morning as fog wrapped Torsby — a town of about 4,000 people located about 310 kilometers (193 miles) west of Stockholm. Next to the casket was a photo of Eriksson on a small table. The floral wreaths included ones sent by FIFA and Lazio, the Italian team that Eriksson led to the Serie A title in 2000.
The ceremony began with somber piano and organ music, but later took on a more upbeat note with Swedish singer Charlotta Birgersson performing Elton John’s song “Candle In The Wind” and then “My Way” in a duet with Johan Birgersson, who later intoned the popular Italian song “Volare” after the family had gathered around the casket to lay flowers.
Beckham also visited Eriksson in Sweden in June to say goodbye. Others attending the funeral included the Swedish coach’s longtime partner Nancy Dell’Olio. Eriksson’s agent had said that guests from England, Italy and Spain were expected.
After the funeral, the casket was carried out of the church by eight men to the hearse. The guests then walked in a procession accompanying the coffin to a nearby museum where speeches and eulogies to the coach fondly known as “Svennis” were planned on an outdoor stage. A brass band played during the procession through Torsby, including the tune “You never walk alone” from the musical “Carousel” which has become the anthem of Liverpool, the club Eriksson supported since childhood.
The local soccer club Torsby IF, where Eriksson started his career in the 1960s, wrote on its webpage that “you also showed your greatness by always being yourself, the caring Svennis who talked to everyone and took the time, for big and small, asking how things were and how the football was going. We will miss you.”
