People can blather on about replacing Sheldon Keefe as coach with his NHL-best regular season .600-plus winning percentage, but let the club keep his eyes in the sky.
Sports
Auston Matthews hat trick triggers Leafs win, takes heat off coach Sheldon Keefe
With collars tightening on Toronto’s bench after Connor Zary scored to erase what would’ve been a fifth-straight Toronto late-game lead and potential season-high losing streak of the same length, a call came down to Toronto’s bench to ask for a 30-second timeout.
Bean and Kim thought they detected an ever-so-slight fingertip by Blake Coleman on the puck before the goal to negate it on a hand pass, verified by the officials. The Leafs nail-bit their way through the final 8:30 for the 4-3 win to take some pressure off of themselves and their headmaster.
Keefe has won 18 of 19 coach’s challenges since replacing Mike Babcock, with Bean and Kim on the rewind buttons, 4-for-4 this season with a minor penalty always looming over any miscalculation.
It took Keefe an excruciating eight days to get his milestone 188th win to pass Ted Nolan and Johnny Wilson (uncle of former Leaf coach Ron), for 91st in NHL victories, now three back of his current assistant, Guy Boucher, who worked 113 more games.
Boucher is just one of the names bantered as possible replacements if general manager Brad Treliving really is contemplating a change. Thursday’s result provided some breathing room, though this trip still has two tough stops in Vancouver and Seattle this weekend with a back-to-back versus Winnipeg before the all-star game break.
Matthews bit into that lead before the frame ended on a line change that put him out with William Nylander and fourth liner Bobby McMann. With another assist by new linemate Pontus Holmberg, Matthews tied it on a well-executed 6-on-5 delayed penalty in the middle period, then aided Mitch Marner’s power play goal, before completing his trick with help from ‘old’ linemate Matthew Knies.
“Nice to get back the winning feeling,” said goaltender Martin Jones, another key to victory with 23 saves. “Our process was really good and I thought in the third period we really shut them down (five shots).”
Reversal of what would have been the tying goal evened up the video review scorecard after Andrew Mangiapane’s late second period goal stood up after he kicked it in off of Toronto defenceman Timothy Liljegren’s stick on the goal line. Liljegren also took a late penalty for closing his hand on the puck, but after their sordid series of late-game collapses, the Leafs killed that and hung on.
The post-Treliving Flames won just two of their first nine games, but came in with a four-game win streak, their longest of the year.
A win was vital for the Leafs after glancing at the out-of-town board to see five other Eastern Conference teams top Western opponents on Thursday as their game got underway.
Jones, expected to start against the home-town Canucks on Saturday, had to be sharp early despite the two strikes against him.
Captain John Tavares was blanked for a sixth straight game, his longest points’ slump as a Leaf, while Nylander’s frustrations after signing his eight-year, US$92-million extension was signed, ended with two assists.
“We could’ve grown our lead significantly, but that would’ve been too easy,” Keefe said, allowing for some much-needed levity. “I like in the third period we didn’t panic. We’re supposed to find our way through (tight games). It was one of the best third periods all season.”
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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kevin Lankinen made 26 saves for his fourth career shutout and the Vancouver Canucks beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0 on Saturday night.
Nils Hoglander, Brock Boeser and Kyle Sherwood scored for the Canucks, who spoiled Philadelphia’s home opener and the first NHL home game for top Flyers’ prospects Matvei Michkov and Jett Luchanko.
The Canucks controlled play for most of the game and took advantage of Philadelphia’s defensive breakdowns for a pair of goals.
Samuel Ersson made 29 saves for Philadelphia, which lost its fourth consecutive game (0-3-1) after winning its season opener against the Canucks in Vancouver.
TAKEAWAYS
Canucks: Tyler Myers picked up an assist on a nifty, no-look pass to Boeser. It was Myers’ 1,000th NHL game. Myers also had three shots on goal, blocked a pair of shots, finished the game plus-1 and led the Canucks in total time on ice at 21:54.
Flyers: In another milestone game, Philadelphia captain Sean Couturier played in his 800th career game. However, the veteran centre was demoted to the fourth line and on the left wing by coach John Tortorella before the game. Once the Flyers fell behind 3-0, Couturier was shifted back to centre, but he couldn’t spark the team’s offence.
KEY MOMENT
Vancouver scored twice in 50 seconds in the second period to pull away. Sherwood’s goal was a one-timer off a faceoff win by Teddy Blueger to make it 3-0.
KEY STAT
Minus 11, the Flyers’ goal differential in five games this season at even strength. Through five games they have now been outscored 17-6 at five-on-five. All three of Vancouver’s goals on Saturday were at even strength.
UP NEXT
Canucks: Visit the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.
Flyers: Host the Capitals on Tuesday night.
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AP NHL:
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
NEW YORK (AP) — Noah Dobson scored in the ninth round of the shootout to lead the New York Islanders to a 4-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.
Bo Horvat, Kyle Palmieri and Anders Lee scored in regulation for the Islanders, and Dobson had two assists. Semyon Varlamov finished with 21 saves.
Cole Caulfield had two goals and Logan Mailloux also scored for Montreal. Cayden Primeau made 33 saves.
Palmieri and Simon Holmstron also scored for the Islanders in the shootout, and Oliver Kapanen and Emil Heineman tallied for Montreal.
Caufield forced overtime with 2:10 left in regulation to tie the score 3-3. It came 2:26 after Lee gave the Islanders the lead.
TAKEAWAYS
Canadiens: Mailloux scored his first NHL goal 59 seconds into the second period to tie the game 2-2.
Islanders: Entering the game, the Islanders’ 33 shots per game ranked third in the NHL but their average of 2.5 goals per game was 27th in the league. Horvat and Palmieri scored 2:26 apart late in the first period to give New York a 2-0 lead.
KEY MOMENT
Varlamov’s glove save on Caufield’s breakaway 5:44 into the second period kept the score tied 2-2.
KEY STAT
New York limited Montreal to 24 shots in the win. Through their first four games before Saturday night, the Islanders had held opponents to 29.3 shots per game, which was 13th in the NHL.
UP NEXT
Canadiens: Host the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.
Islanders: Host the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night.
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AP NHL:
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Former U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland finished 54 holes of the wind-delayed Shriners Children’s Open knowing he’ll have his best chance at winning since brain surgery more than a year ago. Best of all Saturday was being finished.
Woodland had three birdies over his final six holes and extended his bogey-free streak to 28 holes in polishing off a 6-under 65 that gave him a share of the clubhouse lead with Las Vegas resident Kurt Kitayama, who also had a 65.
They trailed J.T. Poston and Doug Ghim by one shot when play was suspended by darkness. Thirty of the 66 players who made the cut earlier Saturday did not finish.
Poston had an eagle during his closing stretch of the second round for a 65, and his only sub-par hole in the third round was an eagle on the par-5 ninth. It put him at 15-under par through 13 holes. Also at 15 under was Ghim, who had four straight birdies and was facing a five-foot par putt on the 17th hole when it was too dark to continue.
Woodland had surgery in September 2023 to remove a lesion on his brain, situated on a tract that caused fear and anxiety. It’s been a long road back of making progress with his health, getting dialed in on the right medication and trying to get his game in order.
He also went back to Randy Smith, the PGA Hall of Fame swing coach in Dallas. Now Woodland is sensing the pieces coming back together.
“I feel a lot better for one,” Woodland said. “That’s a huge help. But I’ve seen some signs. I’ve been back with Randy Smith for a couple months now. I am starting to drive it better, iron play, controlling the golf ball like I haven’t in a long time, which is nice. Then putts start going in, start putting some good scores up.
“I’m excited and happy to be here — and really happy to finish tonight so I can get some sleep tomorrow.”
The third round was to resume at 8 a.m., and Woodland likely will start around 11 a.m. That beats getting up before dawn, which he already has had to do twice this week.
Next to be determined is where he stands.
Harris English and Alejandro Tosti of Argentina also were at 14 under with four holes to play, including the reachable par 4 and the easiest of the three par 5s. Six other players were at 13 under and still had holes to play.
Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., only completed 13 holes on Saturday and sits two shots back of the leaders. Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., is tied for 44th at 5 under. Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., is tied for 61st at 3 under.
The wind has calmed substantially from Friday, when gusts approached 50 miles per hour and led to a four-hour delay that caused the stop-and-start and the last two days being suspended because of darkness. A TPC Summerlin course that was all about hanging on is now back to being a test of who can make the most birdies.
“Conditions will be pretty easy. I think you saw that with some of the scores,” Poston said. “Guys are making birdies. So I think it’s just trying to stay aggressive but also stay patient if the putts don’t fall early because there is a lot of holes left.”
The second round didn’t end until about noon Saturday and the cut was at 3-under 139. Among those who missed was Tom Kim, the two-time defending champion who was trying to become the first player since Steve Stricker at the John Deere Classic (2009-11) to win the same PGA Tour event three straight years.
Also missing the cut were the three winners in the FedEx Cup Fall — Patton Kizzire, Kevin Yu and Matt McCarty.
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AP golf:
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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