VANCOUVER — Sweeping a three-game series against the Ottawa Senators has refreshed the Vancouver Canucks outlook as the squad heads back out on the road.
The Canucks (5-5-0) completed the feat with a 4-1 victory over the Sens Thursday. It was the third time in four nights that Vancouver topped Ottawa (1-6-1).
“It was a great win. It’s not easy to beat a team after you’ve beaten them twice. Their team was extremely hungry tonight,” said Canucks coach Travis Green.
Brock Boeser had two goals and an assist in the victory, extending his record of big showings in games against goalie Matt Murray.
“Definitely I’ve had some success against him. I can’t tell you what it is, just shooting the puck and it’s going in the net right now. So it’s good,” said the right-winger, who now has nine points (six goals, three assists) this season.
Boeser’s first of the night came 5:30 into the game after Ottawa’s Austin Watson was called for interference. The Sens winger vocally protested the call with some colourful language as he headed to the box.
The Canucks top power-play unit settled in with some patient passing around the perimeter before Boeser muscled his way around Ottawa defender Josh Brown and buried a wrist shot from the top of the crease.
Elias Pettersson scored and had an assist for Vancouver, while Tanner Pearson tallied a goal and Quinn Hughes chalked up two assists.
For the third game in a row, the Senators outshot the Canucks, this time by a margin of 36-to-25.
Vancouver netminder Braden Holtby weathered the onslaught, making 35 saves and tallying an assist.
Green said he and his staff are keeping tabs on the number of chances the team concedes.
“We gave up a fair amount of shots. I’d like to cut them down,” he said. “We also played a team that throws a lot of pucks at the net, they go to the net hard. We gave up some shots on the power play the last few games. But it’s something that we have our eye on, for sure.”
The number of shots a goalie faces can be misleading, Holtby said, giving credit to his teammates for limiting the number of options opponents have had on a given shot in recent games.
“I think from the west to the east, the style of game is a little different in terms of quantities. And our division is a mixture of both, so it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out,” said the former Washington Capitals goalie.
Seeing different teams is one of things that Holtby said excited him about joining the Canucks in free agency.
“You get a little sick of seeing Pittsburgh every week,” the former Washington Capital said with a grin.” It’s fun and there’s a ton of talent in this division, especially. So it’s a lot of fun to challenge yourself against that.”
At the other end of the ice, Murray stopped 21-of-25 shots as Ottawa dropped its seventh game in a row.
Despite the final result, Sens coach D.J. Smith liked much of what he saw Thursday.
“We played the right way. I thought we played winning hockey,” he said. “We didn’t win tonight but that’s our best effort of the three games for sure. … If we play that hard every night we’re going to start to win games.”
The Sens had a prime opportunity to cut into the Canucks’ lead when they got a two-man advantage with less than 10 minutes on the clock.
Vancouver defender Jalen Chatfield had been sent to the box for going after Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk when he hit Tyler Motte near centre ice. The pair had a brief tussle before both were handed penalties for roughing, and Chatfield given an additional two-minute minor for interference.
Just 30 seconds into the Ottawa power play, veteran Canucks defenceman Alex Edler was sanctioned for cross-checking Drake Batherson, leaving the Sens with a minute and 30 seconds of 5-on-3 hockey.
Ottawa got a few decent shots off across the stretch but none that caused Holtby much trouble.
The Senators’ lone marker came from Thomas Chabot, an unassisted goal 14:15 into the second period.
Tensions boiled over at times on Thursday.
Brady Tkachuk left the ice in a rage in the final minute after dropping the gloves with Vancouver’s Zack MacEwen. Both were given five-minute major penalties for fighting. Tkachuk continued having words with the Canucks bench as he headed for the dressing room, smacking the wall on his way down the tunnel.
Smith knows there will be some high emotions among his young players following another loss.
“I’m sure frustration is going to be there but these are young guys, a lot of them are trying to find their way in the league,” he said. “So, we’re going to be frustrated with results, but as a team we’re starting to learn what it’s going to take for us to win some games and I think that’ll happen shortly.”
Thursday’s game was the last in a six-game homestand for the Canucks. The squad will now hit the road, stopping first in Winnipeg to face the Jets on Saturday.
The Senators will continue their western swing Sunday when they visit the Oilers.
NOTES: Adam Gaudette replaced Jake Virtanen in the Canucks lineup. Virtanen was a healthy scratch. … Ottawa defenceman Josh Brown played his 100th regular-season game.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 28, 2021.
NEW YORK – Toronto Blue Jays reliever Chad Green and Canadian slugger Tyler O’Neill of the Boston Red Sox were named finalists for the Major League Baseball Players’ Association’s American League comeback player award on Monday.
Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet was the other nominee.
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. were named player of the year finalists.
The award winners, selected via player voting, will be named Saturday before Game 2 of the World Series.
Green, who missed most of the 2022 and ’23 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, was a high-leverage option for the Blue Jays this past season and filled in at closer over the second half of the campaign.
The right-hander converted his first 16 save opportunities and finished the year with a 4-6 record, 17 saves and a 3.21 earned-run average over 53 appearances.
O’Neill, a native of Burnaby, B.C., also endured back-to-back injury-plagued seasons in ’22 and ’23.
After being traded to the Red Sox in the off-season, O’Neill set an MLB record by hitting a homer in his fifth straight Opening Day. He finished with 31 homers on the year and had an OPS of .847.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
NEW YORK – Florida Panthers centre Sam Reinhart was named NHL first star of the week on Monday after leading all players with nine points over four games last week.
Reinhart had four goals, five assists and a plus-seven rating to help the Stanley Cup champions post a 3-0-1 record on the week and move into first place in the Atlantic Division.
New York Rangers left-winger Artemi Panarin took the second star and Minnesota Wild goaltenderFilip Gustavsson was the third star.
Panarin had eight points (4-4) over three games.
Gustavsson became the 15th goalie in NHL history to score a goal and had a 1.00 goals-against average and .962 save percentage over a pair of victories.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Deshaun Watson won’t finish the season as Cleveland’s starting quarterback for the second straight year.
He’s injured again, and the Browns have new problems.
Watson ruptured his right Achilles tendon in the first half of Sunday’s loss to Cincinnati, collapsing as he began to run and leading some Browns fans to cheer while the divisive QB laid on the ground writhing in pain.
The team feared Watson’s year was over and tests done Monday confirmed the rupture. The Browns said Watson will have surgery and miss the rest of the season but “a full recovery is expected.”
It’s the second significant injury in two seasons for Watson, who broke the glenoid (socket) bone in his throwing shoulder last year after just six starts.
The 29-year-old went down Sunday without being touched on a draw play late in the first half. His right leg buckled and Watson crumpled to the turf. TV replays showed his calf rippling, consistent with an Achilles injury.
He immediately put his hands on his helmet, clearly aware of the severity of an injury similar to the one Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers sustained last year.
As he was being assisted by the team’s medical staff and backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson grabbed a ball to begin warming up, there was some derisive cheers and boos from the stands in Huntington Bank Field.
Cleveland fans have been split over Watson, who has been accused of being sexually inappropriate with women.
The reaction didn’t sit well with several Watson’s teammates, including star end Myles Garrett, the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, who was appalled by the fans’ behavior.
“We should be ashamed of ourselves as Browns and as fans to boo anyone and their downfall. To be season-altering, career-altering injury,” Garrett said. “Man’s not perfect. He doesn’t need to be. None of us are expected to be perfect. Can’t judge him for what he does off the field or on the field because I can’t throw stones for my glass house.
“Ultimately everyone’s human and they’re disappointed just like we are, but we have to be better than that as people. There’s levels to this. At the end of the day, it’s just a game and you don’t boo anybody being injured and you don’t celebrate anyone’s downfall.”
Backup quarterback Jameis Winston also admonished the uncomfortable celebration.
“I am very upset with the reaction to a man that has had the world against him for the past four years, and he put his body and life on the line for this city every single day,” he said. “The way I was raised, I will never pull on a man when he’s down, but I will be the person to lift him up.
“I know you love this game. When I first got here, I knew these were some amazing fans, but Deshaun was treated badly and now he has to overcome another obstacle. So I’m going to support him, I’m going to lift him up and I’m going to be there for him.”
The injury is yet another twist in Watson’s tumultuous time with the Browns.
Cleveland traded three first-round draft picks and five overall to Houston in 2022 to get him, with owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam approving the team giving Watson a fully guaranteed, five-year $230 million contract.
With a solid roster, the Browns were desperate to find a QB who could help them compete against the top AFC teams.
The Browns had moved on from Baker Mayfield despite drafting him No. 1 overall in 2018 and making the playoffs two seasons later.
But Watson has not played up to expectations — fans have been pushing for him to be benched this season — and Cleveland’s move to get him has been labeled an abject failure with the team still on the hook to pay him $46 million in each of the next two seasons.
Watson’s arrival in Cleveland also came amid accusations by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and harassment during massage therapy sessions while he played for the Texans. Two grand juries declined to indict him and he has settled civil lawsuits in all but one of the cases.
Watson was suspended by the NFL for his first 11 games and fined $5 million for violating the league’s personal conduct policy before he took his first snap with the Browns. The long layoff — he sat out the 2021 season in a contract dispute — led to struggles once he got on the field, and Watson made just six starts last season before hurting his shoulder.
Cleveland signed veteran Joe Flacco, who went 4-1 as a starter and led the Browns to the playoffs.
Before Watson got hurt this year, he didn’t play much better. He was one of the league’s lowest-rated passers for a Cleveland team that hasn’t scored 20 points in a game and is back in search of a franchise QB.
