John Tavares, with a goal and an assist, Jason Spezza and Wayne Simmonds provided the rest of the offence for Toronto (26-10-3), which has won four in a row and improved to 7-0-1 over its last eight games. William Nylander added two assists.
Mikael Backlund, with two, and Andrew Mangiapane replied for Calgary (16-21-3). Jacob Markstrom stopped 25 shots for the Flames, who have lost four straight and eight of their last nine in regulation. Elias Lindholm had two assists.
Currently the Leafs’ No. 1 option with Frederik Andersen still dealing with a lower-body injury, Campbell’s win streak equals a Leafs’ record shared by Felix Potvin (1993-94), Jacques Plante (1970-71) and John Ross Roach (1924-25).
North Division-topping Toronto, which swept a four-game road trip through Winnipeg and Calgary, leads the second-place Jets by six points in the standings, while the Edmonton Oilers are seven back in third.
The Leafs improved to 6-2-0 against the Flames in 2020-21, including a 4-0-0 record in Calgary.
The fading Flames dropped to 5-10-1 under head coach Darryl Sutter, who replaced Geoff Ward on March 5 with the team sitting at 11-11-2.
Down 2-1 through 40 minutes, Calgary got even at 4:17 of the third period when Backlund’s shot off a scrambled draw hit Toronto defenceman Travis Dermott and fooled Campbell for his seventh of the season.
The Leafs responded at 7:13 when Simmonds redirected Pierre Engvall’s pass home from his knees for his sixth, and first in nine games since returning to the lineup from a broken wrist.
Toronto’s anemic power play, which was sat 0 for 28, then got a chance, but the Flames scored shorthanded when Backlund deposited his eighth at 10:05.
Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe called a timeout to settle things down, and his team responded when Matthews banged home a rebound to score his 27th goal of the campaign just 55 seconds later to snap Toronto’s ugly run with the man advantage.
Tavares picked up the only assist on that one for the 800th point of his NHL career, and Toronto’s captain then made it 5-3 just 1:20 later when he scored his 12th, and second in as many games.
Campbell robbed Matthew Tkachuk late with a sparkling glove save to put an accent on his ninth consecutive win.
The Leafs opened the scoring at 3:10 of the second following a grinding shift by the trio of Spezza, Joe Thornton and Alexander Kerfoot in the Calgary end. The puck eventually found its way in front to Spezza for him swat home for his ninth goal — and fourth in the last nine games — to equal his total from 2019-20.
Matthews made it 2-0 at 7:53 when he took a pass from Nylander and snapped his 26th past Markstrom. After going five games with out a goal last month, Matthews now has five goals in his last six contests.
Leafs blue-liner Justin Holl cleared a Sean Monahan chance off Campbell’s goal line prior to Toronto’s outburst, but the Flames finally got on the board with 1:54 left in the period when Noah Hanifin’s shot deflected off a leg in front right to Mangiapane, who made no mistake in burying his 12th.
After the Leafs gave Campbell the night off Sunday — Veini Vehvilainen backed up third-stringer Michael Hutchinson in a 4-2 win over the Flames — as he continues to manage a nagging leg injury, the 29-year-old had a to be sharp early.
Dermott also scooped a loose puck off Toronto’s goal line before Campbell, who was initially hurt Jan. 24 in Calgary, held the fort on the ensuing scramble that saw him somehow rob Nordstrom while prone on the ice.
Matthews came close to putting the visitors in front on a between-the-legs effort from in tight only to see his shot go just wide.
Notes: Campbell and Potvin’s nine straight wins both came at the start of their respective seasons. … Markstrom played the 300th regular-season game of his career, becoming the fifth Swedish goalie to reach that milestone. … Flames defenceman Rasmus Andersson dressed for his 200th NHL game.
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.
