With Shea Weber out for a significant amount of time, his absence was likely to loom large over last night’s game and the rest of this critical week — unless, by some miracle, the Montreal Canadiens could triumph.
They could not.
The Boston Bruins owned the chances in the first three minutes, but Carey Price was one of the few players consistently on his game the whole night, and he turned them all away.
As the period headed into the final five minutes, the Habs won a faceoff following an icing call, and made up some ground in the shot department with several strong offensive-zone shifts.
With 1:12 to go, Marchand let Petry know he didn’t appreciate a hit he had taken. Petry let Marchand know he didn’t appreciate being speared, and the two tangled. It wasn’t much of a fight, but Montreal came out of it with a power play. Unfortunately, as they often have in recent weeks, the advantage didn’t result in a goal.
Pastrnak got his second of the game about four minutes into the second period, jumping on a Petry hesitation in the Bruins’ zone. Montreal came right back, as Marco Scandella wired a shot straight down the royal road and off Suzuki to break Rask’s shutout bid.
Price kept it a one-goal lead with a magnificent save, and things appeared to be going Montreal’s way, drawing a power play at 14:22. Off the faceoff, Zdeno Chara and Gallagher sparred, with Chara crosschecking Gallagher across the chin. Interestingly, both got penalties, but it remained a Montreal power play.
The Canadiens looked pretty good as the period progressed, but then got into more penalty trouble. With Drouin and Joel Armia in the box, Pastrnak completed the hat trick. The Habs responded with a strong shift as Max Domi rang one off the crossbar, but the puck didn’t deflect into the net.
The third period didn’t change things. Boston prevented much of anything from Montreal. The … interesting penalty calls continued, this time in favour of the Habs. Charlie McAvoy was dinged for shooting the puck out of play, despite replays showing the puck going off the glass and out. Domi’s woes continued with another ping off the post, and the Habs were unable to put anything together on the advantage.
Price was easily Montreal’s most engaged player throughout, and continued to be so in the third as the Bruins throttled the Habs in the neutral zone. However when the netminder was called to the bench to be replaced by a forward, Patrice Bergeron scored an empty netter to seal the 4-1 win, and take the season series by three game to one.
The Habs put up a respectable 29 shots, but allowed 38, and were increasingly shut down as the game went on. Montreal’s playoff hopes looked slim before the loss of Weber, and the loss in the gamegame, and after both they look much more grim.
Thoughts
Jeff Petry figured prominently into this game, both on the good and bad side of things, though the net result was unfortunately negative as he was on the ice for and (whether directly or indirectly) responsible for three of the four goals against.
The reffing was bad. Perhaps worse for the Habs, but definitely bad on both sides. The off-setting roughing calls against Gallagher and Chara were especially laughable.
There are still some fun players to watch on this team. If the playoffs are getting out of reach, at least there’s something to look forward the rest of the way.
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.
