Sports

Canadiens vs. Flyers Game 6 recap: The End – Habs Eyes on the Prize

Published

4 years ago

August 22, 2020

In a lot of ways, Game 5 on Wednesday night was a defining game for the Montreal Canadiens. They faced a challenge of their own making when Jesperi Kotkaniemi was ejected, they faced adversity when they fell behind on the scoreboard, and they were dealt a blow when their heart-and-soul player, Brendan Gallagher, had his jaw broken by Matt Niskanen. They pulled out a strong 5-3 win to keep their surprising playoff run alive, and they would need another defining experience in Game 6 to keep that drive going.

Obviously the team was without Brendan Gallagher for the remainder of the series, and it’s not an easy task to step up and fill his skates. That Herculean effort fell onto the shoulders of Artturi Lehkonen who has had a strong post-season, even if the point totals haven’t been there. Joel Armia slid into Lehkonen’s spot on the second line next to Nick Suzuki, and Alex Belzile slotted into the fourth line with Jake Evans and Charles Hudon.

Twenty-eight seconds in and the adversity found a new form as the Philadelphia Flyers found the back of the net first. Ivan Provorov worked off the wall and flung a low shot toward Carey Price. Shea Weber, who was standing in front of the net, had the puck deflect off him and into the net.

Montreal was not content to let the Flyers’ trap game come into effect, as the next shift saw the Habs swarming all over Carter Hart until his net came off its moorings, forcing a stoppage in the offensive zone.

Ben Chiarot and Weber continued a rough start, as Jakub Voracek broke in past them and Chiarot was caught hooking the Flyers forward, sending Philly to an early power play. While the Flyers didn’t cash in on the man advantage, just after it expired a shot from Kevin Hayes hit off of Lehkonen, then the inside of Price’s pad for a two-goal Philadelphia lead.

Montreal had a chance on a power play after Philippe Myers was called for holding Phillip Danault behind the net. The Canadiens’ power play clicked early, and the emergence of Suzuki continued as he potted his third of the playoffs. A shot from Joel Armia was left hanging in front of the net, and Suzuki got enough of it on a follow-up swing to get it by Hart, putting Montreal back into the game.

Another penalty brought the Habs’ momentum to a screeching halt as Jeff Petry caught Nate Thompson up high with his stick, but on the following penalty kill Armia nearly scored short-handed to tie the game, but couldn’t poke the puck by Hart. While Montreal killed the first penalty, Weber was the guilty party of a cross checking call, and started another penalty kill for Montreal. This time it was Price who was the Habs’ best penalty-killer, making a number of huge saves to keep the Flyers from converting again. A late push almost resulted in another goal, but the intermission horn went, sending Montreal into the break trailing by a goal.

After a big hit on Suzuki early in the second, it looked like tempers might have boiled over, but cooler heads prevailed. A Claude Giroux stick-slash put Montreal back on the man advantage, and again they looked dangerous, including a tip play that went just wide of the net as the power play expired.

Then with Chiarot caught deep and desperately trying to get back following a turnover, the Flyers restored their two-goal lead — for a few moments anyway.

Soon after the goal, Hart lazily played the puck for his teammate, and that allowed Jonathan Drouin to grab it. Drouin then slipped Travis Sanheim’s coverage and threaded a pass right across the crease that Suzuki put home for his second of the night, and fourth of the playoffs.

Montreal’s pressure game went back to work, as the rolling lines kept the Flyers’ offence quiet, and even buried in their own end with the fourth line working away. One little slip up by Max Domi created a breakaway for Scott Laughton that forced the Habs winger to take a penalty, and an elbow to the mouth for good measure. The Flyers’ power play didn’t generate much, and allowed a dominant even-strength Habs team back into play still trailing by a goal.

The Canadiens almost found that tying goa. With Ivan Provorov having to change due to losing his helmet, there was a brief man advantage for Montreal. Jeff Petry pulled the puck away from a defender, and slipped a pass to a streaking Paul Byron, who couldn’t get the shot off on a sprawling Hart. The teams went into the intermission with the Flyers holding on for dear life against a ferocious Montreal onslaught.

Natural Stat Trick

While the opening 40 minutes had plenty of back-and-forth action, the third period started far more tentatively, with neither side over-extending themselves and risking another goal against. The Flyers were more than happy to set up their defensive posture, and Montreal looked a bit exhausted, having difficulty getting more than a chance in their possessions.

Tomas Tatar nearly found the tying goal twice on the same shift, his first chance was blocked by Robert Hagg, and his second caught the knob of Hart’s stick and went out of play. Xavier Ouellet followed that up by firing up a handful of chances in close, but it was again Hart making the difference between the pipes.

There wasn’t another miracle to finish out this game, as the 24th-seed-that-could finally ran out of steam in the final moments. With Price out of his net, they pushed hard for another tying goal, but a late chance by Suzuki was met by the pads of Hart and it was all over.

Montreal put a huge scare into the Flyers, but in the end luck eventually runs out. The Canadiens were given no shot for two straight rounds, and proved a lot of people wrong.

The Canadiens’ motto is “To you from failing hands, we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high.” Consider that torch extended to the sky, and shining plenty of light on the future ahead.

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Sports

Canada’s Marina Stakusic falls in Guadalajara Open quarterfinals

Published

7 hours ago

September 13, 2024

Anne Joseph

GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.

The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.

Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.

In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.

The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

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Kirk’s walk-off single in 11th inning lifts Blue Jays past Cardinals 4-3

Published

7 hours ago

September 13, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.

With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.

Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.

Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.

Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.

He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.

The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.

Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.

He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.

George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.

Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.

In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.

St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.

ON DECK

Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.

The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

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Stampeders return to Maier at QB eyeing chance to get on track against Alouettes

Published

7 hours ago

September 13, 2024

Anne Joseph

CALGARY – Mired in their first four-game losing skid in 20 years, the Calgary Stampeders are going back to Jake Maier at quarterback on Saturday after he was benched for a game.

It won’t be an easy assignment.

Visiting McMahon Stadium are the Eastern Conference-leading Montreal Alouettes (10-2) who own the CFL’s best record. The Stampeders (4-8) have fallen to last in the Western Conference.

“Six games is plenty of time, but also it is just six games,” said Maier. “We’ve got to be able to get on the right track.”

Calgary is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

“I do still believe in this team,” said Stampeders’ head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson. “I want to see improvement, though. I want to see guys on a weekly basis elevating their game, and we haven’t been doing that.”

Maier is one of the guys under the microscope. Two weeks ago, the second-year starter threw four interceptions in a 35-20 home loss to the Edmonton Elks.

After his replacement, rookie Logan Bonner, threw five picks in last week’s 37-16 loss to the Elks in Edmonton, the football is back in Maier’s hands.

“Any time you fail or something doesn’t go your way in life, does it stink in the moment? Yeah. But then the days go on and you learn things about yourself and you learn how to prepare a little bit better,” said Maier. “It makes you mentally tougher.”

Dickenson wants to see his quarterback making better decisions with the football.

“Things are going to happen, interceptions will happen, but try to take calculated risks, rather than just putting the ball up there and hoping that we catch it,” said Dickenson.

A former quarterback himself, he knows the importance of that vital position.

“You cannot win without good quarterback play,” Dickenson said. “You’ve got to be able to make some plays — off-schedule plays, move-around plays, plays that break down, plays that aren’t designed perfectly, but somehow you found the right guy, and then those big throws where you’re taking that hit.”

But it’s going to take a team effort, and that includes the club’s receiving corp.

“We always have to band together because we need everything to go right for our receivers to get the ball,” said Nik Lewis, the Stampeders’ receivers coach. “The running back has to pick up the blitz, the o-line has to block, the quarterback has to make the right reads, and then give us a catchable ball.”

Lewis brings a unique perspective to this season’s frustrations as he was a 22-year-old rookie in Calgary in 2004 when the Stamps went 4-14 under coach Matt Dunigan. They turned it around the next season and haven’t missed the playoffs since.”

“Thinking back and just looking at it, there’s just got to be an ultimate belief that you can get it done. Look at Montreal, they were 6-7 last year and they’ve gone 18-2 since then,” said Lewis.

Montreal is also looking to rebound from a 37-23 loss to the B.C. Lions last week. But for head coach Jason Maas, he says his team’s mindset doesn’t change, regardless of what happened the previous week.

“Last year when we went through a four-game losing streak, you couldn’t tell if we were on a four-game winning streak or a four-game losing streak by the way the guys were in the building, the way we prepared, the type of work ethic we have,” said Maas. “All our standards are set, so that’s all we focus on.”

While they may have already clinched a playoff spot, Alouettes’ quarterback Cody Fajardo says this closing stretch remains critical because they want to finish the season strong, just like last year when they won their final five regular-season games before ultimately winning the Grey Cup.

“It doesn’t matter about what you do at the beginning of the year,” said Fajardo. “All that matters is how you end the year and how well you’re playing going into the playoffs so that’s what these games are about.”

The Alouettes’ are kicking off a three-game road stretch, one Fajardo looks forward to.

“You understand what kind of team you have when you play on the road because it’s us versus the world mentality and you can feel everybody against you,” said Fajardo. “Plus, I always tend to find more joy in silencing thousands of people than bringing thousands of people to their feet.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

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