It’s always a game of survival in Music City.
Sports
Canucks 5, Predators 2: Fast start, quick strikes make for sweet music in Nashville
Two goals in a 31-second span of the first period and two more in 46 seconds of the second frame seal the deal
The same principle applied to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday in an impressive 5-2 victory over the Predators to improve to 2-0-1 on a four-game road trip.
They needed a fast start against the upstart Predators, who had won four straight, 13 of their last 16, and were 13-6-0 when scoring first. And getting to extra time would be precarious because the Predators are 5-0-0 in games that go beyond regulation with Filip Forsberg firing three goals in overtime.
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So, going for a sweep of the season series would require some resolve and some smarts.
Make an early hit. Get pucks in deep. Get a shot away. Anything to seize momentum.
J.T. Miller sounded like a prophet when he sent a warning salvo following the morning skate.
“It may not be pretty the first 10 minutes, but we have to move and be physical — do the things that we can control — stuff that’s contagious on the bench,” he said. “I have total confidence.”
The Canucks struck for a pair of first-period goals by Elias Pettersson and Nils Aman in a telling 31-second span that was about pace and persistence.
Two more goals by Nils Hoglander and Pius Suter in a 46-second span of the second period were about position and patience.
It allowed some breathing space on this road grind that has included back-to-back afternoon games to zap energy and normal game preparations.
“A lot of hockey before Christmas,” added Miller. “It’s a mental thing. You have to engage yourself to get uncomfortable if you’re not quite feeling it.”
Pettersson was feeling it after a club day off Monday and had two points, six shots and eight attempts.
In the second period, he went across the top of the crease and slipped a backhander that went under goalie Juuse Saros and off the outside of the post that would have given the Canucks a three-goal bulge. In the end, it didn’t matter.
Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet applauded his club’s commitment to being ready to play.
“We were really connected and I liked our breakouts,” he said. “Each line did something and I just liked our overall game. We were really good tonight. Our leadership group was solid and just one of those good games for us and really proud of our defensive game.”
Here’s what else we learned as the Canucks improved to 22-9-2:
Smart start triggers the tempo
Even before they lit the lamp twice in short order, the Canucks came to play.
There was a heavy Dakota Joshua hit in the corner boards, a Grade A chance for Brock Boeser, and Suter going flat out on the backcheck to get his stick on a cross-ice pass destined for Forsberg.
It led to the goals and then some frustration by the Predators to try to swing momentum.
First, it was Pettersson speeding away on a 2-on-1 break with Ilya Mikheyev and snapping a precision shot to the far blocker side for his 13th and third in the last six games. Then, it was a heavy forechecking presence that led to an early Christmas present for Aman.
With Sam Lafferty going hard on a disruptive forecheck with Phil Di Giuseppe, Luke Schenn made a panic clearing attempt. It landed on the blade of Aman for his first of the season.
Bump in the night, no fight, no goal
Then came a strange first-stanza sequence as the Predators tried to press the issue.
Winger Michael McCarron drove Conor Garland hard into the corner boards and was challenged to a fight by Joshua that never materialized. As that was happening, centre Tomas Tomasino sped away on a breakaway and was foiled by Casey DeSmith. McCarron got the minor and game misconduct.
The first effort that got by the Canucks’ backup was a Lauzon effort in which DeSmith looked like he was expecting a pass to his glove side before the D-man went short side to make it 2-1. Cody Glass scored in the final minute as DeSmith finished with 26 saves to improve to 6-2-2.
Hoglander’s clip-and-save 10th goal
Hopefully, winger Vasily Podkolzin was watching Tuesday.
All that work paid off in the second period Tuesday.
Hoglander battled down low and got his stick in position to deflect home a Quinn Hughes point shot. Only Boeser (23), Miller (15) and Pettersson (13) have more team goals.
“He’ll very rarely sit in a corner and will scoot to an area” said Tocchet. “He’s tough to defend, that little guy. When he gets to those levels — underneath sticks for deflections and rebound goals where he has beat someone to the net — those are goals he can really get for us.”
Hughes became the first NHL defenceman to hit 40 points. He then made it 41 by sending Teddy Blueger in to make it 5-1 and chase Saros, who allowed five goals on 24 shots.
Make it four Kuzmenko scratches
Tocchet cut to the chase Tuesday morning.
When asked about Andrei Kuzmenko’s fourth scratch of the season, he didn’t have much to say because we’ve heard it all before. On a night where speed and checking were imperative against the pesky Predators, the bench boss looked elsewhere.
“I’m trying to win a game and I felt this was the best lineup and we’ll re-evaluate for the Dallas game (Thursday), said Tocchet. The fourth line was Aman between Di Giuseppe and Lafferty.
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DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.
The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.
Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.
He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.
Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.
Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.
The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.
Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.
Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.
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The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Veterans Tyson Beukeboom and Karen Paquin will lead Canada at the WXV 1 women’s rugby tournament starting later this month in the Vancouver area.
WXV 1 includes the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (England, France and Ireland) and the top three teams from the Pacific Four Series (Canada, New Zealand, and the United States).
Third-ranked Canada faces No. 4 France, No. 7 Ireland and No. 1 England in the elite division of the three-tiered WXV tournament that runs Sept. 29 to Oct. 12 in Vancouver and Langley, B.C. No. 2 New Zealand and the eighth-ranked U.S. make up the six-team WVX 1 field.
“Our preparation time was short but efficient. This will be a strong team,” Canada coach Kevin Rouet said in a statement. “All the players have worked very hard for the last couple of weeks to prepare for WXV and we are excited for these next three matches and for the chance to play on home soil here in Vancouver against the best rugby teams in the world.
“France, Ireland and England will each challenge us in different ways but it’s another opportunity to test ourselves and another step in our journey to the Rugby World Cup next year.”
Beukeboom serves as captain in the injury absence of Sophie de Goede. The 33-year-old from Uxbridge, Ont., earned her Canadian-record 68th international cap in Canada’s first-ever victory over New Zealand in May at the Pacific Four Series.
Twenty three of the 30 Canadian players selected for WXV 1 were part of that Pacific Four Series squad.
Rouet’s roster includes the uncapped Asia Hogan-Rochester, Caroline Crossley and Rori Wood.
Hogan-Rochester and Crossley were part of the Canadian team that won rugby sevens silver at the Paris Olympics, along with WXV teammates Fancy Bermudez, Olivia Apps, Alysha Corrigan and Taylor Perry. Wood is a veteran of five seasons at UBC.
The 37-year-old Paquin, who has 38 caps for Canada including the 2014 Rugby World Cup, returns to the team for the first time since the 2021 World Cup.
Canada opens the tournament Sept. 29 against France at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver before facing Ireland on Oct. 5 at Willoughby Stadium at Langley Events Centre, and England on Oct. 12 at B.C. Place.
The second-tier WXV 2 and third-tier WXV 3 are slated to run Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, in South Africa and Dubai, respectively.
WXV 2 features Australia, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa and Wales while WXV 3 is made up of Fiji, Hong Kong, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain.
The tournament has 2025 World Cup qualification implications, although Canada, New Zealand and France, like host England, had already qualified by reaching the semifinals of the last tournament.
Ireland, South Africa, the U.S., Japan, Fiji and Brazil have also booked their ticket, with the final six berths going to the highest-finishing WXV teams who have not yet qualified through regional tournaments.
Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team WXV 1 Squad
Forwards
Alexandria Ellis, Ottawa, Stade Français Paris (France); Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Courtney Holtkamp, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Emily Tuttosi, Souris, Man., Exeter Chiefs (England); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Gillian Boag, Calgary, Gloucester-Hartpury (England); Julia Omokhuale, Calgary, Leicester Tigers (England); Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Club de rugby de Quebec; Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., ASM Romagnat (France); McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Ottawa Irish; Rori Wood, Sooke, B.C., College Rifles RFC; Sara Cline, Edmonton, Leprechaun Tigers; Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England);
Backs
Alexandra Tessier, Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., CRFC; Asia Hogan-Rochester, Toronto, Toronto Nomads; Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Leicester Tigers (England); Fancy Bermudez, Edmonton, Saracens (England); Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Justine Pelletier, Rivière-du-Loup, Que, Stade Bordelais (France); Mahalia Robinson, Fulford, Que., Town of Mount Royal RFC; Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Paige Farries, Red Deer, Alta., Saracens (England); Sara Kaljuvee, Ajax, Ont., Westshore RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.
The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.
He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.
Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.
He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.
Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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