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Canucks, Capitals put on thrilling show as full crowds return to Vancouver – Sportsnet.ca

Published

3 years ago

March 12, 2022

VANCOUVER — It wasn’t the Russian everyone was watching Friday who beat the Vancouver Canucks.

The guy getting booed, Alex Ovechkin, didn’t score. The guy largely ignored, Evgeny Kuznetsov, had a hat trick as the Washington Capitals blew a third-period lead before rallying to beat the Canucks 4-3 in overtime on an electric night at Rogers Arena.

Ovechkin’s history of support for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and limited comments on his country’s invasion of Ukraine has, rightfully, received as much attention the last two weeks as his record of scoring goals in the National Hockey League.

But with a chance to make history on Friday by moving alone into third place in NHL goals, Ovechkin was blanked on six shots that included a pair of partial breakaways against Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko.

Demko wasn’t as effective on Lars Eller’s breakaway 42 seconds into overtime as the Capital rattled a shot under the goalie to deprive the Canucks of a second point after Vancouver rallied from a two-goal deficit early in the third period to lead 3-2.

Kuznetsov’s third goal of the night had tied the game with 4:53 remaining in the third period when the Canucks’ Elias Pettersson’s goalmouth clearance during a contentious Washington power play hit the Russian, then glanced back off the Swede before the Capital forced it across the goal line.

And that wasn’t even Kuznetsov’s luckiest bounce of the night as he opened the scoring at 5:34 of the first period when Nick Jensen’s rim-around the Canucks’ zone hit a stanchion in the glass behind Demko, bounced straight into the slot and ricocheted in off Kuznetsov.

His second goal, on a power play just 43 seconds later, was swept across the goal line after Ovechkin’s famous one-timer overpowered Demko and looked like it might spin into the net.

Ovechkin remains at 766 goals, tied with Jaromir Jagr, who wore No. 68 in the NHL for 24 seasons as a tribute to the Prague Spring of 1968, when democratic reforms in what was then Czechoslovakia were stamped out by the Soviet Union under a previous Russian dictator.

Ovechkin’s record chase added another compelling layer to the game, which was watched in-person by the largest Rogers Arena crowd, 18,814, since the pandemic began two years ago.

“You always have that in the back of your mind,” Canucks captain Bo Horvat said of Ovechkin’s perch on history. “You’ve got to be aware when he’s out there all the time. Obviously, the goals speak for themselves. His ability to score goals, I mean, I don’t think it’s been seen ever in this league. Thankfully, (although) we didn’t keep him off the scoresheet, but we kept him from scoring tonight.”

Ovechkin finished with one assist. The Canucks had to be satisfied with denying him a goal and earning a point after the Capitals’ early 2-0 lead stood until the third period.

The Canucks swarmed the Capitals early in the final frame, dominating consecutive shifts in the offensive zone and pumping in three goals in four minutes to eradicate the deficit.

Vancouver defenceman Quinn Hughes, whose consistent excellence has been a little overshadowed lately by the historic scoring surge of J.T. Miller, drove the comeback with a goal and two assists amid a mesmerizing display of agility and puck possession.

Hughes cut the deficit in half 57 seconds into the third period, skating the puck to the middle of the blue line, waiting for traffic to develop and slinging a screened wrist shot past the glove side of Washington goalie Vitek Vanecek.

The Canucks tied it 2-2 on a power play at 3:19 when Miller took the puck from Hughes in the left-wing circle, faked a pass across the goalmouth and dropped it into the slot to Horvat, who quickly lasered a shot into the top corner.

Two shifts later, Horvat put his team in the lead, calmly gathering the rebound from Travis Hamonic’s one-timer and steering it past Vanecek at 4:59.

If you didn’t already know it was the largest crowd since the coronavirus arrived, it was evident in the thunderous, unmasked roar that greeted the Canucks’ go-ahead goal.

“To have everybody in the building, it was rocking tonight,” Horvat said. “Friday night, packed building like that and coming back, the building was electric tonight. It’s too bad we couldn’t get it all the way done for them.

“We’re happy to… fight back there in the third. But ultimately we wanted those two points. All the points from here on out are going to be huge for us, and I thought it was great character by us to come all the way back and get that point. It’s just unfortunate that we couldn’t have gotten the job done.”

Kuznetsov tied it 3-3 after Vancouver defenceman Tyler Myers, who is six-foot-eight, was penalized for a hit to the head on Kuznetsov. Myers was standing up, and finished with his back to Kuznetsov. It looked a dodgy call but, to be fair, so was the tripping penalty to Eller that preceded Horvat’s power-play goal.

The point at least allowed the Canucks, desperately chasing a playoff spot in the Western Conference, to maintain some momentum in the standings. Two games into a seven-game homestand, they are 8-2-1 in their last 11 contests and two points out of a playoff spot.

“I just think we have that belief,” Horvat said. “We have that belief in our room that we can beat any team and we’ve shown that, and we’ve shown resiliency when we’re down. I think it’s just us growing as a group and growing as a team that we didn’t have at the beginning of the year. We’re playing for each other in there and that’s all that matters. We want everybody to succeed and we’re happy when everybody’s doing well and when the team is doing well, so we want to keep that feeling going.”

With two assists, Miller extended his points streak to 11 games.

The Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning visits the Canucks on Sunday.

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Champions Trophy host Pakistan says it’s not been told India wants to play cricket games elsewhere

Published

1 day ago

November 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

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.”

Pakistan hosted last year’s Asia Cup but all India games were played in Sri Lanka under a hybrid model for the tournament. Only months later Pakistan did travel to India for the 50-over World Cup.

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.

___

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Dabrowski, Routlife into WTA doubles final with win over Melichar-Martinez, Perez

Published

1 day ago

November 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

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.

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Winger Tajon Buchanan back with Canada after recovering from broken leg

Published

1 day ago

November 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.

The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.

Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.

There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.

Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.

But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.

The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”

The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.

Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.

Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.

Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.

Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.

“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”

“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.

Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.

Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.

The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.

Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.

Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.

Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.

Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.

Canada Roster

Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).

Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).

Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).

Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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