Troy Brouwer of the St. Louis Blues checks Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks during the second period in Game Two of the Western Conference First Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on August 14, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
THE BIG MATCHUP
The Canucks vs. The Bait
There are many sides to the pursuit of playoff excellence and the mental side can be just as intimidating as the physical demands.
In 2011, the banged-up and emotionally-spent Vancouver Canucks lost the psychological war with the Boston Bruins after building 2-0 and 3-2 series leads in the Stanley Cup Final and falling in seven games. Fast forward and there is some similarity as the speedy, big and bad Blues are testing the Canucks’ mettle to try and get back in the first-round series.
Whether it’s targeting playoff newbies in the electrifying Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes with an extra check, shove, slash or punch to curtail the will of the offensive catalysts — or taking runs anybody regardless of experience or stature — the Blues are banking on the Canucks to crumble at some point. Could be a long wait. The Canucks are all in, no matter what.
“You have to stay pretty level-headed, but there’s the other sense where you have to stick up for your teammates as well,” said fourth-line centre Jay Beagle, who won a Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018. “You make decisions quick and you live and die by them. We have an all-in mentality and guys stick up for each other. We have a tight group in the room and we have a pack mentality and it’s a fun one to be on board with.”
Beagle took offence to Sammy Blais running Brandon Sutter from behind in Game 2 on Friday. The feisty Blues winger received a roughing minor and Beagle a double minor for taking issue with the hit. The Canucks had a 2-0 lead at that point late in the second period, but on the ensuring power play, Ryan O’Reilly scored and the Canucks had to rally to win 4-3 in overtime.
“They’re a big and physical team and looking back, I don’t think it was the smartest play by me,” said Beagle. “And if I were to do it over again, I don’t think I’d do it quite as quick and not take the four minutes. That obviously can change a game pretty quick.”
Said coach Travis Green: “It’s a fiery, competitive game. Guys will go the aid of their teammates and Beags probably felt there was going to be a penalty on the hit.”
FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Using Hughes shot
Quinn Hughes doesn’t get enough credit for his added power-play element. As much as he can walk the line to buy time and find the right passing option, the Calder Trophy finalist has become much better at getting his shots through, or have them tipped or create rebounds.
2. Pettersson’s defending
The Canucks are the home team and Green should be able to get Pettersson away from the O’Reilly matchup. What Pettersson can’t get away from is his strong 200-foot game that saved Game 2 with shot blocks in OT. His tenaciousness has an infectious effect on Brock Boeser to play a total game.
Captain Bo Horvat of the Vancouver Canucks celebrates his shorthanded goal on Friday in Edmonton with Chris Tanev. Horvat also scored in overtime as Vancouver grabbed a 2-0 series lead against the St. Louis Blues.
Jeff Vinnick /
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3. Feeding bumper-boy
Bo Horvat is feeling it on every conceivable level and should be the first go-to option on the PP. By using his edges and making quick and smart pivots, the captain is finding open slot spaces in the bumper position for a quick releases. He’s also good at pivoting and finding open gunners.
4. Getting to Perron
The best way to get to the irritating and effective David Perron is to play the winger hard, so he takes penalties instead of drawing them to help ignite a struggling Blues’ PP. Tough task with the way he drives the net and drives the opposition crazy.
5. Ride Motte train
For added inspiration, the Canucks don’t have to look further than unsung fourth-line winger Tyler Motte. who is a first-pairing penalty kill king, a speedy and fearless forechecker, willing hitter and effective 5-on-5.
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POSSIBLE LINEUPS
CANUCKS
Forwards
J.T. Miller — Elias Pettersson — Brock Boeser
Tanner Pearson — Bo Horvat — Loui Eriksson
Antoine Roussel — Brandon Sutter — Jake Virtanen
Tyler Motte — Jay Beagle — Zack MacEwen
Defence
Alex Edler — Troy Stecher
Quinn Hughes — Chris Tanev
Oscar Fantenberg — Jordie Benn
Goal
Jacob Markstrom — Thatcher Demko
BLUES
Forwards
Jaden Schwartz — Ryan O’Reilly — David Perron
Oskar Sundqvist — Brayden Schenn — Tyler Bozak
Zach Sanford — Robert Thomas — Sammy Blais
Mackenzie MacEachern — Jacob de la Rose — Jordan Kyrou
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
