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Canucks running out of time and energy in playoff chase after loss to Flames – Sportsnet.ca

Published

2 years ago

April 24, 2022

CALGARY – The way the Vancouver Canucks started the National Hockey League season, it looked like they’d be out of the playoff race by Christmas.

Instead, they survived until the final week of the regular season. Barely and mostly in theory, but they made it.

Drained by the relentless, four-month sprint to catch up in the Western Conference standings, the Canucks lost their third straight game on Saturday, 6-3 to the Calgary Flames. The result, combined with the Dallas Stars’ 3-2 comeback win at home against the Seattle Kraken, left the Canucks six points out of the final wildcard playoff spot with three games to play.

Dallas is the only team in the race with fewer regulation wins than Vancouver, so if the Stars lose their final three games and the Canucks sweep contests against the Kraken, Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver could still get in.

But the Canucks also need to pass the Vegas Golden Knights, who are two points ahead and play the San Jose Sharks on Sunday. If the Knights win, the Canucks will be mathematically eliminated Tuesday when Vegas visits Dallas because someone has to win that game.

The Canucks will miss the Stanley Cup tournament for the sixth time in seven years.

“It’s been a hard push and we didn’t get where we wanted to go,” coach Bruce Boudreau, whose hiring in December marked a dramatic turning point in the Canucks’ season, told reporters after the game. “So I’m disappointed. We pushed from Dec. 5 until now, and I expect us for the next three games to keep pushing again. But, I mean, our ultimate goal is probably not going to be reached.

“Not to make excuses, but it is difficult to get up, and emotionally up, for every game. It’s what makes the playoffs special because you can do it for short periods of time. We’ve had to do it every single game (since Dec. 5) and sometimes it works and sometimes you get the inconsistencies. But it will make them better for next year for sure. They’ll know the consistency that they have to have from Day 1 to Day 82.”

The Canucks started the season 6-14-2, and are 32-16-9 since.

They’ve finally run out of both energy and time. They weren’t able to generate any pressure on Saturday until they trailed the Flames 2-0.

“It would have been nice to have a better start to the season and not be in this position,” Canucks defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson said. “But we battled so hard to get back to this spot and we’re not going to quit now. We’re going to show up for these last three games and play our heart out.

“I would rather be in Calgary’s position; that’s not a lie. But I’m so proud of that group that we have in there. We never quit, never give up in any games or any point in the season, even when we were far behind in the beginning. And I don’t see us doing that the last couple of games here.”

Twenty-one points ahead of the Canucks, the Flames have been toning their playoff muscles, secure at the top of the Pacific Division.

They are 9-1-1 in their last 11 games, and seemed to exert their will when needed on Saturday.

After record-setting Canucks defenceman Quinn Hughes scored at 18:46 of the second period, Conor Garland batted in Tyler Myers’ airborne goalmouth pass to tie it 2-2 at 5:36 of the third. But only 14 seconds later, ex-Canuck Chris Tanev’s point shot caromed in off the skate of Flames’ teammate Brett Ritchie.

Then Dillon Dube scored on a two-on-one at 13:33 as Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko retreated into his net on a two-on-one after Luke Schenn’s turnover. And Flames’ defenceman Nikita Zadorov was credited with a goal 12 seconds later when Myers tried to play goaltender at the top of the crease but eventually scuffed the puck behind his own netminder.

Demko allowed five goals on 31 shots, the third straight game in which the Canucks’ MVP didn’t look like himself. It was also his 64^th game of the season – 29 more than his “career high” last season.

“He might be tiring,” Boudreau said. “But, I mean, he’s been so good for us. And when you’re desperate, you have to gamble. When you gamble, you have to play your best at all times. I felt comfortable every time we put him in the net. He’s a great goalie that’s only going to get better.”

By the time Elias Pettersson scored for the Canucks with 2:25 remaining on a bar-down laser past Flames goalie Dan Vladar, it was largely irrelevant. But Hughes’ assist on the goal meant something.

It was the 22-year-old’s 56^th assist of the season, breaking Dennis Kearns’ 45-year-old franchise record for helpers by a Canucks defenceman, and also allowed Hughes to tie Doug Lidster’s all-time points record of 63, set in 1987.

“It’s just unbelievable what he does on the ice,” Ekman-Larsson marvelled. “That’s the guy you want on the back end to build your team around, so we’ve got that locked in. And a lot of other pieces, too.”

“He’s a special player,” Boudreau agreed. “But he’s going to break that record. . . five different times. Every year, he’s going to get better and he’s going to keep breaking it. It’s something that he’ll say, ‘That’s OK, that’s cool.’ But he knows he’s going to do a lot better in the future.”

For another summer, the Canucks will be hoping for the same thing.

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Canada’s Marina Stakusic falls in Guadalajara Open quarterfinals

Published

6 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

6 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

6 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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