TSN Toronto Reporter Mark Masters reports on the Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers (optional), who held skates at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.
A lot has changed since the Leafs outscored the Oilers 13-1 while sweeping three games in late February and early March. Toronto has just one regulation win in nine games since then (3-6-0). The Oilers, meanwhile, have won seven of nine to creep to within two points of the division leaders.
And yet that three-game set in Edmonton remains fresh in the mind of figures on both sides of this rivalry.
“We played as good as we have and I don’t think we got the best that Edmonton has,” said coach Sheldon Keefe. “I expect here now, with the week off and how things went the last time, that Edmonton is going to be at their very best and we have to find our way back to what we looked like out there. It’s a good opportunity for us to do that. It’s a great challenge. They’re back playing extremely well and back confident once again and motivation won’t be lacking for them.”
Connor McDavid was held without a point in the three previous games against his hometown team. Since then, he’s been on the scoresheet nine straight times with 20 total points.
“We have to show not only to them, but to ourselves that we can play with these guys and we can beat these guys,” McDavid said. “We’ve done it before.”
The Leafs and Oilers had split the first four games of the season series before the domination in Edmonton.
“Any time you get whacked around for three games at home, you know, it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth,” said Mike Smith, who gets the start for the Oilers. “I feel like tonight we have no excuse but to come out with our best game and hopefully that’s good enough to get a win.”
Mitch Marner says that Toronto is looking to replicate “as much as possible” from that last series against Edmonton. The recipe for success against the high-octane Oilers is clear.
“Make sure we’re staying above [them] and not giving up too many odd-man rushes,” Marner outlined. “We know they’re a deadly team off the rush so just got to make sure everyone is doing their part, being smart out there, and not diving in too much.”
“We’re prepared for them to make a push and play hard and be a motivated bunch,” said defenceman Morgan Rielly. “We didn’t allow too many odd-man rushes and we played to our structure. We made it tough for them coming through the neutral zone, clogged it up pretty good, and we’re going to have to replicate that.”
Leafs aim to replicate game from Oilers sweep earlier this season
In early March, the Maple Leafs swept the Oilers in a three-game mini-series, outscoring them 13-1 in the process. The team explains what they want to replicate from that series ahead of two games against Edmonton.
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The first three games of the Oilers road trip were postponed due to the Canadiens’ COVID situation.
“A strange week,” said McDavid. “It’s been boring, honestly. That’s the first word that comes to mind. It’s almost been a little bit of a bye week, I guess. We should be rested. Guys should have legs. Guys should have energy. Sometimes when you’re coming off a delay like this the attention to detail or the little things can be missed so it’s important to dial that in right away.”
During his six seasons in the National Hockey League, McDavid’s played six games in Toronto. He has played here on a Monday, Tuesday, twice on a Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. So, is there any extra meaning to playing in Toronto on a Saturday?
“Absolutely,” McDavid said. “The league likes to try to sneak us through here on a Monday, Wednesday night so for us to get a Saturday night game is exciting. As a kid, obviously, you watch Saturday night hockey and growing up in the Toronto area that was always the Leafs so it’s exciting to be able to play here on a Saturday.”
Oilers discuss ‘strange’ week: It’s been boring as ever
With Edmonton getting an unforeseen week off due to their games against the Canadiens being postponed, the Oilers say they should be rested and have lots of energy against the Leafs tonight.
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McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have looked great while playing on the same line of late, which is something the Leafs didn’t see consistently during the three-game sweep.
“He passes the puck so well,” McDavid said of the reigning Hart Trophy winner. “We think a lot alike. We’ve been playing together for a long time now and kind of understand what each other is thinking and what we’ll be doing. Obviously, a special player and always fun to get the chance to line up beside him.”
“They’re pretty deadly together,” noted Marner. “They know where each other is going to be. You got to be ready. When you think a pass can’t be made, they’re pretty good at finding a way to get it there.”
McDavid and Draisaitl skated on the same line at Friday’s practice, but Dave Tippett was noncommittal when asked about playing them together in Toronto.
“It’s just a tool that we use,” the coach said on Saturday. “They play a lot together during the game whether it’s power play or certain shifts here and there and then there are times when we want to play them together all the time. It just gives a different dimension to our team. They’re both top, top players and the individual skill-set they bring is immense so you put them together and you’re just doubling that.”
‘We think a lot alike’: McDavid, Draisaitl can create double trouble for Leafs
Connor McDavid explains what he likes about playing on a line with Leon Draisaitl, while Mitch Marner says the duo is ‘pretty deadly together’.
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Keefe shuffled his lines this morning, moving Joe Thornton back to the top line with Auston Matthews and Marner. Wayne Simmonds moved to the second line with John Tavares and William Nylander.
“I’ve wanted to get Simmonds back with Tavares and Nylander,” Keefe explained. “That line, to me, when Wayne left our lineup, was just starting to get going. I thought it’s the best trio we’ve had there. Those guys were really going and had a lot of opportunities and Wayne was bringing a lot to the line so I’ve been wanting to go back with that.”
Simmonds played a couple games with Tavares and Nylander before breaking his wrist on Feb. 6 and missing six weeks. He has played the last two games with Matthews and Marner.
Matthews and Marner, meanwhile, are likely to see a lot of Edmonton’s top line tonight and Keefe likes how his No. 97 has handled things when on the ice against the Oilers No. 97.
“Joe has played really good hockey against the Edmonton Oilers this season,” Keefe said. “Defensively, especially, with what he’s brought to those guys and how he’s played against Edmonton’s best players. He’s done a really good job. Very conscious of when they’re out there and how he needs to play so wanted to get that back.”
Newcomer Alex Galchenyuk, who had been with Tavares and Nylander, moved to the fourth line with Alex Kerfoot and Jason Spezza.
“Galchenyuk, getting him a good opportunity early was important,” Keefe said. “We got him in a good place here now and I like a lot about what he’s done. It’s nothing against what he brought to that line, but I have wanted to get Wayne in that place.”
Keefe also stressed it was important to keep the third line together. The trio of Pierre Engvall between Ilya Mikheyev and Zach Hyman had a coming-out party of sorts against the Oilers producing a goal in each game of the sweep. And Hyman really seemed to get under the skin of Smith in the final game of the series.
Leafs Ice Chips: Thornton promoted to top line; Simmonds with Tavares
Head coach Sheldon Keefe juggled his lines ahead of the Leafs’ Saturday night matchup against the Oilers. Joe Thornton is being promoted back to the top line, while Wayne Simmonds moves to the second line with John Tavares and William Nylander. Mark Masters has more.
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Kailer Yamamoto returns to the Oilers lineup for the first time since March 17.
“He’s just got to get back to playing how he was,” said Tippett. “He’s great on the forecheck. He keeps pucks alive. He’s got good skill to make plays. Smart defensive player. So, he just has to get his game back up and going again. It was an injury that kept him out a little longer than expected and now with the break that we had he’s back and 100 per cent healthy.”
Yamamoto skated on the second line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Dominik Kahun at Friday’s practice.
“He brings a lot of work,” McDavid said. “He works his tail off and works [to get] pucks back. He’s a good little player when he’s got the puck. Sometimes he defers a little bit too much, but that can happen with a young guy. When he’s confident, there’s not many wingers better to play with than that guy. He works as hard as I’ve seen anyone. He’s a guy that brings a lot of energy.”
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Jack Campbell, who posted a shutout against the Oilers on Feb. 27, makes a third straight start for the Leafs. He’s vowing to be better with his puck touches after a pair of botched handles ended up in the net on Thursday in Ottawa.
“Those types of goals just can’t go in,” Campbell said. “Those are 100 percent on me, of course.”
Keefe said that Campbell made the right decision to play the puck both times, but could’ve been more assertive. The fact he’s only played five games this season makes it hard to get in a rhythm when it comes to moments like that, the coach noted.
Frederik Andersen still isn’t back on the ice. Toronto’s No. 1 goalie hasn’t skated since losing to the Flames on March 19.
“No real update yet,” said Keefe. “He’s had some different examinations and different things he’s had looked at … his return is not imminent. I expect we’ll have an update in the coming days.”
How will Campbell stack up against Oilers?
Jack Campbell improved his record to 5-0 on the season and he hasn’t given up more than two goals in a single game this season but with a huge test against the Oilers on the horizon this weekend, is he ready for the challenge? That’s Hockey discusses.
The past weekend of football was all about the favourites.
The favoured teams went 13-1 straight up and 10-4 against the spread in the NFL. In college football, the three most teams bet at the BetMGM Sportsbook in terms of number of bets and money all won and covered. All three were favourites.
Trends of the Week
The three most bet college teams that won and covered on Saturday were Ohio State (-3.5) vs. Penn State, Indiana (-7.5) at Michigan State and Oregon (-14.5) at Michigan. Penn State has now lost seven straight home games as underdogs. The Nittany Lions were up 10-0 in the first quarter and were 3.5-point favourites at the time. The Buckeyes won 17-10.
In the NFL, the three most bet teams in terms of number of bets and money were the Washington Commanders (-4) at the New York Giants, the Detroit Lions (-2.5) at the Green Bay Packers and the Buffalo Bills (-6) vs. the Miami Dolphins. All three teams won, but only two of the three covered the spread as Buffalo beat Miami 30-27.
When it came to the players with the most bets to score a touchdown on Sunday, only two of the five reached the end zone — Chase Brown (-125) and Taysom Hill (+185). David Montgomery (-140), Brian Robinson Jr. (+110) and AJ Barner (+500) did not score.
Upsets of the Week
The biggest upset in the NFL was the Carolina Panthers coming from behind to beat the New Orleans Saints 23-22. New Orleans closed as a 7-point favourite and took in 76% of the bets and 79% of the money in against-the-spread betting. The Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen following the loss. They have now lost seven straight games after starting the year 2-0.
Arguably the biggest upset in college football was South Carolina beating No. 10 Texas A&M 44-20 at home. Texas A&M closed as a 2.5-point favourite and took in 59% of the bets and 58% of the money.
NEW YORK – Washington Capitals left-wing Alex Ovechkin, Carolina Hurricanes centre Martin Necas and Pittsburgh Penguins centre Sidney Crosby have been named the NHL’s three stars of the week.
Ovechkin had a league-leading five goals and nine points in four games.
The 39-year-old Capitals captain has 14 points in 11 games this season, and his 860 career goals are just 34 shy of Wayne Gretzky’s record.
Necas shared the league lead with nine points (three goals, six assists) in three games.
Crosby factored on seven of the Penguins’ eight total goals scoring four goals and adding three assists in three appearances. The 37-year-old Penguins captain leads his team with 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 13 games this season.
Crosby and Ovechkin, longtime rivals since entering the league together in 2005-06, will meet for the 70th time in the regular season and 95th time overall when Pittsburgh visits Washington on Friday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
TORONTO – Running back Brady Oliveira of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell are the finalists for the CFL’s outstanding player award.
Oliveira led the CFL in rushing this season with 1,353 yards while Mitchell was the league leader in passing yards (5,451) and touchdowns (32).
Oliveira is also the West Division finalist for the CFL’s top Canadian award, the second straight year he’s been nominated for both.
Oliveira was the CFL’s outstanding Canadian in 2023 and the runner-up to Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for outstanding player.
Defensive lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund of the Montreal Alouettes is the East Division’s top Canadian nominee.
Voting for the awards is conducted by the Football Reporters of Canada and the nine CFL head coaches.
The other award finalists include: defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal linebacker Tyrice Beverette (outstanding defensive player); Saskatchewan’s Logan Ferland and Toronto’s Ryan Hunter (outstanding lineman); B.C. Lions kicker Sean Whyte and Toronto returner Janarion Grant (special teams); and Edmonton Elks linebacker Nick Anderson and Hamilton receiver Shemar Bridges (outstanding rookie).
The coach of the year finalists are Saskatchewan’s Corey Mace and Montreal’s Jason Maas.
The CFL will honour its top individual performers Nov. 14 in Vancouver.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31.
