adplus-dvertising
Connect with us

Sports

Defensive miscues help keep Maple Leafs from clinching playoff spot in loss

Published

 on

Don’t pop those corks just yet.

The Maple Leafs needed a point on Wednesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning to clinch a playoff spot for the eighth year in a row.

Article content

Thanks to Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy and some defensive breakdowns at Scotiabank Arena, Toronto didn’t get it.

Auston Matthews scored his 63rd goal of the season, but it was all the Leafs got against Vasilevskiy, who was sharp in a 28-save performance that helped lead to a 4-1 Tampa Bay victory.

“It’s one of those games where one or two mistakes our way, one or two saves their way (make the difference),” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “We leave (Brayden) Point open alone at the net and give (Steven) Stamkos a 2-on-1 (for another goal), that ultimately is the difference.”

Joseph Woll didn’t have a good game in the Leafs net. Ilya Samsonov might not have required it, but his grip on the starting role for the playoffs became a little more firm.

Our takeaways:

MATTHEWS HITS 63

Not only did Matthews put himself within seven goals of 70, the Leafs put an end to a power-play skid.

Matthews scored on a one-timer with one minute to play in the first period, and just three seconds after Luke Glendening started serving an interference minor.

The pass to Matthews came from Morgan Rielly, who was back in the lineup and on the top power-play unit after missing four games with an upper-body injury. John Tavares beat Anthony Cirelli on the draw to start the play.

The Leafs were 0-for-14 in their previous five games on the power play and failed on their first power play on Wednesday. The goal was badly needed, to put it mildly, and Rielly should be back on the No. 1 unit to stay.

In the morning, Stamkos said it didn’t feel difficult to score during his 60-goal season in 2011-12.

Can Matthews relate?

“I don’t know,” Matthews said. “Each night brings its own challenges and for myself. I’ve had the mindset to go in and compete and see what happens. When the puck is going in and you’re in a rhythm, it’s great, but it’s a long season, there’s ups and downs. You go through times and periods where it doesn’t feel like it’s ever going to go in again.”

Lightning coach Jon Cooper put his spin on the comparison between Matthews and Washington Capitals start Alex Ovechkin and made some good points.

“When you pair the numbers up with Auston and Ovie, and you think Ovie is an untouchable, Auston has pretty much touched him and he has done better than he has at certain times,” Cooper said. “You’re talking the elite of the elite, some of the most gifted who have ever played the game.

“(Matthews) is not a kid anymore. He has done it for quite some time, so it’s pretty impressive.”

Matthews’ point on his goal was his 99th of the season and the 641st of his career, moving him past Ron Ellis into sole possession of sixth place on the Leafs’ franchise points list.

MISTAKES ON ICE

The Leafs’ downfall came via brain cramps.

Through two periods, they allowed just 14 shots on goal, but three of them got by Woll for a 3-1 Tampa Bay lead.

There wasn’t much that could be done on the first Lightning goal at 10:03 of the first period. On a delayed Leafs penalty, defenceman Victor Hedman got a wrist shot through from the point, beating a screened Woll high on the goalie’s blocker side.

Matthews answered late in the period to send the teams into the intermission tied 1-1.

The second period? Not fresh at all.

Point scored at 2:54, deking to his backhand after he was left alone in front of Woll and had all the time in the world to make a decision after taking a pass from Nikita Kucherov.

Not only did TJ Brodie chase the puck up the side boards after Ilya Lyubushkin handled it like a hot potato, Lyubushkin couldn’t contain Kucherov behind the net once the puck came back to that area. David Kampf initially drew a bead on Point, but then ignored him and watched the puck instead.

“Kampfer left the net front,” Keefe said. “Just got to hang out there, just wait, let the D recover. Just got to hold. Little impatient there.”

The goal came after Keefe left the Leafs’ fourth line on the ice for two defensive-zone faceoffs against the Kucherov and Point. Kampf lost both.

“You have to have some trust in some other guys, it’s that time of the year,” Keefe said of his fourth-line usage in that situation. “Like I said, we’re fine there if Kampfer holds the net front.”

Tampa went up 3-1 at 8:47 when Stamkos kept on a 2-on-1 and beat Woll, who didn’t move, with a shot along the ice. The odd-man rush came as a result of a neutral-zone pinch by Jake McCabe.

Going with a defence-by-committee, which the Leafs have no choice but to do given the lack of bona fide top-four D-men, can lead to trouble. The Leafs did do some good things defensively, but when mistakes were made, Woll wasn’t able to bail out his teammates.

Nick Paul beat Woll high in the third period, though Rielly, perhaps anticipating a Paul pass to a teammate, didn’t close the gap.

Are the errors big concerns with the playoffs looming? Not really, because they will happen from time to time (and by the Leafs’ opponents, too). But they’re a reminder of the importance of being mentally sharp on every shift.

REAVES REVVING

Ryan Reaves has worked well with Kampf and Conor Dewar on the left side on the Leafs’ fourth line. He’s not the liability he was in the first three months.

While there still might be some debate as to whether Reaves should be in the lineup for Game 1 of the playoffs, there’s no doubt that he is now having a positive impact.

In the first period, he set a tone when he rocked Tampa Bay defencemen Matt Dumba and Hedman and with big hits.

And Reaves hasn’t been prone to taking bad penalties. He hasn’t been called for a minor since Feb. 9 and has taken just seven in 44 games.

Reaves won a clear decision over Tanner Jeannot in a fight early in the third period, sending the Lightning forward to the ice with a big right, and Jeannot eventually had to go to the Tampa dressing room.

If fighting was an integral component in the playoffs, Reaves would be in, no questions asked. We’ll be curious to see where Keefe lands on Reaves’ spot for Game 1.

“Compared to the beginning of season, it’s been night and day,” Reaves said of his own play. “It’s what they’ve expected out of me the whole season. Glad that that’s clicking. I’m glad that the line is clicking. I’m playing more physical. We’ve had our chances in the offensive zone. I’m happy with it. I’m want to keep building on it and hopefully bring that same energy into the playoffs.”

 

728x90x4

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Dolphins will bring in another quarterback, while Tagovailoa deals with concussion

Published

 on

 

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins will bring in another quarterback while starter Tua Tagovailoa deals with his latest concussion, coach Mike McDaniel said Friday.

For now, Skylar Thompson will be considered the Dolphins’ starter while Tagovailoa is sidelined. Tagovailoa left Thursday night’s 31-10 loss to Buffalo in the third quarter with the third known concussion of his NFL career, all of them coming in the last 24 months.

“The team and the organization are very confident in Skylar,” McDaniel said.

McDaniel said the team has not made any decision about whether to place Tagovailoa on injured reserve. Tagovailoa was expected at the team facility on Friday to start the process of being evaluated in earnest.

“We just have to operate in the unknown and be prepared for every situation,” McDaniel said, noting that the only opinions that will matter to the team will be the ones from Tagovailoa and the medical staff.

McDaniel added that he doesn’t see Tagovailoa playing in Miami’s next game at Seattle on Sept. 22.

“I have no idea and I’m not going to all of a sudden start making decisions that I don’t even see myself involved in the most important parts of,” McDaniel added. “All I’m telling Tua is everyone is counting on you to be a dad and be a dad this weekend. And then we’ll move from there. There won’t be any talk about where we’re going in that regard … none of that will happen without doctors’ expertise and the actual player.”

Tagovailoa was 17 for 25 passing for 145 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions — one of which was returned for a Buffalo score — when he got hurt. Thompson completed eight of 14 passes for 80 yards.

Thompson said he feels “fully equipped” to run the Dolphins’ offense.

“What’s going to lie ahead, who knows, but man, I’m confident, though,” Thompson said after Thursday’s game. “I feel like I’m ready for whatever’s to come. I’m going to prepare and work hard and do everything I can to lead this team and do my job.”

___

AP NFL:

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Alouettes receiver Philpot announces he’ll be out for the rest of season

Published

 on

 

Montreal Alouettes wide receiver Tyson Philpot has announced he will be out for the rest of the CFL season.

The Delta, B.C., native posted the news on his Instagram page Thursday.

“To Be Continued. Shoutout my team, the fans of the CFL and the whole city of Montreal! I can’t wait to be back healthy and write this next chapter in 2025,” the statement read.

Philpot, 24, injured his foot in a 33-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Aug. 10 and was placed on the six-game injured list the next week.

The six-foot-one, 195-pound receiver had 58 receptions, 779 yards and five touchdowns in nine games for the league-leading Alouettes in his third season.

Philpot scored the game-winning touchdown in Montreal’s Grey Cup win last season to punctuate a six-reception, 63-yard performance.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

David Lipsky shoots 65 to take 1st-round lead at Silverado in FedEx Cup Fall opener

Published

 on

 

NAPA, Calif. (AP) — David Lipsky shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday at Silverado Country Club to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Procore Championship.

Winless in 104 events since joining the PGA Tour in 2022, Lipsky went out with the early groups and had eight birdies with one bogey to kick off the FedEx Cup Fall series at the picturesque course in the heart of Napa Valley wine country.

After missing the cut in his three previous tournaments, Lipsky flew from Las Vegas to Arizona to reunite with his college coach at Northwestern to get his focus back. He also spent time playing with some of the Northwestern players, which helped him relax.

“Just being around those guys and seeing how carefree they are, not knowing what’s coming for them yet, it’s sort of nice to see that,” Lipsky said. “I was almost energized by their youthfulness.”

Patton Kizzire and Mark Hubbard were a stroke back. Kizzire started on the back nine and made a late run with three consecutive birdies to move into a tie for first. A bogey on No. 8 dropped him back.

“There was a lot of good stuff out there today,” Kizzire said. “I stayed patient and just went through my routines and played well, one shot at a time. I’ve really bee working hard on my mental game and I think that allowed me to rinse and repeat and reset and keep playing.”

Mark Hubbard was at 67. He had nine birdies but fell off the pace with a bogey and triple bogey on back-to-back holes.

Kevin Dougherty also was in the group at 67. He had two eagles and ended his afternoon by holing out from 41 yards on the 383-yard, par-4 18th.

Defending champion Sahith Theegala had to scramble for much of his round of 69.

Wyndham Clark, who won the U.S. Open in 2023 and the AT&T at Pebble Beach in February, had a 70.

Max Homa shot 71. The two-time tournament champion and a captain’s pick for the President’s Cup in two weeks had two birdies and overcame a bogey on the par-4 first.

Stewart Cink, the 2020 winner, also opened with a 71. He won The Ally Challenge last month for his first PGA Tour Champions title.

Three players from the Presidents Cup International team had mix results. Min Woo Lee shot 68, Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., 69 and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., 73. International team captain Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., also had a 69.

Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., had a 68, Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., shot 70 and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., had a 71.

Lipsky was a little shaky off the tee for much of the afternoon but made up for it with steady iron play that left him in great shape on the greens. He had one-putts on 11 holes and was in position for a bigger day but left five putts short.

Lipsky’s only real problem came on the par-4 ninth when his approach sailed into a bunker just shy of the green. He bounced back nicely with five birdies on his back nine. After missing a 19-foot putt for birdie on No. 17, Lipsky ended his day with a 12-foot par putt.

That was a big change from last year when Lipsky tied for 30th at Silverado when he drove the ball well but had uneven success on the greens.

“Sometimes you have to realize golf can be fun, and I think I sort of forgot that along the way as I’m grinding it out,” Lipsky said. “You’ve got to put things in perspective, take a step back. Sort of did that and it seems like it’s working out.”

Laird stayed close after beginning his day with a bogey on the par-4 10th. The Scot got out of the sand nicely but pushed his par putt past the hole.

Homa continued to have issues off the tee and missed birdie putts on his final four holes.

___

AP golf:

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending