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Denis Shapovalov Novak Djokovic Wimbledon semifinals – TSN

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As expected when going up against one of the game’s greatest players, the tale of the tape doesn’t give many edges to Canada’s Denis Shapovalov in his Wimbledon semifinal tilt with top-seed Novak Djokovic.

Watch the semifinal clash Friday morning at approximately 11am ET/8am PT on TSN 3/4 and streaming on TSN.ca, the TSN App and TSN Direct. 

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Grand Slam success? Advantage Djokovic. The Serbian star has won 19 major titles, just one shy of the record held jointly by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. He’s won five Wimbledon titles alone, including the last two at the All England Club. Shapovalov, meanwhile, is in a Slam semi for the first time in his career.

Consistency? Advantage Djokovic. The World No. 1 is playing excellent tennis this year even by his already lofty standards. He has a 27-3 record this year with three titles, including the Australian Open and French Open.

Experience? Advantage Djokovic. The 34-year-old won his first ATP Tour match in 2004, which launched a career that saw Djokovic set a record for most weeks at the No. 1 ranking with 322. Shapovalov made his Tour debut in 2017 and is still considered a rising star.

And, of course, Djokovic has a 6-0 advantage in head-to-head meetings.

What Shapovalov does have heading into Friday’s match, however, is confidence and the respect of his elite opponent.

“I do believe that I have the game to beat (Djokovic),” the 22-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., said following his quarterfinal win over Karen Khachanov of Wednesday.

“Obviously he’s been playing super well this season and he loves this (grass) surface. Definitely a super-difficult match ahead of me, but I believe in my game. I think I’ve been playing really good tennis.”

Djokovic’s most recent win over Shapovalov was a 7-5, 7-5 victory in the round robin the ATP Cup at Melbourne, Australia back in January. They have met once at a Grand Slam, with Shapovalov taking a set from Djokovic — no mean feat — before falling in the third round of the 2019 Australian Open. That same year they faced off in the final of the prestigious Paris Masters, with Djokovic winning 6-3, 6-4.

Friday is a blank slate, according to Shapovalov.

“When you walk out on that match, it’s 0-0,” he said. “That’s it. It’s a tennis match at the end of the day. Experience, this, that — it comes down to that moment and who’s playing the best.”

Djokovic said Shapovalov will present his biggest challenge at Wimbledon.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Djokovic said after his quarterfinal win over Marton Fucsovics. “It’s going to be a battle and I need to be at my best.”

Djokovic called Shapovalov one of the leaders of the next generation of tennis stars.

“Maybe he was not winning big matches over the last couple of years, (but) it seems like he’s maturing,” Djokovic said. “You would expect that from a player like him that has really an all-around game.”

As daunting an opponent as Djokovic is, Shapovalov does have unique weapons in his arsenal. He plays with an exciting high-risk, high-reward style that become more effective after being tempered with experience. And his strong serve, coming from his left-handed delivery, is a danger that gives even Djokovic pause.

“It’s always tricky to play someone who is left-handed on the quick surfaces,” Djokovic said.

“You don’t get many opportunities against his service game, especially on grass,” he added.

Shapovalov is looking to become the first Canadian to win a men’s Grand Slam singles title. Milos Raonic reached the Wimbledon final in 2016 before falling to Andy Murray.

Bianca Andreescu became the first Canadian Grand Slam singles winner when she beat Serena Williams in the final of the 2019 U.S. Open,

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2021.

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Allen on trade to Devils from Habs: 'Sometimes you've got to be a little bit selfish' – Yahoo Canada Sports

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Jake Allen loved being a member of the Montreal Canadiens.

The hockey-mad market, the crackling Bell Centre on a Saturday night, the Original Six franchise’s iconic logo.

The 33-year-old goaltender is also realistic.

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With the Canadiens still in full rebuild mode — and two young netminders in Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau ready for more playing time — Allen could see the writing on the wall.

Desperate for help in their own crease, the New Jersey Devils asked Montreal about the veteran’s availability. But the team, general manager Tom Fitzgerald told reporters earlier this month, was initially on Allen’s no-trade list.

There wasn’t anything the Fredericton product disliked about the organization or city. The Devils simply appeared to have their crease set for years to come.

But when the club that finished with 112 points and made the second round of the playoffs in 2022-23 was badly hampered by poor play from Vitek Vanecek, Nico Daws and Akira Schmid — each netminder owned save percentages below .900 — the Devils circled back.

And Allen had changed his tune.

“Loved my time as a Hab,” he said of pulling on Montreal’s red, white and blue threads. “I always will cherish that. Put on probably the most special jersey in hockey, in my books. But you realize in your career, it doesn’t last forever.

“You’ve got to make decisions sometimes.”

Allen, who is signed through next season, eventually agreed to a deal that sent him to New Jersey ahead of the NHL’s March 8 trade deadline for a conditional third-round pick at the 2025 draft.

Apart from playing meaningful hockey on a team trying to claw its way back into the Eastern Conference playoff race, the swap gave him more runway to get his family settled in a new city instead of waiting to see what this summer’s crowded goalie market might bring.

“Sometimes you’ve got to be a little bit selfish,” said Allen, a Stanley Cup champion with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. “Look yourself in the mirror and wonder what’s best for you and your family.”

He’s been really good for his new team.

Allen was lights out in Tuesday’s first period against the Toronto Maple Leafs, making an eye-popping 25 saves in what would turn into New Jersey’s 6-3 victory.

So far he’s 4-2-0 with a .925 save percentage and a 2.51 goals against average in six starts for the Devils, who sit five points back of the East’s second wild-card spot.

“A real pro,” said interim head coach Travis Green.

Allen is a combined 10-14-3 in 2023-24 with a .900 save percentage and a 3.39 GAA. Across his 11 seasons with St. Louis, Montreal and now New Jersey, he’s 193-164-41 with a .908 save percentage and 2.75 GAA.

“Makes the saves we need to get some momentum back,” Devils captain Nico Hischier said. “If you have a solid goalie in the net, that makes your work easier.”

Allen is also 11-12 with a .924 and a 2.06 GAA all-time in the playoffs — a good sign for his new club should New Jersey manage to make the cut.

For now, though, he’s just enjoying being back in a post-season race.

“I thought this was a good opportunity to come in the rest of this year, play some games,” Allen said.

“It’s been a good start.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2024.

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Follow @JClipperton_CP on X.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press

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Matthews game-time decision for Maple Leafs against Capitals with illness – NHL.com

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TORONTOAuston Matthews will be a game-time decision for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Washington Capitals at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; SN1, MNMT) because of an illness.

“It’s going to be on how he feels throughout the day,” Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said.

The forward did not participate in Toronto’s morning skate. Max Domi took his place as the center on a line between Tyler Bertuzzi and Mitch Marner, a right wing recovering from a high-ankle sprain sustained March 7 and will be out the next two games.

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Matthews leads the NHL with 59 goals, one from becoming the ninth player in NHL history with at least two 60-goal seasons. He scored 60 in 73 games in 2021-22, when he won the Rocket Richard Trophy, Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award. He had one goal and nine shots in 23:44 of a 6-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, which extended his point streak to five games (four goals, seven assists).

He missed one game this season with illness, a 7-0 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 16.

“Of course, it’s an adjustment when your best player is out of the lineup,” Domi said, “when anybody is out of the lineup, but I think we’ve done a great job all year of guys stepping up when they have to, and we just have to continue to do that.”

Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly will miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury.

“He just remains day to day,” Keefe said. “We’re hopeful he’s going to bounce back here. The one thing that is good is once he gets through this day or two here, it’s not going to be a lingering situation. It’s not going to be an injury that’s ongoing. Once he’s past it, he’s past it so we just need to give him some time.”

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Canucks place goalie Thatcher Demko on long-term injured list

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The Vancouver Canucks have placed all-star goalie Thatcher Demko on the long-term injured reserve list retroactively.

“It’s just cap related,” coach Rick Tocchet said after practice Wednesday. “We get some cap relief, that’s all it is.”

The 28-year-old netminder has been considered week to week since being sidelined with a lower-body injury midway through Vancouver’s 5-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets on March 9.

That injury designation hasn’t changed, Tocchet said.

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Demko boasts a 34-18-2 record this season, with a .917 save percentage, a 2.47 goals-against average and five shutouts.

Casey DeSmith has taken over the starting job for Vancouver, going 3-2-1 since Demko’s injury. He has a .899 save percentage on the season with a 2.73 goals-against average and one shutout.

The earliest Demko could be back in the Canucks’ lineup is April 6 against the Kings in Los Angeles.

He’s expected to be a key piece as Vancouver (45-19-8) prepares for its first playoff appearance since the COVID-shortened 2019-20 campaign.

Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin also announced Wednesday that the club has called up forward Arshdeep Bains from the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League.

“I’d like to see where [Bains is] at,” Tocchet said, noting he isn’t sure whether the 23-year-old winger will slot into the lineup when the Canucks host the Dallas Stars on Thursday.

WATCH | Bains makes NHL debut

 

Surrey, B.C.’s Arshdeep Bains makes Canucks debut

1 month ago

Duration 2:20

Arshdeep Bains from Surrey, B.C., has made his NHL debut with the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night against the Colorado Avalanche. As CBC’s Joel Ballard reports, it’s been a hard-fought journey for the hometown kid to the big leagues.

Bains played five games for the NHL team in February before being sent back to Abbotsford.

“He went down, he’s done a couple of things that we like, and he’s got some speed,” Tocchet said.

Vancouver may get another forward back in the lineup Thursday.

Dakota Joshua practised in a full-contact jersey on Wednesday for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury in Vancouver’s 4-2 win over the Blackhawks in Chicago on Feb. 13.

The physical winger, who’s set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, has a career-high 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) this season.

Sitting out injured “hasn’t been fun,” Joshua said.

“It feels like forever,” he said. “But at this point, that’s behind me and I’m moving forward.”

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