What more legitimate litmus test of the Edmonton Oilers 16-game winning streak could there possibly be than the defending Stanley Cup Champion (the club that vanquished the Oilers last season) Vegas Golden Knights?
And in the end, the 17-game record set by the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins remained intact despite an entertaining, hard-fought affair in the desert.
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The Oilers out-shot and out-chanced (83-50) the Golden Knights. But Aiden Hill was terrific at the other end. Make the final 3-1 (EN).
Excellent hockey game. Here is the tale of the tape…
STUART SKINNER. 6. Managed a difficult shot from Hague from the point later in the 1st. Made the first save on the 1-1 goal but could not contain the rebound. Reacted as if he picked up the puck a shade late through a screen on the 2-1. 3rd goal was an empty netter. Stopped 21 of 23. In the end, Aiden Hill was one save better than Stuart Skinner.
CONNOR McDAVID. 7. Finished off a 2-on-0 with Leon Draisaitl by 1-timing Leon’s perfect pass home low glove for the 1-0, short-handed. Hard back check disrupted a Vegas sortie after a Bouchard shot was blocked at the point. Circled the net then fed Leon who was robbed by Hill’s diving stop. Bouchard hammered one of his passes off the post. Ticked one off the post later in the 1st. A sprint up the middle of the ice early in the 3rd chased by a wrister that Hill just got a piece of. Charged back to strip the puck then turned it back and fed Draisaitl for a 1-timer but Hill denied him.
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RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS. 6. Sneaky pass led to a hard Hyman jam later in the first. Highly effective with the puck creating in the Vegas zone. A fantastic 23-10, 70% CF 5v5.
ZACH HYMAN. 6. A hard jam in the latter stages of the 1st. The flow of play was strongly in Edmonton’s favor with him on the ice. Had 3 shots. But could not find net.
DARNELL NURSE. 8. Played a terrific game. A strong defensive play on Paul Cotter on what appeared to be a slow developing odd-man situation for Vegas late in the 1st. Elite speed on display as he tracked down a loose Kolesar on a partial break in the 2nd. Great up-ice feed to McDavid for a chance. Not able to corral the puck on the 2-1. HDSC’s 6-3 5v5.
CODY CECI. 6. Blocked shot on a 1st Period PK. Partial screen on the 2-1. 3 shots on net. But High Dangers were 6-2 with him on the ice and against strong competition.
LEON DRAISAITL. 7. Strong 2-way effort. Sifted a perfect little pass into the slot for McDavid to fire home for the 1-0. A couple shifts later, just missed by inches a 1-timer off a pass from Foegele. Swallowed some stick early in the 2nd but alas there was no call. Robbed by Hill’s arm in a cross-the-crease dive. An interception and then neat pass in front to Kane for an early 3rd period chance. Hard 3rd Period back-check. Stoned on a 1-timer off a McDavid feed. Then another back-check forced a Vegas chance wide.
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EVANDER KANE. 6. Good defensive stick in the 1st helped disrupt a Vegas play in the O-zone. Hard back check bailed out Foegele after a sloppy turnover. Solid play continued into the 2nd with a feed to Ceci for a shot, a shot of his own, then a net drive which drew a power play. Just missed a chance in front immediately before the eventual winner was scored down at the other end. Was physical, 3 hits.
WARREN FOEGELE. 4. Fought it tonight. Good feed across to Draisaitl for a 1-timer in the 1st. bad neutral zone turnover but bailed out by a hard back check by Evander Kane. Whistled for a 2nd Period hold. Poor positioning on the 2-1. Was back but part of the confusion on the 2-1. Busted his ass to save an empty net goal late.
MATTIAS EKHOLM. 6. Could not box out his man on the 1-1. Perfect timing to break up a developing Vegas off-man rush in the 2nd. But High Dangers were just 7-2 5v5 on his watch.
EVAN BOUCHARD. 5. Shot blocked at the blueline and turned the other way, but a McDavid back check helped erase it. Executed a tricky walk along the offensive blueline, leading to a good chance by Hyman in front. Had two shots at knocking his man off the puck on the 1-1 sequence and failed to, and then did not take a man in front with the rebound rattling around. A turnover late in the 1st. Hammered one off the post off a McDavid feed in the 2nd. He looked off too many shot attempts.
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RYAN McLEOD. 7. This line’s speed (71 & 55) and tenacity (90) disrupted the Vegas zone all night. McLeod and Holloway kept Vegas pinned deep with a rolling cycle in the 1st. A 3-way play between him, Perry and Holloway created a dangerous chance early in the 2nd, but the puck deflected high and wide. The trio struck again part way through the 3rd. Highly effectively line all night long. Just did not score.
DYLAN HOLLOWAY. 7. Part of a highly effective cycle with McLeod in the 1st. Another series by this line resulted in a chance. Hard 2nd Period back check. Chips a back over to McLeod whose shot deflects wide. Then created a good chance for Perry in deep. Yet another chance was created part-way through the 3rd. Led the Oilers in 5v5 CF at 14-3, 82%. Sure looks like be belongs here.
COREY PERRY. 6. Head’s up pass led to a McLeod chance. Got a chance in tight off a hard by play by Holloway. Could not finish a 3rd period chance created by this line as well. Looks good with the two kids so far.
BRETT KULAK. 7. Excellent performance. Darted in from the point with a hard shot in the 1st. A fine defensive play in the 2nd neutralized a Vegas off-man rush. An equally impressive play against Marchessault negated a chance.
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VINCENT DESHARNAIS. 7. Strong play at his own blueline helped quickly turn the play in the other direction, ending in the McDavid 1-0. A well-earned assist for him. A fine 2nd Period feed sent Kane in alone and helped draw a PP.
DEREK RYAN. 5. Gritty. 1st period blocked shot. Smart pass to Kulak for an excellent chance in the 1st. 67% on draws.
MATTIAS JANMARK. 5. Two 1st period hits. Could not jam home an industrious opportunity from Connor Brown.
CONNOR BROWN. 5. Smart clear up the wall in his own zone. Steal in the 2nd. Engineered a chance on net for Janmark in the 3rd. Was much better than his fancy stats suggested.
Edmonton’s record now sits at 29-16-1, 59 points. They remain 3rd in the Pacific Division. Anaheim is next.
Find me on Threads @kleavins, on Instagram at LeavinsOnHockey, Mastodon at KurtLeavins@mstdn.social, and X @KurtLeavins.
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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 Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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