TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes on the Maple Leafs, who practised at Ford Performance Centre in Toronto on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Arizona Coyotes.
Sheldon Keefe isn’t reading too much into Toronto’s blown leads in the third period last week.
“It’s important that we don’t overreact and try to create much of a complex around here,” the coach said. “Just continue to go out and work and look at the greater sample and trust ourselves.”
Prior to last week, the Leafs had been 17-1 under Keefe when holding a lead in the final period. Then last Monday against the Florida Panthers they squandered a 3-1 lead in the third, losing in regulation after Andersen exited with the injury. On Friday, Toronto also blew a 3-1 advantage against the Anaheim Ducks before salvaging the win in overtime. On Saturday, Toronto grabbed a 1-0 edge in Montreal early in the third before surrendering a late equalizer and losing to the Canadiens in overtime.
“The trend, of course, is that they’re all third periods and all that, but when we look at the issues in each of the games there’s no real trend there for us,” Keefe said. “So, we’re hoping it’s just a funny week and the way things worked out.”
After Friday’s loss, Keefe said the Leafs played like a “fragile group.”
“We just got to get our swagger back,” said winger Kasperi Kapanen. “We’re a great hockey team and we’ve been working really hard on our D-zone and trying to be better there and I think we have, but the third period comes around and we get a bit nervous.”
In the last two third periods, Toronto has been outshot 31-5, including 16-1 on Saturday, but Keefe was actually happy with how his team defended against the Canadiens.
“Defensively, we did a really good job and that’s been a big focus of ours,” Keefe said. “We scored early and then kind of got on our heels … but we felt all the shots, including the goal, were from the outside and that’s a positive for us relative to what we were giving up in the past.”
So, what happened? A team oozing with high-end skill suddenly started misfiring.
“I just think we’re getting away from our game,” said Marner. “We’re not playing with the confidence we need … We’re not getting in the offensive zone enough. To go in and only get one shot is unacceptable. I felt like we gave the game to them in the third.”
One of the rallying cries for Keefe since taking over is “Fight the panic” and hold onto the puck more.
“It’s just supporting each other,” explained defenceman Travis Dermott, “and then if they do get a little momentum swing it’s not breaking down, it’s coming back to the net, staying deep, supporting each other, not getting too stretched out, talking and then kind of working it through that way instead of panicking, shooting the puck out of the zone, giving it back to them and letting them come right back at us. It’s sometimes hard to fight that panic.”
Keefe’s possession-based system works best when the team takes care of the puck, but on Saturday night in the third period the Leafs seemed to slide back into some bad habits.
“It feels like we’re forcing plays that we usually don’t and we’ve gotten away from,” noted Marner, “trying to just force stuff up the middle or to a stretch guy who’s by himself on an island. We know what we got to do to be better so tomorrow’s going to be a better showing for us, let’s hope.”
‘Fight the panic’: Leafs hope blown third period leads just a ‘funny week’
The Maple Leafs have given up third period leads as of late and they believe it could be an issue of confidence and some nerves. The team insists as long as they support each other, they will eventually figure it out. Mark Masters has more.
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Frederik Andersen participated fully in practice for the first time since sustaining a neck injury last Monday.
“It’s feeling good,” the goalie said after the session. “First practice back with the team today was pretty positive.”
Andersen had his own net during most of the workout while Jack Campbell and Michael Hutchinson rotated at the other end. If Andersen isn’t ready, then Campbell will start against Arizona.
Andersen got bumped a couple times in the game against the Panthers, but wouldn’t list one hit that led to the injury.
“I can’t tell you which one was the worst,” Andersen said.
Some injuries you can play through, but the nature of this neck injury makes it tough, Andersen said.
“I don’t want to go into specifics, but just making sure that I can play to the level I need to be at and making sure there are no symptoms … make sure we don’t rush anything.”
Andersen refused to answer when asked if he’s dealt with this type of injury previously.
After going 1-2-1 last week and with four more games in the next six days, the Leafs are eagerly anticipating Andersen’s return.
“Freddie’s been unbelievable so it’s big news if he is back,” said winger Mitch Marner, “and brings a little more confidence to our team.”
TSN’s Kristen Shilton has more on Andersen’s status here.
‘It’s feeling good … pretty positive’: Andersen possible to return Tuesday
Frederik Andersen didn’t want to go into detail about his injury but did say he is feeling good and a return on Tuesday has not been ruled out. The Maple Leafs goaltender also said it is important that he isn’t rushed back and he believes the medical staff is ensuring that does not happen.
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William Nylander returned to practice after missing the last two games due to an illness.
“I feel way better today, that’s for sure,” the 23-year-old said while holding a cup of chicken broth. “I don’t know what exactly it was, just high fever and just felt terrible.”
Monday’s practice was the first time Nylander skated since Wednesday’s game.
“Legs felt fine,” he insisted, “it was more so (about my) breathing after not doing anything.”
“I thought he looked fine,” said Keefe. “Willie’s a guy that loves to skate all the time and stay with that consistently so I’m sure he didn’t feel (like) himself, but we’re happy to see him back in the building.”
Nylander had been on a nine-game point streak with six goals in that span before getting sick. Is he worried some of the momentum will be lost?
“No,” he said with a grin, “I’m not too worried about that.”
‘I’m not too worried’: Nylander doesn’t expect illness absence to slow momentum
William Nylander was enjoying a good stretch personally before falling ill but he doesn’t expect any momentum that he has gained on the ice to be impacted by his brief absence.
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The flu bug seems to be making its way through the dressing room, with centre John Tavares and defenceman Justin Holl the latest to get sick. Both missed practice, but Keefe is optimistic they’ll play Tuesday night.
“I am expecting them, yes,” Keefe said. “However, it’s an illness and you don’t know how that’s going to affect our guys so a lot of those people will be game-time decisions and, of course, we’re hoping it’s something that doesn’t spread.”
Precautions are being made.
“Everyone’s just got to make sure they’re taking care,” Marner said, “and when they’re at the rink taking all the vitamins and stuff like that. It happens every year and it’s something that sucks.”
Dermott, who missed a recent game due to food poisoning, noted that players are leaning on Margaret Hughes, the team’s lead performance dietician, to help them get through the flu season.
Leafs Ice Chips: Tavares, Holl miss practice as illness hits the room
There were plenty of missing bodies at Maple Leafs practice on Monday as an illness has made its way through the room. Mark Masters has more on the sick players and who else was missing from the morning skate.
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Toronto’s offensive struggles on Saturday extended to the power play, which had a rare off night producing just two shots in two missed opportunities.
“Some of our spacing and decision-making coming out of our zone was an issue,” Keefe said. “So, you don’t get that right coming out of your zone then you’re going to end up getting jammed up at the blueline as you’re trying to enter. That’s something we had to do better.”
There was a focus on zone entries during the video session.
“Tyson (Barrie), a couple times coming out, was a little indecisive with what to do with the puck and then that stalled us,” Keefe added.
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There was a radar gun present at practice on Monday with shot speeds getting displayed on a monitor near the bench.
“I just noticed it when Kappy was shooting,” Andersen said with a smile. “I think he got it up to 60. I don’t know if he was holding back a bit.”
“It doesn’t work well for me,” a deadpan Marner said. “I don’t like it.”
Marner won’t have to worry about it moving forward, it appears. It seems like the radar gun’s presence was simply a fluke.
“I don’t know where it came from or whose idea it was, but it doesn’t interest me much,” said Keefe.
The presence of the monitor, for one day at least, did lead to some questions about which Leaf owns the hardest shot.
“Pierre (Engvall) actually has a very hard shot,” said Andersen, who would arguably know best. “Pierre’s is sneaky hard and comes at you heavy.”
“It depends what kind of shot,” said Nylander. “Wrist shot, probably Auston (Matthews).”
“It’s a tough question,” Kapanen said. “(Jake Muzzin) is probably up there or my centreman (Jason Spezza), he’s got a pretty heavy slap shot so I’d have to pick Spezz.”
Random radar gun at Leafs practice raises the question: Who has hardest shot?
A radar gun crept its way into Maple Leafs practice and although some players didn’t even notice, a few did, and it opened up some chirping possibilities. It also brought up the opportunity to wonder which player on the team has the hardest shot.
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Dealing with some bumps and bruises, winger Zach Hyman stayed off the ice on Monday for maintenance. Newly-acquired winger Kyle Clifford missed the workout to attend his grandfather’s funeral. And, at one point, Barrie briefly left the ice.
“It was a challenge,” a smiling Keefe said of running practice. “At one point we might [have] had as many goalies as we had defencemen. Coming from the American League you’re used to having different challenges such as this and guys adjusted just fine.”
MONTREAL – Canadian National Railway Co. told employees this week it plans to relocate its operations in Jasper to near Hinton, Alta., about 100 kilometres away.
In a memo sent to employees in the fire-ravaged town, the company said it’s aiming to increase efficiency by minimizing train stops between Edmonton and Blue River, B.C., which sits across the Rockies.
CN plans to close its Jasper bunkhouse and build a crew change facility east of Hinton, with workers slated to clock in at the new site starting in September 2025, according to the document obtained by The Canadian Press.
“CN has made the decision to implement operational changes to improve network fluidity,” regional vice-president Nicole James said in the memo.
The union representing rail workers criticized the relocation, which affects about 200 employees, though no layoffs are expected.
“This is another devastating blow to the town of Jasper, after this year’s catastrophic wildfires. Rail is one of the largest industries in Jasper, after tourism, and CN’s move will cripple this community even further,” said Paul Boucher, president of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference.
“And for the workers who’ve already lost so much — some even their homes — this is a truly cruel blow.”
Union spokesman Christopher Monette noted that most residents or their spouses must work in town to qualify to live there under Jasper National Park’s residency rules. The company has told the union it will apply for an exception for the workers, he said.
CN spokeswoman Ashley Michnowski says the railway is committed to supporting employees through the transition and keeping them updated.
“These types of changes take time to fully plan out and implement. That’s why one of our initial steps was to have this discussion with our employees as well as advising the town of Jasper,” she said in an email.
A wildfire ripped through Jasper in July, destroying a third of the mountain town and displacing many of its 4,800 residents.
The blaze also caused smoke damage to the CN bunkhouse, which the company says it has worked to restore since it was allowed to re-enter the community with contractors on Aug. 16.
Engineers and conductors have been reporting for work in Hinton, roughly an hour away, since the wildfire.
With roots as a fur trade outpost, Jasper launched as a railway town in the early 20th century after tracks built by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway — CN’s predecessor — paved the way for the municipality.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.
The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.
Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.
He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.
Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.
Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.
The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.
Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.
Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.
Veterans Tyson Beukeboom and Karen Paquin will lead Canada at the WXV 1 women’s rugby tournament starting later this month in the Vancouver area.
WXV 1 includes the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (England, France and Ireland) and the top three teams from the Pacific Four Series (Canada, New Zealand, and the United States).
Third-ranked Canada faces No. 4 France, No. 7 Ireland and No. 1 England in the elite division of the three-tiered WXV tournament that runs Sept. 29 to Oct. 12 in Vancouver and Langley, B.C. No. 2 New Zealand and the eighth-ranked U.S. make up the six-team WVX 1 field.
“Our preparation time was short but efficient. This will be a strong team,” Canada coach Kevin Rouet said in a statement. “All the players have worked very hard for the last couple of weeks to prepare for WXV and we are excited for these next three matches and for the chance to play on home soil here in Vancouver against the best rugby teams in the world.
“France, Ireland and England will each challenge us in different ways but it’s another opportunity to test ourselves and another step in our journey to the Rugby World Cup next year.”
Beukeboom serves as captain in the injury absence of Sophie de Goede. The 33-year-old from Uxbridge, Ont., earned her Canadian-record 68th international cap in Canada’s first-ever victory over New Zealand in May at the Pacific Four Series.
Twenty three of the 30 Canadian players selected for WXV 1 were part of that Pacific Four Series squad.
Rouet’s roster includes the uncapped Asia Hogan-Rochester, Caroline Crossley and Rori Wood.
Hogan-Rochester and Crossley were part of the Canadian team that won rugby sevens silver at the Paris Olympics, along with WXV teammates Fancy Bermudez, Olivia Apps, Alysha Corrigan and Taylor Perry. Wood is a veteran of five seasons at UBC.
The 37-year-old Paquin, who has 38 caps for Canada including the 2014 Rugby World Cup, returns to the team for the first time since the 2021 World Cup.
Canada opens the tournament Sept. 29 against France at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver before facing Ireland on Oct. 5 at Willoughby Stadium at Langley Events Centre, and England on Oct. 12 at B.C. Place.
The second-tier WXV 2 and third-tier WXV 3 are slated to run Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, in South Africa and Dubai, respectively.
WXV 2 features Australia, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa and Wales while WXV 3 is made up of Fiji, Hong Kong, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain.
The tournament has 2025 World Cup qualification implications, although Canada, New Zealand and France, like host England, had already qualified by reaching the semifinals of the last tournament.
Ireland, South Africa, the U.S., Japan, Fiji and Brazil have also booked their ticket, with the final six berths going to the highest-finishing WXV teams who have not yet qualified through regional tournaments.
Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team WXV 1 Squad
Forwards
Alexandria Ellis, Ottawa, Stade Français Paris (France); Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Courtney Holtkamp, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Emily Tuttosi, Souris, Man., Exeter Chiefs (England); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Gillian Boag, Calgary, Gloucester-Hartpury (England); Julia Omokhuale, Calgary, Leicester Tigers (England); Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Club de rugby de Quebec; Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., ASM Romagnat (France); McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Ottawa Irish; Rori Wood, Sooke, B.C., College Rifles RFC; Sara Cline, Edmonton, Leprechaun Tigers; Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England);
Backs
Alexandra Tessier, Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., CRFC; Asia Hogan-Rochester, Toronto, Toronto Nomads; Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Leicester Tigers (England); Fancy Bermudez, Edmonton, Saracens (England); Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Justine Pelletier, Rivière-du-Loup, Que, Stade Bordelais (France); Mahalia Robinson, Fulford, Que., Town of Mount Royal RFC; Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Paige Farries, Red Deer, Alta., Saracens (England); Sara Kaljuvee, Ajax, Ont., Westshore RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
