EDMONTON — It was the type of highlight-reel move Dillon Dube has seen play out at Rogers Place many times before.
The man performing it is usually Connor McDavid, the fastest skater alive.
Yet, there was Dube, in just his fifth NHL playoff game, gaining speed through the neutral zone with a sudden urge to try going wide around Dallas defenceman Andrej Sekera.
It worked, suddenly springing the 22-year-old Flames winger to cut towards the net and in alone on Anton Khudobin, who he deftly danced around before depositing it into an empty net.
It came seven minutes after he’d opened the scoring with a world-class one-timer, allowing the lad from nearby Cochrane, Alta., to host a second-consecutive breakout party.
One game after his first NHL playoff goal eliminated the Winnipeg Jets, his two-spot was instrumental in a 3-2 series-opening win over the Stars that also required plenty of his defensive moxie to solidify the result.
“I came through with some speed and, at that point, I just wanted to challenge him,” said Dube of the nifty net-finder. “If worst came to worst, we’d just kind of battle it into the corner. Luckily enough, I got a step on him and was able to take it to the net.”
And take it to the Stars, who saw Dube open the night with a monster hit, before closing it as one of many defensive stalwarts on a team impressively dedicated to the defensive cause.
“He’s got great speed, but what I liked about him was there was no fear in him cutting to the net,” said coach Geoff Ward of the goal that put Calgary up 2-0 late in the opening period.
“He just cut right in there as soon as he saw his seam and he’s been dialled in for us this whole playoffs and (Tuesday) he had a couple of real big moments for us. He actually could have had a hat trick in the first period, he had that breakaway that he missed. He does an awful lot of things with his speed but we really liked the fact he’s got some sandpaper with his skill level. He’s not afraid to go to the hard areas to make plays.”
It’s sizeable praise for the five-foot-11, 185-pounder who started the first 13 games of the season in the minors with instructions to work more on his play along the wall.
Now he’s dominating them, with a little help from co-stars Milan Lucic and Sam Bennett, who made up the Flames’ best line for the second game in a row.
It’s a development few could have predicted, especially after Dube missed the first four days of training camp 2.0 and was believed by some to be behind the eight ball.
Not so.
“He showed up in training camp in great shape — it was almost as if his game was at another level when he came to camp, and he’s just carried that into games,” said Ward, adding that speed isn’t the only thing he’s been building of late.
“I think every game he plays, he’s gaining more and more confidence, so that allows him to play freely and get to his skill. So, now we’re seeing him make some really, really key plays. Maybe for some people that haven’t watched us a lot, he stands out as a surprise, but to his teammates and coaches, we’ve seen this building for a while now and he’s an important part of our lineup.”
By virtue of his captaincy and success for Canada at the world juniors, many believed Dube could be a difference-maker for the Flames in due time.
This is ahead of schedule, coming against the Dallas team that gave Calgary the second-round pick they used to draft Dube 56th overall in 2016, in exchange for pending UFA Kris Russell.
Dube’s goals were erased midway through the afternoon when the Stars were the beneficiaries of two fortuitous bounces within nine seconds that tied the affair.
It was a Rasmus Andersson roof job of the tip off Sekera’s stick that broke the deadlock with four minutes left in the second period, setting the stage for the Flames to try holding onto the type of playoff lead that was their ultimate undoing a year earlier against Colorado.
“Just playing simple — when there’s no play there, we get pucks in and get pucks out, and be on the forecheck,” explained TJ Brodie of their newfound second-half success, based largely around a defence-first mantra.
“That’s the biggest difference — last year we tried to make plays when they weren’t there and got into the rush game, and when you get into that, you never know what is going to happen. It feels good. You can feel the chemistry in the room and the trust between the guys knowing guys are going to do their job and make the right play. And if they don’t, there’s going to be guys to back him up. It definitely feels different than the previous years.”
Untested following relatively meaningless round-robin play, the Stars were physically dominated and on their heels early, prompting Corey Perry to try shifting momentum by picking a fight with his fellow London Knights alum, Matthew Tkachuk.
To no one’s surprise.
Tkachuk got the better of the 35-year-old veteran, pushing him to the ice, drawing rousing stick taps and love from the bench.
The momentum continued, making it three straight wins for a Flames team that seemed to flip a switch in the second period of Game 3 against Winnipeg, playing with a confidence and completeness not exhibited by the bunch all season.
“Especially in the first period, I thought we did a good job of establishing our physicality, similar to what we did last series against Winnipeg,” said Noah Hanifin.
“It’s a strong asset for our team and it’s important to get to that each game.”
Although he let in the first soft goal of these playoffs, Cam Talbot bounced back well, stopping 24 shots, including a game-saver off the stick of Joe Pavelski with nine second left in the game, while the Flames killed off a last-minute penalty to Mark Giordano for flipping the puck over the glass.
“I think the biggest thing for us is I think we gained some confidence tonight,” said Ward, whose team plays the first four games of the series in five and a half days.
“I think we learned some things as a team that we can certainly apply through the series. So, for us, it was a good first game. (Andersson and Dube) both have a lot of confidence in their games right now. They’re playing pretty loosely out there. I don’t think the size of the stage intimidates them at all — they actually look forward to it. Because they are gaining confidence and experience on a game-by-game basis, they’re feeding off it and using it to motivate themselves in the right way.
“We’re seeing right now, they’re creating some awfully big moments for us in hockey games.”
NEW YORK – Toronto Blue Jays reliever Chad Green and Canadian slugger Tyler O’Neill of the Boston Red Sox were named finalists for the Major League Baseball Players’ Association’s American League comeback player award on Monday.
Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet was the other nominee.
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. were named player of the year finalists.
The award winners, selected via player voting, will be named Saturday before Game 2 of the World Series.
Green, who missed most of the 2022 and ’23 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, was a high-leverage option for the Blue Jays this past season and filled in at closer over the second half of the campaign.
The right-hander converted his first 16 save opportunities and finished the year with a 4-6 record, 17 saves and a 3.21 earned-run average over 53 appearances.
O’Neill, a native of Burnaby, B.C., also endured back-to-back injury-plagued seasons in ’22 and ’23.
After being traded to the Red Sox in the off-season, O’Neill set an MLB record by hitting a homer in his fifth straight Opening Day. He finished with 31 homers on the year and had an OPS of .847.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
NEW YORK – Florida Panthers centre Sam Reinhart was named NHL first star of the week on Monday after leading all players with nine points over four games last week.
Reinhart had four goals, five assists and a plus-seven rating to help the Stanley Cup champions post a 3-0-1 record on the week and move into first place in the Atlantic Division.
New York Rangers left-winger Artemi Panarin took the second star and Minnesota Wild goaltenderFilip Gustavsson was the third star.
Panarin had eight points (4-4) over three games.
Gustavsson became the 15th goalie in NHL history to score a goal and had a 1.00 goals-against average and .962 save percentage over a pair of victories.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Deshaun Watson won’t finish the season as Cleveland’s starting quarterback for the second straight year.
He’s injured again, and the Browns have new problems.
Watson ruptured his right Achilles tendon in the first half of Sunday’s loss to Cincinnati, collapsing as he began to run and leading some Browns fans to cheer while the divisive QB laid on the ground writhing in pain.
The team feared Watson’s year was over and tests done Monday confirmed the rupture. The Browns said Watson will have surgery and miss the rest of the season but “a full recovery is expected.”
It’s the second significant injury in two seasons for Watson, who broke the glenoid (socket) bone in his throwing shoulder last year after just six starts.
The 29-year-old went down Sunday without being touched on a draw play late in the first half. His right leg buckled and Watson crumpled to the turf. TV replays showed his calf rippling, consistent with an Achilles injury.
He immediately put his hands on his helmet, clearly aware of the severity of an injury similar to the one Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers sustained last year.
As he was being assisted by the team’s medical staff and backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson grabbed a ball to begin warming up, there was some derisive cheers and boos from the stands in Huntington Bank Field.
Cleveland fans have been split over Watson, who has been accused of being sexually inappropriate with women.
The reaction didn’t sit well with several Watson’s teammates, including star end Myles Garrett, the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, who was appalled by the fans’ behavior.
“We should be ashamed of ourselves as Browns and as fans to boo anyone and their downfall. To be season-altering, career-altering injury,” Garrett said. “Man’s not perfect. He doesn’t need to be. None of us are expected to be perfect. Can’t judge him for what he does off the field or on the field because I can’t throw stones for my glass house.
“Ultimately everyone’s human and they’re disappointed just like we are, but we have to be better than that as people. There’s levels to this. At the end of the day, it’s just a game and you don’t boo anybody being injured and you don’t celebrate anyone’s downfall.”
Backup quarterback Jameis Winston also admonished the uncomfortable celebration.
“I am very upset with the reaction to a man that has had the world against him for the past four years, and he put his body and life on the line for this city every single day,” he said. “The way I was raised, I will never pull on a man when he’s down, but I will be the person to lift him up.
“I know you love this game. When I first got here, I knew these were some amazing fans, but Deshaun was treated badly and now he has to overcome another obstacle. So I’m going to support him, I’m going to lift him up and I’m going to be there for him.”
The injury is yet another twist in Watson’s tumultuous time with the Browns.
Cleveland traded three first-round draft picks and five overall to Houston in 2022 to get him, with owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam approving the team giving Watson a fully guaranteed, five-year $230 million contract.
With a solid roster, the Browns were desperate to find a QB who could help them compete against the top AFC teams.
The Browns had moved on from Baker Mayfield despite drafting him No. 1 overall in 2018 and making the playoffs two seasons later.
But Watson has not played up to expectations — fans have been pushing for him to be benched this season — and Cleveland’s move to get him has been labeled an abject failure with the team still on the hook to pay him $46 million in each of the next two seasons.
Watson’s arrival in Cleveland also came amid accusations by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and harassment during massage therapy sessions while he played for the Texans. Two grand juries declined to indict him and he has settled civil lawsuits in all but one of the cases.
Watson was suspended by the NFL for his first 11 games and fined $5 million for violating the league’s personal conduct policy before he took his first snap with the Browns. The long layoff — he sat out the 2021 season in a contract dispute — led to struggles once he got on the field, and Watson made just six starts last season before hurting his shoulder.
Cleveland signed veteran Joe Flacco, who went 4-1 as a starter and led the Browns to the playoffs.
Before Watson got hurt this year, he didn’t play much better. He was one of the league’s lowest-rated passers for a Cleveland team that hasn’t scored 20 points in a game and is back in search of a franchise QB.
