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Flames’ Geoff Ward after loss to Canucks: ‘We weren’t competitive’ – Sportsnet.ca

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Understandably, Geoff Ward wasn’t in the mood for niceties.

Asked about the effort that decisively ended his team’s three-game win streak, the Flames coach kept it short.

“We weren’t competitive,” he said, following Saturday’s 3-1 loss in Vancouver.

He wished to add nothing more, leaving the Zoom call with uncomfortable silence courtesy of the typically chatty coach.

Only when pressed would he elaborate.

“I thought we were slow everywhere,” he said.

“We weren’t skating. It was evident, and they were able to get a forecheck. The game is fair. We got what we deserved tonight. We got outworked, outskated and outcompeted. Usually, when that happens you don’t get the result you want.”

Indeed, after weeks of inconsistency, the Calgary Flames came up with their most complete outing of the season.

As in, completely outplayed from start to finish.

There were no lulls in their ability to remain the game’s second-best team, carrying their typical first-period face plant into a three-period effort that gave the Canucks their first win in seven games.

With the Flames expanding a 10-0 shot deficit the first ten minutes into a 46-19 difference by night’s end, the man lured from Vancouver with $36 million to stop pucks for the Flames probably started feeling a little underpaid.

Even on their power plays the Flames failed to gain any semblance of momentum.

Yet, there they were, tied 1-1 with five minutes left, thanks to yet another Jacob Markstrom masterpiece that masked one of the Flames’ worst outings of the year.

“We would have liked to have a point after your goalie stands on his head, but we probably got what we deserved,” said Mark Giordano, whose club allowed every single opponent to record at least one shot.

“Obviously they were desperate and they pressed hard, but we’ve got to be way better than that.”

Indeed they do, or all the momentum gained the previous three outings was for naught.

Fact is, the Flames were lucky two nights earlier to beat a Canucks club that fell victim to two unlucky bounces. Sean Monahan said the Flames knew the NHL’s most desperate team would throw everything at them, yet the Flames couldn’t respond with much more than the pretty game-tying goal by Sam Bennett that came just over a minute after Quinn Hughes scored a beauty on Markstrom.

“We weren’t good,” said Monahan.

“We’ve got to up our compete level. We’ve got to learn from that real quick.”

On this night, the Flames woes revolved around turnovers, which made it appropriate that the winning goal by Calgarian Tyler Myers with five minutes left came following a neutral zone turnover he created. His game-winner squeezed through his former netminder with the 44th shot on net – a season-high for the Flames that got even higher before Brandon Sutter capped things with an empty netter.

The Flames still have two more games against the Canucks in this four-game set and will likely have to play them without Mikael Backlund.

Less than a week after losing centre Derek Ryan with a broken finger the Flames lost the man who may just be their best centre so far this season.

Backlund left the game late in the first period after a 16-second shift, prompting some line shuffling that didn’t help the team’s cause.

Ward said after the game he didn’t have any update on Backlund’s status.

MACKEY’S DEBUT

Rookie defenceman Connor Mackey drew in for Nikita Nesterov to make his first NHL start, complete with the customary solo spins to open warmup as teammates looked on from the bench.

The 24-year-old college hotshot out of Minnesota State – Mankato played 13:56 in his pro debut, which included 44 seconds of penalty killing time alongside Juuso Valimaki.

The young duo was on the ice for Hughes’ stellar goal, although it was Valimaki who fell for the defenceman’s fake pass before beating Markstrom with a shot inside the post.

Mackey had shown well in the pre-playoff training camp and was the first defenceman to sub in for the Flames this year. The fact that he did so ahead of Oliver Kylington or Michael Stone says plenty about how they fell about the youngster, who was pursued by the bulk of NHL clubs as a free agent.

“It was incredible – something I dreamed of as a kid, to play in your first NHL game,” said Mackey, whose father, Dave, played 129 games in the NHL.

“So, it was pretty cool to experience that. Too bad we couldn’t get the win, but it was pretty special.”

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Whitecaps, Timbers to face off in play-in match in Portland

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VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps will begin their post-season campaign with a play-in game against the Timbers in Portland on Wednesday.

The ‘Caps (13-13-8) ended the regular season with a 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake on Saturday and finished eighth in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference standings.

The eighth and ninth spots from each conference meet in a play-in game this week, with the winner going on to face the No. 1 seed in the first round of the playoffs.

Each eighth-place team was set to host the play-in game, but Vancouver announced Friday that its home stadium, B.C. Place, is not available, so the club will cede home-field advantage to Portland (12-11-11), the ninth-place team.

The ‘Caps and Timbers split their three-game series during regular-season play, with each side taking a win, a loss and a draw.

The first round of the MLS playoffs is set to begin next weekend.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Real Salt Lake beats visiting Whitecaps 2-1 to set single-season club record for points

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SANDY, Utah (AP) — Diego Luna scored a tying goal in the 73rd minute and Real Salt Lake added another on an own goal for a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday night to set a single-season club record for points.

Real Salt Lake (16-7-11) secured the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference and will face Minnesota in the first round of the Major League Soccer playoffs. RSL reached 59 points this season, topping the 2012 team with 57.

Vancouver (13-13-8) will play the Portland Timbers on Wednesday in a wild-card game for a chance to play top-seeded LAFC.

Luna settled a long cross from Braian Ojeda before taking four touches to slot home a shot inside the far post for his eighth goal of the season.

RSL went ahead in the 83rd when Vancouver goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer misplayed a lofted ball that rolled into the back of the net.

Vancouver midfielder Ryan Gauld opened the scoring in the 58th to become the first player in club history to produce multiple seasons with at least 10 goals and 10 assists.

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Juan Soto’s 3-run homer in 10th sends Yankees past Guardians 5-2 and into World Series for 41st time

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CLEVELAND (AP) — Juan Soto’s arrival last winter was supposed to be that move that pushed the New York Yankees back to the top.

They’re one step away.

Soto hit a three-run homer with two outs in the 10th inning and the Yankees advanced to their 41st World Series — and first in 15 years — by beating the Cleveland Guardians 5-2 in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series on Saturday night.

Baseball’s biggest brand is going back to October’s main stage.

Soto, who was acquired in a seven-player trade from San Diego in December, pushed the Bronx Bombers into position with one big swing.

This was why he came, for this moment and for so many more.

“We’re right where we belong,” said Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who pulled off the deal for Soto.

The Yankees will try to win their 28th title against either the New York Mets or Los Angeles Dodgers. Game 6 of the NL Championship Series is on Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

In the third consecutive tight game in three nights at Progressive Field, Austin Wells walked with one out in the 10th and Alex Verdugo followed with a grounder to Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez, whose soft toss to the bag was dropped by rookie shortstop Brayan Rocchio for an error.

Hunter Gaddis struck out Gleyber Torres and had Soto in a 1-2 count before New York’s stylish outfielder sent a shot over the wall in center. Soto danced down the first-base line and paused to celebrate with his teammates before circling the bases.

“I was just saying to myself, `You’re all over that guy. You’re all over that guy. He ain’t got anything,’” said Soto, who moved alongside his manager, Aaron Boone, as the only New York players to homer in an extra-inning, series-clinching win.

Luke Weaver got the final three outs with Lane Thomas flying out for the last one, which was caught by Soto.

“We get to play for a world championship,” Boone said. “That’s pretty sweet.”

The 25-year-old Soto is eligible for free agency this winter, and Yankees fans chanted “Re-sign Soto!” during the postgame festivities. He’s expected to get a contract upwards of $600 million, and his heroics in Game 5 may have raised his price.

Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run homer and was named ALCS MVP as the Yankees took care of the Guardians in five games. It wasn’t easy.

New York won the first two at Yankee Stadium without much fanfare or any major drama. However, it was a different story in Cleveland as all three games at Progressive Field were nail-biters.

The Guardians rallied to win Game 3 on two, two-run homers in their last two at-bats, and the Yankees held on to win Game 4 after blowing a four-run lead.

“This was a rollercoaster and we were able to just keep punching back,” Stanton said. “We know there’s much more work to do and it’s only uphill from here and we got to get it done.”

Cleveland just didn’t have enough and a surprising season under first-year manager Stephen Vogt ended just short of a World Series. The franchise remains without a title since 1948, baseball’s current longest drought.

“There’s only one team that gets to win the last game of the year, and unfortunately it’s not going to be us,” Vogt said. “But we accomplished a lot as a group. We got better. We worked extremely hard. I couldn’t be more proud of this group. We just didn’t get quite as far as we wanted to.”

The Yankees are back in the World Series, back where their fans expect them to be every year.

The club’s 82-80, fourth-place finish in the AL East last season led to some “soul searching as an organization” during the winter, according to Boone, who has been widely criticized but is one of just three managers to take New York to playoffs in six of his first seven seasons.

While the team’s core stayed mostly intact, getting Soto in a blockbuster trade on Dec. 7 — New York sent five players to San Diego for the three-time All-Star — accelerated the team returning to title contender.

“That was a good day,” Boone said with a laugh before the game.

Stanton’s 446-foot rocket into the left-field bleachers tied it at 2 in the sixth and chased Tanner Bibee, who had struck out New York’s dangerous DH in his first two at-bats and held the Yankees scoreless for the first five innings.

It was Stanton’s fourth homer in this series — his third in three days — and his 16th in the postseason, moving him into fourth place on the club’s career list behind Bernie Williams (22), Derek Jeter (20) and Mickey Mantle (18).

Before the game, Boone was asked what makes Stanton so good.

“He can hit it harder than anyone, first of all,” Boone said. “So there’s the physical nature of what he does that’s different than just about everyone in the world.”

But Boone went on to compliment Stanton’s discipline at the plate, “his approach, his process, how he studies guys.”

“There’s something that he does when he gets familiarity with people on top of being very physically gifted,” Boone said.

The Guardians took a 2-0 lead in the fifth off Carlos Rodón on Steven Kwan’s RBI single with two outs. But Cleveland missed a big chance for more, leaving the bases loaded when Lane Thomas grounded out on the first pitch to him from Mark Leiter Jr.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: LHP Nestor Cortes (elbow strain) had another successful live batting practice session. The reliever remains on track to join the Yankees on their World Series roster. Boone said Cortes would throw again early next week. Cortes went 9-10 with a 3.77 ERA in 30 starts.

___

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