Minus both their head coach and inspirational leader, the Montreal Canadiens fought tooth and nail to extend their season Friday.
Some unlucky breaks — the story for much of the series, really — and an opponent that did just enough eventually sent them packing.
But there’s lots to be proud of for a group many didn’t even think belonged in the NHL’s restart.
Kevin Hayes had a goal and an assist, Carter Hart made 31 saves, and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Canadiens 3-2 on Friday to win their first-round playoff matchup 4-2.
“Everybody doubted us as soon as they announced what the format would be,” said Montreal captain Shea Weber, whose team was the 24th and final club included in the resumption to the pandemic-delayed campaign. “Everyone just axed us off.
“It just shows that maybe we’re closer than people think.”
The Canadiens were without heart-and-soul winger Brendan Gallagher after he sustained a broken jaw from a Matt Niskanen cross-check late in Montreal’s victory Wednesday. The Flyers defenceman was suspended one game by the NHL, but will be available when Philadelphia opens the second round against the New York Islanders inside the fan-less Scotiabank Arena.
WATCH | Gallagher sustains broken jaw on hit from Niskanen:
Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher suffered a broken jaw from a cross-check by Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Matt Niskanen on Wednesday. 0:25
Gallagher’s absence was just the latest twist for the Canadiens, who beat the heavily-favoured Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 in the best-of-five qualifying round before head coach Claude Julien was rushed to hospital in Toronto following Game 1 against the Flyers with chest pains. The 60-year-old had a stent inserted into one of his coronary arteries, but is back home and expected to make a full recovery.
“It’s tough to replace a guy like Gally,” Weber said. “You just can’t really do it. Everybody stepped up. The commitment was there, the effort was there.
“They were just fortunate to get a couple bounces early and we just couldn’t seem to find our break.”
Ivan Provorov and Michael Raffl also scored for Philadelphia, which advanced to the second round of the post-season for the first time since 2012.
“Getting into the playoffs in the NHL is not easy,” Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault said. “Once you’re in, I believe every team has a legitimate chance at winning.”
Nick Suzuki had both goals for Montreal, while Jonathan Drouin and Joel Armia had two assists each. An unlucky Carey Price — two Philadelphia goals went in off teammates for the second straight game, while the winner hit the post and struck the netminder’s leg before trickling over the line — made 14 stops in taking the loss.
In all, seven of Philadelphia’s 11 goals in the series hit Montreal players before entering the Canadiens’ net.
“Those are the breaks you get in a winning, championship season,” Price said. “You see it every year. Unfortunately, it didn’t go our way. Those are the things you can’t control.”
Suzuki, 21, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, 20, led a Canadiens youth movement that bodes well for the future as both players finished with four goals in 10 games.
“A lot of guys stepped up to the plate and played very well in a tough situation against two very good teams,” said the 33-year-old Price. “Very proud of those kids for playing the way they did.”
“They were big, big parts for us here,” added Weber, 35. “They surprised a lot of people.”
WATCH | 9 NHL playoff surprises… in 90 seconds:
Surprises in the postseason come in all shapes and sizes, Rob Pizzo looks at nine that have already happened this year. 1:55
Raffl’s goal — one he didn’t know a whole lot about — was the difference through 40 minutes as the Flyers carried a 3-2 lead even though the Canadiens held a decided territorial advantage.
Montreal had more difficulty generating chances in the third, but Tomas Tatar hit the knob of Hart’s stick with 6:49 left in regulation on a great opportunity from in tight.
Paul Byron had another chance on Hart’s doorstep with 2:31 remaining as the Canadiens pressed, but he couldn’t find a way through.
Montreal fought until the final buzzer with Price on the bench, but the Flyers held on to advance.
“It’s a great experience here,” said Suzuki, who also had three assists in the post-season. “Definitely would have loved to keep playing.
“We’re happy with the effort, just not the result.”
Hart, who grew up idolizing Price, shared a moment with his childhood hero in the handshake line.
“A real special moment,” said the 22-year-old. “That’s something I won’t forget.”
Down 2-1 after the first despite carrying the majority of the play, Montreal fell behind by two for the second time at 4:28 of the middle period when Travis Sanheim’s shot glanced off Raffle, hit the post and bounced off Price’s leg and in his for the winger’s third.
The Canadiens responded 1:39 later when Drouin beat a Flyers defender to the puck, took it hard out of the corner and fed Suzuki, who beat Hart for his fourth.
Montreal dominated proceedings from there, holding Philadelphia to one shot for most of the period.
All but eliminated from playoff contention when the schedule was suspended in mid-March because of COVID-19, the Canadiens fell behind 28 seconds into the first when Provorov’s innocent-looking effort hit Weber and sailed past Price on the game’s first shot.
Montreal responded with a couple of good shifts, but shortly after killing a Philadelphia power play, Price was once again victimized by some more bad luck when Hayes fired a shot that ricocheted off Artturi Lehkonen’s stick and in at 5:23.
The Canadiens responded on a man advantage of their own at 10:03 when Suzuki grabbed a loose puck in the slot and sifted a shot through Hart for the rookie’s third — a first indication the underdogs were planning to stay in the fight.
“They committed to playing hard and playing for each other,” Montreal interim head coach Kirk Muller said. “Let’s be honest, we surprised people. The experience of what all these guys learned … this has really gelled this group together.
“This is a great thing for these guys to build on.”
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.
Alabama’s Mark Sears and North Carolina‘s RJ Davis looked into the possibility of leaving for the NBA before deciding to return for another college season.
Their decisions helped their teams earn top-10 rankings in the AP Top 25 and earned both players some preseason honors, too.
Sears was a near-unanimous selection for The Associated Press preseason All-America men’s basketball team released Monday, earning all but one vote from a 55-person national media panel. Davis was right behind him, nabbing 51 votes.
They were joined by Kansas big man Hunter Dickinson, Auburn forward Johni Broome, Arizona guard Caleb Love and Duke freshman Cooper Flagg. Love and Flagg tied for the final spot, creating a six-man team that includes only the ACC, Big 12 and SEC.
Alabama twin bill
Sears was a key cog in the Crimson Tide’s first trip to the Final Four a year ago, orchestrating one of college basketball’s highest-scoring teams.
The 6-foot-1 guard was named a second-team AP All-America after averaging 21.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He was the first Division I player in 31 years to have 795 points, 150 rebounds, 145 assists and 95 three-pointers in a single season while breaking the Alabama single-season record with 26 games with at least 20 points.
Sears worked out for NBA scouts during the offseason before deciding to return to Alabama, earning the Crimson Tide a No. 2 ranking in the preseason AP Top 25.
“I saw the team that we had and I wanted to be a part of it, and bring home Alabama’s first national championship in basketball,” Sears said.
Across the state at rival Auburn, Broome made a quick decision about his future, announcing in April that he would be back for a fifth season.
The 6-10 forward was a third-team AP All-American last season after averaging 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting nearly 55% from the floor. With an eye on an NBA future, Broome worked hard on his perimeter shooting during the offseason and his return earned Auburn a No. 11 preseason ranking.
“My main goal is a team goal, which is to win the national championship, to make it as far as I can in March Madness,” Broome said. “When a team shines, everyone shines individually.”
Along Tobacco Road
Like Sears, Davis has similar aspirations after opting to return for his fifth season at North Carolina.
The 6-foot guard was an AP All-American last season and the ACC player of the year after averaging 21.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists on a team that reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Davis enters this year within reach of former North Carolina big man Tyler Hansbrough’s all-time ACC scoring record.
“I know there’s more work to be done,” Davis said. “I know my jersey’s not going up until I leave. So there’s some more records to break and some more work to be done. I’m satisfied but I’m not satisfied, if that makes sense.”
Up the road at Duke, Flagg was the only underclassman on the preseason All-America team after arriving with tons of hype. The 6-9 swingman was the No. 1-rated high school recruit out of Newport, Maine and has been projected as the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.
Flagg has the skills of a guard, but can also play inside and has worked hard on his perimeter shooting, giving him the potential to be one of college basketball’s most versatile players. He’s part of a stellar recruiting class that has No. 7 Duke eyeing a deep March run.
Big 12 duo
Dickinson was the biggest move in the transfer portal last spring after leaving Michigan for Kansas. The 7-2 center lived up to the billing, averaging 17.9 points and 10.9 rebounds while leading the Jayhawks back to the NCAA Tournament.
Love’s decision to return for a second season at No. 10 Arizona has ratcheted up expectations in the desert for the Big 12 rival of Kansas.
The athletic 6-4 guard had a high-scoring career at North Carolina and continued it after transferring to Arizona last season. He was the Pac-12 player of the year and a third-team All-American after averaging 18 points per game and making 92 3-pointers.
Love tested the NBA waters this summer before deciding to return.
“He’s had a very successful college career thus far,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “He’s kind of this last generation of player that’s going to get better with this extra year, and so I just encourage him to take advantage of it.”
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CLEVELAND (AP) — Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will miss the rest of Cleveland‘s season after rupturing his right Achilles tendon on Sunday against Cincinnati, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday.
Watson will soon undergo surgery, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the results of imaging tests taken on his leg.
It’s the second significant injury in two seasons for Watson, who broke the glenoid (socket) bone in his throwing shoulder last year.
The 29-year-old Watson went down without being touched on a draw play late in the first half. His right leg buckled and Watson collapsed to the turf. TV replays showed his calf rippling, consistent with an Achilles injury.
As he laid on the ground, there was cheering by some Cleveland fans, leading to some of Watson’s teammates criticizing that behavior during the team’s fifth straight loss.
The injury is yet another twist in Watson’s divisive stay with the Browns.
Cleveland traded three first-round draft picks to Houston and signed him to a fully guaranteed $230 million in 2022. The deal came amid Watson being accused by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and harassment during massage therapy sessions. He settled civil lawsuits in all but one of those cases.
Watson was suspended by the NFL for his first 11 games with the Browns and then made just six starts last season before hurting his shoulder.
