TSN Toronto Reporter Mark Masters reports on the Maple Leafs, who practised at the Ford Performance Centre on Friday ahead of Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks.
Jason Spezza and Auston Matthews led the Leafs to a convincing 7-3 win on Thursday night and came within a whisker of ending a 56-year drought. Spezza scored three goals while Matthews potted a pair against the Vancouver Canucks. The last time two Leafs recorded a hat trick in the same game? Dave Keon and Bob Pulford did it against the New York Rangers in 1965. Matthews and Spezza were both back on the ice before practice on Friday working on their craft. Matthews was fine-tuning his shot.
“He’s passionate about it,” observed coach Sheldon Keefe. “Whether it’s off-season or in-season, he wants to get the reps … We know the dangerous weapon that he has, but I don’t think he gets enough credit for the fact that he scores in so many different ways: different types of shots, far away from the net, close to the net, rebounds, tips, he scores in all different ways and that’s probably the most impressive part.”
On Thursday night, Matthews scored in the first period by skating past J.T. Miller, who was covering for pinching defenceman Quinn Hughes, and beating Thatcher Demko five-hole off the rush.
“He’s really developed his 200-foot game and is able to create chances from his own end as you saw last game,” noted linemate Zach Hyman. “He skated it 200 feet and put it in.”
Matthews started the play behind the goal line in the Leafs zone helping his team gain possession.
“He’s such a big body,” said defenceman Zach Bogosian, “and helps out the D down low winning battles and getting that puck going north so it’s been fun to see.”
Later in the game, Matthews was in the perfect position at the side of the net to receive a no-look pass from Mitch Marner and bank a puck in off Demko.
“I just know him and Hyms are going to the net and that short-side post,” said Marner, “and a nice little chip shot by him.”
Matthews finished the night with seven shots and came close to securing his third career hat trick, but Demko stopped a one-timer from the Arizona native on the power play.
“He’s really hungry,” said goalie Frederik Andersen. “He demands the puck and he shoots with purpose every time. He has so many different kinds of shots that it’s really tough to prepare or scout him. He picks his spots and has really good vision out there.”
Matthews has now scored in his last six games, matching his longest streak during one season. He’ll look to set a new personal best on Saturday when the Leafs host the Canucks again. “One of the things that separates him from a lot of guys is how consistent he is and how he can create chances for himself every game,” said Hyman, “so if he doesn’t score in one game he definitely has a couple looks at it.” Matthews has been held without a shot only four times in his 292 NHL games.
“You can’t put limitations on players of his calibre,” said Keefe. “He’s got elite talent, but he’s got the elite drive to be great.”
Why Matthews doesn’t get enough credit for goal-scoring ability
Sheldon Keefe agrees that Auston Matthews has a great shot but doesn’t think he gets enough credit for the different ways in which he does score. His teammates discuss the work he puts in and why his shot is so hard to defend against.
Matthews and Marner often highlight Spezza’s work ethic, but the 18-year pro is quick to return the compliment
“The excitement and passion they have for the game rejuvenates the whole room,” Spezza said, “and when you see your top guys work like that it makes everybody want to be better.”
Spezza is always looking to get better. The 37-year-old took part in Monday’s optional practice and, per usual, was on the ice at Thursday’s optional morning skate.
“I just like to keep the engine running,” he said. “I’m a guy who goes by a lot of feel.”
Matthews and Spezza hit it off immediately because they both love talking about sticks.
“He can feel if the manufacturer made a little mistake or something,” Andersen noted of Spezza. “If there are any inconsistencies he can pick it out really quick and feel it right away. The way he prepares is meticulous. The amount of time he spends in the stick room, he lives in there.”
Only hours after producing his first hat trick since April 9, 2016, Spezza was back on the ice ahead of practice working with Toronto’s development staff.
“I was joking around with him that the skill development guys are going to be going crazy after his night last night,” said Hyman, who worked out alongside Spezza during the off-season. “He’s just such a great guy to be around. He’s such a great person. Just an overall great human being.”
“It was so much fun for me to play with him last night,” said linemate Travis Boyd, “and seeing him smiling after he got the third goal and even afterwards in the locker room, too. Somebody who does it a long time, you know, it’s easy to lose the fun in it and it turns into a job versus something you’ve grown up playing and loving to do, but every day I come in and he seems happy.”
Spezza puts on vintage performance, Leafs claim top spot in North Division
Jason Spezza scored a legit hat trick against Vancouver. No easy, cheap goals, and he showed off some of the skills that made him such a dynamic offensive throughout most of his career. With the dominant win, the Leafs now sit atop the league standings. The Canucks, on the other hand, find themselves struggling mightily to compete in the defensive end. The TSN Hockey panel weighs in on Toronto’s convincing victory.
Boyd and Nic Petan helped set up Spezza’s second goal of the night on a perfectly executed three-on-two rush.
“Offensively, all three of us just have good chemistry,” Boyd said. “We kind of see the game the same way and we all like to make plays. Being on the fourth line sometimes it’s hard to go out there and make plays because you’re sitting a little bit here and there and you obviously don’t want to turn anything over, but that doesn’t mean when the opportunity to make a play is there that you shouldn’t take it. We had a clean three-on-two and why not make a play. Why not go out and do what we did.”
Petan was making his season debut on Thursday while Boyd was playing just his third game with the Leafs. Keefe, who has tinkered with the look of the fourth line in six straight games, is going to give that trio a chance to build on the momentum created against the Canucks.
”The one thing that they did really well, aside from producing offence and scoring, they carried play, they won shifts, they changed in the offensive zone and set up the next line very well,” Keefe said. “Yesterday is a game where most things went our way, but the games are going to be more difficult and there are other areas of the game that they’ll be challenged on and that’s where we want to see their detail, the competitiveness and the physicality and all those things brought out.”
Boyd has generated four points in his three games.
“I thought I should’ve been or could be an every-day NHL player for a few years now and that opportunity didn’t work, didn’t pan out in Washington,” said Boyd, who played 24 games with Washington last season.
What was his mindset upon arriving in Toronto?
“I’ve played a decent amount of NHL games so just to believe in myself a little bit more and go out there and know I can be an every-day player and be someone who can help this team out,” Boyd said. “Being confident and trusting myself and letting myself just play hockey again instead of getting too worried about if you make a turnover … just continue to, every night, show why you should be in the lineup.”
Boyd, 27, has now played in 88 NHL games over four seasons.
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Travis Dermott missed practice and the defenceman will sit out Saturday’s game after sustaining a minor injury during his first shift against the Canucks. Keefe described it as a “charley horse” in his post-game Zoom call.
KHL import Mikko Lehtonen, who has struggled to get up to speed with the North American game, will draw back into the lineup playing his fifth career NHL game on Saturday.
“Today was the best practice Mikko’s had with us in terms of the jump he had, some of the plays he made,” said Keefe. “We played a little small-area game to start practice and he made some very subtle, little plays within that that are things we’ve been really talking to him about and working at so I’m sure he’s confident coming in. He’s put in a lot of good work here over the last number of days on the development side. [Director of player development] Stephane Robidas has worked closely with him as has [assistant coach] Dave Hakstol.”
Rasmus Sandin, who hasn’t played a game since March, will continue to wait for his chance. Keefe made a point to chat with the 20-year-old on the ice after practice wrapped.
“Just letting him know Mikko is going to go tomorrow and just checking in with him, because obviously when he sees a guy go down that’s when a player might think it’s going to be his chance, but it’s not quite yet,” Keefe revealed. “I just reminded him that right now it’s Mikko’s time and we’re giving him an opportunity here to try and get some traction … Also, just reminded him that we haven’t forgotten who Rasmus is and we know what he can bring and his time will come. He just has to remain patient as we go through this.”
Leafs Ice Chips: Lehtonen in, Dermott out and Sandin’s time will come
Sheldon Keefe revealed that Travis Dermott will not be ready to go in time for Saturday’s contest against the Canucks. Which means Mikko Lehtonen will be back in the lineup, Mark Masters has more on why Rasmus Sandin will have to continue to be patient.
Spezza isn’t the only veteran making a big impact. Wayne Simmonds fought for the second time this season on Thursday while logging second-line minutes alongside John Tavares and William Nylander. Bogosian is bringing a physical presence to the back end while eating up some penalty-kill minutes.
Those two additions, along with injured forward Joe Thornton, have helped turn the Leafs room and bench into a louder place.
“We’ve had a lot more chatter on our bench from everybody,” said Keefe. “Simmonds and Bogosian have added a lot in that regard and Jumbo when he was in the lineup. But I’ve seen progression from everybody all the way through. Having multiple people that have that level of personality brings it out in others, too, whether it’s John, Auston, Mitch, even Will, guys are stepping up in that regard. Whether it’s encouraging one another or pushing each other it’s been very good and an area we needed to improve upon.”
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Lamar Jackson threw for 281 yards and five touchdowns, helping the Baltimore Ravens overcome an early double-digit deficit and extend their National Football League winning streak to five games with a 41-31 victory Monday night over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who lost their top two receivers to injuries.
The two-time NFL MVP improved to 23-1 against NFC teams, the best mark by a quarterback against an opposing conference in NFL history. He’s 3-0 against the Bucs (4-3), who faded after taking a 10-0 lead with help from the 100th TD reception of Mike Evans’ career.
Evans departed with a hamstring injury after Baker Mayfield tried to connect with him in the end zone again, and late in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach, leading Bucs receiver Chris Godwin was carted off the field with a left ankle injury. ESPN declined to show replays of Godwin’s injury, which appeared to be severe.
Jackson completed 17 of 22 passes without an interception, including TD throws of nine and four yards to Mark Andrews. He also tossed scoring passes of 49 yards to Rashod Bateman, 18 yards to Justice Hill and 11 yards to Derrick Henry, who rushed for 169 yards on 15 carries. Bateman had four catches for 121 yards.
The Ravens (5-2) rebounded from a slow start on defence, with cornerback Marlon Humphrey turning the game around with a pair of second-quarter interceptions — one of them in the Baltimore end zone. Jackson led a four-play, 80-yard TD drive after the first pick, and the second interception set up Justin Tucker’s 28-yard field goal for a 17-10 halftime lead.
Elsewhere in the NFL:
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CARDINALS 17 CHARGERS 15
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Kyler Murray ran for a 44-yard touchdown and led the Cardinals on a drive that set up Chad Ryland’s 32-yard field goal as time expired, and Arizona rallied for a win over Los Angeles.
Cameron Dicker kicked his fifth field goal of the night — this one from 40 yards — to give the Chargers a 15-14 lead with 1:54 left. But the Cardinals (3-4) quickly moved into field goal range, aided by an unnecessary roughness call on Cam Hart that cost Los Angeles (3-3) 15 yards.
Arizona followed that with a bruising 33-yard run by James Conner, who finished with 101 yards on the ground. That eventually set up Ryland’s short field goal and a Cardinals celebration.
It was a frustrating night for the Chargers’ offence, which gained 395 yards but couldn’t find the end zone. Justin Herbert completed 27 of 39 passes for 349 yards.
Dicker booted field goals of 59, 50, 28, 47 and 40 yards, the first of which tied a franchise record for distance.
Murray ran for a spectacular touchdown early in the fourth quarter, rolling to his left before turning on the jets, beating safety Junior Colston to the sideline and then coasting into the end zone for a 14-9 lead.
It was Murray’s second long touchdown run in three weeks after he scored on a 50-yard sprint against San Francisco. It was also Murray’s 20th career game with a touchdown pass and run.
Murray completed 14 of 26 passes for 145 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps have been here before — literally and figuratively.
With the season hanging in the balance, the ‘Caps were dealt a blow last week when the club learned it wouldn’t be able to play a post-season wild-card game in its home stadium, B.C. Place, due to a scheduling conflict.
The Whitecaps ceded home field advantage to their regional rival, the Portland Timbers. The two clubs will battle for the final playoff spot in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference in Oregon on Wednesday.
The winner will face No. 1-seed Los Angeles FC in a best-of-three first-round series, starting Sunday.
An unforeseen hurdle like a change of venues is nothing new for the ‘Caps, said defender Ranko Veselinovic, who was part of the team that was forced to relocate first to Portland, then Utah during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It feels that always something happens for us, but it is what it is. So far, we’ve managed to always find solutions for those situations,” said the Serbian centre back. “But I hope this team can find it one more time, because we need it this time. And it will be a really nice feeling in those circumstances to go in, win and go face L.A. in the next round.”
Vancouver (13-13-8) heads into the post-season winless in its last seven MLS games and with losses in four straight after dropping a 2-1 road decision to Real Salt Lake on Saturday.
The skid followed a run that saw the club go 4-1-3 across all competitions between late August and late September.
There’s just one way to return to that level, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini.
“The work is the only way to do it. Try to put the work in and try to put the team in a way that they’re going to regain the form and the way that they were in the past,” he said.
Despite the final score, Sartini has seen positives in the way his team played in its two most recent losses.
“I think already we turned the corner,” he said. “And we start from there to build and build and build.”
Facing challenges together can help a team build, whether it’s a winless skid or an unexpected hurdle, said Vancouver’s captain Ryan Gauld.
“When you’re going through adversity, that’s when people start to raise their voice a little bit. You get good when the problems arise, you get a lot of people coming together to make sure we get out of it,” said the Scottish attacking midfielder.
“And we’ve had a tough time the last few games, but everyone’s aware of the fact that we’re a much better team than we’ve shown, and we need to find a way to get back to doing what we’re good at.”
The ‘Caps face a familiar foe in the Timbers (12-11-11).
The two sides have already met three times this season, with each coming out of the series with a win, a loss and a draw.
Portland has also struggled in recent weeks and are winless in their last five MLS outings (0-1-4).
The Timbers boast one of the league’s top offensive units, though, with threats such as Evander. The Brazilian midfielder notched 15 goals and 19 assists during the regular season.
To earn a win on Wednesday, the Whitecaps must be solid defensively, Gauld said.
“They must be one of the best attacks in the league. They have a lot of good players, and they can hurt you if you switch off,” he said. “So just being concentrated from the first whistle, and just being hard to beat, being stuffy. Just being on it for the full 90 minutes.”
A victory in the wild-card match would guarantee Vancouver at least one home playoff game, a factor that Sartini said would be a big reward for his group.
The entire team relished the experience of playing post-season soccer in front of more than 30,000 fans last year, the coach said, and the desire to repeat the feat is high as the club heads to Portland.
“Everyone is happy to be in the playoffs. So we don’t have to be moody to be in the playoff. And we go in there, we’re play one of our rivals. So it’s gonna be a nice game to show up and to play our best game possible.”
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (13-13-8) AT PORTLAND TIMBERS (12-11-11)
Wednesday, Providence Park
HISTORY BOOKS: This will mark the seventh all-time post-season meeting between the Timbers and ‘Caps, dating back to 1975. The last time the two clubs squared off in a playoff game was during the Western Conference semifinal in 2015. Portland won the two-game aggregate series and went on to hoist the MLS Cup.
ROAD WARRIORS: The ‘Caps boasted a 7-6-4 record on the road during regular-season play — better than the 6-7-4 showing they posted at B.C. Place.
POST-SEASON PARTY: Wednesday will mark the first time the Timbers have hosted a post-season game since 2021.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Scotland conceived rugby sevens in the 1880s yet it will not feature in the scaled-back 2026 Commonwealth Games hosted by Glasgow.
Other sports that have also been dropped include field hockey, triathlon, badminton, Twenty20 cricket, squash, and diving.
The Games will have a 10-sport program in four venues. Athletics and swimming are compulsory while there will also be track cycling, gymnastics, netball, weightlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and 3×3 basketball.
There will also be integrated para events in six of those sports: Athletics, swimming, track cycling, weightlifting, bowls and basketball.
The Games will take place from July 23-Aug. 2 after Glasgow stepped in when the Australian state of Victoria withdrew last year because of rising costs.
It was not easy to decide which sports to include, Commonwealth Games Scotland chairman Ian Reid told the BBC on Tuesday.
“I think everybody recognises that these events need to be more affordable, lighter and we would have loved to have all of our sports and all of our athletes competing but unfortunately it’s just not deliverable or affordable for this time frame,” Reid said.
Athletes and support staff will be housed in hotels. Around 3,000 athletes are expected to compete from up to 74 Commonwealth nations and territories representing a combined total of 2.5 billion people, a third of the world’s entire population.
More than 500,000 tickets made available for spectators.
The Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Katie Sadleir said: “The 2026 Games will be a bridge to the Commonwealth Games of tomorrow, an exciting first step in our journey to reset and redefine the Games as a truly collaborative, flexible and sustainable model for the future that minimises costs, reduces the environmental footprint, and enhances social impact. In doing so, increasing the scope of countries capable of hosting.”
Glasgow hosted the event in 2014 at a cost of more than 540 million pounds.
