DALLAS – Blake Coleman has a prediction: his Flames are going to bounce back and Johnny Gaudreau will play a major role in it.
He may want to do it soon, as the Flames have dropped two in a row in a tight series with Dallas they now trail 2-1.
Gaudreau had a golden opportunity to turn things around late in Saturday’s 4-2 loss when he broke in alone with four minutes left in a one-goal game.
An attempt to go five-hole was thwarted by Jake Oettinger, prompting a blunt assessment from the coach:
“Got a breakaway with two or three minutes left, those guys got to put it away,” said Darryl Sutter. “That’s their job.”
Coleman was a tad more diplomatic.
“He’s getting looks – that was just one of many chances we probably could have finished on,” said the Texan. “Things get magnified based on the time of the game.
“Johnny is a great player. He was a great player all year. He’s going to bounce back. We have all the confidence in the world in his game and he’s going to be a big reason why our team bounces back next game.”
Critics raining down on Gaudreau early in these playoffs will easily gloss over the five shots on goal he had in the game and the sublime pass he made to set up Elias Lindholm early in the second period to put the Flames up 2-1.
He hasn’t been awful by any stretch.
But when time, space and chances are at a premium, it puts even more pressure on go-to players like him to make good on the few opportunities out there in a defensive battle like this.
They don’t get any better than the situation he found himself in after Tyler Toffoli spun to find Gaudreau alone at the blue line for a one-on-one with Oettinger he’d love to have back.
Gaudreau wasn’t the only one who might have had trouble sleeping afterward. Coleman’s homecoming didn’t exactly turn out as he dreamed it might.
In a game in which penalties continued to be a major storyline, there sat Coleman in the sin bin as Joe Pavelski scored the game-winner. The same Pavelski who scored earlier in the evening before selling the call on Coleman, who tapped the winger’s glove with 11 minutes left in a 2-2 game.
Sutter suggested afterwards the call was made because it was Pavelski.
“A penalty with (11) minutes left, you can’t take it,” said Coleman, who had 50 friends and family members in attendance at American Airlines Center.
“Being a ref is one of the most difficult jobs out there. I will say, if you’re going to call the ticky tacky stuff with (11) minutes left you better call the high sticks with a couple minutes left. You’ve got to call it both ways, in my opinion, if you’re going to do it that way.
“Obviously a disappointing game, one I thought we let get away”
Penalties continue to disrupt the Flames’ desire to roll four lines, taking away from their five-on-five play, which was their bread and butter all year.
The Stars continue to frustrate and punish the Flames by out-hitting them 44-23, prompting plenty of post-whistle calls the Flames know they need to eliminate.
“Too many penalties, we’ve got to stay out of the box,” said Trevor Lewis, who tied the game 1-1 late in the first with a rebound over Oettinger the Stars thought came courtesy of goalie interference by Milan Lucic. (they lost the challenge). “The stuff after the whistles, we’ve got to cut that out.”
The coach agreed, as his club hasn’t fared well playing four on four either.
“It’s tight, there’s not a lot of room,” added Lewis, whose fourth line was deemed the team’s best forechecking unit by Sutter. “We’ve just got to dig down a little deeper and find out what we’re made of. And get those second and third efforts. We had chances to win the game for sure.
“I don’t think anyone thought it was going to be easy. We know we’ve got a great group in there and we’ve been doing it all year. We’ve just got to refocus and try to win the next game.”
While plenty of fans in Calgary are starting to wonder if this is yet another one of the franchise’s playoff faceplants in the making, Coleman said no one has lost faith in their room.
“Our group still feels really good, really confident in our ability,” said Coleman, whose club outshot Dallas 41-32, but went 0-for-4 on the power play. “We win one game and we’ve got home ice back, and that’s the goal coming in here.
“There’s no panic in our room. We’ve got a lot of guys that have been there and been in these situations and it’s seven games for a reason.”
Vancouver Canucks winger Dakota Joshua is set to make his season debut Thursday after missing time for cancer treatment.
Head coach Rick Tocchet says Joshua will slot into the lineup Thursday when Vancouver (8-3-3) hosts the New York Islanders.
The 28-year-old from Dearborn, Mich., was diagnosed with testicular cancer this summer and underwent surgery in early September.
He spoke earlier this month about his recovery, saying it had been “very hard to go through” and that he was thankful for support from his friends, family, teammates and fans.
“That was a scary time but I am very thankful and just happy to be in this position still and be able to go out there and play,,” Joshua said following Thursday’s morning skate.
The cancer diagnosis followed a career season where Joshua contributed 18 goals and 14 assists across 63 regular-season games, then added four goals and four assists in the playoffs.
Now, he’s ready to focus on contributing again.
“I expect to be good, I don’t expect a grace period. I’ve been putting the work in so I expect to come out there and make an impact as soon as possible,” he said.
“I don’t know if it’s going to be perfect right from the get-go, but it’s about putting your best foot forward and working your way to a point of perfection.”
The six-foot-three, 206-pound Joshua signed a four-year, US$13-million contract extension at the end of June.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
