The Toronto Maple Leafs were riding the high Monday night from a second consecutive third-period comeback victory when head coach Sheldon Keefe strolled into the dressing room with some quick congratulations and an immediate challenge.
“We got one game to take care of here,” Keefe addressed the group, before they hopped a late-night jet to New Jersey for the back half of their home-and-home set.
“We know we’re still looking to put together a complete effort. We haven’t done it here for quite a while. Might as well start off the second half of the season, Game 42, by doing that just before the break.”
If Keefe were the teacher handing out one final pop quiz before Reading Week, his Maple Leafs were a class full of prized pupils acing that sucker with time to spare, snatching their knapsacks, and beelining it to the beach. (Or, in the case of all-stars Auston Matthews and Jack Campbell, the desert.)
Toronto dusted the Devils 7-1 – easy, like dirt off your shoulder.
The canyon separating the Cup-contending Leafs and the lottery-loitering, goalie-deprived Devils was so evident Tuesday that a young boy looked at the score bug on the television during the second period and asked: “Isn’t it just bullying at this point, Dad?”
Since a disengaged Leafs group dug itself a 4-2 deficit through two periods Monday, it erupted for 10 — yes, 10 — unanswered goals against the same foe.
Uncle already.
“Because you’re playing the same opponent for the second time here in back-to-back nights, we were trying to have some continuation of the third period from the [Monday] night in terms of taking the will away a little bit of your opponent,” Keefe said.
“All four lines just relentless on the puck at both ends, and Soupy came up big when he had to,” Matthews added. “It’s just a testament to our resiliency and just making sure that we get the job done for a full 60 minutes.”
For as hard as us critics try to hover a magnifying glass over the local heroes’ weaknesses and amplify their poor efforts, it’s worth zooming out and considering what these players have accomplished in the two weeks since their “soft and purposeless” loss to the Rangers — the closest thing resembling mild controversy in this predominantly cruise-control regular season.
By embarrassing New Jersey on its own sheet and summoning the boo birds at Prudential Center, the Maple Leafs extended their win streak to five games. Over this span, they have doubled their opposition by a total score of 26-13.
This is without dressing their best defender, Jake Muzzin, who is nursing a concussion. On the back of the most uneven fortnight of goaltending they’ve received all season.
“Tonight, I think, was a prime example of us just being at our best,” Mitch Marner evaluated.
Marner is playing as fun and dangerous as Johnny Knoxville drunk with the safety off. He scored twice Tuesday, to extend his career-best goal streak to seven — a run that ties linemate Matthews for the longest on the team this year.
“He’s so deceptive. So, he when he’s got the puck, I think a lot of people kind of anticipate him passing it,” Matthews said of his wingman. “I mean, you’ve seen it the last couple games, him being able to beat the goaltender clean. He’s got a great shot. It might need to get a little more juice on it, but he’s definitely really accurate.”
Hanging four goals in 48 hours on Jersey, Matthews himself has leapt right back in the Rocket race with 29 goals.
Michael Bunting and Pierre Engvall have already set career highs in goals and points, respectively.
David Kämpf has quintupled his goal output from last season, and Ilya Mikheyev tied his (seven) in a dozen games played.
The team is scoring just for kicks at this point, and evidently having a hoot doing it:
“That is about as good as we could ask the game to go,” Keefe said. “You take control early. You build a big lead. You can use your bench and play your top guys less and play your depth guys more. You’re comfortable, and you just kind of ride out the clock into the break.”
Campbell bounces back
Keefe and Campbell made each other look brilliant Tuesday.
Faced with the first meaningful starting goalie decision of the season, the head coach smartly went with the cold hand.
Brilliant before Christmas, the self-critical Campbell had posted a dismal .853 save percentage in a six-game January run that hit its low point Monday, when he spotted New Jersey three goals in the game’s opening nine minutes.
“It’s not like I was beating myself up like the old days, but there were obviously a few starts recently that I just didn’t like, and no excuses about it,” said Campbell, following a tidy, 31-save bounce-back win. “It’s important. It’s a humbling game.”
This start was originally earmarked for Petr Mrazek. But after the backup salvaged a W Monday, Keefe elected to give Campbell another shot, allowing him to wash the sour taste from his mouth before heading to Vegas.
Campbell was hoping to play but allowed that “Petr deserved to play tonight” and left the decision to Keefe.
“I’m grateful Coach put me back in and gave me the chance to move on past that game last night,” Campbell said.
“When I found that I was playing today, it felt like a playoff game. I was ready to go and just excited to get out there and compete with the guys.”
Composed and controlled, Campbell made stellar stops on a couple of early defensive breakdowns that allowed his skaters to seize the night and break the weaker team’s will.
“Outstanding” is the word Keefe used.
“In a game like this, where we score so much, you tend to overlook the goaltending part of it. That’s the Jack that’s played, really, all season for us like that,” Keefe raved.
“I love the way that he battled and responded tonight. Frankly, not a surprise — because he’s a guy that is a competitor. He wanted to get back in the net here tonight.”
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.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
