Waking up this morning sore and perhaps a little tired. Trying to figure out if it was all just a bad dream.
There might be some benefit for the Toronto Maple Leafs in jumping straight back into a game day with their season on the line after letting a three-goal lead over the Columbus Blue Jackets slip away.
No one will know for sure until the puck drops at 8 p.m. ET Friday and we see if it’s Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde who takes the ice at Scotiabank Arena wearing the white sweaters.
The most interesting thing about all of this is that the Leafs don’t know themselves. The front office and coaching staff have spent considerable time looking under the hood and running diagnostics, but can’t be confident from one day to the next in what they’ll get.
“I think obviously the objective stuff – the talent level of the group – there’s never been a question,” general manager Kyle Dubas said before this qualifying round series began. “It’s been the maturing and the mindset of the group that we know we have to take some strides in.”
The contrast with Columbus is striking. The Blue Jackets fundamentally know what they are. They’ve got more veteran players, sure, but they’ve also got a consistent way of doing things.
John Tortorella made an interesting comment after Pierre-Luc Dubois finished off his hat trick with the overtime winner just before midnight. He said he wanted his players to enjoy the victory even with less than 21 hours to prepare for a potential elimination game.
“I trust them,” said Tortorella. “They’ll be ready to play tomorrow.”
Contrast that with how Sheldon Keefe must have been feeling.
You could sense his frustration during a post-game Zoom call that the NHL kept to just five questions and less than three minutes. I’m sure Keefe believes in his players’ talent and their level of care and commitment, but I sincerely doubt they’ve earned anything close to his full trust.
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Even without Jake Muzzin, their most stout defender, a 3-0 lead should have been a sure thing. Three of the four Columbus goals in Game 3 originated with a Leafs turnover in the offensive zone.
It would be somewhat understandable if they were getting worn down on the cycle against a heavy opponent, but it’s quite another when puck management and poor defensive pinches become an issue during a crucial playoff game where you’ve built a healthy lead.
Toronto surrendered 12 rush chances and 24 slot shots, according to Sportlogiq, after giving up nine and nine in Game 2 and eight and 14 in Game 1. That extra 18-plus minutes of overtime isn’t enough to account for the difference.
“Tough to explain, but that’s part of the deal, right?” said Keefe. “That’s why it’s a playoff series and every day’s a new day, just like it was after Game 1, just like it was after Game 2 and just like it is here.
“We’ve got to put this behind us and be ready to come back tomorrow.”
Heading into Game 4, Toronto has established an edge in this series in the areas it prioritizes. The Leafs have 52.4 per cent of the even-strength shot attempts and 56.4 per cent of the expected goals, according to naturalstattrick.com. They’ve even enjoyed an edge in specialty teams – with the only power-play goal of the series, plus Cody Ceci’s unlikely (and fortunate) short-handed strike on Thursday night.
They’ve run up against quality goaltending from Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins, who came in midway through Thursday’s game and stopped all 21 shots he faced, and are shooting just 3.53 per cent in this series at even strength as a result.
That’s a sharp decline from the 8.57 per cent the Leafs shot collectively through 70 regular-season games, but the fundamental challenge with the playoffs is you don’t have time for indicators like that to normalize.
No, faced with sample-size issues, you need to control absolutely everything you can control. When you build a lead it’s even more important to prioritize puck management in order to prevent odd-man scoring opportunities that put yourself at risk for a collapse.
Incredibly, after a summer training camp where improved defensive play was basically the only theme discussed, the Leafs failed to do that with a big lead in a huge game against a team that scored fewer goals this season than any of the other 23 invited back for the Stanley Cup tournament.
“I thought that as a team we didn’t help our defence as a group and as a group our defence didn’t help themselves,” said Keefe.
Now all the Leafs can control is how they pick themselves up and respond in Game 4.
They will attempt to find solace in all of the bounce-back performances they mustered throughout this most unusual season while blocking out memories about why they so frequently found themselves in a position where they needed to respond.
On short rest and in a short series, Toronto must seize the day.
Because if they end up losing this series in this way … well, let’s put off that conversation for at least another 24 hours, shall we?
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.
