VANCOUVER — For Blake Wheeler and the Winnipeg Jets, it truly was the best of times. Followed by the worst of times.
A banner night for the captain that included his long-awaited first goal of the year ended with him writhing on the ice in agony, clutching his right knee after suffering a serious third-period ailment. That added injury to the eventual insult of a 4-3 shootout loss to Vancouver in which Winnipeg had numerous glorious chances in overtime to snatch the bonus point from the hosts.
“It’s going to be a while. We’ll get him looked at (Saturday). I’m not a doctor, but it’s going to be a while,” a grim Jets coach Paul Maurice said following the game at Rogers Arena. “We’ll get him healed up, we’ll find other players and we’ll find a way to do it without him.”
Concern was echoed by numerous teammates, who had just celebrated Wheeler and his notorious durability when he skated in his 1,000th career regular-season game last Sunday.
“It was tough to see him down on the ground like that. We just gotta hope and pray for good news when we gets more results. That’s all we can do,” said linemate Mark Scheifele. “We know he’s a warrior, he plays through pretty much everything. Obviously there’s always hope he comes back. Hopefully we get some better news when we get home and get the doctors to look at it. All we can do is pray for good news.”
Vancouver Canucks’ Bo Horvat checks Winnipeg Jets’ Mark Scheifele during the first period. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Winnipeg, playing on the road for a second straight night following Thursday’s 3-0 victory in Seattle, drops to 13-9-5 but are back above the Western Conference playoff line with the single point. Vancouver improves to 11-15-2, including 3-0-0 under new coach Bruce Boudreau.
Maurice wasn’t lying when he said the work from Wheeler, along with Scheifele and Kyle Connor, might have been “as fine as I’ve seen that line play.” They were absolutely dominant until Wheeler went down in a heap near the midway mark of the third period, the result of Jets defenceman Nathan Beaulieu accidentally sliding into him after getting tangled with Vancouver forward Vasily Podkolzin during a chaotic scramble in front of the Winnipeg net.
“They were playing great. They were buzzing,” is how Jets forward Andrew Copp described the play of the top trio.
Vancouver Canucks’ Tanner Pearson is stopped by Winnipeg Jets goalie Eric Comrie, centre, during the first period. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Indeed. After Nils Hoglander opened the scoring 6:29 into the first period, Wheeler finally broke a regular-season scoring drought that stretched all the way back to last May 11, when he sniped twice against the Canucks in the second-last game of the abbreviated 2021 campaign. That’s a span of 22 games, including all 21 he’d played this season up until Friday. A wrist shot on the power play snuck by Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko, who was screened by the imposing Pierre-Luc Dubois, and the monkey was off his back. Wheeler actually pantomined reaching back and tossing the imaginary burden into orbit.
“Long time coming. He had how many assists? It wasn’t a worry for us. He’s been dishing left and right,” said Copp.
Turns out, he was just getting warmed up including some more dishing to come. Wheeler was robbed of a sure goal on the very next shift when Demko got a glove on the puck just before it crossed the goal-line. He was also denied on a breakaway near the end of the period, which Vancouver quickly turned around for the go-ahead goal, a softie given up by Jets backup goalie Eric Comrie off a Hoglander shot.
Winnipeg Jets’ Pierre-Luc Dubois and Vancouver Canucks’ Luke Schenn collide during the first period. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Wheeler had a direct hand in getting the game knotted up again, setting up Connor for his team-leading 18th 6:09 into the second period. Vancouver regained the lead just 57 seconds later, as Conor Garland came off the bench on a line change, got in behind Winnipeg’s defence and scored on a breakaway dash.
But then the first line did it again, with Wheeler and Connor setting up Scheifele for a rocket of a one-timer at 11:08, his seventh goal of the year.
Then came some controversy. The Jets appeared to have taken a 4-3 lead when Andrew Copp scored a few minutes later, but it was wiped off the board when Boudreau challenged for goaltender interference. Replays showed Dubois came in contact with Demko just prior to the puck going in.
Winnipeg Jets’ Blake Wheeler’s leg bends sideways at the knee as he vies for the puck against Vancouver Canucks’ Vasily Podkolzin, front right, during the third period. Wheeler left the game with an injury and did not return to the ice. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Maurice was livid on the bench, no doubt thinking back to a call that went against them last week when playing Carolina. Connor Hellebuyck got spun around during a crease battle shortly before the Hurricanes scored, but the goal was allowed to stand based on the NHL’s ruling that it was incidental contact during a loose puck battle.
“Well, that’s it. I don’t like one of those two calls. I can’t tell you which one. But one of those two calls is wrong,” Maurice said following the game.
Winnipeg Jets’ Blake Wheeler clutches his knee as he lies on the ice after getting injured during the third period against the Canucks in Vancouver, on Friday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
“You just never know what to expect, honestly. And it’s not just that, it’s just the full lack of clarity on what is goalie interference and what is not. That could have been goalie interference, for sure. If that one is, than probably the Hellebuyck once against Carolina probably is. So, I don’t think it’s just one call, it’s just lack of clarity overall,” he said.
“Try and not put it in their hands, I guess. The one today, it’s a 50-50 puck, Dubie is going backdoor tap-in and that’s the ruling that we got from the league, that incidental contact on a 50-50 puck around the net is not goalie interference. That’s where we are confused.”
After a scoreless third period, a wild overtime session ensued in which the Jets had the puck for pretty much the first four minutes but couldn’t solve Demko despite numerous glorious chances. They survived a last-minute tripping call against Nikolaj Ehlers — which set the stage for a shootout.
Winnipeg Jets’ Nikolaj Ehlers trips Vancouver Canucks’ Elias Pettersson during overtime. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Elias Pettersson was the only one who could score on a nifty deke from in-tight. Connor, Scheifele and Dubois were all denied by Demko.
“We pretty much dominated that overtime. Breakaways, two-on-ones. I think one went off his cup on and on to the post or whatever. We had our chances, sometimes you have to tip your cap, Demko made some big saves and held them in it,” said Scheifele.
“We played a great game. Did a lot of really great things. It sucks shootouts are the way to end it. You wish you could just play three on three forever, until someone scores. That’s just the way it is, we have to be happy with our game and look at the good things. Now we got a little bit of time to rest, which is nice. We have to take that to our advantage and be ready for a little bit of a homestand here.”
Vancouver Canucks’ Elias Pettersson scores the game-winning goal on Winnipeg Jets’ goaltender Eric Comrie during the shootout, Friday. (TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)
Comrie finished the game with 33 saves in regulation and overtime, while Demko made 34 stops.
The Jets are now off until Tuesday, when they open a three-game homestand against the Buffalo Sabres at Canada Life Centre. Washington and St. Louis will also pay visits.
NAPA, Calif. (AP) — David Lipsky shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday at Silverado Country Club to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Procore Championship.
Winless in 104 events since joining the PGA Tour in 2022, Lipsky went out with the early groups and had eight birdies with one bogey to kick off the FedEx Cup Fall series at the picturesque course in the heart of Napa Valley wine country.
After missing the cut in his three previous tournaments, Lipsky flew from Las Vegas to Arizona to reunite with his college coach at Northwestern to get his focus back. He also spent time playing with some of the Northwestern players, which helped him relax.
“Just being around those guys and seeing how carefree they are, not knowing what’s coming for them yet, it’s sort of nice to see that,” Lipsky said. “I was almost energized by their youthfulness.”
Patton Kizzire and Mark Hubbard were a stroke back. Kizzire started on the back nine and made a late run with three consecutive birdies to move into a tie for first. A bogey on No. 8 dropped him back.
“There was a lot of good stuff out there today,” Kizzire said. “I stayed patient and just went through my routines and played well, one shot at a time. I’ve really bee working hard on my mental game and I think that allowed me to rinse and repeat and reset and keep playing.”
Mark Hubbard was at 67. He had nine birdies but fell off the pace with a bogey and triple bogey on back-to-back holes.
Kevin Dougherty also was in the group at 67. He had two eagles and ended his afternoon by holing out from 41 yards on the 383-yard, par-4 18th.
Defending champion Sahith Theegala had to scramble for much of his round of 69.
Wyndham Clark, who won the U.S. Open in 2023 and the AT&T at Pebble Beach in February, had a 70.
Max Homa shot 71. The two-time tournament champion and a captain’s pick for the President’s Cup in two weeks had two birdies and overcame a bogey on the par-4 first.
Stewart Cink, the 2020 winner, also opened with a 71. He won The Ally Challenge last month for his first PGA Tour Champions title.
Three players from the Presidents Cup International team had mix results. Min Woo Lee shot 68, Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., 69 and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., 73. International team captain Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., also had a 69.
Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., had a 68, Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., shot 70 and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., had a 71.
Lipsky was a little shaky off the tee for much of the afternoon but made up for it with steady iron play that left him in great shape on the greens. He had one-putts on 11 holes and was in position for a bigger day but left five putts short.
Lipsky’s only real problem came on the par-4 ninth when his approach sailed into a bunker just shy of the green. He bounced back nicely with five birdies on his back nine. After missing a 19-foot putt for birdie on No. 17, Lipsky ended his day with a 12-foot par putt.
That was a big change from last year when Lipsky tied for 30th at Silverado when he drove the ball well but had uneven success on the greens.
“Sometimes you have to realize golf can be fun, and I think I sort of forgot that along the way as I’m grinding it out,” Lipsky said. “You’ve got to put things in perspective, take a step back. Sort of did that and it seems like it’s working out.”
Laird stayed close after beginning his day with a bogey on the par-4 10th. The Scot got out of the sand nicely but pushed his par putt past the hole.
Homa continued to have issues off the tee and missed birdie putts on his final four holes.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic is moving on to the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open.
The Mississauga, Ont., native defeated the tournament top seed, Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) in the round of 16 on Thursday.
Stakusic faced a 0-4 deficit in the third and final set before marching back into the match.
The 19-year-old won five of the next six games to even it up before exchanging games to force a tiebreaker, where Stakusic took complete control to win the match.
Stakusic had five aces with 17 double faults in the three-hour, four-minute match.
However, she converted eight of her 18 break-point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
PARIS (AP) — French judicial authorities are investigating the disappearance of two Paralympic athletes from Congo who recently competed in the Paris Games, the prosecutor’s office in the Paris suburb of Bobigny confirmed on Thursday.
Prosecutors opened the investigation on Sept. 7, after members of the athletes’ delegation warned authorities of their disappearance two days before.
Le Parisien newspaper reported that shot putter Mireille Nganga and Emmanuel Grace Mouambako, a visually impaired sprinter who was accompanied by a guide, went missing on Sept. 5, along with a third person.
The athletes’ suitcases were also gone but their passports remained with the Congolese delegation, according to an official with knowledge of the investigation, who asked to remain anonymous as they were not allowed to speak publicly about the case.
The Paralympic Committee of the Democratic Republic of Congo did not respond to requests for information from The Associated Press.
Nganga — who recorded no mark in the seated javelin and shot put competitions — and Mouambako were Congo’s flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, organizers said.
