TORONTO — To the surprise of absolutely no one in the building, it was Connor McDavid who finished the night crowned as the most skilled of this absurdly skillful All-Star bunch. But while the Edmonton Oilers captain was the undeniable star of the 2024 NHL All-Star Skills Competition, dropping jaws every time he stepped to centre ice to put on a display for the Scotiabank Arena faithful, the hardest cheers rained down on the two phenoms with the maple leaf on their sweaters.
It was an eventful night for Auston Matthews and William Nylander, who’ve embraced their role as hosts this weekend — along with fellow Toronto Maple Leafs all-stars Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly. Friday night, with the silly, haphazard joy of the All-Star circus in their home barn, Nos. 34 and 88 gave the home crowd plenty to cheer for.
“I thought it was a lot of fun,” Matthews said of the night after the event had wrapped and the fans had streamed out of the building. Much was made of the new format of the Skills Competition, which aimed to make the event more competitive for the players involved — count Matthews as a fan of the changes. “It was pretty competitive for the most part. As it started to wind down, you could see guys were putting in some pretty big efforts. I thought it was cool. It’s the first year doing this — it’s never going to be perfect, but I think it’s a good base for the future, and we can continue to have skills competitions somewhat like this format, and keep it competitive and fun for everybody.”
Added his fellow Leaf, in true Nylander fashion:
“I didn’t really watch the Skills before, so I don’t really know how it was working before. But I think it was a pretty cool concept this year.”
The pair were all laughs throughout the night, enjoying the moment and the comfort of the familiar territory. Of course, a rocky start in their opening events took the wind out of those sails for just a moment.
“I was a little nervous after that poor start by me,” Matthews said Friday night with a chuckle. “I thought I was dead in the water after the first event, the one-timers. I didn’t do too well on that. But I really wanted to do well on that accuracy shooting — I had to do something there to make it to the second round.”
The Maple Leafs sniper — who’s currently pacing the league with 40 goals to his name this season — wound up finishing last in the One-Timers event, fresh off Nylander placing last in his own first event, the Fastest Skater competition. As the night wore down to the final few events, though, Toronto’s All-Star captain managed to give the Scotiabank Arena crowd some signature moments — nearly claiming the Accuracy Shooting throne by shattering his four targets in just over nine seconds, before McDavid bested him by a hair, snagging the title.
Then came one of the most interesting events of the evening, the One-on-One, which saw skaters pick the goalie they would face, and then tee off on them for as many attempts as possible for a full minute.
The crowd roared with approval as the ever-nonchalant Nylander stepped up first, chose netminder Cam Talbot simply because he was the goalie standing across from him during the selection process, and wound up winning the event — and providing one of its slickest finishes.
“I just tried to get as many shots in as possible,” Nylander said simply of his winning run. “I was pretty tired by the end of it. … When you go from resting for 45 minutes, to going full speed, you’re pretty gassed after a minute.”
Matthews finished right behind him, in second place, in the One-on-One, the pair earning a shot at the final event — the Obstacle Course — for the $1-million prize.
There was little chance anyone was besting McDavid in an event that tested how well players could sprint down the ice, weaving and darting around all manner of barriers — No. 97’s bread and butter. But for just a moment, it seemed Nylander had a chance at putting up a time that would be tough for even McDavid to top, as the quick-footed Swede whipped through the course with ease — before, ultimately, stumbling on the final step.
“We were cheering for him, and then when he missed the net it was like, ‘Ahhh, come on,’” Matthews said with a laugh. “But he did great. He’s a special player. I think all the guys that participated tonight, you can see why they’re some of the top players in the world. Extremely skilled in different ways. Hopefully the fans enjoyed it.”
At the very least, No. 88 did.
“I think the last one was probably my favourite,” Nylander said of the new addition to the Skills Competition itinerary. “It was a combination of everything in a way, so that was lots of fun. … You had to be versatile in everything.”
For everyone other than McDavid — who will head back west with an extra $1 million in his bank account — the results matter little, of course. On a night that offered the crew of All-Stars a chance to build some camaraderie with their fellow phenoms, it was just about trying to take in the moment, Matthews said.
“In the end, you’re just enjoying your time, enjoying your break, getting to spend time with friends, buddies that you’ve played with in the past, or play with now, or new guys that you’re getting to know,” said Matthews. “All in all, it’s a great experience. … Especially to have it here in Toronto, and have the hometown support, everything that goes along with hosting this event. It means a lot.”
The two-time Rocket Richard winner paid tribute to Toronto on Friday night with a pair of custom skates, and a custom stick, emblazoned with the city’s skyline and decked out in the colours of pal Justin Bieber’s brand.
“With the jerseys being a collaboration with Drew House, I just kind of did Drew House-inspired skates and stick for tonight,” Matthews said of the custom All-Star gear. “It’s cool to be able to participate in events like this and be able to do cool stuff like that. I’ve been fortunate enough to be in a couple of these, and it’s always special to be a part of.”
With the Skills Competition out of the way, attention now turns to the finale: Saturday’s All-Star Game, a 3-on-3 tournament with another $1 million up for grabs.
“I think the 3-on-3 will be lots of fun — a lot of competition, money on the line,” Nylander said of the weekend’s closing event. “We’ll be competing for that money.”
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points in a record-setting performance and the Sacramento Kings beat the Toronto Raptors 122-107 on Wednesday night.
Domantas Sabonis added 17 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his third triple-double of the season for Sacramento. He shot 6 for 6 from the field and 5 for 5 at the free-throw line.
Keegan Murray chipped in with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and De’Aaron Fox scored 21.
The 35-year-old DeRozan has scored at least 20 points in each of his first eight games with the Kings, breaking a franchise mark established by Chris Webber when he reached 20 in his first seven games with Sacramento in 1999.
DeRozan spent the past three seasons with the Chicago Bulls. The six-time All-Star also has played for Toronto and San Antonio during his 16-year NBA career.
RJ Barrett had 23 points to lead the Raptors. Davion Mitchell scored 20 in his first game in Sacramento since being traded to Toronto last summer.
Takeaways
Raptors: Toronto led for most of the first three quarters before wilting in the fourth. The Raptors were outscored 33-14 in the final period.
Kings: Fox played strong defense but struggled again shooting from the floor as he is dealing with a finger injury. Fox went 5 for 17 and just 2 of 8 on 3-pointers. He is 5 for 25 from beyond the arc in his last three games.
Key moment
The Kings trailed 95-89 early in the fourth before going on a 9-0 run that gave them the lead for good. DeRozan started the spurt with a jumper, and Malik Monk scored the final seven points.
Key stat
Sabonis had the eighth game in the NBA since at least 1982-83 with a triple-double while missing no shots from the field or foul line. The previous player to do it was Josh Giddey for Oklahoma City against Portland on Jan. 11.
Up next
Raptors: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night, the third stop on a five-game trip.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps are one win away from moving on to the next round of the Major League Soccer playoffs.
To get there, however, the Whitecaps will need to pull off the improbable by defeating the powerhouse Los Angeles FC for a second straight game.
Vancouver blanked the visitors 3-0 on Sunday to level their best-of-three first-round playoff series at a game apiece. As the matchup shifts back to California for a decisive Game 3 on Friday, the Whitecaps are looking for a repeat performance, said striker Brian White.
“We take the good and the bad from last game, learn from what we could have done better and go to LAFC with confidence and, obviously, with a whole lot of respect,” he said.
“We know that we can go there and give them a very good fight and hopefully come away with a win.”
The winner of Friday’s game will face the No. 4-seed Seattle Sounders in a one-game Western Conference semifinal on Nov. 23 or 24.
The ‘Caps finished the regular season eighth in the west with a 13-13-8 record and have since surprised many with their post-season play.
First, Vancouver trounced its regional rivals, the Portland Timbers, 5-0 in a wild-card game. Then, the squad dropped a tightly contested 2-1 decision to the top-seeded L.A. before posting a decisive home victory on Sunday.
Vancouver has scored seven goals this post-season, second only to the L.A. Galaxy (nine). Vancouver also leads the league in expected goals (6.84) through the playoffs.
No one outside of the club expected the Whitecaps to win when the Vancouver-L. A. series began, said defender Ranko Veselinovic.
“We’ve shown to ourselves that we can compete with them,” he said.
Now in his fifth season with the ‘Caps, Veselinovic said Friday’s game will be the biggest he’s played for the team.
“We haven’t had much success in the playoffs so, definitely, this is the one that can put our season on another level,” he said.
This is the second year in a row the Whitecaps have faced LAFC in the first round of the playoffs and last year, Vancouver was ousted in two straight games.
The team isn’t thinking about revenge as it prepares for Game 3, White said.
“More importantly than (beating LAFC), we want to get to the next round,” he said. “LAFC’s a very good team. We’ve come up against them a number of times in different competitions and they always seem to get the better of us. So it’d be huge for us to get the better of them this time.”
Earning a win last weekend required slowing L.A.’s transition game and limiting offensive opportunities for the team’s big stars, including Denis Bouanga.
Those factors will be important again on Friday, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini, who warned that his team could face a different style of game.
“I think the most important thing is going to be to match their intensity at the beginning of the game,” he said. “Because I think they’re going to come at us a million miles per hour.”
The ‘Caps will once again look to captain Ryan Gauld for some offensive firepower. The Scottish attacking midfielder leads MLS in playoff goals with five and has scored in all three of Vancouver’s post-season appearances this year.
Gearing up for another do-or-die matchup is exciting, Gauld said.
“Knowing it’s a winner-takes-all kind of game, being in that kind of environment is nice,” he said. “It’s when you see the best in players.”
LAFC faces the bulk of the pressure heading into the matchup, Sartini said, given the club’s appearances in the last two MLS Cup finals and its 2022 championship title.
“They’re supposed to win and we are not,” the coach said. “But it’s beautiful to have a little bit of pressure on us, too.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
Each PWHL team operated under its city name, with players wearing jerseys featuring the league’s logo in its inaugural season before names and logos were announced last month.
The Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens will start the PWHL’s second season on Nov. 30 with jerseys designed to reflect each team’s identity and to be sold to the public as replicas.
Led by PWHL vice-president of brand and marketing Kanan Bhatt-Shah, the league consulted Creative Agency Flower Shop to design the jerseys manufactured by Bauer, the PWHL said Thursday in a statement.
“Players and fans alike have been waiting for this moment and we couldn’t be happier with the six unique looks each team will don moving forward,” said PWHL senior vice president of business operations Amy Scheer.
“These jerseys mark the latest evolution in our league’s history, and we can’t wait to see them showcased both on the ice and in the stands.”
Training camps open Tuesday with teams allowed to carry 32 players.
Each team’s 23-player roster, plus three reserves, will be announced Nov. 27.
Each team will play 30 regular-season games, which is six more than the first season.
Minnesota won the first Walter Cup on May 29 by beating Boston three games to two in the championship series.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
