However, it was still an interesting draw nonetheless. The usually secure and well-structured Carolina Hurricanes didn’t look too secure and structured throughout the game and wound up securing both points in a 5-4 shootout victory.
The Leafs and Hurricanes were even in shots with both teams having two power-play opportunities each. Toronto’s offense came from John Tavares, William Nylander and Nick Robertson, who scored in the opening half of the middle frame. Carolina answered back via Jordan Martinook and Seth Jarvis, who scored his 22nd of the season with three seconds left in the period. It looked like the two points were in the bag for the Leafs after David Kämpf scored on another breakaway to make it 4-2.
The luck of the Irish went Carolina’s way after Kämpf was called for hooking with 2:54 left in regulation. The Hurricanes took advantage of it as Sebastian Aho converted on the man advantage to make it 4-3. Carolina continued to push with its net empty and tied it late in the third, thanks to another goal from Aho.
Toronto outshot Carolina in overtime 6-2, but some of its best chances didn’t make it on net. Despite a dangerous-looking four-on-three power play, the game remained tied and went to the shootout. Pyotr Kochetkov stopped Nylander and Auston Matthews and went for an old-school lunge at Max Domi to keep the Leafs off the shootout scoreboard. Ilya Samsonov made saves on Evgeny Kuznetsov and Andrei Svechnikov, but Jake Guentzel beat him five-hole to win the game.
Three Stars
Ilya Samsonov
The Leafs did not dominate the Hurricanes by any means, and Samsonov had to make a lot of well-timed saves when their mistakes started to pile up.
Robertson is starting to make a pattern for himself as he now has three goals in returning games. He’s making a case to at least be an option in the playoffs, and this game could keep him in the lineup for the rest of the regular season.
All four of the Leafs’ goals had a common theme. They all started with a turnover in or by the neutral zone followed by a quick pass to head to the opposition’s end. TJ Brodie disrupted the zone entry ahead of the first goal and sent a quick pass down the ice to Tavares. Morgan Rielly had similar neutral zone plays off the Hurricanes’ turnovers in the neutral zone, finding Nylander and Kämpf with bank passes off the boards.
Robertson’s goal was more active on the Leafs’ end and will likely be another reason he stays in the lineup. He started by initiating contact on the puck carrier heading to Toronto’s end. Liljegren quickly got the loose puck and sailed it up for Tavares. Jaccob Slavin was on Tavares, so he turned to protect the puck and found Robertson breaking in with speed.
Ideally, you’d like more of the team’s goals to be these hard-working masterpieces, but simply having the skill to make a team pay for a mistake sprung the Leafs to that lead in the second.
The powerless play continues
The Leafs walked into this game with a single power-play goal in eight games and 20 total opportunities. Something has to give with the units, and Sheldon Keefe tried something new playing both Liljegren and Rielly with the top guys. Liljegren, as the right shot at the top, could be a good way to fill in the missing Mitch Marner void, while Rielly was along the left wall but was pretty fluid in the offensive zone.
Despite the changes, there still weren’t too many high-grade scoring chances, and the Hurricanes had little to do with it. The Leafs turned the puck over too often upon the zone entry and passed up on key chances when Carolina left a lane for them to take advantage of. Matthews had a lot of room on the left at one point, and no one got the puck to him.
It was much better in the third period as they sorted their timing out, but they still didn’t have anything to show for it.
Live penalties
It was such a bittersweet night to be a fan of the penalty kill because it had a lot of good momentum-changing moments. The kill via Matthew Knies’ tripping penalty was particularly strong and gave the Leafs the momentum to run away with the period. Connor Dewar, Bobby McMann and Nylander created a lot of scoring chances because of their speed and timing. But you can move the goal posts only so far without addressing the issue at hand.
Similar to the power play, the Leafs’ short-handed squad hasn’t been up to par lately. They’ve given up at least one power-play goal in the last three games and added two more to their tally Saturday with the opposition free by the side of the net.
McMann ascension
Keefe is starting to lean on McMann more. He not only saw a lot of penalty-killing time but also replaced Pontus Holmberg on the top line with Matthews in the third. His speed is still catching the opposition off guard, and he doesn’t hesitate to take those hard paths down the wall and cut to the front of the net. Don’t be surprised to see a McMann-Matthews-Marner line in the future.
Game Score
Final Grade: B
The Hurricanes really don’t like giving up more than three goals. They’ve held their opponent to two or fewer goals 21 times in 2024, so the Leafs putting four past them is noteworthy. It could’ve been more, and the Leafs had opportunities to get that fifth, sixth and, no hyperbole, seventh goal of the game. Losing a game like this and in this matter further reinforces the priorities the Leafs have to figure out in the next month. Both ends of their special teams need to improve, and Marner returning will help. You’re still getting scoring from up and down the lineup, though all four lines were outchanced and outshot at five-on-five. The Tyler Bertuzzi-Matthews-Holmberg line got the brunt of that lopsided stat.
At the end of the day, these are two playoff-bound teams. An iffy penalty call and a deflection extended the game.
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.
