The Toronto Maple Leafs left no April Fools’ jokes for fans to embrace, although things got close to a multi-goal collapse. This match against the Florida Panthers was highly anticipated, given the history between the two clubs and the likelihood of a first-round playoff series in a few weeks.
The Leafs were in control of the first two periods, getting goals from three of their four forward lines. Nick Robertson and Auston Matthews secured the 2-0 lead after the opening period. Brandon Montour cut the Panthers’ deficit in half with his seventh 47 seconds into the middle frame, but Tyler Bertuzzi, David Kämpf and Matthew Knies brought the game to an almost unreachable height with goals of their own.
Florida started the third with a mission that was close to coming true. Vladimir Tarasenko was the star of the final 20 minutes as his 22nd goal was the first of three points. Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett continued the momentum, and before we knew it, there was 1:50 left on the clock. Matthews fought for and secured the empty net goal, making it a 6-4 decision for the Leafs.
On to the observations.
Three stars
Auston Matthews
Sixty goals was not enough for Matthews who added two to establish a new career high. There are only eight more games left in this season.
The third period is a massive blemish on Samsonov’s great game. The Panthers came out flying to start, and their first chance of the night was a deflection shot through traffic. Samsonov weathered the storm and kept Florida off the scoreboard for as long as he could. His point-blank rebound save on Anton Lundell is one thing to focus on, but pulling that puck off the goal line in the first was a turning point.
The Robertson-Pontus Holmberg-Knies line was the fastest out there. That and their offensive output makes it a safe bet for the Leafs’ coaching staff. The plays they make in transition are game-changing, especially when they’re playing heavily along the boards.
Robertson gets the edge on Dmitry Kulikov and Sergei Bobrovsky with his speed, but it starts with a won puck battle between him and Holmberg and a good defensive stick to intercept the pass. Knies skates by and through four Panthers players to get to the slot and receive the wraparound pass from Holmberg, but it starts with Robertson straight-up stopping after Tarasenko tried to bank the puck off the boards to Kulikov and challenging him. If Robertson circles and is more passive, he’s not there to steal the puck and get it to Holmberg.
The Kid Line will probably end once the Leafs get healthier, but they’ve shown what they can do in games like these.
Setting the tone
The Leafs finished Monday’s game with 41 hits. Ryan Reaves and Connor Dewar combined for 13 hits, with Reaves’ seven leading the way. Not only did he bring raw physicality, but his forechecking resulted in offensive opportunities for his line and follow-up shifts.
Penalty killing
There weren’t any goals scored on the power play between seven opportunities. The penalty kill was indicative of the team’s overall play in the opening 40 minutes. The Panthers struggled with maintaining pressure in the offensive zone, and the Leafs were quick on their clears. Even when their skilled players found space, the penalty killers were in the right spot to shut those moments down before anything could come of it. Of course, they had Samsonov making the stops whenever Florida got a look.
Samsonov’s goal line save was a highlight of the penalty kill, and Holmberg’s block on an open Matthew Tkachuk came while the Leafs were short-handed. It’s also good to see Kämpf and Dewar becoming a consistent and useful duo, while Holmberg and Bobby McMann’s skating is another dangerous factor.
The Panthers are going to come back. They’ve always been a team that can score and have improved significantly in their own end. However, their means of queuing the comeback was a direct result of the Leafs holding back on what made them successful in the first two periods. It goes beyond score effects. The Leafs won fewer puck battles and got looser in their own end and the Panthers took advantage of some favourable matchups. Reinhart’s goal is a perfect example of what the Leafs were doing wrong in the third.
This will be a bit of a continuation of that final observation. There’s a difference between knowing a push is coming and being ready to handle it when it does. The Leafs were ready in the first two periods but weren’t in the third. Their most dangerous scoring chance in the third was from Max Domi, with nearly five minutes left in regulation. In this game, the Leafs sent a message to a potential playoff opponent. The Florida Panthers know how the Leafs can perform and execute up and down the lineup. They know they’re not a team to be pushed around and that they can start scrums as easily as they can finish them. Unfortunately, they also got another reminder that no Leafs lead is completely safe.
Things happen, and the Leafs handled the in-game moments well at first. Montour’s goal could have been a problem if the top line hadn’t responded and scored immediately. But there are still times when the team holds on instead of continuing to push back.
What’s next for the Leafs?
The Tampa Bay Lightning are in town Wednesday (7 p.m. EST) for what makes it a significant matchup standings-wise.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
