There was no shortage of support for the Toronto Maple Leafs during the Blue Jays home opener, as hockey fans from Washington, Long Island, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Buffalo decided to become hardcore Leafs fans for the evening.
The Pittsburgh Penguins outshot the Leafs 10-5 in the first, and Ilya Lyubushkin struggled greatly. The physical defender took an early boarding penalty, and though Ilya Samsonov was able to bail him out, he wasn’t able to cover for him when Lyubushkin gave the puck away with under two minutes left in the opening frame.
The Leafs responded and tied things up five minutes into the second. Pontus Holmberg won an offensive-zone faceoff, and T.J. Brodie made an excellent pass to set up Matthew Knies for a tap-in. Though Toronto took three more penalties in the period, Samsonov and the penalty kill found a way to keep the score tied through 40.
The two teams exchanged goals in the third, and the Penguins got a point they desperately needed, but Jake McCabe made plenty of other fans happy by stopping them there with an overtime winner. Kyle Dubas made a great decision to trade for McCabe at last year’s deadline, but he regretted it Monday night.
Three stars
1. Ilya Samsonov
Samsonov stopped 24 of 26 against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night, and he earned a second consecutive start in the process. He carried his confidence into Monday night’s performance but didn’t have much of a chance on this Rakell goal late in the first:
The Penguins had five power plays in the first two periods, and though they probably deserved to have the lead, Samsonov made a couple of big stops to keep the score tied heading into the third:
Matthews was held off the scoresheet for the first two periods, even though his line was easily Toronto’s best. However, he wasted no time getting on the board in the third, blasting a one-timer past Alex Nedeljkovic to give the Leafs the lead and earn his 65th goal of the season:
McCabe deserves an honourable mention for the overtime winner, but let’s give the nod to Brodie since he was also excellent defensively.
A strong night for Toronto’s special teams
There haven’t been many goals scored on special teams at either end during Leafs games lately. Toronto had gone five straight games without giving up a goal while short-handed before Nick Suzuki ended that streak Saturday. However, Toronto’s power play had scored just once in seven games entering play, so it’s not like the Leafs have enjoyed a huge special teams advantage, either.
Toronto’s penalty kill was a perfect two-for-two in the first, but it wasn’t always pretty, as Pittsburgh’s power play was moving the puck well. The penalty kill went three-for-three in the second, and the results looked far more deserved. Toronto’s power play added to Toronto’s strong special teams results to start the third as Matthews blasted a one-timer for a goal off a faceoff win from John Tavares.
It feels like a power play that features Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Tavares and Morgan Rielly can get hot at any moment, but they’ve gone cold in the playoffs plenty of times in the past. The penalty kill has easily been their main concern this season, but Samsonov’s been able to cover for his teammates when called upon lately, and the trade deadline additions have at least given Sheldon Keefe more options. There’s still some work to do before Leafs fans can be confident in Toronto’s special teams heading into the playoffs, but Monday night was certainly a step in the right direction.
Keefe’s playoff lineup is still up in the air
Keefe’s lineup once again featured a three-pronged attack with Matthews, Marner and Nylander on different lines. Experimenting with this before the playoffs makes plenty of sense, as Matthews did not miss a beat when Marner was out of the lineup. Here’s a quick look at his recent numbers entering play:
Auston Matthews over the past ten games:
66.4 xGF%
73.1 GF% (Leafs up 16-6 in his 5v5 minutes)
Tyler Bertuzzi has been a good fit on both top-six lines all season, but it’s been difficult to figure out where Max Domi fits best. Domi spent the vast majority of the season at centre, but given that Matthews and Tavares ought to get plenty of offensive zone starts, Domi wasn’t exactly a natural fit for the third-line centre role. I didn’t think he’d be a great fit with Matthews, either, as it’s tough to put a player who struggles defensively on a line that regularly faces opposing top lines.
It’s tough to argue against the results thus far, as Domi now hasn’t been on for a goal against at even strength in five straight. The fourth line did its job for the most part as well, as its minutes were quite boring. It was the middle six that left Keefe with more questions than answers, as it was an off night for Tavares and Nylander. Toronto’s defenders looked like they were having a competition to see who could take the most penalties, but its special teams found a way to step up. Both of Toronto’s goals in regulation were scored immediately after a faceoff win.
Game Score
Final grade: B-
Monday night’s result meant everything for the Penguins and very little for the Leafs. Though Pittsburgh outplayed the Leafs early, it was mostly due to having more power-play opportunities than dominant five-on-five play. However, discipline is important, and Pittsburgh’s five-to-one advantage in power-play chances through two periods seemed warranted rather than a result of unfavorable officiating. Though the Matthews line had some strong shifts, the middle six were getting outplayed.
The Leafs started the third with a power play of their own, and they were trying to protect a lead for most of the period. Though there are plenty of positives to take away, particularly on special teams, the Leafs were too undisciplined to deserve an “A.” They were just OK at even strength rather than dominant.
What’s next for the Leafs?
Heading to New Jersey to play the Devils at 7 p.m. Tuesday on TSN.
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.
