“Stamkos is out. Cirelli is out. Kucherov is out. McDonagh is out. Rutta is out,” is how Lightning head coach Jon Cooper opened his morning press conference.
That’s Steven Stamkos, Anthony Cirelli, Nikita Kucherov, plus defencemen Ryan McDonagh and Jan Rutta, all announced as lower body injuries. McDavid is out with a quadriceps injury in his left leg, so that means Edmonton’s second leading scorer, and Tampa’s top two scorers, are all absent from tonight’s contest, which opens a three-game road trip for Edmonton.
“You’ve heard me say this before,” began Cooper. “The 22 guys who make your team out of camp aren’t the guys you’re going to play with the whole year. You need depth in your organization.
“It’s playing to a system and ultimately, playing hard. We can’t change,” he said. “You can’t expect someone who scores five or six goals in this league to score 50. But one of our staples is … it’s really not how many you put in the net. It’s how many you keep out.”
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What it also provides is a chance to see who rises to the challenge. A night where a young guy might get a little more of a chance to stake his claim on a roster, with the playoffs around the corner.
“It might be an opportunity to get a little power play time, or a couple of offensive zone starts,” said Oilers rookie defenceman Caleb Jones. “Look at Yamo (Oilers winger Kailer Yamamoto). He’s on the power play last game and he gets one. There’s a guy right there who gets an opportunity to jump up on that unit, and he takes advantage of it.
“We’re going to need that mentality of guys stepping into bigger roles and doing the job. It was Yamo last game, and we’ll see if it’s someone else tonight.”
With McDavid out against Chicago on Tuesday, Leon Draisaitl piled up four points in a 5-3 win. In theory, McDavid’s absence should change the matchup, meaning Draisaitl will see Tampa’s No. 1 defenceman, Victor Hedman, on every shift, rather than Cooper having to make a matchup choice between McDavid’s or Draisaitl’s line.
Did Draisaitl notice a difference versus Chicago on McDavid’s first game on I.R.?
“I’m not a coach. I don’t pay too much attention to the matching and that kind of stuff,” he shrugged. “I think that if you play the right way — you play hard and you play good — then you can be on the ice against anyone.”
This two- to three-week absence of McDavid comes at a crucial point in the season. It’s a chance for Draisaitl to show the hockey world — or those in the hockey world who may not be aware —- that he can carry a team offensively, with or without McDavid.
“You’ve seen the way that happens in Pittsburgh. When one (of Evgeni Malkin or Sidney Crosby) is out, the other one gets more attention,” said Oilers head coach Dave Tippett. “It’s a big challenge for Leon. He’s really engaged right now, and he wants this challenge. He wants to make sure we keep moving along, and we keep getting our points.”
There is some temptation for Tippett to move Ryan Nugent-Hopkins off of Draisaitl’s left wing to centre another line with McDavid out. It’s a temptation the coach is resisting, for now.
“Leon’s line has just been so good, it’s hard to break them up,” he said.
Yamamoto, the right-winger on that line, marvels at Draisaitl’s patience with the puck.
“He’s probably one of the best in the NHL at holding on to the puck. His passing is ridiculous — some of the plays he makes I don’t even see myself, until he makes them,” said Yamamoto, who has a special bond with Tampa centreman Tyler Johnson, a fellow Spokane, Washington native.
“His Mom, I grew up with her teaching me how to skate, and I grew up playing hockey with him. Still skate with him in the summers now,” said the five-foot-eight, 153-pound Yamamoto. It’s a coincidence that Johnson, who is eight years older, would also be an under-sized forward who has had to battle through the stereotypes to make his way in the NHL.
“He’s a Spokane kid who went to high school with my sister,” Yamamoto said. “Him going to the (WHL Spokane) Chiefs kind of just paved the way for me, and I followed his footsteps.”
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.
