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Listless Maple Leafs fall to lowly Sabres in humiliating fashion – Toronto Sun

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3 years ago

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Publishing date:

Mar 02, 2022  •  10 hours ago  •  3 minute read  •  21 Comments

Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares (91) battles for the puck with Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (26) during the first period at Scotiabank Arena. Photo by Nick Turchiaro /USA TODAY Sports

You can’t spell embarrassing without ‘Sabres.’

Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe, answering on Wednesday morning after he was asked about guarding against playing down to lesser opponents, mentioned that in an 82-game schedule, “you’re going to have dips in your play.”

His players proved him right hours later.

Despite being 34 points ahead of the Buffalo Sabres in the standings when the game started — and despite the fact the Sabres were riding a six-game losing streak — the Leafs were throttled by the visitors, losing 5-1 at Scotiabank Arena.

“It was terrible from start to finish,” Keefe said. “Our team has been playing well, we have every reason to believe the team was ready to play.

“In terms of how we played with the puck, we were really careless. Offensively, we were abysmal. All four lines. There was no real urgency, no real competitiveness.

“We didn’t grab a hold of anything. We just didn’t have it.”

After Buffalo’s Jeff Skinner and Kyle Okposo scored in the third, Leafs goalie Petr Mrazek started hearing it from the fans on routine saves.

Fact is, the jeers should have been directed at the whole team. As such, the Leafs were booed off the ice when the final horn sounded.

That the building was full for the first time since Dec. 11 didn’t matter. Check that, attendance was 17,122, so not everyone is comfortable returning to being in a crowd during a pandemic.

Toronto’s three-game winning streak ended and the Leafs blew a chance to tie Tampa Bay atop the Atlantic Division in points.

Sabres goalie Craig Anderson, 40 years young, finished with 29 saves.

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Mrazek made 26 saves in his second start in a row, the first time this season he has started consecutive games. We would expect the struggling Jack Campbell to get the call against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.

Leafs captain John Tavares’ goalless streak was extended to 14 games, putting him within three games of the longest drought of his NHL career, when he went 17 games without a goal in 2009-10 during his rookie season with the New York Islanders.

This time, Tavares’ slump should be worrisome. With a salary-cap hit of $11-million US, Tavares is paid to be a difference-maker, not simply a player who gets a scoring chance every so often or has an assist once in a while.

Instead, in a game that could have used some scoring from a line other than one with Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews on it, the Tavares trio was not a factor.

The Sabres took a 3-1 lead into third period after scoring the only two goals of the second, as the Leafs had little interest in grabbing a hold of game that was tied 1-1 after one.

Leafs defenceman Rasmus Sandin had a rough go on both goals, and his lack of physical strength got exposed. That’s the kind of thing that won’t fly in the playoffs.

Would Keefe go back to the pairing of Morgan Rielly and Sandin, on the right side, for another look?

“Probably not,” Keefe said.

A defenceman, whether it’s Hampus Lindholm or Josh Manson or Jakob Chychrun or whoever it might be, should remain at or near the top of general manager Kyle Dubas’ wish list — if not a goalie — before the NHL trade deadline on March 21.

Before scoring at 12:19 of the second, the Sabres’ Victor Olofsson essentially pushed Sandin out of the way before putting a rebound past Mrazek as Rielly arrived a step too late.

Tage Thompson scored at 18:31. Sandin couldn’t control the puck between the hash marks, and Skinner got it to Thompson, who snapped it into the net on Mrazek’s glove side.

Said Sandin: “These are the games we need to get better at … no disrespect or anything, but I think that is a team that we should beat.”

The Sabres got on the board at 2:26 of the first period on a power play when Jacob Bryson’s soft shot from the point brushed off Rielly and past Mrazek.

The Leafs tied the game at 11:48 when Sandin scored on a pass from Michael Bunting. That was it for Toronto.

“When you look at the effort, it was disappointing,” Rielly said. “It’s a matter of urgency. That probably is human nature (to think goals are going to come against teams in the bottom of the NHL standings).

“But that can’t be our mentality. Good teams in games like this are able to play with great structure and win and dominate.”

tkoshan@postmedia.com

twitter.com/koshtorontosun

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PWHL MVP Spooner set to miss start of season for Toronto Sceptres due to knee injury

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8 hours ago

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November 12, 2024

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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.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Champions Trophy host Pakistan says it’s not been told India wants to play cricket games elsewhere

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4 days ago

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November 8, 2024

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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.”

Pakistan hosted last year’s Asia Cup but all India games were played in Sri Lanka under a hybrid model for the tournament. Only months later Pakistan did travel to India for the 50-over World Cup.

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.

___

AP cricket:

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Dabrowski, Routlife into WTA doubles final with win over Melichar-Martinez, Perez

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4 days ago

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November 8, 2024

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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.

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