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Maple Leafs beaten by last-place Coyotes, goalie Vejmelka – Toronto Sun

Published

3 years ago

January 13, 2022

Harry Miller

Publishing date:

Jan 13, 2022 • 2 hours ago • 4 minute read • 14 Comments

Toronto Maple Leafs’ William Nylander (88) and Arizona Coyotes left wing Lawson Crouse (67) battle for the puck during the second period at Gila River Arena on Wednesday night. Photo by Mark J. Rebilas /USA TODAY Sports

Who invited Karel Vejmelka to spoil the big Maple Leafs’ homecoming party in Arizona?

The Coyotes goaltender, with the worst goal support in the NHL, made 45 saves to wreck the evening for Auston Matthews, Michael Bunting and a lot of other stunned Leafs, leading a last-place team to a 2-1 upset.

Already disconcerted by some inexplicable late letdowns on this road trip, coach Sheldon Keefe seethed as his team let two early power plays fizzle against the understaffed Coyotes, fell behind and gave up a weak goal after Matthews tied it in the third.

“Our power play had a chance to grab hold of the game and failed to do so,” a sour Keefe said. “Our execution (overall) wasn’t good enough, either. We generated enough to score far more than we did and didn’t make it hard once (Vejmelka) got in a groove.”

The Leafs have a record of 1-1-1 so far in the US southwest and while the optics of granting a day off in the sun aren’t great after losing to a club that’s 7-23-3, it’s required after a back-to-back ad at this stage of the trip.

“It’s going to be important,” Keefe said of avoiding the rink Thursday.

“Our group looked tired again and in the third, it seemed we hit a wall and stopped playing for a chunk of time. No life, no energy on our bench when we needed it.

“It’s our third game and a back-to-back and all that, but it makes me wonder about our conditioning and where we’re at. Clearly we have to find ways to be rising to the occasions rather than falling flat.”

Quixotically, Keefe saw the solution as playing more games, which the COVID-19 crisis has hindered with long layoff on the schedule.

“Conditioning improves, pace improves, you’re used to grinding through it.”

The Leafs wrap up the trip Saturday in St. Louis when Mitch Marner and Pierre Engvall will have exited COVID-19 protocol.

Matthews, with a load of family and friends in the sparse crowd at Gila River Arena, had five shots through 15 minutes of mostly frustrating ice time, before hopping on a loose puck and burying it 14 seconds into the third.

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That set the club record of nine consecutive road games with a goal, breaking a tie with Babe Dye, Frank Mahovlich and Daniel Marois, in the course of a century.

“I would have obviously taken the win,” Matthews said of the record and his 24th goal this season.

“But I have to give credit to the guys on my line.”

One is left winger Bunting, back where his NHL career was launched, but Vejmelka had his number much of the night, too. Keefe was also working in front of special guests, his wife being from Scottsdale in the rink where his gig began in November of 2019 when he replaced Mike Babcock.

It was a unique goaltending match-up, Jack Campbell taking the night off as one of the NHL’s best this year and possibly being named an Atlantic Division all-star on Thursday, allowing the injury-plagued Petr Mrazek his first start in a month, against a fellow Czech.

Mrazek’s biggest worry in the game was inactivity as the Leafs had a 2-to-1 shot edge through 40 minutes, but on just 18 shots, he was beaten twice by Ryan Dzingel.

One was a mix-up between defencemen Travis Dermott and Timothy Liljegren behind Toronto’s net, the latter a surprise insert for Rasmus Sandin in what Keefe indicated was forced by the salary cap.

On the winner, Mrazek missed poke checking a cross ice pass to Dzingel, who’d got behind defender TJ Brodie.

“We need to get a save on one of them, probably the second one,” Keefe said, as Mrazek played just his fourth game this season.

“But goalies can’t get wins when you score them just one.”

Mrazek, who has watched rookie Joseph Woll earn some playing time in his absence, expressed hope his problems, two groin injuries and a bout of COVID-19, are over.

The Matthews mob included a couple of his mother’s relatives from Northern Mexico. Matthews said before the game he’s getting a following from across the border.

“They like to watch a lot. Now, my little cousins have picked it up, they’re skating and stuff like that. It’s pretty cool. As far as their hockey knowledge goes, I’m sure they’ve picked up a lot during the years. They really support me, it definitely means a lot.”

Bunting, after finishing last season strongly for his draft team, took a free agent offer back to his GTA roots.

“It was a tough decision because I had been with the Coyotes for so long. But it was too good to pass up to be with my hometown team and living out my dream as a kid. It’s been an unbelievable experience.”

Bunting’s hockey ties to Arizona are actually strongest from many years with the AHL Tucson Roadrunners, not just a town in a Beatles’ song.

“Tucson started hockey five years ago and I was there the first season. The city was great, behind us from the get-go. Not may people knew much about hockey, but they jumped on board and supported us. Each year more fans came out. It’s now a hockey town, one of the best in the AHL.”

lhornby@postmedia.com

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Canada’s Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Routliffe pick up second win at WTA Finals

Published

5 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Anne Joseph

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe remain undefeated in women’s doubles at the WTA Finals.

The 2023 U.S. Open champions, seeded second at the event, secured a 1-6, 7-6 (1), (11-9) super-tiebreak win over fourth-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in round-robin play on Tuesday.

The season-ending tournament features the WTA Tour’s top eight women’s doubles teams.

Dabrowski and Routliffe lost the first set in 22 minutes but levelled the match by breaking Errani’s serve three times in the second, including at 6-5. They clinched victory with Routliffe saving a match point on her serve and Dabrowski ending Errani’s final serve-and-volley attempt.

Dabrowski and Routliffe will next face fifth-seeded Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk on Thursday, where a win would secure a spot in the semifinals.

The final is scheduled for Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 5, 2024.

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Allen nets shutout as Devils burn Oilers 3-0

Published

15 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Anne Joseph

EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.

Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.

The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.

Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.

TAKEAWAYS

Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.

Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.

KEY MOMENT

New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.

KEY RETURN?

Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.

OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN

The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.

The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.

UP NEXT

Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.

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Mahomes throws 3 TD passes, unbeaten Chiefs beat Buccaneers 30-24 in OT

Published

15 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Anne Joseph

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.

DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.

Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.

Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.

Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.

It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.

The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.

Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.

Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.

The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”

Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.

The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.

Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.

UP NEXT

Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Chiefs: Host the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

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AP NFL:

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