Sports

Maple Leafs’ Matthews, Domi break through in hard-fought comeback

Published

10 months ago

December 3, 2023

TORONTO — Seven hours before his Toronto Maple Leafs took the ice for one of its biggest tests of the campaign — a Saturday-night tilt with the Boston Bruins — Sheldon Keefe sent a message to the leaders of his team. One in particular.

Coming off a stretch that saw Auston Matthews go goalless for four games — with just one in his past nine outings — the coach made clear where he stood on No. 34’s play of late.

“He’s got to do better,” Keefe said Saturday morning. “Don’t focus on the end result, or get concerned with anything other than doing the things that allow you to have success — individually, and for us as a team, most importantly.

“Auston’s a driver for our team. When he’s going, we’re going.”

By the end of the night, after a hard-fought battle that pushed these Leafs to their fifth extra-time effort in six games, Matthews had his coach singing a different tune.

“I thought he was a beast out there tonight,” Keefe said.

It was off Matthews’ stick that the home side found some life under the Scotiabank Arena lights Saturday night. The former 60-goal man got the Maple Leafs on the board 12 minutes into the second period — after the B’s had jumped out to a 2-0 lead — and then cashed in a second time with only seconds remaining in the third period, salvaging a point from the near-wreckage.

“I thought he was all over the puck,” Keefe said of his lead sniper. “I thought he attacked the net, he shot the puck. Obviously two huge goals for us. I thought he was excellent.”

The pair of tallies didn’t come easy, though. Not against a Bruins team that has made its name stifling the best offences in the game.

“I thought they were on the puck. I mean, that’s a hard team to play against,” Keefe continued. “They don’t give you much. You’ve got to earn absolutely everything. And they had looks. I mean, Auston’s first goal — that’s just earning it. There’s nothing cute about that.

“We found our way to the interior of the rink, against a team that makes it really hard to do so.”

The return of that jump in Matthews’ step, the return of that Midas touch, wasn’t lost on his teammates looking on from the bench, too.

“I think tonight they found a little magic again,” defender Simon Benoit said of Matthews and his linemates, William Nylander and Matthew Knies, who combined for a total of 19 shots on net. “They were buzzing, they were skating, they were playing physical.

“When they play like that, they dominate, for sure.”

But the brief return to form for the club’s lead talent wasn’t enough to seal the win, even with some late-game heroics and 40 shots thrown at Boston’s Linus Ullmark. And yet, the hosts are taking the one point earned as a sign of progress.

“I think it’s just two competitive teams,” Matthews said of the eventual 4-3 OT loss, once the final buzzer had sounded. “They’ve been the class of the league the last two years and the way they’ve been playing we knew it was going to be a challenge. I liked the way that we came out and played, and obviously it could’ve went either way.

“It definitely leaves a sour taste in your mouth heading home. But I thought the process that we had, and a lot of really, really good things that we did as a team — you’ve got to take those positives and continue to build momentum moving forward.”

“I thought it was a hard-played hockey game by both teams,” Keefe agreed. “Not a lot between the two teams — two teams playing hard, referees let the teams play. You know, not your typical early-December hockey game. It was a tough game out there.

“It was fast, competitive, and I thought our guys hung right there, fought their way back, and got us another point.”

Woll and Ullmark’s best saves from Maple Leafs vs. Bruins overtime

While Matthews pulled that point out of a near-loss, one-timing home the club’s second tying goal of the night in the dying seconds of the third, it was Max Domi who took the first turn as hero.

Down 2-1 after 40 minutes, the Maple Leafs were outshooting the visitors but having difficulty breaking through the suffocating Bruins defence with any type of consistency. But a sprint from Domi pulled the crowd to the edge of their seats.

The puck made its way to Nick Robertson, streaking down the right side of the offensive zone. The 22-year-old flipped it over to Domi, who collected it in the slot with acres of space around him, flashed forehand, then slipped the puck to his backhand and roofed it. The crowd erupted.

Max Domi finds space and puts away the backhand to score his first as a Maple Leaf

“It’s huge. Huge for him, and a big one [for us],” Keefe said of the goal, Domi’s first in a Maple Leafs sweater. “He’s done well for us — he’s found ways to contribute for us, in different ways, obviously. He’s made some plays to make others look good. So it’s great for him to have that moment.”

“It means a lot,” said Matthews. “It’s huge for him. He’s definitely shown that he’s a distributor and a pass-first guy, but it’s always nice to get the first one off your back. And it was a really big goal for us.”

“Just seeing the crowd respond to his goal like that,” added netminder Joseph Woll, “it was pretty cool.”

The moment wasn’t lost on No. 11 himself, either.

“I’ve said it from Day 1, I’m super happy to be playing at home, in front of my hometown fans. I’m enjoying every second of it,” Domi said from the bowels of Scotiabank Arena post-game, mulling the ovation from the Toronto faithful. Now, the hope is that he can keep them on their feet. “Of course you want to help. You want to contribute once in a while. But I mean, honestly, sometimes they want to go in, sometimes they don’t. Hopefully now we can start stringing some goals together.”

Still, hometown moment aside, team-wide progress aside, there’s only so much enjoyment to take from a night that ends with the other team’s hands raised.

“Of course it feels good to contribute. But that s— is irrelevant when you don’t win,” Domi said of the hard-fought comeback that fell just short. “Obviously we wanted to come away with two points there. But the boys battled back, showed a lot of character against a real good team, a well-coached team. They’re a heck of a hockey club for a reason.

“So, good test, and I think our group showed what we’re capable of. If we find a way to string 60 minutes together like that, we’ll be a tough team to beat as well.”

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Sports

Red Wings sign Moritz Seider to 7-year deal worth nearly $60M

Published

5 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.

The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.

Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.

He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.

Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.

Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.

Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.

The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.

Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.

Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.

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Veterans Tyson Beukeboom, Karen Paquin lead Canada’s team at WXV rugby tournament

Published

6 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

Veterans Tyson Beukeboom and Karen Paquin will lead Canada at the WXV 1 women’s rugby tournament starting later this month in the Vancouver area.

WXV 1 includes the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (England, France and Ireland) and the top three teams from the Pacific Four Series (Canada, New Zealand, and the United States).

Third-ranked Canada faces No. 4 France, No. 7 Ireland and No. 1 England in the elite division of the three-tiered WXV tournament that runs Sept. 29 to Oct. 12 in Vancouver and Langley, B.C. No. 2 New Zealand and the eighth-ranked U.S. make up the six-team WVX 1 field.

“Our preparation time was short but efficient. This will be a strong team,” Canada coach Kevin Rouet said in a statement. “All the players have worked very hard for the last couple of weeks to prepare for WXV and we are excited for these next three matches and for the chance to play on home soil here in Vancouver against the best rugby teams in the world.

“France, Ireland and England will each challenge us in different ways but it’s another opportunity to test ourselves and another step in our journey to the Rugby World Cup next year.”

Beukeboom serves as captain in the injury absence of Sophie de Goede. The 33-year-old from Uxbridge, Ont., earned her Canadian-record 68th international cap in Canada’s first-ever victory over New Zealand in May at the Pacific Four Series.

Twenty three of the 30 Canadian players selected for WXV 1 were part of that Pacific Four Series squad.

Rouet’s roster includes the uncapped Asia Hogan-Rochester, Caroline Crossley and Rori Wood.

Hogan-Rochester and Crossley were part of the Canadian team that won rugby sevens silver at the Paris Olympics, along with WXV teammates Fancy Bermudez, Olivia Apps, Alysha Corrigan and Taylor Perry. Wood is a veteran of five seasons at UBC.

The 37-year-old Paquin, who has 38 caps for Canada including the 2014 Rugby World Cup, returns to the team for the first time since the 2021 World Cup.

Canada opens the tournament Sept. 29 against France at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver before facing Ireland on Oct. 5 at Willoughby Stadium at Langley Events Centre, and England on Oct. 12 at B.C. Place.

The second-tier WXV 2 and third-tier WXV 3 are slated to run Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, in South Africa and Dubai, respectively.

WXV 2 features Australia, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa and Wales while WXV 3 is made up of Fiji, Hong Kong, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain.

The tournament has 2025 World Cup qualification implications, although Canada, New Zealand and France, like host England, had already qualified by reaching the semifinals of the last tournament.

Ireland, South Africa, the U.S., Japan, Fiji and Brazil have also booked their ticket, with the final six berths going to the highest-finishing WXV teams who have not yet qualified through regional tournaments.

Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team WXV 1 Squad

Forwards

Alexandria Ellis, Ottawa, Stade Français Paris (France); Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Courtney Holtkamp, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Emily Tuttosi, Souris, Man., Exeter Chiefs (England); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Gillian Boag, Calgary, Gloucester-Hartpury (England); Julia Omokhuale, Calgary, Leicester Tigers (England); Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Club de rugby de Quebec; Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., ASM Romagnat (France); McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Ottawa Irish; Rori Wood, Sooke, B.C., College Rifles RFC; Sara Cline, Edmonton, Leprechaun Tigers; Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England);

Backs

Alexandra Tessier, Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., CRFC; Asia Hogan-Rochester, Toronto, Toronto Nomads; Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Leicester Tigers (England); Fancy Bermudez, Edmonton, Saracens (England); Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Justine Pelletier, Rivière-du-Loup, Que, Stade Bordelais (France); Mahalia Robinson, Fulford, Que., Town of Mount Royal RFC; Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Paige Farries, Red Deer, Alta., Saracens (England); Sara Kaljuvee, Ajax, Ont., Westshore RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England).

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Follow @NeilMDavidson on X platform, formerly known as Twitter

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.

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Vancouver Canucks star goalie Thatcher Demko working through rare muscle injury

Published

6 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.

The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.

He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.

Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.

He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.

Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

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