TORONTO — Even without full strength in the control hand on his stick, Auston Matthews had another dominant night at the office.
But hidden beneath a sterling stat line and some well-deserved post-game praise from his teammates was the fact the Toronto Maple Leafs superstar still clearly wasn’t himself. That might sound crazy to suggest after Matthews added two goals to his league-best total, helped his team generate 73 per cent of the expected goals across nearly 17 even-strength minutes and generally starred during Tuesday’s 4-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
Yet it’s true.
And it’s natural to wonder if he’ll be able to keep battling through his right wrist issue or if he’ll be forced to step back and give it more rest in the days and weeks ahead. Matthews is doing everything he can to make an impact even without his most dangerous weapon, including getting to the front of the net where he scored with a deflection and a quick redirect against Connor Hellebuyck.
“I think it just speaks to the calibre of player that he is,” said Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe, who indicated earlier this week that the organization’s most prized asset isn’t believed to be in danger of making things worse by playing through the discomfort.
Matthews is putting together a special campaign despite his injury limitations. He’s scored 20 times in 24 games — good for .83 goals per game, which would be the NHL’s best mark since Mario Lemieux had 35 goals in 43 games (.81) during the 2000-01 season.
Put another way, he’s scoring at a 68-goal pace across a normal year.
And while it’s fair to question how sustainable it might be over the long haul, it’s worth noting that his 19.4 per cent shooting percentage isn’t so far out of whack from his previous career trajectory to suggest a major regression ahead.
However, it’s hard to imagine it continuing while watching him pass up opportunities to shoot. Matthews normally disguises his release and can hit a specific area of the net with uncanny accuracy. But against the Jets, he was barely even loading it up, choosing instead to hover around the slot on the power play in search of loose change from others.
“He’s got extremely good hands in and around the net,” said Keefe. “He doesn’t typically play in those positions, so he doesn’t get as many opportunities as other people, but he’s got a lot of goals – I’ve looked at his career goals – that he scores in around the net.
“That’s what I’m talking about where it’s him just adapting his game a little bit, going to different spaces and he’s good enough abilities and sense to make good on those chances.”
You don’t score 178 times in your first 306 NHL games without being multidimensional, but, incredibly, the NHL says just 16 of those goals have come by tip and four by deflection.
So for now he’s playing a somewhat unfamiliar role.
He’s also trying to manage a wrist and hand injury with the games coming fast and furious — including another three-in-four-day stretch starting with Thursday’s returning meeting against the Jets.
The Leafs have seen Matthews sit out three games this season. They’ve all appeared to be situations where they were being proactive by building in some extra rest and recovery, one back in January against Edmonton and then two more last week against the Oilers after Matthews aggravated a nagging issue while absorbing a crash with the end boards.
With two quieter weeks ahead, he may benefit from taking a step back now to allow for more healing — although Tuesday’s loss was the third in a row for the North Division leaders. And Matthews managed to play more than 22 minutes while going 13-5 in the faceoff dot in addition to his offensive contributions.
“Once you get out there (the pain and discomfort) dwindles away,” said Matthews. “I felt fine today and my legs felt good. We did some good stuff tonight. Obviously, we’d like to get the two points, but I think it’s always a positive when you’re helping the team in different areas of the game.”
That’s been a constant for him all season. Even at less than 100 per cent he’s found another gear.
“Yeah, I mean it’s not even just the production,” said captain John Tavares. “I think his overall game is tremendous in all three zones and such a (positive) influence for us.”
They can only hope he gets back to full strength soon.
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.
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.
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.
