And now for the Maple Leafs’ first shutout of the season, we give you Ilya Samsonov.
Sports
Maple Leafs put on fine defensive performance, Samsonov blanks Predators
Defensively, the Leafs were full marks for their second win in regulation in as many games and their seventh regulation victory of the season. High-danger scoring chances for the Predators were few and far between. And consider that Nashville had won nine of its previous 11 games prior to arriving in Toronto.
Simply, it was the Leafs’ most complete game of 2023-24.
“It was as tidy a game as we’ve played,” coach Sheldon Keefe said.
The Leafs are 8-1-2 in their past 11 games. Any way it’s sliced, that’s impressive.
Auston Matthews scored two more goals to bring him to 18, and John Tavares assisted on the second Matthews goal. That’s 998 career NHL points for the Leafs captain, and he has a clear opportunity to reach 1,000 on Monday night when the Leafs visit his former team, the New York Islanders.
The Leafs’ dads joined the team for the game and will travel to New York for the game against the Islanders and then against the Rangers on Tuesday. The victory helped earn the players a full day off on Sunday.
We wouldn’t suggest Samsonov had an easy night — those really don’t exist in the National Hockey League — but in his first start since Nov. 24, there wasn’t much stress for the netminder.
Good thing, too, because with Woll hurt, it’s more weight on the shoulders of Samsonov and Martin Jones to provide solid goaltending.
Samsonov had not done that much before he got sick last week, though Woll’s recent play probably would have kept Samsonov on the bench.
“If you could draw it up as a perfect game for him, that would probably be it,” Keefe said. “Doesn’t let anything in, the guys play well in front of him.
“With Woll’s injury, there’s a little bit of a pressure and attention on that position right now and for Sammy to come in and have a night like that is great for him, and something for him to build on.”
“We’re playing in the best league in the world,” Samsonov said. “You need to understand sometimes your partner is playing better than you and you need to get some work every day, harder and harder. This is where we see character.”
Samsonov is always thinking team-first, so it wasn’t a surprise to hear his thoughts on the Woll injury.
“Some shock, a little bit,” Samsonov said. “It’s not too fun to see how your partner gets an injury. I remember how I’ve been on this situation in the last year or two. It’s not great. I think he feels bad too.”
KAMPF ALERT
No one needs to be reminded that secondary scoring can be crucial in a team’s success, and if it’s the fourth line we’re talking about, a puck that goes in off a shin pad every so often would be acceptable.
Not so with David Kampf, who doesn’t fill scouting reports with lots of notable scoring chances, on Saturday night.
Kampf scored what might have been his prettiest goal with the Leafs when he went bar-down on Predators goalie Kevin Lankinen at 14:15 of the second period.
After taking a pass from Conor Timmins, Kampf burst past defenceman Ryan McDonough and went high over Lankinen’s glove for what stood up as the winning goal. Kampf’s defensive awareness often is noted by Keefe. And now Kampf has scored in consecutive games.
The Leafs didn’t sit back after the Kampf goal, and Matthews scored less than four minutes later.
Fully behind the goal line to the side of the net, Matthew used his backhand to tap the puck in after a pass from William Nylander.
The Nylander-to-Matthews combination clicked again late in the third period when Matthews went five-hole during a Toronto power play.
Noah Gregor scored a shorthanded goal, into an empty Predators net, with 91 seconds remaining.
CLAMPING DOWN
The Leafs they did enough early to keep the flies off Samsonov, allowing the goalie to settle in.
Samsonov didn’t face a shot on goal until the game was past six minutes old, and when he did eventually have a tough save to make, he calmly turned aside a Colton Sissons point-blank shot during a Nashville power play.
The Predators won’t be confused with the flashiest teams in the NHL, true, but they really could get nothing going on offence.
The 18 Nashville shots were the fewest allowed in a game by the Leafs this season. The previous low was 24, done three times.
And the 34 shot attempts that Nashville had at five-on-five were the fewest the Leafs have given up.
“That’s what we’re looking for,” defenceman Morgan Rielly said. “There was a calmness just about our group. That’s always a good sign.”
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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.
Sports
Champions Trophy host Pakistan says it’s not been told India wants to play cricket games elsewhere
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:
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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