Another Game 4 against the Boston Bruins results in another playoff loss. In what should’ve been a rally to tie the series was instead another 60 minutes of the Toronto Maple Leafs lacking the intensity, push and will to take their game to another level in the postseason.
The Bruins stuck to their system and gave the Leafs nothing to work with offensively, handing Toronto a 3-1 loss. The Leafs couldn’t cycle the puck, couldn’t set up plays, and couldn’t stack scoring chances on Jeremy Swayman until the third period, and even those were few and far between.
Despite the Leafs outshooting the Bruins 26-22, there was not a single time where they looked to be a threat to the opposition. And as fate would have it, each of Boston’s goals had an ongoing theme of things that have been backbreakers for Toronto this series and the season overall.
Boston’s first goal came off a defensive zone turnover, giving former Leaf James van Riemsdyk the chance to score his first in the series. Brad Marchand doubled the lead in the second period, converting on the team’s second power-play opportunity of the night. David Pastrnak scored Boston’s third goal in the final minute of the second period.
Similarly to Game 1, the Leafs only scored one goal through Mitchell Marner. The ice tilted a bit in their favour, but Swayman stopped all 10 shots he faced in that final frame.
We’re going to break the model of these reports and skip the “three stars” section; I think you’d agree with that.
The only pair to finish as pluses in this one with a combined 16 hits. Lyubushkin had the new-dad boost going with some of his offensive chances. One came after activating from the blue line and another point shot hit the crossbar. And with how porous the short-handed squad has looked, it was good to see Rielly defend a high-danger rush without taking a penalty.
The Leafs were more successful entering the zone with possession when Nylander was on the ice, and they missed that at five-on-five. Unfortunately, Nylander’s presence didn’t improve the power play. After a slip-n-slide start in the first, Nylander found his legs and got two of the team’s better looks at Swayman from driving to the net and trying to make a quick move in tight.
The goal was what we’re used to seeing from Marner. But that doesn’t make up for his lacklustre performance. He’s getting a lot of attention, and by no means is he the only star who underperformed Saturday night.
There wasn’t much going for him offensively, but he was throwing his weight to stop Boston’s forecheck when the puck wasn’t finding him. Matthews finished the game with only 14:16 of ice time, and he didn’t return for the third period.
He was one of the few Leafs actively trying to get to the front of the net. It led to him getting the team’s best power-play chance — as far as location goes — and he took Swayman’s eyes away a few times for point shots.
The stats read zeroes for Holmberg, but the way he defended the rush after Edmundson’s pinch is a clear example of why coach Sheldon Keefe trusts him in defensive situations.
In a series where discipline is an ongoing theme, that cross-checking penalty in the second doesn’t leave you much to be happy about, especially with Boston going on to score on it. The line didn’t have much out there and it didn’t change for Domi even after being moved to centre to replace Matthews in the third.
His linemates didn’t have having much going at five-on-five, and Tavares wasn’t much of a standout either. Too many plays have been ending on his stick.
With Nylander returning, I understand the thought process behind moving Robertson to the fourth line, but his style of play didn’t lend itself to the kind of game laid out in front of him. Space was limited, so Robertson couldn’t get many opportunities to generate shots. While he didn’t have the worst defensive mistake of his linemates, having Pat Maroon steal the puck to maintain pressure didn’t help.
That was a bad turnover, and it led directly to Boston’s first goal. It also ended the entire line’s usage in the first period, and they didn’t return until the 16:30 mark of the second.
Another lost goaltending battle. Samsonov gave van Riemsdyk a lot to shoot at on the first goal, albeit it off a turnover. The penalty kill needs to be better at clearing the puck and clearing traffic in front of Samsonov. Nevertheless, Marchand had so much room to shoot at with how late Samsonov was getting to the left.
The veteran finally returned to the lineup after watching the first three games from the press box — three games in which the team gave up five power-play goals on 10 opportunities. Pucks and players were getting past him too often at five-on-five and although he was on the ice for the power-play goal, I wouldn’t pin it on him. That said, as the last defender back, he could’ve handled the Marchand-Pastrnak rush better.
Game score
Final grade: D-
There’s a significant and consistent difference in zone speed between the Leafs and the Bruins. When it comes to getting to pucks, getting in the way of puck carriers and getting in lanes, Boston is quicker. So many runs in the offensive zone went for naught from an extra second or two of holding onto the puck.
The Bruins understand the assignment. If they attack the carriers and take away the time to make a decision and the space to act on it, the Leafs are bottled. It’s almost as if their issues on the power play spread to their five-on-five play. They are still waiting for the perfect play instead of going to the basics. And the lack of traffic in front of Swayman is even making that strategy ineffective.
Swayman stopped nothing of significance and cruised for the rest of the game. Why? Because he didn’t have to. The Bruins kept the Leafs to the outside and forced them to settle for perimeter shots that were either blocked by a stick or easily stopped by Swayman.
What’s next for the Leafs?
Game 5 is on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET). It’s short and simple, win or, for another year, you’re out in the first round.
(Photo of Mitchell Marner battling for the puck: Nick Turchiaro / USA Today)
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
