Ryan O’Reilly must have left a few of his favourite hats back in St. Louis.
Toronto’s new star forward torched one of his former teams by picking up two goals and an assist in the first eight minutes and completed the hat trick with an empty-net goal to seal the game. With an incredible number of Leafs fans making the trip across the border, it’s safe to say that he’ll have no shortage of hats as his team returns home to Toronto.
Mitch Marner was incredible, picking up a career-high five assists. While his box score stats look impressive, he could have easily added a couple more assists with another break or two. John Tavares had four points of his own, including a highlight reel pass on William Nylander’s third-period goal, and the newly formed all-Ontario line was electric. The Sabres attempted a late comeback after falling behind by five goals, but the trio of Tavares, O’Reilly, and Marner was not going to be defeated.
Let’s get to the grades!
First star
Mitch Marner
This was one of the best games of Marner’s career, and the first period was one of his best of the season. He set O’Reilly up for two goals in the first five minutes, handing his new linemate an empty net and a breakaway. He set Tavares’ goal up a few minutes later and started the play off by forcing a turnover in the neutral zone. Three points in a period is awfully impressive, and it felt like he could have had five.
Marner could have taken the rest of the night off after a first-period hat trick of assists, but he decided to add a fourth with a secondary helper on Nylander’s power-play goal in the second. He made a wicked cross-ice pass to set up Matthews in front on a third-period power play, then set him up again for a deflection off the post seconds later, but Toronto’s star goal scorer wasn’t able to convert on either. He made a strong defensive play while defending a two-goal lead late, then picked up his fifth assist on O’Reilly’s empty-net goal. The five assists are a career-high, but it felt like he could have had eight. It’s tough to overstate how well he played.
O’Reilly returned to the KeyBank Center to play one of his former teams, and he started like he was shot out of a cannon. He scored his first goal as a Leaf just under four minutes in after Marner put the puck on a platter for him in the slot. He thought that was so much fun that he decided to score another just 37 seconds later, ripping a back-hand shot past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on a breakaway.
O’Reilly generously took two minutes off from torching his former team, then deflected the puck over to Tavares in front to pick up his third point just over seven minutes in. He just missed the hat trick off a two-on-one with three minutes left, as Craig Anderson slid over to rob him. However, the flurry of hats was meant to be, as O’Reilly won a key face-off in the final minutes, then fought off a couple of Buffalo defenders en route to an empty-net goal. I can’t believe I’m not giving him the first star after he scored a hat trick, but Marner played one of the best games of his career.
Tavares entered play with four goals in his last five games, and he got on the scoresheet immediately with a couple of secondary assists. He knocked the puck down and passed it to Marner ahead of O’Reilly’s first goal, and he scored from his office to pick up his third point just seven minutes in:
Toronto’s captain wasn’t done there, as he made two wicked passes ahead of Nylander’s power-play goal in the second. With Ilya Lyubushkin on his back, he made a no-look backhand pass to give Matthews time and space in the slot. Tavares ended up grabbing a deflection in front, and when everyone in the building thought he was going to fire a shot, he fooled Craig Anderson by dishing it over to Nylander for a tap-in:
The Leafs owned 85 percent of the five-on-five expected goals in his first two games, and Acciari picked up where he left off with a strong period. He came back to break up a rush chance from Jack Quinn three minutes in, lifting his stick just before he got a shot off. He won an offensive zone puck battle a few minutes later that led to a chance for Zach Aston-Reese, then won another one eight minutes in that led to more sustained pressure.
Acciari was a menace in puck battles and racked up six hits by the second intermission. His line’s minutes were fairly uneventful in terms of chances at both ends, but he looked like a man amongst boys for most of his shifts. He led the Leafs by expected-goals percentage once again.
Brodie was quietly excellent early on, and it was his defensive play in the neutral zone that kick-started the sequence ahead of O’Reilly’s first goal. He had a good chance from the slot six minutes in and made a strong defensive play at the end of the second to break up a rush. Jack Quinn scored off a two-on-one when Brodie was defending, but it’s tough to blame him all that much. The Leafs dominated his minutes by expected-goals percentage, and he wasn’t just a passenger.
A-
Alex Kerfoot
Kerfoot made a sweet pass while behind the net to set up Aston-Reese five minutes in. He drew a penalty on a partial breakaway with six minutes left, and given Toronto’s lead, the power play was better than a penalty shot. The Sabres didn’t generate many chances when he was on the ice, and he continues to look like a great fit with Acciari.
The Leafs had won Liljegren’s minutes by expected goals in five straight games entering play, and Giordano’s minutes in four straight. This pair continued their strong play once again tonight, and neither player was on for a goal against. Liljegren made a nice defensive play on the always shifty Jeff Skinner, then set up Matthews for a deflection opportunity 13 minutes into the second. He continues to look stronger and stronger every month, as he bowled over Zemgus Girgensons to shut down a rush in the second, then briefly knocked Tage Thompson off the puck in the third. Giordano’s point shot five minutes in created a rebound chance for David Kämpf, but both players were ultimately held off the scoresheet.
B+
William Nylander
Nylander was gifted a secondary assist on Bunting’s goal, but he was otherwise left out of Toronto’s first-period rally. He did deserve to have an assist though, as he set up Brodie in the slot six minutes in, then set up Matthews for another good chance seconds later. He just missed on a good chance to start a power play in the second, but Tavares set him up for a tap-in goal seconds later to give Nylander another point. Matthews sent him on a breakaway a few minutes later, but he couldn’t find a way to beat Anderson. He finished with a team-high seven shots on goal.
Matthews didn’t find the scoresheet on Sunday against Chicago, and he wasn’t included in any of Toronto’s six goals. He had a good chance off a deflection halfway through the game, and “picked up” a tertiary assist on Nylander’s second-period power-play goal. He set up Nylander for a breakaway chance a few minutes later, but his winger wasn’t able to capitalize. Matthews couldn’t capitalize on a wicked cross-ice pass from Marner while on the power play in the third, and hit the post with a deflection shortly after. He didn’t pick up a point, but he deserved at least one or two.
He didn’t stand out much outside of scoring that goal, but I didn’t love his neutral zone defence ahead of Buffalo’s second goal.
B-
Zach Aston-Reese
Aston-Reese was noticeable on the forecheck early on and had a heavy hit on Tyson Jost halfway through the first. Like most games, his minutes were uneventful, but it’s worth noting that his line has played much better since adding Acciari.
Samsonov was looking for a bounce-back performance after surrendering four goals, but he was left to watch the O’Reilly line score three goals before he even saw a shot. His first shot of the game came 10 minutes in and didn’t test him whatsoever. Buffalo’s two best chances missed the net, and his best save of the period was a glove save on Mattias Samuelsson with two seconds left.
The Sabres came out motivated to start the second and dominated on the shot clock early, but there weren’t exactly a ton of high-danger chances. He was a perfect 19 for 19 through two periods, but his team did a good job of keeping those chances to the outside. He made a decent save on Rasmus Dahlin to start the third, but Buffalo’s 23rd shot of the game beat him, as Jack Quinn made the most of a two-on-one:
Engvall’s screen in front led to an A+ chance for Kämpf five minutes in, and he stole the puck on the forecheck to set up a high-danger chance for Järnkrok to begin the second. Unfortunately, he was involved in Buffalo’s first goal, as he made an iffy turnover and couldn’t get back to break up a rush chance. He set up Kerfoot for a partial breakaway with six minutes left, but Henri Jokiharju broke up the chance by taking a hooking penalty. He also set up O’Reilly on a two-on-one with three minutes left, but Anderson robbed Toronto’s new forward of a hat trick.
The entire line wasn’t overly impactful, and they were hemmed in at the end of the first. Rasmus Dahlin made Järnkrok look silly by dancing around him to start the third, but Samsonov had his back, and the Leafs were no worse for wear. However, he made up for it by beating out an icing call and wasting valuable seconds while defending a two-goal lead in the final minutes.
The Sabres generated next to nothing during his minutes in the first two periods, but he took a cross-checking penalty to start the third. He then got caught on an iffy pinch that led to a two-on-one and a Quinn goal. The Sabres didn’t generate many chances during his minutes, but I think that was mostly because of his partner.
Rielly had two beautiful primary assists against Chicago and picked up another with a first-period stretch pass that set up Bunting for a breakaway goal. Unfortunately his defensive game wasn’t quite as impressive, as Alex Tuch beat him to the outside ahead of Buffalo’s second goal. His poor rush defence was on display once again while defending a two goal lead in the final minutes, as Thompson had a great chance in part because Rielly was out of position. He was Toronto’s worst defencemen in terms of five-on-five expected-goals percentage. Holl had a heavy hit on Girgensons six minutes into the second to shut down an entry attempt, but Skinner snuck by him ahead of his third-period goal.
Game Score
Final grade: A
The Leafs took their foot off the gas pedal after taking a five-goal lead into the second intermission, but they were dominant early on that it didn’t matter. The O’Reilly line scored three goals before the Sabres even had a shot on goal. Toronto’s power play looked dominant, and players like T.J. Brodie, Noel Acciari, and Alex Kerfoot impressed even though they failed to get on the scoresheet. Auston Matthews played a fine game, yet it felt like he was the second-line centre.
Plenty of Leafs fans always make the trip to Buffalo, but tonight was on another level. There was plenty of energy in the building as fans wanted to see O’Reilly play in person for the first time, and Toronto’s big addition wasted no time putting on a show. Sheldon Keefe looks like a genius for sticking with the all-Ontario second line, and while it remains to be seen what the optimal lineup will be come playoff time, the trio proved that they are capable of dominating their opposition. The Leafs didn’t get an A effort from everyone, but Marner in particular was absolutely incredible.
For the first time in @MapleLeafs history, three players recorded 3+ points apiece in the first period of a game.
VANCOUVER – As the Major League Soccer season ticks down, Vanni Sartini wants his Vancouver Whitecaps to make a declaration — the team is ready to compete.
“The time of hiding ourselves, I think it’s over,” the coach said after the ‘Caps earned a 2-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday.
“We need to really say that we are here to try to be at the ball until the end and trying to shoot for the highest position. That doesn’t mean that we’re going to make it, but we have the quality to do it.”
With seven games left on their regular-season schedule, the ‘Caps (13-8-6) sit in fifth spot in the congested Western Conference, just two points out of fourth.
Saturday’s loss officially eliminated the last-place Earthquakes (5-21-2) from post-season action.
Vancouver has been on a hot streak since returning from the Leagues Cup break and is unbeaten (3-0-1) in its last four outings across all competitions. The team has not allowed a goal in those matches.
“It’s the fact that we play really well,” Sartini said of the clean sheets. “We have the ball a lot, we finish our attack most of the time in their box. So it’s really hard for the other team to attack us. And then when they attack us, in the rare times that they arrive in the final third, we’re very solid.”
Recent additions have bolstered the team’s ranks, including the club’s newest designated player, Stuart Armstrong. The 32-year-old Scottish midfielder scored his first MLS goal Saturday.
Three minutes after coming on as a substitute for Alessandro Schopf, Armstrong gave Vancouver a two-goal cushion in the 87th minute.
Midfielder Pedro Vite dished a short pass to ‘Caps captain Ryan Gauld, who tapped it toward Armstrong. The former Southampton FC player then blasted a shot into the top of the net for his first strike in a Whitecaps’ jersey.
He was mobbed by teammates in the corner of the field.
“I think everyone was happy. Also for the first goal, but also that it was an important three points,” said Armstrong, who signed with the ‘Caps on Sept. 3.
“It kind of felt a little bit like last week, when we had a lot of chances and we didn’t get the three points. So today, I think everyone was just relieved to have that two-goal cushion.”
Vancouver was the dominant team from the outset Saturday and did not relent, outshooting the visitors 19-5 and controlling 54.1 per cent of possession.
Fafa Picault also found the back of the net for Vancouver, while Gauld contributed a pair of assists.
Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka stopped both shots he faced to collect his seventh clean sheet of the year, while Daniel made nine saves for the Quakes.
Gauld and Picault teamed up in the 22nd minute when Gauld curled a cross in and the Haitian striker headed it down toward the net, only to see Daniel catch a piece of the shot with his forearm and redirect it out of harm’s way.
The duo connected again in the 35th minute on a Vancouver corner. Gauld swung a ball in and Picault jumped up from the pack to send a glancing header in past Daniel for his ninth MLS goal of the season.
San Jose briefly appeared to level the score in the 68th minute when an unmarked Ousseni Bouda collected the ball, froze Takaoka and tapped a shot into the Vancouver net. An official quickly raised the offside flag and waved off the tally.
Daniel kept San Jose’s deficit to a single goal with a pair of solid stops in the 82nd minute.
First, the Brazilian ‘keeper dove sideways on his line to tip away a bomb from Alessandro Schopf. He was tested again on the ensuing corner and jumped up to send a header from Picault over the crossbar.
“I think we created a lot of chances again,” Gauld said.
“We probably should have put the game out of their reach sooner. But we’d be more worried if we weren’t creating the chances. Three clean sheets in a row in the league, I think it’s a big thing for us. And it gives us a good platform to go forward.”
NOTES
Vancouver played without leading scorer Brian White for a third consecutive game as the American striker works his way back from a concussion. … Gauld’s second assist marked his 15th goal contribution (six goals, nine assists) in his last 15 Whitecaps games across all competitions. … An announced crowd of 21,309 took in the game at B.C. Place.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps kick off a two-game road swing Wednesday against the Houston Dynamo. The Earthquakes host the Seattle Sounders the same night.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Not good enough. That was Arne Slot’s verdict after his first defeat as Liverpool manager on Saturday.
A shock 1-0 loss at home to Nottingham Forest in the English Premier League ended Slot’s perfect record since succeeding Jurgen Klopp at Anfield at the end of last season.
“We had a lot of ball possession but only managed to create three (or) four quite good chances, so that is by far not enough if you have so much ball possession,” said the Dutchman, who suggested his team should not be losing to the likes of Forest.
“If you lose a home game it’s always a setback, especially if you face a team … we never know, maybe they will go all the way to fight for Champions League tickets, but normally this team is not ending up in the top 10, so if you lose a game against them that’s a big disappointment.”
Slot won his first three games in charge, including a memorable 3-0 victory against Manchester United before the international break.
But that run came to an end after Callum Hudson-Odoi struck in the 72nd with a curling effort from the edge of the box and beyond goalkeeper Alisson.
Liverpool’s defeat leaves Manchester City as the only team with a 100% record in the league after a 2-1 win against Brentford kept the defending champion at the top of the table.
United won at Southampton 3-0 to end its two-game losing streak.
Unstoppable Haaland
Erling Haaland moved to 99 goals for City after scoring twice against Brentford.
The Norwegian’s double came after Yoane Wissa fired Brentford ahead with just 22 seconds on the clock.
Haaland scored his 98th and 99th goals in his 103rd City appearance in all competitions. And he was the width of the post away from his third consecutive hat trick after trebles against Ipswich and West Ham.
“He’s been really, really good. Yeah, I would say he’s the best (he’s been), but it’s only four fixtures (this season),” City manager Pep Guardiola said.
Haaland, who has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or, has nine goals in four league games. He has topped the league scoring charts in each of his two seasons at City since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2022 for $63 million.
Haaland’s first goal after 19 minutes evened the game following Wissa’s opener, which stunned the Etihad Stadium crowd. Haaland turned and swept a shot past goalkeeper Mark Flekken after a slight deflection off Ethan Pinnock.
He was then too strong for Pinnock when shaking off the defender and running through for his second in the 32nd.
He was inches away in the 81st; the shot came back off the post after beating the keeper.
Rashford snaps run
Marcus Rashford snapped a 12-game barren run in front of goal as United beat Southampton.
Rashford doubled United’s lead at Saint Mary’s after Matthijs de Ligt’s scored his first for the club. Substitute Alejandro Garnacho scored a third in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
The win came after back-to-back defeats for United.
Rashford hadn’t scored since March in United’s win over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarterfinals. He curled in a shot from the edge of the area to put Erik ten Hag’s team 2-0 up at Southampton in the 41st minute.
Ten Hag said it could be a turning point for the forward.
“For every striker, they want to be on the scoring list. Once the first is in, more is coming. Like a ketchup bottle, once it’s going, it’s coming more,” he said.
De Ligt, who joined United from Bayern Munich in the offseason, headed in from Bruno Fernandes’ cross in the 35th.
It could have been a different story if Cameron Archer converted a penalty for Southampton in the 33rd. Instead, his effort was saved by goalkeeper Andre Onana.
Newly promoted Southampton was reduced to 10 men when Jack Stephens was sent off in the 79th for a high challenge on Garnacho.
Villa comeback
After three straight defeats to start the league, Everton looked set for its first win when leading Aston Villa 2-0.
Goals from Dwight McNeil and Dominic Calvert-Lewin put Sean Dyche’s team in control until Ollie Watkins struck twice to even the game.
Jhon Duran completed Villa’s comeback and sealed a 3-2 win in the 76th to leave Everton rooted to the bottom of the table and the only top flight team without a point.
Late drama
Jean-Philippe Mateta converted a stoppage time penalty to salvage a 2-2 draw for Crystal Palace against Leicester.
Leicester led 2-0 at Selhurst Park after goals from Jamie Vardy and Stephy Mavididi.
But Mateta sparked Palace’s response with a goal in the 47th, a minute after Mavididi doubled Leicester’s advantage.
Conor Coady fouled Ismaili Sarr in the box right near fulltime and Mateta was cool enough to convert.
West Ham left it even later to salvage a point in a 1-1 draw at Fulham.
Danny Ings struck in the fifth minute of added time after Raul Jimenez’s goal looked like earning Fulham the win.
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, the manager of the month for August, was frustrated as his team was held to 0-0 at home by Ipswich.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Restricted free agent forward Isaac Okoro has agreed to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Okoro’s new deal is worth $38 million, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed or announced by the team.
ESPN.com first reported the agreement, citing Okoro’s representation.
The fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Okoro is Cleveland’s best perimeter defender, often drawing the assignment of guarding the opponent’s top scorer. Okoro also has worked to improve his offensive game.
The 23-year-old averaged 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 69 games — 42 starts — last season for the Cavs, who beat Orlando in the opening round of the playoffs before losing to eventual champion Boston.
Okoro shot a career-best 39% on 3-pointers, forcing teams to come out and guard him.
His agreement caps an extraordinarily busy summer for the Cavs that began with coach J.B. Bickerstaff being fired and replaced by Kenny Atkinson. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell signed a three-year, $150 million extension in July, ending months of speculation that he wanted out of Cleveland.
Also, power forward Evan Mobley signed a five-year, $224 deal and center Jarrett Allen signed a three-year, $91 million extension.
