The Maple Leafs jumped out to an early lead thanks to a power-play one-timer from William Nylander, but they were otherwise dreadful in the opening frame. Dallas led 2-1 heading into the first intermission, and the Stars held Toronto to just four shots. Just two of those four shots came at five-on-five, so Dallas definitely didn’t look like the team that gave up 48 shots to the Buffalo Sabres the night before.
The second period started just like the first, as the Leafs took advantage of an early power-play opportunity. Nylander was involved once again, as he found John Tavares in the bumper spot for yet another one-timer goal. As the game wore on, Toronto’s penalty kill suddenly looked excellent, and the Leafs took the lead with their third power-play goal just past the halfway point.
Evgenii Dadonov tied the game on a penalty shot in the third, but Mitch Marner and Nylander each scored less than a minute later to seal the victory for the Leafs. While it wasn’t always pretty, Sheldon Keefe’s team came away with a 5-4 win.
Three stars
1. Mitch Marner
Marner didn’t pick up a point on Nylander’s opening goal, but he deserves his fair share of credit for providing an excellent screen. He was dangerous on the penalty kill, as he sent Matthew Knies on a breakaway, then later made an excellent pass to set up Auston Matthews. He made another great play to set up Matthews in the second, but he didn’t have a point to show for it yet.
His hard work was finally rewarded on the scoresheet halfway through the third. Less than a minute after Dadonov tied the game on a penalty shot, Marner responded with a massive goal:
It’s easy to remember a time when Nylander wasn’t on the top power-play unit, or when he spent most of his time in the net-front role. He’s been firing a ton of shots on the power play this season, and he showed off his Alex Ovechkin impression six minutes in:
Like most of his teammates, he was quiet in the first before impressing in the second. He and Marner teamed up for some excellent short-handed chances, but he did his damage on the power play. While this goal was quite lucky, his ability to win the puck back is what led to the chance in the first place:
Matthews set up Marner for an excellent chance in the third, but Scott Wedgewood was up to the challenge. However, he set up Marner yet again moments later, and his longtime linemate made no mistake the second time around. Tavares was worthy of being one of the three stars as well, but there were four major standouts for just three spots.
The Core 4 take over
Nylander opened the scoring, followed by Tavares, Matthews and Marner. Nylander then scored again for the eventual game-winner. Three of the four set up a goal as well, and while Marner didn’t, he definitely deserved an assist or two. The Leafs are built around having four high-end forwards who can take over games, and this was a good reminder of what they’re capable of. I barely noticed Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz, so Toronto’s stars clearly outplayed Dallas’ top forwards.
The Leafs sure are relying on the core forwards a lot this season. This total will now increase:
Four players have scored 60 percent of the goals for the Leafs this season — tops in the league and more top-heavy than usual.
Toronto’s 5-on-5 offence finally shows up in the third
Here’s a quick look at how Toronto’s forwards had produced at five-on-five over the previous 10 games:
The power play was absolutely buzzing, but the Leafs didn’t have an excuse for the lack of five-on-five scoring chances in the first two periods. Despite an awfully slow start at even strength, the immediate response from Marner once Dallas tied the game was excellent to see. However, the insurance goal from the second line seconds later might be the bigger story. Tavares made an excellent play to set up Nylander, and given all of his power-play success as of late, he’s finally starting to look like his former self again.
Improving defensively could help the team spend more time in the offensive zone, and Elliotte Friedman reported in tonight’s 32 Thoughts Column that the Leafs are looking for another centre. The big move will likely come on defence, but one player who I’d keep an eye on is Nic Dowd of the Washington Capitals. Dowd is not a pure rental, as he offers plenty of surplus value with a $1.3 million cap hit through next season.
An unspectacular performance from Samsonov
Ilya Samsonov made his fifth straight start, and the Stars hit the post a few minutes in. The Leafs were able to kill off Dallas’ first power play, but the Stars scored immediately on their second opportunity:
You never like to see a goaltender get beat five-hole, but he did bounce back nicely in the second by stopping all 12 shots he faced. Dadonov beat him once again in the third, this time on a penalty shot:
Entering play, Samsonov boasted a .943 save percentage in four starts since returning to the lineup. I wouldn’t call this his best game, though. He was largely fine, but unspectacular.
Game score
Final grade: B
The Leafs deserved an “F” in the first, as having just two five-on-five shots in a period was completely unacceptable. However, they were the better team in the second, and their power play deserved an “A+” for scoring three goals on their first three attempts. Pontus Holmberg and Ryan Reaves both played well, and the officials missed a potential major penalty when Mason Marchment laid a blindside hit on Jake McCabe. Keefe’s team deserves credit for maintaining their composure, responding to Dallas’ game-tying goal and scoring five times against a tough opponent.
What’s next for the Leafs?
Heading to Ottawa to take on the Senators on Saturday at 7 p.m. on Hockey Night in Canada.
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.
