“There has been great reluctance on my part to make a change to the Tavares group,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “With Willy, in particular, he has really found a nice groove. His game has been going so well. You are reluctant to make a change to him and his situation. You don’t want to affect guys who were rolling and feeling good in order to boost other groups. But I think the time is right.”
The Leafs squandered a 3-1 lead before falling in overtime to the 31st-place Chicago Blackhawks on Friday. One night later in Pittsburgh, Toronto blew leads of 1-0 and 2-1 and dropped a 3-2 decision to a Penguins team that had lost four of five.
“Sometimes a little change can help everybody,” Matthews said. “The way the weekend went mixing things up isn’t the worst thing.”
“It’s just trying to jumpstart something,” Marner said. “Hopefully it works.”
Matthews has not scored a 5-on-5 goal in the last seven games. Marner has been held off the scoresheet in five of the last seven games. But Toronto’s top line has been inconsistent all season.
“I don’t think it’s the last five or seven games,” stressed Keefe. “It’s been up and down.”
“Too many highs and lows,” agreed Matthews. “Just the consistency of putting together shift after shift hasn’t been there as much as we wanted.”
Keefe has been pushing and prodding Matthews and Marner throughout this rollercoaster run. He even called out the top line behind closed doors following a lacklustre performance against the Detroit Red Wings in Stockholm on Nov. 17.
“It is more so just challenging Auston and Mitch to sort it out and be better,” Keefe said of his previous approach.
The group responded well on Nov. 19 during a win over the Minnesota Wild. But then they started slowly in Chicago, which led to another call out from Keefe.
“They have had really big nights and they have had other nights where they haven’t been effective at all,” Keefe said. “You are just trying to find more consistency there.”
Matthews has three hat tricks this season while Marner posted a pair of four-point games earlier this month. And yet the pair have been unable to sustain momentum.
“If I knew the exact answer we’d, you know, fix it,” Matthews said with a smile after Saturday’s loss.
Nylander’s 17-game point streak came to an end in Chicago and he was also held off the board in Pittsburgh, which opened the door to a top-six tinker.
“Since coming back from Sweden, I don’t think it has gone as well for him,” Keefe said. “You get back from the road and maybe things start to wind down a little bit in terms of the high that Willy was on. You can kind of reset some things.”
This isn’t exactly a new situation. Keefe also split up Matthews and Marner last November, which led to a strong run of form.
“Getting different looks is always good,” said Nylander. “We’ve all played together before so I don’t think it will be anything weird.”
The Leafs outscored the opposition 38-14 with Matthews and Nylander together last season, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
ContentId(1.2041351): Maple Leafs split up Matthews and Marner in practice
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Marner wasn’t available to reporters after Saturday’s loss in Pittsburgh, but did meet the media on Monday and addressed the state of his game.
“Obviously not as great as it usually is and as I like it,” the 26-year-old admitted. “Gotta make sure I’m staying patient out there and not trying to force anything and do what I do best. That’s bring high energy, bring good pace out there, and when the puck gets into my hands trust my abilities to do things with it.”
The Leafs have been outscored 15-14 with Marner, a Selke Trophy nominee last season, on the ice in 5-on-5 play. The Leafs were plus-25 in that situation last season.
“He knows he needs to be better,” said Keefe. “We are going to help him through it. We have been talking with him and meeting with him. We have been working on some things on the ice that I think he has to focus on and can help him start to be the Mitch Marner that we know.”
Specifically, pace of play is important.
“Just not getting the puck with a whole lot of speed with myself moving,” Marner said of his biggest issue. “And not really trusting my abilities out there, so that’s something that needs to change. Just have to trust it.”
Marner has 20 points through 19 games, which puts him on pace for 86. He posted a career-best 99 points last season.
“He went through stretches like this last season, too, especially in the early going,” Keefe reminded. “It turned out that he had an incredible season for us. I don’t expect it will be any different for him.”
Marner had 22 points through 19 games last season.
“I’ve been in these spots before multiple times in my career,” Marner said. “So, for me, it’s making sure I’m relaxed, calm and steady out there, and just doing what I love.”
How does he manage frustration?
“Breathing, relaxing, realizing that it will come,” he said. “If you force stuff that’s when you get more frustrated, more mad, so just got to trust your instincts, trust your game and you know.”
ContentId(1.2041426): Marner ‘breathing, relaxing’, looking within to climb out of scoring slump
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Nylander played a career-high 26 minutes and 10 seconds on Saturday night. That was three minutes more than his next-highest total this season. It was also two minutes more than his previous career high.
“I actually felt pretty good up until the last shift there on the 6-on-5,” he said with a smile.
Nylander is averaging 20 minutes and 12 seconds of ice time per game this season, which is up from 18 minutes and 33 seconds last year.
He leads the Leafs with 27 points, but Nylander also feels like he’s taken a step defensively.
“It’s come along a little with the PK too,” he said.
Nylander is now getting a regular shift on the third penalty-kill unit beside Matthews.
“Getting out there and playing on the PK helps a lot,” he said. “So, I mean, been putting focus on that. That’s what it takes to win, right.”
“I think Willy wants to grow in all areas of his game not just being a more consistent threat offensively,” said Keefe. “We have talked a lot over the years about being great and influencing the game in all areas.”
Playing with Matthews at 5-on-5 will likely lead to tougher matchups and more defensive responsibilities. Keefe confirmed that his comfort level with Nylander in defensive situations has increased.
“Especially because he has had the puck so much,” the coach pointed out. “He hasn’t had to defend too much. That is probably the biggest change. He has not been on our half of the ice as much. He is in control of the play.”
General manager Brad Treliving was asked if Nylander’s strong start has influenced contract negotiations with the pending unrestricted free agent.
“Willy has had a tremendous start to the year,” Treliving said. “I don’t think this is just a hot start. I think he is a really good player. I stated from Day 1 that our objective was to get Auston signed. We got him signed. Our objective is to get Willy signed. We are working on it. He has had his great start — great for him and great for us — but it doesn’t change in any way. We just continue to work away at it.”
ContentId(1.2041374): Nylander’s role increases as Treliving stays course on negotiations
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The Leafs only have five regulation wins in 19 games.
“We have been hit and miss,” said Treliving. “There has been some inconsistency in our game which is a little concerning.”
The Leafs will hit the quarter mark of the season this week, which prompted the general manager to meet the media and offer his perspective on how things are progressing.
“The one encouraging sign is that when we look at a lot of the data, our defensive play and what we have given up has gotten better,” Treliving said. “It needs to continue to get better. Overall, there are still gaps in the consistency of how we have played. Through the first quarter of the season, that would be my overwhelming theme. We have to become more consistent as a group.”
Prior to last weekend, the Leafs had won four straight games.
“There are positive things happening with our group,” Keefe stressed. “You just maybe have to look deeper to find them sometimes. Your job is to report on what is happening with the results. My job is to police the process, dig in deeper, and make decisions. I see positive trends.”
The penalty kill, for example, has gone four straight games without conceding a goal and is up to 18th overall at 77.8 per cent.
And Keefe likes how his team has looked since Max Domi moved to the third-line centre spot ahead of a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Nov. 6.
“In that period of time, to me, our team has improved a lot in terms of our process and how we are playing,” Keefe said. “We have been one of the top teams in the league defensively.”
ContentId(1.2041403): ‘We’ve been hit and miss’: Leafs address inconsistent start at quarter mark
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Toronto’s depth on defence has been tested due to injuries to right-shot blueliners John Klingberg (hip) and Timothy Liljegren (high ankle sprain).
“It is an area we wanted to see if we could strengthen regardless,” Treliving said. “Now that we have injuries, it tests your depth. You probably have people playing more minutes than you want, and they are hanging in there.”
Mark Giordano, 40, is currently on the second pair despite being the oldest player in the league. Jake McCabe, a lefty, is playing on his off side. William Lagesson and Simon Benoit have been filling in on the third pair after starting the season in the American Hockey League.
So, it’s no surprise Treliving is looking to bolster the blue line.
“We would like to help ourselves,” Treliving said. “When you are sitting here in November, it is easier said than done. It is certainly an area we look at to see if we can help ourselves.”
Klingberg signed a one-year deal worth $4.15-million on July 1, but struggled mightily after sustaining an injury in a game on Oct. 19 in Florida. Klingberg was placed on long-term injured reserve last week and is seeing specialists in New York in order to figure out the next step.
“I anticipate we will have clarity this week,” Treliving said. “He is meeting with some doctors. We went through some meetings last week to see if this is a situation where there is a surgical intervention or not. I would anticipate that by the end of the week at the latest — and I say that cautiously — we are going to have a better idea of where John is at or what the prognosis would be.”
ContentId(1.2041373): Treliving expects Klingberg clarity soon; looking to add on defence
EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers signed defenceman Travis Dermott to a professional tryout on Friday.
Dermott, a 27-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., produced two goals, five assists and 26 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season.
The six-foot, 202-pound blueliner has also played for the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto drafted him in the second round, 34th overall, of the 2015 NHL draft.
Over seven NHL seasons, Dermott has 16 goals and 46 assists in 329 games while averaging 16:03 in ice time.
Before the NHL, Dermott played two seasons with Oilers captain Connor McDavid for the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters. The team was coached by current Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion, led the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan vote her first year on the ballot — an important part to possible selection to the hall’s next class.
The organization released the voting results on Friday. American doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan finished second with Canada’s Daniel Nestor third.
The Hall of Fame said tens of thousands of fans from 120 countries cast ballots. Fan voting is one of two steps in the hall’s selection process. The second is an official group of journalists, historians, and Hall of Famers from the sport who vote on the ballot for the hall’s class of 2025.
“I am incredibly grateful to the fans all around the world who supported me during the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan votes,” Sharapova said in a statement. “It is a tremendous honor to be considered for the Hall of Fame, and having the fans’ support makes it all the more special.”
Sharapova became the first Russian woman to reach No. 1 in the world. She won Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008. She also won the French Open twice, in 2012 and 2014.
Sharapova was also part of Russia’s championship Fed Cup team in 2008 and won a silver medal at the London Olympics in 2012.
To make the hall, candidates must receive 75% or higher on combined results of the official voting group and additional percentage from the fan vote. Sharapova will have an additional three percentage points from winning the fan vote.
The Bryans, who won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, will have two additional percentage points and Nestor, who won eight Grand Slam doubles titles, will get one extra percentage point.
The hall’s next class will be announced late next month.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road had a blood-alcohol level of .087, above the .08 legal limit in New Jersey, a prosecutor said Friday.
Gaudreau, 31, and brother Matthew, 29, were killed in Carneys Point, New Jersey, on Aug. 29, the evening before they were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding.
The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins of nearby Woodstown, New Jersey, is charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. At a virtual court hearing Friday, a judge ordered that he be held for trial after prosecutors described a history of alleged road rage and aggressive driving.
“’You were probably driving like a nut like I always tell you you do. And you don’t listen to me, instead you just yell at me,’” his wife told Higgins when he called her from jail after his arrest, according to First Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn of Salem County.
The defense described Higgins as a married father and law-abiding citizen before the crash.
“He’s an empathetic individual and he’s a loving father of two daughters,” said defense lawyer Matthew Portella. “He’s a good person and he made a horrible decision that night.”
Higgins told police he had five or six beers that day and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint. He also failed a field sobriety test, the complaint said. A prosecutor on Friday said he had been drinking at home after finishing a work call at about 3 p.m., and having an upsetting conversation with his mother about a family matter.
He then had a two-hour phone call with a friend while he drove around in his Jeep with an open container, Flynn said. He had been driving aggressively behind a sedan going just above the 50 mph speed limit, sometimes tailgating, the female driver told police.
When she and the vehicle ahead of her slowed down and veered left to go around the cyclists, Higgins sped up and veered right, striking the Gaudreas, the two other drivers told police.
“He indicated he didn’t even see them,” said Superior Court Judge Michael J. Silvanio, who said Higgins’ admitted “impatience” caused two deaths.
Higgins faces up to 20 years, a sentence that the judge said made him a flight risk.
Higgins has a master’s degree, works in finance for an addiction treatment company, and served in combat in Iraq, his lawyers said. However, his wife said he had been drinking regularly since working from home, Flynn said.
Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.
Widows Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau described their husbands as attached at the hip throughout their lives. Both women are expecting, and both gave moving eulogies at the double funeral on Monday.
