Sports
MATHESON: Nine takeaways from last night’s 5-1 Oilers win against Vegas
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The walked the walk and talked the talk on the ice after their indifferent Game 1 loss, wasting Leon Draisaitl’s four goals, and got the last word in post-game too, when Evander Kane, asked about using Keegan Kolesar’s gut as a speed-bag as the Vegas player was down, came out swinging with a hands-over-your-ears-kids’ sound bite.
Hmmm! Two games in and we’re talking pounds of flesh.
Kane might hear from the NHL about his actions with referee Kelly Sutherland getting his notepad out. Maybe not Marquis of Queensberry rules, exactly, with Kane angry that teammates had been put in headlocks from behind, he said.
Bottom line: these Oilers are different Oilers. Tougher.
“We like to do the punishing,” said Kane.
In Game 2, we got a whuppin’.
So, here we are then. It’s all-even, as it should be, when Vegas finishes regular-season with 111 points, the Oilers 109. Golden Knights racked up 51 wins, Edmonton 50.
1. It’s Draisaitl’s puck
We know Wayne Gretzky’s office was behind the net where he had the puck on a string and bedevilled checkers as he found Jari Kurri or Paul Coffey but now it’s Leon Draisaitl’s puck and it’s like his signature is on the black rubber, not the commish Gary Bettman.
Who knew we would be talking about Cyclone Taylor and Newsy Lalonde today in relation to Draisaitl’s head-shaking, head-scratching scoring? With two more goals, Leon’s got nine in first five Oiler road games this spring, which ties him with Cyclone (real name Fred) in 1918 with the Vancouver Millionaires. Cyclone’s claim to fame was his speed, also that he didn’t drink or smoke or swear. How can he be a hockey player?
2. Draisaitl’s the muscle car
More on Draisaitl. What he’s doing is beyond ridiculous. He got eight PP goals in eight games, which ties him with Mario Lemieux, Brian Propp, Tim Kerr and John Druce (how did he get in there?). Most ever in a single playoff season is nine by Mike Bossy (1981 with the Islanders) and Cam Neely (1991 with Bruins). Bossy did it in 18 games, Neely in 19. Like more than twice as many games as Draisaitl, who is the muscle car to Connor McDavid’s race-car if we’re talking big wheels.
3. Power play bazookas
Vegas led the NHL in league play only taking an average of 2.8 minors a game with a totally disciplined game, yet they gave the Oilers six PPs Saturday, some not very smart, and it’s nine total over two games. Considering Vegas has the second worst PK in the playoffs (only LA is worse) at 52.4 percent (10 goals on 21 tries), they absolutely have to stay out of the box with the Oilers scoring five times in nine tries. The Jets had a water-pistol PP in round 1 so they got by but the Oilers bring the bazookas.
After Draisaitl banged in a rebound on an early PP, Zach Whitecloud took an unnecessary high-stick to Derek Ryan’s face, and, bang, bang, there’s an Evan Bouchard clapper through traffic, 2-zip.
Vegas wanted to cut out the cross-seam pass for the Draisaitl’s one-timer from his office in the right circle, and they did, but the Oilers changed things up by going to Bouchard for shots. First one rattles around to Draisaitl, second one is 91 mph, and into the net. The Oilers are 14-for-25 on the PP in the post-season.
4. Bouchard’s hammer shot
With apologies to Tyson Barrie, who has proven he has the right stuff to play with stars (Nate MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Draisaitl and McDavid), Bouchard gives them a different PP look. His shot is a hammer in the Oiler toolbox, for goals or rebounds, because it’s so hard. He’s got 12 PP points in eight games after 13 in 82, on the second unit until Barrie was traded for Mattias Ekholm.
5. Shorthanded scoring
More special teams. The Oilers had the most shorthanded goals (18) in regular-season and made Vegas pay with a shortie after the first two PPs. McDavid squeezed the puck past Shea Theodore before holding off Theodore to slide a one-handed shot through the legs of Brossoit. Looked cheeky, as it appeared he was going upstairs with a flip shot but Theodore had 97 tied up. If there was a cartoon bubble over Brossoit’s head, it would have been full of expletives.
6. Skinner’s cool
Which brings us to his counterpart Stu Skinner, who only packed one suit (light colour, no good for coffee spills) thinking the team was going to Los Angeles for Game 6 and flying home, not staying on the road. But it’s how he looks in his work clothes, anyway. This was more like the rookie-of-the-year finalist. The breakaway stop on Chandler Stephenson at 4-0 was a calm, cool stuff. If Ivan Barbashev hadn’t made like Joe Pavelski, batting that waist-high puck home, we’re talking Skinner’s first playoff shutout.
7. All the goals
Brossoit has given up nine goals in five periods, but really how many could you hang on the former Oiler back-up? One, two? That said, the Oilers have 27 goals in six games against Vegas including regular-season. So, they know they’re playing against a team hasn’t proven they can win a 2-1 game against Edmonton.
8. Shot blocking Kostin
So the Oilers have the game in the bag and Klim Kostin is still blocking shots, taking a ripper off his right skate boot by Nic Hague, the kind of shot that can break some bones, and then stopping a second with his shin-pad. Teammates don’t forget that, especially goalies, same with coaches, who might show that on video.
9. Kane, Carrier history
Interesting to see Kane and Wil Carrier jawing in the penalty box. Carrier, who stepped in to wrestle with Zach Hyman after a big open-ice belt by Brayden McNab (we’re not sure why he felt he had to do that for the 220-pound McNab, but we digress) used to be on the same Buffalo team with Kane half a dozen years ago.
Carrier likes to hit too (he plastered Warren Foegele into the end boards). Kane? The man got in Matthew Tkachuk’s grill in the Calgary series last spring, and he’s noticeable again in this second-round Vegas matchup.
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — José Berríos made another solid start. Alejandro Kirk delivered a timely hit. Daulton Varsho did a little bit of everything.
The Toronto Blue Jays took another step toward a turnaround at the end of a rough month, posting their first series win in four ties in well-rounded fashion.
Berríos pitched around a season-high five walks and into the sixth inning for Toronto to beat his old team, and the Blue Jays blanked the Minnesota Twins 3-0 on Sunday.
“Hopefully, this kind of springboards us forward,” manager John Schneider said after the Blue Jays played their 17th game in 17 days.
Kirk hit a two-run single in the second inning that held up for Berríos (5-4), who has allowed two or fewer runs in seven of his last nine turns after a rough start.
Daulton Varsho scored all the way from first base on Kirk’s hit. Handling center field for Kevin Kiermaier — the day after he twice had a leaping catch attempt turn into a Twins home run when those balls bounced off his glove and into the grass berm — Varsho was superb. He assisted on the third out of the fourth inning when he fielded a single and threw out Alex Kirilloff at third.
Then in the eighth, Varsho jumped above the center-field wall to take a homer away from Carlos Correa.
“For as magnified as he was yesterday, I’m thrilled that he gets to be celebrated today,” Schneider said.
Jordan Romano recorded his 12th save with a scoreless ninth, allowing a two-out single to rookie Matt Wallner. He was 2 for 2 with two walks and has reached base in eight straight plate appearances.
The Blue Jays (28-26), who are in last place in the AL East, are just 10-17 in their last 27 games.
“You’re going to go through a rough stretch at some point during the year, and for us it’s like right now,” Varsho said. “Hopefully we can get hot here and finish off the year strong.”
With Alek Manoah struggling at the top of the rotation, the Blue Jays need several more starts like this from Berríos, who was traded by the Twins at the deadline two years ago. The right-hander, who is 3-1 with a 2.30 ERA in his last five starts, helped lead a players-only meeting on Thursday after the Blue Jays lost three out of four to division leader Tampa Bay.
“It’s just on us to stay back, get relaxed and try to be ourselves,” Berríos said.
Bailey Ober (3-2) finished five innings for Minnesota for the fourth time in five May starts, with seven strikeouts in a bad-luck loss.
The Twins (27-26) had their lead in the AL Central cut to one game over Detroit (25-26). They’ve led the division for 58 of 60 days this season.
“Every time the opportunities were in front of us, every time there was something we could have done, it felt like we went in the wrong direction,” manager Rocco Baldelli said.
JULIEN’S LAPSES
Twins rookie Edouard Julien, a native of Quebec City, Canada, whose favorite boyhood team was the Blue Jays, had a rough afternoon. He made a diving stop of Varsho’s two-out single in the second, but he dropped the ball before he could make the throw to first. The play was ruled a hit.
In the bottom of the inning, the Twins had the bases loaded with none out — for a few seconds. Julien rounded second base too far, ignoring the runner in front of him, and was thrown out by the catcher Kirk.
“Those are mental cramps right there,” Baldelli said.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Blue Jays: Kiermaier was on the bench after being removed from the game on Saturday with discomfort in his right lower back. “All things are trending in the right direction,” Schneider said.
Twins: RHP Emilio Pagán was pulled with a strained left hip flexor after seven pitches in the seventh.
UP NEXT
Blue Jays: LHP Yusei Kikuchi (5-2, 4.56 ERA) starts on Tuesday night against Milwaukee after a return home and a day off. RHP Adrian Houser (1-0, 2.25 ERA) takes the mound for the Brewers.
Twins: RHP Sonny Gray (4-0, 1.82 ERA) pitches the opener of a three-game series at Houston on Monday afternoon. RHP J.P France (1-1, 3.43 ERA) starts for the Astros.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill (33) stands with his team during open net at the end of the third period in Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Western Conference finals against the Dallas Stars, Saturday, May 27, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ronda Churchill/AP)
TAMPERE, Finland –
Samuel Blais scored two goals to rally Canada to a 5-2 victory over Germany in the final of the ice hockey world championship on Sunday.
It’s a record 28th world title for Canada, and its second in three years. Russia has 27 while Germany has never won the trophy.
Blais netted with a backhand 4:51 into the final period for a 3-2 lead for Canada, which was playing in its fourth straight final.
Lawson Crouse, Tylor Toffoli and Scott Laughton also scored for Canada, Peyton Krebs had two assists and goaltender Samuel Montembeault stopped 21 shots.
Toffoli stretched the lead to 4-2 from the left circle with 8:09 remaining and Laughton made it 5-2 with an empty net goal.
Canada had to come back twice in the final.
John Peterka wristed a shot past Montembeault from the left circle 7:44 into the game. It was the sixth goal for the Buffalo Sabres forward at the tournament.
Blais was fed by Krebs to beat goaltender Mathias Niederberger and tie it 1-1 at 10:47.
Daniel Fischbuch put the Germans ahead again with a one-timer with 6:13 to go in the middle period.
Crouse equalized on a power play with 2:32 remaining in the frame.
It was the first medal for Germany since 1953 when it was second behind Sweden.
The two previously met just once in the final with Canada winning 6-1 in 1930.
LATVIA GETS BRONZE
Defenseman Kristian Rubins scored his second goal 1:22 into overtime to lead Latvia to a 4-3 victory over the United States and earn a bronze medal earlier Sunday.
It’s the first top-three finish for Latvia at the tournament. Its previous best was a seventh place it managed three times.
The U.S. lost in the bronze medal game for the second straight year. The U.S. team was cruising through the tournament with eight straight wins until it was defeated by Germany in the semifinal 4-3 in overtime.
Rubins rallied Latvia with his first with 5:39 to go in the final period to tie the game at 3 to force overtime.
Roberts Bukarts and Janis Jaks also scored for Latvia.
Rocco Grimaldi scored twice for the U.S. in the opening period to negate Latvia’s 1-0 and 2-1 leads.
Matt Coronato had put the U.S. 3-2 ahead 6:19 into the final period.
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