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Matthews getting game back for Maple Leafs ahead of Qualifiers – NHL.com

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TORONTO — Auston Matthews said he feels as though he is rounding into form for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“I think every day I’ve felt physically better and better, so that’s always a good sign,” the center said Thursday. “My hands and feet are coming back.”

Matthews said July 13, the first day of training camp, that he had tested positive for COVID-19. He said he was “pretty much asymptomatic and felt for the most part pretty normal for the two weeks.”

The center said the biggest effect the positive test had on him was forcing him to stay off the ice for 2-3 weeks while he was at his offseason home in Arizona, where he went after the NHL paused the season March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. But after training camp, which featured a five-game intrasquad scrimmage series to prepare for the Stanley Cup Qualifiers, Matthews looks like the player who led Toronto in goals (47) and points (80) this season.

“I have seen progression. I’ve seen it with his conditioning and being able to sustain his play for longer,” coach Sheldon Keefe said. “He’s been really good. A lot of the things that I was hoping to see from him in this camp, I’ve seen. He’s the least of my worries at this point.”

The Maple Leafs (36-25-9, .579 points percentage) are the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference and will play the No. 9 seed Columbus Blue Jackets (33-22-15, .579) in a best-of-5 qualifier series, which starts Aug. 2 at Scotiabank Arena. The winner will advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the loser will have a chance at the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft in the Second Phase of the NHL Draft Lottery, scheduled for Aug. 10.

Toronto will play an exhibition game against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVAS).

Video: TBL@TOR: Marner sets up Matthews’ power-play blast

Early in the scrimmage series, Matthews said he was not getting into position to use his shot as often as he would like but felt he began to get himself into scoring areas more often during the final two scrimmages.

“I think I’ve been shooting the puck a little bit more the past couple of scrimmages and creating a little bit more, so I think that’s all a good sign,” Matthews said. “I just want to continue to progress here positively and find my game back as fast as I can.”

Though Matthews didn’t score as much early in the scrimmages, Keefe was impressed with the way he forechecked and forced turnovers.

“He hasn’t shot the puck a great deal,” Keefe said. “But he’s made a ton of plays and he’s won the puck back with his skill set and his body.”.

Keefe shuffled the teams for the final scrimmage, resulting in Matthews and his linemates, right wing William Nylander and left wing Zach Hyman, being matched against a line with left wing Ilya Mikheyev, center John Tavares and right wing Mitchell Marner.

“It helps a lot facing those guys,” Matthews said. “There’s three elite players on that line. They’re a big part of our team as well as our line. It’s always good when you go head-to-head and compete 1-on-1 against each other. It definitely brings out the best in each person and we’re going to need that in the next couple of weeks.”

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PWHL MVP Spooner set to miss start of season for Toronto Sceptres due to knee injury

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TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.

The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.

She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.

Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.

Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.

The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Champions Trophy host Pakistan says it’s not been told India wants to play cricket games elsewhere

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LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.

“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”

Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.

The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.

Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.

“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”

Pakistan hosted last year’s Asia Cup but all India games were played in Sri Lanka under a hybrid model for the tournament. Only months later Pakistan did travel to India for the 50-over World Cup.

Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.

“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”

The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.

“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”

Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.

“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.

___

AP cricket:

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Dabrowski, Routlife into WTA doubles final with win over Melichar-Martinez, Perez

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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.

Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.

The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.

The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.

Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.

Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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