DETROIT (AP) — Auston Matthews and William Nylander scored 51 seconds apart in the first period, Mitch Marner extended his point streak to 17 games and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-2 Monday night.
“It’s a cool thing, but nothing is ever achievable in this game by yourself,” said Marner, who scored in the opening minute of the second.
Marner’s 17-game point streak is one shy of the single-season Maple Leafs record set by Darryl Sittler during the 1977-78 season and matched 12 years later by Ed Olczyk.
Rasmus Sandin also scored and Matt Murray made 42 saves for the Maple Leafs, who have won a season-high four straight — all on the road — and earned a point in nine consecutive games.
“It was our best game of the trip,” coach Kyle Dubas said. “Our goaltender was outstanding as it has been all trip. The way he’s playing, if he sees it, he’s stopping it.”
Moritz Seider had an early goal for Detroit, finishing a four-shot flurry, but the lead didn’t last long. Matthews’ wrist shot beat Ville Husso glove side a few minutes later and Nylander scored on a power play to put the Maple Leafs ahead 2-1 midway through the first period.
Sandin put Toronto up 4-1 midway through the period, chasing Husso.
Detroit’s breakout goalie was pulled from a game for the first time this season after giving up four goals on 13 shots. He entered with an NHL-high three shutouts, matching his previous career total.
“I’m sure Huss would probably want three of the four back,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “But it is tough to not see much action at all in your end, and then you’ve got Matthews and Marner in the inner slot. We didn’t give up many chances, but the ones we did give up were too good.”
Alex Nedeljkovic entered in relief and stopped all 12 shots he faced for the Red Wings, who had won a season-best four consecutive games.
Midway through the third, Seider’s shot was redirected by teammate Adam Erne in front to pull the Red Wings within two.
“We had a lot of chances and we just didn’t get the puck in the net,” Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said. “Give them credit, especially Murray, but we had looks in the slot and looks all around it. We just didn’t capitalize and they did.”
Detroit pulled Nedeljkovic late for an extra skater, but couldn’t score against a team missing banged-up players on the blue line such as Morgan Rielly and T.J. Brodie.
“We talked about tightening up our defense, and we’ve done a good job of it,” Marner said.
DUELING FANS
A lot of fans crossed the border to attend the game at Little Caesars Arena. When Detroit fans chanted, “Let’s Go Red Wings,” Toronto fans responded, “Go Leafs, Go!”
ONE-TIMERS
Toronto extended its point streak against Detroit to 14 games. … The Maple Leafs closed the month 6-0 on the road. … The Red Wings had a season-high 44 shots, and lost for the first time in regulation this season after outshooting an opponent. … Seider had a goal and an assist, giving him six points in five games.
UP NEXT
Maple Leafs: Host the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night.
Red Wings: Play the Buffalo Sabres at home Wednesday night.
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.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.
Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.
In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.
Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.
Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.
He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.
The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.
Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.
He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.
George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.
Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.
In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.
St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
ON DECK
Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.
The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
