It’s been years since the Edmonton Oilers had a defence corps that carried its weight offensively. We mean, Sheldon Souray kind of history here.
But after getting three goals from the blue line in a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, the Oilers are now tied for first in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens with 11 goals from their D-corps. Only the Vancouver Canucks (37 points) have more production from the back end than Edmonton (35), a team that received just six goals through 15 games a year ago.
It’s a nice stat, but what it really means is that this team is slowly finding ways to win that don’t have Connor McDavid’s or Leon Draisaitl’s fingerprints all over it.
“It’s coming for us,” said Tyson Barrie, who notched the game-winner on a deft wrist shot that chased the roving Marcus Hogberg from the Senators’ net. “We’re kind of scoring in all sorts of different ways right now, and that’s nice.”
In completing a two-game sweep, while winning all four games over Ottawa in Edmonton’s last five contests, the Oilers made full use of the tonic that are the Ottawa Senators. Edmonton entered its derby against Ottawa with a 4-6 record, and exited with an 8-7 mark, eclipsing .500 for the first time in the young season.
“We’re not a finished product by any stretch, but we’re moving in the right direction,” said head coach Dave Tippett. “If we keep getting some points, that’s what it’s all about right now.”
Ottawa got better and better as this series went on. But on a night when they finally held Draisaitl and McDavid off the score sheet, it was the third and fourth lines that assisted on a trio of goals scored by defencemen Darnell Nurse, Evan Bouchard and Barrie.
Mikko Koskinen faced 42 shots and acquitted himself well, perhaps a glimpse of what Tippett hopes to see now that Mike Smith is back as a security blanket for the Three Metres of Koskinen.
“We scored timely goals, we got timely saves and we found a way to get the two points,” reasoned Tippett. “The tale of the tape tonight is our defence coming though getting big goals for us. We found a way to win.”
Saviour Sens
There’s an intersection here, between the fact the Senators are more like a really good American Hockey League team, and the fact that beating any opponent in four straight games isn’t easy.
However you want to look at it, when the Oilers stepped on to the ice on Jan. 31 to play the first of this quad-set, they were 4-6 with eight points. Today they are better than .500 for the first time all season and have 16 points — right in the thick of the North Division playoff race.
“Guys are starting to put some games together, play with a little more confidence,” said Barrie, who could well be describing his own game, which has really started to come around. “We’re getting comfortable with each other, getting some stability. I don’t know if you can put your finger on one thing, but we’re just pushing the pace a little more. That’s the game we have to play if we’re going to be successful.”
Edmonton goes into Montreal for a game Thursday, then comes home for a pair against Winnipeg. They’re ready to test themselves against the top team in the North.
“We’ve won five of six, so we‘re feeling confident about ourselves,” Barrie said. “Montreal has had a great start, but we’re going to see them a lot this year. So we’ve got to beat ‘em.”
Working without a net
Trivia question: When was the last time the Oilers won a game when both McDavid and Draisaitl went pointless? How about Nov. 28, 2017.
So what does it mean? Well, there were only seven games last season where neither of Edmonton’s two top centres had a point. So there are 14 points that get away because the rest of the roster didn’t find a way to get to three goals.
So far this season there have been two occasions where No. 29 and No. 97 were shut down. The first game was a 3-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, and now their first win sans McDavid and Draisaitl in over three calendar years.
Mike-O Mikko
So this is how it’s supposed to work. Two NHL calibre goalies, back-to-back games. They each get a start, and they each play a big part in two wins.
“(Koskinen) made some really timely saves for us tonight,” said Tippett. “A couple of real key saves at the right time to preserve the two points for us.”
Last season, Tippett leaned toward giving Koskinen and Smith two starts each, then it was then other guy’s turn. We’re not saying they’re like Rogie Vachon and Gump Worsley from the ’67-’68 Habs, Chico Resch and Billy Smith from the dynasty New York Islanders, or Grant Fuhr and Andy Moog.
But Smith-Koskinen kept enough pucks out of their nets that Edmonton was the top Canadian team last season when COVID-19 stopped the campaign. They’d like to find that same mojo again.
“He comes in tonight and plays a great game,” said Barrie. “The second half of the game he made some huge stops. We would have like to have been better with the puck in some key areas … but we got the two points, Mikko was great, and we’re over .500 now.”
Koskinen let in the first shot of the game, a tricky deflection, but was bombarded in the final 40 minutes, when the Sens outshot Edmonton 30-10. He was calm and cool, stopped everything he was supposed to and a few he wasn’t, beaten only by Evgeni Dadonov on a clear cut breakaway.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
