TSN SportsCentre Reporter Mark Masters reports on the Toronto Maple Leafs, who practised at Ford Performance Centre on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Penguins in Pittsburgh.
Jake Muzzin is out indefinitely with a cervical spine injury. He will be re-evaluated in late February. It’s unclear if the veteran defenceman will be able to return to the Leafs lineup.
“It is not something you want to really mess around with,” general manager Kyle Dubas said. “Unless he is 100 per cent sure that this recovery time is going to allow it to settle and not be an issue, we have to do what is right for his long-term health. He is a father of two young children and a husband. We have to make sure we are doing right by him. As important as he is to us as a player, his health is paramount.”
“I heard about it a lot earlier than you guys, obviously,” said winger Mitch Marner, who considers Muzzin among his closest friends on the team. “When you get news like that it’s pretty emotional. It was just me and him in the room when he told me and it’s a sad thing.”
Muzzin, who will turn 34 in February, has been sidelined since colliding with Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller in Toronto’s fourth game of the season on Oct. 17.
Dubas pointed out this isn’t the first injury like this for Muzzin, who was stretchered off the ice following an awkward collision near the end of Game 2 of the 2020 bubble best-of-five playoff qualifying series against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Muzzin will continue to be around the group. He’s working out in the gym and providing teammates with advice and encouragement.
“We think, because of his experience not just as a member of our team here but his experience previously winning in L.A., he can still bring a lot to our team,” said Dubas. “We are fortunate to have him and have him around.”
“He’s been awesome around the rink still,” said Marner. “He’s still bringing that positivity regardless of the news that he’s getting.”
Muzzin will go back to Los Angeles to meet with a specialist in February. It’s only at that time that the Leafs will know for sure if Muzzin is able to return.
“If we had any experience with this thing, I would stand up and give some semblance of a clear answer,” said Dubas. “Because of the nature of the injury and because we really don’t have a lot of experience with this type of injury — we are more relying on other sports that don’t replicate hockey exactly — it is hard to predict.”
In the mean time, Dubas is looking to see whether young defencemen Rasmus Sandin, 22, and Timothy Liljegren, 23, can handle more.
“Step two will be identifying — even if they elevate themselves — if it is going to be enough to help us really accomplish what we want to accomplish, and then we will evaluate the trade market and go from there,” Dubas continued. “We are not in any real hurry. We want to see what these guys bring.”
Dubas points out that Mark Giordano will help fill the leadership void. Head coach Sheldon Keefe recently revealed the team is urging the 39-year-old, who was acquired at the trade deadline last year, to speak up more.
“We now have Gio, who adds that kind of veteran stability,” Dubas said.
The trade deadline is March 3.
“As we go through the year, we will be really closely evaluating how it goes,” Dubas promised.
ContentId(1.1877933): Leafs D Muzzin out until at least February; Brodie also on IR
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T.J. Brodie will be out at least two weeks with an oblique injury. Where will the Leafs miss the defenceman most?
“It is the stability that he brings not just in how he plays but also in how he makes others better around him,” said Keefe, who dubbed the 32-year-old “Mr. Consistent” last year. “That is the biggest piece for sure.”
Brodie leads the Leafs in even-strength minutes (18:11 per game) and is tied with Justin Holl for the most short-handed minutes (3:07 per game).
“You can always depend on him defensively,” Marner noted. “He’s always in the right spot. He’s always making the right plays. He’s definitely a big piece.”
On Saturday, Brodie missed his first game since signing with the Leafs.
“I was really happy with how we managed it the other night,” Keefe said. “Jordie Benn came in and played his first game for us, we were on a back-to-back, and we had to kill some penalties late in the game with the game on the line. It was really encouraging to see how the guys responded to that. We are obviously going to need more of it.”
Benn moved up to play with Morgan Rielly while Giordano ended up with Holl, who had been playing with Brodie. Sandin and Liljegren linked up on the third pair.
ContentId(1.1878108): Leafs’ Brodie expected to miss a couple weeks with oblique injury
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Benn actually scored the winning goal against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
“That was awesome,” said Auston Matthews with a big smile. “I wasn’t expecting a d-man to be in the paint there.”
“The puck just started coming up the wall,” Benn explained. “I saw Mo start sliding so I wanted to slide in and just so happened I ended up in front of the net and popped’er in.”
It was Benn’s first goal since Jan. 24 and led to an exuberant celebration.
“It doesn’t happen too often so I didn’t really know what to do,” the ex-Canuck admitted. “But, thank God Matty came and I was like, all right, here’s a hug.”
It was a sweet moment for the 35-year-old from Victoria.
“I was a Canucks fan so it’s definitely nice to stick it to them a little bit,” he said with a grin.
Benn was getting a look with Rielly early in the pre-season when he sustained a groin injury.
“It’s frustrating, but s–t happens,” he said succinctly.
Now, Benn appears eager to make up for lost time. He landed four hits and made a key block on the penalty kill while logging more than 17 minutes against the Canucks.
“He was really good,” said Keefe. “He was really competitive. All of the things we know about him: a competitive, intelligent defender. He made some plays with the puck and moved it really well. He scored us a huge goal. Particularly when you take out a presence like Brodie, it is good to have someone like that come into our group.”
Jordie Benn on this warm-up moment with his family:
“It means everything. It’s hard to talk about just because they’re the rock of the household. Mama Bear and my kids are everything.” https://t.co/8CFsIK2nNd
Matt Murray appears ready to return from an adductor injury and is scheduled to get the start on Tuesday in Pittsburgh. It will be his first time playing at PPG Paints Arena since being traded by the Penguins to the Ottawa Senators in October of 2020.
“I always enjoy going back to Pittsburgh and seeing people that I haven’t seen in quite some time so I’ll be looking forward to that,” Murray said. “Even some of the security guys in the building and people like that. You know, guys that took care of me when I was there. Just really cool to see those kinds of people.”
Murray, who backstopped the Penguins to two Stanley Cups, received a video tribute when the Senators played in Pittsburgh in January, but the goalie was sidelined at that time. The 28-year-old did play the Penguins in February, stopping 42 of 43 shots in a Senators loss.
“They’re just a dangerous group so being on the other side of it for the first time was definitely strange,” he recalled.
Murray tore his groin during a morning skate on Oct. 15 before he was set to make his second start with the Leafs.
The Thunder Bay, Ont., native has now gone through three full practices since the injury.
“To have him back healthy and to give him an opportunity to get back in the net and get rolling is important for us,” said Keefe. “It is really good to see that he has come back on the early side of his timeline. It was kind of a four-to-six week type of deal. He put in a lot of hard work. The medical team took care of him and pushed him hard. He looks very much ready. We have given him a few extra days here and the addition of this practice to add to his workload so that he is all the more prepared. We are making sure that he is 100 per cent. When I say 100 per cent, there is the physical part of it with the injury, and then there is getting in the net, stopping pucks, getting into your routine, and feeling confident that you can go and perform at your best.”
Murray allowed four goals on 23 shots in a season-opening loss in Montreal.
ContentId(1.1878109): Murray poised to play in Pittsburgh for first time since trade
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Ilya Samsonov took part in his first practice since hurting his knee on Nov. 5.
“I haven’t had an update since we left the practice, but the amount of work he did today tells me he is feeling really good,” said Keefe. “I know they were going to start off the day feeling it out and making sure they’re not progressing too quickly, but we expected him to take a step today from what he has been doing on the ice. He looked like he did that and then some. It is very encouraging and great to see both guys [Murray and Samsonov] out on the ice working together.”
Erik Kallgren and Keith Petruzzelli, who was signed to an entry-level contract after Samsonov got hurt, also took part in practice.
“The goaltending depth and defence depth have both been tested here,” acknowledged Dubas. “The goaltending one severely with Matt, Ilya, and Joseph Woll all out.”
Woll has been sidelined since undergoing off-season shoulder surgery.
“He had a bit of a setback with the shoulder,” Dubas revealed. “In his recovery, he sustained a bit of an ankle injury. He is slated to participate tomorrow with the Marlies in full practice. To me, that is a positive sign. With what he is coming back from, we just need to continue to be patient. We are hopeful that in the next two or three weeks, he can be back up to full practices, get cleared, and get rolling again as well.”
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For the first time this season, Matthews and Marner started Saturday’s game on separate lines. Matthews played between Michael Bunting and William Nylander while Marner joined Alex Kerfoot and John Tavares. And that’s how Toronto’s top six will look when Tuesday’s game starts.
“We think it makes sense to continue with it for a little bit here,” Keefe said.
“I’m really comfortable with Willy,” said Matthews, who has only scored two goals in 5-on-5 play this season. “We have really good chemistry. Even though we don’t play a whole lot together other than the power play nowadays I think we still kind of understand each other’s game and know where we want to be out there and how we want to play. We really utilized each other and generated some good chances.”
The reviews were more mixed for Tavares and Marner.
“I still think we can generate a little more, make it a little tougher on the opponent,” Tavares said. “But, certainly, two guys I’m very familiar with and played with a lot in my time here. I thought Kerf found me a few times for some nice looks so keep building on that.”
Tavares scored a career-high 47 goals while playing alongside Marner during his first season in Toronto.
“Our games do mesh well,” said Tavares. “Obviously, we played that whole year together and had a lot of success and have had periods here and there since then and still play a good amount of time on the power play. Obviously, have a really good feel for his game. I think he has a good feel for my game. So, don’t need to go out there and force the issue and do too much.”
How does Marner’s outlook change?
“For me, it’s trying to find my way through the neutral zone with the puck a little more maybe and trying to find speed off the rush and try to find him in spots where he’s coming in later or going back side and stuff like that,” he said.
Keefe split up Matthews and Marner for a 10-game stretch early last season following a slow start by the team. Tavares also played with Marner when Matthews missed nine games due to injury.
The Leafs sat in a tie for 23rd in 5-on-5 goals this season entering Monday’s games.
ContentId(1.1878110): Leafs Ice Chips: Matthews, Marner remain split up
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The Leafs have yet to live up to their own lofty expectations so far, but Dubas isn’t worried.
“It may come off as strange, but in my role with the team, I personally think going through these types of things — whether it is injury or poor play that results in some consternation about where we are at — is a very positive thing,” he said. “You learn a lot about the people you are with day in and day out. You learn who can handle it and who may not be able to.”
The noise in the market got ratcheted up after the team went winless over four games in Las Vegas and California at the end of October.
“Coming back off of that Western road trip where we did not play well, I thought our guys did an excellent job here the whole week at home in getting ready to roll and putting together a really good week,” Dubas noted. “Last week, on the [Sunday in Carolina] going into the second period, we are down again. Rather than let that start to snowball, they dug in and found their way. That, to me, is very encouraging. If you look around the league, it is so close right now. There are maybe three or four teams that would be really happy with the way they have started unequivocally. The others have been a bit up and down.”
The Leafs still sit second in the Atlantic Division, but are only two points up on Tampa Bay, Florida, Detroit and Montreal.
Dubas credits Keefe for navigating the team through this early-season turbulence.
“Everything is done with a purpose,” Dubas stressed. “There is never anything about him that isn’t purposeful. In my time knowing him and working with him, when things are not necessarily perfect, he finds a way to be at his best and get the most out of the group. The thing for me about Sheldon that has been most encouraging in working with him, even as we have gone through this season where we have had stretches where we haven’t played as well: The group responds to him.”
On Friday night, Keefe coached his 200th game behind the Leafs bench. On Nov. 20, he will mark his third anniversary in the job.
“He is always adapting and trying to change the way he does things to make sure he is always getting through to the group,” Dubas said.
ContentId(1.1878121): Dubas gives vote of confidence to Keefe and team
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kevin Lankinen made 26 saves for his fourth career shutout and the Vancouver Canucks beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0 on Saturday night.
Nils Hoglander, Brock Boeser and Kyle Sherwood scored for the Canucks, who spoiled Philadelphia’s home opener and the first NHL home game for top Flyers’ prospects Matvei Michkov and Jett Luchanko.
The Canucks controlled play for most of the game and took advantage of Philadelphia’s defensive breakdowns for a pair of goals.
Samuel Ersson made 29 saves for Philadelphia, which lost its fourth consecutive game (0-3-1) after winning its season opener against the Canucks in Vancouver.
TAKEAWAYS
Canucks: Tyler Myers picked up an assist on a nifty, no-look pass to Boeser. It was Myers’ 1,000th NHL game. Myers also had three shots on goal, blocked a pair of shots, finished the game plus-1 and led the Canucks in total time on ice at 21:54.
Flyers: In another milestone game, Philadelphia captain Sean Couturier played in his 800th career game. However, the veteran centre was demoted to the fourth line and on the left wing by coach John Tortorella before the game. Once the Flyers fell behind 3-0, Couturier was shifted back to centre, but he couldn’t spark the team’s offence.
KEY MOMENT
Vancouver scored twice in 50 seconds in the second period to pull away. Sherwood’s goal was a one-timer off a faceoff win by Teddy Blueger to make it 3-0.
KEY STAT
Minus 11, the Flyers’ goal differential in five games this season at even strength. Through five games they have now been outscored 17-6 at five-on-five. All three of Vancouver’s goals on Saturday were at even strength.
UP NEXT
Canucks: Visit the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.
NEW YORK (AP) — Noah Dobson scored in the ninth round of the shootout to lead the New York Islanders to a 4-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.
Bo Horvat, Kyle Palmieri and Anders Lee scored in regulation for the Islanders, and Dobson had two assists. Semyon Varlamov finished with 21 saves.
Cole Caulfield had two goals and Logan Mailloux also scored for Montreal. Cayden Primeau made 33 saves.
Palmieri and Simon Holmstron also scored for the Islanders in the shootout, and Oliver Kapanen and Emil Heineman tallied for Montreal.
Caufield forced overtime with 2:10 left in regulation to tie the score 3-3. It came 2:26 after Lee gave the Islanders the lead.
TAKEAWAYS
Canadiens: Mailloux scored his first NHL goal 59 seconds into the second period to tie the game 2-2.
Islanders: Entering the game, the Islanders’ 33 shots per game ranked third in the NHL but their average of 2.5 goals per game was 27th in the league. Horvat and Palmieri scored 2:26 apart late in the first period to give New York a 2-0 lead.
KEY MOMENT
Varlamov’s glove save on Caufield’s breakaway 5:44 into the second period kept the score tied 2-2.
KEY STAT
New York limited Montreal to 24 shots in the win. Through their first four games before Saturday night, the Islanders had held opponents to 29.3 shots per game, which was 13th in the NHL.
UP NEXT
Canadiens: Host the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.
Islanders: Host the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Former U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland finished 54 holes of the wind-delayed Shriners Children’s Open knowing he’ll have his best chance at winning since brain surgery more than a year ago. Best of all Saturday was being finished.
Woodland had three birdies over his final six holes and extended his bogey-free streak to 28 holes in polishing off a 6-under 65 that gave him a share of the clubhouse lead with Las Vegas resident Kurt Kitayama, who also had a 65.
They trailed J.T. Poston and Doug Ghim by one shot when play was suspended by darkness. Thirty of the 66 players who made the cut earlier Saturday did not finish.
Poston had an eagle during his closing stretch of the second round for a 65, and his only sub-par hole in the third round was an eagle on the par-5 ninth. It put him at 15-under par through 13 holes. Also at 15 under was Ghim, who had four straight birdies and was facing a five-foot par putt on the 17th hole when it was too dark to continue.
Woodland had surgery in September 2023 to remove a lesion on his brain, situated on a tract that caused fear and anxiety. It’s been a long road back of making progress with his health, getting dialed in on the right medication and trying to get his game in order.
He also went back to Randy Smith, the PGA Hall of Fame swing coach in Dallas. Now Woodland is sensing the pieces coming back together.
“I feel a lot better for one,” Woodland said. “That’s a huge help. But I’ve seen some signs. I’ve been back with Randy Smith for a couple months now. I am starting to drive it better, iron play, controlling the golf ball like I haven’t in a long time, which is nice. Then putts start going in, start putting some good scores up.
“I’m excited and happy to be here — and really happy to finish tonight so I can get some sleep tomorrow.”
The third round was to resume at 8 a.m., and Woodland likely will start around 11 a.m. That beats getting up before dawn, which he already has had to do twice this week.
Next to be determined is where he stands.
Harris English and Alejandro Tosti of Argentina also were at 14 under with four holes to play, including the reachable par 4 and the easiest of the three par 5s. Six other players were at 13 under and still had holes to play.
Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., only completed 13 holes on Saturday and sits two shots back of the leaders. Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., is tied for 44th at 5 under. Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., is tied for 61st at 3 under.
The wind has calmed substantially from Friday, when gusts approached 50 miles per hour and led to a four-hour delay that caused the stop-and-start and the last two days being suspended because of darkness. A TPC Summerlin course that was all about hanging on is now back to being a test of who can make the most birdies.
“Conditions will be pretty easy. I think you saw that with some of the scores,” Poston said. “Guys are making birdies. So I think it’s just trying to stay aggressive but also stay patient if the putts don’t fall early because there is a lot of holes left.”
The second round didn’t end until about noon Saturday and the cut was at 3-under 139. Among those who missed was Tom Kim, the two-time defending champion who was trying to become the first player since Steve Stricker at the John Deere Classic (2009-11) to win the same PGA Tour event three straight years.
Also missing the cut were the three winners in the FedEx Cup Fall — Patton Kizzire, Kevin Yu and Matt McCarty.
