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
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.
CALGARY – Mired in their first four-game losing skid in 20 years, the Calgary Stampeders are going back to Jake Maier at quarterback on Saturday after he was benched for a game.
It won’t be an easy assignment.
Visiting McMahon Stadium are the Eastern Conference-leading Montreal Alouettes (10-2) who own the CFL’s best record. The Stampeders (4-8) have fallen to last in the Western Conference.
“Six games is plenty of time, but also it is just six games,” said Maier. “We’ve got to be able to get on the right track.”
Calgary is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
“I do still believe in this team,” said Stampeders’ head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson. “I want to see improvement, though. I want to see guys on a weekly basis elevating their game, and we haven’t been doing that.”
Maier is one of the guys under the microscope. Two weeks ago, the second-year starter threw four interceptions in a 35-20 home loss to the Edmonton Elks.
After his replacement, rookie Logan Bonner, threw five picks in last week’s 37-16 loss to the Elks in Edmonton, the football is back in Maier’s hands.
“Any time you fail or something doesn’t go your way in life, does it stink in the moment? Yeah. But then the days go on and you learn things about yourself and you learn how to prepare a little bit better,” said Maier. “It makes you mentally tougher.”
Dickenson wants to see his quarterback making better decisions with the football.
“Things are going to happen, interceptions will happen, but try to take calculated risks, rather than just putting the ball up there and hoping that we catch it,” said Dickenson.
A former quarterback himself, he knows the importance of that vital position.
“You cannot win without good quarterback play,” Dickenson said. “You’ve got to be able to make some plays — off-schedule plays, move-around plays, plays that break down, plays that aren’t designed perfectly, but somehow you found the right guy, and then those big throws where you’re taking that hit.”
But it’s going to take a team effort, and that includes the club’s receiving corp.
“We always have to band together because we need everything to go right for our receivers to get the ball,” said Nik Lewis, the Stampeders’ receivers coach. “The running back has to pick up the blitz, the o-line has to block, the quarterback has to make the right reads, and then give us a catchable ball.”
Lewis brings a unique perspective to this season’s frustrations as he was a 22-year-old rookie in Calgary in 2004 when the Stamps went 4-14 under coach Matt Dunigan. They turned it around the next season and haven’t missed the playoffs since.”
“Thinking back and just looking at it, there’s just got to be an ultimate belief that you can get it done. Look at Montreal, they were 6-7 last year and they’ve gone 18-2 since then,” said Lewis.
Montreal is also looking to rebound from a 37-23 loss to the B.C. Lions last week. But for head coach Jason Maas, he says his team’s mindset doesn’t change, regardless of what happened the previous week.
“Last year when we went through a four-game losing streak, you couldn’t tell if we were on a four-game winning streak or a four-game losing streak by the way the guys were in the building, the way we prepared, the type of work ethic we have,” said Maas. “All our standards are set, so that’s all we focus on.”
While they may have already clinched a playoff spot, Alouettes’ quarterback Cody Fajardo says this closing stretch remains critical because they want to finish the season strong, just like last year when they won their final five regular-season games before ultimately winning the Grey Cup.
“It doesn’t matter about what you do at the beginning of the year,” said Fajardo. “All that matters is how you end the year and how well you’re playing going into the playoffs so that’s what these games are about.”
The Alouettes’ are kicking off a three-game road stretch, one Fajardo looks forward to.
“You understand what kind of team you have when you play on the road because it’s us versus the world mentality and you can feel everybody against you,” said Fajardo. “Plus, I always tend to find more joy in silencing thousands of people than bringing thousands of people to their feet.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
