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The comeback clock struck midnight for the Maple Leafs on Saturday.
The comeback clock struck midnight for the Maple Leafs on Saturday.
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After trailing 3-1 in the best-of-seven series against the Boston Bruins, the Leafs couldn’t fully recover.
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More pain at the hands of the Bruins came in Game 7 when David Pastrnak scored at 1:54 of overtime at TD Garden, eliminating Toronto from the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Upon scooting past Mitch Marner in the neutral zone, Pastrnak took the puck off the end boards after Hampus Lindholm dumped it into the Leafs’ end, got behind Morgan Rielly and used a backhand deke to score on Ilya Samsonov to give the Bruins a 2-1 victory.
“Very disappointed to not come out on the right side of it,” coach Sheldon Keefe told media in Boston. “Loved how our team fought to put us in this position to compete and play in this game and have a chance to be one shot away.
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“When you reflect on the series, you don’t love the hole we dug ourselves. That’s a big reason why we’re here. It’s a tough one to lose, a tough way to go.”
The loss extended a string of Game 7 losses to six in a row for the organization. Toronto has not won a Game 7 since April 20, 2004, against the Ottawa Senators in the first round.
The Leafs were the 65th team in National Hockey League history to force a Game 7 after being down 3-1 in a series. The Bruins became the 33rd team to win Game 7 after allowing the opposition to tie the series.
The Leafs showed great character in rallying from being down 3-1 in the best-of-seven first-round set. But in a series in which they didn’t have their full set of their stars for all of it, they could not complete the comeback.
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Had the Leafs had more success on the power play, and on the penalty kill, we’re probably talking about a Toronto series win.
The Leafs outscored the Bruins 11-10 at five-on-five, but the Bruins crushed them on special teams, going 6-for-17 on the power play. The Leafs were 1-for-21.
The Bruins are headed to the Sunshine State to clash with the Florida Panthers in the second round, with Game 1 set for Monday night in Sunrise.
POTENTIAL CHANGES
The off-season speculation begins now, with the future of three men — Keefe, Marner and team president Brendan Shanahan — sure to dominate the discussions of what comes next.
There’s no doubt that general manager Brad Treliving will have to make a move (or two) of significance. That could include firing Keefe and/or asking Marner to waive his no-move clause.
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The Leafs demonstrated that they could play tight, defensive hockey at the most intense time of year. Their overall physical nature was new for the group.
But given the Leafs’ inability to turn regular-season success into series wins in the post-season under Keefe, few will be surprised if Treliving decides to make a change behind the bench.
The Leafs can start negotiating a new contract with Marner, who has one year remaining on his current deal, on July 1. How will that conversation between Treliving and Mariner’s agent, Darren Ferris, go?
Marner didn’t prove his worth in the series, recording three points in seven games.
Shanahan has been in charge for 10 years and the Leafs have won one playoff series. Will new MLSE boss Keith Pelley need to be convinced that he shouldn’t fire Shanahan?
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This Leafs group, the core that is, never has been great at looking inward and being truly self-critical. That continued.
“Look, I don’t think there’s an issue with the core,” William Nylander said. “I think we were (bleeping) right there all series, battled hard and got to Game 7 in OT. That’s a (bleep) feeling.”
And this from captain John Tavares: “The type of hockey we needed to play to give ourselves a chance to win the series, and the way we came together, there’s no doubt we are right there.”
Actually, there is some doubt. Close doesn’t count in hockey. And it’s not as though the Leafs are coming close to winning the Stanley Cup.
“This is as tight a group as I’ve been a part of here,” Auston Matthews said. “I feel like we say that every year, but it truly was an incredible group.”
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But not good enough, nor tight enough, to win.
Keefe paused after he was asked how strongly he believes this core will eventually break through.
“We have been talking about this for a long time, trying to break through for a long time,” Keefe said. “The answer is going to fall on deaf ears in that sense, and I get that.
“All I will say is the way the group pulled together in this last week, and through the season, this group was different this year. The core you are referring to isn’t different. The guys around it are different, the feeling around the team was different, we played different. I thought we showed signs in this series of a team that could win. There are reasons for me to believe that this team will win.”
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GAME ON
The match served as a snapshot of what the series had become. It was tight-checking, with scoring chances mostly coming only after diligence.
The suspense had observers on edge from the opening faceoff, and there was nothing to show on the scoreboard through 40 minutes.
Nylander scored the game’s first goal at 9:01 of the third period, hitting an open net behind goalie Jeremy Swayman on a pass from Matthews, after Tyler Bertuzzi got control along the boards.
The building wasn’t silent for long. At 10:22, Lindholm tied the game, getting a shot through some bodies to beat Samsonov on the short side.
Thick was the drama before the game, as word began to circulate that Leafs goalie Joseph Woll would not be playing.
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That became the Leafs’ reality when Samsonov led the team on to the ice for the pre-game warmup. Within seconds, the Leafs posted on X that Woll was out because of an injury that the 25-year-old suffered in Game 6.
There had been no indication in the previous few days that Woll, who starred in the Leafs’ wins in Games 5 and 6, would not be in net. Keefe confirmed that it was late in Game 6 that Woll was hurt.
Martin Jones dressed as the backup.
Samsonov was sharp, finishing with 29 saves.
MATTHEWS RETURNS
Then there was Matthews, who had been skating by himself in the past week before he joined his teammates for the morning skate and then played 17 1/2 minutes after missing the previous two games.
Initially, Matthews missed practices and morning skates as he dealt with an illness. Sometime in the past week, the thinking is that it was an injury that kept Matthews out.
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“I’m not going to get into that tonight,” Matthews said when asked about his injury. “The next couple of days, will process this and go over it, but not getting into that tonight.”
Matthews wasn’t himself, certainly not the dominating player he was in Game 2, but was able to make an impact. As well as an assist, Matthews had three shots on goal, six hits and was 11-8 in the faceoff circle.
In Matthews’ return, Nick Robertson was scratched.
NYLANDER CONFIRMS
Nylander shed some light on why he missed the first three games of the series.
“They just kept me precautionary to see what was going on,” Nylander said. “I had a migraine, but in case it could have been a concussion (he was kept out). Once I started feeling better, they let me play.”
What difficulty would there have been in trying to play though a migraine?
“The situation is very complicated,” Nylander said. “It’s hard to explain exactly what it is. My vision goes, can’t really see out of my eyes, gets messed up. It’s hard to play.”
X: @koshtorontosun
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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:
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.
The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.
Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.
There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.
Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.
But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.
The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”
The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.
Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.
Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.
Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.
Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.
“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”
“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.
Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.
Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.
The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.
Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.
Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.
Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.
Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.
Canada Roster
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).
Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).
Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).
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Follow @NeilMDavidson on X platform
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
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