The Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets held optional skates at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday.
A lot has changed since the Leafs and Jets last played on Jan. 18 in Toronto when Patrik Laine was sidelined, and the home team won 3-1.
Since then, Toronto and Winnipeg have established themselves as the most consistent contenders in the North Division and the Jets made a blockbuster trade, shipping Laine, a winger, to Columbus in exchange for centre Pierre-Luc Dubois.
“They got two really dynamic centre-ice men and now we do as well,” noted coach Paul Maurice. “[John] Tavares and [Auston] Matthews both do a lot of dynamic things and we have Mark [Scheifele] and Pierre-Luc who will be able to do the same for us.”
Dubois was a standout in the playoff series between the Jackets and Leafs in the summer.
“That was when everyone saw what he was made out of,” Scheifele said. “That’s a pretty special hockey player.”
Dubois owned a plus rating in three of the five games in the series as the Jackets held the high-powered Leafs to just three goals in five-on-five play. Dubois also brought an edginess and physical dynamic to the proceedings.
“I’m a competitor, so it forces you to bring your ‘A’ games,” Dubois said of the matchup against Toronto’s stars. “Those are guys that if you make a mistake, they’ll take advantage of it. They’re just waiting for you to make that one mistake or one missed back-check or missed assignment or something like that, so it forces you to bring your best game possible.”
Dubois’ signature moment came in Game 3 when he scored a hat trick, including the overtime winner, as Columbus erased a 3-0 deficit and grabbed the upper hand in the series.
“He was obviously a game breaker for Columbus when we played them in the playoffs,” acknowledged Zach Hyman. “He’s a big, strong guy, who can really skate, so we’ve got to be aware of that.”
“Skates really well through the neutral zone,” observed Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe. “No matter how they use him or who they play him with, he’s a lot to handle.”
Questions about Dubois and his ability to match up against Matthews dominated today’s media session.
“Somebody asked me earlier today, ‘Are you happy you don’t have to answer the Laine-Matthews question?'” Maurice said with a smile. “So, this is the new question.”
Matthews went first overall in the 2016 NHL draft, followed by Laine and Dubois.
“You feel good playing against certain teams, right?” Maurice said. “I think every time the puck drops there’s an opportunity for the change of momentum and a new story to be written.”
“We’re a big team,” said Dubois. “We have offence, too. We can move the puck well. I think we just have to bring it to them instead of just waiting and hoping for them to make a mistake. We have to go at them and play in their zone.”
Leafs prepare for ‘gamebreaker’ Dubois and new dynamic he brings to Jets
Pierre-Luc Dubois was one of the difference makers in the series that saw the Blue Jackets eliminate the Maple Leafs from last year’s playoff bubble. The Leafs know he can be a gamebreaker and just adds a new dynamic to an already talented Jets team.
Dubois is still getting comfortable with his new team, but likes the chemistry being generated on his line with Nikolaj Ehlers and Kyle Connor.
“I love playing with those two guys,” Dubois said. “Nicky, he can do everything. I know this year he’s concentrating on shooting the puck more and he’s got a good shot, so why not? And then KC is one of the most underrated players in the NHL. He’s dangerous. He can pass the puck also, but he’s got such a quick release, quick shot. As a centre, I have to support those two guys. I have to do a lot in the D-zone, work for them, get them the puck, so we can get up ice.”
Scheifele sits fifth in NHL scoring with 33 points, which is one behind Mitch Marner and two ahead of Matthews.
“Playing against two of the premier players in this league in Matthews and Marner tonight, it’s going to be a big test and always motivates you a little more to be that much better,” said Scheifele, who was held without a point in the previous trip to Toronto this year. “They do everything right.” Scheifele has been held without a point in only four games all season. He was asked if he’s proven he deserves elite status alongside Matthews and Marner.
“Every day is another chance to prove yourself,” he said. “It’s not one game, it’s not a week, it’s not a month, it’s every single game and being consistent that way. Tonight is another test, another chance to prove yourself and that extra pressure makes you work that much harder.”
The 27-year-old native of Kitchener, Ont. seems to relish these trips. And while Scheifele may not enjoy some home cooking this week, he did receive a morale boost.
“My parents drove in and we were able to go for a walk outside,” he said. “I was thankful I was able to see them. I haven’t seen them in a long time. Just to be able to see their faces, even though our masks were on, and be able to talk to them and see them in person definitely meant so much to me. It’s definitely tough not being able to go for dinner with them or spend more time with them and actually see their full faces, but that’s what we’re living in.”
Scheifele has 19 points in 15 career games against the Leafs.
Scheifele gets morale boost from parents as he gets set to face Matthews/Marner
Mark Scheifele admits his home coming is a little different during the pandemic than what it used to be, but says he’s thankful he can still go for a walk with his parents and see them in-person. He adds it’s always fun facing top-tier talent and that’s no different tonight going up against Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.
Toronto’s third line featuring Hyman with Ilya Mikheyev and Pierre Engvall performed well during the recent road trip, producing a goal in four of five games.
“We’re three big guys who can skate and who can hopefully shut other teams down just with our skating and our physicality,” said Hyman. “Creating more off the cycle is something we want to do. Putting pucks to the net, having bodies there and creating chaos. We had success out West, but we can have more success by continuing to do that. We’ve had the puck a ton and just [have to] continue to find ways to generate offence. It may not be as pretty as some of the other lines, but I think that we can be just as successful if we go and do the things that we’re good at.”
The new third line has the potential to be a fan favourite by marrying speed, work ethic and physicality. Hyman insists that even without a crowd inside the building this year, he’s feeling the love from Leafs Nation.
“Just, personally, being from Toronto, I know when the team’s doing well it just feels different,” he said. “Even though we don’t go out and can’t see anybody, I know what it means when the Leafs are doing well and when we’re having success.”
Even without fans, Hyman feeling the love from Leafs Nation
Zach Hyman says even though you can’t really go out or have fans in the building, you can still feel the excitement in the city when the Maple Leafs are having success.
Mikheyev picked up his third goal of the season during the recent road trip and the Leafs believe the second-year NHLer can produce more offensively moving forward.
“For a guy who generates so many chances, there’s obviously great potential,” Keefe said. “Certainly, there’s a luck element to it. I think part of it, too, is just having increased confidence and relaxing. When you get into those spaces you tend to get into your own head a little bit, trying to force it to go in and I think that’s part of it, just settling down and have a little extra poise in those spaces.”
Mikheyev ranks sixth in shots among Leafs players, but is last in shooting percentage among forwards who have put at least 10 pucks on net. Mikheyev has converted on just three of his 52 shots (5.8 per cent).
“Having great depth is something championship teams have,” Hyman noted. “I think it also helps with team morale and team chemistry when everybody feels like they’re contributing. You don’t just need to score goals to contribute. You can contribute in other ways, but it’s always fun to score.”
Even if the pucks don’t go in, the Leafs see a lot of value in how Mikheyev is performing.
“We’re obviously very encouraged by the fact that he’s getting the opportunities and puts a lot of pressure on the opposition,” Keefe noted. “Whether the puck goes in or not, it’s a long way away from our net and that, ultimately, is a big part of Mickey’s job.”
Mikheyev has 11 goals in 65 career NHL games.
Leafs Ice Chips: Bouncing back in a big week
The Maple Leafs are coming off back-to-back losses against the Canucks and will look to right the ship against a tough Jets squad that is also coming off a big loss. Mark Masters has more as Winnipeg and Toronto prepare for three straight against eachother.
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.
