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.
NAPA, Calif. (AP) — David Lipsky shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday at Silverado Country Club to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Procore Championship.
Winless in 104 events since joining the PGA Tour in 2022, Lipsky went out with the early groups and had eight birdies with one bogey to kick off the FedEx Cup Fall series at the picturesque course in the heart of Napa Valley wine country.
After missing the cut in his three previous tournaments, Lipsky flew from Las Vegas to Arizona to reunite with his college coach at Northwestern to get his focus back. He also spent time playing with some of the Northwestern players, which helped him relax.
“Just being around those guys and seeing how carefree they are, not knowing what’s coming for them yet, it’s sort of nice to see that,” Lipsky said. “I was almost energized by their youthfulness.”
Patton Kizzire and Mark Hubbard were a stroke back. Kizzire started on the back nine and made a late run with three consecutive birdies to move into a tie for first. A bogey on No. 8 dropped him back.
“There was a lot of good stuff out there today,” Kizzire said. “I stayed patient and just went through my routines and played well, one shot at a time. I’ve really bee working hard on my mental game and I think that allowed me to rinse and repeat and reset and keep playing.”
Mark Hubbard was at 67. He had nine birdies but fell off the pace with a bogey and triple bogey on back-to-back holes.
Kevin Dougherty also was in the group at 67. He had two eagles and ended his afternoon by holing out from 41 yards on the 383-yard, par-4 18th.
Defending champion Sahith Theegala had to scramble for much of his round of 69.
Wyndham Clark, who won the U.S. Open in 2023 and the AT&T at Pebble Beach in February, had a 70.
Max Homa shot 71. The two-time tournament champion and a captain’s pick for the President’s Cup in two weeks had two birdies and overcame a bogey on the par-4 first.
Stewart Cink, the 2020 winner, also opened with a 71. He won The Ally Challenge last month for his first PGA Tour Champions title.
Three players from the Presidents Cup International team had mix results. Min Woo Lee shot 68, Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., 69 and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., 73. International team captain Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., also had a 69.
Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., had a 68, Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., shot 70 and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., had a 71.
Lipsky was a little shaky off the tee for much of the afternoon but made up for it with steady iron play that left him in great shape on the greens. He had one-putts on 11 holes and was in position for a bigger day but left five putts short.
Lipsky’s only real problem came on the par-4 ninth when his approach sailed into a bunker just shy of the green. He bounced back nicely with five birdies on his back nine. After missing a 19-foot putt for birdie on No. 17, Lipsky ended his day with a 12-foot par putt.
That was a big change from last year when Lipsky tied for 30th at Silverado when he drove the ball well but had uneven success on the greens.
“Sometimes you have to realize golf can be fun, and I think I sort of forgot that along the way as I’m grinding it out,” Lipsky said. “You’ve got to put things in perspective, take a step back. Sort of did that and it seems like it’s working out.”
Laird stayed close after beginning his day with a bogey on the par-4 10th. The Scot got out of the sand nicely but pushed his par putt past the hole.
Homa continued to have issues off the tee and missed birdie putts on his final four holes.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic is moving on to the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open.
The Mississauga, Ont., native defeated the tournament top seed, Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) in the round of 16 on Thursday.
Stakusic faced a 0-4 deficit in the third and final set before marching back into the match.
The 19-year-old won five of the next six games to even it up before exchanging games to force a tiebreaker, where Stakusic took complete control to win the match.
Stakusic had five aces with 17 double faults in the three-hour, four-minute match.
However, she converted eight of her 18 break-point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
PARIS (AP) — French judicial authorities are investigating the disappearance of two Paralympic athletes from Congo who recently competed in the Paris Games, the prosecutor’s office in the Paris suburb of Bobigny confirmed on Thursday.
Prosecutors opened the investigation on Sept. 7, after members of the athletes’ delegation warned authorities of their disappearance two days before.
Le Parisien newspaper reported that shot putter Mireille Nganga and Emmanuel Grace Mouambako, a visually impaired sprinter who was accompanied by a guide, went missing on Sept. 5, along with a third person.
The athletes’ suitcases were also gone but their passports remained with the Congolese delegation, according to an official with knowledge of the investigation, who asked to remain anonymous as they were not allowed to speak publicly about the case.
The Paralympic Committee of the Democratic Republic of Congo did not respond to requests for information from The Associated Press.
Nganga — who recorded no mark in the seated javelin and shot put competitions — and Mouambako were Congo’s flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, organizers said.
