TSN Toronto Reporter Mark Masters reports on the Maple Leafs, who practised at the Ford Performance Centre on Tuesday before travelling to Montreal for Wednesday night’s game against the Canadiens.
Auston Matthews finished 10th in Hart Trophy voting last season. The Leafs centre is on track to play a more prominent role in the most-valuable-player discussion this year.
“He’s a special player who’s putting together an MVP-type season,” said veteran forward Jason Spezza.
Matthews has scored in eight straight games he’s played in and leads the National Hockey League in goals with 11.
“He’s playing two-way hockey,” Spezza observed. “He’s up and down the ice. He controls the play and is scoring big goals for us at big times.”
The latest timely tally came in the third period on Monday against the Vancouver Canucks when Matthews blasted a one timer along the ice and past a bewildered Braden Holtby. It was his fifth game-winning goal of the season, which also leads the league. It allowed the Leafs to earn two points on a night when they weren’t at their best.
Matthews, who described the win as “ugly,” appeared to be frustrated in the second period with the Lady Byng Trophy nominee taking his first penalty of the season. But when it mattered most, Matthews stepped up.
“He held his composure,” Spezza revealed. “He spoke up a little bit in the room. He’s growing in his confidence as a leader.”
“He’s playing some excellent hockey,” Canadiens goalie Carey Price told reporters in Montreal. “His game speaks for itself. He’s a powerhouse guy and he’s got an amazing shot … It’s fun to watch him play out there when I’m not on the ice with him.”
Price on Matthews: ‘It’s fun to watch him play… when I’m not on the ice with him’
Carey Price talks about Auston Matthews and why they’ll need to limit his time and space on Wednesday. He explains why it’s fun to watch him play as long as he’s not on the ice with him. Josh Anderson talks about their rivalry with the Leafs and why it should only heat up with both teams at the top of the North.
Matthews is an imposing figure at 6-foot-3, but hasn’t always been the most physical player. However, this season he’s landing more bodychecks than ever before. He led Toronto with four hits on Monday.
“It’s tough enough playing against forwards of his calibre,” said Leafs defenceman Travis Dermott, “but when they start hitting and doing stuff that makes your life even harder then it steps to a different level so it’s great to see that coming out of Matty. I’m sure he’ll keep it going and have a few more tricks up his sleeve as well.”
Matthews is at 4.3 hits per 60 minutes so far this year, which is way up from 1.6 last season. The Arizona native always owned a howitzer of a shot, but is now consistently praised by teammates for his attention to detail defensively.
“He gets in people’s way,” said Mitch Marner. “He’s doing better defensive-wise getting the puck back in our own zone.”
—
This is the first season Matthews and Marner have started on the same line from Day 1 of training camp.
“You’re seeing their chemistry really evolve,” said Spezza. “They’re learning to find each other in the soft spots of the rink. They’re two very different players, but they think the game on the same level so they complement each other really well and our team is benefiting from them reading off each other. We’re really seeing, even in practice, that their chemistry is better and better.”
The Matthews-Marner magic was certainly evident on Monday. The game-winning goal came moments after an offensive zone faceoff, which Matthews won. It was a play they clearly had in mind before the puck dropped.
“Mitch just came up to me and said, ‘Look for me,’ so that’s what I did and then he did the rest with Auston,” said defenceman Rasmus Sandin who picked up a secondary assist on the play. “It wasn’t too hard.”
Marner has now picked up a point in eight straight games.
“I just try to pop open for him,” Matthews said. “[Zach Hyman] had a really great screen there and I just tried to shoot it as hard as I can. Sandy made a quick play in and out, it just happened really quick.”
Matthews and Marner were also on the ice for Toronto’s first goal. Marner controlled the play high in the Canucks zone before getting the puck to the net and forcing Nate Schmidt into an awkward situation. The defenceman, who was battling with Hyman, tried to kick the puck away, but instead put it right into the wheelhouse of Morgan Rielly who made no mistake.
“With the structure we have in the offensive zone, it allows for a lot of movement, a lot of opportunity for players to use their skills and move to different spots,” said coach Sheldon Keefe. “There’s nothing really set in terms of where people should be in our structure. It’s a matter of motion and movement and placing people and, you look at last night as an example, it’s not exactly something you would practice, but it’s well within the structure and things we talk about.”
Keefe has designed a system that allows his high-end players like Matthews and Marner to freelance in the offensive zone.
“The key is to allow their instincts to take over,” he said. “That’s a part of who they are and that’s why you want to have players like that so you need to give them that freedom.”
—
After missing the last two games, Dermott skated on the third pair with Zach Bogosian at practice.
“Just a really fun charley horse,” a smiling Dermott said of his injury. “It’s a little more nagging than you expect it to be when it’s just, technically, a bruise, but the boys here have been great helping me get it figured out, get it loose and getting me back pretty quick. I feel pretty good now and just waiting to get in the lineup.”
Dermott sustained the injury last Thursday when he attempted to avoid a hit by Canucks forward Tyler Motte.
“I tried to kind of get out of the way and I left my leg too late behind me,” Dermott said. “I don’t think it was a dirty hit by any means and I take the onus on me for being too slow.”
Leafs Ice Chips: Mikheyev with Tavares; Dermott returns
Travis Dermott was back at Leafs practice on Tuesday, after leaving Thursday’s game against the Canucks in the first period with what the defenceman described as a ‘fun’ charley horse. TSN’s Mark Masters has more on his return and some of the new-look lines and special teams units at practice.
—
After Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella decided to bench newly acquired winger Patrik Laine on Monday night, Keefe was asked for his philosophy on sitting players to send a message.
“Everything’s situational and it’s usually an accumulation of things,” Keefe said. “You don’t overreact to one incident or one different thing. For me, it’s usually the end of a long line of events that have occurred with a lot of communication and discussion. It’s not something I resort to all that often.”
Keefe acknowledged dealing with a star player is a bit different when it comes to this kind of disciplinary action. A top-line player may miss a shift or two while a depth guy could find himself out of the lineup entirely moving forward.
“Sometimes an in-game benching, while you’re sending a message to a certain player, it can also work against the team and your ability to win a certain game so there’s a balance there as well,” Keefe said.
Keefe played for Tortorella when he broke into the NHL with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2000 and learned a lot from his time around the veteran bench boss.
“Knowing Torts it would have been lots behind the scenes that would’ve led to such a decision,” Keefe said. “It wouldn’t have been anything abrupt. He’s very purposeful with how he goes about things.”
Keefe on Torts: ‘He’s very purposeful how he goes about things’
Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe played for John Tortorella during his NHL career and says that when he sends a message by benching a player, it is something that has been built up, and not a knee-jerk reaction. Leafs veteran Jason Spezza also shared his thoughts on being benched over the course of his career and how it is looked at differently now.
—
Toronto got outshot 27-7 in the first two periods on Monday, but Frederik Andersen held the fort. Although after the game the Dane was more interested in praising his teammates than basking in his first-star performance.
“I’m really proud of how they stuck with it in those two periods and didn’t start cheating for offence or anything like that,” Andersen said. “They kept being inside, trying to take away time and space and not giving up their defensive commitment to force something.”
Keefe felt like the Leafs did a decent job keeping the Canucks to the outside despite all the shots. Still, Andersen needed to make some big saves, including robbing Justin Bailey on a two-on-one rush late in the first period.
“I feel focused,” Andersen said. “I feel like I’m moving well, tracking the puck well.”
After allowing nine goals in the first two games, Andersen is rolling. He’s got a .919 save percentage in his last nine starts.
When Andersen is at his best, what’s he doing?
“Keeping things simple,” he said. “Small movements and easy tracking. Just being ready, reading the play well and keeping the focus on that one-shot-at-a-time mentality. Obviously, it’s a little bit more complicated than that, but just being on top of the puck and seeing it well is the key to my game to make it look easy. When I play my best it looks easier than at other times. I think that’s the main key.”
NHL: Canucks 1, Maple Leafs 3
The Canucks out shot the Maple Leafs 27-7 through two periods, but Auston Matthews broke the tie by extended his goal scoring streak to eight games and Alex Kerfoot scored 11 seconds after that. Frederik Andersen finished with 31 saves and Mitch Marner’s point streak is now at eight games, as Toronto swept the three-game set against the Canucks.
NEW YORK – Toronto Blue Jays reliever Chad Green and Canadian slugger Tyler O’Neill of the Boston Red Sox were named finalists for the Major League Baseball Players’ Association’s American League comeback player award on Monday.
Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet was the other nominee.
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. were named player of the year finalists.
The award winners, selected via player voting, will be named Saturday before Game 2 of the World Series.
Green, who missed most of the 2022 and ’23 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, was a high-leverage option for the Blue Jays this past season and filled in at closer over the second half of the campaign.
The right-hander converted his first 16 save opportunities and finished the year with a 4-6 record, 17 saves and a 3.21 earned-run average over 53 appearances.
O’Neill, a native of Burnaby, B.C., also endured back-to-back injury-plagued seasons in ’22 and ’23.
After being traded to the Red Sox in the off-season, O’Neill set an MLB record by hitting a homer in his fifth straight Opening Day. He finished with 31 homers on the year and had an OPS of .847.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
NEW YORK – Florida Panthers centre Sam Reinhart was named NHL first star of the week on Monday after leading all players with nine points over four games last week.
Reinhart had four goals, five assists and a plus-seven rating to help the Stanley Cup champions post a 3-0-1 record on the week and move into first place in the Atlantic Division.
New York Rangers left-winger Artemi Panarin took the second star and Minnesota Wild goaltenderFilip Gustavsson was the third star.
Panarin had eight points (4-4) over three games.
Gustavsson became the 15th goalie in NHL history to score a goal and had a 1.00 goals-against average and .962 save percentage over a pair of victories.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Deshaun Watson won’t finish the season as Cleveland’s starting quarterback for the second straight year.
He’s injured again, and the Browns have new problems.
Watson ruptured his right Achilles tendon in the first half of Sunday’s loss to Cincinnati, collapsing as he began to run and leading some Browns fans to cheer while the divisive QB laid on the ground writhing in pain.
The team feared Watson’s year was over and tests done Monday confirmed the rupture. The Browns said Watson will have surgery and miss the rest of the season but “a full recovery is expected.”
It’s the second significant injury in two seasons for Watson, who broke the glenoid (socket) bone in his throwing shoulder last year after just six starts.
The 29-year-old went down Sunday without being touched on a draw play late in the first half. His right leg buckled and Watson crumpled to the turf. TV replays showed his calf rippling, consistent with an Achilles injury.
He immediately put his hands on his helmet, clearly aware of the severity of an injury similar to the one Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers sustained last year.
As he was being assisted by the team’s medical staff and backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson grabbed a ball to begin warming up, there was some derisive cheers and boos from the stands in Huntington Bank Field.
Cleveland fans have been split over Watson, who has been accused of being sexually inappropriate with women.
The reaction didn’t sit well with several Watson’s teammates, including star end Myles Garrett, the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, who was appalled by the fans’ behavior.
“We should be ashamed of ourselves as Browns and as fans to boo anyone and their downfall. To be season-altering, career-altering injury,” Garrett said. “Man’s not perfect. He doesn’t need to be. None of us are expected to be perfect. Can’t judge him for what he does off the field or on the field because I can’t throw stones for my glass house.
“Ultimately everyone’s human and they’re disappointed just like we are, but we have to be better than that as people. There’s levels to this. At the end of the day, it’s just a game and you don’t boo anybody being injured and you don’t celebrate anyone’s downfall.”
Backup quarterback Jameis Winston also admonished the uncomfortable celebration.
“I am very upset with the reaction to a man that has had the world against him for the past four years, and he put his body and life on the line for this city every single day,” he said. “The way I was raised, I will never pull on a man when he’s down, but I will be the person to lift him up.
“I know you love this game. When I first got here, I knew these were some amazing fans, but Deshaun was treated badly and now he has to overcome another obstacle. So I’m going to support him, I’m going to lift him up and I’m going to be there for him.”
The injury is yet another twist in Watson’s tumultuous time with the Browns.
Cleveland traded three first-round draft picks and five overall to Houston in 2022 to get him, with owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam approving the team giving Watson a fully guaranteed, five-year $230 million contract.
With a solid roster, the Browns were desperate to find a QB who could help them compete against the top AFC teams.
The Browns had moved on from Baker Mayfield despite drafting him No. 1 overall in 2018 and making the playoffs two seasons later.
But Watson has not played up to expectations — fans have been pushing for him to be benched this season — and Cleveland’s move to get him has been labeled an abject failure with the team still on the hook to pay him $46 million in each of the next two seasons.
Watson’s arrival in Cleveland also came amid accusations by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and harassment during massage therapy sessions while he played for the Texans. Two grand juries declined to indict him and he has settled civil lawsuits in all but one of the cases.
Watson was suspended by the NFL for his first 11 games and fined $5 million for violating the league’s personal conduct policy before he took his first snap with the Browns. The long layoff — he sat out the 2021 season in a contract dispute — led to struggles once he got on the field, and Watson made just six starts last season before hurting his shoulder.
Cleveland signed veteran Joe Flacco, who went 4-1 as a starter and led the Browns to the playoffs.
Before Watson got hurt this year, he didn’t play much better. He was one of the league’s lowest-rated passers for a Cleveland team that hasn’t scored 20 points in a game and is back in search of a franchise QB.
