Tonight, the Toronto Maple Leafs are taking on the Vancouver Canucks in the first of a three game set. The Leaf got a nice little break to rest and relax, while the Vancouver Canucks have been off to a rough start to the season. They got pummeled by the Habs, and are looking to get their best players going.
Sounds like the Leafs, but the Leafs at least have been banking points. Their last game, which I also recapped, I turned into a drunk recap after the worst start to a game I’ve ever seen the Leafs play. Please, don’t do that again… it’s still a week night.
FIRST PERIOD
The first good chance goes to the Leaf. Kerfoot got hit in stride through the neutral zone and set up Vesey for a good shot on a sort-of odd man rush.
Not long after, Tavares had a rush and set up Bogosian who jumped up into the play. Two shots from two chances off the rush for the Leafs early.
GOAL: Auston Matthews goes end to end, makes it 1-0 Toronto
Matthews drew a penalty and scored on an end to end rush, made it look really easy. Or Vancouver’s terrible defense did… that was bad all around for them.
Not long after the fourth line had a nice shift, with a good shot from Petan coming in from the point. Leafs are all over Vancouver early on.
GOAL: The Canucks capitalize on their first chance on an ugly scrum in front of Andersen. Tie game.
Double bad news: Dermott went to the tunnel earlier on what looked like a fluke knee-on-knee collision.
The Leafs follow up with another good shift by the fourth line, with Spezza and Petan almost connecting. The Canucks followed with a heart-attack play off a rush by Pettersson, they’re starting to push back more. There’s been no shortage of chances on either side so far. Defense has been optional.
Tavares with a great solo rush, pantsing Hughes on a deke and stick handling into the slot on his knees, almost setting up a chance.
GOAL: Jason Spezza scores on the powerplay, 2-1 Leafs.
Simmonds nearly set up Marner for a goal right after, but Demko robbed him. A few minutes later of more pressure by the Leafs, Nylander draws a high sticking penalty and the Leafs go back to the powerplay.
They don’t score, but apparently having two powerplays in the period hit a hard quota because when Kerfoot got clearly hit from behind into the boards, there was no call. I’m sure if you looked back far enough in time, Kerfoot turned into it like 30 seconds before.
Leafs end the period with a 2-1 lead.
Period One Thoughts
Offense: It was good. They tied at even strength in goals 1-1, but the Leafs were clearly the ones controlling play. At even strength they controlled 74% of the expected goals and 71% of shot attempts.
Defense: It was good. They had the one brainfart that led to the Pearson goal, but otherwise did not give up much to the Canucks. They were particularly good at getting it out of their own end quickly, so Vancouver had almost no extended zone time in the Leafs’ end.
Special Teams: It was good. The first powerplay was over quickly thanks to Spezza. Their second powerplay was… less good since they failed to enter the zone about half a dozen times. Can’t argue with a 50% success rate though.
Standouts: Honestly, aside from the obvious names I thought Petan had a great period. He had three shifts looking noticeable and being a part of 2-3 scoring chances, all while on the fourth line.
NST Heatmap:
SECOND PERIOD
More of that first period effort, please.
Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews work their magic early, with Demko robbing Matthews in front on a great feed by Mitch.
The Canucks come right back with their top line, and Pettersson set off a frantic flurry in front with a screened shot off the rush.
GOAL: Auston Matthews banks a goal in from behind the net. 3-1 Leafs.
Marner makes a great play going behind the net with the puck, pulls the old no-look pass to Matthews behind him, who chipped it in off Demko as he was leaning the other way. Great assist by Marner for a guy who can’t skate or stickhandle or receive a pass.
GOAL: Horvat catches the Leafs napping right after, 3-2 Leafs
The Leafs got hemmed in their own zone for two shifts, and to the rescue comes… the fourth line again. Petan again has looked good. He led an extended shift in the Canucks’ end with Spezza and Boyd.
GOAL: Jason Spezza scores his second on a SUPERB all-round play. 4-2 Leafs.
The fourth line connected on a great shift. Bogosian erased a cycle, passed to TJ Brodie. Brodie springs the rush with a great stretch pass. Boyd, Petan, saucer to Spezza, roof baby roof. Great to see Petan rewarded for his great game.
The first half of the period was more high-offense for both sides, with the same general over all result: Leafs controlling play to a high extent. The second half of the period has been a bit more calm, the Leafs are controlling play in the offensive zone and more suffocating through the neutral and defensive zone.
GOAL: Nylander with a beautiful pass to Tavares for the tip in. 5-2 Leafs.
My god William, you hug your mother with those hands?? What a passing display.
The Canucks get a chance late with a powerplay, but Ilya Mikheyev had the best chance on a partial breakaway. He needs to bury some of those eventually.
Period Two Thoughts
Offense: It was very good. They scored three goals, all at even strength. Three different lines scored it. They were simply dominant and controlled play everywhere. They made stretch passes, they passed cross ice at will, and just skated circles around Vancouver.
Defense: It was good. They gave up more chances against than the first period, but not by much. They still controlled play to the tune of 70% expected goal share and 55% shot attempt share.
Special Teams: They had about 1:20 of a penalty to kill, and the best scoring chance was from Mikheyev. That’s good.
Standouts: I’m coming around on Bogosian. He’s a perfectly cromulent third pairing guy. He’s underrated at handling the puck in his own zone to help start a breakout. He’s by no means like Polak or any other defenseman of his ilk that the Leafs have cycled through the last few years.
NST Heatmap: the red blob of death returns!
THIRD PERIOD
Starting on the penalty kill, Marner had a nifty rush that had a decent scoring chance. The two best scoring chances on that powerplay for Vancouver came from Toronto.
William Nylander with a ridiculous effort that didn’t really lead to a scoring chance, but I wanted Willy to know I saw it. Fought through three checkers in the neutral zone, had his stick knocked out of his hands, picked it up and still corralled the puck surrounded by Canucks.
Not long after, Hyman with a drive to the net drew a slashing penalty and the Leafs go back to the powerplay… apparently slashing is the only penalty in hockey these days. There was no goal from it, but my god that was a great looking PP. All kinds of movement, passing, good open shot attempts. The best chance came on a Matthews one-timer, but Demko made a great save.
GOAL: JASON SPEZZA WITH THE HAT TRICK!!! 6-2 Leafs
Pretty goal by Spezza to cap the hat trick. Was it bad defense? Absolutely, but still fun. What a game for the 37-year old.
Leafs continue dominating play… or rather the Canucks are just lifeless. They’ve been broken, and took another penalty sending the Leafs to the powerplay. Which… was quickly erased by a Kerfoot penalty. I’m sure he’s thrilled with that. And not long after Tavares takes a penalty for accidentally colliding skates with Hughes. Hughes is the one who fell, so Tavares takes the penalty. Makes perfect sense. Leafs to the PK, then a 5 on 3.
GOAL: JT Miller scores a powerplay goal, sniping it over Freddie. 6-3 Leafs.
GOAL: Mitch Marner sneaks a wrist shot from afar past Demko. 7-3 Leafs.
Good effort from the fourth line led to that goal for Mitch as he jumped on the ice.
Great win by the Leafs.
Final Thoughts
Offense: Domination. Leafs took their foot off the gas pedal in the third when they were up by several goals, for the most part. But still got their chances off turnovers and on the rush. They still controlled shot attempts and expected goals in the third to the same degree as the first.
Defense: They gave up almost nothing against at even strength. Can’t really ask them to do better than they did, although the Canucks were also just completely lifeless.
Special Teams: They had a great looking powerplay that didn’t score, then a penalty kill that did give up a goal against but that was also the only scoring chance they had. They also had some chances themselves, from Marner and Mikheyev.
Standouts: That’s the best any Leafs’ fourth line has looked all year. But it was also the best the Leafs as a team have looked all year. Bogosian had his first point as a Leafs and looked solid all night. Tavares and Nylander finally had a good game at even strength. Dominating game.
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings signed forward Lucas Raymond to an eight-year, $64.6 million contract Monday, completing a deal with one of their best young players less than 72 hours before training camp begins.
Raymond will count $8.075 million against the salary cap through 2032. The 22-year-old was a restricted free agent without a contract for the upcoming NHL season and was coming off setting career highs with 31 goals, 41 assists and 72 points.
The Red Wings have another one of those in defenceman Moritz Seider, who won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2021-22.
Detroit is looking to end an eight-year playoff drought dating to the Original Six franchise’s last appearance in 2016.
Raymond, a Swede who was the fourth pick in 2020, has 174 points in 238 games since breaking into the league.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kirk Cousins led a flawless last-minute drive for Atlanta and connected with Drake London for a 7-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left to give the Falcons a 22-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.
Saquon Barkley dropped a short pass that stopped the clock with 1:46 left and forced the Eagles to settle for a field goal instead of a game-sealing first down. That was plenty of time for Cousins — especially against an Eagles defense playing soft coverage with a nonexistent pass rush.
The 36-year-old veteran, playing his second game since tearing his Achilles tendon last Oct. 29 while playing for Minnesota, shook off an uneven effort and hit Darnell Mooney for 21 and 26 yards on consecutive plays during the decisive drive.
Cousins found London on a short pass to his right for the tying score, and Younghoe Koo put Atlanta (1-1) on top with a 48-yard extra point after London was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The go-ahead drive took just 65 seconds.
Jalen Hurts had his final pass intercepted by Jessie Bates III to seal Atlanta’s win and set off a wild celebration on the sideline.
The Eagles (1-1) went ahead on Hurts’ 1-yard tush push score with 6:47 left. Barkley finished with 95 yards on 22 carries in his home debut for Philadelphia, but his drop provided the Falcons with some hope.
And then Cousins started playing like the QB Atlanta thought it was getting when it signed him to a four-year, $180 million contract.
Cousins finished 20 of 29 for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Atlanta’s first TD was a 41-yarder from Cousins to Mooney, who finished with three catches for 88 yards.
Hurts was 23 of 30 for 183 yards, including a touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith. With No. 1 receiver A.J. Brown out with a hamstring injury, Smith led the Eagles with seven catches for 76 yards and a score.
Jake Elliott kicked two field goals for the Eagles. His 28-yarder with 1:39 left made it 21-15.
Atlanta kept stalling in the red zone, getting three field goals from Koo, before Cousins fired over the middle to Mooney, who shook loose from C.J. Gardner-Johnson and left him on the turf before he somersaulted into the end zone with 1:21 left in the third quarter for a 15-10 lead. Cousins failed on the 2-point conversion pass.
Hurts had some juice in his step during a second-quarter TD drive, running with abandon for big plays much like he did in the 2022 season. He spiked the ball in a rare, raw show of emotion on a 23-yard run, earning a delay-of-game penalty. He shrugged off the 5-yard setback and scrambled for 9 yards and 15 yards to move the Eagles to Atlanta’s 19.
With comedian Shane Gillis and actor Bradley Cooper among the fans cheering on the Eagles, Hurts connected with Smith in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard TD that made it 7-3.
Under new defensive coordinator Vince Fangio, the Eagles have established an early knack for allowing long drives that end with three points instead of seven. Koo kicked field goals of 39, 22 and 34 yards, the last one enough for a 9-7 lead in the third quarter. In their opener, the Eagles held the Packers to just three field goals when they drove inside the 20.
Questionable call
Rather than take a chip-shot field goal from Elliott, the Eagles’ fourth-and-4 gamble at Atlanta’s 9-yard line in the first quarter failed when Hurts threw an incomplete pass.
Elliott kicked a 29-yarder with 4:31 left in the third quarter for a 10-9 lead.
Running wild
Bijan Robinson ran for 97 yards for the Falcons. The Eagles stuffed him late on fourth-and-1 at the Atlanta 39.
Barkley was quiet until the go-ahead drive, a week after he rushed for 109 yards and scored three touchdowns against Green Bay. Eagles fans booed when the opening drive of the game ended without Barkley touching the ball. They went wild when he had consecutive 9-yard runs to open the second drive. Barkley had 40 yards rushing in the first half.
Foles honored
Former Eagles QB Nick Foles, who led the franchise to its only Super Bowl title, served as an honorary captain and led the crowd in a rendition of “Fly, Eagles, Fly.”
Injuries
The Falcons played without LB Nate Landman (calf, quad).
Up next
Atlanta hosts Super Bowl champion Kansas City on Sunday.
TORONTO – Singles star Leylah Fernandez and doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski will anchor Canada’s five-player lineup when the team tries to defend its Billie Jean King Cup title in mid-November.
The 26th-ranked Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open finalist from Laval, Que., is the lone Canadian in the top 100 of the WTA Tour’s singles rankings.
Dabrowski, from Ottawa, is ranked fourth on the doubles list. The 2023 U.S. Open women’s doubles champion won mixed doubles bronze with Felix Auger-Aliassime at the recent Paris Olympics.
Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., returns after a breakout performance last year, capped by her singles win in Canada’s 2-0 victory over Italy in the final. Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino is also back and Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion from Mississauga, Ont., returns to the squad for the first time since 2022.
“Winning the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023 was a dream come true for us, and not only that, but I feel like we made a statement to the world about the strength of this nation when it comes to tennis,” Canada captain Heidi El Tabakh said Monday in a release. “Once again, we have a very strong team this year with Bianca joining Leylah, Gaby, Rebecca and Marina, making it an extremely powerful team that is more than capable of going all the way.
“At the end of the day, our goal is to make Canada proud, and we’ll do our best to bring the same level of effort and excitement that we had in last year’s finals.”
Fernandez, who beat Jasmine Paolini to clinch Canada’s first-ever title at the competition, is ranked No. 42 in doubles.
Canada, which received an automatic berth as defending champion, will play the winner of the first-round tie between Great Britain and Germany on Nov. 17 at Malaga’s Martin Carpena Arena.
Australia, Italy and wild-card entry Czechia also received first-round byes. The tournament, which continues through Nov. 20, also includes host Spain, Slovakia, the United States, Poland, Japan and Romania.
Stakusic is up 27 spots to No. 128 in the latest world singles rankings. Marino is at No. 134 and Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, is ranked 167th.
Canada will look to become the first team since Czechia in 2016 to successfully defend its Billie Jean King Cup title.
Malaga will also host the Nov. 19-24 Davis Cup Final 8. The Canadian men qualified over the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Great Britain in Manchester.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
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