EDMONTON — Sebastian Aho was too much for the slumping Oilers.
Aho had two goals and an assist as the Carolina Hurricanes won their fourth consecutive game, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 on Saturday.
The 24-year-old Finnish forward has 12 points in his last five games.
“He is a special player,” Carolina defenceman Jaccob Slavin said of Aho. “We’ve had him for a long time now and we know what he’s capable of and it’s good that everyone else is starting to realize that.
“It’s super special for him. He’s a great guy, a great teammate and he just competes on the ice. It’s great to see him have the success he’s having.”
Nino Niederreiter also scored for the Hurricanes (19-6-1), who improved to 12-3-1 on the road. Carolina starter Frederik Andersen made 22 saves.
“Every night he gives us a chance to win and that’s all you can ask from a goalie,” Aho said. “It was the same story tonight. He made huge saves here and there and it’s great to have him back there.”
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins replied for the Oilers (16-10-0), who are in a free-fall after their hot start to the season with five straight losses.
“Our sense of urgency has to go up. A good start buys us a slump and we have used our slump here,” said Oilers captain Connor McDavid. “It seems when you are slumping that things just don’t go your way and you have got to work extra hard to get out of it, that is just the way it is.
“We have to find a way to get one win and go from there.”
Mikko Koskinen stopped 28-of-31 shots.
The Oilers once again found themselves chasing the game by allowing the first goal as Carolina’s Aho continued his hot play of late, swatting in his own rebound on the power play 7:17 into the opening period.
The Hurricanes made it 2-0 just over six minutes into the second period when Niederreiter beat Oilers goalie Koskinen on a long shot to the blocker side.
Edmonton got back into the game midway through the middle frame as Nugent-Hopkins got one past Andersen with a wrist shot on a partial breakaway for his first goal on home ice in 19 games.
The Oilers had a glorious chance on the power play midway through the third, but Zach Hyman, who would leave the game with an undisclosed injury, missed a wide-open net. There was no update on Hyman’s status after the contest.
Carolina got an insurance marker with 2:44 left as Koskinen fumbled a puck behind the net and it was stolen by Aho, who scored his 15th goal of the season and his fifth goal in the last three games.
The Hurricanes are back in action Sunday night as they head to Vancouver to face the Canucks. The Oilers play the fifth game of a six-game homestand against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
Notes: Veteran defenceman Duncan Keith remains out for the Oilers. He is skating and could be back next game. Also out for Edmonton were Mike Smith (lower body), Slater Koekkoek (lower body) and Kris Russell (upper body). … Absent for the Hurricanes was Jordan Martinook (ankle), while Tony DeAngelo and Brett Pesce remained out on COVID-19 protocol. … The game marked the return of defenceman Ethan Bear to Edmonton after being traded in the off-season for forward Warren Foegele. … It was Vincent Trocheck’s 500th NHL game.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
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.”
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.
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.
