Sheldon Keefe on who leaves the lineup if William Nylander returns for Game 4: "The players have done a good job of making the decision difficult" – Maple Leafs Hot Stove
After Friday’s practice, Sheldon Keefe discussed the status of William Nylander and Auston Matthews, whether he will make a change on the blue line for Game 4, and the physicality of the series.
How did William Nylander look to your eye, and what is his status moving forward?
Keefe: He looked great on the ice to me. We will have to determine his status tomorrow.
How is Auston Matthews doing?
Keefe: Things are okay. He needed another day today to help restore his energy, recharge, and all of those kinds of things. We will see where he is at tomorrow as well.
What have you learned about Matthews’ ability to battle through when he is not feeling his best?
Keefe: I just know Auston will give us everything he has. I would say the same about his game the other night. To me, he played extremely hard and had a couple of chances that could’ve fallen his way and didn’t. The one off the post comes to mind. He played really hard, and it might’ve been his most physical game of the series. He felt he didn’t have it in other ways, so he was trying to impact the game in different spots.
As he has shown with his performance in Game 2—an important game for us—and throughout the season, he has given us everything he has. Because of that, as a coaching and medical staff, you want to give him every opportunity to be at his best tomorrow.
What would getting him back for Game 4 mean to the team?
Keefe: He is a very important player for us in many regards. It’s about getting him to full health and making sure he is ready to step into a series of this calibre at this time of year and all of this kind of stuff. That would be the next step.
Is it a difficult decision regarding who comes out if Nylander returns?
Keefe: It is. The guys have done a good job. The guys who are in a conversation to come out offer different things to the lineup and have done a good job. The first situation is figuring out where Willy [stands] and his availability. We will make a determination from there.
Yesterday and today, there have been many conversations about what we think is best, which is a sign that the players have done a good job of making things difficult.
Do you expect Ilya Lyubushkin to be an option for Game 4?
Keefe: I do. He is on his way back here (from California). We will first make sure he gets back and see how he feels tomorrow. We will make a determination from there.
It is kind of a tough couple of days, but it is exciting at the same time. From his perspective, it has been on his mind while his family has been away. They’ve welcomed a new addition and had it go smoothly, considering this gap in the schedule. We will have to get him back and make sure he is ready to go.
Outside of Lyubushkin’s status, are you considering a change on the backend?
Keefe: We are looking at some different things. We have the Lyubushkin situation. We have some health stuff to get through. We will see where the group stands coming out of today’s practice and make a determination on that as well.
What is the message to TJ Brodie after three games out of the lineup to ensure he is ready to go?
Keefe: Going into the playoffs—and I had talked to him even when the regular season was going on—the message is that it is important to stay ready. It was looking like he was going to be on the outside, but he has a lot of experience. We wanted to have a look going into the playoffs—one we have liked—but it is important for him to stay ready.
It’s not just him; Timmins and Giordano are the same. Things can change really quickly at playoff time. In Brodie’s case, he played so much in the regular season and has so much experience in the league and in the playoffs. It is important that he keeps his mindset right, but it is tough for a guy like him who is used to playing every day.
Game 4 had another high hit count at 133 hits. The Panthers and Lightning combined for nearly 150. What stands out about the physicality of this year’s playoffs, and how taxing is it on the players?
Keefe: I think the numbers are higher than ever because they are counting them different than they ever have. In playoffs, it goes without saying. It’s physical. Players are closing space quicker than they do in the regular season, and they are finishing with authority. There is no question that is the case.
You referenced the other series from our division. Our division is very physical. It is a very tough division. It is not a surprise that it is the case there. I don’t expect that to change, especially with a couple of days between Game 3 and Game 4.
As a coach, how are you handling the ups and downs and the curveballs of a playoff series different than you would have a few years ago?
Keefe: With experience, I would like to think you improve. But, before I coached in the NHL, I coached in the playoffs a lot at various levels. No matter what level you are at, the curveballs, the ups, the downs, and the emotional swings don’t change. That is the reality of the playoffs. It is the most exciting part. You are on top of the world on one shift, period, or game. On the next, you are searching for answers. It is kind of the way it goes.
If anything, over time and with experience, you recognize that the most important thing is to stay even-keeled, continue to believe in your team, and help them find ways to win.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Restricted free agent forward Isaac Okoro has agreed to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Okoro’s new deal is worth $38 million, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed or announced by the team.
ESPN.com first reported the agreement, citing Okoro’s representation.
The fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Okoro is Cleveland’s best perimeter defender, often drawing the assignment of guarding the opponent’s top scorer. Okoro also has worked to improve his offensive game.
The 23-year-old averaged 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 69 games — 42 starts — last season for the Cavs, who beat Orlando in the opening round of the playoffs before losing to eventual champion Boston.
Okoro shot a career-best 39% on 3-pointers, forcing teams to come out and guard him.
His agreement caps an extraordinarily busy summer for the Cavs that began with coach J.B. Bickerstaff being fired and replaced by Kenny Atkinson. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell signed a three-year, $150 million extension in July, ending months of speculation that he wanted out of Cleveland.
Also, power forward Evan Mobley signed a five-year, $224 deal and center Jarrett Allen signed a three-year, $91 million extension.
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.
