The Calgary Flames started Game 6 of their quarterfinal series against Dallas by scoring three goals before the Stars had recorded a shot. The Stars’ response was record-breaking: They scored seven consecutive goals in a 7-3 win to eliminate the Flames, marking the first time in Stanley Cup playoff history that a team trailed by three goals and then led by four in the same game.
It was one of the wildest emotional swings in a postseason tournament that has seen its share of them. Dallas coach Rick Bowness says he believes “the bubble” is to blame for that.
“It’s great that we’re playing and that we’re back. But it’s tough. That game was a mess, for both sides. It’s tough to explain, but I don’t think people understand how tough it is living in this bubble,” said Bowness, referring to the two hub cities in Edmonton and Toronto that the NHL created to restart its season during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Give the league a lot of credit. They’ve done the best job they can. Everyone is handling it as best they can. But it’s tough. This bubble living is not what you think it is. Until you’re living it day to day, you don’t understand what everyone is going through.”
Bowness said the stress of bubble life is “a little bit of everything” as this point in the postseason, which is in its fourth week.
“I can only speak for myself,” said the coach, whose team is staying in the Edmonton hub. “I’ve gone a couple of days where I haven’t even gone outside. The way we’re set up here, the hotel is connected to the rink. You walk from the hotel, you’re in a tunnel, you get to the rink, then you go back and right to your room. You’ve really gotta make a concerted effort just to get outside and get some fresh air.
“Everyone is making it the best of it that they can. Again, I give the league credit: They made us all feel safe and secure here. Everyone is getting tested. Everyone is wearing masks. That being said, it’s not like we’re walking out to a park. We’re going to a courtyard, and there are three other teams sitting there. You go to the gym, and you’re working out with the people you’re playing against that night. Everyone deserves a lot of credit for making the best of it. People think living in a bubble is great. It’s tough. It’s mentally tough. And everyone is making the best of it.”
That certainly applies to the Stars, who advance to the Western Conference semifinals to face the Colorado Avalanche, who eliminated the Arizona Coyotes in five games.
Their rally started with a breather. Dallas called a timeout after Rasmus Andersson scored to give Calgary a 3-0 lead just 6 minutes, 34 seconds into the game.
“The mood wasn’t good. I think everyone understood that we hadn’t played our game yet. Pucks are exploding off our sticks at that moment. We were in a hole. It was a good time to catch our breath,” Dallas center Joe Pavelski said.
The message was clear: They needed to chip away at the deficit before the end of the period. Defenseman Miro Heiskanen got one back for Dallas on the power play just over three minutes later.
“I think we need to score on that one. Down 3-0, we need to score and get back into the game,” he said.
In the dressing room between periods, the Stars were reenergized. “We knew that if we could score one goal, we would be on them,” center Radek Faksa said. “We showed lots of character, and then we dominated in the game.”
Rookie Denis Gurianov scored 59 seconds into the second period and then tied the score at 3-3 at 3:25 of the second when the puck deflected off of him and trickled through Calgary goalie Cam Talbot, who was pulled by coach Geoff Ward and replaced by David Rittich after that goal.
“I could feel it coming. Can’t say I blame him. I would have done the same thing if I were him. … It was a 3-0 hockey game for us,” said Talbot, who reentered the game in the third period. “I’ve been there all playoffs for us. When we needed it the most, I wasn’t there. Some of those shots are obviously savable. The onus is on me there. As much as I hated getting pulled, he had to do something.”
It didn’t make a difference. Faksa scored at 5:47, Pavelski at 7:22 and then Gurianov completed his hat trick at 15:30 of the second period. Gurianov added a fourth goal in the third period, becoming the second rookie in NHL history to record four goals in a playoff game.
“Tough first period. We just went into the locker room and forgot about it,” he said.
In the process, the Stars won a game their fans and players won’t soon forget. That includes Pavelski, playing in his 143rd Stanley Cup playoff game.
“It was right there, if we’re talking about comebacks. You play enough playoff games, you see a few things, and this one’s right there with it,” he said. “It just feels good to win. It feels good to end it tonight.”
For Bowness, it was just another night of unpredictable bubble hockey.
“It’s every team. Every game I’m watching has emotional swings,” he said. “Listen, until you live what we’re going through, you have no idea what we’re going through. That’s not to be negative — it’s not. We’re dealing with it the best we can. The way we’re living, and playing, is going to lead to a lot of emotional swings. It’s not your typical playoffs. It’s just not.”
The past weekend of football was all about the favourites.
The favoured teams went 13-1 straight up and 10-4 against the spread in the NFL. In college football, the three most teams bet at the BetMGM Sportsbook in terms of number of bets and money all won and covered. All three were favourites.
Trends of the Week
The three most bet college teams that won and covered on Saturday were Ohio State (-3.5) vs. Penn State, Indiana (-7.5) at Michigan State and Oregon (-14.5) at Michigan. Penn State has now lost seven straight home games as underdogs. The Nittany Lions were up 10-0 in the first quarter and were 3.5-point favourites at the time. The Buckeyes won 17-10.
In the NFL, the three most bet teams in terms of number of bets and money were the Washington Commanders (-4) at the New York Giants, the Detroit Lions (-2.5) at the Green Bay Packers and the Buffalo Bills (-6) vs. the Miami Dolphins. All three teams won, but only two of the three covered the spread as Buffalo beat Miami 30-27.
When it came to the players with the most bets to score a touchdown on Sunday, only two of the five reached the end zone — Chase Brown (-125) and Taysom Hill (+185). David Montgomery (-140), Brian Robinson Jr. (+110) and AJ Barner (+500) did not score.
Upsets of the Week
The biggest upset in the NFL was the Carolina Panthers coming from behind to beat the New Orleans Saints 23-22. New Orleans closed as a 7-point favourite and took in 76% of the bets and 79% of the money in against-the-spread betting. The Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen following the loss. They have now lost seven straight games after starting the year 2-0.
Arguably the biggest upset in college football was South Carolina beating No. 10 Texas A&M 44-20 at home. Texas A&M closed as a 2.5-point favourite and took in 59% of the bets and 58% of the money.
NEW YORK – Washington Capitals left-wing Alex Ovechkin, Carolina Hurricanes centre Martin Necas and Pittsburgh Penguins centre Sidney Crosby have been named the NHL’s three stars of the week.
Ovechkin had a league-leading five goals and nine points in four games.
The 39-year-old Capitals captain has 14 points in 11 games this season, and his 860 career goals are just 34 shy of Wayne Gretzky’s record.
Necas shared the league lead with nine points (three goals, six assists) in three games.
Crosby factored on seven of the Penguins’ eight total goals scoring four goals and adding three assists in three appearances. The 37-year-old Penguins captain leads his team with 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 13 games this season.
Crosby and Ovechkin, longtime rivals since entering the league together in 2005-06, will meet for the 70th time in the regular season and 95th time overall when Pittsburgh visits Washington on Friday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
TORONTO – Running back Brady Oliveira of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell are the finalists for the CFL’s outstanding player award.
Oliveira led the CFL in rushing this season with 1,353 yards while Mitchell was the league leader in passing yards (5,451) and touchdowns (32).
Oliveira is also the West Division finalist for the CFL’s top Canadian award, the second straight year he’s been nominated for both.
Oliveira was the CFL’s outstanding Canadian in 2023 and the runner-up to Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for outstanding player.
Defensive lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund of the Montreal Alouettes is the East Division’s top Canadian nominee.
Voting for the awards is conducted by the Football Reporters of Canada and the nine CFL head coaches.
The other award finalists include: defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal linebacker Tyrice Beverette (outstanding defensive player); Saskatchewan’s Logan Ferland and Toronto’s Ryan Hunter (outstanding lineman); B.C. Lions kicker Sean Whyte and Toronto returner Janarion Grant (special teams); and Edmonton Elks linebacker Nick Anderson and Hamilton receiver Shemar Bridges (outstanding rookie).
The coach of the year finalists are Saskatchewan’s Corey Mace and Montreal’s Jason Maas.
The CFL will honour its top individual performers Nov. 14 in Vancouver.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31.
