Seven voting points separated the top three players ranked in this week’s Super 16, the best right wings among the 24 teams returning to play.
David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins edged Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning by two points to be the No. 1 right wing. Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks finished third, five points behind Kucherov.
Pastrnak was ranked first by six of the 12 voters. Kucherov and Kane each were ranked first by three voters, but Kucherov was ranked second by six voters and Kane by three.
There were 31 right wings to receive a vote this week.
To create the Super 16, each of the 12 participating staff members put together his or her version of what they think it should look like. Those were submitted and a point total assigned to each.
The right wing that was selected first was given 16 points, second got 15, third 14 and so on down to No. 16, who got one point.
Season stats: 95 points (48 goals, 47 assists) in 70 games
Career playoff stats: 43 points (17 goals, 26 assists) in 42 games
Pastrnak and Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin led the NHL in goals and won the Rocket Richard Trophy this season. Pastrnak was tied for third in points with New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin, and was first among right wings. Pastrnak is third with 155 goals in the NHL since 2016-17, three behind Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (158) and 26 behind Ovechkin (181). Pastrnak scored 39 points (15 goals, 24 assists) in 36 Stanley Cup Playoff games in 2018 and 2019, second behind Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (40).
2. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
Total points: 180
Season stats: 85 points (33 goals, 52 assists) in 68 games
Career playoff stats: 61 points (29 goals, 32 assists) in 65 games
Kucherov was seventh in points this season and second among right wings. He closed the season on a hot streak, scoring 36 points (16 goals, 20 assists) in 24 games from Jan. 14 to the season pause, and he scored at least one point in 23 of the 24 games. Last season, Kucherov won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, the Ted Lindsay Award as most outstanding player as voted by the NHL Players’ Association, and the Art Ross Trophy as the League’s leading scorer with 128 points (41 goals, 87 assists) in 82 games.
3. Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
Total points: 175
Season stats: 84 points (33 goals, 51 assists) in 70 games
Career playoff stats: 123 points (50 goals, 73 assists) in 127 games
Kane is the most decorated right wing on this list. He was eighth in the NHL in scoring this season, the fifth time in 13 NHL seasons he’s scored at least 80 points. He’s sixth among active players with 1,022 points (389 goals, 633 assists) in 973 regular-season games, and sixth among active players in playoff points. Kane is a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Blackhawks (2010, 2013, 2015), and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs in 2013; the Art Ross Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award and Hart Trophy in 2015-16; and the Calder Trophy as the NHL rookie of the year in 2007-08.
Season stats: 41 points (19 goals, 22 assists) in 42 games
Career playoff stats: 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in 18 games
Rantanen missed 28 games this season because of injuries but finished sixth among right wings (minimum 30 games) at 0.98 points per game. He’s scored 250 points (99 goals, 151 assists) in 272 games since 2016-17, and his average of 0.92 points per game is seventh among right wings (minimum 100 games) during that span.
5. Mitchell Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
Total points: 130
Season stats: 67 points (16 goals, 51 assists) in 59 games
Career playoff stats: 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 20 games
Marner was fourth among right wings in points and points per game (1.14) this season. He is fifth among right wings in points since 2016-17, his rookie season, with 291 (83 goals, 208 assists) in 300 games. He is fifth among right wings in points per game during that time at 0.97 (minimum 100 games).
6. Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights
Total points: 127
Season stats: 63 points (21 goals, 42 assists) in 65 games
Career playoff stats: 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) in 34 games
Stone arguably is the best defensive wing in the NHL. He was first among right wings and tied with Matthews for second in the NHL this season with 78 takeaways (Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman, 81). Stone’s 3.70 takeaways per 60 minutes was second behind Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin‘s 3.91 among players with at least 10 games played this season. Stone leads the NHL with 581 takeaways (4.26 per 60 minutes), 150 more than any player, since 2014-15. He scored 12 points (six goals, six assists) in seven playoff games with the Golden Knights last season.
7. Blake Wheeler, Winnipeg Jets
Total points: 123
Season stats: 65 points (22 goals, 43 assists) in 71 games
Career playoff stats: 33 points (six goals, 27 assists) in 48 games
Wheeler is seventh in the NHL and second among right wings with 634 points (207 goals, 427 assists) in 687 games, an average of 0.92 points per game, since the 2011-12 season. He is fifth among all players in assists during that period. Wheeler scored 21 points (three goals, 18 assists) in 17 games during the 2018 playoffs, when the Jets lost the Western Conference Final to Vegas.
Season stats: 63 points (28 goals, 35 assists) in 68 games
Career playoff stats: 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in 23 games
Laine has scored 138 goals in his four NHL seasons. Since debuting in 2016-17, he’s tied with Kane for seventh in the NHL and third among right wings, behind Pastrnak (155) and Kucherov (153).
9. Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues
Total points: 87
Season stats: 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 10 games
Career playoff stats: 49 points (33 goals, 16 assists) in 70 games
Tarasenko is healthy after recovering from surgery Oct. 29 to repair a dislocated left shoulder. He was injured Oct. 24 after he scored eight points (three goals, five assists) during a five-game point streak. He scored 17 points (11 goals, six assists) in 26 playoff games last season to help the Blues win the Stanley Cup. He was third in the NHL and first among right wings with 182 goals from 2014-15 to 2018-19.
10. Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina Hurricanes
Total points: 63
Season stats: 61 points (24 goals, 37 assists) in 68 games
Career playoff stats: Five points (three goals, two assists) in nine games
Svechnikov’s production increased by 24 points in 14 fewer games compared to his rookie season of 2018-19, when he scored 37 points (20 goals, 17 assists) in 82 games. He was tied with Travis Konecny of the Philadelphia Flyers for eighth among right wings in points this season. Svechnikov scored five points (three goals, two assists) in nine playoff games for the Hurricanes last season.
11. Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers
Total points: 56
Season stats: 56 points (12 goals, 44 assists) in 69 games
Career playoff stats: 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in 34 games
Voracek was fifth in assists and tied with Bryan Rust of the Pittsburgh Penguins for 11th in points among right wings this season. He scored 13 points (one goal, 12 assists) in the final 10 games before the season pause. He is fifth among right wings since 2013-14 with 466 points (128 goals, 338 assists) in 548 games.
12. T.J. Oshie, Washington Capitals
Total points: 46
Season stats: 49 points (26 goals, 23 assists) in 69 games
Career playoff stats: 54 points (24 goals, 30 assists) in 83 games
Oshie has scored 257 points (128 goals, 129 assists) in 360 games during five seasons with the Capitals; he is eighth in goals and 11th in points among right wings during that time. He helped the Capitals win the Stanley Cup in 2018 by scoring 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists) in 24 playoff games.
Season stats: 45 points (16 goals, 29 assists) in 57 games
Career playoff stats: N/A
Boeser has been one of the more productive right wings in the NHL during the past three seasons with 156 points (71 goals, 85 assists) in 188 games. Among right wings during that time, he’s tied for 15th in goals, tied for 16th in points and 12th in points per game (0.83; minimum 100 games) despite being 58th in games played.
14. Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
Total points: 37
Season stats: 61 points (24 goals, 37 assists) in 66 games
Career playoff stats: One point (one goal, zero assists) in six games
Konecny scored 24 goals for a third straight season, but with 13 games left when the season was paused, a hot streak could have gotten him to 30. He scored an NHL career-high in points and was on pace for 73 this season.
15. Phil Kessel, Arizona Coyotes
Total points: 35
Season stats: 38 points (14 goals, 24 assists) in 70 games
Career playoff stats: 77 points (33 goals, 44 assists) in 87 games
Kessel fell on this list because of his performance this season, his first with the Coyotes. He scored five even-strength goals, the fewest in his 14-season NHL career. But that doesn’t take away from his potential impact and the career he’s had to date, including Stanley Cup championships with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017. His 18 goals in 49 games led all players during those two postseasons and his 45 points were third, behind his Penguins teammates Malkin (46) and Sidney Crosby (46). Kessel is second behind Kane among active right wings with 861 points (371 goals, 490 assists) in 1,066 games, and has played 844 consecutive games, the third-longest active streak in the NHL (Keith Yandle, Florida Panthers defenseman, 866; Patrick Marleau, Penguins forward, 854).
Season stats: 59 points (31 goals, 28 assists) in 68 games
Career playoff stats: 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 20 games
Nylander was fourth among right wings in goals this season and is 14th among right wings with 208 points (80 goals, 128 assists) in 285 games since 2016-17.
Others receiving points: Bryan Rust, Pittsburgh Penguins, 23; Brendan Gallagher, Montreal Canadiens, 12; Justin Williams, Carolina Hurricanes, 11; Cam Atkinson, Columbus Blue Jackets, 6; Jordan Eberle, New York Islanders, 6; Tom Wilson, Washington Capitals, 6; Kailer Yamamoto, Edmonton Oilers, 5; Evgenii Dadonov, Florida Panthers, 5; Alexander Radulov, Dallas Stars, 5; Clayton Keller, Arizona Coyotes, 3; Mats Zuccarello, Minnesota Wild, 3; Tyler Toffoli, Vancouver Canucks, 3; Joe Pavelski, Dallas Stars, 2; Corey Perry, Dallas Stars, 2; Oliver Bjorkstrand, Columbus Blue Jackets, 1
HERE’S HOW WE RANKED ‘EM
AMALIE BENJAMIN
1. Nikita Kucherov; 2. David Pastrnak; 3. Patrick Kane; 4. Mitchell Marner; 5. Mikko Rantanen; 6. Vladimir Tarasenko; 7. Blake Wheeler; 8. Mark Stone; 9. Andrei Svechnikov; 10. Patrik Laine; 11. Brock Boeser; 12. Travis Konecny; 13. William Nylander; 14. Jakub Voracek; 15. Joe Pavelski; 16. T.J. Oshie
TIM CAMPBELL
1. Nikita Kucherov; 2; David Pastrnak; 3. Blake Wheeler; 4. Patrick Kane; 5. Mark Stone; 6. Patrik Laine; 7. Mikko Rantanen; 8. Jakub Voracek; 9. T.J. Oshie; 10. Mitchell Marner; 11. Brendan Gallagher; 12. Phil Kessel; 13. Brock Boeser; 14. Clayton Keller; 15. Travis Konecny; 16. Mats Zuccarello
BRIAN COMPTON
1. David Pastrnak; 2. Nikita Kucherov; 3. Mitchell Marner; 4. Patrick Kane; 5. Mikko Rantanen; 6. Mark Stone; 7. Patrik Laine; 8. Jakub Voracek; 9. Andrei Svechnikov; 10. Blake Wheeler; 11. William Nylander; 12. Travis Konecny; 13. T.J. Oshie; 14. Brock Boeser; 15. Jordan Eberle; 16. Evgenii Dadonov
TOM GULITTI
1. Nikita Kucherov; 2. Patrick Kane; 3. David Pastrnak; 4. Mikko Rantanen; 5. Blake Wheeler; 6. Mitchell Marner; 7. Patrik Laine; 8. Mark Stone; 9. Vladimir Tarasenko; 10. Andrei Svechnikov; 11. Phil Kessel; 12. Jakub Voracek; 13. Evgenii Dadonov; 14. Tom Wilson; 15. Travis Konecny; 16. Brendan Gallagher
ADAM KIMELMAN
1. David Pastrnak; 2. Nikita Kucherov; 3. Patrick Kane; 4. Vladimir Tarasenko; 5. Mikko Rantanen; 6. Mark Stone; 7. Mitchell Marner; 8. Blake Wheeler; 9. Travis Konecny; 10. Andrei Svechnikov; 11. Patrik Laine; 12. William Nylander; 13. Brock Boeser; 14. Tyler Toffoli; 15. Jakub Voracek; 16. T.J. Oshie
ROBERT LAFLAMME
1. David Pastrnak; 2. Nikita Kucherov; 3. Patrick Kane; 4. Mikko Rantanen; 5. Mark Stone; 6. Mitchell Marner; 7. Blake Wheeler; 8. T.J. Oshie; 9. Brock Boeser; 10. Travis Konecny; 11. Patrick Laine; 12. Kailer Yamamoto; 13. Bryan Rust; 14. Jakub Voracek; 15. Brendan Gallagher; 16. Justin Williams
MIKE G. MORREALE
1. Patrick Kane; 2. Nikita Kucherov; 3. Blake Wheeler; 4. David Pastrnak; 5. Mitchell Marner; 6. Mark Stone; 7. Justin Williams; 8. Vladimir Tarasenko; 9. Jakub Voracek; 10. T.J. Oshie; 11. Patrik Laine; 12. Phil Kessel; 13. Jordan Eberle; 14. Mikko Rantanen; 15. Corey Perry; 16. Brendan Gallagher
TRACEY MYERS
1. David Pastrnak; 2. Patrick Kane; 3. Nikita Kucherov; 4. Mikko Rantanen; 5. Vladimir Tarasenko; 6. Mark Stone; 7. Andrei Svechnikov; 8. Blake Wheeler; 9. Mitchell Marner; 10. Patrik Laine; 11. Phil Kessel; 12. Brock Boeser; 13. Jakub Voracek; 14. Bryan Rust; 15. Mats Zuccarello; 16. William Nylander
SHAWN P. ROARKE
1. Patrick Kane; 2. David Pastrnak; 3. Nikita Kucherov; 4. Mikko Rantanen; 5. Blake Wheeler; 6. Vladimir Tarasenko; 7. Mitchell Marner; 8. Mark Stone; 9. Bryan Rust; 10. Andrei Svechnikov; 11. Patrik Laine; 12. Phil Kessel; 13. Brock Boeser; 14. William Nylander; 15. Brendan Gallagher; 16. Jakub Voracek
DAN ROSEN
1. David Pastrnak; 2. Patrick Kane; 3. Nikita Kucherov; 4. Blake Wheeler; 5. Mark Stone; 6. Mikko Rantanen; 7. Vladimir Tarasenko; 8. Mitchell Marner; 9. Patrik Laine; 10. Andrei Svechnikov; 11. Bryan Rust; 12. William Nylander; 13. Travis Konecny; 14. T.J. Oshie; 15. Jakub Voracek; 16. Oliver Bjorkstrand
DAVID SATRIANO
1. Patrick Kane; 2. Nikita Kucherov; 3. David Pastrnak; 4. Vladimir Tarasenko; 5; Mitchell Marner; 6. Mikko Rantanen; 7. Mark Stone; 8. Jakub Voracek; 9. Phil Kessel; 10. Patrik Laine; 11. Cam Atkinson; 12. Alexander Radulov; 13. Blake Wheeler; 14. William Nylander; 15. T.J. Oshie; 16. Andrei Svechnikov
MIKE ZEISBERGER
1. David Pastrnak; 2. Nikita Kucherov; 3. Patrick Kane; 4. Mitchell Marner; 5. Mikko Rantanen; 6. T.J. Oshie; 7. Mark Stone; 8. Blake Wheeler; 9. Andrei Svechnikov; 10. Patrik Laine; 11. Brock Boeser; 12. William Nylander; 13. Travis Konecny; 14. Tom Wilson; 15. Bryan Rust; 16. Jakub Voracek
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.
CALGARY – Mired in their first four-game losing skid in 20 years, the Calgary Stampeders are going back to Jake Maier at quarterback on Saturday after he was benched for a game.
It won’t be an easy assignment.
Visiting McMahon Stadium are the Eastern Conference-leading Montreal Alouettes (10-2) who own the CFL’s best record. The Stampeders (4-8) have fallen to last in the Western Conference.
“Six games is plenty of time, but also it is just six games,” said Maier. “We’ve got to be able to get on the right track.”
Calgary is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
“I do still believe in this team,” said Stampeders’ head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson. “I want to see improvement, though. I want to see guys on a weekly basis elevating their game, and we haven’t been doing that.”
Maier is one of the guys under the microscope. Two weeks ago, the second-year starter threw four interceptions in a 35-20 home loss to the Edmonton Elks.
After his replacement, rookie Logan Bonner, threw five picks in last week’s 37-16 loss to the Elks in Edmonton, the football is back in Maier’s hands.
“Any time you fail or something doesn’t go your way in life, does it stink in the moment? Yeah. But then the days go on and you learn things about yourself and you learn how to prepare a little bit better,” said Maier. “It makes you mentally tougher.”
Dickenson wants to see his quarterback making better decisions with the football.
“Things are going to happen, interceptions will happen, but try to take calculated risks, rather than just putting the ball up there and hoping that we catch it,” said Dickenson.
A former quarterback himself, he knows the importance of that vital position.
“You cannot win without good quarterback play,” Dickenson said. “You’ve got to be able to make some plays — off-schedule plays, move-around plays, plays that break down, plays that aren’t designed perfectly, but somehow you found the right guy, and then those big throws where you’re taking that hit.”
But it’s going to take a team effort, and that includes the club’s receiving corp.
“We always have to band together because we need everything to go right for our receivers to get the ball,” said Nik Lewis, the Stampeders’ receivers coach. “The running back has to pick up the blitz, the o-line has to block, the quarterback has to make the right reads, and then give us a catchable ball.”
Lewis brings a unique perspective to this season’s frustrations as he was a 22-year-old rookie in Calgary in 2004 when the Stamps went 4-14 under coach Matt Dunigan. They turned it around the next season and haven’t missed the playoffs since.”
“Thinking back and just looking at it, there’s just got to be an ultimate belief that you can get it done. Look at Montreal, they were 6-7 last year and they’ve gone 18-2 since then,” said Lewis.
Montreal is also looking to rebound from a 37-23 loss to the B.C. Lions last week. But for head coach Jason Maas, he says his team’s mindset doesn’t change, regardless of what happened the previous week.
“Last year when we went through a four-game losing streak, you couldn’t tell if we were on a four-game winning streak or a four-game losing streak by the way the guys were in the building, the way we prepared, the type of work ethic we have,” said Maas. “All our standards are set, so that’s all we focus on.”
While they may have already clinched a playoff spot, Alouettes’ quarterback Cody Fajardo says this closing stretch remains critical because they want to finish the season strong, just like last year when they won their final five regular-season games before ultimately winning the Grey Cup.
“It doesn’t matter about what you do at the beginning of the year,” said Fajardo. “All that matters is how you end the year and how well you’re playing going into the playoffs so that’s what these games are about.”
The Alouettes’ are kicking off a three-game road stretch, one Fajardo looks forward to.
“You understand what kind of team you have when you play on the road because it’s us versus the world mentality and you can feel everybody against you,” said Fajardo. “Plus, I always tend to find more joy in silencing thousands of people than bringing thousands of people to their feet.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
