CALGARY — Darryl Sutter dedicated his first win in his second stint with the Calgary Flames to his mother and the team’s late president.
Josh Leivo scored twice for the Flames in a 2-1 win Thursday over the visiting Montreal Canadiens.
Sutter coached the Flames to victory in his first game behind Calgary’s bench after Geoff Ward was fired a week earlier.
He’d spent eight years in the Flames organization as coach and eventually GM between 2002 and 2010.
His mother Grace celebrated her birthday Thursday, which was also the one-year anniversary of the death of longtime Flames president and Sutter’s friend Ken King.
“This win is twofold here,” Sutter said. “One is for the late Ken King who we lost a year ago and the other is for my mother. It’s her 85th birthday today. This win is for those two.
Montreal’s record since Dominique Ducharme replaced Claude Julien on Feb. 24 is 3-2-3.
Derek Ryan and Sam Bennett assisted on both Leivo goals for Calgary (12-12-3). Jacob Markstrom stopped 17-of-18 shots for the win.
Corey Perry scored for Montreal (12-7-7) and Jake Allen made 27 saves in the loss. Calgary hosts the Canadiens again Saturday.
The Flames were the more rested team having not played since Sunday. The Canadiens played their third road games in four nights, and were coming off a win less than 24 hours earlier in Vancouver.
“No question a little bit of tired legs, but every team is going through it right now and points are crucial,” Allen said.
“They came out and played a heavy, hard game. We knew they were going to do that obviously with a new coaching change. We just couldn’t find our groove tonight.
“We’ve played some really good hockey as of late and we’ve got to get to it again Saturday.”
Calgary moved to four points back of Montreal for the final playoff spot in the all-Canadian North Division.
The Flames allowed a season-low 18 shots on net.
“We played a patient game and pretty much a mistake-free game,” Sutter said. “There’s probably six or seven turnovers that we’re going to have to get out of our system.
“But you’re playing against a team that doesn’t give up much. To be able to come away with a win, we needed it. We’ll play a much better team on Saturday than we did tonight.”
Perry tipped Shea Weber’s bobbling shot from the point between Markstrom’s legs at 10:15 of the third period to pull the visitors within one goal.
A Paul Byron slashing minor at 17:24 hampered Montreal’s comeback, however, as the Canadiens weren’t able to pull Allen for an extra attacker until just over half a minute remaining in the game.
Flames forward Milan Lucic and Habs winger Josh Anderson fought midway through the third period.
Weber’s pass from behind his own goal-line bounced off a teammate’s skate and into the open for Leivo to snare for his second goal of the game and third of the season.
The Innisfil, Ont., forward whipped the puck over Allen’s right shoulder at 13:55 of the second period for a 2-0 Flames lead.
Leivo scored his first at 1:52 finishing a tic-tac-toe passing play with Ryan and Bennett.
“It feels great. I don’t think I get those goals without the linemates and the way they played,” Leivo said.
“They worked hard, created some turnovers. I was just standing in the right spot. When you’re ready for it, sometimes the puck does in.”
Sutter had last coached the Flames on April 17, 2006 in a playoff game.
The 62-year-old from Viking, Alta., also returned to the NHL’s head-coaching ranks after an absence of almost four years.
Notes: Montreal forward Tomas Tatar played his 600th career NHL game . . . The Flames beat the Canadiens at the Saddledome for the first time since March 9, 2017.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2021.
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.
