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The Canadiens bought into Claude Julien’s systems as fiercely as ever – Habs Eyes on the Prize

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The number-one item on the Montreal Canadiens’ strategy board before Game 2 of their series versus the Philadelphia Flyers: start strong and set the tone. And they did, scoring a minute into the game. The team dictated the flow of the play, shut down the Flyers, and counter-attacked with speed. It was typical Habs hockey.

The first minute of Game 2 might as well have been an ode to Claude Julien’s coaching. Every strategical element that he has preached in the past three-and-a-half years was on display: the systems, the offensive and defensive mentalities, and most of all, the heart and the hard work. Players bought into the coach’s philosophy, and they got rewarded for it. Hopefully, it put a smile on the head coach’s face as he was resting at home.

Right at the drop of the puck, Phillip Danault’s line quickly overwhelmed Philadelphia with timely pressure and support. On two occasions the orange men crashed against the neutral-zone wall formed by the Habs trio. The Flyers ended up settling for a corner dump, which they recovered, but couldn’t manage to turn into meaningful offence. Regrouped into their defensive formation, Montreal kept the attackers to the outside with controlled aggression, engaging hard but without overextending.

The Habs regained the puck and escaped the defensive end with speed. Paul Byron then pulled off one of the best rush efforts I have seen this season — quite ironic considering my last article analyzed the inability of the winger to translate his athletic qualities into offensive-zone entries.

On that spectacular play, Byron chained all of the elements I accused him of missing. He used the space created by the speed of his teammates that pushed back the line of defence, changed lanes and forced defenders to adjust, adapted his speed to maximize the available ice, and held on to the puck, waiting for the opponent to overcommit.

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For a full breakdown of the sequence, see the video at the end of the article.

The diminutive winger didn’t try to enter along the walls; a much easier task. With a flash of skill, he beat a pouncing defender, broke in straight through the defensive formation, and gained the middle of the offensive zone.

So, it’s not that Byron can’t spice up his rushing game. It just seems that he prefers to pick his spots. Maybe he’s a player who needs the extra fuel of emotionally charged playoff games. Whatever the case, his entry earned him an immediate scoring chance from the slot and hopefully this reward gives him a thirst for audacity.

In the seconds following Byron’s chance, the Habs continued to aggressively challenge the Flyers, pressuring them on the breakout and regaining the offensive zone with a rapid stretch-pass as Philadelphia changed lines, which led to the first goal of the game.

Luck played its part in that goal. The puck bounced on the pad of Carter Hart in such a way that it avoided all opposing skates and fell directly toward the blade of an eager Tomas Tatar. But the trio on the ice summoned that luck by making a ton of great plays prior to the deflection.

It started with Nick Suzuki. In yesterday’s article, I also talked about skating habits. Receiving the puck in stride is one of those important habits. If the centreman had stood still at the blue line, he would never have been able to get across it with possession, which means his shot would never have been redirected into the corner, and Brendan Gallagher would not have gotten to it.

On the retrieval, #11 took an odd, but creative route. An average player in that sequence would have picked up the puck on his forehand and skated it up the wall before cutting back down to shake the defender. But Gallagher is not your average player; he has no problem rushing head-first toward the net while getting whacked by sticks, and apparently he has developed a new retrieval and evasion tactic that involves spinning, backhanding the puck to himself, and bouncing off the wall with his rear-end to accelerate away.

As Gallagher confounded the defence, Suzuki didn’t anchor himself in front of the net, which would have had him standing still surrounded by defenders. He immediately looked to space out and support the play by becoming an outlet below the goal line.

Of course, that wasn’t where #11 aimed to carry the puck; Gallagher always goes to the net and Suzuki will learn that. Still, the centreman shifting deeper in the zone remained instrumental to the goal. Why? Because he carried his defender away from the front of the cage, freeing space for Tatar’s arrival.

A few seconds prior to Gallagher’s net-drive, Tatar had moved up to the top of the zone as the puck was redirected to the corner. By sliding high, #90 protected his team if a turnover happened and allowed himself to come down deceptively to the slot, behind the backs of defenders, as his teammate attacked the blue paint. As the shot rebounded to the slot, Tatar found himself in a perfect position to score.

Suzuki’s strong habits and supporting ability, Tatar’s dependability and timing, and Gallagher’s initiative and gutsiness combined to create the first goal of the game. This sequence perfectly exemplifies what the three elements of this new trio can bring to each other if, or more optimistically, when, their chemistry fully forms.

Friday’s win was a full-on team effort. The work of Danault’s line before Suzuki’s came into the picture contributed just as much to the first goal. It’s Danault, Lehkonen and Byron who countered the Flyers’ first attack and brought the puck in, allowing for a favourable change.

Here’s a full video breakdown of the minute that preceded Tatar’s goal, showing how the great execution of plenty of little elements helped the Habs open the scoring.

[embedded content]

Playing such a collective, engaged, support-heavy style of game demands a lot of the team, but it is exactly how the Habs could steal this series from the Flyers.

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Champions Trophy host Pakistan says it’s not been told India wants to play cricket games elsewhere

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November 8, 2024

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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.”

Pakistan hosted last year’s Asia Cup but all India games were played in Sri Lanka under a hybrid model for the tournament. Only months later Pakistan did travel to India for the 50-over World Cup.

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.

___

AP cricket:

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Dabrowski, Routlife into WTA doubles final with win over Melichar-Martinez, Perez

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November 8, 2024

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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.

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Winger Tajon Buchanan back with Canada after recovering from broken leg

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November 8, 2024

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Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.

The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.

Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.

There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.

Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.

But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.

The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”

The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.

Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.

Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.

Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.

Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.

“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”

“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.

Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.

Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.

The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.

Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.

Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.

Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.

Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.

Canada Roster

Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).

Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).

Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).

Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).

—

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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