TSN Toronto Reporter Mark Masters reports on the Maple Leafs, who practised at the Ford Performance Centre on Monday.
The line of Joe Thornton, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner generated a couple goals on Saturday night and, even though it was just an intra-squad scrimmage, they all wore wide smiles during the group hugs. Following the game, Matthews and Marner, both 23-years-old, each posted a picture of the first celebratory moment as an Instagram story.
As for the 41-year-old Thornton?
“I don’t even think he has social media or barely knows anything about social media so it’s great in that aspect,” said Marner. “He’s just going to go out every day and be the same guy and joke around and me and [Matthews] are going to try and do the same. We’re not going to focus on outside noise.”
There was a lot of outside noise around Marner at the start of last season as negotiations on a new contract spilled into the start of training camp. The six-year deal worth more than $65 million got done, but the increased expectations and scrutiny seemed to weigh heavy on the 6-foot, 175-pound winger.
The Leafs are hoping Thornton’s influence will help the fun-loving Marner play loose and free.
“He keeps the focus on where it needs to be which is in the gym, in our meetings, on the practice ice and in games so that’s what Joe’s all about,” observed head coach Sheldon Keefe. “Joe’s got a great ability, even in the early going, just to know when it’s time to dig in and get the work done and, most importantly, stay focused and block out the noise and not get distracted by anything that’s outside your control.”
Thornton also appears poised to have a significant impact on how Marner plays. The Markham, Ont., native has consistently talked about the need to shoot more throughout his professional career. He’s averaged between 2.3 and 2.8 shots per game in four seasons with the Leafs.
“Just trying to get more of a mindset of being a shooter,” Marner said again on Monday. “I know I have it in me. I’ve shown it a lot of times so I know it’s inside. It’s just being that guy that can believe in it.”
Marner has tremendous vision and takes great pride in his ability to set up teammates. His charity is even called The Marner Assist Fund. But now he’ll have one of the greatest playmakers in National Hockey League history on his line. Thornton is seventh on the all-time assists list having recently passed Adam Oates.
“Playing with Joe is going to put more pucks on his stick in positions to shoot so I think that will help,” noted Keefe. “Also, he’ll be thinking about the fact Joe is a passer and then you need to have another shooter on the line.”
Marner potted a goal in Saturday’s intra-squad scrimmage with a beauty short-side snipe.
“We got Jumbo on our line, a guy who can really move the puck well and find open guys so my [outlook] is now to be an open guy and be ready to get it off my stick quickly,” Marner noted.
Keefe has also called on Marner to attack the net more this season.
“He needs to be of the mindset that he doesn’t always have to look for Auston,” said Keefe. “He’s a good player that can score himself and put a defence and goalies in bad spots and take advantage of it. We want him to have that mentality [of] producing more shots or getting to the net more and producing more goals or just simply drawing more penalties with the way he skates and the way he attacks and makes D nervous.”
Mitch Marner started last season under increased scrutiny thanks to a rich new contract that wasn’t signed until after training camp opened. The 23-year-old winger lamented the fact his hometown had been pretty hard on him during negotiations. Well, this season is starting off a lot differently. As Mark Masters reports, a new linemate is helping Marner deal with Jumbo expectations.
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Alex Kerfoot returned to practice for the first time since hurting his leg last Tuesday.
“I just fell into the boards,” he recalled. “It was a three-on-two rush and [Zach Hyman] put it to the net and I kind of lost balance a little bit and went into the boards awkwardly.”
Kerfoot slotted back in as the third-line centre skating between Ilya Mikheyev and Hyman. That new-look trio is expected to bring some defensive grit to Toronto’s stacked lineup.
“Really excited about it,” said Kerfoot. “You’ve seen Hyms and Micky a lot and they’re both good players and hard to play against. They’ve got a lot of speed, hound pucks and that’s really just our job is to be able to take maybe a few more defensive zone faceoffs, be able to be relied upon in those scenarios and prevent goals, but also be able to produce offensively.”
After bouncing between centre and wing in his first season in Toronto, Kerfoot should benefit from a more defined role. And he won’t be using the injury as an excuse for a slow start.
“In the grand scheme of things it wasn’t that long and I was able to skate the last couple days as well, so I feel good on the ice now,” the Harvard product said.
Pierre Engvall, who had filled in for Kerfoot the last week, was among the training camp cuts announced on Monday.
Kerfoot returns to practice; ready for new role
Alex Kerfoot said it felt good to return to practice after recovering from his injury, and along with linemates Ilya Mikheyev and Zach Hyman, is embracing the role of a tough line to play against in the defensive zone.
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Keefe emphasized conditioning during a short, but intense training camp.
“This was as hard a camp as I’ve had in my five years, especially the first two or three days, there was a lot of skating,” said left winger Jimmy Vesey. “It’s a little bit of a shock to the system to get back out there at such a high speed.”
Considering he hadn’t played since the Buffalo Sabres were eliminated in March, the 27-year-old was thrilled with how he handled his first week as a Leaf.
“I was really happy with how my body felt and with my conditioning, especially after I hadn’t played competitive hockey since March. I was really happy with how camp went. I felt good every day on the ice. In terms of our line, we’ve gotten better every day.”
That line includes John Tavares and William Nylander. It’s a plum assignment for a free-agent signee who produced just 20 points in 64 games last season. Vesey blames a timid start for derailing his season with the Sabres and he’s vowed to begin this year “with my hair on fire.” That may explain his harsh self-evaluation for Saturday’s scrimmage.
“I don’t think it was my best game,” he said despite seeing Tavares and Nylander score during the dress rehearsal at Scotiabank Arena. “I have more to give in a game setting like that … When we get going here on Wednesday we have to focus on the details in our neutral zone and D-zone structure and that will lead to more offence for us.”
The coaching staff has provided specific marching orders for Vesey, who is entering his fifth NHL season with his third team.
“My role on that line is when we don’t have the puck to disrupt the other team and get in on the forecheck and turn pucks over and then hold onto it until I get my linemates there for support. Sheldon emphasized that it’s not going to be about goals and points, it’s about doing some legwork on that line. For me, a successful season would be bouncing back after last year and proving I can play and complement top guys.”
Vesey, who stands 6-foot-3, 202 pounds, believes his style will fit well with the way Keefe wants the Leafs to play.
“It’s a really aggressive system,” he said. “I feel like I can pressure a lot of pucks and cause those turnovers that he wants me to. I’m still adjusting to it and when to go, when I can be very aggressive and when I should hold back a little bit. In the scrimmage settings so far, I have gotten in on the forecheck and caused a lot turnovers and it was nice [for our line] to get rewarded with two goals Saturday.”
Keefe sees a player who can provide something comparable to Andreas Johnsson, who was traded to the New Jersey Devils in the off-season.
“What I see from him is a guy who’s a really good complementary player,” the coach said. “[He] can move up and down the lineup and play on the power play, kill some penalties and play with good players. He can score in the league at even strength. He’s a big guy who gets around the ice well. He has a really good stick. It’s unbelievable how many times he gets a stick on a puck and creates a turnover. That’s a strength of his and just want to get him confident and feeling good. We also think he can contribute on the penalty kill by utilizing that good stick and instincts and speed.”
Vesey took reps with the third penalty kill forward group at practice on Monday. The top two units feature Marner with Hyman and then Kerfoot with Mikheyev. Matthews and Jason Spezza will also see time shorthanded with a focus on winning faceoffs.
Vesey believes he has more to give Maple Leafs
The line of John Tavares, Jimmey Vesey and William Nylander scored two goals in the team’s scrimmage Saturday, but Vesey believes he has more to give to the team, and is thankful for the words of encouragement from head coach Sheldon Keefe. Vesey has been impressed by Nylander’s speed and ability to make space for himself on the ice.
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After skating on the third defence pair with Zach Bogosian throughout training camp, Mikko Lehtonen was dropped to the fourth pair at Monday’s practice and the KHL import will start the season as a healthy scratch.
“We don’t want to rush him into a situation that he may not be adjusted to quite yet,” said Keefe. “We’re going to take our time with that.”
Lehtonen posted a pair of assists on Saturday night and showed positive flashes in the offensive zone, but admitted afterwards that it didn’t go as smoothly as hoped.
“I just have to sometimes give the puck away [to a teammate] and don’t force the game,” Lehtonen told reporters on Saturday night. “That’s the biggest thing. You don’t have that much time. I like to keep the puck, but sometimes you have to make a simple play.”
Unlike a traditional training camp, this one featured no exhibition games against other teams, which worked against the 26-year-old rookie.
“We’ll take a little step back with Mikko and give him more time to watch and get a feel for the league and then also more time to work on things in practice,” said Keefe. “We expect that he obviously will get in at some point and we hope he’s more prepared when that’s the case.”
Leafs Ice Chips: Dermott promoted to third D pairing
Travis Dermott has been promoted to the third defensive pair with Zach Bogosian, which has newcomer Mikko Lehtonen likely a healthy scratch for the season opener on Wednesday. Mark Masters has more.
Travis Dermott took Lehtonen’s spot beside Bogosian. The 24-year-old settled for a one-year extension in the off-season and is under pressure to prove he can be a reliable NHL regular. Keefe has been very clear about what he’s looking for from the Newmarket, Ont., native.
“I would really like to see Travis latch onto his strengths which, to me, are three really key areas,” Keefe said. “One, going back for the puck to start break outs. Then defensive zone puck pressure to create separations, get us out of our end that way. And then just his gap control in order to [stop opponents from getting] into our zone. Those are three areas I’d like to see him really excel at and if he focuses on those three then a lot of really positive things come into his game. Over time he can stack some other things on top of it, but focusing on that and being reliable in those areas are key.”
TSN’s Kristen Shilton has more on Toronto’s defence here
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The Leafs trimmed their roster to 26 on Monday. The following players were loaned to the Toronto Marlies or placed on waivers for the purposes of being sent down: Kenny Agostino, Joey Anderson, Justin Brazeau, Rourke Chartier, Engvall, Tyler Gaudet, Mac Hollowell, Michael Hutchinson, Teemu Kivihalme, Timothy Liljegren, Martin Marincin, Nic Petan, Calle Rosen and Scott Sabourin.
Notably not on that list is Aaron Dell, the team’s third-string goalie, who also wasn’t on the ice at practice.
“We don’t want three goalies at practice, but we got him some extra work with some of our extra guys to keep him sharp,” Keefe explained. “We’ve had some discussions about whether we utilize him at different times to back up in the early going. We’ll continue to discuss that. He’s a good goalie in the league and we like having the depth at the position and feel it’s important this season so that’s how we’re doing things to start.”
t was only a couple years ago that Toronto’s goalie depth was decimated when both Curtis McElhinney and Calvin Pickard were plucked off the waiver wire at the end of training camp.
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Lines at Leafs practice on Monday:
Forwards
Thornton – Matthews – Marner
Vesey – Tavares – Nylander
Mikheyev – Kerfoot – Hyman
Barabanov – Spezza – Simmonds
Robertson, Brooks, Boyd
Defencemen
Rielly – Brodie
Muzzin – Holl
Dermott – Bogosian
Lehtonen – Sandin (L)
Goaltenders
Andersen
Campbell
Special teams units at practice on Monday:
PP1
Rielly
Marner – Thornton – Matthews
Simmonds
PP2
Brodie
Nylander – Tavares – Spezza
Hyman
PK1
Hyman – Marner
Muzzin – Holl
PK2
Kerfoot – Mikheyev
Dermott – Bogosian
PK3
Vesey – Barabanov
Note: Matthews and Spezza also took reps with the PK
VANCOUVER – As the Major League Soccer season ticks down, Vanni Sartini wants his Vancouver Whitecaps to make a declaration — the team is ready to compete.
“The time of hiding ourselves, I think it’s over,” the coach said after the ‘Caps earned a 2-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday.
“We need to really say that we are here to try to be at the ball until the end and trying to shoot for the highest position. That doesn’t mean that we’re going to make it, but we have the quality to do it.”
With seven games left on their regular-season schedule, the ‘Caps (13-8-6) sit in fifth spot in the congested Western Conference, just two points out of fourth.
Saturday’s loss officially eliminated the last-place Earthquakes (5-21-2) from post-season action.
Vancouver has been on a hot streak since returning from the Leagues Cup break and is unbeaten (3-0-1) in its last four outings across all competitions. The team has not allowed a goal in those matches.
“It’s the fact that we play really well,” Sartini said of the clean sheets. “We have the ball a lot, we finish our attack most of the time in their box. So it’s really hard for the other team to attack us. And then when they attack us, in the rare times that they arrive in the final third, we’re very solid.”
Recent additions have bolstered the team’s ranks, including the club’s newest designated player, Stuart Armstrong. The 32-year-old Scottish midfielder scored his first MLS goal Saturday.
Three minutes after coming on as a substitute for Alessandro Schopf, Armstrong gave Vancouver a two-goal cushion in the 87th minute.
Midfielder Pedro Vite dished a short pass to ‘Caps captain Ryan Gauld, who tapped it toward Armstrong. The former Southampton FC player then blasted a shot into the top of the net for his first strike in a Whitecaps’ jersey.
He was mobbed by teammates in the corner of the field.
“I think everyone was happy. Also for the first goal, but also that it was an important three points,” said Armstrong, who signed with the ‘Caps on Sept. 3.
“It kind of felt a little bit like last week, when we had a lot of chances and we didn’t get the three points. So today, I think everyone was just relieved to have that two-goal cushion.”
Vancouver was the dominant team from the outset Saturday and did not relent, outshooting the visitors 19-5 and controlling 54.1 per cent of possession.
Fafa Picault also found the back of the net for Vancouver, while Gauld contributed a pair of assists.
Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka stopped both shots he faced to collect his seventh clean sheet of the year, while Daniel made nine saves for the Quakes.
Gauld and Picault teamed up in the 22nd minute when Gauld curled a cross in and the Haitian striker headed it down toward the net, only to see Daniel catch a piece of the shot with his forearm and redirect it out of harm’s way.
The duo connected again in the 35th minute on a Vancouver corner. Gauld swung a ball in and Picault jumped up from the pack to send a glancing header in past Daniel for his ninth MLS goal of the season.
San Jose briefly appeared to level the score in the 68th minute when an unmarked Ousseni Bouda collected the ball, froze Takaoka and tapped a shot into the Vancouver net. An official quickly raised the offside flag and waved off the tally.
Daniel kept San Jose’s deficit to a single goal with a pair of solid stops in the 82nd minute.
First, the Brazilian ‘keeper dove sideways on his line to tip away a bomb from Alessandro Schopf. He was tested again on the ensuing corner and jumped up to send a header from Picault over the crossbar.
“I think we created a lot of chances again,” Gauld said.
“We probably should have put the game out of their reach sooner. But we’d be more worried if we weren’t creating the chances. Three clean sheets in a row in the league, I think it’s a big thing for us. And it gives us a good platform to go forward.”
NOTES
Vancouver played without leading scorer Brian White for a third consecutive game as the American striker works his way back from a concussion. … Gauld’s second assist marked his 15th goal contribution (six goals, nine assists) in his last 15 Whitecaps games across all competitions. … An announced crowd of 21,309 took in the game at B.C. Place.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps kick off a two-game road swing Wednesday against the Houston Dynamo. The Earthquakes host the Seattle Sounders the same night.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Not good enough. That was Arne Slot’s verdict after his first defeat as Liverpool manager on Saturday.
A shock 1-0 loss at home to Nottingham Forest in the English Premier League ended Slot’s perfect record since succeeding Jurgen Klopp at Anfield at the end of last season.
“We had a lot of ball possession but only managed to create three (or) four quite good chances, so that is by far not enough if you have so much ball possession,” said the Dutchman, who suggested his team should not be losing to the likes of Forest.
“If you lose a home game it’s always a setback, especially if you face a team … we never know, maybe they will go all the way to fight for Champions League tickets, but normally this team is not ending up in the top 10, so if you lose a game against them that’s a big disappointment.”
Slot won his first three games in charge, including a memorable 3-0 victory against Manchester United before the international break.
But that run came to an end after Callum Hudson-Odoi struck in the 72nd with a curling effort from the edge of the box and beyond goalkeeper Alisson.
Liverpool’s defeat leaves Manchester City as the only team with a 100% record in the league after a 2-1 win against Brentford kept the defending champion at the top of the table.
United won at Southampton 3-0 to end its two-game losing streak.
Unstoppable Haaland
Erling Haaland moved to 99 goals for City after scoring twice against Brentford.
The Norwegian’s double came after Yoane Wissa fired Brentford ahead with just 22 seconds on the clock.
Haaland scored his 98th and 99th goals in his 103rd City appearance in all competitions. And he was the width of the post away from his third consecutive hat trick after trebles against Ipswich and West Ham.
“He’s been really, really good. Yeah, I would say he’s the best (he’s been), but it’s only four fixtures (this season),” City manager Pep Guardiola said.
Haaland, who has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or, has nine goals in four league games. He has topped the league scoring charts in each of his two seasons at City since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2022 for $63 million.
Haaland’s first goal after 19 minutes evened the game following Wissa’s opener, which stunned the Etihad Stadium crowd. Haaland turned and swept a shot past goalkeeper Mark Flekken after a slight deflection off Ethan Pinnock.
He was then too strong for Pinnock when shaking off the defender and running through for his second in the 32nd.
He was inches away in the 81st; the shot came back off the post after beating the keeper.
Rashford snaps run
Marcus Rashford snapped a 12-game barren run in front of goal as United beat Southampton.
Rashford doubled United’s lead at Saint Mary’s after Matthijs de Ligt’s scored his first for the club. Substitute Alejandro Garnacho scored a third in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
The win came after back-to-back defeats for United.
Rashford hadn’t scored since March in United’s win over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarterfinals. He curled in a shot from the edge of the area to put Erik ten Hag’s team 2-0 up at Southampton in the 41st minute.
Ten Hag said it could be a turning point for the forward.
“For every striker, they want to be on the scoring list. Once the first is in, more is coming. Like a ketchup bottle, once it’s going, it’s coming more,” he said.
De Ligt, who joined United from Bayern Munich in the offseason, headed in from Bruno Fernandes’ cross in the 35th.
It could have been a different story if Cameron Archer converted a penalty for Southampton in the 33rd. Instead, his effort was saved by goalkeeper Andre Onana.
Newly promoted Southampton was reduced to 10 men when Jack Stephens was sent off in the 79th for a high challenge on Garnacho.
Villa comeback
After three straight defeats to start the league, Everton looked set for its first win when leading Aston Villa 2-0.
Goals from Dwight McNeil and Dominic Calvert-Lewin put Sean Dyche’s team in control until Ollie Watkins struck twice to even the game.
Jhon Duran completed Villa’s comeback and sealed a 3-2 win in the 76th to leave Everton rooted to the bottom of the table and the only top flight team without a point.
Late drama
Jean-Philippe Mateta converted a stoppage time penalty to salvage a 2-2 draw for Crystal Palace against Leicester.
Leicester led 2-0 at Selhurst Park after goals from Jamie Vardy and Stephy Mavididi.
But Mateta sparked Palace’s response with a goal in the 47th, a minute after Mavididi doubled Leicester’s advantage.
Conor Coady fouled Ismaili Sarr in the box right near fulltime and Mateta was cool enough to convert.
West Ham left it even later to salvage a point in a 1-1 draw at Fulham.
Danny Ings struck in the fifth minute of added time after Raul Jimenez’s goal looked like earning Fulham the win.
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, the manager of the month for August, was frustrated as his team was held to 0-0 at home by Ipswich.
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.
