VANCOUVER – It is hard to think of two elite offensive teammates as different in style as Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau.
But the answer to Calgary Flames coach Geoff Ward’s public question this week about the identity of his team probably lies in some combination of Tkachuk and Gaudreau, who in their own ways were outstanding on Saturday in a 6-2 dismantlement of the Vancouver Canucks.
The game between Pacific Division rivals, both on three-game losing skids, began with playoff intensity. But by the third period, the Flames were the only ones who looked like a playoff team.
Two nights after Ward roasted players following a loss to Nashville over their willingness – or unwillingness – to compete, battle and play with an identity, the Flames outscored the Canucks 4-0 over the final two periods to move within three points of Vancouver and back into a playoff spot.
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The Canucks themselves are threatening to fall into their own identity crisis as they continue to struggle on special teams and bleed high-quality scoring chances. Even if Saturday’s loss was their first at Rogers Arena in 10 games since Dec. 17, the Canucks are suddenly on a four-game losing streak (0-3-1) for the first time in two months.
“I think we have to tighten up everywhere, to be honest with you,” Canucks captain Bo Horvat said. “We’ve got to be better in the grey areas, just chipping pucks deep, getting pucks out of our (blue) line. We lost that battle tonight.
“Just get back to our game. It’s a matter, again, of sticking to our systems and every guy buying in and doing little things right in order to win. They played a good game tonight, they played well; you’ve got to give them credit. But we’ve got to be a lot better.”
If a game’s turning point can occur in the opening minute, Tkachuk changed the direction for everyone when he challenged and fought Canucks veteran J.T. Miller as soon as the puck touched the ice after Tanner Pearson made it 1-0 for Vancouver at 34 seconds.
The Flames scored twice in the next 11 1/2 minutes, Tkachuk himself giving them their first lead at 12:08 when he legally knocked the puck in with his skate after being stopped by Jacob Markstrom’s pad following a pass from Gaudreau while the Canucks were changing.
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“Just tried to give the team a spark,” Tkachuk said. “We’re down 1-0 30 seconds in, losing three straight. I just tried to do something, you know?”
“Every single guy on the bench was going crazy,” said Flames forward Dillon Dube, who scored the game-winner and added two assists. “That got our momentum going and said we were here for business. He was big for us. That fight of Chucky, every guy on the bench was emotionally invested after that. That was a heated game. I think we brought it tonight.”
The Canucks thought they brought it, too, but the Flames took it away.
After Vancouver’s Adam Gaudette tied it 2-2 late in the first period on a geometrically inexplicable bounce off the end boards when Tkachuk tried to chip the puck behind his goal, Dube made it 3-2 at 2:51 of the second, peeling away from defenceman Tyler Myers and beating Markstrom with a screened wrister from above the right-wing circle.
Milan Lucic’s redirect of Mikael Backlund’s outstanding shot-pass made it 4-2 on a power play at 6:48 of the third period, before Gaudreau beautifully set up Sean Monahan at 16:01 and Tobias Rieder scored into an empty net.
The whole period looked like the answer to Ward’s uncomfortable questions.
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“I think we really needed that,” Dube said of Ward’s criticism on Thursday. “Desperation at this time of year is the biggest thing. We just kind of listened to him and had a good practice (on Friday). . . and just knew that tonight was a must win.”
“Honest to God, I don’t really listen (to media),” Tkachuk claimed. “I don’t watch a ton of TV and I don’t read Twitter and that stuff. We know he wasn’t happy from our meetings and stuff. And we weren’t happy.
“It was a playoff-type period for us (in the third), going in with the lead, 3-2, getting a real timely power-play goal, which we want to continue to get more of. We just played a really good brand of hockey. . . and made them come through a bunch of us.”
The Canucks’ power play returned to hibernation, going 0-for-3, while the Flames scored on their only advantage.
Vancouver opened its six-game homestand – the Canucks are celebrating Sedins Week, which will see Daniel and Henrik’s numbers retired on Wednesday – with Elias Pettersson back in their lineup after missing Thursday’s loss in Minnesota with a lower-body bruise.
But Canucks winger Brock Boeser, the Calder Trophy runner-up before Petterson won the rookie award last season, suffered what appeared to be a significant shoulder or arm injury in an awkward third-period collision with Andrew Mangiapane.
And the Flames, already without injured captain Mark Giordano, lost key blueliner Travis Hamonic in the second period. Ward offered no details post-game about Hamonic’s condition.
The Flames, at least, finishing with something to show for it.
“I thought we were emotionally engaged,” Ward said. “I thought our compete level was good, but I thought we were also emotionally controlled and I thought our details were good. So there’s a lot of things in that game that we certainly can build on and I thought the guys did a great job staying together.”
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.
