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Tkachuk overshadows star-studded efforts of Flames in Battle of Alberta – Sportsnet.ca

Published

5 years ago

January 12, 2020

MONTREAL – It’s never surprising when Matthew Tkachuk manages to steal the spotlight, as the polarizing pest has the rare ability to turn games on a dime any number of ways.

His targeting of Zack Kassian Saturday ultimately decided the outcome of a game won 4-3 by the Flames, who cashed in on a power play that came courtesy of Kassian’s series of Hulk smashes on Tkachuk, who was unwilling to dance once again.

The NHL’s Department of Player Safety said Sunday it saw nothing wrong with Tkachuk’s helmet-removing hits on Kassian, but would have a hearing with Kassian for the attack.

The debate rages on over Tkachuk’s responsibility as the game continues to struggle to interpret its ever-evolving hockey code.

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On Sunday the questions continued, as those north of Red Deer were stunned that Tkachuk’s three targeted blasts on Kassian were deemed by league officials to be above board.

Those in the southern half of Alberta were thrilled it’s Kassian who will be answering to league disciplinarian George Parros Monday for showering the cowering Tkachuk with more than a half dozen furious lefts to the cranium as he covered up with gloves firmly attached.

No one is wondering if it was a coincidence the second linesman took his time intervening in what used to be considered a matter to be solved by the two players.

No one is debating the merits of having a lad like Tkachuk awaken the Battle of Alberta with his black hat.

It’s clear which fan base will be buying the “Get off the tracks” T-shirts and which will buck up for the “He’s a (expletive)” paraphernalia.

All of it is good for business.

This was, without question, one of the NHL’s finest of three-hour sessions this season. The game had everything, including several lead changes, another gem from Connor McDavid, a whopping 49 hits and some ever-welcome vitriol and controversy.

Better yet, the war of words continued in the respective dressing rooms, setting up even juicier rematches Jan. 29 and Feb. 1.

Not lost in Calgary’s dressing room was just how complete a game the Pacific-leading Flames played, raising hope that perhaps when the chips are down moving forward, there is a large cast of characters capable of rising to the challenge.

That was the knock on the Flames last spring when they collapsed en masse.

On this night, several notable performances were worthy of praise, making it almost as hard to pick the three stars as it was to convince fans on either side the merits of what Tkachuk did or didn’t do when asked to dance.

The Flames power play was the difference, the penalty kill preserved the win and the Flames have won five in a row to set up an all-Canadian road trip through Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa this week with plenty of heroes on board, including:

• Elias Lindholm: For the second time in three games the Flames best player scored twice – quite a statement in a game in which his chief responsibility was to try shutting down McDavid. The man who does it all for the Flames hit the 20-goal mark with his game-winner on the power play, and was key in shutting down the Oilers only man advantage late in the evening. He has given the Flames a versatility it didn’t have before by centering the top line with Tkachuk and Andrew Mangiapane, allowing Sean Monahan’s second unit to go up against Leon Draisaitl’s line.

• Johnny Gaudreau: It was poetic that ten minutes after McDavid put the visitors up 2-1, the Flames resident top gun responded with a top-shelf beauty, made possible by one of his patented east-west ventures inside the blue line that opened up his shooting lane. A game-high six shots on goal in a contest in which he rebounded from a nightmarish shift that saw his turnover ultimately bounce into his own goal off his leg.

• Tkachuk: Put all the drama aside, the Flames highest-paid player was money all night, leading the game with six hits, helping to limit McDavid’s effectiveness, providing the perfect screen on Lindholm’s game-winner and then topping it all off with a quote to be enshrined in the Battle’s hall of fame.

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• Dillon Dube: The kid from nearby Cochrane said before the game his wildest dreams of playing in the NHL never included playing in the BOA he watched as a kid. Yet, there he was snapping in a game-tying goal midway through the second period. Off a relentless forecheck that saw Derek Ryan pick off an Ethan Bear clearing attempt and fire it at Mikko Koskinen, Dube converted the rebound with a sweet finish. Justice-served for Dube, who was robbed by Koskinen three minutes into the night.

• Cam Talbot: One of the brightest spotlights heading into the game was on the former Oiler, who earned his third-straight start and walked away with his fourth-straight win. Several of his 29 saves were pivotal, including a sprawling pad save on James Neal who was unable to convert on an open net, as he did so often as a Flame last season.

• Monahan: Continuing his focus on being more physical, he was fully engaged at both ends of the ice, finishing with an assist and a screen on Koskinen that allowed Gaudreau’s goal to find the net.

None of this is forgetting to mention the tenacity of Sam Bennett, the shot-blocking grittiness of Travis Hamonic or the forechecking of Mangiapane who almost opened the scoring in the first minute, as he did in the Flames first win in Edmonton Dec. 27.

Very few passengers.

“I agree with you – we had a solid night up and down our lineup,” said Talbot, who only had three teammates who failed to register a shot on goal.

“Gio and Brodes did a heck of a job on their top line, and Hani and Hammer did a great job as well. Our back end was extremely solid and we had a lot of support from our forwards coming back. We just got so many contributions from everyone in this room.”

For a Flames fan base that relished a memorable evening at the Dome, there were so many encouraging signs, so many delicious storylines and palpable excitement for the imminent return engagement.

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Sports

Canada’s Marina Stakusic falls in Guadalajara Open quarterfinals

Published

10 hours ago

September 13, 2024

Anne Joseph

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.

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Kirk’s walk-off single in 11th inning lifts Blue Jays past Cardinals 4-3

Published

10 hours ago

September 13, 2024

Anne Joseph

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.

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Stampeders return to Maier at QB eyeing chance to get on track against Alouettes

Published

10 hours ago

September 13, 2024

Anne Joseph

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.

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