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Toronto captain Tavares excited to get rolling with new-look Maple Leafs

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John Tavares could only watch and wait.

The Toronto Maple Leafs captain was still processing his team’s second-round playoff exit when Kyle Dubas took the stage for an emotional end-of-season news conference.

It would be the latter’s final public act with the organization.

Dubas was fired as general manager in May despite helping Toronto get over its long postseason hump after a tumultuous stretch that started with him questioning his desire to continue in the role with the cameras rolling.

Leafs president Brendan Shanahan made the decision for him shortly thereafter by dropping the hammer before hiring Brad Treliving, who had just left the Calgary Flames, as a veteran replacement.

“There’s been a tremendous amount of continuity in my time in Toronto, and probably the most significant shift and change that we’ve had,” Tavares said at this week’s NHL/NHLPA player media tour in suburban Las Vegas. “Not easy, just because you’ve been through a lot with Kyle.

“But that’s the sport, that’s the business. Unfortunately things didn’t work out.”

Now after a summer of change, Tavares and the Leafs are ready to move forward.

Treliving shook up the roster in free agency, adding a combination of skill, sandpaper and personality to the group by signing forwards Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi and Ryan Reaves, along with defenceman John Klingberg.

He then inked Auston Matthews, who could have walked into unrestricted free agency next summer, to a contract extension that commits the star centre to Toronto through the 2027-28 campaign. Treliving also extended head coach Sheldon Keefe’s current deal for two seasons beyond 2023-24.

“Brad’s come in and he’s been tremendous,” said Tavares, who signed a seven-year, US$77-million contract to come home to Toronto in the first few months of the Dubas tenure in July, 2018. “He wants to come in and just continue to elevate what we already have going on with the group and how we operate.

“Things have definitely sunk in and the page has been turned.”

Treliving mentioned on the first day of free agency he wanted to liven up the team’s culture, describing the locker room as “quiet” to reporters.

“I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” Tavares said of adding vocal pieces. “We have a very committed, a very driven group that’s under a tremendous amount of attention and spotlight. It’s good to have a balance of things and guys that can come in and bring a different type of energy.

“As he’s expressed to me, [Treliving] just wants to tweak the knobs and the dials to find the right mix to help us get to our ultimate goal.”

The Leafs defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning last spring to move on in the postseason for the first time since 2004, but were no match for the physicality of the Florida Panthers in the next round.

Tavares said Bertuzzi, Domi and Reaves, players unafraid to mix things up in the dirty areas, will help Toronto with that, along with their ability in hockey’s dark arts – the game within the game – before, during and after the play.

“It’s [personality] not just off the ice,” Tavares said. “It’s on the ice, too. These players can play. It’s not just about bringing sandpaper it’s their ability to impact the game in different areas.

“Those guys will definitely come in and bring some of that, which will help elevate that from everyone.”

Sammy’s crease

Ilya Samsonov heads into his second Toronto training camp as the team’s undisputed No. 1 goaltender after splitting duties with Matt Murray for long stretches last season.

The Russian was rewarded with a one-year, US$3.55-million contract in arbitration after posting a 27-10-5 record to go along with a .919 save percentage in 2022-23.

“He’s been hard at work,” Tavares said of the netminder cut loose by the Washington Capitals in July, 2022. “Wants to go out there and deliver. He’s a great competitor.

“He’s a very driven goalie.”

Knies up

Tavares and his family opened their home to Matthew Knies after he joined the Leafs out of U.S. college hockey for last season’s playoffs.

With another summer under the 20-year-old winger’s belt, his landlord expects big things.

“Sky’s the limit for him,” Tavares said. “Really impressed with the way he came in.”

Knies also saw his postseason cut short by a concussion after getting wrestled to the ice by Florida forward Sam Bennett in the second round.

“Definitely some things he’ll learn, especially from the playoffs and the physical nature of it,” Tavares said. “Held his own extremely well, which is not an easy thing to do. It was a bit surprising, to be honest. And then you add along his skill set. He’s got great hands, great touch, great touches with the puck, make solid plays.

“He’s a huge home run for us. His potential’s through the roof.”

 

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DeMar DeRozan scores 27 points to lead the Kings past the Raptors 122-107

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points in a record-setting performance and the Sacramento Kings beat the Toronto Raptors 122-107 on Wednesday night.

Domantas Sabonis added 17 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his third triple-double of the season for Sacramento. He shot 6 for 6 from the field and 5 for 5 at the free-throw line.

Keegan Murray chipped in with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and De’Aaron Fox scored 21.

The 35-year-old DeRozan has scored at least 20 points in each of his first eight games with the Kings, breaking a franchise mark established by Chris Webber when he reached 20 in his first seven games with Sacramento in 1999.

DeRozan spent the past three seasons with the Chicago Bulls. The six-time All-Star also has played for Toronto and San Antonio during his 16-year NBA career.

RJ Barrett had 23 points to lead the Raptors. Davion Mitchell scored 20 in his first game in Sacramento since being traded to Toronto last summer.

Takeaways

Raptors: Toronto led for most of the first three quarters before wilting in the fourth. The Raptors were outscored 33-14 in the final period.

Kings: Fox played strong defense but struggled again shooting from the floor as he is dealing with a finger injury. Fox went 5 for 17 and just 2 of 8 on 3-pointers. He is 5 for 25 from beyond the arc in his last three games.

Key moment

The Kings trailed 95-89 early in the fourth before going on a 9-0 run that gave them the lead for good. DeRozan started the spurt with a jumper, and Malik Monk scored the final seven points.

Key stat

Sabonis had the eighth game in the NBA since at least 1982-83 with a triple-double while missing no shots from the field or foul line. The previous player to do it was Josh Giddey for Oklahoma City against Portland on Jan. 11.

Up next

Raptors: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night, the third stop on a five-game trip.

Kings: Host the Clippers on Friday night.

___

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Whitecaps take confidence, humility into decisive playoff matchup vs. LAFC

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VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps are one win away from moving on to the next round of the Major League Soccer playoffs.

To get there, however, the Whitecaps will need to pull off the improbable by defeating the powerhouse Los Angeles FC for a second straight game.

Vancouver blanked the visitors 3-0 on Sunday to level their best-of-three first-round playoff series at a game apiece. As the matchup shifts back to California for a decisive Game 3 on Friday, the Whitecaps are looking for a repeat performance, said striker Brian White.

“We take the good and the bad from last game, learn from what we could have done better and go to LAFC with confidence and, obviously, with a whole lot of respect,” he said.

“We know that we can go there and give them a very good fight and hopefully come away with a win.”

The winner of Friday’s game will face the No. 4-seed Seattle Sounders in a one-game Western Conference semifinal on Nov. 23 or 24.

The ‘Caps finished the regular season eighth in the west with a 13-13-8 record and have since surprised many with their post-season play.

First, Vancouver trounced its regional rivals, the Portland Timbers, 5-0 in a wild-card game. Then, the squad dropped a tightly contested 2-1 decision to the top-seeded L.A. before posting a decisive home victory on Sunday.

Vancouver has scored seven goals this post-season, second only to the L.A. Galaxy (nine). Vancouver also leads the league in expected goals (6.84) through the playoffs.

No one outside of the club expected the Whitecaps to win when the Vancouver-L. A. series began, said defender Ranko Veselinovic.

“We’ve shown to ourselves that we can compete with them,” he said.

Now in his fifth season with the ‘Caps, Veselinovic said Friday’s game will be the biggest he’s played for the team.

“We haven’t had much success in the playoffs so, definitely, this is the one that can put our season on another level,” he said.

This is the second year in a row the Whitecaps have faced LAFC in the first round of the playoffs and last year, Vancouver was ousted in two straight games.

The team isn’t thinking about revenge as it prepares for Game 3, White said.

“More importantly than (beating LAFC), we want to get to the next round,” he said. “LAFC’s a very good team. We’ve come up against them a number of times in different competitions and they always seem to get the better of us. So it’d be huge for us to get the better of them this time.”

Earning a win last weekend required slowing L.A.’s transition game and limiting offensive opportunities for the team’s big stars, including Denis Bouanga.

Those factors will be important again on Friday, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini, who warned that his team could face a different style of game.

“I think the most important thing is going to be to match their intensity at the beginning of the game,” he said. “Because I think they’re going to come at us a million miles per hour.”

The ‘Caps will once again look to captain Ryan Gauld for some offensive firepower. The Scottish attacking midfielder leads MLS in playoff goals with five and has scored in all three of Vancouver’s post-season appearances this year.

Gearing up for another do-or-die matchup is exciting, Gauld said.

“Knowing it’s a winner-takes-all kind of game, being in that kind of environment is nice,” he said. “It’s when you see the best in players.”

LAFC faces the bulk of the pressure heading into the matchup, Sartini said, given the club’s appearances in the last two MLS Cup finals and its 2022 championship title.

“They’re supposed to win and we are not,” the coach said. “But it’s beautiful to have a little bit of pressure on us, too.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

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PWHL unveils game jerseys with new team names, logos

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TORONTO – The Professional Women’s Hockey League has revealed the jersey designs for its six newly named teams.

Each PWHL team operated under its city name, with players wearing jerseys featuring the league’s logo in its inaugural season before names and logos were announced last month.

The Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens will start the PWHL’s second season on Nov. 30 with jerseys designed to reflect each team’s identity and to be sold to the public as replicas.

Led by PWHL vice-president of brand and marketing Kanan Bhatt-Shah, the league consulted Creative Agency Flower Shop to design the jerseys manufactured by Bauer, the PWHL said Thursday in a statement.

“Players and fans alike have been waiting for this moment and we couldn’t be happier with the six unique looks each team will don moving forward,” said PWHL senior vice president of business operations Amy Scheer.

“These jerseys mark the latest evolution in our league’s history, and we can’t wait to see them showcased both on the ice and in the stands.”

Training camps open Tuesday with teams allowed to carry 32 players.

Each team’s 23-player roster, plus three reserves, will be announced Nov. 27.

Each team will play 30 regular-season games, which is six more than the first season.

Minnesota won the first Walter Cup on May 29 by beating Boston three games to two in the championship series.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

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