The Maple Leafs practised at Ford Performance Centre on Sunday.
The Leafs held the Oilers to just 20 shots on Saturday night, but a couple moments of brilliance from Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl forced them to chase the game.
“Two really good players and then put them together and,” defenceman Jake Muzzin said before pausing and starting to laugh, “it’s a lot. They look for each other. They find each other. You can’t make a mistake. You can’t let up. You just got to be on every second they’re on the ice, because they can make you pay. So, it is what it is, man.”
On Edmonton’s second goal, McDavid jumped on a loose puck after Justin Holl failed to knock down a clearance at the offensive blue line. The Toronto defenceman did a good job of skating back hard and keeping McDavid to the outside, but the National Hockey League’s scoring leader still managed to find the reigning Hart Trophy winner for a one-timer goal. Muzzin was back in time, but couldn’t get his stick on the pass. McDavid took a peek back during the rush up ice, but didn’t look at Draisaitl when he fired the pass.
“I don’t know if there’s many players in the league that can make that pass and I don’t know if there’s many players in the league that can make that shot,” said Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe. “I’m not sure if people appreciate just how difficult that shot is. There’s maybe less than five players in the world that will make that shot. So, you got the combination of the pass and the shot together and it just goes to show you how dangerous it is and how good you got to be.”
Saturday was the first time this season that Edmonton deployed their two top weapons consistently together on the same line against the Leafs.
“We got to be better,” said Keefe. “When you make a mistake when they’re out there, they’re that much more dangerous. It’s not just one guy that you got to contend with.”
On the third Edmonton goal, Draisaitl knocked down a Muzzin pass behind the Leafs’ net and fed Tyson Barrie at the opposite point. The Oilers defenceman sent the puck back to Draisaitl, who made a no-look, backhand pass from behind the net back to the ex-Leaf, who had moved into the slot. Holl was at the side of the net looking to deny a pass to McDavid.
The Leafs eventually pulled off a comeback win to improve to 6-1-1 this season against the high-octane Oilers, including four straight wins. Toronto’s only regulation loss to Edmonton this season was the first game between the two teams way back on Jan. 20. Three of the victories by the Leafs came without the league’s leading goal scorer, Auston Matthews, in the lineup.
“We know we’re going against another highly skilled, top end skill-set over there so maybe we’re a little more dialled in defensively,” Muzzin mused. “We’re a little tighter. Our back-checks are a little harder. We’re not giving free ice out there so maybe it’s something to do with that.”
The Oilers are averaging two goals per game against the Leafs this season and 4.4 goals per game against the rest of the North Division.
“How dangerous their best people are, it really challenges us to be really focused and very committed defensively and taking care of the puck,” Keefe noted, “and just having so much respect for the opponent.”
NHL: Oilers 3, Maple Leafs 4 (OT)
Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid combined for five points in the second period to give the Oilers a 3-1 lead but the Maple Leafs battled back to tie it in the third before Auston Matthews sealed the comeback victory for Toronto in overtime with his 22nd goal of the season.
—
On Saturday night, Jack Campbell allowed more than two goals in a game for the first time this season.
“I’m not going to sugarcoat it, I just didn’t have it,” he admitted afterwards. “Didn’t like my game one bit. We won the hockey game so it makes it a little bit easier. I’ll have a good practice and we’ll go from there.”
But Campbell didn’t get a chance to take the ice at practice. He was held out for a maintenance day. The team is being cautious with Campbell’s workload since he returned from injury on March 20. He twice hurt his leg this season and now, with Frederik Andersen sidelined, is playing a string of games in a row.
“He’s a tough critic on himself but, if you guys know Soup, that’s just kind of the way he is,” said Muzzin, who also played with Campbell in Los Angeles. “He put it on himself, but it’s definitely a team thing and not just Soupy, obviously.”
Saturday was Campbell’s third straight start and the schedule is starting to get really busy. How big is the adjustment?
“Honestly, it’s normally pretty easy, because you get in a nice rhythm and you’re not thinking so much and you just go out and play,” Campbell said. “That’s typically when everybody’s at their best is when you’re just having fun and playing and, for whatever reason, I was thinking a little bit [on Saturday night] but I’m not too worried about it. I didn’t like my game, but I know what to do to fix it.”
Keefe suggested the goalie, who is a perfect 6-0-0 this season, was being a bit too hard on himself.
“You got to be even keel, especially the more you play,” the coach said. “You got to recognize there’s going to be ups and downs. Jack definitely feels like he wasn’t at his best last night.”
Keefe pointed out that Campbell made key stops late in the third period to keep the Leafs in the game.
“It was 3-2 and McDavid is basically in all alone on Campbell and he makes a huge save for us,” the coach noted. “At 3-3, two and a half minutes left, [Darnell] Nurse is in basically alone on a two-on-one, we get a huge save. Those are game-saving saves and he stood tall on those and gave us a chance. If one of those goes in, we’re leaving the game without any points and we’re disappointed here today … There’s something to be said about that, when it’s time to make a save, you make it no matter how you’re playing and he did that for us last night. He’s got no reason to be hard on himself today.”
Andersen, again, was not on the ice and hasn’t skated since March 19 as he deals with a nagging lower-body injury. There was no further update on his status.
Veini Vehviläinen skated with the team for the first time since being acquired in a trade from Columbus.
“We’ve been through a lot with our goaltenders this season and the more guys we have available to us the better,” Keefe said. “We’ll just take it a day at a time and let the organization get more familiar with him and allow him to get more familiar with his surroundings.”
Leafs Ice Chips: Maintenance day for ‘tough critic’ Campbell
Jack Campbell was not impressed with his own play in the win over the Oilers on Saturday and was eager to get back on the ice at practice to work on his game. Instead, Sheldon Keefe opted to give Campbell a maintenance day as the team tries to manage his workload with Frederik Andersen still out with a nagging injury.
—
While Campbell kept the Leafs in the game down the stretch, the second line stepped up in a big way at the other end.
Alex Galchenyuk, who started the game on the fourth line, was promoted to the left wing spot with John Tavares and William Nylander and picked up a pair of assists.
“They just looked really committed to making a difference,” Keefe said. “Galchenyuk, in a lot of ways, really drove the line with the speed and work ethic he had off the puck and [gave] those other guys a little more space with it.”
“He’s been flying around out there,” said Nylander. “I mean, heavy forecheck, getting pucks back and obviously making some great plays on the goals last night.”
Galchenyuk owns a deadly shot of his own, but has impressed his new teammates the most with a positive attitude and determined approach. The 27-year-old is eager to make things work in Toronto after bouncing around between teams the last few years.
“He’s the hardest-working guy on the team right now,” said Muzzin. “It’s contagious. When you see a guy working like that you want to continue working. He’s done a great job for us and we’re going to need him to continue.”
Galchenyuk played three straight games with Tavares and Nylander before Wayne Simmonds took that spot to start Saturday’s game.
Tavares, Nylander growing in confidence as Galchenyuk provides a spark
It hasn’t been the smoothest season for John Tavares and William Nylander, but on Saturday night, Toronto’s second line came to life, sparking a third period comeback against the Oilers. Tavares scored his fourth goal in five-on-five play this season, while Nylander snapped a four-game drought and newcomer Alex Galchenyuk deserves a lot of the credit. Mark Masters has more.
—
Tavares, Nylander and Galchenyuk stayed out late after Sunday’s practice to fine tune their skills and have some fun. Tavares won a shootout game and the normally reserved captain raised his arm in celebration as he skated off the ice.
The line was all smiles throughout Sunday’s workout.
“I think the confidence for us scoring those goals is going to help our line a lot,” said Nylander.
Saturday’s goal was just the fourth in five-on-five play for Tavares this season.
“Nice to get one, obviously,” Tavares said. “It’s a big part of my game and this year it hasn’t seemed to be as consistent as I’d like. I’m doing some good things and just trying to stay with it.”
What’s been missing?
“I’m still trying to figure some things out,” Tavares said. “It’s not a perfect science. Some of them I just have to bear down on my opportunities. I’m good around the net, finding rebounds and plays in-tight, and I haven’t seemed to get as many of those as I’d like so I think that’s one area.”
Keefe has repeatedly pointed out that Tavares has made strides defensively. He finished last season at minus-seven and has improved to plus-12 so far this year.
“I know I can’t sacrifice that part of the game and only worry about producing,” the 30-year-old said. “I want to be, in all facets, relied upon so just continue to work at it and find my balance and hopefully you’re able to really connect those two parts of your game. That’s always the goal.”
‘It’s not a perfect science’: Tavares seeks to be a more consistent goal scorer
John Tavares scored just his fourth five-on-five goal of the season on Saturday night. “It’s a big part of my game and this year it hasn’t seemed to be as consistent as I’d like,” the Leafs captain admitted. “It’s not a perfect science … I’m good around the net, finding rebounds and plays in-tight and I haven’t seemed to get as many of those as I’d like.” Tavares, however, is playing better defensively this season.
—
Tavares has scored five of his 10 goals this season on the power play despite spending a lot of time on the second unit. But, at practice on Sunday, Tavares was promoted to the bumper spot on the top unit, which features Matthews and Mitch Marner on the flanks, Simmonds in front of the net and Morgan Rielly up top.
“A way to get John a little more involved and have that option available to us,” Keefe explained. “There’s a lot of positive signs there with our power play and I think we’re on the verge of getting it back into the net.”
The Leafs are 1/22 on the power play over the last 10 games.
“We need to get some more action around the net,” said Simmonds. “Teams have tried to take away Mitchy and Auston a little bit more. Not a little bit more, a lot more, and we need to find ways to counteract that and that’s what we’ve been working on. That’s why you see Johnny go in the slot there so we have another great shooting option in the middle.”
Joe Thornton moved to the second unit at practice.
‘It’s not a perfect science’: Tavares seeks to be a more consistent goal scorer
John Tavares scored just his fourth five-on-five goal of the season on Saturday night. “It’s a big part of my game and this year it hasn’t seemed to be as consistent as I’d like,” the Leafs captain admitted. “It’s not a perfect science … I’m good around the net, finding rebounds and plays in-tight and I haven’t seemed to get as many of those as I’d like.” Tavares, however, is playing better defensively this season.
—
Simmonds has one assist and five shots on net in four games since returning to the lineup. He missed six weeks with a broken wrist and hasn’t shaken off all the rust yet.
“It’s coming along,” he said. “Obviously, I don’t think I’ve been playing the greatest at the moment, but every day my wrist is getting better and I’m able to do different things. I need to be a lot better. I’m going to be a lot better. I need to start contributing now that I’m back in the lineup.”
Simmonds had been heating up before the injury with five goals in six games.
“It’s not about points to me,” he stressed. “It’s being able to shoot as hard as I can, go into the boards and be able to dig and have one hand on my stick and just be strong and confident with the wrist. Every day that is going to another level [as] it’s healing more. My first two games I probably wasn’t able to shoot the puck, but I was able to do other things to contribute to the team and the last couple games were a lot better. But I got to find my timing here and be better.”
As wrist gets stronger, Leafs’ Simmonds vows to be better
Wayne Simmonds admitted to the media on Sunday that his wrist still doesn’t feel 100%, but he continues to make progress with each passing day. Simmonds recognized that his game isn’t where he wants it to be and vowed that he will be a lot better as he inches closer to full strength.
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.
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.
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.
