Toronto Maple Leafs. Boston Bruins. Saturday night. Game 7.
It didn’t necessarily arrive the way we might have expected it to, but in many ways, it felt like it was always going to come down to this (8p.m. EST, Sportsnet/CBC/ESPN).
To get where you want to go in life, you usually have to triumph over your greatest obstacles. For over a decade now, no greater obstacle has been hanging over this franchise than a Game 7 in Boston. Tonight, the Leafs get yet another opportunity to slay the dragon.
This is an opportunity the Leafs have earned. After going down 3-1 in the series, the Leafs have gotten full marks in back-to-back wins to keep their season alive, tightening right up defensively, getting stability in net from Joseph Woll, and scoring just enough to win both games.
Sheldon Keefe even tinkered with a winning lineup, swapping out Ryan Reaves for Noah Gregor and moving up Kampf and Dewar to play alongside Jarnkrok in a checking matchup role against the Bruins third line that has given them some fits this series, and it turned out to be an inspired move.
Now, it’s possible Auston Matthews is back for Game 7, and they will have to shake things up yet again if that’s the case (and yes, of course, they should sit someone like Noah Gregor so that Matthews can play). If he’s still not ready — and Sheldon Keefe indicated as much — then it should be business as usual for a Leafs team that has won two straight and swung momentum in this series. The winning formula is there regardless of who is playing.
On the Bruins side, it looks like Danton Heinen and Andrew Peeke might be back. Lineup changes are expected on their side, given their losses, and they even changed their morning skate routine to try to shake out of their rut. They are reeling right now, and the first goal in this game is all the more important, given where both teams stand.
Maple Leafs’ Keys to Game 7
via Anthony Petrielli
– I am not sure if Boston is going to be nervous or come out with guns blazing at home, but I don’t really care either way. The Leafs should stick with what works: get pucks deep, cause turnovers on the forecheck, slow the game down, and grind them in ozone. A road game recipe.
– The PP needs to be sorted. If the first one goes poorly with the regular crew, change it up. Either start PP2 or mix up the units, but they need something to jolt them. The Bruins are doing a good job pressuring half-wall + point, so work it low and crash the net.
– The PK needs to continue to swarm.
– At 5v5, the Leafs’ D has been great at defending their blue line, and the forwards are tracking back really well. They are making it very difficult for BOS to get through. They need to continue that.
– Keep it simple on breakouts, and don’t give Boston anything easy. Chip it out if need be.
– Game 7 shouldn’t be about heroes; it should be about everyone doing their job and chipping in for the team’s greater good. Everyone has a role to play and has to chip in to get where they want to go. Sacrifice.
– Have some fun
– Slay the dragon.
Maple Leafs vs. Bruins — Series Shot Attempts & Heat Map (5v5)
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines*
Forwards #59 Tyler Bertuzzi – #11 Max Domi – #16 Mitch Marner #23 Matthew Knies – #91 John Tavares – #88 William Nylander #29 Pontus Holmberg – #34 Auston Matthews – #19 Calle Jarnkrok #24 Connor Dewar – #64 David Kampf – #18 Noah Gregor
Defensemen #44 Morgan Rielly – #46 Ilya Lyubushkin #2 Simon Benoit – #22 Jake McCabe #20 Joel Edmundson – #37 Timothy Liljegren
Goaltenders Starter: #35 Ilya Samsonov #30 Martin Jones
Extras: Nick Robertson, TJ Brodie, Mark Giordano, Conor Timmins, Ryan Reaves, Martin Jones, Cade Webber Injured/Out: Bobby McMann, Joseph Woll
Boston Bruins Projected Lines*
Forwards #18 Pavel Zacha – #39 Morgan Geeke – #88 David Pastrnak #63 Brad Marchand – #13 Charlie Coyle – #74 Jake DeBrusk #21 James Van Riemsdyk – #11 Trent Frederic – #55 Justin Brazeau #19 John Beecher – #70 Jesper Boqvist – #61 Patrick Maroon
Defensemen #6 Mason Lohrei – #73 Charlie McAvoy #27 Hampus Lindholm – #25 Brandon Carlo #29 Parker Wotherspoon – #12 Kevin Shattenkirk
Goaltenders Starter: #1 Jeremy Swayman #35 Linus Ullmark
Extras: Matt Grzelcyk, Derek Forbort, Jakub Lauko Injured/Out: Andrew Peeke, Danton Heinen, Milan Lucic
*Note: At playoff time, with neither coach forthcoming on lineup decisions or injury situations, the final lineups won’t be known until close to puck drop.
EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers signed defenceman Travis Dermott to a professional tryout on Friday.
Dermott, a 27-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., produced two goals, five assists and 26 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season.
The six-foot, 202-pound blueliner has also played for the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto drafted him in the second round, 34th overall, of the 2015 NHL draft.
Over seven NHL seasons, Dermott has 16 goals and 46 assists in 329 games while averaging 16:03 in ice time.
Before the NHL, Dermott played two seasons with Oilers captain Connor McDavid for the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters. The team was coached by current Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road had a blood-alcohol level of .087, above the .08 legal limit in New Jersey, a prosecutor said Friday.
Gaudreau, 31, and brother Matthew, 29, were killed in Carneys Point, New Jersey, on Aug. 29, the evening before they were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding.
The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins of nearby Woodstown, New Jersey, is charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. At a virtual court hearing Friday, a judge ordered that he be held for trial after prosecutors described a history of alleged road rage and aggressive driving.
“’You were probably driving like a nut like I always tell you you do. And you don’t listen to me, instead you just yell at me,’” his wife told Higgins when he called her from jail after his arrest, according to First Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn of Salem County.
The defense described Higgins as a married father and law-abiding citizen before the crash.
“He’s an empathetic individual and he’s a loving father of two daughters,” said defense lawyer Matthew Portella. “He’s a good person and he made a horrible decision that night.”
Higgins told police he had five or six beers that day and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint. He also failed a field sobriety test, the complaint said. A prosecutor on Friday said he had been drinking at home after finishing a work call at about 3 p.m., and having an upsetting conversation with his mother about a family matter.
He then had a two-hour phone call with a friend while he drove around in his Jeep with an open container, Flynn said. He had been driving aggressively behind a sedan going just above the 50 mph speed limit, sometimes tailgating, the female driver told police.
When she and the vehicle ahead of her slowed down and veered left to go around the cyclists, Higgins sped up and veered right, striking the Gaudreas, the two other drivers told police.
“He indicated he didn’t even see them,” said Superior Court Judge Michael J. Silvanio, who said Higgins’ admitted “impatience” caused two deaths.
Higgins faces up to 20 years, a sentence that the judge said made him a flight risk.
Higgins has a master’s degree, works in finance for an addiction treatment company, and served in combat in Iraq, his lawyers said. However, his wife said he had been drinking regularly since working from home, Flynn said.
Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.
Widows Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau described their husbands as attached at the hip throughout their lives. Both women are expecting, and both gave moving eulogies at the double funeral on Monday.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins will bring in another quarterback while starter Tua Tagovailoa deals with his latest concussion, coach Mike McDaniel said Friday.
For now, Skylar Thompson will be considered the Dolphins’ starter while Tagovailoa is sidelined. Tagovailoa left Thursday night’s 31-10 loss to Buffalo in the third quarter with the third known concussion of his NFL career, all of them coming in the last 24 months.
“The team and the organization are very confident in Skylar,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel said the team has not made any decision about whether to place Tagovailoa on injured reserve. Tagovailoa was expected at the team facility on Friday to start the process of being evaluated in earnest.
“We just have to operate in the unknown and be prepared for every situation,” McDaniel said, noting that the only opinions that will matter to the team will be the ones from Tagovailoa and the medical staff.
McDaniel added that he doesn’t see Tagovailoa playing in Miami’s next game at Seattle on Sept. 22.
“I have no idea and I’m not going to all of a sudden start making decisions that I don’t even see myself involved in the most important parts of,” McDaniel added. “All I’m telling Tua is everyone is counting on you to be a dad and be a dad this weekend. And then we’ll move from there. There won’t be any talk about where we’re going in that regard … none of that will happen without doctors’ expertise and the actual player.”
Tagovailoa was 17 for 25 passing for 145 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions — one of which was returned for a Buffalo score — when he got hurt. Thompson completed eight of 14 passes for 80 yards.
Thompson said he feels “fully equipped” to run the Dolphins’ offense.
“What’s going to lie ahead, who knows, but man, I’m confident, though,” Thompson said after Thursday’s game. “I feel like I’m ready for whatever’s to come. I’m going to prepare and work hard and do everything I can to lead this team and do my job.”
