Sports
Edmonton Oilers rewarded for patient game with a 3-2 OT win in Detroit, win 9 straight
The Edmonton Oilers dominated the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, out shooting the wings 47-17 in a patient performance. The only things that kept the Red Wings in this one was luck, some favorable calls (and non-calls) and the superlative goaltending of Detroit’s Alex Lyon. Lyon was quite righty awarded the game’s 1st Star.
The NHL apparently had no recourse for Darnell Nurse’s OT winner.
Here is the tale of the tape…
CALVIN PICKARD. 7. Sharp early save on Fischer and then batted the rebound away himself. Good stop in close on Larkin a couple shifts later. Then after a long stretch with no shots steered aside a Kane shot with his stick at the 2nd of the 1st Frame. Cleaned up a bouncing puck that had eaten up Darnell Nurse with a high blocker save. A fine stop on Fisher. Double stops on Raymond to start the 3rd. Beaten on the 1-0 by a point shot which featured a clip of his glove in front which the NHL did not see fit to rule as Goalie Interference. Got a glove on a shot that subsequently rang off both posts and out. It would have been 2-0 Detroit at that juncture. Unlucky on the 2-2, a wild deflection off Nurse’s shin. You will take this from your organizational #3 netminder every day of the week and twice on Sundays.
RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS. 7. Solid work on the wall which led to an excellent Hyman chance in the 1st. Very nearly batted home a deflection after a hard play by Hyman behind the goal line. Helped win a critical zone clear on the PK after the failed Coach’s Challenge. Won a battle in front that enabled him to putt a pass back to Hyman for the 2-1. Fine work on the PK. +3. Playing some of his very best hockey.
ZACH HYMAN. 8. On a major-league roll. Rang a crossbar part way through the 1st Period. A head’s-up interception negated a Detroit attack. A dangerous chance late in the 1st after a McDavid feed. A poke check disrupted his charge to the net after a fine 3-way passing play. Helped create a close-in chance for Nugent-Hopkins late in the 2nd. Hammered home a Nugent-Hopkins pass for the 2-1. Primary assist on the OT winner. +3. 5v5 CF 34-15, 69%. Hard to imagine him not being an NHL All Star.
CODY CECI. 6. A season high 3 1st Period shots. Excellent close on DeBrincat on a 2nd Period PK. Solid.
LEON DRAISAITL. 6. 1st Period shot block. Turn-around shot on a 1st Period PP plus a hard back-check to disrupt a Detroit short-handed chance. Could not quite convert a good Foegele pass in the 2nd. Intercepted an errant Larkin pass and nearly drained it 5-hole. A slick backhand pass to 97 who could not cash. In on a 3-way play that Foegele could not drain. A shift later, a phenomenal backhand pass that Foegele also could not finish. 3 shots. No points but a going concern for Detroit all game long. 80% on draws.
WARREN FOEGELE. 6. A bunch of demanding work along the walls in the 1st. A fine feed to Draisaitl early in the 2nd who just missed converting. 3rd Period shot at the end of a 3-way play with Draisaitl and McLeod. Could not drain a Draisaitl back-hand feed either. Good PK work.
MATTIAS EKHOLM. 8. A tower of power. Good shot block in the 1st. A double-clear on a 2nd Period PK. His hard shot nearly converted into the 1-0 on a baseball-like swing by Nugent-Hopkins. A major force in front on the 2-1 goal, a major reason that goal was scored and a well-deserved assist for his efforts. A hit and 4 shots in a team leading 24:13. And he consistently put put one Detroit spark after another. High Dangers 5v5 7-0 with him on the ice!
EVAN BOUCHARD. 4. Bouchard has taken a major step forward this season but was a turnover machine tonight. 1st Period shot. A turnover in the 1st and two more early in the 2nd. Then took an ill-advised holding penalty but his mates killed that off. Set up McDavid for a late 2nd Period look. Another turnover on the PP but recovered with a desperate stick. Another turnover in the 3rd. A hard finish on Copp in his own zone. The Fancy Stats made him look way better than he in reality was.
EVANDER KANE. 4. 1st Period hit. Excellent back check early in the 2nd on Seider. He and Ryan lost a puck battle on the wall leading to the 1-0. Appeared to have won the game late but the goal was called back for a hand pass. -2. Had his moments in this one but not quite back to his usual level, yet.
MATTIAS JANMARK. 5. A high shot gave the goalie trouble in the back half of the 1st. A hard play in the Detroit zone drew an Oilers Power Play. Solid & reliable.
VINCENT DESHARNAIS. 7. Sent a shot-pass into the high slot which Derek Ryan very nearly deflected home. A terrific PK shift in the 2nd with 2 interceptions and a shot block in the same shift. High Dangers 2-0 5v5. He was very good.
JAMES HAMBLIN. 4. Important shot block in the 1st, then same shift stole a puck which Janmark concerted into a good chance. Went pretty quiet after that. But in fairness, he did not see a lot of ice, either.
CONNOR BROWN. 4. Managed a close in shot on the PP in the 1st. Gave up way too much gap up top on the 1-0. Good on the PK. Otherwise, rarely seems “involved”. -2.
ADAM ERNE. 5. Punched a puck through coverage which Ceci managed to direct on net. 2nd Period hit. Solid zone clear deep into the 3rd.
Edmonton is 17-3-0 in their last 20, and sit at 22-15-1, 45 points…good for the first wildcard position in the West and a mere 3 points back of L.A. for 3rd in the Pacific.
The Oilers are in Montreal Saturday.
Find me on Threads @kleavins, on Instagram at LeavinsOnHockey, Mastodon at KurtLeavins@mstdn.social, and X @KurtLeavins.
NEW YORK – Toronto Blue Jays reliever Chad Green and Canadian slugger Tyler O’Neill of the Boston Red Sox were named finalists for the Major League Baseball Players’ Association’s American League comeback player award on Monday.
Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet was the other nominee.
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. were named player of the year finalists.
The award winners, selected via player voting, will be named Saturday before Game 2 of the World Series.
Green, who missed most of the 2022 and ’23 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, was a high-leverage option for the Blue Jays this past season and filled in at closer over the second half of the campaign.
The right-hander converted his first 16 save opportunities and finished the year with a 4-6 record, 17 saves and a 3.21 earned-run average over 53 appearances.
O’Neill, a native of Burnaby, B.C., also endured back-to-back injury-plagued seasons in ’22 and ’23.
After being traded to the Red Sox in the off-season, O’Neill set an MLB record by hitting a homer in his fifth straight Opening Day. He finished with 31 homers on the year and had an OPS of .847.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Sports
Duke’s Cooper Flagg makes preseason AP All-America team as ACC, Big 12, SEC each place 2 players
Alabama’s Mark Sears and North Carolina‘s RJ Davis looked into the possibility of leaving for the NBA before deciding to return for another college season.
Their decisions helped their teams earn top-10 rankings in the AP Top 25 and earned both players some preseason honors, too.
Sears was a near-unanimous selection for The Associated Press preseason All-America men’s basketball team released Monday, earning all but one vote from a 55-person national media panel. Davis was right behind him, nabbing 51 votes.
They were joined by Kansas big man Hunter Dickinson, Auburn forward Johni Broome, Arizona guard Caleb Love and Duke freshman Cooper Flagg. Love and Flagg tied for the final spot, creating a six-man team that includes only the ACC, Big 12 and SEC.
Alabama twin bill
Sears was a key cog in the Crimson Tide’s first trip to the Final Four a year ago, orchestrating one of college basketball’s highest-scoring teams.
The 6-foot-1 guard was named a second-team AP All-America after averaging 21.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He was the first Division I player in 31 years to have 795 points, 150 rebounds, 145 assists and 95 three-pointers in a single season while breaking the Alabama single-season record with 26 games with at least 20 points.
Sears worked out for NBA scouts during the offseason before deciding to return to Alabama, earning the Crimson Tide a No. 2 ranking in the preseason AP Top 25.
“I saw the team that we had and I wanted to be a part of it, and bring home Alabama’s first national championship in basketball,” Sears said.
Across the state at rival Auburn, Broome made a quick decision about his future, announcing in April that he would be back for a fifth season.
The 6-10 forward was a third-team AP All-American last season after averaging 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting nearly 55% from the floor. With an eye on an NBA future, Broome worked hard on his perimeter shooting during the offseason and his return earned Auburn a No. 11 preseason ranking.
“My main goal is a team goal, which is to win the national championship, to make it as far as I can in March Madness,” Broome said. “When a team shines, everyone shines individually.”
Along Tobacco Road
Like Sears, Davis has similar aspirations after opting to return for his fifth season at North Carolina.
The 6-foot guard was an AP All-American last season and the ACC player of the year after averaging 21.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists on a team that reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Davis enters this year within reach of former North Carolina big man Tyler Hansbrough’s all-time ACC scoring record.
“I know there’s more work to be done,” Davis said. “I know my jersey’s not going up until I leave. So there’s some more records to break and some more work to be done. I’m satisfied but I’m not satisfied, if that makes sense.”
Up the road at Duke, Flagg was the only underclassman on the preseason All-America team after arriving with tons of hype. The 6-9 swingman was the No. 1-rated high school recruit out of Newport, Maine and has been projected as the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.
Flagg has the skills of a guard, but can also play inside and has worked hard on his perimeter shooting, giving him the potential to be one of college basketball’s most versatile players. He’s part of a stellar recruiting class that has No. 7 Duke eyeing a deep March run.
Big 12 duo
Dickinson was the biggest move in the transfer portal last spring after leaving Michigan for Kansas. The 7-2 center lived up to the billing, averaging 17.9 points and 10.9 rebounds while leading the Jayhawks back to the NCAA Tournament.
With Dickinson’s return and an influx of talented transfers, Kansas is ranked No. 1 going into the season that begins Nov. 4.
Love’s decision to return for a second season at No. 10 Arizona has ratcheted up expectations in the desert for the Big 12 rival of Kansas.
The athletic 6-4 guard had a high-scoring career at North Carolina and continued it after transferring to Arizona last season. He was the Pac-12 player of the year and a third-team All-American after averaging 18 points per game and making 92 3-pointers.
Love tested the NBA waters this summer before deciding to return.
“He’s had a very successful college career thus far,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “He’s kind of this last generation of player that’s going to get better with this extra year, and so I just encourage him to take advantage of it.”
____
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Sports
Browns QB Deshaun Watson ruptured his Achilles tendon and is out for the season, AP source says
CLEVELAND (AP) — Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will miss the rest of Cleveland‘s season after rupturing his right Achilles tendon on Sunday against Cincinnati, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday.
Watson was injured on a non-contact play in the second quarter of Cleveland’s 21-14 loss to the Bengals.
Watson will soon undergo surgery, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the results of imaging tests taken on his leg.
It’s the second significant injury in two seasons for Watson, who broke the glenoid (socket) bone in his throwing shoulder last year.
The 29-year-old Watson went down without being touched on a draw play late in the first half. His right leg buckled and Watson collapsed to the turf. TV replays showed his calf rippling, consistent with an Achilles injury.
As he laid on the ground, there was cheering by some Cleveland fans, leading to some of Watson’s teammates criticizing that behavior during the team’s fifth straight loss.
The injury is yet another twist in Watson’s divisive stay with the Browns.
Cleveland traded three first-round draft picks to Houston and signed him to a fully guaranteed $230 million in 2022. The deal came amid Watson being accused by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and harassment during massage therapy sessions. He settled civil lawsuits in all but one of those cases.
Watson was suspended by the NFL for his first 11 games with the Browns and then made just six starts last season before hurting his shoulder.
___
AP NFL:
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Mexican schools have 6 months to ban sale of junk food or face heavy fines
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