The Golden Knights and Canucks played only twice in the regular season, splitting the contests both staged in December. That seems like decades ago in pandemic time, so this series will surely surprise us.
What we learned in the first round: The Canucks went from potential contender to actual contender. Their qualification round win over the Minnesota Wild was proof of concept: That their talented offensive group could overcome a solid defensive team at 5-on-5, use the power play to put goals on the board and have goalie Jacob Markstrom do the rest. The formula was reapplied in their six-game series win over the St. Louis Blues. They weren’t always the best team in the series, but they certainly were the most animated. Their power play went 7-for-13 in their wins and 0-for-10 in their losses. Markstrom was the best goalie in the series. In summary, St. Louis: tired; Vancouver: wired.
The Golden Knights didn’t offer any surprises in the first round, and that’s fine: They rolled four lines, had strong two-way play and exhibited their goaltending depth in a five-game series win against Chicago. In eight playoff games, the Knights have a 62.11% expected goals percentage at 5-on-5, which is best in the league. This is a Vancouver team that excels at generating offense against a Vegas team that can match that output, while playing championship-level defense. And both teams can get a little nasty.
First line: The Canucks’ line of Elias Pettersson with Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller might win the prize for most creative of the postseason, thanks to Pettersson’s offensive invention. They didn’t dominate (49.48% expected goals percentage), but they’ve outscored their opponents 4-1 at even strength. Vegas has two lines that could be considered their best: Paul Stastny with Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith, along with William Karlsson with Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone. Based on ice time, we’ll go with the latter group as their top line. They can score, but more importantly they can defend, as Karlsson and Stone are among the league’s best two-way forwards. Advantage: Tie
Forward depth: It’s not the Marchessault line, but Vancouver’s second line of Bo Horvat, Loui Eriksson and Tanner Pearson has been strong. With the injured Tyler Toffoli nearing his return, it’ll be interesting to see on which line coach Travis Green slots him. Both teams have solid depth behind those featured lines. In Vancouver’s case, the play of their bottom six helped turn the series against St. Louis: Tyler Motte (four goals), Antoine Roussel (four points), Jake Virtanen and Jay Beagle, who scored the opening goal in Game 6. Brandon Sutter is also in the mix. The Knights’ third line is anchored by Alex Tuch (four goals), one of the true X factors in the postseason. He can be a physical force and a difference maker. He’s usually skating with Nick Cousins and Nicolas Roy. Ryan Reaves and William Carrier are as effective a fourth-line duo as you’ll find. Vegas’ ace in the hole? Chandler Stephenson, who can play up and down the lineup. (Frankly, the best version of their top line might be the one with Stephenson on it.) Advantage: Golden Knights
Defense: The Canucks’ third-leading scorer is a rookie defenseman. Calder Trophy finalist Quinn Hughes has 10 points in the postseason, skating with veteran Chris Tanev. Seven of those points have come on the power play, but Hughes is seeing more defensive assignments after being sheltered in the qualification round. Alexander Edler and Troy Stecher have chipped in offensively but have given up their share defensively (46.9% in expected goals percentage). The team hopes Tyler Myers is available this round after suffering a slightly separated shoulder. Jordie Benn and Oscar Fantenberg are also in the mix. For Vegas, trade deadline acquisitions Alec Martinez and Shea Theodore have created one of the playoffs’ better pairings. Brayden McNabb and Nate Schmidt continue to be a steady duo. Nick Holden and Zach Whitecloud — the Golden Knights’ own rookie defenseman — have also been effective. Deryk Engelland and Jon Merrill are waiting in the wings. Advantage: Tie
Goaltending:Robin Lehner had the crease in four of five games against the Blackhawks. He’s 5-1 in the playoffs but hasn’t quite been at his best yet (minus-2.26 goals saved above average). Marc-Andre Fleury calmed some fears about his game with a strong win over Chicago. But Markstrom has been incredible in this postseason with a plus-4.05 goals saved above average (fourth best in the playoffs). He’s 7-3 with a .929 save percentage. If Lehner gets the crease again, it’ll be a battle between two unrestricted free agents showing off in the spotlight. On paper, Vegas has the advantage here. But in the playoffs so far, Markstrom’s been the better goalie. Advantage: Canucks
Coaching: The strange journey of Peter DeBoer continues. He was fired by the Sharks and then hired by the Golden Knights to replace Gerard Gallant; in other words, taking over for the first coach in franchise history, as one of the franchise’s most notable villains during his time in San Jose. He has them playing well, has expertly juggled the lineup and has much more playoff experience than his counterpart. The days of calling Travis Green underrated are over. He has done a remarkable job managing this lineup, and in keeping a young team in line after the Blues looked like they might be taking over the series. Advantage: Golden Knights
Special teams: The Canucks are clicking at 26.2% on the power play in 10 games, while the Knights converted at 19.1%. But Vegas has the advantage on the penalty kill, converted at an 86.4% rate compared to a respectable 81.0% for the Canucks. Special teams are going to be an enormous factor here, and the Knights may have an advantage in their discipline: At 2.93 penalties per 60 minutes, Vegas is the second-least penalized team in the postseason. Vancouver has drawn more (5.51) than anyone still playing. So that’s a key development to watch. Advantage: Canucks
Prediction: Golden Knights in six. The Canucks are going to be a very tough out. GM Jim Benning has stealthily created a roster with the kind of balance — offense, defense and sandpaper — you want in a contender. They’ve upped their defensive game considerably. They were better than Minnesota. They caught the Blues flat-footed, undermanned and with an imploding goaltender. They get Vegas at time when the Knights looked composed, calculated and playing considerably well, with room for improvement. The series could come down to who wins the battle between the top two lines. We’ll take Vegas in that battle to advance, but the Canucks are primed for another upset.
TORONTO – The Toronto Raptors are expected to confirm today that Vince Carter’s No. 15 will be the first number to be retired by the NBA franchise.
Carter will attend an MLSE Foundation event this afternoon at the renovated Vince Carter Court at a park in the city’s northwest end.
Raptors president and vice-chairman Masai Ujiri will also be on hand along with some current players and city officials.
Reports this week said that Canada’s lone NBA team would honour Carter on Nov. 2 when Toronto plays the Sacramento Kings at Scotiabank Arena.
Carter, an eight-time all-star, played parts of seven seasons with the Raptors. He was named NBA rookie of the year in 1999 and won the Slam Dunk Contest in 2000.
He was the Raptors’ first superstar and is credited for raising the profile of the team and igniting enthusiasm for basketball across Canada.
Carter guided the Raptors to the Eastern Conference semifinal in 2001. Toronto had a chance to beat the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 but Carter’s shot at the buzzer hit the rim and bounced out.
He asked for a trade in 2004 and was dealt to New Jersey in a mid-season deal that saw the Raptors receive little in return. The Nets, who are now based in Brooklyn, plan to retire Carter’s number in January.
Carter played 22 seasons in the NBA before retiring after the 2019-20 season. He’ll be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame next month.
The Raptors are celebrating their 30th anniversary this season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 27, 2024.
NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 58th home run, going deep for the fifth straight game to help the New York Yankees wrap up their second AL East title in three years with a 10-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night.
Giancarlo Stanton had four RBIs that included his 27th homer, Alex Verdugo also homered and Gerrit Cole outpitched Corbin Burnes in a possible postseason preview. Judge and Stanton homered in the same game for the 14th time this year, tying Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris in 1961 for the most in Yankees history.
New York assured itself a first-round bye and home-field advantage in a best-of-five AL Division Series starting Oct. 5.
Baltimore, which clinched a postseason berth by winning Tuesday night’s opener of the three-game series, will be in a best-of-three Wild Card Series starting Tuesday.
Stanton homered in the second to put the Yankees ahead and hit a three-run double in a six-run sixth.
Judge hit a two-run homer in the seventh against Bryan Baker and has 144 RBIs, the most in the major leagues since Ryan Howard’s 146 in 2008. Judge matched his career best by homering in five consecutive games.
Making his last start before the playoffs, Cole (8-5) allowed two hits in 6 2/3 innings, struck out five and walked one, lowering his ERA to 3.41. He struck out Anthony Santander with a 98.1 mph fastball that ended the eighth after plate umpire David Rackley called a ball on the previous pitch, a knuckle-curve that appeared to be just above the strike zone. Cole glared as the umpire as the pitcher walked back to the dugout.
Cole was given a standing ovation when he walked to the dugout with two outs in the seventh and tipped his cap to the crowd of 42,022.
Burnes (15-9) allowed two hits in five innings, one walk and nine strikeouts — including eight on cutters. Burnes came out after 69 pitches and is likely to start the Orioles’ postseason opener on Tuesday. He had a 1.20 ERA in five September starts.
Stanton lofted a slider at the bottom of the strike zone into the left-field seats after missing badly at a slider on the prior pitch.
Austin Wells, in a 4-for-42 slide, forced in a run when he walked with the bases loaded against Cionel Pérez. Stanton drove the next pitch on one hop to the wall in right-center for a 5-1 lead. Stanton has 72 RBIs after hitting 6 for 18 with two doubles, two homers and eight RBIs in his last five games.
Anthony Rizzo added a two-run single against Baker.
Emmanuel Rivera hit a ninth-inning sacrifice fly for the Orioles.
UP NEXT
Orioles: LHP Cade Povich (2-9, 5.59) starts a series opener at Minnesota on Friday, when LHP Pablo López (15-9, 4.11) will be on the mound for the Twins.
Yankees: LHP Carlos Rodón (16-9, 3.98), 7-2 with a 2.87 ERA since the All-Star break. starts Friday’s series opener against Pirates RHP Jared Jones (6-8, 4.14).
OTTAWA – Noah Ostlund scored the overtime winner for the Buffalo Sabres in a 3-2 pre-season win over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.
Buffalo’s lineup had a combined total of just over 100 NHL games of experience as most of its regular roster is in Munich, Germany for the upcoming Global Series Challenge.
Felix Sandstrom made 14 saves for the Sabres (4-0-0). Josh Dunne and Isak Rosen had the Buffalo goals.
Adam Gaudette and Noah Gregor scored for Ottawa. Linus Ullmark made his first start in a Senators (3-1-0) uniform and didn’t disappoint, stopping 28 of 29 shots through 30 minutes of play.
Dustin Tokarski made 10 saves over a period and a half.
Ottawa opened the scoring at 7:55 after Carter Yakemchuk made a great defensive play to create a turnover. Gregor was then sent down the wing and he beat Sandstrom on the glove side.
Buffalo tied the game at the 10-minute mark. Vsevolod Komarov made a cross-crease pass to Dunne who stepped into the faceoff circle and beat Ullmark.
Buffalo had a 24-5 edge in shots after the first period.
Gaudette gave Ottawa the lead midway through the third with a power-play goal that was set up by Yakemchuk. Rosen tied it with 40.7 seconds remaining.
The Senators were expected to make a number of cuts after the game to reduce the size of their roster.
NOTES: The Sabres were given a special exemption from the league before the game. Teams usually have to dress a minimum of eight NHL veterans, but Buffalo didn’t have any in its lineup.
UP NEXT: The Senators will take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday in Sudbury, while the Sabres will head to Columbus on Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2024.
