Canada Sports News

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2. Séries éliminatoires de hockey: «Je suis un peu sur mon appétit»  98.5 Montréal
3. Nous avons droit à des séries record jusqu'à présent  HabsolumentFan
4. NHL PREVIEW - Hurricanes et Panthers déjà qualifiés cette nuit?  Planète Hockey
5. Actualités sportives | Séries éliminatoires dans la LNH : quel est le bilan?  95.7 KYK

1. Olympic athletes are outraged at the Chinese swimming doping scandal. Where does WADA go from here?  Toronto Star
2. Inside anti-doping’s civil war: anger and suspicion spill into the open  The Guardian
3. WADA to launch independent review into Chinese doping case  CBC.ca
4. WADA launches 'independent' review of Chinese doping, USADA calls out 'whitewash'  Yahoo Sports
5. Chinese swimming scandal: a strong defence by world anti-doping body, but narrative of 'cover-up' remains  The Conversation

Le Zoo Animalia presque vidé de ses pensionnaires  Le Nouvelliste

1. Flames’ Dustin Wolf leads AHL’s Wranglers to first-round sweep  Sportsnet.ca
2. Wranglers finish upset of Roadrunners with Game 2 win  American Hockey League
3. Flames prospect William Stromgren proves potential with clutch playoff goal for Wranglers  Calgary Herald
4. Wranglers Sweep Roadrunners | Calgary Flames  NHL.com
5. Wranglers sweep Roadrunners out of AHL playoffs, head to second round showdown with Coachella Valley  CTV News Calgary

1. LA Lakers vs Denver Nuggets Prediction 4-27-24 Picks | Sports Chat Place  Sports Chat Place
2. LeBron James scores 30, Lakers avoid elimination in win over Nuggets  Sportsnet.ca
3. Denver looks to clinch series in game 5  theScore
4. Full Focus: Lakers stay alive, force Game 5  NBA.com
5. Lakers beat Nuggets at last. Is NBA playoffs win a blueprint for more?  USA TODAY

1. LA Angels vs Minnesota Twins Prediction 4-27-24 Picks | Sports Chat Place  Sports Chat Place
2. Santana homers again as Twins rout Angels  TSN
3. Minnesota Twins vs LA Angels Prediction MLB Picks 4/28/24  Pick Dawgz
4. Ober stays hot, Santana homers to help Twins beat Angels 5-3 for 5th straight victory  Toronto Star
5. Twins bring 5-game win streak into game against the Angels  theScore

1. Jets must find a way to slow Avalanche with series slipping from their hands  Sportsnet.ca
2. While East Teams Romp Through Round 1, Avalanche and Jets Are In a War  The Hockey News
3. The Winnipeg Jets collapsed again. Here's why they're in trouble  The Athletic
4. Jets need more from Ehlers-Monahan-Toffoli trio to keep up with Avalanche firepower  Winnipeg Sun
5. Jets second line needs to start having impact  Winnipeg Free Press

1. Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics Prediction 4-27-24 Picks | Sports Chat Place  Sports Chat Place
2. Celtics 104-84 Heat (Apr 27, 2024) Final Score  ESPN
3. Celtics vs. Heat: Game 3 predictions, odds, TV schedule for NBA Eastern Conference series  USA TODAY
4. Celtics lead wire-to-wire in Miami, roll past Heat for 2-1 series lead  Sportsnet.ca
5. Celtics vs Heat Prediction and Picks for April 27 2024  Winners and Whiners

1. Tampa Bay Lightning vs Florida Panthers Prediction 4-27-24 Picks | Sports Chat Place  Sports Chat Place
2. Panthers need to ‘reset and refocus’ after Game 4 loss to Lightning  NHL.com
3. Three takeaways: Panthers show some fight in Game 4 loss, need to play more even strength  The Hockey News
4. Don't write off the Tampa Bay Lightning out just yet  Daily Faceoff
5. Verhaeghe scores in OT, Panthers defeat Lightning in Game 2  NHL.com

NASHVILLE — Goaltenders look like they are alone on the ice, but Casey DeSmith is not.

Not only does he have teammates around him, blocking pucks and blocking out and doing everything they can to help the Vancouver Canucks’ emergency starter, but DeSmith still has Thatcher Demko nearby, too.

Two games after DeSmith was dropped into the buckling pressure of the Stanley Cup Playoffs due to Demko’s second knee injury in six weeks, the 32-year-old career backup won his first National Hockey League playoff game Friday as the Canucks beat the Nashville Predators 2-1 despite being outshot 30-12.

One of the first to congratulate DeSmith was Demko, who is on the road with the Canucks while rehabbing an injury that coach Rick Tocchet reiterated Friday morning has the Vezina Trophy candidate out “week to week.”

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“He just said he believed in me,” DeSmith said of the conversation he had with Demko during the changeover in the crease. “He’s watched me all year and he knows my game and he said he’s excited to watch me and he wouldn’t trust anyone else to do it. Really meaningful words coming from a really good goalie.

“Couldn’t ask for a better guy to learn from as far as, you know, just the excellence he has as far as being a goalie. He’s very passionate about goaltending and it rubs off on me. Hopefully, he would say the same (about me) but he’s a really hard worker, and he’s also a really good friend. He’s been really supportive every time that I’ve been in there. Whether he’s been injured or it’s just my turn, he’s always more than supportive for me and I’ve really enjoyed his friendship.”

Until we see otherwise or the Canucks are eliminated, it could be DeSmith’s turn for a while.

Friday’s win gave the Canucks a 2-1 lead in a first-round series in which Vancouver, after its 50-win regular season, still hasn’t found its top level. But it was DeSmith’s first win after being the surprise starter in Tuesday’s Game 2 loss in Vancouver after Demko was injured, likely in the final minute, of the series opener two days earlier.

DeSmith is in his ninth season of professional hockey and has spent most of the last six years in the NHL. Friday was his third career start in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and win No. 1.

“It couldn’t come at a better time,” he said. “I was really disappointed with the result the other night; I thought the team played great the other night and, you know, didn’t get the result they deserved. So it means a lot.”

Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1: Canucks vs. Predators

Keep up with the latest news and analysis as the Vancouver Canucks take on the Nashville Predators in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Full coverage

DeSmith isn’t just trying to replace the starter; he’s trying to replace one of the best goalies in the world. Every playoff projection for the Canucks was predicated on Demko providing elite goaltending, and so a lot of people, understandably, figured the Canucks’ playoff chances went down with Demko.

Instead, after two games with DeSmith, the Canucks are back where they were when Demko was injured: leading the series by one and with home-ice advantage should it go eventually to a seventh game.

“There’s a little bit of added pressure when you’re replacing a guy of his stature,” DeSmith admitted. “He’s been the heart and soul of this team for the whole year, and to lose him obviously really hurts, especially come crunch time like playoffs. But it’s just part of the job for me. It’s something that I, you know, I believe in myself. I believe in my ability and I believe in my ability to step in. And maybe I won’t be Thatcher Demko but I’ll try and be Casey DeSmith and just hope it’s enough. The other night, it wasn’t enough and tonight, it was enough.”

As we said, DeSmith had help from his friends, who were as happy as he was with the win because the amiable backup is one of the most popular guys on the team.

One game after the Predators blocked 34 shots and had, according to Tocchet, a greater will to defend than the Canucks had to score, Vancouver skaters blocked 30 Nashville shots on Friday.

The size of the defence built for Tocchet by general manager Patrik Allvin was evident as the Canucks, whose bottom-four blue liners average six-foot-five and nearly 230 pounds, largely kept the Predators away from the middle of the ice in front of DeSmith.

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There were so few second-chance shots for Nashville that DeSmith’s rebound, toe-save on Luke Evangelista in the second period stood out as a highlight. So did the goalie’s work during the frantic final half of the third period after Brock Boeser’s tripping penalty and Nikita Zadorov’s puck-over-glass infraction – one call as questionable as the other was obvious – began at 9:07 of the final period and overlapped for 21 seconds.

The Canucks killed both disadvantages as their short-handed unit, embarrassingly inept last season, went five-for-five while Vancouver’s power play finished two-for-three. J.T. Miller scored one goal and set up the other for Brock Boeser, who screened Nashville goalie Juuse Saros on his linemate’s marker at 13:23 of the opening period.

“Those guys . . . are doing an unbelievable job for us,” Miller, who registered half of the Canucks’ playoff record-low 12 shots, said of the penalty killers. “They take so much pride in that area of the rink. It’s nice to see after the last couple of years (when)… our penalty kill kind of failed and let us down sometimes. In years prior, when you get that power play (for Nashville) in the third, you know they’re scoring. It was a terrible feeling. But I’m super happy for them and we’re going to need them moving forward.”

The Predators didn’t score until Evangelista picked a corner on DeSmith with 3:12 remaining after stepping around Canuck Elias Lindholm, who had stumbled.

With Nashville chasing most of the game, and Vancouver defending a two-goal lead for half of it, first-pairing Canuck defencemen Quinn Hughes (19:29) and Filip Hronek (18:57) logged less ice time than Tyler Myers (21:58) and Zadorov (20:46). Ian Cole played 19:18 and led the Canucks with five blocks, while Carson Soucy logged 17:25.

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“We’re ecstatic with a win,” Tocchet said. “But we’ve got to make some improvements. I like the way we defended, but I think the neutral zone, we can shore up that.”

No doubt, Tocchet will be working on it Saturday with his team, which has practice ice scheduled. Game 4 is here Sunday afternoon.

Tocchet said Friday’s positives were “the power play, Casey DeSmith, and our D zone coverage.” He may have had the order slightly wrong.

“I just thought Casey,” Tocchet said, “especially after the first period, I think one of the coaches said: ‘You know, Casey looks good tonight.’ You could just tell that he had it.”

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TORONTO — It’s 4:23 p.m. ET on what is unofficially Shohei Ohtani Day at Rogers Centre and the man himself is entrenched in his routine.

Wearing a black bandana, a blue hoodie and matching shorts, the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar is sitting on a stool in the batting tunnel just outside the visitors’ locker room. 

Ohtani is intently watching some of his teammates take their swings but he’s not planning to get any cuts of his own right now, evidenced by the flip-flops on his feet. After a few minutes and some conversation with other Dodgers hitters, Ohtani gets up and heads down the hallway making sure to greet a group of Japanese media members congregated around the locker-room entrance. 

Ohtani’s steadfast routine makes him a difficult player to cover, according to some reporters from Japan. He’s so tied up with his work that he rarely makes time for media. However, that’s slowly begun to change since the scandal involving his longtime friend and interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, who was fired by the Dodgers amid allegations he stole $16 million from Ohtani to pay off gambling debts. 

Mizuhara was something akin to a shepherd for Ohtani and since he’s been gone, the 29-year-old has been forced to venture out on his own. That’s something Ohtani’s actually embraced — Japanese media says he’s loosened up a bit and is becoming more open toward them while making a genuine effort to connect. 

That’s not the case right now, though. Routine takes precedence, of course, and Ohtani doesn’t have time to chat with the media before the 7:07 p.m. contest. He disappears into the clubhouse and won’t be seen until game time, as the star rarely, if ever, takes on-field batting practice. 

***

Ohtani is baseball’s version of a rockstar. When the Dodgers visit different stadiums across MLB, he generates Swiftian-level interest. 

A by-product is that his Dodgers teammates are constantly fielding questions about Ohtani everywhere they go. 

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“There’s nothing more to say about him,” says Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts with a smile. “I mean, there’s only so many compliments you can give someone. And so, I’m out of them now because he’s playing a different game than everyone else. Glad he’s on our team.”

Adds Dodgers left-hander James Paxton: “He’s just a dude that’s really good at baseball.”

***

Friday was a day circled on the calendar by many Blue Jays fans. It marked the first time Ohtani would play in Toronto since the Blue Jays’ ill-fated pursuit of the two-way star. 

By now, you know the story: the Blue Jays were among the frontrunners for the free agent, who visited the organization’s spring training facility in Dunedin, Fla., in December. Then, there was a false report of Ohtani boarding a flight to Toronto just before he signed with the Dodgers, a move that left Blue Jays fans sour, with some speculating he used the Blue Jays to drive up his record $700-million contract.

“That’s not something that Shohei brought on himself as far as spurning the city of Toronto, which he didn’t do,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.  

Nonetheless, it was clear Toronto fans still feel that way and they made their voices heard immediately on Friday. When Ohtani was announced as the No. 2 hitter in the Dodgers’ starting lineup, fans belted out a chorus of boos. 

Minutes later, when the designated hitter stepped to the plate in the first inning, he was met with even louder displeasure by the sellout crowd of 39,688. 

Ohtani is among the most gifted athletes to ever play baseball and it appears that he’s got the moxie to match. He took the first two pitches from Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt before launching an 83.2-m.p.h. slider over the right-field fence and into the visitors’ bullpen to put the Dodgers up 1-0. 

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It was conduct befitting a villain and the home crowd acknowledged that, upping the decibels of their boos. Ohtani was stonefaced as he rounded the bases, only letting out a smile when he reached his teammates in the visitors’ dugout.

“(I was) looking forward to just being able to have my first at-bat in front of a large crowd,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton, adding that he wasn’t surprised by the boos.

“After he homered, the guys in the dugout booed him as well,” Roberts said with a laugh. “So, that was pretty funny. And he got a big kick out of that. But I don’t think it’s a motivator (for Ohtani). I think that he just compartmentalizes really well.” 

***

Blue Jays fans did cheer for Ohtani at one point — when he was backed off the plate by an up-and-in cutter from Bassitt in his second at-bat. Other than that, though, the boos continued throughout the night ahead of each of Ohtani’s five plate appearances.

In addition to the homer — Ohtani’s seventh of the season — the left-handed hitter drew a walk and scored another run as the Dodgers routed the Blue Jays 12-2. He sports a 1.100 OPS that looks like video-game numbers when compared to anyone in the Blue Jays lineup. As well, Ohtani now has four homers and 11 RBIs in 14 career games at Rogers Centre. 

And while Ohtani clearly got the last laugh on Friday, he didn’t view it as such, opting to take the high road by complimenting the home crowd.

“I really do feel that the fans here are passionate,” said Ohtani. “And when they are, that’s the kind of reception that they will probably (give). So, I’m just very grateful and respectful that the fans here are passionate just as much as the Dodger fans are with us.

“Aside from how the fans may or may not think, I’m just very, very grateful for the teams that approached me and wanted to sign me,” he added. “And, as I said in my (initial Dodgers) press conference, ultimately, I could only choose one team.”

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