Ontario Sports News

‘It’s character’: Canucks quiet disbelievers with resilient Game 1 win

SportsNets - 17 hours 35 min ago

VANCOUVER — If they didn’t already know, the Edmonton Oilers discovered Wednesday who they’re playing. Everybody did.

The Vancouver Canucks, widely dismissed like spam from your inbox ahead of their series with Edmonton, did what they have done since the National Hockey League season began by stunning the Oilers (and probably a lot of other people) by winning 5-4 in Game 1 of the teams’ second-round playoff series.

And it wasn’t just that the Canucks won, although given the Stanley Cup tournament and all, that would have been enough.

It’s that Vancouver won by scoring four goals over the final 23 minutes to erase a 4-1 deficit. They scored three times in five minutes in the third period before Edmonton even managed a shot on net.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2: Canucks vs. Oilers

Keep up with the latest news and analysis as the Vancouver Canucks battle the Edmonton Oilers in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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They won by limiting the mighty Oilers’ attack to 17 shots, only seven of which occurred in the final two periods. And they won while holding Connor McDavid without a shot and to just a single, secondary assist. Edmonton’s other megastar, Leon Draisaitl, had three shots and two assists but clearly was struggling through something physically over his modest 16:43 of ice time.

So, maybe this series is not a mere formality in the Oilers’ coronation as Canada’s last team standing.

“It’s character,” Canuck defenceman Nikita Zadorov said after scoring the tying goal on a slapshot with 6:13 remaining. “That shows the character inside the room. I think this team has been facing a lot of adversity throughout the year. . . a lot of adversity through the first round. And now this game shows us, too. We stick to it. A lot of guys stepped in individually and got us big goals.”

Almost universally, Canuck players will say they don’t care about the skepticism beyond their dressing room.

The Canucks were supposed to be a bubble team in the playoff race before the season, then won 50 games.

The soaring and scoring Nashville Predators were a popular pick to upset the Canucks in the playoffs’ first round, but managed only 12 goals and were eliminated in six games. As Vancouver went through three goalies.

Canuck players don’t listen to the outside noise. But they hear it.

“Some guys don’t even read the media,” Zadorov said. ”I mean, I do. It’s extra motivation. I see what they’re doing; (Edmonton) has two of the best players in the world on that side, and guys want to see them win.

“Every media person, every individual who ever works in the hockey industry, they have their own opinions. We can’t control them. We can control what we can control inside the room. It’s our work ethic. It’s showing up every day, working hard and playing for each other. If we keep doing that through the series, through the whole playoffs, good things will happen.”

“I think we’re in a good spot to be the underdog,” centre Elias Lindholm said. “Obviously, a lot of people didn’t think we would go through Nashville. You know, Nashville is one of the better teams since halfway through the season. But we like being the underdog. It’s fine. I think people in here know how good of a team we are. We don’t listen too much to the outside. I think this team is realizing that we have a shot.”

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And this shot isn’t merely beating the Oilers to advance to the Western Conference Final.

“I think all year, like I said, it’s a resilient group,” Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said. “Sometimes we’re not pretty. Sometimes things happen. But I just feel like it’s a real close group. This is when you need a close group, in these situations. I thought everybody did something to contribute. I don’t think we had any passengers tonight.”

The worst thing the Canucks did in Game 1 was take a penalty for too many players just 40 seconds after the opening faceoff when defencemen Ian Cole and Carson Soucy botched a line change. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins beautifully set up Zach Hyman on the power play as the Oilers went ahead 1-0 at 2:11.

Mattias Ekholm made it 2-0 at 15:01, a few seconds after Cole’s poorly-aimed clearance went straight to Draisaitl.

And despite the Canucks’ superior five-on-five play in the middle period, the deficit peaked at 4-1 when Oiler Cody Ceci’s slapshot skipped in off Cole at 12:26 and Hyman dribbled a shot through goalie Arturs Silovs pads at 13:11.

But Lindholm banked a centring pass off Oiler goalie Stuart Skinner’s stick at 17:01, and 9:38 into the final period J.T. Miller deftly chipped Brock Boeser’s shot-pass behind Skinner from an acute angle. Then Zadorov tied it on a drop pass from Teddy Blueger, before Conor Garland won it for Vancouver at 14:26.

With a half-step on Edmonton defenceman Darnell Nurse, Garland pump-faked a shot from the right-wing circle, took another stride and then shot the puck through Skinner as the goalie moved to his left.

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“I’ve scored that goal a couple times in my career,” Garland said. “You try to open up the goalie and slide it through and see where it takes you. I thought our game was pretty good throughout the night. Just when they start going in, obviously you get your confidence.”

Silovs’ best save came with 13 seconds from the end against Draisaitl’s back-side one-timer as the Oilers attacked six-on-five. Edmonton’s first shot of the final period didn’t arrive until there were four minutes remaining.

“Every game is different,” Tocchet said. “It’s one game; you’ve got to think that way. Tonight, obviously we liked the way we defended. All year we were a good, defending team. We have something to fall back (on) if things don’t go our way. That’s sort of our foundation.”

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Each game may be different, but many of them are familiar for the Canucks. They scored two goals in 12 seconds in the third-period of Game 1 against the Predators to win 4-2. With their goalie on the bench, they scored twice in the final two minutes of Game 4 to force overtime in Nashville, then won 4-3.

“There’s a lot of belief in this group,” Zadorov reiterated. “You know, we’ve done it before against Nashville.”

The Canucks believe what they believe, and they don’t much care what other people say or write.

“We’re trying to win a Stanley Cup,” Garland explained. “That’s enough fuel for anybody. We’re all focused and we’re ready to play.”

The Oilers found out in Game 1. Game 2 is Friday.

More from Sportsnet

Oilers must embrace playoff journey after frantic fold job in Game 1

SportsNets - 18 hours 4 min ago

VANCOUVER — This, friends, is the playoff journey. How are you enjoying it so far?

A game well in hand turns into a crazy, frantic fold job. A lead you’ve been holding for a few months now sifts through your fingers on the latest, greatest, most important game of the season.

A goalie who’s been stellar for most of six months gets burned for the second time on an Opening Night in Vancouver, scorched for three goals inside five minutes as a 4-1 lead somehow morphs into a 5-4 loss in Game 1.

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“We definitely gave them this one.”

That was the voice of goaltender Stuart Skinner, who was level-headed and thoughtful in describing what happened here, as the Oilers let shaky Canucks rookie goalie Arturs Silovs off the hook with just seven shots on goal in the last 40 minutes.

“A little bit too passive,” said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch. “It wasn’t how we wanted to play. We could be a little more assertive.”

Meanwhile, Skinner put his team on the hook by steering a harmless pass into his own net before getting fooled on the game-winner by a nice shot fake and five-hole groove courtesy Conor Garland.

“Stu has won us so many games; he’s played so spectacular through the year,” Knoblauch said. “There are going to be games that aren’t his ‘A’ game, and he’ll be the first to admit today wasn’t his ‘A’ game.”

“(Garland) held on to it and I lost my patience. I got bit for that. Lesson learned for me,” said Skinner. “Unfortunate for myself with that fifth that gave them a ton of momentum.”

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Over the course of what Edmonton hopes to be a lengthy playoff run, you’re going to win some games that it looked like you’d lose. And there will be nights like this one, where a lead evaporates.

Games where you play pretty well and lose. Games you don’t love that end up with the music blaring post-game, and a bus running outside the rink so you can get outta Dodge.

“I loved the way we played the first eight, nine minutes of that third period. They had nothing,” said Mattias Ekholm. “I thought we were doing all the things you’re supposed to do when you have a two-goal lead.”

But then J.T. Miller scored the 4-3 goal on a bad angle deflection. It was a deft, skilled play by Miller, but not even a scoring chance surrendered by the Oilers.

After that, the floodgates opened.

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“When they score, it’s all about that next shift,” said Ekholm. “They’re going to score — it’s not like we’re going to keep them to nothing here. But we let him get three goals and put ourselves in a really tough spot.

“Kind of gave it away. That’s the disappointing part.”

In their seventh playoff series in the past three seasons, Edmonton knows one thing for sure: Win Game 2 and you’ll come home to feeling completely in control of this series.

This was as weird a playoff game as we’ve witnessed this spring, with more than one writer — both Vancouver and Edmonton — muttering on the way down to the dressing rooms, “I’m not even sure how to write this one.”

It started weird, on a Canucks too-many-men penalty just 40 seconds into the game, got stranger when Cody Ceci’s shot was deflected last Silovs by his own D-man, and stayed weird when Skinner returned the favour late in the second period.

In between that was the rarest of goalie penalties, issued to Skinner for playing the puck outside the trapezoid (he tripped and fell, touching the puck) and a Zach Hyman goal that Silovs shouldn’t let in.

And things finished with the Garland goal that Skinner wants back.

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“Strange goals all around,” said Connor McDavid, after his quietest game of these playoffs, another oddity. “We scored some strange ones too. Kind of a frantic game — some weird ones, some preventable ones too.”

The one mistake here by Edmonton was trying to make a 4-1 lead stand-up, while Silovs was standing in the Canucks net, surely feeling less than great about his game.

“When you get up, you can’t just shut it down and hope that we’re going to be able to stifle teams. You know that Vancouver is going to bring it,” Skinner said. “There’s definitely a lesson learned here for us: no matter what the score is, you’ve got to know that the other team is not going to just let you win.”

Leon Draisaitl was hurt midway through the second period, but finished the game. He was not made available to media post-game, instead sequestered in the trainer’s room.

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Draisaitl played just 16:43, had two assists, and had the Oilers’ final chance, a one-timer with the goalie pulled that Silovs denied.

Is he injured?

“Nothing,” Knoblauch said. “Cramping and equipment issues.”

Hey, this is the playoff journey.

Guys get hurt. Goals go in. Wins turn into losses.

Nobody said it was going to be stress free.

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Canucks embracing underdog role with massive comeback win vs. Oilers

SportsNets - 18 hours 59 min ago

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Categories: Canada Sports News, Ontario Sports News, Pro Sports News

Oilers’ Draisaitl dealt with cramping, equipment issue in Game 1

SportsNets - Wed, 05/08/2024 - 23:54

It was a tough night for Edmonton Oilers fans, but at least they can breathe a sigh of relief about the status of one of their team’s best players.

Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl left Game 1 for an undisclosed reason in the second period but returned for the third.

After Wednesday’s game, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch provided a positive update on Draisaitl’s status.

“Nothing at all, just some cramping,” Knoblauch said. “Between cramping and some equipment issues, that’s why his ice time was down.”

Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2: Canucks vs. Oilers

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Draisaitl’s last full shift of the second period came at the 12-minute mark of the middle frame. He attempted to take another shift before quickly spinning around and heading back to the bench and then to the locker room.

He would return for the third and finished the game with two assists in 16:43 of ice time.

Now down 1-0 in the series after a stunning 5-4 loss on Wednesday, Draisatil will be a key contributor if the Oilers want to comeback in the series.

With his two points in Game 1, Draisaitl now has 12 points in six playoff games — tied for the team lead with his superstar partner Connor McDavid.

Speaking of McDavid, it wasn’t a great night for the Oilers captain, as he was held without a shot on net in a playoff game for the first time in his career.

Both McDavid and Draisaitl will surely be hungry for a better outcome in Game 2 on Friday.

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Lindholm on Canucks’ ‘never give up mentality’ in comeback win

SportsNets - Wed, 05/08/2024 - 23:31

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Categories: Canada Sports News, Ontario Sports News, Pro Sports News

‘Leaking Oil’: Hockey world reacts to Canucks’ wild comeback vs. Oilers

SportsNets - Wed, 05/08/2024 - 23:19

Isn’t this what the Stanley Cup Playoffs are all about?

The Vancouver Canucks, down 4-1 at one point, overcame a three-goal deficit in the third period to take Game 1 over the Edmonton Oilers in wild fashion. Goals by Nikita Zadorov and Conor Garland sealed the Canucks’ first three-goal comeback in the post-season since the 1994 Conference Finals.

This is the second time this post-season that the Canucks have rallied from being down multiple goals in the third period to eventually take the game — the first being the Round 1, Game 4 victory in Nashville.

This all-Canadian series was hyped by hockey fans before the puck even hit the ice, but their second-round opener more than lived up to expectations. Here are some of the best reactions to the wild Game 1 finish.

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Oilers’ McDavid on ‘frantic’ Game 1: ‘Strange goals all around’

SportsNets - Wed, 05/08/2024 - 23:18

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‘We have a lot of confidence in our group’: Garland on Canucks comeback

SportsNets - Wed, 05/08/2024 - 23:11

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NHL Game 1 Highlights: Canucks 5, Oilers 4

SportsNets - Wed, 05/08/2024 - 23:05

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‘Small-market teams deserve a fair shot’: Pacers’ Carlisle after ejection vs. Knicks

SportsNets - Wed, 05/08/2024 - 22:53

NEW YORK — Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said Wednesday that “small-market teams deserve an equal shot” during a complaint about the officiating in his team’s loss to the New York Knicks.

Carlisle was called for two technical fouls and ejected late as his Pacers fell 130-121, putting them in a 2-0 hole in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

He said the Pacers found 29 calls they felt were incorrect in their Game 1 loss, but he didn’t submit them to the NBA. He vowed he would be sending them this time.

“I’m always talking to our guys about not making it about the officials and, but, we deserve a fair shot,” Carlisle said.

“There’s not a consistent balance. It’s disappointing.”

Officials acknowledged an incorrectly called kicked ball violation late in Game 1, but the Pacers believed there were plenty other instances of wrong whistles.

“In the playoffs, when you submit things, the other team can see what you submit. And so, there were 29 plays in Game 1 that we thought were clearly called the wrong way. I decided not to submit them because I just felt like we’d get a more balanced whistle tonight,” Carlisle said. “It didn’t feel that way.”

He cited a play in the third quarter where he felt the Knicks’ Josh Hart shoved All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton — who has been battling back spasms — in the back.

“It’s all over Twitter right now because a few people have showed it to me and JB DeRosa is looking right at it,” Carlisle said. “You can see he has vision of the play and he shoves Tyrese into the corner and there is no whistle. Right in the back. That was shocking and there were many others. But I can promise you that we are going to submit these tonight. New York can get ready. They can see them, too.”

Haliburton said the Pacers needed to blame themselves, not the officials.

“At the end of the day we got outplayed. We were right there in the game,” Haliburton said. “But I like consistency, yeah. But let’s not pretend, like, that’s the only reason we lost. We just didn’t play good enough. But at the end of the day it’s 2-0.”

But Carlisle, who felt Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau’s yelling at the officials got a late double dribble violation against center Isaiah Hartenstein changed to an inadvertent whistle that allowed New York to keep the ball, wants things to change when the series moves to Indiana for Game 3 on Friday.

“Small-market teams deserve an equal shot,” he said. “They deserve a fair shot no matter where they are playing.”

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Gotta See It: Canucks score two rapid-fire goals to snatch late lead in Game 1

SportsNets - Wed, 05/08/2024 - 22:52

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‘Shaq Hyman’: Oilers forward gifts O’Neal a signed jersey

SportsNets - Wed, 05/08/2024 - 22:43

The latest episode of the Shaquille O’Neal-Zach Hyman series just dropped.

After a number of appearances on NHL on TNT which included him coming into the studio on “skates,” the budding relationship between the two athletes had another nice moment on Wednesday.

O’Neal was gifted a signed Hyman jersey and stick during an episode of Inside the NBA on TNT on Wednesday after the show aired a side-by-side compilation of the duo’s similar styles of play.

“Zach I love you brother,” O’Neal said while holding up the jersey.

The “Shaq Hyman” nickname came about after Sheldon Keefe compared the now-Oilers forward to the NBA Hall of Famer.

“When I was with the Marlies, we called him Shaq Hyman, because he got to the paint better than anybody,” current Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said recently.

The gift clearly sent some good karma Hyman’s way, as he scored twice Wednesday in Game 1 of the Oilers’ second-round series against the Vancouver Canucks.

At this point, it wouldn’t be a shock to see O’Neal show up in Edmonton to support his new favourite hockey player.

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Knicks fans give Reggie Miller an X-rated New York welcome at MSG

SportsNets - Wed, 05/08/2024 - 22:26

No one holds a grudge like a Knicks fan.

No matter how much time has passed, Reggie Miller will never be a welcome figure in New York, that much was made clear on Wednesday night.

On the call for his first broadcast at Madison Square Garden since 2013, the former Pacers legend was given an X-rated New York welcome by the Knicks faithful, erupting into choruses of “F— You Reggie, F— You Reggie!”

For those unaware of where this vitriol comes from, the beef between the Knicks and Pacers runs hot and runs deep.

The two squads faced off in the playoffs six times between 1993 and 2000, with the teams coming out at an even three apiece in their bouts. Figures from those duels live in either infamy or reverence in the halls of Madison Square Garden, with Miller emerging clear cut as part of the former.

In their first go at one another in 1993, Knicks guard John Starks fed Miller a headbutt in Game 3, leading to his ejection. Then, in retaliation the next season, he erupted for a legendary 25-point fourth quarter while arguing with Knicks superfan and director Spike Lee in an all-time playoff moment.

Thanks a lot, Spike.

Other iconic moments in their 90s rivalry include Miller’s eight points in the final 18.7 seconds of Game 1 in 1995 and Larry Johnson’s 4-point play in the dying seconds of Game 3 in the 1999 Eastern Conference Final.

Miller made it clear that he wasn’t scared of re-entering the building though.

“People are like ‘Aren’t you worried about going back to New York City and calling a game?’ No,” Miller told the NBA on TNT crew before tip-off. “I’ve owned this city, I’ve owned this building, so why would I be worried about walking on out there.”

Suffice to say, those chants didn’t break out over nothing.

However, over the course of this Knicks playoff run, fans have had a loose trigger when it comes to taunts.

Following a win at Philadelphia in Game 3 of their first round series against the 76ers, Knicks fans took over Wells Fargo Center and rained down chants of “F— Embiid!” They also sent a stray at an old foe, chanting “F— Trae Young!” despite the Hawks guard not even sniffing the playoffs this season.

Love it or hate it, that’s just the natural vitriolic state of Knicks fans.

In turn, the Knicks have taken that energy and ran with it. Wing Josh Hart made that clear on Wednesday as he approached the broadcast desk in the waning seconds and made sure that Reggie Miller was hearing what the Knicks fans were saying.

Leaning down to talk to the commentator, he said “I don’t know if you heard, but I think they said f— you. I don’t know if you heard it though.”

That energy has worked for them so far, as the wild and rowdy MSG crowd has felt akin to the Seattle Seahawks’ 12th man or Borussia Dortmund’s ‘Yellow Wall’ and the Knicks have taken full advantage, using that intense environment to cement a 2-0 lead in their first-round series.

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Bruins’ Pastrnak after fight with Panthers’ Tkachuk: ‘I’m not afraid of him’

SportsNets - Wed, 05/08/2024 - 21:56

It’s highly unlikely anyone had a David Pastrnak–Matthew Tkachuk fight on their Round 2 bingo card, but on Wednesday, that’s exactly what happened.

With the Flordia Panthers well in control of Game 2, the Boston Bruins sharpshooter decided to send a message before the series shifts back to Beantown.

Pastrnak picked a fight with Tkachuk late in the third period, and even though things didn’t go entirely his way, he proved he’s not one to be intimidated by anyone.

“I’m not afraid of him… I can take a punch,” Pastrnak said to the Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa after the game.

And take a punch he did, as Tkachuk appeared to land a couple of right-hand blows before Pastrnak fell to the ice.

One of the biggest supporters of the scrap was Tkachuk’s father, Keith, as the former NHL tough guy was shown in the crowd giving a thumbs up while smiling and applauding his son’s efforts.

The fight was brewing for the entire period, as the two stars even met at centre ice and exchanged words with each other before dropping the mits on their next shift.

Pastrnak even appeared to clear the fight with his coach Jim Montgomery before getting things started.

Montgomery clearly had no problem with it, and was proud of Pastrnak’s actions after the game.

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“I’m proud of Pasta,” Montgomery said post-game. “There are so many players pushing after the whistle when the linesmen are there. Pasta and Tkachuk just went out and fought.

“You like your hockey players to be competitors.”

Panthers coach Paul Maurice was also clearly a fan of the scrap.

“I thought (the fight) was awesome,” Maurice said post-game.

Whether or not things will boil over into Game 3 in Boston remains to be seen, but it’s clear things are starting to heat up between the two rivals.

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Montour mocks Marchand as scrum ensues after Panthers goal

SportsNets - Wed, 05/08/2024 - 21:56

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Oilers’ Ceci, Hyman score back-to-back to extend lead

SportsNets - Wed, 05/08/2024 - 21:52

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Playoff Takeaways: Panthers finally solve Swayman as Game 2 gets rowdy

SportsNets - Wed, 05/08/2024 - 21:40

Normally, a team wouldn’t get too concerned about falling behind its opponent 1-0 in the first period; especially a squad as talented as the Florida Panthers.

But the Panthers — already down 1-0 in their series versus the Boston Bruins after losing Game 1 on home ice — had to know the margin for error when you’re facing Jeremy Swayman is slimmer than some of those beach bods in South Florida.

So credit the Cats, in a game they had to have, for figuring out a way to get to Swayman on a level nobody else has in this post-season. Entering Tuesday night’s game in Sunrise, Swayman had allowed two or fewer goals in each of his seven playoff starts. That changed, though, in Florida’s resounding 6-1 series-evening victory in Game 2.

In fact, Swayman’s night ended early when Florida’s fourth goal went in 1:28 into the third period and Boston coach Jim Montgomery — probably to give Swayman some rest and himself some time to unload F-bombs on his plodding team, as much as anything — pulled the MVP of the playoffs so far to get Linus Ullmark some work.

Swayman, no doubt, will be back in the twine when the series shifts to Boston for Game 3 on Friday night. Before we get there, though, here are some takeaways from Florida’s critical Game 2 victory, which marked its first win over Boston this year in six tries.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2: Panthers vs. Bruins

Keep up with the latest news and analysis as the Florida Panthers battle the Boston Bruins in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Full coverage

Cats muck it up

At their best, the Panthers are a pain to play against. And the biggest ache of all, Matthew Tkachuk, showed early on Florida would be bringing the nasty by bumping Swayman post-whistle and triggering a scrum that led to a roughing penalty being called against Boston’s Justin Brazeau just 17 seconds into the game.

The Panthers knew they may have to make it ugly to get anything past Swayman, who’s been stopping everything he can see this spring. After falling behind 1-0 in the opening period, Florida tied the game 1:56 into the middle frame when fourth-liner Steve Lorentz went to the net after a Boston giveaway and tipped a Brandon Montour shot past Swayman.

At the midway point of the second, on the goal that gave Florida the lead for good, Kyle Okposo started the play by pasting Boston D-man Charlie McAvoy to the boards and forcing a turnover. The puck swung out to Sam Reinhart for a clean look and when Swayman stopped that, Aleksander Barkov fought off McAvoy to get to the loose puck and deposit the rebound.

By the last half of the third period — with the game out of reach — things were boiling over. Serious scrums broke out after play stoppages, including following Florida’s sixth tally. By the time David Pastrnak (yep) and Tkachuk were chucking knuckles, it was abundantly clear to anybody watching this series had become the hate-fest it was probably always destined to be.

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Barkov a Beast

In a game his team had to have, Florida captain Aleksander Barkov was the best skater on the ice. The big Finn’s second-period tally was one of four points he potted on the night as he dominated in all aspects of the game and led by example. His second goal of the contest — which put Florida up 5-1 in the third — also busted the power play slump the Panthers had been in. Entering the night, the Cats had gone 1-for-9 in their past four games on the man advantage and failed to convert their first four opportunities in Game 2 before Barkov snapped a beauty home from the slot. (Florida had also gone 0-for-18 on the man advantage versus Boston this entire season before Barkov’s snipe).

Florida needed its captain and he delivered.

Speaking of Penalties…

Late in the second period, still trailing by only one goal, Boston got mixed up and nailed by the officials for having too many men on the ice. Somehow, this was the fifth time this post-season the Bruins have been called for having an excess of bodies on the ice. At the time, the score for too many men infractions in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs was Boston 5, Rest of the League 4. However, the Vancouver Canucks evened things up early in their contest with the Edmonton Oilers thanks to a botched line change.

This puzzling trend is something the B’s need to end immediately.

Top Florida D-men shine

Despite the lopsided final score, this game was setting up for a nail-biter of a third with Florida leading 2-1 on the cusp of the second-period horn sounding. At 19:58 of the frame, though, Gus Forsling unloaded a one-timer from the blueline that beat a screened Swayman.

Forsling and partner Aaron Ekblad both picked up a point on the night, as the former led the Cats in ice (24:36) with the latter right behind (24:06). It was a nice bounce-back game for everyone on Florida, including a top defence pair that didn’t have its best outing in Game 1.

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Categories: Canada Sports News, Ontario Sports News, Pro Sports News

Joshua finds the rebound and strikes back to put Canucks on the board

SportsNets - Wed, 05/08/2024 - 21:35

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Categories: Canada Sports News, Ontario Sports News, Pro Sports News

Toronto FC beats semi-pro side CS Saint-Laurent in Canadian Championship

SportsNets - Wed, 05/08/2024 - 21:25

Nathan Goulet could hardly believe his eyes.

The 22-year-old CS Saint-Laurent defender remembers watching Federico Bernardeschi play in the UEFA Champions League for elite Italian club Juventus a few years ago.

On Wednesday night, they were face-to-face on the pitch, duelling in a 9,500-capacity stadium as Bernardeschi’s Toronto FC defeated the semi-pro Saint-Laurent 3-0 in the opening leg of their Canadian Championship quarterfinal.

“To see them in front of us today was a bit of a dream,” Goulet said of facing TFC. “Since we were young we’ve watched them, and today they’re in front of us, on the same field, in Montreal, at the Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard.”

Matty Longstaff blasted a shot past goalkeeper Kosta Maniatis into the top-right corner to open the scoring in the 50th minute.

Deandre Kerr scored in the 59th minute and Bernardeschi, who entered as a substitute in the second half, converted a cheeky free kick in the 76th as Toronto dampened Saint-Laurent’s Cinderella run.

Saint-Laurent upset Canadian Premier League side Halifax Wanderers FC 2-2 (5-3) in a penalty shootout last Thursday to set up the matchup against heavily favoured TFC of Major League Soccer.

The Ligue1 Quebec champions were the first team from the league to reach this stage of the competition.

An announced attendance of 6,482 fans — including some who lit flares in the stands — cheered with every Saint-Laurent touch and clearance on a rainy, 9 C night.

“What a performance by Saint-Laurent, I thought they were outstanding tonight,” Toronto head coach John Herdman said. “Hell of an atmosphere. Loved it, it felt like a proper cup match.”

Many Saint-Laurent players juggle school and up to two jobs while training four times a week.

Meanwhile, Italian stars Lorenzo Insigne and Bernardeschi earned US$15.4 million and $6.3 million, respectively, last season for Toronto.

Despite the lopsided wages, Saint-Laurent held its opponent at bay in the first half. Toronto dominated the match with 66 per cent of possession but only had a 7-6 edge in shots on goal at halftime.

“We’re very proud of the effort that (our players) put in,” Saint-Laurent head coach Nicholas Razzaghi said. “They didn’t come into this challenge scared, they came into the challenge with a lot of confidence and courage and I think everyone was able to see that tonight.

“If we had guys who didn’t work or go to school five times a week and practised football full-time, we tell ourselves everything is possible.”

After Longstaff opened the scoring, Saint-Laurent’s Loïc Kwemi pressured with an attempt that appeared to hit a defender’s hand in the box but went uncalled. Toronto instantly pounced on the counterattack and Kerr scored with a shot off the post.

Razzaghi lamented the missed call post-game, especially in a match where his side had little margin for error.

“Those are moments that change games and we’re not in a situation where we can afford to get these things missed,” he said. “We for sure feel hard done by the call. We all believe it was a hand ball.

“In a 1-1 situation with the momentum, anything could have happened.”

The return leg is May 21 at BMO Field and the winner will meet either MLS’s CF Montreal or the CPL’s Forge FC in the semifinal. The two teams are tied 1-1 on aggregate after the first leg.

TFC made eight changes from the starting 11 that beat FC Dallas 3-1 on Saturday. Captain and longtime Canadian national team player Jonathan Osorio headlined the starters.

Toronto dispatched semi-pro side Simcoe County Rovers of League1 Ontario 5-0 to advance to the quarterfinal.

Goulet prevented Toronto from taking an early lead with a clearance from the goal line in the seventh minute. Osorio shot towards an open net after Maniatis dived to make a save, only for Goulet to deny it.

Maniatis stopped Kerr on a partial break in the 13th minute as the crowd erupted.

“It was crazy,” Goulet said. “In the first 10-15 minutes we saw that the crowd was filled to the max and that gave us a boost.”

Saint-Laurent then started putting the pressure on. Oussama Boughanmi sent a free kick from a dangerous area over the bar in the 23rd minute.

Kwemi had another chance from the edge of the box in the 41st but also sailed it over the net.

The home side pushed for an equalizer late as captain Wesley Wandje had a golden opportunity for Saint-Laurent but couldn’t beat Luka Gavran.

“A lot for Saint-Laurent to be proud of tonight,” Herdman said. “They pushed us, they pushed us hard.”

Categories: Canada Sports News, Ontario Sports News, Pro Sports News

Ekholm scores to double Oilers lead vs. Canucks

SportsNets - Wed, 05/08/2024 - 21:17

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Categories: Canada Sports News, Ontario Sports News, Pro Sports News