Sports

Down 3-0, Leafs’ Big 4 Seeking Breakthrough Versus Panthers

Published

1 year ago

2023-05-08

Down 3-0, Leafs' Big 4 Seeking Breakthrough Versus Panthers

(SUNRISE, Fla.) — Panthers It was virtually automatic for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season. Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Auston Matthews, and John Tavares would all score.

At least, such was the case until the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Three games into this series against the Florida Panthers and that formidable foursome has been blanked.

After scoring at least once in 81 of Toronto’s 88 games before this series, Marner, Nylander, Matthews, and Tavares have combined for exactly zero goals in the Panthers’ meeting.

“Bobrovsky,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice stated, providing the most straightforward and true answer. “That would be the end of that answer.”

Sergei Bobrovsky of the Panthers has stopped everything they’ve thrown at him.

In the first three games, Matthews had sent 14 shots against Bobrovsky. Nylander has done the same. Tavares has scored 12 goals. Marner has taken nine shots.

There have been 49 shots on goal in total, with Bobrovsky going 49-for-49. After a 3-2 overtime win on Sunday, the Panthers now lead the series 3-0 and have a chance to send Toronto home with a sweep on Wednesday night.

“We’re trying to do all the right things,” Marner remarked. Panthers “I believe we’ve had our chances.” We’ve had our moments. It just has yet to work out for us. For us, it’s about continuing to do the right things on the ice, getting around the net more, and creating second chances.

The stats are astonishing, both to explain those four players’ success and all the success they aren’t currently enjoying.

Three games into this series against the Florida Panthers and that formidable foursome has been blanked.

“I can continue to put them in positions to succeed.” According to Leaf’s coach Sheldon Keefe on Monday, that would be the first step. “And then, just like the rest of our team, our focus has to be on doing what we can control and focusing on the things that truly matter.”

Toronto’s top four scorers combined for at least 10 points in five games this season, scored six goals twice — once late in the regular season against Montreal Panthers and again in Round 1 of the playoffs against Tampa Bay — and never went two games without a goal.

It’s been back-to-back-to-back games in this series – and counting.

“All different games,” Maurice observed. “I believe (Game 3) was difficult for our custodian to play….” These are postseason games. They only show the smallest of plays. Every play is dangerous, so there’s more offense than you think.”

During the regular season, Marner, Nylander, Matthews, and Tavares combined for 146 goals and 351 points. Other than four total assists in the three games, the Panthers have done more than keep them off the scoresheet. They also minimized their chances in Game 3, which was crucial.

Consider this: the four players combined for only seven shots on goal on Sunday night. Nylander had that many in Florida’s 4-2 victory in Game 1. However, Maurice noted that the figures don’t always tell the full story and that a couple of inches to the left or right on many shots might change how the stat sheet looked.

“We’ve just got to find a way to capitalize a little more,” Tavares added. “They’re defending quite close around their goal. We did not make the necessary plays to achieve the desired outcome.”

NOTES: Leafs G Ilya Samsonov has been scheduled for an MRI exam to evaluate the extent of the injury that forced him out of Game 3 early in the second period, according to Keefe. Samsonov was doing better on Monday, according to Keefe. Neither team practiced on Monday; instead, they met. Monday’s statement comes from Maurice, riding a franchise-record six-game postseason winning streak with Florida: “Play your (butt) off and see what happens.”

SOURCE — (AP)

Sports

Dallas Stars Eliminate Avalanche 2-1 With Double Overtime Win

Published

12 mins ago

2024-05-18

Geoff Thomas

Dallas Stars Eliminate Avalanche 2-1 With OT Win

The Avalanche’s aspirations of returning to the Stanley Cup were dashed late Friday night when they lost 2-1 in double overtime against the Dallas Stars.

Former Avalanche player Matt Duchene scored the game-winning goal, allowing the Dallas Stars to advance to the Western Conference final.

Duchene, who began his professional career in Denver, grabbed a loose puck in front of the net and blasted it over a sprawled-out Alexandar Georgiev. Duchene raced down the ice and sank to his knees in celebration.

Dallas Stars will play either Edmonton Oilers or the Vancouver Cunucks next. The Dallas Stars are making their second straight trip to the conference finals, having fallen to eventual Stanley Cup champion Vegas last season. The Stars won their sole Stanley Cup championship in 1999.

This was a series in which the road team won five of six games, with the Stars winning all three in Denver. The Avalanche were the best home team throughout the regular season, while the Stars had the best away record.

After winning the Stanley Cup two years earlier, the Avalanche finished the season 50-25-7.

Dallas Stars Avalanche Highlights

Sports

NFL Distances Itself From Chiefs Kicker Harrison Butker’s Comments During Commencement Speech

Published

2 hours ago

2024-05-18

Kiara Grace

NEW YORK — The NFL has distanced itself from Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, stating that “his views are not those of the NFL as an organization.”

Butker spoke at the commencement ceremony at Benedictine College, a private Catholic liberal arts institution in Kansas, last week and claimed most of the graduating ladies were likely more enthused about getting married and having children.

AP- VOR News Image

NFL Distances Itself From Chiefs Kicker Harrison Butker’s Comments During Commencement Speech

Butker also said that some Catholic officials were “pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America.”

“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity,” said Jonathan Beane, NFL senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer, in a statement issued on Thursday. “His opinions do not represent the NFL as an organization. The NFL remains unwavering in its commitment to inclusion, which only strengthens our league.”

The three-time Super Bowl champion gave his about 20-minute speech Saturday at the school in Atchison, Kansas, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of Kansas City. He earned a standing ovation from graduates and other attendees.

Butker, who has made his conservative Catholic convictions known, also criticized Pride Month, which is especially crucial for the LGBTQ+ rights movement, as well as President Joe Biden’s abortion stance.

“I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you,” Butker concluded.

The Nation – VOR News Image

NFL Distances Itself From Chiefs Kicker Harrison Butker’s Comments During Commencement Speech

“Some of you may go on to have excellent jobs in the world, but I believe the bulk of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into the world. I can guarantee you that my lovely wife Isabelle would be the first to state that her life truly began when she began to live her vocation as a wife and mother,” he said.

Butker, 28, claimed his wife accepted “one of the most important titles of all.” Homemaker.”

Butker also chastised The Associated Press for emphasizing a move toward conservativism in some sectors of the church.

Butker also made an oblique allusion to Pride Month, referring to a “deadly sin sort of pride that has a month dedicated to it.” Butker also criticized Biden’s views, such as his rejection of the Supreme Court’s reversal of the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling and support for abortion rights, which are significant campaign topics in the 2024 presidential race.

Hollywood Reporter – VOR News Image

NFL Distances Itself From Chiefs Kicker Harrison Butker’s Comments During Commencement Speech

The 2017 seventh-round pick from Georgia Tech has emerged as one of the NFL’s greatest kickers, breaking the Chiefs franchise record with a 62-yard field goal in 2022. Butker helped them win their first Super Bowl in 50 years in 2020, added a second Lombardi Trophy in 2023, and kicked the game-winning field goal in overtime against San Francisco in February.

SOURCE – (AP)

Sports

Clark Helps Liberty Become 1st WNBA Team To Have $2M In 1-Game Ticket Revenue

Published

3 hours ago

2024-05-18

Kiara Grace

NEW YORK — Caitlin Clark set a ticket sales record for the New York Liberty in her debut game in the Big Apple on Saturday.

The Liberty earned more than $2 million in ticket income for the game, setting a WNBA record, according to a source familiar with the matter who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss the team’s earnings.

AP – VOR News Image

Clark Helps Liberty Become 1st WNBA Team To Have $2M In 1-Game Ticket Revenue

“That’s incredible,” Liberty star Breanna Stewart said when she learned about the record ticket sales. “I believe that the noise and attention that Caitlin has brought from Iowa to the WNBA is a collective win for everyone. When I initially joined in the league, teams were not earning money. It’s been a long time coming. I’m glad to be here, but not satisfied.”

The game had sold out, and tickets were in high demand on the secondary market. Clark’s first three games with the Indiana Fever have been quite well attended. The Connecticut Sun sold out their home opener for the first time in twenty years. Over 17,000 people attended the Fever’s home opener versus New York on Thursday night.

Clark had one of the best games of her brief professional career on Saturday, scoring 22 points, 15 of which came in the first half, but the Fever fell 91-80.

AP – VOR News Image

Clark Helps Liberty Become 1st WNBA Team To Have $2M In 1-Game Ticket Revenue

She got going early against the Liberty, scoring 10 points in the first quarter, more than she did two days earlier in Indianapolis when she only had nine. She was more secure attacking on offense, hitting several of her trademark deep 3-pointers.

The league’s top overall pick was no stranger to performing on the greatest platforms, having introduced many new fans to the sport during her time at Iowa. She helped the Hawkeyes reach the NCAA championship game the previous two seasons and has regularly played in front of sellout crowds, such as the one in New York on Saturday.