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Saturday, April 2, 2022

Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning, April 2, 2022: Five things you should know - Montreal Gazette

Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis established his Hall of Fame credentials while playing for the Lightning.

Author of the article:

Pat Hickey • Montreal Gazette

Publishing date:

Apr 02, 2022 • 5 hours ago • 3 minute read • 19 Comments

Canadiens' Jake Evans (71) and Tampa Bay Lightning's Ross Colton (79) struggle to recover the puck in Montreal on Dec. 7, 2021. Photo by Allen McInnis /Montreal Gazette

Here are five things you should know about Canadiens-Lightning game Saturday in Tampa (7 p.m., Sportsnet, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio).

The matchup: The Canadiens are 0-2-1 on their four-game road trip after dropping a 4-0 decision to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday and, the good news for those hoping the team has the best odds of winning the NHL draft lottery, they are again dead-last in the overall standings. They face another tough test in the Lightning, which has won the last two Stanley Cups. Tampa Bay is on a four-game winning streak and moved into second pace in the Atlantic Division after beating Chicago 5-2 on Friday. Tampa Bay has 92 points and is one up on Toronto and three ahead of the surging Boston Bruins (89). Tampa Bay has beaten Montreal in their two previous meetings this season, but both games were decided by one goal.

Welcome back Marty: Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis established his Hall of Fame credentials while playing for the Lightning. He led Tampa Bay to a Stanley Cup in 2004. He won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player, as well as the first of two scoring titles that season. On Friday, St. Louis said the team had fallen into disarray, but has been revitalized by owner Jeff Vinik. He praised Vinik for developing the area around Amalie Arena for enhancing the game-day experience for the fans.

Double trouble in goal: The Canadiens get a break — but only a little one — if Tampa coach Jon Cooper gives goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy the night off after he played Friday against Chicago. Vasilevskiy has owned the Canadiens with 12-1-2 career record and a 1.98 goals-against average. The bad news is backup Brian Elliott is no slouch with an 8-3-1 career record against Montreal. The Canadiens are expected to give Jake Allen his eighth start in nine games since he returned from more than two months on the injured reserve list with a groin injury. Allen hasn’t had any time to relax because the Canadiens have given up more than 40 shots in each of his last five starts.

Harris makes his debut: There will be several lineup changes for the Canadiens and the most significant will be defenceman Jordan Harris’ pro debut. He signed a two-year entry level contract after finishing his college career at Northeastern and he’ll burn the first year of that deal when he lines up alongside David Savard on Saturday. There will be a new No. 1 line as Rem Pitlick joins Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, who was named the NHL rookie of the month for March on Friday. And Ryan Poehling will return to the lineup after missing nine games with an upper-body injury. He’ll replace Laurent Dauphin on the fourth line.

Stamkos leads the way: Steven Stamkos scored his 31st goal Friday and leads the Lightning in points with 75. Victor Hedman is among the top defensive scorers in the league with 19 goals and 45 assists. The only other 20-goal scorers are Brayden Point with 26 and West Island product Alex Killorn with 21. Former Canadiens prospect Mikhail Sergachev, who was traded to the Lightning as part of the Jonathan Drouin deal has six goals and 27 assists. Corey Perry, who helped the Canadiens reach the Stanley Cup final last year, has 16 goals and 17 assists. Defenceman Ryan McDonough is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury.

phickey@postmedia.com

twitter.com/zababes1

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Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning, April 2, 2022: Five things you should know - Montreal Gazette
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Report: Guardians, RP Clase agree to $20M, five-year deal - TSN

The Canadian Press

CLEVELAND (AP) — After striking out in free agency, the Cleveland Guardians locked up one of their own, agreeing to terms with closer Emmanuel Clase on a $20 million, five-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Clase's deal is pending him passing a physical, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the agreement.

The deal includes club options for 2027 and 2028 worth $10 million each. It could be a few days before the deal is completed, the person said.

Clase missed all of 2020 after being suspended for performance-enhancing drugs. However, he thrived in his first year as Cleveland's closer, recording 24 saves with a 1.29 ERA in 71 appearances as a rookie in 2021. Clase had 74 strikeouts in 69 2/3 innings.

The 24-year-old began last season sharing the closer's job with James Karinchak before becoming one of the AL's rising young pitching stars. Clase gives manager Terry Francona a dependable weapon at the back end of a bullpen that will need to have a big year to keep Cleveland competitive.

The Guardians have been criticized for their lack of spending during the offseason. They pursued some free agents but came up short and further alienated fans wanting them to do more after an 80-82 season.

The team has had talks this spring with All-Star third baseman José Ramírez about a possible long-term contract. He's under team control through the 2023 season and is Cleveland's highest paid player, making $12 million this season.

The Guardians acquired Clase from Texas in 2019 as part of a trade that sent former AL Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber to the Rangers.

NOTES: OF/1B Josh Naylor will start the season on the 10-day injured list as he continues his comeback after breaking his leg last season. Naylor only recently began playing in major league exhibitions. Also, rookie outfielder Steven Kwan, catcher Bryan Lavastida and left-handed reliever Konnor Pilkington were told they're on the opening day roster. Kwan has had an impressive camp and could start.

___

More AP MLB: https://ift.tt/oJQH7jV and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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Report: Guardians, RP Clase agree to $20M, five-year deal - TSN
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Five Takeaways: Red Wings Tired Of Being Dealt This Kind Of A Five - Detroit Hockey Now

Five of a kind is a winning hand in poker but five goals in a team’s net is a sure-fire way to keep being dealt losses, as the Detroit Red Wings are discovering.

For the third successive game and the eighth time in the past 13 contests, the Red Wings fished at least five pucks out of their net. The resulting outcome was again, not surprisingly, unsuccessful for Detroit. The Ottawa Senators whipped the Wings 5-2 Friday at Little Caesars Arena.

Detroit has surrendered five or more goals in 27 games this season. The Wings are 0-24-3 in those games.

Third Period Collapse

Is it possible for a team to be the third-best club on the ice? The Red Wings are certainly seeking to defy that logic in the third perod of games this season.

It’s another common trait in Red Wings games this season – the third-period collapse. Ottawa outscored the Wings 4-1 in the final frame of regulation time.

“There’s an emotional drain on it,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said the team’s steady demise as they’ve fallen out of the playoff picture. “That’s the reality at times.

“We just can’t let that happen. We have a decision to how we kind of attack every day.”

Detroit has allowed an NHL-worst 106 goals in the third period this season. At the same time, the Wings have scored 67 third-period goals. That -39 goal differential is also at the bottom of the league.

The Wings also allowed their NHL-high 24th empty-net goal on Friday. Detroit’s goals-against per game of 3.84 is the highest the NHL has seen over the past quarter century.

That Isn’t Special

Detroit was entering the third period in a 1-1 tie and enjoying a 41-second five-on-three power play that was carrying into the third period. While the Wings ended up failing to take advantage, Josh Norris gave the Sens the lead for good during an Ottawa power play at the 2:25 mark.

The Senators opened the scoring on a shorthanded goal by Austin Watson.

There's really nothing like scoring against your hometown team. 😌

Cc: Austin Watson pic.twitter.com/4XxJS4GPbX

— NHL (@NHL) April 1, 2022

“Obviously it’s a huge factor,” Blashill said. “You go into the third 1-1. We’re on a five-on-three. We don’t score and they end up getting a power play goal. In the end, we were 0-for-5 and I think they were 1-for-2 with a shorty.

“Those are areas where we’re at right now as a hockey team that can really pick us up. We need something to pick us up. So that ends up being a letdown for us.”

Sogaard vs No Good

Mads Sogaard was making his NHL debut in the Ottawa goal. The Wings were needing to make his life miserable . . . and they didn’t.

“I think anytime a goalie is playing their first game, especially in the first period you want to get some shots on him and get some traffic in front of him, try to make it hard on him early,” Detroit forward Sam Gagner said. “I think we just allowed him to settle in too much.”

Ottawa’s Sogaard is the 33rd backup goalie to start against the Red Wings this season. Detroit is 12-15-6 against them overall this season. Sogaard is the 12th among them who would be considered No. 3 or deeper on the depth chart. Detroit is 7-3-2 against those netminders.

Sogaard is also the second goalie they’ve faced this season who was making his NHL debut. Detroit is 0-2 against debutants. Washington’s Zach Fucale shut them out 2-0 at LCA on Nov. 11.

Red Wings Razor Sharp

The one bright spot for the Wings in Friday’s setback was the continued consistency of rookie winger Lucas Raymond. He scored both Detroit goals, giving him 22 on the season.

Lucas Raymond cleaning it up! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/m5ejD0epYg

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 2, 2022

“He’s been incredible all year,” Gagner said. “It’s a really hard league as a 19-year-old to bring it every night. I feel like his consistency has been great.

“He’s a really mature kid and puts a lot of pressure on himself to succeed. He’s been fantastic for us all year and fun to watch.”

Red Wings Are Canadian Incontinent

When they are winning at home, a Red Wings tradition is celebrate by playing the tune Don’t Stop believin’ by Journey. There’s a line in the song that references being born and rasied in south Detroit.

Anyone who knows their geography knows that south Detroit is Canada. And anyone who knows the dichomoty of this year’s Red Wings team knows that when they go to south Detroit, they head south on the scoreboard.

The Wings are 4-10-0 overall against Canadian clubs this season. They are 1-5 when playing in Canada.

Two of Detroit’s next three games are in Canada – Sunday afternoon at Ottawa and April 6 at Winnipeg. Ottawa has won four of five and six of nine from the Wings.

“It won’t be easy Sunday, we’re gonna miss one of our energy guys in Bert but we gotta find a way to do it,” Blashill said.

Second on the team in goals (26) and points (54), left-winger Tyler Bertuzzi can’t play in Canada because he hasn’t been vaccinated for COVID-19.

Welcome to your new home for Detroit Red Wings breaking news, analysis and opinion. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and don't forget to subscribe to DHN+ for all of our members-only content from Kevin Allen, Bob Duff and the National Hockey Now network.

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Five Takeaways: Red Wings Tired Of Being Dealt This Kind Of A Five - Detroit Hockey Now
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N.W.T. explores five options for future of the Yellowknife airport - CBC.ca

The government of the Northwest Territories is considering retail and hotel space near the Yellowknife airport — but with five different options on the table, the plan for the airport's future is not yet clear.

On Friday, Minister of Infrastructure Diane Archie told the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment that expanding what's available at and near the airport would be good for the tourism sector and others in the territory.

"As we recover from the impacts of COVID-19, the developments at the Yellowknife airport will create new opportunities to grow the northern economy, create jobs, and attract businesses and visitors," she said.

Archie said the planning process is an important part of "modernizing airport infrastructure," a relevant concern as the air terminal building was built in 1967. Its most recent addition was made in 2005.

According to the Department of Infrastructure, the territory is on track to outgrow the Yellowknife airport's terminal building and facilities, but it didn't specify when.

Five options

Committee members heard five possible options for what airport development could look like — all of which include more retail and hotel space by the airport.

The government could choose to redevelop the existing terminal location, reclaim existing leases and redevelop the north area, develop the south and west areas, or develop the south area and add more retail options.

Every option is meant to maximize the airport's economic impact.

Questioning the rationale

But not all committee members were on board.

Rylund Johnson, MLA for Yellowknife North, questioned the rationale behind the current airport development plan.

"We don't need a hotel at the airport," said Johnson. "Downtown is 10 minutes away. I don't believe we need retail spaces at the airport. We have a downtown with a bunch of vacant commercial space.

"I don't know why the the [government of the N.W.T.] would get into the business of competing with a town that is struggling in that area."

Also, potential challenges have already been raised regarding many of these options, including distance from existing infrastructure and the expense of the work.

However, some of the plans also take advantage of proximity to roads and the highway, and would mean more space for terminal operations to grow if and when that becomes needed.

The territorial government has spent close to $400,000 on airport planning studies since 2018.

Public engagement sessions about the future of the airport are planned for later this month.

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Friday, April 1, 2022

Multi-talented Harris an emerging leader for Five - The Sudbury Star

This section is by Auto Depot

Jeremy Harris, left, of the Sudbury Five, attempts to drive past Kobi Nwandu, of the Syracuse Stallions, during basketball action at the Sudbury Community Arena in Sudbury, Ont. on Friday March 18, 2022. John Lappa/Sudbury Star/Postmedia Network Photo by John Lappa /John Lappa/Sudbury Star

If the Sudbury Five hope to catch fire in the second half of the season, the talent and tenacity of Jeremy Harris could certainly help to provide a spark.

The 25-year-old shooting guard from Greensboro, N.C., has become as one of Sudbury’s most consistent, most versatile offensive options this National Basketball League of Canada regular season, averaging 19.9 points and shooting 45.5 from the field over 10 games, and has also proven to be a reliable defender while collecting 6.6 rebounds per contest.

The agile 6-foot-7, 185-pounder scored 12 of his 19 points in the second half of a 104-102 comeback victory over the KW Titans last weekend, which pulled the locals to 5-7 on the season, and he would love to have a repeat performance when the Five host Flint United of The Basketball League on Saturday.

Tipoff at Sudbury Community Arena is set for 7:05 p.m.

“It’s coming along,” said Harris, shortly after practice at College Boreal on Friday morning. “We’re just trying to get on a winning streak. We didn’t really have a training camp, but we’re finally starting to click as a team and we’re finally healthy, so it should be a fun end to the season.

“To have our full potential, that’s always a good thing.”

Several players on the Sudbury roster, as well as head coach Elliott Etherington, missed games early in the season while isolating due to COVID-19, and they were also without starting guard Jaylen Bland due to injury before finally assembling their entire squad in the last couple of weeks.

Harris has been among the standouts in that span, hitting double digits in five straight games, while topping in the 20-point plateau three times and scoring a season-high 32 in a home-court win over Windsor on March 20.

And while the University of Buffalo alumnus demonstrated his skill as an outside shooter earlier in the year, he has since shown a well-rounded skill set by scoring points in the paint and attacking the rim with confidence, even when faced with seven-foot big men.

“I’m playing pretty decent,” he said. “I’m just trying to help the team win, to play my role, be aggressive, help others guard, try to guard the best players.

“I just try to make the game easier for others and myself at all times, to have no weaknesses.”

Having spent the earlier part of his professional career in Europe, first in the Hungarian Nemzeti Bajnoksag I/A, then the Swedish Basketligan, Harris was happy to sign with a team in the NBLC for 2021-22.

“It’s closer to home,” he explained. “I have been in Europe the last two years and I was missing home a little bit, so I just came right up the street.

“Forty-eight minute games, back to back, I never did that, so I’m trying to get my body used to it, adjusted to the pounding on the body, just getting after it.”

Etherington has been pleased to have Harris on board this week for some of the Five’s most productive practices all season, noting his emergence as one of the team’s leaders.

“He’s really coming into his own,” Etherington suggested. “He’s understanding what he needs to do in the offence and defensively, he’s doing a lot, rebounding, blocking shots, just being active on defence. I’d say this week he has been more vocal, too, more of a leader, more intense, more competitive, and that’s only going to make our team better.

“On the offence, he can play 2, 3, 4 for us, and defensively, he can guard 1 through 4. He’s like a Swiss army knife, but he does a little bit more than that. He can take over a game if he needs to and we saw that in the fourth quarter last game and against Windsor. That versatility is something we need out there and he’s a big part of our success.”

Sudbury’s head coach will look for a similar standard of play from Harris and his teammates come Saturday. Flint carries a 3-5 record into the Nickel City, having lost four of its last five, but is coming off a 104-96 victory over Dayton this past weekend.

“We can’t assume anything,” Etherington said. “We’re 1-4 against the States. We have watched some film, we understand some of their personnel as best we can, but we can’t assume anything just because we’re at home. We have to treat it serious and we have to get back over .500, so tomorrow’s an important game for us.”

“It’s a good TBL team and we’re not going to take them for granted,” Harris added. “We’re going to come out and have some fun.”

The Five visit Windsor next Wednesday at 7 p.m. before returning home the following Saturday, April 9, to host KW at 7:05.

Space Jam game to support SickKids

Five players and staff will attend a press conference on Monday to announce details of their upcoming Space Jam game on April 9, which will see the squad don special themed jerseys.

The jerseys will be auctioned off online, with proceeds going toward the SickKids Foundation.

bleeson@postmedia.com

Twitter: @ben_leeson

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Multi-talented Harris an emerging leader for Five - The Sudbury Star
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Brampton house fire: Family of five killed remembered | CTV News - CTV News Toronto

Two weeks ago, Luis Felipa praised his daughter for turning her life around.

Raven Alisha Ali-O'Dea had been a rebellious teenager, he explained, but had transformed into a grown, responsible woman.

"(I said,) 'Raven, you know, I'm so proud of you, the way you changed your life around.'

"Her cheeks were both pink. She says, 'Dad, you're making me blush,' because normally I don't just give compliments like that.

"I'm so glad that I told her," Felipa recalled, his voice shaking.

Those were his last words to her.

Ali-O'Dea, 29, her husband Nazir Ali, 28, and their children -- six-year-old Layla Rose Ali-O'Dea, eight-year-old Jayden Prince Ali-O'Dea, and 10-year-old Alia Marilyn Ali-O'Dea -- died early Monday morning after a fire tore through their Brampton, Ont., home.

Felipa's ex-wife and Raven Alisha Ali-O'Dea's mother, Bonnie O'Dea, who lived with the family, was transported to a trauma centre in critical condition. Two tenants living in the basement of the home were able to evacuate without any injuries.

Felipa has barely been able to sleep since as he's tried to understand what went wrong.

"They lived six years in there with no problems," he said.

Felipa said his daughter and son-in-law purchased the home last year from the landlord they were renting from at a steal because the landlord cared about his daughter. He said his father then gave her some money to renovate.

Ali-O'Dea and Ali decided to renovate the entire home, hiring a team to replace the floors, stove, lights and paint. The renovations wrapped up two months ago.

The cause, origin and circumstances of the fire are under investigation.

Felipa said he's been wondering if the renovations had anything to do with the fire -- were the smoke alarms put back in after the painters took them out? But he said he's done speculating because it's "killing" him.

He's now anxiously waiting for the results of the Office of the Fire Marshal, Peel Regional Police and Brampton Fire and Emergency Services' investigation.

Felipa said his daughter used to work long hours at a landscaping company, starting her day at 4 a.m., working until about noon, picking up the kids from school in the afternoon, and returning to work until 8 p.m. He said Ali worked as a delivery driver and that he loved him like his own son, describing him as an affectionate father.

The two were high school sweethearts. They worked hard to give their kids the best life they could, Felipa said, often taking them to Niagara Falls, Ont., where they loved to visit an indoor waterpark, buying them lots of clothes and toys and always keeping their fridge stocked so they would never go hungry.

"They were very, very good to them," Felipa said. "Whatever they wanted, they had."

Before the pandemic hit, Felipa used to take his grandchildren to Canada's Wonderland every year. A few days before the fire, he told his grandson Jayden they would go back this summer to make up for not being able to go the two previous years.

"It was a ritual," he said.

Felipa said Jayden was "so happy" with the plan to go to Wonderland again because the "adventurous" kid who was "full of adrenalin" had grown taller since they last went in 2019 and was hoping to ride bigger roller-coasters.

He described Layla as a "rambunctious" little girl who was "strong" and "determined."

Alia, whose middle name Marilyn was given in honour of Felipa's late daughter, loved to sing and dance. Felipa said he has long had a photo of him with Alia set as his phone's wallpaper and doesn't plan to change it.

"I'm so glad that the short life that (they) lived, ... they lived a good life," he said.

In the wake of the fire at the Ali-O'Dea home, Ontario Fire Marshal Jon Pegg and Brampton Fire Chief Bill Boyes have advised residents to ensure they have working smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors and a home escape plan.

Boyes said firefighters and fire prevention officers checked homes in the area earlier this week and found that some of them did not have working smoke alarms.

"We can't see more people in the province of Ontario and city of Brampton perish in a fire," Boyes told reporters outside the burned home on Tuesday. "It's completely unacceptable and it's completely preventable."

Felipa said his goal now is to become an advocate on the issue of fire prevention, noting he plans to speak to officials in the City of Brampton and Ontario government about enacting a law or measure in which firefighters can visit homes at least once a year to ensure their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are working.

He's also planning to use whatever money is raised through a benefit fundraiser and memorial event being held on May 21 in Brampton to purchase smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors to give to local firefighters to distribute them to residents who can't afford them.

"I don't want nobody, nobody to go through what I'm going through," he said through tears. "This is a terrible thing to go through."

A funeral is being held for the Ali-O'Dea family Saturday morning at Jame Masjid in Mississauga, Ont. It's open to the public.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2022.

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Atlanta Hawks playoff update with five games remaining - Soaring Down South

Atlanta Hawks. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

With the Atlanta Hawks having only five games left on the season they still have everything to play for. They are still mathematically able to take the final guaranteed playoff seed being only five games behind the Toronto Raptors but that is reasonably unlikely.

However, thanks to their recent win against the Cleveland Cavaliers they are only two games behind the Cavs for the seventh seed. They also have an identical record and the Brooklyn Nets and the Charlotte Hornets but the Hawks have to win more games than these two teams to get above them.

However, the recent win against the Cavaliers was important for so many reasons. One, it bought them a whole game closer in the standings which is important. It also gave them the win in the season series meaning that if the two teams are tied at the end of the regular season then the Hawks will finish above the Cavaliers. This is not to mention that the Hawks qualified for the play-in tournament with the win.

The Atlanta Hawks need to keep the hot streak going.

With Kevin Huerter having a really good streak of late, the Hawks have taken advantage by keeping Bogdan Bogdanovic coming off the bench. He has been a true offensive spark even with the loss of John Collins for the past few weeks and Danilo Gallinari only able to play on and off.

The Hawks have the ability to sneak above the Brooklyn Nets when the two teams meet at the start of April. This could be crucial to the Hawks getting into the seven vs eight play-in game which will give them two bites at the play-in cherry and also give them the best seeding chance possible.

With the top of the Eastern Conference being so tight there is no guarantee right now of who the higher seeded team will be in the first round. All the Hawks can do is focus on themselves and give themselves the best chance that they can.

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Saturday, April 2, 2022

Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning, April 2, 2022: Five things you should know - Montreal Gazette

In the Habs' Room: Jake Allen looks to Carolina for lessons

Canadiens need hard-nosed Gallagher back at 100 per cent | HI/O Bonus

Hickey on hockey: Concordia caps turnaround with national crown

Report: Guardians, RP Clase agree to $20M, five-year deal - TSN