Undone torte

What did we learn in the Premier League over the weekend? [ MORE: How to watch PL in the USA ] Here’s a look at 10 things which stood out, as our writers Joe Prince-Wright (JPW), Nick Mendola (NM) and Andy Edwards (AE) share their observations from across the most recent Premier League games. [ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ] Let’s get to it. 1. Man City too much, as Alisson melts down (Liverpool 1-4 Man City): There will be talked about whether new signing Ozan Kabak should’ve slotted next to Fabinho or Jordan Henderson at the back, and we’re not sure whether it’s undeserved. Yes, Kabak is 20 and has just arrived from another league, but he was playing for an often under-siege Schalke side and is facing Bayern that different than Man City? He’s also a natural center back who is good with the ball and in the air. That said, Alisson’s day turned into a nightmare pretty much from the moment he made a fine save on Foden … [Read more...] about 10 things we learned in the Premier League – Matchweek 23

Dwane Casey led a Raptors team that changed its offensive philosophy this season, won a franchise-record 59 games, and all that earned him the title of Coach of the Year as voted by his peers (and he could win the official NBA award, too). Friday, Dwane Casey was fired by Toronto. Beyond the questions of is this fair (no, but life isn’t fair) or is this the smart move comes another big one: Who will be the next coach of the Raptors? When word of Casey’s impending doom started to circulate around the league a couple of days ago, the buzz was they would go with one of their top assistants, an internal candidate who brings change but not much disruption. However, not long after the firing, the name of former Hawks’ coach Mike Budenholzer came up. So here are the potential new head coaching candidates for Toronto. • Mike Budenholzer. Let go by the Hawks and undone more by his unimpressive work as a GM than his coaching acumen. He may be at the top of Masai … [Read more...] about Who will be Raptors’ next coach? Mike Budenholzer? Jerry Stackhouse?

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took the opportunity to give a few United fringe players opportunities to impress but ultimately had to turn to his regulars on the bench, with McTominay the one to make the difference. United were frustrated in the first half as they struggled to make the most of their dominance over a West Ham side who offered very little in attack, with Victor Lindelof going closest for the hosts when denied by the upright. Aside from United managing fewer shots, the pattern of the match hardly deviated after the break and it was no surprise to see it remain goalless at the end of the regulation 90 minutes. But the hosts' superiority told in the end with West Ham unable to cancel out McTominay's 97th-minute strike. It quickly became apparent that West Ham's plan was to pack their defence with as many players as possible and it was nearly undone just 11 minutes in, but Anthony Martial was denied by a crucial Angelo Ogbonna intervention that resulted in the Italian … [Read more...] about Manchester United 1-0 West Ham (aet): McTominay ends Hammers’ resistance to seal quarterfinal spot

NHL Three Stars from Tuesday 1. Kevin Lankinen , Chicago Blackhawks There were plenty of strong goaltending performances from around the NHL on Tuesday. Sergei Bobrovsky even bounced back from a pretty hideous goal allowed. Lankinen even witnessed a strong goaltending performance at the other end of the ice, as Jake Oettinger helped the Stars push the Blackhawks to overtime. But Lankinen continues to be a most-unexpected success story , at least early in the season for the Blackhawks. By stopping 34 out of 35 shots, Lankinen improved his record to 5-1-3. That might not sound like much, until you remember how sorry the Blackhawks look many nights. He ranked t hird in Goals Saved Against Average at 6.28 even before tonight. This performance pushed the goalie’s save percentage to a lofty .933 through eight games. For what it’s worth, the 25-year-old put up strong numbers in Finland in 2016-17 and 2017-18. As Lankinen’s gotten closer to the Blackhawks’ orbit via some … [Read more...] about The Buzzer: Quiet Dubois debut with Jets; Lankinen on fire for Blackhawks

NHL Three Stars from Thursday 1. Mike Smith , Edmonton Oilers Not bad for a goalie who probably wasn’t certain his team would play, and likely didn’t have a lot of lead-in time to expect to get the start. ( Mikko Koskinen was kept out of the game for precautionary reasons. Check out this post for more about the NHL’s expanded COVID protocols, by the way.) Smith made all 38 saves to earn the 40th shutout of his NHL career . The 38-year-old goalie is off to a sharp start now that he’s actually playing in this truncated NHL season. In his last appearance, Smith stopped 27 of 28 shots to help Edmonton beat Ottawa. On a Thursday night that was kind to NHL goalies, Mike Smith stood out. 2. Cam Atkinson , Columbus Blue Jackets Clearly, Atkinson standing up for his coach John Tortorella amid the latest Torts drama (the first bit [?] with Patrik Laine ) helped Atkinson heat up. Atkinson unloaded with a four-point night as the Blue Jackets traded blows with the … [Read more...] about The Buzzer: Thursday quite the night for NHL goalies