Preview: Leafs Verses Oilers

Here's the deal.  The Toronto Maple Leafs are 16-9-1 overall.  The Edmonton Oilers are 10-13-2 overall.

Toronto is 8-4-1 on the road.  Edmonton is 5-7-0 at home.

Also, Toronto's goalie, Frederik Andersen has a 14-7-0-1 record.  The starting goalie for Edmonton tonight, Laurent Brossoit, has a dismal 0-3-0-1 record.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out who has the advantage tonight.

Toronto also is 6-2-2 in their last 10 games.

Best Players:

TOR: Auston Matthews - 24 points.

EDM: Connor McDavid - 30 points.

Injuries:

Toronto

Auston Matthews - Illness - probable tonight.

Edmonton

Jujhar Khaira - Lower Body - questionable for tonight,

Cam Talbot - Upper Body - mid-December,

Andrej Sekera - Knee - late December.

Leafs Douse Flames 4-1

After the disappointing loss on Saturday to the Washington Capitals, the Toronto Maple Leafs were looking to bounce back against the Calgary Flames last night.

Roman Polak opened the scoring for Toronto at 18:36 of the first period.

Nikita Zaitev put the Leafs up 2-0 at 12:36 of the second period.

Nazem Kadri scored at 1:54 of the third period to make it 3-0 Leafs.

Calgary finally got on the scoreboard at 5:29 of the (third) period with a goal by Michael Stone.

Leo Komarov sealed the deal for the Leafs with an empty-netter at 19:59.

The Leafs now head to Edmonton where Toronto faces the Oilers tomorrow night.

Rumor Mill: Twins Seeking Davish

(left) Yu Darvish.

After that disastrous Word Series, rumors are finally heating up on where Yu Darvish is going to end up next season.

Jim Bowden of SiriusXM Radio is reporting that there's six teams thinking of pursuing Darvish and the Minnesota Twins is amongst the teams.

Minnesota's general manager, Thad Levine told MLB Network Radio that he is thinking of getting Darvish in the offseason.

In 2017, Darvish had a 10-12 win-loss record, a 3.86 earned run average, (ERA), with the Texas Rangers and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In nine starts after being traded to the Dodgers, Darvish went 4-3 with a 3.44 ERA.

After solid outings in the National Championship Series, Darvish surrendered eight earned runs over 3 1/3 innings in two World Series starts against the Houston Astros.

San Francisco Contacted Pirates

Andrew McCutchen.

Word has it that the San Francisco Giants have recently contacted the Pittsburgh Pirates, inquiring about slugger, Andrew McCutchen.

After a terrible 2016 season, McCutchen had a better year in 2017, hitting .279/.363/.486 with 28 home runs and 88 RBIs.

 

Preview: Leafs Verses Flames

Both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Calgary Flames are even in almost every possible way.

Toronto' overall record is 15-9-0-1 and Calgary is 13-9-1.

Tonight's starting goalies both have winning records.

Leaf's Frederik Andersen has a 13-7-0-1 record and Calgary's Mike Smith has a 11-1-1 record.

Johnny Gaudreau is the player that the Leafs have to watch for tonight.  Gaudreau has a total of 34 points this season.

The good news for Toronto is that Calgary has a mediocre 6-5-0 home record.  Toronto's road record is 7-4-0-1.

Best Players:

TOR: Auston Matthews - 23 points.

Injuries:

Calgary

Kris Versteeg - Lower Body - out tonight.

Ovechkin Scores Three in 4-2 Captal's Win Over Leafs

Alex Ovechkin gets hat-trick in 4-2 win over the Leafs last night.

Washington Capital's captain, Alex Ovechkin shined brightly last night by scoring a hat-trick in a 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Ovechkin scored at 12:43 and 19:13 of the first period.

Ovechkin's teammate, Jakub Vrana made it 3-0 at 11:02 of the second period.

The Leafs finally got on the scoreboard at 1:24 of the third period when Jake Gardiner scored.

Nikita Zaitev closed the gap to 3-2 Capitals at 6:09 of the (third) period.

Unfortunately for the Leafs, Ovechkin scored at 19:51 to secure the victory.

Washington's T.J. Oshie got three assists last night.

Toronto faces the Calgary Flames Tuesday night. 

Preview: Capitals Verses Leafs

The Washington Capitals have the advantaged in goaltending tonight.

Braden Holtby has a 12-5-0 win-loss record, however, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a fairly good backup goalie in Curtis McElhinney.

The Capitals, however, have a lethal weapon.  Evgeny Kuznetsov.  He has 26 points this season.

Best Players:

TOR: Auston Matthews - 22 points.

Injuries:

Washington

Christian Djoors - Upper Body - out indefinitely,

Andre Burakovsky - Thumb - mid-December,

Tyler Graovac - Upper Body - out indefinitely.

Leafs Edge Hurricanes 5-4 last night

Frederik Andersen (left), stopped 43 shots against the Hurricanes last night.

It was a real nail biter at the end, but the Toronto Maple Leafs edged the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 last night.

There was no scoring in the first period.

 Zach Hyman, who was questionable for last  night's game because of an Upper Body injury, scored just 53 seconds into the second period to put the Leafs ahead 1-0.

Josh Leivo put the Leafs up by two goals at 7:14.

At 11:37 of the second period, Ron Hainsey scored to make it a 3-0 game.

The 'Canes. finally got on the scoreboard with a goal by Derek Ryan at 13:35.

At the end of the second period, the Leafs were ahead 4-1.

At 3:08 of the third period, Patrick Marleau made it 5-2.

It seemed as if Toronto had the game in control.

Carolina, however, scored two more goals before the period was over.

The Hurricanes scrambled to tie the game with the extra attacker, but Leaf's goalie, Frederik Andersen stood his ground and Toronto walked away with the victory.

Andersen stopped 43 shots last night.

Toronto's Jake Gardiner had two assists last night.

Carolina's Jeff Skinner also finished the night with two assists.

Toronto host the Washington Capitals tonight.

Preview: Leafs Verses Hurricanes

It is hard to say whose going to win tonight's game.

Both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Carolina Hurricanes have winning records, although the Leaf's are 14-8-1 and the Canes. are 9-7-4.

The good news for the Leafs is that the Canes. are struggling at home lately.  Carolina is 4-9 in their last 13 home games.

Best Players:

TOR: Auston Matthews - 21 points.

CAR: Teuvo Teravainen - 20 points.

Injuries:

Toronto

Zach Hyman - Upper Body - questionable.

Carolina

Lee Stempniak - Upper Body - out indefinitely.

Leafs Puts On A Good Show Despite Loss

Roberto Luongo stopped 43 shots last night.

The Toronto Maple Leafs had solid performance against the Florida Panthers last night, despite the 2-1 shoot-out loss.

The Leafs just happened to go up against a hot goaltender last night.  That's all.

Florida's goalie, Roberto Luongo stopped 43 shots last night.

Luongo's counter-part, Frederik Andersen, also was spectacular in net last night.  He stopped 42 shots.

There was no scoring in the first period.

Florida's Nick Bjugstad opened the scoring at 15:16 of the second period.

Bjugstad also scored the winner in the shoot-out.

In the third period, the Leafs were flying as the team tried to tie the game.

Finally, at 13:56 into the (third) period, Nazem Kadri tied the game.

Nothing was settled in overtime.  As a result, the game went to a shoot out.

The Leafs face the Carolina Hurricanes tomorrow night. 

Preview: Leafs Verses Panthers

Tonight, the Toronto Maple Leafs are hoping to bounce back from that disappointing 4-1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes the other night.

The Leafs have a good chance of doing it too.

The Florida Panthers are 7-11-1-1 overall and are 3-8-0 at home.

The Panther's goalie, Roberto Luongo has a mediocre 4-4-1 win-loss record this season.

Best Players:

TOR: Auston Matthews - 21 points.

FLA: Aleksander Barkov - 21 points.

Injuries:

Florida

Radim Vrbata -Face - out tonight,

Derek MacKenzie - Lower Body - out indefinitely.

Hot Coyotes Ends Toronto's Streak

Unfortunately for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team went up against a hot Arizona Coyotes squad last night.

Going into last night's game, the 4-15-3 Coyotes defeated the Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators.

Last night, Arizona ended the Leaf's six game winning streak with a 4-1 victory.

Brendan Pelini opened the Scoring for Arizona with a power play goal at 9:53 of the first period.

33 seconds into the second period, James Van Riemsdyk tied the game up with a power play goal.

At 18:17 of the (second) period, Oliver Eknaan-Larsson put the Arizona ahead again with a power play goal.

Auston Matthews thought he tied the game 2-2 in the third period, but the goal was disallowed for goaltender interference.

Arizona secured the victory shortly after the disallowed goal with two empty netters.

Arizona's Clayton Keller had two assists in last night's game.

Toronto faces the Florida Panthers tomorrow night. 

Preview: Coyotes Verses Leafs

On paper, the Toronto Maple Leafs wins this game hands down.

The Arizona Coyotes overall record is a dismal (and I mean dismal) 4-15-3.  The Coyotes are 3-9-2 on the road.

The Leafs are 14-7-0 and are 8-3-0 at home.

Antti Raanta is suppose to start in goal for Arizona tonight.  His win-loss record is 3-5-1-1.

Best Players:

ARI: Clayton Keller - 18 points.

TOR: Auston Matthews - 21 points.

Injuries:

Arizona

Niklas Kjalmarsson - Upper Body - probable for tonight,

Jakob Chuchrun - Knee - out indefinitely.

Leafs Blank Canadiens 6-0

Auston Matthews scores two in his first game back from injury last night.

Make that six straight wins.

Yes.  That's right.

The Toronto Maple Leafs blanked the Montreal Canadiens 6-0 last night as the team's winning streak continues.

There was no scoring until 12:07 of the second period when Ron Hainsey scored to put the Leafs ahead 1-0.

Just 37 seconds after Hainsey's goal, Nazem Kadri made it 2-0.

Just 25 seconds into the third period, Connor Brown scored to put Toronto up by three goals.

James Van Riemsdyk made it 4-0 at 8:11 of the third period.

43 seconds later, Auston Matthews scored Toronto's fifth goal of the game.

Matthews also scored Toronto's sixth goal at 15:27, giving him two goals in the game.

Matthews's teammate, Tyler Bozak finished the night with two assists.

Leaf's goalie, Frederik Andersen stopped 33 shots last night.

Toronto hosts the Arizona Coyotes tomorrow night.

Preview: Leafs Verses Canadiens

With Carey Price out indefinitely with a lower body injury, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a really good chance of beating the montreal Canadiens tonight.

Also, there's word that Auston Matthews is probably going to be back in the Leaf's lineup tonight.

The problem with the Leafs, though, is their road record is not that good.  They're 5-4-0 on the road.

Having said that, Montreal's home record is just as bad.  The Canadiens are 4-4-2 at home.

Best Players:

TOR: Auston Matthews - 19 points.

MON: Jonathan Drouin - 13 points.

Injuries:

Toronto

Auston Matthews - Upper Boday - questionable.

Montreal

Max Pacioretty - Flu - probable for tonight,

Jonathan Drouin - Flu - probable,

Jordie Benn - Flu - probable,

Torrey Mitchell - Flu - questionable,

Artturi Lehkonen - Lower Body - out indefinitely,

Nikita Scherbak - Knee - mid-December,

Alex Hemsky - Concussion - out indefinitely,

David Schiemko - Hand - late November.

Nylander Scores In O.T. To Give Leafs Their Fifth Straight Win

William Nylander scores overtime winner in Leaf's 1-0 victory over New Jersey.

It was a real goalies duel last night.

The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the New Jersey Devils, thanks to William Nylander's goal in overtime.

Nylander scored the goal with just 2.2 to go in O.T.

Earlier in overtime, the Leafs had to kill off a four on three Devil's power play.

This victory gives the Leafs their fifth straight win.

Leaf's goalie, Frederik Andersen was fantastic in net last night, stopping 42 shots.

The Leafs look to make it six in a row tomorrow night as the team faces the Montreal Canadiens. 

Frederik Andersen made 42 saves against the Devils last night.

Preview: Devils Verses Leafs

This game is definitely a toss up.

Both the New Jersey Devils and the Toronto Maple Leafs are even.

New Jersey has a 11-4-1-1 overall record and the team is 6-1-0-1 on the road.

Toronto has an overall record of 10-6-0-0 and are 7-3-0-0 at home.

The problem with the Leafs is that Auston Matthews is still on the sidelines and William Nylander is questionable for tonight's game.

Best Players:

NJ: Taylor Hall - 19 points.

TOR: Auston Matthews - 19 points.

Injuries:

New Jersey

Travis Zajac - Pectoral - probable for tonight,

Mirco Mueller - Collarbone - out indefinitely.

Marcus Johansson - Concussion - out indefinitely.

Toronto

William Nylander - Illness - day to day,

Auston Matthews - Upper-Body - won't play tonight.

Rumor Mill: Angels Thinking Of Trading For Kinsler

Los Angeles Angels are eying Ian Kinsler

Another trade rumor in Major League Baseball is on the horizon.

This time it involves Detroit Tiger's second baseman, Ian Kinsler.

Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press is reporting that the Los Angeles Angels are planning to make a trade for Kinsler.

The Tigers are in the process of rebuilding and the Angels are in the market for a second baseman.

A trade for Kinsler makes sense for the Angels at this time.

Kinsler has a $11 million option on his contract for the 2018 season.

Kinsler has played 12 seasons in the MLB.  Four with the Tigers and eight with the Texas Rangers.

Kinsler has hit .273/.342/.447 with 234 home runs and has 225 stolen bases during his career.

Rumor Mill: Jays Pursuing Cain

Lorenzo Cain

Now that Major League Baseball is over for the year, rumors are starting to heat up on whose going where.

The latest rumor involves the Toronto Blue Jays.

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick is reporting that the Blue Jays are thinking of signing free agent Lorenzo Cain.

In 2017, Cain hit .300/.363/.400 with 15 home runs, and 26 stolen bases in 155 games, playing for the Kansas City Royals.

Crasnick is also reporting that the New York Mets are pursuing Cain.

Oilers Make Huge Trade With Kings

(right) Mike Cammallari is an Oiler.

It is no surprise that the the Edmonton has made a trade.

Why?

It is because the team has started slow out of the gate this season.

The Oilers have acquired Mike Cammallari from the Los Angeles Kings for Jussi Jokinen.

Cammallari is no stranger to the province of Alberta.  He played for the Calgary Flames twice.  In 2008-09 and 2011-14.

Cammallari played 15 games for the Kings this season.

Cammallari has scored 290 goals, 330 assists over 855 career games.

Jokinen has played 14 games for the Oilers this year.

 

Rumor Mill: Boston Interested In Santana

Boston Red Sox interested in signing Carlos Santana.

Word has it that the Boston Red Sox are thinking of signing free agent slugger, Carlos Santana.

There's a good possibility the Bosox are going to get him too.

Santana has already turned down a $17 million qualifying offer from the Cleveland Indians.

Over eight seasons with Cleveland, Santana hit .249 with 174 home runs.

MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi is reporting that the Seattle Mariners are also pursuing Santana. 

Beltran Says Goodbye To Baseball After 20 Years

(left) Carlos Beltran announces his retirement.

After 20 years of playing Major League Baseball, Carlos Beltran has announced his retirement 12 days after his Houston Astros won their first ever World Series title.

A nine-time all-star, the 40 year-old won the American League Rookie Of The Year in 1999 and has three Gold Glove Awards.

In 2017, Beltran hit .231, had 14 home runs, and had 51 RBIs.

That's a far cry from his 2016 statistics where he hit .279 with 29 homers, 93 RBIs with the New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers.

Beltran finishes his career with a .279 batting average, 435 home runs, 1,587 RBIs, and 312 stolen bases.

Beltran was also a member of the Kansas City Royals, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Leafs Win Fourth Straight As Toronto Sweep The Bruins

Curtis McElhinney stopped 39 shots in 4-1 Leaf's win.

The Toronto Maple Leafs won their fourth straight game last night, defeating the Boston Bruins 4-1.

This win also means the Leafs swept this weekend's home and home series against Boston as Toronto won Friday's game 3-2.

Mitch Marner put the Leafs ahead 1-0 at 8:52 of the first period.

James Van Riemsdyk, who has been hot lately, made it 2-0 for Toronto at 14:16.

Almost a minute later, the Bruins closed the gap 2-1 with a goal by Frank Vatrano.

There was no scoring in the second period.

Morgan Rielly scored at 6:52 of the third period, putting the Leafs ahead 3-1.

Patrick Marleau secured the victory for the Leafs at 18:13 with an empty-net goal.

Both Van Riemsdyk and Rielly got two points in last night's game.

Leaf's backup goalie, Curtis McElhinney, stopped 39 shots last night.

Toronto now has a fairly long break as the team doesn't play until Thursday, (Nov. 16), against the New Jersey Devils. 

Marleau Scores Winner In O.T. As Leafs Win Third Straight

Patrick Marleau scores the overtime winner in Toronto's 3-2 win over Boston.

The Toronto Maple Leafs won the third straight game over the Boston Bruins last night, thanks to Patrick Marleau.

Marleau scored at 1:07 of O.T. to give his team the 3-2 win.

There was no scoring in the first period.

Boston went ahead first with a power play goal by Patrice Bergeron at 15:38 of the second period.

James Van Riemsdyk tied the game 1-1 with 56 seconds to go in the (second period).

David Pastmak put the Bruins ahead 2-1 at 14:30 of the third period.

Van Riemsdyk tied the game again.  This time with a minute to go in regulation.

Toronto's Mitch Marner had two assists last night.

Boston's goalie, Anton Khudobin stopped 30 shots.

Toronto's goalie, Frederik Andersen stopped 33 shots last night.

Toronto faces the Bruins again tonight, (read Preview: Leafs Verses Bruins).

Preview: Leafs Verses Bruins

The Toronto Maple Leafs managed to win 3-2 against the Boston Bruins last night.

Are the Leafs going to defeat Boston again tonight?

It is hard to say.

The Leaf's road record is a mediocre 4-4-0 and the team won't have Austin Matthews in the lineup again.

Boston, however, has a dismal 1-3-1-1 home record.

This game is basically a toss up.

Whoever gets the breaks tonight is probably going to win the game.

Best Players:

TOR: Auston Matthews - 19 points.

BOS: David Pastmak - 17 points.

Injuries:

Boston

David Backes - Illness - Injured Reserve (IR.)

David Krejci - Back - IR.

Adam McQuaid - Broken Leg - IR.

Ryan Spooner - Groin - IR.

ESPN To Layoff Employees

U.S sports broadcasting giant, ESPN, is planning to fire 40 to 60 employees later this month and the first half of December.

Sports Illutrated's, Richard Dietsch is reporting that ESPN is planning to let go 100 staffers after (U.S.) Thanksgiving.

The layoffs include, on-air talent, executives, producers, and employees on digital platforms.

Dietsch is also reporting the Sportscentre franchise is going to be hit the hardest.

This is not the first time that ESPN has taken drastic measures with their employees.

In 2015, around 300 employees lost their jobs when the broadcasting company was feeling the financial   pinch.

Rising right fees, sporting events, and shrinking subscriber rates were the cause of lost jobs at ESPN.

There's a small light at the end of the tunnel for ESPN.

The company is launching a new streaming service in the spring called ESPN PLUS. 

Preview: Bruins Verses Leafs

Are the Toronto Maple Leafs going to make it three in a row against the Boston Bruins tonight?

It is possible.

The Bruins are 16th in the National Hockey League in goals for, scoring 2.9 goals per game.

Also, the Bruins are plagued with injuries.

The Leafs, however, is probably playing without Auston Matthews again.  That quite possibly hamper the Leaf's chances of winning tonight.

Best Players:

BOS: David Pastrnak - 16 points.

TOR: Auston Matthews - 18 points.

Injuries:

Boston

Noel Acciari - Finger, Injued Reserve (IR.),

Brad Marchand - Concussion - day to day,

David Kreji - Back - IR.,

David Backes - Illness - eight weeks,

Adam McQuaid - Broken Leg - IR.,

Ryan Spooner - Groin - IR.

Toronto

Auston Matthews - Upper-Body - day to day.

Leafs Tamed The Wild 4-2

It wasn't their best performance, but the Toronto Maple Leafs got the job done last night.

Toronto defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-2, thanks to their goaltender, Frederik Andersen.

He (Andersen) was absolutely terrific in net last night, stopping a total of 35 shots.

Nazem Kadri opened the scoring at 12:56 of the first period to put the Leafs ahead 1-0.

Jason Zucker tied the game up at 18:15.

The Leafs went ahead 2-1 in the second period with a goal by Patrick Marleau.

Connor Carrick put the Leafs up by two goals at 3:40 of the third period.

Zucker closed the gap 3-2 at 15:01 with his second goal of the game.

Connor Brown secured the win for the Leafs at 19:29 with an empty netter.

The Wild's Eric Staal had two assists in last night's game.

The Leafs face the Boston Bruins tomorrow night.

Rumor Mill: Bruce Seeking A $80 To $90 Million Deal

ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick is reporting that free agent baseball player, Jay Bruce wants a five-year  contract worth $80 to $90 million.

Bruce's six-year, $51 million contract expired after the 2017 season.

In 2017, Bruce began the season with the New York Mets and finished the year with the Cleveland indians.

In 146 games, Bruce hit .284/.324/.508 with 36 home runs, and 101 RBIs.

The Toronto Blue Jays are among the teams rumored to pursue Bruce.

With Jose Bautista basically out of the picture, the Jays are probably going to have the money to sign Bruce.

Signing Bruce is definitely going to fill the void when Bautista is officially gone.

Martinez Wants $200 Million

J.D. Martinez wants a $200 million contract.

In other baseball news, Crasnick is also reporting that J.D. Martinez wants a $200 million contract.

The price tag seems steep, but when you look at Martinez's 2017 statistics, you begin to understand why he's asking for this amount of money.  Not that I totally agree with it.

I mean, the salaries continue to go up and up in professional sports.

In 2017, Martinez hit .303/376/.690 with 45 homers, 104 RBIs with the Detroit Tigers and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Leafs Win Battle Over Knight As Marner Scores Shoot Out Winner

Nazem Kadri scores two in Leaf's 4-3 shoot out win.


The Toronto Maple Leafs had to battle the Vegas Golden Knights and the officials last night.

For instance, Zach Hyman was grabbed by a Vegas player and brought down to the ice.

Hyman ended up sliding into the Vegas goalie and was penalized for goaltender interference.

Judging by the replay I saw, there's no way Hyman was going to avoid the net minder.

Thankfully, the Leafs killed off the Knight's two man advantage.

Nazem Kadi opened the scoring at 4:14 of the first period.

Just 38 seconds later, James Neal tied the game.

James Van Riemsdyk put the Leafs ahead 2-1 at 9:31 of the first (period).

Kadri scored his second goal of the game at 15:03.

At the end of the first period, the Leafs were ahead 3-1.

Reilly Smith closed the gap 3-2 at 18:50 of the second period.

At 6:16 of the third period, Deryk Engelland tied the game 3-3, (although, I feel the goal ought to not to be counted because an infraction was committed by a Vegas player just before the goal was scored).

There was no scoring in overtime.  As a result, the game had to be decided by a shoot out.

Mitch Marner scored the lone goal in the shoot out as the Leafs went on to win 4-3.

Toronto faces the Minnesota Wild tomorrow night.

Preview: Golden Knights Verses Leafs

Well, the Toronto Maple Leafs have another tough team to face tonight.

The Vegas Golden Knights are 9-4-0.

Also, there's a good possibility that Toronto is going to play tonight's game without their best player.  Auston Matthews.

The good news for the Leafs is Vegas has also been plagued by injuries lately.

Best Players

VGK: James Neal - 11 points

TOR: Auston Matthews - 18 points

Injuries

Vegas

G Marc-Andre Fleuy - Concussion - Injured Reserve.

Toronto

Auston Matthews - Undisclosed - day to day.

Duchene Dealt To Ottawa In Blockbuster Trade

After months of speculation, the Matt Duchene saga is finally over.

Yes.  Duchene was acquired by the Ottawa Senators in a three-way blockbuster trade yesterday that sent Kyle Turris to the Nashville Predators.

Colorado got goalie, Andrew Hammond and a few prospects in return for Duchene.

Turris scored three goals, has six assists for a total of nine points in 11 games this season.

Kyle Turris

This season, Duchene has scored four goals, six assists for a total of 10 points in 14 games. 

IT'S OFFICIAL: Blue Jays Decline Bautista's $17 Million Option

Jose Bautista's days with the Toronto Blue Jays are definitely numbered now.

The team has made it official.  The club has declined Bautista's $17 million mutual option for next year.

This means that Bautista is probably going to go somewhere else by the start of next season.

2017 was probably Bautista's worse season ever.

Bautista hit just 23 home runs, 65 RBIs, and had a career low .203 batting average.

Bautista has been a member of the Blue Jays since 2008.

During the 14 years in the Major Leagues, Bautista has 1430 hits, a .250 batting average, 331 home runs, 927 RBIs, and 66 stolen bases.

Update: Jose Bautista has officially became a free agent today.

Blues Go 11-3-1 After Defeating Leafs 6-4

It is no surprise that the Toronto Maple Leafs lost to the St. Louis Blues last night.

What is somewhat surprising is the Leafs lost 6-4.

Why?

It is because the Blues are a really good team this year.

Going into last night's game, St. Louis was 10-3-1.

I thought the Leafs were going to get hammered.

The Leafs actually went into the first intermission up 1-0.

Unfortunately, the Blues came out flying in the second period.

At 2:33 of the second period, Vladimir Tarasenko tied the game 1-1.

At 7:10, Joel Edmundson put the Blues ahead 2-1.

Alex Pietrangelo made it 3-1 at 10:28.

Things got even worse for the Leafs in the third (period).

Magnus Paajarvi put his team up 4-1 at 1:22.

Ahead 4-2, Vladimir Sobotka and Pietrangelo scored to put the Blues up by four goals.

Connor Brown made it a 6-3 game at 10:10.

Tyler Bozak scored Toronto's last goal of the night at 13:13.

Bozak scored two goals last night.

Blue's Brayden Schenn had four assists last night.

Preview; Leafs Verses Blues

I have a hard time believing the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to win tonight.

The team are probably going to be lucky to lose by a goal.

Why?

It is because the Leafs are facing the 10-3-1 St. Louis Blues.

Best Players

Tor: Auston Matthews - 18 points.

Stl: Jaden Schwartz - 17 points.

What's Going To Happen To Darvish?

(Left) Yu Darvish

The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired pitcher, Yu Darvish for a single purpose.

To win the World Series.

Unfortunately, Darvish had two really bad outings in the World Series and I mean bad.

In fact, Darvish's two outing didn't last two innings.

I now wonder what's going to happen to Darvish before next season.

Darvish becomes a free agent sometime in the offseason.

Is the Dodgers going to re-sign him? or is the team going to release him into the free agency market?

It seems as if the Dodgers are not going to re-sign Darvish, however, anything is possible.

Preview: Leafs Verses Ducks

The Toronto Maple Leafs are probably desperate for a win tonight against the Anaheim Ducks after losing 3-2 to the San Jose Sharks the other night.

The Leafs have lost three games in a row and are now 7-5.

Word has it that Leaf's head coach, Mike Babcock is going to re-shuffle the lineup tonight.

As a Leaf fan, I hope Babcock's strategy works tonight.

Best Players

TOR:  Auston Matthews - 16 points.

ANA: Andrew Cogliano - nine points.

Injuries

Toronto

Matt Martin - Undisclosed - day to day,

James Van Riemsdyk - Undisclosed - day to day.

Anaheim

Kevin Bieska - Hand - Injured Reserve (IR.),

Ryan Getzliaf - Upper Body - IR.

Dodgers Force Game Seven

Despite the 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers last night in Game Six of the World Series, Houston Astro's starting pitcher, Justin Verlander, had a solid outing on the mound.

Verlander gave up just three hits, two earned runs, no walks, and struck out nine batters in six innings pitched.

Verlander's teammate, George springer got the ball rolling by hitting a solo home run at the top of the third inning.

The Dodgers tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning when Chris Taylor drove in Austin Barnes with a RBI double.

Later in the (sixth) inning, the Dodgers went ahead 2-1 when Chase Utley scored on a sacrifice fly by Corey Seager.

A comeback for the Astros was squashed in the bottom of the seventh inning when Joc Pederson hit a solo home run on a 1-2 count.