Oilers seek more early goals to avoid Game 6 elimination in Stanley Cup final
EDMONTON - The Edmonton Oilers' quest for a Stanley Cup would be less uphill if they could strike first in a game in the series, says their coach.
The Florida Panthers have outscored the Oilers 7-0 in the first period in three straight games of the Cup final, and 11-4 in first periods overall in the series.
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Toronto Sun
5 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Van Gisbergen's emotional win in Mexico City locks him into NASCAR playoffs
Published Jun 15, 2025 • 4 minute read Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #88 Safety Culture Chevrolet (centre) winner, Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 Mobil 1 Toyota (left) second place, and Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 LLumar Chevrolet, third place celebrate in victory lane the NASCAR Cup Series Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on June 15, 2025 in Mexico City, Mexico. Photo by Sean Gardner / Getty Images MEXICO CITY — Shane Van Gisbergen once again mastered a new track — this one the iconic Mexico City road course — to win NASCAR's first Cup Series points-paying race outside the United States of the modern era. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The New Zealander led 60 of 100 laps Sunday at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez to earn his first Cup victory since he won in his NASCAR debut at the inaugural 2023 street course race in Chicago. That victory changed his career trajectory and Van Gisbergen left Australia V8 Supercars, where he was a multiple champion, for a full-time move to NASCAR. Although he had success in the Xfinity Series — he won three races last year as Trackhouse Racing developed him for a Cup Series ride — Van Gisbergen has struggled this year at NASCAR's top level. He started the race ranked 33rd in the Cup standings with only one top-10 finish through the first 15 races of the season. But his victory in Mexico City earned him an automatic berth into NASCAR's playoffs with a shot to race for the Cup Series championship. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Van Gisbergen benefitted from an early pop-up rain shower on the first lap of the race because he's an exceptionally skilled driver on a wet surface. His win at Chicago was in monsoon-like conditions. He won the pole in Mexico City and started the race as the BetMGM betting favourite, particularly since rain was in the forecast. He had to contend with several challengers, Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing among them, but took the lead for good with 31 laps remaining. Trackhouse now has two of its drivers — Ross Chastain and Van Gisbergen — locked into the playoffs. But it was a bit of a disappointment for Daniel Suarez, the Monterrey native who thrilled the hometown crowd with a win in the Xfinity Series race on Saturday, as he failed to challenge his teammate for the win and finished 19th. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Suarez, who appeared to be blinking back tears as he sang along with the Mexican national anthem in pre-race ceremonies, desperately wanted the home win in this contract year with Trackhouse. He was the face of this event as NASCAR ventured outside the U.S. with its top series for the first time since 1958. Bell finished second in a Toyota for JGR — 16.567 seconds behind the winner. He was followed by Chase Elliott in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Alex Bowman, who hurt his back in a crash last week at Michigan, withstood the pain for a fourth-place finish in his Hendrick Chevrolet. Michael McDowell of Spire Motorsports was fifth and followed by John Hunter Nemechek in a Toyota for Legacy Motor Club. Chase Briscoe of JGR was seventh and followed by Cole Custer for Haas Factory as the highest-finishing Ford driver. William Byron of Hendrick was ninth and Chris Buescher of RFK Racing rounded out the top 10. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Chevrolets took five of the top-10 positions, including the victory. Bad day for Busch Kyle Busch, who started the race at the bottom of the playoff standings, suffered a massive setback when he crashed out of the race on the sixth lap and finished last in the 37-car field. Busch, who was ranked 15th in the Cup Series standings when he arrived in Mexico City, blamed the incident on the wet track. 'Just in the rain, and I went down into (Turn) 11 and got on the brakes pretty hard, and everything was fine, everything was comfortable, stopped really good,' he said. 'And I'm like 'OK I can be a little more aggressive getting into 1,' and I figured it was going to be fine, and as soon as I went to the brakes, it was like being on ice, and I was just sliding. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'About a second a half or so, I was trying to figure out which direction to go, and I was like I've got to turn this thing around backward, because I'm going to nail some people. Hate it for all those involved in my mishap. I hate that the rain came and now it's nice and dry. Just have to go fight for more points in another week.' Gordon gives command NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon was selected to give the command for drivers to start their engines and admitted before the race he'd done some practicing. Why? Because he incorporated both English and Spanish in his delivery of the most famous words in racing. 'Hola Mexico!' Gordon shouted. 'Pilotos start your engines! Up Next NASCAR races next Sunday at Pocono Raceway, where Ryan Blaney won last year. Check out our sports section for the latest news and analysis. Care for a wager? Head to our sports betting section for news and odds. Sports Toronto & GTA Relationships Canada World
Globe and Mail
5 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Oilers up against the clock to find a winning mix against Panthers in Stanley Cup final
The Edmonton Oilers were the favourites to win the Stanley Cup before the season began but now find themselves on the brink of elimination from the final for the second straight year. After a defeat on Saturday, the Oilers trail the Florida Panthers 3-2 in the best-of-seven and now must win in Sunrise, Fla., on Tuesday to stay alive. They must then do it again on Friday to clinch their first NHL championship in 35 years. It has been a great and odd final series where the opponents have alternated victories. Neither has been able to maintain momentum but now the Panthers are just one victory shy of capturing the Stanley Cup for the second straight year. Florida beat Edmonton in seven games a year ago and at present would seem to hold the upper hand. The Oilers have fallen short in two critical areas that they will have to address to have a chance. The issues are related as well. The first is being outplayed at the beginning of games. They have been outscored 11-4 overall in the first period and 7-0 over the last three contests. 'We have come out flat for most of the series,' Mattias Ekholm, Edmonton's veteran defenceman, said after Saturday's 5-2 loss. 'We have to find a way to be better at that. 'We have to make sure we bear down in games, and it hasn't happened for us. We need to go to Florida and win a game and flip that.' Perhaps Ekholm is being hard on himself and his teammates in so far as three of the five games have gone to overtime. But at this time of year there should be no shortage of desperation. There is no reason a team should not be ready to go at the opening puck drop. Cathal Kelly: Any team can win the Stanley Cup – but only the Panthers truly want to Opinion: Stanley Cup pursuit reignites debate about taxes on player salaries The other crucial issue is that the Oilers' goaltending has been erratic. Stuart Skinner has been excellent, but also pulled from the net twice. Calvin Pickard came on in relief on Thursday and was splendid in an overtime victory where Edmonton fell into a 3-0 hole in the first period. As such he was given the starting nod on Saturday but allowed four goals on 18 shots. Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch cast no blame his way, but it should be pointed out that Sergei Bobrovsky, the Panthers' goalie, has been just OK so far. Knoblauch would not say who would start Game 6 during a media availability early Sunday morning, before the team boarded its charter flight for Fort Lauderdale. 'It's not an easy decision,' Knoblauch said of who would be put in the net while facing elimination. 'We have two goalies that have shown they can play extremely well. We feel no matter who [we would] choose can win the game.' The bigger problem is that Edmonton has been collapsing early and its high-powered offence has turned into a popgun in the three losses. 'It would be nice to get some goal support,' Knoblauch said. 'It would be nice to have the lead and for our goalies to not be in a position where the pressure is on them and they have to make every single save to keep the game close or keep us ahead. 'We've had high-quality chances early. Capitalizing on them would be something good for us.' Neither of the team's superstars – Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl – spoke to journalists after Saturday's game or on Sunday morning. That certainly makes it seem like frustration is mounting. The Oilers took only two penalties in Game 5 but in previous outings have allowed the Panthers to have too many opportunities with a man advantage. 'We have to clean up that issue,' Knoblauch said. 'That has been a big story throughout the series.' There are things that need to be fixed for Edmonton to win. Time is running out.
Winnipeg Free Press
5 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Van Gisbergen's emotional win in Mexico City locks him into NASCAR playoffs
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Shane Van Gisbergen once again mastered a new track — this one the iconic Mexico City road course — to win NASCAR's first Cup Series points-paying race outside the United States of the modern era. The New Zealander led 60 of 100 laps Sunday at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez to earn his first Cup victory since he won in his NASCAR debut at the inaugural 2023 street course race in Chicago. That victory changed his career trajectory and Van Gisbergen left Australia V8 Supercars, where he was a multiple champion, for a full-time move to NASCAR. Although he had success in the Xfinity Series — he won three races last year as Trackhouse Racing developed him for a Cup Series ride — Van Gisbergen has struggled this year at NASCAR's top level. He started the race ranked 33rd in the Cup standings with only one top-10 finish through the first 15 races of the season. But his victory in Mexico City earned him an automatic berth into NASCAR's playoffs with a shot to race for the Cup Series championship. Van Gisbergen benefitted from an early pop-up rain shower on the first lap of the race because he's an exceptionally skilled driver on a wet surface. His win at Chicago was in monsoon-like conditions. He won the pole in Mexico City and started the race as the BetMGM betting favorite, particularly since rain was in the forecast. He had to contend with several challengers, Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing among them, but took the lead for good with 31 laps remaining. Trackhouse now has two of its drivers — Ross Chastain and Van Gisbergen — locked into the playoffs. But it was a bit of a disappointment for Daniel Suarez, the Monterrey native who thrilled the hometown crowd with a win in the Xfinity Series race on Saturday, as he failed to challenge his teammate for the win and finished 19th. Suarez, who appeared to be blinking back tears as he sang along with the Mexican national anthem in pre-race ceremonies, desperately wanted the home win in this contract year with Trackhouse. He was the face of this event as NASCAR ventured outside the U.S. with its top series for the first time since 1958. Bell finished second in a Toyota for JGR — 16.567 seconds behind the winner. He was followed by Chase Elliott in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Alex Bowman, who hurt his back in a crash last week at Michigan, withstood the pain for a fourth-place finish in his Hendrick Chevrolet. Michael McDowell of Spire Motorsports was fifth and followed by John Hunter Nemechek in a Toyota for Legacy Motor Club. Chase Briscoe of JGR was seventh and followed by Cole Custer for Haas Factory as the highest-finishing Ford driver. William Byron of Hendrick was ninth and Chris Buescher of RFK Racing rounded out the top 10. Chevrolets took five of the top-10 positions, including the victory. Bad day for Busch Kyle Busch, who started the race at the bottom of the playoff standings, suffered a massive setback when he crashed out of the race on the sixth lap and finished last in the 37-car field. Busch, who was ranked 15th in the Cup Series standings when he arrived in Mexico City, blamed the incident on the wet track. 'Just in the rain, and I went down into (Turn) 11 and got on the brakes pretty hard, and everything was fine, everything was comfortable, stopped really good,' he said. 'And I'm like 'OK I can be a little more aggressive getting into 1,' and I figured it was going to be fine, and as soon as I went to the brakes, it was like being on ice, and I was just sliding. 'About a second a half or so, I was trying to figure out which direction to go, and I was like I've got to turn this thing around backward, because I'm going to nail some people. Hate it for all those involved in my mishap. I hate that the rain came and now it's nice and dry. Just have to go fight for more points in another week.' Gordon gives command NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon was selected to give the command for drivers to start their engines and admitted before the race he'd done some practicing. Why? Because he incorporated both English and Spanish in his delivery of the most famous words in racing. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. 'Hola Mexico!' Gordon shouted. 'Pilotos start your engines! Up Next NASCAR races next Sunday at Pocono Raceway, where Ryan Blaney won last year. ___ AP auto racing:
