The Blue Jays allowed just two hits in a 2-1 win over the Orioles

The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles. Let’s hope that’s something we get to say out loud a bunch this year!

Yusei Kikuchi continued his strong start to Grapefruit League play and the Blue Jays carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning before Hayden Jeunger came into the game and allowed a pair of singles. He managed to escape the jam and close the door as the Blue Jays beat Baltimore by a score of 2-1.
Things worth mentioning…

It’s very, very early, but it’s difficult not to be encouraged by the start to spring that Kikuchi has had. He kicked things off on Saturday with two scoreless innings and he followed that up on Wednesday with another two scoreless frames in which he surrendered no hits and only one walk while striking out two.

Yusei Kikuchi says that he’s feeling more clarity and confidence on the mound this spring.
His buildup is all going according to plan, so his focus from here is the quality of his fastball to get ahead early. #BlueJays #BeardKikuchi pic.twitter.com/sMOe35fhJh
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) March 1, 2023

Zach Thompson had a tough spring debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates, his former club, on Saturday, but he rebounded nicely against the O’s, throwing two clean frames while picking up three strikeouts.
The most electric outing of the game against Baltimore came in the sixth inning when Julian Fernandez came into the game and struck out three batters. Fernandez sat around 99 miles per hour but touched 101 on the gun while also tossing some wicked changeups.

Julian Fernandez throwing fire. Had the Orioles guessing badly when he went off-speed. Seems like a keeper if he can stay in the zone. @Bluejays versus @Orioles in Sarasota. pic.twitter.com/Me7Jy2hzOO
— Mark …

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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

Leafs rally for commanding 5-2 win over New York Islanders: Game Highlights

Leafs rally for commanding 5-2 win over New York Islanders: Game Highlights

The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Islanders by a score of 5-2 on Monday night, extending New York’s losing streak to five games in the process. Below are the highlights from the game…

The Islanders opened the scoring in the dying seconds of the first period. Sebastian Aho’s shot from the point was deflected past a screened Ilya Samsonov and off the post and Anders Lee was there to bury the rebound…

Anders. Lee. pic.twitter.com/KxGuLrHElF
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) January 24, 2023

The Leafs knotted the game at 1-1 early in the second period. Former Islander John Tavares dragged the puck into New York’s zone and fed William Nylander with a no-look pass that he sniped past Ilya Sorokin…

Wicked Willy 😎 pic.twitter.com/wrjkEoNfDd
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) January 24, 2023

The Islanders regained their lead just over one minute later when Anders Lee blasted a one-timer through Samsonov…

From the circle! pic.twitter.com/KbYEf3GxkK
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) January 24, 2023

After that, it was all Leafs. While on the power play, Samsonov fired an excellent breakout pass up the ice that Nylander feathered to Tavares. The former Islander captain went in on a partial break and buried a backhander past Sorokin…

Find a tendy who can do both! 😳🍎 pic.twitter.com/saOtpuhjko
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) January 24, 2023

A couple of minutes later, the Leafs grabbed their first lead of the night. Nylander took a breakout pass from Justin Holl just inside Toronto’s blueline and flipped the puck to Calle Jarnkrok, who broke in past New York’s defenders and wired a shot past Sorokin…

A casual Calle Jarnkrok = unlocked.🔓
📺: @Sportsnet ➡️ https://t.co/uEVY6yYjf7 #NHLonSN pic.twitter.com/DsW1jGip0L
— NHL (@NHL) January 24, 2023

Nylander capped off his huge performance later in the second frame with a goal that made the score 4-2. He picked off an Islanders breakout pass in New York’s zone, carried the puck up to the high slot, and fired a shot through a screened Sorokin…

It’s that guy, Will Ny The Scoring Guy! 😎 pic.twitter.com/ifQhlRjKXV
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) January 24, 2023

In the third period, Auston Matthews gave the Leafs some insurance. His 25th g …

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Author: Cam Lewis / The Leafs Nation

Dear Leafs Nation, I’m Back!

As if I’m back on the Leafs beat just in time for a potential Mitch Marner Norris Trophy campaign.

“Dear Leafs Nation, – I’m Back.”
I’m excited to share that I’m joining @TLNdc to cover the @MapleLeafs. In addition to that, I’ll be providing some fantasy hockey content for @DailyFaceoff. @DFOFantasy
— Nick Alberga (@thegoldenmuzzy) September 28, 2022

With puck drop just around the corner on the 2022/2023 NHL regular season, I just wanted to say hello to those of you who know me and introduce myself to those who are unfamiliar with the name.
Since 2011, I’ve been fortunate enough to cover the National Hockey League in a variety of different capacities for the likes of SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, Rogers Sportsnet, and the NHL. Furthermore, two of my four seasons with Sportsnet (2019-2021) were spent as Toronto Maple Leafs Radio Host on Sportsnet 590 The Fan alongside the legendary Gord Stellick anchoring pre-game, intermissions, and post-game coverage.
That’s right, lucky me, most of my time in that role was spent smack dab in the heart of the Covid era. My apologies for opening old wounds, but it was an era that saw the Leafs barely show up against Columbus in the 2020 bubble playoffs and collapse against the rival Montreal Canadiens the following season. Yeah, good times.
At the very least, I now know I was not the issue.
Nevertheless, I’m excited to be back in the mix covering the team on this wonderful platform as they embark on one of the biggest seasons in recent memory. On many accounts, it’s put up or shut up time for many of the cast and characters we’ve been familiar with over the past few seasons. Suffice it is to say, it should be interesting to see how it all plays out. Who am I kidding? Probably with another cliff hanger Game 7, right?
Pertaining to the type of content I aim to put out, I’ve always been able to showcase my love for the game in a unique and innovative way. Translation: Expect an outside the box approach filled with bitter honesty, passion, the occasional hot take, and a whole lot of sarcasm. Furthermore, I’m also looking forward to showcasing my expertise and knowledge in the fantasy/betting space as well.
It’s going to be a fun ride, hop aboard!
  …

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Author: Nick Alberga / The Leafs Nation

Alek Manoah went into Ace Mode on Wednesday

After the Orioles beat the Blue Jays last night, the Sportsnet cameras panned to Alek Manoah sitting in the Blue Jays dugout right after the game. He was starting at the Orioles, watching them celebrate a win. One could only imagine that Manoah was plotting how much he wanted to dominate the Orioles for his start against them on Wednesday night.

Manoah delivered, as he pitched eight innings, only allowing three hits, one run, one walk, and five strikeouts. He allowed the one run in the first inning, but he was almost flawless after that. Manoah retired 14 batters in a row after the Ryan Mountcastle RBI, and he only gave up one hit between innings 2 through 8.
Manoah was the perfect candidate to pitch tonight’s game, after last night featured several dramatic events and the Blue Jays needing a rebound win. He earned his team-leading 14th win of the season, and lowered his ERA to 2.42.
The defense behind him was good as well, including a spectacular play in the bottom of the 3rd by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Adley Rutschman grounded to Guerrero at first, but it threw him off the bag enough for Manoah to cover him at first base. Guerrero flipped the ball behind his back to Manoah at first to complete the out with ease, leading Manoah to shout “That was f*****g sick” at Vladd …

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Author: Evan Stack / Blue Jays Nation