Weekly Takes - Monday, January 2nd Edition

Weekly Takes - Monday, January 2nd Edition

1. My three stars from the Maple Leafs win over the Blues on Tuesday…

1. Calle Jarnkrok

2. Alex Kerfoot

3. Auston Matthews

It was not their cleanest win of the season, but they still managed to pull out a win, despite horrific officiating in the third period.

2. My three stars from the Leafs sloppy loss to the Coyotes on Thursday…

1. Michael Bunting

2. Jarnkrok

3. John Tavares

The Leafs were the better team when it came to driving play, but they were situationally poor all game long and it crushed them in the third period.

Connor Timmins cannot skate in front of his own net the way he did – which led to a power play and a goal – and Morgan Rielly cannot turn the puck over on the go-ahead goal.

A bad loss against a bad team. They were due for one, though.

Now it is a matter of getting going again, because the last three games from the Leafs have been sloppy, including in net.

3. My three stars from the Leafs bounce-back win over the Avs on Saturday…

1. T.J. Brodie

2. Timmins

3. Bunting

The exact kind of win they needed against an elite team to get back on track.

4. My three stars from Canada’s shocking loss to Czechia on Monday…

1. Connor Bedard

2. Brandt Clarke

3. Thomas Milic

Coming up with three stars was a tough task, given everyone outside of Bedard underperformed.

That, combined with horrific goaltending, led to one of the more stunning upsets in recent World Junior memory.

This loss does not need to be a bad thing for Canada, though, as surely they cannot play any worse. There is nothing wrong with a humbling loss early on.

And after all the cute Michigan attempts in the first period, some humbleness may be what they need.

5. My three stars from Canada’s blowout win over Germany on Wednesday…

1. Bedard

2. Dylan Guenther

3. Logan Stankoven

There is not much more that needs to be said about Bedard. He is a Connor McDavid-Matthews-level prospect. A breathtaking, historically great offensive talent.

6. My three stars from Canada’s blowout win over Austria on Thursday…

1. Bedard

2. Stankoven

3. Clarke

7. My three stars from Canada’s convincing win over Sweden on Saturday…

1. Bedard

2. Brendan Othmann

3. Milic

No question Team Canada play to their full potential in this game. As dominant of a win as you can have against a world power.

8. Derek Carr’s tenure in Las Vegas ended the way it was always going to end, with the team realizing that he is not a quarterback you can win a championship with.

He is an average quarterback and has always been.

9. Championships are the ultimate moment for any sports fan, but at the end of the day, a true joy for a fan of a team is knowing full well that your favourite team is going to be good for the next decade.

After what Kenny Pickett has done the last two weeks, on prime, with the games on the line, Steelers fans can take solace in that they are in good hands for the next decade.

10. My Week 17 NFL Picks…

• Kansas City (-9.5)

• Jaguars (-6.5)

• Packers (-4.5)

• Vikings (-1.5)

• Texans (+3)

• Bengals (-3)

• Seahawks (-6.5)

• Chargers (-3)

• Jets (+3.5)

• Panthers (+4.5)

• Giants (+13.5)

• Bills (-7.5)

• 49ers (-13)

• Bucs (+7.5)

• Steelers (-1)

• Cowboys (-6)

I went 11-4 in Week 16, with MNF still pending. On the season, I am 115-131.

11. Even if video review was perfect, I am not a fan of it, because it takes the raw, real-time emotion out of watching sports, but what is the point of video review if we cannot even get the calls correct?

Michigan, in the two biggest moments of the Fiesta Bowl, was the victim of a flawed review system.

Period.