June 19, 2022 7:47 am
DENVER (AP) — Cale Makar barely broke a smile after scoring his second goal and Colorado’s seventh of the night. He fist-bumped Mikko Rantanen to thank him for the pass and skated to the bench. He and the Avalanche are calm, confident and rolling. They’re now two wins from dethroning the two-time defending champions. Looking like by far the better team, the Avalanche overwhelmed the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-0 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday night to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Coach Jared Bednar called it “as close to perfect of a game as you can get from your players.” Valeri Nichushkin scored his seventh and eighth goals of the playoffs and continued to be the best player on the ice in the final, Game 1 overtime hero Andre Burakovsky beat Andrei Vasilevskiy again and even defensive defenseman Josh Manson and 35-year-old grinder Darren Helm got in on the fun with a goal apiece. Makar, who didn’t even have a shot on goal in Game 1, scored twice in the third period, inciting chants of “We want the Cup!” from a fired up crowd. Rarely have the Lightning been completely outclassed during this run of postseason success, but they also hadn’t faced an opponent like the Avalanche, who forced them into one uncharacteristic mistake after another. Colorado was dominant in every facet of the game to move two victories away from its first title since 2001 and the first by this core led by Nathan MacKinnon. The Avalanche go to Tampa for Game 3 on Monday night up in the series despite no goals in the series from MacKinnon, who at times has played like a man possessed in an effort to finally break though and hoist the Cup. They still became just the third team in NHL history to score three-plus goals in the first period of Games 1 and 2 in the final.
June 19, 2022 7:49 am
BROOKLINE, Mass. (AP) — Eight players spent time atop the leaderboard, all of them getting kicked around — some worse than others — on a U.S. Open course that felt every bit like the toughest test in golf on a cool, windy afternoon at The Country Club. Saturday was a classic U.S. Open, all about survival, a highlight reel of golf carnage. Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick kept the damage to a bare minimum, giving them another crack at a major championship that is 18 holes away and feels so much longer. Zalatoris, who lost in a playoff at the PGA Championship last month at Southern Hills, made only one bogey — a staggering feat on a beast of a Brookline course — for a 3-under 67. Fitzpatrick played in the final group at the PGA Championship. Now the 27-year-old from England is on familiar turf at The Country Club, where he won the U.S. Amateur in 2013. He was equally steady and ran off three birdies over his last five holes for a 68. Most telling: They didn’t make any double bogeys. That’s what knocked defending U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm out of the lead on the final hole. The Spaniard thought he had seen it all — including a shot he played back-handed from the base of a tree on the eighth hole — until he took three swipes from sand in two bunkers.
June 18, 2022 3:52 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Carlos Rodón scattered two hits over eight sharp innings and the San Francisco Giants edged the reeling Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0. Rodón won his second straight start and lowered his ERA to 2.84 after striking out eight against two walks as the Giants sent the Pirates to their 10th loss in 11 games. Luis Gonzalez and Joc Pederson homered for San Francisco. The Giants have won six of seven and 12 of 18.
June 18, 2022 4:03 am
The Pittsburgh Pirates placed infielder Tucupito Marcano on the COVID injured list. To take his place they recalled infielder Liover Peguero from Double-A Altoona. Peguero will be making his major league debut wearing number 60. He is touted as the Pirates number 5 prospect by several baseball publications. In 54 games this year in Altoona Peguero is hitting .292 with 17 doubles, 4 triples and 5 home runs with 30 RBI versus right handed pitching. In other moves, the Pirates placed outfielder efCanaan Smith-Njigba on the 60 day injured list retroactive to June 15 with a wrist injury. They selected left handed pitcher Cam Vieaux from Triple-A Indianapolis. Vieaux will also be making his major league debut wearing number 68. He has gone 3-0 with 23 strikeouts and a 2.28 ERA.
June 18, 2022 4:05 am
BROOKLINE, Mass. (AP) – The storm clouds never arrived at the U.S. Open. Only the stars did. Collin Morikawa leads the way in his quest for a third straight year winning a major. He had a 66 to match the low score this week at The Country Club. That gave him a share of the lead with Joel Dahmen, a popular everyman on the PGA Tour. In the group one shot behind is defending U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy. Another shot back is Masters champ Scottie Scheffler. Morikawa, Rahm and Scheffler have won four of the last nine majors.
June 17, 2022 2:56 am
BOSTON (AP) — The Golden State Warriors are NBA champions once again, topping the Boston Celtics 103-90 for their fourth title in the last eight seasons. Stephen Curry scored 34 points for the Warriors, who claimed the franchise’s seventh championship overall. And this one completed a journey like none other, after a run of five consecutive finals, then a plummet to the bottom of the NBA, and now a return to greatness just two seasons after having the league’s worst record. For Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, it’s a fourth championship. The first three rings came in 2015, 2017 and 2018, when Golden State was dynastic and made five consecutive trips to the finals.
June 17, 2022 2:58 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Flyers have hired John Tortorella as their new coach, hoping the veteran can help lead them to their first Stanley Cup since 1975. Tortorella coached Tampa Bay to a Stanley Cup title in 2004. He also coached the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks. He was fired in May 2021 after six seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Flyers finished this season with a 25-46-11 record under Alain Vigneault and Mike Yeo and were last in the Metropolitan Division.
June 17, 2022 1:53 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Minkah Fitzpatrick is staying in Pittsburgh. The Steelers have signed their star safety to a new five-year contract. NFL Network reported the deal is worth $73.6 million, which would make Fitzpatrick the highest-paid safety in the league. The 25-year-old Fitzpatrick was ready to enter the final year of his rookie contract. He has been spectacular at times since arriving in Pittsburgh in a trade with Miami in September 2019 and was selected to the Pro Bowl and the All-Pro team in each of his first two seasons with the Steelers. Fitzpatrick called the signing “just the beginning” of what he hopes is a long and successful stay in the city.
June 16, 2022 3:49 am
ST. LOUIS (AP) – Bryan Reynolds hit a tie-breaking two-run homer in the seventh inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates ended a nine-game skid, beating the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4. Reynolds hit his 11th homer of the season after Tucupita Marcano singled with two outs off reliever Andre Pallante. Wil Crowe threw two scoreless innings in relief for the win, and David Bednar picked up his 11th save by pitching the final 2 2/3 innings. Jack Flaherty made his first appearance of the season for the Cardinals, who lost for the second time in their past nine home games. The 26-year-old right-hander worked the first three innings, allowing four runs, three earned.
June 16, 2022 3:55 am
DENVER (AP) – Andre Burakovsky scored 1:23 into overtime and the Colorado Avalanche opened the Stanley Cup Final with a 4-3 victory over the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning Wednesday night. Burakovsky ended it after the Avalanche failed to score on a power play that began late in regulation when three-time champ Patrick Maroon put the puck over the glass. Burakovsky is one of only two Avalanche players who have won the Cup. The game likely wouldn’t have even reached OT if not for big penalty kills by the Avalanche, who were 3 for 3 against Tampa Bay’s potent power play. The final kill featured a crucial save by goaltender Darcy Kuemper and a series of clears by Norris Trophy finalist defenseman Cale Makar.
