Penguins Clinch Third Place

April 30, 2022 3:33 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Evgeni Malkin scored his 20th goal of the season and had an assist, and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-3 in the season finale to clinch third place in the Metropolitan Division. Kris Letang, Brian Boyle, Evan Rodrigues and Marcus Pettersson also scored for the Penguins (46-25-11), who will open the Stanley Cup playoffs next week at the New York Rangers. Casey DeSmith stopped 33 shots. Oliver Bjorkstrand had a goal for the fourth straight game for Columbus (37-38-7), and Gustav Nyquist and Justin danforth also scored. J-F Berube started in goal for Columbus and gave up three goals on eight shots. He was replaced by Elvis Merzilikins, who had 40 saves the rest of the way.

Steelers Add WR And DL

April 30, 2022 3:39 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers continued their youth movement on offense, selecting Georgia wide receiver George Pickens in the second round of the NFL draft. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Pickens should help the Steelers deal with the loss of JuJu Smith-Schuster to Kansas City. Pickens joins a group that includes Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool. The Steelers bolstered their defensive line in the third round by selecting DeMarvin Leal out of Texas A&M. Leal had 8 1/2 sacks last year.

NHL Playoff Pairings Set

May 1, 2022 3:29 am

(AP)-The first-round matchups are set for the NHL playoffs that begin Monday. The Carolina Hurricanes open the playoffs at home against the Boston Bruins. Also in the East the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning face the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Florida Panthers open against the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers play the Pittsburgh Penguins. The top-seeded Colorado Avalanche open against the Nashville Predators, the Calgary Flames face the Dallas Stars, the Minnesota Wild face the St. Louis Blues and the Edmonton Oilers face the Los Angeles Kings in the West.

Pirates Lose To Padres

April 30, 2022 3:34 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Ha-Seong Kim and Jake Cronenworth homered, and Yu Darvish pitched six effective innings to lead the San Diego Padres to a 7-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night. Kim was 2 for 4 with a two-run home run in the second inning to tie the game at 2. Cronenworth, who also went 2 for 4, then belted a solo shot in the seventh to finish the scoring. The Padres got their fourth straight win and ninth in the last 11 games. Zach Thompson gave up four runs in 3 1/3 innings. Daniel Vogelbach hit two RBI singles for Pittsburgh, and Diego Castillo and Andrew Knapp also had two hits.

Steelers Select QB Kenny Pickett

April 29, 2022 3:53 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Kenny Pickett is staying in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Steelers grabbed the former University of Pittsburgh star with the 20th overall pick in the NFL draft. The move makes Pickett the heir apparent to Ben Roethlisberger, who retired in January. Pickett spent five seasons working on the other side of the building the Steelers share with the Panthers. He came into his own last fall when he threw for 42 touchdowns, was named ACC Player of the Year and finished in the Heisman Trophy behind Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.

Penguins Wrap Up Regular Season; Host Columbus

April 29, 2022 3:54 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Penguins are heading to the Stanley Cup playoffs for a 16th straight season. Yet Sidney Crosby and company aren’t exactly on a tear. Pittsburgh is just 6-9-2 in its last 17 games heading into its regular-season finale against Columbus. Head coach Mike Sullivan is hopeful his group can regain some confidence. The defense has been shoddy of late, giving up at least 40 shots in three of Pittsburgh’s last four games. Sullivan said his team needs to draw on its veteran leadership if it wants to make an extended postseason run.

McCutchen Rallies Brewers Past Pirates 3-2 To Complete Sweep

April 29, 2022 2:22 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) -Andrew McCutchen’s go-ahead two-run single in the top of the ninth inning rallied the Milwaukee Brewers past the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 to complete a three-game sweep. McCutchen, a five-time All-Star in Pittsburgh, began the game with a leadoff home run. In the ninth, he delivered a single to right field off Pirates closer Chris Stratton. McCutchen, now primarily a designated hitter for the Brewers, finished with three hits to boost his batting average to .250.

Pirates Just Can’t Beat Brewers

April 28, 2022 3:52 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) –  Aaron Ashby combined with four relievers on a one-hitter, Tyrone Taylor singled home the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1. Neither team got a hit until the sixth inning. Ashby’s no-hit bid ended when Bryan Reynolds hit a hard shot that deflected off the glove of third baseman Mike Brosseau for a single. Making his second start of the season and sixth of his career, Ashby worked 5 2/3 innings, walking five and striking out six. The rookie left-hander allowed his only run on a double-play grounder in the sixth. Trevor Gott came on and struck out Michael Chavis to get the win.

NFL Draft Set For Tonight

April 28, 2022 3:56 am

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – This year’s NFL draft class speaks reluctantly about its COVID-19 experiences. To some, they are inspirational reminders of what they’ve already overcome. To others, the challenges were more akin to old war stories. Whether it was the travel restrictions that prevented Alabama receiver John Metchie III from seeing his family in Canada for two years, Louisiana tackle Max Mitchell being pulled off the practice field after a test revealed he had COVID antibodies or Ohio State offensive lineman Nick Petit-Frere watching a season canceled and later reinstated, none of it has been easy to cope with. The Steelers have the 20th selection in the first round.

Pirates Fall To Brewers

April 27, 2022 3:56 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) –  Willy Adames homered twice and drove in a career-high seven runs, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 12-8. Adames hit a two-run blast in the first inning and a three-run drive during a six-run sixth for the NL Central-leading Brewers. It was the first multi-homer game of his career. He added a two-run double in the fifth and finished 4 for 5, raising his batting average 45 points to .239. Reliever Brent Suter got the win for Milwaukee and Josh Hader got the last out for his major league-leading ninth save. Reliever Aaron Fletcher took the loss for Pittsburgh.