April 12, 2022 3:45 am
UNDATED (AP) – Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin has been suspended four games for cross-checking Nashville’s Mark Borowiecki in the face. The NHL’s department of player safety announced the suspension after holding a hearing with Malkin about the play. Malkin was initially given only a four-minute double-minor penalty after striking Borowiecki in the mouth with his stick at the end of the second period Sunday. This is Malkin’s second suspension after a one-game ban for high-sticking in 2019. This one costs him $190,000 in salary. He’s eligible to return April 23 vs. Detroit.
April 11, 2022 3:51 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Sidney Crosby scored the second of his two goals at 2:21 of overtime for his 1,400th career point, helping the Pittsburgh Penguins snap a four-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators. Crosby added an assist in his 1,100th game, becoming the seventh-fastest player in NHL history to reach the 1,400-point milestone. It was also Crosby’s 77th game-winning goal, one behind Evgeni Malkin and Jaromir Jagr for the most in team history. Jason Zucker also scored in regulation and Rakell assisted on all three goals for the Penguins. Casey DeSmith stopped 33 shots. Matt Duchene and Nick Cousins had goals for Nashville, which lost its second straight.
April 11, 2022 3:53 am
ST. LOUIS (AP) – Michael Chavis hit a go-ahead grand slam as Pittsburgh overcame a three-run, third-inning deficit, and the Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 9-4 for their first win this season. Chavis made his first start of the season and homered off left-hander Steven Matz, who allowed seven runs and nine hits over three innings in his first start since signing a $44 million, four-year contract. It was the second slam of Chavis’ big league career. He finished a triple shy of the cycle. Diego Castillo added three hits for the Pirates.
April 11, 2022 3:55 am
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) – Two months ago, Scottie Scheffler had never earned a PGA Tour victory. Today, he’s the world’s No. 1 golfer and the reigning Masters champion. Scheffler picked up his fourth victory since Feb. 13 by defeating Rory McIlroy by three strokes at Augusta National. He came into the day with a three-shot lead, and he made sure it held up by closing with a 1-under 71. Scheffler finished at 10-under 278 overall, winning for the fourth time in his last six tournaments. Scheffler four-putted for a double-bogey at the final hole, but he had such a comfortable lead it didn’t matter. McIlroy was the runner-up after shooting 64, but he came into the day 10 strokes behind and was never a serious challenger to Scheffler. The Masters is the lone major to elude McIlroy. Cameron Smith birdied his first two holes on Sunday to get within one stroke of the lead, but he fell out of contention with a triple-bogey at Amen Corner and finished five back. Smith and Shane Lowry finished in a third-place tie.
April 10, 2022 7:48 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson always thinks pass-first to Alex Ovechkin, especially during a third-period two-on-one. Wilson’s decision to shoot, rather than pass to the greatest goal scorer of this generation, gave the Capitals one of their most important wins of the season. Wilson broke a tie with 8:25 left and the Capitals beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3 on Saturday. Ovechkin tied it for Washington on a power play at 4:49 of the third period with his 44th goal of the season, and Wilson matched his career high with his 22nd — sending a wrist shot over Tristan Jarry’s glove from the left circle. The Capitals have won two second straight to move four points behind Pittsburgh for third place in the Metropolitan Division. Washington has won five road games in a row, one shy of equaling the franchise record. Marcus Johansson, Dmitry Orlov, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Martin Fehervary also scored for Washington, and Ilya Samsonov stopped 29 shots to become the 10th goalie in team history with 50 career victories. Bryan Rust, Jeff Carter and Brian Boyle scored for Pittsburgh, and Jarry made 39 saves. The Penguins have lost four in a row and seven of nine.
April 10, 2022 7:49 am
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Cardinals bench coach Skip Schumaker learned less than an hour before game time that he’d be filling in for ill manager Oliver Marmol. Nolan Arenado helped make his job a lot easier. Arenado hit three doubles and a single, Paul DeJong homered and St. Louis, minus its rookie skipper, beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2 Saturday. Marmol, a winner in his debut Thursday as a major league manager, was at Busch Stadium before the game and diagnosed with the flu. He tested negative for COVID-19 and left the ballpark. Arenado drove in three runs in his second four-hit game since being traded to St. Louis prior to the 2021 season. St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas threw a career-high 41 pitches in the first inning, but gave up just run in that span. He was pulled in the fourth. Relievers Kody Whitley (1-0), Nick Wittgren, T.J. McFarland and Ryan Helsley and Giovanny Gallegos combined to throw 5 1/3 scoreless innings. Mitch Keller (0-1) allowed four runs on six hits and two walks in four innings.
April 10, 2022 7:50 am
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — The harsh cold and relentless wind. The lead late Saturday afternoon at the Masters. All the elements were there for Scottie Scheffler to start feeling the pressure of trying to win his first major at Augusta National. Scheffler never looked worried until the final hole, and then only briefly. His lead at four shots, his confidence level high, Scheffler’s wild drive to the left of the 18th fairway into the trees didn’t bother him nearly as much as the sight of the spotter poking around in the leaves in a desperate search for the golf ball. Like everything else this week, Scheffler figured it out. He took a one-shot penalty, dropped it onto pine straw and then ripped a 3-iron from 240 yards that hit the green and rolled just over the back, leaving him two putts for a bogey that felt much better. Scheffler had a 1-under 71 — one of only nine scores under par in the third round — that gave him a three-shot lead over Cameron Smith going into Sunday.
April 9, 2022 4:06 am
CLEVELAND (AP) – The Cleveland Browns added another quarterback as they try to figure out what to do with Baker Mayfield. The team agreed to a one-year contract with backup QB Josh Dobbs, a deal that was tweeted by his agent and confirmed by a person familiar with the contract who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Earlier, the Browns agreed to re-sign safety Ronnie Harrison to a on-year deal, his agent Drew Rosenhaus told AP. The Browns were in the market for another quarterback after Nick Mullens, who made one start for them last season, signed as a free agent with the Raiders. Mayfield is still on Cleveland’s roster while the Browns try to find a trade partner for the former No. 1 overall pick.
April 9, 2022 4:07 am
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) – The hottest player on the PGA Tour is threatening to turn the Masters into a runaway. Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler has a commanding five-stroke lead through two rounds at Augusta National. Scheffler fired a 5-under 67 under windy conditions to move to minus-8. He began the day two shots behind first-round leader Sungjae Im, who finds himself in a second-place tie with Shane Lowry, Charl Schwartzel and Hideki Matsuyama. Only four other players in Masters history have led by five shots after 36 holes, most recently Jordan Spieth in 2015. All of them went on to win. Scheffler has won three of his last five starts on the tour and doesn’t appear to be overwhelmed by the stage of Augusta. Tiger Woods made the cut at 1-over, salvaging a 2 over 74 after playing the first nine holes in 39. Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka missed the cut, as did Jordan Spieth and Xander Schauffele.
April 9, 2022 4:10 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Carolina Hurricanes appeared ready to add at least one more point to their lead in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division. Instead, they remain two ahead of the New York Rangers following an agonizing loss to the Islanders. Kyle Palmieri scored with 14.1 seconds remaining for the Islanders in a wild final minute, less than 43 seconds after Vincent Trocheck tied it for Carolina. The Hurricanes weren’t crisp at all on their way to losing for the third time in four games.
