May 2, 2022 3:56 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Pittsburgh Penguins will begin their first-round playoff matchup with the New York Rangers without goaltender Tristan Jarry. Head coach Mike Sullivan characterized Jarry as “day to day” but indicated he would not be available when the best-of-seven series opens in New York on Tuesday. Jarry hasn’t played since being diagnosed with a lower-body injury following a victory over the New York Islanders on April 14. Casey DeSmith will get the nod when the Penguins head to Madison Square Garden.
May 2, 2022 3:57 am
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (AP) – Jon Rahm is a winner again and it wasn’t easy. Rahm has won the Mexico Open with a 69 in the final round at Vidanta Vallarta. The Spaniard now has 14 wins worldwide and seven on the PGA Tour. He says he could have done without the stress. Rahm never fell behind. But after he missed an easy birdie conversion on the par-5 12th, he suddenly found himself in a four-way tie for the lead. Brandon Wu shot 63. So did Tony Finau. Kurt Kitayama joined them. But then Rahm birdied the 14th, and he held on with pars.
May 1, 2022 7:48 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ke’Bryan Hayes singled in the tying run and scored the winning run on an error as the Pittsburgh Pirates scored twice in the bottom of the 10th inning to beat the San Diego Padres 7-6 on Saturday night. Hayes hit a leadoff single into center field off Luis Garcia (0-1) that scored automatic runner Jake Marisnick with the tying run. First baseman Eric Hosmer then misplayed Bryan Reynolds’ hard ground ball. The ball rolled down the right-field line and Hayes scored from first base. Hayes was originally called out by home plate umpire Mark Wegner. However, video replay showed Hayes beat second baseman Jake Cronenworth’s relay throw and the call was overturned. The Pirates ended their four-game losing streak and snapped the Padres’ four-game winning streak.
May 1, 2022 7:52 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The on-the-fly retooling of the Pittsburgh Steelers offense is nearly complete. Outgoing general manager Kevin Colbert ended his 20-plus-year tenure with the organization by investing heavily in offensive skill players in his final draft, with the hope that his still-unnamed successor is well-positioned for the future. A potential franchise quarterback in Kenny Pickett? Check. A field-stretching wide receiver in George Pickens? Check. A versatile and speedy slot guy in Calvin Austin III? Check. Throw them into the mix with the top of the 2021 draft class that featured running back Najee Harris and tight end Pat Freiermuth and it’s clear the Steelers have loaded up on young and relatively inexpensive talent (at least in the short-term). Pittsburgh appears to be banking on the return of veteran defensive tackle Tyson Alualu to help shore up a unit that finished last (32nd) against the run in 2021. The Steelers did take Texas A&M’s DeMarvin Leal in the third round, but the 6-4, 283-pound Leal doesn’t fit the mold of a run stopper. That job will likely fall to Alualu, who missed almost all of last season after fracturing his ankle, and Montravius Adams, who agreed to a two-year deal in March after coming over in a trade last fall. The Steelers added Ole Miss linebacker Mark Robinson in the seventh round. Robinson began his college career as a running back at Southeast Missouri State and Presbyterian before moving to the other side of the ball. Eleven years after taking defensive end Cam Heyward in the first round of the 2011 draft, the Steelers selected Heyward’s little brother Connor in the sixth. The younger Heyward transitioned from running back to tight end at Michigan State and is likely to be a hybrid of sorts.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
