March 21, 2021 12:02 am
The top seeds won Presidents Athletic Conference championships on their home floors Saturday. Westminster topped Grove City, 73-62, to claim the men’s title. St. Vincent rallied from down eight with four minutes to plat to beat Washington & Jefferson, 65-61, to win the women’s championships. Due to COVID-19, the NCAA canceled the national championship tournaments for Division III this year, meaning today conference championship games mark the end of the line for all four finalists.
March 20, 2021 12:11 am
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Bryan Rust and Jake Guentzel each had a goal and an assist, helping the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New Jersey Devils 3-1. Zach Aston-Reese also scored for the Penguins and Sidney Crosby had two assists. Pittsburgh won for the seventh time in nine games. Kyle Palmieri scored for New Jersey . The Devils had won their previous two games. The two meet Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh.
March 20, 2021 4:39 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Penguins say center Evgeni Malkin is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. Head coach Mike Sullivan described Malkin as “week to week.” Malkin appeared to injure his right knee after colliding with Boston defenseman Jared Tinordi in a loss to the Bruins on Tuesday. Malkin has eight goals and 16 assists for the Penguins this season.
March 20, 2021 4:39 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is sticking with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Smith-Schuster announced he is remaining in Pittsburgh rather than leave as a free agent. The move is a bit of a surprise considering the 24-year-old was considered one of the most coveted receivers on the open market. Smith-Schuster said in a social media post that it was too difficult to leave. Smith-Schuster caught 97 passes a year ago and has developed a deep bond with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
March 19, 2021 3:53 am
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) – Scott Wedgewood made 40 saves, Jack Hughes had a goal and an assist, and the New Jersey Devils beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2. P.K. Subban and Travis Zajac also scored, and the Devils collected their second straight win at home following a losing streak of 11 games in Newark. Mackenzie Blackwood was expected to start in goal for New Jersey, but he was scratched after warmups. The team says the absence was not COVID-19 related. Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust scored for Pittsburgh, and Tristan Jarry made 32 saves. Pittsburgh lost its second straight.
March 19, 2021 3:55 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NFL will nearly double its media revenue to more than $10 billion a season with new rights agreements announced Thursday, including a deal with Amazon Prime Video that gives the streaming service exclusive rights to “Thursday Night Football” beginning in 2022. The league took in $5.9 billion a year in its current contracts. Amazon has partnered with the league to stream Thursday night games since 2017, but it will take over the entire package from Fox. Games will continue to air on CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN, while ABC will have a limited schedule of games as well as returning to the Super Bowl rotation (two games) for the first time since the 2005 season.
March 19, 2021 3:58 am
UNDATED (AP) -Three masseuses are suing Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson for alleged sexual assault. They accuse the star player of a “disturbing pattern” of behavior toward women. The lawsuits were filed this week. The 25-year-old Watson has broadly denied that he acted inappropriately and said he looks forward to clearing his name. A Houston police spokeswoman declined to comment on whether any of the incidents were reported to police. The NFL says it is investigating the allegations.
March 18, 2021 3:49 am
UNDATED (AP) – The San Francisco 49ers have worked out a contract with left tackle Trent Williams, the largest deal for an offensive lineman. His agents say the Niners will pay Williams $138.1 million over the next six years, surpassing the $138 million deal David Bakhtiari got from Green Bay during last season. Williams also will get the biggest signing bonus ever for an offensive lineman at $30.1 million, as well as $55.1 million guaranteed. Williams sat out the entire 2019 season in Washington over a dispute with the front office before reviving his career in San Francisco, earning his eighth Pro Bowl selection.
March 18, 2021 3:51 am
UNDATED (AP) – The New York Rangers are back at .500 after posting the NHL’s most lopsided win of the season. The Rangers destroyed the Flyers as Mika Zibanejad recorded a hat trick and collected three assists in New York’s 9-0 thrashing. Zibanejad scored three consecutive goals within a 10:10 span of the second period for his fifth career hat trick Pavel Buchnevich had two goals and two assists for the Rangers, who scored seven times in the middle frame. The Rangers did it without their coaching staff due to COVID-19 protocol, promoting their AHL staff from Hartford.
March 18, 2021 3:52 am
UNDATED (AP) – Ralph Krueger has become the Buffalo Sabres’ sixth coach to be fired in just over eight calendar years, losing his job with the team on a 12-game losing streak. The Sabres are 6-18-4 this season, earning as many victories as shutout losses as forwards Jeff Skinner and Taylor Hall have failed to produce as expected. Assistant coach Don Granato has been promoted to interim head coach by general manager Kevyn Adams, who openly challenged his players’ accountability and pride, while suggesting changes to the roster are looming.
