May 8, 2021 3:36 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Washington Capitals missed an opportunity to reclaim first place in the East Division by losing to the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2. Rookie Wade Allison scored twice and veteran goaltender Brian Elliott made 28 saves for Philadelphia. T.J. Oshie and Daniel Sprong scored for the Capitals. Washington’s regulation loss means Pittsburgh could clinch the division title as soon as Saturday with a victory against last-place Buffalo and a Capitals loss. The Capitals and Flyers face off again Saturday night.
May 8, 2021 3:00 am
CHICAGO (AP) – Zach Davies allowed five hits in seven scoreless innings, Rex Brothers got his first save in eight years and the Chicago Cubs held on to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2, extending their winning streak to four. Joc Pederson had three hits and an RBI for the Cubs, who were coming off a three-game sweep of the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Javier Baez and David Bote had two hits each. Chicago got back to .500 at 16-16. Pittsburgh has lost seven of eight. The Pirates have six runs in their last five games.
May 8, 2021 3:38 am
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – There’s a three-way tie for the lead through two rounds of the PGA’s Wells Fargo Championship. Former U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland fought through morning gusts while shooting a 2-under 69 that leaves him tied with Matt Wallace and Patrick Rodgers. Wallace fired a 66 for a 6 under total. Kramer Hickok is one shot back and one ahead of five others, including Rory McIlroy. Phil Mickelson followed a 64 with a 75 that puts him 3 under.
May 8, 2021 1:37 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without their top two goaltenders for Saturday’s regular-season finale against Buffalo. Coach Mike Sullivan ruled Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith out with minor injuries on Friday. DeSmith is dealing with an upper-body injury while Jarry is working through a lower-body injury. DeSmith was injured in a loss to Philadelphia on Monday. Jarry played in an 8-4 victory over Buffalo on Thursday. Maxime Lagace is expected to make his first start in more than two years as the Penguins try to move closer to locking up home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs.
May 7, 2021 3:53 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Jeff Carter scored a career-high four goals and the Pittsburgh Penguins moved back into first place in the crowded East Division with an 8-4 victory over Buffalo. Jared McCann had a goal and two assists for Pittsburgh. Brian Dumoulin, Sidney Crosby and Kasperi Kapanen also scored for the Penguins. Pittsburgh moved two points ahead of Washington for the top spot in the East. The Capitals, however, have three games remaining. The Penguins have just one, their regular-season finale against the Sabres.
May 7, 2021 3:56 am
NEW YORK (AP) – The New York Rangers have been fined $250,000 by the NHL for criticizing head of player safety George Parros. The team commented after the league fined but did not suspend Washington’s Tom Wilson for his role in a scrum that injured Rangers star Artemi Panarin on Monday. Commissioner Gary Bettman says the extent to which the Rangers expressed their disagreement was “unacceptable.” Also, the league has handed Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich a one-game suspension for for cross-checking Capitals forward Anthony Mantha in the second period of Wednesday’s rematch. Buchnevich was one of two Rangers who were sucker-punched by Wilson on Monday.
May 7, 2021 3:57 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Los Angeles Angels are dropping a Hall of Fame candidate. Albert Pujols has been designated for assignment, abruptly ending the 41-year-old superstar slugger’s decade with his second major league team. Pujols is fifth in major league history with 667 career homers, and 13th with 3,253 hits. The oldest active player in the majors is batting just .198 this season with five homers and 12 RBIs. Pujols joined the Angels in late 2011 after 11 successful seasons with the Cardinals.
May 7, 2021 3:58 am
MISSION VIEJO, Calif. (AP) – Former Milwaukee Brewers catcher and Milwaukee Brewers manager Del Crandall has died at 91. Crandall was one of the best defensive catchers of the 1950s and early 1960s, earning four Gold Gloves and appearing in 11 All-Star games over eight seasons. Crandall was a member of the Braves’ 1957 World Series championship team and the 1958 squad that lost the World Series. Bill Crandall says his father had Parkinson’s disease and died Wednesday in Mission Viejo, California.
May 6, 2021 3:53 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere was suspended for two games without pay by the NHL on Wednesday for boarding Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Mark Friedman. Gostisbehere was assessed a minor penalty for cross-checking in the third period of Philadelphia’s 7-3 home loss Tuesday night. The suspension will cost Gostisbehere $77,586.
May 6, 2021 3:57 am
UNDATED (AP) – The New York Rangers weren’t too happy when Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson avoided a suspension for his role in Monday’s brawl at Madison Square Garden. They demonstrated their displeasure by engaging Wilson in a couple of melees, but the Caps rode TJ Oshie’s hat trick to a 4-2 victory over the Blueshirts. Oshie’s first two goals came with Pavel Buchnevich in the penalty box, two days after Buchnevich was crosschecked in the back by Wilson. Wednesday’s game had six fights in the first period, commencing with a center-ice brawl right off the opening faceoff. Wilson was involved in a fight in the opening minute and received a 10-minute misconduct later in the period. The outcome puts the Capitals in a first-place tie with Pittsburgh in the East Division. The Caps have three games remaining, one more than the Penguins.
