European football: Lazio’s late penalty deals hammer blow to Inter title bid
- Napoli lead Serie A by point after draw at Parma
- PSV pip Ajax to Eredivisie title with 3-1 win at Sparta
Inter’s title hopes were dealt a crushing blow when a late Pedro penalty earned Lazio a 2-2 draw at San Siro, to leave the Serie A champions one point behind Napoli going into the final game of the season.
With Napoli held to a 0-0 draw by Parma, Inter missed the perfect opportunity to move into pole position at just the right time, but Yann Bisseck went from hero to villain, conceding the 90th minute penalty after opening the scoring.
Continue reading...US PGA Championship 2025: Scheffler holds off Rahm to win third major – as it happened
Scottie Scheffler dug deep to pull away from a chasing pack, led by Jon Rahm, that briefly hauled him in
The leader Scottie Scheffler tees it up. If he’s feeling nerves, they’re not betraying him on his face. A huge roar from the gallery for the big man from Texas. He gracefully larrups a gentle fade around the trees down the right and he’s in position A on the fairway. He’s going round with Alex Noren today. No nerves evident from the Swedish veteran, either, as he splits the fairway. A quiet start meanwhile for Bryson DeChambeau: par-par-par. The high-point so far a whip over a huge tree to get himself back into position on 3. He remains at -5.
Matt Fitzpatrick might have rendered himself realistically done and dusted. But that’s not going to stop him battling for every shot and a high finish. He’s responded to that bogey-bogey start by raking in long birdie putts on the next two holes to return to his starting point. Meanwhile Jon Rahm’s quest to “play well” begins with par; his playing partner Kim Si-woo drops a stroke, though. So this is where we are now, with the last match preparing to tee off.
Continue reading...IPL returns from 10-day hiatus as Ponting’s Punjab break 11-year drought – Wrap
Azmatullah Omarzai’s all-round show and an unbeaten century by Sai Sudharsan marked the return of Indian Premier League action on Sunday with victories for Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans.
New Coaches, New Hope? Ranking The Playoff Chances For NHL Teams With New Bench Bosses
Since the NHL’s 2024-25 regular season ended, there have been six coaching changes – but only four of the teams that changed coaches have hired replacements at this point. And that brings up an intriguing question – when it comes to the four teams that have hired new bench bosses, which ones have the best chance at making the Stanley Cup playoffs next spring?
Let’s break it down below:
1. Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks came within seven points of beating out the St. Louis Blues for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, but just about everything that could go wrong for Vancouver did, including coach Rick Tocchet leaving for Philadelphia at the end of the season. However, in the top-heavy Pacific Division, the Canucks could rebound next season under new coach Adam Foote and get back into the playoff mix.
Vancouver is going to have approximately $16.7 million in salary cap space to spend this summer, and while some of that will have to go to replacements for forwards Pius Suter and Brock Boeser, with the right targeted acquisitions, the Canucks could put up the additional four-to-seven wins or overtime losses that could propel them back into the post-season.
They’re going to need a couple teams in the Central Division and/or Pacific to take a step backward, but Foote’s no-nonsense approach to his new job could be just what the doctor ordered for Vancouver, and the Canucks wouldn’t raise too many eyebrows if they were back in the playoffs next year.
2. New York Rangers
The Rangers were just one win behind the eighth-place Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference this season, but the Blueshirts also had two other teams – the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings – ahead of them in the Eastern Conference standings. The Rangers were a whopping 29 standings points worse than they were in 2023-24, and that’s why Peter Laviolette lost his job. But incoming coach Mike Sullivan is as highly-regarded as they get, and the structure and confidence he’s going to provide should get the Rangers back in the playoff hunt.
There are no guarantees the Rangers will squeeze back into the post-season next spring, as the Metropolitan Division and Atlantic Divisions both promise to be more competitive. But there will be major pressure on the Rangers to turn things around, and Blueshirts GM Chris Drury – armed with a contract extension – isn’t going to be satisfied with anything less than a trip back to the playoffs.
To be a playoff team once again, the Rangers need teams ahead of them this season to take a step back, but stranger things than that have happened. And any team with a star goalie like Igor Shesterkin shouldn’t be counted out from getting into the playoffs next season.
3. Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks began and ended the regular-season poorly this year, but in between those bookends to the season, Anaheim had stretches where they were capable of above-average play. Still, the Ducks’ overall disappointing season cost Greg Cronin his job, and Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek replaced him with multi-time Cup-winner Joel Quenneville.
But while we do believe the Ducks will improve on their 35-37-10 record, envisioning a series of events that ends with Anaheim in a playoff position next season requires so many things to go right for them, as well as so many things to go wrong for Pacific rivals. We just don’t see a playoff berth happening for them.
That may change if Verbeek makes a huge splash with the $38.6 million in cap space he has this summer. But as it stands, the Ducks may have to be satisfied with playing meaningful hockey down the stretch next spring, even if that ends without a playoff berth for Anaheim.
4. Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers did show some promise early this season, getting off to a 12-10-3 record. But after Jan. 21, they went 12-19-4 the rest of the year to freefall through the Eastern standings and finish with the worst record in the conference. That spelled the end of the line for Philly coach John Tortorella, and although Tocchet will bring a more player-friendly approach to the Flyers’ coaching role, asking the Flyers to make the jump from 16th in the East to eighth-place or better certainly seems like a bridge too far for Tocchet and company.
To be sure, we’re not suggesting the Flyers won’t be better under Tocchet. In many regards, it would be hard to be worse. But every other team in the Metro Division is likely to be better next year, and that is going to make it exceedingly difficult for Philadelphia to get back into the playoffs for the first time since 2019-20.
They have some $24.7 million in cap space to spend, but their biggest need – capable goaltending – isn’t going to be easily addressed, and imagining that their core of young talent will carry them past four Metro teams into a post-season position is a stretch indeed. Philadelphia’s rebuild likely needs another season to kick into high gear, and that is likely to lead to another year with no playoff hockey for the Flyers.
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Universities cutting sports, others adding ahead of $2.8 billion NCAA antitrust settlement
Over the past three months, a growing number of universities have added or dropped entire sports programs on the eve of dramatic changes coming to college athletics under the $2.8 billion NCAA settlement.
Rangers place outfielder Evan Carter on IL with quad strain, activate Kevin Pillar
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers placed outfielder Evan Carter on the 10-day injured list Sunday, a day after he was a late scratch with a right quadriceps injury.
Outfielder Kevin Pillar was activated from the injured list after being sidelined two weeks by lower back inflammation. Pillar was in the lineup Sunday against the Houston Astros in right field.
Manager Bruce Bochy said he expects Carter to be sidelined about two weeks with a quad strain. The 22-year-old was limited to 45 games by a back injury in what was supposed to be his first full big league season last year.
Carter, who had a stellar debut in the regular season and the postseason when the Rangers won the 2023 World Series, started this season in the minor leagues as he continued with adjustments in his swing to try to ease the strain on his back. He is hitting .182 in 11 games while mostly playing center field.
Pillar played all three outfield positions while appearing in 18 games before the back injury. The 36-year-old is hitting .237.
The Rangers recalled right-hander Caleb Boushley from Triple-A Round Rock and sent right-hander Cole Winn to Round Rock four days after Winn was called up and Boushley sent down. It’s Boushley’s third stint with the Rangers this season. Winn made one appearance.
Report: Beloved ex-Kings guard Jackson returning as assistant coach
Report: Beloved ex-Kings guard Jackson returning as assistant coach originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
“Action Jackson” reportedly is coming back to the 916.
Former Kings guard and G League head coach Bobby Jackson is returning to Sacramento to join Doug Christie as an assistant coach, The Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson confirmed Sunday, citing a league source. The news first was reported by Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, via Jackson’s agent Andy Miller of Klutch Sports.
Jackson, 52, spent the past two NBA seasons as an assistant on the Philadelphia 76ers’ staff. Before that, he served as head coach of the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate, for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns, compiling a combined 40-25 record and leading the team to first place in his second season.
Jackson played 12 seasons in the NBA, six with the Kings. Four-and-a-half of those seasons were spent alongside Christie, the former Kings shooting guard who was named Sacramento’s head coach in April after finishing the 2024-25 season in the role on an interim basis.
In the 2002-03 season, his third with Sacramento, Jackson averaged a career-best 15.2 points on 46.4-percent shooting from the field and 37.9 percent from 3-point range, along with 3.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 steals in 28.4 minutes played off the bench. His production earned him the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award that season.
He played five consecutive years in the 916 before being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. He then played on a number of teams afterward before returning to Sacramento in 2008, his final season, and retired a King.
“Action Jackson” became an easy fan favorite in Sacramento and he remained close to the organization in his post-playing career. Jackson became an assistant coach for the Kings in 2011 under former coach Paul Westphal and served in the role until 2013.
Jackson joins Christie’s staff along with former Indiana men’s basketball coach Mike Woodson, whom the Kings announced as the team’s associate head coach on May 12. Christie and new general manager Scott Perry also fired top assistant coach Jay Triano and several other assistants in the days before Woodson’s hiring, cleaning house for a new regime that hopes to bring the Kings success in 2025-26.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora to miss Monday’s game for daughter’s college graduation
BOSTON — Red Sox manager Alex Cora will miss Monday’s series opener against the New York Mets at Fenway Park so he can attend his daughter’s college graduation.
Cora’s daughter, Camila, will be graduating from nearby Boston College.
“It’s going to be a very special day — one that I’m not going to miss,” Cora said before Boston faced the Atlanta Braves in the series finale on Sunday. “I 100% will miss the game for that. I will do that any given day. It’s going to be a very special day for us.”
Cora reflected how the time has seemed to go quickly and spoke about how fast his daughter seemed to grow up.
“It went fast, it went really fast,” Cora said of her time in college. “For a girl from divorced parents, her mom did an amazing job, staying the course while I was playing and coaching and doing my ESPN thing. … She’s actually a reflection of her. I appreciate everything she’s done for her and for us.”
Asked if he’ll be able to hold back his emotions at the ceremony, Cora smiled and said: “We’ll see” before bringing up memories of when his daughter was at the 2018 World Series victory celebration and a postseason series wrap-up win over Tampa Bay in ’21 at Fenway.
“It’s going to be an amazing day. It happened fast,” he said. “You put everything into perspective, you go back to the videos of ’18, she was a little girl.
“Then you go back to ’21 when she hopped onto the field when we beat Tampa, she was still a little girl. Now, she’s not a little girl,” he said. “She’s a woman. She had fun with it. She’s a great student and the future’s bright for her.”
Under Kris Knoblauch, The 2025 Playoff Edmonton Oilers Are Better Than Ever
When Kris Knoblauch guided the Edmonton Oilers from 31st place into a playoff spot last season, his success was largely met with a shrug. The Oilers had been underperforming before the coaching change, after all. Any fresh voice could trigger a similar turnaround, it seemed.
Then, Knoblauch got the Oilers out of a 3-2 series deficit against the Vancouver Canucks — and 2024 coach of the year Rick Tocchet — in Round 2. He got them out of a 2-1 deficit against the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final. And then, he guided the Oilers from a 3-0 hole all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final — coming within a goal of delivering Canada’s first championship since 1993.
When Edmonton loped through the regular season, dealing with injuries and lineup holes, Knoblauch looked like he might be a one-hit wonder. The Oilers did log their fourth-straight 100-point season — unheard-of since the high-flying 80s with Wayne Gretzky. But they slipped to third in the Pacific Division standings, and team scoring dropped by 35 goals.
Now, we’re into Week 5 of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. Knoblauch is the winningest active regular-season coach, with a .656 points percentage, and also sits first in the playoffs among active coaches, at .639.
The way they dismantled the Los Angeles Kings and the Vegas Golden Knights, the Oilers may have positioned themselves as the team to beat.
First off, the offense is back. With 11 games played, Edmonton leads the playoffs with 43 goals, an average of 3.91 goals a game.
That doesn’t feel especially surprising. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl know how to raise their games in the post-season and they’re leading the way again — McDavid has 17 points and Draisaitl is at 16. This year, Edmonton is also getting more secondary scoring from across the lineup, whether that’s five goals from ageless Corey Perry or a clutch overtime winner from waiver pickup Kasperi Kapanen, sealing the series against Vegas in just his second playoff game of the year.
Roster depth is important in a long playoff run, but it’s not easy for coaches to know when to make changes and how to deploy players as they come into a series. Two years in a row, Knoblauch has accomplished the near-impossible by spelling off Stuart Skinner until he could find his ‘A’ game again in net. As well as Kapanen, Knoblauch has also gotten some quality minutes from Troy Stecher on the blueline in the last two games, swapping him in for Ty Emberson.
Knoblauch is a straight shooter when informing players of lineup changes.
“You have to be honest with them,” he said, per NHL.com. “Maybe you get away with it once tricking them or whatever, but the next time, it’s all downhill after that. They want the truth. They don’t necessarily want to hear it, but they don’t necessarily want the alternative. I think it’s important you just tell them the truth (as to) where things are and what you’re thinking about.”
This year’s Oilers also haven’t been as reliant on their power play. That’s a good thing, because it doesn’t get to work as often. They’re down from three opportunities a game in 2024 to just 2.18 so far this year, resulting in six man-advantage goals on 24 tries.
And while Evan Bouchard’s high-risk, high-reward style is known for delivering dramatic lows and highs for fans, a pair of shutouts to eliminate a Vegas team that was fifth in scoring in the regular season speaks volumes about this group’s commitment to team defense.
After coming so close to winning the Cup last year, Leon Draisaitl told Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet that winning the Selke Trophy would be “almost more important than any other trophy at this point in time” — even the Hart.
At this point, Connor McDavid has no time for any reporter who still has doubts about his team’s ability to defend.
“I mean, how many times are we going to answer this question?” he bristled after Edmonton’s Game 5 win. “We can defend. We can … Whatever it takes, we can win games.”
Last playoffs, the Oilers sat in the middle of the pack with an expected goals share of 49.34 percent at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick. In 2025, that number has spiked to an impressive 58.08 percent — higher than any other team that’s still alive.
Going into Round 2, McDavid was confident that his group could avenge its 2023 playoff loss to the Golden Knights. Edmonton took care of business handily.
The Oilers’ complete game — and the players’ confidence in their system — forms the kind of foundation that brings championships. Knoblauch has built that in less than two years by preparing for all possibilities, then executing with grace when the waters get rocky.
“Even when situations get tough, he stays pretty calm,” Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said, who has seen some things in his 14 seasons as an Oiler. “Obviously, sometimes he can do the other side of it … but his presence and his calmness helps when things aren’t going well. That’s one of the big things for him.”
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Mets release outfielder Billy McKinney from Triple-A Syracuse roster
The Mets released veteran outfielder Billy McKinney from the Triple-A Syracuse roster.
McKinney, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Mets in March, joining the organization for a second time. The Mets traded for McKinney in May 2021, and he appeared in 39 games before being designated for assignment. McKinney hit .220 with five home runs and 14 RBI before being DFA’d.
In 33 games with Syracuse this season, McKinney slashed .184/.285/.307 with three home runs and nine RBI.
Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle: Premier League – as it happened
Declan Rice’s screamer means one point separates Newcastle in third and seventh placed Forest
2 min Newcastle have already beaten Arsenal three times this season: 1-0 in the league at St James’, 2-0 in both legs of the Carabao Cup semi-final.
1 min Newcastle kick off from right to left as we watch. This could be lots of fun.
Continue reading...Dodgers release Chris Taylor, parting ways with another veteran
The Chris Taylor era in Los Angeles is over.
On Sunday, Taylor was released by the Dodgers, making him the second longtime team veteran, along with former backup catcher Austin Barnes, to be cut loose by the team in the last week.
In corresponding roster moves, the Dodgers activated Tommy Edman from the injured list and added pitcher Lou Trivino to the 40-man roster. Trivino was in Los Angeles on Sunday — occupying the same locker stall Taylor used to — after fellow reliever Kirby Yates was placed on the injured list with a hamstring strain he suffered Saturday night.
"This has been a very emotional week for all of us,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “Barnsey and CT have been in the middle of some huge moments for this organization. Both guys have left an indelible mark on our culture and where we're at at this point. So the decisions were incredibly difficult. The conversations were tough. But with where we are, the division race, the composition of roster, everything. We felt like this was in the Dodgers' best interest in terms of how to win as many games and put us in a position to best win the World Series this year.”
Read more:Hernández: Hyeseong Kim has arrived, and the Dodgers need to make sure he's here to stay
Taylor was in the last season of a four-year, $60-million contract with the Dodgers. The former All-Star was the longest-tenured position player on the roster, after Barnes was designated for assignment last week. But, just like with Barnes, Taylor’s declining production, coupled with the emergence of a younger and more productive alternative in rookie utilityman Hyeseong Kim, left the 34-year-old expendable.
Thus, for the second time in the last week, the Dodgers parted ways with one of the most familiar faces of the team, triggering another shake-up in a suddenly-evolving clubhouse.
“We didn't feel like coming into the season this was something that we would necessarily be doing in May,” Friedman said. “But you learn things and things change and things evolve and play out. We just have a lot more information at this point in May than we do before the season. I wouldn't say it was something that we thought was fait accompli, and was necessarily going to happen. But with where we were, all things factored in, while not easy we felt like it was the right thing to do."
Taylor once was one of the biggest success stories in the Dodgers organization. Acquired in a low-profile trade with the Seattle Mariners for Zach Lee in 2016, Taylor became a defensively versatile slugger in Los Angeles, batting .265 from 2017-2021 with 78 home runs and 292 RBIs with a revamped swing and increasingly prominent role.
He became an All-Star for the first time in 2021, then punctuated the season by hitting a walk-off home run in the National League Wild Card Game against the St. Louis Cardinals and three home runs in an elimination game against the Atlanta Braves in the NL Championship Series. The following offseason, the Dodgers signed him to his four-year extension just before Major League Baseball’s lockout of the players. The hope was that he would be a cornerstone of the franchise’s future.
Instead, he’s been a shell of his old self ever since.
After undergoing elbow surgery after the 2021 season, Taylor struggled to maintain the mechanics in his swing. In 2022 and 2023, he batted a combined .228 with a subpar .708 OPS.
Last year, the bottom fell completely out, with Taylor setting career lows in batting average (.202), OPS (.598) and home runs (four) while playing just 87 games.
This season, Taylor was the last man on the Dodgers’ bench, starting just six of the team’s first 46 games while batting .200 with two doubles and homers.
Friedman said he believed Taylor’s injury history — which also included a left foot fracture in 2022, a right knee injury in 2023 and a groin strain last season — were a main factor in his decline, but also acknowledged the difficulties that came with his increasing lack of playing time.
“With a lot of guys, but with CT as well, it’s hard to play once a week, it's a tough role, and in a vacuum isolated to him, probably not the best role for him to have success,” Friedman said. “But just with the way our roster has played out, that's how it's evolved. But I know he's looking forward to trying getting an opportunity to play more often, and he's got a chip on his shoulder, and I certainly would not bet against him.”
Read more:Dodgers call up catcher Dalton Rushing, designate Austin Barnes for assignment
For a while, Taylor’s presence on the Dodgers’ active roster was a tenable situation. The Dodgers had a player whom they trusted to play multiple positions, without having to worry about finding him regular at-bats.
In recent weeks, however, Kim’s emergence as a slick-fielding, left-handed bat with game-changing speed altered the equation.
With Edman back and Teoscar Hernández nearing his own return from the injured list, the Dodgers were facing a roster crunch. And rather than send Kim (who is batting .452 with three stolen bases in 14 games) back to the minors, they elected to move Taylor off the roster instead, turning the page on one of the five remaining position players from both their 2020 and 2024 World Series-winning teams.
“He was a huge part of so much success that we've enjoyed,” Friedman said. “Can't say enough about the human, the worker, the teammate, the player. He's one of the toughest guys I've ever been around. We'll always have a place for CT. And whenever he's done playing four, five, six years from now, I hope, he's always connected to the Dodgers."
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Ducks Ownership Prepared to Spend 'What it Takes' This Summer
As the conference final round of the Stanley Cup playoffs is about to commence, teams out of the race look ahead to the offseason, the NHL Draft, and free agency.
Ducks Name Joel Quenneville Head Coach
Enhanced Depth Will Give Ducks Options
For the Anaheim Ducks, their first order of business has been handled: the hiring of their next head coach ahead of the 2025-26 season, Joel Quenneville.
Quenneville’s hiring demonstrated the Ducks intend to graduate from their rebuild phase and enter their playoff contention phase, as general manager Pat Verbeek was given the green light from ownership, Henry and Susan Samueli, to spend whatever is necessary to ensure the icing of a competitive team come autumn.
Quenneville’s salary is reported to be a two to three-year contract with a higher value than the team had historically paid a head coach.
The Samuelis are said to be spending roughly $5 billion in renovations to Honda Center and development of the surrounding area, intended to become a state-of-the-art sports and entertainment district, OCVibe.
With $38.63 million to play with, the Ducks enter the summer with the third-most projected cap space in the NHL behind the San Jose Sharks ($43.93 million) and the Columbus Blue Jackets ($41.27 million).
“I expect us to be very active and aggressive,” Verbeek said following the dismissal of Greg Cronin on April 19. “I think I see this team at a point to where my expectation of this team is to make the playoffs next year. I expect our group to take a step, and so I'm going to be active and aggressive in making our team better.”
In the 2024 offseason, Verbeek was reported to offer more substantial contracts, both in terms of length and value, to free agents Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault than the ones they ultimately signed. Both players rejected the Ducks in favor of the Nashville Predators.
“We're going to have a bunch of different strategies going into that,” Verbeek continued. “There'll be a bunch of different plans. I’m going to be aggressive like I was last summer, but there'll be different plans put in place based on what happens in the different scenarios.”
The Ducks will need to spend over $8 million simply to reach the $65 million cap floor for the 2025-26 season, a non-issue when considering they only have 33 players under contract in the organization and high-profile RFAs Mason McTavish and Lukas Dostal in need of new contracts.
Verbeek feels the team will need to add more goal-scoring to take their next steps toward contention. Some of that will come with natural progression from the youngest and most talented players on the roster, and some of that will come with additions made in the upcoming offseason, additions Henry Samueli has no problems breaking out the checkbook for.
“Bringing in someone of Joel’s stature, that’s going to cost more money, but we’re willing to make that investment into the team,” Samueli said at Quenneville’s introductory press conference. “We’ve told the same thing to Pat. Going out looking for players, you will have the budget you need to make this a serious playoff team. You don’t have to pinch pennies anymore. Do what it takes to make us a contender.”
The 2025 free agent class won’t be the deepest, with names like Brock Boeser, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Aaron Ekblad near the top of most publicly available free agents lists. However, there remains an ultimate prize on the market, a prize that is potentially one of the highest-profile UFAs in NHL history: Mitch Marner.
While the odds may be low when it comes to Marner landing in Anaheim this summer, they can offer him (or any free agent) as much money as any opposing team in the market, will now have the second-winningest coach in NHL history behind their bench, and one of the most talented young cores in the league. Spending every cent of the nearly $39 million in cap space isn’t even out of the question.
“Potentially, if necessary,” Samueli said when asked about Verbeek approaching the cap ceiling. “He’s going to spend wisely. We’re not going to write stupid checks, but I told him, ‘Do what it takes to make this a really steady, perennial playoff contender and Stanley Cup contender down the road. And if that means signing big-name free agents, go for it.’ We told him, going forward, you will not be constrained by the budget.”
The Ducks have been on the outside, looking in at the playoffs during this time of year for seven consecutive seasons. That marks the third-longest such streak in the NHL, behind the Buffalo Sabres (13 seasons) and Detroit Red Wings (eight seasons). Ownership seems to have had enough of the rebuild and has now given the green light to spend serious green cash this offseason in order to put those days behind them.
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'Don't Get Caught Up In It': How The Maple Leafs Are Approaching Game 7 This Time Around After Previous Failures
The Toronto Maple Leafs core players Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly will try to win a Game 7 for the first time when they host the Florida Panthers in their second-round deciding matchup on Sunday.
After going 0-for-5 in previous efforts, what might be different this time is their head coach. Craig Berube has won the most difficult Game 7 there is to win... a Stanley Cup Final when leading the St. Louis Blues on the road against the Boston Bruins back in 2019.
After staving off elimination with a 2-0 victory against the Panthers in Game 6, Berube's message to his team was simple as they host the Panthers in front of their home crowd at Scotiabank Arena.
'Don't get caught up in it, do what you did in Game 6," Berube said. "We know what to expect from Florida, and that's a great team over there. Simplify your game. Everybody's nervous a little bit. You just got to get the nerves out the first couple shifts. Get going. Play direct. Be direct and rely on your teammates, and that's what you're playing for your teammates."
'I Understand Why He Played': Maple Leafs Send Condolences To Jets' Mark Scheifele After Father's Passing Ahead Of Game 6 Vs. StarsMark Scheifele exited the penalty box and was immediately consoled by his Winnipeg Jets teammates.
Berube saw how nervous his club was in Game 5 when they fell 6-1. It was his first real taste of the Leafs from previous years that have struggled to rise to the occasion. The good news for Toronto is there was time to recover and perhaps they may have learned from it.
"The nerves are there, but, I mean, that's what you want. That's what you train for during the offseason. That's what you tell yourself you're training for at least...to have the opportunity to play in the playoffs and play in important games that mean the most. And so we're here now, so you want to make the most of it," Rielly said.
'He's Good To Go:' Matthew Knies To Resume Regular Role For Maple Leafs In Crucial Game 7 After Game 6 Injury ScareMatthew Knies is set to play in Game 7 despite an apparent injury suffered two days earlier.
Leafs record in Game 7s since 2018:
* April 25, 2018 at Boston Bruins: L 4-7
* April 23, 2019 at Boston Bruins: L 1-5
* May 31, 2021 vs. Montreal Canadiens: L 1-3
* May 14, 2022 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning: L 1-2
* May 4, 2024 at Boston Bruins: L 1-3
The stakes are big. The winner will play against the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final. Berube will give a pre-game speech like he always does. Does he plan anything special words for it or go does he improvise?
'He Knows What It Takes': How Craig Berube Has Shifted The Mindset One Year After Being Hired As Maple Leafs CoachExactly one year ago, the Toronto Maple Leafs hired Craig Berube as their head coach, hoping his past playoff success would alter their future postseason outcomes.
"You're always thinking about things and what's going to be the most important statement you can make to your team today. And that's not only today. It's a lot of games," Berube said. "t doesn't change a whole lot for me. It's just about getting your mind right and, you know, what to expect and understanding what each individual has to do with their every shift. I think that's the most important thing."
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