A 79-17 defeat for the 2020 champions’ set the alarm bells ringing and the ‘embarrassed’ chair is pulling no punches
How swiftly the sporting wheel can turn. Less than five years ago Exeter were the Double-winning darlings of English club rugby, their fairytale rise ranking alongside Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest, Sir Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen and Wimbledon’s Crazy Gang as the most romantic success stories in British team sport.
And now? Second bottom of the Premiership table, 79 points conceded at Gloucester last time out, coaches being summarily jettisoned, the chairman storming into the dressing room. The one thing everyone in Devon can agree on is that the season’s end cannot come quickly enough.
EDMONTON – “We knew we could get some good things out of him.”
The Edmonton Oilers were always betting on John Klingberg. But, it wasn’t a smooth ride from when they signed the defender midseason to the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch was singing Klingberg’s praises in his post game scrum with the media present after their Game 1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night.
“Probably the turning point or the pick-me-up is probably after we score that goal,” Knoblauch stated. “I think John makes a great play (to) break that puck out, leads to a good rush.”
Connor McDavid would eventually pass the puck to Corey Perry, who then scored the Oilers' first goal of the night.
With veteran blueliner Mattias Ekholm missing from the backend, several players must fill the gaps. Klingberg has been one of those guys.
John Klingberg Stepping Up In The Absence Of Mattias Ekholm
“We knew John could handle it,” Knoblauch revealed. “He’s been a number one defenseman for many years in this league…just not this year (or) last year.”
“But, we knew that when we needed him he could give us some quality minutes and some quality play.”
Klingberg has settled into a groove during the playoffs after a shaky (and sporadic) stint in the regular season. He only has two points in six games while averaging 19:34 a night, but his breakout passes have led to scoring opportunities on the other end of the ice. They have also led to goals, even if he isn’t rewarded with a point.
Knoblauch revealed that the Oilers knew they would get good things out of Klingberg. It’s also fair to say that he’s been exceeding expectations.
“We knew we could get some good things out of him, not necessarily at the level he’s playing right now. Because he’s been helping our team quite a bit since he came into our lineup for Game 2 against LA.”
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The Boston Celtics blew a huge lead in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series against the New York Knicks and lost 108-105 in overtime Monday night at TD Garden.
But if history is any indication, Celtics fans should be confident in their team’s ability to not only bounce back with a Game 2 win on Wednesday night, but also rebound with a series victory.
The Celtics are 4-0 after a loss in the playoffs since last season, including 1-0 this postseason (Game 4 in Orlando). They’ve won those four games by an average of 15 points.
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Specific to the second round, Boston lost Game 1 of the conference semifinals to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2022 and the Philadelphia 76ers in 2023. The C’s won Game 2 in both of those series before ultimately prevailing in Game 7.
The Celtics are also 21-10 all-time in Game 2 of the conference semifinals, including a 16-4 home record.
The Knicks are 6-20 all-time in Game 2 on the road in a best-of-7 series, and that includes five straight losses and a 2-9 record in road Game 2s in the conference semis.
Boston is 8-4 in its last 12 Game 2s overall, including three straight victories.
The Celtics missed a ton of open shots in Game 1 and the Knicks shot 45.9 percent from 3-point range. And yet, the C’s only lost by three in overtime.
There’s no reason for the Celtics to panic, and the stats/trends going into Game 2 are in their favor.
But the task of winning this series would get far more difficult if they lose Wednesday. The Celtics are 1-3 all-time in playoff series in which they lose the first two games at home, with the only win coming in 2017 against the Chicago Bulls.
Steph Curry didn’t need to say a single word to his team during halftime after exiting the game with a hamstring injury in Game 1 of the Warriors vs. Minnesota Timberwolves playoff series Tuesday night at Target Center.
He had been sitting back in the visitor’s locker room since sustaining the injury early in the second quarter. When Warriors coach Steve Kerr and the rest of the guys rolled in at the midway break, Curry’s face said it all.
Kerr looked at Curry, who had tears falling down his face, and instead of saying anything, gave his superstar point guard an emotional hug, The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson II shared in his latest column.
“That’s all I could do,” Kerr told Thompson after the Warriors’ 99-88 win. “I just feel so bad for him. Everything that he does. How much he cares.”
Kerr added that no one on the team said anything to Curry at halftime, who was icing the injury at his locker with his headphones in. All the Golden State coach could do was tell Gary Payton II he would start for Curry in the second half and game plan for the final 24 minutes of the contest without their best player.
Curry exited the game with 13 points in 13 minutes. He’s averaging 22.6 points on 47.7-percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range through eight games during Golden State’s current playoff run, adding 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 35.1 minutes.
An MRI revealed Wednesday morning that Curry sustained a Grade 1 left hamstring strain and would miss at least one week, ruling him out for at least Games 2, 3 and 4. Game 5 is set for next Wednesday in Minnesota. Game 6, if necessary, will be Sunday, May 18, at Chase Center in San Francisco.
“He’s obviously crushed,” Kerr told reporters postgame. “But the guys picked him up and played a great game. Obviously, we’re all concerned about Steph, but it’s part of the game. Guys get hurt and you move on. Our guys did a great job of moving on and getting a great win, 48 hours after a Game 7 road win.
“It’s an amazing group of guys. They compete, they’re together, been the best defense in the league since the Jimmy trade, and that’s what’s keeping us afloat.”
The team rallied around its superstar and pulled out a huge win on the road. It will take a group effort, led by Curry’s “Robin,” Jimmy Butler, to collectively put on their superhero capes against the Timberwolves.
“It’s super motivating,” Kevon Looney told Thompson “He’s carried a lot of us on his back to the highest level. He set a high standard, and you just want to kind of follow that. He knows we got his back. However long it’s gonna be, we’re gonna go out there and fight and try to win.
“We ain’t gon’ put our heads down. We know how to fight. We know how to be the men at war.”
Gorton and Kent Hughes have worked very well as a duo since
they were hired, and they’ve often been referred to as HuGo by the fans. Given
how satisfied the fandom has been with this past season and the surprise
qualification to the playoffs, it’s hardly surprising that people would rather
not lose the executive vice president of hockey operations.
Less than two hours after Staple reported the information,
TSN Insider Pierre LeBrun took to X to say that he understood the Canadiens had
told the Islanders that Gorton was in Montreal to stay.
While fans were panicking left, right, and center, RG.org’s
Marco D’Amico was the voice of reason, explaining that it was normal for teams
to ask, but it didn’t mean the Canadiens would grant the request or that Gorton
even wanted to go.
In his post-season press availability, Gorton mentioned jokingly
that his son had reminded him earlier that day that he had been fired by the
Rangers four years ago. While he can laugh about it now, it’s easy to imagine
how gutted he must have been when he wasn’t allowed to see the New York Rangers’
rebuild through.
He got another chance with the Canadiens, and it’s hard to
imagine him walking out with some unfinished business. The team is in a much
better state today than it was when he was first hired, and the impact Lane
Hutson, one of the products of his first draft, has had this season is a big
win for the organization and HuGo.
Given what we’ve seen from Ivan Demidov in a small sample so
far, it’s likely that he, too, will make the duo look good next season, and who
knows, perhaps David Reinbacher will as well if he manages to remain healthy.
You can relax, Canadiens fans. Gorton is not going anywhere,
not until he’s accomplished the goal he’s given himself or is shown the door,
at least. Neither option is likely to happen overnight.
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Sam Bennett is no stranger to controversy, especially in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Florida Panthers forward found himself at the center of it again during Game 1 of the second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Midway through the second period, while Florida was on the power play, Bennett delivered an elbow to the head of Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz as he skated through the crease.
No penalty was called on the play, and roughly ten minutes later, Stolarz appeared to vomit on the bench before exiting the game. He was later taken to the hospital for further evaluation and has since been released. Despite the overall concern of the incident, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety is not expected to hand down any supplementary discipline. Bennett will be in the lineup for Game 2 on Wednesday.
Speaking about the topic following Game 1 and again on Tuesday morning, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice wasn’t interested in entertaining the controversial act from his player. Instead, he suggested the incident was being blown out of proportion while other questionable hits went unnoticed.
“I’ve seen every hit that Sam Bennett's thrown since he was 12 years old on TV this morning. Go ahead, run with it. We’re good, the puck’s going to drop,” said Maurice at his presser Tuesday morning.
“There were far more egregious collisions in that game last night, but we won't be talking about those,” he added.
"There were far more egregious collisions in that game last night but we won't be talking about those"
But there's a good reason for the conversation, given the lengthy history on Bennett’s resume. While Florida's bench boss may want to brush it off, the reality is that Bennett’s controversial plays have become a pattern, and the need is to protect the players.
Controversial History
The discourse surrounding the topic is elevated because of the player himself. Bennett, who was drafted in 2004, has a long history of controversial incidents, stemming back to his time with the Calgary Flames. Since 2018, there have been nine notable examples of borderline or disputed plays involving the Panthers forward, several of which occurred during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
December 2018: Match penalty for a hit to Radim Simek (San Jose Sharks) – Simek Concussion… No supplementary discipline.
May 2021 (playoffs): Charging minor for a hit to Blake Coleman (Tampa Bay Lightning) – one-game suspension.
January 2022: Illegal check to the head of Cedric Paquette, no penalty (Montreal Canadiens) – Paquette neck injury, did not return – three-game suspension.
May 2023 (playoffs): No call for the takedown of Matthew Knies (Toronto Maple Leafs) – Concussion, missed the rest of the series – No supplementary discipline.
May 2023 (playoffs): Cross-check minor to head/neck of Michael Bunting (Toronto Maple Leafs) – $5,000 fine.
May 2024 (playoffs):No penalty for a punch to the head of Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins) – Marchand missed two games, no supplementary discipline.
June 2024 (playoffs): Collision/Tripping with Stuart Skinner (Edmonton Oilers), no penalty, no supplementary discipline.
January 2025: Punch/late hit to Mathieu Joseph (Ottawa Senators), 10-minute misconduct, $5,000 fine.
May 2025 (playoffs): Elbow to the head of Anthony Stolarz (Toronto Maple Leafs), no penalty,no supplementary discipline expected, Stolarz hospitalized, status unknown.
From this list, the Maple Leafs appear three times with an incident in both of the previous two meetings in the postseason.
As a repeat offender, Bennett has been involved in at least one incident each year since 2021. In total, the 28-year-old has been suspended for four games and received two fines ($10,000). Despite a handful of incidents, especially in the postseason, Bennett has frequently avoided further discipline, a trend that continues to draw criticism.
“I don't want to talk about it. It's over,” said Leafs head coach Craig Berube on Tuesday, referencing the Bennett/Stolarz collision.
As for the netminder, his status remains up in the air for Game 2 and the remainder of the series. His imminent return seems highly unlikely, and the club will likely have to turn to Joseph Woll as his replacement.
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One day after his Celtics set NBA records for the most 3-point attempts (60) and misses (45) in a playoff game en route to a Game 1 loss to the Knicks, a reporter asked Mazzulla about Boston’s 3-point defense and pointed out that New York made more than half of its 3-pointers (11 for 19) in the second half Monday night.
“So, they made them,” the Celtics interrupted with a grin. “Man, what a novel idea. That’s a novel concept, huh? Just make them when you’re open.”
Mazzulla clearly had heard the criticism about Boston’s 3-point-heavy attack in Game 1, which backfired in a big way. Just one of the Celtics’ 20 shot attempts in the third quarter was a 2-pointer, and 34 of their 41 attempts in the second half were 3-pointers. The C’s made just nine of those deep attempts, blowing a 20-point lead and losing home-court advantage as the Knicks took a 1-0 lead in the second-round series.
But if you think Boston’s misses will deter the team from hoisting up more 3-pointers in Game 2, you don’t know Mazzulla.
“The duality of that question is really cool to talk about,” Mazzulla continued. “We start the press conference off by saying, ‘You took all these and you missed them.’ And then you say, ‘They shot 50 percent in the second half from three.’ Yeah, you have to make them.”
There’s nuance to the 3-point discussion, of course. While the Celtics have been historically reliant on deep balls — they smashed NBA records for 3-point makes and attempts during the regular season — they’re at their best when they get quality looks off good ball movement. Their offense was more stagnant in Game 1, however, which led to a few forced 3-pointers that Mazzulla admits he’d like his team to have back.
“I loved the majority of our shots,” Mazzulla added. “There were probably 10 or 11 you could probably take back considering the ebbs and flows of how the game was going at that particular time.
“So, you have to be able to do both. You have to be able to make open shots and you have to have that understanding of the ebbs and flows of a game. Coaching shot selection is always easy. Hindsight’s always 20/20.”
The Celtics swept their regular-season series against the Knicks this season thanks in part to excellent 3-point shooting; they made at least 17 3s on 38.6 percent shooting or better in all four matchups. So, Mazzulla and Co. are likely banking on the idea that Monday’s brick-fest was an aberration.
But the C’s still need to make a concerted effort to get better looks from distance, or Mazzulla will be facing more pressing questions going forward. Game 2 is set for 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday at TD Garden, with NBC Sports Boston’s coverage beginning at 6 p.m. ET with Celtics Pregame Live.
The Warriors will be without their best player for Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday at Target Center, and perhaps longer.
Golden State superstar Steph Curry suffered a Grade 1 left hamstring strain in Tuesday’s Game 1 win over Minnesota and will be ruled out for Thursday’s contest, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday, citing sources.
Golden State's Stephen Curry has sustained a Grade 1 left hamstring strain and will be ruled out for Game 2 against Minnesota on Thursday, sources tell ESPN. It's the first strained muscle of Curry's career, so exact return timetable is unclear due to first rehab like this. pic.twitter.com/Wgdpej617k
Charania also reported, citing sources, that the Warriors expect Curry to miss at least one week with the injury and that an exact return timeline will be based on how he responds to rehab for the muscle strain, which is the first of his 16-year NBA career.
Curry suffered the injury early in the second quarter on Tuesday, and left the game for good after scoring 13 points with one rebound and one assist on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and 3 of 6 from 3-point range in 12 total minutes.
Steph went to the Warriors' locker room with an apparent hamstring injury
While it’s unclear exactly how long Curry will be out, the reported one-week timeline would indicate he not only will miss Game 2 on Thursday, but Game 3 on Saturday and Game 4 on Monday with a possibility to return for Game 5 next Wednesday at Target Center, which is exactly one week away.
Stephen Curry, who exited last night’s game against the Timberwolves with 8:19 remaining in the second quarter with a strained left hamstring, underwent an MRI this morning.
The MRI confirmed the injury as a Grade 1 hamstring strain. Curry will be re-evaluated in one week. pic.twitter.com/6cl0xNefTc
The Athletic’s Anthony Slater later reported that the Warriors currently are planning on Curry remaining in Minnesota to begin his rehab process with director of sports medicine Rick Celebrini before the team flies back to San Francisco after Thursday night’s game.
Curry suffered the injury early in the second quarter on Tuesday, and left the game for good after scoring 13 points with one rebound and one assist on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and 3 of 6 from 3-point range in 12 total minutes.
Steph went to the Warriors' locker room with an apparent hamstring injury
With Curry set to be re-evaluated in one week, he will miss Game 2 on Thursday at Target Center, Games 3 and 4 on Saturday and Monday at Chase Center, but could return for Game 5 next Wednesday at Target Center, which is exactly one week away, if all goes well.
Supporter with spare ticket took the bait over offer
Around 50,000 supporters vying for just 480 seats
A Norwegian bartered five kilos of semi-dried fish for a ticket to Thursday’s semi-final clash between Bodø/Glimt and Tottenham in the Arctic Circle, as the hosts aim to become the first Norwegian club to reach a European final.
Jimmy Butler issued a stern response to heckling Minnesota Timberwolves fans.
Speaking to reporters after the Warriors’ 99-88 win over Minnesota in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals on Tuesday at Target Center, Butler, the former Timberwolf playing in his first game at the arena since 2021, was asked about the heckling and loud boos he received throughout the game and shared a message to his former fan base.
Welcome back Jimmy Butler. Target Center is giving him a warm welcome of boos every time he touches the ball. Wolves lead Game 1 20-18 after one quarter. pic.twitter.com/YZN7gEfiMc
“That doesn’t bother me,” Butler said. “But people do have to watch their mouth. It’s cool with the boos and all this stuff, but when you’re calling people out of their names, which I can hear …”
“What they say?” Warriors teammate Buddy Hield, who sat next to Butler at his postgame press conference, asked.
Butler: “You want me to repeat it? No, I’m not going to repeat it … That’s unnecessary. The boos, I get it, I understand. Let’s just keep it at that.”
Hield: “Yeah, watch your mouth.”
Butler: “Thanks, little bro.”
Butler only spent one-plus season (69 total games) with the Timberwolves from 2017 to 2018 before requesting a trade that sent him to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The veteran forward’s short tenure in Minnesota was shrouded in controversy due to contract disputes and an overall dissatisfaction with the organization’s culture. So much so that Butler’s former Timberwolves teammate, Jeff Teague, declared Butler the “most hated man in Minnesota” prior to Game 1.
And based on what Butler might have heard from the crowd Tuesday night, he might not be wrong.
A Tampere native, Järventie is returning to his hometown after
spending the past four seasons in North America in the Ottawa
Senators and Edmonton
Oilers organizations.
“Really good feeling – it’s nice to be
home,” Järventie is quoted on the Tappara website. “It’s
always been a dream to play together with my brother, so this is a
great opportunity to make that dream come true.”
Roby’s younger brother Emil, 20, was a seventh-round pick of the
Pittsburgh
Penguins in 2023. The two brothers are actually products of rival
club Ilves but Emil transferred to Tappara last season, where he
split time between the club’s Liiga and top junior teams. This will
be Roby’s first tour of duty with Tappara. Due to their age
difference, this will be the first time the brothers have played
together on the same team.
Roby Järventie was chosen in the second round, 33rd overall, by
Ottawa in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He then went to North America
late in the pandemic-delayed 2021 season to play for the AHL’s
Belleville Senators, recording three points in four games.
In the summer of 2024, he
was traded to Edmonton. Järventie missed training camp after
another knee surgery but only managed to play in two AHL games with
the Bakersfield Condors in November before re-injuring his knee and
has not played since.
According to an
Ilta-Sanomat article in March, Järventie’s
rehab has been going well and he is expected to be ready for the
start of training camp in late summer with Tappara.
In addition to the Järventie brothers, Tappara has also signed
veteran defenseman Jyrki Jokipakka, who played 150 NHL games for the
Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames. The club also has Calgary prospect
Eetu Tuola and Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Oiva Keskinen under
contract for 2025-26.
