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Kirsty Coventry’s in-tray: six big issues facing IOC’s new president

From protecting women’s sport to the return of Russia and keeping the Olympics relevant, the former gold medallist has tough challenges ahead

As a seven-time Olympic swimming medallist, Kirsty Coventry knows a thing or two about navigating choppy waters. But the new International Olympic Committee president now faces the biggest set of challenges to global sport since the 1980s, when boycotts rocked the Moscow and Los Angeles Games. As the 41-year-old prepares to take over from Thomas Bach in June, what issues will she face?

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Tylor Megill strikes out five, Hayden Senger blasts HR in Mets' tie with Nationals

The Mets scored three runs early and added two more in the seventh inning to tie the Washington Nationals, 5-5, in their third-to-last spring training game on Saturday afternoon.

Here are the takeaways...

- Tylor Megill took the mound for the fourth and final time this spring, continuing to fight for a spot in the starting rotation. The right-hander made quick work of the Nationals, opening the game with back-to-back 1-2-3 innings. Megill let up a leadoff single in the top of the third inning, but got some help from Luisangel Acuña and Francisco Lindor on a double play, and closed the frame with a strikeout.

- Megill got into a little trouble in the fourth inning with runners on second and third base, but escaped the jam by striking out Alex Call for the third out. Megill found himself in a similar situation in the fifth inning after a walk, fielding error by Mark Vientos, and sac bunt gave the Nats runners on second and third. James Wood took advantage of the opportunity and drove in a run on a single, cutting the Mets' lead to 3-1. Megill struck out Amed Rosario for the second out and then chaos ensued, as the Mets executed a 2-6-3-2 putout to end the inning.

He allowed another leadoff single in the top of the sixth inning, and after his fifth strikeout, let up an RBI single to Keibert Ruiz, making it a 3-2 game. That would be the last batter Megill faced, as he finished the day after 5.1 IP, allowing three earned runs on six hits with five strikeouts, and two walks over 88 pitches.

- The Mets got to LHP MacKenzie Gore early, as Juan Soto walked, Pete Alonso singled, and Brandon Nimmo drove in a run on a ground-rule double. Vientos tacked on another run with a sacrifice fly and Jesse Winker made it a 3-0 game with an RBI single.

- RHP TJ Shook replaced Megill in the top of the sixth and got the second out quickly before more trouble ensued. A wild pitch, single, walk, and double from Jacob Young gave Washington a 5-3 lead. Shook got Wood to ground out to stop the bleeding after 22 pitches.

- A.J. Minter entered the game in the seventh and tossed a quick 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout, needing only 10 pitches.

- Hayden Senger, who looks to secure the backup catching job behind Luis Torrens, hit his first home run of spring training in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Mets trailed, 5-4. Lindor stayed in the game after some of the starters were pulled and delivered an RBI single to tie the game up at 5-5.

Who was the game MVP?

Nimmo, who finished the day 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored. He's hitting .250 over 20 ABs this spring.

Highlights

What's next

The Mets play their penultimate spring training game on Sunday against the Miami Marlins at 1:10 p.m.

Griffin Canning is expected to take the mound at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie.

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3 Takeaways From Penguins Thrilling Victory Over Blue Jackets

Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Penguins (29-32-10) are not going into the night quietly. They are picking up wins against opponents who dominated them most of the season, earning their first victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night by a 6-3 score.

Earlier in the campaign, the Blue Jackets picked up 6-2 and 4-3 (SO) wins, but the Penguins were on a different level Friday. They jumped out to a 1-0 lead and never looked back as Sidney Crosby inches closer to establishing a new NHL record. 

Let's discuss Pittsburgh's latest triumph. 

Nedeljkovic Shines in Return

When Tristan Jarry came back from the AHL, he went on a four-game win streak, all but stealing the crease back from Alex Nedeljkovic. After losing to the New York Islanders, head coach Mike Sullivan gave Nedeljkovic his first start in 14 days, and he didn't disappoint with 44 saves, hardly showing any signs of rust.

Penguins: Sidney Crosby's Chase Of Wayne Gretzky's NHL Point-Per-Game RecordPenguins: Sidney Crosby's Chase Of Wayne Gretzky's NHL Point-Per-Game RecordPittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is on pace to break a Wayne Gretzky record many people thought would never fall; most seasons (19) averaging a point-per-game average. 

Last year, Nedeljkovic led the late-season playoff push that ended short of the cut-off, but he's been the savior in the crease this season. Because of his performance on Friday, there's a new goalie controversy building in Pittsburgh. Which netminder should start against the top team in the Atlantic Division, the Florida Panthers, on Sunday?

Nedeljkovic showed, even with time off, that he's locked in, so Sullivan should ride the hot hand into another marquee matchup.

Number 29

Bokondji Imama scored his first goal of the season midway through the second period and came within an assist from completing a Gordie Howe hat trick as he fought Mathieu Olivier in the first.

By lighting the lamp at 8:15, Imama became the 29th different Penguins scorer this season, which leads the league in the category.

Can Penguins Achieve Goal Scoring Feat For Second Time In Crosby Era?Can Penguins Achieve Goal Scoring Feat For Second Time In Crosby Era?Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Joona Koppanen scored his first NHL goal on Tuesday night against the New York Islanders.

Moreover, Imama, who has skated in only 14 games this season, scored his first NHL goal since Apr. 23, 2022, when he was a member of the Arizona Coyotes. 

In 24 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, he's scored three goals with five points and 47 penalty minutes. Unafraid to mix it up, Imama has 16 penalty minutes in the NHL this season and has made the most of his limited opportunities in black and gold. 

Will Malkin Finish the Season on a Tear?

Ahead of the Blue Jackets game, Evgeni Malkin had one goal in the previous nine contests, with just two assists for three points and a minus-5 rating.

He poked home the first goal on Friday and looked energized, finishing the evening with four shots on goal, his first four-shot game since Nov. 13, 2024, against the Detroit Red Wings. 

'He Loves Being A Penguin': Unlikely Hero Emerges As Penguins Defeat Blue Jackets, 6-3'He Loves Being A Penguin': Unlikely Hero Emerges As Penguins Defeat Blue Jackets, 6-3In what was a must-win game for both of the teams on the ice Friday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins sure came ready to play.

Even though it is one goal, it is the type of play that could spark Malkin to finish the year and possibly push him to aim for his 16th-goal campaign since he currently sits at 14. Moreover, the future Hall of Famer needs only five more points to finish with 50.

Ultimately, Malkin needs nine points in the final 11 games to reach 1,350 in his career, which would be a fantastic achievement in an unusual down here for the Penguins' oldest player. Despite all the ups and downs, Malkin still has a chance to prove he is one of the NHL's most feared forwards. 

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Former Blues Fan Favorite Pat Maroon To Retire After Season

Pat Maroon 

The St. Louis Blues are facing off against the Chicago Blackhawks on March 22. The Blues' goal will be to stay hot after winning each of their last four games.

This matchup will be an emotional one for Blackhawks forward Pat Maroon, as it will be the last time the St. Louis native will play at the Enterprise Center. The former Blue told Darren Pang before the contest that he is planning to retire at the end of the season.

Maroon, 36, was a part of the Blues' 2019 Stanley Cup championship team, where he emerged as a fan favorite. In 74 regular-season games with the Blues that season, he had 10 goals, 28 points, and 135 hits. He also had three goals and seven points in 26 playoff games for the Blues during their 2019 championship run.

In 839 career NHL games over 14 seasons split between the Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, Minnesota Wild, Boston Bruins, and Blackhawks, he has 125 goals, 320 points, 1,071 penalty minutes, and 1,583 hits. He also has three Stanley Cups on his resume. It's been a great career for the former sixth-round pick. 

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Former Blues Forward Breaks Single-Season KHL Goal Record

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What we learned as Steph-less Warriors struggle in bad loss to Hawks

What we learned as Steph-less Warriors struggle in bad loss to Hawks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

The last time the Warriors beat the Hawks in Atlanta, Steph Curry (30 points), Kevin Durant (28 points) and Klay Thompson (27 points) combined to score 85 points in a 128-111 win at State Farm Arena. 

It was Dec. 3, 2018, six seasons ago. The Warriors now have lost their last six games in Atlanta after falling to the Hawks 124-115 on Saturday without Steph Curry to start a six-game road trip.

In the final three quarters, the Warriors outscored the Hawks by eight points. But they fell behind by as many as 20 points in the first quarter, and swimming upstream the rest of the way was too hard to overcome. 

Jimmy Butler led the Warriors with 25 points on 7-of-15 shooting and was 10 of 14 on free throws. Butler, plus-11, was the only Warriors starter with a positive plus/minus. Gary Payton II (plus-6) joined Butler as the only two Warriors to have a positive plus/minus. 

Trae Young had a 25-point, 10-assist double-double, but he wasn’t the only Hawk to star offensively. They had three players score at least 20 points, including 23 off the bench from Georges Niang.

The Hawks ended up shooting 57 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from deep. They dished 37 assists and outscored the Warriors 60-44 in the paint.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors losing once again in Atlanta.

DPOY Battle

As the Cleveland Cavaliers have lost four consecutive games, Draymond Green has risen to a neck-and-neck race with Evan Mobley as the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year. Hawks defensive ace Dyson Daniels is right there, too.

Daniels came into the day leading the NBA in total steals (194) and steals per game (3.0). Halfway through the first quarter, Daniels snuck from behind to steal the ball away from Green, drove down the court and finished with a tough layup over him. 

Green roamed as he always does in Golden State’s defense. Daniels began the game guarding Butler, and also spent time on Brandin Podziemski and others. Both were effective in their own ways.

Each player had three steals, and Green added one blocked shot. Awards season is creeping closer, and both stated their case to hoist the DPOY trophy.

Hawks Slice Dubs’ Defense 

Offense isn’t an issue for Atlanta. The Hawks since the start of February are top five in points per game, field goal percentage and 3-point percentage. There was no slowing them down Saturday on their home court. 

The Warriors in the first quarter fell into a 17-point deficit they couldn’t fully climb back out of. Simply put, the Hawks got whatever they wanted. Atlanta tallied 40 points on 64-percent shooting, going 16 of 25 overall and 4 of 9 on 3-pointers. Everybody put up points. 

Quin Snyder used nine players in the first quarter, and all nine scored. At halftime, the Hawks held a 12-point lead from shooting 60 percent (30 of 50) while handing out 23 assists and turning the ball over only three times. Onyeka Okongwu scored 18 of his 22 points in the first half.

Through three quarters, six Hawks had scored in double figures, giving them a 17-point lead entering the fourth quarter.

This was supposed to be all about containing Young. It wound up being about so much more. 

Podz’s Up-And-Down Performance

Without Curry, the ball was going to be in Podziemski’s hands, and his 3-point shot was going to be needed. Well, Podziemski did bring the long ball to Atlanta. 

He made two 3-pointers in the first quarter and another two in the third quarter. Podziemski made a fifth three in the fourth quarter, giving him a season high. He struggled scoring elsewhere.

Podziemski missed numerous chances right around the rim. Whether it was a layup, tip shot, floater or getting stuck in the paint, Podziemski found himself in more trouble the closer he was to the hoop. Podziemski was 5 of 8 on threes, but 1 of 6 on 2-pointers. 

Ending with 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists is a strong stat line. Podziemski also was a minus-8 in 36 minus, and every opportunity for points becomes amplified when the Warriors don’t have Curry.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

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Former Predators Forward Sets New NHL Record

Kiefer Sherwood (© Bob Frid-Imagn Images)

During this past season, Nashville Predators defenseman Jeremy Lauzon made NHL history. The 6-foot-3 defenseman set an NHL record by finishing the campaign with  383 hits in 79 games.

However, Lauzon's hit record has now been beaten by one of his former Nashville teammates - Kiefer Sherwood.

During the Vancouver Canucks' March 22 contest against the New York Rangers, Sherwood threw his 384th hit of the campaign. It took the Columbus, Ohio native 66 games to set this new NHL record. 

Sherwood spent the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons as a member of the Predators. In 100 games with the Central Division squad, he had 17 goals, 40 points, 337 hits, and a plus-21 rating. 

Sherwood's time with the Predators ended this past off-season when he signed a two-year, $3 million contract with the Canucks. In 65 games this season with Vancouver, he has set new career highs with 15 goals and 29 points. 

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Former Predators Forward Impressing With New Team

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Flyers suffer 9th loss in last 10 games after good effort is spoiled by quick OT

Flyers suffer 9th loss in last 10 games after good effort is spoiled by quick OT originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Flyers have taken their fair share of gut punches as this 2024-25 season stumbles to the finish line.

They took another one Saturday afternoon with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Stars at American Airlines Center.

Dallas scored the winner just nine seconds into the bonus session.

The Flyers fell behind 2-0 for the fourth straight game, but second-period goals from Travis Konecny and Ryan Poehling erased the deficit. John Tortorella’s club went to OT for the 20th time this season and dropped to 11-9 after regulation.

The Flyers (28-34-9) have lost four straight. They’ve had five losing streaks of four or more games this season.

They’re 1-8-1 over their last 10 games, a stretch in which they’ve scored just 1.50 goals per game and given up 3.80. They’ve also lost 17 of their last 23 games (6-14-3).

The Flyers were swept by the Stars (44-21-4) in their two-game regular-season series. They lost to Dallas, 4-1, in January at the Wells Fargo Center, a “sh–ty” game that elicited boos.

• Ivan Fedotov’s start Saturday lasted only one period.

The Stars scored two goals on their first two shots. They had just three shots in the first period but went into intermission with a 2-0 lead.

Samuel Ersson took over for Fedotov at the start of the second period. He made 15 saves on 16 shots. His lone blemish came in overtime when he was a bit lackadaisical playing the puck outside of his crease and Thomas Harley made him pay.

The Flyers entered Saturday with an NHL-worst .875 save percentage. Last season, they lost Carter Hart in January because of the Hockey Canada sexual assault case. They finished tied with the Senators for the league’s worst save percentage at .884.

“When Carter left, that threw this into turmoil,” Tortorella said two and a half months ago. “It is what it is, we’ve lived with it, we continue to live with it and we do the best we can.”

Dallas netminder Jake Oettinger stopped 22 of the Flyers’ 24 shots.

Konecny scored a huge goal for the Flyers and himself. It was his second marker in the last 24 games and it gave the Flyers some offensive life. Poehling then tallied his third goal in the last five games off an assist by Matvei Michkov, who ended a six-game slump of no points.

Overall, the Flyers have put together back-to-back competitive performances. They outshot the NHL-leading Capitals 28-16 two days ago, but lost, 3-2.

• The Flyers are five points up on the Sabres, who occupy last place in the Eastern Conference.

Buffalo, however, has played three fewer games. The clubs also have two head-to-head matchups left.

In the NHL standings, three Western Conference teams are below the Flyers: the Predators, Blackhawks and Sharks.

• The Flyers’ power play went 0 for 3, dropping to 0 for 28 in March. In the last 27 games, it’s 5 for 62.

The Flyers are at 13.9 percent on the season.

• Garnet Hathaway (undisclosed) and Rasmus Ristolainen (upper body) remained out.

• The Flyers are right back at it Sunday when they visit the Blackhawks (3 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

Tortorella’s club is 1-9-1 in the second game of back-to-back sets and has been outscored 45-25.

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Huff scores 26, Chattanooga knocks off Dayton 87-72 in NIT

Honor Huff had 26 points in Chattanooga's 87-72 win against Dayton on Saturday in the second round of the NIT. Huff shot 7 for 12 (5 for 10 from 3-point range) and 7 of 9 from the free-throw line for the Mocs (26-9). Trey Bonham scored 25 points while shooting 8 for 13 (3 for 5 from 3-point range) and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line and added eight rebounds.

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Amazing Maisie ready for next step up Welsh pathway ladder

Two years ago, Maisie Davies and Alaw Pyrs were lining up for Wales U18 against their Scottish counterparts in the Six Nations U18 Festival. Today the talented teenagers will make their first starts for the senior Wales Women’s team in the Guinness Six Nations. Their dramatic rise through the ranks is testimony to their form […]

The post Amazing Maisie ready for next step up Welsh pathway ladder appeared first on Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions.