Posts

Posted on

The Hockey Show: GM meetings and playoff races with David Pagnotta and Adnan Virk

This week's episode of The Hockey Show featured guests Adnan Virk and David Pagnotta. (Meadowlark Media)

Between the Stanley Cup Playoff race and the NHL GM Meetings, there was a lot to get to on this week’s episode of The Hockey Show.

That’s why hosts Roy Bellamy and David Dwork brought in some extra muscle to help go over everything.

Joining the show this week were Amazon Prime NHL host Adnan Virk, NHL Insider David Pagnotta from The Fourth Period and special guest host Jonathan Zaslow of ESPN Radio and the Zaslow Show 2.0. 

Among the tropics from the GM meetings that we discussed were potential rule changes, making cut-proof attire mandatory, extending overtime, changing the playoff format and the fact that power play opportunities across the league are down significantly this season.

We also touch on CBA negotiations, the idea of an NHL-KHL showdown floated by President Trump and how there is a real possibility that all seven Canadian NHL teams can make the playoffs this season.

Our wins and fails of the week included an OHL player losing his cup mid-game, an all-goalies game in Seattle, an empty-net blunder by Vegas, a referee assist and the conundrum that is Matt Rempe.

We also, as always, spend a full segment breaking down the latest happenings in and around the Florida Panthers. 

You can check out the full episode in the video below:

LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA

Three takeaways: Panthers earn essential two points in Columbus, game had playoff-level intensity

Bobrovsky, Barkov propel Panthers to 1-0 victory in Columbus

Panthers road trip continues against hungry Blue Jackets as both teams aim to escape funks

Florida Panthers prospect Jack Devine among 10 finalists for Hobey Baker Award

Dmitry Kulikov considered week-to-week, so Panthers will lean on Tobias Bjornfot

Posted on

(3-22-25) Blackhawks-Blues Gameday Lineup

St. Louis Blues defenseman Philip Broberg (6) moves the puck away from Chicago Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar on Feb. 8 when the Blues won a 6-5 shootout. (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images)

ST. LOUIS -- For the St. Louis Blues, now comes the hard part.

It's one thing to be the hunter trying to chase down those in front of them for the Western Conference wild card, but now to be the hunted, which the Blues (35-28-7), who host the Chicago Blackhawks (20-40-9) on Saturday at 2 p.m. (FDSNMW, ESPN 101.1-FM), are, being chased by three teams (Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Utah Hockey Club) makes the final 12 games that much more interesting.

But what it does is not change a thing.

"That's a pretty myopic vision right now," Blues coach Jim Montgomery said after a very brief practice Friday. "We have the Blackhawks at (2 p.m.) tomorrow. We're going to get ready for them.

"It's going to come down to the last game because there's just not enough games left and not enough point separation to be able to take a breath, and that's great. What we've been doing, it's what we're used to. Our mindset's in the moment. I sound like a broken record, but that's what we have been focused on."

That's the message relayed to the players, and they have had it ingrained in them since making this 11-2-2 run.

"Yeah 100 percent, that's the message," said forward Dylan Holloway, who scored in the third period to give the Blues a 3-2 lead. "We can't get too high or too low. It was a big win tonight, but we've got more games coming. It's tight. ... It's as tight as it's ever been, and we've just got to keep going."

But boy, that will be a task after such an emotional 4-3 overtime win on Thursday at home against the Canucks when Philip Broberg scored at 3:42 of overtime to put the Blues one point ahead of Vancouver, two ahead of Calgary and four ahead of Utah. The Canucks have a game in hand while the Flames have two games in hand.

"They have a tough schedule coming at some point, where they're not going to be able to take a breath," Montgomery said. "Coming up, we're going to have a couple of two days off in between games. That's going to be really beneficial, but until we get there, we've just got to push through and we've done that. Our mental toughness, the way we prepare, the way guys are going out shift after shift playing really good hockey has been very impressive."

Nonetheless, there was so much to like for Montgomery in a game that had so many range of emotions, both good and bad.

"I just the think the way we played," he said. "We were committed to playing the right way. Vancouver pushed in the second, and then we pushed back in the last eight and a half minutes of the second. The third period, I think it was a combination of nerves and it's not an excuse, but the density of the schedule we made some decisions that I don't think are common for us lately, more common in January. It's just an opportunity for us to reset, recharge the batteries and get ready for another two big games here."

The Blues had their team photo day at Enterprise Center on Friday and skated for a shade under 15 minutes.

Oskar Sundqvist was the lone absentee from the skate due to a maintenance day, but Montgomery said the forward would be available to play on Saturday.

The Blues will be going for their second-ever season series sweep of the Blackhawks; they own a 6-2 win at the 2025 NHL Discover Winter Classic at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Dec. 31 and a wild 6-5 shootout win at Enterprise Center on Feb. 8.

The Blues' only season sweep was in 2919-20 when they went 4-0-0.

- - -

Blues Projected Lineup:

Jake Neighbours-Robert Thomas-Pavel Buchnevich

Dylan Holloway-Brayden Schenn -- Jordan Kyrou

Mathieu Joseph-Oskar Sundqvist-Zack Bolduc

Alexey Toropchenko-Radek Faksa-Nathan Walker

Cam Fowler-Nick Leddy

Philip Broberg-Justin Faulk

Ryan Suter-Tyler Tucker

Joel Hofer is projected to start in goal; Jordan Binnington would be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Alexandre Texier and Matthew Kessel. Colton Parayko (knee) remains out. Torey Krug (ankle) is out for the season.

- - -

Blackhawks Projected Lineup:

Ilya Mikheyev-Frank Nazar-Connor Bedard

Teuvo Teravainen-Jason Dickinson-Nick Foligno

Joe Veleno-Ryan Donato-Tyler Bertuzzi

Landon Slaggert-Lukas Reichel-Patrick Maroon

Alex Vlasic-Wyatt Kaiser

Ethan Del Mastro-Connor Murphy

Alec Martinez-Artyom Levshunov

Arvid Soderblom will start in goal; Spencer Knight will be the backup. 

Healthy scratches include Philipp Kurashev, TJ Brodie and Louis Crevier. Laurent Brossoit (knee) and Colton Dach (elbow) are out.

Posted on

Padres' Yu Darvish to start season on injured list with elbow inflammation

PEORIA, Ariz. — San Diego Padres right-hander Yu Darvish will start the season on the injured list because of inflammation in his right elbow, manager Mike Shildt said Friday.

Shildt said there is no timetable for Darvish's return but the team is confident Darvish will be back in the rotation following rest and a ramp-up period.

Darvish made a pair of spring training starts but was shut down after the second, a four-inning, 54-pitch outing against Kansas City on March 13. The Padres decided to have him back off his throwing program after he played catch a couple times.

Kyle Hart, Stephen Kolek and Randy Vasquez are candidates to fill Darvish’s spot in the rotation behind Michael King, Dylan Cease and Nick Pivetta.

Darvish is 110-88 with a 3.58 ERA in 12 major league seasons after pitching for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan's Pacific League from 2005-11. The 38-year-old had Tommy John surgery on March 17, 2015, and returned to a major league mound on May 28, 2016.

He had back, neck and elbow problems last season and was on the restricted list for personal reasons from early July to late August. He won three of four starts in September and was 1-1 with a 1.98 ERA in two starts against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series

Darvish came to the major leagues in 2012 after agreeing to a $56 million, six-year contract with the Texas Rangers. He was traded to the Dodgers in July 2017, became a free agent after the World Series and signed a $126 million, six-year deal with the Chicago Cubs. Darvish was dealt to San Diego after the 2020 season and in February 2023 agreed to a contract with the Padres that added an additional $90 million in guaranteed money for a total of $108 million over six year.

His 2023 season ended in late August because of a bone spur in his right elbow.

Posted on

Jordan Ross keys rally to help Saint Mary’s beat Vanderbilt 59-56 in March Madness

Saint Mary's guard Jordan Ross keyed a second-half rally while star Augustas Marciulionis dealt with foul trouble, and the seventh-seeded Gaels fended off 10th-seeded Vanderbilt 59-56 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. Ross scored 10 points with Marciulionis on the bench to help the Gaels (29-5) pull even, and Marciulionis hit a couple of clutch shots down the stretch to set up a meeting with No. 2 seed Alabama on Sunday.

Posted on

Baylor pulls away as Grand Canyon’s 30-game win streak ends with March Madness loss

Aaronette Vonleh had 25 points and 11 rebounds, leading fourth-seeded Baylor to a 73-60 victory over Grand Canyon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. Jada Walker scored 17 points as the host Bears (28-7) ended the Lopes' nation-leading winning streak at 30 games in Grand Canyon's first NCAA appearance. Baylor will play the Mississippi-Ball State winner in the second round Sunday.

Posted on

Playing in his hometown, Amarion Dickerson helps Robert Morris nearly pull off upset of Alabama

Robert Morris' Amarion Dickerson came into the NCAA Tournament known as one of the nation's best shot blockers after being chosen the Horizon League's Defensive Player of the Year. Dickerson scored 25 points and had nine rebounds in the Colonials' 90-81 loss to No. 2 seed Alabama in a first-round game in the South Region in Cleveland. “I'm grateful to go out there and have a good game, but it don’t mean as much to me with the result we got,” said Dickerson, who tied Forest Grant for most points by a Robert Morris player in an NCAA Tournament game.

Posted on

Emma Raducanu finds ‘third wind’ to overcome Navarro in Miami Open epic

  • British No 2 beats American 7-6 (6), 2-6, 7-6 (3)
  • Victory marks first career top-10 win on hard court

Midway through the final set of an increasingly painful spectacle, it looked like Emma Raducanu was finished. As the games piled up against her and she visibly struggled physically, Raducanu limped slowly between rallies and she was barely any more agile once they began. It seemed like she had nothing more to give.

Even when she appeared to be rounding on certain defeat, however, Raducanu refused to stop searching for a way through. The 22 year-old was rewarded for her faith and fortitude with one of the best wins of her career as she recovered from numerous deficits in the final set of an utterly chaotic tussle to defeat Emma Navarro, the eighth seed, 7-6 (6), 2-6, 7-6 (3) and reach the third round of the Miami Open.

Continue reading...
Posted on

Mets Opening Day starter Clay Holmes looking forward to 'attacking' season from Day 1

When the Mets signed Clay Holmes to a three-year, $38 million contract during the offseason it was with the idea that he could potentially translate from the reliever he had been for basically his entire career into a starting pitcher.

So that's what both sides sought to do in spring training.

Regardless of what New York saw in Holmes that suggested he could make the jump into the starting rotation, what the right-hander has done for the Mets throughout camp has probably shocked even them to a degree. That's because Holmes has been nothing short of brilliant in his first endeavor at becoming a starter since 2018 when he made four starts for the Pittsburgh Pirates in his debut season.

The 31-year-old's mastery was on full display once again on Friday afternoon in a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in what was his final tune-up of the spring before taking the ball on Opening Day. In 5.1 innings, his longest outing so far, Holmes allowed no runs on two hits, and three walks and struck out eight on 88 pitches (53 strikes).

It marked the culmination of New York's plan to stretch out the big right-hander this spring which began with three perfect innings in the Mets' spring opener against the Houston Astros on Feb. 22.

"It doesn’t feel like things are really ending for me, I feel like it’s just another part of the process," Holmes said. "But I feel like the plan we had in place from the get-go was right on track and we wanted to get to 90 pitches by the end of spring and we’re here.

"I think it’s just a testament to having some very thoughtful and intentional plans going into this and it’s nice to kind of see it come to fruition and being in such a good spot right now. Really just having a good foundation set for the season and looking forward to keep building on this."

With Sean Manaea getting injured at the start of spring training and Kodai Senga coming off an injury-plagued season, Holmes made what could have been a difficult decision easy for the Mets with his performances on the mound, forcing manager Carlos Mendoza's hand to name him the Game 1 starter.

And while making him a starter was certainly part of New York's plan, naming him the team's Opening Day starter was a pleasant surprise, especially for Holmes who didn't necessarily have any intentions of transitioning from a reliever to a starting pitcher in the big leagues.

"I’m excited, I mean Opening Day is a special day," he said. "It’s a long offseason and this is a day you’re kind of working towards and for it to be here it feels special. And to be able to have the Mets uniform on and really compete and be on the field with the guys in this locker room is gonna be special.

"You can see there’s a lot of people in here that really care and that have worked really hard to put themselves in position to be the best player they can and the best team we can and we know the opportunity we have in front of us and we’re looking forward to attacking it from day one."

There will surely be a learning curve at some point in the season or a few bumps along the way, but Holmes has done everything the Mets have asked of him and has handled it with aplomb.

Even on Friday, Holmes discussed how different it feels to pitch five-plus innings rather than the one or two innings he was accustomed to. "Six ups just feels long, it feels like you're pitching forever out there," he said with a chuckle.

He added, "I think that's just a mental thing."

In five Grapefruit League starts the right-hander finished with a 0.93 ERA (0.78 WHIP) to go along with 23 strikeouts in 19.1 innings, consistently dominating hitters and pitching like the ace on the team.

"It’s not something I was necessarily striving for, but it just kind of organically came about," Holmes said about his journey to becoming a starter. And I think for me I’m a learner, I’m curious, I’m always thinking and sometimes life takes an uncertain route and you just roll with it. I think it’s meant to be.

Even though it's not something Holmes necessarily sought after, getting a taste of being a front-line starter has him as eager as he's ever been in his career to continue to improve.

"I’m excited, I think I’m in a great spot and I haven’t been this excited just to attack a season, attack the next day in a while so I think it’s kind of just giving me something to look forward to and I think it’s gonna be a fun year ahead," he said.

Posted on

Blue Devils blow past Mount St. Mary’s

Everything about Duke’s first game of the NCAA tournament went according to plan. Cooper Flagg returned from a two-game absence and had 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 22 minutes, an all-around impressive performance in the Blue Devils’ 93-49 victory against Mount St. Mary’s on Friday at Lenovo Center. Duke will play Baylor on Sunday in the second round.