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On Sept. 13, the three-time Stanley Cup goaltender said: ”It’s not something I accept. Every guy here wants to win. We know where we’re at, we won’t accept losing. We’re looking at winning some games.”
With help from Fleury, the Golden Knights did a lot more than win some games. They’re one of the most successful expansion teams ever. In any sport.
”It’s a good thing it worked out, so I don’t look like a fool,” Fleury said Friday about his bold preseason statement.
”Every guy here has a lot of pride in the way we play, the way we look at ourselves as a team every night. We all have pride in winning and I think it’s shown throughout the season, and in the (first round of the) playoffs, too.”
Fleury dominated the Los Angeles Kings in the first round. The Golden Knights became just the sixth team to allow three or fewer goals in a playoff series going back to 1980.
With an 0.65 goals-against average Fleury joined a short list of goalies since 1967-68 who have won all four games of a playoff series and kept their GAA to 0.70 or fewer.
Same ole Fleury, different team.
”We played some very sound hockey and when we didn’t, when we were having a bad period or a bad stretch, goaltending was there to help us stabilize A.J. Green Jersey ,” Vegas general manager George McPhee said. ”And that’s why he’s here, that’s what he gets paid to do and he does it very well.”
Next up: the San Jose Sharks.
After fans watched a stellar goaltending matchup between Fleury and Kings’ Jonathan Quick, the 14-year veteran faces a San Jose team that had goalie Martin Jones stop 128 of 132 shots in a sweep of the Anaheim Ducks.
”Their goalie is very good; their defensemen also contribute to their attacks, they’re a quicker team than L.A. I think they’ll create more offensively,” Fleury said. ”It’ll be a little more fast pace and a little more open hockey, they’ll be a little more up and down.”
Fleury will prepare with a meticulous approach and tranquil execution that impresses teammates.
”His calmness in the net is unbelievable,” defenseman Shea Theodore said. ”When you’re having little chit chats on the ice and you’ve been hemmed in and they’ve had five or six or seven Grade A chances and he’s been flopping around, you go to talk to him. . He’s just so calm and so patient in the net, I feel it definitely calms our group down.”
Forward Cody Eakin said Fleury always lets his teammates know he is aware of their play.
”It’s just a huge part of his game, tracking pucks, being sharp, or knowing what’s going on around him – he’s phenomenal at that Kolton Miller Raiders Jersey ,” Eakin said. ”It gives you confidence when he’s talking to you, or you can talk to him, or skate by and give him a wink. He’s pretty amazing.”
Amazing, like the Golden Knights’ improbable season. And Fleury said they’re just getting started.
”We’re not done here,” he said, ”hopefully we have a long way to go.”
STATWATCH: Fleury stopped 127 of 130 shots in the first round, a save percentage of .977. His career playoff save percentage is .910. He had two shutouts while allowing three goals in 275 minutes against the Kings.
While Fleury doesn’t get consumed with stats, there is one that matters to him.
”Wins,” he said. ”I’m not out there to prove anything, I just want to win games. If I can help the team get wins, that’s all that matters. If I win and the team wins, everybody’s happy Mike McGlinchey Youth Jersey , the coaches, the fans, and at the end of the day that’s why you play.”
The last time Fleury led his team to a first-round sweep was in 2009, when the Penguins won the Stanley Cup – the first of three in his career.
BIGGEST MOMENT: Any one of the three times Fleury hoisted the Stanley Cup was a big moment during his career. But not the biggest, according to him.
”My first game was pretty big, because that’s always been my dream to play in the NHL,” said Fleury, who allowed two goals and stopped 46 shots in a 3-0 loss to the Kings in his NHL debut on Oct. 10, 2003. ”I never thought I would make it. But the first time I could play and made some saves in a game, I thought that was so cool.”
Fleury didn’t say where a Stanley Cup with Vegas would rank, keeping his focus on San Jose.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: During an interview on NHL Network, former teammate Ryan Whitney asked the prankster goalie if he had moved on from Olive Garden Cheap Christian Kirk Jersey , which Fleury laughingly said fit his budget back then. Nowadays, Fleury’s pregame meals are catered to his liking by the chefs at City National Arena, the team’s headquarters.
”On game day I always eat the same stuff. I just go with noodles, oil and chicken, a little vegetable, a side salad,” said Fleury, who said he cherishes the vibe on game day, including the drive to T-Mobile Arena.
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The Minnesota Vikings are abandoning physical tickets for the 2018 season, the Star Tribune's Ben Goessling reported Wednesday.Jeff Anderson, the Vikings' executive communications director, told Goessling the switch from paper to electronic tickets will help the team "improve communications with fans before and during games."The Vikings also believe mobile ticketing will make it harder to produce counterfeits and provide the franchise with a better idea of who attends home games.Despite the shift away from paper copies Isaiah Oliver Jersey , fans can still sell their tickets on secondary markets if they choose to do so.A number of teams have adopted聽similar聽policies, including the Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons and, most recently, the Denver Broncos."With mobile, there are no more lost, stolen or forgotten tickets," Broncos聽senior vice president of sales and marketing聽Dennis Moore told聽the聽Denver Post's聽Nicki Jhabvala聽in February. "With mobile, you can log on to your account at any time, you can post them for sale, you can forward them and you can manage your account online.".
Even as the Philadelphia 76ers exceeded expectations this season Derwin James Jersey , those who have indeed trusted the process still could not have imagined the team’s quick ascension to the NBA’s elite.
Joel Embiid, for one, isn’t about to pump the brakes on what has been a whirlwind ride that has the 76ers heading into their Game 5 home matchup on Tuesday sporting a 3-1 lead over the visiting Miami Heat.
“A lot of people say we have a bright future,” said Embiid, whose 76ers host the Heat at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Wells Fargo Center. “But I think our time is now. We have a special team and I feel like now we have a pretty good chance to go forward.”
Speaking of the now: With their backs against the wall, the Heat are not flailing their arms wildly, looking for any target.
They are pointedly focused on the present: Game 5 and the 76ers.
“It’s not necessarily us against the world,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It’s us against the Philadelphia 76ers. We have to find a way to finish games. They’ve really nailed us in the fourth quarters of all four games, except the one we were able to pull away. We just have to do better. Through three quarters, we’ve been up. It’s going to require a full 48-minute game of our absolute best effort.”
Miami has been outscored by Philadelphia by an astounding 42 points in just the fourth quarters through four games. Even in the Heat’s 113-103 Game 2 win at Philadelphia, the 76ers still outscored Miami 28-27 in the fourth quarter.
In a roundabout way, that Game 2 loss — which snapped Philadelphia’s 17-game winning streak — actually gave 76ers coach Brett Brown some much-needed locker room material heading into the game.
“Everybody’s trying to break somebody’s spirit Sam Darnold Youth Jersey ,” Brown said Monday. “It’s always the same thing. It happens on the other side of it. And I know (Spoelstra), who is a great coach, would be in his locker room saying, ‘All we got to do is win a game and come home.’
“They’re going to live in a really isolated, sort of roomed-in world of, ‘Let’s just win a game. We won a game last time we were here, and just come home and figure it out.’ You can see it.”
Knowing his team can close out a hungry opponent on Tuesday, Brown isn’t changing his message too much.
“My intention is not to speak anything into existence,” Brown said. “It’s all about trying help the team win. Like, we want to get better. We’re gonna. We’re going to go into Tuesday night and we’re going to get better. I believe that if we think like that, act like that, coach like that Mike Gesicki Dolphins Jersey , then the habit becomes, I hope, we’re going to win.”
J.J. Redick, no stranger to heated playoff series, echoed his coach’s thoughts on Monday.
In Game 4, Redick led the 76ers with 24 points en route to a 106-102 win in a game that Philadelphia trailed by four after three quarters.
“You’re feeling each other out and then later on in the series you have to deliver a crushing blow,” Redick said. “You have to finish that. A team like Miami, their culture, their organization, their group of guys, they have fighters. They have warriors on their team. Every game in this series has been tough and there’s no indication that Game 5 will be different. It’s going to be a tough game.”
Ryan Straschnitzki felt at home as he was wheeled into a perch overlooking the ice at the Philadelphia Flyers‘ practice facility.Below him, Flyers prospects in the same age range as the 19-year-old Straschnitzki skated in drills and in a hurry to impress Mike Hughes Vikings Jersey , much like his days as a defenseman for the Humboldt Broncos before the bus crash that left him paralyzed from the chest down.
Philadelphia general manager Ron Hextall and other members of the organization came to visit. Defenseman Sam Morin heard Straschnitzki was in the building and popped by for a chat.
The hopeful Flyers paused during camp Friday and raised their sticks toward Straschnitzki for a traditional salute.
Straschnitzki was right where he wanted to be – at the rink, watching the game he loves.
”Just the smell of the ice coming in today brought back so many memories of your first time skating ,” Straschnitzki said.
Straschnitzki met the coaching staff and some top prospects during a break in his rehabilitation from the injuries suffered in April when a bus carrying the Broncos to a playoff game collided with a semi-trailer at a rural intersection, killing 16. Straschnitzki was among 13 more injured.
Straschnitzki was wheeled on a stretcher into Shriners Hospitals for Children in Philadelphia on May 31 and expected to rehab there for six to eight weeks. He has used weights almost daily to work on his arm muscles during physiotherapy sessions and has walked on a treadmill with the help of therapists. Sitting on a massage table, he’s used laser focus for the simple task of tying the laces on his sneakers.
”I’ve made quite a bit of progress,” he said. ”The rehab pushed me to my limits.”
Straschnitzki needs two hours in the morning just to complete routine tasks like a shower and getting dressed before he starts his exercises. He rehabs for about two hours, breaks for lunch, then has two more rehab sessions before he ends the day in exhaustion. With the same tireless work ethic he used to move up the hockey ranks, Straschnitzki said he was told he could return ahead of scheduled to his Airdrie, Alberta, home for the first time in almost eight months next weekend.
His family home is undergoing a $200,000 renovation to make it handicapped accessible and the Straschnitzkis will live in a hotel for the summer until construction is completed.
The Calgary Flames have talked to Straschnitzki once he’s settled about a possible job in the organization.
”Hockey is my life M.J. Stewart Buccaneers Jersey ,” he said. ”I’ve grown up talking about it, living it, playing it. I think if there’s a job opportunity down the road, I think it’s definitely option. Right now, though, I’m just focused on healing first and getting better. We’ll see what happens.”
The NHL has rallied around the survivors and families of the victims. Flyers defenseman Andrew MacDonald offered the Straschnitzkis use of his home and car when the family was in Philadelphia. Hextall, who stopped to compose himself at times, said the tragedy has brought out the best in hockey.
”Ryan’s an inspiring young man. He’s special, he really is,” said Hextall, a former star goalie for the Flyers said. ”He’s not feeling sorry for himself.”
Straschnitzki was among 10 survivors at the NHL Awards last week in Las Vegas at the invitation of the league and NHLPA. It was the first time so many Broncos had been together since the crash. They wore Humboldt jerseys and head coach Darcy Haugan, who was killed in the crash Cheap Josh Allen Jersey , was honored with the inaugural Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award.
”They’re your brothers for life now,” Straschnitzki said. ”Just being able to see them, it’s like time froze. You’re in the room again, you’re just enjoying the moment being with them. We all heal in our own ways. Just being with them at the NHL awards was amazing.”
Tom Straschnitzki said he’s tried to keep his son’s spirits high during the grueling rehabilitation process.
”When he’s down, we just try to push him back up and keep him on the straight and narrow,” he said.
Straschnitzki dreams of hitting the ice again, this time playing sledge hockey – basically hockey on sleds for players with physical disabilities.
”It’s my life, so I’d love to do it,” he said.
Straschnitzki has never wanted to distance himself from the sport he’s played since he was a boy. But finding his way back to hockey in any capacity perhaps remains a distant goal.
”I know it’s going to take time,” he said. ”I just need to be patient.”
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VANCOUVER Billy Price Bengals Jersey , British Columbia — The Vancouver Canucks missed the playoffs, but Daniel and Henrik Sedin will still draw a large crowd Tuesday night.
The 37-year-old Swedish twins will play the second-to-last game of their esteemed NHL careers as the Canucks (30-40-9) host the Vegas Golden Knights (50-22-7) at Rogers Arena.
“It’s a chance for us to thank the fans,” Daniel Sedin said during a news conference Monday after the twins announced this will be their final NHL season. “We told our teammates this morning they should be regular games. Treat us the same way.
“It should be no different this last week.”
But the otherwise meaningless game will be quite different. Tickets will be at a premium as fans come from near and far to see the future Hall of Famers in Canuck colors for one of the last times. The 18-year veterans are retiring after helping the Canucks become competitive in the early 2000s, and then come within one game of winning the 2011 Stanley Cup before rebuilding again.
“There’s been a lot of talk (about the future),” Henrik Sedin said during the noon-hour news conference. “We felt the longer the season went, it became clearer to us this was going to be our last year.”
“It’s a happy day for all of us Carlton Davis Jersey ,” Daniel Sedin added. “We’re really comfortable where we’re at.”
The Sedins were far from comfortable at the beginning of their careers, though, when they were ridiculed unfairly for not being tough enough or talented enough. They missed relatively few games while playing more than 1,000 each — and they both won NHL scoring titles — in back-to-back seasons.
Henrik Sedin took home Art Ross Trophy as the league’s top scorer in 2009-10 with 112 points and also captured the Hart Trophy as league MVP. The next season, Daniel Sedin won the Art Ross in 2010-11 with 104 points — 10 more than Henrik — earned the Ted Lindsay Award as the league MVP, based on player votes.
They also have given millions of dollars and time to many charities.
The Sedins have cited a desire to spend more time with their families Uchenna Nwosu Chargers Jersey , but plan to remain living in Vancouver.
“We’ll miss them as people and as players,” said Canucks president of hockey operations Trevor Linden, a former teammate. “(I’m) happy for them because I know this is a decision they’ve come to for the right reasons.”
On Tuesday, the Sedins will try to help the Canucks extend their current four-game win streak and pad their individual season point totals. Daniel Sedin has 21 goals and 31 assists in 78 games to date, while Henrik Sedin has three goals and 45 assists in 79 contests.
Meanwhile, Vegas will use the game as a warmup for the postseason after clinching the Pacific Division title Saturday with a win over San Jose. The Golden Knights became the first NHL expansion team to qualify for the playoffs.
“It’s a great feeling to win our division Josh Allen Youth Jersey ,” Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Obviously, no one had those expectations at the beginning of the season. We played hard and worked hard all season long, so it’s a great accomplishment.
“But we all know what the real accomplishment is going to be. It’s all about the playoffs. Now that we know they’re there, we’ve got to get ready and make sure we’re set. That’s what is important to me. A great regular season means a lot, but a great playoffs means a lot more.”
Consequently, Gallant is expected to rest some of his key players as the regular season comes to a close. Top goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury will undoubtedly get a night or two off Bradley Chubb Jersey , and David Perron, who has missed the last three games with an undisclosed injury, Reilly Smith and Luca Sbisa, a former Canuck, are among others likely to be in the press box sometime during the final three games.
But Gallant does not want his team to let up as it attempts to secure home-ice advantage through as many rounds as possible.
“It’s all about points,” he told the Review-Journal. “You never know what the scenario is going to be down the road so let’s win as many games as we can.”
Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Dante Fowler has been sentenced to a year of probation and 75 hours of community service for a parking lot attack on a man.News outlets report Fowler was sentenced Thursday after pleading no contest to misdemeanor charges of battery Vontaze Burfict Youth Jersey , criminal mischief and petty theft. He could still be disciplined by the NFL.
St. Petersburg police say Fowler was arrested last July after confronting a man who made a comment about his driving in a parking lot. Authorities say Fowler exchanged words with the man before hitting him. Police say the man’s glasses were knocked off and Fowler stepped on them before taking a grocery bag from the man and tossing it in a lake.
Fowler played for the University of Florida and was the Jaguars’ first-round draft pick in 2015.
.”He got the puck on the blue line and I was going toward him P.J. Hall Youth Jersey , and he just put it between my legs and went in and scored,” Olofsson when the two were reunited at the Buffalo Sabres‘ prospect development camp.
”I thought it was a fluke at first,” he said. ”But when he did it again and again, it’s not just a fluke.”
What Olofsson first witnessed was put on display during the four-day camp and in front of crowds of 2,000 fans, who turned out daily to catch their first glimpse of the No. 1 player selected in the NHL draft June 22.
Dahlin performed as advertised with his effortless skating ability, and head-up, stick-handling style that made it seem as if the 18-year-old had the puck on a string.
Seemingly trapped behind the net during a 3-on-3 scrimmage Saturday, Dahlin shifted right and then moved left to get around one defender, before making a nifty deke to avoid another. There was the goal he scored Wednesday Cheap Sam Darnold Jersey , when Dahlin drove into the slot, leaned to his right before snapping a shot inside the left post.
The play capturing everyone’s attention was a clean, open-ice check the lean, 6-foot-2, 185-pound Dahlin delivered in bowling over forward Matej Pekar on Friday.
”Oh, yeah, it just happens sometimes,” Dahlin said with a shrug.
Not lost on numerous observers, was how the hit might have been payback, coming a day after Pekar caught Dahlin with a high stick.
”I think it probably validates what we know how competitive a kid he is. He certainly doesn’t have a short-term memory Vontaze Burfict Bengals Jersey ,” assistant general manager Steve Greeley said. ”But that’s one of the attributes we loved about him.”
Pekar never saw Dahlin coming.
”I’ve never seen him hit somebody like that,” Pekar said. ”I thought it was somebody else. But I was surprised, yeah.”
An hour later, the two laughed about what happened over lunch.
Coach Phil Housley was cautious in saying he didn’t want to place too much emphasis on one play or player during a development camp.
And yet, the Hall of Fame defenseman noted the promise Dahlin brings to a franchise that has finished last in three of the past five years and is in the midst of a team-worst seven-year playoff drought.
”To get the player we got, it’s really important for our city and western New York. It gives a little hope that we get a first overall pick,” Housley said. ”It was a big moment for our franchise.”
Dahlin was wowed by the fan turnout, saying he never had anyone cheer when he previously scored during practice. He also noted how many fans were already wearing his No. 26 Sabres jersey, which was priced at more than $200 since going on sale Monday.
”I’m super impressed that they even know who I am,” Dahlin said. ”I know they love hockey. And I will try to win hockey games so we can give back to them.”
Sabres co-owner Kim Pegula was struck by the poise Dahlin shows for his age.
She recalled a conversation she had with her husband Cheap Mike McGlinchey Jersey , Terry Pegula, before the Sabres first met with Dahlin at the NHL combine in Buffalo in late May.
”I said to Terry, no one says anything bad about him. And I’m like, `There’s got to be something. He’s got to have a weakness,”’ Pegula told The Associated Press.
”But everyone from his coaches to players who have played with him, all of them rave about him,” she added.
”You can definitely see as a young man playing in the Swedish men’s league how that experience has really matured him,” Pegula said. ”You can see the benefits of that as he’s handled the press, as he’s handled the combine, the world juniors and the draft. So he’s been exceptional in all those areas.”
Dahlin has spent the past two years playing in Sweden’s Elite League Joe Mixon Jersey , where he had eight goals and 15 assists in 67 games. In February, he represented Sweden at the South Korean Winter Games, where he had an assist in two games.
Next step is the NHL, where he is all but assured of a spot on Buffalo’s roster in October. Dahlin is taking nothing for granted by shrugging off the accolades directed his way.
”Of course it’s fun to hear,” Dahlin said. ”But you have to put in the work, too.”
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More NHL hockey: The Pittsburgh Steelers and safety Terrell Edmunds agreed to a four-year rookie-scale contract Tuesday that will pay him $10.8 million guaranteed with a $6 million signing bonus, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.Edmunds was the Steelers' first-round pick out of Virginia Tech. His contract, as is standard, calls for a team option for a fifth season. The option is guaranteed for injury only and will have to be picked up before Edmunds' fourth season.After playing linebacker and moving around the field during his first two seasons, Edmunds settled in at safety in 2017. He recorded 61 tackles and two interceptions while emerging as one of the more well-rounded safeties in college football.Terrell and his brother聽Tremaine became the first brothers drafted in the first round of the same NFL draft."It's a blessing for my family. It's a blessing for my city. It's a blessing for my school Baker Mayfield Jersey ," Terrell told ESPN聽(h/t聽The Roanoke Times) on draft day. "I'm thankful to everyone who's supported us along the way."The Steelers had injured linebacker Ryan Shazier on hand to present Edmunds with his jersey on draft day."You saw Ryan Shazier take some very inspirational steps," Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said. "That's a huge lift, for not only him, but for us. To see where he's come from to where he is and knowing where he might be able to go, it's beyond inspirational. It's just exciting. It's really exciting for him."Edmunds could get a chance to start in 2018, though the Steelers have a habit of bringing younger defensive players along more slowly..
That’s how the Tampa Bay Lightning view a 2-0 series lead over the New Jersey Devils.
”As a coach, you care about everything. You’d like to say you played the perfect game, but somebody else has a vote out there,” coach Jon Cooper said Saturday after a 5-3 victory in Game 2 of the first-round matchup.
”When we wake up tomorrow, you look back and say: `OK, which parts of the game did we do well.’ And we’ll be able to look at a lot of that tape and say we did really well. And we’ll look at some and say that wasn’t so good,” Cooper added. ”I’m pretty sure New Jersey is going to do the exact same thing. It’s the playoffs. There’s going to be battles, there’s going to be swings of momentum, but the big thing for me is who won the game.”
Alex Killorn scored twice during a four-goal second period, and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 18 shots in the final period to hold off the pesky Devils.
”We did bend a little bit in the third but didn’t break, so it’s a good feeling to be up 2-0,” Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman said. ”You’ve got to win the game. That’s the bottom line.”
The Atlantic Division champions scored three times in a 2:47 span in the second period, and the reeling Devils pulled goalie Keith Kinkaid after Killorn’s third goal in two games made it 5-1 with 6:48 remaining in the period.
Kinkaid, whose stellar play since January helped New Jersey finish strong and claim its first playoff berth since 2012, yielded five goals on 15 shots.
Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Tyler Johnson also scored for Tampa Bay Cheap Brian O'Neill Jersey , which is up 2-0 in the series after going 0-2-1 against the Devils during the regular season.
Game 3 is Monday night in Newark, New Jersey.
The Devils have played well in spurts, overcoming slow starts to keep both games interesting.
”There’s a lot of good things in our game to like,” Devils leading scorer Taylor Hall said. ”It’s a long series. They still have to win two more to put us out, and we’re going to battle on home ice to get that back.”
Devils coach John Hynes echoed that sentiment.
”We have to embrace the fact that we’re down 2-0,” Hynes said. ”What I mean by that is we can say we had strong pushes in certain things, but I think we did take a step tonight. We have to win one game. We’ve got to play good once, and we’ve got to have that on Monday.”
Vasilevskiy stopped 41 shots, while limiting the Devils to rookie Nico Hischier’s unassisted goal in the opening period and Sami Vatanen’s sixth career playoff goal late in the second before Blake Coleman’s third-period tally trimmed Tampa Bay’s lead to 5-3 with eight minutes left.
Goalie Cory Schneider came off the bench to help the Devils stay in the game with 10 saves, nine in the final period.
Hynes wasn’t ready to discuss whether he’ll change starting goaltenders for the next game. Kinkaid was a big part of New Jersey’s success after Schneider went down with groin and hip injuries in January, earning the right to start his first playoff series.
”I thought Cory came in and played really well,” Hynes said. ”I’m not going to speculate on whether we’re going to use him or not use him.”
Five players scored in the Lightning’s 5-2 victory in Game 1, with just one of the goals coming from the team’s top line of Kucherov, Steven Stamkos and J.T. Miller – Kucherov’s empty-netter with a little over a minute remaining.
Tampa Bay’s second and third lines once again did most of the damage, with Point scoring at 12:15 of the first period and Killorn, Johnson and Kucherov adding goals during a three-minute stretch of the second to build a 4-1 lead.
Both of Killorn’s goals came on power plays. Kucherov’s second of the series deflected off Vatanen’s stick into New Jersey’s net.
Vasilevskiy stopped 29 of 31 shots in the opener and was outstanding again Saturday. New Jersey outshot the Lightning 44-25 Cheap Uchenna Nwosu Jersey , including 19-9 over the final 20 minutes.
”We did a great job in the third period. Too little, too late, but I think we showed fight,” Schneider said. ”It is what it is. They’re a good team at home. They protected home ice and now we have to try to go back and do the same in our building.”
Notes: Hirschier was New Jersey’s second-leading scorer during the regular season with 52 points, 41 fewer than Hall. At 19 years, 100 days, he became the youngest player in franchise history to score a playoff goal. … Lightning RW Ryan Callahan left the game late in the second period with an upper body injury and did not return. … Kucherov, Tampa Bay’s leading scorer this season, has 46 points (24 goals, 22 assists) in 47 career playoff games.
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Jimmy Patterson was a fresh-faced 22-year-old in the stands at the old Capital Centre in October 1974 when the expansion Washington Capitals won for the first time.
As he was leaving, an elderly man from Brooklyn told Patterson he’d always get to say he saw the Capitals’ first win. The man smiled and added, ”You can’t lose ’em all.”
Forty-plus years, more than 3,000 games and 27 unsuccessful playoff runs later, Patterson and legions of longtime Capitals fans finally have a reason to believe that. Many who watched Wednesday night at an arena watch party far from Game 7 in Tampa Bay took to the steps of the National Portrait Gallery to celebrate the Capitals’ first trip to the Stanley Cup Final since 1998. Game 1 in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights is Monday night.
”It’s been really gratifying,” said Patterson Josh Rosen Jersey , now 65. ”It feels a lot different, and it’s a weird feeling.”
Filling the area, fans chanted, ”We want the Cup,” ”We want Vegas” and ”DC! DC!” in an outpouring of joy decades and crushing losses in the making. Alex Ovechkin’s Capitals are the first Washington team in the major four professional sports leagues to reach the final in a generation. To get this far, they had to not only outlast the Lightning but survive longtime playoff nemesis Pittsburgh, which has won the last two championships.
”It’s been 20 long, dry years and we are back,” Capitals public address announcer Wes Johnson said. ”This is catharsis. Once we beat the Penguins, then you could see that the fan base was like, `Let’s just play hockey.’ As John Walton said, it’s OK to believe. It’s not just OK to believe. Just believe.”
Among markets with teams in the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball, only the Twin Cities in Minnesota has a longer championship drought going than Washington. The Redskins won their third Super Bowl title in January 1992 and it’s been mostly grim since then. None of the Redskins, Wizards Taven Bryan Youth Jersey , Nationals and Capitals even reached a league semifinal from 1998 until this spring.
In that same time, Boston’s teams have made 25 league semifinal appearances and won 10 titles. Maybe success is contagious.
”Last year all of those (other Washington) teams made the playoffs and then it was like, hey we got to do the same too, and we dropped the ball,” Redskins running back Chris Thompson said. ”If you see your D.C. teams succeeding and the Capitals now (in) the finals and stuff like that, it’s a little bit of motivation.”
The Capitals got over the hump in their 10th playoff appearance after early exits marred by sudden-death overtime winners, a hot goaltender named Jaroslav Halak, the New York Rangers and – of course – the Penguins.
”It’s just been one nightmare after another,” said Anthony Beverina, who has had season tickets in section 417 since 1997-98. ”And it makes you wonder if there’s some inherit either cosmic conspiracy or a core character issue in the core guys.”
The nightmare has slowly felt like a dream on this playoff run, which was unexpected following an offseason of salary-cap casualties in the wake of another crushing second-round loss to Pittsburgh. Players rallied around lower preseason expectations, and even going into the playoffs Washington wasn’t supposed to do this.
”This team is so fun,” said George Christo, a Boston transplant who has had season tickets since 1995-96. ”This team is the most fun since that ’98 team primarily because, both of those teams, who on earth expected either of these teams to be able to get this deep and to be that tough?”
After so many early playoff exits Courtland Sutton Broncos Jersey , Capitals fans are reluctant to feel too good about things. Christo said even his children have almost gotten sick of going to games -until this year, which has challenged a lot of the old conventions about doomsday D.C. sports.
”There are people sitting in season-ticket-holder seats because they’re home mashing teeth and biting their fingernails,” Patterson said. ”A lot of fans around the country when their team is in the playoffs, they like to have get-togethers and parties, viewing parties for the away games and stuff like that. But if you’ve been through some of this stuff, after the second game of a playoff series, there won’t be any of that because you can’t have your friends over and watch a game and then have everybody in that awful mood when it’s over and they’re shaking hands and you’re on the losing side.”
It was the opposite Wednesday night when almost 10,000 people wearing red watched on video screens above a basketball court as Capitals players and coaches were on the winning side of their handshake line with the Lightning. Cheers greeted Ovechkin touching the Prince of Wales Trophy and then the flash of the Stanley Cup Final schedule before the series against former general manager George McPhee’s Vegas Golden Knights begins.
”We’re going to the Stanley Cup Final,” Ovechkin said. ”I think everybody is happy, but we still have unfinished, you know what I mean. I don’t know, I’m emotional right now. I think we’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time.”
Game 3 on June 2 will be the first Cup Final game in the district since 1998, when the Capitals were swept by the Detroit Red Wings. One more win will make this the most successful season in franchise history, and though superstition and history keeps fans from thinking about the ”what if” of four more, they’re no l.
Racing from a lowered start due to fog in the upper part of the hill Billy Price Bengals Jersey , Goggia sped down the bumpy Karnten-Franz Klammer course in gutsy style, beating the field by more than a second.
”I have never skied so strong and consistent in my whole life in a downhill,” said the Italian after landing her third career victory. Last year, Goggia won both test events on the hill for the Pyeongchang Olympics.
”The snow I found here was exactly the same as in South Korea,” said Goggia, who timed 1 minute, 4.00 seconds to beat Federica Brignone by 1.10 and Nadia Fanchini by 1.35.
”I am super happy for the podium because it’s kind of an Italian party Mike Hughes Jersey ,” she said, adding that her thoughts were with teammate Elena Fanchini. Nadia’s older sister had to end her season to get treatment for a tumor.
”The victory is for me, for Elena, for Italy. We always have Elena in our thoughts,” Goggia said.
Tiffany Gauthier of France missed the podium by 0.14 to finish fourth for a second straight day, matching her career best result.
Avoiding the risk of getting injured a month before the Olympics, American standout Lindsey Vonn held back throughout in a cautious run and was more than three seconds off the lead in 27th.
Due to poor snow conditions Tremaine Edmunds Jersey , the mandatory training run before a downhill was canceled in the last few days and was held on Sunday morning, two hours before the race.
It was the first time in the 51-year-history of the World Cup that the Italian team took the top three spots in a women’s downhill.
The result came one day after Brignone won a super-G on the same hill. She also won a giant slalom in Lienz two weeks ago.
”I love Austrian slopes. Most of the time there are difficult conditions. I like it when it’s icy and bumpy,” said Brignone, who briefly considered skipping the season because of a persistent groin problem.
”We didn’t understand what it was,” she said. ”We tried different things. It’s not healed but for now it’s under control.”
Recovered from breaking an arm and hurting her spine in a crash a year ago, Fanchini got her first podium since winning in La Thuile, Italy Hayden Hurst Jersey , in 2016, which was her second win in an injury-marred career. She also placed fifth in the super-G.
Goggia praised Fanchini because ”she has suffered so much during her career with all the injuries but she never gave up. Sometimes a fifth or third place means more than a victory.”
Through Brignone as translator, Fanchini said she never thought she would ”come back so strong” from the injury.
”Emotionally it was a tough moment for my family,” she said, referring to Elena’s illness. ”Finishing third and fifth here, that is a dream.”
In sharp contrast to the aggressive runs by the Italians, Vonn had a disappointing showing.
”I really had no grip on the ice Jason Witten Jersey , felt like I was skiing on marbles,” said the American, who placed ninth in Saturday’s super-G. ”This course takes a lot of aggression and like really willing to risk everything. And I am just not willing to risk everything right now. I have been waiting eight years for the Olympics.”
Vonn added she was ”not necessarily disappointed in my result as it doesn’t matter right now. What matters is that I am healthy and that I didn’t end my season this weekend. Otherwise, you know, let’s just forget about the whole weekend.”
The women’s World Cup continues with more speed races in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, next weekend.
This year鈥檚 Chicago Bears first pick remains as one of the two rookies who has not signed a contract Taven Bryan Jaguars Jersey , thus has not shown up to the training camps and all due to the new NFL helmet rule.The No.8 overall pick of this year鈥檚 draft, Roquan Smith, refuses to come to a contract agreement until the Bears include language in his contract saying they will not take any of the linebacker鈥檚 guaranteed money if he were suspended under the new NFL use-of-helmet rule, as first reported by The Tribune.The former Georgia player鈥檚 representatives have requested to put this claim explicitly in his contract. However, the team has refused Smith鈥檚 request. Although they have assured him that they would be reasonable in assessing any leagues action against the 21-year-old player under the new controversial rule, in case he gets punished..”Your first focus has to be the guest,” John says. ”But we all get caught in the moment from time to time.”
Big sporting events are often a workplace distraction. But many small business owners and managers are cutting staffers a little slack as football fans find it hard to resist chatting about Sunday’s game. The Winter Olympics, the NCAA basketball tournament and other big events are coming up, and staffers may want to tune in.
Some owners realize that trying to eliminate sports talk or forbidding staffers to watch games is demoralizing and also difficult to achieve. So as long as there isn’t too much Monday morning quarterbacking or time spent in front of the office TV, bosses will go easy on fans. Some companies are even more understanding; it’s OK there for staffers to watch games in break rooms, and some owners even run office pools without cash prizes.
John has noticed that when the games are most exciting, customers want to watch, not order. So if waiters want to pause and see the play, he doesn’t stop them. Besides, when a waiter high-fives a customer after great play Jimmy Garoppolo Youth Jersey , it increases the bond between Common Ground and its diners.
A flexible attitude is a good management practice for company owners, says Phillippe Weiss, an attorney with expertise in employment law at the firm Seyfarth Shaw in Chicago.
”They’re not going to be able to stop people’s excitement,” Weiss says. ”Trying to do so in an unyielding or draconian way is going to backfire.”
If the boss sees productivity slowing, or employees not tending to work that needs to be done, Weiss suggests a firm but friendly approach. For example, if there’s too much watching of NCAA games, tell staffers, ”It’s time to do a fast break back to work.”
David Niu doesn’t worry about productivity at TINYpulse, his company that makes software to measure worker satisfaction and morale at other businesses. There’s a TV that will show NCAA games in March and employees will be able to watch. But they’ll also be held accountable for getting their work done.
”Instead of fighting it Kerryon Johnson Lions Jersey , I’m going to treat you as an adult,” says Niu, whose Seattle-based company has 100 employees. He expects staffers to cluster in front of the TV during the last few minutes of some of the games – and he’ll be there with them.
Watching TV during at work was once verboten. But many employers have come to realize a more employee-friendly work atmosphere benefits everyone; when staffers feel relaxed and are allowed to share a little fun, they’re more productive and do better work.
Actualize Consulting used to have a policy about watching and discussing games that managing director Kerry Wekelo now calls rigid. The bosses would end conversations, and ”that would burst people’s bubbles when they were excited,” Wekelo says.
The financial consulting firm with offices in New York and Reston, Virginia, has since changed its policy. If employees want to take a couple of hours to watch a game, they can, as long as they make up the time. The bosses also run an NCAA pool in which the winnings can be used for wellness purchases like gym memberships or treadmills.
Owners shouldn’t run pools with pure cash prizes Donte Jackson Jersey , which are illegal even though employees at many workplaces have them, Weiss says. If a boss runs a pool and staffers feel pressure to take part, it could be raised in a potential lawsuit against the company. Or workers who don’t want to take part may resent the boss.
It’s not so easy for people who work in a factory to watch games or spend time away from their work to chat. At Ratchet Straps USA, which makes straps to tie down items like tents or farm equipment, the headsets staffers use to communicate with one another in the warehouse have private channels, and owner Michael Russell is fine with them talking about the game or anything else while they work. He understands sports are important for many at his Belleville, Ohio, company, and they’ll want to gather around the TV in the last 10 minutes of NCAA games.
”Watching the last couple of minutes is something that we definitely even encourage,” Russell says.
Richard Lee is really the only big fan at his Los Angeles law firm Rashaad Penny Seahawks Jersey , and is likely to be alone watching NCAA games on the conference room TV. He still runs a cashless pool for staffers. After the tournament, there’s an awards luncheon and even non-participants are eligible for a last-place medal.
”This is a fun morale booster and break from what is often the dead-serious practice of law,” Lee says.
Since it’s pointless to try to ban sports fans from watching or talking, Ross Sapir, owner of Roadway Moving based in the New York City borough of the Bronx, doesn’t even try.
”They don’t have to do it on the sly, on their cellphones or watching it in the background of their computers,” says Sapir, whose moving business has 40 staffers in its office, including many who want to watch the games on company TVs.
The big sporting event at his company is the World Cup soccer tournament John Ross Bengals Jersey , which runs from mid-June to mid-July. The games will be in Russia and many will be broadcast during working hours.
”I actually almost give them complete freedom to watch,” Sapir says. ”It’s such a festive environmen Andre Iguodala’s bruised left knee improved Wednesday, but he was still listed as questionable for the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals against the Houston Rockets on Thursday night.
Iguodala missed Tuesday night’s game after banging his left knee in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game. Kerr says: ”He’s feeling a little better today. He’s out on the floor, not doing a whole lot but making progress.”
Houston got a 95-92 win in Game 4 on Tuesday to even the series at 2-2 heading in Thursday’s game.
Klay Thompson is also listed as questionable after straining his left knee Tuesday night. But Kerr said that Thompson was ”moving around really well” on Wednesday and that he thought he’d be fine.
.LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda will take the mound Saturday against a Colorado Rockies team that he has had success against over the past three years.
Colorado Rockies starter German Marquez will take the mound Saturday on the road Jason Witten Jersey , where he has been excellent outside of the shadow of the Rocky Mountains.
Something has to give at Dodger Stadium in a nationally televised game, when Dodgers right-hander Maeda (5-4, 3.44 ERA) faces off against Rockies right-hander Marquez (5-8, 5.53).
The Rockies won the first game of the series 3-1 on Friday, and Maeda will try halt the Dodgers’ two-game losing streak.
Since returning from the disabled list after being sidelined by a hip strain, Maeda has posted a 2.87 ERA over three starts, including a scoreless seven-inning outing Monday against the Chicago Cubs when he struck out nine and picked up the win.
The nine strikeouts were reminiscent of his best stretch of the season before his injury, when he struck out 32 batters over 24 1/3 innings, including a season-best 12 strikeouts in 6 2/3 shutout innings against the Rockies on May 23.
“Ever since coming off the DL Quenton Nelson Youth Jersey , feeling-wise, this is the best I have felt,” Maeda said through an interpreter, after holding the Cubs in check during a 2-1 Dodgers victory Monday. “Overall it was a much better feeling coming into this game than the other ones.”
Especially troublesome for the Rockies is that Maeda figures to be fresh for Saturday’s outing, having thrown just 84 pitches in his latest start. Then there is this: Maeda is 5-2 in eight career appearances (six starts) with a 2.11 ERA against the Rockies with 48 strikeouts.
Marquez has struggled lately, having gone 1-4 in June with an 8.53 ERA, but there is no doubting his road success this year. He has a 7.93 ERA at home, but that mark falls off dramatically to 3.07 in 41 innings on the road. In fact, the Rockies have won four of Marquez’s seven road starts this season.
Marquez is 1-0 with a 3.91 ERA in four career starts against the Dodgers.
His two outings against them this season have been a mixed bag. On May 21 in Los Angeles Cheap Breeland Speaks Jersey , Marquez gave up one run over seven innings in a 2-1 Rockies victory. On June 2 at Colorado, he gave up four runs over six innings, although he didn’t factor into the decision as the Dodgers rolled to a 12-4 victory.
In his four starts since then, Marquez has given up at least five runs in each time. He gave up a combined 10 runs (nine earned) in his last two starts, both of which came at home.
“I know I have been in the league two years and if I execute my pitches, it doesn’t matter how long they have known me,” Marquez told reporters, through an interpreter, after he gave up six runs (five earned) on nine hits in 3 1/3 innings in an eventual 8-5 loss to the Miami Marlins on Sunday. “It’s about me executing my pitches.
Marquez will face a Dodgers team that has 54 home runs in June John Ross Youth Jersey , the most in franchise history for a single month.
Nick Foles has a calling far greater than throwing touchdown passes.If Foles leads the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots, he’ll become a folk hero in a city that has desperately waited for a championship since 1960.
But that won’t define Foles in the big picture. He has more important plans for his future.
”I want to be a pastor in a high school,” Foles said Thursday. ”It’s on my heart. I took a leap of faith last year and signed up to take classes at seminary. I wanted to continue to learn and challenge my faith. It’s a challenge because you are writing papers that are biblically correct. You want to impact people’s hearts.”
Foles is part of a team that has a strong Christian brotherhood. MVP contender Carson Wentz has been outspoken about his faith and many players spend a lot of time together in prayer, studying the Bible and sharing devotionals.
Foles was one of the study leaders during his first stint in Philadelphia and has become a go-to source for younger guys. Left guard Stefen Wisniewksi also plans to become a pastor after his career ends.
”Guys like Nick and Wis can spit out scripture all day and it’s awesome to take in that knowledge,” said special teams ace Kamu Grugier-Hill.
Foles is passionate about helping students find their way and plans to use his experiences to inspire and encourage them.
”When I speak to (students), that’s such a time of young men and young women’s lives that there’s a lot of things that are thrown at them. So much temptation in this world, so much going on with social media and the internet that you want to talk to them and address it and share all the weaknesses I have because I’ve fallen many times,” Foles said. ”It’s something I want to do. I can’t play football forever. I’ve been blessed with an amazing platform and it’s just a door God has opened, but I still have a lot of school left and a long journey.”
Foles Isaiah Oliver Falcons Jersey , who was offensive MVP of the Pro Bowl following the 2013 season, contemplated retirement after he asked the Rams to release him last year. He ended up going to Kansas City and reuniting with Andy Reid, who drafted him in the third round in Philadelphia in 2012.
He says prayer helped him decide to stay in the NFL, and he returned to the Eagles to be Wentz’s backup. When Wentz tore his left ACL in Week 14, Foles stepped in and led Philadelphia. He was spectacular against Minnesota in the NFC championship, tossing four touchdown passes in a 38-7 win.
Foles – not Tom Brady – has the highest passer rating in postseason history for quarterbacks who’ve thrown at least 75 passes. Foles has completed 72 of 96 passes for 793 yards, with five touchdowns and no interceptions in three games for a 116.4 passer rating.
”It took a lot more faith to come back and play than it would’ve to go in the other direction,” Foles said. ”Either way would’ve been fine. Either way, I would’ve trusted in God. I would’ve done something else and glorified God in that instance.
”The reason I decided to come back is I’ve loved the game of football since I was a kid Andy Dalton Jersey , I loved playing sports, I loved being part of a team, and I knew as a person that the more growth I’ve had and the more opportunity I would have to glorify God and trust in him would be to go back and play football.”
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Being the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft apparently hasn't sat well with Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.Appearing on Thursday's聽Around The NFL Podcast聽(via NFL.com's Chris Wesseling) Barkevious Mingo Color Rush Jersey , Suh makes a point of knowing when his team goes against Sam Bradford:"I always聽mark the calendar聽when I have聽Sam Bradford聽on there, no matter what. Whether it was when we were rookies, when he was in St. Louis or when he was any other place. I've always looked forward to going against him. ...聽He's a quarterback, at the end of the day.聽So I want to get after a quarterback no matter what. ... I'm not much of a talker, but I'll definitely try to hit him as hard as I can."Bradford was selected first overall in 2010. His career started with tremendous promise after being named Offensive Rookie of the Year, but injuries limited him to just 33 games over the next four seasons.聽Suh Authentic Nathan Shepherd Jersey , on the other hand, turned into one of the most impactful defensive players of this generation. The five-time Pro Bowler聽ranks聽second among all defensive tackles with 51.5 sacks from 2010-17.聽By virtue of Bradford signing with the Arizona Cardinals in the offseason, Suh will have two chances during the regular season to hit the quarterback as hard as he can. San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster has been suspended for two games following a drug and weapons offense, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.49ers鈥?LB Reuben Foster fined and suspended without pay for the first two games of the 2018 regular season for violating the NFL鈥檚 Conduct and Substances of Abuse policies.— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 3, 2018After serving a two-game suspension, 49ers鈥?LB Reuben Foster will be eligible to return to active roster on Monday Manny Ramirez Jersey , September 17, following the team鈥檚 September 16 game against the Detroit Lions.— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 3, 2018Foster was arrested by police in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama in January for possessing marijuana. He was arrested in February for weapon possession and allegedly assaulting his girlfriend. However, she later said that Foster never hit or threatened her, and later called the story a "money scheme."Foster avoided potential suspension by the NFL following his girlfriend's statement Youth Albert Wilson Jersey , but the weapons and marijuana charge will keep him out for the first two games of 2018, though he has the choice to appeal the suspension.Per the 49ers' official website, Foster is still allowed to compete in practices and preseason games. Barring an overturned suspension, Foster will miss the team's Week 1 and 2 games against the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions, respectively.Drafted with the 31st pick by the 49ers in 2017, Foster was one of the NFL's top rookies Justin Turner Jersey , earning an impressive 90.7 grade from Pro Football Focus. The 49ers won their last five games in 2017, thanks to the emergence of quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo. With the signings of Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman and standout running back Jerick McKinnon, the 49ers are expected to be a playoff contender in 2018. Foster's absence for the first two games will hurt, so the defense must step up until he returns.With Garoppolo winning his first seven NFL starts (he won the first two with the New England Patriots), expectations are higher for the 49ers Kosuke Fukudome Jersey , who have registered three consecutive losing seasons.Other notable NFL players who've been suspended in the 2018 offseason include Julian Edelman (four games, he appealed it last week), Jameis Winston (three games), Mark Ingram (four games), and Vontaze Burfict (four games)..
However Vinny Curry Jersey Elite , the Houston right-hander was quick to point out that he wouldn’t have such success without help from his teammates, a fact that was on display on Tuesday.
Morton (10-1) struck out 13 in seven innings, Jake Marisnick hit a three-run homer in the eighth after preserving the shutout with a big defensive play in the sixth as the Astros got a 7-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
He scattered four hits and walked two for his third straight win to become Houston’s first 10-game winner.
”I didn’t even think about that,” he said of reaching 10 wins for the second straight year. ”Yeah, that’s a lot. That’s good. Honestly the wins Broncos Elite Jerseys , that’s a team thing. I give most of the credit to the guys in there.”
Toronto manager John Gibbons raved about Morton.
”Morton is in a class of his own,” he said. ”He’s in an elite group now. He wasn’t giving us much.”
Evan Gattis put Houston up with a two-run single in the fifth. Marisnick padded the lead with his shot to left field with one out in the eighth and Alex Bregman, who tied a career-high with four hits, added a two-run homer with two outs in the inning for his second straight game with a home run.
Marisnick’s homer came after he dazzled on defense two innings earlier. Teoscar Hernandez singled with two outs in the sixth before Yangervis Solarte drew a walk. Marisnick then robbed Justin Smoak of extra bases when he leaped and bounced off the wall in left-center to grab his fly ball.
”It’s a close game and everything that was on the line with that play … the game is completely different if he doesn’t make that catch,” manager A.J. Hinch said.
Marisnick Jordan Whitehead Color Rush Jersey , who routinely makes tough catches, said that it was definitely in the top-5 in his career and joked about jumping significantly higher than left fielder Josh Reddick on the play.
”I’m going to get a poster made of that with Reddick a little bit lower than me,” he said.
Toronto’s Ryan Borucki (0-1) had a solid start in his major league debut, allowing six hits and two runs while walking four with three strikeouts in six innings.
”I thought he was fantastic against a great hitting ballclub,” Gibbons said. ”They put the pressure on him Cheap Kendall Wright Jersey , and he didn’t cave.”
Chris Devenski struck out one in the eighth and Hector Rondon allowed one hit in the ninth to give Houston its seventh shutout this season.
The Blue Jays couldn’t do anything against Morton early as he struck out the side in the first before walking Smoak to start the second. But Smoak was caught stealing and Morton struck out the next two batters to allow him to face the minimum through two.
The last two batters in the second inning were the first of 10 straight retired by Morton, capped by five strikeouts in a row. Russell Martin gave Toronto its first hit on a single with two outs in the fifth and Randal Grichuk followed with a broken-bat single, but Aledmys Diaz grounded out to end the inning.
Bregman, who hit three doubles, doubled with one out in the fifth before Jose Altuve drew a walk. Both players advanced on a wild pitch with two outs before the Astros made it 2-0 on the double to left-center by Gattis.
Houston catcher Brian McCann was shaken up when Solarte hit him on the helmet on his backswing in the sixth inning. McCann was checked out by the team trainer before staying in the game.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Blue Jays: INF Josh Donaldson Cheap Logan Woodside Jersey , who has been on the disabled list since June 1 because of calf tightness, strained his left calf while preparing to play in a rehabilitation game for Class A Dunedin on Tuesday. An MRI revealed the acute strain and the team said he’ll be re-evaluated in three weeks. … LHP Jaime Garcia (sore left shoulder) will see a specialist on Thursday before returning to Florida to continue his rehabilitation.
Astros: SS Carlos Correa got a game off on Tuesday as he deals with what Hinch said is ”a little bit of back stiffness.” Hinch said Correa was OK and the day off was more for rest than anything else. … RHP Joe Smith (right elbow inflammation) will throw one more bullpen before beginning a rehabilitation assignment this weekend.
ONE CITY, TWO MVPs
Altuve took a minute on Tuesday to congratulate Houston Rockets’ star James Harden for winning his first MVP trophy a night before. Altuve, who was named MVP for the first time last season, thinks it’s cool that Houston now has two MVPs.
”It was well-deserved … I would have been mad if he didn’t win it Youth Tre'Quan Smith Jersey ,” Altuve said.
UP NEXT
Houston left-hander Dallas Keuchel (4-8, 3.90 ERA) opposes Marco Estrada (4-7, 4.48) when these teams wrap up the series on Wednesday. Keuchel hasn’t allowed an earned run in his last two starts and Estrada allowed just three hits and two runs in seven innings in his last start but took the loss in a 2-1 defeat by the Angels.
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