huangjian123's blog

The Golden Knights Donte Jackson Color Rush Jersey , who lead the Pacific Division, became the first team to reach the playoffs in its inaugural season since the league expanded for the 1967-68 season.

It was also the 200th career victory for coach Gerard Gallant.

Alex Tuch and Shea Theodore also scored for Vegas, and Marc-Andre Fleury improved to 28-11-4 after stopping 28 shots.

Erik Johnson scored for the Avalanche and Semyon Varlamov made 26 saves.

The Avalanche hold a wild card in the Western Conference, just in front of St. Louis.

CAPITALS 4, RANGERS 2

NEW YORK (AP) – Alex Ovechkin scored his NHL-leading 45th goal and Washington extended its winning streak to four games with a victory over New York.

T.J. Oshie, Matt Niskanen and Evgeny Kuznetsov also scored for Washington. Nicklas Backstrom, who had four assists in a win over Montreal on Saturday, added two more to give him 44 this season. Philipp Grubauer made 28 saves.

Washington increased its lead to five points over two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh for first place in the Metropolitan Division.

Lias Andersson scored in his NHL debut and Mats Zuccarello added a goal for the Rangers.

The Capitals scored four goals in the first period and cruised from there.

KINGS 3, FLAMES 0

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Anze Kopitar tied a career high with his 34th goal, Jonathan Quick made 23 saves and Los Angeles moved back into playoff position by shutting out Calgary.

Dion Phaneuf had a goal and an assist for the Kings, who tied Anaheim for third place in the Pacific Division at 91 points. They also passed Colorado (90 points) and St. Louis (89) in the Western Conference wild-card race.

Jeff Carter also had a power-play goal.

Mike Smith stopped 26 shots for the Flames Baker Mayfield Jersey Browns , who were eliminated from playoff contention. Calgary has been outscored 28-7 during a six-game losing streak.

SHARKS 4, BLACKHAWKS 3, SO

CHICAGO (AP) – Kevin Labanc scored the deciding goal in the fourth round of a shootout and San Jose beat Chicago for its eighth straight victory.

Labanc almost pulled to a stop in front of Blackhawks goalie Anton Forsberg, faked and then lifted in a nifty backhand. Logan Couture also connected in the tiebreaker for the surging Sharks, whose winning streak is their longest in seven years.

Chicago’s Patrick Sharp tied it at 3 with 2:22 left in the third period. Tomas Hertl had put the Sharks ahead 3-2 just 1:57 earlier.

San Jose’s Evander Kane scored his 28th goal – his eighth in 13 games since being acquired from Buffalo at the trade deadline. Marcus Sorensen also had a goal for the Sharks.

Rookie forward Alex DeBrincat scored his 26th goal and had an assist, and Connor Murphy scored his second for the last-place Blackhawks, who have lost six of seven.

Martin Jones made 28 saves through overtime and stopped three of four Blackhawks in the shootout.

PANTHERS 3, ISLANDERS 0

NEW YORK (AP) – Evgenii Dadonov had a goal and an assist, and James Reimer stopped 32 shots for his fourth shutout of the season as Florida moved closer to a playoff spot by blanking the reeling New York Islanders.

Keith Yandle also had a goal and an assist, and Nick Bjugstad scored to help Florida win for the 13th time in 17 games (13-3-1). The Panthers moved within a point of idle New Jersey for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. They have eight games remaining, one more than the Devils.

Reimer http://www.bearsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-roquan-smith-jersey , who has 21 career shutouts, won his fifth straight start with his second shutout during that stretch. The 30-year-old goalie improved to 7-1-0 since returning from an injury Feb. 12.

Christopher Gibson finished with 38 saves for the Islanders, who were eliminated from postseason contention for the second straight year with their 14th loss in 16 games (2-10-4).

COYOTES 4, LIGHTNING 1

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Clayton Keller had a goal and an assist to lead Arizona over Tampa Bay.

The Coyotes got two goals from defensemen as Trevor Murphy and Jacob Chychrun each scored to help Arizona improve to 17-12-6 since January. Brendan Perlini also scored for the Coyotes, and Antti Raanta had 19 saves.

Chychrun scored the winner on the power play at 17:22 of the second period.

The Lightning played without captain Steven Stamkos, who missed the game with an undisclosed lower-body injury. Tampa Bay has lost consecutive games for the second time in 10 days. Since scoring seven goals against the New York Islanders on Thursday, the Lightning have two goals in two games.

CANADIENS 4, RED WINGS 2

MONTREAL (AP) – Brendan Gallagher scored twice, including his 30th goal of the season, and Carey Price snapped a seven-game losing streak as Montreal defeated skidding Detroit.

Paul Byron and Alex Galchenyuk also scored for the Canadiens in a matchup of Original Six franchises already eliminated from playoff contention. Price made 26 saves for his first win since Feb. 4. He had been 0-5-2 since then.

Gustav Nyquist and Tyler Bertuzzi scored for Detroit http://www.packersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jk-scott-jersey , and Jared Coreau stopped 27 shots in his fifth game of the season. He is 0-4-0.

The Red Wings have won just once in their last 14 games (1-12-1).

HURRICANES 4, SENATORS 1

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Warren Foegele had a goal and an assist in his NHL debut, and Carolina beat Ottawa.

Brock McGinn and Valentin Zykov scored 98 seconds apart in the second period, Sebastian Aho had an empty-netter with 1:59 remaining and Derek Ryan had two assists to help the Hurricanes win their th Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck got to watch his teammates put on a goal-scoring show in Music City.

Now he can’t wait to see what they do back home in Winnipeg with a chance at history.

The franchise that just won its first playoff series in the first round is heading home for Game 6 with a chance to eliminate the Presidents’ Trophy winners and clinch Winnipeg’s first berth in the Western Conference final.

”It’s going to be awesome,” Hellebuyck said. ”Our home fans have been waiting for this for a while.”

Kyle Connor had two goals and an assist as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Nashville Predators 6-2 on Saturday night to grab a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven conference semifinal.

Jets captain Blake Wheeler said they have a little bit of experience with a chance to close out an opponent. Winnipeg ousted Minnesota in five games in the first round.

”We’re going to have to play our best game of the year,” said Wheeler, who had three assists. ”This is a team that doesn’t go away. We’ve played them 10 times now this year and they fight to the very end every single game. We have a ton of respect for how hard they play every night.”

Dustin Byfuglien and Mark Scheifele each had a goal and an assist, and Paul Stastny and Mathieu Perrault also scored as the Jets got four goals on 14 shots in the second period. Nikolaj Ehlers added two assists.

Yannick Weber and Ryan Johansen each scored for Nashville. The Predators have not won consecutive games since taking a 2-0 lead over Colorado to start the playoffs, but defenseman P.K. Subban insisted they will be back for a Game 7.

”We’ve got a ton of experience in here,” Subban said. ”We’ve had our backs against the wall before. Like I said Bradley Chubb Color Rush Jersey , we’re going to go to Winnipeg, we’re going to win a game, we’re going to come back here. Every single guy in here believes that.”

Nashville coach Peter Laviolette noted his Predators have won in Winnipeg before. They won 2-1 Thursday night to tie up the series at 2-2.

”The plane’s already booked, and we were ready to go,” Laviolette said. ”There’s no group that I’d rather be with to win one hockey game than this group.”

Pekka Rinne, Nashville’s Vezina Trophy finalist, was pulled for the third time this postseason after giving up six goals on 26 shots.

Lady Antebellum became the latest star act to handle the U.S. anthem, and the Grammy-winning trio missed part of the lyrics. But Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton waved the rally towel, and one of first catfish to hit the ice was tossed by Caleb Daniel, a 5-year-old Predators fan with a new heart.

Laviolette switched his lines again, swapping out Scott Hartnell for Kevin Fiala. This change didn’t work.

Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice brought back Perrault on the third line after missing eight games with an upper-body injury.

The Predators had plenty of great scoring chances while outshooting the Jets 11-7. Only a great performance by Hellebuyck kept it scoreless through the first period for the first time in this series.

”It starts with Connor http://www.ramsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-john-kelly-jersey ,” Connor said of Hellebuyck. ”He’s been the backbone the whole year. He played great again tonight.”

They made up for that in the second. Patrik Laine helped get the Jets on the board with a shot that deflected off Stastny’s right hand and past Rinne at 7:44. Defenseman Yannick Weber tied it up for Nashville with a wrister from the left circle at 11:08.

Then the Jets scored two of their next three goals 2:05 apart.

First, Connor scored off the rebound of a shot by Scheifele with 7:30 left for his first postseason goal, then Rinne lost his stick in a scrum in the crease. The puck squirted out, and Byfuglien scored with a slap shot for a 3-1 lead with 5:25 remaining. Connor made it 4-1 with a wrister from the slot with just under three minutes to go.

The period seemed to be slipping further away from Nashville when Viktor Arvidsson went to the box for slashing. But Johansen scored his fifth goal this postseason with 2:01 remaining for the first short-handed goal of his career in the postseason.

The Jets made it 5-2 just 28 seconds into the third, stifling any Nashville rally when Scheifele scored his ninth goal this postseason from the slot. Perreault capped the scoring at 6:23 to chase Rinne for the second time this series.

NOTES: Nashville now is 0-4 when trailing after two periods this postseason. … Weber’s goal was the fourth of his career in the postseason and first with Nashville.

—

.

The tax collector in North Attleborough tells The Sun Chronicle that Hernandez’s estate paid $60,000 toward the lien in December while the new owners of the home paid the remaining $55 Authentic Josh Allen Jersey ,000 last month.

Hernandez bought the home for $1.3 million in 2012. It was sold in November for $1 million.

Court records also show $500,000 from the sale was placed into escrow while a judge determines if it should go to Hernandez’s daughter.

Hernandez was serving a life sentence for the 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd when he hanged himself in prison in April days after his acquittal in a double slaying.

—

Information from: The (Attleboro Kyle Gibson Minnesota Twins Jersey , Mass.) Sun Chronicle, The NBA has fined Washington Wizards forward Markieff Morris and twin brother Marcus Morris of the Boston Celtics for their roles in separate incidents during playoff games.

Markieff Morris has been fined $25 Eddie Rosario Minnesota Twins Jersey ,000 by the NBA on Saturday for attempting to escalate an altercation and pushing an official during a game against Toronto on Friday night. Morris shoved official Ken Mauer aside when Morris and Toronto’s OG Anunoby had to be separated after a near-fight that drew other players less than three minutes into the Wizards’ 122-103 victory.

Meanwhile, Marcus Morris was also docked $15 P.J. Hall Color Rush Jersey ,000 for criticizing officials after the Celtics’ 116-92 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. He was called for a technical foul in the third and was critical of the officiating after the game.

In October, the brothers were acquitted by a Phoenix jury in an aggravated assault trial. They were on trial on charges that they helped three other people beat a man in January 2015 outside a high school basketball game. The twins played for the Phoenix Suns at the time.

TAMPA Hernan Perez Milwaukee Brewers Jersey , Fla. — The Tampa Bay Lighting still have the top spot in the Eastern Conference in their sights when they host the 31st overall team, the Buffalo Sabres, on Friday.

Coming off an impressive victory against the Boston Bruins earlier in the week, the Lightning need to win their final two games — preferably in regulation — to have the chance to overtake Boston for the Atlantic Division title, which also carries home ice advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Tampa Bay’s dominant 4-0 victory over Boston is the model moving forward for the Lightning, not just in the final two regular-season games but looking ahead to the postseason.

“We need to play the same way against everyone,” Lightning defenseman Dan Girardi said after practice on Thursday. “I think that’s where we get into trouble the last month or two, getting up for the big games, then letting down in the other ones. We’re up and down. We’re not playing the same way the whole time. As long as we can follow that effort up from Boston Guillermo Heredia Seattle Mariners Jersey , we’re going in the right direction, for sure.”

The Lightning looked more like the team that was dominant during the early stages of the season, utilizing their team speed, getting pucks behind the opposing defense and establishing a strong forecheck presence. That limited the turnovers and put less pressure on the Tampa Bay defense along with goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy.

“We played a better 200-foot game,” associate coach Rick Bowness said. “There wasn’t nearly as many east-to-west turnovers that just slowed us up and killed our attack. We worked a lot harder for 60 minutes; we stayed with it.”

Buffalo is in the exact opposite position, having already secured the last spot in the league in another lost season for the Sabres.

Under first-year coach Phil Housley, Buffalo showed little improvement in the standings, but hopes strides were made in becoming more cohesive as a team learning a new system.

“I believe in our system,” Housley told The Buffalo News. “I believe in our structure. I believe when we play a brand of game that’s the right way — we’re on top of people and we’re not cheating the game and we’re doing things for the better part of the team — you can see we’re a good hockey team.”

The Sabres have beaten the Lightning twice this season http://www.brownsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-baker-mayfield-jersey , including an overtime win on Feb. 28 at Amalie Arena, but are just 2-7 in their past nine games, helping plummet the drop to the cellar.

“There’s no secret we’re in last place, and it’s a tough place to be,” forward Nick Baptiste told The News. “But there’s only room for improvement. If we can as a group kind of look at ourselves in the mirror and figure out what it is as an individual that you can bring to the table to be better in a team sense, it will help us immensely and improve this team.”

No matter. They’ll take it.

Daniel Palka and Avisail Garcia each homered twice, and Yoan Moncada tripled with the bases loaded in the 12th inning as the White Sox pulled off their biggest comeback and beat the Cincinnati Reds 12-8 on Tuesday night.

”Well, a lot going on today http://www.redskinsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-derrius-guice-jersey ,” manager Rick Renteria said.

It was a night of non-stop offense, right from the outset.

Trailing 7-2 after five innings, the White Sox pulled even in the ninth on Garcia’s solo homer off Raisel Iglesias, then pulled it out with the help of a couple of Reds errors.

”That last inning was tough,” said Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett, whose error opened the way.

The White Sox loaded the bases with a walk and two errors. Moncada’s opposite-field triple off Jackson Stephens (2-1) broke the tie, and Yolmer Sanchez followed with another triple.

Hector Santiago (3-3) fanned six in two innings as the White Sox extended their domination in the interleague series. They’re 17-5 all-time against the Reds, including 11-3 in Cincinnati.

”Surreal,” said Chicago starter Lucas Giolito Baker Mayfield Jersey Elite , who gave up three homers but wound up on the winning side. ”From my perspective, I didn’t get the job done. It’s an awesome feeling that these guys play hard behind you.”

Jim Riggleman was ejected by plate umpire Eric Cooper during Chicago’s winning rally, his first ejection as the Reds’ interim manager. They had words as Riggleman was signaling from the dugout for an intentional walk.

”Then he made some comment that I didn’t like,” Riggleman said. ”That’s kind of how the whole game went.”

The Reds got the better of a free-swinging game early on, surging ahead 4-0 before Giolito could record an out. Jose Peraza opened with a triple, Gennett hit his 14th homer , Joey Votto walked, and Eugenio Suarez followed with his 17th homer . Suarez performed a salsa dance with Votto after he crossed the plate.

Adam Duvall added a three-run shot into the upper deck in left field in the fifth inning off Giolito for a 7-2 lead, the second time in his career that the right-hander has allowed three homers in a game.

Anthony DeSclafani also gave up a career-high three homers – two by Palka and one by Garcia Authentic Josh Allen Jersey , who went 3 for 6 and extended his hitting streak to a career-high 13 games.

INTERLEAGUE

The White Sox are 4-10 in interleague play this season. The Reds are 7-2. The loss snapped their streak of six straight wins against the AL.

LONG TIME COMING

The last time the White Sox and Reds played an extra-inning game was Game 6 of the ”Black Sox” World Series in 1919. Chicago won that game 5-4 in 10 innings at Crosley Field.

HOMECOMING

Giolito started the Futures Game as part of the All-Star festivities at Great American Ball Park in 2015 and pitched two scoreless innings .

SLOPPY, SLOPPY

The Reds committed a season-high four errors – two by Suarez at third, one by Peraza at shortstop and one by Gennett at second base.

ROBBED … SORT OF

Sanchez’s triple in the 12th came on a weird play. Right fielder Brandon Dixon stretched above the wall and grabbed the fly ball – robbing Sanchez of a homer – but the glove flipped off his hand as he hit the wall and the ball deflected back onto the field.

TRAINER’S ROOM

White Sox: Jose Abreu was out of the lineup a day after he fouled a pitch off his left ankle. X-rays were negative. Abreu pinch hit in the 11th inning and grounded out.

Reds: Homer Bailey threw 103 pitches in 6 2/3 innings of a rehab appearance for Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday night, giving up one run and seven hits while fanning eight. Bailey has been sidelined since June 2 by a sore right knee.

UP NEXT

White Sox: Dylan Covey (3-3) is 0-1 with a 12.71 ERA in his last three starts, walking 12 in 11 1/3 innings and giving up 16 runs.

Reds: Sal Romano (4-8) went 1-2 with a 3.90 ERA in five June starts. He’s been limited to five innings in four of his last six starts.

—

.

In 1969, they lost the coin flip with Milwaukee for Lew Alcindor, now known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and chose Neal Walk at No. 2. The closest they came was Alvan Adams, an All-Star on some very good teams. Shaquille O’Neal made a cameo appearance late in his career.

But a big, young franchise center to build around eluded them – until now.

With the first overall pick in the draft for the first time in franchise history, the Suns believe they have their man in 7-foot-1, 250-pound Deandre Ayton, whose size, athleticism and multiple skills made him the obvious No. 1 overall pick Thursday night.

Suns general manager Ryan McDonough called it ”a historic night for the franchise.”

There was a big cheer from the crowd gathered at Talking Stick Resort Arena for a party to celebrate the highest pick in franchise history. They’ve chosen second overall twice.

”Having my name called to be the first pick for the Phoenix Suns was mind-blowing,” Ayton said. ”Having all the confidence and leading up to that point when I saw (NBA Commissioner) Adam Silver came out http://www.dolphinsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-albert-wilson-jersey , I was just waiting for my name, and when he called it, my mind went blank. … and I saw the reaction on my mom’s face. It was just priceless.”

The Suns also got the 10th overall pick, moving up six spots in a trade with Philadelphia to get guard/forward Mikal Bridges of Villanova. Phoenix sent the No. 16 pick, guard Zhaire Smith of Texas Tech, to the 76ers along with Miami’s unprotected first-round pick in 2021.

Ayton will join Devin Booker and Josh Jackson as the core of young talent that the Suns hope will pull them out of their long decline. Phoenix has missed the playoffs the last eight seasons and their 21-61 record last season was the worst in the NBA and second-worst in franchise history.

”The team in general is a very young and hungry team,” Ayton said. ”We just have to stick together, get a great chemistry and start a winning legacy in Phoenix.”

In Brooklyn for the announcement, Ayton wore a sports jacket with an array of colors on the inside lining.

”There’s a few flags in there,” Ayton said. ”My dad is from Nigeria, my mom is Jamaican and Bahamian http://www.ramsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-john-franklin-myers-jersey , so I’m helping all those countries in one. I’m not just a Bahamian. I’m Nigerian and Jamaican. So I just want to let the world know that.”

Ayton was born in the Bahamas but left at age 12, a basketball prodigy who stayed in several Southern California homes and played with various basketball programs, including a season as a teammate of Marvin Bagley III at Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix.

Ayton, a month shy of his 20th birthday, was the Pac-12 player of the year at Arizona last season, averaging 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. But the Wildcats made an early exit in the NCAA Tournament, losing to Buffalo. Ayton also had to tune out the noise from a federal investigation that ensnared an Arizona assistant coach.

But he emerged above the rest in the pre-draft process.

Ayton worked out for only one team, the Suns, and turned on the charm with the media afterward.

Don’t worry, Ayton assured everyone that day, ”I know I’m going No. 1.”

That workout Minkah Fitzpatrick Color Rush Jersey , McDonough said, was the deal-maker.

”He was first on our board coming into the workout,” McDonough said, ”and then he blew us away in the workout, which I think you guys probably gathered from my tone. I’m usually pretty stoic but I was watching a workout that just was incredible.”

McDonough called Ayton ”just a phenomenal physical talent. Watching him play and then working him out and interacting with him just checked every box for us.”

The 6-foot-7 Bridges is a bonus, a third-team All-American and a member of the 2018 all-Final Four team. When the 76ers drafted him, it looked like a feel-good hometown story since he’s from Philadelphia and his mother Tyneeha Rivers was vice president for human resources for the 76ers.

Bridges even appeared at a news conference to talk about staying in Philadelphia.

But the Suns wanted him badly and kept pushing for the deal. Finally, the 76ers agreed and Bridges was bound for the desert.

He said there were no hard feelings about the trade.

”I’m excited. It’s a business and you’ve got a lot of talent going down there,” Bridges said. ”I can’t wait to start this up.”

With the 31st pick in the draft, the first in the second round, Phoenix chose point guard Elie Okobo of France Dorian O'Daniel Color Rush Jersey , a 20-year-old sharpshooter who scored 44 in a French playoff game. And with the 59th pick – next-to-last overall – the Suns selected forward George King of Colorado.

—

Victor Oladipo scored 28 points and posted the first postseason triple-double of his career Friday night, leading the Indiana Pacers to a 121-87 blowout over the Cleveland Cavaliers to even the series at three.

Game 7 will be played Sunday in Cleveland.

The three-time defending Eastern Conference champs again were led by LeBron James with 22 points, seven assists and five rebounds despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter. Nobody else scored more than 13 points as the Cavaliers lost their first closeout game in 14 tries dating to 2009. James had won 11 consecutive closeout games and is 12-0 all-time in the first-round series.

Kevin Love hurt his left wrist on a hard fall midway through the second quarter and wound up scoring just seven points while shooting 3 of 10 from the field.

JAZZ 96, THUNDER 91

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Donovan Mitchell scored 38 points and Utah held off Oklahoma City in Game 6 to advance to the Western Conference semifinals.

Russell Westbrook had 46 points for the Thunder and Steven Adams added 19 points and 16 rebounds.

The rookie and the MVP went back and forth in the second half, with Mitchell and the Jazz moving on to face the top-seeded Houston Rockets in a series that starts Sunday.

Derrick Favors scored 13 points and Rudy Gobert had 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Jazz, who lost starting point guard Ricky Rubio to a left hamstring injury in the first quarter.

RAPTORS 102, WIZARDS 92

WASHINGTON (AP) – Toronto overcame a halftime deficit in a road playoff game for the first time in 24 tries, using 24 points from Kyle Lowry and a tremendous effort from its finally whole second unit to beat Washington in Game 6 and end the Eastern Conference first-round series.

Toronto trailed by as many as 12 points in the first quarter and was down 53-50 at the end of the second. The Raptors‘ first lead did not come until the third quarter, and they were back down by five points entering the final period.

But with star guards Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, who had a personal series-low 16 points, resting to begin the fourth Kalen Ballage Color Rush Jersey , reserves led by point guard Fred VanVleet turned around the game. Bothered by a bad right shoulder, VanVleet had played a total of three minutes in the series until Friday, but he was just what Toronto needed in this game, with five points, four assists and four rebounds

John Wall had 23 points and eight assists in Game 6. Bradley Beal led Washington with 32 points. But the Wizards‘ run of eight home playoff wins in a row came to a close.

The Washington Capitals have re-signed John Carlson to a $64 million Baker Mayfield Jersey Browns , eight-year contract that allows the Stanley Cup champions to keep the do-it-all defenseman.

Carlson will count $8 million against the salary cap through the 2026-27 season. General manager Brian MacLellan announced the deal Sunday.

”John has been an exceptional and consistent player for our franchise and has blossomed into being one of the top defensemen in the NHL,” MacLellan said. ”Defenseman like John are a rare commodity in our League and, at 28 years of age, we feel he is just entering his prime. As a right-handed defenseman, John plays in all key situations and has contributed greatly to our team’s success on the special teams. We are pleased for both parties to have come to an agreement.”

That’s not necessary for the 28-year-old who has made the Washington area his home and wanted to stay if there was a fit. The Capitals got the cap space necessary to re-sign Carlson by trading veteran defenseman Brooks Orpik and backup goaltender Philipp Grubauer on Friday night at the NHL draft.

Carlson outperformed his last deal that paid him just under $4 million a season and was at his best in a contract year. He led all defensemen with 68 points in the regular season and 20 in the playoffs to help Washington win the Metropolitan Division and then the Stanley Cup.

The contract makes Carlson the second-highest-paid player on the Capitals behind Alex Ovechkin.

Carlson averaged about 25 minutes a game all season, stepping up early when top-pairing defenseman Matt Niskanen missed time with injury and playing an important role on the power play and penalty kill on the Cup run.

”His value is immense,” goaltender Braden Holtby said. ”You can see that, how much he meant to our team in this run. As far as growth, I think he’s grown steadily but I think he’s been pretty good for a long time. He’s been really good for a long time. I think this year it just showed through a bit more because we just forced him to play more.”

Carlson has been a mainstay on the Capitals’ blue line since 2010-11. The 2008 first-round pick has 333 points in 608 regular-season games and 55 points in 100 playoff games.

”I’ve always thought he was one of the better defensemen that I’ve ever played with Su'a Cravens Color Rush Jersey ,” winger T.J. Oshie said. ”This year, he elevated that quite a bit. In my eyes, he’s got to be a top-three or top-five defenseman in the league. You see what he does- he doesn’t do a lot of things that are really flashy, so maybe he doesn’t get the highlight-reel things that other guys do, but defensively, he rarely ever gets beat.”

Re-signing Carlson was just the first move on MacLellan’s summer checklist. He’s attempting to re-sign trade-deadline pickup Michal Kempny before Carlson’s defense partner can become an unrestricted free agent July 1, and he needs to negotiate new contracts for restricted free agent forwards Tom Wilson and Devante Smith-Pelly.

”We’re trying to sign Kempny,” MacLellan said Friday. ”We’re trying to sign Wilson as an RFA and then make some decisions after that.”

There’s also the matter of replacing Barry Trotz as coach after he resigned and joined the New York Islanders. Associate coach Todd Reirden, who was a finalist for the Flames’ head job two years ago http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-p.j.-hall-jersey , is the heavy front-runner, though MacLellan wanted to sit down and formally interview him this week first.

”I think you still need to go through an interview process and ask the right questions,” MacLellan said. ”I just want to clarify on what he’s thinking system-wise and how he’s going to handle certain players.”

It helps his case that Reirden coached the defenseman and had a hand in the development of Carlson, Niskanen, Kempny and Dmitry Orlov.

”The players all know him, they’re comfortable with him,” MacLellan said. ”He’ll have a good feel for personalities, how to motivate people and so forth.”

—

OAKLAND, Calif. — One team already assured of a losing trip and another hoping to avoid a losing homestand meet up for the third straight day looking for a series win when the Los Angeles Angels face the Oakland Athletics on Sunday afternoon.

The clubs entered the series on losing streaks Carlos Carrasco Cleveland Indians Jersey , and each has ended its slide with a win. The Angels prevailed 8-4 on Friday night before the A’s got even with a 6-4 win on Saturday afternoon.

The loss was the fifth in eight outings on a nine-game trip for the Angels, who will take the field Sunday without 14 players currently on the disabled list.

That number was 15 after Los Angeles lost four more guys on the eve of the series, but shortstop Andrelton Simmons returned from a sprained left ankle Saturday to anchor an Angels defense that played error-free ball in the loss.

Left-hander Andrew Heaney (3-5, 3.68 ERA) will try to send the Angels home for a six-game homestand on a winning note. If his recent pattern continues, he should be due for a strong effort.

Heaney has allowed one or no runs four times in his last eight starts, with each followed by a lesser effort in which he has been roughed up for a total of 16 runs.

He’s coming off one of the bad ones, having been bombed for five runs and seven hits in three innings of a 5-3 loss on Monday at Seattle. Monday’s outing occurred after he tossed a one-hitter June 5 against the Kansas City Royals.

Heaney has pitched well against Oakland in his career, going 2-1 with a 3.79 ERA in three starts.

He won his only previous start in Oakland, allowing three runs in seven innings in a 9-4 win in September 2015. He served up a home run to A’s catcher Josh Phegley that day.

The A’s will counter with right-hander Daniel Mengden (6-6 Trenton Cannon Color Rush Jersey , 3.90), who has neither an encouraging recent trend nor a history of success against the Angels.

Mengden has lasted just 8 2/3 innings in his last two starts, bombed for 12 runs and 13 hits by Texas and Houston in losses.

He has never beaten the Angels, having gone 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA in two starts.

The 25-year-old faced the Angels at home in the third game of the season in March, allowing six runs (five earned) in 5 2/3 innings of an 8-3 loss.

If there’s a positive to be taken from that game, it was that Angels third baseman Zack Cozart, currently out of the lineup with a shoulder injury, was Los Angeles’ big hitter with a double and a triple.

The A’s had hoped to take advantage of a second 10-game homestand since May 22, but have failed to do so despite opening with three wins in four games against Kansas City.

They followed that by losing four straight Authentic Lamar Jackson Jersey , three to Houston, before rallying from behind for Saturday’s win.

The club is now 4-5 on the homestand and 19-20 at home this season.

Oakland went just 4-6 on its 10-game homestand against Seattle, Arizona and Tampa Bay.

Like the Angels, the A’s featured a new look in their middle infield Saturday with the promotion of top prospect Franklin Barreto. He was recalled when third baseman Matt Chapman landed on the disabled list with a right thumb contusion.

The 22-year-old second baseman went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in the win, making him 0-for-10 with six strikeouts this season.

NEW YORK — An emotional Tuesday may have brought the end to an era for the New York Mets. But the Mets know there’s no better way to pay tribute to Sandy Alderson than by proving Wednesday night that Tuesday night’s win was no fluke.

The Mets will look to earn a series victory Wednesday night Sampo Ranta Blackhawks Jersey , when they host the Pittsburgh Pirates in the rubber match of a three-game set at Citi Field.

Zack Wheeler (2-6, 4.85 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound for New York against Pittsburgh’s Ivan Nova (4-5, 3.98 ERA) in a battle of right-handers.

The Mets concluded a whirlwind day by edging the Pirates 4-3 in 10 innings. Wilmer Flores, who had a two-run single in the first inning Authentic Isac Lundestrom Jersey , delivered his third walk-off hit of the season and the ninth walk-off hit of his career when his single down the third-base line scored Michael Conforto from first base with one out.

The Mets (32-45) snapped a seven-game losing streak hours after learning Alderson, who has been the team’s general manager since October 2010, would be taking an indefinite leave of absence to battle a recurrence of cancer. He was originally diagnosed in 2015 and underwent treatment following that season.

Three of Alderson’s assistants — John Ricco, J.P. Ricciardi and Omar Minaya — will share the general manager’s role while Alderson is out.

Alderson said during a pregame press conference that the cancer returned in April. He informed players of his diagnosis during a pregame meeting that left many players in tears but also may have crystallized their focus.

“We have a job to do and lately we haven’t been doing it up to our potential Authentic Lukas Dostal Jersey ,” Conforto said. “So we really wanted to focus in and just make sure that we bounce back today, of all days, and play a little bit better. I think we showed a little fight there. We battled back and scratched together enough runs to win a ballgame tonight. So hopefully that gets us on the right path.”

The Pirates (37-42) were hoping a wire-to-wire 6-4 victory in Monday’s opener would get them back on the right track, but Tuesday’s loss was the sixth in the last seven games.

On Wednesday Ryan McLeod Oilers Jersey , the Pirates will be seeking only their second series win in their last 13 series dating back to May 17, a span in which they are 12-25.

“I think I shared with our club — I don’t believe I’ve ever been through a rough patch of 34 games since I’ve been in the major leagues as a player, coach or manager,” said Pirates manager Clint Hurdle Andrei Svechnikov Jersey , who reached the bigs as a player in 1977. “And I’ve had enough. There’s a point in time you stop talking about being a good team, now you go play like a good team. Because your record’s telling you you’re not a good team.”

Wheeler will be looking to earn his first win in almost two months. He took the loss Friday after allowing four runs over seven innings as the Mets fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-2. Wheeler is 0-5 with a 5.13 ERA in 10 starts since his most recent victory April 29.

Nova didn’t factor into the decision Friday, when he allowed three hits over eight scoreless innings in the Pirates’ 2-1, 13-inning loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was the second time this season Nova has tossed eight scoreless innings. He also didn’t earn a decision in Pittsburgh’s 1-0 win over the Detroit Tigers on April 26.

Wheeler didn’t factor into the decision in his lone previous start against the Pirates on May 27 Martin Fehervary Capitals Jersey , 2017, when he gave up three runs over six innings as the Mets fell 5-4 in 10 innings.

Nova is 1-0 with a 2.82 ERA in four career appearances (three starts) against the Mets.