Digital Sports Desk

The online destination for sports purists

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Bobby Ryan Leads Senators Over Penguins

by

PITTSBURGH — The regular season was a bundle of frustration for Ottawa winger Bobby Ryan. He was snakebitten. He was hurt. He’s exorcizing all of that in the playoffs.

“It felt great obviously to come through in an important and crucial moment,” Ryan said Saturday night after he scored at 4:59 of overtime to give the Senators a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final at PPG Paints Arena.

Ottawa carried a one-goal lead on Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s score through most of the game before Evgeni Malkin tied it late in regulation.

Ryan had 13 goals and a career-low 25 points in 62 games during the season. He now has five goals and 10 points in 13 playoff games.

“When you’re an offensive player and you’re doing all the right things but you’re not finishing and that’s what it was with Bobby … he just wasn’t finishing and it gets to be a mental block and you start thinking you’re not doing the right things,” Senators coach Guy Boucher said. “For me, now it’s the finishing part.”

On Saturday’s winner, Ryan, who earlier had an assist, came out of a tangle along the right-wing boards after getting the puck from Pittsburgh defenseman Olli Maatta for a short breakaway and roofed a shot past goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

“I was kind of lucky that the puck found me,” Ryan said. “When you get in there, you look for some kind of move. I felt fortunate it found the net.”
Fleury finished with 33 saves. Craig Anderson made 27 saves for the Senators, who improved to 6-1 in overtime in the playoffs. The Penguins are 1-1 in overtime.

“For the most part, we find that the most fun,” Ottawa center Kyle Turris said of going to overtime. “Playoffs, it’s so much fun. It’s a blast. The regular season is great, but the playoffs is why you play hockey. I think every kid dreams about playing overtime in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s the most fun part of the game.”

Game 2 is Monday night in Pittsburgh. This is the fifth playoff series between the teams. Pittsburgh has won three of four and three in a row.

The Penguins started the night leading the playoffs with 41 goals, an average of 3.4 per game. They also have the leading scorer in the playoffs in Malkin, whose goal was gave him 18 points, and four of the top seven.

But Ottawa stood firm through more than two periods and killed off all five Pittsburgh power plays during regulation.

“(Anderson is) a good goalie,” Malkin said. “He’s tall, big. He has confidence right now. We need to score a little bit more (against) him for sure because one goal is not good enough for our team.”

Pittsburgh had 5:50 of power-play time in the first period, including 45 seconds of five-on-three play.

“We had an opportunity to grab a lead,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “We didn’t execute. The movement wasn’t there. The passes weren’t crisp.”

It was Ottawa that scored first.  From behind the Penguins’ net after a turnover by Pittsburgh defenseman Brian Dumoulin, Ryan sent a soft backhander out front to Pageau, who one-timed the puck past the glove of Fleury at 14:32.  It was Pageau’s eighth goal, one behind playoff leader Jake Guentzel of Pittsburgh. Pageau had 12 goals during the regular season.  Malkin tied it 1-1 at 14:25 of the third on a tip-in from Chris Kunitz for his 19th point. It also lifted Malkin past Jaromir Jagr into third place on Pittsburgh’s career playoff points list with 148.  That ruined Anderson’s shot at his second shutout of the playoffs, but it didn’t deter the Senators.

“After the third period, we come in (the locker room) and no one’s edgy,” winger Clarke MacArthur said. “We’re used to it, playing the full season with all these close games. I don’t know what it is. We’ve waited for chances.

“A little turnover and an opportunity and we were able to capitalize. It’s great for Bobby.”

NOTES: Pittsburgh LW Carl Hagelin (lower body) and D Trevor Daley (lower body) missed the game, and RW Tom Kuhnhackl was a healthy scratch for the second straight game. … For Ottawa, LW Viktor Stallberg (lower body) remained out and RW Chris Neil was scratched after playing two games in a row. They were replaced by LW Ryan Dzingel and C Tommy Wingels

PGA Tour: Holmes, Stanley Lead at Players Championship

by

PONTE VEDRE BEACH – (Special to Digital Sports Desk by The Sports Xchange) – If there’s one thing for certain when even the best golfers on the planet try to tackle the famed Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, it’s that nothing is a sure thing.

That situation has been created by Pete Dye‘s challenging and varied layout, the swirling winds that seem to defy even the best guesses as far as intensity and direction and the nerves involved with playing this course in the most competitive conditions.

J.B. Holmes

Americans J.B. Holmes and Kyle Stanley took on the beast in unwavering fashion Saturday, finishing at 9-under-par 207 and enjoying a one-shot lead after the third round of The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Stanley, the second-round co-leader with Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa, managed a par 72 that included a birdie from two feet on the treacherous 17th, the course’s famous par-3 island hole.

“I’m very happy with even par,” Stanley said. “I thought it played quite difficult out there, especially the first nine. You just kind of have to remind yourself that even though you’re a little bit over par, on the leaderboard I was still in a pretty good spot.

“I just tried to focus on giving myself chances. That’s kind of been my mindset all week. That’s a little easier said than done, but a shot at a time. I feel like we have a fairly good game plan for this golf course, so just stick to that and be really patient.

Holmes fired a 70 that featured three birdies (including on No. 17) and one bogey. He assured himself of a spot atop the overnight leaderboard with a par on the closing hole despite a drive that was ended up way right of the fairway and in the trees. After a soaring approach found the front of the putting surface, Holmes two-putted for par.

“Everything is so hard — you have to be so focused on each shot or it’ll jump up and get you,” Holmes said. “You can stay present, and that’s the main thing. You’ve just got to go around and hit one shot at a time wherever you hit it and go get that. You can get some squirrelly lies on chips and the ball come out funny — everybody is going to get some bad breaks.”

Holmes only hit five of the course’s 14 fairways but needed just 25 putts.

“I’ve hit a lot of good putts, and a lot of them went in,” Holmes said. “I’ve been working on my putting stroke and it’s been getting better, and the speeds of these greens have suited me, and my feel has been good on them. When you start hitting putts where you’re aiming at the right speed, you’re going to get a few to go in.”

Oosthuizen carded a 73 and is alone in third place at 208 after a round that included three birdies and four bogeys. He surrendered his share of the lead on the first hole with a bogey and fought through the rest of the round to keep up with Stanley and, ultimately, Holmes.

Si Woo Kim of South Korea fired a 68 and was in solo fourth at 209. Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo (67) and England’s Ian Poulter (71) are three strokes back and tied for fifth at 210.

Masters champion Sergio Garcia settled for a 67 after bogeying the 18th hole and was tied for seventh with Patrick Cantlay (72) and Alex Noren (72) of Sweden at 211.

“Today in these conditions I hit some really good shots,” Garcia said. “I’m going to need a good round on Sunday, but at least I’m putting myself back in there. We’ll see what we’re able to do.”

Pat Perez, who shot the low round of the day with a 66, is tied for 10th and five strokes off the lead with Francesco Molinari of Italy (69) and Rafa Cabrera Bello of Spain (73) at 212.

First-round co-leader William McGirt, Adam Scott of Australia and Lucas Glover are at 213, six strokes in arrears of the lead duo. Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy and defending champion Jason Day of Australia are among those at 215.

Henrik Stenson of Sweden, Justin Rose of England and Rickie Fowler are in the group at par 216 and world No. 1 Dustin Johnson is 11 strokes off the lead at 218 after a 74.

Vijay Singh of Fiji, who was in fourth place beginning the third round, suffered through a 79 that included just one birdie, two triple bogeys (on the par-3 eighth and 17th holes, respectively) and a double bogey on the par-4 fifth. His misadventures left him tied for 44th, 11 strokes off the lead.

NOTES: First-round co-leader Mackenzie Hughes of Canada shot a 74 in the third round and is tied for 22nd at 216. … With 82 players making the initial cut on Friday, there was be a secondary cut to low 70 and ties after the third round. Among those golfers not moving ahead were Spain’s Jon Rahm (after a third-round 82), Gary Woodland (78), Justin Thomas (79) and Matt Kuchar (81). … Playing in his 10th event this season, Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa has yet to miss a cut with his best finish, a solo third, coming at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The last time Oosthuizen missed a cut on the PGA Tour was last year’s British Open Championship, a streak of 15 consecutive made cuts. … Twelve of 43 second-round leaders/co-leaders have gone on to win The Players Championship, including Jason Day of Australia in 2016. … Thirteen of the 25 second-round leaders/co-leaders on the PGA Tour this season have been able to convert for the win in stroke-play events, most recently Spain’s Sergio Garcia at the Masters Tournament

Sports Biz: PGA Tour and FedEx Renew Deal Through 2026-27

by

PONTE VEDRE BEACH – The FedExCup is here to stay.

Ten years into their partnership, FedEx has extended its sponsorship of the PGA Tour’s season-long points list and postseason events another 10 years through the 2026-27 season, the Tour announced Tuesday morning. Since 2007, the FedExCup standings have determined the pecking order for golf’s elite players throughout the season and into the FedExCup Playoffs, which includes four playoff tournaments culminating in the Tour Championship.

FedEx Cup Trophy

“The FedExCup revolutionized the fan viewing experience and competitive landscape of the PGA TOUR, establishing a cohesive narrative throughout the schedule and a compelling conclusion to the season with the FedExCup Playoffs,” new PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement.

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy is the defending FedExCup champion after emerging from a three-way playoff with Ryan Moore and Kevin Chappell to win last year’s Tour Championship.

McIlroy, ranked No. 2 in the World Golf Rankings, is one of nine players to hoist the FedExCup. Tiger Woods is the only two-time FedExCup champion, winning the inaugural title in 2007 and another in 2009.

Dustin Johnson sits atop this season’s FedExCup standings with 2,148 points after three victories. Justin Thomas also has three wins on the campaign and ranks second with 1,852 points.

McIlroy has zero victories this season and ranks 48th with 462 points. He has four top-ten finishes on the year heading into The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. this weekend

NBA Playoffs: C’s Robbed of a Second

by

SECAUCUS, NJ — (special to Digital Sports Desk by The Sports Xchange) – The NBA acknowledged in its “Last Two Minute Report” on Saturday that the Boston Celtics should have had an extra second on the clock to run a final play in their Game 6 loss to the Washington Wizards.

John Wall made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give Washington a 92-91 lead on Friday. The Wizards had a foul to give and forward Kelly Oubre Jr. fouled Boston center Kelly Olynyk with 1.7 seconds on the clock.

The league’s report noted that Oubre’s foul was “whistled with approximately 2.7 seconds on the clock but the clock runs to 1.7 seconds before stopping. The clock should have been stopped earlier automatically on the whistle or by the neutral clock operator.”

The league also noted that “Instant replay is not permitted in this situation.”

Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas missed an off-balance 3-point heave before the buzzer, setting up a Game 7 on Monday in Boston.

The report also revealed that Washington had two missed calls go against it in the final minute Friday.

First, the league determined that Al Horford committed an offensive foul on Bradley Beal with 41.2 seconds remaining when setting up a screen for Avery Bradley’s jumper, which put the Celtics up 89-87. The basket should have been disallowed.

Second, the report says Horford should have been called for defensive three-seconds violation with 33 seconds remaining. Had that call be made, a technical foul and a free throw would have been the result.

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Anaheim Ducks Ready for G-2 vs Nashville

by

ANAHEIM – (Special to Digital Sports Desk by The Sports Xchange) – The Anaheim Ducks say they’re ready to put a loss in the opener of the Western Conference final in the rearview mirror.  They’ll need that mindset because the Nashville Predators have spent much of the postseason with their foot on the gas and are not willing to let up now.

Randy Carlisle

The Ducks will try to avoid an 0-2 hole for the second consecutive series when they face off against the Predators on Sunday night at the Honda Center.  Anaheim advanced out of the second round after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 on Wednesday night, and faced a quick turnaround two nights later against a Nashville team that hadn’t played since Sunday.

The Ducks were outshot 46-29 for the game and dropped a 3-2 decision when James Neal scored 9:24 into overtime.

“This time of year you can’t have excuses,” Anaheim defenseman Hampus Lindholm told the Orange County Register. “You just have to go out there and play hard and win games. That’s what it’s all about. … You have to start from the get-go.”

Coach Randy Carlyle noted that the Ducks got off to a sluggish start — they were outshot 15-6 in the first period — and that cannot happen again.

“I don’t think that we can afford to have the start that we had today,” Carlyle told the newspaper. “If you took the first period, we were pretty inept in what we were doing. … We’ll turn the page on this one. Get ourselves prepared for Sunday (night).”

After sweeping the Calgary Flames in the opening round of the playoffs, the Ducks lost the first two games in their matchup with Edmonton. Nate Thompson said

Anaheim should not overlook the Predators, who proved their success during this postseason is no fluke.

Nashville stunned the top-seeded Chicago Blackhawks by sweeping them in the opening round before eliminating the St. Louis Blues in six games in the second round. The Predators are 9-2 in the postseason, scoring 31 goals and allowing only 16, and have won Game 1 on the road in all three series.

“They’re an aggressive team that can skate. They’re a good hockey club, and it’s going to be a tough series,” Thompson said.

The win shifted home-ice advantage to the Predators and a deeper look shows that’s bad news for Anaheim, which doesn’t want to head east in what could be a must-win situation. Nashville is 5-0 at Bridgestone Arena this postseason thanks in large part to Pekka Rinne, who’s knocked aside 141 of 147 shots for a .959 save percentage.

Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm told the NHL’s official website that the team likes the position it’s in, but can’t ease up either.

“You get some momentum right away, for sure,” Ekholm said. “It’s a nice feeling for everyone in here, for sure. And (Sunday) is going to be a lot easier. You get a smile on your face, and it’s really a good feeling.

“But we know we haven’t done nothing yet. We have to stay on for Game 2, and we know now we’ll have that home-ice advantage again. We’re really comfortable on home ice and on the road, and it’s a good feeling to get the first one.”

Facing Anaheim in the opening round last season, Nashville took the first two games in Southern California, but needed to win a seventh game to advance. The Predators lost in seven games to the San Jose Sharks in the second round.

This season, coach Peter Laviolette’s team has received goals from 15 players, led by Neal, fellow forward Filip Forsberg and defensemen Ryan Ellis and Roman Josi with four each.

“We’re just confident in our group,” forward Austin Watson told the Tennessean after his goal early in the second period of Game 1 gave the Predators a 2-1 lead.

“We’ve got 20 guys in here on a nightly basis during the game that can play and contribute.”

Anaheim continues to rely mainly on Ryan Getzlaf to carry the offense and he hasn’t been up to the task recently. The Ducks’ captain has 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in the postseason, but more than half — four goals and four assists — came in Games 3 through 5 against Edmonton.

The Ducks have managed five goals over their last three games.

Getzlaf is trying to avoid being held without a point in four straight playoff games for the first time since 2007 against the Vancouver Canucks.  Game 3 of this series is scheduled for Tuesday night in Nashville

Copyright 2019

www.digitalsportsdesk.com