09.01.2019, 05:03
A few weeks ago Authentic Josh Manson Jersey , the Pittsburgh Penguins sat in last place in the Eastern Conference. On Saturday, they face the team that replaced them in that spot.A 3-1-2 stretch has lifted Pittsburgh (10-9-5) a couple rungs out of last place and the Philadelphia Flyers (10-12-2) have fallen into last, thanks to losing six of their past seven games, going into the teams’ meeting at PPG Paints Arena.Things are bad enough with the Flyers that they fired general manager Ron Hextall earlier this week, and that leaves the future of coach Dave Hakstol in question. Not to mention personnel changes.Article continues below ...“Our job is to win, and right now we’re not doing that,” Philadelphia center Sean Couturier told the Burlington County Times. “A (possible) trade or whatever is part of the business.“We have to turn the switch on. We’re still pretty confident in this group. We have some talent. We have some skill. It’s about going out there and proving it.”This is the first meeting of the season between the longtime bitter and cross-state rivals, and their first game since the Penguins ousted the Flyers in the first round of the playoffs last spring.Given the nature of the rivalry, Pittsburgh isn’t counting on a down-and-out opponent.“We obviously know they have really good players, high-end players Ondrej Kase Jersey ,” Penguins winger Jake Guentzel, who had 13 points in six games in the opening-round win last spring, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.“They’re a good team. We know it’s going to be an emotional game, a rivalry game. We have to expect their best and have our best.”Pittsburgh could get feisty winger Patric Hornqvist back. He has missed three games because of a concussion.Hornqvist returned to practice Friday.“I was back out there, and I felt good,” Hornqvist said. “It’s heading in the right direction.”He had four goals and eight points in five games before he got hurt.Both clubs have had some trouble with the goaltending spot, particularly Philadelphia, which has used five goalies this season for a combined .879 save percentage, worst in the NHL, and a 3.58 goals-against average.De facto starter Brian Elliott is expected to miss another week or so because of a lower-body injury.Michal Neuvirth has played just one game because of injuries Rickard Rakell Jersey , but he could return from a groin injury to start against the Penguins.Like Couturier, Neuvirth wonders if Hextall’s firing is just a first step.“If you don’t start winning games, more changes are going to come,” he said.Pittsburgh is without No. 1 goalie Matt Murray, who went on injured reserve on Thanksgiving and is out “longer term,” according to coach Mike Sullivan, because of a lower-body injury.Before his injury, Murray, a two-time Stanley Cup winner, was struggling. He has a 4.08 goals-against average and an .877 save percentage.Sullivan said the Penguins have a time frame in mind for Murray’s return Womens Ryan Getzlaf Jersey , but he declined to reveal it.Young goaltenders Casey DeSmith and Tristan Jarry are filling in for Murray. It appears DeSmith will get the larger share of the work, and he is expected to start against the Flyers. PRO BASKETBALLPHILADELPHIA (AP) Philadelphia 76ers team president Bryan Colangelo is denying a report connecting the executive to Twitter accounts that criticized Sixers players Joel Embiid and Markelle Fultz, among other NBA figures.The accounts also took aim at former Sixers GM Sam Hinkie, Toronto Raptors executive Masai Ujiri and former Sixers players Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel, according to a report by The Ringer.The Ringer asked the team about five Twitter accounts it suspected Colangelo was operating. He said in a statement he used one of the accounts to monitor the NBA industry and other current events, but he was ”not familiar with any of the other accounts” brought to his attention and he didn’t know who was ”behind them or what their motives may be in using them.”Embiid told ESPN on Tuesday night that Colangelo called him and denied the story. Yahoo Sports reported Colangelo was standing by his statement to The Ringer. A message was left by The Associated Press seeking comment from the Sixers.Earlier in the day, a person familiar with the situation confirmed the 76ers and coach Brett Brown agreed to a three-year contract extension that runs through the 2021-22 season. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been officially announced.LOS ANGELES (AP) – Just about everything the Ball family does gets attention, and LiAngelo Ball’s pre-draft workout with the Lakers was no exception.About two dozen members of the media watched Ball’s final drills while Magic Johnson and Lakers coach Luke Walton looked on. Lakers guard Lonzo Ball, LiAngelo’s older brother, was there for the workout as well.”I feel like it went good http://www.officialducks.com/authentic-a...ler-jersey ,” the younger Ball said. ”It’s always fun being in here doing things I want to get better at. It was a good workout.”LaVar Ball has been outspoken about his desire for all three of his sons – Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo, the youngest – to play for the Lakers. The Lakers have the 25th pick in the first round next month, though LiAngelo Ball’s draft prospects are uncertain. He wasn’t even scheduled to be a starter at UCLA before leaving the program after being indefinitely suspended for an international incident last year in China. He also had a stint with the professional Lithuanian team Vytautas.LiAngelo Ball confirmed that he has an upcoming workout with the Golden State Warriors. He also said he’ll play in the NBA summer league, but he is not sure which team he’ll play for yet.HOCKEYLAS VEGAS (AP) – The Vegas Golden Knights still think Tom Wilson’s third-period hit on Jonathan Marchessault was very late and probably dirty.They also believe it sparked their comeback victory in the Stanley Cup Final opener.Wilson and the Washington Capitals still insist he did nothing wrong when he leveled the Golden Knights’ top playoff scorer. The NHL agreed with Wilson on Tuesday, declining to discipline the hard-charging forward.But after the collision and the resulting scrums, Vegas coach Gerard Gallant saw a renewed vigor in his Knights. They quickly got Tomas Nosek’s go-ahead goal and surged one game closer to an improbable championship.Game 2 is Wednesday night on the Strip. Both teams intend to channel their nervous energy more constructively after an entertainingly ramshackle opener.ATHLETE ABUSELANSING, Mich. (AP) – Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is expected to sign into law bills inspired by the Larry Nassar scandal, including one approved Tuesday that would give childhood sexual abuse victims more time to sue.The current cutoff to file a lawsuit in Michigan is generally a minor victim’s 19th birthday, which critics say is out of step with the laws in other states and does not account for how many victims are afraid to report abuse or have suppressed it.On a 34-2 vote Ryan Miller Jersey , the Republican-led state Senate gave final approval to a measure that would allow people who were sexually abused as children to sue until their 28th birthdays or three years from when they realized they had been abused. Nassar victims would get a 90-day window to sue retroactively, leading some state senators from both parties to reluctantly vote for the legislation after the state House scaled backed the retroactively provision to not include other victims abused as children since 1997.BASEBALLPITTSBURGH (AP) – Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon believes Anthony Rizzo’s slide that upended Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Elias Diaz at home plate on Monday is still perfectly legal. So does Maddon’s superstar first baseman.Major League Baseball? Not so much.MLB chief baseball officer Joe Torre informed both clubs on Tuesday that Rizzo should have been called for interference for swiping Diaz’s right leg while Diaz attempted to make a throw to first base to complete a potential double play in the eighth inning of Chicago’s 7-0 victory on Memorial Day.Diaz’s throw ended up sailing into right field, allowing two runs to score. The Pirates challenged the call on the field but replay officials opted not to overturn it.Nearly 24 hours later, MLB believes Rizzo violated Rule 6.01 (i), which states ”if a runner does not engage in a bona fide slide, and initiates (or attempts to make) contact with the fielder for the purpose of breaking up a double play, he should be called for interference.”Maddon called it the ”perfect play” on Monday and didn’t back down even after what he called a respectful back-and-forth with Torre.
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