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Crosby says Penguins window may be closing after Cup Qualifiers loss – NHL.com

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Sidney Crosby was left wondering what went wrong for the Pittsburgh Penguins and said their championship window may be closing after they were eliminated in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers.

“It’s a really hard one to evaluate,” the Penguins captain said Friday after a 2-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. “That’s the honest truth as far as trying to break this all down. It’s a tough one to evaluate overall.”

The Penguins, the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, were left with few answers after losing to the No. 12 seed in the best-of-5 series. Montreal advanced to the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and will play the winner of the round-robin game Saturday between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Philadelphia Flyers in Toronto, the East hub city (8 p.m. ET; NBC, SN1, SN360, TVAS).

Pittsburgh has a 12.5 percent chance at the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft in the Second Phase of the NHL Draft Lottery, to be held Monday.

The Penguins, who won the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017, lost to a team that was 24th in the NHL standings (31-31-9, .500 points percentage) when the season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. No team had ever won an NHL postseason series finishing that low.

The Penguins have lost nine of their past 10 postseason games since defeating the Washington Capitals 3-1 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Second Round on May 3, 2018. They were swept in a best-of-7 series against the New York Islanders in the first round last season.

“It’s an indication of how hard it is to win,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. “You’re talking about three completely different seasons. Three completely different teams. I’m not sure that adds up.”

Video: Lehkonen, Price help Canadiens earn series win

But Crosby, who won championships with center Evgeni Malkin and defenseman Kris Letang in 2009, 2016 and 2017, said they might have limited opportunities to win a fourth.

“With age, it’s a possibility,” said Crosby, who turned 33 on Friday. “But I can only speak personally. Obviously, I would’ve liked to stay a little bit healthier and play a full season.”

Crosby had 47 points (16 goals, 31 assists) in 41 games this season.

Things looked promising when he returned from core muscle surgery with a goal and three assists Jan. 14 in a 7-3 win against the Minnesota Wild. The Penguins were 18-6-4 in 28 games without him.

But after moving into first place in the Metropolitan Division with a 5-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 18, Pittsburgh was 3-8-0 in its final 11 regular-season games.

Sullivan said anything that happened from January to March is unrelated to this series loss. He also said nothing has shaken his confidence in Crosby, Malkin (34 years old) and Letang (33).

“I think these guys are still elite players. I believe in this core,” Sullivan said. “They’re elite hockey players, and I still think there’s elite play left in them. So that’s just what I believe. Obviously, at some point, everybody’s window closes. So you could argue that with any team in the League. But I strongly believe that this group has a lot of elite hockey.”

Crosby scored three points (two goals, one assist) in the series. Malkin had an assist. Letang had no points.

On Thursday, Malkin said he wasn’t ready for this run to end. One day later, the Penguins managed 22 shots on goal and were shut out by Carey Price.

“I think we still believe in the core group of this team,” Letang said. “I think we have a lot left in the tank. We’re going to keep playing hard and give everything for the Penguins. I think we have to be better. This year, we didn’t play good enough to win, but I feel comfortable with the group of guys that we have.” 

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Jays reliever Green and Canadian slugger O’Neill nominated for comeback player award

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NEW YORK – Toronto Blue Jays reliever Chad Green and Canadian slugger Tyler O’Neill of the Boston Red Sox were named finalists for the Major League Baseball Players’ Association’s American League comeback player award on Monday.

Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet was the other nominee.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. were named player of the year finalists.

The award winners, selected via player voting, will be named Saturday before Game 2 of the World Series.

Green, who missed most of the 2022 and ’23 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, was a high-leverage option for the Blue Jays this past season and filled in at closer over the second half of the campaign.

The right-hander converted his first 16 save opportunities and finished the year with a 4-6 record, 17 saves and a 3.21 earned-run average over 53 appearances.

O’Neill, a native of Burnaby, B.C., also endured back-to-back injury-plagued seasons in ’22 and ’23.

After being traded to the Red Sox in the off-season, O’Neill set an MLB record by hitting a homer in his fifth straight Opening Day. He finished with 31 homers on the year and had an OPS of .847.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Panthers’ Reinhart named NHL first star after posting nine points over four games

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NEW YORK – Florida Panthers centre Sam Reinhart was named NHL first star of the week on Monday after leading all players with nine points over four games last week.

Reinhart had four goals, five assists and a plus-seven rating to help the Stanley Cup champions post a 3-0-1 record on the week and move into first place in the Atlantic Division.

New York Rangers left-winger Artemi Panarin took the second star and Minnesota Wild goaltenderFilip Gustavsson was the third star.

Panarin had eight points (4-4) over three games.

Gustavsson became the 15th goalie in NHL history to score a goal and had a 1.00 goals-against average and .962 save percentage over a pair of victories.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Browns QB Deshaun Watson’s season ended by ruptured Achilles tendon, team said he’ll have surgery

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CLEVELAND (AP) — Deshaun Watson won’t finish the season as Cleveland’s starting quarterback for the second straight year.

He’s injured again, and the Browns have new problems.

Watson ruptured his right Achilles tendon in the first half of Sunday’s loss to Cincinnati, collapsing as he began to run and leading some Browns fans to cheer while the divisive QB laid on the ground writhing in pain.

The team feared Watson’s year was over and tests done Monday confirmed the rupture. The Browns said Watson will have surgery and miss the rest of the season but “a full recovery is expected.”

Watson was injured on a noncontact play in the second quarter of Cleveland’s 21-14 loss to the Bengals and carted off the field in tears.

It’s the second significant injury in two seasons for Watson, who broke the glenoid (socket) bone in his throwing shoulder last year after just six starts.

The 29-year-old went down Sunday without being touched on a draw play late in the first half. His right leg buckled and Watson crumpled to the turf. TV replays showed his calf rippling, consistent with an Achilles injury.

He immediately put his hands on his helmet, clearly aware of the severity of an injury similar to the one Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers sustained last year.

As he was being assisted by the team’s medical staff and backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson grabbed a ball to begin warming up, there was some derisive cheers and boos from the stands in Huntington Bank Field.

Cleveland fans have been split over Watson, who has been accused of being sexually inappropriate with women.

The reaction didn’t sit well with several Watson’s teammates, including star end Myles Garrett, the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, who was appalled by the fans’ behavior.

“We should be ashamed of ourselves as Browns and as fans to boo anyone and their downfall. To be season-altering, career-altering injury,” Garrett said. “Man’s not perfect. He doesn’t need to be. None of us are expected to be perfect. Can’t judge him for what he does off the field or on the field because I can’t throw stones for my glass house.

“Ultimately everyone’s human and they’re disappointed just like we are, but we have to be better than that as people. There’s levels to this. At the end of the day, it’s just a game and you don’t boo anybody being injured and you don’t celebrate anyone’s downfall.”

Backup quarterback Jameis Winston also admonished the uncomfortable celebration.

“I am very upset with the reaction to a man that has had the world against him for the past four years, and he put his body and life on the line for this city every single day,” he said. “The way I was raised, I will never pull on a man when he’s down, but I will be the person to lift him up.

“I know you love this game. When I first got here, I knew these were some amazing fans, but Deshaun was treated badly and now he has to overcome another obstacle. So I’m going to support him, I’m going to lift him up and I’m going to be there for him.”

The injury is yet another twist in Watson’s tumultuous time with the Browns.

Cleveland traded three first-round draft picks and five overall to Houston in 2022 to get him, with owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam approving the team giving Watson a fully guaranteed, five-year $230 million contract.

With a solid roster, the Browns were desperate to find a QB who could help them compete against the top AFC teams.

The Browns had moved on from Baker Mayfield despite drafting him No. 1 overall in 2018 and making the playoffs two seasons later.

But Watson has not played up to expectations — fans have been pushing for him to be benched this season — and Cleveland’s move to get him has been labeled an abject failure with the team still on the hook to pay him $46 million in each of the next two seasons.

Watson’s arrival in Cleveland also came amid accusations by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and harassment during massage therapy sessions while he played for the Texans. Two grand juries declined to indict him and he has settled civil lawsuits in all but one of the cases.

Watson was suspended by the NFL for his first 11 games and fined $5 million for violating the league’s personal conduct policy before he took his first snap with the Browns. The long layoff — he sat out the 2021 season in a contract dispute — led to struggles once he got on the field, and Watson made just six starts last season before hurting his shoulder.

Cleveland signed veteran Joe Flacco, who went 4-1 as a starter and led the Browns to the playoffs.

Before Watson got hurt this year, he didn’t play much better. He was one of the league’s lowest-rated passers for a Cleveland team that hasn’t scored 20 points in a game and is back in search of a franchise QB.

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