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Tag: Stanley Cup Finals

  • Matthew Caldwell leaving Cup champion Panthers, becoming CEO of Timberwolves and Lynx

    FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Matthew Caldwell is stepping down as the business operations president of the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and accepting a 10-year deal as CEO of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx.

    The teams announced the deal on Wednesday. Caldwell will begin overseeing “day-to-day business operations and high-level strategic initiatives for the Timberwolves, Lynx, and (the G League’s) Iowa Wolves” on Sept. 2.

    It’s a major move by new Timberwolves and Lynx owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, who assumed full control of those franchises earlier this summer.

    “I love the NHL. I’ve enjoyed hockey and I’m a big fan of it,” Caldwell said. “But the NBA is just a much bigger, global platform. I really believe in Marc and Alex and their vision and what they’re trying to do. They’re trying to make Minnesota best in class.”

    Caldwell joined the Panthers in 2014 as chief operating officer before being promoted to CEO in 2016.

    “Our vision is for the Timberwolves and Lynx to set a new standard of excellence in pro sports and we’re confident that Matthew is the leader needed to make that a reality,” Lore and Rodriguez said in a joint statement. “Leading our organization into an innovative new era requires an exceptional individual at the helm and Matthew’s proven track record leading the business of the Florida Panthers is undeniable. We can’t wait to see the remarkable impact his bold leadership will have on this organization.”

    Caldwell — who served in the Army, is a West Point grad, received MBA and law degrees from Northwestern and worked on Wall Street for Goldman Sachs — played a major role in many parts of the Panthers’ turnaround in recent years, especially off the ice.

    Earlier this year the Panthers extended their operating agreement with Broward County for five more years, ensuring that the team remains in the South Florida market through 2033 and likely well beyond. The team is playing host to an outdoor game in the Miami Marlins’ stadium for the first time this season, has a long waiting list for season tickets and opened a new practice facility at Fort Lauderdale’s War Memorial two years ago.

    Caldwell said the change was somewhat bittersweet, which was a sentiment echoed by Panthers owner Vincent Viola.

    “There are very few opportunities I would advise him to pursue, but working with Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore on a global platform like the NBA is at the top of that list,” Viola said. “It’s tremendously bittersweet for our family, but we recognize this is an exceptional opportunity and great next step in his career. Matt’s impact on our organization has been immeasurable and he leaves with our respect and gratitude.”

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  • Connor Hellebuyck makes 30 saves, Jets rout Oilers 6-0 in opener

    Connor Hellebuyck makes 30 saves, Jets rout Oilers 6-0 in opener

    EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Connor Hellebuyck made 30 saves for his 38th career shutout and the Winnipeg Jets routed the Edmonton Oilers 6-0 on Wednesday night in the opener for both teams.

    “The guys in front of me were just keeping everything outside, allowing me to see pucks, allowing me to feel it, clearing rebounds, clearing lanes,” Hellebuyck said. “They made my night really easy. Once in a while I made a big save, which allowed me to feel like a part of the team.”

    Mason Appleton had a goal and two assists, Adam Lowry and Mark Scheifele each had a goal and an assist and Rasmus Kupari, Dylan Samberg and Kyle Connor also scored.

    “It’s great, just to get the season off on a good note,” first-year Jets coach Scott Arniel said. “I did have a sleepless night just worrying about some of these guys on the other team there and how powerful they are as a group. … It’s a road win in a tough barn. We’ll take that and move on.”

    Edmonton outshot Winnipeg 30-20. The Oilers lost to Florida in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final last season.

    “You had an incredible year that finished with disappointment and it’s tough to just say ‘Forget about it, let’s think about now,’” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “But there is a point where we need to do that.”

    Oilers starter Stuart Skinner allowed five goals on 13 shots before being pulled midway through the second period. Calvin Pickard gave up a goal on seven shots.

    “I feel terrible about what happened tonight,” Skinner said. “It is very frustrating to start like this. It is just not ideal. I don’t feel great.”

    Takeaways

    Jets: Connor scored in an opener for an NHL-record seventh consecutive year. He walked in from the top of the circle on the power play midway through the second period and whipped a shot off the post and in. Three players scored in six straight openers: Cam Atkinson, Yvan Cournoyer and Mud Bruneteau.

    Oilers: Leon Draisaitl’s opening night points streak ended at eight.

    Key moment

    Winnipeg scored twice in a 20-second span early in the second period to take a 4-0 lead. Kupari ripped a shot past Skinner and, while that was still sinking in, Nino Niederreiter passed through traffic to Samberg for a shot over Skinner’s shoulder.

    Key stat

    The Jets scored four times on their first 10 shots.

    Up next

    The Oilers host Chicago on Saturday night in the second of four home games to start the season. The Jets open a four-homestand Friday night against the Blackhawks.

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  • Plum scores 34, Aces beat Fever 88-69 in front of fifth-largest crowd in WNBA history

    Plum scores 34, Aces beat Fever 88-69 in front of fifth-largest crowd in WNBA history

    Kelsey Plum scored 34 points and the Las Vegas Aces defeated the Indiana Fever, 88-69, in front of the fifth-largest crowd in WNBA history

    LAS VEGAS — Kelsey Plum scored 34 points and the Las Vegas Aces defeated the Indiana Fever, 88-69, in front of the fifth-largest crowd in WNBA history on Tuesday night.

    With an announced gathering of 20,366, the most-attended sporting event in T-Mobile Arena, home to the 2023 Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, the two-time defending champion Aces won their fifth straight.

    A’ja Wilson added 28 points and nine rebounds, while Jackie Young had 15 points and 10 assists. Kiah Stokes added 12 rebounds.

    Indiana’s All-Star contingent of Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark combined to score 54 points — 78.2% of the team’s scoring. All three were named to the WNBA All-Star team that will play the U.S. Olympic team in Phoenix on July 20.

    Plum, Wilson, Young and Chelsea Gray are all on Team USA.

    Mitchell led the Fever with 23 points, while Clark finished with 13 points and 11 assists and Boston chipped in with 18 points and 11 rebounds. NaLyssa Smith had 14 rebounds for Indiana.

    The Fever did their best to duplicate their comeback on Sunday, when they rallied from 15 down to beat Phoenix. After falling behind by as much as 11 early in the third quarter, the Fever rode the hot hand of Clark to draw closer.

    After a dismal first half, Clark came in the third, hitting 3 of 5 from the floor while also keying a 12-6 run to start the quarter. The Fever trailed by four heading into the final quarter.

    But the Aces opened the fourth quarter on a 14-0 run and never looked back. When Mitchell scored Indiana’s first points of the fourth it was too late.

    UP NEXT

    Fever: Host New York on Saturday.

    Aces: Host Washington on Thursday

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  • After winning the Stanley Cup with St. Louis in 2019, Tarasenko is playing a key role for Florida

    After winning the Stanley Cup with St. Louis in 2019, Tarasenko is playing a key role for Florida

    EDMONTON, Alberta — Minutes after winning Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final to move to the verge of a second championship in six years, Vladimir Tarasenko had no interest in revisiting the events that occurred on the ice.

    “The game is over,” he said. “There is no need to talk about it.”

    On to the next game, the next chance, is something Tarasenko learned during the St. Louis Blues’ title run in 2019, and he has brought some of that mentality to the Florida Panthers as they aim to win the first championship in franchise history. One of a couple of trade deadline pickups acquired to bolster the roster for just this occasion, Tarasenko has scored four goals this playoffs and taken on an important role in his short time with the club.

    “He’s been incredible — just his energy, every day,” fellow forward Sam Bennett said. “He’s always smiling. He’s always in a good mood. His leadership has been crucial for us. He’s got that experience and a lot of guys look up to him, so he’s been incredible for especially the young guys. But, honestly, every guy in our locker room looks up to him. He’s been a big part of this.”

    A big part of something the Panthers have been building for quite some time, starting with drafting center Aleksander Barkov and defenseman Aaron Ekblad and continuing by signing goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and trading for Bennet, Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart. General manager Bill Zito getting Tarasenko from Ottawa in March was the final piece of the puzzle.

    Before that, the only other Florida player with a Cup ring was Carter Verhaeghe who, coincidentally, won it all in the Edmonton bubble with Tampa Bay in 2020 — 15 months after Tarasenko and the Blues paraded through the streets of St. Louis.

    “He’s won a Cup, but he has an appreciation,” coach Paul Maurice said. “These guys, as they get a little older, they have an appreciation for the game.”

    Tarasenko at 32, having debuted in the NHL in 2013, is old enough that Tkachuk grew up in St. Louis watching and admiring him. Tarasenko was one of Tkachuk’s favorite players, too.

    “It’s actually pretty crazy I’m on the same team with him right now,” Tkachuk said Friday. “When it’s all said and done, we’ll be looking back (at this) as one of the coolest moments for me: Seeing him score a ton of big goals. … I’m sure my 12- or 15-year-old self would be completely starstruck with me having this opportunity right now to play with him.”

    Tarasenko, having won the Cup before, said Thursday there’s no message he needs to deliver to teammates. It all comes back to parking the previous game and focusing on the next one.

    “Everybody realizes it’s important to move on,” Tarasenko said. “If you have a one-game-at-a-time mindset, it helps you.”

    Maurice on the bench constantly hears Tarasenko and captain Barkov talking about hockey. Over the past few months, Tarasenko has started to do the same with Anton Lundell, taking on a mentoring role with the 22-year-old.

    For all the big moments he has had a hand in, that is another reason why Tarasenko has been valuable for the Panthers

    “Anton’s got a whole lot of playoff experience but he’s still a young player,” Maurice said. “Keeping him engaged, talking to him about the specifics about what happens on the ice, so there’s a leadership component to communication on the bench. He’s been very impactful in that way.”

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  • Grab your popcorn, we’ve got the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Finals upon us. Plus, have her WNBA co-stars been too hard on Caitlin Clark?

    Grab your popcorn, we’ve got the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Finals upon us. Plus, have her WNBA co-stars been too hard on Caitlin Clark?

    The Boston Celtics vs. the Dallas Mavericks

    The NBA Finals are here, with the Boston Celtics hosting the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden in a best-of-seven series. It’s a highly anticipated matchup between Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum, while Kyrie Irving and Kristaps Porzingis will both face their former teams. Speaking of Kyrie, did you hear that LeBron called him the most gifted player in NBA history? Here’s why.

    At first glance, or maybe in general, the Mavs look like your NBA Finals underdog, with only two Finals appearances (and one win) in franchise history, while the Celtics are tied with the Lakers for the most championships (17) in league history. But, the Celtics haven’t won since 2008, while the Mavs were crowned in 2011. As the Star Telegram’s Lawrence Dow wrote, the Mavs are used to an underdog narrative, eliminating the No. 1 (OKC Thunder), No. 3 (Minnesota Timberwolves) and No. 4 (LA Clippers) Western Conference teams to reach the finals. Here are more key stats to know before the finals tip off tonight.

    With star-studded teams on both sides of the court, it’s expected for this to be one of the most high-profile finals in recent years. But who’s got the edge?

    Also on this weekend: the Stanley Cup Finals

    Maybe I jinxed them…while the Dallas-Fort Worth area got the Dallas Mavericks in the finals just months after the Texas Rangers won the World Series, they did not get the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Finals. That honor went to the Edmonton Oilers, who will face the Florida Panthers starting on Sunday.

    With a formidable Edmonton offense led by Connor McDavid, the Panthers are facing their biggest challenge yet. Can they find a way to contain the top players in the league and come out on top?

    Caitlin Clark vs. the WNBA, the national media, the narrative?

    If you’ve been reading the Scorecard this year…we, along with the rest of the world, have given a fair amount of attention to a certain women’s basketball player. It’s not Beetlejuice, or Voldemort…it’s Caitlin Clark. And while her name isn’t taboo, it is definitely starting to feel that way.

    The world has watched her rise to fame, through an undeniable college career, and now to the WNBA. And to give credit where credit is due, Caitlin Clark is a huge part of the momentum behind supporting women’s basketball at all levels. It should surprise no one that it has come at a cost, but I think the most surprising part is who is making Clark pay up: her co-stars in the WNBA.

    From Diana Taurasi telling the world that “reality is coming” ahead of Clark even being drafted, to debuting and taking everything from hard screens to getting bodychecked by an unapologetic Chennedy Carter, it’s been a rough start to Clark’s professional career. And while I think she’s persevered, her coach is reporting mental and physical exhaustion for the entire Indiana Fever amid a tough schedule.

    But, is all of this just being blown out of proportion? The Sacramento Bee’s LeBron Hill says it’s just basketball and how players welcome rookies. While I think there’s definitely more to it, the one point I agree with is why aren’t her teammates sticking up for her?

    Other Top Stories:

    Read the last edition of The Scorecard here.

    Related stories from Raleigh News & Observer

    Trisha Garcia-Easto

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  • Joey Daccord posts second career shutout as Seattle topples Vegas 3-0 in Winter Classic

    Joey Daccord posts second career shutout as Seattle topples Vegas 3-0 in Winter Classic

    SEATTLE — As the last one on the ice, Joey Daccord skated in a circle with his goalie stick in the air and the home fans chanting his name in unison.

    The reaction from the crowd was deserved after the young Seattle Kraken goaltender shut out the defending Stanley Cup champions on one of the NHL’s biggest stages.

    “It’s truly the coolest thing in the world to have that support from them,” Daccord said.

    Daccord made 35 saves in his second career shutout, Eeli Tolvanen had a goal and an assist, and the Kraken beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 on Monday in the Winter Classic.

    A crowd of 47,313 at T-Mobile Park watched the Kraken dominate the reigning Stanley Cup champions in a matchup of the league’s last two expansion franchises. Seattle improved to 7-0-2 in its past nine games and continued its climb into playoff contention after a disappointing start to the season.

    “To have the opportunity to do this in this ballpark, in front of our home fans, get the result that everybody wanted makes it pretty special and that’s the best way to remember this event,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said.

    Tolvanen scored his 10th of the season, redirecting Vince Dunn’s shot from the blue line early in the first period. Tolvanen picked up the assist on Will Borgen’s slap shot that beat Vegas goalie Logan Thompson early in the second.

    Yanni Gourde gave Seattle a 3-0 lead 2:10 into the third on an effort play, stealing the puck from Paul Cotter at the blue line and poking it into the net after Thompson whiffed trying to sweep the puck aside.

    But the biggest development for Seattle in this game and for the past few weeks has been Daccord, who seems to be establishing himself as Seattle’s No. 1 option in net.

    “You always talk about goalies and what a really good goalie is and the best way to describe it is he saves the ones he needs to and then he saves one or two more that he shouldn’t save. And that’s what he’s done for us basically every game,” Seattle center Matty Beniers said.

    Daccord posted the first shutout in a Winter Classic and fifth shutout overall in the NHL’s 39 outdoor games since 2003. The Kraken are 6-0-2 in Daccord’s past eight starts, and he posted his second shutout in the last three weeks after blanking Florida on Dec. 12.

    Daccord made the easy saves look easy and stood strong when the Golden Knights threatened. Jack Eichel had a great opportunity late in the first period off a turnover by Brian Dumoulin, but Daccord made a solid save with his left pad.

    Mark Stone hit the post with a redirected shot late in the second. Eichel hit the crossbar with seven minutes left and a few minutes later was robbed on a glove save by Daccord.

    Since he didn’t get a chance at shooting toward the empty Vegas net in the closing seconds, the glove save was the moment that stood out the most for Daccord.

    Played in almost perfect condition with party cloudy skies, temperatures in the 40s and most importantly the retractable roof of T-Mobile Park wide open, the Kraken rewarded a sellout crowd with one of their more complete performances of the season.

    After Tolvanen put Seattle in front, Borgen made it 2-0 with his first goal since Game 4 of last season’s first-round playoff series against Colorado.

    Seattle’s nine-game point streak is the longest in franchise history, topping an eight-game win streak last season.

    Vegas lost for the fifth time in six games and struggled to generate many good scoring chances against Seattle.

    “I thought we’d be better, to be honest with you,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “It got to be 2-0 and we didn’t have the urgency required early on. By the time we got it, we’re chasing the game, which has happened to us lately. I’m a little disappointed in that we weren’t better out of the gate.”

    The Golden Knights arrived for the game in Elvis costumes but their performance lacked the showmanship of “The King.”

    The flash on this afternoon belonged to Seattle’s young goalie.

    “It was something that I’ll never forget and probably one of the coolest days my whole life,” Daccord said.

    UP NEXT

    Golden Knights: Host Florida on Thursday in a rematch of last year’s Stanley Cup final.

    Kraken: Host Ottawa on Thursday.

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  • Patrick Kane is signing with the Detroit Red Wings, an AP source says

    Patrick Kane is signing with the Detroit Red Wings, an AP source says

    Patrick Kane is joining the Detroit Red Wings for the rest of the season, choosing the championship-rich franchise over other suitors for the four-time All-Star’s return to the NHL from hip surgery.

    A person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Kane has agreed to a contract worth a prorated $2.75 million. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because Kane has not yet signed the contract, which will pay him just over $2 million in actual dollars.

    Kane, who turned 35 on Nov. 19, was an unrestricted free agent rehabbing from hip resurfacing surgery in June. He has been skating since August and told the AP in September that he was starting to feel like his old self again.

    The three-time Stanley Cup champion with Chicago and 2016 league MVP chose Detroit over a handful of other interested teams, including his hometown Buffalo Sabres, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the reigning Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers.

    After the Blackhawks and New York Rangers he joined after a pre-deadline trade, the Red Wings are set to become Kane’s third Original Six team.

    Kane is attempting to become only the third player to come back to the NHL from the invasive hip operation, following defenseman Ed Jovanovski and center Nicklas Backstrom. Jovanovski played only 37 games afterward, and Backstrom recently stepped away from the Washington Capitals 47 games into his attempt amid concerns about how his artificial left hip was holding up, with a return this season unlikely.

    The surgery, which tennis star Andy Murray also had, involves dislocating the upper end of the thighbone, trimming it, capping it and removing cartilage before putting it back in place. Kane’s expected recovery and rehab time was set at four to six months.

    Adding Kane is another potential boost for general manager Steve Yzerman’s Red Wings, who are 11-6-3 through 20 games and currently are in a playoff position in third place in the Atlantic Division. Detroit, which won the Stanley Cup 11 times between 1936-2008, is trying to end a seven-year postseason drought that stands as the franchise’s longest since the 1970s.

    The hope is Kane can return to the All-Star form he displayed before the nagging hip injury began hampering his play. He had 92 points in 78 games as recently as the 2021-22 season, and his 1,237 over his career are the second-most among U.S.-born players.

    It’s unclear when Kane will be cleared to play his first game for the Red Wings, though his camp’s plan since the surgery involved waiting until he was fully healthy before picking a destination.

    Kane was the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft and helped the Blackhawks hoist the Cup in 2010, ’13 and ’15. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2013.

    With Chicago in a rebuilding phase and nearing the end of his eight-year, $84 million contract, Kane last season became the top player available by trade and with a full no-movement clause could call his shot. Kane went to the Rangers and had six points in their seven-game first-round series loss to rival New Jersey.

    Kane had similar control as a free agent, letting the market and the first month of the season play out before talking to interested teams. Rather than the true homecoming of returning to his native Buffalo, he picked another familiar spot in Detroit, 20 years after playing a season of junior hockey in suburban Farmington Hills, Michigan, and then with the U.S. National Team Development Program in Plymouth.

    Not getting Kane, the Sabres will continue their attempt to end a league-worst 12-season playoff drought with the young talent they’ve already assembled. Buffalo’s roster includes up-and-coming young star centers Tage Thompson and Casey Mittelstadt and defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power.

    Kane would need to get up to NHL speed quickly to play in Buffalo as a visitor next week. His first game at Chicago would be Feb. 25, after he did not face the Blackhawks following the trade to New York.

    The Red Wings and Blackhawks were longtime, bitter rivals until Detroit was shifted from the Western to the Eastern Conference in 2013 as part of realignment. Kane follows a similar path to the player he’s chasing for the U.S. scoring record: Mike Modano, who played 20 seasons for the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars before finishing his career with the Red Wings.

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  • Blackhawks hand Vegas first loss of season with 4-3 win in overtime

    Blackhawks hand Vegas first loss of season with 4-3 win in overtime

    LAS VEGAS — Phillipp Kurashev scored on a power play 2:50 into overtime, and the Chicago Blackhawks beat Vegas 4-3 on Friday to hand the Golden Knights their first loss of the season.

    With William Karlsson in the penalty box for tripping Connor Bedard, Kurashev skated to the top of the slot and ripped the winner past Vegas goalie Adin Hill. It was Kurashev’s first goal of the season.

    The Blackhawks improved to 2 for 22 on road power plays this season. It was the first time Vegas allowed a power-play goal at home this season.

    “It was just a long shift too, we stayed out there for a while,” Kurashev said. “I just saw the opportunity to shoot it, took it and it went in.”

    Bedard, Ryan Donato and Taylor Raddysh also scored for Chicago, which had dropped three in a row and five of six overall. Petr Mrazek stopped 18 shots.

    Vegas opened the season with seven consecutive victories for the best start for a defending Stanley Cup champion in NHL history. The Golden Knights beat the Blackhawks 5-3 in Chicago last week.

    “We’re a young team and we beat the defending champs so it’s a great confidence boost for us,” Kurashev said. “I think we can learn a lot from it and take good things from it, and hopefully we can build on something.”

    Karlsson, Pavel Dorofeyev and Shea Theodore scored for Vegas. Hill made 20 saves.

    Vegas and Chicago combined for four goals during a back-and-forth first period.

    The Golden Knights jumped in front on Dorofeyev’s first of the season at 1:35. Dorofeyev took a pass from Michael Amadio and redirected it past Mrazek.

    Karlsson made it 2-0 at 3:52 when he tipped in Theodore’s blast from the blue line.

    After looking stagnant early, the Blackhawks began to find their form midway through the first. Donato grabbed a pass from Corey Perry and snuck a shot past Hill for his second goal at 13:20.

    Moments later, Nick Foligno nudged the puck to the slot for a streaking Bedard, who one-timed a wrist shot under Hill’s glove at 14:39.

    It was the third goal of the season for the No. 1 overall overall draft pick, and his second against Vegas. Bedard, 18, became the youngest player in league history to score in each of his first two games against the defending Stanley Cup champions.

    Chicago went in front for the first time in the third. Theodore whiffed on a clearing attempt in the defensive zone, and Raddysh skated in and beat Hill 1:11 into the period.

    Theodore then atoned for the mistake with his third goal at 11:28.

    After finishing with 11 shots on goal in the first period, the Golden Knights combined for 10 the rest of the way.

    “Obviously they were playing hard and stepping up, but I thought we weren’t really making the plays we normally make,” Vegas center Brett Howden said. “I thought it was good for us to get a goal back and at least get a point out of it. But it’s not up to our standard.”

    Added Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy: “I just thought we mishandled pucks all night. We did not execute at an NHL level.”

    UP NEXT

    Blackhawks: Visit Arizona on Monday

    Golden Knights: Visit Los Angeles on Saturday

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  • Marchessault breaks tie in shootout, unbeaten Golden Knights beat Stars 3-2

    Marchessault breaks tie in shootout, unbeaten Golden Knights beat Stars 3-2

    LAS VEGAS — Jonathan Marchessault broke a shootout tie in the Vegas Golden Knights’ 3-2 victory over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night in a Western Conference final rematch.

    Marchessault gave Vegas (4-0) a 2-1 edge in the shootout after teammate Shea Theodore and Dallas’ Matt Duchene traded goals. Dallas had a chance to extend the shootout, but Roope Hintz’s shot hit the crossbar.

    “I don’t know that I’ve ever won a shootout without making a save,” Knights goalie Adin Hill said.

    Kaedan Korczak and William Karlsson each had a goal and an assist for the Knights, and Hill stopped 24 shots. Craig Smith and Joe Pavelski scored for Dallas, and Jake Oettinger made 32 savess.

    This was the first meeting since the Knights eliminated Dallas in six games to advance to the Stanley Cup Final, where Vegas won the championship.

    They traded goals and plenty of punches in the second period in which each team received two fighting majors. It was the first time since March 2018 against the Montreal Canadiens that Dallas had two fighting majors in a game.

    “There’s some animosity that’s left over from last year, and it looks like we’re going to build some more,” Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “It’s actually good that each team got a point out of it when you put that much on the table, and we were able to get the extra one in an entertaining overtime.”

    Tyler Seguin’s rebound and pass to Smith put the Stars on top at 5:52 of the second period, and the Knights’ answered with the equalizer with 6:57 left when Korczak shot from the right point for his first career goal.

    Vegas had a chance to add to the lead with a 5-on-3 power play late in the period, but failed to get the puck in the net despite quality looks from Jack Eichel, Shea Theodore and Chandler Stephenson. The penalties carried over to the third period, but the Knights didn’t capitalize.

    Dallas didn’t miss when given the opportunity. Pavelski scored off a faceoff from the left circle at 2:50 of the third to put the Stars back in front 2-1. But the Knights tied the game when Karlsson redirected Korczak’s shot from the right point with 2:59 left in regulation.

    “You hate losing a 2-1 lead with five minutes left in the game, but good learning opportunities early in the season,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “We’ll move forward and try to get better.”

    NOTES

    Dallas ended the Knights’ scoring streak at nine periods by shutting out Vegas in the first. Michael Amadio came close, missing an open net from the left side 5:54 into the period. The Knights had scored in every period this season until then. … Vegas has not allowed a power-play goal over its last 12 games and 27 chances. … Two Knights players returned after missing the two previous games — William Carrier (upper-body injury) and Brett Howden (suspension). … Amadio played in his 300th career game, and Vegas teammate Keegan Kolesar appeared in his 200th.

    UP NEXT

    Stars: At Anaheim on Thursday night.

    Golden Knights: At Winnipeg on Thursday night.

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  • Golden Knights raise Stanley Cup banner, beat Kraken 4-1 in opener

    Golden Knights raise Stanley Cup banner, beat Kraken 4-1 in opener

    LAS VEGAS — Jonathan Marchessault scored, Adin Hill made 23 saves and the Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights beat the Seattle Kraken 4-1 on Tuesday night after a banner-raising ceremony.

    Conn Smythe winner Marchessault scored in the first game of the season for the fourth straight year and the fifth time in seven seasons with Vegas.

    Chandler Stephenson, Ivan Barbashev and Jack Eichel also scored for the Golden Knights.

    The Golden Knights improved to 6-1-0 in home openers, their only loss coming in 2018 to Philadelphia. Vegas has outscored their visitors 26-14 in those games.

    Jared McCann scored Seattle’s lone goal. Philipp Grubauer made 24 saves.

    Vegas got the scoring going early in the first period when Mark Stone, Brett Howden and Stephenson played tic-tac-toe in the offensive zone. As they crossed the blue line, Stone went cross-ice with a pass to Howden, who sent the puck to the crease where Stephenson was there for the finish.

    The Golden Knights made it 2-0 when Seattle’s Brandon Tanev went to clear the puck past the goal, but Marchessault nicked it off course and past Grubauer.

    Barbashev connected on a breakaway snapper 1:20 into the second period to make it 3-0. Seattle answered midway through the period when McCann’s wrist shot from the slot sailed past Hill.

    The Kraken had an ample opportunity midway into the third, when Howden was called for a match penalty when he delivered a shot to Tanev’s head. But just as he did in standing tall during the Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup run, Hill was outstanding in making six saves during the penalty kill.

    “I thought our penalty kill did an excellent job,” Hill said. “It was kind of an area of emphasis during camp, just trying to work on it and kind of be aggressive and err on the side of aggression. I thought we did that tonight and I thought our penalty kill was outstanding. Of course they’re going to get a couple looks, but yeah, we did a good job limiting it.”

    Eichel scored into an empty net with a little more than a minute remaining.

    “We had enough scoring chances,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “Early in the hockey game, we could execute a little bit better on a couple of them, we had a couple of missed nets on a couple of real good opportunities that we executed the play really well, we didn’t finish. All of a sudden in a (first) period where we’ve done a lot of pretty good things, we’re down 2-0. Now you’re now you’re digging out of a deep hole. Ultimately, we didn’t capitalize when we had the good opportunities, whether it be 5 on 5, or on the power play.”

    INJURY UPDATE

    Golden Knights forward William Carrier left during the second period with an upper-body injury and did not return. … Seattle forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare also left the bench in the second period after blocking a shot with his left hand. He returned for the third period.

    UP NEXT

    Kraken: At Nashville on Thursday night.

    Golden Knights: At San Jose on Thursday night.

    ___

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  • Golden Knights raise Stanley Cup championship banner before season opener

    Golden Knights raise Stanley Cup championship banner before season opener

    The Golden Knights raised their Stanley Cup championship banner in the most Las Vegas way possible

    ByMARK ANDERSON AP sports writer

    October 10, 2023, 11:31 PM

    Members of the Vegas Golden Knights watch as a Stanley Cup championship banner is raised during a ceremony before an NHL hockey game against the Seattle Kraken, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

    The Associated Press

    LAS VEGAS — The Golden Knights raised their Stanley Cup championship banner in the most Las Vegas way possible.

    Captain Mark Stone placed the Stanley Cup next to an oversized slot machine on the ice Tuesday night before the season opener against the Seattle Kraken and pulled the lever. Three Cups representing the jackpot came up, and then the banner began to emerge from the slot machine as the capacity crowd roared and players looked on.

    Before the players came on the ice, a video played in T-Mobile Arena going through the team’s short history from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announcing Las Vegas was awarded an expansion team to the expansion draft to Deryk Engelland’s emotional speech following the Route 91 Harvest festival mass shooting.

    Highlights were then shown, ending with the Knights winning their first championship in June.

    Raising the banner capped a three-day celebration for the Knights. They received 12-carat white and yellow diamond championship rings in a private ceremony Sunday. Then Monday night, the players lit the Al Davis memorial torch at Allegiant Stadium before the Las Vegas Raiders’ game against the Green Bay Packers.

    Not only did the Knights raise their banner to the rafters, Tuesday marked six years since Engelland delivered his “Vegas Strong” speech, nine days after the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. Vegas’ championship banner resides next to one that memorializes the victims of the Route 91 Harvest festival shooting with 60 stars representing each victim who died from that tragedy.

    The Knights fulfilled owner Bill Foley’s pledge to win the Cup in six years, a statement that seemed at best optimistic when uttered. But Vegas was competitive from the beginning, making the Stanley Cup Final in its first season before losing to Washington in five games, the Capitals celebrating on the Knights’ ice after the clincher.

    When given another shot at the Cup, the Knights didn’t let the opportunity go to waste. This time, they won it in five games, routing the Florida Panthers 9-3 in front of a raucous home crowd.

    The Knights have decided to try to run it back, returning all but one skater who competed in the Final. Reilly Smith, one of the six remaining original Knights, was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

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  • Vegas Golden Knights championship parade expected to rival New Year’s Eve on Strip, planners say

    Vegas Golden Knights championship parade expected to rival New Year’s Eve on Strip, planners say

    LAS VEGAS — Tens of thousands of Vegas Golden Knights fans, maybe more, are expected at the heart of the Las Vegas Strip on Saturday for a Stanley Cup victory parade and a rally to mark the team’s first-ever NHL championship.

    Las Vegas police prepared Friday for upwards of 100,000 people to cram viewing areas along Las Vegas Boulevard for a celebration that planners were comparing to annual New Year’s Eve fireworks shows that in past years have drawn estimates of 400,000 people. Unlike a winter midnight, evening temperatures are expected to be in the 90s.

    The Strip will be closed for the motorcade, which is set to begin at 7 p.m. near Flamingo Road and proceed about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) to Tropicana Avenue before a fan rally at Toshiba Plaza and the Park District in front of T-Mobile Arena.

    Police said road closures will be from about 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Glass bottles, large bags, luggage and backpacks are prohibited, along with coolers, strollers and collapsible seats.

    The team played its first game at the arena as an expansion franchise in October 2017 — just days after a gunman unleashed the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, killing 58 in one night at an outdoor country music concert.

    Players who had dubbed themselves the Golden Misfits embraced survivors, first responders and volunteers and the team has over the years become a key part of “Vegas Strong” events aimed at healing community trauma.

    That first year, team owner Bill Foley famously predicted the Golden Knights would make the playoffs in three years and win the Stanley Cup in six years. The franchise surprised many by making the playoffs the first year and advancing to the championship before losing to the Washington Capitals in five games.

    This year, the Golden Knights cruised through the playoffs, never facing an elimination game, and routed the Florida Panthers 9-3 in Game 5 on Tuesday. Team captain Mark Stone scored a three-goal “hat trick.” Jonathan Marchessault received the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

    Marchessault is one of the six original members of the Golden Knights expansion team. He and the others — Reilly Smith, William Karlsson, Shea Theodore, Brayden McNabb and William Carrier — were among the first to hold the Stanley Cup during post-game celebrations.

    All week, players have been spotted celebrating at some of the same glittery resorts the procession will pass. The casinos have familiar names: Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Bellagio, Horseshoe, Paris Las Vegas, Cosmopolitan, Planet Hollywood, New York-New York, Aria, MGM Grand.

    The parade route, arena and plaza also hosted a championship victory celebration last September, after the Las Vegas Aces defeated the Connecticut Sun to win the WNBA Championship. The women’s basketball team also plays at T-Mobile Arena.

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    Associated Press sports writer Mark Anderson contributed to this report.

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  • Vegas Golden Knights win Stanley Cup thanks to depth and consistency

    Vegas Golden Knights win Stanley Cup thanks to depth and consistency

    William Carrier glanced around the Vegas Golden Knights locker room at all the talent around him: leading scorer Jonathan Marchessault, first-line center Jack Eichel, captain Mark Stone and more.

    He marveled at the team’s depth and what it has meant.

    “It makes a good team, right?” Carrier said. “It makes you win a lot of games.”

    And, ultimately, the Stanley Cup.

    The Golden Knights are NHL champions for the first time thanks to the deepest roster in the league, which allowed them to withstand injuries at every position and sustain a long playoff run. They got production from 20 players over four rounds, vanquishing Winnipeg, Edmonton, Dallas and then Florida in the final with waves of talent that overwhelmed each opponent.

    “Our depth has been a strength all year,” first-year coach and first-time Stanley Cup winner Bruce Cassidy said. “(Opponents) might have some better players or a better penalty kill or power play or goaltender — now we’re starting to see that our guys are pretty good, too. I do believe it’s been the big strength of our team. I just think it’s been really good for us.”

    Cassidy said in the middle of the final he thought Vegas had the best team in hockey “from player 1 through 20.” That’s hard to argue with now, after the Boston Bruins (the team Cassidy coached to six playoff appearances before firing him last year) lost to Florida in the first round following their record-setting regular season.

    The Golden Knights eliminated the Panthers in five games, taking advantage of their four strong forward lines and three big defenseman pairings who made life as easy as possible on journeyman goaltender-turned stalwart Adin Hill, himself a prime example of that depth after being a second-round injury replacement. With only 12 forward spots to fill, Phil Kessel — a two-time Stanley Cup winner in Pittsburgh — and trade deadline pickup Teddy Blueger were healthy scratches.

    “You have enough good guys here to make five lines,” said Carrier, one of six original Knights players left from their inaugural season in 2017-18 that ended with a loss in the final. “We just roll them. Some nights, some lines will have better nights than others, and they step up their games and it’s great to have. Anyone can score at any point, and everyone plays well.”

    Vegas is just the fifth team since the salary cap era started in 2005-06 to have three players score 10 or more goals during a postseason. It’s the only team this year to have four player with eight or more.

    But it wasn’t just about scoring. The Golden Knights allowed less than three goals per game and punished opponents with calculated physicality, a benefit of the depth that ensured no one player had to be overextended.

    “Everyone’s got to give a little bit,” said defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, now a two-time Cup winner after captaining St. Louis to its first championship in 2019. “We’ve all done that, and we all understand that maybe giving up a couple minutes to each other’s going to keep the energy up throughout the game.”

    Pietrangelo, the most important free agent signing in franchise history on a $61 million, seven-year deal in 2020, called this the deepest team he has ever been on.

    How deep? Hill was one of five different goalies to win a game this season for Vegas. Since replacing injured starter Laurent Brossoit in Game 3 against the Oilers, Hill has gone 11-4 with the best goals-against average and save percentage in the playoffs.

    “He’s played well all year for us,” Pietrangelo said. “All of our goalies have played well regardless of who’s in here. It’s a credit to him for being prepared when he did come in there a few series ago.”

    Five years after a loss to the Capitals allowed the visiting locker room to be the scene of a Cup-winning celebration, president of hockey operations George McPhee and Kelly McCrimmon, his assistant who was promoted to run the day-to-day show as general manager, have been working toward this moment. McCrimmon said the front office knew the inaugural season success was “lightning in a bottle” and took big swings to add Pietrangelo, Stone, Eichel and others in building a championship-caliber roster.

    That process involved saying goodbye to beloved goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and making some tough decisions along the way.

    “If you have these jobs and you want to avoid the hard decisions, you probably shouldn’t have these jobs,” McCrimmon said. “But it’s been a process that’s, I think, been calculated. I think it’s been based on good decisions made for the right reasons.”

    The reason, the end goal, was to win the Stanley Cup. Depth made it happen.

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  • Vegas Golden Knights buck trend of small D-men during Stanley Cup Final run

    Vegas Golden Knights buck trend of small D-men during Stanley Cup Final run

    Alex Pietrangelo gets beaten up a lot this time of year.

    The veteran Vegas Golden Knights defenseman understands the grind of a long playoff run and the toll it can take. The good news is Vegas’ blue line ranges from 6-foot-1 to 6-6, the kind of size that has allowed the Golden Knights to advance to the verge of winning the Stanley Cup.

    Vegas has successfully bucked the trend of smaller defensemen by having bigger players at the position who can skate quickly and move the puck efficiently in line with modern hockey.

    “You’re able to take the hits and you’re able to withstand a little bit more physical play,” Pietrangelo said. “As a group, we’re able to handle that, but I think we skate well enough, too, where we can get out of that. I think we’ve got a good balance back there of size and speed.”

    Pietrangelo is 6-3 and line partner Alec Martinez is two inches shorter. Nic Hague is 6-6, Zach Whitecloud and Shea Theodore 6-2, and original Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb is 6-3.

    None are the dinosaurs of hockey’s past who could hit but not do much else but clear the front of the net. They’re still physical when they need to be.

    “We’re not going to get pushed out of the game,” Hague said. “We can hold our own winning puck battles, and we want to try to move the puck quick in transition.”

    Fleet-footed defensemen who can swiftly move the puck up ice are the flavor of the decade in the NHL. Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy had 5-9 Torey Krug with him on the Boston Bruins when they lost in the final to Pietrangelo and the Blues in 2019.

    Cassidy has since learned about Pietrangelo being an all-around player and knows defensemen of various shapes and sizes can pave the way to the Cup. Vegas happens to be big and can handle the bruising.

    “For right now, that’s how we’re built and it’s working for us,” Cassidy said. “It’s not always the physical part. It’s the length sometimes to get inside, right? That’s the system you play. Your stick length, you’re just getting into people when you’re longer and taller and heavier and wear people down.”

    The Golden Knights haven’t just worn opponents down. They’ve also been able to absorb the punishment that comes with a long playoff run, an important ingredient in winning.

    At those times, size matters.

    “All playoffs long, you’ve got guys who are going to come in and every check gets finished,” Hague said. “It’s a pretty physical game out there, and we’ll never get pushed out of it and that won’t deter us from trying to do what we’re going to do because we can handle it.”

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  • Vegas Golden Knights hold off Florida Panthers 3-2, move win from Stanley Cup title

    Vegas Golden Knights hold off Florida Panthers 3-2, move win from Stanley Cup title

    SUNRISE, Fla. — The Vegas Golden Knights are on the verge of winning the first Stanley Cup title in franchise history after holding on to beat the Florida Panthers 3-2 in Game 4 of the final Saturday night.

    Vegas leads the series 3-1 and can win the NHL championship on home ice Tuesday night. Getting to the verge that wasn’t easy.

    Chandler Stephenson scored twice for the Golden Knights, and William Karlsson broke through to end his series-long goal drought to build a 3-0 lead. The Panthers scored twice — Brandon Montour on a pinball goal late in the second period, and Aleksander Barkov’s first of the series early in the third — to claw back into it.

    But their rally fell short and put Florida, eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and final team to qualify for the playoffs, on the brink of this improbable run coming to an end.

    Once again Sergei Bobrovsky almost kept the Panthers afloat, stopping 28 of the 31 shots he faced and giving up goals when teammates left him out to dry. At the other end of the ice, journeyman goaltender Adin Hill made 29 saves for his 10th win since stepping in during the middle of the second round.

    The Golden Knights need only win one more game to deliver a championship to Las Vegas in just their sixth year of existence, making good on owner Bill Foley’s goal to win the Stanley Cup in that period of time. They reached the final in their inaugural season in 2017-18 before losing to Washington in five games.

    Vegas is more talented and has certainly looked more prepared for the spotlight this time around. Stephenson — who beat them five years ago as a member of the Capitals — and Hill were trade acquisitions, as was first-line center Jack Eichel and captain Mark Stone, who had two assists in Game 4.

    A couple of original Knights players also helped them take the penultimate step to the peak of hockey’s mountaintop. Jonathan Marchessault assisted on Karlsson’s goal that made it 3-0, his 24th point that ties for the playoff lead in scoring.

    Then the Panthers made it interesting. Montour scored by banking the puck off the right skate of Brayden Montour and then the right skate of Shea Theodore and past Hill with 3:51 remaining in the second period and set up Barkov with a perfect pass from behind the net 3:50 into the third.

    Missing leading scorer Matthew Tkachuk for several shifts, Florida kept buzzing around Hill and got a few more big stops from Bobrovsky to continue the pressure. A 17.4 second 6-on-4 advantage when veteran Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo put the puck over the glass provided a final flurry but did not yield the team’s first power-play goal of the series.

    The Panthers will have another last-gasp in Game 5, but they’ll have to replicate their opening round comeback from down 3-1 to Boston to keep Vegas from winning it all.

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  • In finally competitive Stanley Cup Final, Vegas may still have edge on Florida

    In finally competitive Stanley Cup Final, Vegas may still have edge on Florida

    FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The sour taste in the aftermath of their Stanley Cup Final Game 3 loss is gone for the Vegas Golden Knights, who quickly moved on to enjoying the nearby ocean breeze.

    They’re breathing easily up 2-1 on the Florida Panthers in the series, knowing fully they’ve been the better team so far. Taking a day away off the ice and away from the rink — but not too far away from hockey on this big a stage — the Golden Knights are calm, cool and confident going into Game 4 Saturday night with another chance to move toward hoisting the Cup.

    “We’re not going to change a lot. We don’t need to,” coach Bruce Cassidy said from his team’s beachfront hotel Friday morning. “We’re not going to beat ourselves up over (Game 3). We’re going to do what we’ve always done. We’re going to work to get better and keep growing our game and hopefully be better.”

    The Golden Knights have only lost consecutive games once on this playoff run, when they were up 3-0 on Dallas in the Western Conference final. What followed was their best performance of the entire season.

    That’s still the blueprint, which could come in handy since that was also a road game. But there are still elements of what Vegas is doing entirely within this series that give players confidence, everything from going a surprising 6 of 17 on the power play and a perfect 12 of 12 on the penalty kill to solving Sergei Bobrovsky early and even Ivan Barbashev hitting the post late in the third period Thursday.

    “We certainly feel the first three games there’s been way more good than bad,” Cassidy said. “The guys know what’s at stake. It’ll be predominantly what we’ve been doing, 90% of how we want to play.”

    The other 10%, the adjustments that make up the chess match during any playoff series, is also easy to identify. Forward Keegan Kolesar, whose crunching hit on Matthew Tkachuk knocked Florida’s leading scorer out for a big stretch of Game 3 because of concussion protocol, pointed to the Golden Knights giving up three goals at even strength as an anomaly.

    “That’s not like us,” Kolesar said. “That’s something that we’re going to have to clean up. We’re not going to beat ourselves down on it. We know we’ll be better from it next game, but there’s just little critiques that we can probably do to help ourselves out.”

    They can also go back to making it a priority to create South Florida rush hour-like traffic in front of Bobrovsky, who returned to his second- and third-round form in a major bounce back from getting pulled in Game 2, stopping 25 of 27 shots.

    Bobrovsky’s brilliance is just one reason the Panthers are riding high after Carter Verhaeghe’s goal got them back in the series and made them 7-0 in overtime this postseason. There’s also Tkachuk’s latest playoff heroics: setting up new dad Brandon Montour’s goal early in Game 3, scoring with 2:17 left in regulation to tie it and screening Vegas goalie Adin Hill to pave the way for Verhaeghe to find the net.

    Coach Paul Maurice said the win gave his team a chance, and that’s enough for him right now. He shook off any notion the Panthers might have found control of the series — saying they didn’t even feel that way when they were on the way to beating Toronto in five games and sweeping Carolina.

    “The picture that just came into my head was a frog reaching up and choking an alligator or something, ‘I’ve got him where I want him,’” Maurice said. “No, we’re scratching and clawing shift by shift. We’re not looking for control.”

    Veteran Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb agreed with the notion that he and his teammates have control after establishing it earlier in the series.

    “Go win Game 4, it’s 3-1: That’s a pretty big lead,” McNabb said. “They got a little momentum off winning last game. It ends after the game. Both teams have a chance to regroup. We know what’s at stake for Game 4, and it’s a big game for us.”

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    AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds in Sunrise, Florida, contributed to this report.

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  • Lionel Messi picks MLS’s Inter Miami in a move that stuns soccer after exit from Paris Saint-Germain

    Lionel Messi picks MLS’s Inter Miami in a move that stuns soccer after exit from Paris Saint-Germain

    MIAMI — Lionel Messi has pulled off his latest stunning feat: He is headed to Major League Soccer and joining Inter Miami.

    After months — years, even — of speculation, Messi on Wednesday finally revealed his decision to join a Miami franchise that has been led by another global soccer icon, David Beckham, since its inception but has yet to make any real splashes on the field.

    That likely will soon change. One of Inter Miami’s owners, Jorge Mas, tweeted out a photo of a darkly silhouetted Messi jersey shortly before the Argentinian great revealed his decision in interviews with Spanish news outlets Mundo Deportivo and Sport.

    It was widely believed that Messi eventually would choose to play for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, following longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo to a nation where some clubs now are funded by the state’s sovereign wealth fund. Going back to Barcelona, a storied franchise where he spent most of his career, was another possibility.

    But in the end, he made the call that surprised many. Messi is joining MLS. He said in the interviews Wednesday that some final details still need to be worked out, but that he has made the call to “continue my path” in Miami.

    “After winning the World Cup and not being able to return to Barcelona, it was my turn to go to the league of the United States to live football in another way,” Messi said.

    He didn’t take the money. He didn’t choose the memories. He picked Miami instead. Messi’s next matches are likely to be exhibitions with Argentina against Australia on June 15 at Beijing and at Indonesia in Jakarta four days later — and then his Inter Miami debut figures to be sometime in July.

    “We are pleased that Lionel Messi has stated that he intends to join Inter Miami and Major League Soccer this summer,” read a statement from MLS. “Although work remains to finalize a formal agreement, we look forward to welcoming one of the greatest soccer players of all time to our league.”

    The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner — the trophy given annually to the world’s best player — makes his move after two years with Paris Saint-Germain. At 35, Messi has nothing left to prove in the game and filled the only significant unchecked box on his resume back in December by leading Argentina to the World Cup title.

    Messi has more than 800 goals in his career for club and country, making him one of the greatest scorers in the sport’s history. In more than 17 years of representing Argentina on the international stage, he has scored 102 goals against 38 different national team opponents — 16 of those goals coming on U.S. soil. He scored twice in last year’s World Cup final against France, a match that ended 3-3 with Argentina prevailing 4-2 on penalty kicks.

    He has been to the absolute mountaintop of the game. He is a four-time Champions League winner and his 129 goals in the top club competition are second to Ronaldo’s 140. Messi has won 10 La Liga titles and two Ligue 1 championships, seven Copa del Reys and three Club World Cups plus a Copa América and Olympic gold medal for Argentina.

    And now he comes to MLS, and a team that is struggling — last place in the Eastern Conference, just a few days removed from the firing of coach Phil Neville (who was hand-picked by Beckham two years ago).

    Messi’s decision to play in the U.S. might be the biggest boost ever for American soccer on the pro stage. Some of the game’s biggest names — Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer, Thierry Henry and Beckham himself — have come to the U.S. toward the end of their careers, but landing a player still no worse than near the pinnacle of his game and just a few months removed from hoisting a World Cup is simply huge.

    “This is obviously the biggest signing that they’ve brought in,” said Nashville defender Walker Zimmerman, a U.S. national team regular. “It’s kind of reminiscent of Beckham when he came originally. You saw how the league has kind of changed in the 15 years since he arrived, and hopefully 15 years from now we’re seeing all the growth from this addition to the league. I think it’s a great thing.

    “I think it’ll be great for the sport in this country, especially ahead of the 2026 World Cup. And I’m excited to play against him.”

    It took months of negotiations with MLS, the Miami ownership, Adidas and even Apple getting involved in a creative pitch to bring Messi to Miami’s pitch. Apple — which is a broadcast partner of MLS — announced Tuesday that it will show a still-untitled four-part documentary series “featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes access to global superstar Lionel Messi. … In his own words, Messi tells the definitive story of his incredible career with the Argentina national football team, providing an intimate and unprecedented look at his quest for a legacy-defining World Cup victory.”

    And now, his story will have a Miami chapter. His move comes in a week when the NBA’s Miami Heat and NHL’s Florida Panthers are both at home in their respective title series — and the Heat, during Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night, flashed a graphic on their scoreboard welcoming Messi to Miami.

    The Heat trailed by 21 points at the time. A few people cheered anyway.

    Inter Miami needed six years from inception to playing its first match, and its first four seasons have been less than stellar.

    Messi is joining a team that sits last in the Eastern Conference and just fired its coach. It has made the playoffs in two of its first three seasons but has yet to finish a season with a winning record or even a positive goal differential.

    Still, there have been hints for months that Miami remained very much in the Messi sweepstakes. Messi met with Inter Miami co-owner Beckham this spring, and that was shared publicly almost to ensure that everyone knew the sides were still talking. Messi and his family also own several pieces of luxury real estate in South Florida, and — almost as if to suggest something big was coming — the MLS club told fans the only way they could get tickets for the second half of this season was to purchase a season-ticket package.

    He’s an enormous draw everywhere on the globe, including Miami. Two days after Argentina won the World Cup, Miami Heat guard Kyle Lowry sat on his team’s bench for a game unable to play because of injury. He wore a Messi jersey that night.

    Inter Miami still plays home matches in a temporary home in Fort Lauderdale, about 45 minutes north of the site in Miami where the team wants to build a permanent complex.

    And even in an area where the population has a serious Latin flavor, and where more people might actually call the sport fútbol than soccer, Inter Miami has struggled to generate the same attention as do the area’s primary pro teams — basketball’s Heat, baseball’s Miami Marlins, football’s Miami Dolphins and hockey’s Panthers.

    Messi could change that in an instant. In a flash, he becomes the biggest name in MLS and makes everything Miami does newsworthy. Barcelona released a statement saying Jorge Messi, the player’s father, told the club president Joan Laporta of the decision to go to Miami and wished him well.

    “President Laporta understood and respected Messi’s decision to want to compete in a league with fewer demands, further away from the spotlight and the pressure he has been subject to in recent years,” the statement from Barcelona said.

    His decision ends what has been a wild saga. Barcelona made Messi a superstar, but the financial issues that forced the team to letting him go two years ago still remain an issue.

    “I heard that they’d have to sell players or lower players’ salaries and the truth is, I didn’t want to go through that,” Messi said Wednesday.

    There are no financial issues with Saudi Arabia, and speculation that he would end up there intensified when Messi made an unauthorized trip to the kingdom. PSG suspended him and some fans turned on him, serenading him with jeers toward the end of his season with the French club.

    Everyone knew he wouldn’t be back with PSG. Few likely thought he was heading to Miami. But here he is, a move to Miami by a superstar that might even be more shocking than LeBron James arriving to join the Heat 13 years ago.

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    AP Sports Writer Ronald Blum in New York contributed to this report.

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  • Jack Eichel shows ‘it hurts to win’ bouncing back from big hit in Stanley Cup Final

    Jack Eichel shows ‘it hurts to win’ bouncing back from big hit in Stanley Cup Final

    LAS VEGAS — LAS VEGAS (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk lined up Jack Eichel and leveled him with a thunderous open-ice hit that sent him to the ice.

    Eichel quickly skated off and retreated to the locker room, for more than a few moments putting a scare into the Vegas Golden Knights late in the second period of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. Instead of his night being over, Eichel returned for the third period and set up the fifth goal of seven in a rout of the Florida Panthers that put Vegas up 2-0 in the best-of-seven series and two wins away from a championship.

    The hit debated ’round the hockey world was quickly determined by all involved to be clean, and Eichel’s bounce back to play another important role in this playoff run only further exemplified a team mantra that “it hurts to win.” Players, after checking in with Eichel at intermission to make sure he was OK, repeated that phrase over and over.

    “It was definitely a big collision,” Eichel said. “It’s a physical game. You’re going to get hit sometimes. You just kind of move on.”

    Eichel refused to complain about the hit and even took responsibility for putting himself in that position. “Got to be aware of it, you know? You’ve got to keep your head up.”

    That kind of hit used to be commonplace in the NHL but has faded with the evolution of players toward skill and away from potentially brutal contact. Tkachuk, the Panthers’ leading scorer this postseason and their emotional leader, is not afraid to throw his body around to make a difference and carries with him an old-school mentality about players protecting themselves.

    “It doesn’t matter who you are: You shouldn’t be going through the middle with your head down,” Tkachuk said. “You’re going to get hit. I mean, I would get hit, too, if I had my head down in the middle. It’s nothing. It’s not a big deal. He’s a really good player, and really good players can get hit, too.”

    The hit itself was made worse by Eichel losing his footing – “toe-picked a bit” – seconds before contact. He landed awkwardly and grimaced while skating off.

    Eichel later conceded he got the wind knocked out of him, but it appeared worse in real time.

    “You don’t want to see a guy like Jack go down,” teammate William Carrier said. “He looked bad out there, to be honest.”

    Eichel didn’t think it was bad enough to writhe on the ice and wait for medical attention when he could skate off and begin the process of collecting himself.

    When did he know for sure he was OK? It didn’t take long.

    “I just came (into the locker room) and regrouped,” Eichel said. “I got my wits back about me and realized I was fine.”

    Vegas led 4-0 at the time after chasing Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, and Eichel sitting out for precautionary reasons would not have been all that unusual. But after coach Bruce Cassidy confirmed everything was all right, Eichel was back on the bench at the start of the third, providing a boost by his mere presence.

    “Not only does it give us juice, but sometimes it can take away juice from the other team if they see a guy come back,” Cassidy said. “It was good for the group.”

    It got better.

    On Eichel’s first shift back, he won a puck battle and fed the puck to Jonathan Marchessault for his second goal of the game and the Golden Knights’ fifth.

    “That’s the resiliency we have in that locker room,” Marchessault said. “It starts with your top guys and goes right through the lineup.”

    The announcement of Eichel’s assist drew a louder-than-usual cheer from the crowd of 18,561. That meant a lot to Eichel, who also appreciated teammates making sure he was good to go.

    “Everyone’s taken a couple hits in their career,” he said. “This is a physical game we play, so it’s all part of it.”

    Not letting it derail his and the Knights’ title might make the hit and Eichel’s response part of franchise lore if they can finish off Florida and hoist the Cup for the first time in the franchise’s brief, six-year history.

    Already, teammates called Eichel strong and “a warrior.” His coach was most proud of Eichel boasting the toughness of a hockey player willing to take a hit and pop right up and continue contributing.

    “That’s hockey,” Cassidy said. “It’s OK to get hit in June. This is part of the journey. It hurts to win, and it’s not supposed to be easy. Good for him.”

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    Follow AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno

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  • Golden Knights take 2-0 lead in Stanley Cup Final with 7-2 win over Panthers

    Golden Knights take 2-0 lead in Stanley Cup Final with 7-2 win over Panthers

    LAS VEGAS — No team in over 25 years has been more dominant than the Vegas Golden Knights through the first two games of a Stanley Cup Final.

    They have outscored the Florida Panthers by eight goals, including Monday night’s 7-2 victory in Game 2 that put the Knights two wins from the first championship in the franchise’s short six-year history.

    It will take a rare rally for the Panthers to come back as the series shifts to Florida for Game 3 on Thursday. Teams that took a 2-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final are 31-3 in the expansion era, but the Panthers opened the playoffs by storming back from 3-1 down to beat the heavily favored Boston Bruins.

    Florida will have to significantly up its level of play to beat a Vegas team that won by three goals on Saturday and then five in this game. The last team to win the first two games of a Cup Final by more than eight combined goals was the 1996 Colorado Avalanche — who outscored the Panthers by nine.

    “I think our depth has been a strength all year,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “It is the biggest reason we are still here, why we beat Winnipeg, Edmonton, Dallas. I just feel that we have the best team from player one through 20.”

    Jonathan Marchessault scored twice for the Knights and started an early blitz that chased Sergei Bobrovsky, the NHL’s hottest postseason goalie.

    Marchessault also had an assist to finish with three points. His 12 postseason goals set a Golden Knights record, with all of them coming after the first round. The only player with more following the opening round was Pavel Bure, who scored 13 for Vancouver in 1994.

    “They want to set the tone with being undisciplined like Game 1 and we set the tone back,” Marchessault said. “It was scoring that first goal there. But we’re still pretty far from our goal here.”

    Brett Howden scored twice for the Knights, who also got goals from Alec Martinez, Nicolas Roy and Michael Amadio. Six players had at least two points for Vegas, all 18 Knights skaters were on the ice for even-strength goals and their nine goal scorers through the first two games are a Stanley Cup Final record. The Knights’ seven goals tied a franchise mark for a playoff game.

    It was too much for Bobrovsky, who was removed 7:10 into the second period down 4-0. It was the fifth time in 12 games the Knights have chased the opposing goalie.

    Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner, carried Florida through the Eastern Conference playoffs. Coming into the Stanley Cup Final, he had won 11 of his past 12 starts with a 1.95 goals-against average and .942 save percentage during that stretch. But he’s given up eight goals in 87 minutes against Vegas, compiling a 5.52 GAA and .826 save percentage in the series.

    “We can be a little better in front of our goaltender,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “I got him out to keep him rested.”

    Matthew Tkachuk and Anton Lundell scored for Florida.

    Adin Hill continued his stellar play in net with 29 saves for the Knights. Hill once again brought his feistiness as well as his A-game. He stopped Carter Verhaeghe on a breakaway in the first, and later that period hit Tkachuk, who was in his net, with his blocker and then slashed him with his stick.

    “He’s been unreal for us,” Vegas forward William Carrier said. “He’s been unbelievable.”

    A group of four fans behind one of the nets wore sweaters that spelled out his last name, and Hill has often received the loudest cheers from Knights fans, reminiscent of when Marc-Andre Fleury was in goal for Vegas in its first three seasons.

    “It’s probably the most fun I’ve ever had playing hockey,” Hill said. “I’m just enjoying it, cherishing every day. It’s been awesome to be part of the journey with this team.”

    The Knights were dominant early, taking a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals from Marchessault and Martinez. It was Vegas’ third game in a row with a power-play goal, its first such stretch since Christmas week.

    The Panthers lost their biggest, toughest defenseman early in the game when Radko Gudas was injured on a hit by Vegas forward Ivan Barbashev. Gudas left 6:39 in and did not return.

    That was one of several big hits by Barbashev, the Golden Knights’ biggest trade-deadline acquisition, a Stanley Cup champion with St. Louis in 2019. Barbashev broke the sternum of Colorado defenseman Samuel Girard during the playoffs last year, also on a clean hit.

    Vegas had its own scare late in the second period when Jack Eichel was nailed in the right shoulder by Tkachuk. Eichel returned in the third and set up Marchessault’s second goal for his second assist of the game.

    “We did a good job managing momentum tonight,” Eichel said. “And we got some timely goals.”

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  • Panthers relishing 1st trip to NHL’s conference finals in 27 years

    Panthers relishing 1st trip to NHL’s conference finals in 27 years

    SUNRISE, Fla. — There was a wide range of emotions that the Florida Panthers all enjoyed in the immediate aftermath of securing their first conference finals trip in 27 years.

    Extreme joy and elation at first. Then a quieter, more contemplative celebration. And then, exhaustion.

    “They get to enjoy it,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Saturday, “until the puck drops again.”

    Dominated in the second round last year. Dominators in the second round this year. Florida’s offseason of risk has officially paid off. The Panthers are headed to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 1996, after beating Toronto 3-2 in overtime on Friday night to finish off another playoff stunner.

    They ousted the Maple Leafs in five games, after ousting a record-setting Boston team in seven games in Round 1. Their reward: The Eastern Conference Final against Carolina, which eliminated New Jersey. The NHL hasn’t said when the Panthers-Hurricanes series will start.

    “Nobody in the world thought we were going to be in this position right now,” Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said. “But we don’t care what anybody’s opinion is on us. We know that it’s probably going to be very similar going into this round against a team like Carolina that had a tremendous season and has had tons of success the last bunch of years.”

    This position, though, was part of the destination that the Panthers had in mind last summer.

    Florida had the best record in the NHL last season and got swept out of the second round by Tampa Bay. The Panthers didn’t totally blow up the roster, but big changes were made. Leading scorer Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar were traded to Calgary for Tkachuk, and Maurice was brought in even though interim coach Andrew Brunette wanted to keep the job.

    The changes were for a purpose: general manager Bill Zito and the Panthers’ braintrust knew that team, as constructed then, wasn’t good enough to win a Stanley Cup. It needed an edge. It needed Tkachuk.

    So far, so good. The Hart Trophy finalist hasn’t done it alone — the Panthers seem to have a new hero every night, and Sergei Bobrovsky has been lights-out in net — but Tkachuk has swagger and seems to have heightened the swagger of those around him.

    “I’ve got two kind of drivers of this,” Maurice said. “One is Bill Zito, who did more than just change the coach with that mentality — ‘we’ve got to play a different game than we played.’ The other is the kind of willingness that the players said yes. It got a little tough there … but the players were good about it.”

    The Panthers took a big swing at the trade deadline last season, loading up for the playoffs by acquiring Claude Giroux and Ben Chiarot. Giroux was stellar in the playoffs for Florida, Chiarot was an immediate contributor, but both moved on over the summer. They were certainly not the reasons why Florida didn’t make a deep playoff run in 2022.

    This season, the Panthers held firm at the deadline — even with a team in danger of missing the playoffs at that point. And here they are, four wins from the Stanley Cup Final, eight wins from hockey’s biggest prize.

    “These guys, they truly care about each other,” Maurice said.

    Fans in Toronto chanted “We Want Florida” before this series started. Tkachuk noticed — and noticed that he wasn’t hearing those chants Friday night when the series was over.

    “A lot of people weren’t expecting a lot from us, including a bunch of Leaf fans before this series,” Tkachuk said. “We weren’t hearing much of those chants afterward and that felt nice.”

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