2022-03-16

Wheeler credits ‘Bronx’ cheers for sparking Jets to win over Vegas

WINNIPEG — Captain Blake Wheeler may not have liked the way some Winnipeg Jets fans cheered the team Tuesday, but the end result was motivation in a 7-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Jets didn’t get a shot on goal until 12:26 of the first period. Defenceman Dylan DeMelo’s shot was gloved by Vegas goalie Laurent Brossoit and drew cheers from some in the crowd at Canada Life Centre. Vegas had six shots on net at the time.

Winnipeg then peppered Brossoit with six straight shots in the next three minutes. Wheeler scored at 18:08, followed 33 seconds later by Kyle Connor’s 38th goal of the season that made it 2-0.

Wheeler said during a TV interview at intermission that the “Bronx” cheers ticked off the players.

After the game, he told reporters fans pay good money to watch the team and can express their feelings with boos or cheers.

“I think we’ve been a really good home team and fed off of our crowd over the years,” Wheeler said. “When you hear a little jeer from the crowd when you get first shot, I mean, you know what it’s for. And, like I said, it’s their prerogative. You don’t have to love it.

“But I think tonight they sparked us and got us going. We scored two goals right after that. Hopefully it doesn’t happen often, but tonight it worked.”

Wheeler also picked up an assist and extended his point streak to five games with two goals and five assists.

Connor is on a five-game goal-scoring streak. He also had a pair of assists. Mark Scheifele, Logan Stanley and Josh Morrissey each had a goal and an assist. Nikolaj Ehlers and Adam Lowry also scored.

“It’s amazing what happens when you have a shooter’s mindset, and you have a skillset that Connor has,” Jets interim coach Dave Lowry said. “He doesn’t pass up opportunities to put the puck at the net. When I say that, he also has an innate ability to make plays.”

Connor Hellebuyck made 35 saves for Winnipeg (28-23-10), which is 6-2-1 in its last nine games.

The Jets entered the game four points behind Vegas for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, with the Golden Knights holding a game in hand on Winnipeg.

The loss took Vegas’s losing skid to a season-high five games.

Nicolas Roy, Alex Pietrangelo and Michael Amadio scored for Vegas (32-26-4), which ended a five-game road trip without any points.

The seven goals was the most the injury-riddled Golden Knights have given up this season.

“We’ve had winnable games,” Vegas coach Pete DeBoer said. “It feels like we’ve got to play a perfect game right now. Our goalies have to be dead on, our special teams have to be dead on, our five-on-five has to be dead on for us to win. That’s a big ask for a group. I thought most nights on this trip, we’ve had most of those things going but just not enough to win.”

Brossoit started in net for Vegas in place of injured Robyn Lehner. The former Jets netminder was replaced by Logan Thompson midway through the second period after letting in four goals on 13 shots. Thompson stopped seven of the 10 shots he faced.

Winnipeg led 2-0 after the first period and 5-1 following the second.

Vegas got on the board at 6:49 of the second period after Roy capitalized on a quick passing play.

A pair of unassisted goals upped Winnipeg’s lead to 4-1. Ehlers scored his 16 at 9:04, and big defenceman Stanley recorded his first of the season at 11:09 when his sharp-angled shot whizzed behind Brossoit, who was then pulled in favour of Thompson.

“Just didn’t get in front of enough pucks,” DeBoer said of the switch. “It’s pretty simple. I’m not a goaltending expert, but you’ve got to get in front of a couple.”

Thompson stood tall during the game’s first power play, but eight seconds after it was over Scheifele notched his 23rd goal at 18:25 to make it 5-1.

Pietrangelo used his team’s first power play of the game to beat Hellebuyck at 4:34 of the third, and Amadio squeezed the score 5-3 five minutes later.

Winnipeg responded with Morrissey’s goal at 10:33. Lowry scored shorthanded three minutes later.

“I’m proud that we didn’t just quit playing,” Vegas forward William Karlsson said. “We gave it a try. We managed to score two goals and make it a little bit of a game.”

Vegas hosts the Florida Panthers on Thursday. The Jets are home to the Boston Bruins on Friday.

2022-03-16

Caufield’s honest post-game assessment better than ‘OK’ for Canadiens

MONTREAL — He thought he was just “OK.”

When we asked Cole Caufield, after his Montreal Canadiens lost 6-3 to the Arizona Coyotes, to assess his game on Tuesday — he scored two goals in eight seconds to tie Maurice “the Rocket” Richard in third place for the two fastest goals in Canadiens history and his team controlled 71.4 per cent of the shot attempts over his 11:39 at 5-on-5 — that’s what he said.

“I thought I was OK.”

It was one of Caufield’s most mature moments in his short NHL career. The 21-year-old burst onto the NHL scene with a Hobey Baker Award practically in hand, with a well-justified confidence that bordered on cockiness and a knack for scoring big goals on big occasions. He rose above the hype with the performance he authored to help the Canadiens reach the 2021 Stanley Cup Final — posting four goals and 12 points in 20 games and establishing himself as a star in the making.

Then this year began with Caufield putting up just one goal and eight points over his first 30 games of the season. He was humbled.

But even if the five-foot-seven Wisconsin native didn’t get taller from that experience, he still grew.

The goals he scored against the Coyotes were his ninth and 10th — and the 18th and 19th points — he’s registered in 15 games since Martin St. Louis took over as head coach, and those goals and points are samples of his growth.

But another sample is Caufield saying after the loss to the Coyotes: “Obviously, you can get better every game.”

The truth is Caufield was accurate in his assessment.

He wasn’t bad, but he wasn’t quite at the same level we saw him at over his previous 14 games. He made an ill-advised pass to Alex Romanov, which led to a Lawson Crouse breakaway goal that proved to be the game winner with 11 seconds left in the first period, and he got rinsed in his own end on a couple of shifts that he probably won’t need to review on video to remind himself of what happened.

There’s a lot to like about Caufield holding himself accountable for that after the game. And doing that — even when you’re the main reason your team had a chance to come back in a game that appeared out of reach — is one of the best things a young player can do to accelerate his own development.

“He’s a competitor, he sees more than just the goals,” said Paul Byron. “A lot of players — it’s easy to focus on points and think you’re just doing a good job, but there’s a lot of areas of the game that you can continue to work on. I think it shows his commitment, his drive and his passion to get better every day.

“And to have that kind of self-awareness to critique his game like that is only going to make him better each day. It’s good to see a good kid who maybe would score a couple of goals and feel good about himself and not care too much — that’s not Cole. He really cares about the details, winning games and making sure he’s good for 60 minutes. As he gets older, if he keeps that mindset, there’s no doubt in my mind he’s going to be that player for us.”

We agree.

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Not that we’re suggesting Caufield needs to tone down his confidence to continue being the player everyone expected he’d be after he burned up Auston Matthews’ goal-scoring record with the United States National Development Team, got himself drafted 15th overall in 2019, ripped it up with the Wisconsin Badgers and made his impressive NHL debut.

We know that confidence is at the heart of what makes Caufield special.

So does Brendan Gallagher, who emphasized that after this game.

“I think he’s been able to learn what makes him a successful player — he has to have that little bit of swagger,” said Gallagher. “I think it’s hard to describe — he’s dancing around the locker room, he’s having fun, and we love to see that. He’s being himself. He has to come to the rink with that swagger he’s had his entire life.

“I think when he was struggling, he probably didn’t feel that way. He probably felt like he probably couldn’t do anything right. Now he feels like he’s a player we rely on, and that’s important throughout his career to remember when you go through those tough times. And it’ll happen again, he’s going to play in this league for a long time and you go through droughts, and you go through slumps. It’s important to be able to look back at what you’re doing when you’re playing well and not forget about it. For him, we rely on him incredibly. He’s a huge player for us, and he understands that, and he brings it every night.”

But it’s a big step for Caufield to be able to recognize when he hasn’t brought it for the whole night, and it’s a sign of progress that he’s already doing it.

Alex Romanov taking on a bigger role

Regarding the growth of Montreal’s key young players, the 22-year-old Romanov is making more strides.

In Tuesday’s game, he took the fifth-most strides he has in an NHL game — skating 23:58 in 22 shifts. No Canadien played more against Arizona.

How did Romanov handle it? He had three shots on net, eight attempts, one hit and four blocked shots. In his 20:43 at 5-on-5, the Canadiens had 31 shot attempts to Arizona’s eight.

Of course, Romanov was put in that position to begin with because his regular partner, Ben Chiarot was held out of Tuesday’s game by management because he’ll be traded between now and the March 21 NHL trade deadline. And he also took on as much because Joel Edmundson was playing just his second game after battling a season-long back injury.

Romanov’s role is going to increase from here to the end of the season, and that should only help him become the player the Canadiens need him to be as early as next season.

“I think the more he gets used to it the better he’ll continue to play,” said St. Louis. “When you take a key guy like that out of the lineup like that in Benny, it gives other guys opportunity. And that’s the thing about this game — whether it’s injuries or circumstances that we’re in — is other guys are getting opportunities. And that’s what Romy’s getting right now.”

It’s coming at the right time, as the Canadiens blue line takes on a different complexion over the coming months and Romanov is expected to reach the next phase of his development in short order.

2022-03-16

Devils’ Zacha doubtful for next game after suffering upper-body injury

New Jersey Devils forward Pavel Zacha is doubtful to play Wednesday in Calgary against the Flames after suffering an upper-body injury Tuesday versus the Vancouver Canucks, according to head coach Lindy Ruff.

Zacha fell into the boards during the first period in Vancouver, left the ice with the help of a trainer and did not return.

The interest Zacha has garnered from several teams ahead of Monday’s trade deadline could now be in jeopardy depending on the severity of the injury.

On the Fan 590’s Jeff Marek Show, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said the Montreal Canadiens were “one of the teams” in on Zacha. Marek has previously reported the Canucks had interest. Zacha is a restricted free agent at the end of this season.

The Devils selected the 24-year-old sixth overall in a star-studded 2015 NHL Draft. He has 13 goals and 15 assists in 56 games so far in 2021-22.

2022-03-16

Reports: Yankees agree to two-year, $32M deal with Anthony Rizzo

NEW YORK — Anthony Rizzo is staying with the New York Yankees, agreeing Tuesday night to a $32 million, two-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement was subject to a successful physical.

A three-time All-Star first baseman, Rizzo was acquired by the Yankees from the Chicago Cubs on July 29 and added a left-handed bat to a heavily right-handed batting order in New York. He hit .248 with 22 homers, 61 RBIs and a .783 OPS last season, including .249 with eight homers, 21 RBIs and a .768 OPS in 49 games for New York.

Rizzo also provided plate discipline and smooth fielding at first, where he has won a pair of Gold Gloves.

The deal makes it less likely the Yankees will sign former Atlanta All-Star Freddie Freeman. It also creates uncertainty for returning first baseman Luke Voit, the 2020 AL home run champion whose 2021 season was wrecked by injury.

MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports that the Yankees “tried hard” for Freeman, but that he “preferred not to come,” adding the Yankees fear the first baseman could land in Boston. The Blue Jays are also in on the star first baseman.

2022-03-16

March Madness Roundup: Indiana, Texas Southern win in First Four

DAYTON, Ohio — Trayce Jackson-Davis had 29 points and nine rebounds, Jordan Geromino scored a career-high 15 points and Indiana beat turnover-prone Wyoming 66-58 in a First Four game on Tuesday night.

Indiana (21-13) earned an at-large bid after a good showing in the Big Ten tournament, getting back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016 in its first season under coach Mike Woodson. The Hoosiers move on as the 12th seed in the East and will face fifth-seeded St. Mary’s on Thursday.

With the crowd at University of Dayton Arena heavily tilted _ Bloomington, Indiana, is less than a three-hour drive away _ the Hoosiers pulled to a 10-point lead with under two minutes left in the game.

Wyoming’s Drake Jeffries hit a pair of foul shots to get the Cowboys within six with 14 seconds left. But Jeffries had to foul Indiana’s Xavier Johnson, who hit a pair from the stripe to put it out of reach.

Hunter Maldonado paced the Cowboys (25-9) with 21 points but turned the ball over 10 times.

TEXAS SOUTHERN 76, TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI 67

DAYTON, Ohio — Bryson Etienne scored 21 points and Texas Southern beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the First Four.

The Tigers earned their third NCAA Tournament win in five seasons and will play top-seeded Kansas in the Midwest first round. The First Four returned to the University of Dayton Arena for the first time in three seasons.

PJ Henry hit a go-ahead free throw to highlight a 7-0 run in which Texas Southern (19-12) took the lead and never surrendered. He finished with 14 points and shot 10 of 13 at the free throw line.

John Walker III added 16 points. Brison Gresham grabbed 13 rebounds and scored six points.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (23-12) led by as many as eight points in the opening period and four in the second half.