Category: Sports

Pens beat Blue Jackets 3-0

 

By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike Sullivan isn’t looking for an explanation. The Pittsburgh Penguins coach isn’t sure there is one that can adequately descdescr why his team dominates the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“All I can tell you is, every game we play them is a hard-fought battle and the margin for error is slim,” Sullivan said.
And every game ends the same: with the Penguins exchanging high-fives on their way to the dressing room while the Blue Jackets trudge off wondering how another one got away.
Matt Murray stopped 25 shots for his 10th career shutout and the Penguins opened a pivotal home-and-home with the Columbus by rolling to a 3-0 victory on Thursday night.
“We’re finding ways to win,” Sullivan said with a shrug.
The Penguins always seem to when the Blue Jackets are on the other side of the ice. Pittsburgh has won eight straight over Columbus. And while the Blue Jackets will get another shot at the Penguins at Nationwide Arena on Saturday night, Pittsburgh put on a defensive clinic in front of Murray to drop Columbus to just 2-4 since the trade deadline.
“I think we need something good to happen,” Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. “They blocked 24 shots. We have a lot of shot attempts and a lot of good things, but we don’t score a goal.”
For the first time in more than a month, that wasn’t an issue for Penguins forward Phil Kessel, who ended a 16-game scoring drought when he beat surprise starter Joonas Korpisalo just 2:22 into the first period to give Pittsburgh a lead it would never relinquish. The crowd erupted when he banked a shot from in tight off a sprawled Korpisalo and into the net for his first goal since Jan. 30.
“I got lucky tonight,” Kessel said. “I thought it was going to come a little earlier than it did. It took me a little while. But hopefully now I can get a hot streak going or something.”
Nick Bjugstad collected his ninth of the season for Pittsburgh. Sidney Crosby took a high stick from Columbus’ Boone Jenner in the third period but returned to add an empty-net goal and extend his goal streak to six consecutive games as the Penguins created a little bit of breathing room between themselves and the Blue Jackets in the race for a playoff spot in the crowded Eastern Conference.
Pittsburgh moved into third place in the Metropolitan Division, dropping idle Carolina to the top wild-card spot. The Blue Jackets are currently on the outside looking in. While Korpisalo overcame his sluggish start to finish with 28 saves, his teammates couldn’t get anything by Murray.
Making his sixth straight start, Murray was solid. So were the guys in front of him. Pittsburgh’s defensemen — including recently acquired Erik Gudbranson — prevented Columbus from creating consistent pressure by making sure Murray had a clear line of vision.
“They’ve been stepping up big time, clearing guys out from the front and blocking shots,” Murray said. “They’re just sacrificing a lot. I can’t say enough about those guys back there.”
Tortorella tried to downplay the importance of his team’s final two meetings with the Penguins, though he made a curious decision to start Korpisalo — winless since Jan. 15 — over No. 1 goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, claiming the two-time Vezina Trophy winner needed to get some rest with the stretch looming.
The change in net did little to change the Blue Jackets’ fortunes. Defenseman Scott Harrington was called for tripping barely two minutes in and Pittsburgh pounced. Evgeni Malkin collected a shot behind the Blue Jackets’ net and fed Kessel at the far post.
Tortorella decided to challenge the goal, claiming goaltender’s interference, but the call stood and Tortorella burned his only timeout before most of his players had even broken a sweat. Murray kept the Blue Jackets at bay and Bjugstad finished off a sequence of extended pressure by collecting a pass from Jared McCann then pivoting into space in the slot before beating Korpisalo between the legs with 1:13 to go in the second for his fourth goal since being brought over in a trade with Florida on Feb. 1.
The chippy play between the rivals separated by three hours geographically but by considerably more in terms of stature perked up at times. Pittsburgh’s Garrett Wilson and Columbus captain Nick Foligno received fighting majors in the second period following a brawl that left Wilson’s forehead bloody. Jenner received a double-minor for high sticking Crosby early in the third.
Crosby returned to finish off Columbus with his 31st, leaving the Blue Jackets with one last chance to solve the Penguins this season.
“Scoring and not scoring are both contagious,” Columbus center Matt Duchene said. “All of us are obviously a little snake bit right now.”
NOTES: Penguins D Kris Letang missed his fifth straight game with an upper-body injury. … Pittsburgh is 9-1 while wearing its yellow third jerseys. … The Blue Jackets were 0 for 3 on the power play. The Penguins were 1 for 5. Malkin’s assist on Kessel’s goal pushed his career point total to 997.
UP NEXT
Blue Jackets: Columbus has issues at Nationwide Arena. The Blue Jackets are just 17-16-2 at home this season.
Penguins: Pittsburgh hasn’t lost on the road to Columbus in the regular season since Feb. 17, 2017 (4-0).
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More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/tag/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Scoring updates: Penguins vs. Blue Jackets, Thursday March 7, 2019

 

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Leaving Las Vegas: NASCAR moving awards to Nashville

Leaving Las Vegas: NASCAR moving awards to Nashville
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — NASCAR is leaving Las Vegas and taking its annual Champion’s Week and awards to Nashville, Tennessee.
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards will be held Dec. 5 at the Music City Center in Music City, NASCAR announced Wednesday.
NASCAR will move its Xfinity Series Awards and trucks series awards to Nov. 22 with the home tracks champions awards Nov. 23 still in Charlotte at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Jerry Caldwell, executive vice president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway, said in a statement that the birthplace of country music in Bristol joined Tennesseans in welcoming the awards to the Volunteer State. Caldwell says Nashville never misses a beat hosting high-profile events and that race fans will want to join NASCAR stars in Music City to wrap up the season.
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More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/apf-AutoRacing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Guentzel’s OT winner lifts Penguins over Panthers 3-2

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jake Guentzel scored on a breakaway 2:44 into overtime to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins past the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Guentzel took a lead pass from Sidney Crosby and slipped a backhand by Roberto Luongo for his second goal of the night and 33rd this season. Pittsburgh picked up two vital points as it tries to create some breathing room in its pursuit of a playoff berth.

Crosby finished with a goal and two assists on the night he became the 48th player in NHL history to reach 1,200 points. Matt Murray had 32 saves for the Penguins. Matt Cullen played 12:36 in his 1,500th career game.

Henrik Borgstrom and Vincent Trocheck scored for the Panthers but Florida dropped its fifth straight — four of them in overtime — when Guentzel found his way behind the defense and came in all alone on Luongo, who made 34 stops but couldn’t reach out and get his glove on Guentzel’s winner.

The 42-year-old Cullen — affectionately known as “Dad” on the club he helped win consecutive Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017 — joined some elite company more than a full generation after his NHL debut, becoming the second American-born player and 20th overall to reach the 1,500-game plateau. His teammates honored him by wearing black jerseys with his familiar No. 7 in warmups, and Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel all helped present Cullen with a handful of gifts, including a silver stick and a Penguins-themed ATV.

A short video tribute ended by thanking Cullen for the memories while urging him to help create more. Fitting. The Penguins are in need of a memorable stretch to assure themselves a 13th straight postseason berth. Hardly a given for a talented if erratic club that’s spent the last five months mixing bursts of vintage play with lengthy stretches of mediocrity.

Facing a team whose playoff prospects are eroding by the day, it was more of the same.

Florida needed just 1:45 to take the lead when Borgstrom’s shot from the left circle was redirected into the net by Pittsburgh defenseman Erik Gudbranson. The Penguins pressed to tie it thanks in part to some spirited play by Kessel, who is riding a goalless streak that dates back to Jan. 30. Luongo fended off two quality chances from Kessel in the first period but Pittsburgh pulled even 16 seconds into the second when Mike Matheson’s turnover ended up on Crosby’s stick in the Florida zone.

Crosby tried to slip the puck to Jared McCann but it was poke-checked away. No matter. Guentzel jumped on the loose puck and beat Luongo from the slot. Crosby’s 55th assist of the season also made him the 48th NHL player to reach 1,200 points.

Crosby needed less than 10 minutes to pick up career point No. 1,201. With the Penguins on the power play, he threaded a pass to Kessel. Luongo made the stop but the rebound went right to Crosby, who pounded it home at 10:01 of the second period to reach 30 goals for the ninth time in his career.

Trocheck, a Pittsburgh native, evened it at 2 when his one-timer from the bottom of the left circle zipped past Murray with 2:29 to go in the second.

NOTES: Pittsburgh D Kris Letang skated in the morning but continues to wear a red “no contact” jersey while recovering from an upper-body injury that has sidelined him for the last four games. … The Penguins are the fourth NHL team to have two players reach 1,200 points with one franchise, joining Boston, Montreal and Detroit. … The Panthers went 1 for 3 on the power play. The Penguins were 1 for 2.

UP NEXT

Panthers: Play at Boston on Thursday.

Penguins: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. The Penguins have won each of the first two meetings between the Metropolitan Division rivals.

 

Scoring Updates: Penguins vs. Panthers, Tuesday March 5, 2019 at 7:00 p.m.

 

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Cullen Ready To Play In 1500th Career Game Tonight Against Florida

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

The fans don’t call him “Dad” without a proper reason.

Matt Cullen, the usual fourth-line center for the Penguins, will be playing in his 1500th career NHL game tonight when he suits up in his #7 jersey for the black and gold. The game will put Cullen by himself at 20th on the all-time games played list, surpassing Mike Modano (1499).

He is a three-time Stanley Cup winner, winning his first with Carolina in 2006 and the latter two with Pittsburgh in 2016-17. Cullen began his career in the 1997-98 season with the Anaheim Ducks, and has spent time with 5 other teams over his 21-year career: Florida, Ottawa, NY Rangers, Minnesota, and Nashville (the latter two not even existing at the beginning of Cullen’s career).

Coverage for Cullen’s milestone game begins at 6:30 tonight on Beaver County Radio. Puck drop from the PPG Paints Arena is at 7:00.

Guentzel, Crosby power Penguins past Canadiens 5-1

MONTREAL (AP) — Jake Guentzel scored two goals and had two assists and Sidney Crosby had a goal and three assists to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 5-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.

Evgeni Malkin and Jared McCann — into an empty net — also scored for Pittsburgh, and Matt Murray stopped 36 of 37 shots.

Both the Penguins and Canadiens have 77 points in the standings. Pittsburgh is in the first wild-card spot with the victory, while Montreal dropped down into the second slot.

Brendan Gallagher scored the only goal for the Canadiens. Carey Price gave up four goals on 24 shots and remained one victory away from tying Jacques Plante’s franchise record with 314.

It was the second of back-to-back games for both teams. Pittsburgh lost 4-3 in overtime in Buffalo on Friday, while Montreal defeated the New York Rangers 4-2.

The Canadiens outshot the Penguins 37-25, but Pittsburgh took better advantage of their chances and jumped out to an early 3-0 lead on its first four shots of the game.

The Penguins needed just 21 seconds to beat Price after a bad giveaway by Jordie Benn in his own zone led to Crosby’s deflected goal.

They doubled their lead on the power play when Malkin’s slap shot changed course on a deflection by Joel Armia at 4:38.

Pittsburgh finished 1 for 3 with the man advantage.

Guentzel went five-hole on Price at 8:51 right after a faceoff win by Crosby for his first goal of the night and 30th of the season, his first time reaching the milestone.

The Penguins went the next 11:09 of the first period without firing a shot on net — but still led 3-0 at intermission.

Guentzel netted his second of the game 6:24 into the second period with a precise wrist shot into the top corner of the net.

Pittsburgh’s leading scorer nearly completed a hat trick late while on a breakaway in the second, but Price made a nice glove save.

The Canadiens scored their only goal when Gallagher beat Murray for his team-leading 29th of the season with a shot from inside the left face-off circle.

McCann added the empty-netter with 1:24 left.

NOTES: Crosby has 10 points on his current four-game scoring streak. He also moved into second place on Pittsburgh’s all-time scoring list with his 440th career tally.

UP NEXT

Penguins: host Florida on Tuesday night.

Canadiens: at Los Angeles on Tuesday night.

Scoring Update: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens Saturday, March 2nd 2019

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New Castle Defeats Quaker Valley In 4A Boys Championship For 3rd Straight Season

 

New Castle 60, Quaker Valley 54.

For the third consecutive year, the Quaker Valley Quakers fall to the New Castle Red Hurricane in the WPIAL 4A Boys’ Championship at the Petersen Events Center on Beaver County Radio.

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The Quakers led by as much as 10, and took a 43-34 lead into the final quarter. But over those 8 minutes, CCBC Player of The Game Drew Cox came alive for the Canes, scoring most of his 20 points in the 4th as New Castle outscored a frozen Quaker Valley 26-11 in the final frame. Ryan Stowers had 31 for the Quakers, earning CCBC Player honors for QV.

Tom Hays has the recap: