Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

Archives for November 1, 2024

Bruins Caught in Hurricane

by

RALEIGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Andrei Svechnikov and Jack Roslovic each scored two goals and the Carolina Hurricanes had a huge first period in thumping the visiting Boston Bruins 8-2 on Thursday night in Carolina.

Embed from Getty Images

Martin Necas finished with one goal and three assists, while Dmitry Orlov, Sean Walker and Jesperi Kotkaniemi also scored. The Hurricanes doubled their previous highest goal total of the season in the opener of a four-game homestand.

Carolina scored its final three goals of a four-goal opening period during a 52-second span. That marked the second-fastest three-goal bust in franchise history.

Pyotr Kochetkov made 13 saves for Carolina.

Brad Marchand and Hampus Lindholm scored for the Bruins, who’ve won only one of their last six games. Boston goalie Jeremy Swayman allowed six goals on 22 shots in less than half the game before he was pulled in favor of Joonas Korpisalo, who made 13 saves.

Carolina, which was coming off a 5-1-0 road trip, had seven first-period goals this season before racking up four in barely more than 18 minutes to begin Thursday’s game.

Roslovic’s fifth goal of the season came 6:28 into the game. With a Boston delayed penalty pending, the Hurricanes took advantage of sending in an extra skater and benefited from crisp puck movement.

The Bruins didn’t register a shot on goal for the game’s first 10 minutes, finally doing so while on a power play when Kotkaniemi was in the penalty box for a high-sticking double minor.

Soon, it turned into a 5-on-3 advantage for the Bruins. Marchand’s goal came at 13:11, with the puck going off Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin’s shin and past Kochetkov.

Less than 20 seconds later, the Bruins were on another 5-on-3, but they didn’t convert.

But the Hurricanes benefited from a power play of their own when Svechnikov deflected in a blast from Shayne Gostisbehere. Thirty-eight seconds later, Orlov blasted in a shot and then Necas scored just 14 seconds after that on a power play.

After Lindholm cut it to 4-2 early in the second for Boston, Svechnikov added his second power-play goal of the night at 8:51 and Roslovic tallied 41 seconds later to blow the game open.

–Field Level Media

J-E-T-S Offense Wakes Up

by

EAST RUTHERFORD – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Garrett Wilson made two superb touchdown catches and the New York Jets halted a five-game losing streak with a 21-13 victory over the Houston Texans on Thursday night in New Jersey.

Embed from Getty Images

Aaron Rodgers completed 22 of 32 passes for 211 yards and three second-half scoring passes as New York (3-6) won for the first time since beating the New England Patriots on Sept. 19. Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich earned his first win since taking over after the club fired Robert Saleh earlier this month.

Wilson caught nine passes for 90 yards, Davante Adams had seven catches for 91 yards and a touchdown and Breece Hall had 74 yards on 15 rushes.

C.J. Stroud was just 11-of-30 passing for 191 yards and was sacked eight times for the Texans (6-3), who lost for the second time in three games. Joe Mixon rushed for 106 yards on 24 carries for his fourth straight 100-yard outing and Tank Dell had six receptions for 126 yards.

Wilson’s second one-handed grab of the night gave the Jets a 14-10 advantage with 13:01 left in the game.

New York was facing third-and-19 from the Texans’ 26-yard line when Rodgers heaved it toward Wilson at the back of the end zone. He jumped and reached to grab the ball with his right hand but it was ruled that he didn’t get both feet down.

The Jets challenged and replays showed Wilson got his left foot down and the call was reserved.

Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn kicked a 43-yard field goal with 8:23 left but the Texans accepted a New York penalty. When the drive again stalled, Fairbairn’s 27-yard attempt clanked off the left upright with 6:57 to play.

The Jets responded. Rodgers threw a 37-yard score to Adams to make it 21-10 with 2:56 remaining. Adams briefly left the game late in the third quarter to be evaluated for a concussion before returning during this drive.

Fairbairn kicked a 29-yarder with 39 seconds left and the Jets recovered the ensuing onside kick.

After being shut out in the first half, New York scored with 9:03 left in the third quarter when Wilson made a one-handed grab inside the 15 and turned it into a 21-yard touchdown that tied the score at 7.

Fairbairn kicked a 54-yard field goal nearly five minutes later to give Houston a 10-7 lead.

Mixon scored on a 3-yard run with 3:21 remaining in the first half for the only points before halftime.

New York’s Malachi Corley made a huge gaffe on the opening play of the second quarter.

The Jets were on the Houston 19 when they ran a reverse to Corley and the rookie took it to the right and was headed toward the end zone. But he dropped the ball inside the 1-yard line and it rolled through the back of the end zone for a touchback.

–Field Level Media

Peacock Boosts Comcast Revenue

by

NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Reports) – Peacock parent company Comcast reported Thursday that its streaming service added 3 million subscribers during its live broadcast of the Paris Olympics.

Comcast, which also owns NBC Sports, said it made $32.1 billion in total revenue during the third quarter, which was boosted by Peacock’s 9 percent subscription growth from the prior quarter. Peacock now has 36 million subscribers and saw its revenue jump 82 percent to reach $1.5 billion.

“It was probably the proudest moment that I can think of since we’ve owned NBCUniversal, or certainly right up there,” Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts said. “Just a tremendous team effort, really bringing the whole country into the drama. … We really look forward to (Los Angeles) in four years, we’ve got Milan in between (in 2026), and we go on from there.”

After the prior two Games were marred by the COVID-19 pandemic, viewership jumped 82 percent from the 2021 Olympics that were held in Tokyo. The Paris Games averaged 30.6 million viewers in the U.S. — the most for the Olympics since 2012 — on NBCU platforms. The earnings report Thursday was the first since the Paris Olympics, which lasted 17 days.

The next Winter Games are scheduled to be held in Milan in February 2026. Los Angeles is set to host the Summer Games in July 2028.

–Field Level Media

No. 1 Kansas Tough to Beat

by

LAWRENCE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – No. 1 Kansas looks to shake off a disappointing end to the 2023-24 season when its revitalized roster opens the new campaign with a nonconference game against Howard on Monday.

Embed from Getty Images

The Jayhawks are picked to win the sturdy Big 12 Conference, while the Bison are predicted to win the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

The Jayhawks are one of five Big 12 teams in the preseason AP top 10, joined by No. 4 Houston, No. 5 Iowa State, No. 8 Baylor and No. 10 Arizona.

Howard, which has won the MEAC tournament and the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament each of the past two years, is led by Bryce Harris, the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year, and Marcus Dockery, a All-MEAC preseason second-team selection.

Harris led the Bison with 16.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, from the guard position, last season. Dockery finished third on the team with 13.5 points per game.

The Bison are hoping an early-August trip to Brazil will galvanize this year’s squad.

“This trip is a huge part of our student-athlete experience,” Howard coach Kenneth Blakeney said. “To expose them to another continent and a place that most of our student-athletes have never gone to is exciting for me.

“Our program is about exposure and the opportunity to have our kids spend time in a place that we have heard about and seen pictures of, which is something they will not soon forget.”

The Jayhawks have size, depth and experience, as they return three of their top five scorers from the 23-11 squad that lost to Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season. Kansas dropped five of its final seven games dating back to the regular season.

Hunter Dickinson, named to the AP Preseason All-America team, leads this year’s squad. The senior center was a consensus second-team selection last season, when he finished with 17.9 points and 10.9 rebounds per game.

The two other stars back from last year’s team are KJ Adams Jr. (12.6 points and 4.6 rebounds) and Dajuan Harris (8.5 points, 6.5 assists and 1.5 steals).

The Jayhawks also brought in a solid transfer class, including David Coit (from Northern Illinois), Rylan Griffin (Alabama), Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State), Shakeel Moore (Mississippi State) and AJ Storr (Wisconsin).

“I like them,” Kansas coach Bill Self said of his transfers. “I think they all have a chance to contribute, and you can make a case where they’ve all been one of our better players on any particular day thus far, whether it’s David Coit or Zeke Mayo or AJ or Rylan or Shakeel.”

Kansas’ recruiting class includes two highly touted freshmen, Rakease Passmore and Flory Bidunga.

Finding minutes for a roster full of stars is a perennial job for Self, something he always undersells — and this year is no different.

“I think the question will be coming from a different place — it’s this way with all coaches and all programs,” Self said. “How do they fit in with your present players and how do they fit in playing differently than maybe the way they played at their different place.

“I don’t think we’re quite comfortable yet. I think we have more talent. I think we’re more athletic. I think we shoot it a little bit better. But do they fit exactly the way we’ve won over time? I think that still remains to be seen.”

–Field Level Media