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Bruins Defeat Caps, 6-3

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BOSTON – Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci each scored a pair of goals and goaltender Tuukka Rask made 30 saves to lead Boston to a 6-3 victory over the visiting Washington Capitals on Sunday afternoon at TD Garden.

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For the Caps, T.J. Oshie scored twice, and G Vitek Vanecek made 22 saves for Washington (29-13-4), which ended its three-game road winning streak.

Bergeron scored a shorthanded goal at 12:02 of the first period to give Boston a 1-0 lead, then Krejci made it 2-0 at the 13:56 mark.

Oshie scored with 10 seconds left to cut the lead to 2-1 after the first.

The game’s momentum swayed towards Washington when Bruins defenseman Connor Clifton was served with a double minor for high sticking, and Oshie scored his second goal at 3:48 of the second period to tie it 2-2, and Anthony Mantha scored at 4:54 to give Washington a 3-2 lead. Mantha has scored in each of his four game for Washington since he was acquired in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings.

Marchand, Krejci and Bergeron all tallied to provide Boston with a 5-3 lead until Marchand scored his second goal of the game into an empty net at 18:16 of the third period which closed out the scoring at 6-3, Bruins.

 

 

Bruins Shutout Islanders, 3-0

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BOSTON – Boston’s newly acquired forward Taylor Hall scored for the second time in two nights, while Bruins’ reserve goalkeeper Jeremy Swayman stopped 25 shots in his first NHL career shutout as Boston defeated the Islanders, 3-0, on Friday night at TD Garden. It was Boston’s second win over the New York Islanders in two nights.

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Boston’s David Pastrnak added his 17th goal of the season and Curtis Lazar scored on an empty-net to clinch the Bruins’ third straight win and secure more room from the idle New York Rangers for the East Division’s final playoff spot.

All three of Boston’s trade deadline pickups — Hall, Lazar and Mike Reilly — contributed to the victory in a big way.  In particular, Hall has brought a spark to Boston’s lineup since the 2017-18 Hart Trophy winner was acquired from Buffalo at the NHL trade deadline.

Boston’s Pastrnak scored the game’s first goal with just 2.4 seconds remaining in the first period of play.

The teams meet one final time this season on May 10 in Boston.

 

Celtics Sign Jabari Parker

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BOSTON – (Source: Official team news release) – The Boston Celtics have signed forward Jabari Parker, the team announced. Selected with the second overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2014 NBA Draft, Parker, 26, has averaged 14.8 points (49.3% FG, 32.3% 3-PT, 74.0% FT), 5.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 28.8 minutes in 288 career games (190 starts) over seven NBA seasons with Milwaukee, Chicago, Atlanta, Washington, and Sacramento.

He has averaged at least 14.0 points in four of his seven NBA seasons, including each of the last two years (2018-19/2019-20).

In a corresponding roster move, the Celtics have waived center Moe Wagner.

Wet Socks for Red Sox and White Sox!

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BOSTON – (Source: Official Team News Release) – The Red Sox-White Sox game scheduled for tonight, Friday, April 16, at Fenway Park has been postponed due to winter-like conditions and a forecast for continued period of snow and rain throughout the afternoon and evening in the Fenway area.

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Tonight’s game has been rescheduled as the second game of a split doubleheader on Sunday, April 18, beginning at 5:10 p.m. Tickets for tonight’s game will be good for admission to the rescheduled contest. Fenway Park gates are expected to open 45 minutes before the 5:10 p.m. game (4:25 p.m.). Sunday’s regularly scheduled game remains at 1:10 p.m.

Both games on Sunday will be televised on NESN and broadcast on WEEI 93.7 FM

Sunday Schedule:

Game 1: 1:10pm EDT – Chicago White Sox at Boston Sox

Game 2: 5:10pm EDT – Chicago White Sox at Boston Red Sox

Sox Party’s Over After Nine Straight

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MINNEAPOLIS — Max Kepler delivered the game-winning hit for the Minnesota Twins on the last game of a difficult homestead for the Twins to end a nine-game winning stint for the visiting Boston Red Sox. Kepler’s bloop RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning gave Minnesota a 4-3 victory Thursday over Boston. The hit ended a five-game losing streak for the Twins and a nine-game win streak for the Red Sox.

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The Twins avoided matching their longest losing streak in three years under Baldelli, a six-game slide from July 31-Aug. 5, 2020. The Red Sox, who tied it in the eighth on Alex Verdugo’s three-run double, were on their longest winning streak since a 10-game run in 2018, the season they won the World Series.

Alex Colomé (1-1) pitched a scoreless ninth for the victory, despite a one-out double by Christian Arroyo. Verdugo capped a 10-pitch at-bat against reliever Taylor Rogers with his two-out double in the eighth that tied the game at 3-3. Five times during their winning streak, the Red Sox rallied from a deficit in the fifth inning or later.

The Red Sox return to Boston to host the Chicago White Sox in a four-game series starting tonighty. Right-hander Nick Pivetta (2-0, 3.27 ERA) will take the mound for the series opener.

Rask Back for Bruins’ Win vs Islanders

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BOSTON – Taylor Hall scored his first goal for Boston and goaltender Tuukka Rask stopped 22 shots to earn his 300th career victory — and his first since February — as the Bruins dominated the New York Islanders and won 4-1 on Thursday night.

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Rask had played just once since March 7 because of a back injury. His teammates gave him an easy one, outshooting the Islanders 45-23 — including a 23-7 first period — and getting two goals from Brad Marchand and one from Craig Smith to win their second straight game.

Travis Zajac scored his first goal for New York, and Islanders goalkeeper Semyon Varlamov made 41 saves. The Islanders had won five of their previous six games. They trail the first-place Washington Capitals by two points in the East Division.

Boston, which won the NHL Presidents Trophy as the league’s No. 1 team during the pandemic-shortened season of 2020, solidified its hold on the fourth and final playoff berth in the East, but are only four points ahead of the fifth-place New York Rangers.

The Islanders and Bruins meet again in Boston tonight.

Celtics Hold on for Win Over LA Lakers

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LOS ANGELES  – Jaylen Brown scored 40 points and the Boston Celtics held on to a 27-point lead in the fourth quarter before settling for an eight-point victory, 121-113, over the Los Angeles Lakers. Brown made 13 of his first 14 shots and hit three 3-pointers and fell two points shy of his NBA career high, to lead Boston who have won eight of 11 and three of three to conclude this road trip.

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Boston led 113-86 with seven minutes to play, shortly after coach Brad Stevens pulled his starters. But Talen Horton-Tucker and Ben McLemore led a 24-2 run by the Lakers that forced Brown and Boston’s first string back into the game.

Guards Payton Pritchard and Marcus Smart added 15 points each for the Celtics, who never trailed despite committing 21 turnovers. Boston also won with just 14 points from All-Star forward Jayson Tatum, whose streak of scoring 20 points in 11 consecutive games ended.

Boston faced a depleted Lakers line-up. In addition to being without NBA All-Stars and MVP candidates Anthony Davis and LeBron James, the Lakers faced Boston without newly acquired center Andre Drummond, who has a bruised right big toe, and power forward Markieff Morris, who has a sprained left ankle.

LA Guard Dennis Schröder nearly sat out with an infection on the ball of his right foot, but contributed eight points and eight assists. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also played through mid-game back spasms, and center Marc Gasol stayed in after dislocating his pinky finger, which got popped back into place during a timeout.

Boston is a bit banged-up as well. Starting center Robert Williams III missed the game with left knee soreness and swelling. The Celtics were 8-2 since he joined the starting lineup at the trade deadline after center Daniel Theis was dealt to Chicago. … Forward Evan Fournier missed his fifth straight game under the NBA’s health and safety protocols.

Red Sox – “Let’s Take Two”

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MINNEAPOLIS  – Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo cracked three hits, including a two-run single in a six-run fifth inning, and Boston extended its win streak to nine games, defeating the Minnesota Twins, 7-1. The win completed a sweep of Wednesday’s doubleheader.

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Verdugo was acquired as part of the trade that sent superstar Mookie Betts to the LA Dodgers.

Boston’s ace Eduardo Rodríguez (2-0) returned to the form of his 2018-19 seasons, pitching five innings and allowing one run on five hits.

Boston has come from behind in six of its nine wins this season. The Red Sox have their longest winning streak since a 10-game stint in 2018.

Verdugo had five hits in the doubleheader and capped the day with his second homer of the season in the seventh inning.

In the first game of the twin-bill, Boston starter Nathan Eovaldi pitched five innings and the Sox extended their win streak to eight games with a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins. Boston’s 2B Christian Arroyo, OF Alex Verdugo and SS Xander Bogaerts had two hits apiece, now enjoying its longest win streak since the World Series Championship season of 2018.

The Red Sox are the first team since the 1991 Seattle Mariners to lose at least three games to start the season and follow by winning at least seven straight, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Eovaldi (2-1) gave up two runs on five hits. He has allowed four runs over 17 1/3 innings in three starts this season. Matt Barnes recorded his second save of the season and is now re-established as the Red Sox closer..

Kenta Maeda (1-1) pitched 4 1/3 innings and gave up three runs — one earned — on seven hits and two walks. He struck out five. The Twins have lost four straight.

Celtics Edge Trail Blazers, 116-115

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PORTLAND – Boston All-Star forward Jayson Tatum scored 32 points, and added nine rebounds and five assists to lead the Boston Celtics to a 116-115 victory at Portland on Tuesday. The Celtics’ other All-Star, Jaylen Brown, scored 24 points and guard Kemba Walker had one of his better all-around games with 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as Boston won for the fourth straight game and sixth time in the past seven.

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Portland’s All-Star phenom Damian Lillard had 28 points and 10 assists, and veteran forward Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting for the Trail Blazers. Norman Powell added 20 points and CJ McCollum had 16 points as Portland lost for the fifth time in the past seven games.

Robert Williams added 16 points and seven rebounds and Marcus Smart had 13 points and seven assists for Boston.

Bruins Snap Losing Way in Shoot-Out

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BOSTON – Boston’s Charlie Coyle and Jake DeBrusk scored in a shootout to push the new-look Boston Bruins. Craig Smith had a goal and an assist, and David Krejci also scored as the Bruins snapped a two-game losing streak. Jeremy Swayman had 21 saves and turned away both Buffalo chances in the shootout.

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Rasmus Dahlin and Colin Miller scored for the Sabres, who have dropped three of four (1-2-1). Dustin Tokarski stopped 29 shots in relief of Linus Ullmark, who exited early in the first period with an undisclosed injury.

Coyle went five-hole on his shoot-out turn, and DeBrusk followed to complete the shootout, which was necessitated after Dahlin tied the game at 2 on a one-timer through traffic with 8:07 remaining in the third period.

Boston’s newly acquired Taylor Hall and Buffalo’s Anders Bjork, traded for each other as part of this week’s trade, each had strong chances to score in overtime.