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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.

Pro Teams Postpone Games in Minnesota

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MINNEAPOLIS-ST PAUL – Monday’s 2:10pm series opener between the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins was postponed as a cautionary move by the Twins and local authorities as the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul reacts to the fatal shooting death of Daunte Wright after a police traffic stop in the Brooklyn Center area.

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“Out of respect for the tragic events that occurred yesterday in Brooklyn Center, and following the additional details in this evolving situation, the Minnesota Twins have decided it is in the best interests of our fans, staff, players and community to not play today’s game.

The decision was made by the Minnesota Twins after consultation with Major League Baseball, and local and state officials. Information regarding the rescheduling of today’s game, and corresponding ticket details, will be released in the near future.

The Minnesota Twins organization extends its sympathies to the family of Daunte Wright.”

The NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and the NHL’s Minnesota Wild also postponed home games because of a 7:00pm (local) city-wide curfew put in place as authorities brace for another display of civic protests. The Minneapolis area was at the heart of intense protests last Memorial Day weekend after the fatal shooting of George Floyd. A dismissed Minneapolis police officer is currently on trial for that incident which was the root of nation-wide protests last May.

The NBA issued the following statement in announcing the cancellation of the Brooklyn Nets at Timberwolves game:

“The National Basketball Association announced that in light of the tragic events in the Minneapolis area yesterday, tonight’s game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center has been postponed. The decision to postpone was made by the NBA after consultation with the Timberwolves organization and local and state officials.

“Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Daunte Wright during this difficult time.”

Brooklyn Center police held a news conference and stated the officer that shot Wright Sunday afternoon did so accidentally, confusing a fire arm with a police taser.

 

NHL: Bruins Acquire Hall, Lazar

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BOSTON – (Source: Official club news release) – Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced the acquisition of forwards Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for forward Anders Bjork and a 2021 second-round draft pick.

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Hall, 29, has tallied two goals and 17 assists for 19 points in 37 games with Buffalo this season. The 6-foot-1, 206-pound forward has appeared in 664 career NHL games with Buffalo, Arizona, New Jersey and Edmonton, totaling 220 goals and 362 assists for 582 points. The Calgary, Alberta native was originally selected by Edmonton in the first round (1st overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Lazar, 26, has recorded five goals and four assists for nine points in 33 games this season with Buffalo. The 6-foot, 193-pound forward has appeared in 317 career NHL games with Buffalo, Calgary and Ottawa, totaling 25 goals and 45 assists for 70 points. The Salmon Arm, British Columbia native was originally selected by Ottawa in the first round (17th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

Bjork, 24, has posted two goals and three assists for five points in 30 games this season with Boston. The 6-foot, 197-pound forward has appeared in 138 career NHL games – all with Boston – totaling 16 goals and 23 assists for 39 points. The Mequon, Wisconsin native was originally selected by Boston in the fifth round (146th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

NHL: Boston Bruins Shore-Up Defense with Trade for Ottawa’s Mike Reilly

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BOSTON – (Source: Official team news release) – Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced the acquisition of defenseman Mike Reilly from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

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Reilly, 27, has 19 assists in 40 games this season with Ottawa. The 6-foot-1, 199-pound defenseman has appeared in 244 career NHL games with Ottawa, Montreal and Minnesota, totaling eight goals and 64 assists for 72 points. The Chicago, Illinois native was originally selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the fourth round (98th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Red Sox: Five in a Row and Here They Go

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By TERRY LYONS

BALTIMORE – In 2018, the Red Sox lost their opening day game and nearly all of Boston hit the panic button. Fast-forward past 2019-20 and the Sox lost their first three games of this young 2021 season and all of the New England skies were falling. Now, five games later, the Red Sox are riding a five-game winning streak and fans are checking their 2018 schedule results for comparisons to a team that went 108-54.

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Taking it to that extreme so early in the 2021 season is certainly nonsensical, but for the shear fun of it, the 2021 Sox will need to win another four straight to mirror the nine-game win streak manager Alex Cora enjoyed to start the title season after the disappointing opener.

To earn the fifth straight victory, it took 10 innings and a Rafael Devers home run in the 6th inning, a game tying series of singles and grounding into fielder’s choices in the top of the 9th, and Michael Chavis scoring a run in the top of the 10th inning on a wild pitch to seal the win. An RBI single by Christian Vázquez added an insurance run and extended Boston’s winning streak to five games with a 6-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night, April 10.

“It’s a good vibe,” Cora said. “A lot of people don’t feel like we have any superstars. This is a good baseball team. They did everything right toward the end of the game.”

For Baltimore ,outfielder Trey Mancini hit his first home run since his return from cancer surgery that caused him to miss the 2020 season. It was Mancini’s first homer since Sept. 28, 2019.

 

UMass Takes Its First Frozen Four Title

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PITTSBURGH – The University of Massachusetts soundly defeated St. Cloud State of Minnesota, 5-0, in Saturday night’s men’s ice hockey national championship. For the UMass Minutemen, it’s was their first Frozen Four title win in program history.

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The scoring started a little over seven minutes into the first period when Aaron Bohlinger found himself on a 2-on-0 and cashed in to make it 1-0 UMass. With 1:04 left in the first 20 minutes, Reed Lebster tapped one past St. Cloud G David Hrenak to give UMass a 2-0 lead entering the first intermission.

With St. Cloud State on the power play five minutes into the second frame, Phil Lagunov dangled around Nick Perbix to score a shorthanded goal. Matt Kessel added a power play goal in the back half of the second period to make it 4-0.

UMass’ Bobby Trivigno made it 5-0 when he sniped one past David Hrenak early in the third period.

UMass was on a mission to improve one slot heading into the 2021-21 season. The Minutemen finished as 2019 championship runner-ups (2020 playoff was cancelled). They closed out the 2020-21 regular season winning the program’s first-ever Hockey East title and advanced to the championship game after an overtime thriller in the Frozen Four semifinals against Minnesota Duluth,

UMass goaltender Filip Linberg made 25 saves to earn the shut-out.