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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Kirby Smart is pretty sure late Georgia coach Vince Dooley was looking down on the No. 1 Bulldogs on Saturday and probably enjoyed the first half — but not so much the second — in a 42-20 victory over the rival Florida Gators.

Dooley, who guided the Bulldogs to a national championship in 1980, died on Friday at his home in Athens, Georgia. He was 90.

“To the Dooleys back home in Athens, I know they are together,” Smart said. “It meant a lot for us to win that game for them. All that Vince has meant to our university and such an ambassador of our program and really all of college football. … He has meant so much to us and in honor of him and their family, it was special. It was a tough time for that to happen.”

After taking a 28-3 lead at the half, a multitude of Georgia errors allowed the Gators to cut the deficit to only eight points after Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson threw a 78-yard touchdown to Xzavier Henderson with 3:31 left in the third quarter.

A Georgia personal foul helped set up Florida’s first touchdown of the second half, and then Bulldogs tailback Kenny McIntosh lost a fumble on the first play of the next drive. Gators defensive back Trey Dean III recovered the ball at Georgia’s 27, and Florida ended up kicking a field goal to make it 28-13.

On the Bulldogs’ next possession, quarterback Stetson Bennett underthrew a pass, which was intercepted by Florida’s Amari Burney. Richardson connected with Henderson three plays later, after the Bulldogs busted coverage in the secondary.

Georgia scored touchdowns on each of its next two possessions to end the threat and beat Florida for the fifth time in the past six meetings.

“I’m sure Coach Dooley enjoyed that; I’m sure he was watching,” Bennett said. “You know, sometimes you take what they give you and sometimes you give them what they’re going to take.”

Smart knows his team will have to clean things up before next week’s showdown against No. 3 Tennessee at Sanford Stadium. That game will go a long way in deciding which team will win the SEC East, and it will be the first top-five matchup played at Sanford Stadium since the No. 4 Bulldogs lost 13-7 to Bo Jackson and No. 3 Auburn in 1983, ending a 23-game SEC win streak, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

“Any win, any win exudes confidence,” Smart said. “You guys criticize the wins, I am great with the wins. In the SEC, when you beat Florida, any win, they are hard to come by. They are tough, they are physical, they are hard-fought. I am proud of them and the way our guys played.”

Smart, a former Georgia defensive back, said he didn’t learn of Dooley’s death until the team landed in Jacksonville on Friday. Smart said he received a text from Dooley’s son, Derek, a former Tennessee head coach.

“We took off and were not aware of anything and then the phones started dinging and the text messages started coming through,” Smart said. “We knew that it was kind of imminent. I got to visit with him a little last week and sat down. He was in the training room and we got to talk for a while, and of course I did not know that it would be the last time, but that is probably my fondest memory.”

Smart said Dooley was in a suite with his family during last year’s SEC championship game and CFP National Championship, in which Georgia defeated Alabama 33-18 to win its first national title in 41 years.

“My kids have gotten to be around him, and it’s funny because my kids had no idea,” Smart said. “They were like, ‘Who is this old coach? Who is this old guy?’ Now they know the history and what all he stood for and what his family did for this university. Got a lot of respect for him.”

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Hagel suspended for Game 3 due to hit on Barkov

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Hagel suspended for Game 3 due to hit on Barkov

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Brandon Hagel was suspended one game by the NHL Department of Player Safety on Friday night for what it labeled “an extremely forceful body check to an unsuspecting opponent” that injured Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov.

Hagel will miss Saturday’s Game 3 in Sunrise, Florida. The Panthers lead the series 2-0.

Around midway through the third period of Thursday’s Game 2, Tampa Bay was on the power play while trailing 1-0. Barkov pressured defenseman Ryan McDonagh deep in the Lightning zone. With the puck clearly past Barkov, Hagel lined him up for a huge hit that sent the Panthers captain to the ice and thumping off the end boards.

A penalty was whistled, and the officials conferred before calling a “five-minute penalty.” After review, Hagel was given a 5-minute major for interference. Barkov left the game with 10:09 remaining in regulation and did not return to the Panthers’ 2-0 win.

Lightning coach Jon Cooper said after the game that he didn’t expect Hagel to receive a major penalty for the hit.

“Refs make the call. I was a little surprised it was a five, but it was,” he said.

The NHL ruled that Hagel’s hit made “some head contact” on Barkov.

“It’s important to note that Barkov is never in possession of the puck on this play and is therefore not eligible to be checked in any manner,” the league said.

In the Friday hearing, held remotely, Hagel argued that he approached the play anticipating that Barkov would play the puck. But the Department of Player Safety said the onus was on Hagel to ensure that Barkov was eligible to be checked. It also determined that the hit had “sufficient force” for supplemental discipline.

It’s Hagel’s first suspension in 375 regular-season and 36 playoff games. He was fined for boarding Florida’s Eetu Luostarinen in May 2022.

The Panthers held an optional skate Friday. Coach Paul Maurice said Barkov “hasn’t been ruled out yet” but “hasn’t been cleared” for Game 3.

“He’s an irreplicable player,” Panthers defenseman Seth Jones said of Barkov. “One of the best centermen in the league. He’s super important to our team.”

The Lightning lose Hagel while they struggle to score in the series; they scored two goals in Game 1 and were shut out in Game 2. Tampa Bay was the highest-scoring team in the regular season (3.56), with Hagel contributing 35 goals and 55 assists in 82 games.

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Goalies Montembeault, Dobes leave Caps-Habs

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Goalies Montembeault, Dobes leave Caps-Habs

The Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens lost their starting goalies because of injuries in Game 3 of their first-round series Friday night.

Canadiens starter Sam Montembeault was replaced by rookie Jakub Dobes, who made his playoff debut, in the second period. Capitals starter Logan Thompson left late in the third period after a collision with teammate Dylan Strome.

The Canadiens won 6-3 to cut their series deficit to 2-1.

Montembeault left the crease with 8:21 remaining in the second period and the score tied 2-2. Replays showed him reaching for the back of his left leg after making a save on Capitals defenseman Alex Alexeyev. Montembeault had stopped 11 of 13 shots. For the series, he stopped 58 of 63 shots (.921 save percentage) with a 2.49 goals-against average.

Dobes, 23, was 7-4-3 in 16 games for the Canadiens in the regular season with a .909 save percentage. Dobes had a win over the Capitals on Jan. 10, stopping 15 shots in a 3-2 overtime win.

Thompson was helped from the ice by a trainer and teammates after Strome collided with him with 6:37 left in regulation right after Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky made it a 5-3 Montreal lead. Thompson attempted to skate off on his own but couldn’t put weight down on his left leg.

Backup goalie Charlie Lindgren replaced Thompson, who had been outstanding for the Capitals in the first two games of the series, winning both with a .951 save percentage and a 1.47 goals-against average. He made 30 saves on 35 shots in Game 3.

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