It was an even game until the third period, when many Vegas shots found the back of the net while many Florida shots struck iron.
What else did we learn about these two teams in Game 1, and how will it impact the rest of the series? ESPN’s Ryan S. Clark, Emily Kaplan and Greg Wyshynski check in:
The start of something big for Theodore?
Is it the fact that Shea Theodore scored in Game 1? Or is it more about how he scored in Game 1 that should be the area of focus? It’s possible Theodore’s first goal of the playoffs could offer more insight into how he could score a few more in the coming games.
Theodore had just received possession when he walked it out to the blue line, skating laterally with Anthony Duclair in front of him. Theodore then did a spin in one direction before stopping, cutting and going in another direction. It created separation that left Duclair in his wake, giving Theodore the space to get into the slot before launching the shot that gave the Golden Knights a 2-1 second-period lead. Golden Knights captain Mark Stone said he was surprised to learn that was Theodore’s first postseason goal because of how much offense he creates for his teammates.
“When you have a little bit of space, that’s your time to be creative,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Whether they go back down the wall or into the middle. Shea has the ability to move laterally as good as any defenseman I’ve ever seen.”
The coach also inferred that this could be a turning point for the 27-year-old blueliner.
“It looks like it was pretty good coverage at first. But, again, he found his soft spot and then [Brett Howden‘s] at the net,” Cassidy said. “I don’t know who got the assist on the goal but at the end of the day, he’s going to take away [Sergei] Bobrovsky’s eyes and we’ve talked about that a lot. Really good play by him and you’re starting to see his game come around.” — Clark
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Shea Theodore puts the Golden Knights ahead in the 2nd
Shea Theodore shows off great patience and zips it in for the score as the Golden Knights take a 2-1 lead in the second period.
The “original six” continue to step up
This is still the Golden Misfits team. The first year of existence for the franchise was all about the players with a chip on their shoulder — because their previous teams didn’t want them. It was an “us against the world” mentality.
Then it became the world against Vegas, as the team aggressively traded for and acquired veteran players, including other teams captains.
But the six original Golden Misfits still on the roster — Theodore, Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith, William Karlsson, William Carrier and Brayden McNabb — have played a huge role for Vegas. They scored three of the five goals in Game 1, after accounting for four of the six goals in the clinching game of the Western Conference final. — Kaplan
Get them a nickname!
Every so often, a fourth line becomes the most dependable line for a Stanley Cup winner. Like the Crash Line for the 1995 Devils or the Grind Line for multiple Detroit Red Wings champions or the Merlot Line for the 2011 Boston Bruins. The Vegas Golden Knights’ line of Carrier, Nicolas Roy and Keegan Kolesar may not have a well-known nickname yet, but they’ve clearly earned the trust of head coach Bruce Cassidy in key situations, as evidenced by Game 1.
This trio of forwards saw the most ice time against the Panthers’ explosive line of Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Nick Cousins. For just the second time in their entire playoff run, Florida didn’t get an even-strength point from any of the three. The play of the Knights’ fourth line was a big reason for that: Bending but not breaking, checking hard and mixing it up with the Panthers but not crossing the line. Beyond that matchup, the Knights’ fourth line kept the energy up shift after shift early in the game.
“We just read off each other pretty well,” Roy said. “It’s not really complicated the way we play, right? Three big guys. Be hard on the forecheck. Be hard to play against. When we have the puck, we protect it well. But we’re also really good defensively.” — Wyshynski
Adin Hill is going to get paid this summer. It’s hard to believe the goalie was only acquired for a fourth-round pick, and technically was Vegas’ fourth-stringer.
The 27 year old — a pending unrestricted free agent — has showed up consistently ever since taking over the net. And his stretching paddle save on Nick Cousins early in the second period to keep the score tied 1-1 was the highlight of the night.
As Zach Whitecloud told me after the game: “That right there literally is who Adin Hill has been for us since he came to us. … You love playing for a guy like that because no matter the situation, he shows up.” — Kaplan
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Adin Hill makes phenomenal stick save for the Golden Knights
Adin Hill makes a phenomenal stick save as the Golden Knights keep it even in the second period.
Rough stuff gets going early
A tug of the sweater followed by a quick jab attempt or two to the face. Usually, an exchange such as that could lead to a reaction. This is what Matthew Tkachuk was trying to elicit from Alex Pietrangelo late in the second period, only to have the Golden Knights alternate captain hold firm.
That particular exchange with Pietrangelo and Tkachuk was one of many between the Golden Knights and Panthers. It’s also possible that it could serve as a prelude in a series that could be decided by what team can master what it means to play the game within the game. If so, then it leaves both teams trying to toe the line that allows them to be physical while not being reckless.
Here’s something to keep in mind. The Golden Knights went from averaging 7.18 penalty minutes per game in the regular season to 14.8 penalty minutes in the playoffs. As for the Panthers? They are averaging 14.65 penalty minutes per game in the playoffs after averaging 12.17 per game in the regular season.
“We’ve done it all year. We’ll stick up for one another but it’s also the maturity of this group, just being able to kind of hang back a bit,” Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill said, after he was part of a first-period scrum that saw him jab the Panthers’ Nick Cousins. “It’s like when they do that stuff, they’re going to try and instigate us. We don’t need to react. We need to stay focused on the game plan.” — Clark
NEW YORK — Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said he discussed Pete Rose with President Donald Trump at a meeting two weeks ago and he plans to rule on a request to end the sport’s permanent ban of the career hits leader, who died in September.
Speaking Monday at a meeting of the Associated Press Sports Editors, Manfred said he and Trump discussed several issues, including concerns over how immigration policies could impact players from Cuba, Venezuela and other foreign countries.
Manfred is considering a petition to have Rose posthumously removed from MLB’s permanently ineligible list. The petition was filed in January by Jeffrey Lenkov, a Southern California lawyer who represented Rose prior to the 17-time All-Star’s death at age 83.
“I met with President Trump two weeks ago … and one of the topics was Pete Rose, but I’m not going beyond that,” Manfred said. “He’s said what he said publicly. I’m not going beyond that in terms of what the back and forth was.”
Trump posted on social media Feb. 28 that he plans to issue “a complete PARDON of Pete Rose.” Trump posted on Truth Social that Rose “shouldn’t have been gambling on baseball, but only bet on HIS TEAM WINNING.”
It’s unclear what a presidential pardon might include. Trump did not specifically mention a tax case in which Rose pleaded guilty in 1990 to two counts of filing false tax returns and served a five-month prison sentence.
The president said he would sign a pardon for Rose “over the next few weeks” but has not addressed the matter since.
Rose had 4,256 hits and also holds records for games (3,562) and plate appearances (15,890). He was the 1973 National League MVP and played on three World Series winners.
An investigation for MLB by lawyer John M. Dowd found Rose placed numerous bets on the Cincinnati Reds to win from 1985-87 while playing for and managing the team. Rose agreed with MLB on a permanent ban in 1989.
Lenkov is seeking Rose’s reinstatement so that he can be considered for the Hall of Fame. Under a rule adopted by the Hall’s board of directors in 1991, anyone on the permanently ineligible list can’t be considered for election to the Hall. Rose applied for reinstatement in 1997 and met with Commissioner Bud Selig in November 2002, but Selig never ruled on Rose’s request. Manfred in 2015 denied Rose’s application for reinstatement.
Manfred said reinstating Rose now was “a little more complicated than it might appear on the outside” and did not commit to a timeline except that “I want to get it done promptly as soon as we get the work done.”
“I’m not going to give this the pocket veto,” Manfred said. “I will in fact issue a ruling.”
Rose’s reinstatement doesn’t mean he would automatically appear on a Hall of Fame ballot. He would first have to be nominated by the Hall’s Historical Overview Committee, which is picked by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and approved by the Hall’s board.
Manfred said he has been in regular contact with chairman Jane Forbes Clark.
“I mean, believe me, a lot of Hall of Fame dialogue on this one,” Manfred said.
If reinstated, Rose potentially would be eligible for consideration to be placed on a ballot to be considered by the 16-member Classic Baseball Era committee in December 2027.
Manfred said he doesn’t think baseball’s current ties to legal sports betting should color views on Rose’s case.
“There is and always has been a clear demarcation between what Rob Manfred, ordinary citizen, can do on the one hand, and what someone who has the privilege to play or work in Major League Baseball can do on the other in respect to gambling,” Manfred said. “The fact that the law changed, and we sell data and/or sponsorships, which is essentially all we do, to sports betting enterprises, I don’t think changes that.
“It’s a privilege to play Major League Baseball. As with every privilege, there comes responsibilities. One of those responsibilities is that they not bet on the game.”
Manfred did not go into details on his discussion with Trump over foreign-born players other than to say he expressed worry.
“Given the number of foreign-born players we have, we’re always concerned about ingress and egress,” Manfred said. “We have had dialogue with the administration about this topic. And, you know, they’re very interested in sports. They understand the unique need to be able to go back and forth, and I’m going to leave it at that.”
It was old faces in familiar places for the Atlanta Braves on Monday after they activated right-hander Ian Anderson to the active roster and signed outfielder Eddie Rosario to a major league contract.
In corresponding moves, outfielder Jarred Kelenic was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett, while right-hander Davis Daniel was optioned to Triple-A after Sunday’s game.
Both Anderson and Rosario emerged as 2021 postseason heroes in Atlanta as the Braves went on to win the World Series.
Anderson, who was claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, went 4-0 with a 1.26 ERA in eight postseason starts for the Braves over the 2020 and 2021 postseasons.
In the 2021 World Series, Anderson famously pitched five no-hit innings in Game 3 to lead Atlanta to a 2-0 victory over the Houston Astros. The Braves defeated the Astros in six games.
Anderson, who turns 27 Friday, was traded by the Braves to the Angels on March 23 for left-hander Jose Suarez. He struggled badly with his new club, going 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA in seven relief appearances. He allowed 17 hits and seven walks in just 9⅓ innings.
Rosario, 33, signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in February and played in two games with the club, going 1-for-4. He was designated for assignment and became a free agent when Shohei Ohtani returned from the paternity list just over a week ago.
Rosario was the 2021 National League Championship Series MVP, when he powered the Braves past the Dodgers with three home runs, nine RBIs and a 1.647 OPS in six games.
Over parts of 11 seasons, Rosario is a career .261 hitter with 169 home runs and 583 RBIs in 1,123 games with five different clubs, including five seasons with the Minnesota Twins (2015-20) and four with the Braves (2021-24).
Kelenic, 25, was batting .167 with two home runs in 23 games and is a career .211 hitter with 49 home runs and 156 RBIs in 406 games with the Seattle Mariners (2021-23) and Braves.
Daniel, 27, made his only appearance for the Braves on Sunday with a scoreless inning and has appeared in 10 games (six starts) over the past three seasons with a 4.95 ERA.
Mike Sullivan, who led the Pittsburgh Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, is out as the team’s head coach, it was announced Monday.
Sullivan was the longest-tenured coach in Penguins history after just completing his 10th season. The 57-year-old, who also coached Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off, was under contract in Pittsburgh through 2026-27.
In a statement, Penguins GM Kyle Dubas said the decision was “the best course forward for all involved” as Pittsburgh navigates a transitional period.
“On behalf of Fenway Sports Group and the Penguins organization, I would like to thank Mike Sullivan for his unwavering commitment and loyalty to the team and City of Pittsburgh over the past decade,” Dubas said. “Mike is known for his preparation, focus and fierce competitiveness. I was fortunate to have a front-row seat to his dedication to this franchise for the past two seasons. He will forever be an enormous part of Penguins history, not only for the impressive back-to-back Cups, his impact on the core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Bryan Rust, but more importantly, for his love and loyalty to the organization. This was not a decision that was taken lightly, but as we continue to navigate the Penguins through this transitional period, we felt it was the best course forward for all involved.”
The Penguins have missed the playoffs for three straight seasons as Dubas works to retool the team into a contender while Crosby is still competing at a high level. Crosby just completed his 20th straight season in which he posted a point-per-game scoring pace, and he was voted by his peers in the NHLPA as the league’s most complete player. The captain is under contract through next season on a two-year extension he signed prior to the 2024-25 season.
Sullivan was elevated to Penguins head coach in 2015 after leading the organization’s AHL team in Wilkes-Barre. With 409 wins in Pittsburgh, he leaves as the Penguins’ all-time wins leader.
Sources also said Sullivan is keen on coaching again next season and will be a top candidate for several of the vacancies. Sullivan worked as an assistant coach with the Rangers and as both an assistant and head coach with the Bruins earlier in his career.