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NEW YORK — Looking to help Francisco Lindor out of his early funk, New York Mets fans gave him the Trea Turner treatment.

Cheers instead of catcalls. Warm ovations rather than angry boos. And the star shortstop was certainly appreciative.

“I wasn’t expecting it at all, but it definitely felt good. It felt good to be able to come home and feel the love of the fans,” Lindor said Friday night following New York’s 6-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

“It fills my heart, for sure. So I appreciate everybody that came out and showed some love — not only for me, but for my teammates as well.”

With Lindor off to a dreadful start at the plate this season, Mets fans followed the lead of their rival brethren in Philadelphia — where notoriously nasty Phillies fans banded together online last summer in support of a slumping Turner.

They came to the ballpark and, rather than continuing to target him with boos, they cheered their new shortstop with the $300 million contract, giving him out-of-the-ordinary standing ovations for a full weekend in early August.

It worked. Turner soon got hot and turned his season around, helping the Phillies reach Game 7 of the National League Championship Series. He expressed his appreciation with a thank-you message to fans splashed on 12 digital billboards in the greater Philadelphia area.

“I think that was extremely cool, extremely special. I’m sure he loved it,” Lindor said.

With the Mets on the road last weekend, a fan suggested on social media that New Yorkers do the same for Lindor — and team owner Steve Cohen said he loved the idea.

“It worked in Philly with Turner. Positivity goes a long way,” Cohen posted on the platform X.

So before each of Lindor’s at-bats Friday, fans in the scattered crowd of 18,822 on a blustery night at Citi Field gave him an ovation.

Lindor, who is batting .111 with two RBIs in the third season of a $341 million, 10-year contract, was aware that might happen.

“Of course,” he said. “It’s in my face every time I open social media. So yeah, I saw Steve’s tweet, I saw a couple people’s tweet. At the end of the day, people can do whatever they want to do, and it was something that I wasn’t really expecting. I knew it was something out there. When it happened, when I walked up, and every at-bat, it felt really good. This is home. So, I love playing here. I love playing in front of the fans here.

“At the end of the day, I try to put up a show day in and day out for them.”

Maybe the vocal support made a difference, too.

Lindor drew a leadoff walk in the fourth inning, then singled sharply in the middle of a rally and scored in the fifth. He was retired on a hard-hit grounder in the seventh and finished 1-for-3.

New York won for the sixth time in eight games after opening 0-5.

“Everybody that came out, thank you for the love for sure. It doesn’t go unnoticed,” Lindor said.

Cohen was happy to see the response, too.

“Thank You Mets fans for your positivity tonight. I know the players felt it,” he posted on X.

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Hintz (leg) back in action, joins Stars’ top line

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Hintz (leg) back in action, joins Stars' top line

EDMONTON, Alberta — Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz is back in the lineup for Game 4 of the Western Conference finals Tuesday.

The club’s top skater, sidelined since Game 2, when he took a slash to the left leg from Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse, was placed on the top line, alongside Jason Robertson and Mikko Rantanen after taking warmups and line rushes prior to puck drop.

Hintz also took part in warmups before Game 3 on Sunday but exited early and was ruled out. He was back on the ice for Dallas’ optional practice Monday and told reporters he was “feeling good” and “trying to do everything I can” to get back in for Game 4.

It was early in the third period of Game 2 when Hintz — parked in front of the Oilers’ net — shoved Nurse from behind, and the Oilers’ blueliner responded by swinging his stick at Hintz’s leg. Hintz went down to the ice for several minutes before being helped off by Lian Bichsel and Mikael Granlund.

Nurse received a two-minute penalty for the slash but no supplementary discipline from the league. The blueliner addressed the incident publicly for the first time Tuesday, saying it didn’t come with malicious intent.

“I was backing up to net and I got shot in the back. And I think it was just a natural reaction [to respond],” Nurse said. “It’s probably a play that everyone in this room, whether you’re a net-front guy or D man, probably happens a dozen, two dozen times in a year. It’s unfortunate that I must have got [Hintz] in a bad spot. You don’t want to go out there and hurt anyone. But it was just one of those plays that happens so often.”

Having Hintz unavailable hurt the Stars in Game 3, a 6-1 drubbing by the Oilers that put Dallas in a 2-1 hole in the best-of-seven series. Hintz is the Stars’ second-leading scorer in the postseason, with 11 goals and 15 points through 15 games. He was hopeful when taking warmups Sunday that he’d feel good enough to get back in, but a quick discussion with the training staff made it clear he wasn’t ready.

Before Tuesday night, coach Peter DeBoer had since classified Hintz’s status as day-to-day.

“Of course you want to go every night, but sometimes you just can’t,” Hintz said. “I don’t know how close I [was to playing]. But I have played many years [and I] know when it’s good and when it’s not. I should be good to know that [when] it comes to that decision.”

The Oilers will have some lineup changes of their own to sort through in Game 4. Connor Brown, who is out after taking a hit from Alexander Petrovic in Game 3, will be replaced by Viktor Arvidsson. Calvin Pickard, injured in Edmonton’s second-round series against Vegas, will return to back up Stuart Skinner. And Edmonton continues to wait on defenseman Mattias Ekholm, who is getting closer to returning from a lower-body injury.

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Referee Rooney returns, 11 days after high stick

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Referee Rooney returns, 11 days after high stick

EDMONTON, Alberta — NHL official Chris Rooney was back on the ice Tuesday night for Game 4 of the Western Conference finals between the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars.

It was the veteran referee’s conference finals debut, and a fitting return for Rooney given the circumstances. It was Rooney’s first game since he took a high stick to the face on May 17 during Game 7 of the Eastern Conference second-round series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers.

Rooney was injured 13 seconds into the second period when Panthers’ defenseman Niko Mikkola caught him with the end of his stick while fighting for a puck. Rooney fell to the ice and was tended to by trainers from both teams.

While bloodied, he was able to leave under his own power. Rooney sustained a black eye and received stitches for his injury but had no lasting damage. He was replaced at the time by Garrett Rank, in the building on standby in case on injury.

It was clear even the day after his injury that Rooney, 50, hoped to resume duties at some point in the playoffs. The Boston native was finally able to step in for Game 4 with fellow referee Dan O’Rourke.

The pair was joined by linesmen Ryan Gibbons and Matt MacPherson. Referee Graham Skilliter and linesman Ryan Daisy were in the building as alternates.

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Oilers forward Hyman injured in 1st, exits Game 4

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Oilers forward Hyman injured in 1st, exits Game 4

EDMONTON, Alberta — Edmonton Oilers‘ top-line forward Zach Hyman was ruled out for the rest of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals Tuesday against the Dallas Stars after taking a hit from forward Mason Marchment, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported on the game broadcast.

The first-period collision appeared to immediately rattle Hyman, who dropped his stick and seemed to favor his right arm or wrist. Hyman went directly to the Oilers’ dressing room and did not return.

Hyman has been a key member of the Oilers’ postseason success, registering a league-leading 119 hits in 14 playoff games and scoring five goals and 11 points. He’s a fixture on the team’s top forward unit with Connor McDavid and is part of both the Oilers’ power play and penalty kill.

Edmonton was already down a forward going into Game 4 with Connor Brown sidelined after a hit from Dallas defenseman Alexander Petrovic in Sunday’s Game 3. Viktor Arvidsson returned to the lineup as Brown’s replacement on the fourth line.

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