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The Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers entered their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series with history.

But their present story might be even more compelling.

Let’s recap:

  • The Panthers were routed by the Bruins in Game 1, blew Boston out in Game 2 and then cruised to wins in Games 3 and 4 to put their opponent on the ropes.

  • The Bruins responded with a gutsy effort in Game 5 to stay alive. That sent the series back to Boston for Game 6 on Friday.

If that all sounds like déjà vu, well, it’s close. Last season, when Boston and Florida met in the first round, it was the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Bruins who jumped to a 3-1 series lead, let it slip away and then lost in overtime in Game 7. Florida advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.

Is Boston about to flip the script on Florida with a comeback of its own? Or, are the Panthers ready to pounce again and send the Bruins packing?

Game 6 could be a series-defining moment. Before it goes down, we look back at storylines Boston and Florida generated after the lopsided showing in Game 1 — when it was already clear to expect the unexpected from these Atlantic Division foes.

Panthers pepper Swayman

There’s no arguing that Jeremy Swayman has been Boston’s MVP in the postseason. He bamboozled the Toronto Maple Leafs throughout their first-round series, and Swayman was razor sharp in Boston’s dominant Game 1 victory against Florida.

Since then, though, Swayman’s been brought slightly back to earth by the Panthers’ offensive onslaught. He’s 1-3 in Games 2 through 5, with an .896 save percentage and 3.59 goals-against average, a stark contrast to the 5-2 record, .955 SV% and 1.42 GAA Swayman held through the playoffs through Game 1 of this series.

At issue: Swayman has been under siege in the second round. Boston is allowing 34 shots per game and the Bruins forwards are providing little help in the goal support department (averaging 1.75 per game in Games 2 through 5) while averaging just 19.5 shots in that span toward Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

Frankly, Swayman’s numbers could be worse given what’s happening in front of him. And Boston is letting Bobrovsky off easy.

The Panthers netminder is admittedly underworked, but solid when called upon with a 3-1 record, .910 SV% and 1.77 GAA since Game 1.

Instead of Swayman exuding swagger, it’s been Bobrovsky looking unbothered. Boston will need to change that in Game 6, where the order of the day should be adapting Florida’s strategy of firing pucks at will in an effort to ratchet up the pressure.


The Bruins’ struggling special teams

The shoe — or skate — is on the other foot now for Boston when it comes to sputtering special teams. The Bruins shut down Toronto’s power play in the first round, and it was a decisive factor in their eventual victory.

Well, Boston’s power play has been underachieving against Florida. The Bruins are 1-for-14 with the extra man (7.1%), while Florida is 6-for-25 (24.0%) on its power play. Boston’s penalty kill has taken an obvious dip (to 76.0%, compared to 95.2% against the Leafs).

However, the silver lining is the Bruins were 4-for-4 on the kill in Game 5 while holding Florida’s special teams off the scoresheet for the first time since Game 1. Now, considering Boston won both those games, it’s safe to say special teams projects to be a significant element in the Bruins outcome for Game 6.

And consider this: Boston and Florida have scored an equal number of 5-on-5 goals in the series (nine). There’s no mistaking what a well-timed power-play marker could do for either side in Friday’s contest.


Florida’s fearsome depth

It was fair to wonder after Game 1 whether the Panthers were too top-heavy up front.

Swayman appeared so locked in that if Florida’s stars couldn’t break him, would their depth skaters be able to help out?

The answer was yes.

In their past four games, the Panthers have seen 11 different shooters tally at least one goal (and Matthew Tkachuk isn’t even one of them), with the bounty spread throughout all four lines. While captain Aleksander Barkov‘s three goals and seven points have certainly aided Florida in getting to its current pinnacle, contributions from throughout the lineup have driven the Panthers’ overall success.

Having Sam Bennett back has been a boon for Florida, although he has created some controversy along the way. Bennett’s hit on Bruins’ captain Brad Marchand in Game 3 forced the winger out of Games 4 and 5 with an upper-body injury (Marchand’s status remains unknown for Game 6). It was also Bennett who scored in a controversial goalie interference sequence during Game 4, a second event to help make him public enemy No. 1 in Beantown.

Regardless, the Panthers have continued to show they’re not limited to one skill. Boston has as well — the Bruins’ issue is their elite talents haven’t been impacting the club enough. Since Game 1, Boston has generated seven goals overall, with no player scoring more than one. That sort of output won’t suffice when the Panthers are piling on from a variety of places.

This is the time for David Pastrnak, Jake DeBrusk & Co. to do what they do best: Make Bobrovsky uncomfortable in the crease.


Momentum fluctuates and coaching matters

No, Boston wasn’t able to maintain the high it was on after drowning the Maple Leafs and rolling into South Florida with a chance to avenge last season’s disappointment.

But any coach or player who’s been through a long playoff run will say the same thing, and it’s that momentum rarely determines the final result in a series. The pendulum swings come fast and furious.

And this matchup has created plenty of those.

In Game 1, it was Bruins coach Jim Montgomery settling his team early in the third period when he saw it beginning to panic against a pressing Panthers’ attack. Montgomery read the situation perfectly; Justin Brazeau responded to Montgomery’s timeout with a goal that extended Boston’s lead to 4-1 and secured its eventual win.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice took a noteworthy timeout in Game 5 to deliver an expletive-laced tirade at his team as it trailed 1-0. Sam Reinhart immediately scored a tying goal.

“I wasn’t mad; I understood what they were going through,” Maurice said afterward. “I just thought they needed some profanity in their life. And I brought some. I don’t excel in a lot of things in life, but f— me, I am good at that.”

“I don’t think he was yelling,” Barkov said of Maurice. “He was just trying to get the point through to us that we need to play harder, need to enjoy it, just play our game. We were just sitting back, watching what was happening.”

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Sam Reinhart levels score for Panthers

Sam Reinhart nets the puck off the rebound and levels the score at 1-1 vs. the Bruins.

Florida eventually lost 2-1 in Game 4 after Boston defenseman Charlie McAvoy netted the winner (which Maurice unsuccessfully challenged for goalie interference). But when it comes to having a pulse on your players and what they need to hear, both Montgomery and Maurice have been effectively dialed in.

How much of a difference could that insight make in determining how Game 6 ends? The series has been unpredictable at times.

And at this stage, every tiny margin for advantage matters.

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Mets extend streak as top-spending MLB team

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Mets extend streak as top-spending MLB team

NEW YORK — The Mets led the major leagues in spending for the third straight season in 2024 and have totaled $1.36 billion in payroll and luxury tax over four years under owner Steve Cohen, exceeding what the Marlins, Pirates and Rays each have spent on players in the past 21 seasons.

The Mets established a $333.3 million regular payroll record, according to figures finalized by Major League Baseball this week and obtained by The Associated Press. That topped the previous mark of $319.5 million set by the Mets in 2023, when they became the first team to exceed $300 million.

New York totaled $430.4 million last year in payroll and luxury tax ($97.1 million) to set a cost record. The Mets paid $420 million the year before, including a $100.8 million tax.

Since Cohen bought the team from the Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz families in November 2020, the Mets have totaled $1.13 billion in payroll and $228.7 million in tax. And that was before he lavished a record 15-year, $765 million contract on outfielder Juan Soto that starts this season.

“One thing I’ve learned a long time ago, if you want something that’s amazing, it’s going to be uncomfortable,” Cohen said in December.

New York’s spending on major league players from 2021 to 2024 was just above what the payrolls from 2004 to 2024 totaled for the Marlins ($1.34 billion), Pirates ($1.32 billion) and Rays ($1.32 billion).

By comparison, the Athletics have spent a low of $269 million over the past four seasons and the Pirates $271 million.

Total spending, based on regular payrolls, rose 1.8% to $5.158 billion from $5.065 billion last year and has increased 27.3% in three seasons under the current labor contract from $4.051 billion in 2021.

The Mets became the first team to lead in payrolls in three straight seasons since the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2014 to 2017.

The New York Yankees were second among regular payrolls at a team-record $310.9 million. The World Series champion Dodgers were third at $270.8 million and the Philadelphia Phillies fourth at $249.1 million.

Ten teams topped $200 million, down from a record 11 in 2023. A record-low four teams were below $100 million, a decrease from six in 2023.

Because $68 million of his $700 million salary is deferred until from 2034 through 2043, Shohei Ohtani totals $28.2 million in salary toward payroll plus $1.03 million in non-cash compensation.

The Athletics had the lowest payroll at $66.5 million in their final season before moving to Sacramento for at least three seasons before a planned shift to Las Vegas. The Pirates were 29th at $87.3 million. Those two clubs, along with the Rays, are the only teams never to finish with a $100 million payroll.

The 12 teams that reached the postseason combined to spend $2.37 billion, 46% of payrolls, including $1.02 billion (19.9%) for the four teams in the league championship series. The Dodgers and American League champion Yankees combined for $644.2 million (12.5%).

Adding payroll and luxury tax, the four LCS teams combined for 23.5% of total spending ($1.29 billion of $5.47 billion) and the Yankees and Dodgers for 13.7% ($747.3 million).

The Arizona Diamondbacks raised payroll the most, by $48 million to $177 million after winning the National League pennant, and the Chicago Cubs were the second-most, by $34 million to $230 million.

The San Diego Padres cut payroll by $85 million to $172 million in 2024 following the death of owner Peter Seidler. The Los Angeles Angels dropped $51 million to $179 million and the Minnesota Twins by $34 million to $133 million.

Regular payrolls are based on 2024 salaries, earned bonuses and prorated shares of signing bonuses and non-cash compensation for 40-man rosters. Deferred salaries and bonus payments are discounted to present-day values, and termination pay, option buyouts and cash transactions among clubs are accounted for.

MLB calculated the average salary at $4,592,147, while the players’ association, using a slightly different methodology, pegged it at $4,655,366.

Luxury tax is based on payrolls with average annual values that include benefits and the pre-arbitration bonus pool.

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How the Blackhawks jump-started their rebuild — and why they can contend soon

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How the Blackhawks jump-started their rebuild -- and why they can contend soon

The Chicago Blackhawks are a lot closer to being a problem than many would like to believe. With Seth Jones‘ contract cleared from the books and two premium assets acquired in return after his trade to Florida, Chicago has many key components of a Stanley Cup contender.

The reason they seem far from that description? Many of those components are not of legal drinking age in the United States. Much has been made of Connor Bedard‘s frustration this season, but he’s a 19-year-old phenom who is used to dominating and having team success. This type of losing is new for someone as ultracompetitive as Bedard. Patience is a virtue.

But the potential for Chicago’s results to improve quickly is high, especially with the rising NHL salary cap giving the team the ability to sign high-impact free agents to complement Bedard and the rest of the young group.

“You need a lot to win a Cup. To have a puncher’s chance, you need an elite center [or two], an elite defenseman, a reliable second pair and good goaltender,” an Eastern Conference executive said. “That’s a good formula to go on. You can have a lot of good pieces, but if you don’t have the key pieces, you’re in trouble. The prevailing belief in hockey is that elite talent is hard to come by, unless you draft it.”

Based on drafting early in the first round for the past few seasons, the Blackhawks appear to have found what could be a championship core. A former team executive noted that while it’s good to be aggressive in free agency, nailing draft picks is the most critical part of team-building.

“It is rare that a Jack Eichel or a Sam Reinhart become available. Look at Tampa. They’ve made changes, but they don’t win a single Cup without the guys they drafted. Stamkos, Hedman, Vasilevskiy, Point, Kucherov and Cirelli. Not just first-round guys, you have to find guys outside the first round, too,” the executive said. “[Chicago] have had plenty of top picks and I expect many of those players to be impact players in this league. If they can bring along some of their midround picks, they’ll be in business.”


BEDARD CHECKS ALL the boxes as an elite center. He’s still developing and there’s a long way to go until he reaches his potential, but no one should be doubting the centerpiece of Chicago’s organization.

Bedard’s development this season has been fun to watch. His defensive game will need to improve, but he’s starting to put the offensive side of his game together with very little help. Nathan MacKinnon wasn’t a point-per-game player until his fifth season. He scored 38 in 64 games during his second season, and Bedard has 49 through 61 through his. Not everyone is going to be Connor McDavid the moment they step into the league, and the Avalanche will be the first to tell you that patience is worth it for players such as MacKinnon and Bedard.

The second piece for a Cup contender is an elite defenseman. With Jones gone, there will be plenty of opportunity for Chicago’s young defensemen to get important minutes.

Artyom Levshunov — the No. 2 pick in 2024 — has really come along in the AHL this season, and his production is starting to reflect it. The 6-foot-2, right-handed defenseman has recorded 21 points through 48 games, and makes quality defensive plays on a nightly basis. His skating is a tremendous asset, enabling him to track down some of the league’s quickest skaters. He’s playing major minutes at even strength and on both special teams, and is learning to impose his will on opponents. There is no need to rush him to the NHL because if he continues on this path, there is a real chance he’s a staple on Chicago’s top pair for a long time.

Looking ahead to the 2025 draft, if Chicago wins the lottery and gets to select No. 1, there’s an impact defenseman available. By adding Erie Otters blueliner Matthew Schaefer, my No. 1 prospect, they will be set for more than a decade on the back end. Schaefer is expected to be an elite, all-situations defenseman in the NHL, meaning that Chicago might be looking at the next Cale Makar/Nathan MacKinnon type of dynamic duo.

Pairing Schaefer with Levshunov has the potential to be one of the best tandems in the NHL if both players reach 85% of their projected ceiling. Even without Schaefer, Levshunov is capable of being the elite defenseman that a Cup contender needs.

The third part of the equation is a reliable second pair. Alex Vlasic has shown he’s more than capable of playing big minutes and is exactly the type of player you want anchoring the second pair. He’s playing admirably on the top pair, and could be a long-term solution with Levshunov. He’s signed through 2029-30 with a $4.6 million average annual value — a great deal for the Blackhawks, given the rising salary cap.

Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro are also contenders to be part of a quality second pair. Del Mastro is holding his own in that spot as a 22-year-old, and could be a shutdown type with his size and skating ability. Korchinski is an excellent skater who can produce points. The 20-year-old is an effective defender in transition and makes quality plays under pressure. His puck-moving abilities should see him become an effective second-pair defender who can score 40-plus points per season, if his defensive zone play continues to improve.


A GOOD GOALTENDER is important, especially in the playoffs. Sergei Bobrovsky, Adin Hill and Andrei Vasilevskiy were standouts for their respective teams in their recent Stanley Cup wins.

Chicago has a few goaltenders in the system who have potential, but the acquisition of Spencer Knight is a major step forward for the organization. He was fantastic in his first start, making 41 saves in a 5-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings.

In his 23-year-old season, Knight has a .912 save percentage in 24 games, good for ninth in the NHL. He’s most certainly going to face more difficult shots and scoring chances in Chicago than he did in Florida, but Knight has developed into a solid goaltender. He’s capable of being a platoon starter and there is potential for him to become a quality No. 1 in the next two seasons.

Arvid Soderblom has a respectable .906 this season and could be a capable 1B to Knight. Drew Commesso and Adam Gajan are in the system but might be a few years away. Goaltending development is difficult to project, but the more cracks you have at it, the better off the organization will be.


SERIOUS CONTENDERS NEED good players beyond that core group. Chicago has a few young players who are already playing in the NHL, and an extensive group of prospects on the cusp.

  • Frank Nazar has potential to be an impactful offensive player. He was over a point-per-game pace in the AHL, and has scored 14 points in 32 NHL games.

  • Colton Dach and Lukas Reichel are finding their way as complementary players in the bottom six.

  • Oliver Moore, Sacha Boisvert and Nick Lardis could become middle-six forwards for Chicago, with well-rounded offensive toolboxes and in Moore’s case, breakneck speed.

  • Sam Rinzel is a big defenseman with a solid transition game who could fit nicely on Chicago’s bottom pair in the next couple of seasons.

Chicago has the key pieces that many contenders want to have — and none of them are older than 23. The team is incredibly young, with stocked prospect cupboards that can be used to acquire proven NHL talent via trade.

Not only that, but with the amount of cap space at their disposal, the Blackhawks will be able to go after big-name free agents should the likes of Mitch Marner or Mikko Rantanen be available July 1. There is a real possibility that Chicago is much better next season, especially if it makes a splash in free agency.

If the Blackhawks don’t, they still will take a step forward, with eyes on contending for a playoff spot in 2026-27. At that point, Bedard and Levshunov will be 21, Knight will be 25 and whomever they draft in 2025 will be 19 or 20. The window for the Blackhawks hasn’t opened yet, but it’s coming soon. And when it does, it might be open for a very long time.

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Sasaki draws rave reviews in ‘electric’ debut

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Sasaki draws rave reviews in 'electric' debut

GLENDALE, Ariz. — More than the fastball that sat at 98 mph or the three shutout innings, the story of Roki Sasaki‘s debut as a Los Angeles Dodger on Tuesday night was best told through the words of the hitters facing him.

“Nasty,” Austin Hays said.

“Heavy,” TJ Friedl said.

“Electric,” Austin Wynns said.

Sasaki more than earned the praise from the three Cincinnati Reds veterans with 17 combined major league seasons and their future Hall of Fame manager, Terry Francona, who called the 23-year-old’s first spring training outing in a Dodgers uniform “impressive.”

Sasaki, who signed with the Dodgers in January after a lengthy recruiting process in which he chose them over the San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays, struck out five in the team’s 4-2 win at Camelback Ranch. Two weeks before the Dodgers kick off the 2025 MLB season in Japan, where he starred for the past four years with the Chiba Lotte Mariners, Sasaki reinforced why Los Angeles is comfortable starting him in the second game of such a high-profile series.

Beyond his high-octane fastball, which peaked at 99.3 mph, Sasaki unleashed a split-fingered fastball evaluators believe is among the best in the world — and generated seven misses on eight swings.

“Some break straight down, some go to the left, some go to the right,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “So it is tough to square it up. You just don’t know what it’s going to do.”

Sasaki, who entered the game after a four-inning start from countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto, shook off a shaky start in which he allowed a hard-hit single to Wynns and followed with a 97 mph fastball to the gut of Stuart Fairchild, who was squaring to bunt. Sasaki then struck out two Reds regulars, Friedl and Matt McLain, staring at splitters.

“The splitter was like two different splitters from what I saw,” Friedl said.

Sasaki signed with the Dodgers for a $6.5 million bonus in January — a fraction of what he would have earned had he waited two more years and come to Major League Baseball as an international free agent — and has spent spring training trying to fine-tune his stuff, particularly the fastball that has peaked at 102.5 mph but lost oomph last year. Time spent in the Dodgers’ pitching lab helped Sasaki with his mechanics. While he said he felt a combination of excitement and nervousness before entering the game Tuesday, he focused once he reached the mound.

“Today’s the fruit of all the hard work that I put in during the offseason and the first part of spring training,” Sasaki said.

A leadoff double from All-Star shortstop Elly De La Cruz, a walk to Christian Encarnacion-Strand and a wild pitch left Sasaki facing trouble in the sixth, but he induced a popout from Noelvi Marte to conclude the inning. Two more strikeouts in a hitless seventh ended his night on 46 pitches, 26 of which were strikes.

“We’re going to continue to learn more from Roki,” Roberts said. “And obviously he’s pitched in a lot of big games in his career, but you’re also in an environment where he’s comfortable. This is something that’s all new to him. And so he’s learning on the fly and we’re asking a lot of him, but there’s a lot of confidence supporting him.”

Roberts called it a “good night for the Dodgers,” who added Cy Young winner Blake Snell to a rotation that already included All-Star Tyler Glasnow and will later add future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw and Shohei Ohtani, who is returning from his second Tommy John surgery. Surrounded by stars, Sasaki still will get the ball March 19 against the Chicago Cubs, one day after Yamamoto opens the season.

Sasaki will start in his final outing of the spring on March 11, Roberts said, before the highly anticipated series in the Tokyo Dome. He’ll do so having found success in his first taste of major league hitters outside of the World Baseball Classic.

“A couple things I noticed with big league hitters: They do hit mistakes, and they do take some splits that I threw,” Sasaki said. “But I did feel really good about being able to jam some hitters. As long as I throw quality pitches, I should be able to get these guys out.”

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