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When Ronald Acuna Jr. blew out his right knee on July 10, 2021, Alex Anthopoulos felt compelled to respond quickly.

The Braves’ head of baseball operations wanted to send a message to the Atlanta players that the season was not lost — that the front office and the team should both continue to fight. So five days later, Anthopoulos traded for veteran outfielder Joc Pederson and catcher Stephen Vogt, and before the end of the summer, he’d add three more outfielders — Adam Duvall, Eddie Rosario and Jorge Soler. The Braves would go on to win the World Series that fall, with those midseason additions contributing significantly.

Now Acuna has suffered another anterior cruciate ligament injury, to his other knee, and again he is out for the season.

The Braves’ situation is not nearly as dire as it was when Acuna was hurt in ’21 — then, Atlanta was struggling to play .500 ball, and didn’t have nearly as deep of a roster as it does now. But this time, the team has to move ahead not only without the reigning National League MVP, but also without its most dominant pitcher, Spencer Strider, who suffered a season-ending elbow injury at the outset of the season.

The early success (and good health) of Chris Sale has helped to plug the hole created by Strider’s injury. But the Braves’ offense — which had already been in an early funk after setting records for home runs last year — will need heroes to emerge in the lineup.

It might be third baseman Austin Riley, who is expected to return soon from a minor back injury suffered a couple of weeks ago. At that point, Riley had felt that he was just about to emerge from an early-season slump. “I am this close,” said Riley, holding his index and thumb millimeters apart, as he described how he felt at the plate.

Maybe it’ll be Braves center fielder Michael Harris II, who knows what it means to dig out of a slump. Last year, Harris was activated off the injured list without taking at-bats in the minors because the staff felt his defense was so important — and for six weeks, he struggled mightily at the plate. But in his last 100 games, Harris batted .335 with 63 runs, 16 home runs and 15 stolen bases. He could be a natural candidate to ascend into the leadoff spot.

All-Star catcher Sean Murphy, too, was just activated after missing most of the past two months with a rib cage injury. First baseman Matt Olson has already begun to work his way out of a slow start, batting .290 with five homers in his past 16 games. Through his April struggles, Olson had actually generated hard-hit rates that were in line with what he produced last year, but he did not have the results to show for it. His teammates felt he had been the victim of some bad BABIP luck.

Many pointed to a game against the Red Sox on May 8: Olson scorched a line drive toward left field that Boston third baseman Rafael Devers rose to barely spear. Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer could see Olson’s shoulders sag with frustration at the sight of yet another intercepted line drive.

But Devers couldn’t hold the ball, and Olson got a hit. Before the next game, Seitzer spoke to Olson about his reaction to Devers’ brief interception. When Olson’s shoulders dropped, Seitzer said, it was like he could see that misfortune weighing down the All-Star first baseman. Seitzer told Olson there was no sense clinging to that frustration, because those early-season at-bats were behind him, and he couldn’t change the result.

“As far as I’m concerned, the season starts for you today,” Seitzer said. Hours later, after Olson had clubbed a home run in a series-opening win over the Mets, Seitzer greeted Olson in the handshake line and punctuated his earlier remarks: “Have a great season.”

Maybe the Braves will get a boost from Ozzie Albies, or Jarred Kelenic, the talented young outfielder who has swung well in his first season with the Braves. Maybe Duvall, signed late in spring training, will take advantage of the additional playing time he will get. Maybe Marcell Ozuna will continue to carry the offense, as he has for a lot of this season.

“He might be the best hitter in baseball right now,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Sunday as he described a plate appearance that Ozuna had against his team.

And it’s a certainty that Anthopoulos, reflexively proactive, will scan the trade market and look for opportunities to upgrade, even at a time when his farm system is thinner than that of other contenders. Anthopoulos typically holds some spending flexibility in reserve, and inevitably, other teams will look to dump pricey veterans as they fall out of the race. Sellers will develop, and outfielders will become available. Tyler O’Neill, Harrison Bader, Mark Canha, Starling Marte, Tommy Pham, Rosario (again) and Kevin Kiermaier are among the players on short-term deals who could be moved this year if their respective teams fall out of contention.

Braves manager Brian Snitker talked earlier this year about the team’s offensive problems and mentioned a trait he sees in the collective mindset of the team. “These guys will not panic,” he said. “They will never panic. Three years ago, we lost Acuna, and these guys just kept going.”

Three years ago, they won the World Series without him.

Now the Braves will have to try to do that again.

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Scheifele plays, scores hours after losing father

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Scheifele plays, scores hours after losing father

DALLAS — Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele scored a goal in his club’s must-win Game 6 of the second-round playoff series at Dallas on Saturday night, hours after the unexpected death of his father.

But he also had the penalty that set up the Stars’ power-play goal in overtime for a 2-1 win that knocked the top-ranked Jets out of the playoffs.

Jets captain Adam Lowry went and got Scheifele out of the box when the game ended.

“We’re a family. Just to let him know that we’re there for him. It’s just an awful day for him,” Lowry said. “You want to give him the strength, you want to get that kill so bad. We just couldn’t do it.”

During the handshake line afterward, Scheifele hugged and talked to just about everyone, with Stars players clearly offering their support to him in a heartwarming moment.

Scheifele scored his fifth goal of the playoffs 5½ minutes into the second period to give the Jets a 1-0 lead. He scored on a short snap shot from just outside the crease after gathering the rebound of a shot by Kyle Connor.

“I just I know we have a great group here. I knew, going in, once we found out the news that he’s going to have a great support group and we’re going to be there for him through the highs and the lows and obviously today was a real low,” defenseman Neal Pionk said of Scheifele. “[We] did everything we could to give him some words of encouragement, [and] for him to play tonight, and play the way he did, is flat out one of the most courageous things we’ve ever seen.”

The game was tied at 1 when Sam Steel, who had already scored for Dallas, was on a break. Scheifele lunged forward desperately trying to make a play when he tripped up the forward at the blue line with 14.8 seconds in regulation. Scheifele and the Jets avoided a penalty shot on the play, but ended up losing on the power play when Thomas Harley scored 1:33 into overtime.

Jets coach Scott Arniel said the news of Brad Scheifele’s passing overnight was difficult for the entire team. The team was told before the optional morning skate.

“On behalf of the Winnipeg Jets family, our condolences to Mark and his family. It rocked us all this morning when we found out,” Arniel said before the game. “Mark will be playing tonight. As he said, that’d be the wishes of his dad. He would have wanted him to play.”

Scheifele was the last Jets player to leave the ice following pregame warmups, and during at least part of the singing of “O Canada,” he had his head bowed and his eyes closed. He took the opening faceoff against Roope Hintz.

“The thing about Mr. Scheifele is he’s part of our family. He’s part of the Jets family. He goes back to 2011 when Mark was first drafted here,” Arniel said. “We have a lot of players that came in around the time that are still here that he’s been a big part of their life, along with their family. So it’s certainly, obviously devastating for Mark, but also for a lot of guys on this team.”

Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said the organization was doing everything it can to support Scheifele. There was no immediate word on the cause of Brad Scheifele’s death.

The 32-year-old Mark Scheifele finished with 11 points (five goals, six assists) while playing in 11 of the Jets’ 13 games this postseason. He missed Games 6 and 7 of the first-round series against St. Louis with an undisclosed injury after taking a pair of big hits early in Game 5 of that series.

In Game 5 against the Stars on Thursday night, a 4-0 win by Winnipeg that extended the series, Scheifele was sucker-punched by Stars captain Jamie Benn during a late scrum. Benn got a game misconduct penalty and was fined by the NHL the maximum-allowed $5,000 but avoided a suspension.

Scheifele had 87 points (39 goals and 48 assists) in the 82 regular-season games.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Stars win, oust Presidents’ Trophy-winning Jets

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Stars win, oust Presidents' Trophy-winning Jets

DALLAS — Thomas Harley scored on a power play 1:33 into overtime and the Dallas Stars advanced to the Western Conference final for the third season in a row, beating the top-seeded Winnipeg Jets 2-1 in Game 6 on Saturday night.

Mark Scheifele scored for the Jets hours after the unexpected death of his father, but also had a tripping penalty with 14.8 seconds left in regulation that set up Dallas to start overtime with a man advantage.

Sam Steel, who had scored earlier for Dallas, was on a break when Scheifele lunged forward desperately trying to make a play when he tripped up the forward at the blue line. The Stars called a timeout, but missed a shot and had another one blocked before the end of regulation.

The Stars move on to face the Edmonton Oilers in the West final for the second year in a row and will host Game 1. Connor McDavid and his club, which won in six games last year, wrapped up their second-round series with a 1-0 overtime win over Vegas on Wednesday night in Game 5.

Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger made 22 saves to wrap up his sixth playoff series win over the past three seasons. He made an incredible diving save with 8½ minutes left in regulation, leaning to the right before having to lunge back across his body toward the left post to knock down a shot by Mason Appleton.

Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stopped 19 shots but couldn’t prevent a loss that assured a winless record for his club on the road this postseason. Meanwhile, his final goal allowed continued a magical season for Harley, Dallas’ breakout blueliner who also played for Team Canada this season in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

“Not surprising to the guys in here,” Oettinger said of Harley’s rise to prominence. “We’re very lucky.”

Steel notched his first goal of the playoffs midway through the second period. He shot a long rebound from the top of the right circle, sending the puck into the upper right corner of the net just above Hellebuyck’s glove.

“I’m just disappointed,” Winnipeg captain Adam Lowry said. “We couldn’t get that [penalty] kill for [the fans], and get it back to win in Winnipeg for Game 7. But you know, [I’m] really proud of this group, and the way they handled everything, and the way we fought back. … It just came up short.”

The Jets become the next in a long line of Presidents’ Trophy winners to bow out early. The award, which goes to the NHL’s top regular-season team, was won by the New York Rangers last season before they lost in the Eastern Conference final. Two years ago, the No. 1 seed Boston Bruins lost in the first round to the Florida Panthers.

“We lost to a great team,” Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said. “We lost to a team that was in our rearview mirror all year long.”

Scheifele’s effort was a focus for Dallas coach Pete DeBoer, who began his postgame media availability by saying what the Jets star forward did in playing Saturday was “courageous,” adding “I’m sure his dad would’ve been really proud of him and what he did.”

For the Stars, it’s off to the NHL’s final four, as the franchise continues to seek its second Stanley Cup title.

“I think we’ve got something special going on. We’re going to have to prove it again,” DeBoer said. “You know, we’ve been to this spot the last two years and haven’t taken the next step, so that’s the challenge.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Eichel, Knights seek ‘common ground’ on new deal

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Eichel, Knights seek 'common ground' on new deal

As the Vegas Golden Knights absorb being knocked out in the second round of the NHL playoffs by the Edmonton Oilers, they don’t have to wait long before planning for their future. Jack Eichel, who has one season left on his eight-year, $80 million contract, is eligible for an extension beginning July 1.

“He’s one of the top guys in the NHL,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “He’s got great character, great leadership. You see night in, night out what he does for our team, so that will be a really important piece of business for us. We certainly hope to keep Jack in our organization. Jack loves it here, so I would hope we could find common ground.”

Eichel, 28, comes off the best season of his 10-year career, the past four with the Golden Knights. He set career highs with 66 assists and 94 points to go with 28 goals as the center on the team’s top line. He also skated for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off, where his club finished second to Canada.

“Can’t say enough about my teammates and the people in this building and the people that make this organization what it is,” Eichel said. “I’m super proud to be part of this organization and the city and represent the Vegas Golden Knights. Contractually, I think things kind of take care of itself. I’ll just worry about trying to prepare for next season this offseason and go from there.”

Management, which is not known for sitting on its hands, will have other significant decisions to make as well on the team’s direction after the Golden Knights were eliminated in the second round for the second year in a row.

“I like our team,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I don’t have a problem with any player in that room. I think every one of them is a great teammate. They care about one another. Are there areas of our game we could complement better? Probably. We’ll evaluate that.

“All the guys that were up, their contracts, they were all good players for us. All good players. No disappointments at all. We’ll probably have to look at areas because we’re not the last team standing. Usually, you think, ‘Where can we upgrade? Where can I upgrade what I do?'”

McCrimmon offered a similar assessment.

“I feel our team was good enough to win,” McCrimmon said.

The Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup two years ago and thought they had another contender this season after capturing the Pacific Division and securing the Western Conference’s second-best record. But Vegas had to rally from a 2-1 series deficit to beat Minnesota in the opening round, winning twice in overtime. Then the Golden Knights lost two overtime games in the 4-1 series loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

“I didn’t walk away from Edmonton saying, ‘We had no chance. They’re just better,'” Cassidy said. “I didn’t feel that way. I felt we needed to execute better in a few of the games and we could be the team moving on.”

Forward William Karlsson said losing to the Oilers made it “a wasted season.” McCrimmon wasn’t as blunt, instead labeling the loss as “a missed opportunity.”

Change will come, but at least given the tenor of the comments by Cassidy and McCrimmon, the Golden Knights will largely return their roster intact next season.

“I think we have a great organization,” goaltender Adin Hill said. “Best management I’ve been under. I think they’re going to do the things that they see fit for [the] roster, whether it’s keeping it the same or whether it’s changing up a few things. I don’t know. That’s their decision, above my paygrade, but it will be exciting to see. We know that we’re going to be contenders every year.”

Forward Reilly Smith made it clear he wants to return. An original Golden Knight, Smith was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins after winning the Stanley Cup and then sent to the New York Rangers a year later. The Golden Knights reacquired the 34-year-old on March 6.

Smith made a smooth transition back into the lineup with three goals and eight assists in 21 games. Then he delivered the play of the postseason for the Golden Knights, scoring with 0.4 seconds left to beat the Oilers in Game 3, and finished with three goals and an assist in 11 playoff games.

“Probably the best hockey I’ve played in my career has been wearing this jersey,” Smith said. “It’s a fun group to be a part of and a fun place to call home. My family loves it here, so if there’s a way to make it work, it’d be great. At the end of the day, it’s a business. My contract negotiations, I probably know as little as [the media does] right now.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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