Panthers better prepared to hoist Cup after rout
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Greg Wyshynski, ESPN
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Florida Panthers squandered a chance to win the Stanley Cup in Game 4 against the Edmonton Oilers. That experience might be what was needed to eventually win it.
“I think you learn from it. I think the nerves are a little bit less now,” winger Carter Verhaeghe said ahead of Tuesday’s Stanley Cup Final Game 5 against the Oilers in Sunrise. “It’s a little different with the Cup in the building, but we’re not really focused on that. We’re just trying to focus on playing as well as we can.”
Edmonton forced Game 5 with an 8-1 win Saturday night.
Florida has closed out six playoff series in the past two postseasons under coach Paul Maurice. But he said it is a different mental challenge when the players know that the Cup has been wheeled into the building.
“It is different. What’s foremost in your head coming to the rink? That it’s there, right?” Maurice said. “So we went through it, and it’s not something you can truly appreciate until you go through it.”
Forward Evan Rodrigues said the Oilers played “desperate” hockey and the Panthers weren’t ready to match it. “I think there was a lot of energy going into that game. I think we’ll be better prepared for Game 5 than we were for Game 4,” he said.
The Oilers come into Game 5 with their backs still firmly planted against the wall, but with more than a little confidence. They felt they had outplayed Florida for the balance of the series, but that goalie Sergei Bobrovsky had kept every mistake out of the Panthers’ net.
Now, they’ve scored seven goals against him in the past three periods, chasing Bobrovsky to the bench in the second period of Game 4.
“I think we just finally unlocked being able to get past this guy. He’s been playing so well,” said forward Dylan Holloway. “We knew at some point we were going to break through. We’ve got so much skill that I think we were due. But at the same time, he’s such a good goalie that you never know. I mean, he can steal games.”
The Panthers were not concerned about the Oilers breaking through against Bobrovsky.
“Because he’s Bob,” Dmitry Kulikov said. “He’s just great. He’s our MVP right now.”
The Oilers are the ninth team in NHL history to extend a best-of-7 Stanley Cup Final after falling behind 3-0. Five of those teams would lose in Game 5. The 2012 New Jersey Devils lost in six and the 1945 Detroit Red Wings lost in seven. One team, the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, rallied to win the Cup.
The odds remain in the Panthers’ favor, but they’re not taking solace in that.
“Oh, there’s no comfort in the playoffs, man. You’re never in a comfortable position in the playoffs. You’ve earned your wins, you’ve earned your losses. It’s the same feeling,” Maurice said.
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Ball State fired coach Mike Neu, the school announced Saturday. The Cardinals are 3-7.
Neu was 40-63 in nine seasons at Ball State. Neu led the Cardinals to the MAC title in 2020, which was his only winning season at Ball State.
Sources told ESPN that the staff was informed of Neu’s dismissal early Saturday.
Offensive line coach Colin Johnson will serve as the interim head coach for the last two games, athletic director Jeff Mitchell said in a statement. Ball State hosts Bowling Green on Nov. 23 then plays at Ohio on Nov. 29.
Neu, 53, is a beloved alum with a strong campus reputation, but the lack of results ultimately led to his dismissal. Ball State lost 51-48 in overtime at Buffalo this week and fell to 2-4 in MAC play.
That clinched a fourth consecutive losing season for Ball State.
“Coach Neu has poured his heart into the Ball State football program,” Mitchell said in the statement. “I commend him for his professionalism and the positive team culture he has constructed. His efforts have greatly impacted the lives of hundreds of young men. He has represented the Ball State brand with integrity and class, and I wish him well in future pursuits.”
Neu led Ball State to two bowl games. That included a win over San Jose State in the Arizona Bowl to conclude the 2020 season, when Ball State finished 7-1 and won its first MAC title since 1996.
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Pittsburgh quarterback Eli Holstein will not play against No. 20 Clemson on Saturday, with redshirt junior Nate Yarnell getting the start for the Panthers.
Holstein hadn’t been cleared medically, sources said, and was considered a game-time decision by coach Pat Narduzzi after leaving two of Pitt’s past three games following apparent head injuries. Holstein took part in warmups Saturday.
Yarnell, who lost a camp battle to Holstein, will make his first start this season and fourth in his career for the Panthers. He has a 2-1 record as a starter, with wins over Western Michigan (2022) and Boston College (2023) and a loss to Duke (2023).
Yarnell has a strong amount of experience for a backup, as he has thrown for 1,104 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career. That includes a 65.3% completion percentage and an average of 8.9 yards per attempt. This season, he has thrown for five touchdowns and two interceptions while playing in the past three games.
Holstein has been a revelatory player for the Panthers under new offensive coordinator Kade Bell. Holstein, a transfer from Alabama, has thrown for 17 touchdowns with six interceptions.
Pittsburgh has the country’s No. 16 scoring offense at 36.7 points per game. That’s up from No. 114 last season, when it averaged 20.2 points.
Holstein has completed 61.9% of his passes and thrown for 2,174 yards.
Indiana has agreed to a contract extension with Curt Cignetti amid the Hoosiers’ unprecedented 10-0 start, the school announced Saturday.
Cignetti’s new eight-year contract runs through the 2032 season and will pay him an average of $8 million per year with an annual $1 million retention bonus, putting the total value of the new contract at $72 million.
“I am beyond appreciative for the tremendous commitment, confidence, and support from President Pam Whitten and Athletic Director Scott Dolson,” Cignetti said in a statement. “Manette [his wife] and I love Bloomington and are grateful for how the IU community has embraced us. I look forward to leading this outstanding program and doing my part to continue the momentum for Hoosier football.”
Cignetti originally received a six-year, $27 million contract when he was hired in December. He took the Indiana job after leading James Madison to an 11-1 season in 2023 — when he made $677,311 — with the goal of changing the Hoosiers’ historically woeful image in football.
He then led Indiana to the first 10-win season in school history and a possible push for the College Football Playoff. No. 5 Indiana (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) has one more win than its combined total over the previous three seasons. Its No. 5 ranking is one spot shy of the team’s highest ever, last reached in 1967, also the last time the Hoosiers won or shared a Big Ten title.
Indiana has scored at least 40 points seven times, won nine times by 14 or more points and trailed only twice briefly all season.
“We were confident IU could become a winning program and we love what he’s building here,” Dolson said in a statement. “We love the student-athletes that he’s bringing here. We love how our fanbase has rallied around this team and made Memorial Stadium the place to be on Saturday afternoons. And now, we love the fact that he’s going to be doing all those things right here in Bloomington for a long, long time.”
A source told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg that Indiana will also significantly increase the pool for Cignetti’s assistants and staff.
The Hoosiers are on a bye this week before a pivotal matchup with No. 2 Ohio State next Saturday that could determine Indiana’s playoff hopes and a potential spot in the Big Ten championship game.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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