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Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse are both suspended for Game 5 of their Western Conference second-round series for separate incidents in Wednesday night’s Game 4 in Edmonton.

Pietrangelo was suspended one game for an intentional slash on the forearm of Oilers star Leon Draisaitl, the leading scorer in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

With 1:28 left in regulation and the Golden Knights trailing 4-1, Draisaitl skated down the right ring into the Vegas zone and attempted to put the puck into an empty net. Well after his shot, Pietrangelo skated over and delivered a two-handed slash to the left arm of Draisaitl.

With Draisaitl down, Oilers star Connor McDavid engaged Pietrangelo, and they traded a couple of punches.

Pietrangelo was given a major penalty for slashing and a game misconduct.

The Department of Players Safety ruled that the puck was away from Draisaitl for a significant amount of time and that Pietrangelo “ignored the play, raised his stick and delivered a slash to a vulnerable area of his opponent with sufficient force” to earn supplemental discipline.

Pietrangelo has never been fined nor suspended before his 15-year NHL career.

A source familiar with the Player Safety hearing indicated that the state of play — a tied series entering Game 5, in the second round of the playoffs — and the lack of injury for Draisaitl were factors in the suspension only being one game.

Nurse is also suspended for Game 5 as a result of an instigator penalty he was given in the final minute of regulation Wednesday night.

An instigator penalty in the final five minutes of a game or in overtime carries an automatic one-game suspension per Rule 46.21, pending a review of the incident by the NHL. The review was handled by the NHL Department of Player Safety, which upheld Nurse’s ban for Game 5.

The Oilers won Game 4 to even their series against the Golden Knights.

With 49.7 seconds left in the game and the Oilers on the power play, Nurse and Vegas defenseman Nicolas Hague had a spirited fight. Hague had Edmonton forward Warren Foegele pinned against the boards. Nurse skated over and engaged Hague, leading to the fight.

Both players were given a fighting major, but Nurse was given a minor penalty for instigating the fight that carries a 10-minute misconduct penalty.

“I saw the play going on, I saw Darnell wrap somebody up and I saw their player with his gloves off first,” Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft said after the game. “So to me, that’s two willing combatants. It’s not like someone was turtled up into a ball. I thought it started with [Hague] having his gloves off first and he threw the first eight punches.”

Woodcroft was fined $10,000 by the NHL, which is also an automatic penalty under the instigator rule.

Mark Stone of the Golden Knights said that Hague asked for the fight.

“I think he asked him off the faceoff and then gets jumped. That’s the way to answer the bell by him,” the Vegas winger said.

Game 5 between the Oilers and Golden Knights is Friday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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Former coach Fisher makes tearful return to FSU

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Former coach Fisher makes tearful return to FSU

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Jimbo Fisher was brought to tears while returning to Florida State‘s campus for the first time since resigning to take the Texas A&M coaching job in 2017.

Fisher, now an ACC Network analyst, was wildly cheered at the start of the network’s pregame show outside Doak Campbell Stadium. He turned in his chair, did the tomahawk chop to the crowd of garnet-clad fans and started to cry.

“Brings tears to my eyes,” Fisher said. “Remember your family growing up here and hearing that chant. When you heard it, something to it.

“The players, the memories. It’s Miami week.”

Fisher moved back to Tallahassee after Texas A&M fired him in 2023. But he hadn’t stepped foot on campus until his job brought him back.

Fisher coached at Florida State for 10 years (2007-17), first as an offensive coordinator and then as head-coach-in-waiting before taking over for legend Bobby Bowden in January 2010. He won a national title in 2013 in the middle of a three-year run of capturing ACC championships.

He was hired in July as an analyst with ACC Network.

“I always loved Florida State,” Fisher said Friday while meeting with reporters. “Florida State was home. It’s very surreal. I got butterflies. The antsy in your stomach of coming back because it meant so much to you.”

Fisher predicted Florida State would beat Miami on a “wide middle” field goal attempt.

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Cincinnati delivers 1st loss to No. 14 Iowa State

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Cincinnati delivers 1st loss to No. 14 Iowa State

CINCINNATI — Brendan Sorsby passed for 214 yards and two touchdowns, Evan Pryor ran for 111 yards and two TDs and Cincinnati used a 17-point first quarter to beat No. 14 Iowa State 38-30 on Saturday.

The Bearcats (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) beat a ranked opponent at home for the first time since beating No. 16 Houston 35-20 on Dec. 4, 2021.

The Cyclones (5-1, 2-1) trailed 31-7 with 1:08 left in the second quarter before rallying to get within eight with 1:56 left in the game. Cincinnati recovered an onside kick to end the threat.

“It’s a different team,” Bearcats coach Scott Satterfield said, simply, when asked the difference between last year’s 5-7 team and this year’s roster. “It’s different players.”

Rocco Becht passed for 314 yards and two touchdowns and ran another two in for the Cyclones.

Sorsby’s 82-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Goodie in the fourth quarter was the Bearcats’ longest pass play since 2015.

Iowa State, one of the least penalized teams in the country, had five penalties for 35 yards in the first half. The Cyclones jumped offside on third down to extend the Bearcats’ opening drive, which led to a 30-yard TD run from Pryor for the game’s first score.

The Cyclones went on to take a 17-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Becht got the Cyclones on the board early in the second on a 14-yard run.

Becht scored on a 4-yard run on the final play of the half and then threw an 11-yard TD pass to Brett Eskildsen on the opening drive in the third quarter.

“Rocco Becht is a dang warrior. You keep looking up and he continues to make plays,” Bearcats coach Scott Satterfield said. “That is a huge win for us as we went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the Big 12 over the last few seasons.”

The Cyclones were without 16 injured players, including all-Big 12 defensive backs Jeremiah Cooper and Jontez Williams. They also were without their top two kickers.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Pitt QB Heintschel (4 TDs) shines in first start

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Pitt QB Heintschel (4 TDs) shines in first start

PITTSBURGH — Surprise starter Mason Heintschel threw for four touchdowns and led Pittsburgh to five first-half scores during a 48-7 win against Boston College on Saturday.

Heintschel, 18, a true freshman, made his first career start for Pitt (1-1, 3-2 ACC) in place of redshirt sophomore Eli Holstein. Holstein was pulled after throwing two interceptions during last week’s home loss against Louisville. Holstein saw fourth-quarter action Saturday with the result already decided.

Heintschel completed 30 of 41 passes for 323 yards and four touchdowns against Boston College (0-3, 1-4), as Pitt raced to a 31-0 halftime lead and piled on 503 yards of total offense.

Kenny Johnson caught a career-high nine passes for a personal-best 115 yards and a touchdown, while Juelz Goff and Ja’Kyrian Turner rushed for scores with All-America running back Desmond Reid sidelined for a second straight game. Justin Holmes, Deuce Spann and Zion Fowler-El also caught Heintschel touchdowns, as Pitt snapped a seven-game losing streak against Power Four teams.

Boston College entered with one of the top passing attacks in the country, but the Eagles suffered their fourth straight loss. Boston College had 136 yards of total offense until a late 80-yard scoring drive.

Dylan Lonergan completed 9 of 18 passes for 89 yards before he was pulled in the third quarter for Grayson James. Shaker Reisig threw a touchdown to Kaelan Chudzinski in the final two minutes of the game.

Boston College had 69 yards of total offense in the first half, including minus-9 yards rushing, as the Eagles punted four times, fumbled and turned the ball over on downs on six first-half drives.

Heintschel guided Pitt to five scores in six first-half drives, including four touchdowns and a field goal.

Heintschel led the Panthers to a touchdown on his first drive, an 11-play, 76-yard series that spanned 5:30. Heintschel was 4-of-4 for 29 yards including a 14-yard touchdown pass to Holmes. He also rushed for 16 yards and helped Pitt convert a pair of third downs.

Pitt scored three touchdowns in the second quarter, including two scores in the last two minutes of the half.

Johnson caught a 12-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-1 to complete a nine-play, 66-yard drive in 3:51. Goff rushed for a 3-yard touchdown with 1:56 to play in the half and Turner added a 6-yard rushing score to give Pittsburgh a 31-0 lead 10 seconds before halftime.

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