Kristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN.
SUNRISE, Fla. — Mika Zibanejad knew right away it was a bad pass.
The New York Rangers forward was trying to get a puck to teammate Blake Wheeler early in overtime of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. But Zibanejad’s careless toss at the offensive blue line didn’t land, and while Wheeler tried to corral the puck, it was poked away by Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola, who skated towards Aleksander Barkov.
That, in turn, forced Wheeler into committing a penalty against Barkov to prevent Florida’s captain from a clean scoring chance on goaltender Igor Shesterkin.
The Panthers earned a power play and Sam Reinhart capitalized seconds later with a one-timer, giving Florida a 3-2 victory and tying the series 2-2 as it turns back to New York.
“It’s making decisions,” said Zibanejad of the play. “I (saw Wheeler) kind of coming towards me. I think he’s open because (forward Will Cuylle) is going to the net, trying to make the play and they poke it and go the other way. I should have probably just made a different play, or decision, but I made the decision there then. I can’t change it now. That’s sports. I can just come back and try to make another decision next time and hope it goes my way.”
There isn’t much that’s gone right for Zibanejad in the series. He was terrific for New York through their first and second round Stanley Cup playoff series, recording three goals and 14 points through 10 games. He recorded zero points in the Conference Final though — same as linemate Chris Kreider — and that’s been a troubling issue for New York that they’ve been fortunate to overcome. Until now.
“They’re working,” coach Peter Laviolette of Zibanejad’s line said. “We’re spending a little too much time playing defense, especially in the second period. That happened in the last game too. You’re not spending time in the right zone. Those players want to get out of the defensive zone and get in the offensive zone where they can make an impact in the game. There was a spot in Game 3 and a spot here in Game 4 where we didn’t get the push we needed out of the period, and it’s keeps guys from playing in the zone they want to play in. They’re not there.”
New York was dominated by Florida in Game 3, getting out-chanced 108-43 in shot attempts but finding a way to win 5-4 in overtime. The Rangers would not be so fortunate in Game 4. Despite New York jumping out to an early 1-0 lead off Vincent Trocheck‘s marker, Florida roared back in the second period with a pair of goals from Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe, the second on the power play.
Alexis Lafreniere evened the score for New York in the third to get the game to overtime but the Rangers were still outshot 40-23 overall, and the Panthers made New York pay for their most egregious mistake in the extra frame.
“We have the utmost belief that someone in the locker room is going to get it done,” Sam Bennett said of the Panthers’ game winner. “Tonight, it was Sam Reinhart.”
The fact Wheeler took Barkov down on what looked to be a breakaway attempt might have earned Barkov a penalty shot instead of giving Florida a power play. Coach Paul Maurice said he wasn’t sure which decision he preferred — only that the Panthers’ ultimately made the most of their outcome.
“I don’t know (what I would have picked); I really don’t know,” he said. “But if we hadn’t scored, I would have said penalty shot all day long.”
Florida’s best players came through for them, though. New York needs more of their top talents to start doing the same. Shesterkin was sensational again in Game 4 holding the Rangers in with a 37-save performance, but he can’t finish the job alone.
Laviolette altered the Rangers’ lineup going into Game 4 to try and preserve key players. Filip Chytil was a healthy scratch as he continues coming back from a six-month upper-body injury absence. That opened the door for Wheeler to step in for the first time since he suffered a gruesome leg injury on February 15.
It was hardly a triumphant return for Wheeler to be at the center of New York’s overtime penalty trouble. But Laviolette didn’t put any blame on the veteran forward for how he reacted to Zibanejad’s turnover.
“They got behind us,” said Laviolette. “It was a turnover at the offensive blue line and it was a tough spot for him to be in. There was a lot of heat on him, a lot of pressure. It was more what they did than him doing something. He was surrounded by a couple players. It bounces back the other way, the guys were chasing it down the best they could and ended up having to get a stick on him.”
New York will try and regroup now as the Conference Final becomes a best-of-three. And Kreider knows what his line has to do in order to help the Rangers get back on top.
“We’ve got to do a better job of advancing pucks up the ice and establishing an o-zone presence,” he said. “A lot of that falls on me. I’ve got to be able to get in there and win pucks. I’ve got to get my body on pucks, move my feet and allow us to get up the ice and start rolling.”
Landeskog, who returned in Game 3 of this Western Conference first-round series after missing nearly three seasons while recovering from a knee injury, scored his first goal since June 20, 2022, in a multi-point performance that saw the Avalanche tie the series at 2-2 in Game 4 at Ball Arena. Game 5 is Monday in Dallas.
“It means a lot,” Landeskog told reporters after the win. “Obviously, I’ve envisioned scoring again for a long time. There obviously days when I didn’t know if I was ever going to score again. It obviously feels good. It’s a tight playoff series in a big game here at home. To get to do it here at home in front of our fans obviously means a means a lot. Super exciting. Hopefully more to come.”
A short-handed goal from Logan O’Connor midway through the first period followed by a late power-play goal from Nathan MacKinnon staked the Avalanche to a 2-0 lead entering the second period.
That set the stage for Landeskog, who was in the slot when Brock Nelson fed a pass that the 32-year-old winger launched for a one-timer that beat Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger for a 3-0 lead.
Landeskog, who was playing on the second line, was instantly mobbed by his teammates on the nice such as Samuel Girard, Valeri Nichushkin, Devon Toews and Nelson, who joined the Avalanche at the NHL trade deadline.
As Landeskog returned to the bench, he was congratulated by the entire team which also included a hug from a smiling MacKinnon, who along with Landeskog, have been with the franchise for more than a decade.
“I was just proud of him again,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar told reporters after the game. “I was proud of him regardless of if he scores or not because I know what he’s gone through, and I know how difficult that was. I think that takes it to another level. You know he wants to come back and contribute like he did in the past and he’s off to a great start.”
Landeskog’s goal was the latest milestone in what’s been a lengthy recovery from a chronically injured right knee. He missed what amounted to 1,032 days since his last NHL game.
In that time, the Avalanche have remained in a championship window but have dramatically altered their roster. The Avs have nine players from that championship team who have remained with the franchise and have since reshuffled a roster that led to them re-acquiring defenseman Erik Johnson, one of Landeskog’s closest friends, in their bid for the fourth title in franchise history.
Even with all the changes, there were still questions about when they could see Landeskog return to the lineup. And if Landeskog did return, what he could look like?
His first professional game in three years came April 11 with the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate where he logged 15 minutes. Landeskog would then score a goal and get an assist in his second and final game.
And much like his AHL stint, all it took was two games for Landeskog to score and have another two-point performance.
While Landeskog’s goal became the most celebrated moment of the evening, what he did to help create the Avalanche’s fourth goal was an example of why he’s so crucial to their title aspirations.
Landeskog played a pass to Nelson who then found a Girard for a shot from the point that gave the Avs a 4-0 lead in the fourth. In the time Landeskog passed the puck, he anchored himself at the net front to gain position on 6-foot-7 Stars defensemen Lian Bichsel to screen goaltender Casey DeSmith, who replaced Oettinger for the third period.
Jockeying with Bichsel, who is six inches taller and 16 pounds heavier, allowed Landeskog to test both his strength and that right knee to gain leverage.
The result? Girard’s shot found space in traffic with Landeskog making it hard for DeSmith to see the puck.
“He’s a big boy,” Landeskog said with a smile. “He’s a big strong guy, a physical player and hard to play against. I was trying to get in front of their goal, and he was trying to get me out of there. It was a good battle.”
ST. LOUIS — Walt Jocketty, a three-time baseball executive of the year and former general manager for both the Cardinals and Reds, has died. He was 74.
Jocketty died Friday in the Phoenix area, former Cardinals manager Tony La Russa told the team after speaking with Jocketty’s wife, Sue.
The Cardinals announced the death Saturday. Jocketty had been battling health issues for the several years.
St. Louis won the National League Central seven times under Jocketty’s leadership. The Cardinals also won National League championships in 2004 and 2006 and their 10th World Series title in 2006.
“On behalf of the entire St. Louis Cardinals organization, I would like to offer condolences to Walt’s family and his many friends,” Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said in a statement. “Walt was our first GM when we purchased the ballclub and he helped to lead our baseball operations through some of the franchises most successful and memorable years.
“He will be sorely missed but long remembered for his distinguished career in baseball.”
Jocketty became the general manager in St. Louis on Oct. 14, 1994. After the team was sold in 1995, the new ownership kept Jocketty in his job. His biggest move was hiring La Russa in 1996. The two men had worked together in Oakland.
La Russa would go on to be the winningest manager in the Cardinals history and a Hall of Famer.
Jocketty revamped the roster, and in 1996, the Cardinals returned to postseason play for the first time in nine seasons.
In his tenure with St. Louis, Jocketty either drafted or acquired such stars as Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, Mark McGwire, Adam Wainright, Chris Carpenter, David Eckstein, Jason Isringhausen, Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen.
With Jocketty at the helm, St. Louis put together seven consecutive winning seasons. In 2004 and 2005, the Cardinals won more than 100 games.
He was named the MLB Executive of the Year in 2000, 2004 and 2010.
Leading up to the 2000 season, Jocketty became the first general manager in baseball history to trade for a 20-game winner (Darryl Kile from Colorado) and a 40-home run hitter (Edmonds from Anaheim) in the same offseason.
After he was fired by the Cardinals in 2007 because of differences with ownership, Jocketty was hired by the Reds as a special adviser on Jan. 11, 2008. He was named general manager after Wayne Krivsky was fired on April 23, 2008. He served in that role until Dick Williams replaced him on Dec. 27, 2016.
Jocketty was replaced by John Mozeliak in St. Louis.
“He was a great man,” Mozeliak said after Saturday’s game. “In terms of baseball, he loved it. His influence on myself and this organization was huge. Trying to sum it up in a sentence or two is difficult but his impact is something that I think will always be remembered. His legacy will age well.”
Despite replacing him when he was fired, Mozeliak said the two remained close.
“That was a different time, of course,” Mozeliak said. “In the end, we ended up being friends again. We both understood this is part of the business. I think he was proud of the success I ended up having.”
The Reds made the playoffs three times when Jocketty served as general manager, in 2010, 2012 and 2013. They have made the playoffs only once since.
Jocketty is survived by his wife and two children, Ashley and Joey.
CLEVELAND — Jarren Duran barely had time to catch his breath after tripling in the third inning. It didn’t matter, he had already made up his mind to run again.
Duran pulled off Boston’s first straight steal of home plate in exactly 16 years, scoring on the next pitch from Doug Nikhazy as the Red Sox beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday.
“(Third base coach Kyle Hudson) heard him tell the umpire that he was working from the stretch, so I decided I was going to go on the first pitch,” Duran said. “It was just to keep the offense going and cause a little chaos. I knew I had it.”
As Nikhazy went from the windup, Duran broke for home. He slid headfirst and slapped his right hand on the plate ahead of Bo Naylor‘s tag. Umpire Brock Ballou’s safe call was upheld in a video review.
“Under the new rules, he’s kind of the perfect player,” Boston manager Alex Cora said of Duran. “We saw a window there and he took advantage of the situation.”
It marked the first straight steal of home plate by the Red Sox since Jacoby Ellsbury against the Yankees on April 26, 2009. Duran’s two previous thefts of home were part of double steals last season at Tampa Bay on May 21 and at the White Sox on June 7.
“It was really a cool play and a cool sequence of events there,” Red Sox pitcher Walker Buehler said. “He’s one of the most exciting players in baseball. After watching him from afar, it’s been fun to see him up close this season.”
Nikhazy, a 25-year-old left-hander, was making his major league debut and had already allowed five runs in 2 2/3 innings. With Rafael Devers in the batter’s box, he said he took “a peek” at Duran before delivering the ball.
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt praised Duran for making “a head’s up baseball play” because third baseman José Ramírez was off the line, but his starting pitcher blamed himself.
“He had taken a big jump and he took off immediately,” Nikhazy said. “In the moment, I chose to make the pitch as opposed to stepping off. Ultimately, when I saw him, I should have stepped off.”
Duran went 3 for 5 with three runs and two RBI in the nightcap. He was hitless in four at-bats in the first game, which Cleveland won 5-4.