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Tristan Jarry stopped all 26 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season as the host Pittsburgh Penguins bullied the Chicago Blackhawks 5-0 on Tuesday.
The Penguins' (32-35-12, 76 points) veterans carried the load offensively as Kevin Hayes tallied twice. Meanwhile, Sidney Crosby, Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang all found the back of the net to help Pittsburgh earn a split in their home-and-home series with the Blackhawks (22-46-10, 54 points).
Bryan Rust added a pair of assists to surpass the 60-point mark for the first time in his career.
Less than five minutes into the contest, Blackhawks defenseman Sam Rinzel narrowly scored his first career goal.
Chicago's 2022 first-round pick took a pass near the high slot and dragged the puck around the defender, before finding the crossbar with his wrist shot.
Crosby extended his home point streak to 14 games with just 16 seconds remaining in the first period while the Penguins were on the man advantage.
The Penguins captain was waiting out front, and after being fed a pass from Rickard Rakell, Crosby poked the puck past Spencer Knight for his 31st goal of the season.
Karlsson notched his 200th career goal as Ville Koivunen found the veteran defenseman open across the crease with 15:15 left in the middle frame.
Karlsson then fed Koivunen in the slot with 4:10 remaining in the second, but Knight denied the rookie's attempt at tallying his first career goal.
With the Penguins on the power play, Evgeni Malkin had his crack at scoring, but found the post with his shot with 16:28 left in the third period.
Letang made it 3-0 just a minute later as he took a give-and-go pass from Malkin before going upstairs past Knight.
Hayes extended the lead to 4-0 with 12:18 remaining as his shot trickled into the back of the net.
Hayes then tacked on a second goal as he tipped the puck past Knight in the game's dying minutes.
Penguins forward Rutger McGroarty left the contest with a lower-body injury after blocking a shot late in the second period.
More must-reads:
- Sharks legendary captain to announce retirement due to injury
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Sharks legendary captain to announce retirement due to injury
The San Jose Sharks are planning to hold a joint press conference with team captain Logan Couture on Tuesday where Couture is expected to announce the end of his playing career due to injury, per Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. The news was originally reported by Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. Couture has been working to recover from Osteitis Pubis, a condition that causes inflammation of the joints between pubic bones. Couture made a detailed effort to return to game shape after receiving his diagnosis ahead of the 2023-24 season. He had to miss the first three months of the campaign to rehab but told NHL.com in December of 2023 that he was optimistic and trending upwards. "Finally, knock on wood, everything continues to go well and I’m over that hump and things can continue to trend to me getting back to practicing with the guys," Couture said at the time. He would skate in his first game of that season just over one month after delivering that quote — and recorded an assist in his return. But Couture’s comeback was short-lived, and he’d end up back out of the lineup due to his injury after just six games. His final game, on January 31 of 2024, will now stand as the last of Couture’s storied NHL career. There’s a short list of players whose name is more ubiquitous with Sharks hockey than Couture’s. He spent all 16 seasons of his NHL career with San Jose after being drafted by the team with the ninth overall selection in the 2007 NHL Draft. Over the years, Couture worked his way up to the fifth-most games (933) and fourth-most points (701) in franchise history. He also ranks third in goals (323) and fifth in assists (378). Couture played through his NHL rookie season on the 2009-10 Sharks — a legendary squad in franchise history that featured the likes of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley, Dan Boyle, Ryane Clowe and Joe Pavelski among many others. Couture only scored nine points in 25 games — the minimum to qualify a rookie season. He found his spot in the NHL lineup before the end of the regular season and went on to support San Jose with four goals in 15 playoff games as the team chased a loss in the Western Conference Finals. Couture would play his first full season in the following year. He scored an impressive 32 goals and 56 points in 79 games during the regular season and added 14 points split evenly in 18 playoff games to again push the Sharks to a loss in the Western Conference Finals. With his legs under him, Couture quickly became a locked-in piece of the Sharks’ daily lineup. He held down a set-and-forget role as San Jose’s second-line center throughout the 2010s, serving as the young-and-reliable punch behind Thornton, Marleau and Pavelski as the trio aged. He routinely rivaled the 30-goal and 60-point mark during the regular season and consistently found a way to grow to point-per-game scoring in the postseason. That sentiment rang loudest during the 2015-16 campaign, when Couture was forced out of 30 regular season games by a broken fibula — but then returned for a dazzling 10 goals and 30 points in 24 playoff games. He was the beating heart of the Sharks lineup that summer and pushed the team to its first Stanley Cup Final in franchise history, only to be beaten by the dynasty-era Pittsburgh Penguins. San Jose’s routine appearance in the postseason would fizzle out just three years after their run to the Cup Finals. Couture scored 20 points in 20 games of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs to push the team to one last run to the Conference Finals, but their walls crumbled soon after. Couture missed 30 games of the 2019-20 season with a fractured ankle. His next full season was in 2020-21, on a Sharks lineup without Thornton and soon to part with Marleau, Brent Burns, and Erik Karlsson. The Sharks continued to tear down through 2023-24 — sending Timo Meier to New Jersey in 2023 and Tomas Hertl to Vegas in 2024. Through all of the change and fluctuation, Couture remained the proud consistent — holding strong to the captaincy and welcoming an increasingly younger roster with open arms. Couture’s support of the Sharks has stayed consistent even as he’s faced career-ending injury. He’s supported rookie head coach Ryan Warsofsky for much of this season, helping to make lineup decisions and adjust star rookies to the next level. He enters retirement still in firm grip of San Jose’s captaincy — and surely with a coaching or development role soon to come. Stepping onto a pro team’s staff will likely coincide with Couture handing the Sharks’ “C” to one of the team’s future superstars — most likely Macklin Celebrini. That handoff will mark yet another meaningful step in Couture’s journey as a Sharks legend, even if the details surrounding it are unfortunate. Couture’s only hardware during his NHL career was a Gold Medal at the 2017 World Cup — though his presence as a consistent leader, strong two-way forward, and top-echelon franchise scorer will almost certainly earn the Guelph, Ontario native respect from local Hall of Fames over the coming years.
Scottie Pippen ‘thought about asking’ Julius Erving to present him into Hall of Fame before ultimately going with Michael Jordan: ‘There really was no other choice, so what if Michael and I weren’t best friends?’
NBA legend Scottie Pippen “thought about asking” Julius Erving to present him into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. However, Pippen ultimately went with the guy he won six championships with, NBA icon Michael Jordan. “For the Hall of Fame ceremony, I needed to choose an official presenter, a person to stand on the stage with me as I delivered my remarks,” Pippen wrote in his book. “That individual is required to be a member of the Hall. I thought about asking Dr. J since he was the player I idolized growing up. Except I barely knew him. Instead I picked someone I knew quite well, whose greatness I observed up close, day after day, year after year. “There really was no other choice. So what if Michael and I weren’t best friends? The two of us will forever be linked together, the best duo in NBA history. He helped make my dreams come true, as I helped make his. He said yes right away and I was extremely grateful.” The Chicago Bulls went 6-0 in the NBA Finals and three-peated twice in the Pippen-Jordan era. Chicago won the title in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996 and 1997. “I would never be able to find a tandem, another support system, another partner in the game of basketball like Scottie Pippen,” Jordan said in Episode 2 of The Last Dance docuseries. “He was a pleasure to play with. He helped me so much in the way that I approached the game, the way I played the game. Whenever they speak Michael Jordan, they should speak Scottie Pippen. Everybody says well I won all these championships, but I didn’t win without Scottie Pippen. And that’s why I consider him my best teammate of all time.” The Bulls went 514-177 in the regular season when Pippen and Jordan played. Pippen averaged 17.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 0.9 blocks next to Jordan, while Jordan averaged 31.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.5 steals and 0.8 blocks next to Pippen. Chicago beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1991 Finals, the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1992 Finals, the Phoenix Suns in the 1993 Finals, the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1996 Finals and the Utah Jazz in the 1997 and 1998 Finals. Most NBA fans presumed Pippe and Jordan were close friends since they were exceptional teammates. However, Pippen noted in his book that he and Jordan were never close. “Michael and I aren’t close and never have been,” Pippen wrote. “Whenever I call or text him, he usually gets back to me in a timely fashion, but I don’t check in just to see how he’s doing. Nor does he do the same. Many people might find that hard to believe given how smoothly we connected on the court. Away from the court, we are two very different people who have led two very different lives. I was from the country: Hamburg, Arkansas, population about 3,000; he was from the city: Wilmington, North Carolina.” Pippen and Jordan haven’t spoken since 2020. They may never talk again.
Big news surfaces about possible Kevin Durant trade
The Phoenix Suns made a huge change on Monday when they fired head coach Mike Budenholzer, and it sounds like they could part ways with Kevin Durant next. Budenholzer has been fired after just one season with the Suns. The team won 36 games and missed the playoffs this year despite having the highest payroll in the NBA. One of the driving forces behind the decision was that Phoenix officials reportedly did not believe Budenholzer could coexist with Devin Booker, which had trickled down to the rest of the roster. Budenholzer also butted heads with Durant during games, which led to speculation that the Suns could fire the coach to appease their 15-time All-Star. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Suns still might trade Durant. Multiple teams have legitimate interest in pursuing Durant this summer, and Phoenix is expected to entertain those discussions. The Suns have also expressed a willingness to work with Durant and his representation to find a suitor that makes sense for all parties. The Suns are fully committed to Booker, who is eight years younger than the 36-year-old Durant. Bradley Beal has a full no-trade clause, so moving him may not be an option. Durant continued to play at an elite level this season. He averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Most teams would have no problem paying him the $55 million he is owed next year, but Durant is said to be seeking a two-year, $120 million max contract extension. That could complicate trade discussions. The Suns entertained trade offers for Durant at the deadline in February, but they were reportedly asking for a massive haul in return. One Western Conference contender has already emerged as the favorite to land Durant if the Suns wind up trading the two-time NBA Finals MVP.
Browns linked to huge trade for 78-TD new franchise QB
The Cleveland Browns have long been searching for a long-term franchise quarterback. While they had one in Baker Mayfield, they gave up on him too early and are now paying the price once again. Kevin Stefanski and company currently have Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Deshaun Watson on the roster at the quarterback position. Flacco appears likely to be the Week 1 starter with Pickett as his primary backup. Watson’s tenure with the Browns is all but over. However, there is still a belief that Cleveland will look to draft a young quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft. With the draft just 10 days away, it won’t be long before the fans find out who that quarterback ends up being. Many have connected the Browns to Colorado standout Shedeur Sanders. While that is the popular name, there is another name to keep a close eye on that Cleveland has again been linked to pulling off a huge trade to get. Cleveland Browns linked to huge trade for new franchise QB Matt Galatzan of Newsweek took a look at the three best fits for the team in the first round of the draft. He named Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe as a top candidate for the Browns to trade back into the first round to select. “Obviously, Shedeur Sanders would be a popular choice here, but in the case that that the Browns pick Carter or Hunter, it would be easy to see them trading back into the first round to also secure that quarterback of the future,” he wrote. “Based on what we have mostly seen, it could be unlikely that Sanders will be there. Then again, according to Albert Breer, that might not be the case. Either way, assuming Sanders isn’t there, Jalen Milroe might be. He is an exciting prospect with tremendous physical tools and very well could into the start they need with the right coaching.” Milroe would be an intriguing addition for Cleveland. He had a rollercoaster 2024 season with the Crimson Tide, but has displayed major playmaking ability both with his arm and legs. During the 2024 campaign, Milroe completed 64.3 percent of his pass attempts for 2,844 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He also carved up opposing defenses on the ground with 726 yards and 20 touchdowns. Taking a flier on Milroe would be well worth the risk for the Browns. He might just be the long-term quarterback of the future if he develops to his full potential.
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