The Bears are bringing in another quarterback behind Justin Fields. Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, Chicago is signing Nate Peterman to a one-year contract. Peterman spent the last three seasons with the Raiders, primarily as the club’s third quarterback. He appeared in one game in 2020, attempting five passes. Then he played one game [more]
The Bears are “all in” on Justin Fields. Frankly, what choice do new General Manager Ryan Poles and new coach Matt Eberflus have this season? Fields was a first-round draft choice in 2021. The Bears are hoping to make the best of a roster without a Pro Bowler on the offensive side and without spending [more]
The implied probability of the deal closing at that price fell below 50% when Twitter shares hit $46.75, based on the $54.20 deal price and Twitter’s shares having closed at $39.31 on April 1, the last trading day before Musk revealed he had amassed a stake in the social media company. Twitter shares fell as much as 3% to touch a low of $46.50 in afternoon trading. Twitter said at the time that Musk secured $25.5 billion of debt and margin loan financing and was providing a $21 billion equity commitment.
Shireen Abu Akleh, veteran TV journalist for Al Jazeera, has been shot and killed in the West Bank. Abu Akleh, 51, was covering an Israeli army raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Her death was confirmed by the Palestine health ministry and later by Israeli sources. Al Jazeera […]
TAMPA — The Florida Panthers will make some lineup changes going into Game 3 against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday afternoon.
After playing rookie Anton Lundell for just over four minutes on Thursday night, he will be out with Eetu Luostarinen moving up to center Maxim Mamin and Sam Reinhart on the third line.
Noel Acciari centers the fourth line with Ryan Lomberg and Patric Hornqvist.
Florida is also making a change to the top power play, with Hornqvist going up front.
Lundell has seen his time drop the past few games, going from 13-14 minutes early in the Washington series to 7:31 in Game 6. In the opener against Tampa Bay, he played over 14 minutes — with almost five of that killing penalties.
The 12th overall pick of the 2020 draft, Lundell had an excellent rookie season but Andrew Brunette said if Lundell was going to be scratched, it is only for his benefit.
Sunday morning, he confirmed Lundell would be out.
”It’s hard because he has been such an important player for us this year,” Brunette said on Saturday, adding he either would or already had spoken to Lundell about his declining minutes in the postseason.
“He has been running that third line and doing all those things. He kind of had his injury and hasn’t gotten up to the speed he had played at. This is hard hockey. I have lost him in a few games and that’s partially my fault. I think he probably lost a little confidence in between.
“If he comes out (Sunday), it’s good for a young kid to come out, take a look at it. He needs to be a little harder, a little better in certain areas. He needs to really dig in. This is hard hockey and he needs to find that. Again, he is a really young player and I don’t put too much stock in it. He is a really intelligent player who knows how to play. Sometimes it is healthy to come out and look at it from the outside.”
Florida also is making some changes to its much-maligned power play.
Claude Giroux was replaced on the top unit by Hornqvist, a player who is not afraid to get in front of the net and, as Brunette said, “creates some chaos, he’s a chaotic guy and sometimes you need that.’’
”We’re obviously going to be trying a whole bunch of different things,” Aaron Ekblad said, “trying to catch lightning in a bottle. It’s obviously been tough for us and that’s part of the reason we are in this. At the end of the day, it’s simple: Get pucks to the net, throw a number at the net. That’s something we’re going to try and do.”
The Panthers have gone scoreless in 25 power play chances this postseason and is 0-7 against the Lightning.
”We’re moving some different things, I don’t know exactly,” Brunette said. “Obviously we’re in a funk and have to try something different here. We had a couple different combinations going, we’ll see tomorrow. It could all be different ones, who knows? We have a lot of good players here. We just need to find something that clicks.”
Brunette said every player will get the “opportunity the longer we play” when asked about veteran forward Joe Thornton not being in the lineup yet this postseason.
“He’s been a great soldier and has been really good for our group,” Brunette said. “He brings such enthusiasm and you talk about a guy who has seen everything, he has been through everything. He is a really good asset for us to lean on.”
Playoff history: Second meeting; Tampa Bay d. Florida 4-2 in R1, 2021
Round 1: Florida d. Washington 4-2; Tampa Bay d. Toronto 4-3
Full schedule — Game 1: Tampa Bay 4, @Florida 1;Game 2:Tampa Bay 2, @Florida 1;Game 3: Florida at Tampa Bay, Sunday, 1:30 (TNT); Game 4: Florida at Tampa Bay, Monday, 7 (TNT); Game 5*: Tampa Bay at Florida, Wednesday, May 25 (Time, TV TBA); Game 6*: Florida at Tampa Bay Lightning, Friday, May 27 (Time, TV TBA); Game 7*: Tampa Bay at Florida, Sunday, May 29 (Time, TV TBA). (*) — If necessary.
PROJECTED FLORIDA PANTHERS LINEUP
Coach: Andrew Brunette
23 Carter Verhaeghe // 16 Sasha Barkov // 28 Claude Giroux
11 Jonathan Huberdeau // 8 Sam Bennett // 10 Anthony Duclair
TAMPA — The Florida Panthers have been making comebacks all season long. They are desperately in need of another.
Down 2-0 in their series with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Panthers may just be in their comfort zone.
Even if it really does not feel that way.
“We realize the opportunity in front of us to get it to 2-1 and if we do, then it’s ‘go-time’,” Aaron Ekblad said on Saturday. “We are a resilient group, have been down in games and know how to battle back, how to keep it light and find a way to breathe positivity in that room to give us a chance. …
“You saw New York come back from down 3-1 and that’s even more nerve-wracking so it’s 2-0 and we’re facing adversity. We’re confident we can come out and play a good, strong game. … The fact that we’re resilient is awesome. You love to see it. We’re comfortable because we can be down 2-0 and come into practice today and put our work hats on and go to work.”
The Panthers are now in a position where, to move on to the Eastern Conference final, they need to win four of the final five games in this series.
Three of those games being in Tampa certainly does not make this hill any easier to climb.
Florida is just going the old one-game-at-a-time route.
”It’s playoff hockey and every game is going to be hard whether it is at home or on the road,” Sam Bennett said. “It’s short-term memory. It stung in the moment, but you move on and just look to the next game. That’s really all we can do. We’re a dynamic team and have gone through quite a bit of adversity. It’s just another challenge for us.”
PANTHERLAND
Are the Florida Panthers out of this series? Not by a long shot. Here are some things they need to do to get right back into it.
— The Panthers practiced in a foggy rink on Saturday following a heavy round of rainstorms the night before. After losing Thursday night, the mood seemed to fit.
— Old pals the Checkers and Thunderbirds meet in Round 3 which starts today. The Panthers are obviously familiar with Springfield since it used to be their affiliate until the two split in 2020. This is Florida’s deepest AHL playoff run in as long as I can remember.
— Thursday night’s postgame media sessions are up on the FloridaHockeyNow YouTube channel — if you want to hear from Eetu Luostarinen, Sergei Bobrovsky and Brunette, check it out.
Will also have a special pregame from Tampa (if I can find a place to record) and postgame today.
If you like what you see on the YouTube channel, please subscribe!
Nazem Kadri collides with St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington who leaves the game — and then apparently chucks a water bottle at Kadri while he does his postgame on TNT. Fun night for the Colorado Avalanche.
— Bryan Rust will be staying in Pittsburgh for the long haul.
— Is Bruins team president Cam Neely moving on from coach Bruce Cassidy?
Playoff history: Second meeting; Tampa Bay d. Florida 4-2 in R1, 2021
Round 1: Florida d. Washington 4-2; Tampa Bay d. Toronto 4-3
Full schedule — Game 1: Tampa Bay 4, @Florida 1;Game 2:Tampa Bay 2, @Florida 1;Game 3: Florida at Tampa Bay, Sunday, 1:30 (TNT); Game 4: Florida at Tampa Bay, Monday, 7 (TNT); Game 5*: Tampa Bay at Florida, Wednesday, May 25 (Time, TV TBA); Game 6*: Florida at Tampa Bay Lightning, Friday, May 27 (Time, TV TBA); Game 7*: Tampa Bay at Florida, Sunday, May 29 (Time, TV TBA). (*) — If necessary.
Welcome to Sunday’s Marlins (17-22, +16 RD) vs. Braves (19-21, -10 RD) game thread. For what feels like the hundredth time in his career, Sandy Alcantara takes the mound tasked with preventing the Fish from getting swept in a series. Both teams are wearing camouflage hats in honor of Armed Forces Day.
Our free Marlins prop bets contest has returned…with a few tweaks.
Use this Fish Picks link prior to every Marlins series to submit your predictions. I have divided the Marlins schedule into nine separate “innings” and will be awarding a BreakingT t-shirt to each inning’s points leader. The second inning runs from May 20 through June 9.
Anderson’s 2022 pitch distribution and Statcast percentile rankingsBaseball Savant
Notes:William Contreras made the difference in Saturday’s game with two home runs. That’s more than all Marlins catchers have totaled this season…Kenley Jansen has allowed runs in back-to-back appearances after throwing up zeroes in 13 of his previous 14 games.
Alcantara’s 2022 pitch distribution and Statcast percentile rankingsBaseball Savant
Lineup Changes from Previous Game: Aguilar, González and Stallings in, Payton Henry, Miguel Rojas and Jorge Soler out; Cooper switches from 1B to DH
Pregame Roster Moves:Joe Dunand recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville, Daniel Castano optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville; Richard Bleier sent on rehab assignment to Jacksonville
Additional Notes: Great news on Chisholm, who was visibly hurting in the final innings on Saturday, but might not miss any time after all. Dunand has been called up in case he re-aggravates his left knee issue, or if Rojas (left calf tightness) requires some time off.
How to Watch/Listen/Follow
First pitch is scheduled for 1:40 p.m. ET. Watch on Bally Sports Florida—Paul Severino and Tommy Hutton in the booth—or listen to the radio broadcast on Fox Sports 940 Miami (Kyle Sielaff and J.P. Arencibia). Out-of-market viewers can stream the game on MLB.TV.
Louis Addeo-Weiss and Kevin Barral are representing Fish Stripes at LoanDepot Park as credentialed reporters. Follow them on Twitter (@addeo_louis00 and @kevin_barral) for in-game updates. Louis will handle the game recap article.
Three of the four Marlins full-season minor league affiliates are also in action. Follow @FishProspects for notes and highlights.