The Florida Panthers can put an end to a historic postseason drought tonight but on the other side, a proud group of Washington Capitals are trying to keep the party going.
It is hard to look at Friday’s Game 6 without thinking of what it means to the future of both teams.
Florida, obviously, is a team on the upswing and is a Stanley Cup favorite.
Washington is trying to get one more kick at the can, the memories of the 2018 Stanley Cup championship not fading — even if the core of this team may be.
“I think they have been desperate the whole series,” Andrew Brunette said Thursday afternoon. “We matched their desperation with five minutes left in the first because I thought they were the far-more desperate team early. We started getting desperate and played better. Hopefully we carry that over into (Friday) night. We have had trouble sustaining that desperation for long stretches and hopefully we’re getting better at that game-by-game.”
Since winning it all and using fountains around the District of Columbia as swimming pools, the Capitals have not moved past the first round.
That is one streak the Panthers would like to keep going.
The one they want to end is their own playoff winless streak as the Panthers have not won a single playoff series since the 1996 Eastern Conference finals.
As exciting as that Game 7 win in Pittsburgh was, no one could have guessed that would be it for the Panthers.
As far as lineup stuff goes, Washington coach Peter Laviolette says Ilya Samsonov will be back in net as he said the five goals he gave up in the latter part of Wednesday night’s game were not all on him.
If he reverts back to the form he showed in Games 2 and 3, the Panthers could be in trouble.
If he looks like the Ilya Samsonov we had seen for a lot of this season, the Panthers will be coming home — to get ready for the second round.
— Tom Wilson is out for the fifth consecutive game after leaving Game 1 after three shifts with a lower-body injury.
MARCHMENT OUT
Brunette said Mason Marchment continues to deal with a lower body issue that kept him out of Game 5.
Marchment did not fly with the team Thursday afternoon and will miss a second consecutive game.
Maxim Mamin filled in on the third line but, by the time the Panthers went down 3-0, lines were blended up and Mamin found limited playing time.
Of his 13 shifts played Wednesday, only four came after the midway point of the second.
“I really liked him early in the game, liked him the whole game and thought he was a real impactful player,” Brunette said. “He was one of our few who started on time. I thought he played well the rest of the game although he kind of got lost in different shifts and was in-and-out. He brought some energy, some heaviness on pucks.”
It sounds like Mamin would return to the lineup although Brunette would not tip his hand.
Florida has not had Ryan Lomberg in the past few games nor has Joe Thornton played this series.
“Everyone is on the table,” Brunette said. “With (Thornton’s) experience, that could be helpful. We have some other guys, too. We’re going to think about things. Hopefully everyone will get a chance to play in a long playoff run and we’ll need everyone at some point I am sure.”
— Carter Verhaeghe, the Panthers’ hero the past two nights, is not on the ice for morning skate. May just be a maintenance thing but we will know more following the workout.
We will keep him in the projected lineup until hearing otherwise. Brunette said he is a game-time decision.
Mamin remains on third line at the skate, Lomberg back on the fourth.
The Mets said on May 10 that deGrom had started throwing, with GM Billy Eppler specifying that deGrom was “out to 60 feet at light intensity.”
If the news after deGrom’s follow-up MRI is good, the expectation is that he’ll be able to ramp up further.
The news that deGrom was throwing followed positive MRI results on his right shoulder that were revealed on April 25, and the Mets said on the 25th that deGrom would receive a follow-up MRI in approximately three weeks.
At the time, deGrom’s MRI and CT scans showed “considerable healing” of his stress reaction, which led to him being cleared to “begin loading and strengthening of the shoulder.”
DeGrom has been out since April 1 and was transferred to the 60-day IL on May 10 — the same day Eppler said he had started throwing. The 60-day move had no bearing on deGrom’s timeline since he was never returning before the second week of June anyway.
Mar 27, 2022; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) throws a pitch in the first inning during spring training against the St. Louis Cardinals at Clover Park.
On March 31, with spring training nearing a close, deGrom reported shoulder tightness. He was placed on the IL the next day, after an initial MRI revealed the injury.
“Most scapula stress fractures that are caught early heal relatively reliably if the player strictly adheres to the rest and rehab protocol,” Deepak Chona, MD, a Stanford-trained orthopedic sports surgeon and founder of SportsMedAnalytics who does not personally treat deGrom, told SNY in April when discussing deGrom’s injury. “Any time there is an extended period off followed by a ramp back up, there is an accompanying risk of overdoing it and having a setback. However, as long as deGrom progresses slowly, you should expect a full recovery of his prior pitching performance with respect to both velocity and control.
“Furthermore, once he’s back, I wouldn’t expect this to act up again midseason. DeGrom at age 33 is not exactly young for an MLB pitcher, but he’s shown the ability to bounce back before. We have no reason to expect this to be much different.”
Golf legend Tom Watson is engaged to marry a longtime CBS Sports executive. The eight-time major champion became formally engaged to LeslieAnne Wade on May 7 while on a visit to the University of Notre Dame, where Ms. Wade was attending a reunion with her college roommates.
The couple plans to marry on July 9 in New Jersey before traveling to the Open Championship in St. Andrews. Ms. Wade confirmed the engagement and wedding date to Golfweek but declined further comment. The pair have known each other for 15 years.
Watson, 72, is a Hall of Famer and 39-time winner on the PGA Tour. His eight major titles include five Open victories, two Masters and a U.S. Open. His late wife, Hilary, died after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer in 2019.
Ms. Wade has been a widely respected fixture in the golf world for decades. She served as a Senior Vice President of Communications at CBS Sports and currently works with the Endeavor agency and for White Tee Partners, a women-owned marketing agency she co-founded. Her first marriage ended in divorce some years ago.
Watson retired from competitive golf in 2019 after an almost 50-year career during which he won 70 titles and twice captained the United States in the Ryder Cup.
White hit leadoff over the final two games of the weekend series and is up to seven steals over just 38 at bats this season. White is a 28-year-old without much long-term upside but hit well in Triple-A last season, and his current .237 batting average hides a .370 OBP and a 129 wRC+. Moreover, White’s strong defense should lead to a continued everyday role, and Texas is giving the green light, as the Rangers have the third-most SBs this year. Only seven players have more steals than White this season, and all of them have 100+ ABs (White has 38).
Mateo is tied for the MLB lead with 10 steals, so he shouldn’t still be available in so many Yahoo leagues. The new left field dimensions have transformed Camden Yards from arguably the best park in baseball for power into arguably the worst park in baseball for homers, but Mateo possesses “80” speed and should continue to run wild on the base paths. With Adalberto Mondesi out for the season, Mateo has a real chance to lead baseball in steals.
Jorge Mateo should be rostered in more fantasy baseball leagues based on his ability to help in the steals category. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Bruján has struggled badly over a limited MLB sample, but he should get an opportunity now with Manuel Margot and Brandon Lowe on the IL. Bruján swiped 44 bags (with 12 homers) over just 103 games at Triple-A last season, and he had attempted a whopping 11 stolen bases over just 16 games there this year. Moreover, Tampa Bay is leading MLB by a wide margin in SB attempts, as they are the only team in baseball attempting more than one per game. In other words, Bruján’s SB upside is massive, which would be extra helpful in such a scarce category given how many other later speed options like Jonathan Villar, Akil Baddoo, Garrett Hampson and Victor Robles (among others) have been busts.
Senzel is expected to begin a rehab assignment Wednesday and should be back in Cincinnati soon. He’s been a major disappointment with the Reds (and is without a steal this season), but this is still a former No. 2 pick entering his prime with a strong enough minor league resume that THE BAT X projects a .272 BA (109 wRC+) with nine homers and 11 stolen bases over 360 ABs rest of season. Senzel is 2B/OF eligible, swiped 14 bases over just 375 ABs as a rookie (and his Sprint Speed is in the 83rd percentile) and gets to play in the second-best hitter’s park in baseball, so he’s well worth stashing in fantasy leagues.
Velazquez is quietly up to six steals on the year, and his elite defense at shortstop should help keep his bat in LA’s lineup. He swiped 29 bags over just 264 at bats in Triple-A last season, and the Angels are among the league leaders in SBs this season. Velazquez is more of a deep league option, but he’s a middle infielder getting regular playing time who’s running. And his .190 batting average comes with an average exit velocity that’s actually in the 72nd percentile. Velazquez is another option for those desperate for speed.