AP Sports Summary for Tuesday Morning, June 6th, 2023
Golden Knights take 2-0 lead in Stanley Cup Final with 7-2 win over Panthers
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jonathan Marchessault scored twice and started an early blitz that chased the NHL's hottest postseason goalie, and the Vegas Golden Knights seized control of the Stanley Cup Final with a 7-2 victory over the Florida Panthers in Game 2. Adin Hill continued his stellar play in net with 29 saves for the Golden Knights, who grabbed a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Marchessault also had an assist to finish with three points. Brett Howden scored twice for the Knights, who also got goals from Alec Martinez, Nicolas Roy and Michael Amadio. Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky was pulled 7:10 into the second period down 4-0. Matthew Tkachuk and Anton Lundell scored for the Panthers. The series shifts to Florida for Game 3 on Thursday.
Miami Heat are on a comeback run like few others in this year's NBA playoffs
MIAMI (AP) — The easiest way to explain what the Miami Heat are doing in the comeback department during these playoffs is simply to put up their numbers against the rest of the league. When facing a deficit of at least 12 points this postseason, the Heat are 7-6. The rest of the NBA is 6-59. Combined. The latest comeback came in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night against Denver when the Heat won 111-108 to even the title series. Miami rallied from 15 points down.
Bobrovsky pulled, other stars struggle as Panthers fall behind 2-0 in Stanley Cup Final
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Two games into the Stanley Cup Final, the Florida Panthers look like an 8 seed for the first time all playoffs. They were routed 7-2 by the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2 to fall behind 2-0 in the best-of-seven series. Sergei Bobrovsky was pulled after allowing four goals on 13 shots. Coach Paul Maurice said he'd sweat out the decision of starting Bobrovsky or Alex Lyon in Game 3 Thursday back at home. The Panthers will need to be better in front of whoever's in goal if they hope to claw back in the final.
Suddenly potent power play powering Golden Knights in Stanley Cup Final
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Vegas Golden Knights' power play has powered them to a 2-0 series lead over the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final. The unit cashed in twice in a 7-2 Game 2 rout, with Jonathan Marchessault's goal in the first period and Brett Howden's in the final minutes. Coach Bruce Cassidy acknowledged his team's power play has been hit or miss all season. Fittingly for a series opening on the Las Vegas Strip, it's hitting plenty now. Going back to their Western Conference final-clinching victory, the Golden Knights have power-play goals in three consecutive games for the first time since late December.
Golden Knights' Alex Pietrangelo gives new meaning to sacrifice, on and off the ice
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Alex Pietrangelo spoke of sacrifice Sunday, and what it takes for an NHL player to continue his journey this far into the season. With the Vegas Golden Knights up 1-0 in the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers, all the players' personal lives are put on hold for the moment. Summer vacation can wait. For Pietrangelo, sacrifice is nothing new. In November, it was his career that came to a brief halt. During the Thanksgiving holiday, one of his triplets, 5-year-old daughter Evelyn, came down with the flu. It developed into encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain, and she lost control of her motor skills.
Soccer players demand change for rampant online racist abuse, turn to AI for protection
LONDON (AP) — Online racist abuse of soccer players is prolific on social media platforms. It's the latest form of racism blighting the world's most popular sport. It's technology-fueled, visual, permanently intrusive, 24/7 and a haunting reminder of the 1980s-style monkey chants and banana throwing. Players and teams targeted by abuse are coming up with ways to raise awareness and reduce their exposure to offensive users. It includes using companies who configure AI software to act as a filter to stop discriminatory comments from being seen. Some are choosing alternative platforms to promote not just themselves but more ethical behavior online. There's also legislation in the works in the European Union and Britain to force big tech companies to act tougher on racism.
Oakland Athletics move to Las Vegas in flux as Nevada Legislature adjourns
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — A plan to help build a stadium for the Oakland Athletics in Las Vegas is in flux after Nevada lawmakers adjourned their four-month legislative session. The future of the contentious bill is now uncertain after the Democratic-controlled Legislature did not advance it before the midnight deadline as Monday turned to Tuesday. The proposal could potentially be considered in a special legislative session at a date to be determined later, where lawmakers would later vote on it. In a statement at 1 a.m. on Tuesday, Republican Gov. Lombardo said he would call a special session and set the agenda later that morning.
Phillies' ace Nola loses no-hitter in 7th, wins game 8-3 over Tigers
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Aaron Nola took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and struck out 12, Trea Turner homered twice among his four hits to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to their third straight win, 8-3 over the Detroit Tigers. Nola fanned 10 and had faced the minimum through six as he tried to pitch the Phillies' first no-hitter since 2015. Nola allowed a two-out home run to Nick Maton in the seventh inning. There have been no no-hitters in the majors this season, the first since Major League Baseball introduced a pitch clock. There were a record nine in 2021 and four last year.
Racist abuse of VinÃcius Júnior highlights entrenched problem in soccer
MADRID (AP) — The vicious, relentless and high-profile racist insults directed at Brazilian soccer player VinÃcius Júnior underscore an entrenched and decades-old issue that refuses to go away in the world's most popular sport. It is a deeper societal problem that is manifested in soccer matches predominantly in Europe, but also all around the world, and has been amplified by the reach of social media. Federations have been slow and, in some cases unwilling, to use powers to sanction teams for the racist behavior of their fans. Players past and present worry racism is just an accepted part of soccer. Experts say more education and stronger punishments are required to combat racism.
NCAA champ Rose Zhang arrives on LPGA Tour with big hopes and leaves with a trophy
Rose Zhang needed only one tournament to make good on high expectations. Two weeks after she won another NCAA title, Zhang made her professional debut by winning on the LPGA Tour. No one had done that in 72 years. What's next for the 20-year-old Californian? Zhang heads back to Stanford for finals and to move out of her dorm. Then she goes to the second LPGA major of the year at Baltusrol for the KPMG Women's PGA. Expectations are sure to follow. Zhang isn't bothered. As Michelle Wie West says, Zhang makes the game look easy.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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INTERLEAGUE
Final Miami 9 Kansas City 6
Final Philadelphia 8 Detroit 3
Final Pittsburgh 5 Oakland 4
Final Texas 4 St. Louis 3
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Tampa Bay 4 Boston 1
Final Houston 11 Toronto 4
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Cincinnati 2 Milwaukee 0
Final San Diego 5 Chicago Cubs 0
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final Vegas 7 Florida 2
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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INTERLEAGUE
Detroit at Philadelphia 6:40 p.m.
Kansas City at Miami 6:40 p.m.
Oakland at Pittsburgh 7:05 p.m.
Baltimore at Milwaukee 7:40 p.m.
St. Louis at Texas 8:05 p.m.
Chi Cubs at L-A Angels 9:38 p.m.
Seattle at San Diego 9:40 p.m.
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
Minnesota at Tampa Bay 6:40 p.m.
Chi White Sox at N-Y Yankees 7:05 p.m.
Houston at Toronto 7:07 p.m.
Boston at Cleveland 7:10 p.m.
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Arizona at Washington 7:05 p.m.
L-A Dodgers at Cincinnati 7:10 p.m.
N-Y Mets at Atlanta 7:20 p.m.
San Francisco at Colorado 8:40 p.m.
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WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Las Vegas at Connecticut 7 p.m.
Indiana at Chicago 8 p.m.
Los Angeles at Seattle 10 p.m.
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