NO. 12 SEED CANADIENS KNOCK OUT PENGUINS
Artturi Lehkonen flipped a shot past Tristan Jarry with 4:11 left to lift the Canadiens to a stunning 2-0 victory over the Penguins in Toronto on Friday that clinched their first berth in the round of 16 in three years.
Paul Byron took advantage of a Penguins turnover, darted behind the net and then slipped a pass to Lehkonen in front. Lehkonen, 25, found enough space between four Penguins players — all of whom had their eyes on Byron — to slip the puck into the open net.
The Penguins mustered little down the stretch, and Shea Weber added an empty-net goal in the final seconds as the 12th-seeded Canadiens won the best-of-five qualifying series over the fifth-seeded Pens in four games.
“Everybody was kind of counting us off, so of course it feels good to win this series,” Lehkonen said. “But it was one series, and we’ve got to enjoy this for a moment and move on.”
Carey Price stopped 22 shots for his sixth career playoff shutout.
♦ Auston Matthews scored on a power play 13:10 into overtime, and the Maple Leafs rallied from a threegoal deficit in the third period to beat the Blue Jackets 4-3, tying the series at two games apiece. The Leafs scored three times in 3:34 to knot the score late in the game.
♦ Brad Richardson scored on a rebound in overtime, Darcy Kuemper stopped 49 shots and the Coyotes, seeded 11th in the Western Conference, advanced in the postseason for the first time in eight years with a 4-2 victory over the Predators in Edmonton, Alberta.
NFL Washington releases RB Guice
The Washington Football Team released running back Derrius Guice after he was charged in multiple domestic-violence incidents. The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Department in Virginia said that Guice was arrested on one count of strangulation, three counts of assault and battery and one count of destruction of property.
♦ Giants cornerback DeAndre Baker was formally charged with four counts of robbery with a firearm in connection with a fight at a cookout in May, according to a prosecutor in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar, who also was arrested, won’t be prosecuted because of insufficient evidence.
♦ The NFL’s chief medical officer says the league is establishing a new two-step protocol for players and coaches who have no known history of the COVID-19 infection and receive a positive test. Dr. Allen Sills said any individual in that situation who is also asymptomatic will be given two confirmatory tests on the day after the positive test result.
MLB Charges filed in Skaggs’ death
Former Angels employee Eric Prescott Kay was charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl in connection with last year’s overdose death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs, prosecutors in Texas announced. Kay was the team’ director of communications.
♦ MLB has been in touch with the A’s about bench coach Ryan Christenson making a gesture that appeared to be a Nazi salute after a win. No discipline has been announced against Christenson, who has apologized.