Palat legit playmaker for Lightning
Ondrej Palat’s role in the success of the Lightning doesn’t garner a lot of attention.
However the star-laden, two-time defending Stanley Cup champions reject the notion that he’s not one of their top players.
A quiet, reserved forward who’s part of the core of a team that’s in the Eastern Conference final for the sixth time in eight years, the native of the Czech Republic has a knack for rising to the occasion when the Lightning need it most.
The 31-year-old’s goal with 42 seconds remaining in Game 3 on Sunday beat the Rangers 3-2 and trimmed the Lightning’s deficit to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series that continues Tuesday in Tampa.
It was the 10th playoff game-winning goal of Palat’s career, breaking the franchise record he’d shared with Tyler Johnson. The only active NHL players with more are Joe Pavelski (14), Evgeni Malkin (13), Jonathan Toews (11) and Patrick Kane (11).
In a game where star winger Nikita Kucherov became the first Lightning player to reach 50 postseason goals, Palat scored his 43rd off a slick backhand pass from his more heralded teammate, who also had an assist on Steven Stamkos’ tying goal early in the third period.
Kucherov, Stamkos and Palat, who increased his point total to 83 in 129 playoff games, share the team lead in goals this postseason with six.
NFL: A 24th woman filed a civil lawsuit Monday alleging sexual misconduct by Browns QB Deshaun Watson, who’s also awaiting possible discipline from the NFL. The latest lawsuit was filed in Houston by attorney Tony Buzbee, who’s representing all 24 women. Watson has been accused by massage therapists of harassing, assaulting or touching them during appointments when he was with the Texans. The latest suit makes similar allegations as the woman, a massage therapist, accuses Watson of assaulting and harassing her during an August 2020 session in her apartment. The woman alleges that during the massage session, Watson exposed himself and masturbated and “offered no apology or explanation for his conduct.” Two separate Texas grand juries in March declined to indict Watson on criminal complaints stemming from the previous allegations. Watson could still be suspended if the league determines he violated the league’s personal conduct policy . ... Romeo Crennel announced his retirement, ending a 39-year NFL coaching career highlighted by five Super Bowl titles. Crennel, spent the last eight seasons with the Texans. He was the team’s defensive coordinator from 201416 and assistant head coach from 2017-19. In 2020 he was the associate head coach before becoming the interim head coach following coach Bill O’Brien firing after just four games. Crennel, who will turn 75 on June 18, worked as the Texans’ senior adviser for football performance last season. He spent 11 years as a college coach before beginning his NFL career as an assistant with the Giants in 1981. Crennel reached the playoffs 17 times in his career, winning 13 division titles, six conference crowns and winning two Super Bowls with the Giants and three with the Patriots. Crennel’s first head coaching job came with the Browns and he was with them from 2005-08. His best season as a head coach came with the Browns in 2007 when they went 10-6. He joined the Chiefs in 2010 as defensive coordinator and became their interim coach for the last three games of the 2011 season. He was hired as the head coach of the Chiefs in 2012, but was fired after just one season in which the team was 2-14.