Tampa Bay knocks off Columbus in 5OT thriller
TORONTO — Brayden Point scored 10:27 into the fifth overtime, and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Columbus Blue Jackets, 3-2, on Tuesday in the fourth-longest game in Stanley Cup playoff history.
Point scored from just above the left circle, beating Joonas Korpisalo after the goaltender made an NHL-record 85 saves. Point also scored way back in the first period of Game 1 of the best-of-seven series.
Vezina Trophy finalist Andrei Vasilevskiy also was outstanding for Tampa Bay, making 61 stops. The teams combined for 151 shots — most in a NHL game since the league began officially tracking the statistic in 1955-56.
“It's tiring for sure but then it gets fun at some point,” Point said. “I don't know how many guys played a game like that, that long. It was an exciting one.”
The teams are meeting in the first round for the second straight year, with the Lightning looking to rebound from being swept 16 months ago by the underdog Blue Jackets, who became the first No. 8 seed to oust the winner of the Presidents' Trophy in four games.
Pierre-Luc Dubois scored on the power play and Oliver Bjorkstrand added a goal late in the second period to give Columbus — the No. 7 seed in the East — a pair of short-lived leads in regulation.
Yanni Gourde had the other goal for the second-seeded
Lightning.
Game 2 is Thursday.
GIANTS’ DEAL WITH COCKRELL FALLS THROUGH
Now you see Ross Cockrell, now you don't.
The Giants' weekend agreement with the veteran outside corner fell through on Tuesday, sources confirmed, when the two sides failed to find common ground on his contract.
This is unusual because Cockrell had visited the Giants over the weekend and had begun taking steps to clear the team's COVID-19 protocols. That doesn't happen without the framework of a deal already in place.
This is shades of 2018, when the Giants had an agreement in principle to re-sign Cockrell, only to watch him leave and sign a two-year deal with the Carolina Panthers.
It is unclear what exactly went wrong in the contract talks and whether Cockrell has another team lined up. Newsday first reported Cockrell's deal had fallen through.
Regardless, the Giants are now back where they started late last week trying desperately to reinforce a paper-thin outside corner depth chart.
DeAndre Baker ,a Dave Gettleman 2019 first-round pick, is on the NFL's Commissioner Exempt List and is not expected to be on this team much longer, according to sources. Baker faces four formal charges of armed robbery with a firearm in Florida.
Sam Beal, a Gettleman 2018 supplemental third-round draft pick, opted out of the 2020 season.
Free agent signing James Bradberry is the Giants' clear No. 1 on the outside. But now that he and his former Panthers teammate Cockrell aren't reuniting, there is no clear solution on the other side for Big Blue.
HOUSTON’S HITTING COACH GETS 20-GAME BAN
Houston Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron received a 20game suspension and a fine for his role in a benches-clearing brawl at Oakland, while Athletics outfielder Ramon Laureano was given a six-game suspension and a fine.
Cintron's suspension is the longest for an on-field transgression in 15 years, since Texas pitcher Kenny Rogers received 20 games for his altercation with two cameramen in 2005.
“I accept MLB's suspension and will learn from this,” Cintron said in a statement. “Although I never referenced Ramon's mother, my actions were inappropriate. I apologize for my part in Sunday's unfortunate incident.”
Laureano appealed, so his discipline didn't begin Tuesday night in Oakland's game against the Angels. He was in the lineup batting second and playing center field at Angel Stadium.
Laureano was hit by a pitch from Humberto Castellanos with one out in the seventh inning of Oakland's 7-2 victory
Sunday. He began exchanging words with a gesturing Cintron then left first base, threw down his batting helmet and began sprinting toward the 41-yearold Cintron.
Astros catcher Dustin Garneau tackled Laureano before the A's outfielder got to the hitting coach. Laureano is a former Astros player and the rival clubs have been the top two in the AL West the past two years. A's pitcher Mike Fiers, another former Houston player, revealed the Astros' sign-stealing scandal in November to The Athletic.
Laureano was hit for the third time in the weekend series swept by Oakland — the fifth time the A's were hit in all while the Astros didn't get plunked once — and he pointed at Castellanos.