Georgiev stops 31 as Rangers top Isles
Alexandar Georgiev made 31 saves in his first start since March 19, Alexis Lafreniere and Colin Blackwell scored in the second period, and Rangers beat the Islanders 4-1 on Friday night in Uniondale.
Mika Zibanejad and K’Andre Miller also scored and Artemi Panarin had two assists for the Rangers.
Andy Greene scored and Semyon Varlamov finished with 32 saves as the Islanders snapped a five-game winning streak and fell to 17-2-2 at home.
The teams meet again on Sunday night at Nassau Coliseum.
Georgiev improved to 7-1-0 in eight starts against the Islanders. He has allowed two goals or fewer in seven of nine career appearances against the Islanders, including one goal or fewer five times. Since his first start against the Islanders on Nov. 21, 2018, Georgiev has more wins against the Islanders than any other NHL goaltender.
PENS BEAT DEVILS
Bryan Rust scored two goals and Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists in leading the streaking Pittsburgh Penguins to a 6-4 victory over the Devils in Newark. Jared McCann, Brian Dumoulin and
Colton Sceviour also scored as the bangedup Penguins won their second game in as many nights and eighth in 11 games (8-2-1). Casey DeSmith made 25 saves in snapping a personal two-game losing streak.
Miles Wood scored two goals, and Jack Hughes and Jesper Boqvist had one each for the Devils, who snapped a four-game winless streak beating Buffalo on Thursday night. Mackenzie Blackwood made 21 saves.
LONGTIME PIRATES USHER DIES AT 102
Phil Coyne, who spent more than 80 years ushering Pittsburgh Pirates fans to their seats through varying stages of success and failure by the team, has died. He was 102.
The team said Coyne died Friday. No cause of death was given.
“Phil was and always will be a true Pirates legend,” team chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement.
Coyne began working for the Pirates in 1936. For the next eight decades, he served as a fixture in the stands as the franchise moved from Forbes Field to Three Rivers Stadium to PNC Park.
The club estimated he worked more than 6,000 games, a span that included three World Series titles and a close-up look at the Hall of Fame careers of Roberto Clemente and Bill Mazeroski and the meteoric rise of Barry Bonds and Andrew McCutchen.
Coyne was there through it all, typically with a smile on his face and a rag in his hand to make sure the seats were clean. He became an icon of sorts, particularly during the late stages of his career. He worked between sections 26 and 27 at PNC Park, just down the third-base line from home plate. The team placed a plaque in Coyne’s section as a testament to his importance to the club.
“Phil was so much more than an usher to us and our fans,” Nutting said. “As a testament to his life of service to the game of baseball, his Pirates uniform and identification badge remain on permanent display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.”
The team gave Coyne a No. 99 jersey with his name on the back after his 99th birthday, and the Pittsburgh City Council designated Aug. 29, 2017, as “Phil Coyne Day.” He would often hold court with longtime season ticket holders during games and loved to regale fans of all ages with tales from the team’s storied past.
DODGERS GET THEIR RINGS
The Los Angeles Dodgers received their World Series rings Friday in front of the loyal hometown fans who didn’t get to witness their 2020 championship run in person.
Clayton Kershaw, Mookie Betts and the Dodgers collected their jewelry before Los Angeles’ home opener. The team also raised a championship banner behind center field to the roars of a Chavez Ravine crowd that made up for its pandemic-limited numbers with joyous noise.
“We’ve had a year that we could have never imagined,” said Dodgers owner Mark Walter, who hoped the championship season could “serve as an inspiration to finish this fight against the terrible pandemic, and to continue the fight for justice and equality for everyone.”