EASTON, Pa. (AP) — Former heavyweight boxing champion Larry Holmes has won a legal round in a towing dispute at his eastern Pennsylvania restaurant.

Holmes sued in January, saying a neighbor was wrongfully towing cars from a shared parking lot by his restaurant in Easton, Champ’s Corner. The Express-Times reports a Northampton County judge ruled the neighbor, Riverstar Properties, must stop towing vehicles until the lawsuit’s outcome is resolved.

Judge Leonard Zito says the city would be harmed if a restaurant owned by one of its most prominent citizens was damaged by “indiscriminate towing.” A message left for Riverstar Properties was not immediately returned Tuesday.

Holmes says the towing is hurting his business. He says he and his neighbor have a shared parking agreement.

Holmes grew up in Easton and was heavyweight champion from 1978 to 1985.

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – In what has become an all too common occurrence, the Phillies struggled against a subpar pitcher on Monday night. Marlins righthander Alex Sanabia came into Monday night’s game against the Phillies with an ERA over 5.00. The Phillies, not surprisingly, managed just one run on a Dom Brown home run.

The Phillies may have an excuse in this one. Maybe this is just wishful thinking, but maybe just this one time they have an excuse.

After Brown’s home run, Sanabia is seen on video clearly spitting on the new baseball he was thrown that he would use against the next batter. He is seen rubbing the ball vigorously after spitting on it.

Spitting on the baseball is illegal in MLB, and has been for almost 100 years.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t quite explain every other game in which the Phillies only score one run.

    You can hear tonight’s game on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT or SportsRadio 94.1 WIP.

Philadelphia, PA (CBS) — Clay Harbor looks around and sees himself in a bit of a quandary these days. The tight end suddenly finds himself third on a crowded depth chart that behind Brent Celek and second-round pick Zach Ertz slotted above him.

It’s enough to make Harbor think about looking elsewhere to get on the field. In fact, he took some reps at outside linebacker during the OTAs. Harbor played safety in high school, so defense isn’t a completely foreign area of the field. It presents a greater possibility of making the team when they get together this July for camp.

“It was just something the coaches asked me to do, run a little bit of defense,” Harbor said. “There isn’t many 6-3, 250-some guys that can run well, is their thinking, and they’re athletic. We did it just get some looks in emergency situations and for versatile purposes. There are 45 guys that dress every Sunday. If something happens, someone gets nicked, if I know the defense, I can help out there. We have a lot of great tight ends here. I want to make myself more diverse as a player. Do more things, line up in more situations. If defense helps me out there, I’m going to learn some defense.”

In Chip Kelly’s offense, the tight end plays a very important role. It’s why Kelly went after Stanford’s Ertz, a large target with good speed that can stretch a defense down the middle. With Celek and Ertz, Harbor’s role could be greatly reduced.

“I haven’t played much defense since high school, when I was a safety, but as an offensive player, we think we have to know more and a little smarter than those d-lineman,” Harbor said. “I don’t think about [being on the bubble of making the team]. I’m trying to pick up a little bit of the defense. I’m still a tight end, and if something happens, I can learn some defense.”

Joseph Santoliquito is a contributing sports blogger for CBS Philly.

Philadelphia, PA (CBS) —Lane Johnson isn’t worried nor concerned that he’s not running with “the ones” in the second week of OTAs for the Eagles. In fact, the first-round choice, selected fourth overall, seems to be adjusting quite well.

“Right now, it’s early and training camp doesn’t start until [July], so I’m trying to get as many reps as you can and knowing the system, that’s where I am right now,” Johnson said. “Last week, it was my first week being around the guys and I know what to expect. I want to keep progressing and hopefully I’ll be [with the ones] soon.”

Johnson has not signed with the Eagles yet, but said he’s sitting back and seeing where everyone else falls into line, in terms of signing the contract.

“I’m going to be with the team working and I’ve never really had money before, so I really don’t care,” Johnson said. “I’m sure something will be worked out soon.”

Aside from being an exceptional athlete, Johnson also has a little known ability to impersonate people. He doesn’t have head coach Chip Kelly down yet, but he is working on offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland.

“I’m working on Coach Stoutland, and maybe in a few weeks, as I get to know and be around Coach Kelly, I’ll get him down a little better,” Johnson said.

Johnson has the schedule down, but on the field, “The more reps I get, I think the more comfortable I’ll get when the pads go on,” Johnson said. “Getting the reps and progressing just helps me keep moving forward.”

Joseph Santoliquito is a contributing sports blogger for CBS Philly.

Justin Ruggiano and Nick Green each drove in two runs for Miami in front of a season-low crowd of 13,231 at Marlins Park. Sanabia (3-6) allowed one run and seven hits over 6 1-3 innings.

Hamels (1-7) struck out 10 in six effective innings but has not won since April 28 at the New York Mets. Domonic Brown homered for the Phillies.

Miami had 11 hits and struck out 13 times on its way to scoring more than three runs for just the second time in 13 games. The Marlins have won two straight after dropping seven in a row and 10 of 11.

Sanabia and Hamels entered tied with Cubs right-hander Edwin Jackson for the NL lead in losses, but both pitched well.

Hamels, the 2008 World Series and NLCS MVP, gave up two runs and seven hits without a walk. The left-hander allowed three singles in the first inning and they resulted in a run when Marcell Ozuna drove in Adeiny Hechavarria for an early Marlins lead.

Brown homered to right in the second, his eighth of the season.

Hamels, who signed a $144 million, six-year contract last July, settled down after the first and fanned seven of 10 batters during one stretch. He gave up a leadoff single to Placido Polanco in the sixth and a two-out RBI double to Ruggiano that snapped an 0-for-18 slump and put the Marlins ahead 2-1.

Philadelphia had a pair of runners on base with one out in the seventh, but Ryan Webb relieved Sanabia and retired the next two batters to preserve the lead.

Chase Utley was caught stealing to end the eighth.

Miami tacked on three runs in the bottom half. Ruggiano had an RBI single off Phillippe Aumont to score Polanco. Two batters later, Green blooped a two-run single to shallow center that Ben Revere couldn’t come up with, making it 5-1.

Chad Qualls struck out two in a hitless ninth.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — It’s easy to assume from the outside looking in, as you see the polished desk and generous office space, that it all came so easy for Marc Rayfield, CBS Radio Philadelphia’s Senior Vice President and Marketing Manager.

It wasn’t. None of it came easy.

Actually, nothing was ever handed to one of the pillars of the radio community that helped build WIP into a national brand. It’s why Monday night marked a special moment for Rayfield, who was part of the nine distinguished individuals who were inducted into the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Adolph and Rose Levis Museum at the Gershman Y.

Rayfield joined Hall of Fame basketball coach Larry Brown, Ellen Barkann, Bob Brooks, Fred Cohen, Josh Cohen, Ron Cohen and Bonnie Kay as inductees.

Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame inductees. (credit: Cynthia Webster)

For Rayfield, it’s been a light-year journey for the only son of a single mother who once had to rely on food stamps and live in a small apartment with a roll-out bed in the living room.

“I was absolutely surprised by this honor, in fact, when I first learned of it, I thought someone was playing a practical joke on me,” Rayfield said. “Anyone who knows me knew I was at best an average athlete. Then it dawned on me I’m the general manager of WIP. But you’re first instincts is that you’re being honored for your athletic exploits. I was the guy sitting at the end of the bench.”

Rayfield moved with his mother, Joan, from Northeastern Philadelphia, starting as a freshman at Washington High School. His mother wanted something better for her only child—and the two moved to Lower Merion, where they lived in a one-bedroom apartment.

“All my success is because of my mother, and my mother was on food stamps at one point, and I slept on a sofa bed in the living room throughout high school,” recalled Rayfield, a Harriton High grad who went to Temple for his undergrad degree and then Penn for graduate school. “People see the end result. But no, I didn’t have silver spoons in my mouth and limos picking me up for school. I put myself through school.”

His mother was his inspiration. He saw the endless commitment she made toward him. He also wanted to see that it wasn’t wasted. Rayfield grew up with a chronically bad back, but it stirred the roots of an amazing drive that propelled him to lofty heights of the radio industry.

“I didn’t want to wind up mediocre, and I think it’s why I was a successful salesperson,” said Rayfield, a highly accomplished salesman at Power 99 FM from 1985 to 1990, before getting the offer to make a risky move to the fledgling all-sports talk station, 610 WIP, from Tom Brookshier in 1990. “My friends thought I was nuts for leaving Power 99 to join WIP. At that time, no one knew who Angelo Cataldi was. Tom was the one who actually hired me. I still stay in close contact with Tom’s wife Barbara to this day. I actually owe a lot to many people, and believe me, it’s a great, great honor to be inducted with people like Larry Brown and Ellen Barkann.”

Brown is a Hall of Fame coach who remains the only coach in basketball history to have won an NCAA basketball title and NBA championship.

Howard Eskin and Marc Rayfield. (credit: Cynthia Webster)

“Larry was old-school and that’s what made him so successful,” said WIP’s own Howard Eskin. “It’s hard to get your point across, especially with today’s players, but he got his point across with Allen Iverson and that’s why they got to the finals. Larry Brown is a great teacher, a great communicator. There is only one time in his career where they’ve always gotten better.

“He’s the second-greatest coach the Sixers have ever had, behind Billy Cunningham. He never stopped loving and wanting to coach. Larry Brown and Billy Cunningham played basketball together, and Larry coached Billy in the ABA, which is kind of fascinating. Every honor Larry gets is deserved. He was never just given a team with Hall of Fame players on it, like Phil Jackson. Phil Jackson never built a team from scratch. Larry’s done it throughout his career.”

Joseph Santoliquito is a contributing sports blogger for CBS Philly.

Both players had MRI exams on Monday before Philadelphia’s game against Miami.

Ruiz has a Grade 2 hamstring strain. He has played in 16 games and is hitting .235 with two RBIs.

“Right now he’ll probably be out three to four weeks — relative time frame,” Phillies trainer Scott Sheridan said. “That’s kind of what we’re thinking right now based on the size of the tear and location.”

Howard has had symptoms for the past couple of weeks and is hitting .179 in 16 games this month.

“He’s got some changes in his meniscus in his knee and also has some inflammation in his knee that concerns us,” Sheridan said. “We did a cortisone injection with him (Sunday) and he’s not available to play tonight and we will just treat him day to day right now and go from there.”

Howard is batting .245 with six home runs and 22 RBIs in 41 games. He has been replaced at first base by Michael Young.

“If he doesn’t respond to the treatment we’ve provided so far, you’ve got to re-evaluate what you’re doing,” Sheridan said. “At no point are we going to put Ryan out there to risk it.”

Right-handed pitcher Mike Adams (back strain) was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to May 11. Catcher Humberto Quintero has been recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Philadelphia, PA (CBS) —Lane Johnson isn’t worried nor concerned that he’s not running with “the ones” in the second week of OTAs for the Eagles. In fact, the first-round choice, selected fourth overall, seems to be adjusting quite well.

“Right now, it’s early and training camp doesn’t start until [July], so I’m trying to get as many reps as you can and knowing the system, that’s where I am right now,” Johnson said. “Last week, it was my first week being around the guys and I know what to expect. I want to keep progressing and hopefully I’ll be [with the ones] soon.”

Johnson has not signed with the Eagles yet, but said he’s sitting back and seeing where everyone else falls into line, in terms of signing the contract.

“I’m going to be with the team working and I’ve never really had money before, so I really don’t care,” Johnson said. “I’m sure something will be worked out soon.”

Aside from being an exceptional athlete, Johnson also has a little known ability to impersonate people. He doesn’t have head coach Chip Kelly down yet, but he is working on offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland.

“I’m working on Coach Stoutland, and maybe in a few weeks, as I get to know and be around Coach Kelly, I’ll get him down a little better,” Johnson said.

Johnson has the schedule down, but on the field, “The more reps I get, I think the more comfortable I’ll get when the pads go on,” Johnson said. “Getting the reps and progressing just helps me keep moving forward.”

Joseph Santoliquito is a contributing sports blogger for CBS Philly.

Philadelphia, PA (CBS) — Clay Harbor looks around and sees himself in a bit of a quandary these days. The tight end suddenly finds himself third on a crowded depth chart that behind Brent Celek and second-round pick Zach Ertz slotted above him.

It’s enough to make Harbor think about looking elsewhere to get on the field. In fact, he took some reps at outside linebacker during the OTAs. Harbor played safety in high school, so defense isn’t a completely foreign area of the field. It presents a greater possibility of making the team when they get together this July for camp.

“It was just something the coaches asked me to do, run a little bit of defense,” Harbor said. “There isn’t many 6-3, 250-some guys that can run well, is their thinking, and they’re athletic. We did it just get some looks in emergency situations and for versatile purposes. There are 45 guys that dress every Sunday. If something happens, someone gets nicked, if I know the defense, I can help out there. We have a lot of great tight ends here. I want to make myself more diverse as a player. Do more things, line up in more situations. If defense helps me out there, I’m going to learn some defense.”

In Chip Kelly’s offense, the tight end plays a very important role. It’s why Kelly went after Stanford’s Ertz, a large target with good speed that can stretch a defense down the middle. With Celek and Ertz, Harbor’s role could be greatly reduced.

“I haven’t played much defense since high school, when I was a safety, but as an offensive player, we think we have to know more and a little smarter than those d-lineman,” Harbor said. “I don’t think about [being on the bubble of making the team]. I’m trying to pick up a little bit of the defense. I’m still a tight end, and if something happens, I can learn some defense.”

Joseph Santoliquito is a contributing sports blogger for CBS Philly.

So they weren’t about to ease up when they had a big lead of their own on Sunday.

Boston went ahead by two goals in the first minute of the third period, added another 12 minutes later and beat the New York Rangers 5-2 to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals.

Still, the Blueshirts aren’t about to go down without a fight as the series heads to New York.

“We don’t want to lose two games here, no one does,” said Rangers coach John Tortorella. “But there’s no give in this team. There will be no give in this team. We need to go win a game. Not look anywhere else, just try to win our first home game this series.”

Just six days earlier, the Bruins became the first team to win a Game 7 after trailing by three goals in the third period. They started their comeback with less than 11 minutes left and extended their season with a 5-4 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“Guys are really trying to stay focused on doing their job in the third period,” Brad Marchand said. “We know how important they are, especially after what we went through being down by a few goals. We know that it’s possible for any team to come back from any score.”

Marchand made it 4-2 with just 26 seconds gone in the third period, Milan Lucic scored at 12:39 and the Bruins worked hard the rest of the way.

“We talked about it before we went out there in the third period, and we just had to make sure that we played to win,” Boston coach Claude Julien said. “I don’t like our team when we play on our heels and we’re just trying to protect a one-goal lead. We’ve got to extend the lead and extend it even more before we even think about protecting it.”

Game 3 is Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.

The Rangers never led Sunday, although they tied the game quickly after each of the Bruins’ first two goals.

The second period may have been New York’s best of the series even though Johnny Boychuk’s tie-breaking goal on a 40-foot shot at 12:08 of the period got past goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who was screened by several players.

“We played a really good second,” New York’s Dan Girardi said. “The first shift of the third killed us.”

That’s when Marchand made it 4-2 with a goal similar to the one that gave the Bruins a 3-2 overtime win in the opener.

Patrice Bergeron carried the puck in deep along the right side and passed across the crease to Marchand, who had beaten Girardi and tipped it in.

“I have to be ready to defend that pass there,” Girardi said. “They didn’t have much room, but, obviously, I have to be either on the strong side blocking that or on Marchand’s stick. That really put us behind the eight-ball.”

With a two-goal lead, the Bruins remained aggressive but still clogged the middle in front of goalie Tuukka Rask when the Rangers attacked.

“We felt really good going into the third, and to have that type of goal go in — it’s just two-on-two — it hurts you,” Tortorella said. “We couldn’t generate anything, and then they’re just going to fill the middle and they’re just going to jam you.”

Boston never trailed as rookie Torey Krug scored the first goal at 5:28 of the first period before Rangers captain Ryan Callahan tied it less than three minutes later. Gregory Campbell made it 2-1 at 2:24 of the second period, and New York pulled even again 56 seconds later on Rick Nash’s goal, his first of the playoffs after he led the Rangers with 21 in the regular season.

“We didn’t play our best,” Marchand said. “I think, especially in the second period, they took it to us, but we were able to bounce back. It’s definitely a very even series.”

Not when it comes to goaltending.

Lundqvist allowed more than five goals for the first time in 152 games, including the postseason, and stopped 27 shots.

“I thought I was in position, but (there were) a couple screens and when you give up five goals you can’t be satisfied,” he said.

There’s also the matter of his left shoulder that was hit by Daniel Paille’s third-period shot. Lundqvist rubbed it after the game and said, “We’ll take a look at it.”

Rask saved 35 of 37 shots.

Still, Lundqvist won the Vezina Trophy last year and is a finalist for it this year.

“I know that I can’t let in any lead goals most nights because he is who he is,” Rask said, “but, then again it’s a team game and we’re more focused on the Rangers than any individual.”

These are the Rangers who also lost the first two games of their opening series on the road, then won the next two at home. They lost Game 5 in Washington but won the last two games behind shutouts by Lundqvist.

“We’ve done it before,” he said, “but I think we are playing a better team now so it’s going to be tough to do it.”

Ahead or behind, home or away, the Bruins plan to play with the same determination the entire game.

“You can’t take anything for granted,” Boychuk said. “It’s playoffs. Anything can happen, and sometimes a team can play better in front of their hometown.”

NOTES: The last time Lundqvist allowed more than four goals was March 9, 2011, in a 5-2 loss to Anaheim. In the next 151 games he allowed four goals just 13 times. … The Bruins played their second straight game without injured veteran defensemen Andrew Ference, Dennis Seidenberg and Wade Redden … A defenseman got a goal or an assist on each of Boston’s goals. … The margin of victory was more than two for just the second time in 26 games between the teams. … In their nine playoff games, the Rangers have scored on two of 35 power plays. They’re 0 for 7 against the Bruins.

You May Also Be Interested In These Stories

• Larry Holmes Wins Latest Fight
• Marlins Pitcher Sanabia Spit On Ball In Monday Night’s Phillies Game
• Tight End Clay Harbor Trying To Stay On The Field By Playing Linebacker
• Lane Johnson Not Concerned That He’s Not Practicing With Starters

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

After their performance in Game 3, it is clear the defending Stanley Cup champions still need plenty of work.

The Kings went through a short workout at their training complex Sunday after sleeping in their own beds following a 2-1 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night.

Such easy travel usually isn’t possible in the spread-out Western Conference, but Game 4 isn’t until Tuesday night at the Shark Tank.

“We were home at pretty much the same time as we would coming from Staples on a regular night,” center Anze Kopitar said. “It’s a 50-minute flight, so it’s pretty quick. I think it’s good for us.”

Los Angeles’ 2-1 loss in Game 3 ended on a power-play goal after two penalty calls that angered and confused the Kings for several reasons. Yet captain Dustin Brown acknowledged the Kings have plenty of concerns beyond the officiating.

Los Angeles leads the series 2-1, but only after getting a 35-save shutout from Jonathan Quick in Game 1 and stealing Game 2 with two late power-play goals.

“We’ve got to score more than one goal,” Brown said. “I mean, Quickie is a great goalie, but at the end of the day, we need to score more than one goal for him. We haven’t done that. I think we’ve only scored one goal three times out of four away games.”

Indeed, the Kings have scored six goals in their four road playoff games this spring, half of them in a 3-2 overtime win at St. Louis. The other three road playoff games all have been 2-1 losses — and before that, Los Angeles dropped six straight road games to close the regular season, scoring nine goals in that stretch.

Robyn Regehr was whistled for hooking on a seemingly garden-variety stick play with 41.7 seconds left in regulation in Game 3, and Trevor Lewis followed him into the box with 4.5 seconds left on a goaltender interference call that had the Kings steaming. They claimed Lewis was pushed into Antti Niemi, and questioned why such a dramatic call would be made so late in a game.

The Kings killed off the 5-on-3 disadvantage, but gave up Logan Couture’s power-play game-winner. Quick, who shut out the Sharks from the opening minutes until the final buzzer, got a game misconduct for berating the officials who made the decisive call.

“Not happy, but we can’t do anything about it,” Kopitar said. “Again, it’s the position that we put ourselves into that is mind-boggling. It’s not the way we want to play and be in that situation. We came close to killing it off, but we’ve said it all along, you can’t give them too many opportunities, because they will score, and they did.”

The Kings have demonstrated they know how to regroup after a playoff loss. After dropping the first two games of the postseason in St. Louis, they responded with six straight victories.

The Sharks also present a challenge similar to the Blues in their desire to attack Quick with a high volume of shots. St. Louis outshot Los Angeles in four of the six games, and the Kings have been soundly outshot by San Jose in the current series — but with Quick in top form, the numbers haven’t beaten Los Angeles.

San Jose also has revived its dominant power play, which produced both of its goals in Game 3 after the Kings shut out the Sharks in the first two games at Staples Center.

“Especially when the Conn Smythe winner (is) on the defending champion team, I’m going to assume if I was coaching against them, that I’m going to say, `Shoot lots, and get as much traffic as you can,”‘ Sutter said. “So I think San Jose has that mindset, as St. Louis did last series. You’re trying to get your team to shoot more, and you’re trying to get players to go to the net more.”

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators and Dustin Brown of the Los Angeles Kings are the other finalists.

Former NHL star Mark Messier determines the winner of the award. He solicits suggestions from from club and NHL personnel and fans to come up with the finalists and then makes a final decision on the winner.

The following is the explanation of Toews’ nomination as provided by the award:

Toews was named captain of the Blackhawks in 2008 when he was just 20-years-old, making him the third-youngest captain in NHL history at the time. While his leadership on the ice is undisputed, his role off the ice with various children’s charitable causes makes him an undeniable role model to fans. In his spare time, Toews volunteers to grant wishes through the Make-A-Wish Foundation and visits with patients at the local children’s hospital and Chicago’s Misericordia. Last fall, he returned home to join the Winnipeg Patrolmen Hockey Club and other NHL players for the “Goals for Dreams Hockey Challenge,” which helped raise $80,000 for the Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Dream Factory, a charity that grants dreams for critically and chronically ill children.

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings got much younger this year, rebuilding with rookies and prospects pushed onto the ice.

For much of the lockout-delayed season, it didn’t look good for them.

The storied franchise used to chase Stanley Cup titles with key players in their late 30s and 40s such as Nicklas Lidstrom, Chris Chelios, Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull and Larry Murphy.

Not anymore.

As the Chicago Blackhawks are now finding out, the Red Wings are much better than they were during the regular season thanks to an improved cast of inexperienced players.

“We’ve had great growth from within, I think the most since I’ve been in the National Hockey League for sure,” Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said Sunday. “That may be because we have a different type of team. We got a whole bunch of kids, so we have a chance for growth.”

Red Wings rookie Brendan Smith scored the winning goal Saturday in Detroit’s 4-1 win at Chicago that tied the series 1-1. The top-seeded Blackhawks won the opener by the same 4-1 score.

“We knew they were going to come back and play much better than they did in Game 1,” Chicago captain Jonathan Toews said. “Obviously, we didn’t quite match the effort.”

When the puck drops Monday night in Detroit for Game 3, Toews hopes his team is ready to bounce back.

“There’s no time to waste in this series,” Toews said. “We know going into their building it’s even more difficult.”

It will be even more challenging for Chicago if Toews can’t produce as he did in the 48-game regular season.

Toews had 23 goals, tying Patrick Kane for the team lead and trailing just four players in the league. However, he is struggling to score for a third straight postseason.

Toews is in an eight-game playoff slump that dates to last year. He has just three goals combined in three postseasons since scoring seven goals to help Chicago win the Cup in 2010. He had seven goals the previous postseason — his first — when Detroit eliminated the Blackhawks in the Western Conference finals.

Henrik Zetterberg had a lot to do with holding Toews without a point in Game 2, an accomplishment that didn’t surprise Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard.

“Most nights, he’s the best player on the ice,” Howard said. “No different from (Saturday), the way he was all over Toews the whole game, shutting him down. We’re going to need that for the whole series.”

The Red Wings would also benefit if their inexperienced players figure out a way to avoid fading into the background.

Before Smith’s go-ahead goal on Saturday, first-year player Damien Brunner and rookie Gustav Nyquist also scored winning goals this postseason — in overtime against Anaheim. Teammate Joakim Andersson ranks among rookie scoring leaders.

The 27-year-old Brunner, too old to be a candidate for the Calder Trophy given to the rookie of the year, has followed up a 26-point regular season with four goals in the playoffs to match Johan Franzen for the team lead. He also has three assists.

Calder finalist Brandon Saad has only one assist in seven postseason games for the Blackhawks. The 20-year-old forward had 27 points during the regular season.

Brunner has insisted it doesn’t bother him to be out of the running for the Calder, and sounded even more thankful on Sunday that he waited to make the jump from the Swiss League.

The 5-foot-11, 184-pound forward was banged around on the ice quite a bit and had growing pains off it, dealing with a lot of travel after his longest trip last year was a 2½-hour bus ride.

“You kind of think it’s not that big of a deal when you come over, but after a couple trips and the hours you lose, especially when you come back home, it’s tough,” Brunner said. “It’s really tough.”

While Babcock’s job behind the bench was tougher this year than it had been the past seven seasons with veteran-filled rosters, he relished the opportunity to lead the young Red Wings.

“It’s the most fun I’ve had coaching in a couple years, by far, just because we have a real enthusiastic group,” Babcock said. “At the start of the year, we weren’t a good team. We all understood that, but we buckled down and we got better. It’s been fun for us. If you would have asked me before the playoffs, I would’ve told you the same thing. Then suddenly you have a little success in the playoffs — and it’s more fun.”

___

Follow Larry Lage on Twitter: http://twitter.com/larrylage

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

After Game 2, Henrik might be in for some tossing and turning after experiencing some serious déjà vu.

Early in the third period, with the Bruins leading 3-2, Patrice Bergeron won the opening faceoff and shortly afterwards carried the puck on a 2-on-2 rush up the ice. With Marchand driving to the net, Bergeron carried the puck to the corner of the rink, drawing Michael Del Zotto with him before sending a pass to the front of the crease. Marchand, able to fight through Dan Girardi, got his tape on the puck and redirected it just under Lundqvist’s right pad.

The goal made the score 4-2 in favor of the Bruins with 19:34 left in the game, so it wasn’t quite the back-breaker that Thursday’s overtime goal was. Yet the goal appeared to crush New York’s hopes of clawing back, a thought completely eliminated 12 minutes later when Milan Lucic scored to give the Bruins a 5-2 lead. The rout was on, and while Lundqvist was a bit cryptic with his postgame comments, he seemed to confirm suspicions that the Rangers were taken off their game in the third period.

“We gave it to them,” Lundqvist said after the game, before repeating himself. “We gave it to them. I thought we played great, [but] I don’t think they had to work really hard to get a couple goals there. We just made it really tough on ourselves, so we have to correct a few things and go home and turn this around. It doesn’t matter the score — it’s a loss. Overtime or 5-2, doesn’t matter.”

The bottom line is that the final score doesn’t matter, but in a series predicated on defense and goaltending, the dynamic certainly shifts now. After an imperfect but respectable performance by Lundqvist in Game 1 (45 saves on 48 shots), the safe bet was for a monster performance in Game 2. Instead, he allowed five goals, the first time he’s done that in any game since March 9, 2011, and the first time he’s done it in a postseason game since April 26, 2009. His save percentage in the series now sits at .900, his goals-against average at 3.54. His regular-season numbers? A .926 save percentage and 2.05 GAA.

Despite the outcome, the Rangers won’t panic. Head coach John Tortorella said flatly, “I’m not evaluating our goaltending. I don’t need to evaluate Henrik. We know what Henrik is.”

And, really, the five goals don’t all fall on Lundqvist’s shoulders. Dan Girardi screened the goalie on Torey Krug’s shot, which opened the game’s scoring, and Girardi later kicked a Krug shot right to Gregory Campbell in front of the net for the second Bruins’ goal. Girardi again screened Lundqvist on Johnny Boychuk’s goal, the eventual game-winner, and he failed to break up the pass from Bergeron to Marchand early in the third. The icing on the cake for Girardi came when he made a decent play to drop to the ice to break up a pass, but ended up sliding out of the way and allowing Lucic to easily score the fifth goal. If anyone had a nightmare game, it was most certainly No. 5 in white, not No. 30.

Lundqvist also looked to be suffering through some sort of pain in the third period, and he later confirmed he had some sort of shoulder injury that would require a look from the team’s medical staff.

Excuses beyond his control were there for Lundqvist, and he certainly cashed in on the opportunity to make them, but he is not supposed to be just any goalie. The reigning Vezina winner and almost-unanimous best goalie in the sport should be able to rise to the challenge of playoff hockey and come through with saves no matter the circumstance — maybe not all of them, but at least one of them. That’s what it takes to get through the postseason and win a Cup for a team dependent on defense, and the last two Conn Smythe winners are proof of that.

For the last two games in Boston, dozens of reporters, microphones and cameras crowded around Lundqvist’s locker stall, because he is the superstar, and he is the “king.” His hat with the number 30 inside a crown, which he wore after the 5-2 loss, was there to remind everyone of that.

But one more game from Lundqvist where the king plays like just another goalie, and this series is going to be a lot shorter than most everyone anticipated.

Read more from Michael by clicking here, or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The Eagles kicked off another round of OTAs in South Philadelphia, and c the theme under new head coach Chip Kelly continues to be “change.”

Change is something players such as Trent Cole are embracing.

“There is nothing wrong with change after having the season we had last year,” said Cole.  “It’s a new team and I’m enjoying myself out here.  It’s new.  Everybody loves new.”

The players continue to try and catch up with Chip Kelly’s fast-paced system.  For the five quarterbacks on the roster, it means making the most out of their reps on the field.  Michael Vick believes the quarterbacks are settling each more and more each day.

“It’s still a challenge each and every day,” Vick said.  “As far as us going out and being able to play, I think it’s getting easier for all of the quarterbacks.  We just go out there and try to take it one play at a time, but the comfort level is there.”

The changes for the Eagles include a tight end getting snaps with the defense.  Clay Harbor welcomed the opportunity to show off his versatility.

“It’s just something the coaches asked me to do,” said Harbor.  “There’s not many 6-foot-3, 250-something-pound guys that can run well.  They just want some looks for emergency situations and versatile purposes.”

One of the biggest tests for the new coaching staff was getting the players to buy into their method of coaching.  So far, they coaches appeared to have succeeded.

“I’ve been in the league for nine years now,” Cole said.  “I’ve got to get my mind mentally ready to start back over again.  I have to wipe the slate clean.”

The workouts will continue through Wednesday.

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – It’s another step toward the NFL season lasting all year long.

The NFL and NFLPA are working toward a deal that would push the NFL Draft back to May, starting in 2014, Albert Breer of NFL.COM reports. The move would be a one-year trial run in 2014 before it’s made permanent. The target date for the start of the draft is May 15th, 2014.

The report also suggests that the NFL may move the Combine back as well, as well as the start of the league year.

Guan, who last month became the youngest player to make the cut in a major championship when he finished 58th at the Masters, has accepted an exemption to play at the Memorial Tournament next week.

“I am very excited to accept the invitation to play at the Memorial Tournament,” Tianlang said. “It is Jack Nicklaus’ event, and the same as all the golf fans out there I have very high respect to Mr. Nicklaus, not just as a golf legend, but also as a great person. He has been actively involved in the development of golf in China, and junior golf development worldwide, and as a junior golfer myself I appreciate what he has done to help us grow.”

Guan also made the cut at the PGA Tour stop in New Orleans but missed weekend play at last week’s Byron Nelson.

Nicklaus, founder and host of the Memorial, met with Guan’s parents at the Masters and had hoped the young phenom might play at Muirfield Village May 30-June 2.

He is as astounded as any by the maturity the youngster has shown.

“He was 14 years old! I mean, c’mon,” Nicklaus said recently during a trip to his hometown of nearby Columbus. “A seventh-grader won the Asian Amateur, and now he’s an eighth-grader? C’mon, that’s pretty unbelievable.”

Nicklaus was very impressed with Guan and his parents.

“He came to me and wanted to know what I felt about his education and what he should do. I said, ‘For the next few years, I’d let him finish up high school.’ Let’s start with that,” Nicklaus said with a laugh.

Nicklaus counseled the family to take it slowly, make sure he gets his schooling and is surrounded by friends and peers.

“His parents are trying to figure out the best way to promote his life in golf,” he said. “I said, ‘Let him make a few of the decisions.’ They’re very sharp people and he was very sharp for an eighth-grade kid to sit there and talk to us all down there. He’s pretty mature. But he’s still 14.”

Many have considered Guan an ambassador for the game, who can get the masses in his homeland interested in the game.

“For his country, he’s going to be the poster boy of being able to say, ‘Look, I can do this. You all go do it, too,’” Nicklaus said.

Nicklaus was also considered a prodigy while growing up in suburban Columbus. But he does not put himself in the same category with Guan.

“(When I was 14 I was) trying to figure out where I’m going to take my girlfriend on the next date, whether my history teacher will allow me to skip a class or if the basketball coach is going to have practice,” he joked.

Guan said meeting Nicklaus was one of the highlights of his time at the Masters.

Now he’s looking forward to another memorable trip at Muirfield Village.

“It is going to be a great week,” he said.

They have two choices for the 50th anniversary game in 2016: the San Francisco Bay Area and South Florida.

The 49ers’ new stadium is being built and is scheduled to open for the 2014 season. With the NFL showing a penchant for bringing is championship game to new venues — Dallas and Indianapolis very recently, New Jersey next February — Santa Clara would appear to have a strong chance. Only once has the Bay Area staged a Super Bowl, in 1985 at Stanford Stadium.

“I think with the new stadium … we can host a Super Bowl there,” said Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice. “It’s going to be awesome. So I realize there’s a lot of history at Candlestick. To stay competitive in the NFL, this is something we have really needed for a long, long time, and I think it’s going to be awesome.”

Not so awesome for the Miami area was a defeat in the state Legislature earlier this month that could severely damage its hopes of being chosen as the 2016 host. Or, for that matter, for South Florida to beat Houston for the 2017 game should it lose to San Francisco for the 50th edition. Both sites will be decided Tuesday.

The Dolphins were denied public money for a stadium upgrade. Multibillionaire Dolphins owner Stephen Ross contends $350 million in stadium improvements are badly needed, but he doesn’t want to pay for them by himself. Nor does he want a scaled-down renovation of the 26-year-old facility.

“The House leadership has made our efforts to bring the Super Bowl back to Miami and South Florida much more difficult,” said Rodney Barreto, chairman of the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee.

Miami does have experience on its side, having hosted 10 Super Bowls, tied with New Orleans for the most. All of the South Florida title games have been successful, although the only outdoor Super Bowl played in the rain was held there in 2007 when Peyton Manning and the Colts won the championship.

“This is not the stadium we had hoped we could include in the bid,” Dolphins CEO Mike Dee said. “But we will be there when the NFL owners vote, and we’ll put our best foot forward.”

A three-quarters majority of the 32 owners is required on the first ballot Tuesday. If neither city gets that, then a simple majority wins on the next ballot.

The loser in the 2016 bidding will face Houston for the 2017 Super Bowl. Houston hosted the 2004 game.

Texans owner Bob McNair is cautious about his city’s chances, even with South Florida’s political and financial struggles.

“Certainly what happened doesn’t help Miami’s bid. There’s no doubt about that,” McNair said. “But that doesn’t say that the owners couldn’t decide to still go to Miami.”

For years, it was thought the NFL would seek to stage the 50th Super Bowl in Los Angeles, where the first one was played (but did not sell out) on Jan. 15, 1967. But with no franchise in LA and no suitable stadium projects approved, that hope disappeared.

Next Feb. 2, the game goes outdoors in a cold-weather site for the first time, at MetLife Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands. If that gamble pays off for the NFL, look for other cities in similar climates — Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver — to bid for future Super Bowls.

The league also has expressed great satisfaction with how Indianapolis handled the big game in 2012. New Orleans is a regular bidder, and Commissioner Roger Goodell has said the power outage during last year’s game will not impact voting on the Big Easy hosting another Super Bowl.

The 2015 game will be played in the Phoenix area.

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Among the many decisions Sam Hinkie will have to make as general manager of the Sixers is what to do with Andrew Bynum. Bynum will be an unrestricted free-agent, but the Sixers will be able to offer him more years, and money, than any other team in the NBA.

While many on the outside questioned Bynum’s commitment to the game, All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday doesn’t seem to have the same issues.

“He’s an awesome teammate even though he didn’t get the chance to play,” Holiday told Hoops Hype. He showed me a lot of perspective from the big men aspect of the game. I do think he’s one of the best big men in the league and having him on the bench and in the locker room helped me to improve my game.”

Holiday said that he feels Bynum did treat his teammates, and the franchise with respect. So does Holiday want Bynum back with the team?

“ I’d love him to… obviously, if he’s healthy. If he’s healthy I think he’s the best big in the league, but like I said it’s tricky because of the knee injuries,” Holiday said. “They actually haven’t talked to me about [whether or not Bynum should return] so I don’t know. Again, it’s a tricky situation because of his knees, his injuries. You can’t really make the decision just yet.”

“I think he wants to play, he wants to win. He had a winning career playing with the Lakers, winning two rings… He’s a winner and he wants to play.”

Read the rest of the interview at Hoops Hype.

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – When the Phillies went into the bottom of the ninth inning down 2-1, the prospects for a comeback seemed small with Aroldis Chapman on the mound for the Reds. When Cliff Lee got picked off of first base while pinch running for Delmon Young, a comeback went from what seemed unlikely to what seemed like impossible. Back-to-back home runs from Erik Kratz and Freddy Galvis gave the Phillies a 3-2 win, and most were left asking “how did that happen?”

One man who might have some insight is Phillies Spanish-language broadcaster Rickie Ricardo, who brought Chapman a gift before the game.

“Aroldis Chapman, since he arrived in the U.S. and on a major league team, he has become a friend of mine, and as I do for many Cuban players they always ask me—there is a little Cuban bakery up near where I live in the Cuban strong hold of Union City, New Jersey,” Ricardo told Angelo Cataldi and the 94WIP Morning Show on Monday. “They cook this little Cuban pastry, which is a flaky-crust pasty with cream cheese and guava and it’s baked, and it’s absolutely delicious. Now, if you eat more than two of these you’re clogging up your arteries—you’re a stroke waiting to happen! Well, Chapman asked me on Friday night after the game to stop by the bakery and pick up a box of 50. For example, Livan Hernandez, guys like that—even Chooch, guys on our team, they’ll put 10-15 of these things away with a couple of glasses of milk. It’s equivalent of the Krispy Kreme donuts when they come right out of the oven, it’s that kind of a thing.”

LISTEN: Angelo Cataldi interviews Rickie Ricardo

“Could you imagine cream cheese and guava on a baked pastry? Well Chapman asked me for a box of 100, two boxes of 50. When I saw him on Sunday morning before the game, he was in the club house, he had just eaten about 18 of them. He couldn’t breathe! I looked at my partner, I said, ‘he’s ripe for the taking today.”

Chapman’s fastball, often clocked at over 100 mph, hovered around 95 mph for most of the ninth inning, hitting 98 and 99 occasionally.

    You can hear tonight’s game on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT or SportsRadio 94.1 WIP.

Shaw played at Youngstown State, and played tight end for the first time full-time in 2012, after playing safety and linebacker previously. Shaw caught 35 passes for 429 yards and five touchdowns in 2012.

Maysonet attended Stony Brook University, where he rushed for 1,964 yards in 2012 and scored 21 touchdowns.

Vick says Chip Kelly may have solved one of them, and the other doesn’t exist. NFL analyst Ray Didinger thinks Vick is sorely mistaken.

“That’s nonsense. No, it is,” Didinger said of Vick’s claim that Kelly showed him a new way to hold the football, and it could solve the quarterback’s fumbling issues.  “The thing is, holding the ball a certain way—you actually do that with a running back. By the way a running back carries the ball, you actually can by just adjusting the way he holds the ball and the four points of pressure and all that stuff that they talk about.”

Didinger spoke to Angelo Cataldi and the 94WIP Morning Show about Vick’s recent comments about fumbling, and his ability to read a defense.

“It’s the not the same thing for a quarterback, because of the way a quarterback has to handle—he doesn’t handle the ball like a running back. And most of Mike Vick’s fumbles don’t occur when he’s running with the ball tucked under his arm, it occurs with him running through the pocket, extending the ball out, while he’s looking around trying to decide whether he wants to throw it or not,” Didinger said. “He gets hit from behind, he gets hit from the side, and that’s when the ball comes loose. I would probably buy that if it was a running back saying it. It’s not so much with a quarterback, because the quarterback handles the ball entirely different. The quarterback fumble problem is a judgement issue and that’s really what you get back to with Mike all the time, is his judgement. His inability to get rid of the ball on time and his inability to read a coverage or feel the pressure around him. That’s been Mike’s problem through out, that’s why he fumbles the ball. It’s not the way he’s carrying it as much as how long he’s carrying, why he’s carrying, where he’s carrying it. That’s the bigger issue.”

Vick said that critics who say he can’t read a defense “know nothing about football.” Didinger, who knows football, disagrees.

“I’d like to sit down with him and show him tape of last year and ask him about it,” Didinger said. “It’s just not true.”

It’s all about crashing in this week’s That Thing You Missed.  Jake “The Snake” Roberts crashes and burns while singing at a Braves game, Bryce Harper crashes into the wall, Manny is being Manny in Taiwan, an undergrad crashes into a catcher and Dwyane Wade crashes a prom. 

Galvis and Erik Kratz each homered off closer Aroldis Chapman in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday after Lee’s baserunning mistake, rallying the Philadelphia Phillies past the Cincinnati Reds for a stunning 3-2 victory.

“As soon as I hit it, it felt good,” Galvis, who never had hit a walkoff homer at any level, said. “Awesome. I think I’ll never forget it.”

Chapman (3-2) blew his second straight save opportunity after converting his first eight chances this season. The 100 mph-throwing left-hander walked pinch-hitter Delmon Young on four pitches to open the ninth.

Lee, the Phillies’ left-hander, pinch ran and was caught trying to steal second base, but Chapman wouldn’t record another out. Kratz, who entered the game in the third inning after Carlos Ruiz left with a strained right hamstring, pulled a 3-2 pitch over the seats in left to tie it at 2-all.

Galvis followed by lining a 1-1 pitch just inside the foul pole in left.

Lee breathed a sigh of relief after his inexplicable gaffe.

“That’s basically the last thing you need to do right there,” he said. “It was brutal. I felt horrible. (Winning) was a really good feeling.”

Antonio Bastardo (2-1) pitched a scoreless ninth inning for Philadelphia.

“Today’s game was definitely a pick me up,” said manager Charlie Manuel, whose Phillies open a three-game set at Miami on Monday. “It will give us a nice, little ride to Florida.”

Slugging first baseman Ryan Howard will not be making the trip to Miami with the team. He’s going to have an MRI Monday on his sore left knee.

Howard, who is batting .245 with 46 strikeouts in 151 at-bats this season, has four hits in his last 34 at-bats.

Manuel didn’t sound optimistic about Howard’s chances to play on Monday.

“We’ll see,” Howard said. “It’s been acting up. I’ve been able to tough it out but told (Manuel) it was sore.”

Ruiz left the game after straining his right hamstring running the bases in the second inning. He didn’t make the trip to Miami with the Phillies and will have an MRI on Monday. Ruiz, who said he heard a “pop” while running, hopes to rejoin the team on Tuesday.

Jay Bruce homered and Homer Bailey tossed seven scoreless innings for the Reds, who appeared headed for their ninth win in 10 games.

“I would’ve lost a lot of money if I’d bet on that one,” Bailey said. “But that’s the game.”

Bruce led off the second with a towering shot to straightaway center to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. He is batting .390 (16 for 41) with four homers and 12 RBIs during the spurt.

Joey Votto also stayed hot by going 2 for 4 for the Reds. Votto extended his hitting streak to eight games, and he is batting .515 (17 for 33) over the stretch.

Bailey shut down the Phillies for the second time this season and left without a victory for the second time. He allowed five hits with three strikeouts and a walk. He also got a no-decision on April 16 in a 1-0 loss to the Phillies when he pitched eight scoreless innings while allowing two hits with a career high-tying 10 strikeouts and no walks.

“An unfortunate ending, stunning, but that’s the game,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “It kind of spoils you because you always expect (Chapman) to come through. We’ve got to get him out of the funk he’s in and hope it doesn’t last too long.”

Chapman got off to a rough start Sunday against Young and seemed upset with home plate umpire Tim Welke while facing the Philadelphia pinch hitter, as Welke called at least two close pitches balls.

“I thought I threw good pitches to the first batter,” Chapman said through an interpreter.

And the lefty wasn’t upset with the location of Galvis’ homer, nor did he expect the loss to linger.

“A fastball where I wanted it,” he said. “I don’t see any problems. Everybody gets hit. Why not me?”

The Phillies looked as if they were on their way to a seventh shutout of the season before the eighth.

Chase Utley’s RBI single in the eighth inning snapped the Phillies’ 16 scoreless innings skid.

Ben Revere, returning to the starting lineup after sitting out the last four, had three hits for the Phillies. Revere raised his average from .237 to .256.

Jonathan Pettibone gave up two runs — one earned — on seven hits in seven innings and has yet to allow more than three earned runs in six career starts.

The Reds tacked on a run in the sixth on Todd Frazier’s RBI double. The run was unearned, though, as Votto advanced to second on Domonic Brown’s throwing error after leading off with a single.

Philadelphia got to 2-1 in the eighth on Utley’s single that scored Revere, but Brown flew out to right with runners on first and second against reliever Sean Marshall to end the threat.

Regular Phillies third baseman Michael Young started at first base for the first time this season. Young went 0 for 3 with a walk.

NOTES: The Phillies have been shut out six times this season, which is the same total they were blanked in all of 2012. … The Phillies said right-hander Tyler Cloyd will be called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to pitch Tuesday’s game at Miami. The team needs a fifth starter with Roy Halladay sidelined after shoulder surgery and John Lannan (knee) on the DL. … Cincinnati right-hander Johnny Cueto (1-0, 2.60), on the DL since April 15 (strained right lat), is scheduled to face Mets righty Shaun Marcum (0-4, 6.75) when the teams open a three-game series in New York at 7:10 p.m. Monday. … Phillies lefty Cole Hamels (1-6, 4.61) is slated to oppose Marlins righty Alex Sanabia (2-6, 5.00) at 7:10 p.m. Monday in Miami.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Trailing by as many as 12 points, mostly in the first quarter, the Soul fought back.

DB Rayshaun Kizer forced a fumble early in the second quarter that would change the game’s momentum.

FB Derrick Ross scored on a 1-yard carry and K Carlos Martinez kicked the extra point for the Soul to take the lead 21-19.

The Soul ended the first half 28-19 and would lead for the rest of the game.

WR Tiger Jones had three touchdowns for the game as the Soul beat the Predators 61-51.

Philadelphia improved their record to 4-4 for the season.

The Soul will visit the Tampa Bay Storm on Saturday, May 25 at 7:30 p.m.

McInerney headed home a corner kick from Sebastien Le Toux for Philadelphia (5-4-3), which beat the Fire 1-0 for the second time in a week. The Union also won 1-0 at Chicago last Saturday.

The Fire played short-handed for much of the second half after Wells Thompson received his second yellow card — and an automatic ejection — in the 62nd.

Chicago (2-7-1) lost its third game in a row to fall to 0-4-1 on the road.

The Union improved to 2-2-2 at home with their first victory in Philadelphia since a 1-0 win over New England on March 16.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Arroyo (4-4) struck out six and allowed one runner to reach third in winning his third straight start against Philadelphia. He was 1-7 in his first 10 games against the Phillies, but has figured them out over the last two seasons.

Votto had a two-run shot and walked twice to reach safely six times. Ryan Hanigan hit a three-run homer.

Kyle Kendrick (4-2) gave up four runs and eight hits with a season-high four walks in six innings. Kendrick hadn’t allowed more than two runs in his previous seven starts.

Cincinnati won for the seventh time in its last eight games and improved to 4-1 against the Phillies this year.

Arroyo entered with a 6.00 career ERA against the Phillies, including a 9.60 ERA in three starts at Citizens Bank Park. He’s 3-0 with a 1.52 ERA in three starts against them since last Aug. 22.

Todd Frazier led off the second with an infield single, snapping an 0-for-19 slump. Donald Lutz followed with a single. Then Hanigan connected for his first extra-base hit of the season, giving the Reds a 3-0 lead. Hanigan had eight singles in 54 at-bats before taking Kendrick deep to left.

Hanigan was hit by a pitch leading off the sixth. He advanced on a sacrifice and scored on Zack Cozart’s two-out double to right to make it 4-0.

The Reds added four runs off three relievers in the eighth. Votto hit one out in the ninth.

Arroyo didn’t need all that support. He baffled hitters with his assortment of slow stuff, occasionally mixing a fastball with his mid-70s off-speed pitches.

For Kendrick, it was his worst outing since allowing five runs in Philadelphia’s home opener. Kendrick has been Philadelphia’s most consistent starter this season, posting a 2.82 ERA and outperforming Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay.

Since returning to the rotation last August, Kendrick is 11-6 with a 3.02 ERA in 21 starts.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

BALTIMORE (AP) — Oxbow has won the Preakness, ruining Orb’s bid to capture the Triple Crown.

Oxbow led from start to finish. It was the sixth Preakness victory for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas and 15th Triple Crown win, the most in horse racing history.

“I get paid to spoil dreams,” Lukas said in an interview with NBC moments after the race. “Unfortunately we go over here and you can’t mail ‘em in. It’s a different surface and a different time. You gotta line ‘em up and win ‘em.

Orb finished fourth. The Kentucky Derby winner was a 3-5 favorite in Saturday’s race, but he became another casualty of starting on the rail in the Preakness. Since 1950, only two horses have won the middle jewel of the Triple Crown from the No. 1 post position.

Orb’s five-race winning streak ended on an overcast, windy day at Pimlico Race Course. The brown colt had not lost since Nov. 24.

Oxbow was coming off a sixth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, where he made a move for the lead in the final turn but faded.

In the Preakness, Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens took control at the outset and never relinquished the advantage, winning this race for the third time in his career.

Oxbow covered the 1 3/16th miles in 1:57.54. He went off as a 15-1 underdog and paid $32.80, $12 and $8.80.

Itsmyluckyday finished second and paid $7.80 and $5. Mylute paid $5.20 to show.

Mylute, with Rosie Napravnik in the saddle, came in fifth in the Kentucky Derby. Racing at the track where she earned her first career victory, Napravnik was attempting to become the first female jockey to win the Preakness.

Lukas had three entrants in the nine-horse race. Titletown Five and Will Take Charge did not finish in the money, but the 77-year-old Hall of Fame trainer nevertheless made it to the winner’s circle.

Oxbow bested Itsmyluckyday by 1 3/4 lenths.

For Lukas, the victory broke a tie with “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons for most Triple Crown wins.

It meant a lot to Stevens, too.

“It’s so special,” the jockey said. “Wayne, he supported me. Put me on my first Triple Crown winner. A lot of people were trying to get me off. He was the first guy to call me up and said ‘I’m going to have a colt for you. His name is Oxbow.’”

Stevens added, “Wayne is like a brother, coach, a father figure to me.”

Stevens almost couldn’t believe how well it went.

“We came in here with a lot of confidence,” he said. “When I hit the half-mile pole, I told myself ‘Are you kidding me?’ ‘Is this happening?’”

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

With that in mind, here are 10 things to know about the Preakness — and beyond.

___

1. ELEVEN HAVE DONE IT. Starting in 1919 with Sir Barton, 11 horses have won the Triple Crown, sweeping the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes. Orb will be trying to become the 34th horse with a Triple Crown chance. Of the horses who failed, 19 didn’t win the Belmont and three didn’t make the race, including I’ll Have Another in 2012. Last year’s Derby and Preakness winner was scratched the day before the Belmont with a tendon injury and retired.

2. INSIDE SLOT. Orb leaves from the No. 1 post in the Preakness, not among the most popular places to start. Since 1961, only one horse — Tabasco Cat in 1994 — has won from the rail.

3. SECOND CHANCERS AND NEW SHOOTERS. Kentucky Derby winner Orb will be facing five familiar foes from the Derby and three new shooters. The Derby five are Mylute, Oxbow, Will Take Charge, Itsmyluckyday and Goldencents; the fresh faces are Departing, Govenor Charlie and Titletown Five.

4. SHORTER DISTANCE. The Preakness distance is 1 3-16 miles, a sixteenth of a mile shorter than the Kentucky Derby, and five sixteenths shorter than the 1½-mile Belmont Stakes, called the Test of the Champion. The longer distance is considered one of the major reasons why Triple tries are thwarted. In recent years, two horses who won the Preakness convincingly — Funny Cide by 9½ lengths in 2003 and Smarty Jones by a record 11½ lengths in 2004 — fell short in the Belmont. Funny Cide was a length off the lead with a quarter mile to go and finished third; Smarty Jones was passed in the final 70 yards by Birdstone.

5. A NICE REBOUND. Goldencents and Co. are looking for a little Preakness history. If the horse wins, he will top Louis Quatorze for the best rebound from the Derby. In 1996, Louis Quatorze finished 16th in the Derby and won the Preakness two weeks later. Goldencents was 17th in the Derby. A win would make Kevin Krigger the first black jockey to win the race since Willie Simms with Sly Fox in 1898, and it would make Doug O’Neill the first back-to-back Preakness winning trainer since Bob Baffert in 2001 and 2002.

6. THREE CHANCES. D. Wayne Lukas has one-third of the field in the nine-horse Preakness. The 77-year-old trainer is seeking his sixth Preakness win, which would break a second-place tie with Bob Baffert and Thomas J. Healey. The leader is Robert Wyndham Walden with seven, including five in a row starting in 1878. Lukas also is seeking a record 14th win in Triple Crown race win, which would put him one ahead of “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons. Lukas trains Oxbow, Will Take Charge and Titletown Five.

7. ROSIE’S RUN. Rosie Napravnik will be aboard 5-1 second choice Mylute. A win would make the rider who started her career in Maryland the first female to win the Preakness. She posted the best finish for a female rider in the Derby when Mylute ran fifth.

8. HOF LINEUP. There are a half-dozen Hall of Famers in the Preakness. The trainers are Shug McGaughey (Orb), D. Wayne Lukas (Oxbow, Will Take Charge and Titletown Five) and Bob Baffert (Govenor Charlie); the jockeys are Gary Stevens (Oxbow), Mike Smith (Will Take Charge) and John Velazquez (Itsmyluckyday).

9. THE GREATEST. The fastest Preakness was run by 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat. Big Red won in 1:53. By comparison, last year’s winner I’ll Have Another won in 1:55.94. For those looking ahead, Secretariat also has the record for the Belmont, covering the 1½ miles in 2:24. The second-fastest time is 2:26 by Easy Goer in 1989 and A.P. Indy in 1992. Union Rags won last year in 2:30.42.

10. THE DISAPPOINTMENTS. If Orb wins the Preakness, he will become the ninth horse since Silver Charm in 1997 to have a chance at the Triple Crown. The others who missed after winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness were (Real Quiet, 1998), Charismatic (1999), War Emblem (2002), Funny Cide (2003), Smarty Jones (2004), Big Brown (2008) and I’ll Have Another (2012), who never made the race because of an injury.

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Jimmy Rollins hit a two-run homer and Cliff Lee threw seven sharp innings for the Phillies, who’ve won four of five.

Joey Votto hit a tying solo homer off Antonio Bastardo in the eighth, and Jay Bruce connected for a two-run shot for Cincinnati.

Lee gave up two runs and six hits, striking out seven. Justin De Fratus (2-0) got two batters out in the eighth and Jonathan Papelbon finished for his eighth save in eight tries.

Reds rookie starter Tony Cingrani allowed three runs and five hits in five innings.

After Cincinnati tied it in the eighth, the Phillies answered in the bottom half against Sean Marshall (0-1). Michael Young worked his third walk of the game with one out. Ryan Howard followed with a check-swing, infield single. Jonathan Broxton came in and hit Delmon Young to load the bases.

Brown then hit a grounder up the middle that shortstop Zack Cozart fielded on the second base side. Second baseman Brandon Phillips tried to barehand Cozart’s flip and dropped it for an error. Young crossed the plate with the go-ahead run and Howard scored on a headfirst dive on Carlos Ruiz’s sacrifice fly for a 5-3 lead.

The Reds closed to 3-2 when Bruce connected in the sixth after Phillips led off with a double.

They tied it when Votto took Bastardo deep to right-center leading off the eighth. Bastardo, who normally works the seventh, was pitching in the setup role because Mike Adams is day to day with a mid-back strain.

Bastardo left after Bruce hit a one-out single. De Fratus came in and nearly gave up a go-ahead extra-base hit to Todd Frazier, but right fielder Delmon Young made a leaping catch at the warning track.

Rollins blasted a 3-1 pitch out to left to put the Phillies up 2-0 in the third inning. He is batting .375 (9 for 24) in his last six games.

Lee, a good-hitting pitcher, helped himself with a leadoff double in the bottom of the fifth. Lee knocks balls out of the park routinely in batting practice, and just missed his third career homer when his drive to right bounced high off the wall. He hustled into second after trotting down the first-base line, and appeared slightly annoyed the ball didn’t go out.

Lee advanced to third on a sacrifice by Rollins and scored on Michael Young’s two-out triple to deep left-center for a 3-0 lead.

The Reds had chances in the first two innings, but couldn’t get a key hit. Lee stranded five runners, striking out Cozart to leaves the bases loaded in the second.

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His son, Matt Venturi, said he died in a hospital in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Venturi had been hospitalized the last two months for a spinal infection, pneumonia, and then an intestinal infection that he could no longer fight.

Venturi died 12 days after he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

He couldn’t make it to the induction. His sons, Matt and Tim, accepted on his behalf after an emotional tribute by Jim Nantz, who worked alongside Venturi at CBS.

“When dad did receive the election into the Hall of Fame, he had a twinkle in his eye, and that twinkle is there every day,” Tim Venturi said that night.

Venturi was all about overcoming the odds.

A prominent amateur who grew up in San Francisco, he captured his only major in the 1964 U.S. Open at Congressional, the last year the final round was 36 holes. In oppressive heat, Venturi showed signs of dehydration and a doctor recommended he stop playing because it could be fatal. Venturi pressed on to the finish, closed with a 70 and was heard to say, “My God, I’ve won the U.S. Open.”

He had a severe stuttering problem as a child, yet went on to become one of the familiar voices in golf broadcasting. He began working for CBS in 1968 and lasted 35 years.

“We all knew what a wonderful player Ken Venturi was, and how he fashioned a second successful career as an announcer,” Jack Nicklaus said. “But far more important than how good he was at playing the game or covering it, Ken was my friend. Ken was fortunate in that the game of golf gave him so much, but without question, Ken gave back far more to the game he loved than he ever gained from it. Over the years, Ken developed a circle of friends that is enormous and whose collective heart is heavy today.”

Venturi played on one Ryder Cup team and was U.S. captain in the 2000 Presidents Cup.

As an amateur, he was the 54-hole leader in the 1956 Masters until closing with an 80, and he was runner-up at Augusta National in 1960 to Arnold Palmer, who birdied the last two holes.

Venturi was born May 15, 1931, in San Francisco, and he developed his game at Harding Park Golf Course. He won the California State Amateur at Pebble Beach in 1951 and 1956, while serving in the Army in Korea between those two amateur titles.

His stammering problem is what led him to golf.

“When I was 13 years old, the teacher told my mother, ‘I’m sorry, Mrs. Venturi, but your son will never be able to speak. He’s an incurable stammerer,’” Venturi said in 2011. “My mother asked me what I planned to do. I said, ‘I’m taking up the loneliest sport I know,’ and picked up a set of hickory shaft across the street from a man and went to Harding Park and played my first round of golf.”

He turned pro after his close call in the 1956 Masters, and won his first PGA Tour at the St. Paul Open Invitational. Venturi won eight times over the next three years, including the Los Angeles Open and the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach, before injuries started to affect his game after nearly winning the 1960 Masters.

He hurt his back in 1961 and badly injured his wrist in a car accident the next year. He missed the U.S. Open three straight years until he narrowly qualified for Congressional. It turned out to be an epic final day for the Californian coping with broiling heat.

Venturi shot 66 in the third round, but was feeling weak during the break before the final round that afternoon. John Everett, a doctor and member at Congressional, checked on him and found a normal pulse but symptoms of dehydration.

“Dr. Everett told me … I was lying next to my locker and he says, ‘I suggest that you don’t go out. It could be fatal,’” Venturi said in 2011 when he returned to Congressional for the U.S. Open. “I looked up at him and I said, ‘Well, it’s better than the way I’ve been living.’ And I got off the floor, and I do not remember walking to the first tee. I don’t remember the front nine until I started coming into it.”

Venturi was so shaken, so weak, when it was over that his final act was to sign the scorecard. He couldn’t even read the numbers. Joe Dey, the executive director of the USGA, looked over his shoulder, checked the scores and told him to sign it.

Sports Illustrated honored him as its “Sportsman of the Year” in 1964.

Venturi won three more times, his last win coming in 1966 at the Lucky International at Harding Park, where it all started.

He eventually developed Carpel Tunnel Syndrome in his hands and was forced to retire. That’s when he moved into the booth as the lead analyst for CBS Sports, and his voice filled living rooms for the next 35 years until he retired in 2002.

Venturi was elected to the Hall of Fame through the Lifetime Achievement category.

“If there is some sense of fairness, it is that Ken was inducted into a Hall of Fame that he very much deserved to be in and, in fact, should have been in for many years,” Nicklaus said. “While I know he was not able to be there in person for his induction, I am certain there was an overwhelming sense of pride and peace that embraced Ken. It was a dream of Ken Venturi’s that became a reality before he sadly left us.”

Venturi is survived his wife of 10 years, Kathleen, and his two sons. Matt Venturi said services were pending.

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Sports vendors take it a step further, targeting women as customers. Just look at the broad range of products for women found in any retail store that sells team merchandise. Considering females comprise 45 percent of NFL fans and 43 percent of Major League Baseball fans, that’s smart business.

But women play an even greater role in sports, specifically in the past, present and future lives of athletes.

Troy Vincent, the NFL’s senior vice president of player engagement, says women are the most influential person in the athlete’s life cycle — from the first time a player steps on the field until retirement. And Vincent is working to recognize women for the important roles they play in the daily personal and professional lives of players and their families.

“Women are more than fans or consumers,” said Vincent, a five-time Pro bowl cornerback during a 15-year NFL career. “They’re our mothers. They’re our wives. They’re our daughters. They’re our sisters. They’re CEOs, entrepreneurs, influencers and decision makers. They’re extremely important to the NFL family.”

Vincent has developed the women’s resource initiative aimed at engaging wives, significant others and moms in areas of career, health and safety, wellness and lifestyle. The goal is to provide the tools and resources necessary to assist women and their families as they progress through an athlete’s career.

Vincent launched the campaign Friday on the NFL’s player engagement Web site at: www.nflplayerengagement.com/WRI. The site aims to connect women, share resources, promote service offerings, encourage peer-to-peer relationships, public appearances, private initiatives, and other opportunities.

“The women’s resource initiative is going to provide an outlet for women like me, it’s going to be a place where we are one,” said Bianca Wilfork, wife of New England Patriots five-time Pro Bowl nose tackle Vince Wilfork. “We can share, discuss, debate and empower each other. At the end of the day, our men give everything to their job and as their support system, whether you’re a wife, mom or girlfriend, you want to have the tools and the know-how and the support to be the woman you need to be in their lives.”

Bianca Wilfork says she handles everything in the household, which includes three children. She pays the bills, plans trips, appearances and speaking engagements and runs their foundation. She also goes to all her husband’s games home and away.

“When it comes to Vince, our family and his career,” she said, “I do everything except go to his meetings and suit up for football.”

Through the women’s resource initiative, Bianca Wilfork has a new forum to interact and perhaps even inspire other wives, significant others and moms.

“We want to ensure that our athletes and the women in their lives are informed and are able to access the resources, tools and benefits that are available to them, their family members and their local community,” Vincent said. “In most households, studies show the woman is the primary decision-maker and a key influencer, so we want a more formal and consistent platform to engage this audience.”

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Rosenberg was 1-2 with a 6.12 ERA in 22 relief appearances for Philadelphia last season. He was 1-3 and had a 4.30 ERA in seven starts at Lehigh this season.

Valdes was 1-0 with a 7.65 ERA in 10 appearances out of the bullpen.

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CHICAGO (AP) — Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane has a habit of attracting attention.

Maybe you recall the former No. 1 overall pick hitting the Internet last season, when photos show him partying in Madison, Wis. Or the 2009 arrest in his hometown of Buffalo, N.Y., after an altercation with a cab driver.

All that seems so long ago for Kane, who on Thursday was named one of the finalists for the Lady Byng trophy given to the NHL player who exhibits the best sportsmanship and “gentlemanly conduct” along with top skills on the ice.

That shouldn’t be a surprise given Kane’s dazzling talent. He stepped right into the Blackhawks lineup and won the Calder Trophy as the league’s rookie of the year. He scored 30 goals and 88 points in the 2009-10 regular season, then added 10 goals and 18 assists in the playoffs as the Blackhawks won their first Stanley Cup championship in 49 years.

Then came this lockout-shortened season and the 24-year-old Kane has had the most effective season of his six-year career, according to coach Joel Quenneville, whose team holds a leads 1-0 in its Western Conference seminal series against Detroit. Game 2 will be played in Chicago on Saturday.

“I thought Kaner really progressed in his game this year,” Quenneville said. “Offensively he had the puck more than he ever did. I thought he had more speed, more pace to his game. He seemed to be more aware positionally and technically. He definitely improved his play in his own end. It thought his overall game was to a new level this year.

Kane led Chicago this season with 55 points, on 23 goals and 32 assists. More than his passing and playmaking — including a handful of jaw-dropping 360-degree pirouettes — have improved.

“I though each and every year Kaner has gotten better as a player in all aspect of his game,” Quenneville said. “He’s gotten stronger, he’s gotten better and he’s growing up as well.”

Kane, who has never taken a fighting major in the NHL, has been smarter, too. His penalty minute total has dropped from 52 as a rookie to just eight last season.

“I thought maybe I’d have a chance at this one (award) and I think it kind of speaks volumes for where my game has gone since my rookie season,” Kane said. “I remember I used to take a lot of penalties that were kind of unnecessary. I kind have got that out of my game a little bit. I’m definitely happy about it. It’s an honor.”

Kane has yet to score in six playoff games this season. But he has been visible on the ice, with six assists and a plus-4 rating.

“I just play my game and if the pass is there I’ll try to make the pass,” he said. “If it’s a shot, then I’ll shoot. That’s the thing with our team. If one or two guys aren’t scoring, then other guys are stepping up. That’s the way it’s been all year. Whoever it might be, that’s why we’ve been so successful.”

The Blackhawks anticipate a stiffer challenge from the Red Wings in Game 2. After Chicago defeated Detroit 4-1 on Wednesday night, coach Mike Babcock said his team was tired, coming off a seven-game upset of Anaheim in the opening round.

“I expect them to be better for sure,” Quenneville said. “Those Western trips back-and-forth add up.”

Babcock, who gave his team a day off Thursday, predicted the Red Wings will be re-energized on Saturday

“We have no reason not to be very good in the next game,” he said. “We got to get back at her and playing at a high tempo because obviously they were playing at a level (in Game 1) that we weren’t playing at.”

Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall added: “We know we’re better than this.”

Kane will be ready. As for the Lady Byng award, seven Blackhawks have won it but none since Stan Mikita in 1968.

“It’s an award that definitely a great honor,” he said. “I think it’s got a little different view now from players. Like it says in the (description), it’s skill and sportsmanship put together.”

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Collins has said he’s felt an overwhelming amount of support from fans and colleagues. A new poll shows that trend should continue.

The May 2013 edition of the Reason-Rupe poll shows that 87% of Americans’ support for their favorite athlete would either not change (77%) or increase (10%) if that athlete came out as gay. 12% of respondents to the poll say they would be less likely to support that athlete.

25% of the poll’s respondents say that having an openly gay athlete is a positive development for society, and 17% see it as a negative.

The poll was conducted with 1,003 United States residents on landline phones and cell phones. The poll was conducted Princeton Survery Research Associates International.

WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin played the last two games of the Washington Capitals’ season with what the team says is a hairline fracture in his left foot.

Capitals spokesman Sergey Kocharov writes in an email to The Associated Press on Thursday that Ovechkin’s foot was hurt during Game 6 of Washington’s first-round playoff series against the New York Rangers.

Washington lost that game 1-0 Sunday, and then lost 5-0 Monday in Game 7.

Ovechkin, who led the NHL with 32 goals during the regular season, scored only once against the Rangers, in Game 1.

He played Thursday for Russia in an 8-3 loss to the United States in the world championships in Finland.

Ovechkin’s injury was first reported by The Washington Post’s website.

Related:Jason La Canfora Says Ted Leonsis is Delusional

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Marchand scored the game-winner for Boston 15:40 into overtime on Thursday night, giving Boston a 3-2 OT win and a 1-0 series lead over the Rangers.

For Marchand, it was all about turning the page from a goal-less series and focusing on the new task at hand.

“It’s a whole new series and we’re happy to play the Rangers,” Marchand said after the game. “They’re a very good team and a very good battle. It’s nice to finally get one there and get the monkey off the back, and hopefully they keep coming.”

Hurley: B’s Capitalize On OT Power-Play, Ride Momentum To Win

The Rangers had the upper hand during regulation, but the Bruins dominated in overtime — putting 16 shots on net. The Rangers managed just five shots, but the B’s were still worried that even though they were dictating the action, one of those silly playoff goals could do them in.

“That’s usually how it goes in the playoffs. One team does very well in overtime and then the other team gets a lucky one. We hit so many posts and had so many very good opportunities. They were bound to get one,” said Marchand. “We’re happy that we’re able to capitalize in these overtime games. They’re very tough games to be in, but we’re happy with the win tonight.”

Kalman: Chara Once Again Bruins’ Blue-Line Workhorse

Hopefully this is the start of something good for the slumping Marchand, who led Boston with 18 goals in the regular season but hadn’t scored in his last 11 games. Marchand became a hero for Boston during their Stanley Cup run in 2011, scoring 11 goals to set a new Bruins record, and he received a message from his then-linemate Mark Recchi prior to Thursday night with a few words of encouragement.

“He just texted me and told me to play my game and not to worry about anything else,” said Marchand. “The goals and stuff will come. It’s nice to hear from him. He’s obviously a guy that I went through a lot when I played with him, and it was good to hear from him again.”

Maybe Recchi should shoot Marchand a text before every game. And on that note, maybe Marchand should get morning skates off as well.

There was a scare early Thursday when Marchand appeared to leave the ice in pain during the Bruins’ morning skate. But head coach Claude Julien quickly dismissed it as anything serious, and now he’s wondering if he should let Marchand leave practice early from now on.

“I think that’s what he needed to do, get off the ice early so he could score that winning goal. Whatever works is good for us,” Julien joked after the win. “I thought Brad, personally, I thought that was one of his better games so far in the playoffs. He skated well, made some great plays, he took pucks to the net and that’s the Brad Marchand that we know. It was nice to see him really bring his A-game to the table.”

“Claude knows I hate morning skates,” said Marchand. “He used to yell at me when we won the Cup there because I wouldn’t even take a stride. I just wanted to get off early.”

Marchand wasn’t the only player on the Bruins second line to struggle during the series against the Leafs, which prompted Julien to swap out Tyler Seguin with Jaromir Jagr. No one was sure how the Marchand-Jagr-Patrice Bergeron line would pan out, but the Bruins head coach said over the last two games, the line has shown a lot of promise.

“We put them together; we weren’t quite sure how it would turn out, but the first game, which was Game Seven, as the game went on, they got a little bit better, but I thought tonight, again, they took another step in the right direction,” said Julien. “They did a great job of cycling the puck down low in the offensive zone, and hanging on to it. That was a good line for us, and we’re going to need that because we don’t want to just rely on the [David] Krejci line to produce, but we want a little bit more out of our other lines.”

After barely making a whisper last series, the Bruins’ second line is starting to make some noise. And it should come as no surprise that Marchand is the one to get that noise started.

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