LAS VEGAS — From elevating the Stanley Cup to a victory parade on the Strip to a summer of celebration, the Vegas Golden Knights are now back to the business of playing hockey.

A brief offseason is a desirable yet problematic issue.

General manager Kelly McCrimmon said This is part of why some teams may have difficulty winning consecutive championships as the team opened training camp on Thursday. “An abundance of vigor and enthusiasm currently surrounds our team. I’ve always believed that if you play until the end and win, you don’t mind that short summer. The summer will feel brief if you play until the end and lose in the championship game.

The Knights, who won the Stanley Cup by defeating the Florida Panthers in five games, aim to become the most recent team to repeat as champions. Only two teams in the salary-cap era have accomplished this feat: the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2015 and the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017.

Vegas opened training camp with an almost identical roster to the one that claimed the championship less than three months prior. Reilly Smith, who was traded to the Penguins to create cap space, is the only player from the championship game who is no longer with the organization.

The Knights, who typically make a statement in free agency, added players on September 12, when they acquired forward Max Comtois. But Comtois, who has played for the Anaheim Ducks in parts of the past five seasons, was signed for training camp without a roster place being guaranteed.

The Knights focused most of their offseason efforts on re-signing goaltender Adin Hill and forward Ivan Barbashev.

The result was a locker room filled with familiar faces.

The Knights’ status as underdogs is nothing new.

“You already know what to expect,” said center Chandler Stephenson. “You know how everyone operates and performs, as well as the systems and other pertinent information. It is somewhat fluid. You can continue roughly where you left off.”

Coach Bruce Cassidy set the tone early by making a repeat a priority, leading the chanting “back to back!” at the victory parade. It didn’t reach the level of Pat Riley’s promise at the Lakers’ parade in 1987 — Los Angeles did indeed repeat — but it was still a fairly bold statement less than a week after winning the championship.

“We feel like we’re returning a lot of players to give us that opportunity,” Cassidy said. “We are currently of an age where it wouldn’t be just this year, either. All of these are positive developments for us. I said it in jest at the time, but you’re asking me about it now. We have an equal opportunity as anyone else. I feel that way about where each athlete is in their career and where our team is, but until you get out there, everything is up in the air.”

The odds do not favor back-to-back performances. FanDuel Sportsbook lists Vegas as the sixth-most probable team to win the Stanley Cup, tied with the Dallas Stars at 13-1 odds. The Colorado Avalanche, who won the Stanley Cup two seasons ago, are 8 1/2-1 favorites.

The Knights’ status as underdogs is nothing new. Teams such as the Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers received more attention heading into the postseason during the previous season.

After opening the playoffs with a 5-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, however, the Knights went 16-5 for the remainder of the postseason.

The Knights’ status as underdogs is nothing new.

Now they are back at work, hopeful that this season will end similarly to the previous one.

“We felt we had something to prove to ourselves and the rest of the league after missing the playoffs the previous year,” said center Jack Eichel. It’s an Equis theme.

IN ENEMY PROPERTY
When Eichel had his day with the Cup, he brought it to Chelmsford, Massachusetts, where he is from. That region had anticipated the Bruins would be the ones celebrating after they put together a record-setting regular season only to be eliminated by the Panthers in the first round.

“After they were eliminated, many (Boston) fans said they were rooting for me,” Eichel said. “Whether it was true or false, everyone was respectful.”

LEHNER IS YET ABSENT
Goal-scored Robin Lehner continues to be placed on long-term injured reserve. Six weeks before the start of training camp, he had hip surgery, which caused him to miss the entirety of the previous season. Being on LTIR allows the Knights to exceed the salary cap by Lehner’s $5 million salary.

SOURCE – (AP)

MINNEAPOLIS — After celebrating on the pitch and before popping bottles in the clubhouse, Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli addressed his team with the following words: “Congratulations, enjoy it, but there’s still work to be done.”

Friday night’s 8-6 victory over the Los Angeles Angels gave the Minnesota Twins the AL Central crown.

Alex Kirilloff hit a home run and drove in three runs, and Minnesota held on late to claim its third division title in five years under Baldelli.

Baldelli stated, “We have much work to do.” However, tonight, we have joy. Tomorrow, we return to business.”

Pablo López (11-8) allowed three runs and five hits over six innings while striking out seven for the Twins. Jhoan Duran surrendered a run in the ninth but secured his 27th save by retiring Brandon Drury on a grounder with full bases.

“We came into today in charge of our own destinies,” said López. “We knew we didn’t need to check the scoreboard to see who was losing. We were aware that we had to win the contest. This is precisely what we did. Even when I wasn’t performing at my best, the offence picked me up immediately.”

After squandering an early 3-0 advantage, Kirilloff’s 10th home run broke a 3-3 tie in the sixth inning, and the Twins triumphed for the sixth time in eight games. Kirilloff became the twelfth Twins player this season to hit 10 or more home runs, establishing a club record.

With lines from a recent college football game still visible at Target Field, the crowd was anxious to celebrate the Twins’ extended fall. It is their 15th postseason appearance since the Washington Senators relocated to Minnesota and became the Twins in 1961.

Friday night’s 8-6 victory over the Los Angeles Angels gave the Minnesota Twins the AL Central crown.

The injured shortstop is expected to be ready for the postseason. “It means a lot,” he said. “The first one to be held in Minnesota is truly unique. These are the objectives you set for yourself when you join a new team, and this is just one of them.”

Of course, Minnesota has yet to fare well in the postseason. The Minnesota Twins have lost 18 consecutive postseason games, including 13 to the New York Yankees.

Minnesota had not won a postseason game since 2004 when Johan Santana pitched a 2-0 victory in the Division Series opener in New York. Under Baldelli, the Twins were routed in two games in a first-round series against the Houston Astros in 2020 and three by the Yankees in the 2019 Division Series.

These Twins are acutely aware of their current drought. During a postgame interview broadcast over the stadium’s loudspeakers, Kyle Farmer vowed a playoff victory.

“Of course, why not?” The farmer stated. “If you don’t believe it, then you shouldn’t play.”

However, this team believes it is unique, partly because of the pitching and depth it has developed.

The Twins added four runs in the seventh inning, punctuated by RBI doubles from Farmer and Jorge Polanco.

“We did a lot of different things to build this club, and the team is really gelling,” Baldelli said, drenched in beer and champagne as he watched his team celebrate. “If you glance behind you, you will notice some gelling occurring. This is what you desire to see.”

Friday night’s 8-6 victory over the Los Angeles Angels gave the Minnesota Twins the AL Central crown.

John Davis Daniel (0-1) suffered the defeat in relief of starter José Suarez. Daniel was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake earlier in the day, and in his second career major league appearance, he allowed three runs over four and one-third innings.

With Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani on the injured list, Los Angeles has lost eight of its last nine games, concluding another disappointing season. Logan O’Hoppe launched his 12th home run of the season in the eighth inning, a two-run shot.

“I want my guys to see that,” said Angels manager Phil Nevin of the Twins’ celebration of their division championship. “I truly do. That is where we want to be! Without a doubt. We have a solid young nucleus. And I noticed, yeah, I spotted O’Hoppe and (Zach) Neto and those guys out there looking at that.”

Friday night’s 8-6 victory over the Los Angeles Angels gave the Minnesota Twins the AL Central crown.

It is appropriate that López, acquired from Miami in a spring trade for Luis Arraez, was the winning pitcher for the Twins. This season, he has been a starting rotation member that has led the way for Minnesota.

López, who could start Game 1 of the postseason, rebounded after surrendering five runs in a loss to the Chicago White Sox in his previous start. His career-high 228 strikeouts rank second in the American League, behind only Toronto’s Kevin Gausman (232), and his 3.61 earned run average ranks tenth in the league.

Trout took strokes off a tee before the game to return from a left hamate fracture before the end of the season. … Left-handed pitcher Aaron Loup was placed on the 15-day injured list with a strained left shoulder, concluding his season with a 2-3 record and a 6.50 ERA in 55 games.

Infielder Royce Lewis was placed on the 10-day injured list because of a strained left hamstring. Lewis has a batting average of 309 and 15 home runs and is prepared to return for the postseason.

Upcoming RHP Minnesota’s Sonny Grey (8-7, 2.80 ERA) starts Saturday afternoon. Grey ranks second in the American League in ERA, behind New York’s Gerrit Cole (2.75). The Angels had yet to name a starting pitcher. The team will likely employ an opener, with LHP Kenny Rosenberg (5.48 ERA) serving as the primary pitcher.

SOURCE – (AP)

FRISCO, Texas — Thursday, during practice, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs tore the ACL in his left knee, a significant setback for a defense off to a great start in 2023.

The team reported that an MRI validated the ACL tear and that, despite the absence of a return date, the 2021 All-Pro was anticipated to miss the remainder of the season.

Diggs was observed using aids to leave the team’s headquarters. Last week’s victory over the New York Jets (30-10) marked his first interception.

Since joining the NFL in 2020, Diggs has tied for the league lead with 18 interceptions.

It is a significant setback for a defense with 10 tackles and seven takeaways without a Dallas turnover. Through two games, the plus-seven turnover margin led the NFL.

Dallas (2-0), which travels to Arizona (0-2) on Sunday, is only the fifth team in the Super Bowl era to score at least 70 points and allow no more than 10 points in the first two games. The Cowboys defeated both New York clubs by a total score of 70-10.

Not wanting to conjecture on the severity of the injury, quarterback Dak Prescott stated after practice, “I saw that a couple of you saw on the field.” “Prayers, hoping for the best, as simple as that.”

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs tore the ACL in his left knee, a significant setback for a defense off to a great start in 2023.

Diggs signed a five-year, $97 million contract extension at the outset of training camp. In 2020, the Cowboys selected the ex-Alabama player in the second round.

Diggs, who tied a franchise record with 11 interceptions in 2021, was off to a strong start in his rookie year with 2019 AP Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore starting opposite him.

Through two games, Diggs’ passer rating against when targeted was the best in the NFL at 1.0.

Diggs is the second starter to sustain an injury in practice since the start of the regular season. Tyler Smith, who suffered a hamstring injury before the season opener, is anticipated to debut against Arizona on Sunday.

Without Diggs, DaRon Bland, a second-year player, will presumably start opposite Gilmore, with Jourdan Lewis in the slot. Lewis made his 2023 début after missing most of the previous season due to a broken foot.

After being acquired by the Cowboys in a preseason trade, Miami’s 2020 first-round pick Noah Igbinoghene is another option.

SOURCE – (AP)