BOSTON — Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery wanted to do something unusual with his club before a first-round Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Bruins were on the verge of losing back-to-back 3-1 leads in the first round, and a sense of impending doom loomed over them.

Montgomery hoped a change of scenery would do the trick. Instead of sleeping in their beads before the winner-take-all game on Saturday night, they remained in a hotel and boarded busses to TD Garden.

Bruins Avoid Blowing Another 3-1 Series Lead In Game 7. Now They Get A Shot At Revenge Vs. Panthers

“The thinking was, we’re 2-5 at home the last two years in the playoffs, and what’s going to allow us to eliminate the noise?” Montgomery stated.

He recalled his visit to the New England Patriots’ spring minicamp last year, where he chatted with former coach Bill Belichick about the significance of minimizing distractions.

“It’s something that stayed with me. And it’s something I’ve been preaching as the playoffs approach,” he explained.

It really might have rescued Boston’s season.

The Bruins rallied from a deficit to tie the game in regulation, and David Pastrnak scored 1:54 into overtime to seal a 2-1 victory over the Maple Leafs.

Montgomery had aimed for a total team performance since taking a 3-1 lead over Toronto.

Pastrnak had a team-high four shots on goal after only two goals and two assists in the previous six games. His puck handling was critical in jumpstarting Boston’s scoring in the third period and overtime.

Bruins Avoid Blowing Another 3-1 Series Lead In Game 7. Now They Get A Shot At Revenge Vs. Panthers

“A little relief as well,” Pastrnak remarked. “Obviously, the happiness from the group and sticking together the whole series was unbelievable and we couldn’t be prouder of ourselves.”

Boston advances to the next round, with goaltender Jeremy Swayman performing at nearly his finest level of the season. Since Montgomery ceased rotating Linus Ullmark and Swayman in Game 3, Swayman has allowed up to two goals in a game.

“He was our best player in the series, and it’s not close,” Montgomery said.It helped them narrowly escape being the first NHL, NBA, or Major League Baseball team to lose a best-of-seven series after leading 3-1.

Montgomery stated that he believes the experience will benefit them in the future.

“We have become a better team due to our recent experiences. “Now they understand what it takes to persevere,” he remarked. “The first round is the wild, wild west. It typically is. This year, it appears that there are just two Game 7s. But generally, there are six.”

Bruins Avoid Blowing Another 3-1 Series Lead In Game 7. Now They Get A Shot At Revenge Vs. Panthers

Next up is another chance for revenge against a Florida Panthers squad that came from a 3-1 deficit in last year’s first round to defeat a Bruins team that set league records for victories and points during the regular season.

“That’s playoff hockey,” Montgomery explained. “Last year had no bearing on how this would play out. We knew that. It’s a storyline which is normal throughout the playoffs. That is going to happen. But at the end of the day, we did an excellent job staying present and believing in our group. And we came out on top.

SOURCE – (AP)

Miami Gardens, Florida – Formula One returns to the United States for the first time in six months, with the Miami Grand Prix being the first stop.

But Las Vegas’s spectacular debut last November was considered one of the finest races of the 2023 season, while the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, is a staple event that appeals to die-hard F1 fans.

Miami was the big party when it started in 2022, but the question is if its status has slipped to the point that Sunday’s race is only the first of three events in what has traditionally been NASCAR country.

Tyler Epp, president of the Miami Grand Prix, acknowledged that ticket sales for the third running of the event had been “soft,” but predicted an increase ahead of Sunday’s race. Epp feels the United States can support three events since they are so diverse.

F1 Now Makes 3 Stops A Season In The United States. Could Miami Become A Victim Of Oversaturation?

“It feels like the decision to make this race about Miami and everything that Miami has to offer was the right decision because it does separate us from Las Vegas and Austin, and frankly Montreal and Mexico and all of North America,” he said. “I still believe we are a unique property. We are the first of the three, and we like our position.

“The communication between the three races in the States is good,” he said. “We haven’t seen the market softened directly because of Vegas, at least we don’t think so, and we root for the other races in this country to make sure the power of F1 continues to drive for the fanbase.”

Teams have praised Miami’s progress since it introduced the 19-turn, 3.361-mile course in the parking lot of Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dolphins. Team hospitality was relocated to the field last year when the stadium was decommissioned in 2022, and the entire track was resurfaced ahead of the 2023 event.

The track includes 11 pedestrian bridges, more than any other on the Formula One schedule. The width of some bridges has been quadrupled to improve foot circulation across the enormous complex, which hosts concerts and parties while cars turn laps.

“If you compare where we are now, three years later, to where we were at the start, it is a huge difference,” said Williams team principal James Vowles. “This was a carpark, fundamentally, that they converted into a top-tier Formula 1 track.”

When asked if adding Las Vegas to the F1 calendar had “diminished” Miami’s position as a see-and-be-seen event, seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton reacted angrily.

“Diminished? No, I believe the sport has grown in popularity around here. It’s gotten a lot more attention,” Hamilton explained. “Every city I visit, people are excited. It is now recognized as a sport in the United States. Previously, it was only an annual event. Now we’re part of the culture here, which is pretty fantastic.”

Max Verstappen won the first two races in Miami and, after winning four of the first five this season, is anticipated to win again on Sunday. His domination has prompted criticism about the racing’s competitiveness, notably in Miami.

In March, event organizers announced Guenther Steiner, former Haas team principal, as a race ambassador. The popular Steiner from the F1 docuseries on Netflix has relished promoting the event. He does not believe the circuit is a problem.

F1 Now Makes 3 Stops A Season In The United States. Could Miami Become A Victim Of Oversaturation?

“The race track is a very good race track, it’s just that sometimes some races are more interesting than other ones,” commented Steiner. “If you’ve got Max dominating the way he was the first two races, whatever I say to (organizers), they cannot do anything about that.”

McLaren boss Zak Brown anticipates more Red Bull staff leaving the company due to team principal Christian Horner’s claims of unethical behavior against an employee.

According to reports, Brown’s Assessment Adrian Newey, the chief technical officer and architect of Red Bull’s championship-winning cars, is set to leave the company in early 2025. Brown said he would have been surprised to learn Newey was leaving Red Bull six months ago, but the Horner issue has resulted in an increase in employment applications circulating the paddock.

“Given everything that’s gone on since the start of the year and knowing Adrian pretty well, and he’s a very high-integrity individual, I’m not surprised he’s moving on,” he added. “What’s going on there is somewhat destabilizing. He’s the first domino to fall, but based on the resumes floating around, I doubt he’ll be the last.

Red Bull’s parent firm exonerated Horner of misbehavior, and his accuser was suspended. The employee has protested Red Bull’s decision, and representatives have filed a complaint with F1’s regulating body on his behalf.

Carlos Sainz Jr. is taking his time finding a seat for 2025 and has denied that he turned down an offer from Audi.

“That’s not correct,” Sainz remarked. Some things do not depend entirely on me, and there will be some waiting to be done. It’s not like we’re entirely halted; we’re still interacting with folks and doing what we can to advance.”

Audi is taking over the Sauber team, and existing drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu have contract seasons. Audi has already recruited Nico Hulkenberg of Haas as their first driver, leaving only one spot open.

After only the fifth race of the season, Hulkenberg’s signing last month surprised Bottas.

F1 Now Makes 3 Stops A Season In The United States. Could Miami Become A Victim Of Oversaturation?

“The timing is quite early and a little surprising, but the driver market is clearly moving, and it also makes sense. He’s German, and Audi has made it obvious that they want a German driver, so everything’s fine. “Let’s see what happens next,” Bottas stated.

Next year, Lewis Hamilton will take Sainz’s place at Ferrari. Sainz and Hulkenberg were colleagues at Renault at the end of the 2017 season and in 2018, but Sainz has stated unequivocally that he would not rush into a 2025 choice.

Mercedes must replace Hamilton, and Verstappen’s statements that he is satisfied with Red Bull raise questions. Verstappen’s contract with Red Bull expires in 2028, but a schism between Horner and Verstappen’s father has led to speculation that Jos Verstappen is attempting to negotiate his son’s departure from the company.

“The only guarantee I have is that I want to make the correct decision. That’s why it’s taking a little longer, and I want to consider all of the choices before making a decision,” Sainz explained.

SOURCE – (AP)

Nashville, Tennessee – Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet won’t deny that being one of the NHL’s last eight clubs standing matters a lot.

An all-Canadian second-round matchup versus the Edmonton Oilers?

Even better.

“We know the next series will be tough,” Tocchet said Friday night after his Canucks defeated Nashville 1-0 in Game 6.

The Canucks Ready For All-Canadian Second-Round After Eliminating Nashville

The Jack Adams finalist for NHL coach of the year led the Canucks from 11th in the Western Conference last year to third this season. They won the Pacific Division with 109 points and all four games against Edmonton.

The Canucks survived a low-scoring series against Nashville, with the final four games decided by one goal.

With 1:39 remaining, Pius Suter broke a scoreless tie with his second goal of the postseason, becoming the latest winner in a Canucks series-clinching game. That surpassed Daniel Sedin’s goal with 2:03 remaining in Game 6 of the 2010 conference quarterfinals.

Even so, the Canucks had to kill a penalty in the last 33.9 seconds when Nashville removed goalkeeper Juuse Saros for an extra attacker.

Canucks captain Quinn Hughes, a Norris Trophy finalist, said it was a fantastic feeling.

Vancouver had not won a playoff series outside of the epidemic bubble in 2020 since reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in 2011. During that run, the Canucks also won the series against the Predators in Game 6 in Nashville.

The Canucks Ready For All-Canadian Second-Round After Eliminating Nashville

“We stuck to what we wanted to do the whole game,” he remarked. “We did not crack. We played excellent team defense. I think (rookie goaltender Arturs Silovs) played brilliantly. We knew we would have our looks. Brock made an excellent play, and Pius delivered an outstanding finish.

The Canucks are now in the second round, having missed the playoffs for the seventh time in franchise history last season. They advanced in 2020, 2009, 2007, and 1974.

This will be their first postseason series against the Oilers since 1992 when Edmonton won the second round in six games. The Oilers have been resting after defeating the Los Angeles Kings in five games on Wednesday night.

“I have thought about it for more than two seconds to be honest with you,” Canucks forward J.T. Miller said of facing the Oilers.

Tocchet will have to choose which goalie to start. Thatcher Demko, a Vezina Trophy finalist, has resumed skating following an injury that sidelined him after Game 1, and Casey DeSmith has been well enough to back up Silovs in the last two games.

All three goalies won at least one game in the first round, marking only the seventh occasion in NHL history that a team won a playoff series with at least three different goalies and the third in 50 years. Philadelphia did it in 2011; Detroit did it in 1988.

Silovs made 28 stops to become the 14th rookie goalkeeper in NHL history to complete a series with a shutout and only the fifth in 30 years. Silovs, at 23 years and 42 days, became the youngest goalie in franchise history to record a postseason shutout. Demko was the only other goalie to do so before reaching 25.

The Canucks Ready For All-Canadian Second-Round After Eliminating Nashville

“For him to step in as a young kid like that, into playoff games, big games, and play the way he did, it was awesome,” defenseman Tyler Myers said of Silovs. “It was great to see.”

Vancouver will need to generate more offense after taking 92 shots in the first five games. That was the fewest to begin a playoff series through five games since 1960, trailing only Washington, which had 90 in the 1998 Eastern Conference playoffs.

“Hopefully, some of those goals will go in for us in the next series,” he said.

SOURCE – (AP)