Sports

Scary incident occurred in first period of their Stanley Cup playoffs matchup

Montreal Canadiens forward Corey Perry opened up about the hit that knocked Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares out of Game 1 of their Stanley Cup playoffs matchup on Thursday night.

With less than 10 minutes to go in the first period, Tavares fell to the ice after he was hit by the Canadiens’ Ben Chiarot at the blue line. As he was falling, Perry’s knee made contact with Tavares’ head while Perry was attempting to exit the zone, and Tavares’ head snapped back and he laid face-down on the ice.

Tavares was stretchered off the ice.

John Tavares was stretchered off the ice after taking a knee to the head.

(?: @Sportsnet)
pic.twitter.com/MReNDyPE4z

— theScore (@theScore) May 21, 2021

“He got hit and I was coming out of the zone,” Perry said, via NHL.com. “He fell and I tried to jump over him and unfortunately I caught my knee on his head. I don’t know what else to do there. I know Johnny pretty well. I just hope he is OK.”

He added: “I felt sick to my stomach when I saw it. It was a scary situation. I’ll reach out to him and talk to him and hope he’s OK. [Maple Leafs forward Nick Foligno] came up to me and said, ‘Let’s just settle this now, let’s not wait.’ You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.’”

Perry and Foligno fought as soon as play resumed.

“Just horrible,” Foligno added. “Life comes into play at that point, and just seeing how he was in pain, it made you sick to your stomach. You think about him as a family man too. The game kind of takes a back seat no matter the circumstances when you see somebody in that much pain and an unfortunate play like it was.”

Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters Tavares was “conscious and communicating well.” He said the player was going to remain in the hospital for further testing.

The players on the ice weren’t the only ones to hide their eyes once seeing the hit.

No matter who your a fan of tonight every one should be a fan of a safe a speedy recovery of John Tavares ????? pic.twitter.com/rzz677NLJr

— Stephen Christinzio (@SChristinzio) May 21, 2021

Oh man. That is horrific to watch. Hope John Tavares is ok.

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) May 20, 2021

Please be OK, John Tavares.

— John Lu (@JohnLuTSNMtl) May 21, 2021

Omg that is scary. Positive vibes out there for John Tavares, that he’s going to be ok.

— Jackie Redmond (@Jackie_Redmond) May 20, 2021

I am so rattled. Something like that makes you remember this is a game. Praying for John Tavares.

— Julie Stewart-Binks (@JSB_TV) May 21, 2021

The Canadiens would come away with a 2-1 victory to go up 1-0 in the series.

From enhanced user tools to in-depth daily content, NBC Sports EDGE has you covered this week from a betting perspective as the best in the world tackle Kiawah Island for the PGA Championship.

The EDGE Golf team offers a wide array of content options this week ahead of the year’s second major, providing timely news updates as well as analysis and play for fantasy, DFS and betting markets. It kicked off Monday with a breakdown of the Golf Pick ‘Em matchups within the NBC Sports Predictor app, a free-to-play contest where a perfect score this week could win a $100,000 jackpot. We examined the latest pre-tournament odds, with Rory McIlroy back on the Ocean Course as the betting favorite, and took a deep dive into what can be learned from the results from the 2012 PGA at Kiawah when McIlroy won by eight shots.

Tuesday we’ll pick things up a notch with the second installment of “Going for the Green,” a 30-minute show that will be streamed live on the NBC Sports YouTube page beginning at 12 p.m. ET. Hosts Sara Perlman and Drew Dinsick will be joined by Will Gray and Josh Culp to break down the action from Kiawah, plus insight from PointsBet Sportsbook head trader Jay Croucher on which players are attracting the most action from bettors.

Fans looking to familiarize themselves with a unique venue can check out a thorough course preview on this week’s host site. For DFS players, we’ll have dedicated articles to DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo throughout the week discussing potential plays and fades within each format.

And yes, there will be wagers. Well before the first ball goes in the air Thursday morning, we’ll have articles breaking down potential winners and value plays within the top-10 and top-20 finisher markets. We’ll also analyze head-to-head wagers, offer potential first-round leader plays and dive into some of the European sleeper picks that could surprise from across the pond just as David Lynn did in 2012. Wednesday night we’ll include an action report, detailing the most popular bets, notable wagers and significant liabilities heading into the opening round.

The content will continue once the tournament is underway. Each night we’ll offer an update of the outright tournament odds, including potential live bet additions and head-to-head matchups to keep an eye on for the following day’s round.

And users can take things into their own hands, as well, with the debut of Golf EDGE Finder tools within the NBC Sports EDGE site. Beginning this week, EDGE+ MAX subscribers will have access to a wide array of new golf-specific tools, with customizable options across both betting and DFS to help leave no stone unturned while getting a leg up on the competition.

Another major championship is upon us – be sure to dive into the various content offerings to help get a better feel for who might be lifting the Wanamaker Trophy by Sunday.

After 20 years with the Patriots, quarterback Tom Brady had a significant adjustment to make in Tampa Bay. Via JoeBucsFan.com, Brady explained the difficulty of the transition in his recent appearance with Hoodinkie Radio.

“Midway through the year, I was still trying to figure out how to call the plays,” Brady said regarding the Buccaneers’ playbook. “I just read [the plays] off my wristband and tried to visualize what was going to happen.”

After so much time in one system, it was a crash course for Brady to learn a new attack.

“It’s like learning a completely new language,” Brady said. “You’ve spoken English for 20 years and someone goes, ‘Hey man, let’s speak some Spanish.’ And you are like, ‘Huh? That makes no sense to my brain.’”

The pandemic complicated the effort for all the new teammates to get on the same page.

“[I]t took a long time for people to get to know one another,” Brady said. “Much longer than normal. The last six weeks of the year, wow, we really started hitting our stride. We gained a lot of confidence in one another. It was a really unique experience, one that I hope I never, ever have to go through again, but I think we made the best of it.”

The Bucs finished the year by winning eight games in a row, and they’ll be expected to pick up where they left off, especially with all 22 starters back in 2021. And with Brady more than a year into his effort to learn the new language.

Trainer Bob Baffert on Tuesday acknowledged his horse Medina Spirit was treated with an ointment containing a steroid in the days leading up to the Kentucky Derby. The statement comes after racing officials said the horse tested positive for Betamethasone, a substance that violates the race’s rules.

Baffert said a veterinarian checked on Medina Spirit and treated the horse’s dermatitis with the ointment Otomax, which contains betamethasone. Baffert said he learned the banned substance was in the ointment on Monday and the horse was treated with it daily until the day before the Derby.

“While we do not know definitively that this was the source of the alleged 21 picograms found in Medina Spirit’s post-race blood sample, and our investigation is continuing, I have been told by equine pharmacology experts that this could explain the test results,” the statement said. “As such, I wanted to be forthright about this fact as soon as I learned of this information.”

Still, Baffert maintains that the positive result had no effect on the outcome of the race. “Medina Spirit is a deserved champion and I will continue to fight for him,” he said.

The horse racing world is anxiously awaiting the second round of test results, which will be performed at a different lab. If a second test is positive, Medina Spirit could be stripped of his Kentucky Derby crown and the $1.8 million purse that came with it. The horse would then become just the second Derby winner to be disqualified over medication.

Baffert previously denied treating the horse with a steroid and called Medina Spirit the victim of “cancel culture.” But over his four-decade career, his horses have been flagged with at least 30 medication violations. Five of those were in the last year, though some were overturned on appeal.

If the second test results aren’t back in time for Saturday’s race at Pimlico Race Course, racing officials will decide if Medina Spirit can participate. If the horse is blocked, Baffert’s attorney told CBS News he’ll likely file a temporary restraining order, forcing the matter into a courtroom.

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic was ejected early in the third quarter of Sunday’s 124-97 win at the Cleveland Cavaliers after being called for a flagrant foul 2.

Following a lengthy replay review, the officials ruled that Doncic made “an aggressive strike to the groin area” of Cavs guard Collin Sexton, justifying the flagrant 2 ruling. The incident occurred when Doncic and Sexton were battling for rebounding position with 10:05 remaining in the first half.

“After I saw the video, I knew I hit him, but it wasn’t nothing on purpose,” said Doncic, who had 15 points, five rebounds and five assists before being ejected. “I think that kind of stuff happens a lot in games, but I don’t know. That’s my explanation. It obviously wasn’t on purpose. It was just two guys fighting for a rebound, I guess.”

On the court, Doncic responded to the ruling with wide eyes, indicating surprise. He laughed as he exited the floor.

Doncic said after the game that he thought the review was to determine whether his foul occurred before the shot clock violation.

“That’s what I thought they were looking at,” Doncic said. “I was really surprised when they called a flagrant 2.”

Sexton said he did not believe Doncic had any malicious intent on the play.

“It was just a boxout play,” Sexton said. “Usually, whenever someone is handchecking, then you punch down or swing down. It was just in the groin, but it’s all good.”

The flagrant 2 does not count toward Doncic’s technical foul total. He has 15 technical fouls this season, one shy of an automatic one-game suspension.

It was the second time Doncic had been ejected in a five-game span. He got called for two technical fouls in a May 2 loss to the Sacramento Kings, with the second one called with 31 seconds remaining, triggering the ejection.

The Mavs had a 68-59 lead after Sexton hit the pair of free throws from Doncic’s flagrant foul. They immediately went on a 30-15 run after that.

“Unfortunate, but it sparked our guys,” said Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, who declined to comment specifically on the play in question, saying he hadn’t seen a clear replay. “We did a good job finishing the game off.”

Wade Miley pitched baseball’s second no-hitter in three days — and fourth already this season — leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-0 win Friday night over the Cleveland Indians, who were no-hit for the second time in a month.

Miley (4-2) relied on breaking pitches and his experience of 11-plus major league seasons to baffle the Indians and throw Cincinnati’s first no-hitter since Homer Bailey did it in 2013.

“It feels surreal,” the 34-year-old said.

The left-hander shook off an 83-minute rain delay to start the game in Cleveland and followed Baltimore’s John Means, who no-hit Seattle on Wednesday, to continue an early run of pitching gems in 2021 — quickly becoming the Year of the No-No.

San Diego’s Joe Musgrove started the ’21 no-hitter club by throwing the first in Padres history on April 9. Five days later, Chicago White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon blanked the Indians, just missing a perfect game when he hit a batter in the ninth inning.

Arizona’s Madison Bumgarner pitched a seven-inning no-hitter against Atlanta on April 25, but that one isn’t recognized as official because it didn’t go nine innings.

This is the earliest in a calendar year there have been four no-hitters since 1917, when the fourth was thrown on May 5 and the fifth on May 6, and only the second season overall in MLB history to have four no-hitters before the end of May, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. It’s no wonder: Hitters entered Friday batting a record-low .233 this season.

Miley was in control from the start. He coasted through five innings and carried a perfect game into the sixth, when he began to realize history could be made.

One of the team’s most popular players, Miley said the zeros on the scoreboard quickly made him an outcast in Cincinnati’s dugout.

“All my buddies left me,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t like that. I don’t like thinking about pitching. I want to talk about something else, talk about fishing, talk about hitting, There was nobody to talk to.”

In the ninth, Miley retired pinch hitter Rene Rivera on a lazy fly to right, struck out Cesar Hernandez and then retired Jordan Luplow on a grounder to third before he was mobbed by the Reds, who encircled him and danced across the grass.

“I will never forget that,” Reds manager David Bell said. “I will never forget the look on Wade’s face. I’m so glad he’s enjoying every moment.”

After the game, Miley credited his 4-year-old son, Jeb, for convincing him to put a temporary tattoo of the Hulk on his left forearm before his start against the Indians.

“I got no muscles at all,” Miley said, smiling. “Maybe this gave me some strength.”

For their part, the Indians joined a dubious list by becoming the 16th team to be no-hit twice in the same season. It most recently happened to Seattle in 2019.

Miley walked one and struck out eight on 114 pitches.

“He kept us off balance,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “He touched 90 [mph] once tonight, but he put on a clinic. I mean, he cut the ball in on the righties, threw a changeup, threw a four-seamer in; he just went back and forth.”

With Miley joining Rodon and Means in 2021’s southpaw no-hit club, the most recent season to feature three no-hitters from left-handed pitchers was 1990 (Randy Johnson, Fernando Valenzuela and Terry Mulholland), according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

While Miley was blanking the Indians, Zach Plesac did the same to the Reds for eight innings before Cincinnati pushed three runs across in the ninth, helped by closer Emmanuel Clase’s throwing error and a balk.

The Reds got a pair of singles before Clase (2-1) fielded an infield tapper and threw wide of second base, allowing Nick Senzel to score from second. Then, with runners at the corners, Clase began his windup before stopping and tried to throw to second.

Mike Moustakas, starting at first for the injured Joey Votto, followed with an RBI single to make it 3-0 and give Miley, who battled injuries last season after joining the Reds, more cushion — but also more time to think about it in the dugout.

“That’s probably when I felt it the most,” said the Louisianan, who got emotional afterward while thinking of family back home. “We scratched across three runs and it was going kind of slow. I didn’t want to throw in the hallway because I was pretty tired, but at the same time I wanted to stay loose. But I was able to get three pretty quick ones.”

Miley came in just 1-4 in eight career starts against the Indians, who were batting only .213 as a team. But Cleveland has been as hot as any team, riding a five-game winning streak and winning nine of 11 to take over first in the American League Central.

Working quickly on a cool, damp night, Miley made fast work of the Indians.

He coasted through five innings and didn’t allow a baserunner until the sixth, when Cleveland’s Amed Rosario reached on second baseman Senzel’s fielding error and then went to second on his throwing error.

Miley also allowed a walk in the inning, but he regrouped by getting Luplow on a liner to left.

Franmil Reyes came the closest to getting a hit for the Indians, but his hard smash in the fifth inning was right at shortstop Kyle Farmer, who knocked it down and had plenty of time to throw out the slow-footed slugger.

It was the Reds’ 17th no-hitter since 1892.

“For something like this to happen, I don’t have the words,” Miley said.

Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Dustin May departed Saturday’s start against the Milwaukee Brewers in the second inning after suffering a right-arm injury, per Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times. May signaled to the dugout after delivering a pitch, all the while wincing from apparent pain.

May completed 1 ⅔ innings, permitting a walk and a run on a Luis Urías home run. He struck out three batters and he averaged 98.3 mph on his fastball. His final pitch was a 94 mph fastball that registered as his slowest of the season, per SB Nation’s Eric Stephen. (For reference, his seasonal average was 98.4 mph.)

Well, shit. pic.twitter.com/K4g1yIHDvA

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 1, 2021

May was replaced by left-handed reliever Garrett Cleavinger, who the Dodgers acquired over the offseason as part of a three-team trade including the Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays.

May entered Saturday’s game with a 2.53 ERA and a 6.40 strikeout-to-walk ratio in four starts this season. He’d struck out 32 of the 86 batters he had faced, including a career-high 10 last time out against the San Diego Padres.

The Dodgers already had seven pitchers on the injured list coming into play on Saturday, including Tony Gonsolin, David Price, Brusdar Graterol, Joe Kelly, and Corey Knebel. Caleb Ferguson and Tommy Kahnle, meanwhile, are both out for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

The Dodgers have several off days over the next two weeks, suggesting they could massage their rotation if May requires an injured list stint. Alternatively, the Dodgers could turn to a minor-league pitcher like Andre Jackson (already on the 40-player roster) or top prospect Josiah Gray.

The Dodgers entered Saturday with a 16-11 record, good for second place in the National League West, a half game behind the surprising San Francisco Giants.