Josh Bailey scored 51 seconds into the second overtime to lift the New York Islanders to a 3-2 victory over Pittsburgh in Game 5 of their first-round series. Bailey took advantage of a giveaway by Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry to fire the puck into the empty net as New York grabbed a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. Anthony Beauvillier and Jordan Eberle also scored for New York. Rookie goaltender Ilya Sorokin stopped 48 shots for the Islanders. Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust scored for Pittsburgh but the Penguins are in danger of a third straight early playoff exit.
In other playoff action:
Morgan Rielly scored the go-ahead goal in the second period, Jack Campbell made 27 saves, and the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round series. William Nylander scored his third goal in as many games for Toronto, which hasn't won a playoff series since 2004. Game 4 is Tuesday night in Montreal. Nick Suzuki had the lone goal for Montreal, and Carey Price stopped 27 shots. The Maple Leafs remained without captain John Tavares, who's expected to miss at least two weeks with a concussion and knee injury suffered during a scary collision in Game 1.
The Florida Panthers entrusted their season to a rookie goalie making his playoff debut. Spencer Knight delivered. The 20-year-old Knight stopped 36 shots, Mackenzie Weegar had a goal and an assist, and the Panthers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 in Game 5 of their Central Division series. The Lightning still lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 and host Game 6 on Wednesday night.
Kyle Connor scored 6:52 into the third overtime period, lifting the Winnipeg Jets over the Edmonton Oilers 4-3, and into the second round. Mark Scheifele scored twice and Mason Appleton added a goal for the Jets, who eliminated the Oilers in the playoffs for the first time. It was the longest game in Winnipeg’s history. Connor Hellebuyck made 37 saves for Winnipeg. Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Alex Chiasson scored for Edmonton, which hasn’t won a playoff series since 2017.
NBA
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 31 points and Bryn Forbes led Milwaukee's scorching start from 3-point range as the Bucks trounced the Miami Heat 132-98 to extend their lead in this first-round playoff series. Milwaukee shot 22 of 53 from 3-point range – including 15 of 29 in the first half – and never trailed while leading by as many as 36 points. The Bucks' 22 3-pointers were their highest total ever in a playoff game. The Bucks own a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series as they attempt to oust the team that beat them 4-1 in the second round last year. Game 3 takes place Thursday in Miami.
In the second NBA playoff game, Nikola Jokic scored 38 points to overcome a 3-point shooting barrage from Damian Lillard and the Denver Nuggets evened the first-round series by beating the Portland Trail Blazers 128-109. Jokic also had eight rebounds and five assists. The Nuggets had few answers for Lillard early on as the dynamic playmaker scored 32 of his 42 points in the first half. His eight 3-pointers before intermission tied an NBA playoff record for most in a half. Lillard finished 9 of 16 from 3-point range. Game 3 will be in Portland.
In NBA news, Warriors general manager Bob Myers is confident Golden State will sign newly crowned scoring champion Stephen Curry to a contract extension this offseason. Curry said in December that discussions were underway and that he is fully committed. The two-time NBA MVP signed a $201 million, five-year contract in July 2017 that initially was the richest ever, until James Harden topped it with a $228 million extension from the Rockets. Curry also has yet to make a formal decision on whether to play in the Tokyo Olympics.
WNBA
Connecticut Sun coach Curt Miller has been fined $10,000 and suspended for one game for a remark he made to a referee about the weight of Las Vegas Aces' post Liz Cambage. In a social media post following the Aces' 72-65 loss to the Sun on Sunday, Cambage said Miller had disrespected her during the game, saying she weighed 300 pounds while arguing whether a call should have gone the Sun's way. Cambage said she will never let a man disrespect her. Miller issued a statement Monday apologizing to Cambage and the Aces organization.
MLB
Austin Gomber pitched two-hit ball through eight innings, Ryan McMahon and Elias Díaz hit second-inning home runs off David Peterson and the Colorado Rockies beat the banged-up New York Mets 3-2 for a rare road win. Mets right fielder Michael Conforto and second baseman Jeff McNeil have hamstring injuries that are likely to keep them out of action for another month. Conforto and McNeil both got hurt on April 30. Right-hander Carlos Carrasco, sidelined by a strained right hamstring, won't be ready to pitch for the Mets until late June or early July. New York has a major league-high 16 players on the injured list.
In other MLB action:
Adam Duvall hit a three-run homer and Jesús Aguilar drove in two runs with a double and a single to help the Miami Marlins beat the Philadelphia Phillies 9-6. Corey Dickerson hit a tiebreaking two-run triple in the sixth, and Garrett Cooper had two hits and an RBI off the bench for the Marlins. They've won five of their past six and closed within one game of the NL East-leading New York Mets.
Francisco Mejía hit a tiebreaking, two-run single during a seven-run burst in the 11th inning and the Tampa Bay Rays won their 11th straight game, outlasting the Toronto Blue Jays 14-8. Tampa Bay moved within one win of the team record for consecutive victories. In 2004, playing as the Devil Rays, they won 12 in a row under manager Lou Piniella. After both teams scored twice in the 10th to make it 7-all, the Rays erupted. Joey Wendle hit an early grand slam for Tampa Bay. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit two of Toronto's five home runs. The Blue Jays lost their sixth in a row.
Kyle Lewis homered and made a diving catch in center field, Yusei Kikuchi pitched six smooth innings before leaving with a possible back injury, and the Seattle Mariners ended a six-game losing streak by beating the Oakland Athletics 4-2. Jarred Kelenic also went deep for Seattle, playing its sixth of 12 straight road games in California covering separate trips.
Brewers closer Josh Hader stopped San Diego's rally in the ninth inning and the Padres' nine-game winning streak ended with a 5-3 loss to Milwaukee. The Padres were fresh off sweeping a nine-game homestand. Hade notched his 11th save of the season.
White Sox manager Tony La Russa wound up a winner in his first game against the team that ensured his Hall of Fame induction as Chicago beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 behind Lance Lynn's arm and Andrew Vaughn's bat. The victory ended a three-game skid for the AL Central leaders, who were swept by the New York Yankees after winning 10 of 13. The NL Central-leading Cardinals dropped their second straight.
Mitch Garver hit a two-run double and the short-handed Minnesota Twins used a six-run eighth inning to beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-3. Baltimore's DJ Stewart hit a two-run homer for a 3-2 lead as the first batter following a 45-minute rain delay in the eighth. But Minnesota rallied with six straight two-out hits in the bottom half.
Jordan Luplow made a diving catch on Eric Haase's sinking liner to right field with the bases loaded, preserving a 6-5 victory for the Cleveland Indians over the Detroit Tigers. Luplow, who entered as a defensive replacement an inning earlier, made the catch look rather easy, but the ninth inning was anything but for closer Emmanuel Clase, who held on for his eighth save in nine chances. Spencer Turnbull allowed three runs in six innings for Detroit in his first game since pitching a no-hitter last week.
NFL
The governor of New Jersey has cleared the way for the Giants and Jets to play games at MetLife Stadium at full capacity for the 2021 NFL season. Meanwhile, Carolina Panthers president Tom Glick says Bank of America Stadium will open at full capacity for all events this year, including NFL and college games. The Panthers had extremely limited seating last year due to COVID-19.
In other NFL news:
Wide receiver Julio Jones says he's ready to leave the Atlanta Falcons. The 32-year-old star told FS1 "Undisputed" host Shannon Sharpe via telephone that "I'm outta there" in a brief interview. Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot has been reportedly entertaining trade offers for Jones since last month. When asked where he wants to play, Jones replied, "Right now, I wanna win."
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers wasn't present for the first day of organized team activities. These OTA sessions are voluntary, but Rodgers generally has participated in them in the past. ESPN first reported Rodgers wasn't with the team on Monday. Rodgers' decision not to participate this time comes amid reports that the reigning MVP doesn't want to return to the Packers. The Packers have said they have no plans to trade Rodgers.
Matthew Stafford says his offseason thumb surgery isn't an impediment to anything he wants to do during his first offseason workouts with the Los Angeles Rams. Learning a new offense and getting to know every player in the Rams' locker room present more than enough challenges for the veteran passer, but he's confident he has enough time to get everything done. And after the NFL missed out on most offseason team work last spring due to the coronavirus pandemic, Stafford is grateful he picked this year to switch teams.
The Denver Broncos' latest quarterback competition kicked off Monday when Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater shared snaps at the team's start of Phase III on-field workouts. Lock is the incumbent and he says he's been so busy fixing flaws in his game this offseason that he hasn't paid any attention to one report after another that his job was in jeopardy.
OLYMPICS
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the State Department are warning Americans against all travel to Japan because of a surge in coronavirus cases in the country as it prepares to host the Olympics in just two months. The twin alerts issued Monday don't ban U.S. citizens from visiting the country, but they could have an impact on insurance rates for travelers and may factor into decisions by Olympic athletes and spectators on whether to compete in or attend the games, which are due to start in July. The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee said it still anticipates that American athletes will be able to safely compete.
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