Canada Sports News

Team Reid Carruthers has added Catlin Schneider to its lineup at third to fill a vacancy caused by the recent departure of Brad Jacobs.

1. Betway Bets of the Day — Can the Predators force Game 7 against the Canucks?  Oilers Nation
2. NHL matchups, odds to watch: May 3  NHL.com
3. Stanley Cup Playoffs open thread: May 3  Habs Eyes on the Prize
4. Vegas and Nashville face elimination in Game 6 showdowns against Dallas and Vancouver  The Globe and Mail
5. Golden Knights, Predators push must-win games to Over in Friday Best Bets  The Hockey News

Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.

The goal is simple for Ottawa’s Professional Women’s Hockey League team when they close out their regular-season Sunday night in Toronto.

Win and they’re in.

Ottawa (8-1-6-8) and Boston (7-4-3-9) enter the weekend tied at 32 points, but Ottawa holds fourth place in the standings and the final playoff spot with more regulation wins.

The outcome of Boston’s game Saturday afternoon against visiting Montreal will have huge implications for Ottawa. A Boston regulation loss means Ottawa is in. But any result with Boston getting a point means Ottawa will have to at least match that outcome on Sunday.

“You don’t sit here and ever wish anything,” said coach Carla MacLeod. “The reality is you want to be able to control your own fate. We have that opportunity and that’s a good thing.”

Ottawa will be practising when the Boston game starts, but there are some players who say they will definitely be tuning in afterwards.

Ottawa had the opportunity to punch its ticket to the post-season Tuesday night against New York but failed to take advantage. Ottawa jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead and then gave up four goals in the second period to lose 4-3.

It marked the second consecutive game where Ottawa lost its focus in the second period and was unable to recover, which set the stage for a dramatic finale.

“I think we just didn’t execute our game plan,” said captain Brianne Jenner. “I think we went in there with the right mindset, we wanted to clinch that day, and things just started to unravel and I think momentum shifts in hockey games and we weren’t quick enough to end that shift.”

High pressure games are nothing new for most of these players.

Jenner, Emily Clark, Ashton Bell and goalie Emerance Maschmeyer were all part of Canada’s team at the recent world women’s hockey championship that beat the United States in overtime in the gold medal game.

“I think experience is not a bad thing to think back on how you dealt with kind of high-pressure situations, but I think all of our players are prepared for that,” Jenner said. “I mean, everyone’s a high-performance athlete here that looks forward to those opportunities.”

Ottawa has a 3-0-0-1 record against Toronto, which sit first overall in the league, and know the challenge ahead of them.

“For us it’s doing everything we can to be in the moment,” said Maschmeyer. “We’re going out there to take care of business and get the win.”

Maschmeyer has been instrumental to Ottawa’s success. The 29-year-old has a 2.26 goals-against average and .916 save percentage. She’ll need to be at her best to deal with Toronto’s offensive stars in Natalie Spooner, who leads the league with 25 points, and Sarah Nurse, who is fourth with 21.

MacLeod said if the players remains committed to the process that got them to the cusp of the playoffs, they should have no regrets.

“We’ve faced adversity and dug out of adversity and we’ve had leads and held on to leads so it’s really just going back to the well that you know and recognizing that we have found ways to win a hockey game multiple different ways,” said MacLeod. “Obviously, we’re driving to get the result, but you can’t lose sight of the process.”

1. Le coeur brisé... (Chronique d'Yvon Michel)  RDS
2. Boxe | Ryan Garcia dément tout dopage, malgré deux contrôles positifs  La Presse
3. Ryan Garcia testé positif en marge de son combat face à Devin Haney  L'Équipe
4. Boxe. Annoncé positif à deux contrôles par ESPN, Ryan Garcia dément tout dopage  Ouest-France
5. Boxe : Ryan Garcia déclaré positif à l'ostarine  RDS

1. How J.T. Miller found his emotional focus to lead Canucks to series win over Nashville  The Province
2. Miller’s silly yet brilliant shirt prank keeping Canucks loose ahead of pivotal Game 6  Sportsnet.ca
3. Miller wears Silovs’ dress shirt during practice  NHL.com
4. Gill on Miller wearing Silovs’ shirt: ‘That’s a move you do when your nervous and need to lighten the group’ - Video  TSN
5. York Newbury - Canucks Gameday: Game 6  Hockeybuzz.com

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Aaron Rodgers is on track to be on the field without limitations for the New York Jets in a few weeks.

Coach Robert Saleh said Friday after the team’s first day of rookie minicamp practices that Rodgers has looked good as he continues to work his way back eight months after tearing his left Achilles tendon in his Jets debut.

“He’s here, he’s working,” Saleh said. “I mean, the guy can still sling it. Obviously, he’s still working through his rehab, but no issues on the trajectory on which he’s going.”

The Jets begin organized team activities — also called “phase three” of offseason workouts — on May 20, which is when they can hold non-contact 11-on-11 drills during practice. And Rodgers, if in attendance for the voluntary sessions, should be able to participate fully.

“It’s naturally managed because of the phase one, phase two part of it,” Saleh said. “But once phase three hits, we’re not anticipating any restrictions from what we can and can not do with him.”

Rodgers was injured just four snaps into the Jets’ season-opening win over Buffalo on Sept. 11. He had surgery to repair the Achilles tendon two days later and was aggressive with his recovery and rehabilitation, hoping to return late in the season if New York remained in the playoff hunt.

The Jets failed to stay in postseason contention in late-December — which Rodgers was targeting for his return — and his injury wasn’t completely healed, so the four-time NFL MVP focused instead on his comeback for this year.

Saleh said at the NFL meetings in Orlando, Florida, in March that Rodgers was on track to practice when the Jets began voluntary OTAs — and that plan remains in place.

General manager Joe Douglas focused on improving the offensive line in front of Rodgers during free agency, signing left tackle Tyron Smith and left guard John Simpson and also acquiring right tackle Morgan Moses from Baltimore. New York also drafted Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu with the No. 11 overall pick in the draft last week.

The Jets also added some playmakers for Rodgers, including signing former Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams to complement Garrett Wilson. They drafted former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley in the third round and later took a pair of running backs — Wisconsin’s Braelon Allen (fourth round) and South Dakota State’s Isaiah Davis (fifth) — to join Breece Hall and Israel Abanikanda in the backfield.

“It’s an exciting group to work with, for sure,” Saleh said. “We’ve still got to get to work. There’s still a lot of work to be done. No. 1 thing is keeping all these guys healthy. But it’s a group that we’re excited about.”

EASING IN

The Jets’ draft picks worked off to the side during the first rookie minicamp practice, the usual procedure for players they selected while undrafted and unsigned free agents go through team drills trying to impress the coaching staff.

Fashanu didn’t do much, though, later telling reporters he had a “minor” quadriceps injury while running the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine in Indianapolis in February.

“I’ve just been rehabbing that,” Fashanu said. “It’s just easing me in and just getting me out on the field and seeing how I’m moving and all that.”

Quarterback Jordan Travis, a fifth-rounder out of Florida State, is rehabilitating a broken left ankle suffered last season.

Saleh said Travis appears on track to participate in practice when training camp begins in July.

NEW ADDITIONS

The Jets announced the signings of 17 undrafted free agents, including Duke safety Al Blades Jr., the nephew of former Seahawks star safety Bennie Blades.

Among other players signed were West Florida quarterback Peewee Jarrett, who threw 32 touchdown passes last season, and edge rusher Braiden McGregor, who had 4 1/2 sacks for national champion Michigan last season.

New York Islanders president Lou Lamoriello said that both he and head coach Patrick Roy will be returning in their roles next season.

New York was eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in five games this wee.

The team decided to make a change behind the bench midway through the season, firing Lane Lambert with the team holding a 19-15-11 record. After Roy took over, the Islanders went 20-12-5, which was enough to claim third place in the Metropolitan Division standings.

Lamoriello joined the Islanders in the summer of 2018 amid sweeping changes to the organization. In that time, the Islanders have qualified for the playoffs in five of six seasons.

“I’m excited,” Lamoriello told reporters during end-of-season availabilities, per NHL.com. “Next season started the next morning (after losing in the playoffs) and that’s what we have been doing. As far as what transpired, I think a lot has happened. (It was an) extremely positive transition. I take full responsibility. I put Patrick in a very difficult situation. Coming in at the time he came in, the changes that are necessary to do things the right way, you don’t have a lot of time. … So I’m excited. Patrick knows that. I couldn’t be more pleased where we are today.”

This is Roy’s second coaching stint in the NHL after he was with the Colorado Avalanche from 2013-16. 

“I learned a lot because it was the first time I jumped in mid-season,” Roy said. “It was unknown on my side, but obviously I had the support of Lou, helping me out. We had a lot of conversations about a lot of things and going in, I wanted to play a certain way structure-wise. I’m thankful to the players for embracing that challenge and making it work.”

1. "It doesn't even compare to Canada": Evander Kane on ESPN with huge shout-out to Edmonton Oilers fans  Edmonton Journal
2. Oilers Forward Appears on Pat McAfee Show  The Hockey News

1. Hockey fans gather in St. John's as Bob Cole is laid to rest  CBC.ca
2. Bob Cole, voice of HNIC, remembered for grit, talent and the ‘gleam in his eye’  Sportsnet.ca
3. Canadians gather in N.L. to bid Bob Cole farewell  CTV News Montreal
4. Ron MacLean delivers eulogy as Bob Cole laid to rest  NTV News
5. Funeral Held for Broadcasting Legend Bob Cole  VOCM

1. Prochain contrat : l'objectif de Sean Monahan ne cadre pas avec celui du Canadien  DansLesCoulisses
2. LNH : Sean Monahan et Tyler Toffoli sur leur départ de Winnipeg?  RDS
3. Avec l’élimination des Jets, le CH perd un choix au repêchage  TVA Sports
4. Le Canadien vient de perdre un bon choix au repêchage  MSN
5. Sean Monahan dévoile sa priorité pour le choix de sa prochaine équipe cet été  HabsolumentFan

The Toronto Blue Jays are waiting one more day to determine if Alek Manoah will make his MLB season debut on Sunday.

The team told reporters on Friday that it will name a starter for Sunday’s series finale against the Washington Nationals in the next 24 hours. Manoah is an option, and is throwing a side session with triple-A Buffalo on Friday in Indianapolis.

It’s also possible Manoah could make another start for Buffalo on Sunday in Indianapolis.

The Jays have a starting spot open after Yariel Rodriguez was placed on the 15-day IL earlier this week with a back injury.

Manoah, 26, has been rehabbing in the minor leagues to start the 2024 season after sustaining a shoulder injury in spring training. His 30-day rehab window is set to close on Monday.

Manoah impressed in his last start for triple-A Buffalo, striking out 12 and giving up just one run in six innings against Indianapolis. It was a major turnaround for Manoah, who has an 8.69 ERA in five minor-league starts this season.

The former All-Star has struggled since his 2022 Cy Young-calibre campaign. Named the 2023 Opening Day starter, Manoah was designated for assignment in early June of that year. He bounced between the MLB and the minor leagues for the remainder of the year, ultimately finishing with a 5.87 ERA in 87.1 innings pitched.

Meanwhile, centre fielder Kevin Kiermaier (hip) has resumed baseball activities and could be activated from the IL this weekend.

Relievers Bowden Francis (forearm) and Chad Green (shoulder) are rehabbing back in Toronto, with both scheduled to throw from 120 feet Friday.

1. Giannis Antetokoumpo 'Wasn't Even Close' To Being Able To Return  RealGM.com
2. Bucks avoid elimination without Antetokounmpo, Lillard  ESPN
3. Bucks’ Lillard to return for Game 6 vs. Pacers with season on the line  Sportsnet.ca
4. Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo 'wasn't even close' to returning in series vs. Pacers, still can't run full speed  CBS Sports
5. Antetokounmpo wondering how he can stay healthy after injuries have impacted his last 2 postseasons  Yahoo Canada Sports

1. SIMMONS: This is Game 7, a place of hockey dreams and heartbreak  Toronto Sun
2. Joy Drop: Who doesn't love a Game 7?  CBC.ca
3. Tom Mayenknecht: Bulls and Bears, the business of sport  Vancouver Sun
4. The Significant Seven, first round Leaf playoff series that went long  Toronto Sun

CBC Sports' daily newsletter previews Olympic qualifying events in track and 3-on-3 basketball and other stuff to keep an eye on.

Major League Baseball uniforms will have larger lettering on the back of jerseys and individual pant customization will be available to all players beginning in 2025, MLB and Nike announced Friday.

MLB and Nike said the uniform adjustments will be made following conversations with players, clubs and equipment managers.

Some players in spring training complained about the fit and look. The white pants worn by some teams are see-through enough to clearly show tucked-in jersey tops.

“Player and club feedback is extremely important to us,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. ”Together with Nike, we listened to our players and as a result, we are addressing their concerns.”

Nike also is working on a solution to address the slight colour differences between the jerseys and pants of some gray road uniforms, as well as the discoloration that can occur because of sweat. Once the solution is finalized, adjusted gray uniforms will be worn as soon as the second half of this season.

“We will continue to work with Nike to make adjustments with the goal of delivering a uniform that looks good and helps MLB players perform at their best,” Manfred said.

The uniform changes initially were detailed in a memo distributed to players by the players’ association on Sunday.

Uniforms are made by Fanatics, with specifications set by MLB and Nike.

1. Williams F1 confirme avoir noué des contacts avec Newey  Nextgen-Auto.com
2. Chronique | Red Bull a donné des ailes à Newey, et ça augure très mal  Radio-Canada.ca
3. Formule 1 | L'arrivée de Newey chez Ferrari serait « incroyable » selon Hamilton et Leclerc  La Presse
4. 5 à 7 : Départ de Newey : onde de choc monstre dans la F1 (Formule 1)  RDS
5. Adrian Newey: la grande coqueluche de la semaine à Miami  Le Journal de Montréal