01-17-2020, 07:44 AM
WASHINGTON -- Sidney Crosby was everywhere Monday night, from start to finish. All of 46 seconds into the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 victory over Alex Ovechkins struggling Washington Capitals, Crosby assisted on Chris Kunitzs goal. Then, after Washington made it 1-all, Crosby drew a penalty. And 11 seconds later, on Pittsburghs third shot of the evening, Crosby put the puck in the net himself. Later, with the score again tied, Crosby had the secondary assist on Kunitzs second goal. And finally, when Ovechkin and the Capitals had a power play for most of the last two minutes, Crosby was on the ice, helping kill off the chance. "It was a very good game," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said about Crosby. "All aspects." Now theres an understatement. "We saw a 5-on-5 play. We saw the speed (Crosbys line can) generate, and got the scoring chances," Bylsma added. "Used him in defensive situations, and (he) did a great job there on the penalty kill in the third." Crosby finished with his 30th goal and two assists to raise his NHL-leading point total to 87, matching his uniform number. The Penguins beat Washington for the seventh consecutive time and overtook idle Boston for the Eastern Conferences best record. The Capitals, who began the day outside of the playoff picture in 10th place in the East, have lost four of their past five games to fall into what Ovechkin called a "desperate position." The teams play each other again Tuesday at Pittsburgh. Mondays game featured the largely uneventful NHL debut of Russian forward Evgeny Kuznetsov, a player Capitals general manager George McPhee likened to the Loch Ness Monster: "Weve heard of you, but we havent seen you." The winger was a first-round draft pick in 2010, but has been playing in Russia. He signed a contract Saturday and got on the ice for the first time about two minutes into Mondays game, part of Washingtons fourth line with Tom Wilson and Jay Beagle. Wearing No. 92, Kuznetsov also got a bit of a run alongside Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, and even some power-play action. He took 12 shifts for 10 minutes, 22 seconds, took two shots and blocked one. "We have to be patient and be realistic about expectations, because its a foreign league for him. Its a foreign system. Hes never played this way," Capitals coach Adam Oates said. "Hes never played in front of this many people, really. So for me, I want to ease him in." Penguins rookie goalie Jeff Zatkoff made 31 saves. Ovechkin, the three-time MVP who leads the NHL with 44 goals, was held without a point and was limited to four shots. Pittsburgh went ahead 1-0 on its first shot, when Crosby slid the puck across the ice to left wing Kunitz. Easily gliding past defenceman Mike Green, Kunitz flipped his shot past Jaroslav Halak, still wearing an all-white goalies mask in his second start for Washington after arriving last week in a trade. Green, Oates said, "got caught a little flat-footed on the play, probably a little surprised at the end of the shift that Kunitz had that much juice." The Capitals evened things less than 2 1/2 minutes later on Eric Fehrs 11th goal. That tie did not last long: 38 seconds afterward, Backstrom was sent to the penalty box for slashing Crosby -- who soon made it 2-1 off Evgeni Malkins assist. "I dont take too many of those. Its nice to see one go in," Crosby said. "Im usually a little closer when they go in." The Capitals got to 2-all on Backstroms power-play score at the 8:57 mark of the second period. This tie was a short one, too, lasting a little more than 3 1/2 minutes. And, not surprisingly, Crosby was involved in Pittsburghs goal again. He dropped a no-look pass back to Lee Stempniak, whose shot was kicked away by Halak, but Kunitz was there to poke in the rebound for his 31st goal. Oates summed it up this way: "Their big dogs scored." Notes: Pittsburgh went 3-2 on its season-high five-game road trip. ... Kuznetsovs appearance marked Washingtons fourth game in a row in which a player made his debut with the club. Tony Gonzalez Jersey .Heres Ralph the Dog with the crew here at TSN jumping into the James Duthie TradeCentre selfie: Happy to drop by! RT @TSN_Sports: @tsnjamesduthie: Take this Ellen. Damien Wilson Jersey . The government says top golfers are expected to compete in the PGA Tour event at the Ashburn Golf Club in the suburb of Fall River from July 3-6 and again next year. http://www.customchiefsjersey.com/custom...-796n.html . With one week left in the regular season, Cornish - voted The Toughest Player To Bring Down - is a leading candidate for the CFLs Most Outstanding Player award. He has rushed for 1,799 yards and could break Willie Burdens club record for rushing yards in a single season with a 98-yard performance against the B. 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Sanchez joins the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons after making 14 starts for Double-A New Hampshire. He posted a 3.82 ERA and a 1.394 WHIP but talk centered on Sanchezs walk rate, which sat five-and-a-half per nine innings. "Hes still a baby. Hes still learning. He hasnt logged a lot of innings in the minor leagues yet," said Gibbons. "He may be one of those guys who walks some guys. I dont think thats necessarily, I mean youd rather not but I dont think thats a bad thing. I dont think thats a killer. Lets put it that way." This is nothing new. At any of Sanchezs seven stops in the Blue Jays chain so far, hes never had a better walk rate than 3.8 per nine innings. That came in 2011 with Bluefield of the Single-A Appalachian League. He was 18 years old at the time. Sanchez threw 109 2/3 innings last season, New Hampshire and the Arizona Fall League combined, and has already tossed 66 innings this season. A 20 per cent year-over-year increase would cap Sanchez at about 130 innings. A 30 per cent spike would see Sanchez stop at a little more than 140 innings. The Blue Jays have a plan. Whatever it is, Gibbons is being mum. "Thats none of your business," he said, before adding, "Hes still learning. Hes still developing. Hes in the minor leagues for a reason. Hes making his start every five days. Hes working through his career. When that career begins, who knows? Every pitcher in baseball in the minor leagues, I mean teams are conscious of the workload because there are so many injuries." MASTROIANNI BACK WHERE IT BEGAN Darin Mastroianni met the Blue Jays in Baltimore, his contract selected to serve as the fourth outfielder when Bobby Korecky was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo. A 16th round pick of Toronto in the 2007 amateur draft, Mastroianni made his major league debut with the Blue Jays – his only game with Toronto – on August 24, 2011. He moved on to Minnesota, appearing in 114 games for the Twins in two-plus seasons. "Its really nice to be back with Toronto," said Mastroianni. "Obviously, whenever you get a chance to come back to a team that gave you your start and I made my big league debut with them, its always exciting to come back and play with an organization like that." Its been a trying year and a half for Mastroianni since he fouled a Joe Kelly pitch off his left shin in a spring training game in 2013..ddddddddddddHe suffered an avulsion fracture but tried to play through it. He was shut down in April and underwent surgery in May. Even though he returned late in the season the procedure didnt take and Mastroianni underwent a second surgery last November. He cleared waivers in December but appeared in seven April games with the Twins before being designated for assignment. Thats when the Blue Jays claimed him off waivers. "I didnt really know what was going to happen," said Mastroianni. "Obviously you hope you get a chance; that someone would want you and it was exciting to know that the Blue Jays felt that they wanted me to come over here and I was even more excited to get that call (Wednesday) that I was going to join them here." Mastroianni is a base stealer. He swiped 21 bases in 24 attempts for the Twins in 2012. His performance in Buffalo since his acquisition has allayed any fears his foot surgeries have affected his speed. Mastroianni has 14 stolen bases in 16 tries. The Blue Jays arent scheduled to face any starting left-handed pitching on the road trip or when the club returns home to face the Yankees on June 23 and so a strict bench role appears to be in Mastroiannis future. Regardless, hes excited. "This is kind of new territory for me," said Mastroianni. "Ive never been on a team thats in first place. Its kind of new. Its exciting for me. I always felt that my role on a team was to help teams win late in the game, whether its pinch-run, defence, whatever and its exciting if that is the role to be on a team when you can actually impact and really help a team win baseball games." GIBBONS PRAISES BAUTISTA Whether the club is running hot or cold and regardless of whether Jose Bautista is streaking or slumping at the plate, manager John Gibbons said his star player sets the right example. "When your top dog or one of your top guys, their mindset is they show up everyday, man, they lay it out there, thats important because its not always the case," said Gibbons. "Not just in this sport, any sport, if your top guy does things the right way, everybody falls behind that. When they do it the wrong way, everybody falls that way too and that can work against you." Bautista, as he has for most of the season, continues to lead baseball in on-base percentage (.434 entering Thursdays action). His seven outfield assists are second only to Oaklands Yoenis Cespedes. "He does everything right," said Gibbons. "He prepares himself. Hes into it. He doesnt take an inning off." RASMUS BEGINS REHAB ASSIGNMENT Colby Rasmus served as the designated hitter in Triple-A Buffalos 11-0 win at Toledo on Thursday night. In four plate appearances, he went 1-for-3 with a single, a walk and a strikeout. The plan is for Rasmus to play five innings in centerfield on Friday and play another full game at designated hitter on Saturday. At that point Rasmus right hamstring will be evaluated, possibly paving the way for his return to the Blue Jays early next week. ' ' '