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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Last-place Pittsburgh Pirates fire manager Derek Shelton, promote bench coach Don Kelly.

BOSTON (AP) — Rafael Devers homered and drove in two runs, and five Boston pitchers combined for a five-hit shutout as the Red Sox defeated the Texas Rangers 5-0 on Thursday afternoon.

Devers hit a solo shot for his sixth home run of the season, sending it into the Green Monster seats in the seventh inning. His first RBI of the game came on a single in the fifth inning. Carlos Narvaez also produced a run-scoring single for the Red Sox, which took two of three against the Rangers.

Red Sox starter Bryan Bello teamed up with four relievers to produce Boston’s third shutout of the season. Justin Slaten (1-3) earned the win with 1.1 scoreless innings. Garrett Whitlock tossed one inning with Liam Hendricks finishing off Texas with two innings.

Texas starter Jack Leiter (2-2) took the loss, giving up four runs and walking four in 5.1 innings. No. 9 hitter Tucker Barnhart collected two of the Rangers’ five hits. Texas has now dropped nine of its last 12 games.

Boston took advantage of Leiter issuing two walks and throwing a wild pitch in the second inning en route to building a 2-0 lead. Trevor Story led off with a single and scored on a wild pitch while Jarren Duran’s grounder to second plated the second run of the frame.

Bello ran into control problems that left him one out short of qualifying for his third win. Boston manager Alex Cora turned to the bullpen after Bello issued his fifth walk to set up a two-on, two-out scenario for the Rangers in the fifth inning.

Slaten came on and got a grounder for the final out and closed the book on Bello, who tossed 4.2 innings but only threw 44 of his 83 pitches for strikes.
Key moment

Whitlock found himself in trouble in the seventh after throwing a wild pitch that moved the two Texas baserunners into scoring position with two down. Trying to avoid getting charged with his third blown save in as many outings, Whitlock kept Boston’s shutout bid alive by getting Rangers No. 3 hitter Joc Pederson to fly out to center for the inning’s final out.
Key stat

Bello lowered his ERA to 1.10 in three starts at Fenway Park this season.
Up next

Rangers: Travel to Detroit with Texas slated to start LHP Patrick Corbin (2-1, 3.28) against Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal (3-2, 2.21) on Friday.

Red Sox: RHP Hunter Dobbins (2-1, 3.78) is expected to start against Kansas City RHP Michael Lorenzen (3-3, 4.32) on Friday in the first game of a two-city, six-game road trip for Boston.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

The defending champion Boston Celtics are in trouble in the NBA playoffs. The Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back with a record-setting win, and the Warriors know that Stephen Curry is going to miss a few games.

New York did it again, rallying from exactly 20 points down in Boston to beat the Celtics for a second consecutive time and taking a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Wednesday night. Oklahoma City scored 87 points in the first half — an NBA playoff record — and beat Denver by 43 to even that Western Conference semifinal series.

Golden State got the word on Curry’s hamstring: It’s a strain and he’ll be evaluated in a week, which means he’ll likely miss at least three games in their West semifinal series against Minnesota. That matchup resumes with Game 2 on Thursday, the only game on the night’s schedule.
Thursday’s national TV schedule

All times Eastern

8:30 p.m. — Golden State at Minnesota (TNT)
Friday’s national TV schedule

All times Eastern

7:30 p.m. — Cleveland at Indiana (ESPN)

10 p.m. — Oklahoma City at Denver (ESPN)
Saturday’s national TV schedule

All times Eastern

3:30 p.m. — Boston at New York (ABC)

8:30 p.m. — Minnesota at Golden State (ABC)
Betting odds

Oklahoma City (+130) is favored to win the NBA title, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, followed by Boston (+375). But the Celtics’ odds took a big hit after they lost the first two games of this East semifinal series to New York.

Cleveland is next (+900), followed by Minnesota (+1000), New York (+1100), Indiana (+1400), Denver (+1700) and Golden State (+2200). The Knicks’ chances got a ton better now that they have the 2-0 lead on Boston, and the Warriors are now a much longer shot after the news that Curry will miss at least a week.
Award season

On Monday, Kenny Atkinson of the Cleveland Cavaliers was announced as the NBA coach of the year. It was a sweep for Atkinson; he already had been announced as the winner of the award given out by the coaches’ association.

On Tuesday, Oklahoma City’s Sam Presti won executive of the year. And on Wednesday, Boston’s Jrue Holiday won the NBA’s social justice award — less than a week after he won the sportsmanship award for the second time in his career.

Other awards so far:

— Boston’s Jrue Holiday won the sportsmanship award.

— Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels won most improved player.

— San Antonio’s Stephon Castle won rookie of the year.

— Golden State’s Stephen Curry won the Twyman-Stokes teammate of the year award.

— Golden State’s Draymond Green won the hustle award.

— Cleveland’s Evan Mobley won defensive player of the year.

— New York’s Jalen Brunson won clutch player of the year.

— Boston’s Payton Pritchard won sixth man of the year.

The league has not announced when MVP, as well as the All-NBA, All-Rookie and All-Defensive teams, will be revealed.
Scoring leaders

The highest-scoring games by players so far in this year’s playoffs:

48 — Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland vs. Indiana, May 6

43 — Jamal Murray, Denver vs. LA Clippers, April 29

43 — Anthony Edwards, Minnesota vs. LA Lakers, April 27

42 — Nikola Jokic, Denver at Oklahoma City, May 5

40 — Jalen Brunson, New York at Detroit, May 1

39 — Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers at Denver, April 21

38 — Luka Doncic, LA Lakers at Minnesota, April 27

38 — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City at Memphis, April 26

38 — LeBron James, LA Lakers at Minnesota, April 25

38 — Jalen Green, Houston vs. Golden State, April 23
Key upcoming events

Monday — Draft lottery, Chicago.

May 18 or 20 — Game 1, Western Conference finals.

May 19 or 21 — Game 1, Eastern Conference finals.

June 2 — Last possible date for Game 7 of Eastern Conference finals.

June 3 — Last possible date for Game 7 of the Western Conference finals.

June 5 — Game 1, NBA Finals. (Other games: June 8, June 11, June 13, June 16, June 19 and Game 7, if necessary, will be June 22.)

June 25 — NBA draft, first round.

June 26 — NBA draft, second round.
Stories of note

— Preview of Thursday’s game: Warriors-Timberwolves

— These are the playoffs of the big comeback, where no 20-point lead is safe.

— Gregg Popovich’s new job: ‘El Jefe’

— Spurs coach Gregg Popovich steps down.

— Mitch Johnson takes over for Pop in San Antonio.

— Appreciation: Gregg Popovich changed the NBA.

— Grizzlies promote Iisalo to head coach, remove interim tag.

— A look inside the numbers of this season, headed into the playoffs
Comeback season

There have been five wins by teams that trailed by 20 points or more so far in these playoffs. That’s the most in any postseason during the play-by-play era, which started with the 1997 playoffs.

The biggest deficits that were successfully overcome:

29 — Oklahoma City at Memphis, April 24 (Thunder won 114-108)

20 — Indiana vs. Milwaukee, April 29 (Pacers won 119-118)

20 — New York at Boston, May 5 (Knicks won 108-105)

20 — Indiana at Cleveland, May 6 (Pacers won 120-119)

20 — New York at Boston, May 7 (Knicks won 91-90)
Stats of the day

— In the play-by-play era (from 1997) the Celtics were 42-0 at home in playoff games where they led by 20 points. That is, until this week, when they’ve gone 0-2 in that scenario.

— Boston has missed 75 3-pointers in the first two games of its series against New York. That’s the most missed 3s in Games 1 and 2 of any playoff matchup in NBA history.

— Before Wednesday night, when New York scored 91 at Boston and won, road teams scoring 91 points or less had won only 16 times in the last 502 games of such an instance happening.
Quote of the day

“It means we’re up two-zip. But it doesn’t really mean anything.” — New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns after the Knicks took a 2-0 series lead on Boston.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

By MICHAEL MAROT AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Denver Nuggets accomplished one goal by stealing Game 1 of their second-round playoff series at Oklahoma City.

The Indiana Pacers were even more productive in Cleveland, sweeping both games.

Now the two lower-seeded teams head home for their respective Game 3s on Friday with a new goal — taking advantage of those early road wins by keeping the upper hand in their series.

“The series isn’t over, it’s far from over,” Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton said Thursday. “This is a team that earned the No. 1 seed for a reason. It’s probably rare they lose two games in a row. I don’t know the exact number, but it probably doesn’t happen often. So we’re going to see a desperate team, a team that’s coming in here to win two games.”

Actually, the Cavaliers lost three straight during a four-day stretch in late January and four straight during a seven-day stretch in mid-March. Otherwise, they’ve been dominant on the road where they earned the league’s third-best mark at 30-11.

The Cavs may not even be in this hole if the league’s “Last 2-Minute Report” is correct.

It said Aaron Nesmith’s late dunk off a missed free throw and Haliburton’s final rebound should have been jump balls because of lane violations by both teams in both cases. Haliburton’s rebound led to his winning 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left.

Even Donovan Mitchell’s incredible game — 48 points, 17 made free throws and nine assists — wasn’t enough to salvage a split. This time, though, Cleveland could be closer to full strength.

NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley and key backup De’Andre Hunter could both return. They both missed Game 2, Mobley with a sprained left ankle and Hunter with a sprained right thumb. The bigger question is starting guard Darius Garland. He’s missed four straight games with a sprained left big toe.

All three are listed as questionable.

“They all touched the ball. They all got some reps up, but we didn’t do anything live,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said after Thursday’s practice. “They kind of participated in the walkthrough and you know, hoping for the best.”

Haliburton said he intends to play despite with a heavily taped left wrist that he injured in Game 2. He’s a perfect 9-0 when appearing in home playoff games.

One person who won’t be at the game is Haliburton’s father. This will be Indiana’s first home game since John Haliburton confronted Giannis Antetokounmpo on the court moments after Haliburton’s winning layup eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 5.

Oklahoma City’s Game 2 performance also shows it can rally in its series.

The Thunder endured just two two-game skids this season, making sure it didn’t happen a third time with a 43-point victory Wednesday in Game 3. The Thunder also went 35-6 on the road, including an early regular-season split in Denver.

Winning the 2023 NBA crown also has given the Nuggets some perspective on how to turn the page after such an embarrassing loss.

“They were being aggressive, they were hitting us,” three-time league MVP Nikola Jokic said. “We weren’t disciplined, and everybody was kind of doing their own thing and we can’t play like that. Every single person needs to step up and be better.”

And playing at home should help — both the Nuggets and the Pacers.

“Cleveland’s building was so loud,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “So we need our fans to bring every ounce of energy and noise and everything they have. Each game going forward is going to be a monumental challenge. Their support has meant a lot to us this year and it’s important right now.
Thunder at Nuggets

When/Where to Watch: Game 3, 10 p.m. EDT (ESPN)

Series: Series tied, 1-1.

BetMGM says: Nuggets by 4.5.

What to know: Oklahoma City became the first team to protect its home court in this round after road teams won each of the first five games, and they did it by setting franchise and league records with an 87-point first half. Nothing went right for the Nuggets. They shot 37.9% from the field, had 20 turnovers and never looked like the team that played Game 1. MVP finalist Shea Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 33.5 points to lead the Thunder despite sitting out the fourth quarter Wednesday. Jokic knows what must be done: Watch the tape, learn the lessons and move on to a pivotal game that could swing the series. The Thunder need to replicate their Game 2 performance while the Nuggets need to rediscover their Game 1 form.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

DENVER (AP) — The Denver Nuggets held what essentially was a group therapy session Thursday after their 43-point demolition at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of their second-round playoff series.

“You can’t just say, ‘Hey, let’s just have a mental day. Move on. We’re good, we split,” interim coach David Adelman said. “That’s not the case. If we want to win Game 3 things have to be different.”

Starting with their mentality, he said.

“In the NBA playoffs, a lot of the time the whistle and the way the game is played is who hits first,” Adelman said. “And I thought they hit first, second and third. … And tomorrow we have to be the aggressor, and I expect us to be.”

Adelman said the film review, albeit uncomfortable, proved productive.

“A lot of guys had thoughts on what they felt last night,” Adelman said. “And that allows you to move on and do things better tomorrow night.”

Adelman said the general sentiment was one of embarrassment.

“There was a lot of people speaking up and saying, ‘I can do better,’ which I love,” Adelman said. “And then there’s the film never lies, that kind of thing.”

The series shifts to Denver on Friday night, the Nuggets’ sixth game since April 29 whereas the top-seeded Thunder entered this semifinal series on nine days’ rest after sweeping Memphis in Round 1.

Denver survived a brutal seven-game series with the Los Angeles Clippers and 48 hours later beat Oklahoma City in the opener on Aaron Gordon’s 3-pointer that capped a frenetic comeback in the final minutes.

It all caught up to them Wednesday night when they fell behind in the opening minutes of Game 2 and watched the Thunder run away with it without any real resistance.

“I don’t want to say we weren’t ready to play,” Adelman said. “I think we weren’t ready to play at that level. And when they came out the way they did, I thought our reaction to it took a really long time to understand what kind of game it was.”

Adelman said of all the things the Nuggets need to correct, “it comes down to the mentality of how we play tomorrow. And we had a great mentality in Game 1. People can say, ‘Oh, you were behind in Game 1, too.’ But it never felt like we let go of the rope. And yesterday I felt we let go of the rope and I felt they also played at an extremely high level.”

Adelman acknowledged fatigue was a factor in Denver’s dismal performance.

“I’ll say this: fatigue is a word you can use when you lose in the playoffs and that is a factor, but fatigue is part of what the postseason is,” Adelman said. “And finding that next level, your second wind, your third wind, collectively finding energy from each other, is how you win these games.

“And there’s a million ways to break things down: oh, they’re playing more people than you or they had eight days off. All those things are true. But the other truth is well, we had enough energy to win Game 1 two days after winning a Game 7. So, why not have enough energy last night? I think the guys have it in them and I think they’ll bring it tomorrow night.”

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

George Pickens says he joins the Dallas Cowboys focused more on a future with quarterback Dak Prescott and fellow receiver CeeDee Lamb than a past of why the Pittsburgh Steelers would trade one of their top playmakers in his prime.

Dallas gave up a third-round draft pick next year, and the teams swapped late-round choices in 2027 to end Pickens’ three-year stint with the Steelers.

There were enough questionable antics for coach Mike Tomlin to declare bluntly last year that the former Georgia star and 2022 second-round pick needed to grow up. He isn’t worried about that perception following him to Dallas.

“I can’t really change anyone’s opinion of me personally,” Pickens said in a conference call with reporters Thursday, a day after the trade was announced. “I feel like everybody in the world has to grow. You get older and older as you grow. We’re trying to build a winning culture, which they already have at the Cowboys. I’m just glad to be joining it.”

The Cowboys weren’t winners last season, finishing 7-10 to end a three-year stretch of 12-5 playoff seasons. All three of those ended without a trip beyond the divisional round of the playoffs. Dallas is the only NFC team that hasn’t played in a conference championship game since the 1995 season, when the Cowboys won their fifth Super Bowl title.

Looking to rebound under first-year coach Brian Schottenheimer, Dallas didn’t address the need for a No. 2 receiver behind Lamb during the draft. The trade for Pickens might have been why. Owner and general manager Jerry Jones said before the draft the Cowboys were working on a couple of “substantive” trades.

Pickens has the skills to match Lamb, who was an All-Pro in 2023 when he set career highs in catches (an NFL-best 135), yards (1,749) and touchdowns (12). The 24-year-old Pickens — two years younger than Lamb — led the Steelers in receiving yards each of the past two seasons and is among the NFL’s best in yards per catch.

“You guys making a 1A, 1B, and all this, honestly, that’s the first time I’ve heard any of that stuff,” Pickens said. “I feel like two receivers are kind of normal. When I used to watch football, there was always a good receiver, and then there was also another good receiver on the side of him.”

Pickens has consistently struggled to keep his emotions in check. Last season alone he twice ended games by getting into dust-ups with opposing defensive backs, first when he grabbed Dallas’ Jourdan Lewis by the facemask and then when he tussled with Cleveland’s Greg Newsome II rather than try to get in position for a last-second desperation pass.

That doesn’t include a fine for using an expletive on his eye black against the Cowboys, a rule he said he was unaware of at the time. Pickens also drew criticism in 2023 for what could generously be described as inattentive downfield blocking for his teammates.

Pickens won’t have to worry about making nice with Lewis, who signed with Jacksonville as a free agent in March. Prescott was among the first to reach out to Pickens, who will need time to get settled in his new home and meet most of his new teammates.

“I like the mojo here,” Pickens said. “I like the swag.”

Considering Pickens’ volatility, the Steelers didn’t seem interested in a contract extension, and he became expendable when they traded for two-time Pro Bowler DK Metcalf in March. Metcalf promptly signed a five-year contract.

Pickens brushed off the question of signing an extension before the end of his four-year rookie deal this season.

“I’m kind of where my feet are right now, to be honest,” Pickens said. “I’m not really thinking about contract talks.”

Pickens led the league by averaging 18.1 yards per catch in 2023 and has 174 receptions for 2,841 yards and 12 scores in 48 games. Lamb was a model of consistency and improvement his first four years, and now Pickens is trying to prove he can be reliable in his fourth year.

“It excites me a lot because … we can work off each other,” Pickens said. “There’s no, ‘He gets the ball, I get the ball.’ We’re working off each other. That’s why I always come back to building a winning culture. And that’s kind of what we’ve been talking about in Dallas.”

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AP National Writer Will Graves in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Mikko Rantanen had a natural hat trick in the second period, Jake Oettinger stopped 30 shots and the Dallas Stars beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the second-round series.

Rantanen, who had a hat trick in the third period of the Stars’ Game 7 win over his former Colorado teammates, is the third player in NHL history — and the first in nearly 40 years — with hat tricks in consecutive playoff games.

Edmonton’s Jari Kurri accomplished the feat in Games 5 and 6 of the 1985 Campbell Conference final, and Chicago’s Doug Bentley did the same in Games 4 and 5 of the 1944 Stanley Cup Final.

“Sometimes it goes that way,” said Rantanen, acquired from Carolina at the trade deadline. “The third goal goes off them and goes five—hole. Or when you’re going through a tough stretch, you feel like you could only pray for those and those never come.”

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Friday night in Winnipeg.

Nino Niederreiter and Mark Scheifele scored for the Jets, who had won four in a row at Canada Life Centre. Connor Hellebuyck made 21 saves.

Scheifele returned after sustaining an upper-body injury in Game 5 in the first round against St. Louis. Dallas forward Jason Robertson was back after injuring a knee in the final game of the regular season.

The Jets led the NHL with 116 points to earn home-ice advantage through the playoffs, while Dallas was second in the Central Division and third in the Western Conference with 106.

“We know we just gave up home-ice advantage,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said. “And that wasn’t a game where they rolled over top of us for three periods. That was a game where we weren’t at our best.”

Niederreiter got the sold-out crowd cheering when his sharp-angled backhander beat Oettinger at 3:30 of the second period. He became the NHL’s first Swiss-born player to skate in 100 postseason games.

Rantanen tied it at 8:43 with his sixth goal of the playoffs. His second goal was a tip of Thomas Harley’s point shot with 5:39 left, and he made it 3-1 on the power play 2:17 later when his shot went in off Jets defenseman Dylan Samberg.

“Sometimes it’s ups and downs in hockey and now it’s going well individually and as a team,” Rantanen said.

Rantanen extended his points streak to four games with eight goals and six assists across the stretch. He has 15 points this postseason.

“He’s one of the best players in the world and he’s just on fire right now, so we’re just trying to get him the puck,” said center Sam Steele, who assisted on Rantanen’s first goal of the night.

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Mikko Rantanen is showing exactly why Dallas was willing to pay such a hefty price to put him the roster. One of the players the Stars traded for Rantanen is also making a positive impact for his new team.

Nearly every team in the second round of the NHL playoffs is benefitting from moves they made at the trade deadline. That includes Toronto with Brandon Carlo and Scott Laughton; Florida with Brad Marchand and Seth Jones; Washington with Anthony Beauvillier; Edmonton with Jake Walman and Trent Frederic; Winnipeg with Brandon Tanev and Luke Schenn; and the Carolina Hurricanes also with Taylor Hall and Mark Jankowski.

One of those teams — or maybe Vegas, which made a move to get Reilly Smith back — will hoist the Stanley Cup in June and have a trade or two to credit for the journey.

The Stars and Hurricanes are co-Cup favorites according to BetMGM Sportsbook after making the biggest deadline deal: Rantanen to Dallas for Logan Stankoven, two first-round picks and a third-rounder to Carolina. Rantanen has had a hat trick in each of the past two games — last weekend in Game 7 to knock out the Colorado Avalanche who traded him in late January and then in Wednesday’s series opener at Winnipeg.

“It’s a treat,” teammate Sam Steel said. “He’s one of the best players in the world and he’s just on fire right now, so we’re just trying to get him the puck.”

Stars coach Peter DeBoer said Rantanen had an easy transition. That may be an understatement, as the 28-year-old Finn leads the postseason with eight goals and 15 points.

“We all know how elite he is,” Jets winger Nino Niederreiter said. “He’s really done it these last few games and throughout his whole career — always a fantastic player.”

That was the Hurricanes’ thinking when they sent Martin Necas, Jack Drury and two picks to Colorado for Rantanen in an unexpected, blockbuster trade more than a month before the deadline. Avalanche president of hockey operations Joe Sakic — who drafted Rantanen with the 10th pick in 2015 — heard after that move that the possibility of another trade back West was possible.

With the clock ticking toward the deadline on March 7, first-year Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky made the most of the situation and dealt Rantanen to the Stars, who then signed him to an eight-year, $96 million extension.

Rantanen is a playoff producer (101 points in 81 games before this spring, including helping Colorado win the Cup in 2022).

Carolina has gotten three goals this playoffs from Stankoven and three points from Hall, while Jankowski was a big reason for a perfect penalty kill in the first round.

“They’ve all helped in a lot of different ways on both sides of the puck,” captain Jordan Staal said. “Three great players that have really kind of solidified our lineup and played really well for us.”

So has Marchand for defending champion Florida, so far scoring at a point-a-game pace this playoffs. He and Jones felt welcomed right away.

“This team is built to want to win, and they have that drive,” Marchand said. “And when you walk in the room, everyone was really excited for each and every one of us to come in and be part of the group.”

The Capitals got Beauvillier in part because he has had some high-scoring playoffs. He had 27 points combined over two New York Islanders trips to the Eastern Conference Final and put up five points in his first six games with Washington.

“There’s something about important games and meaningful games that get me, I guess, a little bit more fired up and get my a little bit more focused,” Beauvillier said.

Some of the additions have been more subtle: Laughton has a couple of points and Carlo is playing important minutes for the Maple Leafs as they try to get past the second round for the first time in more than two decades. Schenn and Tanev toughened up Winnipeg, and Walman and Frederic helped the Oilers fill holes vacated by Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway leaving last summer.

Dallas also loaded up beyond Rantanen. General manager Jim Nill’s February trade for Cody Ceci and Mikael Granlund, also involving a first-round pick, has paid dividends.

“I can’t say enough about Granlund and what he’s brought, Cody Ceci — (without them) we don’t get through the first round,” DeBoer said.

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AP Sports Writers Tim Reynolds in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Aaron Beard in Raleigh, North Carolina, Stephen Hawkins in Frisco, Texas, Pat Graham in Denver and the Canadian Press contributed.

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Mikko Rantanen is on a history-making tear. The Florida Panthers need a history-making comeback.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will seek a 3-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers on Friday night, while Rantanen — on a scoring roll the likes of which hockey hasn’t seen in generations — will lead the Dallas Stars into Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series against the Winnipeg Jets.

Florida lost a pair of one-goal games at Toronto to open their series, which resumes on the Panthers’ home ice for Game 3 on Friday.

History says the Panthers are in big trouble: Toronto has won all 11 of its previous best-of-seven series when taking a 2-0 lead at home, Florida is 0-5 all-time in series where it dropped both Games 1 and 2, and leaguewide, teams facing 0-2 deficits come back to win those series only about 14% of the time.

There are no magic words to say now, Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Thursday.

“If there was, you would have said it two games ago, right? We’re not holding back any gems,” Maurice said. “That’s probably the most important thing that you realize. We went on the road and lost two one-goal games. Our game’s not perfect. Neither is theirs. So, you’re looking for an adjustment to foundation more than an adjustment to something unusual.”

Over in the West, where Dallas stuck first in Winnipeg with a 3-2 win, Rantanen is indeed doing something unusual — lots of things that are unusual, actually.

He’s the third player in NHL playoff history to have a hat trick in back-to-back games: Jari Kurri for Edmonton in 1985 and Doug Bentley for Chicago in 1944 are the others. He’s had a hand in each of Dallas’ last 12 goals, a streak unmatched by any player on any team in playoff history. He’s the first player in playoff history with at least eight goals and six assists in a four-game span. The first player with two three-goal periods in the same postseason. And on, and on, and on.

“Let’s see how long he can run this for,” Dallas coach Peter DeBoer said. “He’s rolling. He’s feeling it. Pretty impressive, what he’s doing. I mean, considering the opponent and the time of year and how he’s dominating games, really impressive.”
Toronto Maple Leafs at Florida Panthers

When/Where to Watch: Game 3, Friday, 7 p.m. EDT (TNT/truTV/Max)

Series: Maple Leafs lead 2-0

If losing a pair of one-goal playoff games wasn’t bad enough — 5-4 in Game 1, 4-3 in Game 2 — the Panthers can look at two goals given up in those games and really lament how those scores factored into creating their current situation.

In Game 1, Seth Jones scored to get Florida within 2-1 — and the Panthers gave up a goal to Morgan Rielly 19 seconds later. In Game 2, Anton Lundell scored early in the third to pull Florida into a 3-3 tie — only to have Mitch Marner score what became the game-winner 17 seconds later.

The Leafs held serve at home, which is what they were supposed to do. Toronto became the first team to get to six wins in these playoffs and will be feeling very good about its game going into Game 3.

“It doesn’t change how we go about our day today,” Panthers forward Sam Reinhart said Thursday before Florida hopped aboard its charter flight back home. “It’s about recovering and putting the best foot forward to play our best game tomorrow night and get back in this thing.”
Dallas Stars at Winnipeg Jets

When/Where to Watch: Game 2, Friday, 9:30 p.m. EDT (TNT/truTV/Max)

Series: Stars lead 1-0

Playoff hockey is different. Every opponent at this time of year is obviously proven. But the Winnipeg Jets — who needed seven games and a Game 7 miracle to escape St. Louis in Round 1 — are right back into some hot water, in large part because they’re giving up a lot of goals.

The Jets have given up 26 goals in the last six games, after not giving up more than 20 in any six-game span of the regular season.

Rantanen’s hot streak is one thing, but Winnipeg’s defense wasn’t exactly airtight going back to Round 1 either. And while the Jets survived a Game 7 at home to get here, the last thing they need is to go back to Dallas in a 2-0 hole.

That starts with doing more against Rantanen.

“He’s just somebody that you always have to know when he’s on the ice,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said of facing Rantanen. “Whenever you face elite players, you’ve got to know where they are. And he’s feeling it. We’ve got to know when he’s on the ice.”

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Joel Quenneville returned to hockey Thursday with contrition. He acknowledged mistakes and said he accepted full responsibility for his role in the Chicago Blackhawks sexual assault scandal.

The second-winningest coach in NHL history said he is a changed man after nearly four years away from the game. As he took over behind the bench of the Anaheim Ducks, he vowed to continue to educate himself about abuse, to expand his work with victims, and to create an unimpeachably safe workplace with his new team.

Quenneville also realizes that’s not nearly enough to satisfy a significant segment of hockey fans who believe his acknowledged inaction during the Blackhawks scandal should have ended his career forever.

“I fully understand and accept those who question my return to the league,” Quenneville said. “I know words aren’t enough. I will demonstrate (by) my actions that I am a man of character.”

Ducks owner Henry Samueli and general manager Pat Verbeek strongly backed the 66-year-old Quenneville when they introduced him as the coach of a franchise stuck in a seven-year playoff drought and thirsting for the success Quenneville has usually orchestrated.

He won three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks and took 20 teams to the playoffs during a quarter-century with four NHL clubs, becoming the most consistent winner of his era.

While Quenneville’s on-ice record was remarkable, his off-ice behavior in 2010 eventually led to his resignation from the Florida Panthers in October 2021 and a lengthy banishment from the league — a ban that many feel should be permanent.

“I own my mistakes,” Quenneville said, occasionally pausing in his delivery of a written statement. “While I believed wholeheartedly the issue was handled by management, I take full responsibility for not following up and asking more questions. That’s entirely on me. Over nearly four years, I’ve taken time to reflect, to listen to experts and advocates, and educate myself on the realities of abuse, trauma and how to be a better leader. I hope others can learn from my inaction.”

Quenneville and Blackhawks executives Stan Bowman and Al MacIsaac were banned from the NHL for nearly three years after an independent investigation concluded the team mishandled allegations raised by former player Kyle Beach against video coach Brad Aldrich during the team’s first Stanley Cup run. The trio was reinstated last July, and Bowman became the Edmonton Oilers’ general manager three weeks later.

After an investigation and vetting process that lasted several days and included communication with Beach and other sexual assault victims and advocacy groups, the Ducks’ owners ultimately supported the decision made by Verbeek, Quenneville’s teammate in New Jersey and Hartford more than three decades ago.

Samueli and his wife, Susan, and their daughter, Jillian, all spoke at length with Quenneville. Henry Samueli said he is “absolutely convinced Joel is a really good person.”

“I think the four years that Joel spent out of hockey has really given him an opportunity to learn a lot,” Samueli said. “In my mind, he will be a model coach for dealing with situations like this. I think he will be a mentor to other coaches in the league who can come to him and talk to him. ‘How do you handle situations like that? What do you do?’ And they’ll trust him, because he’s old-school who’s changed. The fact that he comes from an old-school hockey culture, but now has transitioned and learned what it means to operate in 2025, not 1980 or whatever, I think that will make a big difference in how he operates.”

Quenneville understands just how badly his reputation and career were damaged by his role in the Blackhawks’ handling of the accusations against Aldrich. He remained out of hockey for another season after his ban ended, but became increasingly eager to continue his career last winter while watching games every night and staying closely informed on the league.

“I thought I had some work to do in growing as a person,” Quenneville said. “As far as doing work along the way, I felt I had progressed to an area where the education I had put me in a position where I know I can share some of these lessons and these experiences as well.”

Many people with a firsthand knowledge of Quenneville’s attempts to change himself supported his desire to return. Quenneville said he has spoken to Beach several times recently, including Thursday morning.

He has formed learning friendships with advocates including Chris Jensen, the former University of Wisconsin player and Maple Leafs draft pick who was abused by a coach as a teenager.

“I think most of the athletes that have played for him would argue that this guy has helped me be better,” Jensen said. “He brings all that expertise, and now he’s got additional perspective about how to be available to help people deal with emotional injury. I think he’s in a much better position to be successful.”

The Ducks’ charitable foundation is already involved in charitable and philanthropic work supporting survivors of sexual abuse, and Samueli expects Quenneville to support those efforts.

“I’m very confident that Joel will be a star when it comes to working with those organizations,” Samueli said.

Before his ban, Quenneville spent parts of 25 NHL seasons behind the benches of St. Louis, Colorado, Chicago and Florida, most notably leading the Blackhawks to championships in 2010, 2013 and 2015. His 969 career victories are the second-most in NHL history, trailing only Scotty Bowman’s 1,244.

Quenneville takes over a team with the NHL’s third-longest active playoff drought. Anaheim finished sixth in the Pacific Division this season at 35-37-10 after being in the bottom two for the previous four consecutive years.

He replaces Greg Cronin, who was surprisingly fired by Verbeek after leading the Ducks to a 21-point improvement in his second season.

Quenneville inherits an Anaheim team with an ample stock of young talent, and he was immediately impressed by their roster when he saw it in person during Anaheim’s road trip to Tampa Bay last January. He also coached Ducks captain Radko Gudas and forward Frank Vatrano in Florida.

“One of the best coaches I’ve ever had, and I always tell people that,” said Vatrano, who attended Quenneville’s introductory news conference. “As a person, he’s a great person, too. That’s what always draws me to Q. I’m a huge advocate for him, and I’m glad he’s here.”

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The University of Texas System Board of Regents approved Longhorns basketball coach Sean Miller’s six-year, $32 million guaranteed contract on Thursday, as the school tries to boost a program that struggled in its first year in the Southeastern Conference.

Texas will pay Miller about double that of his predecessor Rodney Terry. Terry still had three years left on a five-year contract that paid him about $3 million per year when he was dismissed in March.

Miller’s deal starts at $4.8 million for the 2025-26 season and increases by $200,000 every year through the 2030-31 season. He also got a one-time $250,000 relocation payment, and can earn up to $850,000 in bonuses every season depending on conference championships, personal awards and how far Texas advances in the NCAA Tournament.

Texas hired Miller from Xavier after the Musketeers beat Texas in the NCAA Tournament in a First Four matchup just a few days earlier.

The 56-year-old Miller had two stints at Xavier and also coached at Arizona. He coached the Musketeers from 2004-09 before leaving for Arizona. He then returned to Xavier in 2022 after he was fired at Arizona.

Miller’s teams have made the NCAA Tournament 13 times with four trips to the Elite Eight. He is 487-196 overall in 20 seasons. He now inherits a Texas program looking to find its footing in the SEC, college basketball’s dominant league this season. Texas finished 14th in the 16-team conference and barely scraped its way into the NCAA Tournament before its early exit.

Terry led Texas to the Elite Eight as interim coach in 2023, but pressure mounted as he struggled to maintain that success. Texas made quick exits from the tournament the past two seasons, and was just 6-12 in league play in its first season in the SEC.

Miller faces a significant rebuild of the Texas roster.

Tre Johnson, the SEC freshman of the year and the Longhorns’ scoring leader last season, declared for the NBA draft and eight other players either finished their college eligibility or transferred.

Texas has signed transfers Simeon Wilcher from St. John’s, Lassina Traore and Dailyn Swain from Xavier, Matas Vokietaitis from Florida Atlantic and Camden Heide from Purdue.

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