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Avalanche vs. Kraken Game 7: Three keys for Avs to advance to second round vs. Stars

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:18:14 GMT

The Dallas Stars patiently await their challenger.Colorado and Seattle have battled it out for six games without a solution in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so Ball Arena will host a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday (7:30 p.m. MT, TNT). Here are three keys for the Avs to advance.1. No more time for “almost” on power play. The Avs have gradually started pounding away at Seattle’s penalty kill throughout this series, looking more dangerous every game. It culminated with multiple near-perfect power play shifts in Game 6 … yet Colorado still finished 0 for 5. Its series total is 1 for 17, with no goals for the top unit. (Mikko Rantanen scored with the second.) “Gaining that momentum,” Devon Toews said. “We’re getting the good looks. … Getting those looks consistently definitely puts teams under pressure.” Some of it’s tough luck, such as Philipp Grubauer’s spectacular save against J.T. Compher on Frid...

Kevin Durant heaps praise on Nuggets: MPJ is an X-factor, Nikola Jokic a future Hall of Famer

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:18:14 GMT

Kevin Durant has seen everything the NBA has to offer.Championships, free agency, heel turns. Durant’s storied career has run the gamut. He’s also a student of the game. Speaking from Suns practice on Friday afternoon, Durant spoke glowingly of Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. and deemed him an X-factor for their second-round playoff series.He knew, for example, that Porter fell all the way to No. 14 in the 2018 draft where the Nuggets were, in Durant’s words, “lucky enough” to draft him. As Durant got to that part of Porter’s story, he smiled knowing how significant a piece Porter has been to Denver’s roster. And how, without that fortuitous turn of events, perhaps the Nuggets wouldn’t have been the No. 1 seed for the first time in franchise history this postseason.Porter was a bit inconsistent in Denver’s first-round playoff series victory over the Timberwolves, but he did connect on over 42% of his 3-pointers. Against a Suns squad that doesn’t have as many defensive standouts a...

Kickin’ It with Kiz: As rookie Marvin Mims enters Broncos receiving room is Courtland Sutton headed for the exit?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:18:14 GMT

I think trading up to draft Marvin Mims Jr. of Oklahoma signals many changes to come to the Broncos’ wide receiver room.M.S., anticipates falling dominoesKiz: If Mims is all that as a receiver and a bag of chips as a kick-returner, then Montrell Washington is as good as gone, and it’s likely Courtland Sutton will be headed for the door no later than 2024. But drafting Arkansas linebacker Drew Sanders in the third round also made me wonder how satisfied the new coaching staff is with crowd-favorite Josey Jewell entering the final year of his contract.The biggest takeaway from the Broncos’ draft? The real answer is Sean Payton. It feels good to have a proven and experienced winner as head coach. Better days for the Broncos are very near.Scott, sunshine in his forecastKiz: The Broncos’ aggressive nature, trading up twice in the draft, caused Payton to turn and tell general manager George Paton: “It was exciting, wasn’t it?” Make no mistake. The...

Crafty, Creepy and Queer Weekend Shopping Picks

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:18:14 GMT

Spring is in full swing and so are events of all kinds offering an excuse to get out and connect with community and small businesses. Shopping events in particular are plentiful right now. Beyond flea market or mall destinations, craft fairs and pop-ups offer something unique and fun for the whole family. This weekend there are some really big gatherings featuring local creators selling wares of all sorts. Spend your money and feel good about it with these multi-faceted shopping picks.“Half-o-ween” – the faux holiday celebrated by dark souls halfway to Halloween – is here and the Spooky Swap Meet returns to Heritage Square Museum for a gloomy good curated shopping fest. Loads of vampy vendors and a walk-thru haunted attraction by Fear Farm await with gothic decor, apparel, props, and more for sale plus fortune telling and food available. Trick-or-treat at seven stops within the Square’s manors each done up by the likes of AdamJessFx, Art’s Sideshow, a Bones’ Gulch and Samhain’s Lot ...

Game 7 preview: Backs against the wall, Warriors have to turn up the energy against Kings

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:18:14 GMT

In all 28 of the Warriors playoff series that Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have played, a Game 7 was only needed four times.But they’ll need a fifth on Sunday against the Sacramento Kings — and this one was entirely avoidable.The Warriors had a chance to close this first-round series in Game 6 at home, where they’ve dominated all year. Instead, the Warriors played arguably their worst game as a collective this entire year given the stakes. They were flat-footed, out-coached and unprepared for the adjustments and energy the Kings beat them with.All year this team has been bogged down by poor execution, particularly late in games, and lack of focus. They locked in and won three straight down 2-0 earlier in the series — can they get up again for one more game with the season and, perhaps, the dynasty on the line?The core players who’ve been here before believe they can.“It’s up to us to go to Sacramento and do everything we did tonight — but opp...

Flood warning closes much of Yosemite as “Big Melt” arrives

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:18:14 GMT

Even as the spring heat wave that’s thawed California’s record Sierra Nevada snowpack comes to a close, communities across the Central Valley and the state’s northeastern mountains are continuing to prepare for potentially dangerous flooding.Already, near-overflowing rivers triggered the closure of much of Yosemite National Park on Friday, and the park will remain under a flood warning until at least Tuesday morning.Indefinite flood warnings were also in effect for areas near rushing rivers in parts of Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties, where some 60,000 acres of farmland are under about 3 feet of water brought by last month’s powerful atmospheric river storms.The high temperatures, breaking 80 degrees at many snowy peaks, were expected to subside by Monday. But that won’t put an end to flood concerns triggered by this week’s anticipated “Big Melt.”“The rate of melting may not be as significant, but it will continue,” said ...

Mariners CF Julio Rodríguez exits game with sore lower back

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:18:14 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — Seattle Mariners star Julio Rodríguez left Saturday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth inning because of a sore lower back. He was replaced in center field by AJ Pollock.The 22-year-old Rodríguez won the AL Rookie of the Year award last season and was selected for the All-Star Game. He began the day batting .236 with five homers, 13 RBIs and a .745 OPS this year.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

McGee loses no-hit bid in 7th inning of 1st MLB start

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:18:14 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — Seattle Mariners pitcher Easton McGee took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of his first major league start Saturday before Matt Chapman doubled off the center-field wall for the Toronto Blue Jays with two outs.McGee was removed after Chapman’s hit, and reliever Matt Brash struck out Daulton Varsho to end the inning. The game was scoreless heading to the eighth.McGee retired his first 12 batters before walking Chapman to begin the fifth. The 6-foot-6 right-hander then set down the next eight Blue Jays hitters. He threw only 64 pitches in 6 2/3 innings, striking out two.It was the second big league outing for McGee, who made one relief appearance for Tampa Bay late last season. He was called up from Triple-A Tacoma earlier in the day to start in place of struggling Chris Flexen, who was moved to the bullpen.There have been six no-hitters in Mariners history and the most recent one came in Toronto, when Canadian-born lefty James Paxton threw one on May 8, 2018....

Kings hope for crowd to carry them in Game 7 vs. Warriors

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:18:14 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — His team huddled up before taking the floor, Harrison Barnes hollered a message to the Kings with their special season on the line: “Leave it all on the floor and take this series back to Sac!”With spectacular performances on both ends against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, the Kings are going home to Sacramento for Game 7 against the defending champions.Malik Monk can only imagine what a winner-take-all showdown might be like with a chance to extend this long-awaited playoff run as all those supporters try to will their Kings into the second round. For Curry and Co., there’s no imagining necessary — they know what hostile road environments feel like for elimination games, having been there so many times over the past decade on the way to four titles.“Man, I never been to Game 7, so I don’t know. I don’t know what to expect,” Monk said. “I just know I’m going to go out there and play 110 percent, give it my all, and continue to do what I’ve b...

Rangers ace deGrom evaluated for tightness around wrist

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:18:14 GMT

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas Rangers ace Jacob deGrom underwent tests Saturday after early exits in two of his last three starts because of tightness in his lower right forearm near his wrist. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said the “same thing cramped up on him again” on Friday night, when deGrom left his start against the New York Yankees with two outs in the fourth inning. That came 11 days after he exited at Kansas City following four hitless innings. Bochy said before Saturday night’s game that the team was still waiting for the results of the ongoing evaluations on the two-time National League Cy Young Award winner, who as a free agent last December signed a $185 million, five-year contract with Texas. “We’ll just wait to hear what the doctors say and we’ll find out if he needs time or not,” Bochy said. “Obviously, we’re being optimistic having gone through this a little already with him.”Texas has won all six games started by deGrom (2-0), but he has been limited to 30 1/...