Morning sports update: Brad Marchand had a few honest words about his play so far in the Stanley Cup Final
“Personally, I wasn’t good the last two games."
Like most of the game Wednesday night, the Stanley Cup Final is now tied.The St. Louis Blues evened the series in a Game 2 overtime win over the Bruins at TD Garden. After a four-goal first period, the two teams remained deadlocked at 2-2 until Blues defenseman Carl Gunnarsson’s long-range, sudden-death game-winner less than four minutes into overtime.Watch the highlights here. Game 3 is Saturday night (8 p.m. EST) in St. Louis.Three miles down the road at Fenway Park, the Red Sox didn’t fare any better. Despite a season-high four home runs, Boston lost a second straight game to the Cleveland Indians, who clobbered the Red Sox pitching staff. The final score was 14-9. Highlights here.Brad Marchand: ‘We can’t be playing like that’
Being tied 1-1 in the series after two games in Boston isn’t good enough for Brad Marchand, nor has been his own performance during the Stanley Cup Final.
“We need to be better,” Marchand told reporters after the game. “Personally, I wasn’t good the last two games, so, you know, we can’t be playing like that.”
The Bruins front-liner gave the Blues credit for playing well in Game 2 and kept a positive outlook.
“We’re 1-1, there’s five games left, and that’s what makes the Stanley Cup Final fun,” Marchand said, adding that he’s “not worried” about the performance thus far of the Bruins front line.
However, his forthright assessment of both his own and the team’s need to improve reflects the degree to which the Blues defense has been able to contain the Bruins’ top trio of forwards. David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, and Marchand have combined for two points in the first two games — Marchand’s empty net goal in Game 1 and a secondary assist from Pastrnak in Game 2 — and just seven of Boston’s 23 shots on net Wednesday night.
Now the pressure is on Boston to win a game away from home. Still, Marchand thinks the Bruins are in a relatively good position.
“If you told us that at the start of the year, we’d be 1-1 in the finals, take that every time,” he said, channeling the spirit of Game 2 banner captain Bill Belichick. “On to the next one.”
Trivia: Before last night, who was the last player to score an overtime goal in a Stanley Cup Final game?
Hint: He plays for a team that the Blues beat during this year’s playoff run.
More from Boston.com:
- 3 takeaways from the Bruins’ Game 2 loss to the Blues
- Carl Gunnarsson pleaded for ‘one more chance’ and capitalized in OT
- What players and coaches had to say after Bruins-Blues Game 2
- Blues goalie Jordan Binnington spent some time with the Bruins’ AHL affiliate last season
- ‘I don’t think that’s a hit we want in our game’: David Backes was not happy with Oskar Sundqvist
- What the Bruins had to say after their humbling Game 2 loss
- Hate builds up between Blues, Bruins in Stanley Cup Final
- It’s not Matt Barnes, but the Red Sox bullpen needs arms all the same
- In NFL labor talks, owners expected to pursue 18-game season or expanded playoffs
Bill Belichick went out of his way to have a word with the Bruins anthem singer
After firing up the Bruins faithful, the Patriots coach and Game 2 banner captain stopped and shook hands with Todd Angilly, the bartender who sings the national anthem before Bruins home games.
“What a moment! A class act!!! Thanks coach!!!” Angilly tweeted afterward.
Another cool moment with #Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. After waiving the #Bruins flag as the Banner Captain, he stopped and talked to @todd_angilly who sings the National Anthem here at the Garden. @NBC10Boston pic.twitter.com/JwbDQwwQi9
— Raul Martinez (@RaulNBCBoston) May 30, 2019
Why doesn’t Tom Brady participate in OTAs when he’s training so close by anyways?
For a second straight offseason, Tom Brady isn’t attending the Patriots’ springtime voluntary practices. But it isn’t like he’s vacationing on a beach somewhere. The Patriots quarterback has been spending time at his home in Brookline, working out at local fields — sometimes even with teammates Julian Edelman and N’Keal Harry. So why doesn’t he just move those practice sessions to Foxborough? The Boston Globe‘s Ben Volin has questions.
It was a good night for the Blues — on two continents: Chelsea FC soundly defeated Arsenal 4-1 in the Europa League final, in what was likely Real Madrid-bound star Eden Hazard’s final game with the club.
https://twitter.com/brlive/status/1133848141889982469
An appreciation of Joakim Nordstrom:
The Bruins center scored a goal and literally put his body on the line to help kill a four-minute Blues power play, among other efforts, in Game 2. Globe columnist Tara Sullivan wrote about the courageous performance by the 27-year-old Swede, which might otherwise have been forgotten in the overtime loss.
“He’s laying it all on the line for his teammates, for the entire city,” teammate Brandon Carlo said of Nordstrom’s effort.
One of those nights…
“Hey man, you got it?”
“Nah man, I thought you had it.” pic.twitter.com/iYwsCNQkAm
— Cut4 (@Cut4) May 30, 2019
On this day: Fans may trace the historic Red Sox-Yankees rivalry back to the infamous sale of Babe Ruth in 1919. However, the rivalry didn’t really heat up until May 30, 1938. During a day game at Yankee Stadium in front of more than 80,000 people, Yankees outfielder Jake Powell and Red Sox player-manager Joe Cronin got into a wild brawl that continued after they left the field.
The fight began after Powell charged the mound after getting hit by a pitch from Red Sox pitcher Archie McKain. Cronin, who was playing shortstop at the time, came in running to push McKain away and start swinging at Powell “almost in one motion,” the Globe reported at the time. The two players (who both remain notorious in baseball history for racism) were ejected from the game. However, the umpires “made the mistake” of not accompanying them off the field, according to the Globe.
Powell reportedly waited for Cronin in the clubhouse runway, where their fight resumed — and didn’t stop until the umpires ran in from the field to intervene. According to witnesses, Cronin got the upper hand in the fight, until several other Yankees players joined in. Joe DiMaggio was reportedly the only member of the team that tried to break up the fight.
“When I ran down the steps, Joe and Powell were hot at it with several of the Yankees just crowding around them and not doing anything,” Red Sox pitcher Herb Pennock told the Globe. “So I tried to separate them and just about that time [first base ump] Cal Hubbard led the umpires down the steps. Big Cal heaved me one way, Powell another, and Cronin still in a different direction and that broke it up.”
Exactly 81 years later, the Red Sox are kicking off another series Thursday at Yankee Stadium.
Daily highlight: Chelsea may have won the Europa League final, but Arsenal forward Alex Iwobi arguably had the best goal of Wednesday’s game.
https://twitter.com/brfootball/status/1133866012183543809
Trivia answer: San Jose Sharks winger Joonas Donskoi
