Kyrou, Perron combine for 4 goals as Blues cruise past Wild to even series

St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington didn’t lose any sleep when he was informed by coach Craig Berube that he would be starting for the first time this post-season on Sunday.

“He’s always the same, he doesn’t give me much of a reaction,” Berube said.

Instead, Binnington let his play do the talking.

Binnington made 28 saves and the Blues beat the Minnesota Wild 5-2 on Sunday to even the best-of-seven Western Conference series at two games apiece.

Jordan Kyrou and David Perron each scored twice and Ryan O’Reilly added a goal and two assists. Perron also had an assist for St. Louis.

Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy scored for Minnesota. Marc-Andre Fleury made 29 saves.

Game 5 is Tuesday night at St. Paul, Minnesota, before returning to St. Louis for Game 6 on Thursday.

Binnington, who had lost his previous nine post-season starts, picked up his first playoff win since beating Boston in Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. He denied Kaprizov from point-blank range late in the second period. Binnington also stopped Mats Zuccarello on a 2-on-1 breakout midway through the final period.

“I felt prepared,” Binnington said. “I felt pretty good.”

Binnington had been supplanted by Ville Husso, who have up nine goals on 59 shots combined in Games 2 and 3 after shutting out the Wild with 37 saves in the opener.

“You have to be ready for whatever comes up,” Binnington said. “We just have to focus on our job, whatever it is that night.”

Coach Craig Berube said he went with Binnington as a hunch.

“We wanted to make a switch and just change the momentum and luck a little bit,” Berube said.

Kyrou and Perron scored 54 seconds apart in the second period to break a 1-1 tie.,

Perron converted the go-ahead score on a shot that squeezed past Fleury towards the net. Minnesota forward Marcus Foligno tried to keep the puck from rolling across the line, but he flipped it off the back of Fleury and into the net.

Kyrou got his second of the game to push the lead to 3-1 with a shot off a pass from Ryan O’Reilly, who assisted on both second-period goals.

“Obviously, we wanted to come out hot, and come out strong,” Kyrou said. “We did that today and we should continue to do it all series long.”

Boldy cut the deficit to 3-2 by scoring off a scramble in from of the net 2:39 into the final period.

Perron added an empty net goal with 1:58 remaining, and O’Reilly had a power-play goal with 1 minute left to cap the scoring.

St. Louis struck first when Kyrou pounced on his own rebound just 4:19 into the game.

Kaprizov tied it 1-1 with his fifth goal of the series off a pass from Jared Spurgeon with 5:54 left in the opening period.

Kaprivoz, who recorded the first hat trick in post-season franchise history in Game 2, was wide open in the slot.

His five goals ties him with Wes Walz and Marian Gaborik for most goals in a series. Walz and Gaborik each scored five times in the 2003 Western Conference semifinals against Vancouver.

“It’s not one guy, it’s the Minnesota Wild that didn’t get to our game quick enough,” Minnesota coach Dean Evason said.. “In the third period we did. But it was a little too late.”

Marchand, Bergeron lead Bruins to series-tying victory

Brad Marchand raced toward the empty net, and there was nothing Carolina defenceman Tony DeAngelo could do except throw his stick at the puck. Forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi shattered his across the goal in frustration.

It’s the playoffs, and Marchand is at his best — scoring, passing and getting under his opponent’s skin.

“It’s a time he loves to play, and he shows it,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said after Marchand’s two-goal, three-assist game in Boston’s 5-2 Game 4 victory over the Hurricanes on Sunday tied the first-round playoff series at 2.

“There’s some chirping going on now, too,” Cassidy said. “And I think that can elevate his game, as well.”

Patrice Bergeron had a goal and two assists and drew a high-sticking double minor from Sebastian Aho at the end of the second period that gave the Bruins a 5-on-3 and left their captain with a black eye and several stitches.

Sixty-eight seconds after the penalty, and 44 seconds into the third period, Marchand scored to break a 2-2 tie.

Rookie Jeremy Swayman made 23 saves for his second straight win, and David Pastrnak had a goal and an assist.

The series returns to Carolina for Game 5 on Tuesday night.

“It starts over now. We just regroup,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “You should have a little emotion right now. It should hurt, and it should bother you and then tomorrow you start fresh.”

And now, the Bruins are assured a Game 6 in Boston on Thursday.

“This is what every kid’s kind of hoping — to get that opportunity playing for that Cup,” Marchand said. “These are the most fun games to play in, when there’s high emotion, high intensity and the most is on the line. If you can’t play in these games, I don’t know what you’re playing for.”

Jake DeBrusk also scored for the Bruins, who scratched top defenceman Charlie McAvoy after he went into the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol about an hour before the opening faceoff. No. 2 defenceman Hampus Lindholm has been out since a hit to the head in Game 2.

“We’re playing for our season,” Marchand said. “It’s really tough when you lose guys like that, but here’s a lot of pride in the room, a lot of character We’ve always shown that.”

Brett Pesce and Jordan Staal scored for Carolina, and Antti Raanta returned to stop 23 shots for the Metropolitan Division champions.

Pesce gave Carolina the lead six minutes into the game, the fourth straight time the Hurricanes have scored first — the seventh time, if you count their three regular-season wins over Boston.

But Bergeron tied it with four minutes to play in the first period when he slid a loose puck through Raanta’s legs. Just 33 seconds into the second period, Nino Niederreiter backhanded it out to Staal for the one-timer that gave Carolina a 2-1 lead.

In the last 90 seconds of the second period, Marchand backhanded the puck into Raanta and it wound up in the crease just sitting there for DeBrusk to clean up.

Brind’Amour challenged for goalie interference, but the call stood. That gave Boston a power play, and it became a 5-on-3 when Aho cut Bergeron’s eye.

Boston still had 44 seconds on the 5-on-3 and 2:58 after that on the double-minor when the third period started. With one second left in the two-man advantage, Marchand wristed one into the net to give Boston its first lead of the day.

Pastrnak added an insurance goal five minutes later, and Marchand put in an empty-netter.

W Series: Chadwick completes Miami GP double

Britain’s Jamie Chadwick completed a Miami double on Sunday with an untroubled second W Series win out of two season-opening races of the all-female championship.

The 23-year-old Williams F1 development driver is chasing her third title in the F1 support series and she led every lap on Sunday for her fourth win in a row after two in Austin, Texas, at the end of last season.

W Series aims to help women reach Formula One, which has not had a female race driver since Italian Lella Lombardi in 1976, but Chadwick is back after failing to secure a seat alongside the men in F2 or F3.

“I’m just happy to bounce back from yesterday because although we got the win I didn’t know if I deserved it,” Chadwick said, who races for the Jenner Racing team of Caitlyn Jenner and won from pole.

“First proper race under green flag conditions, I was really happy I could get that one under our belt,” she added after winning by nearly three seconds.

Spaniard Nerea Marti, who had been on pole for Saturday’s race, was second and Britain’s Alice Powell, who crashed in the first race, third on a track around the Miami Dolphins Hard Rock Stadium.

Powell finished with a broken front wing after a late collision with Finland’s Emma Kimilainen as they battled for third.

The next round of the 10 race season is at the Spanish Grand Prix on May 21.

W Series: Chadwick completes Miami GP double

Britain’s Jamie Chadwick completed a Miami double on Sunday with an untroubled second W Series win out of two season-opening races of the all-female championship.

The 23-year-old Williams F1 development driver is chasing her third title in the F1 support series and she led every lap on Sunday for her fourth win in a row after two in Austin, Texas, at the end of last season.

W Series aims to help women reach Formula One, which has not had a female race driver since Italian Lella Lombardi in 1976, but Chadwick is back after failing to secure a seat alongside the men in F2 or F3.

“I’m just happy to bounce back from yesterday because although we got the win I didn’t know if I deserved it,” Chadwick said, who races for the Jenner Racing team of Caitlyn Jenner and won from pole.

“First proper race under green flag conditions, I was really happy I could get that one under our belt,” she added after winning by nearly three seconds.

Spaniard Nerea Marti, who had been on pole for Saturday’s race, was second and Britain’s Alice Powell, who crashed in the first race, third on a track around the Miami Dolphins Hard Rock Stadium.

Powell finished with a broken front wing after a late collision with Finland’s Emma Kimilainen as they battled for third.

The next round of the 10 race season is at the Spanish Grand Prix on May 21.

How 'incredible' Cavendish proved doubters wrong with latest Giro win

Mark Cavendish’s stunning sprint victory on the third stage of the Giro d’Italia proved to be another impressive step on the comeback trail for the 36-year-old.

The Manxman’s career looked to be nearing it’s end in 2020, but the following year saw him back to something approaching his best, claiming a number of victories as well as matching Eddy Merckx’s record for stage wins at the Tour de France.

Returning to the Giro for the first time since 2013, Cavendish claimed his 16th career stage win at the race – crossing the line quickest in Balatonfüred.

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Discussing Cavendish’s win, and overall resurgence on the Breakaway afterwards, Robbie McEwen admitted he was happy to be wrong about writing the rider off previously.

“It does feel a long time ago and fortunes change,” said McEwen. “And I’ve got to say I was on the side of things where I thought, ‘I don’t think we’ll see the old Mark Cavendish back again,’ but happy to be proved wrong.

“It was a fantastic result and he’s carrying on from where he left off at last year’s Tour de France.”

Dan Lloyd also revealed he didn’t expect Cavendish to rediscover his form and called his upturn in fortunes ‘incredible’.

Lloyd said: “I was looking at how long he’s sprinting through and thinking he’s going to start fading and somebody is going to get past him but it was a remarkable sprint.

“We’ve just slipped back into ‘Well, yeah, Cav has won.’ And it’s literally just over a year ago I never thought I’d see Mark Cavendish ever win another pro bike race.

“Then he went a couple of days at Turkey and we’re like, ‘well, it’s not the Tour de France, is it?’ then he goes back to win stages at the Tour de France. Now he’s about winning stages of the Giro d’Italia nine years after he was last here.

“I mean, you can be blasé about it and you can just chat normally about a bit. It’s incredible.”

‘It’s number 16!’ – Mark Cavendish wins Stage 3 of the Giro

‘He’s proven why he can still go to the Tour de France’

Adam Blythe believes that Cavendish’s latest win could open the door selection for the Tour de France for his team Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl.

Blythe said: “Obviously brilliant today and obviously he’s been away on training camp before this. He’s got ready for this race like it is his Tour de France. He might not go to the Tour de France this year, so he has to prove himself with the same amount of hunger, the same amount of drive, going into the Tour de France as going into this Giro to prove what he can do.

“In my eyes. Mark is the greatest sprinter of all time, and he’s proven today why he still can go to the Tour de France, if he gets selected to.

“It’s a very difficult decision for his team to make. But I think in terms of what this means, it’s also hunger for Mark.

“It’s just taking those little bits of food and building up for that main course of what might be to come later in the year because we all know Cav, we all know what he’s capable of, and we know how [Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team general manager] Patrick LeFevere changes his mind with things.”

‘He’s proven he can go’ – Breakaway team back Cavendish for Tour de France selection

– – –

Stream the Giro d’Italia live and on-demand on discovery+. You can also watch all the action live on eurosport.co.uk.

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How 'incredible' Cavendish proved doubters wrong with latest Giro win

Mark Cavendish’s stunning sprint victory on the third stage of the Giro d’Italia proved to be another impressive step on the comeback trail for the 36-year-old.

The Manxman’s career looked to be nearing it’s end in 2020, but the following year saw him back to something approaching his best, claiming a number of victories as well as matching Eddy Merckx’s record for stage wins at the Tour de France.

Returning to the Giro for the first time since 2013, Cavendish claimed his 16th career stage win at the race – crossing the line quickest in Balatonfüred.

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Discussing Cavendish’s win, and overall resurgence on the Breakaway afterwards, Robbie McEwen admitted he was happy to be wrong about writing the rider off previously.

“It does feel a long time ago and fortunes change,” said McEwen. “And I’ve got to say I was on the side of things where I thought, ‘I don’t think we’ll see the old Mark Cavendish back again,’ but happy to be proved wrong.

“It was a fantastic result and he’s carrying on from where he left off at last year’s Tour de France.”

Dan Lloyd also revealed he didn’t expect Cavendish to rediscover his form and called his upturn in fortunes ‘incredible’.

Lloyd said: “I was looking at how long he’s sprinting through and thinking he’s going to start fading and somebody is going to get past him but it was a remarkable sprint.

“We’ve just slipped back into ‘Well, yeah, Cav has won.’ And it’s literally just over a year ago I never thought I’d see Mark Cavendish ever win another pro bike race.

“Then he went a couple of days at Turkey and we’re like, ‘well, it’s not the Tour de France, is it?’ then he goes back to win stages at the Tour de France. Now he’s about winning stages of the Giro d’Italia nine years after he was last here.

“I mean, you can be blasé about it and you can just chat normally about a bit. It’s incredible.”

‘It’s number 16!’ – Mark Cavendish wins Stage 3 of the Giro

‘He’s proven why he can still go to the Tour de France’

Adam Blythe believes that Cavendish’s latest win could open the door selection for the Tour de France for his team Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl.

Blythe said: “Obviously brilliant today and obviously he’s been away on training camp before this. He’s got ready for this race like it is his Tour de France. He might not go to the Tour de France this year, so he has to prove himself with the same amount of hunger, the same amount of drive, going into the Tour de France as going into this Giro to prove what he can do.

“In my eyes. Mark is the greatest sprinter of all time, and he’s proven today why he still can go to the Tour de France, if he gets selected to.

“It’s a very difficult decision for his team to make. But I think in terms of what this means, it’s also hunger for Mark.

“It’s just taking those little bits of food and building up for that main course of what might be to come later in the year because we all know Cav, we all know what he’s capable of, and we know how [Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team general manager] Patrick LeFevere changes his mind with things.”

‘He’s proven he can go’ – Breakaway team back Cavendish for Tour de France selection

– – –

Stream the Giro d’Italia live and on-demand on discovery+. You can also watch all the action live on eurosport.co.uk.

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Guardiola says 'everyone in this country supports Liverpool' after City win, Dias out for season

Pep Guardiola has claimed “everyone in this country supports Liverpool” after Manchester City took a big step towards winning the Premier League with victory over Newcastle, in a game that saw Ruben Dias suffer a season-ending injury.

City put their midweek Champions League heartbreak against Real Madrid behind them with a crushing 5-0 win at the Etihad.

They are now three points ahead of Liverpool, who drew with Tottenham on Saturday evening.

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Asked by beIN Sports about how close City are now to the title, Guardiola said: “One week ago, nobody even…everyone in this country supports Liverpool, the media and everyone.

“Of course, because Liverpool has an incredible history in Europe, not in [the] Premier League, because they’ve only won one in 30 years, but it’s not a problem at all. The situation is what it is.

“We have to do nine points, maybe six right now, it depends on goal difference. Our destiny is in our hands, that’s important.”

Pressed whether he really believed everyone in the country wants Liverpool to win the league, Guardiola replied: “Liverpool alongside United is the most important teams in terms of legacy, history, dramas.

“But we have in the last 11-12 years always been there. I know we are sometimes uncomfortable, but I don’t care. If the people want Liverpool more [to] win than us, it’s not the issue. It’s normal.

“Maybe supporters around the world support more Liverpool than us, but this is not the question.

“The question is, today, during the start of the game, the people supporting us more than ever won the home game. They know that even being out of the Champions League, we can rely on these players. Hopefully we can arrive at the last game here with the chance to be champions.”

Guardiola also said he never doubted his side would bounce back from their defeat to Real Madrid, having been on the cusp of making the final before a remarkable late turnaround.

“With what this team have done, do you have any doubt?” he told Sky Sports.

“We are five years doing this every three days. If some people doubted us they don’t know this team. It’s one of the best groups I ever trained in my life.

“Three points, nine points to play for, four ahead on goal difference. Another final on Wednesday.”

Raheem Sterling scored twice for City while Aymeric Laporte, Phil Foden and Rodri also netted.

The only negative for City was defender Ruben Dias going off at half-time with injury.

Guardiola says Dias is likely to miss the last three games of the season on account of a hamstring injury, along with Kyle Walker and John Stones.

“We have 15.5 players because Nathan [Ake] is not in perfect condition,” said Guardiola.

Raheem Sterling of Manchester City celebrates with team-mates after scoring during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Newcastle United at Etihad Stadium on May 08, 2022 in Manchester, England

Image credit: Getty Images

“I’m not worried because if Phil Foden has to play as central defender, he will play there.

“Ruben, Kyle and John are out until the end of the season. Next pre-season maybe they will be ready.

“[Ruben’s problem is] muscular. Not the same position, but hamstring.”

On the importance of scoring two late goals to improve City’s goal difference, which is now four better than Liverpool’s, Guardiola added: “We talked about that at half-time – the importance of the win. It could have been 3-1 and after we scored two goals at the end. There’s a big difference.”

Jack Grealish produced an impressive showing after missing two chances to score against Real in midweek.

The 26-year-old, who revealed before the game that he has found it a challenge at City since his £100m move from Aston Villa, said: “We knew there’d be pressure on us today after the defeat, we bounced back perfectly. We’ve stuck together which was needed.

“We’ll try to end the season strongly and we did that today.

“Newcastle have been brilliant since January. Today was a perfect response and a perfect performance.

“We just have to go out there and win every game. We’re in the driving seat. We can’t look at what’s going on around us. Fingers crossed.”

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Guardiola says 'everyone in this country supports Liverpool' after City win, Dias out for season

Pep Guardiola has claimed “everyone in this country supports Liverpool” after Manchester City took a big step towards winning the Premier League with victory over Newcastle, in a game that saw Ruben Dias suffer a season-ending injury.

City put their midweek Champions League heartbreak against Real Madrid behind them with a crushing 5-0 win at the Etihad.

They are now three points ahead of Liverpool, who drew with Tottenham on Saturday evening.

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Asked by beIN Sports about how close City are now to the title, Guardiola said: “One week ago, nobody even…everyone in this country supports Liverpool, the media and everyone.

“Of course, because Liverpool has an incredible history in Europe, not in [the] Premier League, because they’ve only won one in 30 years, but it’s not a problem at all. The situation is what it is.

“We have to do nine points, maybe six right now, it depends on goal difference. Our destiny is in our hands, that’s important.”

Pressed whether he really believed everyone in the country wants Liverpool to win the league, Guardiola replied: “Liverpool alongside United is the most important teams in terms of legacy, history, dramas.

“But we have in the last 11-12 years always been there. I know we are sometimes uncomfortable, but I don’t care. If the people want Liverpool more [to] win than us, it’s not the issue. It’s normal.

“Maybe supporters around the world support more Liverpool than us, but this is not the question.

“The question is, today, during the start of the game, the people supporting us more than ever won the home game. They know that even being out of the Champions League, we can rely on these players. Hopefully we can arrive at the last game here with the chance to be champions.”

Guardiola also said he never doubted his side would bounce back from their defeat to Real Madrid, having been on the cusp of making the final before a remarkable late turnaround.

“With what this team have done, do you have any doubt?” he told Sky Sports.

“We are five years doing this every three days. If some people doubted us they don’t know this team. It’s one of the best groups I ever trained in my life.

“Three points, nine points to play for, four ahead on goal difference. Another final on Wednesday.”

Raheem Sterling scored twice for City while Aymeric Laporte, Phil Foden and Rodri also netted.

The only negative for City was defender Ruben Dias going off at half-time with injury.

Guardiola says Dias is likely to miss the last three games of the season on account of a hamstring injury, along with Kyle Walker and John Stones.

“We have 15.5 players because Nathan [Ake] is not in perfect condition,” said Guardiola.

Raheem Sterling of Manchester City celebrates with team-mates after scoring during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Newcastle United at Etihad Stadium on May 08, 2022 in Manchester, England

Image credit: Getty Images

“I’m not worried because if Phil Foden has to play as central defender, he will play there.

“Ruben, Kyle and John are out until the end of the season. Next pre-season maybe they will be ready.

“[Ruben’s problem is] muscular. Not the same position, but hamstring.”

On the importance of scoring two late goals to improve City’s goal difference, which is now four better than Liverpool’s, Guardiola added: “We talked about that at half-time – the importance of the win. It could have been 3-1 and after we scored two goals at the end. There’s a big difference.”

Jack Grealish produced an impressive showing after missing two chances to score against Real in midweek.

The 26-year-old, who revealed before the game that he has found it a challenge at City since his £100m move from Aston Villa, said: “We knew there’d be pressure on us today after the defeat, we bounced back perfectly. We’ve stuck together which was needed.

“We’ll try to end the season strongly and we did that today.

“Newcastle have been brilliant since January. Today was a perfect response and a perfect performance.

“We just have to go out there and win every game. We’re in the driving seat. We can’t look at what’s going on around us. Fingers crossed.”

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Paul Konchesky replaces Olli Harder as West Ham manager

Paul Konchesky will replace Olli Harder as West Ham manager, with Harder departing the club to ‘pursue new opportunities’.

Harder had informed West Ham of his decision to step down prior to taking charge for the Hammers’ defeat to Arsenal on the final day of the WSL season, and his departure and Konchesky’s appointment were announced five hours after the curtain came down on the 2021/22 campaign.

Konchesky – who spent two years at West Ham as a player between 2005 and 2007 – had been Harder’s assistant since May 2021, and has signed a two-year deal with the club.

“This is a very proud moment for me,” Konchesky told West Ham’s official club website. “I’m really honoured to have been appointed. I’m relishing both the challenge and the opportunity that comes with this role. West Ham is really close to my heart – it was a dream to play for the club and now to be in this position is something I am really excited about. I’m looking forward to getting started.”

Harder took the West Ham job in December 2020 following Matt Beard’s resignation, and steered the club to safety during the final weeks of the 2020/21 season.

The Hammers have made real progress during the New Zealander’s first full campaign in charge, registering their highest ever finish in the top flight and moulding into a robust, well-drilled, hard to beat unit.

“I am proud and honoured to have had the opportunity to work for West Ham United and share this experience with our amazing staff, players, and, of course, incredible fans,” Harder said.

“Having reached a Conti Cup quarter-final, an FA Cup semi-final and earned more points this season than in any WSL season in the club’s history, I believe I’m leaving the club in a really good place. I am sure that if it continues to build on this platform of success, the future is bright.”