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LOS ANGELES The first thing that came to Connor McDavids mind when the wonky goal went in on Saturday was Mike Smith, a long-range shot from Rasmus Andersson and how the Oilers pushed through.

The power of positive thinking has its advantages.

Last year in the playoffs, the Oilers overcame a potentially crushing third period when Smith let in Anderssons game-tying goal from inside the Calgary blue line. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins responded less than six minutes later to restore the Oilers Game 4 lead, a goal that stood as the winner.

On Saturday, a puckhandling miscue by Stuart Skinner in the third albeit because he was inadvertently playing with a broken stick allowed the Kings to tie Game 6.

This time it was winger Kailer Yamamoto who was the hero and bailed out a goalie scoring the goal that won the Oilers the series with a 5-4 victory.

I was having flashbacks to Game 4 against Calgary last year, McDavid said. Its good that weve been in that situation before where a weird one goes in when you feel like youre doing a lot of good things.

It feels funny that the games tied when you didnt do anything wrong.

The Oilers had a one-goal lead early in the third period of Game 6 against the Kings when they went on the power play, which had been converting at a near-automatic rate in the series. (It scored on nine of its 15 chances to that point.)

The puck was dumped right to Skinner, the start of what should have been a nothing play, when disaster struck.

As Skinner tried to make a pass to defenceman Evan Bouchard, his broken stick resulted in a weak attempt that dribbled to Kings centre Phillip Danault for a tap-in.

Just like that, the game was tied at 7:46 of the third period.

My first thought is I like it the hard way. I want to win the hard way, Skinner said. Being able to let go of that very quickly, make some saves and let the guys know that we can relax and its all going to be OK.

Yamamotos goal with 3:03 left in the third period made all right with the world for the Oilers.

I was proud of our team, Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft said. We are sure of ourselves and wholly sure of what our opportunity is before us here.

We have an understanding that its not always going to be smooth sailing. Its OK that theres some drama in the story.

Skinner said he realized his stick was broken only when he went to play the puck.

Theres video evidence that a slash by Kings winger Adrian Kempe a couple minutes earlier caused the stick to break.

It was the most unfortunate result at one of the worst times imaginable.

Nobody did anything wrong, defenceman Mattias Ekholm said. Stuff happens. To me, its easier because you just move on. Its nobodys fault. Theres nobody to blame.

Thankfully for Skinner and the Oilers, Yamamoto who played for the Los Angeles Jr. Kings from 12 to 15 came to the rescue.

Yamamoto received the puck in the corner to the right of Kings goalie Joonas Korpisalo, before weaving his way to the top of the circle. There, he turned and fired.

His shot beat Korpisalo high to the blocker side. It was his first goal of the series.

Thank goodness it went in, Yamamoto said.

For his personal self-confidence, its important that he got that goal, Woodcroft said. That goal was a great goal important for our team.

Yamamoto will get a ton of recognition for his pivotal tally. But he made his presence felt in other ways. Demoted to the fourth line for Game 5, Yamamoto stepped up to have what was easily his best game of the series on Saturday.

Not only did the 5-foot-8, 153-pound forward score the winner, but he set up linemate Klim Kostin for a chance in front in the first period and assisted on Kostins second period goal.

Hes the little engine that could, Woodcroft said. You dont play in the National Hockey League at his size without having an unbelievable amount of determination and will.

Yamamoto wasnt the only depth player who excelled on Saturday.

Kostin was a force in the offensive zone and wound up with two goals and an assist on Yamamotos winner. Vincent Desharnais, who struggled mightily the last time these two teams played here in Game 4, had two helpers.

The superstars sure did their thing. McDavid opened the scoring and assisted on a power-play goal from Leon Draisaitl. But the Oilers dont win this knockout game without contributions from so many unheralded players.

Thats what the playoffs calls for, Ekholm said.

I think a lot of people look at the Oilers and think its a two- or three-man team, McDavid said. It couldnt be further from that at all.

It wouldnt be unfair to put Skinner in that mix, too.

Skinner sure didnt have his best game on Saturday. A long shot from Sean Durzi beat him in the first period. Kevin Fialas second-period power-play goal went by him without a screen. And then there was the Danault gift.

Still, he made 40 saves.

Sure, it wasnt exactly a banner series for Skinner. He was pulled in Game 4 after allowing three goals on 11 shots. His job was in question after backup Jack Campbell led the team to victory.

He allowed 19 goals in the series including two in overtime and that last bizarre one and finished it with an .890 save percentage.

Yet Skinner became the first Oilers rookie netminder to win a postseason matchup since Andy Moog helped the Oilers to an upset best-of-five sweep of the Canadiens in the 1981 opening round.

In the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs here and my first time around, I feel like Ive gone through quite a bit here, Skinner said. Thats all part of life. Thats all part of the lessons that I get to learn.

Im very grateful for those lessons.

It sure helps when those lessons influenced a series victory.

McDavid gave Skinner a big hug in the dressing room after the game before jokingly offering a piece of advice.

He told me next time I should check my stick, Skinner said, chuckling.

Its one of those moments that can be laughed about now.

After all, crisis was averted just like a year ago.

To discover is superior to being told, Woodcroft said. Sometimes you have to go through something like this to see what youre made of.

The Oilers won just once in the playoffs after Smiths gaffe and Nugent-Hopkins heroics last May.

That win came in the next game when McDavid scored in overtime in Calgary to close out the Flames. The Oilers were swept by the Avalanche in the Western Conference finals.

This year, they now face the Golden Knights in Round 2, with even less room for error.

The message is that its hard to win, Skinner said. We have a lot more to give. Ive got a lot more to give. Ive got a lot better.

As a team, its going to be hard. Weve got to giddy up here and get excited for this next series.

(Photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)

The rest is here:
Oilers move on to Round 2 after Kailer Yamamotos goal rescues them from Stuart Skinners blooper - The Athletic

By: Lance Agcaoili -2 days ago

MANILA, PhilippinesJosh Ybanez made sure to get University of Santo Tomas back on track before the stepladder semifinals as he dropped 26 points to torch University of the Philippines, 24-26, 25-18, 25-20, 25-23, in the UAAP Season 85 mens volleyball tournament on Sunday at Filoil EcoOil Centre.

Ybanez ended his first elimination round stint with 21 attacks, three blocks, and two aces and willed his team back from a 16-20 deficit in the fourth set with an equalizing kill.

UP threatened to force a decider as it regained a 22-21 lead but Ybanez tied it again before Charlee Magpayo and GBoy De Vega scored two consecutive blocks for match point, 24-22. Emman Dedoroys off-the-block spike ended the two-hour match.

UST snapped a two-game skid before finishing the elimination round with an 11-3 record. The Golden Spikers will wait for the winner of the La Salle-FEU knockout game on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

We have to improve because its already the semis. We have to practice more and strengthen our attacking and blocking and polish the teams movement because both FEU and La Salle are strong title contenders, said UST assistant coach Benjamin Mape, who filled in for head coach Odjie Mamon, in Filipino. Mamon joined the Philippine mens volleyball team in Cambodia for the upcoming 32nd Southeast Asian Games.

The league removed the twice-to-beat advantage of the second-seeded team in the stepladder semifinals format, while unbeaten National University is waiting for its opponent in the best-of-three Finals series.

UST also missed Jay Rack de la Noche, who joined Mamon and the national team but De Vega stepped up with 17 points and 21 excellent receptions., while Dedoroy and Rainer Flor chipped in 14 and 12 points, respectively, to overcome the teams 39 errors.

Also-ran UP finished the season with only one win in 14 matches with Louis Gamban leading the way with 16 points and nine digs, while Jaivee Malabanan chipped in 12 points and 19 receptions.

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UAAP: Josh Ybanez, UST regain winning ways ahead of stepladder semis - INQUIRER.net

James Ryan has admitted that he and the Leinster squad are "excited" about the prospect of facing a strong Toulouse side in the semi-finals of the Champions Cup this weekend.

Leinster beat the Top 14 side 40-17 in last year's semi-final, but the Toulouse side of this year is much improved from their last encounter.

Leo Cullen's Leinster has hit top form in the United Rugby Championship and in this year's Champions Cup, but this stage of the season is where the Irish province is really tested.

Last year, after Leinster's win over Toulouse, they lost the final to La Rochelle. They then lost the semi-final of the URC playoffs to the Vodacom Bulls.

The all-conquering Irish province has swept away every side in Europe this year, but Ryan, who played in the statement win last year, believes that Leinster will face a very different Toulouse side this weekend when they meet in the Aviva on Saturday.

"It will be a very, very tough game. You see how good Toulouse are, like some of the world-class players they have in their squad. That includes the likes of Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack," said Ryan to the Irish Post in an exclusive interview.

"We are looking forward to it. It's another opportunity to play another knockout game in the Aviva. Those days are always special to be involved as a Leinster rugby player.

"We can't wait for it, but it is definitely going to take our very, very best to get a result there. You know we beat them last year, but they will be better than they were, and we are excited."

As mentioned already, Leinster will have to deal with the threat of facing Dupont, the golden boy of French and world rugby this weekend. Ryan broke down what it was like to play against the "world-class" Dupont as a player.

"Well, obviously he is amazing as a player," added Ryan. "He is world-class, and to be honest, I don't know any weakness to his game really. He is deceptively strong as well. He's a small enough man, but you know he's pretty stocky as well.

"For a scrum-half as well, he's pretty good around the tight parts of the game. You know the ruck and close quarters, but I mean yeah, he is the heartbeat of the Toulouse team and French team really, and everything seems to run through him."

Leinster's game against Toulouse starts at 3pm later on this evening. The game is live on RTE.

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Interview with James Ryan: 'We are excited to face Toulouse' - Irish Post

Sunday brings with it the return of The King.

Henry Shefflin makes the trip to UPMC Nowlan Park as Galway manager with his side up against Kilkenny in the second round of the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship.

You can hear full live commentary from 2pm on KCLR with Brendan Hennessy and two-time All-Ireland winner Michael Walsh, with our coverage beginning with former Kilkenny player Kieran Joyce from 1.30pm.

Victory for either county would see them move ahead of their opponents and reach the summit of the table with three games remaining.

While it is a highly anticipated tie, both teams know that the ultimate goal will be to end their respective waits for an All-Ireland title.

One man that knows about leading teams to the Liam MacCarthy Cup is Cyril Farrell.

The three-time All-Ireland winning manager with Galway looked ahead to Sundays encounter when he spoke to KCLRs Scoreline.

As well as giving his thoughts on Kilkenny and Galway, Farrell gave his opinion on modern hurling and the saturated nature of punditry.

He began: Any time Kilkenny and Galway meet its always a good game. It will tell us a lot about where both teams are at. Kilkenny are building a new team, especially up front. They have players that have been around for a while but theyre relatively young. They also have experienced players who have returned in the backs and if they have everyone, theyre going to be very strong.

Theres no doubt that Kilkenny will contend for the All-Ireland. Theyre very hard to beat and if you think back to last year, there was only a puck of the ball between themselves and Limerick, so I think theyll be right up there again.

On Henry Shefflin: I think Henry Shefflin would be very happy with the win against Wexford. Hell be happy to have the two points going down to Nowlan Park and after that game hell have a better understanding of where theyre at. What theyre planning on doing this year is getting straight to a Leinster final and win it so that they get into the All-Ireland semi-final. Youre going to meet Munster teams who are very strong, but it will be a knockout game which is a different thing.

Farrell also stressed the importance of the provincial championship for both sides.

Winning the Leinster title is big for both counties. It will tell you a bit on Sunday, but it will be more of a learning process for both teams and well know about their chances after the Leinster final which I expect will be between Kilkenny and Galway. It will be a tight game on Sunday and both teams would love to win but theyll probably learn as much about their teams by losing as they would if they won.

Theres no pressure on Henry Shefflin this year but its big for him to rectify what happened in last years Leinster final. That will certainly be the aim.

You can listen to the full interview on KCLR this Saturday from 5pm.

KCLR is the only place where you can hear all of Kilkennys games in the Leinster championship and All-Ireland series in 2023.

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Cyril Farrell: 'There's no pressure on Henry Shefflin from Galway ... - Scoreline.ie

Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics reacts after fouling Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks during the fourth quarter of Round One, Game Five of the NBA Playoffs at the TD Garden on Tuesday in Boston, MA. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald) April 25, 2023

This should have been a lay-up. A get-to-the-next-round-free card.

The Celtics should have been on their way to a date with Philadelphia after eliminating the short-handed Hawks.

It should have been one series down, one opponent down, with an easy path ahead to the promised land.

Only the Celtics werent able to finish off the series. They blew the bunny, as they were taken down at TD Garden, 119-117, by the Hawks in a game they could have easily knocked them out, and moved on.

And now there are more questions than answers. There is more doubt in the Celtics than confidence after taking their foot off the gas, and letting the Hawks back in the series.

Its almost unforgivable for a so-called championship-driven team to lose a potential knockout game like this.

The road is practically paved for them to make it to the NBA Finals. And yet, they shot themselves in the foot, losing a potential series-clincher to a Hawks team playing without star Dejounte Murray, who was suspended for the game after bumping an official at the end of Game 4.

Even with a golden path ahead, its still hard to believe in the Cs given their inability to hold leads, and close out games. Its hard to trust this team because thats how its been most of the season.

Watching them Tuesday night, they just dont look like theyre ready to win a championship, much less get there with an easy road.

They pretty much led the entire game before crumbling in the fourth quarter.

Joe Mazzulla had no answers. He was out-coached by Quin Snyder down the stretch.

It also didnt help that Jayson Tatum was ice cold (8-for-22, 1-for-11 from three-point range) and landed a technical in the closing minutes.

Jaylen Brown, who was sensational with 35 points, couldnt hit free throws (1-for-5), especially down the stretch, missing a pair with just over seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter, with the Hawks creeping closer.

Marcus Smart, meanwhile, couldnt stop picking up fouls in the fourth quarter, while Al Horford only mustered three points.

Add in the fact that no one could guard Trae Young, who hit the game-winning three with 1.8 seconds to go. Mazzulla had Brown, not Smart or Derrick White, on Young (game-high 38 points) during that final possession.

The Celtics did have a chance with 1.8 seconds to go, but Tatums hurried heave missed and there was a sense of deflation all around TD Garden.

We cant change anything, Tatum said following the loss. We just gotta do a really great job of moving on. Its as simple as that.

Only nothing is simple for this team.

The Cs were up by 13 with 9:32 to go and later by a dozen with less than six minutes to go and still couldnt close out the Hawks.

Instead of going for the throat and putting the Hawks away, the offense went stagnant. Mazzulla said they simply lost their pace.

I think weve just got to execute, Mazzulla said following the loss. I thought we got some good shots, but I just didnt think we executed the way we normally do down the stretch.

Yup, they had the collective collar around their necks, at least, thats how it looked.

This should have been NBA Finals or bust time for the Celtics.

Instead its worry time, even up 3-2 in the series.

If they dont advance, its on them. More to the point, if they dont reach the point where they have a chance to address unfinished business their stated playoff motto itll be hard to blame anyone else.

If you dont win, you dont execute, then you lost your poise, Mazzulla said. I dont know if we were trying to do too much, I just didnt think we were poised and just didnt execute well.

At the outset, the Celtics had a wounded opponent on the ropes with one win needed to advance. And the game was at home, to boot.

They knew they needed to finish off Atlanta without adding more games to the series. They knew that was key.

When it comes to the playoffs, efficiency means a lot. The Celtics know that more than anybody.

Last year, they kept adding extra games into the mix before eliminating opponents.

They did get to the NBA Finals, but didnt have a lot left in the tank to deal with Golden State.

After going up 3-1 in the series after beating the Hawks in Atlanta, Tatum brought up that very point. He said the Celtics had learned their lesson from last years experience. They knew it behooved them to finish off the Hawks, and get some rest, before taking on Philadelphia.

Guess the message wasnt received.

On Tuesday night during the potential close-out game, they blew countless leads. They missed free throws. They kept heaving threes with a double-digit lead. They didnt play sound defense. And now theyre headed back to Atlanta for Game 6 on Thursday after giving the Hawks life.

We pride ourselves as players (making) the right play and adjustments, said Brown. At times, we leave that up to the coaches to make that decisionWe gotta be better overall as a team, coaching staff, & players on getting organized in those moments, whether we call timeouts or not.

How can they flip the script?

They know, said Mazzulla. Just focus on what we did well, where we can get better, and just have an awareness to those details on both ends of the floor.

That was the mission prior to Game 5, as well. Only they continue to do things the hard way.

Given how the dominoes are falling, specifically whos hurt, and whos not, the Celtics needed to win, and rest, as opposed to head on a plane and contemplate a turnaround in Game 6.

Sixers star Joel Embiid is injured, and has a huge question mark over his head in terms of his readiness for the next series.

Hes battling a knee injury, which is never good. But now he gets extra rest.

Add in the top-seeded Bucks being on the ropes, trying to win with Giannis Antetokounmpo also wounded, toughing it out with a bad back, and the Cs couldnt be in better shape.

If they do ultimately advance, they might not even have to face the Bucks, who are down 1-3 to the Miami Heat.

So it was all falling into place. Only the Celtics couldnt do their part in a timely fashion. Instead, theyre sabotaging themselves and their journey ahead.

Said Mazzulla: We have another opportunity on Thursday, so I think its a matter of having perspective on the situation and then learning and then just growing through it. So we had an opportunity, and now we have another one. So now we just have to focus on that.

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Guregian: Celtics raise major red flags by blowing chance to close out Hawks - Boston Herald