There were no last minute heroics this time for the Ottawa Senators. Pittsburgh Penguins scored four straight in the first ten minutes of the third period to open a 7-2 lead, and dumped the Senators 7-3. The Penguins return home for Friday's game with a three-games-to-one lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal. The
rout was that much more disappointing considering the Senators led 2-1 after the first period.
Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis says he wants the team's next coach to emphasize the upbeat, offensive style of play like Alain Vigneault (VEEN'-yoh) did. Vigneault is out after seven seasons, including back-to-back first-round exits from the playoffs. Gillis says the decision to fire Vigneault was his, and he wasn't pressured from above.
The road to the Memorial Cup is a lot clearer. The Portland Winterhawks beat the host Saskatoon Blades 4-2 in the final round-robin game, to earn a spot in Friday's semifinal. Saskatoon and London Knights will meet in Thursday's tiebreaker game, while Halifax Mooseheads clinched a spot in Sunday's final.
BASEBALL - Jose Bautista homered twice and drove in the winning run with a
10th-inning single, leading Toronto Blue Jays to a 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. Bautista went 4-for-4 with a walk and four R-B-I's. Three other players had one hit, but that was it for Toronto's offence. The Blue Jays took two of three to win a series against Tampa for the first time since August 2010. The Rays had won their past 15 series against Toronto.
I-B-L - Brantford Red Sox lost 7-5 to London Majors in 11 innings, dropping the Sox record to 5-and-2. Red Sox are back in action on Saturday when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs at 2 p.m.at Arnold Anderson Stadium.
San Francisco 49ers suddenly have a huge void in their receiving corps. Michael Crabtree is recovering following surgery to repair his right Achilles tendon, which he tore Tuesday during 7-on-7 drills. Coach Jim Harbaugh says they don't anticipate he'll miss the entire season. Crabtree is coming off a breakout season
with the 49ers, who lost 34-31 to Baltimore in the Super Bowl.
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