FRIDAY, APRIL 1 , 2022. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ M2 D3
ASSOCIATED PRESSAfter Tuukka Rask said his
goodbyes at TD Arena, Marc
McLaughlin had quite an intro-
duction of his own.
The former Boston College cap-
tain scored in his NHL debut, cap-
ping a five-goal second-period
outburst that powered the Boston
Bruins to an 8-1 home rout of the
New Jersey Devils on Thursday.
Brad Marchand scored twice
for Boston and had a third goal
waved off — even as fans threw
caps on the ice for the would-be
hat trick. Patrice Bergeron had a
goal and two assists and David
Pastrnak had three assists to help
the Bruins to their most goals
since Thanksgiving 2019.
Matt Grzelcyk, Jake DeBrusk,
Erik Haula and Taylor Hall also
scored for Boston, which has won
five of its past six and 15 of 19.
Linus Ullmark made 25 saves.
Jack Hughes scored for the Dev-
ils, who were eliminated from
playoff contention with the loss.
The Bruins honored Rask, their
longtime goalie, before the game.
The 2014 Vezina Trophy winner
was on the ice with his wife and
three daughters for a ceremonial
puck drop, and perhaps for the
last time, the chants of “Tuuuuk!”
echoed through the arena.
Boston’s all-time leader in wins,
Rask announced his retirement in
February after a setback in his
recovery from a torn labrum.
l PANTHERS 4, BLACK-
HAWKS 0: In Sunrise, Fla., Sergei
Bobrovsky stopped 37 shots for his
third shutout of the season, lead-
ing Florida to a win over Chicago.
Aleksander Barkov scored
twice, Gustav Forsling had a goal
and an assist and Ryan Lomberg
tallied his fourth goal in three
games as the Panthers won their
28th home game of the season, a
club record.
Jonathan Huberdeau notched
his 71st assist, an NHL record for
assists by a left winger. With
94 points, Huberdeau is closing in
on the club record of 96 set by
Barkov in the 2018-19 season.
Collin Delia stopped 40 shots
for the Blackhawks, who have lost
three straight.
l MAPLE LEAFS 7, JETS 3:
Auston Matthews scored his NHL-
leading 50th goal of the season,
and host Toronto beat Winnipeg.
William Nylander had two
goals and an assist, and Ilya
Mikheyev had a goal and two as-
sists. Mark Giordano added a goal
and an assist and John Tavares
and Timothy Liljegren also scored
for Toronto, which got 20 saves
from Erik Kallgren.
Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and an
assist, Blake Wheeler and Paul
Stastny also scored for Winnipeg.
Eric Comrie stopped 31 shots.
l PENGUINS 4, WILD 3 (OT):
In St. Paul, Minn., Rickard Rakell
had two goals and Evgeni Malkin
scored 3:57 into overtime as Pitts-
burgh snapped Minnesota’s sev-
en-game winning streak.
Jake Guentzel added his
32nd goal of the season and Casey
DeSmith notched 28 saves for the
Penguins.
Kirill Kaprizov recorded his
38th goal to tie the Wild single-
season points record with 83. Matt
Dumba and Frederick Gaudreau
also scored for Minnesota, and
Cam Talbot stopped 35 shots.
l HURRICANES 4, CANA-
DIENS 0: In Raleigh, N.C., Freder-
ik Andersen made 32 saves for his
fourth shutout of the season, An-
drei Svechnikov scored twice, and
Carolina dominated Montreal.
Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Tera-
vainen each had a goal and an
assist as the Hurricanes stretched
their points streak to six games.
Jake Allen stopped 40 shots for
the Canadiens, who were blanked
for the fifth time this season.
l ISLANDERS 5 , BLUE
JACKETS 2: In Elmont, N.Y., Kyle
Palmieri scored the go-ahead goal
early in the third period to lift New
York to a win over Columbus.
Mathew Barzal had a goal and
an assist, and Sebastian Aho, Oli-
ver Wahlstrom and Ryan Pulock
also scored for the Islanders. Emil
Bemstrom and Justin Danforth
scored for the Blue Jackets, who
lost their fifth straight.NHL ROUNDUP
Boston celebrates Rask,
then crushes New Jersey
BRUINS 8,
DEVILS 1FROM NEWS SERVICESJacob deGrom is dealing with
another injury.
The New York Mets ace felt the
back of his right shoulder tighten
up after a round of long-toss
Thursday, Manager Buck Showal-
ter said. DeGrom is expected to be
reevaluated Friday morning,
which will determine whether he
will require an MRI exam.
DeGrom is likely to be
scratched from his scheduled Fri-
day afternoon start against the
St. Louis Cardinals. Showalter
said he would be “surprised” if the
right-hander took the hill....
A second baseman throughout
his career, Robinson Canó started
at first base against the Washing-
ton Nationals as the Mets experi-
ment with options that could keep
his bat in the lineup on occasion.
The 39-year-old Canó has
played 2,158 games at the keystone
during his 16-year major league
career. His only experience at first
base was 14 games with the Seattle
Mariners in 2018.
Jeff McNeil is penciled in as
New York’s primary second base-
man this season. Pete Alonso and
Dominic Smith are atop the depth
chart at first, while Canó figures to
fit often as the designated hitter.
l WHITE SOX: Chicago will be
without Tim Anderson for two
games after his appeal of a three-
game suspension handed down in
the final week of last season was
reduced by one game.
“I’m suspended two games, and
I got fined [$10,000],” Anderson
said. When asked whether it was
the first two games, he said, “Yeah,
I think so, the first two.” MLB
hasn’t publicly disclosed a ruling.
MLB announced a three-game
suspension Sept. 29, saying An-
derson made contact with umpire
Tim Timmons during a Sept. 27
benches-clearing incident with
the Detroit Tigers.
l GUARDIANS: As expected,
Shane Bieber will start Cleveland’s
season opener April 7 at the Kan-
sas City Royals.
Manager Terry Francona made
the announcement after speaking
to Bieber, who was sidelined for
three months last season with a
shoulder strain. The 26-year-old
right-hander had a 3.17 ERA in
16 starts.
Bieber will be the 12th pitcherin franchise history to get the nod
on three straight Opening Days.
l PADRES: Yu Darvish will
make his second straight Opening
Day start for San Diego when it
opens the season at the Arizona
Diamondbacks on April 7.
Manager Bob Melvin made the
decision to go with Darvish, who
had a 4.22 ERA over 30 starts last
year. The 35-year-old right-hander
is hoping to regain his 2020 form,
when he pitched to a 2.01 ERA
and finished second in the NL Cy
Young Award voting.
The five-time all-star also start-
ed on Opening Day for the Texas
Rangers in 2017.
l BRAVES: Veteran Brock Holt
ended his bid to win a bench spot
with Atlanta when he requested
and was granted his release.
Holt hit .209 with two homers
and 23 RBI in 76 games in 2021.
The 33-year-old, who signed on a
minor league deal, was competing
with Phil Gosselin and Pat Valaika
for a utility position.
The Braves also optioned left-
hander Dylan Lee and outfielder
Travis Demeritte to Class AAA
Gwinnett.
l ROYALS: Kansas City exer-
cised its team option on Mike Ma-
theny for 2023, eliminating any
uncertainty over whether its man-
ager will stay after this season.
Matheny is 100-122 over the
past two years with the Royals and
691-596 overall, which includes
seven seasons as the skipper of the
cross-state St. Louis Cardinals.
l BREWERS: Right-hander
José Ureña signed a one-year,
$1.25 million contract with Mil-
waukee. The team announced it as
a minor league signing, then im-
mediately selected him to the ma-
jor league roster.
Ureña, 30, posted a 5.81 ERA
last season in 26 appearances, in-
cluding 18 starts. He has a career
ERA of 4.77 in 168 games with the
Tigers and Miami Marlins.
l MISC.: MLB finalized the
rules change to bring back auto-
matic runners in extra innings for
a third straight season.
The agreement also includes
the expansion of active rosters
from 26 players to 28 from Open-
ing Day through May 1 this year
and a rule allowing pitchers who
start games in the batting order to
remain in the game as a designat-
ed hitter after leaving the mound.MLB NOTESDeGrom may get an MRIfor tightness in shoulderBY SAMANTHA PELLWashington Capitals captain
Alex Ovechkin missed practice
Thursday, taking a maintenance
day to rest, according to the team.
That rest, though, comes at an un-
usual time — after two days off for
the Capitals, following a loss to the
Carolina Hurricanes on Monday.
Capitals Coach Peter Laviolette
said he expects Ovechkin, who
was at the Capitals’ practice facili-
ty Thursday, back on the ice for
Friday’s practice. Washington’s
next game is Sunday at home
against the Minnesota Wild.
Ovechkin has shouldered a sig-
nificant workload this season, av-
eraging 21:04 per game. The last
time Ovechkin averaged more
than 21 minutes was during the
2010-11 season.
“These guys have played big
minutes,” winger T.J. Oshie said.
“The more time off the ice we can
give them and let their bodies rest
and heal up [the better] because
those same big minutes they have
been playing for us all year, they
are going to probably play a little
bit more in playoffs. I think the
more rest for our team the better.”
Ovechkin’s increased ice time
has often been scrutinized this
year, with Washington heavily re-
lying on its veterans instead of
trying to balance out the ice time
with some of its younger players.
Ovechkin, who has recorded
42 goals and 36 assists, has taken
multiple maintenance days this
season. He has not missed a game
this year because of injury but has
missed two for coronavirus-relat-
ed reasons.
The only other player who was
absent at Thursday’s practice was
Carl Hagelin, who is still out after
undergoing eye surgery in early
March.
Johan Larsson, one of the Capi-
tals’ two trade deadline acquisi-
tions, was in a full-contact jersey
and practicing on the fourth line
with Nic Dowd and Garnet Hatha-
way. Larsson, who is on injured
reserve, is coming off sports her-
nia surgery and has yet to make his
Capitals debut. Laviolette suggest-
ed Larsson could play against the
Wild.
“He is a laid-back guy, pretty
quiet, but he fits right in,” center
Nicklas Backstrom said.Trevor van Riemsdyk, also on
injured reserve after suffering an
upper-body injury in mid-March,
was still in a noncontact jersey.
The Capitals are still trying to
find their ideal lineup heading
into the postseason, so player
health becomes even more crucial.
Oshie said he hopes to see some
consistency over the next couple
of weeks, but finding the right
lineup is about finding the right
chemistry, not just what mightlook good on paper.
A key question will be where —
and whether — Connor McMi-
chael slots in. McMichael has
heated up in recent weeks, with
Laviolette praising him for his “ex-
cellent” play. Laviolette has liked
his speed down the middle of the
ice and said he only has improved
as the season has continued.
But it is still unclear whether
there is room for McMichael in the
lineup when the team is healthy
and strategic matchups come into
play. McMichael is still an under-
sized center who lacks postseason
experience. Against heavier, phys-
ical teams in the postseason, he
might not be the best option. On
the flip side, his speed and versa-
tility could help jump-start Wash-
ington’s offense.
“He is more comfortable out
there, that is for sure,” Backstrom
said of McMichael. “It looked like
he took more responsibility when
he played center there, too. He is
growing. He is still so young, andhe is good out there. He has a good
hockey IQ, good hands, good
speed.”
The Capitals have a tough
stretch ahead. Washington will
play a handful of heavyweight op-
ponents, including Minnesota,
Tampa Bay, Boston and Pittsburgh
all in a row.
The Capitals, who sit comfort-
ably in the second wild-card spot
in the Eastern Conference, are in
line to play a division winner — at
this point, probably Florida or
Carolina — in the first round of the
playoffs.
“You want to be playing the best
teams possible going down the
stretch because no matter how
hard it is in the regular season, it is
going to be harder in the playoffs,”
Oshie said. “Minni is hot right
now. Tampa is hot. We got some
really big dogs we got to play in the
last month. It is really important
for us. A lot of these teams, we
could be seeing if we get to where
we want to get to.”Ovechkin rests as challenging stretch approachesCaptain misses practice for a maintenance day as Capitals gear up for playoff positioningALEX BRANDON/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Alex Ovechkin has shouldered a significant workload this season, playing about 21 minutes per game.C APITALS’ NEXT THREEvs. Minnesota WildSunday7NBCSWvs. Tampa Bay LightningWednesday7:30TNTat P ittsburgh PenguinsApril 9 3ABCRadio: WJFK (106.7 FM)BY ANDREW GOLDENwest palm beach, fla. — It has
been months since Washington
Nationals reliever Will Harris
had surgery for thoracic outlet
syndrome, a procedure that end-
ed his 2021 season in May. At the
time, he was uncertain how he
would feel by spring training.
Nearly a year later, he’s still
figuring it out on the mound.
“I’ve still got some lingering
things going on I’m trying to
figure out,” Harris said. “But in
the meantime, I’m pitching in
games and trying to get ready.
Hopefully it’s stuff that gets
worked out over the next couple
weeks and I should be good to go.”
When asked whether he could
specify what he was dealing with,
Harris said, “I’d rather not talk
about it.”
“I think anytime you’re hurt
for that long a period of time, you
can try to maybe change things
because you haven’t had success
in the near past,” he said. “But it’s
been fine. I haven’t been trying to
reinvent the wheel or anything.”
Harris signed a three-year,
$24 million deal with the Nation-
als in 2020 but has been plagued
by injuries ever since. He pitched
in 20 games in the pandemic-
shortened 2020 season but
missed two weeks with a strained
right groin.
Last year, he noticed his hand
was swollen and puffy during a
spring training appearance in
March. The swelling continued in
the ensuing appearance, so the
Nationals sent him to see a doc-
tor, who thought he had a blood
clot in his arm; a second opinion
revealed thoracic outlet syn-
drome was a possibility.
Harris began the season on the
injured list with right hand in-
flammation before returning to
pitch in eight games. He gave up
six runs before opting to have
surgery. In his two years with the
Nationals, he has a 4.56 ERA in
232 / 3 innings.
Manager Dave Martinez said
Harris has been toying with his
mechanics and arm angles dur-
ing camp and admitted Harris’s
mechanics were a bit off during
his bullpen session Sunday. Har-
ris has made just one appearance
in a spring training game this
year, giving up one run and strik-
ing out a batter against the New
York Mets on March 19.
Martinez called thoracic outlet
surgery “no joke,” pointing to
former all-stars Matt Harvey and
Chris Archer as examples of
pitchers who have struggled to
return to form after the pro-
cedure. Martinez said that while
Harris is adamant he wants to be
ready for Opening Day, he doesn’t
want to rush pitchers who are
working their way back from
injuries.
“I talk to them all the time —
‘Hey, look, when we get you back,
we want you back for the dura-
tion,’ ” Martinez said. “ ‘So let’s
just get your work in, continue to
throw. Every time you throw,
we’ll talk to you the day after, see
how you feel, and then we’ll go
from there.’ ”
If Harris isn’t ready for Open-
ing Day, the Nationals will be
without one of the key members
of their bullpen. Steve Cishek,
Tanner Rainey, Sean Doolittle
and Kyle Finnegan should anchor
the group. After that, 17 total
relievers remain in camp, giving
Martinez a lot of options. Austin
Voth, Patrick Murphy, Andres
Machado, Sam Clay and HunterHarvey are on the 40-man roster,
making them immediate options
for Martinez.
Tyler Clippard recently signed
a minor league deal, joining non-
roster invites such as Jordan
Weems, Jace Fry, Carl Edwards Jr.
and Victor Arano in the mix. Any
of those pitchers would need a
40-man roster spot before being
activated. Martinez has said he
will be careful with pitchers such
as Clippard and Harvey, who
were late arrivals to West Palm.
Filling spots, including Harris’s,
will include weighing spring per-
formance, minor league options
and what skill sets are needed in
the bullpen.
With pitchers in varying stages
of their routines during a short-
ened spring training, Martinez
can give younger arms more
looks.
“Some of these young guys that
I haven’t seen, only on video, I
want to see them compete and
see how they act, see how they
react,” Martinez said. “Some ofthese other guys that we signed,
they probably won’t be ready yet.
We want to make sure we build
them up.”Fedde scratched from start
The Nationals used six reliev-
ers in their 7-3 road win against
the New York Mets in Port St.
Lucie, Fla.
The contest turned into a bull-
pen game after Erick Fedde, who
was scheduled to start, was
scratched after experiencing
tightness in his right side. Fedde
is scheduled to get an MRI exam,
but Martinez didn’t seem too
concerned about the injury.
Utility man Ehire Adrianza
walked off the field with trainer
Paul Lessard in the fifth inning
after appearing to tweak some-
thing while running out a
groundball.
“We’ll know a little more [Fri-
day],” Martinez said.
Adrianza was getting spring
reps at third base but can play
middle infield and outfield.Nationals’ Harris works through ‘lingering’ issues
JONATHAN NEWTON/THE WASHINGTON POST
Will Harris signed a three-year, $24 million deal in 2020 but has been plagued by injuries ever since.