Last night, Jacob Fowler was roughed up in the Rocket’s loss in game #4. As a result, the series is now 2-2… and a final game (reminder: this is a 3-of-5 series) between the Rocket and the Americans will be played tomorrow.
What got everyone talking, though, was the fact that Fowler was in front of the net in the first place. After all, Cayden Primeau was smoking in Game #3… but the club wanted to keep its rotation in front of the net.
And after the game, Pascal Vincent justified the decision: he doesn’t seem to regret sending his young goalie in front of the net.
Pascal Vincent doesn’t regret his decision to put Jacob Fowler in front of the net!
pic.twitter.com/0kTvlkVDEl
– L’Antichambre (@Antichambre) May 24, 2025
It’s not necessarily unanimous in the sense that many feel that in the playoffs, you have to go with the guy who’s on fire. And that was Primeau.
But last night, Anthony Desaulniers revealed an interesting piece of information: according to what he heard, it wasn’t Vincent who had the final say on the decision to send Fowler in front of the net yesterday.
And that’s where it makes sense to think that the Canadiens play a big role in what’s happening in front of the net in Laval right now.
Many criticize Pascal Vincent’s decision to send Jacob Fowler into the fray. It’s been whispered in my ear that he didn’t have the final say. Draw your own conclusions.
– Anthony Desaulniers (@Anthodezo) May 24, 2025
Obviously, for the Canadiens, Fowler is much more part of the future plans than Primeau, who will possibly leave the organization within the next few weeks if the club doesn’t make him a qualifying offer. Primeau will become a restricted free agent on July 1.
This raises the serious question of how much of a discrepancy there is between what the Habs want and what Vincent wants, right now. The big club undoubtedly wants to see Fowler play big games in the playoffs with his club-school… while the coach has seen Primeau lead the club to the playoffs this season.
Is this why the club has been rotating since the start of the playoffs? It would make sense: both get a bit of what they want.
Logic dictates that Primeau, who has been superior to Fowler in the current series, will be in net for the final game of this series, tomorrow. If the Rocket go through to the next round, though, it will be very interesting to see whether Primeau, who would then have won all three of his starts, would have to give up his spot for Game #1 of the next series… even if Pascal Vincent, who must be thinking he’d be fine in the NHL where he’d have less to deal with the demands of the big club’s bosses, wouldn’t necessarily agree.
– Speaking of the Rocket.
“Development isn’t just about Jacob Fowler! There are forwards and defensemen!!”@anthonymarcotte had a lot to say about goalie management at the Laval Rocket… pic.twitter.com/aAXuElz5jL
– BPM Sports (@BPMSportsRadio) May 24, 2025
– Switzerland make short work of Canada.
Switzerland dominates Denmark and joins the USA in the Grand Final!
Full details: https: //t.co/XY2ISBf8vt pic.twitter.com/BrMGOiWDbI
– RDS (@RDSca) May 24, 2025
– Bob ‘s on fire.
Bobrovsky’s been on the case
#StanleyCup
: @Canes vs. @FlaPanthers Game 3 TONIGHT at 8p ET on @NHL_On_TNT, @SportsonMax, @Sportsnet and @TVASports pic.twitter.com/1XNUHNQQ1V
– NHL (@NHL) May 24, 2025
– The Core Four lacked diversity, says Brian Burke.
“They had four similar players – they didn’t have any diversity”
Brian Burke and @JeffMarek weighed in on the construction of the Maple Leafs and the lack of diversity in their lineup
Presented by @myrvezy #LeafsForever #TheSheet pic.twitter.com/2LAiRVxnSp
– The Sheet with Jeff Marek (@thesheethockey) May 24, 2025
– It’s hard to ignore the Richard brothers.
In honor of National Brother’s Day we want to know… who are the best brothers to ever play?
pic.twitter.com/MPBKd4LRBu
– BarDown (@BarDown) May 24, 2025
– Interesting.
He must be tired of seeing his great outings go to waste, though. https://t.co/DuNMlosR8h
– Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) May 24, 2025
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With the Connor McDavid comments now 24 hours old, talk about the goaltending in Edmonton is front and center again. If McDavid is waiting for the team to acquire someone that makes him feel more comfortable about the Edmonton Oilers and the Stanley Cup chances, management better get looking. To find what they need, they may have to get creative before the trade deadline. Despite expectations of a more active market, there are surprisingly few viable options available for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations. While Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard held the fort last season, questions remain about whether the tandem can carry Edmonton through a deep playoff run. James Mirtle of The Athetlic writes, ideally, the Oilers would find a proven No. 1 goalie from a team that falters early and starts shedding assets. This would be similar to Boston’s situation last year. That scenario hasn’t materialized. What Teams Might Fit Into That Category? Detroit comes to mind first. They recently acquired John Gibson in a trade from the Anaheim Ducks, but they may or may not be a playoff team. If things go sideways early, they could eventually move one of their veterans. That means either flipping Gibson or trading Cam Talbot back to Edmonton. The other option, if the Oilers (or McDavid) think he’s a legitimate starter, is to try and acquire top prospect Sebastian Cossa. Mirtle thinks the Red Wings are more likely to stay in the playoff hunt. Should they miss, it won’t be known early in the season, making a deal unlikely. Other clubs, such as the New York Islanders or Utah Mammoth, could have expendable goalies if health cooperates, but none are clear upgrades. Mirtle specifically mentions Semyon Varlamov and Connor Ingram. He’s not sure either are an upgrade. High-end names like Thatcher Demko in Vancouver, Pittsburgh’s Tristan Jarry or Columbus’ Elvis Merzlikins could technically be had, but their inconsistency makes them risky bets. Mirtle writes, “We’re really reaching to even contemplate some of these options for a team with designs on winning a championship, so it feels like it’ll take something a bit unexpected for the Oilers to find what they’re looking for in the crease…” Unless an unexpected team collapses early or Edmonton parts with top-tier assets to pry loose a premium goalie, the Oilers may have no choice but to ride Skinner and Pickard again when the playoffs arrive — a scenario that could prove costly both in terms of a championship, and in terms of McDavid’s future.
A heated post-match exchange between former World No. 5 Jelena Ostapenko and Taylor Townsend marred an otherwise action-filled fourth day of the U.S. Open on Wednesday. After Townsend defeated the 2017 French Open champion in straight sets, 7-5, 6-1, Ostapenko accused her opponent of unsportsmanlike conduct, pointing out that the American didn't apologize when a net cord helped her win a crucial point earlier in the match. The Latvian wrote on social media that Townsend "was very disrespectful" and didn't show the proper etiquette expected of a pro tennis player. "If she plays in her homeland, it doesn’t mean that she can behave and do whatever she wants," she wrote in a scathing address of Townsend. Townsend offered more details on their post-match confrontation, which led to some suggesting she was racially targeted. "She told me I have no class and no education, and to see what happens if we play each other outside the U.S.," Townsend revealed. Townsend refused to call Ostapenko a racist. "I didn't take it in that way," she said, via BBC. "But also that has been a stigma in our community of being not educated, and all of the things, when it's the furthest thing from the truth. Whether it had racial undertones or not, that's something she can speak on." Ostapenko was widely lambasted on social media, with even World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka asking her to control her emotions. The under-attack Latvian responded to allegations of her being a racist, while reaffirming her stance on Townsend disrespecting her during the match. "I was never racist in my life and I respect all nations of people in the world, for me it doesn't matter where you come from," she wrote on social media. Townsend will next face Russian teenage prodigy Mirra Andreeva in the third round. The World No. 46 American is trying to reach the fourth round of her home major for the first time since 2019.
Some previously accused Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski of sabotaging the development of rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders as Stefanski kept Sanders buried on the depth chart throughout the summer. A day after it was learned that Cleveland had agreed to trade Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2026 fifth-round draft pick, Stefanski confirmed that Sanders will enter the Week 1 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7 as the Browns' QB3 behind starter Joe Flacco and fellow first-year pro Dillon Gabriel. During a recent chat with Jason Reid of Andscape, former NFL quarterback Akili Smith explained that the tape shows Sanders is behind as it pertains to playing the sport's most important position at the highest level. "If you take some time and break down the tape, and you understand what concepts they’re running, you see that Dillon Gabriel is ahead of Shedeur," Smith said. "No one who looks at the tape of those two and understands what they’re looking at could see it any other way. Gabriel is ahead of him, and a big thing is pocket presence. Shedeur took a sack in [the last preseason] game…it was ridiculous. You had all these people [on social media] blaming the line. He’s dropping back [too far]. He had to step up in the pocket or throw the ball away. It’s one or the other." Sanders took five sacks and completed just 3-of-6 passes for 14 yards in Cleveland's preseason finale versus the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 23. Meanwhile, Gabriel connected on 12-of-19 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown in that contest. Smith is among those who believe Gabriel’s tape from August "is just better" than what Sanders produced. Sanders took an FBS-high 94 sacks over his final two college seasons before he fell to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. In the eyes of some, his play against the Rams showed that it will take time for him to unlearn certain bad habits he picked up over the years. "Anyone who’s got such a long way to go has to keep his nose clean, not turn on the organization and keep working," Smith added. "He has to put everything he has into continuing to get better each day. And that way, even if it doesn’t happen in Cleveland, you’re still giving yourself a chance. You’d show other teams that you want this. You’d show how much it means to you. Then maybe it happens somewhere else." The Browns trading Pickett indicates they're dedicated to continuing their development of Sanders through at least the 2025 season. That said, the potential return of Deshaun Watson is looming over Sanders' status as Flacco prepares to start against Cincinnati.
Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell was ejected early in his team's game against the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, and home plate umpire David Rackley didn't put up with much before giving him the hook. Chicago had outfielder Ian Happ at the plate with a runner on first and one out in the top of the third inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco. Right fielder Kyle Tucker attempted to steal second on a 3-2 pitch in a tie game, but he was thrown out at second. The pitch was also called a strike, which ended the inning. Counsell felt that the ball had missed outside and came out of the dugout to state his case to Rackley, who was in no mood to hear it. Counsell was quickly dismissed from the game. The Cubs lost their first two games of the series against San Francisco and scored a combined five runs in those contests, so Counsell may have been trying to light a fire under his team. Though he seemed a bit surprised when Rackley ejected him. Chicago entered Thursday with a record of 76-57. Counsell's team was 6.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central but atop the NL wild-card standings.