The Sports Report: Kings win Game 1 of playoff series with Edmonton

Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.

From Helene Elliott: The Kings’ reward for completing a sometimes-tortured journey back to the Stanley Cup playoffs was a matchup they hoped wouldn’t turn out to be a punishment.

Finishing third in the Pacific division put them up against the explosive Edmonton Oilers, whose top two centers have won the NHL scoring championship in five of the last six seasons. Connor McDavid won his second straight title and fourth overall by scoring a ridiculous 123 points; teammate Leon Draisaitl, the 2020 scoring champion, ranked fourth this season with 110 points.

“Arguably, we’re going against the best one-two punch,” Kings center Anze Kopitar said Monday morning.

As it turned out, the Kings administered the knockout punch to the Oilers. McDavid and Draisaitl each scored a goal but the Kings turned their apparent disadvantage into a strength, emerging with a 4-3 victory that deflated the spirits of the previously jubilant sellout crowd at Rogers Place.

“That was a big identity game,” said Phillip Danault, who deflected Sean Durzi’s long shot past Edmonton goaltender Mike Smith with five minutes and 14 seconds left in the third period. “We showed the character we got. They came back in the game but we stuck with it.”

The Kings entered this series as underdogs. They don’t care. “We believe in our group, our leadership,” said Thousand Oaks native Trevor Moore, who had a goal and two assists. Asked if that meant they belief they can prevail over the Oilers, he replied, “We can win the series, yes.”

There’s a long way to go before that, but this clearly was a good start for the Kings in their first playoff appearance since 2018 and first playoff win since 2016.

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NHL playoffs
schedule and results
All times Pacific
First round
Western Conference

No. 2 Edmonton vs. No. 3 Kings
Kings 4, Edmonton 3
Wednesday, at Edmonton, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Friday, at Kings, 7 p.m., TBS
Sunday, at Kings, 7 p.m., TBS
*Tuesday, May 10, at Edmonton, TBD
*Thursday, May 12, at Kings, TBD
*Saturday, May 14, at Edmonton, TBD

No. 1 Colorado vs. WC#2 Nashville
Tonight at Colorado, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
Thursday at Colorado, 6:30 p.m., TNT
Saturday at Nashville, 1:30 p.m., TNT
Monday, at Nashville, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
*Wednesday, May 11, at Colorado, TBD
*Friday, May 13, at Nashville, TBD
*Sunday, May 15, at Colorado, TBD

No. 2 Minnesota vs. No. 3 St. Louis
St. Louis 4, Minnesota 0
Wednesday at Minnesota, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
Friday, at St. Louis, 6:30 p.m., TNT
Sunday, at St. Louis, 1:30 p.m., TBS
*Tuesday, May 10, at Minnesota, TBD
*Thursday, May 12, at St. Louis, TBD
*Saturday, May 14, at Minnesota, TBD

No. 1 Calgary vs. WC#1 Dallas
Tonight at Calgary, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Thursday at Calgary, 7 p.m., TBS
Saturday at Dallas, 6:30 p.m., TNT
Monday, at Dallas, 6:30 p.m., TBS
*Wednesday, May 11, at Calgary, TBD
*Friday, May 13, at Dallas, TBD
*Sunday, May 15, at Calgary, TBD

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Florida vs. WC#2 Washington
Tonight at Florida, 4:30 p.m., ESPN2
Thursday at Florida, 4:30 p.m., TBS
Saturday at Washington, 10 a.m., ESPN
Monday, at Washington, 4 p.m., TBS
*Wednesday, May 11, at Florida, TBD
*Friday, May 13, at Washington, TBD
*Sunday, May 15, at Florida, TBD

No. 2 Toronto vs. No. 3 Tampa Bay
Toronto 5, Tampa Bay 0
Wednesday at Toronto, 4:30 p.m., ESPN2
Friday, at Tampa Bay, 4:30 p.m., TBS
Sunday, at Tampa Bay, 4 p.m., TBS
*Tuesday, May 10, at Toronto, TBD
*Thursday, May 12, at Tampa Bay, TBD
*Saturday, May 14, at Toronto, TBD

No. 1 Carolina at WC#1 Boston
Carolina 5, Boston 1
Wednesday at Carolina, 4 p.m., ESPN
Friday, at Boston, 4 p.m., TNT
Sunday, at Boston, 9:30 a.m., ESPN
*Tuesday, May 10, at Carolina, TBD
*Thursday, May 12, at Boston, TBD
*Saturday, May 14, at Carolina, TBD

No. 2 New York Rangers vs. No. 3 Pittsburgh Penguins
Tonight at New York, 4 p.m., ESPN
Thursday at New York, 4 p.m., TNT
Saturday at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m., TNT
Monday, at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m., ESPN
*Wednesday, May 11, at New York, TBD
*Friday, May 13, at Pittsburgh, TBD
*Sunday, May 15, at New York, TBD

*-if necessary

ANGELS

Dylan Cease struck out 11 to match a career best and gave up just one hit in seven sparkling innings, propelling the Chicago White Sox to a 3-0 win over the Angels on Monday.

Three-time AL MVP Mike Trout struck out in all four at-bats, three against Cease. The Angels star, who homered and doubled in a win Sunday to raise his OPS to a whopping 1.247, fanned against Liam Hendriks to end the game.

Angels two-way start Shohei Ohtani didn’t start, a day after making an early exit because of groin tightness. The reigning AL MVP grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth.

The White Sox won for the third time in 12 games. The Angels have won seven of nine.

KENTUCKY DERBY

From John Cherwa: Aaron Sones always turns off his cellphone at night. But Sunday night, while he and his family were on vacation in Hawaii, he kept it on. He had a feeling.

Sones, a former emergency room doctor, likes to dabble in horse racing ownership and one of his horses, Ethereal Road, was on the bubble of making the 20-horse Kentucky Derby field. He was on standby while currently ranking 21st in qualifying. All he needed was one more horse to drop out.

Then at 3:30 a.m. the phone rang. It was trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

“I thought to myself, ‘Oh, I guess we got in the Derby,’” Sones said. “I answered the phone and Wayne said, ‘We’re in.’”

Ethereal Road made the field courtesy of Un Ojo dropping out. The news came shortly before Monday’s draw for Saturday’s 148th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

With a 20-horse field, the draw is always of interest. You don’t want to be too close to the rail or too far outside.

Post position, horse, trainer, jockey, morning-line odds

1. Mo Donegal, Todd Pletcher, Irad Ortiz Jr., 10-1

2. Happy Jack, Doug O’Neill, Rafael Bejarano, 30-1

3. Epicenter, Steve Asmussen, Joel Rosario, 7-2

4. Summer Is Tomorrow, Bhupat Seemar, Mickael Barzalona, 30-1

5. Smile Happy, Kenny McPeek, Corey Lanerie, 20-1

6. Messier, Tim Yakteen, John Velazquez, 8-1

7. Crown Pride, Koichi Shintani, Christophe Lemaire, 20-1

8. Charge It, Todd Pletcher, Luis Saez, 20-1

9. Tiz the Bomb, Kenny McPeek, Brian Hernandez Jr., 30-1

10. Zandon, Chad Brown, Flavien Prat, 3-1

11. Pioneer of Medina, Todd Pletcher, Joe Bravo, 30-1

12. Taiba, Tim Yakteen, Mike Smith, 12-1

13. Simplification, Antonio Sano, Jose Ortiz, 20-1

14. Barber Road, John Ortiz, Reylu Gutierrez, 30-1

15. White Abarrio, Saffie Joseph Jr., Tyler Gaffalione, 10-1

16. Cyberknife, Brad Cox, Florent Geroux, 20-1

17. Classic Causeway, Brian Lynch, Julien Leparoux, 30-1

18. Tawny Port, Brad Cox, Ricardo Santana Jr., 30-1

19. Zozos, Brad Cox, Manny Franco, 20-1

20. Ethereal Road, D. Wayne Lukas, Luis Contreras, 30-1

RAMS

From Gary Klein: Troy Hill watched from afar as the Rams won Super Bowl LVI.

The veteran cornerback was happy for the players and coaches with whom he bonded during five seasons with the Rams before signing with the Cleveland Browns in 2021.

“It was a little tough on the other end too,” Hill said Monday, “because it was like it’s always that could’ve, should’ve, would’ve type of thing.”

Hill, reacquired by the Rams on Saturday in a draft day trade, has no regrets about his decision to cash in and play for the Browns on a two-year deal that included $4.5 million in guarantees.

But Hill, 30, is ecstatic about rejoining the team with whom he established himself.

“I was excited about being able to come back out here and get some of this sunshine, things like that,” Hill said during a videoconference with reporters, adding that it was also a positive, “being able to come back, and seeing all these familiar faces, being traded to a team that I know what to expect.”

WNBA

The WNBA will honor Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner with a floor decal, a person familiar with the decision told the Associated Press on Monday night.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because it hasn’t been announced publicly.

The All-Star center remains in Russia after being detained following her arrival at a Moscow airport on Feb. 17. Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges that allegedly contained oil derived from cannabis, which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. She has a hearing set for May 19.

The decal will feature Griner’s initials “BG” as well as her No. 42. All 12 teams will have the decal on their home courts starting with the season opener Friday night. The Mercury open their season at home that night against the Las Vegas Aces.

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NBA PLAYOFFS
Schedule and results
All times Pacific
Conference semifinals
Western Conference

No. 1 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 4 Dallas Mavericks
Phoenix 121, Dallas 114
Wednesday, at Phoenix, 7 p.m., TNT
Friday, at Dallas, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
Sunday, at Dallas, 12:30 p.m., ESPN
*Tuesday, May 10 at Phoenix, TBD, TBT
*Thursday, May 12, TBD, ESPN
*Sunday, May 15, TBD

No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies vs. No. 3 Golden State Warriors
Golden State 117, Memphis 116
Tonight, at Memphis, 6:30 p.m., TNT
Saturday, at Golden State, 5:30 p.m., ABC
Monday, at Golden State, 7 p.m., TNT
*Wednesday, May 11, at Memphis, TBD, TNT
*Friday, May 13, at Golden State, TBD, ESPN
*Monday, May 16, at Memphis, TBD, TNT

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Miami Heat vs. No. 4 Philadelphia 76ers
Miami 106, Philadelphia 92
Wednesday, at Miami, 4:30 p.m., TNT
Friday, at Philadelphia, 4 p.m., ESPN
Sunday, at Philadelphia, 5 p.m., TNT
*Tuesday, May 10, at Miami, TBD, TNT
*Thursday, May 12, at Philadelphia, TBD, ESPN
*Sunday, May 15, at Miami, TBD

No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee 101, Boston 89
Tonight, at Boston, 4 p.m., TNT
Saturday, at Milwaukee, 12:30 p.m., ABC
Monday, at Milwaukee, 4:30 p.m., TNT
*Wed., May 11, at Boston, TBD, TNT
*Friday, May 13, at Milwaukee, TBD, ESPN
*Sunday, May 15, at Boston, TBD

*-if necessary

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1902 — Alan-a-Dale wins the Kentucky Derby by a nose over Inventor, giving jockey Jimmy Winkfield his second straight Derby victory. Winkfield is the last black rider to win the Kentucky Derby.

1941 — Whirlaway, ridden by Eddie Arcaro, has an easy start to the Triple Crown with an eight-length victory over Staretor in the Kentucky Derby.

1952 — CBS is the first network to televise the Kentucky Derby, with Hill Gail winning by two lengths over Sub Fleet. Jockey Eddie Arcaro wins a record fifth Derby and Ben A. Jones wins a record sixth for a trainer.

1969 — Jockey Bill Hartack wins his fifth Kentucky Derby. His victory aboard Majestic Prince tie Eddie Arcaro’s record. Majestic Prince overtakes Arts and Letters at the mile pole and holds on by a neck.

1980 — Genuine Risk, ridden by Jacinto Vasquez, becomes the second filly to win the Kentucky Derby, beating Rumbo by a length.

1981 — The Boston Celtics wipe out an 11-point deficit in the second half to beat Philadelphia 91-90 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals and become the fourth NBA team to recover from a 3-1 deficit.

1986 — The 54-year-old Bill Shoemaker wins his fourth Kentucky Derby, riding long-shot Ferdinand to a last-to-first dash for a 2¼-length win over Bold Arrangement.

2001 — Dallas, with an 84-83 win over Utah, becomes the sixth NBA team to win a five-game series after trailing 0-2. The Mavericks rally from double-digit deficits in all three wins, including 17 in Game 5.

2003 — Funny Cide becomes the first gelding since Clyde Van Dusen in 1929 to win the Kentucky Derby.

2007 — Golden State is the first No. 8 seed to capture a best-of-seven playoff series with a 111-86 victory over the NBA-best Dallas Mavericks in Game 6. The Warriors are only the third eighth seed to upset the No. 1 and the first since the opening round went from best-of-five to the current format.

2008 — Big Brown, ridden by Kent Desormeaux, scores a 4 3/4-length victory in the Kentucky Derby. Big Brown is the first horse since the filly Regret in 1915 to win the Derby after just three career starts and the second to win from post position No. 20.

2012 — LeBron James scores 32 points and Miami takes a 3-0 series lead, sending New York to an NBA postseason-record 13th straight loss, 87-70. The Knicks break the record set by Memphis from 2004-06.

2014 — California Chrome, ridden by Victor Espinoza, pulls away down the stretch for a dominant win at the 140th Kentucky Derby. The 5-2 favorite stretched his winning streak to five and Art Sherman becomes the oldest winning Derby trainer at 77.

2014 — Marian Gaborik scores with seven seconds left in regulation to force overtime, and then scores 12:07 into the extra period to lift the Kings to a 3-2 win against the Ducks in the opener of the first playoff series between the Southern California teams.

2015 — Chelsea wins the 2014-2015 English football Premier League.

Compiled by the Associated Press

And finally

Filly Genuine Risk wins the 1980 Kentucky Derby. Watch and listen here.