Perron’s final period hat trick sends Red Wings over Penguins – Wednesday Morning Sports Update

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Detroit Red Wings right wing Jonatan Berggren, rear center, celebrates his goal with Joe Veleno (90) and Dominik Kubalik (81) as Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin (8) and goaltender Casey DeSmith (1) look on in the first period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, March 28, 2023, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

NHL – National Hockey League
Last Night
Detroit Red Wings 7, Pittsburgh Penguins 4
Dallas Stars 4, Chicago Blackhawks 1

Red Wings 7, Penguins 4 – Perron’s 3rd-period hat trick lifts Red Wings past Penguins
David Perron had a hat trick in the third period and the Detroit Red Wings overcame the ejection of coach Derek Lalonde to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 7-4. Perron posted his ninth career three-goal game. He scored on a wrist shot early in the third, put Detroit ahead 5-4 on the power play with 3:40 left and added his 19th goal of the season 45 seconds later. Lalonde was assessed a game misconduct during the second period. He profanely argued after unsuccessfully challenging Pittsburgh’s third goal on a claim of goalie interference. Detroit squandered an early three-goal lead and won for just the fourth time in 16 games.

Dallas Stars’ Luke Glendening scores past Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, March 28, 2023, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Stars 4, Blackhawks 1 – Stars get goals from 4 players, beat skidding Blackhawks 4-1
Tyler Seguin, Colin Miller, Joe Pavelski and Luke Glendening scored as the Dallas Stars topped the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1. Dallas improved to 94 points and climbed into a second-place tie with idle Colorado in the tight Central Division. First-place Minnesota has 95 points. Jake Oettinger lost a bid for his fifth shutout when Tyler Johnson popped in a loose rebound at 10:33 of the third period. Oettinger made 17 saves. He was only lightly tested as Dallas dominated for most of the game and outshot the last-place Blackhawks 33-18 in handing them their sixth straight loss.

NHL – Blackhawks’ Toews returns to ice, hints at retirement
Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews returned to the ice while also hinting his NHL career could be winding down. Toews skated with his teammates before their game against the Dallas Stars. It was his first time practicing with the Blackhawks since his most recent game in Edmonton in late January. He made a statement through the team in February saying he’d be stepping away because of the effects of Chronic Immune Response Syndrome and “long COVID.” In his first public comments since, Toews stopped short of saying he hoped to play in any of last-place Chicago’s nine remaining games.

NHL – Predators motivated to bring joy to Nashville after shooting
Predators defenseman Ryan McDonagh and his teammates were motivated to do more than just beat the Boston Bruins in their NHL game Tuesday night. The Predators wanted to bring a brief bit of joy to the city of Nashville a day after a fatal grade school shooting that left six dead, including three children. McDonagh said it wasn’t just another game as the Predators beat the NHL-leading Bruins 2-1. “Quite frankly there are really no words that you can say after what went on yesterday in Nashville,” he said. “Just a tragedy for those families and everybody affected. You don’t really realize it until you have kids of your own and the perspective. It hits you.”

NBA – National Basketball Association
Tonight
Milwaukee Bucks at Indiana Pacers, 7:00 p.m.
Detroit Pistons at Oklahoma City Thunder, 8:00 p.m.
Los Angeles Lakers at Chicago Bulls, 8:00 p.m.

MLB – Major League Baseball – Spring Training
Yesterday
Chicago Cubs 8, Chicago White Sox 5
End Spring Training

Thursday
2023 Opening Day
Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs, 2:20 p.m.
Detroit Tigers at Tampa Bay Rays, 3:10 p.m.  WSJM 2:45
Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros, 7:00 p.m.

MLB – MLB free agent watch: Ohtani leads possible 2023-24 class
Shohei Ohtani watch is on. Not Ohtani’s home runs or strikeouts or any of his magnificent numbers from the field. Nothing like that. It’s all about how much his next contract will be worth. Ohtani is among a group of players going into their final season before they are eligible for free agency. There is still time for signatures and press conferences before opening day, but history shows a new contract becomes less likely once the real games begin. The list of impending free agents also includes Aaron Nola, Matt Chapman, Teoscar Hernández, Ian Happ and Julio Urías.

NFL – AP sources: Two groups formally submit bids for Commanders
Dan Snyder’s departure from the NFL is moving closer to reality. A group led by Josh Harris and Mitchell Rales and another group led by Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos have submitted fully financed bids for the NFL’s Washington Commanders, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Two people confirmed the bid from Harris. Both spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because details of the bid have not been publicly announced. The Harris/Rales group includes basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta also has been in the running. Snyder had yet to accept an offer when the league’s finance committee met Monday so his future wasn’t openly discussed.

NFL – Goodell: Commanders report to be released even if team sold
Embattled Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder could very well sell the franchise before an investigation into his organization’s conduct can be complete. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said even if that’s the case, any report will be made public. Goodell said Tuesday at the league’s annual meetings that the NFL is “committed to releasing the findings.” Snyder and the Commanders are still under investigation by former U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White. She was retained by the league to look into various aspects of the organization stemming from a congressional review into workplace misconduct. The review also included a referral to the Federal Trade Commission for potential business improprieties.

NFL – Analysis: Ravens are Lamar Jackson’s best, only option
Lamar Jackson’s frustration over contract negotiations reached a boiling point when he announced Monday that he has requested a trade from the Baltimore Ravens. Staying in Baltimore might be his best and only option. If the two sides can’t agree on a long-term deal by July 17, Jackson could play this season on the $32.4 million franchise tag. The 2019 NFL MVP hasn’t generated any interest in free agency after the Ravens placed the nonexclusive franchise tag on him. Some teams immediately said they wouldn’t pursue Jackson. The Washington Commanders joined that list Monday.

Olympics – Lawmakers back Paris Olympic law despite surveillance fears
A proposed French law for the 2024 Paris Olympics that critics contend will open the door for privacy-busting video surveillance technology in Europe has passed an important hurdle. French lawmakers voted 400 to 93 on Tuesday for a bill that would legalize the temporary use of so-called intelligent surveillance systems to safeguard the Paris Games and Paralympics. The systems combine cameras with artificial intelligence software to flag potential security concerns like abandoned packages. Watchdog groups argue that France would violate international law by becoming the first European Union country to legalize AI-powered surveillance. Supporters argue the technology could help avert disasters like the crowd crush that killed nearly 160 people celebrating Halloween in South Korea.

Olympics – IOC details advice to let Russia, Belarus athletes return
Some Russian athletes can soon return to international sports, although their status for the Paris Olympics is still up in the air. The International Olympic Committee has recommended that individual athletes from Russia and Belarus should be allowed to return to competition under a neutral status as long as they have no military links. But the IOC held off on deciding whether they can compete at next year’s Paris Olympics. While the IOC said Russia and Belarus should remain barred from team sports such as soccer and basketball, it still defied repeated calls by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to exclude all Russian athletes while his country is being occupied and attacked.

AHL – American Hockey League
Tonight
Chicago Wolves at Grand Rapids Griffins, 7:00 p.m.

MCCAA – Junior College Athletics
Today
Women’s Softball
Jackson College 3, Lake Michigan College 0 – Game 1
Jackson College 13, Lake Michigan College 3 – Game 2

MHSAA – Buchanan’s Faith Carson wins Michigan AP D3 POY honors
Buchanan’s Faith Carson has been named the Michigan Associated Press Division 3 Player of the Year. Carson, who has signed to play at Ohio State next season, averaged 20.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.8 blocks per game. She was even better in the postseason, producing 25.2 points and 16.8 rebounds per contest, and posting her second triple-double of the season with 29 points, 17 rebounds and 10 blocks in a 70-47 regional championship victory over Kalamazoo Christian. She led the Bucks to their first regional title in more than 20 years.

MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Softball
South Haven 10, Paw Paw 0
Sturgis 10, Colon 3
Hamilton 17, Saugatuck 2 – Game 1
Hamilton 14, Saugatuck 0 – Game 2
Wyoming Lee 8, Fennville 2 – Game 1
Wyoming Lee 21, Fennville 8 – Game 2

Baseball
Plainwell 16, Hastings 1

Girls Soccer
Dowagiac 5, Niles 0
First game on new synthetic turf field at Niles
Bangor 3, Brandywine 2
Paw Paw 8, Hartford 0

Track and Field
Benton Harbor and Lakeshore at Aquinas College Indoor Track Challenge

Boys
1          East Kentwood                           121.5
2          FHE Ada Forest Hills Eastern        64.5
3          Wayland Union                            52.6
4          Charlotte                                  41.2
5          GR Forest Hills Central               38
6          Hopkins                                      33
7          East Grand Rapids                       31
8          GR Kenowa Hills                         22
9          Lakeshore                                  18.6
10         East Kentwood                           13
11         FHN GR_Forest Hills Northern      12.6
12         Wyoming Kelloggsville                 9
13         GR Northview                             6
14         Wyoming Lee                               3
15         Wyoming Godwin Heights              2

Girls
1          East Kentwood                           91
2          East Grand Rapids                       56
3          Charlotte                                  50.5
4          GR_Kenowa Hills                         48
5          Wayland Union                            46
6          GR Forest Hills Central               37
7          Ada Forest Hills Eastern              34
8          Benton Harbor                            17
9          Lakeshore                                  16.5

9          Hopkins                                      16.5
11         Wyoming Kelloggsville                 11
12         GR Forest Hills Northern             10.5
13         East Kentwood                           10
14         Wyoming Godwin Heights              7
15         Wyoming Lee                               6
15         GR Northview                             6
17         Grant                                        5

Paw Paw vs. Three Rivers              Girls: Paw Paw 69, Three Rivers 55             Boys: Three Rivers 83, Paw Paw 52
Plainwell vs. Edwardsburg            Girls: Plainwell 76, Edwardsburg 61          Boys: Plainwell 71, Edwardsburg 66

Today
Girls Soccer
St. Joseph at Edwardsburg, 5:30 p.m.
Our Lady of the Lake at South Haven, 6:30 p.m.
Buchanan at Niles, 5:00 p.m.
Berrien Springs at New Buffalo, 6:00 p.m.
Lawton at Coloma, 6:00 p.m.
Grand Rapids Covenant Christian at Allegan, 6:30 p.m.
Hamilton at Fennville, 6:00 p.m.

Baseball
Bridgman at Edwardsburg, 4:00 p.m.

Softball
Bridgman at Niles, 4:00 p.m.
Brandywine at Constantine, 4:00 p.m. (DH)

Track and Field
South Haven, Kalamazoo Hackett at Martin, 4:30 p.m.