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A22 sports
Saturday 2 November 2019
Tkachuk's trickery sends Flames past Predators 6-5 in OT

By CHIP CIRILLO at 5:33 of the first period.
Associated Press It was his fourth straight
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — goal, including a hat trick
Matthew Tkachuk didn't in Nashville's 3-0 win over
think a comeback win was Chicago on Tuesday. The
possible after Calgary's ter- center leads the Predators
rible start. Then, he scored with seven goals.
a pair of improbable goals Watson scored on assists
for a come-from-behind from Colton Sissons and
win. Tkachuk scored the Matt Irwin, increasing Nash-
tying goal with 40 seconds ville's lead to 2-0 at 10:15 of
left in regulation and the the first.
winning goal with 1.4 sec- Watson signed a three-
onds left in overtime on a year, $4.5 million contract
between-the-legs shot as extension earlier in the day.
the Flames' beat the Nash- Ryan scored on the Flames'
ville Predators 6-5 on Thurs- second shot, a wrist shot
day night. from the bottom of the left
Calgary rallied from a faceoff circle, narrowing
three-goal deficit after the gap to 2-1 at 15:27 of
Nashville took the game's the first.
first 14 shots. Calgary Flames left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) scores a goal against Nashville Predators Calgary almost tied it when
"I didn't think it was going goaltender Pekka Rinne (35), of Finland, during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Johnny Gaudreau's wrist
to be possible after the first Oct. 31, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. The Flames won in overtime, 6-5. shot bounced off the right
20 minutes or first 10 min- Associated Press post before Rinne smoth-
utes," Tkachuk said. "We the Flames. Austin Wat- Tkachuk's rebound goal in the third period and it ered the rebound in the
were all over them in that son scored twice, Calle with 40 seconds left tied looks a lot more like us, crease 18 minutes into the
third period and that's the Jarnrkok scored two short- the game at 5 and forced right," Flames coach Bill Pe- first. The Flames missed an-
way we need to be to be handed goals and Nick overtime. Calgary's Da- ters said. "We put the work other chance to tie when a
at our best." On the winner, Bonino had a goal as the vid Rittich made 31 saves. boots on and played with shot hit the post again early
Tkachuk skated in front of Predators saw their four- Rinne made 21 saves. some speed and possessed in the second period.
the net against two Nash- game win streak halted. Quine's first goal tied it at 4 the puck. It should be a Jarnkrok scored his first
ville defenders, let the puck "I think this comeback kind with 3:21 left. Watson gave springboard to bigger and short-handed goal on a
slip between his legs and of gives us confidence Nashville a 5-4 lead with better things." 2-on-1 breakaway after a
flipped a shot that beat that we can be down in 1:22 remaining. Calgary didn't take its first Calgary turnover, sending
Predators goalie Pekka the third, even though we Lindholm scored his team- shot until about six minutes a wrist shot into high near
Rinne high to the stick side. don't want to be, and we leading ninth goal from remained in the first period. post past Rittich, boost-
Derek Ryan, Rasmus An- can come back," Tkachuk close range, narrowing the Bonino gave the Predators ing Nashville's lead to
dersson, Elias Lindholm and said. "So I guess that's the gap to 4-3 of the third pe- a 1-0 lead when he scored 3-1 at 4:36 of the second
Alan Quine also scored for positive we can take." riod. "A lot of good things on a backhanded rebound period.q

Free Agents fers to their former players

who became free agents,
Continued from Page 17 Cole tweeted a letter Thurs- Players are eligible for the
day praising Houston fans. offer if they were on the
“Seasons end really fast. I “Before I became an Astro roster for the season and
don’t care if you get all the I didn’t know much about never received a qualify-
way to the seventh game Houston, but after just two ing offer before. The price
of the World Series. It’s all years you have made it dropped for the first time,
of a sudden — boom! — feel like home,” he wrote. by $100,000, following a
it’s over.” Cole, Rendon “This is a relationship be- second straight slow off-
and Strasburg all are rep- tween a team and ... fans season for roster moves.
resented by Scott Boras, like no other that I know.” Edwin Encarnación’s $25
known for slow, methodi- Strasburg, a 31-year-old million option was declined
cal negotiations. Last win- right-hander, just finished Houston Astros starting pitcher Gerrit Cole walks to the dugout by the Yankees, triggering
ter, he reached outfielder the third season of a $175 after the third inning of Game 5 of the baseball World Series a $5 million buyout.
Bryce Harper’s $330 million, million deal and at 18-6 also against the Washington Nationals Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019, in Cleveland exercised Corey
13-year contract with Phila- is coming off his best sea- Washington. Kluber’s $17.5 million team
delphia on Feb. 28. son. Rendon led the major Associated Press option and declined op-
Cole, a 29-year-old right- leagues with 126 RBIs while Wheeler, Madison Bumgar- Yasiel Puig, Marcell Ozuna tions on second baseman
hander who went 20-5 this hitting .319 with 34 hom- ner, Rick Porcello, Cole and José Abreu — the AL Jason Kipnis ($16.5 million)
year, is expected to get a ers. A total of 131 players Hamels, Jake Odorizzi and RBIs leader. Yankees closer and reliever Dan Otero
record contract for a pitch- became free agents Thurs- Dallas Keuchel, who went Aroldis Chapman and Bos- ($1.5 million). Kipnis gets
er, topping David Price’s day, and 53 more poten- free after the 2018 season ton slugger J.D. Martinez a $2.5 million buyout and
$217 million, seven-year tially are eligible pending and waited until June to also have the right to opt Otero $100,000 buyout.
deal with Boston before decisions on team, player reach a one-year deal with out, and catcher Yasmani Left-hander Oliver Pérez’s
the 2016 season and Jus- and mutual options during Atlanta. Grandal has a mutual op- option became guaran-
tin Verlander’s $31.33 mil- the next few days. Others eligible include tion with Milwaukee. teed at $3 million because
lion average salary under Among the pitchers avail- shortstop Didi Gregorius, Teams must decide by he pitched in 60 or more
a three-year deal with the able are major league ERA third baseman Josh Don- Monday whether to make games and passed a club
Astros that started in 2019. leader Hyun-Jin Ryu, Zack aldson and outfielders $17.8 million qualifying of- physical. q