Leon Draisaitl propels Oilers past Kings, into 2nd in Pacific Division

• April 5, 2023

LOS ANGELES — For the Kings, a Pacific Division title and even home ice in the first round of the playoffs drifted further into the horizon on Tuesday night when they were stifled for the second time in less than a week by the Edmonton Oilers, who prevailed 3-1 at Crypto.com Arena.

These two clubs met on March 30, when the Oilers won, 2-0, in Edmonton. In both instances, the victories moved them ahead of the Kings in the standings. Both teams have four games remaining with Edmonton holding a one-point lead. They have split the season series after Edmonton eliminated the Kings from the 2022 postseason. The Kings also trail the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights, whose overtime loss to the Nashville Predators Tuesday left them four points ahead of the Kings and three up on Edmonton.

Winger Viktor Arvidsson scored the Kings’ only goal. Pheonix Copley snapped his string of nine consecutive decisions with at least one point earned for his team, making 30 saves.

Forwards Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins assisted on each other’s power-play goals before Draisaitl set up defenseman Darnell Nurse’s late empty-netter. Draisaitl’s three points extended his scoring streak to 13 games over which he’s scored 27 points (10 goals) to top the NHL since the surge commenced. Stuart Skinner turned away 20 shots to earn his seventh victory in his past eight appearances.

For Edmonton, the past 11 games have seen them collect 21 of a possible 22 points while wearing the countenance of contenders. For a Kings team that has now allowed two goals or fewer outside of empty-net goals and shootouts in 15 of its past 16 games, the loss was a bitter pill at a moment when the group was ailing for a big win.

“It’s the way it’s going to be against L.A., that’s the way you beat a team like that. We’ve done it twice now and I think it’s good for our group to show to ourselves, and to them, that we can beat them that way,” Edmonton captain Connor McDavid said.

As 96 seconds remained, Nurse’s length-of-the-ice, bank shot off the glass and into an empty net condemned the Kings to defeat.

With 7:20 to play, the Oilers had taken the lead for good with a man-advantage goal. McDavid, the NHL’s leading scorer, waited out defenseman Matt Roy to get a shot on net that created a rebound that Draisaitl narrowly stuffed past defenseman Sean Durzi and Copley.

Skinner was impenetrable for more than five-and-a-half periods, as he shut out the Kings on Thursday and up past the midpoint of Tuesday’s third period. A dump-in and forecheck allowed forward Trevor Moore to recover the puck and slip it to Arvidsson for a one-timer from the blue line, Arvidsson’s 25th goal of the season. But no sooner did he breathe life into the Kings with an equalizer did he take a slashing penalty against McDavid, sending Edmonton to the game-winning power play.

“The timing of penalties comes into play a little bit, too. We just get some energy and some traction, and then we go back to the box,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said.

The Kings buzzed late in the second period. Winger Quinton Byfield had his stick broken, by what he suggested to the official was an unnoticed slash, during a sterling chance. Then center Phillip Danault tested Skinner’s glove, yet they trailed 1-0 at the second intermission just the same.

Winger Adrian Kempe’s partial breakaway at the end of a shift just over six minutes into the period might have been the game’s strongest scoring chance to that point. That was until Edmonton’s third power-play opportunity of the night.

Play broke down after Durzi’s blocked shot led to a board battle. Draisaitl came away with the puck and zipped it across the zone to Nugent-Hopkins for a one-timer, his career-best 36th goal of the season with 8:30 showing on the clock.

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“They rely on their power play an awful lot. They won it with their power play tonight,” McLellan said.

The Oilers have the best power-play conversion rate in the NHL, but they had gone 0 for 11 against the Kings before the goal from Nugent-Hopkins. He, Draisaitl and Connor McDavid are the three most prolific man-advantage players in the NHL.

“Credit to them, they did a lot of good things on their kill and they know our group really well,” said McDavid, who played for McLellan for parts of four seasons in Edmonton. “It’s a game of inches and little battles, and we won just enough to put two in.”

Space was at a premium in the first period with the two sides combining for more than twice as many blocks (12) as shots on goal (five). There was a physical bent to the frame as well, with Edmonton doling out 20 hits. A small skirmish broke out in each of the first two periods, though nothing like the three fights during the Oilers’ last visit to Figueroa Street.

“We know how tight it is in the West. Home ice is a big thing,” defenseman Sean Walker said. “Obviously the guys played these guys last year in Round 1, so it’s something that we’re looking at and we’re going to do everything going forward to make sure we get home ice.”

​ Orange County Register 

Social media posts with BB gun spark panic at Fullerton school

• April 5, 2023

A social media post from a Fullerton junior high school student holding what appeared to be a handgun set off a chain of events Monday that led parents to panic, with 250 parents rushing to campus to pull out their kids.

By Tuesday, 228 of Nicolas Junior High’s 630 students were still staying home. And some 150 parents, many upset about what they said was inadequate notification from the school, showed up to a town hall meeting on campus, demanding answers — and changes.

Parents, and a couple of students, mistakenly thought there was a gunman at the school. Parents were getting texts Monday from their children that said, “There’s a shooter on campus.”

“It was very apocalyptic,” parent Maria Cardenas said, describing how some parents were running to school to grab their children.

One student said: “I felt safe in the beginning. But once I saw my friends leaving, I got scared.”

There wasn’t an active shooter; the student who sent the original social media post was still at home, where local police were questioning the student by 7:15 a.m.

By then, school officials realized “our school was safe,” principal Jose Varela told those who gathered for the town hall meeting Tuesday afternoon.

Varela said he understands the parents’ reactions.

“I would have freaked out, and I would have done the same thing,” Varela said.

In a presentation in the school’s auditorium, Varela gave a timeline of what happened.

Over the weekend, a Nicolas student posted on social media, posing with a gun along with “threatening” language.

That was followed by a second post, by someone unrelated to the school, who included a “PSA” — or public service announcement — that said the student pictured would be “shooting up the school,” Varela said. And unlike the first post, the second one specifically named Nicolas Junior High.

When Varela learned of this early Monday morning, he immediately contacted Fullerton Police Sgt. Eric Bridges, who serves as a liaison to the district’s junior high schools.

Bridges said he was at the student’s house with another officer within minutes. They determined that what appeared to be a firearm in the post was a BB gun.

Even though they established there was no threat to the school, numerous officers arrived on campus by 7:30 a.m., when teachers also were informed of a post on social media, said Varela. As the first bell rang, the principal made a statement over the intercom.

“We are aware of an inappropriate post,” Varela said he told them. “Fullerton police is taking care of the matter. Please understand that Nicolas is the safest place to be.”

Then the second post came out. And word spread like wildfire.

At 10:07 a.m., Bridges called Varela and confirmed the investigation was done. There was no direct threat to the school, he said.

Shortly after that, an email went out to parents in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.

Many parents at the town hall — already concerned about the spate of school shootings across the U.S. — said they were angry about the delay. They demanded the school and the district inform them immediately of any potential danger to their children, and let the parents decide whether they want to pull their children out or not.

Fullerton Superintendent Bob Pletka said a notice wasn’t immediately sent out because it was established early on, before school started, that the students were not in danger and they wanted to have more information before contacting families.

“What’s worse than slow information is inaccurate information,” Pletka said.

But faced with angry replies from parents demanding to be quickly informed of any future potential incidents, Pletka told them: “The experts in the room are you.”

In the future, Pletka said, the district will send out information “as soon as we get it.”

School officials said the student would not be returning to Nicolas Junior High.

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​ Orange County Register 

Cypress, El Dorado, Servite advance to semifinals in National Classic baseball tournament

• April 5, 2023

It will be Cypress vs. El Dorado and Servite vs. San Dimas in the semifinals of the National Classic baseball tournament Wednesday.

Both games are at El Dorado High — Cypress vs. El Dorado at 1 p.m., Servite vs. San Dimas at 4 p.m.

In the Orange County Top 25 Cypress (14-4) is No. 7, Servite (11-8) is No. 9 and El Dorado (12-7) is No. 11.

El Dorado advanced Tuesday with a 7-3 win over Vista Murrieta. Isaac Cadena and Lucas Raya each drove in two runs for the Golden Hawks. Nick Sandstedt pitched 6 1/3 innings to get the win.

Cypress defeated No. 8 Foothill 5-1. Centurions pitcher Wyatt Rosales struck out five in his 5 2/3 innings on the mound. Trevor Monteleone and Nick Montgomery had RBIs for Cypress.

Servite pitcher Ben Dominguez went four innings to get the win for the Friars in a 4-1 victory over No. 5 Villa Park. San Dimas defeated Bishop Amat 5-2.

In fifth-place semifinals Wednesday, Foothill plays Vista Murrieta at Fullerton College at 9 a.m. and Villa Park plays Bishop Amat at noon at Fullerton College.

​ Orange County Register 

USC’s Carson Tabaracci ready to contribute at tight end

• April 5, 2023

LOS ANGELES — Carson Tabaracci spent his freshman year in USC’s linebacker room, studying. It was all he could do following back surgery, not able to practice or play with his teammates.

But this offseason he was called into head coach Lincoln Riley’s office. He was presented with an opportunity to switch positions to tight end meaning a clearer shot at seeing the field. Tabaracci took it, and he has embraced the challenge of a new position this spring camp.

“It’s a little bit of a change, but it’s a lot of fun,” Tabaracci said. “I feel like I got a lot of natural skills on offense. I’m just trying to utilize that and learn and grow.”

Tabaracci was always a two-way player in high school, but he trended toward offense. As a senior at Park City (Utah) High, he played quarterback, running back, receiver and linebacker. He rushed 174 times for 1,188 yards and caught 23 passes for 235 more yards, but had just 19 tackles on defense.

His multi-faceted game earned him the position of “athlete” on recruiting sites, indicating USC would have a choice to make about his future after Tabaracci transferred from Utah following spring practices.

At USC, he was put in the linebacker room. He worked on learning the scheme and skills of the position, but he wasn’t able to put any of it onto the field.

“Just treat it like a profession,” Tabaracci said.

Entering his redshirt freshman year, the plan changed. Tabaracci was lined up to work on both linebacker and tight end during spring. But looking at the depth chart, Riley and tight ends coach Zach Hanson saw a bigger opportunity for Tabaracci to contribute on offense in 2023.

Which suits the redshirt freshman just fine.

“I just love offense,” Tabaracci said. “I feel like it’s maybe a little bit more natural for me. I played it a lot more. I have a blast on that side of the ball.”

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His experience at so many different offensive positions has made for an easy enough transition this spring. He’s comfortable in the receiving game and just learning what it takes to be lined up inside.

Now, he’s studying the other side of the ball. But getting to actually participate in practice helps with the transition. He’s still dealing with some setbacks with the back but is largely able to be a full participant.

“I think it’s deep down where he wanted to play, as well,” Riley said. “He’s come into a good situation. He’s getting a lot of reps, he’s getting a look. And his skillset’s good for it. He’s a physical kid and he catches the ball well. For missing as much as he has and first time in our offense, he’s handled it well.”

​ Orange County Register 

LAFC looks to solve Vancouver’s slow turf in CONCACAF Champions League match

• April 5, 2023

Does the best soccer team in North America play in Los Angeles?

Vanni Sartini, the Italian head coach of the Vancouver Whitecaps, thinks so.

The day before his group hosts the Los Angeles Football Club for the opening leg of the quarterfinal round of the CONCACAF Champions League, Sartini declared that “from Panama to the Yukon (LAFC is) the best team, so that’s the challenge that they present to us.”

Specifically, Wednesday night boils down to which team is best at BC Place. Despite Sartini’s declarations about LAFC’s status in the region, last year’s Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup winners have lost their last three games on the slow turf in British Columbia.

“We know they are very strong but we also know at home we have a strong record against them,” Sartini said. “We have the weapon to block them.”

LAFC’s only loss during a 10-1-1 run from the end of May through mid-August of last year, came on the road against the Whitecaps thanks to an 89th-minute game-winner that Steve Cherundolo had little interest in revisiting this week.

“What we’re doing differently now is apples and oranges,” the LAFC head coach said.

The same goes for Vancouver, which has a pair of 5-0 wins, including its first MLS victory against Montreal on Saturday, and the resounding CCL opener at home against Honduran club Real España.

Whitecaps forward Simon Becher was named MLS Player of the Week with a pair of goals and an assist against Montreal in his first start for the club.

The 23-year-old also is the quickest to score four league goals, needing just 87 minutes of game action to get there.

As for Sartini’s bold proclamation, “it’s certainly not true,” Cherundolo responded.

“I don’t think we can make general statements like that. It’s clearly Vanni trying to set the tone and play the underdog card,” the coach said. “That’s fine. I think they see themselves as kind of deriving a lot of their confidence and energy from being the underdog in the Western Conference. But that is not the truth. They are very good this year. Much improved and made some good signings. Spent money. And they have a very deep roster and a clear way of playing. I understand why he would say that, but I have to say I disagree.”

Like LAFC, the Whitecaps jumped out to a big advantage after the first leg of the Round of 16 and moved through on aggregate despite dropping the return match.

After trips to Costa Rica and Honduras, the all-MLS quarterfinal, which culminates at BMO Stadium in L.A. on April 11, is obviously less exotic for both sides. So there shouldn’t be a secret lurking around a corner in Vancouver that surprises LAFC, but there doesn’t have to be if the Whitecaps’ results against an otherwise dominant Black & Gold hold to form.

Vancouver is strong on set pieces and has adapted a style of play to suit its home turf that doesn’t require possession to be happy. The Whitecaps are content to mark zonally because that is where they see an edge over man-marking, which makes it easier for LAFC to turn the ball over and counter.

LAFC, conversely, wants to score no matter where it plays, but the slower field has bothered the club and goals are hard to come by at BC Place.

With away goals serving as the first tiebreaker, one finish could prove pivotal.

“The past is not playing,” LAFC captain Carlos Vela exclaimed. “It’s CONCACAF Champions.”

LAFC AT VANCOUVER

What: CONCACAF Champions League

When: Wednesday, 7 p.m.

Where: BC Place, Vancouver, British Columbia

TV: FS2, TUDN

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers hit 3 home runs, take 2-game series from Rockies

• April 5, 2023

LOS ANGELES ― The Dodgers hit six home runs in their two-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies, continuing a trend of dominance. Their 5-2 win on Tuesday night was their 61st against the Rockies since 2018, more wins than any single head-to-head matchup in MLB over that time.

The usual suspects did their part.

Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías followed up his strong start in the season opener by throwing six shutout innings, striking out six batters without allowing a walk. One batter, Elehuris Montero, struck out when he called time for the second time in a single plate appearance – a violation of the new pace-of-play rules.

The game quite nearly unraveled when the Rockies loaded the bases with three consecutive singles to begin the third inning. But Urías struck out Kris Bryant with his new-look slider, then induced a double-play groundout to end the inning.

Urías (2-0) threw 87 pitches before handing the game to Caleb Ferguson in the seventh inning.

Down 5-1 in the ninth inning, the Rockies scored a run and threatened to tie the game. Evan Phillips relieved Phil Bickford in pursuit of the save, and promptly hit Elias Diaz to load the bases.

Phillips came back to retire Mike Moustakas on a sacrifice fly and retired Charlie Blackmon on a groundout to end the game.

After Mookie Betts singled to lead off the bottom of the first inning, Will Smith hit his third home run in as many games to give the Dodgers an early 2-0 lead. Smith went 2 for 4 with an RBI double and is batting .421 through five games. Max Muncy also homered for the Dodgers, his first of 2023.

The most surprising contribution came from the bat of Jason Heyward.

Starting in right field for the second consecutive game, Heyward went 1 for 3 with his second home run in as many days. The home run was the opposite of cheap: at 112.7 mph, it was the hardest homer he’s hit since at least 2015, the first year of publicly available Statcast data.

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With two homers in eight at-bats, Heyward has doubled his home run total from 2022, when he hit one in 137 at-bats for the Chicago Cubs.

Heyward was released with one year remaining on his contract in November. The Dodgers are paying him $720,000 this season; the Cubs are paying him $21.3 million.

Betts played second base with Miguel Vargas nursing a thumb injury, allowing Heyward to get his second start of the young season.

More to come on this story.

​ Orange County Register 

Angels’ José Suarez hit hard in blowout loss to Mariners

• April 5, 2023

SEATTLE — José Suarez had little trouble shrugging off a discouraging first start of the season.

After Suarez gave up seven runs, including four on two homers by Teoscar Hernandez, in the Angels’ 11-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night, he said that he felt most of his pitches were where he wanted them.

“I was feeling my pitches right,” Suarez said through an interpreter. “I had good command. But that’s part of the game and I know I’m gonna have a better game next time.”

Through the first four games of the Angels’ season, their starters had allowed just three earned runs, but Suarez gave up more than that on two misplaced pitches to Hernandez.

The Angels were down 1-0 in the fourth when Suarez threw an 83.9 mph slider that hung at Hernandez’s thighs. He crushed it 419 feet to straightaway center field.

That was one of 26 sliders that Suarez threw among his 77 pitches. They averaged 84.9 mph, which was up from his average of 81.7 mph last season. The increased velocity was likely because Suarez threw almost entirely the harder of his two sliders against the right-handed heavy Seattle lineup. He has a slower sweeper that he uses against lefties, so he only threw that to No. 9 hitter J.P. Crawford.

Manager Phil Nevin said he likes the harder of Suarez’s sliders better, but they didn’t work on this night.

“He’s actually worked on that, building up speed on that,” Nevin said. “The harder ones he threw were actually the better ones. The location on them, that was a little different.”

Suarez also gave up an RBI double to Cal Raleigh and a single to Eugenio Suarez on sliders.

In between, he tried a different approach to Hernandez, and it didn’t go any better. Suarez threw a fastball that Hernandez blasted out for a three-run homer in the fifth, putting the Angels in a 6-0 hole.

Hernandez’s second homer sailed over the Angels’ bullpen, which at that time had no one warming up. Jaime Barría got up and threw just a handful of pitches before Suarez gave up one more hit, ending his night.

Although Barria gave up a two-run homer to A.J. Pollock and three more runs in the seventh, he still soaked up the final 3-2/3 innings. That allows the Angels’ high-leverage relievers to be ready for the rubber game of the series on Wednesday.

They’ll send Shohei Ohtani to the mound in search of a 4-2 trip to begin the season.

In truth, Tuesday’s game was the one in this series they seemed most likely to lose. Suarez is the Angels’ No. 5 starter, and he was going against Seattle right-hander Luis Castillo.

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Castillo, who had a 2.99 ERA last season, clamped down on an Angels’ lineup that had scored 26 runs in the previous three games.

Taylor Ward led off the first with a double, but the Angels stranded him there. The Angels were down 3-0 in the fifth when Brandon Drury opened the door for them to get back into the game with another leadoff double.

Again, the Angels failed to convert.

And by the time they came to bat in the sixth, they were down by eight and looking forward to Wednesday.

“He was really good,” Nevin said of Castillo. “They got him a couple runs early and he’s really good. I thought we took some good swings here and there. We didn’t give up. We got a chance to win a series and have a really nice road trip tomorrow.”

​ Orange County Register 

LeBron James, surging Lakers avoid misstep with OT win against Jazz

• April 5, 2023

By JOHN COON The Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY — LeBron James scored nine of his 37 points in overtime – including the game-winning basket – to lead the surging Lakers to a 135-133 overtime victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.

Anthony Davis tallied 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who squandered a 10-point lead in the final two minutes of regulation. Austin Reaves added 28 points, as five players scored in double figures to help the Lakers win for the seventh time in eight games.

Kelly Olynyk finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to lead Utah. Former Laker Talen Horton-Tucker added 23 points and seven assists for the Jazz. Horton-Tucker has scored 123 points over his last four games. Ochai Agbaji chipped in 22. The Jazz lost for the seventh time in eight games.

James drove for a go-ahead layup with 27 seconds left to help the Lakers escape with a win. The Lakers held Utah without a basket over the final 1:38 after Olynyk gave the Jazz a 132-129 lead with a 3-pointer.

Utah rallied from a double-digit deficit after shooting 71% from the field in the third quarter. The Jazz finally took their first second-half lead on back-to-back baskets from Collin Sexton and Luka Samanic, going up 99-97 early in the fourth quarter.

The Lakers retook the lead on back-to-back baskets from Dennis Schroder and James and went up 124-114 with 1:43 left in the fourth quarter on eight straight points from Reaves.

Utah countered with a 10-0 run to force overtime. Olynyk scored a basket and assisted two others and Jones knotted the score on a pair of free throws with 11.4 seconds remaining in regulation.

TIP-INS

Lakers: Reaves is averaging 20.5 points during the Lakers’ 7-1 stretch. … James, Davis, and Reaves combined for 18 assists, dishing out six apiece.

Jazz: Samanic made his first start of the season, finishing with 12 points. … Sexton returned to action after missing 18 games with a hamstring strain. He scored 15 points and had three assists in 16 minutes.

UP NEXT

The Lakers face the Clippers on Wednesday in a Clipper home game at Crypto.com Arena.

More to come on this story.

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​ Orange County Register