Matt Poitras scores twice to lead B’s to 3-1 win over Anaheim

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The time may have come for Matt Poitras to find some permanent digs in Boston.

The 19-year-old rookie has been trying to prove that he belongs in the National Hockey League instead of back with the US junior team in Guelph, and he made the best case possible on Sunday night in Anaheim.

Poitras scored his first two career goals in the third period to lift the B’s to a 3-1 come-from-behind win over the Ducks in Anaheim.

Before Poitras struck, it appeared the game was getting away form the B’s.

The Ducks had broken a scoreless tie at 5:05 of the third period off the rush. Kevin Shattenkirk got caught trying to pinch and the Ducks were off to the races. Eventually, Mason MacTavish cleaned a up a Ryan Strome pass on a 2-on-1.

But the B’s tied it up just 1:24 later on a momentous goal. Poitras had been the B’s most creative player from the second period on .But at 6:29, he was the recipient of a sweet feed. Off the rush, Morgan Geekie took the puck in deep on his off wing and made a pretty backhand pass to Poitras, who deposited his first NHL goal into a wide open net.

The kid wasn’t done.

Poitras gave the B’s the lead at 10:20. This time he parked himself at the right side of the net from where he was able to lift a rebound of a Jake DeBrusk shot over goalie John Gibson for the 2-1 lead.

Brad Marchand then gave the B’s a two-goal cushion with an empty net goal with 2:34 left in regulation.

The B’s had some decent chances in the first period and nearly took the lead right off the bat. On an early penalty kill, Jake DeBrusk had a clean breakaway and had Gibson beaten but the shot clanged off the post.

The B’s also had three power-play chances and their attack got more potent with each chance, but Gibson (23 saves) was solid in net.

In the second period, the Ducks started to wrest control of the flow as the B’s got too loose, allowing Anaheim to gain the zone with speed, but Linus Ullmark made all the required stops.

The B’s, outshot in the second period 11-5, finally got a couple of chances late in the period. Poitras stole the puck behind the Anaheim net and set up Shattenkirk for a great scoring chance that Gibson gobbled up. David Pastrnak also set up Pavel Zacha for a good chance but Gibson didn’t give him any room on the shortside.

*Jake DeBrusk was back in the lineup against the Ducks after being scratched for Saturday’s game in Los Angeles because he was late for a team meeting. Coach Jim Montgomery said DeBrusk “handled it like a pro” and that the matter is behind them.

“There’s just a standard we believe in here and and when that standard isn’t met, there’s repercussions. But yesterday’s over with. It’s a new day and we’re moving forward,” Montgomery told reporters in Anaheim before the game.

*A couple of B’s veterans were nicked up and had to sit on Sunday. Milan Lucic, who picked up the primary assist on Morgan Geekie’s goal against the Kings when he took Derek Forbort’s shot off his right foot, had to take the night off, as did Forbort, who has been battling a groin injury.

*Matt Grzelcyk had to leave the game briefly in the first period when he took a huge hit from Sam Carrick in the offensive slot but he was able to return.

*Trent Frederic ran into a big Radko Gudas check late in the second period and had to go to the room but he returned to start the third period.

Chicago Bears CB Jaylon Johnson gets two interceptions to break 28-game streak without one: ‘I deserve to be paid’

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Jaylon Johnson jumped in front of Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams to grab the interception, raced 39 yards for a touchdown and then made a beeline for the FOX broadcast camera.

As Johnson’s teammates gathered around to celebrate his second career interception — and his first of two picks Sunday — Johnson smirked at the camera and swiped one hand up over the other, raining imaginary money over the Soldier Field end zone.

Was he sending a message with that celebration in the Bears’ joy-filled 30-12 victory over the Raiders, you ask?

“You damn right,” Johnson said. “100%.”

Johnson’s two interceptions — one off veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer and one off rookie Aidan O’Connell — were part of a banner day for the Bears defense against a Raiders team missing starter Jimmy Garoppolo. Tremaine Edmunds also intercepted Hoyer. The Bears let the Raiders in the end zone just once, held them to 39 yards rushing and allowed only 2 of 9 third-down conversions as they halted a 10-game home losing streak.

Johnson’s picks came in the fourth quarter, the first with the Bears already holding a 24-6 lead, but they were notable for a number of reasons.

Johnson, a 2020 Bears second-round draft pick, is in the final year of his rookie contract and will be looking to sign a new deal in the months ahead — either with the Bears or another NFL team. Johnson said Sunday he has “been wanting to get to the table” to work out such a contract, thus the money celebration.

“I know who I am, and I know I can play this game at a high level,” Johnson said. “And I feel like I deserve to be paid like that. I’m taking that attitude for any team, for any and everybody in the NFL. So I mean if it’s with the Bears, then I’ll do that.”

Entering Sunday, Johnson had started 43 games in his Bears career and had 32 passes defended. He prides himself on being game to lock down the best receivers in the league. But prior to Sunday he had just one interception — on Sept. 19, 2021, against Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. Twenty-eight games followed without a pick.

Johnson has spoken this season about wanting to add to that total. But he stopped short of saying the streak without one weighed on him because he also prides himself on being reliable.

“It’s only so much you can do when you don’t get too many opportunities,” he said. “And you don’t want to force it and get too happy and start jumping routes and you get beat over the top. I’m definitely a sound player and want to do what I need to do to be in position to make plays on the ball. And if they give me an opportunity to catch the ball, I’m going to do it every time.”

That his first interception Sunday came while defending Adams was fitting given that Johnson has been asked multiple times about wanting to defend the former Green Bay Packers All-Pro receiver.

Johnson said he could see Hoyer eyeing Adams and knew the football was coming his way, so he broke before Adams did. After Johnson grabbed the ball, Kyler Gordon stepped in front of Adams to block, and Johnson knew he was getting to the end zone. The pick-six came one drive after Johnson was called for a 46-yard pass interference penalty against Tre Tucker that he said was a good call and “not acceptable” on his part.

Later in the fourth quarter, Johnson jumped in front of O’Connell’s pass to Jakobi Meyers for the other pick. Afterward, Johnson kneeled on the sideline because “God has done so much for me, and I was just taking the time to give him the glory.”

“It meant the world to him,” cornerback Tyrique Stevenson said. “After the second pick, I walked up to him and gave him a hug. You could feel the emotion. It’s something he’s been wanting, something we’ve been praying about, something we’ve talking about. Just for him to go out there and be a leader of the defense and take away two, it just added to the confidence of this defense.”

The Bears defensive effort obviously was much more than just Johnson. Stevenson, often defending Adams, had three passes defended. Defensive lineman Justin Jones had a sack. Edmunds grabbed an interception of Hoyer in the second quarter when it bounced off the hand of running back Josh Jacobs, and the takeaway led to the Bears’ second touchdown six plays later.

Edmunds and fellow linebacker T.J. Edwards, both new to the Bears this year, talked about the confidence building in the defense as they grow more comfortable with one another. And they talked about the good vibe that develops as they make more game-changing plays.

“We have a lot of playmakers out there that can make those big-time plays,” said Edmunds, who has two takeaways in two weeks. “Defense in general strives off that, just energy. What one person do, we all feel.”

In back-to-back home games, the Bears have held the Minnesota Vikings and Raiders offenses to just 12 points. The Vikings were without star wide receiver Justin Jefferson and the Raiders were without Garoppolo.

But that doesn’t diminish the confidence growing in the unit. Or the satisfaction Johnson was sure he would feel when he went home Sunday night.

“I get to go home and watch TV with a smile on my face and not want to turn the TV on,” Johnson said. “Honestly, just going out here and getting the dub for the home crowd, for all of the city, I know it’s been a long time coming. It’s really just about giving them what they want. They come out and show up each and every game and give us energy, and it’s only right to give them a W.”

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Argentina presidential vote: Economy Minister Massa grabs surprise lead over right-wing populist

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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Economy Minister Sergio Massa held the lead Sunday night in early results from Argentina’s presidential election, a surprise reflecting voters’ reluctance to hand the presidency to his chief contender, a right-wing populist who has pledged to drastically overhaul the state.

With 86% of the votes counted, Massa had 36.2%, compared with the anti-establishment candidate Javier Milei’s 30.3%, meaning the two were poised to face off in a November second round.

Most pre-election polls, which have been notoriously unreliable, gave Milei a slight lead and put Massa in second place. Massa, a leading figure in the center-left administration in power since 2019, appeared to have outperformed predictions by growing support significantly in the critical Buenos Aires province, home to more than one-third of the electorate, said Mariel Fornoni of political consultancy Management & Fit.

The highly polarized election will determine whether Argentina will continue with a center-left administration or elect one of the right-leaning leaders who both promised profound changes to a country plagued by triple-digit inflation and rising poverty. Former Security Minister Patricia Bullrich, of the main opposition coalition, trailed well behind Massa and Milei in third place.

Massa’s campaign this year follows another eight years ago, when he finished a disappointing third place and was knocked out of the running. This time, he will have his shot at a runoff.

He held the first place in the preliminary vote count despite the fact that inflation surged on his watch and the currency tanked. He had told voters that he inherited an already-bad situation exacerbated by a devastating drought that decimated the country’s exports, and reassured voters that the worst was past.

“On Monday, Argentina continues,” Massa said after casting his vote in Buenos Aires. “We have the enormous task … regardless of who governs, to address a multitude of problems.”

In order to win outright and avoid a Nov. 19 runoff, a candidate would need 45% of the vote, or 40% with a 10-point lead over the runner-up.

Milei, a self-described anarcho-capitalist who admires former U.S. President Donald Trump, sent shockwaves through the nation after receiving the most votes in the August primaries. The chainsaw-wielding economist and freshman lawmaker said he wants to slash public spending, halve the number of government ministries, eliminate the central bank and replace the local currency with the U.S. dollar.

He first made a name for himself with angry tirades blasting what he calls the “political caste” on television, and has gained support from Argentines struggling to make ends meet amid annual inflation of 140% and a rapidly depreciating currency. His platform also calls for reshaping Argentine culture, and he casts himself as a crusader against the sinister forces of socialism at home and abroad.

Whatever the results, Milei has already inserted himself and his libertarian party into a political structure dominated by a center-left and a center-right coalition for almost two decades.

On the streets of Argentina, citizens this week were bracing for impact. Those with any disposable income snapped up goods in anticipation of a possible currency devaluation. The day after the primaries, the government devalued the peso by nearly 20%.

Argentines were also buying dollars and removing hard currency deposits from banks as the peso accelerated its already steady depreciation.

Massa focused much of his firepower in the campaign’s final days on warning voters against electing Milei, painting him as a dangerous upstart. He argued that Milei’s plans could have devastating effects on social welfare programs, education and health care.

The health, education and social development ministries are among those Milei wants to extinguish.

Milei characterized Massa as part of the entrenched and corrupt establishment that brought South America’s second-largest economy to its knees. That message resonated among many Argentines who watched their economic prospects wither.

Running as an anti-establishment candidate, Milei became the undisputed star of the election campaigning. So many people surrounded his vehicle as he approached his polling station that he needed a phalanx of bodyguards. Groups of supporters threw flower petals on his car and sang “Happy Birthday.” He turned 53 on Sunday.

“First round, damn it!” supporters chanted as Milei left the polling station.

Julieta Le Bellot, a 34-year-old student, was waiting for her boyfriend to vote and couldn’t believe her eyes as people waited for Milei to arrive.

“That there are so many people who have come to see him is something I don’t understand,” she said, noting that she intended to vote for Massa because “he’s the least worst” option.

But for Ignacio Cardozo, 20, casting his ballot for Milei was a vote of hope. “I’m young, and I want a different Argentina for when I grow up, for my children,” he said before voting in a middle-class neighborhood of Buenos Aires.

Milei also railed against what he called the “socialist agenda.” He opposes sex education, feminist policies and abortion, which is legal in Argentina. He called the notion of social justice “an aberration” and disputed that humans have had a role in causing climate change.

“What madness are we living in? The madness of stupid political correctness where, basically, if you don’t recite the ‘cool socialism,’ if you aren’t ‘woke,’ then you’re violent, you’re a danger to democracy,” he said in a television interview last month.

Cristian Ariel Jacobsen, a 38-year-old photographer, said he voted for Massa in hope of preventing Milei’s victory and his “project that puts democracy at risk.”

As a rising star in the global culture wars, Milei received support from several like-minded leaders, including Brazil’s former far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro’s lawmaker son, Eduardo, planned to follow the election from Milei’s campaign headquarters along with several leaders of Spain’s far-right Vox party.

Like Trump and Bolsonaro, Milei already cast doubt on the electoral system. He said fraud cost him as many as five points in the primaries, although he never filed a complaint in court. Political analysts warned that Milei could be setting the stage to question the results of Sunday’s election.

1 dead, 2 injured in early morning shooting in St. Cloud, police say

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ST. CLOUD, Minn. — One man was killed and two others were injured in a shooting early Sunday morning, according to St. Cloud police.

Police said the suspect or suspects are believed to have left the scene, and investigators are looking for any information from the public, according to a news release.

The incident occurred in the 700 block of Sixth Avenue South at about 3:55 a.m. Sunday. Police received a report of multiple gunshots fired at the location.

When officers arrived, they found multiple people in and around a residence. The initial investigation revealed that a dispute preceded the shooting.

Three men were shot, according to police. A 34-year-old died at the scene; a 52-year-old and a 26-year-old were hospitalized after suffering gunshot wounds that weren’t life-threatening.

Police said the shooting does not appear to be a random incident.

The St. Cloud Police Department is requesting that anyone with information contact police at 320-251-1200. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is assisting local investigators.

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