Florida
Dave Hyde: Dagger! Florida Panthers crush Tampa Bay to take dominating 3-0 lead
Sure, just as everyone said before the playoffs began, this is one great, in-state hockey rivalry.
In South Florida.
In Tampa, they’re booing now. In St. Pete, they’re livid. On west coast of Florida, they can’t believe their big weapon, Nikola Kucherov, hasn’t scored or how their top-rated power play was harmless in four chances Thursday in the Panthers’ 5-3 win in Game 3.
It’s 3-0 in the series now, meaning the remnants of Tampa Bay’s proud Stanley Cup dynasty is being ground to dust like the Ming Dynasty by the Florida Panthers.
“I thought the big story would be the penalty-killing,’’ Panthers coach Paul Maurice said about Game 3.
This series’ big story is bigger. It’s better. It’s Panth-ier. The story is that Vegas’s co-favorites to win it all have entered the playoffs in just the manner you’d want a team with championship aspirations to do.
They’ve come out and taken the lead every game. Their goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky, hasn’t been asked to do too much but has made big moments when asked. Their specialty teams like, yes, the penalty kill, have flexed their muscle.
The Panthers’ big guns have come out gunning in these opening games, too. Sam Reinhart scored his second goal of the series on Thursday minutes after Tampa Bay had its first lead of the series, 2-1. Brandon Montour then made it 3-2 from just inside the blue line.
This series has been so one-sided that Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk has been able to hone his shooting at empty nets. He got his second such goal to end Game 3. Can someone call Elias for the record on empty-net goals in a series sweep?
“The depth of this lineup is a joke, right?” said Steven Lorentz after the game on Bally Sports.
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Lorentz scoring on the fourth line. That’s who.
No joking, these Panthers made a run to the Stanley Cup Final last spring and are better this spring. That doesn’t mean they make it back. It just means it’s going to take a special team or hot goalie to knock them off and Tampa Bay isn’t it.
The most impressive stretch for the Panthers of this series was the third period Thursday when they entered with a goal lead and Tampa Bay knew its season was effectively on the line.
The Panthers gave up seven shots in that period to the league’s fifth-ranked offense. Seven. Sure, Tampa Bay scored with five minutes left to cut it 4-3, but the Panthers weren’t releasing their vise grip on this series.
Tampa Bay’s big offense has taken 19, 23 and 29 shots this series. That’s nothing.
“We’re in a position right now that we would have dreamed about at the beginning of the series,” Tkachuk said. “We’re in a great position. To stand here now and say we’re up 3-0, I’ll gladly take it.
“But there have been stretches where they’ve played really, really well. think it’s been a close series so far in the first three games.”
That’s just the defense-first, grind-like-a-banshee style of this team.
“We never dominate games that’s not really who we are,’’ Maurice said. “Most of are games we are in the grinder. That’s how our games are played. And battled.”
Some things beyond taking too many penalties Thursday will have to be cleared up as the playoffs run. They’re not all hockey-centric, either. Montour, for instance, wore an odd T-shirt after the game that seemed to be decorated with pictures of veteran teammate Nick Cousins.
Quirky? Well, this team has the quirk gene in it.
More than that, it has a playoff gene. A contending gene. It can close out this series Saturday in Tampa Bay with a win. Tampa Bay has won enough series through the years to know the trouble it’s facing.
Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said, “You want the believers to show up to the rink (Friday). And if you’re not going to believe, then you don’t have to come. We’ll see how many guys show up.”
That’s what the Panthers have done to a former champion. This big state rivalry only feels big in one part of the state.
TAMPA, Fla – New SNAP restrictions will start Monday in Florida.
What we know:
These changes will ban the purchase of many sugary sodas, energy drinks, candy and ultra-processed, shelf-stable prepared desserts.
Hunger Free America, an advocacy group, is against these restrictions.
Joel Berg, the CEO, said some regulation is a good thing, but he wants to see it support access to healthy foods as a choice.
“We do support mandates to mandate that healthier food is available in stores that do accept SNAP,” Berg said. “So, it makes a lot more sense to make it easier to get healthier food.”
Berg said these restrictions are unnecessary in achieving a healthier America.
“We should make America healthier again by making healthy food more affordable, convenient and physically available,” Berg said. “We shouldn’t micromanage the eating patterns of adults to try to achieve that goal.”
The other side:
This is part of the Make America Healthy Again initiative.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said, “Under the MAHA initiative, we are taking bold, historic steps to reverse the chronic disease epidemic that has taken root in this country for far too long.”
What they’re saying:
Berg said that these changes, on top of cuts to the program nationwide, will increase hunger.
“It’s not that low-income Americans don’t want healthier food; it’s that they can’t afford healthier food,” Berg said.
This coincides with the announcement that there will be cuts to WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, which supplies food to mothers and young children.
“President Trump’s budget just announced that he’s proposing taking away fruits and vegetables from the WIC program for pregnant women and children under five,” Berg said. “So, they’re taking away healthier food.”
The WIC cuts would take away $1.4 billion in fruit and vegetable benefits from 5.4 million people.
Big picture view:
The SNAP changes come as part of the MAHA movement and include more than 20 other states that will implement changes over the next two years.
The Source: Information in this story comes from WIC, SNAP and interviews done by Fox 13’s Danielle Zulkosky.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The engines are revving for one final day of high-stakes bidding and family fun at the South Florida Fairgrounds.
Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach auction reaches its grand finale today with an action-packed “Super Saturday” lineup, promising to close out the weekend with a full slate of collector car sales, live entertainment, and fan attractions.
“Super Saturday,” presented by Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, officially kicks off at 8 a.m. when gates, food courts, and the exhibitor marketplace open to the public.
What to expect
- 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: The Fantasy Bid presented by Dodge begins early, running in tandem with the automobilia auction in the arena.
- 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Thrill-seekers can catch Dodge thrill rides on the Barrett-Jackson Performance Track.
- 10:00 a.m.: New amenities open to the public, including the Stella Artois, Staging Lanes, and Food Court patios, which offer shaded seating and auction views.
- 10:45 a.m.: The national anthem will be performed in the auction arena, signaling the start of the main collector car auction at 11 a.m.
- Afternoon Entertainment: DJ sets run from noon to 5 p.m. across the various patios, and a detailing clinic by Adam’s Polishes is scheduled for 2 p.m. near the South Showcase.
For those unable to attend, the whole event will be livestreamed throughout the day on the Barrett-Jackson website and the HISTORY channel from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Today’s finale comes on the heels of a high-energy Friday that saw significant sales and notable celebrity interest.
Star power was evident throughout the day, particularly with vehicles tied to the Busch family. A 1957 Ford Thunderbird Convertible owned by Samantha Busch and a 1969 Oldsmobile 442 Custom Coupe were among the day’s heavy hitters, each fetching $159,500. Kyle Busch’s 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Custom Coupe also drew a strong bid, selling for $143,000.
Other Friday highlights included:
- 1968 Ford Mustang Eleanor Replica: $137,500
- 2004 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Mamba Edition: $132,000
- 1972 Chevrolet K5 Blazer Custom SUV: $126,500
- 1957 Ford Thunderbird Custom Convertible: $121,000
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With a festival-style atmosphere and high-profile sales driving momentum, organizers expect a busy crowd for the final push at the auction block today.
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A quiet Monday turned into a frantic race against time when a deputy stepped in to save a choking 1-year-old’s life.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a call about a 1-year-old baby choking. Upon arrival, the responding deputy performed life-saving procedures to help the child breathe again.
See also: Two arrested after 6-year-old arrives at Florida school with bruises, deputies say
Body camera video shows a deputy holding the baby, flipping it over on its stomach, and beginning to pat the baby’s back.
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When the baby begins to cry, the deputy is heard saying, “he’s good.”
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