[ad_1] CALGARY — The Flames knew what they had in their $36 million dollar netminder Jacob Markstrom, even when he wasn’t playing his best. The team has done what it can to help him gain his confidence back, and his recent performances have paid them in kind. So, Dillon Dube has a point when he feels the discourse surrounding him should be grounded to a halt. “I think we’re beating it to death, to be honest,” Dube said Wednesday after a loss to the Vancouver Canucks. “He’s a great goalie.…

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[ad_1] Didier Deschamps would have liked to have spent the last two days perfecting a plan to contain Lionel Messi in Sunday’s World Cup final between France and Argentina. Instead, he has been busy answering questions on France’s badly-timed sickness outbreak. France are not the only team to have been hit by a sickness bug while in Qatar. Brazil’s Antony blamed the air conditioning for his cold, while Switzerland coach Murat Yakin pointed to illness for his side’s 6-1 knockout defeat by Portugal. But the bug impacting the world champions…

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[ad_1] ST. PAUL, Minn. — Considering their on-ice chemistry, their off-ice bromance, you had to wonder whether Kirill Kaprizov was trying to pass to Mats Zuccarello when the Russian superstar’s 150-foot, empty-net attempt went wide Friday night. It certainly felt that way when Kaprizov flashed a huge smile and pumped both fists after Zuccarello finished off his second career hat trick in a 4-1 win over Chicago. “No, no, he went for it,” Zuccarello said, laughing. “I don’t know,” Kaprizov said, smiling. “I just see ‘Zuccy’ go, jumping, skating. I…

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[ad_1] Lakers star Anthony Davis exited Friday’s game against the Denver Nuggets and was later ruled out with a right foot injury, the team announced. Here’s what you need to know: The injury appeared to occur on a play in the first quarter as Davis scored around Nikola Jokic. Davis didn’t return after halftime. Davis had scored 10 points in 17 minutes prior to exiting. He’s recently played some of the best basketball of his career, scoring 30-plus points nine times in the past five weeks, including a 55-point game…

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[ad_1] U.S. national team center back Tim Ream said on his podcast, Indirect, that the controversy surrounding teammate Gio Reyna at the World Cup is a “non-story,” and that the situation was handled at the tournament by the team. “I mean for us, it’s a non-story,” Ream said. “We dealt with it in camp, things moved on, we moved past it and that’s where we are. The players, there was no vote. So we can put that to bed. And like I said, we addressed it in camp and (Reyna)…

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[ad_1] After the controversy caused by his eve-of-tournament brain dump, Gianni Infantino got the memo: fewer words, more numbers. Speaking to the media for the first time since telling us all how biased, lazy and racist we are, the FIFA president was in business-as-usual mode on Friday as he raced through the 18 things he decided while we were having breakfast. The first announcement was the least surprising: Qatar 2022 is the “best ever” World Cup. Better than his “best World Cup ever” in Russia four years ago, which in…

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[ad_1] CHICAGO — Every time Derrick Rose comes back to the United Center, it feels like the first time. Even when it’s the second time in three days. It’s even more meaningful when he gets to play. On Friday night, he entertained a full crowd of Chicago and New York reporters, two days after the previous “D-Rose is back!” news cycle. It’s been more than a decade since he was the MVP of Chicago’s heart. The former Chicago prep stars who really contributed Friday night were Jalen Brunson and Ayo…

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[ad_1] Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson has cleared the league’s concussion protocol but will be held out of Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, coach Nathaniel Hackett said after Friday’s practice. Here’s what you need to know: Wilson suffered a concussion early in the fourth quarter of last week’s 34-28 loss to the Chiefs, an injury that came at the end of a 16-yard scramble. After being listed as a non-participant in Wednesday’s practice, Wilson participated on a limited basis during Thursday’s workout and practiced in full Friday. Though Wilson…

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[ad_1] The Mavericks are 14-14 after 28 games, putting them firmly in the West’s play-in picture. After winning three straight games, Dallas has dropped three of its last four, including Wednesday’s 15-point home loss to the Cavaliers that revealed several roster shortcomings. With key games upcoming against the Blazers, Cavaliers and Timberwolves before the Christmas Day showdown with the Lakers, now’s the time for Dallas to turn around its season. The Athletic’s Mavericks beat writer Tim Cato will be taking your questions for his final mailbag of 2022. [ad_2]

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[ad_1] The White Sox are in agreement with free-agent left fielder Andrew Benintendi on a five-year, $75 million contract, pending a physical, a source briefed on the matter tells The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. Here’s what you need to know: Benintendi made his first All-Star appearance last season, hitting .304/.373/.399 in 126 with the Royals and Yankees. After being dealt to New York, Benintendi had a season-ending surgery on a broken hamate bone in his right wrist. This contract surpasses Yasmani Grandal’s four-year, $73 million deal for the largest White Sox free-agent…

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