US sports compact
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Detroit and Seider win first game of the season
Dusseldorf While most Europeans are asleep, the North American professional leagues are buzzing. What Happened That Night in American Football, Basketball, and Ice Hockey.
Ice hockey: Seider and Detroit start successfully
Exceptional ice hockey talent Moritz Seider had a perfect start to the season in the North American professional league NHL with the Detroit Red Wings. The German international defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-0 with his team. The Red Wings secured the home win only through a strong third third with three goals from the 43rd minute.
Seider (21), who was on the ice for 22 minutes against the Canadiens and failed to score a point, was the first German to be awarded the Calder Trophy for best NHL rookie last season.
Meanwhile, Stanley Cup winner Nico Sturm also lost his third game of the season with his new club, the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks lost 2-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes, Sebastian Aho not scoring the winning goal until the 59th minute.
Last year’s finalist Tampa Bay Lightning celebrated their first success in the second game of the season, Steven Stamkos became the match winner with a brace in the 5-2 win at the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Basketball: Dallas pro Kleber: “Teams come to beat us”
Basketball professional Maximilian Kleber sees the Dallas Mavericks in a new role in the coming NBA season. “We’re not going to go under the radar like we probably had last year. But teams come to beat us,” said the 30-year-old in an interview with the sports information service (SID).
If the Mavericks only failed in the conference finals, the semi-finals, so to speak, in the preseason due to the later champions Golden State Warriors, this time they are hungry for more. Of course, says Kleber, Dallas wants to get back into the playoffs: “And then you just have to wait and see series after series.” The Mavs travel to the Phoenix Suns to kick off next Thursday (4:00 a.m.).
When it comes to championship contenders, the giant of 2.08 m even dares to step out of cover. “I would like to say Dallas now. But I think there are a few other strong teams. A lot of people have the Los Angeles Clippers on their radar with Kawhi Leonard back,” says the “Big Man,” but overall the competition this time is “extremely difficult to assess.”
Kleber himself had been struggling with an ankle injury at the end of last season and even skipped the home European Championships to properly heal the injury. “It’s going much better,” says Kleber about his current status: “There are a few little things that aren’t quite perfect, but I used the time wisely.” Overall, the Würzburger feels “really good so far”.
Ice hockey: Without a play-off, the national team has priority for Grubauer
The national team is still an important topic for NHL professional Philipp Grubauer. “We plan to get into the playoffs. But if we don’t do it, then the national team is my priority,” said the 30-year-old Rosenheimer from the Seattle Kraken of the German Press Agency. “The focus is on the play-offs, but then maybe the World Cup is also in the back of our minds. But we’ll talk again in March or April,” said the goalkeeper.
Grubauer is the best German ice hockey goalkeeper and was back on the ice for the first time after a three-year break for the German Ice Hockey Federation at the World Cup last summer. In the NHL, the playoffs overlap with the World Championships, only players whose teams don’t qualify or are eliminated early have a chance of playing for their national teams. In addition, at the last two Olympic Winter Games, the NHL professionals were not exempt. In 2018, the National Hockey League refused, and in Beijing the many games that had to be made up due to Corona dashed all hopes.
As a newly formed team, the Seattle Kraken missed out on making the playoffs last season. The upcoming World Cup is in Finland and Latvia in May.
Basketball: Lakers fear for Schröder and Westbrook before the start of the NBA
The Los Angeles Lakers are worried about the playmakers Dennis Schröder and Russell Westbrook before the start of the season in the North American basketball professional league NBA.
Schröder was injured in a test game against the Minnesota Timberwolves (113:118) on Wednesday and missed the Lakers’ last test game on Friday against the Sacramento Kings (86:133). According to ESPN, the captain of the German national basketball team suffered a thumb injury on his right hand. The team did not give any precise information on Friday, neither about the severity of the injury nor about a possible downtime.
In the high loss against the Kings, Westbrook also had to be out early due to a hamstring injury. The 33-year-old, 2017 MVP of the Year, has endured a poor first season with the Lakers in which they missed the playoffs. It is speculated that new head coach Darvin Ham is only planning to have him as a substitute.
The Lakers around top stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis play on Wednesday night at the start of the new NBA season with defending champions Golden State Warriors.
Football: Brady is penalized for attempting to kick an opponent
Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ superstar Tom Brady has been fined just over $10,000 by the NFL. As several media report unanimously, the quarterback is punished for an attempted kick against an opponent. There has been no official announcement from the National Football League so far.
Brady tried to kick Grady Jarrett shortly before the end of the Buccaneers’ 21:15 win against the Atlanta Falcons last weekend after he had wrestled the 45-year-old quarterback to the ground. In a controversial decision, Jarrett was also fined for being too harsh on Brady. The Buccaneers salvaged the win over time.
NFL protocol provides for specific penalties for various offenses, including attempting to kick an opponent. Brady has been affected by this throughout his long career. In 2013, he attempted to kick then opponent Ed Reed in a New England Patriots game against the Baltimore Ravens.
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