DENVER (AP) — Valeri Nichushkin recorded his first career hat trick, Alexandar Georgiev turned in another strong showing and the Avalanche beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-1 in Game 4 on Sunday to move a win away from advancing.
Artturi Lehkonen and Cale Makar also scored for the Avalanche, who grabbed a 3-1 lead in the first-round series. Game 5 is Tuesday night in Winnipeg.
Nichushkin added an empty-netter with 13 seconds left to give him his third goal and his first hat trick in game No. 580 of his NHL career, including regular season and postseason.
Georgiev was on the hot seat after a shaky Game 1, but his confidence keeps surging with every big save. He stopped 26 shots in the matinee game.
Vezina Trophy-favorite Connor Hellebuyck continues to struggle in net. He allowed four goals on 30 shots before being replaced by Laurent Brossoit for the third period. Hellebuyck has surrendered 19 goals in the series.
CANUCKS 4, PREDATORS 3, OT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Elias Lindholm scored 1:02 into overtime as Vancouver stunned Nashville and grabbed a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven, first-round series.
Lindolm beat goalie Juuse Saros over his stick with a wrister from just in front of the crease off a pass from Conor Garland.
Brock Boeser had his first hat trick in the playoffs and seventh of his career. He scored on Vancouver’s first shot and got the Canucks into overtime scoring twice in the final 2:49. His third came with 8 seconds left in regulation to quiet a Nashville crowd that celebrated much of the third period.
J.T. Miller had three assists. The Canucks now will have a chance to advance Tuesday night in Vancouver in Game 5.
Filip Forsberg, Gustav Nyquist and Mark Jankowski all scored for Nashville, which also blew a 2-1 lead losing Game 1 giving up three goals in the third period.
The Canucks won with Arturs Silovs making 27 saves in his NHL playoff debut as their third different starting goalie.
RANGERS 4, CAPITALS 2
WASHINGTON (AP) — Artemi Panarin scored the go-ahead goal on the power play early in the third period, Igor Shesterkin made 23 saves and New York advanced to the second round of the playoffs by finishing off a sweep of Washington with a victory in Game 4.
Trade deadline pickup Jack Roslovic sealed it with an empty-netter with 51 seconds left, and the Rangers will next face either the Carolina Hurricanes or crosstown-rival New York Islanders with a spot in the Eastern Conference final at stake. Carolina leads that series 3-1.
They’ll get the benefit of some extra rest thanks to Panarin’s goal with 16:39 left in regulation, 11 seconds after T.J. Oshie was penalized for high-sticking Vincent Trocheck, which helped them avoid overtime or this series returning to Madison Square Garden for a Game 5 on Wednesday. The Presidents’ Trophy winners for having the best regular season in the NHL needed just four to vanquish the Capitals and become the first team to advance this spring.
New York moves on thanks to another dominant performance from Trocheck, who was the best player on the ice all series. Trocheck long before drawing the crucial penalty scored on the power play and broke up a scoring chance by Alex Ovechkin, who was held off the scoresheet entirely through four games — the first time that has happened in a single postseason in the Capitals captain’s 15 trips.
But he was not Washington’s only problem, and part of the lack of offense was Shesterkin, who several times sparked chants of “Igor! Igor!” from the many Rangers fans in attendance. He turned aside Dylan Strome 14 seconds after Kaapo Kakko scored in the first minute to put them ahead and later made back-to-back saves on Tom Wilson’s point-blank chances on the doorstep.
OILERS 1, KINGS 0
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Stuart Skinner stopped 33 shots for his first postseason shutout, Evan Bouchard scored on the power play midway through the second period and Edmonton beat Los Angeles in Game 4 to move a win away from advancing.
Skinner is the eighth goalie in franchise history to record a postseason shutout and the first since Mike Smith had two in the first round against the Kings two years ago. The most recent was in Game 7 of the 2022 first-round series when Smith made 29 saves in a 2-0 victory.
It was Skinner’s 16th postseason start. It is the fifth shutout of his career after he had two during the regular season.
Edmonton has a 3-1 lead in the first-round series. Game 5 is Wednesday night in Edmonton. The Kings have dropped four straight playoff series since winning the Stanley Cup in 2014.
David Rittich got the start in goal for the Kings after Cam Talbot had a 5.31 goals-against average and .891 save percentage in the first three games. Rittich made 12 saves and Los Angeles had a 33-13 advantage in shots on goal as the Kings were aggressive on the forecheck, but the difference in the game again was special teams.
The Oilers scored on their lone power-play opportunity and are 8 of 15 in the series. Los Angeles is the only team in the postseason that hasn’t scored on the power play.
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sean Walker (26) collects the puck after checking Winnipeg Jets center Mason Appleton (22) in the third period of Game 4 of an NHL Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
OCALA, Fla. (AP) — A man with a long record of dangerous driving pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to driving under the influence-manslaughter in the deaths of eight Mexican farmworkers whose bus was sideswiped by his pickup truck in central Florida. Dozens more were injured.
Bryan Maclean Howard, 41, remains jailed without bond for Tuesday's crash where the Florida Highway Patrol says he drove his 2001 Ford pickup into the center line on a two-lane road and sideswiped a farmworker bus, causing it to veer off the road, strike a tree and flip over. Court documents giving details of what substance Howard allegedly took remained sealed Wednesday afternoon.
He told a judge by teleconference from jail Wednesday that he’s a self-employed painter and drywall installer with $700 in the bank, no other assets and no dependents. Howard’s head was bandaged and he wore a protective gown typically given to inmates on suicide watch. The judge denied bond, appointed a public defender and set his next court appearance for next month.
Howard’s parents did not immediately respond to a Wednesday phone message seeking comment, and the Marion County public defender’s office declined comment.
Marion County court records show Howard has had at least three crashes and numerous traffic tickets dating back to 2006, including one citation for crossing the center line. His license has been suspended at least three times, the latest in 2021 for getting too many citations within a year. In 2013, he was convicted of grand theft. A year later, his probation was revoked after he tested positive for cocaine.
Meanwhile, Mexico’s consulate was working Wednesday to support the seasonal farmworkers, who had been on their way to harvest watermelons at Cannon Farms in Dunnellon when the accident happened at about 6:40 a.m. Tuesday, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Orlando.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Wednesday morning that 44 Mexican farmworkers were on the bus, hired by a Mexican-American farmer to work on the watermelon farm under H-2A visas. Florida farms use about 50,000 H-2A workers each year, more than any other state, according to the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association.
A Mexican government statement later Wednesday said that six of the injured are in serious condition and three others are in critical condition.
The Mexican consulate in Orlando was working to provide support at the AdventHealth Ocala hospital, where many of the injured were taken. The Florida Highway Patrol said names of the people who died would be released after relatives were notified.
López Obrador said he wouldn’t provide more details to protect the workers’ families. The cofounder of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Lucas Benitez said consular officials told them the farmworkers who died were from at least five different states in Mexico.
Andres Sequera, a director of mission and ministry for AdventHealth hospitals, said chaplains were visiting the injured workers, and they "were in good spirits for what they have been through.”
“We were able to provide support, presence, prayer when it was asked of us,” Sequera told reporters.
Cannon Farms, a family-owned operation that sends the melons to grocery stores across the U.S. and Canada, said it would stay closed through Wednesday.
“Thank you to all who have reached out and offered condolences, help and prayers” for the people hurt in the crash, Cannon Farms said a Facebook post that described the accident as happening at the Olvera Trucking Harvesting Corp.
No one answered the phone at Olvera Trucking after the crash. The company recently advertised for a temporary driver who would bus workers to watermelon fields and then operate harvesting equipment, at $14.77 an hour.
A Labor Department document shows Olvera also recently applied for 43 H-2A workers to harvest watermelons at Cannon Farms this month, again at a base rate of $14.77 an hour, with promises of housing and transportation to and from the fields.
The H-2A program allows U.S. employers or agents who meet certain regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals into the country to fill temporary agricultural jobs. Getting to and from the fields can be hazardous: Federal statistics show vehicle crashes were the leading cause of job-related deaths among farmworkers in 2022, the latest year available. They accounted for 81 of 171 fatalities.
It was not immediately not known if Olivera's vehicle, which the highway patrol described as a “retired” school bus, had seat belts.
The Labor Department announced new seat belt requirements for employer vehicles used for farmworkers on temporary visas, among other worker protections that take effect June 28. Florida law already requires seat belts for farmworker transport using smaller vehicles, weighing less than 10,000 pounds. The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association has been opposed to the new federal seat belt requirement, calling it “impractical.”
Two advocacy groups called for stricter laws and enforcement to protect farmworkers, while a GoFundMe campaign organized by the Farmworker Association of Florida to support accident victims and their families had raised about $20,000 of a $50,000 goal by Tuesday night.
“Farmworkers tend to be forgotten, but it’s important not to forget farmworkers, especially during such difficult times,” the post said.
Benitez said transportation laws for farmworkers are often unenforced.
“While accidents will happen, protecting workers while transporting them with mandatory and enforceable safety provisions, like seat belts and safety inspections, can reduce injuries and deaths,” he said.
Spencer reported from Fort Lauderdale.
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This version corrects Immokalee Workers statement to Lucas Benitez, not Ty Joplin.
Authorities work at the scene of a deadly crash after a bus carrying farmworkers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 Tuesday, May 14, 2024, near Dunnellon, Fla. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)
This photo provided by Marion County Jail shows Bryan Howard. The Florida Highway Patrol arrested Howard, the driver of a pickup truck that crashed into the farmworker bus on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. (Marion County Jail via AP)
Emergency personnel respond to the scene of a deadly crash on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 near Dunnellon, Fla. The Florida Highway Patrol says a bus carrying farmworkers in central Florida has overturned, killing several people and injuring other passengers. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)
Emergency personnel work the scene of a deadly crash on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 in Marion County, Fla. The Florida Highway Patrol says a bus carrying farmworkers in central Florida has overturned, killing several people and injuring other passengers. Authorities say the bus was transporting farmworkers on Tuesday morning when it collided with a truck and swerved off a road in Marion County, north of Orlando. (WFTS via AP)
Authorities work at the scene of a deadly crash after a bus carrying farmworkers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 Tuesday, May 14, 2024, near Dunnellon, Fla. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)
Authorities work at the scene of a deadly crash after a bus carrying farmworkers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 Tuesday, May 14, 2024, near Dunnellon, Fla. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)
This photo provided by the Marion County Fire Rescue Dept. shows crews from Marion County Fire Rescue and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office assisting victims after a bus carrying farmworkers crashed and overturned early Tuesday, May 14, 2024 near Ocala, Fla. The Florida Highway Patrol says eight people were killed and nearly 40 others were injured. (Marion County Fire Rescue Dept. via AP)
Emergency personnel work the scene of a deadly crash on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 in Marion County, Fla. The Florida Highway Patrol says a bus carrying farmworkers in central Florida has overturned, killing several people and injuring other passengers. Authorities say the bus was transporting farmworkers on Tuesday morning when it collided with a truck and swerved off a road in Marion County, north of Orlando. (WFTS via AP)
Florida Highway Patrol Cpl. Brett Detweiler takes pictures of the crash scene as emergency workers are on the scene of a fatal bus crash carrying laborers that overturned Tuesday morning, May 14, 2024, in Ocala, Fla. (Doug Engle/Ocala Star-Banner via AP)
This photo provided by the Marion County Fire Rescue Dept. shows a bus carrying 53 farmworkers that crashed and overturned early Tuesday, May 14, 2024 near Ocala, Fla. which is north of Orlando. (Marion County Fire Rescue Dept. via AP)
Emergency personnel respond to the scene of a deadly crash on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 near Dunnellon, Fla. The Florida Highway Patrol says a bus carrying farmworkers in central Florida has overturned, killing several people and injuring other passengers. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)
Wreckage is cleared after a bus collied with a small pickup truck killing eight of the more than 50 migrant workers in the bus, Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Ocala, Fla. The driver of the pick up, Bryan Maclean Howard, was charged with eight counts of DUI manslaughter. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)
Emergency workers work the scene of a fatal bus crash carrying laborers that overturned Tuesday morning, May 14, 2024, in Ocala, Fla. (Doug Engle/Ocala Star-Banner via AP)
This photo provided by the Marion County Fire Rescue Dept. shows crews from Marion County Fire Rescue and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office assisting victims after a bus carrying farmworkers crashed and overturned early Tuesday, May 14, 2024 near Ocala, Fla. The Florida Highway Patrol says eight people were killed and nearly 40 others were injured. (Marion County Fire Rescue Dept. via AP)
Highway Patrol Cpl. Brett Detweiler takes pictures of the pick up truck that was involved in the crash scene as emergency workers worked the scene of a fatal bus crash carrying laborers that overturned Tuesday morning, May 14, 2024, in Ocala, Fla. (Doug Engle/Ocala Star-Banner via AP)
A bus is removed after it collied with a small pickup truck killing eight of the more than 50 migrant workers in the bus, Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Ocala, Fla. The driver of the pick up, Bryan Maclean Howard, was charged with eight counts of DUI manslaughter. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)
