鈥?Miami Dolphins receiver Kenny Stills vacationed this offseason in Africa Jimmy Garoppolo Jersey Youth , led several teammates on a training trip to Nebraska and returned to find the NFL’s national anthem debate again at peak volume.“We’ve got to clean up how things are looking,” Stills said following the Dolphins’ first training camp practice Thursday.The sixth-year pro is part of the debate because he kneeled during the anthem the past two seasons and has been vocal discussing social injustice issues that inspired the protest.Stills would prefer the league had no anthem policy so players could do as they wished, and said he’ll wait until a policy is set to decide what he’ll do during the anthem this season.“At some point before the season starts, the league and the players association are going to come to an agreement,” he said. “And at that point I’ll have a better idea what I’ll be doing.”Last week the league and union issued a joint statement saying the two sides are still working on a resolution. Their statement came hours after The Associated Press reported Dolphins players who protest on the field during the anthem could be suspended for up to four games under a team policy issued last week.The Dolphins subsequently issued a statement saying all options regarding the team’s policy remain open.On Thursday, coach Adam Gase said he doubted a Miami player would be suspended for protesting during the anthem.“I mean, if anybody knew actual rules in the NFL, good luck suspending somebody,” Gase said. “It takes about 5,000 things before anybody can get suspended by a club.”Gase said he doesn’t see anthem issue as potentially divisive for his team.“I think they do a good job of when issues come up, they get together and hammer it out Derick Brassard Penguins Jersey ,” Gase said. “These guys aren’t shy about speaking up. They’ve done a good job of making sure, as a group, they talk through things.”Three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jurrell Casey also plans to continue protesting, but wants people to quit seeing this as an anthem issue. The Tennessee Titans lineman said he will continue protesting by raising his fist at the end of the anthem.“The biggest thing that we have right now is the way the justice system is set up for minorities,” said Casey, whose wife is an attorney. “And that’s just what the whole battle is about, trying to bring light to enlighten the things that’s going on around the minority community.”The league hasn’t been able to reach an agreement. On Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he’ll insist his players stand for the anthem.Stills’ reaction to Jones’ comments?“I wouldn’t expect anything different,” Stills said.Stills said he hadn’t spoken much with Dolphins owner Stephen Ross about the issue since last year. Ross didn’t attend the first day of training camp.Stills tuned out the anthem debate this offseason by traveling to Victoria Falls, Kruger National Park and Cape Town, where he learned about African culture Authentic Devin Hester Jersey , went on safaris and tried bungee jumping. More recently, he spent time in Lincoln, Nebraska, with other Dolphins wideouts and a receivers coach he has known since he was in the 10th grade.“The anthem stuff was becoming a really quiet, quiet topic,” Stills said.No more. Defensive end Robert Quinn, who protested during the anthem while with the Rams last year, was asked following his first Dolphins practice what the league should do about a policy.“I’ll just say one thing: It’s called freedom of speech,” he said. “Simple as that.”Quinn, Stills and others have been targets of criticism for their protests, which they believe have been misconstrued as unpatriotic.But Stills was nominated by teammates last year for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award Jason Witten Jersey Womens , a reflection of his standing in locker room. His latest community project is with the nationwide OK Program, which mentors young black men.“I think I’ve done a good job of trying to figure out ways to continue to use my voice and platform for the right things,” Stills said, “and put the messaging back in the right direction.” Jakub Vrana scored the go-ahead goal with 4:38 remaining, Braden Holtby made 35 saves and the Washington Capitals beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3 in Game 5 Saturday night to take a 3-2 lead in the second-round series and put the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champions on the brink of elimination.
Vrana, who also had two assists, was moved to the top line alongside Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov in place of Devante Smith-Pelly in the second period. Vrana sprung Kuznetsov for a breakaway on Washington’s tying goal 52 seconds into the third and finished off Ovechkin’s pass for the game-winner.
John Carlson and Brett Connolly scored 33 seconds apart in the first period, and T.J. Oshie and Lars Eller added empty-netters late to seal the win and help the Capitals move one victory from advancing to the Eastern Conference final for the first time in the Ovechkin era and first overall since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 1998.
Game 6 is Monday in Pittsburgh.
Jamie Oleksiak scored first for the Penguins, and Sidney Crosby and Patric Hornqvist had power-play goals
JETS 6, PREDATORS 2
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Kyle Connor scored two goals and had an assist as Winnipeg pushed Presidents’ Trophy-winning Nashville to the brink of elimination with a 3-2 lead in their Western Conference semifinal.
Now the Jets Mike McGlinchey 49ers Jersey , who just won their first playoff series in the first round, will have a chance to clinch a spot in their first Western Conference final Monday night in Game 6 back in Winnipeg.
Connor Hellebuyck made 38 saves for the Jets.
Dustin Byfuglien and Mark Scheifele each had a goal and an assist, and Paul Stastny and Mathieu Perrault also scored as the Jets got four goals on 14 shots in the second period. Blake Wheeler also had three assists, and Nikolaj Ehlers added two.
Yannick Weber and Ryan Johansen each scored for Nashville. Pekka Rinne, Nashville’s Vezina Trophy finalist, was pulled for the third time this postseason after giving up six goals on 26 shots.