Tampa Bay Area Buzz: David Price Gets a Cup-Check, Bolts are Swept, & Mini-Camp Begins

Apr 22, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher David Price (14) is congratulated by teammates after he pitched a complete game against the Minnesota Twins at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Minnesota Twins 7-3. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

In case you missed it, here is a quick look at what took place yesterday in Tampa Bay area sports:

Tampa Bay Lightning:

The Bolts were eliminated from the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 4-3 loss at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens. Tampa Bay fell down 1-0 less than 3 minutes into the first period, and goalie Anders Lindback (allowed 3 goals on 20 shots) was pulled in favor of backup Kristers Gudlevskis after allowing Montreal’s third goal 5:42 into the second period. Lindback struggled all series and the absence of starting goaltender Ben Bishop really made a difference in the series. The Bolts fought back to tie the game at 3 with two goals in a 7 minute span to open the third period. However, a penalty on Cedric Paquette gave the Habs a late power play opportunity, and with 43 seconds remaining in the game, Max Pacioretty ended Tampa Bay’s season.

Tampa Bay Rays:

David Price pitched a complete game, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits in the Rays 7-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins. Price, who improved to 3-1 on the season, struck out 12 batters and walked one, needing only 113 pitches to record 27 outs. Joe Mauer led off the top of the 4th inning with a comebacker to the mound, striking Price in the “mid-section” area. He appeared to be fine and the laughter on the mound afterwards seems to indicate that he, indeed, was wearing his protective cup. David DeJesus led the Rays offense with 3 RBIs as the Rays jumped out to an early 5-0 lead after 3 innings. Jake Odorizzi takes the mound tonight for the Rays against Mike Pelfrey at 7:10 p.m. EST.

In other news, the New York Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox 9-3 to maintain a 2 game lead over the Rays in the American League East.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

The Bucs opened voluntary mini-camp yesterday and Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reported that all 75 players under contracted were present. The Pewter Plank has some nice write-ups on what took place offensively and defensively on Day 1.

The NFL is also set to release the 2014 regular season schedule this evening at 8 p.m. EST. Given the Bucs 4-12 record from a season ago, it will be interesting to see if they are penciled in for any prime time match-ups. Below is a list of the Bucs 2014 opponents, which include the NFC & AFC North:

HOME

Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens
Carolina Panthers
Cincinnati Bengals
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
New Orleans Saints
St. Louis Rams

AWAY

Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears
Cleveland Browns
Detroit Lions
New Orleans Saints
Pittsburgh Steelers
Washington Redskins

NBA Playoffs:

The top-seeded Indiana Pacers tied the series at 1 a piece with a 101-85 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
The Toronto Raptors defeated the Brooklyn Nets 100-95 to even the series at 1.
The Washington Wizards rallied from 10 down in the 4th quarter to tie the game against the Chicago Bulls. The Wizards would go on to win in overtime led by former Florida Gator Bradley Beal’s 26 points. Washington leads the series 2-0.

UEFA Champions League:

In the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Semi-Finals, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid played to a goalless draw at Vicente Calderon Stadium. Unfortunately for Chelsea, they will be without their starting keeper, Petr Cech, for the remainder of the season, as he left yesterday’s match with a dislocated shoulder.

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