Donovan McNabb will retire as a Philadelphia Eagle, he said Monday night.

The controversial quarterback, who also played for the Minnesota Vikings and Washington Redskins during his 12-year career, will sign a one-day contract with the Eagles, McNabb said on his NBC Sports Radio show.

McNabb will most likely be honored during the much anticipated Week-3 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs when long-time Eagle coach Andy Reid returns to Philadelphia.

McNabb led the Eagles to five NFL championship games and a losing-effort in the 2005 Super Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla.

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The obituary for the 2013 Bruins was already being constructed in the third period of Game 7 as the Maple Leafs took a 4-1 lead on Nazem Kadri’s goal at 5:29. What happened after that is something never done before in NHL playoff history: Boston rallied from a three-goal deficit and won it 5-4 in overtime as Patrice Bergeron tied it with 51 seconds left (with Tuukka Rask pulled), then won it at 13:55 in overtime. Improbably, the B’s not only advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals but they’ll have home ice against the New York Rangers – an Original 6 rival. Game 1 is Thursday (7:30 p.m., NBCSN) vs. New York and Game 2 is Sunday afternoon (3 p.m., NBCSN).

It’s hard to say if this was more of an epic comeback by the Bruins or a choke job for the ages by the Maple Leafs, probably a combination of both. Whatever it was, let’s agree that it turned out to be one of the most memorable games in Bruins history.

“They had us on the ropes,” admitted Bruins head coach Claude Julien. “They (Toronto) believed in themselves and players got out of their comfort zone. They gave us an unbelievable push.”

After losing in OT at TD Garden in Game 7 last season vs. Washington in the first round, not to mention blowing a 3-1 lead in this series, it says something about the Bruins’ resiliency that they were able to push all of that bad karma aside and stay focused. Making things even more difficult for the home team, Andrew Ference missed his second straight game with a foot injury and Dennis Seidenberg only skated two shifts in Game 7 before leaving for good with an injury. That left Boston with five healthy defensemen: Zdeno Chara played 35:46, 7:16 more than any teammate or Maple Leafs player.

The Bruins never gave up though as their top line produced two goals. Nathan Horton cut it to 4-2 at 9:18 then Milan Lucic made it 4-3 Maple Leafs with 1:22 left and Rask on the bench. Just 31 seconds later, Bergeron tied it thanks to a wrist shot with Chara screening James Reimer (30 saves). Julien stressed that in overtime he wanted his team to “take shots, any shot on goal is a good one.” Indeed, Bergeron’s game winner came after a loose puck then giveaway in front of Reimer. Ironically, the two Bruins that were rightfully the most criticized during the series – Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand – had the assists on the series clinching goal.

Follow Metro Boston Bruins beat writer Richard Slate on Twitter @RichSlate

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For the first time since the 1973 quarterfinals, the Rangers and Bruins will meet in the Stanley Cup playoffs as the Original Six brethren advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals with Game 7 wins Monday night.

In the ultimate win-or-go-home-for-the-summer game, the Rangers routed the Capitals, 5-0, Monday night at the Verizon Center.

Trailing in the series 3-2, the Rangers won Games 6 and 7. Last night’s win was the first in the series for either team on the road. It was also the first Game 7 road win in franchise history.

Arron Asham’s off-wing goal 13:19 into the match was the series winner.

Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 35 shots he faced to record his eighth career Stanley Cup Playoff shutout, second most in franchise history behind only Mike Richter.

Taylor Pyatt, Michael Del Zotto, Ryan Callahan and Mats Zuccarello also scored for the Rangers. Ten players recorded at least one point, led by Derick Brassard and Steve Eminger who each had two assists. The plus-3 rating Del Zotto and Anton Stralman finished with led 16 players.

Boston defeated Toronto, 5-4, in overtime. Trailing 4-2 with 1:22 left in regulation, Milan Lucic and Patrice Bergeron potted back-to-back goals to force the extra session. Bergeron scored the series-deciding goal 6:05 into overtime.

The Original Six rivals met three times this season, with the Rangers winning twice.

Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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The Bruins refused to be labeled with the “choke” tag Monday night and instead plastered it on the foreheads of all 18 active members of the Toronto Maple Leafs. With some fans already getting a jump on I-93 traffic, the Bruins chipped away late in the third period of a stunning Game 7 and wound up winning in overtime as Patrice Bergeron’s rifle of a shot flew past Toronto goaltender James Reimer in a 5-4 victory that will be recalled for decades to come.

The furious Bruins comeback was captained by Bergeron, Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton, the first of whom knotted the game at 4 with just 51 seconds left in regulation. Lucic, who also assisted on Horton’s goal 9:18 into the third, scored at the 18:39 mark in the final regulation frame on the goal which gave B’s fans legitimate hope for the unprecedented rally.

For much of the night, many Bruins fans were likely discussing what the team should do this offseason as old friend Phil Kessel, accompanied by Nazem Kadri, silenced the TD Garden crowd early in the third period as Kessel hit a wide-open net off a rebound 2:09 into the third and Kadri also netted a rebound on a 2-on-1 three minutes later to make it 4-1.

The Bruins’ power play also continued to come up empty early on as Boston did not have a power play shot on goal through the first two periods.

Meanwhile, Toronto’s Cody Franson was having a career night as he scored for the second time off a perfectly set-up screen 5:48 into the second period. It was the first time in Franson’s career that he had a two-goal game.

Another sign that it might not be the Bruins’ night early in the game was when Milan Lucic was sent to the penalty box, without Dion Phaneuf, for roughing at the 13:02 mark of the second period.

It wouldn’t last long, however, as the Maple Leafs put tremendous pressure on Rask nine minutes into the first. Franson finished off Toronto’s relentless attack with six seconds to go on a power play to tie it, 1-1. The two teams finished a physical first period knotted at one as Toronto had 18 hits to Boston’s 13.

What they’ll be saying: It’s not hyperbole to say the Bruins staged the most improbable comeback in their storied history Monday night. They were still down by two goals with less than 90 seconds remaining and Bergeron did not tie the game until the 19:09 mark of the third.

Boston was seconds away from possibly entering an offseason filled with questions. Head coach Claude Julien could have very well been fired later this week. Instead, Julien and the Bruins will open up a semi-finals series against the New York Rangers at TD Garden on Thursday (7:30 p.m.).

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The fans of Philadelphia have launched a quiet rebellion against our pro sports teams, and they are doing it with the biggest weapon in their arsenal — their wallets.

In fact, if the teams joined together for an ad campaign, the most accurate slogan they could roll out right now is: Good seats still available. Very simply, fans have finally grown weary of mounting losses and broken promises. They are disgusted with a playoff shutout by our winter teams, a horrific 4-12 season by the Eagles and now a sub-.500 start by the Phillies.

The biggest story in Philadelphia sports is not the Roy Halladay saga or Chip Kelly’s first public practices. It is what happened at the box office last Thursday, when the Eagles put single-game tickets on sale, and — for the first time in more than a decade — had them available the next day, and the day after that, and even now. That’s right. You can buy tickets to an Eagles game right now.

For a team that had a waiting list for season tickets of 50,000 just a few years ago, this sudden turn of events came as a surprise to everyone, including the Eagles. Their decision to raise ticket prices after a 4-12 season reflected an arrogant belief that the fans would answer the call, regardless of the quality of the product. Welcome to the real world, Jeff Lurie.

Equally clear now is the fact that this Eagles ticket issue is not an isolated case in Philadelphia. Remember, Sixers tickets were selling for as low as four cents on the secondary market during the Andrew Bynum fiasco, and even Flyers tickets — always the least vulnerable to fan dissatisfaction — were available for a small fraction of their face value in the final month of a terrible season.

Then there are the Phillies. Somehow, in a single year, the Phils went from selling 44,021 tickets a game to 37,321. Last year at this time, you could not buy a Phillies ticket on the primary market. Today, you can sit behind home plate.

Why are the fans rebelling? Well, the obvious answer is that the teams are all pretty awful right now. They aren’t worth the money. But it goes beyond that. Fans are tired of watching players like Jimmy Rollins not run hard, they are fed up with ticket hikes by billionaires like Lurie and they have been insulted one time too many by bums like Bynum.

The fans have had enough. They aren’t buying tickets the way they have been, and they won’t reach back into their wallets until the teams fix what they broke. And what the teams broke is the trust of their fans.

Sixers finally get something right 

The Sixers finally took a positive step last week when they reportedly hired Sam Hinkie — that move will become official Tuesday at a 4:15 p.m. press conference — to become the face of their lost sports franchise. I know almost nothing about the former Houston Rockets executive, but I can say with great confidence that he will be a major upgrade as GM. The truth is, a sea otter would be a major upgrade.

Hinkie subscribes to what owner Joshua Harris calls “analytics,” which sounds a lot like an NBA version of Moneyball. Through the study of sophisticated statistical models, Hinkie plans to rebuild a team that hasn’t interested Philadelphia since 2002. The good news here is that Sam Hinkie actually has a plan. At this point, any plan would do.

And the better news is that Tony DiLeo has left an organization that he put to sleep for most of the past decade: as an assistant GM, a coach and GM. After DiLeo’s snoozefest, Hinkie can win huge public acclaim immediately by announcing that Andrew Bynum will never play for the Sixers.

As for the rest of the roster, Hinkie should set aside Jrue Holiday and Thaddeus Young, then fumigate these hopeless underachievers. With a player option at $3 million next season, Kwame Brown’s permanent spot on the bench should be declared a toxic-waste site.

As for Spencer Hawes, soft center tweeted after Hinkie was hired “Hate, Hate, Hate” and then made an idiotic remark about statistics that was aimed right at the new GM. Well, at least a Sixer has actually exceeded our expectations. Hawes is even dumber than we thought. Good riddance to you, Spencer — and to most of your loser teammates, too.

More apologies, please

Roy Halladay issued an apology last week to Phillies fans for his horrible pitching this season. Good for him. After lying for months about the condition of his aging, sore pitching shoulder, he owed us some expression of accountability.

Now, while they’re at it, how about some more acts of contrition? At the top of the list is GM Ruben Amaro, Jr., who actually said — it’s on tape — that he was OK with Halladay hiding his sore shoulder for two weeks while the Phils absorbed two straight 14-2 losses with the former ace on the mound.

Next in line is Rich Dubee, the dour pitching coach, who has refused to discuss Halladay’s pitching (or arm condition) because he didn’t like the tone of questions being asked when Halladay was getting crushed early in the season. Dubee is a bad pitching coach with a worse attitude. He needs to apologize for being such a black cloud over the organization.

Of course, no expression of regret over this Halladay mess will be complete without a few well-chosen words from manager Charlie Manuel, who gets paid $4 million a year to  let his players manage themselves. The skipper allowed Halladay to pitch with a sore arm at the end of last season — ever wonder what kind of damage that caused? — and was still ready to send him back out there until Halladay fessed up.

That noise you heard when Halladay’s arm problem became official last week was the slamming shut of an era of prosperity unrivaled in Phillies history. They are not going to find their way back from this nightmare of a season. Deep down, we all know that now. What they can do is show some dignity in these difficult times. At least Halladay started that process with his apology last week.

Idle thoughts from Cataldi

• In nine years of strategic bumbling, Charlie Manuel just finished his worst week ever. He blew three straight one-run games with illogical moves, the most glaring when he replaced Antonio Bastardo with Mike Adams to face Miguel Montero in Arizona. Asked why he didn’t exploit the lefty-lefty matchup, Manuel said: “Adams is my eighth-inning guy.” Oh.
• Jimmy Rollins was lollygagging on the basepaths so badly last week that broadcaster Chris Wheeler called him out on it by shouting, “Run, Jimmy, run.” The shocking part of this is not that Rollins failed to hustle again. No, it was that Wheeler — the ultimate homer— actually told the truth for once.
• Tom Heckert got yet another personnel job last week after dreadful runs with the Eagles and Browns. Denver hired him, raising the question: Does anyone ever scout the scouts in the NFL?
• Ilya Bryzgalov had a busy week, even if the Flyers didn’t. The goalie ducked under a puck in the hockey world championships, got caught playing Angry Birds after being benched, and then ripped the Philadelphia media again for being unprofessional. Hmmm. Is Bryz trying to get the Flyers to dump him?
• Eddie Jordan, a fraud during his brief tenure as Sixers coach, apparently is a fraud off the court, too. He never graduated from Rutgers, which recently signed him to a five-year deal, even though he has always claimed he did. Soon, we’ll find out his Princeton offense comes from a community college.

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The music blared and the pace was frenzied. Coaches at Chip Kelly’s first open practice stood on the sidelines and used hand signals to get calls in. Players just smirked as they left the field.

“We want to be efficient in our time,” Kelly said. “We don’t want to be on the field for a long time, want to maximize the time we’re on the field, and obviously you see us go from tempo periods to teach periods.”

Players sprinted from drill to drill, rarely huddled up and listened to the loudspeaker for instructions. They had a musical playlist that included everything from Nicki Minaj to Duran Duran.

“There’s a lot of science behind it,” Kelly said without elaborating.

Fast food banned

Chip Kelly’s attention to good nutrition is already evident.

The coach has done away with “Taco Tuesdays” and “Fast Food Friday.” Kelly has removed items like pizza, fried chicken and other fried foods from the cafeteria. He is also limiting the amount of red meat consumed.

Kelly believes “elite athletes need optimal nutrition,” according to ESPN.

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John Lackey hasn’t started a game as important as the one he will face Tuesday in Tampa Bay in, well, two weeks or so.

The Sox hurler faced Houston on April 28, coming off a scary biceps injury that he endured during his first “big test” of 2013 – the season opener in Toronto on April 6. The righty, who has been a main target for Sox fans’ disdain since the collapse of 2011, silenced his critics at least for a day against the Astros, tossing six strong innings while allowing just one run on five hits, striking out four. Since then Lackey has started two games (at Texas, vs. Minnesota), losing both. The losses are a tad misleading, however, considering Lackey allowed a combined four runs in a combined 12 innings of work in those games. Both starts could certainly be considered “solid.”

Tuesday against a Tampa Bay team hovering around the .500 mark (19-18 on the season), Lackey is looking to put a stop to Boston’s baseball bleeding. The Red Sox (22-16) have lost eight of their last 10 games and have fallen out of first place in the AL East for the first time this season with the Yankees (23-14) and Orioles (23-15) supplanting them (Boston was 1.5 games back as of yesterday). They have just three wins in the month of May.

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The Knicks essentially face a must-win game tomorrow night in Indiana, because as good as they are, they do not want to face the prospect of being down 3-1 to the Pacers.

And with such an important game, it should mean that all hands on deck.

But if this series has taught Knicks fans anything, it’s that head coach Mike Woodson only trusts a select few to play meaningful minutes. Woodson’s rotation has been very light on minutes for the fringe guys, even though those same guys have shown they can offer the team quality minutes in spurts.

But with an apparent flu bug that’s going around the team — J.R. Smith had it first, and now it seems that Kenyon Martin is coming down with it — Woodson may finally be pressed into expanding his rotation.

Following Sunday’s practice session, in which both Smith and Martin sat out, Woodson said he might have to change his strategy to more “mixing and matching” the rotation.

“At this stage of the game, most playoff teams are pretty set [in their rotations], but we’re jumping around a little bit now,” Woodson said. “We’ve going to need everybody playing Tuesday night on all high cylinders, because we don’t want to go back home down 3-1. That would be a tough climb for us.”

As the sense of urgency rises for the No. 2-seed Knicks, they aren’t necessarily in a position to be picky, not with Smith giving virtually nothing, Jason Kidd yet to score a point in the series and Raymond Felton shooting 1-of-8 in Game 3.

Defensively, the Knicks are just as solid as the Pacers, as they’re only allowing 87.6 points per game. It’s on the offensive end, however, they’re struggling immensely. In their two losses they shot 43 percent in Game 1 at the Garden and then 35 percent in Game 3 at Indiana. They were also severely outrebounded in those two losses, 44-24 and 44-30, respectively.

The former stat could see a boost with more time for Chris Copeland, while the latter can likely be fixed with more time for Marcus Camby or Earl Barron. Woodson, though, has routinely used eight players in this series, with a sprinkling of Copeland here and there. The Game 3 loss featured eight players — nine, if Amar’e Stoudemire’s 8:56 minutes of action is included as significant help. Steve Novak (1:53 minutes of action), Quentin Richardson (1:48) and Copeland (58 seconds) were nonentities.

The Game 1 matchup saw nine guys check in, not including Camby who only saw 12 seconds of action. Copeland saw limited time, too, but actually had some success by scoring six points in eight minutes. He hasn’t seen much action since, averaging barely seven minutes per game in the series.

The likes of Copeland, Camby and Barron won’t be game changers, but it’s also not absurd to say they can give the sagging Knicks offense and rebounding a boost.

“When you hold a team to 82 points on their floor, you’ve got to think that you’ve got a chance to win. With our team, I never thought we couldn’t score 82 points,” said Woodson. “We definitely need everybody to do more [scoring], but I’m not OK with [Carmelo Anthony] taking three shots [in the fourth quarter], so he’s got to take more shots, too.”

Knicks notes …

» Amar’e Stoudemire said he’s on a 15-minute max policy for the playoffs and added he’s “fine” with it.

“I’ll follow the doctors’ orders. I have no control over what the doctors say. Whatever they say goes,” Stoudemire said. “My job is with the time that I’m out there, I have to be productive and apply some type of leadership and structure out on the court.”

» Smith and Martin did not practice again on Monday, as they’re both still dealing with illnesses. Woodson called Smith and Martin “gametime decisions.”

» Iman Shumpert (sore left knee) also didn’t practice, as the second-year guard said he’s dealing with “a knee bruise.” Although it’s on the surgically repaired knee, Shumpert vowed to play in Game 4.

Follow Knicks beat writer Tony Williams on Twitter @TBone8.

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Come 9:50 p.m. or so tonight, it will be viewed as either having been a huge advantage or as one of the many reasons as to why a series collapse occurred. The Bruins were stuck in Toronto overnight following Game 6 Sunday night into Monday morning as their team plane suffered a malfunction. Instead of landing in Boston like the Maple Leafs in the early hours of Monday, the Bruins spent an extra night in a Toronto hotel. Game 7 is Monday night in Boston at TD Garden at 7 p.m..

“Late during (Sunday’s) game we were made aware that there was a malfunction with our airplane,” Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said in a statement. “As a result we are staying in Toronto on Sunday night and the team will travel to Boston on Monday morning.”

The Bruins reportedly landed in Boston around 10 a.m. Monday.

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The NFL has had its fair share of problem children: Pacman Jones, Tank Johnson and Kenny Britt immediately come to mind.

And that’s not even counting bad actors like Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson who aren’t getting arrested on a regular basis.

But former Lions wide receiver Titus Young may have topped them all with three separate arrests IN ONE WEEK. Young completed the trifecta this weekend with an arrest for allegedly trying to break into a home in San Clemente, Calif., running from police and then getting in a fistfight with them before being cuffed.

Real smart, Mr. Young, real smart.

And good effort on the mug shot — the stretched-out wife beater really completes the “straight out of ‘Cops’” look.

Of course, just five days earlier, Young was arrested for driving under the influence and then again arrested later that same night for trying to break into the impound lot and steal his own car back from police.

We have a winner, folks.

It’s hard to properly describe just how badly Young has screwed up a career with tremendous potential. And that’s before this week’s crime spree.

He was suspended from the Lions last season for intentionally lining up in the wrong spot during a game and then fighting with wide receiver coach Shawn Jefferson. Of course, then he whined on Twitter about not getting the ball enough. At a minicamp after his rookie season, he got in a fistfight with teammate Louis Delmas during an onfield dispute. Needless to say, the Lions cut him.

Young was in camp with the Rams after being cut, but was released there too. So, he’s currently looking for a job.

We’re going to go out on a limb and say teams have significantly less interest in him all of a sudden.

Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports. Pro tip for Young: One arrest per day is probably enough.

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Remember when the Bruins led their quarterfinal series with the Maple Leafs 3-1 last week after David Krejci’s overtime winner in Game 4? That was fun. Things have turned quickly (as they often do in the NHL playoffs) and Toronto has all the momentum now after winning Game 6 Sunday by the same score as Game 5, 2-1, this time at Air Canada Centre. Game 7 is Monday night at TD Garden (7 p.m., NESN) and, of note, Boston has gone seven games in five of its last six playoff series dating back to 2011.

Similar to the end of the regular season where they simply couldn’t put the puck in the net, the Bruins aren’t giving goaltender Tuukka Rask (24 saves) any margin for error. Also, this was the second straight game they’ve fallen behind 2-0 in the third period which is impossible to recover from with the way they’ve struggled to score. James Reimer (29 saves) has been a huge part of Toronto’s success, forging two great performances in a row along with help from his defensemen.

The Leafs got on the board first when Nazem Kadri’s shot deflected off Dion Phaneuf 1:50 into the third period. Phil Kessel clinched it after a rebound and backhander at 8:59. The B’s wouldn’t let Reimer get a shutout, however, as Milan Lucic redirected a laser of a pass from Jaromir Jagr but there was only 25.5 seconds left in regulation. The painful last sequence was Zdeno Chara passing up a shot to Patrice Bergeron, whose shot was blocked.

What they’ll be saying: For a team that loves to make things difficult on themselves, this is another chapter in pain for the Bruins. A loss in Game 7 would have big repercussions for the franchise that three years ago blew a 3-0 series lead to the Flyers in the Eastern Conference semifinals and lost in seven games to the Capitals in the first round last season.

Follow Metro Boston Bruins beat writer Richard Slate on Twitter @RichSlate

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Moments after the Rangers concluded their 1-0 win in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, a media member suggested Derek Dorsett’s play in the game was “Prustian,” referring to the gritty ex-Ranger Brandon Prust, now a member of the Canadiens.

Dorsett, acquired on trade deadline day along with Derick Brassard and John Moore from Columbus in exchange for an ineffective Marian Gaborik, played his strongest game of the season Sunday afternoon. In 12 minutes of ice time spanning 14 shifts, Dorsett had three hits and a blocked shot.

“Being out nine weeks, I feel better every day. I feel better every day,” Dorsett said. “I just want to make sure I keep going and doing whatever I can to help this team achieve its goal.”

Dorsett drove the Capitals to distraction in Game 6. He drew three penalties, including a cross check from Mike Green that the right wing said bloodied his upper and lower lip. After the game, the Capitals complained bitterly that Dorsett had attempted to slew foot Green, but multiple replays showed the Rangers winger was attempting to ride the defenseman into the boards.

“I think emotions ride high in the postseason. Things are bound to happen. It’s part of the game and you can expect it,” Dorsett said. “When I get moving my feet and playing hard, sometimes it can get under their skin. Anytime I can do that I want to try and help get the team on the power play.”

As is his wont during the Stanley Cup playoffs, head coach John Tortorella declined to discuss the play of specific players. But he praised the work of the Dorsett-Brian Boyle-Taylor Pyatt third line.

The trio had a combined 12 shot attempts, 10 hits and three blocked shots. Their sustained forecheck gave the Rangers time in the offensive zone.

“I thought everybody contributed,” Tortorella said. “I’m not going to pick out one name but I thought that line played well and forechecked well. He is what he is. He brings us energy and it’s important when you get to this time in the series.”

Home sweet home?

The home team has won every game in this series. Yet the Rangers are confident going into Monday night’s Game 7 at the Verizon Center.

“If you can lose two in overtime, you’re close,” Lundqvist said. “It’s just a bounce and you win it, so we know we can do it.

Boogaard family files suit

According to a published report, the family of Derek Boogaard has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the NHL.

Boogaard died on May 13, 2011, after overdosing on prescription medication and alcohol. At the time, the then-Rangers winger was recuperating from post-concussion symptoms developed after a fight with Matt Carkner, now of the New York Islanders.

An autopsy revealed Boogaard suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy. He had 61 fights and 589 penalty minutes in 277 NHL games.

Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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The Red Sox are enduring their worst stretch of the 2013 season thus far as they dropped their eighth decision in the last 10 games Sunday at Fenway Park, a 12-4 drubbing from the Toronto Blue Jays.

Sox starter Ryan Dempster was smacked around on the hill, allowing six runs on seven hits in just five innings. He fell to 2-4 on the season.

Toronto had a 5-0 lead in the fourth inning and led 10-1 at one point in the sixth inning as Jose Bautista twice homered and Emilio Bonifacio, Edwin Encarnacion and Brett Lawrie also had round-trippers.

Mike Napoli and Pedro Ciriaco both homered for Boston but any realistic Sox comeback attempt proved to be futile.

What they’ll be saying: If Boston is to quickly return to its April form it will have to do so on the road as it does not have a game again at Fenway Park until May 23. John Lackey kicks off a three-game set for the Red Sox against the Rays Tuesday night in Tampa. It will be a huge test for Lackey and the Sox. Lackey needs to serve as a stopper before Boston’s losing streak becomes something teetering towards a month-long slump. He has lost in his last two starts.
In other news, Sox outfielder Shane Victorino was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital yesterday to have his back and ribs examined after running into the right field wall during yesterday’s loss. The injury occurred in the fourth inning as Victorino attempted to chase down an Emilio Bonafacio long ball. After yesterday’s game, Red Sox manager John Farrell was optimistic about a quick recovery for his outfielder.

“All signs point to him being ready for Tuesday,” Farrell said.

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There’s an intriguing name or two in nearly every NFL team’s rookie minicamp. For the Jets, it is Mason Robinson.

Robinson, an unsigned invitee, petitioned the NCAA last year for a sixth season at Rutgers following two season-ending knee injuries. He came into the program as a running back in 2007 then switched to wide receiver, cornerback and eventually safety. Robinson has just 19 career tackles. Those aren’t exactly the kind of numbers that jump out at an NFL scouting department.

But Robinson was invited to rookie minicamp by head coach Rex Ryan after a conversation he had with the Rutgers coaching staff.

“He was playing some nickel. I like him,” Ryan said. “The coaches at Rutgers said that no one at Rutgers wanted to fight this guy. I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s pretty good for a little corner.’ Now we’ll have somebody that will fight him but that is impressive.”

Robinson was a dominant running back at Somerville High School (Somerville, N.J.), a four-star recruit according to Rivals.com and one of the biggest names hauled in by former Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano for his 2007 recruiting class. Robinson played from Day 1 at Rutgers.

He was healthy his freshman and sophomore years, but tore his ACL during the first game of his junior season. His redshirt junior year he bounced back and was healthy, in the first practice following the first game of his senior season, he tore his other ACL.

Robinson fought back to get on the field, no matter the odds.

“I’m a big competitor. I love being scrappy. I guess it was instilled in me as a little kid,” Robinson said. “I was the baby of the family and I always had to defend myself against my brothers and even my sisters. It has always been a part of my life.”

During rookie minicamp, Robinson has been in the Jets’ nickel package and, much like Ryan described him, he’s been active and scrappy. He’s been getting praise not just from his head coach at the podium but also the coaching staff on the field.

“I try not to listen to that or pay attention to that,” Robinson said. “Each day is a new learning experience — be better tomorrow than I was yesterday. Even learn from other’s experience.”

When he transitioned from high school to college, Robinson stayed a running back even as many pundits saw a bright future for him in the secondary given his athleticism and outstanding footwork. Carries were hard to come by those first two seasons. He had just 77 rushing attempts and one touchdown his first two seasons — and then was switched to wide receiver where he had one catch. After his first ACL injury, he got moved to defense.

Having played offense, he brings an innate understanding of his role on defense.

“You see splits, you see guys on the ball, off the ball [and] you’re able to read it a little bit. When splits are cut, you’re able to read that a little bit,” Robinson said. “When you watch film, you know what’s going to come. When you’re on the field, you can sense it a bit more.”

Following his second ACL injury, Robinson requested a sixth year from the NCAA and was granted one, but was only at “85 percent,” according to him. He had 14 tackles in 2012, but now Robinson says he is fully healthy and ready to contribute.

In high school, at the Meet of Champions, Robinson ran a 10.51-second time in the 100 meters and during his Pro Day at Rutgers this past spring, he clocked a 4.35-second hand time in the 40-yard dash. If he can stay healthy, he can bring something unique to the Jets this summer and maybe beyond.

“I just want to do whatever I can to make the team, whatever it takes,” Robinson said. “Special teams, cornerback, safety — whatever it takes. I will push myself to make it, to make this team. I won’t settle for anything else.”

Jets notes …

» Rookie minicamp wide receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux, who was cut by the Jets last week, came in on a tryout this past weekend but will not be back, per source. He likely will look at the Canadian league.

» The Jets announced the signing of defensive tackle Lanier Coleman (Louisiana-Lafayette), kicker Brett Maher (Nebraska), wide receiver Thomas Mayo (California (Pa.)) and outside linebacker Sean Progar-Jackson (Northern Illinois).

» The team also announced the release of kicker Derek Dimke, defensive tackle Roosevelt Holliday and wide receiver Royce Pollard, who was on the practice squad last year.

Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer for all your offseason news.

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“These guys can’t score with regularity with a man on third and less than two out,” Green bellowed. “You have to be able to do that. We did that in 1980.”

That was just one of the things the Phillies did during the franchise’s first championship season. When speaking in an agitated tone regarding the Phillies of 1980, Green could have been talking about the 2013 Phillies. This team has been abysmal when scoring runners from third with less than two out.

“They’ve been lousy when it comes to that,” a NL scout said. “You need to do that if you’re going to have a winning record.”

Ben Revere has seldom come through in such situations. The slap hitter has had a very hard time hitting the ball out of the infield with a man on third with one out or less.

“I know, you have to get that man home,” Revere said. “You can’t let the team down. If we have a chance to score a run, we have to do it.”

Especially since the Phillies have had trouble scoring in other ways. The Phillies used to count on the three-run bomb, but the club has hit 14 straight solo homers, the last coming April 27.

“That’s incredible,” the NL scout said. “They have a hard time getting men on. That’s what that stat tells you. So when they have a chance to get a free run, they need to capitalize.”

After Laynce Nix failed to drive a ball to the outfield to tie the game Friday night in Arizona, with a man on third and one out, Jimmy Rollins came through the following evening against the Diamondbacks.

After Ben Revere, walked, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch, Rollins drove him home with a sacrifice fly.

The Phillies manufactured a run. The way the offense has been struggling, they need to play effective small ball.

“If the Phillies want to compete for a playoff spot, they need to figure out how to do that now,” the NL scout said.

And execute it with regularity.

Phillies stage comeback, beat Arizona

The Phillies hope this can be a regular thing. Down by two runs in the ninth inning Sunday, the team rallied to tie the game and win it in extra innings, 4-2.

Chase Utley led off the ninth with a double, then Delmon Young knocked him in with a double of his own. Domonic Brown’s RBI single evened the score. Antonio Bastardo and Jason De Fratus combined for a scoreless bottom half of the inning, then Ryan Howard delivered the knockout blow: a two-run single in the 10th, his first hit in the series. Jonathan Papelbon closed the Diamondbacks down to complete the comeback victory.

Utley’s bat provided the spark all afternoon, as the second baseman went 4-for-5 and scored two runs. The Phils finished with 15 hits.

Kyle Kendrick started the game and surrendered just two runs over seven innings. His ERA is 2.47 for the season.

Chase Utley had four hits and scored two runs Sunday in the Phillies’ 4-2 win.

Ben Revere vs. Shane Victorino

Ben Revere is finally picking it up. He has gone from the Mendoza line to .243, but the young center fielder has had trouble being a productive cog in the wheel. Revere’s OPS is just .293 and his slugging percentage is a horrific .270

Compare that to last year’s center fielder Shane Victorino, who is hitting . 308 with a .371 OBP and a .394 slugging percentage.

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Top draft picks usually get the most scrutiny as teams hold their first rookie minicamp, as the Giants did this weekend. But when you’re an offensive lineman, you’re used to flying under-the-radar.

Justin Pugh, selected No. 19 overall in last month’s draft, got his first taste of that last Friday when fourth-round selection Ryan Nassib garnered much of the attention. It’s Pugh, Nassib’s college teammate, who is competing for a chance to start however.

The college left tackle worked out at right tackle this weekend, where 32-year-old David Diehl is nearing the end of his career.

“He has been there the whole camp so he is getting better every day — more comfortable with it,” head coach Tom Coughlin said. “The language barrier is becoming a little bit easier for him, as it is for the others.”

The former college teammates were able to joke about the switch.

“I was like, ‘Hey Ryan, now I got your front side as opposed to your backside.’” Pugh said. “He said, ‘It’s all good, man.’ As long as I’m protecting him, he’s good with it.”

Follow New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports.

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They are two of the most exciting words in sports: Game 7.

The ultimate do-or-die game in sports will be contested at the Verizon Center tonight after the Rangers’ pulsating 1-0 win over the Capitals in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals yesterday afternoon at the Garden.

The best-of-seven series is tied at three games apiece. The puck drops for Game 7 at 8 p.m.

“We are just going to have the same mentality we had coming into this game,” said Derick Brassard, who scored the game’s only goal. “We just played our game [and] had fun. It was positive. The guys were relaxed and that’s what we need to do tomorrow.”

The Rangers broke through 9:39 into the second period on Brassard’s second goal of the series. Brassard’s slap shot from inside the blueline deflected off of Capitals’ defenseman Steve Olesky and past Braden Holtby (28 saves).

“The crowd kept chanting [‘shoot the puck’ and] I didn’t see myself giving a pass to one of my teammates there. I think I had to shoot,” Brassard said. “They obviously want us to shoot. On the ice, it’s a little different. We try and make plays. Sometimes it can work. Sometimes it doesn’t work. I just took two steps and ripped it as hard as I could.”

“We needed it. There was desperation out there,” said Henrik Lundqvist, who made 27 saves to earn his seventh career shutout in the playoffs, and his first since Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals last May.

The Vezina finalist is tied with Hall of Famer Dave Kerr for the second-most Stanley Cup playoff shutouts in franchise history. Mike Richter’s nine playoff shutouts are most in team history.

“I felt like this was going to be the type of game where there were one or two goals, tops,” Lundqvist said. “My focus was on trying to shut it down.”

He was aided by a defensive effort that mostly limited Washington to shots from the outside as the Rangers finished with 17 blocked shots and outhit the Capitals, 33-28.

“We showed a lot of character and worked really hard,” Lundqvist said. “It was that type of game [yesterday] where you pay the price — big blocks, physical.

“Everybody contributed,” head coach John Tortorella said. “For us to sustain the forecheck and sustain some territory, we needed bodies.”

The Capitals did not have a power play in yesterday’s game, as the only penalties assessed to the Rangers were roughing minors to Derek Stepan and Dan Girardi in a scrum involving all 10 skaters on the ice at the final buzzer.

“We know what’s at stake when we put them on the power play. They can capitalize pretty quickly,” Ryan McDonagh said. “One thing that we said every time in-between periods is to use our legs, not our sticks. We have to dictate the tempo and forecheck to create penalties for them.”

Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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The idea started with a video tryout in Miami that went viral. Several months, and five teams later, the idea is about to hit a court near you.

The Philadelphia Diamonds, the city’s franchise in the newly-created Bikini Basketball Association, is tuning up its roster. The Diamonds have scheduled their first game for June 29 at the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory on Roosevelt Boulevard. Tickets go on sale Monday.

“Our goal is to dominate the season, dominate the whole division,” said assistant coach Alease Tabb. “This just isn’t about looks, we want to be competitive, we’re looking to win.”

The Diamonds boast 13 sexy, athletic girls — most with legitimate collegiate basketball experience. They’ll play by WNBA rules, while wearing form-fitting sports bras and spandex shorts.

There are currently five teams signed up — the Houston Inferno, Las Vegas Fantasy, Philadelphia Diamonds, Miami Spice, Illinois Heat. The Diamonds held an informal meet-and-greet last week at Buffalo Wild Wings in Northeast Philadelphia.

The Diamonds open the season June 29 at the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory in Northeast Philadelphia.
Rikard Larma/Metro

“I’m doing this for love of the game, plus it’s an opportunity to get paid to play,” said center Daynese Stowe, who starred at Maryland Eastern-Shore and played AAU ball for the Philadelphia Belles. “I had an opportunity to play overseas after college, but I had a bad agent. I’m hoping this can open some doors, in the basketball world and the modeling world.”

Stowe, an intimidating beauty who stands at 6-foot-2, does freelance modeling on the side. She also runs her own business, Towers of Beauty, a hostessing company that uses tall, attractive women to drive traffic for local businesses.

“I do a little bit of everything,” Stowe said. “I’m also a pretty good volleyball player.”

Some players showed up last week in high heels; others in colorful sneakers. Angel Stephens, a forward who scored 1,000 career points at Cheyney University, was flashing shiny earrings. An informal poll revealed that sporting heels on the court isn’t a good idea, but the earrings …

“Earrings in,” Stephens said. “Diamonds are forever.”

Stephens, like her teammates, is in it to win it. She also admitted that if she can use it to leverage her career, she will. Stephens once served as an assistant basketball coach at Eastern University.

“I want to broaden my horizons,” Stephens said. “This is another opportunity to get back into basketball, maybe return to coaching, hopefully grow as a person.”

Warda Muhammad shows off her stylish heels at last week’s meet and greet.
Rikard Larma/Metro

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Many fathers and sons have unique relationships and Will and Tom Middlebrooks are no different. Tom is a long-time, legendary high school football and baseball coach at Liberty-Eylau High School in Texarkana, Texas and coached Will his entire life until he turned professional.

Things have changed a bit now that Will, 24, has made his way to the big leagues and is 1,588 miles away. Tom has now transitioned into a “full-time” dad role, leaving coaching behind, but that isn’t always easy for the elder Middlebrooks.

“Yeah, I try to (stay away from coaching Will), but sometimes it’s hard,” said Tom, when reached by phone over the weekend. “I’ve coached him pretty much my whole life and the more I’ve gotten into coaching the more I’ve tried to analyze and see flaws, etc. That’s just my make up. I could sit there and pick out good things and bad things in a lot of swings, not everyone is going to be perfect. I don’t want to mess with him.”

Lately, it’s been particularly difficult for Tom to keep his distance with Will going through the biggest slump of his short major league career. The father now offers support in subtle ways.

“I don’t try to bother him too much. We talk maybe once, twice a week, mostly text,” Tom said. “I’m a big sayings guy and if I find a saying that I think might help motivate him or lift his head up I’ll send it to him. I do it for all my kids basically.

“As a coach I can see some things, but as a dad I kind of bite my tongue because (Will) has some great coaches up there,” he said. “What a lot of people don’t understand is that it’s not a quick fix sometimes. That’s just the way this game is. It will get better, but it could take some time.”

The new father role came into play again this past week when Will collided with catcher David Ross when both were sliding to make a catch on a foul ball, which Will eventually caught. Will did injure his ribs on the play and needed X-rays, a CAT scan and an MRI. Reports now say he’s dealing with a separated rib, which refers to tearing of the rib bone from the cartilage that connects it to the sternum. The condition leaves Will in considerable pain, but the medical staff says he cannot injure himself any more playing through the pain.

Tom called Will on Wednesday right after he got the MRI to check in with his son.

“That’s the reason I called him because I thought he was going to be out. He told me he was going to try and play. The parent kind of came out in me and I said ‘do you think that’s a good decision?,’” said Tom. “They know best, they take care of their guys up there and I am never going to question them.”

Will played a major part in the city’s healing following the Boston Marathon bombings, having come up with the “Boston Strong” phrase, which is now seemingly everywhere. Tom and the entire Middlebrooks family really didn’t know the full effect Will had until they saw the Red Sox play in Texas two weekends ago.

“I didn’t realize he had a lot to do with the ‘Boston Strong’ quote until we had gone to Texas and [Will] got us on the field during BP and I was standing next to a guy who was in a suit,” Tom recalled. “I noticed he had a name tag on his suit and it had a John Hancock logo and I can’t remember the guy’s name, but Julie [Will’s mom] was wearing her ‘Boston Strong’ shirt and he mentioned to her how much he thought of Will for what he said and how he created the ‘Boston Strong’ quote because he said he was at the race near where the bomb went off. He had some tears well up in his eyes and it was a real strong and an emotional moment. It’s pretty neat that he’s tied himself into the community because he says that’s home for him now.”

Will isn’t the only star athlete in the family. His sister Lacey plays for the Division I Tulsa softball team and graduated from the school this past weekend. Tom retired from coaching baseball this year so he could see his daughter’s senior season as well as Will as much as he could. Lacey, who is very close to Will, will be coming to Boston this summer after finishing some classes at Tulsa and will be one of the ball girls at Fenway Park. This after a PR internship last summer with the PawSox. With two of the three Middlebrooks kids being in Boston this summer, it’s safe to say Tom will be spending as much time as he can in the area in his new role of being a dad, rather than a coach. Said Tom: “I’d like to be there right now to tell you the truth.”

Follow Metro Red Sox beat writer Ryan Hannable on Twitter @hannable84

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The David Ortiz-Dan Shaughnessy feud could carry on all summer at this point.

Ortiz and the Boston Globe columnist had their second “conversation” this past weekend when the Sox slugger momentarily stopped before leaving the clubhouse Saturday and targeted Shaughnessy among a horde of reporters.

“Look who it is,” Ortiz said, glancing at the writer.

Shaughnessy had ruffled feathers in the Sox organization last week when he wrote a column suggesting that Ortiz may be using performance-enhancing drugs this season. Ortiz was listed among over 100 MLB players that tested positive for PEDs in 2003, according to a 2009 New York Times report.

“By the way, let me know what I tested positive for in 2003,” Ortiz said to Shaughnessy on Saturday.

Ortiz also told Shaughnessy that on the day the columnist questioned him about PED use, he took an MLB-sanctioned drug test.

Ortiz received the day off Sunday against Toronto as he is mired in a mini-slump following a hot April.

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And if things get a little nasty, all the better. Well Sergio Garcia and Tiger Woods got a little nasty yesterday in the third round of the Players Championship. But let’s get this straight — Garcia is not a rival of Woods.

You just need to look at two numbers: 14 and 0. Those would be the number of major titles for each golfer. But Garcia’s ego still thinks those numbers are reversed apparently.

In the third round, while Garcia was paired up with Woods, the Spaniard was hitting his second shot on the second hole when he shanked it into the trees. During a weather delay (which actually ended the day), Garcia blamed the miss-hit on Woods pulling out his club for his own second shot right in the middle of his swing, eliciting a cheer from the gallery.

“I wouldn’t say he didn’t see that I was ready, but you do have a feel when the other guy is going to hit,” Garcia said. “Right as I was on top of the backswing, he pulled a 5-wood or 3-wood out of the rough and, obviously, everybody started screaming, so that didn’t help very much.”

Aww, poor Sergio.

He pulled out a club; he didn’t shout “you suck!” at the top of your backswing. Garcia has spent his whole underachieving career looking for someone else to blame. Every golfer knows, and Woods called him out on it yesterday.

“It’s not real surprising he’s complaining about something,” Woods responded.

It’s unfortunate really, because I remember watching the 1999 PGA Championship very vividly. Garcia was 19 years old. Woods was 23. The two dueled on the final day for the major title. Everyone remembers the infamous “tree shot” by Garcia, as he hopped up the fairway looking to see where his ball landed.

Now, 14 years later, that is still the highlight of his career.

Oh, and by the way, Woods won the 1999 PGA Championship. Garcia finished second.

Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports. It’s not easy to defend Woods, but somehow Garcia brings it out.

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The Knicks have been undersized and outmanned in the frontcourt all season, but were able to get away with it. It came back to bite them Saturday night in a disappointing, 82-71, loss to the Pacers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Center Tyson Chandler was an All-Star reserve this season, but played like anything but as fellow All-Star pivot Roy Hibbert dominated the matchup. Hibbert, a 7-foot-2 wall that anchors the Pacers’ interior, had a game-high 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Chandler could only muster nine points, five rebounds and three blocks.

The Knicks were never really in synch, as they trailed almost wire-to-wire and never got their offense going. The dysfunction was evident almost immediately, as New York had more turnovers (eight) by the 4:50 mark of the second quarter than they did all of last game (seven). They ultimately finished with 15 turnovers, something they’ll need to shore up before Tuesday’s Game 4 as they’re not equipped to play as sloppy as they did against the defensive-minded Pacers.

New York now trails the series, 2-1, and is starting to look like a team that’s feeling the pressure – particularly on the offensive end. The Knicks have yet to really duplicate their regular-season success against a Pacers defense that is amongst the stingiest in the league. If not for Carmelo Anthony’s team-high 21 points, the outcome would’ve been much worse for a Knicks squad which has failed to give Anthony a dependable No. 2 option on offense.

J.R. Smith, Anthony’s sidekick for most of the season, has vanished this series. He hasn’t been the same explosive and reliable scorer since the elbowing incident toward the end of Game 3 in Boston in the first round. The NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year only gave the Knicks nine points on 4-of-12 shooting in 25 uninspired minutes. Perhaps Smith could be excused for his less than stellar Game 3, as he was suffering from high fever and illness prior to shootaround.

He’ll need to rebound quickly, preferably by Game 4 in Indianapolis, or the Knicks will face the real possibility of going back to New York down 3-1 in the series.

What we saw …

1. The Knicks inexplicably shot poorly from behind the arc, as they went 3-of-11, and were so out of sorts that by the start of the fourth quarter they had only hoisted seven 3-pointers. Nobody in orange and blue had it going from long range, as no one made more than two 3-pointers.

2. The Pacers came into the series with a significant advantage in size and frontcourt depth, but really took advantage of it in Game 3. Indiana began the game shooting a horrid .319 percent from the field, but still held a halftime lead in large part due to a collective crashing of the boards. The Pacers held a 31-20 rebounding advantage in the first half, including 13 offensive boards, en route to a 53-40 lead on the glass (18 on the offensive end). The Pacers were paced by 12 rebounds apiece from Hibbert and power forward David West. Paul George added eight boards from the small forward position.

3. George didn’t have a great offensive game – no one did, really – but he made sure to leave an imprint elsewhere, as he added eight rebounds, eight assists and a game-high five steals. The league’s Most Improved Player finished with 14 points on 4-of-14 shooting, including a paltry 2-of-12 from behind the arc, but did what no Knick was able to do – find a way to contribute without having an impactful game on the offensive end.

Follow Knicks beat writer Tony Williams on Twitter @TBone8.

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Tommy Bohanon held an NFL Draft party on April 27 as he waited for what he hoped would be a phone call letting him know he was selected. Slated as a late-round pick, Bohanon waited until Saturday to have a big gathering and late in the afternoon, the Wake Forest fullback got that call. He could barely hear the voice on the other end of the line so he did the smart thing and walked outside.

Everyone wanted in on the big moment, so the entire party quieted down and followed him outside. Bohanon put the call on speakerphone so he could hear better. College teammate Brad Idzik was nearby and could hear everything coming out of the phone.

“It was then that Brad said ‘Is that my dad?’ Then I was like, ‘Yeah, it is.’ To be on the phone with him and have his son right there? That’s a little crazy,” Bohanon said.

Brad Idzik is not just a wide receiver on the Demon Deacons but his father is John Idzik, the Jets’ new general manager, who was making the call to let the fullback know he was headed to New York. Bohanon met John Idzik when he was still with the Seahawks as their vice president of football administration but he had no idea he would end up being drafted by the father of one of his best friends. The elder Idzik had scouted Wake Forest before and saw something he liked in the fullback.

Bohanon never asked Brad Idzik if he put in a good word for him with his father but now he comes to a Jets team where he has a chance to compete for a starting position. Incumbent starter Lex Hilliard was solid last year but with a new offensive coordinator there will be plenty of opportunities to come in and compete.

The Demon Deacons ran a spread option offense where Bohanon lined up more as an H-back and ran routes. It is his ability to catch the ball that makes him an ideal fit in the new West Coast offense brought in by offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg.

“I bring my versatility and that’s part of being a West Coast fullback. You need to be able to catch, you need to be able to run the ball and block. I think I’ll be able to do anything the offense needs me to do,” Bohanon said. “I just want to come in and compete and see how it all turns out in the fall.”

Jets notes …

» Much like the day before, head coach Rex Ryan praised the entire offensive line, but he singled out sixth-round pick Will Campbell out of Michigan. Campbell played along the defensive line last year for the Wolverines and has impressed at left guard as he transitions to the offensive line.

“I’m surprised that he’s not making mistakes,” Ryan said. “It’s like he’s been doing it his whole life.”

» Typically, the Jets hold minicamp the next week after the draft but this year they pushed it back to better coincide with the June minicamp involving the full squad.

“It just made sense,” Ryan said. “Why send them home when they’re already here?”

» On Friday, Ryan called out Quinton Coples for what he saw as less than ideal effort in the weight room the day before. Ryan didn’t back away from the rare criticism, but explained why he went after the second-year defensive lineman, who was a first-round pick last year.

“I expect so much from him that I don’t want him to ever have something where he’s not going full out,” Ryan said. “That’s not my expectation of him.”

Ryan then went on to talk up the player while providing a word of caution.

“Here’s a guy that has all the physical tools to be the best player on the field. And that’s what we expect him to be,” Ryan said.

» Safety Rontez Miles is trying to make the team but he has one thing working against him: a Steelers tattoo on his left arm. Miles has had an impressive rookie minicamp and could get a call to compete at safety come minicamp in June.

“I don’t like his tattoo; he has a Steelers tattoo,” Ryan said. “It could be worse, could be a Patriots tattoo.”

Ryan did praise Miles for his aggressiveness.

Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.

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During his press conference after the early skate Saturday morning, Islanders head coach Jack Capuano suggested his team had the same attributes as their dynastic predecessors.

The early 1980s Islanders were one of the legendary teams in NHL history. But before they won four Cups in four years, there was a five-year period of devastating playoff losses. They lost before they won.

It is a painful lesson the 2013 edition learned all too excruciatingly as their renaissance season ended Saturday night at the Nassau Coliseum with a 4-3 overtime loss to the Penguins in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

Pittsburgh won the best-of-seven series, 4-2, and will meet the Senators in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

“Overtime and they get a lucky shot. It really [ticks] you off. It really does,” Travis Hamonic said. “I think that we played really well. We could’ve won the series — should’ve, in my opinion. It leaves a bitter, sour taste for the rest of the summer.

“It’s going to take awhile — weeks — to digest this.”

Brooks Orpik’s goal 7:49 into the extra session was the series clincher. Orpik’s slapshot appeared to deflect off Brad Boyes before it sailed past Evgeni Nabokov (32 saves).

“I’m not even sure how that last one went in,” Matt Martin said.

As the Penguins mobbed each other along the half boards in celebration, the crowd of 16,170 who packed the old barn on Hempstead Turnpike began chanting “MVP!” toward Hart Trophy-finalist John Tavares and “Let’s Go Islanders.”

It was a final tribute to a team which defied expectations while giving their supporters a first taste of a tantalizing future.

“They’re going to be in the playoffs for a long time,” Sidney Crosby said.

Last night, in the do-or-die game, it was the Islanders who controlled the vast majority of play due to their hitting and speed. The eighth seed outhit the top-seeded Penguins 31-23, and forced 15 takeaways compared to Pittsburgh’s six.

By being able to implement the speed and physical elements of their game, the Islanders were able to generate offense. The Islanders had a 38-21 advantage in shots on goal, and had a 73-56 advantage in attempted shots.

“We showed we [can] play with anyone,” Martin said. “We’re excited about the future.”

Tavares opened the scoring with a snapshot goal 5:36 into the match. The marker ended the Islanders’ goalless streak of 143:18 against Tomas Vokoun dating back to March 22.

The lead lasted all of 123 seconds. Jarome Iginla tied the game 2:03 later by shoving the rebound of a Sidney Crosby shot past Nabokov.

Not being able to build upon a lead was a game- and series-long theme for the Islanders, who had leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 Saturday night, but were unable to extend the advantage.

“We just couldn’t get that second-goal lead,” Hamonic said.

Another aspect that felled the Islanders was an ineffective power play. The Islanders finished the series 2-for-20 on the man advantage, and were 0-for-3 in Game 6. All three power plays came in the second period.

“Pretty much all year they had a good [penalty kill],” Capuano said of the Penguins. “They were consistent. We had our chances. It’s not like we didn’t have chances tonight. We had [Matt] Moulson on the back door, just weren’t able to bury it.

“I thought our adjustments as we moved along helped us a little bit, but we talk about health, luck, goaltending and special teams in the playoffs. Their special teams were better than ours.”

Yet in the immediate aftermath, there was an unmistakable sense of pride and accomplishment emanating from the Islanders room. The franchise’s five-year long rebuilding process has begun to bear fruit, and there was already a collective eye looking toward the 2013-14 season and beyond.

“We took huge strides as an organization. Not many people gave us a chance to get where we got,” Capuano said. “Anybody that watched the games, saw the crowd and the atmosphere in the building, we got some respect around the league right now. We got good players. To attract some players, they want to play with good players. They should realize now we have a good young core of guys, some good veterans, and I’m sure it opened some eyes for people around the league that will be unrestricted.”

Follow NHL beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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BOSTON — It was an old-fashioned pitchers duel Saturday afternoon between Clay Buchholz and Mark Buehrle at Fenway Park with the Blue Jays eventually coming out on top 3-2.

Buchholz went eight innings allowing two runs on six hits, while walking three and striking out four. On the other side, Buehrle went seven-plus innings allowing one run on five hits and striking out five, but the game was decided by the bullpens as neither of the starters factored into the decision.

Junichi Tazawa came in for Buchholz and allowed a lead-off home run to Adam Lind in the ninth inning for the game-winning run. He’s now allowed three home runs in 15 1/3 innings this season. The Red Sox had the tying run at second base after a lead-off double from Will Middlebrooks, but Jays closer Casey Janssen retired the next three hitters in order to earn the save.

“Both guys settled in and pitched extremely well. Seemingly after the second inning Buehrle really settled into a pretty good rhythem and as we know he works extremely fast … Once again they settled in and threw the ball exceptionally well,” said manager John Farrell of the two starters. “The 2-2 pitch, the breaking ball, doesn’t get the back foot as it was supposed to to Lind for the solo home run. Then in the bottom half of the inning we had our chances with a lead-off double and [Casey] Janssen tied our left-handers up with some cutters.”

The Blue Jays scored their first run in the third inning on a Melky Cabera single and then scored again in the fourth on a single from Colby Rasmus. The Red Sox did not have a base runner from the third inning to the eighth as Buehrle retired 13 straight Red Sox at one point. Through the first three innings the Red Sox left five runners on base including going 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. The Red Sox eventually got to the Blue Jays in the eighth with Jacoby Ellsbury tripling to center field, scoring David Ross and then scoring on an error.

The teams will close out their weekend series tomorrow afternoon (1:35, NESN) where Ryan Dempster will take to the mound for the Red Sox and be opposed by Chad Jenkins as Brandon Morrow was scratched due to an injury.

What they’ll be saying: The recent Red Sox skid continues despite a solid start from Buchholz who hasn’t allowed a home run in his last seven starts, which equals the longest stretch of his career. He retired eight hitters in a row from the fifth to the eighth innings before a single to Jose Bautista. Although he didn’t factor into the decision this was the first game all year the Sox have lost a game in which he has started … The lack of offensive production is becoming an issue for the team as they’ve now lost seven of their last ten and in those ten games they’ve scored three runs or less seven times. The team went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position and are a combined 3-for-28 in their last two games.

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Thirteen Islanders made their playoff debuts in this series, including Josh Bailey, Travis Hamonic, Matt Martin, Andrew MacDonald (who will miss the next 6-to-8 weeks after undergoing surgery for a broken hand after being struck by a puck in Game 4), Matt Moulson, Frans Nielsen, Kyle Okposo and John Tavares.

“I think they’ve embraced it,” head coach Jack Capuano said after the Islanders’ morning skate at the Coliseum Saturday. “They’ve embraced it.

“We’re trying to win a Stanley Cup. It’s everybody’s goal at the start of the year to try to hoist the Cup. That’s our goal. We’re up [against] a good team. We know that. But if we play our game, we feel we have a chance.”

More praise for Tavares

Tavares’s strong regular season has earned the franchise bedrock critical praise.

The NHL announced Friday that Tavares, Pittsburgh center Sidney Crosby and Washington left wing Alex Ovechkin were the finalists for the Hart Trophy. The voting was done by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Should Tavares win the Hart, he would join Bryan Trottier in 1979 as the only Islanders to earn the award.

Tavares finished the truncated regular season with 28 goals, 19 assists and 47 points in 48 games. The 28 goals were third most in the NHL.

“I probably wouldn’t be standing up here [Saturday morning] talking to you guys [in the media] if we didn’t have the performance of John Tavares and the way he’s played for us,” Capuano said. “He’s a big reason why we’re here.”

Crosby, Ovechkin and Tampa Bay right wing Martin St. Louis were named as finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award on Thursday. The Ted Lindsay Award is awarded to the most outstanding player as voted on by other players. Both the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Awards will be presented during the Stanley Cup final.

“It’s a well-deserved honor for a guy who works that hard,” Capuano said.

Radio exposure

WFAN carried WHRU’s broadcast of Saturday night’s game, in a joint statement released by the all-sports radio station and the Islanders Friday.

“The New York Islanders are an incredible story this year,” WFAN and CBS Radio New York Vice President of Programming Mark Chernoff said in the statement. “Led by their Hart Trophy finalist John Tavares, this team has all of New York excited about the Stanley Cup Playoffs. We’re excited to team with the Islanders and Hofstra University, 88.7 WRHU, to broadcast such a crucial game.”

Saturday night marked the second time in as many games an all-sports station picked up WRHU’s broadcast of an Islanders playoff game. ESPN New York 98.7 carried WRHU’s broadcast of the 4-0 loss in Game 5.

Follow NHL beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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The Bruins never seem to make things easy on themselves, especially when it comes to the postseason. Remember, this is a team that won a Stanley Cup two years ago after winning three seven game series’ (25 games in total that year). Then last year they were bounced in the first round after seven one-goal games against the Capitals. Friday, they had a chance to eliminate the Maple Leafs, but they choked, losing 2-1 at TD Garden. Toronto cut the quarterfinal series to 3-2 and Game 6 is back at Air Canada Centre on Sunday night (7:30 p.m., NESN).

“We were expecting them to come out hard, they did and we didn’t match it,” admitted Bruins center Patrice Bergeron. “We have to make sure we’re ready next game, chances were there but we didn’t control the puck in critical situations at the blueline.”

Two turnovers by the Bruins in their own end were fatal, directly leading to both of Toronto’s goals. Tyler Bozak made it 1-0 with a shorthanded goal at 11:27 of the second period after Andrew Ference couldn’t keep the puck in at the blue line. Clarke MacArthur gave the Leafs a 2-0 lead 1:58 into the third period after Nathan Horton coughed it up. A two-goal deficit and the prospect of another game finally woke up the Bruins as well as the crowd. Zdeno Chara got the B’s on the board at 11:12 with a wrist shot from David Krejci and Dennis Seidenberg. The Bruins absolutely dominated in the third period (outshooting the Leafs 19-4) but they weren’t able to find the equalizer. Johnny Boychuk hit the crossbar and there were numerous other close calls for the B’s.

Few expected it to happen but Toronto goaltender James Reimer (43 saves) stole a playoff game for his team. Tuukka Rask (31 saves) was also solid and kept his team in the contest when they sleepwalked through the first period (outshot 19-8) but Boston’s lack of goal-scoring that was such an issue at the end of the regular season transferred over to Game 5. Boston had scored four goals in Game 1, five in Game 3 and four in Game 4 (all wins). This was their lowest output of the series, even worse than Game 2 (two goals). Boston even had a power play late the third period after a delay of game penalty on Toronto but it couldn’t convert despite sustained pressure in the Maple Leafs’ zone.

“That wasn’t close to what we needed,” said Bruins head coach Claude Julien. “Toronto played a strong (first) 40 minutes and deserved to win. In the first period, we didn’t give Tuukka much help. We got away from our game, we need more accountability and differencemakers on Bergeron’s line (Seguin and Marchand). Hopefully it doesn’t take the score in a game to make our team desperate. We take the blame for our own undoing.”

The Bruins won Games 3 and 4 in Toronto so they’ll need to get another road win to avoid a Game 7 back at the Garden on Monday.

Follow Metro Boston Bruins beat writer Richard Slate on Twitter @RichSlate

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There was no hesitation from Sheldon Richardson when asked where the Jets want him to line up this season.

Richardson, taken by the Jets at No. 13 over, was a standout defensive tackle for Missouri in their 4-3 scheme, earning All-SEC accolades during his final season with the Tigers. When he was drafted by the Jets, it was presumed he would play the 5 technique in their 3-4 defense. It especially held true when the news hit Quinton Coples would be moved to outside linebacker this offseason. But the Jets aren’t tied to Richardson playing at end.

In fact, ask Richardson where the Jets ideally want him to play and the answer was clear and concise.

“They want me at the 3 for sure,” Richardson said, referring to lining up inside on a guard as opposed to a tackle.

Richardson is an explosive athlete who showed well from the interior on Friday as the Jets opened their rookie minicamp. He had 75 tackles for the Tigers last season as he played inside, on the edge and even in a special package where he was a linebacker.

He’s also an enthusiastic player who clearly loves the game.

“One thing we saw was explosiveness, effort to the football,” head coach Rex Ryan said. “One thing you can tell is that the guy loves to play. You could have doubled that practice; he would have been fine.”

He has a unique skillset which made him one of the Top-4 players on the Jets’ draft board. But now they have to find a position for him.

He said he’s comfortable playing the 3 technique with the Jets, even if it is a different role than his responsibilities in college. In most 3-4 systems, the player in the middle tends to be a space eater who can stuff the run and occupy at least two blockers. The Jets have recently had success with the likes of Sione Pouha and Kris Jenkins in that role. Both players have significantly more bulk than the 6-foot-3, 294-pound Richardson. In many ways, Richardson looks more like an end.

The Jets might be looking at him another way.

“Right now, they’re just testing me out, seeing where I best play, best fit,” Richardson said. “They had me at the 3 technique. We’ll see, they want me to learn.”

Jets notes …

» The Jets signed four free agents on Thursday morning, inking tackle Oday Aboushi, fullback Tommy Bohanon, guard Will Campbell and guard Brian Winters. In addition, they signed 14 undrafted free agents including Boston College tight end Chris Pantale and former Rutgers wide receiver K.J. Stroud, who transferred to Bethune-Cookman.

» Ryan didn’t highlight too many players but he had praise for former Rutgers cornerback Mason Robinson, who is attempting to make the team as an undrafted free agent.

“The coaches at Rutgers said no one wanted to fight this guy,” Ryan said.

Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.

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As chaos reigned around him, Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist slammed his stick off the Rangers bench.

It was a moment that summed up a night — and maybe a season.

The Rangers are one game away from a premature and unsatisfying end to a season that began with Stanley Cup aspirations after Mike Ribeiro shoved a rebound goal past Lundqvist 9:24 into overtime to give the Capitals a 2-1 win in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals at the Verizon Center.

Washington leads the best-of-seven series, 3-2. Game 6 is set for 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Madison Square Garden due to the Leafs beating the Bruins, 2-1, in Game 5 of that Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series last night.

That the Rangers were in overtime was a testament to Lundqvist. The reigning Vezina winner stopped 33-of-35 shots in a game where the Southeast Division champs out-shot the Rangers, 81-67.

While the Capitals had the better play for the majority of the game, the Rangers actually led 1-0 53 seconds into the game when Brian Boyle tapped a Derick Brassard feed under Braden Holtby (24 saves).

But the Rangers could not capitalize on the advantage or four power plays. The Rangers went 0-for-4 in four man-advantage opportunities in the first two periods.

Then Washington began to surge. Alex Ovechkin, Karl Alzner and John Carlson all fired shots Lundqvist stopped in the final 17 seconds of the first period.

Washington’s barrage intensified over the second and third periods, as the Capitals outshot the Rangers, 19-9. The disparity in shots does not account for the disproportion in possession and zone time. The Capitals initiated the play and the Rangers spent 40 minutes absorbing body blows.

The Capitals tied the game 7:34 into the second period on Joel Ward power play goal. Exactly 11 seconds after Boyle was called for slashing Ribeiro, Ward culminated a game of tic-tac-toe with Marcus Johansson and Nicklas Backstrom with his 11th career playoff goal.

Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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Following the first day of rookie minicamp, Jets quarterback Geno Smith sounded humble and contrite, often hitting on how hard he has worked at getting ready for today. In other words, he sounded nothing like the player who drew negative storylines leading up to the NFL Draft.

Smith was the target of a Pro Football Weekly report just three weeks before the NFL Draft that claimed he was “not a student of the game” and “not committed or focused.” The report played a role in Smith dropping to the Jets in the second round. Reports after the draft claimed Smith interviewed poorly and tweeted during predraft meetings with teams. The fact that he fired his agent last week only exacerbated the perception that Smith lacks maturity.

But on Friday following his first time on the field for the Jets, Smith did his best to erase that perception.

“I don’t think anyone who has worked with me or known me in the past has had anything negative to say. From what I’ve seen coaches and teammates have all said great things about me,” Smith said. “But I’m not focused on that, I’m focused on what I have here with the Jets and proving myself to my teammates and coaches. Like I said, I am trying to improve myself daily.”

It was a rocky first day at work for Smith, who at first glance lacked the composure and finesse in the pocket one would hope to see from a top pick. His downfield accuracy struggled and he bopped around the pocket with a lack of comfort and vision. His short passing game was solid but it is clear Smith is a work in progress.

The transition could be steep for Smith, despite his gaudy numbers at West Virginia. Operating out of the Airraid offense, Smith was often in the shotgun and will have to adjust to being under center with the Jets.

“[I'll be under center] probably more than recently but it felt like a natural transition,” Smith said. “Obviously there’s some things I need to clean up and I’m going work on that with [quarterback] coach [David] Lee, [offensive coordinator Marty] Mornhinweg. It didn’t feel too odd to me so I think I did a pretty good job.”

With strong athletic ability and a good arm, Smith has the potential to be a solid quarterback for the Jets. His intermediate passes always were right at the numbers of his wide receivers and in college he showed good arm strength.

He earned praise from head coach Rex Ryan for his command of the huddle and Ryan said there were no red flags in the draft process that would back up the claims made about Smith.

“Maybe I don’t know what diva behavior looks like but he didn’t do it here,” Ryan said.

Smith for his part has been putting in an effort to try to distance himself from the negative criticism. He held a meeting with his offensive line last night to go over verbiage in the huddle and he’s spoken with the three other quarterbacks on the Jets roster. In short, he’s doing what he should be doing.

For someone who isn’t supposed to be a student of the game, Smith is doing his best to sound like one.

“I don’t think it was too foreign to me. First of all, I studied my butt off to get prepared for today,” Smith said. “Then there’s more work going into getting ready for tomorrow. It’s going to be a transition but that’s expected. But I’m going to work at it and work my best to get my best foot forward.”

Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.

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