FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Panthers have canceled plans to receive their Stanley Cup championship rings at a public event Monday night, doing so out of concerns about Hurricane Milton as it bears down on the state.
Fans had been invited to attend the event for a $20 donation that would have benefited the team's foundation, the United Negro College Fund and the United Way. Players will now receive their rings in a private ceremony on Monday, the team said.
For now, the Panthers’ opening regular-season game — and Stanley Cup banner unveiling — against the Boston Bruins is scheduled to go on as planned on Tuesday night in Sunrise.
“As this event would take resources from first responders and service providers, we have made the tough decision to cancel our Champions Ring Ceremony out of an abundance of caution for the safety of all involved," Panthers President and CEO Matthew Caldwell said Sunday night. “We will instead distribute our championship rings privately.”
Milton intensified Sunday and forecasters expect it will become a major hurricane, one that could approach the Tampa Bay area on the state's Gulf coast by Wednesday. Much of that side of the state is still dealing with the aftereffects of Hurricane Helene, and Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 51 counties in Florida — including Broward, where the Panthers play, along with neighboring Miami-Dade to the south and Palm Beach to the north.
DeSantis said the state is bracing for “a major disaster” in some areas.
The Panthers said they will remain in contact with state and local authorities while going ahead with plans to open the season on Tuesday.
“We are closely monitoring the situation,” Caldwell said, adding that the team “will continue preparing our arena and surrounding areas to safely welcome guests” for the opener.
The Tampa Bay Lightning's preseason schedule ended earlier than expected, with the team canceling its home exhibition finale against the Nashville Predators because of ongoing preparations in the region for Milton's arrival.
It was the second time this Lightning-Predators game was called off. The teams were scheduled to play Sept. 27, only to have that moved to Monday because of the effects of Helene.
This time, it will not be rescheduled. Tampa Bay opens its regular season Friday at Carolina.
AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
Florida Panthers center Jesper Boqvist (70) celebrates his game winning goal during overtime at a preseason NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
Florida Panthers goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky makes a save during the third period of a preseason NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings in Quebec City, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press via AP)
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Just when the Los Angeles Rams seemed to address their problems with scoring touchdowns in the red zone, the offense found another issue to hamper them.
Turnovers. Way too many of them.
And they proved to be the difference in a 24-19 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
“You know, I think we’ve moved the ball nice between the 20's,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “We just haven’t scored enough points. And it’s the name of the game in this league, you know. Got to score points, got to take care of the football.
"I think we can be better in both those areas.”
The Rams (1-4) lost a fumble and threw an interception in Packers territory on consecutive possessions in the third quarter. Green Bay (3-2) turned both takeaways into touchdowns and then was able to hold off a fourth-quarter push to send Los Angeles to its worst start through five games since 2014, which is also Sean McVay’s worst mark in his eight seasons as coach.
Running back Kyren Williams had the ball knocked out at the Packers 23 and safety Xavier McKinney recovered it. Two plays later, Tucker Kraft had a 66-yard catch-and-run touchdown that put Green Bay up 17-13.
The Rams put together an effective response, only for Stafford to loft the ball into double coverage on third down. McKinney came up with the pick and the Packers delivered another drive capped by Jordan Love's touchdown pass to Kraft to make it an 11-point lead.
Los Angeles had two lost fumbles and two interceptions through its first four games. Its lone win against San Francisco in Week 3 came when the offense did not give the ball away.
“Sometimes you can overcome that, but the majority of the time, you’re not able to,” McVay said.
Previous single-digit defeats had been defined by the Rams’ struggles scoring touchdowns inside the 20, going 7 for 17 (41.2%) through four games. Settling for field goals was the difference in an overtime loss at Detroit in the season opener and a six-point loss at Chicago last week.
The Rams were 2 for 3 in the red zone against the Packers, with Stafford crediting more consistency from the running game to set up Williams’ 1-yard scoring rush in the second quarter and his 1-yard touchdown pass to Demarcus Robinson with 3:30 remaining to pull within five points.
But Los Angeles didn’t convert from the Packers 4 in the first quarter, with two of Stafford's passes for tight end Colby Parkinson falling incomplete on third and fourth down.
“It’s frustrating to have those opportunities slip away, and points matter,” Stafford said. “They’re at a premium in this league. So just try to work and be as precise as we can.”
The empty possession, along with a missed extra point by rookie Joshua Karty and wide receiver Tutu Atwell’s unsuccessful jet sweep on a 2-point try in the fourth quarter, were mistakes that compounded the Rams’ turnover issues.
Even with those gaffes, the Rams still had a chance to win it on their final possession. Stafford drove them to the Packers 38, but he was pressured into a quick throw on fourth down just ahead of Parkinson on a slant to end the comeback bid with 1:02 to go.
The Rams fought out of similar struggles last season, rallying back from a 3-6 start to make the playoffs. It will take that kind of effort to do the same this year, and McVay said it must start with the discipline to avoid giving away opportunities.
“Before you can start winning games, you have to start learning how not to beat yourself,” he said. “But I am proud of the fight of this group. This one, this one is a tough one, but we’ll respond, we’ll look at ourselves, and we’ll figure out how to be better and continue to do a better job coaching.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Green Bay Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (56) sacks Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Green Bay Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon (25) breaks up a pass against Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Demarcus Robinson (15) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay attends a news conference after the team's NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Green Bay Packers safety Evan Williams (33) forces an incompletion against Los Angeles Rams tight end Colby Parkinson (86) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
