Trump defends the prospect of Qatar gifting him a plane to use as Air Force One

Trump defends the prospect of Qatar gifting him a plane to use as Air Force One

By ZEKE MILLER and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is ready to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a gift from the ruling family of Qatar during his trip to the Middle East this coming week, and U.S. officials say it could be converted into a potential presidential aircraft.

The Qatari government said a final decision hadn’t been made. Still, Trump defended the idea — what would amount to a president accepting an astonishingly valuable gift from a foreign government — as a fiscally smart move for the country.

“So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane,” Trump posted on his social media site on Sunday night. “Anybody can do that!”

ABC News reported that Trump will use the aircraft as his presidential plane until shortly before he leaves office in January 2029, when ownership will be transferred to the foundation overseeing his yet-to-be-built presidential library.

The gift was expected to be announced when Trump visits Qatar, according to ABC’s report, as part of a trip that also includes stops in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the first extended foreign travel of his second term.

Before Trump’s post trumpeting the idea, Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar’s media attaché, said in a statement that the “possible transfer of an aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One is currently under consideration between Qatar’s Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense.”

“But the matter remains under review by the respective legal departments, and no decision has been made,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, administration officials, anticipating ethics concerns, have prepared an analysis arguing that accepting the plane would be legal, according to ABC. The Constitution’s Emoluments Clause bars anyone holding government office from accepting any present, emolument, office or title from any “King, Prince, or foreign State,” without congressional consent.

One expert on government ethics, Kathleen Clark of the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, accused Trump of being “committed to exploiting the federal government’s power, not on behalf of policy goals, but for amassing personal wealth.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer poked fun at Trump’s “America first” political slogan.

“Nothing says ‘America First’ like Air Force One, brought to you by Qatar,” the New York Democrat said in a statement. “It’s not just bribery, it’s premium foreign influence with extra legroom.”

Even some conservatives expressed dismay online, noting that an aircraft being offered by a foreign government could present security risks if used by a U.S. president.

Air Force One is a modified Boeing 747. Two exist, and the president flies on both, which are more than 30 years old. Boeing Inc. has the contract to produce updated versions, but delivery has been delayed while the company has lost billions of dollars on the project.

Trump intends to convert the Qatari aircraft into a plane he can fly on as president, with the Air Force planning to add secure communications and other classified elements to it. But it will still have more limited capabilities than the existing planes that were built to serve as Air Force One, as well as two other aircraft currently under construction, according to a former U.S. official.

The official was briefed about the plane and spoke Sunday on the condition of anonymity to discuss plans that have not yet been made public.

The existing planes used as Air Force One are heavily modified with survivability capabilities for the president for a range of contingencies, including radiation shielding and antimissile technology. They also include a variety of communications systems to allow the president to remain in contact with the military and issue orders from anywhere in the world.

The official told The Associated Press that it would be possible to quickly add some countermeasures and communications systems to the Qatari plane, but that it would be less capable than the existing Air Force One aircraft or long-delayed replacements.

Neither the Qatari plane nor the upcoming VC-25B aircraft will have the air-to-air refueling capabilities of the current VC-25A aircraft, which is the one the president currently flies on, the official said.

Jordan Libowitz, communications director for the advocacy group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, called such a gift “unprecedented.”

“The totality of gifts given to a president over their term doesn’t get close to this level,” Libowitz said, adding, “You have to ask, if he makes foreign policy — especially in regards to the Middle East — how much is he being influenced by his gifts and his business deals.”

ABC said the new plane is similar to a 13-year-old Boeing aircraft Trump toured in February, while it was parked at Palm Beach International Airport and he was spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago club.

Trump faced lawsuits for violating the Emoluments Clause during his first term, but those were ended by the Supreme Court in 2021, which found the cases moot because the Republican had left office.

Trump’s family business, the Trump Organization, which is now largely run by his sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, has vast and growing interests in the Middle East. That includes a new deal to build a luxury golf resort in Qatar, partnering with Qatari Diar, a real estate company backed by that country’s sovereign wealth fund.

Qatar, which is ruled by the Al Thani family, is home to the state-owned airline Qatar Airways. The country also has worked to have a close relationship to Trump after he apparently backed a boycott of Doha by four Arab nations in his first term. Trump later in his term applauded Qatar.

Administration officials have brushed off concerns about the president’s policy interests blurring with family’s business profits. They note that Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children and that a voluntary ethics agreement released by the Trump Organization in January bars the company from striking deals directly with foreign governments.

But that same agreement allows deals with private companies abroad. That is a departure from Trump’s first term, when the organization released an ethics pact prohibiting both foreign government and foreign company deals.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, when asked Friday if the president might meet with people who have ties to his family’s business, said it was “ridiculous” to suggest Trump “is doing anything for his own benefit.”

___

Associated Press writer Christine Fernando in Chicago and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.

Hurricanes’ Andersen, Oilers’ Skinner enter Monday’s playoff Game 4s on far different trajectories

Hurricanes’ Andersen, Oilers’ Skinner enter Monday’s playoff Game 4s on far different trajectories

By AARON BEARD AP Sports Writer

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Frederik Andersen has been playing so well in net for the Carolina Hurricanes that coach Rod Brind’Amour is staying with his hands-off approach when it comes to goaltenders.

Things have been trickier for the Edmonton Oilers and Stuart Skinner.

Andersen is coming off his first postseason shutout with Carolina in Game 3 of the second-round series with the Washington Capitals. Skinner, meanwhile, was pulled after a rough start to the playoffs and then returned to allow four goals — including the winner on an own goal by Leon Draisaitl with less than a second left — in a Game 3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. Their series resume Monday, with the Hurricanes and Oilers each holding 2-1 leads.

The 35-year-old Andersen has been strong since taking over the lead role in the playoffs, going 5-2 while posting a 1.32 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage — with the latter two numbers standing as the best among goaltenders playing multiple games in this postseason.

Saturday night’s 4-0 win came with Andersen having to stand up to early quality chances for the Capitals, notably a 1-on-1 chance for Tom Wilson just 30 seconds in and a clean look from the slot for Taylor Raddysh just 2 minutes later. It also included stopping three first-period shots from Alex Ovechkin, who passed Wayne Gretzky this year for the NHL’s all-time goals record.

“I don’t get to choose who shoots,” Andersen said. “I’ve just got to try to see what comes my way and do my best to stop it.”

Andersen has allowed more than one goal in just two of his seven appearances, though one ended early on a hit from New Jersey’s Timo Meier in the crease knocked him out for the rest of the rest of Game 4 and the Game 5 clincher.

Otherwise, Andersen is making decisions easy for Brind’Amour and goaltender coach Paul Schonfelder.

“I don’t get involved into much of that,” Brind’Amour said Sunday. “”We got guys that take care of that. Paul does a great job with the goalies, he kind of tells me how that’s going. … I just ask (Andersen) how he’s doing and that’s about it. As long as he feels good, he’s going to be in there.”

The 26-year-old Skinner, by comparison, is 0-3 and ranks last among postseason goalies with more than one appearance with a 5.36 GAA and .817 save percentage. The regular-season lead goalie gave up 11 goals through the first two games of the first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings before the Oilers switched to Calvin Pickard.

But Pickard was strong in the Game 2 win against Vegas, but appeared uncomfortable in the third and was seen shaking out his left leg. That opened the door for Skinner, who allowed four goals on 24 shots on Saturday — though the last came after he had sprawled out to stop Reilly Smith only to see the puck get behind him and deflect off Draisaitl’s stick for the shocking score.

Coach Kris Knoblauch said Sunday that Pickard won’t play Game 4 and remains day-to-day.

“I think Stuart’s made some really big saves, especially in the third period, made a really good one, made some other ones early in the game on the penalty kill,” Knoblauch said. “I think, like Game 1 and 2 when he played early in the LA series, we just need to be better in front of him.”

Washington Capitals at Carolina Hurricanes

When/where to watch: Game 4, Monday, 7 p.m. EDT (TNT, TruTV)

Series: Hurricanes lead 2-1.

Ovechkin had 44 regular-season goals then four more in the five-game win against Montreal in Round 1, but he’s yet to crack the score sheet in Round 2. He averaged 3.8 shots on goal against the Canadiens, but has just eight through three games against the Hurricanes (2.7 average).

Coach Spencer Carbery pointed Sunday to the challenge for Ovechkin and top-line center Dylan Strome against a defense that makes it difficult to create off entries into the offensive zone.

“They just have to continue to work,” Carbery said. “It’s not going to be perfect every night. I thought they did some good things last night. In these series, in these games, you have one game where you make a difference offensively and it could be the difference in this series.”

Vegas Golden Knights at Edmonton Oilers

When/where to watch: Game 4, Monday, 9:30 p.m. EDT (TNT, TruTV)

Series: Oilers lead 2-1.

Vegas had lost home games to start this series despite jumping to first-period leads, then found itself down 2-0 by midway through the first period of Game 3. Then forward Mark Stone went down with an upper-body injury.

The Golden Knights recovered to earn their first win, but Stone’s status is uncertain for Game 4. Coach Bruce Cassidy said after the win that Stone was day to day, then offered no change to reporters Sunday.

Stone has four goals and four assists in nine playoff games.

Creamy Beef Vol au Vents

Creamy Beef Vol au Vents

Creamy Beef Vol au Vents

Photo Courtesy of BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com

Creamy Beef Vol au Vents Recipe from Beef It’s What’s For Dinner

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Serving size: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Beef Tenderloin, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 package (10 ounce) frozen unbaked puff pastry shells
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 package (8 ounce) sliced mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions

  1. Bake puff pastry shells according to package directions.
  2. In large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add beef; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until an internal temperature of 145°F for medium rare as measured by a meat thermometer. Remove beef from skillet; set aside.
  3. Add mushrooms, onion, garlic, tarragon and thyme to same skillet and heat over medium heat until hot. Cook 4 to 5 minutes until tender and all liquid is evaporated, stirring often. Return beef to skillet; stir in heavy cream, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.
  4. Press shell centers down. Evenly divide beef mixture and spoon into center of shells. Sprinkle with parsley.
Book signing and historic pottery exhibit coming to Johnston County

Book signing and historic pottery exhibit coming to Johnston County

RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – A unique piece of North Carolina history will be on display this month at the Johnston County Heritage Center and Museum. On Saturday, May 17, the museum will host a special one-day exhibition and book signing event focused on Smithfield Art Pottery, produced locally between 1927 and 1942.

The exhibition will feature select works from the personal collection of Raleigh-based historian and collector Stephen Compton. His display will highlight the work of Herman Cole, a regional potter whose artistry left a mark on Carolina craftsmanship.

“Herman Cole was part of a long line of famous potters and back in the 1920s he found out about some really nice clay between Smithfield and Four Oaks near the Neuse River,” Director Todd Johnson told the WPTF Afternoon News.

Building on his background in traditional pottery, Cole entered into a partnership to help expand his operations and bring his work to a wider audience.

“He partnered with a lady named Anna Graham from New York. She was kind of the business mind and also an artist. She helped design a lot of the pottery pieces and helped sort of formulate the business plan,” said Johnson.

Located near what is now Highway 301, the original pottery site became a popular stop for travelers heading between New York and Florida.

“[The] 301, back then it was the main traffic artery between New York and Miami, so people who wintered in Florida or people who were heading North would stop in at this roadside pottery and buy these beautiful pieces,” said Johnson.

During its peak, the operation shipped out as many as 2,000 pieces of pottery each week—a remarkable feat during the economic hardships of the Great Depression.

Johnson noted that visitors to the May 17 event will have the opportunity to see rare items on loan for the day, alongside pieces in the museum’s permanent collection.

“They’ll be able to see Steve Compton’s collection just for the day, the other pieces I was talking about we do have in our permanent collection. I’ll put in a plug for another exhibit that we have, we also have the traveling exhibit on Carolina BBQ, so you can learn about pottery and BBQ history,” said Johnson.

The event will take place near the banks of the Neuse River on Highway 301. Compton will also be signing copies of his book, North Carolina’s Hillside Pottery and Smithfield Art Pottery: The Pottery With Two Names, which is available for purchase in the museum’s gift shop. Visit http://www.jcheritagecenter.org/ to learn more.

An Alaska Mother’s Day tradition: Mingling with ice age survivors on a farm

An Alaska Mother’s Day tradition: Mingling with ice age survivors on a farm

By MARK THIESSEN Associated Press

PALMER, Alaska (AP) — It is one of Alaska’s favorite Mother’s Day traditions, getting up close and personal with animals that have survived the ice age.

All moms get a daisy and free admission Sunday at the Musk Ox Farm in Palmer, about an hour’s drive north of Anchorage. Once inside they will have the chance to view 75 members of the musk ox herd, including three young calves just getting their feet under them. Also a draw is an old bull named Trebek, named after the late “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek, a benefactor of the facility.

“Who doesn’t want to celebrate Mother’s Day with a musk ox mom and the most adorable calf you’re ever going to find in your life?” said Mark Austin, the farm’s executive director.

Mother’s Day is the traditional start of the summer season for the Musk Ox Farm in Palmer, about an hour’s drive north of Anchorage. All moms get a flower, free admission and the chance to get up close with musk oxen: hefty Ice Age survivors whose ancestors once roamed the Earth with saber-toothed tigers and mastodons. (AP video by Mark Thiessen)

Mother’s Day is the traditional start of the summer season for the farm, which traces its roots back to 1964 and at several locations before moving in 1986 to Palmer.

That move put it on Alaska’s limited road system, provided easier access to grazing land than in tundra communities and it to incorporate educational opportunities at the farm facility, which is dwarfed by the the Talkeetna and Chugach mountain ranges.

“When we opened the doors here, we started doing Mother’s Day as a grand opening every year,” Austin said.

He called it a natural decision, celebrating mothers with cute, newborn baby musk oxen on the grounds. So far this year, three baby musk oxen have been born and are on display, and more could be on the way.

Mother’s Day is the busiest day of the year, attracting more than 1,500 visitors. It is a tradition that now stretches over three generations.

“It’s a huge, just kind of rite of passage for a lot of people,” Austin said. “If we ever talked about not doing it, there’d be a riot.”

Musk oxen are ice age survivors.

“They were running around with saber-toothed tigers and mastodons, and they’re the ones that lived,” Austin said. The herd members all have diverse personalities, he added, and they are crafty, smart and inquisitive.

Their closest relatives to animals of today would be Arctic goats. Mature musk ox bulls can stand 5 feet (about 1.5 meters) tall and weigh as much as 800 pounds (about 360 kilograms), while female cows are smaller at about 4 feet (about 1.2 meters) and up to 500 pounds (about 230 kilograms), according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s website.

They are stocky, long-haired animals with a slight hump in their shoulder, a short tail and horns, the website says. The Inupiat call musk ox “itomingmak,” which means “the animal with skin like a beard,” for its long hair hanging nearly to the ground.

The mammals once roamed across northern Europe, Asia, Greenland and North America before they began to die off. By the 1920s the last remaining ones were in Greenland and Canada.

Efforts to reintroduce the musk ox to Alaska started in 1934, when 34 were delivered to Fairbanks from Greenland. Since then, the wild population has grown to about 5,000, located throughout the nation’s largest state, Austin said.

The nonprofit farm welcomes donations from visitors on Sunday. Some people will make a beeline for the baby musk oxen, while others will throw a $100 bill on the counter first.

“We do like to see the donation, but we truly offer this as an event to the community, as a thank you,” Austin said. “It really gives us a chance to give something back.”

Svechnikov, Andersen lead Hurricanes past Capitals 4-0 in Game 3 of 2nd-round playoff series

Svechnikov, Andersen lead Hurricanes past Capitals 4-0 in Game 3 of 2nd-round playoff series

By AARON BEARD AP Sports Writer

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Andrei Svechnikov pounced on a loose faceoff puck for his sixth postseason goal while Frederik Andersen had 21 saves as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 4-0 on Saturday night for a 2-1 lead in their second-round playoff series.

Svechnikov sprang into the circle to beat John Carlson to the puck and beat Logan Thompson at 12:34 of the second for the game’s first goal in what turned out to be the start of Carolina’s game-seizing surge.

Jack Roslovic added a power-play goal late in the second period for the Hurricanes, while Eric Robinson charged up the left side to beat Thompson early in the third to make it 3-0.

Jackson Blake added a clinching power-play finish near the post late as the Hurricanes improved to 4-0 at home in the playoffs.

The Hurricanes dominated play in the series opener but needed Jaccob Slavin’s overtime goal to push through on the road. The Capitals did a better job of countering in Game 2 and tied the series behind a strong two-way effort from Tom Wilson.

The Capitals seemingly had reversed the script on Carolina with a strong start, which included Andersen having to stand up to an immediate skating-in chance by Wilson and an early shot from Taylor Raddysh while the Hurricanes struggled to get on their aggressive game.

And Andersen was strong throughout — carrying the load until the Hurricanes finally asserted control once Svechnikov broke the scoreless tie. In fact, Washington managed just one shot through 14 critical minutes of the second, spanning Svechnikov’s score and before to Roslovic’s man-advantage finish.

Thompson finished with 24 saves for Washington, while the Capitals managed just 10 shots in the final 39+ minutes.

Game 4 in the best-of-seven series is Monday night in Raleigh.

Pesto Steak & Arugula Pizza

Pesto Steak & Arugula Pizza

Pesto Steak & Arugula Pizza

Photo Courtesy of BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com

Pesto Steak & Arugula Pizza Recipe from Beef It’s What’s For Dinner

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serving size: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 beef Top Sirloin Steak boneless, cut 1 inch thick (1 pound)
  • 2 tablespoons basil pesto
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 refrigerated whole grain, whole wheat or regular pizza dough (about 1 pound)
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 1 cup yellow and/or red cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
  • 1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded Italian blend cheese
  • Salt
  • 1 cup arugula or baby spinach leaves
  • 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

Directions

  1. Combine pesto and lemon juice in small bowl. Evenly brush beef steak with 1 tablespoon pesto mixture.
  2. Place steaks on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, covered, 11 to 15 minutes (over medium heat on preheated gas grill, 13 to 16 minutes) for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning occasionally.
  3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425°F. Spray 10 x 15-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Place dough on baking sheet and pat dough to edges of baking sheet. Spread dough with remaining 3 tablespoons pesto mixture. Top with tomatoes and cheese. Bake in 425°F oven, 15 to 18 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
  4. Carve steak into slices; season with salt, if desired. Top pizza evenly with arugula and steak slices; sprinkle with red pepper, as desired.
Brisket Deviled Eggs

Brisket Deviled Eggs

Brisket Deviled Eggs

Photo Courtesy of BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com

Brisket Deviled Eggs Recipe from Beef It’s What’s For Dinner

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: N/A

Serving size: 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup cooked Smoked Beef Brisket, chopped, divided
  • 6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved
  • 1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Directions

  1. Prepare 2 tablespoons brisket; set aside. 
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine egg yolks, mayonnaise, mustard, water and garlic salt until smooth. Stir in remaining brisket and jalapeno.
  3. Divide mixture evenly and spoon into egg whites. Top with brisket and sprinkle with paprika. Refrigerate, covered, until serving. (Mix it up! Use pickled red onion or pickle relish as a colorful garnish.)
Hurricanes return home for Game 3 matchup with Capitals after splitting two road games

Hurricanes return home for Game 3 matchup with Capitals after splitting two road games

By AARON BEARD AP Sports Writer

MORRISVILLE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes dominated play for one road game then spent significant stretches of the next controlling the flow of action. It was a two-game start good enough to take home-ice advantage away from the Washington Capitals in their second-round playoff series.

“I’ve liked how we’ve played,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said Friday.

Now the Hurricanes are set to host the Capitals for Game 3 on Saturday, the winner taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series. That’s one of two Game 3s in the NHL on the schedule, the other being Edmonton returning home with a chance to take a 3-0 series lead on Vegas.

Carolina won 2-1 in overtime to open the Eastern Conference series, though it took the Hurricanes well into the third period to beat Logan Thompson for the first time on a night when they otherwise dominated play. The Hurricanes kept firing shots and using the forecheck to aggressively keep the pressure on in the offensive zone, finishing with a 33-14 edge in shots on goal, as well as scoring chances (40-20) and high-danger chances (19-13) according to Natural Stat Trick.

The Capitals responded with a 3-1 win in Thursday’s Game 2 and did a better job of countering the Hurricanes’ steady pressure, led by the two-way presence of Tom Wilson.

“I have a lot of belief in our group and I feel like Game 1 to Game 2 and significant parts of Game 2, you can see us getting to the level that we’re going to need to play at,” Washington coach Spencer Carbery said, “and it’s going to even get a little bit more difficult going on the road.”

Now the series shifts to Raleigh, where the Hurricanes won all three of their games in the first-round win against New Jersey. Carolina will have the backing of a raucous home crowd and the benefit of last change when it comes to sending out lineups after the whistle to hunt for the best matchup.

“Matchups play a role, a significant role in the series, and it’s our job to navigate it and whether we get the last change or not and the things that I can do to manipulate some of the matchups,” Carbery said.

For the Hurricanes, the goal is to convert more of those steady streams of shots into scores. Carolina ranked second in the league during the regular season by averaging 31.68 shots compared to Washington ranking 22nd at 27.62. After getting that big edge in Game 1, it was much tighter (28-21) for Carolina in Game 2, though the Hurricanes turned up the pressure with a 17-7 edge in third-period shots.

Despite all of that, the Hurricanes have the same number of 5-on-5 goals as the Capitals so far (two).

“Obviously last night I think we could’ve been a little better,” said Carolina defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, who had the Hurricanes lone Game 2 goal on the power play. “Credit to them, they played a better game for sure. I think for us it’s just getting back to it. We know what type of game we play, everyone does, and we’re just going to keep doing it.”

Vegas Golden Knights at Edmonton Oilers

When/Where to Watch: Game 3, Saturday, 9 p.m. EDT (TNT, truTV)

Series: Oilers lead 2-0.

Edmonton’s Calvin Pickard has been a journeyman goalie and Adin Hill — though not considered a Vezina Trophy-type of goaltender — helped lead the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup two years ago.

But through two games, Pickard has had the upper hand.

He was especially critical in Thursday night’s 5-4 overtime victory that put the Oilers two wins from advancing go the Western Conference final.

“It’s not too often after a game where a goalie lets in four goals that you’re raving about how well he played,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “He stole one for us. If you’re going to have a long run in the playoffs, you’re going to need games once in a while from your goalie to play like that and steal one.”

Pickard was instrumental in helping the Oilers come back from 2-0 down to Los Angeles in the first round and win four consecutive games.

Hill’s postseason has been more uneven.

He began slowly in the first-round series against Minnesota and finished strong. The Golden Knights will need him to again after he gave two soft goals in a three-goal second period in Game 2.

“There’s positions and areas of the game you’ve got to outplay them,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “He’s going to have to do that at some point.”

___

AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno in Washington and AP Sports Writer Mark Anderson in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

Hurricanes return home for Game 3 matchup with Capitals after splitting two road games

Hurricanes return home for Game 3 matchup with Capitals after splitting two road games

By AARON BEARD AP Sports Writer

MORRISVILLE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes dominated play for one road game then spent significant stretches of the next controlling the flow of action. It was a two-game start good enough to take home-ice advantage away from the Washington Capitals in their second-round playoff series.

“I’ve liked how we’ve played,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said Friday.

Now the Hurricanes are set to host the Capitals for Game 3 on Saturday, the winner taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series. That’s one of two Game 3s in the NHL on the schedule, the other being Edmonton returning home with a chance to take a 3-0 series lead on Vegas.

Carolina won 2-1 in overtime to open the Eastern Conference series, though it took the Hurricanes well into the third period to beat Logan Thompson for the first time on a night when they otherwise dominated play. The Hurricanes kept firing shots and using the forecheck to aggressively keep the pressure on in the offensive zone, finishing with a 33-14 edge in shots on goal, as well as scoring chances (40-20) and high-danger chances (19-13) according to Natural Stat Trick.

The Capitals responded with a 3-1 win in Thursday’s Game 2 and did a better job of countering the Hurricanes’ steady pressure, led by the two-way presence of Tom Wilson.

“I have a lot of belief in our group and I feel like Game 1 to Game 2 and significant parts of Game 2, you can see us getting to the level that we’re going to need to play at,” Washington coach Spencer Carbery said, “and it’s going to even get a little bit more difficult going on the road.”

Now the series shifts to Raleigh, where the Hurricanes won all three of their games in the first-round win against New Jersey. Carolina will have the backing of a raucous home crowd and the benefit of last change when it comes to sending out lineups after the whistle to hunt for the best matchup.

“Matchups play a role, a significant role in the series, and it’s our job to navigate it and whether we get the last change or not and the things that I can do to manipulate some of the matchups,” Carbery said.

For the Hurricanes, the goal is to convert more of those steady streams of shots into scores. Carolina ranked second in the league during the regular season by averaging 31.68 shots compared to Washington ranking 22nd at 27.62. After getting that big edge in Game 1, it was much tighter (28-21) for Carolina in Game 2, though the Hurricanes turned up the pressure with a 17-7 edge in third-period shots.

Despite all of that, the Hurricanes have the same number of 5-on-5 goals as the Capitals so far (two).

“Obviously last night I think we could’ve been a little better,” said Carolina defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, who had the Hurricanes lone Game 2 goal on the power play. “Credit to them, they played a better game for sure. I think for us it’s just getting back to it. We know what type of game we play, everyone does, and we’re just going to keep doing it.”

Vegas Golden Knights at Edmonton Oilers

When/Where to Watch: Game 3, Saturday, 9 p.m. EDT (TNT, truTV)

Series: Oilers lead 2-0.

Edmonton’s Calvin Pickard has been a journeyman goalie and Adin Hill — though not considered a Vezina Trophy-type of goaltender — helped lead the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup two years ago.

But through two games, Pickard has had the upper hand.

He was especially critical in Thursday night’s 5-4 overtime victory that put the Oilers two wins from advancing go the Western Conference final.

“It’s not too often after a game where a goalie lets in four goals that you’re raving about how well he played,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “He stole one for us. If you’re going to have a long run in the playoffs, you’re going to need games once in a while from your goalie to play like that and steal one.”

Pickard was instrumental in helping the Oilers come back from 2-0 down to Los Angeles in the first round and win four consecutive games.

Hill’s postseason has been more uneven.

He began slowly in the first-round series against Minnesota and finished strong. The Golden Knights will need him to again after he gave two soft goals in a three-goal second period in Game 2.

“There’s positions and areas of the game you’ve got to outplay them,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “He’s going to have to do that at some point.”

___

AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno in Washington and AP Sports Writer Mark Anderson in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

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