Ducks’ Vermette facing lengthy ban for slashing linesman (Sports Betting News)

Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel and the country’s 16 state governors are set to meet Tuesday to decide on how to handle measures against the coronavirus pandemic amidst a discussion about whether people who have been fully vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 should have greater freedoms than those who aren’t vaccinated. While Germany has relatively low numbers of virus cases compared to other European countries, cases are rising again and authorities are fearing that especially young people who are not vaccinated yet may contract and spread the virus in the coming weeks and months. After a sluggish start of the vaccination campaign that only really gained traction from March onward, the rate of vaccination has dropped again in recent weeks, and officials worry they may not reach the target set by the country’s disease control agency, of immunizing at least 85% of people between ages 12 and 59 and 90% of those over 60.

The Tampa Bay Lightning raised their 2020 Stanley Cup banner in front of a few thousand fans on Saturday. The team intentionally waited for fans to attend.

The hockey description of playoff panic involves the grip on a hockey stick, and it’s a wonderful metaphor. Players paralyzed by postseason pressure are said to be gripping their sticks too tightly. Those who thrive inside that absurd vice of tension, on the other hand, are said to have a gentle, caressing touch. They hold their sticks like, I don’t know, like delicate wheels of Humboldt Fog, playing freely and joyfully without denting the cheese. “The majority of guys in the league squeeze it in the playoffs; you know, they get a little bit too tense,” Washington Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner once told me. “They still play good, but you don’t make those really nice plays, plays that are maybe