Hot Button: Last-second goal puts Lightning up two games ... Burrow on Mayfield: 'He balled against us' ... Ravens all-time games leader Koch retires, staying as advisor

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Hot Button is a 'round-the-clock feature that covers anything across the scope of sports. We're here to bring you everything hot: News items, highlights, takes — everything but hot meals — whether local, national or international. Better yet, it’s interactive. Share your thoughts in comments, and even post your own links to interesting, safe-for-work sports stories.

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LATE-GAME MISTAKE PUTS
PANTHERS DOWN TWO GAMES

Thursday, May 19: Ross Colton buried a slick feed from Nikita Kucherov with four seconds remaining in regulation to beat the Panthers 2-1 and take a two games to none lead in "The Battle of Florida," with the semifinal series moving to Tampa Bay for the next two games.

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 35 saves, frustrating Florida throughout. 

The Panthers are having a tough time breaking the President's Trophy curse. First, they needed six games to dispatch the pesky Capitals, now they're down two to the two-time defending champs.

My take: Wow. Kucherov sucked both D-men behind the net and that left Colton wide open. Great pass and finish, but poor play allowed it to happen. Bobrovsky — who was good in this game — beating Vasilevskiy in four of the next five games? Uhh ... nope. Assuming health, the Bolts are returning to the conference finals for the third straight year and fourth time in the last five seasons. — Bob

BURROW PRAISES MAYFIELD 
IN PODCAST INTERVIEW

Thursday, May 19: Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has proven he isn't afraid of anything on the field and now he's proven he's willing to tackle tough off-the-field questions. Asked directly on "The Full Send Podcast" what he thought about Baker Mayfield's situation in Cleveland, Burrow minced no words praising his division rival.

"... tough situation ... he was hurt all last year. Every time we play him, he balls." Burrow went on to point out he's never beaten the Browns in his two seasons, adding Mayfield has had impressive stats in each of the two games they've faced each other, once throwing five touchdowns with a game-winning two-minute drive. 

Asked about the Deshaun Watson trade, Burrow seemed to support the Browns decision to get him because "he's such great player" but added Mayfield "will land on his feet, he's a really good player."

My take: I'm sure he didn't mean it that way — or maybe he did — but calling Watson "great" and Mayfield "really good" about sums it up. Mayfield is not a franchise guy, but you can win with him, while Watson is elite player. Seems he has a deep respect for Mayfield, but Burrow knows what he's talking about. He may be the best quarterback in the division, including Watson. — Bob

PUNTER KOCH STAYING WITH RAVENS
AFTER ENDING PLAYING CAREER

Thursday, May 19: Ravens punter Sam Koch is retiring after 16 national Football League seasons, all with Baltimore. The one-time Pro Bowl player ends his playing career with the most games played in franchise history with 256, having missed only one game in his career.

The 39-year-old Nebraska alumnus was a sixth-round draft pick in 2006, and now gives way to a new draft pick, Penn State's Jordan Stout, who the Ravens took with the last of their picks in the fourth-round.

Stout will get the benefit of Koch's experience, with Koch agreeing to stay on as a kicking-game consultant for the franchise.

My take: It's unusual for a punter to have that long of a career, particularly with one team. Best to him in his future endeavors. Stout is lucky to have him as a coach. — Bob

FLAMES WIN OLD-FASHIONED
SHOOTOUT WITH RIVAL OILERS

Thursday, May 19: The first conflict in the Battle of Alberta was a retro shootout, with the Flames blowing a four-goal lead before finally winning 9-6, in a game right out of the 1980s, which included a scrum after the final horn.

After Kaiser Yamamoto tied in for Edmonton at 6-6 early in the third period, eliminating Calgary's 6-2 lead built in into the second period, the Flames went up for good on a top-shelf snipe by defenseman Rasmus Andersson and Matthew Tkachuk then scored an unassisted goal of a neutral zone turnover, then an empty-netter to complete a hat rick and secure the victory.

The Oilers scored six times on only 28 shots — Connor McDavid had  goal and three assists — displaying their quick-strike offense, but ultimately could not outlast the consistent Flames, who scored three goals in each period, chased Oilers starting goalie Mike Smith, and peppered Smith and backup Mikko Koskinen with 48 shots on goal.

• Former Penguins defenseman Ian Cole scored the game-winner in overtime to give the Hurricanes a 2-1 win over the Rangers in Game 1 of their conference semifinal series. Cole's shot deflected off Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren's stick and past Igor Shesterkin. Canes forward Sebastian Aho tied the game at 1-1 with 2:38 left in regulation.

My take: Two entertaining games in very different ways. Canes-Rangers was a classic Eastern Conference, tight-checking affair with great goaltending, while Flames-Oilers ws just plain ol' fun, with skilled goals coming quick with end-to-end action. Without a rooting interest, I'll take the latter anyway. Everyone but the goalies is excited for Game 2. — Bob

U.S. MEN'S/WOMEN'S SOCCER 
TO SHARE REVENUES EQUALLY

Wednesday, May 18: The United States Score Federation and the unions for the men's and women's national teams secured new collective bargaining agreements through 2028 which guarantee an equal split between the teams of bonuses paid in CONCACAF play, World Cup play and international friendlies. The men receive nearly seven times the bonus pool the women do from FIFA for World Cup tournaments. All bonus pools will now be combined and distributed equally to players on each team. Players will get equal bonuses for caps, and a sliding scale for wins, draws and losses. Ticket and commercial revenues will also be split evenly.  

The women gave up the guaranteed salary structure from its previous CBA, but will earn more if their tournament successes continue — a near certainty through the remainder of the new deal. 

My take: This is a good deal, particularly for the women, who need the pay more than the men. Most men's team players make very good money playing club soccer, may on lucrative International club deals. The women have their own league, but make significantly less than the men in club play. — Bob

D-1 COUNCIL WAIVES LIMITS
ON INITIAL SCHOLARSHIPS

Wednesday, May 18: The NCAA's Division I Council announced Wednesday that it is eliminating football's 25 initial counter scholarship limits — those offered to high school seniors and transfers — for two seasons as a response to the increased use of the transfer portal.

Before Wednesday, programs were limited to 25 annual scholarship offers. That number is now unlimited. A team's total number of scholarships, however, can still not exceed 85. The council said it would revisit the matter after it assesses its efficacy. The number of transfers through the portal, which requires the use of an initial counter scholarship, has ended up limiting the number of scholarship offers to high school students, as programs look to stock up on experienced players from other programs than redshirt incoming freshmen.

My take: This is a great idea, but D-I football is like the Wild West. Everybody's just making stuff up on the fly. There's no control over NIL, conferences have been given permission to eliminate divisions, and now this. The NCAA recommended that FBS become it's own private entity on the business end and it seems that can't happen soon enough. — Bob

MNF GETS FLEX
SCHEDULING IN 2023

Tuesday, May 17: ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday that Monday Night Football will get flex scheduling in Weeks 14 to 18 during the 2023 season. ESPN will remain the broadcast network for the games in the new broadcast deal, which begins this season. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman are the new broadcast-booth team, moving their longstanding partnership over from Fox.

Schefter also reported MNF would have three doubleheaders in 2023.

My take: I hate the MNF doubleheaders, though I'm sure some fans might prefer to have two games after work on a Monday. I never understood not having flex scheduling for Monday games, though I'm certain team's aren't going to be thrilled to get flexed, resulting in short weeks for the following week so late in the season. Do you like Monday Night Football doubleheaders or prefer the fuller Sunday slates? — Bob

HARVEY SUSPENDED FOR
KAY TRIAL TESTIMONY

Tuesday, May 17: Pitcher Matt Harvey has been suspended 60 games by Major League Baseball for dealing oxycodone. Harvey admitted to distribution during the February trial of Eric Kay, the former Angels employee who was charged in the death of Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, who died of an accidental opioids overdose of drugs supplied by Kay.

Harvey, 33, a former Mets first-round draft pick, has struggled with injuries after a promising start to his career which saw an All-Star appearance in 2013, coming in fourth in Cy Young voting. He is currently part of the Orioles organization and was on their Triple-A affiliate Norfolk Tides. The suspension is effective immediately.

My take: Why did it take MLB three months to come to this decision? Harvey admitted to dealing illegal substances in open court in clear violation of the league's substances of abuse policy and could have gone farther with personal conduct policy violations. Rob Manfred's league is flat-out broken. — Bob

MARNER CARJACKED,
INVESTIGATION ONGOING

Tuesday, May 17: One would think losing the first-round best-of-seven series to the Lightning would be the worst part of Mitch Marner's week, but the Maple Leafs confirmed Tuesday that their star winger was carjacked Monday night in Toronto.

Details are few at this time, but it is reported that Marner was carjacked at gunpoint at 7:40 p.m. Monday, with the assailant or assailants taking off with his Range Rover. The Maple Leafs confirmed that Marner was not injured in the encounter and that he is cooperating with law enforcement to help apprehend the carjackers. Neither the organization nor Marner plan to make any additional statements at this time.

My take: Very scary. Those are always unpredictable situations. So glad he's alright. Could have been much worse. In the end, just a car. Best to him as he processes what's happened. — Bob

ODORIZZI INJURES LEG,
LEAVES ON STRETCHER

Monday, May 16: Astros starter Jake Odorizzi was forced to leave Monday night's start against the Red Sox in the fifth inning after collapsing to the ground as he stepped off to cover first base. It appears from replay that the 32-year-old right-hander suffered a lower-left leg injury:

Odorizzi had given up one hit and no runs, striking out five before exiting. He is 3-2 through seven starts with a 3.13 ERA and 1.180 WHIP. When Odorizzi was injured, he had thrown 15.2 consecutive scoreless innings.

My take: I'm no doctor, but that looks bad. Either a severe ankle injury or the dreaded Achilles tendon. All the best to him in what appears to be a long recovery. — Bob

NFL TO MEET WITH WATSON
ABOUT INVESTIGATION

Monday, May 16: The National Football League has set a date to meet with Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson for the first time since 22 Houston-area massage therapists made allegations of sexual misconduct. The parties will meet at an undisclosed date this week at an undisclosed location in Texas, according to an ESPN source.

The league has been investigating the allegations and must make a determination on whether Watson has violated its personal conduct and abuse policies, and whether or not it will issue a suspension, fines or both.

Watson has professed his innocence from the outset, and the authorities were not able to secure criminal indictments sought by 12 of the 22 women. However, criminal indictments are not required fro suspension. Antonio Brown was suspended for six months after a former personal trainer accused him of two incidences sexual abuse and assault.

The spotlight is on the league after Major League Baseball handed down a two-year suspension to Trevor Bauer for alleged sexual misconduct and assault, despite a lack of indictments and what may amount to consensual rough sex.

The Browns traded for Watson in March and signed him to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230-million contract. Watson was on the Texans roster last season, but was relegated to QB3 and never dressed.

My take: The NFL needs to come down hard on Watson. This isn't one "he said, she said," it's 22,  a pattern of abuse if there ever was one. I would like to see something similar to what Bauer got and let the league's arbitration process play out. — Bob

PAYTON EXPLORING BROADCAST
CAREER, JOINS FOX

Monday, May 16: Former Saints head coach Sean Payton is moving into broadcasting, joining Fox as a studio analyst to sub when Jimmy Johnson is unavailable, according to Mike Florio of NBC's Pro Football Talk.

Florio also reports that Payton is in negotiations to join Amazon's NFL broadcast team in some capacity. Amazon is the new exclusive home of Thursday Night Football as part of an 11-year deal.  At present, Al Michaels is in the booth as commentator with Kirk Herbstreit as analyst and Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez as a contributor. No studio personnel have been announced.

My take: This was a fait accompli. No doubt this was where Payton was headed after retirement. He's done some studio work before and done quite well. I'd expect the same, but would love to see how well he could do as a booth analyst. — Bob

DEBOER FIRED AFTER VEGAS 
MISSES PLAYOFFS FOR FIRST TIME

Monday, May 16: The Golden Knights announced Monday they have fired head coach Peter DeBoer after missing the playoffs for the first time in the franchise's five-year existence.

DeBoer, 53, had coached Vegas the last three seasons, earning first-place finishes in the Pacific Division his first two seasons, advancing to the conference semifinals and its equivalent in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. The Golden Knights finished with a 43-31-8 record this season, but failed to make the playoffs by three points, losing the last wildcard spot to the Predators.

DeBoer finishes his Vegas tenure with a 160-98-50 record, going 22-17 in the playoffs.

My take: DeBoer was pretty successful this past season, despite the loss of No.1 goalie Robin Lehner. Perhaps it was DeBoer's choice of Lehner over Marc-Andre Fleury that led to his undoing, but he'll be one of the top head coaches on the market. Where do you think DeBoer would be a good fit? — Bob

GAUDREAU SENDS FLAMES TO
SECOND ROUND AFTER OT WINNER

Monday, May 16: The National Hockey League got plenty of excitement in its first-round matchups, with five series going to a Game 7. Sunday night, Flames star Johnny "Hockey" Gaudreau ended the last one with a sharp-angle shot that beat Stars net minder Jake Oettinger at 15:09 of overtime, beating Dallas, 3-2, and advancing to the second round for what many hope will be an epic showdown with the Oilers in "The Battle of Alberta."

Oettinger starred throughout the game, making 60 saves, but Calgary will advance through this tight, low-scoring series thanks to Gaudreau and first goals of the series from Tyler Toffoli and Matthew Tkachuk.

Calgary and Edmonton now face each other in the playoffs for the first time in 32 years. In five previous playoff meetings, the Oilers are 4-1. The Flames, however, will have home-ice advantage. The teams split four regular-season games, with a 17-16 goal differential narrowly in Calgary's favor.

My take: Maybe the most entertaining game of the series, with Calgary really bombarding the Stars at home. Edmonton barely got past the Kings, so I'd assume the Flames would take the best-of-seven on paper. But these are bitter rivals, and regular-season games now mean nothing. Here's hoping we all get a great series. — Bob

BREES, NBC PART WAYS,
NFL RETURN NEXT?

Monday, May 16: Drew Brees set social media on fire following a tweet he sent after it was announced he and NBC agreed to part ways after one season as a studio analyst for NBC primetime games and part-time booth analyst during the playoffs. In the tweet, he added a possible return to play as one choice for his post-NBC future:

Immediately after, different rumors spread about his next move, prompting the tweet. Brees took the broadcast position after retiring from the Saints following the 2020 season. Reviews were mixed — mostly unkind for his booth performance, okay for his studio-analyst work, but the separation has more to do with NBC's lower profile in the new National Football League television contract.  

My take: Great tongue-in-cheek response to stoke the fires of those desperate for gossip and those who want nothing more than to see Brees return to the NFL at age 43. Good luck with that. I'm pretty sure pickleball is higher on the list of future plans. — Bob

MAULERS LAST USFL
TEAM TO GET A WIN

Sunday, May 15: The Maulers have their first win. Trailing 17-9 to the Gamblers in the fourth quarter, quarterback Vad Lee led the team to victory with two touchdown passes, the last a nine-yarder to top receiver Bailey Gaither for a 21-20 victory as time expired, capping a 14-play, 71-yard drive in 3:26: 

Lee, a 29-year-old Georgia Tech and James Madison product, was signed this week after the team released draft pick Josh Love, started the comeback with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Gaither to make it 17-15. 

Pittsburgh is now 1-4, as is Houston.

My take: There's no word on whether Love was cut after another "pizza" disrespect incident. It's bad when you're digging up 30-year-olds who can't hold a pro football job to be your QB1, but it worked. Even worse, Pittsburgh fans, it's this and the Pirates now that the Penguins choked again. It's gonna be a loooong couple months until Latrobe. — Bob

CAPITALS HAVE TWO PROMINENT
PLAYERS HEADED TO SURGERY

Sunday, May 15: Not only did the Capitals lose their best-of-seven first-round matchup to the Panthers, they also might lose forward Nicklas Backstrom for an extended period — perhaps even career-ending — to a hip injury that will likely require surgery. It is the same hip Backstrom had repaired in 2015 and has progressively gotten worse since, forcing him to miss the first two months off this season. General Manager Brian MacLellan said Sunday Backstrom will explore all options before making a decision on treatment. It is unlikely he will be ready to play before the 2022 season begins. Backstrom had six goals and 25 assists in 47 regular-season games this year, adding two goals and four assists against Florida in the playoffs.

The same is may be true for forward Tom Wilson, who suffered a severe knee injury in the Panthers series, missing all but Game 1. It will require surgery to repair, and MacLellan also believes Wilson will miss the beginning of the regular season. The exact nature of the injury has not been disclosed. Wilson had a career-highs in goals (24) and assists (28) this season, scoring one goal in the playoffs. 

My take: I hate to see players injured, particularly in a situation like Backstrom's. Hips are wildly unpredictable and he's already had an unsuccessful repair. Hopefully, he'll be back. I'm sure there's a super-majority of NHL fans — perhaps everyone but Caps fans — who believe Wilson's getting some long overdue Karma, but as much as I loathe his cheap tactics, I hope he recovers well. — Bob 

GORE WINS BOXING DEBUT
AFTER NFL RETIREMENT

Sunday, May 15: Frank Gore, the third-leading rusher in National Football League history, made his boxing debut Saturday night and defeated Yaya Olorunsola with a fourth-round knockout:

The 39-year-old retired from the NFL in April, trailing only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton on the all-time rushing yards list with 16,000 even. The five-time Pro Bowler and member of the Hall of Fames all-2010s team expects to continue his professional boxing career after defeating light-heavyweight MMA fighter Olorunsola.

Gore fought one bout prior, an exhibition loss to former NBA player Deron Williams in November.

My take: It was Gore's birthday, so he got quite the present with that vicious knockout Not sure why one would retire from the NFL only to seek concussions elsewhere, but here we are. We'll see how he does against an opponent interested in defense. — Bob

OILERS GET PAST KINGS,
CHAMPS ADVANCE

Saturday, May 14: The Oilers advancde to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2017 and just the second time since 2006, with a 2-0 win over the Kings in Game 7. Cody Ceci scored the eventual game-winner in the second period and Connor McDavid secured the victory with a late tally in the third period. Mike Smith made 29 saves for the shutout.

• The ghost of 1967 still haunts the Maple Leafs. Perhaps their most talented team in a generation put up 115 regular-season points — third most in the Eastern Conference — but were upset at home in Game 7 by the two-time defending champion Lightning. Bottom-six winger Nick Paul scored both goals for Tampa Bay, including the unassisted game-winning tally at 16:32 of the third period to keep the franchise's hopes alive for a three-peat.

BAUER GETS DATE TO CONTEST
TWO-YEAR SUSPENSION

Saturday, May 14: Trevor Bauer will get to make his case on May 23. The beleaguered former Cy Young winner was suspended two years by Major League Baseball for violation of its domestic abuse policy. MLB investigated last year's well-documented accusations by a San Diego woman, but it also looks dinto the account of a Cleveland woman who claimed Bauer showed her into unconsciousness multiple times with out her permission.

The league does not need legal proof to suspend Bauer, but the case will come down to whether MLB can punish a player for private bedroom behavior, particularly Bauer and his penchant for rough sex.

My take: Bauer's kink is ... well ... I don't get it. In his favor: L.A. district attorneys wouldn't even present the case to a grand jury and the Cleveland woman's credibility seems suspicious because she accuses Bauer of multiple incidents of misconduct, but kept seeing him in spite of it. Working against him: The league does not want be in a position to condone this behavior, plus it hates Bauer — a perpetual thorn in its side. — Bob

PANTHERS ELIMINATE CAPITALS,
ON TO SECOND ROUND

Friday, May 13: Carter Verhaeghe finished off a big, opening-round series against the Capitals, scoring his third straight game-winning goal, this one a slick backhander in overtime to beat Washington, 4-3, and giving the Panthers the series, four games to two.

Verhaeghe added an assist on a Claude Giroux goal in the second period, giving him 12 points in the series. The win advanced Florida past the first round for the first time in 26 years. For Washington, it was their fourth consecutive first-round exit since winning the Stanley Cup in 2018. As in the last two games of the series, the Capitals we're unable to hold leads, twice holding a one-goal advantage

• The Stars and Flames are headed to a Game 7, after Dallas beat Calgary, 4-2, Friday night, getting goals from four different players in a strong team effort in front of a raucous home crowd. Game 7 will begin Calgary Sunday.

My take: The Capitals are too talented to fizzle out in the first round these last four years. Then again, so are the Penguins. It shows the balance and competitive nature fo the league, but there's something else going on when all the talent on those teams can't make a dent or pull an upset inthe playoffs. That said, Florida is terrific and is going to be a very tough out in these playoffs. — Bob

ROOKIE QB DISMISSES TENSION
WITH TITANS STARTER

Friday, May 13: Malik Willis might be a rookie, but he knows how to handle a tough media question. Asked about Ryan Tannehill's controversial comment — " I don't think it's my job to mentor [Willis] — the third-round draft pick responded, "What comment?"

He then went on to say that Tannehill was "a good dude," the comment wasn't intended to be negative, and the Titans' QB1 invited all offensive rookies to his house to welcome them to the team and get to know them ahead of minicamp.

Tannehill's comment was interpreted by many to mean he would not help Willis at all. The rookie from Liberty is generally considered the best athlete at the position in the draft class, but still needs plenty of work on technique and reading professional defenses, making him unlikely to be a starter at any point in 2022, barring injuries.

My take: Many pros came to Tannehill's defense on two fronts: One, it's not his job to mentor Willis because that's what coaches are for; two, Tannehill can still be a good teammate without mentoring, and he has no responsibility to train someone to take his job. Have to say, I agree. Much ado about nothing in 2022, because Willis isn't and wouldn't be ready anyway. — Bob

GRINER HAS FIRST COURT APPEARANCE
SINCE RUSSIAN AIRPORT ARREST

Friday, May 13: WNBA star Brittney Griner had her first court appearance Friday since she was detained in February at a Moscow airport for allegedly carrying illegal vape liquid containing marijuana or hashish, each illegal in Russia.

Griner did not speak at the procedural hearing and was ordered detained for another month until trial. Her attorney said Griner has not been critical of her treatment in custody.

Yahoo! Sports reported that Russian media reports indicate the country wants convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout, nicknamed the "Merchant of Death," from the United States in exchange for Griner's release.

If Griner goes to trial and is convicted, she could be sentenced up to 10 years in prison.

My take: Curious that they ask for a notorious arms dealer during an invasion of Ukraine. Not. Whatever. Get Griner home. She doesn't deserve to be a pawn in a dangerous game of political intrigue. — Bob