PARIS -- Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will miss the return leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Chelsea because of a thigh tear.
Swell Bottle Belgie . Ibrahimovic, who has scored 40 goals this season, is also likely to miss the semifinals later this month if PSG advances. The French club won the first leg 3-1. Ibrahimovic fell to the ground clutching his leg midway through the second half of Wednesdays match and then limped off. PSG said in a statement Friday that tests confirmed "the presence of a muscle lesion" at the back of Ibrahimovics right thigh. "Hes out for the weeks to come. We will have to wait for the doctor to analyze the results," PSG coach Laurent Blanc said. "Its a muscle lesion, delicate but not irreversible. He will be back (in training) with us before too long (and) he will play before the end of the season." Ibrahimovic will likely be replaced at centre forward by Edinson Cavani, who has been unhappy playing in a role wide on the right and now has the chance to play in his preferred role for the next few games. Should PSG qualify next week, it will reach the European Cup semifinals for only the second time. The previous appearance was in 1995, when PSG was knocked out by AC Milan.
Swell Waterfles Kopen . So they rushed to re-sign the first baseman who general manager Ben Cherington described Friday as "a unique player." The World Series champions finalized a $32 million, two-year agreement Thursday with the slugging former catcher who turned into a surprisingly good defender.
Swell Waterfles . Funny, they looked like longtime friends during Pittsburghs 5-1 demolition of Dallas on Tuesday night. Quick to the puck and even quicker to the net, the Penguins top line overwhelmed the suddenly struggling Stars as Pittsburgh bounced back from a dismal weekend sweep at the hands of Philadelphia by jumping on Dallas early. NEW YORK -- With Derek Stepan recovering from surgery and Dan Carcillo suspended, the New York Rangers got some good news Saturday with word that Derick Brassard is healthy for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference final with Montreal. The Rangers centre left early in Game 1 with an upper body injury after being checked by Canadiens defenceman Mike Weaver and has not played since. Brassard told reporters after practice that he was good to go. That brought a smile to the face of Rangers coach Alain Vigneault. "I was told he cleared himself," Vigneault said with a laugh. "Thats good to know. He didnt tell me." As for Stepan, Vigneault says he was in hospital recovering from surgery to repair a broken jaw. Montreal forward Brandon Prust was suspended for two games by the league for the blindside hit. As one might expect, Vigneault said Stepan was "unlikely" to play Sunday. The 23-year-old centre has not missed a game since coming into the league in the 2010-11 season. Carcillo, meanwhile, was suspended 10 games for jostling a linesman in the aftermath of the Prust hit. Carcillo declined to speak to reporters Saturday. But Vigneault said the player knew he needed to have kept control of himself. "I cant begin to tell you how bad he feels about the whole thing," the coach said. "His situation, his personal future, the team. Theres nothing he can do about it now and therees nothing we can do about it.
Swell Drinkfles. " Forward Brad Richards called the abrasive Carcillo "a great teammate." "I heard a lot about him before but I dont have one bad thing to say about him." The New York players, for the most part, had little to say about the length of the ban to Prust, a former Ranger. But goalie Henrik Lundqvist said that hot spots in the playoffs usually cool down in the off-season. "Especially during the playoffs, you dont see your opponents as friends, even though youve played with them. Right now I dont have any friends in Montreal," the stylish Swede said with a chuckle. "Theyre just enemies and you play it that way. Thats your approach. "But you also have to understand this game, you know, theres a lot of players that play on the edge. Thats their role, thats what they do. Theyre always going to play it like that and sometimes things happen and maybe they take it a little too far. As it comes to relationships, as friends, in the summertime you move past it. "But right now, do I like what happened? Absolutely not. But its on the ice, it happens on the ice. It is what it is." The Habs made one lineup change, with Thomas Vanek moving to the third line and taking Dale Weises spot, who moves down to the fourth line. Game 4 is Sunday night at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers lead the series two games to one. ' ' '