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NEW YORK -- Surgery, suspensions and thuggery. The storylines surrounding the Eastern Conference final reached Shakespearean proportions Friday. As he was in Game 3 Thursday night, Montreal fourth-liner Brandon Prust was slap bang in the middle of the mayhem. What had seemed like a quiet off-day quickly turned dramatic when New York Rangers coach Alain Vigneault revealed that forward Derek Stepan, laid out by an unpenalized blindside hit from Prust two minutes 45 seconds into the game, had suffered a broken jaw that needed surgery. Three hours later, Rangers agitator Dan Carcillo was suspended 10 games for physical abuse of an official on a play that came minutes after the Prust hit, as New York looked for retribution. The Carcillo incident came 5:51 into Thursdays game after a fight between Derek Dorsett of the Rangers and Prust. Carcillo, a fourth-liner, had been penalized for charging Prust on the play. The league said Carcillo "physically applied force to linesman Scott Driscoll while being escorted to the penalty box." The suspension was automatic under category 2 of Rule 40.3, titled Physical Abuse of Officials. Prust, meanwhile, was handed a two-game suspension for interference for the Stepan hit later Friday. It has added more drama to a series that saw Montreals all-world goalie Carey Price sent to the sidelines in Game 1 after coming out the worst for wear in a collision with six-foot-three, 230-pound Ranger Chris Kreider. For Vigneault, the missed Prust call Thursday set off a domino effect whose ripples were still being felt the next day. "Four referees missed the call," Vigneault said. "Stepan is injured. The same player that called the hit on Price accidental but on purpose. Late hit, everything that you want to get out of the game, that was his hit on Stepan. "And what saddens me about that hit is, if the call is made on the ice, were on a five-minute power play, and what happened to Dan Carcillo, and what Dan did is inexcusable, and hes going to pay a big price for it, but if the call is made on the ice, hes not put in that position. "So its unfortunate. Step (Stepan) right now at this time is probably getting operated on. He broke his jaw (Thursday), so well have an idea of the time frame (Saturday). But those are stuff that happens during the game that you have to deal with, and thats what were going to try to do." Dressed in jeans and flip-flops, Vigneault looked like he was in relaxation mode. But he was clearly irate at a sequence of events which he believes could have been avoided. Stepan went briefly to the dressing room after the hit, yelling over his shoulder at Prust as he exited. But he returned later in the period and amazingly played a total of 17:45 in the game. A team spokesman said X-rays that night were negative. But Stepan was in pain and saw a specialist Friday, when further tests detected the broken jaw. It seems unlikely that Stepan, who centres Rick Nash and Kreider on the Rangers top line, will be back any time soon. New York leads the series to two games to one. Prust, a former Ranger who counts Canadian UFC lightweight Sam (Hands of Stone) Stout as a friend, was not made available Friday as both teams, skipping practice in advance of Game 4 Sunday, offered up their coaches and select players. Montreal coach Michel Therrien defended his player. "His intention was not to hurt anyone," he said. "Like Kreider, his intention, even if he was going hard to the net and then laying on Carey Price, Im sure his intention was not to hurt Carey Price. Brandon Prust, he tried to finish his check. His intention, honestly, was not to hurt Stepan." Then Therrien suggested the Canadiens knew better than anybody about losing a star player. "If there is a team that can understand the loss of a player, its us. We lost Carey Price in the first game of the series with the hit on Kreider when he hit Carey Price, and we felt frustrated at the time. Were still frustrated not having our goalie, our No. 1 most important player." Therrien, taking a page from Vigneaults book from the Price injury debate, called it "a hockey hit." Habs forward David Desharnais called it a clean hit, with Prust just wanting to get his team going. "You never want to see a guy injured like that but, like I said, we were fighting for our lives (Thursday) and we wanted to set the tone," he said. At five foot seven, Desharnais is one of the Hobbit-like Canadiens. But the first-liner wins praise from his coach for his compete level. And he knows the value of getting under an opponents skin, as Prust clearly did in Game 3. "They were not happy about it," he said of the Rangers. "Everybody got a little chirp here and there and the game was on." A day later, the Rangers still wanted justice. "I think guys were unhappy there wasnt a call on the play," Kreider told reporters. "Obviously, it was away from the play so not a lot of people saw it. But I think the sentiment today is the same as it was yesterday, that it wasnt a clean hit. Hopefully the league deals with it justly." Arizona Diamondbacks Pro Shop . Team officials travelled to Los Angeles on Thursday night to meet with the free agent, a person with knowledge of the plans said. Diamondbacks Jerseys 2019 . -- Packers cornerback Tramon Williams has been fined $26,250 for contact with an official, per NFL guidelines. https://www.cheapdiamondbacksjerseys.us/...amondbacks.html. The Senators will put the busy off-season and training camp behind them when they open their regular season on the road. They kick things off Friday against the Buffalo Sabres and then head to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs on Saturday. Christian Walker Jersey . - Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Jason Babin is now a free agent. Carson Kelly Jersey . Napoli beat high-flying Hellas Verona 3-0 to keep up the pressure on the top two while AC Milan had another disappointing night as four goals from teenage forward Domenico Berardi saw relegation-threatened Sassuolo come back from two goals down to win 4-3.PHILADELPHIA -- The Dallas Mavericks had to work hard for an easy win. Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 points, Shawn Marion had 22 and the Mavericks beat undermanned Philadelphia 124-112 Friday night, handing the 76ers their 10th straight loss. The Mavericks led from the start and never trailed, taking a 22-point lead and staying ahead by double digits most of the game. But they had to earn this one. "It was exactly the kind of game we expected," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "We expected it to be 48 minutes of hell with them chasing the ball all over the place. (Brett Brown) coaches his team harder than any coach in the league." A day after dismantling the roster and trading away Evan Turner, Spencer Hawes and Lavoy Allen, the Sixers had just eight players in uniform. Thaddeus Young scored 30 and Michael Carter-Williams had 25 for Philadelphia, which has looked toward next season and beyond since training camp. "They played hard," Brown said. "Were trying to identify athletes and how they compete." The Sixers, who have the NBAs second-worst record, made four trades before Thursdays deadline, giving up three players and a draft pick for five players and six second-round draft picks between 2014 and 2018. Theyre hoping for a top-3 draft pick and trying to clear space under the salary cap to make a run at quality free agents. "Were focused on building something for Philadelphia to put a program in a place to compete when it matters," general manager Sam Hinkie said. "And we feel that yesterday was just another step in that process." While the Sixers eye the future, the Mavericks are making a playoff push. Theyre in a tight battle with four teams for the final three playoff spots in the West. "They have a bunch of fast, athletic guys," Nowitzki said of Philadelphia. "Give them credit. They kept competing." Nowitzki hit consecutive 3s in the opening minutes. The Mavericks were up by 22 after Vince Carter nailed a 3 late in the first quarter, and made 16 of their first 21 shots. Sloppy play and a slew of turnovers by the Mavericks allowed the Sixers to mmake a run in the second quarter.ddddddddddddThey pulled within 55-50 following an 8-0 run and trailed 69-62 at halftime. "We knew they would make a run," Marion said. "They have talented guys. We kept our composure and were able to sustain the lead." After Philadelphia closed to within 77-73 in the third quarter, Nowitzki nailed another 3, the Mavericks scored nine straight and put the game away. At one point, Nowitzki and Marion were a combined 17 for 19 from the floor. Nowitzki made his first five from beyond the arc before missing two straight. Carter-Williams, a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year, Young and injured rookie Nerlens Noel are cornerstones for Philadelphia going forward. Young was disappointed he didnt go to a contender, but wouldnt let that affect his performance. He had 13 rebounds and took a career-high 29 shots, making 12. "This situation, I dont know how much worse it could get," Young said before the game. Young became just the second player to have at least 30 points, 13 rebounds, seven steals and six assists since steals became a stat in 1973-74. Hakeem Olajuwon had 38 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and seven steals along with 12 blocks for Houston vs. Seattle on March 10, 1987. Turner, a former No. 2 overall pick, and Allen went to Indiana for veteran Danny Granger and a pick. Hawes was traded to Cleveland for Earl Clark, Henry Sims and two picks. Eric Maynor came from Washington along with two picks from other teams. Byron Mullens was acquired from the Clippers with a pick for a protected second-rounder. NOTES: Carter-Williams had his eighth game of at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists. All other NBA rookies have eight combined. ... The Mavericks have won 13 of last 16 games vs. Philadelphia. ... DeJuan Blair had 18 points and Jose Calderon had 10 assists for Dallas. ... Maynor was the only new player in uniform and available. ... The Sixers already waived Clark. ... Granger showed up to Pacers practice Friday to say goodbye to former teammates. ... The Mavericks had 39 assists, their most since 40 vs. New Orleans on Nov. 11, 2003. ' ' '