One of the giant killers, Spains Garbine Muguruza, follo

PITTSBURGH -- Kris Letang darted down the Consol Energy Center ice, the defencemans black hair flicking out from underneath his helmet. Everything looked in place. The speed. The agility. The slick stickwork. Yet for as polished as Letang appeared during his first workout alongside his teammates in nearly two months on Monday, the 26-year-old remains uncertain when hell be able to pull his No. 58 sweater over his head and suit up in an actual game. Consider it part of the fallout from the scariest moment of Letangs life. Seven weeks after a stroke blindsided him, Letang remains optimistic he will play again this season but too cautious to throw out a date. "I was on the ice today because I want to return," Letang said. "Ill be able to play again. I dont know when." Neither does his coach. Dan Bylsma pointed out that unlike defenceman Paul Martin -- who remains sidelined with a right hand problem -- concrete signs of progress for Letang are tougher to glean. Throwing an arbitrary timeline out there wouldnt do any good because things can change in an instant. "Theres no date to be determined for Kris," Bylsma said. "Right now hes back in a full practice. Thats a good thing." One the Penguins hope will send a bit of a jolt through a constantly churning lineup that has stagnated in Letangs absence. The Penguins are just 7-5-2 since Letang fell ill on Jan. 28 and while their spot atop the Metropolitan Division remains secure, they have ceded the top spot in the Eastern Conference to the Boston Bruins. The slide includes a home-and-home sweep by Philadelphia over the weekend in which Pittsburgh was dominated for the first four periods before salvaging some dignity in the final 40 minutes of a 4-3 loss on Sunday. Not exactly the best way to build momentum heading into the last month of an interminable regular season. Though the Penguins have lost an NHL-high 413 man games to injury this season, they are trying to avoid excuses. They steamrolled through the first four months of the season before falling since Letangs third trip to the injured list. They can play well even as Bylsma plays mix-and-match with his lines. "I think now with the amount of time left in the season its about rounding our game into form for the post-season," defenceman Rob Scuderi said. "Its something you cant flip a switch overnight. You always want wins, but Id be OK if wed play the right way." Having some familiar faces around would help. Letang wasnt the only player back on the ice Monday. Forward James Neal (concussion) practiced, as did wingers Chris Kunitz (lower body) and Beau Bennett (wrist). Thats plenty of additional firepower for a team that already has Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, though the duo has played with limited effectiveness recently while skating without familiar faces by their side. Neal and Bennett likely wont be available until later in the week, though Kunitz has a chance to play on Tuesday night when the Penguins host Dallas. The 34-year-old is tied with Crosby with a team-high 31 goals, and his ability to make something happen in front of the net was missed as Pittsburgh found itself dominated by the Flyers over the weekend. Still, Pittsburghs Stanley Cup playoff chances could rest on Letangs health. One of the fittest players in a league of fit players admits hes still stunned by his stroke diagnosis. Doctors said there was a "0.01 chance" of Letang suffering a stroke, odds so slim Letang refuses to say hes in the clear from it happening again. Letang would rather not talk about it. Hed rather just focus on skating and getting himself ready for whenever doctors give him the go-ahead to play. He confessed to being tired, but not overwhelmed during a spirited 60 minutes on the ice. At one point he could sense his teammates taking it easy on him. He ordered them to get back to work. "Guys were being really careful when wed go into the corner," Letang said. "I told them they can go as hard as they can. Thats the main reason why Im out there. I want to get to the same place I was before." A place that makes Letang one of the best at his position when healthy. A Norris Trophy finalist a year ago, Letang has 10 goals and eight assists in 34 games this season, though his general presence is missed as much as his production. The feeling is mutual. Letang understands the fixation on his return. Trust him, hes just as concerned as everybody else. "Even the day I had the stroke I asked the doctor when I would be able to play again," Letang said. "It never crossed my mind that I could have a stroke at 26. It could (happen again) because it happened once. Who knows? Im not going to worry about that." Josh Hader Brewers Jersey . Only it wasnt the extended right pad of his old teammate Jonathan Bernier early in the final frame, it was James Reimer, who stole a night that was supposed to belong to the former King. Corey Knebel Brewers Jersey . The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement was made. By releasing Bailey, the Broncos would open up cap space with the 12-time Pro Bowl player scheduled to make around $10 million next season. https://www.cheapbrewers.com/1919y-ryan-braun-jersey-brewers.html . Although the deal cannot be made official until the free agent moratorium period is lifted on July 10, Patterson has agreed to a three-year, $18 million extension to remain in Toronto, sources confirm to TSN. Lorenzo Cain Brewers Jersey .com) - James van Riemsdyk had two goals with one assist to help the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 5-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night. Teddy Higuera Jersey . - Rookie Kyle Larson will start from the pole position Saturday night in the NASCAR race at Richmond International Raceway after a thunderstorm arrived just in time to wash out qualifying.Paris, France (SportsNetwork.com) - Maria Sharapova is now the overwhelming favorite at the French Open and played that way Friday after Agnieszka Radwanska became the latest womens high seed to fall at Roland Garros. The third-seeded Radwanska followed in the footsteps of Serena Williams and Li Na, exiting with a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Croatias Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round. Li, the second seed and 2011 French Open champ, was knocked off in the first round and Williams, the No. 1 seed and two-time winner at Roland Garros, fell in the second round. Radwanskas ouster leaves fourth-seeded Simona Halep as the highest-seeded player remaining in the womens draw, but Sharapova is now the clear-cut choice to claim her second French Open championship. Sharapova, the 2012 winner and last years runner-up to Williams, needed a mere 51 minutes to dispose of Argentinas Paula Ormaechea in a 6-0, 6-0 rout. She has dropped just 10 games in her first three matches and on Friday was simply dominating. Ormaechea won only 17 of the 71 points played and four of those came on double faults from Sharapova. The seventh-seeded Russian blasted 23 winners to Ormaecheas one and won all 14 points on the Argentines second serve. Despite the front-runner status, a tough fourth-round match against former U.S. Open champ Samantha Stosur awaits Sharapova. "My next opponent is Samantha Stosur, whos had a lot of success on these courts and loves playing on clay so thats my next challenge and I look forward to it," said Sharapova. Stosur, the 2010 French Open runner-up, knocked off ninth-seeded Dominika Cibulkova, 6-4, 6-4. "Im really happy with the way I played today and I think its the first time I won three matches in a row for a while, too," said the 19th-seeded Stosur, who last reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam at the 2012 U.S. Open. "I just love playing here. Ive had some really great moments here and some of the best matches of my career actually. Hopefully I can still have a few more matches like this." Stosur, who lost to Francesca Schiavone in the 2010 French final, continued her mastery of Cibulkova, beating the 2014 Australian Open runner-up for the fifth time in as many tries without dropping a set. She also beat the Slovakian two years ago in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros and earlier this month in the first round at the Madrid Open. The Aussies stay in Madrid ended with a third-round loss to Sharapova. Stosur is 2-13 lifetime against the Russian, inncluding 0-3 on clay.dddddddddddd "I have beaten her before. I know what it takes," added Stosur about the next matchup with Sharapova. "I know I have to play very well against her. I know there are certain things I have to do well and if I dont, then it makes life very, very tough that day. I will go out there and certainly give it my best shot." Cibulkova had her best Grand Slam finish earlier this year with a loss to Li in the final of the Australian Open. Her best result at the French Open was a semifinal loss to Dinara Safina in 2009, but its been a rough spring for the four-time WTA winner as she also dropped a first-round match in Rome after her first-round exit against Stosur in Madrid. Tomljanovic, meanwhile, is playing at Roland Garros for the first time and has now beaten three established veterans. Ranked 72nd in the world, she took out Schiavone in the first round and also knocked off Russian veteran Elena Vesnina in the second. "After seeing the two first seeds go out, (I) feel like I can do this, too," said Tomljanovic. "I grew up with these girls that are beating (the top seeds). Obviously, you respect everyone, but you dont fear anyone. This year Ive been in a few situations where I was up and didnt execute, so I wanted to make it right this time." Next up for Tomljanovic will be Spains Carla Suarez Navarro. The 14th seed eased past American teenager Taylor Townsend in a 6-2, 6-2 thumping. One of the giant killers, Spains Garbine Muguruza, followed up her stunning win over Williams with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Slovakias Anna Schmiedlova. Schmiedlova had previously eliminated Venus Williams on Wednesday. Muguruza will next play Frenchwoman Pauline Parmentier, who rallied for a 1-6, 6-1, 7-5 triumph over Germanys Mona Barthel. Also Friday, eighth-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany beat the darkness and Slovakias Daniela Hantuchova, completing a 7-5, 6-3 decision just before play was suspended due to insufficient light. Kerber will face Canadas Eugenie Bouchard in the round of 16. Bouchard, coming off her first career WTA victory last week in Nuremberg, came away with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Swedens Johanna Larsson. Saturdays third-round action will include matches for Halep and a pair of former French champions. Halep will take on Spains Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor, while 2009 winner Svetlana Kuznetsova will meet fifth-seeded Petra Kvitova and 2008 champ Ana Ivanovic will square off against Lucie Safarova. ' ' '