UR MAG

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The roaring start for Kirill Kaprizov and the Minnesota Wild in this first-roundNHL playoff serieshas given way to struggling special teams.

Stars Wild Hockey

If the Wild are going to snap back aftertwo straight lossesto the Dallas Stars, they need Kaprizov to find another gear.

After their 6-1 victory inGame 1, fueled by a goal and two assists from their star left wing, the Wild scored only five times in the next two games, with no goals and one assist for Kaprizov. Meanwhile, their power play has converted just one of 11 opportunities since producing two goals in the opener in Dallas.

Even if the lineup and strategy for that group is completely different than playing 5 on 5, there's clearly carryover from man advantage to even strength the Wild have experienced in the last two games in unhelpful fashion.

“It’s easy to play after, you know, if you have some chance and you start feeling more. Then you keep going more,” Kaprizov said after practice on Friday. "We need to play better on power play.”

Getting his good friend Mats Zuccarello back would sure help.

The 38-year-old right wing has been held out of the last two games after taking an elbow to the head from Stars defenseman Tyler Myers. Wild coach John Hynes said Zuccarello's status for Game 4 remains uncertain, to be decided soon before the puck drop on Saturday.

Zuccarello, who had three assists in Game 1, has long forged a unique chemistry on the first line with Kaprizov since they became teammates five seasons ago.

“But a lot of the times, even talking with Kirill, his style of game shouldn’t change, or it doesn’t need to change when he plays with Zuccy or not,” Hynes said.

Prolific scorers being quieted in a series by a tough and targeted opposing defense is part of the lore of the NHL postseason, of course. Connor McDavid didn't have a point in the first two games that Edmonton split with Anaheim. Nathan MacKinnon has not scored yet, though Colorado has a 3-0 lead on Los Angeles.

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The Avalanche actually have scored more short-handed (once) than with the man advantage (none) in nine power plays against the Kings.

“I’d like to see it sustained more. I’d like to see it get more dangerous,” coach Jared Bednar said. “The intensity of the penalty kills this time of the year is high. At some point, you’ve got to make a play and put one in the back of the net.”

Bednar wasn't speaking for Hynes, his counterpart in thestacked Central Division, but he could've been. The Wild, for their part, weren't having it in the aftermath of the double-overtime defeat in Game 3 when asked if their faith in the power play was flagging.

“This whole narrative that we’re frustrated and all this, that’s not true,” right wing Matt Boldy said. “We’re still confident in our group. Let’s nip that in the bud now because it’s made up.”

Getting a vintage performance from Kaprizov in Game 4, with or without Zuccarello, would go a long way toward putting that to rest.

“When Kirill is at his best, he’s playing a fast game. He’s skating, he’s moving his feet, he’s driving plays deep in the offensive zone and off the rush. He’s getting to the inside. He’s difficult to play against below the goal line,” Hynes said. "He’s a really threatening guy, and I think when he does that he’s a dynamite player, right?”

AP Sports Writer Pat Graham in Denver contributed to this report.

AP NHL playoffs:https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cupandhttps://apnews.com/hub/nhl

It was one of those moments that definitely wasn’t Instagram-friendly. Wearing nothing but a pair of paper pants, I hoisted myself into a heated wooden casket where I steamed away for 20 minutes, like a dumpling in a bamboo basket.

The casket is a traditionalSri Lankanvashpa swede, or sweat box, and is lined with adatoda leaves, which release their natural anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties while you drip like a tap.

The following day, my ritual humiliation, which by now I was getting used to, involved being scrubbed down with dark brown welmadata paste then placed into a bath of boiled herbs.

Both treatments, which also involved long, languid oil massages that made me drift in and out of sleep, are part of thewellness programmerun by the small but cultishly popularAyurvie Sigiriyaretreat, set deep in Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle.

While the teardrop-shaped island off the southeastern tip ofIndiais rapidly becoming popular for itsbeachculture (or Bali 2.0 as it’s been called), it’s also gaining ground as aunique wellness destination.

If, like me, you thought you had experienced ayurvedic treatments before, then you probably haven’t. Ayurvie Sigiriya is not a western-stylespawith a couple of aromatherapy oil massages thrown in to spice up the spa menu. It’s the real deal.

It’s so off the beaten track that on our three-and-a-half-hour journey from Colombo, we passed a couple of wild elephants wandering by the side of the road, and even our local taxi driver struggled to find the right dirt access track. Hidden among rice paddies, the retreat has just 10 rooms and is designed to look like a traditional Sri Lankan village, with thatched-roof cottages and Buddhist deities greeting you at your door. But inside, the beds are plush, the water runs hot, the bath products are lush, and the wifi works.

Its absolute star turn is the treatments. In the open-air spa pavilion sit glass medicine cabinets filled with tinctures, oils and powders extracted from indigenous Sri Lankan herbs and plants. Although similar to Indian Ayurvedic medicine, the Sri Lankan system is a more gentle, herbal-based practice (designed to balance mind, body and soul with therapies and diet).

On arrival at the retreat, each new guest has a consultation with the ayurvedic physician Dr Hansika. “We believe our bodies are based on three pillars of wellness – food, sleep and activity,” she explains. “If these pillars are well-balanced, the house is well-balanced.”

Guests are then given a questionnaire about health and lifestyle to determine their dosha type, and Dr Hansika then creates a personalised “re-balancing” treatment programme.

It turns out I am a fiery pitha/vatha type (no surprises there), and my rebalancing programme was designed to calm my inner furnace with therapies involving water and a long list of recommended foods (chilli is out; sesame oil, barley and fish are in).

Read more:How I learned to tackle burnout like an ancient Greek

While my partner and I were there for a short, gentle four-day wellness break, many guests sign up for the full 14 to 21-day detox programme, which pretty much cleanses them until they squeak. Morning and eveningyogaon a breezy platform in the trees is included for all guests, as are daily bespoke treatments and three meals a day. No caffeine or alcohol is on offer, but you won’t go hungry.

As lifelong carnivores who are, admittedly, trying to cut down on meat, we found the food surprisingly delicious. Unctuous coconut-based curries, crispy dosas and rich onion chutneys are all cooked in a traditional Sri Lankan kitchen where meals are taken communally. Even the earthenware bowls, plates and cups in the kitchen are made at the on-site pottery studio (you can also have a pottery lesson).

After our long, daily treatment sessions, we managed to squeeze in a guided bike ride to a nearby temple and a pre-dawn hike up to the top of the extraordinary Sigiriya rock fortress, where we watched the sun rise from the ruins of an ancient palace.

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Read more:I tried to transform my gut health at a five-day wellness retreat

You are also never far from wildlife. On the grounds of the retreat, peacocks strutted, monitor lizards lumbered across the paths, mongooses played in the paddies, and geckos ran up the walls.

Although only there for four days, rarely in my life have I wound down so completely. My daze may have had something to do with caffeine withdrawal, but it probably had more to do with the daily massage and treatments delivered with such care by the team of ayurvedic therapists. At night, we both crashed early and slept solidly until our dawn yoga alarm woke us.

After all of that rest and detoxing, we decided it was time for a gentle retox. Instead of heading to the crowded beach towns on the south coast of Sri Lanka, we headed to theMaldives. Malé is just a 70-minute flight from Colombo, which makes it surprisingly simple to combine the two Indian Ocean destinations on a single break.

At Ifuru IslandMaldivesin the Raa Atoll, we continued our healthy eating, daily yoga and exercise, but instead of the calm drizzle of central Sri Lanka, it was in the sunshine glamour of the Indian Ocean. Our wellness halo didn’t slip – there was a time when you’d fly to theMaldivesand play the: How Much All-Inclusive Food and Drink Can I Guzzle Down in a Day, game? But now it’s more about how much all-inclusive health and fitness can you squeeze in.

At Ifuru we filled our days with sunrise yoga on a powdery beach, swimming around the house reef with shoals of darting fish, paddle-boarding, sauna and steaming in the spa, sound bath healing and eating grilled reef fish and salad.

In a way it was the ultimate island hop, switching the jungle and calm of central Sri Lanka with the beach glamour of the Maldives – an easy way to have two very different wellness breaks in one.

Fiona McIntosh travelled as a guest at Ayurvie Sigiriya and Ifuru Island Maldives.

How to do it

Ayurvie Sigiriyacosts from £316 per night for two people, including all food, treatments, yoga, and activities.

Ifuru Island Maldivescosts from £447 for two people per night on an all-inclusive basis.

How to get there

Sri Lankan Airlinesflies to Colombo Bandaranaike International airport from London Heathrow direct, with flight times of around 10 hours 45 minutes. Prices start at £822 return. Auyervie Sigiriya is a three-and-a-half hour drive from the airport.

Five other brilliant Sri Lankan ayurvedic retreats

Siddhalepa

The 200-year-oldSiddhaleparesort prides itself on being the only retreat affiliated with an ayurvedic hospital and its own pharmaceutical range. This is for a serious health break, with 40 ayurvedic practitioners on site, all set in beautiful grounds in Wadduwu on the West coast, an hour from Colombo. Three-night minimum stay from £924 for two people, all inclusive.

Ulpotha

Ulpothais revered yoga retreat with authentic ayurvedic treatments that can be added to your stay. With a breathtaking jungle village setting on a natural lake in central Sri Lanka, this is a haute hippie heaven. Guests need to commit to one or two-week packages with guest yogis, starting from £1,303 per week all-inclusive; ayurvedic treatments are extra.

Ayurvie Weligama

The sister retreat to Ayurvie Sigiriya,Ayurvie Weligamais a modern, beachside hotel on the south coast but offers the same programme of doctor-led treatments, food and therapies. Prices from £316 per night for two people, all inclusive.

Santani Wellness Kandy

Minimalist, luxury retreatSantani Wellness Kandyis set on a remote tea plantation with stunning mountain views, has all the bells and whistles of a five-star resort, including a cinema room, two swimming pools and a hydrotherapy spa. Bespoke programmes are offered, with western and ayurvedic treatments, as well as a variety of meal plans including vegetarian and raw food. Prices from £783 per room, all inclusive.

Amuna Ayurveda and Wellness Retreat

Also close to Sigiriya in central Sri Lanka,Amunaoffers a programme of doctor-led treatments and ayurvedic treatments in a calm, rural setting. Check the website for a menu of retreats, from a one-day wellness visit to a full 21-day deeper-healing programme for chronic conditions. Room prices start from £191 a night.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — For the last five months as construction cranes have swung steel beams and other fortifications into place at Beaver Stadium, Matt Campbell has undertakena massive construction projectof his own.

Campbell, who becamePenn State’s footballcoach in December, has assembled an all-new staff and rebuilt a roster with new faces from all over the country.

By the time Penn State finishes the $700 million renovation of its massive stadium for the start of the season, Campbell believes the new-look Nittany Lions will be ready to compete and it will be thanks to a patient approach.

“I am a believer that you always start back over at square one and rebuild your way through it,” Campbell said. “I think, even as a head coach, you’re always self-reflecting what went well, what didn’t go well? How do we be better, and what does this team need?”

After 12 years in which the Nittany Lions won just four of 25 games against AP Top 10 opponents, this program needed a refresh.

Former coachJames Franklin was firedmidway through the fall after the Nittany Lions quickly squandered a No. 2 preseason ranking with an 0-3 start to Big Ten play. Penn State finished 6-6 and beat Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl under interim coach Terry Smith.

Penn State took two months to find Franklin’s successor, rankling fans who just a year before watched their team come one game shy of playing for the national championship.

Now that spring practice is winding down, those who were here before feel like they’re starting anew.

“It’s a new year,” sophomore wide receiver Koby Howard said. “Forget about last year and whatever happened last year.”

Early-morning practices have replaced mid-afternoon sessions. Players have taken more time to get to know new teammates and position coaches. Former Nittany Lion greats Kerry Collins, Ki-Jana Carter and Kyle Brady from the program’s unbeaten 1994 team have visited and helped the current fresh faces of the program embrace its past.

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Howard is one of 52 returnees who experienced last year’s doldrums and ensuing, emotional four-game winning streak with Smith to cap the season. Forty transfers and a class of true freshmen, 11 of which enrolled in time to partake in spring ball, fill out the roster.

Of those transfers, 24 followed Campbell from Iowa State including quarterback Rocco Becht. Campbell also brought in the Cyclones’ former offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser and four other former assistants.

He’s also filled key positions with former Nittany Lion stars like defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn who played for Joe Paterno. Fellow Paterno and Bill O’Brien era players Dan Connor, Jordan Hill, Alan Zemaitis and Jordan Lucas are in support roles.

“A lot’s the exact same, but a lot’s changed,” Lynn said.

They spent winter workouts establishing new nutrition habits and rebooting the strength and conditioning program. The last 14 spring practices have given them their first opportunity to install baseline schemes and see what each player can do individually.

“I do think aligning everybody, making sure we’re slow and right, right now,” Campbell said. “Where do drills go? Where does the offense go? Where does the defense go? All of those things are certainly unique and new. So slow and right is really the process for us.”

Becht, who was a three-year starter for Campbell in Ames, is the personification of that. He entered spring practice on the mend from shoulder surgery, but is expected to throw the ball in 7-on-7 drills in the stadium on Saturday.

It’ll be the first step for what comes later in the summer when the team reconvenes for training camp. By then, the Nittany Lions will have a better idea for how everything will fit together.

“The emphasis is how we’re going to do what we’re going to do. Putting in some baseline things on offense and defense so we can really evaluate your football team,” Campbell said. “Honestly it’s been awesome for so may guys to get the foundation of what we’re going to do on both sides of the ball.”

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The Detroit Pistons almost were unrecognizable for the first six quarters of their first-round series against the Orlando Magic, but that all changed in the span of about eight minutes.

The top-seeded Pistons appear to have finally settled in as they head into Game 3 against the eighth-seeded Magic on Saturday in Orlando, Fla.

After losing its playoff opener 112-101, Detroit evened the best-of-seven Eastern Conference clash with an impressive 98-83 win on Wednesday.

Cade Cunningham had 27 points, 11 assists and six rebounds to lead Detroit, which was tied at the half before opening the third quarter on a 30-3 run over a span of eight minutes.

Coach J.B. Bickerstaff provided some well-timed advice at halftime to help the Pistons snap an 11-game home playoff losing streak.

"(Bickerstaff) really got on us in the locker room," Detroit forward Tobias Harris said. "(His message was) there is no more of 'my bads.' It's like they're out there hustling, getting offensive boards on us. And there's too many of them for us (to allow) as a group. We know that's not our standard. So he was on us. We were able to find that little spark."

Harris scored 16 points in the victory, while Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson had 11 apiece.

After being outplayed in nearly every category in Game 1, Detroit started to look more like the East's top team on Wednesday. The Pistons held Orlando to 32.5% shooting from the field and 25% (8 of 32) from 3-point range in the victory.

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"This is a good team we're playing against," Bickerstaff said. "If that team is healthy most of the season, they're not an eighth-seeded team. They're a very talented, very good basketball team. We've got a ton of respect for that team and they're well-coached. But if we play Pistons basketball, we feel like we can beat anybody."

The series now shifts to Orlando's Kia Center, where the Magic are 6-1 in their last seven postseason games, including play-in tournament games.

Orlando is looking to bounce back after being held to a season low in points on Wednesday. Jalen Suggs scored 19 points and Paolo Banchero added 18 for the Magic, who were outscored 54-34 in the paint.

"You have to give them credit," Banchero said. "I thought we had some good looks in the first half. They met us at the rim a few times. They brought the intensity on defense. We got good looks and nobody really had a great night shooting the ball. Not a game you'd expect to win looking at the stat sheet, but I would say it's nothing that's discouraging."

Forward Franz Wagner said the Magic can lean on their experience as the series heads into the pivotal Game 3.

"The playoffs are way different, and it definitely helps to have been there before and just kind of know how the flow of a series goes," Wagner said. "It's still early in the series. Also, (we know) that margins will decide these games. That's the beauty of the playoffs and that's why it's important to play every possession really well."

Orlando will need more production from guard Desmond Bane, who is averaging 14.5 points on 29% shooting in the first two games of the series. Bane also is shooting 20% (3 of 15) from 3-point range.

--Field Level Media

ThePhiladelphia 76ersare preparing for a crucial first-round Game 3 in their NBA playoffs matchup against theBoston Celtics, but uncertainty looms over the availability of their star center, Joel Embiid.

Embiid has been upgraded to doubtful ahead of Friday’s pivotal Game 3 at home against the Celtics. The star center underwent an emergency appendectomy two weeks ago while in Houston, and he has not played since the procedure. His status remains uncertain, as the 76ers hope for his return to bolster their chances in this tightly contested series.

The Eastern Conference first-round matchup stands tied at 1-1. After suffering a lopsided 123-91 defeat in Game 1, the 76ers responded with a strong performance in Game 2, securing a convincing 111-97 victory to even the series.

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NBA playoffs fans, dancers, cheerleaders and mascots bring the energy

Is Joel Embiid playing tonight?

ThePhiladelphia 76ers' star Joel Embiid is currently considered doubtful to play in the first-round playoff Game 3 against the Boston Celtics on Friday, April 24.

How to watch Game 3: Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics on Friday

• Date: Friday, April 24

• Time: 7 p.m. (ET)

• Venue: Xfinity Mobile Arena

• Location: Philadelphia, PA

• TV: Peacock and NBC Sports Network

• Streaming: Peacock and NBC Sports Network

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Is Joel Embiid playing tonight? Injury update for 76ers center