Tyler Seguin turned in his best performance of the postseason Thursday night, tallying a goal and an assist and tying for the team lead with six shots on goal, but a mental error on his part proved costly in the Bruins’ 4-3 loss to the Rangers.

Just 49 seconds after giving Boston a 3-2 lead midway through the third period, Seguin jumped out early for his next shift, drawing a two-minute penalty for too many men on the ice. New York’s Brian Boyle scored on the ensuing power play, tying the game with exactly 10 minutes to play in regulation. The Rangers would eventually win in overtime to stave off elimination in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals.

The young winger took full responsibility for the penalty after the game. Check out the video above to hear what he had to say in the locker room.

Chris Kreider‘s game-winning goal 7:03 into overtime allowed the Rangers to stave off elimination in their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Bruins.

After goals by Nathan Horton and Torey Krug gave Boston a 2-0 advantage in the second period, consecutive goals by the Rangers knotted the score just over a minute into the third.

Tyler Seguin finally tallied his first goal of the playoffs to put the B’s back ahead, but a power-play goal by New York’s Brian Boyle tied the game at 3-3 just two minutes later. That deadlock would last through the end of regulation and into the extra session until Kreider’s deflection past Tuukka Rask ended it.

Still holding a 3-1 series lead, the Bruins will have another chance to close out the Blueshirts in Game 5 on Saturday at TD Garden.

Check out the best photos from Game 4 >>

This season during every Red Sox home game on NESN, fans will be selected to appear on our game telecast, tell viewers why they’re at the game and bring a sign asking Jerry to “Buy Them a Hot Dog.”

Before each selected home game, we will reveal on NESN.com/Stories two “Fan Stories” sections at Fenway based on the stories you submit. Then, during the game, Jenny Dell will visit with fans who have the most interesting stories to tell about why they came to Fenway that day.

So bring a sign, ask Jerry for a hot dog and tell us what makes your story one worth telling.

Note: Due to privacy concerns, NESN.com will not post information about any stories or potential candidates chosen to tell theirs.

Submit Your Story

Terry Francona makes his first trip to Boston as the manager of the Indians as the Red Sox open a three-game set with Cleveland. Though Francona’s team was swept by the Sox in three games in Cleveland back in mid-April, the Indians have exceeded all expectations in their first year under the former Red Sox skipper. Their 26-19 record gives them a half-game edge over Detroit, the defending American League champion, in the AL Central entering Thursday.

With Shane Victorino still unavailable with an injury, Daniel Nava shifts up to the No. 2 spot in the Boston order after Jonny Gomes occupied Victorino’s usual slot each of the last two night. Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who has been hitting ninth recently, will bat behind Mike Napoli in the No. 6 hole, with Mike Carp playing left field and rounding out the bottom of the order.

Carp has played sparingly this season — appearing in just 22 games — but has posted a solid .302 batting average. He has struggled of late, though, going 0-for-15 with one walk in his last eight games. Carp’s last base hit came in a 3-1 win over Toronto back on May 2.

See the full starting lineups for both teams below.

Boston Red Sox (28-19)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Daniel Nava, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Stephen Drew, SS
Mike Carp, LF

Ryan Dempster, RHP

Cleveland Indians (23-19)
Michael Bourn, CF
Jason Kipnis, 2B
Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
Michael Brantley, LF
Carlos Santana, 1B
Mark Reynolds, DH
Yan Gomes, C
Mike Aviles, 3B
Drew Stubbs, RF

Zach McAllister, RHP

While that might make sense, the return of the distinctive colors is far from certain. At the news conference to officially announce the name change, Michael Jordan said he had not decided what colors would accompany the rebranding. The official website featured a teal and purple palette, encouraging folks who still fit into their Starter jackets.

If the team goes back to the teal and purple of the Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson days, it would have a ready-made fan base in Charlotte and beyond. The team attracted a wide following after its inception in 1988 due to its unique color scheme, and young fans who were not even alive when the Hornets moved to New Orleans now attest to be bigger fans of the Charlotte Hornets than the Charlotte Bobcats. The former fashion designer who dreamed up the original uniforms even wants in on the creative process for the new Hornets, if they will let him.

What should the Hornets’ new colors be? Vote in the poll below.

Smith battled a knee injury for most of the playoffs, the New York Post reports, starting with the first-round series against the Celtics. The knee reportedly began to bother him around Game 3, when he elbowed Jason Terry in the head in the fourth quarter and was subsequently suspended for the next game. Smith shot 34-for-117 the rest of the playoffs.

That is convenient timing, but this is more than just an excuse. Smith will have fluid drained from his knee in the next two weeks, according to the Post, in a procedure he opted against having before the Knicks were eliminated.

When Alex Rodriguez put his Miami Beach mansion on the market, he was asking for $38 million from the sale, according to TMZ. Unfortunately for the injured Yankees star, the best he could get for the property was $30 million.

Nonetheless, Rodriguez still made a pretty penny. He bought the mansion for just $7.4 million in 2010. Over the next couple years he embarked on a remodeling adventure that ended up costing him $7.6 million, for a $15 million total investment — and a $15 million profit from the sale.

Suffice it to say, the house is pretty incredible. It contains nine bedrooms and 11 full bathrooms over nearly 20,000 square feet of space, with a four-car garage and a state-of-the-art security system too boot. Rodriguez also added some personal touches while he lived there, including a zen garden and an indoor batting cage for honing his swing.

And, oh yeah, the mansion is just down the street from actor Matt Damon.

TMZ reports that a mystery celebrity from Palm Beach has purchased the mansion, but there’s no word on who it is yet. In any case, the home has been on the market since August, so Rodriguez now has one less distraction to worry about as he rehabs from offseason hip surgery.

Check out pictures of A-Rod’s former mansion >>

Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg has been out of action since Game 7 against the Maple Leafs. Luckily for him, the B’s have been just fine in his absence, and he admits it makes it easier to take an additional day to get healthy knowing that his teammates are taking care of business.

Even though he’s not on the ice, Seidenberg has a pretty good pulse on the team, and right now he says the Bruins are playing with confidence — a recipe for success. Check out everything Seidenberg told NESN Daily‘s Naoko Funayama at Bruins practice Wednesday in the video below.

Burress launched the Plaxico Burress Collection, a line of luxury socks, this week in New York. This appears to be just the beginning for the former Jets and Giants receiver, who was previously more well-known for other types of things (such as an unfortunate firearm incident — when he was wearing sweatpants, no less). Burress says he wants to design bow ties, cuff links and belts once the socks take off.

“Come on, who doesn’t need a great belt?” Burress said when explaining his plans to the New York Times. “… I’ve always considered myself a pretty stylish guy. … I’ve been planning my sock line from behind the scenes for a couple of years. Nobody even knew I was doing it. So it’s a lot of hard work that got me to this point.”

The socks start at $24 a pair.

Burress has also launched a Twitter account to show off some of his style, and he seems to have an early affinity for pairing his hosiery with blue suede shoes. Check out some photos of his preferred footwear below, as well as one sock design from a fan that doesn’t exactly scream “luxury.”

Love this combo! http://t.co/jMcUcUJ2Mb

—
Plaxico's Socks (@PlaxicosSocks) May 02, 2013

Treat your feet! #sockarmy http://t.co/D1GufGGD4C

—
Plaxico's Socks (@PlaxicosSocks) April 16, 2013

Love them socks! RT @TerenceBoland: @PlaxicosSocks It takes a bad man to pull of these socks at work. http://t.co/wYLxur2DpZ

—
Plaxico's Socks (@PlaxicosSocks) March 28, 2013

Photo via Twitter/PlaxicosSocks

Photo of the Day

Everyone is talking about that layup at the end of the game. But this was the really impressive LeBron James moment.

Tweet of the Day

It turns out they didn’t need him.

I really, really hope the Good Job, Good Effort Kid is at tonight's game.

—
Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 23, 2013

Video of the Day

That’s how to steal a home run. Somebody tell Michael Bourn.

The Thunder star recently finished his back tattoo and sent out a picture of the masterpiece on Statigram, along with the caption “All done…James 1:2-4…look it up.”

The artwork features a giant portrait of what appears to be Jesus next to a bible verse. Above that is an angel flying while carrying what looks like a basketball. Flanking the angel are two hands — one holding up a “three” and the other holding up a “five” to represent his No. 35.

The Washington Post’s Sarah Kogod pointed out what she believed to be a misspelling. Durant, however, clarified with a follow-up picture zoomed in on the problem area while saying, “I got mature spelled the right way lol.”

Check out the massive tattoo in the photo below.

Photo via Statigram

The short list obviously has to include goalie Tuukka Rask, who leads all netminders with seven wins in the postseason and has yet to allow more than two goals in any of the three Eastern Conference semifinal games.

On the offensive end, the Bruins’ first line has been stellar, despite being neutralized by Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers in Game 3 on Tuesday. David Krejci leads all scorers in the playoffs with 16 points (five goals, 11 assists), and Nathan Horton, Krejci and Milan Lucic rank first, second and third, respectively, in the NHL in postseason plus-minus.

Lucic has also resurrected the physical play he has been known for throughout his career, pairing his 10 points (three goals, seven assists) with a number of thunderous hits.

And not to be overlooked on the defensive end is captain Zdeno Chara. The team’s trio of young blueliners have gotten much of the attention for their pleasantly surprising success against New York, but Chara has been the workhorse of the bunch, leading all Bruins skaters in average ice time by more than six minutes (29:23). He has also contributed on the scoresheet, tying with Lucic for second on the squad with 10 points (two goals, eight assists).

Which player gets your vote for team MVP through the first 10 playoff games? Voice your opinion in the poll below.

The Tribe will be around +140 series underdogs, however, for their lone visit of the season to Fenway Park starting Thursday night.

Francona spent last season working for ESPN. He was hired by the Indians in October, getting the job over Sandy Alomar Jr., who was the team’s interim manager for the final six games of 2012. Francona had plenty of ties to the franchise, working in the front office in 2001. He also spent 62 games in 1988 as a player with Cleveland, and his father Tito played for the Tribe from 1959-64.

Cleveland, which is the +300 second favorite to Detroit to win the Central, was swept three games at home by the Red Sox from April 16-18, being outscored 19-8, but has been mostly rolling since. The Indians have really stepped it up against star pitchers, going 7-1 against past Cy Young Award winners this season entering Wednesday’s game against the Tigers’ Justin Verlander. The Indians lead the majors in home runs and slugging percentage.

Zach McAllister (3-3, 2.65) is scheduled to start Thursday. He lost to the Red Sox on April 18, allowing three runs and six hits in five innings. It was his shortest outing of the season, although he did strike out seven. Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a tiebreaking homer in the fourth inning. Dustin Pedroia has the most career at-bats versus McAllister, going 3-for-9 with two RBIs.

Justin Masterson, dealt by Boston to Cleveland in the Victor Martinez deal in 2009, starts Friday. Masterson (7-2, 2.83) is the Tribe’s clear-cut ace and hasn’t allowed a run over 16 innings in his past two starts. The Sox tagged him for four runs and 11 hits in five innings April 17. Masterson has a career 3.80 ERA in 99.1 innings at Fenway. Mike Napoli is hitting .313 with a homer in 16 at-bats against Masterson. David Ortiz has one home run in 13 at-bats.

Scott Kazmir (2-2, 6.35) goes Saturday. The lefty once was a rising ace with Tampa Bay, a two-time All-Star, but his career went downhill fast and he didn’t pitch in the majors for nearly two years. Kazmir won the fifth spot in Cleveland’s rotation this spring. Kazmir, 29, hasn’t faced Boston since 2010. He has allowed nine runs over eight innings in his past two starts. Pedroia feasts off Kazmir in his career, hitting .515 with a homer in and just one strikeout in 33 at-bats.

On Sunday, Cleveland starts Corey Kluber (3-3, 5.19). He pitched Tuesday against Detroit and allowed three runs and eight hits in 6.1 innings in the loss. Kluber threw an inning of relief April 17 against the Sox and allowed a run and three hits. No Red Sox player has more than three at-bats against him.

Former Yankee outfielder Nick Swisher has done the most damage to Boston pitching among Tribe hitters this season, batting .273 with a homer and two RBIs. Cleveland batters hit only .198 with 27 strikeouts in that first Boston series.

This post is presented by Bovada.

Celtics minority owner James Pallotta presented Pope Francis with the team’s jersey on Wednesday at the Vatican. Pallotta was at the Vatican prior to the Copa Italia final (Italian Cup) as part of a visit by the two soccer clubs, AS Roma and Lazio, ahead of the championship game. Pallotta is the president of AS Roma.

The clubs were in St. Peter’s Square as part of a peace initiative ahead of Saturday’s game, and each presented His Holiness with their team jersey. The Celtics jersey was a bonus.

Check out the Pontiff with his mean, green jersey in the photo below.

Photo via Instagram/@celtics

The White Sox followed up a 6-4 win Monday night with a 2-1 decision the next night, and they’ll try to sweep away Boston at U.S. Cellular Field on Wednesday.

The Red Sox’ bats have struggled to produce in the Windy City. The team has totaled just 10 hits over the two games, with only Mike Napoli recording more than one and Chicago starter Jose Quintana nearly no-hitting the Sox on Tuesday. John Farrell will hope the same batters will have better luck against Hector Santiago, as Boston’s lineup card remains the same for Wednesday night’s series finale.

Chicago will also trot out a very similar lineup, with one small alteration. Third baseman Conor Gillaspie will see action for the first time this series while Jeff Keppinger shifts over to second in place of Tyler Greene.

See the full starting lineups for both teams below.

Boston Red Sox (27-19)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Jonny Gomes, LF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Daniel Nava, RF
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Stephen Drew, SS
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C

Clay Buchholz, RHP

Chicago White Sox (21-23)
Alejandro De Aza, CF
Alexei Ramirez, SS
Alex Rios, RF
Paul Konerko, 1B
Adam Dunn, DH
Dayan Viciedo, LF
Conor Gillaspie, 3B
Jeff Keppinger, 2B
Tyler Flowers, C

Hector Santiago, LHP

In the first round of this postseason, we saw the Grizz bounce back out of a 2-0 deficit to promptly eliminate the Clippers in Game 6. While there’s much to be said of the difference between a young team like L.A. and a veteran ball club like San Antonio, it would be naive to assume that the same couldn’t happen, especially as the series moves to Tennessee.

Memphis defying expectations is not a story limited to the postseason. It started with the regular season (and for much of the past half-decade, while we’re at it). With an egoless roster composed of a handful of offensive weapons and invaluable pieces, the Grizzlies have made short work of some of the greatest quote-unquote superstars the NBA has to offer.

 Kevin Durant? Check. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin? Check and check.

Unlike the Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder, however, the Spurs have been around the block before. In fact, it’s quite likely that this Spurs team has served as one of the inspirations for the team that Memphis general manager Chris Wallace (a former Boston Celtics man) has built for himself.

In a league often dominated by individuals, the Grizzlies — like the Spurs of the past two decades and the 2004 NBA champion Detroit Pistons — have been able to win games without relying solely on the otherworldly skill of one or two of their stars.

If Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph can continue to methodically pick away at opponents with their combination of high- and low-post skills, while Tony Allen serves as the lockdown defender and fire-starter he’s come to be known, the Grizzlies can hang with anybody.

Their humility and team effort (rather than trying to force star players to produce) have allowed them to thrive in the postseason after all. If it’s not Gasol, Randolph or Allen, then it could well be Mike Conley on the point, Jerryd Bayless or Tayshaun Prince.

The pressure then, falls on San Antonio, despite its two-game series lead and 13-4 odds of winning the NBA championship. Can Gregg Popovich and company prove that they’re still the prime example of a basketball team that knows how to play the game the right way?

This post is presented by Bovada.

After the Bruins’ Game 3 win over the New York Rangers to take a commanding 3-0 series lead, Edwards took some time to talk to the Loren & Wally show on WROR. Specifically, he talked about Daniel Paille‘s game-winning goal, which was put home off of Thornton’s rebound.

Like everyone else, Edwards thought the goal was a little bizarre, so listen to him talk about the sequence on his radio interview Wednesday morning in the audio below.

And, if you’re so inclined, visit Loren & Wally on the web at WROR.com.

That’s not to say, however, that the Indiana Pacers aren’t getting their share of attention from critics, oddsmakers and diehard hoops fans alike. Such is life when a once-overlooked midwestern franchise takes the basketball world by storm, making short work of the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks in the first two rounds of the NBA playoffs.

These days, while the Heat still sit atop the NBA futures with 1-3 odds of winning the title, the Pacers are acknowledged as a legitimate threat. Though few have shown glimpses of an ability to retain Heat superstar LeBron James, Indiana swingman Paul George is on the short list of those who possess the potential.

In addition to his defensive prowess, athleticism and sheer length on the wing, George has exhibited an offensive touch that has put him on the household radar. No longer just a fringe All-Star over whom league coaches and scouts drool, George edges closer and closer to superstardom with each Indiana victory.

George alone, however, won’t be enough to get this Pacers ballclub past the back-to-back NBA Finalist Heat. Miami, with James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Ray Allen, has been on the fast track to the 2013 crown since, well, they wore the 2012 crown.

That’s why, no matter how impressive George has been this spring — or how competent big men Roy Hibbert and David West have been for the Pacers in their frontcourt — Indiana has just 16-1 odds of winning the NBA championship.

These are just numbers, sure, but they serve as a quantifiable indication of where the public stands on the series. We would love to see an underdog like the Pacers thrive under the national spotlight of the Eastern Conference Finals, but we’re reluctant to accept it as a reality.

Fortunately for basketball fans, that just sets the stage for an even sweeter best-of-seven series. The Heat may end up pushing their way through to their third conference title in as many years, but you’d be naive to think that a hardy collection of thoroughly balanced, criminally underrated Pacers aren’t capable of at least stealing one or two victories and making things interesting.

This post is presented by Bovada.

Brady was throwing to Danny Amendola and Michael Jenkins on the near side of the field the majority of the time. Amendola was expected, but it was surprising to see Jenkins on the other side.

The Patriots have plenty of options to start at the X wide receiver between Jenkins, Donald Jones, Aaron Dobson and Josh Boyce. Jenkins has the most experience of that group at the position, so that may be the reason he was getting the most work early in the offseason.

On this week’s Gunslingers Podcast, NESN.com NFL writers Doug Kyed and Luke Hughes discuss what they saw at Patriots OTAs. They also talk about Brian Urlacher‘s retirement and the possible partnership between the WWE and NFL.

Listen in below or download the podcast on iTunes for all the latest on the Patriots and the NFL.

At the European Tour’s gala players’ awards, Garcia — who has been going through an interesting feud with Woods — was jokingly asked if he would have Woods for dinner during the U.S. Open.

“We will have him ’round every night,” he responded. “We will serve fried chicken.”

Remembering back to Woods’ 1997 win at The Masters, it was another golfer who stole headlines for a similar “fried chicken” remark. Fuzzy Zoeller, who won The Masters in 1979, made the following comment to reporters when asked about Woods, who at 21 became the youngest player to win the major.

“So you know what you guys do when he gets in here?” Zoeller said to reporters, referring to the following year’s Champions Dinner. “Pat him on the back, say congratulations, enjoy it. And tell him not to serve fried chicken next year — or collared greens or whatever the hell they serve.”

K-Mart and Dunlop revoked their sponsorships after Zoeller’s incident. Check it out in the video below.

Boston’s Double-A affiliate, the Portland Sea Dogs, will make their fourth appearance at Futures at Fenway, taking on the Harrisburg Senators, the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals.

Fenway Park gates will open at 11 a.m. for the noon game and tickets go on sale Wednesday, May 22.

For the first time at Fenway Park, fans can bring their dogs to the ballpark. Sections of the seating bowl will be available to owners and their pets where rest areas, water bowls and activities will be provided. There will also be a photo station for dogs and their owners and the opportunity to participate in a pregame dog parade around the warning track.

Tickets range from $5 (for Bleacher seats) to $30 (for Premium seating areas, including the EMC Club). Fans who wish to bring their dog to the ballpark are asked to purchase tickets by phone only at (877) REDSOX-9 and bring a completed waiver that can be downloaded at redsox.com/futures.

Starting Wednesday, tickets can be purchased at redsox.com/futures or by calling (877) REDSOX-9. Fans with disabilities can call (877) REDSOX-9 to purchase accessible seating. The Red Sox’ TTY number for hearing-impaired fans is (617) 226-6644.