BATAVIA, N.Y. -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is reiterating his stance of wanting to reduce the four-game preseason schedule at a time the league and players' association have begun preliminary talks on a new collective bargaining agreement.

Goodell cites discussions he's had with coaches in saying he doesn't believe four preseason games are necessary to evaluate and develop players for the regular season. He says the NFL should do everything to the highest quality, "and I'm not sure preseason games meet that level right now."

Goodell spoke Monday while participating in Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly's 33rd charity golf tournament outside Buffalo.

Also, without revealing any details, Goodell called it "the best sign" that the league and union have already had discussions some 21 months before the CBA expires following the 2020 season.

In touching on several other topics, he said the NFL has scheduled a series of conference calls with coaches this week to go over a proposal to expand replay reviews and allow them to challenge pass-interference calls in the final two minutes.

Goodell backed a decision made at the owners meetings last month to table a proposal to change the overtime rules and require each team to have one possession regardless of what happens on the opening OT series.

"I don't know if I'd go for the fair possession," Goodell said, noting he likes "the sudden-death nature of the current rule," in which the game ends if a team scores a touchdown on its opening possession.

Goodell also reiterated the league's preference for the Buffalo Bills to build a new stadium to replace their existing facility, which was built in 1973. He said new stadiums play a key role in ensuring franchise stability by continuing to attract fans, who expect more modern amenities due to technological advancements made over the past two decades.

The Bills are six months into conducting a feasibility study on whether to build a new stadium downtown or remain at their existing site in Orchard Park, New York.

ST. LOUIS -- After a 7-2 shellacking from the Boston Bruins in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, the St. Louis Blues are making lineup changes for Monday night's Game 4, trailing the series 2-1.

Defenseman Vince Dunn, who has been out of the lineup after taking a puck to the face in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals against San Jose, returns to the team's third defensive pairing with Carl Gunnarsson, replacing Robert Bortuzzo.

"I just wanted to feel myself getting used to the speed of things. The more I practiced, the more I felt I was catching up," said Dunn, 22, a smooth-skating defenseman who had seven points in 16 playoff games. "It's hard to watch, not being a part of these games."

Coach Craig Berube thinks Dunn can be a key to breaking out against the Bruins' disruptive defense.

"He moves the puck as good as anybody on our team from our own end out transition-wise, and Dunn has the ability of doing high-end things in the offensive zone sometimes. Not all the time, but there's just times where he can do things that wow you a little bit and make a great play, or score a goal from nothing. He can make something from nothing a lot of time in those areas," he said.

At the forward spot, the Blues shuffled three of their lines. Most dramatic was the elevation of Zach Sanford from the fourth line in Game 3 to the second line with center Ryan O'Reilly and winger David Perron.

"I think it can give us a nice spark. He had a nice game in the last one. We've played together multiple times during the year. It's a good fit. We need something to generate a little bit more 5-on-5," said O'Reilly.

The duo played with rookie forward Sammy Blais in the first three games of the series. O'Reilly has just one even-strength assist and one on the power play against Boston, while Perron has been held scoreless.

"At times, we're getting the looks that we need, but we're not maintaining enough. It's too much of a roller coaster. If the plays are there, we make them. I think Zach is really good at using his size to make plays around the ice," O'Reilly said.

Blais was dropped to the third line with Tyler Bozak and Pat Maroon. Robby Fabbri, who appeared in Games 2 and 3, leaves the lineup.

Center Oskar Sundqvist rejoins the team's fourth line with Ivan Barbashev and Alex Steen, after serving a one-game suspension for an illegal hit in Game 2. He's a key penalty killer for the Blues -- and perhaps it's no coincidence that the Bruins went 4-for-4 with the man advantage in Game 3.

Also back for the Blues: goalie Jordan Binnington, who was pulled from Game 4 after giving up the Bruins' fifth goal. It was the first time in his NHL career the rookie had been yanked from a game, but his coach and teammates were quick to stamp out any speculation that there's a lack of faith in their goalie, especially when he's 6-2 after losses in the playoffs.

"In his bounce-back games, it's just his calmness and his mannerisms more than anything. I think he goes back in there and he feels real confident about himself. Early on in games a lot of times you see his puck-handling ability, and I know that he's dialed pretty well when I notice that kind of stuff," Berube said.

The Chicago Cubs called up outfielder Carlos Gonzalez on Monday and plugged him into the lineup, hoping the veteran could jolt the offense.

Gonzalez, 33, was signed to a minor league deal on Thursday after the Indians designated him for assignment.

Gonzalez was batting fifth and playing right field Monday against the Angels at Wrigley Field. The regular right fielder, Jason Heyward, moved over to center field.

Gonzalez was once one of the more feared hitters in baseball. The three-time All-Star won a batting title with a .336 average while with Colorado in 2010. He drove in 100 runs as recently as 2016.

He also gives the Cubs another left-handed option at the top of the lineup. In 110 games batting first, Gonzalez has a .310 batting average and .363 on-base percentage. The Cubs' leadoff hitters have struggled this year with a .218 batting average and .298 on-base percentage.

Gonzalez will have to find his form, however. The Indians gave up on him after he hit .210 with two home runs and seven RBIs in 30 games.

The Cubs were in first place in the Central Division for much of May, but they have been struggling lately, with the Brewers taking over the top spot in June. The Cubs are 2-8 in their past 10 games and haven't scored more than four runs in their last four.

To make room on the active roster, the Cubs sent down outfielder Jim Adduci.

NEW YORK -- New York Mets announcer Ron Darling is returning to the team's broadcast booth Tuesday night following surgery to treat thyroid cancer.

Darling said April 13 that he was taking a medical leave. On May 6, he said a mass had been removed and he planned to be back at work in about a month.

The 58-year-old former pitcher said in a statement Monday that his doctors tell him his cancer has been "stabilized for now" and he has been cleared to work. He added that he will be monitored closely for the next several months to "assure my progress remains on the right track."

Darling was 136-116 from 1983 to '95 and helped the Mets win the 1986 World Series.

Former Race Walking Association president was part of Britain’s ‘golden quartet’ at the 1964 Tokyo Games

Ken Matthews, who won Olympic and European 20km race walk titles for Great Britain in the 1960s, has died at the age of 84.

Part of Britain’s ‘golden quartet’ at the 1964 Tokyo Games, Matthews’ winning margin of 99 seconds is still a record in the men’s Olympic event and his time of 1:29:34 saw him break the Olympic record.

Two years earlier Matthews had won the European title in Belgrade and he also secured success in the first two finals of the Lugano Trophy in 1961 and 1963, leading Britain to victory.

At the 1960 Olympics in Rome, where he had led the race, he was forced to drop out after suffering the after effects of flu and struggling in the heat.

A loyal member of Royal Sutton Coldfield Walking Club, Matthews was president of the Race Walking Association in London 2012 Olympic year. His 20km race walk best of 88:15 places him in the top 30 on the UK all-time list.

Matthews, who was an electrical maintenance engineer, started his race walk career as an 18-year-old, following in the footsteps of his father, Joe, who was a founding member of the Royal Sutton Coldfield Walking Club.

He went on to win 17 national titles, as well as secure his Olympic and European success, and between 1964 to 1971 he held every British record from 5 miles to 2 hours, including a 10-mile world best of 69:40.6.

His fellow 1964 champions Ann Packer, Mary Rand and Lynn Davies each received MBEs following their Olympic success but Matthews missed out. Following a public campaign, led by the Race Walking Association, Matthews finally received his own recognition and became an MBE in 1977.

He was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.

Olympic 800m champion can ‘compete without restriction’ while appeal is pending, says legal team

Caster Semenya can return to race “without restriction” while her appeal against the IAAF’s new regulations on female classification is pending, the two-time Olympic 800m champion’s legal team has said.

According to a statement released on Monday, the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland has “ordered the IAAF to immediately suspend the implementation of the eligibility regulations against Caster Semenya”.

Semenya was quoted as saying: “I am thankful to the Swiss judges for this decision.

“I hope that following my appeal I will once again be able to run free.”

Semenya recently lost her landmark case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the IAAF’s new rules, which relate to restricting testosterone levels in female runners in certain events.

The ‘IAAF Eligibility Regulations for Female Classification (Athletes with Differences of Sex Development (DSD))’ had originally been due to come into effect on November 1, 2018, but were suspended. Following the CAS ruling, the regulations started on May 8.

Under the new rules Semenya – and other female athletes with DSD – would need to reduce their natural testosterone level in order to take part in certain women’s events in international competition.

The rules for athletes who have DSD apply to the 400m, 400m hurdles, 800m, 1500m, one mile races and combined events over the same distances.

Swiss counsel for Semenya, Dr Dorothee Schramm of Sidley Austin LLP, said: “The Swiss Supreme Court has granted welcome temporary protection to Caster Semenya.

“This is an important case that will have fundamental implications for the human rights of female athletes.”

According to the statement, the Swiss court will issue another ruling on the continued suspension of the IAAF regulations after receiving submissions from the sport’s global governing body.

Andy Murray is planning to make his return to competitive tennis in the doubles at the Fever-Tree Championships at Queen's Club later this month.

The Briton, 32, has not played since the Australian Open and had a hip resurfacing operation in January.

The former world number one, who has since said he is "pain-free", aims to play alongside Spain's Feliciano Lopez.

The tournament in London will start on Monday, 17 June - two weeks before Wimbledon begins.

BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller said: "I don't see this as the start of a doubles career but as a stepping stone.

"He's not ready for singles at all but I think he intends to give it a go later. It is incredibly early days. He's only been back in full training for two weeks.

"It's an obvious way to ease yourself back in, but who knows what will happen from here."

Three-time Grand Slam champion Murray had a hit with Australian Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon last month and posted a video of him serving on grass on his Instagram account earlier this week.

Murray has said he could play doubles at Wimbledon but effectively ruled out competing in the singles this year.

Former British tennis player Naomi Cavaday says Murray will not want to feel any pressure on his return and that will be reflected in his choice of partner.

"In this particular situation Andy would have asked around the locker room to see who was set," said Cavaday.

"He wouldn't want to play with a serious doubles guy, then there is pressure on the match. He doesn't want pressure on the match, he just wants to play on court.

"So a singles guy who isn't solely focused on doubles means there isn't a huge pressure because that guy isn't trying to make a living."

The Scot had the hip resurfacing operation - which keeps more of the damaged bone than a hip replacement, smoothing the ball down and covering it with a metal cap - in London on 28 January.

Sixteen-time Grand Slam doubles champion Bob Bryan had the same surgery in 2018 and was back playing again, alongside twin brother Mike, five months later.

BBC Sport will have live coverage from the west London club across television, radio and online.