NHL
Braden Schneider scored at 1:51 of overtime to give the New York Rangers a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild last night. Schneider slipped a backhander past goalie Filip Gustavsson into the top-right corner to end New York’s four-game losing streak. Vincent Trocheck and Jonny Brodzinski also scored, and Igor Shesterkin made 26 saves. Marcus Johansson and Frederick Gaudreau had tying power-play goals for Minnesota in the third period. Gustavsson stopped 28 shots. The Wild top the Western Conference wild-card standings. Trocheck opened the scoring at 6:45 of second with his 18th of the season. Johansson tied it with the man advantage at 3:55 of third, Brodzinski countered at 6:39, and Gaudreau tied it again on another power play at 8:42.
Drake Batherson had two goals and an assist to end a 10-game drought and the Ottawa Senators beat the Boston Bruins 6-3 on Thursday night for their fifth straight victory. Shane Pinto, Tyler Kleven, Ridly Greig and Claude Giroux also scored to help Ottawa solidify its position as the Eastern Conference wild-card leader. Linus Ullmark made 22 saves. David Pastrnak scored his 34th goal for Boston. Casey Mittelstadt and Marat Khusnutdinov added goals. Jeremy Swayman allowed four goals on 15 shots in the first period. Joonas Korpisalo played the final two periods, stopping 14 shots.
Owen Tippett and Matvei Michkov scored in the shootout, Bobby Brink had two goals and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3. Michkov and Tampa Bay’s Brayden Point scored the only goals in the scheduled first three shootout attempts. Tippett then beat Johnas Johansson and the Lightning failed to match, lifting the Flyers to a 1-5 record on their seven-game homestand. Ryan Poehling had the other goal for Philadelphia. Gage Goncalves, Zemgus Girgensons and Cam Atkinson scored for Tampa Bay.
Ryan Graves scored 2:17 into the game and the Pittsburgh Penguins never trailed in a 5-3 win over the St. Louis Blues. Graves’ goal was his first of the season, and Conor Timmins flicked a shot over the stick-side shoulder of goaltender Jordan Binnington to give Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead almost 2 1/2 minutes into the second period. Connor Dewar, Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell also scored for the Penguins. Zack Bolduc, Dylan Holloway and Alexey Toropchenko scored for the Blues. Binnington was pulled in the third period.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and two assists for his second straight three-point game and the New Jersey Devils rallied to beat the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 on Thursday night. Bratt tied it at 2 with his 19th goal of the season at 6:50 of the third period, then set up Simon Nemec’s first of the season 1:35 later. Brett Pesce also scored, and Jake Allen made 31 saves — 18 in the third period. Leon Draisaitl scored his NHL-leading 47th goal for Edmonton. Evan Bouchard also scored and Connor McDavid had two assists. The Oilers lost their second straight and fell for the eighth time in 11 games.
Adin Hill made 27 saves, Nicolas Roy and Brandon Saad had a goal and an assist each as the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-0. It was Hill’s fourth shutout this season and the 11th of his NHL career. Pavel Dorofeyev scored and Tomas Hertl had two assists for the Golden Knights, who had lost two straight. Elvis Merzlikins made 25 saves for the Blue Jackets, who have lost two in a row and four of five. Alex Pietrangelo added an empty-net goal in the third.
Owen Tippett and Matvei Michkov scored in the shootout, Bobby Brink had two goals and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3. Michkov and Tampa Bay’s Brayden Point scored the only goals in the scheduled first three shootout attempts. Tippett then beat Johnas Johansson and the Lightning failed to match, lifting the Flyers to a 1-5 record on their seven-game homestand. Ryan Poehling had the other goal for Philadelphia. Gage Goncalves, Zemgus Girgensons and Cam Atkinson scored for Tampa Bay.
Undrafted rookie Collin Graf scored twice, Will Smith had a goal and an assist and the San Jose Sharks beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 on Thursday night. Alexandar Georgiev made 24 saves for San Jose, and Tyler Toffoli had an empty-net goal. Smith opened the scoring with a one-timer 3:48 into the game off a feed from Macklin Celebrini. Smith, a 19-year-old rookie, has 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in his last 19 games. Frank Nazar and Ilya Mikheyev scored for Chicago. Spencer Knight had 21 saves.
Quinton Byfield had a goal for the fifth consecutive game, Darcy Kuemper made 21 saves, and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Washington Capitals 3-0. Kevin Fiala had a goal and an assist, Warren Foegele scored, and the Kings won their fourth in a row following a season-high five-game losing streak. Charlie Lindgren made 24 saves for the Capitals, who had won five straight. Alex Ovechkin did not have a shot on goal despite playing nearly 19 minutes with 8:41 of it on the power play.
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Coby White scored 31 points, and the Chicago Bulls beat the Brooklyn Nets 116-110. White extended his streak of 20-point games to a career-best seven, helping the Bulls rally to win their season-high fourth in a row. Kevin Huerter added 18 points and nine rebounds. Tre Jones scored 18, and Julian Phillips finished with 16 points. Chicago is 10th in the Eastern Conference at 28-38 and holds the final play-in spot. Cam Thomas led Brooklyn with 24 points and a career-high 10 assists. Tyrese Martin scored 19. Nic Claxton added 18 points and 14 rebounds, but the Nets lost for the 10th time in 12 games.
Alex Sarr made the go-ahead basket with 53 seconds left, followed with a blocked shot and finished with 19 points to lead the Washington Wizards to a 129-125 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night. Justin Champagnie had 17 points and nine rebounds for the Wizards, while Kyshawn George scored all of his nine points in the fourth quarter, making three 3-pointers after going 0 for 4 through three quarters. Cade Cunningham had 38 points and 10 rebounds for the Pistons, who had won two straight. Jalen Duren added 18 points and 14 rebounds.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists as the Milwaukee Bucks snapped a three-game skid with a 126-106 victory over the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. The Bucks withstood a 45-point, 11-rebound performance from Luka Doncic. Doncic had 29 points by halftime. Austin Reaves added 28 points and eight rebounds for Los Angeles. The Lakers lost their third straight. Los Angeles’ LeBron James missed a second straight game due to a left groin strain. The Lakers also were missing Jaxson Hayes and Rui Hachimura.
Paolo Banchero had 34 points, 11 rebounds and four steals, and the Orlando Magic beat the New Orleans Pelicans 113-93 on Thursday night. Franz Wagner added 27 points, six rebounds and five assists, going 11 for 17 from the field and 4 of 4 from the free throw line. Zion Williamson led the Pelicans with 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists. New Orleans also got 17 points from Trey Murphy III. The Magic took the lead with 9:24 left in the first quarter and did not relinquish it. It was 68-38 by halftime, with Banchero racking up 24 points and Wagner 20.
Stephen Curry became the first player in NBA history with 4,000 career 3-pointers, Draymond Green scored 23 points and the Golden State Warriors beat the Sacramento Kings 130-104 on Thursday night for their sixth straight victory and 11th of 12. Fans jumped to their feet and cheered when Curry connected in the third quarter, and a tribute played on the big screen during a timeout. Playing a day before his 37th birthday, Curry had 11 points. Jonathan Kuminga returned from a right ankle injury that sidelined him for 31 games. He had 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting. DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points for the Kings in their third straight loss and fourth in five.
Stephen Curry is the first player in NBA history with 4,000 3-pointers. He did it a day before his 37th birthday. His 4,000th came from the right wing on a pass from Moses Moody with 8:19 left in the third, on his fourth attempt of the night. The two-time NBA MVP needed two more from deep coming into Thursday night’s game against the rival Sacramento Kings at Chase Center. He hit his first from the left wing with 5:35 remaining in the opening quarter.
San Antonio Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox will miss the rest of the season with a finger injury. The Spurs say he will have surgery on Tuesday to repair a tendon on his left hand. He was injured during training camp in October while he was still with the Sacramento Kings. San Antonio acquired him on February 3, and he averaged 19.7 points 4.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists in 17 games. The Spurs expect him to make a full recovery and be ready for the start of next season.
MLB
It’s the World Series-champion Los Angeles Dodgers against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Tokyo Dome to start the Major League Baseball season. It’s only two games. For the record, the MLB regular season consists of almost 2,500 games. But it’s much more than just two games for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who was born in Japan. And for Shohei Ohtani and the four other Japanese players competing at home for the Dodgers and Cubs. MLB is opening its regular season for the second straight year in the Asian market.
The Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday withdrew from a $1.3 billion ballpark project, citing hurricanes and delays that likely will drive up the proposal’s cost. The team issued a statement by principal owner Stuart Sternberg saying that “a series of events” in October, which included severe damage to the existing Tropicana Field, led to what he called “this difficult decision.” the Rays are set to play this season’s home games across Tampa Bay at the New York Yankees’ spring training home, 11,000-seat Steinbrenner Field. Meanwhile, repairs are envisioned to the Trop, including replacing its roof shredded by Hurricane Milton, that would have it ready for the 2026 season.
SPORTS WRITING
John Feinstein, one of the country’s foremost sports writers and the author of numerous bestselling books, has died unexpectedly, according to his brother, Robert Feinstein. John Feinstein was 69. He died of natural causes at his brother’s home in McLean, Virginia. He was a full-time reporter for the Washington Post from 1977 to 1991 and a commentator for outlets such as NPR, ESPN and the Golf Channel. Feinstein was comfortable writing about all sports, but he was best-known for his connection to college basketball because of his groundbreaking book “A Season on the Brink.” He was an AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll voter for more than 20 years.
GOLF
The Players Championship always delivers the unpredictable at the TPC Sawgrass. Camilo Villegas, Lucas Glover and J.J. Spaun are tied for the lead. Villegas got a lesson on the day before the opening round from a swing coach who was in Singapore for the start of a LIV event. Rory McIlroy was one behind. He made four of his birdies from the rough or the pine straw. Jordan Spieth had an eagle, birdie, par, bogey and double bogey after only six holes. He shot 70. Chandler Phillips set a Players record with three eagles. He also had a triple bogey.
Rory McIlroy shot a 67 at The Players Championship. Getting as much attention is a video of him taking a phone away from a University of Texas player who heckled him during a practice round. Golf.com reported that Texas player Luke Potter took a dig at McIlroy about the 2011 Masters after McIlroy hooked a tee shot into the water during a Tuesday practice round. Potter had just won a college tournament across the street on Monday. Potter tells GolfChannel.com that he’s sorry for the incident. Asked about it on Thursday, McIlroy said only he was happy with a 67.
NFL
The NFL’s new year officially kicked off Wednesday, two days after teams began spending big money in free agency. The Washington Commanders, Chicago Bears and New England Patriots are among the biggest winners. The Commanders made two major moves through trades, acquiring star wide receiver Deebo Samuel and five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil to surround Jayden Daniels with even more talent on a team that reached the NFC championship game.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
4-seed Iona is advancing in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference playoffs after taking down 5-seed Manhattan 77-65 yesterday. The Gaels advance to face top seed Quinnipiac at 6:00 this evening.
In further MAAC play, 6-seed Mount St. Mary’s took down three-seed Marist 62 to 58.
UConn walloped six-seed Villanova 73-56 in the Big East quarterfinals. The Huskies move on to play 2-seed Creighton in the semifinals at 9 tonight.
Duke coach Jon Scheyer says it’s a “real long shot” that freshman star Cooper Flagg will be able to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament semifinals because of an ankle sprain. The 6-foot-9 Flagg rolled his left ankle in the first half of the top-ranked Blue Devils’ quarterfinal win against Georgia Tech on Thursday. He hobbled off the court before heading to the locker room. He returned to the bench for the second half but didn’t play again. Duke plays in the semifinals on Friday night. Duke also lost versatile defensive forward Maliq Brown to a shoulder injury.
Xavier and Indiana had chances to give their NCAA Tournament resumes a significant boost. But the Musketeers lost 89-87 to No. 25 Marquette, and Indiana fell 72-59 to No. 23 Oregon. Those aren’t bad losses by any means, but they were squandered chances. And Xavier and Indiana are very much on the bubble. Texas and North Carolina are two bubble teams whose outlooks seemed pretty precarious a couple days ago. Now they’re still alive in their conference tournaments. The Longhorns snagged a huge win over No. 14 Texas A&M, 94-89 in double overtime. The Tar Heels beat Wake Forest 68-59.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
The Siena College women’s basketball team will not be headed back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001. The third-seeded Saints were knocked out of the MAAC tournament Thursday, losing to 6-seed Merrimack 79-72. They finished 17 and 13 on the year.
The University at Albany women’s basketball team will host Vermont today in the America East championship with a trip to the NCAA Tournament on the line. The Great Danes, the top seed in the conference tourney, are hosting the title game for the first time in a decade. They split the season series with the Catamounts. Vermont has knocked UAlbany out of the playoffs the last two years. UAlbany Coach Colleen Mullen isn’t taking anything for granted:
“When you’re the top in a league, and you’re in first place starting early in the regular season, we knew we were going to get everybody’s best game. Everybody wants to take down the team that’s on top. We got beat a couple times when we weren’t prepared, or when you have an off game and they have a really great game, anybody can beat anybody. So in all those situations, we really gained a lot of insight about who we are as a team.”
Coach Alisa Kresge’s Vermont squad is the No. 2 seed:
“Albany is an incredible team, they’ve been so good all year long. They haven’t skipped a beat, but we know that there’s going to be a lot of defense on both sides, so it’s going to come down to we have to find a way to score. I really believe both teams are going to show up on the defensive end.”
The game tips off at 5 p.m. and will be seen nationally on ESPNU.
Mt. St. Mary’s completed the sweep of Marist, with the 4-seed Mountaineers defeating the 5-seed Red Foxes 68-65.
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