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Kings move to cusp of playoff berth with 3-1 win over Kraken

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 23:06:18 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Despite a string of injuries and absences, the Los Angeles Kings are on the cusp of wrapping up another trip to the postseason. Pheonix Copley made 25 saves, Sean Durzi, Carl Grundstrom and Kevin Fiala scored, and the Kings created separation in the Pacific Division standings with a 3-1 win over the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night. Durzi scored at 11:45 of the second period thanks to a deflection that left an open goal, and Grundstrom stole the puck from Brandon Tanev and beat Martin Jones glove side with 14:38 remaining to give Los Angeles a 2-0 lead. Fiala added an empty net goal with 45 seconds left, his 23rd of the season. “I didn’t think there was a lot of ice for either team. Both teams played a very tight, I don’t want to say conservative, but smart game. There wasn’t space to make plays and if you had a chance to get it to the net, you’d better take advantage of it,” Los Angeles coach Todd McLellan said. “Fortunately for us, we got the lead and there wa...

Noah Gregor has hat trick, Sharks rout Coyotes 7-2

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 23:06:18 GMT

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Noah Gregor had three goals, Kyle Criscuolo and Danil Guschin scored their first NHL goals and the San Jose Sharks routed the Arizona Coyotes 7-2 on Saturday night.Criscuolo and Gushchin were recalled from the minors Saturday and helped the Sharks to their third straight victory after a nine-game losing streak that left them at the bottom of the NHL standings. Chicago and Columbus have since moved into a tie for the worst record.It was the first career hat trick for Gregor, who has 24 career goals in 172 NHL games.“I don’t know, sometimes you get hot and things go in for you, so I think that’s what happened tonight,” Gregor said.Jacob Peterson and Logan Couture also scored for San Jose — with Peterson’s goal his first of the season. Erik Karlsson had four assists, giving him 73 for the season. He added to his franchise season record for defensemen with his 95th point. Nico Sturm assisted on Gregor’s first two goals.Kaapo Kahkonen stopped 29 shot...

Ingram’s 36 points lead Pelicans past Clippers, 122-114

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 23:06:18 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — When Clippers star Kawhi Leonard hit big shots in the closing minutes, the Pelicans answered with Brandon Ingram, whose recent form has sent his team surging up the standings.Ingram scored 36 points, bringing fans to their feet with an array of clutch, mid-range jump shots, and New Orleans beat Los Angeles 122-114 on Saturday night.“If you want to be the best, you’ve got to go against the best and you’ve got to beat them,” Ingram said. “That’s one of the things that was in my head tonight, just trying to get this win.” Jonas Valanciunas scored 23 points — 15 in the third quarter — and grabbed 12 rebounds for New Orleans (40-38), which won for the seventh time in eight games and pulled within a half-game of the Clippers (41-38) for sixth place in the Western Conference.Los Angeles lost its second straight despite getting 40 points from Leonard, who played 41 minutes in New Orleans after being restricted to 18 minutes during a loss at Memphis a night earlier so that...

Espinoza’s PK goals lift San Jose over Houston 2-1

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 23:06:18 GMT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Cristian Espinoza scored twice on penalty kicks to lead the San Jose Earthquakes to a 2-1 victory over the Houston Dynamo on Saturday night.Espinoza’s first PK goal came in the seventh minute and the San Jose (3-2-1) lead stood until Amine Bassi scored on a penalty kick in the 42nd minute for Dallas (2-3-0) to knot the score at halftime.Espinoza’s match-winner came in the 65th minute.Houston, which was coming off two straight shutout wins for the first time since 2014, have never won two straight in San Jose. The Dynamo beat the Earthquakes on the road for the first time since 2016 last season.San Jose outshot Houston 13-6. Both teams had three shots on target.JT Marcinkowski totaled two saves for the Earthquakes. Steve Clark stopped one shot for the Dynamo.San Jose beat Houston for just the third time in the last 13 meetings overall.Houston returns home to host the LA Galaxy on Saturday. San Jose travels to play the New York Red Bulls on Saturday...

Becher sparks Vancouver to 5-0 victory over Montreal

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 23:06:18 GMT

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Simon Becher scored two goals and added an assist to power the Vancouver Whitecaps to a 5-0 victory over CF Montreal on Saturday night.Becher got the start against Montreal after becoming the first Whitecap to sub in and score in his first two appearances in the previous two matches.Brian White opened the scoring with a goal in the 38th minute on assists from Becher and Javain Brown.Becher used passes from Ali Ahmed and Luis Martins to score in the 43rd minute and Julian Gressel found the net unassisted two minutes later to give the Whitecaps (1-2-3) a 3-0 lead at halftime.Vancouver took a four-goal lead just three minutes into the second half on an unassisted score by Ahmed. Becher found the net for a second time — in the 59th minute — with assists from Brown and Pedro Vite to cap the scoring.The Whitecaps outshot Montreal 29-3 and had a 9-0 advantage in shots on goal.Yohei Takaoka did not have to make a save in earning the clean sheet for Vancouv...

UConn’s Hawkins bounces back from illness in Final Four win

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 23:06:18 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Jordan Hawkins spent most of Friday in bed except when he went to the bathroom to throw up. He barely slept. Yet there was no way he wasn’t going to be ready for Connecticut’s game against Miami in the Final Four.“I absolutely knew I was going to play,” Hawkins said after the Huskies’ 72-59 win over Miami in Saturday night’s national semifinals. “I didn’t care how I was feeling. Put me on a stretcher, it didn’t matter.”It wasn’t quite that dramatic, fortunately. But the 6-foot-5 sophomore bounced back from missing Friday’s practice, first by hitting a 3-pointer on the game’s opening possession and then by scoring 10 of his 13 points after halftime as the Huskies rolled into Monday night’s title game.“Final Four gameday, I wasn’t feeling the best,” he said in the locker room. “But you just have that mentality that you’ve got to go out and win a game for a national championship.”Hawkins, the team’s No. 2 ...

Griner concerned for American journalist held in Russia

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 23:06:18 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — American basketball star Brittney Griner and her wife are concerned about the detainment in Russia of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and said “we must do everything in our power to bring him and all Americans home.”“Every American who is taken is ours to fight for and every American returned is a win for us all,” Griner, who was held in Russia for most of last year, said in a statement with Cherelle Griner posted Saturday night on Instagram.Russian security officials took Gershkovich, 31, into custody on Thursday and accused him of spying. The newspaper denied the charge and demanded his release.President Joe Biden on Friday urged Russia to release Gershkovich, the first American correspondent to be detained on spying accusations since the Cold War.Brittney Griner was detained in Russia for 10 months after being arrested at an airport near Moscow on drug possession charges. She returned to the U.S. in a prisoner exchange in December involving Russian...

March Madness: San Diego State to meet UConn in title game

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 23:06:18 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Lamont Butler hit the biggest shot in San Diego State history, putting the Aztecs in the national championship game for the first time.The next step, in Monday’s title game, will be a difficult one.UConn has been the dominant team all through the bracket, delivering one beatdown after another while showing no weaknesses — even on a short turnaround.The Huskies snatched the euphoria right out of Gonzaga last week in the Elite Eight, ruining the Zags’ vibes after their last-second win over UCLA two days earlier. Baylor did the same thing to Gonzaga in the 2021 national title game, bullying the Zags two days after Jalen Suggs’ miracle shot. “We don’t stop,” UConn guard Jordan Hawkins said after scoring 13 points against Miami on Saturday night. “We keep putting our foot on their neck. We have a really tough team.”The Huskies got to the title game by breaking their opponents’ will.UConn won its first four NCAA Tournament games by at least 15 ...

Draisaitl scores 3, Oilers beat Ducks 6-0, get playoff berth

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 23:06:18 GMT

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Leon Draisaitl scored three goals, Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Anaheim Ducks 6-0 on Saturday night to clinch their fourth straight playoff berth.Zach Hyman also had a goal and an assist, and Darnell Nurse also scored, and Mattias Ekholm had two assists to help Edmonton win its fourth straight and earn at least a point for the 10th straight game (9-0-1). Jack Campbell stopped 36 shots for his 10th career shutout —first since last April 26 against Detroit.John Gibson was pulled in the third period after giving up five goals on 36 shots for Anaheim, which has lost eight straight and 10 of 11 (1-9-1). Lukas Dostal came on and finished with eight saves.Hyman deflected Mattias Ekholm’s long shot off Gibson and in with 2:04 left in the first to get the Oilers on the scoreboard. It was his 34th of the season.Draisaitl got a pass from Evander Kane, skated in and lifted a backhander into the top right corner to double...

Report: 3 killed, 3 injured in shooting at Oklahoma City bar

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 23:06:18 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — At least three people were killed and another three were injured during a shooting inside an Oklahoma City bar Saturday night, according to a report.Police said one person was in critical condition and two others suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the shooting around 9 p.m. at Whiskey Barrel Saloon near Newcastle Road and South Roff Avenue in southwest Oklahoma City, KOCO-TV reported.The Oklahoma City Police Department tweeted that investigators were at the scene of a “significant incident” in the 4100 block of Newcastle Road.Police did not have a suspect in custody Saturday, KOCO reported.The Associated Press