NHL PLAYOFFS
Jonathan Marchessault scored twice and started an early blitz that chased the NHL’s hottest postseason goalie, and the Vegas Golden Knights seized control of the Stanley Cup Final with a 7-2 victory over the Florida Panthers in Game 2. Adin Hill continued his stellar play in net with 29 saves for the Golden Knights. Vegas now has a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Marchessault also had an assist to finish with three points. Brett Howden scored twice for the Knights, who also got goals from Alec Martinez, Nicolas Roy and Michael Amadio. Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky was pulled 7:10 into the second period down 4-0. Matthew Tkachuk and Anton Lundell scored for the Panthers. The series shifting to Florida for Game 3 on Thursday night at 8.
MLB
Shane McClanahan pitched six innings of five-hit ball to earn his major league-leading ninth win and the Tampa Bay Rays beat Boston 4-1. In the makeup of Friday’s rainout, the Rays beat Boston for a third straight game and seventh time in eight tries this year. After committing two errors on Sunday, the Red Sox robbed the Rays of two home runs before Tampa scored three in the fifth inning to break a scoreless tie. McClanahan walked two of the first three Boston batters of the game, but took a shutout into the fifth inning before giving up a home run to Justin Turner. Jason Adam pitched the ninth for his ninth save.
Aaron Nola took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and struck out 12, and Trea Turner homered twice among his four hits to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to their third straight win, 8-3 over the Detroit Tigers. Nola fanned 10 and had faced the minimum through six as he tried to pitch the Phillies’ first no-hitter since 2015. Nola allowed a two-out home run to Nick Maton in the seventh inning. There have been no no-hitters in the majors this season, the first since Major League Baseball introduced a pitch clock. There were a record nine in 2021 and four last year.
Elsewhere, the Yankees were off. They start a 3-game series at home against the Chicago White Sox tonight at 7:05.
The Mets were off as well. They start a 3-game series against Atlanta at 7:20 tonight in Atlanta.
NFL
The Buffalo Bills have reached an agreement to sign linebacker Leonard Floyd to a one-year contract in reuniting the player with fellow edge rusher, Von Miller, a person with direct knowledge of the agreement tells The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed. The NFL Network first reported the agreement. The 30-year-old Floyd is entering his eighth NFL season after spending the past three with the Los Angeles Rams, where he won a Super Bowl two years ago while playing on the opposite side of the line as Miller.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul joined Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula in helping break ground on the team's new $1.54 billion stadium scheduled to be built in time for the 2026 season. The ceremony was held on the former parking lot which is being cleared for construction and located across the street from the team's current home. The new facility will carry over the naming rights of Highmark Stadium after the team reached a long-term agreement with the health insurance provider. Among those on hand was Mary Wilson, whose late husband Ralph Wilson founded the franchise in 1960.
Jim Hines, the 1968 Olympic 100-meter champion who later went on to be an NFL wide receiver, has died. He was 76. USA Track and Field announced that Hines died Saturday. No cause of death was provided. Born in Arkansas and raised in Oakland, California, Hines took his talent to Texas Southern University and quickly rose up the ranks. Hines won the ’68 Games in Mexico City in a world-record time of 9.95 seconds. He also helped the 4x100 relay to a gold medal. Hines’ world record in the 100 meters stood for 15 years before it was broken by Calvin Smith. The current world record is held by Usain Bolt.
SOCCER
Online racist abuse of soccer players is prolific on social media platforms. It's the latest form of racism blighting the world's most popular sport. It's technology-fueled, visual, permanently intrusive, 24/7 and a haunting reminder of the 1980s-style monkey chants and banana throwing. Players and teams targeted by abuse are coming up with ways to raise awareness and reduce their exposure to offensive users. It includes using companies who configure AI software to act as a filter to stop discriminatory comments from being seen. Some are choosing alternative platforms to promote not just themselves but more ethical behavior online. There's also legislation in the works in the European Union and Britain to force big tech companies to act tougher on racism.
The vicious, relentless and high-profile racist insults directed at Brazilian soccer player Vinícius Júnior underscore an entrenched and decades-old issue that refuses to go away in the world's most popular sport. It is a deeper societal problem that is manifested in soccer matches predominantly in Europe, but also all around the world, and has been amplified by the reach of social media. Federations have been slow and, in some cases unwilling, to use powers to sanction teams for the racist behavior of their fans. Players past and present worry racism is just an accepted part of soccer. Experts say more education and stronger punishments are required to combat racism.
FRENCH OPEN
Coco Gauff put aside a skinned knee and a bad stretch in the first set to reach the French Open quarterfinals for the third consecutive year. The 19-year-old American was a 7-5, 6-2 winner over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova on Monday at Court Philippe Chatrier. Next for Gauff will be a rematch against No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who beat her in last year’s final at Roland Garros. Swiatek advanced when her fourth-round opponent, Lesia Tsurenko, stopped playing because of trouble breathing in the first set. Also advancing to the quarterfinals were Ons Jabeur, Beatriz Haddad Maia, Casper Ruud, Holger Rune, Alexander Zverev and Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
LPGA
Rose Zhang needed only one tournament to make good on high expectations. Two weeks after she won another NCAA title, Zhang made her professional debut by winning on the LPGA Tour. No one had done that in 72 years. What's next for the 20-year-old Californian? Zhang heads back to Stanford for finals and to move out of her dorm. Then she goes to the second LPGA major of the year at Baltusrol for the KPMG Women's PGA. Expectations are sure to follow. Zhang isn't bothered. As Michelle Wie West says, Zhang makes the game look easy.
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