The Boston Bruins have widened their lead in the NHL’s Atlantic Division. David Pastrnak’s 46th goal of the season was the eventual game-winner as the Bruins topped the Stars, 4-3.
The game was deadlocked, 1-1 until Brad Marchand and Nick Ritchie tallied 77 seconds apart late in the second period. Jaroslav Halak turned back 31 shots to help Boston end its first two-game losing streak in over a month. The Bruins now pace the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division races by seven points over Tampa Bay.
Ryan Strome's two goals and one assist carried the Rangers to their fifth consecutive win, 5-2 at Montreal. Phillip Di Giuseppe, Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad also tallied after New York fell behind, 2-0.
Colton Parayko's wraparound goal in overtime capped the Blues' comeback in a 3-2 win against the Islanders. Vince Dunn tied it with 1:44 left in regulation before Parayko sent St. Louis to its sixth straight win and a five-point lead over Colorado atop the Central Division. Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Jordan Eberle had first-period goals for the Isles, who are two points ahead of Columbus for the first Eastern Conference wild card.
Logan Couture scored 38 seconds into overtime to complete the Sharks' 3-2 win against the Devils. San Jose trailed 2-0 in the second until Mario Ferraro beat Mackenzie Blackwood and Marcus Sorenson added a short-handed goal late in the period.
Winnipeg's three-game skid is over after Connor Hellebuyck stopped 34 shots in a 3-0 shutout of the Capitals. Kyle Connor and Mark Schiefele each had a goal and an assist to support Hellebuyck's fifth shutout of the season and 19th of his career. Washington's lead in the Metropolitan Division remains four points over the Penguins, who have two games in hand.
The Lightning dropped their fourth straight since a team-record, 11-game winning streak. Dominik Kubalik recorded his first career hat trick with three goals in the third period of the Blackhawks' 5-2 victory at Tampa. The Blackhawks trailed 2-0 before scoring three times in the final period, including three in a 5:20 span. Slater Koekkoek scored his first goal of the season and Brandon Saad added his 20th as Chicago beat the Lightning for the first time in regulation since Dec. 13, 2009.
William Nylander snapped a 3-3 tie with 11 minutes left in the Maple Leafs' 5-3 victory over the Panthers. Auston Matthews, Kasperi Kapanen, Mark Hyman and Justin Holl also scored and Frederik Andersen stopped 24 shots in Toronto's third win in four games.
Mikael Granlund provided the tying and winning goals in the Predators' 4-3 overtime victory against the Flames. Granlund knotted the score with less than a second left in regulation and ended it at 1:20 of OT to give Nashville its third straight win.
Bobby Ryan returned from a three-month injury absence and recorded a hat trick in the Senators' 5-2 verdict over the Canucks. Ryan tallied twice in the final 2:08 for his fifth hat trick and first since December 2014.
Matt Dumba had two goals and an assist as the Wild blew out the Red Wings, 7-1 for their fourth win in five games. Kevin Fiala also had a three-point night with a goal and two assists.
In NHL news, Canucks goaltender Jacob Markstrom had a "minor lower body procedure" and will be reevaluated in two weeks. Markstrom was hurt during a 9-3 win over the Boston Bruins on Saturday, causing Vancouver to acquire veteran Louis Domingue from New Jersey. Markstrom is 23-16-4 with a 2.75 goals-against average, a career-high .918 save percentage and two shutouts this season.
NBA
No Joel Embiid. No Ben Simmons. No problem for the Philadelphia 76ers as they improved to an NBA-best 28-2 at home. Tobias Harris scored 34 points to lead the short-handed Sixers to a 115-106 victory over the Knicks. Harris had 23 points in the opening half to help Philadelphia to a 61-46 lead at the break. Shake Milton scored 19 points and Al Horford added 15 as the 76ers handed New York its sixth straight loss. Embiid sat out with a shoulder injury and Simmons missed his third straight game with a back ailment that will keep him off the court for at least two weeks. The win puts the 76ers in a tie with Miami for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
Anthony Davis had 23 points and six rebounds in three quarters of the Lakers' 116-86 thrashing of the Warriors. Rajon Rondo started in place of LeBron James and contributed 12 points with six assists as Los Angeles earned its seventh straight win and league-record 18th in a row on the road against the Western Conference. James sat out because of recurring soreness in his troublesome left groin.
Danilo Gallinari scored 24 points and the Thunder rallied from 19 down in the third quarter to beat the Kings, 112-108. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander contributed 20 points and Chris Paul added 17 as Oklahoma City won its fifth in a row and 14th in its last 17 games.
Domantas Sabonis had 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Pacers to their fourth win in five games, 106-100 versus the Trail Blazers. Malcolm Brogdon had 17 points, eight assists and six rebounds, while T.J. Warren and Victor Oladipo scored 15 points each for Indiana.
In NBA news, some key Kobe Bryant memorabilia, including two of his Los Angeles Lakers uniforms and cement handprints from his induction into the Grauman's Chinese Theater hall of fame gallery, are going up for sale in April. Julien's Auctions aid Thursday that the items would be up for sale on April 30 as part of its annual sports auction that also includes a silver medal from the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and a 2002 FIFA World Cup gold winner's medal. Bryant's items were already being planned for auction when he, his daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
In men’s college basketball, Iona ripped Canisius 86-65.
In women’s college basketball, Monmouth defeated Siena 49-43, Iona bested Canisius 78-72, and NC State held off Syracuse 69-60.
In men's top-25 basketball, third-ranked Gonzaga has nailed down its eighth consecutive West Coast Conference regular-season title. Filip Petrusev had 21 points and nine rebounds for the Bulldogs in a 94-59 dismantling of San Diego. Corey Kispert scored 16 points and Ryan Woolridge had 15 for the 28-2 Zags, who rebounded from Saturday's loss at BYU. Gonzaga has won 38 consecutive home games, the longest streak in the country. The Bulldogs are also seeking to play the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament in Spokane.
Payton Pritchard had 23 points and 14th-ranked Oregon extended its home winning streak to 15 games by topping Oregon State, 69-54. Will Richardson had 15 points for the Ducks, who avenged their Feb. 8 loss to the Beavers. Oregon is 22-7 overall and 11-5 in the Pac-12.
D'Mitrik Trice hit his first five shots and scored 28 points as Wisconsin topped No. 19 Michigan, 81-74. Aleem Ford and Micah Potter each had 18 points to help the Badgers improve to 18-9 overall and 11-6 in the Big Ten. Zavier Simpson scored a career-high 32 points for the Wolverines, who were without guard Eli Brooks because of a broken nose.
Matt Bradley matched his career highs of five 3-pointers and 26 points in leading California's 76-62 upset of 21st-ranked Colorado. Kareem South had 19 points and Paris Austin added 12 as the Golden Bears beat the Buffaloes for the first time in six tries.
Kaleb Wesson scored 16 points and had a career-high 18 rebounds in No. 23 Ohio State's 75-54 thumping of Nebraska. Duane Washington Jr. made three straight 3s to open the game and finished with 14 points for the Buckeyes, who led 26-12 after hitting nine of their first 11 shots.
MLB
Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale will start the season on the injured list. Manager Ron Roenicke says Sale will be placed on the 15-day injured list and will remain in Fort Myers, Florida, for extended spring training when the team breaks camp. Sale reported to camp with pneumonia and is behind schedule. Sale ended last season on the injured list with elbow inflammation, making his last appearance Aug. 13 at Cleveland, where he gave up five runs with 12 strikeouts in 6 ? innings. Roenicke emphasized this trip to the injured list is not related to Sale's elbow. Sale went 6-11 last season with a 4.40 ERA in 25 starts, the fewest in his career for a full season since 2012.
Indians reliever Emmanuel Clase is expected to be out 8-12 weeks with a strained back muscle. Clase has a 100 mph fastball and was the centerpiece of an offseason trade that sent two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber to Texas.
Cubs reliever Brad Wieck has had surgery for an abnormal heart flutter and is out indefinitely. The team says an irregular heartbeat was discovered during the 28-year-old left-hander's spring training physical.
Freddie Freeman hopes to return to the Atlanta Braves lineup next week after his surgically repaired right elbow swelled and forced him out of action a few days ago. The four-time All-Star had three loose bodies removed from his elbow in October to address years-long pain that caused an ill-timed slump last season.
Kerwin Danley has been named the majors' first African American umpire crew chief. The 58-year-old Danley has worked two World Series and been on the field for 10 other postseason rounds, including the AL Championship Series last year. MLB also says Alfonso Marquez is being elevated to the first Hispanic crew chief born outside the United States.
Members of Congress have sent a letter to the Baseball Hall of Fame asking that former major league outfielder Curt Flood be elected in December by the next golden era committee. The recognition would coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Flood's defiant letter to baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn in which he wrote, "I do not feel that I am a piece of property to be bought and sold irrespective of my wishes." Flood was traded by St. Louis to Philadelphia after the 1969 season and refused to report to the Phillies, instead sitting out the 1970 campaign and challenging the reserve clause.
Former Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz is selling some baseball memorabilia and plenty of household items at a weekend estate sale. The baseball-related items for sale include framed jerseys, bobbleheads, commemorative Coca-Cola bottles, signed Red Sox photographs, and a Boston Bruins jersey with the name Ortiz and his No. 34 on the back.
PGA
Tom Lewis and Harris English each fired 4-under 66s to take a one-shot lead in the first of the PGA's Honda Classic at Palm Beach Gardens. Lewis and English each made the field on sponsor exemptions after failing to qualify for the event. Zach Johnson shares second with J.T. Poston, Brian Stuard, Cameron Tringale and Lee Westwood, who also made the field on a sponsor exemption.
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