The New York Islanders played their style for 60 minutes and advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by defeating the Washington Capitals, 4-0 in Game 5. The Dallas Stars used the opposite approach to wrap up their series in six games, scoring seven times on just 24 shots in a 7-3 thrashing of the Flames.
The Islanders were 1-for-19 on the power play in the series until Anthony Beauvillier scored with the man advantage midway through the first period. Beauvillier also tallied in the second period. Nick Leddy and Josh Bailey added empty-netters. Bailey also assisted on Beauvillier's two goals as New York made the most out of their 17 shots. Semyon Varlamov stopped 21 shots for his third career playoff shutout and first since 2009 with the Capitals. He allowed just eight goals in the series.
The Stars spotted Calgary a 3-0 lead before Denis Gurianov scored a career-high four goals and had an assist to lead Dallas to the second round. Gurianov notched a hat trick in the Stars' five-game second period and added his fourth goal of the night midway through the third. Veteran Joe Pavelski added a goal and an assist for the Stars, who won the last three games of the series. Radek Faksa and Miro Heiskanen also scored for Dallas.
MLB
The New York Mets are the latest major league team to see their schedule altered because of the coronavirus. MLB says two members of the Mets organization have tested positive for COVID-19. That has forced the postponement of their games Thursday in Miami and Friday against the New York Yankees. Major League Baseball says the postponements are "out of an abundance of caution and to allow for additional testing and contact tracing to be conducted."
In MLB's Thursday action:
There's a new occupant atop the AL East standings after the Tampa Bay Rays completed their first three-game sweep at Yankee Stadium in six years. Mike Zunino belted a three-run homer while the Rays scored five times in the sixth inning of a 10-5 victory in the Bronx. Yandy Díaz padded the lead in the ninth with a two-run homer, helping Tampa Bay withstand home runs by Gio Urshela and Luke Voit. The sweep comes after the Yankees tied a club record with 10 consecutive home wins to start the season. Thursday's loss drops them a half-game behind the division-leading Rays, who have won 11 of their last 12.
The Orioles dropped their fifth in a row as Nathan Eovaldi allowed five hits over seven innings of the Red Sox's 7-1 win at Baltimore. Xander Bogaerts and Mitch Moreland homered in Boston's second straight win since a nine-game losing streak.
The Blue Jays took the opener of their doubleheader by defeating the Phillies, 3-2 on an RBI single by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the seventh and final inning. Santiago Espinal had a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning and Craig Biggio tied the game with an RBI double in the sixth before Toronto completed its fourth win in a row. The Blue Jays swept the seven-inning twinbill as Rowdy Tellez homered and hit a go-ahead two-run single in a seven-run sixth that keyed a frantic comeback in a 9-8 win over the Phils. The Phillies jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first inning, capped by Andrew McCutchen's three-run double.
The Astros extended their major league-best winning streak to eight games with a 10-8 victory over the Rockies. Abraham Toro homered in the second of two five-run innings by Houston.
Matt Chapman drove in three with a pair of homers and Matt Olson added a two-run blast in the Athletics' 5-1 verdict over the Diamondbacks. Sean Manaea had his best start of the year, allowing one run over 5 1/3 innings to lower his ERA to 6.39.
Nelson Cruz Jr. smacked a two-run homer and Jorge Polanco laced a two-run double in the Twins' 7-1 downing of the Brewers. Jose Berrios struck out nine and limited Milwaukee to just one hit over six scoreless innings.
Lucas Giolito struck out 13 over seven innings and combined with Jimmy Cordero on a five-hitter in the White Sox's fifth straight win, a 9-0 pounding of the Tigers. Eloy Jimenez hit a two-run homer, Jose Abreu drove in two and Tim Anderson went 2-for-4 with a homer while lifting his average to .379.
Unbeaten Shane Bieber racked up 11 more strikeouts and the Indians blanked the Pirates, 2-0 to complete a three-game sweep and extend their winning streak to a season-high six games. Bieber is 5-0 and has struck out a major league-best 65 in 40 2/3 innings, an average of 14.4 per nine frames.
Clayton Kershaw struck out a season-high 11 in seven strong innings to pitch the Dodgers to their eighth win in nine games, 6-1 versus the Mariners. Cody Bellinger homered for the second straight game and Matt Beaty's RBI double sparked the Dodgers' four-run third.
Kolten Wong's RBI single capped the Cardinals' three-run ninth in a 5-4 triumph over the Reds. Cincinnati carried a 4-2 lead into the final inning before Yadier Molina hit an RBI single and Tyler O'Neil scored on a balk. Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina has returned to the starting lineup after missing almost three weeks with COVID-19.
The Padres came away with an 8-7 win over the Rangers on Jake Cronenworth's RBI single in the bottom of the 10th. San Diego became the first team in major league history to hit a grand slam in four straight games when Eric Hosmer delivered a bases-loaded bomb in the fifth inning.
The Giants rolled to a 10-5 win over the Angels behind Wilmer Flores, who was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and four RBIs. Brandon Crawford also went deep and Kevin Gausman allowed four runs over 5 1/3 innings for his first win since joining San Francisco.
In other MLB news:
The Yankees have placed reliever Zack Britton on the 10-day injured list with a strained left hamstring. He was injured in Wednesday's loss to the Rays.
Marlins shortstop Miguel Rojas has become the first player sidelined by the team's coronavirus outbreak to return. Rojas last played on July 26, when the virus spread so widely among the Marlins that their season was suspended for eight days.
Pirates President Travis Williams has tested positive for COVID-19 and says he is "on the road to recovery." He says he knows of no other positive tests within the organization.
Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. says he is cancer free after surgery in March to remove a tumor from his prostate. Ripken was diagnosed in February and wasn't experiencing symptoms, but bloodwork results prompted a visit to a urologist. He initially wanted to keep his story secret but hopes his experience encourages others to be tested.
NBA
The NBA's two No. 1 seeds have knotted their respective first-round series at a game apiece, rebounding from Tuesday's stunning losses. The Milwaukee Bucks built a 23-point, first-half lead and coasting to a 111-96 win over the Magic. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way with 28 points and 20 rebounds for the Bucks, who let Orlando get within nine in the fourth quarter before pulling away. Brook Lopez finished with 20 points and Pay Cannaughton added 15 on 5 of 8 from 3-point range. Nikola Vucevic had 32 points for the Magic, who missed 13 straight field-goal attempts in the first half and 19 of 20 at one point.
The Los Angeles Lakers rolled to a 111-88 win over the Trail Blazers as Anthony Davis furnished 31 points and 11 rebounds. Davis scored 21 points in the first half to help the Lakers take a 56-39 lead. The Lakers carried a 31-point lead into the final period despite a quiet night from LeBron James, who had 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds. The Blazers finished the game without All-Star guard Damian Lillard, who scored 18 points before dislocating his left index finger in the third quarter. CJ McCollum had 13 points and Carmelo Anthony was held to just two for Portland.
In other Game-2 NBA action:
The Rockets are up 2-0 in their opening-round series after James Harden's 21 points and nine assists led a 111-98 win over the Thunder. Houston set an NBA playoff record by heaving up 56 3-point attempts, making 19. Danuel House Jr. delivered 19 points to help the Rockets win without Russell Westbrook, who sat out again with a right quad strain. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points for the Thunder, who led by six at halftime before scoring just 39 the rest of the way.
Duncan Robinson finished with 24 points and hit his first six shots, all from 3-point range to help the Heat beat the Pacers, 109-100. He provided Miami's first three buckets and didn't miss until midway through the third quarter on his way to a team playoff record-tying seven treys. Goran Dragic scored 20 points and Jimmy Butler had 18 as Miami took a 2-0 lead in its series.
In NBA news, the Timberwolves have won the NBA draft lottery and will have the first pick in the October 16 draft. The Timberwolves were 19-45 this season, marking the 14th time in 15 years that they failed to make the playoffs and finished with a losing record. The Warriors hold the No. 2 pick, the Hornets got the No. 3 selection and the Bulls will choose fourth. Charlotte and Chicago both bucked some odds to move into the upper echelon. The lottery was conducted virtually because of the pandemic, with NBA officials doing the actual draw in Secaucus, New Jersey.
NFL
The Bills are calling their home field "Bills Stadium" after they were unable to find a new naming rights partner before the start of the season. The Buffalo-based New Era Cap Company backed out of its naming rights agreement last month at a time the global sports headwear and clothing apparel company was laying off more than 100 employees as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
In other NFL news:
Cleveland Browns cornerback Kevin Johnson remains hospitalized with a lacerated liver, a serious injury sustained in practice when rookie tight end Harrison Bryant landed on him during a routine play. Johnson was signed this past offseason by Cleveland and expected to be the team's starting nickel back. He was admitted to University Hospitals on Wednesday. The team said the 28-year-old is resting comfortably and expected to remain in the hospital for at least another 24 hours for observation. Liver lacerations can range in severity from mild to very severe to fatal.
Injuries continue to mount for the Super Bowl-champion Chiefs. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill left midway through practice Thursday with a hamstring injury. The severity of the injury was not immediately known. Kansas City was already missing wide receiver Sammy Watkins, left tackle Eric Fisher, defensive end Frank Clark, defensive tackle Chris Jones, cornerback Lavert Hill and tight ends Ricky Seals-Jones and Deon Yelder.
Thom Brennaman will not be calling NFL games on Fox after using an anti-gay slur on air during a Cincinnati Reds broadcast on Wednesday. Fox Sports issued a statement Thursday saying that "we are moving forward with our NFL schedule which will not include him." Fox also said Brennaman's remarks were "abhorrent, unacceptable, and not representative of the values of Fox Sports." Brennaman had been a part of Fox's NFL announcer lineup since they started televising the league in 1994. He had also called Major League Baseball games for the network from 1996 to 2014.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Six UConn football players have tested positive for the coronavirus, leading the school to suspend all team activities. UConn canceled its football season this month, but the team still had been practicing on Tuesdays and Thursdays and doing weight training on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
In other college football news:
Georgia State freshman quarterback Mikele Colasurdo will not be able to play this season after being diagnosed with a heart condition related to COVID-19. Colasurdo announced the diagnosis Thursday on his Twitter account, depriving the Panthers of a top prospect who enrolled in the spring and was expected to contend for the starting position.
Notre Dame announced five football players have tested positive in two rounds of coronavirus testing this week. The athletic department said the football program decided to test twice this week in light of the university's decision Tuesday to move to remote learning because of a COVID-19 outbreak on campus.
West Virginia's season opener against Eastern Kentucky on Sept. 12. will be held without fans because of the pandemic. The school said in a statement only essential game operations personnel and families of the players and football staff will be allowed to attend.
South Carolina has lost one of its most anticipated offensive newcomers for the season after tailback MarShawn Lloyd tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee at practice. Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp said it was a non-contact injury during workouts Wednesday.
GOLF
Harris English shares the lead with Kevin Streelman, Cameron Davis of Australia and Russell Henley through one round of the PGA's Northern Trust Open near Boston. English birdied four straight holes on the back nine before signing off for a 7-under 64. He is ranked 27th in the FedEx Cup after beginning the year without a full PGA Tour card. Among those at 65 were Louis Oosthuizen, Charley Hoffman and Scott Piercy, all well outside the top 70 of those trying to qualify for next week's $9.5 million event. Tiger Woods opened with a 68 that featured five birdies over his last 10 holes.
Also, American Amy Olson mastered brutal conditions at Royal Troon to shoot 4-under 67 and lead the Women's British Open by three strokes after the first round. It is the first women's major of a pandemic-affected golfing year. Sophia Popov of Germany and Marina Alex of the U.S. share second following 70s. They are the only other players to shoot under par in extremely windy conditions in eastern Scotland.
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