No. 1 draft pick Alexis Lafreniere scored his first career goal 2:47 into overtime to lead the Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Sabres, ending New York's four-game losing streak. Artemi Panarin had a goal and set up Ryan Strome's game-opening goal.
In other NHL action:
The Capitals trailed 3-0 before erupting for five goals in the second period of their second win over the Islanders in three days, 6-3. Conor Sheary scored twice to ignite the comeback before Garnet Hathaway, John Carlson and Zdeno Chara followed with goals.
Patrice Bergeron scored twice and Jaroslav Halak topped 16 shots in the Bruins' fourth consecutive win, 4-1 versus the Penguins. Chris Wagner and Sean Kuraly also scored to help Boston beat Pittsburgh for the second time in three days.
Carter Hart made 33 saves and fourth-line forward Michael Raffl scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period of the Flyers' 3-1 victory over the Devils on Thursday night. Captain Claude Giroux notched his first goal of the year and defenseman Nate Prosser had his first since April 2018 to help Philadelphia complete a two-game sweep in New Jersey.
Carey Price made 23 saves and the Canadiens improved to 5-0-2 by winning their home opener, 4-2 against the Flames. Brendan Gallagher, Shea Weber, Josh Anderson and Tyler Toffoli did the scoring for Montreal, while Jonathan Drouin and Jesperi Kotkaniemi each had two assists.
Auston Matthews scored on a power play with 6:24 left to lift the Maple Leafs to their fourth win in a row, 4-3 at Edmonton. Jason Spezza had a goal and an assist, for Toronto, which also received goals from William Nylander and Wayne Simmonds in improving to 7-2.
Nazem Kadri had two goals and an assist in the third period of Colorado's 3-0 shutout of the Sharks. Andre Burakovsky also tallied and Philipp Grubauer had 21 saves in his second shutout of the season and 13th of his career.
Alexandre Texier slickly beat Chris Driedger five-hole in the fourth round of a shootout to lift the Blue Jackets over the Panthers, 3-2. Mikko Koivu and Max Domi scored and Elvis Merzlikins had 33 saves as Columbus dealt Florida its first loss in four games this season.
Ty Dellandrea had his first NHL goal and first assist, both coming in the final 5:08 of the Stars' 7-3 rout of the Red Wings. Denis Gurianov had a goal and two assists to help Dallas finish unbeaten on its season-opening, four-game homestand.
Kirill Kaprizov scored the second goal of his rookie season to cap the Wild's three-goal first period in a 5-3 decision over the Kings. Marcus Johansson had a goal and an assist, and Kaapo Kahkonen made 32 saves as Minnesota stopped a two-game slide.
The Coyotes pulled out a 3-2 win over the Ducks on Christian Dvorak's second goal of the night, a power-play tally with 4 1/2 minutes to play. Darcy Kuemper stopped Kevin Shattenkirk on a short-handed breakaway just before Dvorak's second goal.
Brock Boeser had two goals and an assist in leading the Canucks to their third straight win over the Senators in four nights, 4-1. Elias Pettersson scored and had an assist for Vancouver, while Tanner Pearson tallied a goal and Quinn Hughes each chalked up two assists.
The Carolina Hurricanes made a triumphant return to the ice after having several games postponed due to COVID-19 protocols. The Hurricanes still were without five regulars on Thursday as they beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 1-0 in overtime. Martin Necas provided the lone goal 72 seconds into OT on a feed from Jordan Staal, who was among six Hurricanes to land on the NHL's daily unavailability list last week. Petr Mrazek stopped 31 shots in his second shutout of the season and 23rd of his career. The Hurricanes were back in action just as Thursday's game between the Blues and Golden Knights had to be postponed due to COVID-19 issues with Vegas. The NHL says a Golden Knights player and another coach have entered COVID-19 protocol, which could mean a positive test, potential exposure or something else. The Knights played Tuesday without their entire coaching staff as general manager Kelly McCrimmon ran the bench with the minor league coaching staff.
In NHL news, the Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to a two-year contract with defenseman Madison Bowey. Bowey's contract has a $725,000 salary cap hit. The first season is a two-way deal and it transitions to a one-way deal for the 2021-22 season. The 25-year-old Bowey set career highs with three goals and 14 assists in 53 games for Detroit last season.
NBA
The Los Angeles Lakers have their first losing streak of the season. Blake Griffin scored 23 points in leading Detroit's 107-92 win over the Lakers. Griffin's 3-pointer with 6:54 remaining started a 16-0 run that put the Pistons ahead by 17. LeBron James had 22 points and 10 assists, but only two of those points came after halftime. Anthony Davis missed the game with a right quad contusion after playing in Wednesday's one-point loss to the 76ers.
Victor Oladipo scored 25 points and the Rockets shook off a terrible first quarter to beat the Trail Blazers, 104-101. The Rockets were down by 20 in the first quarter before using a big second to take the lead and hold on down the stretch.
The Clippers wiped out an 18-point deficit and went on a 20-2 run in the third quarter of a 109-105 win at Miami. Nicolas Batum furnished 18 points for Los Angeles, which was without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George because of the league's virus protocols and Patrick Beverley with right knee soreness.
Mikal Bridges scored 20 points and the Suns ended a three-game losing streak by pulling away in the third quarter of a 114-93 thumping of the Warriors. Deandre Ayton added 12 points and 13 rebounds as Phoenix moved back over .500 at 9-8.
In NBA news, Atlanta Hawks guard Kris Dunn will be out at least another two weeks as he continues his recovery from ankle surgery. Dunn signed with the Hawks as a free agent and was expected to be a defensive stopper in the backcourt, but he has yet to play for his new team. Dunn underwent surgery on his right ankle Dec. 29.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
In women’s college basketball, Syracuse crushed Pittsburgh 80-57, and No. 19 Arkansas upset No. 3 UConn 90-87.
In top-25 men's basketball:
Top-ranked Gonzaga picked up its 20th straight win since last season and improved to 16-0 this season. Drew Timme had 21 points for the Bulldogs in a 90-62 pounding of San Diego. Gonzaga started slow and trailed 19-14 before taking control with a 15-0 run. Corey Kispert added 19 points and keyed an impressive stretch in which the Zags went ahead by 20 early in the second half. Julian Strawther had 11 points and Anton Watson 10 for Gonzaga, which shot 58% from the field.
Cameron Tyson set career highs by hitting nine 3-pointers and scoring 31 points as No. 6 Houston routed Tulane 83-60. Tramon Mark added 16 points and Justin Gorham had 15 rebounds to help the 14-1 Cougars win their seventh straight.
David McCormack scored 15 points and 15th-ranked Kansas halted its three-game skid by slogging through a 59-51 victory over turnover-prone TCU. Ochai Agbaji added 13 points for the Jayhawks, who took advantage of 22 turnovers and held the Horned Frogs to 35% shooting.
In college basketball news, UAlbany says its men’s basketball team is back on pause until February 4, after a member of its Tier 1 personnel – which includes players, coaches, and trainers – tested positive for COVID-19. This weekend’s game against UMass Lowell, as well as next weekend’s game against Hartford, have been postponed.
NFL
Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has requested a trade, according to a person familiar with the move. Watson has a no-trade clause in his four-year, $156 million contract, so he could have some control over where he might be dealt. The same source who told The AP about the trade request said Watson made the ask before David Culley was hired as head coach on Wednesday. The Texans don't want to part with the talented 25-year-old who led the NFL in yards passing this season. Watson has been unhappy with the direction of the team for some time. Sports Illustrated reported weeks ago that Watson was upset the team didn't initially request to interview Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy for its coaching vacancy.
In other NFL news:
The Steelers are open to having quarterback Ben Roethlisberger return next season if the math works out. Roethlisberger carries a $41 million salary cap hit for 2021, a number team president Art Rooney II says is too high. Rooney says the team has already approached Roethlisberger about finding a workaround that gives the team some financial flexibility in the offseason.
Tom Brady says his parents are doing well after battling COVID-19 early this season and will be among family in the stands to root for him and the Buccaneers in next week's Super Bowl. Brady's father, Tom, Sr., recently revealed that he and his wife, Galynn, had a bout with COVID-19 in September.
Anyone visiting Tampa's popular outdoor destinations for the Super Bowl will be required to wear a mask to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor signed an executive order Wednesday saying masks must be worn outside while downtown, in neighborhoods around Raymond James Stadium and in other tourist hotspots. The order says those who are not wearing a mask can be cited with a "nominal civil infraction" that carries a penalty up to a $500 fine. It will remain in place until Feb. 13 — nearly a week after the Super Bowl ends.
MLB
Masahiro Tanaka is returning to pitch for his former team in Japan after seven seasons with the New York Yankees. The Rakuten Eagles of the Pacific League say the 32-year-old free agent had signed a two-year contract that local media report is worth almost $9 million annually. Tanaka went 78-46 with a 3.74 ERA and 991 strikeouts in 1,054 1/3 innings over seven seasons with the Yankees. The right-hander pitched for Rakuten from 2007-13, going 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA in his final season and leading the Eagles to the Japan Series title.
In other MLB news:
The Brewers have promoted Sara Goodrum to minor league hitting coordinator. Brewers vice president of minor league operations Tom Flanagan says that "to our knowledge, she would be the first" woman to hold that position in any Major League Baseball organization. Goodrum played softball for Oregon from 2012-15 and had spent the last three seasons in the Brewers' sports science department.
Former Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria has reached a lawsuit settlement to reimburse local government $4.2 million for the cost of building Marlins Park, which opened in 2012. In 2009, local government agreed to help pay for the ballpark in exchange for Loria's pledge to share profits if he later sold the team.
Right-hander Kohl Stewart has agreed to a one-year contract with the Cubs after he opted out of last season because of the coronavirus pandemic. Stewart last pitched in the majors in 2019, going 2-2 with a 6.39 ERA in nine appearances with Minnesota.
PGA
Patrick Reed and Alex Noren share the first-round lead in the PGA's Farmers Insurance Open. Reed and Noren each opened with 64's that put them one ahead of Scott Scheffler. Gary Woodland, Ryan Palmer, and K.J. Choi are among 12 players at minus-6.
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