NHL:
Oscar Lindberg scored twice and Henrik Lunqvist stopped 22 shots as the New York Rangers posted their second consecutive 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Nick Holden and Chris Kreider also scored for the Blueshirts, who tied the series at two games apiece and now prepare for Game 5 Saturday in Ottawa. Senators netminder Craig Anderson was lifted after the second period, allowing three goals on 20 shots.
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is skating again after missing Game 4 of their second-round series against Washington with a concussion. Head coach Mike Sullivan provided no update on when his star will be ready to return from a concussion. He was diagnosed with his second concussion of the season after taking a cross-check in the head from Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen in Game 3.
In other NHL news:
— Minnesota Wild left wing Jason Zucker has undergone surgery to repair a bilateral core muscle in his midsection, with recovery expected in time for the start of training camp. Zucker had 22 goals and 25 assists in 79 games this season.
— The expansion Vegas Golden Knights have signed free-agent Russian forward Vadim Shipachyov to a two-year, $9 million contract. The 30-year-old Shipachyov was third in the Kontinental Hockey League with 76 points on 26 goals and 50 assists in 50 games.
NBA:
John Wall scored 24 points and the Washington Wizards pulled within two games to one in the NBA's Eastern Conference semifinals by ripping the Celtics, 116-89. The Wizards scored 22 straight points in the first quarter to take a 34-12 lead. They also held Isaiah Thomas to 13 points on 3 of 8 shooting after he torched the Wizards for 53 points in Sunday's overtime win by Boston.
Draymond Green nailed five 3-pointers and finished with 21 points as the Golden State Warriors knocked off Utah, 115-104. Kevin Durant added 25 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in helping the Warriors take a 2-0 lead in the NBA's Western Conference semifinals. Golden State guard Stephen Curry finished with 23 points and seven assists, while Gordon Hayward had a game-hihg 33 points for the Jazz.
San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker will miss the remainder of the NBA playoffs because of a leg injury suffered in Wednesday's rout of Houston. Parker will need surgery to repair a ruptured quadriceps tendon, leaving San Antonio without its veteran floor leader. He was carried off the court by his teammates after scoring 18 points in just 25 minutes.
In other NBA injury news:
— Raptors All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry will undergo more tests to determine the severity of his sprained left ankle. Lowry was hurt early in the second half of Toronto's loss in Cleveland on Wednesday after colliding with a teammate and taking an awkward fall.
NBA – Video Game League:
How about Cleveland against Golden State again — this time for the video game championship? The Cavaliers and Warriors are among 17 teams who will participate in the NBA 2K eSports league that will debut in 2018. Along with the Cavs and Warriors, who won the last two NBA titles, eight other teams that made the postseason were chosen Thursday to compete in the first eSports league operated by one of the four major pro sports leagues in the U.S.
Plans for the league, in which gamers will compete while representing actual NBA teams, were announced in February by the NBA and Take-Two Interactive Software. Each NBA franchise will select five gamers to represent its team. Also participating in the inaugural season are: Boston, Dallas, Detroit, Indiana, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Portland, Sacramento, Toronto, Utah and Washington. Commissioner Adam Silver has said that eventually all 30 teams will participate.
MLB:
The Boston Red Sox say knuckleballer Steven Wright needs knee surgery and will miss the rest of the season. The team said before Thursday night's game against Baltimore that the right-hander will have an operation to repair the cartilage in his left knee next week.
Manny Machado hit a long three-run shot for his third homer of the series and the Baltimore Orioles capped four tense days at Fenway Park with an 8-3 win over the Boston Red Sox Thursday night. Machado hit a 466-foot drive over the Green Monster during a five-run fourth inning. Seth Smith had four of Baltimore's 17 hits.
The New York Mets' game at the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night has been postponed by rain. The final game of the four-game series was called following a delay of 1 hour, 59 minutes with two outs in the top of the fourth. The Mets led 3-1, thanks to a two-run homer by Jay Bruce. No makeup date was immediately announced.
The Nationals could spend a few days without Bryce Harper in their outfield. Manager Dusty Baker says the right fielder is day to day after injuring his left groin while diving to make a catch on Thursday. Harper batted three more times and was lifted after six innings. Harper is hitting .376 with nine homers and 27 RBIs.
Also in the majors:
—The Chicago White Sox have placed reliever Nate Jones on the 10-day disabled list with right elbow inflammation and purchased the contract of left-hander David Holmberg from Triple-A Charlotte. White Sox general manager Rick Hahn says Jones's elbow issue is "relatively minor" and he should be back in a couple of weeks.
Media:
Julie Foudy has signed a multiyear extension with ESPN and will focus on soccer, the Olympics and the NCAA championships. Foudy joined ESPN full time in 2005, less than a year after retiring from her 17-year soccer career with the U.S. women's national team. She's a two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA World Cup winner.
NFL:
The New York Jets have released veteran safety Marcus Gilchrist, a move that appeared a strong possibility after the team drafted safeties with their first two picks last week. The Jets also announced Thursday that they have re-signed backup linebacker Bruce Carter and released fullback Chris Swain and cornerback Nick Marshall, who was suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the league's policy on performance enhancers.
The Carolina Panthers have signed first-round pick Christian McCaffrey. Terms of the deals weren't disclosed. The versatile 5-foot-10, 202-pound running back also played wide receiver and returned kicks while at Stanford before being taken eighth overall in the NFL draft. McCaffrey broke Barry Sanders' single-season all-purpose yards record in 2015 by racking up 3,864.
Houston Texans inside linebacker Max Bullough has been suspended without pay for the first four games of next season for violating the league's policy on performance enhancing substances. The 25-year-old appeared in every game for the Texans last season with three starts. He had 25 tackles last season.
Elsewhere around the NFL:
— The Tampa Bay Buccaneers say running back Doug Martin suffered "minor cuts and bruises" when he was involved in a car accident near the team's training facility. Martin was at the complex participating in the team's offseason conditioning program.
NCAA:
Forward A.J. Turner is transferring to Northwestern from Boston College. The 6-foot-7 Turner played two years at Boston College. He will sit out next season and then have two years of eligibility left. Seton Hall senior Lloyd Jefferson Go of the Philippines has received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships. The NCAA announced the selections on Thursday, making Go the Number 5 individual seed in the West Lafayette, Indiana, Regional. It's the second straight year that Go has been selected for the NCAA's marquee event. Last year, he was an automatic selection after winning the Big East individual title. He was the runner-up in this year's conference tournament. The Pirates' top golfer will play among 10 other individuals and 13 teams on the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex's Kampen Course from May 15th through 17th. Go has a 70.82 stroke average, the lowest for a single-year in program history.
University of Central Florida football coach Scott Frost has been given a one-year contract extension. The school says Frost's original contract will now run through the 2021 season and will include a $300,000 annual raise. The Knights were 6-7 in Frost's first season and made and played in the AutoNation Cure Bowl. Frost was former offensive coordinator of the Oregon Ducks.
Point guard Jordan Walker of the Patrick School has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Seton Hall. Pirates coach Kevin Willard announced the decision Thursday. Walker helped the Patrick School win the 2017 New Jersey Tournament of Champions, averaging 11.9 points and 4.8 assists for the season. He is the fifth player to commit to join Seton Hall next season.
A jury has awarded former University of Iowa athletic administrator Jane Meyer $1.4 million after ruling she was the victim of discrimination, retaliation and unequal pay. Meyer alleged she suffered workplace discrimination as a gay woman in a relationship with field hockey coach Tracey Griesbaum, that the school retaliated against her for complaining about Griesbaum's firing, and that she was paid less than a male counterpart for similar work. The trial lasted nearly three weeks and featured testimony from Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz and wrestling coach Tom Brands.
PGA:
Dustin Johnson didn't look like a golfer who had just spent six weeks away from the PGA Tour. Johnson shot a 2-under 70 in the opening round of the Wells Fargo Championship at Eagle Point in North Carolina. It was his 13th consecutive round at par or better, and his first since falling down a flight of stairs the day before the Masters. He suffered a back injury in the fall and had to withdraw from the year's first major. Francesco Molinari is the leader at 6 under, one stroke ahead of Alex Noren, J.B. Holmes, Grayson Murray and Brian Campbell.
Kentucky Derby:
Rain is pelting Churchill Downs at the start of an expected a three-day stretch of wet weather leading up to the Kentucky Derby. The outlook for the Kentucky Oaks on Friday isn't encouraging, with a 60 percent chance of rain forecast. However, the rain could end well before the Derby on Saturday. While showers are forecast in the morning, the storm could move out before the scheduled post time of 6:46 p.m.
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