NHL-STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS
Nosed out for the top seed in the NHL's Eastern Conference playoffs on the final day of the regular season, the Boston Bruins took out their frustrations on the Toronto Maple Leafs.
David Pastrnak provided a goal and two assists as Boston thumped the Leafs, 5-1 in the opener of their first-round series. Brad Marchand and David Krejci each had a goal and an assist for the Bruins, who were tied 1-1 until David Backes and Pastrnak scored in the last 4:17 of the second period. Marchand, Backes and Krejci cashed in during Boston's six power-play opportunities. Tuukka stopped 26 shots and was perfect after Zach Hyman beat him late in the first period. Game 2 is Saturday in Boston.
In other Stanley Cup playoff openers:
— Filip Forsberg scored twice in a six-minute span of the third period to lead the Predators past the Avalanche, 5-2. Craig Smith tied the game with a power-play goal 8:50 into the second period before Forsberg gave Nashville a 4-2 lead. Pekka Rinne turned back 25 shots for the Predators, who host Game 2 on Saturday.
— Ondrej Palat had a goal and two assists as the Lightning topped the Devils, 5-2. Yanni Gourde had a goal and an assist for Tampa Bay, while Andrei Vasilevskiy turned back 29 shots. Taylor Hall and Travis Zajac scored for New Jersey, which stays in Florida for Game 2 on Saturday.
— Columbus became the first road team to win this postseason as Artemi Panarin scored 6:02 into overtime to complete a 4-3 win at Washington. The Capitals had a 3-2 lead until Seth Jones beat Philipp Grubauer on a power play with 4:26 left in regulation. Alexander Wennberg and Thomas Vanek also tallied, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 27 saves for the Jackets. Evgeny Kuznetsov had a pair of power-play goals for the Caps, who host Game 3 on Sunday.
— San Jose also won on the road as Evander Kane scored twice in a three-goal second period that sent the Sharks past the Ducks, 3-0. Martin Jones handled 25 shots in his fifth career playoff shutout. Brent Burns capped the scoring for the Sharks, who remain in Anaheim for Game 2. Ducks netminder John Gibson stopped 31 shots.
NHL-KINGS-DOUGHTY
Kings defenseman Drew Doughty has been suspended for Game 2 of the team's series with the Golden Knights.
Doughty was punished by the NHL for an illegal check to the head of Vegas forward William Carrier midway through the third period of the opener. Carrier missed the rest of the game.
MLB SCHEDULE
The Boston Red Sox bounced back nicely just one night after suffering their only loss since opening day.
Rick Porcello worked seven shutout innings and Mookie Betts drove in two runs without a hit while the Red Sox were building a 6-0 lead in a 6-3 victory over the Yankees. Porcello improved to 3-0 and had a no-hitter until Aaron Judge led off the seventh with a double.
Betts lifted a sacrifice fly and furnished a run-scoring grounder while the Red Sox were building a 6-0 lead through three innings against Sonny Gray.
Gary Sanchez lined a three-run double in the ninth off Marcus Walden before Craig Kimbrel got the next three batters to end the Red Sox's 10th win in 11 games since a season-opening loss to the Rays.
The final score wasn't the only news to come out of Fenway on Thursday. Red Sox first baseman Hanley Ramirez had to leave the game after he was hit by a pitch on his left elbow in the first inning. The plunking came a day after Yankees utilityman Tyler Austin charged the mound after getting hit by a Joe Kelly pitch to spark a benches-clearing brawl.
Kelly was suspended for six games by Major League Baseball, and Austin received a five-game penalty. Both are appealing the decision and are eligible to play until a hearing can be held.
In other major league finals:
— Shohei Ohtani delivered a bases-loaded triple while the Angels scored five times in the seventh inning of their fifth straight win, 7-1 at Kansas City. Ian Kinsler homered on his first swing in his return to the Angels' lineup, and Nick Tropeano pitched shutout ball into the seventh for his first major league win since 2016. Los Angeles is 11-3 following its eighth win in nine games.
— The Indians beat the Tigers for the 11th straight time as Francisco Lindor hit a leadoff homer and a two-run double in a 9-3 rout of Detroit. Jose Ramirez smacked a two-run shot and Trevor Bauer struck out seven while limiting Detroit to two runs over seven innings.
— Joe Mauer collected his 2,000th career hit while going 2-for-3 with three RBIs in the Twins' 4-0 win over the White Sox. Jose Berrios struck out 11 over seven innings before Minnesota's bullpen finished up a combined three-hitter in the team's third consecutive victory.
— Gregory Polanco belted two of the Pirates' four home runs in a 6-1 win over the Cubs. Francisco Cervelli put Pittsburgh in control with a three-run shot in the seventh before the Bucs improved to 9-3. Adam Frazier also went deep in support of Trevor Williams, who surrendered Kyle Schwarber's home run but just three other hits over six innings to improve to 3-0.
— DJ LeMahieu homered twice and collected a career-high four RBIs in the Rockies' 5-1 victory at Washington. Chad Bettis gave up one run and three hits over seven innings to help Colorado drop the Nationals to 2-5 at home.
— Jose Martinez drove in six runs and belted one of the Cardinals' four home runs in a 13-4 thrashing of the Reds. Paul DeJong hit a solo shot to break a 4-4 tie in the sixth before St. Louis dropped Cincinnati to 2-10, the Reds' worst 12-game start since 1955.
— Chris Stratton and Derek Law combined on a one-hitter as the Giants blanked the Padres, 7-0. Buster Posey laced a two-run double and Hunter Pence hit a two-run single to back Stratton, who allowed only a single by San Diego hurler Clayton Richard during his seven innings of work.
MLB NEWS
The Rangers will spend the next six to eight weeks without shortstop Elvis Andrus (AN'-droos) because of a fractured right elbow. Andrus was injured when hit by a fastball from Kenyan Middleton in the ninth inning of Wednesday's loss to the Angels. The team physician says the fracture is stable and won't require surgery.
In other major league news:
— Tigers pitching coach Chris Bosio will be away from the team for a couple of weeks because of an undisclosed health issue. Manager Ron Gardenhire said the 55-year-old Bosio wanted to remain with the Tigers after undergoing tests Tuesday, but doctors have recommended he rest for the time being. Bosio was in the Tigers' dugout Monday night but wasn't feeling well.
NBA-NEWS
Two NBA teams fired their coaches on Thursday, hours after wrapping up losing seasons.
The Knicks parted ways with Jeff Hornacek shortly after beating Cleveland on Wednesday night to finish 29-53. New York was 60-104 without making the playoffs in two seasons under Hornacek, logging over 50 losses each year.
The Orlando Magic fired Frank Vogel after the team completed its sixth consecutive losing season. Vogel was with the Magic for two years, going 54-110.
In other NBA news:
— Free agent guard Ty Lawson has signed a contract with the Wizards, giving them additional depth heading into their first-round playoff series against the Raptors. The 30-year-old Lawson played most recently in the Chinese Basketball Association.
— The NBA set an attendance record for the fourth straight season, surpassing 22 million for the first time. The league says 22.1 million fans attended games in the regular season, eclipsing 21.9 million during the 2016-17 season.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-NEWS
Indiana forward Juwan Morgan has declared for this year's NBA draft. The 6-foot-7 junior says he won't hire an agent and is trying to gather information from NBA scouts to see what opportunities might exist.
Morgan was arguably the most improved player in the Big Ten last season, averaging 16.5 points and 7.4 rebounds while averaging 58 percent from the field.
In other college basketball news:
— Forward Evan Boudreaux has decided to play his final two seasons of basketball at Purdue after graduating in three years from Dartmouth. Boudreau has two years of eligibility remaining after averaging 17.6 points and 9.5 in two seasons with the Big Green. He sat out last season after announcing his intention to transfer.
NFL-NEWS
A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press the Cleveland Browns are close to finalizing a contract extension with star wide receiver Jarvis Landry.
The Browns acquired the three-time Pro Bowler from Miami in a trade last month after Landry received the Dolphins' franchise tag at one year and $16 million. He led the NFL with 112 receptions last season.
In other NFL news:
— The Bills have placed Richie Incognito on their reserve/retired list in a move confirming the offensive guard's intention to abruptly quit football after 11 seasons. Incognito cited health concerns involving his liver and kidneys. He also expressed second thoughts over accepting a pay cut when restructuring the final year of his contract.
— Authorities say 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster has been charged with felony domestic violence after being accused of attacking his girlfriend. The Santa Clara County District Attorney says Foster was charged Thursday and is scheduled to be arraigned later in the day in San Jose.
— Federal lawmakers from Louisiana and Washington have submitted legislation to award former Saints and Washington State University football player Steve Gleason with the Congressional Gold Medal. The honor for Gleason is sought for his work as an advocate for people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Gleason himself has ALS.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-NEWS
LSU officials say former Stanford cornerback Terrence Alexander has signed with the Tigers as a graduate transfer and is eligible to play this season.
The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Alexander played in 41 games with the Cardinal, making 57 tackles, one interception and breaking up eight passes. However, he missed most of last season after an injury.
In other college football news:
— Nebraska quarterback Patrick O'Brien has asked for his release and plans to transfer. New coach Scott Frost has brought his spread-option offense with him from Central Florida. O'Brien appeared in three games as Tanner Lee's backup last season.
PGA-RBC HERITAGE
Rory Sabbatini owns a two-stroke lead over four players through the opening round of the RBC Heritage.
Sabbatini fired a 7-under 64 that included four birdies on the opening nine holes of his lowest round ever at Harbour Town Golf Links. He has six career PGA victories but hasn't captured a tournament since 2011.
Matt Kuchar, Billy Horschel, Chesson Hadley and John Huh shot 66s.
Local product and world No. 1 Dustin Johnson is five strokes back despite four straight birdies in the middle of his round.
PGA-WOODS-US OPEN
Tiger Woods has filed his entry to play in the U.S. Open for the first time since 2015.
Woods finished tied for 32nd at the Masters as he continues his comeback from multiple back surgeries.
The second major of the year is slated for June 14-17 at Shinnecock Hills on Long Island, where Woods made his U.S. Open debut in 1995 as the U.S. Amateur champion.
INDYCAR-HILDEBRAND-INDY 500
J.R. Hildebrand will enter this year's Indianapolis 500 with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and bumping will return to the event for the first time since 2015.
Hildebrand is the 34th announced entry for a race that fields just 33 cars, so qualifying will cost someone a slot in IndyCar's marquee race on Memorial Day weekend.
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