The Boston Bruins had a little luck of the Irish as they captured the NHL's 11th Winter Classic at Notre Dame. Sean Kuraly scored the tiebreaking goal off a scramble near the net midway through the third period of the Bruins' 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Matt Grzelcyk's big slap shot went off teammate Chris Wagner in front, but Kuraly beat Blackhawks defenseman Gustav Forsling to the rebound and backhanded the puck past Cam Ward.
David Pastrnak had a goal and an assist as the Bruins won for the second time in three Winter Classic appearances. Tuukka Rask stopped 36 shots to help Boston hand the Blackhawks their second loss in seven games. Chicago is winless in four Winter Classic games and 1-5 in six outdoor contests.
It was a perfect setting for an outdoor game. The game-time temperature was 35.5 degrees, and a gray, overcast sky took the sun out of the equation while a crowd of over 76,000 watched the Original Six matchup.
Elsewhere on the ice, Nashville won its second straight since a skid as Viktor Arvidsson scored twice and Juuse Saros handled 32 shots as the Predators blanked the Flyers, 4-0. Craig Smith and Rocco Grimaldi also scored to back Saros, who recorded his second shutout of the season and sixth of his career. Michal Neuvirth made 26 saves in Philadelphia's fourth loss in a row.
Marc-Andre Fleury notched his league-leading sixth shutout by stopping just 17 shots in the Golden Knights' 2-0 victory over the Kings. Brandon Pirri registered his sixth goal and eighth point in seven games this season with a third-period tally that ended Jack Campbell's shutout bid. Campbell had a career-high 46 saves, but the Knights improved to 8-1-3 in their last 12 games to pull even with Calgary atop the Pacific Division.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
In men's college basketball games tonight, Vermont plays Dartmouth at 7 p.m., and UConn battles South Florida at 8:30 p.m. In women's basketball, UAlbany challenges Binghamton, Vermont takes on UMass-Lowell, and Hartford plays Stony Brook — all at 7 p.m.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
The nation's longest winning streak in college football is over. Central Florida had won 25 straight dating to last season before 11th-ranked LSU knocked off the No. 7 Knights, 40-32 at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow shook off a vicious early hit to throw for 394 yards and four touchdowns. He completed 21 of his 34 passes, including two TDs to Justin Jefferson.
Burrow was slow getting up after being blindsided by 313-pound defensive lineman Joey Connors on an interception return for a touchdown in the first quarter. LSU's defensive front made life difficult for UCF quarterback Darriel Mack Jr., who was sacked five times and was forced to rush numerous throws. UCF was limited to 250 total yards after entering the game ranked third in the nation at 545 yards per game.
In Tuesday's other bowl game action, Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer is going out a winner after Dwayne Haskins passed for 251 yards and three touchdowns in the fifth-ranked Buckeyes' 28-23 victory over Washington in the Rose Bowl. Parris Campbell, Johnnie Dixon and Rashod Berry caught TD passes in the first half for the fifth-ranked Buckeyes, who carried a 25-point lead into the fourth quarter. Myles Gaskin ran for two scores and threw for another in the final game before OSU won its final game under Meyer.
Sam Ehlinger ran for three touchdowns and 14th-ranked Texas completed its first 10-win season since 2009 by beating No. 5 Georgia, 28-21 at the Suger Bowl. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound sophomore finished with 64 yards rushing on 21 carries and also threw for 169 yards. The Longhorns stretched their lead to 28-7 on Ehlinger's third TD run, a 1-yard burst with 11:49 to play.
Benny Snell Jr. became Kentucky's career rushing leader by providing 144 yards and two touchdowns in leading the 16th-ranked Wildcats past No. 13 Penn State, 27-24 in the Citrus Bowl. Snell scored on runs of 2 and 12 yards in the second half, then carried for a couple of crucial first downs to help the 10-3 Wildcats run out the clock. Trace McSorley threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns, and the Nittany Lions' career passing and wins leader also rushed for a team-high 75 yards on 19 attempts.
Safety Jake Gervase picked off a pass in the end zone to preserve a late lead and help Iowa earn a 27-22 win over 18th-ranked Mississippi State in the Outback Bowl. Gervase also batted down an errant fourth-down pass to end the Bulldogs' final drive at the Iowa 32 with 25 seconds left. The Hawkeyes totaled just 199 yards but turned three takeaways into 17 points and scored on a 75-yard TD pass from Nathan Stanley to Nick Easley.
In other college football news, it appears Lincoln Riley will be staying in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners and their head football coach have agreed to a contract extension, which should quell speculation about the second-year coach being lured away by an NFL team. The 35-year-old Riley has led Oklahoma to consecutive Big 12 championships and College Football Playoff appearances. The Sooners have gone 24-4 under Riley and 16-2 in the conference while creating Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray.
A prosecutor says two LSU football players appear to have responded with justifiable force when they gunned down an 18-year-old man who was allegedly trying to rob them at gunpoint. East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore tells The Associated Press that the investigation is still in a preliminary stage. Moore added that authorities are not prepared to release whether it was sophomore running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire or freshman linebacker Jared Small who fired the shots that killed Kobe Johnson in the Dec. 22 shooting occurred off campus.
NBA
The Toronto Raptors received career-high scoring performances by Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam in earning their fourth straight home win. Leonard poured in 45 points and Siakam added 28 with 10 rebounds as Toronto knocked off the Jazz, 122-116. Leonard scored 19 points in the third quarter alone, toing 7-for-7 from the field and adding five free throws.Norman Powell added a season-high 14 points as the Raptors improved to 28-11. Jae Crowder scored a career-high 30 points for Utah.
The Bucks were 121-98 winners over the Pistons as Brook Lopez had 25 points and Khris Middleton added 22. Giannis Antetokounmpo had just 15 points, but his slam over Jon Leuer was the highlight of the night. Milwaukee has won four straight and eight of nine to move to a league-best 26-10.
Nikola Jokic had 19 points, 14 rebounds and 15 assists in the Nuggets' ninth consecutive home win, 115-108 over the Knicks. Reserve Malik Beasley added a career-high 23 points for the Western Conference-leading Nuggets, who have now knocked off the Knicks 11 straight times in Denver. Luke Kornet had a team-high 19 points in New York's eighth consecutive loss.
Joel Embiid notched his NBA-leading 32nd double-double of the season in his return as he delivered 28 points and 19 boards in the 76ers' 119-113 victory over the Clippers. Embiid was a game-time decision after missing one game because of a sore left knee. Lou Williams had a team-high 22 points off the bench for Los Angeles, which trailed by 24 before rallying.
Damian Lillard shook off a sluggish shooting performance by scoring five of his 25 points in overtime in the Blazers' 113-108 verdict over the Kings. Jusuf Nurkic had 24 points and a career-high 23 rebounds for Portland, which earned its fourth straight win over Sacramento despite blowing a 14-point halftime lead. Buddy Hield hit five 3-pointers and scored 27 points for the Kings.
In other NBA news, Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry has had pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory injections for his sore lower back. The team said Tuesday he was treated Friday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Coach Nick Nurse said Monday "things are progressing really well" and it "shouldn't be too long" before Lowry returns. There is, however, no specific timetable. The four-time All-Star has been dealing with back and hip ailments and has missed seven of the last eight games.
Toronto also said center Jonas Valanciunas had stitches removed from his surgically repaired left hand Saturday. He's expected to miss at least a few more weeks.
TOP 25 BASKETBALL
There are four ACC teams among the top 10 in The Associated Press men's basketball poll, and two of them won on New Year's Day. Terance Mann scored a season-high 22 points and Phil Cofer added 14 as ninth-ranked Florida State earned its seventh straight win, 87-76 against Winthrop. Mann shot 10 of 11 from the floor, scoring 14 second-half points and grabbing seven rebounds for the 12-1 Seminoles.
Ty Outlaw hit three 3-pointers in a 22-9 second-half run and Kerry Blackshears delivered 22 points in No. 10 Virginia Tech's 81-66 victory over Notre Dame. Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Ahmed Hill scored 17 apiece for the 12-1 Hokies, who led just 49-44 until Alexander-Walker sparked the run with a pair of driving baskets.
In Tuesday's other top-25 game, Shamorie Ponds scored 20 of his 26 points in the first half and St. John's rebounded impressively from its first loss of the season by routing No. 16 Marquette 89-69. Marvin Clark II had 22 points and Mustapha Heron added all 16 of his after halftime as the Red Storm improved to 13-1 and snapped the Golden Eagles' eight-game winning streak.
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