The Pittsburgh Penguins ended the New York Islanders’ team-record 15-game winning streak in February 1982. The Pens have done it to the Isles again by stopping their second-longest winning streak in club history. The Islanders had won 10 in a row before blowing a 3-0 lead in the third period of a 4-3 overtime loss to Pittsburgh.
Bryan Rust scored twice, including the game-winner 3:25 into the extra session. Semyon Varlamov blanked the Pens until Jared McCann beat him 1:38 into the third. McCann also assisted on goals by McCann and Evgeni Malkin 2:32 apart. Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck tallied for the Isles.
The Rangers won for the fifth time in seven games as Pavel Buchnevich provided a goal and an assist in a 4-2 verdict over the Hurricanes. Henrik Lundqvist made a season-high 45 saves and Brendan Lemieux snapped a 1-1 tie with a power-play goal late in the second period.
Noah Hanifin had a goal and two assists in the Flames’ 5-2 win over the Devils. Derek Ryan, Mikael Backlund, Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau also scored for Calgary, which took control during a four-goal second period.
Sean Couturier’s flip shot trickled past a surprised Carey Price just 55 seconds into overtime to give the Flyers to a 3-2 victory over the Canadiens. Phil Myers and James van Riemsdyk also scored and Carter Hart stopped 22 shots as Philadelphia improved to 3-0-1 in its last four games.
The Capitals are 9-0-1 in their last 10 games after Tom Wilson furnished the tying and winning goals in a 5-4 overtime decision over the Panthers. John Carlson had a goal and two assists for Washington, which trailed 3-1 until Alex Ovechkin tallied twice in the second period.
Joonas Donskoi scored his first career hat trick and the Avalanche used a six-goal second period to blast the Predators, 9-4. Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and three assists before sitting out the third with an upper-body injury.
John Tavares scored at 2:33 of overtime to complete the Maple Leafs’ 2-1 victory over the Golden Knights. Tavares also assisted on Auston Matthews’ goal and Frederik Andersen made 37 saves to help Toronto earn its third straight win.
The Blue Jackets ended a five-game skid as Gustav Nyquist had a goal and two assists to lead their 3-2 victory over the Coyotes. Emil Bemstrom got his first NHL goal and Joonas Korpisalo stopped 31 shots for Columbus.
Logan Couture collected a goal and three assists while the Sharks were building a 6-2 lead in a 6-5 win against the Wild. Timo Meier scored during San Jose’s four-goal first period and finished with two assists.
The Blackhawks picked up a 5-2 win over the Canucks as Patrick Kane scored a power-play goal and had two assists. Alex DeBrincat and Andrew Shaw scored in the first period, and Dylan Strome had three assists as Chicago dealt Vancouver its first regulation loss since Oct. 19 at New Jersey.
The Senators wasted a late lead before Jean-Gabriel Pageau tallied 3:12 into OT to give Ottawa a 3-2 triumph over the Kings. Artem Anisimov put the Senators ahead midway through the third period, but Los Angeles extended the game on a goal by Tyler Toffoli with eight seconds left in regulation.
In NHL news, St. Louis Blues winger Alex Steen will miss at least four weeks because of a high ankle sprain. Steen injured his left ankle in a collision with Edmonton's Alex Chaisson late in the second period of the defending Stanley Cup champions' 5-2 win over the Oilers on Wednesday night. The Blues put him on injured reserve Thursday, announcing he'd returned to St. Louis and would be re-evaluated in four weeks. Steen has five assists in 17 games this season, his 12th with St. Louis.
Jets forward Bryan Little has a perforated eardrum and is dealing with vertigo after a teammate's shot struck him near the ear during Tuesday’s game against the Devils. Jets coach Paul Maurice says Little is expected to make a full recovery, but there is no timeline for his return.
A Las Vegas Strip casino is suing Sharks forward Evander Kane, alleging he failed to repay a $500,000 gambling debt racked up during a playoff series in Las Vegas last April. The lawsuit alleges the 28-year-old Kane received eight casino credits of varying amounts about April 15.
NBA
Kemba Walker was a winner in his return to Charlotte. Walker missed his first six shots before finishing with 14 points and six assists in the Boston Celtics’ sixth straight win, 108-87 over the Hornets. He received a rousing, one-minute standing ovation from the home crowd after the Hornets showed a highlight tribute on the videoboard that left the point guard in tears. The three-time All-Star played eight NBA seasons in Charlotte and is the franchise's all-time leading scorer. Jayson Tatum scored 23 points to help the Celtics say unbeaten since their opening-night loss at Philadelphia. Gordon Hayward added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who scored 17 points off 21 Charlotte turnovers.
Lou Williams nailed a go-ahead jumper with 58 seconds left and added a 3-pointer to help the Los Angeles Clippers secure a 107-101 win against the Portland Trail Blazers. Williams finished with 26 points and Kawhi Leonard had a team-high 27 with 13 rebounds in coach Doc Rivers’ 900th career victory.
Jimmy Butler poured in 18 of his 34 points in the first quarter of the Heat’s 124-108 thumping of the Suns. Goran Dragic scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half, including a 3-pointer just before the buzzer that put Miami up, 93-86 through three quarters.
LaMarcus Aldridge delivered a season-high 39 points as the Spurs downed the Thunder, 121-112. Point guard Dejounte Murray had a career-high 10 assists along with 17 points and eight rebounds.
In NBA news, the 76ers will be without guard Ben Simmons for Friday’s game at Denver because of sprained AC joint in his right shoulder. Simmons was injured when he bumped into Royce O’Neal’s chest on a post-up during the first quarter of last night’s loss at Utah. The All-Star guard has averaged 13.1 points for the 5-2 Sixers, who have dropped their last two games.
New Orleans Pelicans rookie forward Zion Williamson says he expects to miss less than half the regular season due to his knee injury but is offering no specific timetable for a return. The first player taken in this year’s draft had surgery on his torn right lateral meniscus Oct. 21. The Pelicans originally announced that his recovery was expected to last six to eight weeks.
The league has fined the Clippers $50,000 for statements made by coach Doc Rivers and others that were "inconsistent with (Kawhi) Leonard's health status." The NBA says it confirmed that the team's decision to sit Leonard for management of an injury was consistent with league rules, adding that the Clippers reasonably determined that the power forward is suffering from an ongoing injury to the patella tendon in his left knee.
Blake Griffin has been cleared by the Pistons' medical staff for basketball-related activities. The power forward hasn't played at all this season because of hamstring and knee issues that will be monitored daily by the team. The Pistons are 4-5 without Griffin, who averaged a career-high 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists last season.
NFL
The Oakland Raiders are back over .500 at 5-4 following a comeback win over the Chargers. Josh Jacobs scored on an 18-yard run with 1:02 remaining as the Raiders pulled out a 26-24 victory in Oakland. Derek Carr led the Raiders down the field methodically 75 yards after Philip Rivers threw a 6-yard pass to Austin Ekeler that gave the Chargers a 24-20 lead with 4:02 remaining. Carr completed three passes to Jalen Richard and two to Hunter Renfrow before Jacobs finished the drive with his seventh touchdown of his rookie season. Carr was 21 of 31 for 218 yards, one TD and no interceptions. Melvin Gordon had 22 carries for 108 yards and a TD that put the 4-6 Chargers up 14-10 in the second quarter. Philip Rivers was picked off three times while throwing for 207 yards and two scores.
In NFL news, the Cleveland Browns will have a new running back when they take on the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Kareem Hunt has been officially reinstated to the roster this week after serving the eight-game suspension he received from the NFL for two physical off-field altercations. Hunt has been practicing for two weeks and is eligible to be on the field this weekend. He was signed by the Browns in February after being released by Kansas City two months earlier. The Chiefs said he lied to them about an incident in which he shoved and kicked a woman during an argument. Hunt led the league in rushing as a rookie in 2017.
Saints running back Alvin Kamara says he feels good after practicing the last two days. Kamara missed two games with ankle and knee injuries after running for 373 yards and grabbing 33 passes for another 276 yards in New Orleans’ first six games.
A person familiar with the negotiations says Browns center JC Tretter has agreed to a three-year, $32.5 million contract extension. The source says Tretter will receive a guaranteed $23 million in a deal that was first reported by NFL Network.
MLB
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout has received his 7th Silver Slugger Award after batting .291 with 45 home runs and 104 RBIs this season. Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr., Freddie Freeman and Ozzie Albies are among the first-time winners on the National League side, along with Los Angeles outfielder. First-timers for the American League are Cleveland first baseman Carlos Santana, New York Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu, Houston Astros infielder Alex Bregman, and Minnesota catcher Mitch Garver.
The other AL recipients are Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts and Boston outfielder Mookie Betts, Astros outfielder George Springer and Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz. Rounding out the NL squad are Rockies shortstop Trevor Story, Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon, Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto, Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich and Arizona pitcher Zack Greinke, who actually finished the season with the American League’s Astros.
In other MLB news: Mets first baseman Pete Alonso and Houston Astros slugger Yordan Álvarez have been picked as this year's top rookies by Baseball Digest. Alonso drove in 120 runs and set a rookie record with 53 homers for New York, becoming the first rookie to lead the majors outright in homers. Álvarez made his debut June 9 and batted .313 with 27 homers, 78 RBIs and a 1.067 OPS in only 87 games for the American League champions.
Blue Jays second baseman Devon Travis has become a free agent after refusing an outright assignment to Triple-A Buffalo. The 28-year-old spent the entire 2019 season on the injured list following surgery on his left knee. Travis had a .274 average with 35 home runs and 153 RBIs in four seasons with Toronto.
GOLF
U.S. Presidents Cup captain Tiger Woods has used one of his four wild-card selections on himself. The decision makes Woods the first playing captain in the tournament since Hale Irwin in the inaugural edition 25 years ago. Woods is the reigning Masters champion and is No. 6 in the world ranking. He tied the PGA Tour record with his 82nd career victory, capturing the Zozo Championship in Japan two weekends ago. Woods also took Tony Finau, U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland and Patrick Reed as his other wild-card selections. The Presidents Cup is Dec. 12-15 at Royal Melbourne.
Jeff Maggert is the first-round leader through one round of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. Maggert shot an 8-under 63 in perfect conditions at Phoenix Country Club to take a one-stroke lead over Bernhard Langer. Miguel Angel Jimenez, Paul Goydos and Steve Flesch are another shot back and one ahead of Jerry Kelly, Retief Goosen, Lee Janzen and Scott Parel. Langer, Kelly, Goosen and Colin Montgomerie made moves to catch Scott McCarron in the PGA Tour Champions' season standings. McCarron is tied for 22nd in the 34-man field after a 69.
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