FRIDAY SPORTS: BIG OILER SHUTOUT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) – Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard and Ryan McLeod each had a goal and an assist in the first period, sending the Oilers to a 5-0 victory at San Jose on Thursday.

Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored for Edmonton in the opener of a three-game California trip. Stuart Skinner made 25 saves in his second shutout of the season and No. 4 for his career.

The Oilers improved to 11-3-0 in their last 14 games, rebounding from a rough start to the season.

San Jose dropped its seventh straight game. It’s the longest skid for the Sharks since they lost their first 11 games of the season.

Elsewhere in the NHL:

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Andrei Svechnikov scored three times and Jesper Fast had two goals, helping Antti Raanta and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-3 on Thursday night.

LAS VEGAS (AP) – Logan Thompson made 32 saves, bouncing back from a shaky performance, and the Golden Knights stopped a four-game slide, beating LA 3-2.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) – Egor Zamula, Sean Walker and Joel Farabee scored in the second period, leading the Flyers to a 4-1 win over Vancouver.

WORLD JUNIORS

Canada faces its toughest test yet Friday at the world junior hockey championship. The Canadians face host Sweden in a matchup between the lone undefeated teams in Group A. Canada has outscored its opponents 15-2 across two games, defeating Finland and Latvia. Meanwhile, Sweden has yet to surrender a goal, scoring 11 times in wins over Latvia and Germany.

WHL

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – Hudson Thornton netted the game-winning goal at 18:20 of the third period as the Prince George Cougars edged the Calgary Hitmen 3-2 on Thursday in Western Hockey League action.

WENATCHEE, Wa. – Briley Wood knocked in the game-winning goal at 9:08 of the third period to lift the Wenatchee Wild past the Victoria Royals 3-2.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Marcus Nguyen, Kyle Chyzowski and Luca Cagnoni each scored twice in leading the Portland Winterhawks to an 8-5 win over the Seattle Thunderbirds.

NFL

Joe Flacco threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns as the Cleveland Browns clinched a playoff berth, just their second since 2002 and despite numerous injuries with a 37-20 win over the New York Jets. The Browns are assured of a wild-card spot and still have a chance to win the AFC North being at 11-5.

COLLEGE BOWL GAMES

Alamo Bowl

SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Gunner Maldonado returned a fumble 87 yards for a touchdown and also had an interception as No. 14 Arizona forced six turnovers in a 38-24 comeback victory over No. 12 Oklahoma on Thursday night in the Valero Alamo Bowl.

POP TARTS BOWL

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Avery Johnson threw for two touchdowns and ran for one, DJ Giddens rushed for 151 yards and scored twice and Kansas State beat North Carolina State 28-19.

FENWAY BOWL

BOSTON (AP) – Thomas Castellanos rushed for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter as Boston College ended SMU’s nine-game winning streak, winning 23-14.

PINSTRIPE BOWL

NEW YORK (AP) – Kyle Monangai rushed for 163 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries to help Rutgers beat Miami 31-24 and secure its first winning season since 2014.

(Canadian Press)