FRIDAY SPORTS: HABS SPOIL ROY RETURN

NHL

CANADIENS 4 ISLANDERS 3

MONTREAL (AP) — Sean Monahan scored his second goal of the game with 2:12 remaining, lifting the Canadiens past New York and spoiling Patrick Roy’s return to Montreal.

Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat each had a goal and assist, Kyle Palmieri also scored and Noah Dobson had three assists as the Islanders fell to 1-2-0 under Roy. The Hall of Fame goaltender who helped lead the Canadiens to Stanley Cup victories in 1986 and 1993, was hired as the Islanders’ coach last Saturday.

HURRICANES 3 DEVILS 2

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen each had a goal and an assist, leading the Carolina Hurricanes past the New Jersey Devils 3-2 on Thursday night.

New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff was struck in the face by a puck during the second period. He stayed behind the bench initially, but didn’t come out for the third period. Associate coach Travis Green ran the team the rest of the way.

OILERS 3, BLACKHAWKS 0

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Connor McDavid had two goals and an assist, backup Calvin Pickard made 27 saves for his fifth career shutout and Edmonton won its 15th straight game, beating Chicago 3-0.

BRUINS 3, SENATORS 2, OT

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Brad Marchand scored at 1:48 of overtime and Boston beat Ottawa 3-2.

RED WINGS 3, FLYERS 0

DETROIT (AP) — Alex Lyon made 29 saves for his third career shutout, Andrew Copp scored his 100th goal and Detroit silenced Philadelphia 3-0.

LIGHTNING 6, COYOTES 3

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Nikita Kucherov had a goal and two assists to retake the NHL lead in points and Steven Stamkos recorded his 1,100th career point as Tampa Bay beat Arizona 6-3.

STARS 4, DUCKS 3, OT

DALLAS (AP) — Thomas Harley scored 38 seconds into overtime and Dallas edged Anaheim 4-3.

PREDATORS 3, WILD 2

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Alexandre Carrier and Filip Forsberg scored 35 seconds apart to open a three-goal third period, Juuse Saros made 22 saves and Nashville came back to beat Minnesota 3-2.

BLUE JACKETS 5, FLAMES 2

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Alexandre Texier scored Columbus’ first short-handed goal this season and the Blue Jackets beat skidding Calgary 5-2.

MacKenzie Weegar and Connor Zary each had a goal for the Flames, who have lost four straight — all at home.

JUNIOR A WARS

The Alberta Junior Hockey League has cancelled all upcoming games involving five teams poised to bolt to a rival junior A circuit and its 11 remaining clubs.

The B.C. Hockey League announced Saturday the Blackfalds Bulldogs, Brooks Bandits, Okotoks Oilers, Sherwood Park Crusaders and Spruce Grove Saints will come under its umbrella in 2024-25.

The AJHL scratched four games off its schedule earlier this week before Thursday’s announcement.

The league said in a statement it is “taking steps to protect the integrity of the AJHL and (Canadian Junior Hockey League) playoff system” along with ensuring “the safety of our players and officials.”

The five teams heading to the BCHL will still be allowed to play scheduled games against one another “out of respect for the players,” the AJHL said.

The BCHL cut ties with Hockey Canada — the sport’s national governing body — in May. The league said at the time the move toward an independent setup would provide more options for players looking to compete in U.S. college hockey.

NFL

ATLANTA (AP) — Three years ago, the Atlanta Falcons passed on a chance to make Raheem Morris their head coach.

They didn’t let him get away this time — even after an exhaustive search that included six-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick.

The Falcons hired the Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator on Thursday, bringing back a familiar name who served as Atlanta’s interim coach for the final 11 games of the 2020 season after Dan Quinn was fired.

The 47-year-old Morris was hired by the Falcons after 14 candidates were interviewed, with Belichick the most notable among them. Earlier Thursday, the team conducted a second interview with Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik.

In the end, the Falcons decided to go with an experienced coach who has been in the league all but one season going back to 2002, including a three-year stint as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He previously worked in Atlanta from 2015-2020.

Morris becomes the first non-interim Black coach in Falcons history and joins general manager Terry Fontenot, who also is Black, in leading a franchise that hasn’t had a winning season since 2017.

(Canadian Press)