SUNDAY SPORTS
The Vancouver Canucks’ playoff hopes took another hit. Frederik Andersen made 31 saves as the Anaheim Ducks romped past Vancouver 5-1. That leaves Vancouver five points behind Phoenix for the final wild-card berth in the Western Conference. The Ducks meanwhile moved into first place in the Pacific Division.
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The Los Angeles Kings keep rolling toward the playoffs. The Winnipeg Jets keep falling out of contention. Anze Kopitar scored twice in the first period as L-A beat Winnipeg 4-2 for the Kings sixth straight win. Winnipeg is now nine points out of the final wild-card spot in the West.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs stretched their losing streak to eight games with a 4-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Darren Helm had a hat trick as Toronto took another step toward being eliminated from the NHL’s post-season picture. Also, Max Pacioretty had two goals and an assist to help the Montreal Canadiens extend their winning streak to five games with a 4-1 victory over the Florida Panthers.
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One half of the Final Four has been decided. Frank Kaminsky had 28 points and 11 rebounds for Wisconsin, rallying the Badgers to a 64-63 overtime victory against Arizona in the West Region final. Also, Florida advanced to the Final Four with a 62-52 win over 11th-seeded Dayton. The NCAA men’s basketball tournament continues Monday.
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Toronto FC had a rough night. First they lost star forward Jermain Defoe to a hamstring injury, then TFC lost 3-nil to Real Salt Lake. Earlier, Kenny Miller’s goal on a penalty kick gave the Vancouver Whitecaps a 2-1 victory over the Houston Dynamo. Also, Marco di Vaio scored in the 80th minute to help the Montreal Impact draw the Philadelphia Union 1-1.
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Melky Cabrera’s two-run homer in the eighth inning gave the Toronto Blue Jays a 2-0 victory over the New York Mets on Saturday and a sweep of their two-game exhibition series at an Olympic Stadium packed with former Montreal Expos fans.
Moises Sierra was on third with two outs when Cabrera connected off left-hander Adam Kolarek.
Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow pitched six sharp innings, allowing two hits and striking out eight in the spring training finale for both teams.
Mets right-hander Daisuke Matsusaka also struck out eight and gave up five hits in five scoreless innings.
Toronto beat the Mets 5-4 before a crowd of 46,121 on Friday night. The games were organized in an effort to show that Montreal wants Major League Baseball back. A total of 96,350 fans attended the two games, mostly chanting “Let’s go Expos!” and “We want baseball!”
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Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw has been placed on the 15-day disabled list for the first time in his seven-year career because of a swollen muscle in his left upper back. The 26-year-old left-hander, coming off his second Cy Young Award in three years, already had been scratched from his scheduled start in San Diego (on Sunday) after an MRI revealed the problem.
(Canadian Press)
