Thursday Sports: La Bamba!

NHL

OILERS 5 GOLDEN KNIGHTS 1

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Zach Hyman and Leon Draisaitl each had a goal and an assist as Edmonton beat Vegas 5-1 despite the absence of star forward Connor McDavid.

Cody Ceci, Mattias Ekholm and Dylan Holloway also scored while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Ryan McLeod each had two assists for Edmonton, which won its third straight. Stuart Skinner stopped 17 shots.

The Oilers hit 100 points in the standings in a third consecutive season for the second time in franchise history. They hit the century mark six times in a row from 1981-87.

McDavid missed the game with a lower-body injury but is considered day-to-day. The Oilers’ captain is stuck at 99 assists on the season, needing only one to become just the fourth player in NHL history to hit 100.

BLUES 5 BLACKHAWKS 2

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jordan Kyrou scored twice and Robert Thomas had a goal and an assist, and the St. Louis Blues beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 on Wednesday night.

Zack Bolduc had a goal and an assist, Torey Krug also scored and Brayden Schenn had two assists for St. Louis. Joel Hofer made 18 saves as the Blues improved to 8-1-1 in their last 10 home games against the Blackhawks.

St. Louis preserved its slim playoff hopes. The Blues began the day trailing Vegas, which has a game in hand, by five points for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Philipp Kurashev and Landon Slaggert scored for the Blackhawks. Petr Mrazek was pulled after giving up three goals on three shots over the first 4:37. Arvid Soderblom came on and finished with 21 saves.

COYOTES 4 CANUCKS 3 OT

The Vancouver Canucks forced an adventure-packed overtime with a pair of late goals, but had to settle for a single point when Logan Cooley scored to give the Coyotes a 4-3 victory in Vancouver. 

Arizona has struggled for much of the season and sits well outside of the playoff picture. 

Vancouver remains atop the Pacific Division but saw its lead over the Oilers shrink to four points. Edmonton has two games in hand and will host the Canucks on Saturday.

COYOTES ON THE MOVE?

Preparations are being made behind the scenes and in the public eye in case an NHL team is in Salt Lake City sooner than later, perhaps as early as this fall.

After prospective owner Ryan Smith earlier this week solicited suggestionsfor a team name, word emerged Wednesday that the league has been working on contingency plans in case the Arizona Coyotes move this summer.

The NHL has been working on two schedule drafts for next season in case the team is in Arizona or playing under a different name in Utah, according to a person familiar with the planning. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no decisions have been made.

The schedule for next season is usually released in late June, after the Stanley Cup is handed out, around the draft and before free agency opens July 1. Commissioner Gary Bettman, when asked last month about the schedule and the possible contingency plans, said only, “We still have some time.”

While the NHL, Coyotes and Smith Entertainment Group declined comment on the dual-schedule report, other machinations are underway to prepare for possible relocation. According to multiple published reports, the league sent a memo to owners updating them on the situation while cautioning there are moving parts and nothing is done.

SJHL

Melfort 4 Humboldt 3 OT (Mustangs lead series 3-1)

MLB

Cal Raleigh hit a two-run home run in the 10th inning and the Seattle Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-1 to avoid a three-game sweep. Raleigh connected on the first pitch he saw from Blue Jays left-hander Tim Mayza. Vladimir Guerrero Junior hit his third home run with a 459-foot solo blast but the BlueJays left the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth.

NBA

• Cam Thomas had 23 points, Dennis Schroder scored 15 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and the Brooklyn Nets rallied to beat the Toronto Raptors 106-102. Immanuel Quickley scored 32 points for Toronto. Gradey Dick added a career-high 24. The Raptors play the Miami Heat on Friday and Sunday to wrap up the season.
• Toronto’s Jontay Porter could face expulsion from the league if the gambling-related accusations against him are found to be true, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday. Silver, speaking after a two-day meeting of the league’s Board of Governors, did not reveal any specifics about the investigation surrounding Porter, other than saying the probe is ongoing. Porter has not played since the league said it was looking into betting patterns surrounding his on-court performance.

MASTERS

• AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — The start of the Masters has been delayed by at least one hour because of bad weather. The first round was scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. local time on Thursday, with Erik van Rooyen and Jake Knapp going out in the first group. Storms, heavy rain and strong winds were forecast for Thursday.
• The Masters is more than just the first major of the year. It’s the first time the whole gang is back together. The question is for how much longer. The 13 players from LIV Golf join the rest of the players in an 89-man field at Augusta National. Masters Chairman Fred Ridley is leaning on invitations in his belief they can get the right players. He believes the Official World Golf Ranking is legitimate. The Masters always reviews the criteria. Ridley did not announce any changes in his news conference. For now, the focus is on winning a green jacket. 

NCAA

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Caitlin Clark got a final chance to say goodbye to Iowa fans on Wednesday, and of course there was a big crowd waiting. Clark, who became major college basketball’s all-time leading scorer this season on the way to being the consensus national player of the year, was honored along with her teammates in a celebration at Iowa’s home arena commemorating the Hawkeyes’ second consecutive national runner-up finish in the NCAA tournament. “I would say you’ve all inspired me as much as I inspired you,” Clark said to the approximately 8,000 fans at Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

NFL

Aaron Rodgers acknowledged during a podcast appearance this week he briefly thought his playing career could be over after he tore his left Achilles tendon in the New York Jets’ season opener. The 40-year-old quarterback said during a wide-ranging 2 1/2-hour interview on the “I Can Fly” podcast that he feared for his playing career immediately after he was hurt just four snaps into his Jets debut on Sept. 11. Rodgers was traded to the Jets last offseason after 18 years with the Green Bay Packers. He said his life has changed for the better since the injury and is excited about playing again.

(Canadian Press)