Friday Sports: Rattlers Off To Historic Start

CEBL

The Saskatchewan Rattlers (3-0) remain undefeated to the start the season following a wire-to-wire 98-86 win over the Vancouver Bandits (2-1) on Thursday night. It’s the first time in franchise history the Rattlers have opened a campaign with three consecutive wins and they did it by dominating the Bandits offensively, outshooting Vancouver from the field, two-point range and beyond the arc.

Elsewhere the Niagara River Lions dominated the Brampton Honey Badgers 103-60 and the Edmonton Stingers bounced the Montreal Alliance 81-77.

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS (Round 3)

NEW YORK (AP) — Anton Lundell broke a tie with 9:38 left and the Florida Panthers moved within a victory of returning to the Stanley Cup Final, beating the New York Rangers 3-2 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final Thursday night. Gustav Forsling and Sam Bennett also scored, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 25 saves to help the Panthers win their second straight in the best-of-series series after losing Games 2 and 3 in overtime. Chris Kreider and Alexis Lafreniere scored for the Rangers, and Igor Shesterkin made 34 saves in another magnificent effort. The Panthers can end the series Saturday in Florida. If a seventh game is necessary, it will be at Madison Square Garden, where the Panthers have won twice this series.

MEMORIAL CUP in Saginaw, MI

The Memorial Cup resumes tonight with host Saginaw to face Moose Jaw in the semifinal. The winner will play London in the final on Sunday.

CFL

It’s a busy night in the CFL with four preseason games on the schedule. Hamilton and Toronto will renew their rivalry at BMO Field. Ottawa is home to Montreal in the other early game. Calgary visits Winnipeg and Edmonton plays at BC. 

MLB

Jose Berrios is scheduled to start for the Toronto Blue Jays Friday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Toronto enters play one game behind Tampa Bay and Boston, who are tied for third place in the American League East standings. The Blue Jays will be sporting their new City Connect uniforms for the interleague series opener.

WCBL

Fort McMurray 5 Swift Current 0
Moose Jaw 13 Brooks 10
Sylvan Lake 17 Edmonton 2

NBA

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Luka Doncic had a 20-point first quarter on his way to 36 points for his high this postseason, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-103 to breeze through the Western Conference finals in five games. Kyrie Irving also scored 36 points for the Mavericks. They built a 29-point halftime lead on 61% shooting to deflate the once-energized crowd and went up by 36 in the third quarter. The Mavs have a week to rest before the NBA Finals begin in Boston. Anthony Edwards scored 28 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 28 points and 12 rebounds for the Wolves.

NFL

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — A person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press that wide receiver Jaylen Waddle has agreed to a three-year, $84.75 million contract extension with the Miami Dolphins. The deal includes $76 million guaranteed and keeps Waddle under contract through the 2028 season. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract details have not been announced. Waddle will now become one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL after three productive seasons to start his pro career.

(CEBL, Canadian Press)