SUNDAY SPORTS
Tom Brady hopes he has at least one more clutch performance left in him this season. Brady and the Patriots take on the LA Rams tonight for Super Bowl 53 at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium (5:30 pm kickoff). It’s the third year in a row and fourth time in five seasons New England is in the championship game despite Brady now being 41 years old.
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Tight end Tony Gonzalez, cornerback Champ Bailey and safety Ed Reed have been voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in their first year as nominees. Joining the trio will be defensive back Ty Law and centre Kevin Mawae, each of whom were in their third year as finalists. The induction ceremony will be August 3rd in Canton, Ohio.
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Jacob Markstrom made 34 saves as Vancouver beat the Avalanche 5-1 in Denver. Colorado has lost three in a row and finds itself outside a playoff spot. Meanwhile, the Canucks have moved into a wild card spot in the West. And Jack Roslovic had three goals and an assist as the Jets scored a franchise-record six goals in the first period on their way to a 9-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks.
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Zach Hyman scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period as the Maple Leafs beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in Toronto. And Jonathan Bernier stopped 35 shots for his first shutout of the season as the Red Wings beat the Senators 2-0 in Ottawa. Detroit has won three straight.
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Another loss for the Oilers. Philadelphia beat Edmonton 5-4 in overtime for its seventh win in a row. Connor McDavid scored his 30th goal of the season for the Oilers, who have dropped four straight and 13 of 18. And the New Jersey Devils pulled out a 3-2 win over the Canadiens in Montreal on Nico Hischier’s goal 1:56 into overtime.
The Canadiens will try to add to Edmonton’s misery this afternoon when they host the Oilers at Bell Centre.
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Klay Thompson returned from a one-game absence with an illness to score 28 points and light up the Lakers for the second time in 13 days, leading the Golden State Warriors to a 115-101 victory over a Los Angeles team again missing LeBron James. James’ rest was for what coach Luke Walton called “load management.”
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Denver coach Michael Malone is headed to the All-Star Game, where he will coach the team that will be picked by Lakers star LeBron James. Malone clinched his first All-Star coaching nod when the Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 107-106. The All-Star coaching gigs were determined by which teams have the best records in each conference through today Sunday.
