SUNDAY SPORTS
EDMONTON, AB – Leon Draisaitl had two goals and two assists, Evan Bouchard also scored twice and Edmonton came from behind to snap a seven-game losing streak and beat Calgary 5-3 in the latest Battle of Alberta.
Brendan Perlini added a goal for the Oilers (19-16-2), who were 2-11-2 in their previous 15 games. Connor McDavid chipped in with two assists, and Mikko Koskinen made 44 saves.
Matthew Tkachuk, Milan Lucic and Noah Hanifin scored for the Flames (18-12-6), who are 3-8-1 in their last 12 games. Hanifin had two assists, and Jacob Markstrom stopped 26 of 30 shots.
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BOSTON, MA – David Pastrnak scored a tiebreaking power-play goal early in the third period to lead surging Boston past Winnipeg 3-2.
Andrew Copp and Jansen Harkins each had a goal for the Jets, who played their seventh of eight games on the road to open 2022 because of COVID-19-related postponements. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 29 shots for the Jets.
NEW YORK, NY – Morgan Rielly had a goal and an assist, Petr Mrazek stopped 25 shots and Toronto beat the New York Islanders 3-1. Mitch Marner and Pierre Engvall also scored as the Maple Leafs finished a six-game road trip at 3-2-1.
Prior to the game the Islanders honoured Hall of Famer, Regina Pats great and Moose Jaw product Clark Gillies.
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GREEN BAY, WI – Robbie Gould continued his playoff perfection and moved the San Francisco 49ers one step away from their second Super Bowl appearance in three seasons with a 45-yard field goal as time expired for a 13-10 upset of Green Bay on Saturday night.
On a field littered with snow flurries, Gould’s kick knocked off the top-seeded Packers and possibly ended Aaron Rodgers’ tenure in Green Bay.
The 49ers (12-7) continued their postseason hex on Rodgers and advanced to an NFC championship game matchup Jan. 30 at either the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (14-4) or Los Angeles Rams (13-5). Those teams play Sunday in Tampa.
Rodgers dropped to 0-4 in career playoff matchups against the 49ers. San Francisco beat the Packers 37-20 in the NFC championship game two seasons ago before losing 31-20 to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
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NASHVILLE, TN – Cincinnati just keeps ending postseason droughts, and its latest victory has the Bengals in their first AFC championship game in 33 years.
Rookie Evan McPherson kicked a 52-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the fourth-seeded Bengals past the top-seeded Tennessee Titans 19-16 to end the NFL’s longest active road playoff skid.
The Bengals intercepted Ryan Tannehill three times, setting up two of McPherson’s four field goals. Logan Wilson picked off Tannehill with 20 seconds left at the Cincinnati 47. Joe Burrow hit Pro Bowl rookie receiver Ja’Marr Chase with a 19-yard pass, then the Bengals ran twice to set up McPherson for the win.
Tennessee had Derrick Henry, the 2020 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year, on the field after he missed nine games with a broken foot. He ran for a touchdown and finished with 66 yards.
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ANAHEIM, CA – Francis Ngannou retained his UFC heavyweight title with a surprising display of superior grappling in a unanimous-decision victory over previously unbeaten Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 on Saturday night.
Deiveson Figueiredo also beat Brandon Moreno by unanimous decision, concluding a thrilling fight trilogy by reclaiming the flyweight championship belt he lost to Moreno seven months ago.
Ngannou (17-3) defended his heavyweight belt for the first time with impressive perseverance against Gane (10-1), his fellow French citizen. The champ also did it on an injured knee, and he said afterward that several doctors advised him to pull out of the bout three weeks ago.
(Canadian Press)
