Sunday Sports: Panthers Close To A Sweep

NHL

• Niko Mikkola and Aleksander Barkov each scored twice, and the Florida Panthers scored five goals in a nine-minute span of the third period to beat the Carolina Hurricanes 6-2 on Saturday and move one win away from a third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup final. Logan Stankoven and Seth Jarvis scored for Carolina, which has now dropped 15 consecutive East final games. Game 4 in the best-of-seven series is Monday in Sunrise, Florida.
• The Edmonton Oilers will be looking to grab a 2-1 lead in their NHL Western Conference final series Sunday when they host the Dallas Stars in a rare afternoon game at Rogers Place. The Oilers split the first two games in Texas, losing Wednesday’s Game 1 6-3 and bouncing back with a 3-0 win in Game 2 on Friday. Game 4 in the best-of-seven series is Tuesday night.

MEMORIAL CUP

• Sam O’Reilly’s second goal of the game, scored at 4:23 of overtime, lifted the London Knights to a 3-2 victory over the Moncton Wildcats on Saturday at the Memorial Cup in Rimouski, Quebec. Kasper Halttunen also scored for the Ontario Hockey League champion Knights in their tournament opener. Etienne Morin and Dyllan Gill scored for the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League champion Wildcats in their first game of the 10-day championship event.
• The Knights will be back on the ice Sunday playing against the host Rimouski Oceanic. The Oceanic lost 5-4 to the Western Hockey League champion Medicine Hat Tigers in Friday’s tourney opener. Moncton and Medicine Hat square off Monday.

NLL

Josh Byrne scored four goals and added five assists as the Buffalo Bandits defeated the visiting Saskatchewan Rush 15-6 Saturday to win their third consecutive National Lacrosse League championship. Roberth Church led the visitors with two goals and four assists. Buffalo won the best-of-three series 2-1.

MLB

The visiting Toronto Blue Jays will be trying to avoid a series sweep Sunday when they face the Tampa Bay Rays in the third game of their weekend series. Right-hander Chris Bassitt will be on the mound for the Jays, while Ryan Pepiot will pitch for the Rays. Toronto lost the first two games by 3-1 scores.

NBA

• Anthony Edwards scored a game-high 30 points and had nine rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves whipped the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder 143-101 to trim their deficit in the NBA’s best-of-seven Western Conference Finals to 2-1. Julius Randle added 24 points for the T-Wolves, who can tie the series with a win Monday in Game 4. Ajay Mitchell and Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander each scored 14 points for the Thunder. 
• The Indiana Pacers will be aiming to grab a 3-0 commanding lead in the NBA’s best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals Sunday when they host the New York Knicks. The Pacers edged the host Knicks 138-135 in overtime in Game 1, and then won Game 2 on Friday 114-109. Game 4 is Tuesday night.
• The Montreal Alliance will host the Ottawa BlackJacks in the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s first-ever five-on-five outdoor professional basketball game tonight at IGA Stadium. The CEBL Summer Classic was originally scheduled for Friday but moved to today due to inclement weather. The game tips off at 7:30 p-m Eastern time.

(Canadian Press)