TUESDAY SPORTS PAGE: CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

NHL

Alex Ovechkin scored two power-play goals, Dylan Strome had a goal and assist, and the visiting Washington Capitals beat the Calgary Flames 5-2 on Monday. Hendrix Lapierre and Tom Wilson also scored for the Caps, who extended their NHL win streak to three games and moved into a playoff spot. Kevin Rooney and MacKenzie Weegar scored for the Flames, who had their two-game win streak halted.
Jeff Skinner scored three goals, Alex Tuch and Tage Thompson each had a goal and assist, and the visiting Buffalo Sabres beat the Seattle Kraken 6-2 in NHL action on Monday. Jordan Eberle and Matty Beniers scored for the Kraken, who have lost three in a row.

CURLING

So far, so good for Rachel Homan and her Canadian crew at the world women’s curling championship in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Homan defeated Marianne Roervik’s team from Norway 9-4 to improve to 4-and-oh. Homan will have two tough tests tomorrow when she faces Stefania Constantini’s 4-and-oh team from Italy, and defending champion Silvana Tirinzoni’s 5-and-oh squad from Switzerland.
Laura Walker and Kirk Muyres earned a 9-3 win over Jasmin Gibeau and Audrey Laplante to improve to 3-0 at the Canadian mixed doubles curling championship Monday in New Brunswick. In another evening game of interest, defending champions Jennifer Jones and Brent Laing, representing the Barrie Curling Club in Ontario, slipped to 1-2 with an 8-7 extra end defeat to Lauren Wasylkiw and Shane Konings of Unionville, Ont., who improved to 2-1.

NFL

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — A person with knowledge of the move says the Dallas Cowboys are slightly reducing quarterback Dak Prescott’s massive salary cap hit by reworking his contract going into the final year of the deal. A $5 million roster bonus has been converted into a signing bonus to reduce the 2024 cap hit by $4 million. It’s now at $55 million. The Cowboys can create more salary cap relief with an extension for Prescott. He is coming off a wild-card loss at home to Green Bay that dropped his playoff record to 2-5.

MARCH MADNESS

UConn is the betting favorite to win a second straight national title, but repeating is not easy. Houston has now been tested by a power-conference schedule after joining the Big 12. Purdue will be eager to put aside last year’s loss to 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson. Here’s a quick early prediction: UConn, Houston, Gonzaga and longshot Michigan State reach the Final Four. Then Houston denies UConn a repeat in the championship game.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Bettors expect a lot of upsets in this year’s NCAA Tournament. They are placing wagers on long shots to win. The First Four is Tuesday and Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio. The tournament begins in full Thursday. Recent history has shown some of those fliers can turn into big money. Saint Peter’s made the Sweet 16 two years ago as a No. 15 seed. Last year’s Final Four included a very un-blue-blooded San Diego State, Florida Atlantic and Miami.

MLB

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The Dodgers are paying $700 million for Shohei Ohtani. That means his loyal fans in Japan will be paying big time for his merchandise. A store called Selection in Tokyo’s Shijuku area sells gear for all 30 MLB teams, but store employees say about 60-70% of the sales are for Dodgers gear, or Ohtani-specific gear. And it’s not cheap. One Dodgers cap with Ohtani’s signature on the side and his No. 17 goes for $150. A Dodgers uniform top sells for about $500. If you want a baseball that Ohtani threw last year in an MLB game, that will be $22,000.
A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and the San Francisco Giants have agreed to a $62 million, two-year contract. Snell has the right to opt out after this season and become a free agent. A 30-year-old left-hander, Snell is 71-55 with a 3.20 ERA in 191 starts over eight major league seasons, winning Cy Youngs in 2018 with Tampa Bay and last year with San Diego.

(Canadian Press)