NHL
Carter Verhaeghe scored 4:27 into overtime and the Florida Panthers pulled off some more postseason dramatics to beat the Vegas Golden Knights in overtime 3-2 in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals last night. Matthew Tkachuk tied it with 2:13 left in the third period for the Panthers, who got the franchise’s first title-series game win in seven tries. Florida had to fend off a power play to start overtime, and Verhaeghe got the winner from the slot to get the Panthers within 2-1 in the series. Game 4 is Saturday night. Las Vegas has a 2-1 lead. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 25 shots for Florida. Adin Hill made 20 saves for Vegas, but got beat on the only shot that came his way in overtime.
Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk returned after leaving Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final and provided more of his trademark playoff heroics. Tkachuk was sidelined early after a big hit from Vegas Golden Knights forward Keegan Kolesar. Before the absence he set up the Panthers' first goal. Late in the third period he scored to tie it with 2:13 left in regulation and set the screen on the overtime winner. Tkachuk is now tied for the most points in postseason.
Being at home proved to be crucial for the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights. Coach Paul Maurice getting the right matchups allowed his team to win Game 3 in overtime and cut its series deficit to 2-1. Each of Florida's goals in regulation came with Matthew Tkachuk's line against the opponents Maurice wanted on the ice. And Carter Verhaeghe's goal also showed the Panthers can be competitive in this series at even strength despite special teams woes.
NBA
Game 4 of the NBA Finals is tonight in Miami. The Nuggets got a historic effort from Nikola Jokic and Jamaal Murray to reclaim the lead in the series with a 109-94 win on Wednesday night.
MLB
Randy Vásquez pitched two-hit ball into the sixth inning for his first major league win, Billy McKinney hit his first home run with the Yankees and New York beat the Chicago White Sox 3-0 for a doubleheader split. Chicago extended its winning streak to a season-high five games with a 6-5 victory in the opener, when Eloy Jiménez hit a go-ahead homer in the seventh off Michael King. Jake Burger had a two-run shot off Yankees starter Luis Severino before Luis Robert Jr. and Yoán Moncada also went deep against the right-hander. After Wednesday’s game was postponed by Major League Baseball because of hazardous air quality from Canadian wildfires, conditions in the Bronx had improved by Thursday’s first pitch. Gleyber Torres hit a two-run homer in Game 2.
José Ramírez homered in his first three at-bats to power the Cleveland Guardians to a 10-3 win over the Boston Red Sox. Ramírez connected for a solo shot in the first inning off Matt Dermody, belted a two-run shot in the third and added another solo blast in the sixth when the Guardians collected eight straight hits. Ramírez came up a second time in the sixth bidding for a rare four-homer game, but struck out. The four-time All-Star had another chance in the eighth, but grounded to third. There have only been 16 four-homer games in the majors since 1901. The last to do it was Arizona’s J.D. Martinez in 2017.
Ozzie Albies lined a three-run homer with two outs in the 10th inning and the Atlanta Braves rallied to beat the reeling New York Mets 13-10 for a three-game sweep. Orlando Arcia hit a tying solo homer off Mets closer David Robertson in the ninth to help the NL East leaders win their fifth straight. New York, which has dropped six in a row for the first time since August 2019, had won 122 consecutive games when leading after eight innings. The Mets wasted two homers from rookie Francisco Álvarez and an early grand slam from Brandon Nimmo as three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander struggled. Atlanta overcame a 9-5 deficit and came back from at least three runs down to win all three games in the series.
Zack Wheeler’s bid for a no-hitter was broken up when Tyler Nevin singled for the Detroit Tigers with one out in the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies right-hander. Jonathan Schoop reached on a throwing error by Phillies third baseman Josh Harrison, and Nevin followed with a clean single to right field that put runners at the corners. Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson then removed Wheeler, who threw 75 of his 108 pitches for strikes. He struck out eight, walked one and hit a batter with a pitch. Detroit tied it 1-all on Zack Short’s bunt single against reliever Seranthony Domínguez. Philadelphia took a 1-0 lead on Bryce Harper’s sacrifice fly in the sixth.
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
DeWanna Bonner, a 13-year veteran, scored a career-high 41 points to set a franchise record and the Connecticut Sun beat the previously unbeaten Las Vegas Aces 94-77 to avenge a series loss two days ago. Bonner topped her previous high of 38, set in 2016, on a 3-pointer with 2:50 remaining for a 90-67 lead. The previous franchise record was 35, scored by Shannon Johnson in 2000 when the organization was the Orlando Miracle. On Tuesday, Bonner only had five points in a 90-84 loss to Las Vegas. But Bonner responded by scoring 14 of Connecticut’s opening 20 points on Thursday. Bonner finished 16 of 23 from the field. Las Vegas got within 64-54 early in the fourth quarter before Bonner scored the next seven Connecticut points.
FRENCH OPEN
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are scheduled to play against each other for the first time in more than a year when they meet in the French Open semifinals. The much-anticipated showdown is the first singles match today at Court Philippe Chatrier. It is the 45th Grand Slam semifinal for Djokovic, a 36-year-old from Serbia, and the second for Alcaraz, a 20-year-old from Spain. Djokovic is hoping to leave Roland Garros this year with his third title in Paris and his 23rd major championship overall, which would break a tie with rival Rafael Nadal for the most by a man in the history of tennis. The other semifinal will follow, pitting Casper Ruud against Alexander Zverev.
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
After two decades competing against Real Madrid, Manchester United and Brazil, Lionel Messi will be going against the NFL, Major League Baseball and the NBA. Major League Soccer is hoping for a breakout boost to its television audience and market share after Messi joins Inter Miami next month. Following Pelé’s signing with the New York Cosmos in 1975 and David Beckham joining the LA Galaxy in 2007, Messi is expected to become the third supreme soccer evangelist in a nation where the sport has been playing catch-up for more than a century.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES
Jordy Bahl threw three innings of perfect relief and Oklahoma won its third straight Women’s College World Series title and seventh overall, beating Florida State 3-1 for a two-game sweep. The Sooners finished 61-1 and extended their Division I-record win streak to 53 games. They have won six titles since 2013 after getting their first in 2000, all under coach Patty Gasso. Oklahoma’s only defeat was a 4-3 loss at Baylor on Feb. 19. The Sooners set a record for win percentage and have the fewest losses of any NCAA champion. They led the nation in runs per game, earned run average and batting average.
BELMONT STAKES
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has warned that the Belmont Stakes could be canceled if air quality doesn't improve. Racing at Belmont Park was called off on Thursday because of hazy, smoky conditions from wildfires in Canada. It was the second straight day that the bad air affected sports in the northeastern United States. In Major League Baseball, the Washington Nationals' home game against the Arizona Diamondbacks was called off. The Belmont is the final leg of horse racing's Triple Crown. Hochul says it could be scrapped if the air quality index exceeds 200. She says horses will have to undergo additional evaluations if the air is in the 150-200 range.
YOUTH BASEBALL
Baseball is steeped in the tradition of fans wanting to jeer the umpire. One Little League in New Jersey is taking a more hands-on approach. It's trying to curb the appetite among the crowd watching 10- and 11-year-olds play baseball who curse at the unpaid volunteers behind the plate. The fans could become the umpires if they won't follow league rules on sportsmanship. Outbursts of bad behavior at sporting events for young people have had frightening consequences for officials at all youth levels. The Deptford Little League is hoping its solution is a preventative one.
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