VANTAA, Finland - Malcolm Spence had two goals and an assist as Canada thumped Czechia 6-0 in a penalty-filled affair Friday at the world men's under-18 hockey championship. Tij Iginla also had two goals and Carter George made 26 saves for the shutout Gavin McKenna had a goal and two assists and Carson Wetsch also scor...

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has been ruled out of Game 3 of the NBA playoff series against the Indiana Pacers. Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Thursday that Antetokounmpo did more at practice than he had been during a nearly three-week absence with a strained left calf, though he still av...

DENVER - The Winnipeg Jets are making a lineup change after splitting the first two games of their first-round NHL playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche. Head coach Rick Bowness says that Nate Schmidt will be in the lineup for Game 3 on Friday night and fellow blueliner Logan Stanley will sit. Schmidt was a hea...

TORONTO - Maple Leafs winger William Nylander appears on course to suit for the first time in this spring's Stanley Cup playoffs. The 27-year-old was a full participant at today's practice after missing the first three games of Toronto's opening-round series against the Boston Bruins with an undisclosed injury. Nylande...

Shohei Ohtani will play his first game in Toronto on Friday since opting to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers instead of the Blue Jays. The two-way superstar had played the previous six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels and was the unanimous choice as American League MVP last season before entering free agency. The D...

Canadian curling champion Brad Gushue first struck up a friendship with Bob Cole some 20 years ago during the NHL lockout. The legendary broadcaster - an elite curler himself in his younger days - would often watch the up-and-coming skip throw stones at the local club in their hometown of St. John's, N.L. "At ti...

The Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes put themselves one win away from earning first-round sweeps, while three Canadian teams set out to take the lead in their series on Friday. Here are five things to know entering Friday's post-season action: HOSTILE TERRITORY The Vancouver Canucks might have taken both games ...

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Aaron Gordon had 29 points and 15 rebounds, Nikola Jokic added 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, and the Denver Nuggets moved to the brink of the second round with a 112-105 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of their first-round series Thursday night. Jamal Murray of Kitchener, Ont...

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Philadelphia 76ers All-Star center Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell's palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament. Embiid wore sunglasses to the podium after he scored 50 points in the Sixers' Game 3 win over the New York Knicks and said he'...

NEW YORK (AP) - Defensemen Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov got Carolina off to a fast start and the Hurricanes held on to beat the New York Islanders 3-2 on Thursday night for a 3-0 lead in the first-round series. Sebastian Aho also scored for the Hurricanes and Andrei Svechnikov had two assists. Frederik Andersen stopped...

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Joel Embiid scored 50 points, making all four 3-point attempts and scoring 18 in a potential series-shifting third quarter on Thursday night to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 125-114 win over the New York Knicks in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series. Embiid boldly stated "w...

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves, Matthew Tkachuk scored twice and the Florida Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 on Thursday night to take a 3-0 lead in the first-round playoff series. Brandon Montour, Sam Reinhart and Steven Lorentz also scored for the Panthers, who will seek a sweep Saturday ...

LOS ANGLES (AP) - Grace Kim shot a 7-under 64 at Wilshire Country Club to take the first-round lead Thursday in the LPGA Tour's JM Eagle LA Championship. Playing in the morning session, the 23-year-old Australian capped her bogey-free round with a chip-in birdie on the par-3 18th. "Well, I chunked my tee shot on t...

AVONDALE, La. (AP) - Rory McIlroy is enjoying his first visit to New Orleans - on and off the course. McIlroy and Shane Lowry shot an 11-under 61 in fourball play Thursday for a share of the first-round lead in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the PGA Tour's only team event. The Irish duo shared the lead with the tea...

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Paolo Banchero had 31 points and 14 rebounds, Jalen Suggs added 24 points and the Orlando Magic handed Cleveland the worst playoff loss in franchise history, winning 121-83 on Thursday night to cut the Cavaliers' lead to 2-1 in their Eastern Conference first-round series. Franz Wagner finished with...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Salvador Perez hit a two-run homer in the first inning, Cole Ragans held Toronto in check long enough for the rain to arrive, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Blue Jays 2-1 on Thursday in a game called after five innings and a long weather delay. Ragans (1-2) allowed the lone Toronto run on t...

DENVER - Resting on top of an audio speaker just inside the entrance to the Winnipeg Jets' locker-room sits a reminder of what the NHL team is fighting for. A blue board, complete with team logo and Stanley Cup in the background, has plastic slots for 16 hockey pucks -- one for each post-season victory. One slot was f...

Chelsea Carey wants to be clear. She's not trying to fill Jennifer Jones's curling shoes. Carey has been handed the skipping reins of Jones's young team ranked second in Canada and fourth in the world. Six-time Canadian champion Jones, also a two-time world champ and an Olympic gold medallist, retired from team curling...

VANTAA, Finland - Gavin McKenna scored twice and Canada opened with a 6-3 win over Sweden on Thursday at the world men's under-18 hockey championship. Jett Luchanko had a goal and an assist and Malcolm Spence, Matthew Schaeffer and Carson Wetsch also scored for Canada. Porter Martone added two assists. Carter Geroge ma...

NASHVILLE - Rick Tocchet expects boos to rain down when his Vancouver Canucks take the ice on Friday. That's exactly how it should be, the head coach said. The Canucks will be in hostile territory as their first-round playoff series with the Predators shifts to Nashville for Game. Being the despised opponent is a role...

Members of the NHL community and beyond paid tribute Bob Cole on Thursday after the legendary broadcaster died at age 90. He died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC. Cole, an influential voice in broadcasting for more than half a century, brought life t...

TORONTO - There were tears in the Simcoe County Rovers' locker room ahead of Wednesday's Canadian Championship game against Toronto FC as players' family and friends offered love and support by video. "Go Rovers," was the repeated refrain from loved ones young and old. "So proud of you and the hard work...