Nathan MacKinnon scores 2, assists on another as Avalanche open NHL playoffs with 5-1 win over Stars
DALLAS (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon had a part in both of Colorado’s strange goals in the second period before adding an empty-netter late as the Avalanche beat the Dallas Stars 5-1 in the opener of their first-round Western Conference playoff series. MacKinnon scored on a power play in the second period after assisting on a goal by Artturi Lehkonen, who got the goal after the puck ricocheted off his leg and into the net while falling to the ice. The Stars lost Game 1 in their eighth consecutive series in the NHL playoffs since 2022. Game 2 is Monday night in Dallas. Avs goalie Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 23 shots. Roope Hintz scored and Jake Oettinger had 19 saves for the Stars.
García hits 2-run homer in 9th to lift Rangers past Dodgers, denying Roki Sasaki 1st win
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Adolis García hit a two-run homer off former Texas closer Kirby Yates in the ninth inning, lifting the Rangers to a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The fourth home run of the season from García kept Japanese rookie Roki Sasaki from getting his first major league victory. The 23-year-old right-hander pitched six solid innings in the longest of his five big league outings. Josh Smith almost tied the game against Yates leading off the Texas ninth. He missed a homer by a couple of feet foul down the line in right field before slapping a double the other way to set up García’s 394-foot drive into the seats in left. The Dodgers were without two-way star Shohei Ohtani. He announced the birth of his first child, a girl.
Cremaschi lifts Inter Miami to 1-0 win over Crew before record 60,614 fans in Cleveland
CLEVELAND (AP) — Benjamin Cremaschi scored on a diving header in the 30th minute and Inter Miami beat the Columbus Crew 1-0 in a matchup between the lone remaining undefeated teams in Major League Soccer. The match drew 60,614 fans to Huntington Bank Field, a single-game record for a Crew home match and the largest non-NFL event in stadium history. The match was moved from Columbus to the home of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns due to the popularity of Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi. It is the second time this season and ninth since Messi joined MLS in 2023 that Inter Miami has had a road crowd of at least 60,000.
Si Woo Kim leads by 1 at Hilton Head with Justin Thomas lurking
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Si Woo Kim had a flawless third round at Harbour Town until the very end. He made his first bogey on the last hole and still shot 66 to lead the RBC Heritage by one shot over Justin Thomas and Andrew Novak. Kim was dialed in from the start with two quick birdies. Novak shot 66 and Thomas had a wildly entertaining 69. That includes the penalty he called on himself for his ball moving in a waste area. And it includes trying to hit a shot from shallow water and getting muddied. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler is four back.
Akie Iwai shoots 64 playing alongside twin sister for share of the LPGA Tour lead at El Caballero
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Akie Iwai shot an 8-under 64 playing alongside her twin sister Saturday for a share of the third-round lead in the JM Eagle LA Championship with Lauren Coughlin and Ingrid Lindblad. Coughlin made a 5-foot birdie putt on par-4 18th for a 66, and Lindblad — tied for the second-round lead after a career-best 63 — shot 68 to match Iwai at 17-under 199 at El Caballero. Top-ranked Nelly Korda was three strokes back after a closing three-putt bogey in her final start before her title defense next week in Houston in the major Chevron Championship. Iwai is a 22-year-old Japanese player in her first season on the LPGA Tour. Twin sister Chisato Iwai was tied for 12th at 11 under after a 70.
New York Rangers fire coach Peter Laviolette after missing the playoffs
The New York Rangers have fired coach Peter Laviolette. The move by general manager Chris Drury was announced Saturday and comes after they missed the playoffs. The Rangers massively underachieved preseason expectations after reaching the Eastern Conference final last year. Assistant Phil Housley was also fired. Owner James Dolan and Drury are expected to start the search for a full-time head coach soon and roster changes are all but certain to happen in the coming weeks and months.