4/26 Sports Brief

Ryan Poehling scores early in OT, Ducks push Oilers to the brink with 4-3 win in Game 4

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Ryan Poehling scored 2:29 into overtime, and the Anaheim Ducks pushed Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers to the brink of first-round elimination with a 4-3 victory in Game 4. Jeffrey Viel tied it with 6:29 left in regulation for the Ducks, who rallied from an early two-goal deficit and a third-period hole before taking a 3-1 series lead with their third consecutive victory over the back-to-back Western Conference champion Oilers. The Ducks won when Poehling’s sharp-angled shot reluctantly trickled under goalie Tristan Jarry. An extensive video review revealed no reason to overturn the judgment on the ice that the puck had barely crossed the goal line underneath Jarry’s skate. Game 5 is Tuesday night in Edmonton.

Hagel scores twice in 3rd, Lightning beat Canadiens 3-2 in Game 4 to tie series

MONTREAL (AP) — Brandon Hagel scored his NHL playoffs-leading fifth and sixth goals in the third period and the Tampa Bay Lightning rallied to beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Sunday night in Game 4 to tie the series. After the first three games in the first-round series went to overtime, Tampa Bay overcame a two-goal deficit to end this one in regulation. Hagel gave the Lightning the lead with 4:43 left, deflecting Nikita Kucherov’s shot past Jakub Dobes. Jake Guentzel had a goal and assist, and Kucherov added two assists on the top line with Hagel. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 16 saves. Game 5 is Wednesday night in Tampa. Zachary Bolduc and Cole Caufield scored for Montreal in 3:23 span in the second.

Nelly Korda wins Chevron Championship for 3rd major and returns to No. 1

HOUSTON (AP) — Nelly Korda is a major champion for the third time and back to No. 1 in women’s golf. Korda put on a masterclass at The Chevron Championship. She polished off her wire-to-wire win at Memorial Park with a five-shot victory. The victory was enough for her to return to the top of the women’s world ranking for the first time since August. Korda started with a five-shot lead and no one got closer than four shots all day. She played conservatively down the stretch and missed out on a chance to set the tournament’s 72-hole scoring record.

Brotherly boost: A dramatic Zurich Classic win by the Fitzpatricks puts Alex on the PGA Tour

AVONDALE, La. (AP) — Matt Fitzpatrick and younger brother Alex combined for a 1-under 71 in alternate-shot play Sunday to pull out a dramatic, single-stroke victory in the Zurich Classic and usher the younger Fitzpatrick onto the PGA Tour through 2028. After the Englishmen had lost a four-stroke lead on the back nine, Matt Fitzpatrick, the third-ranked player in the world, stuck a bunker shot on the par-5 18th a foot from the hole to set up his brother’s winning putt for a tournament-record 31-under 257 total. Until then, the teams of Alex Smalley-Hayden Springer and Kristoffer Reitan-Kris Ventura had been tied for the lead at 258. Matt Fitzpatrick has three wins since March, including last weekend at Harbour Town.

Embiid’s gutsy return after appendectomy falls flat as Celtics rout 76ers for 3-1 series lead

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid’s surprise return after an appendectomy doesn’t help the 76ers against Boston. Embiid scores 26 points and grabs 10 rebounds in 34 minutes, but the Celtics win 128-96 on Sunday night, taking a 3-1 lead in their playoff series. Embiid, who hadn’t played since April 6, starts strong but struggles later, missing seven straight shots. He was doubtful to play but cleared 40 minutes before the game. Despite his efforts, the Sixers can’t overcome the Celtics’ dominance. Embiid’s return highlights his ongoing battle with injuries during crucial playoff moments.

Carson Hocevar earns 1st NASCAR Cup victory with last-lap pass at Talladega Superspeedway

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — Carson Hocevar has earned the first victory of his NASCAR Cup Series career, outdueling Chris Buescher with a last-lap pass at Talladega Superspeedway. Hocevar, who drives the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, joined Ty Gibbs on Sunday as the second first-time winner this season. Hocevar has made headlines for angering veterans with aggressive moves. He won in his 91st start in NASCAR’s premier series. The 23-year-old from Portage, Michigan, used a drafting push from Alex Bowman to edge past Buescher.

MacKinnon leads Avalanche to 5-1 win and 1st-round sweep of LA Kings, ending Anze Kopitar’s career

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon had two goals and an assist, Nicolas Roy and Devon Toews scored in the third period, and the top-seeded Colorado Avalanche swept the Los Angeles Kings out of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 5-1 victory. Cale Makar also scored and Scott Wedgewood made 24 saves as the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avs ended the 20-year career of Kings captain Anze Kopitar, who announced his pending retirement in September. With a masterful four-game demonstration of the roster-wide talent on a team ready to win it all, Colorado advanced to face the winner of the heavyweight first-round series between Dallas and Minnesota.

Trevor Bauer dominates with a 7-inning no-hitter for Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) — Trevor Bauer has thrown a no-hitter for the Long Island Ducks against the Lancaster Stormers in the Atlantic League. Bauer allowed just one baserunner in seven innings, striking out seven on 84 pitches. The Ducks won 13-0. The former Cy Young Award winner is trying to revive his career after a 194-game suspension for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy. He was released by the Los Angeles Dodgers in January 2023. Bauer pitched in Japan and Mexico, where he was named the Mexican Baseball League’s pitcher of the year in 2024.