Sabres headed to second round of playoffs with bigger goals in mind
BOSTON (AP) — Rasmus Dahlin arrived in Buffalo as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 NHL draft wanting to be part of the revival for a city rabid about a Sabres team that hadn’t been to playoffs in the six years before his arrival. Eight seasons later, he not only finally helped the Sabres get back there, but was a key factor in the franchise winning its first postseason series in almost two decades. Buffalo’s 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins wrapped up a 4-2 series victory, securing it a spot in the second round for the first time since 2007.
Wrexham’s Premier League dream on hold after missing out on playoffs. Ipswich secures promotion
Wrexham’s dream of reaching the Premier League is over, for this season anyway. The Welsh club owned by Hollywood celebrities Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac missed out on a place in the playoffs in the second-tier Championship after drawing 2-2 with Middlesbrough in a dramatic final round of the regular season on Saturday. That allowed Hull to jump ahead of Wrexham and into sixth place, the fourth and final spot in the playoffs. Hull beat Norwich 2-1 in a match played at the same time. It ends Wrexham’s unprecedented run of three straight promotions. Ipswich secured the second automatic promotion spot and an immediate return to the Premier League.
Kentucky Derby is down to 19 horses after The Puma gets scratched
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The 152nd edition of the Kentucky Derby will be run with 19 horses instead of the maximum 20 after a late scratch less than 12 hours before the race. The Puma was ruled out Saturday because of a swollen leg from a skin infection. The horse trained by Gustavo Delgado Sr. and son Gustavo Delgado Jr. opened at odds of 10-1 and was bet down to 8-1 by Friday. Renegade remains the favorite in the wide-open field for the opening leg of the Triple Crown that is set to go off at roughly 7 p.m. Eastern.
Alex Zanardi, auto racing champ who won Paralympic golds between life-altering accidents, dies at 59
ROME (AP) — Italian auto racing champion-turned-Paralympic gold medalist Alex Zanardi has died at 59. His life was marked by two life-altering accidents. Zanardi’s family announced his death on Saturday saying that he passed away on Friday night. The family says in a statement that “Alex died peacefully surrounded by the affection of those closest to him.” In 2020 Zanardi was seriously injured in a handbike accident after crashing into an oncoming truck during a relay event in Tuscany. Zanardi suffered serious facial and cranial trauma in the crash and was put in a medically induced coma. Nearly 20 years earlier Zanardi lost both of his legs in an auto racing crash.
Goncalves scores in OT, Lightning beat Canadiens to force Game 7
MONTREAL (AP) — Gage Goncalves scored off his own rebound at 9:03 of overtime and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 on Friday night to force a Game 7 in the first-round series. Goncalves scored soon after the Lightning killed scoring star Nikita Kucherov’s penalty for tripping Alexandre Carrier. Game 7 is Sunday in Tampa. The Lightning are trying to avoid a fourth consecutive first-round exit, while the Canadiens are chasing their first series victory in five years. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 30 saves for Tampa Bay, and Jakub Dobes stopped 32 shots for Montreal. The first three games of the series also went to overtime.
Golden Knights build on late season success under Tortorellla in playoffs
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — John Tortorella and the Vegas Golden Knights are off to the second round after pushing aside the pesky Utah Mammoth. Vegas ground out three straight victories to finish off the Mammoth, winning 5-1 on Friday night in Game 6 after consecutive overtime wins. Vegas overcame third-period deficits in its first three victories. After Tortorella took over as coach from the fired Bruce Cassidy, the Golden Knights closed the regular season 7-0-1. They went from a team struggling to stay in the playoff picture to winning a division title for the fifth time in nine seasons. Depth, confidence, and experience helped Vegas make winning plays to close out tight games as the series progressed.
Exorbitantly expensive tickets for early World Cup games still on general sale
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Tickets for most of the World Cup group games remain on general sale with just over a month to go until the tournament kicks off on June 11. But prices are exorbitantly high. They top out at $4,105 for the United States’ opening game against Paraguay in Los Angeles and many cost around $2,000. Tickets are still available on FIFA’s official website through its “last-minute sales” section after batches had been released through various phases since September.
Young gets to 13 under to take 5-stroke lead into the weekend at Doral
DORAL, Fla. (AP) — Cameron Young finally made his first bogey of the week at the Cadillac Championship. It barely put a dent into his lead going into the weekend. Young shot a 5-under 67 on Friday to get to 13 under and take a five-shot lead at the midway point of the $20 million signature event at Trump International Doral. Young played with Scottie Scheffler; the world’s No. 1 player had a bogey-free 67 but ended the day exactly where he started it — seven shots off the lead. Nick Taylor, Alex Smalley and Jordan Spieth were tied for second.