Victor Hedman had two goals and an assist to help the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 on Wednesday night, spoiling Vincent Lecavalier’s homecoming.
Lecavalier, who played 14 years for the Lightning after being selected first overall in the 1998 draft, faced his old team for the first time and scored a power-play goal late in the third period. The former Tampa Bay captain received a standing ovation after a video tribute was played on the scoreboard midway through the first.
Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson also scored for the Lightning, who have won seven in a row at home. Anders Lindback stopped Wayne Simmonds on a first-period penalty shot.
Photo: AFP
Mark Streit also scored for the Flyers, who were coming off a 3-1 loss Monday at Florida that ended a 6-0-1 stretch.
PENGUINS 6, MAPLE LEAFS 5, SO
In Pittsburgh, Evgeni Malkin had his first two-goal game in more than 18 months and added the game-winner in a shootout to rally Pittsburgh past Toronto.
Chris Conner, Kris Letang and James Neal also scored for Pittsburgh, who erased 4-1 and 5-3 deficits. Sidney Crosby added two assists to lift his point total to a league-leading 33 and scored in the second round of the shootout against Jonathan Bernier before Malkin finished it off.
Jeff Zatkoff stopped 11 of 13 shots after replacing ineffective starter Marc-Andre Fleury less than a minute into the second period.
James van Riemsdyk scored twice and added an assist for the Maple Leafs. Phil Kessel, Tyler Bozak and Nazem Kadri also scored for Toronto, but the Maple Leafs lost their way after taking a big lead.
Toronto failed to record a single shot in the third period or overtime.
There were no such problems for the Penguins, who fired a season-high 48 shots at Bernier. He made 43 stops, but went just one for three in the shootout.
BLUES 4, AVALANCHE 1
In Denver, Jaroslav Halak made 24 saves, while David Backes had a goal and an assist as the streaking St Louis Blues beat Colorado.
Alexander Steen scored his 20th of the season and Jaden Schwartz also had a goal for the Blues, who have won five straight.
Semyon Varlamov stopped 31 shots and Patrick Bordeleau scored for the Avalanche, who had won three in a row.
Colorado’s 17-5-0 start was a franchise best this deep into the season, but the Blues have been the better team lately. They have won 10 of 12 and earned points in 11 of those games.
One of their wins in that stretch was a 7-3 victory over Colorado on Nov. 14, which came in the middle of a three-game skid for the Avalanche.
Steen made it 2-0 on a power play, tying Washington’s Alex Ovechkin for the NHL lead in goals.
BLACKHAWKS 3, FLAMES 2
In Calgary, Patrick Kane scored twice, including the tiebreaking goal with 18 seconds left, and Chicago rallied for three straight goals in the third period to beat Calgary.
Patrick Sharp also scored for the Blackhawks (18-4-4), the top team in the National Hockey League (NHL). The defending Stanley Cup champions improved to 4-1-0 on their seven-game road trip.
Matt Stajan and Sean Monahan scored for the Flames, who are 1-5-2 in their last eight home games.
After Sven Baertschi lost the puck, a shot from Niklas Hjalmarsson caromed off a skate and the puck went straight to Kane at the side of the net, who lifted a backhand over goalie Reto Berra.
In other play, it was:
‧ Sharks 3, Kings 2, SO
‧ Red Wings 6, Bruins 1
‧ Rangers 5, Panthers 2
‧ Canadiens 3, Sabres 1
‧ Jets 3, Islanders 2
‧ Senators 6, Capitals 4
‧ Predators 4, Blue Jackets 0
‧ Coyotes 3, Wild 1
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely