ICE HOCKEY
Panthers beat Bruins
Aleksander Barkov on Wednesday had two goals and two assists, while Sam Reinhart added four assists as the Florida Panthers beat the Boston Bruins 6-1 to tie their NHL Eastern Conference second-round playoff series at 1-1. Brandon Montour had a goal and two assists, while Steven Lorentz, Gustav Forsling and Eetu Luostarinen also scored. The Panthers chased Bruins starter Jeremy Swayman early in the third period after four straight goals, then added two more against Linus Ullmark. Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 14 saves for the Panthers. Charlie Coyle had the goal for the Bruins, who lost to Florida for the first time in six meetings this season. In Vancouver, Conor Garland broke a tie with 5 minutes, 34 seconds left as the Canucks overcame a three-goal deficit to beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 in Game 1 of their Western Conference series. Garland took a short pass from Dakota Joshua, faked a slap shot at the right circle, sped in on Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner and slipped a wrist shot between his legs from a sharp angle for Vancouver’s second goal in 39 seconds.
Photo: AFP
OLYMPICS
Flame starts France relay
The French leg of the Paris Olympic flame relay began yesterday in the southern port city of Marseille, a day after it arrived from Greece on a 19th-century ship. Former France soccer star Basile Boli carried the torch from a majestic cathedral overlooking the city and handed it over to 83-year-old Colette Cataldo. The event drew dozens of spectators including Marseille archbishop Jean-marc Aveline. “That really makes the heart beat fast and it’s fantastic,” said Boli after handing over the torch. “It’s the Olympic flame, it’s the symbol of sport and of living together.” The event marked the start of a 12,000km torch relay across France and its far-flung overseas territories, terminating at the opening ceremony on the Seine in Paris on July 26.
ICE SKATING
Shoma Uno retires
Two-time figure skating world champion and three-time Olympic medalist Shoma Uno of Japan yesterday said that he is retiring from competition. Uno, 26, won a second consecutive world title last year despite an ankle injury. “My skating life started when I was five, and I am very grateful that I was able to continue for 21 years and lead a fantastic life in competition,” the Nagoya native wrote on Instagram. Uno, who was born prematurely weighing just 0.9kg, was the world’s first skater to successfully land a quadruple flip in competition.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
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