The Vancouver Canucks made it out of the first round Friday night, while the Toronto Maple Leafs look to accomplish something they haven't done in decades on Saturday. Here are five things to know entering Saturday's post-season action: ALL-CANADIAN SERIES It was a close call, but the Vancouver Canucks pulled through. ...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6. Nashville had a final chance to force overtime with a power play with 33.9 seconds left after Elias Lindholm was ...

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Noah Hanifin broke a scoreless tie at 9:54 of the third period, Adin Hill stopped 23 shots and the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights kept alive their season by beating the Dallas Stars 2-0 on Friday night to force Game 7. The deciding game in the first-round series is Sunday in Dallas. Mark Stone...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6. Nashville had a final chance to force overtime with a power play with 33.9 seconds left after Elias Lindholm was ...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Luis Garcia Jr. hit a three-run shot deep to center field in the seventh inning for his first career pinch-hit home run, helping the Washington Nationals rally for a 9-3 victory over the reeling Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night. Garcia connected on Erik Swanson's 85-mph splitter for his second homer ...

The second round of the NHL playoffs will feature an all-Canadian matchup between the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers. Vancouver advanced with a late 1-0 win over the Nashville Predators in Game 6 Friday, winning the best-of-seven opening-round series 4-2. Edmonton ousted the L.A. Kings from the first round for ...

McKINNEY, Texas (AP) - Jake Knapp is spending his weekends much differently now as a rookie on the PGA Tour, just more than two years after working security at a restaurant in his hometown that was also a late-night hotspot. A first-time Tour winner earlier this year, Knapp went into this weekend leading the CJ Cup By...

MONTREAL - The Montreal Alouettes signed former NFL receiver Preston Williams on Friday. The terms of the contract were not disclosed. Williams, 27, played 25 NFL games from 2019 to 2022 with the Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers, totalling 787 yards on 56 receptions. The Lovejoy, Ga., native caught 428 yards in eig...

SINGAPORE - Canada's women evened their record at the Singapore Sevens with a 28-7 win over Spain after opening with a 5-0 loss to Ireland. The Canadian women, who came into the rugby sevens tournament in fifth place in the season standings after six events, wrap up Pool A play Saturday against unbeaten New Zealand. Ca...

DENVER (AP) - Valeri Nichushkin is lifting the Colorado Avalanche after taking the time to help himself. The hard-charging, fast-moving Russian forward was gone for nearly two months of the regular season as he received care from the NHLPA/NHL Player Assistance Program for issues that were not disclosed. This was on t...

OTTAWA - The goal is simple for Ottawa's Professional Women's Hockey League team when they close out their regular-season Sunday night in Toronto. Win and they're in. Ottawa (8-1-6-8) and Boston (7-4-3-9) enter the weekend tied at 32 points, but Ottawa holds fourth place in the standings and the final playoff spot with...

CALGARY - Forwards Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli and Macklin Celebrini will be part of a young Canadian squad looking to defend its gold medal at this year's world men's hockey championship, Hockey Canada released its initial 22-player roster Friday for the tournament that runs May 10-26 in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia. ...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Fate has not been kind to Mike Repole in the Kentucky Derby. The outspoken owner is 0 for 7, although he is perhaps best known for his two champions that never made the starting gate. In 2011, Uncle Mo was scratched the day before the race because of a gastrointestinal infection. Last year, Forte...

While this weekend's goal is to qualify for the Paris Olympics, Canada's men's 4x100-metre relay team is aiming higher. Canada will have its men's 4x100, 4x400, women's 4x100 and 4x400, as well as a 4x400 mixed relay team at the World Athletic Relays in Nassau, Bahamas. The first 14 of 16 qualifying spots for the Games...

TORONTO - Italian star Lorenzo Insigne, working his way back from a hamstring injury, was on the field with the rest of Toronto FC on Friday while fellow designated player Richie Laryea, recovering from hamstring surgery, was seen running with a trainer. That was the good news, with Insigne possibly returning as early ...

MADRID - Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it. Auger-Aliassime moved on to the final of the Madrid Open clay-court tournament Friday after semifinal opponent Jiri Lehecka of Czechia retired due to injury with their match ti...

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Los Angeles Lakers fired coach Darvin Ham on Friday after just two seasons in charge. The Lakers announced on social media that they were dismissing Ham four days after their season ended with a first-round playoff loss to Denver in five games. Ham led Los Angeles to the Western Conference finals...

VANCOUVER - As the Vancouver Whitecaps celebrate a half-century of soccer history, Brian White has carved out a spot in the club's record book. Last Saturday, the New Jersey native scored in the 15th minute of the 1-1 road draw against the New York Red Bulls, the club that traded White to Vancouver on June 2, 2021. The...

Team Reid Carruthers has added Catlin Schneider to its lineup at third to fill a vacancy caused by the recent departure of Brad Jacobs. Carruthers, who moved from fourth to third midway through last season, will go back to throwing last rock for the Winnipeg-based foursome. Jacobs left the rink last month to fill the v...

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The young Oklahoma City Thunder finally are drawing national attention with a high-scoring offence led by MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. A closer look shows the defence is just as responsible for the Thunder claiming the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs and sweeping the New Orle...

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Pittsburgh Penguins fired assistant coach Todd Reirden on Friday, just over two weeks after the organization missed out on the playoffs for a second straight season. Reirden was in charge of Pittsburgh's power play. The Penguins struggled while on the man advantage all season despite having a star...

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The memory of being unable to help the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL playoffs last year still stings for Andrei Svechnikov. He has opened this post-season like a man savouring every moment of his return. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound forward who missed last year's post-season with a knee injury had a st...

PHOENIX - Former Kamloops Blazers goaltender Connor Ingram has been named one of three finalists for the NHL's Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.The award recognizes the "player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey."Playing for the Arizona Coyotes, Ingram had...

UTSUNOMIYA, Japan - Paige Crozon had a team-high 10 points Friday as Canada opened with a 19-12 win over Kenya at a women's 3x3 basketball Olympic qualifying tournament. Crozon was effective from long-range with four two-pointers. Twin sisters Michelle and Katherine Plouffe added six rebounds apiece in the win. After a...

IRVING, Texas (AP) - Former Oregon State and Nebraska coach Mike Riley has been named to the College Football Playoff selection committee, executive director Bill Hancock announced Friday. Riley, who won two Grey Cups (1988, 1990) as head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, will replace Pat Chun, who stepped down from ...

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) - The Buffalo Bills announced the signings of Canadian wide receiver Chase Claypool, defensive end Dawuane Smoot and linebacker Deion Jones to one-year contracts on Friday. In a continuing need to upgrade their receiving corps after trading star Stefon Diggs and losing Gabe Davis in free agency,...

TORONTO - A career that started on the practice roster has earned Chad Owens a spot in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. The electrifying returner/receiver topped a stellar 2024 class announced Friday. Also named were players S.J. Green, Weston Dressler, Marvin Coleman and Vince Goldsmith with former CFL coach Ray Ja...

MADRID (AP) - Andrey Rublev beat Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-3 and reached the final of the Madrid Open on Friday. Rublev broke Fritz once in each set while never seeing his serve in danger. The eighth-ranked Russian will face Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime or Jiri Lehecka in Sunday's final. Rublev is seeking his 16th career...