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Dodgers-Padres season opener is a triumphant homecoming for Korean star Kim

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Shohei Ohtani is getting most of the attention as his Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres start the MLB this week in the first-ever regular season games in South Korea.

But the two-game “Seoul Series” starting Wednesday is also a triumphant homecoming for the Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, who is coming off a dominant season and returning to a stadium he previously called home.

Kim, who played for the Korea Baseball Organization’s Kiwoom Heroes for seven seasons before signing with San Diego in 2020, has called it a “glory” for him to play in the Gocheok Sky Dome again as a member of the Padres.

He played down questions about being overshadowed by Ohtani, the Dodgers’ newly signed Japanese superstar, and said his focus was helping his team get off to a positive start against the division rivals.

“When an MVP-level player arrives at a team, of course the attention is going to go that way. Our team has lots of good players, too, and I think Korean fans will just love the fact that Major League Baseball is being played in Seoul,” Kim said after a workout at the stadium on Tuesday.

“The real games start tomorrow, so I am focused on keeping myself in good condition. I worked hard this year to prepare, and I need to perform well.”

Kim hit .260 with 17 homers, 60 RBIs and 38 steals while establishing himself last season as one of the best defensive infielders in the National League. He won his first Gold Glove as a utilityman, which was the first time a player from east Asia won the award given for defensive skills.

Despite a roster built with years of heavy spending, the Padres finished third in the NL West behind the Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks with an 82-80 record and missed the playoffs in 2023. The front office has since moved in a different direction, trading star outfielder Juan Soto to the New York Yankees while refraining from spending big on marquee free agents. Former staff ace Blake Snell, the reigning NL Cy Young Winner, has also left the Padres to sign a two-year deal with the San Francisco Giants.

The departure of the key players, as well as the Dodgers’ offseason spending spree, have put more pressure on the Padres’ existing players and new manager Mike Shildt to reach the postseason.

Kim seems to be stepping into a bigger role too. While Kim last season started 98 games at second base, 29 at third and 16 at shortstop, Shildt is now trying him as the team’s regular shortstop while moving Xander Bogaerts to second base to clear the way.

During a voluntary workout on Tuesday, Kim spent much of the time fielding balls from the shortstop position and practicing double-play moves, drawing occasional cheers from teammates after fielding groundballs deep in the hole and firing accurately to first.

“Bogaerts is such a good player, so if I do good, our chemistry will get better,” Kim said.

Kim has looked sharp in practice games against South Korean professional players this week, hitting two home runs against the reigning KBO champions LG Twins on Tuesday off pitchers he had faced for years.

Ohtani, who went 0 for 5 in two exhibition games against Korean opponents in Seoul, didn’t show up on the field for an optional workout on Tuesday.

The team’s other superstar, Mookie Betts, fielded batted balls from shortstop, a position he was recently shifted to in a key move for the Dodgers.

Tyler Glasnow, pegged as the Dodgers’ starter for Game 1, threw long tosses from the outfield. Nearby, Game 2 starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, another Japanese star the Dodgers signed in the offseason, went through his unusual training routines, including bounding rubber balls off the outfield wall and throwing small javelins.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB





Japan prepares to host and then travel to North Korea for back-to-back FIFA World Cup qualifiers

Even with the top continental ranking and players of vast international experience, Hajime Moriyasu’s Japan squad faces a journey into the unknown in back-to-back World Cup qualifiers against North Korea.

Asian qualifying resumes Thursday with Japan hosting North Korea in Tokyo. Five days later, Japan will be playing in Pyongyang in front of a potential crowd of 50,000 — almost exclusively North Korean — at the Kim Il Sung Stadium.

The Japan Football Association’s request that the match be moved from the North Korean capital to a neutral venue amid concerns over a lack of operational transparency — including visa and logistics information — was rejected by the Asian Football Confederation.

“There are probably a lot of unexpected things that could happen,” Moriyasu, the Japan coach, said. “We just need to be prepared.?

Japan has tallied 10 goals in its opening two matches against Myanmar and Syria in the second round of Asian qualifying. Back-to-back wins over North Korea, which lost 1-0 to Syria before responding with a 6-1 win over Myanmar, could assure it progresses to the third round as one of the top two teams in Group B.

But Japan's national men's team hasn't played in Pyongyang since a 2011 loss to North Korea in the qualifying stages for the 2014 World Cup.

The last men's international in Pyongyang was back in 2019, when the visiting South Korea team complained about a lack of contact with the outside world and an overly physical approach from the host team.

When Japan beat North Korea at the Asian Games in October, players from the losing team manhandled the referee.

“I admit that our players were a little bit over-excited in the match but it is football,” North Korea coach Sin Yong Nam said at the time. “But there are confrontations in football matches ... I think our behavior is acceptable.”

Moriyasu decided not to select forward Junya Ito, who has been investigated by police after being accused of sexual assault in Osaka last year. Ito has been playing for French club Reims, scoring the winning goal against Metz on Sunday.

“I tried to imagine what the surrounding environment would have been like for him in Japan and I didn’t think it would be one that would allow him to live and play football in peace,” Moriyasu said. “It wasn’t just him - I didn’t think the whole team would have been able to go about their business in peace.”

South Korea, which is aiming for an 11th successive appearance at the World Cup, also has controversy to deal with.

The team’s last game was an upset Asian Cup semifinal loss to Jordan which resulted in Jurgen Klinsmann being fired as head coach. Since then, a reported scuffle during the tournament between star players Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in that resulted in Son injuring his finger has been in the headlines.

Lee, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, attracted fierce criticism on social media and later publicly apologized to Son, the team captain. Son subsequently asked fans to forgive the younger player. Interim coach Hwang Sun-hong has selected both players for what will be his first game in charge against Thailand in Seoul.

“I don’t think this is a problem only between the two of them,” Hwang said. “Everyone who was there, from players to coaches to members of the support staff, has to take responsibility … we should all be prepared to atone for our mistakes in front of our fans.”

Asian Cup champion Qatar played in the last World Cup as the host nation but has never secured a spot at the global tournament via qualifying. The Qataris are determined to rectify that and are 2-0 so far in the second round of qualifying ahead of their match against Kuwait.

Also on six points atop their groups are Australia and Saudi Arabia.

The Socceroos, who have qualified for the last five World Cups, host Lebanon in Sydney and Canberra and Saudi Arabia has home and away games against Tajikistan.

The top two of each of the nine groups will advance to the third round of qualifying. Asia’s automatic World Cup allocation has increased to eight for 2026.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer



NHL roundup: Ovechkin joins small list to score 20 goals in at least 19 straight seasons

CALGARY, Alta (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored twice and became the third player in NHL history to have at least 20 goals in 19 consecutive seasons as the Washington Capitals beat the Calgary Flames 5-2.

The 38-year-old Ovechkin had two power-play goals in the second period as Washington won its third straight game. He joined Gordie Howe (22 straight seasons) and Brendan Shanahan (19 straight seasons) as the only players to achieve the goal-scoring feat.

Dylan Strome, Hendrix Lapierre and Tom Wilson also scored for Washington (33-25-9), which moved into the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the idle Detroit Red Wings. It’s the first time the Capitals have occupied a playoff spot since Jan. 2.

Kevin Rooney and MacKenzie Weegar scored for Calgary (33-30-5). The Flames finished 2-2-0 in a four-game homestand.

Elsewhere in the NHL on Monday:

SABRES 6 KRAKEN 2

SEATTLE (AP) — Jeff Skinner had a hat trick, with his first goal coming during a three-goal outburst in the first six minutes to chase Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord, and the Buffalo Sabres cruised to a 6-2 victory.

Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch also scored in the first period for the Sabres, who earned their first win in six tries against the third-year Kraken. 

Owen Power had Buffalo’s other goal. Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 32 saves.

The three-goal barrage came after Jordan Eberle gave the Kraken a 1-0 lead just 24 seconds into the game. Matty Beniers scored on a power play late in the first but the Kraken lost their fifth straight game — all at home.

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Sabonis records 50th straight double-double, Monk leads the way in OT as Kings beat Grizzlies

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Malik Monk scored 12 of his 28 points in overtime, Domantas Sabonis had his 50th straight double-double and the Sacramento Kings beat the Memphis Grizzlies 121-111 on Monday night.

“Having a guy like Malik close the way he did was a lot of fun to watch,” Sacramento coach Mike Brown said. “We just put the ball in his hands and put them in pick-and-roll, and he was able to create a little bit of separation and get to his medium game, and he was really on point with it tonight.”

Monk added six rebounds and six assists as the Kings improved to 5-1 in overtime.

“I feel like I was relaxing a little bit in the fourth quarter," he said. "I was just able to turn that around in overtime and we got the win.”

Sabonis finished with 25 points and 18 rebounds, and De’Aaron Fox had 23 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for Sacramento.

GG Jackson scored the first basket of overtime to put Memphis in front before Monk scored eight in a row and assisted on a dunk by Sabonis as part of a 12-0 run that helped the Kings outscore the Grizzlies 16-6 in the extra period.

“It’s always great when you have multiple guys who can take over a game,” Fox said. “With (Monk) having it going like that, you know that he’s also still going to make the right play.”

Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies with 25 points on 8-of-27 shooting. Desmond Bane added 24 points, and GG Jackson had 22.

“Very proud of how our guys competed,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. “Give the Kings credit, they made big-time plays: Fox at the end of the fourth, Monk taking over in overtime. That was a high-level basketball game. Our guys should be extremely proud.”

The Kings played most of the game without starting guard Kevin Huerter, who exited with a left shoulder injury just 1:51 into the first quarter.

Huerter was attempting a layup when Bane made contact with his left arm, sending him to the ground. Bane was called for a common foul.

Huerter briefly remained on the floor before heading to the locker room while cradling his arm.

Brown did not have an update on Huerter after the game.

Memphis closed the first quarter on an 8-0 run to take a 32-28 lead. Sacramento dominated the second, outscoring the Grizzlies 29-15 to go up 57-47 at halftime.

The Kings extended the lead to 63-52 early in the third before Memphis scored 10 straight points to get within one.

Fox made three straight 3-pointers in the final 1:39 of the third to extend Sacramento’s lead to 84-76.

The Grizzlies rallied in the fourth, using a 10-1 run to tie the game at 97 with 4:47 remaining.

Memphis' Marcus Smart, inactive due to a right ring finger injury, picked up two technical fouls on the bench late in overtime and was ejected.

Grizzlies guard Luke Kennard missed the game due to personal reasons.

UP NEXT

Grizzlies: At Golden State on Wednesday night.

Kings: At Toronto on Wednesday night.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba



Skinner nets hat trick, Sabres chase Daccord with early barrage in 6-2 win over Kraken

SEATTLE (AP) — Jeff Skinner had a hat trick, with his first goal coming during a three-goal outburst in the first six minutes to chase Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord, and the Buffalo Sabres cruised to a 6-2 victory Monday night.

Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch also scored in the first period for the Sabres, who earned their first win in six tries against the third-year Kraken. With 71 points, Buffalo is four behind Washington for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot with 13 games left.

Owen Power had Buffalo’s other goal and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 32 saves as the Sabres bounced back from Saturday’s 4-1 loss at Detroit. Luukkonen has allowed three or fewer goals in 26 of his last 27 games.

“That’s just how it’s going to be from now on — we just sort of move on to the next game,” said Skinner, who leads the team with 24 goals. “We have another one tomorrow (at Pacific Division-leading Vancouver), so we won’t be able to think about this one too long. It’s sort of a big challenge tomorrow, and everyone knows we need two points.”

The three-goal barrage came after Jordan Eberle gave the Kraken a 1-0 lead just 24 seconds into the game — the third fastest-goal in team history. Matty Beniers scored on a power play late in the first but the Kraken lost their fifth straight game, all at home.

Daccord made four saves before being pulled. Phillip Grubauer came on and stopped 23 shots the rest of the way. With 68 points, Seattle is 11 out of a Western Conference playoff berth with 15 games remaining.

It was the second time in three weeks that Daccord was chased.

“No. 1, those are quality shots. The first goal against, with Thompson, I mean that’s just a hell of a shot, right?” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “But you get to a point where, even though they’re from pretty good areas, the second and the third ones are still pucks that I know, when Joey’s on, he stops. He sees those and he makes those saves.”

Just moments after Eberle put Seattle on top, Thompson tied it on a shot from just outside the top of the right circle that zipped past Daccord at the 49-second mark.

Skinner gave the Sabres a 2-1 lead at 3:56. Tuch’s shot from the top of the slot at 5:41 made it 3-1 and sent Daccord to the bench.

“I liked the response. I thought it was a great response,” Buffalo coach Don Granato said. “I thought our energy level was high, and whenever we play with a high energy level, we play well, and we did tonight. The response after giving up the goal really early, to respond really quick after that was outstanding.”

Skinner and Power scored 24 seconds apart midway through the second, boosting the margin to 5-2. Skinner capped his hat trick with 1:58 left in the game.

“He’s deadly. When’s he on, he can score and create plays and that’s a big burst of life for us, especially when we’ve been struggling to score,” Thompson said. “When he gets hot, he’s hot, and we need him to start feeling that and keep riding him. He does a good job of being positive and making everyone in a good mood. And now that he’s playing like that, he’s going to be even better.”

UP NEXT

Sabres: Visit the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night.

Kraken: Visit the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL



Anthony Edwards throws down huge dunk over John Collins in Timberwolves' win against Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — One thunderous dunk provided a perfect snapshot of Anthony Edwards' second-half dominance Monday night.

Edwards threw down a monster slam over John Collins of the Utah Jazz in the third quarter, helping the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 114-104 victory but leaving both players banged up after the play.

“I was thinking I was going to miss it because I wasn’t close to the rim, but somehow God willed it in for me,” said Edwards, who scored 25 of his 32 points after halftime.

The play immediately went viral on social media. Timberwolves veteran point guard Mike Conley said it might have been the best dunk he's ever witnessed in person.

“He’s like a cat almost,” Conley said. “He just keeps going forward and lands on his feet. Stuff like that is what makes him who he is and why he can maneuver in the game how he does.”

Edwards said he grew up idolizing players like Vince Carter who were known for their dunking ability. Dunking the way they did has always been a goal for Edwards.

His slam on Monday night certainly put him in that category.

“It gives me chills , man, because I always dreamed of dunking on somebody like that,” Edwards said.

Collins and Edwards were both injured on the play. Edwards dislocated his left ring finger after his hand collided with Collins’ cheekbone. He raced back to the locker room during a subsequent timeout, popped the finger back in place, got it taped up and returned to action.

Collins was ruled out for the entire fourth quarter while being evaluated for a possible concussion. His injury was later confirmed to be a head contusion.

Edwards’ dunk gave a short-handed Minnesota team an emotional boost during a critical stretch. The Timberwolves lost Naz Reid to a first-half head injury and were already playing without injured starters Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns.

“It gives everybody energy,” Edwards said. “It makes everybody want to defend, want to get stops. It makes the game more exciting.”

Edwards also totaled eight assists, seven rebounds and two blocks over 38 minutes. His relentless energy on both ends of the court put the Jazz on their heels throughout the second half.

“That’s who he is,” Utah coach Will Hardy said. “He’s an All-Star. He’s a hell of a player.”

Edwards has had three consecutive 30-point games. He's averaged 31.5 points in back-to-back wins over Utah on 58% shooting from the field.

“He’s always been a guy who can really flip a game around,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “Knows when to raise it. Knows when to make the big play. Can sometimes make it out of nothing. But now he’s like way more polished with what he’s doing. He’s a little more composed, not rushing it as much.”

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

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LeBron scores 25, D'Angelo Russell ties Lakers 3-pointers record in LA's 136-105 win over Hawks

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James had 25 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, and D'Angelo Russell scored 27 points while tying the Lakers' single-season record for 3-pointers in a 136-105 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.

Russell's six 3-pointers against the Hawks gave him 183 this season, passing Kobe Bryant's 180 in the 2005-06 season and tying Nick Van Exel's franchise record set in 1994-95. Russell's latest standout shooting display was highlighted by a beautiful 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer followed by two more early in the fourth to tie the record before the Lakers emptied their bench.

“That's really cool, honestly,” Russell said. “Just to get credit for your game and what you work to do and showcase it every night, and then to get credit for something like this, it's just really cool.”

Russell also had 10 assists, while Anthony Davis had 22 points and 15 rebounds as the Lakers snapped a two-game skid with their 13th win in 20 games since losing in Atlanta in late January.

Davis left Saturday’s loss to Golden State early with a scratched cornea in his left eye, but the All-Star big man recovered quickly enough from the resulting blurry vision to play a full game against the Hawks. Davis said he chose not to wear goggles.

“I've been through that phase in high school," said a grinning Davis, who wore prescription glasses and goggles at times while growing up in Chicago before he got corrective eye surgery several years ago. “I'm out of that phase. Obviously (I would have) if the doctors had told me I needed it, but I didn't need it.”

Los Angeles, which hasn’t lost three straight games since early January, also moved back up to ninth place in the Western Conference standings with this win and Golden State’s loss to New York. While Russell had another prolific game and Davis looked sharp down low, James produced another outstanding effort, giving him 65 points on 25-of-37 shooting in the past two games.

“Bron is Bron, and it's that time of the year,” Davis said. "He's shooting the ball extremely well. He's been in attack mode, finding guys. He's been locking in defensively."

Jalen Johnson scored 25 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic had 17 for the Hawks, who have lost four of five overall and three of four on their West Coast road trip.

“I thought we were ready to play, (but) there’s two Hall of Fame players that were unselfish, and I thought they played really well,” Atlanta coach Quin Snyder said. “It’s hard to sustain a defensive effort against a team that’s playing the way they are offensively. When the ball isn’t going in, it’s even harder. They made us pay for any mistake we made.”

Johnson went down in obvious pain after rolling his ankle while landing with 6:47 to play. Johnson, who only returned two games ago from a sprained ankle, was able to leave the court moments later under his own power. Snyder wasn't sure about the severity of the new injury.

Atlanta's Onyeka Okongwu had 11 points and four rebounds while playing 19 minutes in his return from a 13-game injury absence due to a sprained left toe. Okongwu, a Los Angeles-area native who starred at USC, hadn't played since Feb. 12, shortly before the All-Star break.

Trae Young missed his 12th straight game following hand surgery. He scored 26 points with six 3-pointers while the Hawks racked up 138 points in their victory over the Lakers in January.

Los Angeles gradually pulled away from the Hawks all night, hitting 60% of its shots in the first half while moving the ball smoothly. Russell beat the buzzer with his fourth 3-pointer to boost the Lakers' lead to 111-86 heading to the fourth.

UP NEXT

Hawks: At Phoenix on Thursday.

Lakers: Host Philadelphia on Friday.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA



Jalen Brunson scores 34 points to lead the Knicks past the Warriors 119-112

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 34 points and Miles McBride added a career-high 29 to lead the New York Knicks to their fourth straight win, 119-112 over the Golden State Warriors on Monday night.

The Knicks raced out to an 18-4 lead early in the game and never trailed as they earned just their fifth win in their last 19 meetings against the Warriors.

“This team has demonstrated all year there’s a lot of fight, a lot of heart, a lot of toughness and a lot of togetherness to the group,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. "So there’s a belief that we can win. We always talk about our defense, our rebounding, taking care of the ball. I thought we shared the ball extremely well tonight."

Josh Hart had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his fifth triple-double in the past 21 games for New York, while playing all 48 minutes.

“You can’t say enough about the job Josh did as well. Josh’s toughness was huge for us in this game,” Thibodeau said.

Donte DiVincenzo added 18 points for the Knicks.

Stephen Curry scored 27 points to lead Golden State and Trayce Jackson-Davis added 19 points and 10 rebounds. The Warriors fell to 17-18 at home this season.

“I don't know what the answer is,” Curry said about the struggles at home. “If we did, we would be able to get ahead of it.”

Golden State chipped into a deficit that reached 15 points, getting within four early in the fourth quarter but could never get over the hump and lost another home game.

“Just one of those nights where we didn't really get anything going from that starting group,” coach Steve Kerr said. “They've been really good but it just felt like from the very beginning we were swimming upstream. I think it was 15-4 out of the gate and we didn't once have the lead in the game. We made a good comeback, but I just didn't think we were disciplined enough throughout the game to earn the win.”

Brunson made enough shots to keep the Knicks in control and is averaging 40.3 points on the first three games of this Western swing.

The Knicks were without forward OG Anunoby, who flew home after his surgically repaired right elbow flared up. Thibodeau said an MRI came back clean and that Anunoby is day to day. Thibodeau said Anunoby is unlikely to rejoin the team for the final game of a four-game trip on Thursday at Denver.

Anunoby missed 18 games earlier because of the injury before returning last week against Philadelphia. He played three games before the injury flared up again.

Anunoby's absence gave McBride a chance to at his 10th career start and he delivered in a big way.

He played tight defense early against Curry as New York held Golden State scoreless for the first 3:53 of the game — the longest game-opening scoring drought for the Warriors in more than three years.

McBride scored 19 points in the first half — two off his career high — and the Knicks led 62-56 at the break.

“We wanted to add more shooting to the floor," Thibodeau said. "That’s really, you know, why we did it. When they sent the second defender (at Brunson) now we have another 3-point shooter out there. We thought that would make a difference.”

UP NEXT

Knicks: Visit Denver on Thursday night.

Warriors: Host Memphis on Wednesday night.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba



Ovechkin scores twice, Capitals douse Flames 5-2

CALGARY — Alex Ovechkin became the third player in NHL history to score 20 goals in 19 consecutive seasons on Monday.

The veteran Washington forward scored two power-play goals in the second period to lead the Capitals to a 5-2 victory over the Calgary Flames.

"Consistency. Not just from the scoring part but also him being in the lineup and being durable and him being able to play game after game after game all these years,” said Washington coach Spencer Carbery.

“We needed every single bit of those two goals tonight to get us in front and to be able to play from in front because you could tell early on we had zero legs and mentally some of the puck decisions, plays, it was uncharacteristic."

Gordie Howe (22 straight seasons) and Brendan Shanahan (19 straight seasons) are the only others to achieve the impressive scoring feat.

“There's not many things that hasn't been said about him, but he keeps doing it, even at age 38. It's fun to be a part of, fun to watch,” said Dylan Strome, who scored the opening goal.

Ovechkin's 20th goal made it 2-0 at 5:58 of the second. Ovechkin went to the net where he neatly deflected in a hard centring pass from Max Pacioretty. After pumping his arms in celebration, Ovechkin immediately looked over at his teammate and pointed, acknowledging the terrific pass.

Just over three minutes later, Washington's red-hot power play struck again, this time it was vintage Ovechkin. Set up at the top of the faceoff circle, stick cocked. When John Carlson slid a pass across, Ovechkin leaned into a one-time slapper that went off the stick of Rasmus Andersson and past rookie goaltender Dustin Wolf.

“That's a hell of a hockey player over there. He had a couple of good chances. But it's pretty cool to say you stopped a few,” said Wolf.

Ovechkin has 12 goals in 20 games since the NHL all-star break after scoring just nine times in 44 games before that.

Up to 843 goals for his career, second all time, Ovechkin is now 51 behind Wayne Gretzky's record.

"We're all cheering for him,” said Hendrix Lapierre, who also had a goal for the visitors. “It was two really big goals tonight, too. We're just super happy for him and we're just trying to help him in this chase. He's looking pretty damn good. He was the spark we needed tonight.”

Tom Wilson (empty-netter) also scored for Washington (33-25-9). The Capitals, with their third straight win, moved into the second wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference, one point up on the idle Detroit Red Wings.

"We know it's not going to be easy. We keep fighting, keep playing,” said Ovechkin. “We still can do it. We're still in the battle. Every point counts.”

It's the first time the Capitals have occupied a playoff spot since Jan. 2.

Kevin Rooney and MacKenzie Weegar scored for Calgary (33-30-5). The Flames finished 2-2-0 on their four-game home stand.

“Special teams got beat tonight and you saw that on the scoreboard,” said Rooney, whose goal was his first in 17 games. “We've got a game plan in place and we've just got to execute it. It's on the penalty kill guys have to do a better job, myself right up there.”

Washington went 2-for-3 with the man advantage while Calgary was 0-for-3.

“I don't think we did a good enough job special team-wise. For me, that was the difference in the game,” said Calgary coach Ryan Huska. “Both our power play in not generating anything for us, but also giving them momentum, and our penalty kill did that, too.”

Washington goalie Charlie Lindgren continued his sharp play of late making 34 stops to improve to 18-11-5. Lindgren has won five of his last six while fashioning a .956 save percentage.

After allowing three goals on 67 shots in winning his previous two outings, Wolf's third consecutive start didn't go as well as the rookie allowed four goals on 32 shots. His record falls to 3-4-1.

The Capitals have been aided in their playoff chase by a rejuvenated power play. On Jan. 18, Washington was third-worst in the league on the man advantage at 13.3 per cent. Over the past two months, it's been third-best at 29.1 per cent.

OVI, OH MY

Facing Dustin Wolf for the first time, Ovechkin has goals against 174 different goalies, which is third behind Jaromir Jagr (178) and Patrick Marleau (177). He has multi-goal games against 94 different goalies, which is the most in history. Gretzky (89) ranks second.

MARKSTROM MENDING

Jacob Markstrom (lower body) is back skating and coach Huska said he could return to action as soon as this weekend. The veteran Flames goaltender has missed the last five games.

UP NEXT

Capitals: Open a four-game home stand on Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Flames: Visit the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 18, 2024.



Edwards scores 32 points, leads banged-up Timberwolves to 114-104 win at Utah

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Anthony Edwards had 32 points, eight assists and seven rebounds to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Utah Jazz 114-104 on Monday night.

Edwards scored 25 of his 32 points in the second half to help the Timberwolves pull away late. It was his second consecutive 30-point game against the Jazz and third in a row overall.

His effort on both ends of the court swung a tight game in Minnesota’s favor.

“He’s always been a guy who can really flip a game around,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “Knows when to raise it. Knows when to make the big play. Can sometimes make it out of nothing. But now he’s like way more polished with what he’s doing. He’s a little more composed, not rushing it as much.”

Naz Reid added 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting but did not play after halftime due to a head injury. Reid’s absence further depleted a Minnesota frontcourt already missing Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns because of injuries.

The Timberwolves scored 27 points off 17 turnovers and beat Utah for the second time in three days.

“The game really just came down to our inability to take care of the ball,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said.

Collin Sexton led Utah with 24 points. Lauri Markkanen had 22 points and 12 rebounds following a six-game absence due to a bruised right quadriceps. Keyonte George added 15 points and eight assists.

John Collins had 11 points and six rebounds for the Jazz in three quarters. Collins did not play in the fourth while being evaluated for a concussion. His injury was later confirmed to be a head contusion.

Utah lost its second straight home game despite outscoring Minnesota 22-8 in second-chance points.

Edwards picked up the slack on offense in Reid’s absence. He scored five third-quarter baskets — highlighted by a thunderous dunk over Collins that injured both players — to help the Timberwolves open an 83-77 lead late in the period.

“It gives me chills, man, because I always dreamed of dunking on somebody like that,” Edwards said.

Edwards dislocated his finger on the dunk but popped it back into place in the locker room during a timeout and returned to the game with a taped-up finger.

Utah rallied and took a 90-88 lead on a 3-point play from Markkanen. Minnesota then pulled away for good when Edwards capped a 12-1 run with back-to-back baskets, putting the Timberwolves up 100-91 with 5:50 left.

“I was rushing some things and obviously turnovers cost us the game tonight,” Markkanen said. “I’ll take the blame for that. … But overall it was fun to be back out there with my teammates.”

Utah raced out to a 20-8 lead midway through the first quarter after scoring 13 straight points on six consecutive possessions. Reid stopped the run with back-to-back baskets. Utah’s offense didn’t cool down before the quarter ended.

The Jazz shot 61% from the field, with Sexton and George combining for eight of the team’s 14 first-quarter baskets. They led 35-19 following back-to-back layups from Sexton.

Minnesota erased the deficit midway through the second, tying it at 46 on Jaden McDaniels’ turnaround jumper. Consecutive baskets from Collins and Taylor Hendricks put Utah back in front and helped the Jazz take a 59-53 lead into halftime.

UP NEXT

Minnesota hosts Denver on Tuesday.

Utah visits Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA



DeRozan scores 28 points as the Bulls edge the Trail Blazers 110-107

CHICAGO (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points and found Nikola Vucevic for a key hook shot with 9.3 seconds left, helping the Chicago Bulls edge the Portland Trail Blazers 110-107 on Monday night.

“It’s sometimes more than just making a shot,” teammate Alex Caruso said of DeRozan’s performance in a game-high 40 minutes. “It’s boxing out against their guys that are crashing hard. It’s finding Vooch on the mismatch down low to hit the layup to keep us up three. He’s just a winner at heart.”

Vucevic had 22 points and nine rebounds in Chicago’s third win in four games. Ayo Dosunmu finished with 23 points and 10 assists.

Anfernee Simons scored 12 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter for Portland, but couldn’t get off a 3-point attempt from the top of the key before time expired. Deandre Ayton had 25 points and 15 rebounds in his sixth consecutive game with at least 20 points.

The Blazers lost for the seventh time in nine games.

“Maybe half a second,” Simons said of how close he was to getting the final shot off. “We had a couple good opportunities and they just didn’t fall.”

The Bulls’ NBA-leading 24th clutch victory — a game that is within five points with under five minutes left — moved them within a game of .500 at 34-35. But they were outscored 32-21 in the final quarter.

“We got lackadaisical, we got careless with the ball and started to be not so aggressive,” DeRozan said. “We let them get downhill, fouled them, let them get layups. We let go of the rope a little bit.”

Each team played without its second-leading scorer. Bulls guard Coby White missed his third straight game with a right hip strain, and Portland’s Jerami Grant sat out for the fourth straight contest with a right hamstring strain.

Dosunmu was 9 for 17 from the field while running the offense in White’s absence. He scored a career-high 34 points during Saturday night’s 127-98 victory over Washington.

With 3:32 left in the fourth, Simons drilled a contested 3-pointer from the left wing to put Portland up 105-104 for their first lead since the first quarter. But Simons’ potential go-ahead attempt from long distance rimmed out with 34 seconds remaining.

Vucevic’s turnaround hook shot made it 108-105 with 9.3 seconds left, and Caruso fouled Simons intentionally to put him on the free-throw line rather than allow him a chance at a tying 3 on the next possession.

“A really heads-up play,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “We talked about fouling up three.”

Portland entered Monday averaging the third-most turnovers in the NBA, and its miscues weighed heavily once more. The Bulls scored 19 points off 13 Blazers turnovers, including a driving Vucevic dunk on a fast break opened by a Torrey Craig steal that put Chicago up 82-66 with 3:15 left in the third.

“It just was a tough passing night for us,” Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. “End of the game I don’t think we executed very well down the stretch when it really counted.”

UP NEXT

Trail Blazers: Return to Portland on Wednesday for the first of two straight home games against the Clippers.

Bulls: Visit the Rockets in Houston on Thursday.

___

NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba



Blake Snell and San Francisco Giants agree to $62 million, 2-year contract, AP source says

Two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and the San Francisco Giants have agreed to a $62 million, two-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Monday night.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement was subject to a successful physical. Snell has the right to opt out after this season and become a free agent.

Snell gets a $17 million signing bonus payable on Jan. 15, 2026, and a $15 million salary this year. He would get $30 million if he keeps the contract for 2025.

A 30-year-old left-hander, Snell is 71-55 with a 3.20 ERA in 191 starts over eight major league seasons, winning Cy Youngs in 2018 with Tampa Bay and last year with San Diego.

Snell agreed to the deal 10 days before the opener at the Padres, setting up the possibility of Snell making his Giants debut against his former club. He joins a rotation that includes right-handers Logan Webb and Jordan Hicks and left-hander Kyle Harrison.

Right-hander Alex Cobb is working his way back from left hip surgery on Oct. 31.

The addition of Snell is another big move for a San Francisco team that gave South Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee a $113 million, six-year contract, sjgned Hicks to a $44 million, four-year deal and outfielder Jorge Soler to a $42 million, three-year contract, and then gave third baseman Matt Chapman a $54 million, three-year deal.

He was taken by Tampa Bay with the 52nd pick in the 2011 amateur draft and reached the major leagues in 2016. He won his first Cy Young in 2018, edging Justin Verlander after going 21-5 and 1.89 ERA.

He signed a $50 million, five-year deal, the largest at the time for a pitcher not yet arbitration-eligible. He was 6-8 with a 4.29 ERA in 2019, a season in which he was hampered by injuries.

Snell received some unwanted attention before the 2020 pandemic-shortened season when he stated “I’m not playing unless I get mine," referring to his salary. Snell later admitted that the statement could be seen as selfish.

Snell helped the Rays reach the 2020 World Series, where they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games. He was removed from Game 6 after 5 1/3 innings despite giving up just two hits and the Rays lost 3-1.

Tampa Bay traded Snell to San Diego for prospects. He went 15-16 in his first two seasons with the Padres, then went 14-9 record and an NL-leading 2.25 ERA and won his second Cy Young. He was 8-2 with 1.54 ERA in the second half.

San Diego will receive an extra draft pick after the fourth round as compensation after making Snell a $20,325,000 qualifying offer that he turned down. The Giants will give up their third-round pick and $500,000 in international signing bonus allocation after losing their second-round selection and $500,000 in allocation for signing Chapman.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB



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