Red Wings rout Ducks, take 3-2 lead in series

Johan Franzen, Jiri Hudler, Darren Helm and Henrik Zetterberg scored, helping the Red Wings beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 in Detroit.

The defending Stanley Cup champions’ dominating performance gave them a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series. Game 6 will be Tuesday night at Anaheim.

Ryan Whitney scored late in the second period and Jonas Hiller stopped 34 shots, giving the Ducks a chance until Helm made it 3-1 with 3:08 left. Zetterberg added an empty-net goal in the final minute.

Detroit’s Chris Osgood finished with 16 saves.

Franzen had his seventh goal of the postseason and scored for the 20th time in 25 playoff games since the start of last year’s title run. He usually blends in behind the Red Wings’ other stars, unless it’s the playoffs.

•Bruins stay alive: Tim Thomas stopped 19 shots for his first NHL playoff shutout to help the Bruins keep their season going with a 4-0 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in Boston.

Phil Kessel scored twice and Zdeno Chara gave Boston big emotional lift when he returned in the third period after leaving the ice in the second when he was slashed by Jussi Jokinen. Chara and Marc Savard each had a pair of assists for top-seeded Boston, which had lost three straight playoff games.

Cam Ward made 36 saves for the Hurricanes.

Game 6 is at Carolina on Tuesday.

•Russia defends title: Russia defended its gold medal at the hockey world championship in Bern, Switzerland, beating Canada 2-1 in a rematch of last year’s final.

Oleg Saprykin had a tying, power-play goal in the first and Alex Radulov scored late in the second for Russia. The Ottawa Senators’ Jason Spezza gave Canada the early lead.

•U.S. misses medal: The United States failed to hold an early lead and lost to Sweden 4-2 in the bronze medal game at the hockey world championship.

Sweden scored all four goals on power plays, with Loui Eriksson and Tony Martensson tallying in the second period and Carl Gunnarsson adding a third with 11 minutes left. Johnny Oduya scored into an empty net in the final seconds.

The U.S. team took the lead on Jack Johnson’s power-play goal in the second, and tied it on Joe Pavelski’s effort early in the third.

•Victoria Cup set: The Chicago Blackhawks will play the European champion Zurich Lions in Switzerland this fall.

The NHL and International Ice Hockey Federation announced Sunday the teams will meet in the Victoria Cup in Zurich. The game is scheduled for Sept. 29 at the Hallenstadion arena.

The Blackhawks will then travel to Helsinki, Finland, to open the NHL season against the Florida Panthers on Oct. 3-4.

Golf

Kerr pulls away late for Michelob title

Cristie Kerr emerged from a four-way tie for the lead with a birdie on the 15th hole and won her second Michelob Ultra Open in Williamsburg, Va., with a 16-under 286.

Kerr, who also won in 2005, went from one shot behind to the lead when Song-Hee Kim of South Korea made a double bogey on the par-4 16th and Kerr made her birdie moments later a hole behind.

The putt gave Kerr a 16-under total, and when other challengers In-Kyung Kim and third-round co-leader Lindsey Wright also bogeyed, Kerr led by two shots with two holes left.

Kerr held on for her 12th career victory and earned the $330,000 winner’s check, moving her to the top of the money list on the LPGA Tour for the season with more than $700,000.

In-Kyung Kim finished second when Wright bogeyed the finishing hole.

Wright, who shared the third-round lead with Kerr, and Song-Hee Kim shared third at 271.

Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash., finished fifth at 11 under.

Tennis

Djokovic wins first ATP event in native Serbia

Top-seeded Novak Djokovic beat unheralded Lukasz Kubot of Poland 6-3, 7-6 (0) in the Serbia Open final in Belgrade to win the first ATP Tour tournament held in his home country.

Djokovic played in his fourth straight final after being runner-up in Miami, Monte Carlo and Rome. It was his 13th career title.

Kubot, who was in the draw as a lucky loser from qualifying after Steve Darcis of Belgium withdrew because of a shoulder injury, was the first Pole to reach an ATP final since Wojtek Fibak in 1983 at Basel.

•Blake falls in final: James Blake of the United States lost to Albert Montanes 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-0 in the final of the Estoril Open in Oeiras, Portugal.

Blake was trying to become the first American to win an ATP title on European clay since Andy Roddick in 2003 at St. Poelten, Austria.

Miscellany

Armstrong makes gains

Lance Armstrong gained time on his rivals again at the Giro d’Italia, yet the seven-time Tour de France winner still maintains he has no designs on winning the three-week race.

“I still don’t think I’m a contender for the overall, but I feel better than I thought I would feel,” Armstrong said.

Alessandro Petacchi edged Mark Cavendish to win the second stage in a mass sprint and Cavendish retained the overall lead.

Armstrong finished in the main pack with the same time as Petacchi, while overall race favorite Ivan Basso and Armstrong’s Astana teammate Levi Leipheimer each finished 13 seconds behind, dropping back when the group was split by a crash.

Armstrong returned this season after 3 1/2 years of retirement and broke his collarbone in March. Before the Giro began, Armstrong said he would support Leipheimer in his bid to win the race.

But Leipheimer blew his front tire on a high-speed downhill section before the crash. A better indication of Armstrong and Leipheimer’s aspirations will come during the first serious mountain climbs in the Dolomite range, beginning Tuesday.

•Button wins fourth F1 race of season: Jenson Button won his fourth Formula One race of the season by taking the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona ahead of Brawn GP teammate Rubens Barrichello.

Button’s two-stop strategy proved decisive as he became the ninth straight winner from pole position at the Circuit de Catalunya, even after Barrichello overtook him out of the start.

Barrichello’s extra pit stop allowed Button to make up the difference, and the Briton won by 13 seconds to extend his championship lead over his teammate to 14 points after five races.

“I had the race in my hands and I was quite surprised when they told me they were switching Jenson to two (stops),” Barrichello said. “I would like to understand why they changed that.”

Button leads with 41 points, Barrichello has 27 and Sebastien Vettel 23.

•Martens earns fifth BASS win: Aaron Martens won the Southern Challenge for his fifth career BASS victory, holding off Skeet Reese on on Lake Guntersville (Ala.).

Martens had a total catch of 107 pounds, 8 ounces to earn the $100,000 top prize.