Coyotes move past Chicago with shutout
Hockey: Mike Smith made 39 saves and the Phoenix Coyotes scored three times in the final period to beat the Blackhawks 4-0 on Monday night in Chicago to capture the NHL opening-round series in six games.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored in the second and Gilbert Brule, Antoine Vermette and Kyle Chipchura had goals in the third as the Coyotes won a first-round series for the first time since moving to Phoenix for the 1996-97 season. It is the first series triumph for the franchise since 1987 when it was still the Winnipeg Jets.
Chicago had a 39-20 shots advantage, but after winning the Stanley Cup in 2010, the Blackhawks have been ousted two straight years in the first round.
• Rangers step up to force Game 7: Brad Richards scored the go-ahead goal and Derek Stepan had a goal and two assists as the top-seeded New York Rangers staved off elimination with a 3-2 victory on the road against the Ottawa Senators.
The series heads back to New York on Thursday night for the first Game 7 in any sport at Madison Square Garden in 17 years.
Not even the return of Daniel Alfredsson, who missed three games with a concussion, in front of the fired-up home crowd at Scotiabank Place could help the eighth-seeded Senators complete the upset.
Carl Hagelin returned to the Rangers lineup after sitting out a three-game suspension for his elbow on Alfredsson
• U.S. routs Sweden for U18 title: Collin Olson made 27 saves, Nicolas Kerdiles had two goals and three assists and the U.S. routed Sweden 7-0 in Brno, Czech Republic, to win its fourth straight title and seventh overall under-18 world championship.
The U.S. also got goals from Daniel O’Regan, Ryan Hartman, J.T. Compher, Connor Carrick and Thomas DiPauli. Olson earned top goaltending honors at the tournament.
76ers clinch berth for second straight year
NBA: The Philadelphia 76ers secured the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference and spoiled the Nets’ final game in New Jersey with a 105-87 win.
The win eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks from playoff contention and moved Philadelphia (34-30) into a tie with the New York Knicks for the No. 7 seed with two games remaining in the regular season.
• Spurs lock up top spot in West: Tim Duncan scored 18 points and the San Antonio Spurs clinched the top playoff spot in the Western Conference and pushed their win streak to eight, beating the visiting Portland Trail Blazers 124-89.
• Wizards conjure up Bobcats 21st straight loss: John Wall had 16 points and 14 assists, Nene scored 18 points and Jan Vesely had 16 points on 8-for-8 shooting and the Washington Wizards handed the visiting Charlotte Bobcats their 21st straight loss, 101-73.
It gave the Wizards their first four-game winning streak since Dec. 9-13, 2007. The 28-point margin of victory equaled their largest of the season.
• Harden undergoes tests: Oklahoma City Thunder forward James Harden participated in limited activities a day after he took a vicious elbow to the head from the Lakers’ Metta World Peace, but must go through additional steps under the NBA’s concussion policy before he is cleared to play again.
2011 Horse of the Year retires with injury
Horse racing: Havre de Grace, the 2011 Horse of the Year, has been retired after injuring an ankle following a workout at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.
Owner Rick Porter said on his Fox Hill Farm website that the injury was detected in the champion filly’s right front ankle Sunday. After she was examined at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, “we didn’t get a positive prognosis for continuing her racing career.”
Last year, the 5-year-old bay mare took Horse of the Year honors by winning five of seven races. She also finished fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
She won nine of 17 starts with four places and two shows and earned $2,586,175.
• Velazquez, Ghostzapper head Hall class: Jockey John Velazquez and 2004 Horse of the Year Ghostzapper have been elected to the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Also elected to the hall were trainers Roger Attfield and Robert Wheeler.
This year’s class will be inducted Aug. 10.
Prosecutors paint Clemens as liar
Miscellany: Prosecutors in Washington are painting Roger Clemens as a man who told lies and “other lies to cover up lies” after the court seated a jury that includes seven people who never heard of the seven-time Cy Young Award winner now being retried on charges of lying to Congress.
Prosecutor Steven Durham made his opening statement Monday. He called Clemens a “great baseball player” who engaged in a “story of deceit and dishonesty and betrayal” instead of acknowledging alleged use of steroids and human growth hormone.