Johnson lifts US past Switzerland at worlds
HOCKEY: Spokane’s Tyler Johnson scored the winning goal for the U.S. with 6:45 left in regulation as the Americans defeated Switzerland 3-2 on Saturday for their second win in two days at the world ice hockey championships in Belarus.
Peter Mueller and Craig Smith claimed the other scores for a U.S. team that had to overcame a goal deficit twice. Denis Hollenstein and Damien Brunner put the Swiss ahead twice.
Canada rebounded from a stunning loss to France to edge Slovakia 4-1.
Cody Hodgson scored the decisive goal for Canada 7:07 into the final period with a high wrist shot. Captain Kevin Bieksa and forward Joel Ward with his second goal sealed the victory.
Sweden negotiated the first step in its title defense with a 3-0 victory over Denmark.
Finland began its campaign with a misstep, losing to Latvia 3-2 for the first time at the worlds, Norway blanked Italy 3-0, and Germany prevailed in a shootout to beat Kazakhstan 2-1.
• Bruins take 3-2 lead on Montreal: Reilly Smith and Jarome Iginla scored 32 seconds apart to help the Boston Bruins snap a five-year playoff power-play drought against Montreal and beat the visiting Canadiens 4-2 in Game 5 of the NHL Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Bruins lead the best-of-seven series 3-2, with a chance to eliminate the Canadiens in Montreal on Monday night.
Carl Soderberg and Loui Eriksson also scored, and Tuukka Rask stopped 29 shots for Boston. He extended his shutout streak to 122 minutes, 6 seconds before Brendan Gallagher scored to make it 3-1 on a power play with 5:21 left in the second.
Carey Price made 26 saves for Montreal. P.K. Subban had a late goal power-play goal.
The Bruins had not scored a power-play goal in the playoffs against the Canadiens in 39 tries over 14 playoff games dating to 2009.
• Ducks even series with Kings: John Gibson made 28 saves in his dynamic NHL playoff debut, captain Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and an assist, and the Anaheim Ducks evened their second-round playoff series with a 2-0 victory over the hosting Los Angeles Kings in Game 4.
Devante Smith-Pelly also scored in the first period and Corey Perry had two assists for the top-seeded Ducks, who bounced back from two series-opening losses at home with consecutive victories at Staples Center.
Anaheim started its third goalie in three games with the dramatic entrance of Gibson, the 20-year-old American widely considered the best goaltending prospect in hockey.
Jonathan Quick allowed two goals in the first period before getting replaced by rookie Martin Jones, who faced just three shots.
Nets hand Heat first playoff loss
NBA: Joe Johnson scored 19 points, Andray Blatche had career playoff highs of 15 points and 10 rebounds, and the hosting Brooklyn Nets handed the Miami Heat their first loss this postseason, 104-90 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Paul Pierce scored 14 points, Deron Williams and Kevin Garnett bounced back from awful offensive efforts, and the Nets withstood LeBron James’ 16-point first quarter, then held him to two baskets over the final three quarters.
Brooklyn, which swept Miami in the regular season, can tie the series with a victory here Monday night in Game 4.
James scored 28 points for the Heat, who hadn’t even faced a fourth-quarter deficit in these playoffs before having their eight-game winning streak in the postseason snapped. It was their first loss since Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
• Spurs one win from advancing: Tony Parker scored 29 points and the visiting San Antonio Spurs pulled into a commanding 3-0 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series against Portland with a 118-103 victory over the Trail Blazers.
The Spurs led by as many as 23 points in the first half, building a big early lead just as they had in the first two games of the series in San Antonio. The teams meet again on Monday at Portland’s Moda Center.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Portland, which pulled within eight points in the third quarter but couldn’t get any closer. The Blazers were hurt by 15 turnovers and only six points from their bench.
No NBA team has come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a seven-game series.
Nadal reaches Madrid Open final
MISCELLANY: Top-ranked Rafael Nadal has persevered past countryman Roberto Bautista Agut for a 6-4, 6-4 win that returns him to the Madrid Open tennis final.
Nadal reached his first clay final since winning in Rio de Janeiro in February.
He broke Bautista Agut’s opening service game and never trailed.
Bautista Agut – playing in his first career Masters series semifinal – couldn’t match the experience of Nadal, who continues to improve after coming to the Magic Box center having lost at consecutive clay tournaments for the first time in a decade.
“I’ve gotten better as the tournament has gone on and found my rhythm on clay,” said three-time champion Nadal.
• Halep outlasts Kvitova, advances: Fourth-seeded Simona Halep rallied in hot conditions to beat 2011 champion Petra Kvitova 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2 and reach the Madrid Open tennis final.
Kvitova looked on course for victory after going 2-0 up in the second set against Halep, who was visibly frustrated after a late call went against her during the first-set tiebreaker.
But Kvitova hit 66 unforced errors and that inconsistency caught up with her as Halep recovered, with the now composed Romanian hitting 22 winners and breaking her Czech opponent four times over the last two sets.
• Kittel wins, Matthews takes lead: Marcel Kittel sprinted to victory in a wet second stage of cycling’s Giro d’Italia as Michael Matthews took the overall leader’s pink jersey from Orica-GreenEdge teammate Svein Tuft.
Kittel timed his move to perfection, with 200 meters remaining, to edge out Nacer Bouhanni and Giacomo Nizzolo in a bunch sprint at the end of the 218-kilometer (135-mile) leg, which started and ended in the Northern Ireland city of Belfast.
The German cyclist clocked more than five hours to claim his first Giro stage win on the day before his 26th birthday.