In brief: Florida Panthers damage Bruins’ playoff hopes
NHL: The Boston Bruins no longer have control of playoff qualification in their hands.
Roberto Luongo earned his 401st career win and Jaromir Jagr got his 1,800th career point Thursday night, helping the Florida Panthers beat Boston 4-2 at Sunrise, Florida, and damaging the Bruins’ playoff hopes.
The Bruins have lost two straight after winning their previous five games. They trail Ottawa by two points and Pittsburgh by one for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Bruins have the tiebreaker over the Senators and finish Saturday at Tampa Bay.
Boston’s loss also secured playoff berths for the Islanders and Red Wings.
• Flames in, reigning champs out: Jiri Hudler scored twice and the Calgary Flames clinched an NHL playoff berth for the first time in six years with a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings at Calgary, Alberta.
The loss eliminated the defending Stanley Cup champion Kings from the postseason.
The Flames will face the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the playoffs.
• Blues clinch Central Division: Paul Stastny scored the winner, Dmitrij Jaskin broke a 16-game scoreless string, and Jake Allen made 21 saves to lead the host St. Louis Blues to a 2-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in a Central Division showdown.
The Blues clinched the division title and home-ice advantage for the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with their second win over Chicago in five days. It’s their first division title since 2011-2012 and only the third since 1986-87.
Curry breaks his 3-pointer record
NBA: Stephen Curry eclipsed his NBA record for most 3-pointers in a season, scoring 45 points to rally the Golden State Warriors to a 116-105 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at Oakland, California.
Curry entered the game four shy of his mark of 272 3-pointers, which he set two years ago in the season finale at Portland.
Curry added nine assists, and Thompson scored 26 to help Golden State avoid its first three-game losing streak this season.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 27 points and six rebounds, and Damian Lillard added 20 points and eight assists for the Blazers, who have already have locked up the Northwest Division.
• Bulls come back on Heat: Pau Gasol had 16 points and 15 rebounds and the Chicago Bulls easily wiped out a 19-point halftime deficit to beat host Miami 89-78, dealing a huge blow to the Heat’s playoff hopes.
The Bulls were outscored 33-12 in the second quarter – then went on a staggering 39-8 run to open the second half.
Chicago moved back into the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
• Copeland apologizes; suspect arrested: Indiana Pacers forward Chris Copeland apologized for making a “bad choice” by staying out too late before a game and promised to work hard to make a full recovery after he was stabbed outside a New York nightclub.
A girlfriend of Copeland and another woman were also stabbed early Wednesday morning. A 22-year-old suspect was in custody.
Because of the same incident, Atlanta forward Thabo Sefolosha will miss the Hawks’ final four regular-season games and the postseason because of a fractured right fibula and ligament damage suffered when he and teammate Pero Antic were arrested in New York.
The Hawks confirmed Sefolosha’s injury and said he will need surgery. The Swiss player was limping following the arrest.
Steelers great Polamalu will retire
NFL: Troy Polamalu’s iconic football career is over. The eight-time Pro Bowl safety told the Uniontown Herald-Standard he informed Pittsburgh Steelers chairman Dan Rooney he will retire rather than return for a 13th season.
The 33-year-old Polamalu had two years remaining on his contract but saw his play dip significantly from his prime, which peaked when he was named the 2010 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Polamalu was limited to 12 games in 2014 due to a leg injury.
• Colts exercise option on Luck: Indianapolis will use the team’s fifth-year option to keep Andrew Luck in town through at least 2016.
Team owner Jim Irsay has repeatedly said that the Colts plan to make Luck one of the highest-paid players in the league when his rookie contract expires.
Since Indianapolis drafted Luck with the No. 1 overall pick in 2012, he has started all 48 games, led the Colts to the playoffs three straight times and been to the Pro Bowl each season.
• Steelers’ Bell faces suspension: Pittsburgh running back Le’Veon Bell is facing a three-game suspension following his arrest on DUI and marijuana charges last August.
Bell was arrested last August following a traffic stop in a northern Pittsburgh suburb along with then-teammate LeGarrette Blount. The 23-year-old Pro Bowler ended up pleading no contest and was sentenced to 15 months of probation and entered into a diversion program.
• Panthers sign Tillman: The Panthers signed free-agent cornerback Charles Tillman to a one-year contract. The 6-foot-2, 198-pound Tillman spent his previous 12 seasons in the league with the Chicago Bears, where he was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2011 and 2012.
Tillman leads active defensive backs with 41 forced fumbles and is fourth in interceptions (36).
• Preseason schedule released: The NFL preseason will open Aug. 9 when Pittsburgh and Minnesota meet in the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio.
The Seattle Seahawks will host Denver, which they beat in the 2014 Super Bowl, in Week 1 of the exhibition games.
Hockey East rivals will face off for title
COLLEGE HOCKEY: Jack Eichel scored two goals and Boston University held off North Dakota 5-3 in the Frozen Four at Boston to advance to the championship game.
The Terriers (28-7-5) will face Hockey East rival Providence (25-13-2) in the title game Saturday night.