Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Senators ride 2-month surge to playoff spot

Ottawa Senators celebrate NHL playoff berth on Saturday. (Associated Press)
From Staff And Wire Reports

Hockey: Ottawa found its point and the postseason.

Needing just one point in the season finale, the Senators wrapped up their sizzling second-half rally with a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday in Philadelphia and clinched a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Headed toward a spot in the NHL draft lottery two months ago, the Senators finished 23-4-4 over their final 31 games to storm into the postseason.

Senators goalie Andrew Hammond upped his record to 20-1-2 since being recalled.

• Banner season for Rangers: Kevin Hayes and Dominic Moore each had a goal and an assist, Henrik Lundqvist stopped 22 shots and the New York Rangers capped their stellar regular season with a 4-2 win over the host Washington Capitals.

• Penguins clinch berth: Brandon Sutter scored twice and Marc-Andre Fleury made 28 saves in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ playoff-clinching 2-0 win over the last-place Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo, New York, on the final day of the NHL regular season

The Penguins snapped a 0-4-1 skid to secure a wild-card spot.

• Canadiens win Atlantic: Alex Galchenyuk and David Desharnais scored in the shootout and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 in a shootout in Toronto to clinch the Atlantic Division title and the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

• Blue Jackets win shootout: Cam Atkinson and Alexander Wennberg scored in the shootout to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets to a wild 5-4 win over the New York Islanders in the last regular-season game at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.

• Lightning edge Bruins: Victor Hedman scored the lone shootout goal, and the playoff-bound Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Boston Bruins 3-2 in Tampa, Florida.

• Jets set team record: Lee Stempniak had a goal and assist and the playoff-bound Winnipeg Jets set a franchise record for points (99) in a 5-1 rout of the Calgary Flames in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

• Blues double up Wild: Vladimir Tarasenko and Alexander Steen returned from injuries with two points apiece, helping the St. Louis Blues keep the Minnesota Wild from an NHL-record 13th consecutive road victory.

• Kings end season with win: Brayden McNabb and Marian Gaborik scored third-period goals, and the Los Angeles Kings rolled to a 4-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks in Los Angeles.

Both California rivals are missing the playoffs in the same season for the first time since 2003.

• Providence NCAA champs: Boston University goalie Matt O’Connor gave up a tying own goal in the third period, then Brandon Tanev scored with 6:17 left and Providence beat the Terriers 4-3 in Boston for the Friars’ first NCAA hockey championship.

Heat on brink of playoff elimination

Basketball: Lou Williams scored 29 points, DeMar DeRozan added 24 and the Toronto Raptors put the Miami Heat on the brink of playoff elimination with a 107-104 victory in Miami.

The Raptors clinched home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

• Jazz upset Blazers: Trevor Booker scored a career-high 36 points and visiting Utah beat Portland.

• Clippers top Grizzlies: J.J. Redick and Blake Griffin scored 18 points each and host Los Angeles pulled away down the stretch to beat Memphis.

• Knicks, Magic set new low: Cole Aldrich had a career-high 19 points and the New York Knicks beat the Orlando Magic 80-79 in Orlando, Florida, in a game that had the lowest-scoring quarter in NBA history.

The teams combined to score only 15 points in the second quarter, breaking the mark of 18.

• World team tops U.S.: Canada’s Jamal Murray had 30 points and Italy’s Frederico Mussini scored the go-ahead points on three free throws with 2:04 remaining to help the World Selects beat the United States 103-101 in the annual Nike Hoop Summit in Portland.

Luke Kennard, who has signed at Duke, had 22 points to lead the United States.

American Pharoah wins in Arkansas

Miscellany: American Pharoah lived up to pre-race expectations by pulling away in the stretch to win the $1 million Arkansas Derby in Hot Springs.

The colt, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, went off as the heavy 1-9 favorite in the eight-horse field at Oaklawn Park, and ran away to an 8-length victory over Far Right.

• Kerber derails Petkovic: Fifth-seeded Angelique Kerber ended defending champion Andrea Petkovic’s run of success at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina, advancing to the final with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over her fellow German and good friend.

Kerber will take on 20-year-old American Madison Keys, who defeated qualifier Lucie Hradecka 6-1, 6-4.

• Aspell pulls off feat: Leighton Aspell became the first jockey in 61 years to win back-to-back Grand Nationals on different horses by riding Many Clouds to victory in Liverpool, England, in the world’s most grueling jumps race.

• History made at Oxford: The gender barrier in one of England’s oldest sporting events was broken when the men’s and women’s rowing crews from Oxford and Cambridge raced over the same course on the same day for the first time.

Oxford won both races on the River Thames in London.

• Dungey wins Supercross title: Ryan Dungey wrapped up his second AMA Supercross season title, finishing second behind Cole Seely in the 450SX race at NRG Stadium in Houston.