In brief: Maple Leafs sidestep first regulation loss
NHL: Phil Kessel had a goal and two assists to help the Toronto Maple Leafs rally for a 4-3 shootout victory over the visiting Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday night.
Kessel extended his NHL lead in goals and points on a night where Toronto appeared headed for its first regulation loss after falling behind 3-1 midway through the second period. He has seven goals and 12 points in five games.
Joffrey Lupul scored twice in regulation for Toronto (4-0-1). Kessel failed to score in the shootout, but Joffrey Lupul and Matt Frattin beat Ondrej Pavelec.
Timbers keep playoffs hopes alive
Soccer: Kenny Cooper scored early and the Portland Timbers preserved their playoff chances with a 1-1 draw at D.C. United in Washington.
Timbers goalie Troy Perkins made two late point-blank saves to preserve the tie and eliminate United (9-12-12) from postseason contention. The Timbers (11-14-8) are barely alive, needing New York to lose at home to Philadelphia today and then win their own finale at Salt Lake on Saturday.
NBA talks scheduled to resume today
NBA: After another long day of negotiations, NBA players and owners hammered out plans for another meeting.
That’s not the deal Commissioner David Stern wanted, but it’s better than the cancellations that could have come if talks fall through.
Both sides seemed to have plenty to talk about. After an eight-hour meeting in New York brought their time together to more than 24 hours over two days, federal mediator George Cohen said they would resume bargaining this afternoon.
“Everyone is extremely focused on the core issues, the difficult issues that confront them,” Cohen said.
Bradley wins battle among champions
Golf: PGA champion Keegan Bradley held off a determined final-round charge from Charl Schwartzel to win the PGA Grand Slam at Southampton, Bermuda, a competition among this year’s winners of Grand Slam events.
Bradley shot an even-par 71 to move to 4 under for the tournament, a shot ahead of Schwartzel, who tied the course record with a 65 after he came into the finale at 3 over.
Schwartzel, who won the Masters in dramatic fashion in April, had a run of five birdies on the front nine that put him in a tie at 2 under with Bradley, who dropped shots at Nos. 1, 5, and 6 before a birdie at the 7th halted the slide.
U.S. Open champ Rory McIlroy, the joint overnight leader at 4 under, made par on each of the first six holes before a wild second shot on No. 7 forced him to take an unplayable. He closed the front nine with three bogeys to drop to 1 under.
Companies’ safety claims questioned
Concussions: Senators and medical witnesses criticized some sports equipment makers for touting products as reducing concussions, saying they were misleading consumers because the claims are not justified by scientific evidence.
“Now that athletes, coaches and parents have a better understanding of concussions, some sports equipment makers appear to be a taking advantage,” Sen. Tom Udall, a New Mexico Democrat, said at a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing in Washington.
He singled out several companies, including Riddell, which claims its Revolution helmet helps reduce concussions, and Brain-Pad, which blares on packaging, “Reduces Risk of CONCUSSIONS!” from lower jaw impacts.
U.S. rowing gathers two more golds
Pan American Games: The United States picked up two more gold medals in rowing at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Jennifer Goldsack won the women’s single sculls before the men’s eights claimed the last of the five golds available in the early session.
The U.S. leads the medals table with 26 gold and 66 medals overall.
New N.D. nickname could prove costly
College sports: It will cost the University of North Dakota about $750,000 to retire the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo, President Robert Kelley says.
State lawmakers are to vote during a special session in November on repealing a law passed earlier this year that requires UND to keep the Fighting Sioux nickname, which the NCAA finds offensive.