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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Blue Jackets beat Stars, clinch playoff

Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made 33 saves in helping the Blue Jackets clinch a playoff berth. (Associated Press)
From Staff And Wire Reports

NHL: Artem Anisimov and Mark Letestu added goals to the one Columbus already had when the makeup game started, and the visiting Blue Jackets clinched the second playoff berth in franchise history with a 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night.

The Blue Jackets had a 1-0 lead when the puck dropped because that was the score March 10, the night the original game was postponed after Dallas forward Rich Peverley collapsed on the bench because of an irregular heartbeat.

The Blue Jackets set a franchise record with 42 wins, beating the previous mark from their only other playoff season in 2008-09.

Jokinen’s SO winner lifts Penguins: Jussi Jokinen scored in regulation and then got the winner in the shootout, lifting the host Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-3 victory over the playoff-bound Detroit Red Wings.

James Neal scored two power-play goals in regulation – his 25th and 26th of the season – for Pittsburgh, which got defenseman Kris Letang back for the first time since he suffered a stroke 10 weeks ago.

Tomas Jurco, Jakub Kindl and Riley Sheahan scored for the Red Wings, who are headed to the postseason for the 23rd straight time.

Sharp pushes Blackhawks past Canadiens: Patrick Sharp set up Marian Hossa’s tying goal in the final minute of regulation and then scored the winner 43 seconds into overtime to lift the Chicago Blackhawks to a 3-2 win over the visiting Montreal Canadiens.

Jeremy Morin also scored in the Blackhawks’ fourth straight win overall, and their first in overtime this season after seven losses.

Blackhawks star forward Patrick Kane said he will return to the NHL playoffs next week at 100 percent despite a brace on his injured left knee.

Kane, who was leading Chicago in scoring when he was hurt in a game against St. Louis on March 19, resumed skating on his own five days ago. He skated with his teammates for the first time in the hours before a game against Montreal.

Ducks handle Sharks, clinch Pacific title: Patrick Maroon scored two goals, John Gibson made 36 saves in his second NHL start, and the Anaheim Ducks clinched their second straight Pacific Division title with a 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks at Anaheim, Calif.

Corey Perry scored his 43rd goal as the Ducks finished off the second-place Sharks with a three-goal third period to earn the first back-to-back division titles in franchise history.

Canucks make Linden president of operations: Former Canucks captain Trevor Linden has been hired as Vancouver’s president of hockey operations.

The announcement came a day after the Canucks fired president and general manager Mike Gillis.

Suns win, maintain playoff spot

NBA: Gerald Green scored 21 points, and the visiting Phoenix Suns won their third straight game, 94-88 over New Orleans.

Goran Dragic had 20 points and nine assists for the Suns, who are clinging to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Eric Bledsoe added 16 points and P.J. Tucker 15 for the Suns, who handed the Pelicans their sixth straight loss.

Grizzlies clip Heat, keep playoff hopes: Zach Randolph had 25 points and 11 rebounds, Marc Gasol added 20 points and 14 rebounds and the Memphis Grizzlies kept their playoff hopes alive with a 107-102 victory over the Miami Heat at Memphis, Tenn.

LeBron James led the Heat with 37 points, connecting on 14 of 23 shots, including 3 of 5 from beyond the arc. Rashard Lewis scored 17, and Chris Bosh finished with 13 points. Mario Chalmers scored 12 points for the Heat.

• Hawks improve playoff chances: Jeff Teague scored 19 points, Kyle Korver added 17 and the Atlanta Hawks helped their playoff chances with a 105-97 victory over the visiting Boston Celtics.

With four games remaining in the regular season, Atlanta increased its lead to two games over the New York Knicks for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Wright’s 3 gives Blazers win over Kings: Dorell Wright hit a 3-pointer with 7.9 seconds left and the host Portland Trail Blazers beat the late-charging Sacramento Kings 100-99.

Ray McCallum missed a 21-foot jumper as time ran out for the Kings and Portland’s Robin Lopez grabbed the rebound and held it tight for the victory. It was Wright’s only basket of the game.LaMarcus Aldridge had 22 points to lead the Blazers, who have won six of their past seven games.

Bobcats in 6th after OT win: Kemba Walker made the only field goal for either team in overtime, and the visiting Charlotte Bobcats won their fifth straight and moved into position for the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 94-88 over the Washington Wizards.

Walker made a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws in the extra session, and Al Jefferson added two free throws to account for all of the Bobcats’ post-regulation scoring.

Thunder hold off Clippers: Russell Westbrook scored 30 points in his return to the lineup, Kevin Durant added 27, and the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder held off the Los Angeles Clippers 107-101 in a possible playoff preview.

Serge Ibaka added 15 points for the Thunder, who had their starting five together for just the second time since Christmas Day. Westbrook had sat out two of the previous three games and has missed 34 games this season with a variety of injuries.

Bayern, Atletico Madrid advance

SOCCER: Defending champion Bayern Munich came from behind to reach its third straight Champions League semifinal, getting second-half goals from Mario Mandzukic, Thomas Mueller and Arjen Robben to beat Manchester United 3-1 and advance on 4-2 aggregate.

In the night’s other game, Koke’s fifth-minute goal led Atletico Madrid over visiting Barcelona 1-0 for a 2-1 aggregate win.

Atletico, which leads Barcelona by one point in the Spanish league, reached the last four of Europe’s top club competition for the first time since 1974. Barcelona has reached the semifinals for six straight years.