In Brief: Blackhawks beat Bruins, push win streak to eight games
NHL: Ben Smith assisted on the Blackhawks’ first goal and scored their second to lead Chicago to its eighth consecutive victory, 3-2 over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night in Boston.
The Blackhawks lost captain and No. 2 scorer Jonathan Toews in the second period when Dennis Seidenberg hit him from behind and sent him face-first into the boards. No further information about the injury was available.
Scott Darling made 32 saves for the Blackhawks, who have won 11 of their last 12 games and lost just twice in the past month.
Tuukka Rask stopped 18 shots for Boston. The Bruins have lost four of their last five games and six out of eight.
• Kings drop Senators: Anze Kopitar scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period and Los Angeles beat host Ottawa 5-3 in Dave Cameron’s debut as coach of the Senators.
Cameron took over Monday when Paul MacLean was fired.
Matt Greene, Justin Williams, Trevor Lewis and Tanner Pearson also scored for the Kings. Jake Muzzin had three assists, and Jonathan Quick made 32 saves.
Bobby Ryan, Mark Stone and former Spokane Chief Jared Cowen scored for the Senators. Craig Anderson stopped 31 shots.
Trailing 2-1, the Senators got off to a solid start in the third period and tied the game, but in less than two minutes the Kings regained a two-goal lead. Ottawa came close to completing the comeback, but fell just short.
• Blues stop Islanders: Alexander Steen scored two goals, and Jake Allen made 25 saves in host St. Louis’ 6-3 win against the suddenly slumping New York Islanders.
Steen’s goal at 4:34 of the third period broke a 2-2 tie. T.J. Oshie started the play by ripping a shot down the right side. The rebound off goalie Jaroslav Halak’s pad went to Steen, who scored his seventh of the season.
Oshie and Paul Stastny added insurance goals at 15:47 and 17:48.
Kyle Okposo scored his sixth goal for New York at 18:16, before Jaden Schwartz ended any hopes of a comeback with an empty-net goal at 18:56.
After surrendering just four goals during a three game winning streak, the Islanders have given up 17 during their skid — including six twice to the Blues.
Thunder take down Cavaliers as LeBron rests sore knee
NBA: Russell Westbrook scored 26 points, and Oklahoma City took advantage of LeBron James’ absence to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-94.
James sat out with left knee soreness, and without him, Cleveland’s winning streak ended at eight games. Cavaliers coach David Blatt said before the game that James’ injury wasn’t too serious, and he would be day-to-day.
Westbrook made 12 of 24 shots and had eight assists and seven rebounds. Kevin Durant added 19 points for the Thunder, who have won four straight and 6 of 7 after a 3-12 start.
Kyrie Irving scored 20 points for Cleveland, but he made just 7 of 21 shots. Kevin Love had 18 points and 16 rebounds, and Tristan Thompson added 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Cavaliers.
• Rockets rally past Kings: James Harden had 44 points and eight assists as Houston overcame a 10-point first quarter deficit to win at Sacramento 113-109 in overtime. Patrick Beverley and Trevor Ariza added 15 points each for the Rockets.
Darren Collison led the Kings with 24 points, while Ben McLemore added 21.
• Sixers, Nets make deal: The 76ers have acquired veteran forward Andrei Kirilenko, a second-round pick in the 2020 draft, guard Jorge Gutierrez and cash considerations from the Nets in exchange for forward Brandon Davies.
The Sixers also receive the right to swap second round picks with Brooklyn in the 2018 draft.
Russians control Figure skating Grand Prix
Miscellany: Elizaveta Tuktamysheva led a Russian teen sweep of the short program at the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Barcelona, Spain. The 17-year-old Tuktamysheva earned a top score of 67.52 points, performing to Ravel’s “Bolero.”
Julia Lipnitskaia, who is 16, was next with 66.24, followed by Elena Radionova (15) and Anna Pogorilaya (16).
Japan’s Rika Hongo was fifth, while American Ashley Wagner had the lowest score of the six finalists with 60.24.
In pairs, Canada’s Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford took the lead with the highest score in the short program.
The world bronze medalists earned their season’s best score of 74.50 points to edge Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia with 72.33.
• Day, Tringale lead: Jason Day and Cameron Tringale shot a 17-under 55 in the first-round scramble to take a two-stroke lead in the Franklin Templeton Shootout in Naples, Florida.
Day and Tringale tied the tournament scramble record last accomplished by tournament host Greg Norman and Steve Elkington in 2005.
Defending champions Matt Kuchar and Harris English opened with a 57 at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, and the teams of Keegan Bradley-Camilo Villegas, Graeme McDowell-Gary Woodland and Ryan Palmer-Jimmy Walker shot 59.
• Chudinov KOs McCulloch: Fyodor Chudinov knocked out previously unbeaten Australian fighter Ben McCulloch to win the vacant WBA interim super-middleweight belt in Moscow.
The Russian Chudinov (12-0) controlled the fight from the start before sending McCulloch (14-1) to the canvas with a crunching right hook to the head in the second round. McCulloch laid face down for several minutes — requiring medical help — before leaving the ring shaken but walking.
• Grace in front: Branden Grace made light work of the Leopard Creek Country Club course as he shot a 10-under 62 to claim a three-shot lead after the first round of the Alfred Dunhill Championship in Malelane, South Africa.
Grace’s compatriot, Jake Roos, lay second after his first day as a full European Tour member, leading fellow rookie Matt Ford by one stroke after the Englishman’s 6-under 66.
Ford was joined in third place by countryman Danny Willett, who carried his good form through from last weekend’s win at the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
• Brazile nears rodeo title: Trevor Brazile increased his chances of a record-tying three world titles with victories in team and tie-down roping in the eighth round of the National Final Rodeo in Las Vegas.
Brazile, from Decatur, Texas, is second in the team roping standings and first in the NFR aggregate standings. He is third in the tie-down roping world and aggregate standings.