Flyers rally past Penguins after tribute
NHL: R.J. Umberger and Matt Read scored 2 minutes apart in the third period to lift the visiting Philadelphia Flyers past the Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-3.
Though the game featured two U.S. teams, the sell-out crowd sang “O Canada” before the opening faceoff as a tribute to a Canadian soldier killed in attack in Ottawa on Wednesday.
Sean Couturier had a goal and an assist, Mark Streit and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare also scored for the Flyers.
• Oilers top Caps in regulation: Ben Scrivens made 32 stops and the Edmonton Oilers handed Washington (3-1-2) its first regulation loss of the season, beating the visiting Capitals 3-2.
Justin Schultz, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nikita Nikitin scored to help the Oilers win their second straight game after opening the season 0-4-1.
• Ducks handle Sabres: Corey Perry had his second hat trick of the season and the Anaheim Ducks beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-1 for their sixth straight victory.
Frederik Andersen made 22 saves, losing a bid for his second consecutive shutout when Tyler Ellis scored off a rebound with 5:04 to play.
• Leafs-Senators postponed due to shootings: The NHL postponed Wednesday night’s game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators because of shootings in Ottawa.
A Canadian soldier standing guard at a war memorial was shot to death Wednesday, and gunfire then erupted inside Parliament, authorities said.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by today’s tragic events on Parliament Hill and in downtown Ottawa,” Senators owner Eugene Melnyk said in a statement.
Leafs forward Joffrey Lupul tweeted, “Lot of very brave police officers we should all be very proud of.”
The NHL said the date and time of the rescheduled game will be announced at a later date.
• Wild, Coyle agree to extension: The Minnesota Wild agreed to terms on a five-year, $16 million contract extension with 22-year-old right wing Charlie Coyle through 2019-20.
Coyle had 12 goals and 18 assists in 70 games last season.
Halep routs Williams at WTA Finals
Tennis: Serena Williams was routed 6-0, 6-2 by Simona Halep at the WTA Finals in Singapore in one of the most one-sided losses of the 18-time Grand Slam champion’s career.
The last time Williams won just two games in a WTA Tour or Grand Slam match was in 1998 when she was just 16. The loss snapped Williams’ 16-match winning streak at the year-end championships.
9 UNC employees fired or disciplined
COLLEGES: The scale of an academic scandal involving bogus classes and inflated grades at the University of North Carolina was far more widespread than previously reported, and included about 1,500 athletes who got easy As and Bs over a span of nearly two decades, according to an investigation released Wednesday. At least nine university employees were fired or under disciplinary review. Penalties could range from fewer scholarships to vacated wins.
Most of the athletes involved were football players or members of the school’s cherished basketball program, which won three of its five national titles during the scandal.
• Oklahoma State sues NMSU over mascot: Oklahoma State is suing New Mexico State over the use of a pistol-packing mascot that it says is “confusingly similar” to the Cowboys’ own Pistol Pete.
Oklahoma State, which filed suit Monday in U.S. District Court in Oklahoma, wants NMSU to stop using the mascot. OSU said it trademarked the mascot first and has used the image since 1930.
• Proposed award for O’Bannon lawsuit: Lawyers for formar UCLA basketball star Ed O’Bannon want more than $50 million from the NCAA in attorney fees and other costs as part of the price of winning an antitrust lawsuit.
The proposed award means individual lawyers would end up with far more than the $5,000 a year the judge in the case ruled that football players in FBS schools and Division I men’s basketball players could receive as compensation for the rights to their names, images and likenesses.
Ex-GMs Polian, Wolf nominated for Hall
Football: Former general managers Bill Polian and Ron Wolf were selected as contributor finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2015. Polian and Wolf were chosen by the Hall of Fame’s contributor committee. Inductees will be selected on Jan. 31, the day before the Super Bowl, in Phoenix.
Polian was the GM for the Bills when they made four consecutive Super Bowls and for the Colts when they won the championship in 2006. Wolf won a Super Bowl while general manager of the Packers in 1996 and was player personnel director for the Raiders.
Breeders’ Cup Classic draws crowded field
Horse racing: Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome and undefeated Shared Belief will face off in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic next week.
They are among a record 201 horses, including five defending champions, which were pre-entered for the $26 million, 13-race Breeders’ Cup world championships being held at Santa Anita on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.
NBA owners vote down lottery reform
NBA: NBA owners have voted down proposed changes to the league’s draft lottery system, staving off efforts to curb tanking for the time being. The proposal needed 23 votes for approval but only received 17.
The board agreed to send the issue back to the competition committee for additional study and a possible future vote.
NBC promoting Weir, Lipinski
FIGURE SKATING: Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski were promoted by NBC to its top figure skating broadcast team.
They’ll team with play-by-play announcer Terry Gannon, starting their new role Sunday during NBC’s telecast of the Skate America competition.
They replace Scott Hamilton, Sandra Bezic and Tom Hammond, who were NBC’s lead figure skating announcers at four Olympics.