In Brief: Grabner nets only goal in Toronto win
NHL: Jonathan Bernier stopped shot after shot, keeping the Red Wings off the scoreboard.
Bernier made 38 saves in his 12th career shutout, leading Toronto to a 1-0 victory at Detroit on Sunday night.
Toronto’s Michael Grabner came in on a breakaway and was hauled down by Danny DeKeyser with 29.5 seconds left in the second. Petr Mrazek made the save, but as Grabner slid into the crease, the puck went into the net.
After a review, it was ruled that the puck crossed the line in a legal fashion before the net was displaced. It was his first goal since Jan. 2.
“I saw the puck out of the corner of my eye go in and I knew that I didn’t touch the goalie,” the former Spokane Chief said. “I didn’t feel it hit me or anything. I got a lucky bounce.”
Detroit (34-24-11) is eighth in the Eastern Conference with 79 points and Toronto coach Mike Babcock, who coached the Wings the previous 10 seasons, understands the position they’re in.
“Detroit’s important for me,” Babcock said. “For anybody who’s involved here, they want to keep getting in the playoffs. So I’m cheering for them every night that they don’t play us.”
Lightning end skid: Ben Bishop made 37 saves, Steven Stamkos had two goals and an assist and Tampa Bay won 4-0 at Columbus to stop a three-game losing streak.
Knicks win at buzzer
NBA: Jose Calderon hit a 3-pointer with two-tenths of a second left to give the New York Knicks a 90-87 victory over the Lakers in Los Angeles.
Carmelo Anthony scored 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter for New York.
The anticipated rematch between lottery picks Kristaps Porzingis and D’Angelo Russell never materialized. Porzingis, the Knicks’ 7-foot-3 forward and fourth-overall pick, was felled by a stomach virus and returned to the team’s hotel.
Cavs clip Clippers: At Los Angeles, LeBron James scored 27 points and Cleveland used a season-high tying 18 3-pointers for a 114-90 win over the Clippers.
The Cavaliers won their third straight and improved to 7-2 against the Clippers at Staples Center since the 2006-07 season. Cleveland is 20-6 against the West, including 10-4 on the road.
Paris-Nice close
MISCELLANY: British rider Geraint Thomas withstood a strong challenge from two-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador on the mountainous seventh and final stage to win the Paris-Nice race in France.
Contador, who has also won Paris-Nice twice, was in second place overnight and trailed Thomas by 15 seconds. The veteran Spanish rider attacked repeatedly on the last two climbs only to finish four seconds behind Thomas overall.
Serena to fourth round: At Indian Wells, California, top-ranked Serena Williams moved into the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open with a ragged 7-6 (2), 6-0 victory over Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan.
Bills fire DL coach: The Buffalo Bills have fired defensive line coach Karl Dunbar in an abrupt move announced by Rex Ryan.