THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016 SPORTS Victory loom as title rivals to unbeaten Sydney FC SYDNEY: Melbourne Victory emerged as into half-time then pressed home their from Alex Brosque and another from a thrilling 3-3 draw with Perth Glory. Glory’s Spanish maestro Diego Castro a title rival to unbeaten A-League leaders advantage with goals from James Rhyan Grant sealed Sydney’s win and left City’s Uruguayan skipper Bruno Fornaroli also netting a brace. Newcastle moved Sydney FC with a 4-1 spanking of Central Donachie and Marco Rojas, who netted Adelaide at the bottom of the standings missed a stoppage-time penalty after red into fifth spot after holding Wellington Coast Mariners in Melbourne yesterday. twice in two minutes. Substitute Trent with a lone win. Brisbane Roar are third cards to Glory’s Dino Djulbic and City’s Phoenix to a 2-2 draw. Victory moved to second spot on the Buhagiar scored a consolation goal for after extending their unbeaten run to 10 Argentine attacker Fernando Brandan. The Jets twice had to come from standings and seven points behind the Mariners in the final minutes. games following a 1-1 home draw with City were awarded three penalties in the behind at home with goals from Andrew Sydney FC with a game in hand after a Sydney FC remained unbeaten after Western Sydney. Second-half goals from at-times spiteful encounter, with Hoole and Andrew Nabbout cancelling dominant second-half performance 12 games with a 4-0 hammering of Corey Brown and Wanderers Spanish Fornaroli scoring one and having the out strikes from former Melbourne against Paul Okon’s Mariners. defending champions Adelaide United. skipper Dimas Delgado cancelled each other two saved by Liam Reddy. Victory duo Kosta Barbarouses and Kevin Muscat’s side took a 1-0 lead Goals from Slovak Filip Holosko, a brace other out. Melbourne City lie fourth after Fornaroli finished with two goals with Brazilian Gui Finkler. —AFP NHL results/standings Calgary 6, Colorado 3; Dallas 3, Arizona 2; Winnipeg 3, Chicago 1; Minnesota 3, Nashville 2 (OT); Buffalo 4, Detroit 3; Pittsburgh 5, New Jersey 2; NY Islanders 4, Washington 3; NY Rangers 4, Ottawa 3; Columbus 4, Boston 3. Western Conference Central Division WLOTLGFGAPTS Chicago 22 10 5 103 89 49 Minnesota 22 8 4 105 68 48 St. Louis 18 12 5 98 103 41 Dallas 15 14 7 92 108 37 Winnipeg 17 17 3 98 106 37 Nashville 15 13 6 96 97 36 Colorado 12 21 1 70 112 25 Pacific Division San Jose 22 12 1 90 77 45 Edmonton 18 12 6 105 97 42 Anaheim 17 12 7 98 102 41 Calgary 19 16 2 100 106 40 Los Angeles 17 13 4 87 84 38 Vancouver 14 18 3 86 109 31 Arizona 11 19 5 77 111 27 Eastern Conference Atlantic Division Montreal 21 9 4 104 76 46 Ottawa 20 12 3 91 93 43 Boston 18 15 4 88 91 40 Tampa Bay 17 15 3 100 98 37 Florida 15 14 6 85 97 36 Toronto 14 12 7 97 95 35 Buffalo 13 13 8 75 94 34 Detroit 15 16 4 86 100 34 Metropolitan Division Columbus 24 5 4 114 68 52 Pittsburgh 23 8 5 126 102 51 NY Rangers 24 12 1 123 92 49 Washington 20 9 4 90 73 44 Philadelphia 20 12 4 110 108 44 Carolina 15 11 7 88 90 37 NY Islanders 14 14 6 94 105 34 New Jersey 13 15 7 82 107 33 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings NEW YORK: Kyle Turris #7 of the Ottawa Senators takes a holding penalty during the first period against Marc Staal #18 of the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden and are not included in the loss column (L) on Tuesday in New York City. —AFP Blue Jackets beat Bruins, Russia blasts NYT doping stretch win streak to 13 games ‘conspiracy’ report MOSCOW: Russia yesterday blasted a report in sportsmen,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov COLUMBUS: Nick Foligno scored a power-play scored for the Sharks, who won their third second straight and fourth in five games. The Jets The New York Times that officials have told journalists. goal midway through the third period, Sergei straight game and sixth of their last seven to beat Central Division-leading Chicago for the third acknowledged a massive sports doping con- Bobrovsky had 37 saves and the NHL-leading maintain their lead atop the Pacific Division. time in three tries this season, outscoring the spiracy, reiterating claims there was no gov- ‘SHOCKED BY REVELATIONS’ Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Boston Bruins 4- Burns took a pass from Joe Pavelski and made Blackhawks 9-2 over those games. Artem Anisimov ernment involvement. The New York Times The accusations by Mclaren in his last 3 on Tuesday night to extend their winning two quick fakes before beating John Gibson for scored his 15th goal in his return from missing reported Tuesday that the acting director gen- report were another body blow to Russian streak to 13 games. Scott Hartnell, Seth Jones the game-winner. Jakob Silfverberg of the Ducks three games with an upper-body injury, but eral of Russia’s scandal-mired national anti- sport, which was still trying to shrug off the and Matt Calvert scored to put the burgeoning redirected a shot by Ryan Kesler between Jones’ Chicago lost its third straight for the first time since doping agency had “for the first time” conced- damage from his initial findings and the exclu- Blue Jackets up 3-0 in the first period, but they legs to tie the game 2-2 with 6:25 remaining in last March. Chicago’s Corey Crawford blocked 31 ed officials conducted the programme to sion of its track and field athletes from interna- were outplayed from there by the more aggres- regulation. The Sharks improved to 6-1 in over- shots in his second start since returning from an cheat. “It was an institutional conspiracy,” tional competition. sive Bruins. Columbus stayed in the game thanks time or shootouts this season. Ondrej Kase appendectomy that cost him 10 games. Anna Antseliovich, was reported as telling the The affair reverberated through the 2016 to the latest stellar performance by Bobrovsky, scored and Gibson stopped 22 shots for the US newspaper in an article datelined from Rio Olympics and has continued to be felt as who got his first career victory in eight games Ducks, who have dropped three straight. FLAMES 6, AVALANCHE 3 Moscow. Antseliovich and others interviewed winter sports events such as next year’s bob- against Boston. David Backes, Austin Czarnik and Mikael Backlund scored two of Calgary’s four continued to reject the characterization of the sleigh and skeleton world championships and David Krejci scored for the Bruins, and Tuukka RANGERS 4, SENATORS 3 goals in the second period and also had an assist. doping scheme as “state-sponsored,” telling biathlon and speed skating World Cup stops Rask had 18 saves. Columbus hasn’t lost since Defenseman Nick Holden scored the go- Johnny Gaudreau also had two goals and an the Times that top government officials were have been withdrawn from the country. Nov. 26 on this franchise-best winning streak. It ahead goal less than seven minutes into the third assist for the Flames. All of Calgary’s second-peri- not involved. But Moscow later slammed the McLaren, a Canadian lawyer, issued his first leads the brutal Metropolitan Division a season period, lifting New York to a comeback victory od goals deflected off Colorado players. Brian article, with anti-doping agency RUSADA report in July, detailing an elaborate scheme after finishing in last place. Foligno scored the over Ottawa. Holden’s second goal of the game Elliott had 25 saves for the Flames, who have insisting that Antseliovich’s words were “dis- to manipulate drug tests at the 2014 Sochi winner with a wraparound goal 10:46 into the and sixth of the season came at 6:31 as he won nine of 12. Gabriel Landeskog had two torted and taken out of context”. Games and saying it involved the Russian third period off a pass from Alexander wedged the puck past Senators goaltender Mike goals and Jarome Iginla scored for Colorado, The New York Times reporter “took these sports ministry and FSB security service. “Ms. Wennberg. The Blue Jackets then killed a power Condon just 4 seconds after a Rangers’ power which has now lost nine straight at home for the words out of context, creating the impression Antseliovich, who has not been directly impli- play with less than four minutes left and held off play had expired. Derek Stepan had two goals first time since moving to Denver. The Avalanche that RUSADA’s leadership had admitted to an cated in the investigations, said she was a rush by the Bruins after they pulled their goalie and defenseman Ryan McDonagh had three are 0-8-1 at Pepsi Center since beating the Los institutional system of a doping cover-up in shocked by the revelations,” the Times wrote. with about 1 1/2 minutes remaining. assists as the Rangers overcame a 3-1 deficit and Angeles Kings 4-1 on Nov. 15. Russia,” the agency said in a statement. “We “She and others emphasized that the govern- snapped a two-game losing streak. Antti Raanta, want to underline that RUSADA does not and ment’s top officials were not involved.” PENGUINS 5, DEVILS 2 who allowed goals on the first two shots he ISLANDERS 4, CAPITALS 3 cannot have the authority to admit or deny And Vitaly Smirnov, the 81-year-old veteran Sidney Crosby scored a goal for the fourth faced from the Senators, recovered to make 33 Andrew Ladd and Anders Lee scored 43 sec- such facts,” it said.