ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, APRIL 2-3, 2021 SPORTS 15 Sabres rout Flyers, stop 18-game slide

Colorado Avalanche center Tyson Jost cheks defense- left wing Michael Raffl (12) is defended by defenseman Henri Jokiharju (10) during the first period of an NHL hockey man Jordan Oesterle (82) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Buffalo, N.Y., on March 31. (AP) game on March 31, in Denver. (AP) Avs rally past Coyotes; Kings top Vegas NHL Results/Standings BUFFALO, New York, the Avs played in front of a home Philipp Grubauer stopped 28 Sharks 4, Wild 2 April 1, (AP): Linus crowd was on March 11, 2020 - shots for his league-leading 22nd In San Jose, California, Rudolfs WASHINGTON April 1 (AP): Results and standings from the NHL games on just before the league halted the win. Wednesday. Ullmark stopped 31 shots Balcers and Ryan Donato scored Buffalo 6 Philadelphia 1 Los Angeles 4 Vegas 2 season due to the COVID-19 pan- Kings 4, Golden Knights 2 in the second period, and San Jose Toronto 3 Winnipeg 1 San Jose 4 Minnesota 2 and the Buffalo Sabres demic. Colorado 9 Arizona 3 snapped an 18-game skid - In Las Vegas, Lias Andersson completed a two-game sweep of East Division West Division Andre Burakovsky and Pierre- scored in his first game back after Minnesota. GP W L OT Pts GF GA GP W L OT Pts GF GA the NHL’s longest in 17 Edouard Bellemare also scored in The Sharks followed a shoot- Washington 35 23 8 4 50 121 104 Colorado 35 23 8 4 50 127 80 missing more than a month, help- NY Islanders 36 22 10 4 48 106 84 Vegas 34 24 9 1 49 110 79 years - with a 6-1 win over a wild first period that included ing the Kings stop a three-game out win on Monday with another Pittsburgh 36 23 11 2 48 117 94 Minnesota 34 21 11 2 44 99 86 the Philadelphia Flyers. Arizona goals by Michael Bunting skid. strong performance against a Boston 32 18 9 5 41 88 77 St Louis 35 16 13 6 38 100 113 and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. team they are chasing in the Philadelphia 35 17 14 4 38 107 129 Arizona 36 16 15 5 37 95 112 Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin Andreas Athanasiou, Jaret NY Rangers 35 16 15 4 36 112 94 Los Angeles 34 14 14 6 34 96 96 was the first off the bench as the Anderson-Dolan and Alex Iafallo standings. New Jersey 34 13 16 5 31 83 106 San Jose 35 15 16 4 34 99 120 Buffalo 35 7 23 5 19 77 123 final horn sounded and led a line also scored for the Kings, and Cal Nikolai Knyzhov also scored Anaheim 37 11 20 6 28 83 123 Central Division of Sabres players high-fiving Petersen improved to 4-1-0 his first career and Evander North Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Ullmark in an arena without fans. against Vegas after stopping 40 Kane had an empty-netter for the Tampa Bay 35 24 9 2 50 124 85 GP W L OT Pts GF GA It was the first win for Buffalo Gabriel Landeskog finished Sharks. Martin Jones made 26 Florida 36 23 9 4 50 119 99 Toronto 36 23 10 3 49 119 92 shots. Peterson has both of Los Carolina 34 23 8 3 49 113 86 Winnipeg 37 22 13 2 46 120 102 since a 4-1 victory at New Jersey with two goals, Mikko Rantanen Angeles’ wins over Vegas this saves for San Jose. Nashville 37 19 17 1 39 95 109 Edmonton 37 22 14 1 45 122 107 on Feb. 23, and ended an 0-15-3 added another and Burakovsky Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Chicago 37 17 15 5 39 106 115 Montreal 32 15 8 9 39 104 87 season. Columbus 37 14 15 8 36 94 118 Calgary 37 16 18 3 35 96 112 streak. The slump was tied for the scored his second with 3:11 William Karlsson and Shea Zuccarello scored for Minnesota, Dallas 33 11 12 10 32 91 91 Vancouver 37 16 18 3 35 100 120 league’s 14th longest, and worst remaining on an assist by Donskoi. Theodore scored for Vegas. Marc- and Kaapo Kahkonen made 29 Detroit 37 12 21 4 28 80 119 Ottawa 36 12 20 4 28 94 135 Note: Two points for a win one for loss. The top four teams in each since the had Conor Garland also scored for Andre Fleury made 26 saves. saves. The Wild are winless in division will qualify for playoffs under this season’s temporary realignment. a 0-17-1 stretch during the 2003- Arizona, which had won three in a Vegas had its six-game home their last five road games. 04 season. row. winning streak snapped. Maple Leafs 3, Jets 1 Steven Fogarty scored his first career goal and added an assist, In Winnipeg, Manitoba, Auston and defenseman Brandon Montour Matthews scored his NHL-leading sealed the win by scoring short- 24th goal for Toronto, and goal- handed goals 37 seconds apart, tender Jack Campbell stayed the first into an empty net. unbeaten this season. Ivan Provorov scored for Zach Hyman and Alex Kerfoot Philadelphia in the second period. also scored for Toronto. Mitch Brian Elliott allowed four goals Marner had two assists for his 13th on 16 shots before he was replaced multipoint game of the season. by Alex Lyon. Campbell, who missed the Edmonton game Monday with a Avalanche 9, Coyotes 3 lower-body injury, made 26 saves. In Denver, Joonas Donskoi He improved to 7-0-0 on the sea- scored three times during son. Colorado’s five-goal first period, Josh Morrissey scored for and the Avalanche beat the Winnipeg. Connor Hellebuyck Coyotes in front of home fans for stopped 23 shots. the first time this season. Adding to the Jets woes, The team invited frontline and Blake Wheeler did not play after health-care workers, first respond- Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) blocks a shot by the first period. There was no ers, players’ families and employ- ’ Lias Andersson, left, during the third period of an NHL immediate word on a reason for In this Nov 28, 2020, file photo, Florida Gators tight end Kyle Pitts (84) ees into Ball Arena. The last time hockey game on March 31, in Las Vegas. (AP) his absence. scores a touchdown during an NCAA college football game against Kentucky in Gainesville, Florida. (AP) Sinner earns first semifinal berth in top-level event Pitts puts on show at Florida’s pro day Randall carries San Diego to Osaka’s win streak ends, Medvedev loses in Miami MIAMI, April 1, (AP): As Naomi Osaka’s appearances she has never advanced beyond the wasn’t going in at all today.” 23-match winning streak neared an end quarterfinals. She said couldn’t get comfortable Sakkari earned her sixth career win over a 24-21 win over Presbyterian Wednesday, she paused before serving to on the tournament’s hard-court surface. top-five opponent. She’s still in the tournament CLINTON, S.C., April 1, (AP): pass to Lawson Bachelder with 41 crane her neck and study the sky, as if seeking “I felt like I haven’t been playing well this only because she saved six match points in the Mason Randall threw for 301 seconds left made it 24-21, but the intervention from above. whole tournament, like I couldn’t find a previous round before beating American yards and a pair of touchdowns to Toreros secured the onside kick Then she carried on, and so did No. 23-seed- groove,” she said. Jessica Pegula. lead San Diego to a 24-21 win attempt and ran the clock to end it. ed Maria Sakkari, who upset Osaka 6-0, 6-4 in Against Sakkari, the only Greek woman In men’s play, 19-year-old Italian Jannik over Presbyterian. Thompson threw for 323 yards the quarter-finals of the Miami Open. ranked in the top 250, Osaka lost 15 consecu- Sinner earned his first semifinal berth in an San Diego (3-0, 3-0 Pioneer for the Blue Hose (1-3, 1-3). “The more stuff like this happens, the more tive points on her serve to fall behind and blew ATP Tour top-level event by beating No. Football League) never trailed. Meanwhile, there was no short- I’ll learn from it,” the No. 2-ranked Osaka a 4-1 lead in the second set. She faced a break 32-seeded Alexander Bublik 7-6 (5), 6-4. San Diego’s age of Kyle Pitts highlights at said. point on seven of her eight service games. Bublik smiled as he congratulated the No. defense came Florida’s pro day Wednesday, Osaka’s defeat was her first since February “Today’s service problems kind of came out 21-seeded Sinner at the net. up with the from his measurables to his moves 2020, and it ended any chance of reclaiming of nowhere,” Osaka said. “My first serve “You’re not a human, man,” Bublik joked. game’s first to even his mindset. the No. 1 ranking this week from Ash Barty, “You’re 15 years old and you play like this? score when who is in the semifinals. Good job.” Amir Wallace The men’s favorite departed nearly 12 hours Sinner will face Bautista Agut on Friday. forced a fum- FOOTBALL later when No. 1-seeded Daniil Medvedev lost ble on Jalen to No. 7 seed Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain, TENNIS Jones and It was a refresher course for any- 6-4, 6-2. Medvedev mangled his racket in returned it 23 one who watched the versatile anger after he lost serve to fall behind late in yards for a tight end play last season. the first set, and little went right for him the Osaka made just 41% of her first serves and touchdown Randall Whether he was outjumping, rest of the way. paid a price, because Sakkari aggressively with 10:26 outrunning and outmuscling defen- “If he broke a racket, it’s because he lost his attacked the second set. Sakkari also served left in the first quarter. sive backs, making linebackers patience,” Bautista Agut said. “I think I did well and would repeatedly extend rallies until Following Brandon Eickert’s and safeties look silly, or handling some great things to put him under pressure Osaka made an error. 23-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead, his own at the line of scrimmage, and feel like this.” “I don’t think it was the best tennis I played Keith Pearson hauled in a pass Pitts was undoubtedly one of the in my life,” Sakkari said. “I just did what I had from Brandon Thompson and most dynamic pass catchers in the Medvedev fell to 0-3 against Bautista Agut, sprinted 75 yards to reduce country in 2020 and possibly the one of the six players left in the men’s draw. to do.” Presbyterian’s deficit to 10-7. best college player at his position None has won a Masters 1000 event. Osaka took a 40-0 lead in the opening game, Randall threw a 4-yard touchdown in years, maybe even decades. Sakkari will next play No. 8-seeded Bianca but didn’t win another point on her serve until pass to Michael Carner with seven No one would be surprised to Andreescu of Canada, who dropped serve the second set. When she ended the drought, seconds before halftime for a 10-point see him be an instant star at the eight times but still outlasted unseeded Sara she received a big ovation from the small lead, then found Derek Kline from next level. Sorribes Tormo 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. crowd, which she followed up with her best 15-yards out with a minute left in the Pitts and several teammates - “I’m super proud of how I handled it tonight, stretch of tennis. third for a 24-7 advantage. most notably quarterback Kyle because it wasn’t easy,” Andreescu said. “My But Sakkari rallied. From 40-0 down she Thompson led a four-play, Trask, cornerback Marco Wilson body was giving out, and then my mind gave won five consecutive points, hitting one last 52-yard drive that ended with his and receivers Kadarius Toney and out at one point, because I was just thinking Naomi Osaka, of Japan returns, to Maria thunderous return to break for a 5-4 lead. She 6-yard touchdown run early in the Trevon Grimes - worked out for about how tired I was.” Sakkari, of Greece, during the quarter-finals of then coolly served out the victory. fourth to pull Presbyterian within talent evaluators from 31 of 32 Osaka won her fourth Grand Slam title at the the Miami Open tennis tournament, on March “I just really enjoyed myself out there,” 24-14. His 80-yard touchdown NFL teams. Australian Open in February, but in five Miami 31, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (AP) Sakkari said.