SPORTS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2015

Royals take on Blue Jays for AL title KANSAS CITY: A battle between home run stood 25th with 139 as a team. But there are the ball in play is key,” Royals manager Ned Tulowitzki and left-fielder Ben Revere. bashers and small-ball specialists looms as different ways to score runs, as Lorenzo Cain Yost said. “A lot of times it can be a ground Kansas City supplemented their club with the power-hitting Toronto Blue Jays and showed in Kansas City’s deciding game in out, it could be a pop up, it could be a fly right-hander Johnny Cueto and versatile opportunistic Kansas City Royals meet for the Division Series against Houston when he out. second baseman Ben Zobrist. The bullpen the right to represent the American League dashed home from first base on a single “It’s crucial in situations when you have edge belongs to the Royals, who also pos- in the World Series. when the Astros’ center fielder slipped while runners in scoring position.” The Blue Jays sess more speed on the bases, and both The Royals, who will host the opener of fielding it. are not all-or-nothing at the plate, but their teams play superior defense. the best-of-seven AL Championship Series The Royals, who took the San Francisco prodigious power is the heart of their attack. Toronto led their series 4-3, with yesterday, are striving to return to the World Giants to a decisive Game Seven in last In Wednesday’s emotional Division some bad blood emerging from the teams Series after ending a 29-year wait last year, year’s World Series with the tying run on Series-clinching win over Texas, Encarnacion in August when players from each team while the Jays are determined to reach it for third in the bottom of the ninth, pride them- cleared the wall and Bautista blasted a three- were hit by pitches. Home field advantage the first time in 22 years. selves on putting the ball in play, rather than run, game-changing home run in the sev- belongs to the AL Central winning Royals, Toronto’s modern day Murderer’s Row of losing it over the outfield wall. enth that iced a win over the Rangers and whose 95-67 record was better than AL Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Edwin Kansas City struck out 973 times, the sent Rogers Centre fans into delirium. East champions Toronto’s 93-69, giving Encarnacion combined for 120 homers in fewest in Major League Baseball, 134 less Both teams bolstered their rosters at the Kansas City top seeding. But the atmos- the regular season for the home run-leading than the next most efficient team. “That’s trade deadline. Toronto prominently added phere in title-starved Toronto takes a back Blue Jays who belted 232, while the Royals the strength of this club, the ability to put pitcher David Price, shortstop Troy seat to no one. — Reuters

Penguins blank Senators, Islanders stop Predators PITTSBURGH: Evgeni Malkin scored his assist to lead Dallas. Tyler Seguin, Jamie first in nearly seven months and Benn, Cody Eakin and Jason Demers also Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 22 shots for scored for the Stars. Steven Stamkos had his 39th career shutout as the Pittsburgh two goals and an assist, and Vladislav Penguins beat the Ottawa Senators 2-0 on Namestnikov also scored for the Lightning. Thursday night. Rookie Daniel Sprong Namestnikov and Stamkos scored 1:38 picked up the first goal of his career for apart in the third to get the Lightning Pittsburgh, which won for the first time within 4-3. Spezza, coming off a three-goal this season. Craig Anderson made 34 saves game in Tuesday’s 4-2 win over for Ottawa but the Senators failed to Edmonton, responded and gave Dallas a muster significant momentum a night 5-3 lead at 10:29. after dropping seven goals on Columbus. Ottawa went 0 for 3 on the power play PANTHERS 3, SABRES 2 and rarely tested Fleury over the final two Jaromir Jagr scored twice in the first periods as the Senators lost on the road for period and added an assist to lead Florida. the first time in four tries. The 43-year-old Jagr stayed hot with his third and fourth goals of the season and ISLANDERS 4, PREDATORS 3 continues to climb the all-time leader and board in scoring. Linemate Aleksander scored in the third period and New York Barkov had a goal and an assist. handed Nashville its first loss of the sea- Rookie defenseman Jake McCabe son. Anders Lee and Kyle Okposo scored in scored for Buffalo on assists by Marcus the second period to tie the score for the Foligno and Nicolas Deslauriers. Tyler Islanders after they fell behind by two, and Ennis scored on assists from Ryan O’Reilly Thomas Greiss finished with 44 saves. and Rasmus Ristolainen. Florida goalie Tavares and Lee also had an assist and Roberto Luongo made 24 saves for his DETROIT: Pittsburgh Penguins’ Beau Bennett (19) celebrates his goal in this file photo with Rob added two as New York 403rd career victory, tying him with Grant won its second straight and improved to Fuhr for ninth in all-time wins. Scuderi (4) and Will O’Neill (27) during the NHL hockey game. — AP 2-0-1 in its new Brooklyn home. Despite powerhouse Canadiens teams BLUES 4, OILERS 2 Oilers, fell to 0-4-0. No. 1 draft pick Connor Austin Watson, Filip Forsberg and CANADIENS 3, RANGERS 0 that won a record 24 Stanley Cups, the Paul Stastny and Alexander Steen McDavid was held without a in his James Neal scored for the Predators, who Carey Price made 25 saves and previous club record for wins to start a sea- scored in the third period to help St. Louis first regular season game in Edmonton. had opened the season 3-0-0. Pekka Rinne made franchise histo- son was four, last accomplished in 1977- spoil winless Edmonton’s home opener. Cam Talbot had 25 saves. Steen sent a had 24 saves. Tavares’ goal with 8:11 left in ry by starting a season with a fifth straight 78. There was playoff-like speed and inten- Jori Lehtera and Vladimir Tarasenko also in front that deflected off Stastny and in the third period gave the Islanders a 4-2 win. Tomas Fleischmann, Dale Weise and sity in the meeting of last season’s two top scored for the Blues, who beat Edmonton for a power play goal at 4:20 of the third to lead. Neal pulled the Predators within one Tomas Plekanec, with an empty-net effort, regular season clubs, marked by a thrilling for the eighth straight time. Stastny, Steen extend the Blues’ lead to 3-1. Hall pulled less than three minutes later, but they scored for as the Canadiens handed the duel between perhaps the world’s two and Lehtera also each had an assist, and Edmonton back within one a little more couldn’t get the tying goal past Greiss. Rangers (3-2-0) their second straight best goalies - Price and New York’s Henrik Brian Elliott stopped 24 shots. Lauri than two minutes later, but Steen sealed it defeat. Lundqvist. Korpikoski and Taylor Hall scored for the with a one-time with 2:09 left. CAPITALS 4, BLACKHAWKS 1 Braden Holtby stopped 26 shots, Alex NHL results/standings WILD 4, COYOTES 3 Ovechkin scored a goal in his return to the Zach Parise had a goal and an assist, Washington lineup and the Capitals beat NY Islanders 4, Nashville 3; Pittsburgh 2, Ottawa 0; Washington 4, Chicago 1; Montreal 3, NY Rangers 0; Dallas 5, Tampa Bay 3; and Minnesota remained undefeated by punchless Chicago. Florida 3, Buffalo 2; St. Louis 4, Edmonton 2; Minnesota 4, Arizona 3. holding off previously unbeaten Arizona. John Carlson, T.J. Oshie and Matt Western Conference Eastern Conference The Wild had fresh legs after a four-day Niskanen also scored for the Capitals, who Central Division Atlantic Division layoff between games, jumping on the welcomed back Ovechkin following a one- WLOTL GF GA PTS Montreal 50016 6 10 tired Coyotes for a 3-0 lead. game disciplinary absence. Detroit 30011 46 Winnipeg 31015 86 Parise and Thomas Vanek scored less Coming off a 3-0 loss to Philadelphia Florida 31014 56 St. Louis 31013 96 than a minute apart in the first period and one night earlier, the Blackhawks trailed by Tampa Bay 32017 14 6 Nashville 31010 66 Ottawa 32016 13 6 Mikko Koivu added a short-handed goal three goals in this one before Viktor Dallas 31015 11 6 Buffalo 130812 2 midway through the second. Mikael Svedberg got his first goal of the season at Minnesota 30012 96 Boston 13013 18 2 Granlund also scored in the second. 3:13 of the third period. That ended a Chicago 23010 13 4 Toronto 021512 1 The Coyotes clawed their way back scoreless drought of 107 minutes, 46 sec- Metropolitan Division Colorado 12012 14 2 through a string of Minnesota penalties, onds for the defending Stanley Cup cham- NY Rangers 32013 13 6 Pacific Division pulling within 4-3 on Michael Stone’s 4-on- pions. Ovechkin sealed the victory at NY Islanders 21111 12 5 Vancouver 30112 57 Philadelphia 211710 5 4 goal with just over 5 minutes left. 14:18, scoring from the left side of the net San Jose 30012 16 Washington 21099 4 Devan Dubnyk closed it out, though, after a back-and-forth with teammate Arizona 31013 66 Pittsburgh 13058 2 stopping 18 shots for his 100th career win. Evgeny Kuznetsov. Carolina 030510 0 The Wild are 3-0 for the first time since Calgary 120711 2 New Jersey 030511 0 Anaheim 02118 1 opening 4-0 in 2008-09. Anthony Duclair STARS 5, LIGHTNING 3 Columbus 040920 0 Los Angeles 030212 0 scored his fourth goal in two games and Jason Spezza scored a momentum- Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the Edmonton 040513 0 standings and are not included in the loss column (L) Max Domi had his third of the season for shifting goal in the third period and had an Arizona. — AP