Faksa helps Stars past Blues in series opener
DALLAS — Radek Faksa scored the tiebreaking goal on a rebound with 4:44 to play and had an assist on the other Dallas goal to help the Stars open the second round of the NHL Western Conference playoffs with a 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Friday night.
Like Antoine Roussel did on his second-period goal on which Faksa had an assist, Faksa started the rush that led to his winner.
St. Louis defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk tied it at 1 with 8:28 left in the third period with a shot from the top of the left circle after Dallas failed to clear the puck out of the zone.
Boudreau out as Ducks coach
Anaheim fired coach Bruce Boudreau two days after the team’s disappointing first-round exit from the playoffs.
Ducks general manager Bob Murray announced the decision to fire Boudreau, who has not been able to pair postseason success with steady excellence in his two NHL jobs in Anaheim and Washington. Boudreau has won 409 regular-season games and eight division titles but just five playoff rounds in his coaching career.
The Ducks have lost a Game 7 on home ice in four consecutive playoff years, culminating in Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to Nashville in the first round.
Lovemark, Vegas top leader board
Jamie Lovemark and Jhonattan Vegas shared the Zurich Classic lead at 11 under par when second-round play was suspended because of darkness.
Lovemark had a 27-hole day at hot and humid TPC Louisiana in Avondale, completing a 5-under 67 in the first round and adding a 66 in the second. Vegas shot 64-69.
None of the players teeing off in the afternoon finished the round, with top-ranked Jason Day at 5 under and facing a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-5 11th when play resumes.
Brian Stuard, the overnight leader after a 64 on Thursday, was a stroke behind the leaders at 10 under with six holes left. In other news: • Gerina Piller made herself right at home in the LPGA Tour’s Volunteers of America Texas Shootout, shooting a 6-under 65 to take the lead in the suspended second round.
The long-hitting U.S. Solheim Cup player, who lives in Plano, about 20 miles from Las Colinas Country Club, birdied three of the final five holes in her bogey-free round to reach 10-under 132.
Play was suspended because of rain just after 4 p.m. and called for the day because of lighting a little after 6 p.m. None of the afternoon starters were unable to finish. The field will be cut to the low 70 and ties after the completion of the round Saturday morning and trimmed again to the low 50 and ties after the third round.
South Korea’s EunHee Ji was a stroke back at 9 under after a 66.
Bama assistant Davis resigns
Alabama football coach Nick Saban said defensive line coach Bo Davis resigned.
Saban, who announced the resignation in a two-sentence statement, did not elaborate on reasons behind the decision.
Davis, who was Saban’s defensive line coach from 2007-10, began his second stint coaching the line for Saban in 2014 after three seasons at Texas.
Davis’s line was one of the strengths of the Crimson Tide during last season’s national championship run. In other news: • Iowa State guard Naz Mitrou-Long was granted a hardship waiver by the Big 12, making him eligible to play as expected in 2016-17. Mitrou-Long played eight games as a senior last season before lingering pain from offseason hip surgeries became too much to overcome.
Skeeters unravel in loss to York
The Sugar Land Skeeters got only two hits, gave up six runs in the fifth inning and committed four errors in a 9-1 Atlantic League loss to the Revolution at York, Pa.
Kent Matthes’ home run in the third inning accounted for Sugar Land’s only run.