Sports shorts Capitals advance to Stanley Cup final

Alex Ovechkin scored early and Andre Burakovsky added two second-period goals to help the Washington Capitals put a decade of playoff frustration behind them with a 4-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final Wednesday night.

Br a den Hol t by stopped 29 shots for his second straight shutout and the Lightning, who led the NHL in goals during the regular season, failed to score in the last 159 minutes, 27 seconds — a stretch of nearly eight periods.

Ovechkin, who had never played a team that advanced beyond the second round, scored 1:02 into the winnertake-all showdown he had described as probably the “biggest game in my life.”

The Houston Rockets will wear patches on their jerseys to honor the victims of the school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, on Thursday night in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

The patches will read: “Santa Fe HS.” It’s one of several tributes the team plans following Friday’s shooting. Eight students and two teachers died at the school, located 30 miles from downtown Houston.

The school’s high school choir will perform the national anthem. There will be a moment of silence and a video tribute before tipoff.

Santa Fe’s senior class and administrators have been invited to attend the game as guests of owner Tilman Fertitta. The Rockets also will honor first responders on the court.

Proceeds from Thursday night’s charity raffle will go to the Santa Fe Strong Memorial Fund. Jeff Gordon has been selected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

A four-time Cup Series champion who helped take stock car racing from a regional sport to the mainstream in the 1990s, Gordon received 96 percent of the votes from the Hall of Fame committee. He’s third in Cup history with 93 victories. Car owners Jack Roush and Roger Penske also were selected to the Hall of Fame. They will be joined by drivers Alan Kulwicki, known for his unique “Polish victory lap,” and Davey Allison.