Pens aim for 3rd straight title, Knights’ era begins

Blackhawks still reeling from shock exit

LOS ANGELES, Oct 3, (AFP): The NHL is set for its 100th season of play with a record 31 teams and Pittsburgh looking for the three-peat, but for the first time since 1994 there will be no break for the Olympics.

The Penguins, who beat the Nashville Predators in six games to win their second-straight Stanley Cup title, will get the season started on Wednesday with a banner-raising ceremony at the PPG Arena before they host the St Louis Blues.

Penguins star Sidney Crosby turned 30 in August but isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. He has won three Stanley Cups, two Olympic gold medals and two consecutive Conn Smythe trophies as the MVP of the playoffs.

“I feel good. I take care of myself,” he said. “But I am still trying to get faster, whether that happens or not, we will have to wait and see.” MONTREAL, Oct 3, (AFP): Jaromir Jagr, the National Hockey League’s oldest player at 45, signed a oneyear deal with the Calgary Flames on Monday that will see the Czech star into his 24th NHL campaign.

Jagr, who reportedly also received an offer from the St Louis Blues, scored 16 goals and set up 30 more playing in all 82 games last season for the Florida Panthers, who could not agree upon a new contract with the right wing for the 2017-18 season. Two-time Stanley Cup champion Jagr has scored 765 goals and assisted on 1,149 others in 1,711 NHL regular season games. He is only 56 games shy of matching Gordie Howe’s record for career NHL contests.

Among NHL legends, only Wayne Gretzky with 894 and Howe with 801 have netted more goals.

Jagr, a 13-time NHL All-Star Game selection, won NHL crowns in 1991 and 1992 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the current Stanley Cup champions.

He also has played for the Washington Capitals, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins, Dallas Stars, Philadelphia Flyers and Florida.

Jagr might have been further along the career NHL records list had he not missed a season in 2004-05 when the league lost an entire campaign in a money dispute between owners and players. He also played from 2008-2011 for Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League.

The Flames begin the NHL season Wednesday at Edmonton.

Jagr

that has left only Celtics intact from last year’s roster, sat out the second half.

Mario Chalmers had 19 points in 20 minutes, Jarell Martin added 16 points and the Grizzlies defeated the Magic in both teams preseason opener.

Orlando led 65-64 late in the third quarter before the Grizzlies closed the period on an 8-0 run, which included six by Chalmers. Memphis led by as many as 10 in the final period.

Jonathan Isaac led the Magic with 15 points, followed by Mario Hezonja with 12.

Magic: Jonathon Simmons, Orlando’s biggest offseason pickup, had a couple of highlight-worthy dunks and scored nine points in his Magic preseason debut . ... Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier each played 15 minutes, scoring eight points apiece.

Grizzlies: With center Marc Gasol (sprained ankle) and forward JaMychael Green both sitting, coach David Fizdale experimented with a smaller lineup of Brandan Wright at center, Chandler Parsons at power forward, and James Ennis at small forward along with Wayne Selden and Mike Conley at the guard spots.

Up Next: Orlando (0-1) is at Dallas on Thursday. Memphis (1-0) visits Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Jonathan Motley hit a layup with 4.1 seconds left to lift the Mavericks to a win over the Bucks. Motley scored all nine of his points in a fourth quarter that saw the Mavericks outscore the Bucks 31-20.

Dallas’ starters were pulled after one quarter of action. Harrison Barnes was 4 of 6 from the field and had nine points. Dirk Nowitzki had five points in 10 minutes of action.

Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 12 points, followed by John Henson with 11 points and four rebounds.

Bucks: Rashad Vaughn finished with 20 points for Milwaukee and missed a 30-footer at the buzzer . ... Greg Monroe had 12 points and seven rebounds.

Mavericks: Nerlens Noel played 15 minutes off the bench and had five points and two steals.

Up Next: Bucks (0-1) host Indiana on Wednesday. Dallas hosts Chicago on Wednesday.

Semi Ojeleye #37 of the Boston Celtics takes a shot over Marcus Paige #4 of the Charlotte Hornets and Johnny

O’Bryant III #8 during the second half at TD Garden on Oct 2, in Boston, Massachusetts. (AFP)

LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points in 16 minutes of action in the Spurs’ loss to the Kings in the preseason opener for both teams.

The Spurs (0-1) played their starters for two quarters, giving the Kings a chance to showcase their young second unit. Rookie De’Aaron Fox shined in the extra playing time, scoring a game-high 16 on 7 of 8 shooting from the field.

The Kings (1-0) outscored the Spurs 23-16 in the fourth quarter.

Spurs: Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker and Rudy Gay all sat out . ... Patty Mills finished with 11 points and three assists in 17 minutes off the bench.

Skal Labissiere finished with 15 points, connecting on 7 of 10 shots. Buddy Hield added 12 points and four rebounds.

These teams are set to meet again Friday in San Antonio.

Garry Harris scored 25 points in 21 minutes, Nikola Jokic added 16 and the Nuggets (2-0) defeated the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led the Lakers (0-2) with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists. Lonzo Ball finished with eight points and four assists, but also had four turnovers in his second preseason game.

Paul Millsap finished with 11 points, two assists, two blocks and two steals.

Julius Randall had a solid night with 12 points and 10 rebounds in just 23 minutes.

Lakers host the Nuggets again on Wednesday.

Jodie Meeks scored all 19 of his points in the first half and Sheldon Mac added 17 as the Washington Wizards opened their preseason schedule with a 126-96 win over Guangzhou Long-Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association on Monday night.

Tomas Satoransky had 13 points and Jason Smith 12 for the Wizards, who were without four-time AllStar John Wall (rest). Bradley Beal, Washington’s other starting guard, had six points in eight minutes. That left plenty of minutes for the backups.

Tyler Hansbrough, a seven-year NBA veteran and a member of North Carolina’s 2009 national championship team, led the Long-Lions with 29 points and 11 rebounds. Guangzhou missed all nine of its 3-point attempts in the first half and finished 3 of 19 in its sole exhibition game against an NBA team on this trip.

Meeks, one of the Wizards’ primary offseason additions, made four of five 3-pointers as Washington led 57-38 at halftime. He finished 7 for 9 overall from the field.

Hansbrough had 12 points and eight rebounds in the first half against a Wizards team that came within one game of reaching the Eastern Conference finals last season.

Former Arizona guard Kyle Fogg had 27 points and 11 assists. Sani Sakakini scored 18 points.

Point guard Tim Frazier, expected to serve as Wall’s primary backup, did not play after suffering a left groin strain during last week’s training camp in Richmond, Virginia. Washington is also without starting forward Markieff Morris (sports hernia

Washington Wizards forward Jason Smith (14) fouls Guangzhou LongLions’ Tyler Hansbrough (11) during the second half of a preseason NBA basketball game on Oct 2, in

Washington. (AP)

surgery) and rookie Devin Robinson (left foot stress fracture).

Wizards host the New York Knicks on Friday and Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday before going on the road for its final two preseason games.

Rodney Hood scored 18 points as the Utah Jazz defeated the Sydney Kings 108-83 in their preseason opener Monday. Sydney was visiting from Australia’s National Basketball League in the first game between the two leagues in an NBA preseason game.

The Jazz began a new era for the franchise without All-Star Gordon Hayward, who spent his first seven seasons with the team. Hayward signed with Boston as a free agent. Second leading-scorer George Hill went to Sacramento as a free agent.

Newly acquired Ricky Rubio and Joe Ingles started in place of the pair alongside second-team All-NBA center Rudy Gobert, Hood and Derrick Favors. Gobert finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Hood knocked down four 3-pointers as he attempts to pick up the scoring slack left by Hayward.

Former Kansas star Perry Ellis scored a game-high 19 for Sydney while teammates Kevin Lisch and Jason Cadee added 13 apiece.

The Jazz led by 19 at the end of the first quarter and never trailed. Sydney did cut the lead to single digits much of the second quarter, to the chagrin of Jazz coach Quin Snyder.

Sydney coach Andrew Gaze faced Snyder when Gaze played for Seton Hall and Snyder was at Duke . ... Sydney outscored the Jazz 31-23 in the second quarter.

The 2017 No. 13 overall pick Donovan Mitchell was the first guard off the bench for the Jazz and scored 11 points . ... Alec Burks had a strong, though short, night with six points and three assists after missing 40 games due to ankle and knee injuries last season.

Sydney returns to NBL play on Saturday against the Adelaide 36ers.