Devs fall to Ducks in overtime
KYLE PALMIERI scored at 2:37 of overtime, and the Ducks extended their winning streak to seven with a 3-2 victory over the Devils Friday night at the Rock in Newark. Palmieri, from nearby Montvale, N.J., swung around Devils defenseman Eric Gelinas and circled behind the Jersey net, then tucked a wraparound behind goaltender Cory Schneider (21 saves). Andy Greene and Michael Ryder scored for the Devs (2-0-1 in their last three), Green’s goal on the power play tying the score at 14:58 of the third period. “It’s nice to at least get a point against a good team like that,” Schneider said. “It hurts to not get the two points.”
RODGERS WON’T PLAY
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, still lacking medical clearance, was ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Steelers in Green Bay. It will be the Pack’s seventh straight game without Rodgers since he fractured his left collarbone during the first series of a 27-20 loss to the Bears on Nov. 4. Backup Matt Flynn will make a fourth straight start. Eagles QB Nick Foles was fined $10,000 by the NHL for an illegal peel-back block on the Vikings’ Erin Henderson in Philadelphia’s loss Sunday. Foles went down low at Henderson’s knees, drawing a penalty and negating DeSean Jackson’s 18-yard TD in the second quarter.
RBAdrian Peterson returned to practice for the Vikings and is expected to play in Sunday’s game at Cincinnati as long as he doesn’t have any setbacks with his sprained right foot.
YOUKILIS TO JAPAN
Free agent infielder Kevin Youkilis will join the Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan for one year and $4 million with a chance to earn another $1 million in incentives. Nikkan Sports first reported the deal.
Youkilis, 34, the longtime Red Sox fixture, played only 28 games with the Yankees last season due to back problems. He hit .219 with two home runs and a 78 OPS+. Over the last two seasons, Youkilis has hit .232/.330/.396 (96 OPS+) with 21 homers in 150 games for three different teams.
Rakuten, which is still undecided about whether to post ace Masahiro Tanaka, lost third baseman Casey McGehee to free agency when the former Brewer signed with the Marlins.
The Orioles will not be signing free agent closer Grant Balfour, last with the A’s. Executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette said the club was not satisfied with the results of his physical. Baltimore and Balfour had agreed Tuesday on a reported two-year, $15 million deal with $1 million deferred. The righthander had shoulder and elbow operations that kept him out of the majors in 2005 and 2006.
LIGETY SKIS OFF; BODE 8TH
Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway increased his overall World Cup lead by winning the Val Gardena (Italy) super-G for the third time, while Ted Ligety skied off the course and fellow American Bode Miller finished eighth after colliding with the last gate.