Svechnikov notches hat trick; Hurricanes close in on sweep

Andrei Svechnikov scored three times for the first postseason hat trick in franchise history and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Rangers 4-1 on Monday afternoon to take a 2-0 lead in an Eastern Conference qualifier series in Toronto.

The Hurricanes, seeded sixth, need just one more win to advance out of the best-of-five round and into the traditional 12-team Stanley Cup playoffs.

Artemi Panarin scored for the 11thseeded Rangers in the closing seconds of a 5-on-3 power play midway through the first period.

Wild locks down Canucks to win series opener

Jared Spurgeon scored twice and Alex Stalock stopped 28 shots to get his first career postseason win, leading the Minnesota Wild in a 3-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night in Game 1 of a Western Conference qualifying series in Edmonton.

Kevin Fiala also scored one of two power-play goals for the 10th-seeded Wild. The Canucks, the seventh seed, mustered just four shots on goal in the third period and none on a late power play.

Fast start lifts Coyotes to win over Predators

Oliver Ekman-larsson scored the first of Arizona’s three first-period goals, Phil Kessel had two assists and the 11th-seeded Coyotes held on to beat the sixth-seeded Nashville Predators 4-3 in Edmonton to open their Western Conference series.

‘The Rock’ acquires XFL for a reported $15 million

Former wrestling star and current movie and television actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson said he has acquired the XFL.

Johnson, 48, made the announcement Monday on Twitter. The price reportedly is $15 million.

The XFL had eight franchises and played five games out of a planned 10game schedule before canceling the remainder of its season in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The league suspended operations and laid off all of its employees on April 10 and filed for bankruptcy protection on April 13.

Keselowski outlasts Hamlin to win New Hampshire race

Brad Keselowski won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday for his third victory of the NASCAR Cup Series season and 33rd of his career.

Keselowski swapped stage wins with Denny Hamlin and took the checkered flag 1.647 seconds ahead of Hamlin in Loudon.

Martin Truex Jr. finished third after working his way back from the rear of the field because of a penalty for a runaway tire in the pits. Joey Logano was fourth and Kevin Harvick fifth.

Eagles’ Pederson says he has no symptoms after positive test

Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson says he feels great and has no symptoms after testing positive for the coronavirus.

Pederson, 52, is quarantining at home away from family members and plans to run the team virtually while assistant head coach Duce Staley handles leadership duties during training camp.

He is the second NFL head coach known to test positive: The New Orleans Saints’ Sean Payton said he had the coronavirus in March.

Thomas holds off Koepka at WGC event, retakes No. 1 world ranking

Justin Thomas won the Fedex St. Jude Invitational on Sunday to take the No. 1 spot in the world ranking for the first time since June 2018.

Thomas dueled defending champion Brooks Koepka down the final holes in Memphis, Tennessee, sealing the World Golf Championship victory on the par-5 16th with a birdie while Koepka bogeyed the hole.

Thomas wound up with a threestroke victory and supplants Jon Rahm atop the world ranking.

Thomas closed with a 5-under 66 to finish at 13-under 267 and take the $10.5 million winner’s check.

Koepka finished with a 69 and tied for second with Phil Mickelson (67), Daniel Berger (65) and Tom Lewis (66).

Werenski uses eagle to earn first victory on PGA Tour

Richy Werenski holed a flop shot from the fairway on the par-4 16th for a five-point eagle and birdied the 18th for a one-point victory over Troy Merritt on Sunday in the Barracuda Championship in Truckee, California.

Werenski won for the first time on the PGA Tour, scoring 13 points in the final round for a total of 39 points. Matthias Schwab and Fabian Gomez tied for third with 37 points.

The event, held for players who weren’t eligible for the World Golf Championship event in Memphis, is the only PGA Tour event that uses the modified Stableford scoring system ‒ eight points for double-eagle, five for eagle, two for birdie, zero for par, minus-one for bogey and minus-three for double bogey or worse.

Kang wins in LPGA Tour return event at Inverness

Danielle Kang played the brand of steady golf that wins on tough golf courses, closing with a 2-under 70 at Inverness Club near Toledo to the LPGA Drive On Championship on Sunday.

The tournament in Syvania was the first LPGA Tour event in more than five months.

Kang and Celine Boutier of France turned the final hour into a terrific duel. Boutier missed a 4-foot birdie put on No. 18 that would have forced a playoff.

Kang finished at 7-under 209. Boutier closed with a 71.

Furyk wins in senior tour debut, earns spot in PGA Championship

Jim Furyk turned 50 when golf was shut down and made the most of it when the PGA Tour Champions returned, closing with a 4-under-par 68 Sunday to win the Ally Challenge in Grand Blanc, Michigan.

Furyk became the first player since Miguel Angel Jimenez in 2014 to win in his start on the 50-and-older circuit. He finished at 14-under 202, which earned him a spot in this week’s PGA Championship by remaining among the top 100 players in the world.

From wire reports