LOCAL SPORTS
Junior B: The Pictou County Scotians doubled the Antigonish Bulldogs 4-2 at the Antigonish Arena.
Maritime League: The Pictou County Weeks Crushers host the Miramichi Timberwolves at the Wellness Centre. Puck drops at 7.
Seniors League: The Antigonish Bulldogs face off with the Pictou County Pipers at the Hector Arena in Pictou. Game time is 7:30.
U15: The Wearwell Bombers are on the road, facing the Western Hurricanes at 4. The Novas are at the Arena hosting the Rangers at 5.
U16 AAA: The Cabot Highlanders take on the Fundy Thunder at Colchester Legion Stadium in Truro – puck drops at 7.
High School Boys: In Westville, the Northumberland Nighthawks host the Hants East Tigers at 6:30.
Rural League: Tonight at the Arena, the Outlaws face the Panthers at 7, followed by the Warriors & Angels at 8:30.
NATIONAL SPORTS
The Vancouver Canucks continue to occupy the bottom of the N-H-L’s basement following a 4-1 home loss to the Utah Mammoth. Vancouver has dropped four straight, and seven of its last eight. In the other game involving a Canadian team, Winnipeg secured a 4-1 victory over Buffalo.
Troy Terry and Mason McTavish scored in the shootout as the Anaheim Ducks snapped the Washington Capitals’ six-game winning streak with a 4-3 victory. Vegas picked up a 3-0 win over New Jersey, while Dallas topped San Jose 4-1.
The Milwaukee Bucks anticipate Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss about a month as the two-time MVP recovers from a strained right calf. Initial reports indicated Antetokounmpo would be out two to four weeks, but Bucks head coach Doc Rivers says it will likely be on the longer end of that timeline.
The draw for next year’s World Cup is complete. And Canada still only knows two of its three group-stage opponents. The tournament co-hosts were drawn alongside Switzerland and Qatar in Group B, but the fourth spot is still to be decided. Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Bosnia and Herzegovina will battle it out for that final berth in a March playoff.
Darius Slay won’t report to the Buffalo Bills — at least for now — after getting cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers to instead focus on family and consider retirement after a 13-year N-F-L career. That represents a big blow to Buffalo’s depth chart for the final stretch of the season after claiming the six-time Pro Bowl cornerback on waivers.
Canada topped Czechia 7-0 to advance to the final of the Para Cup hockey tournament in Dawson Creek, B-C. Dominic Cozzolino scored twice and added three assists. The United States thumped China 13-2 in the other semifinal to also advance. The Americans topped their neighbours to the north 3-2 in round-robin play.
Friday’s Scoreboard
NHL
Winnipeg 4 Buffalo 1
Utah 4 Vancouver 1
Vegas 3 New Jersey 0
Dallas 4 San Jose 1
Anaheim 4 Washington 3 (SO)
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League
Cape Breton 5 Val-d’Or 3
Moncton 3 Rouyn-Noranda 1
Rimouski 3 Blainville-Boisbriand 2 (OT)
Chicoutimi 4 Quebec 1
Victoriaville 3 Sherbrooke 2
NBA
Charlotte 111 Toronto 86
Boston 126 L.A. Lakers 105
Orlando 106 Miami 105
Denver 134 Atlanta 133
Detroit 122 Portland 116
Cleveland 130 San Antonio 117
New York 146 Utah 112
Indiana 120 Chicago 105
Memphis 107 L.A. Clippers 98
Philadelphia 116 Milwaukee 111
Houston 117 Phoenix 98
Oklahoma City 132 Dallas 111
Saturday’s Games (All times Eastern)
Major League Soccer – MLS Cup Final
Vancouver at Miami, 2:30 p.m.
NHL
Colorado at N.Y. Rangers, 12:30 p.m.
Columbus at Florida, 3:30 p.m.
Montreal at Toronto, 7 p.m.
St. Louis at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
Utah at Calgary, 7 p.m.
N.Y. Islanders at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.
Nashville at Carolina, 7 p.m.
New Jersey at Boston, 7 p.m.
Chicago at Los Angeles, 9 p.m.
Minnesota at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
Winnipeg at Edmonton, 10 p.m.
Detroit at Seattle, 10 p.m.
PWHL
New York at Vancouver, 3 p.m.
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League
Drummondville at Shawinigan, 4 p.m.
Charlottetown at Newfoundland, 5:30 p.m.
Val-d’Or at Cape Breton, 6 p.m.
Rouyn-Noranda at Halifax, 6 p.m.
NBA
New Orleans at Brooklyn, 5 p.m.
Atlanta at Washington, 7 p.m.
Golden State at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.
Milwaukee at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
L.A. Clippers at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Sacramento at Miami, 8 p.m.
Houston at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.