LOCAL SPORTS
The Antigonish U11 AA Bulldogs are hosting the league playoffs this weekend. In games yesterday, the Bulldogs and Pictou Crusher White team fought to a 3-3 draw, while the Truro Bearcats defeated the Pictou Crushers Red team 6-2. Play continues at the Arena, where the Bulldogs face Truro at 9:30 this morning, and the Crushers Red squad this afternoon at 3:30.
NS Junior: The Antigonish Bulldogs took the first game of their playoff series against the Strait Pirates, winning 4-3. Meanwhile, the Pictou County Scotians lost their opener 6-4 to the Eagles in Eskasoni.
Maritime Junior: Pictou County Weeks Crushers host Yarmouth tonight at 7 at the Wellness Centre.
U18: Pictou County Weeks Majors slammed the Rush 9-3 in game one of their playoff series – game two is at 1 pm at the Wellness Centre. Tonight, the CB West Islanders are in Dartmouth to take on Steele Subaru in game one of their series at 7:45.
U15: The Wearwell Bombers open the playoffs by hosting the New Scotland Storm at the Wellness Centre at 3:30 today, while the Novas are at the Arena playing Bedford at 5 in their series opener.
University Sport: The X-Women hockey team begin their best-of-three AUS final against the UNB Reds tonight at 7 in Fredericton. Game 2 is Monday night at the Keating Centre.
High School Hockey: The Dr J.H. Gillis Royals boys team are playing this weekend in Mainland Division 1 Provincials in Bedford. The Royals face Citadel High at 10:15 am, and Lockview High School at 3:30.
Canada Games: Down two goals in the third period, Team Nova Scotia’s women’s hockey team tied things up, and then Ava Shearer tipped a Sarah Fraser point shot into the Saskatchewan net in overtime to punch their ticket to the semifinals. Fraser had 2 assists in the win, Bree MacPherson had one. Rhyah Stewart stopped 30 shots to earn her third win of the tournament. The semi-final against Team Ontario is 7:30 tonight in Charlottetown.
Rural League: There are 2 days of playoff action this weekend. Tonight, the Heatherton Warriors take on the Pleasantdale Panthers at 7 followed by St. Croix Angels facing the County Outlaws at 8:30. The teams play again Sunday night.
NATIONAL SPORTS
Kailer Yamamoto, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Leon Draisaitl each scored twice as the Edmonton Oilers won their second straight game by grounding the visiting Winnipeg Jets 6-3. The teams will play again Saturday back in Winnipeg. Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, Mark Scheifele and Brenden Dillon scored for the Jets, who have lost five straight.
Jakob Silfverberg’s power-play goal at the 15-minute mark of the third period proved to be the difference as the Anaheim Ducks defeated the visiting Montreal Canadiens 3-2. Jayson Megna and Mason McTavish also scored for the Ducks. Jonathan Drouin and Nick Suzuki scored for the Canadiens.
Defenceman Cale Makar has been cleared to return to the Colorado Avalanche lineup after two different hits over an 11-day span landed him both times in the N-H-L’s concussion protocol. Makar leads the league in ice time with an average of nearly 27 minutes a game. He’s also tops among Colorado defencemen with 13 goals and 45 points. The defending Stanley Cup champs took care of business in his absence. They trail the Stars by six points for top spot in the Central Division, and the teams square off Saturday in Texas.
Mikal Bridges scored 38 points and the Brooklyn Nets overcame a 28-point deficit to stun the Boston Celtics 115-105 in N-B-A action. Part of the trade that sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix, Bridges has reached 30 or more points in three of Brooklyn’s last six games. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 35 points.
Mike McEwen of Ontario, Brad Gushue of Newfoundland and Labrador, Karsten Sturmay of Alberta and Brendan Bottcher of Alberta were winners as the 2023 Canadian men’s curling championship got underway in London, Ontario. Gushue, the defending champ, beat B.C. 6-5, McEwen rocked Quebec 13-2, Sturmay beat New Brunswick 7-3 and Bottcher defeated P-E-I 8-2. Action continues today.
The Paris Olympics don’t kick off for another year and a half, but there are growing calls to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from the 2024 event. Some European countries are even threatening to boycott the Summer Games because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But speaking in Havana during a two-day visit to Cuba, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach says history will be on its side for trying to bring athletes together in peace, and not discriminating based just on a person’s passport.
Friday’s Games
NHL
Edmonton 6 Winnipeg 3
Anaheim 3 Montreal 2
Vegas 4 New Jersey 3 (SO)
Seattle 4 Columbus 2
Carolina 6 Arizona 1
NBA
Orlando 117 Charlotte 106
Brooklyn 115 Boston 105
Atlanta 129 Portland 111
New York 122 Miami 120
Phoenix 125 Chicago 104
Oklahoma City 130 Utah 103
Sacramento 128 L.A. Clippers 127
Denver 113 Memphis 97
Golden State 108 New Orleans 99
Minnesota 110 L.A. Lakers 102
MLB Spring Training
Toronto 7 Tampa Bay 6
Houston 11 Atlanta 8
Boston 9 Minnesota 4
St. Louis 8 Miami 3
Detroit (ss) 6 Philadelphia 3
Washington 11 N.Y. Mets 6
Chicago White Sox 6 Cincinnati 4
San Francisco (ss) 3 Colorado 2
Kansas City 6 Oakland 4
Cleveland 7 Milwaukee 4
Texas 11 San Francisco (ss) 7
L.A. Dodgers 2 L.A. Angels 2
Seattle 6 Arizona 3
Pittsburgh 1 Baltimore 1
Detroit (ss) 5 N.Y. Yankees 3
Chicago Cubs 4 San Diego 0
Saturday’s Games (All Times Eastern)
NHL
Detroit at N.Y. Islanders, 12:30 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Buffalo, 12:30 p.m.
N.Y. Rangers at Boston, 1 p.m.
Colorado at Dallas, 3:30 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Florida, 6 p.m.
Washington at San Jose, 6 p.m.
Columbus at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Winnipeg, 7 p.m.
Toronto at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Nashville at Chicago, 8 p.m.
Minnesota at Calgary, 10 p.m.
St. Louis at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.
NBA
Toronto at Washington, 5 p.m.
Detroit at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.
Atlanta at Miami, 8 p.m.
Houston at San Antonio, 8 p.m.
Philadelphia at Milwaukee, 8:30 p.m.
Minnesota at Sacramento, 10 p.m.
MLS
Portland at Los Angeles FC, 4:30 p.m.
Toronto FC at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.
D.C. United at Columbus, 7:30 p.m.
Philadelphia at Miami, 7:30 p.m.
Houston at New England, 7:30 p.m.
Nashville at New York, 7:30 p.m.
Cincinnati at Orlando City, 7:30 p.m.
CF Montreal at Austin FC, 8:30 p.m.
New York City FC at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
LA Galaxy at FC Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Charlotte FC at Saint Louis City SC, 8:30 p.m.
Sporting Kansas City at Colorado, 9:30 p.m.
Vancouver at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.
Real Salt Lake at Seattle, 10:30 p.m.
MLB Spring Training
Toronto vs. Detroit at Lakeland, Florida, 1:05 p.m.
Atlanta (ss) vs. Baltimore at Sarasota, Florida, 1:05 p.m.
Houston vs. Boston at Fort Myers, Florida, 1:05 p.m.
Minnesota vs. Atlanta (ss) at North Port, Florida, 1:05 p.m.
St. Louis vs. Washington at Palm Beach, Florida, 1:05 p.m.
Tampa Bay vs. N.Y. Yankees at Tampa, Florida, 1:05 p.m.
Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia at Clearwater, Florida, 1:05 p.m.
N.Y. Mets vs. Miami at Sarasota, Florida, 1:10 p.m.
L.A. Angels vs. Chicago Cubs at Mesa, Arizona, 3:05 p.m.
Arizona (ss) vs. San Francisco (ss) at Scottsdale, Arizona, 3:05 p.m.
Cleveland vs. Oakland (ss) at Mesa, Arizona, 3:05 p.m.
Kansas City (ss) vs. Cincinnati (ss) at Goodyear, Arizona, 3:05 p.m.
Texas vs. Chicago White Sox at Phoenix, Arizona, 3:05 p.m.
Colorado vs. Seattle at Peoria, Arizona, 3:10 p.m.
San Diego vs. Arizona (ss) at Scottsdale, Arizona, 3:10 p.m.
San Francisco (ss) vs. Milwaukee at Phoenix, Arizona, 3:10 p.m.
Cincinnati (ss) vs. Oakland (ss) at Las Vegas, Nevada, 4:05 p.m.
L.A. Dodgers vs. Kansas City (ss) at Surprise, Arizona, 8:05 p.m.