Page 2B
SPORTS
East Oregonian
Friday, April 13, 2018
NHL Playoffs
Panarin scores in OT, Blue Jackets beat Capitals in Game 1
By STEVEN WHYNO
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The
Columbus Blue Jackets went
down two goals and three
forwards and left with a Game
1 victory.
Artemi Panarin scored a
beautiful goal 6:02 into over-
time to give the Blue Jackets
a 4-3 victory over the Wash-
ington Capitals on Thursday
night in the first-round playoff
series.
Panarin won it after
Columbus lost Josh Anderson
to a game misconduct,
Alexander Wennberg with
an apparent head injury and
captain Nick Foligno after
taking a puck to the face.
None of that seemed to faze
a team accustomed to over-
coming injuries and digging
out of deficits.
“In the playoffs, you find
a little bit of extra energy,”
said Blue Jackets forward
Thomas Vanek, who scored
from Wennberg’s spot on the
power play and had an assist.
“That tonight was one of those
games where we talked to
each other, we pumped each
other up, we felt good and it
never felt like we were going
to lose this one.”
Maybe the Blue Jackets
didn’t, but they didn’t make
it easy on themselves, falling
behind 2-0 on power-play
goals by Evgeny Kuznetsov
scored on Anderson’s five-
minute major penalty for
boarding and injuring Wash-
ington’s Michal Kempny. Not
letting the game snowball out
of control allowed Columbus
to claw back in it with Wenn-
berg’s goal in the second and
then Vanek’s on the power
play early in the third.
Vanek scored with Tom
Wilson in the penalty box for
charging Wennberg, a play the
Capitals forward took respon-
sibility for shifting the game in
the Blue Jackets’ direction.
Foligno took a slap shot
from Jakub Jerabek to the
face just under his left eye
10 seconds after Vanek’s
goal, making a gaping hole
on the Columbus bench until
he returned. Even though
Devante Smith-Pelly scored
to give the Capitals a lead 5:12
into the third, the Blue Jackets
kept grinding away and didn’t
let the game get away despite
being under-manned.
“There was no panic on
the bench there,” coach John
Tortorella said. “I think players
enjoy that. It’s not a big deal to
them when they lose players.
They’re happy because they
get on the ice quicker and more
often. We just stayed with it.”
Norris Trophy-contending
defenseman Seth Jones made
things happen to send the
game to overtime. Jones drew
a tripping penalty on Andre
Burakovsky that Washington
coach Barry Trotz called
unnecessary, almost put the
puck in his own net on the
delayed penalty and then
scored off a pass from Panarin
on the ensuing power play with
just 4:26 left in regulation.
That set the stage for
Panarin to drive around fellow
Russian Dmitry Orlov before
going backhand to forehand
and beating Philipp Grubauer
top shelf to give the Blue
Jackets their first series lead in
AP Photo/Nick Wass
Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Artemi Panarin (9)
celebrates his game-winning goal in overtime with
Nick Foligno (71), Brandon Dubinsky (17), Ian Cole (23)
and David Savard (58) in Game 1 of an NHL first-round
hockey playoff series against the Washington Capitals
Thursday in Washington.
franchise history in their fourth
opportunity.
“Big goal for our team,”
said Panarin, whom Columbus
acquired in a trade from
Chicago last summer after
lacking finish in its series
defeat to Pittsburgh. “I’m
happy because it was a hard
game and a big win.”
NASHVILLE 5,
COLORADO 2
NASHVILLE, Tenn. —
Filip Forsberg scored twice in
the third period and the Nash-
ville Predators rallied to beat
the Colorado Avalanche 5-2
on Thursday night in Game
1 of the first-round Western
Conference series.
Pekka Rinne made 25
saves, including a handful
on Colorado’s Hart Trophy
candidate Nathan MacKinnon.
Austin Watson had a goal and
an assist for Nashville, which
has won 11 straight over Colo-
rado. Craig Smith and Colton
Sissons scored a goal apiece,
and Ryan Johansen had two
assists.
Nikita Zadorov and Blake
Comeau each scored a goal for
Colorado.
Forsberg, who led Nash-
ville with 64 points in the
regular season, gave Nashville
its first lead of the game at
3-2 when he redirected a shot
from captain Roman Josi past
Jonathan Bernier at 6:08 of the
third.
Game 2 is Saturday after-
noon in Nashville.
TAMPA BAY 5,
NEW JERSEY 2
TAMPA, Fla. — The top
seeded Tampa Bay Lightning
got early goals from four
players — none of them named
Nikita Kucherov or Steven
Stamkos — before holding
off the New Jersey Devils for
a 5-2 victory Thursday night
in Game 1 of the first-round
series.
Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson
and Yanni Gourde scored,
helping the Lightning build
a 3-0 lead that New Jersey
trimmed to one goal before
Alex Killorn and Kucherov,
who added an empty-netter
with 1:12 remaining, finished
off the win.
Taylor Hall scored an
unassisted goal in the second
period, then assisted on Travis
Zajac’s power-play goal that
trimmed the Devils’ deficit
to 3-2 midway through third
against Andrei Vasilievskiy,
who had 29 saves for Tampa
Bay.
Killorn’s shot over the glove
of goalie Kevin Kincaid’s
glove restored a two-goal lead
before Kucherov, who led the
Lightning with 100 points this
season, ensured there would
be no comeback.
Game 2 is Saturday at
Amalie Arena.
BOSTON 5,
TORONTO 1
BOSTON
—
Brad
Marchand, David Backes and
David Krejci each scored a
power-play goal, and Tuukka
Rask stopped 26 shots to
lead the Boston Bruins to a
5-1 victory over the Toronto
Maple Leafs on Thursday
night in Game 1 of their first-
round Eastern Conference
playoff series.
David Pastrnak also scored
for Boston, and Sean Kuraly
bunted one out of the air
and into the net over goalie
Frederik Andersen to make it
4-1 with seven minutes gone
in the third period. Krejci
bounced it in off Andersen
from behind to make it 5-1
after Toronto’s Nazem Kadri
was thrown out of the game
and given a five-minute
major for an elbow to Tommy
Wingels’ head.
Zach Hyman scored Toron-
to’s only goal, and Andersen
made 35 saves.
Game 2 of the best-of-
seven series is back at the TD
Garden on Saturday night.
SAN JOSE 3,
ANAHEIM 0
ANAHEIM, Calif. —
Evander Kane scored two
goals in his first career playoff
game and Martin Jones made
25 saves as the San Jose Sharks
beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-0
on Thursday night in their
first-round series opener.
Brent Burns also scored
and captain Joe Pavelski had
two assists during a three-
goal second period to help
the Sharks easily take early
control in the series between
California rivals. San Jose and
Anaheim have been regular
playoff teams for the past 15
years, yet are meeting in the
postseason for only the second
time.
John Gibson stopped 30
shots for the Ducks, who lost
a series opener at home in
their third consecutive playoff
series. Anaheim had won
seven straight home games
down the regular-season
stretch, losing in regulation at
home just once in 17 games
since late January.
Game 2 is Saturday night at
Honda Center.
A’ja Wilson top pick of WNBA draft by Las Vegas Aces
By DOUG FEINBERG
Associated Press
NEW YORK — A’ja
Wilson is thrilled for the
chance to head to Las Vegas.
The South Carolina star
was the No. 1 pick in the
WNBA draft by the Aces on
Thursday night.
“It’s such a great feeling,
just an amazing way to cap off
my collegiate career,” Wilson
said. “My heart was pounding
before she announced the
pick.”
The 6-foot-5 star admitted
she has only been there once,
but already knows the Nevada
city slogan.
“What happens in Sin City
stays in Sin City,” Wilson said
laughing.
The Aces, who moved to
Las Vegas from San Antonio
this past winter, had the first
pick for the second straight
season.
Ohio
State’s
Kelsey
Mitchell went second to the
Indiana Fever. Indiana also
took Victoria Vivians with
the eighth pick, giving coach
Pokey Chatman a strong
young core to build around.
The Chicago Sky took
Diamond DeShields, who
spent the season playing
professionally in Turkey,
and Gabby Williams of
Connecticut with the next two
picks.
“I’m excited to see what
we can do,” DeShields said.
UCLA guard Jordin
Canada was selected fifth by
the Seattle Storm. She’ll get a
chance to learn from Sue Bird.
“I love Sue Bird, she’s one
of my role models,” Canada
said.
Azura Stevens, who
decided to forego her final
year of eligibility at UConn,
was taken sixth by Dallas.
Washington drafted Ariel
Atkins of Texas seventh.
Lexie Brown was picked
ninth by Connecticut.
New York took Kia Nurse
10th, marking the third UConn
player to be taken in the
opening round. It’s the second
time in three seasons that
AP Photo/Julie Jacobson
South Carolina’s A’ja Wilson is congratulated by family af-
ter being selected as the No. 1 overall pick by the Las Vegas
Aces in the WNBA basketball draft Thursday in New York.
three Huskies were drafted in
the first round. UConn players
went 1-2-3 in 2016.
“It’s really cool that we
were all here for each other,”
Williams said.
Los Angeles drafted
19-year-old Russian star
Maria Vadeeva with the 11th
pick. She’s the first foreign
player who didn’t play at an
American college to be taken
in the first round since 2012.
Marie Gulich of Oregon
State was drafted by Phoenix
to close out the first round.
UCLA’s Monique Billings
was the final player invited to
the draft to be taken. She went
with the 15th pick to Atlanta.
The Dream had traded for
that pick earlier in the day
sending Bria Holmes to the
Connecticut Sun.
“I wasn’t nervous, I knew
that I would be drafted,”
Billings said.
The draft was held at Nike’s
New York headquarters. The
athletic apparel company is a
global partner and outfitter for
the WNBA this season. They
unveiled the new WNBA
uniforms earlier Thursday.
Training camps open up on
April 29 and the 22nd season
of the WNBA begins play on
May 18.
Other tidbits from the draft:
PRESIDENTIAL
CONNECTIONS: Former
President Barack Obama’s
niece, Leslie Robinson, was
taken in the third round by
the New York Liberty. Her
dad is vice president of player
development and G League
operations for the Knicks.
GREEK
SISTERS:
When Wilson took a picture
with WNBA President Lisa
Borders on stage, the pair
flashed the Alpha Kappa
Alpha sign. The two were
sorority sisters with Borders
graduating from Duke and
Wilson from South Carolina.
Alpha Kappa Alpha was
the first African American
sorority starting at Howard in
1908.
ALL IN THE FAMILY:
DeShields joined her father
(Delino) and brother (Delino
Jr.) as first-round draft picks.
Father and son were taken in
the baseball draft. They are
believed to be the first father-
son-daughter combo to all be
taken in the opening round of
a draft. The elder DeShields
was in attendance at the draft.
Pam
McGee,
Imani
McGee-Stafford and JaVale
McGee were the first moth-
er-daughter-son to be taken
in the opening round when
McGee-Stafford was drafted
with the 10th pick in 2016.
FOREIGN PLAYERS:
Other foreign players joining
Vadeeva in the draft were
Ji-Su Park (South Korea);
Raisa Mussina (Russia)
Julia Reisingerova (Czech
Republic).
SCOREBOARD
Local slate
PREP BASEBALL
Friday
Ontario at Mac-Hi (DH), Noon
Irrigon at Joseph (DH), 1 p.m.
Riverside at Vale (DH), 2 p.m.
Umatilla at Burns (DH), 2 p.m.
Saturday
Pilot Rock at Union (DH), 11 a.m.
Weston-McEwen at Heppner (DH), 11
a.m.
Pendleton at The Dalles (DH), Noon
Hood River at Hermiston (DH), Noon
Stanfield at Nyssa (DH), 1 p.m.
PREP SOFTBALL
Friday
Weston-McEwen at Grant Union (DH),
Noon
Irrigon at Echo (DH), 1 p.m.
Riverside at Umatilla (DH), 1 p.m.
Pendleton at The Dalles (DH), 3 p.m.
Mac-Hi at Ontario (DH), 3 p.m.
Saturday
Pilot Rock at Heppner (DH), 11 a.m.
Hood River at Hermiston (DH), Noon
Echo at Vale (DH), 1 p.m.
PREP TRACK & FIELD
Friday
Pendleton, Hermiston, Weston-McEwen,
Pilot Rock, Helix, Ione at Rivers Edge
(Umatilla), Noon
Hermiston, Arlington at Oregon Relays
(Eugene), TBD
Saturday
Pendleton at Willamette Falls Invitational,
10 a.m.
Mac-Hi at La Grande Invitational, 10 a.m.
Stanfield, Heppner, Umatilla, Riverside,
Helix at Stanfield Invitational, 10 a.m.
PREP GOLF
Friday
Pendleton, Mac-Hi, Heppner (boys) at La
Grande Country Club
PREP TENNIS
Friday
Weston-McEwen at Riverside, 3 p.m.
Saturday
Eisenhower (WA) at Hermiston, Noon
Condon, Helix, Ione at Stanfield, 10 a.m.
PREP LACROSSE
Friday
Selah at Hermiston, 7 p.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Saturday
Columbia Basin at BMCC (DH), 1 p.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Friday
BMCC at Yakima Valley (DH), 2 p.m.
British Columbia at EOU (DH), 2 p.m.
Saturday
British Columbia at EOU (DH), 11 a.m.
BMCC at Wenatchee Valley (DH), Noon
Basketball
NBA PLAYOFFS
FIRST ROUND
(Best-of-7; x-if necessary)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Toronto vs. Washington
Saturday, April 14: Washington at Toronto,
2:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 17: Washington at Toronto,
4 p.m.
Friday, April 20: Toronto at Washington,
5 p.m.
Sunday, April 22: Toronto at Washington,
5 p.m.
Boston vs. Milwaukee
Sunday, April 15: Milwaukee at Boston,
10 a.m.
Tuesday, April 17: Milwaukee at Boston,
5 p.m.
Friday, April 20: Boston at Milwaukee,
6:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 22: Boston at Milwaukee,
10 a.m.
Philadelphia vs. Miami
Saturday, April 14: Miami at Philadelphia,
5 p.m.
Monday, April 16: Miami at Philadelphia,
5 p.m.
Thursday, April 19: Philadelphia at Miami,
4 p.m.
Saturday, April 21: Philadelphia at Miami,
11:30 a.m.
Cleveland vs. Indiana
Sunday, April 15: Indiana at Cleveland,
12:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 18: Indiana at Cleve-
land, 4 p.m.
Friday, April 20: Cleveland at Indiana, 4
p.m.
Sunday, April 22: Cleveland at Indiana,
5:30 p.m.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Houston vs. Minnesota
Sunday, April 15: Minnesota at Houston,
6 p.m.
Wednesday, April 18: Minnesota at
Houston, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 21: Houston at Minnesota,
4:30 p.m.
Monday, April 23: Houston at Minnesota,
5 p.m.
Golden State vs. San Antonio
Saturday, April 14: San Antonio at Golden
State, 12 p.m.
Monday, April 16: San Antonio at Golden
State, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 19: Golden State at San
Antonio, 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 22: Golden State at San
Antonio, 12:30 p.m.
Portland vs. New Orleans
Saturday, April 14: New Orleans at Port-
land, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 17: New Orleans at Port-
land, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 19: Portland at New
Orleans, 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 21: Portland at New
Orleans, 2 p.m.
Oklahoma City vs. Utah
Sunday, April 15: Utah at Oklahoma City,
3:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 18: Utah at Oklahoma
City, 5 p.m.
Saturday, April 21: Oklahoma City at Utah,
7 p.m.
Monday, April 23: Oklahoma City at Utah,
7:30 p.m.
Hockey
NHL PLAYOFF GLANCE
FIRST ROUND
(Best-of-7; x-if necessary)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Tampa Bay 1, New Jersey 0
Thursday: Tampa Bay 5, New Jersey 2
Saturday: New Jersey at Tampa Bay, 12
p.m.
April 16: Tampa Bay at New Jersey, 4:30
p.m.
April 18: Tampa Bay at New Jersey, 4:30
p.m.
Boston 1, Toronto 0
Thursday: Boston 5, Toronto 1
Saturday: Toronto at Boston, 5 p.m.
April 16: Boston at Toronto, 4 p.m.
April 19: Boston at Toronto, 4 p.m.
Columbus 1, Washington 0
Thursday: Columbus 4, Washington 3, OT
Sunday: Columbus at Washington, 4:30
p.m.
April 17: Washington at Columbus, 4:30
p.m.
April 19: Washington at Columbus, 4:30
p.m.
Pittsburgh 1, Philadelphia 0
Wednesday Pittsburgh 7, Philadelphia 0
Friday: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m.
April 15: Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 12
p.m.
April 18: Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 4 p.m.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Nashville 1, Colorado 0
Thursday: Nashville 5, Colorado 2
Saturday: Colorado at Nashville, 12 p.m.
April 16: Nashville at Colorado, 7 p.m.
April 18: Nashville at Colorado, 7 p.m.
Winnipeg 1, Minnesota 0
Wednesdayy: Winnipeg 3, Minnesota 2
Friday: Minnesota at Winnipeg, 4:30 p.m.
April 15: Winnipeg at Minnesota, 4 p.m.
April 17: Winnipeg at Minnesota, 5 p.m.
Vegas 1, Los Angeles 0
Wednesday: Vegas 1, Los Angeles 0
Friday: Los Angeles at Vegas, 7 p.m.
April 15: Vegas at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m.
April 17: Vegas at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m.
San Jose 1, Anaheim 0
Thursday: San Jose 3, Anaheim 0
Saturday: San Jose at Anaheim, 7:30 p.m.
April 16: Anaheim at San Jose, 7:30 p.m.
April 18: Anaheim at San Jose, 7:30 p.m.
Baseball
MLB
AMERICAN LEAGUE
East Division
W
L Pct GB
Boston
10
2 .833 —
Toronto
8
5 .615 2½
New York
6
7 .462 4½
Baltimore
5
8 .385 5½
Tampa Bay
3
9 .250
7
Central Division
W
L Pct GB
Minnesota
7
4 .636 —
Cleveland
8
5 .615 —
Chicago
4
8 .333 3½
Detroit
4
8 .333 3½
Kansas City
3
8 .273
4
West Division
W
L Pct GB
Los Angeles
11
3 .786 —
Houston
9
4 .692 1½
Seattle
6
4 .600
3
Oakland
5
8 .385 5½
Texas
4 10 .286
7
———
Thursday’s Games
Cleveland 9, Detroit 3
Boston 6, N.Y. Yankees 3
Minnesota 4, Chicago White Sox 0
L.A. Angels 7, Kansas City 1
Friday’s Games
Baltimore (Tillman 0-2) at Boston (Rodri-
guez 0-0), 4:10 p.m.
N.Y. Yankees (Montgomery 0-0) at Detroit
(Fiers 1-0), 4:10 p.m.
Philadelphia (Velasquez 1-1) at Tampa Bay
(Faria 0-1), 4:10 p.m.
Toronto (Stroman 0-1) at Cleveland
(Clevinger 1-0), 4:10 p.m.
Chicago White Sox (Lopez 0-1) at Minne-
sota (TBD), 5:10 p.m.
Texas (Hamels 1-2) at Houston (Cole 1-0),
5:10 p.m.
L.A. Angels (Heaney 0-0) at Kansas City
(Hammel 0-1), 5:15 p.m.
Oakland (Triggs 1-0) at Seattle (Leake 2-0),
7:10 p.m.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
East Division
W
New York
10
Atlanta
7
L Pct GB
1 .909 —
5 .583 3½
Philadelphia
Washington
Miami
Central Division
Pittsburgh
Milwaukee
Chicago
St. Louis
Cincinnati
West Division
6
6
3
W
9
7
6
6
2
5 .545
4
7 .462
5
9 .250 7½
L
3
6
6
7
10
Pct GB
.750 —
.538 2½
.500
3
.462 3½
.167
7
W
L Pct GB
Arizona
9
3 .750 —
Colorado
7
7 .500
3
San Francisco
6
6 .500
3
Los Angeles
4
7 .364 4½
San Diego
4 10 .286
6
———
Thursday’s Games
Pittsburgh 6, Chicago Cubs 1
St. Louis 13, Cincinnati 4
Colorado 5, Washington 1
San Francisco 7, San Diego 0
Friday’s Games
Atlanta (Sanchez 0-0) at Chicago Cubs
(Darvish 0-0), 11:20 a.m.
St. Louis (Weaver 1-0) at Cincinnati (Mah-
le 1-1), 3:40 p.m.
Colorado (Freeland 0-2) at Washington
(Roark 1-0), 4:05 p.m.
Milwaukee (Davies 0-1) at N.Y. Mets
(Matz 0-1), 4:10 p.m.
Philadelphia (Velasquez 1-1) at Tampa Bay
(Faria 0-1), 4:10 p.m.
Pittsburgh (Kuhl 1-0) at Miami (Peters 1-1),
4:10 p.m.
Arizona (Greinke 0-1) at L.A. Dodgers
(Maeda 1-0), 7:10 p.m.
San Francisco (Blach 1-1) at San Diego
(Ross 1-1), 7:10 p.m.
Soccer
MLS
EASTERN CONFERENCE
W L T
New York City FC 5 0 1
Atlanta United FC 4 1 0
New England
3 1 1
Columbus
3 2 1
Orlando City
2 2 1
New York
2 2 0
Montreal
2 3 0
Philadelphia
1 1 2
Chicago
1 2 1
Toronto FC
1 2 0
D.C. United
0 3 2
WESTERN CONFERENCE
W L T
Sporting K.C.
4 1 1
Vancouver
3 2 1
LA Galaxy
2 2 1
Real Salt Lake
2 3 1
Los Angeles FC 2 2 0
Minnesota United 2 3 0
Pts
16
12
10
10
7
6
6
5
4
3
2
GF GA
14 4
13 6
10 5
9 6
9 10
10 5
5 9
3 4
7 8
3 4
5 10
Pts GF GA
13 12 9
10 8 9
7 7 8
7 6 14
6 9 10
6 6 9
FC Dallas
1 0 3 6 6 3
Colorado
1 1 2 5 7 5
Houston
1 2 1 4 7 6
San Jose
1 2 1 4 7 8
Portland
0 3 2 2 6 12
Seattle
0 3 0 0 0 5
NOTE: Three points for victory, one point
for tie.
———
Friday’s Games
Orlando City at Philadelphia, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles FC at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
Saturday’s Games
Montreal at New York, 1 p.m.
Toronto FC at Colorado, 3 p.m.
LA Galaxy at Chicago, 3:30 p.m.
Columbus at D.C. United, 7 p.m.
FC Dallas at New England, 7:30 p.m.
Houston at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.
Minnesota United at Portland, 10:30 p.m.
Golf
PGA Tour
RBC HERITAGE
Thursday
At Harbour Town Golf Links
Hilton Head, S.C.
Purse: $6.7 million
Yardage: 7,099; Par 71
First Round
Rory Sabbatini 33-31—64
John Huh
30-36—66
Billy Horschel
35-31—66
Matt Kuchar
32-34—66
Chesson Hadley 34-32—66
Harris English
34-33—67
Martin Laird
33-34—67
Patrick Cantlay 33-34—67
Jonas Blixt
34-33—67
Charles Howell III 36-32—68
Notables
Dustin Johnson 35-34—69
Zach Johnson
37-33—70
Jason Dufner
34-37—71
-7
-5
-5
-5
-5
-4
-4
-4
-4
-3
-2
-1
E
Auto Racing
NASCAR
MONSTER ENERGY CUP SERIES
FOOD CITY 500
Site: Bristol, Tennessee
Schedule: Friday, practice, 12 p.m. (FS1),
qualifying, 4:45 p.m. (FS1); Saturday,
practice, 8:30 & 11:05 a.m. (FS1), Sunday,
race, 2 p.m., FOX
Track: Bristol Motor Speedway (oval,
0.533 miles).
Race distance: 266.5 miles, 500 laps.
Last year: Jimmie Johnson won the
spring race at Bristol for his second con-
secutive win.