LOCAL SPORTS
NS Junior: The Bulldogs shut out the Eskasoni Junior Eagles 7-0 last night at the Antigonish Arena in their last game before the Christmas break.
U18 Major: Cape Breton West Islanders got clobbered 11-3 by the Macs in Halifax. The teams face off again at 1:30. Later today, the Pictou Weeks Majors host the South Shore Mustangs at 4 at the Wellness Centre.
Maritime Hockey League: The Pictou County Crushers host the Truro Bearcats tonight at 7 pm at the Pictou County Wellness Centre.
U15: The Wearwell Bombers host the Harbour Rage at 2 at the Wellness Centre. The Novas host the Rangers at 5 at the Antigonish Arena.
Maritime Female Hockey: The Northern Subway Selects host the Moncton Rockets at 4 at the Hector Arena in Pictou.
Rural League: At the Antigonish Arena, the Heatherton Warriors play the Pleasantdale Panthers at 7 while the County Outlaws play the St. Croix Angels at 8:30.
NATIONAL SPORTS
Evan Bouchard had two goals and an assist and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Minnesota Wild 4-3 for their sixth straight win. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each had a goal and an assist, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had four assists as for the Oilers, who have won nine of 12.
Gordon Hayward scored 24 points as the hot-shooting Charlotte Hornets survived Scottie Barnes’s triple-double to beat the Toronto Raptors 119-116. Terry Rozier had 21 points and 13 assists for Charlotte. Barnes led Toronto with 31 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds.
Joel Embiid had 38 points and 14 rebounds and shook off an injury scare in the late minutes as the Philadelphia 76ers held off the Atlanta Hawks 125-114. Tyrese Maxey added 30 points, including a backbreaking three-pointer with 1:20 to play in a 13-0 run that broke open a nip-and-tuck game just two minutes earlier as the Sixers won their second straight.
Tennis Hall of Famer Chris Evert says her cancer has returned and she will not broadcast the Australian Open for E-S-P-N while undergoing treatment. The 68-year-old Evert was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer in December 2021. She says her cancer recurrence was caught early. She says the cancerous cells have been removed and she has started chemotherapy. The Australian Open begins next month.
Nelly Korda and Tony Finau have a one-shot lead over the field at the Grant Thornton Invitational, a tournament where golfers from the P-G-A and L-P-G-A Tours pair together. Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B-C, and partner Ruoning Yin of China are two shots back to sit in a tie for fourth. The all-Canadian pairing of Brooke Henderson and Corey Conner is three shots back of the leaders.
Some Russian athletes will be allowed to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics, in a decision that removed the option of a blanket ban due to the invasion of Ukraine. The I-O-C says eight Russians and three from Belarus are among 46-hundred athletes worldwide who have so far qualified for the Summer Games. More than 60 Ukrainian athletes have qualified so far and the I-O-C estimated the country would ultimately send about 150.
Friday’s Scoreboard
NHL
Florida 3 Pittsburgh 1
Columbus 5 St. Louis 2
Edmonton 4 Minnesota 3
NBA
Orlando 123 Detroit 91
Philadelphia 125 Atlanta 114
Charlotte 119 Toronto 116
Brooklyn 124 Washington 97
Boston 133 New York 123
Minnesota 127 Memphis 103
Cleveland 111 Miami 99
Oklahoma City 138 Golden State 136 (OT)
Chicago 121 San Antonio 112
Sacramento 114 Phoenix 106
Houston 114 Denver 106
Dallas 125 Portland 112
L.A. Clippers 117 Utah 103
Saturday’s Games (All times Eastern)
NHL
Arizona at Boston, 1 p.m.
New Jersey at Calgary, 4 p.m.
Vegas at Dallas, 4 p.m.
Montreal at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Nashville at Toronto, 7 p.m.
Ottawa at Detroit, 7 p.m.
N.Y. Rangers at Washington, 7 p.m.
Los Angeles at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m.
St. Louis at Chicago, 8 p.m.
Philadelphia at Colorado, 9 p.m.
Carolina at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Seattle, 10 p.m.
NBA
In-Season Tournament Final at Las Vegas
L.A. Lakers vs. Indiana, 8:30 p.m
MLS Cup Final
Los Angeles FC at Columbus, 4 p.m.