Hurricanes reach deal with Jarvis

The Hurricanes have signed forward Seth Jarvis to an eight-year, $63.2 million contract in a move that keeps a top young forward with the team for the long term. The team announced the deal Saturday, saying that it includes more than $29.2 million in signing bonuses for the No. 13 overall pick in the 2020 draft. “Seth is a cornerstone player for our franchise,” general manager Eric Tulsky said in a statement. “He took another huge step last season, playing in all situations and displaying the skill and competitive drive that will make him a star in this league in the years to come.” Jarvis, 22, was a restricted free agent who had grown into a proven contributor on the rise amid the Hurricanes’ active streak of six straight postseason appearances. The team had looked into a shorter-term bridge deal as well as longer-term security. The 5-foot-10, 184-pound Jarvis ranked second among team skaters with 33 goals and 67 points, setting career highs in both categories along with power-play goals (13), shorthanded goals (nine) and game-winners (nine).

Arteta slams ‘inconsistent’ refereeing

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was left fuming at what he called inconsistent refereeing after Declan Rice’s sending off led to Arsenal dropping its first points of the English Premier League in a 1-1 draw with Brighton on Saturday. At Emirates Stadium, Arsenal was up 1-0 and looked in control when Rice was shown a second yellow card in the 49th minute, apparently for nudging the ball to the side as Joel Veltman tried to take a quick free kick near the sideline deep in Brighton’s half. Veltman kicked Rice from behind in the process and the home crowd was screaming for the Brighton player to get sanctioned, only for referee Chris Kavanagh to show Rice a red card instead. “I was amazed. Amazed, amazed, amazed, because of how inconsistent decisions can be,” Arteta said, arguing that similar offenses went unpunished earlier in the game. “By law he (Kavanagh) can make the call. But by law then he needs to make the next call, which is red card (for Veltman).” That decision turned the game completely and Joao Pedro equalized in the 58th after David Raya saved a shot from Yankuba Minteh.

Busch puts aside his frustrations

Kyle Busch has experienced a maddening, frustrating season so far that’s left the two-time Cup Series champion on the outside of a 12th straight NASCAR playoff appearance. Busch hopes to put past problems aside at Darlington Raceway, where winning the Southern 500 on Sunday night is his only option to keep his postseason streak alive. “Every week, it just kind of seems like, ‘OK, what’s next?’ ” Busch said Saturday. “But that’s something that we can’t change.” Busch, who has not won in 46 races, nearly clinched his spot at Daytona last week, but lost out on a wild, final lap duel with Harrison Burton. So Busch sits 19th on the playoff grid, 106 points out of the field and knowing his only chance is his first Darlington victory since 2008. Busch hasn’t missed the playoffs since 2012. Yet, he won’t let his struggles this year steal his focus in the final race of the regular season. “You can use that as a distraction or a motivation tool,” said Busch, who won the series championship in 2015 and 2019. “We’ll look to make that our motivation.” —Associated Press