Lightning top Bruins, advance to East finals
Victor Hedman scored with 5:50 left in the second OT to give the Lightning a 3-2 win over the Bruins on Monday night in Toronto and their fourth berth in the NHL’s Eastern Conference finals in six seasons.
Hedman beat goaltender Jaroslav Halak from the left circle, finishing a barrage that saw the second-seeded Lightning outshoot the fourth-seeded Bruins 7-1 in the second OT.
The Lightning improved to 5-0 in overtime games in this year’s playoffs.
The Lightning played without reigning league MVP Nikita Kucherov for most of the night, losing him for the final seven minutes of the opening period after Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara drew a 4-minute double minor penalty for high-sticking the Lightning star.
Kucherov returned at the start of the second, but soon departed again for the rest of the game after serving a penalty for tripping.
Colleges: A court filing shows Big Ten presidents voted 11-3 to postpone the football season, bringing some clarity to a key question raised in a lawsuit brought by a group of Nebraska players. The vote breakdown was revealed in the Big Ten’s response to the suit. ... Attendance at Notre Dame home football games will be limited to 20% or less of stadium capacity with priority going to students. No fans from outside the university community will be allowed, with family members from both teams as the only exceptions. ... Iowa will pause workouts for all teams until after Labor Day following a spike in positive COVID-19 tests. The school reported 93 positive tests out of 815 administered last week.
Cycling: Australian rider Caleb Ewan won the third stage of the Tour de France. Julian Alaphilippe of France held onto the yellow jersey.
Horse racing: Looking to halt doping scandals and horse deaths marring their sport, thoroughbred racing leaders announced the launch of an integrity and safety authority to create national standards replacing the patchwork of state regulations overseeing the industry.
NFL: The NFL took over the independent investigation into workplace conduct within the Washington Football Team. Owner Dan Snyder said in a statement he and his wife, Tanya, suggested to Commissioner Roger Goodell the NFL assume full oversight of the review. Last month, after The Washington Post reported 15 female former employees saying they were sexually harassed during their time with the team. The change of course comes less than a week since the Post reported additional examples of workplace sexual harassment, along with allegations that Snyder was personally involved. ... The Jaguars waived RB Leonard Fournette after three seasons. The 25-year-old former first-round draft pick out of LSU has totaled 2,631 yards rushing, 1,009 yards receiving and 19 TDs in his career. ... The defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs agreed to contract extensions with coach Andy Reid and GM Brett Veach through the 2025 season, according to reports. ... Chargers S Derwin James will need knee surgery and be out six to eight months, ESPN reported. He will receive a second opinion.