VANCOUVER — Andrew Brunette liked the way his Nashville Predators put their bodies on the line Tuesday. Down a game in their first-round playoff series against the Vancouver Canucks, Nashville blocked 31 shots and "committed to the pain" in Game 2, the coach said. The commitment paid off — the Predators downed the Canucks 4-1 and levelled the series at 1-1. "I think that's maybe something we learned from Game 1 a little bit," Brunette said. "Maybe we weren't as committed to the pain and tonight
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A rusty Kawhi Leonard had 15 points and seven rebounds in his return for the Los Angeles Clippers, but he couldn't prevent their 96-93 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in their Western Conference first-round playoff series. The Mavs evened the series Tuesday night. Leonard played 35 minutes in his first game since March 31. He came back after missing three weeks because of right knee inflammation. “I felt good,” he said. “We still got more games to play and more time to get better
NEW YORK (AP) — Vincent Trocheck and Mika Zibanejad each had a goal and an assist and the Presidents’ Trophy-winning New York Rangers held on to beat the Washington Capitals 4-3 Tuesday night for a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series. Jack Roslovic and K’Andre Miller also scored for the Rangers, and Erik Gustafsson and Alexis Lafreniere each had two assists. Igor Shesterkin stopped 22 shots. New York, seeking its first Stanley Cup championship in 30 years, has won four straight and 12 o