• The Canadian Press

    Thunder's Holmgren bests Pelicans' Valanciunas in center matchup to help OKC take 2-0 lead

    OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren won his center matchup with Jonas Valanciunas and helped Oklahoma City beat the New Orleans Pelicans 124-92 in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series Wednesday night. Holmgren had 26 points and seven rebounds as the Thunder took a 2-0 lead. He made 9 of 13 field goals to support Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 33-point effort. “He was really good," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "He was in the actions, got out of them and then put their defense in a bind

  • The Canadian Press

    Defending champion Golden Knights beat Stars 3-1 to take 2-0 series lead home to Vegas

    DALLAS (AP) — Jack Eichel and defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas got exactly what they anticipated, and withstood that early hard push in Game 2 by the desperate Dallas Stars. The Golden Knights didn’t settle for a split while starting the first-round series on the road. “We expected them to come out and push hard that first five, 10 minutes and they did,” Eichel said. “We responded. We were able to come in here after the first period and it’s all tied. ... They gave us all we could handle.” E

  • The Canadian Press

    Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 33 points lead Thunder past Pelicans 124-92 as OKC takes a 2-0 lead

    OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Just a few days ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder looked like a young team struggling through their first playoff game together. On Wednesday night, they looked like grizzled playoff veterans. Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points and the top-seeded Thunder beat the New Orleans Pelicans 124-92 to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series. Gilgeous-Alexander, from Hamilton, said the Thunder remained focused instead of worrying about outsi

  • The Canadian Press

    Kopitar's OT winner lifts Kings to 5-4 win over Oilers, even series at 1-1

    EDMONTON — Anze Kopitar scored the overtime winner and had a pair of assists as the Los Angeles Kings knocked off the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 to tie their opening-round playoff series 1-1 on Wednesday. Kopitar scored just 2:07 into overtime after a weird bounce gave him a lane up the centre of the ice and he beat Stuart Skinner high to the glove side. Adrian Kempe, with a pair of goals, Drew Doughty and Kevin Fiala also scored for Los Angeles, which is looking for revenge after being knocked out in