Astros Shutout Yankees, Advance To World Series
(Houston, TX) — Charlie Morton and Lance McCullers Junior combined on a three-hit shutout as the Astros blanked the Yankees, 4-0, in Game Seven of the American League Championship series in Houston. Evan Gattis and Jose Altuve [[ al-TOO-vay ]] each belted solo home runs as the Astros advance to face the Dodgers in the Fall Classic. Brian McCann tacked on a two-run double for Houston, which won its first American League pennant since moving from the National League in 2013. Morton pitched the first five innings to earn the win and McCullers Junior tossed the final four frames to secure the save. The Astros will visit the Dodgers in Game One of the World Series on Tuesday. C.C. Sabathia gave up five hits, three walks and a run over three-and-a-third innings to get charged with the loss for the Yankees. Aaron Judge finished 0-for-4 and New York finished 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position.
Rangers Hold Off Predators
(New York, NY) — The Rangers put up two goals in the first period and held off the Predators, 4-2, in New York City. Jesper Fast and Chris Kreider provided the Rangers with early goals. Kevin Hayes tallied in the second period. Jimmy Vesey tacked on an empty-netter in the game’s final minute and Henrik Lundqvist finished with 23 saves. The Rangers ended a five-game skid. Matthias Ekholm and Filip Forsberg lit the lamp in the second to put Nashville back in the game. The Preds finished 0-for-5 on power play opportunities and fell to 4-3-and-1.
Flyers Edge Oilers
(Philadelphia, PA) — Wayne Simmonds broke a one-all tie with 2:15 left in the game as the Flyers edged the Oilers, 2-1, in Philadelphia. Simmonds scored his sixth goal of the year and also tallied an assist for the Flyers. Claude Giroux lit the lamp in the first. Brian Elliott finished with 23 saves. Patrick Maroon put the Oilers on the board in the second period. Edmonton has lost five of its past six games.
Kings Clip Blue Jackets
(Columbus, OH) — Anze Kopitar scored two goals including the game-winner as the Kings clipped the Blue Jackets 6-4 in Columbus. Dustin Brown added a goal and three assists and Jake Muzzin lit the lamp to go along with two helpers for L.A. Trevor Lewis and Drew Doughty also found the back of the net in the winning effort. Jonathan Quick made 32 saves as the Kings remained unbeaten in regulation. Nick Foligno, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Matt Calvert scored in a three-goal first period for the Blue Jackets. Sonny Milano added a goal in the second. Columbus is on a two-game slide.
Islanders Hold Off Sharks
(Brooklyn, NY) — Anders Lee scored two goals to help lift the Islanders past the Sharks 5-3 at the Barclays Center. Lee put New York on the board in the second period and padded a one-goal lead in the third. Andrew Ladd, Josh Bailey, and John Tavares also found the back of the net in the winning effort. Thomas Greiss stopped 28-of-31 shots sent his way as the Isles improved to 4-3-and-1. Logan Couture’s hat trick accounted for all of the San Jose goals. Aaron Dell gave up four goals on just 22 shots as the Sharks fell to 3-4-and-0.
Lightning Destroys Defending Champion Penguins
(Tampa, FL) — Nikita Kucherov had two goals and an assist as the Lightning punished the Penguins 7-1 in Tampa. Steven Stamkos contributed three assists and a goal. The two have points in each of the first nine Tampa games. Penguins star Sidney Crosby received minor and misconduct penalties in the first two minutes. Pittsburgh avoided a shutout when Jake Guentzel scored in the final two minutes. The Penguins are 0-and-3 with Antti Niemi in the nets.
Panthers Cruise Past Capitals
(Washington, D.C.) — James Reimer stopped 41-of-42 shots sent his way to help lead the Panthers past the Capitals 4-1 in D.C. Aleksander Barkov, Evgeni Dadonov, and Vincent Trocheck had a goal and an assist apiece for Florida. Connor Brickley also found the back of the net in the winning effort. The Panthers snapped a three-game slide to improve to 3-4-and-0. Christian Djoos scored the lone Washington goal. Philipp Grubauer gave up three goals on just 22 shots as the Caps lost for the fifth time in their last seven games.
Stars Calm Hurricanes
(Dallas, TX) — Tyler Pitlick scored two goals as the Stars held off the Hurricanes 4-3 at the American Airlines Center. Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin also lit the lamp for Dallas. The Stars jumped out to a 4-0 advantage on the way to their fourth-straight win. Ben Bishop stopped 36-of-39 shots sent his way in the winning effort. Jeff Skinner scored the initial Carolina goal with 10 seconds left in the second period. Skinner and Jordan Staal found the back of the net in the third to trim the lead to one. Carolina fell to 3-2-and-1.
Blackhawks Keep Coyotes Winless
(Glendale, AZ) — Lance Bouma [[ BOW-ma ]] and Tommy Wingels scored third period goals as the Blackhawks bested the Coyotes 4-2 at Gila River Arena. Richard Panik found the back of the net on a Chicago power play in the first. Patrick Kane picked up his fourth Hawks’ goal in the second period. Christian Fischer scored for the Yotes in the opening period. Clayton Keller lit the lamp with less than two minutes left in the second period to tie the game at two. The Coyotes are 0-7-and-1, the only winless team in the NHL.
Wild Storm Past Flames
(Calgary, Alberta) — Ryan Suter scored the tying goal in the third period and assisted on the winning goal as the Wild stormed past the Flames, 4-2, in Calgary. Suter finished with a goal and two assists to key the comeback for Minnesota. Jared Spurgeon scored the go-ahead goal. Alex Stalock racked up 35 saves in the win. Sean Monahan and Kris Versteeg lit the lamp for Calgary. Mike Smith gave up three goals on 31 shots as the Flames lost their second straight game.
Golden Knights Clip Blues In OT
(Las Vegas, NV) — William Karlsson found the back of the net with 24-seconds remaining in overtime to lift the Golden Knights past the Blues 3-2 in Vegas. Reilly Smith and Colin Miller also lit the lamp for the Knights. Malcolm Subban stopped 37-of-38 shots he faced before leaving the game with a lower-body injury, Oscar Dansk stopped 10-of-11 in relief. The Golden Knights 6-1-and-0 start is the best opening stretch of any expansion team in league history. Magnus Paajarvi and Alex Pietrangelo scored the St. Louis goals. Jake Allen made 19 saves in defeat. The Blues have earned at least a point in six of their first nine games.
Raptors Clobber Sixers
(Toronto, Ontario) — DeMar DeRozan scored a game-high 30 points as the Raptors crushed the Sixers 128-94 in Toronto. Serge Ibaka added 21 points and Kyle Lowry scored 17 in the lopsided victory. Jakob Poeltl provided some punch off the bench with 14 points on six-of-seven shooting. Toronto has won two-straight at home to start the season. Philly was without Joel Embiid as he sat out the second night of a back-to-back. Ben Simmons paced the Sixers with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists as they fell to 0-and-3.
Pistons Rally To Defeat Knicks
(Manhattan, NY) — Tobias Harris scored 31 points as the Pistons overcame a big deficit to defeat the Knicks 111-107 in their home opener at Madison Square Garden. Andre Drummond had 21 points and a dozen boards for Detroit. The Pistons trailed 57-to-36 in the second period. Kristaps Porzingis scored 33 points for the Knicks. Enes Kanter contributed 17 point and 10 boards in the loss. New York played without first-round pick Frank Ntilikina, who sprained his left ankle the previous day.
Grizzlies Knock Off Warriors
(Memphis, TN) — The Grizzlies outscored the Warriors by a dozen points in the third quarter and cruised to a 111-101 win in Memphis. Marc Gasol finished with 34 points and 14 rebounds and was 16-of-17 from the free throw line. James Ennis the Third chipped in 13 points as the Grizzlies improved to 2-and-0. Golden State trailed by 17 entering the fourth quarter and couldn’t put together a rally. Steph Curry put up 37 points and Kevin Durant added 29 points and 13 rebounds but both were ejected late in the fourth. Defending champion Golden State fell to 1-and-2.
Spurs Run Over Bulls
(Chicago, IL) — LaMarcus Aldridge scored 28 points and grabbed 10 boards as the Spurs topped the Bulls 87-77 in Chicago. Rudy Gay had 12 points off the bench, while Pau Gasol tallied 10 points. San Antonio played without All-Star Kawhi [[ kah-WHY ]] Leonard, who has a leg injury, for the second-straight game. The Spurs improved to 2-and-0. Robin Lopez paced the Bulls with 16 points and Rookie Lauri Marakkanen had 13 points and 12 rebounds. Justin Holliday has 15 points in the loss.
Heat Foil Pacers
(Miami, FL) — The Heat held off a late rally from the Pacers and earned a 112-108 win in Miami. Goran Dragic led the charged with 23 points as Miami outscored Indiana by 18 in the second quarter. Dion Waiters chipped in 19 points as the Heat won their home opener. The Pacers trimmed the lead to two with 12.9 seconds left, but couldn’t close the gap. Victor Oladipo finished with 28 points for Indiana, which dropped to 1-and-2.
Rockets Soar Past Mavericks
(Houston, TX) — James Harden scored a game-high 29 points to pace the Rockets past the Mavericks 107-91 in Houston. Eric Gordon scored 18 starting in place of the injured Chris Paul. Clint Capela added 13 points and 10 rebounds and Nene Hilario dropped 14 off the bench in the winning effort. The Rockets have won three-straight to open the season. J.J. Barea and Yogi Ferrell led the Mavs with 19 points apiece in defeat. Dallas is on a three-game slide.
Magic Dump Cavaliers
(Cleveland, OH) — The Magic never trailed as they went to Cleveland and dumped the Cavaliers, 114-93. Nikola Vucevic led the charge with 23 points and Jonathan Simmons contributed 19 off the bench. Orlando led by 18 after the first quarter and was never threatened as they pulled away even more in the third. The Magic are now 2-and-1. LeBron James finished with 22 points, and Iman Shumpert posted 21. Cleveland shot just 38-percent from the field in its first loss.
Bucks Bounce Blazers
(Milwaukee, WI) — Giannis Antetokounmpo stole the ball and dunked it with 11 seconds left for the go-ahead basket as the Bucks bounced the Blazers, 113-110, in Milwaukee. The Bucks led the entire fourth quarter until Damian Lillard put Portland up by one with a pair of free throws in the final minute. Antetokounmpo’s steal put the Bucks back on top and he finished with a career-high 44 points. Khris Middleton iced the cake with a pair of late free throws for the 2-and-1 Bucks. C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard each scored 26 points for the Blazers.
Jazz Hang On, Silence Thunder
(Salt Lake City, UT) — Four Jazz starters scored in double-digits to lead a balanced attack past the Thunder 96-87 in Salt Lake City. Joe Ingles led the way with 19 points while Rudy Gobert and Ricky Rubio pitched in 16 apiece. Gobert also pulled down 13 rebounds as Utah improved to 1-and-1. Derrick Favors added 13 points and Joe Johnson dropped 12 off the bench in the winning effort. Carmelo Anthony needed 26 shots to collect his game-high 26 points for Oklahoma City. Paul George added 22 and Russell Westbrook was held to six on 2-of-11 shooting. The Thunder are also 1-and-1.
Nuggets Thrash Kings
(Denver, CO) — Five players scored in double figures as the Nuggets used a well-rounded attack to thrash the Kings, 96-79, in Denver. Kenneth Faried and Paul Millsap each put up 18 points, and Gary Harris chipped in 17. The Nuggets trailed by one after a quarter, but won every quarter thereafter to pull way. Denver is 1-and-1 after winning its home opener. Rookie De’Aaron Fox led Sacramento with 18 points off the bench. The Kings shot just 36-and-a-half percent from the field and got out-rebounded, 58-39.
Clippers Dismantle Suns
(Los Angeles, CA) — Blake Griffin scored a game-high 29 points as the Clippers routed the Suns 130-88 at the STAPLES Center. Lou Williams scored 18 off the bench and Patrick Beverley added 15 points in the winning effort. Danilo Gallinari and Willie Reed pitched in 12 apiece to round out the L.A. attack. The Clippers out-rebounded Phoenix 52-36 as they moved to 2-and-0. Alex Len scored 15 points off the bench to pace the Suns. Phoenix has lost two of its first three games by 40-plus points falling to 0-and-3 overall.
Penn State Rolls Past Michigan
(State College, PA) — Trace McSorley accounted for four touchdowns to lead the way as second-ranked Penn State crushed number-15 Michigan 42-13 in Happy Valley. McSorley threw a touchdown and rushed for three others in the winning effort. Saquon Barkley carried the ball 15 times for 108 yards and two scores. He also caught three balls including a 42-yard touchdown to break the game open in the fourth quarter. The Nittany Lions improved to 7-and-0, 4-and-0 in Big Ten play. The Wolverines were outscored 21-0 in the second half. Quarterback John O’Korn threw for just 166 yards and was sacked seven times in defeat. Michigan fell to 5-and-2 and 2-and-2.
Notre Dame Bombards USC
(South Bend, IN) — Josh Adams and Brandon Wimbush put 16th-ranked Notre Dame on their backs and carried it to a 49-14 win over 10th-ranked USC in South Bend. Wimbush threw for 120 yards and two scores, and added 106 yards and another two TD’s on the ground. Josh Adams had 19 carries for 191 yards and three touchdowns for the 6-and-1 Fighting Irish. They won the Battle of the Jeweled Shillegah after losing the annual rivalry game in 2016. Sam Darnold threw for 229 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for USC. The Trojans managed just 76 rushing yards on 31 carries as a team. They’re now 6-and-2.