{allcanada} Shapovalov loses heartbreaker in semis at Mexican Open

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ACAPULCO - Canadian Denis Shapovalov came up on the short end of two tiebreakers and, as a result, came up one victory shy of reaching the men's singles final at the ATP 500 Mexican Open in Acapulco.

The Richmond Hill, Ont., ace lost 7-6 (3), 7-6 (1) to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain in Friday's tense semifinal that took two hours 18 minutes to play.

Shapovalov finished the match with two aces, three double faults, and 58 unforced errors. His opponent had no aces, two double faults  and 53 unforced errors.

The Canadian saved six of 10 break points and won four of 12 return games. His first serve percentage was 54 per cent compared to his opponent's 70 per cent. That was the only stat that showed separation between the players in the final four showdown.

Shapovalov won 67 per cent of his service games and 33 per cent of his return games. Davidovich Fokina Had identical stats.

The Spaniard will face Tomas Machac of Czechia in Saturday's final. Machac defeated American Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 in Friday's semifinal.

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{allcanada} White's clutch four-point play helps Bulls rally to beat Raptors in OT

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CHICAGO (AP) — Coby White scored 24 points, including a clutch four-point play, and the Bulls rallied to beat the Toronto Raptors 125-115 in overtime on Friday night.

White completed his biggest play of the night with four seconds left in regulation to tie the National Basketball Association contest at 110 and set up the extra period, where Lonzo Ball made a pair of 3-pointers during an opening 10-2 run that gave Chicago the lead for good.

Josh Giddey had 19 points and 12 assists for the Bulls, who also got 15 points and 13 rebounds from Zach Collins.

Scottie Barnes scored 24 points for the Raptors, who have lost three straight and nine of 11. Immanuel Quickley scored 23 points before fouling out a minute into overtime.

Toronto led 101-88 with nine minutes left but the Bulls went on a 12-0 run over the next 4:30.

The Raptors led 63-54 at halftime after opening the second quarter on a 10-2 run.

TAKEAWAYS

Toronto: The Raptors seemed to be in control most of the night but doomed themselves with mistakes and missed shots as the Bulls crept closer late in the game. The Bulls scored 24 points off turnovers.

Bulls: Centre Nikola Vucevic (right calf) missed his third straight game and it showed on the stat sheet: The Bulls were outrebounded 51-45 overall and 16-10 on the offensive glass.

KEY MOMENT

More than a few Bulls fans headed to the exits after Toronto went up 110-106 in the final seconds but those who stayed roared when White made the 3-pointer and got fouled by Quickley.

KEY STAT

The Bulls were 13-for-49 from behind the arc but got the biggest long shot of the night when they needed it most.

UP NEXT

Raptors: Visit the Orlando Magic on Sunday.

Bulls: Visit the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.

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{allcanada} QMJHL roundup: Titan rally to edge Mooseheads in overtime

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BATHURST, N.B. - Emile Perron scored 2:18 into overtime to lift the Acadie-Bathurst Titan to an exciting 4-3 come-from-behind win over the visiting Halifax Mooseheads in Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League action on Friday.

The Titan (30-24-1-1) trailed 3-1 with under 30 seconds left in the third period, but goals by Tyson Goguen at 19:38 and Colby Huggan at 19:57 tied the game 3-3 and forced overtime.

Goguen scored the Titan's first goal earlier in the period. Dawson Sharkey and Mathieu St-Onge each chipped in with two assists. The Titan outshot the visitors 42-20.

Callum Aucoin had two goals and Braeden MacPhee had a goal and assist for the Mooseheads (17-31-8-1), who took a 3-0 lead into the third period.

The Mooseheads went 0-for-1 on the power play, while the Titan did not have a power-play opportunity.

Elsewhere in the QMJHL on Friday:

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ARMADA 3 ISLANDERS 1

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Mateo Nobert scored twice and netminder Felix Hamel stopped 27 of 28 shots as the visiting Blainville-Boisbriand Armada beat the Charlottetown Islanders 3-1.

Xavier Villeneuve also scored for the West Division-leading Armada (32-17-4-2), who led 1-0 after the first period and 2-1 heading into the third. Vincent Desjardins also chipped in with two assists.

Kyle Powers scored for the Islanders (27-25-2-1), who outshot the visitors 28-17.

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WILDCATS 4 VOLTIGEURS 1

MONCTON, N.B. — Markus Vidicek and Dyllan Gill each had a goal and assist as the Moncton Wildcats beat the visiting Drummondville Voltigeurs 4-1.

Vincent Collard and Preston Lounsbury also scored for the Maritimes Division-leading Wildcats (44-9-2), who were outshot 43-37, but got a 42-save performance from netminder Rudy Guimond.

William Dumont scored for the Central Division-leading Voltigeurs (34-16-3-3), who trailed 3-0 heading into the third period. The first period was scoreless.

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OCEANIC 5 DRAKKAR 2

BAIE-COMEAU, Que. — Jonathan Fauchon had a goal and three assists as the visiting Rimouski Oceanic defeated the visiting Baie-Comeau Drakkar 5-2.

Jack Martin, Maxime Coursol, Dominic Pilote and Mael St-Denis also scored for the East Division-leading Oceanic (40-12-2-2), who took a 3-2 lead into the third period. The first period was scoreless.

Matyas Melovsky and Alexis Bernier scored for the Drakkar (31-21-3-1), who were outshot 27-20.

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FOREURS 3 OLYMPIQUES 2 (OT)

GATINEAU, Que. — Nathon Brisson's second goal of the game, scored 68 seconds into overtime, lifted the visiting Val-d'Or Foreurs to a 3-2 win over the Gatineau Olympiques.

Samuel Fiala also scored for the Foreurs (24-25-5-1), who were outshot 26-24.

Jeremie Minville scored both goals for the Olympiques (14-28-8-5), who led 2-1 going into the third period.

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PHOENIX 6 TIGRES 2

VICTORIAVILLE, Que. — Hugo Primeau netted a hat trick and Chad Bellemare chipped in with a pair as the visiting Sherbrooke Phoenix beat the Victoriaville Tigres 6-2.

Robin Benoit also scored for the Phoenix (30-19-2-4), who led 1-0 after the first period and 4-1 heading into the third. Florent Houle and Mavrick Lachance each had two assists.

Thomas Paquet and Olivier Laverdiere scored for the Tigres (15-37-1-3), who were outshot 44-30.

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SAGUENEENS 7 HUSKIES 3

ROUYN-NORANDA, Que. — Maxim Masse scored three goals and Thomas Desruisseaux chipped in with two assists as the visiting Chicoutimi Sagueneens defeated the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 7-3.

Emile Ricard, Alonso Gosselin, Emile Duquet and Emmanuel Vermette also scored for the Sagueneens (33-13-3-7), who were outshot 41-35.

Antonin Verreault scored twice for the Huskies (29-18-3-5), while Remi Gelinas netted a single.

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REMPARTS 6 CATARACTES 5 (SO)

SHAWINIGAN, Que. — Benjamin Vigneault scored at 18:10 of the third period to tie the game 5-5, then scored the only goal in a four-round shootout to lift the visiting Quebec Remparts to a 6-5 win over the Shawinigan Cataractes.

Mathias Loiselle, Thomas Auger, Alexandre Taillefer and Alexandre Desmarais also scored for the Remparts (21-29-2-4), who outshot the hosts 44-35. Desmarais also chipped in with three assists.

Louis-Philippe Fontaine scored three goals for the Cataractes (31-18-2-5), while Felix Lacerte and Brogan McNeil had singles. Jiri Klima chipped in with three assists and Vince Elie added a pair of helpers.

POKE CHECKS: Two QMJHL teams cracked this week's Canadian Hockey League Top 10 rankings. The Moncton Wildcats are ranked No. 2, and the Rimouski Oceanic are No. 3. The London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League are ranked No. 1.

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{allcanada} Vancouver FC sells 20-year-old MF Cameron to MLS's Rapids

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Vancouver FC has sold 20-year-old midfielder James Cameron to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer.

It's the Canadian Premier League side's second major off-season transfer following the Jan. 31 sale of then 16-year-old midfielder Grady McDonnell to Club Brugge of the Belgian Pro League last month.

That sale involved a Vancouver club-record fee of 350,000 euros ($525,810), according to a source granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Cameron, who turned 20 on Jan. 24, is Vancouver's all-time leader in appearances by an under-21 player. 

He will join Colorado Rapids 2 of MLS Next Pro to start.

"James is an exciting addition to our player pool," Brian Crookham, Colorado's director of player personnel, said in a statement. "In his nearly 40 professional appearances, he has proven to be a competitor that has the profile of a right back that can be a future contributor to our first team.

"His concentration and durability in individual defending situations combined with his willingness to take responsibility on the ball create a solid foundation for a developing player in our system."

Cameron's life changed on Christmas 2022 when his father gifted him a ticket to a Vancouver FC open tryout. At the time, Cameron was playing for Unity FC in League1 B.C. with an eye on attending UBC.

Cameron went on to earn first a developmental contract and then, in July 2023,  a first pro deal with the CPL expansion club under the league's exceptional young talent rule.

He made 37 appearances with one goal in all competitions for Vancouver.

In 2023, Cameron was a finalist for the league's Best Canadian U-21 Player Award, which went to Valour FC's Matteo de Brienne. Cameron missed the awards night because he was in England training with Luton Town and Burnley.

Cameron, who has an English passport through his mother's bloodlines and hopes to eventually play club football there, also earned a call-up from the Canadian under-20 team in February 2024, taking part in both at the CONCACAF Men's Under-20 Championship Qualifiers and CONCACAF U-20 Championship.

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{allcanada} Tsitsipas and Auger-Aliassime set up showdown in Dubai final

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Stefanos Tsitsipas stands between Felix Auger-Aliassime and a tour-leading third title this year at the Dubai Championships.

They will meet for the 10th time on tour in the final on Saturday. Tsitsipas leads 6-3 overall and has dominated their matchups since 2020 but they are 1-1 in finals.

If Tsitsipas wins against Auger-Aliassime in Saturday's final, he will return to the top 10 for the first time since June.

No. 11-ranked Tsitsipas beat No. 47 Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands 6-4, 6-4, without offering a break point in their semifinal on Friday.

"I feel extremely happy that I was able to avoid the drama today, and play good tennis," Tsitsipas said after reaching his first hard-court final since 2023.

Appearing in Dubai for the first time since 2020, the Greek has achieved three consecutive Dubai finals. He fell in the deciders to Roger Federer in 2019 and Novak Djokovic in 2020.

No. 21 Auger-Aliassime overcame French qualifier and No. 77 Quentin Halys 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 for the second time in two weeks.

The Canadian has played four sets in every match this week, and turned this one midway through the second when he scrambled to a smash by Halys and flicked a cross-court winner to set up break point. He converted and dominated the rest of the way.

"We were both feeling a bit tired I think," Auger-Aliassime said. "It was just (about) having positive self talk. When we're having a tough day, just to have a pep talk and stay positive. I did that well and dug deep physically."

He has already won in Adelaide and Montpellier this year and advanced to a third final in a season for the first time since 2022.

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{allcanada} Canada's Sherret takes over World Cup ski cross standings lead with bronze medal

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GUDAURI - India Sherret, of Cranbrook, B.C., won the bronze medal in the World Cup ski cross competition on Friday.

Switzerland's Fanny Smith claimed gold, while Italy's Jole Galli took silver.

It was Sherret's sixth podium finish of the season, and she now leads the World Cup standings with 750 points, ahead of teammate Marielle Thompson, of Whistler, B.C., who has 727.

Thompson, who was first in qualifying, finished 16th.

Courtney Hoffos, from Windermere, B.C., won the small final to place fifth, and Edmonton's Abby McEwen finished seventh.

In the men's competition, Italy's Simone Deromedis won gold, followed by Japan's Ryo Sugai and Sweden's Erik Mobaerg. Toronto's Kevin Drury finished eighth.

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{allcanada} Canada's Kingsbury claims his 97th World Cup victory in moguls

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ALMATY - Mikaël Kingsbury, of Deux-Montagnes, Que., claimed his 97th World Cup moguls victory despite the final being cancelled due to fog.

The Canadian's score of 81.7 points in qualifying earned him the gold, edging out South Korea's Jung Dae-yoon and Japan's Ikuma Horishima.

The win guarantees Kingsbury the Crystal Globe for single moguls, his 27th World Cup season title.

In the women's event, Tess Johnson claimed gold with 77.68 points, narrowly defeating American Jaelin Kauf (77.66 points).

Japan's Rino Yanagimoto took bronze. 

The freestyle skiing competition resumes Saturday with parallel moguls.

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{allcanada} Canada's Auger-Aliassime advances to Dubai final, chance for third title of 2025

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Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime will play for his third title of 2025 after downing French qualifier Quentin Halys 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinal at the Dubai Tennis Championships on Friday. 

The 24-year-old, who already claimed titles in Adelaide and Montpellier this season, saved three set points in the opening set before taking control in the second, breaking Halys's serve at a crucial moment.

It was one of his four break-point conversions out of seven chances in the match as he powered through the deciding set, saving both break points faced.  

Auger-Aliassime, the world No. 21, fired 10 aces to Halys's five.

"I don't know how I pulled it through today," Auger-Aliassime said post-match. "I only played three-setters this week, we were both feeling a bit tired, I think. It was just (about) having positive self talk, I think everyone can relate. 

"When we're having a tough day, just to have a pep talk and stay positive. I did that well and dug deep physically, so I'm really happy it paid off today.

Felix Auger-Aliassime discusses what it took for him to fight through not playing his best tennis, and find a way to win his semi-final match at Dubai, as he's now eyeing his 3rd ATP title of the 2025 season.

The victory marked his 16th win of 2025, the most on Tour. He entered the Dubai event coming off a semifinal loss to Russian Audrey Rublev at the Qatar Open.

"It's never easy, coming from Doha you feel a bit tired," Auger-Aliassime said post-match when asked of his standout start to the season. "But it's the same challenge for everyone, that's what is interesting. 

"It's (about) who's going to be sharp when they need to, and win the important points. It's never easy, but I feel more and more confident that I have the solutions to come through matches like this."

He will face 11th-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece in Saturday's final.

The fourth-seeded Tsitsipas defeated Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands 6-4, 6-4 in Friday's other semifinal.

Auger-Aliassime and Tsitsipas have met nine times, with Tsitsipas leading 6-3. 

The 26-year-old Tsitsipas triumphed in their most recent meeting, the second round of the 2023 Paris Masters.

Prior to that, Auger-Aliassime claimed his first ATP Tour singles title by defeating Tsitsipas in straight sets in the 2022 Rotterdam Open final.

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{allcanada} Maple Leafs place Pacioretty on injured reserve

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Max Pacioretty has been placed on injured reserve and will not play at the Rangers on Friday.

The forward has missed the past three games because of tightness that began during practice after returning from the 4Nations Face-off break, according to coach Craig Berube.

Chris Tanev is day to day with an upper-body injury and also will not be in the lineup at New York.

The defenseman left a 5-4 overtime win at the Boston Bruins on Tuesday after only two shifts and 49 seconds of ice time, and did not practice Wednesday.

Philippe Myers, who has been a healthy scratch the past three games, will replace Tanev against the Rangers and skate on a pair with Jake McCabe.

Defenseman Marshall Rifai was recalled from Toronto of the American Hockey League on Friday.

William Nylander played 21:21 against the Bruins but the forward did not take a shift in overtime. He did not practice on Wednesday but is expected to play against the Rangers.

Nylander skated in his usual spot at right wing on a line with left wing Pontus Holmberg and center John Tavares at Toronto's morning skate on Friday.

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{allcanada} Dach out rest of season for Canadiens after knee surgery

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Kirby Dach will be out the rest of the season for the Montreal Canadiens following knee surgery.

The 24-year-old center is expected to make a full recovery before the start of next season after a procedure performed by Dr. Thierry Pauyo in Montreal.

Dach played 13:43 in a 5-2 win at the Ottawa Senators on Saturday before missing the past two games.

He had 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) in 57 games this season.

Last season, Dach was injured in Montreal's second game and was out the rest of the season after having ACL and MCL tears in his right knee surgically repaired.

He has played 117 games in three seasons with the Canadiens since being acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on July 7, 2022.

Selected by the Blackhawks with the No. 3 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, Dach has 121 points (43 goals, 78 assists) in 269 games through six NHL seasons with Chicago and Montreal and six points (one goal, five assists) in nine Stanley Cup Playoff games.

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{allcanada} OHL roundup: Aitcheson's OT goal lifts Colts over Spirit

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BARRIE, Ont. - Kashawn Aitcheson scored just 32 seconds into overtime for the Battie Colts in a 5-4 win over the Saginaw Spirit in the Ontario Hockey League on Thursday.

Kashawn Aitcheson, Gabriel Eliasson, Owen Van Steensel, Anthony Romani and Beau Jelsma also scored for Barrie (36-18-2-2). Colts goalie Sam Hillebrandt contributed 35 saves to the win.

Dimian Zhilkin scored twice and Calem Mangone and Zayne Parekh also scored for Saginaw (32-23-2-1). Spirit netminder Andrew Oke stopped 29 of 34 shots.

OTTERS 5 ICEDOGS 4

ST. CATHARINES, Ont. — Pano Fimis scored the game-winner for visiting Erie at 14:32 in the third period.

Martin Misiak scored twice while Alex Messier and Callum Hughes also scored for the Otters (28-23-4-2), who got 23 saves from goalie Noah Erliden.

Mike Levin, Ivan Galiyanov, Mathieu Paris and Kevin He each scored for Niagara (27-24-3-4). Icedogs goalie Matthew Humphries stopped 29 shots in the loss.

STEELHEADS 2 BATTALION 1

NORTH BAY, Ont. — Porter Martone scored the overtime winner at 4:36 for visiting Brampton in the win over North Bay.

Gabriel Chiarot also scored and Steelheads netminder Jack Ivankovic saved 38 of 39 shots for Brampton (28-20-9-0).

Lirim Amidovski scored the lone goal for North Bay (23-29-5-0), while goalie Charlie Larocque stopped 33 of 35 shots.

SPITFIRES 7 PETES 1

PETERBOROUGH, Ont. — Liam Greentree led visiting Windsor with a pair of goals.

Wyatt Kennedy, AJ Spellacy, Ryan Abraham, Ilya Protas and Nathan Gaymes also scored for the Spitfires (40-13-4-1), while netminder Carter Froggett stopped 25 of 26 shots.

Genc Ula scored the single goal for Peterborough (16-35-2-5). Petes starter Zach Bowen turned away 17 of 23 shots for two periods before reliever Easton Rye stopped 14 of 15 in the third.

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{allcanada} Whitecaps blank Saprissa, advance in CONCACAF Champions Cup

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VANCOUVER - The Vancouver Whitecaps have advanced in the CONCACAF Champions Cup tournament after beating Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa 2-0. 

The result gave the 'Caps a 3-2 edge in the two-legged aggregate series after dropping a 2-1 decision in Costa Rica last week. 

Vancouver will face LIGA MX club CF Monterrey in the round of 16 next week. 

Brian White scored both of Vancouver's goals Thursday. He headed a ball in past Saprissa goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado in the 47th minute and slotted in a rebound in the first minute of injury time. 

The 'Caps were the more dangerous team across the first half, outshooting the visitors 4-2 and registering the lone on-target shot.

Vancouver plays its Major League Soccer season home-opener Sunday against the L.A. Galaxy.

Canadian forward Ali Ahmed had multiple chances for the Whitecaps across the first half when he tallied three of the team's four shots.

His first came in the 13th minute when Ahmed slipped through a clutch of defenders in the penalty area, collected a through ball from Pedro Vite, and charged toward the Saprissa net, only to see Alvarado come off his line to block the ensuing shot. 

Fellow Canadian Sam Adekugbe sliced Ahmed a pass at the top of the six-yard box in the 34th minute, but Ahmed's shot sailed wide of the post. The 24-year-old from Toronto pulled his jersey up over his face in apparent disbelief. 

White got Vancouver on the board in the 47th minute, heading a pass from Jayden Nelson into the bottom-right corner of the net for his first goal of 2025.

The tally came a day after the Whitecaps announced they had signed the American striker to a two-year extension through 2027. 

Nelson registered his fourth assist of the season on the play. The 22-year-old midfielder from Brampton, Ont., contributed three helpers and a goal when the 'Caps thumped their regional rivals, the Portland Timbers, 4-1 to open the MLS season Sunday. 

White came close to putting away his second of the night in the 72nd minute when he fired a shot off the post from inside the six-yard box. 

Former Whitecap Kendall Waston came close to netting a goal for Saprissa with a shot in tight in the 66th minute, but Vancouver 'keeper Yohei Takaoka dove across his line to snatch the ball out of harm's way. 

The Japanese netminder made one save on the night to earn his first clean sheet of the season. 

Waston registered Saprissa's best chance of the night in the 85th minute when he launched a blast from near the penalty spot, sending the ball ricocheting off the crossbar.

White sealed the win in the first minute of injury time when he collected a rebound off a corner kick and quickly sent it in past Alvarado to give Vancouver a 2-0 lead in front of an announced 14,509 at B.C. Place.

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{allcanada} Canada's Denis Shapovalov beats Marcos Giron, advances to Mexican Open semis

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A fantastic February continued Thursday for Denis Shapovalov.

The Canadian tennis player won his eighth match in a row and advanced to the Mexican Open semifinals with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over American Marcos Giron in Acapulco.

The ninth-seeded Shapovalov, who won the Dallas Open earlier this month, will face the winner of a match between Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Mexico's Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez in the semis on Friday night.

The tournament is wide open with none of the top seven seeds advancing to the final four.

Three of the top five seeds either withdrew or retired from matches earlier in the week because of stomach issues.

Shapovalov, ranked 32nd in the world, won for the first time in three matches against Giron. The world No. 52 beat Shapovalov earlier this year in Adelaide, Australia.

The Canadian could move up to as high as No. 22 in the rankings if he wins the ATP Tour 500 event.

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{allcanada} Auger-Aliassime keeps winning, reaches semifinals in Dubai

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DUBAI — Montreal's Félix Auger-Aliassime rallied past Marin Cilic 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 Thursday to reach the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

Auger-Aliassime fired 13 aces to Cilic's three and broke the Croatian three times on 10 chances.

The world No. 21 improved his career record against the 186th-ranked Cilic to 2-3, securing his third straight three-set victory in Dubai.

Auger-Aliassime will meet France's Quentin Halys in the semifinal. The Canadian defeated Halys 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2) last week in the first round of the Qatar Open.

The 24-year-old Auger-Aliassime is seeking his third ATP title of the season after winning last month in Adelaide, Australia, and Montpellier, France.

Tallon Griekspoor, who upset top seed Daniil Medvedev on Thursday, will face fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas in the other semifinal.

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{allcanada} Cole Caulfield scores in OT to lift the Canadiens past the Sharks, 4-3

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MONTREAL (AP) Cole Caufield scored at 3:21 of overtime and the Montreal Canadiens beat the San Jose Sharks 4-3 on Thursday night for their third straight victory since the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

Caufield put the puck between his legs to get around Macklin Celebrini, then beat Alexandar Georgiev with a shot over his right pad. Caufield leads the Canadiens with 28 goals.

Montreal captain Nick Suzuki scored two first-period goals, and Alex Newhook had his first goal since since Feb. 4. Samuel Montembeault stopped 22 shots for his third win a row.

Fabian Zetterlund, Nico Sturm and Will Smith scored for San Jose, Last in the NHL, the Sharks have lost seven straight and 13 of 14.

Canadiens: Montreal trailed by a goal three separate times in regulation, ultimately answering back with goals of their own.

Sharks: San Jose lost for the first time at the Bell Centre since March 21, 2015. The Sharks had won their last eight meetings against the Canadiens in Montreal.

With Montreal down 2-1 with under a minute remaining in the first period, Suzuki accepted a feed from Hutson before firing a snap shot past Georgiev from the left faceoff circle for his second goal of the period.

Suzuki first-period goals were his first career goals against San Jose.

Both teams are in action Saturday night. San Jose is at Ottawa, and Montreal is at Buffalo.

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{allcanada} Schmidt and Verhaeghe score in the 3rd, Panthers top Oilers 4-3 in Cup final rematch

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SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) Nate Schmidt and Carter Verhaeghe had third-period goals, Anton Lundell had a goal and two assists and the Florida Panthers topped the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 on Thursday night.

Uvis Balinskis also scored for Florida, which jumped Toronto for first in the Atlantic Division.

Leon Draisaitl scored his 44th goal for the Oilers, who also got goals from Brett Kulak and Zach Hyman.

It was Edmonton's first time on the Panthers' ice since June 24, when Florida topped the Oilers 2-1 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers won the clubs' first meeting earlier this season, prevailing 6-5 at Edmonton on Dec. 16.

Both teams had 12 players on the ice Thursday from the lineups that they used in Game 7 of the title series.

Oilers: Edmonton has dropped five straight, the Oilers' longest slide since dropping six consecutive games in December 2021. The Oilers have allowed at least four goals in all five of the losses during the stretch.

Panthers: Florida was again without Matthew Tkachuk because of a lower-body injury sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. "He's out near-term, we know that. We're just making sure that we get ... different ideas on treatment plans," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.

Hyman got the Oilers within 4-3 with 3:35 left, but Edmonton took two penalties in the next 3:21 to hurt the rally bid.

Draisaitl's goal was his 316th over the last seven seasons, breaking a tie with Toronto's Auston Matthews for the most in that span. Matthews and the Leafs play Friday at the New York Rangers.

Edmonton finishes a five-game trip Saturday at Carolina, while Florida remains home to face Calgary on Saturday. It'll be the first game back in Sunrise for Flames forward Ryan Lomberg since he helped Florida win the Cup last season.

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{allcanada} Alouettes extend American DL Johnson, Argos sign SB winner Watts

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MONTREAL - The Montreal Alouettes signed American defensive lineman Mustafa Johnson to a contract extension Thursday.

The deal keeps Johnson under contract through the 2026 season.

The six-foot, 285-pound Johnson had 35 tackles, six sacks, a blocked kick and four pass knockdowns in 15 regular-season games last year. 

Mustafa enters his fourth CFL season, all with Montreal.

He has appeared in 40 career regular-season games, registering 96 tackles, 15 sacks and a defensive touchdown. 

He has also suited up for five playoff games, including Montreal's Grey Cup win over Winnipeg in 2023.

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Toronto Argonauts sign Super Bowl winner Armani Watts

TORONTO -- The Toronto Argonauts bolstered their secondary Thursday by signing American defensive back Armani Watts, a Super Bowl champion.

The five-foot-11, 205-pound spent four seasons with Kansas City (2018-21), helping the Chiefs down San Francisco 31-20 in Super Bowl LIV.

Kansas City selected Watts in the fourth round, No. 124 overall, in the 2018 NFL draft. Watts appeared in 53 games with the Chiefs recording 58 tackles and one fumble recovery.

He also saw action in nine playoff games, including two Super Bowls. The other was the Chiefs' 31-9 loss to Tampa Bay on Feb. 7, 2021.

Watts signed with the Indianapolis Colts on April 5, 2022 but missed the entire season after being placed on injured reserve Aug. 30 with an an ankle injury.

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{allcanada} Newfoundland Limited Series Set At Netflix From Jesse McKeown

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Netflix is heading to Newfoundland for its next limited drama series.

The streamer has ordered an untitled, six-part series, set and shot in the Canadian province.

It comes from creator Jesse McKeown, who served as co-showrunner on Netflix's The Umbrella Academy.

The series is set in a remote Newfoundland town, which is terrorized by a mysterious sea creature, and a hard-bitten fisherman must fight to protect his family, his community, and his vanishing way of life.

McKeown will serve as showrunner and will exec produce alongside Chris Hatcher (The Madness) and Sharon Hall (The Expanse). Writers include Karen Walton (Orphan Black), Perry Chafe (St. Pierre) and Natty Zavitz (Edging).

"Jesse's bold, ambitious vision offers thrills galore, with the heart of a family drama. We can't wait to transport our members to coastal Newfoundland with this timely story about community, resilience and adaptability," said Danielle Woodrow and Tara Woodbury, Directors, Content – Canada, Netflix.

Dr. Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, added, "Newfoundland and Labrador's rich history and stunning landscapes make it the ideal canvas for a project of this magnitude. The province's commitment to storytelling, talented crews, and unique beauty ensure that this series will capture the spirit of our province. We are excited to be part of bringing this incredible vision to the screen."

McKeown is repped by UTA and Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment.

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{allcanada} Marsch to Trump: 'Lay off the ridiculous rhetoric about Canada being the 51st state'

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Canada soccer coach Jesse Marsch waded into politics Wednesday, telling United States President Donald Trump to "lay off the ridiculous rhetoric about Canada being a 51st state."

The 51-year-old Marsch, a former U.S. international who was born in Racine, Wisc., made his comments at a CONCACAF news conference at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., the site of next month's CONCACAF Nations League Finals featuring Canada, the U.S., Mexico and Panama.

He was asked about the recent Four Nations Face-Off hockey final between Canada and the U.S. and, as an American coaching the Canadian men's team, how comfortable was he with "all this political stuff happening right now."

"As an American, I'm ashamed of the arrogance and disregard that we've shown one of our historically oldest, strongest and most loyal allies," Marsch said. "But one thing's for sure, when I look forward to a month from now, I know that this will fuel our team — the mentality we have, the will we have to play for our country, the desire we have to go after this tournament in every way and to show on and off the pitch exactly what Canadian character is."

"I guarantee you our team will be ready," he added.

Canada, ranked 31st in the world, takes on No. 19 Mexico in one semifinal March 20 while the 16th-ranked U.S. faces No. 36 Panama in the other. The championship and third-place games will take place three days later.

"These international tournaments for Canada mean something different now," Marsch said. "And as an American, I'd like to address the 51st state discourse, which I find unsettling and frankly insulting.

"Canada's a strong independent nation that's deep-rooted in decency. Really. And it's a place that values high ethics and respect, unlike the polarized, disrespectful and often now hate-fuelled climate that's in the U.S."

Marsch said that in his time as head coach he has found that Canada values "fairness and unity" and is a country where people find strength in their differences.

"And honestly it's one of the things that I've enjoyed the most about our team is that they exemplify this as human beings and as a team," he said. "Look, they're almost all first- and second-generation Canadians coming from different heritage and cultures, but they uniquely are incredibly proud to be Canadian, to represent their country, to give everything to each other and the love that they have for each other and playing for their country."

Marsch said he "couldn't be prouder" to be Canada's coach.

"I've found a place that embodies for me the ideals and morals of what not just football and a team is, but what life is," he said. "And that's integrity, respect and the belief that good people can do great things together."

Asked for his response, Oguchi Onyewu, U.S. Soccer's vice-president of sporting, said he was there to promote the Nations League.

"My main focus right now and the U.S.'s focus is the competition ahead and hopefully coming back as a four-peat champion, knowing that the competition is extremely stiff and that any of these four teams have the quality in their player pool to win this tournament," said the former U.S. international.

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{allcanada} Tennis Canada creates points race for National Bank Open wild-card spots

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TORONTO - Tennis Canada will award a singles main-draw wild card entry to the top Canadian man and woman accumulating the most points in national events preceding the National Bank Open in Montreal and Toronto.

The 2025 edition of the National Bank Open will be held July 26 to Aug. 7 with the WTA heading to Montreal and the ATP in Toronto.

The "Road to the NBO" was already underway as pro tennis tournaments in Canada after the 2024 National Bank Open were factored into the rankings.

Kayla Cross of London, Ont., ranked first among women for the Montreal wild card with 120 points and Liam Draxl of Newmarket, Ont., topped the men's race with 72.

"This new competition is sure to build the excitement in the months leading up to the 2025 National Bank Open, and we can't wait to see how it translates onto the court," said Valérie Tétreault, tournament director of Montreal's NBO in a statement Thursday.

"Not only do we believe that this is a fantastic way to elevate our Canadian events, but it will also create some interesting and inspiring storylines in the run-up to our biggest tournament of the year.

"For the players themselves, the Road to the NBO offers a unique opportunity to showcase their skills on home soil and ultimately gives everyone an equal chance of earning a spot in the main draw of our world-class event."

The points system used to determine the standings is based on the ATP and WTA singles ranking points earned by each participant at the dedicated events.

Events held in July, however, will be worth double the points. In the event of a tie, the player ranked the highest following the update on July 21, 2025, will receive the wild card.

If the player at the top of the standings by the end of the competition cannot participate at the NBO, or has already received direct entry into the tournament, the wild card will be allocated to the next player with the most points, Tennis Canada said.

In addition, the player with the second-most points in the men's Road to the NBO standings will receive a wild card into the NBO qualifiers.

On the women's side, Tennis Canada announced its intention to host a pre-qualifying tournament to determine two more wild cards for the NBO — one for the main draw and one for the qualifier.

"The National Bank Open is entering a new era, with its expanded 12-day format and 96-player main draw, which has opened the door for us to explore different and creative ways of allocating our wild cards," explained Tennis Canada high-performance vice-president Guillaume Marx in the statement.

"We now have eight main-draw wild cards for the WTA event and five on the ATP side, giving us the opportunity to create the Road to the NBO, a concept we've considered doing for many years. One thing we've always said is how important our Canadian professional events are to the growth of the game and the professional pipeline in our country, and this competition only reinforces that belief. Players will now have even more reasons to play at home, and we can't wait to see how things unfold as the summer approaches."

The three remaining tournaments in the women's points race are W15 Trois-Rivières and W15 Montreal in March and the Granby National Bank Championships in July.

The remaining tournaments counting in the men's race are the M15 Sherbrooke and M15 Montreal in March, M25 Laval in June and the Winnipeg National Bank Challenger and the Granby National Bank Championships in July.

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