HOCKEY
The Carolina Hurricanes have avoided a major injury concern for defenseman Tony DeAngelo while veteran blue-liner Brett Pesce is nearing a return from a lower-body injury suffered in the second game of the NHL playoffs.
Team president and general manager Don Waddell said Wednesday that Pesce has shed a walking boot and is doing work to return and should play at some point in the second-round series against the Presidents’ Trophy-winning New York Rangers.
Pesce came up hobbled in a non-contact situation in Game 2 of the first-round series win against the New York Islanders and didn’t play again. DeAngelo took Pesce’s spot opposite Brady Skjei on Carolina’s deep blue line, only to exit late from Tuesday’s Game 5 clincher after taking an uncalled slash to the arm from Pierre Engvall near the boards.
Caoch Rod Brind’Amour, who had praised DeAngelo’s play in jumping into the lineup, expressed concern afterward while saying the defenseman in his second stint with the team was having X-rays. But Waddell said Wednesday those came back clear.
• Tampa Bay Lightning Coach Jon Cooper opened his end-of-season news conference apologizing for making what he called an inappropriate analogy of putting skirts on goalies.
Cooper after the Game 5 loss that eliminated his team from the playoffs on Monday night vented about two questionable goaltender interference rulings that contributed to Florida’s 6-1 win. The Lightning had two goals disallowed when the NHL situation room deemed a player interfered with Sergei Bobrovsky each time.
The league’s longest-tenured coach said he was sincerely sorry especially as a father of two daughters who play sports and a supporter of women’s hockey.
“It’s one of those minutes if you could just reach back and grab the words back, I would’ve,” Cooper said. “Quite frankly, it was wrong and I’ve got to go and explain myself to my girls. … I sincerely apologize to all I offended. It’s pained me more than the actual series loss itself.”
BASKETBALL
NBA: The Minnesota Timberwolves are planning for Coach Chris Finch to be with them in Denver to begin their Western Conference semifinal series following his knee surgery — and considering seating configurations that would allow him to safely be on the bench during games.
Finch’s procedure to repair a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee went well, according to assistant coach Micah Nori, who has temporarily taken the lead in Finch’s absence. Finch directed the initiation of the strategy for the Nuggets earlier this week before going into surgery.
The team will fly Thursday night to Denver ahead of Saturday’s Game 1. Provided his recovery is on track, Finch would likely travel separately to allow more healing time, Nori said.
• Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley received the NBA Teammate of the Year award for a second time.
The finalists were selected by a panel of league executives, and current NBA players voted on the winner. Brooklyn’s Mikal Bridges finished second, followed by New York’s Jalen Brunson, Indiana’s T.J. McConnell and Cleveland’s Georges Niang.
The award, given annually for selfless play, on-court and off-court leadership and commitment and dedication to the team, is named after Maurice Stokes and Jack Twyman, friends who played together on the Cincinnati Royals. Stokes was paralyzed after an on-court injury in 1958, and Twyman became his legal guardian and supported Stokes for the rest of his life until his death in 1970.
GOLF
PGA: Will Zalatoris has withdrawn from the CJ Cup Byron Nelson citing a flare-up in his back that will require rest after having played the last three weeks.
Zalatoris, the No. 30 player in the world ranking who grew up in the Dallas area, had microdiscectomy surgery on his back last April that caused him to miss nine months.
TENNIS
MADRID OPEN: Carlos Alcaraz’s bid to win a third straight Madrid Open title ended with a three-set loss to Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals.
The second-seeded Spaniard got off to a good start but then was outplayed by the seventh-seeded Rublev, losing 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 at the Caja Magica center court.
Rublev, seeking his second ATP 1000 title after winning Monte Carlo last year, will play either Taylor Fritz or Francisco Cerundolo.
Top-seeded Jannik Sinner withdrew because of a hip injury, saying he didn’t want to risk making it worse. Sinner defeated Karen Khachanov on Tuesday and was scheduled to face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
COLLEGES
MEN’S BASKETBALL: Koby Brea, who led the nation in 3-point shooting for Dayton, will play his final season at Kentucky.
Brea announced his decision on social media and is the fifth player this week and sixth overall to be signed out of the transfer portal by new coach Mark Pope.
Brea shot 49.8% on 3-pointers last season and will have one year of eligibility with Kentucky.
• First-team Associated Press All-American RJ Davis is returning to North Carolina to play his fifth season of eligibility, which could have him ultimately contending for the school and Atlantic Coast Conference career scoring record.
SOCCER
COPA AMERICA: United States defender Sergiño Dest will miss the Copa America because of a torn ACL that requires surgery.
Dest made the announcement, 11 days after he got hurt during a training session with PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands.
The 23-year-old outside back is a regular starter under U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter.
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