WINNIPEG, Manitoba: Brian Elliott made 31 saves for his second consecutive shutout as the Calgary Flames extended their winning streak to nine games with a 3-0 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.
Mikael Backlund and Michael Frolik each scored on the power play as the victory also gave Calgary points in 11 straight games.
The Flames also jumped in the NHL standings. Their 80 points tied them with Anaheim, but Calgary moves into second place in the Pacific Division because they have three more wins than the idle Ducks.
Alex Chiasson also scored, while Frolik added one assist and Dougie Hamilton, a game-time decision, had three assists.
SENATORS 4, AVALANCHE 2: Craig Anderson made 14 saves to set the franchise wins mark as Ottawa defeated Colorado for its sixth consecutive victory.
Alex Burrows and Mike Hoffman each had a goal and an assist for Ottawa, which tied Montreal atop the Atlantic Division with 84 points.
Anderson earned win No. 147 with Ottawa and passed Patrick Lalime for the top spot.
Fredrik Claesson and Ryan Dzingel also had goals for the Senators.
Calvin Pickard stopped 27 shots and Matt Nieto and Sven Andrighetto scored for the Avalanche.
KINGS 4, CAPITALS 2: Adrian Kempe scored his first NHL goal with 11:14 to play and captain Anze Kopitar had a goal and an assist in Los Angeles’ victory over NHL-leading Washington.
Marian Gaborik also scored and Jonathan Quick made 17 saves in a big win for the Kings, who have won three of four as they fight to stay in the playoff race. Jeff Carter added an empty-net goal as Los Angeles won back-to-back games for the first time since early February.
The Kings are in ninth place in the Western Conference, trailing St. Louis by three points.
Jakub Vrana and T.J. Oshie scored for the Capitals, who have lost three straight regulation games for the first time in their outstanding season.
PENGUINS 3, CANUCKS 0: Matt Murray made 27 saves as Pittsburgh beat Vancouver.
Jake Guentzel, Ian Cole and Conor Sheary scored for the Penguins, who have won five straight and are in sole possession of second place in the Metropolitan Division ahead of Columbus.
The Canucks took another hit to their already bleak playoff outlook, slipping 10 points back for the second wild card in the Western Conference.
Vancouver goalie Ryan Miller was outstanding despite the loss, making a season-high 45 saves.
BRUINS 2, FLYERS 1: Drew Stafford scored with 5.6 seconds left in the third period when his dump-in shot tipped off Philadelphia defenseman Brandon Manning’s stick, lifting Boston to the win.
David Pastrnak had a power-play goal, and Tuukka Rask made 26 saves for Boston, which improved to 10-3 under interim coach Bruce Cassidy, who replaced fired Claude Julien on Feb.7.
Jordan Weal had the Flyers’ goal, and Steve Mason stopped 25 shots. Philadelphia may be sliding out of a chance at a playoff berth with its ninth loss in 14 games (5-8-1).
PREDATORS 3, SHARKS 1: Ryan Johansen and James Neal scored goals to help Nashville snap a four-game losing streak with a victory over San Jose.
After starting their California swing with a shootout loss in Anaheim and an overtime defeat in Los Angeles, the Predators head home on a high note by beating the defending Western Conference champions. Backup goalie Juuse Saros made 25 saves for the win.
Paul Martin scored the lone goal for the first-place Sharks, who lost for just the second time in seven games.
MAPLE LEAFS 3, HURRICANES 2, OT: Morgan Rielly scored 2:13 into overtime to lift Toronto over the Carolina.
Rielly’s wrist shot past Cam Ward gave Toronto its third straight victory and moved them one point ahead of the New York Islanders for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Mitch Marner and James van Riemsdyk also scored for Toronto and Frederik Andersen made 36 saves.
Victor Rask and Teuvo Teravainen scored for Carolina, which has lost 11 of 15 games. Ward made 23 saves but could not steer aside Rielly’s shot, which bounced off his left leg pad and angled into the back corner of the net.
SABRES 5, BLUE JACKETS 3: Evander Kane scored a power-play goal with 2:29 remaining as Buffalo rallied from a three-goal deficit to beat Columbus.
Sam Reinhart, Matt Moulson and Jake McCabe scored to tie it and Jack Eichel added an empty-netter for Buffalo. Robin Lehner stopped all 24 shots he faced after taking over for Anders Nilsson to start the second period. Nilsson was yanked after giving up three goals on 12 shots.
Nick Foligno, Oliver Bjorkstrand and David Savard scored for Columbus. Joonas Korpisalo stopped 26 shots.
LIGHTNING 3, PANTHERS 2: Ondrej Palat scored with 2:23 left to give Tampa Bay a victory over Florida.
Palat redirected Andrej Sustr’s shot to complete Tampa Bay’s comeback from a two-goal deficit.
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 32 saves and Nikita Kucherov and Yanni Gourde also scored for the Lightning.
Jaromir Jagr and Mark Pysyk scored for Florida while James Reimer stopped 31 shots.
COYOTES 5, DEVILS 4: Tobias Reider and Anthony DeAngelo each had a goal and an assist as Arizona handed New Jersey its 10th consecutive loss.
The Coyotes led 4-0 early in the second period but needed the goal from the rookie DeAngelo with 6:29 to play for what proved to be the winning margin.
DeAngelo’s goal, a patient shot through traffic from the slot, put Arizona up 5-3 before John Moore’s backhanded upper shelf shot past goalie Mike Smith cut it to 5-4 with 4:58 remaining.
Smith preserved the victory by blocking Taylor Hall’s penalty shot with 2:38 to play.
Devils goalie Cory Schneider was lifted after allowing four goals on 10 shots in the first 24:13 of the game.
Radim Vrbata, Brendan Perlini, and Jakob Chychrun also scored for Arizona.
Kyle Palmieri scored twice and Beau Bennett added goals for New Jersey.
BLUES 4, ISLANDERS 3: Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice to lead St. Louis over New York.
Alexander Steen and Patrik Berglund also scored as the Blues won their fourth straight game. Carter Hutton stopped 21 of 24 shots.
New York’s Thomas Greiss stopped 14 of 18 shots in the first two periods before being pulled in favor of Jean-Francois Berube to start the third with the Islanders trailing 4-1.
Brock Nelson, Anthony Beauvillier and Nick Leddy scored for the Islanders.
Flames shutout Jets; Senators defeat Avalanche
Flames shutout Jets; Senators defeat Avalanche
Saudi Arabia’s World Cup hopes dented in Indonesia
- Depressing outcome for Herve Renard
JAKARTA: Saudi Arabia lost 2-0 in Indonesia on Tuesday to leave hopes of automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup in serious doubt.
Just six points in six games in Group C and no goals in the last four matches makes for depressing reading for head coach Herve Renard.
A goal in each half from Marselino Ferdinan had 60,000-plus fans in Jakarta on their feet and it will not have gone unnoticed by Renard — in his second game back in charge — that this creative talent made a difference just as his, Salem Al-Dawsari, was missing through injury.
And he was missed. Without the 2022 Asian Player of the Year, Saudi Arabia may have had the majority of the ball, but they created little going forward and were hit multiple times by the rapid counters of Indonesia.
Renard said: “Indonesia deserved to win this game. We now have four games and it will be tough and it will be tough for everybody. I accept the challenge to take Saudi Arabia to the World Cup; it doesn’t matter which way but we have to go to the World Cup.”
In the opening exchanges there was a white wave and Saudi Arabia could count themselves lucky that they were not at least a goal down inside the first 10 minutes.
Indeed, the hosts hit the post in the opening minute as Marselino could not quite connect with a right-sided cross from Ivar Jenner and all watched as the ball came back off the woodwork.
Rafael Struick had another great chance in the ninth minute, running on to a Thom Haye ball over the top but with just the goalkeeper to beat, Ahmed Al-Kassar made the save.
The Green Falcons thought they had an advantage midway through the first half. Justin Hubner’s leaping challenge against Mohammed Al-Qahtani succeeded in getting the ball but also ended with his boot in the face of the young Al-Hilal star. When the referee went to the pitchside monitor, the home fans feared the worst but, in the end, a yellow card was shown.
If that was a little fortunate for Indonesia, the lead they took after 32 minutes was deserved.
Saudi Arabia, already aggrieved at a couple of decisions, felt that they should have been given a penalty and then watched in horror as the hosts broke forward. Ragnar Oratmangoen pulled the ball back for Marselino standing near the penalty spot and the Oxford United player took his time, twisted and turned and then curled home into the top corner.
The referee ignored the protests from the men in green and seconds after the restart, Struick was through on goal again but just could not quite get the final touch.
Just before the break Indonesia went close again with Calvin Verdonk volleying just wide from the left. Firas Al-Buraikan then had a rare sight of goal but his shot on the turn was blocked.
Renard would have been the happier of the two coaches to hear the half-time whistle, but both he and his opposite number Shin Tae-yong knew there was a long way to go.
Saudi Arabia started brightly after the break and put pressure on the hosts without creating real chances and it was another breakaway that led to Indonesia’s second.
Verdonk broke down the right and fed Marselino inside the area. His first attempt was blocked by Ali Al-Bulaihi but fell kindly for the Oxford star who then lifted the ball over Al-Kassar into the net.
As they had to, Saudi Arabia started to push forward more and more. Al-Bulaihi headed just over from close range and then the lively Abdullah Al-Hamdan nodded just wide with a fine attempt that had goalkeeper Maarten Paes scrambling across his line. Soon after, the same forward headed straight into the arms of the No. 1.
There were not many more chances to come, though Mohamed Kanno shot against the bar, and the game ended with a flurry of cards, including a second yellow for Hubner.
Saudi Arabia will argue that the defender should have seen red long before but, in truth, they were second best for too much of the match.
Now, the race for the second of the automatic places behind leaders Japan, way ahead on 16 points, could not be tighter with four teams on six and one of those sides, Australia, facing Bahrain later on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia will be hoping for a favor and, with just one win in six, they need all the help they can get.
Tickets on sale for 2024 Next Gen ATP finals as future tennis stars descend on Jeddah
- 8 best men’s under-20s will compete from Dec. 18-22
- It will be the second edition of the finals presented by PIF as part of 5-year partnership between the ATP Tour and Saudi Tennis Federation
JEDDAH: Tickets are now on sale for the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals, as Jeddah prepares to welcome the world’s best male tennis players aged 20 and below.
The 2024 tournament is the second in a five-year partnership between the Association of Tennis Professionals and the Saudi Tennis Federation, putting the tennis stars of the future in the spotlight.
The 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals, presented by the Public Investment Fund, will take place on hard indoor courts at King Abdullah Sports City from Dec. 18-22 with an increased total prize fund of $2.05 million. Tickets and packages start from SR30.
First hosted in 2017, the finals moved to Jeddah in 2023. It marked a historic turning point as the first professional tennis tournament held in Saudi Arabia and played a pivotal role in the Saudi Tennis Federation’s ambition to inspire a million people to take up the sport by 2030.
Arij Mutabagani, president of the Saudi Tennis Federation, said: “Building on the success of last year’s tournament, we are thrilled to welcome the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF back to Jeddah for the second year. This event not only showcases the future stars of tennis but also highlights our commitment to fostering a vibrant sports culture in Saudi Arabia.
“As part of our vision to inspire 1 million people to play tennis by 2030, (the finals) play a crucial role in igniting passion and interest among Saudi fans and young players by bringing the best young talent in the world to our doorstep.”
ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said: “This tournament is a glimpse into the future of tennis, and we are proud to partner with the Saudi Tennis Federation to bring it to life. By showcasing the talent and ambition of these young athletes, we hope to inspire a new generation of tennis players, both in Saudi Arabia and around the world.”
The top seven players qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals based on their Race to Jeddah ranking points accumulated throughout the 2024 ATP Tour season. The eighth place is reserved for a wildcard entry.
The final field will be confirmed once the ATP Challenger Tour season finishes on Dec. 2. The eventual winner will join a star-studded list of Next Gen ATP Finals champions, including current world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, four-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz, and 11-time ATP Tour winner Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The finals are played in a round-robin format with the eight players split into two groups of four. The top seed is placed in Group A and the second seed in Group B, with the remaining seeds drawn in pairs and allocated to a group. The top two from each group advance to the knockout semifinals, with the Group A winner facing the Group B runner-up and vice versa.
The Next Gen ATP Finals are known for their groundbreaking innovation and unique format, designed to make tennis faster while bringing fans closer to the action and players.
They align with the Saudi Tennis Federation’s goal of attracting 1 million players to tennis while developing and nurturing young homegrown talent. Among several new initiatives is the “Tennis For All” program, in collaboration with the Saudi Sports For All Federation, aimed at introducing the sport to more than 60,000 boys and girls in schools across the Kingdom.
‘He’s the best sportsman in Spanish history’ – Feliciano Lopez pays tribute to Rafael Nadal ahead of Davis Cup farewell
- Tournament director and longtime friend and teammate is bracing himself for an emotional week in Malaga
MALAGA: “I think no one would have ever imagined a script like this,” Feliciano Lopez tells Arab News at the Martin Carpena Arena in Malaga, where Rafael Nadal is set to play the last tournament of his professional career alongside his Spanish teammates in the Davis Cup Finals.
Lopez, a longtime friend and teammate of Nadal, is the tournament director of the Davis Cup Finals and finds it poetic that the Spanish legend has chosen this team competition to be the last stop of his storied career.
“2004 Rafa wins the Davis Cup in Seville, I think that was probably the first big turning point of his career, in my opinion,” reflects Lopez.
“And then 20 years later, his career is coming to an end, playing the same competition, playing in Spain, in his country, alongside Carlos Alcaraz, who I think is a true blessing, because in a country like Spain, it’s very difficult to see that kind of athlete.
“Rafa is going to be playing his final professional tournament and we have Carlos Alcaraz having already four Grand Slams, it’s a true blessing.”
Spain’s greatest sports icon ending his professional tennis career by sharing a team with his heir apparent is indeed as good as it gets for the home fans that will fill up the 11,000-capacity arena when Nadal and Co. take on the Netherlands in the quarterfinals on Tuesday (5pm local time, 7pm KSA time).
“Also the fact that David (Ferrer, the former world No. 3) is the captain, it’s another nice coincidence. They are friends, they were teammates, they were rivals as well,” added Lopez, referring to Spain’s Davis Cup captain.
“Me here as a tournament director, I don’t know who would have been able to write this beautiful script. But I think it’s going to be very emotional, a lot of things coming to our minds, but of course Rafa is going to be the one playing the main role I think this week.”
Lopez, who officially retired from professional tennis last year and serves as tournament director at the Davis Cup Finals and the Madrid Open, first met a 15-year-old Nadal in Seville – just 200km north-west of Malaga – where they shared a practice session together.
“I was amazed by the intensity he was putting already at 15 years old,” he recalls.
Lopez’s funniest memory of his countryman was when Nadal made his Davis Cup debut in an away tie against the Czech Republic in 2004.
Nadal was still 17 at the time and lost in straight sets in his first singles and doubles matches that weekend. But the tie was still in play thanks to Tommy Robredo, who won the other singles clash, allowing the Spaniards to enter the last day of action trailing the Czechs 1-2, with two singles showdowns to come.
Just as Lopez was about to take to the court for a do-or-die match against Tomas Berdych, a teenage Nadal stopped him in his tracks.
“I was literally almost putting my feet on the court and I saw Rafa coming towards me, running. I was a bit concerned, ‘What’s going on, what’s wrong Rafa?’” Lopez recounted.
“He said, ‘No, no Feli, I just want to wish you good luck, and please, you have to win this match and I will take care of the rest’.
“I will never forget, he was 17 years old, he made his debut, lost the two matches he played and he was convinced and he was so determined that he was going to win the deciding match; and that tells you everything about the way he thinks and the way he is. I will never forget that.”
Nadal, of course, clinched the tie for Spain by winning the fifth match in straight sets over Radek Stepanek, who was wanked 49 in the world at the time. A few months later, he shocked world No. 2 Andy Roddick of the United States to help Spain secure the Davis Cup title at home in Seville.
Spain is not short on sporting legends, but Lopez does not hesitate to dub Nadal the greatest of them all.
“He's the best sportsman of our history of course, with all respect to the others, because we have plenty of them, and very good ones,” said the 43-year-old.
“He’s by far our best athlete and his legacy is going to be also as a human being. Because his titles, of course, are not going to be forgotten, that’s for sure. But it’s very rare to see someone that good, tennis-wise, but also his legacy as a human being is going to be maybe bigger and better than his legacy as a tennis player.
“This is for me something unbelievable.”
In a career that spanned over two decades, Nadal won 92 titles, including 22 Grand Slams. Novak Djokovic is the only man in history to have amassed more major trophies.
Asked what he personally believes makes Nadal special, Lopez said: “I think his passion – he’s someone very passionate, he does everything with a lot of passion in his life.
“As a tennis player, I will say his intensity, from the first point until the last point, and this is something very rare to see. Tennis matches can be very long and you see up and downs all the time with almost every player, but with Rafa it’s a different story. He’s able to play with a lot of intensity and his self-belief also is something I think out of this world. That’s really something also remarkable.”
Lopez added: “But also tennis-wise, he’s a very complete player. He’s so powerful, the speed of his ball is completely different than any of the players. There was always a lot of talk regarding his fitness condition, his mentality and his intensity, all these things, but I think tennis-wise he’s top three in the history of the sport, otherwise I don’t think he would have been able to achieve everything that he achieved.”
Tickets for Tuesday evening’s quarterfinal between Spain and the Netherlands were sold out the minute Nadal announced he would be retiring after the Davis Cup and even participating players and captains have joked that they’re unable to score a seat in the arena for the Mallorcan’s farewell event.
“We can't get tickets. I think the tickets are going for $100,000. If you want to pay for me, I'll go,” laughed USA team captain and doubles legend Bob Bryan.
“Of course since Rafa decided that this is going to be his last professional tournament, the expectations increased all over the world and everyone wants to be present here today and there’s no room for everyone. So we’re getting ready for a big week,” said Lopez.
Roger Federer tells friend and rival Rafael Nadal that he made him enjoy tennis more
- Federer began his message with the word “Vamos” and said: “As you get ready to graduate from tennis, I’ve got a few things to share before I maybe get emotional”
- “Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me — a lot. More than I managed to beat you”
MALAGA, Spain: Roger Federer says Rafael Nadal made him enjoy tennis “even more” during a rivalry that spanned 40 matches over 15 years.
Writing on social media Tuesday, hours before the start of the Davis Cup Final 8, Nadal’s last event before heading into retirement, Federer began his message with the word “Vamos” and said: “As you get ready to graduate from tennis, I’ve got a few things to share before I maybe get emotional.”
“Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me — a lot. More than I managed to beat you. You challenged me in ways no one else could,” Federer said. “On clay, it felt like I was stepping into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to hold my ground. You made me reimagine my game — even going so far as to change the size of my racquet head, hoping for any edge.”
Federer, now 43, was established at No. 1 in the rankings when Nadal, now 38, came along. Federer started his career with a 7-0 record in Grand Slam finals before his first loss at that stage arrived against Nadal in the 2006 French Open final, the first of their three consecutive title matches in Paris — each with the same result.
Nadal also defeated Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final, ending the Swiss star’s bid for a sixth championship in a row at the All England Club.
In all, Nadal led their head-to-head series 26-14, including 10-4 at Grand Slam tournaments and 6-3 in Slam finals.
Still, Federer told Nadal in his post, referring to him by the nickname Rafa: “You made me enjoy the game even more.”
They helped form the Big Three of men’s tennis along with Novak Djokovic, who is still active at age 37 and has won a men’s-record 24 major trophies. Nadal is next on the list with 22, followed by Federer with 20.
“What an incredible run you’ve had,” Federer posted. “Including 14 French Opens — historic! You made Spain proud ... you made the whole tennis world proud.”
When Federer left the sport by playing a doubles match at the Laver Cup in September 2022, his partner was Nadal. The two sat side-by-side afterward, crying.
“It meant everything to me that you were there by my side — not as my rival but as my doubles partner,” Federer wrote Tuesday. “Sharing the court with you that night, and sharing those tears, will forever be one of the most special moments of my career.”
Nadal’s Spanish team was scheduled to meet the Netherlands in the Davis Cup quarterfinals Tuesday. Neither Nadal nor Spain’s captain, David Ferrer, would say Monday whether Nadal will play singles or doubles, both — or neither.
“Rafa, I know you’re focused on the last stretch of your epic career. We will talk when it’s done,” Federer wrote. “I want you to know that your old friend is always cheering for you, and will be cheering just as loud for everything you do next.”
Saudi Arabia set for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup qualifier in Qatar
- Saudi Arabia are familiar with their rivals after taking part alongside them all in T20 tournaments this year
Qualification for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to take place in India and Sri Lanka, is in full swing. From Nov. 19-28, Doha takes center stage for Asia Sub-Regional Qualifier Group B.
With seven nations taking part it looks set to be an exciting competition, with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Bhutan, Cambodia, Thailand and the UAE joining hosts Qatar. The teams are competing for the last two places in the Asia-East Asia-Pacific regional final, to be held in Malaysia in August 2025.
Malaysia and Kuwait emerged successfully from the Asia Group A qualifier, while Samoa and Japan won the East Asia-Pacific A and East Asia-Pacific B qualifiers, respectively. Nepal, Oman and Papua New Guinea have already qualified by virtue of taking part in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies.
The seven teams competing for these last two places will play in a round robin league, with the top two teams in the table progressing to the next qualifier.
Saudi Arabia are familiar with their rivals after taking part alongside them all in T20 tournaments this year. These matches were in either the Asia Cricket Council T20 Challenger Cup in Thailand or the ACC Premier Cup that followed in Nepal. In the Challenger Cup, Saudi Arabia convincingly beat Bhutan, Thailand, Japan and Cambodia in Bangkok, the latter in the final. This maintained their excellent record in Thailand, where they won the ACC 50-over version in 2023.
Saudi Arabia’s convincing qualification in February for the ACC T20 Premier Cup provided an opportunity for the team to test itself against strong opposition in Nepal. The bridge proved too large to gap, however, as only one match out of four played was won.
This ought not to be the case in the current Asia Group B qualifier in Qatar. The UAE are arguably favorite to win, sitting 16th in the ICC T20I men’s rankings. Closest to them are Bahrain (26), Qatar (28) and Saudi Arabia (33). Behind them come Cambodia, ranked 42nd, Thailand in 59th and Bhutan in 77th. Saudi Arabia have comfortably beaten each of them in the ACC T20 Challenger Cup so it is the matches against the three higher-ranking teams that are likely to prove crucial.
Three matches will be played each day for 10 days at either the West End Park International Cricket Stadium or the University Stadium in Doha from Nov. 19. Saudi Arabia’s first match is against Bahrain, who are just ahead in the T20I rankings.
If the Saudi team can start their campaign with a victory, they will have a good chance of challenging for one of the top two spots in the table — and a place in the Asia-East Asia-Pacific regional final. From there, the dream is the 2026 T20 World Cup.
