Sports briefs
In the NHL
Alex Ovechkin scored two of his three goals over 56 seconds in the second period and the Washington Capitals beat the Florida Panthers 4-3 Friday.
Ovechkin has 18 goals, most through 21 games in a season by a player in at least his 17th season. He’s 19 goals from passing Jaromir Jagr for third on the career list following his 28th hat trick.
- Sebastian Aho scored twice, Jesperi Kotkaniemi had a goal and an assist, and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Philadelphia Flyers 6-3 Friday.
- Alex DeBrincat scored 1:27 into overtime and the Chicago Blackhawks overcame an early two-goal deficit to beat the St. Louis Blues, 3-2.
- Kirill Kaprizov scored and tied a career high with three assists to help the Minnesota Wild rout the Winnipeg Jets, 7-1.
Mats Zuccarello scored twice before leaving after a slash to his wrist, Alex Goligoski, Ryan Hartman, Jon Merrill and Matt Dumba also scored in the start of a five-game homestand. Minnesota is 6-2-0 on home ice, scoring at least four goals in each win.
- Roman Josi and Alexandre Carrier each scored and had an assist to lead the Nashville Predators over the New Jersey Devils, 4-2.
- Tage Thompson scored twice, Cody Eakin had a goal and an assist, and the Buffalo Sabres beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 to snap a four-game skid.
- Elvis Merzlikins stopped 39 shots, Gustav Nyquist scored short-handed and had an assist, and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat Vancouver Canucks, 4-2.
- Andrei Vasilevskiy made 17 saves in his 200th victory and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Seattle Kraken 3-0 for their sixth win in seven games.
Steven Stamkos, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Ross Colton scored for Tampa Bay, which improved to 8-1-3 in November.
Mets to sign Escobar
The New York Mets and All-Star infielder Eduardo Escobar have agreed to a free agent contract, according to a person familiar with the deal.
MLB Network reported the contract will pay Escobar $20 million over two years.
The 32-year-old Escobar was a first-time All-Star in 2021, when he batted .253 with 28 homers, 90 RBIs and a .786 OPS for Arizona and Milwaukee. The switch-hitter has been a solid offensive contributor and a steady defender at third base the past four seasons, except for a slump during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
In the NBA
Reggie Jackson scored 21 points and the Los Angeles Clippers got back on track with a 107-96 victory over the lowly Detroit Pistons on Friday.
- LeBron James was fined $15,000 for an obscene gesture Friday by the NBA, which also warned the Lakers superstar about using profane language.
James made the gesture after making a shot late in Los Angeles’ 124-116 overtime victory in Indiana on Wednesday night.
- Devin Booker scored 32 points and the Phoenix Suns beat the New York Knicks 118-97 for their 15th straight victory, matching the second-longest winning streak in franchise history.
- Kelly Oubre Jr. matched a career high with seven 3-pointers and had 27 points off the bench, helping the surging Charlotte Hornets snap the Minnesota Timberwolves’ five-game winning streak with a 133-115 victory.
- DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points, Zach LaVine added 21 and the Chicago Bulls beat the Orlando Magic, 123-88.
Chicago center Nikola Vucevic, playing in Orlando for the first time after nine seasons with the Magic, added 16 points and eight rebounds, and Coby White came off the bench with 20 points on 9-for-11 shooting.