National Sports

SEATTLE — After his team failed to direct a single shot on target in a scoreless first leg of their Western Conference semifinal, Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson rolled the dice with an attack-minded lineup in the all-or-nothing rematch.

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Kings have climbed atop the Western Conference standings by adeptly combining their established stars with hungry young talent.

Thursday's Games NHL Boston 2 Vegas 1 Washington 4 N.Y. Islanders 3 N.Y. Rangers 2 Tampa Bay 1 (OT) Columbus 7 Florida 3 Ottawa 3 Detroit 1 Winnipeg 5 Dallas 2 Minnesota 6 Montreal 3 Philadelphia 2 St.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — There was one team that looked like a playoff contender Thursday night. It wasn't the Buffalo Bills.

CALGARY — It was another strong performance from Mike Smith on Thursday night. Smith made 43 saves and Mark Giordano scored at 2:19 of overtime as the Calgary Flames beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, 2-1.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild have been beset by a bunch of injuries during a sluggish start, including long-term absences for two top forwards.

WINNIPEG — Mark Scheifele couldn't have timed his second career hat trick any better. Scheifele's parents were in the stands at Bell MTS Place to watch his three goals help propel the Winnipeg Jets to a 5-2 win over the Dallas Stars on Thursday.

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators got exactly what they wanted Thursday night.

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin says he isn't trying to make a political statement by voicing his support for Vladimir Putin ahead of the Russian presidential election.

LOS ANGELES — Police say the home of Los Angeles Dodgers star Yasiel Puig was burglarized while his team was losing the World Series.