National Sports

Paul Maurice is cheering for only one thing when he watches two North Division rivals hit the ice from his couch.

MELBOURNE, Australia — Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime opened his 2021 season with a 6-3 6-1 win over Japan's Yuichi Sugita in the second round of the Murray River Open on Wednesday.

MELBOURNE, Australia — Canada's Leylah Annie Fernandez beat 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-1 in the first round of the Grampians Trophy on Wednesday. The 18-year-old Fernandez, from Laval, Que., won 70.

TORONTO — Veteran left-hander Francisco Liriano has agreed to a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays that includes an invitation to spring training, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.

TOKYO — A coalition of 180 rights groups on Wednesday called for a boycott of next year’s Beijing Winter Olympics tied to reported human rights abuses against ethnic minorities in China. The games are to open in one year, on Feb.

EDMONTON — Jesse Puljujarvi was all smiles Tuesday after scoring his first NHL goal in more than two years.

MELBOURNE, Australia — Canada's run at the ATP Cup is over following its loss against Germany on Wednesday.

Winnipeg Jets defenceman Derek Forbort scored, led his team in shots and made a last-minute glove save in a 3-2 win Tuesday over the visiting Calgary Flames. Forbort was the first Jets defenceman to score this season.

MONTREAL — Led by Tyler Toffoli and Josh Anderson, the Montreal Canadiens' off-season acquisitions are paying big dividends 10 games into the 2020-21 season.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Fred VanVleet, an undrafted guard who famously said "Bet on Yourself," shot his way into the record books Tuesday.