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The United States lost to Sweden 5-2 in its opening match at the ice hockey world championship on Friday.

Joel Eriksson Ek scored twice and added an assist, and star defenseman Victor Hedman had a goal and an assist for Sweden. Goaltender Filip Gustavsson made 28 saves in the Group B game in the eastern Czech Republic city of Ostrava.

Down 3-2 in the final period, the Americans played a power play when they pulled goaltender Alex Lyon for an extra attacker, but Hedman netted from the point with 59 seconds to go. Eriksson Ek added his second into an empty net to finish the scoring six seconds before the final whistle.

Zach Werenski and Brock Nelson scored for the Americans.

The Swedes built a 2-0 lead through the goals from Eriksson Ek in the first period and Lucas Raymond in the second.

Werenski reduced the advantage to one with a slap shot from the top of the left circle midway through the middle frame but Marcus Johansson wristed a shot past Lyon to restore a two-goal advantage.

Nelson added the second American goal from the slot 3:43 into the final period.

In Group A in Prague, the host Czech Republic prevailed in a shootout to down Finland 1-0.

Earlier, 2023 runner-up Germany topped Slovakia 6-4.

Dominik Kahun, Jonas Muller, Lukas Kalble, Marc Michaelis, Leonhard Pfoderl and Tobias Eder had a goal each for the Germans and Philipp Grubauer stopped 35 shots.

Marek Hrivik, Martin Fehervary, Libor Hudacek and Matus Sukel scored for the Slovaks, who outshot the Germans 39-22, including 18-7 in the final period.

In Group A, Switzerland produced a three-goal second period against Norway to jump to 4-1 en route to a 5-2 victory.

Nino Niederreiter led the Swiss with a power play goal and an assist.

After the preliminary round, the top four in each eight-team group advances to the quarterfinals.

Russia and its ally Belarus are excluded for the third straight year due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Canes’ Andersen, 35, secures deal before Round 2

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Canes' Andersen, 35, secures deal before Round 2

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes have signed goaltender Frederik Andersen to a one-year contract for next season, worth $2.75 million for the 35-year-old veteran.

General manager Eric Tulsky announced the deal Saturday, a little over 48 hours before his team starts the second round of the playoffs against the Washington Capitals.

Andersen could earn up to $750,000 in incentives for games played and his participation in a potential run to the Eastern Conference finals next season. He would get $250,000 for playing 35 or more games, another $250,000 for getting to 40 and $250,000 if the Hurricanes reach the East finals and he plays in at least half of the playoff games.

“Frederik has played extremely well for us and ranks in the top 10 all-time for winning percentage by an NHL goalie,” Tulsky said. “We’re excited that he will be staying with the team for next season.”

Andersen and the Hurricanes, the No. 2 seed in the Metropolitan Division, advanced past the New Jersey Devils in Round 1 last week. They will meet the Capitals, who won the division crown, for the right to make the NHL’s final four.

Extending Andersen could give the team a goaltending tandem with Pyotr Kochetkov for less than $6 million combined.

Anderson, a Denmark native who previously played for the Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs, has become coach Rod Brind’Amour’s most trusted option in net. He is expected to return to the starting role for Game 1 of the Capitals series after getting injured in the first round against New Jersey.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Sovereignty outduels Journalism to capture Derby

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Sovereignty outduels Journalism to capture Derby

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Sovereignty outdueled 3-1 favorite Journalism down the stretch to win the 151st Kentucky Derby in the slop on Saturday.

Trainer Bill Mott won his first Derby in 2019, also run on a sloppy track, when Country House was elevated to first after Maximum Security crossed the finish line first and was disqualified after a 22-minute delay.

This time, he knew right away.

Sovereignty won by 1½ lengths and snapped an 0-for-13 Derby skid for owner Godolphin, the racing stable of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

It was quite a weekend for the sheikh. His filly, Good Cheer, won the Kentucky Oaks on Friday and earlier Saturday, Ruling Court won the 2,000 Guineas in Britain.

Sovereignty covered 1¼ miles in 2:02.31 and paid $17.96 to win at 7-1 odds.

Journalism found trouble in the first turn and jockey Umberto Rispoli moved him to the outside. He and Sovereignty hooked up at the eighth pole before Sovereignty and jockey Junior Alvarado pulled away.

Baeza was third, Final Gambit was fourth and Owen Almighty finished fifth.

Rain made for a soggy day, with the Churchill Downs dirt strip listed as sloppy and horse racing fans protecting their fancy hats and clothing with clear plastic ponchos.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Zilisch to miss Xfinity race in Texas after wreck

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Zilisch to miss Xfinity race in Texas after wreck

FORT WORTH, Texas — Connor Zilisch, the 18-year-old driver already with two NASCAR Xfinity Series race wins, will miss Saturday’s race at Texas because of lower back injuries sustained in a last-lap wreck at Talladega.

Trackhouse Racing said Wednesday that its development driver will return as soon as possible to the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. The team didn’t provide any additional details about Zilisch’s injuries.

Cup Series regular Kyle Larson will drive the No. 88 in Texas. After that, the Xfinity Series has a two-week break before racing again May 24 at Charlotte.

Zilisch, sixth in points through the first 11 races, was driving for the win at Talladega Superspeedway when contact on the backstretch sent his car spinning, and head-on into inside wall.

Zilisch won in his Xfinity debut at Watkins Glen last Sept. 14. He added another win this year at Austin, the same weekend that he made his Cup Series debut. He has six top-10 finishes in his 15 Xfinity races.

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