Chris Kreider scored two goals and the New York Rangers rolled to a 5-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres in Peter Laviolette’s debut as coach.

Artemi Panarin had a goal and an assist and Igor Shesterkin stopped 23 shots for his 100th career victory, becoming the first Rangers goalie to reach 100 wins in fewer than 187 appearances.

JJ Peterka had the lone goal for the Sabres, who came out flat in what they hope will be the season where they end an NHL-worst 12-season playoff drought.

Kreider’s power-play goal in the first period extended New York’s lead to 2-0 and he tallied short-handed midway through the third to make it 4-1.

Wild’s Gustavsson turns aside 41 in shutout

Filip Gustavsson stopped 41 shots and Brock Faber scored his first NHL goal to lead the Minnesota Wild to a 2-0 victory over the Florida Panthers.

Joel Eriksson Ek assisted on Faber’s goal and scored on the power play in the second period.

Minnesota improved to 9-1-1 in season openers at Xcel Energy Center and 11-2-3 at home against the Panthers.

Golden Knights beat Sharks for 2-0 start

Nicolas Hague and Nicolas Roy scored late in the second period and Logan Thompson made 22 as the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the San Jose Sharks, 4-1.

After Michael Amadio and San Jose’s Filip Zadina traded first-period goals, defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas took control late in the second.

Hague snapped the tie with 1:29 left in the period and Roy extended the lead 53 seconds later.

Brayden Pachal tallied his first NHL goal early in the third for the Knights, who haven’t trailed in winning their first two games.

The Kansas City Chiefs survived a late scare from Denver to win 19-8 and hand the Broncos their fifth loss of the season.

The Chiefs held the Broncos to nil until the last quarter, scoring 16 unanswered points, nine of which came from field goals, en route to their fifth straight win.

Their only touchdown came from the arm of star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who threw for 306 yards during the game, to wide receiver Kadarius Toney.

Travis Kelce, who had global icon Taylor Swift watching in the stands at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas, had nine receptions for 124 yards.

There were just six minutes left in the game when the Broncos scored their first points, Russell Wilson finding wide receiver Courtland Sutton in the endzone.

The Broncos then successfully completed the two-point play to put them just eight points behind.

However, the Chiefs made no errors in possession and pushed upfield, icing the game with a field goal with just under two minutes left.

The Chiefs will host the Los Angeles Chargers next week while the Green Bay Packers will head to Denver to play the Broncos.

Nick Castellanos hit a pair of home runs for the second straight game and Trea Turner also went deep as the Philadelphia Phillies held off the 104-win Atlanta Braves 3-1 on Thursday to book a return trip to the NL Championship Series.

The Phillies eliminated the Braves for the second straight season and will next face surprising Arizona, which is 5-0 in these playoffs after sweeping the Dodgers.

Castellanos continued his power stroke after he hit two of the Phillies’ six home runs in Wednesday’s win, belting solo shots off 20-game winner Spencer Strider in the fourth and sixth innings.

He became the first player to hit multiple homers in consecutive playoff games.

Turner went 4 for 4 and fell a triple shy of the cycle, with his blast in the fifth giving Philadelphia a 2-1 lead.

The teams with the five best regular-season records – Atlanta, Baltimore, Dodgers, Tampa Bay and Milwaukee – all failed to reach the LCS.

Ranger Suarez allowed one run and three hits over five innings before five Philadelphia relievers limited the Braves to two hits over the final four innings.

Seranthony Dominguez got the first two outs in the sixth and Jose Alvarado worked around two walks to pitch a scoreless inning.

He got help from center fielder Johan Rojas, who tracked down Ronald Acuna Jr.’s drive to the wall in left centre with the bases loaded to end the seventh.

Gregory Soto got the final out of the eighth but walked Marcell Ozuna to open the ninth and gave up Sean Murphy’s single to put runners on the corners.

But Matt Strahm retired the next three batters, including a game-ending strikeout on pinch-hitter Vaughn Grissom.

Garry Ringrose is determined to break new ground at the Rugby World Cup as he prepares for potentially the biggest Test match in Ireland’s history.

Three-time champions New Zealand stand in the way of rugby’s top-ranked nation securing a maiden semi-final berth on the biggest stage.

In-form Ireland are favourites for Saturday evening’s hotly anticipated quarter-final in Paris and have arguably never been better placed to go all the way.

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Centre Ringrose, who was part of the squad that suffered last-eight elimination at the hands of the All Blacks in Japan four years ago, found it difficult to deny Ireland are facing their all-time most important fixture.

“It’s a big question,” said the 28-year-old, who was on the scoresheet against Scotland last weekend. “I don’t want to say no because I’m well aware of what’s at stake.

“I guess how we’d be looking at it is that it’s an opportunity to do something that no other Irish team has done.

“Having said that, we can’t control the result or the outcome, but what we can control is how well we prepare.

“Off the back of the win last week, when we knew who we were facing, it was pretty much all hands on deck preparing as best we can because against a side of New Zealand’s quality that’s what it takes.

“I’m not sure if that answers your question but that is certainly what is motivating us – it’s an opportunity.”

Ringrose claimed Ireland’s sixth and final try in last weekend’s 36-14 Pool B demolition of Scotland which guaranteed progression to the knockout stages.

The Leinster midfielder moved to the right wing early in the game after the injury-enforced departure of Mack Hansen led to the introduction of centre Stuart McCloskey.

Versatile Ringrose regularly rehearses positional swaps in training but concedes he required some touchline advice from the withdrawn Hansen, who has recovered from a calf issue to retain his starting place.

“It certainly wasn’t easy, there was once or twice when I was roaring to Mack on the sideline because I had forgotten one of the roles that the winger had to do,” he said.

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“We are challenged as backs to be across everything detail wise, so whether you have Stu stepping in, myself going to the wing, Jamison (Gibson-Park) going to the wing, it’s part of the challenge.”

Since being eliminated in Tokyo in 2019, Ireland have won three of four subsequent meetings with the Kiwis, including last summer’s landmark tour triumph.

Prop Andrew Porter, who claimed two tries in the second Test success in Dunedin, believes rugby in Ireland has progressed massively since the days he grew up idolising the late great All Black Jonah Lomu.

“We can take a lot of confidence from our previous encounters with them,” said the Leinster loosehead.

“I am just backing our own ability and I have that belief from our previous performances against them.

“Irish rugby has come such a long way even in the last four years since the last World Cup.

“I remember growing up watching the All Blacks. Jonah Lomu was my favourite player. I had the honour, the chance of meeting him when he played in Dublin.

“They are an incredible team still and they will be a huge challenge for us this weekend.”

England are expected to take the bold step of naming Marcus Smith at full-back for Sunday’s World Cup quarter-final against Fiji in Marseille.

Smith is on course to make his second start in the position as head coach Steve Borthwick looks to inject pace and creativity into his back line at the expense of Freddie Steward.

A converted fly-half, Smith excelled in the group game against Chile when handed the number 15 jersey and has also starred during a number of cameos.

But Fiji are a step up in opposition, even if they lack the pinpoint kicking game to truly expose his inexperience in the position.

Borthwick names his team to face the Islanders on Friday afternoon and is expected to make another big call at fly-half with captain Owen Farrell likely to replace George Ford.

Ford was named man of the match in the emphatic Pool D wins against Argentina and Japan but the Sale ringmaster appears to have lost out to his rival’s greater impact in defence in what is a nod to the threat posed by Fiji’s power runners.

While the change at chief conductor would represent one of the biggest selection calls made by Borthwick, it is Smith’s presence at full-back that provides a key indication of how the team wants to play at Stade Velodrome.

England wing Elliot Daly said: “Marcus probably shifts in a little bit more to be that second ball player.

“Obviously with him being a 10, he wants to get his hands on the ball and organise on the outside.

“Freddie’s been brilliant since his debut at the back and I think he’s come on leaps and bounds, the last year especially, in the way he attacks.

“I don’t think much changes, but Marcus probably goes in a little bit closer and wants to be that proper second ball player.”

Daly is set to return to the side after being dropped for the tense 18-17 victory over Samoa that rounded off Pool D on a sour note, either on the wing or at outside centre.

If he is picked on the wing, the 31-year-old utility back intends to go hunting for the ball as one of a number of duties.

“I’m on the wing but really I’m there to try and get my hands on the ball, connect with the 10s and the 15s and try to get the ball wide really. Take opportunities when they’re on,” Daly said.

“As a winger now in international rugby you need to be able to do a lot. My role is to try to look for the ball and look for backfield space, feed that into the 10s or use my left foot to put it in there. There’s not one role any more.

“The best thing for me is that because I’ve played in those positions I understand what they need.

“I understand what communication I need to give to those guys to make their job a little bit easier.

“We’ve got a very fluid backline. The way we attack, we’re happy to get anybody on the ball and we just want to get it into space and into the right areas of the pitch.”

Scotland suffered their first Euro 2024 qualifying defeat with a 2-0 loss in Spain but qualification hopes remain alive.

The Scots had won their first five Group A qualifiers including a 2-0 win over the Spanish at Hampden Park in March and needed to take something from the return game in Seville or Norway fail to beat Cyprus, to qualify on the night.

In a stifling warm evening, the Scots survived some heavy first-half pressure to go in at the break goalless before Scott McTominay, who scored both goals against Spain in Glasgow, fired in a wonderful free-kick in the 59th
minute only to see it ruled out after a VAR check for a Jack Hendry infringement.

Alvaro Morata headed in after 73 minutes and substitute Oihan Sancet and Scotland defender Ryan Porteous clashed together for the second in the 86th minute and with Norway beating Cyprus, Steve Clarke’s men move on to the second October fixture.

Scotland face France in a friendly in Lille next Tuesday but Spain face Norway two days earlier and if the Norwegians drop points, Scotland’s place in Germany will be secured while the Scots also have Georgia away and Norway at home in November.

That it was the annual National Day of Spain added to the sense of occasion although the Scots had work to do.

In the absence of injured Kieran Tierney, Clarke stuck with a back-three with Scott McKenna taking over and Lyndon Dykes was asked to lead the line, supported mostly by Ryan Christie.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri, who had criticised Scotland’s tactics and talent after the defeat in March, Gavi and Morata were some of the stars starting for this summer’s Nations League winners.

Feran Torres missed a great chance in the second minute, beating Scotland keeper Angus Gunn with a close-range shot after taking a Morata pass but failing to hit the target.

Torres’s corner moments later sped through the Scotland six-yard box but Morata’s header at the far post was at a stretch and caused no danger.
It was looking like a long night for the visitors.

La Roja kept their corner count ticking over amid their control of the game – Rodri was jeered by the Scotland fans – but the Scots stuck to their task with only the occasional foray forward.

In the 34th minute, after Scotland defender Aaron Hickey brilliantly blocked a shot from Mikel Oyarzabal, Mikel Merino cracked the post with a left-footed drive and the ball spun away for a goal kick.

Morata had the ball in the net soon afterwards but was well offside but some bad luck followed.

Just before the break skipper Andy Robertson collided with Spain keeper Unai Simon and appeared to hurt his shoulder, with Nathan Patterson taking over and Hickey moving to left-back.

Granada attacker, Bryan Zaragoza, who scored twice against Barcelona at the weekend, came on to make his debut for Spain at the start of the second half, along with Fran Garcia.

Spain continued their dominance but in a rare Scotland attack, Christie could not quite control a John McGinn pass inside the box and the chance was lost.

Christie did well to win a free-kick against Dani Carvajal near the byline on the left and the Tartan Army were in raptures when McTominay fired it high past Simon but after Dutch referee Serdar Gozubuyuk was sent to check his pitchside monitor, he ruled a Hendry foul on the keeper.

Scotland were soon on the back foot again as Spain brought on Jesus Navas and Sancet and when Navas crossed from the right Morata skimmed a header past Gunn.

It was another blow for Scotland who came right out their shell, substitute Che Adams, on for Dykes, stabbing a close-range shot at Simon
while at the other end Porteous blocked a goal-bound shot from substitute Joselu before a mistake by Hickey allowed Joselu to square the ball and
Sancet and Porteous challenged with the ball ending in the net.

It was a tough night for Scotland but in qualification terms, Germany is still very much on the cards.

England manager Gareth Southgate accepts the Football Association would have been “criticised in one way or another” for its response to the Israel and Palestine conflict.

Following attacks by Hamas militants on the country’s territory last weekend, the FA had faced calls to illuminate the Wembley arch in the colours of the Israeli flag before Friday’s friendly between England and Australia.

The Hamas attacks have led to the Israeli government responding with airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, with a ground invasion also reported to be a possibility.

The British Government had written to UK sports bodies encouraging them to mark events in Israel appropriately.

The FA, though, announced in a statement on Thursday that players would wear black armbands and that a period of silence would be observed instead to remember the victims of the conflict.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said she was left “extremely disappointed” by the decision not to light up Wembley.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews also criticised the FA statement – pointing out that it made “no mention of the mass terrorist murders of hundreds of innocent Israelis last Saturday”.

England manager Southgate was asked for his thoughts on the FA’s stance at Thursday’s pre-match press conference ahead of the Australia game, and accepted it was “one of the most complex situations in the world”.

Southgate said: “Firstly (there have been) incredibly harrowing pictures. (Our) thoughts and feelings are to everybody who has suffered, who have lost relatives and friends in these attacks. It is incredibly disturbing to see.

“On a broader scale, in my lifetime it is one of the most complex situations in the world and I think everybody is grappling with how best to deal with that.

“I don’t know what it is like to walk in the shoes of people on either side of that conflict. What I do know is people at the FA will have consulted with everybody they possibly can and will have tried to make the best decision with good intentions.

“Clearly whatever decision they came to would have been criticised in one way or another, so I also recognise how difficult it was for them. I wasn’t involved in those discussions, (but) they went on for a long time I know.

“They (FA) have decided to take the stance they have and we will get on with that.”

The FA said flags, replica kits and other representations of nationality beyond those related to England or Australia would not be allowed inside Wembley on Friday.

The Culture Secretary also criticised the FA’s stance in a post on social media on Thursday evening.

“I am extremely disappointed by the FA’s decision not to light up the Wembley Stadium arch following last weekend’s horrific terrorist attacks in Israel, and have made my views clear to the FA,” Frazer wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“It is especially disappointing in light of the FA’s bold stance on other terrorist attacks in the recent past. Words and actions matter. The Government is clear: we stand with Israel.”

Teams in the EFL and Premier League will pay tribute to the victims of the conflict in their next rounds of matches.

There will also be a period of silence ahead of kick-off at the weekend’s matches in the Women’s Super League, Women’s Championship and Women’s National League to “remember the innocent victims of the devastating events in Israel and Palestine.”

The England and Wales Cricket Board released a statement on Thursday which read: “We deplore the appalling loss of innocent life following recent events in Israel and Palestine.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of all the innocent victims, and those who are still missing, as well as the communities who are affected.

“While sport seems trivial compared to the harrowing scenes we have all watched, it is also an opportunity for people to come together and remind ourselves that there’s far more that brings us together, than divides us. We should now all unify in our hope for peace.”

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England cricketer Moeen Ali has deleted an Instagram post featuring the Palestinian flag and a quote from Malcolm X.

Moeen then put up a new post, without the flag but containing the same Malcolm X quote: “If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.”

The International Olympic Committee said its executive board members had “expressed their very strong feelings over these tragic events in the recent days” at the start of Thursday’s meeting in Mumbai and “express their deepest sympathy with the innocent victims of this terrible violence”.

Unbeaten Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe victor Ace Impact has been retired to stud.

Trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, the three-year-old has enjoyed an exemplary campaign, rising through the ranks from a Cagnes-Sur-Mer all-weather win in January to an electrifying length-and-three-quarters victory in the ParisLongchamp showpiece at the start of this month.

After his initial win in January, Rouget bided his time until sending Ace Impact for a conditions win in April, with a Listed success coming the following month.

Upped to Group One level for the Prix du Jockey Club after that, the son of Cracksman showed his trademark turn of foot to win the French equivalent of the Derby by three and a half lengths from Big Rock.

A Group Two victor in the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano at Deauville in August, Ace Impact was a short-priced Arc favourite and he justified that confidence with a stylish success under Cristian Demuro.

Owned in partnership by Serge Stempniak and the Chehboub family’s Gousserie Racing, connections had considered a possible Japan Cup bid or even campaigning on in 2024, but eventually opted to retire their star to stand at Haras de Beaumont stud in Normandy.

Ace Impact bows out the winner of each of his six career starts, boasting a rating of 128 which puts him just 1lb behind top Japanese runner Equinox.

“The way he races and his acceleration is very rare in a racehorse,” said Rouget.

“Very few racehorses are able to accelerate like that and for me (2008 Arc winner) Zarkava was a super champion and maybe had the superior acceleration, but he is not far from that.

“He gave me a great day when winning the Arc and also the Prix du Jockey Club and all the races were delicious. We started very slowly and then progressed to Listed, Group One and Group Two and then another Group One.

“We had very good days with Almanzor in the Prix du Jockey Club and Sottsass in the Jockey Club and the Arc and (they) were equally good champions. With Ace Impact his acceleration is stronger and with him, in three steps, the race is over.”

On his overriding memories of Ace Impact and the opportunity to train his progeny in the future, the handler added: “We have a few years to wait and we will try to find another one like him.

“We are champion trainer for the fifth time in France thanks to Ace Impact.

“My memory of him will be he is he is not impressive in the morning, but when racing, he is another horse with very strong acceleration.”

Everton chairman Bill Kenwright has had a cancerous tumour removed from his liver.

The operation was carried out following a diagnosis at the beginning of August and was “completely successful”, but complications during the surgery meant Kenwright needed a lengthy stay in an intensive care unit.

A statement from the Toffees read: “Everton would like to provide a short update on the health of our chairman, Bill Kenwright.

“Following a diagnosis at the beginning of August, Mr Kenwright underwent a major medical procedure six weeks ago to remove a cancerous tumour from his liver.

“The procedure was completely successful but complications during surgery necessitated a prolonged period in an intensive care unit.

“Mr Kenwright is now out of intensive care and has left hospital. He has returned home to continue his recovery, which is expected to be lengthy, but complete.

“Right up until the day of the procedure, the chairman had continued to carry out all his club duties, working hard alongside Mr (Farhad) Moshiri to facilitate the proposed takeover by 777 Partners and supporting Kevin Thelwell with the club’s summer transfer activity.

“Mr Kenwright has always been fiercely protective of his private life and is grateful that his privacy has been respected during this difficult time. He hopes this will continue following this update.”

Kenwright, 78, first joined the Everton board in 1989 and has been chairman for nearly 20 years.

It was announced last month that a deal to sell the club to 777 Partners had been agreed.

Tommy Fury promised an “early night” in his showdown against KSI at a chaotic press conference that saw the pair sling insults at one another while separated by perspex glass inside a cage.

Meanwhile, Logan Paul was left with a cut on his face after coming to blows with bitter rival Dillon Danis before the duo were separated by security ahead of their co-main event bout.

Animosity has steadily been building between Fury and KSI, who may be relative novices in boxing but the fame they have found outside the ropes means their fight this Saturday is heavily anticipated.

While they traded barbs laced with profanity as they came head-to-head 48 hours before their contest at a sold-out Manchester Arena, it was Fury’s outspoken father John who loomed large over proceedings.

Fury Sr stepped into a metal cage when invited to and threw punches at the transparent partition separating him from KSI, who earlier dodged a bottle thrown from a side of the stage.

The scenes hardly improved the image of so-called YouTube boxing – this weekend’s event is not sanctioned by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) – but Fury is adamant him being steeped in the sport in contrast to his rival will become clear when they settle their differences in the ring.

“We all know what’s going to happen,” said the younger brother of Tyson Fury. “There’s no way this man can live with me. Who’s he fought? He’s fought a rapper and the rest are YouTubers. What is going on?

“In this boxing world, he is a bum. I’m not interested (in him). I’m levels above these guys. I’ve got every single advantage: bigger, stronger, reach, weight. This will be an early night, I promise you.

“I’ve trained like a demon for 10 weeks for this man and I’ve sparred everybody, I’ve been sparring Tyson, been sparring the whole lot of them.”

Fury is a boxer by trade and won his first three professional bouts before catapulting himself to celebrity status with a stint in the highly-popular television show Love Island in 2019.

He has triumphed in another six fights since then – beating another YouTube fighter in Jake Paul by split decision earlier this year – and now takes on KSI in a six-round cruiserweight fight.

“I’m in the crossover world of boxing, it’s a circus act,” Fury added. “We know what we’re in for. I’m here to fight. Cut all the other bulls**t, we’re fighting in two days, the talking is done.”

Two-time world heavyweight title challenger Derek Chisora lent another peculiar edge to the spectacle as he appeared to clash with security shortly after Fury and KSI stepped into the cage.

Logan Paul and Danis were also supposed to face-off inside the cage but that was cancelled after an ugly clash between the pair. Paul appeared to underarm a bottle at Danis, who responded by throwing a microphone which left his adversary bloodied as security swarmed the stage and separated the rivals.

Australia manager Graham Arnold reiterated Ange Postecoglou’s message for his side to beat England for “the kids and the nation” ahead of the first ever meeting between the countries at Wembley.

Arnold brought in Spurs boss Postecoglou and his fellow former Australia head coach Guus Hiddink in a bid to inspire the Socceroos ahead of Friday’s friendly in London.

Australia are underdogs going into the encounter, having only beaten England once in seven meetings – a 3-1 triumph at Upton Park in 2003 – and sitting 23 spots below their fourth-placed hosts in the FIFA world rankings, but Arnold says his side will only have victory on their minds when they take the pitch.

He said: “The speeches that Ange said yesterday were very similar about what we’ve been saying for years with doing it for the kids in Australia, the nation and your family and people who are close by and the supporters.

“I know one thing is that they (the players) will run until they drop, the energy will be there and they’ll put in the performance of their lives.

“I have got a special relationship with both (Postecoglou and Hiddink). I’ve known Ange for 40 odd years, I’ve played and coached against him, worked with him and we’ve had a great connection for years.

“With Guus, he’s pretty much a mentor to me and like a brother, a father. I’ve got to be careful with what I say because he’s not that old but he’s always been a great man to me and I worked with him during the 2006 World Cup as his assistant.

“We aim to win. We’re not going out there to lose or draw the game, we’re going out there to win the game.

“It’s the culture that we bring. We’ve seen the Socceroos and the Matildas (Australia women’s team) bring the nation together and this is not my team, it’s the nation’s team.”

While Australia are looking to make history at Wembley, Arnold highlighted some of the challenges he says they face trying to grow the game back home.

Despite the successful co-hosting of the Women’s World Cup this summer, where the Matildas got to the semi-finals, Arnold says the infrastructure and support they receive pales in comparison to other sports Down Under, or that England enjoy.

“We don’t get anywhere near the help and resources (of Australian rules football),” Arnold said.

“We see the Prime Minister and the government say they love coming out to watch the Socceroos and Matildas with scarves on but they must lose them when they go home.

“We don’t have a home of football. Whether you believe that or not, we don’t have a home.

“When the Socceroos come to Sydney to train, we have to go to a rugby league field where they remove the posts and put soccer posts up. That’s the truth.

“We are the highest participated sport at grassroots (in Australia). The last four days England have been at St George’s Park and they come down to (Wembley) where they are inspired and have a culture, we don’t have anything like that.

“After the World Cup I said ‘hopefully this will make things change’ and that government funding will help inspire the kid’s lives and fulfil their dreams.”

Australia’s most recent meeting with England saw the home side claim a 2-1 win at the Stadium of Light in 2016, when an 18-year-old Marcus Rashford because the youngest player to score on his England debut.

Roy Hodgson was in charge of England for that match but Arnold, who took charge in 2018, is looking forward to pitting his wits against the present incumbent Gareth Southgate.

Arnold said: “England are a fantastic team and Gareth Southgate is a great coach, a wonderful man and I look forward to seeing him tomorrow night.

“We are very appreciative of the invitation to play here and we’re looking forward to the match.”