National Sports

MADRID — Montreal's Gabriel Diallo made the most of a last-minute spot in the Madrid Open, beating Belgium’s Zizou Bergs 6-1, 6-2 in the opening round of the clay-court tournament. In women's competition, 25th seed Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que.

WASHINGTON — Mike Matheson knows firsthand what playoff hockey in Montreal feels like, but even he can’t imagine how electric the Bell Centre’s atmosphere will be Friday night.

LOS ANGELES — For Leon Draisaitl, the answer is easy — the Edmonton Oilers simply need to find another gear. The Los Angeles Kings thumped the Oilers 6-2 on Wednesday to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven first-round playoff series.

OTTAWA — Max Pacioretty politely declined to answer the question.

TORONTO — The owners of the Grand Slam of Curling series are planning to introduce a professional curling league next season. The Curling Group said Thursday that the "Rock League" will debut in April 2026.

LONDON — A London, Ont., court is hearing legal arguments today in the sex assault trial of five former members of Canada's world junior hockey team.

WASHINGTON — The Montreal Canadiens know they’re close to beating the Washington Capitals, but Juraj Slafkovsky believes anything short of their very best won’t be enough. "There's always something lacking.

LOS ANGELES — There's been one stark difference in the battle between the Edmonton Oilers and L.A. Kings this post-season: special teams.

Having played for clubs in the United States, Germany, Sweden and Iceland, veteran Canadian goalkeeper Erin McLeod has been around the soccer block.

MADRID (AP) — Home-crowd favorite Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Madrid Open on Wednesday because of leg injuries.