Sports News Roundup: Barty promotes tennis in indigenous communities; Bettors primed to pounce on PGA Championship and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

NHL roundup: Petry, Habs put Pens on brink of elimination

Jeff Petry's sharp-angle goal in the third period Wednesday gave the Canadiens a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 3 of their qualifying-round series, moving Montreal ahead two games to one in the best-of-five set at Toronto. Montreal, seeded 12th and last among Eastern Conference postseason participants, pushed the fifth-seeded Penguins into an elimination game Friday.

Olympic rings temporarily removed from Tokyo Bay

The Olympic rings monument installed in Tokyo Bay for the 2020 Summer Games was temporarily removed for maintenance on Thursday and will return in December when Japan heads into the final stretch of preparations for the resheduled event. The Olympics were pushed back by a year in March due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. Thursday would have been Day 14 of the Games.

Kyrgios says 'slim to no chance' of playing French Open

Australia's Nick Kyrgios said on Thursday he is unlikely to play at the French Open due to concerns about COVID-19. Kyrgios, who on Sunday announced his withdrawal from the U.S. Open, told Australian television he planned to wait until it was safer to return to the tour.

MLB roundup: Cubs win 6th straight behind Darvish

Yu Darvish pitched seven strong innings Wednesday, and the Chicago Cubs topped the host Kansas City Royals 6-1 for their sixth straight win. It was also the Cubs' third straight victory over the Royals, who lost their sixth straight. Darvish (2-1) allowed one run on five hits, with one walk and four strikeouts. He retired 12 of the final 14 batters he faced.

NBA roundup: Thunder dump cold-shooting Lakers

Chris Paul scored 21 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 105-86 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando. Paul added seven rebounds and six assists to keep up his strong performance since the NBA's restart. The veteran point guard is averaging 20.7 points in Oklahoma City's three games in central Florida.

Bettors primed to pounce on PGA Championship

Gamblers starved of sports activities are expected to go all-in on this year's PGA Championship, the first golf major of the year and the biggest single sporting event in the United States since February's Super Bowl. The coronavirus pandemic quieted sportsbooks when it forced leagues to halt play in March and even though some have returned, the PGA Championship at San Francisco's TPC Harding Park has distinct advantages, said Chris Altruda, national sports betting expert from Pennbets.com.

NBA team owners pledge $300 million over 10 years to Black empowerment

National Basketball Association (NBA) team owners will contribute a total of $300 million over the next 10 years to a charitable foundation aimed at accelerating economic growth in the Black community, the league said on Wednesday. Each of the NBA's 30 teams will provide $1 million annually during that time to fund the NBA Foundation, which is being launched by the league's board of governors and the players' union.

Barty promotes tennis in indigenous communities

World number one Ash Barty has a bit of time on her hands after deciding to skip the U.S. Open and has spent some of it promoting tennis in indigenous communities in the far north of Australia. The 24-year-old French Open champion became the first Indigenous Australian since Evonne Goolagong Cawley to top the world rankings when she hit number one last July.

Loeffler claims 'cancel culture' as WNBA players support Democratic candidate

A U.S. senator who co-owns the Atlanta Dream WNBA team ratcheted up her criticism of the women's basketball league on Wednesday after players wore shirts supporting one of her opponents in November's special election. Kelly Loeffler, a Republican from Georgia, has been at odds with the league for weeks over its support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Players and coaches brought racial justice to the fore after the delayed season tipped off last month in a quarantined setting in Bradenton, Florida, without fans.

New Zealand researchers hail 'breakthrough' with non-targeted test

Researchers at New Zealand's Otago University are hailing a "breakthrough" in the fight against drug cheats with a non-targeted test for designer steroids which they hope can be deployed in time for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Professor Alison Heather, who led the development of the test, said it would detect designer anabolic steroids before anti-doping authorities were aware they even existed.

(With inputs from agencies.)