T.J. Oshie, Ryan Kesler and Derek Stepan scored, Jonathan Quick made 30 saves and the United States beat Finland, 3-2, Tuesday night in each team’s final exhibition game before the World Cup of Hockey.
The U.S. was the better team for more than two periods but needed stops from Quick in the final seconds to preserve the victory. Patrik Laine and Jussi Jokinen scored for Finland, which finished strong.
Despite the late goals, the Americans almost certainly will have Quick in net for their World Cup opener against Team Europe after the Los Angeles Kings goaltender stopped 63 of the 66 shots he faced in exhibition play.
U.S. coach John Tortorella called it the Americans’ best of the three exhibition games and cited progress in several areas.
“We were cleaner,” Tortorella said. “Have we got it all figured out? No. And we probably won’t get it all figured out. It’s just not enough time to cover all the things we’d like to cover, so we just keep on banging away here and see if we can get better each day.”
Team Canada has added Ryan O’Reilly to its roster for the World Cup of Hockey to replace the injured Tyler Seguin.
O’Reilly had 21 goals and 39 assists in 71 games last season, his first with the Buffalo Sabres. He won the Lady Byng Trophy for the 2013-14 season while with Colorado and has at least 50 points in four of the past five seasons. Seguin’s injury was not announced.
PRO FOOTBALL
Saints release Spiller
The New Orleans Saints have released running back C.J. Spiller, who signed a four-year, $16 million free-agent contract just last season.
Spiller was a healthy scratch Sunday, when the Saints opened the regular season with a 35-34 loss to Oakland. In 2015, Spiller gained 112 yards rushing and 239 yards receiving in 13 games, his lone significant highlight being a late-game, 80-yard touchdown catch in a victory over Dallas.
PRO BASKETBALL
McGary suspended
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Mitch McGary has been suspended without pay for at least 10 games for violating the terms of the league’s anti-drug policy. The league announced the suspension will begin when he has finished serving a five-game drug suspension that was announced in July. After the previous suspension, McGary said in a statement that he needed to "take accountability and ensure that this does not happen again."
McGary played just eight games his sophomore season at Michigan after electing to have back surgery, then tested positive for marijuana and faced a suspension, prompting him to enter the 2014 draft. The Thunder took him in the first round, and general manager Sam Presti said he was not worried about McGary’s past.
GENERAL
Milestone for Suzuki
Ichiro Suzuki scored two runs and drove in another in the 900th multihit game of his career and the Miami Marlins boosted their fading wild-card hopes with a 7-5 victory over the host Atlanta Braves.
Miami, which began the night five games out of a playoff spot, won for only the fifth time in its last 17 games. With the Marlins trailing 2-0, Suzuki ripped a single to right in the third to bring home a run. Christian Yelich followed with a two-run double to the gap in right-center. The 42-year-old Suzuki sparked another three-run outburst in the fifth with the game tied 3-all, hardly looking his age as he sped around the bases for a leadoff triple.
Florida State defensive back Derwin James will miss at least five to seven weeks after having surgery on Monday to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. The second-ranked Seminoles (2-0) travel to No. 10 Louisville (2-0) on Saturday.