Sports News Roundup: Lightning remain perfect with OT win; Murray to miss Australian Open and more

Rodgers is the favorite to take league MVP honors this season but to reach the Super Bowl the 37-year-old will have to overcome a stout Bucs' defense and the iron will of Brady, who won six NFL titles in two decades with New England before heading south to Tampa.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

NHL roundup: Lightning remain perfect with OT win

Brayden Point tipped in a pass from Victor Hedman in overtime as the Tampa Bay Lightning stayed perfect on the season with a 3-2 win over Columbus in the Blue Jackets' home opener on Thursday. Hedman rushed out of his own end, started a give-and-go pass with Steven Stamkos and slid a pass to Point for the game winner in close at 1:56 into the three-on-three extra session.

NBA roundup: Jazz push win streak to seven

Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 36 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Utah Jazz past the New Orleans Pelicans 129-118 Thursday night in Salt Lake City for their seventh consecutive victory. Mitchell made 11 of 19 field-goal attempts and drained 6 of 8 from 3-point range. He displayed a form reminiscent to his explosive first-round playoff series last year, when he averaged 36.3 points vs. the Denver Nuggets. With his fifth 3-pointer of the night, the All-Star guard became the fastest player in NBA history to reach 600 treys, getting there in 240 games.

Hatton takes five-shot lead in Abu Dhabi as fading light stops play

England's Tyrrell Hatton put on a show in the second round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, going 12-under overall after 13 holes to take a five-shot lead before fading light stopped play on Friday. Hatton, who was one shot behind overnight leader Rory McIlroy, carded an eagle on the par five second and had four birdies in a row from the seventh after a bogey on the third.

Former MLB home run king Hank Aaron dead at 86

Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, the quiet, unassuming baseball slugger who broke Babe Ruth's supposedly unbreakable record for most home runs in a career, died on Friday, the Atlanta Braves announced. He was 86. Aaron joined the Braves management to become one of the few African-Americans in a baseball executive position after retiring as a player in 1976 with 755 career home runs. His cause of death was not immediately reported.

Murray to miss Australian Open

Former world number one Andy Murray has confirmed he will not be taking part in next month's Australian Open after testing positive for COVID-19 earlier this month. "Gutted to share that I won't be flying out to Australia to compete at the Australian Open," Murray was quoted as saying by British media on Friday.

Bills bring swagger into clash with defending champion Chiefs

The long-suffering Buffalo Bills can move to within one win of a maiden Super Bowl title on Sunday when they face the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, who could be without their biggest offensive weapon in quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The reigning Super Bowl MVP remains in the NFL's concussion protocol since leaving last Sunday's game in the third quarter after he struggled to stand on his feet and was helped off the field following a hit at the end of a run.

'Wrong and ridiculous': Japan Olympics head slams Tokyo cancellation report

The head of Japan's national Olympic committee on Friday dismissed media reports that the Japanese government has privately concluded it will have to cancel the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and said preparations were under way for the Games to go ahead as planned. "We are planning how to hold a safe and secure Games in great detail, working closely with the International Olympic Committee and the World Health Organisation," Japan Olympic Committee chairman Yasuhiro Yamashita said in an interview with Reuters.

Super Bowl: 22,000 tickets, free entry to 7,500 healthcare workers

Super Bowl LV will include 22,000 fans at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., and 7,500 vaccinated health care workers are among the total approved by state health officials. The NFL expressed an interest in bringing health care workers to the game last month and combined that mission with the existing stadium plan in Tampa.

Rodgers vs. Brady: NFC Championship a quarterback clash for the ages

Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers stand between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Tom Brady and his shot at a record-extending seventh Super Bowl ring in a NFC Championship showdown between two of the best quarterbacks ever to play the game on Sunday. Rodgers is the favorite to take league MVP honors this season but to reach the Super Bowl the 37-year-old will have to overcome a stout Bucs' defense and the iron will of Brady, who won six NFL titles in two decades with New England before heading south to Tampa.

Japan and IOC deny that Olympics will be cancelled

Japan and the IOC stood firm on Friday on their commitment to host the Tokyo Olympics this year and denied a report of a possible cancellation, although the pledge looks unlikely to ease public concern about holding the event during a pandemic. Though much of Japan is under a state of emergency due to a third wave of COVID-19 infections, Tokyo Olympic organisers have vowed to press ahead with the re-scheduled Games, which are due to open on July 23 after being postponed for a year because of the coronavirus.