Sports News Roundup: Evan Rodrigues, Bryan Rust post hat tricks in Pens' win; Torres eager to make an impact with Barcelona and more

The 47-year-old Frenchman finished three minutes and 28 seconds ahead of the Toyota driver, who won Saturday's prologue and Sunday's first stage but had to go first and clear the way on Monday's 338km timed stage from Ha'il to Al Qaisumah. NHL roundup: Evan Rodrigues, Bryan Rust post hat tricks in Pens' win Evan Rodrigues and Bryan Rust each scored a hat trick Sunday and the Pittsburgh Penguins rode a six-goal first period to their eighth straight victory, 8-5 over the visiting San Jose Sharks.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Fast-spreading Omicron to test Beijing Winter Games bubble

China's meticulous plans to prevent an Olympics-seeded COVID-19 outbreak by sealing all participants inside a "closed loop" for the upcoming Winter Games will be tested by the emergence of the highly infectious Omicron variant. The country has reported only a handful of Omicron cases and has largely succeeded in containing COVID-19 since it first emerged in the central city of Wuhan two years ago, thanks to a zero-tolerance policy that includes rigorous contact tracing, strict targeted lockdowns, and travel curbs that have drastically cut international arrivals.

Rallying-Loeb eats into Al Attiyah's lead with Dakar second stage win

Nine-times world rally champion Sebastien Loeb won Monday's second stage of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia to trim Qatari Nasser Al Attiyah's overall lead to just over nine minutes. The 47-year-old Frenchman finished three minutes and 28 seconds ahead of the Toyota driver, who won Saturday's prologue and Sunday's first stage but had to go first and clear the way on Monday's 338km timed stage from Ha'il to Al Qaisumah.

NHL roundup: Evan Rodrigues, Bryan Rust post hat tricks in Pens' win

Evan Rodrigues and Bryan Rust each scored a hat trick Sunday and the Pittsburgh Penguins rode a six-goal first period to their eighth straight victory, 8-5 over the visiting San Jose Sharks. Rust had a five-point game with two assists, while Jake Guentzel and Kasper Bjorkqvist also scored for the Penguins, who ended a two-week layoff.

Soccer-Torres eager to make an impact with Barcelona

Barcelona unveiled new signing Ferran Torres at Camp Nou on Monday and the former Manchester City striker said he was ready to get going after being sidelined since October with a fractured foot. "I'll be ready in less than two weeks," the 21-year-old Spaniard, who suffered a minor fracture on his right foot during last year's Nations League campaign, told hundreds of Barca supporters present at the unveiling.

Tennis-Greek Tsitsipas goes down fighting as Argentina, Spain stay unbeaten

Stefanos Tsitsipas showed little sign of the elbow problem that forced him out of his ATP Cup singles opener but he failed to find a way past Diego Schwartzman as the Argentine won an epic battle 6-7(5) 6-3 6-3 on Monday to lead his team to a 3-0 win over Greece. Tsitsipas, who had surgery in November and missed Saturday's meeting with Poland's Hubert Hurkacz before playing the doubles rubber, took advantage of Schwartzman's misfiring serve to gain the early advantage at the Ken Rosewell Arena.

NFL roundup: Packers clinch NFC's No. 1 seed

Davante Adams had 11 catches for 136 yards and a touchdown to lead the Packers. Allen Lazard had a receiving touchdown and AJ Dillon added two rushing touchdowns for Green Bay (13-3), which clinched the No. 1 seed, a first-round bye and home-field advantage during the NFC playoffs. Sean Mannion completed 22 of 36 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown for Minnesota (7-9). Dalvin Cook was limited to just 13 yards on nine carries.

Cycling-Froome halts 2022 season preparations due to knee injury

Chris Froome's preparations for the 2022 season have suffered a setback due to a knee injury, the four-times Tour de France champion said. The Briton said scans had revealed damage to a tendon and he suggested the condition "flared up" due to his aggressive pre-season training routine.

NBA roundup: Jaylen Brown scores 50 in Celtics' OT win

Jaylen Brown scored 21 of his career-high 50 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed 11 rebounds to help the Boston Celtics rally past the visiting Orlando Magic for a 116-111 overtime win on Sunday night. Boston led 110-104 with 1:11 left in the extra period. Orlando closed within 110-109 after a Wendell Carter Jr. free throw with 42.4 seconds on the clock, but Al Horford provided the winning basket on his 3-pointer with 27.4 seconds left.

Tennis-Depth of talent bodes well for women's game, says Barty

World number one Ash Barty said 2021 had been a big year for breakout performances and that there was a real depth of talent in women's tennis, which bode well for the sport. The women's Grand Slams were all won by different players for a fifth straight year in 2021, while there were new champions at the WTA Finals and the Tokyo Olympics.

NFL-Buccaneers Brown strips and stomps off field in angry mid-game exit

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown threw a tantrum in a game against the New York Jets on Sunday, ripping off his jersey and shoulder pads and storming off in one of the most bizarre scenes witnessed on an NFL field this season. Immediately after Tampa's comeback 28-24 win at Met Life Stadium, Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians dumped the 33-year-old receiver who has a long controversial history.

(With inputs from agencies.)