Sports News Roundup: NHL roundup: Carter Verhaeghe (5 points) leads Panthers' rally; Tennis-Wawrinka relishes 'special' challenge against Djokovic in Rome and more

With two games left and Real Madrid already crowned champions, Atletico climbed to third place on 67 points, six ahead of Real Betis in fifth and with a better head-to-head record. MLB roundup: Brewers' Christian Yelich hits for 3rd career cycle Tyler Stephenson doubled twice in the first two innings and drove in four runs to power the Cincinnati Reds past the visiting Milwaukee Brewers 14-11 Wednesday afternoon.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

NHL roundup: Carter Verhaeghe (5 points) leads Panthers' rally

Carter Verhaeghe scored twice -- including the go-ahead tally in the third period -- and added three primary assists as the Florida Panthers rallied from a three-goal deficit to defeat the Washington Capitals, 5-3, on Wednesday night in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series at Sunrise, Fla. The top-seeded Panthers lead the best-of-seven series 3-2. The eighth-seeded Capitals will host Game 6 on Friday night, hoping to stave off elimination.

Tennis-Wawrinka relishes 'special' challenge against Djokovic in Rome

Three-times major champion Stan Wawrinka said that playing Novak Djokovic is always special but added that he may not quite be ready to face a player of the world number one's quality following his return from long-term injury. The 37-year-old, who did not play for an entire year after undergoing two surgeries for a foot injury, battled past Laslo Dere 7-6(8) 3-6 6-4 to set up a 26th career meeting with Djokovic in the last-16 of the Italian Open on Thursday.

Soccer-Atletico Madrid secure Champions League spot with 2-0 Elche win

Matheus Cunha and Rodrigo de Paul scored with close-range strikes to earn Atletico Madrid a 2-0 win at Elche on Wednesday, securing Diego Simeone's side a top-four LaLiga finish and Champions League qualification for the 10th straight season. With two games left and Real Madrid already crowned champions, Atletico climbed to third place on 67 points, six ahead of Real Betis in fifth and with a better head-to-head record.

MLB roundup: Brewers' Christian Yelich hits for 3rd career cycle

Tyler Stephenson doubled twice in the first two innings and drove in four runs to power the Cincinnati Reds past the visiting Milwaukee Brewers 14-11 Wednesday afternoon. Christian Yelich became the fifth player since 1900 with three career cycles when he tripled in Milwaukee's six-run ninth. All three have been at the expense of the Reds. Hunter Renfroe also homered twice for the Brewers, who fell to 2-4 on their current nine-game road trip.

Soccer-Dazzling De Bruyne propels Man City closer to Premier League title

Manchester City's midfield genius Kevin De Bruyne scored four goals on Wednesday in a 5-1 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers to put his team in a commanding position to retain the Premier League with two games remaining. The Belgian put the game to bed with a hat-trick in a devastating 18-minute spell in the first half, before notching a fourth after the break as the away fans alternated between chanting "Kevin De Bruyne" and "Champions of England".

Sport-Messi tops Forbes' highest-paid athlete's list

Lionel Messi was the world's highest-paid athlete over the last year, according to the annual Forbes https://www.forbes.com list released on Wednesday that had the Paris Saint-Germain forward ahead of the NBA's LeBron James and Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi earned $130 million, a figure which includes $55 million of endorsements, during the 12-month period ended May 1, 2022, to sit atop the list of the 10 highest-paid athletes a year after finishing second to Irish MMA fighter Conor McGregor.

Tennis-Osaka breaks from IMG to start own sports agency

Four-times major winner Naomi Osaka is breaking away from IMG to launch her own sports agency with longtime agent Stuart Duguid. Duguid and Osaka began discussing the venture at the Tokyo Olympics last year, Duguid told Reuters via email, adding that the firm, called Evolve, will operate as a "small boutique and bespoke agency."

Basketball-Sydney Kings end 17-year title drought in front of record crowd

There was no room for sentiment in Australia's National Basketball League finals as the Sydney Kings swept the best-of-five game series against the Tasmania JackJumpers to snatch the title for the first time since 2005. The JackJumpers had earned the affection of the nation after reaching the finals series in their inaugural season but, despite leading at the half and three-quarter time in Games Three were unable to stop the Kings from running out 97-88 winners.

Soccer-Ukraine return to action with friendly win against Gladbach

Oleksandr Pikhalionok scored the winner as Ukraine beat Bundesliga side Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-1 in a friendly on Wednesday in the national team's first game since the country was invaded by Russia. The match at Borussia Park was attended by over 20,000 spectators, with all proceeds going towards relief efforts in Ukraine. Players from both teams held up a "Stop War" banner before kick-off.

NBA-Denver Nuggets Jokic wins back-to-back MVP titles

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has won the NBA's Most Valuable Player award for the second straight year, the league announced on Wednesday. The Serbian big man received 65 first-place votes from a panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters, comfortably beating out Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, who finished second, and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was third.

(With inputs from agencies.)