Sports Roundup: Vasilevskiy out; LeBron’s car at auction; Rangers acquire Strome

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Lightning G Vasilevskiy out with the broken foot

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy will miss four to six weeks with a fractured left foot, the team announced Friday. Vasilevskiy suffered the injury during practice on Wednesday and was evaluated by doctors on Thursday.

LeBron’s HS car to drive hard bargain at auction

LeBron James obviously wasn't an ordinary high school senior. His car wasn't a run-of-the-mill model, either. James drove a 2003 Hummer H2, and it is going up for auction on Monday before being sold on Dec. 8.

More U.S. states could swarm into legal sports betting next year

At least a dozen more U.S. states could legalize sports betting in the coming year, and up to eight could have operational sports books ready to take wagers before the start of the 2019 football season, industry experts said at a conference on Thursday. In addition to the five states where legal sports wagering is up and running, another four to eight will "probably be accepting bets by the coming football season," Jake Williams, Sportradar Group's vice president of legal and regulatory affairs, told Reuters in an interview after a conference co-sponsored by the sports data provider.

NHL notebook: Rangers acquire Strome from Oilers for Spooner

The New York Rangers acquired forward Ryan Strome from the Edmonton Oilers on Friday in exchange for forwarding Ryan Spooner. Strome, 25, had two points (one goal, one assist) in 18 games for the Oilers this season. Overall, he has 162 points (59 goals, 103 assists) with the New York Islanders (2013-17) and Oilers. Spooner, 26, had one goal and one assist) in 16 games for the Rangers and 160 points (46 goals, 114 assists) with the Boston Bruins (2012-18) and Rangers.

Zverev sets up tasty Federer clash at ATP Finals

Alexander Zverev's long-predicted arrival at the summit of men's tennis is taking too long for some impatient observers but he took another significant step forward by beating John Isner to reach the last four at the ATP Finals on Friday. His 7-6(5) 6-3 victory over the American meant the 21-year-old became the first German since Rainer Schuettler in 2003 to reach the semi-finals of the prestigious year-ending tournament and the youngest since Argentine Juan Martin del Potro in 2009.

Rangers acquire Strome from Oilers for Spooner

The New York Rangers acquired forward Ryan Strome from the Edmonton Oilers on Friday in exchange for forwarding Ryan Spooner. Strome, 25, had two points (one goal, one assist) in 18 games for the Oilers this season. Overall, he has 162 points (59 goals, 103 assists) in 358 games with the New York Islanders (2013-17) and Oilers.

IOC faces 2026 Winter Games conundrum as cities flee

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is facing its most serious bidding crisis in decades as cities drop out of the 2026 Winter Games bid race en masse, leaving a field of just two candidates. The Canadian city of Calgary on Tuesday became the latest to pull the plug on its 2026 Games candidacy after more than 56 percent of citizens voted against the project in a plebiscite, unconvinced the benefits of the Olympics were worth the multi-billion dollar investment.

Nuggets name WNBA's Bird to a front office role

Veteran WNBA star Sue Bird will join the front office of the Denver Nuggets, the NBA team announced Friday. She will have the title of basketball operation associate, according to Tim Connelly, the president of basketball operations.

World Series hero Pearce re-signs with Red Sox

World Series MVP Steve Pearce is returning to the Boston Red Sox after signing a one-year contract, the team announced Friday. The deal is worth $6.25 million, according to multiple reports.

NFL notebook: Flacco doubtful vs. Bengals

Joe Flacco was listed as doubtful on Friday's injury report as the Baltimore Ravens' quarterback mystery continues, two days prior to Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Flacco didn't practice all week because of a hip injury, while rookie Lamar Jackson returned to practice on Friday after sitting out a day due to illness. Robert Griffin III took all the practice snaps on Thursday.

(With inputs from agencies.)