Reuters Sports News Summary

For the New York Islanders, Sunday afternoon is about beginning a late-season push to try to ensure an outdoor game against their archrivals isn't their only opportunity on the national stage. Swimming-World Aquatics stands by its strict Russia policy for Olympics World Aquatics (WA) are standing by their strict criteria for Russian and Belarusian swimmers to return to international competition - even if it means some of the world's best from the two countries boycott the Paris Olympics.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

NBA All-Star returns to East-West format in LeBron's 20th game

Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James will face off as All-Star captains for the fourth time when the best players from the Eastern and Western conferences square off against each other at the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday evening in Indianapolis. The game will mark another milestone in James' storied career. The 39-year-old is celebrating his 20th All-Star selection, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most all-time.

Swimming-Sjostrom tops 50m freestyle heats, Hafnaoui misses 1,500 final

Defending champion Sarah Sjostrom was fastest in the women's 50 metres freestyle preliminaries at the World Championships in Doha on Saturday, but 1,500m holder Ahmed Hafnaoui crashed out of the morning heats to cap a dismal meet. Evergreen Swede Sjostrom comfortably won her heat in 23.91 seconds at the Aspire Dome pool, nearly three-tenths of a second quicker than the United States' second-ranked Kate Douglass (24.19).

Rangers F Blake Wheeler to miss rest of regular season

New York Rangers right winger Blake Wheeler will miss the rest of the regular season after he suffered an injury to his right leg Thursday night during the Rangers' 7-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens. Wheeler was placed on injured reserve Friday.

Golf-Spieth takes responsibility for Genesis Invitational disqualification

Jordan Spieth admitted to signing for the wrong score at The Genesis Invitational at Riviera on Friday as the former U.S. Open champion was disqualified for the first time in his career.

The PGA Tour said that the former world number one had signed at the end of the second round for a three on the par-three fourth hole when he had made a four.

Legendary coach Lefty Driesell dies at 92

Charles "Lefty" Driesell, a Hall of Fame coach who turned Maryland basketball from an afterthought to a contender, died Saturday at age 92 in Virginia Beach, Va. His daughter, Pam Driesell, told The Baltimore Sun that he had been in declining health since the death of his wife, Joyce, in 2021.

Rangers roll into Stadium Series while Isles eye playoff push

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- A six-game winning streak has enhanced the chances the New York Rangers will perform in the spotlight of the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring. For the New York Islanders, Sunday afternoon is about beginning a late-season push to try to ensure an outdoor game against their archrivals isn't their only opportunity on the national stage.

Swimming-World Aquatics stands by its strict Russia policy for Olympics

World Aquatics (WA) are standing by their strict criteria for Russian and Belarusian swimmers to return to international competition - even if it means some of the world's best from the two countries boycott the Paris Olympics. Swimming's global governing body approved the return of Russian and Belarusian participants last September after banning them following Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Two juveniles charged in Kansas City Super Bowl rally shooting

Two teenagers have been charged as juveniles in connection with the shooting that killed one person and wounded 22 others in Kansas City, Missouri, near a Super Bowl victory rally for the city's NFL champion Chiefs, authorities said on Friday. The two suspects, arrested shortly after Wednesday's shooting, were being held at a juvenile detention center on charges of firearms violations and resisting arrest, according to a statement from Jackson County's Family Court.

ATP roundup: No. 2 seed Andrey Rublev falls in Rotterdam quarters

No. 5 seed Alex de Minaur of Australia smashed 10 aces, saved five of six break points and knocked out No. 2 seed Andrey Rublev of Russia 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3 in a quarterfinal showdown at the ABN AMRO Open on Friday in Rotterdam, Netherlands. While he committed twice as many unforced errors as Rublev (22 to 11), de Minaur still controlled most aspects of the match. Down 4-2 in the first-set tiebreaker, he ran off four straight points before winning his second set point. In the third set, he won 17 of 22 first-serve points and saved all three break points he faced.

High-scoring Canucks take on offensively challenged Jets

Fresh off a gritty win over Detroit that enabled them to become the first team this season to reach 80 points, the high-scoring Vancouver Canucks host the offensively challenged Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night. It is a matchup of contrasting styles. The Jets lack offensive firepower but make up for it with one of the stingiest defenses in the league, while the Canucks have the best record in the NHL and are making a major impact in the scoring race.