Sports News Roundup: NHL roundup: Isles edge Leafs for 12th win in 13; Spanish state TV shuns Super Cup in Saudi over rights concerns

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

NHL roundup: Isles edge Leafs for 12th win in 13

Anthony Beauvillier scored twice, including the go-ahead goal late in the second period Wednesday night, as the red-hot New York Islanders hung on to edge the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4 in Uniondale, N.Y. Mathew Barzal, Derick Brassard and Casey Cizikas also scored for the Islanders, who extended their point streak to 13 games (12-0-1). The hosts improved to 3-1-0 against the Maple Leafs since John Tavares signed with Toronto as a free agent in July 2018 after nine seasons in New York.

Rapinoe calls for more investment in U.S. women's game

Two-time World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe has been at the forefront of the U.S. national women's team's fight for gender pay equity but the fiery forward has told Reuters she also hopes for more investment in the domestic league and better pay for club players. Earlier this month, the U.S. National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) announced new compensation guidelines for 2020, including a nearly 20 percent increase in the overall salary cap as well as allocation money allowing teams to invest in some players above the maximum salary.

Berrettini signs off with victory over Thiem

Matteo Berrettini became the first Italian to win a match in ATP Finals history as he signed off with a 7-6(3) 6-3 defeat of off-color Dominic Thiem at the O2 Arena on Thursday. The afternoon tussle was a little flat as Thiem had already sealed a place in the semi-finals after group wins against Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, while Berrettini could not progress.

Nadal roars back to beat Medvedev from brink of defeat

Rafael Nadal produced an incredible fightback to beat Russian Daniil Medvedev and keep his ATP Finals hopes alive on Wednesday, saving a match point at 1-5 down in the decider before winning 6-7(3) 6-3 7-6(4). The 33-year-old looked beaten as 23-year-old debutant Medvedev broke serve twice in the decider to stand on the brink of a first career victory over the Spaniard he pushed to five sets in an epic U.S. Open final in September.

Dolphins, Lions planning to attend Kaepernick's NFL audition

The Miami Dolphins and other clubs will attend Colin Kaepernick's audition at a special workout hosted by the National Football League (NFL) on Saturday, opening the possibility that the former quarterback could return to the game three years after his protests against racial injustice roiled the sport. Kaepernick, who has been unable to find a team to sign him since 2017, was among the first players to kneel during the pregame U.S. national anthem in protest against extrajudicial killings of black people by police.

Commonwealth Games officials optimistic India will reverse 2022 boycott plans

The likelihood of India boycotting the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham due to the absence of shooting as a medal sport appears to be fading, a senior official said on Thursday. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has threatened to boycott the Games as shooting -- which supplied 16 of their 66 medals, including seven golds, at last year's Gold Coast Games -- was dropped from the Birmingham program as it is an optional sport for host cities.

NFL notebook: Gase's job safe for 2020

New York Jets CEO Christopher Johnson is sticking with Adam Gase as head coach for the 2020 season. Johnson said Wednesday he informed the team last week that the franchise had already decided to enter next season with Gase as its head coach. The Jets are 2-7 and in last place in the AFC East.

Spanish state TV shuns Super Cup in Saudi over rights concerns

Spanish state broadcaster RTVE said on Thursday it would not bid to broadcast the upcoming Spanish Super Cup soccer tournament in Saudi Arabia due to human rights concerns. Spain's soccer federation (RFEF) announced a three-year deal to play the revamped tournament in Saudi Arabia, with Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Valencia due to contest the first edition in Jeddah in January 2020.

Mets' deGrom, Astros' Verlander win second Cy Young Awards

New York Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom ran away with the voting to repeat as the winner of the National League Cy Young Award, while Houston Astros righty Justin Verlander edged a teammate to win the AL trophy for a second time Wednesday. DeGrom went 11-8 with a 2.43 ERA in 32 starts, striking out an NL-best 255 in 204 innings.

NBA roundup: Harden, Rockets outduel Leonard, Clippers

James Harden poured in a game-high 47 points and served as the closer down the stretch of the Houston Rockets' 102-93 win over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. After Kawhi Leonard provided the Clippers an 86-85 lead with a fadeaway jumper in the paint, Harden converted a driving layup and then drilled a 3-pointer as Houston reclaimed a 90-86 advantage. With just over 90 seconds to play, Harden nailed a dagger 3 for a 95-88 lead.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)