HOCKEY
Chicago Blackhawks rookie center Connor Bedard, the top choice in last summer’s NHL draft, returned to the ice Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins after missing nearly six weeks with a broken jaw.
Bedard, considered the favorite for the rookie of the year award before his injury, missed 14 games after breaking his jaw in a collision with New Jersey defenseman Brendan Smith on Jan. 5.
He practiced with the team in recent days but hadn’t been in contact drills until Thursday morning, when he skated with the team’s spare players, a day after doctors cleared him.
• The Pittsburgh Penguins placed star forward Jake Guentzel on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. Guentzel, whose 52 points are tied with Sidney Crosby for the team lead, will miss up to four weeks.
• The Columbus Blue Jackets fired General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen, ending his time on the job ahead of another crucial trade deadline for the struggling club. It was Kekalainen’s 11th full season on the job and came just over three weeks before the March 8 deadline. Kekalainen, 57, was the third-longest tenured GM in the NHL.
TENNIS
ARGENTINA OPEN: Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion and top seed, advanced to the quarterfinals at Buenos Aires by beating Camilo Carabelli 6-2, 7-5 in his first clay-court match of the season.
Alcaraz, 20, came from 2-0 down in the second set against his Argentine opponent.
FOOTBALL
NFL: The Chicago Bears released former All-Pro safety Eddie Jackson and offensive lineman Cody Whitehair.
A fourth-round draft by Chicago in 2017, Jackson had 15 interceptions and returned three for touchdowns in seven seasons. He also ran back three fumble recoveries for scores.
AUTO RACING
INDYCAR: Takuma Sato, a two-time Indy 500 winner, will re-join Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing this year to chase a third title.
If all goes as planned, he will drive the Honda-powered No. 75 car on May 26.
SOCCER
EUROPA LEAGUE: Ruben Loftus-Cheek scored two goals as AC Milan eased to 3-0 victory over visiting Rennes of France in the first leg of their Round of 16 matchup.
Also, Romelu Lukaku scored the equalizer to give Roma a 1-1 draw at Feyenoord.
FRENCH LEAGUE: Kylian Mbappe has told Paris Saint-Germain he will leave the club at the end of the season. Mbappe, who has been pursued by Real Madrid, did not indicate which club he would join next.
BASKETBALL
NBA: Los Angeles Clippers forward P.J. Tucker was fined $75,000 by the NBA for publicly expressing a desire to be traded before last week’s deadline.
Tucker was acquired by the Clippers from Philadelphia in the trade for James Harden on Nov. 1 but played in just 12 games before falling out the rotation for good. He has not played since Nov. 27.
— News service reports
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