MONTREAL >> Brady and Matthew Tkachuk each scored twice, and the brothers had a handful of big hits to help the United States beat Finland 6-1 on Thursday night in each team’s opening game at the 4 Nations Face-Off, a physical showdown played with edge throughout.

The scoreboard made it look like more of a rout than it was for the first two periods, when quality chances were at a premium and space on the ice was hard to find. Matt Boldy scored the go-ahead goal on a textbook deflection of Minnesota Wild teammate Brock Faber’s shot late in the second, then the floodgates opened early in the third.

That onslaught quieted the very pro-Finland crowd full of Canadians eager to root against their country’s biggest hockey rival. Some even booed the U.S. anthem before the game.

Rivalry day at the 4 Nations starts Saturday with Sweden against Finland, followed by the U.S. and Canada.

Golf

McCarthy takes Genesis lead >> Denny McCarthy ended a miserable day in a most brilliant manner at the Genesis Invitational, closing birdie-eagle for a 4-under 68 on a Torrey Pines course that more than lived up to its reputation.

McCarthy had a one-shot lead over Seamus Power and Patrick Rodgers. Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player who is starting to find his groove after a late start, missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole and was in the group at 70.

Even on soft greens from a steady rain, just three players broke 70 and only 10 others managed to break par.

Pro football

Jets moving ON FROM Rodgers >> Aaron Rodgers’ disappointing two-year stint with the New York Jets is over. The Jets announced they told the 41-year-old quarterback they are moving on without him next season.

Rodgers hasn’t said whether he intends to continue playing for a 21st NFL season.

The four-time MVP has one year left on his contract, worth a non-guaranteed $37.5 million.

Soccer

New top-tier league coming to US >> The United Soccer League intends to launch a new men’s professional league in 2027-28 that will play at the top level of soccer in the U.S., the same as Major League Soccer.

The USL already has a pair of leagues, the second-tier USL Championship and the third-tier USL League One. Currently, MLS is the nation’s only Division One league.

The U.S. Soccer Federation will need to sanction the new league, which will include 12 to 14 teams. The league aims to build on “USL’s commitment to grow the game at all levels.”

Motor sports

Schumacher blackmail case ends with prison terms >> Three men have been found guilty in a case of attempted blackmail against Formula 1 great Michael Schumacher’s family.

The perpetrators demanded 15 million euros from the family to avoid releasing hundreds of private photos and videos of the family as well as digitized copies of Schumacher’s medical records.

A district court in Wuppertal, western Germany, sentenced the main defendant to three years in prison, while his son received a six-month suspended sentence and a fine of 1,200 euros, news agency dpa reported. The main defendant had previous convictions.

Another defendant, a former security guard for the family, received a two-year suspended sentence and a fine of 2,400 euros for aiding and abetting the other two men.

The family has shielded Schumacher from public view since his serious skiing accident in December 2013.