Switzerland shuts out US at ice hockey worlds, Sweden tops Finland

HERNING, Denmark >> Last year’s runner-up Switzerland shut out the United States 3-0 and handed the Americans their first loss at the ice hockey world championship on Monday.

Damien Riat, Jonas Siegenthaler and Dean Kukan scored in the Group B game in Herning. Net-minder Leonardo Genoni stopped 23 shots for the shutout.

“Give credit to Switzerland,” U.S. coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “But I know our group has a lot more in them. We’ll regroup and get ready to play Norway.”

Riat put Switzerland ahead with 7:14 remaining in the first period, redirecting the puck into the goal from the air. It was the first goal the U.S. conceded at the tournament.

The second followed 3:13 later by Siegenthaler from the blue line. Kukan’s came halfway through the final period from the top of the left circle.

“After the first goal we did a better job, we got into it more and more, and shut them out,” Swiss forward Kevin Fiala said.

Fiala recorded an assist in his first game at the worlds. He joined the Swiss late after his Los Angeles Kings were eliminated from the NHL playoffs in the first round.

Eagles get rival Cowboys for NFL regular-season opener on Sept. 4

The Philadelphia Eagles will start defending their championship at home on Sept. 4 against the division rival Dallas Cowboys.

The matchup for the annual regular-season kickoff game was revealed on Monday by the NFL, the first in a series of announcements of notable games coming this week ahead of the full schedule release on Wednesday night.

The Cowboys-Eagles matchup will be on Thursday night, the first game in NBC’s package of primarily Sunday night games. NBC also announced that its streaming service, Peacock, will exclusively broadcast a Saturday night game on Dec. 27, a matchup that will be determined later from a pool of possible options based on how the playoff races are shaping up then.

Michael Jordan is joining NBC as a special contributor for its NBA coverage

NEW YORK >> Michael Jordan is joining NBC Sports as a special contributor to its NBA coverage when the 2025-26 season begins.

NBC made the announcement on Monday morning during its upfront presentation at Radio City Music Hall previewing the networks offerings during the upcoming television season.

“I am so excited to see the NBA back on NBC,” Jordan said during a video message. “The NBA on NBC was a meaningful part of my career, and I’m excited about being a special contributor to the project. I’m looking forward to seeing you all when the NBA on NBC launches this October.”

NBC returns to carrying the NBA after a 23-year absence. It had NBA rights from 1990 through 2002 and carried all six of Jordan’s championships as a member of the Chicago Bulls.

This is the first time Jordan has joined a network. His appearances and comments during the 2020 “The Last Dance” documentary about his career and the end of the Bulls dynasty in 1998 created plenty of headlines.

“Michael’s legacy both on and off the court speaks for itself,” NBC Sports President Rick Cordella said. “We’re incredibly proud to have him join our coverage.”

— The Associated Press