NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Boston Bruins scored twice in the final period to beat the New York Rangers 2-1 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday and grab a commanding 3-0 lead in their National Hockey League (NHL) playoff.

Boston fourth-liner Daniel Paille scored the game winner with 3:31 left on the clock after assisting defenseman Johnny Boychuk to tie the score at the start of the period.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – San Francisco and Houston were chosen on Tuesday as host cities for the 2016 and 2017 Super Bowls after National Football League (NFL) team owners voted for the two ahead of Miami.

The San Francisco Bay Area will host the 50th Super Bowl in early 2016 at Levi’s Stadium, the brand new home of the 49ers, which is still under construction.

NEW YORK, May 8 (Reuters) – Alex Ovechkin almost has it all but not quite. A multi-millionaire with a mountain of individual awards, his feats on the ice leave no doubt about his greatness as a hockey player.

The rewards and plaudits for his achievements have been flowing for years and the Russian already has the keys to the United States capital, Washington DC, an honour he received in 2008 when he won the first of his two National Hockey League MVP awards.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Carmelo Anthony scored 32 points, including 20 in the second half, as the New York Knicks turned on the razzle to thrash the Indiana Pacers 105-79 on Tuesday and level their best-of-seven NBA playoff series at 1-1.

After a slow start, Anthony exploded in the second half as the Knicks overturned a two-point deficit with a devastating second half burst at a packed Madison Square Garden.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Two hours without a goal, two games without a win, the New York Rangers’ faithful must have feared their NHL playoff campaign had “early exit” written all over it.

On Monday, against a Washington Capitals team in full flight, the Rangers rediscovered the way to win, taking a 4-3 victory at Madison Square Garden to narrow the deficit in the Eastern Conference first round playoff series to 2-1.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Veteran basketball player Jason Collins basked in support and declared himself as happy as he had ever been on Tuesday, but not everyone was pleased about his becoming the first openly gay player in North America’s four major professional sports leagues.

Collins revealed he was gay on Monday in a Sports Illustrated article, a reluctant pioneer who broke one of the last barriers of American sport.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – With a billionaire owner and a dazzling new stadium in New York City’s most populated borough, the Brooklyn Nets are not everyone’s idea of an underdog.

But in a sport where giants really do walk the court, the Nets have some legitimate claims to being a David among the Goliaths of the National Basketball Association.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Veteran basketball player Jason Collins announced on Monday that he was gay, smashing through one of the final frontiers in U.S. sports with a frank personal statement and winning warm praise as a groundbreaker.

Collins, a 12-year player in the National Basketball Association (NBA), became the first active athlete from any of the four major U.S. men’s professional sports leagues to come out publicly as gay.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The New York Jets cut quarterback Tim Tebow on Monday, ending his ill-conceived stint in the Big Apple and leaving one of the most hyped players in the National Football League (NFL) facing an uncertain future.

The Jets notified Tebow of their decision to waive him after just one season at a voluntary team workout on Monday morning.

By Julian Linden

(Reuters) – Jason Collins, a veteran centre in the National Basketball Association (NBA), announced on Monday that he was gay, becoming the first active player from any U.S. professional sports league to publicly reveal his homosexuality.

Collins, a free agent who played with the Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics during the NBA’s 2012-13 regular season, made the announcement in an interview with Sports Illustrated that was published on Monday.