Allrounder Nida Dar has wasted no time in putting her experience of the WBBL to good use as Pakistan prepare to begin their T20 World Cup campaign.

Dar became the first Pakistan player to appear in the competition as part of the Sydney Thunder side in this year's tournament, where she had 11 matches, claiming 13 wickets at 16.92 - the best average in the team - and an economy rate 6.87.

In a young Pakistan side, Dar was always going to be a vital component of their T20 World Cup campaign - a tournament where they have never got out of the first round - but that inside knowledge of Australian conditions has made her a go-to person as the squad gets ready to face West Indies in Canberra.

"As a senior player I need to share everything I have," she said. "All my team-mates are always asking me about the BBL experience and Australian conditions. I have given a lot of tips and things to try. The girls are very keen to learn everything because some of them are very new and it's their first experience in Australia. What we need to do is gel as a unit."

As her team-mates are now doing, Dar spent the WBBL trying to take in as much as she could from the experience of mixing with some of the best players in the game and a group of elite coaches. However, despite the information collected during her stint early in the season, Dar believes conditions for the World Cup have altered after a long, hot summer followed by recent heavy rain - especially on the east coast - which also impacted a preparation camp Pakistan had in Queensland.

"The main thing I focused on was what could I grab from here, the experience from different coaches and ideas from different people," she said. "I had experienced players with me, Rachael Haynes, Shabnim Ismail, Rachel Priest so there were different ideas from different players and the experience I took from the BBL was very nice. But now after so much rain the conditions have changed."

Ultimately, West Indies were comfortable winners against Thailand in their opening game although they did have some nervous moments early the chase when they slipped to 27 for 3. Pakistan know what to expect from a side that likes to hit boundaries and will be preying on that eagerness to put bat to ball.

"We know the strengths of West Indies, they are power hitters, and want to show their skills all the time, so we need to be very strong with our nerves," Dar said. "Variation could be helpful for us and it's these kinds of things that we can learn, maybe West Indies are trying to hit hard a lot, but maybe against us they will try to rotate the strike."

Pakistan are the last team to get their World Cup underway - Australia, India and Sri Lanka have already played twice - but have spent the time wisely trying to gain as much insight as they can from the early matches that have unfolded. Dar is confident Pakistan's spin attack, of which she is a key element, will be able to have a significant say in the tournament.

"It was nice to watch the matches, we were learning from them, we know the Australian pitches but the behaviour of the wickets has really changed. After watching the games we need to adapt, [the totals] are not big totals, they are very chaseable, but some teams are defending them. The spinners are working really hard over here and are good on these types of pitches.

"We know our strengths, the girls are very skilful. We have a bunch of very talented players. They want to play against the best teams. We just want to show our skills."

South Australia 6 for 135 (Copeland 3-38) trail New South Wales 373 (Hughes 103, Gilkes 83, Mennie 6-103) by 238 runs

Scorecard

Trent Copeland took three wickets as leaders New South Wales cemented their position in Bankstown. He claimed South Australia's top three either side of a stubborn second-wicket stand, which was broken when Nathan Lyon took a stunning catch at midwicket to remove Callum Ferguson. Either side of Lyon's fine grab, Copeland had Jake Weatherald hooking to long leg and Henry Hunt caught on the pull at deep square.

Another brilliant catch, this time by Daniel Solway at short leg, removed Travis Head as the left-hander played a full-blooded flick to the on side towards the end of the day. South Australia scored at under two runs an over as Lyon sent down 22 overs for just 26 runs. Earlier, the home side's lower order added useful runs to extend an overnight 7 for 294. Harry Conway hit a career-best 31 as he and Jack Edwards (48*) added 76 for the ninth wicket.

Tasmania 5 for 188 (Wakim 57, Paris 2-27) trail Western Australia 371 (Green 158*, Philippe 63, Rainbird 5-77) by 183 runs

Scorecard

Cameron Green led the way as Western Australia added 84 runs to their overnight 6 for 287 before being bowled out, and Joel Paris and David Moody then picked up two wickets to push Tasmania on the back foot, as they ended the day on a tricky 5 for 188.

Green started the day on 105 with Paris for company, and though Paris didn't last too long, Matthew Kelly hung around for long enough to let Green build on his and his team's score. Kelly scored 20, facing 53 balls from No. 9, before falling to Sam Rainbird, who went on to return a five-for when he also accounted for Moody, as Green ended on an unbeaten 158.

Paris then struck as early as in the eighth over of the Tasmania innings, sending back Jordan Silk, before Aaron Hardie dismissed Alex Doolan, the other opener. Resistance from Tasmania came in the form of Charlie Wakim, who first added 27 with Doolan and then 58 with Jake Doran before falling to Moody for 57. There were runs after Wakim too, as Tim Paine fell for 20 but Ben McDermott (20*) and Beau Webster (34*) saw off the day, with Tasmania hoping that the two carry on for long enough to give them a chance.

Victoria 3 for 73 (Dean 34*, Gannon 3-8) and 9 for 330 dec lead Queensland 184 (Pfeffer 50, Sutherland 5-34) by 219 runs

Scorecard

Will Sutherland led the way as the Victoria bowlers cut a swathe through the Queensland batting to bowl them out for 184 after they had declared on their overnight 9 for 330, and though Cameron Gannon hit back with three wickets before the end of the day's play, Victoria were nicely placed with a 219-run lead and seven second-innings wickets in hand.

It went a bit pear-shaped for Queensland right at the start of the day as Joe Burns and Bryce Street were dismissed cheaply - Burns lasted just nine balls but Street did hang around for 53 in scoring 5, but at 2 for 30, it wasn't looking good. Lachlan Pfeffer (50), Nathan McSweeney (24) and Sam Heazlett (34) played their part in taking the fight to the visitors, but once Sutherland got his act together, wickets fell in a rush, his 5 for 34 taking Queensland from 3 for 90 to 184 all out.

That gave Victoria a lead of 146, and despite Gannon's burst - he picked up two wickets in the 13th over of the innings and one more in the 17th - Travis Dean (34*) and Matthew Short (15*) made sure they ended the day with their noses well in front.

PHILADELPHIA -- After Trae Young buried a 3-pointer with a half-second to go in the third quarter here at Wells Fargo Center, the Atlanta Hawks led the Philadelphia 76ers 92-91 going into the fourth. A 21-point Sixers lead had evaporated, and the boos rained down upon the home team as it trudged back to its bench.

Then Joel Embiid took over. And, before long, order was restored.

Thanks to a brilliant fourth quarter, in which he outscored the Hawks 22-20, Embiid finished with a career-high 49 points to go along with 14 rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block in 36 minutes, leading the Sixers to a 129-112 victory Monday night.

"We're all going to point to the numbers, and this and that," Sixers coach Brett Brown said afterwards of Embiid, "but the bottom line is this: When he comes out with that activity, that energy, that mentality, he makes a statistician work. And we will win a lot of games."

While Philadelphia is without Embiid's fellow All-Star Ben Simmons -- the team said earlier Monday that it will announce within 24 hours what his next steps will be in terms of dealing with an injured back -- it's going to need a lot more performances like this from its all-world center.

Ever since Embiid came out and announced he was going to get back to "doing whatever I want and saying whatever I want" after a win over the LA Clippers in Philadelphia's final game before the All-Star break, he has now had three massive performances in a row here. He had 26 points and nine rebounds in that game, 39 points, 16 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals in an overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets last Thursday, and then Monday's dominant performance against Atlanta -- all sandwiched around a second straight dud in Milwaukee against the league-leading Bucks and MVP frontrunner Giannis Antetokounmpo.

And, as he was tearing the Hawks apart Monday, he did it with the same kind of flash and flair he made commonplace over the prior three seasons before toning his act down for most of the first half of this season.

He repeatedly asked the crowd to get to its feet. After a huge dunk in the fourth quarter, he flexed his muscles and held the pose as he backpedaled down the court. And, after hitting a 3-pointer with 32.2 seconds left to set his career high, he cupped his ear to the crowd as the cheers rained down on him.

"I said I was going to get back to having fun," Embiid said. "Having fun comes in different forms. I don't always have to be smiling or laughing all the time, I can have fun just dominating the game.

"Obviously tonight was just one of those nights where I was having fun like the old days, just having fun with the crowd. Some nights I might want to dominate and stay quiet, but it was cool. The most important thing was that we bounced back [from the Milwaukee loss] and got the win."

Embiid's theatrics on the court also caused a bit of controversy. After his final basket of the night was followed up by Trae Young, who finished with 28 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists, missing a 3-pointer, Embiid brought the ball upcourt and looked to run out the clock.

Hawks guard Kevin Huerter, though, had other ideas, and came in from behind Embiid and stole the ball away from him. As he turned to bring the ball back upcourt, Embiid flashed a middle finger at Huerter on his way by.

"There was 24 seconds left in the game, and I was playing," Huerter told ESPN, who said he didn't see Embiid flip him off as he ran by. "He brought the ball up court. He was pumping up crowd before that, doing all the stuff he usually does, and he wasn't looking so I went up and took the ball and got another possession. If he did it, I don't think that warrants that, but it is what it is."

Embiid apologized in his on-court interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia immediately after the game -- "I also want to say sorry for what I did at the end of the game. Y'all probably saw that on TV. I'm sorry." -- but took a different tack in his news conference.

"There's always this thing about you shouldn't shoot the ball if you're up 20, something like that," he said. "I feel like it should go both ways too, I mean, I'm running the clock down and I feel like the game is over, that's why I'm doing it.

"But to me if the other team is going to keep playing defense and they're going to keep shooting the ball at the other end, I feel like we should just be like, 'Well, be better next time,' and just go out and score. I thought about it when I had the ball again, but I was like 'Eh, I'm going to stay cool.'"

The big man was clearly feeling confident after the game, as his rambling news conference went in a few different directions. At one point, he was asked about his comments after Thursday's win over Brooklyn, when he made a comment about being the best player in the world after putting up 10 points and five rebounds in the untimed fourth quarter of the All-Star Game a few days prior.

"For sure," Embiid said last week. "The All-Star Game was fun. Being there in the fourth quarter, doing my thing at the end of the game, I thought it was great. "But the All-Star Game, just proving I'm here, I belong, and being the best player in the world, I just intend to keep coming out every single night and just play hard and trying to get wins and just go out and try to win a championship."

After Monday's game, however, he argued that he was "misquoted" -- only to then reargue the point by saying he is in that conversation when he plays the way he did against the Hawks.

"Do a better job reporting," he said with a smile. "What I said was that All-Star Game fourth quarter, I'm out there with some of the guys that are considered the best players in the world, and I'm out there just dominating, being unstoppable, doing whatever I want, especially in the post. So to me I just felt like that was a chance for me to prove that I deserved being in that conversation of being the best player in the world.

"That's what I said, but like I said tonight, if I play like that every night, like this, like I played tonight, what more can you say? I just gotta keep on doing it, I know I'm not, but I do believe it, because I got to prove it, I got to win. My goal is to win a championship, that's how you prove you're up there. I'm going to do everything I can to get to that point and win a championship."

Embiid also alluded to his on-again, off-again relationship with Philadelphia's fans of late. While Embiid was booed during the fourth quarter of an ugly home win over the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 9, he twice told the crowd to be quiet -- including once with an expletive. Then, the next day, he went on social media and wound up having a back-and-forth with former teammate Jimmy Butler that only inspired more ire from the hometown fans.

And while the tenor of the conversation has changed since Embiid went out in his next game and was dominant in that win over the Clippers, it appears he hasn't forgotten the chatter that has been associated with both he and Simmons and the potential future of their partnership together in recent weeks.

"Well they were still booing," he said after getting MVP chants during Monday's game. "They booed in the third quarter. but it's cool. [They're] passionate. I have a lot of love for them.

"It doesn't matter, they might have me in a lot of trade machines and all that stuff, they might boo, but it's still all love. We've had a very, very deep connection since I've been in Philly, and I've always appreciated everything they've done for me, and all the love they've given to me.

"All I can do to kinda reward them is to try to get wins every single night by playing hard and doing my job, so that's what I'm going to keep on doing, and I'm sure they're going to stay happy."

LOS ANGELES -- Doc Rivers saw "adversaries" all around him at Staples Center, all brought together by the power of Kobe Bryant.

The LA Clippers coach was one of many NBA legends, All-Stars and coaching luminaries on hand Monday for the Celebration of Life for Kobe and Gianna Bryant. While the packed Staples Center crowd cried and sniffled through the ceremony, Rivers said he thought it was the first time family, friends and the city could start to move from grieving to celebrating Bryant's life.

"It's just been a very heavy month. It's everywhere," Rivers said of Los Angeles, which has been grieving since the helicopter crash that killed Kobe and Gianna Bryant and seven others on Jan. 26. "There's days you get away from it -- like, the games are great now because you're focused on the games -- but you know, it's just. ... It's broken or just broken-hearted.

"It's been a broken-hearted city. Probably something I've never seen before, ever, anywhere, and it's still there a little bit, for sure. But today will help."

Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O'Neal, Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Steph Curry, Anthony Davis and a Houston Rockets trio of James Harden, Russell Westbrook and P.J. Tucker were among the many former and current NBA stars who attended the celebration.

"This morning was beautiful," said Rivers, who remained at Staples Center for the Clippers' game against the Memphis Grizzlies. "It was emotional ... you know, what was interesting as you just looked around at all those people -- it just brought people together. You can want to beat someone's brains out and still respect them, and you saw that today. You saw all these adversaries all through the arena. Heck, the Kings were sitting right behind me after they just beat us the other night."

Like so many others, Rivers was in awe of Vanessa Bryant's words about her husband and daughter and an emotional Jordan giving the world a glimpse into his relationship with Kobe Bryant.

"I don't know how Vanessa did it," said Rivers, who had dinner with his friend and former Laker adversary in January. "I don't know how that was possible. I thought Michael, like, if you could pick one representation of Kobe, they picked a perfect ... he may have been the only choice when you think about it. And his delivery was amazing, so there were so many good things."

After the celebration, Rivers said he and the VIP guests caught up for about an hour.

"I talked to people in the NBA that I hadn't seen in forever or people that I've competed against, coaches, Phil and Pop [Gregg Popovich]," Rivers said. "It was just a great day. It really was. And it was more of a celebration, and I think that's where I feel like we're at now. We can start celebrating his life, and that was good."

Harden, Westbrook and Tucker attended the ceremony, then flew back to Houston for a game Monday against the New York Knicks, arriving a little more than an hour before tipoff. Harden, who scored 37 points in a 123-112 victory, said it was important to him to be at the memorial.

"Obviously, it's a tough time for them, the entire world," Harden said, "So it was a must that I be there, show my respects."

Harden then described how some of what he learned from Kobe helped carry him through the day.

"Numerous times [Kobe] talked about your path and the road that you're on, and there's always going to be tough times, times when you don't want to work hard, and you just don't feel like it," Harden said. "Those are the times you just have to push through.

"Obviously, the journey is one thing, but the steps you have to take to get to that journey is another thing. That's what makes you a champion. That's what binds you. That's why he was put on this earth."

Bradley Beal became the first player since Kobe Bryant to score 50 points on back-to-back nights when he dropped a career-high 55 in the Washington Wizards' 137-134 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night.

Beal shot 58% from the field -- including 8-of-13 from 3-point range -- one night after he shot 56% and scored 53 points in a loss to the Chicago Bulls.

"I was just locked in and I just was having fun," Beal said. "Probably the most fun game I've ever played in."

Bryant, who was honored in a memorial service in Los Angeles on Monday morning, scored 60 against Memphis and 50 against New Orleans on March 22-23, 2007 -- the final two contests of his historic four-game streak of scoring 50 points or more.

"Oh, man, that's crazy," Beal said. "Didn't know that. That's who Kobe was. That was his drive and that ceremony today just brought the feeling, the tears all back again.''

Unlike Bryant's Lakers, who won all four of those games, Beal's Wizards lost both of his 50-plus games, and the eighth-year guard joined Wilt Chamberlain, James Harden and Devin Booker as the only players in NBA history to score 50 in consecutive games and lose twice. Beal is the first to do it on back-to-back nights.

Beal also became the first Wizards player in franchise history to score 50 in consecutive games. Since the franchise rebranded as the Wizards in 1997, only Michael Jordan had scored even 45 points in back-to-back games for Washington.

On Monday night, Beal had the ball with a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter but opted to pass to Rui Hachimura, whose last-second shot was blocked by Felipe Lopez.

"I probably should've shot the ball at the end of [regulation]," Beal said. "Granted, Rui was wide open. I should've threw a zip pass to him. I kind of lobbed it to him, so I set him up for failure.''

Then at the end of overtime, Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said his team tried to keep the ball away from Beal, and Troy Brown Jr.'s 3-pointer rimmed out at the buzzer.

"We definitely didn't want [Beal] to take the last shot," Budenholzer said. "We feel fortunate that we made one more play than them probably down the stretch."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

LOS ANGELES -- In the 6 a.m. hour, a line begins snaking down Olympic Blvd.

"It's going to be a crazy day, bro," one security guard says to another as people flood the plaza outside Staples Center. Peddlers hawk memorabilia on nearby corners. City bus signages blink, "RIP KOBE."

In the seven days after the crash, as many as 350,000 people passed through this plaza, leaving behind tens of thousands of flowers, more than 25,000 candles, 1,353 basketballs, more than 1,000 jerseys, hats and T-shirts, more than 500 personalized notes and more than 350 pairs of shoes.

But for now, the space is clear, save for barricades to silo a swelling crowd of nearly 20,000 waiting to fill Staples Center. Nearby, large LED screens read, "A Celebration of Life -- Kobe & Gianna Bryant," their names surrounded by 24 purple and gold butterflies.

"All right, let's have a good time today," a security guard tells the crowd soon before the arena doors open near the Star Plaza, where statues of several Lakers greats currently stand. Bryant had been involved in talks about his own statue and even potential poses, but no decisions had been made. And as discussions accelerate, those decisions will now fall to his family.

Inside the arena, a 24-foot-by-24-foot stage stands at center court, framed by 33,643 red roses, one for every point Bryant scored during his 20-season career with the Los Angeles Lakers, a source says. Here is the intersection between the speakers, the crowd and an arena full of people consoling each other and celebrating Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others who died in a helicopter crash Jan. 26 in Calabasas, California.

WITH A BAND dressed in white behind her, Beyonce Knowles-Carter directly faces Vanessa Bryant, who sits in the front row of a small, separate section for the Bryant family. It is surrounded by roses.

"I'm here, because I love Kobe," Beyonce tells the audience, "and ['XO'] was one of his favorite songs. So I want to start that over. And I want us to do it all together.

"And I want you to do it so loud," she adds, her gaze peering upward, "they hear your love."

After Beyonce finishes "Halo," she blows a kiss toward the heavens, places her hand over her heart, looks to Vanessa and mouths, "I love you."

Vanessa claps in return, nodding and sobbing.

Soon after, Jimmy Kimmel, who is emceeing the memorial, asks the crowd for a favor.

"Since we are here today to celebrate," he says, "I'd like to invite you right now to take a moment to say hello to the people around you, whether you know them or not -- to be grateful for life and for the fact that we are all here together."

All around the stage, NBA legends, Lakers staffers and others rise and turn to each other. There are handshakes and long, emotional embraces. The moment lasts for 20 long seconds.

EVERY DETAIL FOR the event itself had been approved by Vanessa and the Bryant family, a source says.

Just after 11 a.m. PT, Vanessa is introduced, and the crowd erupts, immediately rising to its feet. She has been widowed for 30 days, and she walks with a resolved stride toward the lectern.

She carries folded, white pages in one hand, wipes her hair from her face, unfolds her speech and scans the words that capture what she has lost. She clenches a tissue in her left hand as fans shout, "I love you!" Suspended from the rafters behind her, Bryant's No. 24 and No. 8 retired jerseys shine in purple light. She surveys the crowd, her eyes welling, and she takes several deep, long breaths. She places both hands on the lectern and looks toward the crowd. She takes one more deep breath.

"OK," she says, and begins.

"I AM THE White Mamba," Diana Taurasi says.

A source close to the family says the most important thing to them was that the day focused not only on Kobe, but on Gianna -- that she didn't get lost in the mix. Vanessa opened by speaking about her daughter, and the next three speakers -- Taurasi, Oregon star Sabrina Ionescu, UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma -- were all from the sport Gianna loved and pursued.

As Taurasi continues her speech, her face clenches. She sniffles. The words are caught somewhere in her throat, and they will not move. She is teetering on that terrible edge, before the body completely surrenders to emotion. She shuffles left to right, back and forth, waging an internal battle for control.

After those long seconds pass, Taurasi finds the words about the last time she saw a young girl considered to be the future of women's basketball, who aspired to play at Connecticut and dominate the WNBA.

"It was the look," Taurasi says of Gianna, fighting tears, "of excitement, a look of belonging, a look of fierce determination."

Later, Auriemma, who coached Taurasi, recounts Kobe's asking him for defensive tips; he had just started coaching Gianna's team.

"Oh my god. That poor kid," Auriemma jokes.

Keep it simple, Auriemma believes. Nothing much more than asking them to stay in front of the person with the ball. But Kobe, of course, wants to know more about rotations, nuances, complexities.

"Kobe," Auriemma says, "they're 13."

MINUTES AFTER THE ceremony ends, Shaquille O'Neal -- who won three titles with Bryant, who warred with Bryant but then grew closer to him as they both aged -- bounds out of his chair.

As attendees make their way toward the exits, O'Neal approaches Bryant's father, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, who rises from his chair. The two embrace in a long hug.

Basketball will resume shortly. Staples Center will host the Memphis Grizzlies and LA Clippers in seven short hours, and the arena will return to its primary function.

The tens of thousands of flowers that were left at L.A. Live in the days after Bryant died fill a blue shipping container and are in the process of being mulched and placed on plants and trees around L.A. Live in the coming weeks. The same will happen to all of Kobe's and Gianna's roses at Monday's ceremony.

LOS ANGELES -- The Clippers will get a much-needed boost with Paul George and Patrick Beverley set to return from injuries against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night.

The Clippers (37-19) hope to stop a season-long three-game slide. George returns after missing one game due to a strained left hamstring but has not played since re-injuring his hamstring at Boston before the All-Star break on Feb. 13. Beverley has missed five straight games with a groin injury.

This will be only the fifth game this season in which the Clippers have had a full roster available. Coach Doc Rivers has had to start 28 different lineups but he still believes the Clippers, once healthy, can "win it."

"That has been the hand we've been dealt," Rivers said of the injuries. "And we have to play that hand and we can play that hand and still win it."

The Clippers have been inconsistent and lack chemistry due to several injuries to key players, having Kawhi Leonard sit one game during back-to-back sets to manage a knee issue and incorporating new additions like Marcus Morris and Reggie Jackson.

They have looked like a championship contender at times like when they've beaten the Los Angeles Lakers in both of their meetings but they're also capable of getting blown out by Sacramento and Memphis at home.

Rivers was adamant in saying that the Clippers are not a "flip the switch" team that is just going through the motions in some games and then can turn it on when they want to.

"I don't think we are a flip the switch team," Rivers said. "I would say anyone who says that doesn't know what they're talking about. Because flip the switch teams are teams that have been healthy all year and just have chosen not to play.

"But when you are out of sorts with different lineups, that's different. I would say it is dangerous [to do that] but teams have done it. Golden State, by the way, did it a couple of times and won titles. You can do both."

ATLANTA – The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team has confirmed that reigning Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450 champion Cooper Webb will compete on Saturday inside Georgia’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Webb was involved in a violent crash last Saturday in Arlington, Texas, that saw him flip off his bike and land back and head first on a section of concrete flooring next to the race track.

The crash took Webb out of the remainder of the event and he was taken to a local hospital to be checked out. In a statement Monday evening, the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team confirmed Webb had suffered a severe bone bruise on his left pelvis/hip and a hematoma on his sacrum/tailbone.

However, those injuries are not enough to keep Webb from lining up to compete this weekend in Atlanta, Ga.

“Cooper is extremely lucky to have only sustained minor injuries from his crash on Saturday and he will be taking it easy this week to allow the swelling to subside,” said Team Manager Ian Harrison. “As we all know, Cooper is a very tough and determined rider so we know that he will do everything in his power to line up this Saturday in Atlanta.”

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins suffered an injury in the second period of Monday night's game when Ottawa Senators forward Anthony Duclair ran into him on a breakaway.

The injury occurred with 8:44 remaining in the period and the Senators leading 2-1.

Merzlikins remained on the ice for some time before getting to his feet as trainers rushed to his assistance. He eventually put on his mask and skated to the locker room on his own.

The team later announced that Merzlikins and center Riley Nash would not return due to injury.

Merzlikins has been playing well for the Blue Jackets this season. Even despite a seven-game winless skid (0-3-4) heading into the Ottawa game, he has a 12-9-8 record with a 2.37 GAA and .922 save percentage in 31 appearances.

He was replaced by Joonas Korpisalo.