ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Adrian Kempe scored two goals and Troy Grosenick made 33 saves in his first NHL appearance in nearly 6 1/2 years, leading the Los Angeles Kings past the Anaheim Ducks 5-1 on Wednesday night.

The 31-year-old Grosenick's entire previous NHL experience consisted of two games for the San Jose Sharks in November 2014. When Kings goalie Cal Petersen went into the COVID-19 protocol about three hours before the game, Grosenick came through with a strong performance on short notice.

The Kings already were without Jonathan Quick, who missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury, before Petersen was sidelined.

Except for the two NHL appearances in 2014, Grosenick spent the past seven seasons in the AHL with the top affiliates for San Jose and Nashville. Grosenick signed with the Kings last October and served as their opening-night backup before he was claimed off waivers by Edmonton in January and subsequently reclaimed by the Kings in February.

Matt Villalta, a 21-year-old prospect with no NHL experience, came up from Los Angeles' AHL affiliate to serve as Grosenick's backup.

Kempe has six goals in his last three games. The Swedish forward followed his hat trick against the Ducks on Monday with another huge offensive performance for Los Angeles, which won for just the second time in seven games.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

GAFFNEY, S.C. – JD Motorsports with Gary Keller announced Wednesday that Hose-Man and Advanced Masonry & Concrete have joined forces with Ryan Vargas for the Call 811 Before You Dig 200 at Arizona’s Phoenix Raceway.

Hose-Man and Advanced Masonry & Concrete are no strangers to Vargas, as the two Southern California-based companies were prominently featured at the start of his career racing late models on the West Coast.

Saturday’s race at Phoenix will be a bit of a reunion for all parties involved.

Hose-Man, located in Irwindale, Calif., carries a large selection of hydraulic, industrial, and food-grade hoses.

The company has backed Vargas since 2015 at the local racing levels, but Saturday marks its first jump to his NASCAR Xfinity Series program with JD Motorsports at Phoenix.

Likewise, Advanced Masonry & Concrete will follow suit, as they have been with Vargas since his first race ever. The pairing of Hose-Man and Advanced Masonry & Concrete has significant meaning to Vargas, who is contesting his first full Xfinity Series season.

“I’m so excited to welcome back Hose-Man and Advanced Masonry & Concrete this weekend at Phoenix,” said Vargas. “Both have been long time supporters of mine, with Hose-Man being a sponsor since we were racing Street Stocks. It means a lot that they believed in me when back when I was 14 years old and continue to support my racing to this day.”

Vargas will be racing in honor of Peaches Bailey, a close member to the Hose-Man family, with a special decal adorning the roof of the No. 6 Chevrolet Camaro on Saturday.

PLACERVILLE, Calif. – Placerville Speedway will host a limited number of race fans in the stands on both March 20 and March 27.

It’s been more than a year since fans were able to watch from the Placerville grandstands.

Speedway officials have been eager to welcome patrons back to the El Dorado County Fairgrounds and look forward to having that opportunity on a limited basis.

Due to the limited number of fans and the track paying out full purses for both the weekly opener on March 20, as well as the Sprint Car Challenge Tour opener on March 27, there will be a one-price ticket each week.

On March 20, tickets will cost $15 and on March 27, the cost will be $25. Tickets will be sold online only and will shut off once the maximum amount of seats have been purchased.

Tickets for both the March 20 event and the March 27 showcase will go live online the Monday prior to each race respectively.

Even if tickets sell out, pit passes will be available for people to watch from the hill.

“We are thrilled to welcome back our fans, even if it’s on a limited basis,” said track promoter Scott Russell. “We do apologize for having to do the one price ticket and hope the fans will understand since we are handing out full purses both weeks and can only sell a select amount of tickets. As things change, we will adjust as we go along.

“This is definitely a step in the right direction, though, and that’s a positive all around. We look forward to getting everything going on March 20.”

Saturday’s Test and Tune will give teams the opportunity to register for the season and purchase reserved pit stalls, which cost $150 for the year.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Coyotes could be without top goalie Darcy Kuemper for a significant amount of time due to a lower-body injury.

Kuemper was injured in Monday's game against Colorado. The team said Wednesday he is listed as week to week.

Kuemper, who missed three games earlier this season with a lower-body injury, went down to a knee in the third period against the Avalanche. He asked the officials to stop the game and skated off to the locker room.

Kuemper shined as Arizona's No. 1 goalie in 2018-19 before injuries limited him to 55 games. He was named an All-Star last season, but couldn't play in the game due to another injury that caused him to miss 28 games. He returned to play nine games in the postseason bubble.

Kuemper is 7-7-2 with a 2.41 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and one shutout in 18 games this season. He's been a key cog in the Coyotes' push for the postseason. As play began on Wednesday night, Arizona was one point behind the final playoff berth in the West Division.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The annual Players Championship Caddie Competition was won by Harold Varner III’s caddie Chris Rice with a record shot that stopped 1 feet, 2 inches from the hole at the iconic 17^th at TPC Sawgrass on Wednesday.

Since the event was first played in 2000 to honor the late Bruce Edwards, the longtime caddie for Tom Watson who passed away in 2004 from ALS, Rice’s tee shot was the closest ever on the island green.

Rice won the “pot” donated by players along with VIP parking this week at The Player Championship. The amount raised for the winning caddie is matched by the Tour and donated to the Bruce Edwards Foundation.

Diego Maradona's eldest daughters and his ex-wife, Claudia Villafane, were among family members of the Argentina legend that attended a rally at the Obelisk in Buenos Aires on Wednesday afternoon to demand "Justice for Diego."

Maradona died at the age of 60 of a heart attack on Nov. 25, two weeks after being released from a hospital in Buenos Aires following brain surgery.

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The gathering was announced last week on social media.

Villafane and Maradona's daughters were seen carrying a banner with the message: "social and judicial condemnation for those guilty."

Maradona's youngest son, Diego Fernando, was also present with his mother, Veronica Ojeda. A throng of mask-wearing fans showed up and participated in the demonstration.

Seven people, including neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, who performed Maradona's brain surgery two weeks before his death, are under investigation. Argentinian authorities are attempting to determine if there was negligence in Maradona's treatment following the operation. Three individuals could face a criminal case for manslaughter if found negligent.

"Justice for Diego -- he didn't die, they killed him. Demand justice and punishment for those responsible" is the rallying cry of the organisers.

The San Isidro prosecutors' office convened on Monday with specialists to establish if there was malpractice from those under investigation. It could take up to 21 days before a verdict is given.

Ronald Koeman says Barcelona showed Lionel Messi the club have a bright future despite being knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.

Messi, 33, was on target as Barca drew 1-1 in Paris, exiting the competition at the last 16 stage for the first time since 2007 following a 5-2 aggregate defeat.

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It could prove to be Messi's last European game in Barca colours if he decides not to renew his contract when it expires in June, but Koeman believes recent improvements could convince him to stay.

"Leo's seen for a while that the team is improving with the changes we've made," the Barca coach said after exiting the Champions League.

"We have youngsters with quality and big futures coming into the team, so it's not a question of having doubts about what this team is capable of.

"But only he can decide his future. No one can help him. He can see this side has a great future, so that's not an argument for him to [leave]."

Messi wanted to leave last August following the 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the UCL. He said there was "no project" at the club and criticised the board and president in charge at the time.

Both Manchester City and PSG are interested in signing him if he does leave Barca this summer, sources have previously told ESPN.

However, with Joan Laporta replacing Josep Maria Bartomeu as the club's president this week and Barca showing signs of improvement since the turn of the year, there's renewed hope he could stay.

Koeman's faith in young players, such as Pedri and Ilaix Moriba, has changed the mood around the club and Barca are unbeaten in 16 games in the league and have progressed to the final of the Copa del Rey, although they were comfortably knocked out of the Champions League by PSG in the end.

Following a 4-1 defeat at Camp Nou in the first leg, hopes of producing an unlikely comeback were further complicated when Kylian Mbappe gave PSG the lead from the penalty spot on Wednesday.

Messi drew Barca level on the night but missed a penalty on the stroke of half-time. Ousmane Dembele had earlier missed two good chances and Sergino Dest hit the bar as Koeman's side went out fighting.

"We're eliminated, which is what counts in this sport, but we also have good sensations because we had chances to make it more complicated for PSG," Koeman added.

"We didn't get the reward our first half deserved. We dominated PSG and created a lot of chances. But we didn't take them. After going into the break at 1-1, it becomes more difficult.

"The first leg result was excessive. PSG were very clinical. That's been the big difference. We created more than them here than they did in Barcelona, but they scored more.

"But I can't fault the team. They put in a huge effort. We also lacked a little bit of luck and their goalkeeper [Keylor Navas] was the man of the match."

Striker Antoine Griezmann called on Barca to use the performance as a stepping stone to win the Copa del Rey and La Liga, where they currently sit second in the table, six points behind leaders Atletico Madrid.

"We're pissed because we wanted to go through, but the performance gives us confidence," Griezmann said. "We played really well and had four really clear chances, plus the penalty, but we just could not take them.

"We wanted to put in a great performance, to give our all, but it wasn't to be. We still have La Liga and the Copa; that's the objective now."

Colin de Grandhomme is in a race to be fit for New Zealand's tour of England in June, which includes two Tests against the hosts as well as the World Test Championship final against India, after deciding to undergo surgery on his right ankle on Thursday.

NZC's medical manager Dayle Shackel has confirmed that the allrounder will need six weeks of rest post-surgery to resume running, and another two weeks before he can bowl again.

The ankle injury troubled de Grandhomme throughout the 2020-21 season, keeping him out of international action for the entirety of a home summer that included visits by West Indies, Pakistan and Australia. He played domestic cricket for Northern Districts, but only as a specialist batsman.

With de Grandhomme absent, Daryl Mitchell has occupied the seam-bowling allrounder's spot in New Zealand's Test team, playing three of their four Tests over the summer and scoring a maiden hundred against Pakistan in Christchurch.

New Zealand coach Gary Stead, however, has said de Grandhomme remains a key part of the team's plans.

"We've all been gutted for Colin having to miss this international summer through injury," he said. "His contributions to the BLACKCAPS in the past few years have been outstanding across all three formats and he's been a huge part of our team.

"His skills with the ball, power with the bat and catching in the field make him one of the premier all-rounders in the world and so we're naturally eager to see him get the injury right and become available for us again.

"It's too early to say what this might mean for our Test tour to England in late May and June, but we're hopeful following surgery and rehabilitation he will be a chance to make the squad."

Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry doesn't know where his future lies after this season or even after this year's trade deadline. But he is sure of one thing: Whenever his career comes to an end, he will be retiring in a Raptors uniform.

"Let me say this: I will retire as a Toronto Raptor," Lowry said after the team practiced Wednesday night ahead of the start of the second half of the season in Tampa, Florida, against the Atlanta Hawks.

What Lowry wasn't willing to commit to, however, was returning to Toronto as a free agent when his contract expires this summer, or even to say definitively that he will be with the team past the trade deadline in two weeks.

"What I would like to see is to finish this season out as strong as possible," Lowry said.

"At the end of the day, myself, my agent, the organization, everyone has to do what's best for them, right? Everyone has to do what's best for them, and that situation.

"Who knows what that is, right? Who knows what that's going to be, who knows what that time is going to tell? For me, I know I'm still playing at a good enough level where I can help a team, I can help us, and get better."

Lowry's name has repeatedly surfaced in recent weeks as a potential trade target for teams. The Raptors are sitting two games under .500 after being among the best teams in the East the past several years, and the trade market itself is sparse after so many star players have either changed teams or signed extensions with their current ones in recent seasons. He could be the biggest impact player available.

That is, if Lowry is actually available. Lowry, as he has done repeatedly, praised the team's young core of Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby and Norman Powell for their growth.

But he didn't expand much on his future, besides pointedly taking aim at a recent report that he had told people he was leaving Toronto, something he said wasn't true.

"I don't really get into that stuff, and it doesn't bother me because rumors are rumors and they will always be," Lowry said. "But when something is said that doesn't verbally come from me and I haven't said anything, that's when it gets to the point of, 'Did you have me on record saying that? I want to know who the source is, because the source is me.'

"That stuff is where you kind of defend yourself. I don't really care about it. It's just to defend myself for a quick second."

Lowry, who is averaging 18 points, 5.5 rebounds and 7 assists this season, is still playing at a high enough level to both be a swing piece for a contending team at the deadline if he's traded and to command a hefty salary as a free agent this summer whether he's traded or not.

Ultimately, though, he insisted he doesn't know what will happen on either front.

"For me, personally, whatever happens, we'll see," Lowry said. "I don't know. We don't know. Like, honestly, I don't know. If I could tell you, if I could look at a crystal ball, I would tell you, but I don't know what the crystal ball says. I don't what is going to happen. I don't know what they're thinking, I'm thinking. We'll just kind of get to that point and figure it out from there."

While the Raptors will remain without several players -- VanVleet, Siakam, Anunoby, Patrick McCaw and Malachi Flynn -- because of the NBA's health and safety protocols, they will get back head coach Nick Nurse, who has been out since before the All-Star Break.

Nurse said that while he will definitely be coaching against the Hawks, the five assistant coaches who had also been in protocol with him were still possibly not going to be able to join him for that game.

Nurse took time Wednesday to defend himself and his coaching staff after a report came out last week saying they were at fault for not following the protocols.

"I don't think anybody would have any idea what they're talking about saying that," Nurse said. "That is a really unfair, very speculative thing to say, unless you have video evidence of it, because I don't think it's very cool to say that.

"I think that our coaching staff has worked their asses off and abided by the rules as best as possible. It's not easy ... the players have a tough job to do, but they're not wearing masks. The referees have a tough job to do -- they're not wearing masks. The coaches have a tough job to do, and they are wearing masks. It's a little harder.

"But I think that we've come into an unfortunate run. It was certainly not that we're not really trying to adhere to the protocols as best as possible."

NEW YORK -- Kevin Durant, who remains sidelined for the Brooklyn Nets with a hamstring strain, is scheduled to have more imaging done on the injury next week. Head coach Steve Nash said the hope is that those scans will dictate a clearer return timeline for Durant.

Nash made it clear that even if the scan shows progress, Durant will not return to game action immediately.

"He hasn't played in a month," Nash said on Wednesday. "So no matter what the scan says, there will still be an appropriate ramp-up time to make sure we put him in a position to finish the season strong."

Nash said that Durant is able to do half-court work and shooting drills. He is still not playing any 5-on-5 in practice or "full-court, high-speed running." Durant stayed in Brooklyn to work with his physiotherapist while the team went to Houston for its last game before the All-Star break.

Thursday will be the 10th consecutive game Durant has missed. Nash said that while he can't completely rule it out, the team's medical staff does not believe Durant's lingering left hamstring strain was impacted by the right Achilles tear he suffered in June 2019 that caused him to miss an entire season.

"We don't feel like these two are related at all," Nash said. "He's doing really well right now, and we all feel really positive about the direction he is going. But we just need to be very cautious because he's a really important player for us."

Durant last played for Brooklyn on Feb. 13 against his former team, the Golden State Warriors. Since then, the Nets' roster has shifted. The Nets added six-time NBA All-Star Blake Griffin, who will not play against the Celtics on Thursday. He is listed as out for left knee injury maintenance.

"I'm not injured at all," Griffin said on Wednesday night. "I haven't played in three weeks, so I think it's smart to sort of ramp me up."

Griffin said he plans to talk with the Nets' training staff at the end of the week and iron out when he will make his debut for Brooklyn. Nash said he sees Griffin fitting in with the Nets as a small-ball center who can space the floor by making 3s.

Griffin, speaking to reporters for the first time since joining the Nets, said that Durant was the most active player in recruiting him to Brooklyn. Griffin said, ultimately, he chose to sign with the Nets because he felt he could make an impact as a big who can also facilitate plays.

"Anytime you have these types of players, you need guys around them to relieve that pressure," Griffin said of Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. "And then for me, it's about playing meaningful basketball, playing in the playoffs and contending for a championship."