TAMPA—Yanni Gourde’s second career goal capped a tremendous comeback by the Tampa Bay Lightning against one of the NHL’s elite teams.Gourde had a breakaway goal 4:25 into overtime and the Lightning rallied from a three-goal deficit to beat the Blackhawks 5-4 on Monday night.Playing in his 13th game this season and 15th overall, Gourde beat Scott Darling after Victor Hedman set up the winner with his third assist of the game.Tampa Bay, which trails Boston by a point for the second Eastern Conference wild card, got two goals from Jonathan Drouin. Ondrej Palat and Anton Stralman also scored, and Andrei Vasilevskiy, who got pulled 14 minutes into the first after allowing three goals on eight shots, returned to start the second and finished with 25 saves.Artemi Panarin, Patrick Kane, Tomas Jurco and Richard Panik scored for the Western Conference-leading Blackhawks, who were coming off a 7-0 loss Saturday night at Florida. Darling stopped 25 shots.

”We had everything going our way there and then we started getting cute in the neutral zone,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. ”We let them get back in the game.”

After the Blackhawks went up 4-1 midway through the second on Panik’s goal, Tampa Bay tied it at 4 on Drouin’s goals and one by Stralman in a 4:39 span.The Blackhawks took a 3-1 lead after the first period on goals by Panarin, Kane and Jurco. Palat, playing in his 300th NHL game, had the Tampa Bay goal.

”We had such a good first period,” Darling said. ”A good start for the second and then they just turned it on. It was pretty impressive.”

Palat and Drouin’s second goal came on power plays after the Hawks were penalized for delay of game after shooting the puck over the glass.The Blackhawks have the 24th ranked short-handed unit in the NHL.Nikita Kucherov had two assists to set a Tampa Bay record for points in a single month with 22. The right wing has four assists and 11 points during a five-game point streak.

NOTES—The Hawks have won just five times in 19 regular season road games against the Lightning. The Blackhawks did win two of three at Tampa Bay in the 2015 Stanley Cup Final. … Jurco stopped a 34-game goal drought, dating to Feb. 18, 2016. … Palat has two goals and eight points in a five-game point streak. … Lightning G Peter Budaj made three saves in the first….The Blackhawks complete the three-game trip Wednesday night at Pittsburgh.

MILWAUKEE—Nikola Mirotic tied a season high with 28 points, Jimmy Butler had 20 points and a career-high 14 assists, and the Bulls pulled away in the second half for a 109-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.Butler broke his previous career best for assists (12) by the end of a pivotal third quarter, when the Bulls stretched a one-point lead at the half to 91-79 going into the fourth.Butler punctuated the second-half runaway with a backcourt steal off a telegraphed pass by Greg Monroe before strolling the other way for an easy dunk and 17-point lead with 8:55 left.Mirotic hit three 3-pointers in the third quarter, while Rajon Rondo scored 14 of his 18 points in that period.Giannis Antetokounmpo had 22 points and eight rebounds for the Bucks.The Bulls avoided a season sweep at the hands of the Bucks.

SUNRISE—The Blackhawks didn’t look like a Stanley Cup challenger in South Florida! The Florida Panthers needed a reason to feel good about themselves, and they got it.Jonathan Marchessault scored his first career hat trick, James Reimer stopped 25 shots for his first shutout of the season and the Panthers routed the Blackhawks 7-0 on Saturday night.Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and three assists, and Aleksander Barkov added a goal and two assists for Florida. Reilly Smith and Nick Bjugstad also scored to give the Panthers their largest margin of victory since an 8-0 win over Toronto on Feb. 5, 2008.Marchessault had two goals in a 3-1 victory over Arizona on Thursday. He has nine goals over his last nine games and leads the Panthers with 28.Reimer got his 15th career shutout and first with the Panthers.Florida remained seven points behind Boston for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.Corey Crawford stopped 21 shots for the playoff-bound Blackhawks before being lifted at 4:59 of the third period for Scott Darling, who allowed three goals on six shots.The Western Conference-leading Blackhawks had won six of seven coming into the game.

”Tough loss, especially when a lot of Chicago fans came out and watch this game here in Florida and we have an outing like that. We’ve got to be better,” center Jonathan Toews said. ”We have to get motivated and light that fire again and play the right kind of hockey going into the playoffs.”

Already leading 3-0, the Panthers poured in four goals in the third.They padded their advantage to 4-0 on Marchessault’s second goal. Colton Sceviour passed across to Marchessault in the left circle, and his goal chased Crawford.Marchessault’s third goal came when he beat Darling between the legs at 7:13 to make it 5-0, and the rout was on.Bjugstad redirected a shot by Sceviour into the net at 7:53, and Smith poked in a rebound with 8:15 left.Barkov gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead 17 seconds into the second period. During 4-on-4 play, Huberdeau passed to Barkov in the right circle and his wrist shot went over Crawford’s glove.Florida stretched its lead to 2-0 during a 5-on-3 power play, which came after Marcus Kruger was called for interference during a four-minute power play. Barkov passed to Huberdeau in the right circle and he fired a shot past Crawford on the short side at 10:21 of the second.

”We were moving along fine until that one call changed the whole complexion of the game,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. ”You got a breakaway or it’s a 5-on-3 for two minutes. You can’t get a bigger swing than that. That was an ugly, ugly game the way it ended up.”

Later in the same shift, Marchessault made it 3-0 when he one-timed a shot from the left circle at 11:40.Florida forward Jaromir Jagr was hip-checked along the boards by Richard Panik early in the second period. Jagr left the game for one shift as the trainer looked at his left knee. He returned for the rest of the second, but was out for the third period.

NOTES—Blackhawks D Brian Campbell still holds the Panthers record with 376 consecutive games played. Campbell was with the Panthers from 2011-16 and was given a video tribute on the scoreboard in the first period….The Blackhawks visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday.

It gets worse and worse for these “ODD-Bulls”! Rookies Dario Saric and Shawn Long had career highs in scoring, leading the Philadelphia 76ers to a 117-107 win against the desperate Bulls on Friday night.Saric scored 32 points, extending his double-digit points streak to 22 games, the longest by a rookie this season. He added 10 rebounds. Shawn Long, playing in his ninth career game, had 18 points and seven rebounds.The 76ers were playing without injured post players Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid, two of their recent high draft picks. Embiid had knee surgery on Friday and is out for the season, while Okafor (knee soreness) is questionable for Sunday at Indiana.The Bulls remained even with Detroit, which lost at Orlando, for ninth place in the Eastern Conference.Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 36 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds.

The Blackhawks weren’t at their best, but marquee players came through -again – to keep Western Conference-leading Hawks on a roll.Patrick Kane scored his team-leading 33rd goal in regulation and connected again in the shootout as the Blackhawks beat the Dallas Stars 3-2 on Thursday night to open an eight-point lead for first place in the Central Division.Artemi Panarin also scored in the shootout as Chicago rode a 42-save effort by Corey Crawford through overtime to improve to 6-0-1 in its last seven. It was also the Blackhawks’ 18th win in their last 22 games. Marian Hossa scored his 24th goal of the season midway through the third period.

”We didn’t have the best game and Corey was strong for us there,” Hossa said. ”He made some huge saves, especially in the shootouts, too. Two nice points.”

Kane agreed that Crawford, who reached 30 wins for the sixth time in his career, was the difference.

”He played amazing tonight.” Kane said. ”The reason we won the game. ”Hats off to him. He’s done that a lot this year.”

Crawford was beaten only by Tyler Seguin in the shootout and twice in regulation by Ales Hemsky as he matched his season high for saves. The All-Star goalie rebounded smartly from giving up four goals on 10 shots to Vancouver on Tuesday night.The Blackhawks have been spotty in their last three games, all at home, despite going 2-0-1. the Hawks needed big third period rallies in their previous two contests to earn points, then leaned on Crawford in this one.

”Games like tonight you can’t be too happy with what you saw,” coach Joel Quenneville said. ”We want to make sure there’s more attention to detail and pace to our game.”

Dallas’ Kari Lehtonen made 24 saves through overtime, following up on a 30-save shutout on Monday against San Jose.Hemsky’s second goal of the game with 5:09 left in the third tied it at 2 and sent it to overtime. From the left side of the crease, Hemsky buried a rebound of Esa Lindell’s shot from the right point.Coach Lindy Ruff thought the Stars, all but eliminated from playoff contention, should have had more on the board before the extra period.

”You’ve got to give Crawford some credit on the saves,” Ruff said. ”But, at the same time, we missed some beauties. You know, we probably doubled them up 2-1 in chances.

Hemsky connected for his second goal and third goals this season in his 10th game back following hip surgery.

”We finally feel like a team and if we can play like that, we can play with anybody,” Hemksy said. ”We just didn’t score.”

Kane opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 8:13 of the first. He moved in on a 2-on-1 break with Richard Panik, then beat Lehtonen on the stick side.Crawford was sharp as the Stars started piling on shots. That including a point-blank pad save on Jiri Hudler’s backhander at 9:42.Hemsky tied it at 1 at 12:26 of the second on a 40-foot shot from the slot that may have been screened by Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson. Hemsky beat Crawford high on the stick side after taking John Klingberg’s feed from the right boards.Hossa fired a quick wrist shot from 30 feet out in the slot, through a screen and past Lehtonen to put the Hawks ahead 2-1 at 8:37 of the third. Hossa was set up by rookie Nick Schmaltz, who passed from just inside the Dallas blue line on the left boards.Kane fired a shot off the post during a power play 26 seconds into overtime.Later in the extra period, Crawford stopped two in-close chances by Jamie Benn from the right edge of the crease. He then came up with a pad save on Remi Elie’s breakaway with 1:15 left in overtime.

NOTES—Crawford (30-15-3) reached 30 wins for the sixth time in his career. . Stars C Jason Spezza missed his second game with back spasms. … Artem Anisimov sat out his fifth game with a lower-body injury. … Earlier on Thursday the Blackhawks gave utility F Tanner Kero a contract extension that runs through 2018-19. The 24-year-old Kero, signed as a free agent in April 2015, is one of seven rookies to skate with the Blackhawks this season, and has five goals and seven assists in 38 games since his recall from the AHL. … The Blackhawks honored Hall of Fame G Ed Belfour in a brief ”One More Shift” ceremony before the game. Dressed in his Blackhawks gear, Belfour skated onto the ice and joined the team for the national anthem. Belfour began his career with the Hawks, where he earned his first 201 of 484 career wins over seven seasons. He went on to play for the Stars and led them to their only Stanley Cup in 1999…..Blackhawks are at Florida on Saturday night to start a three-game trip. They plays six of their last eight regular-season games on the road.

ORLANDO—B.J. Taylor scored 17 points, Tacko Fall had a double-double and Central Florida held on to defeat Illinois 68-58 on Wednesday night to advance to the final four of the NIT.A.J. Davis and Matt Williams added 16 points apiece for the Knights (24-11), who play TCU in a semifinal game at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. Fall had 10 points and 10 rebounds.UCF was the fourth-seed in the bracket and Illinois (20-15) No. 2 but due to an arena conflict the Fighting Illini couldn’t host the game. The Knights took advantage with the first sellout crowd in 10,000-seat CFE Arena history to move within one win of tying for the most in school history.Both teams had five 3-pointers in the first half but Illinois only had two other baskets, shooting 7 for 26 to fall behind 34-19.UCF pushed the lead to 19 midway through the second half and was up 52-37 before Malcolm Hill rallied the Illini. Hill hit back-to-back 3-pointers and then made three free throws with 3:14 to play to cut the deficit to six. But Davis made 5 of 6 free throws from there and Taylor was 6 of 8 in the final minute.Hill had 29 points to finish his Illini career with 1,846, third all-time. Jamall Walker went 2-1 as the interim coach after replacing John Groce, who was fired after the Big Ten Tournament. Illinois introduced Oklahoma State coach Brad Underwood as its new coach on Monday

CONWAY, S.C.—UIC shot the ball well Wednesday night, connecting at a clip of 50 percent from the field, but the Flames did not have enough firepower to top the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in the semifinal of the College Basketball Invitational. The Flames fell, 89-78, at the HTC Center.UIC’s Tarkus Ferguson scored a career-high 27 points to lead all scorers and four Flames in double figures. Marcus Ottey netted 11 points by making all four of his field-goal attempts, while Tai Odiase and Dominique Matthews chipped in with 10 points apiece.The Flames drilled 11 3-pointers in the game, including eight during a furious second-half comeback. It marked the eighth time this season that the squad hit double-digit shots from beyond the arc.

Nikola Mirotic scored a season-high 28 points, and the Bulls beat the Detroit Pistons 117-95 in a matchup between struggling teams fighting for a playoff spot on Wednesday night.Mirotic shot 12 of 15 and made 4 of 6 3-point attempts to lead the Bulls to an easy win after dropping eight of 10.Jimmy Butler added 16 points and 12 assists. Joffrey Lauvergne filled in for suspended center Robin Lopez and outplayed Andre Drummond with 17 points and seven rebounds. Rookie Paul Zipser added a career-high 15 points as the Bulls moved into a ninth-place tie with Detroit in the Eastern Conference.Tobias Harris and Marcus Morris each scored 14 for the Pistons, losers of five of six. Drummond grabbed 17 rebounds but scored just eight points on 4-of-12 shooting.The Bulls honored late general manager Jerry Krause with a moment of silence before the game. A Chicago native who oversaw a dynasty that produced two championship three-peats in the 1990s, he died at age 77 on Tuesday.The Bulls saw a 13-point lead shrink to two with about a minute left in the second quarter. But layups by Lauvergne and Mirotic sent the Bulls to the locker room with a six-point lead. They also started a 19-2 run that made it 74-55 in the third, essentially putting away this game.Lopez and the Raptors’ Serge Ibaka were both suspended one game without pay by the NBA for fighting. The two threw punches at each other during Tuesday’s game at Toronto….ith backup C Cristiano Felicio (bruised lower back) also out, Lauvergne made his first start since the 2015-16 season with Denver…..Bulls the Bulls recalled G Cameron Payne from the Windy City Bulls on Wednesday….Bulls host Philadelphia on Friday.

The Bulls regretfully announce that longtime Bulls executive Jerry Krause has passed away at the age of 77. Krause, the architect of the Bulls six World Championship teams, was a member of the Bulls’ front office for 18 seasons (March 26, 1985 – April 7, 2003).
“The entire Bulls organization is deeply saddened by the passing of Jerry Krause,” said Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. “Jerry was one of the hardest working guys I have ever been around, and he was one of the best talent evaluators ever. Jerry played an integral role in our run of six championships in eight years. He truly was the architect of all our great teams in the ’90s. I would not have been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame if it were not for Jerry. We will miss him tremendously, and we send our thoughts and prayers to his wife Thelma and the Krause family.”

Krause, a native of Chicago, took over the Bulls basketball operations department on March 26, 1985, following a successful run as a scout for the Baltimore Bullets, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and, previously, the Bulls (1969-71). During his NBA career, he was responsible for the drafting of future Hall of Famers Earl Monroe, Wes Unseld and Scottie Pippen. He also played a key role in the drafting of four NBA Rookie of the Year recipients in Monroe, Unseld, Alvin Adams and Elton Brand. In addition, Krause worked to select other NBA stars such as Jerry Sloan, Norm Van Lier, Clifford Ray, Michael Cooper and Norm Nixon.

Krause is survived by his wife, Thelma; his two children, Stacy and David; and, his grandchildren Colette, Josh, Mia and Riley.Krause was general manager of the Bulls from 1985 to 2003, putting together the roster around Michael Jordan that won six titles in eight seasons, including the a 72-win season in 1995-96. He also made the decision to hire Phil Jackson. He was considered a divisive figure after clashes with Jackson, Jordan and other players over contract disputes. Krause drafted both Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant, both key pieces of the Bulls’ first championship team. Krause replaced coach Doug Collins with Jackson, which was a bold move considering the Bulls’ success at the time. That worked out pretty well. In 1988, Krause traded Jordan’s good friend Charles Oakley to the Knicks for Bill Cartwright. The Bulls needed another true big man and Cartwright played a pivotal role. Jordan was furious with the move, but eventually had to give Krause credit for the decision. Krause took a massive gamble in 1995, trading career reserve Will Perdue for Dennis Rodman. Krause trusted the Bulls’ infrastructure to handle Rodman’s explosive personality, and the move helped secure not only the 72-win season, but the second trio of titles. Krause was ahead of his time in many ways. He identified the need for big, athletic perimeter players like Pippen, Ron Harper and Grant. Krause found Toni Kukoc and spent years trying to get the Croatian to make his way to the NBA. Pippen and Jordan, annoyed at Krause’s obsession while he balked at giving them bigger deals, grew resentful of Kukoc before he even arrived. In today’s NBA? He’s basically a better version of Dario Saric, and Krause would be applauded for finding that kind of talent. Krause made a gamble for a skilled European forward at a time when there was very little faith in the game overseas. Krause rubbed people the wrong way. In books like The Jordan Rules by Sam Smith and Playing For Keeps by David Halberstam, Krause comes across as petty and jealous — particularly of Jackson. Credit and recognition were important to him, and it drove him mad that Jordan and Jackson seemed to get all of it. Meanwhile, Jackson was annoyed by Krause’s behavior and Jordan downright loathed him. In years since, the story of Krause becomes a little clearer. He comes across as a man who was indelible to the Bulls’ success and basically caught flak for not being likable. Jordan, on the other hand, was ruthless, cruel and domineering to everyone he faced in his professional life in front of and behind the scenes, but because he is considered the greatest player of all time, he has been loved unconditionally. Basically, Krause got a bad rap because he was never going to sell any posters. Krause might have had character flaws, like everyone does. But don’t undersell what he brought to the table. The Bulls were great, magnificent, because of Jordan, who Krause did not draft. But the Bulls became a dynasty because of the margin moves, big and small, that Krause had the courage to make.

CHAMPAIGN—Tracy Abrams scored 18 points, Leron Black had a double-double and Illinois pulled away midway through the second half to beat Boise State 71-56 on Monday night in the second round of the NIT.No. 2 seed Illinois (20-14) will play fourth-seeded Central Florida (23-11) in a quarterfinal. The game was tied at 49 with 10 minutes left before Illinois closed on a 22-7 run.Malcolm Hill scored 13 points and has 1,817 for his career, surpassing Dee Brown (1,812) for third place all-time at Illinois. Abrams was 6 of 11 from the floor and made three 3-pointers. Black had 12 points and 10 rebounds.Chandler Hutchison scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead No. 6 seed Boise State (20-12). Nick Duncan chipped in 12 points. The Broncos shot 0 of 14 from long range in the second half.Brad Underwood, who became the 18th coach in program history for the Illini, was in attendance. He replaced John Groce after five seasons.