Barzal, Beauvillier lead Islanders to 7-2 win over Rangers

By VIN A. CHERWOO
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Mathew Barzal was terrific and Jaroslav Halak stepped up at a couple of key moments.

It was the Islanders’ day again in New York.

Barzal had two goals and three assists, Beauvillier added two goals and an assist, and the Islanders beat the Rangers 7-2 on Saturday for their ninth win in the last 10 meetings of the crosstown rivals.

Shane Prince, Thomas Hickey and Cal Clutterbuck also scored, helping the Islanders to the victory in both teams’ first game after their respective five-day byes. Jordan Eberle had four assists in the Isles’ highest scoring game of the season, and Halak stopped 37 shots.

“Just one of those nights where everything kind of finds its way into the back of the net,” said Barzal, who leads NHL rookies with 29 assists and 44 points. “It was a great team effort honestly.”

The Islanders won their second straight after a season-high six-game losing streak, and coach Doug Weight credited Halak’s play, especially early in the third period when the Rangers picked up their intensity.

“When they were blitzing us ... he came up with big save after big save in a four- to five-minute span and kind of defeated them a little bit,” Weight said. “Those are the flurries, those are the saves he was absolutely in charge of his game.”

Kevin Hayes and Mika Zibanejad scored for the Rangers, who have lost three of four. Ondrej Pavelec was pulled in the second period after giving up five goals on 19 shots, and Henrik Lundqvist finished with 16 saves.

“Mostly I am just disappointed. ... Points mean a lot right now,” Lundqvist said. “We have to regroup here because it’s another big one tomorrow (at Pittsburgh). I think the biggest thing right now is not trying to find an answer in everything. You just have to go to yourself right now, try to play your best game to try to help the group, and not figure out everything.”

The Rangers had a two-man advantage for 18 seconds about seven minutes into the third, but came up empty.

Zibanejad, standing on the left doorstep, then redirected Mats Zuccarello’s shot from the left circle past Halak for his 14th goal, making it 5-2 at 9:05. Zuccarello got his 200th career assist on the play.

Hickey restored the Islanders’ four-goal lead when his centering pass to Beauvillier from the right side deflected in off Zuccarello’s skate with 3:52 left. Clutterbuck made it 7-2 with his eighth of the season and fourth goal in the last four games with 1:05 remaining.

“I was really impressed with our lineup right through,” Weight said “It was an excellent win.”

The Islanders grabbed control with four straight goals after Hayes tied it at 1 at 14:25 of the first.

Prince scored his first goal of the season two minutes after Hayes’ power-play goal. The Isles then scored three more in the second.

Barzal made it 3-1 just 37 seconds into the period on a backhander past Pavelec and into the top right corner. He then scored his 15th of the season when he knocked in the rebound of his own shot at 4:11.

Beauvillier got his second of the game and seventh of the season when he beat Pavelec from the left circle at 6:51. The Rangers then pulled Pavelec and sent in Lundqvist, drawing cheers from the crowd and chants of “Hen-rik! Hen-rik!”

NOTES: LW Michael Dal Colle made his NHL debut for the Islanders. ... Injured forwards Josh Bailey, selected to his first All-Star appearance earlier in the week, and Andrew Ladd were out of the Islanders’ lineup for the second straight game. ... Islanders F Casey Cizikas left with an upper-body injury in the second period. Weight said Cizikas’ status was “not great” and he would not travel with the team to Montreal. ... The Islanders won 4-3 in a shootout at MSG on Oct. 19. The teams play two more times — both at Barclays Center — on Feb. 15 and April 5. ... The Rangers scored a power-play goal for the third time in five games, but are just 3 for 30 over their last 10 games.

UP NEXT

Rangers: At Pittsburgh on Sunday night.

Islanders: At Montreal on Monday night.

___

Follow Vin Cherwoo at www.twitter.com/VinCherwooAP

___

More AP NHL: www.apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey

NY governor: Those who must work face ‘ugly’ commute

Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says people who absolutely have to go to work during the snowstorm face an “ugly, long commute.”

Cuomo said Thursday on NY1 that roads are “terrible” in New York City, suburban Long Island and Westchester County — and will continue to deteriorate throughout the day.

Cuomo noted that the snow, wind and biting cold are an especially bad combination.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said weather-related problems were causing some transit delays.

Extra snowplows have been brought to the New York City area from upstate.

Beal's 27, Wall's 25 lead Wizards over Knicks 121-103

By RICH DUBROFF
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) – For weeks, the Washington Wizards have been hearing about their struggles against teams with losing records. Now that they've won two straight and elevated their record to 11-10 against sub-.500 teams, perhaps they've taken a step toward ending that discussion.

"We'll find out in the next 10, 20 games," Washington center Marcin Gortat said.

Gortat had a season-high 21 points, making 9 of 10 from the field, Bradley Beal scored 27 and John Wall had 25 points and nine assists in the Wizards' 121-103 win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.

Playing for the first time since he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week, Beal followed his 39-point outburst on Sunday against Chicago by hitting 11 of his 14 field goal attempts for Washington, which has won five of six.

Beal has answered plenty of questions about the Wizards' lapses against the NBA's bottom-feeders.

"Nobody criticizes themselves more than us." Beal said. "We're aware of it. We know that our job is to finish. We have more to prove."

Michael Beasley had 20 points, including 16 in the second half, to lead the Knicks, who have lost six of seven.

Kristaps Porzingis scored 16 points. New York has lost 14 of its last 15 to Washington.

In an energetic first half that ended with both teams shooting 58.1 percent, Wall's jumper at the horn gave the Wizards a 64-63 halftime lead.

The first seven Washington baskets in the third quarter were from inside, and the resulting 15-3 run gave the Wizards a 79-66 lead with 7:47 to play in the quarter.

The Knicks lost at home against San Antonio on Tuesday, and they had little energy after halftime.

"Not to make any excuses, but it's always tougher to play the back-to-backs and I think it got to us," Porzingis said. "Our energy just wasn't there. They had three days of rest and came out fresh and we just didn't have it for the second half."

TIP-INS

Knicks: G Ron Baker returned to the lineup after missing a game with a left orbital fracture. Baker donned a protective mask, and he expects to wear it for at least four weeks.

Wizards: F Chris McCullough was assigned to the Wisconsin Herd of the G League. McCullough is averaging 3.0 points and 1.7 rebounds in 12 games. ... F Mike Young, who was signed to a two-way contract last spring but never played for Washington, was waived. ... The Wizards (22-16) are a season-high six games over .500. . F Markieff Morris tied a season high with 11 rebounds.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Beal knows Washington's 3-1 week helped win him his first Player of the Week award.

"If we didn't win games, I wouldn't have been considered for it," Beal said. "Hopefully, many more to come, but that's never my focus."

GORTAT ON OFFENSE

Gortat entered the game averaging 8.6 points per game, and hasn't been as much of an offensive force for the Wizards as he's been in the past.

"It's just one game in the season where I'm going to score like that," Gortat said.

KNICKS SLOW

Porzingis, who entered averaging 24.1 points per game, had a rough second half. He had just two points in 17 minutes, missing five of six shots.

"He's got to use his athletic ability running down the court, and we got a little slow there for a while," New York coach Jeff Hornacek said.

UP NEXT

Knicks: Visit the Miami Heat on Friday

Wizards: Visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.

Nets cool off Timberwolves 98-97 on Dinwiddie's jumper

By BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Basketball Writer

NEW YORK (AP) – The Brooklyn Nets were well aware that Minnesota had been blowing teams off the starting line.

The Nets not only hung in at the beginning, they made the big plays at the end.

Spencer Dinwiddie made the go-ahead jumper with 10.1 seconds left and tied his career high with 26 points, leading Brooklyn to a 98-97 victory over the Timberwolves on Wednesday night.

The Wolves raced to a 17-0 lead against Indiana on Sunday and then 16-0 against the Lakers the next night, but the Nets never let them find an early flow.

"When you spot a team that many points, it's always hard to come back and that's something we really didn't want to happen," Dinwiddie said, "and obviously we didn't."

Jimmy Butler missed at the buzzer as the Timberwolves lost for just the second time in nine games.

"I just think as a whole we didn't play that much good basketball and we get put in that situation which from the jump could have went either way," Butler said. "At least we fought and got back in the game, but I didn't make a shot."

Dinwiddie added nine assists as the Nets improved to 2-0 in the new year - more wins than they had all last January, when they were 1-15. Joe Harris came off the bench to score 17 points.

"Really proud of how the team's progressing and just showing a resiliency that I felt that we didn't have last year," Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. "We felt last year we kind of crumbled in a situation like that where they made a run. We stayed together and really showed a lot of physical and mental toughness."

Butler finished with 30 points, mostly on the strength of 16-of-18 shooting at the foul line. Andrew Wiggins added 17 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Dinwiddie had given the Nets a 96-94 lead on a jumper with 1:11 to play before three straight free throws from Butler put Minnesota back on top. The next Nets possession didn't seem to be going anywhere as the clock ran down, but Dinwiddie dribbled left away from Taj Gibson and lofted a floater that went in.

Butler then dribbled right while defended by DeMarre Carroll and got off a good look that missed.

The Nets led 24-22 after one quarter and held Minnesota to 39.5 percent shooting in the first half, taking a 48-43 lead on Dinwiddie's 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Brooklyn scored the first seven points of the third quarter to open a 55-43 lead before Minnesota finally got going, using a 23-7 run to build a 66-62 advantage. The Wolves were ahead 73-71 after three thanks to Wiggins' jumper at the buzzer.

"The thing is, I told them this: `It may not be going our way early but then we've got to make it go our way," Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau said. "I thought we showed some resiliency in the second half but we talked about how important it is to play for 48 minutes and sometimes you miss some shots."

TIP-INS

Timberwolves: Minnesota fell to 4-9 against Eastern Conference teams. ... The Wolves had won 11 of the last 16 meetings.

Nets: Brooklyn played without Caris LeVert, who had been the only Nets player to appear in all 37 games, because of a left groin strain. Atkinson said the injury wasn't serious and hoped LeVert could play Saturday against Boston. ... Atkinson said the Nets couldn't call up Isaiah Whitehead from their G League affiliate to be the backup point guard in LeVert's absence because he was dealing with a knee injury.

BETTER BASKETBALL

The game matched two of the most improved teams in the NBA through the same number of games as last season. The Wolves came in 24-14, a league-best 12-game improvement over their 12-26 mark. Miami was improved by nine wins, while the Nets were tied for third with Philadelphia after improving by nine wins. The Nets entered 14-23 - they were 8-29 after 37 games in 2016-17.

OKAFOR OK

Jahlil Okafor had two points in 11 minutes, his second appearance for the Nets since they acquired him from Philadelphia last month. After the first stint, the team decided to get him back into playing shape before putting him in games again. Okafor had sat out almost all season after falling out of the Sixers' rotation.

UP NEXT

Timberwolves: Visit the Boston Celtics on Friday.

Nets: Host the Celtics on Saturday.

Sharp breaks tie in third, Blackhawks beat Rangers 5-2

By SCOTT CHARLES
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) – Jeff Glass is starting to get comfortable in goal for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Glass, the 32-year old rookie who bounced around the hockey world before finally reaching the NHL last month, made 23 saves to lead Chicago to a 5-2 victory over the New York Rangers on Wednesday night.

"This is my chance right now," Glass said after securing his second career NHL victory. "We played a strong game as a unit, I just did my part. It was a lot of fun out there."

Patrick Sharp broke a tie early in the third period as the Blackhawks concluded a six-game trip. Nick Schmaltz, Vinnie Hinostroza, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane also scored

"Contributing offensively is to be expected from every line," Sharp said. "We're more than capable of doing it but more than anything, I thought we played real stingy tonight and didn't give up a whole lot so that was one of the keys tonight."

Nick Holden and Mika Zibanejad scored for New York in the Rangers' second regulation loss at home since Nov. 28.

New York struggled to get through the neutral zone most of the evening and only converted one power play chance on six opportunities in their first game back since the Winter Classic at Citi Field.

"I saw one team playing hockey and the other chasing the whole night," Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh said. "It's really disappointing. We know we are coming off a big emotional win and a big stage but we're almost at the halfway point of the season where we need to start playing with some consistency and we didn't give ourselves a chance there. They were able to do whatever they wanted. We didn't finish checks, slow them down, their speed. They had time and space and we left our goalie out to dry."

Glass, a well-traveled hockey veteran has played on six Kontinental Hockey League teams and three American Hockey League teams before being called up on Dec. 27 when Corey Crawford was placed on injured reserve.

"I think Glasser came in and gave us a little jolt of personality and energy," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville. "After coming out of three tough games going into the break, coming out of it not the way you want to be playing on the road. We'll go back home, we showed a lot better of an effort. I liked the response, the way we finished up the trip."

Sharp, a three-time Cup winner with Chicago who returned this season after spending the previous two years in Dallas, scored at 2:24 of the third when his wrist shot sailed past goalie Henrik Lundqvist's glove.

"I saw a lot of good things, a lot of the speed in the game," Joel Quenneville said. "We got to a lot of pucks first. We did a lot of good things, we were more disciplined than we've been in maybe any other game. We found a way to kill some big penalties."

Hinostroza opened the scoring with 3:51 left in the first period. After an offensive zone faceoff win, Toews retrieved a loose puck in the corner and slipped a backhand pass to Hinostroza.

The Rangers tied it two minutes later when Nick Holden fired a slap shot from the right point past Glass.

Chicago took a 2-1 lead midway through the second when Nick Schmaltz converted a breakaway. Rangers defenseman, Marc Staal, inadvertently put the puck in his own net before knocking the net off the moorings.

Zibanejad tied it on a one-timer with 7:28 to go in the period.

"They were better," Lundqvist said after his 30 save performance. "They started the game better, they had more jump. It felt like a lot of their chances came from odd-man rushes, hard to defend. They have a lot of patient players."

NOTES:

New York scratched defenseman Steven Kampfer and forward Vinni Lettieri. ... Chicago scratched defensemen Michal Kempny and Jan Rutta, and forward Richard Panik.

UP NEXT:

Rangers: At Arizona on Saturday night.

Blackhawks: Host Vegas on Friday night.

Islanders get Belmont Park site

Corey Sipkin/New York Post

NY Post Sports Desk

The Islanders are returning to Long Island.

After three seasons in Brooklyn on the miserable ice at Barclays Center, the Islanders have been awarded the rights to the Belmont Park for their new arena, The Post’s Rich Calder confirmed.

The team was competing with MLS’ New York City FC, who planned for a 26,000-seat stadium at the site.

“It’d be great for the fans and the city and the franchise and everything else. … We’re all hopeful and we’re all anticipatory but you don’t want to get ahead of yourself,” Islanders coach Doug Weight said before the announcement.

The Islanders’ plan calls for an 18,000-seat arena that will include an entertainment hub, hotel and retail village. The team is seeking to get out of its 25-year lease at the Barclays Center.

Accused NYC subway bomber expected to face federal charges

By COLLEEN LONG and JENNIFER PELTZ
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — A would-be suicide bomber was held Tuesday on state terrorism charges while federal prosecutors prepared their own case in the rush hour blast in the heart of the New York City subway system that failed to cause the bloodshed he intended, officials said.

Akayed Ullah, 27, was charged Tuesday with supporting an act of terrorism, making a terroristic threat and weapon possession, according to the New York Police Department. An announcement on federal charges was expected later.

It was unclear if the Bangladeshi immigrant, who was hospitalized with burns to his hands and stomach, was well enough to make a court appearance.

Overseas, Bangladesh counterterrorism officers were questioning the wife and other relatives of Ullah, officials there said Tuesday. Relatives and police said Ullah last visited Bangladesh in September to see his wife and newborn son before leaving them behind to return the United States.

Hours after Monday’s explosion in an underground passageway connecting two of Manhattan’s busiest stations, President Donald Trump cited the background of the bomber in renewing his call for closer scrutiny of foreigners who come to the country and less immigration based on family ties.

New York City bomb suspect Akayed Ullah’s family says they’re heartbroken and saddened by the suffering the attack caused. However, in a statement the family also said they’re outraged by alleged law enforcement actions following Ullah’s arrest. (Dec. 12)

Ullah — who told investigators he wanted to retaliate for American action against Islamic State extremists — came to the U.S. from Bangladesh in 2011 on a visa available to certain relatives of U.S. citizens.

“Today’s terror suspect entered our country through extended-family chain migration, which is incompatible with national security,” Trump said in a statement that called for various changes to the immigration system. Earlier, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump’s proposed policies “could have prevented this.”

On his last visit to Bangladesh, the suspect mostly remained inside a small apartment in Dhaka’s Hazribagh area, said his uncle, Abdul Ahad. His nephew arrived in Bangladesh on Sept. 8 and returned to New York on Oct. 22, he said.

“He went out of his residence to offer prayers at a nearby mosque,” Ahad told The Associated Press.

In a scenario New York had dreaded for years, Ullah strapped on a crude pipe bomb with Velcro and plastic ties, slipped unnoticed into the nation’s busiest subway system and set off the device, authorities said.

The device didn’t work as intended; authorities said Ullah was the only person seriously wounded. But the attack sent frightened commuters fleeing through a smoky passageway, and three people suffered headaches and ringing ears from the first bomb blast in the subway in more than two decades.

Despite his injuries, Ullah spoke to investigators from his hospital bed, law enforcement officials said. He was “all over the place” about his motive but indicated he wanted to avenge what he portrayed as U.S. aggression against the Islamic State group, a law enforcement official said.

The officials spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the blast.

Ullah’s low-tech bomb used explosive powder, a nine-volt battery, a Christmas light and matches, the officials said. Investigators said the suspect was seen on surveillance footage igniting the bomb. In the end, it wasn’t powerful enough to turn the pipe into deadly shrapnel, the officials said.

Law enforcement officials said Ullah looked at IS propaganda online but is not known to have any direct contact with the militants and probably acted alone.

The attack came less than two months after eight people died near the World Trade Center in a truck attack that, authorities said, was carried out by an Uzbek immigrant who admired the Islamic State group.

Since 1965, America’s immigration policy has centered on giving preference to people with advanced education or skills, or people with family ties to U.S. citizens and, in some cases, legal permanent residents. Citizens have been able to apply for spouses, parents, children, siblings and the siblings’ spouses and minor children; the would-be immigrants are then screened by U.S. officials to determine whether they can come.

Trump’s administration has called for a “merit-based” immigration system that would limit family-based green cards to spouses and minor children.

Ullah lived with his father, mother and brother in a Brooklyn neighborhood with a large Bangladeshi community, residents said. He was licensed to drive a livery cab between 2012 and 2015, but the license was allowed to lapse, according to law enforcement officials and New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission.

John Miller, NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner for Counterterrorism, said Tuesday on CBS “This Morning” that Ullah didn’t seem to have any obvious problems.

He “was living here, went through number of jobs, was not particularly struggling financially or had any known pressures,” Miller said, adding Ullah “was not on our radar at NYPD, not on the FBI radar.”

Security cameras captured the attacker walking casually through a crowded passageway when the bomb went off around 7:20 a.m. A plume of white smoke cleared to show the man sprawled on the ground and commuters scattering.

Port Authority police said officers found the man injured on the ground, with wires protruding from his jacket and the device strapped to his torso. They said he was reaching for a cellphone and they grabbed his hands.

___

Associated Press writers Tom Hays, Jake Pearson, Kiley Armstrong, Larry Neumeister and David James Jeans in New York, Michael Balsamo in Los Angeles, Matt Pennington in Washington, D.C., and AP researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report.

Democrats sweep Virginia, New Jersey governor’s races

By ALAN SUDERMAN and MICHAEL CATALINI
Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Voters in Virginia and New Jersey gave Democratic gubernatorial candidates large victories Tuesday and sent a clear message of rebuke to Republican President Donald Trump.

In Virginia’s hard-fought contest, Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam defeated Republican Ed Gillespie. In New Jersey, front-running Democrat Phil Murphy overcame Republican Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno to succeed unpopular GOP Gov. Chris Christie.

Democrats swept all three of Virginia’s statewide races, including contests for attorney general and lieutenant governor. Several incumbent state House Republicans also lost their seats.

The wins in Virginia and New Jersey are a morale boost to Democrats who had so far been unable to channel anti-Trump energy into success at the ballot box in a major election this year.

“The people are gonna rise up. They’re not gonna take what he says and this is not fake news,” said Leanna Barnes, a 76-year-old from East Orange, New Jersey, who voted for Murphy and said she saw his victory as a message to the president.

Virginia college student Tamia Mallory said she began paying attention to her state’s gubernatorial race when she saw tweets from Trump endorsing Gillespie. That motivated her to examine the race and find out who was running against Gillespie, she said.

“It was kind of an anti-Trump vote,” Mallory said.

Northam, the state’s lieutenant governor, repeatedly sought during long months of divisive campaigning to tie Gillespie to the president. His victory was in large part due to the surge in anti-Trump sentiment since the president took office. Democrats said they had record levels of enthusiasm heading into the race in Virginia, a swing-state and the only Southern state that Trump lost last year.

Gillespie, meanwhile, sought to keep Trump at a distance throughout the campaign but tried to rally the president’s supporters with hard-edge attack ads focused on illegal immigration and preserving Confederate statues. The strategy was criticized by Democrats and some Republicans as race baiting, but drew praise from former Trump strategist Steve Bannon and others as a canny way to win a state that voted for Hillary Clinton last year.

Trump lent limited pre-election support to Gillespie with robocalls and tweets.

In one call, Trump said Gillespie shared his views on immigration and crime and would help “Make America Great Again.” Trump also said Northam would be a “total disaster” for Virginia.

But after Tuesday’s loss, Trump suggested that Gillespie hurt himself by not more closely aligning himself with the president.

“Ed Gillespie worked hard but did not embrace me or what I stand for,” Trump said in a tweet after Northam won, before pointing out that Republicans have won every special election to the U.S. House since he was elected.

Northam’s victory is a blow to Republicans, who were hoping that Gillespie could provide a possible roadmap for moderate Republicans to follow in next year’s midterm elections. Several Republicans have announced plans to retire next year instead of seeking re-election.

Gillespie struck a humble tone in his concession speech as he offered support to Northam.

He wiped tears from his eyes while thanking his wife and said the million people who voted for him love Virginia, and so do those who disagree with them.

“And I know they too are rooting for our new governor to succeed because we all love the commonwealth of Virginia,” Gillespie said.

Democrats were gleeful at Northam’s victory party. U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly called Northam the “perfect antidote” to the president.

“This is a comprehensive victory from the statehouse to the courthouse. Thank you, President Trump,” Connolly said.

In Virginia, Northam’s victory is another sign of the state’s shift toward a more liberal electorate. Democrats have won every statewide election since 2009 and now have won four out of the last five gubernatorial contests. Northam banked heavily during the campaign on his near-perfect political resume and tried to cast himself as the low-key doctor with a strong Southern drawl as the healer to Trump’s divisiveness.

A pediatric neurologist and Army doctor, Northam made health care reform a centerpiece of his political career and current campaign, winning key allies along the way. As a state senator he was a leading opponent of a Republican effort to mandate ultrasounds before abortions in 2012, winning him strong support from well-funded abortion-rights groups.

Democratic New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio wins 2nd term

Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Mayor Bill de Blasio cruised to re-election on Tuesday, fending off token opposition to win a second term as the leader of the nation’s largest city.

De Blasio, a Democrat, easily defeated Republican state lawmaker Nicole Malliotakis and several third-party candidates. The Associated Press called the election for de Blasio shortly after polls closed in the city, which leans heavily Democratic.

On the campaign trail, de Blasio touted his rollout of universal pre-kindergarten for 4-year-olds and efforts to increase affordable housing. He also cited low crime rates and his work to address his city’s notoriously high cost of living.

First elected four years ago, de Blasio emerged as a national leader in progressive politics. But his administration often found itself bogged down in feuds with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a fellow Democrat, and investigations into campaign donations and pay-to-play politics.

De Blasio’s toughest challenger on Tuesday, Malliotakis, called the mayor ineffective. Third-party candidates in the race included independent Bo Dietl, a former detective.

The 56-year-old mayor has vowed that in his second term he will further expand pre-kindergarten to 3-year-olds and increase investments in affordable housing. He also has promised to continue to speak out for the city’s immigrant and minority communities and be a vocal critic of President Donald Trump.

The city leans heavily to the left, with Democrats outnumbering Republicans by a 6-1 ratio.

Connor McDavid sets up 3 goals, Oilers beat Devils 6-3

Associated Press

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers put it all together against the New Jersey Devils.

McDavid had three assists and Edmonton beat New Jersey 6-3 on Friday night to hand the Devils their first road loss of the season.

“Tonight was the first time in a while that we had everyone going, and all lines playing well and playing the right way, and we were rewarded,” McDavid said. “So it’s good to see.”

Drake Caggiula, Ryan Strome, Oscar Klefbom, Milan Lucic, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored for the Oilers. They snapped a two-game losing streak to improve to 4-7-1.

“We’ve got to get back to the mode we had last year,” Lucic said. “When you win one and you’re feeling good about things, you’ve got to keep it going for as long as you can.”

Former Oiler Taylor Hall, Jesper Bratt and Brian Gibbons responded for the Devils. They dropped to 9-3-0.

“It seemed like everything kind of went in for them,” Hall said. “Passes off skates and everything tonight.”

Edmonton started the scoring five minutes into the opening period on the power play as McDavid sent a pass through the crease to Caggiula, who tapped the puck in before goalie Cory Schneider could get across.

The Oilers made it 2-0 three minutes later when Adam Larsson’s point shot ended up going off Strome and in.

Hall came back to haunt his old team with five minutes left in the first when he backhanded the rebound from Miles Wood’s shot past goalie Cam Talbot.

New Jersey tied it five minutes into the second period when Bratt’s spin-around shot hit the post and caromed into the net.

The Oilers regained just over a minute later on Klefbom’s blast on the rush.

Edmonton made it 4-2 with 1:04 to play in the second when a rebound hit Lucic while he was driving to the net and bounced in.

The Oilers added some insurance with seven minutes remaining in the third period when McDavid made a perfect pass to Draisaitl at the side of the net for his third of the season.

The Devils got that goal back just over a minute later on a tip by Gibbons, his team-leading sixth.

Edmonton got an empty-net goal as Hall sent the puck back to the point and almost scored on his own net, leading to a tap-in by Nugent-Hopkins.

NOTES: The clubs will meet again Thursday night in New Jersey. ... Devils forward Marcus Johansson missed the game with a concussion suffered on Wednesday in Vancouver.

UP NEXT:

Devils: At Calgary on Sunday night.

Oilers: Host Detroit on Sunday.

Police: 17-year-old girl found slain, suspect in custody

Associated Press
SODUS, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities say a 17-year-old girl has been found slain in a New York neighborhood.

The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office says the slaying occurred early Friday morning in a neighborhood of mobile homes in the town of Sodus (SOH’-duhs), 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Rochester.

Sheriff Barry Virts says the victim’s name is Alyssa Taft, a student at Sodus High School.

Officials say one person is in custody in connection with the killing and is expected to be arraigned sometime on Friday.

No other details have been released. The sheriff says more information will be disclosed at a news conference Friday afternoon at the sheriff’s office in Lyons.

Rangers' Kevin Hayes, Tampa's Stamkos and Kucherov fined $5K for unsportsmanlike conduct

Tampa Bay Lightning forwards Steven Stamkosand Alex Killorn as well as New York Rangers forward Kevin Hayes have each been fined $5,000 by the NHL for unsportsmanlike conduct during Thursday's game.

The incident was initiated by Hayes who sprayed Killorn with water from the Rangers' bench before a faceoff. Killorn reacted by jabbing Hayes with his stick a couple times. Stamkos also got involved after Killorn was given a slashing minor by spraying water in the direction of the Rangers' bench. 

The incident, which occurred three minutes into the third period, also sparked a fight betweenSteven Kampfer of the Rangers and Lightning forward J.T. Brown.

Jets damage Bills' AFC East standing, 34-2

By BARRY WILNER
Associated Press

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — There was one team that looked like a playoff contender Thursday night. It wasn't the Buffalo Bills.

Buffalo's pursuit of AFC East kingpin New England was stymied by the New York Jets, who controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides in a 34-21 win that never was close in the second half.

Matt Forte ran for two touchdowns four days after complaining the Jets didn't run the ball enough, and an overwhelming defense sacked Tyrod Taylor seven times.

"We played to what we do best," Forte said. "Our offensive line likes to come off the line straight ahead and hit guys in the mouth and wear guys out like that. I think we started to wear them out as the game went on, and you saw some runs pop here and there."

Buffalo (5-3) came in having scored 64 points in its last two wins, but self-destructed with turnovers and miscues. New York (4-5) snapped a three-game slide in which it held leads in each defeat.

"We've got a high ceiling," defensive tackle Leonard Williams said. "We showed we can get takeaways, we showed we can get sacks, we showed we can stop the run. This is our first game putting it all together in a complete game. I feel like now that we showed it and put in on film, we'll definitely challenge ourselves to keep progressing."

Forte scored on runs of 10 and 5 yards and had 14 carries for 77 yards. Augmenting that was Bilal Powell with a 51-yard burst and 74 yards on nine carries. Quarterback Josh McCown got in on the fun with a 10-yard scramble to open the scoring, and New York rushed for 194 yards overall.

Jordan Jenkins had two of the Jets' sacks as they never allowed Buffalo's offense to get on track.

Indeed, mistakes were the Bills' trademark.

"We came into their house and they just outplayed us," Taylor said. "They were really aggressive today and played to their strengths.

"We have to stop the negative plays. Tonight we had turnovers on offense and that's not our style of play."

Buffalo made a key error on New York's second touchdown drive. Cedric Thornton sacked McCown, but grabbed his face mask. The 15-yard penalty, which followed a 20-yard pass to Jermaine Kearse and a 22-yard run by Forte, led to Robby Anderson beating double coverage for a 25-yard TD reception.

Forte's 10-yard run made it 24-7 and came one play after Powell broke four tackles on his 51-yard jaunt that featured slick moves and plenty of speed.

The Bills hurt themselves further when Nick O'Leary fumbled on a strange play. The tight end caught Taylor's third-down pass and fell to the ground untouched. He delayed, heard no whistle, and got up. But the ball then was stripped by Marcus Maye and recovered by fellow rookie safety Jamal Adams.

Adding to the miscues, Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for mouthing off to an official — during a timeout, no less — on the ensuing Jets drive.

Taylor also fumbled when sacked for the sixth time, and Forte's 5-yard TD run followed. And even when the Bills recovered a late onside kick, they were flagged for offside.

New York opened the scoring — the fourth straight game it has led early — after some strong defense pinned Buffalo near its goal line. A punt set up the Jets near midfield and they used eight plays to score.

McCown, looking very spry for a 38-year-old QB, went in untouched around the left side on a scramble for a 7-0 Jets lead.

Buffalo matched that, aided by Taylor's 18-yard scramble on third down. Rookie Zay Jones caught his first pro TD, an 11-yarder when he got wide open over the middle.

An offensive pass interference call on Austin Sefarian-Jenkins' touchdown catch negated the tight end's TD early in the second quarter and the Jets settled for Chandler Catanzaro's 45-yard field goal to retake the lead. He later hit a 32-yarder.

The Jets found a pass rush that was missing in action most of the year. They came in with 11 sacks, which was last among teams that had played eight games.

Buffalo scored two late touchdowns to make the final margin less lopsided.

"We were outplayed fundamentally. We weren't very good," coach Sean McDermott said.

J-E-T-S

Fireman Ed, once the team's unofficial cheerleader, led the J-E-T-S chant for the first time this season. It got pretty loud, too, even though there were several thousand empty seats at MetLife Stadium.

INJURIES

Bills: Jones, who was having a fine first half with four catches for 40 yards and a touchdown, was tripped by cornerback Buster Skrine and injured his right leg and was helped off. Jones, Buffalo's second-round draft pick, returned for the second half, but aggravated the leg. ... Running back Taiwan Jones hurt his left arm in a scramble for a fourth-quarter onside kick.

Jets: WR Jeremy Kerley left in the first quarter with an ankle injury. LB Bruce Carter (hamstring) was sidelined in the second half.

UP NEXT

Bills: Host New Orleans on Nov. 12.

Jets: Visit Tampa Bay on Nov. 12.

Tavares helps Islanders cool off Golden Knights, 6-3

By VIN A. CHERWOO
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — John Tavares and the New York Islanders are on quite a roll.

Tavares kept up his scoring surge with two more goals and the Islanders beat Vegas 6-3 on Monday night, handing the expansion Golden Knights their second loss of the season.

Andrew Ladd, Mathew Barzal, Cal Clutterbuck and Nikolay Kulemin also scored, and Jaroslav Halak stopped 31 shots to help New York win for the fifth time in six games. Tavares has eight goals in the last four games.

“Guys did a great job of creating chances, playing hard, winning battles and playing with pace again,” Tavares said. “We had contributions up and down the lineup. Obviously, that’s key to score six goals. ... The execution is there and we’re just competing really hard.”

William Karlsson, Alex Tuch and Colin Miller scored for Vegas (8-2-0), which snapped a five-game winning streak and lost another goalie to injury. With starter Marc-Andre Fleury and backup Malcolm Subban already sidelined, Oscar Dansk left with an apparent leg injury after Tavares scored the tying goal late in the second period.

Dansk, who came in 3-0 with an NHL-best 1.34 goals-against average, made 17 saves. Maxime Lagace, the fourth goalie Vegas has used in its inaugural season, came on for his NHL debut and gave up four goals on 11 shots.

“We didn’t help Max out,” Miller said. “He’s getting thrown in the fire a little bit. I’m sure he’ll do fine. He’s played hockey for a long time. I’m sure he’ll be all right.”

Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant didn’t have an update on Dansk after the game. He said Lagace would start Tuesday at the New York Rangers, and another goalie would be called up to be the backup.

Vegas led 2-1 after one period before Tavares tied the score with his 10th goal with 5:10 left, deflecting a shot by Nick Leddy past Dansk, who was injured on the play. The Golden Knights challenged for goalie interference, but the goal stood after a review.

With Reilly Smith off for high-sticking, Barzal gave the Islanders their first lead as he knocked in the rebound of a backhand by Anders Lee that went off the right post for his third.

Smith’s penalty was the Golden Knights’ third of the second period and fifth of the game.

“If we’re going to win on the road, you can’t take five penalties in the first two periods and get behind the 8-ball there,” Gallant said. “When the game was real close we made a couple of big mistakes there and opened the door for them to get six goals.”

Clutterbuck extended New York’s lead to 4-2 at 4:44 of the third as he skated up the right side and fired the puck past Lagace’s glove for his second.

Kulemin made it a three-goal lead with his first of the season at 8:26 of the third.

Tavares scored on a breakaway with 7:22 left for his 11th of the season, giving New York six goals for the second straight game.

“We built some good momentum,” Tavares said. “Now it’s just to keep it going. It’s a long season.”

Miller beat Halak from the right circle with 5:19 to go to pull Vegas to 6-3.

Vegas got on the scoreboard first with the first short-handed goal in franchise history as Karlsson got a pass from Cody Eakin and beat Halak, who was out of position trying to disrupt the pass, at 9:31. It was the sixth short-handed goal allowed by the Islanders, tying Buffalo for most in the NHL.

“Yet another short-handed goal against — it just can’t happen,” Islanders coach Doug Weight said. “I’m glad they battled back, put pucks to the net and scored on a couple of power plays.”

Ladd tied it with 6:10 remaining in the period as he fired a shot from the top of the right circle past Dansk’s blocker side for his third.

The Golden Knights went back ahead 2-1 nearly two minutes later with a power-play goal when Miller’s shot deflected off Tuch’s skate in front and past Halak. It was Tuch’s third of the season.

NOTES: Tavares has nine goals and 12 points in the last five games. ... Josh Bailey had three assists to give him points in seven straight games (two goals, 10 assists). ... The Islanders improved to 4-0-1 at home this season. ... The teams conclude the season series Jan. 25 at Las Vegas. ... Gallant was back at Barclays Center for the first time since coaching Florida against the Islanders in the first round of the 2016 playoffs. New York won the series at home in two overtimes in Game 6. Gallant was fired by the Panthers last Nov. 27. ... Each team went 2 for 5 on the power play. ... Vegas gave up two power-play goals after going 10 for 10 on the penalty-kill the previous three games. ... Miller had an assist for the fifth straight game.

UP NEXT

Golden Knights: At the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.

Islanders: At the Washington Capitals on Thursday night.

Miller scores in OT, Rangers beat Lightning 2-1

By MARK DIDTLER
Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The New York Rangers were a determined group from the opening puck drop, and the result was a win over one of the NHL’s best.

J.T. Miller scored 1:19 into overtime and the Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 on Thursday night.

Miller skated around defenseman Anton Stralman and beat Andrei Vasilevskiy. New York also got a goal from Chris Kreider, and Henrik Lundqvist stopped 27 shots.

“I think the key going into this game was to control the top guys and we did a really good job,” Lundqvist said. “It was a fun game to play. We followed our game plan and that’s something we have to focus on.”

Tampa Bay’s top line of Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Vladislav Namestnikov was held off the scoreboard. The trio finished with eight shots.

The Rangers have won consecutive games for the first time this season.

Yanni Gourde had a goal and Vasilevskiy made 33 saves for the Lightning (10-2-2). Vasilevskiy had won nine consecutive decisions.

“He clearly got us the point,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said of Vasilevskiy, who is 10-1-1.

Kreider opened the scoring during a 3-on-1 at 18:34 of the first.

Gourde tied it at 1 with a short-handed goal off a nifty pass through the slot by Victor Hedman 11 minutes into the second.

Vasilevskiy stopped Kevin Shattenkirk’s breakaway shot and made a stick save on Jesper Fast’s in-close rebound after Michael Grabner’s shot hit the post in the first. He also made several strong saves in the third following Tampa Bay turnovers.

Lundqvist turned aside Stamkos’ left-circle power-play shot during the first and the Lightning captain’s in-close backhander early on in the second.

Stamkos, playing in his 600th NHL game, was held pointless for just the second time in 14 games.

Grabner had a goal early in the second disallowed because the puck was kept in the offensive zone by a high stick.

Tampa Bay had Alex Killorn’s goal three minutes into the third disallowed due to goalie interference. The call was confirmed by a video review following a Lightning challenge.

“I wanted to come out and I can’t come out,” Lundqvist said. “I can’t play the position. Sometimes players think they have to bump the goalie but he comes in there and I can’t come out. It’s the right call, for sure.”

Cooper disagreed, saying “It was a bad call.”

NOTES: Rangers coach Alain Vigneault got his 619th NHL win, moving within one of tying Bryan Murray for 12th place on the all-time list. ... Tampa Bay D Dan Girardi, who spent parts of 11 seasons with the Rangers, faced his old team for the first time. ... Rangers D Ryan McDonagh was in the lineup a day after sitting out practice. ... Lightning C Cedric Paquette (upper body) missed his seventh straight game but might return next wee

UP NEXT

Rangers: Wrap up a two-game Florida swing Saturday night against the Panthers.

Lightning: Host Columbus on Saturday night.

Devils face Oilers as western Canada trip continues

The New Jersey Devils will play their second contest of a three-game western Canada road trip tonight against the Edmonton Oilers (also, 11/5 at CGY). Seven of the Devils' next 9 games are against Western Conference teams. The club is 3-1-0 against the Western Conference and is 2-1-0 vs. the Pacific Division in 2017-18.

The Devils are 5-0-0 on the road this season. The Devils are the only team in the NHL without a regulation or OT/SO loss on the road.

In 2016-17, New Jersey was win-less against the Oilers (0-0-2) (Jan. 7 in NJ, 1-2 OT / Jan. 12 @ EDM, 2-3 OT). The Devils last win in Edmonton was during the 2014-15 season (Nov. 21, 2014, 2-0).

Steven Santini and Travis Zajac led the team in scoring with a goal and an assist each in two games against the Oilers last year. Taylor Hall had one assist in his first trip back to Edmonton (Jan. 12, 2017) after being traded to the Devils from the Oilers on June 30, 2016.

Cory Schneider  made both starts against the Oilers stopping 72 of 77 shots against (.935 save%).

 

Schneider is 7-3-2 in his career against Edmonton with a 1.72 GAA and a .935 save%. Goaltender Keith Kinkaid lost his lone start against Edmonton 5-1 (Nov. 15, 2015) stopping 22 of 26 shots that he faced.

INJURIES

• Travis Zajac  (IR, torn left pectoral muscle, 11 games missed) is out 4-6 months at time of surgery, August 17, 2017.

• Michael McLeod  (IR, torn meniscus in left knee, 11 games missed) suffered Sept. 25, had successful arthroscopic surgery on Oct. 12. Out 4-6 weeks.    

• Kyle Palmieri  (lower body, 3 games missed) is on I.R. retroactive to October 22, 2017.

Games Lost to Injury/Illness: 42

RED OCTOBER

The Devils closed-out the month of October with an 8-2-0 record.  They are currently ranked first in the Metropolitan Division and are second in the Eastern Conference.

ROAD WARRIORS

The Devils are 5-0-0 away from the Prudential Center to start the season, and are the only team that has earned all possible points on the road.  This is the club's best start since 2009-10, when they started 9-0-0 on the road.

BUNCHES OF GOALS

Nico Hischier  scored the first two goals of his NHL career, Oct. 19 at OTT.  At 18 yrs, 288 days old he is the youngest Devils' player to score a goal since  Craig Wolanin  did so vs. the North Stars on Dec 9, 1985 (18y-135d). He is the fifth-youngest in franchise history.

JOHNNY ROCKET

John Moore  scored the game-winning goal in overtime on Oct. 19 at OTT.  He now has five OT game-winners with New Jersey, which is the most by any NHL defenseman since 3-on-3 overtime was implemented in the 2015-16 season. He ranks second in OT goals by a defenseman in franchise history behind Hall-of-Famer  Scott Niedermayer  (8, 1991-2004).

THAT'S OFFENSIVE

After 11 games, the Devils have a total of 40 goals, which ranks ninth-best* in the NHL (tie; CHI, FLA).  All teams with more goalsscored than NJ have played at least one more game.  In 2016-17, the club had scored just 26 goals after the first 11 contests.

*As of Nov. 2

CHILD'S PLAY

Defenseman  Will Butcher  leads all  NHL rookies with 11 assists and is ranked second* (tie, M. Sergachev - TB) in points. Seven of his 11 helpers have been on the power play.  

*As of Nov. 2

On Oct. 14 at NYR, Butcher set an NHL record, becoming the first rookie defenseman in NHL history to have at least eight assists in his first five career games.

On Oct. 19 at OTT,  Nico Hischier  scored the first two goals of his career and notched an assist for his first three-point night. Hischier has (2G-5A-7PTS) through his first 11 career games.

Jesper Bratt  scored the game-deciding goal in the shootout, Oct. 27 vs. OTT, in his first career shootout attempt and notched the game-winner with 4:23 remaining in regulation that next evening against Arizona.

ACTING LIKE A BRATT

Rookie forward  Jesper Bratt, New Jersey's sixth-round pick in 2016, set a  new franchise record  for the most points in the first two games of his NHL career with 3G-2A-5PTS. In addition, he is one of only five NHL players in the last 17 seasons to record five points through his first two games.

• Others were: Radim Vrbata (2001-02), Brent Seabrook (2005-06), Anze Kopitar (2006-07), Vladimir Tarasenko (2012-13) 

*credit NHL PR

GETTING GIBBY WITH IT

On Oct. 11 at Toronto,  Brian Gibbons  scored the first three-on-five shorthanded goal in franchise history. He has two 5G-2A-7PTS over his first 11 games as a Devil. In 66 NHL games between Columbus and Pittsburgh, he had 5 total goals and 17 assists for 22PTS.

Gibbons also scored a shorthanded goal, on a penalty shot, on Oct. 28 vs. ARI. He ranks first in the NHL (tie, E. Kane / A. Barkov) with two shorthanded goals this season.

A BUTCHER'ED PERFORMANCE

Defenseman Will Butcher set a new franchise record for the most points in a Devils' debut. The 22-year-old blueliner made his NHL/Devils debut on Oct. 7 vs. Colorado and recorded three assists (3PTS). Butcher signed a two-year, entry-level contract with New Jersey on August 27 after spending four seasons playing collegiate hockey at University of Denver (NCHC). He was the 2017 Hobey Baker Award winner as college hockey's best player.  He captained Denver to the 2017 NCAA Championship.

Motorist hits people on bike path near World Trade Center

NEW YORK — At least eight people are dead and fifteen are injured after a motorist drove onto a busy bicycle path near the World Trade Center memorial and struck several people Tuesday, according the NYPD.

The motorist then emerged from the vehicle screaming and firing what appeared to be a gun, police and witnesses said.

At least two bodies could be seen lying motionless on the path beneath tarps near mangled bicycles.

The New York Police Department posted on its Twitter feed that one person was in custody. The department said it was unclear whether anyone was shot or whether the injured were all struck by the vehicle.

A man who was riding in an Uber along the West Side Highway near Chambers Street said he saw several bleeding people on the ground after a truck struck several people. Another witness said the truck had also collided with a small bus and one other vehicle.

Tom Gay, a school photographer, was on Warren Street and heard people saying there was an accident. He went down to West Street and a woman came around the corner shouting, “He has a gun! He has a gun!”

Gay said he stuck his head around the corner and saw a slender man in a blue track suit running southbound on West Street holding a gun. He said there was a heavyset man pursuing him.

He said he heard five or six shots and the man in the tracksuit fell to the ground, gun still raised in the air. He said a man came over and kicked the gun out of his hand.

Uber driver Chen Yi said he saw a truck plow into people on a popular bike path adjacent to the West Side Highway. He said he then heard seven to eight shots and then police pointing a gun at a man kneeling on the pavement.

“I saw a lot of blood over there. A lot of people on the ground,” Yi said.

His passenger, Dmitry Metlitsky, said he also saw police standing near a man who was on his knees with his hands up, and another man bleeding on the ground nearby. He said the truck had also collided with a small school bus and one other vehicle.

Study: NYC could see bad flooding every 5 years

By FRANK ELTMAN

Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Within the next three decades, floods that used to strike the New York City area only once every 500 years could occur every five years, according to a new scientific study released just days before the fifth anniversary of Superstorm Sandy.

The study, performed by researchers at several universities and published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, primarily blames the predicted change on sea-level rise caused by global warming.

“This is kind of a warning,” said Andra Garner, a Rutgers University scientist and study co-author. “How are we going to protect our coastal infrastructure?”

The researchers based their analysis on multiple models that factored in predictions for sea level rise and possible changes in the path of future hurricanes.

Many of the models had a dose of good news for the nation’s largest city: Climate changes may mean that storms are more violent, but are also likely to swing further off-shore, meaning storm surge heights aren’t likely to increase substantially through 2300.

However, rising sea levels could mean that floods of 7.4 feet (2.25 meters) or more that struck the New York city area roughly once every 500 years before 1800, and which occur roughly every 25 years now, could happen once every five years between 2030 and 2045.

Researchers made no recommendations on what public officials or others should do to prepare.

“The idea is this kind of study we hope will provide information that people making those kinds of decisions can use,” Garner said. “We know that when Sandy hit in 2012, of course, subways, tunnels flooded, power was knocked out, parts of the city were just really devastated so studies like this provide some warning.”

Other researchers included scientists from Penn State University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

The researchers said there is scientific consensus that global sea level will rise in the coming centuries, although it is not certain how high. They cautioned that sea-level rise at New York City could exceed 8 feet by the end of the century if, in a high-emissions future, the West Antarctic ice sheet rapidly melts.

The study expects about 5 inches to 11 inches (12.7 centimeters to 27.9 centimeters) of sea-level rise likely in New York City between 2000 and 2030.

The study examined sea level rise through the year 2300.

“I think the study is valid, but year 2300 is a long way off,” said Billy Sweet, an oceanographer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who was not involved in it. “What is more certain is the amount of sea level rise likely to occur in the next 50 to 100 years or so and that storm surges from nor’easters and hurricanes will continue to pose a risk for New York City.”

Hurricane Sandy merged with two other weather systems into an unusual storm that devastated the oceanfront coastline and caused catastrophic flooding in New York and cities in New Jersey on Oct. 29, 2012. It was blamed for at least 182 deaths and $65 billion in damage in the U.S.

State and city officials in New York say they are planning numerous projects to guard against future flooding, including fortifying utilities and transit facilities, and note other projects are still in the design stage.

___

This story has been corrected to reflect estimated sea level rise of 5 inches to 11 inches is between 2000 and 2030, not 2000 and 2300.

McAdoo is sticking with Manning as Giants quarterback

By TOM CANAVAN

Associated Press

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Ben McAdoo is sticking with Eli Manning as the New York Giants’ quarterback in what has become a frustrating, lost season.

McAdoo made it clear Monday that the Giants’ 1-6 record is not grounds for handing the quarterback job to third-round draft pick Davis Webb so the team can evaluate him in regular-season action.

There is no question the offense has struggled as it heads into a bye week. It has scored 112 points, which is the fifth fewest in the league.

However, Miami (92), Cincinnati (98) and Denver (108) have had bye weeks and have played six games.

Cleveland (103) is the only team that has fewer points after seven games.

It would also be unfair to blame the problems on Manning, a two-time Super Bowl MVP. The 36-year-old has played behind an offensive line that has generated a running attack only once this season. The receiving group has been depleted with season-ending injuries to Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall and an ankle injury that sidelined Sterling Shepard the past two games.

In a 24-7 loss to Seattle on Sunday, the offense was limited to 177 yards — the team’s lowest output since 2013. The only receiver who could get open on a regular basis was rookie tight end Evan Engram , who caught six passes for 60 yards.

Manning has had a total of seven completions to his wide receivers in the past two games. He also lost a fumble that led to the Seahawks’ second touchdown.

While McAdoo is in charge of the lineup, he said he would talk to both general manager Jerry Reese and the team’s ownership if he decided not to play Manning.

“It’s not to that point now, and I don’t see that point coming,” McAdoo said Monday. “Eli is our quarterback. I have 100 percent confidence in Eli. We’re going to get a week away from it and we’re going to come back with fresh minds, fresh bodies, and play better football.”

Webb showed a strong arm and a good touch in training camp. He never got any quality time in the preseason and he has been inactive for every regular-season game.

McAdoo described Webb as a gym rat who helps Manning get ready to play every week.

Shepard, who sprained his ankle against the Chargers on Oct. 8, was questionable for this past weekend. He should be ready to go when the Giants face the Rams on Nov. 5.

Others players who might be ready to return are starting center Weston Richburg (concussion), running back Paul Perkins (ribs), defensive end Olivier Vernon (ankle) and linebacker Jonathan Casillas (neck). Richburg, Perkins and Vernon missed the past three games, one more then Casillas.

During the bye week, McAdoo said the coaching staff will look at what they have been doing and decide what to keep and what to throw out.

“We’ll just take a look at the way we are using players and take a look if there are roles we can change to help us as a football team,” said the second-year coach who led the Giants to an 11-5 regular-season record last season and their first playoff berth since the 2011 season.

The problems of last season were not fixed in the offseason. The line was bad last season and didn’t improve. The offense hasn’t scored much in either season. The difference this season is the Giants are losing the close games they won last season.

“I think we need to get away from it a little bit,” McAdoo said of the bye week. “We need to get away from it, clear our minds, get our bodies back and come back with a fresh outlook as tough as that may be. We have a lot of football to play. We had a lot of fight in us yesterday and that needs to continue.”

NOTES: McAdoo had no update on injuries to middle linebacker B.J. Goodson (foot) and right tackle Justin Pugh (back). Both left the game Sunday. ... CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie saw limited action in returning from a one-game suspension. He was beaten on Russell Wilson’s go-ahead touchdown pass to Doug Baldwin.