NHL HOCKEY

MALKIN, CROSBY COMPLETE SWEEP OF SENATORS

Evgeni Malkin and Jarko Ruutu scored second-period goals, leading the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 3-1 win over the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night to complete a four-game sweep of their first-round series.

Sidney Crosby scored into an empty net with 7.5 seconds remaining and had an assist, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 21 saves for Pittsburgh, which got its first sweep in 16 years and its first playoff series win since 2001.

BASEBALL

SORIANO PLACED ON 15-DAY DL WITH STRAINED RIGHT CALF

Alfonso Soriano hopped onto the 15-day disabled list Wednesday as the Chicago Cubs lost their star leadoff hitter with a strained right calf muscle.

Soriano was put the DL after an MRI confirmed it was just a strain, an injury he got Tuesday night just seconds after making his familiar hop to catch a first-inning flyball.

Soriano developed the quirky hop when he first moved from second base to the outfield with the Washington Nationals in 2006. He said after he missed some routine flyballs, he incorporated the hop for several reasons: to help him relax, to get to the ball sooner by lurching upward and to make it appear more difficult, thereby increasing his concentration.

But as he wore a boot on his right foot yesterday, Soriano insisted his latest injury was not caused by the hop.

LATROY HAWKINS GIVES UP NO. 21, SWITCHES TO NO. 22

LaTroy Hawkins saw his number was up.

The reliever succumbed to pressure from New York Yankees fans who felt no. 21 still belonged to Paul O’Neill and switched to no. 22 when the team began a two-game series against the Boston Red Sox last night.

“What can I say? The fans have always been unbelievable to me there,” O’Neill said in a telephone interview from his home in Ohio. “I don’t really know how to explain it. It makes you feel good that the fans still think of you as wearing that number.”

Hawkins signed with the Yankees during the offseason and wore no. 22 — which Roger Clemens had last year — during spring training. Morgan Ensberg wore no. 21 during spring training and switched to No. 11 when the season began. Hawkins then took over no. 21, wanting to honor Roberto Clemente—Hawkins has a yellow “Retire 21” sticker from retire21.org on the side of his locker.

JOBA CHAMBERLAIN’S FATHER FEELING BETTER

As Joba Chamberlain missed his third straight game to be with his stricken father, the Yankees said Harlan Chamberlain was feeling better.

Joba Chamberlain left the team Monday, a day after his father collapsed, and traveled to Nebraska to be with his dad.

“His father is progressing. He’s about 40 to 50 percent on the ventilator. He sat up a couple times today for like a half an hour,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Wednesday. “Joba said he’s getting a little bit antsy, so that’s a good sign. So he’s doing much better.”

Girardi isn’t sure when the reliever will be able to rejoin the Yankees.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

UCLA’S LOVE TO ANNOUNCE PLANS AT NEWS CONFERENCE

UCLA All-American Kevin Love will announce his plans for next season at a campus news conference today.

The freshman center led the Bruins in scoring (17.5 points) and rebounds (10.6). They lost in the national semifinals to Memphis and finished the season with a 35-4 record.

Love will be accompanied by father Stan and coach Ben Howland at the news conference.

College players have until April 27 to declare for the NBA draft.