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DALLAS — Leo Carlsson‘s short-handed goal midway through the third period proved to be the winner as the Ducks rallied to beat the Dallas Stars 7-5 on Thursday night.

Carlsson scored on a slap shot 10:38 into the third period to give the Ducks a 6-4 lead. Troy Terry had an assist on the goal.

Chris Kreider scored twice, Cutter Gauthier, Olen Zellweger, Ian Moore added goals and Mason McTavish added an empty-netter for the Ducks, who’ve won five consecutive games and seven of their last eight. Lukas Dostal finished with 21 saves.

Wyatt Johnston had two goals, Roope Hintz, Tyler Seguin and Mikko Rantanen also scored for Dallas, which lost for the third time in four games. Miro Heiskanen had four assists and Jake Oettinger made 18 saves.

Dallas had its seven-game points streak halted.

Up next for the Ducks: at the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.

A MASKED man who gassed trams with a highly flammable vapour in a UK city centre has pleaded guilty.

Ghalib Saeed, 31, let off butane gas inside Manchester Metrolink tram carriages on three “disturbing” occasions on March 15, 20 and 22.

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Passengers on the trams reported hearing a “hissing sound” and seeing a man clad in a terrifying gas mask during the attacks.

A number of commuters complained they felt dizzy after the incidents but thankfully no injuries were reported.

Witnesses reported seeing Saeed board the trams with a gas mask covering his mouth and nose.

Passengers would then hear a hissing sound as he emptied gas canisters in the carriages.

People then reported a strong smell of gas filling the trams and said they developed “headaches” and were left feeling “dizzy” during the incidents.

Several reports were made to the police and Saeed was arrested.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of causing a public nuisance at the eleventh hour today.

He changed his plea just before a trial at Manchester Crown Court was due to go ahead today.

During a court appearance in April prosecution counsel Neil Fryman said: “The Crown says it’s very disturbing behaviour, a lot of people were affected on a number of occasions.”

Saeed was warned by the judge that the starting point for an offence of this nature is a prison sentence.

The case has been adjourned for a pre-sentence report to be written up.

Judge Elizabeth Nicholls warned Saeed that “all sentencing options will remain open.”

Saeed has been remanded in custody and is due to return to court to learn his fate in November.

At the time of the bizarre incidents Transport for Greater Manchester said: “We are aware of these incidents on Metrolink and are assisting Greater Manchester Police with their enquiries at this time.

“The safety of our Passengers and staff is a core priority – everyone has the right to feel safe and be safe across the Bee Network.”

At the time of Saeed’s arrest Detective Chief Inspector Paddy Connell, from GMPs City of Manchester Division, said: “We fully appreciate that incidents of this nature can cause concern in our communities, but I want to reassure the public that we do not believe there is any wider threat present.

“We have now secured the arrest of a man and are working hard to establish the full circumstances of the events that have been reported over recent days.

“As officers continue to work their way through all the evidence available, we are asking anyone who has any information to please come forward.

“This includes anyone who believes they have witnessed something suspicious, or similar to the incidents that we are dealing with.

“Our transport hubs are operating as usual, and I would encourage anyone with any concerns to speak to a police officer, who will be more than happy to discuss any queries you may have.”

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Five years ago, when USC first scheduled this 2025 season opener, the plan had been to go big, to test itself with a marquee, non-conference opponent that not only bolstered the Trojans’ strength of schedule but also captured the attention of college football. So, at the time, USC agreed to a home-and-home meeting with Mississippi, when Lane Kiffin, the Trojans’ former coach, would make his much-anticipated return to the Coliseum.

That matchup, of course, never came to fruition. The entire landscape of college football was upended in the meantime. Lincoln Riley became the coach. USC left the Pac-12 for the Big Ten. And the meeting with Mississippi was canceled, the rationale from USC’s leaders being there was no sensible reason, in the age of the expanding College Football Playoff, to test your team with top-tier non-conference competition.

Which is how Missouri State, in its first-ever matchup as a Football Bowl Subdivision program, wound at the Coliseum on Saturday, watching helplessly as USC stopped just short of stealing the Tigers’ lunch money in a 73-13 season-opening beatdown.

It was the most points USC had scored in a football game since 1930, when it put up 74 points on California.

If the intent was merely to get off to a smooth, harmless start, then USC certainly succeeded in that regard.

Quarterback Jayden Maiava was mostly seamless, completing 15 of 18 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns before taking a seat at halftime. The offense averaged 7.6 yards per carry, busted three plays of 60-plus yards and never punted.

USC’s defense, which had been the talk of the offseason, didn’t disappoint either. The Trojans tallied five sacks after having just 21 total a year ago. They held Missouri State to 224 yards and even put up a pick-six, courtesy of new safety Bishop Fitzgerald. A third-quarter interception, snagged on a tipped pass by reserve defensive end Garrett Pomerantz, nearly handed them another.

But as measuring sticks go, Saturday felt more along the lines of a well orchestrated scrimmage. So much so that five-star freshman Husan Longstreet played the entire second half, completing all nine of his passes and rushing for two touchdowns.

The only suspense, if you can call it that, came in the opening minutes, when Missouri State drove down the field, busted a 23-yard run through the teeth of the Trojans defense and hit a 44-yard field goal.

The Tigers took an early 3-0 lead as if to announce they wouldn’t stand by and simply be trampled.

Then, a few minutes later, the trampling began.

It took USC some time to really find its rhythm. For their first two drives, the Trojans averaged only 8.6 yards per play, a step down from its final total of 11.3 yards per play.

The dam burst by the time USC touched the ball a third time. Maiava found tight end Lake McRee over the middle on the first play of the drive. The field in front of McRae immediately opened up, and the tight end sprinted his way to a 64-yard touchdown.

It was less than 90 seconds later that Fitzgerald put the game out of reach for good, with still three quarters left to go. He picked off a pass and took it 39 yards to paydirt.

Missouri State did manage to reach the end zone once, after a miscommunication in USC’s secondary left a receiver wide open in the corner.

But from there, the Trojans would outscore them 45-3. They’d score on a 75-yard rush, from King Miller, and a 73-yard screen, to Eli Sanders. Maiava and Longstreet combined for three touchdowns on the ground.

As the Coliseum stands continued to clear, the fourth quarter became more a question of mercy than anything.

USC would fall short of its all-time scoring record. But if a smooth start was what it was looking for, it had no issue bullying its way to a win in Week 1.

The last 48 hours or so have seemed very un-Tottenham like.

Preparing to commit £115m on Mohammed Kudus and Morgan Gibbs-White isn’t behaviour you’d necessarily associate with Spurs in the Daniel Levy era.

The general feeling around Tottenham and their transfer market spending in recent years has been one of frugality – although those at Spurs would be quick to point out they did spend £55m on Dominic Solanke last season, in a deal that could eventually become a club-record £65m.

Yet you can’t escape the sense that the previous couple of days represents a change in narrative.

If Gibbs-White’s £60m signing from Nottingham Forest goes through – after some late legal issues – it will be the biggest initial fee paid by the club.

Tottenham remain hopeful the deal will be completed despite Forest looking at whether a confidentiality agreement in the player’s contract had been breached. It is also understood the club are claiming Spurs haven’t asked permission to speak to the player.

Heading into the summer transfer window, well-placed sources indicated the club would be limited in the amount they would be able to spend.

But the capture of Kudus for £55m and the potential arrival of Gibbs-White for £60m flies in the face of any such restrictions.

So what has changed?

It is no secret Tottenham chairman Levy has been canvassing for external investment into the club in recent months.

However, BBC Sport understands the current spending on transfers is more likely to be the result of an injection of cash from owners Enic, who are understood to have kept a closer eye on club operations in recent months, rather than any external investment.

There has been talk of overseas investment – particularly from the Middle East.

For fans, of course, the source of the finances is neither here nor there.

All they really care about is the assembling of a team that can eventually challenge for the title and qualify consistently for the Champions League.

In Kudus and Gibbs-White, they would have two players capable of helping fulfil supporters’ wishes.

Both are flair players that live up to Tottenham’s attacking traditions and crucially are players who have Premier League experience.

Indeed, that was the remit for the club’s recruitment team this summer.

The squad is already packed full of exciting young potential, but experience is what new boss Thomas Frank believes it needs.

While Kudus and Gibbs-White are relatively young – 24 and 25, respectively – they are well-versed in the rigours of England’s top-flight.

Kudus has two full seasons for West Ham under his belt, making 80 appearances across all competitions, while Gibbs-White has played in the last three Premier League campaigns for Forest and had prior experience while a teenager at Wolves.

Spurs’ interest in Brentford duo Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo is further illustration of Tottenham’s recruitment remit.