Football

Patriots give up draft pick, acquire tight end Bennett

The Chicago Bears traded tight end Martellus Bennett to the New England Patriots on Wednesday. The Bears are sending Bennett and a six-round draft pick (185th overall) to the Patriots in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick (127th overall).

Bennett finished last season on injured reserve.

The Patriots will pair Bennett with All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski and bank on the football culture at New England to help him click with the team.

• Free-agent defensive end Andre Branch agreed to terms with the Miami Dolphins.

• Free-agent defensive lineman Jarvis Jenkins and nose tackle Steve McLendon signed deals with the Jets.

• Cleveland released veteran linebacker Karlos Dansby, the team’s leading tackler last season, and wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, who played one disappointing season.

HOCKEY

AHL: The Florida Panthers reassigned defenseman Dylan Olsen to the Portland Pirates. Olsen was called up on an emergency basis Tuesday prior to the Panthers’ game at Montreal. Olsen did not dress for the game.

NHL: Paul Byron scored at 3:15 of overtime to lead visiting Montreal to a 3-2 win over Buffalo.

Andrei Markov and Greg Pateryn scored in regulation, and Ben Scrivens made a season-high 41 saves for the Canadiens, who snapped a two-game losing streak.

• Defenseman Radko Gudas scored on a deflected shot in the third period as the surging Philadelphia Flyers beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 to move into position for a wild-card playoff spot.

Michal Neuvirth made 24 saves as Philadelphia improved to 8-1-1 in its last 10 games and leapfrogged idle Detroit for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Flyers beat the Red Wings 4-3 on Tuesday night.

• Joonas Donskoi of the Sharks scored a tiebreaking power-play goal with 13:23 remaining to beat the visiting Boston Bruins 3-2 late Tuesday.

TENNIS

PNB PARIBAS OPEN: Rafael Nadal rallied from a set down and fought off a match point in the third set to beat Alexander Zverev 6-7 (8), 6-0, 7-5 and reach the quarterfinals at Indian Wells, California.

David Goffin and Milos Raonic also advanced.

SOCCER

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Barcelona’s big three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar all scored to beat Arsenal 3-1, sending the defending champions into the Champions League quarterfinals for a ninth consecutive season.

SKIING

WORLD CUP WOMEN: Lara Gut made her overall title official despite finishing 13th in difficult conditions in the last downhill of the season at St. Moritz, Switzerland. It is the first downhill title for a Swiss woman in 21 years.

Lindsey Vonn flew in to collect her eighth crystal globe and Peter Fill became the first Italian to win the men’s downhill title.

Mirjam Puchner of Austria took the women’s race to claim her first downhill win.

JURISPRUDENCE

BASKETBALL: Former Michigan State star Mateen Cleaves was arraigned on sexual assault charges in Flint, Michigan.

Cleaves was in court Wednesday, a day after he was charged with assaulting a woman at a motel last summer following a charity golf event.

– From staff and news services