Sports in brief

December 31, 2011

Devils break skid against Penguins

Ilya Kovalchuk scored on a penalty shot in the first period and added an assist on David Clarkson's power-play goal four minutes later, leading the Devils to a 3-1 home victory over the Penguins Saturday. Zach Parise scored an empty-net goal with 49.5 seconds left as the Devils ended a four-game winless skid against Pittsburgh and won for the ninth time in 12 games overall. The Penguins lost their second straight game after a four-game win streak.

NBABynum leads Lakers over Denver

Andrew Bynum had 29 points and 13 rebounds in his season debut following a four-game suspension that carried over from the playoffs, and the Lakers beat the visiting Nuggets, 92-89. Bynum shot 13-for-18, helping the Lakers win their third straight following the team's first 0-2 start since 2002-03.

TENNIS

Lendl will coach Murray

Andy Murray hired eight-time major singles winner Ivan Lendl as his coach in a bid to finally win a major title. The fourth-ranked Scot will begin working with the Czech-born Lendl as he prepares for the Australian Open, which starts Jan. 16. -- APMMALesnar retires after TKO

Brock Lesnar, the former UFC and WWE heavyweight champion, retired from mixed martial arts Friday night after losing to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 in Las Vegas. Overeem (36-11-1) landed a series of knees and kicks to Lesnar's ribs that led to the first-round TKO. Lesnar (5-3) was the top-grossing fighter in the UFC, based on his history of pay-per-view buys. It was the UFC debut for Overeem, the former Strikeforce and K-1 Grand Prix heavyweight champion.

NOW ONLINEFor more photos and stories on lesnar, visit newsday.com/mma