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On Saturday night inside the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, Most Valuable Promotions and Netflix will be shaking up the mixed martial arts game with their Rousey vs. Carano event. The 11-fight card will showcase the past, present and future of the sport and will feature a star-studded main card.

In the night’s headliner, women’s MMA legends and pioneers, Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano, will face off in a dream fight that no one ever expected. Additionally, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou will be in action against one-time PFL Champion Phillip Lynn, and fan favorite brawlers Nate Diaz and Mike Perry will face off in a welterweight bout.

Ahead of Saturday’s card, we offer predictions for who will win the evening’s main card bouts.

Junior Dos Santos vs. Robellis Despaigne

Junior dos Santos will go down as one of the greatest heavyweight fighters in MMA history. However, the 42-year-old has a lot of wear and tear on his body. Especially his chin. While he has won back-to-back fights at the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships, he faces a tough matchup against bronze medalist Robellis Despaigne of Cuba on Saturday.

The taekwondo master has speed and length – which he uses well. This is demonstrated during the seven-fight winning streak of the new Karate Combat Heavyweight Champion. If this were 2016, the Brazilian would get the W. But he’s nowhere near that fighter and will have a long night against Despaigne.

Francis Ngannou vs. Philip Lins

At Rousey vs. Carano, former UFC heavyweight king Ngannou returns to the cage for the second time after dethroning the MMA world leader four years ago. While the heavyweight division in MMA is quite weak at the moment, MVP found a strong opponent in “The Predator” Lince.

The former PFL star is entering the fight with a lot of confidence after four consecutive wins in the UFC. However, they were all lightweight. Ngannou will have a massive size and strength advantage. If “Monstro” can stay up and running, he could make this interesting. However, he does not possess great strength, and it seems that it will take only a short time for “The Predator” to catch his prey.

Salahdin Parnasse vs. Kenneth Cross

Saturday’s Rousey vs. Carano main card brings an intriguing battle of champions as KSW lightweight king Salahdin Parnasse faces tough-n-uff 155-pound titlist Kenneth Cross. This bout could easily be Fight of the Night as both are talented finishers.

Parnasse has 14 stoppages in 22 wins (7 knockouts and 7 submissions), while Cross has 13 finishes in 17 wins (6 knockouts and 7 submissions). Finally, Parnasse comes from a better promotion where he faces tougher competition. Look for him to approve the decision later this week.

Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry

The fight most fans are waiting for is the welterweight bout between popular brawler Diaz and Perry. The former is one of the most popular fighters in UFC history. However, the age difference in this scrap cannot be ignored.

Diaz turned 41 last month and has 34 fights to his body and chin. Perry has suffered plenty of brain trauma throughout his 22-fight career, but at age 34, he is a far better athlete than he is right now. At the same time, he brings legal power into his hands and is feeling confident having emerged as one of BKFC’s hottest talents.

Diaz is sure to get a lot of stakes, but expect an upset split-decision win for Perry after scoring a few knockdowns during the fight.

Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano

No one expected a fight between Rousey and Carano to ever happen and there were many who did not want it to happen. But we’re getting it on Netflix, and it’s still a dream fight with historical relevance as two of the most important figures in the evolution of women’s MMA.

Both women are motivated and look to be in good shape – especially Carano. But it won’t be a display of elite athleticism as Rousey turned 39 last month and Carano turned 44. The big question is, can Rousey avoid taking some big shots to dominate Carano and throw her around?

Rousey is very durable and is the better athlete of the two at the moment. Furthermore, Carano never came close to facing a wrestler of the silver medalist judoka’s caliber. “Rowdy” should have learned from the knockouts in her previous two fights and been more cautious as she looked for takedowns and forced Carano to tap in Round 2.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

The Vegas Golden Knights (4-2) scored early and often, including two from Pavel Dorofeyev, as they defeated the Anaheim Ducks (2-4) 5-1 in Game 6 to reach the Western Conference Finals for the fifth time in their nine-year history. Consider that only half of the 32 NHL teams, all of which have been in existence much longer than the Golden Knights, have reached the conference finals five or more times. Additionally, the Golden Knights have now won 14 series, the most in the NHL since the franchise entered the league after moving to Tampa Bay. Despite leading the series 3-2, they improved to 9-1 all-time.

Just 1:02 into the game, William Carlson lofted Mitch Marner on a breakaway and Marner scored what was perhaps his most spectacular goal of the postseason. Marner stopped in front of Anaheim netminder Lucas Dostal, turned to his backhand, slid the puck tight behind Dostal, then pulled the puck through his legs and hit it to his forehand while he still had his back to Dostal. It was Marner’s seventh goal of the postseason and his league-leading 17th postseason point. Marner also got involved in the Golden Knights’ second goal a little more than seven minutes later.

With Anaheim on the power play, the Golden Knights were fouled out of their own zone. Despite trailing by a man, the Golden Knights skated into Anaheim territory on a three-on-two break. Marner skated harmlessly into the zone, while Brett Howden took a quick drive toward the net and past the Anaheim defense. Howden then immediately established himself in the bottom of the right circle and took a cross-ice, diagonal pass from Marner and one-timed it past Dostal on a down-and-out. This was, at the time, a league-leading eighth post-season goal for Howden, which is notable as he had scored only 12 goals in 58 regular season games. The goal was also a notable fourth short-handed goal of the postseason for the Golden Knights.

The Golden Knights’ other special teams unit also got in on the action with 2:41 left in the first period. With Anaheim forward Alex Killorn down for hooking, the Golden Knights’ power play came in handy and scored with just five seconds left on the man-advantage. In a must-see shot from center point, Shea Theodore (4) fired a puck through heavy traffic that went past Dostal’s right ear and put the Golden Knights ahead with a trio of goals.

The first period of the Golden Knights was as impressive as the Bellagio Conservatory. By the end of the period, the Golden Knights had scored at even strength, short-handed and on the power play. The three goals came on just nine shots, while holding Anaheim to just four. The Golden Knights also won 61.1 percent of faceoffs in the first frame.

Anaheim was finally able to solve Carter Hart in the second, but would need a power play to do so. After Golden Knights forward Nick Dowd kicked the puck out of play and was whistled for delay of game, Anaheim went to work on its third power play opportunity of the game. Mikael Granlund (5) delivered a brilliant cross-ice centering pass to Troy Terry that knocked down Hart with the side of his glove at 12:46 of the second minute to pull Anaheim to within two, 3-1. Despite allowing shorthanded goals, the Anaheim power play improved significantly as the series progressed. With the power play tally, the Ducks improved to 4-for-9 on the power play in the last three games after going 0-for-11 in the first three games. This would be the only goal scored in the second and the score remained 3–1 at the second intermission.

Any hopes Anaheim had of a comeback were ended by the Golden Knights early in the third. While Anaheim outshot Vegas 15–3 in the frame, it was the Golden Knights who scored twice. Less than three minutes into the third, Ivan Barbashev caught Anaheim defenseman John Carlson’s failed clearing attempt, then delivered a slick backhand pass to Pavel Dorofeyev (8) in the right circle, who fired a wrist shot past Dostal’s blocker at 2:52 of the third. Just ten minutes later, Dorofeyev scored another goal on a poorly angled shot from below the right circle to give the Golden Knights a 5–1 lead. The goal moved Dorofeyev past teammate Brett Howden for most postseason goals in the NHL with nine.

At the end of the third, Anaheim pulled Dostal and fired a large number of shots at Hart, but none found the back of the net and the Golden Knights won the series. The Golden Knights will now advance to the Western Conference Finals where they will face the NHL’s best regular-season team, the Colorado Avalanche. Game 1 takes place on Wednesday at 5PM PT in Denver.

notes

• Vegas defenseman Braden McNabb served a one-game suspension for interference against Anaheim center Ryan Poehling in Game 5. McNabb has played in 757 games for the Golden Knights in the regular season and postseason combined, the most in franchise history.
• Anaheim went into Game 6 with a 7–0 all-time lead at home.
• Anaheim did not lose consecutive games this postseason and finished the season 4–2 at home, with the only two losses coming in Vegas.

statistics

• Shots on goal favor Anaheim, 32–21.
• Amazingly, the faceoff winning percentage was exactly the same as Game 5, 53.1% to 46.9% in favor of Vegas.
• Vegas was 1-2 on the power play, while Anaheim was 1-5.
• Anaheim had the edge in hits, 30–24.
• Vegas stopped 13 shots, while Anaheim stopped 11.
• Anaheim had three more possessions than Vegas, 20–17.
• Anaheim got a slight edge in takeaways, 5-4.

Following their disappointing loss in Game 5, an NBA expert explains why the Detroit Pistons are upset, and the Cleveland Cavaliers will head to the Eastern Conference Finals after Friday night.

Pistone did not want to be in this situation again. In the quarterfinals of this year’s playoffs, the former No. 1 seed suffered a 3–1 loss in their series with the Orlando Magic. However, this mostly young team showed its mettle by battling back and defeating Orlando in a do-or-die Game 7 last week.

They then started their semi-final series against the Cavaliers with a decisive win. It seemed like the team that was so dominant during the regular season was back and performing better. However, over the past week, the wheels on the bus have worn off, and Detroit now finds itself on the verge of elimination after blowing a nine-point lead in the final minutes of Game 5.

It was one of the worst losses to the franchise in decades and may be looked upon with regret for years to come. Still, there’s reason to believe that after such a crushing loss the Pistons can circle the wagons again and force a Game 7 on Sunday. However, on Thursday morning, The Athletic NBA expert Zach Harper explained why Detroit fans should be very concerned.

Cade Cunningham has been good, but not great, against the Cavaliers

Detroit’s loss on Wednesday wasn’t just about a bad night or a bad few minutes. It was about the issues that have been going on for the last few weeks. Cade Cunningham had 39 points, nine assists and six threes in Game 5. Numbers that should lead to victory. But Harper pointed to a bigger problem with the Pistons’ top star at the moment.

“[Cunningham] Harper wrote, “There were six more turnovers, bringing their turnover total to 69 in 12 games.” He also noted Cunningham “fell asleep” late in overtime and allowed James Harden to get his rebound off a missed free throw. A mistake that couldn’t happen at such a crucial moment.

Then Jalen Duren continues to disappear. A player who had a big breakout season in 2025-26 has been a huge disappointment in the playoffs. In 12 games, he is shooting 50% from the field, down from 65% during the season, and scoring half as many points a night as he did in the regular season.

Yet, in Game 5, things reached a new low point as he played only a few minutes in the fourth quarter and was benched for the entire overtime. Duren is the reason the Pistons had a great regular season, and he’s the reason they’re likely to be out in Game 6 on Friday night.

Detroit Pistons didn’t get the best version of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5

What makes things seem more ominous as the series returns to Cleveland is that the Cavaliers didn’t get great nights from their top stars on Wednesday. While Harden had 30 points, 8 boards and 6 assists, he shot 8-21 from the field and committed six turnovers. Donovan Mitchell had 21 points on 18 shots.

If not for Evan Mobley’s 19 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists, the Pistons would have won Game 5.

Detroit can certainly win on Friday night, but there are ample indications that Cleveland will go 7-0 at home in these playoffs and advance to the Conference Finals in Game 6.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

A top NFL expert offered a bold prediction for the New York Giants that will have Big Blue fans happy heading into the 2026 season.

In November, the Giants were a complete mess. After finishing 3-14 in 2024, head coach Brian Daboll began the 2025 campaign with a miserable 2-8 record that included some brutal losses. Unsurprisingly, this was the last straw for the management, and they fired him midway through the fourth season. It was the right move, but there was no obvious replacement they could turn to.

Then the Baltimore Ravens gifted the Giants with the perfect option: John Harbaugh. Although it wasn’t easy and they are giving a Super Bowl winning coach a lot of money and control over the roster, there is a lot of hope and excitement for the team next season.

Not just because of how good a coach Harbaugh is, but because the Giants have some very good pieces on the roster that were absolutely wasted last season. Additionally, many NFL experts believe the team played well in last month’s draft, which included a pair of first-round picks in Arvel Reese and Francis Mauigoa.

The new coaching staff and roster have many in New York thinking the team can compete for a playoff spot this season. However, ESPN NFL expert Peter Schrager believes they can do even better and compete for the NFC East title.

Peter Schrager loves the NY Giants roster and coaching staff for the 2026 season

In a new conversation with SNY, Scherzer explained why he’s confident the Giants can be an “11 or 12-win team.”

“I think Jimmy and Jose are there. They’ve got a pretty good roster,” Schrager began by saying. “I was a little bit like, ‘Okay, let’s see how this all goes. [with Harbaugh] Based on the appointment process and ‘He is coming, but we have to wait.’ What’s up [General Manager Joe] Schoen, but he’s on the board, and in that offensive room, you’ve got Matt Nagy, Greg Roman, Brian Callahan, three really talented play callers, and two of them are former head coaches.

“And then Harbaugh is the ultimate adult in the room. The way he handled the Malik Nabors podcast appearance during the draft, I thought, was a masterclass on leadership and dealing with this new generation… I don’t think double-digit wins are crazy for the New York Giants.’

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

In a game that had more ups and downs than a Vegas Cirque du Soleil show, the Vegas Golden Knights (3-2) defeated the Anaheim Ducks (2-3) in overtime to win Game 5 and take a 3-2 series lead. This game had everything, power play goals, big hits, an ejection, big saves, and a great performance from Pavel Dorofeyev, returning to the ice to score the OT winner, his second of the game, after leaving with a serious injury.

Both teams only lost a player in the nine-minute battle for the remainder of the game, but for very different reasons. Golden Knights defenseman Braden McNabb blocked Ryan Poehling well away from the puck and fouled him, fouling him from the game. After officials conducted a video review of the game, McNabb was assessed a five-minute penalty for interference and a game misconduct. Poehling, meanwhile, was clearly dazed and needed help leaving the ice. Anaheim, then went to work on a five-minute power play.

While the Golden Knights did an admirable job of eliminating the first three-plus minutes of the major, Anaheim ultimately capitalized on the extended man-advantage. Cutter Gauthier made a good play to stop the puck on the right wall by flipping his stick and keeping the toe of his stick perpendicular to the ice. He then collected the puck and flipped it over Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart. The shot hit Hart’s right pad and went into the crease. Unfortunately for Hart, Beckett Seneca (5), stood unopposed near the left post and pounced on the rebound, shoveling it through the five-hole of the Golden Knights netminder. The goal came at 12:36 of the first and was Seneca’s fourth consecutive game with a goal in the series.

A few minutes later, Mitch Marner drove in on a breakaway, but Anaheim netminder Lucas Dostal was able to poke-check the puck. However, on a breakaway, Marner was intercepted by Pavel Mintyukov and the Golden Knights went on what would be their only power play of the game. When Pavel Dorofeyev hit the ice, he was like a one-man demolition team, picking up Chris Kreider’s stick and stealing the puck, weaving out and down the crease, then firing a laser shot over Dostal’s blocker. It was Dorofeyev’s sixth goal of the postseason and second power-play goal in as many games.

With exactly 11 minutes left in the second, Dorofeyev would again be the center of attention, but for a different reason. As Anaheim defenseman Jackson LaCombe wound up taking a slap shot from the left point, Dorofeyev, who was no more than six feet away, stood right in front of the missile from LaCombe’s stick and took it off the inside of his right knee. He remained lying on the ice for several minutes, had to be helped off the ice and immediately went to the locker room. He would miss the rest of the second period, but returned for the third period, thanks to the Golden Knights.

While there was no scoring in the second period, it was not due to a lack of opportunities, especially for Anaheim. The Ducks outshot the Golden Knights 17–6 in the second period, including 10 consecutive shots, but Hart was sharp and missed all 17 attempts. Neither team got a power play in the second or third period, as the game tightened up and fights subsided after the whistle.

To start the third period, the Golden Knights came out with a shooter’s mentality and overcame a 26-17 shot deficit. This was evidenced by the Golden Knights taking three shots in the first 4:48 of the period, the third of which went in. It was good old-fashioned hard work that got the Golden Knights the go-ahead goal. Rasmus Andersson hit a puck on net from the right wall that bounced off Dostal and just outside the crease. Upon seeing the bounding puck, Tomas Hertl (2) dropped to his knees, pounced in desperation to bat at the rebound, and managed to beat Dostal at 4:48 of the third minute to give the Golden Knights a 2–1 lead. For Hertl, it was his second consecutive game with a goal after going 29 consecutive games without a point.

With time running out in regulation, the Ducks came out with their most effective innings of the game. The Ducks kept the Golden Knights in their own zone for long periods of time and were shooting the puck around. Finally, the Ducks completed a tic-tac-toe passing play that passed from Gauthier to Mason McTavish in the bottom of the right circle and to Olen Zellweger (1), who initially flubbed the McTavish pass, but after double clutching, hit a heavy shot off the crossbar and tied the game at two, allowing the score to remain tied at the end of regulation and making the game the 16th game of these playoffs beyond that. Will increase. regulation

Although there have been many games that have gone into overtime in these playoffs, this will not be one of them. Less than five minutes into the extra frame, and after two unsuccessful clearing attempts by Anaheim, the puck ended up on Jack Eichel’s stick in the bottom of the right circle. His centering pass attempt hit Dostal’s pads and deflected onto Dorofeyev’s stick in the bottom of the left circle. Dorofeyev (7) wasted no time trying to settle the bouncing puck, instead pouncing on it and sending it bar-and-down over Dostal’s right shoulder for the game-winner. The goal came at 4:10 of overtime and was his second goal of the night and seventh of the postseason.

The Golden Knights are hoping history repeats itself this season. The Golden Knights found themselves in a similar situation against the Utah Mammoth in the first round. Heading home for Game 5 with the series tied at 2-2. The Golden Knights won that game 5–4 in double overtime before ending the series with a 5–1 win at Utah in Game 6. Game 6 of this series takes place on Thursday in Anaheim and the Golden Knights will look to finish the second round like they did the first round.

notes

• Both the Golden Knights and Ducks were once again without their captains. Ducks captain Radko Gudas missed his eighth consecutive game with a lower body injury and Mark Stone also missed his second consecutive game with a lower body injury.
• When the best-of-seven series is tied 2–2, the winner of Game 5 wins it 79.6 percent of the time (242–62). If the home team wins Game 5, it advances 80.7 percent of the time (151–36).

figures

• Shots on goal gave Anaheim a 36–32 win.
• Vegas had the edge in the faceoff circle, 53.1% to 46.9%.
• Vegas was 1-1 on the power play, while Anaheim was 1-2.
• Vegas had a slight edge in hits, 29-26.
• Vegas stopped 18 shots, while Anaheim stopped eight.
• Vegas had four more giveaways than Anaheim, 17–13, while takeaways favored Anaheim, 8–5.

In the headliner of UFC 328, Sean Strickland entered as the underdog against UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev last Saturday. However, the prospects of conflict were nothing new for the Anaheim, California native. After a dominant performance in the first round where Chimaev controlled Strickland on the ground, it looked like the challenger was in for a long night.

Then Strickland (31-7) turned the tide in round two, as he scored several takedowns from the defending champion. Chimaev (15-1) suddenly looked vulnerable inside the octagon, with Strickland jabbing and landing a straight right hand. After five tough rounds, “Tarzan” won by split decision to become a two-time champion at 185 pounds and hand the Russian native his first defeat.

As Strickland enters his second reign as the Middleweight Kingpin, we look at who he might face in his first title defense.

joe pifer

“Bodybagz” has compiled an impressive 7-1 record since his UFC debut in 2022. Only one of those wins has come via decision. Joe Pfeiffer suffered a setback in February 2024 after losing a unanimous decision against Jack Hermansson. Since then, he has been on a four-fight winning streak, with three Performance of the Night bonuses. The Vineland, New Jersey native is coming off the biggest win of his career.

In March, he defeated former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya by second-round TKO. As one of the top rising contenders at 185 pounds, Pifer is closing in on a title shot.

dricus du plessis

The native of Welcome, South Africa previously reigned as the 185-pound kingpin from 2024 to 2025. In two defenses of the UFC middleweight title, Darius du Plessis achieved victories over Adesanya and Strickland (in a rematch for the title). However, last August, “Stillknox” suffered a lopsided unanimous decision loss against Chimaev and was deprived of the championship title.

Although Du Plessis may need a bounce-back win to get back into title contention, he remains one of the biggest names in the division.

Khamzat Chimaev

Although a rematch between Strickland and Chimaev is unlikely, they fought a very close and competitive match. Given his competitive nature, it is surprising that Chimaev might not choose to avenge his first professional defeat. The former UFC middleweight champion has been vocal about the difficulties he faced in losing weight at 185 pounds.

The native of the Chechen Republic, Russia will likely look to move up to light heavyweight. UFC boss Dana White also revealed that after the fight Chimaev told him he no longer wanted to compete at middleweight. But money talks, and he can always be persuaded to participate in a rematch.

Nasourdin Imavov

“The Sniper” is currently on a five-fight winning streak and is possibly the frontrunner for the title. Nasourdin Imamov scored a major upset TKO victory over Adesanya in February 2025. He followed that up with a wide unanimous decision win against fellow top-contender Caio Borralho last September. It was the only defeat of the Brazilian native’s UFC career since his debut in 2022.

Imavov previously met Strickland in January 2023, where he lost via unanimous decision. If they meet a second time, can Imavov change the narrative with the championship title at stake?

Born and raised in New York City, Jimmy Robles received a journalism degree from Queens College in 2017. Before… More About Jimmy Robles

During the first three games of their second round series, the power play was actively hurting the Anaheim Ducks.

But everything changed on Sunday night.

The Ducks scored a pair of power-play goals, their first in the series, and won 4–3 over the Vegas Golden Knights at the Honda Center.

Alex Killorn and Bennett Seneca each scored with a man advantage, and Ian Moore and Mikael Granlund also lit the lamp. Goalie Lucas Dostal returned after being pulled in Game 3, making 18 saves and helping Anaheim even the best-of-7 series at 2 games to one.

Game 5 returns to Vegas on Tuesday at 6:30 pm PT

Ducks power play came up huge in Game 4

The Ducks’ power play hit rock bottom in Game 3. Anaheim was 0 of 11 with the man advantage in three games and allowed a back-breaking short-handed goal to Brayden McNabb in Game 3.

But their man-advantage rose from the ashes in the all-important Game 4.

Seneca opened the scoring with a man-advantage goal in the first period, then Killorn broke a 2-all tie and put Anaheim ahead on the power play at 17:58 of the second period.

“Once you score one, it changes the confidence on the power play,” Killorn said. “To see someone step up for us, it was kind of a momentum booster.

“Huge for us. He’s got a great PK.”

Anaheim coach Joel Quenneville talked about Anaheim needing to get the puck to the net more, as it only had two shots on two power plays in the first period. That Sunday the Ducks did just that and got a reward.

“I think sometimes you can move the puck around too much and you’re looking for the right opportunity on the power play,” Killorn said. “I think for us, it’s about getting more chances on net and more shots.”

Seneca’s blast from the point somehow went under the pads of Vegas goalie Carter Hart. Killorn then received a pass from Seneca and executed a give-and-go with Cutter Gauthier, who had three assists, before beating Hart on a stoppable shot on the power-play tally.

“I think the first three games I wasn’t getting enough shots,” Gauthier said. “Fortunately, people were able to bury one. I made a few passes.”

Anaheim’s depth also increased in Game 4

The Ducks became more physical in Game 4 with the Golden Knights. But they also got contributions from key role players.

The Ducks’ fourth line was on the ice for Granlund’s goal, with wing Jeffrey Viel getting the only assist. Moore, who had played well in Games 2 and 3 and played only 8:27 minutes in Game 4, then buried the game-winning goal, with teammate Olen Zellweger getting a secondary assist in his first Stanley Cup playoff game.

“I thought they both did a great job,” Quenneville said of Zellweger and Moore. “He may not have had a lot of minutes, but also the quality of his shifts was important. He defied us to a certain extent. He gave us a little bit of everything.”

Killorn reported that Moore has been playing both forward and defense, and has been playing throughout the season. But Quenneville put him back on the blue line with Zellweger to replace Drew Helson and Tyson Hinds, who were Game 4 scratches.

“That’s the kind of mentality you have to have in the playoffs. It’s next up,” Killorn said. “I think these guys have done a great job of putting themselves in a position where they’re ready to come in and not only play but make an impact on the game.”

Game 5 is the biggest Ducks game in nine years

The Ducks and Golden Knights have alternated wins and losses in the first four games, and Anaheim’s win assures a return to Honda Center for Game 6 on Thursday.

To the outside world, the fact that the Ducks are still tied after four games will be surprising, as they are ahead of schedule. But Anaheim deserves to stay where it is, even though it hasn’t played a game of this outcome since Game 5 of the 2017 Western Conference Finals against the Nashville Predators.

The Anaheim roster did not have a single player playing in that series, and Quenneville was the coach of the Chicago Blackhawks that year.

Still, the panic and anger will only escalate from here. buckle up.

Pat Pickens is an award-winning sports writer and author who has covered the NHL since 2013. He reveals more about Pat Pickens.

The Anaheim Ducks defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 in Game 4 at Honda Center on Sunday night, tying the Western Conference Second Round series 2-2.

Cutter Gauthier had three assists, and the Ducks finally got a power play when they needed it most.

Beckett Seneca, Alex Killorn, Mikael Granlund and Ian Moore scored for Anaheim. Lucas Dostal made 18 saves, and the Ducks improved to 4–0 in these playoff losses.

Anaheim finally gets the man right

Anaheim went to the power play in the first period and Seneca scored past Carter Hart at 8:43 to make the score 1–0.

Seneca continues to advance in these playoffs. NHL.com reported that he joined Bobby Ryan as the only rookies in Ducks history to score in three consecutive playoff games. For a fan base that has been waiting for young talent to become real stars in the postseason, this is a very strong sign.

Vegas responded immediately. Pavel Dorofeyev equalized at 10:22 after Mitch Marner’s shot went loose near the crease. However, there is no panic from Anaheim. Granlund later put the Ducks ahead 2-1 after changing the direction of his shot and slipping it under Hart.

Killorn’s goal changed the atmosphere

At 17:58 of the second period, Killorn banked the puck in from near the goal line for Anaheim’s second power-play goal of the night. This was the play that seemed most impressive. Vegas had tied the game on a goal by Brett Howden early in the period, and Anaheim needed a clean response before halftime.

Reuters reported that the Ducks were 0-for-11 on the power play in the series before breaking twice in Game 4. That’s no small change, it’s the kind of detail that can swing a series, especially against a Vegas team that doesn’t typically allow many second chances.

Ian Moore made a major contribution

Moore made it 4-2 at 3:43 of the third period with the goal-winner. Moore has played well in the last two games, which makes this moment even better. Not every playoff hero comes with the spotlight already on him.

Vegas continued to push late in the game. Tomas Hertl cut the lead to 4–3 with 1:04 remaining after the Golden Knights pulled Hart for an extra attacker. Marner finished with three assists, and after the game he had an NHL-leading 16 playoff points.

For Ducks fans, this was one of those games that gave hope for the rest of the series. The power play woke up, the kids contributed to it and the veterans helped stabilize it. Now it’s one of the best three, and Anaheim has made this series very lively.

Game 5 is on Tuesday, May 12 in Las Vegas and Game 6 is on Thursday, May 14 in Anaheim.

The Montreal Canadiens host the Buffalo Sabers on Sunday night, attempting to establish a 2-1 series lead at the Bell Centre.

It was another impressive game from the Habs, resulting in a 6-2 win, a win that could change the entire makeup of a playoff series.

Let’s look at the highlights!

Newfoundland Power

As we discussed in the game preview, Montreal’s depth players are doing wonders to make up for the lack of attack from the first line, and one of the most important Canadiens in that regard is none other than Alex Newhook.

The speedy winger scored his fourth goal of the playoffs to tie the game at the end of the first period. It was also an important goal as the Habs were the better team in the first period, but were at risk entering the first intermission with a goal deficit.

Newhook gets the bell center bumpin 🚨

Sabres-Canadiens all set deal on ESPN and the ESPN app 👀 pic.twitter.com/0jHSHEaOqo

– ESPN (@espn) 10 May 2026

star power

Another topic we discussed in the preview was the possibility that Juraj Slafkowski or Cole Caufield would find their offensive rhythm, making the Habs a team that no longer relies solely on first-line or depth players, but on both.

They are a dangerous team, especially in the playoffs.

On that note, Caufield scored his second springtime goal after a tremendous deke by phenom Lane Hutson, giving the Canadiens a nice 2-1 lead.

Cole Coffield scored after a great layup by Lane Hutson. #GoHabsGo Up 2-1. pic.twitter.com/0V4tKkOsd3

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 11 May 2026

You could argue that the Canadiens were robbed of a third goal when Philippe Danault was accused of interference on Lyon without any evidence.

The puck definitely went into the net. pic.twitter.com/DTzfp8Zodf

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 11 May 2026

back to depth

Rather than rest on their accomplishments, the Habs continued to press the game, resulting in a 3–1 lead when Joe Veleno beat his opponent to set up Zachary Bolduc for his second goal of the playoffs.

Once again, depth players made significant contributions, which is a recurring theme for the Canadiens.

Joe Veleno -> Zac Bolduc.

3-1 #GoHabsGo. They dominate this game. pic.twitter.com/TXqdm5IiSh

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 11 May 2026

Dobe’s Revenge

At this point in the game, the Sabers decided to increase foul play, culminating with the apparent intent to injure netminder Jacob Dobbs.

Beck Malensteen skated into Dobbs without attempting to make a break, however, the Canadiens goaltender simply shook off, and managed to stay in the game.

Beck Malensteen ran him at full speed in an attempt to injure Jacob Dobbs.

No attempt to stop.
He got a 2-minute penalty. pic.twitter.com/OOXGECxjl0

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 11 May 2026

The Canadiens only got a two-minute power play due to a dirtbag play, but that was long enough for Slafkowski to tip in a Hutson point shot, giving the home team a 4–1 lead.

You’ll notice that Dobbs made sure to thank the Sabers for the opportunity to score on the man advantage.

laugh out loud

Dobbs takes a little skate to thank the Buffalo bench after Slafkowski powerplay goal.

Classic. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/fjOyWZMyWn

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 11 May 2026

icing on the cake

To put a nice mark on the entire team effort, Dach restored Montreal’s three-goal lead midway through the third period.

At a glance, it might not have seemed like a very important goal, but it came after a push by Buffalo that resulted in some high-danger chances. Dobbs was up to the task, but it couldn’t be denied that the pressure from the road team was mounting.

Jacob Dobbs made some key saves and then Kirby Dach took the lead with his fourth playoff score. #GoHabsGo 5-2 lead. pic.twitter.com/T1Mt7LrGU2

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 11 May 2026

perfection

The Sabers got their goal with about five minutes remaining in the third period, which was a logical choice given the 5–2 scoreline.

However, Newhook managed to foul out Rasmus Dahlin shortly after, securing another two-goal game for the Newfoundlander. As an added bonus, his mother was in the crowd to watch her son steal the show at the Bell Center.

Alex Newhook’s mom was in the crowd to watch her son score two goals in a row #GoHabsGo.

Bonus: Dobbs’ premature celebration at the end, haha pic.twitter.com/t5rI5p0QQj

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 11 May 2026

The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action on Tuesday facing the Sabers at the Bell Center for Game 4. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm ET.

All Montreal Canadiens stats are 5v5, via Natural Stat Trick, unless otherwise noted.

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

A return to Grand Casino Arena, a three-day break and big nights from key players were all the Minnesota Wild needed to bounce back in their Western Conference Second Round series against the Colorado Avalanche.

Kirill Kaprizov and Brock Faber each had a goal and two assists, while Quinn Hughes added a goal and an assist to lead the Wild to a 5-1 win over the Avalanche on Saturday night in Game 3 of their best-of-7 series. Minnesota bounced back with a solid defensive effort after giving up 14 goals after losing the first two games in Denver. The Wild won a second-round game at home for the first time since May 9, 2014. They handed Colorado its first loss in seven games this postseason and evened the series with a win on Monday night.

Wild coach John Hynes went back to rookie goaltender Jesper Wallstad, who was replaced by Filip Gustavsson for Game 2 after allowing eight goals in a 9–6 series-opening loss. He justified Hines’ decision by making 34 saves, allowing only Nathan MacKinnon’s second-period power-play goal. Walstead played as he did in Minnesota’s first-round series win against the Dallas Stars and gave Minnesota a solid night between the pipes.

He also got a lot of help. In addition to Kaprizov, Faber and Hughes, Ryan Hartman and Matt Boldy scored for the Wild, with Matt Zuccarello adding two assists.

Neither team made any continuous attack for the first 15 minutes. Colorado’s Parker Kelly had the best chance around 11 minutes, but his backhander was denied at the right post by Volstad.

However, things opened up after roughing penalties to Kelly and Hartman at 14:54 and each team left with one man skating.

Kaprizov took advantage of open space to put the Wild ahead 1-0 at 15:11. He took a pass from Faber and raced to the middle of the Colorado zone, knocked Wedgewood to the ice and lifted the puck over himself.

Hughes, who had the second assist on Kaprizov’s goal, made it 2–0 with a 4-on-3 power-play goal at 16:44. With Devon Toews hooking up, Hughes controlled a pass at the left point, made his way to the high slot and fired. Wedgwood had lost his stick, was screened by Kaprizov and was helpless as the shot passed him.

Hughes was called for an unnecessary cross-checking penalty at 17:42. But the Wild kicked the penalty without any trouble and ended the period with their first two-goal lead of the series.

Minnesota’s power play came again at 4:23 of the second period and the score became 3–0. Zuccarello’s shot hit Toes on its way to the net; Hartman got a piece of the airborne puck and put it in the net.

That was the end of the night for Wedgwood, who came into the game 6-0 with a 2.12 goals-against average and .923 save percentage. Mackenzie Blackwood, who had not played at all in Colorado’s first seven games, replaced him.

MacKinnon got the Avs on the board at 13:11. Wallstedt made a save after Gabriel Landeskog took the puck to the net, but Wild defenseman Damon Hunt caught him and both men fouled Wallstedt. This caused the puck to sit just outside the crease; MacKinnon scored his 60th career playoff goal.

But before Wild fans had a chance to worry, Faber restored Minnesota’s three-goal lead at 13:31. During a delayed penalty, Blackwood blocked Vladimir Tarasenko’s shot near the left face-off dot. But the rebound hit him, bounced off Faber and slid past the goal line for a 4–1 lead.

Wallstadt stopped all 13 shots he faced in the third period. Boldy’s 155-foot empty netter with four seconds remaining sealed the victory.

Highlights from Minnesota’s 5-1 win over Colorado in Game 3

Big night for Kaprizov

“Kirill the Thrill” lived up to his nickname in Game 3.

The NHL’s soon-to-be highest-paid player was named the game’s first star on a night when he was seemingly everywhere. His compete level was off the charts, he went to the corners, got to the front of the net to screen Wedgwood on Hughes’ goal, blocked two shots and finished plus-3.

“He was going tonight,” Faber told TNT’s postgame show. “When he’s moving his hips, that’s when he’s playing fast. He’s one of the best players in the league and one of the hardest workers. He was at his best tonight.”

Volstad reclaimed the net

When you’re down 2-0 in a series against the reigning NHL regular season champion, your goaltender needs to step up. That’s exactly what Volstad did in Game 3, denied by the Avs’ flurry of goals in Game 1 and benching in a 5-2 loss in Game 2.

Kelly being saved for the first time might have been the biggest highlight of the night. The game was scoreless when Volstad blocked his wide-open backhander and managed to keep the rebound out of the net. Instead, Wild were not playing from the back; After less than six minutes they were leading 2–0.

Barring injury, it’s hard to imagine Hines changing goaltenders again.

Wild power play finally pays off

Minnesota was 0-for-5 with an extra man in two losses in Denver and 1-for-15 in its last five games before cashing in twice on Saturday.

The Wild cannot afford non-productive power plays when they are facing the NHL’s top regular season team. Even with two PPG in Game 3, Minnesota is just 5 of 33 (15.1 percent) with the extra man. But the advantage the Wild gained by converting their first two chances was clear. By turning a 1–0 lead into a three-goal lead, Minnesota forced Colorado to chase the game – something that had not happened this postseason.

stat shots

Kaprizov’s three-point night gave him 14 points, the most of all NHL players so far this postseason. Hughes is tied for second with Mitch Marner of the Vegas Golden Knights with 13 points.

Kaprizov extended his individual point streak against Colorado to 16 games (regular season and playoffs).

Faber (plus-12) and Kaprizov (plus-11) are 1-2 in plus-minus in the league through Saturday.

Zuccarello has nine points (three goals, six assists) in six games this postseason. He missed three times due to injuries but has at least one point in every game he has played.

Jon Krieger covered his first New York Rangers game (against the California Golden Seals) in November 1975 and it… More about Jon Krieger

For the first time since 1987, a team has won its first eight postseason games. At the time, it was the Edmonton Oilers led by Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier. But on Saturday night, it was the young and hungry Carolina Hurricanes as they swept the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round with a 3-2 overtime win.

The game started quietly for the Hurricanes. This was the first game of the series where they failed to score in the first period. However, for the Flyers, they took the lead in the first 20 minutes, as Tyson Foster scored his first career postseason goal, with assists from both Trevor Zegras and rookie Porter Martone.

However, at halftime of the second period, Jackson Blake tied the score with assists from K’Andre Miller and Taylor Hall, and the Hurricanes responded. Then, 28 seconds later, Mark Jankowski put a goal on the board…but it didn’t stay on the board.

After the coach’s challenge to Flyers bench boss Rick Tocchet for goaltender interference. William Carrier and Oliver Bonk were battling in the crease when Jankowski’s shot hit the twine and thus, the goal was ruled out due to Carrier’s presence.

Still, a goal went ahead for Carolina four minutes into the third frame – a goal that this time was as perfect as rain and as fine as wine. Logan Stankoven got past goaltender Dan Vlader with a clean short wrister on a great pass by Hall. The entire second line had their shots, with Blake passing the puck to Hall for his second point of the night.

And it certainly wasn’t the last point of the game for the Hurricanes’ creative young winger.

But first, the Flyers forced overtime with a goal by Alex Bump, after which Travis Konecny ​​and Christian Dvorak managed to harass Miller enough to break the puck and send it his way.

When the extra frame arrived, the Hurricanes maintained the lead over the Flyers, spending time in their own zone and doubling them up in shots. However, the game-winner did not come as predicted. As new legs hit the ice for both teams, Jakob Slavin interrupted a chance for the Flyers to advance into the Hurricanes’ own zone as Hall gained control of the puck. Stankoven led the attack as Hall and Blake raced the net, and Hall got tape of Blake, who shot it – the rubber flapped before hitting Vladar.

Soon after, the line to shake hands started. It was the first time Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour had experienced this in Philadelphia since May 2, 1999 – it was his last postseason experience playing with them.

storm notes

The Hurricanes are the first team in NHL history to win two best-of-seven series in the four-round playoff format.

Shawn Walker left Philadelphia at 6 a.m. Saturday to return home for the birth of his first child. He arrived back in town to join the team in the afternoon, just four hours before Game 4 started.

The second line has been involved in a goal in seven of eight games this postseason. Stankoven, Blake and Hall are the top three players individually in both goals and points, and total 31 points with 22 assists and 14 goals.

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

If you didn’t get it or didn’t believe it at first, the San Antonio Spurs’ Game 3 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves confirmed that Victor Wembanyama is the scariest player in the NBA, and the rest of the Western Conference players should be terrified.

Beyond his 7 foot 4 inches height – which can actually be misleading – Vembanyama is not a scary looking athlete, as he weighs only 234 pounds on his massive body. For old-school fans, he physically reminds them of frustrating, weak big men like Manute Bol and Shawn Bradley. Yet, through his first three seasons, he continues to prove that he is the league’s real unicorn, not Kristaps Porzingis.

Over the course of the season, he emerged as a top-10 talent and a legitimate MVP candidate, leading his 62-win Spurs team in scoring (25.0), rebounds (11.5), and blocks (3.1) in just 29 minutes per night. Although he did not win MVP, he earned Defensive Player of the Year honors and tied the game during the regular season. Still, the talented 22-year-old hasn’t progressed to new levels as if the NBA is his own personal video game.

Victor Wembanyama becomes the NBA’s scariest star during the 2026 playoffs

In case you haven’t noticed, Wembanyama has put himself in some elite company during this year’s playoffs. But especially in the Spurs’ ongoing series against the Timberwolves, he has been absolutely terrible. In Game 1, he made NBA history by becoming the first player to post 12 blocks in a playoff game. However, they were on the wrong end of a 104–102 loss at home. This obviously enraged the French.

In Game 2, he scored 19 points and posted 15 boards in a dominant 133–95 victory. Still, it was just an appetite for what he’ll do Friday night in Game 3. In the Spurs’ 115–108 win, the teen barely had 39 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks. But these aren’t the best numbers as he somehow shot an absurd 72.2% from the field while hoisting five three-pointers.

On Friday, he became the first player since LeBron James in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals to have 35 or more points, 15 boards and shoot at least 70% in a playoff game. He is now the fourth player in NBA history to have 35 or more points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks in a playoff game. The basketball icon is joining Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Vembanyama is not just a talented scorer in the NBA. There’s a bunch of them in the league. But because he’s 7-foot-4, when he’s on, he can’t be guarded. However, although he can be a complete problem on offense, he is the best defensive player in the game at the moment. Sending fear into any man who dares to drive in the lane. That’s why, at just 22 years old, the French phenom is officially the NBA’s scariest player.

What’s worse for the league’s teams is that they are loving every minute of it. “I’ve really been looking forward to living those moments, those high-stakes games, since I’ve been in the league. That’s what I love. That’s what I’m made for. I love it more than anything else,” he said Friday night.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

The Carolina Hurricanes picked up a decisive victory in Game 3 against the Philadelphia Flyers, but it was not without its own level of disaster.

On Thursday night, the Hurricanes handed the Flyers a 4–1 defeat as they took a 3–0 series lead. This was the first game in front of a Philly crowd since April 29, when the Flyers won Round One in Game 6 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime.

Carolina was the first team on the board as Jordan Staal found the back of the net on the power play at the end of the first period. It was his first goal of the postseason, and it was a wonderful goal as he lofted it across the goal line on a backhand. Here both Andrei Svechnikov and Shayne Gostisbeer assisted him.

The second period soon arrived, and early in the frame, Jackson Blake took a delayed penalty for high-sticking against Cam York. However, the Flyers never really got going on the power play, as Trevor Zegras scored immediately afterward.

Later in the same frame, Taylor Hall took a hard hit on a falling Travis Sanheim, sending him into the boards. The play initially called for a five-minute main skit, but after review this was reduced to a two-minute short skit for boarding.

Just 11 seconds later, Jordan Staal and Jalen Chatfield teamed up on the penalty kill as they raced down the ice – Staal sent a daring pass to Chatfield through Zegras’ legs as the Hurricanes defenseman ripped a one-timer top shelf, returning them to the top of the scoreboard once again. Jordan Martinook was credited with an assist in the process.

Penalty Madness at the Midway Point

As the penalty kill resumed, Seth Jarvis had a shorthanded chance, but it was blocked by Jamie Drysdale – a move that should have been the end of the Flyers’ power play…except it didn’t.

After the whistle, Travis Konecny ​​began pushing and shoving Jarvis, and also cross-checked him. In retaliation, JARVIS swung his twig and caught it in his face. He was swiftly sent to the penalty box along with Drysdale as if nothing had ever happened – with the remaining 5-on-4 play in the Flyers’ favor.

…but that wasn’t the end of it either.

Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour was particularly unhappy with the lack of call against Konecny. The referee, Garrett Rank, had enough and he immediately whistled him for a bench minor due to unsportsmanlike conduct.

“Usually gets a warning,” Brind’Amour said after the game. “I didn’t get any warnings. But I was a little disappointed in that sequence with what happened. They had the original (penalty), and then I don’t know how we came up with just one (drawn penalty). That was a frustration.”

Luckily for the Hurricanes, they came away just fine in 5-on-3 hockey. This was something for which Brind’Amour expressed gratitude.

“People saved me from there – appreciate it.”

The third period saw another pair of goals for the Hurricanes as Andrei Svechnikov – who trails only Logan Stankoven in shots on goal on the team this postseason – scored his first goal of the playoffs. Sebastian Aho and Gostisbehere assisted on his power play goal, which was his second goal of the night.

Nikolaj Ehlers also scored soon after, hitting a dagger into the neutral zone. Jordan Martinook also had his second assist of the game, while K’Andre Miller had his fifth assist of the postseason, leading all Hurricane defensemen.

They don’t call them ‘Broad Street Bullies’ for nothing

As expected, the Flyers really started to show their teeth after that final goal. In the final few minutes, Konecny ​​received a two-minute minor penalty for pushing, a two-minute minor penalty for biting and a ten-minute penalty for the same tackle. Eric Robinson also got a few minutes in the box against Konecny.

Even more drama ensued after a whistle blew during the power play that the Hurricanes had earned from that ordeal. Rasmus Ristolainen started pushing on Stankoven, and soon, Nick Seiler came in to fight him. In response, Gostisbehere went after Ristolainen, and promptly worked on him.

The weight classes certainly did not match, with Gostisbehere and Stankoven both weighing under 185 pounds and less than six feet tall, while both of the Flyers’ defensemen were over six feet tall and weighed nearly 200 pounds. This was a topic that was noted during post-game pressers, as a reporter joked about Gostisbehere not being interested in weight classes.

“I guess they don’t either,” he said, laughing. “Just trying to help ‘Stanky’ out. I guess it does, but it is what it is.”

storm notes

The Hurricanes’ incredible 7–0 start to the postseason marks the fifth time on record that they have made it to the postseason, sharing the spot in history with the 1989 Montreal Canadiens (lost Stanley Cup Finals), the 1994 New York Rangers (won Stanley Cup Finals), the 2008 Pittsburgh Penguins (lost Stanley Cup Finals), and the 2024 Rangers (lost Eastern Conference Finals).

After missing Games 1 and 2, Alexander Nikishin returned to the lineup on Tuesday after clearing concussion protocol. The rookie defenseman was injured after a strong hit in Game 4 against the Ottawa Senators.

Taylor Hall’s six-game postseason-opening point streak officially ended Thursday, after failing to register a point on the scoresheet.

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

The 2026 NHL Draft Lottery could certainly answer some questions for New Jersey Devils general manager Sunny Mehta.

New Jersey is entering an important offseason as an organization that hopes to be in the postseason—regardless of the outcome of 2025–26.

Thus, they will look to make a big addition this summer. Based on his draft position, he is likely to be a first round selection.

Can the Devils move up and improve their value in the 2026 NHL Draft? Here’s everything you need to know for tonight.

Date and broadcast

Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 7 PM ET. Live from the NHL Network studios in Secaucus, NJ broadcast on ESPN, Sportsnet and TVA Sports. The results determine the first 16 picks of the 2026 NHL Draft (June 26–27, Buffalo).

Format

Two-stage ping-pong ball draw (1,001 combinations). Step 1 selects the No. 1 overall pick. Step 2 selects the number 2. Teams move up a maximum of 10 places. Only the top 11 seeds can win the No. 1 seed. The remaining order is determined by the opposite regular-season standings.

state of devils

Ranks 12th in New Jersey Lottery 2.5% Probability of winning and reaching number 2 (25 combinations) – which they cannot rise above. Their probable result is to be around 10th-12th.

All chances of winning number 1 pick

• Vancouver Canucks: 18.5%
• Chicago Blackhawks: 13.5%
• New York Rangers: 11.5%
• Calgary Flames: 9.5%
• Toronto Maple Leafs*: 8.5%
• Seattle Kraken: 7.5%
• Winnipeg Jets: 6.5%
• Florida Panthers: 6.0%
• San Jose Sharks: 5.0%
• Nashville Predators: 3.5%
• St. Louis Blues: 3.0%
• New Jersey Devils: 2.5%
• New York Islanders: 2.0%
• Columbus Blue Jackets: 1.5%
• St. Louis Blues (via DET): 0.5%
• Washington Capitals: 0.5%

*Toronto Note: Conditional trade with Boston from March 7, 2025.

Top 2026 prospects

Unanimous Leader:

• Gavin McKenna, LW, Penn State (No. 1 overall favorite)
• Ivar Stenberg, LW/RW, Frölunda (SHL)
• Keaton Verhoef, D, North Dakota
• Carson Carrolls, D, Prince George (WHL)
• Chase Reed, D, Soo Greyhounds

Adding a top-two pick in McKenna or Stenberg could help the Devils land an NHL-ready talent who contributes long-term. Otherwise, if it approaches their expected draft position, they should consider moving him for more immediate help.

The lottery determines the draft order only for non-playoff teams. Full results are expected shortly after 7pm ET.

The Devils Rink Report will go live with analysis of the results as soon as the Devils’ picks get into position.

James is the fully certified New Jersey Devils beat reporter for New Jersey Hockey Now on SportsNote and … More about James Nicholls

In his debut at 200 pounds, David Benavidez challenges unified cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez this Saturday. The “Mexican Monster” dominated early and defeated Ramirez with very fast hands. In the fourth round, Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs) landed a five-punch combination that dropped the defending champion to one knee.

The challenger continued to punish Ramirez with left hooks and right hands in the sixth round, as he was knocked down for the second time. However, “Zardo” failed to beat the referee’s count, and Benavidez scored a TKO victory to become the new WBA (Super) and WBO cruiserweight champion.

Following his win, the three-division champion called out several big names including Canelo Alvarez and Dmitry Bivol. We also consider other names that would be ideal matchups for Benavidez’s next opponent.

Jai Opetaia

There’s no doubt how big a fight with Jay Opetaia would be for the division. Even Benavidez expressed interest in the possibility when asked about fellow undefeated cruiserweights. Except that the former 200-pound IBF and Ring Magazine titleholder signed with Zuffa Boxing in January. He defeated Brandon Glanton by unanimous decision in March to claim the inaugural Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight title.

With two big punchers facing off, can a crossover promotion make the fight a success?

artur beterbiev

The native of Dagestan, Russia has not fought since a unanimous decision loss to Bivol in February 2025, which was a rematch for the undisputed light heavyweight championship. Benavidez did not rule out a return to 175 pounds, where he also holds the WBC title. Of Beterbiev’s 21 wins, only one has gone the full distance. Due to his brute power, Beterbiev will certainly give the WBC light heavyweight champion a tough test.

A victory over the former 175-pound undisputed champion would certainly add a notable name to Benavidez’s resume.

Dmitry Bivol

The WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and Ring Magazine light heavyweight champion is set to defend his title against mandatory challenger Michael Eifert on May 30. Benavidez referred to Bivol as “No. 1 on his hit list”, and it’s no surprise. Since his light heavyweight debut in 2024, Benavidez has been clear about his desire to challenge for the undisputed championship. There’s no doubt this is the biggest fight at 175 pounds.

canelo alvarez

The Mexican icon has been targeted by Benavidez for years. While Alvarez never demonstrated a mutual desire in a potential fight, Benavidez has not forgotten the former four-division titleholder. After the unified cruiserweight champion once again called out “Canelo” in front of a cheering crowd last Saturday, it seems the fans haven’t forgotten either. Alvarez last fought at 175 pounds in May 2022, where he lost a unanimous decision to Bivol for the WBA (Super) light heavyweight title.

If Benavidez captures the undisputed Light Heavyweight Championship, will Alvarez shift gears?

Born and raised in New York City, Jimmy Robles received a journalism degree from Queens College in 2017. Before… More About Jimmy Robles

The Montreal Canadiens face the Tampa Bay Lightning in a do-or-die Game 7 on Sunday night.

Before puck drop, it was announced that Noah Dobson would return to the lineup and participate in his first game of the playoffs, giving the Habs a huge boost on the blue line. Defenseman Arbor Zekaj was made a healthy scratch to allow for Dobson’s presence in the lineup.

It wasn’t the prettiest game, but the Habs found a way to emerge with a 2-1 victory, and a 4-3 series win in the process.

Let’s look at the highlights!

Oh Captain, my Captain!

Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki picked the perfect moment to score his first goal of the series, hitting a point shot late in the third period.

Well, if we’re being honest, the right time would have been earlier, but you can’t look like a gift horse in an elimination game.

It should be noted that this was the first time either Suzuki, Cole Caufield, or Juraj Slafkowski scored a goal at 5v5 against the Lightning.

Nick Suzuki!!!

Habs take first lead of Game 7 pic.twitter.com/dCcc0xh3IT

– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) 3 May 2026

rookie effect

Even though the Canadiens opened the scoring, Tampa Bay clearly controlled the flow of the game, as evidenced by their 19–4 advantage in shots after two periods of play.

Yes, you read that correctly.

The Canadiens took a total of four shots in 40 minutes, resulting in undue pressure on the shoulders of rookie netminder Jacob Dobbs.

The first-year player performed with confidence, all things considered.

so far, so good #GoHabsGo Netminder Jacob Dobbes. pic.twitter.com/GCfv2QoExN

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 3 May 2026

the other shoe drops

The Dobbs deserved full points for holding down the fort, but the Lightning ultimately crumbled, a situation that was fairly predictable considering they were the only team interested in taking shots in the second period.

In fact, it was the first time in Canadiens post-season history that they failed to register a single shot in that span, far from the ideal time to set that type of franchise record.

We’re tied in Tampa pic.twitter.com/IGLR2RiPvX

– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) 3 May 2026

Despite everything being on the line, the game held on for the final 20 minutes of the series despite overtime.

It was an important test of whether the Canadiens were truly built differently – a team that thrived only after facing adversity – or a franchise that repeatedly failed to take series leads and failed to perform when it mattered most.

In a desperate attempt to generate any semblance of offense, head coach Martin Saint-Louis put his lines in a blender, placing Ivan Demidov on the top line with Suzuki and Slafkovsky.

This change significantly increased the Habs’ offensive zone pressure, but did not necessarily lead to an abundance of shots.

To give you an idea of ​​how few and far between shots on net were, Suzuki’s shot five minutes into the third period was actually Montreal’s first since it scored in the first period in over 25 minutes of play.

BREAKING: Canadians took a shot! pic.twitter.com/PddxgwHAHC

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 4 May 2026

Do you believe in statistically impossible outcomes?

The Canadiens finally started to get some momentum, with speedy forward Alex Newhook making good use of his hand-eye co-ordination, getting a puck out of the air before fouling out Andrei Vasilevskiy.

It was a spectacular feat of skill from Newhook, a heartbreaking scenario for the Lightning, and another excellent game in the face of adversity from the Habs. Oh, and it was also enough to secure an underdog series win against Tampa Bay.

Two more angles of the smart Alex Newhook goal. #GoHabsGo https://t.co/QFc1374HON pic.twitter.com/iaI84w2xeS

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 4 May 2026

All Montreal Canadiens stats are 5v5, via Natural Stat Trick, unless otherwise noted.

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

Logan Stankoven is currently the living, breathing embodiment of the chaos and suffocation that the Carolina Hurricanes are known for.

Their second line was the first line on the board against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night, as it has in every game this postseason. It was Stankoven who scored the first goal just 1:31 into the game – the third-fastest playoff goal in franchise history – as he extended his postseason-opening goal-streak to five, becoming the youngest player in NHL history to do so.

The next goal came off the stick of Jackson Blake at exactly 7:30 in the first period, helping Stankoven earn his second point of the game. Assists came from Taylor Hall and Mike Reilly, who interestingly scored his second point of the game, also assisting on Stankoven’s goal.

As for Reilly, who was filling in for Alexander Nikishin after he failed to clear the NHL’s concussion protocol, he had only 1:42 of ice time in three shifts when he played a crucial second game to help the Hurricanes advance. It was his first multi-point game since December 23, 2023, when he was with the New York Islanders – ironically, they were playing against the Hurricanes.

The third and final goal of the game was, once again, Stankoven’s – the goal came on a wonderful pass from Seth Jarvis, assisted by Andrei Svechnikov. Stankoven had just come off the bench, and fell down while doing so, but that little mishap put him in the right place at the right time to find the back of the net.

When play resumed after the goal, Stankoven wasted no time in trying to get a hat trick – firing the puck over Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar immediately after winning the following faceoff. He didn’t get that third goal, but the Snapperjacks certainly tried, tying Sean Couturier on goal for a game-leading five shots.

Frederik Andersen earns second shutout of postseason campaign

However, Stankoven certainly wasn’t the only standout in the match.

Throughout his 60 minutes on the ice, Frederik Andersen turned away every shot he faced en route to a 19-save shutout. During an empty-net situation, he also responsibly missed a potential goaltender’s chance with clear ice ahead. He may have taken a tripping penalty against Porter Marton, but he produced an incredibly disciplined performance in the Hurricanes’ 3–0 win.

Saturday night is fight night’

A melee broke out at the Lenovo Center, slowly moving from silly to downright chaotic. In the first period, Nick Seiler playfully grabbed Jordan Martinook’s stick and appeared to hit himself in the face on the Flyers power play…somehow.

Later, the aforementioned Marton trip from Andersen came when Jakob Slavin slid straight into the net.

But then, things turned dangerous.

In the final minute of the second period, Andrei Svechnikov took a hit on rookie Martone in a board battle for the puck, and Tyson Foster took a hard hit to the back of Andrei Svechnikov’s right knee – the same knee that required surgery to repair a torn ACL in the 2022–23 season.

Svechnikov remained down due to Hurricanes head athletic trainer Doug Bennett running onto the ice, and the game was called for a five-minute major before review reduced it to a two-minute minor. Thankfully, Svechnikov did not go down the tunnel and was able to finish the game.

However, this was not the end of things. Rough penalties were given throughout the final frame, and an altercation between Jackson Blake and Trevor Zegras resulted in both of them receiving 10-minute misconducts with 8:14 left. It was the first misconduct of Jackson Blake’s NHL career, and the second misconduct of Zegras’ postseason following a Game 4 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Round One.

Less than two minutes later, Shayne Gostisbehere and Seiler were both given 10-minute misconducts for their moment of scuffling after an offside whistle.

By the end of the game, both teams had a combined 34 penalty minutes, equaling 68.

TJ Luxmore followed up that whole mess with a simple announcement:

“Multiple penalties, it will be a power play”

Storm with the man advantage, Zegras and Blake have left the game, clips are coming #SoundTheSiren #LetsGoFlyers #nhl #stanleycup

– Queen of the Puck (@rbarkleyhockey) 3 May 2026

storm game notes

The Carolina Hurricanes are the fifth team in NHL history not to trail in their first five playoff games. The Washington Capitals were the last to do so in the 1986 postseason campaign, extending their series to six games.

With his sixth goal of the postseason, Logan Stankoven tied Matt Boldy and Brandon Hagel for the leaguewide lead. Both Boldy and Hagel have played one more game than Stankoven.

Of the 14 goals scored by the Hurricanes this postseason, 10 had at least one second-row player (Stankoven, Blake, Hall) on the scoresheet.

Notching his 24th postseason win with the Hurricanes, Anderson passed Cam Ward for most playoff wins in franchise history. Additionally, with his fourth postseason shutout with the Hurricanes, Anderson tied Ward for the most in franchise history. Rock on, Freddy.

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

At 6:57 PM ET, approximately 150,000 people will be inside Churchill Downs Racecourse to see which competitor will win the first leg of the 2026 Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby. This year’s field includes a deep list of contenders, hidden horses and long shots. But who is the best of the best at Saturday’s event?

We want to answer that question with our rankings of the 2026 Kentucky Derby horses, as well as the best bets to win, show and place tonight.

20.Oceli (50-1)

Ouseley, a horse trained by D. Whitworth Beckman, jumped into the 2026 Kentucky Derby after several horses, including Right to Party, were ruled out of tonight’s race. Although Ouseley has six championships on his resume, he does not have any wins to his name. Furthermore, he is entering this year’s derby on a downward trend after finishing sixth in his last three matches.

19. Fearless (50-1)

Early in his career, the Jeff Mullins-trained colt Intrepido showed great promise after winning two of his first three races, including last year’s American Pharoah. However, since then, the horse has been struggling. Finished fifth in the following race, and finished fourth at Santa Anita a few weeks earlier. That’s why he’s a big underdog this Saturday.

18.Robusta (50-1)

Calumet Farms product Robusta has been awarded a spot in this year’s event after suffering three scratches during race week. The colt is a huge underdog due to his disappointing career so far. While the three-year-old has first- and second-place finishes on his five-race resume, he also has a pair of seventh-place finishes. That includes a showdown against several derby competitors at Santa Anita last month.

17. Great White (50-1)

The John Ennis-trained colt Great White has been all over the map in his first four races. The three-year-old won his debut match in December and the John Battaglia Memorial in February. However, White finished fifth in his other two races, including the Blue Grass in April. This unpredictability is a major reason why he is one of the biggest underdogs on Saturday.

16. golden time (30-1)

The Cherie Devaux-trained horse Golden Tempo made a solid start to his career by winning the first two races. However, when his team increased the competition this year by placing him in a G2 race, the three-year-old struggled. Finished third in two races in Louisiana. That’s why the tempo on Saturday is seen as a long shot.

15. Litmus Test (30-1)

Bob Baffert’s colt Litmus Test is one of the most experienced competitors in this weekend’s race. However, this is rarely a good thing. In six races, he has only two wins, and his chances of advancing to Saturday are long after a very disappointing seventh-place finish in the Arkansas Derby in March.

14. Six Speed ​​(50-1)

The Bhupat Seemar-trained colt Six Speed ​​is one of the exotic-bred contenders in this Saturday’s Kentucky Derby. The horse is also one of the more inexperienced competitors, having only three contests in his career. However, Speed ​​has performed well so far, winning two of those three races. Nevertheless, given the weak level of competition he has faced so far in the UAE, he remains a long chance in the derby.

For riskier punters looking for an under-the-radar show option with great odds, Speed ​​is a horse to keep an eye on.

13. Albus (30-1)

The Riley Mott-trained horse Albus had a slow start when he debuted last year. Finished fourth and third in his first two matches. However, 2026 has been far better for the three-year-old as he has scored two consecutive wins, including the Wood Memorial in April. Albus is an interesting show choice on Saturday.

12. Wonder Dean (30-1)

Japanese colt Wonder Dean is one of the international competitors in the 2026 event. The Yoshinari Yamamoto-trained colt has appeared on the track only twice since his debut in the Saudi Derby in February. However, a UAE Derby victory over fellow Kentucky contender Six Speed ​​shows he is the top foreign horse this weekend. Dean is a solid choice for the show on Saturday.

11. Pavlovian (30-1)

The Doug O’Neill-trained colt Pavlovian is one of the most experienced horses in this year’s race after competing in 10 contests since his debut in May 2025. However, he is one of the biggest underdogs in the event as he has just two wins to his name.

Nevertheless, despite average performances throughout his career, Pavlovian finished second to fellow Kentucky competitor Emerging Markets in the Louisiana Derby. So he has a chance to win the show bet, but he’s a sleeper tonight.

10. Incredibolt (20-1)

The colt Incredibolt, trained by Riley Mott, has had a checkered career. That’s why he’s at the back of the betting odds at the event after finishing sixth at the G3 Face off in January. However, Incredibolt turned heads in March when he won the Virginia Derby, leading some to wonder if he could perform better than expected on Kentucky’s fast dirt track and likely place second this weekend.

9. Mighty (20-1)

Potente, a three-year-old trained by racing legend Bob Baffert, is an interesting betting choice heading into the Kentucky Derby. The colt has appeared on the track only three times since his debut in January. However, he has scored two wins and a second against notable Kentucky contender So Happy at Santa Anita in early April. Potente is an interesting alternative to place and show bets.

8. Chief Wallaby (8-1)

The William Mott-trained colt Chief Wallaby will take to the track for the fourth time in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. Although there are good odds for the three-year-old, it would be a big surprise if he won the race. In his last two meets, he has lost twice to fellow Kentucky competitor Commandment, including a third-place finish to both Commandment and The Puma in Florida.

7. Dannon Bourbon (20-1)

Although Dannon Bourbon grew up in Kentucky, the Manabu Ikezo-trained colt went to Chiba, Japan in March for his debut and finished first. Despite being the least experienced of all the horses in this year’s race, Bourbon has solid prospects. Showing that the three-year-old has talent will be a big problem on Saturday. The Colts are a sleeper option as a win bet tonight.

6. Emerging Markets (15-1)

The Chad Brown-trained colt Emerging Markets is an under-the-radar sleeper in the 2026 Kentucky Derby. Yes, he only has two races on his resume after making his debut in February. However, after those races, he has two wins on his record. Including a big win in the Louisiana Derby, where he defeated fellow Kentucky Derby competitors Pavlovian and Golden Tempo. The market is a great option for place bets.

5. Very Happy (15-1)

The Mark Glatt-trained colt So Happy enters this year’s Kentucky Derby as a top contender after an impressive start to his career. Since debuting in January 2025, the three-year-old has won three of his four races. Although he faltered when finishing third at San Felipe in March, So Happy bounced back with a big win at Santa Anita in April. A race that included fellow Kentucky competitors Potente and Intrepido.

Happy could certainly show up on Saturday, but he’s an intriguing option for bettors looking for a sleeper option for the Place.

4. Forward Movement (6-1)

Furthermore, Edo’s career had an up-and-down start, finishing third and fifth in his first two races. However, since then, the Brad Cox-trained colt has been on fire. Won three of his last four starts, while his only loss was a second-place finish to one of the favorites in the Kentucky Derby, The Puma. Also Edo will get a lot of stakes for the show and place tonight, but he has the talent to win it all.

3.Pumas (10-1)

Puma – trained by Gustavo Delgado – is a favorite going into the 2026 Kentucky Derby as he has faced stiff competition during his four-race career. While they only have one win (never lower than a third-place finish), they have previously faced Kentucky competitors Chief Wallaby, Renegade, Forward Edo and Commandment.

This gives Delgado important information to further prepare his talented horse for victory in Saturday’s race.

2. Ajna (6-1)

Commandment is one of two Brad Cox-trained horses who are a real threat to win the Kentucky Derby. After a surprising fourth place finish on its debut in October, the team has reworked and Commandment is very excited ahead of this year’s race.

The colt has won four in a row, including big wins over The Pumas and Chief Wallaby in the Florida Derby in March. Commandment will be a popular choice among bettors and is our pick to win the 2026 Kentucky Derby.

1. Renegade (4-1)

The Todd Pletcher-trained colt Renegade enters the 2026 Kentucky Derby as one of the favorites due to his strong five-race career and recent hot streak. While he finished third in his debut in August 2025, he has steadily improved in each race since.

Renegade has won two in a row, including a strong performance in March when he placed first in the Arkansas Derby. However, his February win at Sam Davis may have been his best win to date as it also included another Kentucky contender, The Puma. Renegade is the safest bet for Show and Place on Saturday, and the favorite to win for good reason.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

On Saturday night, top 10 UFC featherweights Aljamain Sterling and Youssef Zalal moved closer to a title opportunity in 2026 when they faced off in the main event of the promotion’s latest Fight Night card inside the UFC Apex.

Just like he did when he became champion at 135 pounds, Sterling used his excellent wrestling to win the first two rounds and earn a unanimous decision victory over the red-hot Jalal. Following their bout on Saturday, let’s take a look at where they now land in our updated UFC featherweight rankings.

10. Arnold Allen (20-4)

A few years ago, England’s Arnold Allen was being touted as a future title contender after winning 10 consecutive titles early in his UFC career. However, he then began facing the division’s top players and saw what appeared to be the end of the water at featherweight, as he lost two in a row.

However, he did win against Giga Chikadze in 2024. Unfortunately, he was sidelined for a year and a half before returning for a tough test at UFC 324 against Jean Silva. Despite his best efforts in a great battle, he failed against the Brazilian. Fell for the third time in his last four matches.

9. Yousuf Jalal (18-6-1)

After going winless four-straight, Youssef Zalal was fired from the UFC four years ago and had to fight his way back into the company. He did so and entered UFC 320 on an impressive seven-fight winning streak. In his tough scrap on the main card of the PPV, he dominated and scored a first-round submission victory over top-10 veteran, Josh Emmett.

The big win brought him into the limelight for the first time when he defeated former bantamweight king Aljamain Sterling. Unfortunately, the future Hall of Famer was able to outwit him. Their winning streak ended at eight straight.

8. Steve Garcia (19-5)

After losing two of his first three starts inside the Octagon and coming on the verge of retirement, veteran Steve Garcia has caught fire over the past four years. In that time, he has won seven in a row, with all but one of those victories coming by decision.

Three of his last four wins were first-round knockouts. He has violently earned his spot in the top 10 of our latest UFC featherweight rankings.

7. Yair Rodriguez (20-5)

After a period in which he struggled with injuries and some tough defeats, there were doubts whether Yair Rodríguez would ever reach his potential. He put all the uncertainties to rest with massive wins over Brian Ortega and Josh Emmett. The latter made him the new interim champion. However, his reign was short-lived as Alexander Volkanovski took back the undisputed spot at UFC 290.

He then suffered another decisive defeat in his home country to Brian Ortega in February. He will need to enter UFC 314 in a must-win situation if he ever wants to fight for UFC gold again. In a big fight welcoming Patricio Pitbull to the UFC, “El Pantera” scored a dominant win to get his name back into the championship conversation.

6. Aljamain Sterling (26-5)

After a stellar performance at bantamweight that should earn him a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame, Aljamain Sterling makes the jump to featherweight in 2024. While he split his first two at 145 pounds, his only loss came against the division’s top contender Movsar Evloev.

Since that loss, he has reeled off two consecutive wins, including an April main event victory over one of the division’s most popular fighters, Youssef Zalal.

5. Jean Silva (17-3)

If there was any doubt about how good Jean Silva was, he sent a huge message to the division by shutting down Bryce Mitchell’s grappling and stomping him on the feet at UFC 314. Unfortunately, despite seeing good points in his follow-up against Diego Lopes in September, he suffered a TKO loss, ending a 13-fight winning streak.

But he proved he remains a rising contender ranked 145 in January this year when he bounced back with a hard-fought victory at UFC 324 against another ranked fighter, Arnold Allen. The win gets them back on track and in the 2026 contender mix.

4. Leron Murphy (17-1-1)

England’s Leron Murphy has quietly become one of the best 145-pound fighters in the world. “The Miracle” had won nine in a row inside the Octagon, setting himself up for a title fight in his next bout with his victory at UFC 319.

However, instead, they were given the unsolved puzzle that is Movsar Evloev in March. Unfortunately, he was the victim of Russia’s latest decision loss. Murphy is still one of the best featherweights in the world, but a title shot in 2026 is no longer a possibility.

3. Diego Lopez (27-8)

After making his UFC debut in a very tough short-notice clash with Movsar Avloev, Diego Lopes has put in an impressive performance inside the Octagon. He is 6-3 in the UFC and has suffered setbacks in elite competition. However, in that time, he has picked up some big wins, including wins over Brian Ortega and Gene Silva.

In January, he got a second – perhaps unfair – chance at the title. And just like his opportunity in April 2025, he was outmatched and outmatched by division veteran Alexander Volkanovski. Still, the 31-year-old remains one of the must-watch fighters in the division.

2. Movser Avloev (20-0) – Top Contender

Since entering the UFC in 2019, former M1 star Movser Evloev has been a problem featherweight fighters can’t solve. Entering 2026, the Russian was 9-0 inside the Octagon and has wins over top talents like Diego Lopes, Aljamain Sterling and Arnold Allen.

Evalov extended his undefeated streak in March when he scored his biggest win against Leron Murphy in his enemy’s home country. Although he is not an exciting fighter, he has done more than enough to become Volkanovski’s No. 1 contender.

1. Alexander Volkanovski (28-4) – Champion

Alexander Volkanovski has solidified his place as the best featherweight of all time. However, a move up in weight for a second title shot and the rise of Ilya Topuria led to “The Great” suffering three consecutive losses and speculation that his best days were behind him.

However, he has bounced back from those setbacks to establish his dominance at 145 pounds with back-to-back wins over Diego Lopes. Most recently appearing in front of his countrymen at UFC 325. Although he did not get the finish, he once again proved that he is a cut above the Brazilian native.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

Forget the wagon. The Buffalo Sabers are a freight train.

In Game 4 of their first-round playoff matchup at TD Garden, the Sabers posted a dominant 6–1 victory over the Boston Bruins to take a 3–1 series lead.

Buffalo scored four goals in the first period to take an unassailable 4–0 lead and defeated Boston 19–5.

Peyton Krebs opened the scoring at 15:43 on an assist from Alex Tuch in his second match of the playoffs. Josh Doane and Zack Benson quickly followed, with Doane scoring his first goal – assisted by Ryan McLeod and Bowen Byram – and Benson capitalizing on a Doane feed.

Byram ended the first period barrage at 5:36 with his third goal of the playoffs, set up by Owen Power and Jack Quinn.

Boston came out strongly in the second period, defeating the Sabers 10–4, but Alex Lyon stood tall in net for Buffalo, turning away every chance to preserve the shutout for 40 minutes.

The Sabers took the lead on the Bruins in the third period, when Beck Malensteen and Tuch scored Buffalo’s fifth and sixth goals a little more than a minute apart to increase the lead to 6–0.

Lyon nearly recorded a shutout before Sean Kuraly scored with 40 seconds remaining to make the game 6–1.

Tempers boiled over with a barrage of penalties in the final minutes: minor deductions on Benson and Hampus Lindholm, a heated exchange between David Pastrnak and Krebs.

But Nikita Zadorov showed the least composure, charged with a game misconduct and receiving a five-minute penalty for cross-checking Rasmus Dahlin.

Boston finished with 42 hits to Buffalo’s 23, but could not convert its physical advantage on offense.

Lyon earned first-star honors with 23 saves on 24 shots (.958 SV%). Byram and Tuch (each with a goal and an assist) were rounded out with three stars.

The Sabers and Bruins head back to Boston for Game 5, where Buffalo has a chance to advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

James is the fully certified New Jersey Devils beat reporter for New Jersey Hockey Now on SportsNote and … More about James Nicholls

The outcome of Jarrell Miller vs. Lanier Perrow set the stage for a new rivalry on April 25, 2026, as Jarrell Miller used the moment after the fight to knock out Deontay Wilder. Fighting at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas in a WBA eliminator, Miller won by unanimous decision with scores of 117–111, 117–111 and 115–113.

The win moved him to 28-1-2 with 22 knockouts, while Lanier Pero fell to 13-1. The fight itself was tough and physical, but the big story came after the final bell, when Miller made it clear he wanted Wilder to fight next, which he described as a great fight between the top American heavyweights.

Jarrell Miller vs. Lanier Perrow result sets up Deontay Wilder callout

The result of Jarrell Miller vs. Lanier Pero came after 12 rounds of close-range action. Pero started well and used his reach to land clean shots in the early stages. He controlled the distance and prevented Miller from going inside repeatedly in the beginning.

Miller remained patient and continued to move forward. He entered the fight weighing 305 pounds but maintained a steady pace. As the rounds progressed, they began to close the gap more and more. The fight turned into a physical exchange, with both fighters trading blows at short range.

By the middle rounds Miller began to take control. His pressure increased and he started landing heavy combinations. Pero’s pace slowed and the pace changed. The outcome of Jarrell Miller vs. Lanier Pero became clear as Miller’s output remained higher in the later rounds.

Jarrell Miller vs. Lanier Pero outcome driven by pressure and work rate

Jarrell Miller vs. Lanier Perrow The result reflected Miller’s ability to keep up the pressure for 12 rounds. He landed over 1,000 punches, bringing the total to over 1,650 punches in the fight.

Pero continued to respond, but as the fighting progressed, his activity decreased. Miller remained active and kept working inside. His combinations were more effective in the later rounds and he controlled the pace. Both fighters showed fatigue late, but Miller finished stronger.

The judges scored the fight in his favor, confirming the impact of his volume and forward speed. The result of Jarrell Miller vs. Lanier Perrow ended Perrow’s undefeated streak and put Miller in a strong position in the heavyweight division.

Jarrell Miller calls out Deontay Wilder after Las Vegas win

After the Jarrell Miller vs. Lanier Pero results, Miller immediately focused on a potential fight with Deontay Wilder. He made his intentions clear in an interview and pointed towards the demands of the fans.

Miller said, “I think if the fans push hard enough for it the fight will happen.” “Everyone doubts me. They say he’ll beat me or knock me out, but there’s only one way to find out. He’s been knocked out several times. I haven’t. So let’s do that.”

Miller also highlighted the appeal of the matchup and what both fighters bring. “We are two top American giants and we can both attract attention,” he said. “My trash talk and his dramatic speeches and entrances will make it entertaining.”

Promoter Eddie Hearn supported the idea of ​​the fight and pointed to its potential impact. He said both fighters have knockout power and contrasting styles, which could attract strong interest.

Miller, now 37, plans to stay active and return soon. The Jarrell Miller vs. Lanier Perrow result has now directly called out Wilder, setting up a potential next step in the division.

Dogley Wilberforce is a boxing writer for SportsNaught, covering fight news, fighter reactions and major bouts in the sport… More about Dogley Wilberforce

The New York Knicks made a tremendous comeback on Saturday night. They defeated the Atlanta Hawks 114–98 to tie the first-round playoff series 2–2.

After losing two games in a row, New York was focused, physical and determined when it came out of the locker room. Here are three things we discovered after Game 4.

The Knicks always need a wakeup call

This team seems to play its best basketball when its back is against the wall. After losses in Games 2 and 3, including a blowout 109–108 loss where they blew a late lead, the Knicks came to Atlanta with something to prove. And he did exactly that.

With a jump ball at tip-off, New York set the tone. They led in every quarter, ran sharp offensive sets and defended with alacrity. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with a postseason triple-double (20 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists), and OG Anunoby exploded for 22 points.

Knicks’ true character – tough, deep and disciplined – was revealed in the moment he felt the pressure. This is quite reassuring, but at the same time, it is also a little worrying as we head towards a winner-takes-all series.

Mickle Bridge requires less than 20 minutes

We all know Mikal Bridges just isn’t producing when it comes to the biggest moments of the playoffs. After a scoreless performance with a shocking minus-26, the Knicks reduced their time on the floor in Game 4.

Although he scored a few times in the first half, his defensive mistakes and offensive struggles put him at risk in crunch time.

Mike Brown needs to accept the truth. In one trade, Bridges was the reason the Knicks had to give up five first-round picks; However, in the playoffs, performance matters, not loyalty.

Limiting their playing time to under 20 minutes allows the Knicks to keep their most effective and reliable players on the field in the final minutes, while also getting some benefits from their length and defense in controlled doses.​

Kat needs to be the main guy, not Jalen Brunson

Jalen Brunson is the heart of this team, but this game tells a clear story: They turned the ball over six times. Meanwhile, Kat was an absolute monster. He scored, counter-attacked and planned attacks all night long.

When the Knicks run the post and play through Towns in the mid-range, they look like a completely different team. The Knicks are at their best when the Cats are dominating and Game 4 proved that again.

Jayesh Pagar is currently pursuing Sports Journalism from London School of Journalism and has four years of experience… More about Jayesh Pagar

There were punches thrown and blood flowing, but at the end of the day, the line of handshakes unfolded like it was the most gentlemanly match of the afternoon – as it always is, as it always should be.

As for the Carolina Hurricanes, they greeted the handshake line with smiles as they were about to come out on top with a 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators. It was only the second time in franchise history that the Hurricanes swept a team in a four-game series, and the first time that they did not hold a lead in any of the games played.

As the game began, the Hurricanes were without one of their best playmakers in Nikolaj Ehlers, who was ruled out with a lower body injury shortly before the game began. With an open spot in the lineup, the Hurricanes chose to employ their grinder and bruiser, Nicolas Deslauriers. Due to his fourth-line placement and frequent use of special teams, he logged only six shifts in 3:09 – but the time he played was very noticeable. He was second in most hits throughout the game with a total of four hits, and managed to block one shot and have one shot on goal in his short time on the ice.

Tyler Kleven’s hit on Alexander Nikishin led to a heated argument throughout the game.

As the game remained scoreless early in the second period, Tyler Kleven laid down a big hit on Alexander Nikishin – a hit that served as the first domino of a long line of heated exchanges throughout the game, but sadly ended Nikishin’s own match.

The Hurricanes on the ice immediately stood up for their teammate, and by the time the puck was dropped again, the Hurricanes were shorthanded. Cleven’s hit was reviewed, but he was not awarded a penalty.

Carolina accumulated a total of 22 penalty minutes throughout the game, giving the Senators nine power plays, including three five-on-three opportunities.

Hurricanes’ secondary scorers, defense come up big again

A little over 15 minutes into the second period, the first goal of the game came from Public Enemy Number One in Ottawa, Ontario, when Taylor Hall found the back of the net. Throughout the game, he was booed from the crowd whenever he touched the puck due to his controversial hit on Jake Sanderson in Game 3, which put the Senators’ top-pairing defenseman in concussion protocol, essentially ending his postseason.

Hall has accounted for each of the Hurricanes’ game-opening goals so far in the postseason.

A few minutes later, Drake Batherson evened the score on the power play.

At 9:10 of the third period, the Hurricanes once again got help from Logan Stankoven, who put the puck in the back of the net on the power play to give Carolina the lead. In doing so, he became the first player in franchise history to start the postseason with a four-game goal streak.

The lead held for the rest of the game, with Sebastian Aho scoring his first empty-netter goal of the game (yes, his first), followed soon after by Dylan Cozens scoring a claw-back goal to bring the game within a goal again, Aho then scored his second empty-netter goal and a 4–2 win.

The defense and penalty killer were excellent throughout the series, and really shined in the Hurricanes’ two games north of the border. In this aspect Saturday was an even bigger story than Thursday, and Jacob Slavin was representing it with great effort. Of the full 13:21 time on the penalty kill, Slavin played an astonishing 10:14. Overall, he played 26:22 and led all Hurricanes skaters in ice time.

storm game notes

The Hurricanes are the first team in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs to punch their ticket to the second round.

In all four games, the Hurricanes never trailed the Senators. They were the first team to do so in a first-round series since the Detroit Red Wings in 2009.

Despite ranking first for most penalties taken (26) so far in the postseason, the Hurricanes allowed only one power play goal in their entire series against the Senators. With a penalty kill percentage of 95.2, only the Boston Bruins have a better penalty kill (100%) due to penalty volume (also 26).

With the conclusion of Carolina’s first-round series, FanDuel Sports Network will no longer be the broadcast home of the Hurricanes, as they will officially cease operations after all first-round games are completed.

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

armory Manager Mikel Arteta has made Sporting Club de Portugal left-back Maxi Araujo his number one target after impressing in the Champions League.

Records report that Araujo Has attracted the attention of several clubs in Europe and among them, Arsenal are showing solid interest in a move.

arsenal impressed

According to the newspaper, Arsenal and Mikel Arteta were impressed by Maxi Araujo’s performance against them in the recent Champions League.

His performances caught the attention of Arteta and he identified the 26-year-old as a first-choice target. The Gunners also expect competition so have ‘moved from words to action.’

Initial contacts have already taken place with Araújo and his representatives. At present the talks are nothing more than an ‘exploratory approach’.

Sporting, aware of the growing interest in Araújo and Arsenal’s approach, have been clear about the protection of their asset. He has a release clause set at €80 million, but will negotiate below that. However, they will not go below €60m.

battle of london

Arsenal aren’t the only curious team in the Premier League. Chelsea and Tottenham have recently sent scouts To see the defender in action against Porto.

As did Arsenal’s rivals Atlético Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals. Scouts regularly attend sports games to watch Uruguay play.

In the recent transfer window, both Atalanta and Napoli also made inquiries about Sporting’s number 20. It is believed that Juventus and Milan are also keeping an eye on him.

In such a situation, Arsenal may have to face tough and high-level competition for his signature. It appears they are aware of this and are already taking steps to get ahead of the competition, especially in London.

Whether they will do a deal for €60m is debatable. With Riccardo Calafiori, Piero Hincapie and Miles Lewis-Skelley already at left back, the Gunners do not need to strengthen in that position this summer.

But they are clearly interested in Maxi Araujo, who has, according to records, greatly impressed Mikel Arteta.

The Montreal Canadiens host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night, with the winner looking to emerge with a commanding 2-1 series lead.

As is tradition, the Canadiens held a spectacular ceremony, with team legend Yvan Cournoyer also in attendance. Not that they needed much help, but thanks to the Roadrunners, the Bell Center faithful immediately created a great atmosphere in another intense matchup.

Bell Center is ready 🗣️‼️ pic.twitter.com/v2lUouzTSQ

– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) 24 April 2026

It was another tied game, with the Canadiens taking the series lead thanks to an overtime goal by phenom Lane Hutson.

Let’s look at the highlights!

secondary scoring

Frenchman Alexandre Texier took the early lead for the Canadiens, taking advantage of a smart game that featured great assists from Zachary Bolduc and Kirby Dach.

The goal was Montreal’s third at 5v5 in this series, the first two goals coming from fourth-line winger Josh Anderson.

Considering that the first line has struggled to generate any sort of sustainable offense, getting production from the bottom six is ​​a significant boon for the Habs.

Alexandre Texier fires a home run to open the scoring 🔥 pic.twitter.com/lsDw3h0u6I

– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) 24 April 2026

responding to adverse circumstances

Even though the Canadiens controlled the majority of quality scoring opportunities at 5v5, a recurring theme in this series, the Lightning erased their lead, and quickly established one of their own.

It was the type of situation that could frustrate many teams, but the Habs are at their best when responding to adversity, as evidenced by Kirby Dach’s first goal of the series.

It wasn’t good, but it got the home team back in the mix early, and momentum returned to Montreal’s corner. Additionally, it was another goal away from the bottom six, just what the doctor ordered for a top-lined team starving for goals.

Kirby Dach tied the game after Arbor Zekaj kept the game alive.

2-2 #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/AqPB3WOkTX

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 25 April 2026

To give you a better idea of ​​the state of mind of the first line, Cole Caufield, who scored 51 goals in the regular season, focused solely on his breakaway opportunity in the third period.

Cole Caufield missed his breakaway shot completely… pic.twitter.com/5vZm2eyOtw

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) 25 April 2026

you hate to see it

With all due respect to Nikita Kucherov, who is clearly one of the most talented players in the league, it’s not easy to account for his demise.

His constant pranks are one thing, but when you combine his elite level nonsense with the fact that he has the personality of a frozen bag of carrots, it’s pretty obvious why he’s one of the least friendly players in the league.

On a completely unrelated note, which is obviously devoid of any meanness on my part, enjoy this attempt at Kucherov’s hit.

You have to be sick to enjoy this kind of fun.

Kucherov eats the board after missing his hit. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/sPJ9MwZcK2

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 25 April 2026

target setting

Surprisingly, or not, the game required extra time, marking the third consecutive time that these teams failed to find a winner in regulation.

For the first time since the 1951 Stanley Cup Finals, the Canadiens are playing OT in each of the first 3 games of a best-of-7 series.#GoHabsGo

– Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) 25 April 2026

All that matters in these scenarios is the ultimate game winner, but it should be mentioned that the Canadiens were the better team at 5v5, as they outshot the Lightning by a wider margin than in the previous two games.

Montreal’s strong effort was rewarded in overtime, where Hutson scored his second goal of the playoffs to give his team a comfortable 2–1 series lead.

Len Hutson, Overtime Hero

Len Hutson, Overtime Hero#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/7dDNDgj7by

– X – Canadiens Montreal (@CanadiensMTL) 25 April 2026

The Montreal Canadiens will return to action on Sunday and face the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 4 of the first-round series. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm ET.

Unless otherwise noted, all Montreal Canadiens stats are 5v5. Through the natural state trick.

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

The Toronto Raptors picked up an impressive and convincing win in Game 3 of their first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The home team led 47–23 in the second half and won 126–104. They are now trailing 2-1 in the series.

However, the team received some bad news on the injury front on Friday, as they learned they will be without point guard Immanuel Quickley for the remainder of the series, no matter how long it takes.

Quickley has apparently suffered a setback in his rehab with a right hamstring injury and will remain on the sidelines indefinitely.

The 26-year-old player averaged 16.4 points per game in 70 contests this season. He had a career-high 5.9 assists, while also adding 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. He shot 37.4% from three-point range.

Quickley will miss the entire first round series

The speedy guard’s presence was missed in the first two matches of the series. In Game 3, however, Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett exploded for 33 points apiece, while rookie Collin Murray-Boyles came off the bench with 22 points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes.

Backup point Jamal Sheed will continue to see starter’s minutes in Quickley’s absence. After playing an average of 22 minutes per night during the regular season, Shead has played 32 minutes per contest in the first three games of the series.

Additionally, players like Ja’Kobe Walter (27.2 mpg) and Jamison Battle will see an increase in usage. After playing only three minutes total in the first two games, Battle broke out in Game 3 by finishing four three-pointers in clutch minutes to help ice the game for the Raptors. They will need both of them to continue to pick up the slack for Quickley, especially shooting from beyond the arc. Sheed has hit 6 of 12 three-pointers in the series, while Battle is now 4 of 5.

The only way Quickley gets a chance to play again this season is if the Raptors pull off a massive upset of the Cavs and advance to the second round.

The Dallas Stars were looking at a 2–1 series hole until their star-studded special teams took over.

Despite being outshot (61-60) and outscored (6-3) at 5-on-5, the Stars’ power play has been extremely hot in this series and scored three times in their 4-3, double-OT win over the Minnesota Wild in Game 3 on Wednesday in St. Paul, Minn.

Wyatt Johnson scored the game-winner on the power play at 12:10 of the second extra session. The Stars have won two consecutive matches and now lead the best-of-7 series 2-1.

Game 4 takes place Saturday at 4:30 pm CT in St. Paul.

stars power play is on

Dallas PP picks up where it left off in the regular season.

The Stars ranked second in the NHL during the regular season in power-play efficiency (28.6%), trailing only the historically great Edmonton Oilers (30.6). But where the Oilers’ man-advantage has faltered through two games, the Stars’ development is thriving.

Dallas is 6 of 17 (35.3%) on the power play in its series and has scored multiple man-up goals in each of its last two wins. Johnson and teammate Matt Duchene have a pair of power-play goals in the series and superstar wing Jason Robertson also scored on the power play in Game 1.

“When you get opportunities, it’s important to take them,” Johnson said. “Nice to have him [in double OT]. “I was just trying to move forward and do whatever I can to help.”

Duchene’s man-up goal gave Dallas the lead for good in a 4–2 win over Minnesota in Game 2, but his power-play marker in Game 3 set the stage for Johnston’s heroics.

The Stars trailed 3–2 in the final seconds of the third period on a PP after Bobby Brink tipped Radek Faksa at 8:27. Dallas had failed on three consecutive second period power plays which gave the Wild enough momentum to take the lead late in the second period.

“This is the time of year you’ve got to stick with it. You can’t get frustrated,” Stars coach Glenn Gulutzan said. “We are playing against an elite team and elite class [penalty] Killer. The swings are going to go in that direction. It is not going to be an easy journey.”

It was Dallas’ only PP in the third period or first overtime – meanwhile, the Wild had five man-advantages in that period. But Duchesne got a sharp-angle shot past Minnesota goalie Jesper Wallstad on a great cross-slot pass from Mikko Rantanen, tying the game.

“Quite important,” said Duchene of the power-play contribution. “We were just living with it. This team, I’ve talked about how balanced we are, and it feels even more calm than in years past, just how patient and in the moment we are.”

Stars penalty kill has also been very good

Special teams can be a big X-factor in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

A strong or shaky power play can turn the momentum of a game or series, especially if a result starts snowballing.

So even though the Stars have given Minnesota 15 man-advantages in the series, and been shorthanded seven times in Game 3, after going 2 of 4 in Game 1 they have answered the bell by shutting down 10 of the Wild’s last 11 power plays.

“Our special teams have been excellent,” Gulutzan said.

Additionally, the Stars PK faced three potentially game-changing situations after Duchene tied the game. Rantanen first went to the penalty box for tripping at 12:30 of the third period, then forwards Sam Steele and Jamie Benn were each cited in overtime, but Dallas did not even allow a shot against Jake Oettinger on the OT power play.

“I had my head down, looking out of one eye and was just like, ‘Oh my God, let us deal with this,'” Duchesne said. “They were incredible. We knew after getting those two we needed to move forward [power plays] In [double] OT.”

Of course, the Wild paid a hefty price to acquire defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks earlier this season so he could join Kirill Kaprizov (19 ppg), Matt Boldy (30 power-play points) and Joel Eriksson-Ek (16 ppg). Minnesota finished third in the league in power plays (25.2%), but have been indifferent in their last two losses.

“They’ve got some great players. It’s a talented power play,” Gulutzan said. “I thought our guys did a really good job.”

Pat Pickens is an award-winning sports writer and author who has covered the NHL since 2013. He reveals more about Pat Pickens.

The New York Sirens defeated the Toronto Sceptres 1-0 in a tense overtime contest Tuesday night — but there was no reason to celebrate. By failing to win in regulation, New York was eliminated from playoff contention for the third consecutive season.

Siren is the only member of the PWHL’s Inaugural Six to not appear in the postseason in the league’s three-year history. New York finished in last place in its first two seasons.

Alison Simpson scored the game-winner with a wrist shot between the circles at 2:42 of overtime, just minutes after sealing New York’s playoff fate in disappointing fashion.

This was the only goal scored by either side. The Sirens took a 33-21 lead in shots, but Sceptres goaltender Regan Kirk kept New York off the board in regulation, making 32 saves in 62:42 en route to Second Star honors. Kyle Osborne stopped all 20 shots he faced to earn his fourth shutout of the season.

The Sirens needed six points in their final two games to have a chance to challenge Toronto and Ottawa charge for the No. 4 seed. They improved to 36 points (9-3-3-14) with their third overtime win of 2025-26, but the 40-point mark is now out of reach with one game remaining.

It was New York’s first road win since January 6, snapping an eight-game losing streak. The Sirens have the second-worst road points percentage at .214.

The Scepters remain in fifth place with 38 points (10-1-6-12), one point behind fourth-placed Charge. Ottawa can clinch a postseason berth with a regulation win over Boston Fleet on Wednesday.

“I think we showed a lot of confidence today, not even late in the game, but right from the drop of the puck,” Sirens captain Micah Zandi-Hart said after the game. “I think you saw the energy we came out with – we wanted to win. You look at the shot total, we were getting a lot of good chances. We didn’t get the ball going our way, but we had a lot of confidence right from the start.”

New York outshot Toronto 8–1 midway through the first period and opened the scoring at 14:29 when Maja Nylen Persson beat Kirk Blocker’s side with a point shot on the power play. The officials immediately dismissed this and ruled that Sarah Fillear had interfered with Kirk outside the crease.

The Sirens failed to convert four power plays, and when the Cubs broke into a 3-on-1 shorthanded rush against Osborn, they nearly surrendered their fourth jailbreak goal in three games.

With the third period still scoreless, Sirens coach Greg Fargo pulled Osborn at 18:40, but New York had only two shots on goal at 6-on-5.

Fargo said, “We knew going into the situation – if we were tied, we would have had to pull the goalie. We would have liked to get him out a little quicker.” “We had a hard time creating possession in the offensive zone there. It took us a while to get him out of the net, but I thought we did a pretty good job of getting him out.”

Toronto gained momentum from Maddie Wheeler’s tripping penalty at 11:11 of the third minute, leading to a forecheck that prevented New York from pulling its goalie with more time on the clock.

Even with their playoff hopes officially dashed, the intensity of the siren did not diminish in overtime.

“We wanted to win. We’re all competitors,” Fillier said after the game. “When there’s a chance to win the game, and it doesn’t matter what’s at stake, you want to win.”

Casey O’Brien collected the rebound from a field shot and fed the trailing Simpson, whose wrist shot went through Kirk’s five-hole. Fillier extended her points streak to three games and led all skaters with seven shots.

He refused to take solace in victory.

“Not really. We knew what was at stake. We knew we needed a regulation win,” Fillion said after the game. “It’s nice to be rewarded in overtime, but it’s too late for us.”

Montreal Victoire’s late lead – led by a natural hat trick from Hayley Scamurra in just 2:44 – fell short. Vancouver won 4–3 in regulation.

In a single night, the New York Sirens were eliminated from the race for the playoffs and the #1 overall pick. Ouch.

– Lou Orlando (@SweetLouuuu) 22 April 2026

New York can accumulate draft points when it visits Boston Fleet on Saturday. However, the No. 1 overall pick is off the table after the Vancouver GoldenEyes defeated the Montreal Victoire 4-3 in regulation on Tuesday.

Key takeaways after Cubs dash Sirens’ playoff hopes in overtime

Ciaran regrets missed opportunities: ‘We had a lot of chances’

The Sirens couldn’t get ahead against Kirk in regulation, although they certainly had plenty of chances.

“We just needed a bounce to really get our way,” Fargo said. “From the moment the puck dropped, I liked our game. I thought we got a lot of the puck first. We established a good forecheck and really caught on to them right away. It was O-zone time. We had some opportunities.”

Denisa Krisova got free on a second-period breakaway but lost the puck in the final seconds. Later in the frame, Fillier nearly went in alone after picking off Sceptres defender Renata Fast at the blue line, but Fast quickly recovered and put away the chance. In the third, a turnover created a 2-on-0 for Fillier and Wheeler, but Kirk swept it aside.

Jaime Bourbonnais had a golden opportunity to give the Sirens a 1-0 lead when she found the open net on Anne Cherkovsky’s one-timer feed in the final seconds of her fourth power play. Instead, he misfired, sending the puck harmlessly into the corner.

“We had a lot of chances,” Philier lamented. “I had a lot of chances on my stick, just to finish something early. I thought we had a lot of good chances the whole game, and I think we deserved better.”

Toronto withstood a strong New York attack behind a stellar outing from Kirk in net.

“Our process tonight was really good,” Fargo insisted. “Definitely needed the bounce, but they also deserve some credit for keeping us off the board.”

Despite ‘disappointing finish’, New York excited to pursue 2025-26 campaign

The Sirens were in a playoff position by the end of March, but were unable to survive an inconsistent second half.

Unfortunately for New York, the lows outweighed the highs. The Sirens went 2-3-0-8 in 13 games after the Olympic break and struggled mightily on the road. Long-term injuries to top scorers Kristina Kaltunkova and Taylor Girard, as well as Osborne’s uneven play, contributed to a poor second half.

“It’s obviously disappointing,” said Zandi-Hart, nearing the end of her third season as New York’s captain. “This is not where we want to be.”

After a 2025 offseason that saw an influx of young talent, New York set its sights on making the playoffs. It fell short of that goal, although optimism remains in the locker room.

“This season, especially, we were a brand new team. We had a lot of new players. We had a lot of injuries. We had a lot of new players coming into the mix,” Zandi-Hart explained. “For me personally, it’s disappointing to not help the team reach the playoffs for the first time as captain, but I’m really proud of this specific team and what we were able to accomplish at the end of the season.”

The Sirens lost nine out of 10 games (1–0–2–7) from January 20 to March 28, but still managed to get back into playoff contention thanks to inspired play from Fillier. A 5-1 loss to the Charge on Saturday dealt a major blow to their playoff chances, but there was still a narrow path for New York to the postseason entering Tuesday’s game.

“We’re proud of our group,” Fillier said afterward. “We believed we were going to go into it – and we played like we believed.”

In theory, a promising rookie class led by Kaltunkova, O’Brien and Wheeler should generate optimism for the future. But an impending extension – the exact details are still unknown – could make it difficult for New York to mount a promising campaign.

Gold Plan Update: Sirens fighting for No. 2 overall pick

New York is officially out of the race for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 PWHL Draft, but there is still a lot to play for heading into the regular season finale against Boston.

University of Wisconsin star Caroline Harvey is considered the top prize this summer after leading all skaters in plus-minus at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics. But with fellow Wisconsin defender Laila Edwards and University of Minnesota forward Abby Murphy also heading up a deep draft class, any top three selection could give the Sirens an instant star.

The No. 2 overall pick would theoretically give New York the choice of Edwards or Murphy — a particularly beneficial luxury for a team that desperately needs an elite playmaker on its backend. Of course, landing that pick won’t be easy.

To top it off – the Sirens may still get the #2 pick in the PWHL draft, but the odds are against them.

Seattle already has 1 draft point and 2 games left.

If you are a supporter of anarchy, here is my favorite scenario:
Seattle lost twice in OT and the Sirens won in regulation. Both… https://t.co/gieUYIIkJ3

– Lou Orlando (@SweetLouuuu) 22 April 2026

The Seattle Torrents are in second place in the Gold Plan standings with one draft point and two games remaining. The GoldenEyes are in first place with three points and locked up the tiebreaker over New York with a regulation win on Tuesday. The Cubs could also potentially be in the running if Wednesday falls out of the playoff race.

If Seattle goes higher than three draft points the Sirens will be out of the running for the No. 2 overall pick.

Lou Orlando is an alumnus of Fordham University, where he covered the New York Rangers for three seasons… More about Lou Orlando

The Tampa Bay Lightning have leveled their Eastern Conference first round series against the Montreal Canadiens after a 3-2 overtime win in Game 2 at Benchmark International Arena on Tuesday night.

Defenseman JJ Moser’s first career playoff goal sealed a one-point win in the series, with the next two games scheduled for Friday and Saturday at the Bell Center in Montreal. The goal also ended Tampa Bay’s seven-game playoff losing streak in overtime games.

The Lightning dominated the extra period, defeating Montreal 8–0, before Anthony Cirelli scored on a pass in the offensive zone to the right of goalie Jacob Dobbs. Moser got the puck near the left point, worked his way around the right circle and fired through a screen. As the puck hit the back of the net at 12:48, the sellout crowd of 19,092 erupted and the series was tied.

Brandon Hagel and Nikita Kucherov scored the other goals for the Lightning, and Andrei Vasilevskiy bounced back from an average performance in Game 1 with 25 saves.

Lane Hutson scored a power-play goal in the first period and Josh Anderson scored late in the second period to put Montreal ahead 2–1. Dobbs made 31 saves.

The win at home was a relief for the Lightning, who were 1-10 in their last 11 playoff games in their own building. They lost to the Florida Panthers three times in the first round in each of the last two seasons before losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2023. The last time Tampa Bay went beyond Round 1 was in 2022, when they lost to the Colorado Avalanche in the finals while trying to win their third consecutive championship.

Lightning even series with OT win against Canadiens in Game 2

The Canadiens had the better of the game early on, holding the Lightning without a shot for more than eight minutes after an early face-off. But Bolt converted his first shot into the opening goal.

Hagel circled into the high slot and shot, but his shot hit a body and landed on the left board. He followed it up and fired again – but this time, the shot went through a screen and past Dobbs at 8:20 to put the Lightning up 1–0.

Tampa Bay got its first power play of the game at 10:11 when Montreal’s Arbor Zekaj got an extra minor after a clash with Yanni Gourde. But it was the Canadiens who almost scored; Vasilevskiy intercepted Jake Evans on a 2-on-1 break and the rebound bounced off the feet of Alex Newhook, who was alone but couldn’t get his stick on the puck.

Then it was the turn to fill the penalty box. A major scrum behind the Montreal net erupted on the Canadiens power play when referees Frederic L’Ecuyer and Graham Skilliter called out 11 minors – Lightning forward Corey Perry received an additional one.

Montreal made it 4-for-6 with an extra man in the series, when Hutson’s straight-up slapper from inside the blue line hit Lightning defenseman Eric Cernak and went past Vasilevskiy at 16:11.

The Canadiens could not score on their next power play after a cross-checking call against Nick Paul at 17:49 and the period ended even at 1–1.

Hegel and the Canadiens’ Game 1 hero Juraj Slafkowski dropped the gloves at 5:14 of the second period and earned the first fighting major of the series, with Hegel downing the much larger Montreal forward to end the fight.

The goaltenders exchanged clutch saves with just over six minutes remaining in the period, but the Canadiens began to get the better of the game and took the lead with 1:24 remaining in the period. Anderson, who had scored the opening goal in Game 1, arrived in front of the net and converted the pass to Philippe Danault, who won the puck battle behind the net. Anderson found position between two defenders and beat Vasilevskiy to give Montreal a 2–1 lead.

The Bolts equalized about five minutes into the third period when Moser beat Dobbs but hit the post. They got a power-play opportunity shortly after when Montreal’s Ivan Demidov was called for tripping but did not apply much pressure.

But Kucherov electrified the crowd when he took the carom of Cirelli’s blocked shot, swung into the back of the net and fired the puck inside the right post at 12:33 to tie the game at 2–2. It was the star forward’s first playoff goal in 17 games.

The Lightning had to survive one more threat to get overtime. After Scott Sabourin’s unnecessary interference penalty with 2:15 left in regulation gave Montreal a late power play, Hutson slapped a straight shot with less than a minute remaining that went off Vasilevskiy’s hand before hitting the post.

Dobbs was brilliant in overtime but had no chance for Moser’s game-winner.

Highlights after Lightning beat Canadiens 3-2 in OT

stars come for bolt

As the third period wore on and the Lightning trailed by a goal, you could have eased the tension with a knife. It wasn’t nice to think about going 0-2 in Montreal, especially after two more home losses.

But then some of Bolt’s stars saved the situation.

Kucherov had gone 16 playoff games without a goal since Game 1 of the 2023 first round against Toronto – before the game was tied. The NHL’s No. 2 scorer during the regular season looked like a giant eagle as he swooped in to grab the blocked shot, fly around the net and deposit the puck into the wide-open net because Dobbs couldn’t move from right to left in time.

Then it was Vasilevsky’s turn. After Sabourin’s penalty he made two big stops on Hutson to give the Canadiens a late power play to preserve the tie.

A “Gordie Howe” for Hegel.

This is the 18th time the Lightning are appearing in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but Hagel became the first player in franchise history to achieve a Gordie Howe hat trick (goal/assist/fighting major) in a postseason game.

The first period goal was his third in the first two games, and he got a secondary assist on Kucherov’s goal. There is nothing surprising in any of this.

This is the main theme of the fight which was out of the ordinary. Hagel only had two fighting majors during the regular season, despite playing on the NHL’s most fighting team – the Lightning led the NHL with 43 majors. He was also watching Slafkowski gain about 40 pounds. Despite this, he landed a punch, knocking out the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft before officials stopped the fight.

bang, bang

The series has only featured Hegel-Slafkowski fighting majors during the first two games, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of physicality.

There were 77 hits in Game 2 (43 for Montreal, 34 for the Lightning). This comes after 86 hits in Game 1 (44-42 lead for the Bolts). Tuesday’s game also saw 23 penalties, including two fights and 14 minor ones for roughing.

Lightning coach John Cooper said his team was stepped up physically after recent seasons, and said this was due to the development of players like Sabourin, who is known for his physical play.

“These are two proud teams,” Cooper said. “You have to do what you have to do to move forward. No matter how we do it, we’re going to do it.”

Jon Krieger covered his first New York Rangers game (against the California Golden Seals) in November 1975 and it… More about Jon Krieger

The Buffalo Sabers swept the Boston Bruins in their victory in Game One. However, B could not be caught sleeping twice.

The Bruins earned a 4-2 win over the Sabers at KeyBank Center on Tuesday night, tying the best-of-seven series at 1-1 on the evening. After being held scoreless in the first period, Boston scored three goals in the second and another in the third before a late push by Buffalo.

Victor Arvidsson opened the scoring with a backhand shot at 4:54 of the second period, assisted by Jonathan Espirot and Casey Mittelstaedt. Morgan Geikie made it 2-0 on a backhand assist from David Pastrnak and Sean Kuraly at 16:29 of the second. Pavel Zacha scored a power-play goal at 18:10 (assists: Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy) to give Boston a 3–0 lead in the third.

Arvidsson scored his second goal just 16 seconds into the third period – on assists from Espirot and McEvoy – increasing the lead to 4–0.

Sabers coach Lindy Ruff opted to pull goaltender Ukko Pekka Luukkonen after surrendering four goals after 40:16 of the game. Alex Lyon manned the Buffalo net for the remainder of the tilt, and made seven saves on seven shots in relief.

The Sabers responded late, with Bowen Byram and Peyton Krebs scoring in the final frame to make the score 4–2. A flurry of harsh penalties and misconducts occurred in the third, including a fight between Mark Kastelic and Logan Stanley, which increased the tension.

sabers pulled

Final shots were Boston 26, Buffalo 21. Jeremy Swayman got the win in net for Boston with strong play after the first period, while Buffalo’s goaltenders faced heavy pressure. Boston went 1 of 6 on the power play; Buffalo was 0 for 5.

The Bruins’ timely scoring and defensive structure in the first 40 minutes proved decisive, although Buffalo showed late fight. Game three moves to Boston on Thursday.

James is the fully certified New Jersey Devils beat reporter for New Jersey Hockey Now on SportsNote and … More about James Nicholls

It’s not every night you watch double overtime… and see the game-winning goal put away… and fill with joy when you hear Nickelback play, but for the Carolina Hurricanes and their fans, Monday night was the night they defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-2 in a heated contest.

In the first period, the second line – which had been the dominant line in Game 1 – struck first as Logan Stankoven, with assists from both his linemates, Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake, beat Linus Ullmark through the five-hole.

It wasn’t until the second period that more scoring occurred, starting with Sebastian Aho’s spectacular tip-in goal about eight minutes in, with the only assist from Jordan Staal, just seconds after concluding a successful penalty kill.

However, it didn’t take long for the Senators to pull back, as Drake Batherson gave Ottawa its first goal of the series when he provided a rebound off his own intercepted pass to Claude Giroux.

Soon, Dylan Cozens tied the game with a five-hole goal on Frederick Anderson with assists from Ridley Gregg and Jake Sanderson – the latter of whom intercepted a pass from Logan Stankoven.

There was a flurry of crickets on the scoresheet in the third period, although there was notable pushback from the Senators, who outscored the Hurricanes 8–5 in the frame.

After overtime, chances were there on both ends of the ice, but the Hurricanes got lucky late in the frame… or so they thought.

Controversial offside call wipes out Hurricanes overtime game-winner

With just over three minutes remaining, Staal crossed the blue line and passed to Jordan Martinook, who drew a hooking penalty on Warren Foegele as he prepared to launch the puck on net. Anderson made a strong run to the bench after the extra attacker hit the ice for a delayed penalty, and with 2:42 left in the period, Mark Jankowski put it past Ullmark, which was immediately followed by a celebration by the team and fans.

However, this was followed by an official league review. The referees eventually declared after some discussion that the play was offside, ruling that Staal did not have control of the puck when crossing the blueline, and ruled out a goal that Jankowski had scored.

In addition, the referee also announced that Martinook would take a penalty shot instead of a power play.

Intelligently and humorously, Hurricane’s DJ starts blasting rockstar by Nickelback, whom Martinook has often cited as his favorite band, to try and energize him for the shot. However, the twine was never found in the shot.

The game soon went into a second overtime, and with 13:53 remaining, Martinook sealed the deal with a 3–2 victory – the first overtime game-winning goal of his 12-season career. As they celebrated the victory and walked off the ice, their signature victory song, all I do Is Win Not played by DJ Khaled, and instead, he started yelling rockstar For goalscorers.

storm notes

Throughout the game, the Hurricanes managed their minutes remarkably well, with no skater exceeding 35 minutes of ice-time. The Senators were not so lucky, with three defensemen exceeding that number, one of whom, Sanderson, played over 43 minutes.

The gift was a big issue for Storm. Despite having only two more than the Senators, both goals against them came from them. Additionally, sloppy puck management in the offensive zone led to a few more chances than desirable.

The Nickelback connection to Martinook goes a little deeper than just being a favorite band. During their ‘Get Rollin’ tour, they stopped at Coastal Credit Union Music Park in Walnut Creek, Raleigh, on September 14, 2023, where Martinook performed rockstar On stage with him.

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

The Montreal Canadiens emerged victorious in their Game One matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning on the back of a hat-trick effort from forward Juraj Slafkowski.

It is impossible to ignore the fact that all three of their goals came on the powerplay, a situation that will be very difficult to replicate going forward.

Canadiens vs Lightning at 5v5

The Lightning have an excellent penalty kill, shutting down 82.6% of their opponents’ man advantages during the regular season, third best in the NHL.

With this in mind, it is important to evaluate how teams performed at 5v5 to better understand how the series will progress. While special teams will play a significant role in some games, hockey is mostly played at even strength.

In that vein, the Lightning controlled 54.8% of shots (34-28) on Sunday night, which isn’t particularly surprising as they do a better job of controlling shots than the Canadiens, however, when we filter the results further, it becomes clear that the Habs were far better on high-danger shots.

The Canadiens held an 8-1 advantage in high-danger shots at 5v5, a flat-out dominant share of one of the most important statistical categories in hockey.

As we all know, not all shots are created equal. While a team that outshoots its opponents generally has a better chance of winning, that advantage diminishes when the opponent does a better job of creating high-quality shooting opportunities.

The Canadiens took many of their shots from the slot, while the Lightning were largely kept to the perimeter.

To put a nice point on his excellence in high-danger opportunities, Slafkowski made three times more high-quality shots than the entire Lightning lineup.

In an ideal world, you want your team to control both the quantity and quality of shots. However, in a short series, just focusing on quality could be enough to ensure four wins.

All Montreal Canadiens stats are 5v5, via Natural Stat Trick, unless otherwise noted.

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

If there was a textbook way to set the tone for a series, this was the way to do it.

In sixty minutes, the Carolina Hurricanes rang the bell, leading the way with scoring from deep, putting up hits when needed (and even when it didn’t), and earning a shutout in Game 1 of the first round against the Ottawa Senators, as they won 2–0.

Captains Jordan Staal and Brady Tkachuk battle in the opening draw

As soon as the puck dropped, captains Brady Tkachuk and Jordan Staal took off their gloves and began attacking each other.

“I saw some guys out there talking about the draw,” Logan Stankoven said of the moment after the game. “I can’t remember who was furthest down there, but they weren’t really ready to line up for puck drop, so I thought maybe something was going on, and sure… great way to get the crowd involved, and I thought ‘Jordo’ did a great job.”

Head coach Rod Brind’Amour confirmed that he did not see anything between them before puck drop, and did not expect a fight.

To be honest, this moment was less surprising in relation to Tkachuk, but certainly in relation to Staal, who is not known as a fighter.

Both entered the box after three seconds and were given five minutes to fight.

Secondary scoring propels Hurricanes to victory

Ultimately, it wasn’t until the second period before someone came on the board. With a nifty puck flip from the blue line in the crowded area, Alexander Nikishin’s playmaking move immediately found the stick of Taylor Hall, who passed it to Jackson Blake, who then passed it to Stankoven, who sent a wrister past Linus Ullmark – the netminder was getting a piece of it, but not enough to stop it. Nikishin didn’t get any points for it, but he got the game going with the game-winning goal.

In the third frame, the Senators lost their top-pairing defenseman, Artem Zub, who was absent from the bench when the game began.

Early in the period, Drake Batherson tried to put the puck in on the power play, but Frederik Andersen’s glove managed to catch it. Due to the spot where it was covered by the glove, it was called a goal on the ice, and was immediately reviewed to see if it had crossed the goal line. After a few moments, it is removed from the board after it has been proven that it has not been crossed.

Shortly thereafter, the Hurricanes’ second-row trio struck again as Ullmark was left with the puck loose in the crease. There was a momentary chaos as he tried to move the puck over the goal line and eventually, he did. The goal was initially awarded to Stankoven, but after a few minutes it was changed to Hall.

The senators tried to keep the pressure on the stormtroopers, but ultimately did not succeed. Carolina outshot them 57–39, outshot them 29–22 and outshot them 35–23 in all situations. Ottawa led in the faceoff dot with 56.4% of draws, but the Hurricanes managed to keep it from going much further.

storm notes

This marked the first time in Stanley Cup playoff history that the Hurricanes faced the Senators.

In early November, Staal became involved in a fight in defense of Jalen Chatfield, who took an illegal check to the head during a game against the Minnesota Wild. It was the first time in nine seasons that he was in a fight.

With his sixth career NHL postseason shutout, Anderson is tied for third-most postseason shutouts among active goaltenders, behind only Jonathan Quick and Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Both teams were perfect on the penalty kill.

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

The New York Sirens suffered a blow in the race for the PWHL’s final playoff spot. The Ottawa Charge defeated New York 5-1 in overtime on Saturday afternoon, pushing them to the brink of elimination.

The Sirens entered the game needing a regulation win to overtake the charge for fourth place.

“We have to take it like do or die,” Sirens star forward Sarah Fillier told PWHL sideline reporter Signa Butler before puck drop.

But New York could not match Ottawa’s firepower. The Charge scored five unanswered goals – including two jailbreak goals in the second period – to extend their lead in the standings. Ottawa improved to 39 points (8-7-1-12), leaving New York five points out of the final playoff spot with only two games remaining.

Charge goalkeeper Gwyneth Phillips had a stellar performance in her 16th consecutive game starting in net, stopping 23 of 24 shots and holding New York scoreless over the final 48:16. Kyle Osborne allowed five goals on 29 shots for New York. His 14 losses and 26 games played led all PWHL goaltenders.

The Sirens struck first with a power-play goal at 11:04 of the first period, when Petey Lewis beat the Phillips blocker side-by-side with a quick wrist shot from the bumper. But New York struggled to contain Ottawa’s offensive attack, allowing three goals on Saturday, and that proved costly.

After several scoring opportunities in the opening frame, the Charge finally took the advantage at 18:59 as captain Brianna Jenner delivered a speedy passing pass that Rebecca Leslie deflected over her shoulder into the net.

New York increased the intensity in the second, as coach Greg Fargo’s team made a solid effort to press the net hard against the Phillies – much to Ottawa’s displeasure. A highly physical frame culminated in a total of six penalties and two power plays for the Sirens.

Instead, the one in charge received the reward.

With the Sirens on a 4-on-3 advantage after a holding penalty on Leslie, Jenner led another rush and sent a shot off Osborne’s right pad. Jocelyn Larocque collected a long rebound in the slot and put it into the net at 7:54 before Osborne could recover.

Peyton Hemp scored on New York’s fourth power play of the game, 37 seconds in, at 14:08 of the middle frame for a 3–1 lead. After Casey O’Brien’s pass came back into the siren zone, Maja Nylen Persson turned the puck over under heavy pressure from Hemp’s forecheck. Charging forward Alexa Wasko drove the goal line and delivered a pass across the crease which Hemp punched into the net.

Have talked a lot with Sirens coach Greg Fargo about the pace of this season. It’s hard to think of a more decadent sequence than this.

Not one, but two jailbreak goals, as Ottawa becomes the first PWHL team to score shorthanded twice in the same game.

Just sloppy puck play from new… pic.twitter.com/DvdZQYs7ro

– Lou Orlando (@SweetLouuuu) 18 April 2026

Ronja Savolainen added insurance at 3:15 of the third period, fooling Osborne with a long shot from the point. Jenner delivered the final blow on the power play at 12:28, blocking the rebound of a Larocque shot.

Jenner ranks fourth league-wide in scoring with 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) after a three-point outing on Saturday. Leslie’s 13 goals are one goal shy of Minnesota Frost forward Kelly Pannek for the PWHL lead; Her 22 points are tied with Fillier and Montreal Victoire forward Laura Stacey for fifth.

New York dropped its eighth consecutive road game (0-0-1-7) this season and fell to 2-0-1-10. Only the Seattle Torrent has the worst road point percentage. The Sirens conclude the season with two more games away from the Prudential Centre, visiting the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday and the Boston Fleet on April 25.

Fargo said after the game, “I can’t point my finger on any one specific thing, but we haven’t scored in a row, especially at home.” “On the road, when you fall behind, you start chasing the game, and it becomes harder to climb back. At home, even if you don’t score first, the crowd can help change momentum quickly. But when you’re chasing too often, it catches up to you – the matchups get tougher, and things start being stacked against you.”

Main findings after siren leaves backbreaker to charge

So you’re telling me there’s a chance?

The Sirens are not out of the playoff race yet, although the picture is not very good.

Saturday’s loss removed any control over New York’s playoff fate. With only six points available on their remaining schedule, the Sirens need a lot and a lot of help to get going in the right direction to erase the five-point deficit in the PWHL standings.

If the Charge scores more than one point in its final two games, New York will be eliminated from postseason contention. Ottawa visits second-place Fleetwood on Wednesday before hosting the Toronto Raptors on April 25.

The fifth-place Sceptres, on 34 points (9-1-5-12) with three games remaining, could also shatter New York’s playoff dreams. The Sirens need Toronto to beat Ottawa on April 25, but otherwise they are looking for a loss to the Sceptres. Toronto will visit Minnesota on Sunday before hosting New York on Tuesday, setting up a final showdown against the Charge that will likely decide who lands the final playoff spot.

The final piece of this complicated equation – and perhaps the toughest for New York – is that the Sirens must earn at least five points in the next two games to have any hope of challenging for the No. 4 seed.

The Sirens are not out of the playoff race yet, but they need a lot of help right now.

Ottawa cannot score more than one point in its last two matches (BOS, vs. TOR). The Sirens must beat Toronto in regulation on Tuesday and then hope the Sceptres beat the Charge on April 25. https://t.co/vMMWfIsCE4

– Lou Orlando (@SweetLouuuu) 18 April 2026

The Sirens currently own the tiebreaker on charge with the slight edge in regulation wins, and will be granted a postseason nod if both teams finish the season tied. But New York will need two consecutive wins — a tall order for a team that hasn’t won on the road since Jan. 6.

Stranger things have happened, but the odds are not in their favor.

Sirens get playoff teaser with ‘Chippy’ game

The postseason stakes were palpable Saturday, and it contributed to the playoff atmosphere — both on the ice and in the stands.

Ottawa racked up 25 hits in a game marked by consistent physicality. The Charge penalized New York for any drives near Phillips’ crease, resulting in plenty of scuffles after the whistle and even similar harsh penalties to Aimee Fecteau and Rory Gilday.

The record-setting crowd of 8,605 at TD Place matched the intensity throughout the game.

“I think you can definitely see the rivalry there, and it’s definitely getting intense. But again, that’s what we want,” Sirens alternate captain Jaime Bourbonnais said after the game. “We’ve done a good job of making this game a really physical game, and I think that’s what the fans want to see, and hopefully we can continue to do that. I think the fans and the atmosphere are really what make these types of games special.”

It’s a good harbinger for the postseason, where that intensity will become the norm — though New York won’t be able to experience it firsthand.

Siren’s power play faltered again

New York ended an 0-20 power-play drought on Wednesday when Maja Nylen Persson scored a 2-2 equalizer against Toronto at 14:53 of the third period. Fargo believed that such an impressive target could spark a falling unit.

“You hope something like that can push it,” Fargo said after the 3-2 regulation win. “I think scoring that goal at a key moment in our season, hopefully, can be something we can build on.”

For a moment, it seemed that way, as Lewis’ power-play score gave New York an early lead. But any positive momentum was destroyed in the second period when Ottawa became the first team in PWHL history to score multiple shorthanded goals in a single game.

The Sirens have scored three jailbreak goals in their last two games – a black mark for a power play that was already struggling to produce offensive output.

These types of mistakes can end a season in a very short playoff race.

Lou Orlando is an alumnus of Fordham University, where he covered the New York Rangers for three seasons… More about Lou Orlando

The game between the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders had some ups and downs… but most of them happened before the puck even dropped at UBS Arena.

On Monday, the Hurricanes recalled two players from the Chicago Wolves, Felix Unger Sorum – who was Chicago’s leading scorer, and Pyotr Kochetkov – the goaltender projected to miss the remainder of the season.

Then, on the morning of the game, defensemen Joel Nystrom and Ronan Seely were recalled.

Roster dilemma leads to emergency backup goaltender assignment

Two hours before the game, head coach Rod Brind’Amour spoke to the media and confirmed that all three skaters – and Kochetkov – would play against the Islanders. However, a monkey wrench was thrown into that plan less than an hour before puck drop.

Kochetkov was pulled from the ice shortly after warmups began, as it was then announced that he would not be able to start due to roster technicalities. Furthermore, the problem came with an additional issue, as Frederik Andersen was unavailable to play.

Thus, Long Island native Brandon Bussey took the crease for the second consecutive night. The emergency backup goaltender was 28-year-old Thomas Sullivan, who played seven games for nearby Stony Brook University between the ACHA’s 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons, and previously warmed the bench as an emergency goaltender for the Washington Capitals in a game against the Islanders during the 2022–23 season.

game highlights

Early in the first period, Nikolaj Ehlers scored the Hurricanes’ first goal of the game, with the primary assist coming from Unger Sörum, making his second-inning of his NHL career. It was a good frame for the 20-year-old forward, who also hit the post on a shot from the right face-off circle. You could see he was enjoying the occasion too.

“It’s been really fun,” he said during the first intermission. “I’ve just been smiling all day, and just waiting for this moment, so it’s been really fun.”

To make the moment even more special for the young winger, he was joined in the stands by his family, who had traveled from Norway and Sweden.

“This is very special,” he said. “They’ve helped me a lot on my journey so far, and I have a lot to thank them for. So, it’s been really fun to have them visit here.”

In the second period, the Islanders went to work during a delayed penalty, with Bo Horvat finding the back of the net to hold the Hurricanes to 54 seconds, tying the game and scoring the 300th NHL goal of his career in the process. Additionally, the second assist came from Victor Eklund, younger brother of San Jose Sharks top-six forward William Eklund, in his NHL debut.

In the third period, Mark Jankowski scored the go-ahead goal with just over five minutes remaining in regulation. This proved to be the game-winner, as neither team was able to score after the Islanders pulled their goaltender.

A rare occurrence, the Hurricanes fell behind 29–21, but ultimately won 2–1.

storm notes

No clear explanation was ever given regarding the roster issue other than a ‘roster technicality’. After the trade deadline, teams do not have a roster limit and are limited only by salary cap rules. Thus, the impression is created that this was merely a matter of paperwork.

With the Boston Bruins clinching the top Eastern Conference wild card with a 4–0 win over the New Jersey Devils, the Hurricanes are scheduled to face the Ottawa Senators in the first round of the playoffs.

Scoring their 113th point with the win over the Islanders, the Hurricanes finished second in the entire league, guaranteeing home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs over the top-place Colorado Avalanche.

During the third period, William Carrier took a blow to the face while on the bench. He left the game after some time.

Not only was Felix Unger Sorum’s family present during the game, but Ronan Seely’s father as well as Brandon Bussey’s family were also confirmed to be in attendance.

On Tuesday, it was the first time since April 13, 2023 that the Hurricanes finished the regular season with a win, when they defeated the Florida Panthers 6–4.

Nikolaj Ehlers was the only player to skate in all 82 games for the Hurricanes this season.

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

Daniel Cormier was impressed by what he saw of Aaron Pico at UFC 327 in Miami. Following Pico’s turnaround from Knockout of the Year contender in his UFC debut against Leron Murphy last August, Cormier said Saturday’s performance against Patricio Freire was the version of Pico he was always waiting to see – and issued a warning to the rest of the featherweight division as a result.

Pico defeated the former multi-time Bellator champion by unanimous decision in their featherweight matchup at the Kasia Center, landing 100 strikes and scoring six takedowns in 15 minutes of action against “Pitbull”. It was Pico’s first win under the PFL banner since February 2024 and a stellar performance in only his second UFC appearance. Cormier addressed the win on his YouTube channel, clarifying that the performance met the standard he had set in his mind for Pico.

“Aaron Pico looked as good as he ever did in his entire life,” Cormier said. “He was fast. He was fast, as we all know he is. He wrestled and he was patient – ​​that was probably the most impressive thing. I’ll tell you this: If Aaron Pico, who appeared at UFC 327, fights like this all the time, he’s a problem for Movser Evloev, he’s a problem for Alexander Volkanovski, Diego Lopes and everybody else.

His skill set is very complete. If he can fight correctly, he is a real problem for everyone. Hats off to Aaron Pico and his entire team for coming up with a game plan that worked, and worked beautifully. I thought tonight was a true example of what Aaron Pico can become whenever he fights to his potential.

The patience that Cormier highlighted is especially notable for a fighter historically associated with explosive, high-risk exchanges. Against Freire, Pico displayed a more complete and disciplined version of himself, using his wrestling to control the fight and choosing his spots on the feet rather than relying solely on his physical gifts.

Marco Rossi scored on a power play with 10 seconds left in overtime, helping the Vancouver Canucks beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 on Sunday night at the Honda Centre.

The goal came after Chris Kreider was called for slashing and prevented Anaheim from clinching its first playoff berth since the 2017–18 season.

Vancouver got a goal and an assist from Rossi, the first NHL goal from Curtis Douglas, a power-play finish from Jake DeBrusk and a short-handed strike from Brock Boeser.

Nikita Tolopillo made 24 saves, while Anaheim wasted a two-goal night from Cutter Gauthier and 22 stops from Lucas Dostal.

Anaheim came across like a team ready to punch its playoff ticket on home soil, Vancouver responded with more pressure than you might expect from a club in this difficult season, and by the third period it had turned into one of those loose, tense nights where no one seemed safe with the lead.

game flow

At 3:41 of the first period, Gauthier opened the scoring by finishing a one-timer in the open side after Chris Kreider tapped in a rebound in the crease.

Vancouver answered at 10:49 when Douglas pushed in a loose puck for his first NHL goal, a feel-good moment that the Canucks desperately needed on a night.

Late in the period, DeBrusk took the lead on a Rossi point shot on the power play at 14:37, and just like that Vancouver turned an early deficit into a 2–1 lead.

That score lasted for a second, then everything took off. Boeser made it 3-1 just 4:28 into the third after taking a pass at the right point during an Anaheim power play and scoring short-handed on a breakaway. This should have been the goal of the breathing room.

However, Gauthier answered with a power-play finish of his own 37 seconds later, then Leo Karlsson tied it at 3–3 with a backhand from a sharp angle at 6:56. Suddenly, the ducks have the building back.

Gauthier became Anaheim’s first 40-goal scorer since Corey Perry in 2013-14, which tells you how big his night was for him.

NHL.com also noted that the Ducks have now lost seven of eight, even though they are in position to pick up a win soon. This is the cruel part for Anaheim. They were right there, at home, with a chance to close the door, and yet they let Vancouver linger long enough to be doomed late on.

Adam Foote said after the game that his group could have easily stopped pushing, but they didn’t, and it was true. After Anaheim tied, Vancouver held their own instead of letting the game slip away.

In overtime, Rossi got set up in the right circle and DeBrusk found him for the winner at 4:50. It was a clean finish and the game was over.

For the Canucks, this isn’t a huge turning point. I’m not going to pretend that it was. But it was another sign that the young pieces and fill-in guys are still giving this team something to work with.

The Vegas Golden Knights have punched their ticket to the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Vegas secured their postseason berth with a 3–2 overtime win against the Colorado Avalanche, moving into first place in the Pacific Division. The Golden Knights are now one point ahead of the Edmonton Oilers and two points ahead of the Anaheim Ducks.

Colorado opened the scoring on the power play when defenseman Devon Toews scored his third goal of the season. With Cal Maker sidelined by injury, Toews stepped into an increased role and quickly performed well. Gabriel Landeskog provided a screen in front of goaltender Carter Hart.

Vegas responded immediately. Mark Stone turned the puck in before backhanding it to Mackenzie Blackwood to tie the score at 1-1.

Late in the period, Pavel Dorofeyev finished a setup from Ivan Barbashev to give Vegas the lead. With traffic in front of Brett Howden, Blackwood never got a shot off. The goal was Dorofeyev’s 36th goal of the season, giving him consecutive 35-goal campaigns.

The Avalanche responded to tie the game at 2-2. Nick Blankenburg scored his first goal with Colorado after being acquired at the trade deadline, and scored his seventh goal of the season on an assist from former Golden Knights forward Nicolas Roy.

The third period featured end-to-end action, with both teams creating quality chances but unable to convert. The Golden Knights played hard defensively late, limiting high-danger looks and getting key stops from Hart to force overtime.

In the extra frames, Jack Eichel scored the winner, his 26th goal of the season, moving the Golden Knights past the top team in the NHL. Eichel’s goal capped a strong night for the Golden Knights’ top line, which generated consistent pressure in the offensive zone.

With the win, the Golden Knights moved back into first place in the Pacific Division. If the playoffs started today, the Golden Knights would face the first wild-card team, the Utah Mammoth.

The Golden Knights will return home to close out the regular season with two games at T-Mobile Arena. The Golden Knights will host the Winnipeg Jets on Monday, April 13, before concluding the regular season against the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday, April 15.

A strong finish could secure the division title and home-ice advantage as the Golden Knights look to carry momentum into the postseason.

Cooper Krigbaum is a beat reporter covering the Vegas Golden Knights for Vegas Hockey Now on SportsNut. He also told about Cooper Krigbaum

Just days after being officially eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs, the New Jersey Devils played spoiler on Saturday.

The Devils scored three third period goals and eliminated the Detroit Red Wings from postseason contention with a 5–3 victory at Little Caesars Arena.

Jesper Bratt had two goals and an assist, and Jack Hughes had a goal and an assist. The Devils snapped a two-game losing streak, taking the season series 2–1 from the Wings and winning for the ninth time in their last 15 games.

Devils rally to defeat Detroit Red Wings on Saturday

The Wings entered the game desperate, hoping to keep their playoff hopes alive. Detroit recorded the game’s first 10 shots on goal, the last of which was Justin Faulk’s 15th goal of the season to put the Wings up 1–0 at 9:41 of the first.

Less than a minute after Hughes’ goal, on the Devils’ first shot on goal, both tied the score and helped the Devils find their game. Nevertheless, the Devils were 13 minutes away from their third consecutive loss after Detroit forward Emmitt Finney scored his 13th goal of the season on a rebound at 7:00 of the final frame.

“He definitely had a lot to play for,” Bratt said. “They had to go for it and win.”

Still, Cody Glass added to his career year by scoring a spectacular goal, his 19th, at 11:18. Bratt then executed a perfect two-on-one off a turnover created by Hughes, and his 22nd of the year with just 3:34 left in regulation to give the Devils a 4–3 lead.

“We were just patient and waiting for them to make mistakes,” Bratt said. “We just took advantage of it to a certain extent.”

With Detroit’s season at stake – with a win it could have kept pace with the Ottawa Senators, who had defeated the New York Islanders earlier in the day – the Devils outscored them 12–7 in the final frame. New Jersey sealed its 41st win on an empty net goal by Dawson Mercer.

“I’m very proud of the group right now,” Bratt said. “I thought we played very well, a very solid road game.”

The second period was dominated by devils

Devils coach Sheldon Keefe attributed their early game struggles to Dougie Hamilton’s first-period tripping penalty, which “caught us off guard.” But after surviving that and Detroit’s early pressure, the Devils dominated the second period.

The Devils outshot the Red Wings 13–8 in the second and took the second-period shot-attempt count 33–13. According to Natural Stat Trick, New Jersey had a total expected goals total of 1.72 in the second period, and recorded 21 scoring chances and nine high-danger chances.

“I really liked our game today,” Keefe said. “It took us a while to get going on offense… Once we learned how to cook, I thought we were pretty good the rest of the way.

“Key second period, which is what we were looking for.”

The Devils nearly trailed 2–1 heading into the third, as David Perron gave the Red Wings the lead with his 12th goal of the season at 11:59. But Bratt’s sight-seeing shot from the high slot beat Gibson and gave the Devils the rare puck luck they had sorely lacked all year.

Keefe said, “We weren’t necessarily rewarded. It took a while.” “[The Devils’ play] “Probably got some mileage out of their top defenseman in that second period, which probably worked to our advantage later in the game.”

Jake Allen was solid in goal

Faulk’s goal was a stoppable shot, but Devils goaltender Jake Allen was difficult to stop when he was under for most of the first period.

Allen made 25 saves, 12 of which came in the first period where he allowed one goal but according to Natural Stat Trick, the Red Wings had a 1.91 expected goals against. The Wings finished with 3.78 xG, and Allen blocked six of seven high-danger shots (.857 save%) while outscoring Gibson at the other end.

Allen will likely start the Devils’ season finale at Boston on Tuesday, as Nico Douse will start Sunday against Ottawa and No. 1 goaltender Jacob Markstrom was shut down on Friday. He has been playing well all season long and has improved his numbers to 17-17-2 with a .904 save% and 2.74 GAA this season.

Pat Pickens is an award-winning sports writer and author who has covered the NHL since 2013. He reveals more about Pat Pickens.

The Carolina Hurricanes looked a little different in their play on Thursday, but they didn’t put a halt to their offensive surge and beat the Chicago Blackhawks 7-2. In doing so, more than a half-dozen Carolina players achieved milestones.

first period

When the game started, it was already a milestone for Josiah Slavin, who is the younger brother of their star defenseman Jacob Slavin. For the first time, he appeared in a regular season game for the Hurricanes. Ironically, this was the only NHL arena he called home to face his former team, with whom he played 15 games as a member.

Things started quickly, as Sean Walker put the Hurricanes on the board in just 19 seconds. Midway through the first period, Anton Frondel tied the game, after which Skyler Brind’Amour – son of Rod Brind’Amour – would have scored a tip-in goal – had it not been for interference by Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight.

Head coach Brind’Amour decided not to challenge it and soon after, it was avenged as Logan Stankoven gave the Hurricanes the lead once again. As he did so, he recorded the first 20-goal season in his NHL career, giving the Hurricanes a total of six 20+ goal scorers this season.

second period

In the second period, Stankoven followed up with another accomplishment, adding a few milestones as Jackson Blake achieved his first 30-assist season, and Taylor Hall achieved his first 30-assist season with the Hurricanes. Later in the frame, Mark Jankowski extended the lead on assists from Alexander Nikishin and William Carrier.

third period

In the final frame, K’Andre Miller scored directly out of the penalty box with a brilliant pass from Carrier, before Frondel scored once again, making the score 5–2.

However, Hall added another boost to the Hurricanes’ tally with a stylish spin-o-rama goal, scoring on his former team in his first game in his barn.

The final goal of the game came from Jankowski, who notably recorded his first 10-goal season with the Hurricanes. The receivers were Seabs Carrier and Nicolas Deslauriers, the former scoring his first three-point game in his NHL career, and the latter scoring his first points with the Hurricanes.

By the end of the night, 11 players found themselves on the scoresheet, with seven of them achieving milestones. what a night!

who was outside and who was inside

Going into the matchup, the Hurricanes were missing seven of their usual players, as Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov, Jordan Staal, Jordan Martinook, Jacob Slavin, and Jalen Chatfield were all ruled out for undisclosed reasons. Staal and Martinook were both absent from Sunday’s game against the Ottawa Senators for the same undisclosed reason, while Chatfield left their previous game against the Boston Bruins with a lower body injury.

Filling those open spots on the roster were Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Bradley Nadeau, Nicolas Deslauriers, Josiah Slavin, Skylar Brind’Amour, Mike Reilly and Charles-Alexis Legault.

Logan Stankoven’s line remained untouched and served as the first line, while Kotkaniemi centered Nadeau and Nikolaj Ehlers on the second line, Mark Jankowski centered William Carrier and Deslauriers on the third line, and Brind’Amour centered Slavin and Eric Robinson on the fourth line.

Meanwhile, the defense saw a pairing of Shayne Gostisbehere and K’Andre Miller on the top line, while the second line featured a combination of Sean Walker and Alexander Nikishin, and the third line saw Reilly and Legault together.

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

The Vegas Golden Knights extended their lead with a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night, their fourth straight win. They also remained undefeated under new head coach John Tortorella.

Even this late in the season, the so-called “coaching bump” is proving to be very real in Las Vegas. Since Tortorella took over behind the bench, the Golden Knights have looked much better and it’s clearly paying off.

However, tonight didn’t start off well. The Golden Knights took control of the game early and outshot Vancouver in the first period, but the Canucks struck first.

Midway through the second period, Max Sasson fired a pass past goaltender Carter Hart to give Vancouver a 1–0 lead. It’s a goal Hart will likely want to get back to, especially with the playoffs approaching and his role looking like the No. 1 goalie for the team moving forward.

Shortly after Sasson’s goal, Braden McNabb scored his fifth goal of the season to tie the game. While Tomas Hertl did not record a point in the game, his net-front presence was large, providing an ideal screen that made Vancouver goaltender Nikita Tolopillo difficult to see.

The second period ended quietly, and the third followed a similar script. But midway through the final frame, Cole Smith made the breakthrough. His go-ahead goal gave Vegas a 2–1 lead, and was ultimately the game-winner.

The Golden Knights pressed defensively, allowing a total of 10 shots on goal, the fewest ever allowed in franchise history, surpassing the previous mark of 14.

Vegas now continues its four-game road trip with a stop in Seattle against the Kraken before finishing up in Colorado. Now the question is, can they make it five straight?

It’s also worth noting that with this win, the Golden Knights are now tied for first place in the Pacific Division with the Edmonton Oilers, further solidifying their late-season push. We’ll see if a fifth division title is on the way with only four games left in the regular season.

Cooper Krigbaum is a beat reporter covering the Vegas Golden Knights for Vegas Hockey Now on SportsNut. He also told about Cooper Krigbaum

From time to time, the schedule makers get a team into trouble, so to speak. That’s been the case for the Senators in their last two games. Yes, they come up against two of the best teams in the league, the Hurricanes and Lightning. Fortunately, both of these teams got to travel to Ottawa to play their second game of a back-to-back situation.

To the Senators’ credit, they played both games well. They competed against these strong teams in the beginning and then took advantage of these tired teams late on. They won 6-3 against the Hurricanes on Sunday, and won tonight against the Lightning by a score of 6-2. Let’s get into the details, focusing on the three best Senators who were great tonight.

Read more: It’s time to rally around Brady Tkachuk

Tim Stutzle

Stützle scored a big goal on the power play in the third period to put the Senators up 4-2. He also added two assistants. This was a game when he scored one of his best goals of the season against the Hurricanes on an incredible effort the length of the ice. With three points tonight, Stützle is guaranteed at least one point per game on the season, as he has 82 points after four games played.

jake sanderson

Sanderson scored two spectacular goals tonight, both using his skating ability to force the puck into the net. Keep in mind, Sanderson is a defenseman. This gave Sanderson a career high of 13 goals, surpassing his previous best of 11 goals set last season. He also had 51 points, making it the second consecutive season he has scored more than 50 points. This makes Sanderson the second defenseman in Senators history to score at least 50 points in multiple seasons. Eric Karlsson did this six times.

brady tkachuk

Tkachuk recorded a career-high four assists tonight. This gives Tkachuk six points from his last two matches. This takes Tkachuk to 58 points in 58 games. Tkachuk’s season was ruined early on due to a hand injury, which caused him to miss 20 games. For him to be at a point per game now and reach 60 points despite all the missed time shows you how good he is, and how well he’s been playing in recent weeks.

additional comments

Congratulations to Cam Crotty on his first NHL point. In his four games with the Senators, he has been solid, averaging over 14 minutes of ice-time per game. With two points tonight, Drake Batherson tied his career high of 68 points last season. Jordan Spence played over 22 minutes tonight and scored a nice goal. In my opinion, now is the time to re-sign him. Linus Ullmark had a strong performance tonight, saving 27 shots. To his credit, he has started each of the last five Senators games. Next up for the Sens is a Thursday night game against the Panthers.

Danny was born and raised in Ottawa and still lives in that city. He has followed… more about Danny McCloskey

While Giannis Antetokounmpo is suggesting that his competitive fire is why he wants to return to the floor despite resistance from the Milwaukee Bucks, it seems like that may not be the real reason.

Drama has surrounded the Bucks for much of this season as trade rumors involving Antetokounmpo have never subsided as the team has been lackluster on the floor. Most people believed that things would calm down after he was not moved before the NBA trade deadline. Still this has not happened.

The situation has actually gotten worse as the Bucks look to find their way to a better selection in June’s NBA Draft. To make the best strategy, it would be best if Antetokounmpo sat out for the remainder of the season. This would be possible as he has battled illnesses throughout the season and suffered a severe left knee strain on March 15.

However, to the displeasure of the Bucks management, Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to get back on the field. His desire to compete and the team’s preference to sit him conflicted and led to an investigation by the NBA.

“Antetokounmpo rejected the Bucks’ request to shut down and told the team he planned to return when he felt healthy enough to play,” ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday. “On March 17, multiple sources said he pressed to play against the Jazz and told the team he believed he was healthy.

“The Bucks ruled him out, and their medical staff did not clear him to play. Antetokounmpo then told several people on the team that he expected to play later on the road trip (March 21 at Phoenix, March 23 at Los Angeles, March 25 at Portland), but he never returned to action.”

Did Giannis Antetokounmpo want to return to the Bucks because of Nike endorsement money?

Since then things have been at a standstill. While he is trying to get back on the court for their home final on Friday and is looking forward to being on the court with his brothers, Thanasis and Alex, maybe that is why he is not so eager to get back on the court.

Charania reports, “Multiple sources said the Bucks’ decision to bench Antetokounmpo earned him a significant bonus in his Nike endorsement contract, which would have been triggered if he played at least 41 games.”

It’s unclear how much he lost, but it wouldn’t be surprising if it was more than six figures. Considering how much he has struggled to stay healthy this season, it would make sense for him to simply sit out and help get Milwaukee into a better draft position. But perhaps a big payday has led Antetokounmpo to clash with team officials over a return this season.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

The National Hockey League’s Hart Memorial Trophy is awarded each season to the player deemed most valuable to his team in the NHL. This season, teenage phenom Maclin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks should be the pick.

As we near the end of the 2025-26 NHL regular season, Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov are the favorites for the Hart Trophy. While they both certainly deserve it this year, their team’s Most Valuable Player in hockey played in San Jose in 2026.

Let’s look at our case for why Celebrini should win the Hart Trophy.

Macklin Celebrini’s historic season deserves a historic trophy

In professional sports, narrative and history shape MVP voting. We’ve seen it in the NBA, when Russell Westbrook won MVP after averaging a triple-double on an Oklahoma City Thunder team that finished sixth in their conference. Miguel Cabrera won the AL MVP while hitting for the Triple Crown in 2012, and the NFL MVP has been awarded based on storylines in the past.

Narrative and NHL history should also influence Hart Trophy voting. This season, Celebrini became the sixth teenager in history to record over 100 points in a season, joining such all-time greats as Wayne Gretzky, Sidney Crosby, Mario Lemieux, Dale Hawerchuk, and Jimmy Carson. Earlier this season, he joined Lemieux, Gretzky and Crosby as the fourth teenager in NHL history with more than 40 points in 27 or fewer games.

The 19-year-old is also set to break Gretzky’s NHL record for highest points percentage on his team’s goals as a teenager. Celebrini is on pace for the third-most points total by a teenager in NHL history, behind only Crosby and Gretzky. Additionally, he is set to break San Jose’s single-season points record (Joe Thornton, 114).

From a narrative standpoint, it seems appropriate to end a historic season with Celebrini, joining Gretzky and Crosby as the only teenagers to win the Hart Trophy in NHL history.

RELATED: How the Sharks are looking at Maclin Celebrini’s minutes

The Celebrini Effect: Most Valuable Player in Hockey

The Hart Trophy is what defines what Celebrini is doing in San Jose this season. Through 76 games, the Sharks have scored 234 goals, with Celebrini scoring one point on 45.7 percent. For comparison, Kucherov has recorded a point on 45.2 percent of 279 goals for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and MacKinnon has recorded a point on 42.5 percent of 287 goals for the Colorado Avalanche.

Taking things a step further, let’s compare how each Hart Trophy candidate scores against their peers. Kucherov has a 40-point advantage over Tampa Bay’s second-highest scorer (Jake Guentzel, 86) and the Lightning have four players with more than 60 points this season. At Colorado, MacKinnon has 28 more points than teammate Martin Necas and the Avalanche have four skaters with more than 60 points. Meanwhile, Celebrini has a 52-point advantage over his next closest teammate (Will Smith, 55) and is the only player on the Sharks roster to score more than 60 points this season.

Another statistic to capture Celebrini’s value: The Sharks have a 2-15-3 record in games where Celebrini doesn’t record a point, and they are 35-17-4 when he does record a point. In games where Celebrini scored multiple points, San Jose is 24–3–1. This team is at the bottom of the NHL standings without him.

San Jose Sharks year-to-date improvement

Heading into the 2025–26 NHL season, the Sharks were projected to have an overall over/under of 70.5, with ESPN projecting them to finish last in the Pacific Division. The team was also in the bottom five of the consensus NHL power rankings. Entering the game on April 7, San Jose is 2 points out of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, having scored 29 more points than last season thanks to 17 more wins. This was unimaginable in October, especially after the team started the season 0-4-2. It is still one of the youngest teams in hockey and is being run by a teenager. All this is another reason why Celebrini deserves to win the Hart Memorial Trophy.

A season for the ages: Celebrini deserves the Hart Memorial Trophy

The Hart Trophy is a regular season award; It’s a way to look back years from now to remember a defining moment of that year. Both MacKinnon and Kucherov have had excellent seasons, but what the hockey world will remember even more is that 19-year-old Celebrini put himself in the same company with the all-time greats with a historic season that turned the rebuilding Sharks into playoff contenders. Narrative matters here, and it’s impossible to ignore how valuable Celebrini has been to San Jose this season. If the Hart Memorial Trophy is truly meant to be awarded “to the player declared most valuable to his team”, it is Celebrini.

RELATED: Love the San Jose Sharks? Watch San Jose Hockey Now

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

Jhon Lucumi is looking increasingly likely to leave Bologna in the summer, and Sunderland are very interested in a transfer after failing to hire him a few months ago.

The defender was in the news as a transfer marker for Bologna last summer. The Black Cats made an offer to sign him immediately after his release clause expired. Those times were unfortunate for the Premier League club.

Lukumi was very curious – as covered sports witness in the past, but Bologna managed to hold on to it. The Rossoblu were proud of their decision, even though the Colombian had refused a renewal beyond 2027.

Fast forward to now, and Lukumi has yet to commit to a new deal and is looking to depart in the summer.

There is still interest from Sunderland but there is a new contender in the race.

AS Roma in the hunt

Forzaroma’s francesco balzani It is reported that Lukumi will be a prize asset for the summer transfer window. The journalist is confident that Bologna will not force him to stay and that he will not sign any new agreements.

Roma manager Gian Piero Gasperini has had a ‘long-standing crush’ on the South American since his time at Atalanta. They also attempted to sign him last summer and now, with Ivan Ndika leaving, a deal could become possible.

Roma could make up to €40m from the Ivorian’s exit and use that money to sign Lucumi.

Their biggest hurdle is Sunderland, who remain interested. It is believed that Colombians have long been in love with the Italian capital and have often expressed this on social media. But he might also like to go to England – as happened last summer.

The Premier League and additional finance should change this.

Sunderland transfer competition heats up

Given that Lukumi’s contract expires in 2027, it is no surprise that competition for him is increasing. In January, even Manchester City were mentioned as contenders, but it felt like a fleeting interest based on injuries.

While Sunderland have made progress this year, Lukumi may feel like he must compete for silverware.

He won the Coppa Italia with Bologna last season, and has also been playing in Europe for two seasons now. Ideally this is why he might prefer to join a major club that guarantees him playing at a high level.

That said, he clearly fancied a transfer to Sunderland last summer and has since established himself further.

🇩🇿 Sunderland | Anis Hadj Moussa and Yassine Titraoui

➡️Premier League club looking for pairing
💶 Offers may comehttps://t.co/QrjW8lP3Gd #safc

– Sports Witness (@Sport_Witness) 11 March 2026

Nothing comes easy, and this season, the Eastern Conference has proven that. With 102 points in the standings, the Carolina Hurricanes became the first team in the East to clinch a playoff berth this season with a thrilling 5–1 win over their Metropolitan Division rival, the Columbus Blue Jackets.

They wasted no time in securing their spot in the postseason, as Logan Stankoven found himself on the hat trick clock before 10 minutes had passed. His first goal, just 2:27 minutes in, was a tip-in on K’Andre Miller’s shot, while with his second goal, he completed a loose transition left by Taylor Hall.

Moments later on the penalty kill, Alexander Nikishin – with help from the usual suspects, Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho – got his first career NHL shorthanded goal. The scoreless score tied the Hurricanes with the Calgary Flames for most shorthanded goals this season with 11.

Down three-nil in the second frame, the Blue Jackets got on the board as Denton Matechuk put the puck through Frederik Andersen’s five-hole, but the Hurricanes reclaimed their breathing space just 13 seconds later thanks to a shot from the point by Jordan Martinook.

In the third period, the Blue Jackets power play was cut short. As the four-on-four hockey ended and the Hurricanes’ power play began, Shayne Gostisbier immediately contributed another goal by coming out of the penalty box, one-touching a pass from Aho and sending it to Andrei Svechnikov, who fired past Elvis Merzlikins from the right face-off circle – the final goal of the game.

‘The work will not stop now’

Throughout the match, the Hurricanes maintained the pace they boasted, and they allowed their offense to crush the Blue Jackets – dominating zone time and forcing Columbus to expend energy in their own zone. Carolina allowed only 10 shots on goal from the Blue Jackets, the fewest in franchise history for the Hurricanes.

“I think we had a huge start,” Stankoven said after the game. “We know a lot of these teams that are out here playing consistently are hungry for points and trying to get into the playoffs, so I think, mentally, we came prepared, and that’s been good for us.”

“I think our group is there, we don’t take the playoffs lightly – it’s very hard to fight and get to the playoffs. So, we’re really grateful, but the work doesn’t stop now.”

storm notes

Thursday’s game was the 1,400th game that Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal has played in his 20-season career. Of those, 968 have been played with Carolina, while 431 have been played with the Pittsburgh Penguins, with whom he won a Stanley Cup. During the first period, he received a standing ovation from fans in the stands.

Nikishin’s shorthanded goal was his 30th point of the season, tying him with Jamie McBain for most points by a rookie defenseman in Hurricanes history, and placing him second in the franchise tally, just five points behind Brad Shaw.

In each of the eight seasons that Rod Brind’Amour has served as head coach, the Hurricanes have made one playoff appearance. Only the Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs have longer active streaks (although the Leafs are out of the hunt at the moment).

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

The Montreal Canadiens visit the New York Rangers on Thursday night to extend their late-season winning streak to seven games.

It was a fairly low-event game at first, but it picked up momentum over time and the Canadiens eventually emerged with a 3–2 victory.

As is tradition, Habs sniper Cole Caufield made his mark with two goals, taking his season tally to 49.

Let’s look at the highlights!

slow and steady

There were very few high-risk scoring chances in the first period, with the teams preferring to introduce a tentative style of play. It wasn’t until the second period that Alex Newhook broke the ice, providing further evidence that his presence on the second row has done wonders for the entire top six.

Rookie Ivan Demidov recorded his 43rd assist of the year, a continuation of his underrated rookie season in the NHL.

Ivan Demidov founded Alex Newhook. 1-0 #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/Vv9Ginue4W

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 3 April 2026

mr every night

Moments later, Cole Caulfield did the same, scoring his 48th goal in the process. As usual, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkowski both participated in the scoring play, with the latter providing a typical assist to his linemate.

With seven games left in the regular season, Caufield’s chances of reaching the impressive 50-goal mark continue to improve.

Cole Caulfield now has 48 goals!

A great assist by Slafkowski on this play. #GoHabsGo Up 2-0. pic.twitter.com/kgZz94yWOd

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 3 April 2026

protective shield

While it’s fair to say that rookie netminder Jacob Fowler performed well, it’s also important to note that the Canadiens did a very good job of minimizing high-danger scoring opportunities by the Rangers.

They limited New York to only three high-danger chances at 5v5 in the first 40 minutes of the game, one of their best defensive efforts of the season. There’s something to be said about the level of competition on Thursday nights, but the Habs have a tendency to underestimate their opponents, making their defensive armor an important step forward as they prepare for the rigors of the playoffs.

a brilliant leg save

kick save and a beauty#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/TRk546kqj5

– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) 3 April 2026

Second

The Rangers tied the game in the third period, which was the perfect setup for Caufield’s 49th goal of the year, which resulted from a spectacular individual effort.

The Canadiens had just won a defensive draw, which shows how quickly Caufield can make his presence felt on offense.

With this goal, Caulfield won 3-2.

49 goals for Cole Coffield!

Just seconds after a defensive zone draw, Caufield scored the go-ahead goal. #GoHabSGo pic.twitter.com/d6h6ZJhYB3

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 3 April 2026

The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action on Thursday facing the New Jersey Devils. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm ET.

All Montreal Canadiens stats are 5v5, via Natural Stat Trick, unless otherwise noted.

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

A broken hockey stick caused by pure frustration in the visitors’ tunnel was an obvious indicator of the Carolina Hurricanes’ game on Tuesday night, but strong goaltending and a heavy helping of luck saved what was almost a game that hurt more than just flesh.

In the first half of the game, the Hurricanes were dominant against their Metropolitan Division rivals – the Columbus Blue Jackets. In the first period, the Hurricanes got two power play opportunities, and Shayne Gostisbehere and Logan Stankoven both used them, putting Carolina ahead two-to-zilch at the first intermission.

The game was good, the offense was flowing and the defense made life more difficult for the Blue Jackets. However, as the second frame progressed, what was working had holes in it. Puck management fell apart, their transition game suffered and they ultimately gave up an inch to the Blue Jackets.

Kirill Marchenko turned that inch into a mile.

Taking advantage of the Hurricanes’ sudden lack of focus, Marchenko pulled his team back into the fight with his first goal in eight games. The puck slipped under Brandon Bussey’s padding, and officials had to review it to make sure it even crossed the goal line before being put on the boards.

When the Hurricanes started to get the game going, it was Busey who stopped the bleeding by making repeated saves throughout the frame. At one point, he was alone against Sean Monahan as all the other players on the ice converged on the corner boards of the defensive zone – leaving Columbus alone in the slot with the puck. Thankfully for Carolina, their netminder was on top and finished off the chance.

‘Make or Break’ Third Period

The Hurricanes gave themselves another wound in the third period. Stankoven entered the zone with pressure from the Blue Jackets and dangerously dropped the puck to Jackson Blake, who ultimately missed. Adam Fantilli caught it, and after some tic-tac-toeing back into the Hurricanes zone, he hit a shot that tied the game.

Columbus had the momentum, and Carolina had the offense.

Still, Nikolaj Ehlers did the best job he could and got the Hurricanes the clutch goal they needed.

After a failed challenge for goal interference by the Blue Jackets, the Hurricanes initiated another power play, with Andrei Svechnikov taking the lead – after eating a puck earlier in the game, bruised mug and all.

…Honestly, this was not a night for faces. Miles Wood, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Andrei Svechnikov all took tackles in their individual careers, while three high-sticking penalties were assessed throughout the game.

Interestingly, Ehlers had an assist on Svechnikov’s goal, which was his 3rd point of the night and 40th assist of the season (a new career high), and his 64th point (tied his career high).

Eventually, the clock ran out and Columbus’ net was empty as the Blue Jackets took the power play in the final minute. But it was all for naught, as Jordan Martinook scored an empty-netter. It was the tenth short-handed goal for the Hurricanes this season, moving them into second place in the league-wide tally.

The final score came out to be 5-2 in favor of the Hurricanes, but if not for Bussey’s focus and incredible success on special teams, things could have ended very differently.

“Honestly it’s all mental… just telling myself ‘be ready for the next shot, you never know when you’ll have a moment’.”
Brandon Bussey joins @buckygross And @AJMleczko Discussing the game and post-game meal following the Hurricanes’ 5-2 win over the Blue Jackets… pic.twitter.com/1U1n3ZndNC

– Queen of the Puck (@rbarkleyhockey) April 1, 2026

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

The Montreal Canadiens faced the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night with the goal of extending their winning streak to six games.

Apart from the points in the standings, the game was quite important, as there is a good chance that both teams will meet in the first round of the playoffs.

It was another tough battle, but in the end, the Canadiens emerged with a 4–1 victory.

Let’s look at the highlights!

happy belated birthday!

Juraj Slafkowski, who turned 22 on Monday, opened the scoring with a spectacular shot on the power play that actually pushed Andrei Vasilevskiy’s stick out of the five-hole before finding the back of the net.

It was his 29th goal of the year, although it should be noted that the power play would never have happened without a spectacular individual effort from Lane Hutson, which saw him easily navigate all traffic before falling in front of the Lightning net.

Juraj Slafkowski made the score 1-0 #GoHabsGo With a bang on the powerplay. His shot actually knocked Vasilevskiy’s stick out of the way! pic.twitter.com/K6PFyJ3uJG

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 31 March 2026

mr every night

While it’s true that Cole Caufield loves to score on Saturdays, they call him ‘Mr.’ ‘Saturday Night’ is selling him a little short, as he likes to score for every day that ends with ‘y’.

He scored his 47th goal of the year midway through the second period to give the Canadiens a 2–1 lead, although it should be noted that Slafkowski produced an excellent zone entry, not to mention a great pass before the goal. Additionally, Mike Matheson recorded his 300th career point in a scoring play.

He proceeded to score an empty-net goal, the first of two by the Habs, securing Montreal’s victory in the process.

Score 47 goals for Cole Coffield!!

Also great work by Juraj Slafkowski on Rush. 2-1 #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/Zk0QiBpgfa

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) April 1, 2026

first star of the week

Jacob Dobbs stopped 35 of 36 shots sent his way to secure his 26th win of the season, not to mention his fourth win in a row.

He’s stepping up when the Habs need him most, and although new goaltending coach Marco Marciano deserves some credit, the 24-year-old netminder has certainly done a great job of bolstering Montreal’s push for the playoffs, despite his lack of NHL experience.

Jacob Dobbs, the first star of the week, emerges early in the first period. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/Fw8GOEvjdT

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 31 March 2026

The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action on Thursday facing the New York Rangers. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm ET.

All Montreal Canadiens stats are 5v5, via Natural Stat Trick, unless otherwise noted.

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

The Boston Celtics delivered one of their best performances of the season in a 119–109 victory over the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Boston snapped the league’s longest active streak of 12 wins, pushing itself to 48–24 for the season.

The impressive manner in which the win was accomplished was also acknowledged by Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, who claimed his team was on a different level according to a post on X by Daniel Donabedian.

Joe Mazzulla explained how he thought the Celtics contributed to their win tonight:

“I like the fact that we brought physicality. I like the fact that we brought our offensive organization. I like that we executed. I like that we took it to a different level defensively.” pic.twitter.com/oQVzqGDkhL

– Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) 26 March 2026

“I like the fact that we brought physicality. I like that we brought our offensive organization. I like that we executed. I like that we took it to a different level defensively,” Mazzulla said.

After trailing by nearly 13 points in the first quarter and shooting only 29.2% early on, the Celtics proceeded to methodically flip the script. The turning point came early in the fourth quarter, where a 20–11 run turned a five-point lead into a 14-point lead (108–94).

Six different players contributed to that surge. Despite this, Jaylen Brown was once again the main man, finishing with 31 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

Jayson Tatum, who has become stronger since returning from injury, had 19 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, going 3-6 from beyond the arc. A total of six Boston players scored in double figures, with Peyton Pritchard and Baylor Scheuerman adding 14 and 11 off the bench.

For the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 33 points, while also contributing eight assists and two steals. Brown outscored Gilgeous-Alexander 10-7 in the fourth quarter and shot a perfect 3-for-3 in that period, playing a major role in the win.

Despite OKC’s early control, resulting in an 11-point lead after the first quarter, the Celtics struggled as a unit, outscoring the defending champions from beyond the arc as they converted 18 of their 41 three-pointers, compared to 12/37 for the Thunder. Regardless, as Mazzulla claimed, it was Boston’s ability to restrict their opponents that was the major reason behind the victory.

SAN FRANCISCO – This has not been a good season for the Golden State Warriors. And it sure wasn’t a good performance for the Warriors in the tanking 109-106 win over the Brooklyn Nets. However, the sight to behold for sore eyes is Gui Santos and the leaps he has made this season.

The 23-year-old Brazilian scored a career-high 31 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the field, giving a boost to a depleted Warriors team dealing with Moses Moody’s season-ending serious knee injury. After the game, Steve Kerr had nothing but praise for the 55th pick of the 2022 NBA Draft.

“He’s spent a lot of minutes here despite all the injuries this past month, and he continues to get better,” Kerr said. “He’s really smart. He’s finding ways to get to the rim with great footwork, and is a really smart player, feels very confident with his shot. So it’s fun to see Gui really blossom.”

Not known as a scorer coming from Brazil or even the Warriors’ Santa Cruz G-League affiliate, Santos has developed his offense to become a better on-ball creator. His teammates and coaches have noted the developments he has seen in his footwork, his 3-point shot and his playmaking, an all-around level on that end of the floor.

“It’s a good feeling,” Santos said after the game. “I was talking to my family right after the game, and they were asking me how many Brazilian players in the NBA had 30 points? And I think it was just three or four. [players]. I, Leandro Barbosa, [Anderson] Varjao, and Nene Hilario. We all had 30 marks. “It’s special, not gonna lie.”

Gui Santos said his family called him after the game to tell him he was one of four Brazilian players to score at least 30 points in an NBA game:

“It was me, Leandro Barbosa, Varjao and Nene Hilario. So we all had 30 points. It’s special, not gonna lie.” pic.twitter.com/6P24kcQW7m

– Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) 26 March 2026

Draymond Green’s honest reflection of Gui Santos’ hard work

As far as Draymond Green, who can relate to Santos’ underdog story, Santos’ success is due to the hard work he has put in. Green expressed pride in seeing Santos, a sophomore teammate, work so hard to get to this point.

“My honest answer is that when Gui came here he didn’t look like an NBA player,” Green said candidly. “And he put his head down. Worked every day.”

Green recounted times when he would arrive at the practice facility in the morning and find Santos already completing a workout or shootaround.

It’s a tough and tough climb that Green admires because he got his chance not by scoring and doing the things he does now, but by doing the dirty work. Green cited aggressive counterattacks. And for Green, it’s a wonderful thing to see.

“He worked to become this person,” Green explained.

“You talk about countless hours in Santa Cruz, he never complained. Always stuck to the process. And I’ve said since the day he came here, he never turned his back on it. Stuck, kept his head down, kept working, and he’s now getting an opportunity to show everything he’s worked on and the game he’s built, and it’s a beautiful thing to see.”

Draymond Green was asked about the work Gui Santos has done to get to this point:

“When Gui came here, he didn’t look like an NBA player, and he had his head down. Worked every day… From the day he came here, he never turned his back on it.”

Full Soundbyte: pic.twitter.com/GXGT7UJDbB

– Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) 26 March 2026

That work resulted in Santos earning a three-year extension worth $15 million this season. A win-win deal for both the player and the team.

Joel Embiid has earned an unfortunate reputation throughout his career. Although he is one of the best centers of his generation, the Philadelphia 76ers star often finds himself on the sidelines. Injuries have been a sadly common theme for the star centre, as his body has suffered a number of injuries throughout his career.

The same can be said this season also. Embiid has already missed more than half the season after undergoing knee surgery earlier this season. The 76ers center played his first game since suffering an oblique strain this past Wednesday. After the win over the Chicago Bulls, Embiid talked about his injury and why his oblique injury is “harder” to recover from than a knee injury.

“My knees haven’t been a problem for a long time,” Embiid explained. “That’s a thing of the past for me. The slant was very tricky, and it’s still tricky. You can’t really do anything about it, you have to let it play out and hope it doesn’t get worse.”

Before the game against the Bulls, Embiid had missed the previous 13 games due to an oblique strain. However, before that injury, the 76ers star missed a large portion of the season after undergoing knee surgery. The surgery was performed after the 2024-25 season and was intended to alleviate the problems Embiid has suffered over the past few years.

Embiid’s return comes at the right time for the 76ers. Star point guard Tyrese Maxey is still out with a finger injury and could be out for a few more games. With Philadelphia firmly in the playoff race, the team needs every player on its roster to make one last effort.

The 76ers will get another big boost for home expansion. Paul George, who was suspended for 25 games earlier this season for violating the NBA’s drug use policy, returned against the Bulls. George finished the game with 28 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Embiid was dominant with 35 points, six rebounds, seven assists and one block.

The 76ers are in seventh place with a 40-33 record, just a half-game behind the sixth-seeded Toronto Raptors and the final guaranteed playoff spot.

Julius Randle sank the game-winning bucket with 8.8 seconds remaining to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves past the Houston Rockets 110-108 in overtime on Wednesday at Target Center.

The Timberwolves had to come back In an expansion to dispose of the Rockets and improve to 45-28.

Julius Randle’s game-winner lifts Wolves over Rockets

15-0 run in overtime hits stand-alone.pic.twitter.com/1rFEy7qjL5

– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 26 March 2026

They also had to endure the loss of Naz Reed in overtime after he was ejected by referee Scott Foster after a critical call.

Randle’s courageous basket felt like poetic justice for the Timberwolves, and the veteran forward made his true feelings known after the game, as SB Nation’s Ryan Eichten reported.

“Julius Randle is walking down the hallway to the locker room right now: ‘Scott Foster didn’t do this,'” Eichten wrote on X.

The Timberwolves were trailing by five points when Reid scored with 4:13 left in overtime.

Randle finished with 24 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals, while Reed had 14 points, 13 rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

In a postgame interview with ESPN, the 31-year-old Randle Gave credit for this to my colleaguesAlso admitted that they now have the tie-breaker against the Rockets.

“We’re ready for now. It’s as simple as that,” Randall said.

“It feels good. We took care of business, especially at home. We’ve got another game against this team, so it’s important for us to get it done. I’m very proud of our team, for the resiliency we showed. Everyone stepped up and made big plays at different points in the game.”

“We are ready for now.” 😤

-Julius Randle after Minnesota’s OT win over the Rockets pic.twitter.com/0v7hv9JAgK

– NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) 26 March 2026

Jaden McDaniels added 25 points, two steals and two blocks, while Rudy Gobert added 14 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks.

The Timberwolves are still without Anthony Edwards due to a knee injury.

The resentment toward Bronny James appears to be subsiding in his second year with the Los Angeles Lakers. But that doesn’t mean he won’t continue to prove himself.

Many felt that James did not deserve to be in the NBA when the Lakers drafted him in the second round in 2024, saying that he was given the position due to being the son of LeBron James.

The criticism was wrong. The noise became louder. But little James put his head down and got to work. He has shown improvement in his second year, especially in his confidence, and he has not gone unnoticed by the Lakers.

Spectrum Sportsnet’s Mike Trudell reports that Los Angeles coach JJ Redick praised the 21-year-old guard after Wednesday’s win over the Indiana Pacers.

Redick said, “He’s gotten a lot better. Our staff has a lot of confidence in him. It felt like this was a game where we really needed him.”

Trudell said Redick cited James’ “defense, athleticism and increased confidence in his shot.”

The Lakers improved to 47–26 by defeating the Pacers 137–130 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. They are 9-1 in their last 10 games.

The young James contributed four points, including a thunderous dunk, one rebound, one assist, two steals and a block in 13 minutes off the bench.

Although he has yet to earn consistent playing time, the former McDonald’s All-American has shown that he can perform, especially on the defensive end, when given adequate opportunities.

It will be difficult for him to step away from his great father’s shadow, but as long as the Lakers continue to be successful, he will happily play his part and leave the haters crying.

With 21 points in a 136-11 loss to the Miami Heat, the San Antonio Spurs’ Dylan Harper accomplished a feat in his basketball career, though it was not common during his NBA rookie season: back-to-back 20-point games.

“This is my…this is my first 20-point back-to-back games?” Harper asked in response to a question about scoring more than 20 in consecutive games.

When told he scored 20 or more points in a game eight times, the 20-year-old guard didn’t say much more.

“Oh, wow,” Harper said. “Oh wow.”

The second overall pick of this summer’s draft averaged 19.4 points per game in his only season with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. While other players in the draft class, like former Duke teammates Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, are hitting those numbers as pros, Harper is averaging just 11.5 points per game this season on a team that holds the second-best record in the West and is equipped with quality depth on the wings.

“We are winning,” Harper said. “The best thing about this league, for me, coming to a team where even though I’m not scoring 20 every night, I get to learn from a great vet, [De’Aaron] Fox, who obviously has been in the league, two-time All-Star, and all that. So, I get to learn from someone like him and be aggressive as well as take a back seat.”

Along with Fox, the Spurs rotation includes Rookie of the Year Stephen Cassel as well as Devin Vassell, who has averaged nearly 19 points per game in two different seasons.

“Yeah, I’m finding my stride, but I think having Steph back and Dev coming back has made the game a lot easier for me,” Harper said. “So much space on the floor. We have a lot of threats, so it really picks my poison. They do a great job of encouraging me to just be me and get off the ball, find open shooters. But if it’s one-on-one, attack.

“So, to be honest, scoring 20 is not the main thing. The main thing for me is just to win. And, as long as we win, I am fine.”

Dylan Harper is happy to be a member of the San Antonio Spurs

Although his stats are lower than he’s used to, the son of former NBA great Ron Harper has a definite opinion on his current role.

“I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Harper said. “I’ve been hired into a great organization that teaches you the game at a high level, and I think even in a game like this where the numbers may look good, I’m still watching film, still getting yelled at like any other game. It’s a testament to the kind of standard we’re all held to, but I love it. I feel like I’m getting better day by day, whether it’s watching film or on the court.”

Not only does San Antonio see Harper as a big part of their success this season, but the Spurs also see him as a big part of the future centered around MVP candidate Victor Wembanyama.

“I think one thing about us is that we’re all competitive, and we’re relentless. No matter what the score is, I think we have a great group of guys that compete at a high level all the time,” Harper continued. “This team can do miracles; there’s a lot of potential, but we’re trying to take it day by day, step by step, not skipping any steps. The sky’s the limit.”