In the Carolina Hurricanes’ final game at Lenovo Center of the regular season, they delighted their fans as they defeated the Boston Bruins (and the referees) with a 6–5 overtime victory to capture the Metropolitan Division.

As the game began, Eric Robinson was taken out of the lineup in favor of Nicolas Deslauriers, but the Hurricanes appeared a bit disjointed defensively. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour had put the defensive lines into the old blender, pairing Jakob Slavin with Shayne Gostisbeer, K’Andre Miller with Jalen Chatfield, and Alexander Nikishin with Sean Walker. It was a rare opportunity for Nikishin to play to his natural side, and ultimately it was the only pair to remain unbeaten in the following frames.

With the Bruins’ first shot of the game, Hampus Lindholm found the back of the net. However, the lead was short-lived as the Hurricanes scored twice in 1:34 – one by Andrei Svechnikov, who scored his 30th goal of the season, matching his career high, and one by K’Andre Miller.

Goaltender interference: Disappointed, but not surprised

Shortly thereafter, Morgan Geikie tied the game, and before the period ended, Geikie scored his second of the game. However, the second goal was strange for the former Hurricane. As the puck was turned in by goaltender Brandon Bussey, it appeared that David Pastrnak had collided with him making contact inside his crease.

Brind’Amour took time to review the play before deciding to challenge it for goaltender interference, but it ultimately remained on the boards. The official ruling from the NHL on the play was that Pastrnak’s contact had no impact on Bussey’s ability to play his position.

…I disagree, but it is what it is – and it’s not surprising that the Hurricanes were betrayed by the goalie interference decision.

In the final seconds of the frame, the Hurricanes got a power play with literal goaltender interference, as Mark Kastelic got a pass on Bussy and knocked him down. This prevented a power play goal in the second period, but that was…ironic.

The storm ends Swayman’s streak and his night among the pipes

However, the Hurricanes got a boost in the second period, as they managed to score three goals in less than 10 minutes – a power play goal from Logan Stankoven, a goal from William Carrier, and a goal from former Bruin Taylor Hall. The scoring explosion led to a goaltender swap for the Boston Bruins as Joonas Korpisalo came in to relieve Jeremy Swayman. Heading into the game, Swayman had won nine straight games while allowing three or fewer goals.

Then, the hits started coming for the Hurricanes. And they came through hard work.

With a little more than a minute remaining in the second period, Geikie scored another goal – bringing the game to within a minute, scoring the second hat trick of his career, and the first in the building he once called home.

Less than thirty seconds later, 5’10” Seth Jarvis hit the corner boards after a big hit from 6’7” Nikita Zadorov. Head athletic trainer Doug Bennett came onto the ice to assist the Hurricanes’ leading goalscorer, but after a moment, he was able to leave for the locker room under his own power.

The Hurricanes’ bruiser, Nicolas Deslauriers, was not a fan of the hit and began squabbling with the Bruins’ defenseman, but it failed to generate a fight in the third frame. Deslauriers earned a single shift in the third period, which overlapped with Zadorov’s shift, but did not generate a fight.

Hurricanes compete with eternal rival, referee in third period

While Jarvis returned to the ice at the beginning of the third period, the Hurricanes lost Chatfield, who had returned to the top pairing after the first period, due to a lower body injury.

A little more than halfway through the period, Stankoven took a high-stick into the back of the Bruins’ net, leaving him bloodied. At first, it was believed that it was friendly fire from classmate Jackson Blake, but it was soon revealed that it was from Charlie McAvoy.

Whenever an injury occurs during a game and is not immediately called, a penalty may still be awarded after footage has been viewed. The Hurricanes presented their side, but the referee still failed to make a decision.

Less than 20 seconds later, Pavel Zacha tied the game with a feed from McEvoy.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Jordan Martinook was later sent to the penalty box for interference on Jonathan Espirot, who ran into the Hurricanes winger, who was stationary at the blue line to stay onside.

The Hurricanes killed penalties, and neither team managed to get on the string again in regulation, which soon led to overtime, giving both teams a point in the standings – just what the Hurricanes needed to clinch the Metro Division.

An overtime goal worth remembering

With 3:47 remaining in the extra frame, Jakob Slavin scored his first goal of the season, topping a spectacular sequence of playmaking from Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho as he put it in with a backdoor snapshot.

With the win on the night and the division, the Hurricanes swept the final Storm Surge of the season. Slavin was pushed to center ice for a group hug, and his helmet was grabbed by Nikishin and paraded over the end of Svechnikov’s stick.

Tradition means a lot to Raleigh, and the Hurricanes made sure their fans got another taste of it with a full celebration after the game.

(PSST, if you want to see the Bruins’ perspective on the game, be sure to check out Jack Studley’s article on Boston Hockey Now!)

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

In the Carolina Hurricanes’ final game at Lenovo Center of the regular season, they delighted their fans as they defeated the Boston Bruins (and the referees) with a 6–5 overtime victory to capture the Metropolitan Division.

As the game began, Eric Robinson was taken out of the lineup in favor of Nicolas Deslauriers, but the Hurricanes appeared a bit disjointed defensively. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour had put the defensive lines into the old blender, pairing Jakob Slavin with Shayne Gostisbeer, K’Andre Miller with Jalen Chatfield, and Alexander Nikishin with Sean Walker. It was a rare opportunity for Nikishin to play to his natural side, and ultimately it was the only pair to remain unbeaten in the following frames.

With the Bruins’ first shot of the game, Hampus Lindholm found the back of the net. However, the lead was short-lived as the Hurricanes scored twice in 1:34 – one by Andrei Svechnikov, who scored his 30th goal of the season, matching his career high, and one by K’Andre Miller.

Goaltender interference: Disappointed, but not surprised

Shortly thereafter, Morgan Geikie tied the game, and before the period ended, Geikie scored his second of the game. However, the second goal was strange for the former Hurricane. As the puck was turned in by goaltender Brandon Bussey, it appeared that David Pastrnak had collided with him making contact inside his crease.

Brind’Amour took time to review the play before deciding to challenge it for goaltender interference, but it ultimately remained on the boards. The official ruling from the NHL on the play was that Pastrnak’s contact had no impact on Bussey’s ability to play his position.

…I disagree, but it is what it is – and it’s not surprising that the Hurricanes were betrayed by the goalie interference decision.

In the final seconds of the frame, the Hurricanes got a power play with literal goaltender interference, as Mark Kastelic got a pass on Bussy and knocked him down. This prevented a power play goal in the second period, but that was…ironic.

The storm ends Swayman’s streak and his night among the pipes

However, the Hurricanes got a boost in the second period, as they managed to score three goals in less than 10 minutes – a power play goal from Logan Stankoven, a goal from William Carrier, and a goal from former Bruin Taylor Hall. The scoring explosion led to a goaltender swap for the Boston Bruins as Joonas Korpisalo came in to relieve Jeremy Swayman. Heading into the game, Swayman had won nine straight games while allowing three or fewer goals.

Then, the hits started coming for the Hurricanes. And they came through hard work.

With a little more than a minute remaining in the second period, Geikie scored another goal – bringing the game to within a minute, scoring the second hat trick of his career, and the first in the building he once called home.

Less than thirty seconds later, 5’10” Seth Jarvis hit the corner boards after a big hit from 6’7” Nikita Zadorov. Head athletic trainer Doug Bennett came onto the ice to assist the Hurricanes’ leading goalscorer, but after a moment, he was able to leave for the locker room under his own power.

The Hurricanes’ bruiser, Nicolas Deslauriers, was not a fan of the hit and began squabbling with the Bruins’ defenseman, but it failed to generate a fight in the third frame. Deslauriers earned a single shift in the third period, which overlapped with Zadorov’s shift, but did not generate a fight.

Hurricanes compete with eternal rival, referee in third period

While Jarvis returned to the ice at the beginning of the third period, the Hurricanes lost Chatfield, who had returned to the top pairing after the first period, due to a lower body injury.

A little more than halfway through the period, Stankoven took a high-stick into the back of the Bruins’ net, leaving him bloodied. At first, it was believed that it was friendly fire from classmate Jackson Blake, but it was soon revealed that it was from Charlie McAvoy.

Whenever an injury occurs during a game and is not immediately called, a penalty may still be awarded after footage has been viewed. The Hurricanes presented their side, but the referee still failed to make a decision.

Less than 20 seconds later, Pavel Zacha tied the game with a feed from McEvoy.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Jordan Martinook was later sent to the penalty box for interference on Jonathan Espirot, who ran into the Hurricanes winger, who was stationary at the blue line to stay onside.

The Hurricanes killed penalties, and neither team managed to get on the string again in regulation, which soon led to overtime, giving both teams a point in the standings – just what the Hurricanes needed to clinch the Metro Division.

An overtime goal worth remembering

With 3:47 remaining in the extra frame, Jakob Slavin scored his first goal of the season, topping a spectacular sequence of playmaking from Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho as he put it in with a backdoor snapshot.

With the win on the night and the division, the Hurricanes swept the final Storm Surge of the season. Slavin was pushed to center ice for a group hug, and his helmet was grabbed by Nikishin and paraded over the end of Svechnikov’s stick.

Tradition means a lot to Raleigh, and the Hurricanes made sure their fans got another taste of it with a full celebration after the game.

(PSST, if you want to see the Bruins’ perspective on the game, be sure to check out Jack Studley’s article on Boston Hockey Now!)

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

After defeating the New Orleans Pelicans, the New York Knicks have won seven games in a row, and superfan and actor Ben Stiller was excited.

On Tuesday, March 24, 2026, Stiller was once again live-posting during the Knicks-Pelicans game. After the final buzzer, he wrote on Twitter, “7 in a row”.

This should come as no surprise to fans. Stiller watches almost every game, and is one of the team’s most devoted fans. They will play the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday, March 26 to potentially win their eighth consecutive game.

Ben Stiller’s Knicks move on after defeating Pelicans

On Tuesday, March 24, the Knicks defeated the Pelicans by five points to win their seventh consecutive game. It was New York’s 48th win of the year.

The win also means the Knicks have defeated the Pelicans in their two games this season. Like their most recent game, New York defeated New Orleans by five points in their last game on December 29, 2025.

Jalen Brunson once again led the Knicks in scoring, scoring 32 points in the win. He was highly efficient, making 11 of his 19 shots and eight of nine free throws. He also had a team-leading eight assists.

Brunson wasn’t the only player to score more than 20 points. OG Anunoby scored 21 points in his 40 minutes of playing time. Karl-Anthony Towns also scored 21 points and had 14 rebounds, the most by any player on either team.

There are only nine games left in the regular season before the playoffs begin. Currently, the Knicks are competing with the Boston Celtics for the second seed. The Celtics are 47-24, trailing both the Detroit Pistons, who have a record of 52-19.

More likely is that all three teams will reach the playoffs. The Knicks are hoping for a better end to their season than last year. They made it to the Eastern Conference Finals before being eliminated in six games by the Indiana Pacers.

The best drivers in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series faced a challenge tonight at Darlington Raceway, including Cup Series standouts like Ross Chastain, Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson. After winning the pole, Larson largely dominated the Help a Hero 200 but we got a great battle in the final stages and final laps.

Let’s take a look at tonight’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series results from Darlington. We’ll start with the race winner, including full Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 results and points. Then you can find today’s NASCAR round of results for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

RELATED: NASCAR Cup Series debut for Darlington on Sunday

Sport Clips Haircuts Help VFW Hero 200 Results

RELATED: NASCAR Truck Series results at Darlington

NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Stage Results at Darlington

Here are tonight’s NASCAR OARS Stage results for the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200.

Updated NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series standings after Darlington

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

Dustin Poirier recently reflected on what he considers the defining victory of his MMA career.

Speaking on Joe Rogan’s MMA Show, the now-retired lightweight recalled his knockout of Conor McGregor at UFC 257 in January 2021 and explained why that was the fight, above all others, that changed everything for him in his 19-year career.

“I fought for 19 years, that Conor fight, that’s when things changed for me identity-wise,” Poirier said. “The door opened for seminars, for appearances. It changed everything. I went to a lot of UFC main events. I fought for the belt and all that stuff, but that guy’s name, man.”

Poirier and McGregor first met in 2014, when McGregor defeated Poirier in 98 seconds. Seven years later, Poirier reversed that result in Abu Dhabi, eliminating McGregor in the second round. It was a significant moment in UFC history, but Poirier’s comments make it clear how much it meant to him personally and professionally.

The comments are surprising, considering Poirier had already built his resume that night. He headlined pay-per-view events, competed in title matches, and spent a decade at the top of the lightweight division. By any measure, he was already an established name in the game.

But Poirier is clear that none of this translated to the visibility and opportunity that came from defeating McGregor. The importance of McGregor’s name, even years short of his best, opened doors that years of elite-level competition had not.

Dustin Poirier explains why he retired from UFC

Poirier ultimately retired from MMA in July 2025 after a loss to Max Holloway at UFC 318, where he was defeated in their BMF title trilogy fight. He had announced his retirement even before the match. On the Rogan show, he explained his reason for leaving the position at the age of 36.

“I was scared of fighting for a very long time,” Poirier said. “I retired at 36. How much more athletic will I become? How fast will I go? Strength is the last thing, but durability, speed, reaction time and everything else I need decreases with age.

“And if I’m not in the right line for a title shot, what am I doing? I’m just fighting to fight, or for the pay. I had to look at myself in the mirror, like, ‘Okay, this is it. I’ll be healthy.’ For the most part, I went with my abilities.”

The 2026 F1 season was set to start with chaos. New rules, unfamiliar cars and an overhauled power unit formula meant the destroyers had a field day in the weeks leading up to Melbourne. What they got instead was one of the more compelling season openers in recent memory, and two teams that separated themselves from the rest of the field as if they were racing in a different series.

Mercedes and Ferrari weren’t just good in Australia. He was in a class of his own. When the dust settled at Albert Park, the Silver Arrows were 1-2 and the Scuderia were P3 and P4. Everyone else was left to sort out the scrap. Here’s who had reason to smile — and who’s already struggling.

Winner: Race Start | A beautiful mess that wasn’t dirty at all

Going in, the biggest unknown was not which team had the fastest car. It was whether anyone would actually be able to pass Turn 1 without taking damage. The 2026 rules introduced a fundamentally different start procedure – drivers get a five-second warning via blue flashing panels instead of traditional lights – and a lot of smart people spent a lot of time warning F1 that things could go sideways in a hurry.

He didn’t. What fans got instead was a truly epic opening sequence. Charles Leclerc started from fourth on the grid and was leading before most people had time to process what had happened. George Russell found himself holding off Lewis Hamilton while chasing the Ferrari from the front. Multiple position changes in the first two laps, real wheel-to-wheel contact between cars that mattered, in an era of spec-adjacent racing and processions, it felt alive.

The new rules did not create any security headaches. They created a race.

Winner: George Russell mercedes

“Feels incredible. It was a very tough battle at the start. We knew it was going to be challenging. I went to the grid, I looked at my battery level, I had nothing in the tank, I had a bad start and then obviously had some very tough battles with Charles, so I was really happy to cross the finish line.”

This is what it feels like to win the first race of the new F1 era. Russell came in as the bookies’ favorite for the championship in 2026, a tag he wore brilliantly and then went out and justified it on Sunday. He took pole, survived a chaotic early battle with Leclerc, executed a brilliant one-stop strategy and crossed the line 2.9 seconds ahead of his teammate.

“It wasn’t a straight afternoon, but this win feels pretty sweet.”

It was not just a victory. The way Russell managed the threat of Leclerc on those early laps, trading positions, conserving tyres, staying out of trouble, showed maturity. Yes, Mercedes had the faster car, but Russell still had to drive it. He did it.

Winner: Kimi Antonelli | mercedes

Stop and appreciate what this kid did in 48 hours in Melbourne. His car broke down in the final practice session on Saturday morning. Their mechanics had hours to repair it from total damage. He then qualified second, was sent to the stewards twice in separate events, and finished second in the race despite falling to seventh place at the start. He spent the middle of the afternoon methodically picking his way back through traffic.

“It was very intense, I was very nervous, very stressed going into the session because at one point it felt like I couldn’t make it… We couldn’t even set the car, we just walked out of the garage.”

Nineteen years old. 2nd place in its first race of the brand new regulation era. Mercedes has a problem and the problem is that both of their drivers are very, very good.

Winner: Charles Leclerc | ferrari

He made his fourth start. He took the lead after the first corner. It’s not luck, it’s the launch system of the Ferrari SF-26 that is doing something that the rest of the field just can’t match, with a driver who really knows how to exploit it.

Leclerc kept Russell honest for the most part of the 15 laps, trading the lead back and forth in such a way that the grandstands at Albert Park actually went wild. The strategy call that ultimately led to Ferrari’s potential victory was not their fault (that’s a team decision we’ll get to) and third place in a race where Mercedes had a clear performance edge is a result Ferrari can build on.

The car is real. Leclerc is real. The gap exists for Mercedes, but it’s not the kind of gap that helps you reach the white flag.

Winner: Lewis Hamilton ferrari

He started seventh. By the first corner he was in third place. This alone tells you something about where Hamilton is mentally in his second year with Ferrari compared to the toil of 2025.

The strategy that kept him out of the podium picture and staying out during both Virtual Safety Car periods backfired when the Mercedes’ tire life proved unexpectedly long, but Hamilton was hiding nothing after the race.

Hamilton said, “I feel great. I think I could have gone further. I wish the race had been longer. And in five laps or so, I think I could have finished third.” “There are a lot of positives but we have a lot of work to do to catch Mercedes but it is not impossible. I believe we can close the gap.”

That second quote matters. A year earlier, Hamilton was clearly frustrated after races that did not go according to plan. This version sounds like someone who has rediscovered why he does what he does. Ferrari are fourth in Melbourne, a very different position to what the Scuderia were in this time last season.

Loser: Oscar Piastri mclaren

There is no gentle way to write this. Oscar Piastri crashed out of his home race before the formation lap was completed. At Turn 4 he clipped the curb, lost control and that was it. The car crashed into the wall, the home crowd stunned into silence, the start of the season on home soil reduced to zero points.

After qualifying 5th, he was on his way to the grid when he went over the curb too high and collided with the barriers.

It gets even worse when you consider the context. McLaren come into 2026 as the defending constructors’ champions. Dealing with the new regulations will always be a challenge – customer Mercedes power units mean the difference to the works team is real – but losing an Australian driver at his home race before the lights go off is the beginning of one that takes weeks to overcome. Lando Norris finished 5th, which tells the whole story of where McLaren sits right now.

Loser: Ferrari Strategy | ferrari

The car is good. The strategy department had a tough afternoon. When the first Virtual Safety Car came out due to Isak Hadjar’s Red Bull retirement, both Leclerc and Hamilton remained out while Mercedes competed. Ferrari thought it was too early to pursue a one-stop strategy. They were wrong.

Ferrari opted to leave both drivers out. Then, when they finally pitted under normal racing conditions, they lost a large amount of time and so were jumped by Antonelli.

Then a second VSC arrived, and Ferrari could not even take advantage of it because the pit lane entrance was already closed. They went 1-2 and finished 3-4, and that difference seems significant when you’re chasing a team that just executed their pit stop perfectly and went the distance. Ferrari knows this. The team said that after the race they knew where they needed to improve. The car deserves better decisions than it did on Sunday.

Scott Gulbransen, a quintessential expert in the field of sports journalism, serves as an editor, nfl , mlb , Formula 1 … More about Scott Gulbransen