PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 05: Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) skates with the puck during the first period in the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres on March 5, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The NHL has ruled, Evgeni Malkin will be out for the next five games on suspension due to his slash against Rasmus Dahlin.
Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin has been suspended for five games for slashing Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin. https://t.co/CJFhMVuZ9k
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) March 7, 2026
From the league:
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin has been suspended for five games, without pay, for slashing Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin during NHL Game No. 977 in Pittsburgh on Thursday, March 5, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.
The incident occurred at 0:35 of the second period. Malkin was assessed a minor penalty for cross-checking, a major penalty for slashing and a game misconduct.
Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Malkin will forfeit $158,854.15. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Malkin will be eligible to return on the March 16th game against Colorado. He will miss games against four teams in currently in a playoff position (Boston, Carolina, Vegas and Utah) as well as tomorrow’s game against Philadelphia.
In response, the Penguins have recalled forward Ville Koivunen from the AHL on an emergency basis. The Pens also acquired forward Elmer Soderblom at the NHL trading deadline. The team will miss the impact of Malkin, their second-leading scorer this season with 47 points in 46 games, especially while their leading scorer Sidney Crosby continues to rehab an injury suffered at the Olympics. Crosby practiced today and the team has been hopeful he is moving in the direction of a return, though he still figures to be a ways away from the initial four week timeline on an injury suffered just over two weeks ago.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Sydney Shaw hit five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points, Gia Cooke scored 16, and second-seeded West Virginia beat No. 10 seed Arizona State 67-54 on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament.
No. 15 West Virginia (25-6) plays Saturday in the semifinals against the winner between No. 20 Baylor, the No. 3 seed, and sixth-seeded Colorado. The Mountaineers have won 25 games in each of coach Mark Kellogg's first three seasons.
Shaw tied the program record for 3-pointers in a Big 12 Tournament game. Jordan Harrison added 10 points, five assists and three steals for West Virginia.
Marley Washenitz led Arizona State (24-10) with 14 points and Heloisa Carrera scored 10. Gabby Elliott left the game due to an apparent knee injury with 5:33 left in the third quarter but returned to start the fourth and finished with nine points — all in the first half.
Washenitz hit a 3-pointer that capped an 8-0 run to open the fourth quarter and made it 52-50 game with 8:05 left. Shaw answered 30 seconds later with a 3 before Cooke added a putback and — after a steal by Wheeler — another 3 before Shaw hit her final 3-pointer to give West Virginia a 13-point lead with 2:37 to go.
The Sun Devils went scoreless for more than six minutes in the fourth quarter before Carrera hit two free throws that made it 63-52 with 1:48 left.
Up next
West Virginia: Plays in the semifinals Saturday.
Arizona State: Awaits a likely at-large NCAA Tournament berth.
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin is set to miss some very important games.
Malkin has been suspended for five games by the NHL's Department of Player Safety for slashing Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin in the head on Thursday.
The slash came after Malkin took a couple of cross-checks from Dahlin.
This suspension comes at a brutal time for the Penguins, who are in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race and are also without captain Sidney Crosby. Crosby returned to practice on Friday, but he won't play this weekend.
Malkin has been having an outstanding season, compiling 13 goals and 47 points in 46 games.
Despite their best efforts, the Senators were quiet on NHL Trade Deadline Day, but shortly after the deadline passed, the Sens did announce an interesting minor-league deal.
The Senators swapped forwards with the Washington Capitals, acquiring Graeme Clarke, a player with strong local ties. Clarke grew up in Ottawa and spent three seasons in the OHL with the Ottawa 67’s before turning pro.
In return, the Senators are sending the Capitals Wyatt Bongiovanni, Belleville's leading goal scorer last season.
Originally drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the third round (80th overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft, Clarke appeared in three NHL games with the Devils, and his AHL career has taken him to Hershey, Binghamton, Utica, and Iowa.
He was part of those outstanding 67s teams whose Memorial Cup potential was derailed by the COVID shutdown, and represented Canada at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, scoring three points in five games en route to a gold medal.
Clarke's younger brother, Brandt, is a defenseman with the LA Kings, and it was Brandt's emergence last season that made Jordan Spence expendable in LA. Clarke's sister, MacKenzie, plays defense for the St. Lawrence University women’s team.
According to his new team, he may make his Belleville debut on Saturday night, when the Sens host the Comets at CAA Arena.
Clippers center Yanic Konan Niederhauser writhes on the floor after he was injured during a win against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday at Intuit Dome. (Mark J. Terrill/AP)
The 7-foot Swiss center was injured Wednesday night in a 130-107 win against the Indiana Pacers. Niederhauser was diagnosed with a Lisfranc injury in his right foot and will require surgery, the team said. The injury involves damage to the ligaments or bones in the middle of the foot.
Niederhauser averaged 4.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 41 games. After being selected 30th in last year's NBA draft, he began the season in the G League, but after the Clippers traded Ivica Zubac last month, he was earning more minutes.
In his last five games, Niederhauser was shooting 52% from the field and averaging 8.2 points and 6.2 rebounds while playing 18 minutes a game.
RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico (AP) — Chandler Blanchet did more than make his first cut of the year on the PGA Tour. His 5-under 67 on Friday gave him a four-shot lead in the Puerto Rico Open with a pair of teenager and John Daly's son around for the weekend.
Blanchet made birdies on all the par 5s at Grand Reserve and matched the tournament record for largest lead through 36 holes.
Gordon Sargent, one shot off the lead when the day began, shot 70 to fall four back.
Blanchet was at 13-under 131.
“The first part of the season, it’s been difficult, for sure,” Blanchet said. “It’s no fun practicing on Saturday and Sunday and not playing and waiting five days. So will be very happy to play some golf on a Saturday and Sunday this weekend.”
Blades Brown, the 18-year-old who turned pro before graduating high school in January, gets another crack at becoming the youngest PGA Tour winner in 95 years. Brown shot 67 and was tied for third, hoping to build off the experience of playing in the final group with Scottie Scheffler at The American Express last month.
Brown was at 8-under 136 along with Ricky Castillo (68), Jesper Svensson of Sweden (69) and Jeremy Paul of Germany (67).
“Yeah, we're halfway there,” Brown said. “A lot can happen in two days, so I’m excited for the weekend.”
Daly played bogey-free and was six shots out of the lead in a tie for seventh. The Arkansas alum is making his PGA Tour debut.
His father, the two-time major champion, played the Puerto Rico Open six times, making the cut four times with his best finish at tie for 10th in 2015, when his son was 11.
“It’s awesome. This place has always been one of my favorites to come watch my dad play back in the day, so it’s pretty cool to make it to the weekend,” Daly said.
Brown wasn't the only teenager to make the weekend. Miles Russell, the 17-year-old who already has committed to play at Florida State, make his first cut in his fifth PGA Tour start by making birdie from the bunker on his final hole at the par-5 ninth.
The winner gets a spot in The Players Championship next week and the PGA Championship, but not the Masters because it is held opposite the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
John Daly authored one of the more amazing wins when he was the ninth alternate for the 1991 PGA Championship, got in when Nick Price withdrew, and then overwhelmed Crooked Stick with his power to win.
Could another surprise be in the works with his son?
“Honestly, go out there and try to go a low as I can,” Daly said. “I got nothing to lose, so just go out there and have fun and just keep doing what I’m doing.”
The NBA's tanking problem won't be easily solved. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver nevertheless plans to implement potential solutions.
Via Jared Weiss of The Athletic, Silver said Friday at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference the NBA will make “substantial” changes to the NBA draft lottery next year.
Silver mentioned possibilities including disconnecting the draft order from records.
"That would be a major shock to the system," Silver said. "Not to forecast where we’re going, but I’m an incrementalist."
The situation requires something much more than incremental moves. Silver has correctly acknowledged that the current process leads to misaligned incentives. The only way to change that is to make draft order depend on something other than record. A straight lottery with all teams getting one ping-pong ball in the hopper would do that.
The ultimate way to align incentives would be to turn the draft order on its head, giving the champion the first pick and the worst team the last. That would absolutely remove any and all temptations to lose games on purpose.
For the NBA, the problem is that some teams have accepted short-term losing as a cost of long-term business.
“There’s been a destigmatization around certain behaviors and I think that’s a broader societal issue," Silver said. "I think in other aspects of society, the guard rails have come off a little bit."
Adam, please don't blame society for your team's business decisions. Blame your teams for prioritizing getting better players later over winning now.
Still, to the extent that societal expectations have changed, the NBA isn't a follower. It's at the front of the freaking line.
For the NFL, it's important to be thinking of ways to get ahead of the problem before it fully and completely becomes one. If/when the season expands to 18 games, it will only become more likely — and more obvious — when teams choose to engineer a lost season in the direction of a draft-day win.
With the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline officially passed, and two trades made today, the Vancouver Canucks have made a handful of roster moves for logistical purposes. This includes sending Cole Clayton back down to the AHL and assigning Nikita Tolopilo to the Abbotsford Canucks and recalling him on an emergency basis immediately after.
Clayton was called-up by the Canucks yesterday, with this taking place only a day after the team traded Tyler Myers to the Dallas Stars. The same day as Clayton’s call-up, Vancouver also traded Jett Woo to the San Jose Sharks for defenceman Jack Thompson. A depth defenceman acquired in the Kiefer Sherwood trade back in January, Clayton has put up two assists in 16 games with Abbotsford.
Since Vancouver traded both Conor Garland and David Kämpf within the past couple of days, the Canucks will only have access to 12 forwards and six defencemen for tonight’s game.
The roster move involving Tolopilo was done in order to ensure he can play in Abbotsford through the remainder of the season if situations call for it, as after the deadline, AHL teams are not allowed to put NHL players on their roster if they are not already on there. This means today’s move counts solely as a paper transaction, as Tolopilo is expected to start for Vancouver tonight when they take on the Chicago Blackhawks at 5:30 pm PT today.
Feb 25, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN;Vancouver Canucks goaltender Nikita Tolopilo (60) makes a save against Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele (55) during first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Simon Fearn-Imagn Images
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DULUTH, Ga. (AP) — Tajianna Roberts scored 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, Mackenly Randolph had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 12 Louisville beat Syracuse 87-61 on Friday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.
Second-seeded Louisville (26-6) plays the winner between No. 3 seed North Carolina and sixth-seeded Virginia Tech in the semifinals Saturday.
Reyna Scott made 7 of 10 from the field and finished with 15 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Cardinals. Skylar Jones scored 12 while Imari Berry and Laura Ziegler each added 11 points.
Syracuse (23-8), the No. 7 seed, announced before the game that Dominique Darius — who averages 12.6 points and has a team-high 106 assists this season — would miss the rest of the tournament due to a hand injury suffered in the Orange’s 70-59 win over California in the second round.
Uche Izoje had 22 points, 16 in the first half, and nine rebounds for the Orange. Sophie Burrows added 12 points and nine rebounds and Jasmyn Cooper scored 11.
Roberts opened the scoring with a 3-point shot nearly three minutes into the game that sparked a 17-3 run and Louisville led by at least eight points the rest of the way.
The Cardinals made 36 of 68 (56%) from the field and limited Syracuse to 34% (23 of 67) shooting, 4 of 25 (16%) from 3-point range.
Up next
Syracuse: Awaits a likely at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament.
Colton Parayko will remain a member of the St. Louis Blues, now and for the foreseeable future.
But two days ago, things weren't as clear, when news broke that the Blues and Buffalo Sabres had agreed to the framework that would have sent Parayko to the Sabres, for a reported package of 2025 first-round pick, defenseman Radim Mrtka and a first-round pick, as first reported by TSN's Darren Dreger:
But the problem was, is the deal wasn't actually done. Parayko, who has four more years remaining on his contract at a $6.5 million cap hit, has a full no-trade clause this season and for the next two before it fell off to a modified 15-team NTC.
The player had to sign off on the deal first. The information got out first of a done deal before the player signed off, ultimately which Parayko never did when he invoked his clause and chose not to waive:
Tough decision for Parayko. But, his decision was made after a trade agreement between the Sabres and Blues. Players have the right to do this. https://t.co/GPqgQBGuq3
Needless to say, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong, who has always kept this type of information close to his vest, was not thrilled.
"Any time there's a trade leak, I find it very disappointing," Armstrong said after talking about the trades of Brayden Schenn and Justin Faulk on Friday. "For the people that know me, we run a pretty tight ship as far as communication coming in and out. We did some due diligence as soon as that happened. We checked the phone records of all of our staff, texts and emails and everybody passed the test, not surprisingly. So I was disappointed it got out. I know it didn't come from us."
And just like the Torey Krug situation of 2023 when he invoked his NTC ad vetoed a potential trade to the Philadelphia Flyers, there could be some awkwardness now between the organization and Parayko. But as Armstrong said, this is all business, and since Parayko exercised his right to remain in a city he loves, there's no ill will.
"I don't spend a lot of time on trades that didn't happen. Players negotiate their trade right based on their status on the team and in the league and some players have full no-trade clauses, some players have partial no-trade clauses," Armstrong said. "The Blues are at the lower end at the full no-trade clauses and right about the middle of the no-trade partials combined. We're an average team to sign those players to provide those types of guarantees. I respect when players ... if they decide to invoke the right that they've earned, that's great and that means they want to be here and that's exciting. We've asked players to waive, like Brayden Schenn. With the direction that we were going and the way we explained it to him, he was excited for a new opportunity to go to an upstart Islander team with the most exciting young player with Schaefer and Celebrini, these are the next generation of stars and he has an opportunity to play with him."
And now Parayko will get to usher in the next generation of Blues.
It's a topic that can always be broached again, but at least for now, Parayko's 11-year career in St. Louis continues, and rightfully so.
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Mar 5, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) talks with guard Amen Thompson (1) during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Houston Rockets vs Portland Trail Blazers
March 6, 2026
Location: Toyota Center — Houston, Texas
TV:Space City Home Network
Radio:KBME Sports Talk 790
Online: Rockets App, SCHN+
Time: 7:00 CST
Probable Starting Lineups
Rockets: Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun
Boston, MA - March 4: Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum applauds from the bench in the second quarter. The Celtics played the Charlotte Hornets at TD Garden on March 4, 2026. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
BOSTON — Jayson Tatum will start for the first time this season as he makes his debut against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night. Tatum will start alongside Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser, and Neemias Queta.
Baylor Scheierman, who has been the Celtics’ starter over the past few weeks, will move to the bench.
Tonight's Celtics starters:
Derrick White Jaylen Brown Sam Hauser Jayson Tatum Neemias Queta
Joe Mazzulla confirmed that Tatum will start pregame, though he normally wouldn’t unveil that kind of information beforehand.
“Don’t ever say I don’t do anything nice for you guys,” Mazzulla said with a half-smile, insinuating it was a rare occasion in which he was willing to share information with reporters before game time.
Mazzulla did not say whether Tatum would be on a minutes restriction.
Tatum has previously shared the floor with all four other starters, although there will be an inevitable adjustment period to playing with this current iteration of the Celtics.
”I have no idea what it’s gonna look like,” said Derrick White on Thursday afternoon. “He hasn’t played in a really long time, and we all hope it’s the best thing in the world — but there’s gonna be ups, and there’s gonna be downs.”
Jaylen Brown addressed Jayson Tatum’s return for the first time
Brown confirmed Tatum was returning on Friday in an appearance on the “Cousins with Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady” Podcast.
“First, I want to commend JT for taking that notion and be like I want to come back,” Brown said. “Him even wanting to come back is an unselfish act, putting potentially his body on the line in order for us to accomplish something great. We both are on the same page; we had a good talk today about what we want. We talked about just the mindset that we both want to come back and add to winning.”
Jaylen Brown confirms Jayson Tatum will make his return to the Celtics TONIGHT. 🔥🍀 pic.twitter.com/yiRfUoSWpm
— Cousins with Vince Carter & Tracy McGrady (@VinceAndTmac) March 6, 2026
“We have a great understanding of what it means to win,” Brown said. “We’ve won for a long time. We know how to find success. We’re on the same page.”
Currently in third place in the Atlantic Division, the Detroit Red Wings have put themselves in a position to be buyers at the NHL Trade Deadline for the first time in a decade.
Friday afternoon marked the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, and after the dust had completely settled, the Red Wings made a series of moves that they feel put them in an ideal position to move closer to clinching a postseason berth.
Filling a need on the blue line, the Red Wings acquired veteran defenseman Justin Faulk from the St. Louis Blues. In return, they sent prospect forward Dmitri Buchelnikov, depth defenseman Justin Holl, a first-round selection, and the San Jose Sharks’ third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
Earlier in the day, the Red Wings acquired that Sharks draft pick from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Elmer Soderblom, whose tenure with Detroit is now over.
Hours earlier on Trade Deadline eve, the Red Wings added depth to their forward group by reacquiring veteran David Perron, who played two seasons in Detroit from 2022 through 2024, from the Ottawa Senators for a conditional 2026 fourth-round draft pick.
While Faulk is expected to join the Red Wings in time to face the New Jersey Devils on Sunday evening in New Jersey, Perron, who underwent sports hernia surgery in January, isn't ready to make his Detroit debut for what will be the second time in his NHL career.
Speaking with media members on Friday afternoon, Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman said the club is fully aware of David Perron’s injury and expected recovery timeline, indicating he should be ready to return in approximately two weeks.
"We know exactly what David's injury is, we know exactly where he is in his rehab, and we anticipate him (being) 14 days away, roughly, from playing," Yzerman said of Perron. "Obviously, we're comfortable doing that and making this trade with him."
Perron instantly became one of the veteran leaders in the dressing room when he first arrived in Detroit during the 2022 offseason, and those traits will only benefit Detroit as they look to return to the playoffs.
“He brings a lot to the table," Yzerman said. "We had him before, and he brought a lot to our team on and off the ice. And in 14 days, we think we'll be back. Setbacks can happen; there is some risk to acquiring a player that is on IR, even a healthy guy could step on the ice tonight and get hurt.
But we know exactly where he's at in his rehab, we know the procedure, and we expect him to be at 100 percent in approximately two weeks. We're okay with it.”
While the Red Wings were rumored for weeks to be in the mix for other NHL forwards, including Vincent Trocheck (New York Rangers), Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks), and Robert Thomas (St. Louis Blues), the asking price and need for his club didn't match Yzerman's vision.
“I can't comment on other teams' players, but I would say for what we felt our needs were, we talked to every team that had players with our needs, and talked about the possibility of a deal, explored trades, what the fits were, what we were willing to do," Yzerman explained of his interest level in additional forward help. "Sometimes, there's just no fit in what the other team was looking for; we didn't have that."
Others, the deal just wouldn't work," he continued. "So, safe to say, all of our needs, we talk to every team that has those types of players, and were willing to move them.”
Ultimately, Thomas, Pettersson, and Trocheck were not moved by their respective teams and remain in place.
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MADRID (AP) — Spanish soccer team Celta Vigo is desperately seeking Madonna as it goes in search of a 36-year-old soccer shirt the pop star wore during a 1990 concert at its Balaidos stadium.
Madonna appeared on stage wearing the club's true blue colours during her Blonde Ambition tour in July 1990.
She delighted locals who claimed the material girl as one of their own and brought unexpected attention to defender Jose Manuel Espinosa, whose No. 5 shirt she wore.
However, the whereabouts of the cherished garment are unknown and, after searching fruitlessly for decades, Celta is asking the 67-year-old Madonna to help find it for the club's archive.
“Although ours was not the only football shirt you ever wore on stage, this iconic image has grown to shine differently as years have passed,” Celta president Marián Mouriño Terrazo wrote in an open letter to the American icon.
“Over time we came to better understand what you stood for back then: questioning established norms and standing up to those who try to tell you what you can or cannot do. At our club we recognise ourselves in this line of thought. That is why we hold on to the hope of finding the garment you once wore.
“Do you have it? If you know where it may be, or if you would like to join us in the search to retrieve it, please contact us via private message.”
The appeal caused a commotion on social media after it was published on Wednesday and the club doubled down before Friday's 2-1 home league defeat by Real Madrid, playing Madonna’s songs before kickoff and putting her picture on the field and on social media.
Mouriño Terrazo told local media he was hopeful the repercussions would reach the pop star.
“I imagine that the letter reached Madonna and that she will reply,” he said.
Madonna burst on the scene in 1983 with the hit Holiday and followed that with a run of top-10 hits that included “Like a Virgin”,” Papa Don’t Preach” and “Ray of Light.”
She remains one of the most successful recording artists in history.
Injury-hit Real Madrid snatch victory at Celta Vigo
Bayern Munich extend their lead at top of Bundesliga
Monaco opened up the Ligue 1 title race by inflicting a first home defeat of the season on the defending champions, Paris Saint-Germain on Friday night.
Maghnes Akliouche had Monaco ahead at half-time, with Aleksandr Golovin and Folarin Balogun scoring after the break for the visitors, while Bradley Barcola grabbed a consolation for PSG, who are still four points clear of second-placed Lens in the standings. Lens, however, have a chance to cut into that lead when they host bottom-placed Metz on Sunday.
