Lakers experience Groundhog Day in Game 3 loss to Thunder

May 9, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) reacts after not getting a foul call on Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) in the first half of game three of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

It was deja vu all over again for the Lakers on Saturday as they battled early, led at halftime and lost in a blowout to the Thunder in Game 3, 131-108. LA now trails the series 3-0.

The purple and gold used red-hot shooting in the first half to hold a 59-57 lead at the break. But just as they did in the two prior games, OKC turned it up to a level in the second half that the Lakers couldn’t match.

Ajay Mitchell took over in the fourth to bury a clearly exhausted LA side, who looked out of gas and out of answers.

The Thunder jumped to a quick lead. Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein combined for eight points. LA responded by tying the game behind Rui Hachimura and Marcus Smart 3-pointers. LeBron James and Deandre Ayton both had two points as well. 

OKC was winning the points in the paint battle early, 10-4. 

Austin Reaves was off to a slow start, missing all four of his shot attempts. Hachimura, however, continued his incredible shooting from behind the arc, draining yet another triple. Los Angeles was struggling mightily on defense, leaving shooters wide open and giving players easy paths to the rim. 

At the 3:57 mark, the Thunder were up by seven. 

Cason Wallace splashed two 3-pointers that helped OKC get a double-digit lead. Hachimura nailed another three as well, giving him nine points for the game so far. The purple and gold cut the deficit to six at the end of the first. 

Luke Kennard and Reaves both knocked down 3-pointers early in the second quarter. Jared McCain’s instant offense continued with a triple of his own.

Holmgren had an easy time making shots in the paint, scoring six more points. LeBron and Hachimura both knocked down 3-pointers, forcing an OKC timeout.

LeBron tied the game with a 3-pointer out of the break. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander responded with a triple on the other end before LA responded to jump ahead by four. SGA helped erase that deficit fast, but the Lakers held on to lead by two at halftime. 

Lu Dort opened the third period with a 3-pointer for the Thunder. Deandre Ayton responded on the other end with a shot in the paint. The offense was strong for both teams, as they traded baskets until OKC went up by seven. 

Ayton had been keeping Los Angeles in it with six points in this quarter. 

Oklahoma City was on an 11-2 scoring run. The Lakers started piling the turnovers and were now at 12 for the game. LeBron stopped some of the bleeding with a midrange jumper. 

Kennard and Hachimura combined for five points to help keep the team in it. 

The Thunder kept hitting back at full force, keeping their lead in double figures with 3:11 left in the quarter. Reaves was up to five turnovers. Marcus Smart and Adou Thiero put in great minutes to make it a single-digit deficit until Isaiah Joe responded with back-to-back threes, which gave Oklahoma City a lead of 11 at the end of the third. 

Hartenstein had two easy opportunities in the paint for four quick points to start the final frame. LeBron scored four points, trying to help the Lakers inch closer to make it a game, but they still had an uphill climb as they were down by 12. 

Oklahoma City’s offense was proving to be too much again as LA just didn’t have enough to firepower to match the Thunder’s depth, led by Ajay Mitchell. The Thunder blew the game open, as they did in the preceding games, before the two sides emptied their benches in the final minutes

Key Player Stats

LeBron finished with 19 points, six rebounds and eight assists. Hachimura ended with 21 points, five rebounds and four assists. Reaves pitched in with 17 points and nine assists.

Kennard had 18 points off the bench. Ayton logged 10 points with six rebounds. Smart scored 10 points with three rebounds. Adou Thiero played rotation minutes and had a chaotic outing, finishing with four points and eight rebounds in 13 minutes.

Game 4 will be on Monday against the Oklahoma City Thunder at 7:30 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.

Yankees waste Schlittler’s gem, fall to Brewers in extras

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MAY 09: Brice Turang #2 of the Milwaukee Brewers slides safely into home plate past the tag of Austin Wells #28 of the New York Yankees to tie the game in the eighth inning against the New York Yankees at American Family Field on May 09, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images

On Friday night in Milwaukee, the Yankees were shut down by Brewers’ phenom pitcher Jacob Misiorowski to spectacular effect. On Saturday, it was the Yankees’ turn to throw their young star, and he was quite good himself. Cam Schlittler ended up going six innings, for the Yankees, allowing no runs on just two hits. He even came back from taking a line drive off the leg to put in another excellent outing.

It’s just that the rest of the team didn’t pull their collective weight. The Yankees managed just three runs on Saturday, despite seven hits and seven walks. However, they twice held late leads, as they were ahead in both the eighth and tenth innings. The bullpen couldn’t close things out either though, as they dropped a frustrating one to the Brewers, 4-3 in 10 innings.

Before the frustration, the game started on a pretty decent note. It took just one batter for the Yankees to surpass their run total from Friday night. On the second pitch of the game, Paul Goldschmidt took Kyle Harrison deep to give the Yankees a good start.

In the bottom of the first, there was a scary moment as Cam Schlittler took a comeback liner off the calf, causing him to limp around for a bit. After the trainer came out to look at him and some practice pitches, he remained in and struck out Jake Bauers.

The Yankees picked up a second run in the fourth inning, although it was a missed chance at even more. Amed Rosario and Jazz Chisholm Jr. opened the inning with hits, giving the Yankees runners at the corner, with a José Caballero walk then loading the bases. However, Harrison got the next two outs, leaving the inning up to Goldschmidt. The first baseman picked up another RBI after Luis Rengifo couldn’t handle his liner at third, giving Goldschmidt an RBI single. The Yankees couldn’t tack on any more in the inning, though.

After Schlittler left the game, it didn’t take long for Milwaukee to get on the board. On the very first pitch reliever Brent Headrick threw in the seventh inning, Bauers crushed a homer into the second deck in right field, cutting into the Yankees’ lead. Headrick came back after that to get through the seventh and the first out of the eighth. Camilo Doval replaced Headrick and got the second out of the seventh before Brice Turang kept the inning alive with a single. Turang then stole second and you knew what was coming after that. William Contreras dropped a single into left field and Turang just beat Cody Bellinger’s throw home, tying the game up. With little room for error, David Bednar came out and threw a nice 1-2-3 inning on just 12 pitches, sending the game to extras.

It seemed like the Yankees would then go down pretty quickly in order in the 10th. Ben Rice and Bellinger couldn’t do anything with the auto-runner at second, with Aaron Judge getting intentionally walked, as is custom. However, McMahon, having come in earlier for Rosario as a defensive replacement, poked a single up the middle to give the Yankees the lead back. Judge would get caught in a rundown after the run scored and the throw home was cut off to end the inning though, and the Yankees would regret missing out on the chance to get insurance runs.

For the bottom of the 10th, the Yankees turned to Fernando Cruz. He got off to a rocky start, as a wild pitch moved the runner up, and he then issued a walk. While a fly out ended up keeping the runner in place in the next at-bat, a Jackson Chourio grounder left Caballero with no play, tying the game back up.

The Yankees then went to Tim Hill, who immediately got a ground ball. However for whatever reason, Hill tried to go to third to get the lead runner. His throw hit Rengifo, the runner, allowing everyone to be safe. Hill then finally did get the second out, but it was a Contreras fly out to right that was deep enough for Aaron Judge’s throw home to be a couple steps late. You can somewhat chalk up Friday’s loss as just running into a freak of nature. Harrison and the pitchers Milwaukee used on Saturday are all pretty good, but the Yankees wasted this one.

Tomorrow, the Yankees and Brewers will wrap up their series with one final game in Milwaukee. It’s also a notable one for the Yankees especially, as Carlos Rodón will make his return from the injured list, opposite Logan Henderson for the Brewers. First pitch in that one will be at 2:10 pm ET.

Box score

On This Day: Steve Yzerman Scores On His Birthday Vs. Blues

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Former Detroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman, one of the most legendary figures not only in the history of Motor City hockey but in the NHL, celebrates his birthday today. 

And it was on this day in 2002 that it was made extra special thanks to a gift served up to him by St. Louis Blues goaltender Brent Johnson. 

The Red Wings were in the midst of a second round series against the St. Louis Blues, leading two games to one. 

After initially falling behind by a 1-0 score thanks to a power-play goal from Scott Young, Detroit rebounded with three straight goals from Brendan Shanahan, Jiri Fischer, and Tomas Holmstrom. 

In the third period, Johnson caught a dump-in attempt and tried the clear the puck himself, unaware that Yzerman was barreling down on him.

The puck deflected off Yzerman and into the net, giving his team a commanding 4-1 lead. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest newsgame-day coverage, and player features

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The Red Wings withstood a late comeback effort from the Blues, winning the game 4-3 and taking a 3-1 series they'd later close out in Detroit in Game 5 at Joe Louis Arena.

The series win set up a date with the rival Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final. 

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Knicks Notes: How Karl-Anthony Towns unlocked Mike Brown's 'equal opportunity' offense

Karl-Anthony Towns was in foul trouble early in Game 3. He played just 10 minutes in the first half and 25 minutes overall. But that was more than enough time for Towns to hurt the Sixers with his passing.

The All-Star center finished with seven assists in Game 3 -- six coming in the second half. It was the continuation of a remarkable passing stretch for Towns. The big man is averaging 7.7 assists in the Knicks' six-game winning streak. That's more than double his average in the opening three games against the Hawks (3.3); it's also more than double his regular-season average (3.0).

Some may be surprised by his passing. He is not.

"I feel like I've always had this my whole career," Towns said after Game 3 on Friday. "It's just I never had the opportunity to utilize that skill set. It's being utilized. My teammates have been in great positions for me to find them when they're open."

Mike Brown and the Knicks decided to use Towns as a passer on the perimeter starting in Game 4 against the Hawks. That adjustment is one of the reasons why New York has run off six consecutive wins with a 25.8-point average margin of victory. And it's one of the reasons why the Knicks are one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Knicks trailed the Hawks, 2-1, when they first implemented the changes.

"The real change for us came before Game 4 in Atlanta," Towns said. "That's when we really changed our offense. It's been great. It's been something I’ve talked about for a lot of the season, to feel like we can help our guys (on offense) more. We made the right moves."

Towns knows that the Knicks have more work to do. He and his teammates have talked about staying in the moment as they look to close out Philly. But the Knicks may have missed this moment without those offensive adjustments.

"It was the perfect time for all of us to really get on the same accord," Towns said. "There's no better time to be playing your best basketball than right now. So shout out to Mike and really the whole coaching staff for putting us in the best position to succeed."

May 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) controls the ball against Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the first quarter of game one of the eastern conference semifinal round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
May 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) controls the ball against Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the first quarter of game one of the eastern conference semifinal round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / © Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The changes were a product of conversations among Brown, his staff and the players.

"I feel like we all had an opinion and we were able to figure out what was best for our team, especially in a spot like that -- down 2-1," Towns said. "I had my opinion. I feel like we've done a great job adjusting to have all of us be our best."

If you go back to Game 4, the Knicks have the No. 1 offense among playoff teams in that span. They also have the second-best defense. In their opening three games, the Knicks ranked sixth in offense and seventh in defense among playoff teams.

Brown calls it an "equal opportunity" offense.

"Anybody can be in any position," he said Friday before Game 3. "Anybody can set screens. Anybody can initiate it, but it's going to take some time to expand on it."

The Knicks are "just scratching the surface" of what they want to implement on offense, Brown said.

They obviously don't have much time left in the season to make significant changes. NBA teams don't practice at this time of year. So maybe the Knicks can make some small changes here or there.

But in a big-picture sense, Brown believes Knicks are just "scratching the surface" on their offensive potential.

"What we're doing now, I think, can have great carryover next year and down the line because we'd be able to expand on it the right way through a training camp," Brown said.

May 8, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) shoots against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter of game three of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
May 8, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) shoots against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter of game three of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / © Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

BUILDING BRIDGES

Brown appreciates Mikal Bridges' ability to impact games in ways that may go unnoticed by the casual observer. What does Brown mean by that?

"One of the things is his ability to run, both directions," he said of Bridges. "I mean, he runs like a deer. His game is beautiful, which makes him fast, and it doesn't even look like it. (He) puts a lot of pressure on the defense because of his ability to run. He's got a good feel for what his pace needs to be in half court; he'll sprint into a ball screen and slip out. And when he slips out, he slips with vision.

"And the ball may not go to him for a score or for an assist, but when you generate something like that with pace and you're a threat to slip because you can score from the medium range or get to the rim, the defense has to (adjust). When the defense (adjusts), it opens up other opportunities for your teammates. And then he's always uplifting. He's extremely positive with his teammates.

"Those things are just a few of the things that go unnoticed to others throughout courses of games and throughout the course of year and we appreciate when he brings those to the table."

HART PLAYING THROUGH DISCOMFORT

Josh Hart suffered a sprained left thumb in Game 2 against Philadelphia. He played in Game 3 but will be playing through some discomfort in the thumb for the rest of the season. He said he had an X-ray during Game 2 and he learned he hadn’t broken his thumb. So he returned to the game, finishing out the Knicks' home win.

"It's something I'll revisit in the offseason," Hart said before Game 3. "There's people that played through this."

Hart pointed to Kyle Lowry, Philadelphia's veteran point guard, who did so while leading the Toronto Raptors to a 2019 NBA Finals win.

"They got someone on their team who played through it and won a championship," Hart said. "So it's something that's doable."

Ric Flair takes another shot at injured Luka Doncic during Lakers game

Ric Flair just took another shot at Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic.

With the Lakers trying to avoid an 0-3 deficit against the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals, the WWE Hall of Famer took to X yet again to voice his frustration — and direct it towards the injured superstar.

"@lukadoncic, There Is Only One Word That I Can Possibly Say, And That’s DISAPPOINTED," Flair wrote. "46 Million Dollars, And You Can’t Play. OMG, I Would Jump Off The Empire State Building With A Parachute For 46 Million Dollars A Year, And I Don’t Even Know How To Pull The Cord To Open It- But I Would Take My Chances."

Doncic has been sidelined with a grade 2 left hamstring strain since April 2 and recently revealed that he was originally given an eight-week timeline, which would mean a return isn't likely until the end of the Western Conference finals, should the Lakers get there. Doncic did travel to Spain to undergo platelet-rich plasma injections — a non-surgical treatment that uses a sample of the patient's own blood to accelerate healing in joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles, according to Johns Hopkins medicine — in hopes to accelerate his recovery, though he is proceeding under the original eight-week timeline for the time being.

This is the second time this series that Flair has called out Doncic over social media. He previously wrote, "Luka, Please Get In The Game! Take A Shot Of Cortisone And Deal With The Pain! They Are Paying You 50 Million A Year, And You’re Not There! WTF! I Hope @JeanieBuss Trades You Next Year. Nobody Wants A Lame Duck On Their Team!" during the Lakers' 107-90 loss to OKC in Game 1 on Tuesday.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ric Flair takes another shot at injured Luka Doncic

White Sox right the ship against Mariners in 6-1 win

May 9, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas (20) watches his solo home run against the Seattle Mariners during the fifth inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Miguel Vargas notched his eighth and ninth dingers of the season in tonight’s ballgame. | (Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images)

Ending their short-lived losing streak, the Chicago White Sox tied the series against the Seattle Mariners with a 6-1 win, and the longball got the job done.

Sam Antonacci led off the ballgame with an opposite-field single to left-center, and his heart-and-hustle nature paved way for a stolen base and an aggressive tag from second to third on a Munetaka Murakami fly to right. With two outs and two strikes, Colson Montgomery faced his Achilles heel of a pitch, but took that up-and-in fastball to the left field bleachers to make it 2-0, Sox. Montgomery entered the double-digit club with his 10th homer, is up to 28 RBIs, and extended his on-base streak to 21 games:

After wreaking havoc on the basepaths, Antonacci kept that same energy in the outfield. With two outs in the second inning, Superman Sam stole a base hit to end the frame:

I cannot overstate how impressive Sam has been in left field. Heading into today’s game, he’s played only 19 MLB games in left field (144 innings) and just 10 extra games in the minors (100 innings). This compares to more than 1,030 innings in the infield throughout his professional career, with the majority at second base. And yet, he’s making routine and not-so-routine plays in left look so easy at the highest level of play.

Mirroring the first inning and in the game of Sam, Antonacci wore a hit-by-pitch to make way for Miguel Vargas to mash the second two-run homer of the ballgame and his eighth of the year:

Although he still hasn’t pitched into the sixth inning since early April, Anthony Kay had the start that he and the Sox needed. Notching a full five innings, Kay gave up just one unearned run via the sacrifice fly after a Murakami error, allowed only three hits, walked two batters and struck out five.

The Good Guys drove Luis Castillo out of the ballgame after four innings. Although he allowed four earned runs and five hits, he did strike out six and walked zero batters. However, the two home run balls plagued what otherwise would have been a bounce-back start.

In the bottom of the fifth with Josh Simpson on the mound, Vargas worked an 11-pitch at-bat ending in his second blast of the ballgame at 112.9 mph and a 5-1 Sox lead!

Grant Taylor took over pitching responsibilities in the sixth and seventh innings. He sat down Seattle’s core —Julio Rodríguez, Josh Naylor and Randy Arozarena — 1-2-3 while notching a couple of strikeouts and a ground out in his second inning of work.

Heading into the eighth, yesterday’s birthday boy Bryan Hudson handled some adversity when Naylor’s foul ball was overturned to fair, which put runners on the corners with two outs. However, Hudson hunkered down to strike out Arozarena at the plate to escape the inning and extend his own scoreless streak to 15 innings.

Looking for an insurance run in their half of the eighth, Chase Meidroth recorded his first hit of the night off the first pitch he saw, a double down the left field line. Jarred Kelenic followed with a walk, and Tristan Peters moved up both runners to second and third with a sacrifice bunt.

Randal Grichuk, once my enemy for his anti-bat flips stance during Tim Anderson’s reign, was hit on his toe to load the bases. To my dismay, after some miscommunication in the outfield, Edgar Quero was looking at an RBI single, but Grichuk, taking only a modest step toward second — even with no one covering the first base bag in case a catch was made — was forced out. Fortunately, the run scored for a 6-1 ballgame, but via a fielder’s choice variety.

Locking down the win was Tyler Schweitzer, recently recalled to fill Jordan Leasure’s spot in the bullpen. The southpaw put up a 1-2-3 ninth to secure the Sox victory, tying the series at one!

The White Sox improve to 18-21 while the Mariners fall to 19-21. Tomorrow’s rubber match begins at 1:10 p.m. CT on CHSN and ESPN 1000 radio.

Happy Mother’s Day!

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Three Senators Prospects Taking Centre Stage In 2026 OHL Final

Senators fans who like to keep tabs on their team's prospect pipeline will find plenty to watch in this year’s OHL Final between the Barrie Colts and Kitchener Rangers.

That's because three of them are Senators prospects, all playing big roles for their teams. The Rangers have forward Luke Ellinas (#104 overall 2024 NHL Draft) and defenseman Matthew Andonovski #140 overall 2023 NHL Draft, while on the Colts' side, it's defenseman Gabriel Elliason (#39 overall 2024 NHL Draft).

The 21-year-old Andonovski made headlines on Friday night with the game-winning overtime goal to give Kitchener a 4-3 victory and a 2-0 series lead. After battling injuries in AHL Belleville, Andonovski was sent back to junior in January to get some playing time.

THN's Steve Warne talks with Drake Batherson about his contractual status.

Since returning, he's shown a little more offensive swagger in his game with 14 points in 24 games to close the regular season and 7 points in 16 playoff games.

Ellinas is a 20-year-old forward who's played three seasons with the Rangers and seems to save his best for the playoffs. But this season has felt like a replay of the Josh Norris story.

Ellinas had offseason shoulder surgery in 2025, but just six games into his return last fall, he hurt the shoulder again and missed the rest of the regular season. He just returned for Kitchener's clinching game in the Conference Final and has played the first two games of the OHL Final. He has 3 points in his 3 playoff games.

Talk about going 0 to 60.

"It was definitely a lot of fun," Ellinas said in an interview posted on the OHL Facebook page. "I wanted to get back all year. So to be able to do that was a lot of fun, especially in such big games like this."

After the season he's had, the Senators probably just have their fingers crossed that Ellinas, who signed his ELC last summer, can get through this playoff run in one piece. Ellinas likes to play the game with some edge, and if he's going to do that at the next level, he'll need health and a full summer of training to prepare for it.

And speaking of edge, that brings us to 6-foot-7 Gabriel Elliason. Elliason signed his three-year, entry-level contract with the Senators, set to start in this fall.

Eliasson has spent the past two seasons with the Barrie Colts, a team I'm hesitant to write about because "nobody cares, work harder." The big man had eight points in 61 regular-season games, so he's clearly more of a shutdown defenseman who uses his incredible reach and physical play to make life miserable for opponents.

And he plays with such a chip on his shoulder that part of his focus this season was dialling it back and picking his spots a little better. He still led the OHL in penalty minutes (122) this year, but only because Andonovski, the 2024-25 OHL PIMS leader, played a partial season.

On Friday night, in the 35th OHL playoff game of his career, Eliasson recorded his first-ever OHL playoff point, drawing an assist in Game 2.

“Gabriel’s game has matured since we drafted him,” GM Steve Staios said in a club press release in March. “We’ve been pleased with his development, and his character and work ethic fit in perfectly with the team we’re building.”

The OHL final resumes Sunday night in Barrie (6 pm) with the hometown Colts down 0-2 and in a must-win situation.

But soon, when the dust settles on this battle and the season, it won't be long before these three young men are all pulling on the same rope together in Belleville this fall.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News

This article was first published at The Hockey News Ottawa. Check out more great Sens features from The Hockey News at the links below:  

Batherson Wide Open To Signing Extension: 'Ottawa Feels Like Home'
Dylan Cozens Will Represent Canada At World Championships Next Week
Will The Senators Re-Sign 38-Year-old UFA Claude Giroux?
Halliday Reacts To New Deal With Ottawa: 'Super Excited I Got A Chance'
Another NHL Chance For Former Senators GM Pierre Dorion?

Blake’s overtime goal lifts the Hurricanes 3-2 over the Flyers for their second playoff series sweep

NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-Carolina Hurricanes at Philadelphia Flyers

May 9, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Carolina Hurricanes right wing Jackson Blake (53) controls the puck during the second period against Philadelphia Flyers in game four of the second round of the 2026 Stanely Cup Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images

James Lang-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA — Jackson Blake scored 5:28 into overtime for his second of the game, Logan Stankoven also scored in regulation and the Carolina Hurricanes finished a four-game sweep with a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight season.

Frederik Andersen made 15 saves for Carolina, which has not lost in eight playoff games.

Alex Bump and Tyson Foerster scored for the Flyers.

Taylor Hall and Jaccob Slavin assisted the winning goal.

Dan Vladar stopped 37 shots for Philadelphia.

Carolina will play the winner of Buffalo and Montreal in the Eastern Conference finals after the NHL’s first 8-0 start in the playoffs since 1985.

The Hurricanes, who reached the Eastern Conference finals for the third time in four years, are looking for their first Stanley Cup since 2006. Carolina is the 24th team in league history to win eight or more consecutive games during a playoff run. Eighteen of them have won the Stanley Cup.

Philadelphia scored just five goals over the four games.

Bump scored 5:52 into the third period to tie the game at 2-2.

Stankoven’s seventh tally of the playoffs 4:13 into the third period gave Carolina a 2-1 lead after he finished a beautiful cross-ice pass from Hall with a one-timer from just outside of the crease. Philadelphia evened the score 1:39 later when Bump shot past Andersen’s glove side from the slot after a setup from Travis Konecny from behind the net.

Blake tied it at 1-1 with 7:25 remaining in the second when his wrist shot from along the boards caromed off Philadelphia defenseman Jamie Drysdale and past Vladar. It appeared as if Carolina went in front just 28 seconds later when Mark Jankowski beat Vladar, but the goal was overturned following a challenge by Flyers coach Rick Tocchet when officials ruled that Carolina’s William Carrier interfered with Vladar.

The Flyers had a pair of good chances late in the period to take the lead but could not convert. The best opportunity came in the final seconds of the period when Christian Dvorak’s wrist shot from close range went off the post on Andersen’s glove side.

Carolina finished regulation with a 36-15 advantage in shots.

Russian winger Matvei Michkov was a healthy scratch for the Flyers. Michkov, 23, was the No. 7 overall pick in 2023 by Philadelphia and was heralded as an important piece for the rebuilding franchise’s future. But the right wing has struggled thus far in his first playoff experience, garnering one point while accumulating a minus-3 in eight games. It is the second time he has been a healthy scratch this postseason, following Game 5 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round.

Sinkers sink Mariners in 6-1 loss to White Sox

CHICAGO, IL - MAY 09: A general view of the video board as Rick Rizzs is honored during the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on Saturday, May 9, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Kyle Sheridan/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

After a 12-run explosion yesterday, the Mariners couldn’t summon up a ton of offense, and their pitchers gave up three homers in a 6-1 loss against the White Sox.

Luis Castillo couldn’t wiggle out of some first-inning trouble after giving up a leadoff single to Sam Antonacci on a fastball that came in at 95 but right on the plate. Castillo was a pitch away from getting out of it when Colton Montgomery turned on a fastball in his lefty loop zone, squeaking it just 367 feet over the right field fence for a 2-0 lead the White Sox would never surrender.

Meanwhile, the Mariners couldn’t solve Anthony Kay’s changeup. He struck out three hitters on the pitch in the first two innings alone, while throwing a bunch of other soft stuff that the Mariners hitters just couldn’t make solid contact on. They got a little something going in the top of the third, getting two runners on without a hit, but couldn’t convert the gifts of free baserunners.

Castillo gave up his own gift in the bottom of the inning, grazing Sam Antonacci in a two-strike count and serving Miguel Vargas a first-pitch sinker right on the plate that he yanked into center field for another two-run homer. Castillo settled after that, limiting the damage to the two two-run homers, although with a little help from Cole Young:

The Mariners finally got a run back in the fifth, again without a hit: Mitch Garver led off with a walk, and Young reached on a fielding error by Munetaka Murakami. Leo Rivas sac bunted the two over into scoring position, which, sure, and Rob Refsnyder got the job done with a sac fly. That brought up Cal Raleigh who, to his credit, battled Kay for seven pitches but ultimately took a called strike three, fooled on a sinker that wound up right on the plate.

The White Sox then immediately took that run back, again with two outs, as Vargas – again – won an 11-pitch standoff with Josh Simpson, homering on yet another sinker that got too much plate. Sinkers are stinkers.

From there it was a bullpen battle for both teams. The Mariners threw the B-side of their bullpen: following Simpson was Nick Davila, who gave up a double but worked a scoreless bottom of the sixth, and José Suarez made his Mariners debut in the seventh, working around some trouble from a single and a walk but not able to get out of the eighth cleanly, striking out the side but also loading the bases on a hit and two walks and giving up the lone non-homer run for the White Sox. The White Sox bullpen fared much better, throwing four scoreless innings with an additional four strikeouts to add to Kay’s five. The Mariners will try it again tomorrow to secure a second series win in a row.

Dustin May’s Great Start, Bad Ending as Padres Beat Cardinals 4-2

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 09: Dustin May #3 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches during the first inning of a game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on May 09, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Dustin May had a great start to the game not allowing a hit to the San Diego Padres until the bottom of the 5th inning, but that’s when the wheels came off the no-hit wagon. The Padres would eventually outslug the Cardinals 4-2 Saturday night.

The bats of both the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres were quiet until the top of the 4th inning when Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman hit back-to-back singles. After Masyn Winn hit into a double play, Nathan Church belted a gap double to left center to score Walker and give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.

Dustin May’s strong start did not end well. He didn’t allow a hit until the bottom of the 5th inning, but that first hit left the park as Ty France tied the game with his solo blast.

May then walked the next batter Song. Fermin singled moving Song up to second base. Two batters later, Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a bloop single that scored both runners giving the Padres a 3-1 lead. Dustin May did give the Cardinals a quality start by definition as he completed 6 innings allowing only 3 hits, but only 2 earned runs as Fermin had advanced to second on a passed ball against Pedro Pagés. May also struck out 7 while only walking 2.

Stop me if you’ve heard me say this before, but the St. Louis Cardinals were not done. In the top of the 8th inning, JJ Wetherholt was barely grazed by a pitch, but it counted which resulted in him on base again. Ivan Herrera then jumped on an inside pitch from reliever Morejon drilling it down the third base line scoring Wetherholt all the way from first base cutting into the Padres lead 3-2.

The good news is the Cardinals were only down a run. The bad news is it triggered the entry of super-saver Mason Miller. He didn’t strike out Jordan Walker, but did get him to ground out weakly to short to end the Cardinals 8th inning threat.

Justin Bruihl pitched a decent inning of relief in the bottom of the 7th not allowing a run and Matt Svanson pitched a respectable 8th with one very long exception. He gave up a no-doubt home run to Manny Machado to extend the Padres lead to 4-2.

The Cardinals were able to make Mason Miller sweat in the top of the 9th inning. His control of his four-seam fastball was questionable and both Nolan Gorman and Nathan Church took advantage of it as they were both walked putting the tying run on base. But, both Masyn Winn and Thomas Saggese were completely overmatched as Miller struck them out. Yohel Pozo also struck out, but the ball got away from Fermin to load the bases for JJ Wetherholt. He unfortunately was frozen by a Miller fastball to end the game on a strikeout looking. There’s always tomorrow, but at least we made Miller throw 29 pitches.

The St. Louis Cardinals wrap up their 4-game series versus the San Diego Padres Sunday at Petco Park. Kyle Leahy will start for St. Louis while Walker Buehler takes the mound for San Diego. First pitch is scheduled for 3:15pm central time.

Another quiet night for Mets offense dooms them to 2-1 loss

Thus far in May, the Mets have done a much better job putting some wins on the board than they did in April. Despite that, it’s not as though all the problems we saw last month have magically gone away. Most notably, the offense continues to be a struggle on a fairly regular basis. In last night’s series opener against the Diamondbacks, the Mets struggled to score all evening (despite facing off against Ryne Nelson, a pitcher who had been previously been scuffling), but were able to finally get some clutch hits in extra innings to secure the win. Tonight, the offense was quiet once more, and this time those struggles doomed them to a 2-1 loss.

Like Nelson, Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly has struggled mightily in his four starts so far this season, as he entered tonight’s game with an unseemly 9.95 ERA. And the Mets did take a small early lead against him in the top of the second. After the first two batters of the frame were retired, Marcus Semien lined a single to left field, and he subsequently came home after Brett Baty smacked a double in the right field gap. Unfortunately, Francisco Alvarez grounded out to end the inning, and that proved to be the only offense the Mets would muster against Kelly all night. He hadn’t made it through six innings in any of his other 2026 starts, but he went seven tonight and did so tonight with relative ease, surrendering just the one run. The only other hit he surrendered aside from the two in the second was on a two-out double from Tyrone Taylor in the top of the fifth, and Kelly subsequently intentionally walked Juan Soto, giving the Mets two runners on for Bo Bichette. But he softly flew out on the first pitch he saw, and that was the extent of the danger that Kelly would face on the evening.

Meanwhile, Clay Holmes—who has arguably been the best pitcher on the Mets’ staff thus far in 2026—took the mound against Kelly tonight. After being given the lead in the second, he worked through a runners on first and second with one out threat in the bottom of the frame to preserve the 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, Holmes would not be quite as successful in the following inning. He retired the first two batters he faced in the third, but he then loaded the bases on two singles and a walk. Ildemaro Vargas—the current batting leader of the National League—then came up, and he grounded a 2-1 pitch through a hole on the left side of the infield to bring two runners home and give the Diamondbacks a 2-1 lead. Holmes did retire the next batter to end the threat, and those two runs would be the only blemishes against him tonight—though a two-walk in the sixth did end his night before he was able to secure a quality start. Still, his final line—5.2 innings, 5 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts, and 2 runs—would have been good enough to secure a win if the offense had provided more support.

The bullpen subsequently did its job: Austin Warren got the final out of the sixth and then pitched a scoreless seventh as well. Craig Kimbrel overcame two leadoff walks in the eighth to also keep the deficit at just one run. But the Mets bats, as they have done so often this year, were completely and utterly silent in the latter half of the game. Kelly retired the final seven batters he faced on his night, and Taylor Clarke and Paul Sewald then came out of the bullpen to both toss 1-2-3 innings of their own—making it thirteen straight Mets batters retired to close out the night. It marks approximately the 500th time that the Mets went 10+ batters without getting on base this season (that number might be slightly exaggerated, but you know damn well that it feels correct).

The Mets still have a chance to secure their third straight series victory tomorrow, though they will have to do so facing off against Eduardo Rodríguez, who—unlike the other two starters the Mets have faced this weekend—has pitched quite well thus far in 2026. It’s naturally a bit hard to feel overly optimistic that they’ll be able to generate some offense tomorrow after seeing how the previous couple games have done. And even if they do manage to secure the win and get another series victory, the hopes of a miraculous season turnaround will be awfully hard to realize if we don’t see a dramatic improvement in the lineup production soon.

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Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Austin Warren, +7% WPA
Big Mets loser: Mark Vientos, -16% WPA
Mets pitchers: +14% WPA
Mets hitters: -64% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Brett Baty RBI double in the second, +11.6% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Ildemaro Vargas two-run single in the third, -19.7% WPA

19-21: Chart

CHICAGO, IL - MAY 09: Luis Castillo #58 of the Seattle Mariners pitches during the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on Saturday, May 9, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Kyle Sheridan/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

White Sox 6, Mariners 1

Giving up two two-run homers: Luis Castillo, -.22 WPA

18 whiffs: no one deserves praise, none of you are without sin

Game thread comment of the day:

Sixers need plenty of improvements to keep season alive in Game 4 vs. Knicks

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 08: Paul George #8 of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles the ball against Josh Hart #3 of the New York Knicks during the first quarter in Game Three of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena on May 08, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images

That was a tough one. After a closely fought Game 2 without Joel Embiid, Game 3 felt like it was going to be a solid chance for the Sixers to get their first win of the series in his return. OG Anunoby, who’s been excellent all around in these playoffs, being sidelined with a hamstring strain was another big factor in Philly’s favor.

But things didn’t quite go to plan. The Knicks were simply the better team at both ends of the floor yet again, winning Game 3, 108-94. Now, as the early 3:30 p.m. tipoff of Game 4 approaches, the Sixers are back to facing elimination.

New York could stay shorthanded on Sunday, as Anunoby is only listed as questionable to return.

Philly got off to a fantastic start on Friday, and the first quarter shows what this team can be when they’re hitting their threes and their stars are firing. They went up by double digits eaerly and ended the period with a 31-27 lead, led by an electric 15-point quarter from Paul George. This turning step-back three was absolutely beautiful.

VJ Edgecombe even threw down back-to-back alley-oops from Tyrese Maxey. The Sixers’ energy was buzzing early.

They gradually lost steam after that, though. From then on, we saw plenty of reasons why these teams are on different levels right now.

Not being able to stop Jalen Brunson remains a major problem for the Sixers. He led the way again in Game 3 with 33 points on 11-of-22 shooting and an 8-of-9 mark from the free throw line. A range of defenders have been thrown at him — from Quentin Grimes to Kelly Oubre Jr. and Edgecombe, with the latter two in particular being strong options who’ve guarded him highly well before. The Sixers have tried using different coverages on Brunson as well. Whether that’s Embiid showing high and recovering to the lane against pick-and-roll ball screens, Embiid in drop, Adem Bona coming high and switching onto Brunson as he did well sometimes in Game 2, or even smaller, switchier lineups like frontcourts with George and Dominick Barlow like we saw more of in Game 3.

But Brunson’s still getting to his spots from the arc, drawing a flurry of fouls (whether you approve of how he does it or not), cutting well off dribble hand-offs, and creating for himself from mid-range or getting to the rim. Embiid’s mobility being diminished right now makes it even harder for him to switch or press high in pick-and-roll coverage, too. It’s easier for Brunson to drive past Embiid or collapse the Sixers’ help defense and pass to shooters. Unless Brunson’s on-ball defenders can do even more to slow him in Game 4, there’s only so much the Sixers can do with Embiid in this state.

Another area the Sixers have to improve in Game 4 is their rebounding. After a great first quarter in Game 3, the tide started turning in the second, in part due to the Knicks getting five offensive rebounds in that period alone. They finished the game with 13 offensive boards overall, giving them 20 second chance points. While it’s understandable the Sixers have entered this series drained after their historic yet tiring 3-1 comeback against the Celtics, the simple difference in effort and intensity against the Knicks, especially on the boards, is costly.

One bright spot in Game 3 was Oubre, who scored a team-high 22 points on 7-of-16 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. He was cutting well, hit a pair of threes, screening effectively, and pressuring the rim with his finishing.

Oubre was involved in some of the crisper offensive possessions the Sixers put together, too. Like the play below, where Maxey draws two defenders in a pick-and-roll, Embiid gets the ball to roll down a clearer lane, and once Brunson steps up onto Embiid, Oubre is left with a wide-open baseline cut and dunk.

Or the following play, using Embiid’s passing with some simple yet effective off-ball movement. Oubre screens for George this time to get the latter cutting inside, and forcing smaller defenders (including Brunson) to help protect the rim makes it easy for George to finish.

There have been some good offensive processes in place. It’s just outweighed by all the flaws right now.

We could get into more nitty gritty adjustments for Game 4 that could help get the Sixers their first win. They tried a George-Dominick Barlow frontcourt in this one, including opening the fourth quarter with them alongside Maxey, Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes. They even pulled back within four points early in the fourth. This lineup gives them more switchability and speed on defense, which in theory could work better against Brunson.

Maybe they go back to Adem Bona in Game 4 and hope his size, rim protection and more aggressive pick-and-roll coverage shows up — and the fouls stay away. Maybe they ramp up their rebounding. Or find new ways to exploit Brunson’s lacking defense by forcing him to switch onto George or Oubre, or attacking him in pick-and-rolls more than they already have.

That said, what really matters most is the play of the Sixers’ stars and a weary defense that can’t stop these Knicks. It hardly looks like more tinkering with defensive coverages alone is going to turn this series around.

If Brunson remains a level up, Embiid continues struggling with his movement and shot-making (7-of-17 in Game 3), Maxey’s aggressiveness stays low, and George cools off (he’s been stellar these playoffs, but after his lights-out 15-point first quarter in Game 4 he failed to score another point), the smaller details don’t matter as much. If Maxey and Edgecombe are worn out by the fourth quarter because their minutes are so high and they can’t get a break from handling the ball outside of George’s help, then they just can’t keep up with a Knicks team of this quality.

It was smart for Nick Nurse to lean on a six-man rotation of his best guys through the first round. They wouldn’t have come back without it. Nurse doesn’t have many more options either. But the Sixers could clearly use more help off the bench to buy them some extra offense and rest for Maxey and Co. by this point.

The Knicks got an injection of 15 points from Landry Shamet in Game 3. With the low scoring of Grimes in pretty much every game of these playoffs, the Sixers have no player on the team — someone like, I don’t know, Jared McCain — who’s going to give them that production to ease the load on their backcourt.

Plenty needs to change for the Sixers to win Game 4. Let’s see if they can find a way to claw out a win in Philadelphia to build on the competitive spells they’ve had over the last two games.

Game Details

When: Sunday, May 10, 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: ABC
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers

Purple Row After Dark: Banging down the door

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 21: Charlie Condon #24 of the Colorado Rockies runs out a ground ball during the fifth inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on March 21, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images

There’s a new approach to how the Colorado Rockies front office is managing the prospect pipeline. In past years, some prospects were stuck behind a logjam of veterans who didn’t seem to fit the organization’s path forward, while other prospects were yo-yoed between the majors and various levels of minor league ball. Frustration grew among fans of the club as there never seemed to be a clear path forward in development.

Colorado Rockies President of Baseball Operations, Paul DePodesta, recently spoke about the team’s philosophy this year, embracing patience with players at all levels. The front office is trying to avoid being reactionary, offering a longer leash to players who are struggling out of the gate in the MLB season, while also giving prospects time to blossom in Triple-A or below without rushing them up the ladder.

DePodesta notably said that the team’s plan is to “call players up when they are banging down the door where we have to make room for them because they’re just playing so well,” along with a foundation of skills to survive at the major league level. Production alone is not enough; prospects must sustain that production and showcase an approach that will translate.

Fans this year seem to be more on board with that approach, seeing how prospects in past years were hurt by being rushed up to the majors. But there’s still an appetite to call certain players up when they’re hitting well and gathering accolades at the minor league level.

With all that said, how is this front office philosophy sitting with you? What, to you, constitutes “banging down the door?”

If you were calling the shots, who is the first prospect you’re calling up? And when would you do it?

Do you embrace the “let them learn in the big leagues” philosophy? Is there anyone on the farm that you would have already called up for a spot on the Opening Day roster?

Or are you a more patient roster developer who would bring folks up after the All-Star Break or even deeper into the season?

Let us know what you think in the comments!

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18-21 – Rangers snap Chicago’s winning streak with 6-0 victory

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MAY 9: Justin Foscue #14 of the Texas Rangers runs the bases after hitting his first Major League home run against the Chicago Cubs during the fifth inning at Globe Life Field on May 9, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Texas Rangers scored six runs while the Chicago Cubs did not score a run.

Welcome to The Shed, Chicago.

Pure usual Rangers anti-scoring energy radiated from the Arlington den where the dreadful ley lines for impotent RISP ability seem deeply rooted. Luckily, those undesirable powers wafted from the home dugout over the visitors and the National League’s best and hottest club turned 13 scoring chances into zero runs while stranding eleven runners.

Meanwhile, the team that might as well hold the patent on runless scoring chances collected four hits with RISP in nine such opportunities to plate six runs. Those six runs equaled Texas’ home high-water mark along with a 6-1 win over Pittsburgh back in late April.

Fresh off winning their tenth in a row last night in the series opener, the Cubs were made to take the place of the Rangers in run production misery. It was like watching two teams swapping fates akin to a zany ‘80s comedy where a straight laced nerd wakes up in the body of a charming popular kid.

It was an odd game in many respects as the Cubs wore down Rangers starter Jack Leiter with five walks and had him out of the game after 97 pitches and just 4 2/3 innings but they still came away with nothing to show for it.

Meanwhile, for Texas, several unlikely sources picked tonight to contribute. The top of the lineup went 0-for-11 with a walk but the bottom four produced six hits and five of the six RBIs.

As the Rangers sent the Cubs to the loss column for the first time in eleven games, they’ve earned a much-needed win and have a shot to claim the series in Sunday’s finale.

Player of the Game: Josh Jung had three more hits, including a home run. Alejandro Osuna had two hits and drove in two. Joc Pederson doubled and drove in a run.

But, No. 9 hitter Justin Foscue laced a solo home run for the first of his big league career. Foscue has notably had a pretty miserable go of it in the majors in a few stints over the last few seasons, so getting that first home run was special for the former first-rounder.

Congratulations, Justin!

Up Next: The Rangers close out this series and this treacherous 40-game stretch to begin the season with RHP Jacob deGrom expected to pitch for Texas against RHP James Taillon for Chicago.

The Sunday afternoon Mother’s Day finale from The Shed is scheduled for 1:35 pm CDT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network.