OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby left Thursday night's game at Ottawa early in the second period with a lower-body injury, barely a week after he returned from a lower-body injury sustained at the Olympics with Team Canada.
Crosby took a 38-second opening shift in the second period, before heading through the tunnel toward the locker room. The Penguins later announced he would not return to the game, and coach Dan Muse said afterward he had no update on Crosby's condition.
Crosby had also headed through the tunnel following his last shift of the first period after appearing to get his left leg tangled up in a collision. He finished with one shot on goal in nine shifts in Pittsburgh's 4-3 shootout win over the Senators.
The 38-year-old center missed 11 games for the Penguins after he was injured in an Olympic quarterfinal game on Feb. 18. Crosby returned to action at Carolina on March 18 with a goal and an assist, and he had an assist in each of Pittsburgh's last three games. He leads the team with 28 goals and 64 points in 61 games.
The Senators' four-game winning streak is over following a 4-3 shootout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday night. Former Senator Erik Karlsson was in on all the regulation scoring with a goal and two assists.
While Carter Yakemchuk's NHL arrival has been the talk of Ottawa this week, it was his former Calgary Hitmen teammate Ben Kindel who delivered the death blow, scoring the winner in a shootout, grinning as he began his attempt.
Drake Batherson scored twice in the game and once in the skills competition for the Senators, while Linus Ullmark made some outrageous saves in the game and especially in overtime. He and Stuart Skinner were both outstanding as the Penguins outshot the Sens 38-29.
The shot count drove home a very obvious point for the Senators. It was one of their loosest defensive performances in weeks.
Batherson opened the scoring for the Senators at 4:28 of the first period taking a gorgeous feed from Brady Tkachuk and burying a one-timer. Tim Stützle picked up an assist on the goal, and in doing so, became the youngest player in Senators history to reach 400 points.
The Senators quickly had a pair of chances from Dylan Cozens, who couldn’t capitalize, which would be the story of his night. He was credited with three shots but he had twice as many great opportunities that just didn't pan out for him.
The Penguins tied it at one on a goal by Rickard Rakell, who also had three points on the evening. Senators defenceman Tyler Kleven tried a long bank pass to send Michael Amadio and Nick Cousins free on a two-on-one, but it was stopped at the blue line by Erik Karlsson who fed Rakell for a successful one timer from 35 feet out.
Early in the second period, Sidney Crosby headed down the tunnel after his first shift. It was unclear how Crosby got injured, though it may have come after contact with Nick Cousins along the boards.
Shortly after Crosby left, Cousins then made it 2–1 for the Senators. On a two-on-one, he tried to get it over to Michael Amadio, but the puck bounced back to him and he tucked it into the empty net.
Karlsson tied it again with another goal from distance, with a screen in front of Ullmark to make it 2–2.
The Senators spent much of the rest of the second period just surviving in the defensive zone. Pittsburgh generated sustained pressure and created several good chances. Ottawa did manage a few looks of their own but couldn’t capitalize.
The Penguins struck early in the third on a 5-on-3 power play as Karlsson connected with Rakell yet again for another on- timer to give the Penguins the lead 1:43 into the final period. But it didn't last long.
Batherson struck again too, tying things a couple of minutes later cramming home a puck at the side of the net. The Pens challenged for goalie interference but the goal eventually stood.
The Sens came to life in the late going, generating several good chances, and it was interesting to see how much ice time rookie Carter Yakemchuk got in the late going of a tie game that was so important.
The third period was loaded with more big opportunities with shooters on both sides looking skyward. While Ullmark had some help from his posts in this game, he was unreal in a number of situations. His best saves were probably his lunging, old school poke check and then an outstretched pad save on a Penguins breakaway by Thomas Novak late in overtime.
Batherson scored on the first shot in the shootout, leading to hopes of a two point evening, especially after the Penguins missed on their first attempt. But while Stutzle and Pinto were both stopped, Egor Chinakhov and Ben Kindel both scored to send Ottawa fans home disappointed.
The Senators do get a point out of it, but with the Islanders victory on Thursday, the loss costs them their playoff position... for now. The Sens now head south to face Tampa Bay Saturday afternoon at 1pm.
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Ben Kindel scored the shootout winner to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.
Rickard Rakell scored twice and had an assist, and Erik Karlsson also scored for the Penguins, who moved into second in the Metropolitan Division.
Drake Batherson scored twice and Nick Cousins also scored for the Senators. Tim Stutzle added two assists.
Both Linus Ullmark and Stuart Skinner made huge saves in overtime to force the shootout.
Pittsburgh opened the third period on the power play with a two-man advantage after Ottawa took a late tripping penalty and got called early too many men. The Penguins capitalized with Rakell scoring his second of the game at 1:43.
Just over two minutes later, the Senators tied the game with Batherson burying a rebound in the crease for his second of the game. Pittsburgh challenged for goaltender interference but was unsuccessful.
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby took the opening shift of the second period but left after 38 seconds and did not return.
With an assist on the opening goal, Stutzle picked up his 400th point and became the seventh player, and youngest, in franchise history to hit the milestone.
Up next
Penguins: Host the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
Senators: Visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
ELMONT, NEW YORK - MARCH 26: Bo Horvat #14 of the New York Islanders is congratulated by Emil Heineman #51 and Matthew Schaefer #48 after scoring a goal against the Dallas Stars during the first period at UBS Arena on March 26, 2026 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Steven Ryan/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
The New York Islanders needed this one after an extremely disappointing game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night. There was some bad blood between the Islanders and the Stars after Mikko Rantanen knocked out Alexander Romanov for the season the last time these two teams played, but with Rantanen dealing with an injury of his own, that won’t be resolved this season.
Instead, Bo Horvat opened the scoring early and Cal Ritchie picked up the game winner early in the third, and of course Ilya Sorokin was instrumental in keeping the Islanders in the game even as the Dallas Stars had their chances.
Matthew Schaefer’s two assists tonight further put him into legendary territory, as he scored his 53rd and 54th points of the season to pass Vladimir Malakhov’s 52 points as a rookie and tie Denis Potvin’s 54 to put him 2nd all time in rookie scoring for an Islanders defenseman. He only trails Stefan Persson, who scored 56 points in the 1977-78 season.
The scoreboard was also moderately kind to the Islanders: the Montreal Canadiens beat the Columbus Blue Jackets, but the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators went to a shootout that Pittsburgh won. All of that shakes out to the Islanders remaining in the second wild card spot for now, tied in points with Columbus but with an extra game played.
Continuing the trend of the last few games, the Islanders were the more dangerous team to start early on. Emil Heineman nearly opened the scoring, but it would be Bo Horvat who made it 1-0 five minutes in on the Islanders’ second shot of the game. Matthew Schaefer picked up an assist on the goal, bringing his point total to 53 on the season.
The Islanders went to the power play after Adam Erne was called for slashing Schaefer, but the biggest chance of the power play was a shorthanded one for the Stars that Ilya Sorokin made the save on.
Dallas started to take over more in the second half of the period, but Sorokin made the saves he needed to to keep it 1-0 Islanders.
Second Period
Carson Soucy almost got one off a set up from Simon Holmström, but the pass didn’t connect by the post.
Casey Cizikas went to the box for slashing Esa Lindell, and Sorokin made a huge save on Matt Duchene to help kill the penalty.
Bo Horvat put a dangerous shot off the post and Emil Heineman had a shot saved by Jake Oettinger, and then JG Pageau missed another dangerous shot.
Wyatt Johnston took a penalty for holding Holmström, but the Isles couldn’t convert on the man advantage.
Horvat nearly set up Marc Gatcomb, but Oettinger made the save.
Third Period
Just a couple of minutes into the third, it appeared that Schaefer scored, tying Brian Leetch’s rookie record, but it actually went off Cal Ritchie’s left skate to make it 2-0.
Schaefer’s second assist of the night gave him 54 points, tying him with Denis Potvin’s rookie point total.
Thomas Harley took a holding penalty, giving the Islanders another power play, but the Stars killed it despite some good looks.
Oettinger stopped a Kyle MacLean shot cross crease, and Sorokin made a big save on Miro Heiskanen.
Then, Adam Boqvist, filling in for Tony DeAngelo, took a holding penalty, and the Islanders killed that.
Sorokin made a bunch of saves in the last 5 minutes of the period, and then the Islanders had a 3 on 1 opportunity with Dallas’ net empty, but Schaefer fell and couldn’t get it past Harley on a diving play. That set up the Stars to go the other way and Duchene scored to make it 2-1 with just under 3 minutes left.
They put Oettinger back in for a little bit, but then pulled him again, and the Islanders were able to hold on for the 2-1 win.
Up Next
Next, the Islanders host the Florida Panthers at 1pm EST on Saturday, March 28th. The Panthers, despite their pedigree, sit in 15th place in the Eastern Conference, and so the Islanders will need to pick up two points as the playoff race keeps getting tighter.
HOUSTON (AP) — Alvaro Folgueiras converted a critical three-point play when Nebraska only had four defenders on the floor, and ninth-seeded Iowa continued its unpredictable NCAA Tournament run under first-year coach Ben McCollum, beating Nebraska 77-71 in a South Region semifinal on Thursday night.
Bennett Stirtz scored 20 points and Folgueiras had 16 for the Hawkeyes (24-12), who knocked off top-seeded Florida in the second round on Folgueiras’ 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
Iowa will face either Illinois or Houston on Saturday for a spot in the Final Four. McCollum, who won four Division II national titles at Northwest Missouri State, has now led Iowa to its fifth Elite Eight and first since 1987.
Fourth-seeded Nebraska (28-7) took an early 10-point lead against its Big Ten rival, and Iowa tied it four times but never led until Stirtz buried a 3-pointer to make it 68-65 with 2:10 to go. Sage Tate hit another 3 to cap a 9-0 run and put Iowa ahead 71-65.
The Cornhuskers got within three on a second-chance 3 by Braden Frager, but they were disorganized on the inbound play, leaving Folgueiras unguarded near the rim. He slammed it home — popping up screaming after he finished through contact as Iowa fans roared — and converted the free throw for a six-point lead.
Another dunk by Folgueiras with 34 seconds left made it 76-68.
Iowa transfer Pryce Sandfort made six 3s and scored 25 points for Nebraska, which won the first two March Madness games in program history to get this far. Frager added 16 points for coach Fred Hoiberg’s Cornhuskers, who delighted a traveling contingent of red-clad fans throughout their tournament run.
WEST REGION
NO. 2 PURDUE 79, NO. 11 TEXAS 77
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Trey Kaufman-Renn tipped in a miss by Braden Smith with 0.7 seconds left, and Purdue edged hobbling Texas star Tramon Mark and the Longhorns in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Texas (21-15) tied it moments earlier when Dailyn Swain made a driving layup, was fouled and converted the three-point play with 11.9 seconds to go. Smith had scored on his own drive with 38 seconds remaining and finished with 16 points.
Kaufman-Renn hit his first seven shots — going 6 for 6 and grabbing five rebounds in the first half — on the way to 20 points. He was mobbed by teammates right after the final buzzer sounded at SAP Center.
Mark scored 29 for the Longhorns, grimacing and clearly in pain limping on his injured left foot through the closing minutes when the sixth-year senior’s team needed him most. His points were the most by a Texas player in an NCAA Tournament game since Kevin Durant scored 30 against Southern California in the second round of the 2007 tournament.
Purdue (30-8) advances to Saturday’s Elite Eight game against either top-seeded Arizona (34-2) or No. 4 seed Arkansas (28-8), who were playing the late game at SAP Center.
Texas coach Sean Miller made his ninth Sweet 16 appearance in 21 seasons, the most of any coach who hasn’t reached the Final Four.
DETROIT (AP) — Jalen Duren had 30 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Detroit Pistons past the New Orleans Pelicans 129-108 on Thursday night.
Kevin Huerter had 22 points and Daniss Jenkins added 19 for Detroit, which was coming off a 130-129 overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. The Pistons, normally one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league, shot 53.6% (15 of 28) from beyond the arc, including 9 of 14 from Huerter and Jenkins.
Zion Williamson scored 21 points for New Orleans, which lost its third straight after winning five of six. Former Piston Saddiq Bey added 17, but no one else scored more than 13. The Pelicans made things harder on themselves by only shooting 45.8% (11-24) from the free-throw line.
HORNETS 114, KNICKS 103
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Kon Knueppel scored 26 points and made six 3-pointers to become the youngest player in NBA history with 250 in a season, and Charlotte snapped New York’ seven-game winning streak with a victory.
Knueppel, 20, nearly had his first career triple-double, finishing with 10 rebounds and eight assists.
LaMelo Ball added 22 points and Brandon Miller had 21 points and eight rebounds for the Hornets, who’ve won five straight. Miles Bridges and Coby White each chipped in with 17 points.
Jalen Brunson had 26 points and 13 assists for the Knicks, who would have clinched a playoff berth with a victory. OG Anunoby added 17 points in a game that featured a high-intensity postseason atmosphere.
Charlotte (39-34) pulled into a tie with Miami for eighth place in the Eastern Conference, although the Heat own the head-to-head tiebreaker.
MAGIC 111, KINGS 107
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) —Paolo Banchero had 30 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the Orlando stopped a six-game losing streak with a victory over Sacramento.
Banchero logged his third straight game of 30-plus points for the Magic (39-34), who fell below the play-in cut in the Eastern Conference during their skid that came immediately after a seven-game winning streak had propelled them into fifth place.
This was the 25th time in Banchero’s four-year career that he logged at least 30 points, five rebounds and five assists. Only Tracy McGrady (66) has more such games.
Desmond Bane added 23 points and Jalen Suggs returned from a two-game absence to an illness with eight points and four assists in 34 minutes for Orlando, which forged a three-way tie with Charlotte and Miami for eighth. Atlanta (41-32), Toronto (40-32) and Philadelphia (40-33) are just ahead, with the top six teams in each conference guaranteed a spot in the playoffs without having to go through the play-in games.
Paul Skenes #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates walks off the field after being taken out of the game during the first inning against the New York Mets on Opening Day at Citi Field on March 26, 2026 in the Queens borough of New York City.
Paul Skenes gave a rather analytical breakdown of his abysmal Opening Day start against the Mets on Thursday.
When asked by reporters about his outing in the Pirates’ 11-7 loss to the Amazin’s, Skenes said that despite not giving up much hard contact, his batting average on balls in play was high, causing his start to go awry quickly, as he only recorded two outs before being yanked.
“You got to look at it through, for what it is,” Skenes said. “There wasn’t a ton of hard contact. Leadoff walk is not great. But yeah … the Polanco ground ball, stuff like that. The batting average on balls in play thing was super high today. That’ll go down as the season goes on.”
Skenes left Thursday’s game after just two-thirds innings in which he gave up five earned runs — matching his career high — off four hits, along with a walk and two strikeouts.
“I’m not as upset about this for me, personally, as people would probably think,” Skenes said, according to The Associated Press. “Because they did a really good job. It was an abnormal outing.”
Skenes’ batting average on balls in play (BABIP) sits at .800 following his short-lived start.
Pirates skipper Don Kelly pulled Skenes after just 37 pitches, saying that he did not want the righty to push it this early into the season.
Paul Skenes walks off the field after being taken out of the game during the first inning of the Pirates’ 11-7 Opening Day against the Mets at Citi Field on March 26, 2026. Getty Images
“He wants to stay out there and pitch,” Kelly said. “It’s a really tough thing going to get him in the first inning right there. The bottom of it is Paul’s health. You’re getting close to 40 pitches, yeah 37 pitches and Lindor had a seven-pitch at-bat that first at-bat.
“If he runs another 7-10, you’re into dangerous territory with the starting pitcher in one inning, so we had to make the move.”
Paul Skenes looks down on the mound during the first inning the Pirates’ Opening Day loss to the Pirates. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Not all of the Pirates’ first-inning meltdown was strictly on Skenes, though, with center fielder Oneil Cruz misplaying two fly balls that extended the early rally for the Mets.
“That ball straight at him, he came in, got a bad read,” Kelly said. “He’s been working hard out there. He just needs to continue to get better. Then the one in the sun. He just lost it in the sun.”
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Alex Bump and Sean Couturier scored in the first three minutes of the game and the Philadelphia Flyers used the fast start to cruise to a 5-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night.
Bump, Noah Cates and Christian Dvorak had a goal and an assist each for the Flyers, who have won six of their last eight games to stay in the chase for a wild-card playoff spot. Denver Barkey also had a goal for Philadelphia and Samuel Ersson made 25 saves.
Connor Bedard scored his 30th goal of the season for Chicago to become the third Blackhawks player with a 30-goal season at age 20 or younger, joining Jonathan Toews (34 in 2008-09) and Eric Daze (30 in 1995-96).
Spencer Knight had 37 saves for Chicago.
Bump scored just 48 seconds into the game and Couturier made it 2-0 at 2:33 of the first.
Barkey made it 3-0 at 5:14 of the second before Bedard got one back.
Cates scored his fourth goal in his last five games with 7:19 to play in the second to make it 4-1. Dvorak scored with 25 seconds left in the second period. With an assist on Dvorak's goal, Cates has 40 points this season, a career single-season high.
Chicago's Sacha Boisvert played in his first NHL game. The 18th overall pick in the 2024 draft signed his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks on March 16.
The Flyers outshot the Blackhawks 42-26 and won 61.8% of the faceoffs. The Blackhawks, who are well out of the playoff picture, went scoreless on three power-play chances while the Flyers were 0 for 4 on the power play.
Up next
Blackhawks: Play at the New York Rangers on Friday night.
Former Dodgers player Steve Garvey (second from right) gestures next to former announcer Jaime Jarrín after unveiling a sign celebrating the team’s 2025 World Series championship Thursday. AP
“It’s like the same thing that happened with the parade,” veteran infielder Miguel Rojas said earlier in the afternoon. “The first time, you don’t know what to expect, and it goes by fast. But this year, you know what to expect. You know how you’re gonna be feeling. You’re gonna have a better understanding of, ‘OK, I want to be present. I don’t want to miss much of it.’”
Rojas didn’t.
Instead, in a 30-minute on-field presentation that included every outside-the-box idea the club could seemingly think of –– from pyrotechnic player introductions, to fighter jet flyovers, to a ceremonial first pitch delivered from Magic Johnson to Shohei Ohtani, and of course the unveiling of the franchise’s ninth championship banner and outfield plaque –– it was Rojas and fellow World Series hero Freddie Freeman who were the leading stars of the show.
First, the pair were featured in a video skit with actor Will Ferrell that was played on the Dodger Stadium scoreboards –– in which Ferrell sneaks around the Dodgers’ clubhouse with the team’s two most recent World Series trophies before being discovered by the players.
Then, from out of the center field fence, Rojas and Freeman appeared on the back of a Dodger blue Cadillac driven by Ferrell, holding up the two Commissioner’s Trophies as the car paced around the warning track.
It was overwrought, completely cheesy, yet devoured all the same by an adoring and raucous sell-out crowd.
In recent years, the Dodgers have become known for their ambitious in-game presentation almost as much as their on-field dominance. And on Thursday, they took their chance to combine both.
Eventually, attention turned to the actual game action, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto kicking off the team’s bid for a World Series three-peat with a 5:30 p.m. first pitch.
Still, celebratory remembrances of the team’s 2025 title aren’t over yet.
On Friday, there will be another pregame ceremony in which the members of last year’s roster will receive their World Series rings.
And from there, three-peat pressure will follow the Dodgers throughout the season, as they try to become only the third team in MLB’s expansion era (since 1961) to win a title in three straight seasons.
“Yeah, it’s out there, but you’ve got to kind of block it out and focus on playing,” manager Dave Roberts said. “But understandably so, we put ourselves in a good spot that people want to talk about it. That’s a good thing.”
For the Dodgers, so, too, was the elongated pregame ceremony celebrating it all.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero had 30 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the Orlando Magic stopped a six-game losing streak with a 111-107 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday.
Banchero logged his third straight game of 30-plus points for the Magic (39-34), who fell below the play-in cut in the Eastern Conference during their skid that came immediately after a seven-game winning streak had propelled them into fifth place.
This was the 25th time in Banchero's four-year career that he logged at least 30 points, five rebounds and five assists. Only Tracy McGrady (66) has more such games.
Desmond Bane added 23 points and Jalen Suggs returned from a two-game absence to an illness with eight points and four assists in 34 minutes for Orlando, which forged a three-way tie with Charlotte and Miami for eighth. Atlanta (41-32), Toronto (40-32) and Philadelphia (40-33) are just ahead, with the top six teams in each conference guaranteed a spot in the playoffs without having to go through the play-in games.
DeMar DeRozan had 33 points and 11 assists for the Kings, who sliced a nine-point deficit with a little more than two minutes left down to 116-115 on Daeqwon Plowden's 3-pointer with 50.4 seconds to go. Suggs answered with a 3-pointer with 27.4 seconds remaining to give the Magic a bigger cushion.
Plowden added 23 points on 6-for-10 shooting from 3-point range and Precious Achiuwa had 14 points and nine rebounds for Sacramento (19-55), which is in last place in the Western Conference.
Up next
Sacramento plays at Atlanta on Saturday. Orlando plays at Toronto on Sunday.
OTTAWA, CANADA - MARCH 26: Rickard Rakell #67 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates his first-period goal against the Ottawa Senators with teammates Parker Wotherspoon #28, Ryan Graves #27 on March 26, 2026 at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by André Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Pregame
The Penguins had called up forwards Avery Hayes and Joona Koppanen during the day, but Anthony Mantha is able to play so the lineup of skaters remains the same with Stuart Skinner in net.
Not the best of starts, Erik Karlsson is quick to the penalty box for tripping. With Karlsson unavailable to kill penalties, Parker Wotherspoon and Sam Girard are on the ice and they do a lot of watching as the Senators work the puck low and Brady Tkachuk fires a cross-ice pass to the undefended Drake Batherson. Batherson quickly wires it to the back of the net. 1-0 Ottawa.
Pittsburgh stabilizes after that and stacks a few good shifts. They tie the game when Erik Karlsson steps up and knocks down a stretch pass attempt and sends a pass to the middle for Rickard Rakell. Rakell whips a shot from distance that hits its mark. 1-1 with 6:14 to play in the period.
Shots end up 10-10 after 20 minutes, one goal aside.
Second period
Sidney Crosby starts the period but then leaves to the lockerroom. It didn’t take long into the second period before the team’s PR wing announced Crosby would be out for the remainder of the night.
Cousins gets redemption for his lost chance in the first with some good luck in the second period for a goal. Cousins tried to pass the puck on a 2-on-1 that gets created after Kris Letang is out of position to stop a long stretch pass. Cousins’ pass hit Girard’s skate and bounced right back to Cousins to guide into the open net. 2-1 Ottawa.
Egor Chinakhov hits a post right after the goal. The Pens are playing well.
Pittsburgh gets their first power play late in the period when Dylan Cozens bowls over Wotherpoon. Noel Acciari is out there to take the power play faceoff in Crosby’s absence and almost scores from in tight. Then Anthony Mantha follows that shot up with Ullmark sprawled out and the shot hits the goalie’s helmet and stays out seconds before the buzzer.
Shots are 15-6 PIT in the second period, they play a strong period but aren’t able to cash in on the scoreboard. 2-2 game heading into the final frame.
Third period
The Pens get a golden opportunity when Artem Zub clears the puck into the stands, granting 1:27 of a 5v3 power play. Karlsson gets a few shots, Mantha gets one, then Karlsson sets up Rakell to hammer a shot that glances off of Ullmark and into the net. 3-2 Pittsburgh gets their first lead of the night with 18:17 to go.
Ottawa answers soon after. Drake Batherson sneaks behind the defense, finds a rebound and slams it home. The Pens’ staff takes a look and makes a dreaded goalie interference call. Claude Giroux did back into Skinner and made some contact with Skinner’s stick. They take a look and deem it a good goal, because of course they do. Pens to the PK.
Luckily Pittsburgh kills off the penalty but the tenor of the game has tilted back to Ottawa being the dominant team.
Bryan Rust is the latest Penguin to leave for the lockerroom with about two minutes left, but only briefly.
Tim Stutzle gets extremely lucky his lifted puck hits the very top of the glass to narrowly avoid a delay of game penalty with a minute to go, this game heads for extra time.
Overtime
Kindel-Novak-Karlsson start OT for the Pens, Ottawa gains puck possession immediately. Later Karlsson and Brady Tkachuk race up the ice, Tkachuk wins and the Sens get it back the other way for a Stutzle breakaway. Skinner stops the backhand deke attempt.
Rust gets a chance spoiled by Ullmark aggressively diving to poke it away. Back at the other end Skinner makes another stop on Cozens and then Tkachuk.
The goaltending exhibition continues, Skinner makes more stops, Karlsson springs Novak on a breakaway that Ullmark stretches a leg out to stop.
Tkachuk gets one more chance as the clock nears 0:00, Skinner fights off the shot with his arm.
Shootout
Batherson opens up the shootout, Skinner gets a big piece of the backhand shot but the puck rolls over the goalie’s pad and into the net.
Rakell starts for the Pens, runs out of room and Ullmark stops him from in tight.
—
Stutzle takes the next turn, Skinner stays with him and shuts it down.
Chinakhov is the second shooter of the second round, his five-hole shot beats Ullmark. 1-1 in the SO.
—
Shane Pinto leads off Round 3, Skinner stones him.
Kindel is up with the chance to win the game. His low shot takes care of business, shootout win!
Some thoughts
Crosby’s status will obviously be a huge development moving forward. He left for the locker-room late in the first period after getting tangled up with a Senator and then flexing his left leg (Crosby injured the right knee during the Olympics).. He came out and played the first 38 seconds of the second period then left again, this time for good. Never know what’s what in the heat of the moment but it sure didn’t look good for the team to announce basically right away that he was done for the night, the big question now is how long that might be. Didn’t look to be that violent or bad of contact but it’s troubling to see the captain leave a game like that.
It was quite the surprise when Parker Wotherspoon came out of no where to be a legitimately good first pair defender and hold that level for a long time. Now the surprise is that Wotherspoon’s level of play is slumping back towards the journeyman/replacement-type of player he was for a while. Very troubling development there, it can kind of be taken for granted how great Wotherspoon has been and as an individual his exceeding of expectations is right up there with anyone as a reason for why the Penguins are in a playoff chase and not among the dregs of the league like all the preseason prognostications had them.
It was also not a banner night for Letang, as has been his norm lately. His play on the second goal was another poor decision, after getting crunched by Cousins in the second period Letang would misplay the puck a couple times and narrowly avoided being the culprit for another goal thanks to Skinner. You could give him the benefit of the doubt for playing in pain if it wasn’t about the norm anyways.
Ottawa should trade those red third jerseys to Vegas, very gaudy.
Dealing with no Malkin and then no Crosby, the Pens needed players to step up. Karlsson did, as he has so often this season. Nice to see Rakell keep things going with a pair of goals and an assist too. Chinakhov was dangerously close multiple times to scoring.
Muse falls to 0-for-9 at challenging goalie interference. He doesn’t know what it is because no one really knows what it is. I guess this one was borderline worth it, there was a decent case but not exactly a conclusive one. Maybe for now Muse should leave challenges only for blatant stuff. Of course he has to challenge when he thinks it’s there but for one reason or another his (and his staff’s) definition of GI doesn’t match the officials and that probably has to be addressed internally for “could they actually reverse it?” instead of the default of “was there something there”.
Out of town, the Islanders beat the Stars (boo) and the Canadiens beat the Blue Jackets (yay). That meant for a few minutes at the end of the game the Penguins could have had the range of outcomes to leave the night in second place in the division with a win or OTL or below the playoff line completely had they suffered a regulation loss. Fortunately for them, it ended up being the former, though both CBJ and NYI are a single point back.
You almost never see an OT with 10 shots on goal the quality of what happened tonight and no goals. Great action and some thrilling 3-on-3. All OT isn’t fun but this one was super entertaining and somehow couldn’t find a conclusion due to the caliber of goaltending at both ends of the ice.
On that note, Skinner was outstanding, particularly in overtime but he also answered the bell and made several high quality saves. All Ottawa got were basically ones he had no chance in via defensive miscues and a tough bounce. The Sergei Murashov chatter around the internet will never go away because the prospect goalie is always the most popular guy on the internet, if nothing else
Two shootout wins for the Penguins in the last five days! To take a line from Dodgeball: do you believe in unlikelihoods?
The Penguins played well in this game, as good as they’ve looked in quite a while. It wasn’t perfect by any means but a well-earned victory on the road against a very hot opponent is a solid accomplishment. The cloud that remains hanging will be hearing the status of Crosby after this one.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - MARCH 26: Ian Seymour #61 of the Tampa Bay Rays delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals in the sixth inning on Opening Day at Busch Stadium on March 26, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It looked like Rays fans were set for a joyous Opening Day, with the reshaped lineup scoring seven runs on a whopping 17 hits. Jonathan Aranda homered, multiple players had three-hit days, Junior Caminero reached base four times while every Cardinals pitcher tried to pitch around him.
This game could have been a statement of intent from a group hungry to get back to the postseason in a highly-competitive AL East.
But the story of Thursday’s opener is how the Rays lost in spite of their offensive output.
Fans spent most of Thursday trying to find out who was broadcasting the game, only to flip to the correct channel as the Cardinals were batting around.
Rasmussen went five strong innings to start, allowing just one run on a solo homer from JJ Wetherholt. After the Rays big inning in the top of the sixth to give them a 7-1 lead, Kevin Cash rightfully felt comfortable going to his bullpen to pitch the final four innings.
He turned to Ian Seymour, who was effective in his rookie season a year ago in a mixed role. Seymour’s 2026 campaign couldn’t have started any worse. He gave up five consecutive hits, including doubles to Masyn Winn and Jordan Walker. All five of the runners that reached base came around to score, as did three more.
After Seymour quickly let the Cardinals back in the game, Cash then turned to two of his high-leverage arms, Garrett Cleavinger and Griffin Jax. Cleavinger let the hit parade continue, allowing singles to Pedro Pages and Victor Scott II. A sac fly from Wetherholt made it 7-6, and then it was time for Jax. While there are no announced roles for any Rays reliever, it was fair to assume that Jax would be the top reliever to start the season with Edwin Uceta sidelined.
The first batter he faced was DH Ivan Herrera, who was able to tie the game with another sac fly to right field. In stepped Alec Burleson, the Cardinals’ most-dangerous hitter against right-handed pitching. Jax got him into a two-strike count, making good use of his sweeper, but when he grooved a fastball Burleson was sitting on it, and launched it into the right field stands to give St. Louis a two-run lead and cap off an eight-run inning.
It’s game one. I’m not here to tell you the season is over, but after last year when Rays fans were frustrated that the bullpen could never hold a one- or two-run lead, it was even more soul-crushing to watch them completely capitulate against a rebuilding squad in the Cardinals.
Now, we must sit in our misery on Friday’s off-day, before the series resumes on Saturday. And instead of ace Drew Rasmussen in the mound, we’ll have to prepare to watch Joe Boyle’s electric stuff and erratic command. Boyle is not known for working deep into games, so we’re likely to see another four or more innings from this group.
Let’s get positive for a minute. On the position player side, Kevin Cash seems to have a bench he trusts, and a roster that he can tinker with to get the most out of role players like Ben Williamson, Nick Fortes, and Richie Palacios. He can rely on his three regulars, and mix-and-match the rest. And on Thursday, the Rays’ offensive approach was clear: see ball, hit ball. They swung early and often, and made lots of contact.
Even if the bullpen does not take giant strides in 2026, I’d wager that the Rays will win most of their games moving forward if they get anywhere near 17 hits.
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 20: Jordan Beck #27 of the Colorado Rockies greets manager Warren Schaeffer #4 as teams are announced on the opening day of Spring Training games at Salt River Fields on Friday, February 20, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Kyle Cooper)
Tomorrow is Opening Day for the Rockies, which means we can officially close the door on spring training 2026. However, it’s still worth reflecting on in hopes of predicting what they might do in the regular season.
On Tuesday, we asked you to grade the Rockies’ spring training. More than half of you gave them a solid B, but 95% of you had them passing the test (C or better). Zero people gave them a failing grade, which I think is a good indicator of fans’ views of the team compared to a year ago.
However, the games start counting today and we will finally get to see how much the Rockies are able to improve after their new and improved spring training regimen and front office refresh.
Are you surprised by the results? Do you still agree with how you voted? Let us know in the comments!
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NEW YORK (AP) — Ilya Sorokin gave the New York Islanders the type of elite goaltending they needed, facing one of the NHL’s top teams while in the thick of a playoff chase, making 26 saves to beat the Dallas Stars 2-1 on Thursday night.
Sorokin was locked in from the drop of the puck, denying Colin Blackwell on a shorthanded breakaway 10 minutes in and making a handful of other 10-bell saves on quality scoring chances in the first period alone. He was perfect on a pair of penalty kills, one each in the second and third periods, and allowed only one goal on a 6-on-5 with three minutes left to Matt Duchene.
Bo Horvat scored his 30th goal of the season five minutes in and Calum Ritchie later picked up the 11th of his rookie year to provide enough offensive support. Matthew Schaefer, the face of the franchise at 18 years old, assisted on each to reach 54 points and tie Hall of Famer Denis Potvin for the second most by a rookie defenseman in Islanders history.
Despite allowing Horvat’s goal off the rush and Ritchie’s when it went in off his left skate, Jake Oettinger was excellent in his own right. Oettinger stopped 23 of the 25 shots he faced as Dallas lost a third game in a row and for the fourth time in five games.
This was a better defensive effort for the Stars than their sloppy defeat Tuesday night at home against New Jersey. They have already clinched a playoff berth, are likely to face Minnesota in the first round and are spending the remainder of the regular season trying to get their team's game in order.
The Islanders are clawing to get in as part of a fierce Eastern Conference race of seven teams vying for five spots.
Up next
Stars: Make the second stop on their four-game trip Saturday at Pittsburgh, when Mikko Rantanen could return from the injury that has sidelined him since the Olympics.
Islanders: Host two-time defending champion Florida on Saturday.
MONTREAL (AP) — Zachary Bolduc scored the winner with his first goal since Dec. 23, and the Montreal Canadiens edged the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 on Thursday night.
Jayden Struble — with his first of the season — also scored, and Jakub Dobes made 25 saves as Montreal won its third consecutive game.
Damon Severson scored for Columbus, and Jet Greaves stopped 18 shots.
The Blue Jackets fell to 19-4-4 since Rick Bowness replaced Dean Evason as head coach Jan. 12. They climbed from 28th overall to second in the Metropolitan Division ahead of Thursday’s games.
The Canadiens, meanwhile, sit third in the Atlantic Division with 11 games remaining.
Bolduc ripped a shot into the top-left corner 4:36 into the third period to snap a 31-game goalless skid and give the Canadiens a 2-1 lead.
Struble ended a drought of his own when he opened the scoring at 9:54 in the first period. He snuck a wrist shot past Greaves short side for his first goal since Nov. 26, 2024.
Two minutes later, Severson got Columbus on the board by beating Dobes blocker-side on a 2-on-1 after Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson was caught up ice.
With an assist on Struble’s goal, Hutson became the fourth defenseman in Canadiens history to register 70 points in a season — and the first since Chris Chelios in 1988-89. Larry Robinson and Guy Lapointe also reached the mark.
Up next
Blue Jackets: Host the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.
Canadiens: Visit the Nashville Predators on Saturday.
