Worldwide Sports News

March 20, 2026

Houston Rockets vs. Atlanta Hawks game preview

Jan 29, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) drives on Atlanta Hawks forward Corey Kispert (24) in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The good news for the Houston Rockets is that they can now move on to another opponent after getting swept twice at home by the Los Angeles Lakers.

The bad news is that their next opponent, the Atlanta Hawks, have won 11 games in a row and look quite mighty these days. And if you’d like more bad news, this is the first game of a back-to-back where Houston next opponent, the Miami Heat, will be rested and ready.

This homestand was clearly going to be supremely important to Houston, but they were dealt kind of a bad hand. The Pelicans came in playing really well, the Lakers were on a five-game winning streak and had finally found themselves, the Hawks are obviously red-hot, and the Heat have won seven of their last ten games too. In reality, the Rockets needed to get out at 3-2 or 4-1, and they certainly couldn’t drop two to the Lakers. Now, they’ll have to try to salvage what’s left.

Houston did finally seem to have some answers against the double teams that were sent at Kevin Durant. Those strategies will be tested once again versus a Hawks squad with much better perimeter and on-ball defenders than the Lakers employ.

Tip-off

7pm CT

How To Watch

Space City Home Network and NBA TV

Injury Report

Rockets

Steven Adams: OUT

Fred VanVleet: OUT

Jae’Sean Tate: OUT

Hawks

Jonathan Kuminga: OUT

The Line (as of this post)

N/A

Check here for updates

Looking ahead because we can

Tomorrow night at home against the Miami Heat

March 20, 2026

Around the Empire: Yankees demote top pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange

TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 28: Carlos Lagrange #84 of the New York Yankees smiles during the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at George M. Steinbrenner Field on February 28, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: As we wrote yesterday afternoon, the Yankees made the “difficult decision” to option top pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange. The 22-year-old fireballer has been the standout pitcher across all of spring training, posting a 0.66 ERA in 13.2 innings with 13 strikeouts thanks to a fastball that averages triple digits and has topped out at 103 mph. Lagrange — the Yankees’ No. 2 prospect according to MLB Pipeline — might justifiably feel disappointed with the decision despite just 16 appearance above A-ball, but he’s certainly opened the major league coaching staff’s eyes with his performances this spring, Aaron Boone not ruling out an opportunity for Lagrange to impact the big league club this season, whether that be in the rotation or out of the bullpen:

“He’s definitely got everyone’s attention. I love where he’s at. I would not be surprised if he is impacting us early, middle, later part of the season … I can just tell you, we’re all very excited about his continued development and what we think he could mean to our team at some point.”

ESPN: The World Baseball classic was a resounding success, setting broadcast and attendance records as Venezuela beat Team USA to secure their first ever WBC crown. However, with MLB teams restricting the availability of several big name players in the final, calls have been made to adapt it into a midseason tournament. Six nations are already slated to participate in Olympics baseball in Los Angeles in 2028, those games taking place during an extended All-Star break, and the WBC could follow that model in the future. Commissioner Rob Manfred is said to be pondering whether to continue to stage the WBC every three years or make it ever four years, his decision impacted by the possibility of a short turnaround from the Olympics in July 2028 to the WBC in spring training 2029.

San Francisco Chronicle | Susan Slusser: Opening Day at Oracle Park is just five days away, with Netflix carrying the exclusive broadcast of the Yankees against the Giants. It’s the streaming service’s first foray into live baseball, and they’ve just announced that they’ve landed Barry Bonds as an analyst for the pregame and postgame shows alongside anchor Elle Duncan and fellow former big leaguers Albert Pujols and Anthony Rizzo. The all-time home run king has been reticent to speak publicly since his retirement, so several around the industry are viewing this as a major coup.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Max Fried will be the Yankees’ Opening Day starter and feels encouraged with where he’s at. He gave up three runs on five hits in five innings against the Orioles in his final spring tune-up, and maintains that he’s actually glad to have struggled in the outing than have it be a walk in the park. He received valuable feedback about which of his pitches and locations were working vs. those that need to be tweaked. This will be the fourth time Fried has been named Opening Day starter, the previous three occasions coming with the Braves.

MLB Trade Rumors | Darragh McDonald: Paul DeJong has an upward mobility clause that would allow him to opt out of his minor league contract with the Yankees, but the veteran shortstop declared that he will not exercise that option and is happy to try to win a roster spot. DeJong has an opportunity to force himself into the shortstop conversation with Anthony Volpe recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and major league incumbent deputies José Caballero and Oswaldo Cabrera better suited for utility roles. DeJong is a one-time All-Star and has a 30-home-run season to his name, but was replacement level last season with the Nationals and is batting .194 with a 94 wRC+ in 12 Grapefruit League appearances.

March 20, 2026

Purple Row After Dark: Colorado Rockies Community Predictions 2026!

DENVER, CO - APRIL 04: MLB baseballs for the Colorado Rockies batting practice before the opening day game against the Athletics in the inning on opening day at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado on Friday, April 04, 2025. (Photo by Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images) | Denver Post via Getty Images

Every year, the Purple Row staff makes predictions for the upcoming Colorado Rockies season. We predict the 162-game record; division and league winners; and MVP, CY Young and Rookie of the Year winners.

For a third year in a row, we’d like you to join us in the fun! You can view your predictions from last year here.

We will still post our own staff predictions, and in a separate post, we will share predictions from you — our valued community members!

Please fill out this survey by Monday, March 23 at 11:59pm MT.

As an update for this year, we have made some questions optional (namely about the AL awards), but please answer to the best of your ability! If you don’t have an answer, feel free to put “N/A” or “I don’t know.”

Now, as James Dalton says in that cinematic masterpiece Roadhouse, “Be polite!” We’ll share the most interesting answers on Opening Day!

★ ★ ★

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

March 20, 2026

A’s Drop Night Cap To Mariners 6-4

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 08: Aaron Civale #45 of the Athletics pitches against the Los Angeles Angels during of a spring training game at Las Vegas Ballpark on March 08, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Athletics defeated the Angels 7-4. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The A’s dropped the night contest against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, blowing a late lead in front of an A’s Spring Training record-breaking 10,876 crowd to secure the loss with one week exactly to go until Opening Day. Good thing these games still don’t count quite yet, but dropping a game where we went with our starting lineup and our starting pitcher struck out 11 isn’t a great sign.

A’s, Mariners trade early zeros

Right-hander Aaron Civale was on the mound for the A’s in what was his final tune-up start before the start of the regular season. The Mariners meanwhile countered with minor league acquisition Randy Dobnak, who is likely ticketed for Triple-A thanks to a stacked Seattle starting rotation.

Both righties traded zeros for the game’s first three innings. The A’s didn’t manage anything against Dobnak during that time while Civale escaped a small jam in the second before striking out the side in the bottom of the third.

A’s attack first

Now going through the second time through the lineup the advantage shifted to the Athletics. Back-to-back doubles from Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers put the A’s on the board to kick off the scoring and the A’s weren’t done there. An RBI knock off the bat of Brent Rooker brought in the second run of the frame for the Athletics and they scored their third thanks to a passed ball by the Seattle catcher. That would be all the damage the A’s would do for the inning but that would be enough… for now.

The A’s did have a slight scare in the fifth when left fielder Tyler Soderstrom was hit in the knee by a changeup during his at-bat, but it seems the A’s dodged a major bullet just a week before camp breaks as he stayed in the game to run the bases (but was later pulled out on defense for Carlos Cortes).

Seattle strikes back

Civale, now given a bit of a lead to work with, retired the next six batters he faced, going on cruise control for the rest of his night. He’d end his day after six full shutout frames and reaching 81 pitches. He also racked up an impressive 11 punchouts to go with zero free passes. By the looks of things from tonight, the righty looks ready and a full-go for the regular season. There’s been some pessimism about Civale taking a spot away from someone young and exciting like Gage Jump, but could he surprise fans this coming year?

11K night for Civale 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/gXJZ2ZdltZ
— Athletics (@Athletics) March 20, 2026

Time for the bullpen to hold things together for three more innings. Mark Kotsay decided to turn to another right-handed pitcher in JT Ginn. The righty began his camp with two scoreless appearances but had gotten knocked around in his previous two entering tonight. In this matchup against the Mariners it was the latter Ginn that we got.

Seattle was all over him from the start. He didn’t do himself any favors plunking the first batter he faced but he was going to get lit up tonight anyway. Two outs, five hits, and another plunked batter later it was 6-3 Seattle. In the blink of an eye the 3-run lead had flipped and became a 3-run deficit. Ginn would not be able to finish the inning, getting chased by the back-breaking bases-clearing double off the bat of Cal Raleigh. Fellow righty Brooks Kriske mopped things up for Ginn and got the A’s out of the frame.

The A’s were now shell-shocked. And they weren’t able to snap themselves out of it in time. They managed to push across a small-ball run in the bottom of the eighth but not much else. Elvis Alvarado and Jack Perkins did their job not letting the lead expand but it was too much for the lineup to overcome. The A’s brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth but couldn’t get the big hit to keep this game going as they dropped their 15th game of spring.

Well, not a great way to end an evening spring game but still some major positives to dwell on. Civale looked on fire out there and solidified his spot as the #3 in the rotation. Lawrence Butler went 1-for-2 with a walk as he continues his hurried prep for the season. Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers will give pitchers problems at the top of the batting order.

We do it all again tomorrow with another night cap, this time against the Chicago Cubs. They’ll be set to send right-handed vet Jameson Taillon to the bump for them in what’ll be his final tune up before camp breaks. Meanwhile the A’s have yet to announce who they’ll send to start tomorrow’s game. Any guesses?

March 20, 2026

March Madness second round game times: TV schedule update for Saturday

While the Men's 2026 NCAA Tournament continues Friday, March 20, we already have 16 teams on to the second round.

Eight games will kick off the second round of March Madness on Saturday, March 21. Two top seeds in Duke and Michigan will be in action, as well as double-digit seeds that pulled off upsets in Texas, VCU and High Point.

Game times and TV assignments for Saturday's second round were announced late Thursday night ET. Here is the schedule for the first day of the second round, as well as what network it will air on.

March Madness bracket: Second round game times, schedule

Saturday, March 21

All times Eastern

MIDWEST: No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 9 Saint Louis: 12:10 p.m., CBS
EAST: No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 6 Louisville: 2:45 p.m., CBS
EAST: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 9 TCU: 5:15 p.m., CBS
SOUTH: No. 2 Houston vs. No. 10 Texas A&M: 6:10 p.m., TNT
WEST: No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 11 Texas: 7:10 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV
SOUTH: No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 11 VCU: 7:50 p.m. ET, CBS
SOUTH: No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 5 Vanderbilt: 8:45 p.m. ET, TNT
WEST: No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 12 High Point: 9:45 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness second round game times, NCAA Tournament bracket, schedule

March 20, 2026

Southern closes on a 14-2 run to beat Samford in the women's First Four

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Jaylia Reed scored 16 points, DeMya Porter had 15 points and 12 rebounds and Southern closed the game on a 14-2 run to beat fellow No. 16 seed Samford 65-53 on Thursday night in the NCAA Tournament.

Southern (20-13) won a game in the First Four for the second straight season, earning a chance to play top-seeded South Carolina on Saturday in the Round of 64. It’s the Jaguars’ third appearance in the NCAA Tournament in the last four years.

D’Shantae Edwards began the fourth quarter by converting a three-point play to give Southern a 47-44 lead. Samford tied it twice in the next three minutes, but could not get any closer.

Reed put Southern ahead for good with 6:47 remaining on a 3-pointer to begin the game-closing run. Six different Jaguars scored during the run.

Samford missed eight of its last nine field goals.

Jocelyn Tate added 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench for Southern, which had nine of its 13 steals in the first half. The Jaguars finished with 20 points off turnovers.

NO. 10 VIRGINIA 57, NO. 10 ARIZONA STATE 55

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Kymora Johnson scored 17 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 30.6 seconds remaining, and Virginia beat Arizona State for its first NCAA Tournament win since 2018.

Virginia (20-11), the No. 10 seed, will face seventh-seeded and 24th-ranked Georgia in the first round on Saturday. The Cavaliers are making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2018 and first under coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton.

Johnson’s key 3-pointer — Virginia’s first of the second half in 10 attempts — made it 54-51.

Johnson went 1 of 2 from the free-throw line with 5.3 seconds left to cap the scoring and Arizona State guard Jyah LoVett lost control of the ball in the paint at the other end as the clock ran out.

Johnson also had 10 rebounds and five assists for her ninth career double-double. Caitlin Weimar added 11 points off the bench for Virginia and Romi Levy scored 10.

Marley Washenitz made five 3-pointers and scored 19 points for Arizona State (24-11). McKinna Brackens had 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Heloisa Carrera also scored 10.

March 20, 2026

Sergei Bobrovsky perfect in net as Panthers blank Oilers 4-0

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Sergei Bobrovsky made 21 saves to earn his fourth shutout of the season as the Florida Panthers continued to plague Edmonton, emerging with a 4-0 victory over the Oilers on Thursday in a rematch of the last two Stanley Cup finals.

Cole Reinhardt, A.J. Greer, Anton Lundell and Carter Verhaeghe scored for the injury-riddled Panthers, who snapped a two-game losing skid.

Sam Bennett, Evan Rodrigues and Mike Benning all had two assist games. The Panthers are almost certain to miss the playoffs and a chance to defend their back-to-back titles.

Connor Ingram made 19 stops in the loss for Edmonton.

The Oilers had a two-game winning streak halted and missed out on an opportunity to move ahead of idle Anaheim into first in the Pacific Division.

Edmonton remained without star forward Leon Draisaitl, out for the rest of the regular season with a lower-body injury.

Florida has been hit hard by injuries all season. Among those out of the lineup on Thursday were Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart and Brad Marchand. Only defenseman Gustav Forsling has managed to appear in all 68 games this season. Conversely, six Oilers have played in every game: Connor McDavid, Matt Savoie, Vasily Podkolzin, Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm and Darnell Nurse.

Up next

Panthers: Visit the Calgary Flames on Friday.

Oilers: Host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

March 20, 2026

Johnson sinks go-ahead 3-pointer and Virginia beats Arizona State 57-55 in women's First Four

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Kymora Johnson scored 17 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 30.6 seconds remaining, and Virginia beat Arizona State 57-55 on Thursday night in the First Four for its first NCAA Tournament win since 2018.

Johnson's key 3-pointer — Virginia's first of the second half in 10 attempts — made it 54-51.

Johnson went 1 of 2 from the free-throw line with 5.3 seconds left to cap the scoring and Arizona State guard Jyah LoVett lost control of the ball in the paint at the other end as the clock ran out.

Johnson also had 10 rebounds and five assists for her ninth career double-double. Caitlin Weimar added 11 points off the bench for Virginia and Romi Levy scored 10.

Marley Washenitz made five 3-pointers and scored 19 points for Arizona State (24-11). McKinna Brackens had 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Heloisa Carrera also scored 10.

Gabby Elliott, who entered averaging a team-high 16 points per game for ASU, made just her second field goal in 10 attempts with 3:18 remaining to get within 48-46. She finished with 11 points, on 3-of-13 shooting, and nine rebounds.

The Sun Devils were in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019 under first-year coach Molly Miller.

Up next

Virginia, which reached 20 wins in a season for the first time since 2017, will play a Georgia team that had the best single-season turnaround in school history after going 13-19 last year. The Bulldogs are making their 37th appearance in the tournament.

___

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

March 20, 2026

Luka Doncic scores 60, LeBron James has triple-double in Lakers win

NBA leading-scorer Luka Doncic put on another epic performance of bucket-getting in the Los Angeles Lakers' 134-126 win against the Miami Heat on March 19.

Doncic dropped 60 points in South Beach, the third-highest scoring output of his career and the most he's scored since being traded to the Lakers in February 2025.

Doncic, who averages 33 points per game, had his onslaught performance just weeks after Heat center Bam Adebayo scored 83 points, the second-most points scored in an NBA game, in the same arena.

Luka Magic was on full display at Kaseya Center in Miami as the MVP candidate shot 18-of-30 from the field, connecting on 9-of-17 long-distance shots. He shot 15-of-19 from the free-throw line. He added seven rebounds, three assists and was even locked in defensively, grabbing five steals.

Lakers climbed to 45-25 and have the third-best record in the Western Conference behind the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. According to the latest Kia MVP Ladder on NBA.com, Doncic is ranked fourth for Most Valuable Player.

However, Doncic wasn't the only Laker to have himself a historic night.

LeBron James crowned NBA iron man as notches triple-double

LeBron James, the longest-tenured Laker, notched a triple-double, alongside Doncic's 60-point game in the win against James' former team.

James filled the stat sheet with 19 points, a season-high 15 rebounds and 10 assists in just under 38 minutes of play.

The four-time MVP and NBA champion officially became the league's iron man in Thursday's game. James played in the 1,611th game of his career, tying Hall of Famer Robert Parish for the all-time games-played mark.

Lakers vs. Heat highlights: Luka drops 60, LeBron gets triple-double

The biggest stories, every morning. Stay up-to-date on all the key sports developments by subscribing to USA TODAY Sports' newsletter.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Luka Doncic drops 60 in win vs. Heat as LeBron becomes league ironman

March 20, 2026

Mets' Juan Soto 'cannot be more prepared' for 2026 regular season after WBC experience

Juan Soto returned to the Mets lineup on Thursday after two weeks playing for the Dominican Republic at this year's World Baseball Classic, and the slugger was thrilled with his experience.

Although Soto and Team DR fell to the USA in the semifinals, Soto called it "one of the best experiences" he's ever had after he was pulled in the Mets' 6-2 win over the Astros. But it was more than just an experience for Soto, in fact, the Mets superstar credits the tournament for how he feels just a week out from the team's Opening Day.

"I feel really good right now," Soto said. "My body, everything feels good. I feel like my swing is in a good spot to start the season. I cannot be more prepared.”

Before the WBC, Soto was 2-for-12 with just one extra-base hit in five spring games. Soto upped that production during the tournament, going 6-for-23 (.261) in the team's six games to go along with two bombs, four RBI, five walks and a stolen base.

And although he went 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored on Thursday, Soto looks back fondly on his time with his countrymen and recommends it to others, if not for the competition, but for the knowledge that's dropped from teammates and coaches.

"It’s an experience that I recommend to anyone who has a chance to play," Soto said. "When you leave for those two weeks, it’s incredible. It helps my game. We had David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, Albert Pujols, Placido Polanco, [Fernando] Tatis Sr. - we have guys that played this game for so long and they gave us so much advice that can help me with my game. I cannot ask for more."

In his first season with the Mets, Soto had one of the best of his career. He slashed .263/.396/.525 with an OPS of .921 to go with his career-high 43 homers and 105 RBI. He also smashed his previous career-high in stolen bases, swiping 38 bags a year ago. Now, heading into year two in Flushing, Soto hopes to produce even more for the Mets and get them back into the postseason.

March 20, 2026

BYU envisioned success with AJ Dybantsa. It ended with early March Madness exit

PORTLAND, OR — In the middle of the Men's NCAA Tournament first-round matchup between No. 6 seed BYU and No. 11 Texas, Longhorns coach Sean Miller was asked on the CBS broadcast how to stop Cougars star AJ Dybantsa.

“We can’t,” Miller said.

Unable to stop one of the best players in the game, but Texas did the next best thing: outplay the rest of BYU.

The first March Madness for Dybantsa was short-and-sweet — not the kind he hoped for. Despite another stellar outing from the freshman phenom, BYU was upset by Texas 79-71 to end what was supposed to be a promising campaign.

“As far as the season, it's tough dealing with that type of adversity. But I'd rather do it with nobody else,” Dybantsa said.

Dybantsa had a game-high 35 points and 10 rebounds in what is all but officially his final college basketball game, playing in a building — the Moda Center — in which he will likely play at the next level.

“Thought there were moments in tonight's game where he just looked like that Portland Trailblazer floor should have been down there,” said BYU coach Kevin Young. “Just look like an NBA player, the stuff he's able to do on the court.”

From the jump, the Longhorns really didn’t have an answer for Dybantsa. He made his first four shots of the night — including a beautiful midrange pull up on a double-team — for 10 points in the first eight minutes. It looked like the night would belong to him.

Instead, Texas controlled the game the rest of the way.

Even as Dybantsa continued to score, the Longhorns only strengthened their lead. He had 20 points at halftime, but Texas was up by nine points.

No matter what Dybantsa did — run the baseline for a casual two-hand reverse dunk or draw fouls for a 12-for-12 night from the charity stripe — it hardly made a dent in Texas' grip of the game. BYU was able to make it interesting, cutting the deficit to four points with less than 90 seconds to go, but it didn’t score the rest of the way.

Texas led for all but 53 seconds of the game, and that happened midway through the first half. So how did the Longhorns pick up their second win of the tournament, even when Dybantsa has another big scoring night?

The goal, really, was to not let anyone else contribute: The rest of the Cougars scored 36 points, with no points from the bench.

“The key for us, in addition to just him, is not allowing everybody else to join in,” Miller said. “We just wanted to make sure that we did a great job rebounding and that we did as good of a job as we can guarding the rest of the group. I think that's really why we were able to win.”

For BYU, it’s a disastrous end to what many believed could be the greatest season in program history. The No. 8 team in the USA TODAY Sports preseason Coaches Poll, the Cougars raced to a 17-2 start with the build off a Final Four contender.

Then things derailed. It lost four straight games and eventually lost sharp shooter Richie Saunders for the season to finish 6-9, resulting in the No. 6 seed in the tournament.

There was still hope for a possible March run, but it only got one game.

Even though Dybantsa didn’t formally declare he’d headed to the NBA — he said he has to talk to his family, mainly mom since she “makes the decision in life in my family” — the presumption is he will bolt to the pros, where he likely will be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft.

“I'm happy I chose here. I definitely made the right decision,” Dybantsa said.

While everyone in the sport knew he was only here for this campaign, BYU hoped he would become a pro after leading the Cougars to their first Final Four. Instead, it was a first-round exit, the third loss to a No. 11 seed in the opening round in its last four tournament appearances.

That’s not what BYU got: Just like Dybantsa, the Cougars are one-and-done.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Like AJ Dybantsa, BYU basketball is one-and-done in March Madness

March 20, 2026

Panthers Pick Up Another Victory In Edmonton, Taking Down Oilers 4-0

The Florida Panthers were back in a familiar building on Thursday night despite being extremely far from home.

Playing at Rogers Place for the first time since Game 5 of last year’s Stanley Cup Final, the Panthers picked up right where they left off, skating to a resounding 4-0 victory over the Oilers.

It was Florida who got on the scoreboard first, and the goal came off the stick of one of the newest Panthers players.

Cole Reinhardt picked up the puck in the neutral zone behind Edmonton’s defenders and went in all alone on Connor Ingram and made an abrupt backhand forehand move, sending the goaltender the wrong way while depositing the puck in the back of the net at the 11:12 mark of the first period.

The Cats weren’t done there.

A.J. Greer picked up his 12th goal of the season, deflecting a long shot by rookie defenseman Mike Benning past Ingram with 57.7 seconds left in the period, sending Florida into the intermission up 2-0 on the Oilers.

For Benning, the rookie picked up the primary assist on both Panthers goals, giving him his first multi-point game in the NHL while playing for the first time in his hometown of Edmonton.

Florida stretched their lead to 3-0 after Vasily Podkolzin took a delay of game penalty at the 13:49 mark of the middle frame.

A loose puck came out of the slot and right to Anton Lundell, who fired the puck into a yawning cage for his 18th tally of the season.

The Panthers would hold their lead until late in the third period, when Carter Verhaeghe sealed the deal with a snipe of a shot from the slot that came directly off a faceoff win.

Standing tall between the pipes for Florida was Sergei Bobrovsky.

Bob finished with 21 saves, including all nine of Edmonton’s high-danger shots, according to Natural Stat Trick.

It’s the fourth shutout of the season for Bobrovsky, and first since mid-December.

The win was also his 454th, moving him into a tie for seventh on the NHL’s all-time wins list with Curtis Joseph. Bob trails sixth-place Henrik Lundqvist by only five wins.

On to Calgary.

LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA

Panthers Make Trio Of Lineup Changes Ahead Of Matchup Against Oilers

Panthers Road Trip Continues In Familiar Building As Florida Returns To Edmonton

Bill Zito Appointed To Fort Lauderdale's Museum Of Discovery And Science Board Of Trustees

Brad Marchand's Season Could Be Over As Panthers Place Him On LTIR

Panthers Come Up Short In Vancouver, Lose 5-2 To League-Worst Canucks

Photo caption: Mar 19, 2026; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Matt Savoie (22) looks for a loose puck in front of Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) during the first period at Rogers Place. (Perry Nelson-Imagn Images)

March 20, 2026

Blackhawks Earn Regulation Win Over Wild For First Time Since 2019

The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Minnesota Wild for the second time in a week on Thursday night. This was the fourth and final meeting between the two, and the first three were all 4-3 wins past regulation in favor of the Wild.

The Blackhawks came in looking like a team that was desperate for a win over their Central Division rival. They broke through at 16:22 of the first period, when Andrew Mangiapane made a great play to find Ilya Mikheyev at the net-mouth for a 1-0 lead.

That would be the end of the scoring in the opening frame. In the second, Connor Bedard made a beautiful play to make it 2-0 for the Blackhawks. After stealing the puck and creating a breakaway for himself, he held off the defender to create space and made a sensational move to score.

Bedard's goal was his 28th of the season, which ties him with Tyler Bertuzzi for the team lead. For all of the time that he's missed due to his mid-season injury, it's impressive to see him reach these goal-scoring heights.

Watching where he takes his totals over the final 14 games will be a storyline to follow as the season comes to a close.

The Wild got themselves on the board when Nico Sturm scored at 15:47. The Blackhawks still skated into the third period with a 2-1 lead.

Although the Wild came very close to scoring with less than a second remaining in regulation, Spencer Knight made one final save (with help from Alex Vlasic) to preserve the 2-1 victory for the Blackhawks. Knight made 28 saves on 29 shots.

This is Chicago's first win in regulation over Minnesota since December of 2019. That ends a 19-game point streak (18-0-1) in the head-to-head matchup for the Wild. They also haven't won in Minnesota since November of 2017.

March has been a decent month for the Blackhawks. They are 4-2-2 during the month, which is a win for a young team beginning to improve. Most of those games have come post-trade deadline, meaning it is an even younger team, making it an even more impressive stretch.

Watch Every Chicago Goal

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Blackhawks will be back in action again on Friday night. The Colorado Avalanche, who have been the top team in the NHL all season, will be at the United Center.

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

March 20, 2026

Mets, Freddy Peralta 'highly unlikely' to reach extension agreement before 2026 season: report

The Mets and ace right-hander Freddy Peralta are "highly unlikely" to reach a long-term contract extension before the 2026 MLB season starts, according to a report Thursday by the New York Post's Jon Heyman, who cited "people familiar with the discussions."

Peralta, 29, previously told Heyman that he was seeking a new deal for seven or eight years. The Mets "generally oppose deals of that length" and "are believed more comfortable with something in the range of four years, or perhaps five," according to Thursday's report.

The Mets acquired Peralta and right-hander Tobias Myers in a Jan. 21 trade with the Milwaukee Brewers for top prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat.

Through three spring training starts, Peralta is 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA. He has allowed three runs on four hits while striking out 12 and walking two in 10 innings.

"What I can say is that everything has been amazing, talking from the bottom to the top, people in the front office, everyone," Peralta said in February, via SNY's Chelsea Janes. "They’ve been very easy for me, easy to work with, and I’m just happy because I feel they have my back."

Peralta, a two-time All-Star, went 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA in 176.2 IP last season with the Brewers. He is set to make his Mets debut as New York's Opening Day starter for next Thursday's 1:15 p.m. game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

March 20, 2026

Reichel has goal an assist in Boston debut to help the Bruins beat the Jets 6-1

BOSTON (AP) — Lukas Reichel had a goal and an assist in his Boston debut, Jeremy Swayman made 22 saves and the Bruins beat the Winnipeg Jets 6-1 on Thursday night to end a two-game losing streak.

David Pastrnak scored his 27th goal of the season and had an assist. Viktor Arvidsson and Pavel Vacha also each had a goal and assist, and Fraser Minten and Jonathan Aspirot added late goals.

Fighting for one of the final Eastern Conference playoff spots, the Bruins finished in regulation for only the second time in seven games. They were coming off overtime losses at New Jersey on Monday night and Montreal on Tuesday night.

Jonathan Toews ended Swayman’s shutout bid on a tip-in at 5:38 of the third. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 22 shots for Winnipeg.

SENATORS 3, ISLANDERS 2

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Brady Tkachuk scored with 11.1 seconds left to give Ottawa a victory over New York.

Tkachuk controlled the loose puck in the crease and squeezed it past goalie Ilya Sorokin for the comeback victory.

New York dropped out of a playoff position in the tight Eastern Conference, while Ottawa closed within four points of the Islanders.

RED WINGS 3, CANADIENS 1

DETROIT (AP) — Alex DeBrincat scored the go-ahead goal with 3:25 remaining and assisted on Detroit’s two other goals, lifting the Red Wings to a victory over Montreal.

DeBrincat scored the winner on a backhander after stealing the puck from defenseman Mike Matheson in the Canadiens’ zone. J.T. Compher scored earlier in the period and Andrew Copp added an empty-net goal with 16.8 seconds remaining.

John Gibson made 32 saves for the Red Wings, who won for the second straight game following a three-game losing streak. Detroit recorded back-to-back victories for the first time since a three-game winning streak in mid-January.

The Red Wings also won the season series, 2-1 and pulled even with the Canadiens in the Atlantic Division standings in the tight Eastern Conference playoff race.

BLUE JACKETS 6, RANGERS 3

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Adam Fantilli scored twice, including an empty-net goal with 2:54 remaining, and Columbus beat New York, keeping alive hopes for their first playoff berth since the 2019-20 season.

Columbus extended its point streak to 11 games and takes over third-place in the Metropolitan Division thanks to the New York Islanders’ 3-2 loss in Ottawa.

Boone Jenner had a goal and an assist, and Isac Lundestrom, Conor Garland and Damon Severson also scored. Zach Werenski’s three assists give him 52 on the season and his second career 70-plus point season, tying him with Artemi Panarin for the most in team history. Jet Greaves made 22 saves for Columbus, which has won three straight.

Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere each had a goal and an assist, and Vincent Trocheck also scored for New York, which had its two-game road win streak snapped. Igor Shesterkin finished with 31 saves.

BLACKHAWKS 2, WILD 1

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Connor Bedard scored a goal and defenseman Alex Vlasic made a game-saving stop as time ran out on Thursday night as Chicago beat Minnesota to snap the NHL’s longest active point streak for one team against another.

Ilya Mikheyev also scored and Spencer Knight made 28 saves for the Blackhawks, who were 0-18-1 in their last 19 games against Minnesota. Chicago’s last victory over the Wild was on Dec. 15, 2019.

Nico Sturm scored for the Wild and Jesper Wallstedt stopped 24 of 26 shots he faced.

With Wallstedt pulled for an extra attacker, the Wild nearly tied it in the final seconds. Knight got a piece of Quinn Hughes’ shot, but the puck trickled behind him in the crease. Before a Minnesota player could get to it, the 6-foot-6 Vlasic swept his stick into the crease and tucked the puck beneath his goalie.

PREDATORS 3, KRAKEN 1

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Filip Forsberg scored a goal and added two assists and Justus Annunen made 25 saves to lead Nashville to a victory over Seattle in a matchup of teams vying for a Western Conference wild card.

Ryan Ufko and Ryan O’Reilly also scored for the Predators, winners of two straight.

Frederick Gaudreau scored and Joey Daccord made 24 saves for the Kraken, who are 2-6 over their last eight games.

With the win, Nashville pulled even with the Kraken, both with 71 points, just outside the wild-card spots.

PANTHERS 4, OILERS 0

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Sergei Bobrovsky made 21 saves to earn his fourth shutout of the season as Florida continued to plague Edmonton, emerging with a victory over the Oilers in a rematch of the last two Stanley Cup finals.

Cole Reinhardt, A.J. Greer, Anton Lundell and Carter Verhaeghe scored for the injury-riddled Panthers, who snapped a two-game losing skid.

Sam Bennett, Evan Rodrigues and Mike Benning all had two assist games. The Panthers are almost certain to miss the playoffs and a chance to defend their back-to-back titles.

Connor Ingram made 19 stops in the loss for Edmonton.

The Oilers had a two-game winning streak halted and missed out on an opportunity to move ahead of idle Anaheim into first in the Pacific Division.

LIGHTNING 6, CANUCKS 2

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Nikita Kucherov and Anthony Cirelli each had a goal and two assists and Tampa Bay beat NHL-worst Vancouver.

Kucherov moved into sole possession of second place in the NHL scoring race with 114 points, one behind Edmonton’s Connor McDavid. Tampa Bay is second in the Atlantic Division, four points behind Buffalo.

Jake Guentzel, Darren Raddysh, Yanni Gourde and Brandon Hagel also scored for the Lightning, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 19 saves for his NHL-leading 32nd victory.

Liam Ohgren and Linus Karlsson scored for Vancouver, and Kevin Lankinen stopped 24 shots.

MAMMOTH 4, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 0

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Karel Vejmelka stopped all 28 shots he faced for Utah, while Vegas counterpart Adin Hill was chased after allowing three goals without making a save in the Mammoth’s victory over the Golden Knights.

Vejmelka had his second shutout of the season and eighth in five NHL seasons to help Utah solidify its hold on the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The Mammoth built on a 6-3 home victory over Dallas on Monday night that snapped a four-game losing streak.

Third in the Pacific Division, the Golden Knights lost their second straight to finish a homestand 2-2. It fell apart quicky for Hill.

SABRES 5, SHARKS 0

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Alex Lyon made 23 saves for his 10th straight road victory as Buffalo scored three times in a span of less than two minutes in the second period to beat San Jose.

Sam Carrick scored twice, Rasmus Dahlin had a goal and an assist, and Noah Ostlund and Tage Thompson also scored to help the Sabres win for the 11th time in 12 games. Buffalo moved into a tie with Carolina for the most points in the Eastern Conference.

Lyon posted his seventh career shutout and moved within one road win of the longest streak in NHL history. San Jose’s Evgeni Nabokov and Minnesota’s Devan Dubnyk each won 11 straight on the road.

Alex Nedeljkovic made 11 saves — but none in the three-goal second period — as the Sharks dropped their third straight and remained just outside playoff position in the Western Conference. San Jose became the second team in at least 11 seasons to allow at least three goals in a period without making a save, with Boston doing it last season against Chicago.

FLYERS 4, KINGS 3, SO

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov scored in a shootout to give Philadelphia their fourth victory in five games, over Los Angeles.

Noah Cates had a goal and an assist, Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim also scored, and Samuel Ersson made 22 saves. The Flyers remained six points behind Boston and Detroit for the two Eastern Conference wild-card spots.

On Wednesday night at Anaheim, Cates scored in overtime in the Flyers’ 3-2 victory over the Ducks.

Adrian Kempe and Artemi Panarin failed on their shootout attempts for Los Angeles, though the Kings still moved into the second wild card in the Western Conference.