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Continue reading...NBA Trade Rumors: Utah Jazz talking with the Wizards?
According to Jeremy Woo, the Utah Jazz have reached out to the Washington Wizards … about potentially trading up…
From Marc J. Spears article, where he credits Jeremy Woo:
Dybantsa is the top prospect in the draft, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Woo. The Jazz have reached out to the Washington Wizards, who have the No. 1 pick, about potentially trading up to land the former BYU standout, a source said.
This could mean a wide range of things. Most likely, though, the Jazz are doing their due diligence. If the Jazz didn’t at least call the Wizards to talk, it would be negligent. For Utah, they appear to be fine with where they’re at in the draft, but if the Wizards want a certain player between AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, and can get something from the Jazz and still draft them, it makes sense. The same goes for the Jazz. If they can get a trade done with the Wizards that doesn’t cost them much, then it’s worth doing. Don’t forget, Utah made trade calls about Mikail Bridges and other players that were known to be on the trade market. It didn’t materialize, but at least Utah was able to determine the cost.
That said, there is a scenario where it might mean more. Maybe this is a plot twist, and the Jazz want to move up for a player we don’t expect. What would happen if Utah trades up, but it’s for Darryn Peterson?
Former Canucks In The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Tortorella, Dowd, Hutton & Vegas Advance To The Conference Finals
The Vegas Golden Knights hired former Vancouver Canucks head coach John Tortorella on March 29, only eight games before the end of the 2025–26 regular season.
Now, with only five games lost in both the regular season and playoffs since being hired, Tortorella and the Golden Knights are heading to the Western Conference Final.
After taking down the Utah Mammoth in six games during the first-round of the 2026 post-season, Vegas has knocked out an up-and-coming Anaheim Ducks team that defeated the Edmonton Oilers and brought the Golden Knights to six games.
This is the fifth time in their nine-season franchise history that the Golden Knights have made it to the Conference Finals. Vegas has made it to the Stanley Cup Final twice in their club history, losing to the Washington Capitals in their inaugural season (2018) and winning in 2023. They have only missed the post-season once, in 2022.
Tortorella has made the post-season 13 times in his coaching career, winning the Stanley Cup once with the Tampa Bay Lighting in 2003–04. He has made it to the Conference Finals only one other time throughout his career — with the New York Rangers in 2012. In his lone season as the Canucks’ head coach, Vancouver went 36–35–11 during the regular season and did not make the playoffs.
Also an ex-Canuck heading to the Western Conference Final with Vegas is Nic Dowd, who played with Vancouver for 40 games before heading to Washington for the better-half of eight seasons. While he didn’t end up getting on the scoresheet during the Golden Knights’ second-round series against the Ducks, Dowd played an important role against the Mammoth, scoring the game-winning goal in Game 1 and finding the back of the net in Game 3.
Hutton, the ex-Canuck and current Golden Knight who spent the most time with Vancouver, did not play in Vegas’ first-round series but found himself back in the lineup against Anaheim. The defenceman has served as a solid depth defender for the Golden Knights since joining the organization in 2021–22, steadily averaging 14 to 16 minutes per game.
Vegas will now move on to face the Colorado Avalache in the Western Conference Final. The Avalanche defeated the Minnesota Wild in five games while also sweeping the Los Angeles Kings in the first-round.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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Griffins Drop Series Opener To Wolves, 2-1 In Grand Rapids
Fresh off their series victory over the Manitoba Moose, the Grand Rapids Griffins were back on the ice in the friendly confines of Van Andel Arena for their Central Division finals series against the Chicago Wolves on Thursday evening.
Unfortunately, the Wolves proved to be rude guests.
A goal from Josiah Slavin, who is a 2018 NHL Draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks, broke a 1-1 tie in the third period and proved to ultimately stand up as the game-winner.
The Wolves, who picked up a 2-1 regulation victory, lead the series one game to none.
final. pic.twitter.com/U7DhMo7Eud
— y-Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) May 15, 2026
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Eduards Tralmaks, who is playing in his first season in the Red Wings organization and scored 26 goals in 64 regular season games with the Griffins, opened the scoring late in the second period, only to have the Wolves respond courtesy of a tally from Justin Robidas.
Griffins goaltender Michal Postava, another first-year player in the organization and who has been playing nearly lights out hockey, made 30 stops in a losing effort. Meanwhile, Wolves goaltender Cayden Primeau made 23 saves.
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Golden Knights beat Ducks 5-1 in Game 6 to reach the Western Conference finals
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mitch Marner scored a tremendous goal 62 seconds after the opening faceoff, Pavel Dorofeyev scored twice in the third period and the Vegas Golden Knights cruised into the Western Conference finals with a 5-1 victory over Anaheim Ducks in Game 6 of the second round Thursday night.
Brett Howden scored his third short-handed goal of the playoffs and Shea Theodore got a power-play goal during a 3-0 first period for the Golden Knights, who reached the third round of the NHL postseason for the first time since they won their lone Stanley Cup championship in 2023 — and for the fifth time in this charmed expansion franchise’s nine seasons of existence.
Marner played a role in all three of Vegas’ first-period goals while raising his NHL-leading playoff point total to 18, and Game 5 overtime goal-scorer Dorofeyev put the game away with a huge third period. Carter Hart made 31 saves as the veteran-laden Golden Knights ended the upstart Ducks’ first playoff appearance since 2018.
Vegas will face an exponentially bigger challenge in the Colorado Avalanche, who won the Presidents’ Trophy and then improved to 8-1 in the postseason on Wednesday by ousting Minnesota in five games.
Mikael Granlund scored a power-play goal for the Ducks, whose return from a seven-year playoff drought ended when their young roster was unable to match the veteran Knights’ playoff poise in three losses over the past four games.
Lukas Dostal stopped 16 shots for Anaheim, which couldn’t overcome another poor first period in Game 6, ending their encouraging first season under coach Joel Quenneville.
The Knights are 15-4-1 since John Tortorella replaced Cup-winning coach Bruce Cassidy on March 29, surging past the Ducks to claim the Pacific Division title before beating Utah and Anaheim in the first two playoff rounds.
CANADIENS 6, SABRES 3
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Captain Nick Suzuki and Jake Evans scored 68 seconds apart late in the second period, and Montreal defeated Buffalo to take a 3-2 lead in their second-round playoff series.
Montreal surged with a three-goal second period, and never led until Evans swept a loose puck over the goal line behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to put the Canadiens up 4-3 with 3:45 remaining. Suzuki then scored 10 seconds into a power-play opportunity by converting Juraj Slafkovsky’s one-handed pass from the end boards and beating Luukkonen through the legs with a shot from the lower right circle.
Cole Caufield, Josh Anderson, Ivan Demidov and Alexandre Texier also scored for Montreal, which will host Game 6 on Saturday night. Jakub Dobes allowed three goals on the first four shots he faced before finishing with 33 saves.
Josh Doan, Jason Zucker and rookie Konsta Helenius, appearing in his second career playoff game, scored for Buffalo.
Luukkonen allowed five goals on 23 shots, and was pulled after two periods -- the second time he’s been yanked this postseason. Alex Lyon mopped up in allowing a goal on three shots. Lyon is potentially in line to regain the starting duties after losing the job following a 6-2 loss in Game 3.
The Sabres have dropped two of three at home in the series, and were coming off a 3-2 win at Montreal on Tuesday.
Ducks' storybook season comes to an end with Game 6 loss to Golden Knights
The carriage has turned back into a pumpkin, the ballgown is once again just tattered clothing and all the horses have gone back to being mice.
The Ducks’ Cinderella run through the NHL playoffs came to an end Thursday in a 5-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series. And the end came well before midnight, with goals by Mitch Marner and Brett Howden in the first 8½ minutes giving Vegas a commanding lead before many in the late-arriving weeknight crowd had made it to their seats at the Honda Center.
The Golden Knights will move on to the Western Conference finals with the Colorado Avalanche next week while the Ducks will move on to summer. But it’s the team’s latest start on the offseason since 2017, the last time the Ducks made it to the second round of the playoffs. So even if the glass slipper didn’t fit this time, the Ducks have reason to celebrate.
This team, after all, wasn’t supposed to be at the ball this long. Fourteen players on its roster had never been to the postseason before; most of them had never even played for a winning team in the NHL before. But the team’s youth and inexperience proved to be a strength, not a weakness.
They didn’t know they weren’t supposed to win in the playoffs, so they did, dispatching the Edmonton Oilers — who made the last two Stanley Cup finals — in the first round and outplaying the veteran Golden Knights, a playoff team in eight of the franchise’s nine seasons, throughout much of the second round.
Rookie Beckett Sennecke, just 20, had four goals and an assist in the six games with Vegas. Winger Cutter Gauthier, just 22, led the team with 12 points in his first trip to the playoffs. Defenseman Olen Zellwenger, also 22, had a goal and assist in his first two playoff games and Olympic gold medalist Jackson LaCombe, 25, led the team in ice time — and was third in points with 10 — in his first postseason.
That’s the core of the team going forward and the playoff experience they got this spring will be invaluable. But the fairy godmother’s spell wore off early in Game 6, which was just 62 seconds old when Vegas went ahead to stay.
Marner opened the scoring with a spectacular breakaway goal, skating on to William Karlssson’s two-line pass as he entered the offensive zone and beating LaCombe up the center of the ice to the crease. When he got there, he pulled up, turned his back to goalie Lukas Dostal, then shoved the puck just inside the right post for his seventh goal of the playoffs.
Howden doubled the lead with a shorthanded goal 7½ minutes later, finding miles of space just to the right of the goal and banging in a pass from Marner that split LaCombe and Alex Killorn. The goal was Howden’s eighth of the playoffs, temporarily giving him the NHL postseason lead, while the assist gave Marner 18 postseason points, also best in the league.
When Shea Theodore scored off a faceoff seconds into a power play late in the period, it gave the Golden Knights a 3-0 lead at the intermission with the goals coming on a power play, the penalty kill and with the teams at even strength.
The Ducks led the NHL with 26 comeback wins during the regular season, but against the poised and patient Golden Knights the deficit was too big. The Ducks left the ice to a chorus of boos after the period, though they came back to dominate the second period, getting the only score at 12:46 when Mikael Granlund notched his fifth goal of the playoffs on a power play, lining a snap shot into the side netting from the middle the left circle.
But the Ducks would get no closer, with Vegas icing the game on two third-period goals from Pavel Dorofeyev, who had four goals in the final two games. The first came off a turnover from the Ducks’ John Carlson deep in his defensive end 2:52 into the final period and the second on a shot from a difficult angle to the right of the goal that ricocheted in off Dostal with 6:28 left in the Ducks’ season.
The two scores gave Dorofeyev nine for the playoffs, passing Howden for the league lead.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Predators Upgrade 2027 Draft Pick Following Golden Knights Series Victory Over Ducks
The Nashville Predators will be adding a second round pick to their draft stock in 2027.
Following the Vegas Golden Knights' 5-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks in Game 6 to win the series and advance to the Western Conference Finals, the Predators have upgraded a 2027 third-round pick to a second-round pick.
Vegas will face the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals.
Nashville received a conditional pick from the Golden Knights in a trade in June 2025, sending Colton Sissions and Jeremy Lauzon to Vegas for Nic Hague and a conditional 2027 third-round pick.
If the Golden Knights won at least two rounds in the 2026 playoffs, which they have, the pick upgrades to the second round selection.
Nashville now has 12 picks in the 2027 NHL Draft: one first round, two second round, three third round, two fourth round, two fifth round, one sixth round and one seventh round pick.
The Predators have 12 picks in the upcoming 2026 draft, including the 10th overall pick.
the past two years, beginning with Vegas star forward and 2023 Conn Smyth winner, Jonathan Marchessault, signing with Nashville in the 2024 offseason.
Along with the Hague trade, Nashville sent Cole Smith to the Golden Knights at the 2026 trade deadline for a 2028 third-round pick and defenseman Christoffer Sedoff.
Nashville saw consistent production from Hague in his first season, totaling 15 points in 62 games. On the other hand, Marchessault's play has steadily declined, posting a career-low 31 points in 62 games.
The Predators latest acquisition, Sedoff, has no points in 12 games this season with the Milwaukee Admirals and played in just one of the Admirals three playoff games.
Sportswatch Daily Listings
| (All times Eastern) |
|---|
| Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts |
| Saturday, May 16 |
| AUTO RACING |
| 8:30 a.m. |
FS2 — IndyCar: Indianapolis 500, Practice
| 11 a.m. |
|---|
FS2 — IndyCar: Indianapolis 500, Qualifying
| 12 p.m. |
|---|
FS1 — NASCAR Cup Series: NASCAR All-Star Race
| 2 p.m. |
|---|
FS1 — IndyCar: Indianapolis 500, Qualifying
| 4 p.m. |
|---|
FOX — IndyCar: Indianapolis 500, Qualifying
| 7 p.m. |
|---|
FS1 — ARCA Menards Series: Owens Corning 200
| COLLEGE BASEBALL |
|---|
| 12 p.m. |
ACCN — Georgia Tech at Boston College
SECN — Mississippi State at Texas A&M
| 3 p.m. |
|---|
ACCN — Wake Forest at Duke
BTN — UCLA at Washington
SECN — Mississippi at Alabama
| 4:35 p.m. |
|---|
BTN — Air Force at Oregon State
| FOOTBALL |
|---|
| 12 p.m. |
ABC — D.C. Defenders at Louisville Kings
| 3 p.m. |
|---|
ABC — Houston Roughnecks at St. Louis Battlehawks
| GOLF |
|---|
| 8 a.m. |
GOLF — Ladies European Tour: German Masters, Third Round
| 10 a.m. |
|---|
ESPN — PGA Championship: PGA Championship, Third Round
| 1 p.m. |
|---|
CBS — PGA Championship: PGA Championship, Third Round
| 3 p.m. |
|---|
GOLF — LPGA Tour: Kroger Queen City Championship, Third Round
| ICE HOCKEY |
|---|
| 6:20 a.m. |
NHLN — Norway at Slovakia
| 10:20 a.m. |
|---|
NHLN — Canada at Italy
| 2:20 p.m. |
|---|
NHLN — Latvia at Switzerland
| MLB BASEBALL |
|---|
| 4:05 p.m. |
FS1 — Baltimore at Washington
| 7:15 p.m. |
|---|
FOX — San Diego at Seattle
FOX — New York Yankees at New York Mets
| 9:38 p.m. |
|---|
MLBN — Los Angeles Dodgers at Los Angeles Angels
| 9:40 p.m. |
|---|
MLBN — San Francisco at Sacramento
| NHL HOCKEY |
|---|
| 5 p.m. |
ESPN — Anaheim at Vegas
| 8 p.m. |
|---|
ABC — Buffalo at Montreal
| SOCCER (MEN'S) |
|---|
| 7:30 a.m. |
CBSSN — Scottish Premiership: Hearts vs. Celtic
| 10 a.m. |
|---|
ESPN2 — FA Cup: Manchester City vs. Chelsea
| 4:30 p.m. |
|---|
Apple TV — MLS: Chicago Fire vs. CF Montreal
| 6 p.m. |
|---|
CBSSN — USL Cup: Charleston Battery vs. Richmond Kickers
| 7:30 p.m. |
|---|
Apple TV — MLS: Columbus Crew vs. Philadelphia Union
Apple TV — MLS: Atlanta United vs. Orlando City
Apple TV — MLS: Toronto FC vs. Charlotte FC
Apple TV — MLS: New York City vs. New York Red Bulls
Apple TV — MLS: Minnesota United vs. New England Revolution
Apple TV — MLS: St. Louis City vs. D.C. United
| 8 p.m. |
|---|
FOX — USL Cup: Sacramento Republic vs. Oakland Roots
| 8:30 p.m. |
|---|
Apple TV — MLS: Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Houston Dynamo
Apple TV — MLS: Sporting Kansas City vs. Austin
| 9 p.m. |
|---|
Apple TV — MLS: Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders
FS1 — MLS: Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders
| 9:30 p.m. |
|---|
Apple TV — MLS: FC Cincinnati vs. San Diego
Apple TV — MLS: Colorado Rapids vs. Real Salt Lake
| 10:30 p.m. |
|---|
Apple TV — MLS: FC Dallas vs. San Jose Earthquakes
| TENNIS |
|---|
| 6 a.m. |
TENNIS — ATP: Italian Open
| 11 a.m. |
|---|
TENNIS — WTA: Italian Open
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive TV listings provided by LiveSportsOnTV.
Lemieux, Crosby Assert CHL Glory Atop All-Time List
Throughout the last several months, the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) has been counting down the top-50 players of the last 50 years who have played junior hockey in the Western Hockey League (WHL), the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).
On Thursday, they finally reached No. 1 - and it is none other than the greatest Pittsburgh Penguin of all time.
Franchise legend Mario Lemieux, a QMJHL alumnus from the Laval Voisins, was given top honors as the greatest CHL player of the last 50 years, eclipsing current Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby (Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL) at No. 2 and Wayne Gretzky (Peterborough Petes and Soo Greyhounds, OHL) at No. 3.
“I'm honored to be chosen among this group of great players," Lemieux said. "My time at Laval and in the QMJHL played a big role in preparing me for an NHL career. We all appreciate what the CHL has meant to Canadian hockey and the development of our players through the years.”
CHL President Dan MacKenzie had some high praise for Lemieux in an official press release from the CHL.
“Mario Lemieux’s dominance with the Laval Voisins remains one of the defining achievements in CHL history,” MacKenzie said. “His 1983-84 season set a standard that has stood for more than 40 years, and the career that followed only strengthened his place among the greatest players our game has ever seen."
Team Canada Keeps Celebrini Captain Over CrosbyMacklin Celebrini will remain Team Canada's captain for the World Championships.The 1983-84 season that MacKenzie referenced was the greatest season in CHL history. Lemieux registered an astounding, unbeatable 282 points (133 goals, 149 assists) in only 70 games. In three QMJHL seasons with Laval, Lemieux registered a total of 247 goals and 562 points in 200 career games.
This preceded his all-time great NHL career that was, unfortunately, hampered by injuries, but in which he still managed to put up 690 goals and 1,723 points in only 915 NHL games.
Crosby - who, at No. 2, gave the Penguins the top-two spots on the list - spent only two seasons with Rimouski, amassing 120 goals and 303 points in 121 games. He beat out Gretzky and Erie Otters (OHL) alumnus Connor McDavid at No. 4 on the list.
Opinion: The Kyle Dubas GM Of The Year Snub Is InsaneIt's crazy that Kyle Dubas is not a finalist for the GM of the Year award after how well he did this past year. Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!
Every sentence in this recap sounds more absurd than the last: White Sox sweep Royals, push past .500
Yes indeed, get ready, because every sentence in this lede is going to sound more absurd than the last.
The Chicago White Sox have defeated the Kansas City Royals, 6-2. They swept the Royals in a three-game series. The win has put the White Sox record at 22-21. It has also strengthened the White Sox’s grip on an American League wild card spot. They are only one game back of the Guardians for the Central Division lead.
Sorry, I had to step away for a minute so I could laugh. White Sox baseball makes me happy! I’m writing that, and I don’t even have a traumatic brain injury!
The first inning defined the tenor of the entire game. We had a “Spiderman pointing at himself” pitching matchup between Kris Bubic and Anthony Kay, two lefthanders who lean on their offspeed stuff. They even land their plant foots on the same spot of the mound, as color man Steve Stone helpfully pointed out.
It didn’t come as a shock that both clubs also had the same plan of attack against their respective opposing pitcher: Make him live up in the zone, where they’re uncomfortable. The Royals had success early on. First, Maikel García hit a leadoff single. Then, that damned Bobby Witt Jr. waited on a changeup down-and-away that he smacked for a single, moving García to third.
Kay was up for the challenge (see what I did there?): He started living up in the zone, giving up a sacrifice fly to Lane Thomas before getting Salvador Pérez to chase a head-high fastball for a strikeout, then putting away Vinnie Pasquatino on three pitches to get out of the first inning with only the one earned run.
The bottom of the inning saw started well for Bubic, as he retired Chase Meidroth and Miguel Vargas. Next up was Munetaka Murakami. This matchup was a double-edged sword for Mune: On one hand, he had gone 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in his first game against Bubic. However, Murakami is finally getting to see some of these MLB pitchers a second time. It’s really quite impressive how well he’s done to this point in the season against a league full of strangers.
Familiarity was a good look on Mune, who drew a walk ahead of fledgling White Sox platoon bat Randal Grichuk. Grichuk spit on a two-strike pitch similar to what put out Vargas earlier in the inning — a high sweeper. His high offer rebuked, Bubic came down in the zone. Grichuk stayed back on the pitch and blasted it out of the ballpark. A one-run deficit flipped to a one-run lead, and Kay had the edge against Bubic in the battle of the high strike.
In the third inning, Kay had to contend with the middle of the Royals lineup. He collected two quick outs from Witt and No. 3 hitter Thomas, then forced second baseman Nick Loftin into an inning-ending fielder’s choice after Pérez muscled a slider off his hands for an ultimately harmless two-out single. And yeah, if I had my choice as a fielder, I’d probably take the force out on Pérez too.
The White Sox started the third off with a four-pitch walk by Meidroth before Vargas hit a single — waiting back on a changeup, of course. Murakami took his second walk to load the bases for Grichuk, who sliced a single into the outfield for his third and fourth runs batted in.
I have a confession to make: I took the garbage out between the top and bottom of the fourth inning, but I was a little late trudging up the stairs. When I got back to my TV, Luisangel Acuña had reached base. I guess I have to believe he got on base somehow, although without having seen it, I still have a hard time believing it. What isn’t in doubt is Acuña’s speed. He stole second base and then scored on Meidroth’s two-out single to expend the lead, 5-1.
As the Chicago bullpen began to stir, Anthony Kay worked a marvelous seven-pitch sixth inning to put the game to bed early. Kay gave up a triple to fellow lefty Kyle Isbel to open the seventh. He’d score on a García ground out induced by reliever Tyler Davis, putting Kay’s final line at 6 IP, 2 ER, 2 BB and 4 Ks. His six innings of work allowed Will Venable’s bullpen get some rest headed into the Crosstown series this weekend.
In the eighth inning, Sam Antonacci came off the bench to hit a double, as a little treat for the South Side fans in attendance. Antonacci came up limping into second, briefly giving everybody a heart attack, but he seemed fine as he completed his run on a Derek Hill single.
Antonacci’s run completed the scoring for the game, as first Davis and then Sean Newcomb closed the door. Regarding their performance, I bestow the highest compliment a bullpen arm can receive: Their innings were boring. And now the White Sox are better than .500 after Cinco de Mayo.
Bring on the Cubs.
Calder Cup Playoffs: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Blows 3-0 Lead, Loses Game 2 In Overtime
For a while, it looked like the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins were going to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-five series against the Springfield Thunderbirds on Thursday.
They had a 3-0 lead going into the third period and a 3-1 lead with less than five minutes left in regulation before losing 4-3 in overtime. The Thunderbirds pulled the goalie twice to end the game, and Dillon Dube scored two 6-on-5 goals to pull his team even.
Akil Thomas won the game for the Thunderbirds in overtime off a weird bounce. The puck missed the net on a rush, but still somehow ended up in the back of the net.
The goal will count. What a weird bounce, but that's hockey!
— Tony Androckitis* (@TonyAndrock) May 15, 2026
Springfield stuns the #WBSPens and evens the series at 1-1 on a goal credited to Akil Thomas.@InsideAHLHockeypic.twitter.com/snHm3eGXEI
Bill Zonnon opened the scoring for WBS in the first period with a great net-front play. He was there to clean up the loose puck after some beautiful puck movement from the power play.
BILL ZONNON HAS DONE IT AGAIN. 1-0 #WBSPens@InsideAHLHockeypic.twitter.com/GOWQ68ILHX
— Tony Androckitis* (@TonyAndrock) May 14, 2026
Tristan Broz made it 2-0 early in the second period off a great feed from Mikhail Ilyin. WBS held on to that lead for a good chunk of the middle frame until Avery Hayes made it a 3-0 game with less than two minutes left.
Rutger McGroarty delivered one heck of a cross-ice pass to Hayes, who buried it past Thunderbirds goaltender Georgii Romanov.
GOAL. Avery Hayes makes it 3-0 #WBSPens late in the 2nd period.
— Tony Androckitis* (@TonyAndrock) May 15, 2026
Harrison Brunicke to Rutger McGroarty and across to Hayes for #85's team-leading 3rd of the playoffs on more brilliant puck movement on the power play.@InsideAHLHockeypic.twitter.com/TMV4DVnUp5
WBS goaltender Sergei Murashov was outstanding once again in this game, despite allowing three goals in the third period and the game-winner in overtime. There wasn't much he could do on those and gave the Penguins a chance to win the game several times.
Ultimately, the Thunderbirds found a way to come back and win, sending the series back to Springfield tied at one game apiece.
Game 3 will be on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. ET.
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Hurricanes Eastern Conference Final Schedule set—sort of
Before the second round of the playoffs started, we were all on pins and needles as to when the Hurricanes would start their series against Philadelphia, all the while thinking “surely we’ll have a little bit of a heads up.”
The fact that the league announced the start of a playoff series less than 48 hours from Game One, the criticism they took for it, plus the NBA having an intricate outline available of what the schedule would be in an if/then format had people all across the NHL up in arms. Apparently they listened because almost immediately the NHL started doing the same thing—essentially announcing game times multiple days in advance and having every scenario covered so fans and teams could be ready for what would come next. This even affected the Canes, as they knew going into Game Four against Philly they would have played Game Five in Raleigh at 7 PM after the league initially called it TBA.
Once again the league seems to have decided it was time to be proactive instead of reactive.
On Thursday night, while the NFL was in the midst of their social media teams’ Super Bowl of publishing what their schedule would be, the NHL announced what the Conference Finals series would look like for both the East and the West, as well as which network was taking the broadcasts. Notably they did this during Game Five of the Buffalo/Montreal series, meaning they have accounted for the fact that the series could go all the way until Monday of next week.
The west is set and will start on Wednesday next week allowing for both teams to get a little bit of extra rest. In the East, should Montreal finish the job Saturday at home, they’ll get a day to celebrate, fly to Raleigh on Monday, and the series will kick off on Tuesday. Should Buffalo win on the road again—and right now there are three road wins to two in this series—Game Seven will be Monday Night, that winner will get one day to recover, fly to Raleigh on Wednesday, and the series starts Thursday with the Hurricanes going an incredible eleven days between playing a hockey game.
The format will be every other night for the Conference Finals, No extra days for traveling, and either way the Hurricanes will be the team that gets to play on Memorial Day.
With that, the US networks were also determined. ESPN decided to take the Presidents’ Trophy winners in Colorado over the chance of having Buffalo because of the risk they may be stuck with a Canadian team against a team that historically doesn’t perform well in the ratings. ESPN also has the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals this year, meaning that Carolina’s games will be going up against a series involving the New York Knicks.
That means that once again Carolina’s Eastern Conference Finals series will be broadcast nationally by TNT Sports on cable and available on HBO Max via the streaming app. For the first time this playoffs, the full A team of Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk, Brian Boucher, and Jackie Redmond will cover the Canes. As always, Mike Maniscalco and Tripp Tracy will have the call on the Hurricanes Radio Network for those who may want to hear the home town crew.
So Canes fans, if you want to start ASAP root for Montreal on Saturday. If you want them to get as much rest as possible and face a team worn through playing either thirteen or fourteen games root for Buffalo. Either way, the Playoffs are back in action next week.
Montreal completes dramatic OT comeback with face goal vs. Ottawa in PWHL Finals
The energy was sucked out of Place Bell in Game 1 in the 2026 PWHL Walter Cup Finals after Montreal's Laura Stacey went down as the Victoire trailed the Ottawa Charge 2-1 with 18 seconds remaining.
The moment galvanized the Victoire, and as the clock ticked down, Montreal rookie Nicole Gosling scored an equalizer with 2.1 seconds left to send the game to overtime. It not only marked the first playoff goal of Gosling's career, but the latest playoff goal scored in a regulation. And it couldn't have come at a better time for Montreal.
Stacey returned to the ice to start the extra period and gave her team a jolt of energy that Montreal rode all the way to the finish line. No. 1 Victoire went on to defeat No. 4 Charge 3-2 in overtime to take a 1-0 lead in the PWHL Finals. Abby Roque scored the overtime winner after the puck ricocheted off her face and into the goal.
"We play for the people around us. We play for (Laura) Stacey," said Roque, who finished with two goals in the dramatic comeback victory. "Shout-out to Nic (Gosling). Never say die. She went to that one and got us tied up. And honestly Maggie (Flaherty) saw me all the way in the back door. Lucky enough, it hits off my face and goes in."
ROQUE CALLS GAME 😤 pic.twitter.com/99rF1TD1kL
— PWHL (@thepwhlofficial) May 15, 2026
Ottawa was in charge a majority of the game (no pun intended). Ottawa forward Rebecca Leslie opened scoring in the all-Canadian final with an unassisted goal in the second period after both teams were held scoreless in the first period. Leslie attempted an initial shot on goal, cleaned up the rebound and found the back of the net at the 16:56 mark to give the Charge a 1-0 lead.
Montreal settled in during the third period and Roque scored with 7:48 remaining in the game to tie it up, 1-1. The equalizer was assisted by Nadia Mattivi and Stacey, marking Roque's first goal of the postseason. Then Leslie scored again with 4:04 remaining on a Poulin turnover to put Ottawa back in the driver's seat.
It marked Leslie's fourth multi-goal game of the season.
Montreal's Stacey went down with 18.2 seconds remaining after being checked into the boards by Ottawa's Gabbie Hughes. Stacey immediately grabbed at her left leg and went down on the ice in pain as teammate Marie-Philip Poulin signaled for the training staff. Stacey was eventually helped to her feet and gingerly skated off the ice with the assistance of Poulin as the crowd chanted "Stacey."
Ottawa was seconds away from taking a 1-0 lead in their second consecutive PWHL Finals. Then the unthinkable happened and the momentum instantly switched. Montreal's Maureen Murphy and Poulin connected with Gosling, who got the puck past Ottawa's Gwyneth Philips to tie it up 2-2 with 2.1 seconds left.
"When (Stacey) goes down, everybody wants to push," Roque said. "We never thought, 'OK, it's over.' We still wanted to try to push and win and thank God for Nicole, but there's a lot of plays that went up to it... Everybody just wanted to at least give it one more shot and lucky enough it went in."
After the third period, Leslie said the conceded goal was a "tough" turn of events, but noted Ottawa is "good at battling back... we're just going to continue to build and go at the next one." However, Ottawa wasn't able to respond and fall 0-1 in the Finals after being two seconds away from stealing Game 1 on the road.
Roque, who's already sporting a black eye, said her first-ever face goal didn't hurt. "I was more just confused and then I saw it go on the net and I was like (celebrate)... First time for everything."
Montreal goalkeeper Ann-Renée Desbiens saved 23 of 25 shots in the victory. Ottawa's Philips was on the ice for the entirety of the game (62:29 minutes) and saved 23 of 26 shots on goal.
PWHL Walter Cup Finals schedule
- Game 1: Montreal 3, Ottawa 2 (OT)
- Game 2, Saturday, May 16: Ottawa at Montreal | 2 p.m. ET
- Game 3, Monday, May 18: Montreal at Ottawa | 6 p.m. ET
- Game 4, Wednesday, May 20: Montreal at Ottawa | 7 p.m. ET (if necessary)
- Game 5: TBD (if necessary
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Montreal completes dramatic OT comeback vs. Ottawa in Game 1 of PWHL Finals
Kyle Schwarber’s MLB-leading 18th homer lifts Phillies past Red Sox 3-1
May 14, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) hits a two run home run during the eighth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
Eric Canha/Eric Canha-Imagn Images
Kyle Schwarber hit his major league-leading 18th home run, a two-run shot that broke a scoreless tie in the eighth inning, and the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Boston Red Sox 3-1 on Thursday night.
Schwarber has seven homers in his last seven games, the first Phillies player to hit at least that many in a similar span since current teammate Trea Turner in 2023. Schwarber’s towering shot in this one cleared the visiting bullpen in right field and traveled an estimated 417 feet.
Bryson Stott added an insurance run later in the eighth on an infield hit on which he was initially called out, but it was overturned after the Phillies challenged.
Brad Keller (2-1) struck out two in one relief inning for the win and Jhoan Duran fanned the side in the ninth for his seventh save.
Wilyer Abreu’s RBI single in the eighth accounted for Boston’s lone run. The Red Sox wrapped up a homestand during which they dropped two of three in series against Tampa Bay and Philadelphia.
Boston reliever Tyler Samaniego (0-1) hadn’t allowed a homer in his first 13 career MLB games, spanning 15 innings, before getting taken deep by Schwarber, who also struck out three times.
Neither starter factored in the decision. Boston’s Ranger Suarez went 5 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out eight, while Philadelphia’s Jesus Luzardo fanned four in six scoreless innings. In his previous start, Luzardo was tagged for six runs in just three innings.
The start of the game was delayed by 22 minutes because of rain.
Up next
Phillies: Travel to Pittsburgh for a three-game series that begins Friday night. Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (2-3, 5.14) is scheduled to oppose Pirates RHP Braxton Ashcraft (2-2, 2.77).
Red Sox: Open a three-game series in Atlanta on Friday with LHP Connelly Early (3-2, 3.16) facing Braves RHP Spencer Strider (1-0, 2.89).
Grichuk powers White Sox past Royals 6-2 for their fifth straight win
May 14, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox left fielder Randal Grichuk (34) hits a two-run single against the Kansas City Royals during the third inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Kamil Krzaczynski/Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Randal Grichuk hit a two-run homer and drove in four runs to lead the Chicago White Sox to their fifth straight win, 6-2 over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night.
Chase Meidroth had two hits and an RBI as the White Sox improved to 22-21 and moved over .500 this late in the season for the first time since 2022. Chicago, losers of 101 or more games in each of the last three seasons, are within one game of idle Cleveland for first place in the AL Central.
Anthony Kay (3-1) allowed two runs and six hits in six-plus innings as Chicago swept its third series this season and extended the Royals’ losing streak to four games.
Kay was relieved by Tyler Davis after Kyle Isbel tripled to lead off the seventh, then Sean Newcomb tossed a scoreless eighth and ninth for his first save.
Lane Thomas and Maikel Garcia drove in the Royals’ runs and Salvador Perez had two hits. Kris Bubic (3-2) allowed five runs and five hits with three walks over four innings.
Grichuk’s homer was his third in five games and came in his eighth game since signing a one-year, $1.25 million deal with the White Sox on May 4. He also has seven RBIs with Chicago. The 34-year-old outfielder started the season with the Yankees and elected free agency after New York designated him for assignment.
The Royals took a 1-0 lead on Thomas’ sacrifice fly in the first inning, but Grichuk lined his two-run shot in the bottom half.
Grichuk drove in two more runs in the third on a bases-loaded single. Meidroth’s RBI single in the fourth made it 5-1 for Chicago.
Up next
Royals: RHP Michael Wacha (4-2, 2.63) faces his original team, the Cardinals, and RHP Dustin May (3-4, 4.85) on Friday in St. Louis.
White Sox: RHP Sean Burke (2-3, 3.68) takes the mound against Cubs RHP Edward Cabrera (3-1, 3.88) when the crosstown rivals meet at Rate Field on Friday.