After a long winter’s nap the Colorado Avalanche hosted the Nashville Predators in their ongoing seven-game home stand. It was the fourth and final meeting between these teams this season and by far the ugliest as Colorado dropped their first regulation game at home in a 7-3 defeat.
A Ryan O’Reilly hat trick punctuated the loss. Brock Nelson scored two goals and Martin Nečas added one for Colorado. Mackenzie Blackwood made 28 saves in defeat.
The Game
It took all of 30 seconds for the game’s first score, unfortunately it was from the visitors. Ryan O’Reilly got free in front of the net and swiftly put a backhand past Mackenzie Blackwood in his return to the crease. That lead didn’t last long as Nashville immediately gave it back a minute later when Brock Nelson deposited his own puck at the net front past Juuse Saros.
Action calmed down a bit after the early scoring barrage but déjà vu struck as Nashville got on the board again from O’Reilly as he was awarded a goal after Samuel Girard placed a perfect tip on the puck right through Blackwood’s five-hole. The Avalanche responded back with another Nelson goal as he deflected a Josh Manson shot. And that’s how the first period would end, a 2-2 tie.
To start the second period the Avalanche had their chances but after a failed Avalanche power play, O’Reilly completed the hat trick with his own tipped shot to give Nashville the lead again. Your move, Brock Nelson. But the equalizer never came as Nashville scored their fourth goal on a rush from Michael Bunting to end the period 4-2 in Nashville’s favor.
There were quick signs of life to start the third period as Martin Nečas received a slap pass from Nathan MacKinnon in the slot to bring Colorado within one just a minute into the frame.
It would be Nashville who scored the next goal, though, as the Colorado comeback attempt was thwarted. Zakhar Bardakov was assessed a questionable interference penalty which was reviewed and the Predators converted on the subsequent power play. Filip Forsberg got a shot past Blackwood in traffic to restore the two-goal lead with five minutes to go.
From there it was desperation mode for the Avalanche as they pulled the goalie and gave up two shorthanded goals to Steven Stamkos and Michael McCarron for a 7-3 Nashville final. An ugly loss for Colorado’s first regulation defeat at Ball Arena this season.
Takeaways
This was Mackenzie Blackwood’s first start this month and it’s fair to wonder if he was shaking off the rust but giving up five goals on 28 shots really isn’t a great performance. With Scott Wedgewood allegedly healthy now too it will be interesting to see how Jared Bednar chooses to split starts as the schedule picks up moving forward.
Quietly the Avalanche are in a 2-3-1 stretch which coincides with the loss of Gabe Landeskog and Devon Toews. This step back is understandable with the key players missing but assuming full health down the stretch and in the playoffs is faulty especially as it’s a war of attrition to go deep into the summer. The squad can’t just dominate with a full roster.
Jared Bednar said there were no positives tonight. “We didn’t do enough to win the hockey game.”
DETROIT (AP) — Dylan Larkin scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the surging Detroit Red Wings beat the San Jose Sharks 4-2 on Friday night.
Marco Kasper scored his first goal in 37 games and added an assist to help Detroit win for the fifth time in six games. Alex DeBrincat scored his team-high 25th goal and J.T. Compher had the other goal for the Red Wings.
Lucas Raymond had three assists and James van Riemsdyk added two. John Gibson made 20 saves.
Will Smith scored for San Jose in his return from an upper-body injury that cost him 13 games. Collin Graf had the other Sharks goal and Macklin Celebrini, the NHL’s third-leading scorer with 72 points, added an assist. Celebrini has 32 points in his last 18 games.
Yaroslav Askarov stopped 21 shots for the Sharks, who had won seven of nine.
Detroit converted on its first power play when Raymond set up DeBrincat, who ripped a one-timer from the left circle into the net.
Smith tied it midway through the first period after Celebrini’s shot from the high slot tumbled over Gibson and rolled toward the goal line. Smith tucked the puck into the net.
Graf tipped in a pass from Nick Leddy at 1:58 of the second to give the Sharks the lead. Kasper’s pass through the legs of a defender set up Compher’s goal five minutes later, tying it 2-all.
Larkin jammed the puck between the post and Askarov’s pad at 4:41 of the third to give the Red Wings a 3-2 advantage. Kasper ended his scoring drought on an empty-netter with 1:32 remaining.
HURRICANES 9, PANTHERS 1
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Nikolaj Ehlers had three goals for his sixth career hat trick and first with Carolina, and the Hurricanes scored six times in the third period to cruise past Florida.
Ehlers, who signed with Carolina in the offseason after playing 10 years with Winnipeg, also had an assist. Taylor Hall had two goals and Mark Jankowski had a goal and two assists. Alexander Nikishin and Andrei Svechnikov had a goal and an assist and Eric Robinson also scored.
Brandon Bussi made 16 saves for the Hurricanes, who had four power-play goals and improved to 5-1-1 in their last seven games.
Uvis Balinskis had the lone goal for the Panthers, who gave up eight unanswered goals and had their two-game winning streak stopped. Sergei Bobrovsky allowed all nine of Carolina’s goals while stopping just 26 shots.
Ehlers gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead with 1:25 left in the first period. Balinskis tied it at 1:19 of the second — but it was all Carolina after that.
Jankowski put the Hurricanes up 2-1 at 13:10 of the second and Nikishin made it 3-1 with a power-play goal three minutes later.
Svechnikov, Ehlers and Hall also scored power-play goals in the third as Carolina pulled away.
BLUES 3, LIGHTNING 2
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jordan Kyrou scored the only goal in a shootout and St. Louis beat Tampa Bay to snap its franchise record-tying 11-game winning streak.
Kyrou’s backhand shot beat Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov had a chance to extend the shootout but was stopped by Joel Hofer, who made 34 saves in regulation and overtime before delivering three more in the tiebreaker.
It was the Blues’ first win in overtime or a shootout this season. They had been 0-8.
The Blues took 2-0 lead late in the first period with goals just 30 seconds apart.
Jake Neighbors got the first with 2:57 to play in the period and Nick Bjugstad scored when he was left alone in the slot with 2:27 left.
Tampa Bay tied it with a pair of power-play goals 62 seconds apart in the second.
Kucherov scored at 9:59 when the Lightning had a two-man advantage. He then assisted on Oliver Bjorkstrand’s goal 1:02 later. Darren Raddysh assisted on both goals.
Vasilevskiy made 19 saves.
PREDATORS 7, AVALANCHE 3
DENVER (AP) — Ryan O’Reilly scored three goals for his seventh career hat trick and added an assist as Nashville beat Colorado, handing the Avalanche their first home loss in regulation this season.
Filip Forsberg had a goal and two assists for Nashville. Juuse Saros made 39 saves.
It was O’Reilly’s first hat trick since Jan. 4, 2025, versus Calgary, and second against his former team. O’Reilly spent his first six seasons with the Avalanche before being traded to Buffalo before the 2015-16 campaign.
Brock Nelson had two goals, Martin Necas also scored and Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 23 shots in his return to the lineup for Colorado. Blackwood had not played since Dec. 31 due to a lower-body injury.
He couldn’t prevent the Avalanche (33-5-8) from losing a second consecutive game at home, where they are 19-1-3.
O’Reilly scored his first goal 30 seconds into the game and got his second when he sent the puck from the goal line to the front of the net, where it deflected in off the stick of Colorado defenseman Sam Girard at 7:32.
Nelson answered those goals with two of his own, one when he cleaned up a rebound 54 seconds after O’Reilly’s first and later in the first period when he deflected Josh Manson’s shot.
It's no secret that Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang has struggled quite a bit at times this season.
There have been games when he looks completely lost, and others when he shows everyone that Father Time hasn't caught up yet.
The latter games have been more prevalent as of late, especially on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers, a game the Penguins won 6-3. He was methodical with his decisions, including one on the power play where he had an outrageous keep at the blue line.
It looked like the Flyers were about to clear the puck when Letang jumped up with his hand to knock the puck down and settled it. The puck stayed in the offensive zone, eventually leading to Sidney Crosby's goal that made it 5-1. The Flyers left Crosby wide open at the side of the net, which was obviously a major mistake. This was Crosby's 60th career goal against the Flyers, a team he loves to torment.
The athleticism was on full display, and the power play hasn't missed a beat since he replaced Erik Karlsson on the top unit earlier this week. Speaking of that, Karlsson will be out for at least the next two weeks, which is tough because of how great he's been this year, especially offensively.
Before going down, Karlsson was on the top pair with Parker Wotherspoon, while Letang was on the second pair with Brett Kulak. Letang's pair is now the top pair, and he led all Penguins' defensemen in ice-time on Thursday with 23:25 at all situations.
Kulak and Letang have been paired for 15 games this season and have gotten more comfortable together in each one. Kulak isn't flashy, but he's steady in his own zone, which Letang needs.
The two have played 215:10 at 5v5 this season, and the underlyings have continued to improve. Are they perfect? No, but as a pair, they've been on the ice for 50.4% of the expected goals, 50% of the high danger chances, 49% of the scoring chances, and 48.4% of the shot attempts. With more minutes, I think you'll see the scoring chances and shot attempts rates get above 50%.
They've also been on the ice for only five goals against this season, which speaks to how well they're playing together in their own zone.
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (58) skates with the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Letang was also tremendous against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, despite the Penguins falling 2-1 in a shootout. He was a major reason why the Penguins tied the game late in the third period when he helped win a battle along the boards against former Penguin Jake Guentzel before Malkin fired a perfect shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy. Letang got the primary assist on the goal.
Letang played 16:19 at 5v5 during that game and was on the ice for 51.5% of the shot attempts, 56.6% of the expected goals, and 58.8% of the scoring chances.
Back on Jan. 1, Letang scored the game-winning goal in overtime against the Detroit Red Wingswith an absolute rocket of a shot. It was a goal he really needed, and it also gave the Penguins their third-straight win at the time. The goal also came in his 1,200th game, and Letang now has the second-most overtime goals by a defenseman in NHL history (13).
He played 18:22 at 5v5 in that game and was on the ice for 67.6% of the shot attempts, 91.7% of the expected goals, 81.8% of the scoring chances, and 100% of the high danger chances. He was an absolute menace in all three zones in that game.
The Penguins come into Saturday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in third place in the Metro with 54 points. They're in the thick of the playoff race and are trying to end their three-season playoff drought since they haven't made the postseason since the 2021-22 season, when they lost to the New York Rangers in seven games.
In order to do that, they'll need Kris Letang to keep playing the way he has been for the last few weeks.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jordan Kyrou scored the only goal in a shootout and the St. Louis Blues beat Tampa Bay 3-2 on Friday night to snap the Lightning's franchise record-tying 11-game winning streak.
Kyrou’s backhand shot beat Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov had a chance to extend the shootout but was stopped by Joel Hofer, who made 34 saves in regulation and overtime before delivering three more in the tiebreaker.
It was the Blues' first win in overtime or a shootout this season. They had been 0-8.
The Blues took 2-0 lead late in the first period with goals just 30 seconds apart.
Jake Neighbors got the first with 2:57 to play in the period and Nick Bjugstad scored when he was left alone in the slot with 2:27 left.
Tampa Bay tied it with a pair of power-play goals 62 seconds apart in the second.
Kucherov scored at 9:59 when the Lightning had a two-man advantage. He then assisted on Oliver Bjorkstrand’s goal 1:02 later. Darren Raddysh assisted on both goals.
Vasilevskiy made 19 saves.
Tampa Bay was trying for a team-record 12th consecutive win. The Lightning had not lost since a 2-1 setback to Los Angeles on Dec. 18. The last time they won 11 in a row was from Jan. 29 to Feb. 17, 2020. They went on to win the Stanley Cup that season.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Nikolaj Ehlers had three goals for his sixth career hat trick and first with Carolina, and the Hurricanes scored six times in the third period to cruise past the Florida Panthers 9-1 on Friday night.
Ehlers, who signed with Carolina in the offseason after playing 10 years with Winnipeg, also had an assist. Taylor Hall had two goals and Mark Jankowski had a goal and two assists. Alexander Nikishin and Andrei Svechnikov had a goal and an assist and Eric Robinson also scored.
Brandon Bussi made 16 saves for the Hurricanes, who had four power-play goals and improved to 5-1-1 in their last seven games.
Uvis Balinskis had the lone goal for the Panthers, who gave up eight unanswered goals and had their two-game winning streak stopped. Sergei Bobrovsky allowed all nine of Carolina's goals while stopping just 26 shots.
Ehlers gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead with 1:25 left in the first period. Balinskis tied it at 1:19 of the second — but it was all Carolina after that.
Jankowski put the Hurricanes up 2-1 at 13:10 of the second and Nikishin made it 3-1 with a power-play goal three minutes later.
Svechnikov, Ehlers and Hall also scored power-play goals in the third as Carolina pulled away.
Ehlers completed his hat trick on a one-timer off a pass from Logan Stankoven to make it 7-1. Hall and Robinson capped the scoring.
Up next
Panthers: Play at Washington against the Capitals on Saturday night.
Hurricanes: Take on the Devils in New Jersey on Saturday night.
There was plenty made about young San Jose Sharks phenom forward Macklin Celebrini making an appearance at Little Caesars Arena to face the Detroit Red Wings on Friday evening.
Instead, the game’s main storyline would ultimately focus on another young forward who had been struggling to produce offensively.
Red Wings forward Marco Kasper, playing in his second NHL season, arguably delivered his best performance of the campaign and scored for the first time since late October as part of a 4-2 Detroit victory at Little Caesars Arena.
Kasper's empty-net goal late in regulation with Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov on the bench for a sixth attacker gave him his first tally in 37 games.
He also registered a highlight-reel assist on teammate J.T. Compher's goal in the second period.
He picked up the puck in the neutral zone, dangled around defenseman John Klingberg, and sent a pass through the legs of Dmitry Orlov right onto the tape of Compher, who made no mistake to knot the score at 2-2.
It was the Red Wings who struck first in the game's opening 20 minutes of play, as Alex DeBrincat one-timed a pass from Lucas Raymond past Akarov on the power-play for his 25th goal of the season.
However, San Jose tied the game when a shot from Celebrini slipped in and out of goaltender John Gibson’s glove and landed behind him. Sharks forward Will Smith poked the puck home, giving Celebrini the 72nd point of his sophomore NHL campaign, which ranks third among all NHL scorers.
The Sharks then grabbed their first and only lead early in the second period, as Collin Graf redirected a pass from former Red Wings defenseman Nick Leddy past Gibson.
After Compher's tying goal in the second, it would be Dylan Larkin who scored what ultimately proved to be the game-winning goal early in the third period, slipping the puck past Askarov on the goal line.
Despite not initially being called a goal on the ice, video replay confirmed that the puck fully crossed the goal line, and was soon announced by the on-ice officials.
Kasper then scored late in regulation on an assist from Raymond, his third of the game.
John Gibson remained hot for the Red Wings, making 20 saves. Askarov countered with 21 saves.
The Red Wings return to the ice on late Sunday afternoon, as they host the Ottawa Senators.
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The Florida Panthers couldn’t keep their brief winning streak alive as they continued a long road trip Friday night in Raleigh.
Florida ran into a buzzsaw as the Carolina Hurricanes dominated much of the contest, taking down the Panthers 9-1 at Lenovo Center.
Carolina controlled the majority of the opening period and were eventually rewarded for their strong start.
Jordan Staal made a perfect cross-zone pass to a streaking Nicolaj Ehlers, who quickly went to his forehand and wired the puck past Sergei Bobrovsky to send the Hurricanes into the first intermission with a 1-0 lead.
They outshot Florida 13-3 in the opening frame.
Florida bounced back quickly though, knotting the score less than 90 seconds into the second period.
Rookie Sandis Vilmanis carried the puck into Carolina’s zone, dropping it for Mackie Samoskevich who was quickly checked off the puck by Sean Walker.
The puck kept sliding across the zone, and Uvis Balinskis walked into a one-timer that beat Brandon Bussi to tie the game at one.
For the Panthers, it was all downhill from there.
A pair of goals about three minutes apart by Mark Jankowski and Alexander Nikishin gave Carolina a comfortable two-goal edge heading into the third period.
Early in the final frame, Andrei Svechnikov make it 4-1 Hurricanes on a power play goal that came just after a 5-on-3 advantage came to an end.
That wasn’t an issue for Carolina because a few minutes later they had another two-man advantage, and this time Ehlers picked up his second goal of the game, extending the Canes’ lead to four.
Just 21 seconds later, Taylor Hall scored a fourth straight power play goal for the Hurricanes to give them a 6-1 lead.
Ehlers completed his hat trick less than 90 seconds after Hall’s goal, causing headgear to litter the ice and creating a delay that the Panthers were surely salty about, as it meant they had to wait that much longer before getting the hell out of there.
Eventually, the game did come to an end, but not before Hall scored another one to give the Hurricanes an eighth goal, and Eric Robinson scored moments later to make it 9-1 because why not.
Photo caption: Jan 16, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (11) is stopped on his breakaway attempt by Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) during the first period at Lenovo Center. (James Guillory-Imagn Images)
Lakers guard Luka Doncic hangs his head and holds his hands on his hips after getting hit in the stomach during game against the Bucks last week. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Lakers star Luka Doncic will miss Saturday's game in Portland because of left groin soreness, the team announced Friday.
Doncic, the NBA's leading scorer averaging 33.6 points per game, appeared to struggle with a groin injury during a loss against the Sacramento Kings on Monday. But he didn’t miss games on Tuesday and Thursday as the Lakers (24-15) traversed a particularly difficult week of five games in seven days.
Doncic led the Lakers to a win against Atlanta, and he played a team-high 35 minutes and 43 seconds in Thursday’s loss to the Charlotte Hornets. He scored 39 points with four assists in the loss, which was the Lakers’ fourth in the last five games.
The Lakers, who finish a back-to-back set on Sunday at home against the Toronto Raptors, could also be without both centers against Portland. Starter Deandre Ayton (left knee soreness) and backup Jaxson Hayes (left hamstring tendinopathy) are both questionable. Ayton is averaging 13.9 points and 8.7 rebounds. Hayes has missed the last two games because of the injury but coach JJ Redick said Thursday the 7-foot center could be back this weekend.
Forward Adou Thiero remains out with a right medial collateral ligament sprain and guard Austin Reaves is closing in on the final week of the initial four-week timetable provided for his left calf strain. After aggravating the injury on Christmas Day, Reaves was ruled out for at least a month before he would be reevaluated.
The Philadelphia Flyers went from rebuilder to playoff dark horse... or so they thought, and now the team and its loyal but increasingly impatient fans are paying the price.
The Flyers, in the midst of a five-game losing streak (0-4-1), still very much look like a young, directionless team that has some future pieces, but a far cry from a finished product.
Having now fallen out of a playoff spot in what is shaping up to be yet another midseason collapse, the Flyers have also allowed no fewer than five goals in each of their last four losses, all in regulation.
Backup goalie Sam Ersson, after falling well behind Dan Vladar in the eyes of Rick Tocchet and Co., has descended into unplayable territory and owns an unfathomably bad .853 save percentage on the season.
Continuing to put Ersson in the line of fire when he very clearly has no confidence is harmful to both the player and his teammates, and the Flyers need to move on and move forward for the benefit of both parties.
That puts the Flyers back at what can be considered square one relative to the past few seasons; one goalie who can steal a few games, and another goalie behind him who is a complete enigma.
Time will tell if Aleksei Kolosov's resurgence is legitimate and can be relied upon, or if the Flyers again gravely miscalculated their situation.
Since signing a five-year, $25.75 million ($5.15 million AAV) contract extension with the Flyers on Jan. 5, veteran center Christian Dvorak has been out-shot 75-60 at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick, while being out-scored 5-2.
Linemates Trevor Zegras and Travis Konecny, who have gone equally cold, have struggled in lockstep, though Zegras, who earns favorable deployment when the team trails, has out-shot opponents 80-65 in the same timeframe.
By re-signing Dvorak, in addition to retaining other grey hairs like Nick Seeler, Konecny, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Garnet Hathaway, the Flyers have called it quits on a rebuild and have no intentions on racing with other cellar dwellers to the bottom.
But, if the Flyers are all-in on being a competitive team looking to reach the playoffs--they've already lost their playoff spot--they cannot be bad and boring. They are both.
The San Jose Sharks, who are still an objectively bad team hindered most by their island of misfit toys defense core, have given Macklin Celebrini the keys to the car, and it's made them one of the NHL's most entertaining teams.
Celebrini, still just 19, has 24 goals and 71 points in 47 games this season after recording 25 goals and 63 points in 70 games last season.
He also has his Sharks in a playoff spot.
Flyers starlet Matvei Michkov, as you'll recall, finished his rookie campaign with more goals than Celebrini did, more games played notwithstanding.
That same Michkov has seen his average ice time drop two full minutes from 16:41 to 14:41 under Tocchet, who has demanded the Russian sensation adapt his style to the system and not vice versa.
Everyone knew when Michkov was drafted seventh overall in 2023 that he was not a plus skater but was an exceptional proprietor of offense attacking angles from his favored right wing and creating plays out of thin air.
The difference now is that the 21-year-old is playing left wing, right wing, with bit-part bottom-sixers, with top-sixers, on the top power play unit, or on no power play unit at all.
He's being thrown around and utilized with extreme indifference, but for some, it is a big shock and concern that Michkov has just 24 points in 45 games because of that.
But, hey, when you don't score, maybe you can contribute in other ways, right?
How about Michkov dropping the gloves and fighting Blake Lizotte on behalf of Denver Barkey, someone he's known for maybe a few weeks, in that 6-3 blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.
In the last week, Michkov and Nikita Grebenkin, who have a combined 166 NHL games between them, got into fights standing up for and trying to inspire their teammates. But where are the leaders?
Hathaway, Seeler, Konecny, and Sean Couturier have seen this movie--the midseason collapse--before, and it is happening again.
The young guns are showing as much fight as possible in their limited opportunities, while the details, fight, and overall basic fundamentals for much of the rest of the team have completely fallen to the wayside.
Just play a 1-1-3 neutral zone and keep three to four bodies above the puck like the Tampa Bay Lightning did on Monday night and the Flyers have been completely stifled offensively.
The Flyers are not fun to watch, not hard to play against, and not disciplined. They are not committed to making the playoffs or rebuilding, and they are not bad enough to secure a top draft pick as they had last season.
Instead, the Flyers are very much a team adrift, going through the motions until the 2026 Winter Olympics come along.
Only the team can dig itself out of this relentless cycle of greyness and mediocrity, but if they fail to do so, there would be enough sample size to deduce that the heart of the team, the core, as currently constructed, is simply incapable without further changes.
The Flyers' next opponents--the New York Rangers--just openly penned a letter to their fans admitting they have been terrible all season and will make a bunch of trades in order to try and course-correct, and that same Rangers team still has more regulation and overtime wins (18) than the Flyers do (17) this season.
If the Flyers can't take down New York in their own building on Saturday afternoon, the organization will be forced to double back and reconsider their blueprint for success for this season, the offseason, and beyond.
Chicago Cubs Executive Chairman Tom Ricketts announced at Friday night’s Cubs Convention Opening Ceremony that former Cubs catcher Jody Davis and pitcher Jon Lester will be inducted into the Cubs Hall of Fame this year.
Also, former broadcaster Vince Lloyd will be inducted into the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame and given a “Lifetime Achievement Award,” a new award honoring individuals who made a significant contribution to the Cubs organization over their lifetime. The 2026 Cubs Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place at Wrigley Field at a date to be announced later.
Ricketts said, “The Cubs Hall of Fame Committee selected three people representing three eras of Cubs baseball—fitting as the team celebrates its 150th anniversary. Jody Davis was a part of the legendary 1984 Cubs team that helped create a generation of fans across the country—legions of whom can still sing Harry Caray’s theme song for this durable catcher who made the All-Star Game that year. He rarely took a day off from catching and was a tough out who hit 129 homers as a Cub.
“Jon Lester was perhaps the greatest free agent signing in team history. He already had two World Series rings and when we announced his signing in December of 2014 as we headed into the 2015 season, it was an inflection point for this team. His leadership helped power our team to the NLCS that seasons. In 20216, in Game 5 of the World Series, with our backs against the wall, he earned the win with a six-inning performance that saved the series for us.
“For over 34 seasons, Vince Lloyd was the ‘Voice of Summer’ for Cubs fans. From the earliest days of Cubs baseball on television in the 50s all the way through the 80s on radio, Lloyd brought Cubs games into people’s homes. The former U.S. Marine brought the ‘Holy Mackerel’ to Jack Brickhouse’s “Hey Hey.’ For 23 years on the radio, he was the play-by-play voice alongside Hall-of-Famer Lou Boudreau, including the great runs of 1969 and 1984. Vince’s dedication to his craft on the radio made him like family to generations of Cubs fans.”
Davis was a Cubs catcher for eight seasons (1981-1988) and a two-time all-star (1984, 1986) during his tenure. He was a key member of the 1984 National League Eastern Division Champions team hitting .256 with 19 home runs and 94 RBI that season.
Lester played six of his 16 major league seasons with the Cubs, including the 2016 World Series championship team. A fierce competitor and big-game pitcher, he was Co-MVP of the 2016 National League Championship series and a two-time All-Star (2016, 2018). He played on four Cubs postseason teams and will go down in history as one of the greatest free agent signings in Chicago sports history.
Lloyd was a beloved and versatile broadcaster of Chicago sports for almost four decades and served 34 seasons (1950, 1954-1986) as a Cubs broadcaster. He called over 6,000 major league games in his career, including 5,000 for the Cubs. He started his Cubs broadcasting career on WGN-TV in 1950, broadcasting home Cubs games with Jack Brickhouse. In 1965, he moved to the radio booth to serve as play-by-play on WGN-AM where he spent the next twenty years. He was especially known for his trademark call, “Holy Mackerel!” and for ringing a bell after every Cubs home run. Lloyd passed away in 2003 and is receiving this honor posthumously.
The Cubs Hall of Fame will now include 68 plaques which represent individuals who dedicated their time to Cubs baseball, both on and off the field. Baseball legends, former players and managers, beloved broadcasters and announcers, team owners and front office executives grace the walls of the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame, immortalized at Wrigley Field since 2021 in the bleacher concourse under left field, open to all fans. The plaques included in the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame represent individuals previously enshrined in the original Cubs Hall of Fame (1982-86) and in the Cubs Walk of Fame (1992-98).
The statement issued to fans from New York Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury on Friday will have major ramifications on the future of the franchise.
Drury wrote about his plan to “retool” the team in a letter awfully similar to the one former Rangers president Glen Sather and general manager Jeff Gorton released in 2018 when the Rangers planned to embark on a plan they described as a “reshaping” of the team.
There’s a lot to dissect regarding Drury’s message, so let's dive into it.
The first notable thing of substance is Drury’s words to describe where the Rangers are right now in the standings (last place in the Eastern Conference) and how the team will not accept the status quo.
“With our position in the standings and injuries to key players this season, we must be honest and realistic about our situation,” Drury emphasized. “We are not going to stand pat - a shift will give us the ability to be smart and opportunistic as we retool the team.”
To state the obvious, Drury, along with owner James Dolan have accepted the reality that the Rangers will, in all likelihood not make the playoffs this season, let alone compete for a Stanley Cup, so they are essentially punting on this season with their sights set on the future.
That leads to the next order of business: who will Drury look to trade, and how will he approach this retool as he phrases it?
“This will not be a rebuild,” Drury wrote. “This will be a retool built around our core players and prospects. We will target players that bring tenacity, skill, speed, and a winning pedigree with a focus on obtaining young players, draft picks, and cap space to allow us flexibility moving forward. That may mean saying goodbye to players that have brought us and our fans great moments over the years. These players represented the Rangers with pride and class and will always be a part of our family.”
Which players is Drury hinting at trading when he says that fans may have to say “goodbye to players that have brought us and our fans great moments over the years”?
For starters, Drury reportedly had an individual meeting with Artemi Panarin, who is expected to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and informed him that he will not be offered a contract extension, while the team is prepared to work with him and agent Paul Theofanous to trade him anywhere he wishes to go.
Panarin will almost certainly be dealt before the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline.
According to Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic, other players who holds a no-move clause in their contract have been asked about how they feel about the retool plan and whether they'd be open to sticking around for it or would rather go elsewhere, which includes Adam Fox, Vladislav Gavrikov, J.T. Miller, and Igor Shesterkin, who all sound like they're on board with the retool plan and expressed that they want to stay in New York, per Mercogliano.
Meanwhile, Vincent Trocheck has a partial no-trade clause and is under contract until 2029 at a manageable cap hit of $5.6 million per year, making him a more desirable player to trade for the Rangers, as he could garner a high return from contending teams looking to make a Stanley Cup push.
There are also other veteran players set to become unrestricted free agents this upcoming offseason, headlined by Carson Soucy, Jonny Brodzinski, Conor Sheary, and Jonathan Quick. All of these players could be viewed as easy trade assets given Drury’s selling approach, but how much value could they really fetch on the open market?
There’s a grey area when it comes to Alexis Lafrenière and Braden Schneider’s trade availability because while both of these players are young and fit the team’s current window, they have failed to live up to original expectations placed upon them as prospects, and their value is quickly diminishing.
It’s unclear who Drury considers to be the Rangers’ “core players and prospects” he wants to build around, which is why it is difficult to predict which players are actually on the trade block outside of Panarin.
On top of draft picks, Drury mentions the team’s desire to clear up cap space to allow flexibility moving forward.
The Rangers are looking to get younger and accumulate more draft picks, but Drury was very specific in mentioning that this process is a “retool” and not a “rebuild”, meaning if they are able to build enough assets and clear up a sufficient amount of cap space, a trade or signing of a superstar caliber player in the near future is not entirely out of the picture.
Remember, the Rangers took this same approach in 2019 when, despite still going through a rebuilding process, the Blueshirts went out and signed Panarin to a 7-year, $81.5 million contract.
Drury ends the letter by letting fans know that his plan will begin to take shape within the “coming weeks and months” and with the trade deadline just a few weeks ago, Drury will likely spend the remaining time until the trade deadline fielding offers for some of his most prominent veteran players.
This is what is in the pipeline for the Rangers in what will be a franchise-altering few months.
LIMA, Peru (AP) — Andy Schonbaum of Argentina steadied himself for a 2-under 68 on Friday to build a two-shot lead going into the weekend at the Latin America Amateur Championship.
Schonbaum, 34, has played in all but one of the 11 editions of the championship. He has yet to finish in the top 10 — his best was a tie for 11th in 2020 at Mayakoba in Mexico.
He was at 6-under 134, two shots clear of Andres Martinez Benedetti of Venezuela, who had to settle for a 70 at Lima Golf Club.
Eric Fortlage of Paraguay (66) and Mateo Pulcini of Argentina (68) were three shots behind. Nine of the last 10 winners of the Latin America Amateur were no worse than a tie for fourth through 36 holes.
The cut came at 148.
The winner earns a spot in the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open this year.
Brooklyn is back home after losing their last three on the road to Memphis, Dallas and New Orleans — extending their skid to five straight. Tankers unite. The Bulls come in winners of two straight and beat the Nets 113‑103 in the first meeting.
🏀 KEY INFO
Chicago Bulls (19-21) @ Brooklyn Nets (11-27)
⏱️ Tip-off: 7:30 PM ET 📍 Arena: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY 📺 TV: YES Network 📻 Radio: WFAN Sports
INJURY REPORT
Brooklyn Nets
Ziaire Williams — OUT (illness) Haywood Highsmith — OUT (knee)
Chicago Bulls
Josh Giddey — OUT (hamstring) Noa Essengue — OUT (shoulder, season) Zach Collins — OUT (toe)
💬 Discussion
Share thoughts and react, but please be respectful. NetsDaily prides itself on being a safe space for Nets and basketball fans alike to have healthy conversation. Reach out to Anthony Puccio or Net Income with any issues.
Not only are they adding a two-time All-Star to their lineup, but the Amazin’s seemingly stole him right from under the hands of a bitter division rival.
All offseason, the Phillies were seen as one of the favorites — if not the favorite — to land Bichette in free agency.
Bo Bichette of the Toronto Blue Jays hits an RBI single during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the 2025 World Series at Dodger Stadium on October 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images
Earlier this month, The Post’s Jon Heyman reported that it “feels like there’s strong mutual interest” between the Phillies and Bichette as the two sides met to discuss a potential deal.
As recently as late Thursday night, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the “Phillies are the overwhelming favorites to sign” Bichette, adding that the “Yankees and Mets will now be in a bidding war for outfielder Cody Bellinger.”
Less than 12 hours later, the Mets proved otherwise, landing Bichette on a three-year, $126 million deal with opt-outs after the first two years.
Philadelphia was reportedly caught off guard by the shock signing.
Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) looks on during warmups before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game 3 of the NLDS. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“The Phillies had agreed to Bo Bichette’s request for a 7-year, $200 million deal last night and believed they would sign him until the Mets swooped in with their 3-year, $126 million offer after losing out in the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes,” Nightengale wrote on X after news of the deal broke on Friday.
After missing out on Bichette, the Phillies quickly pivoted, re-signing catcher J.T. Realmuto to a three-year, $45 million contract.
The Mets offered a four-year deal worth $220 million, which included no deferrals and was worth $60 million for each of the first two seasons and $50 million for the final two on the table for Tucker, per Heyman.
