Seahawks continue their due diligence at the quarterback position
2025 NFL Draft: Running back prospect giving Tyrone Tracy Jr. vibes could be a steal (in fantasy and reality)
(This article was written with the assistance of Castmagic, an AI tool, and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy. Please reach out to us if you notice any mistakes.)
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In a recent episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast, Matt Harmon and ESPN's Jordan Reid discussed the potential of SMU running back Brashard Smith and how he could end being the "ultimate weapon," tossing out a comparison that is sure to have fantasy football players excited.
Is Smith this year's Tyrone Tracy Jr.?
Both Smith and Tracy share a unique journey and skill set. Just like Tracy, Smith made a significant position shift that showcased his versatility. Initially a wide receiver at Miami, Smith transitioned to running back in his first year at SMU. This change was reminiscent of Tracy’s own journey from receiver to running back, a move that paid dividends in their collegiate careers — and for those who rostered Tracy during his rookie NFL season.
What makes Smith stand out is his ability to adapt and excel in his new position. According to Reid, Smith looked "completely natural" as a running back. His proficiency in the backfield was complemented by his experience and skill as a receiver, which allows him to be employed in dynamic offensive schemes. This blend of attributes aligns almost perfectly with the playing style that made Tracy such a compelling prospect. From Week 5 through the end of the season, Tracy had seven double-digit fantasy scoring performances, including a high of 22 points in Week 8.
Smith's athletic prowess was further underscored by his standout performance at the combine, where he clocked in remarkable speed, running the 40 in 4.39 seconds. This elite speed, coupled with his versatility, makes him a potent asset. Just as Tracy was an under-the-radar pick, selected in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Smith also carries the potential to be a Day 3 steal.
In a draft class noted for its depth at the running back position, Smith might not get the same hype but his dual-threat capability is sure to be attractive to teams looking to add a multifaceted backfield presence. With the right fit, Smith could very well follow in Tracy’s footsteps, proving that late-round prospects can be difference-makers in fantasy and reality.
Warriors vs. Rockets first-round NBA playoff series set after Golden State's win
Warriors vs. Rockets first-round NBA playoff series set after Golden State's win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Warriors exorcised their NBA play-in demons, and now they are headed to Houston for a first-round playoff series with the Rockets.
Golden State held off the Memphis Grizzlies 121-116 in a thriller on Tuesday at Chase Center, advancing out of the Western Conference play-in tournament.
Game 1 between the Warriors and Rockets will occur at 6:30 p.m. PT on Sunday at Toyota Center.
Here’s the full schedule for the Warriors-Rockets series:
Jimmy Butler led the way with 38 points for the Warriors, who won their first play-in game in the event’s brief six-year history.
Steph Curry finished with 37 points, while Gary Payton II finished with 12 and Moses Moody scored nine. Draymond Green had four points, 10 assists and six rebounds.
Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, who sprained his right ankle midway through the third quarter and returned early in the fourth quarter, scored 22 points, while forward Desmond Bane led Memphis with 30 points.
The Warriors won’t be intimidated by the No. 2-seeded Rockets, as Golden State won three of the five regular-season matchups.
But in the last contest on April 6 in San Francisco, the Rockets assigned second-year guard Amen Thompson to guard Curry, which worked. Golden State’s star was held to 1-of-10 shooting and finished with three points in a 106-96 loss to Houston.
The Warriors and Rockets have a recent history of playoff battles, but those heated series feel like a lifetime ago.
This version of the Rockets is young, feisty and full of potential.
But Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler are determined to win an NBA title this year, and their journey toward that goal begins Sunday in Houston.
2025 NBA Playoffs preview: Players to watch, including Luka Doncic, can Jalen Williams step up for Thunder?
The NBA playoffs are when legacies are forged. For better or worse.
Every year, the spotlight falls on a handful of players who are asked to step up when their team needs them most. It can be role players or superstars, but eventually the spotlight falls on them and how they perform in the bright lights ends up defining them, maybe their careers, and certainly their team's playoff run.
Here are players to watch in these playoffs.
Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — the soon-to-be MVP — will get his. SGA is on the short list of players who are too good to be stopped. However, at some point this postseason, a quality opponent is going to start throwing double-teams and blitzes at SGA the second he touches the ball, essentially daring anyone else on the roster to beat them.
Enter Jalen Williams. Dallas used this strategy in the second round last year, and in the final three games of that series Williams scored 14, 12, and 12 points. While he did average 5.7 assists a night across those three games, the bottom line is he was not good enough. Williams has shown he can take on more of the offense this season, but he — and Chet Holmgren, who could be listed alongside Williams here — have had some rough moments during the regular season when defenses loaded up on them.
OKC is close. SGA is ready. The Thunder's elite defense and lock-down defenders, such as Lu Dort, will make themselves felt in the playoffs. Are Williams and Holmgren ready for that next step?
Karl-Anthony Towns
Towns took a step forward and was impressive last season during the Timberwolves' run to the Western Conference Finals: 19.1 points and nine rebounds a game, shooting 36.1% on 3-pointers. He also played solid defense next to Rudy Gobert.
Can he continue that this season with the Knicks?
Heee Heee!
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) February 12, 2025
Karl-Anthony Towns had 40 PTS, 12 REB, 5 AST, 3 STL, 3 3PTS & these passes!
The postgame pic.twitter.com/cjweb18TJ1
What happens when the opposing team defends KAT with a wing and has their center guarding Josh Hart or another player they don't fear from the arc? Can Towns make them pay for that switch? Can KAT be good enough as a defensive rim protector to keep the Knicks in games? How do he and Jalen Brunson respond when they become the pick-and-roll targets of the other team?
Towns has a bigger role in New York than he had in Minnesota, and he's going to have to live up to that responsibility.
Jayson Tatum
This is all about legacy for Tatum. He has stepped up and been the clear best player on the Celtics this season, and will have to be that again through the playoffs — something he is up for.
If Tatum can lead the Celtics to break the NBA's back-to-back title drought (it's been six years since the Durant-era Warriors went back-to-back, and they are the only team since 2014). Hang another banner, win Finals MVP, and Tatum's legacy is locked down as an all-time great Celtic.
Luka Doncic
Doncic led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last year, but that was not good enough in Dallas and he was traded to Los Angeles… where he will be in even a brighter spotlight. Throughout the playoffs, he will rightfully be talked about as the franchise's future, but it will get interesting when teams target his weaknesses.
The Lakers' offense — with Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves — is not in question. Los Angeles will put up points. However, as a series drags on, Doncic (and Reaves) will become targets of the other team, dragged into pick-and-rolls and left on an island to defend. The Lakers could cover that in the regular season, but it gets harder to do as it gets deeper in the playoffs when teams are more focused and detail-oriented in how they want to attack. There is no Dereck Lively II or Daniel Gafford to clean things up behind Doncic now, and he will get tested.
Everything is just bigger and more dramatic with the Lakers, Doncic is about to find himself in the middle of that, especially if the Lakers lose in the second round (or earlier).
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Watch his body language. A lot of other teams will be.
GIANNIS IS THE FIRST PLAYER IN NBA HISTORY TO RECORD THIS STAT LINE
— NBA (@NBA) April 4, 2025
35 PTS
20 AST
17 REB pic.twitter.com/pMAh4dXGz2
Antetokounmpo played at an MVP-level this season, but despite that, the Bucks enter the playoffs on the road as the No. 5 seed, and they will be without Damian Lillard for at least the start of that series. If the Bucks fall to the Pacers in the first round (or, if they get to the second round and lose 4-1 to the Cavaliers), how frustrated does Antetokounmpo get? Ask for a trade frustrated?
That's why everyone is watching his body language.
Jamal Murray
Do the Denver Nuggets have enough around Nikola Jokic?
The answer to that question starts with Murray. He averaged 21.4 points, 6 assists and shot 39.3% from beyond the arc this season, and his stats are very close to two years ago when Denver won the title. Still, it feels like we only saw the peak Murray/Jokic two-man game in flashes this season, not regularly. If Denver is going to make a run in these playoffs — or even get past the Clippers in a tough first-round matchup — it starts with a healthy Murray playing near his peak.
Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., Christian Braun and others are in the same boat. Everyone is going to have to step up for Denver.
Trae Young
Can the Atlanta Hawks build a winner around Trae Young?
No player feels more at a crossroads this playoffs than Young. If the Hawks advance out of the play-in and he has a big series against Boston or Cleveland, Atlanta's front office may feel the answer is yes, Trae is part of the long-term answer with Jalen Johnson, Zaccharie Risacher and Dyson Daniels.
Trae Young (25 PTS, 12 AST) ices it with a CLUTCH steal and bucket @ATLHawks hold on at home for the win! pic.twitter.com/rnP7FGJQBv
— NBA (@NBA) March 18, 2023
However, failing to get out of the play-in or getting thrashed in the first round may leave the Hawks considering a pivot. Young has two years and $95 million on his deal, and he might get shopped (how much of a market there is for him is another question). Young has been with the Hawks for seven seasons and has been to the playoffs three times. We have seen incredible highs (at the expense of the Knicks) and plenty of lows. What happens with his playoffs this year could determine where he is playing next year.
Evan Mobley
Mobley made a leap this season under coach Kenny Atkinson — he is in the mix for Defensive Player of the Year and is going to make an All-NBA team.
However, can he continue that in the playoffs? It's going to be interesting to see how the shot balance changes in Cleveland during the playoffs, Donovan Mitchell took a step back this year to let Mobley and Darius Garland step up, in the postseason expect Mitchell to take some of that load back — and he's more than proven he can handle it. However, if the Cavaliers are going to advance to the East Finals, and maybe the NBA Finals, it's because Mobley (and Garland) are ready for the biggest stage and ready to handle that spotlight.
Carolina Hurricanes Recall Four Players From Chicago Wolves
The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled four players from the Chicago Wolves: Bradly Nadeau, Skyler Brind'Amour, Domenick Fensore and Riley Stillman.
Nadeau, 19, is the leading scorer on the Chicago Wolves and paces all rookies with 30 goals.
He's been a point-per-game player since returning from the World Junior Championships and he looks to be developing into a really promising talent.
Brind'Amour, 25, is the son of Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour, and looks to be in line to make his NHL debut.
He's played 121 AHL games over his career and this season has 16 goals and 23 points in 67 games.
Fensore, 23, has put in the work over the last few seasons from the NCAA to the ECHL and then the AHL and now it looks like he's going to be making his NHL debut too.
The 5-foot-9 blueliner has been a force on every side of the puck for the Wolves this year with nine goals and 32 points in 66 games.
Stillman, 27, has spent plenty of time with the Hurricanes this season, having been a consistent callup as the seventh defenseman, although he did get in for three NHL games this season.
The Hurricanes have just two games remaining on their regular season schedule — a back-to-back against the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators — and because these games pretty much don't matter for anything, the team is going to be resting players.
"Like every team at this time of the year, we've got guys who are nursing stuff and so, is it the right move to keep pushing them through it when they can play or is it, 'Hey, we've gotta be as healthy as can be,'" said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour on Tuesday. "That's the kind of decisions and I think we're leaning more on, 'Let's get our guys healthy.'"
One such player is Jordan Martinook, who sat out the team's Sunday evening game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"He could go, for sure, but it's just that he has this little issue," Brind'Amour said on Martinook. "Just time is on his side and we have it. We're just being real cautious."
With at least another forward and potentially two defensemen that could sit as well, we may have some fairly interesting lineups come tomorrow and Thursday.
Stay updated with the most interesting Carolina Hurricanes stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
Aston Villa 3-2 Paris Saint-Germain (agg 4-5): Champions League quarter-final, second leg – as it happened
Villa fell just short of completing one of the great European comebacks with a rousing second-half display
1 min: McGinn loops a pass down the left for Rashford to chase. Hakimi shepherds the ball back to Donnarumma, who blooters clear. From the resulting throw, McGinn wins the first corner of the evening.
Villa kick off. They’re kicking towards the Holte End in this first half. It’s tipping down in Birmingham.
Continue reading...Buffalo Sabres Recall First-Round Pick
The Buffalo Sabres have announced that they have recalled forward Isak Rosen from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rochester Americans.
Rosen's call-up comes with Sabres forward Beck Malenstyn being ruled out for the team's April 15 contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs. With this, Rosen will now look to stand out during this latest opportunity on the NHL roster from here.
Rosen, 22, has played in six games this season with the Sabres, posting one assist and a minus-2 rating. His last appearance with the Sabres was on March 29 against the Philadelphia Flyers, where he recorded two shots and a minus-1 rating in 11:07 of ice time.
Rosen getting another opportunity with the Sabres is understandable, as he has been excellent this season down in the AHL. In 60 games with the Amerks, the 2021 first-round pick has posted 28 goals, 27 assists, and 55 points.
Recent Sabres News
Sabres Assign Promising Goalie Prospect To AHLThe Buffalo Sabres have announced that goaltender Scott Ratzlaff has been assigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rochester Americans.
Sabres Star Finishing The Season Red-HotThe end of the season is just about here for the Buffalo Sabres, as the Atlantic Division club will not be in the playoffs for the 14th consecutive year. While this is the case, the Sabres have been playing some of their best hockey of the season, winning eight out of their last 10 games.
Sabres Breakout Forward Closing In On Nice MilestoneThe
Buffalo Sabres are almost at the end of their season, as they have just five games remaining. Overall, it has been another tough season for the Sabres, but off-season addition Ryan McLeod has undoubtedly been one of their bright spots. Flyers drop final home game with plenty of lottery teams in action
Flyers drop final home game with plenty of lottery teams in action originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Flyers were unable to play spoiler Tuesday night as they lost to the Blue Jackets, 3-0, in their home finale.
They were shut out for the eighth time this season and a fifth time at the Wells Fargo Center.
The club’s power play went 0 for 3.
With one game to go, the Flyers (33-38-10) are 5-2-1 under Brad Shaw. Tuesday night was the first time they scored one or fewer goals with the interim head coach in charge.
“I thought we were a little easier to play against than what we have been recently,” Shaw said. “It’s too bad because the first eight, 10 minutes, I thought we were going to be in a real good hockey game. It just didn’t sort of finish that way for us.”
The Blue Jackets (39-33-9) needed a regulation win to keep their playoff push going and they got it. They’re two points back of the Canadiens, who hold the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. Both teams have one game left.
“Obviously it’s very disappointing for us, we want to be in the playoffs, that’s the situation we want to be in,” Samuel Ersson said. “That’s why you work so hard in the summer and why you put in all the work during the year, you want to be in the playoffs.
“It stings not being there, I think we have some lessons to learn from this year, myself included in that. I think you have to remember how much this sucks and use that as fuel and let it motivate you to work even harder to get to the playoffs.”
• Ersson made 31 saves on 34 shots.
Dante Fabbro broke the ice 2:32 minutes into the second period with an absolute blast. Columbus added to its lead with 2:59 minutes left in the middle stanza as Kent Johnson scored on the power play.
Adam Fantilli provided third-period insurance when a pass went off his skate like a redirection.
Blue Jackets netminder Jet Greaves came in 3-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average and .968 save percentage over his previous three starts. He continued his torrid stretch by stopping all 29 of the Flyers’ shots.
“I think we had some chances, just didn’t finish,” Sean Couturier said. “But I think we’re trying to play a little too skilled, also. We’re a lot of one-and-dones, we get pucks there, but there’s not really much traffic or we’re trying to be on the outside and everyone trying to make plays. Sometimes we’ve just got to simplify it and get some dirty goals; we can’t always expect to make highlight-reel goals.”
• Tuesday night was a busy one for the pecking order of the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Along with the Flyers, the Kraken, Bruins, Sabres and Ducks were all in action.
The Flyers ended the night with the fifth-best odds. If they lose in regulation Thursday night, they’ll have the fourth-best odds. But with a regulation win, they could jump the Kraken (if Seattle loses tonight) and Sabres to finish at No. 7.
More: The latest NHL standings
• Travis Konecny and Tyson Foerster combined for 11 shots but couldn’t find the back of the net.
Heading into Game 82, Konecny, Foerster and Matvei Michkov are tied for the team lead in goals with 24 apiece.
• College prospects Alex Bump and Devin Kaplan signed their entry-level contracts Tuesday. More on Bump here and Kaplan here.
• The Flyers wrap up the season Thursday when they visit the Sabres (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
Flyers drop final home game with plenty of lottery teams in action
Flyers drop final home game with plenty of lottery teams in action originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Flyers were unable to play spoiler Tuesday night as they lost to the Blue Jackets, 3-0, in their home finale.
They were shut out for the eighth time this season and a fifth time at the Wells Fargo Center.
The club’s power play went 0 for 3.
With one game to go, the Flyers (33-38-10) are 5-2-1 under Brad Shaw. Tuesday night was the first time they scored one or fewer goals with the interim head coach in charge.
“I thought we were a little easier to play against than what we have been recently,” Shaw said. “It’s too bad because the first eight, 10 minutes, I thought we were going to be in a real good hockey game. It just didn’t sort of finish that way for us.”
The Blue Jackets (39-33-9) needed a regulation win to keep their playoff push going and they got it. They’re two points back of the Canadiens, who hold the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. Both teams have one game left.
“Obviously it’s very disappointing for us, we want to be in the playoffs, that’s the situation we want to be in,” Samuel Ersson said. “That’s why you work so hard in the summer and why you put in all the work during the year, you want to be in the playoffs.
“It stings not being there, I think we have some lessons to learn from this year, myself included in that. I think you have to remember how much this sucks and use that as fuel and let it motivate you to work even harder to get to the playoffs.”
• Ersson made 31 saves on 34 shots.
Dante Fabbro broke the ice 2:32 minutes into the second period with an absolute blast. Columbus added to its lead with 2:59 minutes left in the middle stanza as Kent Johnson scored on the power play.
Adam Fantilli provided third-period insurance when a pass went off his skate like a redirection.
Blue Jackets netminder Jet Greaves came in 3-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average and .968 save percentage over his previous three starts. He continued his torrid stretch by stopping all 29 of the Flyers’ shots.
“I think we had some chances, just didn’t finish,” Sean Couturier said. “But I think we’re trying to play a little too skilled, also. We’re a lot of one-and-dones, we get pucks there, but there’s not really much traffic or we’re trying to be on the outside and everyone trying to make plays. Sometimes we’ve just got to simplify it and get some dirty goals; we can’t always expect to make highlight-reel goals.”
• Tuesday night was a busy one for the pecking order of the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Along with the Flyers, the Kraken, Bruins, Sabres and Ducks were all in action.
The Flyers ended the night with the fifth-best odds. If they lose in regulation Thursday night, they’ll have the fourth-best odds. But with a regulation win, they could jump the Kraken (if Seattle loses tonight) and Sabres to finish at No. 7.
More: The latest NHL standings
• Travis Konecny and Tyson Foerster combined for 11 shots but couldn’t find the back of the net.
Heading into Game 82, Konecny, Foerster and Matvei Michkov are tied for the team lead in goals with 24 apiece.
• College prospects Alex Bump and Devin Kaplan signed their entry-level contracts Tuesday. More on Bump here and Kaplan here.
• The Flyers wrap up the season Thursday when they visit the Sabres (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
Mets' Griffin Canning scratched from Wednesday's start due to illness
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza announced on Tuesday that right-handerGriffin Canning will not make his scheduled start on Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins due to an illness.
"We’re going to wait until after the game," Mendoza said about any potential roster move. "The reason is Griffin Canning will not make the start tomorrow. He’s under the weather a little bit and feeling weak, so we’re going to give him an extra day or so. So, we’ve just got to get through today, and instead of inserting a sixth starter on Friday, most likely, it will be tomorrow.
"We’ve just got to get through today’s game, and then we’ve got to make a couple of moves here."
Mendoza was a bit coy about the team's options to start on Wednesday, but he said there are a lot of moving pieces that need to be figured out, indicating that a series of roster moves, like placing outfielder Jose Siri on the IL, could be coming after Tuesday's game.
Canning has made three starts for the Mets this season, pitching to a 4.20 ERA over his 15.0 innings of work.
Whoever the Mets tab to make Wednesday's start will need to get to Minnesota quickly, as the Mets and Twins play at 1:10 p.m. ET to close out their series.
Each Of Brock Boeser’s Seasons With The Canucks Described In Less Than Four Words
This past week, reports emerged that Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser is “unlikely” to return to the organization after the end of this season. A career Canuck, Boeser was drafted 23rd overall by Vancouver in the 2015 NHL Draft and has spent the past 10 years as a member of the hockey club. Whether or not this ends up being Boeser’s last dance with the Canucks, he has brought fans hope and entertainment all throughout his time with the team. Let’s take a look at each of Boeser’s NHL seasons described in less than four words.
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2016–17: Instilling Hope In Debut
Boeser made his NHL debut on March 25, 2017, in his home state against the Minnesota Wild. He scored a goal in his first game with the Canucks, and proceeded to put up three more to round out his first nine games in the NHL. What may be most important about his debut, however, is the hope that he instilled in the Canucks franchise. With the Sedin twins’ contracts expiring at the end of the 2017–18 season, Boeser provided fans with something to be excited about for the future.
2017–18: All-Star Weekend
In his rookie season, Boeser made a name for himself by placing second in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy with 29 goals and 26 assists in 62 games played. However, what may have been even more impressive is his performance at the 2018 NHL All-Star Weekend. He won the shooting accuracy competition during the skills contest portion of the weekend, beating out players such as Steven Stamkos, Brad Marchand, and Sidney Crosby with a time of 11.136 seconds. In the second part of the weekend, he scored two goals and one assist, earning him the title of All-Star Game MVP.
2018–19: “Enjoy The Future Folks”
This part isn’t as focused on Boeser specifically, instead emphasizing the direction of the team itself. Boeser and rookie Elias Pettersson found chemistry early on, playing a total of 867:19 together throughout the 2018–19 season. Quinn Hughes made his NHL debut towards the end of the season, nabbing his first NHL point on a goal scored by Boeser. During the overtime frame of Hughes’ first game, Boeser, Pettersson, and Hughes all took the ice as one unit. This moment showed fans a glimpse at what the future held for the Canucks organization. As Sportsnet’s John Shorthouse put it best, “enjoy the future folks, here it is right now.”
2019–20: Dominating With Lotto Line
During the 2019 off-season, the Canucks acquired forward J.T. Miller via trade. When put together, Miller, Boeser, and Pettersson formed the “Lotto Line,” named after BC’s Lotto 649. The trio played 659:39 minutes together all season and put up a corsi-for of 858. While the line has since been vanquished with the departure of Miller, their legacy within Canucks history is still a fun one to look back on.
2020–21: Canucks’ Leading Scorer
The 2021 NHL season, shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was only 56 games long. While the Canucks as a whole didn’t have a great season, individually speaking, Boeser provided the fans with lots to talk about. He led the team in scoring with 23 goals and 26 assists, a pace that would put him at 34 goals and 72 points in an 82-game season. This would have been a new career high for him.
2021–22: Success Playing Under Boudreau
Boeser’s 2021–22 season got off to a bit of a poor start, as he only had four goals and six assists in his first 22 games of the season. However, after the Canucks cleaned house, replacing former Head Coach Travis Green with Bruce Boudreau and former General Manager Jim Benning with President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford, his offensive production grew. He had five goals in his first six games under Boudreau, and finished the season with 19 goals in 49 games under the team’s new coach.
2022–23: The Beginning Of A Rebound
After having three straight seasons with less than 50 points, Boeser experienced a slight rebound in 2022–23. In 74 games played, the most of his career in a single season at the time, he put up 55 points. While it took him until November 18 to score his first goal of this season, he continued to score at a pretty consistent pace, capped off by a goal streak of three straight games from March 25 to March 28.
2023–24: Game 4 Hat Trick
The 2023–24 season was a massive one for Boeser, who was easily one of the team’s best players this year. Shooting at a ridiculous success rate of nearly 20%, Boeser registered his first 40-goal season and added an extra 33 assists on top. He began the season with a four-goal game against the Edmonton Oilers and put up eight other multi-goal regular season games including two other hat tricks. He was also named to his second NHL All-Star Weekend. The postseason was when Boeser took the biggest steps, as he potted seven goals and five assists in 12 games played. Arguably his most meaningful game of the entire season was in the Canucks’ game 4 matchup against the Nashville Predators in the first round of playoffs. In this effort, Boeser put up his first career postseason hat trick to help Vancouver make a 4–3 overtime comeback.
2024–25: 200 NHL Goals
For the Canucks as a whole, the 2024–25 season didn’t quite live up to the expectations of the last. Boeser wasn’t the only one to see a drop in offensive production, but despite this, he’s still on track to finish the season as one of the team’s top goal scorers. During one of his best games this season, against the St. Louis Blues on March 20, he scored two goals including a buzzer-beater to send the match to overtime. During this game, he also scored his 200th career NHL goal — a feat only completed nine times in franchise history.
If this truly is Boeser’s last season as a Canuck, then fans will want to be at Rogers Arena on Thursday night as the Canucks take on the Vegas Golden Knights. Since this is the team’s final game of the 2024–25 season, it may be fans’ last chance to watch Boeser in the Canucks’ blue and green. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT.
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, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.
Reds activate Diaz, McLain and Hays off injured list ahead of series opener against Mariners
CINCINNATI (AP) — The surging Cincinnati Reds will have all their key players for the first time this season after making a series of roster moves before Tuesday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners.
The Reds activated right-hander Alexis Diaz, infielder Matt McLain and outfielder Austin Hays. Cincinnati goes into the three-game series with Seattle after wins in five of its last six, including its first series sweep of the season this past weekend against Pittsburgh.
Diaz, who was dealing with a left hamstring strain since the start of spring training, made a pair of rehab appearances in Triple A Louisville last week. He was projected to be the team’s closer going into the season, but Emilio Pagán has converted all four of his save opportunities and has a 1.23 ERA in eight games.
McLain missed last year with a shoulder injury but got off to a strong start this season with home runs in three of his first four games. He went on the IL retroactive to April 5 with a slight left hamstring strain after going 1 for 12 in four April games.
McLain will play second base and is batting second in Tuesday’s game.
Hays will make his Reds debut at designated hitter and bat fifth. He missed the first 16 games with a left calf strain that occurred on the final day of spring training.
Hays signed a one-year, $5 million deal Cincinnati during the offseason after spending last season with Baltimore and Philadelphia.
Outfielder Jacob Hurtubise and infielder Noelvi Marte were optioned to Louisville to make way for McLain and Hays. Diaz takes the roster spot that opened after left-hander Sam Moll was placed on the 15-day injured list Monday due to left shoulder impingement.
Harper and Realmuto homer, Bohm and Marsh drive in runs in Phillies win
Harper and Realmuto homer, Bohm and Marsh drive in runs in Phillies win originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
It wasn’t an explosion, it wasn’t a perfect game, but all the Phillies have needed over the past week has been a timely knock or two and they finally came in a 6-4 win over the Giants.
The Phils entered the bottom of the sixth inning Tuesday night trailing by a run and had made an out in 41 of their last 44 at-bats with a runner in scoring position, hitting .068 since Thursday. They’d lost five of seven. They had two hitters at the bottom of the order, Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh, slumping so badly that Bohm was dropped four spots in the lineup last week and Marsh was benched in Monday’s series opener.
Despite going a combined 1-for-7 on Tuesday night, both Bohm and Marsh came through, accounting for a pair of RBI in a two-run win. Marsh put a sweet swing on a low-and-in slider from Justin Verlander for a sacrifice fly in the second inning, and Bohm delivered a two-out RBI single to give the Phillies a lead in the seventh.
Twice earlier in the night, Bohm came up with a man in scoring position and was unable to drive him in, grounding out to second with a man on second and grounding into an inning-ending double play with runners on the corners in the fourth. This has been a grueling stretch for both Bohm and Marsh and the Phillies hope the duo has already reached rock bottom. There’s really only one direction either can go given how rough the first three weeks have been.
Bryce Harper made a close game more comfortable with a towering two-run homer on a 3-0 count in the seventh, his third of the year. This was a difficult night to drive a ball. The wind was swirling upwards of 20 mph at first pitch, and by the end of the first inning, Trea Turner had flung his bat into the netting beyond third base, rain clouds had rendered Center City invisible and roughly 1,000 fan scorecards had made their way onto the field.
The elements subsided as the game went on but still made a difference. In the bottom of the seventh, J.T. Realmuto popped a ball up to medium left field but Heliot Ramos was unable to track it down as it danced in the wind. It fell in to tie the game.
Four innings earlier, Ramos hit a soft infield fly with a man on first just over Harper’s head but it changed direction multiple times in the air and eluded Harper’s mitt. The first baseman didn’t panic, though, picking up the ball up and calmly firing to second for the force-out.
The conditions made Realmuto’s second-inning home run to left-center field, directly into the wind, even more impressive. It was Realmuto’s first at-bat since a frustrating called strike three ended the Phillies’ seventh inning Monday night with two men on and two out, down four runs. The pitch Realmuto was rung up on Monday was well off the plate and he let home plate umpire Tony Randazzo know about it.
There was more frustration on Tuesday after the Phillies relinquished an early lead for the second straight night, gave the Giants costly free bases and ran into two outs on the basepaths themselves. The Giants tied the game in the top of the fourth after slow-footed Matt Chapman and Wilmer Flores executed a double-steal on Jesus Luzardo’s first move to the plate. It was the third time already in the game that the Giants ran on Luzardo’s first move but the first two pitches were fouled off. They seemed to have something on him. Luzardo’s next pitch after the double steal was lined into left field by Casey Schmitt for a two-run single. When the Giants later took the lead briefly in the sixth, a run scored on a groundout just after Orion Kerkering threw a wild pitch to advance him to third.
The Phils went ahead with four singles in the bottom of the sixth and received an important shutdown inning from Jordan Romano. The first-year Phillie seems to be settling in — he’s faced the minimum nine batters over his last three outings, allowing just one baserunner.
Jose Alvarado had a dicey eighth inning, allowing three straight singles to the top of the Giants’ order but recovered with a popup, strikeout and flyout to the warning track. Matt Strahm closed it out as the Phillies improved to 10-7.
Wednesday’s assignment goes to Aaron Nola, who is 0-3 with a 5.51 ERA and looking to find a rhythm himself.
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A reminder of the teams
Continue reading...Which Chicago Wolves Could Be Playing In Carolina's Final Regular Season Games?
The Carolina Hurricanes have just two regular season games remaining on their schedule and much like the past few games, they also really don't matter in terms of results.
The Canes have been locked into a first-round matchup with the New Jersey Devils for quite a while now and as such, they've been able to rest a variety of players as of late.
Wednesday and Thursday's stops in Canada aren't going to be the exception either.
The Hurricanes are approaching full health in terms of everyone having the ability to play, but according to coach Rod Brind'Amour, there's quite a few guys who are still nursing stuff.
So in turn, we're probably more than likely going to see some callups from the AHL fairly soon, especially since Alexander Nikishin isn't going to make it in time.
So which Chicago Wolves could we see this week?
Teams are allowed just four AHL callups following the trade deadline (excluding emergency callups) and unless I'm mistaken, I believe only Scott Morrow counts against that number, meaning the team can callup three more players.
Forwards
Bradly Nadeau
30g, 56pts, 63gp
The Wolves' leading scorer has earned the opportunity for another NHL game. Nadeau made his NHL debut at the end of last season, so it'd be just another taste of what eventually will almost certainly be his future.
Bradly Nadeau Scores 30th AHL Goal, Joins Exclusive ListCarolina Hurricanes forward Bradly Nadeau joined a very exclusive list of players last night, becoming just the sixth AHL U20 player since 1940 — and third in the last 50 years — to score 30 goals in a season.
Juha Jaaska
11g, 31pts, 50gp
Jaaska has the most NHL experience out of the current slate of Wolves forwards, having played 18 games with the Hurricanes this season. He's familiar with the team and can slot in well without much problem.
Justin Robidas
18g, 49pts, 67gp
The most recent callup, Robidas played well in his two games with Carolina, producing in each, despite the team losing. He's a workhorse and has showed just why he is deserving of an opportunity to play in the NHL.
Ryan Suzuki
11g, 56pts, 66gp
Suzuki has been a good soldier for a while now and finally got to make his NHL debut this year after being drafted in 2019. Also, playing on Wednesday would be an exceptionally special moment for him and his family too given that it would be in Montreal against his brother, Nick.
Skyler Brind'Amour
16g, 23pts, 67gp
These kinds of games are perfect for players to have the chance to make NHL debuts and what better than for the Brind'Amours to share another moment together.
Josiah Slavin
11g, 20pts, 63gp
We mentioned one family connection, so why not another?
Felix Unger Sorum
5g, 20pts, 59gp
It hasn't been the most productive season for Unger Sorum. There were high hopes for the young forward heading into the year after a few eye-popping preseason appearances and WJC, but the production just hasn't been there. But perhaps a higher level of teammates can bring out the best in the Swede.
Defensemen
Riley Stillman
3g, 9pts, 35gp
Stillman has been one of the team's most consistent callups over the course of the season even though he only played in three games with the Canes. Plenty of practice time and flight miles may pay off with a couple more games.
Ty Smith
5g, 26pts, 33gp
The other side of the callup circus from this season, Smith has been a steady producer in the AHL this season and could be the guy to come up given that he has a good amount of NHL experience.
Domenick Fensore
9g, 32pts, 66gp
Fensore has had a strong sophomore season with Chicago playing and producing on both the power play and penalty kill as well. A kid who's put the time in, if the team is looking to reward hard-working guys, he's definitely an option.
Joakim Ryan
2g, 7pts, 56gp
Ryan hasn't played in the NHL since 2021, but has 145 games of NHL experience under his belt. These final games could be a good chance to give a veteran one last taste of the big leagues.
Goalies
Spencer Martin
18-7-2, 0.908 Sv%, 2.38 GAA
If the Canes want to give a netminder the day off, the only real callup that makes sense is Martin. However, the way the past few games have gone for Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov, I'd want them to have the chance to put up a better performance heading into the playoffs.
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