SAN FRANCISCO –The stakes will be high Sunday afternoon when the Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers meet. The incentives are similar and there is a deep mutual familiarity. Yet it’s the nascent unfamiliarity that could prove pivotal.
This is the first time since Dec. 2023, 16 months, that the Warriors will face LA star Kawhi Leonard. This is the first time ever that the Clippers will see Jimmy Butler III as a Warrior.
Each of the two veterans hope to be the difference for his team when the ball goes up at Chase Center. Coverage on NBC Sports Bay Area begins with “Warriors Pregame Live” at 11:30 p.m. PT, with tipoff scheduled for 12:30.
“It should be a Game 7 type of vibe,” Stephen Curry says.
Oh, it will be. It is circumstances such as these that led the Warriors to acquire Butler at the Feb. 6 trade deadline. If “Playoff Jimmy” still is a thing, this would be a good time to see it.
The sixth-place Warriors (48-33) are chasing victory because it would lock down the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference and a guaranteed playoff berth. A loss would drop them to seventh place and into the play-in tournament. The fifth-place Clippers (49-32) would finish no lower than fifth if they win, but could tumble as low as seventh if they lose.
The Warriors are 0-3 against the Clippers this season, and injury maintenance kept Leonard inactive for all three games. He has been a regular presence since midseason. He has played in 13 of LA’s last 15 games, averaging 25.8 points per game on 54-percent shooting from the field, including 49.2 percent from deep. Leonard is relatively new to Golden State, but he is back to playing at All-Star level.
All three of LA’s wins over Golden State came when Butler was a member of the Miami Heat. The Clippers have not faced Butler at all this season.
“They beat us three times this year,” Draymond Green concedes, “but we’re a new team.”
The Warriors were 25-26 before Butler made his debut, but since have posted a 23-7 record – 23-6 in games including Butler. He is averaging 17.5 points per game, shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 87.8 percent from the line, adding 5.8 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.
Can the addition of Butler bring an end to LA’s bullying of the Warriors?
Is Leonard’s availability enough to overcome the progress of the “new” Warriors?
The veteran forwards will see plenty of each other in the regular-season finale, and whoever has the superior individual game puts his team in position to win.
The Warriors on Sunday converted Braxton Key from his two-way contract to a standard NBA contract, filling Golden State’s 15th and final roster spot, the team announced.
His signing makes him eligible for the playoff roster.
The Warriors did weigh options outside of the organization before landing on Key.
Key, 28, is a 6-foot-8 center/power forward who has played 36 games in the NBA over the past four seasons. But it was his dominant play in the G League this season between the Santa Cruz Warriors and San Diego Clippers that impressed many inside Golden State, earning some high praise along the way.
“This dude’s the best player we’ve seen in the G League this year,” Santa Cruz coach Nicholas Kerr said ahead of the Sea Dubs’ game at Chase Center on March 9. “He’s a monster defender. He can get to the rim, and he’s made shots for us so far. You can tell that he’s a gamer, too.”
Kerr’s assessment is full of compliments celebrating a player who was both great for him, and great against him this past season.
It’s what he said next that surprised Key later that day.
“Maybe it’s unfair to Draymond [Green] to compare the two, because Draymond’s a four-time champion and future Hall of Famer – Braxton has some Draymond qualities,” Kerr said.
During halftime of the Warriors’ game against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, Green was given his award for being March’s Western Conference Defensive Player of the Month. Key also was honored at halftime that same night by the same person at center court for being the G League’s Defensive Player of the Year. Key became the third player in Santa Cruz history to win the award, joining Aaron Craft and Stefhon Hannah.
“That’s nice,” a smiling Key first said back on March 9 when told of Kerr comparing him to Green.
“I mean, that’s a Hall of Famer, Key continued. “That’s a four-time champ, that’s a Defensive Player of the Year – that’s a lot. That’s big shoes to fill. I’m definitely watching him a lot. I see myself in him for sure. Just the way he plays, and then obviously the selflessness and what he does for the team. Defensively, he’s a beast.”
Key’s locker is directly next to Green’s. It’s not the skill of the fellow small-ball center who is the Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner that stood out most to Key when they first shared the court, but his voice.
“The first thing I noticed yesterday at walkthrough was Draymond was talking during the film, saying ‘Let’s do this on that play, or let’s do that on that play’ against the Pistons,” Key said. “Just seeing him be vocal and all that was definitely … it’s not surprising.
“You always hear that about him, but it woke me up.”
In four games against Santa Cruz this season when he was playing for the Clippers’ G League affiliate, Key averaged 19.3 points on 70.5-percent shooting, 9.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocked shots. Then the Warriors swooped him up from San Diego the same day they converted Pat Spencer to an NBA contract on March 5, signing Key to a two-way contract. Key made an immediate impact with Santa Cruz.
That same day, Key scored 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting in his Santa Cruz debut while also having 13 rebounds, one assist, three steals and a block. Key in 11 games with Santa Cruz averaged 22.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.4 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. He shot 55.4 percent from the field and 45.2 on threes. Between San Diego and Santa Cruz, Key played 33 games in the G League this season and averaged 18.4 points – on 50.5-percent shooting – 9.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.9 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.
His 130 steals didn’t just lead the G League. They’re the third-most ever for a season in G League history.
When Santa Cruz played the Mexico City Capitanes at Chase Center, in which Golden State head coach Steve Kerr was in attendance, Key scored 19 points (9-of-13 shooting) and added eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. The Warriors coach took notice, too.
“Braxton looks like a real NBA defender,” he said the next day. “He’s quick and athletic, and I think he’s another guy who could step in and play some minutes for us if needed.”
Key has appeared in three games for the Warriors, playing a total of 11 minutes. Fittingly, Key swiped two steals against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday in the last six minutes and 43 seconds of the Warriors’ blowout win.
The Warriors on Sunday converted Braxton Key from his two-way contract to a standard NBA contract, filling Golden State’s 15th and final roster spot, sources told NBC Sports Bay Area.
His signing makes him eligible for the playoff roster.
The Warriors did weigh options outside of the organization before landing on Key.
Key, 28, is a 6-foot-8 center/power forward who has played 36 games in the NBA over the past four seasons. But it was his dominant play in the G League this season between the Santa Cruz Warriors and San Diego Clippers that impressed many inside Golden State, earning some high praise along the way.
“This dude’s the best player we’ve seen in the G League this year,” Santa Cruz coach Nicholas Kerr said ahead of the Sea Dubs’ game at Chase Center on March 9. “He’s a monster defender. He can get to the rim, and he’s made shots for us so far. You can tell that he’s a gamer, too.”
Kerr’s assessment is full of compliments celebrating a player who was both great for him, and great against him this past season.
It’s what he said next that surprised Key later that day.
“Maybe it’s unfair to Draymond [Green] to compare the two, because Draymond’s a four-time champion and future Hall of Famer – Braxton has some Draymond qualities,” Kerr said.
During halftime of the Warriors’ game against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, Green was given his award for being March’s Western Conference Defensive Player of the Month. Key also was honored at halftime that same night by the same person at center court for being the G League’s Defensive Player of the Year. Key became the third player in Santa Cruz history to win the award, joining Aaron Craft and Stefhon Hannah.
“That’s nice,” a smiling Key first said back on March 9 when told of Kerr comparing him to Green.
“I mean, that’s a Hall of Famer, Key continued. “That’s a four-time champ, that’s a Defensive Player of the Year – that’s a lot. That’s big shoes to fill. I’m definitely watching him a lot. I see myself in him for sure. Just the way he plays, and then obviously the selflessness and what he does for the team. Defensively, he’s a beast.”
Key’s locker is directly next to Green’s. It’s not the skill of the fellow small-ball center who is the Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner that stood out most to Key when they first shared the court, but his voice.
“The first thing I noticed yesterday at walkthrough was Draymond was talking during the film, saying ‘Let’s do this on that play, or let’s do that on that play’ against the Pistons,” Key said. “Just seeing him be vocal and all that was definitely … it’s not surprising.
“You always hear that about him, but it woke me up.”
In four games against Santa Cruz this season when he was playing for the Clippers’ G League affiliate, Key averaged 19.3 points on 70.5-percent shooting, 9.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocked shots. Then the Warriors swooped him up from San Diego the same day they converted Pat Spencer to an NBA contract on March 5, signing Key to a two-way contract. Key made an immediate impact with Santa Cruz.
That same day, Key scored 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting in his Santa Cruz debut while also having 13 rebounds, one assist, three steals and a block. Key in 11 games with Santa Cruz averaged 22.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.4 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. He shot 55.4 percent from the field and 45.2 on threes. Between San Diego and Santa Cruz, Key played 33 games in the G League this season and averaged 18.4 points – on 50.5-percent shooting – 9.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.9 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.
His 130 steals didn’t just lead the G League. They’re the third-most ever for a season in G League history.
When Santa Cruz played the Mexico City Capitanes at Chase Center, in which Golden State head coach Steve Kerr was in attendance, Key scored 19 points (9-of-13 shooting) and added eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. The Warriors coach took notice, too.
“Braxton looks like a real NBA defender,” he said the next day. “He’s quick and athletic, and I think he’s another guy who could step in and play some minutes for us if needed.”
Key has appeared in three games for the Warriors, playing a total of 11 minutes. Fittingly, Key swiped two steals against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday in the last six minutes and 43 seconds of the Warriors’ blowout win.
A
point is nice, but from a selfish standpoint, the St. Louis Blues needed another.
The
Blues turned up empty on their season-ending three-game road trip,
falling to the Seattle Kraken, 4-3 in a shootout, on Saturday at
Climate Pledge Arena.
So
that makes three straight losses (0-2-1) after a franchise-record
12-game winning streak by the Blues (43-30-8), who lost ground to the
Minnesota Wild, who rallied from a 2-0 third-period deficit to down
the Vancouver Canucks, 3-2 in overtime on Saturday.
So
as it stands going into Sunday, the Wild have 95 points, the Blues
have 94 and each have one game remaining; the Calgary Flames have 90
points and have three games remaining it stands as this for the
Blues:
*
They can clinch if the Flames lose in regulation against the San Jose
Sharks on Sunday.
*
They clinch with a regulation win in their season finale against Utah
Hockey Club on Tuesday.
The
Flames can technically catch the Blues in points. The two teams can
max out at 96 points, but if the Flames win all three of their
remaining games in regulation, and the Blues win against Utah in
overtime or a shootout, the Flames would own the first tiebreaker and
that’s regulation wins (32-31) and thus would eliminate the Blues.
Any
Flames loss in regulation would eliminate the Flames altogether,
because they could tie the Blues in regulation wins (RW, 31-31), but
the Blues own the next tiebreaker, which is regulation or overtime
wins (ROW) 39-34.
Sound
complicated enough? We will break it all down as each day passes.
As
for Saturday, it was the return of Colton Parayko for the Blues. The
defenseman missed the past 17 games (the Blues were 13-3-1) with a
left knee injury suffered March 5 against the Los Angeles Kings. He
would score in his return and play 23:21 and was a plus-1 with two
shots on goal, two hits and five blocks.
Nick
Leddy had a goal and an assist, and Radek Faksa scored for the Blues,
while Jordan Binnington made 14 saves.
The
Blues lost the shootout in seven rounds when Chandler Stephenson
scored, and Jimmy Snuggerud was denied to end it.
Let’s
go into Saturday’s Three Takeaways:
*
Five chances in a shootout to get extra point – The Blues need
points, and even a shootout point would have been massive.
They
had five chances – five – to end the game in a shootout after
Jake Neighbours and Robert Thomas opened with shootout goals off
Philipp Grubauer.
It
was 2-1 in the third round, but Binnington couldn’t make the save
on Kappo Kakko, but then Brayden Schenn had a chance to win it but
hit the post.
And
when Binnington made saves on Matt Beniers, Shane Wright and Jared
McCann, the Blues had the puck on their stick three times to win, and
Zack Bolduc, Pavel Buchnevich and Jordan Kyrou each failed to produce
the winner.
And
when Stephenson beat Binnington, who was 4-for-7 on his shootout
attempts, Snuggerud pulled the puck back to his backhand and not sure
if Grubauer got a stick on his attempt or not, but the puck sailed
over the net to end it on his first NHL shootout attempt.
They
started it and it was Radek Faksa who tied it 1-1 at 1:06 on an
effort play and forecheck, keeping a puck alive at the blue line
before getting it to the net and finish by banking it in off a
flailing Grubauer.
St. Louis goal!
Scored by Radek Faksa with 18:54 remaining in the 3rd period.
But
the Blues would strike twice in 13 seconds when Parayko tied it 2-2
at 7:21 off a little 2-on-1 with Robert Thomas, who extended his
point streak to 11 games (four goals, 19 assists) when the Blues
caught Seattle with a couple forwards back behind the Blues’ goal
line.
St. Louis goal!
Scored by Colton Parayko with 12:39 remaining in the 3rd period.
Then
Leddy made it 3-2 at 7:34 after a pressure forecheck, winning a puck
back, Bolduc finding Leddy and his shot from the high slot into the
top shelf.
St. Louis goal!
Scored by Nick Leddy with 12:26 remaining in the 3rd period.
The
Blues had been so good at shutting down things in the third period,
but in the past three games have allowed, that’s six goals allowed
on this trip (including one empty-netter) in three third periods.
*
Played slow, sluggish early – For the second time in three games on
this trip, the Blues started slow and looked uninspired.
Their
three first-period shots and minimal O-zone time marked three
straight games with fewer than 10 shots in the opening period and
just 14 total, including three at Winnipeg and three tonight.
We
keep going back to having to play without Dylan Holloway, who remains
out week to week with a lower-body injury, but his absence has
affected the play of all the lines.
It’s
hardly the kind of play you want to see while desperately trying to
lock down a wild card berth and forced them to play from behind twice
in this game before they got things going in the right direction in
the third.
*
Hear what coach Jim Montgomery, Parayko and Leddy had to say
postgame:
“We’ve just got to remember how we played in the third period and get to that right away.”
Colton Parayko, Nick Leddy, and Jim Montgomery on Saturday’s shootout loss and returning home to face Utah. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/HqVTGhwwlT
The Calgary Flames will host the San Jose Sharks for the
second time in the last seven days.
Well, here is the deal....
After Seattle beat St. Louis, now Calgary has one job: go
3-0 in their remaining games. More on that in the playoff odds below…
One game at a time.
The Flames first face off against the Sharks, the same team
that pushed them to the limit for the first two periods before Calgary’s third
period comeback on April 8. San Jose players definitely want to finish the job
this time. And if it comes with the perk of knocking Calgary out of the playoff
picture, then I’m sure this team will not be short on motivation to do so.
HEAD 2 HEAD
Based on all three prior games this season, the Calgary
Flames have the third-best save percentage against the San Jose Sharks at
even-strength situations. On 4 vs 5 penalty kill situations, Calgary’s save percentage
against San Jose is 14th. The Sharks average 27.3 shots on goals per game to
the Flames. That is 15th amongst all teams. San Jose, meanwhile, has
the fifth-lowest shooting percentage when playing against Calgary. Despite the favorable
numbers, it is expected that Wolf will make his seventh consecutive start in
net. At this point, considering the direness of the Flames’ situation, it won’t
be shocking if he’s goalie for the rest of the regular season.
However, Calgary’s shooting percentage is 16th against San
Jose. In the power play, Flames are 2-for-8 against San Jose. They could work
on that. Still, Calgary does average 33.7 shots on goal per game against San
Jose. That’s 6.4 shots better than what Sharks average against the Flames.
TALE OF THE TAPE (SKATERS)
TALE OF THE TAPE (GOALIES)
PLAYOFF ODDS
After the Blues got only one point against the Kraken last night, they
are four points ahead of the Flames, while the Wild are ahead by five after their win against the Canucks. Calgary have two more games in hand on both teams. For the
Flames to have a chance to qualify, the have to hope that the Blues DON’T get a regulation win
in their final game against Utah. If that happens, Calgary is out...unless Minnesota loses its final game.
But if Minnesota wins its last game against Anaheim, they qualify, regardless of whether it is in regulation or overtime. Then, that coupled with a St. Louis win, the Flames are out for sure.
If a St. Louis regulation win doesn't happen, Calgary has to beat out St. Louis in
whatever points the Blues have put up at that time, whether it is 94 or 95.
But the common denominator in all these scenarios is, as mentioned earlier, Calgary has to go 3-0 the rest
of the way.
LAS VEGAS -- The Golden Knights clinched the Pacific Division for the fourth time in eight years after defeating the Nashville Predators 5-3 on Saturday night.
Noah Hanifin snapped a 15-game goal drought by scoring with 1:55 left in the game to snap a 3-3 tie with a blistering shot from the point to put the Golden Knights ahead after they squandered a two-goal lead to start the third period.
"I was asked this morning what I thought one of the great qualities of our team was, and I thought it was our resilience, our willingness to push back and keep playing no matter what," Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. "Now, do we want to give up a two-goal lead right out the gates to start the third? Of course not. You got to be mindful of another team might not let you off the hook if you do that. We have to be careful with that. Every team in this league is good. If you don't play the right way, I don't care who you're playing, a team that's eliminated, (a) first-place (team), whatever, you know they're going to make you pay."
Vegas, which has won four of its last five games, also got goals from Brett Howden, Nic Roy, Alexander Holtz and Ivan Barbashev in the win, while Adin Hill made 14 saves.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
SHEA-D BUSINESS: Shea Theodore's assist on Roy’s goal broke the franchise record for points in a single season by a defenseman. It was Theodore's 55th point of the season (7 goals, 48 assists). The 55 points are a career-high for the 29-year-old. His previous high was 52 points, set during the 2021-22 season. His 48 assists are also a career-high.
🚨 FRANCHISE RECORD ALERT 🚨
Shea Theodore has broken the record for points in a single season by a VGK defenseman with his 55th point of the year!!!#VegasBorn
— y-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) April 13, 2025
HENDERSON HOLTZ: After spending a good portion of the first half of the season with the Golden Knights, Holtz was sent down the interstate to the team's AHL franchise in nearby Henderson. Holtz said his time spent with the Silver Knights helped with his poise on the ice, while he felt his puck control improved which translated into more confidence on the ice upon returning to Vegas. The goal was his fourth of the season for the Golden Knights.
"He's a better player than when he left, so that's a positive," Cassidy said. "That's a credit to the player that goes down there, identifies that this isn't punishment. You're on a good hockey team, a first-place team when he left, and you got to get better if you expect to push through and grab someone's job."
🎥 Holtz: It was really fun to be out there, it's really fun to be up with this group again, nice to get a win. pic.twitter.com/5XPjKNMcOp
— y-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) April 13, 2025
MARCHESSAULT'S RETURN: Former Golden Knight Jonathan Marchessault returned to T-Mobile Arena for the first time since signing with the Predators last summer. An original member of the franchise, Marchessault remains one of the most beloved players in the team's short history, as he helped lead the team to the 2023 Stanley Cup title.
The 34-year-old, who scored a goal early in the third period, received a standing ovation after an 80-second video played on the area's large video above the ice.
— y-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) April 13, 2025
"It was unbelievable," Marchessault. "That's what you expect. High-class organization, high-class people from top to bottom. Great fans, unbelievable. They were always there for me and my family, but for anyone that puts on a jersey there. It was just unbelievable to see Vegas. It's gonna be unbelievable memories for me for sure."
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Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki walks back to the mound after Cubs first base Michael Busch hit a solo home run Saturday at Dodger Stadium. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
This is Roki Sasaki's home now. The San Gabriel Mountains at his back as he stands atop the mound at Dodger Stadium. Stands filled with adoring fans. Warm spring evenings that soon will lip into summer swelter.
Sasaki, 23, is beginning to feel comfortable in Chavez Ravine and with the heat that comes with choosing the Dodgers among scads of suitors when he left his native Japan in January. He is under team control for six seasons at a bargain rate, and the Dodgers are perfectly willing to allow him the space and time to become acclimated.
Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hits the ball during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium Saturday. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
The right-hander made his fourth start Saturday — his second at Dodger Stadium — and it was his best yet, lasting five sturdy innings against the Chicago Cubs. Sasaki was nicked by a solo home run from former Dodger Michael Busch to lead off the second but pitched out of jams in the third and fifth, the former thanks to a leaping catch at the center field wall by Andy Pages that prevented a grand slam.
Sasaki was failed only by the Dodgers' inability to generate offense in a 16-0 loss to the Cubs in front of a sellout crowd of 53,887. They couldn't generate offense against starter Ben Brown, who came in with an earned-run average of 7.71 that shrunk to 5.09 after six scoreless innings.
"Giving the context that I hadn’t reached the five-inning mark the last three outings, I think it was really important that I was able to reach that point and I hope to be able to do that as a minimum going forward," Sasaki said through an interpreter.
The game turned into a literal laugher after the Cubs pounded relievers Ben Casparius and Luis García for 10 runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Infielder Miguel Rojas finished the eighth and pitched the ninth, emulating Sasaki's delivery while tossing 40-mph pitches that the Cubs crushed for another five runs.
"Ever since last year when I got the opportunity to pitch, I was trying to imitate my teammates that I play behind," Rojas said. "I was just trying to keep it loose on a night like this. The game was close until the sixth. Roki had a good outing."
Asked to rate Rojas' imitation, Sasaki laughed and said, "100%."
The Dodgers' only runs in two games against the Cubs to begin this six-game homestand came on a three-run home run by Tommy Edman in Friday's 3-0 Dodgers victory in which Sasaki's countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto tossed six scoreless innings. The Dodgers have defeated the Cubs in three of four meetings this season — the first two coming in Tokyo — despite being outscored 20-13.
The loss was the Dodgers worst at home in franchise history. It also marked the first time they'd been shut out at Dodger Stadium since May 12 when the Arizona Diamondbacks held them scoreless and the first time they'd been shut out anywhere since July 26 in Houston.
Still, the memory of Sasaki's step in the right direction lingered.
"Today the hope was for him to build on the last start and for me that was the silver lining of the night," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "Probably the most important piece of the game was for him to get better, go deeper in the game and throw strikes."
Sasaki's first start as a Dodger, remember, came in his homeland four weeks ago, and it didn't go well. Neither did his second start, his Dodger Stadium debut a second consecutive blur of wayward pitches, walks, hits and runs. He recorded only five outs and fought back tears.
His third start was better, giving up one run in four innings while throwing first-pitch strikes to 13 of 17 batters. And his fourth was better yet. Sasaki established his four-seam fastball early, then leaned on his devastating splitter and functional slider as his pitch count rose and he faced batters a third time. He threw 81 pitches, 50 for strikes.
"I hit my stride after the first inning and overall had a lot better command," Sasaki said. "That’s something I was able to continue from my last outing."
Clayton Kershaw is scheduled to begin his rehab assignment Wednesday at the Dodgers' triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City. The future Hall of Fame left-hander is not eligible to be activated from the injured list until May 17.
Two other Dodgers pitchers recovering from injuries will pitch at Oklahoma City on Tuesday: starter Tony Gonsolin and reliever Evan Phillips. Gonsolin will make his third rehab appearance after striking out seven in 3⅓ innings Wednesday in Round Rock, Texas.
"Things are slowly moving forward," said Roberts, who added that injured reliever Michael Kopech will throw a second bullpen Tuesday and starter Blake Snell will begin throwing Monday.
Bobby Miller is likely to be called up from Oklahoma City to make a start for the Dodgers on Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies, meaning Yamamoto won't pitch again until Friday to open a series at Texas.
The rehab and roster shuffling nearly obscured a bullpen session at Dodger Stadium, this one the third in two weeks by Shohei Ohtani. The right-hander recovering from elbow surgery threw 30 pitches, nearly all four-seam and two-seam fastballs, although he did mix in a few split-fingered fastballs.
Crow-Armstrong, 23, is a talented defensive player with elite speed. He has 35 stolen bases in 40 attempts in 152 major league games, but hasn't proved he can hit consistently. The left-handed batter and fielder is hitting .224 with 10 home runs in 446 at-bats in parts of three seasons entering Saturday's game.
He did bat .260 during the second half last season and hit .500 in spring training this year. Whether his bat continues to improve will determine if he blossoms into a star or settles in as a great glove-fair hitter in the mold of Harrison Bader, Billy Hamilton or Peter Bourjos.
Other premier young outfield talents who recently signed long-term extensions included Jackson Merrill of the San Diego Padres (nine years, $135 million), Corbin Carroll of the Diamondbacks (eight years, $111 million) and Michael Harris II of the Atlanta Braves (eight years, $72 million).
Here's the latest on some of the Mets' top young talent in the early stages of the minor league season...
Jett the Met surging early
Jett Williams has picked up right where he left off following his strong showing in big-league camp -- reaching base safely in all but one of Binghamton’s games thus far this season.
The 21-year-old played a huge role during the Rumble Ponies doubleheader split on Friday afternoon, as he lined a single in the second during Game 1 and then cracked a three-run homer a few innings later.
Then in Game 2, he led off the bottom of the first with a single and swiped his first stolen base of the season before coming around to score on a Nick Lorusso long ball.
Williams has struck out seven times over the first six games -- but he’s also drawn a pair of walks while putting together two doubles, a home run, and an impressive .348 on-base percentage.
He was plagued by the injuries last season, so a return to form would help continue his quick rise through the system.
Gilbert begins rehab assignment
The Mets played things safe with Drew Gilbert during spring training after he missed significant time last year due to a hamstring issue -- but he’s officially back on the field as the minor league season gets underway.
The youngster is beginning things on a rehab assignment with the St. Lucie Mets, and he’s gotten off to a surging start at the plate.
Gilbert has reached base safely two or more times in each of the past three games and he’s left the yard on back-to-back nights -- giving him an impressive .350 average and 1.135 OPS through 20 at-bats.
While those type of numbers are expected from a 24-year-old playing down two levels, it’s certainly encouraging to see him get off to this type of start after the sluggish and injury-plagued campaign he had.
Like Williams, a return to form would go a long way towards Gilbert making his big-league debut.
To this point he’s logged appearances in all three outfield positions, but two of them have come in center field -- a spot he could potentially provide a significant boost to in the majors later this season.
If you don’t already know Eli Serrano III, you may want to start getting familiar with him.
Serrano landed with the organization in the fourth round of last year’s draft -- and he was widely praised for the strong offensive skillset that he displayed during his time at NC State.
The 21-year-old showcased that in a very small sample size towards the end of last year, compiling seven extra base-hits in 17 games as he made his pro ball debut with the St. Lucie Mets.
He was bumped up to High-A Brooklyn to begin this year -- and he’s been able to carryover that production on both sides of the ball thus far.
Serrano has a double, two homers, three stolen bases, seven walks, eight hits, a .457 on-base percentage, and an incredible 1.013 OPS through six games. He also gunned down a runner at the plate with a tremendous throw from center and made a pair of leaping catches at the fence in left.
He comes into the year as the 22nd prospect in the system according to SNY’s Joe DeMayo, but will certainly climb up those rankings quickly if he’s able to keep this up.
Zuber building off strong spring
Tyler Zuber certainly looked the part of a big leaguer during spring training.
The right-handed reliever walked four batters but he did well to limit the damage, allowing just one run while striking out six across 7.2 innings of work.
Thus far he’s been able to carry that success over to Triple-A Syracuse -- bringing his ERA down to a strong mark of 2.08 ERA across four appearances after putting together a scoreless frame on Thursday.
He’s allowed just one run and two hits while walking one, striking out three, and generating eight groundball outs.
The 29-year-old struggled in the minors following a trade deadline deal with the Rays, but after spending a full offseason working with the Mets’ pitching lab, he appears ready to contribute at the big-league level.
There aren’t any openings in the Mets’ bullpen at the moment, but if Zuber can keep this rolling his opportunity may come before you know it.
Mermis has played one game in the NHL this season, with the Utah Hockey Club in mid-December.
Dakota Mermis will join the Toronto Maple Leafs on their flight to Carolina and play against the Hurricanes on Sunday.
Toronto will recall the 31-year-old ahead of their game in Carolina after playing with five defensemen in their 1-0 overtime win on Saturday versus the Montreal Canadiens. Mermis signed a one-year, $775,000 contract in the summer but has yet to play a game with the Maple Leafs.
Craig Berube confirmed that Dakota Mermis will be called up on an emergency basis and be in the lineup against the Hurricanes tomorrow. @BodogCA
Toronto was forced to play with five defensemen because of salary cap restraints after Jake McCabe and Oliver Ekman-Larsson suffered undisclosed injuries. Mitch Marner took some shifts on the back-end against Montreal, something he's done plenty of times before.
"I like it back there. I think I expressed that to you guys last year. I don’t feel lost or uncomfortable," he said on Saturday night. "I try to not make it difficult on myself, just try to make easy, quick plays. I enjoy it back there when I get the chance to play D, to be honest."
After playing a player short, the Maple Leafs can bring up Mermis from the AHL on an emergency basis. His cap hit is below the $875,000 threshold and will count as $0 towards Toronto's cap.
Neither McCabe nor Ekman-Larsson will travel with the team to Carolina. Head coach Craig Berube confirmed on Friday that McCabe will return to the lineup before the regular season concludes.
Mermis has spent most of the season in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies. He joined the Utah Hockey Club for part of this year after being claimed by the club on waivers on Dec. 13.
He appeared in one game with Utah before being placed on waivers again. Mermis was picked back up by the Maple Leafs on Jan. 3 and was immediately assigned to the Marlies.
Mermis has seven assists in 32 games with the AHL club. He plays in almost all situations with the Marlies and has recently been an assistant captain after Kyle Clifford went down with an injury.
The Alton, Illinois native has played 75 NHL games, split between Utah, the Arizona Coyotes, the New Jersey Devils, and the Minnesota Wild. He has four goals and eight assists and has averaged 14:25 of ice time in that span.
Toronto has three more regular season games: Sunday against Carolina, Tuesday vs. Buffalo, and Thursday at home against the Detroit Red Wings. Their win on Saturday against Montreal gives them home-ice advantage in the first round, no matter who they face.
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CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night. This game against the Central Division’s leader ended the home portion of Chicago’s schedule for 2024-25.
The Blackhawks came out firing as they took a 2-0 lead in the first period thanks to goals by Nick Foligno and Connor Bedard. Going up against Connor Hellebuyck, one of the best goalies in the world, it was a wonderful start.
In the second period, the Jets did what they do best and came back. The Blackhawks looked good early in the middle frame, but things went south when Nino Niederreiter scored to get Winnipeg on the board.
Not long after that, Kyle Connor tied the game with his 41st goal of the season. That 2-2 deadlock went to the second intermission, setting up an incredible finish to the home schedule.
In the final frame, the Jets took less than three minutes to take a 3-2 lead in the hockey game. Josh Morrissey threw one through traffic, and it went in the net off of Spencer Knight.
The Blackhawks didn’t roll over. In the second half of the third, Ryan Donato scored his 31st goal of the season to keep his special run going strong. On the goal, Connor Bedard collected his 81st career assist, which is the most by a teenager in Blackhawks history.
Frank Nazar put the Blackhawks ahead not long after, but the lead didn’t stand for long as Josh Morrissey tied it right back up with his second of the game before regulation was over. Despite plenty of chances in overtime for both sides, the game required a shootout.
Connor Bedard was the only Blackhawk to score in the shootout while both Kyle Connor and Cole Perfetti tucked one in to give the Jets the win. This victory secured the Central Division title for them.
After the game ended, the Jets stayed on the ice to deliver handshakes to both Patrick Maroon and Alec Martinez. Both of them ended wonderful careers that saw each of them win three Stanley Cups. It was a wonderful sign of sportsmanship as two amazing players are leaving the game.
Now, the Blackhawks will hit the road without Martinez and Maroon for their final two games of the season. It begins with a trip to Quebec to visit the Montreal Canadiens on Monday.
The Nashville Predators (29-42-8, 66 points) visit the Vegas Golden Knights (48-22-9, 105 points) for their final road game of the season Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.
The Predators are 3-7-0 in their last 10 games and coming off a 4-3 shootout win over the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday. The Golden Knights, who are in first place in the Pacific Division, are 7-2-1 in their last 10 and coming off a 2-1 defeat of the Seattle Kraken.
Another home game, another victory for the Florida Panthers.
On Saturday, Florida welcomed the Buffalo Sabres to Sunrise and came away with an exciting 3-2 shootout victory.
The two Atlantic Division rivals played a scoreless opening period, until a tripping penalty by Evan Rodrigues gave the Sabres their first power play of the game.
Rasmus Dahlin rushed the puck up the ice and made a nice give-and-go play with Jason Zucker, ending up with a wide-open net and giving Buffalo a 1-0 lead with 19 seconds left in the first period.
A nice play by Carter Verhaeghe would tie the game early in the second period.
After Seth Jones missed the net with a long wrist shot, Verhaeghe picked up the carrum off the back boards and drove to the net, making a nice move to his backhand and beating a sprawling Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
Almost exactly 10 minutes later, Jesse Puljujarvi picked up his first goal as a member of the Panthers, deflecting a shot by Uvis Balinskis to give Florida their first lead of the game.
It would then be Buffalo’s turn to tie the game, and once again they would score while on the power play.
This time it was JJ Peterka scoring from a sharp angle off a nice feed from Dahlin just as a 5-on-3 advantage was expiring for Buffalo.
The knotted score would hold throughout the remainder of regulation and the five-minute overtime session, so the game headed to a shootout.
An opening goal by Anton Lundell would be all Florida needed as Vitek Vanecek stopped Jack Quinn, Peterka and Alex Tuch to seal the deal for the Cats.
On to the Rangers.
QUICK THOUGHTS
Balinskis played in his 100th NHL game, notching his 14th assist of the season and third over his past two outings.
Verhaeghe has now scored in consecutive games for just the third time this season and the first time since Feb. 1 and 2.
He also logged an assist, giving Verhaeghe four points over a three-game point streak.
Seth Jones has logged four assists over his past seven games.
The hard-throwing right-hander was back on the mound for the St. Lucie Mets on Saturday night, and he looked very strong again -- allowing just two hits and striking out three across 3.2 scoreless innings of work.
Allan hit the second batter he faced in the bottom of the first and allowed a stolen base, but he quickly retired the next two on just six pitches to strand the man in scoring position.
He picked up his first punch out of the evening to finish a perfect second, and then worked around a one out double in the third, before finishing his outing with a man on first and two outs in the fourth.
Allan threw just three more pitches than last time (47) and he topped out at 96 mph.
The 23-year-old former top prospect has now racked up eight strikeouts and 7.1 scoreless innings of work over his first two appearances since returning from a six-year absence due to numerous different arm injuries.
The organization plans on taking things slowly with him this year to keep him healthy. But if he continues pitching like this, there’s no reason that he won’t take the next step in his journey soon enough.
“Given everything Matt’s gone through, every time he takes the ball we’re happy,” David Stearns said last week. “He deserves to be happy and he deserves to enjoy it. Let’s get to the next outing and then after that let’s get to the next one and we’ll go from there.
“What I will say is what he is doing right now is really impressive -- he is demonstrating why he was so sought after in the draft, and why he has kept pushing so hard for the last five years to get back to this point.”
Sproat bounces back
Top pitching prospect Brandon Sproat has had a rough time in Triple-A thus far -- but on Saturday night he put together easily his best effort.
The right-hander used his full arsenal as he struck out six while allowing just two hits and two walks across 4.1 innings of one-run ball.
Sproat is now down to a 4.35 ERA through three starts this season.
The Mets will look for him to be a bit more efficient before they are ready for him to make the leap up to the big-league level, but Saturday's outing was certainly a step in the right direction.
