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Inter Milan cruised to a 3-1 win at home to Cagliari thanks to goals from Marko Arnautovic, Lautaro Martínez and Yann Aurel Bisseck to keep their grip on top spot in Serie A on Saturday.
Inter are six points clear of second-placed Napoli, who host lowly Empoli on Monday, with six rounds to go.
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The Buffalo Sabres are playing out the string of another playoffless season, but with four games left in the on the schedule, the club will have a big say on who will win the Atlantic Division and have home-ice advantage in the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Sabres take on the Florida Panthers in the first of back-to-back weekend games in the Sunshine State on Saturday and will start James Reimer in goal. The Panthers are in third place in the Atlantic with 96 points. They would move into a tie for second place with Tampa Bay and come closer to locking up one of the top three spots in the division, moving six points ahead of the Ottawa Senators with a win over Buffalo.
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On Sunday, the Sabres play in Tampa against the Lightning, who have 98 points. Depending on the outcome of the Toronto - Montreal game on Saturday, the Lightning could move into a tie with the Leafs for first place entering the final week of the campaign. Tampa has stumbled in the last few games, with overtime losses to Toronto and Detroit, so on the eve of a critical match against the Panthers on Tuesday, they will need to get two points with Buffalo likely starting Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
The Maple Leafs make their final visit to Buffalo on Tuesday, with potentially a lot riding on the outcome. The Leafs have 100 points and will use up their game in hand on Tampa on Saturday. If they win over the Habs and on Sunday in the second of back-to-back games in Carolina on Sunday, a win at Key Bank Center could conceivably clinch the division, but with the Sabres 13-2-0 in their last 15 games and 22-14-3 overall this season at Key Bank Center and their traditional good fortune against Toronto at home, Buffalo could very well strike a blow to their hated rival’s division-winning aspirations.
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Rory McIlroy started the day with six straight threes, Bryson DeChambeau ended it with a birdie rake to trim the gap at the top to two. What a Moving Day!
An extremely smiley Bryson DeChambeau has a chat with CBS Sports. “If I can just keep it in the fairway … iron shots into the green … I watch a lot … see what players are doing … where the pin locations are … how people are playing it … trying to get comfortable with that … get my day started off a little late on purpose … feel comfortable like I’m just getting up, getting ready to go play some golf and have a good time … I’m excited … it’s gonna be a lot of fun!”
Shot of the week at 12 by Denny McCarthy! At the 155-yard par-three, he lands his ball five feet in front of the flag. A couple of tiny bounces take it a couple of feet closer, but no further. That’s a kick-in birdie, though. The 32-year-old from Florida, whose best finish here was a modest tie for 45th last year, moves into the red at -1 overall. So close there to only the fourth ace at 12 in Masters history. The others: the two-time US Open champion Curtis Strange in 1988, the amateur Bill Hyndman in 1959, and Claude Harmon, Butch’s dad, in 1947 (a year before his victory).
Continue reading...Mets centerfielder Jose Siri left Saturday’s game vs. the Athletics with a left shin contusion, and manager Carlos Mendoza said on Sunday that the outfielder is still in pain, making a stint on the Injured List a possibility.
"He’s in pain," Mendoza said on Sunday. "He walked in this morning still on crutches. Like I said, he’s pretty sore, not able to put weight on it. He’s getting treatment right now and we’ll see where we’re at, but he’s in pain."
Mendoza was then asked a follow-up question about whether the injury could result in an IL stint for Siri.
"It could be," Mendoza answered. "We’ll have to have a conversation after the game and maybe tomorrow, but the way he’s feeling right now, I could see this being a potential IL [situation]."
Siri underwent x-rays on Saturday, which came back negative, and the team still considers him day-to-day, at least for the time being.
The 29-year-old stayed down for several minutes after fouling a ball off his leg during his at-bat in the top of the second on Saturday -- the speedster then needed assistance from trainers as he limped back to the dugout and was carted to the clubhouse in left-centerfield.
"Honestly, I was expecting the worst," Mendoza said after the game on Saturday. "When I went out there he was in pain, he couldn't put any weight on it -- so when the trainers got a hold of me and told me in the middle of the game I was like alright at least it's good news but he's going to be in pain."
"It got me right there, right on the bone, pretty much," Siri said through a translator on Saturday. "Right now, I feel like I don't have any power in that leg -- it's the first time it's ever happened to me, so I can't really judge it based on how it's going to be in the next couple days.
"I think what we should do is just wait and see how it feels and then we'll have a better idea."
Jose Siri goes down in pain after fouling a ball off his leg pic.twitter.com/8n1NdaoLTY
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 12, 2025
LAS VEGAS -- Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said Saturday after morning skate that he is not concerned long-term with an injury that's kept Alex Pietrangelo out of the lineup.
The veteran defenseman who has missed six of the last nine games, including the last two, will miss Saturday night's home finale against the Nashville Predators, as the Golden Knights look to clinch the Pacific Division.
Star forward Jack Eichel will also miss his third straight game.
Despite their absences, the Golden Knights come into Saturday night winners of three of their last four (3-0-1) while riding a 9-2-1 win streak.
"It's good to have depth, guys that can get in when you're injured, and that's how you end up in first place sometimes, when you have injuries, right?" Cassidy said. "You don't lose a beat because other guys are ready to go."
Pietrangelo, who has missed only nine games all season, is a key part of the Knights' defensive pairings, who Cassidy hopes to have back in time for the playoffs, which start in one week.
The 35-year-old is ninth on the team with 33 points, while his 29 assists are tied for fourth.
Cassidy confirmed it is not the same issue that kept Pietrangelo from participating in the Four Nation's Face-Off two months ago.
"If he was able to play, he would," Cassidy said. "Right now, he's dealing with something, and he's getting better. He's skating, but he's not ready to go in the lineup.
"He's one of the, probably the most competitive guy in there. The Four Nations, I think he addressed that. There was some stuff that he had to take a little time off to be better for us. He came back in the lineup after that. Unfortunately, he's dealing with something different now that should be good to go. I just can't give you an exact date."
Stay updated with the most interesting Golden Knights stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
Players and coaches from the 2024 championship team received a ring for making the College Football Playoff, one from the CFP for winning it and a championship ring from Ohio State.
It was the humiliating snub that saved a season.
It was the most beautiful embarrassment in Lakers history.
Dan Hurley, thank you.
Thank you for turning down $70 million from the Lakers to stay at UConn. Thank you for walking away from Hollywood to hang out in Storrs. Thank you for doing the unthinkable to a team desperate for the impossible.
Thank you for the rejection, because it was the beginning of a rebirth.
Because Dan Hurley said no, JJ Redick said yes.
Trade of the year.
Can everyone now admit that hiring JJ Redick instead of Hurley last summer has been the most important development in transforming an ordinary team into a potential champion?
Acquiring Luke Doncic was great, but it is Redick who has seamlessly integrated him into the offense.
The emergence of Austin Reaves has been fascinating, but it was Redick who enabled and empowered him.
The renewed inspiration of LeBron James has been impressive, but it’s been based on respect for Redick’s voice and his vision.
With disarming honesty, unrelenting passion and unvarnished empathy, Redick has guided the Lakers through early-season embarrassments, bonded them through midseason roster changes and now has raised their intensity just in time for a deep spring run.
Read more:LeBron James' health briefly a concern as Lakers beat Rockets to clinch No. 3 seed
“As a team, I feel like we can win a championship, to be honest with you,” said Reaves after the Lakers’ third-seed-clinching win over the Houston Rockets on Friday night. “The reason of that is, I know that everybody in the locker room believes that and has also bought into whatever your role is to help us do that.”
That belief comes from coaching, from Redick down through his top assistants, Scott Brooks and Nate McMillan, a powerful veteran braintrust that smartly and constantly connects.
“That’s why I give this coaching staff a lot of credit,” said Reaves. “They come in, they planted their system and they held guys accountable to what they asked them to do and everybody bought into that.”
The head of sales is, of course, Redick, this group curated with his cool mix of brains and humanity that has turned a team into something more closely resembling a family.
He has cried, he has scowled, he has scolded and he has unconditionally supported, and that’s just in the news conferences.
He has, honestly, made more of an impact in one season of coaching than in 15 years in uniform. On Friday I had to ask him, was coaching actually more rewarding than playing?
“Yes” he quickly said.
“Why?” I asked.
“So I’ve been trying to figure that out for the last six months, I'm not sure,” he said. “But I will say, I think anybody that was around me as a player knows how much I enjoyed the job every day and knows how grateful I was to be in the NBA every day and very grateful to have a 15-year career. I like this more.”
So the flashy former scorer has more fun guiding players than shooting over them, and who knew?
Not me. While I’m now praising him as a great hire, I must acknowledge that I was once among the loudest to fight it.
When the offer was made to Hurley to replace the fired Darvin Ham last spring, I loved the idea. I loved Hurley. I pictured the two-time NCAA defending champion lighting a fire, changing the culture, bringing his East Coast toughness to the soft confines of El Segundo.
Redick was the only other serious candidate at the time, and that I didn’t love. He had never coached anywhere beyond youth league, he had never won a championship as a sharpshooter, and he was currently best known as a TV analyst and the co-host of a podcast with LeBron James. He wasn’t qualified beyond being LeBron’s buddy, and hiring him would be a mistake that would set the franchise up for more wasted years.
Read more:Plaschke: I was wrong. Drafting Bronny James was a win for the Lakers
I was ready to welcome Hurley, writing, “No brainer. No question. No more looking. If the Lakers really think they can get him, they need to go get him.”
Then in the early days of June, Hurley stunningly turned them down, convinced by his wife, Andrea, to stay on the East Coast and pushed by his fighter’s instinct to attempt a UConn three-peat.
A couple of weeks later, the Lakers hired Redick, and most of the basketball world shuddered.
“So now it’s painfully clear that JJ doesn’t stand for Just Joking,” I wrote at the time. “So now this is real. Real unusual. Real unsettling. Real unfortunate.”
Rob Pelinka, the Lakers general manager, saw it differently
“It was just really important to us as we made this hire to find a head coach that could sit across the table from some of the smartest and best players in the world,” Pelinka said at the time. “This is the stage for those players to be able to relate to, coach, hold them accountable, lead them, inspire them. And we felt like JJ was very unique in holding all those qualities to do that.”
It turns out, and not for the first time with this unusually special team, Pelinka was right and I was wrong.
First, this season Hurley was a walking distraction at UConn, his angry sideline antics constantly grabbing the headlines and making one wonder how long would he have lasted with the Lakers before completely melting down?
Meanwhile, Redick was immediately establishing himself here with basketball smarts and superstar relatability. Barely a month into the season, he aced his first test after the Lakers endured a two-game stretch of horrible performances, getting blown out in Minnesota and Miami, the latter a 41-point loss.
“I'm embarrassed; we're all embarrassed,” he said after the Heat defeat. “It's not a game that I thought we had the right fight, the right professionalism. … There has to be some ownership on the court and I'll take all the ownership in the world. This is my team and I lead it and I'm embarrassed. But I can't physically get us organized. I can't physically be into the basketball. … I'm not blaming players … I own this, but we’re going to need some ownership on the court as well.”
In that one locker-room speech dressed as a news-conference answer, he showed his players that this cool persona can be tough and unafraid, and then he took it a step further. It was around this time he had a chat with LeBron, and the team’s most important player bought in and everyone soon followed.
A December that began with the blowouts ended with D’Angelo Russell being blown out to Brooklyn to mark the second evolution of the team. This change, besides featuring the arrival of the underrated steal of the season — Dorian Finney-Smith! — also resulted in a new bond between Redick and Reaves.
With the frustrating Russell gone, Redick became the first Lakers coach to fully entrust Reaves with the role as the team’s third option. Reaves has since played so well, that grouping of LeBron, Luka and Austin has now become one of the NBA’s Big Three.
Friday night, after casually scoring 23, Reaves glowed when I specifically asked about the impact of the new coach.
“Huge,” said Reaves. “When the Lakers hired him … I knew his IQ of the game, but obviously there was all the talks about, you know, he’s never coached at any type of high level or anything like that. Since Day 1, he’s been super professional, super locked into one goal, that’s getting the team to buy into what the coaching staff wants. He’s been huge in what he’s done, I can’t give him enough credit for what he’s done for me and the team, happy to go to war for him any day.”
With the new calendar year came new, unimaginable challenges, and Redick handled every issue as if calmly sinking a game-winning trey.
His rental home burned down in the California wildfires? Redick grew teary when first publicly recounting the trauma, but has since strongly stood aside city officials in leading the charge to rebuild the Pacific Palisades community.
His entire team culture was upended with the trading of Anthony Davis for Doncic? In his biggest win of the season, Redick somehow convinced two superstars and one budding star to each adjust their roles.
In the beginning, many worried that the players would ignore him because he had no coaching credibility. But as the season progressed it became clear, Redick is so basketball bright and communication savvy, the players couldn’t help but listen.
Nearly a year ago, much of the basketball world was pouring cold water over the idea that JJ Redick could be a successful NBA coach.
On Friday night, after their win over the Houston Rockets gave them 50 victories for only the second time in 14 seasons, that cold water was administered over his head in the locker room by his players in celebration.
Approximately eight ice buckets worth.
“I just want to apologize to Kathy (Montoya, Lakers vice president of game operations and entertainment), hopefully in the next nine days the $17,000 in damage to the carpet we can get fixed,” Redick said.
On the contrary, it’s been several years since the ground under the Lakers shoes has looked so lush and felt so solid.
“It’s a credit to our players … they’ve all participated in a winning culture,” said Redick.
A JJ Redick culture. A realistically championship culture.
Trade of the year.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
NEW YORK — The New York Yankees placed Marcus Stroman on the 15-day injured list with left knee inflammation Saturday, one day after he gave up five runs and got two outs in a rainy 9-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants.
Stroman went to a hospital for tests on his left knee after throwing 46 pitches in the rain on Friday. Manager Aaron Boone said Stroman said his knee was bothering him and the Yankees announced the move about an hour before Saturday’s scheduled first pitch.
Stroman is 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA in three starts after allowing a three-run homer to Jung Hoo Lee and a two-run double to LaMonte Wade Jr. in his shortest career start that was not interrupted by rain, though Boone said he was not sure if the conditions caused the injury.
“I don’t know, tough to say,” Boone said before Saturday’s game. “We’re haven’t been in ideal conditions most of the start of the season here and that affects everyone a little bit different,” Boone said. “Stro has also been doing this a long time and pitched in these situations a lot before, so I’m sure that all plays a role.”
The Yankees recalled pitcher Allan Winans from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre to replace Stroman on the roster.
Winans had a 5.02 ERA in five spring training appearances and pitched 2 2/3 innings in his lone appearance with Triple-A.
Winans made his major league debut with the Braves in 2023 and was 1-4 with a 7.20 ERA in eight starts over the previous two seasons.
The Yankees claimed him off waivers from the Braves on Jan. 23, designated him for assignment on Feb. 5 and invited him to spring training as a non-roster invitee two days later.
New York has lost four of five following a 6-2 start and its starting rotation has a 5.46 ERA, worst among the 30 teams.
Clarke Schmidt is scheduled to rejoin the Yankees on Tuesday or Wednesday after recovering from right rotator cuff tendinitis that has sidelined him since spring training,
Boone did not address who would be dropped from the rotation, though Stroman’s injury creates an easier decision.
“I’m excited to get him back,” Boone said. “He’s turned into a really good pitcher in the league. So feel like he’s in a really good spot too.”
Stroman turns 34 on May 1 and is in the second season of a two-year contract guaranteeing $37 million. The right-hander’s deal includes a $16 million conditional player option for 2026 that could be exercised if he pitches in at least 140 innings this year.
He skipped the Yankees’ first two spring training workouts at a time when he didn’t have a projected rotation role behind Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil and Schmidt. He arrived on Valentine’s Day, eight days ahead of the mandatory reporting date and injuries to Cole, Gil and Schmidt created an need for him.
A two-time All-Star, Stroman hasn’t pitched through the fifth inning this season and has a 2.04 WHIP.
Last season, Stroman was 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA in 30 games (29 starts) when he threw 154 2/3 innings, his most since 2021 with the Mets. Stroman struggled in the second half and did not appear in the postseason when the Yankees made their first World Series appearance since 2009.
MIAMI — The Washington Nationals placed shortstop CJ Abrams on the 10-day injured list on Saturday because of a right hip flexor strain.
Abrams first experienced discomfort during the Nationals’ home series against Arizona last week and it then flared up again on Friday, when Washington opened a road series in Miami. He was removed after the third inning and underwent an imaging test Saturday that confirmed the strain.
“I told him today to get this thing to calm down and get it right so it doesn’t become a bigger issue,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said before Saturday’s game. “In a week and a half hopefully he’ll be ready to go.”
The 24-year-old Abrams has four homers through his first 11 games this season.
“CJ wants to play every day,” Martinez said. “He wasn’t happy about it. But this was the second stint that it was bothering him. We’re going to try to get him all healed up so it’s something that he won’t have to worry about for the rest of the year.”
The Nationals recalled infielder Nasim Nuñez from Triple-A Rochester in the corresponding move.
The New York Islanders will not reach the 2025 Playoffs following their 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.
This is just the second time the Islanders have missed the playoffs in the past seven seasons.
Islanders Eliminated From Playoff Contention After 4-3 Shootout Loss To FlyersThe New York Islanders staved off elimination on Saturday afternoon after a 4-3 shootout win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Now, attention shifts towards the offseason, with the first major event being the lottery for the 2025 NHL Draft, which will be held on either May 5 or May 6.
The Islanders currently sit at 80 points through 79 games, leaving them as a borderline bottom-10 team in the NHL.
While they have three games remaining on the season, we have a decent idea of what their lottery odds will be following Game 82.
Currently, the Islanders could finish with the sixth-best odds to land the first pick, but that is an unlikely scenario.
If the Islanders win their three remaining games, they could enter with the 14th-worst record in the NHL, but this is also quite unlikely.
The most likely scenario for the Islanders is ro finish with around the 10th-best odds to land the first overall pick.
With this, they would have just over a 7% chance of landing a top-two pick: 3.5% for No. 1 and 3.7% for No. 2.
The format of the draft was changed in 2022, allowing teams to move up no more than 10 picks in the draft.
So, the Islanders must finish in the bottom 11 in the standings to have a chance at first overall.
Stay updated with the most interesting Islanders stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bobby Brink scored the only goal of the shootout, beating Marcus Hogberg to the glove side on the fifth try to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-3 victory over the Islanders on Saturday.
The loss eliminated New York from the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Tyson Foerster scored two goals in the victory — including a go-ahead goal at the 10:39 mark of the third that gave Philadelphia a 3-2 lead. Foerster now has 24 goals on the season, including five in his last two games. Jakob Pelletier added the Flyers other goal while Samuel Ersson recorded 37 saves in picking up his 22nd win of the year.
The Islanders would tie the game with just 1:01 left to play when Bo Horvat’s wrist shot snuck through a maze of bodies and beat Ersson between the pads.
Anders Lee had New York’s first goal. Hogberg recorded 19 saves in the loss.
Islanders: New York owned puck control for the first two periods, but seemed to fade for most of the third. They are 2-5-3 in their last 10 games — a big reason why they faded out of the playoff picture in the East.
Flyers: With Foerster, Travis Konecny and Matvei Michkov now developing as wingers, general manager Daniel Briere can now look at acquiring a top-line center to help steady the Philadelphia offensive attack.
The Flyers tied the game early in the third on a nifty passing set from Ryan Poehling to Owen Tippett to Pelletier, who squeezed it past Hogberg to flip the momentum of the game.
Philadelphia is now 5-1 since John Tortorella was fired as coach on March 27.
Islanders: New York forward Pierre Engvall had to be helped off the ice late in the third period with an apparent knee injury suffered in the Philadelphia defensive zone.
The Islanders visit New Jersey and the Flyers head to Ottawa for Sunday afternoon matinees.
By Ryan Clark, The Hockey News intern
With the end of the NHL regular season within sight, two things are on people’s minds: who will make the playoffs, and who will take the season’s coveted awards?
The Selke Trophy is a bit of an odd award, as the criteria aren’t as defined as other awards. The other skater awards usually come down to a combination of points, goals and team records, while goalie awards often hinge on wins, save percentage and a few of the publicly available advanced stats.
The Selke Trophy, on the other hand, is a bit of an outlier, as we have seen offensive superstars get votes as well as gritty fourth-liners. There are lots of players who are in the running for the Selke, and with defense being difficult to quantify sometimes, it’s hard to keep up. Here are the main contenders for the award, ranked in tiers.
It’s not a question of whether the Panthers captain will win another Selke, it’s how many more he’ll win. Even with a couple of weeks of missed time, Barkov is the front-runner for this award.
We’ll let you in on a little secret: Reinhart has been the NHL’s best defensive forward this year. He’s been even better than Barkov at suppressing quality chances and is also second in the league in shorthanded goals.
The Devils are beat down and limping into the playoffs, with injuries everywhere on the roster. It’s a good thing Hischier has been as good as he has, keeping the team afloat with his excellent two-way play.
Cirelli has finished in the top five in Selke voting in the past, but his lack of offensive production led to him being glossed over in the race. Now that he’s put up career highs, could he earn a nomination?
Let’s talk about steals. Marner sits fourth in the league in takeaways, an impressive feat. Even more impressive is the fact that the rest of the top 10 in the stat is made up of defensemen.
He hasn’t been quite as solid in his own end this season as some others on this list, but he’s still really tough to play against.
He has the second-best Corsi and Fenwick percentages of any forward with 500 minutes played, per moneypuck.com. In other words, the Panthers almost always have possession when he’s on the ice.
It’s impressive to see how far Draisaitl has come in his own end. From being a perceived liability to now showing up on a list of Selke contenders. And his coach, Kris Knoblauch, seems to agree.
He’s been one half of one of the league’s deadliest penalty-killing duos (with Cirelli) and has been a 5-on-5 fiend. If he were a center, perhaps he’d be viewed as a top contender.
He’s finished in the top 10 in Selke voting in each of the past three seasons, and with how he’s played this year for a contending Wild team that’s been plagued by injuries, he deserves to keep the streak alive.
He’s seemingly become everyone’s new favorite player, and for good reason. Despite his smaller size, Jarvis’ motor and hockey IQ make him one of the more underrated players in the defensive zone. He’ll get his Selke recognition one day.
He’s earned many Selke votes throughout his career, finally getting the nomination last year. While he took a step back this season, he’ll likely still find himself on a few ballots.
You can’t have a Selke story without talking about Kopitar. If it wasn’t for playing at the same time as Pavel Datsyuk and Patrice Bergeron, perhaps he’d be viewed as the best defensive forward of the modern era. Kopitar probably won’t get much attention for the award this year, but his legacy, combined with the Kings’ success, could earn him a few votes.
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Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith talk often.
They happened to be talking when Smith found out he was returning to Vegas in a trade with the New York Rangers.
"I was so happy for him, because I know how it is to leave there, and he left in a worse way," Marchessault said. "We just won, and 10 days later, he's in a different organization. So that was, honestly, awful. He's had a rocky year and a half, and now he's back where he had the most fun. So I was so happy for him and Karly (William Karlsson) to get back together."
They were also talking Friday, when the two discussed the highly anticipated tribute video in Vegas' regular-season finale, when the Nashville Predators visit Vegas for the Golden Knights' home finale Saturday night.
"He said he's probably gonna have tears just dripping down his face," Smith said after Saturday's morning skate."
It'll be an emotional night for not only Marchessault, but Smith and William Karlsson, the "Original Misfit" trio, who will skate on the same ice for the first time since they all shared one of the most joyous occasions in the history of sports in Las Vegas, the 2023 Stanley Cup championship.
"A little reunion," Karlsson said. "Unfortunately, he's not in our colors."
🎥 Karlsson on the fans: It's been a fun eight years, and every time you get to play at home, it's always a lot of energy. You get spoiled... I feel very fortunate. pic.twitter.com/fn3RMwAvNH
— x-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) April 12, 2025
The three had been linemates the first six years of the organization's existence, but were broken up when Smith was dealt to Pittsburgh less than two weeks after hoisting the Cup. Following last season, Marchessault signed with Nashville as a free agent.
"He was part of this team for seven years, and he had great success," Karlsson said. "He was a very loved member of the team. And the town's gotten to love him, so there's gonna be a lot of emotion coming into tonight, and it'll be fun to see the tribute."
Eliminated from the postseason, the emotions are sure to spill into the stands as the tribute video plays overhead in front of what's sure to be an exuberant, sold-out crowd on Fan Appreciation Night. The Knights have been known to produce their fair share of heart-clutching "welcome back" videos, but this one might top them all.
"I'm looking forward to seeing the tribute, he's earned it," Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. "He's probably one of the most popular guys that ever played here. So good for him, give him his due."
Over his seven years with the organization, Marchessault has been witness to many of the heartfelt video tributes, including the likes of Marc-Andre Fleury, Ryan Reaves, Gerard Gallant and even Smith, when he came back with the Penguins.
Now it's Marchessault's turn, and after speaking with former Knight Will Carrier, who is now with the Carolina Hurricanes, it's a moment he said he's ready to embrace.
"He told me it just builds you up inside," said Marchessault, the 2023 Conn Smythe winner. "I'm definitely really excited to go back, to just to see the Fortress, the arena, the roads that you take to go to the rink, and all that kind of stuff. It was home for me. It's still a part of me, is part of home a little bit. It'll be definitely weird, but I'm definitely excited to just go back and see the fans, the arena, the city, the lights. Just a great atmosphere and the great juju that's over there. Definitely just super excited to go back."
The first two times the Knights visited Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, "it was like I never left, the guys are awesome," Marchessault said.
Moments after Vegas' 3-1 on March 29, a quick 10-minute reunion full of laughter took place in an enclosed area that separated the locker rooms, as many of the Knights made sure to say hello before catching their flight.
"You get to see those guys seven years in a row, you feel so much like brotherhood," Marchessault said. "So it was really good to spend time with them and see them. Just love seeing the guys ... all the trainers, going to see the coaches and stuff. It was just great to see everybody."
And as the Predators get ready for the offseason, and the Knights prepare for another quest through the postseason, Marchessault said he's being patient with himself in his new surroundings and looking forward to spending time with his wife and kids, but also preparing for the 2025-26 campaign after "the toughest mental health year" he's ever endured.
"I mean, all the change; you got to readjust to new teammates, new team, new organization," he said. "You got to readjust (to a new) system, you got to readjust a lot. Yeah, it's been more challenging mentally this year. But I've had slumps in the past with Vegas, too, and I'm just a guy that's hard on myself, so at the end of the day, I'm never satisfied, and I want to get over my slump as fast as possible.
"That's what I built my career off, is taking it one game at a time and helping my team win a hockey game and staying humble and all that. Right now, I'm definitely getting a humbling process. Maybe it's just a sit-back year to get healthy mentally and physically, get ready to go again, and there's no doubt in my mind I'll be back on top of my game again."
The St. Louis Blues enter their penultimate game of the 2024-25 season still unclear yet whether their season will extend beyond Tuesday or not.
Things became quite clear on Saturday after the Calgary Flames once again decided they aren't going any where in this Western Conference wild card race after a 4-2 win against the Minnesota Wild on Friday.
So the scenario is that the Blues (43-30-7), who face the Seattle Kraken (34-40-6) in their final road game of the season, the place where they opened the season Oct. 8 and won 3-2, are tied with the Wild with identical records and identical points (93). Each has played 80 games and each plays on Saturday.
The Wild currently hold the tiebreaker edge on the Blues with regulation wins (33-31) and if the season were to end on Saturday, would hold the first wild card while the Blues hold the second.
Meanwhile, the Flames (38-27-14) have three games remaining, a game in hand on each the Blues and Wild, could play spoiler in this if they continue to win their games.
While the Blues are playing the Kraken, the Wild will be facing the Vancouver Canucks at the same time; the Flames host the San Jose Sharks on Sunday and finish their season Thursday, two days after the Blues and Wild conclude theirs.
If the Blues win out, and the Wild slip up anywhere, they could get the first wild card and face the Vegas Golden Knights. Whoever finishes in the second wild card will get the Winnipeg Jets, who ended the Blues' franchise-record 12-game winning streak on Monday.
The Blues have followed up that 12-game winning streak with two straight losses, including Wednesday's 4-3 defeat to the Edmonton Oilers when Edmonton scored with 20.7 seconds remaining in regulation to steal what could be at least one precious point for St. Louis, which has to regroup and forge on trying to secure that first playoff spot since 2021-22.
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One bit of good news on the injury front for the Blues is defenseman Colton Parayko, who has been out since March 5 after injuring his left knee and needing a scope.
Hearing that Tuesday's season finale, at home against Utah Hockey Club, if all goes well and there aren't any sudden setbacks, is when Parayko will get back into the lineup.
However, the Blues announced that defenseman Philip Broberg returned to St. Louis due to a personal matter and will be unavailable for this game, and Matthew Kessel will jump into the lineup.
Aan updated lineup will be available in pregame warmups.
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Blues Projected Lineup:
Pavel Buchnevich-Robert Thomas-Jordan Kyrou
Jake Neighbours-Brayden Schenn-Jimmy Snuggerud
Mathieu Joseph-Oskar Sundqvist-Zack Bolduc
Alexey Toropchenko-Radek Faksa-Nathan Walker
Cam Fowler-Nick Leddy
Ryan Suter-Justin Faulk
Tyler Tucker-Matthew Kessel
Jordan Binnington will start in goal; Joel Hofer will be the backup.
Healthy scratches include Philip Broberg (personal) and Dalibor Dvorsky. Colton Parayko (knee), Dylan Holloway (lower body) and Alexandre Texier (upper body) are out. Torey Krug (ankle) is out for the season.
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Kraken Projected Lineup:
Jaden Schwartz-Chandler Stephenson-Jordan Eberle
Jared McCann-Shane Wright-Andre Burakovsky
Eeli Tolvanen-Matty Beniers-Kaapo Kakko
Michael Eyssimont-John Hayden-Ryan Winterton
Vince Dunn-Adam Larsson
Ryker Evans-Brandon Montour
Josh Mahura-Jamie Oleksiak
Philipp Grubauer will start in goal; Joey Daccord will be the backup.
Healthy scratches include Cale Fleury and Tye Kartye. The Kraken report no injuries.
Why Hicks sees learning opportunity in Giants' loss to Yankees originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
It was smooth sailing only until it wasn’t.
After throwing four strong innings in the Bronx on Saturday, Giants starting pitcher Jordan Hicks ran into trouble in a fifth inning that ultimately doomed San Francisco in its 8-4 loss to the New York Yankees.
The top of the Yankees order came to the plate and every single one of them delivered, as New York strung together five consecutive baserunners in the fifth before the Giants were able to record an out. At that point San Francisco already was trailing 4-2 when reliver Randy Rodriguez was handed the ball with the bases loaded and no outs, a fire even he wasn’t able to extinguish.
It was another rainy, cold affair at Yankee Stadium, but Hicks didn’t blame the weather for an outing that saw him finish with seven earned runs across four innings of work. Rather it was Hicks’ reliance on his fastball that the flamethrowing right-hander believed led to an outing he and the Giants would like to put in the rearview mirror as soon as possible.
“I’ve definitely been a part of some rainy ones, some cold ones. That was probably top-three, top-five coldest,” “Hicks told reporters after the game. “I feel like I had some good stuff today, probably threw a few too many fastballs. I had the off-speed working, so I should’ve just thrown more of that and mixed it better. Live and learn, and move on to the next one.”
While Hicks has made a living in the big leagues behind his blazing heater, the ability to mix in off-speed pitches will play a major role in his continued development as a starting pitcher after being a back-end bullpen option for the majority of his MLB career.
The Giants are in the midst of a brutal part of their schedule, with 17 consecutive games without a day off on the docket, with more than half of them coming on the road against quality opponents.
San Francisco manager Bob Melvin alluded to that gauntlet when explaining why he wasn’t as quick to yank Hicks off the mound when his starter ran into trouble in the fifth inning.
“Look, I mean I had to give him [Hicks] a little rope there, we got 17 games in a row,” Melvin said. “Second, third and fourth he looked really good as we’ve seen earlier this year, and then in the fifth just couldn’t get an out. Put together some good at-bats and strung them together on him. Had to bring Randy [Rodriguez] in a tough situation, and that obviously was kind of the inning that decided the game at the time, it certainly gave them some breathing room.”
All wasn’t bad in the loss. The air was cold, but Wilmer Flores’ bat stayed hot, as the veteran designated hitter launched a game-tying home run into the stands in the second inning, ultimately driving in all four of the Giants’ runs on the day.
Barry Bonds walked so Wilmer Flores could run 🙌 pic.twitter.com/kgNwPRhU07
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 12, 2025
Who else but Wilmer 💪 pic.twitter.com/oZOiX7wdIK
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 12, 2025
Despite Hicks’ tough outing, the Giants still are in position to grab a series win in Sunday and start their 10-game road trip off on the right foot before heading to Philadelphia for a four-game set with the Phillies.
