Category: Sports News

Worldwide Sports News

Posted on

Mets hit two home runs, hold on for 7-6 win over Athletics

The Mets were cruising in Sacramento when the Athletics made a furious comeback late, but Pete Alonso's eight-inning home run gave New York enough juice to pull out the 7-6 victory on Friday night.

Alonso's fourth home run of the season followed three unanswered runs from the Athletics, and his three RBI were the difference in Friday's game. The Mets bullpen also collected 2.2 scoreless innings before Edwin Diaz allowed two runs in the ninth before finally closing it out.

Here are the takeaways...

-Entering Friday, there have already been 18 home runs in Sutter Health Park, and the Mets added to that total. Brandon Nimmo demolished a 92 mph fastball from lefty JP Sears that went 400 feet to give the Mets a 1-0 lead in the second.

The Mets would add on in the inning with back-to-back one-out doubles from Luisangel Acuña and Luis Torrens. Alonso added another run in the fifth with a booming double that scored Juan Soto from first. Alonso's extra-base hit chased Sears who threw 101 pitches in just 4.2 innings -- he did pick up seven strikeouts though.

-After the Mets' offense squandered some opportunities to score runs, they would finally break things open in the sixth. Jose Siri (walk), Francisco Lindor (reached on error) and Soto (walk) loaded the bases with one out before Alonso hit a sac fly to increase the Mets' lead to 4-1. Starling Marte, starting at DH, blasted a two-run double to give the road team a nice five-run cushion, one Griffin Canning would not be able to hold.

-After a 1-2-3 first inning, the Athletics would square up Griffin Canning in the second. A leadoff walk was followed by a single but Jacob Wilson swung at the first pitch and grounded into a double play. Miguel Andujar hit a sharp single into right field to score the Athletics' first run, and Gio Urshela followed with a single of his own. Max Muncy -- unrelated to the Dodgers' Max Muncy -- then hit a sharp liner toward Nimmo in left and the outfielder lept up to snag the ball before falling backward, averting potential disaster for the third out.

Brent Rooker smashed a one-out triple that missed being a home run by just a few feet in the third. Rooker was running on contact when Tyler Soderstrom hit a hard grounder to first base but Alonso quickly threw it home to get Rooker out by a large margin.

There have only been four games where a Mets starter recorded an out in the sixth inning, and Friday was the fifth but it unraveled quickly for Canning. He entered the sixth with a 6-1 lead, but the Athletics began to hit him. Shea Langeliers led off with a double before Wilson's one-out single drove in the Athletics catcher. Andujar then followed with a laster down the left-field line for a two-run homer that cut the Mets' lead to two runs.

Canning's night was done after that. He threw 86 pitches (53 strikes) across 5.1 innings allowing four runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out three batters.

-Reed Garrett was first out of the bullpen and he had trouble in the sixth. After getting a strikeout, he allowed a double and two walks to load the bases for Soderstrom. The big lefty lined a bullet (109.3 mph off the bat) on a 3-2 pitch into right field, but right at a waiting Soto to end the threat.

The rest of the Mets bullpen would steady the ship. Ryne Stanek dominated in a 1-2-3 seventh and A.J. Minter did the same for the eighth.

After a disastrous last outing, Edwin Diaz came out for the save in the ninth. The closer allowed a leadoff walk, but after Diaz got a strikeout he walked Soderstrom. Langeliers lined a double into left field to cut the Mets' lead to 7-5. A sac fly pushes across another run but got Wilson to ground out and complete the save.

-With Jeff McNeil rehabbing, Acuña's time with the Mets could be coming to an end. The young infielder did get the start against the left-handed starter and had a solid day at the dish. He finished 2-for-4 with a walk (on nine pitches) and a stolen base.

Torrens made his first appearance in a few games after being down with a strained forearm. The catcher had the big RBI double but went hitless (1-5) the rest of the way.

Mark Vientos, in an early-season slump, finished 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout. He was robbed of a potential hit when Soderstrom dove to smother a groundball that would have likely gone into the outfield.

Game MVP: Pete Alonso

The Mets bullpen was great, but when the momentum seemed to be shifting, Alonso's home run felt like the nail New York needed. Alonso also drove in three of the team's seven runs.

Highlights

What's next

The Mets continue their weekend series with the Athletics on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.

David Peterson will be on the mound for New York while the Athletics have yet to announce a starter.

Posted on

Rust Sets New Career-High As Penguins Defeat Devils, 4-2

Apr 11, 2025; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Bryan Rust (17) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the New Jersey Devils during the third period at Prudential Center. (John Jones-Imagn Images)

In a season full of lows for the Pittsburgh Penguins, there have been some bright spots.

And their top players have one of them.

On Friday, the Penguins rallied from a two-goal deficit and scored four unanswered goals to defeat the New Jersey Devils, 4-2. And their top players led the way.

Evgeni Malkin had a goal and two points, Sidney Crosby scored the game-winner, and Bryan Rust set a new career-high when he scored his 29th goal of the season on the empty net in the waning minutes of the third period. Newly recalled forward Valtteri Puustinen also added a power-play goal.

It was quite the night for the big guys. And Rust continues to prove why he's one of the more underrated wingers in the game.

"For me, it's special," Rust said of setting his new career-high in goals. "Obviously, the team success is first, and you want to win games, win championships. But, second to that is personal success, so anytime you can hit new milestones and get new career-highs - especially after 10 years - that kind of means you're probably doing something right."

Apr 11, 2025; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Bryan Rust (17) shoots and scores a goal as New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes (43) defends during the third period at Prudential Center. (John Jones-Imagn Images)

The Devils got off to a great start in this one. They scored their first goal just 15 seconds into the game, when forward Erik Haula managed to get behind the Penguins' defense for a breakaway opportunity and didn't miss. They went up 2-0 just six minutes later on an Ondrej Palat goal just after the expiration of a Devils' power play.

"We didn't have the start that we wanted," head coach Mike Sullivan said. "That's hockey. What I loved about tonight was the resilience, or the certain resolve, where we didn't let it snowball. And it could have."

But, as Sullivan said, it didn't snowball - and a lot of that had to do with the Penguins' power play. 

Penguins' Crosby On Pace To Become Sixth Player To Score 90 Points At 37 Or OlderPenguins' Crosby On Pace To Become Sixth Player To Score 90 Points At 37 Or OlderPittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is on the cusp of NHL history (again). With 87 points in 77 games, he's just three points shy of 90 for the season, possibly three consecutive seasons of reaching the plateau.

After Malkin cut the Devils' lead to one before the end of the first period, the Penguins got a quick power play opportunity at the beginning of the second when Devils defenseman Brett Pesce went off for hooking. Following some solid movement on the man advantage, Malkin threw the puck toward the net, and it hit Puustinen on the way in. That goal tied the game at 2-2. 

Then, in the third period, Crosby took advantage of a high-sticking penalty by former Penguin Cody Glass, who was dealt to New Jersey at the trade deadline. Solid, simple puck movement was, again, at the forefront of the tally, as power play quarterback Matt Grzelcyk distributed a crisp pass to Rust, who found Crosby on the back door to give the Penguins the 3-2 lead. 

Rust added the insurance empty-netter after, but it was the power play - now ranked seventh in the league after scoring in six straight games - that earned the Penguins the clean two points.

The man advantage has been another bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season from the Penguins. 

Apr 11, 2025; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk (24) shoots the puck during the first period against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center. (John Jones-Imagn Images)

 "I think we're just playing really simple," said Grzelcyk, whose two points on the night put him just two shy of hitting 40 on the season. "We're really effective moving the puck, and we kind of don't really have one set play that we like to run. We're getting all five guys involved. And I thought we did a good job of that tonight, just kind of spreading them out, getting them on the run a little bit... and then plays open up from there."

It also helps the power play when the team's stars are shining through. And, despite the situation the Penguins find themselves in - missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season - every guy in the room knows that the team has a lot to play for.

And it starts with the collection of future hall-of-famers in that locker room.

"We're not onto the playoffs, but we have a lot of pride on the line," Grzelcyk said. "We want to build something for years to come. There's so many great players who have played here for a long time, and we owe to them to keep battling and not give up on the season. I think we've done a good job of that ever since we've been eliminated."

Like Ovechkin's Capitals, Penguins Owe It To Crosby To Right The ShipLike Ovechkin's Capitals, Penguins Owe It To Crosby To Right The ShipOn Sunday, the hockey world got to witness Alexander Ovechkin - The Great “8” - surpass The Great “One” for the most goals in NHL history.

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab  to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!      

Posted on

LeBron James' health briefly a concern as Lakers beat Rockets to clinch No. 3 seed

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 11, 2025: Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and his teammates.
Lakers star LeBron James, left, celebrates with Rui Hachimura (28) and Jaxson Hayes, second from right, during the second half of a 140-109 win over the Houston Rockets on Friday at Crypto.com Arena. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

LeBron James moved gingerly to the bench, grabbing at the inside of his left leg midway through the third quarter.

This, for the Lakers, was a possible worst-case scenario on a night when they could lock up their best-case scenario for the playoffs.

A win against the Rockets with Houston sitting 80% of its starting lineup would lock the Lakers into the No. 3 seed, giving them and their starters an extended rest heading into the first round of the playoffs that would begin in more than a week inside their building.

Read more:'Everybody had my back.' Lakers forge tighter bond supporting Luka Doncic in Dallas

But losing James to a groin injury? That could puncture their championship dreams.

Without him, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves took turns barbecuing the reserve Rockets’ perimeter defense, but the Lakers needed their 40-year-old star to be OK.

Turns out, he was just fine.

In the fourth quarter after Reaves made rookie Jack McVeigh stumble, James celebrated the step-back by walking off the bench all the way to the basket, only to moonwalk his way back — one of a handful of times he celebrated in the Lakers’ 140-109 win — an outcome that ensures their season finale in Portland won’t have any impact on their postseason.

It’s the first time the Lakers have avoided the play-in tournament since 2020, when they last won a championship.

Lakers star LeBron James dunks over Houston Rockets center Jock Landale (2) in the first half Friday.
Lakers star LeBron James dunks over Houston Rockets center Jock Landale (2) in the first half Friday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

“It just gives us a couple more days to be very prepared for whatever matchup we have,” Reaves said.

That means Sunday can be a day of rest for the Lakers’ stars while they wait to see who they’ll face in the playoffs, hosting a Game 1 in Los Angeles for the first time since the first round of the 2012 playoffs.

It’s expected the Lakers will rest as many of their key players as possible against the Trail Blazers.

Friday, in what likely was his regular-season finale, Doncic was sublime, scoring 39 points on only 19 shots in 31 minutes. Reaves had 23 points, Dorian Finney-Smith had 18 and Rui Hachimura had 16. James left the game after 22 minutes with 14 points and eight assists.

The Lakers shot 61% from the field during their 50th win. It was their best-shooting game of the season.

After the game the locker room erupted in celebration, the party so loud it could be heard through the walls. As JJ Redick met his players, they met him with ice buckets, dousing the rookie coach.

“The whole locker room is literally the water,” Hachimura said. “Straight water.”

They had reason to celebrate before refocusing on the next chapter of their season.

“It's an accomplishment to win 50 games in the regular season in any year,” Redick said. “I think particularly in this year, in this Western Conference, it is. And it's a credit to our players. Each one at different points in time has contributed to winning. They've all participated in a winning culture.”

And the Lakers hope it’s a championship culture too.

“That's gotta be [the] only goal, and that's our only goal,” Doncic said. “ I think we have the team to do it. When everybody's locked in, you know, we're a hard team to beat.

“That's our goal."

Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Posted on

Clippers survive last-second scare to edge Kings, move to brink of playoff berth

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) dunks past Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, April 11, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall)
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard dunks in front of Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray during the Clippers' 101-100 win Friday night. Leonard finished with 28 points and seven rebounds. (Scott Marshall / Associated Press)

They've played 81 games and won 49 and yet the Clippers' postseason place won't be decided until their regular-season finale Sunday at Golden State. The Clippers have the eighth-best record in the NBA and are fifth in the uber-tough Western Conference.

So what comes next for the Clippers is quite straightforward.

Beat the Warriors and the Clippers are in the playoffs. Lose and they could be in danger of falling into the play-in.

“High stakes, huh?” Clippers center Ivica Zubac said Friday night while soaking his swollen right ankle in a bucket of ice after a 101-100 win over the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center.

Read more:Ivica Zubac delivers first triple-double as playoff-focused Clippers beat Rockets

The Clippers nearly gave up all of their 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. Holding a one-point lead, James Harden turned over the ball trying to inbound it, with Keegan Murray getting the steal.

The Kings called a timeout with 2.2 seconds left. But DeMar DeRozan missed a runner while being defended by Derrick Jones Jr. and Zubac, allowing the Clippers to win their seventh consecutive game.

But because so many tiebreakers are not in the Clippers’ favor, they'll have to win an eighth straight game to secure a playoff spot.

The Clippers and the Denver Nuggets have identical 49-32 records and split the season-series 2-2. Denver is the fourth seed because it has the tiebreaker of a better conference record at 31-20 compared to L.A.'s 28-23.

If the Clippers lose to the Warriors and the Nuggets beat Houston and the Timberwolves beat the Jazz, L.A. would fall to seventh in the West and meet Memphis in a play-in game Tuesday night at the Intuit Dome.

“Imagine if we didn’t win all these games,” said Zubac, who had 17 points and 11 rebounds against the Kings. “We got a lot of wins but other teams did too. So, one game, playoffs or play-in. So, it’s going to be fun.”

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard reacts after making a three-pointer against the Kings on Friday night.
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard reacts after making a three-pointer against the Kings on Friday night. (Scott Marshall / Associated Press)

Basically, a Clippers loss and wins by the Warriors and Timberwolves would leave all three teams with the same records.

The Timberwolves would become the fifth seed and the Warriors would be the sixth seed and the Clippers seventh.

The main tiebreaker that put the Clippers in this position was going 0-3 against the Timberwolves.

“Win 49 games and if you don’t win Sunday, you got a chance to be seventh,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “So, we just got to keep scrapping, keep competing. One game at a time. It is what it is. But you didn’t ever think you’d win 49 games and still could be in the play-in. So, it is what it is.”

The Clippers stayed in contention behind 28 points from Kawhi Leonard and Harden's triple-double of 23 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Norman Powell had 16 points as the Clippers benefited from a stellar defense to narrowly hold off the Kings.

They just have to do it again against the Warriors at Chase Center in San Francisco.

“The outcome is going to tell what happens,” Leonard said. “So, just go out and play. That’s all you can do — play and have fun.”

The Clippers have beaten the Warriors three times this season. But Golden State is a different team from the one they last faced Dec. 27.

Golden State is 23-7 since adding Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline.

“That’s a good team over there,” Zubac said. “They’ve been playing well. ... They got a lot of experience, a lot of playoff games together. So, got to be locked in, got to be the team we’ve been all year on the defensive end. It’s going to be tough. But I think we’re in a good spot. So it’s going to be fun.”

Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Posted on

Tommy Edman continues to reveal his inner slugger in Dodgers' win over Cubs

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 11: Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani throws sunflower seeds.
Tommy Edman celebrates with Shohei Ohtani after hitting a three-run home run in the sixth inning of a 3-0 win over the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium on Friday night. (Kevork Djansezian / For The Times)

Tommy Edman never hit more than 13 home runs in any of his six previous seasons.

After 15 games this year, he’s almost halfway there.

With an easy swing on a knee-high changeup in the sixth inning Friday night, Edman ended what had been a pitchers duel between Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Chicago Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd. Edman turned a blank scoreline into a three-run Dodgers lead. And, in perhaps the most unexpected twist of the team’s blistering start, Edman joined a five-way tie for the major league lead in home runs, belting his sixth to lift the Dodgers to a 3-0 win at Dodger Stadium.

“He’s got a really good routine to keep his body strong. He does a good job of controlling the strike zone and finding pitches he can drive. And he’s taking good swings,” said manager Dave Roberts, who described himself as both “surprised” and “impressed” by Edman’s power display. 

“I don’t think he’d ever say he’s a power hitter,” Roberts added. “But he’s finding a way to backspin the baseball and hit some homers.”

Read more:Dodgers' Andy Pages trying to avoid sophomore slump and cement lineup spot

Home runs are not why the Dodgers long coveted Edman early in his career with the St. Louis Cardinals. Power is not one of the primary traits they thought they were acquiring when the 29-year-old arrived in a three-way trade at the deadline last summer.

His positional versatility, switch-hitting abilities and Gold Glove-caliber defense across the diamond are what club executives treasured most. Plays like the one he made in the top of the sixth inning Friday, when he sprinted some 50 feet from a shifted position behind second base to reach a ground ball in the hole and make a spinning throw from the shallow outfield grass to first, are what they envisioned.

But moments later, on a night the Dodgers had struggled to apply any pressure on Boyd, Edman flipped the script with one timely swing.

After Teoscar Hernández singled and Freddie Freeman was hit by a pitch — the latter returning from the injured list after what he described as a hugely beneficial 10-day rest for his ailing right ankle — Edman jumped on a 1-and-0 changeup for a 423-foot blast halfway up the left-field pavilion.

“I’m really not trying to hit homers,” the 5-foot-9, 193-pound Edman said with a laugh. “More a side result of putting in some good work in the cage and having a better plan at the plate, doing my preparation and knowing how I’m trying to attack a pitcher.”

Suddenly, MLB’s home run leaderboard reads as follows:

T-1st: Mike Trout (who is closing in on 400 career home runs)

T-1st: Aaron Judge (the three-time American League home run king)

T-1st: Kyle Schwarber (the 2022 National League home run king)

T-1st: Tyler Soderstrom (a power-hitting Athletics prospect)

And, T-1st: Edman (who hit four home runs in his college career)

Tommy Edman a three-run home run in the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs on Friday.
Tommy Edman a three-run home run in the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs on Friday. (Kevork Djansezian / For The Times)

“It’s a lot of guys who kind of look the same,” Edman joked. “And then there’s me.”

The Dodgers (11-4) also were backed up by superb pitching in their first shutout of the season, one keyed by a nearly flawless six-inning effort from Yamamoto.

The right-hander was perfect through his first three innings. He gave up his only two hits in the fourth but managed to strand a runner at third. And he racked up nine strikeouts with a lethal combination of splitters, curveballs and precisely located mid-90s fastballs.

“He was just dotting tonight,” said Freeman, who aided Yamamoto’s cause on a relay play that caught Chicago's Seiya Suzuki in a rundown during the fourth inning. “Down and away. The splitter was down. Two-seamer running in on the righties' hands. He just had everything going tonight. He’s looked like that since spring training. Looks like he’s on a mission this year.” 

Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivers against the Cubs in the second inning Friday.
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivers against the Cubs in the second inning Friday. (Kevork Djansezian / For The Times)

Yamamoto’s lone walk came to his penultimate batter, missing with a full-count curveball to Ian Happ with two outs in the sixth. But in another full count to star Cubs slugger Kyle Tucker in the next at-bat, Yamamoto snapped off a swing-and-miss cutter, getting a standing ovation from the crowd and a long hug from Roberts in the dugout after lowering his earned-run average to 1.23 through four starts (fourth best in the NL).

“Each time out you see his confidence growing,” said Roberts, who removed Yamamoto only because his pitch count climbed to 103 (the second-highest of his MLB career). 

“He holds his adrenaline. He makes pitches when he needs to. Right now, he’s in a place where he’s really unflappable.”

Boyd, a veteran left-hander who entered the night having not given up a run in two starts for the Cubs (9-7), wasn’t so lucky in the sixth.

Hernández battled back from an 0-and-2 count to poke a full-count changeup to center for a single. Freeman — who said before the game that the ankle he had surgically repaired this offseason, then reaggravated this month by slipping in the shower, was “the best [it has] felt” since he sprained it late last season — then took a wide sinker off the side of his hip.

That brought up Edman, the undersized utility man who began showing signs of power last season by hitting six home runs in 37 games following his trade, earning the nickname “Tommy Tanks.”

In less than half that time this season he’s matched that total. And now, a player who never topped 13 long balls in a season is on pace for more than 60.

“I got the under on the 60,” Roberts joked. “But he just takes good at-bats. ... He just has the knack for getting the big hit.”

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Posted on

Searching for third straight win, Panthers host Sabres team playing best hockey of season

Apr 13, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Eetu Luostarinen (27) controls the puck against Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (1) during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

The final homestand of the regular season continues on Saturday for the Florida Panthers.

So far, Florida has reeled off a pair of victories against two solid clubs, the Atlantic Division-leading Toronto Maple Leafs and playoff hopeful (but not likely) Detroit Red Wings.

Now the Cats will prepare to face a Buffalo Sabres squad that, while already eliminated from playoff contention, has been playing their best hockey of the season.

Buffalo’s loss in Columbus on Thursday snapped a season-best five-game winning streak. The Sabres are 8-2-0 over their past 10, with both defeats coming on the road.

In fact, Buffalo’s last six losses have all come away from home. Their last loss on home ice was all the way back on March 4.

It was a hell of a run that pulled the Sabres out of the Eastern Conference basement and pulled them in with the teams on the outside of the playoff race.

The effort will end up being filed in the too little, too late department, but perhaps the young Sabres will be able to use their strong finish to show up in the fall with a more inspired start to next season.

Surely a win against the defending Stanley Cup Champions would help fuel that kind of mindset, but the Panthers are also playing well of late.

Despite only winning their past two, Florida Head Coach Paul Maurice has made it clear that he’s been pleased with how his team has been performing over the past several weeks.

That should be particularly pleasing for Panthers fans due to the amount of players in and out of the lineup lately.

Don’t be surprised to see that kind of roster management continue as Maurice has said he’s prioritizing getting his team healthy for the playoffs.

Additionally, Florida closes out the regular season with three games in four nights, so load management should be expected.

Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Thursday's dustup with Detroit:

Carter Verhaeghe – Sasha Barkov – Sam Reinhart

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand

Mackie Samoskevich – Tomas Nosek – Evan Rodrigues

A.J. Greer – Nico Sturm – Jesper Boqvist

Gus Forsling – Nate Schmidt

Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones

Jaycob Megna – Uvis Balinskis

Scratches: Sam Bennett, Jonah Gadjovich, Jesse Puljujarvi, Dmitry Kulikov, Rasmus Asplund, Matt Kiersted

LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA

The Hockey Show: Rose returns, Jim Fox talks Kings, playoffs and filming with Mike Myers

Three takeaways: Panthers clip Wings' speed, Samoskevich continues to impress

Marchand scores first with Panthers as Florida downs Detroit 4-1

Fresh off resounding win over Toronto, Panthers aim to take down desperate Red Wings

Three takeaways: New Brad Marchand line looking quite good, big game from Gus Forsling

Posted on

Sharks Skate With Oilers But Lose 8th Straight 4-2

Photo Credit: Dean Tait - Sport Shots

The San Jose Sharks skated as well as they could with the Edmonton Oilers but lost their eighth straight game 4-2 on Friday night.

Edmonton lost Mattias Ekholm and Zach Hyman to injuries during the game. Evan Bouchard, Ty Emberson, Connor Brown and Corey Perry scored for the Oilers, and Connor McDavid had four assists. Calvin Pickard made 22 saves.

Will Smith scored his fifth goal in the last five games, and Henry Thrun scored for the Sharks. Jan Rutta returned from a 27-game injury absence, and Georgi Romanov made 30 saves.

San Jose's penalty troubles failed them once again as they gave up two power-play goals and took five penalties overall.

Bouchard gave the Oilers a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at 6:47 of the first period.

Emberson made it a 2-0 lead with a goal against his former team at 15:41.

Smith cuts the lead in half with a wrist-shot through Pickard at 17:13.

Thrun throws a puck to the front, and the puck deflects off Darnell Nurse and into the net at 5:42 of the second period to make it 2-2.

Perry's power-play goal at 7:32 of the third period gave the Oilers a 3-2 lead.

Brown added an empty net goal with 25.5 seconds left to close it out.

Latest On THN's San Jose Sharks site

Sharks Send Prospect Down; Couture Drama Shouldn't Mean Anything

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/san-jose-sharks/latest-news/sharks-send-prospect-down-couture-drama-shouldnt-mean-anything

Sharks' Ryan Warsofsky Named Team USA Head Coach At 2025 Worlds

Sharks Goalie Day-To-Day With Upper-Body Injury

Stay updated with the most interesting Sharks stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

Follow Max on Twitter: @Real_Max_Miller

Posted on

Josh Hart ‘confident’ Knicks can turn things around heading into playoffs

The Knicks were on track to end their winless streak against the NBA’s top teams on Friday. 

New York was dominating the shorthanded Cavaliers, who were resting a good number of their starters with their playoff seeding locked up, and leading by as many as 23 points in the first half, but suddenly things changed.

Cleveland came storming back, taking their first lead of the game at the five-minute mark of the fourth quarter, and then securing the come-from-behind win thanks to some timely buckets from Darius Garland and Max Strus.  

New York was ultimately handed their third consecutive loss, which helped them finish an ugly 0-8 against the two teams above them in the Eastern Conference, the Cavs and Boston Celtics.

“You have to play for 48 minutes in this league, no lead is safe,” Tom Thibodeau said. 

What exactly went wrong down the stretch? The head coach felt just about everything. 

“We gotta look at ourselves and see what we did and get it fixed fast,” he said. “That’s the challenge that we have -- we’re heading down the stretch. We knew the challenge with Jalen [Brunson] being out and then coming back and losing other guys.

"But you have to have rhythm going into the playoffs, this has to be changed quickly."

And it certainly does -- the Knicks have just one more regular season game on Sunday afternoon against the rival Nets before they kick off the postseason with their first-round matchup against the Pistons, who beat them earlier this week. 

Detroit’s squad presents no easy task, as they went 3-1 against New York this year.

“That’s a good young team,” Josh Hart said. “We know the brand of basketball that they play. We have to go out there, match their physicality and exceed it. We have one more game on Sunday so we have to focus on that and we have one week to prepare.”

While Hart this team isn’t playing anywhere close to their best brand of basketball at the moment, he remains confident that they’ll be able to turn things around when it matters the most. 

“At the end of the day playoff basketball is totally different,” he said. “Everyone starts 0-0, everything else is just outside noise. We just have to focus on the guys in this locker room and doing what it takes to have success as a team, and go out there and execute.”

Posted on

Nets drop second straight after 117-91 loss to Timberwolves

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Rudy Gobert matched his career high with 35 points and had 11 rebounds for Minnesota in a 117-91 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night that put the Timberwolves on the brink of a top-six finish that would avoid the play-in games.

Julius Randle added 21 points for the Timberwolves (48-33), who would win the majority of multi-team tiebreakers within the cluster of clubs that have pinballed back and forth for weeks in the Western Conference from third through eighth place.

One problem: Anthony Edwards picked up his 18th technical foul of the season. That prompted an automatic suspension for the next game on Sunday that the Timberwolves will need to win to improve their seed.

Edwards had just nine points while shooting 1 for 7 from 3-point range. He scored 44 points and went 7 for 11 from deep to lead Minnesota’s 141-125 win at Memphis the night before.

Keon Johnson scored 20 points for the Nets (26-55), who will finish with their worst record in eight years.

Takeaways

Nets: The scratch list included the entire starting frontcourt of Nic Claxton, Cam Johnson and Ziaire Williams. Claxton (rest) and Williams (knee) both played on Thursday. The starting lineup included rookies Reece Beekman and Drew Timme with Trendon Watford the oldest at 24.

Timberwolves: The absence of the 6-foot-10 Claxton and the lack of incentive for the Nets gave Gobert plenty of space to operate in the paint. He went 13 for 17 from the floor.

Key moment

Edwards was whistled for a foul while closely guarding Johnson on the wing midway through the second quarter. After a complaint to official Ray Acosta, he quickly got the technical, too.

Key stat

The Timberwolves are 26-10 this season when Randle has scored 20-plus points.

Up next

The Nets finish at home against New York on Sunday, when the Timberwolves host Utah.

Posted on

An Ounce of Prevention: Shane Pinto Scores Twice As Senators Defeat Canadiens 5-2 Friday Night

The Ottawa Senators were in full prevention mode on Friday night. They prevented the Montreal Canadiens from extending their six-game winning streak, from clinching a playoff spot, and from sweeping their season series four straight.

With the building half full of Canadiens fans, it was a satisfying result for the Ottawa faithful. 

Apr 11, 2025; Ottawa Senators center Dylan Cozens (24) skates to the bench after scoring against Montreal Canadiens  goalie Sam Montembeault (35) in the first period at the Canadian Tire Centre (Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images)

The Senators defeated the Canadiens 5–2 at Canadian Tire Centre. Shane Pinto led the way with a goal to open the game and another to end it.

"Yeah, I thought we just got on them quick," Pinto told the media. "We got behind them, forechecked their D. I think that's been our M.O. all year and got 2 quick goals from it and it obviously set us up for a pretty good game."

The Senators outshot the Canadiens 33–22 on the night. The other goals came from Ridly Greig, Dylan Cozens and Drake Batherson. Michael Amadio had two assists.

The Senators got busy early in this one—just 28 seconds into the game. Pinto parked himself in front of Montreal's net and buried a nice centering pass from Greig. Both Greig and Amadio did some great forechecking to set up the opportunity. That line was outstanding all night.

Less than four minutes later, Cozens scored his first goal in 10 games, going hard to the net and burying a rebound after a shot from the point by Nikolas Matinpalo.

At that stage of the game, Brendan Gallagher decided it was a good time to settle old scores with Tim Stützle, whom he once very publicly accused of diving. The 5-foot-9 Gallagher tried to goad Stützle into a fight, but the young German wasn't having it. For his antics, Gallagher did nothing more than force his teammates to kill off a penalty.

The Sens struck again in the second. This time it was Greig parked in front of Montreal’s net. He took a pass from Amadio and buried it to make it 3–0 Ottawa.

The Senators, however, had a hard time making a three-goal lead stick on this night. Just over a minute later, Christian Dvorak got the Canadiens on the board. Tyler Kleven got too aggressive, pinching in the neutral zone while his partner, Matinpalo, was going off for a change. Dvorak took advantage, got a breakaway pass, and beat Linus Ullmark.

Batherson restored the lead, tipping home a shot from Thomas Chabot—but it was short-lived. Nick Suzuki picked up a loose puck in the slot after it was mishandled by Matinpalo. Suzuki, with 12 points in his last six games, was the wrong guy to give the right chance. He beat Ullmark to cut the lead to 4–2.

Ottawa didn’t get much offensive zone time in the third, but they also did a good job of limiting any chances around Ullmark. The Habs had just 4 shots in the final period.

With the goalie pulled, Lane Hutson sent an errant pass to the front of Ottawa’s net, right onto Nick Jensen’s stick. Jensen banked a long lead pass off the boards that Pinto caught up to and buried into an empty net for the dagger—ensuring Montreal would not clinch a playoff spot on this night, nor would they sweep the Senators this season.

The victory all but clinches the first wild-card spot for the Senators, who are now five points ahead of the Canadiens with just three games left. Ottawa’s next game will be Sunday afternoon at 1:00 PM, as they host the Philadelphia Flyers at Canadian Tire Centre.

 - Brady Tkachuk: 'I Don’t Think I’d Ever Miss An Opportunity To Play In The Playoffs
- The Five Core Ottawa Senator Players Most Ready To Finally Experience Playoffs
- David Perron Chosen As Ottawa Senators 2025 Masterton Trophy Nominee
- CLINCHED: Ottawa Senators Officially Clinch First Playoff Spot In Eight Years
- From Another November Struggle To The Verge Of The Stanley Cup Playoffs
- Former Ottawa Senators Assistant GM Ray Shero Passes Away At Age 62

Posted on

Yankees' Marcus Stroman can't get out of first inning in 9-1 rain-shortened loss to Giants

The Giants jumped all over Marcus Stroman in the first inning and the Yankees could not recover in their 9-1 loss during a rain-shortened game on Friday night at Yankee Stadium.

The game started after a 30-minute delay, but the rain continued throughout. Couple that with strong winds, and it was a bear to deal with for both sides. The game would be delayed again in the sixth inning before it was finally called after another 26 minutes.

Here are the takeaways...

- Stroman probably wishes the game was rained out. He allowed the first five batters to reach base, as the Giants started the game with a double, walk and then a three-run shot by Jung Hoo Lee. Back-to-back walks forced the Yankees to get their bullpen up before Lamonte Wade Jr. drove a double down the line to score two more.

Stroman would get the next two batters out but Tyler Fitzgerald's single chased the veteran right-hander out of the game after getting just two outs.

Manager Aaron Boone called on Ryan Yarbrough to try and give the team length. The southpaw would get Mike Yastrzemski -- in his second at-bat of the inning -- to strike out and end the first.

Stroman's night was done after recording just two outs on 46 pitches (23 strikes), allowing five runs on four hits and three walks and striking out just one batter. The right-hander's ERA on this young season is now 11.57.

- Yarbrough did his job, pitching 2.2 scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and one walk and striking out three batters. However, the Giants broke the game open in the fifth.

Ian Hamilton walked the first two batters before striking out Heliot Ramos. Boone brought Tim Hill in to get out of the jam, but the sidearmer just couldn't find the zone. After walking the bases loaded, Hill took the out at first base after a Wilmer Flores chopper back to the mound. He then thew a wild pitch on the first pitch of the next at-bat that scored a run before giving up a run-scoring double to Patrick Bailey.

- Things went off the rails in the sixth with the Giants already up 8-1. Yoendrys Gomez could not grip the baseball and walked three straight batters to start the inning. Twelve of his first 13 pitches were balls.

The umpires all walked up to Gomez after the third walk to discuss with him before calling Boone and the groundskeeper to the mound. After a conversation, the officials let Gomez continue. To Gomez's credit, the right-hander struck out the next two batters but walked in the Giants' ninth run of the game.

Boone walked to the mound again and after some discussion, the umpires brought in the tarp.

- The Yankees' first and only run came in the second off the bat of Austin Wells. The left-handed catcher launched a pitch from LHP Robbie Ray that was projected to go 408 feet -- according to the YES Network broadcast -- but the wind, which was gusting in from right to left, had it go just 358 feet and off the top of the right-center field wall for a double that scored Anthony Volpe from second.

New York had chances to slowly cut into the Giants' lead but just couldn't get the hit. They were 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.

The Yankees had just two hits: the Wells double and Volpe's infield single. Aaron Judge went 0-for-1 but walked twice.

- The Yankees' bullpen was taxed on Friday but the Giants were on the verge of being in the same boat after starter Robbie Ray could only get through four innings. San Francisco used just one reliever to get one more inning to make it an official game.

Game MVP: Lamonte Wade Jr.

The first baseman went 1-for-2 with two walks but drove in three runs. He was on base for all of the Giants' big innings.

Highlights

What's next

The Yankees and Giants continue their three-game set on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.

Will Warren will take the mound for the third time this season and will be opposed by Jordan Hicks.

Posted on

Devils allow four unanswered goals in 4-2 loss to Penguins

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin each had a goal and an assist as the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied from two goals down and beat the New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Friday night.

Bryan Rust also had a goal and an assist, Valtteri Puustinen also scored and Matt Grzelcyk had two assists for the Penguins. Tristan Jarry finished with 27 saves as Pittsburgh won for the third time in four games.

Erik Haula and Ondrej Palat scored for the Devils, and Jake Allen had 17 saves. The Devils have lost two straight after a three-game win streak.

Haula got the Devils on the scoreboard on a breakaway just 15 seconds into the game, and Palat made it 2-0 at 6:17.

Malkin scored for the Penguins with 3:50 remaining in the first, his 30th career goal against the Devils. It was also No. 514 for his career, passing Jeremy Roenick for 42nd place in NHL history.

Puustinen tied it with a power-play goal at 1:05 of the second, Crosby’s power-play goal with 6:39 to play in the third put the Penguins ahead, and Rust added an empty-netter with 36 seconds remaining.

Takeaways

Penguins: Pittsburgh went 2 for 4 on the power play, scoring with the man advantage for the sixth straight game — the team’s longest streak since a 10-game run in 2022.

Devils: New Jersey entered the game third in the NHL on the power play, but went 0 for 3 while managing just four shots in those chances.

Key moment

Crosby gave the Penguis the lead in the third period as he scored his 32nd goal of the season from one knee after he took a pass from Rust at the right post, where he was unguarded.

Key stat

Jarry stopped 19 straight shots after giving up two goals in the first period.

Up next

Penguins host Boston on Sunday, and Devils host the New York Islanders to finish a five-game homestand.

Posted on

Knicks fall to shorthanded Cavaliers, 108-102, finish winless against East's top teams

The Knicks fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-102 on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.

Here are some takeaways...

- The Cavs (63-17) have already clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference so, as they did on Thursday night in Indiana, they rested a number of their key pieces including leading scorer Donovan Mitchell, Ty Jerome, and De'Andre Hunter.

- The Knicks also came into the night with four of their starting five questionable, but the only one who ended up sitting was Karl-Anthony Towns, which forced Mitchell Robinson into the starting lineup and he provided an immediate spark -- putting up five points and three boards as he played all 12 minutes in the first.

- New York started out very smooth offensively, with all five starters recording a bucket in the opening quarter. As a team, they knocked down 7-of-10 threes while shooting a whopping 63 percent from the field to quickly open a double-digit advantage.

- Miles McBride and Landry Shamet provided a nice spark off the bench, knocking down three threes each and combining for 20 first-half points to help extend the lead to as much as 23 -- but Cleveland came surging back in the closing minutes of the second to cut into the deficit.

Jalen Brunson had an efficient half on his bobblehead night, finishing 6-of-9 with a game-high 15 points.

- The Knicks came out of the locker room strong led by OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, who scored 13 of the team's first 15 points in the half. The season-long third-quarter struggles quickly resurfaced, though, and Cleveland was able to get it all the way back down to a one-possession game.

Timely buckets down the stretch helped the Knicks carry an eight-point advantage into the final frame.

- The shorthanded Cavaliers refused to go away again, and a Darius Garland three at the five-minute mark in the fourth gave them their first lead of the game. Brunson helped keep the Knicks in it down the stretch, but they were unable to get key stops because of the hot shooting of Garland and Max Strus -- who drilled two big threes.

- Brunson finished with a game-high 27 points while Bridges contributed 17 and Anunoby pitched in 15. All three were outdone by Garland, who led the way for the Cavs with a 26-point and 13-assist double-double.

- New York finished the regular season winless (0-8) against the Cavs and Celtics.

- Despite the loss, the Knicks still locked up the No. 3 seed and a first-round meeting with the Pistons thanks to Indiana losing to the Magic and the Bucks beating Detroit.

Game MVP: Darius Garland

Garland was terrific, leading the way for Cleveland with 26 points and 13 assists.

Highlights

Whats next

The Knicks close out the regular season with a meeting with the crosstown rival Nets on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.