ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 30: Athletics pitcher Jacob Lopez (57) pitches during the MLB game between the Athletics and the Atlanta Braves on March 30th, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA.(Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Our A’s and the Astros traded blowout wins in the first two games of the series. Today’s rubber match will determine who takes the series. The Athletics have an excellent chance to win their first of the year and get on the right foot before heading to New York.
Left-hander Jacob Lopez is set to get the ball for the second time this season. The 28 year old had a tough outing his last time out against the Braves, walking five and allowing theee runs in just four innings of work. On the bright side Lopez has been dominant against these Astros in his career so this could be the perfect matchup to get him going.
Off day for regular center fielder Denzel Clarke, with Lawrence Butler sliding over to take over up the middle. That means we’ll get Carlos Cortes in right field this afternoon. Other than that it’s all the regulars in their main spots in the batting order.
They’ll be seeing a familiar face in longtime Astro Lane McCullers Jr. The righty has dealt with plenty of injuries over the years but he seems healthy and he’s coming off a dominant outing in his first start of the year. The A’s will need to take advantage of the opportunities he gives them today.
The Houston starting lineup meanwhile shakes out like this:
Luis Castillo takes the mound for the Mariners for the second time this season, completing the second spin of the rotation of this season. Despite not earning the decision last time out, Castillo shoved against the Yankees for 6 innings of three-hit ball and tallied 5 strikeouts along with it. Castillo looks to continue his solid start to the season today against the Angels.
The hope today is that the Mariners can use this series and game to stabilize and gain some consistency, in particular from the offense, which, despite their best efforts last night, was held to a shutout by Jo Adell and his three-homerun robberies.
So far, the Mariners have had mixed results to start the season, dropping two out of 4 to the Guardians, including Opening Day, and then dropping two out of three to the Yankees, including a shutout loss. The Mariners have been shut out in two of their past four games. I wouldn’t say I’m worried, but I am anxious for the team to get on track and find a groove early in the season.
J.P. Crawford is back in the lineup full-time now after starting the season on the injured list and looks to keep the momentum going after recording his first hit and walk of the season last night. Also, he should have had his first home run, but we all know how that went. Cal Raleigh will DH today, with Mitch Garver behind the plate. Garver frequently takes up catching duties on a day game following a night game, and today is no exception. Brendan Donovan will be sitting for the second night in a row after leaving the game on Friday in the 7th inning. The team does not expect Donovan to spend any time on the IL and is currently managing Donovan’s groin strain on a day-to-day basis. In the meantime, Leo Rivas will continue to man third, but the Mariners will be short-handed should anything happen over the next few days.
No Donovan in the lineup again today for the Mariners. Will run through pregame drills on the field. Says he wants to be cautious after double sports hernia surgery last year. Pleased the MRI came back clean.
No shiny lineup graphic from the Angels today, perhaps distracted by the callup of their latest rookie:
The Angels will be handing the ball over to George Klassen this afternoon. Klassen will be making his major league debut today. Klassen impressed in spring training and is regarded as one of the Angels’ top prospects. Klassen sports a deadly cocktail of fastball, slider, and cutter that grade out at 55, 60, and 60, respectively. The 24-year-old spent much of this spring working and refining with Greg Maddux and could be in the mix for a permanent spot in the rotation this year. Read more on Klassen from John in the AL West preview here.
Today in Mariners History
1999 – Ken Griffey Jr. hits his seventh career opening night home run, the second-highest total in Major League history.
2000 – Jay Buhner smacks a three-run homer in his first at-bat of the season in Seattle’s 9-3 win over Boston.
2010 – Mariners beat Oakland 5-3 on Opening Day…Ken Griffey Jr. becomes 27th player in Major League history to play in 4 decades.
Brett Baty was surprisingly scratched from the Mets' starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the San Francisco Giants, but fortunetly, manager Carlos Mendoza said there isn't a cause for long-term concern.
Baty is dealing with a jammed thumb that occurred on his slide into second base following a seventh-inning double in Saturday's win.
"Last night on that head-first slide at second base, he jammed that left thumb," Mendoza said. "He was able to finish the game, little sore afterwards. And then this morning, basically the same. We're just trying to be smart about it, and that's why he came out of the lineup."
The skipper added: "No. After talking to him, he's probably a day or two [away]. Should be good to go on Tuesday. We're not planning on doing any imaging or anything like that, he's just day-to-day. "
Mendoza also noted that Baty jammed his left thumb, which is more good news, as he previously needed surgery to repair a UCL tear in his right thumb, which caused him to miss the last month of the 2022 season.
"No, it's a different one, it's the other one," Mendoza said. "That's the one thing he said last night, that he didn't feel like the one he hurt before where the ligament was involved."
New York's original starting lineup for Sunday had Baty in right field and Carson Benge playing left field with Juan Soto still out as he's dealing with a minor calf strain. Instead, Jared Young will play LF and Benge will continue to play in RF. Mendoza also made it sound like Baty could be available off the bench as a pinch hitter if the team needed.
The manager went on to discuss the lineup change and explained why he's confident in both Baty and Benge playing different spots in the outfield.
"Bottom line, I feel comfortable with Baty everywhere," Mendoza said. "After talking to some of the coaches, just kinda keeping Baty, spring training he was in right field the whole time. With Bengey, he's used to playing everywhere. So it was just more like keeping Baty in a position where, since we're asking him a lot, move him around, just kinda keep him in a comfortable spot.
"I could go back and forth, depending on matchups, ballpark. Could go with Brett playing left, Brett playing right, Bengey playing all three. Continue to talk about versatility, that's what we got there."
The Mets are off on Monday and begin a three-game series at Citi Field with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.
Mar 25, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Malachi Smith (18) drives past Golden State Warriors guard De'anthony Melton (8) during the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images | John Hefti-Imagn Images
After going undrafted in 2023 and then being shipped off to four different NBA G League teams, former Gonzaga Bulldog guard Malachi Smith has secured a roster spot with the Brooklyn Nets for the rest of the season and potentially further. Smith’s two-year deal comes after two 10-day contracts with the organization.
He made $73,153 on each of his two 10-day contracts and will now be earning $65,838 for the remaining five games of the 2025-26 season.
We’ve signed Malachi Smith to a multi-year contract.
Smith has averaged 7.3 points on a shooting split of 52.7 percent from the field/54.5 percent on three-pointers/100.0 percent at the free throw line, 2.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.0 steals per game in 10 appearances across two 10-day contracts with the Nets after playing for the team’s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, and now lands a full standard deal.
Along with most bottom-tier franchises at this point in the end of the regular season, Brooklyn took a shot on someone from their development team. Smith used that opportunity and proved his worth amongst the world’s best.
Quick instincts from Malachi Smith. Making the most of his second 10-day contract. https://t.co/NpEMNhmtXM
— The Slipper Still Fits (@slipperstillfit) April 4, 2026
He fought through the grind that is the G League to get in this position. Smith had stops with the G League’s Rip City Remix, Wisconsin Herd, Memphis Hustle, and Long Island over the last three years.
Smith started his collegiate career with the Wright State Raiders from 2018-19, transferred to the Chattanooga Mocs from 2020-22, before making his way to Spokane, Washington. He was named the West Coast Conference Sixth Man of the Year in 2023 before entering his name into the 2023 NBA Draft, bypassing his final season of college eligibility.
This further proves not only how much professional talent that Few has been able to bring through the program, but players that are willing to work their way to this uber-selective pool of talent. Smith could have opted out of the G League and shipped himself over to Europe or Asia, but had trust in his abilites and work ethic to continue to get better over the course of these last three years.
Shows a lot about the type of players that the Zags search for and want to be involved with what they have built in the 21st century.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
The New York Rangers appear to be locked in on utilizing three goaltenders to close out the 2025-26 season.
On March 20, the Rangers recalled Dylan Garand from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League, with Jonathan Quick dealing with an upper-body injury.
Through Quick’s seven-game absence, Garand played in two games, posting a 1-0-1 record, 1.44 goals against average, and .954 save percentage.
Since Garand notched his first NHL win on March 27, we haven’t seen him play in a game, which begs the question: Will the Rangers keep him around for the remainder of the season?
As of right now, it does not appear that the Rangers have any intention of sending Garand down to the AHL, but Sullivan hasn’t given confirmation whether or not Garand will get another start.
“Would we like for Dylan to get another start? Potentially, yes,” Sullivan said. “We'll see how it goes moving forward. We have a game plan for him.”
Having three goaltenders up at the same time creates some complications in terms of finding opportunities for all three of them.
Garand served in a backup role behind Shesterkin for much of Quick’s absence, being a healthy scratch for the past two games upon Quick’s return to practice.
Each goalie has been a participant in practice, but it’s difficult to split the repetitions equally, with Shesterkin and Quick receiving most of the work.
Through conversations with Rangers president and general manager Chris Dury as well as goaltending coach Jeff Malcolm, Sullivan has formulated a plan to navigate the three-goalie rotation.
“We have a game plan,” Sullivan said of the Rangers’ three-goalie rotation. “Chris Drury and I have had a conversation around this, so we're very much on the same page on what we think is best and why. That was a lengthy discussion. It's not a decision that we make lightly. I've talked to Shesty, Quickie and Dylan around a tentative game plan on what we think this whole thing might look like...
“Sometimes certain guys go out before practice, and they get repetition. Sometimes it's after practice. Certain guys split the net during the formal practice, depending on what that looks like. The point is, the logistical aspect of that (Jeff Malcolm) and I have had discussions around.”
Sullivan has made clear that, despite the Rangers being eliminated from playoff contention, Shesterkin is still the starting goaltender.
The Rangers have five games remaining this season, and with no back-to-backs in store, it’s possible Shesterkin starts every game to close out the 2025-26 campaign.
Even with the lack of opportunity to get game action at the NHL level, Sullivan believes there is value in keeping Garand with the Blueshirts and allowing him to learn under Shesterkin and Quick.
“I think Quickie and Shesty have been great mentors for Dylan Garand right now,” Sullivan emphasized. “I can see that relationship developing. The example that those two guys set for a guy like Dylan, it's great for Dylan to be around these guys... I think a guy like Dylan right now being around these guys, I think there's huge value in that, and a huge benefit in that.”
The Rangers’ backup goaltending position is up for grabs come next season, and given Garand’s breadth of experience in the AHL and the fact that Quick’s one-year, $1.55 million contract will expire on July 1, it isn’t far-fetched to assume that Garand could take over the position backing up Shesterkin and replace Quick.
The dilemma Sullivan seems to have on his hands is wanting to offer Garand more opportunities in order to see what the organization truly has in him, while also giving Quick the respect he deserves, who could very well be playing in his final NHL season at 40 years old.
“Shesty is an important guy to us. He's the number one guy here, and arguably the best goal in the game. We've had a lot of conversations lately about Quickie and what he means to the New York Rangers,” Sullivan said. “Just his body of work, and certainly, we are respectful of that. We're trying to do the right thing by all of our guys.”
Sullivan has continued to be tight-lipped regarding this three-goalie rotation, so it remains a mystery how it will evolve over these last remaining games.
The quadruple dream may be dead but Arsenal are now just four games from achieving an unprecedented nonruple
And then there were two. As the clock ticked down at St Mary’s Stadium on Saturday night even the stray yellow balloons on the pitch had begun to take on a weirdly mocking quality.
The balloons were almost too much, like metaphors-for-hire in an arthouse film, popping up in shot every time Arsenal tried to transform another spell of mechanical pressure into creative, incisive football. Your dreams? Your dreams are just air inside a polymer shell. Your dreams are a squeaky veneer. Even when you try to take agency over your dreams, or at least stamp on them before a set piece, they will scoot away and bobble about annoyingly near the corner flag.
PHOENIX, AZ - MARCH 5: Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns drives to the basket during the game against the Chicago Bulls on March 5, 2026 at PHX Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
WASHINGTON — The Los Angeles Dodgers placed shortstop Mookie Betts on the injured list Sunday with a right oblique strain and recalled Hyeseong Kim from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Betts left Saturday’s 10-5 victory over the Washington Nationals after walking and scoring in the first inning. Manager Dave Roberts said the Dodgers believe Betts was initially injured on a check swing during the at-bat.
While Roberts said he was hesitant to put a timeline on Betts’ return, he hopes it would be quicker than a 4 to 6 week absence.
“He’s actually in better spirits,” Roberts said. “He’s obviously disappointed, but just the way he feels today, I think he’s had some dealings with that before and said it’s better than he recalls in past experience, so that was encouraging.”
Betts is hitting .179 in Los Angeles’ first eight games. The 33-year-old hit .258 with 20 homers and 82 RBIs in 150 games last season.
Kim hit .280 with three home runs and 17 RBIs in 71 games as a rookie last season.
Roberts said Kim and Miguel Rojas will likely split time at shortstop while Betts is out. Rojas replaced Betts in Saturday’s game and is batting second on Sunday against the Nationals. Roberts said Kim is likely to start two of three games in the Dodgers’ series at Toronto that begins Monday.
The Dodgers’ lineup figures to have a different look as well. Betts hit in the No. 3 spot every game this season after spending much of last year batting second.
“He’s Mookie Betts, so it certainly changes,” Roberts said. “But that’s the great thing about having depth that a lot of teams don’t have. A platoon at short and you feel like you’ve got good matchups, it’s not all bad and it gives other guys opportunities. But it’s a blow, for sure.”
Barring an unexpected return far ahead of schedule, Cameron Payne won’t play again for the Sixers this regular season.
A team official said Sunday that an MRI confirmed Payne suffered a strained right hamstring during the Sixers’ loss Saturday night to the Pistons. He’ll be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks, the official said.
The Sixers’ final regular-season game will be next Sunday vs. the Bucks. With the Raptors’ loss Sunday to the Celtics, the Sixers are again sixth in the Eastern Conference standings at 43-35. The seventh through 10th seeds will participate in the play-in tournament, which is set to start April 14. Round 1 of the playoffs will begin April 18.
Payne had recently been on the edge of the Sixers’ rotation and didn’t play in two of the team’s last four games. His absence would make an injury to one of the Sixers’ healthy rotation guards — Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes — a bit more damaging. The next guard on the depth chart would be Kyle Lowry, who turned 40 years old last month and has only appeared in 13 games during his 20th NBA season.
The 31-year-old lefty has averaged 7.4 points, 2.6 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals in his second stint as a Sixer. He’s shot 37.6 percent from the floor, 33 percent from three-point range and 86.4 percent at the foul line.
Johni Broome (right knee surgery recovery) was the one other Sixer listed as out for the team’s Monday night meeting with the Rockets. Joel Embiid was not listed on the Sixers’ injury report after sitting out the second leg of their back-to-back vs. Detroit.
PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 03: Kris Letang #58 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates his second period goal against the Florida Panthers at PPG PAINTS Arena on December 3, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Mar 30, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy and players on the bench react during the third period against the Pittsburgh Penguins at UBS Arena.
Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Patrick Roy was fired as coach of the New York Islanders on Sunday, another late-season change in the NHL that comes with the team in the middle of a spring tailspin that has put its playoff chances in jeopardy.
First-year general manager Mathieu Darche announced the abrupt decision to part ways with Roy and name Peter DeBoer his replacement with four games left in the season. The Islanders have lost four in a row and seven of their past 10 games, going from comfortably in a playoff spot to needing help down the stretch in a competitive Eastern Conference race.
Getting outshot 40-16 and losing 4-3 at division-leading Carolina on Saturday night in another must-win game was the final straw for Darche, who took over last summer and decided at the time to keep Roy behind the bench.
Roy is the second head coach fired over the past eight days. The Vegas Golden Knights fired Bruce Cassidy and hired John Tortorella on an interim basis a week ago.
This is not an interim move. DeBoer is taking the job full time.
The 57-year-old is fresh off serving as an assistant on coach Jon Cooper’s Canada’s staff at the Milan Cortina Olympics, serving as an advanced scout and helping a talented group reach the final before losing to the U.S. in overtime.
“More of preparation was just when everybody arrived here and you’ve got basically three days to prepare, that a lot of the grunt work is done,” DeBoer said in Milan. “I was involved in the scouting selection process. That was totally different for me and an exciting kind of wrinkle in what we usually normally do as coaches.”
DeBoer has taken two teams to the Stanley Cup Final and most recently coached the Dallas Stars to three consecutive trips to the Western Conference final before being fired last year following their latest exit.
Internationally, DeBoer was an assistant for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off last year and has filled that role at multiple world championships. He called it a great opportunity for learning and perspective, even if being a head coach suits him better.
“Oh yeah, I’m a head coach,” DeBoer said. “I’m a short-term assistant coach. ... You always come back a better head coach for, I think, doing that.”
Roy, a Hall of Fame goaltender considered one of the best to ever play the position, was hired by former GM Lou Lamoriello in January 2024 as a midseason replacement for fired coach Lane Lambert. Sparked by his arrival, the team made the playoffs that year and lost in the first round to Carolina. Regression has followed since, though players in recent days still had praise for Roy.
“He cares about the guys in the room,” captain Anders Lee said last week. “I think his messaging this season has been on point and he’s been able to read the room in a really good place and done his best to continue us on this journey of an 82-game hockey season.”
Roy did not make it to game No. 82, nor did he have the kind of public outbursts during games that were part of his first NHL gig with Colorado.
“I heard (about) his temper and stuff, or I’ve seen it over the years, like everybody,” said winger Ondrej Palat, who joined New York in a trade from New Jersey in late January. “He seems very calm. On the bench, he could get heated with all the circumstances that happen in a game. But in the room and around the boys, he’s pretty calm and positive.”
Parting ways with Roy comes at crucial point for the organization. Rookie of the year front-runner Matthew Schaefer has been a revelation in his first NHL season at the age of 18, and several other top prospects are on their way.
Roy was in his second job running a team in the league, following a three-year tenure with the Avalanche from 2013-16 that included winning the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year and abruptly resigning in the middle of the summer. They hired Jared Bednar, who then coached them to the Stanley Cup in 2022.
Darche and the Islanders are hoping for the same trajectory after making this change.
The postseason buzz felt real on Easter Sunday in South Philadelphia.
The Flyers climbed into playoff position with a 2-1 win over the Bruins at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Porter Martone scored his first career NHL goal to win it in OT.
Christian Dvorak gave the Flyers an early lead. Dan Vladar was excellent in net.
The Flyers (39-26-12) now hold the final playoff spot (third place) in the Metropolitan Division with five games to go. They took advantage of a busy Saturday going completely in their favor while they watched from home.
“It doesn’t happen all the time, the fortune went our way,” Rick Tocchet said before the game. “But we’ve been trying to not worry about what’s happening on the scoreboard. Obviously you look at it, but to me, some of that doesn’t matter if you don’t win hockey games. This is a big game for us.”
Tocchet’s club played like it, continuing its surge down the stretch. The Flyers won for the 14th time in their last 20 games (14-5-1) and have a real chance to end their five-year playoff drought (more on that below).
They went to overtime for the 27th time this season. They’re 15-12 after regulation.
The Flyers took two of three games from the Bruins (43-26-9) in their regular-season series.
In the division race, the Flyers are also battling the Blue Jackets and Capitals. Columbus has 88 points and was idle Sunday. Washington has 87 points and visits the Rangers tonight. The Flyers have a game in hand on the Capitals.
The Flyers entered the day in a four-way tie with the Senators, Red Wings and Blue Jackets for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. Detroit lost in regulation to the Wild. Ottawa is currently playing the Hurricanes.
As of right now, the Flyers can focus on the division race. But we’ll update the latest on the wild card here when the Senators-Hurricanes game goes final.
• Vladar did his job once again, denying 18 of 19 shots.
The 28-year-old has given up just two goals over the last two games.
Boston cracked Vladar in the opening minute of the third period when Pavel Zacha scored a power play goal. Carl Grundstrom was in the penalty box for interference toward the end of the season period.
Bruins netminder Joonas Korpisalo stopped 29 of the Flyers’ 31 shots.
Dvorak struck just 4:19 minutes into the game. Martone sprung him with a crafty touch pass. The 19-year-old winger has not played like a teenager since signing his entry-level deal. He looks like he belongs.
Martone had a couple of looks with under five minutes left in regulation, but he couldn’t beat Korpisalo. Not long after denying Martone twice, Korpisalo turned away Tyson Foerster at the doorstep.
But Martone got Korpisalo in OT.
• The Flyers are back in action Tuesday when they visit the Devils (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
The postseason buzz felt real on Easter Sunday in South Philadelphia.
The Flyers climbed into playoff position with a 2-1 overtime win over the Bruins at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Porter Martone scored his first career NHL goal to win it in OT. It came on a 5-on-3 power play and sent the crowd into a frenzy.
“It was awesome to get that win in front of these fans,” Martone said.
Christian Dvorak gave the Flyers an early lead and also assisted Martone’s winner. Dan Vladar was excellent in net. The goaltender pumped up the crowd when he skated back onto the ice as the game’s third star.
“All I heard before I came here was that the fans are passionate,” Vladar said. “I wanted to experience it myself and I did, so it was great.”
The Flyers (39-26-12) now hold the final playoff spot (third place) in the Metropolitan Division with five games to go. They took advantage of a busy Saturday going completely in their favor while they watched from home.
“It doesn’t happen all the time, the fortune went our way,” Rick Tocchet said before the game. “But we’ve been trying to not worry about what’s happening on the scoreboard. Obviously you look at it, but to me, some of that doesn’t matter if you don’t win hockey games. This is a big game for us.”
Tocchet’s club played like it, continuing its surge down the stretch. The Flyers won for the 14th time in their last 20 games (14-5-1) and have a real chance to end their five-year playoff drought (more on that below).
“I think that West Coast trip, after going 3-0, I felt a little swagger from the guys coming off the plane,” Tocchet said. “That’s a tough trip. I think the week before, we had some tough games, some odd hours going to bed. Then we go on that West Coast trip, to go 3-0, I think that really added a lot of belief.”
The Flyers went to overtime for the 27th time this season. They’re 15-12 after regulation.
They took two of three games from the Bruins (43-26-9) in their regular-season series.
“I think this past month, just how we’ve been playing, it has been playoff hockey,” Noah Cates said. “For us to just stay above, be disciplined, not try to do something fancy or something stupid at the blue line, it speaks to the growth of the team — where we want to go, where we want to be, just how good we can be when we play that way.”
In the division race, the Flyers are also battling the Blue Jackets and Capitals. Columbus has 88 points and was idle Sunday. Washington stayed at 87 points after being blown out by the Rangers. The Flyers have a game in hand on the Capitals.
The Flyers entered the day in a four-way tie with the Senators, Red Wings and Blue Jackets for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. Detroit lost in regulation to the Wild. Ottawa beat the Hurricanes, so it holds the second wild-card position at 90 points.
As of right now, the Flyers can focus on the division race. They control their destiny for third place.
• Vladar did his job once again, denying 18 of 19 shots.
The 28-year-old has given up just two goals over the last two games.
Boston cracked Vladar in the opening minute of the third period when Pavel Zacha scored a power play goal. Carl Grundstrom was in the penalty box for interference toward the end of the second period.
Bruins netminder Joonas Korpisalo stopped 29 of the Flyers’ 31 shots.
Dvorak struck just 4:19 minutes into the game. Martone sprung him with a crafty touch pass.
“That’s not an easy play at all,” Dvorak said. “It was right on my tape, I didn’t even have to move my stick.”
The 19-year-old winger has not played like a teenager since signing his entry-level deal. He looks like he belongs.
“You can just tell he’s a hockey player, he loves the game,” Tocchet said. “Even on the bench, you tell him something, he’s a very engaged kid.”
Through his first four games, with the pressure of a playoff race, Martone has a goal, two assists and 20 shots.
“It’s impressive, not easy to do that coming from college and right into a playoff race,” Dvorak said. “He’s a big body, really smart, high hockey IQ player. That’s really important in this league.”
Martone had a couple of looks with under five minutes left in regulation, but he couldn’t beat Korpisalo. Not long after denying Martone twice, Korpisalo turned away Tyson Foerster at the doorstep.
But Martone got Korpisalo in OT.
“For me, just every shift, come back to the bench and reset,” the 2025 sixth overall pick said. “The goalie made two good saves on those. I knew if I got another chance, hopefully it would go in.”
• The Flyers are back in action Tuesday when they visit the Devils (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
The university announced Oats signed a new contract on Sunday, April 5, making him one of the top five highest-paid coaches in college basketball, per a statement from athletic director Greg Byrne.
The new contract was announced via Yea Alabama, the school's name, image and likeness platform.
"Nate Oats has signed a new contract that will make him one of the top five compensated men's basketball coaches in the country," Byrne said in the announcement. "Appropriate members of the board of trustees have been notified of the proposed terms of the new agreement and it will soon be formally approved through the board process."
The move comes after Oats was tied to North Carolina's open coaching position. The blue-blood program fired coach Hubert Davis after its first-round loss to Virginia Commonwealth in the Men's NCAA Tournament, and has been tied to numerous high-end coaches such as Oats, Michigan coach Dusty May and Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, who also signed an extension on Friday, April 3.
The announcement didn't include details regarding Oats' salary, though it stands to be a substantial raise from his old agreement, which was signed in 2024 after Oats led Alabama to its first-ever Final Four appearance.
According to USA TODAY's coaching salaries database, Oats was the 10th highest-paid basketball coach among programs at public institutions in 2025-26, making roughly $5 million. He was set to receive $7.75 million in the final year of the deal that ran through 2030.
The fifth highest-paid coach is UCLA's Mick Cronin, who made $6.1 million, while Kansas' Bill Self was the highest paid at $8.8 million.
Nate Oats record at Alabama
Oats has taken Alabama to new heights since being hired from Buffalo in 2019, accumulating a 170-73 record in seven seasons at the helm. He has taken the program to five Sweet 16s, making four in a row, and has the most NCAA Tournament wins in program history (13).
