NEW YORK (AP) — Cole Caufield scored his 48th and 49th goals of the season, and the Montreal Canadiens won their seventh game in a row to move closer to making the playoffs by defeating the New York Rangers 3-2 on Thursday night.
Caufield’s second was his NHL-best 12th winning goal, putting the Canadiens ahead 47 seconds after Will Cuylle tied it. He moved one back of Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon for the league lead in goals and in the process extended his career high with 83 points.
This winning streak is the storied organization’s longest in nearly a decade, dating to an eight-game unbeaten run from Oct. 18-Nov. 2, 2016. Montreal has separated itself from the pack in the Eastern Conference and kept pace with Buffalo and Tampa Bay in a hot Atlantic Division race.
Alex Newhook scored the Canadiens’ first goal 4 1/2 minutes into the second period on their 12th shot against Igor Shesterkin, who was the only reason they hadn’t taken a lead earlier.
Jakub Fowler made 21 saves, the biggest on a penalty kill late in the second when he turned aside Alexis Lafrenière at the side of the net. Helped by his teammates controlling the puck for much of the night, the 21-year-old from South Florida improved to 8-5-2 in his first 15 NHL starts since getting called up in December.
Despite 22 saves from Shesterkin and the goals by Cuylle and Adam Fox, New York lost for a 26th time in 38 home games. Captain J.T. Miller was honored with an award named for Hall of Famer Rod Gilbert, who played his entire 18-season professional career with the Rangers.
Up next
Canadiens: Visit the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night to wrap up their five-game trip.
Rangers: Host the in-the-hunt Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Lars Eller broke a third-period tie and the Ottawa Senators prevented Buffalo from wrapping up a drought-breaking playoff spot Thursday night, beating the Sabres 4-1.
Buffalo will have to wait to end its NHL-record 14-season postseason skid, the second-longest active futility run in North America’s four major sports behind the New York Jets and their 15-season slide.
Eller deflected defenseman Artem Zub's shot from the point past goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen at 5:55 of the third.
Buffalo defenseman Mattias Samuelsson opened the scoring at 8:49 of the second with a long wrist shot. Dylan Cozens tied it with 4:42 left in the second on a tip-in. He has 26 goals this season.
Ridly Greig and Shane Pinto added empty-net goals.
Linus Ullmark made 21 saves for Ottawa. The Senators — in the second wild-card spot in the East — opened a five-game homestand.
Luukkonen stopped 20 shots for Buffalo.
Senators defenseman Tyler Kleven left in the first period with an upper-body injury and did not return. The team has become increasingly thin on defense, missing Thomas Chabot, Jake Sanderson, Nick Jensen and others.
Ottawa's Brady Tkachuk fought Logan Stanley late in the first period.
All year long, the Islanders have been outrunning their defensive analytics, so maybe it is not a shock that in two pivotal games against the Penguins and Sabres, the results started to catch up.
The Islanders were not knocked below the playoff cutline with those two defeats, though they head into Friday’s home match against the Flyers with minimal cushion over the Senators, Red Wings and Philadelphia.
There are six games left in their season, and each of them is of the utmost importance.
So, too, is making life easier for Ilya Sorokin, who is likely to start at least five of the last six, with Saturday’s game in Carolina the only spot in which David Rittich might get a look.
Sorokin’s Vezina Trophy campaign could get over the line if the Islanders make the playoffs, and has been the single biggest reason for the disconnect between his club’s expected and actual goals allowed.
The goaltender cannot do it all by himself, though, and the Islanders can only learn that the hard way so many times.
Ilya Sorokin, making a glove save during a recent game, needs more help from the Islanders defense for the playoff stretch run. NHLI via Getty Images
“We want to do a good job in the inner area,” coach Patrick Roy said. “Meaning that when the puck’s behind the net, make sure we get good body position. Make sure we got good sticks protecting that net front. I think our expected goals against was a little high [against the Sabres] because of those areas.
“When the puck goes to the goal line, they like to take a shot from the blue line, we like to front. But if you front, you need to block the shot. So we need to do a better job and maybe clean up a little bit here and there. You don’t have to do a lot. I’ll give you an example: When we played Pittsburgh, [Sidney] Crosby had two plays behind the next. He came in front, it’s probably .40, .50 [xG]. So you clean up a couple goals like this, makes a big difference at the end of the night.”
Of course, the chances — and Roy pointed out it’s only a few per game — that carry a high expected goals against do so because they are Grade-A looks.
Defenseman Scott Mayfield said he believes the Islanders can clean up their defensive play for the stretch run. NHLI via Getty Images
The analytics merely put a number on what everyone can see: Protect the inner slot and the areas below the hashes and the Islanders will cut out the opposing team’s best chances.
“I think we can protect the middle a little bit better,” Brayden Schenn said. “Shifts are gonna happen where you get caught in your own end. You have to force plays, keep it to the outside. I think all in all, we need to be a little better defensively, which ultimately leads to more offensively.”
Granted, that’s easier said than done, and won’t ever be perfect. But there’s a lot of ground to cover between perfect and the last couple of games. For example, the Sabres’ third goal Tuesday night, when no one picked up Peyton Krebs in transition, allowing him to streak in and get on the end of Alex Tuch’s pass, is the sort of thing that shouldn’t happen.
“A little bit of over-back-checking,” Scott Mayfield told The Post. “We’re trying to collapse the house and there’s a guy behind. But there’s kind of been different things that have been happening. I think in the end, we all know the way we need to play.”
That would be aggressively, getting the puck in the offensive zone and forechecking it to keep it there. It’s easiest to defend by playing offense, after all.
As for when that’s not working?
“In the D-zone, it’s all about closing quick,” Mayfield said. “I think when we let them get time and space, we kinda get a little mixed up on whose guy is who, it gets tough. When we’re getting in there, closing: hit, pin, find a puck — I think that’s when we’re at our best.”
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris was denied in his bid for a preliminary injunction as he seeks a seventh season of eligibility.
Morris had filed a lawsuit in Charlottesville (Virginia) Circuit Court last month seeking the injunction after the NCAA denied his medical redshirt waiver and appeal. A circuit court judge ruled against Morris on Thursday.
“The NCAA is pleased by the court’s decision today, which protects the integrity of collegiate competition," the NCAA said in a statement. "As additional lawsuits challenging common-sense, academically-tied eligibility rules are filed, the NCAA will continue to defend against attempts to rob high school students across the nation of the opportunity to compete in college and experience the life-changing opportunities only college sports can create.
"The NCAA and its member schools are making changes to deliver more benefits to student-athletes, but the patchwork of state laws and inconsistent, conflicting court decisions make partnering with Congress essential to provide stability for all college athletes.”
Morris' case is one of 71 eligibility lawsuits that have been filed. Of those cases, 33 preliminary injunctions have been denied and 13 have been granted. Twelve eligibility lawsuits are still pending in lower courts and 13 have been voluntarily dismissed prior to a decision on a preliminary injunction.
The dispute surrounding the 25-year-old Morris involves his 2022 season with TCU and whether it should count against his eligibility. Morris suffered a knee injury that season and applied for a medical redshirt, but the NCAA denied that request after Morris made limited appearances in three games later that season.
Morris, the son of Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris, has thrown for 9,185 career yards while playing at Oklahoma (2020), TCU (2021-23), North Texas (2024) and Virginia (2025).
He passed for 3,000 yards and 16 touchdowns with nine interceptions, while also rushing for 245 yards and five touchdowns at Virginia last season.
Sep 2, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals pinch hitter Carter Jensen (22) walks back to the dugout after striking out to end the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images | Peter Aiken-Imagn Images
Ever oversleep and miss something important? It has happened to the best of us. And today, it happened to Royals rookie Carter Jensen.
The 22-year-old catcher was supposed to be in the starting lineup for the series finale Thursday afternoon against the Twins. With Salvador Perez catching in wet conditions last night, typically teams like to switch catchers for the day game after a night game. But reporters and fans were puzzled when Jensen was a late scratch, particularly when he was later seen warming up.
It turns out Jensen had overslept. He later entered the game in the ninth inning after Salvy was replaced by a pinch runner. To his credit, he faced reporters after the game and took responsibility.
“No running from it. Just didn’t wake up to my alarm, slept through it. Don’t really have an excuse, nor should I. You know, it sucks and it happens. I felt let my teammates down, coaches down. I’ll just learn from it and know it won’t happen again.”
“There’s a lot to learn from, and I think it’s just, you know, making sure if I don’t set one alarm, maybe set three or four, as many as possible. So moving forward, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to set a million alarms to make sure I’m up.”
#Royals catcher Carter Jensen in the clubhouse after the Twins game earlier today. Jensen plans to set a few alarms in the future. @KSHB41pic.twitter.com/wy2nDvgsaU
Veteran Vinnie Pasquantino revealed the team had tried to contact Carter’s parents in an effort to find him.
“You got a 36-year-old catcher who’s preparing to DH today, then his world gets a little rocked that an hour and a half before the game, he’s not going to be DHing. Credit to Salvy today for being ready.
First and foremost, we are glad that Carter is OK, right? I mean, that was kind of the initial thought, when you are trying to get ahold of his parents and everything like that just to make sure he is OK. But once you find out he’s OK, it’s like, ‘Alright, it’s a growing moment.‘
He’s really young, there are some things that cannot happen, and that’s one of them. So he’s going to have to wear it on the chin, the same way anyone would have to. So it can’t happen. And hopefully it doesn’t happen again.
You just can’t afford mistakes like that in this game. You just gotta move forward the best oyu can. I know he feels really bad. I know its not his favorite drive to the field this morning, but it wasn’t our favorite morning either trying to figure what was going on. He’ll learn from it, grow up a little bit. We’re here for him though, its not like anybody’s mad at him. Things happen. You gotta learn from mistakes like that and maybe get another alarm clock or something.”
#Royals: Carter Jensen overslept and was scratched from today's lineup. Here's what Vinnie Pasquantino had to say about the situation after the game. @KSHB41pic.twitter.com/BHHt6k1G6n
Thankfully, he wasn’t scratched due to an injury – or worse. Hopefully the rookie gets a hefty fine in kangaroo court, learns from his mistake, and moves on. With a better alarm clock!
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Phoenix guard Collin Gillespie set the Suns’ franchise record for 3-pointers in a season on Thursday night.
Gillespie set the mark in the second quarter of the Suns' game against the Charlotte Hornets. He hit his 227th 3-pointer the wing, surpassing the record of 226 3s, set by Quentin Richardson in the 2004-05 season.
Also in the game, Charlotte rookie Kon Knueppel set the Hornets’ franchise record for 3-pointers in a season.
Knueppel needed four 3s entering Thursday night’s game and, after missing two wide open looks in the fourth quarter, Knueppel finally hit his 261st 3-pointer off an assist from Grant Williams.
The 20-year-old Knueppel beat the previous franchise mark of 260 3-pointers set by Kemba Walker in 2018-19.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - NOVEMBER 08: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors guards Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the third quarter at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on November 08, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Warriors 136-117. 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. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
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Dealing with a busted bracket?
The Sweet 16 is almost here – who’s still alive? We’re reviewing the week that was in the first week of the NCAA tournament and turning our focus to remaining teams. How bad (or good!) is your bracket? Join us in the SB Nation March Madness Feed and let’s talk about who’s most likely to make a run to glory.
By the end of the night, the NIT will have its championship game matchup set. So, who's heading downtown to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the chance of winning a postseason title?
The first team from the original 32-team bracket to punch its ticket to the title game was No. 1 seed Tulsa, which willed its way through some second-half offensive struggles and a late push from No. 1 seed New Mexico to defeat the Lobos 74-69 in the first of two semifinal games at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Thursday, April 2.
The difference-maker for the Golden Hurricane proved to be Tylen Riley, who scored nine of Tulsa's final 15 points of the game.
The second team to punch its ticket to the title game will be the winner of the No. 1 seed Auburn vs. No. 4 seed Illinois State semifinal, which will tip off shortly at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Here's an updated look at which teams have advanced to the NIT championship including updated brackets, matchups and schedules:
Who's in NIT championship? Updated NIT bracket
Tulsa was the first team to advance to the NIT championship with a win over New Mexico. The Golden Hurricane are now looking for their third NIT crown after winning it first in 1981 and then again in 2001. Tulsa is the only one of the four remaining schools in the NIT to win the NIT.
Here's a look at who has moved on to the NIT championship:
No. 1 Tulsa
NIT championship schedule, game times, TV info, championship location
All times Eastern
The NIT championship will be held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Charlotte rookie Kon Knueppel set the Hornets’ franchise record for 3-pointers in a season.
Knueppel needed four 3s entering Thursday night's game against the Phoenix Suns. After missing two wide open looks in the fourth quarter Knueppel finally hit his 261st 3-pointer off an assist from Grant Williams as the home crowd erupted in cheers.
The 20-year-old Knueppel beat the previous franchise mark of 260 3-pointers set by Kemba Walker in 2018-19.
Also in the game, the Suns' Collin Gillespie set the team's franchise record for 3-pointers in a season with his 227th basket from long distance, surpassing the mark of 226, set by Quentin Richardson (2004-05).
Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham is set to join the growing list of NBA players who are ineligible for postseason awards.
A player becomes ineligible if they miss 18 or more games. Cunningham, who has played 61 games this season, suffered a collapsed lung that has kept him out since March 17. He will be re-evaluated in one week, the Pistons said Thursday.
Cunningham suffered the injury after a collision with Tre Johnson while diving for a loose ball in the first quarter of a game against the Washington Wizards on March 17.
Cunningham was once considered an MVP contender this season. Entering Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Pistons had a 55-21 overall record and sat in first in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons will play three more games before Cunningham's latest evaluation.
He has averaged 24.5 points, 9.9 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game in 61 games played this season.
The Detroit Red Wings need every point they can get in this tightly-packed race toward the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the good news is that they've taken a 2-1 lead over the Philadelphia Flyers into the third period.
The bad news is that they're shorthanded once again. Defenseman Justin Faulk, who was acquired from the St. Louis Blues last month at the NHL Trade Deadline, suffered an unspecified injury and has been ruled out for the remainder of the contest.
UPDATE: Defenseman Justin Faulk will not return to tonight’s game.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 3, 2026
Before his injury, Faulk had appeared in 10:49 of ice time over 16 shifts.
Since being acquired by the Red Wings from the Blues last month, Faulk has scored once while adding two assists.
He's signed for another season with a $6.5 million cap hit.
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SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: Robbie Ray #38 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the New York Yankees at Oracle Park on March 27, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants welcome the New York Mets to Oracle Park tonight to begin a four-game series.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be left-hander Robbie Ray, who finished the 2025 season with a 3.65 ERA, 3.93 FIP, with 186 strikeouts to 73 walks in 182.1 innings pitched. His first start this season was in the Giants’ 3-0 loss to the New York Yankees on Friday, in which he allowed two runs on five hits with four strikeouts in five and a third innings.
He’ll be facing off against the Mets left-hander David Peterson, who finished the 2025 season with a 4.22 ERA, 3.48 FIP, with 150 strikeouts to 65 walks in 168.2 innings pitched. His first start this season was in the Mets’ 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, in which he allowed six hits with three strikeouts and two walks in five and a third innings pitched.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City catcher Carter Jensen was removed from the Royals’ starting lineup for Thursday game with the Minnesota Twins after he overslept.
“I didn’t wake up to my alarm. Slept through it," Jensen told The Kansas City Star and other outlets. "Don’t really have an excuse — nor should I. It sucks. It happens. I feel like I let teammates down, coaches down. Just learn from it and just know it won’t happen again.”
Jensen eventually arrived, but not early enough to prepare adequately to start the game. He did end up coming in as Kansas City’s catcher in the ninth inning of the Royals' 5-1 loss.
Salvador Perez, who was expecting to be Kansas City’s designated hitter Thursday, ended up catching the first eight innings.
“First and foremost, I’m glad Carter’s OK,” Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino told reporters. “I mean, that was kind of the initial thought when you’re trying to get a hold of his parents and everything like that — just make sure he’s OK.”
Pasquantino said Jensen, a 22-year-old rookie, needs to learn from this experience.
“There are some things that cannot happen, and that’s one of them,” Pasquantino said. “So he’s going to have to wear it on the chin — same way anybody would have to. It can’t happen, and hopefully it doesn’t happen again. But it’s one of those things that you just can’t afford mistakes like that in this game. Just got to move forward the best that he can. I know he feels really bad.
“I know it was not his favorite drive to the field this morning, but it wasn’t our favorite morning either, trying to figure out what was going on. He’ll learn from it, grow a little bit. We’re here for him, though. It’s not like anybody’s mad at him. Things happen. But you’ve got to learn from mistakes like that — and maybe get another alarm clock or something.”
The Royals will call up Luinder Avila from Omaha to start Friday’s game against the Brewers, according to MLB.com reporter Anne Rogers. Michael Wacha was originally scheduled to start on Friday, but will be pushed back due to illness. Avila was scheduled to start Omaha’s game tonight, but was scratched and replaced by Ethan Bosacker. The team has yet to announce the move, but Steven Cruz seems like a good bet to be sent down after he pitched on back-to-back days and gave up three home runs in an inning of work in a 5-1 loss on Thursday.
Update: Luinder Avila will start tomorrow and Michael Wacha will be pushed back due to an illness. Rest of the weekend (Lugo, Bubic) is unchanged. Roster move will be announced tomorrow. #Royalshttps://t.co/38QCp74Mlq
Luinder Avila appeared in 13 games with the Royals last year, giving up just two runs with 16 strikeouts in 14 innings for an ERA of 1.29. The Royals sent him to the minors to keep him stretched out as a starter. He started the first game for Omaha, and he gave up two runs in three innings with three strikeouts.
Avila is ranked as the #9 prospect in the Royals’ farm system by MLB Pipeline. He throws from a high angle, and tends to induce a lot of groundballs. His curveball had a 48 percent whiff rate in limited big league action. He was also impressive in the World Baseball Classic, throwing 4.1 innings and allowing just one unearned run for Team Venezuela.
The Royals list Seth Lugo to start the Saturday game with Kris Bubic to start on Sunday. The Royals begin a three-game series in Cleveland on Monday.
The “boys in blue” will take on a literal meaning this year.
On Thursday, the Dodgers announced they are introducing a new blue uniform into their regular road rotation.
The new jerseys follow the team’s traditional template, featuring their iconic red numbers on the front and a cursive “Los Angeles” script across the chest.
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani on deck in the fourth against the Los Angeles Angels at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It marks the first time in team history they will wear blue uniforms on the road.
Blue uniforms have been used at home in the past, but not since the team’s original “Los Dodgers” city connect jerseys were replaced by their new moon-colored iteration.
Previously, the Dodgers had rotated between two gray uniforms on the road — one that said “Los Angeles” and another that said “Dodgers.”
The new edition will be accented in gray, used for the sleeve piping and an outline on the numbers.
Dodger Blue.
For the first time in history, the Dodgers will be wearing a blue jersey as part of their regular uniform rotation on the road. pic.twitter.com/ce3EVFVJTd
