Category: Sports News

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Open Thread: Spurs to donate $40,000 during Women’s History Month

Per a Spurs press release:

The San Antonio Spurs announced plans for their Barbie game day, presented by Trü Frü, taking place on Sunday, March 8 as the Spurs host the Houston Rockets, tipping off at 7 p.m. This theme night is part of the Spurs month-long celebration of Women’s History Month with the organization’s 2026 theme being “Give and Gain,” and will feature a $40,000 donation and in-game “Leaders and Legacies” spotlight, special jersey ticket package and more. 

The Spurs Barbie Game Day jersey and fanny pack are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Prio to the game, the Spurs will host a special meet and greet with Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot and command a space shuttle. The entirety of the game will feature an all-female cast with Ashley and Valerie leading the night in-arena, while music throughout the game will be curated by both DJ Sweetbeatz and DJ Catwalk.

In addition, the Spurs are distributing $40,000 in grants to five female operated local organizations whose leadership and service have made a lasting impact across the San Antonio community.

Fans can text HER to 210-444-5940 to learn more about the Barbie Game Day festivities and secure their exclusive jersey ticket package.

Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.

Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.

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Morning Skate: Busy

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MARCH 7: Casey Mittelstadt #11 and Viktor Arvidsson #71 of the Boston Bruins celebrate the third-period goal against the Washington Capitals at the TD Garden on March 7, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images

Happy Sunday, folks!

The Bruins turned in a much-improved performance on Saturday afternoon, beating the Washington Capitals at TD Garden by a score of 2-1.

The B’s got goals from Pavel Zacha and Viktor Arvidsson, plus 22 saves from Jeremy Swayman.

The game probably could have gone a bit differently if Tom Wilson didn’t miss a couple of grade-A scoring chances, but coming off of Thursday night’s mess of a game in Nashville, yesterday’s team-wide performance was better in all areas.

The win coming in regulation had standings implications as well, with Washington falling to six points behind the Bruins for the second wild card spot.

The Caps are actually tied in points with Philadelphia now, with both Ottawa and Columbus ahead of them.

Other games on Saturday with playoff implications:

  • Buffalo beat Nashville, while Tampa beat Toronto. Those two wins mean Buffalo and Tampa remain tied atop the Atlantic Division, though Buffalo has played two more games.
  • Montreal beat Los Angeles to move into 3rd in the Atlantic and bump Detroit down to the first wild card spot.
  • Ottawa beat Seattle to stay in the wild card hunt.
  • Columbus lost to Utah in OT, allowing the B’s to gain a point in the standings on the Blue Jackets.

With 20 games left, there’s still plenty of time for all of this to change, so it’s probably silly to put too much thought into it, but hey, it’s Sunday. Something to read about.

Your highlights from yesterday’s win over Washington, if you’d like to review:

View Link

And now…more hockey!

The Bruins are right back at it today, taking on the Penguins in Pittsburgh.

  • When: Today, 4:30ish PM
  • Where: PPG Paints Arena – Pittsburgh, PA
  • How to follow: TNT, HBO Max, 98.5 The Sports Hub
  • Opposing perspective:Pensburgh

We’re back to “ish” for start time, is this is a TNT broadcast — it could start anywhere from 4:30 to 9 AM on Monday. Who knows.

The Penguins also played yesterday, falling to the Flyers in OT, 4-3.

Sidney Crosby is back to practicing but not playing, while Evgeni Malkin is suspended, so the Penguins aren’t exactly at full strength at the moment.

We’ll have a Public Skate up for you this afternoon. Until then, enjoy your Sunday!

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Orioles news: Holliday hits off tee, Wells looks to bullpen

Sep 27, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday (7) at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Hello, friends.

There are now 18 days remaining until Orioles Opening Day. From now through March 23 will be near-daily exhibitions where hopefully nobody will get injured and everybody will get ready to fill the role they are needed to fill this season. This afternoon, they’ll play the Blue Jays at 1:05 in a game that will air on MASN as well as on the Orioles flagship radio stations in Baltimore. Many of your electronic devices have probably already reminded you that the “spring forward” part of Daylight Savings Time happened last night, but if they haven’t, don’t show up an hour late.

With the magic of spring training, the Orioles played two games simultaneously in two different places yesterday afternoon. At home in Sarasota, one group of Orioles beat the Twins, 3-2. Heston Kjerstad hit a two-run go-ahead home run in this game, and Coby Mayo later broke a tie with an RBI double.

A second group of Orioles was on the road to play the Braves in North Port, Florida. That game ended in a 2-2 tie. Not much of interest happened in this game. Samuel Basallo was on base twice, so at least there was that. Pitching prospect Boston Bateman got some action in and allowed two solo home runs, one to Austin Riley and one to Mike Yastrzemski. That’s some tougher competition than he’s seen in A-ball up to this point. Earlier in the game, pitching prospect Luis De León struck out those same two batters.

Within the next week, we’ll see more and more of the players who are obviously not going to make the MLB roster getting sent over to the minor league camp and there won’t be as many opportunities to see them in the major league spring games. The expected big league regulars will be playing more and more of the innings as the regular season gets closer. We’re not quite there yet, especially with there still being World Baseball Classic absences.

Orioles stuff you might have missed

“I want the fire”: Wells ready for pressure of the ‘pen (Orioles.com)
With Andrew Kittredge out, there’s a late inning waiting for Wells if he can lay claim to it.

Grant Wolfram, a spring standout, building case to be in bullpen (The Baltimore Sun)
I don’t know how much having a 0.00 ERA through four games matters, but Wolfram has got one.

Updating Holliday’s advancements in recovery from hamate bone surgery (School of Roch)
Yesterday’s development is that Holliday has progressed to swinging off a tee, with BP “within the next week or so.” They still haven’t put a timetable on his return. I’m sticking with my guess of Holliday missing a month.

Orioles option Brandon Young to minor league camp (Baltimore Baseball)
As manager Craig Albernaz said, “There is no pathway for him to break with us for Opening Day,” so the team wanted to get him over to the minor league side to build up his innings there. 67 players are still on the camp roster after this lone cut.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Today in 2001, the Orioles announced that Albert Belle was no longer able to perform as an MLB player due to his degenerative right hip condition.

There are several former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2011 pitcher Mark Worrell, 2009 pitcher Chris Lambert, 2009 utility man Ryan Freel, 2002 infielder Mike Moriarty, and 1960-62 infielder Marv Breeding.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: composer Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach (1714), Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (1841), baseball Hall of Famers Dick Allen (1942) and Jim Rice (1953), sports broadcaster Kenny Smith (1965), and actor James Van Der Beek (1977).

On this day in history…

In 1801, during the War of the Second Coalition (against Napoleon), the British successfully landed an expeditionary force in Egypt with a victory in the Battle of Abukir. Within six months, the French who had invaded the territory surrendered.

In 1917, protests made on International Women’s Day in Petrograd, Russia launched the February Revolution that, over the next eight days, overthrew the monarchy. If you’re wondering why the February Revolution happened in March, it’s because Russia at this time was still using the Julian calendar so for them it was February 23.

In 1979, electronics company Philips made the first demonstration of the compact disc.

A random Orioles trivia question

I received a random book of Orioles trivia questions for Christmas. I’ll ask a question in this space each time it’s my turn until I run out of questions or forget. Though the book gives multiple choice answers, I’m not giving you those because that would be too easy. Here’s today’s question:

The team’s combined no-hitter in 1991 against the Athletics saw three relievers pitch: Mike Flanagan, Mark Williamson, and Gregg Olson. Who was the starting pitcher in this game?

If you are answering the question early in the day, please be considerate of those coming later and place your answer in spoiler text in the comments. Thank you!

**

And that’s the way it is in Birdland on March 8. Have a safe Sunday.

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With no help coming, Kings players struggling to prove they're playoff-worthy

Los Angeles Kings right wing Alex Laferriere, right, passes the puck as Montréal Canadiens.
Kings forward Alex Laferriere, right, passes the puck in front of Montréal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes during the first period of the Kings' 4-3 loss Saturday at Crypto.com Arena. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

You’re on your own.

That’s the message Kings general manager Ken Holland delivered to his team at the NHL trade deadline, when he turned his attention from the present to the future.

Rather than make a major move, Holland folded. The cards he was holding and the deficit he faced in the standings told him he didn’t have a winning hand.

“These are the decisions that I have to make,” he said. “Certainly where we are in the standings, I have to make some philosophical decisions.”

Where they are after giving up third-period goals just 49 seconds apart Saturday in a 4-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens is sixth in the eight-team Pacific Division, four points out of a wild-card berth with 20 games remaining.

Read more:Kings can't hold on to third-period lead in loss to Canadiens

So Holland decided draft picks for next season and the season after were more valuable than immediate help this season. That’s a big change in philosophy from just a month ago, when Holland traded away part of the future — a prospect and two draft picks — for forward Artemi Panarin just ahead of the Olympic break.

But before Panarin had played his fourth game with his new team, the Kings fired coach Jim Hiller and lost wingers Andrei Kuzmenko, Kevin Fiala and Joel Armia to injuries.

“If Fiala was healthy and Armia was healthy, we’d be looking at our team different,” Holland said. “That’s why I did the deal before the deadline. We don’t have a lot of key pieces.”

“We want to continue to try to push to qualify for the playoffs,” he continued. “At the same time, behind the scenes, we’re trying to get some [draft] picks, looking to the future.”

So Holland called off the cavalry. If the Kings are going to make a run at a fifth straight playoff berth, they’re going to have to do it with an interim coach and the guys they already have. Holland made only a few cosmetic moves ahead of Friday’s trade deadline, shipping out forwards Corey Perry and Warren Foegele for draft picks and adding Scott Laughton and Mathieu Joseph, depth pieces, neither of whom are signed beyond this season.

Montreal forward Juraj Slafkovsky scores on Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper during the third period Saturday.
Montreal forward Juraj Slafkovsky scores on Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper during the third period Saturday. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

And if that sounded like a lack of confidence, D.J. Smith, the interim coach, said it was well-earned.

“It's up to the players and the coaching staff to get the team in a spot where the [general] manager feels that he's got to really help the group to try to win,” he said Saturday. “Obviously we didn't do that enough and it's unfortunate.”

But if the Kings’ breathing is shallow and their pulse faint, they aren’t dead just yet despite seven losses in their last nine games.

“We’re trying to win,” Holland said. “It’s the National Hockey League. We’re [four] points out of a playoff spot. Maybe the narrative changes if you’re 15 points out of a playoff spot. But we’re [four] points out of a playoff spot.”

Panarin — wearing the No. 10 sweater Perry had before he was traded to Tampa Bay — helped the Kings take a first-period lead Saturday, battling Montreal defender Mike Matheson for the puck entering the Canadiens’ zone. That allowed Adrian Kempe to skate in and take the puck off Matheson’s stick and feed Anze Kopitar at the far post for the tap-in.

That goal gave Kopitar 1,304 points for his career, just three shy of Marcel Dionne’s franchise record.

Samuel Helenius thought he had doubled the lead less than two minutes later but the goal was waved off by goalie interference. And the Kings should have had more after a period in which they outshot the Canadiens 16-1.

That proved costly when Montreal's Jake Evans drove a slap shot by Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper from the top of the left circle to tie the score in the second period.

Juraj Slafkovsky put Montreal in front less than five minutes before the second intermission, lifting a wrist shot over Kuemper’s glove from the slot. But Laughton, making his Kings debut, got that back two minutes later, lining a low wrist shot from a tough angle off the pads of Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes. Jared Wright got his first NHL point with an assist on the play.

Read more:Artemi Panarin scores his first goal with Kings in victory over Islanders

The Kings’ Alex Laferriere and Slafkovsky traded third-period goals, with Slafkovky scoring 31 seconds after Trevor Moore went to the penalty box for slashing. That set the stage for Nick Suzuki’s go-ahead goal 49 seconds later, following a Moore turnover deep in the Kings’ end.

And that moved the Kings a game closer to a new season Holland has begun preparing for.

“Time is running out,” Laferriere said. “We have 20 games left now and we need every single point. We can’t change what happened so we’ve got to try to take the positives from the game and make sure it doesn’t happen ever again.”

Because from here on out, they’re on their own.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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March Madness bracket tracker: Men's NCAA Tournament locks, bubble teams

Nearly all of men's college basketball is through with the regular season, and only conference tournaments await before March Madness is fully underway.

Thirty-one automatic bids will be awarded over the next week via conference tournament winners. Another 37 at-large bids are up for grabs, although numerous teams are virtual locks for the NCAA Tournament already.

REQUIRED READING: March Madness bubble watch: Pressure builds in final week of regular season

Will there be any bid stealers in 2026? Conference tournaments provide bubble teams with one final chance to boost their resumes prior to sweating out Selection Sunday.

Here's a look at the latest NCAA Tournament projections heading into conference tournament week in men's college basketball:

March Madness bracket bubble watch tracker

Based on games through Saturday, March 7

NCAA Tournament locks

  • ACC (6): Duke, Virginia, North Carolina, Louisville, Miami, Clemson
  • Big 12 (6): Arizona, Iowa State, Houston, Kansas, Texas Tech, Brigham Young
  • Big Ten (8): Michigan, Illinois, Purdue, Michigan State, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa, UCLA
  • SEC (7): Florida, Alabama, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Georgia
  • Big East (3): UConn, St. John's, Villanova
  • Other (3): Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, Saint Louis

Each team on the locks list has a 99.9% chance or better to reach the NCAA Tournament, per Torvik's "TourneyCast."

Wisconsin has risen into lock territory after a strong February saw the Badgers finish 4-3 with a pair of top-10 wins over Illinois and Michigan State. Although Kentucky has lost four of its last six games, its ranked wins over Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Arkansas and St. John's is enough for a bid.

Saint Mary's will compete with Gonzaga for the WCC title, but defeated the Bulldogs on Feb. 28 and has a 27-4 record this season. That resume alone is enough to be a lock for the tournament.

NCAA Tournament likely ins

  • ACC (1): NC State
  • Big 12 (2): TCU, UCF
  • Big Ten(1): Ohio State
  • SEC (3): Texas A&M, Texas, Missouri
  • Big East: N/A
  • Other (1): Utah State

This late in the season, most teams are either NCAA tournament locks or bubble teams — hence the short list of teams as "likely ins." It would take disaster for most, if not all, of these teams to not reach the 2026 men's NCAA Tournament. However, the chance is still there for a meltdown.

Each team listed as a likely-in program has a 70% chance or higher to earn an at-large bid, per "TourneyCast."

NCAA Tournament bubble teams

  • ACC (4): Southern Methodist, Virginia Tech, California, Stanford, Southern California
  • Big 12 (3): Cincinnati, Arizona State, West Virginia
  • Big Ten (1): Indiana
  • SEC (2): Auburn, Oklahoma
  • Big East (1): Seton Hall
  • Other (5): Miami (Ohio), San Diego State, Santa Clara, VCU, New Mexico

Miami (Ohio) still hasn't lost this season, but will only feel comfortable heading into Selection Sunday if it wins the MAC tournament. The RedHawks rank No. 53 in the NCAA's Net Rankings and haven't played any Quad 1 games, which will make it tough to earn an at-large bid should they lose the MAC tournament.

San Diego State, Santa Clara, VCU and New Mexico are in a similar boat as non-Power conference teams. Santa Clara likely has the best chance of earning an at-large bid, although its chances of winning the WCC are slim over Saint Mary's and Gonzaga.

Auburn has seen its chances plummet in recent weeks, losing eight of its last 10 games under first-year coach Steven Pearl. Oklahoma has since its chances go from zero to slim during Auburn's fall, with wins in five of its last seven games. The Sooners would need to make quite the run at the SEC tournament to have an at-large shot.

The ACC tournament will also be interesting, as five teams are fighting for their lives on the bubble. Perhaps whichever teams do the most at the conference tournament will earn the NCAA Tournament nods.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness bracket tracker: Men's NCAA Tournament locks, bubble teams

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Dodgers schedule for next week includes off day & more World Baseball Classic

TOKYO, JAPAN - MARCH 06: Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18 of Team Japan reacts in the third inning during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool C game between Japan and Chinese Taipei at Tokyo Dome on March 06, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Gene Wang - Capture At Media/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Dodgers have their first off day of the spring this week, with no game on the docket for Wednesday. It’s one of two off days on their Cactus League schedule, along with Thursday, March 19. Also this week, pool play concludes in the World Baseball Classic, which moves into elimination games next weekend.

Korea, at 1-2 in Pool C, needs a win over Australia on Monday and some help to stay alive in the tournament. If Japan advances out of Pool C as expected, expect Yoshinobu Yamamoto to pitch in the quarterfinals on Friday or Saturday.

Daylight saving time starts on Sunday, so Arizona will be on the same clock as those of us in and around Los Angeles now. Here is the schedule for the week ahead (all times PT):

Sunday, March 8

WBC: Japan vs. Australia, 3 a.m. (FS1)
Dodgers at A’s, 1:05 p.m. (SportsNet LA)

Monday, March 9

WBC: Korea vs. Australia, 3 a.m. (FS1)
Dodgers at Brewers, 1:10 p.m. (SportsNet LA)
WBC: Puerto Rico vs. Cuba, 4 p.m. (FS1)
WBC: United States vs. Mexico, 5 p.m. (Fox)

Tuesday, March 10

Dodgers vs. D-backs, 1:05 p.m. (SportsNet LA, AM 570)
WBC: Puerto Rico vs. Canada, 4 p.m. (Tubi)
WBC: United States vs. Italy, 6 p.m. (FS1)

Wednesday, March 11

Off day

Thursday, March 12

Dodgers vs. Reds, 6:05 p.m. (SportsNet LA)

Friday, March 13

WBC: Quarterfinal matchup, 3:30 p.m. (FS2)
Dodgers at Mariners, 6:10 p.m. (SportsNet LA)
WBC: Quarterfinal matchup, 5 p.m. (Fox)

Saturday, March 14

WBC: Quarterfinal matchup, 3 p.m. (FS1)
Dodgers “at” White Sox, 1:05 p.m. (SportsNet LA, AM 570)
WBC: Quarterfinal matchup, 6 p.m. (Fox)

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Are the Yankees still the best offense in the AL East?

Mar 3, 2026; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Team USA outfielder Aaron Judge against the San Francisco Giants during a spring training game at Scottsdale Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Yankees have spent a lot of time talking about their pitching this spring, Brian Cashman making a point to praise the high upside arms the team will have at their disposal throughout the season. To be sure, the thought of Gerrit Cole arriving midseason to reinforce a rotation that should already include Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, and Cam Schlittler is tantalizing, not to mention the potential on offer from new addition Ryan Weathers and prospects Carlos Lagrange and Elmer Rodríguez.

But perhaps we should be spending more time talking about offense. It was on offense, after all, that the Yankees shined in 2025, running a 119 wRC+ that was by far the best in baseball. Their 118 wRC+ in 2024 also led MLB, albeit by a lesser margin. Judge’s production is incomparable, but he’s been backed up by enough depth in recent years to put the offense into elite territory.

Yet the Yankees aren’t alone even in their own division in terms of offense, with particularly strong outfits in a few spots in the AL East. So let’s keep it simple: who’s got the best lineup in the division?

The Yankees are the incumbents, having paced the league last year and continuing to employ the greatest hitter of his generation. But will one of their rivals surpass them? At first blush, the Blue Jays seem like the strongest contenders. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and George Springer lead the way, backed up by a few group breakout players, a group that cut the Yankees pitching to death in the ALDS in 2025.

That said, the Orioles could be a dark horse. The O’s disappointed last year, but they made some serious power additions in the form of Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward, deepening a lineup that already included loads of talented young players, led by Gunnar Henderson. Baltimore would need bounce back seasons from Adley Rutschman and Jackson Holliday, among others, but this Orioles offense has the talent to be very, very good. The last two offenses here, in Boston and Tampa, probably don’t have quite the horses to get into this conversation, though the Red Sox could surprise. Roman Anthony is already a star, and Willson Contreras, Wilyer Abreu, and Jarren Duran round out a formidable top quartet of hitters.

What do you think? Is the best lineup in the division still in New York? Or will they be outstripped by the batters in Baltimore, Toronto, or elsewhere?

The WBC is roaring along, so this morning Matt and Peter will get you caught up on the latest action. We also have a fascinating figure for our Yankees Birthday series in Jim Bouton, while John takes a look at the Rangers as part of our 2026 MLB Preview, and also provides this week’s runaround Yankees social media.

Today’s Matchup

New York Yankees at New York Mets

Time: 1:10 p.m. EST

Video: WPIX, MLB Network (out-of-market only)

Venue: Clover Field, Port St. Lucie, FL

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Game Preview: Boston Bruins @ Pittsburgh Penguins 3/8/2026

PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 13: Bryan Rust #17 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates against Andrew Peeke #52 of the Boston Bruins at PPG PAINTS Arena on April 13, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images

Who:Boston Bruins (35-22-5, 75 points, 5th place Atlantic Division) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (31-17-14, 76 points, 2nd place Metropolitan Division)

When: 4:30 p.m. eastern

How to Watch: National game on TNT and TruTV, streaming on HBOMax

Pens’ Path Ahead: The Pens take a long road trip that starts and ends in Carolina with games on Tuesday and next Thursday March 18th. In between, they go a long ways with stops next week in Vegas, Utah and Colorado before returning back east.

Opponent Track: Since beating the Penguins 2-1 on Tuesday night, the Bruins lost 6-3 to Nashville and then defeated the Capitals 3-1 yesterday in Boston. After today they head back home for their next two games this week.

Season Series: It hasn’t been fun for Pittsburgh to see that other team in black and gold. Boston won a 1-0 game back on January 11th, then took a 2-1 game earlier in the week. The Pens and struggling to score against the Bruins is unfortunately an all-too-familiar trope in the Sidney Crosby era. Luckily today is the third and final PIT/BOS game of the season.

Hidden Stat: The Bruins have the second worst away record in the Eastern Conference (their 11-14-4 is just ahead of Toronto’s 11-15-4). However, the Penguins have only won 16 of their 32 home games this season (16-9-7) for one of the worst home records in the East.

Getting to know the Bruins

Projected lines

FORWARDS

Marat Khusnutdinov – Elias Lindholm – David Pastrnak

Casey Mittelstadt – Pavel Zacha – Viktor Arvidsson

Alex Steeves – Fraser Minten – Morgan Geekie

Tanner Jeannot – Sean Kuraly – Mark Kastelic

DEFENSEMEN

Jonathan Aspirot / Charlie McAvoy

Hampus Lindholm / Mason Lohrei

Nikita Zadorov / Andrew Peeke

Goalies: Joona Korpisalo (Jeremy Swayman played yesterday)

Potential scratches: Michael Eyssimont, Henri Jokirharju, Jordan Harris, Lukas Reichel (newly acquired)

Injured Reserve: none

  • Quiet trade deadline for the Bruins, who picked up forward Lukas Reichel for a sixth round pick and..that’s it. Much like the Penguins as a potential playoff team, Boston wasn’t interested in paying big costs to add veteran players at this time.
  • It would be fun if Boston makes it to the playoffs since their tough physical style and defensive nature is kinda going against the grain of a lot of teams these days who might have a little more speed and skill. It’s very possible Boston ends up as a Wild Card and might have to play a division winner like Carolina or Tampa in the first round. And, honestly, I think the Bruins are going to at least make an uncomfortable, long series out if it.

Season stats
via hockeydb

  • Swayman played yesterday, but that might not be a huge break for the Penguins to presumably see the backup goalie today. Korpisalo’s stats since Christmas (5-2-2, 2.61 GAA, .911 save%) are virtually identical to Swayman (10-3-2, 2.62 GAA, .912 save%). Seeing the backup in this situation, unfortunately, doesn’t look quite as beneficial as it might be in other instances.

And now for the Pens

Projected lines 

FORWARDS

Egor Chinakhov – Rickard Rakell – Bryan Rust

Anthony Mantha – Tommy Novak – Justin Brazeau

Ville Koivunen – Ben Kindel – Avery Hayes

Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari

DEFENSEMEN

Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson

Sam Girard / Kris Letang

Ryan Shea / Connor Clifton

Goalies: Arturs Silovs (Stuart Skinner played yesterday)

Potential Scratches: Evgeni Malkin (suspended), Ryan Graves, Ilya Solovyov, Kevin Hayes

IR: Sidney Crosby, Filip Hallander, Jack St. Ivany

  • This is a kind of gut check game for the Pens, who just saw this Boston team last week and lost a hard-fought road game. It’s going to take a lot to dig deep on the back-to-back and get a good result against a tough opponent for them recently, which also means it’s a great opportunity to see if anyone can step up and stand out.

Two top performing goaltending tandems

A key to the Pens and Bruins finding success in the last quarter of the season has been superior goaltending inputs. Both teams have been getting a ton of saves at key times, pilling up towards the top of the league as far as the goaltending performances have gone. Given that both teams are on a b-2-b, Boston traveled, daylight saving time and a strange 4:30pm start and that there has been a 1-0 and 2-1 final scores in the early PIT/BOS games, you’d probably expect a low-scoring contest to unfold today with goalie performances like this leading the way. (That said, of course watch it be a 5-3 game today).

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Fantasy Basketball Week 20 Schedule Primer: Banged-up 76ers face a five-game week

With Week 21 being the first week of the playoffs in Yahoo! default leagues, Week 20 is huge in terms of positioning for the "money weeks." And with injury reports getting longer by the day, being able to navigate the waiver wire is of even greater importance. Let's look at the Week 20 schedule breakdown and some key storylines, beginning with the 76ers, who will go into the week shorthanded, and things could get worse for Nick Nurse's team.

NBA: Portland Trail Blazers at Memphis Grizzlies
Fantasy Basketball Weekend Must-Starts: Jrue Holiday set to continue blazing hot stretch
Jrue Holiday has been pouring in the points lately and leads a group of 10 must-start players ahead of the weekend.

Week 20 Games Played

5 Games: PHI

4 Games: BKN, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, GSW, IND, LAC, MEM, MIL, MIN, NYK, SAC, TOR, UTA

3 Games: ATL, BOS, CHA, CHI, HOU, LAL, MIA, OKC, ORL, PHX, POR, SAS, WAS

2 Games: NOR

Week 20 Back-to-backs

Sunday (Week 19)-Monday: CLE, NYK

Monday-Tuesday: BKN, GSW, MEM, PHI

Tuesday-Wednesday: CHA, HOU, MIN, SAC, TOR

Wednesday-Thursday: DEN, ORL

Thursday-Friday: CHI, DAL, DET, IND, MEM, PHX

Friday-Saturday: LAC

Saturday-Sunday: MIL, PHI, SAC

Sunday-Monday (Week 21): DAL, GSW, POR

Week 20 Storylines of Note

- Philadelphia has five games, but that isn't necessarily a good thing.

At first glance, a team having five games in a week would be great news for fantasy managers. However, given how banged up the 76ers are going into Week 20, it's fair to question whether managers will be able to reap the rewards. Joel Embiid (oblique) will be re-evaluated during the week, missing at least the first two games on Monday and Tuesday. Andre Drummond and Adem Bona have shared the center responsibilities in the former MVP's absence, but neither has been consistent enough to be trusted completely in fantasy leagues.

And the perimeter situation may be even worse. VJ Edgecombe (back) missed the 76ers' final two games of Week 19, while Tyrese Maxey (hand) was injured during the final minute of Saturday's loss to the Hawks. While Kelly Oubre Jr. (illness) made his return on Saturday, going into Week 20 with questions regarding Edgecombe and Maxey is bad news for the 76ers. Besides Oubre, Quentin Grimes is the player worth trusting going into Week 20. Cameron Payne's role would likely expand if Maxey has to miss time, but he's struggled with inconsistency throughout his NBA career.

With two back-to-backs to navigate while holding onto the 6-seed in the East, Week 20 will be an interesting week for the 76ers in "real" and fantasy basketball.

- New Orleans has the schedule to avoid in Week 20.

While the 76ers will be incredibly busy during Week 20, the Pelicans are on the other end of that spectrum. New Orleans only plays two games, on Wednesday and Friday. Managers who have Trey Murphy, Zion Williamson or Saddiq Bey rostered don't have much to worry about, as they'll figure prominently in the rotation and should be held onto in standard leagues. Does the light schedule lead to Dejounte Murray's playing time increasing, or do the Pelicans continue to play it safe? Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears may not be worth holding in a two-game week, especially since they're coming off the bench.

- Chicago and Houston are among the teams whose schedules conclude on Friday.

In addition to the Pelicans, the Bulls, Rockets, Grizzlies and Suns will complete their Week 20 schedules on Friday. While Houston won't end its week with a back-to-back, the Bulls, Grizzlies and Suns will. For Chicago, the concern is players like Josh Giddey and Jalen Smith, who have both missed time recently due to injury. Due to the Thursday/Friday road back-to-back against the Lakers and Clippers, fantasy managers may get no more than two games from Giddey and Smith if they're available at the beginning of the week.

Collin Sexton put up a season-high 30 points as Giddey's replacement in the starting lineup on Thursday in a win over Phoenix, and Tre Jones' fantasy value also receives a boost when he's the lone point guard in the starting lineup. Smith's availability has affected Guerschon Yabusele and Nick Richards, as they've handled most of the available minutes at the center position.

- Like Philadelphia, the Grizzlies and Kings have two back-to-backs to navigate within Week 20.

The Grizzlies and Kings are headed for the draft lottery. However, while Memphis has been willing to sit players like Ty Jerome, Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cedric Coward, as they've all missed time due to injury, the Kings have continued to play Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan significant minutes. For managers who have Jerome, Pippen or Coward rostered, they'll need to plan for Week 20 with the expectation that those players, whose minutes are limited when available, will be limited to two games due to the back-to-backs.

As for the Kings, the players to watch are Nique Clifford and, to a lesser extent, Devin Carter, since Maxime Raynaud's playing time has not been an issue. Clifford's status as a starter could change during Week 20, as Keegan Murray (ankle) is expected to be re-evaluated. And the rookie was limited to 21 minutes in the Kings' March 5 loss to the Pelicans. Carter's plight may be even more frustrating, as the second-year guard picked up a DNP-CD in the New Orleans loss while Westbrook played 34 minutes and Killian Hayes logged 11. Maybe things will shift in Carter's favor during Week 20; he isn't a great fantasy option, but extended playing time could make him someone worth targeting for Weeks 21 and beyond.

- How much will Warriors forward/center Kristaps Porziņǵis play?

Porziņǵis returned to the Warriors' rotation on Saturday, and pregame reports indicated he would be limited to 10-15 minutes. In the loss to the Thunder, Porziņǵis actually played 22 minutes. The Warriors begin their four-game Week 20 with games on Monday (at Utah) and Tuesday (vs. Chicago), so fantasy managers will likely get three games, at most, out of Porziņǵis. However, even that isn't guaranteed for two reasons. First and foremost is the unpredictable nature of his illness. Secondly, the Warriors' final game of Week 20, March 15, against the Knicks, is the first of two games in as many nights, as Golden State visits Washington on the first day of Week 21. One would hope that Porziņǵis plays three games, but two may also be a possibility.

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Atle Lie McGrath wins first World Cup slalom since his Olympic exit into the forest

KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia (AP) — From Olympic despair in a course-side forest to a joyous win in the World Cup.

Atle Lie McGrath ’s emotions came full circle Sunday when he protected his first-run lead to win a tough and sun-baked World Cup slalom by just 0.01 seconds.

It was the first men’s slalom since McGrath's emotional exit at the Milan Cortina Olympics three weeks ago when he skied out of the race he was set to win.

Then, the Norwegian racer famously hiked across the mountain side to cool off alone beneath the trees lining the course in Bormio, Italy.

On Sunday, McGrath was greeted in the finish area by his teammate Henrik Kristoffersen, runner-up by the minimum margin, and his childhood friend Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, who was third by just 0.04.

McGrath’s emotions had been heightened at the Olympics because his grandfather had died in the week the games opened. He dedicated this victory to him.

“To bounce back like this after the Olympics, I think he has something to do with it. He was looking over me today,” the Vermont-born racer said.

McGrath also extended his lead in the season-long slalom standings over Pinheiro Braathen ahead of a decisive race on March 24 at the course where they raced as kids in Norway.

“Me and Lucas we grew up skiing together in Hafjell,” McGrath said. “So it has a lot of special memories and it’s going to be a pretty cool fight.”

It was a heated battle Sunday in snow-melting temperatures that hit 11 Celsius (52 Fahrenheit) in the early afternoon.

McGrath’s second run was just the 27th fastest of the 29 skiers who completed the race.

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AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

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Mi Hyang Lee makes final hole birdie to clinch Blue Bay LPGA

HAINAN ISLAND, China (AP) — Mi Hyang Lee threw away her lead with two double bogeys on the front nine, and then delivered a winner on the final hole Sunday with a lob wedge that hit the pin and set up a tap-in birdie to win the Blue Bay LPGA by one shot.

Lee closed with a 1-over 73 for a one-shot victory over Zhang Weiwei, who shot 69 at Jian Lake Blue Bay but lost the lead with a bogey on the 17th. It was Lee's third LPGA title, and her first in more than eight years.

“Almost give up, but my caddie just kept telling me, ‘Keep fighting, fighting.’ So I really fought, just didn't give up, and then I just got to make a lot of birdies,” said Lee, who responded to a 40 on the front nine with three birdies coming in. “Feels amazing.”

The South Korean finished at 11-under 277 for her first win since the 2017 Women's Scottish Open.

Auston Kim (71) stayed in contention for a LPGA title for the second consecutive week — after the American’s second-place finish at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore — and made three birdies over the last five holes to tie for third with Aditi Ashok (72) of India.

“I’m proud of the three birdies that I made coming in, but it really sucks to play that well Thursday, Friday, and not get it done. Really frustrating,” Kim said. "I hope moving forward I won’t make the same mistakes that I did this week and play better."

Lee's three-shot lead coming into the final evaporated on a tumultuous front nine with double bogeys at the par-4 fifth and ninth holes to lose the lead to Zhang.

But after the turn, Lee found her rhythm and made birdies at the 10th and 13th to keep in touch with the Chinese player, before Zhang's bogey at the 17th opened the door for Lee.

Lee had 75 yards to the hole on the par-5 18th, walked up to the green to check the landing area for her shot to a pin on the top shelf. Her 58-degree wedge hit the pin and settled 2 feet away as Lee put her hands over her head in disbelief.

“I just keep saying, ‘Oh my God, this is crazy,’” Lee said.

Defending champion Rio Takeda of Japan (73) tied for fifth with Hye-Jin Choi (72), Yu Liu (74) of China and South Korea's A Lim Kim (73).

Blue Bay LPGA was the third straight LPGA event on its first Asia swing of the season. A week after nine of the top 10 in the world played in Singapore, the China field had only one of the top 10. That was Ruoning Yin of China, a former Women’s PGA champion. She shot 76 and finished at 1-over 289, tied for 24th.

The LPGA takes a week off before resuming its U.S. schedule with the Founders Cup in California.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

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Todd McLellan Speaks On Integrating Justin Faulk Into Red Wings Defensive Corps

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As part of their 2026 NHL Trade Deadline acquisitions, the Detroit Red Wings picked up veteran defenseman Justin Faulk from the St. Louis Blues.

Faulk, who crossed the 1,000 career games played threshold this season, was acquired by Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman in exchange for Justin Holl, a first- and third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, and forward prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov.

While he wasn't able to play in Detroit's 3-1 setback on Friday evening against the Florida Panthers, they expect him to be slotted into the lineup for Sunday evening's tilt against the New Jersey Devils. 

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Following practice in Detroit on Saturday before they departed for New Jersey, head coach Todd McLellan said that while they anticipate Faulk suiting up, they'll observe how he acclimates to his new teammates. 

“We're going to put him in and play him, and we'll have to observe just how comfortable he'll be in playing with certain partners," McLellan said. "We may think, ‘He'll fit really good with Ben Chiarot,’ and that is the plan a little bit to put him there, and get your four guys rolling out,” McLellan said of Justin Faulk.

“But we have to observe and pay attention to who he is playing well with, and see how it goes with his partner.”

Right now, no decision has been made as to which defenseman will slot out of the lineup for Faulk. 

Detroit hopes Faulk’s presence will help stabilize their increasingly precarious position in the standings. Just a week ago, the Red Wings held second place in the Atlantic Division, but after two straight losses combined with wins by their division rivals, they now occupy the first Wild Card spot.

While Faulk is expected to make his Red Wings debut immediately, the same can't be said about David Perron, who was re-acquired on Thursday evening from the Ottawa Senators. 

Perron, who played for the Red Wings from 2022 through 2024, underwent sports hernia surgery in January and isn't expected to be available to play for at least the next two weeks. 

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Jasson Dominguez, Spencer Jones have more to prove before they can be starters for Yankees

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez rounds the bases after hitting a home run earlier in spring training, Image 2 shows Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones looks on from from the dugout earlier in spring training

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — There was a time when the Yankees might have envisioned a 2026 Yankee season with Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones both starting in the outfield, with Aaron Judge in right.

The reality, though, is that both young players have significantly more to prove before they get starting jobs in the majors, which is part of the reason why Trent Grisham received a qualifying offer this offseason and the Yankees signed Cody Bellinger to a new deal.

And to make matters worse for the young duo, they even brought in Randal Grichuk for a bench spot to add some right-handed depth to the roster.

But in Saturday’s 3-0 loss to the Nationals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, Domínguez was in left and Jones in center, as the Yankees look at the two talented prospects who are almost certainly ticketed for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Domínguez was first unable to outperform Alex Verdugo in 2024 and then Grisham last year, as Grisham emerged as an offensive force.

And Jones has shown flashes of phenomenal power in the minors, but not the consistency to warrant a call-up to The Bronx.

Still, they have time to make an impression on the organization — and Aaron Boone — especially this weekend with an inexperienced lineup because of back-to-back games on the opposite side of the state and other players absent due to the WBC.

Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez rounds the bases after hitting a home run earlier in spring training. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Boone said Saturday there have been encouraging signs from both Domínguez and Jones.

Of Jones, the manager said, “He’s done a nice job. He’s worked really hard this winter to make adjustments to try to hone his craft and had pretty good results here the first few weeks of games.”

He had a hard-hit single and stole second in the second inning Saturday.

Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones looks on from from the dugout earlier in spring training. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

Still, the 6-foot-7 Jones is coming off a season in which he whiffed 179 times in 506 plate appearances, an issue the Yankees remain hopeful will dissipate with more experience.

“Those are the challenges of being a big guy,’’ Boone said. “It’s a hard thing to figure out, but if you can do it, [that size is] a massive advantage.”

Judge is the best example of that, clearly. He turned 25 the year he set the rookie home run record in 2017.

Jones, the team’s first-round pick out of Vanderbilt in 2022, turns 25 in May.

“You’ve just got to figure out your mechanics,’’ Boone said of super-sized players. “It’s a challenging thing to do when you’re really big, but once you do, you have an advantage.”

That’s not what’s kept Domínguez back.

The switch-hitter has not blossomed from the right side yet — which helped lead to the Grichuk signing — and remains a work in progress in the outfield.

After Boone criticized some of his decision-making in the outfield Saturday, Domínguez threw out Washington’s José Tena, who was trying to stretch a single into a double in the third.

That’s not enough to unseat any of the starters — or Giancarlo Stanton at DH — but Boone said the situation hasn’t impacted Domínguez’s work.

“One of the things I appreciate about Jasson is how consistent a person he is,’’ Boone said. “He’s the same all the time. He has a good way about him. I’m not surprised, but I also think he continues to be a better pro. He’s done a good job.”

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Calgary visits Washington after Farabee's 2-goal game

Calgary Flames (25-30-7, in the Pacific Division) vs. Washington Capitals (31-26-7, in the Metropolitan Division)

Washington; Monday, 7 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Calgary Flames visit the Washington Capitals after Joel Farabee's two-goal game against the Carolina Hurricanes in the Flames' 5-4 win.

Washington has a 31-26-7 record overall and a 19-11-3 record on its home ice. The Capitals have a +12 scoring differential, with 199 total goals scored and 187 allowed.

Calgary has a 9-18-3 record in road games and a 25-30-7 record overall. The Flames have a -33 scoring differential, with 153 total goals scored and 186 allowed.

Monday's game is the second time these teams match up this season. The Capitals won 3-1 in the previous matchup.

TOP PERFORMERS: Alexander Ovechkin has 24 goals and 26 assists for the Capitals. Pierre-Luc Dubois has four goals and two assists over the past 10 games.

Matthew Coronato has 14 goals and 16 assists for the Flames. Farabee has five goals and three assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Capitals: 6-4-0, averaging 2.8 goals, 4.7 assists, 3.4 penalties and 7.9 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game.

Flames: 4-5-1, averaging 2.3 goals, 4.2 assists, 3.6 penalties and 7.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game.

INJURIES: Capitals: None listed.

Flames: None listed.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Sabres bring win streak into game against the Lightning

Tampa Bay Lightning (39-18-4, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Buffalo Sabres (38-19-6, in the Atlantic Division)

Buffalo, New York; Sunday, 6 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Lightning -125, Sabres +105; over/under is 6.5

BOTTOM LINE: The Buffalo Sabres take on the Tampa Bay Lightning with a six winning streak intact.

Buffalo has a 13-4-3 record in Atlantic Division play and a 38-19-6 record overall. The Sabres are 15-5-4 in games they score at least one power-play goal.

Tampa Bay is 39-18-4 overall with an 11-4-1 record against the Atlantic Division. The Lightning are first in NHL play serving 14.1 penalty minutes per game.

The matchup Sunday is the third time these teams meet this season. The Sabres won 6-2 in the last meeting. Joshua Norris led the Sabres with two goals.

TOP PERFORMERS: Tage Thompson has 34 goals and 32 assists for the Sabres. Jason Zucker has four goals over the past 10 games.

Nikita Kucherov has 32 goals and 68 assists for the Lightning. Brayden Point has five goals and eight assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Sabres: 7-2-1, averaging 3.4 goals, 5.6 assists, 3.7 penalties and eight penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game.

Lightning: 6-4-0, averaging 3.6 goals, 6.7 assists, 5.4 penalties and 17.9 penalty minutes while giving up 3.2 goals per game.

INJURIES: Sabres: None listed.

Lightning: None listed.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.