ELMONT, NEW YORK - MARCH 26: Bo Horvat #14 of the New York Islanders is congratulated by Emil Heineman #51 and Matthew Schaefer #48 after scoring a goal against the Dallas Stars during the first period at UBS Arena on March 26, 2026 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Steven Ryan/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
The New York Islanders needed this one after an extremely disappointing game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night. There was some bad blood between the Islanders and the Stars after Mikko Rantanen knocked out Alexander Romanov for the season the last time these two teams played, but with Rantanen dealing with an injury of his own, that won’t be resolved this season.
Instead, Bo Horvat opened the scoring early and Cal Ritchie picked up the game winner early in the third, and of course Ilya Sorokin was instrumental in keeping the Islanders in the game even as the Dallas Stars had their chances.
Matthew Schaefer’s two assists tonight further put him into legendary territory, as he scored his 53rd and 54th points of the season to pass Vladimir Malakhov’s 52 points as a rookie and tie Denis Potvin’s 54 to put him 2nd all time in rookie scoring for an Islanders defenseman. He only trails Stefan Persson, who scored 56 points in the 1977-78 season.
The scoreboard was also moderately kind to the Islanders: the Montreal Canadiens beat the Columbus Blue Jackets, but the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators went to a shootout that Pittsburgh won. All of that shakes out to the Islanders remaining in the second wild card spot for now, tied in points with Columbus but with an extra game played.
Continuing the trend of the last few games, the Islanders were the more dangerous team to start early on. Emil Heineman nearly opened the scoring, but it would be Bo Horvat who made it 1-0 five minutes in on the Islanders’ second shot of the game. Matthew Schaefer picked up an assist on the goal, bringing his point total to 53 on the season.
The Islanders went to the power play after Adam Erne was called for slashing Schaefer, but the biggest chance of the power play was a shorthanded one for the Stars that Ilya Sorokin made the save on.
Dallas started to take over more in the second half of the period, but Sorokin made the saves he needed to to keep it 1-0 Islanders.
Second Period
Carson Soucy almost got one off a set up from Simon Holmström, but the pass didn’t connect by the post.
Casey Cizikas went to the box for slashing Esa Lindell, and Sorokin made a huge save on Matt Duchene to help kill the penalty.
Bo Horvat put a dangerous shot off the post and Emil Heineman had a shot saved by Jake Oettinger, and then JG Pageau missed another dangerous shot.
Wyatt Johnston took a penalty for holding Holmström, but the Isles couldn’t convert on the man advantage.
Horvat nearly set up Marc Gatcomb, but Oettinger made the save.
Third Period
Just a couple of minutes into the third, it appeared that Schaefer scored, tying Brian Leetch’s rookie record, but it actually went off Cal Ritchie’s left skate to make it 2-0.
Schaefer’s second assist of the night gave him 54 points, tying him with Denis Potvin’s rookie point total.
Thomas Harley took a holding penalty, giving the Islanders another power play, but the Stars killed it despite some good looks.
Oettinger stopped a Kyle MacLean shot cross crease, and Sorokin made a big save on Miro Heiskanen.
Then, Adam Boqvist, filling in for Tony DeAngelo, took a holding penalty, and the Islanders killed that.
Sorokin made a bunch of saves in the last 5 minutes of the period, and then the Islanders had a 3 on 1 opportunity with Dallas’ net empty, but Schaefer fell and couldn’t get it past Harley on a diving play. That set up the Stars to go the other way and Duchene scored to make it 2-1 with just under 3 minutes left.
They put Oettinger back in for a little bit, but then pulled him again, and the Islanders were able to hold on for the 2-1 win.
Up Next
Next, the Islanders host the Florida Panthers at 1pm EST on Saturday, March 28th. The Panthers, despite their pedigree, sit in 15th place in the Eastern Conference, and so the Islanders will need to pick up two points as the playoff race keeps getting tighter.
HOUSTON (AP) — Alvaro Folgueiras converted a critical three-point play when Nebraska only had four defenders on the floor, and ninth-seeded Iowa continued its unpredictable NCAA Tournament run under first-year coach Ben McCollum, beating Nebraska 77-71 in a South Region semifinal on Thursday night.
Bennett Stirtz scored 20 points and Folgueiras had 16 for the Hawkeyes (24-12), who knocked off top-seeded Florida in the second round on Folgueiras’ 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
Iowa will face either Illinois or Houston on Saturday for a spot in the Final Four. McCollum, who won four Division II national titles at Northwest Missouri State, has now led Iowa to its fifth Elite Eight and first since 1987.
Fourth-seeded Nebraska (28-7) took an early 10-point lead against its Big Ten rival, and Iowa tied it four times but never led until Stirtz buried a 3-pointer to make it 68-65 with 2:10 to go. Sage Tate hit another 3 to cap a 9-0 run and put Iowa ahead 71-65.
The Cornhuskers got within three on a second-chance 3 by Braden Frager, but they were disorganized on the inbound play, leaving Folgueiras unguarded near the rim. He slammed it home — popping up screaming after he finished through contact as Iowa fans roared — and converted the free throw for a six-point lead.
Another dunk by Folgueiras with 34 seconds left made it 76-68.
Iowa transfer Pryce Sandfort made six 3s and scored 25 points for Nebraska, which won the first two March Madness games in program history to get this far. Frager added 16 points for coach Fred Hoiberg’s Cornhuskers, who delighted a traveling contingent of red-clad fans throughout their tournament run.
WEST REGION
NO. 2 PURDUE 79, NO. 11 TEXAS 77
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Trey Kaufman-Renn tipped in a miss by Braden Smith with 0.7 seconds left, and Purdue edged hobbling Texas star Tramon Mark and the Longhorns in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Texas (21-15) tied it moments earlier when Dailyn Swain made a driving layup, was fouled and converted the three-point play with 11.9 seconds to go. Smith had scored on his own drive with 38 seconds remaining and finished with 16 points.
Kaufman-Renn hit his first seven shots — going 6 for 6 and grabbing five rebounds in the first half — on the way to 20 points. He was mobbed by teammates right after the final buzzer sounded at SAP Center.
Mark scored 29 for the Longhorns, grimacing and clearly in pain limping on his injured left foot through the closing minutes when the sixth-year senior’s team needed him most. His points were the most by a Texas player in an NCAA Tournament game since Kevin Durant scored 30 against Southern California in the second round of the 2007 tournament.
Purdue (30-8) advances to Saturday’s Elite Eight game against either top-seeded Arizona (34-2) or No. 4 seed Arkansas (28-8), who were playing the late game at SAP Center.
Texas coach Sean Miller made his ninth Sweet 16 appearance in 21 seasons, the most of any coach who hasn’t reached the Final Four.
DETROIT (AP) — Jalen Duren had 30 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Detroit Pistons past the New Orleans Pelicans 129-108 on Thursday night.
Kevin Huerter had 22 points and Daniss Jenkins added 19 for Detroit, which was coming off a 130-129 overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. The Pistons, normally one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league, shot 53.6% (15 of 28) from beyond the arc, including 9 of 14 from Huerter and Jenkins.
Zion Williamson scored 21 points for New Orleans, which lost its third straight after winning five of six. Former Piston Saddiq Bey added 17, but no one else scored more than 13. The Pelicans made things harder on themselves by only shooting 45.8% (11-24) from the free-throw line.
HORNETS 114, KNICKS 103
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Kon Knueppel scored 26 points and made six 3-pointers to become the youngest player in NBA history with 250 in a season, and Charlotte snapped New York’ seven-game winning streak with a victory.
Knueppel, 20, nearly had his first career triple-double, finishing with 10 rebounds and eight assists.
LaMelo Ball added 22 points and Brandon Miller had 21 points and eight rebounds for the Hornets, who’ve won five straight. Miles Bridges and Coby White each chipped in with 17 points.
Jalen Brunson had 26 points and 13 assists for the Knicks, who would have clinched a playoff berth with a victory. OG Anunoby added 17 points in a game that featured a high-intensity postseason atmosphere.
Charlotte (39-34) pulled into a tie with Miami for eighth place in the Eastern Conference, although the Heat own the head-to-head tiebreaker.
MAGIC 111, KINGS 107
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) —Paolo Banchero had 30 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the Orlando stopped a six-game losing streak with a victory over Sacramento.
Banchero logged his third straight game of 30-plus points for the Magic (39-34), who fell below the play-in cut in the Eastern Conference during their skid that came immediately after a seven-game winning streak had propelled them into fifth place.
This was the 25th time in Banchero’s four-year career that he logged at least 30 points, five rebounds and five assists. Only Tracy McGrady (66) has more such games.
Desmond Bane added 23 points and Jalen Suggs returned from a two-game absence to an illness with eight points and four assists in 34 minutes for Orlando, which forged a three-way tie with Charlotte and Miami for eighth. Atlanta (41-32), Toronto (40-32) and Philadelphia (40-33) are just ahead, with the top six teams in each conference guaranteed a spot in the playoffs without having to go through the play-in games.
Paul Skenes #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates walks off the field after being taken out of the game during the first inning against the New York Mets on Opening Day at Citi Field on March 26, 2026 in the Queens borough of New York City.
Paul Skenes gave a rather analytical breakdown of his abysmal Opening Day start against the Mets on Thursday.
When asked by reporters about his outing in the Pirates’ 11-7 loss to the Amazin’s, Skenes said that despite not giving up much hard contact, his batting average on balls in play was high, causing his start to go awry quickly, as he only recorded two outs before being yanked.
“You got to look at it through, for what it is,” Skenes said. “There wasn’t a ton of hard contact. Leadoff walk is not great. But yeah … the Polanco ground ball, stuff like that. The batting average on balls in play thing was super high today. That’ll go down as the season goes on.”
Skenes left Thursday’s game after just two-thirds innings in which he gave up five earned runs — matching his career high — off four hits, along with a walk and two strikeouts.
“I’m not as upset about this for me, personally, as people would probably think,” Skenes said, according to The Associated Press. “Because they did a really good job. It was an abnormal outing.”
Skenes’ batting average on balls in play (BABIP) sits at .800 following his short-lived start.
Pirates skipper Don Kelly pulled Skenes after just 37 pitches, saying that he did not want the righty to push it this early into the season.
Paul Skenes walks off the field after being taken out of the game during the first inning of the Pirates’ 11-7 Opening Day against the Mets at Citi Field on March 26, 2026. Getty Images
“He wants to stay out there and pitch,” Kelly said. “It’s a really tough thing going to get him in the first inning right there. The bottom of it is Paul’s health. You’re getting close to 40 pitches, yeah 37 pitches and Lindor had a seven-pitch at-bat that first at-bat.
“If he runs another 7-10, you’re into dangerous territory with the starting pitcher in one inning, so we had to make the move.”
Paul Skenes looks down on the mound during the first inning the Pirates’ Opening Day loss to the Pirates. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Not all of the Pirates’ first-inning meltdown was strictly on Skenes, though, with center fielder Oneil Cruz misplaying two fly balls that extended the early rally for the Mets.
“That ball straight at him, he came in, got a bad read,” Kelly said. “He’s been working hard out there. He just needs to continue to get better. Then the one in the sun. He just lost it in the sun.”
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JANUARY 13: Toumani Camara #33 of the Portland Trail Blazers drives to the basket during the game against the Golden State Warriors on January 13, 2026 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. 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 Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Golden State Warriors are officially down to their final stretch of the season. After beating the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night, the Warriors are now 35-38, with just nine games left on the schedule.
Golden State has already clinched an 83rd game this season. Five teams are eliminated in the Western Conference, meaning the Warriors will make the play-in tournament. It’s just a matter of what team — or teams — they play. The play-in field isn’t completely set, but it’s been the same four teams for a long time now, and that will almost surely still be the case when the regular season ends.
Let’s take a look:
10. Golden State Warriors
Record: 35-38 Games remaining: 9 Home games remaining: 6 Games left against eliminated teams: 3
The Dubs have a home-heavy final stretch of the season, but they face the LA Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Denver Nuggets. They’re 1.5 games behind the Portland Trail Blazers, and a pair of games behind the Clippers. They’re not locked into the final seed, but it sure is close.
9. Portland Trail Blazers
Record: 37-37 Games remaining: 8 Home games remaining: 5 Games left against eliminated teams: 4
The Blazers have won five of their last six games, and as they try to stay ahead of the Warriors, they find themselves with a fairly favorable schedule ahead of them. They’re more interested in catching up to the Clippers, whom they play twice more, and less concerned with falling behind the Warriors. Critically, the Blazers also have the tiebreaker over the Warriors.
8. LA Clippers
Record: 37-36 Games remaining: 9 Home games remaining: 5 Games left against eliminated teams: 4
The Clippers are in a good spot, but it’s a critical stretch for them. They have nine games remaining, with two against the Blazers and one against the Warriors … including visiting Portland in their penultimate game, and hosting Golden State in their season finale. The Clippers have won two of three against the Warriors, so beating them would ensure they earn the tiebreaker.
7. Suns
Record: 40-33 Games remaining: 9 Home games remaining: 3 Games left against eliminated teams: 4
The Suns are in good shape. They’re a full three games ahead of the Clippers, so it’s unlikely that anyone catches them in the play-in standings. It certainly won’t be the Warriors.
If these standings hold, then the Warriors would kick off the play-in tournament by visiting the Blazers. If they lose that game, their season is over. If they win, then they would travel south to face the loser of the game between the Suns and Clippers. And if they win that, then they would be the eighth seed, which would likely book them a one-way ticket to ass-kicking town, thanks to a terrifying date with the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Alex Bump and Sean Couturier scored in the first three minutes of the game and the Philadelphia Flyers used the fast start to cruise to a 5-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night.
Bump, Noah Cates and Christian Dvorak had a goal and an assist each for the Flyers, who have won six of their last eight games to stay in the chase for a wild-card playoff spot. Denver Barkey also had a goal for Philadelphia and Samuel Ersson made 25 saves.
Connor Bedard scored his 30th goal of the season for Chicago to become the third Blackhawks player with a 30-goal season at age 20 or younger, joining Jonathan Toews (34 in 2008-09) and Eric Daze (30 in 1995-96).
Spencer Knight had 37 saves for Chicago.
Bump scored just 48 seconds into the game and Couturier made it 2-0 at 2:33 of the first.
Barkey made it 3-0 at 5:14 of the second before Bedard got one back.
Cates scored his fourth goal in his last five games with 7:19 to play in the second to make it 4-1. Dvorak scored with 25 seconds left in the second period. With an assist on Dvorak's goal, Cates has 40 points this season, a career single-season high.
Chicago's Sacha Boisvert played in his first NHL game. The 18th overall pick in the 2024 draft signed his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks on March 16.
The Flyers outshot the Blackhawks 42-26 and won 61.8% of the faceoffs. The Blackhawks, who are well out of the playoff picture, went scoreless on three power-play chances while the Flyers were 0 for 4 on the power play.
Up next
Blackhawks: Play at the New York Rangers on Friday night.
Former Dodgers player Steve Garvey (second from right) gestures next to former announcer Jaime Jarrín after unveiling a sign celebrating the team’s 2025 World Series championship Thursday. AP
“It’s like the same thing that happened with the parade,” veteran infielder Miguel Rojas said earlier in the afternoon. “The first time, you don’t know what to expect, and it goes by fast. But this year, you know what to expect. You know how you’re gonna be feeling. You’re gonna have a better understanding of, ‘OK, I want to be present. I don’t want to miss much of it.’”
Rojas didn’t.
Instead, in a 30-minute on-field presentation that included every outside-the-box idea the club could seemingly think of –– from pyrotechnic player introductions, to fighter jet flyovers, to a ceremonial first pitch delivered from Magic Johnson to Shohei Ohtani, and of course the unveiling of the franchise’s ninth championship banner and outfield plaque –– it was Rojas and fellow World Series hero Freddie Freeman who were the leading stars of the show.
First, the pair were featured in a video skit with actor Will Ferrell that was played on the Dodger Stadium scoreboards –– in which Ferrell sneaks around the Dodgers’ clubhouse with the team’s two most recent World Series trophies before being discovered by the players.
Then, from out of the center field fence, Rojas and Freeman appeared on the back of a Dodger blue Cadillac driven by Ferrell, holding up the two Commissioner’s Trophies as the car paced around the warning track.
It was overwrought, completely cheesy, yet devoured all the same by an adoring and raucous sell-out crowd.
In recent years, the Dodgers have become known for their ambitious in-game presentation almost as much as their on-field dominance. And on Thursday, they took their chance to combine both.
Eventually, attention turned to the actual game action, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto kicking off the team’s bid for a World Series three-peat with a 5:30 p.m. first pitch.
Still, celebratory remembrances of the team’s 2025 title aren’t over yet.
On Friday, there will be another pregame ceremony in which the members of last year’s roster will receive their World Series rings.
And from there, three-peat pressure will follow the Dodgers throughout the season, as they try to become only the third team in MLB’s expansion era (since 1961) to win a title in three straight seasons.
“Yeah, it’s out there, but you’ve got to kind of block it out and focus on playing,” manager Dave Roberts said. “But understandably so, we put ourselves in a good spot that people want to talk about it. That’s a good thing.”
For the Dodgers, so, too, was the elongated pregame ceremony celebrating it all.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero had 30 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the Orlando Magic stopped a six-game losing streak with a 111-107 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday.
Banchero logged his third straight game of 30-plus points for the Magic (39-34), who fell below the play-in cut in the Eastern Conference during their skid that came immediately after a seven-game winning streak had propelled them into fifth place.
This was the 25th time in Banchero's four-year career that he logged at least 30 points, five rebounds and five assists. Only Tracy McGrady (66) has more such games.
Desmond Bane added 23 points and Jalen Suggs returned from a two-game absence to an illness with eight points and four assists in 34 minutes for Orlando, which forged a three-way tie with Charlotte and Miami for eighth. Atlanta (41-32), Toronto (40-32) and Philadelphia (40-33) are just ahead, with the top six teams in each conference guaranteed a spot in the playoffs without having to go through the play-in games.
DeMar DeRozan had 33 points and 11 assists for the Kings, who sliced a nine-point deficit with a little more than two minutes left down to 116-115 on Daeqwon Plowden's 3-pointer with 50.4 seconds to go. Suggs answered with a 3-pointer with 27.4 seconds remaining to give the Magic a bigger cushion.
Plowden added 23 points on 6-for-10 shooting from 3-point range and Precious Achiuwa had 14 points and nine rebounds for Sacramento (19-55), which is in last place in the Western Conference.
Up next
Sacramento plays at Atlanta on Saturday. Orlando plays at Toronto on Sunday.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - MARCH 26: Ian Seymour #61 of the Tampa Bay Rays delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals in the sixth inning on Opening Day at Busch Stadium on March 26, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It looked like Rays fans were set for a joyous Opening Day, with the reshaped lineup scoring seven runs on a whopping 17 hits. Jonathan Aranda homered, multiple players had three-hit days, Junior Caminero reached base four times while every Cardinals pitcher tried to pitch around him.
This game could have been a statement of intent from a group hungry to get back to the postseason in a highly-competitive AL East.
But the story of Thursday’s opener is how the Rays lost in spite of their offensive output.
Fans spent most of Thursday trying to find out who was broadcasting the game, only to flip to the correct channel as the Cardinals were batting around.
Rasmussen went five strong innings to start, allowing just one run on a solo homer from JJ Wetherholt. After the Rays big inning in the top of the sixth to give them a 7-1 lead, Kevin Cash rightfully felt comfortable going to his bullpen to pitch the final four innings.
He turned to Ian Seymour, who was effective in his rookie season a year ago in a mixed role. Seymour’s 2026 campaign couldn’t have started any worse. He gave up five consecutive hits, including doubles to Masyn Winn and Jordan Walker. All five of the runners that reached base came around to score, as did three more.
After Seymour quickly let the Cardinals back in the game, Cash then turned to two of his high-leverage arms, Garrett Cleavinger and Griffin Jax. Cleavinger let the hit parade continue, allowing singles to Pedro Pages and Victor Scott II. A sac fly from Wetherholt made it 7-6, and then it was time for Jax. While there are no announced roles for any Rays reliever, it was fair to assume that Jax would be the top reliever to start the season with Edwin Uceta sidelined.
The first batter he faced was DH Ivan Herrera, who was able to tie the game with another sac fly to right field. In stepped Alec Burleson, the Cardinals’ most-dangerous hitter against right-handed pitching. Jax got him into a two-strike count, making good use of his sweeper, but when he grooved a fastball Burleson was sitting on it, and launched it into the right field stands to give St. Louis a two-run lead and cap off an eight-run inning.
It’s game one. I’m not here to tell you the season is over, but after last year when Rays fans were frustrated that the bullpen could never hold a one- or two-run lead, it was even more soul-crushing to watch them completely capitulate against a rebuilding squad in the Cardinals.
Now, we must sit in our misery on Friday’s off-day, before the series resumes on Saturday. And instead of ace Drew Rasmussen in the mound, we’ll have to prepare to watch Joe Boyle’s electric stuff and erratic command. Boyle is not known for working deep into games, so we’re likely to see another four or more innings from this group.
Let’s get positive for a minute. On the position player side, Kevin Cash seems to have a bench he trusts, and a roster that he can tinker with to get the most out of role players like Ben Williamson, Nick Fortes, and Richie Palacios. He can rely on his three regulars, and mix-and-match the rest. And on Thursday, the Rays’ offensive approach was clear: see ball, hit ball. They swung early and often, and made lots of contact.
Even if the bullpen does not take giant strides in 2026, I’d wager that the Rays will win most of their games moving forward if they get anywhere near 17 hits.
OTTAWA, CANADA - MARCH 26: Rickard Rakell #67 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates his first-period goal against the Ottawa Senators with teammates Parker Wotherspoon #28, Ryan Graves #27 on March 26, 2026 at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by André Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Pregame
The Penguins had called up forwards Avery Hayes and Joona Koppanen during the day, but Anthony Mantha is able to play so the lineup of skaters remains the same with Stuart Skinner in net.
Not the best of starts, Erik Karlsson is quick to the penalty box for tripping. With Karlsson unavailable to kill penalties, Parker Wotherspoon and Sam Girard are on the ice and they do a lot of watching as the Senators work the puck low and Brady Tkachuk fires a cross-ice pass to the undefended Drake Batherson. Batherson quickly wires it to the back of the net. 1-0 Ottawa.
Pittsburgh stabilizes after that and stacks a few good shifts. They tie the game when Erik Karlsson steps up and knocks down a stretch pass attempt and sends a pass to the middle for Rickard Rakell. Rakell whips a shot from distance that hits its mark. 1-1 with 6:14 to play in the period.
Shots end up 10-10 after 20 minutes, one goal aside.
Second period
Sidney Crosby starts the period but then leaves to the lockerroom. It didn’t take long into the second period before the team’s PR wing announced Crosby would be out for the remainder of the night.
Cousins gets redemption for his lost chance in the first with some good luck in the second period for a goal. Cousins tried to pass the puck on a 2-on-1 that gets created after Kris Letang is out of position to stop a long stretch pass. Cousins’ pass hit Girard’s skate and bounced right back to Cousins to guide into the open net. 2-1 Ottawa.
Egor Chinakhov hits a post right after the goal. The Pens are playing well.
Pittsburgh gets their first power play late in the period when Dylan Cozens bowls over Wotherpoon. Noel Acciari is out there to take the power play faceoff in Crosby’s absence and almost scores from in tight. Then Anthony Mantha follows that shot up with Ullmark sprawled out and the shot hits the goalie’s helmet and stays out seconds before the buzzer.
Shots are 15-6 PIT in the second period, they play a strong period but aren’t able to cash in on the scoreboard. 2-2 game heading into the final frame.
Third period
The Pens get a golden opportunity when Artem Zub clears the puck into the stands, granting 1:27 of a 5v3 power play. Karlsson gets a few shots, Mantha gets one, then Karlsson sets up Rakell to hammer a shot that glances off of Ullmark and into the net. 3-2 Pittsburgh gets their first lead of the night with 18:17 to go.
Ottawa answers soon after. Drake Batherson sneaks behind the defense, finds a rebound and slams it home. The Pens’ staff takes a look and makes a dreaded goalie interference call. Claude Giroux did back into Skinner and made some contact with Skinner’s stick. They take a look and deem it a good goal, because of course they do. Pens to the PK.
Luckily Pittsburgh kills off the penalty but the tenor of the game has tilted back to Ottawa being the dominant team.
Bryan Rust is the latest Penguin to leave for the lockerroom with about two minutes left, but only briefly.
Tim Stutzle gets extremely lucky his lifted puck hits the very top of the glass to narrowly avoid a delay of game penalty with a minute to go, this game heads for extra time.
Overtime
Kindel-Novak-Karlsson start OT for the Pens, Ottawa gains puck possession immediately. Later Karlsson and Brady Tkachuk race up the ice, Tkachuk wins and the Sens get it back the other way for a Stutzle breakaway. Skinner stops the backhand deke attempt.
Rust gets a chance spoiled by Ullmark aggressively diving to poke it away. Back at the other end Skinner makes another stop on Cozens and then Tkachuk.
The goaltending exhibition continues, Skinner makes more stops, Karlsson springs Novak on a breakaway that Ullmark stretches a leg out to stop.
Tkachuk gets one more chance as the clock nears 0:00, Skinner fights off the shot with his arm.
Shootout
Batherson opens up the shootout, Skinner gets a big piece of the backhand shot but the puck rolls over the goalie’s pad and into the net.
Rakell starts for the Pens, runs out of room and Ullmark stops him from in tight.
—
Stutzle takes the next turn, Skinner stays with him and shuts it down.
Chinakhov is the second shooter of the second round, his five-hole shot beats Ullmark. 1-1 in the SO.
—
Shane Pinto leads off Round 3, Skinner stones him.
Kindel is up with the chance to win the game. His low shot takes care of business, shootout win!
Some thoughts
Crosby’s status will obviously be a huge development moving forward. He left for the locker-room late in the first period after getting tangled up with a Senator and then flexing his left leg (Crosby injured the right knee during the Olympics).. He came out and played the first 38 seconds of the second period then left again, this time for good. Never know what’s what in the heat of the moment but it sure didn’t look good for the team to announce basically right away that he was done for the night, the big question now is how long that might be. Didn’t look to be that violent or bad of contact but it’s troubling to see the captain leave a game like that.
It was quite the surprise when Parker Wotherspoon came out of no where to be a legitimately good first pair defender and hold that level for a long time. Now the surprise is that Wotherspoon’s level of play is slumping back towards the journeyman/replacement-type of player he was for a while. Very troubling development there, it can kind of be taken for granted how great Wotherspoon has been and as an individual his exceeding of expectations is right up there with anyone as a reason for why the Penguins are in a playoff chase and not among the dregs of the league like all the preseason prognostications had them.
It was also not a banner night for Letang, as has been his norm lately. His play on the second goal was another poor decision, after getting crunched by Cousins in the second period Letang would misplay the puck a couple times and narrowly avoided being the culprit for another goal thanks to Skinner. You could give him the benefit of the doubt for playing in pain if it wasn’t about the norm anyways.
Ottawa should trade those red third jerseys to Vegas, very gaudy.
Dealing with no Malkin and then no Crosby, the Pens needed players to step up. Karlsson did, as he has so often this season. Nice to see Rakell keep things going with a pair of goals and an assist too. Chinakhov was dangerously close multiple times to scoring.
Muse falls to 0-for-9 at challenging goalie interference. He doesn’t know what it is because no one really knows what it is. I guess this one was borderline worth it, there was a decent case but not exactly a conclusive one. Maybe for now Muse should leave challenges only for blatant stuff. Of course he has to challenge when he thinks it’s there but for one reason or another his (and his staff’s) definition of GI doesn’t match the officials and that probably has to be addressed internally for “could they actually reverse it?” instead of the default of “was there something there”.
Out of town, the Islanders beat the Stars (boo) and the Canadiens beat the Blue Jackets (yay). That meant for a few minutes at the end of the game the Penguins could have had the range of outcomes to leave the night in second place in the division with a win or OTL or below the playoff line completely had they suffered a regulation loss. Fortunately for them, it ended up being the former, though both CBJ and NYI are a single point back.
You almost never see an OT with 10 shots on goal the quality of what happened tonight and no goals. Great action and some thrilling 3-on-3. All OT isn’t fun but this one was super entertaining and somehow couldn’t find a conclusion due to the caliber of goaltending at both ends of the ice.
On that note, Skinner was outstanding, particularly in overtime but he also answered the bell and made several high quality saves. All Ottawa got were basically ones he had no chance in via defensive miscues and a tough bounce. The Sergei Murashov chatter around the internet will never go away because the prospect goalie is always the most popular guy on the internet, if nothing else
Two shootout wins for the Penguins in the last five days! To take a line from Dodgeball: do you believe in unlikelihoods?
The Penguins played well in this game, as good as they’ve looked in quite a while. It wasn’t perfect by any means but a well-earned victory on the road against a very hot opponent is a solid accomplishment. The cloud that remains hanging will be hearing the status of Crosby after this one.
PORTLAND, OREGON - MARCH 25: Jerami Grant #9 of the Portland Trail Blazers celebrates after a three-point basket during the first half against the Milwaukee Bucks at Moda Center on March 25, 2026 in Portland, Oregon. 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 Soobum Im/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks (23-50) will play the Portland Trailblazers (37-37) 9pm Friday at Moda Center. Both clubs last played Wednesday, with Portland extending its win streak to two against the Bucks 130-99, behind guard Scoot Henderson’s 23 points; and the Mavericks losing 142-135 against the Nuggets in Denver, their fifth straight setback. They were led by Cooper Flagg’s 26 points and Naji Marshall’s 22.
The Blazers, who clinched a spot in the Play-in Tournament with a win Monday, are 23-17 since the calendar turned to 2026 after stumbling out of the gate to a 14-20 start, a record built largely by beating the teams they’re supposed to beat. They’ve followed form thus far in this four-game homestand, dispatching Brooklyn and Milwaukee before facing the Mavericks and Wizards this weekend. They’ve also notched some impressive upset victories like the one last week against a feisty Minnesota team playing without Anthony Edwards, scratching out a tough 108-104 road win after blowing a lead that ballooned to 18 in the first half. The team has continued handling business since a left fibula stress reaction sidelined its second-leading scorer, wing Shaedon Sharpe, Feb. 6.
Friday’s game will be the third and final time these clubs meet in 2025-26 and the first time since Dec. 27, when Portland won at home 125-122. Dallas prevailed in overtime 138-133 at home Nov. 16, as four Mavericks- Flagg, Daniel Gafford, P.J.Washington, and Klay Thompson- scored 19 or more.
Strange brew
The Blazers are a pretty good, pretty weird team that ranks top-five league-wide in offensive rebounds, total rebounds, possessions, field goal attempts, three-point attempts, free throw attempts, second-chance points, and turnovers. Five rotation players take more than 6.2 three-pointers per game. They’ve got size that’s hard to match up with in center Donovan Clingan and wing Deni Avdija, and a third tone-setter in power forward Jerami Grant, whose toughness is hard to match. When the Timberwolves’ defense clamped down in the game’s final minutes March 20, Grant scored his team’s final eight points- a three to retake the lead, a three to keep the lead, and a pair of foul shots to ice it.
Grant returned Wednesday to hit four of 10 three-pointers against the Bucks, but when he sat against Brooklyn Monday with a calf injury, third-year forward Toumani Camara stepped up with 35 points, connecting on nine of 11 three-pointers. Camara’s lone qualifying two-point attempt in the game was a bold drive in which the lefty deftly switched hands for the finish when met at the rim by two Nets. His outburst Monday, a career high, followed up a four-of-six performance from deep in the loss against Denver.
Cling peach
Donovan Clingan, the league leader in offensive rebounding at 4.6 per contest, has taken a big step in his second year. The big man entered the league as a center in the traditional mold, and with 33 double-doubles and 1.7 blocks per game he’s done well in that role this season, but is also developing into a real three-point threat as the Blazers heat up down the stretch. In scoring a career high 28 last week against the Pacers he made three of five from deep, though the trend was already on display in two games early this season against Dallas, as Clingan made 14 of 21 field goals, including four of 10 three-pointers. It’s a fun development for a player who averaged 0.1 three-point attempts per game in his college career at UConn, and a huge challenge for the Mavericks, who missed Gafford Wednesday as he sat with a shoulder injury. In the first three minutes of the third quarter against the Bucks Clingan tip dunked a Camara miss from the wing, outfought Jericho Sims for a board on the other end, made a top of the key three that he was ready for when Avdija passed up after penetrating, cut for a reachback jam on a feed from Jrue Holiday, and set several hard screens. As with many of the Blazers’ strong suits, the offensive rebounding led by Clingan is not limited on the roster to his contributions. Reserve center Robert Williams III hauls in 2.4 in 17 minutes per game, a comparable clip.
Downhill Deni
Portland’s team identity centers around three core tenets: second chance-opportunities, high-volume three point shooting, and aggressive drives to the rim. Deni Avdija handles that third leg of the stool, softening up defenses by relentlessly taking it to the rack, where the first-time All-Star is a punishing finisher through contact, and by getting to the line, where he makes just over 80% of his league second-most 9.2 free throws. Though Avdija attempts a lot more threes, he’s got an offensive game that will look familiar to observers of Flagg attacking and finishing with little regard for his own safety.
The Blazers, who are separated from the Clippers by half a game as the two teams jockey for eighth place, will be highly motivated to maintain the momentum they’ve built so far at home. With a victory they would nudge their record above .500 for the first time since they were 6-5 on Nov. 12. The Mavericks, themselves a pretty weird team, figure to provide a more significant roadblock than the Nets or Bucks, however. In its last three games Dallas has taken two to overtime, ultimately dropping both contests to the Clippers and Warriors, and held firm against Denver, clawing within a point with three minutes remaining in the third. Nuggets guard Jamal Murray cooked the Mavericks from beyond the three-point line Wednesday, making nine of his 14 tries, but for as many three pointers as the Blazers attempt each game, they only make them at a rate of .339, good for 29th in the league.
How to watch/listen
You can watch the game on NBA TV, KFAA Channel 29, or MAVS TV (streaming), or listen at 97.1FM KEGL (English), and 99.1FM KFZO (español).
Feb 21, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Collin Gillespie (12) reacts against the Orlando Magic in the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The Athletic’s Fred Katz wrote about 10 players who have made giant strides in at least one element of their games. It should come as no surprise that Suns guard Collin Gillespie made the cut for his list of 10 players.
His First Team featured Jalen Duren, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jaylon Tyson, Ajay Mitchell, and Neemius Queta. The Second Team included Collin Gillespie, Ryan Rollins, Keyonte George, Anthony Black, and Peyton Watson. It is quite a list of emerging young talent around the association, and Gillespie deserves to be in the mix with his breakout season.
Not only is he getting national attention, but he is on the verge of breaking the franchise’s single-season three-point record. He is now just six threes away from tying Quentin Richardson, and seven away from holding the record to himself with nine games left on the schedule.
"It would be special. Definitely something I never thought about, but it would be cool to do."
Collin Gillespie on what breaking the franchise three-point record would mean to him, while remaining focused on playing, "the right way." pic.twitter.com/LU7U6pvErr
His snippet on Collin Gillespie, who he had on the Second Team, can be found below.
Collin Gillespie, guard, Phoenix Suns
“The Suns live in a perpetual state of too many point guards or not enough point guards. Either they have Goran Dragić, Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas, or they are wedging Bradley Beal into running the offense.
Coming into this season, they were closer to the latter.
Jalen Green, who’s not a distributor but will dance with the basketball, was out. Beyond Devin Booker, there wasn’t much creation. So, the burden fell on three guys: Grayson Allen, who has handled the rock more than ever; Dillon Brooks, who was a contender to make one of these two teams; and Gillespie, the most surprising player on one of the league’s most surprising squads.
Coming into 2025-26, Gillespie had played as many minutes in the G League as he had in the NBA. Now, he’s fourth in the league in 3-point makes.
His spot-up shooting is an intuitive fit alongside Booker. Confidence has been built in the process. If Gillespie notices a sliver of daylight, he’ll hoist a long ball. He’s gone from riding benches to running first units. And the Suns are better off for it.“
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – MARCH 12: Collin Gillespie #12 of the Phoenix Suns rebounds the ball against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 12, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. 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 Justin Casterline/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s always interesting to get a national perspective on our players. And more specifically, an overarching, big-picture blurb on the Suns’ guard rotation. As noted above, his role entering the season was not certain, given the core trio of Booker, Green, and Allen. He has quickly inserted himself as not only a key piece but a staple. Dillon Brooks tabbed him as “Villain Jr.” during preseason, seeing the edge and grit he played with during practice and camp. It has certainly translated to the NBA regular season as well.
One of my bold takes entering the season was that Collin would emerge as a legitimate 6th MOY candidate. It sounded homerish and ridiculous at the time to some, but now, he’s played himself OUT of it entirely by starting too many games to even qualify. His emergence has been fun to track, and it’s a reminder of why it’s important to take a shot on developing young(ish) talent.
Gillespie will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and his return must be a priority for this front office.
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 20: Jordan Beck #27 of the Colorado Rockies greets manager Warren Schaeffer #4 as teams are announced on the opening day of Spring Training games at Salt River Fields on Friday, February 20, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Kyle Cooper)
Tomorrow is Opening Day for the Rockies, which means we can officially close the door on spring training 2026. However, it’s still worth reflecting on in hopes of predicting what they might do in the regular season.
On Tuesday, we asked you to grade the Rockies’ spring training. More than half of you gave them a solid B, but 95% of you had them passing the test (C or better). Zero people gave them a failing grade, which I think is a good indicator of fans’ views of the team compared to a year ago.
However, the games start counting today and we will finally get to see how much the Rockies are able to improve after their new and improved spring training regimen and front office refresh.
Are you surprised by the results? Do you still agree with how you voted? Let us know in the comments!
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NEW YORK (AP) — Ilya Sorokin gave the New York Islanders the type of elite goaltending they needed, facing one of the NHL’s top teams while in the thick of a playoff chase, making 26 saves to beat the Dallas Stars 2-1 on Thursday night.
Sorokin was locked in from the drop of the puck, denying Colin Blackwell on a shorthanded breakaway 10 minutes in and making a handful of other 10-bell saves on quality scoring chances in the first period alone. He was perfect on a pair of penalty kills, one each in the second and third periods, and allowed only one goal on a 6-on-5 with three minutes left to Matt Duchene.
Bo Horvat scored his 30th goal of the season five minutes in and Calum Ritchie later picked up the 11th of his rookie year to provide enough offensive support. Matthew Schaefer, the face of the franchise at 18 years old, assisted on each to reach 54 points and tie Hall of Famer Denis Potvin for the second most by a rookie defenseman in Islanders history.
Despite allowing Horvat’s goal off the rush and Ritchie’s when it went in off his left skate, Jake Oettinger was excellent in his own right. Oettinger stopped 23 of the 25 shots he faced as Dallas lost a third game in a row and for the fourth time in five games.
This was a better defensive effort for the Stars than their sloppy defeat Tuesday night at home against New Jersey. They have already clinched a playoff berth, are likely to face Minnesota in the first round and are spending the remainder of the regular season trying to get their team's game in order.
The Islanders are clawing to get in as part of a fierce Eastern Conference race of seven teams vying for five spots.
Up next
Stars: Make the second stop on their four-game trip Saturday at Pittsburgh, when Mikko Rantanen could return from the injury that has sidelined him since the Olympics.
Islanders: Host two-time defending champion Florida on Saturday.
MONTREAL (AP) — Zachary Bolduc scored the winner with his first goal since Dec. 23, and the Montreal Canadiens edged the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 on Thursday night.
Jayden Struble — with his first of the season — also scored, and Jakub Dobes made 25 saves as Montreal won its third consecutive game.
Damon Severson scored for Columbus, and Jet Greaves stopped 18 shots.
The Blue Jackets fell to 19-4-4 since Rick Bowness replaced Dean Evason as head coach Jan. 12. They climbed from 28th overall to second in the Metropolitan Division ahead of Thursday’s games.
The Canadiens, meanwhile, sit third in the Atlantic Division with 11 games remaining.
Bolduc ripped a shot into the top-left corner 4:36 into the third period to snap a 31-game goalless skid and give the Canadiens a 2-1 lead.
Struble ended a drought of his own when he opened the scoring at 9:54 in the first period. He snuck a wrist shot past Greaves short side for his first goal since Nov. 26, 2024.
Two minutes later, Severson got Columbus on the board by beating Dobes blocker-side on a 2-on-1 after Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson was caught up ice.
With an assist on Struble’s goal, Hutson became the fourth defenseman in Canadiens history to register 70 points in a season — and the first since Chris Chelios in 1988-89. Larry Robinson and Guy Lapointe also reached the mark.
Up next
Blue Jackets: Host the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.
Canadiens: Visit the Nashville Predators on Saturday.
