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NHL Playoffs Live Blog: Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals Kick Off Second Round Series

Nov 3, 2024; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes right wing Andrei Svechnikov (37) and Washington Capitals center Nic Dowd (26) grab hold of each other during the first period at Lenovo Center. (James Guillory-Imagn Images)

The Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals were the first two teams to advance to the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs and will now square off tonight at Capital One Arena for their second round series.

The top two Metropolitan teams share a brief playoff history, only having met one time prior (in 2019 with the Hurricanes upsetting the Capitals in seven games), but their is plenty of animosity between these two clubs.

Neither team is anticipated to have any lineup changes heading into tonight's tilt, with Frederik Andersen and Logan Thompson the anticipated starters in net.

This story will be updated throughout the game. Make sure you refresh the page so that you are reading the latest version of the story and be sure to join the conversation in the comment section below.

For the Capitals live blog, click here!

Also, be sure to check out the post-game Playoff Frenzy livestream.

Broadcast

  • The game is being streamed on ESPN, Sportsnet and TVAS, but for fans who want to listen to Mike and Tripp, you can tune into 99.9 FM The Fan.

Third Period

(20:00) Will Carolina mount a third period comeback? Let's see. One note is that 4C Mark Janowski is not on the Canes bench to start the third.

(19:33) Blake with an early tripping penalty. Another offensive-zone call. Not what Carolina needed.  

(18:15) CanesPR has issued an update on Jankowski, saying he has an undisclosed injury and that won't return to tonight's game.

(17:32) Canes kill off the penalty and Ovechkin immediately takes a slash. Carolina needs the power play to come through here.

(15:32) Hurricanes with a few chances, but Thompson is just giving up no rebounds. Jarvis also hit the post again as the power play expired. Canes now have five shots that have hit the frame.

(10:18) 1-1; Rookie Logan Stankoven snipes one top corner after the Canes' forecheck forces a Washington turnover deep in the offensive zone. We have a game here!

(7:17) Thompson turns it over to Svechnikov, who nearly pumps in a go-ahead goal. 93mph shot by the Russian there.  

(5:30) Leonard misses on a breakaway. Still tied as we approach the end of regulation.

Second Period

(20:00) Back for the second. Can Carolina keep the pressure up?

(19:25) Chatfield acts quickly to get back and kill a Strome chance in front.

(18:30) Svechnikov/Burns with a terrible turnover that winds up with Dubois getting a chance in front but he rings the crossbar.

(16:07) 1-0 Caps; Protas shoots one past Andersen off the rush to open the scoring. Carolina's strong start is all for not.

(11:35) Walker goes to the bench in some pain after absorbing a Kotkaniemi shot in his midsection. He seems fine.

(7:44) Canes survive a good shift by Caps top line after a turnover by Orlov earlier in the play.

(5:01) Svechnikov off the crossbar... again.

(4:00) Mark Jankowski has reportedly gone back to the locker room.

(1:50) Hurricanes top line with a really good shift. They need someone to step up here.

(0:00) Caps lead 1-0 / SOG 20-11 CAR

Washington had a good push to start the second period, but Hurricanes have gotten back to their high-pressure game.

Soft goal against on Andersen the difference here. 

First Period

(20:00) Martinook-Staal-Jarvis-Orlov-Chatfield-Andersen the starting six for the Hurricanes.

(18:50) Great stick by Burns to deny a Capitals 2-on-1 chance. On the replay, it looks like the pass from Dubois was off.

(16:30) Wilson already making his presence known with a pair of hits on Orlov and Chatfield. Canes have to keep their heads up when he's out on the ice.

(14:00) Hurricanes forecheck really giving Washington troubles early on. SOG are 4-0 and shot attempts are 14-1.

(12:58) Aho takes an offensive zone high-sticking penalty. It was all Carolina early, but now the penalty kill is going to have to come up big.

(10:30) Kill comes through. Capitals had three shots on goal, including an Ovechkin one-timer.

(8:43) Svechnikov and Wilson come together after a whistle. They're each team's biggest agitators, so who'll come out on top?

(8:39) Gostisbehere rings the post.

(5:09) Carolina getting their shot at the power play now as Orlov is yanked down by Duhaime.

(3:10) One shot on goal for the Hurricanes on that man advantage. Washington kept the diamond tight on the kill and are selling out to block shots.

(2:02) Svechnikov off the crossbar.

(0:00) Score: 0-0 / SOG 13-6 CAR

Carolina outchanced Washington 32-6 at 5v5 and the Capitals also had 14 blocked shots in the opening frame.

Hurricanes game is all about wearing down their opponents, so in that regard, that was a good road period.  

Be sure to check out the Carolina Hurricanes 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Hub for all postseason stories!    

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

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Early homers and Castellanos' late insurance help Wheeler and Phils to a win

Early homers and Castellanos' late insurance help Wheeler and Phils to a win originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

TAMPA, Fla. — The Phillies blew a save in four of Zack Wheeler’s first seven starts this season, and with just a one-run lead entering the eighth inning Tuesday and the desire of manager Rob Thomson to get top reliever Jose Alvarado a break, it looked like potentially more of the same.

That’s when three straight singles and a three-run homer from Nick Castellanos broke open a tight game, loosened everyone up and cut Wheeler’s night an inning or two short in an 8-4 Phillies win over the Rays.

Wheeler threw just 84 pitches through seven innings and would have gone back out for the eighth if not for the length of the Phillies’ four-run top half. He was his usual overpowering self, allowing just two runs with no walks and nine strikeouts.

“He pitched up and down, in and out, he was commanding the ball all over the place,” Thomson said. “He was really good.”

The only runs Wheeler allowed came on a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth from Yandy Diaz on a 95 mph sinker over the middle. Wheeler has uncharacteristically allowed one home run in each of his eight starts this season, four of them on sinkers. He allowed just five homers total on the sinker from 2022-24.

“I just haven’t faced that many righties,” he said of the sinker, his primary weapon against same-handed hitters. “It’s always kinda been that way but I feel like it’s a lot more this year than years prior. I guess it’s not as crisp. I just need to be a little more careful with it.”

One of the best at reading swings and making in-game adjustments, Wheeler responded by pumping more four-seam fastballs than usual, throwing 42 of them compared to just five sinkers. The first eight of his nine K’s came on four-seamers.

“You don’t really recognize it when you’re out there, but I knew (the fastball) was pretty good tonight and I was locating it for the most part,” Wheeler said. “There was some stuff in there that I got away with but I just knew it was flying well.”

Diaz’ home run would not have been out in any of the other 29 stadiums, according to Statcast, but it had just enough distance to clear the wall at Steinbrenner Field, where the Rays are playing in 2025 because of the devastation to Tropicana Field from Hurricane Milton last October.

Wheeler (3-1, 3.35 ERA) has given up two runs or fewer in six of his eight starts. He has the lowest expected ERA in all of baseball based on quality of contact allowed, indicating he’s been even better than his already ace-like traditional numbers.

“That’s him, that’s J.T. (Realmuto). They’re seeing things back there and they’re really good at making adjustments,” Thomson said. “And when you can command the baseball like Wheels can, you can do those types of things.”

With his 10th double and fourth homer as part of a three-hit night, Castellanos is up to 21 RBI, second on the team to Kyle Schwarber, who homered and drove in a pair himself, reaching base four of five times.

The four runs of insurance Castellanos provided were crucial because the Phillies’ bullpen has allowed 14 runs in 21⅔ innings this season after Wheeler has exited a start. Castellanos leads the National League this season in batting average vs. fastballs (.400 entering the night) and line drive rate (34.3% compared to a league average of 23.3%). His homer Tuesday was on a fastball but the double came on a sweeper and the single vs. a changeup.

The Phillies scored their first three runs in the top of the second, which Schwarber led off with a homer, his fifth in seven games. Four batters later, Alec Bohm hit a two-run shot to right field, his first of the season and first in 165 plate appearances dating back to last Sept. 20 at Citi Field.

Bohm has had trouble driving the ball to the pull-side and as a result, pitchers are routinely challenging him on the inner half. Why let the 6-foot-5 Bohm get his arms extended?

Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen tried to do exactly that to Bohm with two outs in the second inning Tuesday, throwing a couple of 96 mph sinkers that were too far inside as Bohm ran a 3-0 count. One strike later, Rasmussen missed a spot with a cutter that caught too much of the outside corner and Bohm made him pay, hitting it 342 feet over the wall in right field for a line-drive two-run homer. He was all smiles as he crossed the plate and celebrated with Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott.

“You get to this point in the season without playing very well, obviously it feels good to start producing a little bit,” Bohm said. “I feel like I’ve been doing the right things. It’s easy to look up at the scoreboard and say, ‘Oh, he’s having a bad year.’ The numbers are the numbers and they don’t necessarily define who we are each day.”

Bohm is on a bit of a roll. He has hit safely in 16 of his last 20 games, batting .310 over that span.

Does the home run total matter to him?

“That’s the game nowadays, everybody wants home runs,” he said. “I feel like when I go up there trying to do that stuff, I never end up doing it. That’s not when I’m at my best. When I kinda just stick within myself, what happened today is what can happen for me. I’m not gonna go up there searching for home runs and trying to do that. I’m just trying to put myself in a good position and hit the ball hard.”

The Phillies played a crisp game defensively, a good sign after miscues at second base, third base and shortstop cost them on Sunday. Stott dove to his right twice to end innings by fielding tough grounders. Bryce Harper left his feet to snag a short hop in the bottom of the first. Bohm and Stott combined on a rapid 5-4-3 double play to end the seventh.

The Phillies look to win their fourth straight series on Wednesday night behind Cristopher Sanchez. They are 7-2 since reaching their low-point at .500 two weekends ago in Chicago.

Diaz left Tuesday’s game after an awkward swing in the sixth inning, appearing to injure his groin. He’s by far the Rays’ best hitter and is routinely toward the top of the league in hard-hit rate, so that could be a big deal the rest of the series.

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Early homers and Castellanos' late insurance help Wheeler and Phils to a win

Early homers and Castellanos' late insurance help Wheeler and Phils to a win originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

TAMPA, Fla. — The Phillies blew a save in four of Zack Wheeler’s first seven starts this season, and with just a one-run lead entering the eighth inning Tuesday and the desire of manager Rob Thomson to get top reliever Jose Alvarado a break, it looked like potentially more of the same.

That’s when three straight singles and a three-run homer from Nick Castellanos broke open a tight game, loosened everyone up and cut Wheeler’s night an inning or two short in an 8-4 Phillies win.

Wheeler threw just 84 pitches through seven innings and would have gone back out for the eighth if not for the length of the Phillies’ four-run half-inning. He was his usual overpowering self, allowing just two runs with no walks and nine strikeouts.

“He pitched up and down, in and out, he was commanding the ball all over the place,” Thomson said. “He was really good.”

The only runs Wheeler allowed came on a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth from Yandy Diaz on a 95 mph sinker over the middle. Wheeler has uncharacteristically allowed one home run in each of his eight starts this season, four of them on sinkers. He allowed just five homers total on the sinker from 2022-24.

“I just haven’t faced that many righties,” he said of the sinker, his primary weapon against same-handed hitters. “It’s always kinda been that way but I feel like it’s a lot more this year than years prior. I guess it’s not as crisp. I just need to be a little more careful with it.”

One of the best at reading swings and making in-game adjustments, Wheeler responded by pumping more four-seam fastballs than usual, throwing 42 of them compared to just five sinkers. The first eight of his nine K’s came on four-seamers.

“You don’t really recognize it when you’re out there, but I knew (the fastball) was pretty good tonight and I was locating it for the most part,” Wheeler said. “There was some stuff in there that I got away with but I just knew it was flying well.”

Diaz’ home run would not have been out in any of the other 29 stadiums, according to Statcast, but it had just enough distance to clear the wall at Steinbrenner Field, where the Rays are playing in 2025 because of the devastation to Tropicana Field from Hurricane Milton last October.

Wheeler (3-1, 3.35 ERA) has given up two runs or fewer in six of his eight starts. He has the lowest expected ERA in all of baseball based on quality of contact allowed, indicating he’s been even better than his already ace-like traditional numbers.

“That’s him, that’s J.T. They’re seeing things back there and they’re really good at making adjustments,” Thomson said. “And when you can command the baseball like Wheels can, you can do those types of things.”

With his 10th double and fourth homer as part of a three-hit night, Castellanos is up to 21 RBI, second on the team to Kyle Schwarber, who homered and drove in a pair himself, reaching base four of five times.

The four runs of insurance Castellanos provided were crucial because the Phillies’ bullpen has allowed 14 runs in 21⅔ innings this season after Wheeler has exited a start. Castellanos leads the National League this season in batting average vs. fastballs (.400 entering the night) and line drive rate (34.3% compared to a league average of 23.3%). His homer Tuesday was on a fastball but the double came on a sweeper and the single vs. a changeup.

The Phillies scored their first three runs in the top of the second, which Schwarber led off with a homer, his fifth in seven games. Four batters later, Alec Bohm hit a two-run shot to right field, his first of the season and first in 165 plate appearances dating back to last Sept. 20 at Citi Field.

Bohm has had trouble driving the ball to the pull-side and as a result, pitchers are routinely challenging him on the inner half. Why let the 6-foot-5 Bohm get his arms extended?

Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen tried to do exactly that to Bohm with two outs in the second inning Tuesday, throwing a couple of 96 mph sinkers that were too far inside as Bohm ran a 3-0 count. One strike later, Rasmussen missed a spot with a cutter that caught too much of the outside corner and Bohm made him pay, hitting it 342 feet over the wall in right field for a line-drive two-run homer. He was all smiles as he crossed the plate and celebrated with Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott.

“You get to this point in the season without playing very well, obviously it feels good to start producing a little bit,” Bohm said. “I feel like I’ve been doing the right things. It’s easy to look up at the scoreboard and say, ‘Oh, he’s having a bad year.’ The numbers are the numbers and they don’t necessarily define who we are each day.”

Bohm is on a bit of a roll. He has hit safely in 16 of his last 20 games, batting .310 over that span.

Does the home run total matter to him?

“That’s the game nowadays, everybody wants home runs,” he said. “I feel like when I go up there trying to do that stuff, I never end up doing it. That’s not when I’m at my best. When I kinda just stick within myself, what happened today is what can happen for me. I’m not gonna go up there searching for home runs and trying to do that. I’m just trying to put myself in a good position and hit the ball hard.”

The Phillies played a crisp game defensively, a good sign after miscues at second base, third base and shortstop cost them on Sunday. Stott dove to his right twice to end innings by fielding tough grounders. Bryce Harper left his feet to snag a short hop in the bottom of the first. Bohm and Stott combined on a rapid 5-4-3 double play to end the seventh.

The Phillies look to win their fourth straight series on Wednesday night behind Cristopher Sanchez. They are 7-2 since reaching their low-point at .500 two weekends ago in Chicago.

Diaz left Tuesday’s game after an awkward swing in the sixth inning, appearing to injure his groin. He’s by far the Rays’ best hitter and is routinely toward the top of the league in line drive rate, so that could be a big deal the rest of the series.

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What Does The Los Angeles Kings' Next GM Need To Address?

Joel Edmundson and Darcy Kuemper (Perry Nelson-Imagn Images)

In the wake of the Los Angeles Kings’ fourth straight season of losing to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round, you knew something had to give in the Kings’ organization. 

On Monday, the ramifications of the disappointing season resulted in Kings GM Rob Blake parting ways with the team.

Whoever takes over from Blake has some obvious areas to address. Let’s break them down below.

1. The Defense

The Kings allowed the second-fewest goals in the regular season, but that doesn’t matter after what happened in the playoffs.

They didn’t have problems putting the puck in the net against the Oilers, averaging four goals-for per game. But the defense was a disaster, as the Kings allowed 4.50 goals against per game. It certainly wasn’t all the fault of goalie Darcy Kuemper, although his 3.74 GAA and .889 SP didn’t help matters.

You could see the Kings’ defensive struggles all over the place, including their penalty kill, which had an embarrassing 61.5 percent efficiency. 

So, with that in mind, it’s obvious what Blake’s successor has to do – namely, tweak the defense corps and make the Kings harder to play against in their own zone against offensive powerhouses. That was their style all season long, but they need to replace a blueliner or two to achieve that style in the playoffs as well.

Brandt Clarke will be a year older, which should help his development, but so will 35-year-old Drew Doughty, who can’t average 24 to 25 minutes a night forever.

Effecting change on the back end won’t be easy, as there aren’t many shutdown blueliners on the UFA front this off-season. Complicating matters is that veteran blueliner Vladislav Gavrikov is a pending UFA. To keep him in the fold, the Kings will have to give him at least the $5.875 million he’s earned this season. 

Letting Gavrikov walk shouldn’t be an option for L.A., but it’s the other moves the next Kings GM makes regarding the defense that will probably be the difference between the Kings getting out of the first round next spring or failing once again to follow up on a strong regular season.

NHL Playoffs 2025: Winners And Losers From Round 1 Feature Rantanen, Necas And MoreNHL Playoffs 2025: Winners And Losers From Round 1 Feature Rantanen, Necas And MoreJust like that, the NHL’s 2025 Stanley Cup playoff field is cut in half. 

2. Spending The Kings’ Cap Space Wisely

Los Angeles has about $23.26 million in salary cap space, but Blake’s replacement won’t be able to throw all of it at the best UFAs on the market. 

A good deal of that will go to bringing back Gavrikov and fellow UFA Andrei Kuzmenko, who turned out to be a solid addition for the Kings. But the Kings also have RFA right winger Alex Laferriere to re-sign, and they need a backup goalie as well.

As you can see, the Kings’ cap space will evaporate quickly unless the new GM clears out some cap space on the trade market.

Let’s say we’re still focused on Los Angeles’ defense: would targeting experienced D-men Ivan Provorov, Brent Burns or Dmitry Orlov make sense for the Kings’ back end? None of them will come cheaply, but the allure of playing in sunny California on a team that, at least on paper, isn’t that far off from a long playoff run, could be the hook that brings in new blood for the Kings’ defense corps.

Regardless of how Blake’s successor spends the Kings’ cap space, they can’t swing and miss on the talent they do bring in. There will be huge pressure on the new GM to hit a home run with the roster changes they make, and right out of the gate, all eyes will be on Blake’s replacement in the roster and the financial choices they make.

3. Decide On The Coach

At this time last year, the Kings were very happy with coach Jim Hiller, removing the interim tag from him and signing him to a three-year contract extension that began this season. 

In the collapse against the Kings, some of the coaching staff’s choices came under intense scrutiny, including a lost coach’s challenge in Game 3 that had some fans irate. The Hockey News’ Connor Doyle also said Hiller shortened the bench during the series, and their top players looked gassed at times.

But now, with Blake gone, his replacement may want to install a replacement for Hiller behind the Kings’ bench. With veterans out there, including Peter Laviolette, Dan Bylsma and John Tortorella – as well as newcomers or NHL assistant coaches who could be available – the Kings may find someone else with a different play style in mind for this squad.

There’s no salary cap limit on coaching, so if L.A. does want to move in a new direction with their coaching, it will only cost them two years of Hiller’s remaining salary. But after the disappointment of two straight first-round exits under Hiller’s tenure, the status quo may not be a viable option for Blake’s replacement.

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What we learned as Steph Curry injured in Warriors' Game 1 win over Timberwolves

What we learned as Steph Curry injured in Warriors' Game 1 win over Timberwolves originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

MINNEAPOLIS – The Warriors showed little signs of fatigue 48 hours after their Game 7 win in the first round of the NBA playoffs, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 99-88 Tuesday night at the Target Center in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

But the win can’t be as celebrated as usual. 

Steph Curry, in the second quarter, grabbed at the back of his left leg and was ruled out for the remainder of the game with a strained hamstring. The Warriors once led by 23 points before holding off the Timberwolves in the end.

Draymond Green’s offensive revival again proved to be huge. The defensive star scored 18 points to go with eight rebounds, six assists and two steals. He scored 40 total points in the first six games of the first round and now has totaled 34 in the Warriors’ last two games.

Buddy Hield missed all seven of his shots in the first half, scoring two points at the free-throw line. His activity turned to scoring production in the third quarter, putting up 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Hield ended with 24 points and five threes to become the first player in NBA history to total 14 threes in a two-game playoff span.

Jimmy Butler, in his return to Minnesota, was stellar, posting a near triple-double of 20 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.

Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards was held to one point in the first half, but scored 22 in the final two quarters. The Timberwolves only scored 31 points through two quarters, the fewest first-half points the Warriors have allowed for a playoff game in the shot clock era. In their first-round series win, the Timberwolves averaged 107.4 points, almost 20 more than what they finished with Tuesday night. 

Countless layups rimmed in and out, and the Timberwolves were colder than ice-cold from 3-point range. The Warriors went 18 of 42 on threes (42.9 percent), and the Timberwolves were 5 of 29 (17.2 percent)

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ Game 1 win.

Surviving Steph’s Injury

Just as the Warriors were finding their flow, Curry was forced to limp to the locker room in the second quarter. On back-to-back possessions, Curry hit a rainbow of a three from the left wing that floated high into the air and through the nets, grabbed Donte DiVincenzo’s missed three and went coast to coast for a floater. But almost immediately, it became clear something was wrong.

Curry began grabbing at his left hamstring and motioned to the Warriors’ bench that he needed to be taken out. He wasn’t noticed at first and play resumed. Somehow, Curry still managed to make an impact by finding Green for a three. The Timberwolves then called a timeout and Curry slowly limped across the court and right down the tunnel back to the Warriors’ locker room with director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini. 

It looked like Curry could have been in for a huge night, too. He was a plus-10, having already scored 13 points in 13 minutes. He was 5 of 9 from the field and made three of his six 3-point attempts prior to his injury. He scored eight of the Warriors’ 18 points in the first quarter, and five of their first 12 in the second quarter.

The Warriors led 30-20 when Curry exited the game. He was ruled out with a left hamstring strain later in the second quarter.

The Butler Returns

Butler’s time in Minnesota was short but memorable, mostly because of drama forcing his way out of town 10 games into his second season with the Timberwolves. He was an All-Star and was named Second Team All-Defensive and Third Team All-NBA in his first year for the Timberwolves. By the sound of the crowd, there is absolutely no love remaining for him in the Twin Cities.

Butler played his first game at the Target Center since November of 2021. He last played for the Timberwolves on Nov. 9, 2019, before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. Butler received loud boos whenever he touched the ball.

Unsurprisingly, that didn’t deter him one bit.

Butler didn’t go on a scoring tear but was flying all over the court. In the first half, when he only had six points, Butler came down with five offensive rebounds and added two steals. The Warriors will need him to be a scorer in Curry’s absence, but the rest of his game shone bright.

Dominant From Downtown 

Despite missing 17 consecutive threes and going 7 of 37 as a team, the Timberwolves were able to beat the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of the first round to advance to the conference semifinals. Their victory was largely because of Rudy Gobert’s 27 points and 24 rebounds. Gobert wasn’t nearly as effective in Game 1 against the Warriors to open Round 2, and the Timberwolves kept missing from long distance. 

Minnesota took eight threes in the first quarter and didn’t make a single one. Another seven tries and another seven misses in the second quarter brought the Timberwolves to a wild 0 of 15 on 3-pointers in the first half. Meanwhile, as the Warriors led 44-31 at halftime, they were nine of 20 on threes – a 27-point advantage. Curry was responsible for three of those treys, but other Warriors were cashing in as well.

Most notably, Curry’s longest teammate. Butler made one three in the first half, as did Brandin Podziemski. Green, however, had already made four.

The Timberwolves missed their first try behind the 3-point line in the third quarter, and Naz Reid finally snapped the streak on their 17th attempt of the night. Going back to the Timberwolves’ previous game, Edwards missed 14 consecutive threes before making one with three minutes left in the fourth quarter.

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Report: Ottawa Senators Shake Up Front Office, Parting Ways With Associate GM Ryan Bowness

For a team that’s only five days into its off-season, the Ottawa Senators aren’t wasting any time preparing for next season. On Monday, GM Steve Staios signed RFA defenceman Nik Matinpalo to a two-year extension. On Tuesday, according to Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, the team parted company with associate GM Ryan Bowness.

Ryan Bowness at the 2024 NHL Draft (Ottawa Senators on YouTube)

Bowness was originally hired in the summer of 2022, so he was one of the few holdovers from the team’s previous regime. He avoided the axe that fell on the jobs of his boss, GM Pierre Dorion, along with head coach D.J. Smith, assistants Davis Payne and Jack Capuano, the media relations staff, and several others.

According to Garrioch’s report, this decision was a mutual parting of the ways. For the record, that’s also how the team framed Dorion’s exit.

Bowness was also the GM of the Belleville Senators. Garrioch indicates that Dave Poulin, the club’s senior vice-president of hockey ops, will replace Bowness at the AHL board of governors meeting this week, and expects that director of player personnel Rob DiMaio, a Staios hire, may take over Bowness' job as Sens' associate GM.

Prior to his hiring in Ottawa, Bowness served as director of pro scouting for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and his move here was more than just a professional opportunity—it was personal. As the son of Rick Bowness, the Senators' first head coach in the early '90s, Ryan was able to return to the team and town that both factored into a lot of his childhood and hockey memories. 

Ryan began his NHL front office career with the Thrashers in Atlanta, where his dad began his NHL playing career with the Flames in the 1970s.

The Senators have not issued an official statement on Bowness' status, but given his resumé and reputation, Bowness likely won’t be without opportunities for very long.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

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Penguins Prospect Signs Extension To Remain In KHL

Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Mikhail Ilyin. (Dobber Prospects)

Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas has spent more than a year working to build back up the team's prospect pool, there was some hope that one budding young player would be joining the organization next season.

Unfortunately, that won't be the case.

Russian forward prospect Mikhail Ilyin - selected by the Penguins in the fifth round (142nd overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft - signed an extension to remain with the Severstal Cherepovets of the KHL next season.

The Penguins made an offer to Ilyin, but he declined it.

Ilyin, 20, has spent the majority of the past three seasons with Severstal, amassing seven goals and 30 points in 64 games last season. 

The 6-foot, 180-pound winger is known for his smarts and details, and his playmaking and passing skills are also strengths in his game. While his skating needs a little bit of work, his vision pretty much makes up for that deficiency.

Many expected Ilyin to being playing in North America next season, but given the success he's seen on the top line for Severstal in his third season with the team - playing with and against the highest competition in Russia, nonetheless - it's understandable why he may want to develop more with Severstal.

Across parts of three seasons with the Cherepovets, Ilyin has registered 19 goals and 61 points in 150 games.

Penguins Drop Two Slots In NHL Draft, Will Pick 11th OverallPenguins Drop Two Slots In NHL Draft, Will Pick 11th OverallIn past draft lotteries, the Pittsburgh Penguins have seen their fair share of luck.

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Flavio Briatore takes on Alpine F1 team lead duties as Colapino replaces Doohan

  • Briatore to return 17 years after Crashgate scandal
  • Driver Doohan replaced by Colapinto for next five races

The Alpine team principal, Oliver Oakes, has resigned from the team with Flavio Briatore, the Italian who was once given a lifetime ban from Formula One, set to step up to assume team principal duties.

Oakes was appointed only nine months ago and the 37-year-old’s resignation, which a statement from Alpine read they had accepted with “immediate effect”, comes as the team replace their driver Jack Doohan with Franco Colapinto for the next five F1 races.

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Warriors' Game 1 win over Timberwolves helps road teams make NBA playoff history

Warriors' Game 1 win over Timberwolves helps road teams make NBA playoff history originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors’ stunning 99-88 Game 1 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night at Target Center completed a remarkable few days in the NBA.

With Golden State’s Western Conference semifinal victory, all four road teams won Game 1 of the Division/Conference Semifinals round for the first time in NBA history.

On Sunday, the Indiana Pacers stole their series opener against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. A day later, the New York Knicks rallied to beat the Boston Celtics in overtime, while the Denver Nuggets stunned the NBA-best Oklahoma City Thunder in the final seconds.

The Warriors completed the feat Tuesday night.

Making the Warriors’ win all the more impressive, they did it for the majority of the contest without Steph Curry, who sustained a left hamstring strain early in the second quarter, exiting the game with 13 points.

The Warriors entered Tuesday’s game with one day of rest after beating the Houston Rockets in Game 7 on Sunday night.

Indiana did the unthinkable and somehow won Game 2 in Cleveland earlier on Tuesday night. New York and Denver will have a chance to snatch their respective Game 2s on Wednesday, while Golden State is back in action Thursday night.

Winning Game 2 without Curry might be a tall task, but for now, the Warriors will bask in the glory of taking the series opener.

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What The Sabres Can Expect Selecting Ninth

The Buffalo Sabres selected Matthew Savoie ninth overall at the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal. 

The Buffalo Sabres falling to the ninth overall pick at the 2025 NHL Draft in Los Angeles in late June is not the best situation for the club, as there appears to be a consensus that there is a drop-off after the top five of this draft class, but that does not mean Buffalo will be unable to select a player that could help them down the road. 

Last year, the Sabres traded down from 11th to 14th with San Jose and acquired a second-round pick (which was dealt to Washington for Beck Malenstyn). The Sharks used Buffalo’s pick to select defenseman Sam Dickinson, while the Sabres chose Konsta Helenius.  

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The ninth overall pick one year ago was made by the Calgary Flames, and they selected defenseman Zayne Parekh. Selecting at #9 is a crapshoot, but it is still possible for the Sabres to get someone who could be a productive player. 

Here are the 9th overall picks from the last five drafts:

2024: Zayne Parekh(Calgary) - The 19-year-old led the OHL in defensive scoring with 107 points (33 goals, 74 assists) with the Windsor Spitfires. He played one game at the end of the season with Calgary and is expected to play in the NHL next season. 

2023: Nate Danielson(Detroit) - Danielson played four seasons in the WHL and graduated to the American Hockey League this season, where he scored 39 points (12 goals, 27 assists). Based on the Red Wings' slow developmental process, it is likely he will play next season with Grand Rapids. 

2022: Matthew Savoie(Buffalo) - This pick may already be considered a failure by Sabres fans, since Savoie was dealt to Edmonton in the Ryan McLeod deal. The 21-year-old spent all of last season with Bakersfield in the AHL and scored 19 goals, earning a four-game look with the Oilers. 

2021: Dylan Guenther(Arizona) - The Coyotes hit the jackpot at #9 with the selection of Guenther, who split time between the WHL and NHL as a 20-year-old, scored 18 goals in 45 games last season, signed a seven-year contract with Utah, and scored 27 goals this season with the Hockey Club. 

2020: Marco Rossi(Minnesota) - Selected one pick after the Sabres selected Jack Quinn, the Austrian-born center had complications after contracting COVID in 2020, but after spending most of 2023 in the AHL, Rossi has scored 20+ goals for the Wild the last two seasons.  

 

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Dodgers place Teoscar Hernández on IL with groin injury, call up James Outman

Tokyo, Japan, Saturday, March 15, 2025 - Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez is all smiles as he is gets a fateful of sunflower seeds after hitting a homer in the third inning against the Yomiuri Giants at the Tokyo Dome. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Teoscar Hernandez is all smiles as he gets a shower of sunflower seeds after homering this season. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

The Dodgers put outfielder Teoscar Hernández on the injured list Tuesday with a left groin strain, a day after Hernández injured himself chasing down a fly ball in right field and left the game early.

James Outman was called up from triple-A Oklahoma City to replace Hernández on the roster.

According to manager Dave Roberts, Hernández was diagnosed specifically with a Grade-1 adductor strain. While there was no immediate timeline for Hernández to return, Roberts acknowledged that “he’s going to be inactive for a while.”

“It’s certainly [going to be several] weeks,” Roberts said. “But I just don’t know how long.”

Read more:Mookie Betts overcame illness early in the season. Why his swing took time to catch up

In the third inning of Monday’s win over the Miami Marlins, Hernández broke hard for a line drive in the gap and stretched at full sprint to make the catch.

After returning to the dugout between innings, Hernández was removed from the game, reporting tightness in both his hamstring and adductor to the team’s training staff. He was sent for an MRI exam on Tuesday.

“He’s a guy that just doesn’t come out of games by way of injury,” manager Dave Roberts said afterward. “That’s a little concerning given the person.”

Back with the Dodgers this season after re-signing with the club on a three-year, $66 million contract as a free agent this winter, Hernández had been one of the lineup’s most consistent run producers early this year.

He was batting .315, well above his career .264 average. He had nine home runs, tied with Shohei Ohtani for most on the team. He’d collected 34 RBIs in just 33 games, most in the majors.

“He’s had a huge impact,” Roberts said. “He’s certainly going to be missed.”

Indeed, the Dodgers — who are also unlikely to get Tommy Edman back from an ankle injury before the end of this trip — now have yet another lineup hole to fill.

For now, Roberts said he expects “more of a platoon-based roster” as the team works around the two injuries. On Tuesday, Hyeseong Kim was playing second base (where Edman has seen most of his playing time this year) and Outman was in center (regular center fielder Andy Pages shifted to Hernández’s position in right field). Kiké Hernández and Chris Taylor can move around the diamond as well.

Outman is just two years removed from a third-place finish in National League rookie of the year voting, when he hit .248 with 23 home runs and 70 RBIs in 2023. 

But last year, he struggled in brief stints on the big-league roster, batting .147 with only four home runs in 53 games. With Oklahoma City this season, he started the year a woeful 10 for 66, before heating up the last three weeks with a .359 average and five home runs in his last 17 games.

“It’s up to him to go out there and relax and know that and be comfortable in this environment and be free and go play,” Roberts said of the now 27-year-old outfielder, who tried to simplify his swing during spring camp. “The last couple weeks he’s been very productive, taking good at-bats. So hopefully that continues here.”

Read more:Hyeseong Kim shares joyful moment to remember with Shohei Ohtani in Dodgers' win

Two other players joined the Dodgers from triple A on Tuesday.

Reliever JP Feyereisen was called up, with fellow right-hander Yoendrys Gómez getting designated for assignment.

Starting pitcher Landon Knack also joined the big-league club, and will be activated to pitch in the series finale against the Marlins on Wednesday.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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3 Reasons Why The Golden Knights Can Defeat The Oilers In The Second Round

<i>Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) and Oilers center Leon Draisaitl (29) watch the puck after a face-off during the second period of an NHL game at T-Mobile Arena on April 1, 2025. <b>Photo Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images</b></i>

LAS VEGAS -- Just before the regular season started, an anonymous poll of Golden Knights revealed 86.7% of the team saying the Edmonton Oilers are "Vegas' chief arch-rival."

Seven months later, the teams will meet in the postseason for the second time in three years, a battle of the last two Western Conference champions.

Vegas won the West and the Stanley Cup in 2023, while the Oilers are looking for redemption after winning the West last year, only to lose to the Florida Panthers in the Cup Final.

With plenty of similarities from the 2023 playoffs comes several changes to both lineups.

Depth will be key, while top-line superstars will be counted on to ignite for both teams.

Here are three reasons the Golden Knights can get past their arch-rivals and advance to the Western Conference Final:

1. COACHING: Yes, Kris Knoblauch is now on the bench for Edmonton, instead of Jay Woodcroft, and many believe that's one of the reasons the team is better. It may be true, but that doesn't take away from the fact the Knights still have the edge with their bench boss, Bruce Cassidy. Long before he arrived in Vegas, the 59-year-old skipper spent time as head coach of both the Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins, guiding the latter to the Cup Final in 2019, where they lost to the surprising St. Louis Blues. Knoblauch has is in his second year as a head coach, and sure he led the Oilers to the Cup Final in his inaugural season, but he also has the liberty of coaching who some consider the two best players in the world in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Where Cassidy holds the edge is in his ability to make adjustments on the fly, and keep fluidity among his forward lines and defensive pairings. We saw it in the opening round against Minnesota, and he won't be afraid to do it again if need be against the Oilers.

"I think the relationship between the coach and the player probably gets more and more cemented or solidified with time, as opposed to year one," Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. "But, he stands for the same things that that he stood for as a coach of the Boston Bruins, with the reasons that we hired him, the things that we wanted him to bring to our organization. I think that's been really consistent. I think he's had some changes to staff.

"I think there's different things that you just have to evolve and adapt and grow with day by day. But in terms of who he is and what type of coach he is, I think very much what he was when he arrived."

And that, in fact, is the coach who led the Knights to their first championship.

2. A WILD X-FACTOR: William Karlsson, affectionately known to the fanbase as "Wild Bill," has been exceptional on and off the stat sheet, and continues to do what he does quietly at both ends of the ice. Karlsson has been someone the Knights can count on, and Cassidy can turn to, when making line adjustments, to provide defense at one end, or to make things happen at the other. Karlsson just may be the most underrated never-nominated Selke Trophy kind of player in the NHL. Karlsson owns 67 points (29 goals, 38 assists) in his 100 playoff games and a franchise-best +38 rating. Of his nine regular-season goals this season, four were game-winning tallies, the second-most for Vegas.

"He's appreciated by the people in this room who see him every day, and by our fans and certainly by the organization," McCrimmon said. "But he is a consistent, zero maintenance, hard working, intelligent, two-way player. ... A proven playoff performer, just a tremendously valuable player in our organization. (He) knows exactly what the organization is about, what we stand for, what we want to look like. And he's a big, big part of that, has been from the beginning."

3. GOALTENDING: It's Vegas' Adin Hill versus either Calvin Pickard or Stuart Skinner for the Oilers. Game 1 will pit Hill against Pickard. And the fact is, Hill has proven statistically to be a much better goaltender, and is playoff tested. It was the 2023 series against the Oilers when Hill was brought in, and he's been the guy ever since. After sitting on the bench as Jordan Binnington's backup for the 4 Nation's Face-Off, Hill returned for the final stretch of the regular season with a chip on his shoulder and turned in a 12-3-1 mark to go along with a .920 save percentage and 2.11 goals-against average. In that stretch, among goalies with a minimum of 16 starts, Hill's save percentage was eighth-best in the league, while is goals-against average ranked fifth. Pickard has been the guy for the Oilers in the postseason, going 4-0 with a 2.93 goals-against average, but that .893 save percentage is rather low when coming into a series against a team as deep as the Knights. If the Oilers are forced to go with Skinner, he's 0-2 with a 6.11 GAA and .810 SV% this postseason.

"He was excellent, he got better as the series went on," Cassidy said, about Hill against Minnesota in the first round. "He’s been good in the playoffs, the big games. Hopefully that continues. It’s been his playoff resume so far."

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What we learned as Giants' nine-run 11th-inning eruption fuels win over Cubs

What we learned as Giants' nine-run 11th-inning eruption fuels win over Cubs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO — For the third time in four starts, the bullpen let Justin Verlander down. This time, the Giants at least found a way to come away with the win, and somehow, the rare extra-innings blowout. 

Ryan Walker couldn’t close out what would have been Verlander’s first win as a Giant — and 263rd in the big leagues — but the Giants got the game to the 11th and then broke through with nine runs (seriously) in the 11th inning. With a 14-5 win, they evened this series against the highest-scoring team in the big leagues.The Giants led by four early and Verlander walked off with a two-run lead. Walker, who has gotten off to an unexpectedly rough start, gave it back in the ninth. 

Walker’s first blown save as a closer came at the end of the last road trip and cost Verlander a win. He was wobbly at the start of the ensuing homestand, but by the end of it, the Giants felt their closer was back to form.

The ninth started with a walk of speedy Pete Crow-Armstrong. After a strikeout, Walker issued a free pass to pinch-hitter Carson Kelly and then gave up an RBI single to longtime Giants nemesis Justin Turner. That put runners on the corners with one out, but Walker responded with a strikeout of leadoff hitter Ian Happ. 

With Kyle Tucker coming up, Bob Melvin turned to lefty Erik Miller, who was looking for his first career save but was a better matchup against the Cubs star. Walker wasn’t happy as he walked off the mound, and the pain in the dugout and clubhouse got worse when Tucker lined Miller’s first pitch up the middle to tie the game. 

Miller got it to the 11th and Heliot Ramos’ double was followed by a Patrick Bailey RBI single to get the Giants back ahead. Eight consecutive Giants reached in the 11th before the Cubs recorded an out.

 

The Giants set a Wrigley Field record for most runs in an extra inning. The previous mark was seven, set by the New York Giants in 1921.

Here are the takeaways from a win that pushes the Giants’ record to 23-14:

The Wait Continues

Verlander was coming off three consecutive quality starts, and while he didn’t reach that standard Tuesday, he wasn’t far from it. Over five innings, Verlander gave up three earned on five hits and two walks. He struck out three, getting Ian Happ on a slider, Seiya Suzuki on a 96 mph fastball and Michael Busch on a slider. 

Verlander had an uneven start to the season, but he has lived up to expectations over the last few weeks. In his last four starts, he has thrown 23 1/3 innings and allowed just six earned runs, but he has watched the bullpen blow the lead in each of his last three starts. In the other one, the lineup got shut out. 

Verlander is in his 20th big league season, and only once previously has he gone winless through his first seven starts. This is the first time he has gone eight starts to begin a year without picking up a win. 

Wind, Meet Windy

Jung Hoo Lee certainly seems to like the big stage. Lee hit three homers when the Giants visited Yankee Stadium last month, and on Tuesday, he added Wrigley Field to his book.

With a runner on in the third, veteran Colin Rea grooved a 94 mph fastball to Lee, who hit a 105 mph laser a half-dozen rows up in right. The blast was his first since his two-homer game at Yankee Stadium on April 13.

Lee hit two homers and slugged .331 in 37 games as a rookie. Wednesday’s series finale will be his 37th as a sophomore, and he’s currently at four homers and a .507 slugging percentage, which ranks 13th in the National League.

Elite In The Middle

On the last road trip, the Giants paid for extending Verlander. Melvin was much more careful on Tuesday, turning to one of the league’s best bullpens after just 82 pitches from his starter, and early on it looked like the right move. 

Randy Rodriguez gave up a hit and walked one in the sixth, but also struck out a pair. With the tying run on first, he whiffed Miguel Amaya on three pitches. Rodriguez lowered his ERA to 1.15.

Camilo Doval’s ERA is down to 1.62 after a 1-2-3 seventh inning. He needed just seven pitches to get through his frame, continuing what has been a remarkable stretch for the former closer. Over his last 12 appearances, Doval has allowed just one hit over 11 1/3 innings.

Those two got the ball to Tyler Rogers, who had a clean eighth. It all went off the rails a few minutes later, though.

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