Maxim Tsyplakov scored his first goal as a Devils player on Thursday as the New Jersey Devils fell 5-4 to the Calgary Flames.
Tsyplakov has played 11 games with the Devils since being traded from the Islanders on January 27, 2026.
The Devils traded a third and a 2027 sixth-round draft pick, plus Ondrej Palat, for 27-year-old Tsyplakov.
Tsyplakov spent two seasons with the Islanders after going undrafted. He has 12 goals and 26 assists in 115 NHL games.
Tsyplakov's first goal came in the third period off a pass from Nick Bjugstad, deflecting off a skate past Dustin Wolf. The goal was Tsyplakov’s first in 32 games and Bjugstad’s first point as a Devil.
The team ultimately lost, allowing five goals.
After the game, Jack Hughes discussed the team’s performance.
"It's hard to win when you give up five," Hughes said. "That's probably the story of the night….Just a frustrating loss."
The Devils have lost two straight after winning three in a row. They are in the midst of a seven-game homestand with two games remaining.
The team will play again on Saturday, aiming to return to the win column against the Los Angeles Kings.
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PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 14: Justin Edwards #11 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on March 14, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
2025-26 Sixers Bell Ringer season standings: Tyrese Maxey – 22 Joel Embiid – 9 VJ Edgecombe – 9 Paul George – 6 Kelly Oubre Jr. – 4 Justin Edwards – 3 Jared McCain :’( – 3 Dominick Barlow – 2 Andre Drummond – 2 MarJon Beauchamp – 1 Adem Bona – 1 Quentin Grimes – 1 Cam Payne – 1 Jabari Walker – 1 Trendon Watford – 1 15th roster spot – 1
Just when I think this team couldn’t possibly surprise me, they exceed my expectations (negatively).
Despite trying their hardest seemingly to lose at the end, the Philadelphia 76ers escaped Saturday afternoon with a close 104-97 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
The Sixers were again wildly shorthanded, remaining without Joel Embiid (oblique), Tyrese Maxey (finger), Paul George (suspension), Kelly Oubre Jr. (elbow), Andre Drummond (back) and Johni Broome (knee). They got Adem Bona back in the lineup, who had missed the last contest due to back soreness, but lost Jabari Walker, who missed this one due to illness.
They faced off against a tanking Brooklyn Nets team with more than a handful of injury outages themselves.
So, yet another contest of stoppable force against moveable object.
Fortunately, this iteration of the Nets made the Sixers look like a real basketball team at times. By halftime, Philadelphia had already built a 22-point lead, thanks in part to Brooklyn only managing 31 points on just 11 field goals made by the break. Everything was going as well as one could ask for, with the Sixers leading by as much as 28 in the third frame (which they still managed to lose, by the way).
In the fourth, things shifted. The Sixers were ice cold from three, couldn’t buy a bucket and the Nets began capitalizing. Suddenly, we had a single-digit game once again. Brooklyn took their first lead of the game with just over three minutes to play. Despite being outscored 41-27 in the last quarter and really looking like they were about to drop a game to a 17-win team, the Sixers were able to regain control and escape with a 104-97 win.
This was the first leg of a back-to-back (yes, another one) for the Sixers, who will host the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday evening.
<p>(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)</p><br> | NBAE via Getty Images
After a tough game for the rookie on Thursday, shooting just 3-for-14 against the Detroit Pistons, it was great to see VJ Edgecombe get this one started off on the right foot. Or should I say on really no feet, since he spent a lot of the first quarter soaring for a few of his high-flying dunks. Those highlights are always fun of course, but even more encouraging is seeing Edgecombe just efficiently using his speed and fancy footwork in isolation to finishing at the rim or hitting the jumper. After one quarter, he led with 10 points on 5-for-8 field goal shooting with one assist, two steals and one block.
His personal scoring slowed a bit from there, but Edgecombe continued to run the offense by serving up some amazing passes to set up his teammates for open, easy buckets. The rookie is already wise beyond his years in terms of understanding the amount of attention he is going to garner with the current lineup the Sixers are having to run with, and he’s taking advantage of it to create a ton of space and opportunities for his floormates (when the openings aren’t there for him to just score himself).
If anything, Edgecombe might have started deferring to playmaking over scoring a little too much as this one went on. It’s good the rookie doesn’t want to be a selfish player, but he should be taking a lot more than 13 shots in games like this.
Edgecombe finished the game with 16 points (6-for-13 field goal shooting) with four rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one block.
And, of course, the rookie VJ Edgecombe. Started the day with a burst of scoring and continued it with some stellar playmaking throughout.
(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Justin Edwards has really impressed me the last few games. Of course, the makeup of the team is very unusual right now, but he’s making the most of his opportunities to try some different things and get better at what he’s good at. Where I feel like Edwards has struggled in the past — not being aggressive enough to get to the paint and finish there rather than just taking some threes here and there — he has been much better these last few contests. And he’s not doing it all willy-nilly either, he’s actively waiting for and attacking closeouts to create good opportunities for himself and finishing well at the rim.
Not only that, but he’s been one of the best, most active defenders the Sixers have had as of late. Edwards had three steals and two blocks today.
It very likely helps Edwards (and other guys further down the depth chart) to know that he won’t be pulled from a game after one or two missed shots or a bad defensive play — it’s certainly showing in his confidence level on the floor.
Edwards finished this one with 19 points on 9-for-13 field goal shooting with four rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks.
Going to try to focus on the good of that Sixers-Nets game for a moment. Justin Edwards, looking confident (likely knowing he's not going to get pulled for one or two missed shots), really impressed today.
<p>(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)</p><br> | NBAE via Getty Images
Quentin Grimes led the scoring today for Philadelphia by way of shooting early and often, starting with a three from the top of the key just a few minutes in and not stopping until he made a crucial late bucket to help the Sixers survive the Nets’ comeback. He was also one of the Sixers’ more active, effective rebounders today with eight boards, something the squad needs all the help they can get with considering they have just one available center in the lineup.
I’ll be honest, though, Grimes’ shot selection leaves a lot to be desired in my eyes. He took a lot of shots I wouldn’t have considered to be the Sixer’s best option on the floor, including a lot of long twos. Fortunately, he was sinking a decent amount of those today… but he also missed plenty, and has missed plenty of those types of bad shots in the past. Maybe it’s just me, but it just seems like sometimes Grimes’ stats make it look like he played a better game than he actually did.
That being said, he did lead the Sixers in scoring today, so we must give credit where credit is due.
Grimes finished the game leading the field with 28 points on 10-for-22 field goal shooting. He also had eight rebounds, four assists and a steal.
Quentin Grimes gets the jumper to go and the Sixers have a five-point lead with under a minute left pic.twitter.com/rtfzdtd2i9
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Quentin Grimes scored a season-high 28 points and the Philadelphia 76ers held on for a 104-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.
Grimes had eight rebounds for the short-handed 76ers, who were missing Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr., among other players. Justin Edwards scored 19 points while adding three steals.
Danny Wolf had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets, who lost their third straight game. Josh Minott added 14 points.
The 76ers entered halftime up 53-31. Adem Bona’s free throw with 3:02 left in the fourth quarter gave Philadelphia the lead for good at 88-87.
The Sixers shot 10.3 percentage points better from the field (46.3%) than the Nets (36.0%).
Up next
Sixers: Host the Trail Blazers on Sunday.
Nets: Host the Trail Blazers on Monday to begin a three-game homestand.
And the loss came about as dramatically as possible.
Dayton, the No. 4 seed in the Atlantic 10 tournament, continued its push for an unlikely NCAA Tournament berth with a 70-69 upset of Saint Louis, the league's regular-season champion, on Saturday, March 14 in the tournament semifinals in Pittsburgh.
The end result, notable as it was, couldn't match the excitement of the sequence that produced it.
With his team trailing by one, 66-65, Dayton's Jacob Conner buried a 3-pointer with 14 seconds remaining to give the Flyers a two-point advantage. It was short-lived, though, with the top-seeded Billikens responding on the other end with a 3 from the top of the key from Saint Louis star and college basketball folk hero Robbie Avila with 6.6 seconds to go to give his team a one-point edge.
Just when it looked like the Billikens might escape with a berth in the title game, Dayton had other ideas.
Flyers guard Jordan Derkack received the inbound pass and drove it the length of the court, but stumbled as he split a pair of Saint Louis defenders under the basket and threw up a high-arcing reverse layup. Though the ball failed to touch any part of the rim, it found the extended hand of Dayton big man Amaël L'Etang, who tipped it in with 0.3 seconds remaining, sending the crowd into pandemonium and even prompting one of his teammates to rush the floor from the bench to embrace him.
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 14, 2026
The Billikens were able to get a shot off before the buzzer, but it missed badly, sending Dayton to the conference title game.
In all, the game had five lead changes in the final 3:09.
The victory continued a recent hot streak for the Flyers, who have won eight of their past nine games after starting the season 15-9. They'll need to win the tournament championship game against the winner of Saturday's semifinal between No. 2 seed VCU and No. 3 seed Saint Joseph's to make it to the NCAA tournament.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Quentin Grimes scored a season-high 28 points and the Philadelphia 76ers held on for a 104-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday in a game they led by as many as 28.
Grimes shot 10 for 22 and had eight rebounds for the short-handed 76ers, who were missing Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr., among others. Justin Edwards scored 19 points while adding three steals.
Danny Wolf had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets, who were without leading scorer Michael Porter Jr. (ankle) and lost their third straight game. Josh Minott added 14 points.
The 76ers entered halftime up 53-31, but the Nets came back in the second half, taking the lead in the fourth quarter. Adem Bona’s free throw with 3:02 left gave Philadelphia the lead for good at 88-87.
The Sixers shot 10.3 percentage points better from the field (46.3%) than the Nets (36.0%).
Up next
Sixers: Host the Trail Blazers on Sunday.
Nets: Host the Trail Blazers on Monday to begin a three-game homestand.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 10: Ryan Weiss #51 of the Houston Astros throws a pitch during practice at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on February 10, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Houston Astros (7-10-3) take on the New York Mets (10-7) in West Palm Beach in Grapefruit League play.
RHP Ryan Weiss gets his first start of the Spring for Houston, opposed by RHP Freddy Peralta of New York.
TONIGHT’S STARTER: Weiss is making his first start and third appearance of the Grapefruit League this season. In his previous two outings, he’s combined to record a 1.69 ERA (1ER/5.1IP) with six strikeouts and a .158 opponent batting average. He signed a Major League deal with Houston on December 9, 2025 after some time in Japan. His first appearance for the Astros will be his Major League debut.
TODAY’S POTENTIAL RELIEVERS: RHP Peter Lambert, RHP Roddery Munoz and RHP Logan VanWey.
OTHER NOTES: Joe Espada told reporters that Brice Matthews will see some time in left field today. He’s yet to log any time in left field as a professional.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Saturday, March 14, 5:05 p.m. CST
Location: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches – W. Palm Beach, Florida
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Linus Ullmark made 23 saves for his second shutout of the season and the Ottawa Senators blanked the Anaheim Ducks 2-0 on Saturday.
Michael Amadio and Thomas Chabot scored for Ottawa. Shane Pinto had two assists. It was the 14th shutout of Ullmark's career. The Senators have won four of five.
Ville Husso stopped 27 shots for Anaheim.
Nick Cousins won a battle along the boards at center which sprung Pinto down the ice. Pinto fed Amadio on a 2-on-1 and he made no mistake, beating Husso short-side 3:54 into the second period.
At the 9:21 mark of the second, the Senators capitalized on a turnover. Pinto intercepted a pass and found Chabot in the high slot for his seventh of the season and second career short-handed goal.
Anaheim challenged for goaltender interference but was unsuccessful.
Warren Foegele had a couple of chances from in close in the opening period, but just couldn’t settle a bouncing puck.
Husso then stopped Amadio on a short-handed 2-on-1.
Amadio later drew a penalty, but Husso made a big glove save on Tim Stutzle on the Senators’ power play.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - MARCH 12: The sneakers worn by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder before the game against the Boston Celtics on March 12, 2026 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Mar 14, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Marco Luciano (60) breaks his bat on an rbi single against the Philadelphia Phillies in the eighth inning during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
I think it may be possible there’s some risk in trading for Rockies relievers. The org isn’t exactly known for churning out well-developed arms, and Angel Chivilli is having a nightmare of a spring training. The Yankees got a good start from Max Fried — save one bad frame — and clawed their way out of a couple deficits, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a late home run in Saturday’s 6-4 loss to Philadelphia.
Max Fried was perfect through his first two innings until being clipped a few times in the third. René Pinto got around on a ball that ended up being an automatic double, before a pair of singles brought him around to score. The second single was partially Fried’s fault, as he didn’t do enough to get over to first and turn the hit into a run-scoring out. For a guy as good defensively as Max is, you’ll chalk that up to bad play, so let’s get those bad plays out in March, not September.
Another flub came after a double steal, where Fried lost the handle on a pickoff attempt at third, and a final single from Dylan Moore put the Phillies up 3-0. Max wasn’t exactly hit hard at all, but struggled with command in the zone and certainly did himself no favors on the defensive side of things. I have full confidence in him putting together another excellent season if he stays healthy, but that third inning wasn’t much fun for anyone in pinstripes. If nothing else, he was able to finish two more innings cleanly, leaving the game with one out in the sixth.
Offensively, it seemed the Yankees were getting some baserunning work in, with both Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jasson Domínguez swiping a bag and making an out on the basepaths. Jasson was caught by the catcher while Jazz was picked off at second, but between those two and José Caballero, it feels like the club is going to be more dynamic once on base than most recent Yankee squads. The Martian also chipped in with an RBI single, his 10th run driven in of Grapefruit League play.
Jake Bird had himself a decent enough outing. He did walk the first man he faced but ended up recording four outs, two via the strikeout, in something of a cauterizing effort. Bird has not been a representative MLB player since leaving Colorado — honestly maybe even before that — but putting up zeros in spring is the first step to getting back to being a valuable member of an MLB roster.
The Yankees got their runs back in the bottom of the seventh, with Domínguez once again in the thick of it. A hustle single got him on base, moving to third on Paul DeJong’s autodouble, and coming in to score on a groundout. Marco Luciano grounded a ball to left field to bring in DeJong, and we were all tied up. Both teams also pushed across a run in their eighth innings, with the Yankees’ courtesy of Braden Shewmake:
Unfortunately I don’t think Angel Chivilli will be breaking camp with the MLB team. The winter acquisition has struggled in camp, and while pitching the ninth gave up a bomb to center field that put the Phillies up 6-4. He did get a pair of strikeouts, but the righty has an unsightly 14.85 ERA in exhibition play. I think he needs to work on some things down in Triple-A.
The club went down quietly in the ninth, making the home run by Phillies minor leaguer Felix Reyes the eventual game-winner. We’ll be back tomorrow afternoon with another spring showdown, with the Yankees welcoming the Tigers to Tampa. Luis Gil gets the ball for that outing, with first pitch at 1:05pm ET.
Mar 17, 2024; Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; A general view of fans arriving for a spring training game between the Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images
Another double-dip day, and in the World Baseball Classic, Italy and Puerto Rico is already under way. Remarkably, the Italians put up a four-spot in the bottom of the first, so their Cinderella story continues. I’m trying to think of an equivalent team reaching the World Cup semi-final. Morocco were unexpected semi-finalists last time. Maybe Turkey in 2002? Later on (6 pm Arizona time), Japan plays Venezuela to see who the Italians or Ricans will get in the semi-final. And I see Puerto Rico has just loaded the bases with one out in the second, without needing a hit, so this one may be far from over yet…
Back in the more prosaic surroundings of the Cactus League, here’s your line-up for the D-backs.
Zac has been pretty good so far this spring: just one hit through four innings, with no walks and five strikeouts. He has a lot to prove this year, so hopefully the good form isn’t just a spring fling. After Gallen, the scheduled pitchers are RHP Joe Ross, RHP Kevin Ginkel, RHP Ryan Thompson and RHP Juan Morillo. Carroll is back in the line-up again, though still limited to DH duties for whatever reason. Also on the health front, Gabriel Moreno’s imaging (he was a late scratch with forearm tightness last night) showed only some inflammation and no structural damage.
This one is also on dbacks.tv, with the Giants feed this afternoon, so tune in and join us there!
Humbled English clubs must realise that what works against the very good turns out to be inadequate against the best
If the only tool you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail. If the only tool you have is a set play, the solution to everything starts to look like a pre-programmed move based on blocking runs. And perhaps that’s especially true if you’re worn out, knackered by the attrition of a persistent schedule of two games a week against teams who are frustratingly well organised and physically imposing. Think? Dribble? Make a surprising run? Who has the bandwidth for that? Just sling it to the back post and get in the way of the keeper.
Arne Slot had spoken in the buildup to Liverpool’s defeat by Galatasaray on Tuesday of how difficult it is to create chances in modern football, and how set pieces are a way to circumvent the sophisticated defensive setups of most Premier League teams. He is certainly not alone in taking that approach in the Premier League. But the Champions League is not like the Premier League. The crowding of the six-yard box, the full bearhug grappling, the meat wall to block the goalkeeper … it turns out all of those are penalised by European referees, and that is a problem for Premier League teams.
Feb 20, 2026; Surprise, Arizona, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (17) delivers to the plate in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Today the Texas Rangers have divvied up the squad and sent half to Goodyear, AZ to take on the Cincinnati Reds while the rest remain in Surprise, AZ for a Cactus League tussle against the San Diego Padres.
In Surprise, RHP Nathan Eovaldi will take the bump for Texas opposite LHP Marco Gonzales for San Diego. In Goodyear, it will be LHP Austin Gomber for Texas against RHP Rhett Lowder for Cincinnati.
Here are the lineups for the home game against the Padres:
Today’s Lineups
PADRES
RANGERS
Bryce Johnson – CF
Brandon Nimmo – RF
Ty France – 1B
Wyatt Langford – CF
Nick Schnell – RF
Corey Seager – SS
Jase Bowen – DH
Andrew McCutchen – DH
Carlos D. Rodriguez – LF
Josh Smith – 3B
Nick Solak – 2B
Evan Carter – LF
Rodolfo Duran – C
Sam Haggerty – 2B
Francisco Acuna – SS
Ezequiel Duran – 1B
Pablo Reyes – 3B
Willie MacIver – C
Marco Gonzales – LHP
Nathan Eovaldi – RHP
Here are the lineups for the away game against the Reds:
Today’s Lineups
RANGERS
REDS
Joc Pederson – DH
TJ Friedl – DH
Alejandro Osuna – LF
Will Benson – CF
Jake Burger – 1B
Jose Trevino – C
Mark Canha – RF
Nathaniel Lowe – 1B
Tyler Wade – SS
JJ Bleday – RF
Michael Helman – CF
Rece Hinds – LF
Cameron Cauley – 2B
P.J. Higgins – 3B
Jonah Bride – 3B
Michael Chavis – 2B
Jose Herrera – C
Leo Balcazar – SS
Austin Gomber – LHP
Rhett Lowder – RHP
You can watch the Surprise game on the Rangers Sports Network, listen via 105.3 The Fan, or follow along on Gameday. Alternatively, if you want to catch the game from Goodyear, the Reds have a radio feed but you can also follow along on Gameday.
First pitch for both games today are scheduled for 3:05 pm CT.
GOODYEAR, ARIZONA - MARCH 7: Jose Ramirez #11 of the Cleveland Guardians sits in the dugout prior to a Spring Training game against the San Diego Padres at Goodyear Ballpark on March 7, 2026 in Goodyear, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Colorado Avalanche spent much of Saturday afternoon chasing both the play and the scoreboard, ultimately falling 3–1 to the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre.
Winnipeg seized control early in the second period and dictated the pace for long stretches, while goaltender Connor Hellebuyck turned aside nearly everything Colorado generated. Martin Nečas finally broke through late in the third period, but the Avalanche’s push came too late to erase the deficit.
Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar each recorded an assist on Colorado’s lone goal. Meanwhile, veteran defenseman Brent Burns quietly added another milestone to his résumé, skating in his 990th consecutive NHL game and passing Keith Yandle for the second-longest ironman streak in league history.
Credit: Conrad Jack. Martin Necas breaks the shutout streak.
Mackenzie Blackwood made 15 saves on 17 shots in the loss.
For Winnipeg, Kyle Connor scored to secure the eighth 30-goal season of his career. Alex Iafallo and Cole Perfetti also found the net, while Hellebuyck finished with 28 saves to anchor the victory.
First Period
The opening 20 minutes unfolded as a cautious, tightly played stretch, with both teams probing for opportunities and combining for just 13 shots on goal.
Midway through the period, Brock Nelson was assessed a roughing penalty after Jets forward Iafallo latched onto his stick during a board battle. Nelson shoved him in an effort to free it, sending the Avalanche forward to the penalty box.
Colorado’s penalty kill responded effectively. The Jets failed to generate a single shot during the man advantage, allowing the Avalanche to escape the sequence without damage.
Late in the period, Colorado earned its first power play when Mark Scheifele bear-hugged Devon Toews in a race for the puck along the boards. Officials signaled the penalty immediately with just 20.6 seconds remaining.
The period expired before the advantage could begin, meaning Colorado carried 1:40 of power-play time into the second. After 20 minutes, the Avalanche held a narrow 8–5 edge in shots, though the game remained scoreless.
Second Period
Winnipeg wasted little time shifting momentum.
Just 2:05 into the period, the Jets struck moments after killing off Colorado’s power play. As he exited the penalty box, Scheifele collected the puck in the neutral zone and accelerated up ice before spotting Connor streaking into the offensive zone. Scheifele threaded a precise pass to the left circle, where Connor snapped a wrist shot past Blackwood glove side to make it 1–0.
The Jets doubled their advantage midway through the period. At 11:52, Scheifele fired a shot from the point that struck Iafallo in the slot. The deflection left Blackwood scrambling, and Iafallo quickly corralled the puck before slipping it past the screened goaltender to push the lead to 2–0.
Colorado attempted to respond by increasing its physical presence around the crease, looking to generate offense through traffic. Moments later, Makar drifted laterally along the blue line and snapped a low wrister toward the net, but Hellebuyck calmly gloved it down.
The Avalanche nearly found a lifeline in the final seconds of the period. Nelson found himself alone at the right side of the crease with a bouncing puck on his stick, but his attempt at a quick tap-in slid across the goalmouth and out of the zone.
The missed opportunity preserved Winnipeg’s 2–0 lead heading into the third.
Third Period
Colorado earned an early power play in the third after Winnipeg defenseman Jacob Bryson was called for high-sticking Parker Kelly.
Despite the opportunity, the Avalanche continued to struggle to solve Hellebuyck and the Jets’ defensive structure.
They finally broke through in the closing minutes. With Blackwood pulled for the extra attacker, MacKinnon slid the puck across the ice to Nečas, who blasted a one-timer past Hellebuyck to cut the deficit to 2–1. The goal ended a lengthy regular-season drought for Colorado at Canada Life Centre—their first since Jack Johnson scored there on December 16, 2023.
MacKinnon lost control of the puck in the neutral zone moments later, allowing Winnipeg to transition quickly the other way. Perfetti gathered the loose puck and fired it into the empty net, sealing the 3–1 victory.
Cole Perfetti with the empty-net Hail Mary to regain Winnipeg's two-goal lead ✅ pic.twitter.com/SYh0uju03S
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - MARCH 12: Henry Bolte #33 of the Athletics hits a solo home run against the Texas Rangers during the third inning of the spring training game at Surprise Stadium on March 12, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Entering 2026, the consensus around the Athletics was that the team would be led by its talented group of hitters, who may have to outscore opponents to compensate for the team’s average pitching staff. While spring training stats rarely matter and often do not influence how the season will go, the fact that the A’s have scored more runs than every other MLB team shows that their offense is already living up to expectations. The team scored 22 runs across yesterday’s split-squad doubleheader, with one squad putting up 13 against the Milwaukee Brewers and the other scoring nine against the San Diego Padres.
On the other hand, A’s pitchers have struggled this spring, giving up the third-most runs in the league. That is not a good look for a team that needs improved pitching if it wants to win more games this season.
Today marks another opportunity for the team to get its pitchers on the right track before Opening Day. This afternoon, the A’s will host the Royals, looking to get revenge for the Royals winning 7-6 in their first matchup earlier this spring. Left-hander Jacob Lopez will make his second start of the spring. Following a gradual post-injury ramp-up, Lopez made his first Cactus League appearance last Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, allowing three runs in two innings pitched.
Now that he has shaken off some rust, look for Lopez to pitch a little deeper in today’s game with hopefully better results. If the A’s can get Lopez to pitch for a full season as well as he did during his 25-inning scoreless streak last summer, then that dramatically changes the outlook on this team’s rotation. The team will be watching his performance today closely to see if he is ready to be in the rotation by the beginning of the season. An alternative, if he is not yet built up to start, would be to put him in the bullpen as an option in later innings, long relief or as someone ready to slide into the rotation if another pitcher gets hurt.
Here’s how the A’s lineup versus the Royals looks this afternoon:
Once again, the A’s lineup looks very close to how it will be for regular season games. First baseman Nick Kurtz seems locked into the leadoff spot until a more traditional leadoff table-setter hitter emerges for this team. Right fielder Lawrence Butler, who started several games last year hitting first, has the speed and athleticism typically seen among leadoff hitters. However, he has yet to play in a Cactus League game and A’s manager Mark Kotsay seems to appreciate having Kurtz’s power and on-base ability atop his lineup.
Andy Ibàñez, who will play several positions for the A’s this season, gets the start at third base today. In the outfield, starting left fielder Tyler Soderstrom is joined by two guys performing well at camp. Henry Bolte, the club’s top outfield prospect, may have sped up his MLB arrival with his impressive spring. His three-run home run to right field off right-hander Michael King, one of the Padres’ best pitchers, started the A’s seven-run, four-homer inning that gave them the lead yesterday. Last but not least, non-roster invitee Cade Marlowe has also made the most of his playing time.
That lineup will be facing Royals right-hander Ryan Berget, who will be making his fourth Cactus League start. Berget, who is vying for a spot in his team’s rotation, has performed well so far, going 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA over six innings pitched.
With so many of Kansas City’s stars — Bobby Witt Jr, Maikel Garcia and Salvador Perez —still playing for their respective counties in the World Baseball Classic (WBC), the Royals’ lineup today is full of non-roster invitees and players like Nick Loftin and Josh Rojas who are looking to make the team. As a result, it should not be too difficult a matchup for Lopez and the Athletics this afternoon.
Speaking of the WBC, with Team Canada eliminated, Denzel Clarke is set to return to A’s camp. He showed off his defense in the tournament, although he did not contribute much offensively for his country. However, several A’s players are still competing. Darell Hernáiz and Carlos Cortes are in Puerto Rico’s starting lineup for its quarterfinal clash against Italy this afternoon. Tomorrow, Luis Severino will start for Team Dominican Republic in its heavyweight showdown against Team USA. It would not be a shock if fellow A’s pitcher Elvis Alvarado also appears in that game out of the Dominican Republic’s bullpen.
A lot of baseball is happening today and tomorrow! Let’s go A’s!
