NBA Basketball News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games 2025-04-09 19:09:50
Denver cleans house, shockingly fires coach Michael Malone, GM Calvin Booth just before playoffs
Michael Malone — the man who coached the Denver Nuggets to their only NBA title in 2023, and the only coach Nikola Jokic has ever known in the NBA — has been shockingly fired by the team with less than a week remaining in the regular season and Denver about to enter the playoffs.
Calvin Booth, the Nuggets general manager, will also be let go — technically, his contract will not be renewed — announced Josh Kroenke, the vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Nuggets. Kroenke added that he took "no pleasure" in firing Malone.
"This decision was not made lightly and was evaluated very carefully, and we do it only with the intention of giving our group the best chance at competing for the 2025 NBA Championship and delivering another title to Denver and our fans everywhere," Kroenke said in a statement. "While the timing of this decision is unfortunate, as Coach Malone helped build the foundation of our now championship-level program, it is a necessary step to allow us to compete at the highest level right now. Championship-level standards and expectations remain in place for the current season, and as we look to the future, we look forward to building on the foundations laid by Coach Malone over his record-breaking 10-year career in Denver."
There had been speculation that, barring a deep playoff run, Malone would be let go at the end of the season. In that light, the firing itself is not a total shock, but the timing certainly is.
Assistant coach David Adelman takes over a team that is 47-32 but has lost four in a row and finds itself sliding down a logjam of teams fighting for seeds 4-8 in a deep Western Conference. Those four losses were signs of a team struggling since February, particularly on the defensive end — Denver is bottom 10 in the NBA in defensive rating since the All-Star break (they were 16th in the league, right in the middle, before the All-Star Game). There had been rumblings of frustration in the locker room with the team's play, and even the normally calm Jokic has shown signs of frustration on the bench. Jamal Murray being out injured is not helping things. It was also an open secret that Booth and Malone did not like each other and did not see eye-to-eye on roster decisions, adding to the tensions around the club.
Firing the coach with a week to go in the season is an extreme answer to those challenges.
The goal was to give the team a "jolt," reports Ohm Youngmisuk at ESPN, but that doesn't always work as intended. Denver is following in the footsteps of Memphis, which unexpectedly fired coach Taylor Jenkins a couple of weeks ago. That jolt has seen the Grizzlies go 2-3 since, sliding down to eighth in the West.
If Kronke wants to see what has taken this team from the mountain top to the second-tier title contenders — at best — he needs to look in a mirror. The Nuggets won that 2023 title because Jokic and Jamal Murray were surrounded with quality role players such as Bruce Brown, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jeff Green and others. While players such as Christian Braun have stepped up, the erosion of depth on this roster came from the marching orders Booth was given. (Booth took over in 2022 when Tim Connelly, the guy who built a championship roster, went to an ownership group willing to pay more for him in Minnesota. Connelly then built a Timberwolves roster that knocked the Nuggets out of the playoffs last season.)
Denver has now cleaned house. How much, if at all, it helps the Nuggets in these playoffs is now the question on the table. Soon enough, the questions will be about the next coach and GM, and if there is a path to getting this team back to top-tier title contention.
The Waiting Is The Hardest Part: Ottawa Senators Can Clinch A Playoff Spot on Tuesday
It’s been such a long time coming. The Ottawa Senators can officially clinch their first playoff spot in 8 years on Tuesday night as they face the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second time in as many games.
The Senators still have five games left in their season, and all they need to secure their Stanley Cup playoff ticket is one more point. However, thanks to the New York Rangers loss on Monday night, the Senators could also clinch a playoff berth if:
They defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets in any fashion (7 p.m. TSN5, RDS2); OR the Red Wings lose in any fashion Tuesday at Montreal; OR the Senators lose in regulation while the Red Wings earn one point or less against the Canadiens.
Team captain Brady Tkachuk has missed the last four games due to an upper-body injury and did not travel with the team to Columbus. In a game a week ago Sunday, he was hurt in a neutral zone collision with Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves.
The Senators have performed very well without Tkachuk, winning their last three games and allowing just one goal in the process. Meanwhile, winger Nick Cousins is on the trip. He has been out with a knee injury since January 25th after a collision with Toronto Maple Leafs center Jacob Quillan. Cousins skated with the team on Tuesday morning, filling in on defence alongside Dennis Gilbert, who was Ottawa’s 7th defenseman for the practice.
As he often does, Travis Hamonic skated at practice in place of the very banged up Nick Jensen. With the playoff spot nearly secured, it will be interesting to see if Jensen gets some rest and recovery time during the final nine days of the regular season.
The Senators will start goalie Anton Forsberg, who has been outstanding in his last two games, allowing zero goals in regulation. He took the loss on March 30th in a 1-0 OT defeat to Pittsburgh, then on Sunday, he made 37 saves in a 3-0 win over the Florida Panthers.
Beyond Ullmark getting the night off, which may be the norm down the stretch, the Senators will go with the same lineup they had in their 4-0 win over the Blue Jackets on Sunday. Elvis Merzlikins is starting in goal for Columbus. He zipped things up for the Jackets on Sunday following Daniil Tarasov's early exit after just 5 minutes.
Head coach Travis Green says the Sens will likely need to be even better on Tuesday than they were on Sunday.
"It's an important two points for us. It's going to be an important two points for Columbus," Green told the Ottawa media. "We're going to play a desperate team that's very good in this building. And anytime you play a team two times in a row, if you want to win the second game, you're going to have to be better than you were the first one.
Senators projected lineup (NHL.com)
Fabian Zetterlund - Tim Stutzle - Claude Giroux
David Perron - Dylan Cozens - Drake Batherson
Ridly Greig - Shane Pinto - Michael Amadio
Matthew Highmore - Adam Gaudette - Angus Crookshank
Jake Sanderson - Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot - Nick Jensen
Tyler Kleven - Nikolas Matinpalo
Anton Forsberg
Linus Ullmark
Injured: Nick Cousins (knee), Brady Tkachuk (upper body)
Blue Jackets projected lineup
Boone Jenner - Sean Monahan - Kirill Marchenko
James van Riemsdyk - Adam Fantilli - Kent Johnson
Dmitri Voronkov - Cole Sillinger - Mathieu Olivier
Zach Aston-Reese - Sean Kuraly - Justin Danforth
Zach Werenski - Dante Fabbro
Denton Mateychuk - Ivan Provorov
Jake Christiansen - Erik Gudbranson
Elvis Merzlikins
Daniil Tarasov
Zetterlund has just 2 assists in 15 games for the Senators, still seeking that first goal for Ottawa. On Saturday, Matthew Highmore got his first goal in 34 games; On Sunday, Adam Gaudette scored his first in 25, and Nik Matinpalo got the first of his career. Zetterlund hopes his turn is next.
Ottawa's last playoff game was May 25, 2017. Whether it's Tuesday night or later in the week, there isn't a fan base in the league that's more excited to stop being playoff wallflowers and get back to the dance.
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Blues Superstar Is Nearing Big Milestone
St. Louis Blues star Robert Thomas has been a massive reason for the team's immense success over the last several weeks. The 25-year-old has been on fire with the Central Division club, posting four goals and 16 assists in his last nine games alone.
Thomas' dominant stretch of play has been going on for quite a while, though, as he has an impressive 40 points in his last 27 contests. With this, he has been one of the NHL's best offensive players down the stretch, and the Blues have been benefitting from it significantly.
Thomas now has 21 goals, 55 assists, 76 points, and a plus-17 rating in 67 games for the Blues this campaign. It has easily been one of his best seasons, and he is now nearing a major milestone because of it.
Thomas needs only nine more points to record the 400th of his career. When noting that he is only 463 games into his NHL career right now, it is certainly impressive that he is already closing in on point No. 400.
Former Blues Star Struggling With New TeamDuring this past off-season, former St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko signed a two-year, $9.5 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings. This was after he appeared in 76 games split between the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers last season, posting 23 goals and 55 points in 76 games. He also won his second career Stanley Cup with Florida that spring.
The Blues have three games remaining this season, so the clock is ticking for Thomas to get his 400th point before it's over. However, when looking at how excellent he has been playing, the possibility of him hitting 400 career points before the campaign is finished should not be ruled out. Let's see if he can do just that from here.
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Ivan Demidov Watch: Top NHL Prospect Joins The Montreal Canadiens
Top NHL prospect Ivan Demidov is coming to the Montreal Canadiens.
The Canadiens and Demidov agreed to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning this season and lasting through 2026-27.
Canadiens fans followed KHL St. Petersburg all season because of Demidov, their fifth-overall pick in the 2024 NHL draft. With St. Petersburg’s season ending early in the playoffs just a few days ago, the watch was on to see if the super-prospect would head to North America to finish this season.
While there were many reports that Demidov was staying in Russia until June 1, when his contract officially expired, and was set to join the Habs in the fall, plans changed.
St. Petersburg said goodbye to its 19-year-old leading scorer.
“SKA (St. Petersburg) and Ivan Demidov have taken a joint decision, which will see the forward join the Montreal Canadiens this season,” the team said in an X post. “His KHL rights will remain with SKA. He will return to Saint Petersburg if he doesn’t gain a foothold in the NHL.”
NHL clubs cannot legally negotiate early releases from KHL clubs, which means Demidov’s representation did that. Although St. Petersburg released his rights, Canadiens GM Kent Hughes still had to work out an entry-level contract with Demidov and his agent. That's now completed.
There was some tension because although Demidov was clear in his desire to come to North America when his contract expired, his KHL club consistently said it felt his best development situation was to stay with SKA.
Demidov had 19 goals and 30 assists for 49 points in 65 games this year, recording the most points in a season by a U-20 player in KHL history. He played in just six playoff games, notching five points for St. Petersburg before its elimination in the first round of the playoffs.
Demidov is the No. 1 ranked prospect in The Hockey News' Future Watch issue after asking a scout, director of player personnel or GM from each NHL team.
Top 25 NHL Prospects In Future Watch 2025Some players make the NHL as teenagers, but many prospects take three, four or even five years to break through.
Routinely their most dynamic skater, Demidov’s relationship with coach Roman Rotenberg seemed strenuous, to say the least. He’s mentioned many times that he feels like Demidov has plenty to learn still and that Russia is where he can learn that. He’s limited Demidov’s ice time a number of times, including twice playing him under 10 minutes in the playoffs.
Demidov, can join the Canadiens' run toward the playoffs and possibly give them a secret weapon offensively. His dynamism and skill are unmatched on the Habs roster.
Demidov should be suiting up in a Habs sweater soon enough.
'I Try To Take His Mamba Mentality': Canadiens' Ivan Demidov Ready To Be a Game-BreakerIvan Demidov's sporting idol is Kobe Bryant. He wants to be the difference-maker the Montreal Canadiens need with the Mamba Mentality. And he feels ready – when the time comes.
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Carlos Carrasco roughed up, Yankees' bats held at bay by Tarik Skubal in 5-0 loss to Tigers
The Yankees fell to the Detroit Tigers by a score of 5-0 on Tuesday afternoon at Comerica Park.
Here are the key takeaways...
-Cody Bellinger was out of the lineup once again after missing Friday and Saturday with back issues. This time around, though, Bellinger was out due to food poisoning, with Aaron Boone telling reporters before the game that Bellinger was up all night after eating some questionable chicken wings.
-The wheels fell off for Carlos Carrasco in the bottom of the fourth inning. After allowing a run in the second, Carrasco was victimized by the long ball in the fourth, as Spencer Torkelson, Zach McKinstry, and Dillon Dingler all hit solo home runs.
Carrasco lasted 4.1 innings, allowing four earned runs on six hits while striking out three and walking one.
-The Yankees had a chance to get to reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal early, as Paul Goldschmidt and Ben Rice both singled throughout the game. But the Yankees failed to score in that inning, as Aaron Judge (strikeout), Jazz Chisholm Jr. (groundout), and Anthony Volpe (strikeout) all failed to bring the runners home.
Skubal was able to settle in, and he was nails from that point on, retiring 16 straight hitters after those first-inning singles. The Yankees put a pair of runners on in the sixth inning on hits from Goldschmidt and Judge, but the lefty got out of the jam by getting Chisholm to pop out to third.
Skubal went 6.0 shutout innings, allowing just four hits while striking out six without a walk.
-Right-handed reliever Ian Hamilton was activated off the 15-day IL before the game, and he made his season debut in the bottom of the seventh inning. It was a successful return to action for Hamilton, as he struck out two while allowing one hit in a scoreless inning.
-The lone bright spot offensively for the Yankees was Goldschmidt, who recorded his third three-hit game of the season. Judge also had a pair of hits in an otherwise quiet day for the Bombers. As a team, the Yankees had six hits on the afternoon, all singles.
Game MVP
Skubal, who looked like the reigning Cy Young winner after two shaky starts to begin his season.
Upcoming schedule
The Yankees close out their chilly series in Detroit on Wednesday afternoon at 1:10 PM.
Max Fried will face Jack Flaherty.
The Mets have a solid start, and the bullpen rocks | The Mets Pod
Connor Rogers and Joe DeMayo are back with a new episode of The Mets Pod presented by Tri-State Cadillac, as the Mets are off to a nice start, with positive signs, and plus pitching.
Connor and Joe look at the starters who have been solid, the relievers who have been superb, and the lineup which has been uneven but showing off potential pop – including heroics from Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Pete Alonso. Later, the guys go Down on the Farm to check in on the return to the mound of pitching prospect Matt Allan, do another round of The Scoreboard bets, and answer Mailbag questions about Alonso’s contract, the future at second base, and the potential big league future for Double-A pitching prospect Nolan McLean.
Be sure to subscribe to The Mets Pod at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
‘I Want To Keep Everything Internal’: Why Maple Leafs' Steven Lorentz Didn’t Visit His Former Panthers Teammates In Return To Florida
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Steven Lorentz is drawing the line in the sand ahead of the club’s clash with the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.
The 28-year-old who won a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers just last season has made it clear that he’s putting his friendships with former teammates aside for now, keeping his circle tight and inside the Maple Leafs locker room ahead of the postseason.
“We wouldn't hold it against a guy if he's going to see someone on the other team. But I think just at this time of year, I want to keep everything internal,” said Lorentz after Tuesday’s morning skate. “You want your group to be as tight as possible. Like I said, this is our group, so I'm going to keep it inside the group.”
'In The Playoffs, That's Going To Be Huge': Steven Lorentz Scores Fourth Game-Winning Goal Of Season In Maple Leafs' Win Over Ducks Lorentz had two goals in the playoffs last spring with Florida, one of which was a game-winner.
When asked whether he had tried to catch up with any former Panthers teammates during his time in Florida, Lorentz was direct.
“Not really. No, try to keep it internal. Obviously, there's no secret what's going on in the standings and stuff. So it's a battle right now. Like I said, it's a new season. So we're trying to win,” said Lorentz.
The Waterloo, Ontario, native signed a one-year, $775,000 deal with the Leafs in the offseason, leaving the Panthers in NHL free agency after their championship run. Through 74 games this season, Lorentz has posted seven goals, 10 assists, and 17 points. With the playoffs on the horizon, Lorentz is locking in ahead of two crucial games in Florida on Tuesday and Tampa Bay on Wednesday.
“Yeah, good memories (here). That's in the past. We've got a job to do, so that's the focus right now. I know it's obviously what's happened to happen, but again, we've been on a new team all season, and this is where my heart's at right now, and this is where we want to win. So that's where my mind is,” said Lorentz.
'It Was Definitely Worth The Wait': Maple Leafs' Steven Lorentz, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, And Anthony Stolarz Receive Stanley Cup Rings From Panthers Ahead Of Game Against Former ClubLorentz, Ekman-Larsson, and Stolarz are all expected to be in the lineup for Toronto on Wednesday evening in Florida.
With only six games left in the regular season, Toronto is fighting for seeding in a tight race with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Panthers, and the up-and-coming Ottawa Senators. The Leafs hold a two-point lead over Tampa and a six-point advantage over Florida, making the two-game stretch in Fort Lauderdale critical.
The Leafs defeated the Panthers less than a week ago at Scotiabank Arena, 3-2, with Tuesday's game being the final regular season meeting between the two this year. With the standings so tight, every point matters at this point, and Lorentz isn’t allowing off-ice distractions to get in the way.
“This means a lot for a lot of different reasons. Again, obviously coming back here. But at the same time, standings-wise, it's obviously a tight race with these guys and the Lightning. Ottawa is us catching up, too. So it's tight all over the NHL,” Lorentz explained. “There's spots to be made up and places to be earned. And teams are going to get jumped. There's going to be a lot of movement, but we just have to focus on ourselves one day at a time.”
‘There’s Still A Lot On The Line’: Maple Leafs Strengthen Atlantic Division Grip With Crucial Win Over Panthers, Secure Ninth Straight Playoff BerthThe Toronto Maple Leafs took another step forward towards securing the top spot in the Atlantic Division on Wednesday night with a 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers at Scotiabank Arena.
Balancing Act
The situation resonates with all members of the Maple Leafs, but that does not mean that every player is taking the same avenue. Teammate John Tavares, while respecting Lorentz’s mindset, has a slightly different perspective on how to navigate the final stretch of the regular season – with a more balanced approach heading into the playoffs.
The 34-year-old, who has been a pillar of leadership for the Leafs since he arrived in Toronto in 2018, understands the need to be focused on the ultimate goal while also having an appreciation for the moment – labeling it as a “balancing act.”
‘All These Points Matter’: Maple Leafs Separate Themselves In Atlantic Division Race With Win Over Ducks, Successful California Road TripThe Toronto Maple Leafs capped off a successful California road trip with a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night. The club secured five of a possible six points, going 2-0-1 in three games and creating some breathing room at the top of the Atlantic Division.
“I think we know playoffs are coming and what that time of year is all about and what it means. But I think trying to switch, flip a switch, so to speak, I think you want to just build yourself throughout the year. So to me, it's just been a constant build on how we've been playing and the style of hockey that's played at the time of year that it is. I wouldn't say that all of a sudden we just decided to get a real seriousness or intense... But I think there's a recognition of where we're at this season and the way we want our team trending and how we're approaching everything on a daily basis, but also trying to make sure you're enjoying yourself and appreciating the opportunity and making the most of it,” said Tavares.
“So that's always the balancing act of trying to make sure having fun, but that's a competitive intensity that's needed on a nightly basis. But certainly, at this time of year, it's at the forefront.”
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Joe Mazzulla reacts to Nuggets' shocking Michael Malone firing
Joe Mazzulla reacts to Nuggets' shocking Michael Malone firing originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Another shocking firing of a successful head coach rocked the NBA world on Tuesday.
Just over a week after the Memphis Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins, the Denver Nuggets parted ways with their longtime head coach Michael Malone. The timing of both firings was bizarre, with Memphis as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference and Denver holding the No. 4 seed.
The cruel nature of coaching in professional sports isn’t lost on Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, who once stated, ‘We all get hired to get fired.” Reacting to Malone’s surprise departure, he shared a similar sentiment before Tuesday’s game against the New York Knicks.
“Coaching. It’s just coaching,” Mazzulla said. “You sign up knowing that. And again, I mean he was 10 years there? Yeah, that’s a lot. You hope for stuff like that. You hope for a situation of stability to be somewhere for as long as you have, and when it’s your time, it’s your time.
“But I think you focus more on the fact that he was able to be there for 10 years. Not many coaches get to do that. I think there’s only two left, three left now that have done it beyond that? Pop (Gregg Popovich), Spo (Erik Spoelstra), and (Steve) Kerr. So you hope for that, but you know that not everybody gets that opportunity.”
Malone is the winningest head coach in Nuggets history with a 471-327 record over 10 seasons. He led Denver to an NBA title in 2023.
That success still wasn’t enough to earn Malone job security. For Mazzulla, that harsh reality serves as an important reminder.
“It’s part of what motivates me, but I wake up every day saying, ‘This could be my last day.’ You have to have that type of perspective because it gives you gratitude and it also keeps you hungry,” Mazzulla said. “You have to have a healthy balance so if you want this for as long as you can, at the same time, you’re very much replaceable because that’s just how it works.
“So every day, I remind myself of my own mortality, and I think that’s what kind of keeps me in a perspective and a gratitude of the opportunity that you have.”
The Nuggets also fired their general manager Calvin Booth. Asked how he would react to being fired with his team primed for a playoff run, Mazzulla stayed diplomatic.
“I don’t know, I wasn’t there,” Mazzulla answered. “I just know that you do the best you can for as long as you can, and then there’s always a bunch of circumstances that you’re not aware of. You know?”
Mazzulla, the Golden State Warriors’ Steve Kerr, and longtime Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra are the only NBA coaches still with the teams they led to NBA titles. Malone joins Tyronn Lue, Nick Nurse, Frank Vogel, and Mike Budenholzer as NBA champions to lose their jobs in recent years.
While the NBA remains chaotic, the reigning champion Celtics are cruising toward the end of another successful campaign. They have a 58-20 record with four regular-season games remaining, setting themselves up to be the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Early Stanley Cup Playoffs Bets to Explore Before First Round is Set
Stanley Cup Playoffs start April 19 with few value bets left ahead of first round
The NHL Playoffs are fast approaching and despite the first round not being set just yet we can already starting taking bets for what we think will happen.
All season, we've been looking at future bets for the Stanley Cup, each conference and division as well as awards to be handed out.
We now finally get to add to it with some predictions on how the first round will go. We explore who will go on a potential run and who will bow out early in disappointing fashion.
All betting lines are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
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Edmonton Oilers to Win 1+ Playoff Series (-156)
The Kings have been rolling this season with a 44-24-9 record that has them slated to have home-ice in their first round matchup likely versus the Edmonton Oilers.
The defending Western Conference Champions have been missing key players down the final stretch like superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl as well as top pair defenceman Mattias Ekholm. They will be rested and hopefully healthy heading into a matchup against a Kings team that is very home-dependant.
LA is tied with the Winnipeg Jets for the best home record in the NHL at 29-5-4 but this overshadows the Kings abysmal 15-19-5 road record. This places them behind the likes of the Flames, Canucks and Utah Hockey Club, who are all expected to miss the playoffs.
The Kings have won just once in their last eight trips to Edmonton and could prevent them from moving on to the second round.
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The Oilers have bonfied stars that carried them to a 7-6 road record last postseason. Because of this and the lack of star power for LA, I expect the Kings to struggle in at least one home game that Edmonton should be able to edge out and take a stranglehold of the series.
Toronto Maple Leafs to Win 1+ Playoff Series (-122)
Expecting that Toronto would get past the first round used to be a tall order but after years of troubleshooting and putting together a solid roster full of star talent, this is the best chance to win ever.
The amount of mythbusters being surpassed by this group is starting to create a feeling like the Leafs can finally do real damage for once. They are pegged to get a first round matchup easier than most against an inexperienced Ottawa Senators team.
Linus Ullmark Gifts One To Auston Matthews 😱#NHL #Hockey #shorts #NHLshorts #NHLhighlights #MapleLeafs #Leafs #TorontoMapleLeafs #Toronto #Senators #OttawaSenators #OttawaFacing off against the tenth-youngest team in the league should give Toronto a confidence-building series that as a franchise, they could really use.
Ottawa has downed the Maple Leafs four straight times this season but playoff hockey is a different atmosphere with Toronto simply having far more experience.
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This team has dealt with the heartbreak of multiple hard losses and will be more motivated to get the job done against a red hot Senators team that is due for a cool off. The confidence built during this round will play the biggest factor in how challenging the second round will be.
Toronto Maple Leafs to Win 2+ Playoff Series (+310)
The current assumption is that the Battle of Florida will take the most out of both the Panthers and Lightning with each side having a sizeable amount of playoff experience and should make for a captivating series.
The biggest hope for the Maple Leafs is that this chips away at the already beat up Florida Panthers, who have missed many key players lately in captain Aleksander Barkov as well as star forwards Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart.
Lightning's Kucherov Ejected After Knee-On-Knee Collision With TkachukWatch as Tampa Bay Lightning's Nikita Kucherov is thrown out of the game in the first period against the Florida Panthers following a knee-on-knee collision ...If the Cats can make it out of Tampa, it'll be likely without one of their stars and this should bold well for the Leafs.
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If the Bolts prevail, the Maple Leafs should enter with more confidence as they will be able to say they beat Tampa Bay the last time they squared off in the playoffs plus beat them three straight matchups this season.
A Toronto team making the conference Finals isn't out of the question so long as all the chips fall the right way for the Maple Leafs.
Cody Bellinger out of Yankees lineup with suspected food poisoning
DETROIT — Cody Bellinger was scratched from the New York Yankees lineup against the Detroit Tigers with a suspected case of food poisoning.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Bellinger started dealing with an upset stomach after the Yankees lost 6-2 to the Tigers to start a three-game series.
“I think he had some wings, maybe,” Boone told reporters.
Bellinger was at Comerica Park and Boone said he might be available later in the game.
Bellinger is hitting .233 with one homer and six RBIs in eight games this season.
The Calgary Flames recall Zayne Parekh from the OHL Saginaw Spirit
The Calgary Flames announce today that they have recalled defenseman Zayne Parekh from the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit.
The Parekh-to-Flames rumors began when the Spirit were eliminated by the Erie Otters in the OHL playoffs, and it seem they have proven to be correct.
The ninth overall pick from the 2024 NHL Draft played in 61 games for the Spirit in 2024-25, posting 107 points from 33 goals and 74 assists with a rating of +42, bettering his draft year performance of 96 points where he won the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the OHL’s Most Outstanding Defenseman, while being named the CHL's Defenseman of the Year, enroute to helping Saginaw capture the Memorial Cup. In both seasons, he led all OHL defensemen in scoring, as well as scoring the most goals with 33.
The Nobleton, Ontario-native will be a much-needed addition to the Flames as they pursue the Minnesota Wild for the second wild-card spot.
The 19-year-old could make his Flames debut tomorrow evening against the Anaheim Ducks.
Saints’ Dowson says English clubs hampered by ‘dysfunctional’ schedule
- Director wants fewer club games in international window
- Cardiff on the brink of entering administration
English club rugby is being undermined by a “dysfunctional” fixture schedule that is making it harder to compete with other top European sides, according to Northampton’s director of rugby, Phil Dowson. Saints are the only English team still involved in the Champions Cup this season but Dowson believes Premiership teams are being handicapped by their own domestic calendar.
Northampton were crowned Premiership champions last season and also made the Champions Cup semi-finals, but Dowson believes it will require a “monumental effort” for any Premiership club to challenge successfully on two fronts given the current structure and salary cap restrictions.
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