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Buffalo Sabres Announce Exciting Rasmus Dahlin News

Rasmus Dahlin (© Nick Wosika-Imagn Images)

The Buffalo Sabres have announced that star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin will return to the lineup for their March 30 contest against the Washington Capitals. This will also be the 500th game of Dahlin's NHL career.

Dahlin, 24, was forced to miss the Sabres' March 29 contest against the Philadelphia Flyers due to an illness. However, the star defenseman is now feeling good enough to return, which is excellent news for the Sabres. 

Dahlin has had a strong season with the Sabres, posting 13 goals, 44 assists, 57 points, 86 hits, and a plus-3 rating. He has also stayed hot down the stretch, recording five points in his last four appearances.

It will now be interesting to see how the Sabres respond to getting their top defenseman back against the Eastern Conference-leading Capitals from here. 

Recent Sabres News 

Buffalo Sabres Recall Defenseman From Rochester

Sabres' Isak Rosen Records First NHL Point With Great Assist

Ex-Sabres Star Jack Eichel Rewarded For Monster Week

Sabres' Ryan McLeod Continuing To Be Great Addition

New Sabres Defenseman Is Already Impressing

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Game Day: Ottawa Senators Call Up Angus Crookshank Ahead of Sunday's Game In Pittsburgh

The Ottawa Senators begin the final 10 games of the regular season on Sunday afternoon, taking on the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena (5 pm TSN5, RDS). Now eight points above the playoff cut line, the Senators are now in outstanding shape to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in eight years. 

Ottawa Senators winger Angus Crookshank (James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images)

The last time they played a postseason game was in that very arena on May 25, 2017 – a double-overtime loss in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final. 

A lot has changed and neither team has had much success since that season. While Ottawa's playoff drought is well-documented, the Penguins have only won one playoff series since (2018 vs PHI), and are tracking to miss the playoffs for a third straight year.

SENS HEADLINES:
Shane Pinto Reflects On A Pair Of Milestones On Saturday Night

One On One: GM Steve Staios' Additions Help To Reset The Ottawa Senators

UND Fires Brad Berry, Unofficial Member of Ottawa's Player Development Team

The Senators currently hold the Conference’s top wild card spot. They’re now eight points above the playoff cut line after a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night. This cushion gives the Sens some breathing room and the option of resting certain players who are dealing with nagging injuries. 

To that end, the Senators called up winger Angus Crookshank from Belleville on Sunday morning. This move suggests that team captain Brady Tkachuk or another banged-up forward will sit out rather than try to play two games in less than 24 hours.

As you'd expect, the club didn't skate on Sunday morning, so Travis Green's lineup changes, if any, will be announced closer to game time.

Ottawa’s final 10 games will be all about maintenance. The Sens aren’t likely to catch anyone in the top three of the Atlantic Division, nor are they likely to be reeled in by anyone in their rearview mirror. Their goal now is to maintain that wild card and, ideally, give certain players the maintenance days they need to be as healthy as possible for the playoffs.

Meanwhile, with just one point separating the top three teams in the Atlantic, the eventual winner of the divisional race – probably Ottawa’s first-round opponent – will likely be the team that floors it right to the end.

Anton Forsberg will likely start after Ullmark had a busy night on Saturday in a 3-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Opponent:

The Penguins are eight points behind the Rangers for the final wild card spot in the East, but with six teams to climb over, the task is nearly impossible. Pittsburgh's season is all but officially over, and their best players aren’t getting any younger.

So the Pens will begin to take a look at some of the kids in the AHL. They’ve called up two forwards from the AHL who will go right on to the club’s top two lines against Ottawa on Sunday.

Former Winnipeg Jets’ first-rounder Rutger McGroarty has played just three NHL games so far, and for his 21st birthday on Sunday, he’ll play on Sidney Crosby’s left side. McGroarty has 39 points in 60 games for the Baby Pens after being traded by the Jets in a contract dispute last summer. The dispute wasn’t complicated. The former University of Michigan star didn’t want to sign with Winnipeg.

Pittsburgh has also called up Ville Koivunen who’s sixth in AHL scoring with 55 points in 62 games. He’ll play alongside Rickard Rakell.

As for their superstar vets, Crosby, now 37, is still rolling with 80 points and counting. Incredibly, this is now his 20th point-per-game season, surpassing Wayne Gretzky for the most in NHL history. That said, it’s weird to see him among the worst 20 players in the league in plus/minus (-22), even if you don’t put much stock in the stat. 

38-year-old Evgeni Malkin has just 15 goals and 46 points in 62 games, well off his career pace of 1.1 points per game. Malkin has missed the past week with an upper body injury and is listed as day to day. 

Tristan Jarry gets the start for Pittsburgh (fixes earlier version that indicated Nedeljkovic would start).

Senators projected lines

Claude Giroux -- Tim Stutzle -- Fabian Zetterlund
David Perron -- Dylan Cozens -- Drake Batherson
Brady Tkachuk -- Shane Pinto -- Ridly Greig
Matthew Highmore -- Adam Gaudette -- Michael Amadio

Jake Sanderson -- Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot -- Nick Jensen
Tyler Kleven -- Nikolas Matinpalo

Anton Forsberg
Linus Ullmark

Scratched: Dennis Gilbert, Travis Hamonic
Injured: Nick Cousins (knee)

Penguins projected lineup

Rutger McGroarty -- Sidney Crosby -- Bryan Rust
Ville Koivunen -- Rickard Rakell -- Connor Dewar
Philip Tomasino -- Kevin Hayes -- Noel Acciari
Danton Heinen -- Blake Lizotte -- Emil Bemstrom

Matt Grzelcyk -- Kris Letang
Conor Timmins -- Erik Karlsson
Ryan Graves -- Vladislav Kolyachonok

Alex Nedeljkovic
Tristan Jarry

After Sunday’s game, the Senators will play eight of their final nine games at home.

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What we learned as Podz, Moody torch Spurs in Warriors' blowout win

What we learned as Podz, Moody torch Spurs in Warriors' blowout win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

Can a statement win come against a team that’s the No. 13 seed in the Western Conference? It can when a gauntlet is on deck and dominance is displayed for all four quarters. 

The Warriors on Sunday dismantled the San Antonio Spurs, 148-106, at Frost Bank Center, putting together the kind of team-wide performance they’ve been searching for recently. The Warriors had two 40-point quarters, and their 148 points were a new season high.

Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green all enjoyed the show from the bench during the fourth quarter. All three had strong performances, but it was those around them who really stood out.

Brandin Podziemski fell two points shy of his career high, scoring 27 points to go with six rebounds and five assists. That gave Podziemski his first 20-point game since Feb. 21. 

Moses Moody gave Golden State two 20-point scorers, tallying 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, plus he also had three rebounds, three assists, three steals and one blocked shot.

The Warriors as a team shot 57.7 percent overall, had 44 rebounds and 42 assists, as well as 17 steals and 64 points in the paint.

Their win also had implications in the standings. The Warriors now have a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Clippers and a half-game lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves for the No. 6 seed in the West. They’re one game back of the No. 5 seed, and two games behind the No. 4 seed.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ second consecutive win.

Strong Start

Starting games slow has been a frustrating staple for the Warriors all season long. They came into Sunday ranked 28th in the NBA in first-quarter points (26.7), and trailed through the first 12 minutes in each of their first three games of their current six-game road trip. Not in San Antonio, though. 

A new level of focus from the jump was on display. The Warriors played intense defense, hit outside shots and attacked the rim in the first quarter. The results were seen through the scoreboard. Their 44 points were the most the Warriors scored in the first quarter this season. 

And they did so with Curry taking one shot and scoring two points. 

Warriors coach Steve Kerr used nine players in the first quarter, and all nine scored. Butler scored 10 points, followed by nine from Green, five from Podziemski and Quinten Post, four from Moody and Jonathan Kuminga, three from Buddy Hield and two from Curry and Gui Santos. 

This wasn’t because of a 3-point barrage, too. The Warriors overall shot 70.8 percent from the field (17 of 24) in the first quarter, going 4 of 9 on threes (44.4 percent) and 13 of 15 on twos (86.7 percent). They scored 22 points in the paint, assisted on 12 of their 17 made shots and defensively swiped seven steals.

Down Goes Kuminga

The good vibes of the first quarter took a tough break with seven minutes remaining in the second quarter when Kuminga bounced off the hardwood.

Driving to the basket with two defenders guarding him, Kuminga jumped off two feet but crashed to the floor on his way down. Luckily for him, his heels hit the ground first, somewhat bracing Kuminga on the way down. But he still bounced and immediately appeared to be in pain. 

Kuminga seemed to mouth “I’m OK,” though he still walked gingerly down the tunnel and back to the locker room with Warriors director of medical services Drew Yoder. During halftime, Kuminga was ruled out for the rest of the game because of right ankle soreness. 

That has to be concerning for the Warriors with only two weeks remaining in the regular season. Kuminga from Jan. 5 through March 10 missed 31 games with a badly sprained right ankle. He had played in eight games since returning from injury, averaging 14.3 points per game. Kuminga was a plus-9 in seven minutes Sunday before his fall, scoring four points and grabbing one rebound.

3-Point Party

Golden State’s success always will come down to the new Big Three of Curry, Butler and Green. How those around them play can be what lifts the Warriors or brings them down. Role players like Podziemski, Kuminga, Moody and more are huge to the Warriors’ overall success. In a game where Kuminga went down to injury, two other youngsters stepped up.

Moody in the Warriors’ first 12 games out of the NBA All-Star break was a sharpshooter opposing defenses had to fear, shooting 45.8 percent from deep. But as his defensive responsibilities have ramped up, Moody had gone a lowly 6 of 32 (18.8 percent) on threes in the Warriors’ past six games. On Sunday night, Moody found his shot behind the 3-point line, going 3 of 6 while still being a menace defensively. 

Podziemski didn’t just have a strong game beyond the arc, but the best of his career. The second-year pro made a career-high seven threes after combining to go 3 of 13 in the Warriors’ previous two games. His seven threes set a new career-high. 

Every single starter made at least one 3-pointer. The Warriors shot 23.6 percent from three Friday night in New Orleans, only to then have a 15-point advantage from three two nights later, going 21 of 44 for a 47.7-percent clip. The cherry on top was Kevon Looney making a corner three in the fourth quarter, his first triple since March 19, 2021.

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Brewers’ Trevor Megill irked by Yankees’ torpedo bats: ‘It’s something used in slow-pitch softball’

It didn’t take long for someone to call out the Yankees’ newly designed bats.

A handful of Yankees have been using what’s been dubbed “torpedo" bats to start the season, bats in which more wood is added to the sweet spot, creating an elongated barrel while taking mass away from the tip of the bat.

And while the bats have been deemed legal by Major League Baseball, that doesn’t mean everyone is going to be okay with them.

“I think it’s terrible,’’ Milwaukee Brewers reliever Trevor Megill told Dan Martin of the New York Post. “We’ll see what the data says. I’ve never seen anything like it before. I feel like it’s something used in slow-pitch softball. It’s genius: Put the mass all in one spot. It might be bush [league]. It might not be. But it’s the Yankees, so they’ll let it slide.”

“It took a minute for the shock to go away, since from the bullpen, they looked like bowling pins,’’ Megill added. “We weren’t able to process it. But that’s the game. It’s a big data race, with science and technology playing a huge role in baseball now. You can’t hate them for trying something new.”

The Yankees exploded for 20 runs and nine home runs on Saturday, and while Aaron Judge powered his three homers with a traditional bat, players like Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Anthony Volpe also went yard with the help of their new bats.

And while these new bats were designed by Aaron Leanhardt, a former member of the Yankees analytics department who now works for the Miami Marlins, it’s a safe bet that more players around the league will begin to use them, especially if the Yankees continue to hang 20 runs on the board.

“I’ve already talked to some bat companies since the game to see if I could get my model made like that, just to see what it’s like,’’ Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins told The Post. “We’ll see. Just because it worked for somebody doesn’t mean it’ll work for everybody. Hitting is such a feel thing. But I’d try it.”

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Blue Jays put 3-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer on IL because of right thumb inflammation

TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays put right-hander Max Scherzer on the 15-day injured list Sunday because of inflammation in his right thumb.

The move comes one day after the three-time Cy Young Award winner left his debut start with Toronto after three innings because of right lat soreness.

Manager John Schneider said Scherzer will visit a hand specialist in the U.S. on Monday.

“Hopefully this kind of resets him and knocks it out,” Schneider said of the persistent thumb issue. “We obviously need him. Elite pitcher, and we want him to feel his best.”

Toronto recalled left-hander Easton Lucas and selected lefty Mason Fluharty, both from Triple-A Buffalo. Left-hander Richard Lovelady, who allowed four runs in relief of Scherzer and took the loss against Baltimore on Saturday, was designated for assignment.

Following Saturday’s 9-5 defeat, the 40-year-old Scherzer said his lat soreness was directly related to lingering thumb pain that forced him to push back a spring training start earlier this month.

Calling himself “frustrated,” Scherzer said solving the thumb issue is his top priority.

“This thumb is absolutely critical to your arm health,” he said after Saturday's game. “I’ve got to get this 100% before I pitch again.”

Scherzer signed a $15.5 million, one-year contract in February. He went 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA in nine starts for Texas last season, starting the year on the injured list while recovering from lower back surgery. He also had a stint on the IL with shoulder fatigue and didn’t pitch after Sept. 14 because of a left hamstring strain.

Scherzer allowed two runs and three hits Saturday, including two solo home runs. He threw 45 pitches, 28 for strikes. He struck out one and walked none.

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Buffalo Sabres Recall Defenseman From Rochester

Jack Rathbone (© Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images)sab

The Buffalo Sabres have announced that defenseman Jack Rathbone has been recalled from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rochester Americans. 

Rathbone joined the Sabres this past off-season on a one-year, two-way contract. Since then, the 25-year-old left-shot defenseman has appeared in 56 games with the Amerks, where he has five goals, 20 points, and a plus-6 rating. He has yet to make his Sabres regular-season debut, but that has the potential to change following this call-up.

Rathbone last played at the NHL level with the Vancouver Canucks during the 2022-23 season, where he had one goal and one assist in 11 games. In 28 career NHL games over three seasons, the Massachusetts native has posted two goals, three assists, five points, 21 hits, and a minus-5 rating. 

Recent Sabres News 

Sabres' Isak Rosen Records First NHL Point With Great Assist

Ex-Sabres Star Jack Eichel Rewarded For Monster Week

Sabres' Ryan McLeod Continuing To Be Great Addition

New Sabres Defenseman Is Already Impressing

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Kuminga exits Warriors-Spurs with ankle soreness after hard fall

Kuminga exits Warriors-Spurs with ankle soreness after hard fall originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors experienced a bit of déjà vu in the second quarter of their game against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday at Frost Bank Center.

Golden State forward Jonathan Kuminga went to the locker room after a hard fall near the basket — an injury that at first appeared very similar to the one star point guard Steph Curry sustained almost two weeks ago against the Toronto Raptors.

During halftime, the Warriors officially ruled Kuminga out with right ankle soreness.

While it wasn’t a pelvic contusion like the one Curry sustained, just like Steph, no foul was called on the Spurs after Kuminga was knocked down while driving to the rim. Kuminga appeared to mouth, “I’m OK” after the fall, but he walked gingerly to the locker room with Warriors director of medical services Drew Yoder.

Kuminga on Sunday was playing in his ninth game back after missing 31 games with a sprain on the same ankle. The 22-year-old is averaging 16.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists during the 2024-25 NBA season, and 14.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in eight games since his March 13 return against the Sacramento Kings.

It’s unclear how badly Kuminga aggravated his previous ankle injury, but Dub Nation certainly hopes the young star is all right.

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Kuminga exits Warriors-Spurs with ankle soreness after hard fall

Kuminga exits Warriors-Spurs with ankle soreness after hard fall originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors experienced a bit of déjà vu in the second quarter of their game against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday at Frost Bank Center.

Golden State forward Jonathan Kuminga went to the locker room after a hard fall near the basket — an injury that at first appeared very similar to the one star point guard Steph Curry sustained almost two weeks ago against the Toronto Raptors.

During halftime, the Warriors officially ruled Kuminga out with right ankle soreness.

While it wasn’t a pelvic contusion like the one Curry sustained, just like Steph, no foul was called on the Spurs after Kuminga was knocked down while driving to the rim. Kuminga appeared to mouth, “I’m OK” after the fall, but he walked gingerly to the locker room with Warriors director of medical services Drew Yoder.

Kuminga on Sunday was playing in his ninth game back after missing 31 games with a sprain on the same ankle. The 22-year-old is averaging 16.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists during the 2024-25 NBA season, and 14.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in eight games since his March 13 return against the Sacramento Kings.

It’s unclear how badly Kuminga aggravated his previous ankle injury, but Dub Nation certainly hopes the young star is all right.

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Ja Morant, other Grizzlies react to unexpected firing of coach Taylor Jenkins

It caught the Grizzlies players off guard, too.

Nobody expected Memphis to fire coach Taylor Jenkins with just a few weeks left in the regular season — the team had slipped in recent months but was still 15 games over .500 and tied for fourth in the West at the time. It put interim coach Tuomas Iisalo in a difficult position, with little time to make real changes and three tough games coming up against the Lakers (a Grizzlies loss), Celtics and Warriors. After the Lakers loss, Ja Morant was asked about the coaching change (quote via William Guillory of The Athletic).

“It’s tough for me. I’ve had Coach Taylor since I got here. Everything I’ve done in a Grizzlies jersey has pretty much been under him,” Morant said after the loss. “It’s my first time really experiencing a coach leaving since I’ve been hooping. It was a lot to process. With the timing, it’s just tough. We had to quickly turn the page.”

Jaren Jackson Jr. was also asked about it, quote via Wendell Shepherd Jr. of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.

“That’s my dog. That will forever be my dog,” Jackson Jr. said. “It was surprising. It would have been surprising at any point. He had a great impact while he was here. He’s gonna be one of the more sought-after coaches in his journey elsewhere and deservedly so.”

Desmond Bane said the players held a meeting after the firing to help clear the air and process what happened, with quotes via The Athletic.

“I just wanted them to get out all their raw emotions. Don’t hold nothing back. Let it all out, and that way we can truly move forward,” Desmond Bane said. “I told them we have a really talented group and we can still do some special things. (Interim head coach) Tuomas (Iisalo) is a really smart guy, and we should buy into what he’s trying to do, and then see what we can do these last few games and beyond.”

If the Grizzlies are going to do special things, they need to get their defense right, something Iisalo owned after the Lakers loss. He added that he wants the team to play faster, and he wanted more Morant pick-and-rolls in the half court. Memphis needs all of that to come together fast and lead to wins, or the current No. 5 seed could slide back into the play-in.

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Watch Lakers trio of LeBron, Doncic, Reaves combine for 85 points, Lakers get key win over Grizzlies

NBA: Los Angeles Lakers at Memphis Grizzlies

Mar 29, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) dunks during the second quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

New coach in place, Ja Morant back from injury… same result for the Memphis Grizzlies.

Behind their offensive trio of LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves — who combined for 85 points and 25 assists — the Lakers dominated the final six minutes of Saturday's game and with that took control of the No. 4 seed in the West with a 134-127 win.

That victory puts the Lakers alone as the No. 4 seed in the West, 1.5 games behind the Nuggets for the No. 3 seed. The Grizzlies are the No. 5 seed but just 1.5 games up on the Warriors and Clippers, who are tied for 6/7, and the No. 8 Timberwolves are just two games back of Memphis. Just 4.5 games separate third and eighth in a very tight West.

Which is why this Lakers win mattered so much. Knowing it was a critical game, Lakers coach J.J. Redick said he gathered LeBron, Doncic and Reaves together earlier in the day.

"We challenged all three of them, when we get to their three-man actions, to play with a little more force and a little more thrust and a little more creativity. We were able to get some great stuff in the fourth quarter off that…" Redick said.

"We played as well as we've played so far, offensively."

Memphis has lost 5-of-6 and things don't get easier with the Celtics and Warriors as the next two teams coming to town. It was unfair timing for interim coach Tuomas Iisalo, who was thrust into the head coaching job on Friday after the surprise firing of Taylor Jenkins. Fair or not, he and a healthy lineup need to get some wins soon or they risk falling back into the play-in.