After a disappointing 5-12 season in 2024, the New York Jets have the 2025 NFL Draft's seventh overall pick. Here's what the experts have Gang Green doing.
Brighton 0-0 Nottingham Forest (3-4 pens): FA Cup quarter-final – as it happened
Matz Sels was heroic in the shootout to send Forest into the last four of the FA Cup for the first time since 1991
Forest get the ball rolling. A huge roar of Albion. The away end giving it plenty as well.
The teams are out! A cracking atmosphere in Sussex by the Sea. The Seagulls in their blue and white stripes, the Tricky Trees in first-choice red. We’ll be off in a minute or two.
Continue reading...Championship roundup: Leeds denied top spot by late Swansea leveller
- Drama at Elland Road as Vipotnik strikes in added time
- Flemming free-kick helps Burnley maintain top-two tilt
Leeds missed the chance to return to the top of the Championship as they conceded in the sixth minute of added time to draw 2-2 at home to Swansea.
The hosts made the ideal start as they looked to respond to Sheffield United’s Friday night win over Coventry, with Brenden Aaronson bundling the ball home inside a minute. Swansea were handed a chance to level from the spot in the 14th minute, only for Illan Meslier to turn Josh Tymon’s penalty behind.
Continue reading...Letters to Sports: Dodgers display depth and talent in home opener
I'm watching Blake Snell, who started the Dodgers' home opener, and later Tanner Scott, who pitched the eighth inning, and I'm thinking that maybe I'll see these pitchers in October. Jack Harris reported recently that Snell (who has made at least 20 starts in every full season of his nine-year career,) and Scott (who has racked up 275 appearances over the last four seasons) are durable pitchers.
Knowing the bad luck the Dodgers have had with injuries in recent years, I wouldn't bet on any Dodger pitcher still being available in October. It's fortunate that the Dodgers are very deep.
Vaughn Hardenberg
Westwood
What with the Dodgers and their fans confident of a World Series repeat — and assuming the team is already looking at bigger and flashier 2025 championship rings — I have a suggestion for MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. It’s simple and will keep baseball fans somewhat interested as the Dodgers strive to clinch a playoff spot before Memorial Day.
So, if (and that’s a big IF) they actually lose a few games, in addition to crediting them with a loss, subtract a win from them in the standings and place it in a third column called either “Oops” or “My Bad!” It could be both funny and entertaining, and trust me subtracting a few wins is not going to have any effect on the final outcome. But, it could save the baseball season from an absolute borefest. At least until the 2026 season, when the Dodgers' payroll is guaranteed to increase again to well over $400 million!
Richard Whorton
Studio City
White out
As a lifelong Dodgers fan (66 years old) I am sickened to hear the team is intending to visit the Trump White House. If they follow through with those plans I will never go to another Dodger game and stop rooting for the Dodgers. Manager Dave Roberts saying it’s an honor to visit Trump is offensive to me and to the fan base. I will be removing the Dodgers hat from my head.
Mark Bedol
Claremont
The team of Jackie Robinson, with the largest Hispanic fan base in the history of American professional sports, has lost this lifelong fan forever.
I will never root for or support the Dodgers again in any way, shape or fashion.
Charles L. Freeman Jr.
Baldwin Village
As a Dodger fan since 1958 I cannot give the team a pass for agreeing to visit the White House. Given what this president is doing to dismantle our government and the number of people he is hurting, I do not want my team to take any part in this “tradition.”
I have tickets for the game on Friday night when the players will be getting their World Series rings. If the team shows up at the White House on April 7, I will not attend another game this season and possibly forever. There has to be consequences for normalizing what Trump is doing to our country and our world.
Larry Weiner
Culver City
October musings
How soon they forget. A Plaschke quote: “They re-signed all of their free agent postseason heroes.” Except for perhaps one of the biggest, Walker Buehler, whose postseason performance was exceptional and who will be pitching for the Red Sox this season.
Jack Wishard
Los Angeles
Bill Plaschke opined the Dodgers must repeat as World Series champs this season if they want a dynasty.
I say Shohei Ohtani with his All-Star play will lead the way to another joyful October day in L.A.
Mark Sherwin
Los Angeles
Repeat performance
The article re: Freddie Freeman and Kirk Gibson, World Series game-winning home runs, reminds me of Jack Nicholson's Colonel Jessup diatribe in the movie “A Few Good Men.” “I did my job. I’d do it again.”
Oscar Rosalez
Diamond Bar
What the Halo?
Nothing concretizes futility like declaring “wait ‘til next year” on opening day more than the Angels using a position player to pitch in a blowout against the team a season removed from the dubious distinction of having lost the most games in Major League Baseball history.
Steve Ross
Carmel
Can the Angels be any more vindictive by DFA-ing Mickey Moniak because he beat them in arbitration? They released him over a difference of $500,000. With a team philosophy like that, it's no wonder they've not won anything in forever and likely won't. Maybe they don't deserve to.
Thomas Filip
Moorpark
Purple and fool's gold
Three weeks ago I wondered if the Lakers were the real deal or fool's gold. They had just won eight straight games and were on a roll.Since that time, they have gone 4-8. Looks like they were indeed fool's gold.
This team can't hold a lead. They get killed by the opponent's backcourt. They play the I-hope-they-miss defense. JJ Redick stands on the sideline as if he is taking advice from Darvin Ham. Luka Doncic disappears in the second half. LeBron James is showing his age. The bench is non-existent. And, oh yeah, they tied a record for giving up the most points at home in a non-overtime game in Lakers history. Lack of coaching. Lack of size. Lack of offense. How about just a lack of all around.
Geno Apicella
Placentia
March happiness
Alabama’s record-breaking three-point shooting display in its Sweet 16 victory over BYU brought back great memories of No. 11 Loyola Marymount’s 149-115 victory over defending champion and No. 3 Michigan in the 1990 NCAA tournament.
I attended that game in Long Beach. Starting with Bo Kimble taking and making his first free throw left-handed (in tribute to Hank Gathers), and continuing throughout — LMU was led Jeff Fryer’s and Kimble’s scintillating three-point shooting; they scored 41 and 37 — this was the most exciting non-championship sporting event I have ever witnessed.
Ken Feldman
Tarzana
Nothing original there
I have to admit, I did a double take when I saw in last Sunday's letters, not just one, but two USC detractors dredged up the same tired old jab, "The University of Spoiled Children." Well at least it gives credence to the old adage, " Clichéd minds think alike."
Joe Kevany
Mount Washington
Grappling with this issue
Penn State won the NCAA wrestling championship for the 12th time in the last 14 years. They scored more points than any team has ever scored. One of their wrestlers, Carter Starocci, became the first wrestler to win five Division 1 championships. It is a record that will probably never be broken as he was granted an extra year of eligibility due to COVID. Penn State became the second team to have all 10 wrestlers finish as All-Americans. To top it off, the seemingly invincible wrestler from Minnesota, Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson, lost in the championship on a takedown in the last 30 seconds. Yet nary a word in The Times. Perhaps it is time for UCLA to resurrect its wrestling program so The Times might provide some coverage.
Mark Kaiserman
Santa Monica
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Email: sports@latimes.com
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
SEE IT: Yankees' Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, Aaron Judge crush back-to-back-to-back HRs in first inning
It was a nightmare start for Milwaukee Brewers' Nestor Cortes in his return to Yankee Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Sluggers Paul Goldschmidt, hitting leadoff for the first time in his career, Cody Bellinger, and Aaron Judge blasted back-to-back-to-back home runs on three straight pitches in the bottom of the first inning to give the Yanks a 3-0 lead.
The broadcast noted it was the first time a team hit three straight homers on three pitches to open a game in MLB history.
To make matters worse for Cortes, the left-hander gave up a fourth home run in the first inning to catcher Austin Wells, making it a 4-0 game.
That gave the Yankees their first four-homer first inning ever.
THREE PITCHES, THREE HOMERS.
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 29, 2025
Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, and Aaron Judge hit back-to-back-to-back home runs! pic.twitter.com/BSrNo4MmZt
AUSTIN WELLS MAKES IT FOUR HOME RUNS! pic.twitter.com/UhXiCt89DQ
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 29, 2025
Memphis Grizzlies fired their coach, now where do they go from here?
What shocked the NBA world was not so much that coach Taylor Jenkins was fired in Memphis — things had been trending that way since last summer when Jenkins was forced to fire his assistants and replace his entire staff — but the timing. The Grizzlies are 44-29, tied for a top-four seed in the West, and have just nine games remaining in the season.
The reaction around the league was primarily "why now?" Also, "How is this making the team better heading into the playoffs?"
All of that led to the next question: Where do the Grizzlies go from here?
There's no clear answer to that question. Let's break it down.
• For its next head coach, Memphis is going to look for its Kenny Atkinson — a head coach who can come in, change the system, empower the right players, and turn a good team (the Cavaliers had been the No. 4 seed two years running) into a contender.
Good luck with that. Cleveland made the leap this season partly because of changes to its offense (more Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, more motion). Memphis already changed its offense this season at the request of the front office, moving away from one heavily reliant on pick-and-rolls to more of a motion offense. Tuomas Iisalo, the interim coach for the remainder of this season, was one of the coaches brought in to lead this new offense (it is similar to what he had run and been successful with in Europe).
• Ja Morant has been frustrated with changes in the offense, a league source told NBC Sports.
That was illustrated well by this quote from a story in The Athletic by Sam Amick, Fred Katz, and Joe Vardon. They talked about Morant's frustration with an offense taking the ball out of his hands.
One league source who has seen Morant work out with the Grizzlies recently said, “Some days he looks like he’s ready to play, and some days he looks like he doesn’t want to be there … because he hates the offense.”
• Morant also understood these changes came from executive vice president of basketball operations Zach Kleiman and the front office, through the new assistant coaches. With that, Morant had Jenkins back, even though he argued with him at points about the offense, the Athletic reports.
• Morant is the face of the Grizzlies, an electric and popular All-Star and All-NBA player, but one who has battled injuries throughout his career (plus had multiple suspensions). Morant has played in just 43 games this season (including missing the last six) but when he does he's averaging 22.3 points and 7.4 assists a game.
Morant is in the second year of a five-year, $197 million max contract. He has three years, $126.5 million remaining on that deal after this season.
• Morant also is most comfortable in the pick-and-roll, which is why it seemed drafting 7'4" Zach Edey was a good fit — a big pick setter who can be a threat rolling to the rim. Memphis' front office has shown that is not the direction it wants the offense to go.
• All this leads to a natural question: Could the Grizzlies trade Morant this offseason? Don't bet on it, for a couple of reasons. Plus, Kleiman shot this idea down around the trade deadline. From The Athletic.
“I can’t blame other ‘executives’ for fantasizing about us trading Ja,” Kleiman said at the time. “But it’s just that — fantasy. We are not trading Ja... I’m not going to give this nonsense further oxygen and look forward to getting back to basketball.”
At least two league executives, however, questioned the demand for Morant in the trade market.
There would be interest in Morant, but it might not be that robust He's an expensive point guard with a lengthy injury history who is locked in for north of $40 million a season for three more years and needs the ball in his hands (running a lot of pick-and-roll) to be effective — Morant is not exactly plug-and-play. Morant's athleticism and ability to get into the paint are unquestioned, but he doesn't fit everywhere.
• Which leads us back to the coaching search coming this offseason. Kleiman is a smart basketball mind, but he has now played the "fired the coach" card, and if the roster continues to struggle, the issue may not be the coach.
There is unquestionably talent on this roster with Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, promising young players such as Jaylen Wells (one of the leading candidates for Rookie of the Year), Zach Edey and Scottie Pippen Jr. Whether all that talent fits together — and whether there is an Atkinson-esqe coach who can make that happen — are the big questons.
Ones that will be answered this offseason.
March Madness Sweet 16: Complete wrap-up of potential OKC Thunder prospects
March Madness Sweet 16: Complete wrap-up of potential Oklahoma City Thunder prospects.
Oliver Glasner toasts impact of Crystal Palace matchwinner Eberechi Eze
- Eze scores and assists in 3-0 FA Cup win at Fulham
- ‘We lost every duel until Eze’s amazing goal’
Oliver Glasner praised the impact of Eberechi Eze after the Crystal Palace forward transformed a tie Fulham had initially dominated with two moments of skill to tilt it in his side’s favour. Eze opened the scoring in the 34th minute and created a second goal four minutes later to leave Fulham deflated and all but seal Palace’s place in the FA Cup semi-finals.
“The first 15, 20 minutes we had no structure in our game,” Glasner said. “We lost almost every single ball, we lost almost every single duel and we really struggled. We lost the ball too easily, too quickly. We were too long on the ball.
Continue reading...March Madness picks: Expert predictions, odds, betting lines, schedule for NCAA tournament Elite Eight
This weekend's winners will head to the Final Four in San Antonio.
Who’s in the Final Four? Updated men’s March Madness bracket, schedule for NCAA Tournament
Who made the Final Four in 2025? Here's the updated men's NCAA Tournament bracket and schedule
Verlander honestly assesses his Giants debut in loss to Reds
Verlander honestly assesses his Giants debut in loss to Reds originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
CINCINNATI — Justin Verlander has seen just about everything this game has to offer over the past 20 years, good and bad. But he probably has never before been on a team that struck out 17 times in one game and just once the next time out.
That’s how Giants hitters have started this season, and because baseball is so often a strange game, they won the first one and lost the second. There was much better contact Saturday, but it led to just two runs of support for Verlander, who took a no-decision in his Giants debut.
After the 3-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, Verlander assessed his performance as “decent.” He’s happy to be healthy and throwing well, but it didn’t lead to a win Saturday. It was the kind of day that left him neither frustrated nor overly encouraged.
“Our job is to win, I like winning. I wasn’t able to do that today,” he said. “I think if we’re a couple starts in I probably have one more inning in there. I think I had mid-eighties in my pitch count and that was about the highest I had gone in spring, so we didn’t want to have a situation where I’m out there and have to throw 100-plus or get pulled in the middle of an inning and have to leave a big situation. We didn’t win the game. Ultimately my guys kind of gave me a two-run lead and I would have liked to be able to hold that, but I usually try to take a pretty objective view of my performance, good or bad.
“I think this was OK. It wasn’t great, it wasn’t bad. It definitely was a step forward from last season, I can say that.”
"I felt pretty good."
Verlander reflects on his Giants debut ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/0MvxAjbQ1Y
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) March 29, 2025
Verlander threw 83 pitches, leaning heavily on a four-seamer that had a little extra juice in big spots. It was his breaking balls, though, that led to a couple of runs.
With a two-run lead, he hung a slider to Matt McLain in the third and gave up a solo homer. Two innings later, with a runner on second, he went up against Reds star Elly De La Cruz, who had been frozen by a perfect curve in the first inning.
Verlander threw a curveball to get to 0-2 and tried to bait De La Cruz with another one in the dirt. A two-strike slider was just off the plate inside, and De La Cruz again watched it. When Verlander went back to the curve, it was bounced into right to tie the game.
“Elly kind of put it in the right spot,” Verlander said. “That’s baseball. You can beat yourself up as a pitcher on many things, but if you make a pitch and the guy doesn’t hit it hard and he gets it in the right spot, you’ve got to tip your cap and move on. He laid off a really good slider the pitch before that. That’s what the best players in the game do.”
Drop your thoughts on Verlander's Giants debut ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/EMZTYIgBgC
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) March 29, 2025
With this being Verlander’s first start, there wasn’t any conversation about pushing him. Spencer Bivens took over in the sixth and gave up a go-ahead homer to Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and the Giants hit into double plays in three of their final four innings.
Their last chance came in the eighth, when Tyler Fitzgerald led off with a single. Heliot Ramos saw eight pitches in the next at-bat but Fitzgerald didn’t take off, and Ramos bounced into a double play. The Giants wouldn’t reach base again, but Melvin said he didn’t regret the sequence.
Fitzgerald is the fastest player on the roster and always has the green light, but reliever Graham Ashcraft was too quick to the plate for him to get a good jump. The Giants had his times around 1.2 seconds to the plate.
“We’ve got some guys at the top of the order that are up that we feel pretty good about,” he said. “Obviously the double play balls hurt us, but I think there are times you pick your spots to go. Maybe that wasn’t one of them.”
Oliver Moore & Sam Rinzel Sign ELCs, Will Join Blackhawks Immediately
After some speculation following Minnesota's stunning loss in the NCAA Tournament, Oliver Moore and Sam Rinzel are coming to Chicago.
Each signed a three-year entry-level contract with a cap hit of $950,000 and will begin their pro-hockey careers. Both Moore and Rinzel will join the Blackhawks immediately.
Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on Xwelcome to Chicago, Oliver Moore and Sam Rinzel‼️
Moore and Rinzel agree to terms✍️ ➡︎ https://t.co/GMF2tvn0kIThis is big for the Blackhawks as they were both willing to finish the deal within a few days of being eliminated. Now, they will make their NHL debut sometime before the season ends.
Moore, a forward, brings speed and skill to any team he plays for and should see a bottom-six role to begin his NHL career.
As for Sam Rinzel, he is a number-two defenseman at minimum who could blossom into a star. With Artyom Levshunov, Alex Vlasic, and others in the mix, the Blackhawks have a special group developing on the back-end.
Both of these guys put up big numbers at Minnesota this season. Moore had 12 goals and 21 assists for 33 points in 38 games. Rinzel had 10 goals and 21 assists for 31 points in 39 games for the Golden Gophers.
Each was a part of the 2024 World Junior Championship Gold Medal-winning Team USA squad. Moore won back-to-back Gold Medals, as he also won it with them in 2023. They've experienced both big-time winning and heartbreaking losses. Each is good for their development. Now, it's time for the NHL.
It is unlikely that they both spend the entire 2025-26 season in the NHL, as the AHL will be used for development too. That method has served the Blackhawks well with a lot of their recent top prospects. They can only skate in the NHL to end this year, though.
Chicago's next game comes against the Utah Hockey Club on Sunday afternoon at the United Center. We will see if this is their first opportunity to jump into the lineup.
Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.
Five NHL Defensemen Having Breakout Seasons
The development path for an NHL defensemen can be quite long, having to add multiple elements to their game. For some, the transition happens almost seamlessly, like Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes or Miro Heiskanen, but for others, a season or two before it all clicks in is expected. Recently, defensemen like Thomas Harley, Brock Faber and Rasmus Sandin have taken advantage of developing in other leagues before becoming impact players in the NHL.
It’s quite rare for a defenseman to burst onto the scene and dominate, but these five defensemen are doing just that.
Jackson LaCombe, Anaheim Ducks
LaCombe was the 39th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and would spend four years at the University of Minnesota. The decision to stay for all four years proved to be a wise one, as it allowed him to mature and refine his game before joining the Ducks organization, who were in a massive rebuild.
His rookie season saw him average 19:23 of ice time, scoring two goals and 17 points. His sophomore campaign has seen him reach new heights, and it likely could get even better. The 24-year-old has scored 13 goals and 41 points, ranking in the top 10 in goals among NHL defensemen.
The Ducks are among the youngest teams in the NHL, and it’s partially why LaCombe has recorded just 28 assists. As the young Duck forwards get older and gain more experience, they’ll be able to turn LaCombe’s playmaking into goals. The Ducks are building a star-studded defensive core, headline by LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger.
Jake Sanderson, Ottawa Senators
Sanderson’s route to the NHL was quicker than LaCombe’s, spending just two seasons at the University of North Dakota. The fifth overall pick would make his NHL debut in the 2022-23 season, scoring four goals and 32 points in 77 games. Although the offensive numbers were quite impressive for a 20-year-old rookie defenseman, Sanderson had a plethora of issues in his own end.
His sophomore season saw improvements both offensively and defensively, earning an eight-year, $64.4-million contract extension per Puckpedia. While many argued that the contract was handed out too soon, Sanderson has put those critics to rest, scoring seven goals and 48 points in 70 games, averaging 24:23 of ice time and earning a nod to Team USA’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster, where he scored a goal in the final.
Thomas Chabot had been the Senators' No. 1 defenseman for quite some time but the play of Sanderson has changed things. The turning of the leaf began in the 2023-24 season and it’s come into full effect this season. The next step for Sanderson’s development is to be more aggressive and seek out his shot, but with the tools Sanderson has at his disposal, there’s no reason why he can’t be a double-digit scorer each year.
Alex Vlasic, Chicago Blackhawks
Vlasic followed a similar route to LaCombe, playing three years at Boston University. He never had his offensive breakout during his NCAA days, and it’s likely why he was never selected to play for Team USA’s world junior team. Despite that, the 43rd overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft was a defensive stalwart, using his 6-foot-6 frame to his advantage.
The 23-year-old spent the 2022-23 season playing with the Rockford IceHogs in the AHL, where he tapped into his offensive game for the first time. He replicated that production in his first full season, earning himself a six-year, $27.6-million contract extension, and now, in the 2024-25 campaign, he's flourishing.
His four goals and 28 points, coupled with his defensive game, have allowed him to average 23:27 minutes of ice time on a Blackhawks blue line that will soon feature Artyom Levshunov, Kevin Korchinski, Ethan Del Mastro and Sam Rinzel. Korchinski and Levshunov will likely be the offensive contributors on the backend, but if Vlasic can add more offense to his game without sacrificing his defensive game, the Blackhawks will be a difficult team to play against.
Simon Edvinsson, Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings have been incredibly patient with Edvinsson, first allowing him to develop in the SHL before keeping him in the AHL for an additional two seasons. Heading into his first full campaign, Edvinsson had 25 games of NHL experience and has now revolutionized the Red Wings’ blueline.
Moritz Seider’s following seasons after winning the Calder Trophy were underwhelming. Playing alongside Ben Chiarot, the pair struggled greatly in the consistency department. Although the pair have still spent most of the season together, Seider’s best results are when he plays with Edvinsson. Seider’s expected goals percentage with Chiarot is 41.96 percent, and with Edvinsson, it’s 48.57 percent.
Edvinsson is a tremendous skater and offensive player for a 22-year-old listed at 6-foot-6, and as his ice time grows, the offensive numbers are sure to follow.
Dante Fabbro, Columbus Blue Jackets
Fabbro is the oldest player out of the five – already 26 years old – but since he was claimed off of waivers by the Blue Jackets, he’s revived his career. During his tenure with the Nashville Predators, Fabbro never averaged over 20 minutes of ice time, and in 52 games with the Blue Jackets, Fabbro is averaging nearly 22.
He’s set a career-high in goals, recording six goals and 20 points, proving to be the perfect partner for Zach Werenski, a Norris Trophy candidate this season.
Gustav Forsling was a surprise breakout candidate for the Florida Panthers, and Fabbro looks to be following the same trajectory as an astute defender with good feet and puck-moving ability.
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'Brain Turned Off For A Second': Maple Leafs Goalie Joseph Woll Explains Bizarre Goal In Maple Leafs Loss To Sharks
LOS ANGELES — It's one of those moments that can happen to any goaltender. This time, Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll made a mistake.
'We've Got To Be Better, Goalie Included': Maple Leafs Salvage Point But Struggle In Shootout Loss Against SharksSAN JOSE, Calif. — The Toronto Maple Leafs fell to the San Jose Sharks 6-5 in a shootout at SAP Center on Thursday. Although they picked up a crucial point in the standings, it was yet another example of the Leafs struggling to pounce against a team at the bottom of the NHL standings as they gear up for a playoff run next month.
The Maple Leafs were trailing the San Jose Sharks 3-2 on Thursday in the second period when Woll had the puck. In an attempt to clear or pass the puck, the goaltender instead bounced it off of Sharks forward William Eklund and into the back of the Toronto net.
Woll explained the incident from his point of view following Toronto's practice on Friday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
"I'm not too sure. Just a bad play. Sometimes you make bad plays," Woll said. "I think I was thinking looking up ice and brain turned off for a second. It's unfortunate."
Woll is not the first NHL goaltender to have a blunder like that and certainly won't be the last.
Perhaps one of the biggest goalie mistakes in Leafs history came against the Islanders when Rob Davison sent a bouncing puck toward goaltender Vesa Toskala, who had difficulty following the bounces.
Fortunately for Woll, the Leafs erased a two-goal deficit in the third period and salvaged a crucial point in the standings before falling 6-5 in a shootout.
Woll is expected to get one of the next two starts in goal as the Maple Leafs finish out their three-game road swing through California with a pair of games against the Los Angeles Kings, following up a game on Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center.
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Struggling Red Wings Looking to Recover Rhythm, Manage Adversity vs. Bruins
DETROIT—It's been a grim month of March in Hockeytown, with the beloved Red Wings limping through the stretch run. Again. Yet despite a 3–10–0 record since the calendar turned over from February, Detroit remains within spitting distance of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Of course, grabbing that spot requires the Red Wings to start stringing together wins in a hurry, beginning Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena against the Boston Bruins.
Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.
"We've been lucky enough, I guess you could call it, that no one's really seized that spot, and it's tough games this time of the year," forward Lucas Raymond told The Hockey News after Saturday morning's skate. "I think that shows, but not playing good the way we've been wanting to and still being in it is huge, and we gotta seize that opportunity."
"We haven't gotten the results we've wanted over the last 10 games or so, but we're still right in it, so we know that if we play our game...we might not technically control all our own destiny, but we feel like if we take care of our business, we'll be in pretty good shape," added defenseman Justin Holl.
Coach Todd McLellan likened Detroit's recent struggles to golf, saying his team needs to learn to not allow one mistake spiral into disaster. "You're on the golf course and you have a bad tee shot, it doesn't mean you have to have a bad round," McLellan said after Saturday morning's skate. "You go from playing birdie golf to playing par golf during that time. You clean things up, you get on the green, you try to play safe and put it in, and you take your par instead of your birdie. When we get into a bad drive situation, all of a sudden we're swinging away and it gets worse, instead of managing it."
Trending Red Wings Stories
Clock Ticking on Red Wings' Playoff Hopes After 4–3 Loss to OttawaDETROIT—Not quite 13 minutes into the Red Wings' 4–3 loss to the Ottawa Senators Thursday night, Senators captain Brady Tkachuck caught up to Detroit forward Lucas Raymond as he rushed the puck through neutral ice, dumping Raymond to the ice, then pinning him there with an arm around his neck. With Tkachuk and Raymond still entangled, Ottawa rushed the puck the other way until Tim Stutzle used a burst of speed to get around Moritz Seider and beat Alex Lyon with a well-placed wrist shot. The goal made it 2–0 Senators, though the Red Wings had a 10–3 edge in shots, but that was the story of the night for the home team: Bullied away from the puck and beaten with it, even if the final score suggested a narrow margin.
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Lineup
As they look to revitalize their season, Detroit will be offering a slightly different look to its forward lines, reminiscent of the combinations that McLellan used to close out Thursday's loss to the Senators. Wingers Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane will now flank Dylan Larkin on the top line, while Lucas Raymond and Michael Rasmussen will now skate on Marco Kasper's wings on line two.
Lines at morning skate:
— Sam Stockton (@_samstockton) March 29, 2025
DeBrincat-Larkin-Kane
Rasmussen-Kasper-Raymond
Berggren-Compher-Tarasenko
Watson-Motte-Smith
Chiarot-Seider
Edvinsson-Petry
Johansson-Holl pic.twitter.com/WRLrxWvk2w
"Well not just Dylan and Raymond, the group as a whole," explained McLellan, when asked whether the tinkering was meant to spark his top two scorers. "We started last game with a set of lines and by the time we got to the third, we pulled them apart, but the most energy and jump and attack time that we had was with lines that look similar to what we are going with today."
Cam Talbot will start in net for the Red Wings.
Injury Update
On the injury front, McLellan did not have an update on Petr Mrazek, who remains unavailable after suffering an upper body injury in Utah. Meanwhile Elmer Soderblom remains out as well, but he is at least closer to getting back to action.
"Elmer is still gonna be day-to-day, but I don't see him playing in St. Louis," McLellan said, alluding to the Red Wings' Tuesday night game against the Blues. "I don't know for sure though. That's how close he is, but how far away he is."
Re-Tooling Bruins Pose Unique Challenge
Following the trade deadline, the Bruins are a different team to the one that beat Detroit 3–2 in Boston on Dec. 3. Most notably, erstwhile captain Brad Marchand is off to Florida, where he made his Panthers debut Friday night, assisting on the overtime winner, but Marchand is not alone amongst the departures. Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo, and Trent Frederic are all also out the door.
McLellan pointed out Saturday morning that while those sorts of departure theoretically deplete a roster, it can also invigorate the players who remain, with bigger roles.
"Well they're a different team now," said McLellan of the current state of the B's. "For me personally, having come out here, I know them with all the pieces that they've had in the past...There's a lot of players there [now] that are getting opportunities, that have moved up the lineup a little bit as they retool. When players get that chance and they take advantage of it, they can be a handful, because they've been sitting in the weeds and wanting more and asking for more and trying to play for more, and now it's in front of them, so they can be a real dangerous team when those types of players get hungry."
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