The LA Kings look to shut down the Toronto Maple Leafs with their second-best defence in the NHL.
Tuesday night is the ultimate opportunity for NHL fans, with a loaded slate of thrilling matchups that fans eagerly anticipate.The game that sticks out is one with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are looking to bounce back after a tough shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday. They will take on a solid defensive unit in the LA Kings that has a 2.54 goals against average, which is second-best in the league.
For bettors, this matchup provides a chance to capitalize on some of our recent strong trends, like our 8-2 record on our last ten picks and our 17-6 record on our last 23 underdog picks.
All betting lines are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
The goal total for this one is a tight 5.5 with 95 per cent of the public riding with the over due to Toronto's recent hot stretch with 18 goals over their last four games. The Buds have won four of their last six games versus the Kings with two of the wins coming on the road in LA.Six goals can easily be scored in this game with both team's firepower but the under has hit in three of their last four matchups.
The Kings will be looking to make up for a 6-2 loss they took at the hands of Toronto last October and should play a much stronger defensive game at home. LA was roughed up for four goals in a loss to Colorado this past Thursday but in their prior 11 games, they allowed three or more goals just two times. I expect a response in a big way from the Kings as it's tough to beat a team twice for the Leafs plus LA has been red hot with a 9-2-1 record in their last 12 games.
But it was Sid and the Kids at Saturday's practice in Cranberry, PA.
Top forward prospects Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen - both recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) on Friday - each had an opportunity to work with Sidney Crosby during drills and line rushes, as Koivunen saw minutes on the top power play unit and McGroarty was deployed on the first line with Crosby and Bryan Rust. The captain also took some time to work with the young forwards following practice.
Crosby thinks that both players brought some renewed energy to practice following a disastrous 0-2-1 road trip, and he is looking forward to working with them.
"I thought they brought good energy," Crosby said. "I thought it was a good pace in practice, and obviously, we're coming off a couple tough losses. The guys are excited for the opportunity they have, and as a group, we want to try to bounce back from a couple of tough ones."
McGroarty - who turns 21 on Sunday, when the Penguins will take on the Ottawa Senators in Pittsburgh - had a brief three-game look at the NHL level when the 2024-25 season opened before heading back to the AHL. He started off a bit slow production-wise, but registered 14 goals and 39 points in 60 games - including eight goals and 18 points in his last 19 contests.
Both McGroarty and Koivunen know that there is a massive opportunity in front of them, and they may have the chance to be placed in lineup positions conducive to their success on Sunday.
"I want to come here and play my best and help them," McGroarty said of playing with Crosby and Rust. "It's really cool getting to play with them, and hopefully, if that opportunity comes, I'll just put my best forward and do what I can do and help them."
Koivunen - who is slated to make his NHL debut on Sunday - is aware of the opportunity he is getting as well, and he has no interest in wasting it.
"I've got to play with my strengths and make an impact right away on this team," Koivunen said.
It's safe to say that most didn't expect the two young prospects to be deployed in top-six minutes from the jump. However, with only eight games remaining in the Penguins’ regular season schedule, playoff hopes all but gone, and both players presumably heading back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the team's Calder Cup run once the NHL regular season concludes, there is a very good opportunity for the organization to see what two of their higher-end prospects can do in those roles.
And based on conversations with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton head coach Kirk MacDonald and Penguins management, head coach Mike Sullivan felt comfortable slotting them in high-leverage roles in practice right away, even if they decide to tweak some things by puck drop Sunday.
“When you have players of this caliber, you're trying to set them up for success," Sullivan said. "And we're also trying to put them in roles where they have an opportunity to play to their strengths. Both of these guys have high hockey-IQs, they're both real competitive guys, they both have an offensive dimension to their game... they're different in how they play, but we think that with the combinations we had out there today, potentially, they could be complementary on the lines that they're on."
He added: "As an organization, we felt it's important to reward guys for effort and performance," Sullivan said. "And these two guys are very deserving. It's exciting for us. They bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm, and I think it will be great for our group."
#LetsGoPens top forward prospects Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen getting in some work at practice today.
Whether or not McGroarty and Koivunen maintain their lineup spots from Saturday's practice when the team plays Ottawa remains to be seen. In any case, their captain and mentor had some sound advice for them as they navigate this final stretch with the NHL club.
"Just make the most of the opportunity," Crosby said. "Have fun with it. The game's the same. It will be a little bit faster, guys are a little bit bigger, a little bit stronger, maybe. But, for the most part, it's the same game. So, just trust your instincts and continue to learn with each and every game and practice. I think you've just got to learn as much as you can."
And it's safe to say that that the kids are certainly open to Crosby's advice. When asked what he wants to learn from Crosby's game and what traits of his that he wants to develop, McGroarty smiled.
"Seriously, everything," he said. "Like, actually everything."
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.
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.
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.
Fans arrive for the Dodgers' home opener against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday evening. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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
The Los Angeles Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. Each must include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms will not be used.
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.
Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, and Aaron Judge hit back-to-back-to-back home runs! pic.twitter.com/BSrNo4MmZt
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.
This 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.
