The Welsh Rugby Union is excited to announce Dan Murphy, the Gloucester/Hartpury coach, has been drafted in as defence coach for the Wales Women’s Six Nations campaign. Murphy is part of new Wales head coach Sean Lynn’s title-winning coaching team at Gloucester/Hartpury in the PWR. He is the Gloucester/Hartpury scrum coach but his remit with […]
The post Defence coach Murphy joins Wales Women appeared first on Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions.
Ron Rivera spent more than three decades in the NFL and had opportunities to return to the sideline as an assistant when a more intriguing option came his way.
It's coming down to the wire in the Western Conference.
Four teams are separated by just four points in the hunt for the final wild-card spot, and the situation changes daily. As of Friday, the St. Louis Blues hold the final playoff spot in the west, thanks in large part to two former Edmonton Oilers: Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg.
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We've written ad nauseam about the Blues' breakout stars here at The Hockey News this season, but they keep giving us reasons to come back to the well. Most recently, the pair came up huge in the biggest game of St. Louis' season, a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks that vaulted them into the playoff spot they currently occupy.
Tied with Vancouver coming into the night, the Blues were riding a hot streak and trying to fend off the Canucks, Calgary Flames, and Utah Hockey Club in search of a playoff spot. Down 2-1 in the third period, St. Louis scored two goals in 24 seconds to flip the game on its head and take the lead. Who scored the go-ahead goal? Holloway, of course:
THIS PLACE IS ROCKIN' pic.twitter.com/Y8hYRIz6PX
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 21, 2025
"It reminds you of [Teemu] Selanne and [Paul] Kariya," Blues head coach Jim Montgomery said of Holloway and linemate Jordan Kyrou after the game. "They just used to burn to each post and make great backdoor plays."
High praise, indeed.
"That's a helluva compliment," Holloway said in response. "Those guys are legends, so I'll take that."
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The drama wasn't over in St. Louis, however. Vancouver's Brock Boeser spoiled the party with a huge game-tying goal with just two seconds remaining in regulation, setting up overtime to decide which team would sit inside the playoff picture.
Though Vancouver could salvage a point, they couldn't complete the comeback. Of course, it had to be Philip Broberg who played the hero, beating Kevin Lankinen with a slick move to put the Blues in a playoff spot for the first time since November 6th.
THE BLUES ARE BACK IN A #STANLEYCUP PLAYOFFS SPOT!! 👏
— NHL (@NHL) March 21, 2025
The @StLouisBlues pick up a crucial extra point thanks to Philip Broberg's @Energizer OT winner! pic.twitter.com/XSMlAYZMtg
The goal was Broberg's seventh, bringing his point total up to 22 for the year. Holloway assisted on the game-winner--of course--giving him 23 goals and 56 points this season, tied with Robert Thomas for second on the Blues.
For comparison's sake--or to twist the knife on Oilers fans--Holloway's 56 points would be third on the Oilers, while Broberg's 22 points are more than Trent Frederic, who the Oilers acquired in exchange for the pick they got in compensation for Broberg leaving, has scored this season in exactly as many games.
While it's impossible to know how Holloway and Broberg would have fared had they stayed in Edmonton, it's hard not to look at their success in St. Louis and wonder what might have been.
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The Vegas Golden Knights ran the Boston Bruins out of T-Mobile Arena last night, and it was headlined by Russian forward Pavel Dorofeyev.
Dorofeyev got the scoring started for the Golden Knights, recording his 28th goal of the season and his 12th on the power play. As time was set to expire in the second period, Dorofeyev added another, extending the lead to 2-0.
Brett Howden made it 3-0 before Dorofeyev scored his third of the night, recording his first career hat trick and reaching the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career.
Pavel Dorofeyev's third of the game is his 30th of the season! 👏
— NHL (@NHL) March 21, 2025
Hat Trick Challenge presented by @AstraZenecaUSpic.twitter.com/eWdfFDDsqX
The 24-year-old has played parts of four seasons with the Golden Knights, recording just two games in the 2021-22 season and 18 in the 2022-23 season. He showed flashes of offensive ability but never received consistent ice time. In his rookie campaign last year, he scored 13 goals and 24 points in 47 games, still unable to maintain a nightly roster spot.
Fast forward to the 2024-25 season, Dorofeyev has taken full advantage of offseason departures and has formed a formidable duo with Tomas Hertl.
The pair of forwards are big and strong around the front of the net, both possessing heavy shots capable of beating goaltenders. Dorofeyev has also become an improved scorer due to the power play opportunities. His size and shot allow him to be effective in the bumper or on the half-wall. Playing with star playmakers like Jack Eichel and Mark Stone helps showcase his skill set.
"He's put the work, he put in a lot of work in this summer, and he's progressively gotten better through our organization," said HC Bruce Cassidy about Dorofeyev. "He's earned it. He's done a lot of the right things... he's doing things that will lend itself to success in any environment. That's what I like about his game."
The third-round pick (79th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft not only leads the Golden Knights in goals but is tied in power play goals and ranks fifth in points.
He's among the NHL's most improved players and is poised to be a key contributor in what Vegas hope will be a long playoff run.
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The Anaheim Ducks embarked on a three-game road trip to face the St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars, and Nashville Predators, three teams sitting in vastly different positions in the Western Conference Standings. The Ducks entered the trip with a 29-30-7 record and came away with a 1-1-1 result.
Game #67: Ducks vs. Blues Gameday Preview
St. Louis was fighting for their playoff lives as a bubble wild card team in the West and thoroughly outplayed Anaheim for the entire 60 minutes of their game on Sunday and came away with a result of 7-2.
Game #68: Ducks vs. Stars Gameday Preview
The Ducks responded well against a Stanley Cup hopeful in the form of the Dallas Stars. They were outplayed again in the first period but were advantageous in the second period and entered the third with a 3-2 lead. Dallas was able to tie it up and, ultimately, win in overtime 4-3.
Game #69: Ducks vs. Predators Gameday Preview
Thursday’s game in Nashville was one of the Ducks’ better 60-minute efforts in the 2024-25 season. They were dictating tempo from the opening puck drop and came away with a 4-1 win over an underachieving team at the bottom of the NHL standings.
Lukas Dostal got the first two starts against the Blues and Stars. He was pulled after the second period of the Blues game. He saved 36 of 45 shots in five periods in the Ducks’ crease.
Ville Husso entered in relief of Dostal for the third period against St. Louis and saved 10 of 12 shots.
John Gibson returned from injury to face the Preds. He was sensational, stopping 33 of 34 shots.
Ducks head coach Greg Cronin tinkered with lines a bit throughout the road trip, both out of necessity, as Nikita Nesterenko was forced out of the Nashville game with illness, and in an attempt to generate offense with new combinations. Cutter Gauthier ended the trip on the wing of Leo Carlsson (where he started the season) and opposite Alex Killorn. Trevor Zegras finished on the wing of Mason McTavish, also in the position where he started the season.
Here are my on-ice notes from these games:
Cycle-The Ducks have been relying on crowding the home plate area of the offensive zone in attempts to generate offense, taking away goaltenders’ eyes and hoping for positive bounces. As a result, they’ve been one of the poorest offensive teams at 5v5 in 2024-25.
They seemed to make some adjustments as the road trip wore on, and in the Nashville game, they were more reliant on perimeter movement, defensemen activating, and cuts into the slot area for needed traffic. They were able to dictate possession time and create more dangerous opportunities. They can strike up a potent balance between rush and cycle offense and attack in a myriad of ways if they continue with this philosophy.
Power Play-The Ducks’ power play went just 1-10 on the trip, but they experimented with a variety of structures when they set up. They seemed to mandate more movement on and off the puck with Carlsson and Zegras’ unit and utilized the area below the goal line more frequently.
Troy Terry may have been the largest benefactor of this new scheme, as he had been too keen to rip distance shots from the flank. He now can keep his feet moving more and utilize his natural manipulation and deception abilities to create far more dangerous looks. The next phase of his evolution will be to increase his effectiveness as a net-front presence, timing cuts and getting tips on perimeter shots.
Regroups/Breakouts-The Ducks did well in the latter two games to absorb oncoming forechecks and defensemen did well to handle opposing high-flips out of the defensive zone to maintain possession and quickly move pucks back up ice to generate rush chances.
The Ducks began to utilize a low, swinging forward to better support retrieving defensemen and activated weak-side defensemen to join rushes. This spread the ice out more and ignited more dangerous rush looks.
The Ducks will now return home to Anaheim for a five-game home stand where they will look to return their record to at least that of a .500 team.
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Nobody in the NBA believes it will happen — and there are more than $75 million reasons why.
As Cooper Flagg leads Duke into the NCAA Tournament Friday — where they are among the favorites to be standing on stage in San Antonio holding up the NCAA Championship trophy — there will be talk about Flagg returning to Duke for another season. He has said he's thought about it, even telling The Athletic," S***, I want to come back next year."
Wanting to is one thing — the college experience can be special, and Flagg is young at age 18 — but actually doing it is another. It can't be stressed enough that nobody in the NBA thinks Flagg will pass up being the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft to return to Durham, North Carolina, for another season. There are $75 million reasons why, but they break down into two key areas.
Flagg would likely be the No. 1 pick in 2026 as well — although the 2026 NBA Draft is deeper with projected franchise players including A.J. Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, Nate Ament and Darryn Peterson — but the biggest risk is a major injury.
Every time any player steps on the court there is the risk of injury, but for Flagg it could have massive financial consequences. First, a significant knee, back, or foot injury could put doubt in the minds of the always risk-averse general managers picking at the top of the 2026 draft. With other high-level players available who teams like, Flagg could fall down draft boards.
More concerning, he might not be the same player physically. Scouts NBC Sports has spoken with believe Flagg could well become an All-NBA player — top 15 in the league — and saying he becomes a top-five player in the league who garners MVP votes someday is undoubtedly possible. A significant injury could put that in jeopardy, or at least lead to a career when his injury status is as discussed as much as how great he is when healthy (think Zion Williamson or Kawhi Leonard, for example).
However, the real reason Flagg likely enters the 2025 NBA Draft is money — next season and beyond.
This season it is estimated Flagg makes about $4.8 million in NIL money (those figures are not official and public), which would be the most of any college basketball player and trails only Texas quarterback Arch Manning ($6.5 million) in all of college sports. If Flagg returned to Duke, maybe deals could be found to increase that number — but not enough to match the rookie scale salary of the NBA. Last year's No. 1 pick, Zaccharie Risacher of the Atlanta Hawks, is making $13.6 million this season in salary alone and will make $57 million over the first four years of his rookie contract (and Flagg's contract would be larger as the NBA salary cap will go up by 10% this season.
And that's not the "real" money. Flagg staying in college would delay starting the clock on his second contract, where the real generational wealth will come into play. This coming summer, sure-fire rookie contract max extension players such as Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley can sign five-year deals worth $224.3 million — at least. Make an All-NBA team (or be named MVP or Defensive Player of the Year) in that stretch and the max can jump to $269 million. Years from now, when Flagg would be eligible, that max extension will be more.
Then there's the longer-term, on the back end of Flagg's future NBA career, which Bobby Marx of ESPN discussed.
ESPN's Bobby Marks projects that Flagg returning to Duke could cost him, based on estimated cap numbers, $75 million to $125 million in potential salary on the backend of his NBA career since he would delay the start of his service clock for his second and third pro contracts. Players with 10 years of service are eligible for a supermax deal, a type of contract extension in which teams can give eligible players up to 35% of the total cap space allotted to that team for up to five years.
It's too much money to leave on the table.
There is no doubt Flagg loves Duke and his college experience — he's just 18, and he may love it more by the time the NCAA Tournament ends. However, taking less money in the short- and long-term while adding increased injury risk is just not smart. And Flagg, if nothing else, is smart. He will enter the 2025 NBA Draft and go No. 1. Around the NBA, there is no doubt.
The NHL’s playoff picture is coming into focus, which means the bottom-end teams are solidifying their spots in the draft lottery – and the NHL sour rankings.
Whether these teams expected to be at the bottom or not, they must focus on the future. The work to improve will largely begin at the NHL draft, where they will look for prospects to help shape the next era of their franchise.
Let’s mock the top 10 for the 2025 NHL draft based on who could be available for each team and what direction they might go when they are on the clock.
We’re using a reverse order of the standings for the draft order. A key point to remember is that this is a mock draft, not a ranking. This is how the draft could go down, not the order of the best players in my view.
The San Jose Sharks have a solid foundation up front with Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith and William Eklund. Quentin Musty and Filip Bystedt are on the way as well.
Their back end has some solid prospects, highlighted by last year’s 11th-overall pick, Sam Dickinson, and the recently recalled Luca Cagnoni. But getting their future No. 1 defender would be a gift if they get to draft first overall for a second straight year. Schaefer has the skating and tools to be a do-it-all defender on both ends of the ice.
Connor Bedard is the franchise center, but adding Michael Misa would give the Chicago Blackhawks one of the most impressive one-two punches down the middle.
Misa is the most well-rounded forward in the draft. He has an impressive dual-threat offensive upside, a wicked sense of scoring goals in various ways and an excellent vision of play development on the ice. Misa can also insulate Bedard.
2025 NHL Draft Rankings: Ferrari's Mid-Season Top 64It's 2025 NHL draft rankings time again as we're about to see the class playing some of its highest-level hockey.
The Nashville Predators weren’t supposed to be this bad, but landing Hagens would be a wonderful way to cap off their season that’s had nothing but disappointment. Hagens would be arguably the most dynamic center the team has ever had. His skill and playmaking would give the Predators a player who can manipulate and dictate play offensively in a way they haven’t had enough of over the years. Hagens is a center who could be the pillar the Preds build around moving forward.
The first moderate surprise is Desnoyers going to the Buffalo Sabres, which are still looking to find their way out of the basement. The Sabres just traded Dylan Cozens, and while they got Josh Norris back in the deal, they will look to build out their depth up front. Desnoyers could fit as a center in the middle six or play on the wing, but his strength is playing a complementary role. That trait could help the Sabres in a big way as they try to find their way.
The Seattle Kraken have been excellent at drafting the highest-end talent regardless of size. This year, they get the chance to add the best player available and some of the size the team lacks in its young talent. Martone has the kind of functional physicality that thrives in the NHL and an incredible knack for making plays through contact. He also has a very good shot and could complement a player, such as Matty Beniers or Shane Wright, moving forward.
Future Watch: The NHL's Top Rising And Falling Prospects In 2025The anticipated Future Watch issue is when The Hockey News looks at the future of the game, including the top 100 prospects in hockey.
The Philadelphia Flyers find themselves back in the top 10 of the draft, but there are plenty of reasons to be hopeful with the prospects on the way, such as Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk, as well as the arrival of Matvei Michkov this season.
Last year, the Flyers took Jett Luchanko in what was considered a conservative and safe pick. That gives them the room to take a risk this year with McQueen. Despite missing most of the year with a back injury, McQueen’s combination of size, skill and scoring ability is a bet some NHL team will make early. The hulking center could be a big swing if McQueen can stay healthy and avoid long-term injury concerns.
Like his brother a few years back, Victor Eklund goes seventh overall. The Pittsburgh Penguins’ management group is focused on adding skill and… skill. Eklund brings a ton of that and tenacity to make him an instantly effective player in the NHL who can play up and down the lineup. Eklund would be a great addition to a Pittsburgh prospect pool that has grown over the last couple of years, likely asserting himself as the top prospect instantly.
The Anaheim Ducks have added a ton of talent up front, and they have some really intriguing young defensemen who can move the puck on the back end. They love their big, bone-crushing defenders as well. Adding Aitcheson would give them a young blueliner who can act as a foil for the puck-moving guys, such as Pavel Mintyukov or Olen Zellweger. Aitcheson is the kind of player the Ducks love with that throwback to rough-and-tumble hockey.
The Boston Bruins aren’t used to drafting this high in the draft, but they will look to add a key piece to the next era of Bruins hockey. While they could certainly use some scoring punch up front, the Bruins pipeline lacks everything. Adding Jackson Smith could be a big deal because he has all of the tools to be a very good two-way blueliner. Coming in and eventually learning under Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm would be a perfect situation for the team and player.
This isn’t just because the Detroit Red Wings love drafting Swedes or that they seem to love their solid, steady centers. Frondell going to the Wings is the perfect spot because it’s a high-end prospect who has dealt with injuries, and it’s a team that has a couple of really solid young centers in Nate Danielson and Marco Kasper but lacks the higher-end prospect Frondell could be.
If Kasper or Danielson end up on the wing because Frondell comes in and takes the No. 2 center spot behind Dylan Larkin, that’s the perfect scenario. Frondell has the steady game that Detroit loves and the offensive upside they need.
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Muttering in pit lane over how F1 team have found such a sweet spot between aerodynamics and tyre wear
One race into the new Formula One season and the sport has been transfixed by how smartly McLaren have emerged from the blocks. A quick car is a surprise to no one but what fascinated about Lando Norris’s and Oscar Piastri’s ride is that their single greatest advantage apparently lay not in the science of aerodynamics but rather in the tyres and the dark art of mechanical grip. In which algorithms and alchemy, McLaren appear to have struck gold.
Norris’s win at the season opener in Australia caught the eye, not only with how much pace they showed but in how they achieved it, and it has the other teams worried.
Continue reading..."Our group really believes in each other," coach Dusty May said. "We’re going to get the stop, we don’t know how but we’re going to figure out a way."
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza spoke ahead of Friday's spring training game.
Here are the most important notes...
McNeil, who has been out a little over a week due to a mild oblique injury, is still having symptoms.
"Until he's symptom-free, that's when we'll re-image it," Mendoza said about a follow-up MRI for McNeil, who has not yet been cleared for baseball activity.
The expectation when the injury was diagnosed was that McNeil would need three-to-four weeks before returning to big league game action.
With McNeil out, Brett Baty seems to be on track to not only make the team out of camp, but perhaps be the regular second baseman in McNeil's absence.
If Luisangel Acuña is on the Opening Day roster, he would be a logical option to start at second base against left-handers.
Since McNeil's injury, Baty has gotten most of his starts at second base. And he has excelled, including making all but one routine play that has come his way in addition to a handful of sparkling plays.
On Thursday night against the Nationals, Baty was on the tail end of a tough double play that was executed with Francisco Lindor.
"That turn was pretty athletic," Mendoza said. "That's not an easy thing to do, especially when you're learning that position.
"Then there's the range that he's shown. Ideally, it was in there, but to show it at second base, up the middle, going to his right, the way he's going to his left. Just having the awareness of where to go on cuts and relays. The communication in-between pitches with not only Lindor but the other infielders. He's been really, really good."
David Stearns made it clear earlier this spring that the Mets are more than comfortable with what Acuña can offer defensively, but noted that the infielder is an unfinished product offensively.
Speaking on Friday, Mendoza echoed similar sentiments.
"When he controls the strike zone, we know he can do some damage," Mendoza explained. "That's what it comes down to. He can do a lot of different things -- defensively, offensively, baserunning-wise. He's having a good camp.
"I feel comfortable with him anywhere in the infield -- even if we put him in the outfield. Even though he hasn't played outfield this camp, he got a few reps in center field last year in the minor leagues."
The final spot on the roster could come down to Acuña or Donovan Walton.
If the Mets opt for upside, Acuña will be the pick. If they would rather Acuña continue to hone his offensive skills in the minors, it's fair to believe Walton will be the choice.
Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Houston Cougars Game Preview
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Bruins hit new low as offense struggles in ugly loss to Golden Knights originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
There are only 25 days left in the 2024-25 NHL regular season, but for Boston Bruins fans, this stretch might feel like an eternity.
It’s one thing to lose games on a consistent basis. It’s another to lose games and look inept at both ends of the ice. Unfortunately for the Bruins, their current situation is more the latter.
In what has been a very disappointing season for the Bruins, the team sunk to a new low in Thursday night’s ugly 5-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on the road.
The Bruins tallied just 19 shots against the Golden Knights despite trailing most of the night. It’s the second time in the last three games Boston has been held below 20 shots. Overall, the B’s have registered fewer than 20 shots in nine games this season. That happened only four times in the previous four seasons combined.
Right now, Boston’s offense is pretty much David Pastrnak or Morgan Geekie scoring a goal or creating a Grade A chance for a teammate. The B’s have scored 44 goals since Feb. 1, and Pastrnak and Geekie have combined to score 19 of them. No other Bruins player has more than three goals during that 17-game stretch. This team has zero offensive threats outside of those two guys, so it wasn’t surprising that Geekie scored the lone goal versus the Knights and Pastrnak picked up an assist on it.
The Bruins had a jolt of energy following the trade deadline with back-to-back wins against quality opponents in the Lightning and Panthers. But all of that momentum was quickly erased by four consecutive losses. And it’s not just that the Bruins are losing, they’re getting blown out in a lot of games. Thursday’s game was the 14th time Boston has lost by four or more goals this season. That’s a really high number.
14th time the Bruins have lost by 4+ goals this season. Most such losses season since they lost 15 games by 4+ goals in 1965-66.
Optimistic look at that: 1965-66 was the final season in the pre-Bobby Orr history of the Boston Bruins.
— Ty Anderson (@_TyAnderson) March 21, 2025
There are a lot of issues with this Bruins roster. General manager Don Sweeney has a lot of work to do in the offseason to fix the mess he’s created.
The No. 1 priority needs to be bolstering the offensive talent up front.
Scoring goals in all situations, including the power play, has been a season-long struggle for this team. This problem is even greater when you consider the Bruins play in a division that features three of the league’s top 10 teams (Maple Leafs, Lightning and Panthers) in goals scored and power play percentage.
Even though reaching the playoffs is an unrealistic goal at the moment — MoneyPuck’s model gives Boston a 0.5 percent chance of securing a wild card berth — there are still a few things the Bruins can accomplish over their last 12 games.
One of them is give some prospects a chance to prove themselves against NHL competition.
Top prospect Fabian Lysell was recalled earlier this week and is expected to play on the current road trip. He has played in only one career game for the Bruins since being selected in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft. He has played well for Providence this season and has improved his two-way skill set. The B’s need to see if he can be part of the team’s long-term plans. The best way to do that is give him as many reps as possible against NHL opponents.
The Bruins also need to evaluate the players they acquired in deals prior to the trade deadline. Where does Casey Mittelstadt best fit in the lineup? Is he a center or a wing? Which position on the power play best suits him?
Marat Khusnutdinov has scored two goals in six games with the Bruins, who have played him in a more offensive-minded role than he had with the Wild. He brings plenty of speed to the lineup, which the B’s desperately need. Could he become a fixture in the bottom-six moving forward?
Henri Jokiharju is a good skater and moves the puck well. Could the young defenseman be a third pairing option next season?
These are all questions the Bruins must address in the final few weeks of the regular season. They have to evaluate what they already have on the roster and try to improve their draft lottery odds as much as possible. The future has to be the sole focus of the organization.
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