Heading into this weekend’s back-to-back, the Henderson Silver Knights needed two regulation wins to clinch a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs. On Friday, they faced a three-goal deficit halfway through the second period; on Saturday, they trailed 4-3 with less than two minutes left in the third.
They won both games in regulation.
With a 5-4 regulation win over the Tucson Roadrunners on Saturday, the Silver Knights officially punched their ticket to the Calder Cup Playoffs for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
“We’re not cruising to a victory. The belief that we’re never out of a game, you want to make sure we put that in our pocket,” said Silver Knights head coach Ryan Craig. “If we’re learning lessons while we’re winning, and while we’re having success, while guys individually are having success, it’s only going to boost our morale. And as the games get higher and higher stakes, we can use that to our advantage.”
After the first period, the teams were tied with two goals apiece. Tucson struck first on two separate occasions; both times, Henderson responded quickly. Raphaël Lavoie struck on the power play, and Jonas Røndbjerg tipped home a shot from Braedan Bowman.
Henderson led 3-2 after two periods of play. However, after two third-period goals from Tucson’s Sammy Walker, they trailed 4-3 with less than two minutes remaining in regulation.The Silver Knights pulled Carl Lindbom for the extra attacker, and Dylan Coghlan scored the equalizer with 1:26 remaining in the third period.
And then, chaos.
The Silver Knights entered the attacking zone as seconds ticked off the clock. Braedan Bowman’s shot went wide, but the puck took a bounce off the end boards and ended up on the stick of Matyas Sapovaliv. Sapovaliv chipped it back in front to Bowman, who banged it in for his second goal of the game.
“I was pretty fired up,” said Bowman postgame. “I went to [Dylan Coghlan] and just started screaming. It’s cool to be back with these guys… Obviously, to clinch a playoff berth, that was pretty special.”
Stats of the Knight
Jonas Røndbjerg, the longest-tenured Silver Knight, scored in the first period to take the franchise lead in goals (81).
The AHL’s rookie of the month of March, Trevor Connelly, provided an assist on Henderson’s first goal of the game.
Braedan Bowman, who recently rejoined Henderson after playing 54 games with the Golden Knights, led the way tonight. He scored two goals, including the game-winner, and recorded two primary assists.
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Carter Hart made 31 saves and the Vegas Golden Knights tightened the Pacific Division race, beating the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 on Saturday night to remain perfect in John Tortorella's first three games as coach.
Vegas moved a point back of Edmonton and Anaheim for the division lead, snapping the Oilers' season-best, five-game winning streak.
Brett Howden and Jeremy Lauzon each had a goal and an assist, Colton Sissons, Mark Stone and Rasmus Andersson also scored and Jack Eichel had three assists.
Evan Bouchard scored for Edmonton, and Connor Ingram made 28 saves.
Hart was activated off injured reserve and backstopped Vegas to a 6-3 home victory over Calgary on Thursday night. He had been out since injuring his left leg Jan. 8 against Columbus.
Tortorella, who replaced the fired Bruce Cassidy, coached Hart in Philadelphia from 2022-24.
After building up a three-goal lead and losing it, the Nashville Predators scored three unanswered goals in the third period for a 6-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday at SAP Center.
Sitting at 81 points, the Predators have the regulation wins (26) tiebreaker over the Los Angeles Kings for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.
Ryan O'Reilly scored the game-winning goal off a feed from Luke Evangelista from behind the net into the left face-off circle. O'Reilly snapped it past Yaroslav Askarov for his 25th goal of the season.
A delay of the game call on Roman Josi with four minutes left gave the Sharks some momentum, but Erik Haula was able to halt it, scoring shorthanded and giving the Predators a two-goal lead late.
Jost added an empty net goal with 1:15 left in the game for insurance.
The Predators jumped into the driver's seat early as Filip Forsberg scored twice, 1:16 apart in the first 10 minutes of the game. He is creeping up on 40 goals, sitting at 37 with six games left.
Steven Stamkos notched his 11th power-play goal of the season and 38th of the year to put Nashville up 3-0 at the end of the first period. The Predators outshot the Sharks, 12-5, in the first 20 minutes of the game.
The game slipped away from the Predators in the second as they allowed goals from Nick Leddy and Macklin Celebrini to cut their lead down to one. A little over a minute into the third period, Alexander Wennberg scored to tie the game for San Jose.
It is the second straight game in which Nashville has surrendered a three-goal lead and still won. On Thursday, it held a 4-1 lead over the Kings before LA forced overtime, 4-4. Nashville ended up winning in a shootout.
Juuse Saros picked up his 27th win of the season, making 24 saves on 27 shots. He is 6-1-1 in his last eight starts.
The Predators faced off against former goalie Askarov for the first time this season. He was drafted 11th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, but requested to be traded in the 2024 offseason after the Predators extended Saros and signed Scott Wedgewood.
Nashville was without defenseman Nic Hague for the majority of the game, as he left in the second period after getting hit awkwardly. There is no update on his status following the game.
The Predators' road trip continued into Monday as they will face the Los Angeles Kings again at 9:30 p.m. CST.
The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Seattle Kraken in the Pacific Northwest on Saturday night. This was the middle game of a three-game road trip out west.
Going into the game, the Blackhawks were looking to bounce back from a tough loss to the Edmonton Oilers a couple of nights prior. Before ending the season, the Blackhawks are working on finishing the year with strong habits that they can build on over the summer.
The Blackhawks played a strong game early on. In the first period as a whole, the Blackhawks outshot the Kraken 10-4. Nobody was able to find the back of the net, however, and the scoreless tie held into the first intermission.
In the second period, the Blackhawks finally broke through at 9:15. Teuvo Teravainen ended a 15-game goal drought to give the Blackhawks a lead. This was a power play goal.
With under a minute remaining in the middle frame, Tyler Bertuzzi scored to make it 2-0 Blackhawks. He extended his team lead and career high with his 32nd goal of the season.
10 minutes into the third period, Jaden Schwartz got the Kraken on the board. Under three minutes later, however, the Blackhawks restored the two-goal lead thanks to Sacha Boisvert's first in the NHL.
It turned out to be an important goal, as it stood as the game-winner because Kaapo Kakko got the Kraken back within one just over a minute later. The late stages of the third period certainly had some fireworks.
Ilya Mikheyev sealed the win for the Blackhawks with an empty netter to make it 4-2, which stood as the final.
Connor Bedard earned an assist on the empty-netter by Mikheyev, which extended his career high in points to 71. They are also points 198 and 199 in the career of Bedard. The next one is obviously a really special milestone to reach before even turning 21.
Arvid Soderblom made the start for Chicago in goal, and he was excellent. Soderblom made 25 saves on 27 shots in what turned out to be a much-needed gem to end the five-game losing streak.
This is the type of win that every player on the roster helped earn. These are the key to having sustained success in the NHL, and they did it against a team fighting for their playoff lives.
The Chicago Blackhawks will be back in action on Monday night. They will be in Northern California taking on the San Jose Sharks. This will be another chance for Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks to match up against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks, which could be a great player-led rivalry for years to come.
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Apr 4, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Clay Holmes (35) delivers a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
The Mets have been a little uneven to start the 2026 campaign, putting it on Paul Skenes on Opening Day but struggling to hit in the subsequent games; before last night’s ten run breakout that is. The Mets kept the momentum going tonight, winning 9-0 over the Giants, with a funky lineup that lacked Juan Soto, Luis Robert Jr. or Francisco Alvarez. It also featured a starting outfield of Jared Young in left, Carson Benge in center, and Brett Baty in right, which is what you imagined coming into Spring Training.
The Mets fifth win of the season was arguably their most complete, and that started with starting pitcher Clay Holmes. Holmes was excellent on the day, stymieing the Giants offense over seven scoreless innings. He only walked two, perhaps the most important part of his performance, considering walks have taken him out of games quicker than you would want from time to time. He only struck out four, but he was consistently around the strike zone, throwing 61 of his 90 pitches for strikes. The Giants simply could not square him up; according to the Statcast data, they did not barrel a single ball against him.
The offense did their fair share of the hard work, especially in the middle innings. They did get out to the 3-0 lead after the second inning, but it was more misplays by the Giants than anything else. A Mark Vientos double, Jared Young walk, and Marcus Semien infield single (that honestly probably should have been an out if Jerar Encarnacion was a more experienced first baseman) loaded the bases with one out in the aforementioned second inning. Carson Benge hit a weak ground ball to Literally Platinum Glover Matt Chapman, who failed to field the ball cleanly and subsequently threw it away, chasing two runs home. The next batter, Luis Torrens, grounded out productively, making it 3-0 without the ball leaving the infield.
Landon Roupp, despite the bad luck, looked pretty good for stretches of the game, generating ten whiffs and seven strikeouts. He kept the score 3-0 until the fifth inning, where the Mets got to him again. Torrens singled, was moved over to second on a Francisco Lindor ground out, and was driven home by Bo Bichette (who is still good at baseball despite the five game slump to open the season), making it 4-0. A Brett Baty single moved Bichette to second, and the red hot Vientos drove him home with a single of his own to make it 5-0, chasing Roupp from the game.
Left-hander Ryan Borucki came in, and Jared Young was lifted for Tyrone Taylor. Taylor rewarded the newly bespectacled Carlos Mendoza with an absolute rocket of a three-run home run, traveling 419 feet with a 105.1 exit velocity.
At 8-0, the game was elementary from there. Holmes coasted through the seventh inning, Taylor added a superfluous insurance run to make it 9-0, and Tobias Myers finished the game with two perfect innings. It was a wonderful performance all around.
The Mets next match up is a fun one, with Kodai Senga squaring off against Logan Webb in the final game of the series.
Big Mets winner: Clay Holmes, +20.0% WPA Big Mets loser: Francisco Lindor, -4.9% WPA Mets pitchers: +20.1% WPA Mets hitters: +29.9% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Carson Benge reaching on a fielding error in the second, +15.4% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Matt Chapman’s single in the bottom of the second. -5.8% WPA
Apr 4, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello (left) takes the ball from starting pitcher Landen Roupp (65) as he makes a pitching change during the fifth inning at against the New York Mets Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
Did you think Friday was tough? Well, let me introduce you to Saturday — it was so much worse! Bad defense, no offense, frustrated pitching.
Believe it or not, there was a point at the beginning of the Giants’ 9-0 loss to the Mets when things were actually going pretty swell.
Landen Roupp started the evening with four strikeouts on the first four batters he faced. He flashed everything in his arsenal: Curve, sinker, change-up, curve. Check, check, check. One out in the 2nd, the sun was shining, the Mets were whiffing. Everything was going just fine.
But good things don’t last — at least, not for the 2026 San Francisco Giants.
The Mets hitters — rather abruptly — figured out how to put the bat on the ball, and everything got so much worse. Mark Vientos found a seam along the third base line for a one-out double. Marcus Semien followed by lunging at a curveball, rolling it so softly towards short that Willy Adames had to rush his throw to first. Of course, it sailed wide, Semien was safe, the bases were loaded, and that was when the flashbacks started. The terrible recollections of weak choppers, wayward throws, missed catches from earlier in the week. Poorly struck grounders in the most inconvenient places, like grains of sand in the infield gears, grinding them to a halt.
Jerar Encarnacion did the right thing on Adames’s throw and left the bag to secure the ball — but the bigger problem remains. That lack of sharpness, especially from their veterans, has exposed the lack-of-expertise of others. It haunted them in their finale against San Diego, and it bit them big time here.
Next batter, in an 0-2 count, Carson Benge threw his bat at a change-up and somehow put it in the most annoying place possible. The grounder dragged Chapman’s momentum away from the plate, making the force out there unlikely. But it was just likely enough for Chapman to consider it. That brief glance towards the plate split his concentration on the exchange. The ball fell out of his glove, somehow recovered it in mid-air, and now desperate to get one out, whipped the baseball in first base’s general direction.
Looking back at the replay, the throw was surprisingly accurate, and Encarnacion, perhaps shocked that Chapman actually managed to get a throw off, botched the easy part. The “catch the f***ing ball” part.
Next batter, another 70 MPH grounder hit just slow enough, just far enough away from the infield positioning, to take away the possibility of Luis Arraez starting an inning-ending double play and preventing another run from scoring.
A double, three grounders that didn’t leave the infield, and three runs for New York in the 2nd. Landen Roupp was understandably steamed. And he only got hotter by the 5th. After a lead-off single, Encarnacion fell on a grounder, blocking it like a hockey goalie, rather than fielding it like a normal baseball player would. The misplay, though redeemed by Roupp coming over to pick up the loose ball and get the out first, cost the starter another chance at a two-fer. This proved costly when Luis Torrens, advancing to second on the play, promptly scored on Bo Bichette’s RBI single up the middle. That ball too skipped within range of an infielder’s glove, and while it would’ve been an impressive play by Adames, Roupp couldn’t help but tamp down his frustrations that another grounder had made its way through to the outfield.
The right-hander tried to refocus. He battled through nine pitches to eventually strike out Jorge Polanco for his seventh K, but at that point, Roupp was gassed physically and emotionally. A shell of a his former self way back in the 1st inning. Tough breaks coupled with lack-of-execution will do that to a man. But even though Roupp was clearly broken, the Mets refused to let up. Brett Baty rolled another grounder through the right-side of the infield to extend the inning, then Vientos sent a single through the same hole to plate New York’s fifth run, and…yeah, that was it. Roupp was done. Tony Vitello released him from the mound, and he slumped back to the dugout where he had the pleasure of watching Tyrone Taylor launch a hanging curve ball from Ryan Borucki over the wall in left-center, mercifully closing the book on the starter’s outing.
7 runs, 6 earned, and Roupp maybe deserved half of them. A small consolation: the bad defense wasn’t personal. It continued after he left the mound. Luis Arraez missed a tag at second. Keaton Winn didn’t back up home properly on a relay, and a subsequent wild pitch gave Taylor a free trip to third after his RBI single.
I suppose none of these defensive shenanigans really mattered considering the offense amounted to three singles and a pair of walks against Clay Holmes. In the words of Mike Krukow, the bats have been living in the castle or the outhouse so far this season — and this was another night in the shitter. Early opportunities presented themselves too. The leadoff man reached base in each of the first three innings. They had a chance to get back in the game and capitalize on a defensive miscue too when a throwing error by Bichette put Chapman in scoring position in the 2nd. But Jung Hoo Lee waved through three straight breaking balls from Holmes, and the next two hitters were dutifully retired.
And I use that word “dutifully” without embellishment — there was an odd air of obedience when the Giants were at the plate. They knew their roles, and with heads down, they fulfilled them quickly and with little fight. Routine fly out to center. A grounder to short. Any spark, like Patrick Bailey’s well-struck line drive, was promptly snuffed out.
The San Jose Sharks hosted the Nashville Predators in a game with massive playoff implications on Saturday night.
Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky deemed it “the most important game of the season,” and to be frank, that may be underselling it. It was likely the most important game in over half of a decade.
The Predators were controlling the run of play early on, getting some quality shots on Yaroslav Askarov.
Adam Gaudette took the first penalty of the night when he was called for hooking at 6:50 of the first period. The high-powered Nashville power play took advantage of their first power play, as Filip Forsberg was able to beat Askarov to make it 1-0. Forsberg then scored his second of the night off a rebound less than a minute and a half later.
At 11:49, Nashville captain Roman Josi went to the box for hooking Will Smith. The Sharks were unable to score on the man advantage, but Sam Dickinson made some smart plays at the blue line to keep the puck in the offensive zone. Moments after Josi’s penalty expired, Brady Skjei went to the box for hauling down Gaudette. 49 seconds into the man advantage, the power play was nullified due to an interference penalty on Dmitry Orlov.
After Skjei was released from the penalty box, Steven Stamkos scored on the Predators’ abbreviated power play to make it a 3-0 hockey game.
The Sharks had a very strong possession a few minutes into the second period, keeping the Predators trapped in their own zone and unable to make a line change. Unfortunately for the Sharks, an easy glove save for Juuse Saros allowed the Predators to get fresh legs on the ice.
Askarov made a big glove save with 11:33 remaining in the second to keep his team’s hopes alive, as a four-goal deficit would almost certainly put the game out of reach.
The amount of scrums increased exponentially around the halfway point of the game, with Askarov even going after Zachary L’Heureux at one point.
Skjei went back to the box with 5:54 remaining in the middle frame, giving the Sharks a lifeline. That lifeline would once again be nullified by a penalty; this time, Will Smith went to the box for slashing Josi behind the Nashville net.
Nick Leddy scored his first goal as a Shark to bring them within two with 4:11 remaining in the period. Stamkos and William Eklund had a bit of a wrestling match with a minute remaining in the period, causing the two to get coincidental minor penalties. Celebrini scored 42 seconds after the penalties, making it a one-goal game with just over 20 minutes left to play.
Alex Wennberg set a new career-high in goals in the third period, when he made a highlight reel move to beat Saros and tie the game up at three goals apiece.
The Predators started fighting back after the Sharks’ game-tying goal, forcing a few long shifts for the Sharks, but they were unable to break the deadlock for quite a while. Eventually, the Predators would regain the lead, though, as Ryan O’Reilly scored to make it 4-3 with 11:32 remaining in the third period.
Roman Josi was called for delay of game with just 3:21 remaining in regulation. Tyson Jost had two quick chances to score a shorthanded goal on a breakaway, but both shots were denied by Askarov. Moments later, the Predators got their shorthanded goal though as Erik Haula beat Askarov to make it 5-3 and put the game out of reach for the Sharks.
Jost added an empty-net goal with 1:15 remaining to make it 6-3.
Tonight's game was undoubtedly a must-win for the Sharks, despite a valiant effort, they weren't able to get it done. As of now, the Sharks sit two points out of a playoff spot and their odds of a trip to the postseason have dropped tremendously. The Sharks and Predators will meet one more time this season, in Nashville. It'll be imperative that the Sharks get their two points back in that game.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - APRIL 02: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center on April 2, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Lakers (50-27) are back in action on Easter Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks (24-53) on the road.
L.A. looks to sweep the four-game season series against Dallas this season.
And just like that, the state of the Lakers feels more bleak than ever. With the playoffs beginning in less than two weeks, a championship now feels more out of reach for Los Angeles than ever before. Now, they’re left having to figure out what to do in the midst of all of this instead of gearing up for the most crucial time of the year.
The Lakers will have to do that starting Sunday when they face a lottery-bound Mavericks team that’s currently on a three-game losing streak. While it’s tempting to say that it’s just the Mavs and that this game is pretty much meaningless for them, it’s hard to do so knowing that the purple and gold’s faith now relies on 41-year-old LeBron James.
For as incredible as James still is, the superstar can’t carry this team by himself and without Dončić and Reaves, it’s hard to picture how this Lakers team can be competitive.
That said, they’re going to have to try and that means practicing the next man up mentality. Can Rui Hachimura, Jake LaRavia, Deandre Ayton and the rest step up? They obviously won’t be able to fill the void that Dončić and Reaves left but at the very least, it would be nice to see if they can help keep this team competitive.
Note that the Mavericks may be in the middle of a three-game losing streak but their rookie Cooper Flagg is still playing at a high level. Flagg is coming off a 51-point performance and is surrounded with quality role players like Max Christie, Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, Brandon Williams and Daniel Gafford. So this one isn’t by any means going to be a walk in the park.
For the first time ever this season, it feels as if the Lakers are very much the underdogs without two of their best players. On Sunday, we’ll get a first look at how they’ll be until the end of the regular season and into the playoffs.
Sigh.
Let’s see if there’s anything still worth being hopeful about for the purple and gold on Easter Sunday.
Notes and Updates
For the Lakers’ injury report, Luka Dončić (left hamstring strain), Austin Reaves (left oblique muscle strain) and Marcus Smart (right ankle contusion) are out.
Jared Vanderbilt (right calf soreness) is also listed on the report as questionable.
As for the Mavericks, Kyrie Irving (left knee surgery), Dereck Lively II (right foot surgery), Caleb Martin (right plantar fascia) are out.
Marvin Bagley III (left shoulder impingement) is probable while Tyler Smith (low back spasms) is questionable.
Mark Vientos slashed .057/.108/.171 with one home run and two RBI across 11 spring training games in February and March, but the Mets' 26-year-old corner infielder and designated hitter has been a different player since the calendar flipped to April.
He extended his hitting streak to four games with three knocks in Saturday's 9-0 win at the San Francisco Giants, continuing momentum from a two-hit, two-walk performance that sparked Friday's 10-3 victory.
"I feel like myself," Vientos said. "I feel good. I think the best part is just guys are going, had good day, all of us together. Clay (Holmes) pitched a heck of a game, and it was fun -- it was fun today."
Vientos had one hit in three at-bats across the Mets' March 28 and 31 games against the Pittsburgh Pirates and at the St. Louis Cardinals, respectively, before a 7-for-14 start to this month.
"It's good to see it," Mendoza said. "It's good to see it, especially after what he went through in spring training. We kept telling him, 'It's spring training. Keep hitting the ball hard. Keep controlling the strike zone.' As a human, as a competitor, they want to see results. It's just good to see him having the start he's having right now.
"He's a pretty important player for us. We're going to need him. If we can get some confidence early on, man, he's going to be an impactful player for us."
Mark Vientos brings home Bo Bichette and the Mets lead 5-0!
Batting fifth and starting at first base in a lineup that was without Juan Soto, whose day-to-day status leaves the Mets (5-4) relying on others to step up, Vientos sparked New York's pivotal second and fifth innings against the Giants (3-6).
The Mets' three-run second started when Vientos picked up Brett Baty's leadoff strikeout with a double to left field. Three frames later, Vientos' two-out single to right field scored Bo Bichette and padded the Mets' 5-0 lead before Tyrone Taylor's pinch-hit home run blew the doors open at 8-0.
"When you see him challenging pitches like that -- from the dugout, they look pretty close," Mendoza said of Vientos. "And then you look up on the board, it's like, 'Mark is seeing the ball really well here out of the hand.'
"What it follows is he's not missing pitches and he's recognizing, he's staying in the zone and not trying to do too much -- going the other way when he needs to, getting the head out when he needs to -- so he's in a good place right now."
Vientos, who hit his first home run of the early season in Thursday's 7-2 loss to the Giants, is slashing .471/.526/.765 with three RBI and two walks through six
"I'm focused on the process and focused on having good at-bats and letting the rest fall into place," Vientos said.
Angels outfielder Jo Adell put on a show against the Seattle Mariners at Angel Stadium on April 4.
Adell denied the Mariners three home runs with incredible catches, including one that had him diving into the crowd near the foul pole at the top of the ninth inning.
His defense helped keep the Mariners off the board in what became a 1-0 victory for the Angels.
The weekend series is tied at one game apiece. The Angels and Mariners will play against each other on Sunday, April 5.
It took a handful of games, but it finally happened for Sacha Boisvert. On Saturday night in Seattle, Boisvert scored his first career NHL goal.
Boisvert is a very talented young player, but he's a little more raw than some of the other forwards who have come up in recent months. He brings a physical game, but he also has a lot of skill. That was on display with his goal, which capped off an excellent shift by the fourth line.
BOISVERT FIRST NHL GOAL BOISVERT FIRST NHL GOAL BOISVERT FIRST NHL GOOOOOOOOOOOAL pic.twitter.com/UPHSwz3JUi
Kevin Korchinski jumped up into the play to set up Boisvert, who didn't miss with this chance. Korchinski made an outstanding play in his 100th career game, and he's been noticeable in this most recent call-up.
Landon Slaggett picked up the secondary assist on this goal scored by Boisvert. The two complement each other extremely well on the fourth line, which is what the Hawks are looking to build on in their final games. Being strong and skilled in the bottom six is important in the NHL.
Boisvert was the 18th overall pick by the Blackhawks in the 2024 NHL Draft. He is a big part of their plans, and now he has his first goal behind him. Going forward, it's about establishing a role with the team in the long-term.
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Apr 4, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels right fielder Jo Adell (7) makes a catch against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
Emerson Hancock gave up a home run to Zach Neto on the first batter he faced Saturday. It was the only run of the game.
The home run was the first hit Hancock allowed in 2026. He threw six no-hit innings with nine strikeouts last week against the Guardians in his season debut. He looked sharp in that outing, showing a lower arm slot and better “stuff” than he’d ever shown before. That made Saturday’s start against the Angels a surprisingly anticipated event: Could he look good in twice in a row?
The answer, as it turns out, was yes. Hancock pounded the zone with fastballs early and finished the day without a walk. He always seemed to be ahead, even as he expanded the zone with each turn through the order. The Angels matched Hancock’s aggression with aggression of their own, swinging at about 60% of his pitches. But they couldn’t quite figure him out, whiffing 28% of the time and striking out five times. They did tag a few balls here and there, but most of their contact was too low or too high to matter.
The game nearly unraveled on Hancock early. Neto lead off with the homer. Nolan Schanuel then shot a sinking liner into the left-center gap that Julio Rodríguez missed with a tumbling dive for a double. Schanuel advanced to third on a hard single from Jorge Soler. With two outs, Hancock threw a wild pitch that looked like it should score Schanuel, but Cal Raleigh made a nice play to scramble for the ball and fired to Hancock for the tag at home.
From there, Hancock settled in. He faced the minimum in four of the next five innings. He nearly made it through seven before a two out squibber from Jo Adell snuck through the infield; at 82 pitches, Dan Wilson turned to the pen. Perhaps most importantly, Hancock’s fastball velocity sort of held up: It was 96.1 mph in the first inning and 96.4 mph in the fourth inning. Now, it was 93.3 mph in the seventh when he exited, but given that dip used to happen in the second (or even midway through the first), I’d call that progress.
Hancock’s final line was 6 2/3 innings, six hits, five strikeouts, no walks, 28% whiff rate, and a 31% hard hit rate. That’s not quite as good as his last outing, but if anything, I think it’s a better representation of what the good version of Hancock could potentially look like — unspectacular, efficient, solid.
None of that really mattered. Here’s highlight number one:
And highlight number two:
And highlight number three:
Cal Raleigh in the first inning, Josh Naylor in the eighth, and J.P. Crawford in the ninth each hit home runs that Adell, arguably the worst defensive outfielder in baseball, brought back from over the fence. The Mariners offense wasn’t great, striking out 10 times with a lot of weak contact. But those plays, in addition to two other nice plays from Josh Lowe and Oswald Peraza, kept them from scoring, or even really threatening.
And so there it is: A game recap about… Emerson Hancock pitching well and Jo Adell playing good defense. Whodathunk.
TAMPA, FLORIDA - MARCH 21, 2026: Owen Murphy #91 of the Atlanta Braves throws a pitch during the first inning of a Spring Breakout game against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field on March 21, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
The Braves are hitting the ball pretty hard this season, but have had a number of barreled outs and haven’t always seen results from hitting the ball well. It does seem like some of this might be due to the balls being further deadened, as has seemingly been a trend over recent years. Some of it also has just been rotten luck, but it continues to be fairly outrageous both that the status and consistency of the single most important piece of equipment in the sport is a constant question and that it is not a bigger point of broad discussion.
Over the past four games he’s built up a decent amount of equity.
On Saturday, he had a second straight game of reaching base at least three times, helping lead a 9-0 rout of the Giants at Oracle Park.
The Mets hardly missed Juan Soto in winning their second straight. Soto, who departed Friday’s game in the first inning with a right calf strain that was deemed “minor” following an MRI, will rest until at least Tuesday — when a decision is likely on whether he will need an injured list stint.
Vientos is among those carrying the load. He was in the middle of two scoring rallies on this night and finished 3-for-5 in leading a 12-hit attack. Suddenly, the Mets scoring woes in six games that followed the season opener seem like 19th-century history.
“I think the best part is guys are going, we had a good day all of us together,” Vientos said. “Clay [Holmes] pitched a heck of a game, and it was fun today.”
Mark Vientos hits an RBI single during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants. AP
It was just two weeks ago that Vientos was set to break camp with the team after going 2-for-35 (.057) in the Grapefruit League.
“We kept telling him in spring training, ‘Keep hitting the ball hard, keep controlling the strike zone,’” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “As a human, as a competitor, they want to see results. And it’s good to see him having the start that he’s having right now.”
Bolstering Vientos’ performance (he owns a 1.291 OPS) has been his respectable work at first base, a position he’s sharing as Jorge Polanco deals with left Achilles tendinitis.
Holmes handled much of the run prevention with seven shutout innings to follow the gem Nolan McLean produced a night earlier when the rookie carried a perfect game into the sixth before walking two batters and allowing a single.
New York Mets pinch hitter Tyrone Taylor (15) celebrates his three-run home run against the San Francisco Giants during the fifth inning at Oracle Park. D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
Holmes allowed only three hits and walked two over the 90-pitch performance. It was a second straight strong outing for Holmes, who allowed two earned runs over 5 ²/₃ innings against the Cardinals on Monday.
“We have played a lot of extra-inning games, and the bullpen has been used a lot, so I was just trying to go fill it up,” Holmes said. “Go fill it up and once we got the lead see how many innings I could go to take some pressure off the guys.”
About the only semblance of trouble Holmes faced was in the second inning. Matt Chapman led off with an infield single, reaching second on Bo Bichette’s throwing error. But with help from Vientos, whose diving stop and toss to Holmes covering the bag produced the second out, Holmes kept a 3-0 lead intact.
New York Mets starting pitcher Clay Holmes (35) delivers a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at Oracle Park. D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
“[Vientos] has been really good,” Holmes said referring to Vientos’ first base work. “He’s been putting in the work, we all see it as players. Just how badly he wants it.”
Carson Benge’s grounder to third base with the bases loaded in the second turned into two runs for the Mets. Chapman booted the ball before his throw to first baseman Jerar Encarnacion was mishandled for a second error on the play. Vientos and Jared Young raced home. The lead extended to 3-0 on Luis Torrens’ RBI groundout.
“We didn’t hit the ball out of the infield, but the fact we were able to put the ball in play there helped us,” Mendoza said. “Not only can we hit the ball out of the ballpark, but putting together some really good at-bats.”
Vientos doubled to begin the rally and Young walked before Semien’s infield single loaded the bases. It was the third straight game with at least one hit for Semien, who snapped an 0-for-20 drought Thursday.
Bichette’s RBI single in the fifth widened the lead to 4-0. Torrens singled leading off the inning and reached second on a groundout before Bichette delivered for a team-leading sixth RBI this season. Vientos, for his third hit in the game, stroked an RBI single in the inning to give the Mets their fifth run against Landon Roupp. After lefty Ryan Borucki entered, Tyrone Taylor was deployed as a pinch-hitter for Young and belted a three-run homer that buried the Giants in an 8-0 hole.
Taylor stroked an RBI single in the seventh that put the Mets ahead 9-0 following Brett Baty’s leadoff double.
Billy Carlson helped spearhead a 12-run first inning and 19-run game for Kannapolis tonight. | (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Charlotte Knights at Nashville Sounds — Postponed due to weather The Knights and Sounds will pick back up Sunday at 1:05 p.m. CT, and Saturday’s makeup will be announced at a later date.
Birmingham Barons 6, Knoxville Smokies 2 (Gameday Box) The Birmingham Barons (1-1) scooped up their first win of the season Saturday, defeating their north side Double-A rivals, the Knoxville Smokies, 6-2. Both teams put up seven hits, though the Barons went 3-for-9 with runners in scoring position and scored two early in the game to provide a small amount of run support for righthander Connor McCullough.
The two-run cushion came from a two-run blast from Ryan Galanie on a 3-0 count in the top of the first, driving in Caden Connor who had gotten a base hit right before that. Center fielder Braden Montgomery had walked, but was caught stealing for the second out of the inning during Connor’s at-bat. Thankfully, the lost run wouldn’t mean anything in the end, and I don’t hate the aggressive attempt to get into scoring position super early in the game with no runs on the board — especially when Montgomery was safe more 67% of the time in 2025.
Taking one back in the bottom of the inning, McCullough worked through two outs quickly enough, but a double and single from Knoxville cut the lead in half, 2-1. The Smokies loaded the based back up after another base hit and a walk, but McCullough was able to force the ground out. That would be the only run he allowed in his three innings, and he ended up with four hits given up and struck out two batters.
The Barons bullpen stepped up big, allowing just one more run in the remaining six innings, with Jarold Rosado earning the win. He pitched a smooth fourth: One Smokie got a base hit, but all three outs were strikeouts.
Both Chase Watkins and Jackson Kelley made their first appearance in the White Sox organization, and though Watkins allowed a run, each recorded a hold. Kelly tossed for 1 2/3 innings without giving up a hit, his lone baserunner a walk in the bottom of the sixth.
Finally, the Good Guys added some more run support in the top of the seventh, as Jorge Corona kicked off the rally with a walk, just for Connor to drive two in a few batters later with two outs, 5-2. Jeral Perez came up to rip his second hit of the game for a double out to center, allowing Birmingham to score their sixth run before Galanie was thrown out at the plate. Worth a shot, I guess.
Unconventionally, Riley Gowens took over for the last two innings, and was nearly flawless while recording three strikeouts. Typically Gowens is a starter for Birmingham, but he flexed his versatility tonight in the “closer” spot despite the offense already taking care of business, and held down the 6-2 win.
Winston-Salem Dash at Bowling Green Hot Rods — Postponed due to weather
The Dash will play in a doubleheader against the Hot Rods on Sunday, April 5, with the first game beginning at 12:05 p.m. CT.
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 19, Hill City Howlers 2 (Gameday Box) Earning their first win of the season, the Cannon Ballers (1-2) absolutely dominated the Hill City Howlers (2-1), 19-2. The Kanny offense laid down the hammer right off the bat, dropping 12 runs in the bottom of the first inning. Yes, 12. You did read that right. Nearly batting all the way around the order twice in the inning, it also certainly helped that the Howlers walked six batters and hit two in the midst of the destruction.
The Ballers ultimately outhit the Howlers 15-5, but all 19 runs scored were earned, unfortunately for the Hill City pitching staff, who ended up striking out 13 but walking nine. Kannapolis put up seven extra-base hits, including four doubles and three homers, with four players driving in three runs apiece: Billy Carlson (2-for-4), Boston Smith (2-for-5), D’Angelo Tejada (1-for-5) and Ryan Galvan (2-for-3).
On the other side of the ball, the Kannapolis pitching staff allowed just five hits, two runs (one earned), three walks, and 11 strikeouts. Righthander Blaine Wynk opened the game for the Ballers, giving up one run on three hits, but by that point he really had to screw something up to blow a 12-run lead. Lefthander Trey Cooper came in for 2 1/3 innings after that and struck out four while walking two with one run scoring, but he ended up with the win as Kannapolis continued to run away with the game.
