A troublesome week continued for the Florida Panthers on Saturday in the Canadian capital city.
Florida lost for the fourth time this week, dropping a 3-0 affair to the playoff-hopeful Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre.
The Panthers got off to a strong start, doubling up Ottawa on shots during the opening period, but that didn’t keep the Cats from falling behind yet again.
Two goals by the Sens on their first five shots – one by Jake Sanderson and another by Drake Batherson on the power play – sent the home team into the intermission with a commanding 2-0 lead.
Florida kept the pressure on Ottawa goaltender Anton Forsberg throughout the middle period, outshooting the Senators 12-5, but the score remained the same heading into the final 20 minutes.
Forsberg turned aside another 15 shots during the third period, earning his first shutout since all the way back on November 2 against Seattle.
This time, he stopped a season-high 40 shots on goal en route to his third shutout of the season and sending Florida to their fourth straight defeat.
On to Detroit.
QUICK THOUGHTS
Florida killed off four of Ottawa’s five power plays in the loss.
The Cats’ power play went 0-for-3.
Ottawa is now just four points behind the Panthers for third place in the Atlantic Division. Each team has six games remaining on their schedule.
Best betting opportunities for the NHL’s final stretch, with expert picks to add for parlays or future bets
The NHL season is wrapping up with every team playing their final eight or so games. With so little time remaining, it's tough to find great values at this stage of the season. However, what we can focus on is identifying bets with a high probability of hitting, as they are less likely to go wrong with so few games remaining.
Whether you're looking to place a larger bet for a solid return or need an additional leg for a future bet in another sport, here are some of our safest picks to close out the NHL season—perfect for adding to your parlays.
All betting lines are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
2025 NHL Draft 1st Overall Pick - The Field vs James Hagens (-550)
The debate around the first overall pick this season has seen it's ups and downs with Boston College forward James Hagens seemingly being the unanimous pick but since other names have past him on several notable draft boards.
Hagens on most draft boards has fallen outside of the top three with Mississauga Steelheads forward Porter Martone rounding out the top with Schaefer and Misa. It would be surprising for Hagens to reinsert himself into the conversation for the first pick after being widely-considered the fourth-best player on almost every expert's draft board. It would be a big leap, which certainly isn't out of the realm of possibility, but for jump in draft stock of that size needed, I'm willing to bet against Hagens.
The Jets are in the driver seat to win the President's trophy with a one point lead over the Capitals with 108 points and a four-point lead over the Dallas Stars for the Division lead. Winnipeg should be able to lock things up with their sizeable lead that they should be able to add to and put out of reach with upcoming matchups versus the Blackhawks, Ducks and Utah.
The playoff picture is all but set with the Blues getting hot at the right time with 11 straight wins and overtaking the Wild for the first wild card spot. This bumped Minnesota down to the second wild card spot and a five-point lead over the next-closest team in the Calgary Flames.
The mountain seems virtually impossible for the Flames to climb as they do have the advantage of two games in hand over Minnesota but their remaining schedule is very challenging with matchups versus the Wild, Kings as well as a pair of games against the Golden Knights. With seven games left, the Flames will have a shot as they play the last place San Jose Sharks twice but if they manage to fumble one of the games plus a loss to the Wild in their matchup would seal their fate.
The Sixers kept it tight all night Saturday against the Timberwolves.
However, their losing streak now sits at 11 games with four to go this season.
Minnesota pulled out a 114-109 win at Wells Fargo Center and improved to 46-32.
Four Sixers scored at least 16 points in Lonnie Walker IV, Quentin Grimes, Jared Butler and Guerschon Yabusele. Grimes was the team’s top scorer with 28 points.
Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards posted 37 points. Rudy Gobert had 23 points, 19 rebounds and three blocks.
The 23-55 Sixers were down eight players to start the night, including Joel Embiid (season-ending left knee surgery), Paul George (season-ending adductor and left knee injuries) and Tyrese Maxey (right finger sprain). Justin Edwards was ruled out after logging 11 minutes because of a rib contusion.
The Sixers will travel to Miami and face the Heat on Monday night. Here are observations on their loss to the T-Wolves:
Big-time Edwards poster on Bona
The first few minutes went decently for the Sixers. They took an 11-7 lead on a Justin Edwards three-pointer.
A few seconds prior, Minnesota’s Edwards had the highlight of the night.
He exploded for a fierce slam on Bona that created plenty of stunned faces in the stands. Ultimately, sometimes being on the wrong end of such plays is part of life as an aggressive NBA shot blocker.
Coming off of a fantastic 28-point night Thursday in the Sixers’ loss to the Bucks, Bona dealt with first-half foul trouble. He finished with four points, 10 rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal in 25 minutes Playing his second game on a 10-day contract, Colin Castleton served as Bona’s backup and had six points, six rebounds and two assists.
Minnesota’s size advantages posed predictable issues for the Sixers. At halftime, the Timberwolves had major edges in second-chance points (12-2) and free throw attempts (18-4).
Good work by Walker off the bench
The Sixers began 3 for 15 from three-point range and struggled at times to create any open look until the dying seconds of the shot clock.
The T-Wolves also had a subpar shooting start, missing 13 of their first 17 long-distance jumpers. That helped the Sixers eat into their deficit after falling behind by 13 points.
Lonnie Walker IV played a strong second quarter, too. The first man off the Sixers’ bench attacked effectively off the dribble, spotted open teammates and generally made sound decisions.
Walker’s trending well in that department since returning from a concussion. Over his last four games, he’s recorded 20 assists and five turnovers.
Grimes makes T-Wolves sweat late
A put-back, buzzer-beating Gobert layup sent Minnesota into halftime with a 55-51 lead.
The Sixers trimmed their deficit by three points in the third quarter. They played active defense, forced regular turnovers and profited in the open floor. Grimes and Yabusele threw down crowd-pleasing fast-break dunks in the third and Grimes nailed a go-ahead three early in the fourth.
Minnesota then made a 12-0 run that featured back-to-back Edwards threes. With the T-Wolves’ superior star power, the game appeared just about over.
The Sixers weren’t quite done because they have Grimes, who’s often played like a star the past month.
He went on a late-game shotmaking spree, hitting three triples in a span of 74 seconds. Even when many of his jumpers are tightly contested, Grimes has shown he can catch fire. Two Yabusele free throws cut the Timberwolves’ lead to 104-103.
Edwards responded with a giant three, but Grimes and the Sixers maintained heavy pressure. Yet another Grimes jumper put the Sixers’ deficit at 111-109 with a little over 30 seconds left.
There was more drama to come.
Grimes was whistled for his sixth foul with 14.5 seconds left. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse challenged the call on Julius Randle and the officials changed the ruling on the floor to a no-call, with Minnesota retaining possession.
Edwards ended up having to shoot a deep, highly difficult turnaround three with the shot clock about to expire. He drilled it, finally sealing the Timberwolves’ win despite Grimes’ best efforts.
PSG confirmed as champions for fourth straight season
Real Madrid stunned 2-1 by Valencia but Barcelona held
Paris Saint-Germain sealed their fourth straight Ligue 1 title on Saturday after a 1-0 win over Angers gave Luis Enrique’s side an unassailable lead in the French top flight.
The victory, courtesy of a Désiré Doué goal, moved PSG to 74 points with six rounds left, 24 points ahead of second-placed Monaco, who can reach only 68 points if they win all their remaining games.
The Knicks used a 40-point second quarter to rout the Hawks in Atlanta on Saturday afternoon, 121-105.
All five Knicks starters scored in double figures and head coach Tom Thibodeau passed Pat Riley on the team's all-time wins list (224).
Here are the takeaways...
-The Knicks took an early punch from the Hawks, who got out to a 5-0 start. But the Knicks' defense clamped down and the combination of OG Anunoby and Josh Hart set the tone on offense. The duo drove to the hoop consistently, making easy layups and getting to the free-throw line.
New York got out to a sizeable double-digit lead for most of the first quarter, but turnovers and lackluster defense allowed the Hawks to cut the Knicks' lead to 38-31 after the first quarter. The Knicks had a balanced attack on offense, with Anunoby (11), Hart (8), Karl-Anthony Towns (7), Mikal Bridges (7) and Delon Wright (5) providing the scoring for the starters as the team shot 61 percent from the field. Unfortunately, the Hawks shot 57 percent in the frame.
-Towns would be the aggressor to start the second with Hart and Anunoby on the bench. The Knicks' big man scored the team's first five points and was consistently handling the ball at the top of the key. With eight minutes remaining in the second, Towns hurt his finger going for an offensive rebound and was in visible pain. Towns would head to the locker room to get it checked.
Towns would return after a few minutes, and just in time for the Knicks to go on an extended run. The Knicks' defense and the Hawks' inability to make shots led to a 30-plus point cushion for New York. Some lackadaisical defense by the Knicks allowed the Hawks to get some points back, but New York went into halftime up, 78-53. It's the most points the Knicks have scored in the first half this season and the most first-half points allowed by the Hawks this year.
The Knicks shot an insane 75 percent to Atlanta's 33 percent in the second quarter. Four of the Knicks' five starters were in double digits.
-The lax Knicks defense/offense continued early in the third, but a double-digit run pushed their lead back up to 33 points with eight minutes left. Everything went right for the Knicks in this quarter -- even a blocking foul called on Anunoby was overturned after review. New York entered the fourth quarter up 28 points and in full control.
New York maintained that lead for the duration of the game, with the Hawks only bringing it below a 20-point deficit with a few minutes to go.
Towns led the Knicks' scoring with 30 points, while Anunoby (24), Hart (16), Bridges (20) and Wright (10) rounded out the starter's scoring. Hart was one rebound shy of his 10th triple-double this season.
-Cam Payne made his return off the bench after missing four games with an ankle injury. In 21 minutes on the floor, the guard scored three points on 1-of-5 shooting.
Landry Shamet led the bench scoring with 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting, all made shots coming from three.
Game MVP: Entire team
No individual stood out as the entire team took it to Atlanta. The team shot 54 percent overall from the field and 52 percent from three. The defense also held the Hawks to 47 percent shooting and 31 percent from three.
Highlights
Defense ➡️ offense
OG with the block and Delon Wright with the bucket!
The Knicks head back home to host the Phoenix Suns at The Garden on Sunday, in what is expected to be Jalen Brunson's return. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
On Apr. 3, Pittsburgh Penguins rookie Rutger McGroarty scored his first NHL goal in a 5-4 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues. Historically, McGroarty became the 214th player to score their first goal in a Penguins sweater.
Meanwhile, the 21-year-old becomes the 68th player to achieve the feat in the salary cap era, which began with Sidney Crosby's first goal on Oct. 8, 2005.
McGroarty is on a list with three Hall of Famers: Colin Campbell (1975), Mario Lemieux (1984), and Mark Reechi (1989).
Other iconic names in franchise history are also on the list, such as Jaromir Jagr, Jean Pronovost, Bob Errey, Phil Bourque, Kevin Stevens, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Jordan Staal, Jake Guentzel, and Bryan Rust.
McGroarty is the fourth player to record their first goal this season, following Owen Pickering (Dec. 3), Joona Koppanen (Mar. 18), and netminder Alex Nedeljkovic (Jan. 17).
Interestingly, Greg Malone scored his first NHL goal with the Penguins on Nov. 5, 1976, and 27 years later, his son Ryan would tally his first goal with Pittsburgh on Oct. 29, 2003.
According to StatHead, Staal is the youngest player in franchise history to score their first NHL goal, achieving the feat at 18-032, just 30 days younger than Crosby was when he scored at 18-062.
On the other hand, the oldest Penguins player to score their first NHL goal was Noel Price, who was 31-348 when he scored on Nov. 22, 1967. Price was one of six players to score their first goal in the inaugural season, starting with Gene Ubriaco's first goal on October 21, 1967.
Moreover, McGroarty is now the 39th active player to register their first NHL goal with the Penguins, including Tristan Jarry, who had the team's first-ever goalie goal on November 30, 2023.
Considering the elite talent in the pipeline in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, this exclusive list of 214 players will surely expand before the end of the decade.
Before Saturday's game between the Mets and the Toronto Blue Jays, manager Carlos Mendoza spoke to the media and gave some updates on a few injured players.
The skipper said that Jeff McNeil (oblique) and Francisco Alvarez (hand) were scheduled to take batting practice outside at Citi Field before the game, but because of the inclement weather that plan was scrapped.
"We gotta see a few days of him taking BP on the field and maybe facing some velo machine on the field before we can decide when he can start playing some games," Mendoza said about McNeil specifically. "So far [he’s] feeling good and we’ll see how it goes."
McNeil suffered a low-grade oblique strain on March 13 and recently began swinging a bat as he begins his comeback.
Alvarez required surgery on his left hand because of a fractured hamate bone on March 9 and was expected to miss six-to-eight weeks, which means the catcher could still rejoin the team before the end of April.
Ronny Mauricio is further behind in his recovery process -- however, Mendoza did provide a positive update on the youngster.
"He continues to do his progression in Florida, he continues with his recovery," Mendoza said. "Within a few days we’ll see the next steps of him playing in simulated games in extended spring training. So he’s reaching the point where we’ll push him to start his season. For the time being, he’s progressing how we want him to."
The infielder hasn't played since suffering a torn ACL in winter ball before the start of last season, but New York expects him to be ready at some point this season and potentially be an option at second base and/or third base.
In limited time in the big leagues, Mauricio slashed .248/.296/.347 with two home runs and seven steals after debuting in 2023.
As for Saturday's second baseman, Brett Baty, who has gotten off to a slow start after a stellar spring training won him a spot on the Opening Day roster, Mendoza believes it's still early in the season and isn't overly concerned about the 25-year-old's lack of success.
"Not getting results early, but I feel like he hit a couple of balls hard in Houston," the skipper said. "In general, the conviction when he’s getting pitches to hit, like putting his A swing on it, not chasing as much which I feel like at times he’s gone out of the strike zone. But it’s early, few at bats, he’s just gotta get going here and he will."
Baty, 1-for-14 so far this season, will bat seventh in the lineup when the team faces former Met and right-hander Chris Bassitt.
Blue Devils will need to be tough to reach national championship game Sion James dunks against Alabama in the Elite Eight last weekend. Robert Deutsch/USA Today Sports Images Not every game in the season has been one of these.
Defenseman Elias Pettersson finally has his first NHL goal. The Vancouver Canucks defender beat Lukáš Dostál 9:40 into Saturday's matinee against the Anaheim Ducks. On the play, Linus Karlsson recorded his first career NHL assist while Derek Forbort was credited with the secondary assist.
This season has featured many first goals by Canucks players. Pettersson joins Karlsson, Max Sasson, Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Arshdeep Bains, who have all potted their first in the NHL. Pettersson is also the second Elias Pettersson to score for Vancouver, joining center Elias Pettersson, who scored his first goal on October 3, 2018, versus the Calgary Flames.
Initially drafted 80th overall in 2022, Pettersson is the 31st player from his draft to score a goal. He is one of 11 players to record a goal that was drafted outside the first round, which also includes teammate Victor Mancini. Pettersson is also the 120th player in franchise history to score against the Ducks while also being the 27th defender to pick up a goal against the Canucks division rival.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.
SAN FRANCISCO — Even if Robbie Ray just went out there every five days and kept it competitive for five innings, the Giants easily would win that trade with the Seattle Mariners, one of many that Farhan Zaidi and Jerry Dipoto made with each other.
Ray was acquired before last season for fellow veterans Anthony DeSclafani and Mitch Haniger. The Mariners sent DeSclafani to the Minnesota Twins a few weeks later, but he needed elbow surgery and it seems likely that his last appearance for the Giants in 2023 will be his last in the big leagues. Haniger had a rough 2024 in Seattle and was let go this spring.
The Giants did well in that trade, but it’s looking like it might end up being a heist.
Ray allowed just one run in six innings against his former teammates Saturday, leading the Giants to a 4-1 win and a 7-1 start. It’s their best record to begin a season since 2003, when they won 13 of their first 14.
The Giants have taken all three series this season and will go for a second straight sweep on Sunday behind Jordan Hicks. Here are three more things to know from another night of clean and clutch baseball:
Double Double
Part of the appeal of Jung Hoo Lee hitting third is the fact that he will often be on base for Matt Chapman, who was fourth in the NL last year in doubles. Lee can score from first on just about any double, but he made life easy for himself Saturday.
Lee doubled in the fourth and the sixth and Chapman twice followed with his own doubles. After his first one, Lee stole third, giving him three on the season. The Giants are 11 for 12 on the bases through eight games.
Lee was 3-for-4 with two runs and strong defense in center field. Chapman’s big game coincided with his first bobblehead night as a Giant; before the game, he also received his Gold Glove Award.
Facing his old team for the second time since the trade, Ray had some command issues, but worked his way in and out of traffic, in part because he picked two runners off. Ray allowed four hits and walked five — one coming on a 3-2 pitch clock violation, his second of the season — but the only run came on a solo homer from Dylan Moore.
The start was just the third time in nine appearances for the Giants that Ray went at least six innings, but San Francisco expects a lot more where that came from. Ray was as sharp as anyone on staff this spring and feels good about being a true four-pitch guy thanks to a new changeup.
Ray threw 10 changeups Saturday and got six strikes, including two swinging. He also threw his curveball and slider double-digit times, mixing it up against a lineup that knows him well.
What A Relief
The Giants have had a hard time figuring out how to use rookie Hayden Birdsong, who broke camp as a reliever after Landen Roupp won the fifth spot in the rotation. Birdsong pitched just once in the first seven games, although he was warming up Friday afternoon and would have come in for the 12th inning if the game had continued.
Ideally, Birdsong can “piggyback” other starters, and he was sort of able to do that Saturday. Birdsong came on in the seventh and pitched two scoreless innings, striking out a pair and working around two hits and a walk. He threw 27 pitches three days after throwing 26 against the Houston Astros in relief of Roupp.
With a three-run lead, Bob Melvin turned the ball over to closer Ryan Walker in the ninth. He picked up his third save of the season.
Fans across the NHL patiently wait for Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin to break Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal record, tying The Great One with two goals on Friday night against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Lost in the shuffle of the news of goal No. 894 and the pursuit of No. 895 is the fact that Ovechkin tallied the game's winning goal, the 136th of his career. This established a new NHL record for the most game-winning goals, surpassing former Pittsburgh Penguins icon Jaromir Jagr.
A fitting stat for the evening. 📊
Alex Ovechkin takes sole-possession of first place on the NHL's All-Time Game-Winning Goals Leaders, passing Jaromir Jagr. pic.twitter.com/pfWqDVdpwV
Jagr played with the Penguins from 1990 to 2001, and the former captain scored a franchise record of 78 game-winners. Until the salary cap era, only two players scored more than 50, the other being Mario Lemieux, who had 74 in his career.
Meanwhile, in other cities, Jagr continued his quest for the NHL record, which Gordie Howe held with 121 when he retired after the 1979-1980 season. The ageless wonder scored 13 with the Washington Capitals and 21 with the New York Rangers.
When Jagr departed the NHL to play in the KHL, he was behind only Phil Esposito and Howe on the all-time list. Upon a return in 2011, he picked up two game-winners with the Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars, and Boston Bruins while adding to his totals with eight with the Florida Panthers and nine with the New Jersey Devils.
Surprisingly, the only team Jagr didn't record a game-winner with was the Calgary Flames, with whom he played 22 games in 2017-18 and scored one goal.
Now, one goal away from becoming the game's greatest scorer, it is only fitting that Ovechkin establishes another record, tallying the most game-winners while owning the highest power-play goal total in league history.
Over 19 seasons with the Capitals, Ovechkin has scored the deciding goal against every franchise except the Arizona Coyotes, Dallas Stars, Seattle Kraken, and Vegas Golden Knights.
Despite scoring more than ten goals against all but three franchises, Utah Hockey Club, Golden Knights, and Kraken, Ovechkin has only scored more than ten game-winners against one franchise, the New York Islanders, with a career-high 11 winners.
The NHL's game-winning goal milestone isn't the only record Ovechkin has overtaken Jagr for during the 2024-25 season. In January, The Great 8 scored against his 179th goalie, surpassing Jagr's career total of 178.
Ovechkin's quest for goal No. 895 continues on Sunday against the Islanders and Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes.
