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Islanders on brink of full collapse after suffering catastrophic loss to Senators

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows New York Islanders center Marc Gatcomb (16) and defenseman Scott Mayfield (24) leave the ice after losing to the Ottawa Senators, Image 2 shows Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson (85) celebrates with the team after scoring on New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin (30) during the third period at UBS Arena, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Elmont, NY
Islanders lose

The Senators got the Islanders started on this tailspin by beating them a month ago in Ottawa. And they may have delivered the dagger to the Islanders season Saturday afternoon on Long Island. 

The Islanders’ playoff odds hit life support as an 0-for-5 power play sent them on the fast track to a 3-0 defeat at home to the Senators, just their second shutout loss of the season. The second wild-card spot is now officially out of reach, and the Islanders could be eliminated from playoff contention altogether as soon as Sunday. 

The only path remaining to the playoffs is to overtake the Flyers for third in the Metro, but a Philadelphia win Saturday night in Winnipeg would put the Isles three points back with two games remaining for each team. Combine that with an Islanders loss Sunday to the Canadiens and you can stick a fork in the season. 

“Our season didn’t end tonight,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “As tough as that feels walking out of the rink here today, we gotta be prepared to take care of business, which is winning the last two games. If someone’s gonna beat us out of that last playoff spot, we gotta make them earn it.” 

Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson (85) celebrates with the team after scoring on New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin (30) during the third period at UBS Arena on Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Elmont, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST

While the Islanders had no choice but to be realistic about their chances of pulling off a miracle after firing Patrick Roy and hiring DeBoer with four games left in the season, the dressing room afterward was something bordering on stunned. The urgency that had been missing over the last few weeks under Roy was there Saturday. This loss was a matter of execution — on the power play and in the offensive zone — as the Islanders let a solid performance go to waste. 

“Felt like we worked our asses off tonight,” Cal Ritchie told The Post. “We worked hard tonight. Felt like we deserved better. We gotta win these next two to have a shot, that’s our focus.” 

Start with the power play, because it has been an issue all season and because it was the central issue on Saturday. The Islanders were not only an abysmal 0-for-5, but had just three shots in 10 minutes of power-play time. For good measure, they let up a shorthanded goal to Ridly Greig, who got up ice after Tony DeAngelo could not get to JG Pageau’s drop pass at the top of the zone, and finished Michael Amadio’s feed for a 1-0 lead at 13:06 of the first. 

Ottawa carried that lead into the third period as the Islanders, again and again, fumbled chances and did not so much as look threatening on the power play. 

Their fifth chance of the game at 5-on-4 came at 7:17 of the third and may have been their worst. The Islanders struggled to enter the zone and looked hesitant to shoot when they did. It was a lack of confidence personified. 

“They held the blue line really well,” Anders Lee said. “You watched our break-ins, we couldn’t get in. … They were on top of it from the get-go, right across the blue line. They made it really difficult to get set up. When we did get set up, we had some looks and some chances. They denied quite a bit coming into the zone.” 

New York Islanders center Bo Horvat (14) crosses the puck during the second period against the Ottawa Senators at UBS Arena, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Elmont, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST

Adding insult to injury, Ottawa sealed the game on its own 5-on-3 power play, when Jake Sanderson cleaned up Dylan Cozens’ rebound to extend the lead to 2-0 at 12:36 of the third. 

Amadio tacked on an empty-netter to seal it with 2:31 to go. 

During training camp, the common refrain was that if the Islanders had been just average on the power play a year ago, they would have made the playoffs. They achieved average on the penalty kill, but have been entirely unable to do so on the power play, and it appears set to make the difference again. 

The Islanders were up ice for much of a match that was played with playoff-like physicality from the moment Anders Lee and Brady Tkachuk dropped gloves off the opening faceoff. They finished every check, and Kyle MacLean came flying after Nikolas Matinpalo for good measure when the Finn got in a shoving match with Matthew Schaefer early on. 

New York Islanders center Marc Gatcomb (16) and defenseman Scott Mayfield (24) leave the ice after losing to the Ottawa Senators. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST

They could not, though, penetrate a note-perfect Ottawa defensive structure. The Senators did a terrific job keeping the Islanders to the outside and out of the danger areas all game long. Offensive-zone cycles were rendered useless, and there were no odd-man rushes to speak of. 

It made for a game in which the Islanders had little choice but to convert their power-play chances to win. 

This team has never found a way to win games with that recipe. 

And now their season may end Tuesday because of it.

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What are the Lakers’ playoff seeding scenarios?

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - APRIL 9: The Los Angeles Lakers huddle up before the game against the Golden State Warriors on April 9, 2026 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. 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 Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

After an exciting four-team battle for seeding in the Western Conference throughout the second half of the season, all but two teams are locked into their spot playoff spots heading into the final day.

Results on Friday, namely Minnesota beating Houston, means that all that is up for grabs on Sunday is the No. 3 seed between the Lakers and Nuggets.

The Wolves will be the No. 6 seed and the Rockets will be the No. 5 seed, the latter only being able to tie LA’s record on the final day with the purple and gold holding the tiebreaker. At the top, OKC and San Antonio will be the No. 1 and No. 2 seed, respectively.

That leaves the No. 3 seed Denver (53-28) and the No. 4 seed Los Angeles (52-29) as the only sides that can end the day in a different spot than where they started. That also makes it pretty simple to lay out the scenarios for where the two teams can finish.

Let’s dive into them.

Lakers win, Nuggets win

If both teams win, then it’s simple math. The Lakers would finish one game behind the Nuggets and in the No. 4 seed.

LA plays the Jazz, who are tied for the fourth-best in the draft lottery. That means they certainly are going to end the season as they navigated it: by tanking.

On the flip side, the Nuggets play the Spurs, who are likely to rest their starters and key rotation players, with nothing at stake for either team. That being said, Denver has already done some weird things this weekend, resting all of its starters against the Thunder on Friday with far more uncertainty in the playoff seeding.

If this scenario plays out, the Lakers would play the Rockets and the Nuggets would play the Wolves.

Lakers win, Nuggets lose

If Denver loses to what will likely be the skeleton Spurs while the Lakers beat the tanking Jazz, that means LA jumps to the No. 3 seed and Denver falls to No. 4.

Outside of being able to laugh at the Nuggets for still finishing above them in the standings, it would set up a familiar, if not difficult, playoff match-up with the Wolves. While Minnesota has limped to the finish, figuratively and literally, they still will likely have Anthony Edwards and much of the same team that smacked around a healthier version of LA last year.

Denver, meanwhile, would face the Rockets in the first round with a second-round series against the Thunder looming for the winner.

Lakers lose

If the Lakers lose, it matters not what the Nuggets do as LA would finish in the fourth seed and face the Rockets. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the purple and gold opt to rest many of it’s own key players to avoid any more injuries this season and settle into the fourth seed.

In that case, they would face a Houston team that has had a rocky season, even though it’s ending strong. The Rockets had their eight-game win streak snapped on Friday by Minnesota. It’s not been smooth sailing in Kevin Durant’s first season with the Rockets and the team has looked on the brink of a meltdown multiple times, setting up an intriguing potential upset bid for the Lakers in the first round.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

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Tigers 6, Marlins 1: Mize solid, Greene great

Apr 11, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers left fielder Riley Greene (31) scores a home run during the third inning against the Miami Marlins at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images | Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images

After a tight tilt on Friday night that broke a losing streak, the Tigers looked to carry that momentum into a Saturday afternoon contest against the Marlins. Excellent work from both pitchers and a timely tater gave the Tigers a 6-1 victory and secured a series win, as well as AJ Hinch’s 400th victory as Tigers’ manager.

Casey Mize made his third start of the year for the Tigers; his first, against the Diamondbacks, was very good (even though the Tigers eventually lost that game). His second, against the Twins? Not so much… but the less said about that series in Minnesota, the better. He’s striking guys out, though, which is a good sign.

Facing Mize and the Tigers today was Janson Junk; I gotta think that name’s Dutch. After bouncing back and forth between the majors and minors for four years, and with three teams, he finally found a home in the Marlins’ rotation last year. He doesn’t strike out everybody, but his walk and home run rates are exceptionally low, so he generally keeps his team in the game.

The Tigers jumped on Junk in the first: Kevin McGonigle led off with a double to right, and a Wenceel Pérez groundout pushed him up to third. Colt Keith then doubled to left to put the Tigers up 1-0, and after Dillon Dingler grounded out, Riley Greene singled to right to plate Keith for a 2-0 lead.

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In the second, Mize gave up a leadoff double to Otto Lopez, who advanced to third on a groundout. But Mize buckled down and got a strikeout and a foulout to Keith at third, and Lopez was stranded ninety feet (27.43 m) from home. The Marlins repeated themselves in the third, sort-of: leadoff single, stolen base, groundout got a runner to third with two outs. Mize then struck out Agustín Ramírez to end the inning, stranding another runner 90 feet (5.45 rods) from home.

In the bottom of the third McGonigle drew a leadoff walk and Dingler reached on catcher’s interference with two out; they advanced to second and third on a wild pitch with Greene at the plate. Greene battled and fouled-off pitch after pitch, and on the tenth pitch of the at-bat he crushed a waist-high fastball for a long home run to right-centre for a 5-0 lead; it was Greene’s first home run of the year.

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The Marlins got on the board in the fourth: Liam Hicks singled, Lopez doubled again, and a sacrifice fly scored Hicks for a 5-1 score. But with two outs and Lopez on third, Pauley fouled-out again, stranding Lopez 90 feet (136 links) from home.

In the top of the sixth Lopez reached on an error by McGonigle, and with two outs Connor Norby hit a ground-rule double to right that bounced into the stands, pushing Lopez to third. That was the end of Mize’s day, and Drew Anderson was brought in. Could the Tigers again strand Lopez 90 feet (15 fathoms) from home?

They could, and they did: a groundout to second base and Lopez was indeed left 288 Big Macs from home.

Anderson carried on into the seventh and sprinkled a walk in between three groundouts. But, before I forget, here’s Mize’s final line: 5 2/3 IP, 6 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts. I will take that every lovin’ day of the week.

With two outs in the bottom of the eighth Greene drew a walk, stole second base, took third on a wild pitch, and scored on a soft fly ball to centre by Spencer Torkelson for a 6-1 score. Something something small-ball something something.

Anderson was doing well, and he’s been a starter for years, so it was decided that he’d just carry on into the ninth. He walked Pauley with one out, but he struck out Heriberto Hernández on a high heater, and after an epic battle with CMU product Jakob Marsee that lasted fourteen pitches, Marsee hit a grounder to first to finally end the game and earn Anderson a 3 1/3-inning save. You gotta tip your cap to Marsee on that one, though.

Final: Tigers 6, Marlins 1

Now, that’s interesting.

Numbers and Such

  • I know the Tigers lineup can be frustrating at times. But, for perspective: the average OPS in the American League coming into today’s action was .675, and the Tigers were .673. And it’s frustrating when people strike out, but the league average at this point was 123 whiffs, and the Tigers had 128. So, they’re pretty much the definition of average… which isn’t what we were hoping for, but so far, it’s what we’ve got.
  • Pehaps a key idea is the age of Tigers hitters: they’re the third-youngest in the American League, with an average batting age of 27.0 years. (League average is 28.2 years.) Will a little seasoning help them out? Time will tell.
  • The Marlins had two players in their starting lineup (Otto Lopez and Owen Caissie) that played for Team Canada in the WBC.
  • The BYB folks are tired of me talking about this, but if you haven’t seen this band out of Quebec called Angine de Poitrine… hold onto something stable very tightly and click Play. I hate most new music, but this is so bonkers, even if you don’t like it, you’ve gotta respect it. (FYI: I don’t hate this. I like it. Very much.)
  • On this day in 1970, Apollo 13 was launched, and I’m just going to assume that it all went really well for the whole mission. How about that Artemis II, though? Wow! Perfect re-entry, textbook splashdown, all four astronauts are doing great. That’s what ya like to see.
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Game Thread: White Sox (5-9) at Royals (6-8)

circa 1960: A man stands in front of a blackboard illustrating the pi number.
Pi is seven hundredths higher than the White Sox season runs per game. | (Photo by Paul Almasy/BIPs/Getty Images)

Having traded 2-0 victories (or losses, if you prefer), two of the worst offensive teams in the majors — White Sox 29th in runs per game, Royals 27th — take another stab at trying to figure out where a ball was pitched this afternoon in the third of a four-game series in Kansas City.

The Royals will start four batters hitting .200 or worse. Not to be outdone, the Sox will start six, with the only average better than .242 being Dustin Harris’ .333 — which we would be more impressive if he had more than six at-bats.

Trying to keep Kansas City in the offensive doldrums will be Erick Fedde, who has had a respectable beginning to the season (4.09 ERA and 3.42 FIP over 11 innings in two starts). His mound opponent, Michael Wacha, has been not just respectable but downright amazing, giving up just one run in 13 innings.

Wacha will face a Sox lineup that has the heart of the order, batters two through five, all with averages that begin with a one. To make it more of a challenge for the offense one of the two Sox to have a hit yesterday, Derek Hill, isn’t starting.

Fedde will face a Royals lineup that so far this season consists of Maikel García and Bobby Witt Jr. at the top, Kyle Isbel at the bottom, and a bunch of guys who are struggling in between (well, OK, except for Carter Jensen, who had a homer yesterday).

First pitch is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. Central, with a very un-Kansas City-like 74°, a chance of a shower or thunderstorm, and wind blowing out toward left. Usual broadcast suspects.

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Canucks Recall Defenceman Kirill Kudryavtsev From The AHL

It appears the Vancouver Canucks are looking to get more of their young players into the lineup ahead of the end of the season. Earlier today, the team announced that they have recalled defenceman Kirill Kudryavtsev from the AHL. 

Despite the Abbotsford Canucks’ less than stellar season, Kudryavtsev has played solidly on a roster that has seen lots of change throughout the past few months. He has scored two goals and 16 assists in 42 games played at the AHL level, ranking fourth on the team in points by a defenceman (third of those who have spent the entire season with Abbotsford). 

Kudryavtsev made his NHL debut last year on April 14 against the San Jose Sharks and also played against the Vegas Golden Knights on April 16. The defenceman has yet to make his Canucks debut this season but was recalled in October as a result of Vancouver’s injury issues.  

Both Vancouver and Abbotsford will play later tonight, with the Canucks facing the Sharks at 7:00 pm PT and Abbotsford taking on the Calgary Wranglers at 5:00 pm PT. 

Apr 14, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Kirill Kudryavtsev (59) makes his NHL debut in warm prior to a game against the San Jose Sharks at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Apr 14, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Kirill Kudryavtsev (59) makes his NHL debut in warm prior to a game against the San Jose Sharks at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images

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Shakira Austin signs offer sheet with the Tempo

BROOKLYN, NY - SEPTEMBER 9: Shakira Austin #0 of the Washington Mystics is introduced before the game against the New York Liberty on September 9, 2025 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

On Saturday, Washington Mystics center Shakira Austin signed a 3-year maximum level contract with the Toronto Tempo, according to Sabreena Merchant of The Athletic. The maximum level contract starts at $1.19 million in the 2026 season.

The Mystics have until Monday to decide whether to keep Austin by matching the offer sheet or let her go. I may be wrong, but I think Washington matches this offer. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Gamethread: Capitals @ Penguins

PITTSBURGH, PA - NOVEMBER 06: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals carries the puck against Ryan Shea #5 of the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG PAINTS Arena on November 6, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images

Talk about the game with Pens fans here!

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Dodgers lose Grant Holman on waivers to Tigers

May 18, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Oakland Athletics pitcher Grant Holman (67) throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images | Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images

We’ll always have those 10 days when Grant Holman was in the Dodgers organization. The well-travelled right-hander was claimed off waivers from Los Angeles by the Detroit Tigers on Saturday, ending Holman’s 10-day stay.

The Dodgers claimed Holman off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 1, and optioned him to the minors. He was technically on the Arizona Complex League Dodgers roster, though there are no games on that level yet, so it’s basically another way of saying he was getting work in at Camelback Ranch. Holman did not pitch in the minors in his week and a half in the organization.

Holman, who turns 26 in May, pitched in 40 games for the Athletics in 2024-25, but is now on his third team since getting designated for assignment by the A’s in February. Arizona claimed the right-hander on February 15, then designated him for assignment 10 days later, before the Dodgers claimed him on April 1. Now, he’s with the Tigers, more specifically their Florida Coast League team in Lakeland.

With this move, the Dodgers have 39 players on the 40-man roster.

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Breaking down Playoff seeding scenarios heading into Sixers final game of the regular season

TORONTO, CANADA - JANUARY 11: Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket during the game against the Toronto Raptors on January 11, 2026 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

Kevin Durant was right about looking at graphs while trying to talk about hoops.

The final week of the regular season hasn’t exactly been the momentum builder heading into the playoffs the Sixers had hoped. Bad losses to the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets knocked them firmly into Play-In tournament positioning.

More importantly, Joel Embiid has suffered more catastrophically bad luck, having to under go an Appendectomy that will sideline him for a significant amount of time while Tyrese Maxey is again trying to play with a finger on his shooting hand that is very clearly not 100% healthy.

Through all of this, the Sixers sit at 44-37 in the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. They are one game behind the Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic, who are currently sixth and seventh, respectively.

They are a game ahead of the Charlotte Hornets and, thanks to holding the season series tiebreaker, can’t finish worse than them in the standings. At worst case scenario, the Sixers will make the 7/8 play-in game and will have two cracks at qualifying for the playoffs.

The tiebreakers against Toronto and Orlando are a little more complicated since the Sixers went 2-2 this year against both teams. Thanks to a superior division record, the Sixers own both the tiebreakers over those two teams individually and the three-team tiebreaker should they all finish with the same record.

That gives the Sixers a chance, a very slim one, albeit, at nabbing a top-6 seed on the last day of the regular season and avoiding the Play-In. To do so will require a Sixers win over the Milwaukee Bucks and losses from both the Magic and Raptors.

Orlando could very well fall to the Celtics in Boston, but the Raptors will be hosting a 20-win Brooklyn Nets team. Given how the Nets have looked as of late, it feels unlikely the Sixers will get that lucky. The Celtics are also locked into the second seed no matter what, so it’s very possible they’re taking it easy for the regular season finale.

That still leaves the seven seed on the table as well, should the Sixers and Raptors win but the Magic fall. The Sixers are so banged up they’ll take any advantage they can get right now, even homecourt throughout the Play-In.

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Preview: A Visit From Vegas

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 27: Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche skates with the puck against Pavel Dorofeyev #16 of the Vegas Golden Knights as Alexander Holtz #26 of the Golden Knights looks on in the first period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on December 27, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Colorado Avalanche, fresh off a Presidents Trophy-clinching performance on Thursday, play their final weekend game of the regular season tonight.

After a three and a half month hiatus, they will wrap up the season series against the Vegas Golden Knights, who pay their only(?) visit to the Mile High City this spring.

Colorado Avalanche (52-16-10)

The Opponent: Vegas Golden Knights (36-26-17)

Time: 6:00 P.M. MDT/8:00 P.M. EDT

Watch: ABC, ESPN (US National Broadcast), SN+, NHL Centre Ice (Outside Colorado and Vegas broadcast areas – Canada)

Listen: Altitude Sports Radio KKSE-FM 92.5 FM

Colorado Avalanche

As mentioned above, the Avalanche secured their rightful place as the undisputed leader across the Central Division, Western Conference, and League standings in their 3-1 defeat of the Calgary Flames on Thursday night. Gabe Landeskog would open the scoring late in the first period, and Martin Nečas scored on a pretty play as he skated through the Calgary defense to double the lead in the second period. A sleepy third period (and an extra skater in place of goaltender Dustin Wolf late in the frame) cracked open the door for Calgary, who had a tying goal wiped out due to a successful offside challenge by Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar. Nathan MacKinnon would ice the game on an empty net goal late in regulation for his League-leading 52nd goal of the season, ensuring that Colorado would claim the fourth Presidents Trophy in franchise history. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 28 of 29 shots for his 22nd win of the season.

With the win, Avs locked in home ice advantage throughout the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs. With their position as the top seed in the playoffs now secured, Bednar has the option to rest players up and down the lineup. Speaking on the option to rest some players leading up to the end of the season, he said, “I’d like to see all of our guys play games yet before the playoffs […] If they’re able to play, we’ll get them as much rest as we can in between games, and then some guys, I’m going to try to get some guys a little bit of a breather that, I think, could probably benefit from it.”

Tonight wraps up the three game series against Vegas, with the Avs having won both of the previous two games. The last time both teams met was coming out of the holiday break back on December 27 at T-Mobile Arena. With Vegas leading 4-2 at the beginning of the third period, Nečas and MacKinnon would score to pull the Avs back on even footing, and despite falling behind with four minutes to play in regulation, a goal from Artturi Lehkonen with under two minutes pushed the game to overtime. Neither team scored in the extra session, and MacKinnon scored the shootout winning goal to complete the comeback as the Avs walked out with a 6-5 decision.

MacKinnon remains atop the League lead in goals coming into tonight’s game, having set a career high with his 52nd goal of the season on Thursday. With four games remaining in the regular season, his 126 points ranks third behind Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov (128) and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (133). Nečas is two goals shy of his first ever 40 goal season, and two points away from his first 100 point season. Bednar indicated that Nazem Kadri will require further evaluation before rejoining the lineup, and he expects Cale Makar to return to action prior to the end of the season.

Scott Wedgewood is likely to start in goal for the Avs tonight. A win against Vegas would see him reach the thirty win mark for the first time in his career.

Projected Lineup

Forwards:
Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas
Gabe Landeskog – Brock Nelson – Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton – Nicolas Roy – Joel Kiviranta
Parker Kelly – Jack Drury – Logan O’Connor

Defense:
Devon Toews – Sam Malinski
Brett Kulak – Josh Manson
Nick Blankenburg – Brent Burns

Between the Pipes:
Scott Wedgewood
Mackenzie Blackwood

Vegas Golden Knights

A hot start that saw Vegas begin the season with a near identical record to Colorado through the month of October was derailed by a combination of injuries to key personnel: forwards Jack Eichel, William Karlsson Brandon Saad, Colton Sissons, Mark Stone, defensemen Brayden McNabb, Noah Hanafin, Jérémy Lauzon, and goaltenders Adin Hill and Carter Hart all missed time throughout the season. Even with so many injuries through their lineup, Vegas strung together several modest winning streaks through the year, including a stretch that saw them win seven straight games in January. However, they struggled to maintain their winning ways, winning only five games coming out of the Olympic break, and those hardships would only continue through February and March. As the season winds down, Vegas finds themselves tied with the Anaheim Ducks in points (89), but due to tiebreakers, currently occupy second place in the porous Pacific Division.

This isn’t the same Vegas team that previously faced Colorado back in December. They made their first trade of 2026 in January, sending longtime defenseman Zach Whitecloud, defenseman Abram Wiebe, a 2027 first round pick, and a 2028 second-round pick in 2028 to Calgary for defenseman Rasmus Andersson. Leading up to the trade deadline, they acquired depth forward Cole Smith from Nashville for defenseman Christoffer Sedoff and a 2028 third round pick, and forward Nic Dowd from the Washington Capitals for goaltender Jesper Vikman, a 2027 third round pick, a 2029 second round pick.

Vegas didn’t limit themselves to roster makeovers this season. On March 29, head coach Bruce Cassidy was relieved of his head coaching duties, replacing him with John Tortorella in an interim capacity. Vegas marks the seventh stop for the two-time Jack Adams and former Stanley Cup-winning coach. The team responded with a four game winning streak to kick off the Tortorella era, which came to an end this past Thursday in a 4-3 shootout decision against the Seattle Kraken. Tortorella has yet to lose in regulation in his short time behind the Vegas bench, and a win tonight against Colorado could make things interesting in the chase for first place in the Pacific. The Edmonton Oilers, who currently lead the division, face the Los Angeles Kings this afternoon. By the time the puck drops in Denver, Vegas will know whether if they’re in a position to overtake Edmonton for the top spot, or if they’re still chasing them down. As of this writing, neither team has clinched a playoff spot, but the outcomes of both games could change that.

Eichel leads all Vegas skaters in points (83) and assists (58) while Mitch Marner ranks second in both categories (78 points and 55 assists, respectively). Pavel Dorofeyev leads all Vegas forwards in goals (35), while Theodore leads all Vegas defenders in goals (9), assists (29), and points (38).

This is the final road game of the season for Vegas, as they wrap up a four game road trip. Hart, who played the first three games of the road trip since (his first action since January 8), may return to the crease this evening. Hill was the goaltender of record in the loss this past Thursday in Seattle.

Vegas finishes out the regular season with a brief two game home stand against the Winnipeg Jets on April 13, and close out the regular season against Seattle on April 15.

Projected Lineup

Forwards:
Ivan Barbashev – Jack Eichel – Mark Stone
Brett Howden – Mitch Marner – Pavel Dorofeyev
Brandon Saad – Tomáš Hertl – Colton Sissons
Cole Smith – Nic Dowd – Keegan Kolesar

Defense:
Brayden McNabb – Shea Theodore
Noah Hanifin – Rasmus Andersson
Jérémy Lauzon – Ben Hutton

Between the Pipes:
Carter Hart
Adin Hill

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Yankees fans most surprised by Boston’s shaky start

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 5: Wilyer Abreu #52 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after hitting an rbi triple during the third inning of a game against the San Diego Padres on April 5, 2026 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across Major League Baseball. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Yankees fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

We’re very early in the 2026 MLB season, but there’s still been enough action to shock and surprise us. This week, we asked Yankees fans about which American League rival had gotten off to the most surprising start, with the options consisting of a number of clubs off to the disappointing starts: the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles and Mariners.

The results are in, and it’s our rivals in Boston that have surprised us the most thus far:

The Red Sox garnered as many votes as the other three choices combined, and with good reason. At the time of the poll, the Red Sox were a dreadful 2-8, and they needed to win the last two games of their series with Milwaukee this week just to get to 4-9 and four games back of the Yankees for first in the AL East with the Junior Circuit’s worst record. Boston’s lineup has cobbled together a shoddy .646 OPS, while their pitching staff has yielded the seventh-highest wOBA in the league. There’s plenty of time for Boston to stabilize, but their start has been poor enough to cause some high-profile fans to start panicking.

All that said, there’s reason for concern elsewhere as well, particularly in Toronto and Seattle. The Blue Jays’ 6-7 is far from disastrous, but their injury bill is; Alejandro Kirk, Addison Barger, José Berríos, Trey Yesavage, and Shane Bieber are all on the IL at the moment, putting Toronto in a tough spot as they’ll now need to hope that their depth players can keep them from falling in a hole. The Mariners benefit from playing in a weaker division, but at 5-9 they’ve really scuffled out of the gate.

Now, onto our MLB-wide fan polls, which simply asked which team would win each division:

In related news, with Toronto, Baltimore, and Boston all off to iffy starts, the Yankees are the overwhelming choice by MLB fans to take the AL East. We’ve seen this movie before, with the Yankees consistently getting out to early division leads in recent seasons, but not consistently finishing the year in first in the East. Their stellar pitching so far has them looking like the favorites in perhaps the toughest division in baseball, but there’s still a very long way to go.

Here are the results for the other five divisions:

  • AL Central: Tigers (55%; runner-up: Guardians, 28%)
  • AL West: Mariners (69%; runner-up: Astros, 18%)
  • NL East: Phillies (40%; runner-up: Braves, 29%)
  • NL Central: Brewers (56%; runner-up: Cubs, 24%)
  • NL West: Dodgers (88%; runner-up: Padres, 5%)

There are a few interesting nuggets here. Despite rough starts from the Mariners and Tigers, MLB fans still tab those squads to secure the AL West and AL Central, respectively. Interestingly, the Phillies, despite an offseason that left their fans wanting and a third-place spot in the standings currently, rate as the top choice in the NL East, with the Mets not to be found in the top two.

The Brewers remain the top dog in the NL Central, off to a fine start but with teams like the Reds and Pirates also playing decently out of the gate. That said, the Cubs still come in second in the polls, and are likely still the team that should give Milwaukee their stiffest challenge. Out west, well, there’s little surprise to be found, as the expectation remains that the Dodgers will run away with the division.

These survey results are sponsored by FanDuel.

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Braves place Michael Harris II on paternity list, select Luke Williams to active roster

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 19: Michael Harris II #23 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after making a catch for the winning and final out during the ninth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Truist Park on August 19, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The NL East leading Atlanta Braves have announced some joyous news before Saturday night’s home game versus the Cleveland Guardians.

I didn’t know Michael was anticipating, which makes me even more excited. Michael Harris will go on the paternity list. Infielder slash part time outfielder slash emergency late inning reliever Luke Williams will join the active roster. Luke has slashed .212/.270/.280 over 349 lifetime plate appearances. He is out of option years, which means when Harris returns Williams will be in no man’s land. He will likely be booted from the 40-man roster. This could conceivably place Luke in an organization with some available playing time. With a 2025 wRC+ of zero though, I’m not so sure.

In other news, Daysbel Hernandez has been reinstated and optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett. Daysbel didn’t throw a pitch in Spring Training as he has worked his way back from a right shoulder sebaceous cyst. Danny Young is recovering from Tommy John surgery, so he was moved to the 60-day IL to make room.

Apparently Michael Harris will be celebrating more that his home run last night. Congratulations, Mike, and enjoy the little one!

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Pittsburgh Penguins Call Up 3 Forwards From AHL

With the Pittsburgh Penguins having several players out for their contest against the Washington Capitals, they have called up multiple forwards from the AHL. 

The Penguins have announced that they have recalled Ville Koivunen, Joona Koppanen, and Rutger McGroarty from their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. 

Koivunen has appeared in 36 games this season for Pittsburgh, where he has recorded two goals and seven points. In the AHL with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he has 11 goals and 36 points in 32 games this season. 

Koppanen has one assist, two penalty minutes, and a minus-1 rating in 10 games this season for Pittsburgh. Down in the AHL with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he has eight goals, 15 assists, 23 points, and a plus-19 rating in 42 games. 

As for McGroarty, he has two goals and five points in 21 games so far this season with Pittsburgh. He has shown clear improvement this campaign with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, as he has eight goals and 30 points in 28 games with the AHL squad. 

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Game #14: Athletics at Mets Game Thread

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 05: Jacob Lopez #57 of the Athletics pitches against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Sutter Health Park on April 05, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Ready to extend this win streak to four games? The A’s are suiting up and getting ready for the second game of their weekend series against the Mets, looking to take the win and reach the .500 mark.

On the mound today will be Jacob Lopez. The left-hander hasn’t gone long in either of his two first outings of the year so the club will surely be hoping for some more length from the lefty this afternoon.

The A’s lineup on this fine Saturday:

He’ll be opposed by Mets righty Kodai Senga this afternoon. The Japanese righty is off to a quick start so far this season after a lost year in 2025. He’s had some good success against the A’s in his career so the team will be hoping to change things around on that front.

The Mets’ lineup:

Let’s go A’s!