MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers have grown accustomed to scoring runs without necessarily having much punch in their lineup.
They’re needing to do that more than ever as they wait for some of their top hitters to recover from injuries.
Milwaukee has scored three runs or fewer in six of its last eight games as it plays without the injured Christian Yelich, Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn. Yet they managed to snap a six-game skid by winning 2-1 each of the last two days, relying on small ball during their go-ahead rallies each time.
“It’s just about getting the job done, doing the little things right,” said shortstop Joey Ortiz, whose safety squeeze in the seventh inning brought home the go-ahead run Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays. “When guys get on, we’ve got to get them over and get them in. However we do that is the way we do it.”
They’ve done it in some unusual ways lately.
Milwaukee hit only one ball out of the infield Wednesday during its two-run rally in the eighth inning. The Brewers didn’t hit any balls out of the infield in the seventh inning Thursday, but still scored the tiebreaking run by executing three consecutive bunts.
“We’re not really hitting the best right now as a team, so we’re doing anything we can to make something happen,” utilityman David Hamilton said.
That kind of resourcefulness has helped Milwaukee win three straight NL Central titles. The Brewers led the majors with a franchise-record 97 wins last year and had the third-highest run total – behind only the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers – despite ranking just 22nd in homers.
“We find a way to score in literally any way,” Ortiz said.
Sometimes that means taking advantage of any assist possible.
For instance, outfielder Sal Frelick said after Wednesday’s game that the Brewers may have gotten some help from Mother Nature, which is rather notable considering they play in a stadium with a retractable roof.
A torrential downpour caused some leaking through the American Family Field roof that resulted in pockets of rain coming down in certain portions of the field. One of the areas impacted was right in front of home plate, and Frelick believed that might have deadened the ball when he hit a chopper that catcher Brandon Valenzuela was unable to pick up cleanly off the ground
Frelick reached on an error after Hamilton had led off by beating out an infield hit. Both runners ended up scoring.
The field was dry as the Brewers played under the roof again Thursday, but they still found a way to manufacture a run when it mattered.
With the score tied 1-all, Garrett Mitchell led off the seventh by walking. Then came the flurry of bunts.
Greg Jones, making his Brewers debut and playing just his 10th career MLB game, bunted Mitchell over to second. Hamilton then got a bunt single to put runners on the corners before Ortiz dropped his safety squeeze.
“Once we got the leadoff runner on, we knew we had to move him around the basepaths,” Jones said. “We weren’t swinging the bats the best, so getting the ball on the ground, moving the baseball is an easy way to get guys to the next base. I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
The Brewers needed this kind of response as they closed a six-game homestand before playing their next six games away from American Family Field. Brewers manager Pat Murphy liked the way his team bounced back from adversity.
For instance, Hamilton struck out on each of his first two at-bats Thursday. Then he delivered that key bunt hit in the seventh to play a major role in a go-ahead rally for a second straight day.
“That’s what I’m looking for – that resiliency,” Murphy said. “That’s who we have to be.”
Getting Martin St-Louis to reveal his lineup in the last few days of the season has not been an easy task; in fact, the Montreal Canadiens’ coach even asked journalists if anyone had good questions to ask him the last time he was asked. On Thursday, however, with the playoffs fast-approaching, when he was asked if blueliner Arber Xhekaj had shown him enough to earn the right to start the series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the bench boss was clear:
Yes, I believe he has. He has played good hockey, played physically, and stuck to his identity. He had good reps down the stretch. Of course, we lost Dobber [Noah Dobson], which allowed him to get more minutes, and I liked what I saw.
For the 25-year-old who will be a restricted free agent this summer, this is a big opportunity. He’s been involved in a duel with Jayden Struble for the last three seasons, with both players trying to earn a regular spot as the Canadiens’ sixth defenseman, but neither has been able to grab the job and keep it. Now, with other blueliners like David Reinbacher and Adam Engstrom knocking on the Canadiens’ door, Xhekaj and Struble may be running out of time.
While there’s no denying that the youngsters bring more raw talent, the gritty defender brings something to the table that none of the other three players have: a lot of physicality and a knack for fighting.
Last season, when the Canadiens started their series against the Washington Capitals, they did it without the hard-nosed blueliner, but this year, Dobson’s injury has given him an in. As long as he can make the right reads on the ice and not take himself out of the play by over-committing to land a big hit rather than play the game that’s in front of him, Xhekaj should be fine.
Xhekaj is built for playoff hockey, but not for the kind of system Martin St-Louis has his men playing. Still, over the last four years, he has had the opportunity to learn what the coach expects of his players and to work on his reads. Now, it’s time for him to show that he can use the knowledge he gathered when it really counts, not only for the team, but for his own future in the Canadiens organization.
DUNEDIN, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 18: José Berríos #17 of the Toronto Blue Jays works pitches a spring training workout at the Toronto Blue Jays' Player Development Complex on February 18, 2026 in Dunedin, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Happy Friday. It’s been a long week in Blue Jays land, and a long week here in Calgary for that matter. It snowed sideways yesterday, about eight inches. Other Tom is enjoying 21 degrees and cherry blossoms in Tokyo, not that I’m bitter.
Anyways, in Jays news, Jose Berrios pitched in Dunedin yesterday. The surface stats were ugly, five runs on five hits and a walk over 2.2 with three strikeouts. Some of the pitches that got hit were definitely left way too much out over the plate. Probably more importantly, though, he was sitting 93 and 94 with his sinker and four seamer, respectively, which is better than he managed last year by about a mile an hour, and was getting all his pitches over. He was allowed to throw 47 pitches, so he’s well into stretching out, but I would imagine we’ll need to see him handle 30+ more pitches and look significantly sharper in a minor league game before he’s back in Toronto, which probably makes early May the target at this point.
Tonight will be a big test for how much of a problem the wait is, as Eric Lauer makes his first start since (hopefully) fully recovering from the stomach flu that sapped his stuff and lead him to getting rocked his last two times out. Tomorrow, we’ll hopefully see Max Scherzer bounce back from a couple of ugly outings as he’s dealt with forearm tendinitis. If one or both can look at least serviceable, the Jays have a hope of getting through this stretch until Trey Yesavage and Berrios make it back. If not, it’s going to be a rough ride.
More optimistically, although not for 2026, Nolan Perry took the ball for the next five innings and allowed just one hit. He also punched out a dozen, somehow only needing 60 pitches to do it. It took about one inning of seeing Perry this spring for me to realize he should have been on the main prospect list, but at least Matt was smart enough to feature him prominently on his pref list. He’ll definitely feature in our midseason update, and not at the bottom. Other early standputs among lower ranked prospects in the farm system include Daniel Guerra, a 22 year old righty who struck out 11 in five hitless innings for the Vancouver Canadians last night to bring his early K total to 23 in 14.1 innings, Charles McAdoo, who’s showing a better eye and making more contact at AAA than he did last year at AA and posting a .900 OPS because of it, and the New Hampshire trio of Eddie Micheletti jr, Sean Keys and Jayce Bohrofen, who’ve combined for 11 home runs so far with improved underlying data.
That’s it for Jays news. On a happier note, here’s Mike Trout hitting a 450 foot tank as the Angels beat the Yankees in New York:
Mar 16, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan looks on from the team bench during the first period against the Utah Mammoth at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Jerome Miron/Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
DALLAS — Glen Gulutzan was ready to be the head coach of the Dallas Stars this time.
There was a lot of experience Gulutzan gained in the 12 years between being let go by the Stars after his first two seasons as an NHL head coach and being re-hired last summer — by the same general manager who soon after taking that role in 2013 decided not to keep him.
“He’s lived it. How do you build your résumé, you’ve got to go through experiences,” Stars GM Jim Nill said. “He’s gone through those experiences and those situations.”
The 54-year-old Gulutzan now is leading the Stars (50-20-12) into the Western Conference playoffs. Game 1 is at home against Central Division rival Minnesota. They wrapped up their third consecutive 50-win regular season with 112 points, the third-most in the NHL.
After the Stars fired Pete DeBoer last June, even though each of his three seasons ended in the Western Conference final, Nill brought back Gulutzan after a dozen seasons in Canada for 947 regular-season games and 93 more in the playoffs. He was a Vancouver assistant for three seasons, then the head coach in Calgary for two before seven seasons on the staff in Edmonton, which eliminated Dallas in the West final each of the past two years.
“He’s got composure behind the bench. He’s guided our team,” Nill said. “There’s been highs and lows during the year, there’s a lot of injuries he’d had to deal with. But he’s gotten that experience now, how to deal with that. And it doesn’t change focus. It’s always about the next moment, the next game.”
First time with the Stars
Gulutzan was coaching the Stars’ AHL team before becoming a first-time NHL head coach in 2011, during an awkward period for the franchise as it went through bankruptcy and an ownership change while being basically run by the league.
Dallas was 42-35-5 in Gulutzan’s debut season, then 22-22-4 in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season before Nill became the GM and didn’t pick up the coach’s option for a third season.
Not always a head coach
DeBoer has been a head coach for six different teams over 18 seasons, including the final four games for the New York Islanders this year after replacing the fired Patrick Roy.
While DeBoer always has been in charge behind the bench in the NHL, Gulutzan after his initial head coaching stint got the opportunity to work with coaches like John Tortorella, Ken Hitchcock, Dave Tippett and Kris Knoblauch. He was part of 75 playoff games with the Oilers the past four seasons, getting to the Stanley Cup Final twice after eliminating the Stars.
Having been a depended-on assistant himself, Gulutzan now heavily depends on his staff.
Solid foundation in Dallas
Gulutzan took over a Stars team that returned most of its primary core, though the only player still around from his first time there is Jamie Benn, the 36-year-old captain in his 17th season.
Veteran center Matt Duchene said DeBoer did an amazing job laying a foundation, and that Gulutzan has done a nice job tweaking things through the course of this season.
“Just a really, really smart hockey mind that sees the game really well,” said Wyatt Johnston, the 22-year-old, fourth-year forward whose 45 goals matched Jason Robertson for the team lead.
“He’s brought in some elements to our team that have made us, when we’re at our best, probably just an elite, elite team, and I think understands our group pretty well,” Duchene said. “There’s a reason you go to three straight conference finals. It’s not by accident. You need great coaching to be able to do that. And I think Pete was that for sure and then Gully coming in ... he didn’t come in being like, all right, it’s my show now, I’m going to completely gut this and redo it.”
Under DeBoer, the Stars became the first team to reach the conference finals three seasons in a row without winning at least one Cup title under the playoff format that began in 1994. The Stars didn’t even make it past that.
Streaking Stars
The Stars had a franchise-record 10-game winning streak that ended in early March, and now have won five in a row. That’s a stark difference from the seven-game losing streak they took into last year’s postseason.
“The focus, that’s what I’m recognizing as very, very similar,” Gulutzan said when asked what he’s seen in the Stars compared to his recent deep runs with the Oilers. “You can just feel the focus of the players starting to change the closer they get. ... Their demeanor is starting to change.”
Mar 30, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella holds a presser after the Golden Knights defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Stephen R. Sylvanie/Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
LAS VEGAS — General manager Kelly McCrimmon was walking away from the Golden Knights’ locker room after a victory over the Jets, but he easily could have reversed course and done a victory lap in front of the assembled media.
McCrimmon probably would say it’s too early to celebrate because the NHL playoffs have yet to begin, and that will be the true measure of how successful Vegas’ season is viewed.
But it’s difficult to argue his controversial decision March 29 to fire popular and successful coach Bruce Cassidy and hire John Tortorella hasn’t worked out.
Going into its playoff opener at home against Utah, Vegas is 7-0-1 under the fiery coach known as Torts. A team struggling to hang on to a playoff spot just won the Pacific Division for the fifth time in their nine years.
Top center Jack Eichel, who had 90 points for the second consecutive season, said Tortorella injected confidence in a team that was lacking it just three years after winning the Stanley Cup.
“Sometimes you need a reminder,” Eichel said. “He saw we have a really good hockey team in here and we need to believe in ourselves and in each other. That’s the first step to being a great hockey team is believing in ourselves. I think you’ve started to see that the last few weeks. We started to build more confidence in each other and our game.”
The 67-year-old Tortorella, who led the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Stanley Cup title in 2004, said at his introductory news conference that he wouldn’t overload the team with information and make massive changes. It’s a strategy he’s stuck to since then.
“I knew it was a good team coming in,” Tortorella said. “I know it was coached well prior to me. I had some points of emphasis, probably three or four, that I want to bring across to them. We’ve done that. I think they feel good about themselves. When you win some games, you feel good about yourself, and hopefully we keep on building on that.”
Tortorella made two notable changes that have worked.
One was to create a more aggressive north-south game. Vegas went from scoring 3.12 goals per game and allowing 3.07 to outscoring opponents on average 4.13 to 1.88.
“Attack the games. Put pressure on the other team,” Eichel said.
The other move was to go with Carter Hart as his primary goalie. Cassidy installed Adin Hill in that role down the stretch, but Tortorella coached Hart in Philadelphia and has spoken glowingly about him. Tortorella said Hart was carrying the Flyers into contender status in 2024 before he was suspended by the NHL as one of five 2018 Canada world junior hockey players accused in a high-profile sexual assault case.
They were acquitted last July. The league reinstated those players beginning Dec. 1 and the Golden Knights gave Hart a chance. He has delivered under Tortorella’s watch, going 6-0 with a .930 save percentage and a 1.66 goals-against average.
“I think he looks dialed in,” Tortorella said. “I just think he’s making saves. He just looks confident, and hopefully that’ll continue. I think Hilly’s last couple of starts, he’s made some really good saves also. So going into the playoffs, if both of them are going well, that’s a good thing for us.”
McCrimmon said the decision to fire Cassidy was a difficult one, especially since the coach was responsible for the organization’s only Stanley Cup and they were consistently on the same page. But the GM said the season and its playoff chances appeared to be slipping away and there was little time to wait. He knew the decision would be criticized but that wasn’t the point.
“When we’ve changed coaches along the way — I’m going to say each time — it was likely viewed in this room as being unpopular or not the right time,” McCrimmon said March 30 at a news conference. “And I think in each case, the decisions were good ones.”
The decisions to fire Gerard Gallant in 2020, Pete DeBoer in 2022 and Cassidy this year — all with winning playoff records — were met with wide skepticism but management largely got the results they desired.
That includes with Tortorella, but the postseason is coming.
The cover of a New York Knicks 1974 World Championship Playoffs Madison Square Garden program. The cover features the Madison Square Garden ceiling and the Walter A. Brown Memorial Trophy. (Photo by Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Only one more sleep.
Just a bit over 24 hours for tip-off.
If you feel anxious, crack Trae Young jokes.
Zohran Mamdani on the high cost of Knicks playoff tickets vs Atlanta:
"I would say that I blame Trae Young… and I think it's always important to blame Trae Young" pic.twitter.com/KDYxJNyarG
“You always evolve over the course of the season. But to change as much as we did on both sides of the ball. We made some pretty sizable changes to our offense and defense throughout the course of the year.”
On what he learned about the roster throughout the regular season:
“That they’re resilient. That’s probably the biggest thing. You don’t really get that feel until you’re around them. I say that for a lot of different reasons – some of the wins that we’ve had coming back, especially late in games. We started off the year playing one way on offense and one way on defense, and we made some pretty big changes throughout the course of the year. I don’t know if I’ve ever gone through a season with a team, as a head coach or as an assistant coach, making the changes that we’ve made with a group of guys.”
On leadership and player ownership:
“Part of giving your group hope is to give them ownership of the process. Because when people have ownership of the process, they’re probably more engaged or they want to buy in more. So I’m not gonna come in and say, ‘Hey, we’re gonna play our offense this way. We’re gonna play our defense this way. And you guys are veterans, you adjust and figure it out.’ No, if I think that it could be a little better with hearing what they have to say — now I can’t listen to all 18 guys, but the top guys: if your top guys have input, and they’re saying, ‘Hey, what about this? Or I’m not sure about that?’ Then I’ve gotta listen, and I gotta think about making adjustments. That’s what that’s all about.”
On the need for a full-team partnership:
“This is a partnership. At the end of the day, though, when you have as many people involved with this, I have to make the decision that’s best for everybody, so at the end of the day, I’m gonna make the decision, and I chose to change some things up because I felt it would fit the group better on both sides of the basketball.”
On Atlanta’s length and versatility:
“Those guys [the Hawks], they’re all long, they’re all athletic. So is that a ‘quote unquote’ edge for them, their versatility? I don’t know. I do know I like our bigs. I like KAT’s size. I like his ability to play outside and inside. I like what he brings to the table when you’re comparing him to Mitch.”
On Mitchell Robinson’s impact:
“Mitchell’s size, his athleticism, his ability to be a vertical threat, it gives our opponents different looks offensively, just by substitution. And so, from that standpoint, it’s pretty neat. And then, you know, like I said, defensively [Robinson and Towns] both bring different things to the table.”
On Jalen Johnson and Atlanta’s resurgence:
“Jalen [Johnson] is a really, really good player, a great player. And shoot, he’s [in the running to win] a lot of awards this year. Him and Nickeil [Alexander-Walker] have led the charge in [Atlanta’s] resurgence here at the end of season; so a lot of respect there.”
On defending Johnson as a team:
“In our last game, Josh matched up with him a little bit more than OG. So it’s more of a team thing than anything else. In this league it’s very hard — especially when you’re talking about a great player like Jalen Johnson — it’s very hard to stop anybody one-on-one. And so your team defense has to be on point, and you just have to make guys work. And if you make them work, you hope the basketball gods are in your favor a little bit, and they end up missing some shots, as well.”
On Brunson’s counters and adjustments:
“Jalen, he’s seen it all, and he’s very smart, very cerebral. So he takes it all in, and he’ll have plenty of counters to a lot of different defenses on his own. But in the same breath, we have to, as a staff, make sure we continue moving him around because we don’t want to give them the same dose the entire game. If you give a team the same dose the entire game, then they can sit on the coverage and get more comfortable with it as the game goes along. It’s a combination of us helping him and him helping himself.”
On the need for consistency over 48 minutes:
“So if you can be consistent instead of fluctuate, you have a better chance of being elite. Because you’ve already shown that you’re a great team, but can you do it over 48 [minutes] instead of over 24 or over 12 or whatever it may be? Because usually the elite ones figure out a way to do whatever they do for a longer period of time than everybody else.”
On approaching the series day by day:
“Just one day at a time. More than anything else, it’s my job to make sure we as a group, starting with me, stay present, and, you know, you go through the hypotheticals, but you can’t dwell on them because if you do, you’ll lose focus at what your strengths are.”
"I've done seen it all. This is Year 8 for me…going from not being in the playoffs, bottom of the East, and now, to one of the tops in the East, it's been amazing."
“Yeah, everything matters: box-outs, rebounds, offensive rebounds, just the little details. Everything literally counts, and you’ve got to make the best of it. I’ve been in a couple of playoff series now. So, got a little experience. With that, I use that as motivation and know what to look for.”
On Atlanta’s frontcourt:
“[The Hawks] are a great team. They got some good bigs over there, stuff like that. Come out of this and play hard.”
On the Knicks’ approach to the playoffs:
“We put in the work. Out here grinding, getting gritty and ready to go.”
On his health:
“I’m ready to go and doing everything by the book.”
On using last year’s loss as motivation:
“I used it as motivation coming into this year.”
On facing the Hawks again after they first did it back in 2021:
“Yeah, it’s crazy. Was it five years ago when we played them in the playoffs? I didn’t get to play in that series. Five years later, here we are with a different team for both sides. It’s going to be amazing, going to be fun. [We’re] going to get after it.”
On his journey in New York:
“Yeah, I’ve done seen it all. This is Year 8 for me, going from not being in the playoffs, to the bottom of the East, to now one of the tops in the East. It’s been amazing. Long journey. Trust the process and here we are.”
On how they’re approaching the Hawks matchup and vice versa:
“Preparation is the same. They’re going to know us inside and out. You have to do the same thing. We’ve got to know their tendencies, what they like to do as a team, as individuals, matchups, those kinds of things. So preparation is always the same.”
On the importance of past regular-season matchups against Atlanta:
“None.”
On not caring about those regular-season games:
“The regular season honestly doesn’t really matter when you look at it in terms of a scope like this, because you never know — regular season, there’s a lot of things that you have. I don’t know if they were back-to-backs, you know, who’s in, who’s out, whatever it is. So, you know, you throw those out the window and you just focus on the team and the personnel that they have right now.”
On the Knicks set to be judged by their postseason run:
“I had no expectations [coming in]. We made the playoffs, we had 50 wins, so that was good. You know, we know we’re going to be judged by what we do starting now. So we didn’t really have expectations going into it. Just wanted to make sure we get to the playoffs.”
On the playoff energy at MSG:
“Man, the energy is great in the regular season, but if you’re able to get to a playoff game, the energy is unreal. They show up for us every single game. You have fans outside, [the] weather is good. So everyone’s outside wanting to have fun, wanting to see the Knicks play. So we need them, obviously now more than ever, and we want to show them love.”
On personal growth this season:
“The thing I’m most proud of myself on [this season] is I feel like I’m doing a better job of moving on to the next plays. If I’m not making shots, what else can I do to help this team be successful? How can I bring energy? What kind of plays can I make to help guys get in position to be successful? I’m doing that and being able to turn the page on a bad play, bad quarter, bad half, a little better than I did before. So that’s been good. But the season, it was solid.”
On Brunson’s film study:
“He watches his shots. He sees what kind of angles he can try to use or exploit. For me, I try to screen a little bit differently depending on who’s guarding him, if it’s Dyson Daniels or, I don’t know, Nickeil (Alexander-Walker) or whoever it is. So you, you always try to learn from your opponent and I think that’s something that he tries to do every time he comes to the bench, watch his film, talks to his coaches and stuff like that. So, you know, I think he’s does a good job in the course of the game, of reading the game and letting the game tell them what to do.”
Jalen Brunson
On Dyson Daniels:
“Yeah, he’s a great defender. He’s very smart and he is great. He’s able to use his wingspan and create havoc on and off the ball. He does a lot of great things for their team and he puts them in position to be successful.”
On his confidence:
“It comes from my work ethic and that hasn’t changed since I guess I’ve been dribbling a basketball.”
Earlier today after Hawks practice, I asked HC Quin Snyder about the absence of Jock Landale & what it means for guys like Tony Bradley & Mo Gueye having to step up:
“I think it’s really everybody stepping up. You know, those guys are the most obvious given we don’t have Jock.” pic.twitter.com/BGkjZMJYzM
“We’ve got to approach this collectively. He’s a terrific player that impacts the game in a lot of ways.”
On Robinson’s presence and two-big lineups with KAT:
“He impacts the game on the boards in a really significant way. He does things that are selfless. The rebounds show up, but his presence — whether it’s the screening or rolling, the defending — there’s a lot of things he does. There’s no one guy for us that you can say that’s your job to stop him. So we have to approach it collectively. They play them together, too. So, you look at all those different lineups. So you can chase matchups, or you can stay with what you think works for your team. I think you need to do both.”
Q "Knicks-Pacers Game 1…Tyrese crazy 3…felt like that loss affected Knicks…how important is it to get Game 1 Saturday?"
Tony Bradley (former Pacer) "I think it's very important to hit em in the mouth"
Q "Did you sense Knicks were demoralized after Game 1?"
Apr 15, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres left wing Zach Benson (6) celebrates scoring a goal against the Dallas Stars with defenseman Luke Schenn (5) in the second period at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
Mark Konezny/Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
As the Sabres opened practice, Buffalo city workers began hanging playoff banners on lamp posts lining Washington Street leading to the team’s arena entrance.
The significance wasn’t lost on Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin in realizing that for the first time in 15 years, the Stanley Cup playoff route finally includes a stop in Buffalo.
“It’s a crazy feeling,” Dahlin said. “I’ve been grinding here for a long time, and I finally get playoffs. It’s special. It’s something I’ve tried to do here for a long time. And now it’s finally real.”
Ending the NHL’s longest postseason drought, the Sabres’ return to the playoffs — and as first-time Atlantic Division champions — reflects a changing of the guard in the Eastern Conference.
Though familiar fixtures remain in Tampa Bay and Carolina, this year’s eight-team mix doesn’t include two-time defending Cup champion Florida or perennial contender Toronto. All three New York City-area teams were shut out of postseason play for the first time.
In their place are upstarts such as the Philadelphia Flyers, who last qualified in 2020. Montreal and Ottawa are making a second straight appearance following lengthy postseason lapses.
Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins return after a three-year absence. The Boston Bruins are back after a one-year hiatus, making a 24-point jump under first-year coach Marco Sturm.
“I never thought, to be honest with you, about getting 100 points because I know how hard it is to get that amount in this league,” said Sturm whose team opens against Buffalo. “It’s a hard league, and that just says it all.”
The teams to beat
— The Tampa Bay Lightning remain the East’s model of consistency, qualifying for a ninth consecutive season out of the rugged Atlantic Division.
“Does it battle test you?” asked Jon Cooper, a two-time Cup winner. “Yes. But also, there’s no easy road. I don’t think anybody’s hiding anything from anybody.”
The Lightning open against Montreal in a meeting of two teams that finished with 106 points, and rematch of Tampa Bay beating the Canadiens in five games in the 2020 Cup final. The challenge for Tampa Bay is advancing past the first round for the first time since losing the final to Colorado in 2022.
— Carolina ran away with the Metropolitan Division title and top spot in the East, going 53-22-7 to clinch its eight consecutive playoff berth.
Competitive as they’ve been, the Hurricanes have yet to reach the Cup final since winning in 2006. They open against Ottawa, which was 10 points out of contention on Jan. 30 before going on a 24-8-6 run to clinch a spot.
“Everyone’s in the playoffs, and everyone’s in a sense the same seed,” Carolina forward Seth Jarvis said. “It’s cool to be No. 1, but I don’t think it’s changed anything within our group. Just have a little more confidence, maybe.”
— The Sabres are confident after making a remarkable turnaround from last in the East in early December to first place by going 39-9-4.
“The only way you get experience is to do what we did in the regular season and get there,” coach Lindy Ruff said, dismissing concern over the Sabres lacking playoff experience. “They handled all the pressure situations. When we needed to win games, the group came up.”
The underdogs
— The Flyers overcame youth and inconsistencies to become the last East team to clinch a berth. They did so courtesy of a 14-4-1 run, becoming the NHL’s first team to make it after being 10 points out of contention with 22 or fewer games remaining.
“We really try to block it out, I’m not going to lie. There’s a lot of negativity, sarcasm. We kind of grew together,” first-year coach Rick Tocchet said. “We believed. It’s hard, because you have to have that thick skin.”
— The Senators aren’t backing down in the face of playing Carolina, seeking to build off losing to Toronto in six games in the first round last year.
— The Bruins have been transformed since their 2019 run to the final. General manager Don Sweeney believes in how the team came together to bounce back from last season’s swoon.
“To get to 100 points is a pretty good testament to what this team put together over the course of the year, but it wasn’t easy,” Sweeney said. “It was nerve-racking, but our guys embraced it and they got it done.”
Storylines to watch
— In his fourth season as Canadiens coach, Martin St. Louis faces a familiar foe in Tampa Bay. St. Louis spent 13 seasons with the Lightning and was a member of the franchise’s 2004 Cup-winning team. He becomes the second player to have his number retired and face his former team in the playoffs as a coach. Chicago coach Brian Sutter was the only other to do so when the Blackhawks faced the St. Louis Blues in 2002.
— Crosby joins Evgeni Malkin in making their 16th playoff appearance together. They’ve won the Stanley Cup three times, most recently in 2016 and ’17. The Penguins haven’t won a series since eliminating the Flyers in six games in the first round of the 2018 playoffs.
“I think after some seasons not being able to do it, I think we appreciate it even more,” the 38-year-old Crosby said.
Predictions
First round: Carolina beats Ottawa in five games; Pittsburgh beats Philadelphia in six; Montreal beats Tampa Bay in seven; Buffalo beats Boston in seven.
Second round: Carolina beats Pittsburgh in six; Buffalo beats Montreal in six.
Conference final: Carolina beats Buffalo in seven.
The Detroit Tigers have had a miserable time away from Comerica Park, losing eight of 10 road games this season.
My Tigers vs. Red Sox predictions and MLB picks expect those struggles to continue in Boston on Friday, April 17.
Who will win Tigers vs Red Sox tonight: Red Sox (-130)
Ranger Suarez has had a difficult start to his Boston Red Sox career, but that coincides with very tough competition.
He has faced the Astros, Padres, and Cardinals. The Astros sit fourth in runs per game while the Padres sit 11th, and the Cardinals rank seventh in wRC+ against left-handed pitchers.
Suarez should get a little bit of relief against the Detroit Tigers. They've hit just .213 off lefties and rank 22nd in wRC+.
While most of the Red Sox top bats are lefties, they do have some good righties — most notably Willson Contreras and Ceddanne Rafaela — who could cause problems for Casey Mize.
COVERS INTEL: Ranger Suarez has induced soft contact 22.7% of the time, best among today’s projected starting pitchers.
Tigers vs Red Sox Over/Under pick: Under 8 (-120)
Suarez owns a 3.74 xFIP, which is well below his 5.02 ERA. He hasn’t pitched as poorly as the results suggest — and I’ve already highlighted the difficult competition he faced.
The Tigers are hitting .216 with a .083 ISO on the road and cold weather is expected, making this a good spot for Suarez to get back on track.
Mize owns a solid 3.85 xFIP and has done a good job of neutralizing left-handed bets, setting him up for a quality start against Boston.
Both bullpens are also well-rested, so the managers will have plenty of options to help limit runs.
Todd Cordell's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 1-3, -2.82 units
Over/Under bets: 0-4, -4.67 units
Tigers vs Red Sox odds
Moneyline: Detroit +122 | Boston -127
Run line: Detroit +1.5 (-186) | Boston -1.5 (+178)
Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+117) | Under 8.5 (-122)
Tigers vs Red Sox trend
The Red Sox have hit the Under in 14 of their last 22 games at home (+6.45 Units / 27% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Tigers vs. Red Sox.
How to watch Tigers vs Red Sox and game info
Location
Fenway Park, Boston, MA
Date
Friday, April 17, 2026
First pitch
7:15 p.m. ET
TV
Apple TV
Tigers starting pitcher
Casey Mize (1-1, 3.94 ERA)
Red Sox starting pitcher
Ranger Suarez (1-1, 5.02 ERA)
Tigers vs Red Sox latest injuries
Tigers vs Red Sox weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 16: Walker Buehler #10 of the San Diego Padres throws a pitch in the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at Petco Park on April 16, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Diego Padres erased the memories of the season-opening homestand where they got off to a 2-4 start against the Detroit Tigers and the San Francisco Giants with a perfect second homestand that saw them get back-to-back sweeps of the Colorado Rockies and the Seattle Mariners. The Padres have won games throughout the season in multiple ways which have been nerve wracking and exciting at the same time. The win against the Mariners on Thursday neither – it was just a solid baseball game with a good start from Walker Buehler, a competent offensive approach and a stingy bullpen anchored by Mason Miller, who moved into second place in San Diego franchise history with 30 2/3 innings without allowing a run, which resulted in a 5-2 victory. The Padres go on the road today to face the Los Angeles Angels at 6:38 p.m.
Padres News:
Luis Campusano has been a key contributor throughout the seven-game homestand. His recent success and his 2026 season overall appear to be a credit to the confidence his manager Craig Stammen has in him and his reformed approach to the game.
Sung-Mun Song was activated off the IL and was optioned to Triple-A El Paso. It is understandable that San Diego would not want to shake up the lineup that is in the midst of an eight-game winning streak.
Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune says MLB and ABS inadvertently helped the Padres offense by shrinking the strike zone, leading to an improved offense.
Baseball News:;
The Angels and New York Yankees engaged in a heavyweight fight throughout their series, which resulted in both sides hitting home runs at an impressive rate and superstars Mike Trout and Aaron Judge captivating fans on both sides.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - AUGUST 09: General Manager Mike Elias of the Baltimore Orioles watches the Orioles Hall of Fame ceremony before the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Athletics at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 09, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Through the first 19 games of the 2026 Orioles season, they are once again disappointing us. It is not a lot of comfort that many teams in the American League are off to a start where they are muddling along around .500. That’s mostly because a lot of these problems feel familiar and it’s frustrating that they’ve had an offseason to try to resolve them and so far they haven’t.
How much blame does Mike Elias deserve for all of this? To some degree, he deserves all blame for all of the Orioles problems, because he is the man in charge and he makes the decisions. I find this not a wholly satisfying perspective, since it’s also the players who take the field and have to actually make the plays. Many struggling Orioles have had previous MLB success that it was reasonable to believe they could do again this year. It’s too early to make final judgments about whether certain guys stink or not in 2026.
In this completely subjective survey of early 2026 Orioles problems, I consider each of the problem players, whether this is likely to prove a durable problem, and whether Elias deserves the blame if the problem is durable.
For my money, there are five problem hitters, four problem pitchers, problems with the defense in general, and injury problems. The list goes in order of players as they appear while scrolling down on the Baseball Reference 2026 Orioles statistics page.
Pete Alonso
Am I worried? No
Alonso has hit 34 home runs or more in each of the five seasons before this. He is not hitting them yet, or hitting much at all yet. I think it is reasonable to believe that the home runs and hitting in general will arrive. He is even playing better defense than expected so far. We can all find more productive uses for our anxious energy than to project concerns about Chris Davis from years beyond the end of his playing career onto Alonso.
Coby Mayo
Am I worried? Yes
Should Elias be blamed? Yes
Unlike some of the early struggling Orioles, there is nothing you can look at in Mayo’s batted ball profile that points to better things coming. He is a mess up there. He isn’t hitting the ball hard and the result is he’s not hitting the ball much at all. The only small saving grace is that his defense, the thing everyone was worried about in spring training, is fine.
Elias went out of his way to hold on to Mayo, rather than trading him for a pitcher before or during any of the 2023, 2024, or 2025 seasons, points when he had a lot of value as a prospect. All of this was so that he could step up now. He’s not given much reason to show that his success from last September can be repeated.
Samuel Basallo
Am I worried? No
In contrast to Mayo, you can find a decent amount of red on Basallo’s Statcast profile. He is swinging the bat fast and hitting the ball hard, though he doesn’t yet have much to show for it. Although he’s chasing a lot of pitches out of the zone, he’s also drawing a lot of walks. This is a 21-year-old player who should be given some allowance for growing pains as a player. That doesn’t mean the Orioles have to bat him 4th or 5th every game while he sorts it out. I blame Elias for that one.
Blaze Alexander
Am I worried? No, if only because there’s no point worrying about a player like this
Should Elias be blamed? Yes
Alexander played in 135 games with the Diamondbacks across the previous two seasons and gave indications that he would be a guy whose bat is just on the right side of “not bad” as long as he is able to provide decent defensive value at multiple positions. With his .542 OPS so far this year, he’s hitting much worse than that. This was the guy Elias went out and got once the injuries started to mount in his infield before spring training even began. Expected batting stats point to a turnaround coming for Alexander. Hopefully that bears out.
Dylan Beavers
Am I worried? Yes
Should Elias be blamed? Yes
Pretty much nothing is going right for Beavers so far other than that he isn’t swinging out of the strike zone much or swinging and missing much. He isn’t hitting the ball well, or hard. Maybe the most disheartening to me is how bad he’s looked in the field, coming in at 4th percentile in range despite also having 96th percentile sprint speed. This is a fast player who is getting no defensive value even with that speed. Elias went out of his way to call up Beavers later last year to preserve his rookie eligibility and maybe have a shot at contending for Rookie of the Year this year. So far, that looks like a joke.
Colton Cowser
Am I worried? Yes
Should Elias be blamed? Yes
The thing with Cowser and swinging and missing at nearly every changeup that he sees is beyond parody. That’s a comic second-tier character in a Major League-type movie, except in the movie he would actually overcome the flaw as the team improves thanks to some absurd training regimen. Maybe Cowser should try to figure out if he can break his changeup curse by building a very specific Lego set while blindfolded or with one hand tied behind his back.
Cowser is also Elias’s guy. The Orioles reached to draft him in the first round in 2021. We saw in his rookie season some signs of a perennial pretty good player. He has not been able to follow up on this. I don’t blame Elias entirely for this, but I do think he needed a better “what if Cowser keeps struggling” backup plan ready and he didn’t have one.
Shane Baz
Am I worried? Not really
Should Elias be blamed? If the problems continue
It doesn’t feel good that the Orioles gave up four prospects plus a draft pick for this guy, then gave him a $68 million extension before he’d ever thrown a pitch for the team, and after four starts he has a 4.91 ERA. He’s having rotten batted ball luck (.364 BABIP) that may be real bad luck or may be about the defense behind him. I’m willing to believe that things may still click for him. I understand the frustrations in the meantime. It’s one more Elias move from the offseason that’s bearing no immediate fruit.
Kyle Bradish
Am I worried? No
Should Elias be blamed? No
Bradish looked like he would be able to pick up close to where he left off before his Tommy John surgery in six starts after returning last year. That hasn’t carried forward into 2026; Bradish has battled command problems and he’s getting rocked in a way we haven’t seen from him since the bad days of his early career.
Even moreso than Baz, I think you can point to the defense behind him costing him a lot. Take away the two earned runs from Weston Wilson’s botch being scored a triple on Sunday and Bradish’s ERA shaves down to 4.58. That still doesn’t feel good, but it would feel better than 5.49. The Fielding Independent Pitching metric, an ERA analogue that tries to take defense out of the equation, has Bradish at 3.22 so far. We could live with Bradish at a 3.22 ERA.
Chris Bassitt
Am I worried? Yes
Should Elias be blamed? Yes
Elias could have invested real money in a starting pitcher in free agency this offseason and instead he went for two one-year guys, Bassitt and Zach Eflin. Obviously, Eflin is done already and that sucks; I don’t blame Elias for an elbow injury. That could have happened to any other pitcher he signed.
Bassitt, through three starts, is on the Charlie Morton path. When you have to try to feel good about, “Well, he only gave up one earned run in 4.2 innings,” that’s a bad place to be. It’s early and he’s only got to make like two good starts in a row to quiet some of the doubters. He’s got to actually do it. If he never does, this is a big strike against Elias. Building a consistently good rotation has proved elusive for him.
Tyler Wells
Am I worried? Yes
Should Elias be blamed? Yes
One of my observations about the Orioles over the years is that just about every season, there’s one reliever who you don’t expect to suck who suddenly is no good. The year-to-year volatility of relievers is one of those trends of the modern game. It looks a lot like Wells is that guy this year. I think the Orioles constructed their roster assuming that Wells would be able to take the eighth or ninth inning. If he flames out spectacularly, that’s a big evaluation failure.
If other players are able to step up, maybe Elias won’t have to shoulder too much blame for this. Indeed, as far as the bullpen goes, there’s not a lot of blame to shoulder so far: The Orioles bullpen is ninth in ERA at 3.52, even with Wells plus a couple of clunkers in Yaramil Hiraldo and Nick Raquet.
The defense
Am I worried? Yes
Should Elias be blamed? YES
You will probably not be surprised to learn that the Orioles are a bottom five defense in the league so far, as measured by Statcast’s Outs Above Average. Quite unexpectedly, the only places they’ve been okay are the infield corners, first and third base. The whole outfield is in the negatives. Second base and shortstop are negative.
This was one area of the roster where anyone should have been concerned heading into the season. A regular outfield alignment of Taylor Ward, Cowser, and Tyler O’Neill was always going to be bad. Ward has made people happy with his hitting so far, but he showed his poor defense on Opening Day and that’s not changed. He’s slow and he can’t make plays an average left fielder would make. Beavers struggling in the field early on was an unexpected problem.
If you wrangled a genie and used up one of your wishes on having the opportunity to ask Mike Elias questions to which he must give truthful answers, I think that genie-compelled Elias would admit that he always expected some defensive problems this year. There were supposed to be other trade-offs to make up for that defensive weakness, particularly guys hitting dingers. The bad defenders who are annoying you the most are not hitting dingers. Nor is anyone other than Gunnar Henderson and Jeremiah Jackson. Other than Ward, the offenders for bad defense aren’t hitting much at all.
The injuries
Am I worried? Yes
Should Elias be blamed? Eh
The Orioles are once again among the league leaders in players who are on the injured list. That feels like a problem, and if a problem exists then someone should be blamed for it. Whether the Orioles are doing something problematic in their strength and conditioning that is leading to being a more injury-prone team is beyond the knowledge of any fan.
There are some real freak injuries in the assortment. Dietrich Enns with a foot infection? Tyler O’Neill gave himself a concussion from passing out from dehydration while sick? Ryan Mountcastle broke a bone in his foot while running the bases? Jackson Holliday broke his hamate bone while swinging just before spring training even started?
It is up to a general manager to assemble depth that is competent to handle some unexpected problems. Elias probably thought he had this. I’m sure he knew O’Neill would hit the IL some time this year: That would have meant easier playing time for Beavers, and Leody Taveras is around to back things up too. Taveras has been great so far. Beavers has not.
Elias went and got Alexander when he learned about Jordan Westburg’s injury, and Jeremiah Jackson was around when Holliday was hurt. Mayo was in the mix. Even the Adley Rutschman injury, theoretically that would mean, okay, it’s Basallo’s time to shine. Which isn’t happening yet. Elias has two of his projected bullpen guys on the IL in Keegan Akin and Andrew Kittredge.
I think the Orioles should have probably signed another real reliever other than Helsley, probably instead of re-acquiring Kittredge, but guys are stepping up in the bullpen so far. Anthony Nunez has looked great. Rico Garcia is also off to a strong start. Even Yennier Cano has rediscovered something positive in the early results.
**
If the Orioles don’t make the playoffs this year, I think that’s a sign that Elias’s plan has failed and he should be fired. In that event, it would be clear that he does not have it in him to build a sustained talent pipeline and supplement that internal pipeline with useful players from outside the organization.
We are 19 games into the season and there is no certainty that the Orioles will remain on their current path. All of this feels worse because many of their problems do feel like they’re carrying over from last year, this despite having a new manager, new hitting coaches, and a decent amount of roster turnover. It should have been better than this, and so far it’s not. That’s not fun. Elias at the top is the big constant here.
Still, it’s early to give up on the team. The 2014 Orioles were below .500 as late as May 30, 53 games into their season. They finished 96-66. There is plenty of time for things to still come together for the 2026 Orioles. Of course, there was plenty of time for things to come together for the 2025 Orioles at this time a year ago, and we know that they never did.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 19, 2026: James Hicks #21 of the Houston Astros throws a pitch during the second inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Miami Marlins at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on March 19, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below.
AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (10-7) POSTPONED
AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (6-6) lost 9-4 (BOX SCORE)
The Hooks got some runs early getting an Austin solo HR in the first and an Encarnacion RBI single in the 2nd. Hicks got the start and was solid allowing 2 runs over 5 innings of work. The Hooks got 2 more runs in the 4th on an error. The Hooks held a 4-2 lead but the pen struggled allowing 7 runs and the offense was quiet the rest of the way as they fell 9-4.
James Hicks, RHP: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Alex Santos, RHP: 1.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Railin Perez, RHP: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
Ramsey David, RHP: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
A+: Asheville Tourists (4-8) lost 11-8 (BOX SCORE)
Hertzler started for Asheville and was solid allowing 1 run over 3 innings. He was relieved by Rodriguez who struggled allowing 7 runs over 1.2 innings. The Asheville offense battled getting a Rosario 3 run HR in the 6th and a 2 run single from Hernandez in the 7th. The bullpen allowed another 3 runs as the Dash extended their lead. In the 9th, the offense got 3 runs on a Hernandez RBI single and Frey 2 run single but the comeback fell short as they lost 11-8.
Jose Guedez, RHP: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Eurys Martich, RHP: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (2-10) lost 6-3 (BOX SCORE)
The Woodpeckers got on the board first scoring 2 runs in the first inning on Diaz and Ramirez RBI singles. Perez got the start and was pitching well but allowed a 3 run home run in the 5th. He finished with 6 strikeouts over 5 innings. The offense tied it in the 6th scoring a run on an error. Weber relieved Perez and allowed 3 runs in relief and the offense was quiet the rest of the way as the Woodpeckers fell 6-3.
Joined by Rocco from Isles House, we remember enforcer Trevor Gillies, who was a much more complex individual than his monstrous reputation would suggest.
Trevor Gillies had spent a decade in the minors fighting across North America before he finally got regular NHL playing time for a young Islanders team that needed a lot of protection. While his toughness and fearlessness instantly made him a fan favorite, those same qualities – plus one very scary image in one of the craziest melees in NHL history – made him a villain to outsiders. Getting two long suspensions in short order for two questionable actions made his time on Long Island brief. But he left a lasting impression upon those who both watched and played with him that’s only grown over time.
Rocco tells us how Gillies became one of his favorite Islanders fighters of all time, how he appreciated his list of bouts against combatants of various sizes and how Fight Night 2011 against the Penguins and its many storylines created a bond with that era that won’t be broken anytime soon. In addition to the degree of “heavy metal” Gillies brought to the Islanders, we also marvel at his insane ECHL stats, some of his former teammates and, of course, his glorious mustache.
Huge thanks again to Rocco for coming on and sharing his stories and his pizza tips. You should already be listening to him and previous Weird Islanders guests Jack and Ethan on the Isles House podcast. Or stop by Cafe Dolce Vita in either Jericho and Deer Park, grab a slice and say hello.
WEIRD BONUS MATERIAL
After 10 years in the minors, one game with Anaheim and 50 games with Bridgeport, Gillies established himself as the Islanders Enforcer of The Future in 2010.
Shockingly, he has lots of fights on YouTube! Here’s Gillies versus mouth-breathing dipshit idiot caveman Paul Bissonnette:
Gillies versus the late Derek Boogaard (RIP). Our boy lands on top but takes a lot of punishment:
Gillies vessus another fellow Weird Islander Mike Rupp
Then there was Fight Night. His most infamous altercation was against the Penguins on Feb. 11, 2011. Gillies pummeled Pittsburgh’s Eric Tangredi and looked to be taunting him from the tunnel. But that’s not really what happened.
Many saw the man for the complex person he is (and we all are). He had a job and did it. It turns out, he wasn’t an unrepentant killing machine. He could even be an inspiration. But by all accounts, he was also a great teammate. Here are two heartwarming videos: one is some friendly competition between he and, another Weird Islander, Kirill Kabanov.
And here’s Trevor and his dad Murray and their bad ass mustaches (Murray’s was first)
Believe it or not, Gillies even scored a goal for the Islanders. A nice one, too:
Gillies still loves talking about the old days and has a great sense of humor about his hockey career. You might even see him at an Islanders game!
What makes a “Weird Islander?”
We’re always open to suggestions about other Weird Islanders to discuss. Remember the criteria. Candidates must fulfill one of the two of the following:
Played one (1) season or less for the Islanders or very short stints over multiple seasons.
Be a veteran NHLer who is not generally associated with his time on Islanders.
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Arsenal dominated initially when the teams met last month at Wembley before City gradually became ascendant, Guardiola’s side in control after the break as two goals from Nico O’Reilly claimed the trophy. Guardiola was asked if City would prevail again at the Etihad Stadium if they perform as they did at Wembley. “If we play like the second half during 95 minutes and they play like the second half during 95 minutes, we are going to win,” said the manager.
SARASOTA, FL - MARCH 20: Juan Valera #67 of the Boston Red Sox leaves the field during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium on Friday, March 20, 2026 in Sarasota, Florida. (Photo by Scott Audette/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Bowling Green Hot Rods 9, Greenville Drive 8 (BOX)
Unfortunately, the story of the day in this one was Juan Valera’s elbow. After beginning to pop up on top-100 MLB prospect lists, Valera left the game after one inning with inflammation in his pitching elbow. Chris Cotillo has more detail here. Valera was off to an electric start, with 17 strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings to start the season. He also missed more than half the season a year ago with an elbow injury.
After his departure, the Hot Rods (TB) pulled out a wild back-and-forth affair on Thursday night in Greenville.
Last year, I made my pitch for the movie Hot Rod being rather underrated. This year, I’m pushing for professional athletes to go back to the nickname “Hot Rod”. There was Rodney “Hot Rod” Hundley who was the first overall pick in the 1957 NBA draft, played his whole career for the Lakers, and was a broadcaster after retirement. John “Hot Rod” Williams played in the NBA from 1986-1999, mostly for the Cavaliers.
We’re long overdue for a lightning-fast MLB player who points finger-guns into the air after sliding in for an extra-base hit.
For the Drive in the loss, Yoeilin Cespedes went yard twice on the day, with both coming off another 80-grade name in pitcher Gary Gill Hill. Yophery Rodriguez homered twice as well, knocking in five runs on the day.
🪀💣
Boston Red Sox prospect Yophery Rodriguez with his second home run of the night in High-A pic.twitter.com/of7r9Bf86m
The Altoona Curve (PIT) are 0-12 to start the season, and Thursday’s game was more of the same. Sea Dogs starter Eduardo Rivera struck out nine batters over 5 2/3 innings, allowing three hits to get the win in his second straight strong start. Joe Vogatsky got the ever-popular three-inning save (plus one out), preserving the shutout.
On the offensive side, Max Ferguson had the biggest blast of the night on a grand slam.
Max Ferguson to the roller coaster for a grand slam!
The second home run of the season for the Boston Red Sox prospect in Double-A. pic.twitter.com/Wy3wxc6AMH
RidgeYaks pitching got hit early and often yesterday by the Crawdads (TEX), beginning with starter Dylan Brown, who allowed 11 baserunners and six runs in 3 1/3 innings.
Offensively, right fielder Andrews Opata had three RBIs, including a solo home run.
Madinson Frias (0-0, 12.60) will take the bump on Friday at 7:00.
Worcester Red Sox at Nashville Sounds (Suspended, 0-0, Top 4th inn.)
Starters Jake Bennett for the Woo Sox and Thomas Pannone for the Sounds (MIL) each threw three shutout innings before the game was suspended in the top of the fourth inning.
The game will be continued, followed by the regularly scheduled game, at 7:05 ET on Friday, with pitching matchups yet to be determined.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 13: Bradly Nadeau #29 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates his first period goal against the Philadelphia Flyers with Charles Alexis Legault #62, Jesperi Kotkaniemi #82, and Nikolaj Ehlers #27 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena on April 13, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Then there were … 16. Expanded playoff formats across all sports makes that sound far less dramatic, but The Stanley Cup Playoffs are upon us. It has been an incredible season of hockey with young players establishing themselves as the superstars of the future, stunning trades that took us aback, and an Olympic break which was absolutely devoid of any political drama whatsoever.
The field is now set with 13 teams from the USA and three from Canada trying to capture the most difficult prize in team sports. This year everything is up in the air with the Florida Panthers crashing to earth, meaning we will see a new team hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup. Let’s look at the full field and rank them from the most-likely to win it all, to the least.
No. 1: Colorado Avalanche
The President’s Trophy (awarded to the No. 1 regular-season team) has been a serious jinx when it comes to winning the biggest prize in the sport. You have to go back to 2013 to find the last time a team won both the President’s and the Stanley Cup — but I’m not going to let superstition get in the way with this pick.
The Colorado Avalanche are a phenomenal team. Finishing with 54 wins and 116 points they’d have an even more dominant record if not for a late-second injury to Cale Makar that has sidelined him while this team waited for the playoffs to start. Anchored by Nathan McKinnon, the best player in hockey, the Avs have so much high-end talent on their roster that they seem primed for the playoffs.
It’s very difficult to find a discernible weakness here, with Colorado finishing the season with a preposterous +97 goal differential. At this point the only thing stopping them from going all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals appears to be if Makar’s injury lingers, but it shouldn’t — and they are absolutely the favorites to do it all.
No. 2: Carolina Hurricanes
Nobody else in the NHL approaches hockey the same way as the Carolina Hurricanes, which is both their biggest blessing and their worst curse. Coach Rod Brind’Amour’s brand of hockey puts a premium on even, multi-line play without an emphasis on star players. It’s for this reason that superstars often choose to avoid the Canes in free agency, but this team found its missing piece with Nikolaj Ehlers, who moved past a slow start to the season to become the most consistent player on the team.
Boasting SIX 50-point players this season is something few in the league can claim, including the mighty Avs. Carolina is incredibly deep, attacks from seemingly anywhere, but as a result, also lacks the top-end star power often needed to carry a team to the cup. Couple that with incredibly shaky goaltending and we’re left with a very, very good team that’s unquestionably the best in the East — but lacks that x-factor who can put everyone on their back and carry the team in tough game.
No. 3: Dallas Stars
The biggest knock on the Stars is that they play in the same conference as the Avalanche. There’s no question Dallas had a great season by finishing with another 100+ point season, but it’s impossible to look at this team and feel just a little bit let down.
Mikko Rantanen has been very good, but a far cry from the 55-goal monster he was in Colorado, scoring netting just 22 on the year. He’s made up for that with his passing, where Wyatt Johnson has been the biggest goal-scoring benefactor, but a lack of solid center play outside of Johnson really makes this team stand out from the field.
Having good center play is absolutely critical in the playoffs, and it’s for this reason that the Stars lag just a little behind. Relying too much on their wings to push the tempo of the game hasn’t been a recipe for success, and it feels like this team is just one puck distributor away from being able to cement themselves as Stanley Cup favorites.
No. 4: Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning are more or less the same team they’ve been for several years now. For whatever reason the organization just keeps running it back and trying again, without a lot of adjustments being made to their core. This is fine with the caliber of players Tampa has in Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel, Matthew Hagel, and Andrei Vasilevskiy in net — but beyond those guys the team falls off a cliff.
We’re left with a team in the East that has a higher top-end than some of its competitors, but much weaker depth. That’s more or less the rub on the Lightning and why they fall to 4th in our rankings.
No. 5: Buffalo Sabres
It’s really, really fun to see the Sabres back in the NHL Playoffs for the first time since 2011 and the team has all the trappings of a unit that can continue to build of this season. The core issue is that they’re too young and too inexperienced to be considered high-level contenders quite yet. Playoff hockey might as well be a completely different sport, which tends to chew up teams that aren’t ready for the tactical grind.
It was extremely tempting to put the Sabres above the Lightning considering regular season success, but I think Tampa and Carolina both have the ability to reach down and find a gear the Sabres are still lacking.
No. 6: Minnesota Wild
The Wild would be higher on this list if not for the division they play in. They have a lot of top-end talent with Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and Quinn Hughes — but too often this team relies on stellar netminding to eke out games.
It’s going to be very difficult to grind out games hovering around the league average in goals-for and goals-against when you have to go through the Stars and Avalanche to make it to the cup. This was a big, necessary step forward for the Wild to get off the treadmill from being an easy Wild Card out, but they still lack some line depth to really make a deep run.
The good news is they have a stellar prospect pool coming up, it’s just a touch too early for them.
No. 7: Montreal Canadiens
It’s wonderful that the Canadiens are back in the playoffs. There’s just something special about the Bell Centre being full for playoff hockey, and having another original six legend back in the hunt just makes it all feel more special.
So, with all due respect to Montreal, they’re not ready yet. I’m giving them an outside chance because they are better than several Eastern Conference teams on this list, with a penchant for rising to the occasion, but they’re also average in a lot of key areas like power play, penalty kill, and goals against.
This makes the Habs a little one-dimensional. They have five core players, with the third and fourth lines being a major liability. That makes the Canadiens a team to watch in the future, but not quite yet.
No. 8: Boston Bruins
Lack of wing strength (aside from David Pastrňák) is a major weakness for the Bruins who lack those reliable 2nd and 3rd scoring options. In order to win in these playoffs they need stellar play from the defense, and the centers to win their individual battles — which is certainly possible for a game of two, but not in a seven-game series.
Leading up to the playoffs the Bruins lost three straight games to Eastern Conference playoff teams. They were competitive in each game, but it did underscore the weaknesses of this roster, which is still a few pieces away. Another case of it just being a touch too soon, the Bruins have a really strong prospect pool coming down the pipeline.
No. 9: Las Vegas Golden Knights
It isn’t often you see a team fire its coach less than a month before the playoffs when they’re still in the hunt, but making the switch to John Tortorella was a bold move that had huge results down the stretch. The Knights went 7-0-1 with Tortorella as head coach, finally finding the gear that Vegas has been missing this season.
Goal scoring has been the big issue for this team throughout the season, with scoring being down across the board from a year ago. In 2024-25 the Vegas was 5th in the NHL in goals scored, but that fell to 14th this season. This was compounded by also allowing more goals than a year ago, making this just a much weaker team in general. Tortorella could work his magic, but this team is starting to show its age a little.
No. 10: Utah Mammoth
Utah have been another feel-good story this year with the Mammoth having expansion team success and making the playoffs in just their second season. A team that loves to grind out games with strong forechecking and reliable defense, the team ranked 10th in the NHL this season in both goals allowed and goals scored.
Just making it this far is a major accomplishment. There’s also a very real chance they could win an opening series against the Golden Knights, who are substantially weaker this season than in year’s past. The issue is that eventually the Pacific Division has to face the Central, which is where the Avs, Stars, and Wild are located.
No. 11: Pittsburgh Penguins
You have to be a die-hard Pens hater not to like the romance of Sidney Crosby getting another shot at playoff hockey, which could be one of the last in his career. This is an old team that leans far too much on Crosby to still make things happen at age 38, without enough youth support behind him.
This has more or less been the story of the Penguins for the last several years, as they’ve struggled to build out their roster in a way that can compete consistently. An emotionally-charged opening series against the Flyers will likely lead to the winner facing Carolina in the second round, and it’s near-impossible to see them making it past the Canes.
No. 12: Ottawa Senators
The Senators found their way into the playoffs as the final wild card in the east and boast a deep roster with a varied attack. The problem putting them any higher is twofold: Firstly, they have substantial goaltending issues that have plagued the team this season, and secondly, they face the Hurricanes in the opening round.
No. 13: Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers are the same team they’ve been for years now. Connor McDavid is arguably the best player in hockey, Leon Draisaitl is a monster, and Evan Bouchard is one of the best offensive blueliners in the game. This team is a mess defensively, and it’s been for a while now. Ranking 25th in goals allowed, Edmonton has to overwhelm on the offensive end to win. With this playoff field it’s just not going to work.
No. 14: Philadelphia Flyers
So much about the Flyers doesn’t make sense. They’re below the league average in goals scored and allowed, their goaltending is inconsistent, and there’s a lot to love about this team — but just not yet. The future is so bright in Philly with Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov, but the playoffs are often determined by veteran talent that can even out a roster and bring much-needed stability. That’s something the Flyers lack right now, and it’s tough to see them making a deep run.
No. 15: Anaheim Ducks
This was a building block season for the Ducks that achieved its goals. One of the youngest teams in hockey, there was huge growth from Anaheim’s stars who are in their early 20s, showing incredible promise for the future. This team doesn’t have what it takes to hang in the playoffs hight not, but wait a few years, and with some smart moves this will be a potential Stanley Cup winning team.
No. 16: Los Angeles Kings
The Kings are in because the depth of the west is incredibly weak. I know that sounds harsh, but with a -22 goal differential this season and a roster lacking impact players means they’re going to be eaten alive by the Avalanche in the opening round. It is what it is.
COVERS INTEL: Ranger Suarez has induced soft contact 22.7% of the time, best among today’s projected starting pitchers.
