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Flyers win in the shootout to snap long and frustrating losing streak

Flyers win in the shootout to snap long and frustrating losing streak originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Owen Tippett scored a game-winning shootout tally Thursday night to give the Flyers a 4-3 decision over the Lightning at the Wells Fargo Center.

Finally, John Tortorella’s club could celebrate again.

The Flyers (28-31-8) picked up win No. 1 on their season-long seven-game homestand. They came in 0-5-0 on this stretch at home and had been outscored 22-8. They avoided matching their season-worst losing streak of six games.

“They know the situation and that’s why I appreciate them,” Tortorella said. “I don’t think there’s going to ever be a problem in how hard they’re going to play. But it’s hard for them and I’m happy they can enjoy it.”

Bobby Brink led the Flyers’ charge with three points. The 23-year-old winger had two goals to make up for two penalties. Both were game-tying markers.

“I have been all over Bobby for the first couple of years and I just like the way he has handled it,” Tortorella said. “He has just taken it on, I think he has accepted the challenge. And I’m happy for him because I think he has found an area that I don’t think he thought he could play. He was a scorer in college, small guy, probably doesn’t think he’s good enough to check. But he has found a way to play hard in those areas and I think that has taken him to another level this year.”

Ryan Poehling gave the Flyers just their second lead of the homestand when he made a nice move in close with just under a minute left in the middle stanza. Brink assisted the go-ahead 3-2 goal, but former Flyer Cam Atkinson erased the lead just 3:50 minutes into the third period.

The Flyers went to overtime for the 19th time this season. They improved to 5-3 in the shootout. Matvei Michkov also netted one in the skills competition.

Lycksell had the second multi-point game of his NHL career with two assists. The 25-year-old winger saw the door open for an audition when the Flyers traded away four forwards in the span of five weeks. Both of his helpers were primary ones on Brink’s markers.

“He’s a great player, real skilled offensively,” Lycksell said. “Heck of a two goals and he can really make plays, so I was just trying to set him up.”

The Flyers are 2-0-0 against the Lightning (37-23-5), with both victories coming in the shootout. The clubs meet once more in four days at Amalie Arena.

On Thursday night, Tampa Bay was without Nikita Kucherov (illness), the NHL’s third-leading scorer (92 points).

• After the Flyers turned to Ivan Fedotov for consecutive starts, they went back to Samuel Ersson and he converted 17 saves on 20 shots.

“He did a great job, that’s a heavy lineup they’ve got up there, especially in a shootout,” Poehling said. “For him to shut the door like that for us and give us a chance was awesome.”

Ersson had surrendered 16 goals over his previous four starts.

Lightning backup Jonas Johansson stopped 26 of the Flyers’ 29 shots.

• Tortorella decided to bump Travis Konecny up to the first line with Noah Cates and Tyson Foerster.

As a result, Brink moved down to play with Poehling and Lycksell. And it ended up sparking Brink. The Flyers are 7-0-2 in games that Brink scores a goal.

“He has taken a huge step in his development,” Tortorella said. “He works so hard away from the puck, that helps his offense.”

The Flyers got great production from that line and really needed it. They’ve been desperate for a jolt offensively. They had not scored three or more goals since Game 1 of the homestand.

“Lycky and Poehls played great,” Brink said. “Unbelievable plays on the goals. They made life easy on me.”

• Rasmus Ristolainen was banged up and unavailable, so Egor Zamula drew into the lineup and played alongside Emil Andrae.

Garnet Hathaway remained out with an undisclosed injury he suffered from a blindsided hit he took at the end of February.

• Atkinson unleashed a big pump of the fist after he tied things up against his former team in the third period.

The veteran winger was back at the Wells Fargo Center as a visiting player for the first time since having the final year of his contract bought out by the Flyers last summer.

The veteran winger has nine points (four goals, five assists) in 38 games for Tampa Bay.

• The Flyers wrap up the homestand Saturday when they host the Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

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Flyers win in the shootout to snap long and frustrating losing streak

Flyers win in the shootout to snap long and frustrating losing streak originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Owen Tippett scored a game-winning shootout tally Thursday night to give the Flyers a 4-3 decision over the Lightning at the Wells Fargo Center.

Finally, John Tortorella’s club could celebrate again.

The Flyers (28-31-8) picked up win No. 1 on this season-long seven-game homestand. They came in 0-5-0 and had been outscored 22-8.

Bobby Brink led the Flyers’ charge Thursday night with three points. The 23-year-old winger had two goals to make up for two penalties. Both were game-tying markers.

Ryan Poehling gave the Flyers just their second lead of the homestand when he made a nice move in close with just under a minute left in the middle stanza. Brink assisted the go-ahead 3-2 goal, but former Flyer Cam Atkinson erased the lead just 3:50 minutes into the third period.

The Flyers went to overtime for the 19th time this season. They improved to 5-3 in the shootout. Matvei Michkov also netted one in the skills competition.

Lycksell had the second multi-point game of his NHL career with two assists. The 25-year-old winger saw the door open for an audition when the Flyers traded away four forwards in the span of five weeks. Both of his helpers were primary ones on Brink’s markers.

“He’s a great player, real skilled offensively,” Lycksell said. “Heck of a two goals and he can really make plays, so I was just trying to set him up.”

The Flyers are 2-0-0 against the Lightning (37-23-5), with both victories coming in the shootout. The clubs meet once more in four days at Amalie Arena.

On Thursday night, Tampa Bay was without Nikita Kucherov (illness), the NHL’s third-leading scorer (92 points).

• After the Flyers turned to Ivan Fedotov for consecutive starts, they went back to Samuel Ersson and he converted 17 saves on 20 shots.

The 25-year-old had surrendered 16 goals over his previous four starts.

Lightning backup Jonas Johansson stopped 26 of the Flyers’ 29 shots.

• Tortorella decided to bump Travis Konecny up to the first line with Noah Cates and Tyson Foerster.

As a result, Brink moved down to play with Poehling and Lycksell. And it ended up sparking Brink.

The Flyers got great production from that line and really needed it. They’ve been desperate for a jolt offensively. They had not scored three or more goals since Game 1 of the homestand.

“Lycky and Poehls played great,” Brink said. “Unbelievable plays on the goals. They made life easy on me.”

• Rasmus Ristolainen was banged up and unavailable, so Egor Zamula drew into the lineup and played alongside Emil Andrae.

Garnet Hathaway remained out with an undisclosed injury he suffered from a blindsided hit he took at the end of February.

• Atkinson unleashed a big pump of the fist after he tied things up against his former team in the third period.

The veteran winger was back at the Wells Fargo Center as a visiting player for the first time since having the final year of his contract bought out by the Flyers last summer.

The veteran winger has nine points (four goals, five assists) in 38 games for Tampa Bay.

• The Flyers wrap up the homestand Saturday when they host the Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

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What we learned as Kings can't stop Warriors in third straight loss

What we learned as Kings can't stop Warriors in third straight loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO – Turns out that 29-point loss to the New York Knicks wasn’t rock bottom for the Kings. Three days after getting shellacked at home, Sacramento’s 2024-25 NBA season reached a new low in Thursday’s 130-104 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

Losing to the four-time NBA champions wasn’t the worst part, especially with center Domantas Sabonis again not able to play due to his hamstring injury.

It was the aesthetics that made it so bad.

The Kings’ season-long defensive issues were on full display in a bad way at Chase Center. Time and time again, Warriors’ shooters were given uncontested, wide-open looks. Even when Sacramento tried to D up, Golden State’s offense was too much to handle.

It wasn’t Stephen Curry doing the majority of damage. Although the NBA icon reached another mercurial plateau with his 4,000 career 3-pointer, it was the Warriors’ all-around effort that wore the Kings down.

On the positive side, DeMar DeRozan remained hot with 23 points and seven assists. Keon Ellis added 18 points off the bench while Zach LaVine scored 14. Jake LaRavia had 13 points.

The Kings (33-32) don’t have much time to lick their wounds. They head to Phoenix for a key game against the Suns on Friday. Despite the loss to Golden State, Sacramento remains the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference while Phoenix is on the outer edge of the NBA play-in round.

The Kings came out against the Warriors a little sluggish on offense but seemed intent on preventing Curry from going off. That worked for a while, but the domino effect was what really hurt Sacramento.

With all that attention on Curry, the Kings were out of position when it came to defending Golden State’s other players. Draymond Green, Moses Moody and Buddy Hield made four 3-pointers apiece. Quinten Post and Gary Payton II each made three 3-pointers.

Sacramento trailed bv 23 in the first half before a late run in the second quarter to make things respectable at the break. Those good vibes went away shortly after halftime, as Golden State increased its lead in the third quarter then coasted in the fourth.

Here are the takeaways from Thursday’s game:

Where’s The Closeout?

Sacramento’s perimeter defense might as well have been on the back of a milk carton. It was missing most of the night, one of the key reasons that enabled Golden State to control the flow and rhythm of the game.

Warriors shooters repeatedly were left wide open, either from the corner or at the top of the arc, and made good on their attempts when given space to operate.

Perimeter defense has been an issue for the Kings all season and was one of former coach Mike Brown’s biggest pet peeves. If they can’t get it corrected before the NBA playoffs, it will be a short but tiring postseason for the Kings.

No Domas, No Interior

With Sabonis still sitting out with a grade 1 hamstring strain, the Kings basically had zero presence on the inside, offensively and defensively.

Sacramento, which had four shots blocked in the key within the first 10 minutes of the game, did OK early without their big man in the middle and scored nearly a dozen points in the paint before settling for contested jumpers and distance shots.

Jonas Valančiūnas continued to start at center in Sabonis’ absence and finished with five points and nine rebounds.

Sabonis’ unique ability to score from inside and outside makes him a perennial NBA All-Star contender, and those elements clearly were a sore spot against the Warriors. The good news is that Kings interim coach Doug Christie is optimistic that Sabonis would return soon.

Monk’s Off Night

Making his second consecutive start after missing a trio of games with a toe injury, Kings guard Malik Monk had a frustrating night. Although his offensive numbers were low – seven points on 3-of-13 shooting (0-for-5 from distance) Monk grabbed four boards and dished out six assists.

Monk obviously has earned a strong reputation for coming off the bench, but he has been very good as a starter for the Kings. Keeping him with the starters, despite his off night against Golden State, is a must for Christie.

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Jones scores 28 as No. 25 Marquette rallies past Xavier 89-87 in Big East quarterfinal

Kam Jones scored 28 points and No. 25 Marquette rallied past Xavier 89-87 on Thursday in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals. After trailing by 14 early in the second half, the fifth-seeded Golden Eagles (23-9) took the lead for good at 81-80 on Jones' layup with 1:16 remaining. David Joplin connected on a pivotal 3-pointer with 26 seconds left, and Marquette held on to earn a semifinal matchup with sixth-ranked and top-seeded St. John's on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.

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What we learned as Steph makes history in Warriors' win vs. Kings

What we learned as Steph makes history in Warriors' win vs. Kings originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors on Thursday night at Chase Center began with back-to-back booms by Draymond Green, who hit threes from the right corner on Golden State’s first two possessions, but all eyes were on Steph Curry’s countdown to 4,000 career 3-pointers. 

History was made during the third quarter, and the Warriors held off the Kings for a 130-104 win to continue their successful homestand. 

Curry played 30 minutes and was held to 11 points on the Kings’ defense that looked to make anybody else beat them. 

The Warriors’ leading scorer, however, was a surprise. Green scored a season-high 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting and was 4 of 7 on threes. He also added five rebounds and four assists.

The anticipation of Curry’s latest historic shot wasn’t the only storyline everyone was waiting to see unfold. Jonathan Kuminga returned from an ankle injury that had sidelined him since Jan. 4 and looked like he hadn’t missed a beat. Kuminga was spry and active, scoring 18 points off the bench in 20 minutes, going 7 of 10 from the field and was a plus-8.

This was a group project aced by many. The Warriors had eight players score in double figures, from the starting lineup and four off the bench.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ season-best sixth win in a row.

4K Curry

Before Curry even took one three, the Warriors already had shot four and made half of them. But the first time Curry let it fly, he cashed in from the left wing. Curry then missed his first chance at making his 4,000th career three, clanking from the top of the arc. 

The next three Curry took again was unsuccessful, putting him one three away from his major milestone through the first half.

A little under four minutes into the third quarter, Curry hit 4K on his fourth attempt of the game. Curry used a pump fake to get Trey Lyles to fly past him, dribbled once to his left and again defied basketball history for the umpteenth time. 

During the next timeout, the Warriors played a special tribute video that began with former Warrior Andris Biedrins, who assisted Curry on his first career made 3-pointer as a Warrior on Oct. 30, 2009, his second game in the NBA. Curry made his 1,000th three in his sixth season. He made it to 2,000 early in his ninth season, 3,000 in his 13th season and now 4,000 in his 16th season.

Now, imagine if Curry played more than 26 games in his third season, and wasn’t held to five games in the pandemic-riddled 2019-20 NBA season. The record books will never be the same.

Kuminga’s Impressive Return

The wait finally ended at the 7:23 mark of the first quarter. Kuminga, after missing the Warriors’ previous 31 games, was back on the court following a Kings timeout. He replaced Jimmy Butler, joining Curry, Green, Moses Moody and Quinten Post. 

His first shot attempt was a tough finish at the rim on Kings center Jonas Valančiūnas that didn’t fall through. Still, the Warriors loved Kuminga’s intent and decision. He also pushed the ball in transition and assisted Curry on his first three of the night. Then with a little more than three minutes left in the first quarter, Kuminga scored his first points in 68 days. 

Kuminga went coast to coast, hesitated for a second with his left and then blew by Malik Monk for a strong left-handed layup.

That’s exactly what the Warriors want to see out of Kuminga. His first stint was lively, lasting five minutes in which he was a plus-4. Kuminga in the first half played nine minutes and scored six points on 2-of-3 shooting, and also had three rebounds and one assist.

He played another 11 minutes in the second half, scoring 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Aside from Curry’s three, the best moment of the night was Kuminga throwing down multiple dunks in the fourth quarter, including an alley-oop from Green.

Kings’ 4-On-4 Strategy

If Keegan Murray was in the game when Curry was on the court, he face guarded Curry everywhere he went. The same goes for Kings guard Keon Ellis. The game turned to 4-on-4 to prevent Curry from making more history. 

Turns out that Curry guy is a pretty decent decoy. 

The Warriors in the first quarter shot 13 threes, with only two coming from Curry. They went 7 of 13 in that span. Going into halftime, the Warriors were shooting 57.1 percent beyond the arc, going 12 of 21, and Curry only was responsible for one made three. 

Before Curry made his 4,000th career 3-pointer, the Warriors as a team were 14 of 23, amounting to 60.1 percent. Green had made four threes. Post and Gary Payton II had made three, and Moody, Buddy Hield and Gui Santos each had made one. 

Kings interim coach Doug Christie’s strategy worked for stretches, taking Curry out of the game as a scorer. More often than not, however, the Warriors as a whole made him pay for it. They made 22 of their 39 3-point attempts while the Kings finished 14 of 37, giving Golden State a 24-point advantage from long distance.

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No. 2 Houston overcomes J’Wan Roberts’ ankle injury to beat Colorado 77-69 in Big 12 quarterfinal

Emanuel Sharpe scored 19 points before fouling out, and No. 2 Houston overcame an injury to veteran forward J'Wan Roberts in the second half to beat Colorado 77-68 on Thursday and advance to the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament. LJ Cryer and Milos Uzan added 14 points apiece for the top-seeded Cougars (28-4), who will play No. 17 BYU — the No. 4 seed in the tournament — on Friday night for a spot in their second consecutive championship game. Houston's postseason run a year ago was derailed by injuries, so it made sense that the bench tensed up when Roberts went down right in front of it with about 18 minutes to go.

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Mets' Edwin Diaz has 'better' spring outing against Red Sox: 'From the first pitch, there was conviction'

It's been an inconsistent spring for Edwin Diaz, but he bounced back in a big way for the Mets on Thursday.

Although it came in a losing effort, Diaz was sharp making his third spring training outing. After the Mets closer gave up a leadoff double, he retired the next three batters on a fly out, swinging strikeout and another fly out -- he threw 18 pitches (12 strikes).

"Better," Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza said of Diaz's outing. "From the first pitch, there was conviction. It’s spring training. The first couple of outings, you felt like after a couple of guys got on, that was when he was letting the ball go. Today, we saw it from the first pitch. Even though he gave up that double, he had to work today, make pitches and there was much more conviction behind it."

Diaz's first outing came back on March 6 against the Astros, where he allowed two runs on two hits and one walk, recording just one out. The All-Star closer was unfazed by his performance, calling it just "part of the game."

His next time out (March 9 against the Nationals), Diaz struck out three batters but walked two in his inning of work. It took him 27 pitches to retire the side.

Thursday was a different story. Diaz was efficient and attacked the zone. However, his fastball saw a dip in velocity. The 30-year-old's fastball averaged 95 mph and topped out around 96 mph. His final heater was clocked at 92 mph.

Mendoza was asked about Diaz's velocity and whether he was concerned.

"Nah, it’ll come up," he said. "I’m not worried about that."

If all is right with Diaz, the Mets should have a formidable backend of the bullpen with A.J. Minter making his impressive spring debut on Wednesday. The left-hander, who signed a two-year deal, pitched a perfect inning on just 10 pitches.

Minter had a delayed start to camp after recovering from offseason hip surgery.

Dedniel Núñez, who was impressive out of the Mets' bullpen last season, got through a two inning live BP session earlier this week "ok," per Mendoza. The skipper added that Núñez's next step will be making his spring debut on Monday against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Mets' next game is hosting the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night.

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An Early Look at the Blue Jackets' 2025 Pending Free Agents

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The NHL's trade deadline has come and gone, and now it is time to look at teams' free agents as they gear up for the playoffs.

Columbus Blue Jackets Lines, Defensive Pairings, & Scratches For Tonight's Game vs. Vegas Golden KnightsColumbus Blue Jackets Lines, Defensive Pairings, & Scratches For Tonight's Game vs. Vegas Golden KnightsThe Columbus Blue Jackets and Vegas Golden Knights play this season for the second and final time.

For the Columbus Blue Jackets, they have nine pending unrestricted free agents (UFA) and three restricted free agents (RFA) on their roster.

The Blue Jackets have some big decisions to make this summer. With roughly $45 million in cap space, they will need to decide who they are keeping and who they aren't.

Columbus Blue Jackets (70 pts) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (83 pts) Game PreviewColumbus Blue Jackets (70 pts) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (83 pts) Game PreviewThe Columbus Blue Jackets welcome the Vegas Golden Knights into Nationwide Arena on Thursday. The Blue Jackets won their only meeting of the season in Vegas back on Jan. 30 in OT

Unrestricted Free Agents:

  • Luke Kunin
  • Sean Kuraly
  • Christian Fischer
  • Justin Danforth
  • James van Riemsdyk
  • Kevin Labanc
  • Ivan Provorov
  • Dante Fabbro
  • Jack Johnson

There is no bigger name on this list than Ivan Provorov, and the Blue Jackets will need to decide if they are going to keep him. Ultimately, it will come down to his asking price—if it is too high, Columbus will likely walk away and let him test the open market.

Luke Kunin and Dante Fabbro are both players the Blue Jackets will likely extend before the market even opens. Fabbro has been a great fit with Zach Werenski since joining the team, while Kunin is a player that head coach Dean Evason has liked from their time together with the Minnesota Wild.

Blue Jackets Can Still Catch New Jersey Despite Big Loss Blue Jackets Can Still Catch New Jersey Despite Big Loss The Columbus Blue Jackets suffered a big loss last night to the New Jersey Devils in what could have been the biggest game of the season.

Sean Kuraly, Kevin Labanc, Justin Danforth, and Christian Fischer will be lower on the priority list. However, they will still have communication with the Blue Jackets about a new contract but could ultimately end up hitting the open market.

Jack Johnson and James van Riemsdyk are both nearing the end of their careers, which will likely mean they will chase a chance at winning the Stanley Cup with the best team that offers them a deal.

Blue Jackets Enter Critical Stretch Of The Season Blue Jackets Enter Critical Stretch Of The Season The Blue Jackets are entering a critical schedule point, and they must respond. 

Restricted Free Agents:

  • Dmitri Voronkov
  • Jordan Harris
  • Daniil Tarasov

The Blue Jackets own the rights to all three of these players, and it is more than likely that they will reach a deal with each of them. However, with Jet Greaves ready to take the next step and become an NHL backup goalie, Daniil Tarasov's rights could be dealt to make room for Greaves.

Gaudreau/Higgins Trial UpdateGaudreau/Higgins Trial UpdateThere's been a new update in the Sean Higgins trial.  Werenski Passes Rick Nash Setting New Blue Jackets RecordWerenski Passes Rick Nash Setting New Blue Jackets RecordBy now, everyone around the NHL should have Zach Werenski in the top two for Norris Trophy voting. He has shown this season he is a top-five defensemen and after last night's game against the New York Rangers, he should be treated as one. Blue Jackets Weekly Injury Report: Week 21Blue Jackets Weekly Injury Report: Week 21The NHL trade deadline has come and gone and the Columbus Blue Jackets brought in some reinforcements.