Here’s the Rays’ lineup:
Here’s the Guardians’ lineup:
Let’s go, Guardians!
GAME THREAD: Rays at Guardians, game 31 of 162
Astros vs. Orioles Game Thread: Game 30, 4/28/2026
The Houston Astros (11-18) begin a 6-game road trip tonight with the first game of a 3-game series against the Baltimore Orioles (13-15) at Camden Yards.
RHP Kai-Wei Teng (1-1, 2.16 ERA) will make his first start and 12th appearance of the season as he takes on Orioles starter RHP Shane Baz (0-2, 5.08 ERA).
ABOUT TENG: RHP Kai-Wei Teng makes his first start of the season tonight after beginning the season in the Astros bullpen.
In his 11 appearances out of the pen, he went 1-1 with 2.16 ERA (4ER/16.IP).
Tough To Hit:Teng has posted a .155 opponents batting avg., allowing just 9 hits in his 16.2 IP.
Last Appearance:Was on 4/25 vs. NYY (0.1 IP, 1 ER).
As A Starter:Teng has made 7 ML starts in his career, all while with SF in 2025.
Last Start: Teng’s last start was on Sept. 20, 2025 at Dodgers Stadium (ND, 3.0 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO).
Fun Facts: With his first ML win on Aug. 8, 2025 vs. WAS, Teng became the 8th Taiwanese-born pitcher in MLB history to earn a victory. Teng is the 2nd Taiwanese-born player/ pitcher to play for the Astros, joining RHP Chien Jen-Lo (2013).
VS. THE O’S: Tonight is the first of 6 scheduled matchups vs. the Orioles this season.
The Astros were 4-3 vs. BAL in 2025 with a 3-1 mark at Camden Yards when the two clubs last faced, Aug. 21-24.
Following the current series, the two clubs will next meet for a 3-game set at Daikin Park, July 17-19.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The Astros are on the road again for a 6-game trip following brief, 3-game homestand vs. NYY (Fri-Sun.).
After this 3-game series ends on Thursday, HOU will head to Beantown for a 3-game series vs. the Red Sox at Fenway Park this weekend.
ON THE OFFENSIVE: The Astros lead the AL in most key offensive categories: Runs (151), AVG (.259), OPS (.783), Doubles (63), OBP (.345), SLG (.438), Total Bases (430).
CAMDEN CRUSHER:Jose Altuve has a .377 (60×169) career avg. at Camden Yards with .444/.616/1.060 splits in 38 games. His .377 avg and 1.060 OPS at Camden Yards rank 2nd-best all-time, using a minimum of 150 ABs.
Vs. The O’s: Additionally, Altuve’s .321 career avg. vs. the Orioles overall is his 2nd-best vs. any AL club and his 6th-best vs. any MLB club overall.
Altuve has posted aa .300+ career batting avg. vs. 15 opposing teams.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Jose Altuve, who played his 2,000th career game on April 21 at CLE, is approaching more career milestones.
He needs 3 RBI to become the 5th player in franchise history to reach 900.
With 238 career HR, he needs one more to tie Lou Whitaker for 7th place all-time among 2nd basemen.
MAN ON FIRE:Yordan Alvarez has had a torrid start to this season, hitting .358 with 11 HR and 26 RBI. In addition to batting avg. and RBI, Alvarez also leads the AL in OPS (1.220), Offensive WAR (1.9), SLG (.755), OBP (.465) and Total Bases (80)….
Additionally, Alvarez also has the longest current hitting streak in the Majors at 12 games (.400, 20×50, 5 HR), his career best was a 13-game streak, May 2-16, 2023.
WALKER, TEXAS HAMMER:Christian Walker is hitting .417 (10×24) over the past week (since 4/20) with 3 HR and 7 RBI.
Walker was 6×12 (.500) in the series over the weekend vs. NYY with 5 RBI.
Among The Leaders: For the season, Walker enters tonight ranked T-3rd in the AL in RBI (23), 5th in SLG (.573), 6th in TB (59), 7th in OPS (.946) and 8th in doubles (8).
GUN ‘EM DOWN: In just 14 games (11 starts), C Christian Vázquez has thrown out seven baserunners attempting to steal (in 14 attempts), ranking tied for second in the AL in that category.
THE ORDER: The Astros have used 29 different batting orders in their 28 games so far this season.
Only LF Yordan Alvarez has started every game in the same spot in the lineup (second).
STALKING THE PUMA: LF Yordan Alvarez has matched the Astros franchise record with 11 home runs in the club’s first 29 games of a season, a feat he also accomplished in the 2022 season.
The only other Astro with 11 homers with the club’s first 29 games was OF Lance Berkman, who did so in both 2002 and 2006.
ON THE MEND:RHP Cody Bolton began a rehab assignment with Triple A Sugar Land on Sunday. In his outing, he allowed 1 run on 2 hits and 1 walk in 2.0 innings.
OF Zach Dezenzo also went 0x4 with a walk on Sunday with Sugar Land in his rehab appearance.
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY:2000 – In Milwaukee, RHP Chris Holt turns in the best performance of his career with a 1-hit, 7-0 shutout of the Brewers. The only hit allowed by Holt was a Ron Belliard single in the 2nd inning.
1998 – In the Dome, a 10th-inning, walk-off single by Sean Berry lifts the Astros to a 4-3, come-from-behind win over the Mets. The Astros trailed, 3-1 entering the bottom of the 9th before rallying for 2 runs off Mets closer John Franco to tie it.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Tuesday, April 28, 5:35 p.m. CST
Location: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD
TV: Space City Home Network
Streaming: SCHN+
Radio: KTRH 740 AM & 99.1 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
Anze Kopitar: Five Career Defining Moments
Anze Kopitar has been with the LA Kings for his entire career, and he has shown the hockey world just what that means. From his immediate impact as a rookie to helping the Kings capture 2 Stanley Cups in 3 seasons, and having his nation receive international success with him leading the way, Anze Kopitar has left a truly inspirational legacy and career-defining moments that nobody could have imagined.
Kopitar's Immediate Impact
Anze Kopitar was drafted by the Kings at 11th overall in the 2005 NHL Draft, and he made his presence known in his first NHL career game. He debuted on October 6th 2006, on the road against the Anaheim Ducks. Kopitar would score his first NHL goal in that game after receiving a pass from Dustin Brown. Kopitar would rush down the wing and pass Chris Pronger before outwaiting Jean-Sebastien Giguere for his first NHL goal. Kopitar would score his 2nd career goal later that game, and that was just the beginning for Anze Kopitar.
Kopitar would finish his rookie season with 72 games played, 20 goals, 41 assists, and 61 points. Kopitar was the player the Kings needed to help get back to the playoffs and compete for a Stanley Cup.
In the early parts of Kopitar's career, he improved steadily as he reached career milestones early and often.
Some of Kopitar's Milestones in his early career were:
- First Career Hat-Trick October 22 2009
- 100th NHL Goal January 28 2010
- First Career Playoff Goal April 17th 2010
Anze Kopitar achieved all of these feats before the age of 24, and he was showing the entire NHL just how good a player he was becoming.
Playoff Experiences
In his first 3 seasons with the Kings, Kopitar did not make the playoffs, but in his 4th season, they qualified, and for Kopitar, it was his first time in the NHL competing for the Stanley Cup. The Kings would play the Vancouver Canucks in the first round, and while they would be eliminated in Game 6, Kopitar would have 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 points in those 6 games. While the Kings did not make the playoffs the following year, it would not be long before Kopitar and the Kings returned to the postseason.
Anze Kopitar and the Kings would make it back to the postseason in the 2011-2012 NHL season, where they would face the Vancouver Canucks in round 1. This time, the Kings would defeat them in 5 games, marking Anze Kopitar's first playoff series win.
In that same year, Anze Kopitar and the Kings would defeat the St. Louis Blues in 4 games, then the Phoenix Coyotes in 5 games to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they would take on the New Jersey Devils. Anze Kopitar made an immediate impact in the Stanley Cup Finals, scoring the overtime-winning goal in game 1, and the Kings never looked back as they captured their franchise's first Stanley Cup after defeating the New Jersey Devils in 6 games.
Anze Kopitar was tied for the Playoff Point lead with fellow King Dustin Brown as they both had 20 points. That was not enough for Kopitar and the Kings, as 2 years after winning the Kings' first Stanley Cup, the Kings would make history once again.
In the first round of the 2013-2014 NHL playoffs, the Kings faced the San Jose Sharks, and after the first 3 games, they found themselves down 3-0 in the series. But the Kings would battle back to force a game 7, where Anze Kopitar would register the game-winning goal to complete the reverse sweep, a feat that has not happened in the NHL since.
What made this comeback even more legendary was that the Kings would find themselves in the Stanley Cup finals once again and capture their 2nd Stanley Cup in 3 years, with Anze Kopitar leading the way with 26 playoff points. Kopitar was a key piece for the Kings 2 Stanley Cup runs, and he was slowly becoming a legend in the making.
International Success
While Kopitar was coming off 2 Stanley Cup wins in 3 seasons, he added another great feat to his hockey resume, helping Slovenia achieve its best-ever performance at the Olympics. In that tournament, Slovenia would defeat Slovakia 3-1 and secure their first-ever Olympic hockey win; they would also defeat Austria 4-0 and advance to their first-ever Olympic Quarterfinals.
Slovenia made history with its best-ever hockey showing, and they did it with only 1 NHL player on the roster: Anze Kopitar. Kopitar would finish the 2014 Olympics with 2 goals, 1 assist for 3 points in 5 games.
Kopitars Impact
While Anze Kopitar was a spectacular player on the ice, it was his off-ice character that had Kings and hockey fans alike admiring the type of person he is. Kopitar, throughout his career, would receive individual awards that showcased his skill, character, and the kind of person he was.
Kopitar would receive 2 Selke Trophies, which are awarded to a forward who best excels in the defensive aspect of the game, meaning that Kopitar was considered the best 2-way forward in the NHL. It shows just how much he wants to support his teammates with his play in every aspect of the game. Kopitar would also receive the Lady Byng Trophy 3 times in his career, an award given to a player who has shown the best type of sportsmanship alongside a high standard of playing ability.
Lastly, Kopitar would receive the Mark Messier Leadership Award, presented to a player who demonstrates leadership qualities on and off the ice and plays a leading role in their community to grow the game of hockey. What all of these awards say about Kopitar is how good a person, teammate, and player he truly is.
Anze Kopitar Career Awards:
- Lady Byng: 2015-2016, 2022-2023, 2024-2025.
- Frank J. Selke: 2015-2016, 2017-2018.
- Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award: 2021-2022.
Becoming The Greatest King
While Anze Kopitar, throughout his career, showcased to the world just how elite he is for the Kings, he was slowly chasing down the Kings franchise history, and in the 2025-2026 NHL season, he rewrote it.
After already being the Kings' franchise leader in games played with 1521, Kopitar would have an opportunity to break another Kings record: the franchise points leader. Before this season, the Kings' point leader was Marcel Dionne, who had 1307 career points. But on March 14th 2026, Anze Kopitar would receive a pass from Artemi Panarin and redirect it past Jake Allen to pass Marcel Dionne for the Kings franchise point leader, and he would end the season with the point record at 1316.
Saying Goodbye
Anze Kopitar has had a Hall of Fame career with the Kings, playing his entire career with the team since being drafted in 2005. Anze Kopitar has set the standard for what it means to wear the LA Kings jersey, and not only will he be a future Hall of Famer, but he will also be, for many NHL fans, a true childhood hero.
To Anze Kopitar, thank you for all you have done for the Kings organization, and Enjoy Your Retirement as the Kings, NHL, and Hockey fans say Goodbye to one of the best to ever do it.
Celtics' Brad Stevens named NBA Executive of the Year
Last offseason, Brad Stevens had to make cuts — the team that had won the title just more than a year before was about to get far too expensive. It was not pain free. Gone were three key pieces of the 2024 championship puzzle: Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford. Combine that with Jayson Tatum being expected to miss most or all of the season, and expectations were low in Boston.
The result: 56 wins, the No. 2 seed, and being the betting favorite to take the East heading into the playoffs.
All that had his peers vote to hand Sevens the NBA Executive of the Year award.
Best in the business
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 28, 2026
Congrats to Brad, our - NBA Executive of the Year pic.twitter.com/zHJzPOYusq
This is the second time Stevens has won the award, he also did so two years ago for assembling the team that won a title, the one he had to disassemble last offseason.
Stevens received 11 first-place votes and was on 17 ballots, cast by a panel of 30 basketball executives (one from each team). Atlanta's Onsi Saleh finished second in the voting, with Detroit's Trajan Langdon third (for the second consecutive season).
Game Thread: Is the AL Central anything like the NL Central?
Go Rays!
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Game #30: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, April 28, 2026, 6:40 p.m. ET
Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA
Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet-PIT
Pitching Matchup: Kyle Leahy (2-3, 5.63 ERA) vs. TBD
The Pittsburgh Pirates are at home hosting the St. Louis Cardinals this afternoon at beautiful PNC Park.
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Colorado Rockies Game #30 thread: Kyle Freeland vs. Chase Burns
The Colorado Rockies are surely feeling good about life since they are coming off a three-game sweep of the New York Mets at Citi Field. Worth noting, Colorado sits at 13-16 on the season, their best start through 29 games since 2022, when they got off to a 16-13 start.
In addition, the Rockies are 26 games into a 29-game stretch since March 30 against teams that finished the 2025 season with a winning record. They have gone 13-13 thus far, a marked improvement over 2025.
Tonight, the Rockies hope their good fortune will continue as they travel to play the Cincinnati Reds in a three-game series.
Starting for the Rockies is Kyle Freeland, who is just off the IL with some shoulder issues. This will be his fourth start for the Rockies in 2026.
The lefty has a 2.30 ERA in 15.2 IP. He’s struck out 13, walked four, and given up one home run. Freeland has a 1.09 WHIP.
Taking the mound for the Reds will be RHP Chase Burns.
Currently, he has an ERA of 2.57 in 28.0 IP. He’s struck out 30 while giving up 11 walks and four home runs with a 1.07 WHIP.
And now to the details.
First Pitch: 4:40 pm MDT
TV: Rockies TV
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)
SB Nation Site:Red Reporter
Lineups:
For the visiting Rockies:
And the home Reds:
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Observations after Sixers stay alive, Embiid scores 33 in Game 5 win over Celtics
Observations after Sixers stay alive, Embiid scores 33 in Game 5 win over Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
BOSTON — The Sixers’ season is not dead just yet.
Joel Embiid turned in one of his best career playoff performances and the Sixers forced a Game 6 in their first-round playoff series against the Celtics with a 113-97 win Tuesday night at TD Garden.
Embiid had 33 points and eight assists. Tyrese Maxey added 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Sixers, who now trail 3-2 in the series. Paul George posted 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum tallied 24 points and 16 rebounds. Jaylen Brown added 22 points.
Game 6 will be Thursday night in Philadelphia. Here are observations on the Sixers’ Embiid-led Game 5 victory:
Sixers bring back competitiveness
The Sixers created their first basket off of a Maxey-Embiid pick-and-pop. Embiid swung the ball to George, who drained a three-pointer from the left wing. Another George triple put the Sixers up 8-2.
Defensively, the Sixers’ start was encouraging. They were solid on the ball and relied on Embiid to protect the paint. Boston settled for some contested jumpers and the Sixers cleaned up the defensive glass. The Celtics scored just six points in the first six minutes.
The Sixers’ spirits could have stayed low following an ugly Game 4 loss, but they were certainly not checked out mentally in the early stages.
“I think that the players are pretty aware that they need to do the effort side of things, the really tough, grind it out things much better,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said before the game. “We show them. They’ve certainly talked about it enough among themselves. And now we’ve just got to see what mental frame of mind we’re in when the ball goes up tonight.”
The Sixers couldn’t break open a big lead because their offense stalled. Embiid began 0 for 4 from the field, including three long-range misfires.
After going 0 for 11 from three-point territory over the past two games, VJ Edgecombe nailed a corner jumper on his first shot beyond the arc. The Sixers launched 13 three-pointers as a team in the first quarter and only made three. Boston missed 11 of its first 12 threes.
Grimes steps up
Nurse initially stuck with Andre Drummond as Embiid’s backup over Adem Bona. Nikola Vucevic drove past Drummond and slammed home a dunk late in the first quarter.
Embiid was whistled for two fouls early in the second quarter and Payton Pritchard picked up where he left off in his 32-point Game 4 performance. Tatum intercepted a Quentin Grimes pass and finished a fast-break layup. Derrick White waltzed past Grimes and scored inside. The Celtics’ lead grew to 11 points on a pull-up Tatum jumper.
Grimes eventually converted a four-point play, but he wasn’t sharp on either side of the floor for much of his first stint and the Celtics’ bench outplayed the Sixers’ once more in the first half.
To Grimes’ credit, he had a great second half and posted 18 points on 5-for-8 shooting on the night. While consistency has been an issue this year for Grimes, he can deliver those sort of momentum-shifting scoring bursts.
Embiid had a productive second period attacking against the Celtics’ center trio of Neemias Queta, Luka Garza and Vucevic. He scored 13 points in the second and also helped the Sixers get Boston in the bonus.
Embiid dished to Maxey for a right wing three that cut the Sixers’ deficit to 50-48, but the Celtics replied with a 7-0 spurt and also had a strong start to the third quarter. The Sixers soon trailed by double digits again.
Embiid plays through it all, comes up huge
The Sixers continued to feed Embiid over and over again in the post.
As his teammates know well, Embiid is awfully tough for anyone to handle 1-on-1 when he’s in rhythm. The 35-year-old Vucevic lacked good defensive answers and Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla didn’t respond with double teams. Embiid laid the ball in over Vucevic and Edgecombe then drilled a three to pull the Sixers to within 66-65.
Embiid exited the game with an apparent injury a couple of minutes later. He grimaced and limped under the basket, leading the Sixers to call timeout after Pritchard hit a three. Embiid headed to the locker room.
He was back on the floor with two minutes left in the third quarter and the Sixers closed the period impressively, showing poise at a time when the game could easily have spiraled out of control.
While Embiid’s had well-documented playoff failures, he’s always been determined to grit through pain and injury in the postseason. This was his second game since returning from an appendectomy. In the big picture of his career, Embiid’s resolve to be on the court at well below 100 percent is a quality that sticks out.
With three-balls from Maxey and George, the Sixers surged in front early in the fourth quarter. An Embiid mid-range jumper gave the Sixers a 90-86 lead.
Embiid kept on providing superstar plays. When doubled down low, he assisted a Grimes three. And when he got the ball on the left block against Queta, Embiid sunk a beautiful fadeaway jumper to extend the Sixers’ advantage to eight points.
During Embiid’s best nights, he has the ability to make just about anything feel possible for the Sixers. The team is still down in the series and still one loss from elimination, but Embiid is a massive reason why they remain alive.
Mets will start David Peterson against Nationals on Wednesday
The Mets hadn’t officially listed who their starting pitcher would be for the second game of their series against the Nationals until this afternoon, but it’s official now: David Peterson is getting the start. The 30-year-old lefty had lost his rotation spot after a string of very bad outings, but he’s fared better working multiple innings in relief over his last couple of appearances.
In four starts before moving into the bullpen/bulk role, Peterson had a rather unsightly 6.41 ERA with a 3.33 FIP that suggested he deserved better results and a 5.01 xERA that suggested slightly less ugly results. In those two appearances out of the bullpen after the Mets used Tobias Myers as an opener, Peterson threw a total of 7.0 innings with a 1.29 ERA, a 4.99 FIP, and a 4.07 xERA.
With Kodai Senga having gone on the injured list this afternoon and Christian Scott having been called back up following a poor outing in his first major league start in two years, Peterson will clearly get a shot at sticking in the rotation. In the short term, at least, they don’t have a ton of options, and Peterson and Scott will presumably serve in a five-man rotation alongside Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes, and Freddy Peralta.
Cubs left-hander Justin Steele has had a ‘setback’
Justin Steele had Tommy John surgery just about a year ago. So, most were hoping he could come back to the Cubs rotation sometime in late May or early June.
That, apparently, will not be happening:
We don’t really know anything beyond this, yet. A “setback” could be a few days, or a few weeks, or longer, we just don’t know. “Shut down” could last… well, again, we don’t know.
It’s fortunate that the Cubs rotation, put together mostly by patchwork at this point, has been doing pretty well. Entering tonight’s game against the Padres, the Cubs starters have a 4.18 ERA, which is middle of the pack (14th) among all teams, just behind the Rangers at 4.17.
Obviously the Cubs would like this ranking to improve.
One thing that almost certainly will NOT happen anytime soon is a trade for a starter who would improve the rotation. No team is going to be trading a quality starting pitcher before the end of April.
So the Cubs will have to hope that Shōta Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, Edward Cabrera, Colin Rea and Jameson Taillon can hold things together until July, when there likely will be starters on the market. Or maybe Steele can be ready to return after the All-Star break.
As always, we await developments. Today’s game preview will post at 6:30 p.m. CT.
Hawks vs Knicks Odds & Win Probability for Game 5 at Prediction Markets
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The New York Knicks aim for redemption at Madison Square Garden, and while CJ McCollum has been a constant problem, they’re fixated on getting it done in order to take a 3-2 series lead.
With that said, our Hawks vs. Knicks predictions and free NBA picks have the home team standing on business to do just that on Tuesday, April 28.
Who will win Hawks vs Knicks Game 5?
Hawks win probability:32% (+198)
Knicks win probability:68% (-239)
The New York Knicks will be back in front of their home crowd for Game 5 & will try to take full advantage of being the favorites at 68% while CJ McCollum & the Atlanta Hawks look to pull off another upset in this series by coming in as the 32% underdogs.
Our prediction:Knicks to win
This has been a great opening round chess match, with the Hawks and Knicks able to neutralize each other’s biggest threats so far.
But with Jalen Brunson and Jalen Johnson struggling, the supporting casts are even more important.
I have more faith in New York’s lineup to pick up the slack, especially with the series swinging back to MSG.
Read more in Jason Logan's full Hawks vs. Knicks predictions.
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Nuggets vs Timberwolves spread and total at prediction markets
| Outcome | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Knicks -7.5 | 45¢ (+109) | 55¢ (-132) |
| Over 214.5 points | 50¢ (-108) | 51¢ (-116) |
Our predictions:Knicks -7.5 — Yes and Over 214.5 points — Yes
New York avoided a bad spot with a strong road win in Game 4 and is learning to live without Jalen Brunson making his usual postseason magic. Atlanta, on the other hand, is starting to struggle with adjustments as the series goes on and doesn’t have a reliable support staff to step up, as the Knicks do.
Other Nuggets vs Timberwolves prediction markets available
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If Brady Tkachuk Trade Rumors Are True, Don't Be Surprised If Florida Panthers Are Among Potential Suitors
The offseason rumor mill is certainly a fun one to see churning.
This time of year is always especially juicy because while the season is over for some teams, others are still fighting in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so you get storylines that are dripping with intrigue as players fight their guts out for one team with the looming concept of them moving on as soon as their season ends is hanging over everyone’s head.
Between trades and free agency, there will be plenty to keep track of as we make our way through the playoffs and into the NHL Draft before finally hitting free agency on July 1.
This week, NHL Insider David Pagnotta dropped a very interesting nugget while appearing on “Hello Hockey.”
According to Pagnotta, the Ottawa Senators could look into trading team captain Brady Tkachuk this offseason.
"I think there's a good chance the Sens explore trading Brady Tkachuk this summer," Pagnotta said. "And it’s for a variety of reasons. I don't think it's exclusively to do with the fact that he plays in Ottawa. I think there are different parameters for him that have factored into perhaps that personal decision."
If Tkachuk is indeed on the trade block, it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see the Florida Panthers kick the tires on what it would take to swing a possible deal for the feisty forward.
Bringing the Tkachuk brothers together in South Florida would be quite the power move by Panthers General Manager Bill Zito.
Florida already plays an incredibly fast and physical brand of hockey, and it would seem Brady Tkachuk would be a good fit with his brother Matthew and the Panthers.
One of the biggest hurdles would seemingly be whether or not the Senators would be willing to trade Brady Tkachuk within the Atlantic Division.
Beyond that, the financial element of making a move for Brady Tkachuk work in South Florida would be interesting to see play out.
Brady has two years remaining on his current deal, which carries an Average Annual Value (AAV) of just over $8.2 million.
According to PuckPedia, the Panthers will head into the offseason with around $15.3 million in cap space to work with.
While Florida has 12 forwards and six defensemen under contract for next season, they need to shore up their goaltending situation.
Could Zito bring in Brady Tkachuk while still addressing the team’s need for goaltending?
A deal for Brady would likely have to include Florida’s 2026 first-round pick – which will be either the first, second, eighth, ninth or tenth overall depending how things shake out at next week’s NHL Draft Lottery – and some combination of NHL players or prospects.
The 26-year-old younger Tkachuk brother was the fourth overall pick by Ottawa at the 2018 NHL Draft and has played 572 games with the organization, racking up 213 goals and 463 points while developing into one of the league’s grittiest two-way forwards.
In the time since older brother Matthew Tkachuk was traded to the Panthers during the summer of 2022, there have been more than a few instances where the bothers have gotten a taste of what it would be like to play together at the highest level.
They skated on the same line during the 2023 NHL All-Star Game, which just happened to take place in South Florida.
Then came the 4 Nations Face-Off in February of 2025, when the Tkachuk’s again skated on the same line for much of the tournament, leading Team USA to the gold medal match against Team Canada.
Perhaps the biggest and best example of what the two can accomplish together came during the 2026 Winer Olympics.
Matthew and Brady were two of the biggest faces for Team USA, helping the United States claim its first Olympic gold in ice hockey since 1980.
Will the brothers once again have the opportunity to put on the same sweater later this year?
Stay tuned.
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Photo caption: Feb 4, 2023; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Atlantic Division forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) of the Florida Panthers fist bumps Atlantic Division forward Brady Tkachuk (71) of the Ottawa Senators during the second period of a semifinal game during the 2023 NHL All-Star Game at FLA Live Arena. (Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images)
Mets say Luis Robert Jr. is day-to-day with lower back tightness
In addition to mentioning that Juan Soto is dealing with forearm tightness in his pregame press availability, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said that fellow outfielder Luis Robert Jr. is dealing with lower back tightness. The team considers him day-to-day at the moment.
The perpetually-injured Robert is in his age-28 season, his first in Queens as he came to the organization in a trade with the White Sox over the offseason. Over the course of his major league career, he’s topped out at 145 games played in a single season, and his next-best total was 110. Over the last five seasons, he’s averaged 104 games played per year.
On top of the injury concerns, Robert came into this season with back-to-back 84 wRC+ seasons to his name in 2024 and 2025 in Chicago. He’s off to a slightly better start than that with a .224/.327/.329 line and a 94 wRC+, but he’s been worth just 0.2 fWAR and hasn’t looked the part of a stellar defender in center field.
Still, with Francisco Lindor out of the Mets’ lineup for the foreseeable future, the last thing the Mets need is another injured player. Here’s hoping Robert ends up being fine and returning in a matter of days, but it won’t be shocking if he ends up missing more time than that given his track record.
Andre Tourigny Sends Strong Message After Mammoth’s Toughest Loss Yet
For Utah Mammoth head coach Andre Tourigny, Monday night’s collapse and comeback were inseparable.
His club spent the opening stretch chasing the game, then authored one of the fiercest rallies of the postseason before watching it slip away in overtime. In the end, resilience was not enough.
Mammoth Rally Falls Short in Overtime Heartbreaker
Utah erased a three-goal deficit against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 4 of its first-round series at Delta Center, only to suffer a crushing 5-4 overtime defeat.
After falling behind early, the Mammoth stormed back with four unanswered goals and seized a 4-3 lead in the third period, sending the Salt Lake City crowd into a frenzy. But Vegas answered with 10 minutes remaining, and Shea Theodore buried the winner in overtime to even the series.
It was a painful missed chance for Utah, which had an opportunity to grab a commanding 3-1 series advantage and put itself one win from the second round. Instead, the Golden Knights reclaimed home-ice advantage heading back to T-Mobile Arena for Game 5.
“Obviously, they had a great start,” Tourigny said afterward, per NHL.com's Matt Komma. “I liked the way we responded after their third goal. … Right away after that’s where we started rolling and got back in the game a little bit. So, I’m proud of the way our guys responded to adversity. That was a hard-fought game. We know how good they can be, and I think we responded well in the second half of the game.”
Utah Finds Its Game Too Late
The Mammoth looked sluggish early, generating only three shots in the first period before gradually finding their footing. By night’s end, Utah had fired 31 shots at Vegas goaltender Carter Hart and solved him four times.
Vegas countered with 36 shots of its own, and Utah netminder Karel Vejmelka will likely replay a few of those goals in the days ahead. Still, the Mammoth’s pushback reinforced why this series remains far from settled.
“I loved our fight. We're still playing confident,” captain Clayton Keller said after scoring Utah’s fourth goal. “We got down in the game but kept going. Everyone was contributing, and we got some momentum there from the fans as well. All in all, we fought well until the end. We'll learn from this game and still be really confident, for sure.”
Utah has already proven it can win in Las Vegas once this series. To regain control, it will need to do it again when Game 5 begins just after 10:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday night.
Braves injury updates on Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach, Ha-Seong Kim and more
Hoo boy, we got an absolute litany of updates from Atlanta Braves manager Walt Weiss during his usual pre-game press conference. It was as if the skipper just decided to take this opportunity to clear the air about the handful of Braves players who are in various stages of working their way back onto the big league roster.
Big thanks to Grant McAuley for detailing some of these updates since there were a bunch of them. We’ll go one by one, starting with Spencer Strider:
Spencer Strider
Strider was spotted at Truist Park on Saturday doing a throwing program ahead of his rehab start on Sunday with Gwinnett. The start went well and now the Braves are planning for Strider to make his return to the roster this weekend in Colorado against the Rockies. As Weiss has mentioned in previous statements, the rotation is currently on a series-by-series basis so we don’t know which day will be Strider’s day but it will be this weekend.
Sean Murphy
Meanwhile, Murphy has been struggling a bit at the plate during his rehab stint. He did pick up three hits on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Miami’s Triple-A squad) but those were also the first three hits that he’s collected so far on rehab after going 7 games and 19 plate appearances without a hit and just one walk. As such, the Braves are giving Murphy a little more time and according to Weiss, it’ll be “4-to-5 more days” before they’ll re-evaluate his status.
Ha-Seong Kim
The Braves are anticipating that Kim will need “a couple of weeks” for a rehab assignment before they start to think about bringing him up. I’d imagine that it’ll be the same process as what Murphy is getting, so I personally wouldn’t anticipate seeing Murphy until early-May and Ha-Seong Kim until mid-May.
Raisel Iglesias
Iggy is reportedly back throwing again and his shoulder inflammation has “subsided” so this should indeed just be a minimal IL stint for Atlanta’s high-leverage reliever. Please tell me he’s learned how to sleep in a normal position.
Hurston Waldrep
Apparently Waldrep will be throwing his first bullpen session since having surgery on his elbow to remove those infamous “loose bodies.” The bullpen session will take place within the next few days. In fact, we actually got a bit of a timeline for Waldrep, as McAuley reported that the Braves are apparently targeting June as a possible time for Waldrep to get back into game action.
Spencer Schwellenbach
We also got a timeline for Schwellenbach as well but that one is a lot more nebulous. Schwellenbach still isn’t throwing yet and Weiss told the media that he’s expecting a return after the All-Star Break. So this is very much a long-term situation for Schwellenbach.
So there you have it! That’s about as clear of an update as you can get for a lot of these guys who are still trying to get back healthy in order to join a Braves squad that is flying high at the moment. The good news for Schwellenbach and Waldrep in particular is that they can likely take their time in getting healthy since the pitching staff is currently doing very well in their absence and they’ll still need plenty of time to get right anyways.
With that being said, it’s certainly exciting to know that Spencer Strider will be back soon and that guys like Raisel Iglesias, Sean Murphy and even Ha-Seong Kim are clearly on the right track as well. This team still isn’t at full strength yet and help is one the way. It’s a very good sight to see!