Jiri Kulich (blood clot, Nov. 4; injured reserve - out for the season)
Sam Carrick (upper body, Mar. 31; injured reserve)
Noah Ostlund (upper body, Mar.25; day-to-day(
Notes
Buffalo would clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2010-11 with a win tonight or a regulation loss by Detroit.
Buffalo could also clinch a playoff spot by earning a point in tonight’s game against Washington and a regulation loss by Ottawa against Minnesota or a Rangers win of any kind against Detroit.
The Sabres have earned at least one point in 23 of their last 28 contests (20-5-3), including a league-best 14 wins and 30 points since the Olympic break.
Since Dec. 9, the Sabres rank first among all NHL teams in wins (35) and points (74). Buffalo’s 30 regulation wins in that span also lead the league.
Buffalo has not lost consecutive games in regulation since the team fell in three straight from Dec. 3 at Philadelphia to Dec. 8 at Calgary.
Tage Thompson has tallied 55 points (25+30) in 47 games since Dec. 9 and his 22 even-strength goals in that span rank tied for third among all NHL skaters. Thompson has registered six points (2+4) in his last five games. Thompson needs seven more goals to pass Jason Pominville (217 goals with Buffalo) and gain sole possession of 10th
place on Buffalo’s all-time goal-scoring list.
Rasmus Dahlin ranks first among all Sabres skaters in assists (32) and second in points (47) since Dec. 9. His 15 goals in that span rank tied for second among all NHL defensemen. Tonight’s game marks the 582nd of Dahlin’s career, tied with Jay McKee for the seventh-most by a defenseman in franchise history.
Peyton Krebs has posted a point in four consecutive games (2+2) and he would match the longest point streak of his career (five games; March 25 to April 1, 2025; 3+3) with a point tonight.
Jack Quinn has posted three points (1+2) in his last three games.
The New York Yankees, who have lost only one of their first seven games, face the Miami Marlins in the second game of their series. The Yankees are favored with a -200 moneyline and a -1.5 spread. Starting pitchers are Max Meyer for the Miami Marlins and Ryan Weathers for the New York Yankees.
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - APRIL 01: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks after the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum on April 01, 2026 in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Last night, the New York Knicks eviscerated the Chicago Bulls from the opening tip, en route to the team’s third 40-point victory of the season. They entered as 14.5-point favorites against a Bulls team that, while tanking all the same as teams like Indiana, Utah, and Washington, were playing enough players that made you truly think, “Yeah, these guys are just bad.“
I savored that fourth quarter, watching the bench mob play out the string. As the final buzzer sounded, so did the calmness of regular-season basketball. That’ll be the last time the Knicks will square off against a hopelessly overmatched opponent for several months.
By the time the next game comes, whether it’s against the Nets or these Bulls or the Kings, this team could look totally different. They could be buzzing from the success of the team’s first championship in 53 years. They could be dismantled and reconfigured after a disappointing early exit. They could somehow look the same after a run ends just short of the ultimate prize.
By the time we see a game like this again, where everyone gets to eat, and the starters are laughing on the bench in the fourth, everything may change. There are a bunch of these games throughout an 82-game season, especially this year, where the Knicks have a staggering 17 20+ point victories (and nine 30+ point victories, a franchise record!), but they are uncommon come playoff time.
Could there be a blowout in either direction in the final week or in whatever playoff series the Knicks are in? Absolutely. In the last two years alone, those highly contentious series against the Pacers still delivered multiple staggering blowouts in both directions. Basketball’s a volatile sport, after all.
But from here on out, there are stakes to every single game the Knicks play. There are no gimme’s, there are no meaningless games. Even if the seeding is locked up and Game 82 does turn out to be mostly meaningless, you’ll still be playing a team fighting for seeding, even if the personal outcome doesn’t matter.
The bench mob has gotten much more run this year, and we salute their services. Ariel Hukporti, Tyler Kolek, Pačome Dadiet, Trey Jemison III, Kevin McCullar Jr., and probably Jeremy Sochan: We thank you for your services of competing hard in practice every day to get our guys ready and stepping up when you’ve been needed due to the day-to-day injuries of the main rotation. If someone goes down from here, some of you may be thrust into bigger roles (ahem, Delon Wright), but most likely, this is the end of the road for you guys, who play critically important roles to get through an 82-game season.
From here on out, it’s down to 11 guys. Foul trouble or injuries could dip into the deep reserves, but barring disaster, it’s these 11.
Jalen Brunson
Mikal Bridges
Josh Hart
OG Anunoby
Karl-Anthony Towns
Deuce McBride
Jose Alvarado
Landry Shamet
Jordan Clarkson
Mo Diawara
Mitchell Robinson
These 11 will get meaningful minutes at some point in the postseason, whether plentiful or situational. We don’t know who Mike Brown will use in his planned rotation, but we know that eight of these 11 are probably in it for sure. We’ll see games where he turns to Clarkson for spot scoring, Diawara for his length and versatility, and Alvarado when he needs ballhandling off the bench, but those will be on a game-by-game basis.
The team is healthy now. For the last four regular-season games and however long this playoff run is, these are the 11 that matter. These 11 will decide the Knicks’ fate, for this season and for the future of this core.
The next four games are all against teams that the Knicks could face in the postseason, and while we know from last April that the outcome means essentially nothing, they’re important when it comes to seeding. The Knicks enter the final week with a 1.5-game lead on the Cavaliers for fourth and sit 2.5 games behind the Celtics for second. With a head-to-head matchup remaining against their Atlantic Division foes, it’s not totally over yet, but the margin for error is nonexistent.
The head-to-head tiebreaker over the Cavaliers means it’d be pretty hard to fall to four, but a poor final week opens the door. Who the Knicks play will also be heavily influenced by their own actions, as they have a chance to knock the Hawks down a peg, push the Raptors deeper into the play-in, and limit the Hornets’ rise. A loss could also further embolden them ahead of a playoff series.
Every game from here on out is against a formidable opponent. There are no easy paths left.
SAN ANTONIO, TX -MARCH 12: Dylan Harper #2 of the San Antonio Spurs drives against Christian Braun #0 of the Denver Nuggets and Jonas Valanciunas #17 in the first half at Frost Bank Center on March 12, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to the Game Thread. Veterans of the Game Thread know how we do things around here, but for all you newbies we have a few rules. Our community guidelines apply and basically say be cool, no personal attacks, don’t troll and don’t swear too much.
The Spurs have only five games left in the regular season, and two of them are against the Denver Nuggets, today and on the final game of the season, which will likely be a rest day for both team’s stars. It’s also the final road game for the Silver and Black, as they finish up the season with a four game stand in the Frost Bank Arena. The Spurs’ chances for taking first place in the west depend on the Thunder losing at least two of their remaining five games, which seems unlikely after they took LeBron’s lunch money on Thursday, so the team will be concentrating on improving and working on their team play. That’s a project that’s going well, with the team easily dispatching the Clippers in their last game with Victor sitting out with ankle soreness, with overall team play and balanced scoring and smothering defense.
Victor Wembanyama is available today—he needs to play three of the final five games to be eligible for post-season awards and I expect him to make a huge impact today in his matchup with Nikola Jokic. Both Jokic and Wemby are in the running for MVP this year, but in my mind, Victor has the edge, because while both players are excellent on offense, Vic is the better defender, and he’ll make sure to demonstrate that in today’s contest. Stephon Castle must dominate Jamal Murray, and the Spurs will probably use a variety of defenders against Aaron Gordon. I’d like to see they try Carter Bryant on Gordon as a player who can match his athleticism, although he will likely have a rough time with his offensive craftiness. It would be a good learning experience for the Rookie. It could be a big game for De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper, as the Spurs have more guard depth than the Nuggets and that will provide lots of opportunities for the Spurs backcourt. OK, GO SPURS GO!!!
Game Prediction:
Nikola Jokic will miss a defensive rotation because he got lost in watching Victor Wembanyama do amazing things. It happens to all of us.
San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets April 4, 2026 | 2:00 PM CT Streaming: NBA League Pass TV: FanDuel Sports Southwest, Prime Reminder: It is against site policy to post links to illegal streams in the comments.
Mar 9, 2026; Houston, TX, United States; Great Britain starting pitcher Brendan Beck (19) delivers a pitch during the third inning against Brazil at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Raul Dominguez is back with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders this season.
He was on the RailRiders staff for the 2021 and 2022 seasons before being named manager of the New York Yankees’ Double-A affiliate, the Somerset Patriots, in 2023. In three seasons, he compiled a 232-180 record and took the Patriots to the Eastern League playoffs all three seasons.
Now, he returns to the RailRiders to serve as defensive coach on manager Shelley Duncan’s staff.
“After spending three years in Somerset and now coming back here again in Triple-A with a new staff, a lot of guys I’m going to work with for the first time, I’m excited,” Dominguez said. “I feel as a coach, you learn every year from different managers and coaches.
“Last year in Somerset, I worked with those (players) a lot and now they’re here and I have a relationship with them. Having those guys again and knowing them a little bit and what they need to work on, I’m excited to be here with that group.”
Before coming back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Dominguez got to experience something special. He served as first-base coach for Panama at the World Baseball Classic. Playing in Pool A in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Panama went 1-3. It lost to Cuba, 3-1; Puerto Rico, 4-3; and Colombia, 4-3; and defeated Canada, 4-3.
“Those four games were so exciting, there was a lot of up and down emotion,” Dominguez said. “We only won one game, but we lost two games by one and one by two. It was so loud and exciting. I remember I didn’t feel any fatigue until after when I got back to Tampa. But during those four days, it was one of my best experiences in baseball, especially with that name on my chest — Panama. I thought it was going to be the same as the winter league or the Caribbean Series, but no. It was totally different. It was very competitive and very emotional. It was a really, really good experience for me.”
Brendan Beck echoed that sentiment. The right-hander, who is ranked No. 22 among Yankees prospects according to MLB Pipeline, pitched in the WBC for Great Britain — his mother is British. He got to be teammates with his older brother Tristan, who is in the San Francisco Giants organization.
On March 9, Beck started for Great Britain against Brazil and threw four scoreless and hitless innings with two walks and four strikeouts in an 8-1 win.
“It was awesome. It was super special. Definitely not something I dreamed of growing up, even knowing there was a Great Britain baseball team,” Beck said. “We figured it out and knew that opportunity was there. Just super-exciting leading up to the tournament and then putting the uniform on was really cool. Really the first time I got to represent my mom and her side of the family. My grandparents aren’t with us anymore, but they would have thought it was really cool just to see Great Britain on the baseball field. Getting to do it with my brother, having my whole family in Houston and friends come in was super special. Something I’ll definitely remember.”
Right-hander Harrison Cohen, the Yankees’ No. 28 prospect, was a member of Team Israel at the WBC. He appeared in one game and threw two scoreless and hitless innings with five strikeouts in a 6-2 victory over The Netherlands.
Yankees No. 27 ranked prospect RHP Harrison Cohen with a strong showing in his WBC Debut 👏
Elmer Rodríguez, the Yankees’ No. 3 prospect, pitched for Puerto Rico. The righty started against Cuba on March 9th and got the win, 4-1. He pitched three scoreless innings with one hit, three walks and three strikeouts.
Elmer Rodriguez recorded three Ks across three scoreless innings for Team Puerto Rico 🇵🇷
Baseball’s No. 59 prospect allowed just one hit over 50 pitches.
Reliever Yerry De Los Santos was on the Dominican Republic’s Designated Pitcher Pool, which meant he could have been called up after the first round. However, he was not.
While the World Baseball Classic has its critics, Beck thinks the tournament is great for the game.
“It really shows how much of a global sport baseball is,” Beck said. “You think of Major League Baseball, you think of the Japanese League, obviously Mexico and Korea have big leagues as well. But seeing the fans we had with Great Britain supporting us back home and seeing teams like the Czech Republic, some of the small island teams, people know baseball. Baseball is a global language, a global sport.
“You saw how passionate the players were playing in it. Only one team every year can win the World Series, but you saw how important it was for guys playing a championship tournament in March. Guys were pushing themselves more than they ever really pushed themselves in March. I think that’s cool. Guys were playing for something more than themselves. Doing whatever it takes for their team, their country, their fans, I think is really cool.”
Justin Verlander’s return to Detroit is only getting worse.
The three-time Cy Young winner was scratched from his second start with the team Sunday against the Cardinals and placed on the 15-day injured list with hip inflammation, the Tigers announced Saturday.
The 43-year-old was set to take the mound at Comerica Park as a Tiger for the first time since 2017.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander prepares to hand off the ball to manager A.J. Hinch during the fourth inning of an opening-day baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. AP
Instead, righty Keider Montero was called up from Triple-A Toledo and is expected to start vs. St. Louis.
Verlander’s return was already off to a rocky start after allowing five earned runs on six hits and two walks in 3 ⅔ innings in his first outing in a 9-6 loss to the Diamondbacks on March 30.
The righty spent the first 14 years of his career with the Tigers, leading them to a 2006 World Series appearance and winning the Cy Young in 2012.
Verlander was traded to the Astros in 2017 and spent six-plus seasons in Houston with a 16-start cameo for the Mets in 2023, breaking things up before being traded back to the AL West team.
Justin Verlander took the loss in is first start. Getty Images
He won the 2017 and 2022 World Series with the Astros.
Verlander was coming off a solid 2025 with the Giants after a disastrous 2024.
He posted a 3.85 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over 152 innings despite a 4-11 record.
The hope was he could re-find some magic for a Tigers team looking to make a World Series run with ace Tarik Skubal’s set to hit free agency after the season
All of that is on hold for now.
The Tigers are off to a slugging 3-4 start entering Saturday’s contest, getting swept in Arizona before beating St. Louis, 4-0, on Friday to end a four-game losing skid.
It will take more than a thumping FA Cup quarter-final victory over the worst team in League One to ignite Chelsea’s season as it enters the defining stretch. This was, at least, a step in the right direction. Or, perhaps, it was just good for the club to avoid any further chaos.
The occasion was framed by Liam Rosenior’s decision to ban his vice-captain, Enzo Fernández, for the game and Chelsea’s next one, which is here against Manchester City in the Premier League next Sunday. The manager felt he had to act after Fernández’s none-too-subtle message to Real Madrid during the international break. Basically, he is bang up for joining them.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 03: Nic Claxton #33 of the Brooklyn Nets handles the ball as Dyson Daniels #5 of the Atlanta Hawks defends in the second half at Barclays Center on April 03, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Not long after the Brooklyn Nets lost once again Friday night, this time by 40 ignominious points to the red-hot Atlanta Hawks at Barclays, word arrived from the west coast that the Sacramento Kings had won their game with the New Orleans Pelicans in a tight one that came down to the final seconds!! Huzzah!!
It was big news in Brooklyn and here’s why from Tankathon…
The Nets who reportedly had set a goal of getting a top three pick — with a 52.1% chance at at top four pick and a 14.0% chance at the overall No. 1 — are close to achieving it. Although nothing is mathematically certain, for the Nets to drop into fourth and lesser odds would require them to win three of their last five and have both the Wizards and Pacers lose out. While the latter may be likely, it’s hard to imagine the Nets, winners of five games in the last two-plus months, will add another three to the win column before closing time, no matter the competition.
The focus on the top three was based on the assessment that the three top picks in the NBA Draft — Cam Boozer, Darryn Peterson and A.J. Dybanta — were all “franchise changers,” the equivalent of having three Cooper Flaggs in one draft! That’s changed a bit with Peterson’s maturity being a question and other prospects like Caleb Wilson and Darius Acuff rising in draftnik analyses.
Getting the first overall pick will be tough with the Nets playing four games vs. three other tanking teams — the Wizards on Sunday, the Bucks two days later, Pacers next Thursday and a return trip to Milwaukee the next night — before finishing off with the Raptors on April 12. Still, Brooklyn has a shot. They are arguably the worst team in the NBA right now and have gotten worse of late.
There are other variables of course even if the Nets finish last in the standings. They’ll have to deal with a history that is not favorable. Playing the probabilities is one thing, good fortune with the aerodynamics of small plastic balls is quite another.
The last three teams to go into the lottery with the worst record in regular season and the best odds came out of it with the fifth pick. Indeed, there’s a 47.9% of that. Moreover, no team with the worst record has won the overall No. 1 since the NBA instituted its new draft rules in 2019. And the last two lotteries were won by the Mavericks and Hawks who had 1.8% chances at the top spot. Of course, falling a bit in a generational as well as deep draft is better than winning the overall No. 1 in a bad draft.
All that said, Brian Lewis argued before the Atlanta game, that the Nets are the neediest of the tanking legion and deserve some of that good fortune. But in that argument, he pointed to some troublesome facts.
[N]one of the 10 or so teams playing the percentages need a young star more than talent-starved Brooklyn, including the Pacers and Wizards, who they’re chasing.
They infamously haven’t produced a single homegrown All-Star since Brook Lopez in 2013, over a decade ago…
Between the beating the Nets just took from Charlotte and the matchups they still have looming, it just drives home that every single one of these tanking rivals has either veteran All-Stars or young franchise players, or both.
For all their future draft capital, right now Brooklyn has neither.
No Tyrese Haliburton or Ivica Zubac like Indiana. No Trae Young or Anthony Davis like Washington. No Donatas Sabonis or DeMar DeRozan like Sacramento. Etc. etc.
So, something else to think about as the last week of the season approaches and the lottery is now a little more than a month away. Also, things no doubt will change on Draft Night. As we’ve noted ad infinitum, Marks does his best work within 48 hours of the NBA Draft.
In the meantime, it’s Zanax and Zantac in equal portions as we watch the Nets and the scoreboard.
DETROIT — Justin Verlander’s long-awaited return to Comerica Park as a member of the Detroit Tigers was put on hold Saturday.
Verlander, the major league’s oldest active player at 43, was placed on the 15-day injured list with left hip inflammation. On Sunday night, Verlander was scheduled to make his first start in a Tigers uniform at Detroit’s home park since Aug. 20, 2017.
Verlander was dealt to Houston at the trade deadline that season. He re-signed with Detroit on a one-year, $13 million contract in February after spending last season with San Francisco.
Verlander made 380 starts for Detroit from 2005-17. In his first start this season, Verlander gave up five runs and six hits in 3 2/3 innings against Arizona on Monday and took the loss.
RHP Keider Montero was recalled from Triple-A Toledo and is expected to start the finale of a three-game series against St. Louis.
Scott Wedgewood delivered one of his steadiest outings of the season Saturday night, turning aside all 18 shots he faced for his third shutout of the year — and the 11th of his career — as the Colorado Avalanche blanked the Dallas Stars 2-0 at American Airlines Center.
The win was powered by elite production up front. Nathan MacKinnon scored his 51st goal of the season, matching a career high, while Martin Nečas added another to provide all the offense Colorado would need. The night also carried milestone significance, with Brent Burns skating in his 1,000th consecutive NHL game — just the second player in league history to reach that mark — and Devon Toews recording the 300th point of his career.
With the victory, the Avalanche became the first team in the NHL to reach 50 wins, improving to 50–15–10 and continuing to build momentum as the postseason approaches. Additionally, of the four meetings between these teams this season, this was the first that did not end in a shootout.
First Period
As expected, both teams came out with pace, trading early odd-man rushes that were turned aside at both ends. Wedgewood and Casey DeSmith looked sharp from the outset, with DeSmith getting the nod as part of a planned rotation while Jake Oettinger was given the night off.
At the 10:17 mark, Jamie Benn was called for tripping Valeri Nichushkin along the boards, sending Colorado to its first power play of the afternoon. The Avs couldn’t capitalize, and moments after the penalty expired, Lian Bichsel leveled Nichushkin in the corner while battling for a loose puck — a clean, hard hit that drew no whistle.
Colorado came close to breaking through when Artturi Lehkonen crashed the crease and nearly buried a rebound off an initial shot from Brock Nelson, but the puck slid just wide. Dallas answered with a dangerous scramble of its own, forcing Wedgewood into a desperation stop in tight to keep things scoreless.
Second Period
Brett Kulak was sent off for tripping Colin Blackwell just 1:57 into the period, giving Dallas an early opportunity. As the penalty expired, tensions flared in front of the net after Mavrik Bourque took a few extra jabs at Wedgewood. Jack Drury immediately stepped in, and the situation escalated into a brief scrum. Both players were assessed roughing minors, keeping things even at five-on-five.
Third Period
The game remained tightly structured into the third, with neither side giving much away. Five minutes into the frame — and 45 into the night — the shot count sat at just 17–12 in favor of Colorado, reflecting a disciplined, defense-first battle. It had the feel of a chess match, where one mistake or one moment of skill would decide it.
At 6:12, Nelson was whistled for hooking Jason Robertson, who went down easily and drew the call. That didn’t sit well with Gabriel Landeskog, who made his frustration clear as the teams lined up for the ensuing power play.
Colorado killed it off, but not without a scare. Former Av Matt Duchene found space at the top of the crease and slipped a shot through Wedgewood, only for a hand pass to halt play before any damage was done.
The breakthrough finally came off a quick, instinctive play. Nečas drove into the middle of the ice, and Lehkonen tracked down a loose puck near the top of the left circle before sliding it to the doorstep, where Nečas tapped it home to make it 1-0.
Dallas pulled DeSmith with 2:41 remaining, pressing for the equalizer. During the frantic sequence that followed, Drury and Joel Kiviranta repeatedly threw themselves in front of shots, with one final deflection sailing into the netting to force a stoppage.
The Colorado Avalanche defeat the Dallas Stars 2-0.
MacKinnon gets his 51st.
Scott Wedgewood gets his career-high third shutout of the season, the 11th of his career, and his first against his former team.#goavsgo@thehockeynews#texashockey
Moments later, MacKinnon iced it, burying an empty-netter for his 51st of the season to tie his career high. That sealed a 2-0 win for Colorado, one that all but locks up the Central Division as the regular season winds down.
Next Game
It's a quick turnaround for the Avalanche (50-15-10). They fly back to Denver this evening to prepare to square off against Jordan Binnington and the St. Louis Blues (32-31-12) tomorrow night at Ball Arena. Coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. local time.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 03: Raisel Iglesias #26 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates a 2-0 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on April 03, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Diamondbacks News
Diamondbacks Waste a Second E-Rod Gem Eduardo Rodriguez gave the Diamondbacks as good an opportunity to win on Friday as anyone could ask for, throwing seven scoreless innings. Unfortunately, Arizona’s offense was held even quieter.
Offense, Sewald Spoil E-Rod Gem Arizona did not even register their first hit until the sixth inning and never had a runner reach third base. On top of that, Paul Sewald was brought in to pitch the ninth inning, only to watch the first to batter each launch solo-shots to carry to the Braves to a shutout victory.
Arizona’s Outfield Options Growing Thin Once, not so long ago, considered an area of depth for the Diamondbacks, the organization is now perilously thin on reliable starting options for the outfield at the MLB level. The injury to Jordan Lawlar is going to test the mettle of the remaining players and may even create a need to reach down for one of the untested prospect bats, such as Kristian Robinson.
Spencer Giesting Suffers Oblique Injury Arizona’s left-handed pitching depth just took another significant hit. The Reno Aces’ Giesting has been placed on the 7-day IL but is expected to miss more than a month of time.
Yes, Pennants Can Be Lost in April The season is just a week old, but there are already sizable impacts in playoff probabilities around the league.
Brewers Finalize 8-year Extension with Top Prospect Cooper Pratt Cooper Pratt joins the ranks of top prospects getting early extensions. Pratt has now signed an 8-yr/$50.75MM extension that will keep him in Milwaukee for the foreseeable future. Because Pratt signed the deal before making his debut, he will not be eligible to earn a PPI pick should he eventually win Rookie of the Year when he does finally debut. As Pratt has only made his AAA debut a few days ago, it could still be a while for the young shortstop.
DALLAS, TEXAS - MARCH 06: Scott Wedgewood #41 of the Colorado Avalanche saves a shot by Jason Robertson #21 of the Dallas Stars during a shootout at American Airlines Center on March 06, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The biggest date remaining on the regular season schedule has arrived for the Colorado Avalanche, who have long been the most dominant team in the NHL all year long.
The Dallas Stars, however, won’t stop at nothing to overtake them.
Today, both teams will face each other one last time at American Airlines Center to close out their regular season series, with the winner potentially laying claim to a first place finish in the West.
Colorado Avalanche (49-15-10)
The Opponent: Dallas Stars (45-19-12)
Time: 1:00 P.M. MDT/3:00 P.M. EDT
Watch: ABC, ESPN (US National Broadcast), SNP, SNW, SN+ (Canadian National Broadcast)
Listen: Altitude Sports Radio KKSE-FM 92.5 FM
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche wrapped up their final extended home stand on Wednesday night with an underwhelming 8-6 loss to the last-place Vancouver Canucks. The loss was the second during Colorado’s three game home stand, and while the 4-2 loss to Winnipeg a week ago was disappointing, this most recent defeat was exceptionally glaring: a host of defensive miscues and poor puck management opened the door for Vancouver to run up the score early and often. Mackenzie Blackwood, who gave up six goals on nineteen shots, was pulled with 4:39 remaining in second period in favor of Scott Wedgewood. The Avs then rallied from a 6-2 deficit to tie the game late in the third on Sam Malinski’s second goal of the evening, but Vancouver would reclaim the lead twenty-three seconds later, and iced the game with an empty net tally after Wedgewood was pulled for the extra skater.
Coach Jared Bednar, in what was indisputably his shortest press conference of the season, didn’t hold back. “The reality of it is, is if you want to win in this League, you have to play [the way we played in the third period] for sixty minutes, and we weren’t even close. [It] wasn’t a great first and it got worse in the second and […] if you want to hand out badges for good effort and stuff like that, I think we’re beyond that this time of year, you know? Effort for twenty minutes and doing the right things for twenty minutes isn’t good enough.” He went a step further, saying that there were no positives to be found in their effort.
“There’s no excuse,” he continued, “If we’re making excuses for that performance, it’s going to be a short [playoff] run.”
The loss prevented the Avalanche from increasing their points lead over Dallas, and as a result, today’s game still carries weight for both clubs. For the Avs, it’s the start of a back-to-back weekend that sees them returning home for an Easter evening matchup against the St. Louis Blues. With four massive points hanging in the balance for the Avs this weekend, here’s where today’s game matters from their perspective:
The Avs come into Dallas as the undisputed leader across the Central Division, Western Conference, and League standings with a total of 108 points. They have eight (8) games remaining on their schedule—two in hand on Dallas—and have forty-six (46) regulation wins on the season. A regulation win for the Avs wouldn’t completely drive the final nail into the coffin for Dallas to catch them, but it would put their chances on life support. A regulation win for the Avs, coupled with a victory on home ice tomorrow, should put first place out of Dallas’ reach.
This is all predicated on the Avs taking care of their own affairs. They control their own destiny, and while they have the tiebreaker advantages over Dallas right now (points and regulation wins), things can flip on a dime, and the last thing they need is giving Dallas any extra motivation with the end of the season in sight.
While this is certainly a huge weekend for the Avs, today’s game also sets a monumental milestone for Brent Burns, as he is slated to skate in his thousandth consecutive game. The forty year old defenseman, who made his NHL debut for the Minnesota Wild after being selected with the twentieth overall pick in the 2003 NHL Draft, played his first seven seasons with Minnesota before being traded to San Jose prior to the 2011-2012 season. He spent would spend the next eleven seasons in San Jose, where many of his career milestones would take place. The 2014-2015 season saw the first of eleven consecutive seasons of Burns skating in every every regular season game. He made his Stanley Cup Final debut in 2016, set a career high in goals (27) in a Norris trophy-winning campaign in 2017, and set career highs in assists (67) and points (83) in 2019.
Burns was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes prior to the start of the 2022-2023 season, where he spent three seasons before signing with the Avs prior to the start of this season. After surpassing former NHL defenseman Keith Yandle’s mark of 989 consecutive games on March 14, Burns became the all-time leader in consecutive games played among defensemen. Coming into today’s game, he trails only Phil Kessel, who holds the all-time record of 1064 consecutive games among all NHL skaters.
Nathan MacKinnon is the first player in the NHL to reach 50 goals, having broken the mark this past Wednesday. Despite being the NHL’s goal scoring leader, his 121 points total is three points behind both Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov (124) and five points Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (126). Martin Nečas (35) and Brock Nelson (33) rank second and third in team goal scoring, respectively. Cale Makar, who left Wednesday’s game with injury, did not accompany the team to Dallas, and will be re-evaluated next week. Nicolas Roy also did not travel with the team to Dallas, and his status will be re-evaluated next week as well.
While Bednar did not indicate who would start in today’s game, look for Wedgewood to get the nod today.
Projected Lineup
Forwards: Gabriel Landeskog – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas Artturi Lehkonen – Brock Nelson – Valeri Nichushkin Parker Kelly – Nazem Kadri – Logan O’Connor Ross Colton – Jack Drury – Joel Kiviranta
Defense: Devon Toews – Sam Malinski Josh Manson – Brent Burns Brett Kulak – Nick Blankenburg
Between the Pipes: Scott Wedgewood Mackenzie Blackwood
Dallas Stars
The run that Dallas has been on has made them a darling of hockey circles everywhere. In any other season, Dallas’s 102 points would tie them with Carolina in a race for first place in the League, and with both teams splitting their two game season series, it would come down to the thinnest of margins to decide who would emerge ahead of the other. Add in Eastern Conference mainstay Tampa Bay Lightning and the come-out-of-nowhere Buffalo Sabres, both of whom boast 100 point seasons of their own, and there would be no shortages of storylines heading into the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with Dallas featured prominently among them.
A ten game winning streak? Done. A gold medal winning goaltender? Check. A top-rated power play threat? Yep. A stellar record at home and away? You bet. If you’re the Dallas Stars, you rightly believe that success is yours for the taking as the Stanley Cup Playoffs grow closer.
In any other season, but not this season.
For all their success to this point, Dallas is, and still remains, second best. Coming into today’s regular season finale against Colorado, Dallas is still looking up at their division rival. That ten game winning streak? Colorado’s done that twice. Home and away records? Colorado remains the only team in the NHL that has yet to lose more than ten games on home ice (24-8-5) compared to everyone else (Dallas is 23-10-4 at home). As good as Dallas has been on the road (22-9-8), Colorado’s 25-7-5 record is still better than everyone else.
Let’s not stop there: A +49 goal differential for Dallas? Colorado’s +90 is tops in the League. Colorado’s allowed the fewest number of goals (193) compared to Dallas (209), and Scott Wedgewood’s 2.19 goals against average and .916 save percentage leads all active goaltenders. By comparison, goaltender Casey DeSmith’s 2.38 goals against average ranks third among active goaltenders, while Jake Oettinger’s 2.61 ranks fifteenth. DeSmith’s .909 save percentage ranks fourteenth among active goaltenders, while Oettinger’s .900 ranks twenty-third.
There are a couple of bright spots for Dallas. Dallas can hang their ten-gallon hats on a second-ranked power play percentage (29.1%), while Colorado’s 17.9% ranks twenty-fifth. Oettinger also ranks third in wins among goaltenders (31), four more than Wedgewood (27), and ten more than Mackenzie Blackwood (21).
Dallas also leads the regular season series 2-0-1, their most recent victory being a 2-1 shootout decision back on March 18 at Ball Arena. To this point in the season, every game against Colorado has ended in a shootout. In their last meeting at America Airlines Center on March 06, Dallas captain Jamie Benn botched an opportunity to ice the game with Wedgewood on the bench for an extra skater, but his shot attempt banked off the side of the net. Valeri Nichushkin would score the game-tying goal moments later, and provided the shootout heroics alongside Martin Nečas to best Oettinger en route to a 5-4 decision for Colorado. That game would also see the departure of Roope Hintz to injury after getting tangled up with Nathan MacKinnon in the second period.
Since then, Dallas has regained the services of former Colorado Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen. He returned to action on March 28 in a 6-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Rantanen, who sustained injury during his play for Team Finland during the Olympics in Italy, had not made a regular season appearance for Dallas since a 5-4 victory over St. Louis on February 04, prior to the Olympic break.
In order to have a shot at first place in the West, Dallas is banking on a repeat performance from Oettinger, who blanked the Winnipeg Jets by a score of 3-0 this past Thursday. The victory was only Dallas’ third in their past ten games. A regulation win over Colorado would pull Dallas within four points of first place, and with four games remaining in the regular season, today’s head-to-head matchup is Dallas’ last, best chance to prevent Colorado from widening the gap between them. Even with a win over Colorado, Dallas would still have to play nearly flawless hockey down the stretch and hope they get some help from Colorado’s remaining opponents.
Wyatt Johnston leads all Dallas skaters in goals (41) and power play goals (25). Jason Robertson ranks second in goals (40), and leads the team in points (89). Miro Heiskanen leads all Dallas skaters in assists (53), while Rantanen is a close second (52). Rantanen also leads all Dallas skaters in penalty minutes (89).
Today marks the second of a five game home stand for Dallas, their final prolonged stretch of games on home ice. Oettinger will likely start in goal to close out the season series against Colorado.
Projected Lineup
Forwards: Jason Robertson – Wyatt Johnston – Mikko Rantanen Jamie Benn – Matt Duchene – Colin Blackwell Oskar Bäck – Justin Hryckowian – Mavrik Bourque Adam Erne – Arttu Hyry
Defense: Esa Lindell – Miro Heiskanen Thomas Harley – Nils Lundkvist Lian Bischel – Ilya Lyubushkin Kyle Capobianco
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - MARCH 30: Starting pitcher Michael Soroka #34 of the Arizona Diamondbacks reacts after pitching an immaculate fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers of the home opener at Chase Field on March 30, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Is there a more beloved former Brave than Michael Soroka? (Maybe Freddie Freeman?) Perhaps because the phrase, “What could have been?” peals more sharply with regard to Soroka than anyone else, the fondness for the Canadian giraffe-necked right-hander from this corner, at least, is at its max. But, on Saturday night, the Braves will face off against our beloved in search of a fourth win in a row.
Soroka’s injury travails as a Brave after his 2019 4.0 fWAR campaign have been well-documented and are a bit too depressing to recap at this point, so we’ll focus on what happened afterwards. Sent to Chicago’s South Side in the Aaron Bummer deal after the 2023 season, Soroka was a blah swingman out there for a year, and then had a nice time as a starter for the Nationals in 2025 before a midseason trade sent him to Chicago’s North Side, where he barely pitched and didn’t distinguish himself. His contract with the Nats was for $9 million; this past offseason, he signed with the Diamondbacks for a lower, $7.5 million salary, made some starts in the World Baseball Classic, and made it to Opening Day as a member of Arizona’s beleaguered starting staff.
But, things went swimmingly for him in his first start of 2026: he absolutely dominated the Tigers for five innings, with an insane 10/1 K/BB ratio that included an immaculate inning in his final frame of work. He had a 5-0 lead before departing, and the Diamondbacks added even more in the bottom of the fifth. The only real blemish to that outing was that the Tigers made some hard contact off him when they weren’t striking out (three barrels, though only one went for a hit), but that doesn’t really portend anything for him considering the excellent K/BB ratio. Whatever happens while Soroka pitches against the Braves today, it’ll be bittersweet in one direction or another, but maybe it’ll be another game like last night, where the thunder in the Braves’ favor comes exclusively late.
On the Atlanta side of the pitching equation, Bryce Elder will look to keep the good times rolling. After last night’s shutout, the Braves’ pitching staff is in a funny place: they’re seventh in MLB in fWAR, second in ERA-, sixth in FIP-, and 13th in xFIP-. Whereas 2025 was an exercise in “if it can wrong, it will go wrong,” the Braves are putting on a dazzling run prevention display thanks to some elite defensive play (they’re third in MLB in defensive value coming into this game), and a favorable HR/FB for once (they have the fourth-lowest HR/FB against their pitchers). Reynaldo Lopez and Grant Holmes have now made four collective starts with a sub-3.00 ERA (Lopez’ is under 2.00) and an xFIP around 5.00, so hooray for baseball god boons rather than banes at this point.
Speaking of weird starts, that descriptor probably applies to Bryce Elder’s first start of the season, albeit for a different reason than it could be used for Lopez or Holmes thus far. Elder was legitimately good against the Athletics — nothing we haven’t seen before, albeit inconsistently — with a 5/1 K/BB ratio in six shutout innings. The reason why it was weird was that all the stuff that Elder and the team provided messaging about in the offseason, about his work with a biomechanics expert and the like, well… that wasn’t really on display. Elder didn’t appear to be throwing harder nor did he let loose more often with an ehanced four-seamer. Rather, he showed up with a much drop-ier (droopier sounds sad) slider with some added horizontal verve, which was enough to stymie the green-and-gold bats. Whether he can do so again against the Diamondbacks, well, that’s always the question, innit?
This will be Soroka’s second outing against his former team. He had an okay four innings against them in May of last year, with Drake Baldwin hitting a game-tying two-run shot against him in the fourth before Soroka departed. Elder, meanwhile, has made two starts against the Diamondbacks in his career — one in 2023 and one in 2024 — and they were both really rough. The one in 2023 was his shortest start of the year and one of his worst (2 2/3 IP, charged seven runs and gave up a homer despite a 4/1 K/BB ratio), and the one in 2024 featured a 1/2 K/BB ratio in five innings with three runs charged. Both of those games got absolutely insane late, with the Diamondbacks winning 16-13 in 2023 and the Braves prevailing 5-4 in 2024.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Saturday, April 4, 7:15 p.m. EDT
Location: Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
TV: FOX
Streaming: MLB.tv, probably not blacked out on BravesVision/etc.
CHICAGO — The Toronto Blue Jays placed two-time All-Star catcher Alejandro Kirk on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with a dislocated and fractured left thumb and recalled catcher Brandon Valenzuela from Triple-A Buffalo.
Kirk was injured in the 10th inning of a 5-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Friday when Austin Hays fouled a pitch off Kirk’s glove. He left the game immediately and went for X-rays.
The Blue Jays also assigned 36-year-old left-hander Patrick Corbin to Single-A Dunedin on Saturday, a day after signing him to a one-year contract.
Manager John Schneider didn’t have a timeline for Kirk’s return but said before Saturday’s game in Chicago that the 27-year-old would see Dr. Thomas Graham, a hand specialist in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Monday to determine the next steps.
“(The thumb) was dislocated,” Schneider said. “They put it back in last night, as well as a fracture. So tough news for us and I think for Kirky for sure.
“They’re going to see if they need to do any kind of surgical intervention or pin or something like that. We’ll know that on Monday, and then kind of determine the timeline after that.”
As an All-Star in 2025, Kirk batted .282 with 15 homers and 76 RBIs in 130 games for AL champion Toronto. He played in all 18 of the Blue Jays’ postseason games and hit .308 with two homers and six RBIs in seven World Series games against the Dodgers.
Kirk was batting .150 with one homer and two RBIs in five games this season.
The 25-year-old Valenzuela has yet to play in the majors, but he arrived in Chicago on Saturday and is expected to split time behind the plate with Tyler Heineman while Kirk is out.
In four games with Buffalo this season, he was batting .200 with one homer and four RBIs.
Corbin, a two-time All-Star in 13 major league seasons, was 7-11 with a 4.40 ERA for Texas last season. For his career, Corbin is 110-142 with a 4.51 ERA over 373 games including 354 starts.
Three Blue Jays starters — Shane Bieber, José Bérrios and Trey Yesavage — are currently on the injured list.
Schneider wasn’t sure how long it would take Corbin to ramp up and return to the majors.
“I think definitely we view him as a starter or definite length option,” Schneider said. “I think until the dominoes kind of start to fall back into place with Trey and Josey and Biebs ... you look for length and how we can use it.”
Pittsburgh Penguins defensive prospect Harrison Brunicke will finish his 2025-26 season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Brunicke was assigned to WBS on Saturday morning after his junior season with the WHL's Kamloops Blazers ended this week. Brunicke finished the year with two goals and 24 points in 24 games before compiling one point in four playoff games.
He started the year with the Penguins after making the team out of training camp. He scored his first NHL goal against the New York Islanders on Oct. 9 and played in nine games for the Penguins before he was sent back to Kamloops.
