SEATTLE,WASHINGTON - AUGUST 10: Hall of Famers Randy Johnson and Ichiro Suzuki pose for a photo before a game at T-Mobile Park on August 10, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Ben VanHouten/Seattle Mariners/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Logan Evans was the pitcher on the mound in the Ichiro number retirement game last year; this year it will be Emerson Hancock’s turn for the Randy Johnson number retirement game. For the Royals, their reigning organizational Pitcher of the Month, Seth Lugo, will take the mound. Unlike last night’s surprising slugfest, runs could be very thin on the ground today – a fitting tribute to the Big Unit.
Lineups:
5:22 PT: LINEUP CHANGE FOR THE MARINERS: Cal Raleigh is a late scratch. No reason has been given. Mitch Garver will instead do the catching, batting eighth. Cole Young moves up to bat fifth and Canzone moves up to sixth followed by Raley, Garver, and Rivas. If you comment in the game thread and say anything to the effect of “hey, since when does Cole Young bat fifth?” I am legally allowed to kick you in the shins.
“Another late-night game”? I fear I have been lied to about Midwestern Resiliency.
News:
Farewell, Josh Simpson, we hardly knew ye. No, really – apparently the Mariners only called up lefty Josh Simpson as a paper move to cover Matt Brash’s roster spot after moving him to the 15-day IL while they could get righty Nick Davila here from Arkansas. You can read more about Brash and Simpson here, and more about Nick Davila here, and more injury update news in general here.
Game information:
Randy Johnson number retirement ceremony begins: 6:30
Game time: 6:40
TV: Mariners TV, with Aaron Goldsmith and Dave Valle, with Angie Mentink as field reporter
Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MAY 01: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets in Game Six of the First Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Toyota Center on May 01, 2026 in Houston, Texas. 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 Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Lakers may have just extended their season by at least four games by advancing to the second round, but it does not mean a return for Luka Dončić is imminent. In fact, it sounds like he’s pretty far away from getting back on the court.
During Friday’s Prime broadcast of Game 6, sideline reporter Cassidy Hubbarth provided a bit of insight as to where Luka is right now in terms of his return.
For those without Twitter/X, here’s her brief report:
“There’s been no timeline. There has been some progress on the court. He’s now doing some movement work in drills, getting up shots. But it is controlled. He hasn’t advanced to 1-on-1 or full-contact work yet. He’s not into any scrimmages so it’s a little than just spot shooting but still a step away from anything live…This remains a slow build towards a return, not an imminent one.”
To add to that a little bit, there was also a report of sorts going around Twitter/X last night that, while I could not find the original source to verify as it came from John Ireland as part of pregame radio coverage, it did fall in line with Hubbarth’s report.
It’s very to note that things advanced pretty rapidly with Austin Reaves, who went from starting on-court work to questionable in only a matter of days. However, don’t expect that same type of progress with Luka as a hamstring injury is much different than an oblique injury.
Hamstring injuries generally are a much slower recovery and run a high risk of re-injury. The Lakers can’t rush the process. It does seem like the trip to Europe for Luka didn’t change his timeline all that much, though.
What also isn’t working in Luka’s favor is the pacing of the series. After the first round was spaced out with multiple days of rest between games on more than one occasion, that won’t be the case in the second round. The only time there will be more than one day of rest between games will be between Game 5 and Game 6.
While the Lakers and Rockets played 6 games in 14 days, the entire second round series will span 13 days even if it goes seven games.
None of this is painting a very promising picture for Luka’s return. Things can change, obviously, but the Lakers are almost certainly going to have to extend their season multiple games to get Luka back.
TULSA, OKLAHOMA - APRIL 19: Lazaro Montes #33 of the Arkansas Travelers stands on deck during a game against the Tulsa Drillers at ONEOK Field on April 19, 2026 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There are very few hitters in the minor leagues more fearsome than Lazaro Montes right now.
The Mariners #6 ranked prospect, Montes posted one of the finest statlines of his young career in Saturday afternoon’s contest against the Wichita Wind Surge. Ending the game 3-5 with 3 homers and a walk, Montes batted home half of the 16 runs the Travs scored on the day and has been unconscious at the plate as of late.
His first homer of the game, a 118 mph laser over the right field wall, would be the second-hardest hit ball in the majors this season, trailing only Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz’s 119 mph mark he posted against the Nationals. It’s unreal power that you just can’t teach.
His third homer shows off just how silly his power is. A rather tame swing that looks like a surefire flyout continues to carry until it’s over the rightfield wall. Ridiculous pop.
Montes entered this week’s series with a season OPS of .686, a number reflective of his slow start to the season offensively. As of writing, he’s raised that number up over 200 points in just five games and now sits at a season mark of .900. He’s tallied five homers, a triple, and four walks on the week, epitomizing the “TTO” approach at the plate that’s served him so well in the past. He may not make a ton of contact, but his disciplined eye is enough to help offset his high K% and the power plays more than enough in-game. There’s just not many people that can punish a mistake like Lazaro Montes, and though there’s still plenty of development left ahead of him, to see him performing so well after his rocky start to the year is an amazing sign for what’s to come.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 29: Will Wilson #7 of the Seattle Mariners plays defense during the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Michael Turner/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Less than an hour before the Mariners were set to take the field for Randy Johnson number retirement night, the Mariners dropped a significant lineup change, removing starting catcher Cal Raleigh and inserting backup catcher. At the same time, the Tacoma Rainiers announced a roster change, scratching their starting catcher for Saturday, Jhonny Pereda.
This of course led to a good old-fashioned freakout until the next roster move dropped: INF Will Wilson to the IL with a fractured thumb. Wilson’s injury designation is backdated to April 30, meaning he’s been dealing with this since Thursday’s off-day.
Wilson has been providing backup at third base while Brendan Donovan has been on the IL, but Donovan is set to begin a rehab assignment this Tuesday with the Arkansas Travelers in preparation to meet the team in Chicago at the beginning of their next roadtrip. This does leave the Mariners shorthanded on the utility infielder side until Donovan is back, however, meaning a steady dose of Leo Rivas at third base unless the Mariners make another move after the game. If they did want to fill the infielder hole, the options are slim: Ryan Bliss is on the 40-man but limited to second base, where Cole Young has staked a claim; Brock Rodden has positional flexibility, but would require a 40-man move. The other option is bringing up Colt Emerson, but unless the Mariners view the situation as truly dire, it feels unlikely that they’d summon him just for a brief fill-in.
No news from the Mariners yet as to what the issue is with Raleigh; this story will be updated.
Los Angeles will enter the series fairly healthy, but the status of Luka Doncic remains uncertain.
He suffered a hamstring injury on April 2 in a blowout regular-season loss to the Thunder and has not played in a game since. He has missed 11 games, the Lakers going 7-4 during that span.
Doncic led the league in points per game with 33.5 during the regular season. He was also third with 8.3 assists per game.
Will Luka Doncic play vs. Thunder?
Doncic appears doubtful to start the series for the Lakers. The guard will likely have to take necessary steps to return — things like practice and 5-on-5 simulation games — before he's ready to play in a postseason environment.
Will Luka Doncic play Game 1 for Lakers?
Doncic was ruled out for Game 6 on May 1. The Lakers are expected to release a status report on Monday, May 4 with an update on the star guard.
When do Lakers play next?
The Lakers will play the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 on Tuesday, May 5 at 8:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. PT). The game will air on NBC and can be streamed on Peacock.
Ryan Weathers was solid, if not spectacular, during a 9-4 win over the Orioles in The Bronx on Saturday at a moment when every start matters for a team that is expected to boil down its rotation in the coming weeks.
If the return of Carlos Rodón, who could be ready after his third rehab outing Tuesday, pushes Elmer Rodríguez back to the minors, then Weathers and Will Warren would be competing to hold on to their spots whenever Gerrit Cole is deemed ready in the coming weeks.
“That’s a lifetime away,” manager Aaron Boone said about the rotation jam after Warren was excellent Friday (two runs, just one earned, in 6 ¹/₃ innings) and Weathers was respectable Saturday (three runs, just one earned while pitching into the sixth).
Ryan Weathers throws a pitch during the second inning of the Yankees’ 9-4 win over the Orioles on May 2, 2026 at the Stadium. Corey Sipkin for the NY Post
Weathers, who lowered his ERA to 3.03, pulled a Max Fried and temporarily abandoned his windup.
He had walked the leadoff hitters in the first and second innings, base runners who did not score but escalated his pitch count, needing 40 pitches to record six outs.
So when he fell behind Baltimore’s Blaze Alexander 2-0 to begin the third, he adjusted in the same way Fried has recently by pitching out of the stretch.
“Sometimes windups can have more moving parts,” said Weathers, who later went back into the full windup. “The stretch is literally just pick your leg up and go. I think that simplified what I need to do.”
He did not walk another batter, allowed just three hits and struck out five, all while quibbling with his execution.
He was not thrilled with his fastball location, saying the Orioles were “not really biting” on his slider, and he wanted to bury his changeup more.
Ryan Weathers walks off the mound after getting pulled during the Yankees’ May 2 win. Corey Sipkin for the NY Post
And yet on an apparently imperfect day, he did not allow a hit until Pete Alonso homered with one out in the fourth.
“Had a lot of different ways to get you out today,” Boone said of Weathers, who has allowed three runs or fewer in six of his seven starts. “I thought sweeper, changeup, fastball were all playing well.”
The danger arrived in the sixth, when Taylor Ward and Gunnar Henderson singled before Adley Rutschman grounded to Ben Rice, who hesitated to throw to second in a miscommunication and got no outs on the play, creating a bases-loaded, no-out jam that became Jake Bird’s problem.
Two came around to score unearned runs.
For a rotation that owns a majors-best 2.67 ERA, Weathers’ afternoon was strong, if unremarkable, and helped lead to another victory.
The crunch that is a “lifetime away” is getting closer.
“Any day you can get a big league win is a good day,” Weathers said.
It looked like a home run. Sounded like a home run. Heliot Ramos thought it was gone. So did the Giants’ broadcasters. Somehow, it landed in Cedric Mullins’ glove, leaving Ramos slack jawed and leading to two ejections from the visitors’ dugout.
Even home runs off the bat aren’t getting over the wall these days for the Giants, who haven’t hit one since they left San Francisco six days ago.
Ramos appeared to connect on their first dinger of their road trip in the second inning Saturday against Rays opener Griffin Jax. He squared up a 3-2 fastball to straightaway center field, sending Mullins back to the warning track.
It looked like a home run. Sounded like a home run. Heliot Ramos thought it was gone. So did the Giants’ broadcasters. Getty ImagesRamos appeared to connect on their first dinger of their road trip in the second inning Saturday against Rays opener Griffin Jax Pablo Robles-Imagn Images
The center fielder either deked everyone in the building or something else led to him making a late adjustment on his read of the fly ball, which left Ramos’ bat at 107.9 mph on a 33-degree trajectory.
Eight other fly balls with near-identical matches to Ramos’ have been hit inside Tropicana Field since Statcast began tracking batted-ball data in 2015. Every one was a home run.
I decided to see if there were any balls hit with an identical profile to Heliot Ramos' fly out (??).
Eight other balls have been hit between 107-108 mph with a launch angle between 33-34 degrees at Tropicana Field in the Statcast era (since 2015).
Not this swing. Mullins retreated, touched the wall and suddenly came in to make the catch.
Ramos, who had made it to second base, looked stunned. He appeared to remark, “There’s no way,” on his way back to the dugout. On the Giants’ television broadcast, play-by-play man Dave Flemming had broken into a home-run call and was left equally confused.
*Takes deep breath* Heliot Ramos hits a long flyout, which he thought hit a catwalk at Tropicana Field and therefore should have been a home run, but after review, the call on the field stood, which led to pitcher Adrian Houser and assistant coach Frank Anderson being ejected. pic.twitter.com/9r3xGFZZ2o
The catwalks can come into play on high fly balls at Tropicana Field. According to the ground rules, if a ball in fair play comes into contact with one of the two lower rings, it is automatically ruled a home run. If it hits the two higher catwalks, it is considered a live ball.
However, when the Giants requested a video review, there were apparently no angles available showing the catwalks interfering with the flight of the ball. The call on the field of a catch stood.
That led to more drama, with manager Tony Vitello going back and forth with home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt and crew chief Vic Carapazza tossing director of pitching Frank Anderson and right-hander Adrian Houser from the game.
There are no shortage of reasons for frustration in the San Francisco dugout.
The last home run the Giants hit came almost a week ago, off the bat of Casey Schmitt in what was also the last game they won, Sunday at home against the Marlins. They remain the last team in the league yet to hit 20 total and have scored the fewest runs in the majors.
When they finally pushed across a run in the sixth inning, on a pair of doubles from Rafael Devers and Luis Arraez, it was the first time they had scored since they tied an eventual walkoff loss Thursday against the Phillies — 16 innings prior.
Apr 14, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean (26) throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Mets lineup
Bo Bichette – 3B Juan Soto – DH Francisco Alvarez – C Mark Vientos – 1B Marcus Semien – 2B Andy Ibáñez – LF Tyrone Taylor – CF Austin Slater – RF Ronny Mauricio – SS
Nolan McLean – RHP
Angels lineup
Zach Neto – SS Mike Trout – CF Nolan Schanuel – 1B Jorge Soler – DH Jo Adell – RF Josh Lowe – LF Vaughn Grissom – 2B Oswald Peraza – 3B Travis d’Arnaud – C
Reid Detmers – LHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 9:38 PM EDT TV: SNY Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 02: Ceddanne Rafaela #3 of the Boston Red Sox tosses his bat after striking out against the Houston Astros at Fenway Park on May 02, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The sequence that most perfectly encapsulates today’s loss to the Astros began in the bottom of the third inning. Willson Contreras was at the plate with the bases loaded and just one out; Astros’ starter Spencer Arrighetti was teetering and had just walked the previous two men, and there was more lumber lurking on deck with Roman Anthony and Wilyer Abreu due up next. The Red Sox were down 1-0, but it very much felt like they were about to take control of the game.
I remember thinking to myself in this moment “Boy, after that three hit game last night, it feels like Roman Anthony’s really about to turn the corner. Now he’s gonna get a golden opportunity to build on that momentum against a struggling starter with either a chance to take the lead or put the Sox ahead by even more if Contreras comes through.”
Instead, by the time Anthony came to the plate, the Sox were down 5-0 in the bottom of the next inning.
The deadly combination of events came as follows:
First, Willson Contreras hit into this brutally costly double play to ruin the third inning threat:
That wasn’t quite the ballgame, but it sure felt like it. The Red Sox are now 0-17 when they fall behind by at least two runs at any point in the game, and this lineup proves itself relentlessly incapable of changing that stat on a near daily basis.
Today was actually a perfect example of why that’s the case. There were plenty of other chances for the Red Sox to get back in the thing and mount a comeback, but time and time again they lacked the big hit when they really needed it. They had opportunities littered throughout the middle innings to the tune of eight hits and seven walks, but not a single one of those hits went for extra bases, and the team went just 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position (zero of which came when the deficit was within three runs).
The Astros meanwhile had three extra base hits in just the fourth inning alone (the biggest frame of the game for either team), and that really was the difference in this tussle. The Astros lineup leads the American League in batting average, RBI, OPS, and wRC+. It doesn’t matter if your measuring stick is a metric old or new, their bats are good! The reason they have an even worse record than the Red Sox overall though is because their pitching staff has fallen apart like a piece of single-ply toilet paper.
And along those lines, I can’t underscore enough how much this Astros pitching staff sucks and how much the Red Sox offense sucks even more. In the five games Houston has played against Boston this year, they’ve held the Sox to four runs or less every single time. But in the other 29 games, the Astros opponents have scored five or more runs 22 times. Ironing that out to a bird’s eye view, the Red Sox have averaged 2.60 runs per game in their five slates against the 2026Astros, and everybody else has averaged 6.45 runs per game in the other 29 contests.
This lineup is beyond disgraceful!
Three Studs
Roman Anthony: After three hits last night, Roman Anthony was on base three more times today with a hit and two walks. Also, the hit was a liner the other way into the left field corner, so it was nice to see Anthony smack a free strike teams have been getting against him on the outer third of the plate.
Wilyer Abreu: On base four times with two hits and two walks, and the only Red Sox player with a multi hit game.
The bullpen: Ryan Watson and Tyler Samaniego probably wouldn’t tell you it was their best day on the mound, but together them combined for five innings of one run baseball that base kept the team in today’s game and saved all the high leverage relievers for a potential series win tomorrow.
Three Duds
Willson Contreras: That third inning double play was the backbreaker that set the table for the rest of the game. If he gets a hit or a walk in that spot, the Red Sox probably win as Arrighetti walked both the two batters before this and the two batters after.
Trevor Story: Hit into a costly double play in the second inning and then had a costly strikeout with nobody out in the fourth after the first two batters walked.
Connelly Early: The was the worst outing of Connelly Early’s career so far. Four runs allowed in four innings and gave up plenty of hard contact.
Play of the game:
One of the many frustrating things about this Red Sox season in a long line of frustrating things is how high the overall percentage of great defensive plays made in center field have been by their opponents. The Red Sox are supposed to have a huge advantage here with Ceddanne Rafaela patrolling that part of the diamond, and for whatever reason he’s off to a slow start with the glove while just about every opponent coming into Fenway Park has made themselves right at home in one of the more difficult centerfields in all of baseball.
Anyways, it happened again today with Brice Matthews:
The Flyers ruled out their regular-season goals leader about a half-hour before the start of the game due to an undisclosed injury.
Tippett had 28 goals and 23 assists in the regular season, then had one goal and one assist in the six-game series against Pittsburgh that marked Philadelphia's first postseason appearance since 2020.
The Flyers said Tippett is considered day to day.
The Hurricanes took the ice a week after closing out a sweep of Ottawa. But defenseman Alexander Nikishin was out of the lineup Saturday as he continues to recover from a concussion suffered on a jarring hit by Tyler Kleven in Game 4. Nikishin had returned to skating in a yellow no-contact jersey by Wednesday, then shed that practice Friday.
Coach Rod Brind’Amour said Saturday morning that Nikishin needed to complete another test as he works to clear the concussion protocol.
Carolina forward Nikolaj Ehlers was back after a lower-body injury made him a late scratch for Game 4.
Jarred Kelenic makes his first White Sox start. | (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images)
Winning is fun! The Chicago White Sox are on a four-game winning streak and have won three of their last four series. The Good Guys look to extend both streaks tonight, to five and four.
After notching his first career road win on April 22 in Arizona, Sean Burke takes the bump tonight and looks to snag his second. He’s been avoiding walks and missing barrels, which will be crucial against one of the best teams in baseball.
The ace for the San Diego Padres, Michael King, plans to put an end to Chicago’s offensive explosion. Where Burke excels with the fastball, King gets his job done with his breaking and off-speed pitches. Hopefully, he’ll hang a few tonight!
Here’s how the Sox are going to line up against King, with a few changes from last night:
Jarred Kelenic makes his first White Sox start, and Edgar Quero will take over tonight’s backstop duty.
The Padres are shaking it up a bit compared to last night:
Gavin Sheets (old friend alert), Jackson Merrill, Luis Campusano and Jake Cronenworth find themselves in the starting nine.
Luckily, starting an hour earlier today, you can catch the White Sox at 7:40 p.m. CT on CHSN for your viewing pleasure and WMVP-AM 1000 for your listening pleasure.
Coming out of the lockout for the 2005-2006 season, the Senators seemed to have it all.
They had an excellent young team whose playoff kryptonite for four of the previous five seasons had been the Toronto Maple Leafs. But with Toronto missing the playoffs that year, as they would for 10 of the next 11 years, they were no longer a concern.
Meanwhile, the Sens had the league's best offence, the second-best defence, and entered the playoffs as the top seed in the East and the Stanley Cup favourite.
They had acquired Dany Heatley and Dominik Hasek for that season, and Zdeno Chara and Martin Havlat were both still here. For my money, it was the greatest team in Senators history.
Back in February, my colleague, Graeme Nichols, produced the best story ever written about the 2005-06 Senators. It's an incredible, long-form piece, filled with interviews and anecdotes with just about everyone from that team, and I highly encourage you to check it out here.
But as we hit The Hockey News Archive, it's time for a little time-travel, a chance to dip back into the moment to see what people were saying about the 2006 Senators. Mike Brophy wrote in our Apr 25, 2006, issue about the Senators' chances as they entered the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
A New Sensation
From The Hockey News Apr 25, 2006 Vol. 59, Issue 31
It’s Stanley Cup or bust for the Ottawa Senators as they try to reverse their failed playoff history and win Canada’s first NHL title since 1993.
BY MIKE BROPHY
A few years ago, Daniel Alfredsson boldly announced his Ottawa Senators would win the Stanley Cup.
Then, a few days later, he backed off his ambitious statement by saying something to the affect of, “I didn’t say this year.”
The Senators, of course, have not won a Stanley Cup; at least not since 1927. The current incarnation of the Ottawa Senators has yet to even make it to the final since joining the league in 1992-93.
So, any predictions for us this year, Daniel?
“No,” Alfredsson says with a chuckle.
You’re out of the prediction-making business?
“Not exactly,” he continues. “I think it will be a great playoffs. There will be some upsets, as always, and it’s going to be really fun playing in the playoffs and watching the other games as well.”
OK, if you won’t say your team is going to win the Stanley Cup, Daniel, we’ll say it for you. With all due respect to a number of contenders in the new NHL, the Senators have what it takes to win the Cup, particularly since their nemesis, the Toronto Maple Leafs, aren’t going to the dance. And to think, not long ago Ottawa’s Stanley Cup was simply to get past the Leafs, who sent them golfing in four of the past five seasons.
Now, before you say the Senators don’t have a chance if No. 1 goalie Dominik Hasek doesn’t return from his groin injury, it must be said that rookie Ray Emery has proven himself to be good enough to carry the load. When a team is as good as the Senators, it doesn’t necessarily need great goaltending to win it all; it just needs its goalie not to lose games. The Senators will be fine.
“You need at least good goaltending and in the past that may have been one of the shortcomings I experienced,” says Ottawa coach Bryan Murray. “The other team’s goalies played just a tad better than my goalies. We’re hoping that just good goaltending this time will be adequate.”
Alfredsson says his team is quietly confident about its chances in the post-season.
“The biggest thing entering the playoffs is, we know we have a team that can win it all,” Alfredsson says. “But you need a lot of things to go right for you. You need to be healthy and you need to have a little good luck. More than anything, you need to play well in big games.
“We feel this is a good opportunity for this group and we’re going to try to make the most it and see what happens.”
This group, as Alfredsson puts it, contains some the NHL’s most dangerous scorers.
Dany Heatley, who has revived his career in Ottawa, ranked fourth in league scoring, having set the team record for goals in a season with 48 and totalling 97 points in 78 games. Alfredsson, himself, who had established single-season highs in goals (41) and points (95) with four games remaining, was seventh in league scoring. Super playmaker Jason Spezza, despite missing 14 games with a chest injury, had 68 assists and 86 points in 64 games.
And that is just the tip of the iceberg. No team comes close to matching the Senators’ scoring depth up front with the likes of Peter Schaefer, Bryan Smolinski, newly acquired Tyler Arnason, Antoine Vermette, Patrick Eaves, Mike Fisher and even tough guy Chris Neil capable of lightning it up on any given night.
What is even more astounding is the fact the Senators also have one of the best and deepest bluelines in the NHL.
Wade Redden and Zdeno Chara are bona fide stars, solid at both ends of the rink, while Chris Phillips, Brian Pothier, Anton Volchenkov and rookie Andrej Meszaros, who is among the NHL leaders at plus-35, are all rock-solid.
Bryan Murray has coached and managed great teams in the past, most recently taking the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim to the final as GM in 2003. But this year, he says, is different.
“No. 1, I think our defensive corps is as good as I’ve ever had…the depth of it,” Murray says. “I’ve had some good individual players on the blueline like (Rod) Langway and (Scott) Stevens, but to have the depth that we have is a little more than I’ve had in the past. If we get everybody back, we have a lot of depth up front, too, with a lot of scoring ability.”
The Senators, like all teams, will face some distractions, such as if and when will Hasek be back; and, can the team afford to sign both Chara and Redden, who will be unrestricted free agents in the summer. But Murray says it should not affect the way the team plays on the ice.
“We just try to focus now on the team,” Murray says. “Obviously we’re affected somewhat by what people say, but mostly we just play. As a coach, all you can do is prepare and play.”
Before the season began, we chose the Philadelphia Flyers as our Cup favorite. And why not? They added superstar Peter Forsberg, along with monster defensemen Derian Hatcher and Mike Rathje and big, scoring winger Mike Knuble, as well as a handful of blue chip prospects. That had us convinced the season would be nothing more than a formality. Just hand them the Cup.
The Flyers, though, have been woefully inconsistent. Injuries have taken a toll and there was never really a point during the season where it looked like they would ultimately live up to expectations. The thing about the Flyers is, you can’t dismiss them completely because they have so much talent they are entirely capable of kicking it into gear and winning every game they play. In that regard, coach Ken Hitchcock may face his greatest challenge ever.
Other teams capable of upsetting the Senators include the Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes. People waiting for the Prague Rangers to fold their tents in the playoffs may be disappointed. If goalie Henrik Lundqvist and superstar Jaromir Jagr, the NHL’s most valuable player, live up to their potential, they’ll be a tough opponent for anybody. And don’t discount the work their grunt players do, either.
While the Hurricanes have only played .500 hockey down the stretch, they, too, will not be a desirable opponent for anyone in the opening round.
As for the 2004 Stanley Cup-champion Lightning, unless goalie John Grahame goes to bed one night and wakes up the next morning as Bernie Parent, Tampa Bay doesn’t stand a chance of repeating. The other finalist from two years ago, the Calgary Flames, have put a lot of trust in goalie Miikka Kiprusoff and may rue the day they failed to find an offense-minded center to play with Jarome Iginla.
While we think the Stanley Cup champion will come from the Eastern Conference, the most interesting and competitive hockey is in the West, where the team that finishes eighth – the San Jose Sharks, in all likelihood – could be a threat to make it all the way to the final.
Detroit and Dallas, the cream of the Western crop, both look like potential conference champions, but it won’t be an easy trail to the final.
“What people don’t understand when a team from the East wins the Cup is, the Western Conference teams kick the crap out of each other just trying to make it to the final,” says Edmonton defenseman Chris Pronger.
Looking for a dark horse? Try Pronger’s Oilers – if they made the playoffs, that is. With three games remaining in the regular season, the Oilers were sitting in eighth place in the Western Conference. The additions of defenseman Jaroslav Spacek and left winger Sergei Samsonov have added experience and skill at both ends. If Dwayne Roloson offers up solid goaltending, the Oilers certainly could pull off a first round upset.
And if that happens, they could go on a roll similar to the one the Flames went on two years ago.
Will being the Cup favorite make life tough for the Senators?
“It can’t matter that much, if we let outside factors be that big of a deal,” Murray says.
“But I think, from a confidence point of view, we talk about what we have to do and to have other people recognize a certain ability level doesn’t hurt.”
STAT SHOT
Here’s how teams that were still in the playoff picture through April 10 compare in goals scored per game, goals against per game, overall record in overtime and shootouts, and odds of winning the Cup.
By Mike Brophy The Hockey News Archive Apr 25, 2006/vol. 59, issue 31
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MAY 01: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during the third quarter against the Houston Rockets in Game Six of the First Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Toyota Center on May 01, 2026 in Houston, Texas. 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 Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In the final seconds of overtime in Toronto, RJ Barrett channeled his inner Tyrese Haliburton and connected on a three to force a Game 7 against the Cavaliers.
RJ BARRETT WHEN TORONTO NEEDED HIM MOST 🔥
The hometown hero drains the game-winning bucket in overtime to force Game 7 🥶 pic.twitter.com/D2AJbSiA5M
For a variety of reasons likely involving broadcasting rights and money, the start date of the Lakers-Thunder series was tied to whether Saturday’s two Eastern Conference series. If only one of them ended, then LA and Oklahoma City would play on Sunday.
However, if both of them ended or both of them went seven games, then the purple and gold would be off until Tuesday.
With those stakes in mind and given what played out in Houston with the Lakers routing the Rockets, Barrett’s incredible game-winning shot carried a bit of extra weight. Instead of LA being one of the two Sunday games, there will instead be two Game 7s while LA will get a couple of days of rest.
And for that, LeBron James was thankful.
Lebron thanks RJ for the game winner lol
"Haven't seen a shot in Toronto like that since Kawhi. Something about those rims. I'm happy" pic.twitter.com/kacCAKxJVl
Now, you might wonder, what would LeBron do with that extra rest? Is it watch more game film? Sit back and enjoy Game 7? Well, if you’ve been paying attention to him this year, there was an obvious answer when he was asked if the extra rest helped him.
“For me? Yeah,” LeBron said. “We don’t play until Tuesday now. Yeah. Hell yeah. I can go on the golf course now. That’s what I’m thinking about.”
I wish a time machine existed and we could go back and tell 2016 LeBron that he would be excited about getting an extra day between rounds of the playoffs to golf 18 holes. It’s definitely a different mindset than he had when he was younger and focused on repeated trips to the Finals.
However, given how he played against the Rockets over the course of the series, and particularly in the closeout Game 6, it’s hard to be too upset with him. Let him go golf and then get locked back in on the Thunder.
ST. LOUIS — You won’t find anyone with the Dodgers who thinks Dalton Rushing is a bad guy.
But that doesn’t mean the second-year slugger wants to be saddled publicly with a bad rap.
Throughout his career, Rushing has always tried to play with a smoldering competitive fire. He has never shied away from the fact he carries a competitive edge.
The Dodgers’ Dalton Rushing has produced on the field, but some of his heated in-game interactions have rubbed some the wrong way. AP
“I played football half my life,” the Dodgers’ backup catcher said. “So I compete a little differently, I click a little differently.”
Lately, however, a string of heated in-game interactions that have gone viral on social media — and, in one instance, drawn public criticism from an opposing player — have forced the 25-year-old to take a step back and make a renewed effort to keep his emotions in check.
“You never want to be viewed as a guy like that from opposing teams,” Rushing told The California Post on Saturday. “You want guys to hate playing against you because of the player that you are and how great you are on a baseball field. Not because of the verbalized things you say.”
“You never want to be viewed as a guy like that from opposing teams,” Rushing told The California Post on Saturday. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Then came last weekend’s series against the Cubs, when Rushing was captured dropping another seemingly disparaging expletive in reference to Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya.
This time, it wasn’t only lip-reading internet sleuths who called Rushing out but also Cubs veteran Nico Hoerner, who was standing in the box when Rushing made his alleged “fat f–k” comment as Amaya advanced to second base on a wild pitch last Saturday.
“I wish that I had confronted him a little more directly, to be honest,” Hoerner said during a radio interview this week. “It was just kind of a strange thing to experience. So, yeah, I felt a little weird about that.”
Turns out, Rushing did, too.
Rushing and Hoerner are represented by the same agency, Apex Baseball. So this week, Rushing said he reached out to Hoerner through his agents “to clear the air” about what happened.
“I respect his point of view of it, from the looks and the sound of it,” Rushing said. “And I respect him sticking up for his players. I would do the same thing for any of these guys.”
Rushing has had run-ins so far in series against the Rockies, Giants and Cubs this season. AP
Asked if he thought Hoerner (or, for that matter, the online lip readers) had understood him correctly, Rushing said he didn’t think so — though stopped short of recounting his exact dialogue from the moment in question.
“Regardless,” Rushing explained, “there was a word said, whether it was positive or negative or what. And he didn’t like it. And I respect that.”
Thus, moving forward, Rushing is trying to be more careful about how his emotions are expressed on the field.
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“Obviously, you know what social media can turn you into, [how it can] build an image for yourself both positively and negatively,” the second-year big leaguer said. “So I think from here on out, it’s just my job to build a positive platform for myself.”
“There’s things that can change,” he added. “There’s things I’m going to change.”
Rushing’s fiery temperament is nothing new. It was part of his persona long before the Dodgers made him a second-round draft pick out of the University of Louisville in 2022. And it was there throughout his rise through the farm system as one of the organization’s top prospects.
Thus, moving forward, Rushing is trying to be more careful about how his emotions are expressed on the field. AP
For the most part, the Dodgers have appreciated that component of his competitive makeup.
Even after the recent bouts of drama, manager Dave Roberts said the club doesn’t “want to take the fire out of him.”
At the same time, though, Roberts has cautioned Rushing “to be mindful” of his outbursts. Others in the clubhouse have reinforced the same message.
“He’s bringing stuff onto himself he doesn’t need to bring on,” Roberts said. “There’s a responsibility to not be reckless because everything is captured.”
Rushing also cited that “responsibility” during an interview at his locker Saturday, acknowledging how, when “tempers flare,” he sometimes lets “things take over.”
“I don’t want to create an image like that,” he said.
However, Rushing also noted that nothing “I’ve said verbally on a field has enhanced my play by any means.” AP
The good news: The newfound scrutiny has been spurred by Rushing’s breakout start to the year. Entering Saturday, he was batting .348 with seven home runs and 17 RBIs despite limited playing time in the season’s opening month.
“It wouldn’t matter if I was struggling,” he said. “It would just be, ‘Oh, this guy is just a bad dude. Bad player. Bad dude.’”
However, Rushing also noted that nothing “I’ve said verbally on a field has enhanced my play by any means.”
So, while he won’t douse his competitive fire anytime soon, he will be trying to limit how often it flares up.
“I’m gonna continue to compete, I’m gonna continue to play with an edge,” he said. “But obviously we can hone back a little bit on things that can get you in trouble in this media world.”
It was a historic night for the 76ers at TD Garden, where the 76ers won a series for the first time ever after trailing three games to one and the Celtics lost a series for the first time ever after leading three games to one.
What a game! What a performance! What a series! What a bunch of stats!
The 76ers eliminated the Celtics with a 109-100 win in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference First-Round series.
With able assistance from Stathead, let’s take a look at some of the numbers behind this game and the series!
THEY COULDN’T LOSE IN BOSTON: Before Game 5, the 76ers had won three playoff games in Boston in a 44-year span since 1983. They were 3-17 in 20 road playoff games in Boston since the 1982 Eastern Conference Finals, when they beat the Celtics twice at Boston Garden on the way to winning the series, four games to three. Now they’ve won three games in Boston in the span of 12 days. This is the first time the 76ers have ever won three straight playoff games in Boston. It’s also the first time they’ve ever won three straight road games in a postseason series.
GAME 7 RARITIES: The 76ers hadn’t won a Game 7 anywhere since 2001, when they beat the Bucks 108-91 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals at the First Union Center. They hadn’t won a Game 7 on the road in 44 years, since their only previous postseason road Game 7 win – at Boston Garden 120-106 in the 1982 Eastern Conference Finals. They were 1-10 all-time in road Game 7s before Saturday and 6-12 overall.
AND HE JUST HAD SURGERY: A few weeks after undergoing an appendectomy, Joel Embiid had 112 points, 29 assists, 48 rebounds and 7 blocks in the four games he played in the series. He’s the first 76er in 59 year with at least 112 points, 48 rebounds and 29 assists in any four-game span in the postseason since Wilt Chamberlain in 1967 (112 points, 106 rebounds, 44 assists). Embiid is the first player in NBA history to average 28 points, 12 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 2.0 blocks in an Eastern or Western Conference First-Round series and only the second player with those averages in any series. Giannis Antetokounmpo did it in the Bucks’ 2022 Western Conference Semifinals, also against the Celtics.
TYRESE MAXEY IS INSANE: Maxey became the first 76er ever with back-to-back playoff games against the Celtics with 30 points and five assists and only the sixth player ever with consecutive 30-point, five-assist games in the postseason in Boston, joining some elite company in five current or future Hall of Famers: LeBron James, Giannis, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West and Oscar Robertson.
V.J. EDGECOMBE IS ALSO INSANE: V.J. Edgecombe’s 23 points are the most ever by a player 20 years old or younger in a Game 7 against the Celtics and most by any rookie in 64 years. The previous high by a 20-year-ol was Derrick Rose’s 18 in Game 7 of the Bulls’ 2009 Eastern Conference 1st-round series in Boston. The last rookie with 23 points in a Game 7 in Boston was Tom Meschery of the Philadelphia Warriors in the 1962 Eastern Division finals. It’s also the most points ever by a 76ers rookie in a Game 7. Maurice Cheeks had 20 in Game 7 of the 76ers’ 1979 Eastern Conference Semifinal series against the Spurs in San Antonio. With 30 points in Game 2 in Boston and 23 Saturday, Edgecombe became the third rookie ever and first in 45 years with two 23-point games in Boston in a playoff series. The last to do it was the 76ers’ Andrew Toney in 1981. Two Philadelphia Warriors also did it – Wilt in 1960 and Meschery in 1962.
ASTONISHING DEFENSE: In the last three games of the series, the 76ers limited the Celtics to 40.4, 41.9 and 39.8 shooting from the field. This is only the second time in Celtics history they’ve shot worse than 42 percent in three straight home playoff games but the first time they’ve ever done it in the same series. In 2018, they did it over two series against the Pacers and Cavs. In the last three games of the series, the 76ers held the Celtics to 28, 29 and 27 percent from 3. This is the first time since a 2015 series against the Cavs that the Celtics have shot below 30 percent from 3 in three straight postseason games.
IT’S NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE: The 76ers won the series after losing Game 1 and Game 4 by 32 points. They are the first team in NBA history to win a playoff series after losing two games by at least 32 points. Only six other teams won two games in a series by at least 30 points and they all lost that series.
