Yes, thank Pedro. In a week when there has barely been any televised Red Sox baseball, this one is on NESN at 1:05 PM. That’s especially fortuitous since there’s no World Baseball Classic action today.
It’s all about Connelly Early today. With exactly two weeks until Opening Day, this will be one of his final chances to force himself into the Red Sox rotation.
Here are the lineups, let’s discuss!
For the Phillies:
For the Blue Jays:
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We’ve got a great night of hoops action. The Celtics take on the Thunder, the Nuggets face the Spurs, and what will Bam Adebayo do for an encore after his 83-point performance?
That means there are plenty of great player props on the board, and my favorites for the day include a play in that Heat game, while Paolo Banchero will pull a magic trick on the glass against the Wizards.
Those and more NBA picks for Thursday, March 12, below.
| Player | Pick |  |
|---|---|---|
 Paolo Banchero | Double-double | +105 |
 Kevin Porter Jr. | Over 4.5 rebounds | +110 |
 Victor Wembanyama | Over 4.5 steals & blocks | +105 |
+105 at bet365
The Orlando Magic are playing their best basketball of the season. They have climbed to fifth in the East and enter tonight’s matchup vs. the Washington Wizards, as winners of five in a row.
Paolo Banchero is a big reason why. The Magic forward is putting up 25.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in his last 10 games.
I want to focus on the rebounds. Washington ranks dead last in rebounding rate and opponent rebounds per game. With Banchero hitting double-digit boards five times during that span, I like him to do it again and record a double-double in the process.
+110 at bet365
What will Bam Adebayo do for an encore following his 83-point performance when the Miami Heat visit the Milwaukee Bucks?
Well, I’m actually more interested in another aspect of that performance. The Heat took 90 shots in that game. Which has been their M.O. all season long. Miami leads the NBA in pace and field goal attempts per game.
That means lots of rebounds, where they allow the third-most per game.
So, let’s go Kevin Porter Jr. Over 4.5 rebounds. Porter is questionable, but it’s a number he’s topped in four of his last five, including hauling down seven in a February 24 meeting against Miami.
+105 at bet365
There’s a reason why the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama leads the NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds, but it feels like he’s taken his defensive aggression to another level since the All-Star break.
Wembanyama is averaging 4.3 blocks in 11 games since coming out of the break. Now, obviously, books have caught on, generally putting a lot of juice on the Over. But with him also averaging 1.3 steals over that stretch, there’s still value in his steals & blocks prop.
It’s sitting at 4.5 with the Over at plus money for tonight’s game vs. the Denver Nuggets. A number he’s topped in eight times during those 11 games.
These props are available now at bet365, one of our best betting sites.
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With the World Baseball Classic beginning quarterfinal play on Friday, let’s look back to see how all the Dodgers did during pool play in the tournament. Five Dodgers on the 40-man roster played during the opening round, as well as two minor leaguers. In all, nine Dodgers were active in the WBC, representing seven countries.
Shohei Ohtani reached base nine times in 13 trips to the plate in Pool C, with two home runs, a double, four walks, six runs batted in, and four runs scored, and did not strike out, helping Japan to a 4-0 start to the tournament.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto walked more (three) than he struck out (two) on March 6 in Japan’s opening game against Chinese Taipei, but got through 2 2/3 innings without permitting a run, throwing 55 pitches.
Edwin Díaz faced seven batters in Pool A for Puerto Rico, and struck out five of them, tossing two scoreless innings with one hit allowed.
Will Smith started two of four games in pool play for the United States, and had a double and single in six at-bats, with two walks, and one RBI on a sacrifice fly.
Hyeseong Kim hit a two-run home run for Korea against Japan, but that was his only hit in 10 at-bats during Pool C. Kim drove in three, walked twice, and stole a base in his three games. He injured his left hand in stealing that base in the 10th inning on March 8 against Chinese Taipei, and did not play in Korea’s final game of the pool.
Clayton Kershaw warmed up late in Team USA’s loss to Italy, but did not pitch in Pool B.
Jake Gelof played all four games for Israel, starting three at third base. He had two hits, including a double, and three RBI in Tuesday night’s win over The Netherlands. But in the other three games he was hitless in a combined seven at-bats. Before leaving for the WBC, the second-round draft pick from 2023 got into two Cactus League games for the Dodgers, up from minor league camp, playing third base both times.
Christian Suarez, who pitched for Double-A Tulsa last year, got one out for Venezuela in his one appearance. Venezuela already has a berth in the quarterfinals, but first will play one more game against the Dominican Republic on Wednesday night to decide the winner of Pool D.
Shawndrick Oduber, who pitched in 29 games for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga last year as a 20-year-old, was in the pitching pool for The Netherlands, but did not pitch in their four games.
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What a difference a couple of years makes.
The Detroit Pistons visited the Philadelphia 76ers back in April 2024 and were 15-point underdogs. In 2026, it’s the Pistons who are the 15-point chalk.
Now, that’s a big number for a Detroit team that hasn’t covered much lately, but with all of Philly’s injuries, my 76ers vs. Pistons predictions have found some value in a player prop.
That and more NBA picks for this Eastern Conference clash set to tip off at 7 pm ET at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Thursday, March 12.
76ers vs Pistons best bet: Tobias Harris Over 5.5 Rebounds (+102)
The Philadelphia 76ers were always going to be underdogs in this matchup, but all the injuries are why the number is so big.
Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Kelly Oubre Jr. are all out. And more recently, Andre Drummond has been downgraded to questionable.
Philly already struggled on the glass, ranking 22nd in rebounding rate and 19th in opponent rebounds per game. The Detroit Pistons have the third-highest rebounding rate in the NBA.
So, give me Tobias Harris Over 5.5 rebounds. He’s hauling down 6.5 rebounds per game over his last 12, topping this number seven times.
With all those injuries, somebody's going to have to score for the Sixers. My best bet in this case is Cam Payne. The journeyman guard showed he can still get buckets after coming off a 32-point performance against the Memphis Grizzlies.
With not many other options to take shots, over 12.5 points looks like a solid bet here.
However, that doesn’t mean Philly will score consistently. The Pistons are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, ranking second in defensive rating. They’ll keep the Sixers under their team total in this one.
Just carrying on the theme that the Sixers will be bullied on the boards tonight. Isaiah Stewart has snagged five or more boards in three of his previous five, while Cunningham has snared six or more rebounds in three of his last six contests.
The Pistons have hit the Game Total Under in 25 of their last 40 games for +9.60 Units and a 22% ROI. Find more NBA betting trends for 76ers vs. Pistons.
| Location | Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI |
| Date | Thursday, March 12, 2026 |
| Tip-off | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | Prime Video |
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Jaylen Brown is in the midst of the best season of his career — which is saying something for a five-time All-Star who not only has a championship ring but also a Finals MVP trophy to pair with it. With Jayson Tatum out most of the season in Boston, Brown has stepped up as the No. 1 option, has career highs in points (28.3), rebounds (7.1) and assists (5.1) and has the Celtics looking like the favorites to come out of the East.
However, after his third season in the league in 2019, Brown questioned whether that success would ever come in Boston alongside Tatum, and whether he should push for a trade. In an appearance on the "Cousins” podcast with Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, Brown revealed it was McGrady who talked him out of asking for a trade back in 2019. After that season, Brown went to live with McGrady in Houston for part of the offseason.
"Right around that time after that season that we lost in a second round to the Bucks (2019). I came right after that to Houston to get some work in. And I'm so grateful for that time and I'm I'm grateful to this day for you opening up your crib to me and just coming to be able to kick it with the fam and just ask questions and get some good advice about how I should look at the next couple years and how I should think about and where my mind should be at at the time. And you told me the potential that I have and what I needed to do if I needed to make it work and I followed those instructions to achieve and fast forward I became an NBA champion...
"Coming and sitting down with T-Mac. We spent a couple days just working out and talking, having some food, and he's telling me like, I'm thinking like one thing and he's thinking like, nah, you need to stay, it's going to be you. He's telling me all the stuff that all just manifested itself. So, I can't even like, it's crazy looking back on it now."
That next season, Brown made a leap — he was not just taking more shots but was far more efficient — and he scored 20.3 points a game, his first time breaking 20 (and he has never been below that number since).
This season, Brown's play has earned him MVP ballot consideration, as he has reached yet another level when his team needed him. However, we may never have seen that if seven years earlier, McGrady had not talked Brown out of the idea of leaving Boston.
The Ottawa Senators are getting back their forfeited 2026 first-round pick, though it is being moved to a later position.
The NHL restored the pick on Thursday, March 12, but moved it to the end of the first round at No. 32 overall. The league said the Senators could not trade or transfer the pick. The team will also be fined $1 million Canadian.
The original forfeiture stemmed from a 2021 trade of Evgenii Dadonov to the Vegas Golden Knights. The Golden Knights traded Dadonov to Anaheim in 2022 but hadn't been informed that the Ducks were on the player's no-trade list. That trade was invalidated and the Senators were later told that they would have to forfeit their first-round pick in 2024, 2025 or 2026.
Here's what to know about Thursday's decision, including how it affects the draft and the draft lottery:
The punishment was handed down after Michael Andlauer purchased the Senators in September 2023. General manager Pierre Dorion stepped down after the penalty. The NHL said Andlauer had filed for relief based on the move being done under previous ownership, and the league agreed to modify the punishment.
"We fully accept the modified sanctions the league has imposed today. We are grateful for the league and commissioner keeping an open mind on this issue and modifying the penalty," Andlauer said in a statement. "The Senators organization is appreciative the fine money will be directed to the NHL Foundation Canada, to help grow the sport in our country. We consider this matter closed and will have no further comments on the situation."
Normally, the Stanley Cup champion (or the team that acquired that pick) would draft 32nd overall. They will draft 31st instead, and all other teams that finish ahead of the Senators in the standings will move up one pick.
If the Senators miss the playoffs, they will be assigned the usual lottery odds based on where they finish. But they won't be allowed to win the lottery. If the drawing picks the Senators' combination of numbers for the No. 1 or No. 2 overall pick, there will be a redraw.
The Senators are five points out of an Eastern Conference playoff spot and are ranked 17th in the league. They have 18 games left.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ottawa Senators' first-round pick restored; impact on draft, lottery
Texas Rangers lineup for March 12, 2026 against the Athletics of the West Coast.
Two weeks from Opening Day, and we have a spring training game this afternoon. It is against the Athletics. Jack Leiter is starting.
The lineup:
Nimmo — RF
Langford — LF
Seager — SS
Burger — 1B
Pederson — DH
Carter — CF
Smith — 2B
Duran — 3B
MacIver — C
3:05 p.m. Central start time.
The Pistons got back on track in a huge way on Tuesday against the Brooklyn Nets. It was overshadowed by other happenings in the NBA, but the Pistons were able to end their season-long four game slide with a 38 point win against the lowly Nets. It was clear from the opening tip that the Pistons were not going to be blowing a 23-point lead against the Nets again.
Now, they have a chance to continue the positive momentum they have going against a Philadelphia 76ers team that will be without Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, and Joel Embiid. It won’t be a walk in the park, but it will be much easier for the Pistons to impose their will defensively when the big offensive threats for the Sixers are missing.
The Pistons will once again be without Ausar Thompson, but they might get Caris LeVert back from his wrist injury which I am not sure is a good or bad thing at this point.
Where: Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI
When: Thursday, March 12 at 7 pm EST
Watch: Prime Video
Odds: Pistons (-14.5)
There isn’t a whole lot to say about the Philadelphia 76ers given the current state of their roster. They are coming off a win over the Memphis Grizzlies, but given the season the Grizzlies are having that isn’t saying a ton about their ability to play without Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George.
Maxey is the biggest loss out of the three as he is 4th in the NBA in scoring while also leading in minutes played. He has been their engine this season and the star that has been consistently available, so his loss for the next 3 weeks with a finger injury is a huge one. The 76ers currently hold the 8th spot in the East and aren’t really in danger of falling out of the Play-In Tournament at least, but the Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks have been playing some good basketball the last couple weeks and very well could catch them if the 76ers are unable to string together a few wins without their best players.
With their “Big 3” missing, the 76ers are forced to rely a lot on rookie VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, and Kelly Oubre to carry most of the scoring load. They were able to do it against the Grizzlies on Tuesday with some help from Cam Payne, but they definitely are not on the level of Maxey, Embiid, and George in terms of consistently carrying the scoring load for a competitive team.
Kelly Oubre will be out tonight as well, so that is one less offensive threat the Pistons have to deal with. Oubre, in particular, always seems to have his better games against the Pistons so it will be a pretty big loss for the Sixers.
I just don’t see anywhere the Sixers are going to get the necessary offensive punch that they need to win this game, unless Cam Payne replicates what he did against the Grizzlies where he had 32 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field and 8-8 from beyond the arc.
Tuesday’s win against the Nets was an important one for the Pistons as they got the monkey off their back of the 4-game losing streak, but more importantly, got back on track as a team defensively. The Pistons are never going to be great in their halfcourt offense with their current roster, but they can score enough through tough defense and scoring in transition and both of those things went away during the losing streak. Obviously, the Nets are not a great team, but seeing yourself put together a dominant performance on defense after struggling for over a week does a lot for confidence as a team.
The Pistons don’t really blow out teams a ton, but they have been able to get the job done this year against lesser teams, especially when those teams are short-handed. So, I would expect a similar level of engagement as what the Pistons had against the Nets. The 76ers have a bit more experience in the backcourt than the Nets, so turnovers will be tougher to come by, but it is the Pistons’ bread and butter so they will find a way.
I could see a game where the 76ers hang tough early-on, but the Pistons ultimately overwhelm them and take control during the 2nd half.
Detroit Pistons (46-18): Cade Cunningham, Marcus Sasser, Duncan Robinson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren
Philadelphia 76ers (35-30): VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, Trendon Watford, Dominick Barlow, Adem Bona
Does the Pistons losing streak concern you or was it just a late-season lull that many teams deal with during a long season?
The majority of the core that won the 2023 World Series is still present on the Rangers roster three years later. The unrelenting passage of time and the fragile nature of the human body has meant that, even though many of the names are the same, the talent level on this roster is much less than what it was when they won a championship. Maybe that’s why it feels like this year is the last hurrah for this version of the Rangers. Corey Seager hasn’t been able to stay healthy for a full season since 2022, Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi are on the wrong side of 35, and it doesn’t look like there’s much near-future help coming through the farm system.
The pitching staff should be pretty good; they were elite last year but probably won’t rise to that level again. The lineup should be pretty good too, even though they weren’t very good last year. The roster seems like it’s going to get hit hard by regression — upwards for the bats, downwards for the arms — which makes projecting the team particularly difficult.
| Position | Rangers Projected WAR | Mariners Projected WAR | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catcher | 2.5 | 6.1 | Mariners |
| First Base | 1.3 | 2.9 | Mariners |
| Second Base | 1.6 | 2.7 | Mariners |
| Shortstop | 4.5 | 2.8 | Rangers |
| Third Base | 2.0 | 3.0 | Mariners |
| Left Field | 3.4 | 2.2 | Rangers |
| Center Field | 3.4 | 6.0 | Mariners |
| Right Field | 2.4 | 2.0 | Rangers |
| Designated Hitter | 1.8 | 1.6 | Rangers |
| Starting Pitching | 14.6 | 14.2 | Rangers |
| Relief Pitching | 1.9 | 3.4 | Mariners |
| Total | 39.5 | 46.8 | Mariners |
The Rangers outpace the Mariners at shortstop, in the outfield corners, and barely edge them out in the starting rotation. The biggest potential for growth comes from their two young outfielders, Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter. The former is already projected to be one of the better left fielders in the game while the latter has battled injuries the last few years but is still only 23. On the pitching side of things, deGrom, Eovaldi, and newcomer MacKenzie Gore form a very potent one through three atop the rotation. Even if the pitching depth isn’t as good as it was last year, the ceiling provided by that trio is very high.
Bringing in Brandon Nimmo and Gore should help delay the team’s inevitable decline; both are still very good players right now and are under team control for at least the next two years. It’s very easy to imagine a scenario in 2026 where Seager stays healthy, the two aces atop the rotation stave off Father Time for one more year, and young guys like Langford and Carter take a big step forward. It’s just as easy to imagine the complete opposite scenario where everything falls apart. That huge variation in potential outcomes makes this team extremely difficult to pin down. They could be really good! They could be really bad! The most likely outcome is somewhere in the mediocre middle, neither good enough to compete nor bad enough to push them to tear everything down.
2026 FanGraphs Depth Charts projections: 80.7-81.3, 2nd in AL West, 35.5% playoff odds
2026 PECOTA projections: 83.6-78.4, 3rd in AL West, 43.2% playoff odds
Sure, it’s a flattened and idealized version of history, but who doesn’t love a lone cowboy? One man set against the multifaceted forces of the world, his only weapon a six-shooter and his own rugged indifference. It’s the man in the arena, but on a horse. That’s how Skip wanted them to think of themselves, at least. One man. Simple tools. One mission.
Of course, it’s not really like that. They are nothing without each other, and this year, finally, all those disparate pieces gelled into one unstoppable offensive machine. A new training program kept the most fragile among them on the field all year, led by Corey Seager, fully healthy and now fully a power hitter – so what if his defense had lost a step when he’s smacking 36 homers? And for once not everything rested on Seager’s shoulders, flanked by a trio of powerful young All-Stars in Evan Carter, Wyatt Langford, and Josh Jung, who finally solved his own injury issues, with Carter’s long-awaited breakout year finally coming to fruition.
With that combination of speed, power, and on-base ability at the top half, the rest of the lineup could have taken at-bats off, but they never did, led by the veteran Brandon Nimmo, who fit in immediately like a pair of broken-in boots. Any time a younger player wandered too far afield Nimmo was right there to lasso him back to reality, offering pep talks and gentle correction. The top of the lineup did most of the heavy lifting, of course, but the rest of the lineup was happy to play Tonto to everyone else’s Lone Ranger.
Could they pitch? Not even a little bit, but who cares, when you’re averaging – averaging – five runs a game. Forget about defense; the most powerful guns win the wars.
They lived the motto that year – one riot, one Ranger – acting as a unified, unstoppable force, a riot of offense and damn all the rest. Who cared about a statue, or a Pride Night, or paid maternity leave? They had two pennants in five years. Anyone would be happy to ride off into the sunset with that. —KP
This is an easy one.
About one-third of the Rangers projected value is tied up in three players: Corey Seager, Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi. All three are great, and all three will be on a Hall of Fame ballot some day. All three are also highly likely to spend time on the injured list this year. Seager (32) made three trips to the IL in 2025; he missed time in six of the last seven non-COVID seasons. deGrom (38) was healthy last year for the first time since missing most of four consecutive seasons. Eovaldi (36) has his own poor track record of health and finished 2025 on the IL.
So while I acknowledge the tradition of this series is creative writing and imagery, this just… it’s obvious. The Rangers need everything to go right. They are old. They are fragile. They are top heavy. It’s like watching Nolan Ryan attempt the milk crate challenge.
The Rangers are already on the long-arch towards, “It All Goes Wrong.” Between 2022 and 2023, they had the largest influx of high-priced talent in recent baseball history, elevating from one of the worst teams in the league to a bit above average. And hey, that’s all they needed in 2023, winning 90 games, finishing second in the AL West, and defeating the mighty Diamondbacks in the World Series. Good for them.
But such an improbable title run obscured a more fundamental issue with the depth of the organization. There was no plan in place to sustain highly competitive rosters. They’d already locked up the “Big Free Agent” chunk of their budget. They didn’t have much of a farm system to supplement their core, or even to trade from. They were largely content to stare at the reflection in their trophy.
They entered 2024 needing it all to go right. They were the most injured team in the American League and missed the playoffs.
They entered 2025 needing it all to go right. They underperformed their pythagorean record by nine wins and missed the playoffs.
And now the Rangers enter 2026, needing it all to go right again, the odds growing longer. Their championship core has started to break up, with plenty of hard feelings to go around. The rest is filled out with not-quite-failed prospects and not-quite-retired veterans. The greatest splurge in the history of the sport, all for a lone winning season, and a Texas-sized white flag to hang in the rafters, forever. —RB
There are only two weeks and a day left until the regular season starts and the prospective Atlanta Braves Opening Day roster is coming into focus — for better and for worse.
Less than two weeks after the last roster projection, two more shoes dropped, adding more consternation to Opening Day roster. First, it was outfielder/designated hitter Jurickson Profar getting suspended for 162 games for a second PED positive test in less than 12 months. Then, last weekend, possible starting pitcher/long-reliever Joey Wentz tore his ACL and will miss the 2026 season.
Now it is time to take another look what the projected Opening Day roster.
As a reminder, this projection is based on who is on the Braves’ 40-man roster or in camp with the team at this moment in time and assumes that everyone is “healthy” when Opening Day rolls around. All the usual caveats apply related to injuries, acquisitions and the like.
This is the third projection this Spring and for additional thoughts and details on the below players, read the prior projections as those comments won’t be duplicated below.
Catcher: Drake Baldwin
First base: Matt Olson
Second base: Ozzie Albies
Shortstop: Mauricio Dubón
Third base: Austin Riley
Right field: Ronald Acuña, Jr.
Center field: Micheal Harris II
Left field: Mike Yastrzemski
Designated hitter:
Bench: Jonah Heim, Eli White, Jorge Mateo, Kyle Farmer, Dominic Smith
With Jurickson Profar out of the equation, the designated hitter spot gets hits with a strike-through for this projection. Atlanta could possibly bring in someone at the end of camp for the last bench spot, but for now, veteran Dominic Smith gets the nod. The Braves would probably be better served with a right-handed hitting option, but at this point Smith and outfielder Ben Gamel, both veteran lefty-swinging bats, seem the two most likely options.
Wild Cards: Nacho Alvarez, Jr., Ben Gamel, Jose Azucar, Brett Wisely
Luke Williams has struggled mightily with the bat, and at this point, seems an unlikely option to make the team. It is fair to question if he is able to stick in Triple-A, either. Utilityman Brett Wisely, who played briefly with the Braves last season before an off-season detour to the Tampa Bay Rays before returning to Atlanta, could be an option given he can play on the infield or outfield.
Another name to keep an eye on is player who had the quick cup of coffee with Atlanta last season before moving on and coming back – outfielder Jose Azucar. Azucar is likely a Triple-A outfield option only but should the Braves need an reserve outfielder to open the season, he might get the nod over Gamel. Infielder Nacho Alvarez, Jr. has been playing in the WBC and was optioned when he left camp, but he can’t be ruled out completely, although is likely to be ticketed to Triple-A to get full-time at-bats.
Starting pitchers: Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo Lopez, Grant Holmes, Bryce Elder, JR Ritchie
Bullpen: Raisel Iglesias, Robert Suarez, Dylan Lee, Tyler Kinley, Aaron Bummer, Joel Payamps, Jose Suaréz
The starting rotation has lost most of its depth since Spring Training started with Hurston Waldrop, Joey Wentz and Spencer Schwellenbach all succumbing to injuries. JR Ritchie makes the jump to the starting rotation – even if only for the first two weeks. Theoretically, Atlanta could opt to give Ritchie a start after Strider or Lopez, allowing Holmes to be the designated long-man for a couple of games and slot in as the sixth starter.
With Hayden Harris and James Karinchak seeming to not be in the plan to start the year, the final slot goes to left-hander Jose Suaréz given his ability to cover multiple innings. He pitched in seven games, including one start, for the Braves last season.
Wild Cards: Martín Peréz, Hayden Harris, Dylan Dodd, James Karinchak
A lot can happen in two weeks, and a couple more clean outings by Harris or even a minor injury to an expected reliever could see the rookie force his way on the roster. The same can be said for Karinchak. Should Atlanta opt to have a sixth start, but not want Ritchie to start the year in Atlanta, then the veteran Martín Peréz could get the call. Dodd’s ability to be optioned does not play in his favor, but he could be an option over Suaréz.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs welcome the Anaheim Ducks to Scotiabank Arena on Thursday, March 12, and the two teams couldn’t be heading in more opposite directions.
Anaheim is scorching hot and pushing for a postseason berth, while Toronto is punching the clock to end a lost season.
My top Ducks vs. Maple Leafs predictions and NHL picks call for a low-scoring bout tonight.
Ducks vs Maple Leafs best bet: Under 6.5 (+105)
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been under attack for poor defensive play and have surrendered a league-high 4.2 goals per game during their active 4-12-4 stretch.
As a result, we’re landing a fair price for this Under because Toronto has also onlyscored 2.5 goals per game during the slump, and the Maple Leafs are running into the sneaky Anaheim Ducks and red-hot starter Lukas Dostal.
Dostal has posted a solid .904 save percentage with a league-high 16.23 goals saved above expected across his past 15 starts, which includes a .939 SV% on the highway.
The Maple Leafs have also allowed the most shots per game (33.8) during the highlighted slump, while the Ducks have averaged a healthy 29.3 during the same stretch, so I’m anticipating Joseph Woll to be busy.
In addition to making 28 or more saves in six of his past nine starts, Woll was particularly sharp Tuesday against the Canadiens with 30 stops and 1.79 goals saved above expected.
The final leg of this same-game parlay turns to Toronto winger William Nylander, who has recorded three or more shots in seven of his past 11 games while logging a healthy 19:26 of ice time per night.
The Anaheim Ducks have hit the Under in five of their last six games (+4.10 Units / 63% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Ducks vs. Maple Leafs.
| Location | Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON |
| Date | Thursday, March 12, 2026 |
| Puck drop | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | TSN4 |
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.
Leading up to the 2026 NHL trade deadline, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen was one of the league's most-talked-about trade candidates. However, in the end, the Flyers elected to hold on to the 6-foot-4 defenseman for the remainder of the season.
While Ristolainen is sticking with the Flyers for now, questions about his future in Philadelphia are continuing to come up.
In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Lyle Richardson discussed multiple trade candidates for the 2026 NHL off-season, and Ristolainen was given the No. 5 spot.
Seeing Ristolainen make this off-season trade board is not surprising in the slightest. It is clear that the Flyers have been open to moving him, and he should generate interest from teams looking to boost their right side.
Ristolainen will also be entering the final year of his contract in 2026-27, so the summer could be a good time for the Flyers to move him. This is especially so when noting that this year's free agency class is not the strongest when it comes to defensemen.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see if the Flyers end up moving Ristolainen during the off-season from here.
After a difficult loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night, the Ottawa Senators got some good news from the NHL on Thursday morning.
The Senators will be able to make a selection in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft after all.
The league has modified the penalty originally handed down to Ottawa for its role in the 2021 trade that sent Evgenii Dadonov to the Vegas Golden Knights. The Senators failed to properly communicate the details of Dadonov's contract, which later contributed to the botched 2022 deal when Vegas tried to flip Dadonov to the Anaheim Ducks, a team that was on his no-trade list.
Initially, as punishment, the NHL ordered the Senators to forfeit their first-round pick in one of the 2024, 2025, or 2026 drafts. They kept their picks in 2024 (Carter Yakemchuk) and 2025 (Logan Hensler), hanging on to the notion that maybe the league would soften someday and approve their application for reconsideration and relief.
It's a good thing they did.
Instead of completely forfeiting the pick, the Senators will now be allowed to make the final selection of the first round, 32nd overall, in the 2026 draft. Ottawa will not be permitted to trade the pick, and the organization must also pay a $1 million fine. The Senators will still participate in the draft lottery, but they will not be eligible to win it. If they win the right to move up, a re-draw will occur.
The decision is very similar to one the NHL made 12 years ago involving the New Jersey Devils. In that case, the league effectively returned the Devils’ forfeited first-round pick as part of a reduced penalty stemming from the 2010 Ilya Kovalchuk contract circumvention case. New Jersey was allowed to select last in the first round and was also barred from winning the draft lottery.
While Ottawa’s 32nd overall pick is essentially a glorified second-rounder, it still represents a meaningful win for the organization. The Senators are somewhat thin in the prospect department, and after dealing away a second-round pick to the Los Angeles Kings for Warren Foegele last week, Ottawa’s best selection in the 2026 draft was tracking to be a third-rounder.
Sens owner Michael Andlauer was more than happy to accept Thursday's ruling.
When the penalty originally came down, Andlauer wondered, since it happened under previous ownership, why the Dadonov screwup was his problem. He also wondered why the league and the Melnyk estate didn't reveal the seriousness of the problem during the franchise sales negotiation. It's a little like someone selling a home and not letting the buyer know there's a leak in the home's foundation that they'll have to deal with.
After getting the news of the penalty from the league, Andlauer relieved GM Pierre Dorion of his duties and replaced him with Steve Staios.
In its Thursday morning press release, the NHL made it clear it will have no further comment on the matter.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News
This article was originally published at The Hockey News. For more Senators news, analysis, and features, visit the Ottawa Senators site at The Hockey News.
More from The Hockey News:
- There’s No Replacing Jake Sanderson, But Senators Must Step Up In His Absence
- Were the Senators Chasing Robert Thomas At The Trade Deadline?
- Senators Acquire Former 67s Star At Trade Deadline
- Senators Trade Veteran NHL Forward David Perron Back To Detroit
- Will Warren Foegele Prove To Be Worth The Price For The Senators?
Stay up to date with the latest Senators coverage at The Hockey News – Ottawa Senators.
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Spring Training is rapidly drawing to a close, and while the Royals have a variety of much more interesting options for their outfield than they had at this time last year, they don’t appear to have any clear frontrunners.
Lane Thomas was the first offseason addition, but he profiles as more of a weak-side platoon hitter and pinch hitter than a starting outfielder. Additionally, he was hurt most of last year, and he has not had a particularly good Spring Training, striking out in more than half of his plate appearances so far.
Isaac Collins was acquired next, via trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, and immediately assumed the de facto starting left field role after finishing fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting last year. Unfortunately, his batted ball metrics were subpar last year, which already gave cause for concern about his ability to replicate his rookie season, but now he has gotten a late start to Spring Training and has struck out more than 40% of the time since he started playing. Neither he nor Thomas are chasing all that much, but they’re both only swinging at about half the pitches they see in the strike zone, far below the league average.
The Royals signed Starling Marte to fill out the bench last week, but he might be the most interesting option they have in left field, considering we at least haven’t seen him fail yet. But there’s a little more than a week of Spring Training left, and we haven’t seen him take the field yet. It’s hard to imagine he’s going to be 100% up to speed when the season starts at this pace.
Michael Massey could be an option, but he’s battling another leg injury. Jonathan India is only playing at second this year. Other potential candidates would seem to include Kameron Misner, John Rave, Drew Waters, Tyler Tolbert, and Nick Loftin. Who you got?