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Miami breakout star Alexandra Eala has the world of tennis at her feet | Tumaini Carayol

Now the 19-year-old Filipina’s challenge is to handle the unavoidable pressure and build a successful career

In the early hours of Friday morning, after nearly two weeks spent slaying giants, Alexandra Eala slumped in her chair inside the vast Hard Rock Stadium, her unforgettable run in Miami finally at an end. Before she could even begin to reflect on her mixed emotions of pride and disappointment, however, she was hit by a wall of noise.

The audience, still filled with Filipino fans at 12.45am, had opted to celebrate Eala’s achievements with a thunderous standing ovation. She responded immediately, raising both fists to the air and then blowing kisses to all corners of the stadium with a smile.

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Line Combinations: Jets vs. Devils

Photo by Ed Mulholland/USA Today 

The 49-19-4 Winnipeg Jets are set to host the 38-28-7 New Jersey Devils from snowy Manitoba on Friday night.

Doused with 15 centimetres of snow over the past 24 hours, Winnipeg's Canada Life Centre will host the first game of the season that truly doesn't matter for the Jets' initial playoff chances.

We say 'initial' because every game matter in terms of final standings, finishing placements and season series', but as of Winnipeg's 3-2 overtime victory on Tuesday, the Jets are in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

They enter the night one point behind Washington for first overall, while having played the same amount of games as the Capitals. 

But more concerning for the Jets are the red-hot Dallas Stars who sit just four points behind Winnipeg, as well as the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues, who have combined for a 27-3-3 record in their last 33 games played, combined. 

With injuries to Gabe Vilardi and Rasmus Kupari, Alex Iafallo has positioned himself on the top line, while David Gustafsson draws back into the fold on the fourth grouping. The second and third lines have see some adjustments as well. Logan Stanley continues to dress on the blueline over Haydn Fleury.

Connor Hellebuyck will get the nod between the pipes as the Jets look to become the first team to hit 50 wins on the season.

Winnipeg Jets' expected line combinations for Friday, March 28 vs. New Jersey:

Connor-Scheifele-Iafallo

Ehlers-Lowry-Appleton

Niederreiter-Namestnikov-Perfetti

Gustafsson-Barron-Tanev

Morrissey-DeMelo

Samberg-Schenn

Stanley-Miller

Hellebuyck

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Ex-Red Wing James Reimer Heating Up

James Reimer (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)

Goalies are the most critical players on the ice.

Scoring goals is nice – but it doesn't mean anything if your netminder is not up to snuff.

Former Detroit Red Wings goalie James Reimer has had a strange season. He started with the Buffalo Sabres, was put on waivers, claimed by the Anaheim Ducks, placed on waivers again, and finally claimed by the Sabres.

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Although Reimer hasn't played much this year, he's started four consecutive games. Despite starting the year terribly, things are turning around for him.

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He's posted a save percentage (SV%) of .900, .917, .938, and .920 with a 3-1 record in four consecutive starts.

He’s hovering around league average for the season. In 17 games, Reimer has a record of 5-8-2, a 2.94 goals against average (GAA) and a .901 SV%. 

Digging into MoneyPuck numbers gives us a few more observations. Reimer leads all Sabres goalies in Goals Saved Above Expected with 8.1. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi have GSAx of -5.6 and -8, respectively.

Cam Talbot (Tim Fuller-Imagn Images)

Amongst all NHL goalies who have played at least 15 games, Reimer ranks 26th in GSAx. The only Red Wings goalie who has done better in this metric is Cam Talbot, who ranks 22nd with 10.6. 

In his last season with the Red Wings, he had similar numbers. Reimer boasted an 11-8-2 record with a 3.11 GAA, a .904 SV%, and two shutouts.

While it wasn’t a mistake to let Reimer go, his recent hot streak is proof that he still has some game to bring to the table. But, just like all things, it probably won’t last very long.

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Former-Bruin Brad Marchand makes debut with Panthers in game against Utah

SUNRISE, Fla. — Brad Marchand has made his Florida debut.

The Panthers had Marchand — who, because of an upper-body injury, hasn’t appeared in a game with Florida since being acquired in a trade with Boston three weeks ago — in the starting lineup Friday night when the team played host to the Utah Hockey Club.

Marchand, who was greeted by plenty of fans around the ice during warm-ups and even flicked a puck into the stands toward one group as a souvenir, got the loudest reception of any of Florida’s skaters when the game-opening unit was announced.

It was the first time in 1,091 NHL games, 1,248 when adding in playoff contests, that Marchand took the ice in something other than a Bruins sweater. Marchand was on Florida’s second line with Sam Bennett and Mackie Samoskevich — who grew up in New England watching Marchand play for the Bruins.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Samoskevich said of playing with Marchand. “He’s such a good player. So silky. I feel like when he has the puck, he sees you — he’s got eyes in the back of his head. It’s a lot of fun. Excited for the future with him. He’s such a good guy off the ice, too.”

Marchand had 21 goals and 26 assists in 61 games with the Bruins this season, and Panthers coach Paul Maurice said when the deal got done that Marchand, he believes, helps fill what Florida will need in its playoff run and its quest to win a second consecutive Stanley Cup.

“He’s had an incredible career,” Maurice said. “He’s a Stanley Cup champion, 1,000 games, 1,000 penalty minutes, lots of points. I don’t want to see it all in one game. ... You know how tenacious this guy is, how physical he is, how hard he plays. Then you get him in practice and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, he’s got hands on him.’ And you start to realize how good the skill level is there.”

It may have been strange at first, with the former captain of the Bruins wearing Florida colors after those teams had tough playoff battles — both won by the Panthers — in 2023 and 2024. But by all accounts, Marchand has fit perfectly into the Florida mix.

“He brings a lot of energy to the locker room, a lot of compete on the ice,” Panthers defenseman Gus Forsling said. “A huge veteran that’s going to be big for us.”

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Peter Lever obituary

Lancashire and England opening bowler who played in the victorious England Ashes side of 1971

Peter Lever, who has died aged 84, was a fast-medium bowler for Lancashire for 17 years and for England in 17 Test matches. In many ways he was the epitome of the staunch English professional cricketer, dedicated, modest and devoted to the game he loved. And yet throughout his career he experienced moments way beyond the norm, one of which was harrowing in the extreme.

He toured Australia twice, under the captaincy of Ray Illingworth in 1970-71 when England regained the Ashes with Lever playing in five of the six Tests, and then on the less successful expedition under Mike Denness four years later, during which an unsuspecting England team was confronted by the combination of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson for the first time. It was just after that series when a battered England side had moved on to New Zealand that Lever had the most traumatic experience of his life.

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Alex Ovechkin leads Capitals in tribute to Wild’s Marc-Andre Fleury with postgame handshakes

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Alex Ovechkin didn’t score for Washington, staying at 889 career goals and six away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record.

Ovechkin did initiate a memorable moment on the ice in Minnesota on Thursday night, though.

The three-time NHL MVP, who has been in the spotlight for months amid his pursuit of Gretzky’s career goal mark, hustled over toward the tunnel behind the bench after the horn sounded on Washington’s 4-2 loss to make sure all of the Capitals came back on the ice to shake hands with retiring Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. Ovechkin was the first to greet Fleury at mid-ice as they shared a hug and a laugh.

Fleury, who’s in his 21st and assuredly final season in the league, was on the home bench all night while Filip Gustavsson manned the net.

Ovechkin mentioned to the team in the morning that it would be the last matchup against Fleury, who faced Ovechkin and the Capitals frequently over the first 13 seasons of his career with Pittsburgh. Ovechkin had 28 goals in 47 games against Fleury, his most against any goalie.

“He’s had so many battles with the Caps, with ‘O,’” Washington coach Spencer Carbery said. “Pretty classy to be able to send him off and just say how impressive a career he had.”

Capitals center Dylan Strome played briefly with Fleury in Chicago.

“Everyone knows he’s one of the best people of all time in the game, so the little respect we can show him at the end of the game I think goes a long way,” Strome said.

The Wild were impressed by the gesture, even if they weren’t surprised.

“Every team we go to, you see the signs. Everyone loves him, and everyone loves playing against him,” Gustavsson said. “I think no one really would say anything bad about him.”

At some point soon, the Wild will likely find themselves doing their own internal tribute.

“It’s awesome to see. It’s fun for him, and I am happy for him,” defenseman Jonas Brodin said. “He’s a great person and one of the best I have ever played with, so it’s pretty cool. It’s special to have that when you quit hockey someday, that you played with that guy, for sure.”

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Capitals sign defenseman Dylan McIlrath to a two-year, $1.6 million contract

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Washington Capitals signed defenseman Dylan McIlrath to a two-year, $1.6 million contract Thursday.

The 32-year-old McIlrath has two assists in 11 games this season. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season.

McIlrath captained Washington affiliate Hershey’s 2023 and 2024 Calder Cup championship teams in the American Hockey League. The 6-foot-6 defender has three goals and six assists in 86 career NHL regular-season games with Washington, Florida, the New York Rangers and Detroit.

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Kelly Cup Champion Re-Signs With Everblades

Photo Courtesy of the ECHL

The Florida Everblades announced Friday they have agreed to terms with forward Josh Ho-Sang on a standard player contract (SPC).

The 29-year-old right-shot right winger won the Kelly Cup with the Everblades last season, posting one goal and 17 assists during the Kelly Cup Playoffs. The Toronto native also provided two goals and 13 assists in 11 regular season games ahead of the 2024 playoffs.

Before the Everblades, the 6-foot, 174-pound Ho-Sang played 53 NHL games and 225 AHL games split between the New York Islanders, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, and San Antonio Rampage.

Ho-Sang scored seven goals and 17 assists in the NHL. The Kelly Cup Champion was drafted in the first round (28th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders from the Ontario Hockey League’s Windsor Spitfires.

Ho-Sang played 256 OHL games split between Windsor and the Niagara IceDogs, finishing with 82 goals and 210 assists.

The Everblades kick off the weekend with a big matchup in Estero against the Toledo Walleye. Puck drop is set for 7:30 Pm ET.

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The Hockey News Big Show: How Well Will Brad Marchand Fit In With Panthers?

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Kickstart the weekend with The Hockey News Big Show, where we explore some of the biggest NHL and hockey topics.

Here’s what Katie Gaus, Ryan Kennedy and Michael Traikos discussed in this episode:

How Well Will Brad Marchand Fit In With Panthers? by The Big ShowHow Well Will Brad Marchand Fit In With Panthers? by The Big Showundefined

0:36: The Philadelphia Flyers fired coach John Tortorella. What do we think of Tortorella’s comments on Tuesday and the subsequent decision by the Flyers to move on?

6:20: Who do we think should be the next coach in Philadelphia, and will Tortorella end up coaching elsewhere by next season?

8:14: The St. Louis Blues are on an eight-game winning streak. What has stood out about St. Louis during this run, and should teams be genuinely concerned about meeting them in the first round?

11:10: Brad Marchand is slated to make his debut with the Florida Panthers on Friday against Utah Hockey Club. Do we like Marchand on the second line with Sam Bennett?  

13:14: When Matthew Tkachuk returns to the Panthers’ lineup, who becomes a healthy scratch?

14:58: Alex Ovechkin is now just six goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record. Do general sports fans realize this is going on? Is the NHL doing enough to promote this Great Chase?

19:11: Day 1 of the NCAA men’s hockey national championship is in the books. These eliminations mean we have many players who could turn pro now that their seasons are done, but one of the biggest names to watch is MSU goalie Trey Augustine. Do we think Augustine will sign to go pro or return for his junior season at MSU?

20:51: What other prospects are you keeping an eye on now that their seasons are over?

23:17: We return to our weekly look at Ryan and Michael’s top eight Stanley Cup contenders. Starting with Ryan's list, which squad moved the most on his list and why?

24:55: Michael shares which team moved the most on his top eight Cup front-runners list and why.

29:10: What series in the Western Conference will be the toughest?

30:35: True or false: do we think Matvei Michkov is secretly happy Tortorella is fired?

32:52: Without looking, who has a better save percentage for the Dallas Stars: Jake Oettinger or Casey DeSmith?

34:22: Which fan base should be more concerned about their team next season: Boston or Detroit?

36:22: Is Kadri the Calgary Flames' best-ever free-agent signing? 

37:55: Sidney Crosby is the first player in NHL history to record 20 point-per-game seasons. Will anyone currently playing in the NHL ever beat this?

Watch the full episode here.   

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Top 2 Tiers of UFA Forwards Blackhawks Must Target

Nikolaj Ehlers (Bob Frid-Imagn Images)

The longer the Chicago Blackhawks suffer at the bottom of the standings, the worse it gets for some of the young players like Connor Bedard who is already at a higher level and is ready to start getting in the mix of a playoff chase. That being said, there has to be some upgrades externally. That is what is going to take this team with a lot of young and talented players to the next level.

The additions like Teuvo Teravainen, Tyler Bertuzzi, and even Ilya Mikheyev have done well for the Blackhawks, and there is lots more cap space to go use this summer, even factoring in that some of the young players will have to be paid.

Chicago needs to land at least one of the free agent forwards this summer in the top two tiers of UFAs. Let's dive deeper.

Mitch Marner is in a league of his own in terms of being the top UFA forward this summer after Mikko Rantanen was signed by the Dallas Stars. This means that many teams are going to do what they can to convince and target Marner if he hits free agency. The majority think that Matthew Knies is the player the Toronto Maple Leafs should be prioritizing, and I'm in agreement.

The Blackhawks will be able to take a good run at a UFA Marner as they have the funds, they are an Original Six team, and he will be able to play alongside Bedard. This might incentivize the Blackhawks even more to up the dollar amount and signing bonus to get Bedard a winger like this.

The next tier is interesting, but it also isn't that big. The Blackhawks can't put all of their eggs in one basket as Marner might re-sign in Toronto or go to a different team. If that's the case, Nikolaj Ehlers, Brock Boeser, and Sam Bennett have to be seriously looked at.

Five Questions That Blackhawks Must Answer In Final 10 GamesFive Questions That Blackhawks Must Answer In Final 10 GamesThe Chicago Blackhawks have ten games left. At 21-42-9, their playoff chances were gone by the time November started. That’s the reality for a team going through a long, grueling rebuild. 

Ehlers and Boeser would be top line, top power play right away for the Blackhawks while Bennett would give the team a solid number two centerman behind Bedard. I don't expect Chicago to pull a Nashville and be able to bring in or try to bring in multiple of these players, but one would get things rolling in the right direction.

All three of those forwards will be looking for bigger contracts than what they are currently signed to, but once again, the Blackhawks have the cap space to accommodate. We are patiently waiting for Chicago to take the next step in this new era.

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