Peoria, Ariz. - February 14: Bradgley Rodriguez #72 of the San Diego Padres pitches during spring training workouts at the Peoria Sports Complex on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026 in Peoria, Ariz. (Photo by Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
Jackson Merrill capped a five-run bottom of the second inning with a two-run home run to left-center field that put the San Diego Padres ahead of the Seattle Mariners, 5-1. It was the second hit of the day for Merrill, who also reached on an infield single in the bottom of the first inning.
The Padres added to their lead on a Nick Schnell two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to give San Diego a six-run lead. Padres relievers controlled the Mariners hitters for the remainder of the game, and the Padres went on to win, 7-1.
JP Sears got the start for San Diego and had a much better performance than his first time out. He completed three innings and allowed one run on three hits with a walk and a strikeout. San Diego relievers Jeremiah Estrada, Mason Miller, Alek Jacob, Bradgley Rodriguez, Ty Adcock and Kyle Hart combined to allow just one hit over the final six innings of the game. The group also combined for seven strikeouts and no walks allowed.
Merrill, who was batting second in the lineup, has appeared in five games during Spring Training and is 3-for-8 after his two-hit performance on Saturday. His other hit was a double. Merrill also has two walks and just three strikeouts and appears to be well past the injuries that hampered him throughout the 2025 season.
San Diego travels to Scottsdale, Ariz. to take on the San Francisco Giants on Sunday at 12:05 p.m.
They took a 1-0 lead just 2:08 into the first period thanks to Anthony Mantha's 21st goal of the season. Mantha redirected an Erik Karlsson slap shot from the point on the power play.
It looked like the Penguins were going to be up 2-0 just three minutes into the game thanks to Bryan Rust, but the goal was called back due to goaltender interference. The Penguins held on to that 1-0 lead for the rest of the period and limited the Rangers to only two shots.
The Rangers' lifeless play continued into the second period when Ryan Shea made it 2-0 at the 1:59 mark. He made a nice play along the blue line and fired the puck past Igor Shesterkin to double the lead. The puck bounced off Rangers defenseman Scott Morrow, who was tangled up with Penguins forward Noel Acciari in front of the net.
However, after that goal, the Penguins' play really dipped, and they allowed the Rangers to control the game for the last 30+ minutes. Mika Zibanejad cut the lead in half at the 10-minute mark of the second period before Taylor Raddysh tied the game for the Rangers early in the third period.
The Penguins were able to hang on for dear life during the rest of the third period to secure a point before falling in a shootout. Vincent Trocheck scored the lone shootout goal for the Rangers, while the Penguins' shooters went 0-for-3.
Here are some of my takeaways from Saturday's setback:
- It looked like the Penguins were going to cruise to a win until they stopped playing. They let the Rangers back into the game and let them do whatever they want for a decent chunk of the second period and the entire third period. It's an unacceptable effort against a team that is at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and has already waved the white flag on the season.
The Penguins struggled to get out of their own zone in the final two periods and couldn't even string together two consecutive passes. Nobody should panic because the Penguins will still enter March in second place in the Metropolitan Division, but this was still a bad loss.
Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) waits for the face-off against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
- Evgeni Malkin was a man on a mission in this game and was the Penguins' best skater. He was galloping each time he was out there, setting up some good scoring chances, and even getting some chances of his own. He was robbed twice by Shesterkin at the end of overtime and had a nice chance during the third period.
I've really liked his game since NHL play resumed this week, and the Penguins will need this version of Malkin to keep showing up if they want to make the playoffs.
- Rickard Rakell struggled again at center on Saturday, and if I were Dan Muse, I'd seriously consider moving him back to wing.
He was cleaned out at the faceoff dot again, and as a team, the Penguins won only 23.1% of their draws, which, according to Bob Grove, is the lowest mark since 1996-97, when the NHL began charting the stat.
I know Malkin has been great on the wing since returning, but if he's closer to 100%, he may need to go back to center. Having Malkin, Novak, Kindel, and Lizotte as centers until Crosby returns is better overall and makes the Penguins stronger down the middle.
- The shootout problems continued for the Penguins, even with new shooters. All three attempts were laughable and had no chance of beating Shesterkin. They even practiced shootouts multiple times at the end of practices this week, but nothing seems to be working.
- Ryan Shea played another fantastic game on the blue line and should be promoted to the second pair with Kris Letang. I understand trying Sam Girard with Letang to at least test it out, but it's been too chaotic. They were both hemmed in their own zone quite often again on Saturday, and don't look comfortable together.
I think the pairings should be Wotherspoon-Karlsson, Shea-Letang, and Girard-Clifton at least for a little bit.
- The Penguins will have an opportunity to quickly rebound from this performance since the Vegas Golden Knights are coming to town for a Sunday afternoon showdown.
NEW ORLEANS, LA - FEBRUARY 24: Gui Santos #15 of the Golden State Warriors drives to the basket during the game against the New Orleans Pelicans on February 24, 2026 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Today, Gui Santos signed a three-year, $15 million contract with the Golden State Warriors.
This time two years ago, he was playing in the G League for the Santa Cruz Warriors. He was called up in November of 2023, but was still routinely sent back to Santa Cruz. In early 2025, he made his first career start, and now, he routinely starts. Though he is now a forward, the Brazilian big man used to be a point guard, and that adjustment was one of the most important things in his journey to becoming a rotational NBA player.
“The key word for that is patience,” Santos said in a press conference yesterday. “Because when I got here, I was a point guard playing back in Brazil… and I spent the whole year in the G-league just learning how to fit in the system here.”
Santos, drafted by the Warriors with the 55th pick in 2022, has done a lot of learning and growing since joining the league. He is currently averaging 6.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. At only 23 years old, and with a bright future ahead of him, things can only go up from here.
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Alina Muller and Hannah Brandt scored in a shootout and the Boston Fleet beat the Ottawa Charge 3-2 on Saturday to break a tie for the PWHL lead.
Muller and Abby Newhook scored in regulation, and Aerin Frankel stopped 23 shots to help Boston improve to 8-3-2-2. Muller tied it at 2 on a power play with 6:34 left in regulation on a deflection off the skate of Ottawa’s Kathryn Reilly.
Rebecca Leslie scored twice for Ottawa, and Gwyneth Phillips made 21 saves. The Charge are 4-5-1-7. Leslie has 10 goals for a share of the league lead.
BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 27: Baylor Scheierman #55 of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on February 27, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Baylor Scheierman has suffered a left thumb fracture and is questionable to appear in Saturday’s game, the Celtics announced on Saturday.
Scheierman has started the last six games for the Celtics; in that span, he’s averaged 8.7 points and 5 rebounds. He’s become an increasingly important part of the Celtics’ rotation as of late, averaging 24.3 minutes per game in February.
Jayson Tatum is OUT tomorrow.
Baylor Scheierman is questionable with a Left Thumb Fracture.
Given that the Celtics have not entirely ruled Scheierman out, it’s possible that this is an injury he plans on trying to play through. If he is sidelined, the Celtics could go with Ron Harper Jr. in the lineup again; Harper Jr missed has started two games this season, both with Jaylen Brown sidelined.
Scheierman was not previously on the Celtics injury report, so it’s likely he suffered the injury in Friday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets.
Jayson Tatum remains sidelined
There was lots of speculation that Jayson Tatum would make his season debut on Sunday, but the Celtics star remains sidelined as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles suffered last May.
Tatum could return any day in the coming weeks, but he also has maintained that he has not made an official decision about whether or not he will return this season.
Last week at Celtics practice, Tatum said he still had no set return date. He said he won’t play until he’s 100%, and didn’t disclose what percent he was at.
“I feel like I’m beating a dead horse,” Tatum said. “I’m taking it one day at a time. This is something that’s very serious. The injury that I had is just a long journey. For me, it’s just easier to take it one day at a time and see how I progress from there.”
Without Tatum, the Celtics have held up better than most expected; they have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 39-20, and the fifth-best record in the NBA. The Celtics have won 8 of their last 10 games.
The 76ers have the 6th-best record in the East at 33-26.
TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 26: Jazz Chisholm Jr. #13 of the New York Yankees smiles before a spring training game against the Atlanta Braves at George M. Steinbrenner Field on February 26, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good afternoon everyone, it’s time to dive back into the mailbag and answer some of your questions. Remember to send in your questions for our weekly call by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.
Gary_Lambert asks:Is Jazz under or overrated?
Jazz Chisholm Jr. certainly made his mark last season, putting up a 30/30 campaign with a 126 wRC+ and 4.4 fWAR. That’s a very strong season, and it looks even better when you consider that he started out the year playing out of position at third base still while the Yankees tried to accommodate the last gasp of DJ LeMahieu’s tenure with the team. Once he made the shift back to second base, it was like flipping a switch on his defensive value: whether you’re looking at his OAA (-3 as a third baseman, 8 at second) or DRS (-4 at third, 2 at second) there was a major improvement.
Put all of that together, and the full package is a top five second baseman in the league, which is exactly where Chisholm ranked by fWAR. And just like Nico Hoerner and Ketel Marte, two of the few names that placed above him last year, he was subject to trade rumors for a portion of the offseason as the Yankees considered how to retool the offense. Those talks ultimately went nowhere, and we have no idea if the Yankees even seriously pursued any calls that came for their star infielder, but there were enough folks on the outside who seemed willing to hear out trading away Jazz ahead of his walk year.
I think a lot of Chisholm’s perception right now is tied to the additional discussion revolving around his future free agency. There’s a lot to speculate on with regards to how he’ll perform on a big-money deal and just how much he should get, whether teams will weigh his improvement in New York enough against his earlier days as a Marlin, and so on. But that’s all parts of a debate on how much to pay Chisholm into his 30s, not where he stands entering this season here and now. And with that in mind, I think Chisholm is a tad underrated compared to the skills he’s showcasing right now. It’s not a massive slight — I don’t think there’s anyone who would try and say Jazz isn’t in the top 10 or so — but there’s a real possibility that he ends up the best second baseman in baseball this year, and a strong one that he could finish in the top three. Only Hoerner showcased a balanced skillset like Chisholm did, flashing the glove as well as swinging an above-average bat, so if you had to bet on candidates to stick near the top those two stand out.
IndyAnaJones asks:What happened to the daily PSA thread ending with two questions for the fan base?
It’s not common that we get a question more directed at the site rather than about the team, but this one has an easy answer. We changed the format slightly, taking one question and giving a little bit of our own thoughts on it before posing the question towards you all — all while including the old gameday tune-in information and look ahead to what was on the site that day. You can find them at the start of the day just like the old Today on Pinstripe Alleys led off our daily coverage (here’s today’s edition for example). By all means, give us feedback on whether you like the adaptation!
The Dodgers shored up the bullpen over the winter, signing three-time all-star Edwin DĂaz to a three-year, $69-million contract. With the closer role firmly defined for the first time since Kenley Jansen was on the team in 2021, how the rest of the bullpen falls into place remains a work in progress during spring training.
“Obviously, adding DĂaz to the back end is huge for us and getting Alex Vesia [back] is going to be good, and also Blake [Treinen]," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "Blake wasn’t right last year, clearly. He’s throwing the baseball really well. Having guys that you trust is everything for the pen. ... You’ve got to count on those veteran guys for sure.”
Now included in that veteran group is left-hander Tanner Scott, who joined the Dodgers before last season on a four-year, $72-million deal. Scott struggled to find his footing, primarily as a closer, before a left elbow injury placed him on injured list in mid-July, causing him to miss a month of action. He returned the final week of August, and never looked quite right. Scott posted a 4.74 ERA across 61 appearances and 57.0 IP in his first year with the Dodgers.
On Saturday against the Chicago Cubs in a split-squad game at Camelback Ranch, Scott made his Cactus League debut and pitched a scoreless inning, recording a strikeout and giving up one hit on 17 pitches. With the ninth inning spoken for, Roberts believes this will allow for Scott to bounce back this season.
“I think being able to use Tanner in any inning of leverage, is going to be good for him,” Roberts said. “And it’s going to be good for us.”
DĂaz, for his part, has settled in, making his second and final appearance of the spring on Saturday before he joins Team Puerto Rico for the World Baseball Classic. He worked around two walks to pitch a scoreless inning, striking out one. Vesia, who missed the World Series due to the death of his newborn daughter, has pitched two scoreless innings while Treinen pitched a perfect inning on Thursday against the Chicago White Sox in his first Cactus League outing.
The 37-year-old Treinen, who's been on all three of the Dodgers' recent World Series teams and was a stalwart in the 2024 postseason, struggled last season, going 1-5 with a 9.64 ERA in September.
“You never know what the body throttles back,” Treinen said earlier in camp. “I had a UCL injury, so I don’t know if that’s part of the problem, but something was different. I mean, velocity was there, movements were there, execution wasn’t, and when pitches were in the zone, it was a harder-hit rate. So, that tells me something was different, how to handle hitters. So, just trying to go back and cleaning things up to where the ball does more of what it has done most of my career.”
On the flip side, right-hander Brusdar Graterol — who has not pitched since the 2024 World Series — remains in a holding pattern during spring training as he works his way back from right labrum surgery. And right-hander Evan Phillips is not expected back for several months after Tommy John surgery ended his season last June. But for the most part, the relievers who are healthy have shown glimpses of what it could look like this season.
“I don’t think that there’s one way to manage a pen,” Roberts said. “But when you have a guy like Edwin DĂaz as your closer, I do think it frees up other guys. ... I think that’s freeing for me and allows for getting the matchups we need in the prior innings.”
Blake Snell not expected to pitch in Cactus League
After Roberts ruled out Snell for opening day on Friday, the manager provided some more context on Saturday.
Roberts says he expects the 33-year-old left-hander to continue to progress, but he doesn’t expect Snell to pitch in the Cactus League. Roberts feels good about Snell’s headspace during his recovery.
“I think he’s working through it in the sense of, last year he was on a new team,” Roberts said of Snell, who was limited to 11 starts and 61.1 innings last season. “He pushed through things to start the season healthy, which is understandable. And you learn from it, he was never right all year. I think that this year, he’s going to make sure that he is ready to go. So, I do think that he feels comfort in knowing that we need him, we count on him, we believe in him and then there’s an individual part, where I do think that he wants to get another Cy Young.
"And what that means is, you’ve got to be healthy, you have to make starts, and so, that’s something that personally he’s striving for. But at the end of the day, he’s got to be healthy and we’re going to do whatever we can to make that happen.”
Feb 18, 2026; Peoria, AZ, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Walker Buehler (10) during spring training photo day. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Padres fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
The Frair Faithful have spoken and are willing to let bygones be bygones.
The overwhelming majority of respondents to this week’s Padres Reacts Survey on Gaslamp Ball stated they are rooting for Walker Buehler, the former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher, to make the roster and rotation in San Diego.
Manny Machado said recently when the Padres added Nick Castellanos to the roster that the team was getting a $20 million player for the league minimum. The same could be said for Buehler although he will make a bit more than the league minimum if he makes the San Diego roster.
Buehler signed a one-year free agent deal with the Boston Red Sox prior to the 2025 season that paid him $21.05 million for the season. He did not make it through 162 games with Boston and was released on Aug. 29. He was then signed for the league minimum by the Philadelphia Phillies on Aug. 31 and finished the season in Philly.
The right-hander agreed to a minor league deal with San Diego that did not guarantee him a roster spot. However, if Buehler can secure a rotation role and break camp with the Padres, he would make $1.5 million in 2026 and could receive $2.5 million in performance bonuses. Those contract numbers are not bad for a two-time World Series champion and a two-time All-Star.
If Buehler can return to that kind of pitcher, he should have no problem breaking into the San Diego rotation and quickly receiving adoration from the Friar Faithful.
Walker Buehler tossed three innings today in Peoria against the KBO’s NC Dinos.
After the outing, Buehler said it was “all in all, a good day” and that he thinks “the velocity was a little bit above kind of where we thought it would be.” pic.twitter.com/FORwCsZjLo
Feb 25, 2026; North Port, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter Marcell Ozuna (24) prepares to take batting practice before the start of the game against the Atlanta Braves during spring training at CoolToday Park. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
The 2026 MLB season is right around the corner for the Pittsburgh Pirates, with opening day being March 26 against the New York Mets. There are a lot of things to be excited about going into the season as a Pirates fan, so here are my top three things that I am excited to see going into the new season. Konnor Griffin and Paul Skenes are two very obvious answers, and I am certainly excited to see both hit the field this season, but they will not be answers for this, let’s get started.
Seeing the new veteran free agents play
Pittsburgh has never been the most aggressive team throughout the years in free agency. They are a team that is notorious for not wanting to spend money and go out and get the big names in the market. Now it’s not like these guys are huge names that they got but, they have players who I think will help out struggling offense and that’s why I am excited.
In December, the Bucs traded for Brandon Lowe out of Tampa Bay. Last season, he hit 31 home runs and had 83 RBIs for the Rays. Pirates also acquired Ryan O’hearn who is a former All-Star, solid fielder and has the power. Their last big move was signing Marcell Ozuna to a one-year deal.
Those three guys will immediately be put into the starting lineup and could make a serious impact because of their power. Ozuna is coming off a down year for his standards, hitting for just 21 home runs, but we saw him hit 39 and 40 home runs the two seasons before that. The offense was one of the biggest flaws for this team last season, and I think adding three veteran bats who are all capable of hitting 30 or more home runs was really important and makes me really excited to watch this offense.
The starting pitching rotation
One thing everyone in Pittsburgh can agree on going into this season is that the starting pitching is going to be a bright spot for this team. Now yes, there is Paul Skenes, but this is a very deep pitching rotation outside of the reigning NL CY Young champion. In my opinion, Pittsburgh is going into the season with a top 10 starting pitching rotation and that is something to be excited about.
The rotation also consists of Mitch Keller, Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft, and Jose Urquidy. Jared Jones will also be a huge piece of the rotation when he comes back from his injury. This is such a young pitching group with a lot of potential, and having those guys mixed in with Skenes will be scary for opposing offenses this season.
Seeing a full crowd at PNC Park
The first two points play into this third one, because if the offense produces and the pitching does their thing, the Pirates will win games. The more games they win, the busier PNC Park will be. There is nothing better than a packed PNC Park. I mean, it is the prettiest stadium in the entire league after all.
The Pirates have some of the most loyal and passionate fans in the league, and if they get off to a great start and win games, PNC park will finally be packed again and there will be some crazy atmosphere. There hasn’t been a Buctober since 2015, and that was really the last time the atmosphere was truly wild. I think the Bucs this year have the team that can change that and get fans’ excitement levels back up.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - FEBRUARY 26: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers holds his hips during the game against the Miami Heat at Xfinity Mobile Arena on February 26, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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 Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well, it turns out this was a highly-anticipated injury report for both teams.
Ahead of their showdown with the Boston Celtics on NBC Sunday, the Sixers have officially ruled out Joel Embiid for their next three games with a right oblique strain.
This happened to Embiid earlier in the week against the Miami Heat, when he got Kel’el Ware to bite on a pump fake, causing him to jump and hit Embiid in the ribs with his knee inadvertently. He didn’t really miss much of that game due to it, but he was favoring his midsection the entire rest of the contest.
After a quick 4-of-7 start the game, Embiid was clearly hampered by this. He shot 4-of-13 the rest of the night with two ugly turnovers. Here’s a clip of the play where it happened.
Joel Embiid has gone to the locker room with discomfort in his ribs from this inadvertent knee from Kel'el Ware pic.twitter.com/LMsaDiiM0r
Embiid was not a participant at the Sixers’ most recent practice. A team spokesperson told reporters that he had been feeling an increase of soreness in the area since that Heat game and still had some consulting with the team’s medical staff to do.
Joel Embiid did not participate in practice today. He’s reporting increased soreness in his right side. Meeting with medical staff and his status will be updated with the injury report later today.
Upon the release of the official report, the team announced that Embiid underwent an MRI that revealed the strain, ruling him out for the two games following Boston as well.
An MRI today revealed that Joel Embiid suffered a strained right oblique, per Sixers.
Embiid will miss the team’s next three games and be reevaluated following the upcoming back-to-back.
This once again puts the Sixers in a precarious spot as they desperately try to cling on to the sixth seed in the East. They went 1-4 in their most recent five-game stretch without Embiid, three of those losses being decisive blowouts at that. It’s also a bummer because we will again be robbed of the rematch between Embiid and Victor Wembanyama when the Spurs come to Philly early next week.
So the Sixers will be shorthanded, but at least they won’t be the first team to take on the Boston Celtics at full strength this season. Despite the rumblings and weird advertisements tied in with NBC, Jayson Tatum will not be making his season debut Sunday night.
Tatum of course hasn’t played since last May, when he tore his Achilles tendon in his right leg during Game 4 of the second round of the playoffs against the New York Knicks. It’s truly remarkable that he’s so close to returning this was even considered a possibility by some. At least the Sixers caught this break, and they won’t see Tatum unless these teams see each other in the playoffs.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - NOVEMBER 23: Linesperson CJ Murray #68 drops the puck for a face-off between the Colorado Avalanche and the Chicago Blackhawks in the second period at the United Center on November 23, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Bill Smith/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
With two of five games in a seven day stretch now behind them, it’s safe to assume that the Colorado Avalanche were looking forward to the weekend.
This afternoon, the visiting Chicago Blackhawks will make their only regular season appearance in Denver, as the Avs face their third consecutive Central Division opponent in four days.
Colorado Avalanche (38-10-9)
The Opponent: Chicago Blackhawks (22-27-9)
Time: 4:00 P.M. MST/6:00 P.M. EST
Watch: ALT, ALT+ (Avalanche Broadcast Area), CHSN (Blackhawks Broadcast Area), ESPN+, NHL Center Ice (Outside Regional Broadcast Areas – US), SN+, NHL Centre Ice (Canadian Broadcast Areas)
Listen: Altitude Sports Radio KKSE-FM 92.5 FM
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche currently sport a .500 record for the month of February, going 2-2 in that time frame. This would sound a lot more alarming if it weren’t for the extended Olympic pause that led to playing only four games through the month. A victory today would keep them from posting their second consecutive sub-500 month of hockey, and would certainly provide a lift after losing 5-2 to the visiting Minnesota Wild this past Thursday. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 31 of 34 shots in a contest that featured an impressive goalie duel between him and Filip Gustavsson—who stopped 45 of 47 shots in his own right—only to be overshadowed by questionable judgement (see Brent Burns launching the puck into the crowd during an Avalanche penalty kill that was already down not one, but two skaters) and officiating (poke checks are penalties now?).
Coach Jared Bednar lamented his team’s inability to widen the gap on both Minnesota and the idle Dallas Stars. “It’s the standings at the end of the year is what matters, right? So, that [game] was a missed opportunity; that’s what that was. Nine points if we win, two games in hand, that’s a long road to try and catch you, and now it’s tight. Five [points] with two [games] in hand, and there’s lots of hockey to be played. We’ve just got to take care of our business.”
The loss allowed Minnesota—playing in a first game of a back to back pair of their own—to leapfrog over Dallas to second place in the Central Division, closing to within five points of the Avs. However, just like the Avs, Minnesota failed to seize the moment in their second half of back to back games, as they lost to the Utah Mammoth by a score of 5-2 at Delta Center on Friday evening. The loss prevented them from closing to within three points of the Avalanche, who can now restore their seven point cushion with a win this afternoon.
Hockey giveth, and hockey taketh away.
Nathan MacKinnon returned to the lineup against Minnesota for the first time since returning from the Olympics, and while he did not add to his NHL goal scoring total—he remains at a League best 40 goals—he did reach the 95 point plateau (Edmonton’s Connor McDavid leads all skaters with 100 points). Martin Nečas, who scored his 24th and 25th goals of the season on Thursday evening, trails Brock Nelson (30) for third place in team scoring, and is three goals shy of tying his career high (28). While the loss to Minnesota may look lopsided by box score alone, Blackwood’s play to keep his team close for the majority of the contest ought to merit a return to the crease today.
The Avs still remain the undisputed leader across the Central Division, Western Conference, and League standings. Coming into this afternoon’s game, they have a game in hand on Dallas (who will be in action at American Airlines Center tonight against the Nashville Predators), and three games in hand on Minnesota.
Today’s game is the second in the three game series with Chicago. The Avs won the previous matchup on November 23, a 1-0 decision.
Projected Lineup
Forwards: Gabe Landeskog – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas Artturi Lehkonen – Brock Nelson – Valeri Nichushkin Ross Colton – Jack Drury – Victor Olofsson Joel Kiviranta* – Parker Kelly – Gavin Brindley
Defense: Devon Toews – Cale Makar Josh Manson – Brent Burns Brett Kulak – Sam Malinski
Between the Pipes: Mackenzie Blackwood Scott Wedgewood
Kiviranta, who was injured during the second period after taking a hit from Minnesota’s Zach Bogosian, is uncertain for today’s game at the time of this writing.
Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago had a great start to 2026, winning five of their first six games in January. However, they followed up that effort by losing nine of their next twelve games prior to the Olympic break. Currently occupying seventh place in the Central Division standings with 53 points, they remain two points ahead of last place St. Louis (51). They kicked off a five game road trip prior to the Olympics, with their most recent effort being a 4-2 loss to the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday evening.
Like Colorado, Chicago also had representation in Italy at the Olympics, but to a significantly smaller scale. Center Teuvo Teravainen won the bronze medal alongside Kiviranta as a member of Finland’s roster. The notable absence is center Connor Bedard, who was not invited to participate as a member of Canada’s Olympic roster. Bedard, who scored his twenty-fourth goal of the season against Nashville on Thursday night, currently leads all Chicago skaters in assists (30) and points (54), and ranks second to left wing Tyler Bertuzzi in goals (26).
While Bedard’s solid sophomore campaign led many to believe that he was on the short list to be selected to the Olympics by Hockey Canada, he was ultimately left off the roster once the final selections were announced. Bedard missed twelve games with an upper body injury sustained in a literal last second face-off sequence against St. Louis Blues captain Brayden Schenn back in December, leading many to speculate if the injury was a key factor in leaving Bedard off the Canadian Olympic roster.
Goaltender Spencer Knight is three wins away from tying his career high (19) in his first full season with Chicago. He will likely start today against Colorado. Despite leading all Chicago goaltenders in wins (Arvid Soderblom has five wins on the season and Drew Commesso has one), Chicago has given up more than two goals in fourteen of ninteen games played in since the start of the New Year. That has contributed to the third worst goal differential (-33) in the NHL; only St. Louis (-52) and Vancouver (-62) rank lower.
Today’s match-up against Colorado marks their only regular season visit to Denver, and marks the first game of a back to back weekend. They will finish the weekend in—where else?—Salt Lake City against the Mammoth on Sunday afternoon. The season series against Colorado will conclude on home ice at United Center on March 20.
Projected Lineup
Forwards: Ryan Greene – Connor Bedard – Andre Burakovsky Oliver Moore – Frank Nazar – Tyler Bertuzzi Ryan Donato – Jason Dickinson – Ilya Mikheyev Teuvo Teravainen – Nick Foligno – Landon Slaggert
Defense: Alex Vlasic – Louis Crevier Connor Murphy – Sam Rinzel Matt Grzelcyk – Artyom Levshunov
Between the Pipes: Spencer Knight Arvid Söderblom
ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (AP) — Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt of Germany clinched their seventh men's doubles World Cup luge overall season title Saturday, while Selina Egle and Lara Kipp of Austria claimed the women's doubles crown for the second straight season.
Wendl and Arlt were third in the men's doubles race at St. Moritz, good enough to lock up the season title with one race left. Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl of Austria won the race, with Italy’s Ivan Nagler and Fabian Malleier second.
Egle and Kipp didn't even finish in the medals; they were fifth in the women's race and still clinched their points title. Olympic champions Andrea Voetter and Marion Oberhofer of Italy won the race, with Elisa-Marie Storch and Pauline Patz of Germany second, followed by Anda Upite and Madara Pavlova of Latvia third.
In the women's singles race, Olympic champion Julia Taubitz of Germany won on Saturday and moved closer to the overall points title.
Merle Fraebel of Germany was second and Verena Hofer of Italy was third. Taubitz now has a 19-point lead over Fraebel headed into next week’s finale at Altenberg, Germany, meaning a first- or second-place finish will clinch the title regardless of what anyone else does in the race.
Austria’s Hannah Prock was only 30 points back of Taubitz entering the race — but couldn’t slide on Saturday following an emergency appendectomy. Taubitz, Fraebel and Austria’s Lisa Schulte are the only women left with a mathematical chance at the title.
Summer Britcher of the U.S. was seventh in the women’s race, and is fourth in the world rankings. Britcher is the only USA Luge athlete competing in the World Cup this weekend.
The Fire secured the match in stoppage time as Hugo Cuypers converted a penalty in the 90th minute to make it 2-0, and Robin Lod added a third moments later with a finish from close range.
Goalkeeper Chris Brady made two saves for the shutout, while Thomas Gillier kept the visitors within reach for much of the afternoon with seven saves.
The win extended Chicago’s unbeaten streak against Canadian opponents to six matches dating to 2024 and marked the Fire’s first victory of the season after opening with a road loss at Houston.
HARRISON, N.J. (AP) — Julian Hall scored to lead the New York Red Bulls in a 1-0 victory over the New England Revolution on Saturday as the 17-year-old became the youngest player in MLS history to score in each of his club's first two games of the season. Hall headed the goal in the 53rd minute for his MLS-leading third goal of the year. He received a headed assist from 16-year-old Adri Mehmeti. The initial cross came from a 17-year-old Matthew Dos Santos.
It's the second game at the helm of the Red Bulls (2-0-0, 6 points) for former US Men's National Team captain Michael Bradley.
The Red Bulls dominated possession 66 to 34 percent, and 12 shots to five for the Revolution (0-0-2, 0 points).
USMNT-capped goalkeepers Ethan Horvath and Matt Turner had two and three saves for Red Bulls and the Revolution, respectively.
Up next
Revolution: Initial home opener scheduled for March 7 with the Houston Dynamo was postponed because their field was not ready. Their new home opener and next scheduled game is March 15, against FC Cincinnati.
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