The seemingly unstoppable London Knights defeated the Erie Otters in overtime to sweep their second-round series and advance to the Western Conference Finals.
London has played eight playoff games and come away with eight wins. Neither the Owen Sound Attack nor the Erie Otters managed to put so much as a dent in their armor as they marched towards a repeat of last year's championship season.
They are the only team to remain undefeated through the first two rounds of the playoffs.
Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan leads the team in points with a stunning eight goals and 13 assists in eight games. Although he sits three points behind playoff leading scorers Ilya Protas and Liam Greentree, his points per game average of 2.625 is very comparable to their 2.66 points per game.
Besides Cowan, London boasts six players who have all averaged at least a point per game so far in the playoffs, including Denver Barkey, Kasper Halttunen, Sam O'Reilly, Sam Dickinson and Landon Sim.
Facing elimination, the Otters put up a fantastic fight in the game. After the first period, the two teams were tied at one, with Cowan and Pano Fimis scoring goals.
Erie's Ty Henry scored in the opening minutes of the second period to give the Otters a 2-1 lead that they managed to maintain until Sam O'Reilly and Sam Dickinson scored a pair of power play goals near the end of the second period to take a 3-2 lead.
London's power play played a huge role in this game, as it has in the postseason in general. Operating at a 30 percent success rate, the London power play is the second-best remaining in the playoffs.
Early in the third period, Malcolm Spence tied the game at three and ended up forcing overtime. The Otters found goals in critical moments despite being outshot 50-28 during the game.
Just under seven minutes into the first overtime period, Sam O'Reilly ended the game and the series by crashing the net and slipping a puck into the Erie goal.
Based on their roster and unbeaten start the postseason, the Knights have to be viewed as the favourites to win a second consecutive OHL Championship.
They will await the winner of the series between Windsor and Kitchener. The Spitfires currently hold a 3-1 series lead and could end the series tonight at home. Puck drop is a 7:05 p.m. at the WFCU Centre in Windsor.
Australian goes down 7-5, 6-3 against the world No 2
Victory gives the Spaniard a 4-0 record in head-to-heads
Alex de Minaur’s 50th tour-level quarter-final has ended in defeat, the Australian No 1 beaten 7-5 6-3 in 100 minutes by defending champion Carlos Alcaraz at the Barcelona Open.
De Minaur began well, breaking the top seed in the third game before taking a 3-1 lead, and breaking again in the seventh after Alcaraz had broken back. But the Spaniard took four of the last five games to claim the set.
Every year, we say the same thing: this writer’s picks are our best guesses to emerge as first-round winners. However, we’re also going to examine which factors could go in the other team’s favor.
Now, here are our breakdowns for the NHL's four Eastern Conference series:
Washington Capitals (M1) Vs. Montreal Canadiens (WC2)
Season series: 2-1 Washington
Why Washington will win:The Capitals handily beat the Canadiens in their first two games, winning by a combined score of 10-5. There’s every reason to think they’ll eliminate the Habs from the post-season.
The Capitals have the NHL’s second-best offense, averaging 3.49 goals-for per game. That’s far and away better than Montreal’s 2.96.
On defense, Washington’s 2.79 goals against per game is also significantly better than Montreal’s 3.18 goals-against average. By virtually every metric, the Capitals are the better team, and on paper, at least, they should dispose of the Canadiens rather easily.
Why Montreal will win: Nobody expected the Canadiens to qualify for the post-season, so they’re playing with house money.
Montreal’s group of young, fast and skilled skaters very well may push Washington to its limit in Round 1. The Habs did beat the Capitals in their last showdown, and the Caps went 4-7-0 in their final 11 regular-season games, so Washington’s flaws may be exposed by Habs coach Martin St-Louis.
Canadiens goalie Sam Montembeault posted a .922 save percentage in April, and if he can stay hot, Montreal might frustrate the Capitals to the point a series upset becomes a reality.
Prediction: Capitals in seven games
The Canadiens went 7-1-2 in their final 10 games, so the notion they’re going to be steamrolled by the Capitals is far-fetched. However, Washington is extremely well-coached, and they’ve got a great goalie in Logan Thompson who will be the difference for them. We expect Montreal to put up a fierce fight and extend the series to a seventh game, but the Caps’ all-around depth will be enough to push them into Round 2.
Toronto Maple Leafs (A1) Vs. Ottawa Senators (WC1)
Season series: 3-0 Ottawa
Why Toronto will win:The Senators swept the season series with the Maple Leafs, but after Ottawa’s last win over Toronto on March 15, the Leafs went 13-2-1 to finish the regular season atop the Atlantic Division.
The Leafs ended the year with the NHL’s seventh-best offense and the league’s eighth-best defense. The Sens had the NHL’s 18th-best offense and 13th-best defense.
Why Ottawa will win: The Senators looked like the Leafs’ equal in their three regular-season games, and all the pressure in this series will be on Toronto.
Sens goalie Linus Ullmark was acquired last summer to give the Senators better performances in net, and with a .910 SP and 2.72 GAA in 44 appearances, Ullmark has delivered on that front.
The Sens’ young core will be getting the first taste of playoff hockey. If their stars, including Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle and Dylan Cozens, can provide enough offense, Ottawa can capitalize on Toronto’s penchant for playoff letdowns and shock the Maple Leafs into a first-round defeat.
Prediction: Maple Leafs in six games
The stakes for the Leafs couldn’t be higher, and it all starts with the incredible pressure of the Battle of Ontario. But while we think the Senators’ future is extremely bright, Toronto has never had a better back end than the one they’ve currently got, and Leafs stars Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares and Matthew Knies will be too much for the Sens to handle. It won’t be easy for Toronto, but we see a Leafs win in Round 1.
Tampa Bay Lightning (A2) Vs. Florida Panthers (A3)
Season series: 2-2 tie
Why Tampa Bay will win:The Lightning and Panthers were notably different this season. Tampa Bay went a thoroughly mediocre 27-20-4 by Feb. 1, then went 20-7-4 the rest of the way. Meanwhile, the Panthers went 40-21-3 by March 8 before going 7-10-1 through the end of the season.
The Bolts clearly have the momentum advantage, and Lightning GM Julien BriseBois has added tremendous depth. Tampa Bay has the better goalie in the series in Andrei Vasilevskiy, and so long as they stay healthy, the Bolts will be able to outlast Florida in a long and physically taxing series.
Why Florida will win: The Panthers have been a banged-up group, and they lost home-ice advantage to the Lightning. But Florida will get heart-and-soul left winger Matthew Tkachuk back, likely at the start of the series. Star defenseman Aaron Ekblad also will return in Game 3 of the series, giving the Panthers a far better defense corps than Tampa Bay’s group of blueliners.
Trade acquisition Brad Marchand can and will be a difference-maker and a true thorn in the Lightning’s side. For those reasons, Florida is every bit Tampa’s equal – and then some.
Prediction: Panthers in seven games
This series will be one of the most brutal of any first-round matchup, and there’s not going to be anywhere close to a sweep for either side. But we’ve got a hunch the Panthers will have slightly more skill, grit and determination to emerge as the victors here. The Lightning will put up a terrific fight, but one of these two teams will go home bitterly disappointed, and we’re confident that Florida will find a way to outlast Tampa Bay.
Their consistency stands out, as the Hurricanes have the NHL’s ninth-most goals-for per game, 10th-fewest goals against per game and the NHL's very best penalty kill. Carolina desperately needs a long playoff run. Against an injury-depleted Devils team, they’re likely to start on the right foot.
Why New Jersey will win: While no team that loses a superstar like Jack Hughes should be considered anything other than an underdog, New Jersey got back top D-man Dougie Hamilton, giving the Devils a competitive defense corps.
Given that few people will be picking New Jersey to win this series, the Devils will be playing freer and easier – and perhaps, do what many believe they can’t do by sending Carolina packing.
Prediction: Hurricanes in five games
Sorry, Devils fans, but without Hughes, New Jersey can’t compete with a well-coached, well-built Hurricanes squad. Carolina needs its goalies to deliver despite massive pressure on them, but the same can be said for New Jersey’s netminding. We don’t believe Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom can outperform Frederik Andersen and/or Pyotr Kochetkov. The Hurricanes may be eliminated in Round 2, but this series should go in the Hurricanes’ favor.
Chris Woodward doesn’t have any hard feelings toward the Texas Rangers.
Just some awkward ones about being back this week.
“I don’t know if I’m looking forward to it,” the Dodgers first base coach said with an uncertain chuckle on Wednesday, ahead of his first return trip to Arlington since his time as Rangers manager ended with a midseason firing in 2022.
“I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of people … just the whole staff, the assistant trainers, just people I haven’t seen,” he added. “But I don’t know if it’s something that’s on my bucket list to go back and do.”
Such conflicting emotions mirror the way Woodward reflects on his Rangers tenure at large — a four-season stint with what was then a rebuilding ball club that taught Woodward much, but ended on a sour note.
“I don’t have any regrets or any bad feelings toward anything,” he said. “Obviously, there were some disagreements that led to me not being there anymore. But I have nothing but respect for everybody. I don’t hold a grudge. Life’s too short, man. Honestly, I take that experience as a really positive thing.”
Originally hired by the Rangers in November 2018, after serving as the third-base coach on back-to-back pennant-winning Dodgers teams, Woodward’s first season in charge in Texas began with promise.
Joey Gallo and Hunter Pence led the offense as All-Star selections. Mike Minor and Lance Lynn anchored a veteran core of pitchers. In late June, the Rangers were 10 games over .500, far outpacing modest preseason expectations.
But then, the vagaries of baseball set in.
Gallo and Pence suffered season-ending injuries. The pitching staff began to crumble beneath a lack of reliable depth. What had started as a “decent” year, Woodward said, ended with the Rangers limping to 78 wins.
And after fading following a 10-9 start in 2020, the Rangers never had a winning record under Woodward again.
Instead, Texas entered a rebuild, giving Woodward’s job a much more developmentally focused bent.
Behind the scenes, the organization created entirely new personnel departments, reimagined player development processes and administered ever-changing responsibilities to members of the coaching staff. Woodward had a hand in every bucket, trying to establish everything from hitting style to base-running technique to a roster-wide focus on all-around fundamentals.
Compared to a fully-fledged contender like the Dodgers, it almost felt like building from the ground up.
“Here [with the Dodgers], it’s such a well-oiled machine. Yeah, we make little adjustments to things here and there, but no major changes,” Woodward said.
In Texas, on the other hand, “we added a lot of resources and a lot of things while I was there, which was necessary. Because we had to get caught up to ‘championship standards,’ is what I called it.”
Chris Woodward managed the Texas Rangers from 2019 until he was fired in Aug. 2022 with one year remaining on his contract. (LM Otero / Associated Press)
“When everything’s a blank canvas,” he added, “it’s not as easy as people think.”
The losses along the way were difficult (the Rangers were 133-203 over Woodward’s final three seasons, finishing in last place twice).
The fire-sale trades of team stalwarts such as Gallo and Lynn were “probably one of the harder things to deal with,” Woodward recalled.
And when the Rangers failed to take a step forward in 2022, despite their marquee free-agent signings of Marcus Semien and Corey Seager (the ex-Dodgers shortstop whom Woodward helped woo to Texas) the previous offseason, discontent among the club reached a boiling point.
In an unexpected move, Woodward was fired on Aug. 15, 2022, with a year remaining on his contract.
“I tell a lot of the staff here that’s never managed, ‘Each year, you feel like you’ve aged five,’” said Woodward, who returned to the Dodgers in a special advisor role the following winter, before rejoining the on-field staff this year as first-base coach following Clayton McCullough’s hiring by the Miami Marlins.
“It’s kind of like being president, in a way,” the 48-year-old Woodward added. “You see guys age right before your eyes.”
But through those trials — which also included the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Rangers’ move into a new stadium during an era of social distancing — Woodward also came to find perspective and growth.
“I know I aged a lot in those four years, but in a good way,” he said. “I think I grew wiser, and understood how to lead and just get better every year.”
It’s part of the reason why, when the Rangers won the World Series in 2023 — in Bruce Bochy’s first season as Woodward’s successor — Woodward felt pride rather than resentment; confident he had left his old club in a better place than he found it.
“Those four years, I was really proud of, when I left,” he said. “[The club] was in a much better spot internally, all the way from the staff to the front office to the sports science to all the different things that we did … Everything was in line. And they won. Proud of that.”
It doesn’t mean Woodward will be in for a big ovation when he returns this weekend, during the Dodgers’ three-game series at Globe Life Field. He said his old friends in Dallas joked they should all come to form a cheering section, “because you just don’t know the reaction you’re going to get” from the rest of the crowd.
But when asked to reflect on his time with the Rangers this week, the potential awkwardness of the return didn’t overshadow the silver linings Woodward took from his tenure.
“Tremendous experience. Grateful for the opportunity,” he said. “I just think it’s important that you learn and grow.”
The 2024 winner reflects on the emotional backstory to Crucible triumph amid major health concerns for his family
“‘I still believed in myself but it was quite soul-destroying out there,” Kyren Wilson says in a back room at Barratts Snooker Club in Northampton. The world champion once worked here as a barman because he had lost his place on tour after his first season as a professional in 2011. He was still only 19 and he had little idea that an avalanche of adversity would engulf him in the years ahead.
Wilson begins the defence of his world title, with a first-round match against Lei Peifan, in the venerable Crucible in Sheffield on Saturday morning. But it seems fitting that we should meet here, in the unpromising surroundings which once defined Wilson’s life, as he describes his extraordinary world championship backstory.
The Rockets’ bully-ball defense held Steph Curry to three points on 10 shots in a 106-96 Golden State loss two weeks to the date of Game 1 in Houston. Curry made just one shot on the night at his home court, hitting a deep three on the run in the final seconds of the first half. He took eight shots behind the 3-point line, and that was the only one the shooting cyborg connected on.
Houston followed the lead of its head coach Ime Udoka, someone who wants to assert himself as an alpha anywhere he goes. The Rockets threw their physicality in the face of Curry. They held, grabbed, pushed and used every tactic to slow him down.
It was a dare to the referees to blow their whistles with Curry running through their terrain. And it worked.
Curry and Udoka exchanged words walking to their respective tunnels at halftime. Udoka even called Curry out for crying to refs about foul calls after the game. Jimmy Butler intentionally stood up for his teammate in the Warriors’ locker room, saying he has never seen someone get fouled more, and that “it really angers me that he’s on my team and he gets hacked like that.”
“There’s a reason teams have to be physical against Steph,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Friday after practice before the team’s flight to Houston. “I mean, he’s the greatest shooter and mover of all time in this game. We would try to guard him the exact same way.”
Every team is going to put their best athletes on Curry. The game plan is to wear him down physically. For the Rockets, that means heavy doses of Amen Thompson (6-foot-7, 209 pounds), Dillon Brooks (6-foot-6, 225 pounds) and Fred VanVleet, who is smaller at 6-foot and 197 pounds, but has tons of experience defending Curry under the bright lights. Udoka’s strategy to slow down a great scorer isn’t new.
He took it right out of the books of coaching greats like Chuck Daley and Pat Riley. But Kerr made it a point to send the same message he’s telling his team.
“By the way, we’re a very physical team too,” Kerr said. “We’ve been very good in the playoffs by playing a physical game. I welcome all of that. The series will unfold, and teams will complain about officiating. We will, they will – it’s all a part of it.”
Rookie center Quinten Post followed his coach’s lead in responding to a question about the Rockets’ physicality.
“I think we’re a pretty physical team ourselves,” Post said. “Maybe we’ve been a little undersized throughout this year, but we have the experience and I think we play hard. I don’t think it’s anything we haven’t seen before.”
While the Warriors already have faced the Rockets five times this season, Curry only played in three of them. Curry averaged 16.3 points per game against the Rockets, which is more than eight points below his season average of 24.5. The only team he played multiple times and averaged fewer points against was the Eastern Conference’s No. 1-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. Curry averaged only 11.3 points in two games against the Cavs.
His 36.4 field goal percentage (16 of 44) and 30.0 3-point percentage (9 of 30) against the Rockets’ defense would erase confidence in most cases. Curry isn’t most cases.
He’s a four-time champion. A NBA Finals MVP. The greatest shooter of all time, as well as one of the game’s most brilliant minds.
Everything about a game can be flipped on its head the second Steph starts to get going.
“He’s been through this millions of times,” Brandin Podziemski said. “He’s always going to make the adjustment that’s right for us to win.”
The adjustment for the Warriors still revolves around their principles of spacing, cutting and getting out in transition. The Rockets are an extremely tough wall to take down after scoring and being able to set up their defense and apply pressure. The solution might be more pick-and-roll. The Warriors have been more of an isolation team since Butler’s arrival.
Anything to give Curry a sliver of space to work with.
Whatever the answer is for the Warriors, it’s never a one-man job for the opposition. Thompson, a former Curry Camp attendee, is being anointed as the next “Steph Stopper.” History isn’t on his side.
Matthew Dellavedova is still asking for oxygen somewhere in Australia. Davion Mitchell. Pat Bev. Marcus Smart. Jrue Holiday. Even rookie Jaylen Wells earlier this season.
There were spurts of success for them. Maybe even a game or two. Those little wins typically have a quick expiration date.
“There’s a fluidity and emotion and a beauty to Steph’s game that comes from understanding the movement and the spacing on the court – coordinating that space with his teammates,” Kerr said. “If he does that well in concert with his teammates, he’s going to get some openings.
“And with Steph, all it takes is one to get him going.”
The veteran-led Warriors aren’t about to puff their chests and make guarantees for the series. Post, before his first taste of the playoffs, isn’t afraid to make one on behalf of Curry.
“What I do know is that they’re not going to be able to hold Steph to three points again,” he said. “I know that for a fact. It’s nothing he hasn’t seen before, and he’ll be up for the challenge.”
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced they have recalled forward Ryan Reaves from their AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies.
Reaves was placed on waivers and sent to the AHL prior to the NHL Trade Deadline in order for the Maple Leafs to accrue more cap space.
The 38-year-old has two assists and 28 penalty minutes in 35 games for the Maple Leafs this season. He scored his first AHL goal since 2010 in this three-game stint with the Marlies.
The Winnipeg, Man., native has amassed 63 goals, 137 points, and 1100 penalty minutes in 912 career NHL games. He notched one assist in five playoff games for the Maple Leafs last season.
There are no NHL roster or cap limits during the playoffs so this recall likely means Reaves will at least be around the team for the postseason. There have been no updates on whether or not he will play, he did participate in Toronto's optional skate earlier today.
Make sure you bookmark The Hockey News' AHL Page for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more. Make sure you bookmark The Hockey News' AHL Page for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more.
If you’re a Boston Bruins fan, rooting for the Florida Panthers doesn’t sound like a good or fun idea. And it makes perfect sense — the Panthers eliminated the Bruins from the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the last two seasons.
But this spring is a little different.
When the Bruins dealt captain Brad Marchand to the Panthers on trade deadline day in March, they got back a conditional second-round draft pick in 2027. This second-rounder will become a 2027 or 2028 first-round selection if the Panthers win two or more rounds in this year’s playoffs and Marchand plays in at least 50 percent of Florida’s postseason games.
Given how important it is to the Bruins’ future success that they have as many quality draft picks and trade assets as possible, it would really help Boston if that conditional second-rounder became a first-rounder.
So even though it might be tough, Bruins fans should be rooting for the Panthers to reach at least the Eastern Conference Final over the next month.
What are the chances they make it that far?
Well, the Panthers are currently the favorites to win the Eastern Conference for the third straight season.
But it won’t be easy. The Panthers will have to beat their in-state rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in the first round. The Panthers eliminated the Lightning in five games in Round 1 last season. This year’s series should be tougher, though. The Lightning ranked No. 3 in 5-on-5 goals scored this season, while also having the third-best save percentage.
If the Panthers make it to Round 2, they’d likely have to play the Toronto Maple Leafs, who won the Atlantic Division. The Leafs have not reached the conference finals since 2002 and have won only one playoff series in the last 20 years. Toronto is very talented, but you’d have to like Florida’s chances of winning a potential playoff series versus the Leafs. The Panthers have a huge edge over the Leafs in playoff experience and quality of goaltending.
Nothing is guaranteed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Bruins know that better than anyone. That said, B’s fans should be cautiously optimistic about the chances of that 2027 conditional second-rounder becoming a future first-round pick.
Warriors superstar Steph Curry had one of his worst games of the 2024-25 NBA season against the Houston Rockets, Golden State’s opponent in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
The four-time NBA champion mustered just three points on 1-for-10 shooting in the Warriors’ 106-96 loss to the Rockets at Chase Center on April 6.
The outing obviously was an anomaly, and Curry’s teammate and rookie Golden State center Quinten Post vowed that the sharpshooter won’t have that rough of a performance against Houston again when talking to reporters on Friday.
“I’ve played with Steph now throughout the season and I think I’ve never seen a guy being guarded like that by everybody,” Post said. “But what I do think they have is the size and athleticism to back up that aggressive play. But what I do know is that they’re not going to hold Steph to three points again. I know that for a fact. It’s nothing he hasn’t seen before and he’ll be up for the challenge.”
Post is right.
Anyone who has followed Curry’s renowned 16-year Warriors career knows “for a fact” that the 11-time NBA All-Star is more likely to score 60 points than three points on any given night, and the Rockets shouldn’t expect Curry to struggle that badly ever again.
Since their first meeting in 2015, Curry has averaged 25.2 points, 5.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds over 20 playoff games against the Rockets and has won all four series with a 13-7 record. Houston’s famed James Harden era ended ringless largely because of Curry and the Warriors’ dominant reign over them.
Sure, the Rockets held Curry to three points a few weeks ago. But as Post said, that won’t happen again, as all parties know what the greatest shooter of all time is capable of when the lights are brightest.
We’re leading off this week’s column with a couple of callups possessing the potential to help in steals.
Luke Keaschall (2B Twins) - Rostered in 3% of Yahoo leagues
It certainly wasn’t the plan for Keaschall to join the Twins this early. Coming off Tommy John surgery in August, he only DH’d while going 5-for-21 with a homer this spring. In Triple-A thus far, he’s split time evenly between second base and DH, starting back-to-back games in the field only once. He also hasn’t really gotten hot yet, having hit .261/.379/.348 with one homer in 58 plate appearances. Nevertheless, the banged-up Twins have chosen to promote him in time for Friday’s game.
Whether he’s truly ready now or not, Keaschall is one of the game’s most well rounded offensive prospects. Since being drafted in the second round out of Arizona State in 2023, he’s batted .297/.415/.470 with 19 homers, 38 steals and a 17.5% strikeout rate in 148 games and 662 plate appearances. His approach is excellent, and while he might not show enough power to be a contender for All-Star teams, he seems destined to enjoy a lengthy career somewhere on the diamond.
As for his position, that’s still to be determined. Keachall played center and first in addition to second base in Double-A last year. The Twins don’t want him trying to make throws from the outfield with his surgically repaired elbow at the moment, but the outfield is probably where he belongs. He has the speed required to play center if his routes come along. The Twins figure to mostly give him starts at DH and second base for now.
Odds are that Keaschall isn’t up to stay at this point, but those with an open roster spot could do worse than taking a chance on him. He won’t be overwhelmed at the plate, and if he does manage to get off to a hot start here and establish himself, he might contribute 10 homers and 20 steals with a solid average over the rest of the season. If not, mixed-league value will probably wait until 2026.
Caleb Durbin (INF Brewers) - Rostered in 5% of Yahoo leagues
The Brewers decided that Durbin wasn’t the answer at third base this spring, but then the guys they pick started out hitting .150/.188/.233 through 19 games. As a result, Oliver Dunn was demoted, and Durbin is set to make his major league debut Friday.
A 14th-round pick of the Braves in 2021, Durbin was traded to the Yankees for Lucas Luetge after the 2022 season and then to the Brewers in the Devin Williams deal last winter. He’s boasted strong minor league numbers the last two years, but where he really gained attention was in the Arizona Fall League last October and November. Not only did he hit .312/.427/.548 in the offense-heavy league, but he stole a whopping 29 bases in 30 attempts over 24 games. He opened up this year hitting .278/.316/.481 with three steals in five attempts over 13 games for Triple-A Nashville.
Considering that Durbin had OBPs over .390 each of the last two years, his start in Triple-A this year has been interesting. He’s pretty clearly gone in search of more power. Last year, his average exit velocity in Triple-A was 83.8 mph, which would put him very close to the bottom among major leaguers. This year, he was at 88.6 mph, which is merely below average and perfectly fine for someone who makes as much contact as he does; he’s struck out just five times in 58 plate appearances.
It remains to be seen if the 5-foot-7 Durbin can really hit for power in the major leagues. He’s also not truly as fast as the steal numbers suggest, and his defense can be kind of rough. There’s a good chance he’ll be a bench guy for the long haul. Still, there shouldn’t be any harm in Milwaukee giving him a try as a regular now. He’s probably a better bet than Keachall to offer mixed-league value over the rest of 2025.
Ranger Suárez (SP Phillies) - Rostered in 36% of Yahoo leagues
Having recovered from the back stiffness that put him on the shelf late in spring training, Suárez has made two rehab starts with low-A Clearwater, allowing a total of one run and striking out 11 in seven innings. He’s probably one more outing away from displacing Taijuan Walker in the Phillies rotation, yet he’s still available in nearly two-thirds of Yahoo leagues at the moment.
A National League All-Star a year ago, Suárez is coming off a poor second half, also seemingly fueled by back woes that caused his velocity to drop. He was looking better this spring, though. When he’s going good, he combines a league-average strikeout rate with strong groundball numbers. Of the 60 pitchers to throw 400 innings since 2022, Suárez has the fifth-highest groundball rate and seventh-lowest hard-hit rate.
Suárez isn’t likely to go on another surge like the one that saw him open 9-0 with a 1.36 ERA last season, but he’s pretty clearly mixed-league worthy while healthy. He should be in line for strong run and bullpen support, even if the Phillies have been a little lacking in both areas to date, and while Citizens Bank Park isn’t ideal for pitchers, Suárez’s groundball tendencies make it less of an issue for him.
Waiver Wire Quick Hits
- Clayton Kershaw won’t be ready nearly as quickly as Suárez, but are we really leaving him unrostered in 82% of Yahoo leagues? Coming off knee and toe surgeries, he’s on the 60-day IL and won’t be eligible to return until late May. However, he’s already on the rehab trail, having thrown three scoreless innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
- Not including the Rays’ Kameron Misner in this week’s update to the Top 300 was a mistake I’ll need to correct Monday. He’s available in 81% of Yahoo leagues, and he’ll be getting regular time against righties for the foreseeable future. The 15% strikeout rate is likely to reveal itself as a fluke eventually, but he’s pummeling the ball right now with his 49% hard-hit rate and .733 slugging percentage.
Here’s what Michael Traikos, Ryan Kennedy and Steve Warne discussed in this episode:
0:57: Will the Battle of Ontario have over or under three fights in this series?
3:01: Do the Ottawa Senators hope they can suck the Toronto Maple Leafs into playing a physical style of game?
3:55: What will playoff Brady Tkachuk look like?
5:45: Who will be the Maple Leafs’ X-factor for them?
7:40: How much of a load will Jake Sanderson face against Toronto's top line?
8:55: Predictions for the Leafs and Sens series
10:34: Do the youngsters in Montreal have enough in them to run the table against the Washington Capitals?
13:59: Prediction for the Canadiens and Capitals series
15:18: In the Battle of Florida, Vasilevskiy and Bobrosky have both been known to turn it on in the playoffs. Will this series turn into a goalie duel?
17:21: Will the physical aspect of Florida match up to the skill of Tampa?
18:45 Predictions for the Panthers and Lightning series
21:04: Predictions for the Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils series
21:49: Are there any similarities you see between this year's St. Louis Blues team and the 2019 team that won the Cup?
24:21: Does Jordan Binnington have the edge over Connor Hellebuyck?
25:34: Prediction for the Jets and Blues series
26:43: How do injuries affect the Dallas Stars?
28:52: Will Mikko Rantanen be the X-factor for Dallas while facing his old team?
30:39: How do you see this series between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Minnesota Wild shaking out?
32:13: Are there any similarities you see between this year's Vegas team and the team that won the Cup?
33:38: Predictions for the Knights and Wild
34:02: Are injuries still a big issue for the Edmonton Oilers?
35:03: How will the goaltending matchup look between the Oilers and Los Angeles Kings?
37:08: Predictions for the Kings and Oilers series
37:20: Who do you see in the Stanley Cup final?
40:06: Which player will lead the playoffs in scoring?
41:14: Since the 2014-15 season, only three of the Stanley Cup winners have been from the Western Conference. Will this year's winner be coming from the East or West? 42:16: Which team will go on a Cinderella run?
Briton in cautious mood before Saudi Arabian GP but maintains Scuderia are ‘greatest team in F1 history’
Weathering the choppy waves of his new career with Ferrari it is still clear that every time Lewis Hamilton climbs into the car the seven-time Formula One champion believes he is taking a step forward, regardless of how it seems to others. He remains unfazed by the process of adapting, having long considered it would be an evolution, even given the weight of all the expectation and scrutiny.
This weekend at the fifth round of the season in Saudi Arabia, Ferrari and Hamilton are optimistic they will be making another stride in bridging the gap to the dominant McLaren.
For one final time this season, the Pittsburgh Penguins gathered at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, Pa. - this, time, for locker cleanout day.
Some players - like pending-RFA Philip Tomasino and pending-UFA Matt Grzelcyk - discussed their desire to return to Pittsburgh and their contract negotiation statuses. Some - like Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell - talked about career milestones and individual accomplishments this season.
But there was one overarching sentiment among both veterans and youth: There is some degree of hope and belief that things can turn around quickly for these Penguins.
“Obviously, I think everyone here would love for that to happen," Karlsson said. "I’m sure that in some regards, I think, obviously, that’s what they’re hoping for and that’s what [POHO/GM Kyle Dubas] is trying to do. Whether it works out or not, you never know. But, I like this team here. I think that the two years that I’ve been here, we’ve underachieved, and the group that we have in here is capable of a lot more.”
Rust echoed the same thoughts.
"Obviously, we've got some good, solid young players, and you guys have all seen that," Rust said. "The people around this organization... they care so much, and they are so invested in making this team great again that I have no doubt this thing's going to be turned around quickly."
Like Rust, many of the veterans pointed to young guys like Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty as reason for optimism in the near-term. The injection of youth on Pittsburgh's roster late in the season gave the team a jolt that they hope can carry into next season.
“Those guys came in here, and they were productive and helped us win hockey games right from the start," Rakell said. "So, I think they got these games under their belt, and they have the summer to prepare for next year. I think we’re only going to get better with them.”
And from the perspective of the younger guys, the veterans in the room give them confidence that the transition to full-time in the NHL can be a relatively smooth one. And they look forward to the competition in training camp next season.
“I feel like camp’s going to be ultra-competitive," McGroarty said. "Especially when you have 87 driving the bus, it’s always going to be a competitive camp. With the young group, too, right now, it’ll be a lot of fun, and a lot of guys want to put their best foot forward. I know a lot of guys are going to have a lot of big summers.”
“I think we have the makings of being a competitive team," head coach Mike Sullivan said. "I think the team is postured right now to try to take that next step, and that next step towards becoming more competitive. It's not an easy process... teams have deployed different strategies in how they go about that. I think Kyle's done a really good job in thinking through and strategizing with his hockey operations team on what he thinks is best for the Pittsburgh Penguins with the group that we have. Every organization's different, but I know that there's been a thorough process that the group has gone through when trying to strategize what the best course of action is for this group.
"And I believe that there's a core group here that's worthy of building around, and that's our challenge. And that's the process that we're going through right now."
Carlo has averaged the fifth-most ice time among Maple Leafs defensemen since being acquired by Toronto.
The Toronto Maple Leafs added Brandon Carlo at the NHL trade deadline, and he's been a seamless fit since.
Going into the deadline in March, there was a lot of talk of how Toronto would find a player to complement Morgan Rielly, who, at the time, wasn't playing his best hockey. There were a few intriguing options, like Luke Schenn, whom Rielly played with in the past playoffs.
That, however, was botched when the Pittsburgh Penguins picked him up from the Nashville Predators before shipping him off to the Winnipeg Jets. Then Carlo came into the mix when the Boston Bruins decided they were having a fire sale.
Toronto added the 28-year-old, who has two more seasons on his contract at $3.485 million, for Fraser Minten and a 2026 first-round pick. That move was likely their most consequential at the deadline.
Since then, Carlo has averaged 19:13 through 20 games with Toronto, playing most of his minutes alongside Rielly. According to NaturalStatTrick, the pairing has a 57.04 expected goals-for percentage at five-on-five through 220 minutes.
It's the best among Maple Leafs pairings that have played more than 200 minutes together this season.
"I would just say he's sort of come as advertised, right? On the ice, he's a big, long guy. We've talked a lot about it, they're just harder to get around. He's a sticky player. He's got reach, he's got length. The way he clears the front of the net, a simple puck mover," Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving said on Friday.
"I think his game is sort of as advertised. And then always the unknown when you bring a new (player) is the fit, right? How it's all going to fit, and I think he's fit seamlessly. I think him, not only just him and Morgan, but down the stretch here we've had guys out, and he's fit with different people.
"He's become a really important player, and we've added a really elite teammate. The people in Boston talked about how great of a guy he was. You guys have had a little chance to get to know him. Just a wonderful person. So I think it's been a real good fit."
When the Maple Leafs step onto the ice for practice on Saturday, one day before Game 1 against the Ottawa Senators, you'll likely see Carlo back with Rielly as Toronto's top pair, barring any of their injured defensemen remaining out.
Carlo has been referenced by head coach Craig Berube several times throughout the last few weeks as a vacuum. Maple Leafs fans have witnessed that for years when Toronto has gone up against the Boston Bruins.
However, now, he's on their side and looking to help the Maple Leafs lock up the ultimate prize.
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![Sam O'Reilly scored the series-winning goal against Erie. His five goals and 10 assists places him third in scoring on the team [Luke Durda/OHL Images].](https://media.zenfs.com/en/the_hockey_news_articles_331/14b4f48ed0dc80d9308a7a18d171dc66)
Frontenacs Tie The Series At Two The Kingston Frontenacs tied the series against Barrie at two earlier tonight with a 9-4 win on home ice. Vegas Golden Knights prospect Tuomas Uronen led his team, scoring a hattrick before the end of the second period.
Senators Prospect Keeps Rangers Hopes Alive Last night, Senators prospect Luke Ellinas kept the Kitchener Rangers' season alive by scoring all three goals in their 3-0 win over the Windsor Spitfires.
