Here’s a summary of everything that happened in the world of the Red Wings from March 31st to April 6th.
For starters, it was revealed that top goaltending prospect Trey Augustine wasn’t going to be signed by the Red Wings. At least, not at this point in time. All this means is that the goalie is going to go back to Michigan State for one more season.
Players cannot be signed to NHL contracts while playing in the NCAA.
The same night that information came out, the Red Wings took on the scorching hot St. Louis Blues. The Blues would get the better of them in overtime, but they walked away from the 2-1 loss with a point. That’s still huge at this point in the season.
With the hulking forward back in the mix, the Red Wings handed the Hurricanes a decisive 5-3 loss. In the process, they gained another two points for themselves in the Eastern Conference Wild Card race that’s coming down to the final hour.
With the victory, forward Patrick Kane reached some milestones. He became the US-born skater with the most 20-goal seasons ever, passing Mike Modano. Kane also recorded his 100th point as a member of the Red Wings.
It’s Monday, April 7, and the Sacramento Kings (38-40) and Detroit Pistons (43-35) are all set to square off from Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
The Kings are currently 19-21 on the road with a point differential of 0, while the Pistons have a 6-4 record in their last ten games at home. Detroit won 114-113 in Sacramento in the only meeting of the season.
Detroit is 1-3 in the last four games, but 3-1 in the past four home games. Sacramento won two straight over Charlotte and Cleveland last night, upsetting the Cavaliers 120-113.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Kings vs. Pistons live today
Date: Monday, April 7, 2025
Time: 7:00PM EST
Site: Little Caesars Arena
City: Detroit, MI
Network/Streaming: NBA TV
Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.
Game odds for Kings vs. Pistons
The latest odds as of Monday:
Odds: Kings (+231), Pistons (-285)
Spread: Pistons -7
Over/Under: 230 points
That gives the Kings an implied team point total of 113.94, and the Pistons 117.59.
Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!
Expert picks & predictions for Monday’s Kings vs. Pistons game
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) leans the Pistons to cover:
"This being the second night of a back-to-back on the East Coast is tough, but beating the Cavaliers, then facing the Pistons is no easy challenge on top of that. Sacramento is a 0.5 game up on Dallas for the ninth spot in the West play-in and 3.0 ahead of Phoenix, who they play in the regular season finale. The Kings seem safely in the field after last night's win, so it's Pistons or pass for me as this could be a letdown with no rest."
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Kings & Pistons game:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Sacramento Kings on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Sacramento Kings at +7.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the over on the Game Total of 230.
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!
Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Kings vs. Pistons on Monday
The Kings have won 6 of their last 8 games at the Pistons
The Under has cashed in the Pistons' last 3 games
The Pistons have covered in 6 of their 9 matchups against Western Conference Pacific Division teams this season
The Kings have won 4 straight games at the Pistons
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends toolon NBC Sports!
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New manager has transformed mood and on Sunday halted the seven-match winning streak of Claudio Ranieri’s Roma
Igor Tudor was on the pitch, stepping out of his technical area and on to the playing field as he gestured frantically at his defenders, jabbing a pointed finger so close to Stephan El Shaarawy that it appeared he might tap the Roma forward on the shoulder. It has been a little over 20 years since Tudor played his last game for Juventus, but all that time away does not appear to have lessened his passion.
The Bianconeri had needed this, needed something, an injection of purpose, of fury, of life. All their energies seemed to have expired under Thiago Motta, four defeats in six games telling only a part of the story. Anyone could lose a match to Atalanta, but 4-0? At home? And to follow that up with a 3-0 thrashing by one of your club’s favourite victims, Fiorentina?
The Boston Bruins’ season is nearing its conclusion.
The B’s have just four games remaining on their regular season schedule, including next Tuesday’s finale against the New Jersey Devils in Boston.
The Bruins halted their 10-game losing streak with an impressive 5-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes at TD Garden on Saturday night, then followed it up with a 6-3 loss to the Sabres in Buffalo on Sunday. The B’s have a 31-38-9 record entering Monday.
Even though there will be no playoff hockey at the Garden for the first time since 2016, there are still a couple of interesting storylines to follow over the next eight days.
Here’s a look at what Bruins fans should be watching for in the final stretch of the 2024-25 season.
First-round draft pick positioning
With each week that passes, the Bruins’ odds of winning the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery have improved. That’s what happens when you lose nine of your last 10 games late in the season.
The Bruins are officially eliminated from playoff contention and entered Monday with the worst record in the Eastern Conference — a spot they haven’t found themselves in since 1997. As a result, Boston has the fourth-worst record in the league and the fourth-best odds of winning the No. 1 pick.
Here are the Bruins’ lottery odds right now, per Tankathon:
No. 1 pick: 9.5 percent chance
No. 2 pick: 9.5 percent
No. 3 pick: 0.3 percent
No. 4 pick: 15.4 percent
No. 5 pick: 44.6 percent
No. 6 pick: 20.8 percent
There’s a 34.4 percent chance the Bruins earn the No. 1, No. 2 or No. 4 pick. The last time their own first-round pick was in the top four was the 1997 draft, when the B’s selected future Hall of Fame center Joe Thornton with the No. 1 overall pick.
The Bruins’ margin for error is slim, though. They share the fourth-worst record with the Philadelphia Flyers and the Seattle Kraken are just one point above both teams. The Sabres, Anaheim Ducks and Pittsburgh Penguins are all just three points above the Flyers and Bruins.
One or two wins for the Bruins over the final week of the season could result in them moving from the fourth-best lottery odds to the sixth-best, and that would be a very bad outcome for Boston.
The No. 1 goal for the Bruins through next Tuesday’s finale should be to lose games and get the best lottery odds possible.
David Pastrnak’s quest for 100 points
The one bright spot amid this awful Bruins season has been the play of David Pastrnak. His on-ice performance and leadership have been tremendous.
Pastrnak has 13 points in the last six games, including a five-point night against the Hurricanes on Saturday that saw him score a hat trick to reach 40 goals for the fifth straight season. On Sunday against the Sabres, Pastrnak became the first Bruins player ever to tally a point on 10 straight goals scored by the team, per NESN.
The superstar right wing now has 97 points (40 goals, 57 assists) through 78 games. He’s three points away from his third consecutive 100-point season. At this rate, it would be pretty surprising if Pastrnak didn’t reach the century mark.
One interesting development the last month or so has been the chemistry between Pastrnak and center Elias Lindholm. The Bruins hoped these two forwards would form a strong chemistry on the top line when Lindholm was signed last summer, but for whatever reason, it just wasn’t a fit early in the season.
But since the beginning of March, Pastrnak and Lindholm have played 104:09 minutes together at even strength, and the Bruins have a 162-88 lead in shot attempts, a 73-44 advantage in shots on net, an 82-37 edge in scoring chances and a 15-11 goal differential during that ice time, per Natural Stat Trick.
This recent success between Lindholm and Pastrnak is something for the Bruins to be encouraged by heading into next season.
Morgan Geekie’s value going up
The only interesting contract situation for the Bruins this summer involves Morgan Geekie. The veteran forward has tallied career highs with 51 points and 29 goals. His 22 assists are tied for a career high.
If Geekie does score 30 goals, he’ll be the first Bruins player not named Pastrnak, Brad Marchand or Patrice Bergeron to do it since Loui Eriksson in the 2015-16 season.
Geekie has posted career highs in goals and points in back-to-back campaigns with the Bruins. His emergence as a likely 30-goal scorer is a fantastic development for the B’s, but it also could cost them a pretty penny.
The good news for Boston is Geekie will be a restricted free agent, so he can’t hit the open market and the team can match any offer he receives.
Geekie’s current contract is a two-year, $4 million deal. He deserves a huge raise from the $2 million AAV he’s been earning. Will it take between $4-5 million to sign Geekie long term? Maybe more than $5 million? It will be fascinating to see how this unfolds.
Geekie has made himself a key part of the Bruins’ future as a productive, versatile forward who’s just 26 years old.
The 2022 second-round pick is a well-rounded center who is responsible defensively, kills penalties and has an improving offensive skill set. He scored a hat trick for the AHL’s Providence Bruins shortly after the trade.
Minten made his Bruins debut Saturday versus the Hurricanes and played well. The Bruins are desperate for help at center, so it’s important that Minten not only proves he belongs in the NHL but also make a meaningful impact at both ends of the ice. That’s why the reps he’s getting toward the end of the season are so valuable.
In an ideal world, Minten would be the Bruins’ No. 3 center next season, but there will be plenty of competition for that role.
Quinn Priester’s tenure with the Boston Red Sox lasted all of about eight months.
The Boston Red Sox have traded the right-handed pitcher to the Milwaukee Brewers for minor league outfielder Yophery Rodriguez, a Competitive Balance Round A pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, a player to be named later and cash considerations, the team announced Monday.
The Red Sox acquired Priester from the Pittsburgh Pirates last July ahead of the 2024 MLB trade deadline, parting with talented infield prospect Nick Yorke in the deal. So, why did they move the 24-year-old right-hander so soon?
It’s worth noting that Priester had yet to pitch for the Red Sox this season despite the team’s lack of rotation depth with Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Lucas Giolito on the injured list. Boston turned to nine-year veteran Sean Newcomb (two starts) and 25-year-old prospect Richard Fitts to make starts over Priester, and even gave right-hander Hunter Dobbins his first MLB start Sunday night against the St. Louis Cardinals.
The fact that Newcomb, Fitts and Dobbins got the ball while Priester remained at Triple-A Worcester hints at where the Red Sox may have had Priester on their pitching pecking order, and could explain why they were willing to part ways with him. Priester also didn’t have the best spring training, posting a 4.82 ERA and a 2.25 WHIP over 9.1 innings in four starts.
In Rodriguez, the Red Sox get Milwaukee’s seventh-ranked prospect, per MLB.com. The 19-year-old spent the majority of last season at Single-A, where he slashed .250/.343/.383 with seven home runs and 60 RBI in 110 games.
Boston also acquires a Competitive Balance Round A pick, which falls between the first and second rounds of the MLB Draft.
“That one’s tricky,” Williams told Michelle Beadle and fellow former NBA player Chandler Parsons on FanDuel’s “Run It Back” on Monday. “I wouldn’t give this one too much. This looks like a routine basketball play to me. Now, everything else is typical Draymond, getting on the guy’s skin and trying to get him revved up. But this one right here looks like a basketball play to me.”
Williams, who played 17 NBA seasons with six teams, used a different F-word to describe the play: Flop.
“But referees are human,” Williams continued. “They look at who it is, what type of play it is and your reputation comes into play, and they make calls based on it. I don’t know if he’s seeking out Şengün right here. I really don’t. And it looks like it’s barely even any contact as well. Like, it looks like a somewhat of a little baby flop right there, but yeah, I’m not rolling. I’m not rolling on this one, but again, it’s Draymond Green, so everything that he does is going to be considered with a grain of salt, and referees are going to make this call based on who it is and what it is. So for that I’m not rolling.”
Draymond Green should NOT have received a flagrant foul for "elbowing" Alperen Sengun 👀
"It's Draymond Green. Everything he does is considered with a grain of salt." – @TeamLou23
Parsons, who played nine NBA seasons with four teams, agreed with Williams’ assessment of the play, believing there’s nothing Green could have done differently.
“What else do you want him to do?” Parsons said. “That looks like a natural movement that he’s going to. I don’t think this is anything malicious. I don’t think this is dirty. Again, the things he did later were a little obnoxious, but like this is just a normal basketball play. It was unfortunate that he caught an [elbow], but this the risk that you take when you go vertical and you got an aggressive dude coming at you, but I think this is bad. I think this is a natural basketball play.”
Williams doubled down on his assessment of a flop after watching the replay multiple times.
“Honestly, now that I’m watching it over and over and over, this is a flop more than anything to me,” Williams said.
Key says chance has come ‘slightly earlier than expected’
Harry Brook has been named as England’s new white-ball captain, with Rob Key, the director of men’s cricket, praising the Yorkshireman’s “excellent cricketing brain” but also admitting the opportunity has come “slightly earlier than expected”.
Brook, 26, will take charge of both the T20 and ODI teams despite Key admitting last month he was considering offering the latter to Ben Stokes. Instead, Stokes will remain focused on leading the Test side and next winter’s Ashes moonshot, as well as his own return to fitness after hamstring surgery at the start of the year.
The Boston Celtics are essentially locked into the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed entering the final week of the season.
But there’s one interesting storyline worth monitoring over the final four games of the season.
Jaylen Brown, who’s been dealing with a nagging right knee injury and admitted he was “in some pain” during the Celtics’ win over the Miami Heat last Wednesday, has played in 62 games this season as of Monday.
If Brown wants to be eligible to earn All-NBA honors and be nominated for end-of-season awards like Defensive Player of the Year, he needs to meet the following criteria:
65 games played
At least 20 minutes played in at least 65 games
Two “near misses” allowed (games with at least 15 minutes played)
Brown insisted last week that the games-played threshold has zero impact on his decision to play or not play as he manages his knee injury. But the fact that he’s suited up in each of the last three games suggests he’ll try to reach the 65-game mark down the stretch.
Based on that criteria above, Brown can become All-NBA eligible by playing in three of Boston’s final four games. He only needs to play 20 minutes in each of those games, however, and because he’s played 20 minutes or more in every game to date this season, he still has both of his “near misses,” meaning he can be limited to 15 minutes in two of the Celtics’ final four games.
Here’s a look at Boston’s remaining schedule:
Tuesday, April 8: at New York Knicks
Wednesday, April 9: at Orlando Magic
Friday, April 11: vs. Charlotte Hornets
Sunday, April 13: vs. Hornets
If the C’s want to manage Brown’s minutes while getting him to 65 games, a logical plan would be playing him against the Knicks, resting him on the second night of a back-to-back against the Magic, and then limiting him to as close to 15 minutes as possible in each of Boston’s final two games against the Hornets.
Some Celtics fans may want to just see Brown rest down the stretch to make sure his knee gets right for the playoffs, especially since there’s no guarantee he even makes an All-NBA squad. But Brown believes there’s value in learning to play through the pain, which he suggested won’t be going away any time soon.
“Pain is definitely a physical thing, but it also is a mental thing,” Brown said last week. “So, (head coach) Joe (Mazzulla) has allowed me, even though my team visibly can see maybe I’m in a bit of pain, they trust me to go out there and I can control my body and still be able to make plays and mentally, be able to push through it.
“I think that’s going to be something I’m gonna have to have in my back pocket.”
The Celtics also will have about a week off between their season finale and the start of the first round, as the NBA play-in tournament runs from April 15-18. So, don’t be surprised if you continue to see Brown in action as the regular season wraps up.
Daniel Bochner knew of Matvei Michkov because the gaudy 2019-20 scoring totals made it impossible to miss him.
As a burgeoning star in Russia, Michkov averaged almost three points per game on the under-16 international stage. He racked up an incomprehensible 109 points (70 goals, 39 assists) in only 26 games at the Russian under-16 level. He was producing offense at a rate rarely if not ever seen in his country.
“So he was pretty well-known,” Bochner said.
Bochner was the player development coach for the Russian national teams and SKA St. Petersburg, one of the most prominent clubs in the KHL, Russia’s top pro league. He first met Michkov when the prospect was 15 years old.
“I had no doubt that he was going to come in there and, as long as he was given opportunity and ice time, he was going to be impactful scoring,” Bochner, now a player development coach for the Hurricanes, said in a mid-January phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “At the same time, I knew that there were other areas that he was going to have to get better at and I think that’s no different than any rookie coming into the NHL. It’s a big jump for anybody.”
From the start, Bochner saw special talent in Michkov. But as a development coach, his job wasn’t to pump up Michkov’s strengths; it was to identify a weakness and hope Michkov would want to attack it.
“He’s an extremely competitive person and within that competitiveness is that need to want to be better than other people,” Bochner said. “Then obviously within that is, ‘I need to get better at stuff, I’m not naturally better than everybody. I may be in some areas, but there are going to be other areas where I’ve got to outwork people.'”
Bochner approached Michkov with an area to refine.
“There was some knock on his skating early,” he said. “I never saw it as bad as other people saw it. I always thought that he was never going to be explosive with linear speed. But what I did want to improve with him was his lateral movement because I think that’s really important off the rush and it’s really important to be deceptive once you get into the offensive zone, which is sort of his bread and butter — his ability to create separation in the offensive zone, find open ice and then be able to capitalize on that with his scoring ability.
“That was really, when I first met him, something I picked up and that became a focus, retooling his crossovers, his edge work and just try to get him more comfortable in tight areas and then more comfortable with lateral movement when he has got the puck on rush offense. Making sure that he wasn’t just pushing with his outside leg, but he had that inside leg driving through, which is going to create more lateral force as he’s skating up the ice.”
Bochner worked closely with Michkov in SKA St. Petersburg’s development camps, which would run for about two and a half weeks. He was pleased with the youngster’s devotion to a monotonous and meticulous part of his game.
“Not only was he receptive, but he was also self-aware,” Bochner said. “We came up with a game plan and obviously when you try to make any adjustments with your technical skating, it’s sort of a boring process. There’s a lot of boring repetition, it’s not a ton of fun, especially with guys who want to play with the puck and shoot on goalies.
“It’s usually isolated movement patterns. So if you’re not interested and you’re not committed to making that better, you’re not going to be very receptive. And he was. We would go out there early, work on his crossovers, work on his skating. He was super receptive.”
The work wasn’t to make Michkov’s stride look more aesthetically pleasing; it was to make him stronger and more efficient in his movements.
“When you look at him, the skating technique doesn’t stand out where you’re saying, ‘Wow, what a beautiful skater,'” Bochner said. “But what he does is he’s able to skate off his check quickly, he’s agile, he can control the puck very well in tight spaces, he’s sturdy and strong on the puck. It’s not easy to take the puck off of him.”
“I am going to put that into practice because that’s what brings him joy, so you want that as a motivating factor, you want him to stay sharp there,” Bochner said. “But you want to identify the things where he’s having a low success rate. And that’s how I went about it with him.”
The Flyers have seen Michkov’s sheer competitiveness this season.
“Oh yeah, definitely,” Sean Couturier said last Friday. “Anything he does. Even in practice sometimes.”
The Flyers’ captain recalled a recent 2-on-2 drill in which Michkov thought he scored, but for some reason the goal didn’t count. As a result, Bobby Brink and Tyson Foerster ended up scoring on Couturier and Michkov.
“I think he didn’t talk to them for the next day,” Couturier said. “He’s that kind of guy, really competitive. … I think that’s what makes him special. Those elite athletes always have that competitive edge and he definitely has that.”
Despite some slumps and learning moments, Michkov has had a highly promising rookie season. The offensive gifts have been as advertised. He entered Monday leading all rookies in goals (24) and even strength points (43). He’s tied for first in power play goals (seven), second in overall points (58) and tied for second in assists (34). And he’s the only player in the NHL with both three or more overtime goals and three or more shootout goals.
Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson is the likely front-runner for the Calder Trophy, while Sharks center Macklin Celebrini and Flames goalie Dustin Wolf also stand as Michkov’s competition.
Michkov’s 58 points are the most by a Flyers rookie since Mikael Renberg had 82 in 1993-94. Renberg’s mark is a franchise record for most points by a rookie in a season. Michkov is ninth on the Flyers’ all-time rookie single-season scoring list.
“You want to let him play his game, but once in a while, kind of remind him that there are certain things at certain times you’ve got to take care of,” Couturier said. “How to manage a game, you can’t always cheat for offense when you’re playing with a lead, sometimes it’s better off to just defend. But I don’t want to be in his ear every shift, I kind of just let him play. I try to also encourage him when I see improvement and when he’s doing the right plays. It’s definitely a balance.”
At the start of November, Brad Shaw mentioned how Michkov liked to play on the move and, because of that, he’d sometimes drift out of good position. Essentially, Michkov likes to read and react for when the play may shoot up ice. He’s thinking offense.
“You might ask the coach who’s here in 10 years and [Michkov] might still have a little drift to his game,” Shaw, now the Flyers’ interim head coach, said last Friday with a laugh. “But I think it’s one of the reasons that he’s a great player, I think it’s a reason why he’s dangerous, is his ability to anticipate. And we’re just trying to get him smarter in that anticipation — ‘this one was good and this one was not so good.’ That’s all part of the process.
“He’s a very willing student of the game, which I love. He’s a guy that wants to get better as soon as possible, wants extra, not afraid of being shown mistakes. It doesn’t really affect him like some other young players. That’s a real asset to have for a guy his age, for a guy who kind of has his style of play, because he’s going to butt heads with coaches, he’s going to be stubborn in some aspects of how he would like to play.”
Bochner worked with Artemi Panarin the summer before the Rangers’ star became one of three finalists for the 2019-20 Hart Trophy (NHL’s MVP). He has also trained Canadiens prospect and 2024 fifth overall pick Ivan Demidov, Blue Jackets winger Kirill Marchenko, former Flyer and current King Andrei Kuzmenko and Oilers winger Vasily Podkolzin.
With Michkov, he could sense the clutch gene.
“He is a guy that when the game is on the line, he doesn’t run away,” Bochner said. “He’s the guy that wants the puck on his stick. There is an innate confidence that comes with that mentality. And when you have confidence and you have scoring ability, even if there are issues in other areas, you’re going to find the back of the net. Those two things combined, if you have confidence and you have scoring ability, that’s a deadly combo. And he definitely has that.”
As this season has gone on, Michkov has shown more and more of his personality.
“He’s very serious and stoic at times, but at the same time, he can quickly come out of that and make a joke or just lighten up the mood with something,” Bochner said.
Bochner will keep him in touch with Michkov through an occasional text message.
“I try not to bother him too much,” Bochner said, “but if I see him score a nice goal or something, I will send him a little note and he usually sends me back a nice emoji or a thumbs up.”
Those moments probably don’t happen without Michkov wanting to sharpen a weakness at a young age back in Russia. The boring work has made big goals and unreal highlights the expectation in Philadelphia.
“Even outside of him scoring, just his body language, you see that he wants the puck, you see that he wants to be the guy to make a difference in those situations,” Bochner said. “It’s pretty remarkable.”
President Trump congratulated the World Series champion Dodgers and offered his take on the team’s hot start Monday when staff and players visited the White House in a decades-old baseball tradition during the Los Angeles’ East Coast road trip.
After dropping two of three games in Philadelphia over the weekend, the Dodgers’ White House visit coincides with a three-game series against the Washington Nationals as they look to build on a 9-2 start. The team participated in an East Room ceremony in honor of the 2024 World Series victory, entering the room to a rendition of Randy Newman’s “I love LA.”
Pitcher Clayton Kershaw presented the president with a No. 47 Dodgers jersey with “Trump” on the back.
“After seeing how successfully you’ve begun the season, you can plan on being back here. I hope you’re going to be back here next year,” Trump said.
Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young winner, spoke on behalf of the team.
“As a spectator for a championship run, I was in awe of this group,” Kershaw, who was injured during the postseason, said. “Their unwavering confidence coupled with a selfless pursuit for team excellence was an inspiration.
“Moving forward, I hope the 2024 Dodgers can serve as an inspiration to many as they were to me, not just in sports, but in life, remembering to put others before ourselves and move the team and society forward.”
Trump called Kershaw the “heart and soul” of the pitching staff.
“Unbelievable,” Trump said. “I’m glad to meet him.”
“We’re very please to participate in the tradition of bringing champions to the White House,” team Chairman Mark Walter said Monday.
Manager Dave Roberts called the visit an honor that each World Series champion gets to experience. Roberts said the decision to go to the White House was not a formal conversation involving players and coaches.
The White House tradition dates back decades with a visit by the 1925 Washington Senators during the administration of President Calvin Coolidge, according to the nonprofit White House Historical Association. Coolidge and first lady Grace were passionate baseball fans.
Trump shook hands with several players, including superstar Shohei Ohtani after praising the National League MVP, who became the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season.
“He looks like a movie star,” Trump said. “An accomplishment unparalleled.”
Trump asked if Ohtani was that good, and Roberts responded, “He’s only getting better.”
Roberts said Friday he expected 100% participation at the ceremony and that it was “good we have full representation.”
Shortstop Mookie Betts told reporters Friday he would join the team on the visit. Betts declined to join the Boston Red Sox on their visit in 2018 during President Trump’s first term.
Betts was among several Dodgers, including NL MVP Shohei Ohtani, who shook hands with Trump during the ceremony.
“I’m happy he’s going,” Roberts said. “I’m happy we’re all going to go together just to celebrate our 2024 championship.”
Betts told reporters in Philadelphia that his choice to go was not political, but rather because of his desire to be there for the team. Betts said he regrets not joining the Red Sox in 2018. Boston manager Alex Cora and pitcher David Price also skipped the Red Sox visit. Betts said he felt like his absence distracted from that team’s accomplishment.
“No matter what I say or what I do, people are gonna take it as political,” Betts said. “But that’s definitely not what it is. This is about what the Dodgers were able to accomplish last year.”
The NHL’s reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers became the first team to visit Trump in his second term when they were honored during a ceremony in the East Room in early February.
The White House also said recently the NFL’s Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles accepted their invitation for April 28.
“It’s a baseball thing for us,” Roberts said. “It’s tradition and we’re doing it unified. So I’m excited about it.”
Yastrzemski hit his first home run of the season Sunday, giving the Giants a 4-2 lead with a three-run opposite field shot in the bottom of the fourth.
“Today I got to give a shout-out to my daughter Quinley, honestly, because she asked for a home run and so I promised her I’d get her a home run,” Yastrzemski told Laura Britt and Rich Aurilia. “So Quinny, I love you and miss you.”
Yastrzemski is off to a solid start this season, collecting eight hits in 24 at-bats, with one homer and four RBI. He has a .942 OPS through eight games.
And if Yastrzemski keeps fulfilling Quinley’s pregame wishes, he might be headed for the best season of his MLB career.
Welcome to this edition of the Vancouver Canucks post-game analytics report. This recurring deep dive breaks down the analytics behind each Canucks game as recorded by Natural Stat Trick. In this article, we look back on Vancouver's most recent 3-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Canucks were outplayed in their loss to the Golden
Knights. Vegas held a 26-22 even-strength scoring chances advantage, while Vancouver also lost the even-strength high-danger scoring chances battle 10-8. While there were some positive moments in the game, the Canucks struggled to match the Golden Knights speed, which ended up costing them on Sunday night.
As for the heatmap, it is a good illustration of how Vancouver's defence struggled against Vegas. The Golden Knights generated shots from all over the zone and were able to get 35 shots on Kevin Lankinen. Yes, it is a positive that the Canucks were able to limit Vegas to just eight high-danger shots, but overall, they struggled defensively as the Golden Knights held most of the possession.
Looking at the forward lines, Vancouver's top trio was Nils Höglander, Pius Suter and Brock Boeser. During their 11:19 of ice time, the Canucks held a 9-6 scoring chances advantage, while also outscoring their opposition 1-0. Overall, this line was impressive as each member was able to generate an individual high-danger chance at even strength.
To wrap things up, Aatu Räty also had a strong night. During his 11:10 of even-strength ice time, Vancouver finished with a 6-5 scoring chances advantage, while Räty led the team with two individual even-strength high-danger chances created. Räty also won six of nine faceoffs and showed once again why he deserves a full-time spot in the NHL.
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This was a deeply forgettable derby, but it was Manchester United who looked the more likely to get a winner as time ticked down. Ruben Amorim spoke afterwards of using pace in transitions to try and carve out chances – and with a little more composure in the penalty area, it might have worked. Bruno Fernandes was the game’s standout player but Patrick Dorgu also caught the eye in just his fifth Premier League start. Signed from Lecce in January, the Danish wing-back is the first player Amorim has brought in that fits his system. Freed up by City’s narrow formation, Dorgu was able to get forward and test City’s backline at will. The 20-year-old’s red card at Ipswich sparked fears that, like some other young United recruits, he was too raw for regular Premier League football. Sunday’s performance should ensure he holds down the left-sided spot in Amorim’s 3-4-3 setup for the rest of this season, even with Luke Shaw nearing a return to fitness. Niall McVeigh
DeBrincat, Talbot Help Red Wings Keep Pace with 2–1 Win over FloridaDETROIT—For the Detroit Red Wings, a second straight match-up with an established contender hamstrung in its present incarnation by injury yielding a second straight victory Sunday night. After knocking off the Sebastian Aho and Jordan Staal–less Carolina Hurricanes Friday, the Red Wings beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers—absent arguably their three best and most important forwards in Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, and Sam Reinhart—Sunday to keep pace in the Eastern Conference wild card race as the season reaches its final decisive stages.
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