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Flyers Played Their Game and the Canadiens Were Just Better

I am giving fans the other side of his game. What the Flyers were looking for and what happened. 

The Canadiens played the Flyers pretty even for two periods. The Flyers came in with a new coach and a three-game winning streak but the Canadiens were the faster team with more shot disruption and that eventually tired the Flyers out.

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In the third period, with the score tied, you could see the Flyers tiring but their goalie, Sam Ersson was holding them in the game. That’s what happens sometimes and the Flyers have been getting more offensive zone time since Brad Shaw became the interim head coach. That’s been a big change over the John Tortorella brand of hockey.

The Flyers power play has been a smidge better lately but still it’s been mostly awful all season long. With the late goal, 1-4 is almost acceptable for them. Not quite, but almost. Making this a 3-2 was a short rallying point for them. At this point of the season they are looking for positives.

The Flyers tried to contain Lane Hutson. They didn’t. In the Hutson vs. Michkov Calder conversation game. Hutson won and even the Flyers broadcast said they would give the nod to Hutson if Michkov doesn’t win the award. There is little doubt that Hutson is the leader.

I think the Flyers were hoping their goalie would match Sam Montembeault and that didn’t happen. That stick miscue that gave Nick Suzuki the puck and the Canadiens the short-handed goal was the dagger. 

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Florida Panthers clinch spot in 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Mar 28, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9) celebrates with teammates after scoring the game-winning goal against the Utah Hockey Club during overtime at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

The Florida Panthers are back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Thanks to losses by the New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, Florida’s magic number shrunk to zero.

This marks the sixth straight year Florida has qualified for the postseason, a franchise record that just keeps growing.

The playoffs are set to begin in two weeks, but we’re still far from finding out what the matchups are going to be.

As it stands, Florida is in third place in the Atlantic Division.

If the playoffs started tomorrow, the Panthers would face their cross-state rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, for the fourth time in five postseasons.

There are still paths to Florida going up against Toronto, Ottawa or Montreal in the first round, so we’ll see how things shake out over the next six games.

Florida also has several players who are currently out of the lineup, but expected back either before or during the playoffs.

Forward Matthew Tkachuk has been out since the 4 Nations Face-Off in February but he’s been seen on the ice recently and barring any setbacks, the team is hopeful his recovery will land him back in the lineup during the first round.

Sasha Barkov, Dmitry Kulikov and Nico Sturm are all currently injured but both should be back before the postseason arrives, and suspended defenseman Aaron Ekbald will be eligible to return for Game 3 of the opening round.

There is still much to learn over the next couple weeks, but take a breath, Panthers fans.

The days of sitting at home and watching other teams fight for the Stanley Cup are long gone.

See you in the playoffs.

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Yankees' Trent Grisham making most of extra playing time with 'really locked in' mentality

The Yankees didn't extend an Opening Day roster spot to Trent Grisham because of his reputation with a bat. The veteran outfielder has established big league residency due to strong defensive traits, and even a slew of spring training injuries didn't propel him into a starting role once the team broke camp.

But he's taken advantage of early playing time that wasn't exactly planned. As the stand-in for newbie Cody Bellinger, who's dealing with back tightness, Grisham has conveniently provided similar power, which was on full display on Saturday when he belted a pair of home runs in the Yankees' 10-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

From top to bottom, the Yankees' lineup is driving in runs at a laudable rate, and their home run total (25) through eight games this season is already in a record-breaking class of its own. Right now, they can find even more comfort in knowing that their fourth outfielder is part of the equation too.

"Just been doing a really good job mentally to stay in the present," Grisham told the YES Network after the game. "The swing's been here and there throughout, but I've stayed really locked in mentally. It feels good, because when you don't feel like your best and you still lock in mentally and still compete and go through the game, it means a lot going forward."

The first of Grisham's blasts -- a solo shot that landed just beyond the right-center field scoreboard to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead -- came in the third inning against Pirates starter Bailey Falter. He then inflicted more damage in the fifth, with a three-run shot down the left-field line that contributed to a six-run rally and broke the game wide open.

All sample sizes are small at this point in the season, but Grisham's red-hot start can't be ignored. The 28-year-old lefty is hitting .471 with three homers and a double in 21 plate appearances. His first jack of the season came in Wednesday's home win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, and in 2024, he didn't collect his 21st trip to the plate until April 28.

With a little help from innovative torpedo bats and below-average opposing pitching, the Yankees currently rank atop major hitting categories. The torrid pace may not continue with Grisham -- Bellinger is expected to play in Sunday's series finale after missing the last two games -- but his production reaffirms that availability remains the best ability.

"We just haven't quit as an offense this year," Grisham said. "That's what's allowed us to blow these games open and make it a little less stressful on the back-end. It's been nice to see out of an offense."

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LA Kings Scoop Up Victory From Edmonton Oilers, 3-0

© Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Los Angeles, CA — The Los Angeles Kings (44-23-9) defeat the Edmonton Oilers (44-27-5) in a clean 3-0 fashion at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday, March 5.

With this victory, as the Stanley Cup playoffs draw nearer, this victory keeps the Kings in their second place standing in the Western Conference of the NHL. That being said, this win also serves as the last litmus test against some of the top teams in the NHL, with Los Angeles notably being beaten by the Colorado Avalanche in a 4-0 loss on the road, and losing 3-1 at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

One of the star players in this match against Edmonton was Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper who reliably kept the box score clean for Los Angeles, saving eleven Oiler shots from entering the net during the match. 

That being said, the first period saw both the Oilers and the Kings battle for the hockey puck, with LA center Anze Kopitar winning the faceoff to start for his team. Indeed, despite one penalty by the Oilers — tripping committed against Kings right wing Adrian Kempe — both teams were mostly going back and forth between their respective hockey goal nets throughout, playing cut and dry ice hockey with missed opportunities left on the rink. 

As the second period got rolling, though, the momentum began to shift. Despite a slashing penalty committed by Kings center Quinton Byfield, Los Angeles began their aggression onto the Edmonton net. LA King right wing Kevin Fiala swooped by the Oiler net, and with an assisted shot from Kopitar completed the offense drive and hit a backhand shot for his 30th shot of the season to give the Kings the lead, 1-0. 

Los Angeles newcomer and left wing Andrei Kuzmenko added to the offensive pile on, when Kings defenseman Drew Doughty drew the assist shooting the puck to the left side of Edmonton’s net, when Kuzmenko saw his opportunity and landed an impressive snap shot into the hockey net, adding another tally to the box score, 2-0. 

Afterward, while the Oilers drew another penalty — slashing against Byfield — enabling the Kings with a power play, that window for more goals slowly shut as the second period drew to a close. 

The third period came around, and at this point the Oilers needed to get numbers onto the box score, so they made the decision to add another player to the offensive push against the Kings net. At the same time, since they had to leave their hockey net empty in order to compromise and make more room on the other side, this left a window open for Kings center Trevor Lewis to score an empty net goal, extending the Kings lead to 3-0. 

The Kings only gave up one penalty in the game, and ultimately went on to beat the Oilers 3-0 in this match. The Oilers had no offensive rebuttal during the match. 

The Los Angeles Kings have six remaining games in the 2024-2025 season, with their next game hosting the Seattle Kraken (32-38-6). These last games in the season are perhaps the calm before the storm that is the Stanley Cup playoffs.

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SEE IT: Mets show off new purple sleeves with City Connect uniform

Saturday marked the first City Connect day for the Mets, and this season, they unveiled a new combination to go with their gray jerseys: purple sleeves.

Watching the Mets take on the Toronto Blue Jays on a chilly night at Citi Field, you'll notice the vibrant purple sleeves underneath the jersey and running up the arms of players.

The Mets debuted the City Connects on the field on April 27, 2024. That deep into spring, there weren't many days that the Mets needed to use undersleeves, and at that time, they were black/dark grey -- some players still wear these colors. So this is a nice change that accentuates their alternate jersey and hat. You can learn all about the design, here.

And check out the purple sleeves on the Mets City Connect uniform below.

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Knicks' Tom Thibodeau rebukes notion Jalen Brunson return will affect OG Anunoby's play

The Knicks have played admirably without Jalen Brunson since the All-Star point guard went down with a sprained ankle in early March.

After Saturday's dominant win over the Atlanta Hawks, the Knicks are 9-6 without their captain, and some players have elevated their play on the offensive end in their stead. This is especially true for OG Anunoby.

The 6-foot-7 wing is scoring at a torrid pace. Just over his last five games, Anunoby is averaging 26.6 points and entering Saturday with 5.2 free throws per game since Brunson's injury, showing how willing he is to drive to the hoop. But with Brunson expected to return Sunday against the Phoenix Suns, questions on how the offense will flow with their floor general back have popped up.

Following Saturday's win, Tom Thibodeau was asked if Anunoby's style will "have to change" once Brunson returns. The longtime Knicks coach pushed back.

"The notion of all that stuff, it's white noise," he said. "The game tells you what to do, you know? So, whose shot is it in transition? The open man, right? And if there's two on somebody, who shot is it, right? You have the responsibility as a primary scorer to make the right play. So, the notion that it has to be this way, that way, no. There has to be a willingness to sacrifice by everybody.

"The team has to come first. What's best for our team? What gives the team the best chance to win? And that's all everyone should be thinking about. They shouldn't be thinking about who's doing this, who's doing that. That's not the way this game works. If you care about winning, that stuff shouldn't matter."

A follow-up question to Thibodeau asked who "ends up getting the shot" with Brunson on the floor, and pointed to how during this stretch, Anunoby is "spending less time in the corners." Thibodeau pushed back even harder and broke down how he sees the responsibilities of everyone on the floor, whether Brunson is on the floor or not.

"No, [Anunoby] never spent exclusively… that notion's a bunch of garbage. I'll tell you another thing: I value the corners a lot more than most people because I know that's the most valuable spot on the floor," Thibodeau said. "He's all over the floor. That's the way he's scoring. That's the way everybody's scoring. So if you have a drive pass, pass who's supposed to be in the corner? It's drive and kick and if you're cutting and you're moving without the ball, which is what you're supposed to do, right?

"If you push the ball up, your first responsibility is to create pace. Your second responsibility is to create movement and everyone's supposed to read the man in front of them. So, if you're reading the man in front of you and he cuts, then you replace in front, right? That's the way this game works. So that's a bunch of excuse-making. And that's the way I see it." 

Fiery exchanges aside, there's no denying how well-oiled the Knicks' offense has looked in stretches, especially on Saturday. Against the Hawks, the Knicks scored a season-high 78 points in the first half and had 32 assists, the 27th time this season they've hit the 30-assist mark. They accomplished that feat just 10 times a season ago.

Those extra passes were a key in Saturday's win, and Thibodeau is pleased with how the offense is humming just as Brunson is returning.

"I think it's huge, and to succeed in this league, you have to do it together," Thibodeau said. "You can't win at the highest level in this league individually, you have to do it collectively. So everyone had to be willing to sacrifice. I think offense is about execution. Everyone has a job to do. You have to go out there and do your job and you have to help each other.

"Everyone works together and hits the open man, pass up a good shot to get a great shot, but that willingness to be unselfish and play for each other is huge."

The Knicks hope to continue their winning ways Sunday against the Suns with Brunson on the court. The guard will have five games before the end of the regular season -- and the start of the playoffs -- to get reacclimated and prove that the Knicks' offense can continue to run like he'd never left.