Kentucky Wildcats vs. Tennessee Volunteers Game Preview
Ryan Day confirms national champion Ohio State will visit White House on April 14
Ohio State’s visit comes after it wraps up spring football practices.
Line Combinations: Jets vs. Capitals
The 48-19-4 Winnipeg Jets will host the 47-15-8 Washington Capitals from Canada Life Centre on Tuesday.
The highly-anticipated first vs. second affair will feature the league's No. 1 and 2 clubs squaring off for the final time this season.
Washington's Alex Ovechkin will continue his chase for Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal scoring record, while Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck will be back between the pipes looking to shut down the Russian sniper.
While the Capitals are 9-1-0 in their last 10 games, the Jets have seen things take a turn for the worst over the past few days. Losses to the lowly Vancouver Canucks and Buffalo Sabres highlighted a lacklustre week of performance.
And that's all before the biggest piece of news from the Jets' loss to Buffalo. Star winger Gabe Vilardi suffered an upper-body injury and is now considered out week-to-week. His status for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs is also in question.
With Vilardi out due to injury, former Kings teammate Rasmus Kupari will draw in in place of Alex Iafallo (another Kings running mate) who has been promoted to Vilardi's spot on the top line. This adjustment will keep the second and third lines intact.
The defence pairs will remain the same with Logan Stanley back in on the blueline as Neal Pionk continues to recovery from a lower-body injury that has him also listed as week-to-week.
Winnipeg Jets' expected line combinations for Tuesday, March 25 vs. Washington:
Connor-Scheifele-Iafallo
Ehlers-Lowry-Appleton
Niederreiter-Namestnikov-Perfetti
Barron-Kupari-Tanev
Morrissey-DeMelo
Samberg-Schenn
Stanley-Miller
Hellebuyck
Injured: Vilardi, Pionk
Healthy scratches: Fleury, Heinola, Gustafsson
Blues Sign 2 Promising Prospects To Entry-Level Deals
The St. Louis Blues have announced that they have signed forward Adam Jecho and defenseman Lukas Fischer to three-year entry-level contracts.
Jecho, 19, was selected by the Blues with the 95th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The 6-foot-5 center has appeared in 56 games this season with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL, posting 25 goals, 28 assists, and 53 points. This was after he had 23 goals and 47 points in 54 games with the Oil Kings this past campaign.
Fischer, on the other hand, was selected by the Blues with the 56th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The 6-foot-3 defenseman has appeared in 51 games this season with the Sarnia Sting, recording 15 goals, 22 assists, 37 points, and 81 penalty minutes. In 2023-24 with Sarnia, he had six goals and 34 points in 68 contests.
Jecho and Fischer are two solid prospects in the Blues' system, so it is certainly a good thing that they have signed both of them to entry-level deals. It will be fascinating to see how much of an impact they make with the Blues later down the road from here.
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'We're Going To Need The Energy': Why Maple Leafs Are Changing Their Optional Morning Skate With NHL Playoffs Approaching
Toronto has 12 more games left in the regular season, including Tuesday's matchup against the Flyers.
The Maple Leafs are changing things up with optional morning skates as the playoffs approach.
Normally, if Toronto holds an optional skate the morning before a game, certain players get on the ice and participate in a few drills. It's more or less so they can get a feel of the puck on the game day before warmups.
However, the plan changed last Wednesday before their 2-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche. Toronto held an optional skate, but only healthy scratches and injured players took to the ice. (Max Domi briefly skated to get a couple of puck touches in.)
Maple Leafs' Craig Berube Explains Why Entire Playing Roster Didn't Take The Ice For Optional Skate Ahead Of Game Against AvalancheFor the first time this season, the Toronto Maple Leafs held an optional morning skate and nobody from the playing roster took the ice.
A similar sequence occurred on Tuesday morning ahead of their game against the Philadelphia Flyers: only players who weren't playing were on the ice for the optional morning skate.
"A lot of travel and hockey, obviously. But a lot of travel with us in the last month, I'd say. A lot of travel. And we're heading out again tomorrow," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said on Tuesday morning.
"We had a good practice yesterday, 30 minutes or more. A pretty good pace, so I don't think there's any need for anybody to go on the ice this morning. Yeah, if they want to go touch [the puck], goalies like to get some shots, whatever. But we're going to need the energy tonight in the game."
Pontus Holmberg, Max Pacioretty, Philippe Myers, and Joseph Woll were the four players on the ice during Tuesday's optional skate. That means David Kampf, an extra at practice on Monday, is projected to be in the lineup against the Flyers, and Holmberg is out.
#leafs sticking to only players who are not playing taking the optional. Pontus Holmberg appears to be the odd man out with David Kampf remaining in.
— David Alter (@dalter) March 25, 2025
Joseph Woll doing goalie work so Anthony Stolarz is the projected starter tonight.
@BodogCA pic.twitter.com/fHAbTa5iqD
Woll being on the ice means Anthony Stolarz is the projected starting goaltender against Philadelphia. Toronto's 4-3 win over the New York Rangers was Stolarz's first win since Feb. 28, also against the Rangers.
The 31-year-old has a 14-8-3 record and a .918 save percentage with the Maple Leafs this season. This will be his 11th game since returning from knee surgery on Feb. 6.
"It's huge. Anytime you're in a little bit of a skid, you want to break out of it," Stolarz said on Monday of his win against the Rangers. "As a goalie, the name of the game is winning games. My job is to stop more pucks than the guy down at the other end and that night I did.
"And like I said after that game, I liked my game, where I was at the last couple of games, it just boiled down to making that one extra save. And I think in New York, I was able to do that and keep it a two-goal lead for as long as possible. For me, it's just a building block and something I'm going to build on."
Toronto faces the Flyers on Tuesday before heading out on their California road trip on Wednesday, where they have three games in four nights against the San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, and Anaheim Ducks.
The Maple Leafs are two points behind the Florida Panthers for first in the Atlantic Division, with one game in hand.
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Phillies’ Ranger Suarez to begin season on injured list with back soreness
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Ranger Suarez will open the season on the injured list as he recovers from lower back soreness.
Philadelphia president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said that baring any issues the left-hander could be ready to pitch at some point next month.
“I don’t think it will be long, long,” Dombrowski told reporters prior to the team’s exhibition game against the Tampa Bay Rays. “But we’re going to be slow. We’re not going to bring him back until he feels good. And he feels good now, but now, we’re in that stage where we have to build him up.”
With Suarez out, Taijuan Walker will be the Phillies’ fifth starter.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Dombrowski said. “It’s good to have somebody like that. I hope he pitches like he did a couple years ago. I don’t see why he can’t with what he has now.”
Suarez went 12-8 with a 3.46 ERA in 2024 and is entering his eighth major league season.
Capitals Commit To 'Perfect Fit' Jakob Chychrun With Huge Contract: Revisiting His Trade From Senators
The Washington Capitals re-signed Jakob Chychrun to an eight-year contract at $9 million per season, the team announced on Tuesday.
Chychrun, 26, nearly doubles his current $4.6-million cap hit with what will be the longest contract of his career. The extension and his improvement on the scoresheet come almost nine months after the Capitals acquired him from the Ottawa Senators.
"Jakob is a proven, dynamic defenseman in the prime of his career who has established himself as one of the premier blueliners in the NHL," Capitals GM Chris Patrick said in a press release. “He is a perfect fit with our culture and vision for the future, and we couldn't be more thrilled that he will continue to be part of our organization for the next eight years."
Washington traded defenseman Nick Jensen and a 2026 third-round pick to the Senators for Chychrun last July 1.
Jensen is more defensive-minded than Chychrun, although he also has fast puck-moving ability as a right-hand shot for the Senators. The 34-year-old has 19 points in 60 games.
Chychrun, however, almost has as many goals as Jensen does points.
In 65 games for Washington, Chychrun has 18 goals and a career-high 43 points this campaign. He’s third in the NHL in goals among D-men, sitting behind the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Zach Werenski (20) and Colorado Avalanche star Cale Makar (26).
While the plus-minus rating never tells the full story, Chychrun’s plus-24 rating is by far the highest of his career, and he has a 52.15-percent Corsi-for percentage at 5-on-5, meaning the Capitals generate more chances-for than against when he’s on the ice. Only John Carlson’s 53.72-percent share is higher among Capitals defensemen.
Washington’s coaching staff has allowed Chychrun to focus more on the offensive side of his game rather than defense by pairing him with defensive defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk – and it’s worked for the team overall, considering its 2.54 goals against per game is the third-lowest in the NHL. Chychrun has started almost 61 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone at 5-on-5, compared to 49.84 percent with the Senators last season and 50.20 percent in 2022-23 between the Sens and Arizona Coyotes, according to naturalstattrick.com.
Jakob Chychrun On What Went Wrong For Him With The Ottawa Senators Last Year: 'I Don't Know, I Didn't Trade Myself'Chychrun returned to Ottawa this week as the top-scoring defenceman on the top team in the NHL and reflected on his time with the Senators.
The blueliner was one of the many new faces the Capitals added in the off-season, including Matt Roy on defense, Logan Thompson in net and Pierre-Luc Dubois at center. With their help, Washington leads the NHL by two points and has a game in hand over the second-place Winnipeg Jets.
Chychrun has 532 NHL games under his belt and is now under contract through the 2032-33 campaign. The Capitals were the first NHL team this season to clinch a playoff berth last Friday, which means Chychrun could appear in the post-season for just the second time in his career. He played nine games between a play-in round and the Western Conference quarterfinal with the Coyotes in the 2019-20 bubble playoffs, recording a goal in nine games.
- Jonathan Tovell contributed to this report.
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Butler's agent hopes upset Heat fans exorcize anger in star's return
Butler's agent hopes upset Heat fans exorcize anger in star's return originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
One of Jimmy Butler’s closest confidants hopes disgruntled Heat fans can let bygones be bygones after the star forward’s return to Miami on Tuesday night.
Butler, now a member of the Warriors, will return to Kaseya Center for the first time since the blockbuster trade to Golden State on Feb. 5, and his agent, Bernie Lee, hopes the big matchup can help heal any resentment some Heat fans might have toward Butler after his rocky exit from the organization this season.
“My hope is Tuesday is cathartic for everyone,” Lee told the Miami Herald. “If you have some anger in your heart, get it out. Get it all out. But once that’s all released, my hope is we get to the next step, which is appreciation. Appreciation for a pretty incredible five years together.
“One unfortunate aspect of sports is the amount of change. Nothing ever stays the same and everything has a time limit. We hit ours, but once we get a bit of distance from the separation, what will hopefully remain is a really immense feeling of accomplishment and the profound connection Jimmy had with this city and community at large. He was the right person at the right time. And over time, I think more and more, we will all see and appreciate that.”
Lee found himself at the center of the Butler-Heat saga when he publicly refuted a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania about the then-Heat star preferring to be traded to either the Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks or Houston Rockets.
Alright listen. I gave you a pass yesterday because I was busy but if you don’t stop putting my name on your complete and utter made up bullshit because you know you normally arent worth my time to acknowledge.. (continued) https://t.co/1KOXza9kUI
— Bernard Lee (@BernieoLee) December 11, 2024
Butler eventually was dealt to Golden State (41-30), which has gone 16-4 since his debut with the Warriors on Feb. 8, and is surging toward an NBA playoff spot.
Meanwhile, the Heat (30-41) have gone 5-17 since trading Butler and are clinging on to the final NBA play-in tournament spot.
Report: Josh Pastner agrees to become UNLV’s coach
Josh Pastner takes over Kevin Kruger, who was fired after going 76-55 over four seasons and failing to reach the NCAA Tournament.
Ole Miss vs Michigan State Prediction: Odds, Expert Picks, Betting Trends and Stats for 2025 March Madness
Ole Miss Rebels vs. Michigan State Spartans Sweet 16 Game Preview
Report: Sacramento State to hire Mike Bibby
Mike Bibby won an NCAA title as a player at Arizona in 1997 and then starred in the NBA for 14 seasons, with his biggest success coming in seven seasons with the Kings.
Steph out for Warriors vs. Heat game with pelvic injury
Steph out for Warriors vs. Heat game with pelvic injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Steph Curry will miss his second consecutive Warriors game as he continues to deal with a pelvic injury.
Curry, who was upgraded to questionable for Tuesday’s contest against the Miami Heat, officially was ruled out of the team’s second game of a six-game road trip.
Steph Curry is now OUT tonight against the Heat @NBCSWarriors
— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) March 25, 2025
Curry sustained the pelvic bruise when he took a hard fall to the ground during the second half of last week’s win over the Toronto Raptors. An MRI confirmed he sustained a pelvic contusion but avoided any structural damage.
He didn’t travel with the team to Atlanta for its first game of the road trip, in which the Warriors fell 124-115 to the Hawks and 7-4 while playing without their star point guard this season. Curry joined the Warriors in Miami where his status was upgraded before ultimately being ruled out.
Golden State (41-30) is in the midst of a pivotal six-game road trip as the Warriors cling to the Western Conference’s No. 6 playoff seed in a jam-packed postseason race. After Miami, they’ll face the New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs, Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Lakers before returning home to battle the Denver Nuggets.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Tuesday the team expects Curry to play against the Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
In his 16th season, Curry is averaging 24.2 points on 44.7-percent shooting from the field and 39.4 percent from 3-point range, with 4.4 rebounds and 6.0 assists through 60 games.
Jimmy Rollins has his choice for who should be batting leadoff for Phillies
Jimmy Rollins has his choice for who should be batting leadoff for Phillies originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
A leadoff hitter has the potential to set an immediate tone when stepping into the box for the first time.
And Jimmy Rollins certainly knows a thing or two about what it means to have your name sit at the top of a batting order … considering nearly 70 percent of his games played as a Phillie placed him first in the lineup.
Rollins, the Phillies’ all-time hits leader, who also has the most leadoff home runs in franchise history (46), sat down with NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark and shared who his choice would be if he had a say in constructing the 2025 lineup.
“I would like to see (Trea Turner) lead off, get him a chance to get on base,” Rollins said on the Takeoff podcast. “Run the bases, put pressure on for the big boys, when (Bryce Harper) gets up there and (Kyle Schwarber) hitting those bombs. That’s what I would like, but I don’t make those decisions, that’s above my pay grade.”
Since the Phillies signed Turner to an 11-year, $300 million contract in December 2022, the leadoff spot has been one of the most debated topics surrounding the offense.
Schwarber, who will be a free agent at the end of the 2025 season, has been a non-conventional approach at the top of the order. Where he lacks in speed, he’s makes up for it with immediate impact. In the leadoff spot in 2024, Schwarber led the league in walks and broke an MLB record with leadoff home runs in a single season (15).
But does having that power from the jump actually help or hinder the club?
“Schwarber is a good hitter, he’s patient at the plate,” Rollins said. “But when he’s on base in front of Trea, that kind of slows Trea down for obvious reasons. Why not turn those home runs into two- and three-run home runs?
“I know they say you lead off once a game but it does change the way a pitcher and the other team sets up how they face the lineup. When you have speed at the top and power throughout, it’s different than having power in the beginning — which they have power all throughout — but there’s an attack plan from the first batter.
“I still like setting up a guy that can hit a ball in the gap, you’re still going to get more hits than home runs. You hit the ball in the gap, Trea scores. Trea hits a ball in the gap, Schwarber’s not scoring. And that’s what I like.”
It’s still up in the air who will hold the leadoff spot when the Phillies head to Washington Thursday to open the season against the Nationals. There’s also the possibility of alternating the two, depending on the opposing pitcher.
Only a few more days until hypotheticals turn into something more tangible.
You can listen to the full Takeoff episode now or watch below:
Just days before Phillies Opening day, John Clark sits down with Jimmy Rollins to discuss who should lead off for the Phillies this season and if the Phils are the team to beat in the NL East. Plus, we look ahead to J-Roll being inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame this season.
00:00 – Jimmy Rollins
00:31 – Who’s leading off?
05:19 – Staying hot in the playoffs
08:14 – Who’s the team to beat?
09:50 – Phillies Wall of Fame
13:13 – Dick Allen going into the Hall of Fame
March Madness: Is NIL the death of Cinderella?
For the first time since the NCAA tournament expanded to 32 teams in 1975, every team that advanced to the Sweet 16 hails from a power conference.
Niko Medved leaves Colorado State for his native Minnesota after an NCAA tournament run by the Rams
Minnesota agreed to a six-year contract with the Twin Cities-area native and former student manager for the Gophers who had the Rams within one basket of the Sweet 16.