North Carolina was a controversial selection for the NCAA Tournament, but the Tar Heels can silence some skeptics with a win over San Diego State on Tuesday night at the First Four. The Tar Heels (22-13) seemed a long shot to make the tournament with a 1-12 record in Quadrant 1 games, but were chosen Sunday thanks to a strong nonconference schedule and other metrics. “I didn’t listen to bracketology,” North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said Monday.
Messi gets revenge in Atlanta, Dani Pereira previews Austin FC season & Newcastle end 70 year drought!
Christian Polanco and Alexis Guerreros eact to major MLS and NWSL storylines over the weekend including Lionel Messi and Inter Miami beating Atlanta United on Sunday, getting revenge for their playoff loss to to the same team last season. Christian and Alexis then bring on Austin FC midfielder Dani Pereira to preview the MLS season as well as chat his journey to becoming a pro. Later, Christian and Alexis recap Newcastle’s historic Carabao Cup final win over Liverpool that ended a 70 year trophy drought for the club.
Deion Sanders wants to save college spring game by adding an opponent and NFL-like joint practices
In a time when programs are rethinking their annual spring football game, Deion Sanders has his own suggestion — bring in another team.
‘Best in decades’ catch as WA falls short of Shield miracle with QLD into final after controversy
Queensland captain Marnus Labuschagne says his team will lean on the ability to fire when it matters most having seized a spot in next week’s Sheffield Shield final against South Australia after a dramatic final day on which Western Australia fell just 35 runs short of reaching a fourth-straight decider.
WBIT 2025 schedule, bracket: Game times, TV, streaming for women’s tournament
The 32-team field is set for the 2025 WBIT, the top postseason option for teams that didn't make the women's NCAA Tournament. Here's what to know.
Which NHL Bottom-Dwellers Will Turn This Homestretch Into A Big Step Next Year?
While the NHL teams at the bottom of their divisions won’t have a playoff spot to compete for this season, they do have something to battle for.
These final games are important for the San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres and Philadelphia Flyers to set the stage for taking a big step next season. Ending this season with promise should bring a lot of promise into the summer and next campaign.
With that in mind, let’s rank these teams to see who’s most likely to take the biggest step ahead in 2025-26. In order of the most competitive to the least:
1. Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres were supposed to do big things this season, but they failed miserably.
GM Kevyn Adams traded up-and-coming center Dylan Cozens for pivot Josh Norris from the Ottawa Senators at the trade deadline. But otherwise, Adams has re-invested in his lineup, and they’ve got a whopping $23 million in cap space next year.
That said, Buffalo’s youngsters must continue developing for the rest of this season so that the Sabres know they can count on them as they alter their roster this summer. That goes for up-and-comers Bowen Byram, J.J. Peterka, Jack Quinn and Peyton Krebs, but No. 1 draft picks Owen Power and Rasmus Dahlin must also produce positive results.
The Sabres already moved Cozens, so any other youngsters could become trade bait in exchange for more proven players with experience who can lead the team for years to come. So there’s a lot on the line for the Sabres and their players in their final stretch of games, and that will give fans something to be invested in.
Buffalo Sabres Show Something They Lacked For Most Of The SeasonThe Buffalo Sabres haven’t had many signs of hope this season – but the way they won Saturday is one of them.
2. Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers lost six of their last seven games to sink to the Metropolitan Division’s basement. However, they’re just two points behind the seventh-place Pittsburgh Penguins, four points behind the sixth-place New York Islanders and six points behind the fifth-place Columbus Blue Jackets. So they’ve got a golden opportunity to take a sizeable step forward the rest of this season and next year.
Like the Sabres, the Flyers need significant internal improvement next year, so Philly GM Daniel Briere will be keeping a close eye on his assets – most notably, veterans like defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, who could be a trade candidate this off-season.
But the biggest thing to keep an eye on is Philly’s goaltending. Neither Samuel Ersson nor Ivan Fedotov stepped up to make the starter’s job their own for the future, and Briere could spend a good deal of his plentiful cap space on an experienced hand in net in 2025-26. But if Ersson or Fedotov has a good showing in the Flyers’ final games this spring, they could make a convincing case to get another chance again next season.
Flyers Vs. Penguins: Who Will Be Cup Contenders Sooner?Remember when the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins rivalry was arguably the best in the NHL, matching hated cross-state rivals who were usually among the league’s elite?
3. Chicago Blackhawks
Some believed the Blackhawks were set to jump higher in the Central Division ranks this season after acquiring veterans last summer, but reality put that notion to rest very quickly. Only the hapless San Jose Sharks have been worse than the Hawks – and to be frank, we don’t see Chicago moving higher in the ultra-competitive Central in 2025-26.
This isn’t to say the Blackhawks won’t show a bit of improvement. With star center Connor Bedard on board and Chicago’s younger players evolving into important NHLers, the Hawks almost assuredly won’t be as bad next season. They have one of the best chances of getting the No. 1-overall pick in this summer’s draft, and that likely won’t change, even if they go on a hot streak. That’s a nice spot for a rebuilding club to be in.
Ultimately, the Hawks’ youngsters are still at least another year away from being needle-movers in hockey’s top league. There will still be a lot of pain ahead for this Original Six franchise.
4. San Jose Sharks
As the NHL’s worst team, the Sharks have the furthest climb back to respectability. After trading many veterans, Sharks GM Mike Grier was open about being a buyer in free agency and trades this off-season. But the Sharks still on the roster have the rest of the season to persuade Grier to retain them.
A Sharks veteran whose future is unclear is star center Logan Couture, who’s missed all of this season – and all but six games last year – with a brutal groin injury. Couture is signed for two more seasons with a three-team trade list.
Defenseman Mario Ferraro could have also been traded this season, but that didn’t materialize. A strong remainder of the year could boost Ferraro’s trade stock – or it could convince Grier to retain him for the long term. In any case, the Sharks will struggle again in 2025-26, and the playoffs will still be a pipe dream. But internal improvement for the rest of this season would be encouraging.
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Could Avalanche Captain Landeskog Be Nearing A Long-Awaited Return?
For more than two years, Colorado Avalanche star center Gabriel Landeskog has been sidelined by a catastrophic injury to his right knee. Understandably, there have been legitimate questions as to whether Landeskog would ever play another NHL game. But on Monday, the 32-year-old Swede participated in a full practice with the Avs, leading to speculation he'd be returning to action in the near-future.
"He's looking good -- I thought he looked great in practice today," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar told NHL.com after practice Monday. "Obviously, just like sort of the flow-and-go non-contact stuff. Certainly, (it’s) nice to have him out there.
"(Landeskog is) making strides. Obviously, this rehab is not linear. There's lots of peaks and valleys in it, and sometimes it's two steps forward and one step back, but he's still making progress and obviously feeling comfortable enough to come out and join the team with certain drills. So, hopefully that continues and continues to grow and [he’s] working to a point of a return."
Landeskog's last game came on June 26, 2022 in a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. Landeskog will travel with the Avalanche during their upcoming three-game road trip to Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. But neither Landeskog nor the Avalanche would confirm he will resume his playing career anytime soon.
Still, the emotional impact of Landeskog getting closer to a return has to provide a boost to Avalanche players who know full well how crucial Landeskog was to the organization for 11 NHL seasons. He may never play another game, but Landeskog's continuing impact on the Avs cannot be denied.
"It's really hard to say (when Landeskog wiil play again), but things are going great and it's certainly nice to have him back on the ice with our team," Bednar said. "Just the energy and sort of attitude that he brings to the ice, I think, helps everybody."
Should the Kings Duck the Oilers in the Playoffs or Fight for Home-Ice Advantage?
The Los Angeles Kings have reached a fork in the road. With the 2024-25 NHL post-season approaching, the possibility of a fourth consecutive first-round playoff meeting with the Edmonton Oilers looms.
The Kings have always had to travel to Edmonton to begin the first-round series in their last three playoff meetings. They have a history of struggling on the road, as even this season, they are under .500 away from Los Angeles.
The Kings must do what they can to alter their playoff fate. Securing the second seed in the Pacific Division and the home-ice advantage could be the difference-maker in ending their recent playoff struggles against Edmonton.
Recent Playoff History: A Hurdle to Overcome
The Kings’ recent playoff series against the Oilers has been challenging. The two teams have met thrice in the first round since 2022, and Edmonton has won each time.
2022: The Oilers clinched the series in seven games.
2023: Edmonton advanced after six games.
2024: The Oilers dominated, winning the series in five games.
Historically, the Oilers have had the upper hand, with an 8-2 playoff series advantage over the Kings and an overall 36-18 postseason record in games.
However, the focal point of these losses has been Edmonton’s firepower on offense, led by Conor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The two players have consistently capitalized on the defensive vulnerabilities in LA’s system, recording several big games across these series. They’ve also held a significant edge in special teams, specifically on the power play, where they have hurt the Kings the most.
The Importance of Home-Ice Advantage
One of the key aspects of this series has been that the Kings have been better on the road against the Oilers than at home. In all the meetings they’ve faced each other in the last three playoffs, the Kings have managed to get a 1-1 split on the road in Edmonton but have struggled to win at home, losing both games in LA last playoffs. But, this time, if the first two games are played in Crypto.com Arena, the Kings should have an advantage with their recent track record of winning games in Edmonton.
Grabbing the second seed in the Pacific Division would give the Kings home-ice advantage in the first round against the Oilers and could shift the series' balance. The home-ice advantage is always significant, especially in the playoffs, where the crowd is in your favor, boosting the energy into the player's games.
Current Standings: A Tight Race
As of March 17, 2025, the Pacific Division standings are:
1. Vegas Golden Knights: 39-20-8 (86 Points)
2. Edmonton Oilers: 39-24-4 (82 Points)
3. Los Angeles Kings: 36-20-9 (81 Points)
The Kings are one point behind the Oilers and have played fewer games, so the race for the second seed—and that coveted home-ice advantage—is intensely competitive.
It all comes down to how the Kings finish their season. Their next two games, which will be on the road against the Wild and Blackhawks, can elevate them to the second seed if they can grab both games and hope the Oilers at least lose one of their next three.
Smart Move: To Confront or Avoid the Oilers?
The Kings have a choice about how they want to position themselves when the playoffs begin. But eventually, they're going to face the Oilers or another team that may give them matchup problems, so it’s better to get them while you're healthy and fresh.
Still, with the moves they made at the deadline, improving their depth on offense and defense, the Kings’ shouldn’t worry about who they face in the playoffs; they should game plan on how to beat them and take it game by game.
Pursue the Second Seed: The Kings would secure a home-ice advantage by overtaking the Oilers for a probable first-round playoff series. That can be significant in the context of recent postseason losses to Edmonton without home ice.
Shoot against a Different Foe: Alternatively, the Kings might set themselves up to play another team in the first round, such as the Vegas Golden Knights or a wild-card team, by potentially bypassing the Oilers altogether. However, this comes with risks involved, as maneuvering for the position is never a walk in the park or assured of better matchups that can carry you to a deep playoff run; it can end with the same results.
Coaching and Roster Depth: A New Hope
There are several reasons why the Kings are better set up this year to handle the Oilers and why they should not duck them.
Goaltending Greatness: Darcy Kuemper has been outstanding, recording multiple shutouts in recent games, such as a 3-0 victory over the Washington Capitals on March 14. Also, he was just named the NHL 1st Star of the Week, showcasing what an asset he will be come playoff time for the Kings.
You're a star, Darce 🌟 https://t.co/LWshUqQPOBpic.twitter.com/8p3f1MwsT9
— LA Kings (@LAKings) March 17, 2025
Emerging Offense Stars: The Young Forward Quinton Byfield has been scorching hot, currently on a six-game goal streak, contributing crucial goals in their five-game winning streak.
PK Dominance: The Kings' penalty kill has been exceptional. They successfully extinguished all eight power plays against the New York Islanders on March 12.
Quinton Byfield's currently on a SIX game goal streak.
— PuckEmpire (@puckempire) March 16, 2025
(via @realapp_) pic.twitter.com/uNzuIxKlDd
Conclusion: Taking the Challenge
While the prospect of facing the Oilers in the playoffs brings memories of past letdowns, the Kings can rewrite the script. By prioritizing their quest for the second seed and subsequent home-ice benefit, the Kings can place themselves in the best position possible for post-season success.
Improved goaltending, emerging offensive studs, and stellar special teams offer the Kings all the ammunition to pound the playoff failures in the past and advance beyond round one.
The coming weeks will be crucial as the Kings look to climb up the table and prepare for what lies ahead.
Carlos Mendoza on Mets’ bullpen, heart skipping a beat during José Butto’s outing
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza spoke following Monday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Here are some takeaways…
On Dedniel Núñez's spring training debut
“Really good. First time out and he’s already touching 98 [mph], 96, 97 consistently," the Mets' skipper said. "Slider was good. Same guy we saw last year when he was healthy. Another good sign there.”
The right-hander needed just 11 pitches for a 1-2-3 inning, with eight going for strikes, including three called strikes and one whiff. He averaged 88.9 mph on six sliders, which was up from 87.5 mph average last year.
With Opening Day coming up in under two weeks, Mendoza said they are going to be careful with overworking Núñez, but they have to give him a couple more outings to get him ready to start the season.
“We just got to make sure he’s feeling good to go when we break camp and that we feel comfortable with him breaking camp with us,” Mendoza said. “We’ll see what happens in the next few days.”
On Mets’ eighth-inning bullpen plans
Núñez became a big piece of the bullpen for the Mets last campaign -- posting a 2.31 ERA and 0.914 WHIP in 35 innings over 25 outings in his debut season in the big leagues -- and was a big loss when a strained flexor tendon in his right arm kept him out of the postseason.
“We felt it, we felt it when we didn’t have him, because he was a huge part of that bullpen pitching [in] high-leverage [situations],” Mendoza said. “It was, I’m not gonna say easier, but knowing that you had him available, piecing it together it gave us another weapon there to get to [Edwin] Diaz in the ninth.
“And then when he went down, some of the guys step up, but it was a big difference there.”
The 28-year-old Núñez will be a candidate for that role in the eighth this year, but Mendoza has lots of options at his disposal.
“We got a few options,” the skipper said about the final guy to bridge the gap to sounding the trumpets. “That’s what makes our bullpen part of our strength of our team.
“When you’re talking about whether it’s Núñez healthy, [A.J.] Minter healthy, [Ryne] Stanek, Reed Garrett. There’s a lot of options there. We just gotta keep them healthy.”
New York pitchers led MLB with 214 strikeouts in late and close situations but pitched to a 1.26 WHIP (136 hits and 79 walks) in 170.1 innings in that scenario (16th in baseball) with a .222 opponent batting average (12th).
On José Butto running around
Butto, who had been dealing with a "minor" groin injury returned to the mound to pitch a scoreless inning on Monday.
And, of course, the right-hander on two occasions had to run to cover first base causing the manager’s heart to skip a beat.
“A hundred percent,” Mendoza said when asked about the heart-in-mouth moment, adding he turned to assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel to say, “Of course, this is gonna happen [today] a guy was dealing with a minor [injury] and then he’s got to cover first base twice.”
“I’m glad he checked that box,” he said of Butto moving around the field. “And I checked with him after that inning and he said he was feeling good.”
Butto allowed one hit and got a strikeout, throwing 14 pitches (nine strikes) and getting three whiffs on seven swings with two called strikes. He averaged 94.6 mph on seven fastballs
On Brandon Nimmo's return to the outfield
Nimmo, who has been dealing with a knee injury got the start Monday in left field for his first action in the outfield since Feb. 28. With the Mets having an off day on Tuesday there won't be a chance for the 31-year-old to play consecutive days in the outfield, but that's not something the skipper needs to see before Opening Day.
"I don't think I need to see it," Mendoza said after shaking his head and shrugging. "He's going to continue to play, he's gonna continue to get some time off when he needs to. And I think today was a good step.
"Off day tomorrow, back at it on Wednesday."
Nimmo told SNY's Michelle Margaux his knee is "doing well" and he is "really happy to get back to this spot."
"Was a little iffy there for a week and wasn't sure if I would be able to get back out there," he told Margaux. "Felt really good the last few days and today it felt great so I'm really happy to be back in the field."
The outfielder added later that they "pushed a little bit more" to be able to play in the day's game and the knee is "making really good progress and I'm very happy with the last three days."
"We'll see how it reacts tomorrow," he continued. "... We're kind of getting down to the end here and decisions need to be made on playing the field and DHing and all that."
There wasn't too much action out there for him -- especially as Griffin Canning retired nine Rays via the strikeout -- but Nimmo was glad to be out there as "that's part of getting back out there... just the time on the feet and in the cleats and ramping up for the at-bats."
"I'm just gonna try and get as much as I can," Nimmo said about the number of at-bats he's looking to get in the final week to get back on track. "Whether it's backfield at-bats or whether it's in the game, I'm gonna try and get three or four every day to try and start treating it a little more normal."
He added he is "optimistic" that the injury is on the "downhill side of this" and once the knee quiets down he won't have to deal with this injury during the year.
"Good timing for Opening Day," Nimmo said, "but I do think that its something that we should be able to put in our rearview mirror once it's taken care of."
Crosby, Rakell Continue Dominance As Top Duo
After the 2024 NHL trade deadline, Pittsburgh Penguins POHO and GM Kyle Dubas traded captain Sidney Crosby's best winger in Jake Guentzel. It seemed to be the first domino to fall in an effort to sell off the team's marketable, talented assets to begin pushing toward the future.
Luckily for Crosby - and the Penguins - there wasn't a repeat of the same thing at the 2025 trade deadline.
Crosby's "new" best winger this season is Rickard Rakell, who is in the midst of a career year having played with the captain for most of it. Rakell has 31 goals and 59 points in 68 games on the season, and that's second on the team only to his linemate and one of hockey's best and most consistent players.
And having the consistency together as linemates this season - the two spent only a few weeks on separate lines at the very beginning of the season - has helped both of them find even more chemistry than they've had in previous campaigns, when they played together on an irrregular basis.
"I think any time you’re together with linemates for an extended period of time, usually, it’s a good thing," Crosby said. "That’s always a good sign. Just trying to read off of one another, you know, you’re talking about certain plays, and then, obviously, the power play, we’re together there... so, that can carry over to five-on-five sometimes, too.
"It definitely helps, and you want to get better as the season goes on. You play different teams, and you want to find a way to be productive.”
Rickard Rakell buries the dish from Sidney Crosby, giving Crosby his 50th assist of the season!#LetsGoPenspic.twitter.com/0eKkb3AgGI
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) March 15, 2025
And Rakell, too, knows that when his name is on the lineup card next to Crosby and Bryan Rust, he can expect to get some good scoring chances throughout the course of a game.
“I think it helps to be playing with each other for a long time," Rakell said. "And, for me, just playing with Sid and Rusty... I know I’m going to get a few good looks every game, so I just try to stay ready for it.”
And he has, in fact, been ready for it. The duo has combined for 54 goals and 132 points on the season - including 12 goals and 26 points in the 12 games since the 4 Nations Face-off break - and they don't appear to be slowing down.
They've also contributed an expected goals for share of 54.63 percent together, which is the best expected goals share for any regular forward duo on the Penguins' roster.
This Dynamic Duo has combined for 130 points so far this season... 🐧
— NHL (@NHL) March 14, 2025
How many points will they collectively finish with? 💬
NHL x @massmutualpic.twitter.com/w5IwVYKvKt
When the duo plays away from each other? Rakell has an expected goals share of just 44.61 percent, while Crosby has a mark of 46.37 percent.
A few times in the past, head coach Mike Sullivan has referenced Rakell's ability to "make something out of nothing." One of the things - aside from his lethal shot - that makes Rakell a dangerous player is his ability to expose the soft areas of the ice.
Crosby agrees.
“I think just being aware and finding that open ice," Crosby said. "He’s got a great shot, really good hands... so he’s able to maneuver the puck pretty well in small space and doesn’t need a lot of time to get a shot off. He’s proven that a lot this year.”
As for what makes Crosby so dangerous? Well, it's more than documented at this point how high-IQ and lethal a playmaker Crosby is. But, for Rakell, Crosby's consistency and ability to sustain such a high level of play in a general sense is remarkable.
The Penguins' captain is just seven points shy of setting the NHL's all-time point-per-game seasons record at 20, which would break Wayne Gretzky's previous mark of 19.
“I mean, it’s so impressive to be doing it for, what is it, 20 times?" Rakell said. "He’s one of the best to ever play this game. He shows why. It’s such a hard game, and for him to do it every year, it’s pretty nuts.”
Crosby and Rakell's chemistry this season is pretty nuts, too. And thanks to Dubas's decision to keep the duo intact - at least for the rest of the season, and, perhaps, beyond - it will only have the potential to reach even higher heights.
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Rangers And Golden Knights Were In Trade Talks For A ‘Period Of Time’
Reilly Smith is right back at home In Vegas after a short stint with the New York Rangers.
The Rangers traded Smith to the Vegas Golden Knights just one day before the NHL Trade Deadline after he played 58 games for the Blueshirts.
Smith was acquired in the offseason by the Rangers in the hope of being the missing link on a line alongside Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider.
The 33-year-old forward didn’t exactly live up to expectations in New York and with the team not in a position to keep their unrestricted free agents without getting any assets or players in return, they decided to trade Smith.
That’s why the Rangers and Golden Knights were actually in contact for a “period of time” having trade conversations before both teams pulled the trigger on a deal.
“We had had talks all week and decided that Reilly was our guy,” Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said.
Smith spent six seasons with the Golden Knights and won a Stanley Cup in Vegas, so it’s safe to say he was ecstatic to return to the place where he experienced so many fond memories.
“When you get traded, there’s always so much new change, not just the stuff on the ice, but everything around it,” Smith said. “So to be able to come back here and have so much familiarity, it definitely feels like coming home a little bit.
As a member of the Rangers, Smith recorded 10 goals, 19 assists and 29 points while averaging 15:36 minutes per game.
As strikeouts pile up in spring, Griffin Canning makes case for spot in Mets rotation
Griffin Canning, who signed a modest one-year deal with the Mets in December to compete for the team’s final starting spot in the rotation, is certainly making a case that the job should be his after three outings this spring.
Despite allowing his first run of camp, he tossed another solid 4.2 innings allowing just three hits and striking out nine batters against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.
When asked about his confidence level now, the 28-year-old said he feels great, before breaking into a wide smile and adding, “But [the games] don’t mean anything right now.”
“Definitely feels good to go out there and see my stuff performing and being able to get guys out,” Canning continued, “but just taking it one day at a time.”
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza again was tasked with praising the performance of the right-hander.
“I thought he was really good,” he said. “Thought the slider was good, the changeup was good, the times he used the fastball [it] plated up because of how well he was using the other two pitches.
“I felt like he got ahead with the slider or with the changeup and then used the fastball to put hitters away. Attacked. Very encouraging outing for him.”
The numbers tell just how good the slider and changeup were on Monday against Tampa Bay. Canning got nine whiffs on 20 swings and six called strikes on the slider totaling 42 percent of the 36 he threw. The changeup was similar, generating three whiffs on four swings and four called strikes totaling 41 percent of the 17 he threw.
“I feel like every single day I’m here, I’m getting a little bit better,” he said. “It’s fun to take some confidence into games. It was my second time working with Luis [Torrens] back there and I feel like we’ve got a really good thing going. Know kind of what my backbone is and how we wanna pitch guys.”
How does he explain all the strikeouts he’s been racking up -- 16 through his first 10 innings over three outings?
“Honestly, I think a big part of last year of why I didn’t strike guys out was sequencing,” he said. “I just wasn’t setting guys up to strike out. So I think it was just getting back to being myself. Understanding what my pitch mix is, what I’m gonna lean on, and how to deviate when I need to.”
Last year, he had just 130 strikeouts over 171.2 innings for a career-low 6.8 strikeouts per nine. He posted a 5.19 ERA and 1.398 WHIP in 32 outings on the year.
In 2023, he got 139 batters on strikes in 127 innings (9.9 strikeouts per nine) and posted a 4.32 ERA and 1.236 WHIP over 24 outings.
The righty said that the sequences he’s been using this spring aren’t new, but more what he’s done in the past and it comes down to “mixing and matching.”
Statcast had him using just the slider, fastball, and change, but the righty revealed he threw a couple of cutters to left-handed batters and a “different slider I’m working on to one of the righties the first inning.”
“I think those are gonna be my main pitches,” Canning said of the big three. “You’re kind of past the point of working on stuff in spring now, you just want to go out there and execute pitches and get outs.”
Whatever he threw on Monday it worked, bar one fastball with two outs in the first inning that Josh Lowe tagged for a 376-foot home run. (Naturally, Statcast noted that it would not have been a home run in any MLB park used during the regular season.)
But it is no surprise to see these results from the off-speed pitches. Over the past two seasons, the changeup has been his best pitch, with a 28.8 percent whiff rate and a .318 weighted on-base average in 2024.
His slider had a 33.1 percent whiff rate last year (and 34 percent in 2023) but was hit hard with a .354 wOBA a year ago. But with changes in sequencing and a new environment, things could be a bit different in 2025.
Flyers shut out for 7th time as power play drops to 0 for 23 in March
Flyers shut out for 7th time as power play drops to 0 for 23 in March originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Flyers were blanked for a second consecutive game as they fell to the Lightning, 2-0, Monday night at Amalie Arena.
Coming off a 5-0 loss Saturday night to the Hurricanes, which finished a dreadful 1-6-0 homestand, the Flyers couldn’t get things going on the road.
The power play let them down, while Tampa Bay iced the game with an empty-netter.
The Flyers (28-33-8) have been shut out seven times, the most in John Tortorella’s three seasons as the team’s head coach. With 13 games still to go, Tortorella’s club has matched its regulation loss total from last season (38-33-11).
The Flyers went 2-1-0 against the Lightning (39-23-5) this season. Their two wins came in the shootout.
• The power play hurt the Flyers again, coming up empty in 8:10 minutes of time Monday night. The Flyers had a four-minute man advantage in the second period and didn’t record a shot.
The club’s power play is 0 for 23 in March. In the last 25 games, it’s 5 for 57.
The Flyers’ rebuilding trades of four forwards in the span of five weeks haven’t helped a team that was already inconsistent offensively.
Travis Konecny has one goal and 10 assists in the last 22 games. Matvei Michkov and Owen Tippett have gone scoreless in the last five games.
More: Tortorella defends Thompson, says Flyers won’t shy away from power play criticism
• Ivan Fedotov gave the Flyers an excellent chance to win, making 21 saves on 22 shots.
The only goal he allowed was on a first-period breakaway for Nikita Kucherov, the NHL’s third-leading scorer (95 points). Konecny mishandled the puck in the offensive zone with the action at 4-on-4 and Kucherov jumped on it.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay’s 2018-19 Vezina Trophy winner and two-time Stanley Cup champion, stopped all 21 of the Flyers’ shots.
• Rasmus Ristolainen missed a third straight game with an upper-body injury. Garnet Hathaway hasn’t played in March as he recovers from a blindsided hit he took at the end of February.
• The Flyers are scheduled to practice Wednesday in Florida before heading to Washington, D.C., for a matchup Thursday with the Capitals (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
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Why The Carolina Hurricanes' Goalie Duo Could Still Harm Their Cup Chances
The Carolina Hurricanes might have only had Mikko Rantanen for just over a month, but without him and Martin Necas, they’re firing on all pistons.
Drama enveloped the Hurricanes at the March 7 NHL trade deadline regarding their failure in re-signing Rantanen after trading Necas in a package for him in late January. Despite that, the team went 8-2-0 in their last 10 games and won its last seven, which helps its Stanley Cup hopes.
If Carolina can maintain its dynamic play for the next month, the team will head into the playoffs as a threat with home-ice advantage, likely against the third seed in the Metropolitan Division – either the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers or Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Hurricanes look like they could still be a Stanley Cup contender. But there are still some areas of potential concern when the playoffs arrive. Their 18.1-percent power-play efficiency, which ranks 26th in the NHL, is one of them, but the bigger question mark is goaltending.
First thing’s first: the Hurricanes’ goaltending is nowhere near abysmal. Veteran netminder Frederik Andersen has a 2.16 goals-against average and .912 save percentage this season, while youngster Pyotr Kochetkov has a 2.37 GAA and a .908 SP this year. Those are solid numbers for the platoon.
Last season, Andersen had a 1.84 GAA and a .932 SP in 16 games, and Kochetkov had a .911 SP and a 2.33 GAA in 40 games – slightly better than this year. But those strong numbers did not translate into reliable goaltending in the post-season. Last playoffs, Andersen’s numbers dropped to a .895 SP and a 2.62 GAA in 10 starts. Kochetkov had a .880 SP after allowing three goals on 25 shots against the Rangers in last year’s second round. In six career playoff appearances, he’s put up a subpar .863 SP and a 4.01 GAA.
Andersen’s injury history is a bigger question mark. He already missed a sizable chunk of time this season due to knee surgery, appearing in only 14 games. He made 16 appearances last year after missing most of that campaign due to a deep-vein thrombosis diagnosis, which was unlucky. But he also had multiple injuries in 2022-23 that limited him to 34 games, and he missed the 2022 playoffs with a torn MCL.
There’s a clear cause for concern that Andersen might not be available to be counted on when the Hurricanes need him the most. When Kochetkov was injured at the same time as Andersen this season, Carolina had to turn to journeymen Dustin Tokarski and Spencer Martin. If a similar situation happens in the post-season, then a lack of reliability in net could sink the squad.
Things can always change for the better, of course. Both Carolina goalies are thriving this month: Andersen has a .932 SP and a 1.76 GAA in four games, while Kochetkov has a 0.99 GAA and a .960 SP in four appearances. Clearly, Carolina’s goalies are riding high with the rest of their teammates.
But from our standpoint, the Hurricanes’ netminding will be a nagging concern until their goalies prove otherwise. Andersen hasn’t guided his team beyond the second round of the playoffs since the 2014-15 campaign as a member of the Anaheim Ducks. And Kochetkov simply doesn’t have enough post-season experience to say with certainty how he will perform when games matter most. There’s room for reasonable doubt here.
We knew going into the season that Carolina had the overall depth to be one of the NHL’s best squads. But like all teams, the Hurricanes aren’t perfect. And if they do get flushed out of the first or second round of this year’s playoffs due to their goaltending, no one can say they didn’t see it coming.
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NHL general managers zero in on goaltender interference and other coach's challenges
Nov 26, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; NHL puck with French logo during the warmup period before a game between the Utah Hockey Club and the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
MANALAPAN, Fla. — Coaches are challenging goals one way or the other for goaltender interference at the highest rate in six seasons, playoff races across the NHL are tight and the chase for the Stanley Cup is a month away.
Because of all that, video review - and particularly coach's challenges for goalie interference - took center stage Monday to kick off the general managers' annual spring meeting.
GMs were shown roughly 70 clips of goals challenged this season for interference, offside or a missed stoppage, such as the puck hitting the protective netting, a hand pass or a high stick. The aim was to explain what the league standards are for goaltender interference and to educate all 32 organizations on how the process works.
“These aren’t black and white,” vice president of hockey operations Kris King said. “There’s a lot of judgment that goes into these. ... They’re never the same. They’re snowflakes. There’s a lot of different things that go into it.”
Through the first 1,048 games this season, coaches challenged either a goal or no-goal call for goalie interference 105 times - the most since 2019-20 when getting it wrong first became a two-minute penalty - and 60 of them were successfully overturned, which is also the highest percentage under the current system.
“Games are tough,” King said. “It’s tough to score. Guys know the importance of winning games, and they’re going to the net hard.”
All video reviews are determined by the NHL's situation room in Toronto, in consultation with on-ice officials. The decisions are made based on deliberate versus incidental contact, whether it's in or out of the crease, whether the goalie can do his job and has a chance to reset and if there was anything done by the offensive or defensive player to cause the disruption.
“It’s hard," said Bill Zito, GM of the reigning champion Florida Panthers. "You gain an appreciation for how hard and what a good job the refs do and the situation room. It’s unbelievable not only how good they are but how hard it is.”
Goaltender interference challenges have been in place since 2015-16, initially at the expense of a timeout like in the NFL, and director of officiating Stephen Walkom believes the standard has been set for what it means.
“We’re not far off," Walkom said. “Maybe originally when we started, there was some differences of opinion, but there really isn’t now.”
Senior executive VP of hockey operations Colin Campbell, who along with King and other league officials like Kay Whitmore and Rod Pasma are in charge of situation room rulings, thinks there have been some unwise challenges this season, which goes against the intent of the rule. The NHL is set for another high-scoring season, there are more close games than at any point in the history of the league and the last thing anyone wants is too many unnecessary disruptions to the flow of games.
“You’re going to have some judgment calls, and that’s the nature particularly of goaltender interference,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “When anybody says, ‘I thought I’d give it a shot,’ or ‘I think it’s 50/50,’ that’s not the standard. The standard is was it really a glaring mistake so that the judgment of the officials on the ice should be overturned.”
What happens far more often is successful challenges for offside: 69 of 77 because coaching staffs typically don't ask to review those plays unless they've seen conclusive video evidence that shows they are correct.
The schedule, which will be affected next season by the break for the 2026 Milan Olympics, is among the topics on the agenda for meetings Tuesday and Wednesday. One thing that is not a formal point of discussion is extending 3-on-3 overtime beyond 5 minutes, something that would need to be brought to the Players' Association.
But with a month left to go in the regular season before the playoffs begin and races for the final few spots expected to go down to the wire, all aspects of video review are under the microscope.
“We have to make tough rulings and we use our experience,” Campbell said. “It’s not that they’re all going to be accepted, obviously, because there’s passion behind these decisions to make these challenges. We know we run into that and just, with our experience, we hope we’re making the right call.”