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Pens Points: Looking to rebound in Game 2

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 18: Nick Seeler #24 of the Philadelphia Flyers exchanges punches with Rickard Rakell #67 of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third period of Game One of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG PAINTS Arena on April 18, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Here are your Pens Points for this Monday morning…

Anthony Mantha’s strong regular season has made him a very intriguing free agent target this summer, but other teams are now watching to see whether he can produce in the playoffs. His past postseason struggles and Game 1 performance, which included some physicality but also two offensive zone penalties, mean this playoff run could impact how much interest and money he gets if he hits the market. [PensBurgh]

The Penguins will try to stay more disciplined and composed in Game 2 after letting the Flyers’ physical, scrappy style frustrate them in Game 1’s loss. [Trib Live]

Rookie forward Ben Kindel, who just turned 19, is impressing the Penguins not just with his skill, but with unusual maturity and a willingness to play physically despite his stature. [Trib Live]

News and notes from around the NHL…

The Anaheim Ducks have signed forward prospect Roger McQueen, the 10th overall selection in the 2025 NHL draft, to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning in the 2026-27 season. [TSN]

San Jose Sharks breakout star Macklin Celebrini made it clear he wants to stay with the team long term, saying he plans to commit after a breakout season. [TSN]

After firing Patrik Allvin, Vancouver Canucks president Jim Rutherford said the Canucks’ next general manager will have much more authority over the franchise, including in all hockey and coaching matters, signaling that Rutherford himself may be ready to hand over the reins. [Sportsnet]

The Buffalo Sabres have provided yet another tangible example of how magical playoff hockey can be. In front of their home fans, playing postseason hockey for the first time since Barack Obama was president, the Sabres rallied from a 2-0 third-period deficit to defeat the Boston Bruins 4-3, earning the franchise’s first playoff victory in 15 years. [ESPN]

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Playoffs: NHL openers, and Bridgeport preps for Hershey

Cal and friends will skate for Bridgeport. | NHLI via Getty Images

The playoffs kicked off with some good ones over the weekend. The only series yet to begin is Ducks-Oilers, which is the late game among four tonight.

No playoff news for the big Islanders, of course, but Bridgeport begins their final playoff on Tuesday.

Islanders News

  • Here’s a roundup of several breakup day interviews and quotes, with video. [Isles]
  • …and a special one just dedicated to Matthew Schaefer’s reflections. [Isles]
  • The Bridgeport Islanders wrapped up their regular season with a win over Hershey, who is also their first-round (best-of-three) playoff opponent. (Danill Prokhorov made his debut and returned after a tough shot block.) [B-Isles | AHL recap/highlights | GameCenter]

The lottery will be held May 5. What are the odds…

Elsewhere

  • MTL 4, TBL 3: Juraj Slafkovsky completed a hat trick with the overtime winner. [TSN]
  • COL 2, LAK 1: The Avalanche squeaked by the Kings in Game 1. [NHL]
  • BUF 4, BOS 3: The Sabres returned to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years and gave fans a thrilling third-period comeback win. [NHL]
  • Utah couldn’t pull off the same in their playoff debut, dropping Game 1 in Vegas. [NHL]
  • The Jets need to overhaul their top-heavy roster. [Sportsnet]
  • The new Devils GM is living the dream. [@SunnyMehtaX]
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Warriors reportedly want Steve Kerr to sign multiyear contract if he returns

Warriors reportedly want Steve Kerr to sign multiyear contract if he returns originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

If Steve Kerr does decide he wants to continue coaching the Warriors, the upcoming 2026-27 NBA season might not be his last dance with the organization.

Golden State’s coach, whose contract expires this offseason after the team’s 2025-26 season officially came to a close with a loss to the Phoenix Suns on Friday night in the NBA play-in-tournament, is going to take some time over the next week or two to decide if he wants to continue coaching the Warriors next season.

Kerr recently told ESPN that he felt it was around 50-50 whether he woud remain as Warriors coach or depart, and in a story published Monday, the outlet’s senior NBA writers Ramona Shelburne and Anthony Slater reported that if Kerr decides to return, owner Joe Lacob wants him to express a certain level of hunger, and that the organization’s management would like to lock him into a multiyear contract.

“More than anything, team sources said, Lacob will want to hear Kerr express a hunger to continue executing the nitty-gritty details of the daily job, not a reluctant acceptance that he should continue coaching purely out of loyalty to [Draymond] Green and [Steph] Curry and the sentimentality of riding out this era,” Shelburne and Slater wrote.

“That’s why, if Kerr decides he wants to return, there’s a desire from management for him to sign a multiyear deal, team sources said, instead of setting up a last dance farewell tour that would feel more about emotion and nostalgia than wins.”

Kerr, even throughout Golden State’s turbulent season, has been vocal about how much he still enjoys coaching the Warriors, despite stars such as Curry and Jimmy Butler both missing significant time with injuries.

However, the 60-year-old Kerr, a nine-time NBA champion as a player and coach, has had a long, decorated NBA career, and understandaby, could decide now is time to call it quits.

Or, based on how the organization plans to re-tool its roster around Curry this offseason, decide he wants to return for another season — or two — to pursue his fifth championship with as Warriors coach.

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Pirates Prospect Update: Wilber Dotel makes MLB debut

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 19: Wilber Dotel #66 of the Pittsburgh Pirates makes his MLB debut as he pitches in the ninth inning during the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at PNC Park on April 19, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images

With a depleted group of relievers, the Pittsburgh Pirates promoted one of their top prospects ahead of their Sunday contest against the Tampa Bay Rays.

23-year-old Wilber Dotel got the call to pitch for Pittsburgh while on a road trip with Triple-A Indianapolis. Originally slated to start for the Indians on Saturday evening, Dotel instead found himself making his MLB debut with the Pirates, helping to close out their victory over the Rays.

The Dominican Republic native was called upon in the ninth inning, and said he was filled with emotion coming out of the bullpen.

 “On my way to the mound, I wanted to get there as fast as possible just to get on the mound and start throwing my pitches,” Dotel said.

Dotel first faced Junior Caminero and gave up a homer, but remained poised during the rest of his outing. The next three batters were retired with no more hits or runs allowed, and Dotel had eight pitches registered at more than 98 mph. He would pick up his first big league strikeout against Jonathan Aranda.

Pirates’ manager Don Kelly was pleased with Dotel’s performance.

“That was impressive,” Kelly said, “Especially for a guy making his debut in the ninth inning with a lead and give up a homer and then come back with triple digits and stay in the zone. That was phenomenal.”

Dotel was signed by the Pirates in 2020 as an international free-agent at 18-years-old. Known for blazing fastballs, Dotel has quietly but effectively moved up the Minor League ranks, and has been a real fixture in the Pirates’ farm system since 2023. 2025 was Dotel’s best season to date. With Double-A Altoona the righty had a 7-9 record with a 4.15 ERA over 125.2 innings. His 131 strikeouts ranked third in the Eastern League, while he had a career low in walk rate (3.1 BB/9) and a career high for strikeout rate (9.4/9). Dotel made just three starts in Indianapolis before being promoted.

Despite not having played in relief in three seasons, it is the spot that Dotel is most valuable right now and figures to be where he is used at this season with Pittsburgh. He did pitch two innings out of the bullpen for the Buccos in Spring Training, so he’s optimistic that the transition will not be that difficult. Time will tell if Dotel is a full time reliever for the Pirates, but it is a group that could use some fresh blood as it has struggled in 2026.

Wilber Dotel is the Pirates’ 12th ranked prospect.

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MLB power rankings: Untouchable Mason Miller powers Padres toward the top

Mason Miller has been untouchable all season. And so have the San Diego Padres lately.

Miller's scoreless streak is now at 32 ⅔ innings, just one shy of the Padres' franchise record. And perhaps most impressively, the best closer in the game has struck out 27 of 38 batters faced this season, his 71.1% strikeout rate the highest by a pitcher in his first 11 appearances since 1900.

But it takes a good team to give a closer a chance to shine and the Padres are just about baseball's best right now. They've won 13 of 15 to close within a half-game of the Los Angeles Dodgers - and zoom seven spots to No. 2 in USA TODAY Sports' power rankings.

At 15-7, the Padres have baseball's second-best record, thanks in large part to their closer with the wipeout fastball-slider combo that's proven untouchable. Or, as Fernando Tatis Jr. put it, "Game over."

Miller's next task? Preserving his scoreless streak through mile-high Coors Field and Phoenix this week.

A look at our updated rankings:

Mason Miler joined the Padres in 2025.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (-)

  • Nothing like Coors Field to humble a club on a 126-win pace.

2. San Diego Padres (+7)

  • Jackson Merrill has robbed three home runs - still impressive even if Jo Adell did that in one game.

3. New York Yankees (-1)

  • Cam Schlittler still taking guff from Red Sox fans, still ready to break their hearts once again.

4. Atlanta Braves (+3)

  • Martín Pérez DFA'd, re-signed, still dominates Phillies.

5. Milwaukee Brewers (-2)

  • Jacob Misiorowski with a dominant 40% whiff rate through five starts.

6. Cincinnati Reds (+5)

  • Won eight of first 10 road games for first time since ... 1990 World Series championship season.

7. Pittsburgh Pirates (-1)

  • Mitch Keller sporting a 2.79 ERA after five starts.

8. Cleveland Guardians (-)

  • Parker Messick threatened, but Len Barker's perfect game is Cleveland's last no-no. Len Barker is now 70 years old.

9. Detroit Tigers (+4)

  • Dillon Dingler leads all major league catchers with .983 OPS, second with five home runs.

10. Arizona Diamondbacks (-)

  • Corbin Carroll hits grand slam one day, exits with back tightness the next.

11. Chicago Cubs (+3)

  • They win five in a row but let's not get too excited: Three were against the Mets.

12. Philadelphia Phillies (-8)

  • Zack Wheeler set to make season debut next weekend in Atlanta.

13. Seattle Mariners (-8)

  • Lefty Kade Anderson's first three pro starts at Class AA: 22 strikeouts, one earned run in 14 innings.

14. Miami Marlins (+4)

  • Kyle Stowers returns from hamstring strain, gets drilled in first plate appearance of the year.

15. Tampa Bay Rays (+4)

  • Owner Patrick Zalupski visits his pal Tom Ricketts in Chicago, gets some live-work-play development tips.

16. Texas Rangers (-)

  • Now 10-40 at T-Mobile Park since 2020. Talk about taxing.

17. Toronto Blue Jays (-2)

  • Kazuma Okamoto goes 59 at-bats between home runs.

18. New York Mets (-6)

  • If a homestand with Twins, Rockies and Nationals can't fix them...

19. Baltimore Orioles (-2)

  • Jeremiah Jackson and Rico Garcia are their best players right now, which is both good and bad news.

20. Athletics (-)

  • They depart Yolo County for a telling six-game stretch at Seattle and Texas.

21. Los Angeles Angels (+3)

22. Boston Red Sox (-1)

  • In danger of getting buried in the AL East.

23. St. Louis Cardinals (+4)

  • Won five of their first seven series.

24. Minnesota Twins (-1)

  • Still the ABS kings of the moment with 38 successful challenges.

25. San Francisco Giants (+1)

  • Lineup so punchless that Daniel Susac will take at-bats from .151-hitting Gold Glove catcher Patrick Bailey.

26. Houston Astros (-4)

  • Are they really this bad?

27. Washington Nationals (+1)

  • James Wood's seven homers tied for second in NL.

28. Kansas City Royals (-)

  • Salvador Perez, manager Matt Quatraro fall out briefly over "little mental breather."

29. Colorado Rockies (+1)

  • Consecutive wins over the Dodgers for the first time since October 2022.

30. Chicago White Sox (-1)

  • Munetaka Murakami doubters feeling sheepish: His eight home runs just one behind Aaron Judge.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB power rankings: Padres' Mason Miller powers SD vs. LA in NL West

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LeBron James is 41. And he’s somehow still carrying his team in the playoffs

LeBron James helped his team to victory over the Rockets on Saturday night. Photograph: Mark J Terrill/AP

LeBron James must be so sick of this. If he wanted to experience being the best player on an otherwise thin team, he could simply remember the Cleveland Cavaliers’ run to the NBA finals in 2007. Or the 2015 NBA finals when his best teammates, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, suffered injuries. Or the 2018 season, which convinced SNL to make a spoof of James’ support staff. “I’m 53 years old,” one of LeBron’s “teammates” says in the clip. “I have seven kids, and two of them are also on the Cavs.” It’s 2026, James is a Los Angeles Laker, his two best teammates are hurt, and one of his kids actually is on the team.

How on earth did we get here, again? James is 41. The story of his season was his labored yet successful pivot into the Lakers’ third option, behind Luka Dončić (who was having one of the best stretches of his career before tweaking his hamstring in a humiliating loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder) and Austin Reaves (who strained his oblique in the same game). Both men are in their primes. James, on the other hand, has been plagued with what some observers may call old guy injuries: he missed the start of the season due to sciatica; he’s sat out a couple games since thanks to arthritis in his left foot. So how – how – is it that Dončić and Reaves were the ones felled by injuries and James is the iron man? Aren’t the rules that athletes in their 20s get to enjoy energy and health, while those in their 40s have to retire and become mediocre pundits?

Related: ‘Last year is over’: Oklahoma City launch title defense as NBA’s parity era faces test

Surreal as James reprising his role from a decade ago is, there’s nobody more used to the gig. Asked recently what his team now needs from him, James said, “everything, so nothing changes for me. Just back to the old ways.” Dončić and Reaves are out indefinitely. If James can prolong the Lakers’ run, that pair may have time to come back and restore the team to its best possible form, but there are no guarantees.

James has at least one thing going for him, aside from the small matter of being arguably the greatest player of all time: the Lakers are playing the dysfunctional Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs. This version of the Rockets, without vital contributors in Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams, are capable of blowing a 13-point lead in overtime. There’s simply no other group in the NBA who have it in them, even those teams who spent most of the season trying to lose. On top of that, Kevin Durant recently hurt his knee in practice, forcing him out of Saturday night’s series opener, which the Lakers won 107-98. The Rockets’ offense is poor at the best of times, but removing KD is like taking the bacon and bread off a BLT.

And look, James did not carry the Lakers in Saturday’s win, though the Rockets offered so little resistance that he never had to try. Luke Kennard had 27 points. James had 19, and so did Deandre Ayton. (Guess Ayton drank his crunk juice.) But it was the King who commanded the pace and flow of the game. James had 13 assists to what felt like every single one of his teammates, many of them leading to wide-open shots. He either created or assisted on 15 of the Lakers’ first 19 points. He hit a long three in the fourth quarter, then a ridiculous fadeaway over Amen Thompson, the Rockets’ best defender. He snagged an errant pass in the first quarter; while tumbling out of bounds, he managed to leap in the air and drill the ball off Thompson’s legs to maintain Lakers possession. James played 38 minutes. He finished with a +11 on-off rating, the best on either team.

Saturday was no anomaly. James’ on-court play has been notable this year not just in its continued quality (again: he is 41), but in its effort and intentionality. In December, he sacrificed his run of 1,297 consecutive regular season games in which he’d scored 10 or more points to dish the ball to Rui Hachimura for a game-winner. In the closing minutes of a March thriller against the Denver Nuggets, James dove for a loose ball as if he was a teenager again; the Lakers wound up winning in overtime. Before Dončić and Reaves went down, James had morphed into an uber-efficient role player, producing restrained masterpieces in a radically different style to his do-it-all finals heroics in the 2010s.

It’s been clear since before this season even started that the Lakers won’t win the title this season. Even if they get past the Rockets, the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder will almost certainly grind them into a fine sand in the next round. James must know it.

But maybe he’s just not fazed by any of it, or having to play without Dončić and Reaves. “I’ve been in every situation you can ever imagine as a basketball player,” he said after Game 1. And he has. The bar for his career being set at “surpass Michael Jordan” when he was still in high school didn’t deter him. The venom aimed at him after the Decision, as if he’d committed a serious crime by cheesily announcing his move to the Miami Heat, didn’t do long-term damage. He responded as well as was possible to the disaster that was the 2011 finals. A meaningful portion of NBA fans’ aggressive certainty that basketball is actually an individual sport hasn’t bullied him into becoming a ball hog at the cost of team success. Maybe sharing a starting lineup with Kennard, Ayton, Hachimura, and Marcus Smart instead of taking part in a superteam hardly registers as a challenge at this point.

Perhaps, with time, playing on so many less-than-ideal teams may even end up benefiting James’s legacy – in some calmer world, when we can soberly agree that most of those finals losses weren’t on him alone. James would probably have won more rings on better teams (or if he got to play against worse teams in finals). We might also not have gotten to see the outer reaches of his skill. The way things turned out, he faced enough adversity that he had to show us every extraordinary version of himself.

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Yankees news: Cam Schlittler prepares for Fenway Park debut vs. Red Sox

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 17: Cam Schlittler #31 of the New York Yankees warms up before the game against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium on April 17, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images

MLB Trade Rumors | Charlie Wright: The Yankees made a minor trade on Sunday, trading infielder Braden Shewmake to the Astros for Wilmy Sanchez. Shewmake has appeared in the majors for the Braves and White Sox and was signed as a minor-league depth infielder. As for who the Yankees have picked up, Sanchez is a 22-year-old pitching prospect who started this season in Double-A and will indeed report to the Somerset Patriots.

NJ.com | Bob Klapisch: This season, the Yankees have began starting their early afternoon games at 1:35 pm ET, as opposed to 1:05 pm ET. That apparently came after a request from some of the veteran players, who believe the change has actually helped them in their game preparation.

New York Post | Joel Sherman: Cam Schlittler made a bit of a impression last October, not only for his performance against the Red Sox in the AL Wild Card Series, but also for his willingness to chirp at Boston fans, whom he grew up amongst. Well this week, he’s set to make his first career start back in Fenway Park, and that’s become a bit of an event. Schlittler has reported that he and family members have received death threats, and while the pitcher doesn’t believe there’s anything serious to them, that shows the nature of how he’s gotten in some fans’ heads since last October.

MLB.com: Yankees beat writer Bryan Hoch weighed in alongside 29 other personalities at MLB.com to offer insight on early-season developments that the team they cover can believe in. Like many, Hoch’s been impressed by the hard-hitting Ben Rice thus far, calling him a future All-Star — and this was published before he homered in his fourth consecutive game. After going yard yesterday (lefty/lefty off Cole Ragans, too), he’s now hitting .338/.476/.800 with eight dingers and a 246 wRC+ in 84 PA. Modest.

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Fantasy Hockey: Biggest Surprises and Disappointments of the 2025-26 NHL Season

The 2025-26 NHL regular season is in the books, and what a campaign it was. You'd be hard-pressed to find people going into the season who were willing to predict that the Buffalo Sabres would be among the league's top teams, while the Florida Panthers would be one of the worst. That alone represents a dramatic realignment of the league, but it's far from the only eyebrow raiser, so let's take a minute to step back and appreciate the 2025-26 biggest surprises and disappointments.

After back-to-back Vezina Trophy-winning campaigns, Hellebuyck was mediocre in 2025-26, as he posted a 23-23-11 record, 2.86 GAA and .895 save percentage across 57 starts. His decline corresponded with Winnipeg crashing from an incredible 56-22-4 record in 2024-25 to missing the playoffs entirely this season. That begs the obvious question, however: How much of Winnipeg's struggles were due to Hellebuyck, and how much of Hellebuyck's struggles were a product of the team in front of him?

After all, a goaltender's raw numbers are heavily influenced by his team, so it can be hard to know which side deserved more of the blame. For what it's worth, Hellebuyck did have a plus-5.5 goals-saved above expected in 2025-26, per Moneypuck. That suggests he was at least better than average, but it was also far below his plus-39.6 from the 2024-25 regular season, so while Hellebuyck wasn't the core of Winnipeg's problem, he did fail to carry the team on his back as much as he had in the prior year.

It'd be a bit unfair to suggest that Hellebuyck let his team down by simply being less dominant than he usually is, but Hill's decline was certainly a big part of Vegas' weird season. After finishing the 2024-25 regular season with a 32-13-5 record, 2.47 GAA and .906 save percentage in 50 starts, Hill was limited to a 10-9-6 record, 3.04 GAA and .870 save percentage in 27 regular-season starts in 2025-26. A brief glimpse at the fancy stats shows Hill was minus-14.2 in goals saved above expected, which was the sixth-worst in the league. Akira Schmid also left plenty to be desired as the backup, but Schmid had just 48 regular-season appearances under his belt going into 2025-26, so it was never reasonable to expect him to carry Vegas.

That collapse in goaltending is the big reason Vegas underperformed for most of the campaign, leading to Bruce Cassidy being ousted for new head coach John Tortorella. Tortorella's hiring also largely coincided with Carter Hart returning from a lower-body injury and stabilizing the situation in net. The end result is Vegas went from a team in danger of missing the playoffs to claiming the Pacific Division title.

Can you name every player who scored at least 40 goals and 80 points in all three regular seasons between 2022-23 and 2024-25? It's not a long list: Leon Draisaitl, William Nylander, David Pastrnak and Brayden Point. None of them repeated that feat in 2025-26, but Nylander and Draisaitl still had great campaigns despite missing time due to injury, and Pastrnak's 100-point finish more than compensates for his decline to 29 goals.

Point took a major step back this campaign. Sure, he also had injury trouble, appearing in just 63 regular-season outings, but he also left something to be desired when healthy, recording 18 goals and 50 points. His decline was primarily due to a drop in his shooting percentage to 14% compared to an average of 21.4% over the previous three regular seasons, and a collapse in his power-play output to 11 points in 2025-26 from a minimum of 30 in each of those regular seasons from 2022-23 through 2024-25. The silver lining is he's still just 30 years old, making him a very tempting buy-low candidate next season.

Between injury, illness and a personal matter, Hedman logged just 33 regular-season games in 2025-26. You'd think losing the cornerstone of your blueline for most of the year would destroy a team, but instead Tampa Bay finished the regular season with 106 points, up from 102 in 2024-25. A big reason the Lightning were able to work through it was Raddysh.

A 30-year-old defenseman who set a career high in the 2024-25 regular season with 37 points (six goals), Raddysh went from playing in just seven of Tampa Bay's first 13 games in 2025-26 (averaging 14:49 of ice time when he was utilized) to being thrust into a role on the top pairing and top power-play unit. He not only adapted to the situation, he thrived, going on to record 22 goals and 70 points in 73 outings by the end of the regular season. You'd be hard-pressed to find many examples of a blueliner in the middle of his career who enjoyed a breakout like that.

Remember how Hill had the sixth-worst goals saved above expected record in the 2025-26 regular season? The absolute bottom of the barrel belongs to Binnington at minus-22.4. He was a disaster with his 3.33 GAA and .873 save percentage in 41 outings with St. Louis in 2025-26, and unquestionably worse than his Blues counterpart, Joel Hofer, who finished the regular season with a 2.61 GAA and a .909 save percentage in 46 appearances. Binnington is a weird goaltender. He was the hero behind St. Louis' startling 2019 Stanley Cup Championship. The netminder also led Canada to victory in the Four Nations Face-Off, and while Canada did fall short in the 2026 Winter Olympics, Binnington still performed rather well in that tournament.

However, you never seem to know what you're getting with him, and while there's an argument to be made that the quality of the players in front of him matters, Binnington's horrific goals allowed above expected, coupled with how much better Hofer did under the same circumstances, makes it hard to say that his NHL struggles this season are solely the fault of St. Louis. If anything, it's entirely plausible that he's the reason the Blues aren't in the playoffs.

If you want to know why Anaheim is in the postseason, the young trio of Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier and Beckett Sennecke is certainly a big part of the cause. They're all former top-five picks, so they didn't come out of nowhere, but to see them all take such a big leap forward this season was a pleasant surprise. Each of them recorded at least 20 goals and 60 points in the 2025-26 regular season, and Gauthier was especially dominant, tallying 41 goals in his sophomore campaign to more than double his rookie output of 20 markers.

What cost Toronto a playoff berth this season? You might be tempted to point to the loss of Mitch Marner, and while losing a top forward like that is going to leave its mark, Toronto's offense didn't decline too much, falling to an average of 3.07 goals per game in 2025-26, down from 3.26 in the 2024-25 regular season. By contrast, it plummeted in goals allowed per game, surrendering an average of 3.60 this year versus 2.79 in the previous regular season.

Injuries to the defensive core were a factor, but Stolarz and Woll, who were such a huge part of the 2024-25 success, also fell off. Stolarz and Woll missed time due to injury in 2025-26 and were rough when healthy, with Stolarz posting a 3.28 GAA and an .893 save percentage in 26 appearances, and Woll finishing with a 3.34 GAA and an .898 save percentage in 39 outings. Both are set to come back for 2026-27, and the Leafs can only hope for a return to their 2024-25 form.

Florida's biggest issue in 2025-26 was injuries, but among those players who remained, Bobrovsky was the biggest disappointment with a 3.07 GAA and an .877 save percentage in 52 appearances, down from a 2.44 GAA and a .906 save percentage in 54 regular-season outings in 2024-25. Bobrovsky and the Panthers had gone to the Stanley Cup Final in each of the previous three seasons, so fatigue probably didn't help matters. Still, he'll be 38 years old before the start of 2026-27, so a comeback is far from guaranteed at this stage of his career.

The Penguins making the playoffs this season was a pleasant surprise, and while Mantha wasn't the biggest contributor to it, he certainly punched above his weight. Mantha set career highs with 33 goals and 64 points in 81 appearances in 2025-26, completely revitalizing his career after recording four goals and seven points in just 13 appearances with Calgary in 2024-25. Not bad for a guy who signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with Pittsburgh in the summer of 2025.

There had to have been part of Stamkos who wanted to prove Tampa Bay wrong for letting him go. However, in the first campaign of Stamkos' four-year, $32 million contract, the Lightning seemed vindicated, with him scoring 27 goals and 53 points in 82 outings with Nashville, a far cry from his 40-goal, 81-point showing in Tampa Bay in the 2023-24 regular season. It seemed Tampa Bay might have correctly predicted the beginning of Stamkos' decline, but in 2025-26, the center showed he still had something left in the tank. He ended up with 42 goals and 66 points with Nashville in 2025-26 in his age-35 campaign. It wasn't enough to get Nashville into the playoffs, but clearly the reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated.

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Avalanche take 1-0 series lead into game 2 against the Kings

Los Angeles Kings (35-27-20, in the Pacific Division) vs. Colorado Avalanche (55-16-11, in the Central Division)

Denver; Tuesday, 10 p.m. EDT

LINE: Avalanche -275, Kings +224; over/under is 5.5

NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Avalanche lead series 1-0

BOTTOM LINE: The Colorado Avalanche host the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the NHL Playoffs with a 1-0 lead in the series. The teams meet Sunday for the fifth time this season. The Avalanche won the previous meeting 2-1.

Colorado has a 27-9-6 record at home and a 55-16-11 record overall. The Avalanche have a +101 scoring differential, with 298 total goals scored and 197 allowed.

Los Angeles has gone 20-11-11 on the road and 35-27-20 overall. The Kings have given up 238 goals while scoring 220 for a -18 scoring differential.

TOP PERFORMERS: Nathan MacKinnon has scored 53 goals with 74 assists for the Avalanche. Martin Necas has three goals and five assists over the past 10 games.

Artemi Panarin has 28 goals and 56 assists for the Kings. Adrian Kempe has scored nine goals and added two assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Avalanche: 7-2-1, averaging 2.6 goals, 4.3 assists, 3.2 penalties and 6.4 penalty minutes while giving up 1.8 goals per game.

Kings: 6-2-2, averaging three goals, 4.5 assists, 3.3 penalties and 7.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.

INJURIES: Avalanche: None listed.

Kings: Kevin Fiala: out for season (leg).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Vegas brings 1-0 series lead into game 2 against Utah

Utah Mammoth (43-33-6, in the Central Division) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (39-26-17, in the Pacific Division)

Paradise, Nevada; Tuesday, 9:30 p.m. EDT

LINE: Golden Knights -161, Mammoth +135; over/under is 6

NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Golden Knights lead series 1-0

BOTTOM LINE: The Vegas Golden Knights host the Utah Mammoth in the first round of the NHL Playoffs with a 1-0 lead in the series. The teams meet Sunday for the fifth time this season. The Golden Knights won the previous matchup 4-2.

Vegas has a 39-26-17 record overall and a 21-12-9 record on its home ice. The Golden Knights have a 38-6-11 record when scoring three or more goals.

Utah is 43-33-6 overall and 21-18-3 on the road. The Mammoth have allowed 240 goals while scoring 268 for a +28 scoring differential.

TOP PERFORMERS: Mitchell Marner has 24 goals and 56 assists for the Golden Knights. Mark Stone has six goals and four assists over the last 10 games.

Nick Schmaltz has 33 goals and 40 assists for the Mammoth. Clayton Keller has four goals and 13 assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Golden Knights: 8-0-2, averaging 4.1 goals, 6.7 assists, 3.1 penalties and 6.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.1 goals per game.

Mammoth: 6-4-0, averaging 4.1 goals, 7.1 assists, 3.4 penalties and 7.1 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game.

INJURIES: Golden Knights: William Karlsson: out (lower body).

Mammoth: Barrett Hayton: out (upper-body), Sean Durzi: day to day (upper-body), Jack McBain: out (lower-body).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Montreal visits Tampa Bay with 1-0 series lead

Montreal Canadiens (48-24-10, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (50-26-6, in the Atlantic Division)

Tampa, Florida; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDT

LINE: Lightning -191, Canadiens +158; over/under is 6

NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Canadiens lead series 1-0

BOTTOM LINE: The Montreal Canadiens visit the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the NHL Playoffs with a 1-0 lead in the series. The teams meet Sunday for the sixth time this season. The Canadiens won 4-3 in overtime in the last meeting. Juraj Slafkovsky led the Canadiens with three goals.

Tampa Bay is 16-9-2 against the Atlantic Division and 50-26-6 overall. The Lightning have scored 286 total goals (3.5 per game) to rank fourth in league play.

Montreal has gone 48-24-10 overall with a 17-9-1 record in Atlantic Division play. The Canadiens have a 44-8-9 record in games they score at least three goals.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jake Guentzel has 38 goals and 50 assists for the Lightning. Nikita Kucherov has four goals and seven assists over the past 10 games.

Cole Caufield has 51 goals and 37 assists for the Canadiens. Slafkovsky has five goals and seven assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Lightning: 4-5-1, averaging 2.6 goals, 4.5 assists, 6.8 penalties and 17.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game.

Canadiens: 7-3-0, averaging 2.7 goals, 4.6 assists, 5.6 penalties and 14.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.

INJURIES: Lightning: Victor Hedman: out (personal), Pontus Holmberg: out (upper-body).

Canadiens: Patrik Laine: out (abdomen), Noah Dobson: out (thumb).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Buffalo hosts Boston with 1-0 series lead

Boston Bruins (45-27-10, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Buffalo Sabres (50-23-9, in the Atlantic Division)

Buffalo, New York; Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. EDT

LINE: Sabres -170, Bruins +142; over/under is 6

NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Sabres lead series 1-0

BOTTOM LINE: The Buffalo Sabres host the Boston Bruins in the first round of the NHL Playoffs with a 1-0 lead in the series. The teams meet Sunday for the sixth time this season. The Sabres won the last matchup 4-3. Tage Thompson scored two goals in the win.

Buffalo is 50-23-9 overall and 17-6-4 against the Atlantic Division. The Sabres are fifth in the league with 283 total goals (averaging 3.4 per game).

Boston has gone 45-27-10 overall with an 11-13-3 record in Atlantic Division play. The Bruins have a 38-10-7 record when scoring at least three goals.

TOP PERFORMERS: Rasmus Dahlin has 19 goals and 55 assists for the Sabres. Alex Tuch has five goals and four assists over the past 10 games.

Pavel Zacha has 30 goals and 35 assists for the Bruins. Morgan Geekie has six goals and three assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Sabres: 7-2-1, averaging 3.5 goals, 5.7 assists, 4.4 penalties and 11.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.

Bruins: 4-4-2, averaging 2.8 goals, five assists, 3.2 penalties and seven penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.

INJURIES: Sabres: Jiri Kulich: out for season (ear), Sam Carrick: out (arm), Justin Danforth: day to day (lower body), Noah Ostlund: day to day (upper-body).

Bruins: None listed.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Utah’s Historic Playoff Night Ends In Vegas Comeback Victory

The Utah Mammoth’s first taste of playoff hockey delivered everything it promised—speed, chaos, physicality—and then ended in a gut punch.

The Vegas Golden Knights rallied from multiple deficits to defeat Utah 4–2 on Sunday night in Game 1 of their first-round series, flipping what felt like a tightly controlled debut into a third-period collapse for the visitors.

Vegas, now unbeaten in regulation in its recent stretch under head coach John Tortorella (8-0-1), once again leaned on relentless pressure and depth scoring to overwhelm Utah late. Colton Sissons led the charge with a goal and an assist, while Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev also found the back of the net. Carter Hart turned aside 32 shots, and Noah Hanifin chipped in two assists from the blue line.

For Utah, Logan Cooley and Kevin Stenlund provided the offense, and Karel Vejmelka stopped 27 shots in a game that featured momentum swings, heavy contact, and a simmering edge that boiled over several times—including a post-buzzer altercation.

A Playoff Introduction Built On Emotion And Momentum

Utah didn’t just show up—they struck first, and nearly carried that energy into intermission.

Former Golden Knight Nate Schmidt threaded a perfect cross-ice feed to Logan Cooley, who buried a one-timer from the right circle with just 11 seconds left in the opening period. It was the kind of moment that briefly quieted the building and hinted at a dream start for the league’s newest postseason entrant.

The second period, however, belonged to chaos.

Sissons tied the game at 3:44, jamming home a rebound off a Cole Smith feed. Utah responded quickly, reclaiming the lead when a strange sequence near the crease ended with the puck deflecting into the net off a Vegas miscue, officially credited to Kevin Stenlund.

But that edge was fragile.

Vegas Turns The Screw In The Third

The Golden Knights’ response came in waves—and with force.

Mark Stone evened things up on the power play, hammering home a rebound at 5:33 of the third period. From there, the tone of the game shifted entirely. Vegas tilted the ice, leaned on Utah’s defensive zone mistakes, and eventually broke through again when a turnover by MacKenzie Weegar led to a decisive go-ahead goal off a Noah Hanifin shot, finished by Sissons’ presence around the puck.

Ivan Barbashev sealed it with an empty-net goal, putting a punctuation mark on a night where Vegas simply refused to fade.

Utah, meanwhile, was left to absorb the reality of playoff margins—small mistakes, magnified instantly.

The series continues Tuesday night back in Las Vegas, where Utah will try to reset before the moment starts feeling even heavier.

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Carter Hart Proves He Deserves Net For Golden Knights After Huge Win Over Utah

LAS VEGAS -- Like it or not, Carter Hart is deservedly a playoff goaltender in the NHL for the Golden Knights.

The 27-year-old has been the league's best goaltender since the start of the month, and just turned in his first playoff win since Sept. 3, 2020, when he was with the Philadelphia Flyers, in Vegas' 4-2 win over the Utah Mammoth on Sunday.

"We found a way to win a game, and I thought Carter Hart really gave us a chance," Vegas coach John Tortorella said.

After opening his tenure with the Knights by going 5-3-3 with a .871 save percentage and allowing 36 goals in 12 appearances, he returned to the net on April 2 after an injury, went 6-0-0 with a .930 save percentage, and allowed 10 goals in six games.

There was no better goaltender in the NHL during the same stretch.

Sunday, he was the better netminder, as the Golden Knights continued their winning ways under coach John Tortorella, who took over the team March 29, after Bruce Cassidy was fired.

Ironically, in Cassidy's first season with the Knights, he led them to a Stanley Cup after keeping once-starter goalie Logan Thompson in the press box as a healthy scratch during the playoffs and needed to turn to Adin Hill after Laurent Brossoit got injured.

Now, Tortorella has given Hill's net to Hart. And not because Vegas' $6 million goaltender is hurt, but because Hart has outplayed him - and deserves the starting role.

Tortorella was the coach of the Flyers when Hart was stopping pucks in Philly, so there is familiarity. Perhaps that's provided added confidence for both of them.

One, the incoming coach who took over a very talented team that needed a swift kick in the hockey pads with eight games in the regular season.

And two, the young netminder who's been through a lot off the ice, and simply needed to know there is someone who believes in him genuinely.

Aside from Vegas' offense coming around, there's no doubt the goaltending has been the biggest difference.

In Hill's lone start under Tortorella, he took the L in a 4-3 shootout loss at Seattle.

Tortorella has acknowledged he has two quality goaltenders in the locker room, but it's Hart's growth and maturity that have given him the pipes at this point.

"I had him there for a couple of years in Philly, and I watched him grow from the first time I stepped into Philly, and then he had to step out of the league, but I watched how he was growing," Tortorella said. "The greatest compliment I can give to Carter is preparation. That goaltending position, the coaches stay out of it. He has a position coach in (Sean) Burkey, so we stay out of it.

"But I do watch how he prepares. He's one of the guys who leaves no stone unturned. He gets focused. And I think he's mature. I think he's matured mentally. Sometimes we always look at these young kids and you talk about their physical growth, it's more mental. And I think he's really matured that way, and has certainly ... after his injury, found his way to get some good minutes under his belt as we enter the series."

After turning in good minutes in Game 1, it's quite clear who deserves the net at this point.

Like it or not.

�� Round 1, Game 1 POSTGAME SOUND: Smith, Barbashev, Dowd, Sissons & Tortorella🎥 Round 1, Game 1 POSTGAME SOUND: Smith, Barbashev, Dowd, Sissons & TortorellaCole Smith, Ivan Barbashev, Nic Dowd, Colton Sissons and Head Coach John Tortorella speak to the media following Sunday’s game against the Utah Mammoth at T-...

PHOTO CAPTION

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart (79) makes a save as Utah Mammoth right wing Dylan Guenther (11) falls in the crease during the second period of game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena.

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NBA Announces Chet Holmgren as Defensive Player of the Year Finalist

Apr 19, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) gestures after scoring against the Phoenix Suns in the second quarter during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The most elite defenders of the NBA’s 2025-26 season include San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, Detroit Pistons guard Ausar Thompson, and Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren.

Holmgren is coming off an NBA All-Star appearance for the first time in his young career. He’s on the chase for a second-straight NBA championship, becoming the fourth Zag to win an NBA title last summer (Los Angeles Lakers’ Adam Morrison in 2009 and 2010, Miami Heat’s Ronny Turiaf in 2012, and San Antonio Spurs’ Austin Daye in 2014).

Through 69 starts for the Thunder, the 7-1 talent averaged 17.1 points on a shooting split of 55.7 percent from the field, 36.2 percent on three-pointers, and 79.2 percent at the charity stripe. His 8.9 rebounds per game rank tied for No. 11 in the NBA, while his 1.9 blocks per game are tied for No. 2. StatMuse lists a defensive rating of 104.1 for the world’s up-and-coming basketball star.

At the start of the first round of the 2o26 NBA Playoffs, No. 8-seeded Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks made it clear he was going to annoy No. 1-seeded Oklahoma City’s man in the middle during the entirety of the series. Holmgren got the last laugh in Game 1’s 119-84 victory, dropping 16 points on 5-10 shooting, seven rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.

Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho