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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).

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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

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Game One? Game Won! Golden Knights Kick Off Postseason Comeback Win Over Mammoth

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a different animal. Players can go an entire 82-game regular season without throwing a single hit; in the postseason, that’s downright unthinkable. Playoff hockey is known for tight checking, high emotion, and intense physicality. The Vegas Golden Knights are no strangers to that atmosphere, and it showed in their 4-2 victory over the Utah Mammoth.

Despite having a roster with little playoff experience, the Mammoth got to their game quickly and outshot the Golden Knights 11-9 in the first period. However, the Golden Knights boasted the lion’s share of scoring chances, generating 11 while holding Utah to 5.

The Mammoth broke the ice with just 11 seconds remaining in the first. Nate Schmidt found Logan Cooley all alone at the left dot, and Cooley one-timed it home.

In the second period, the Mammoth continued their solid play. They outshot the Golden Knights 11-10 and generated four high-danger scoring chances while holding Vegas to three.

The Golden Knights found the equalizer at 3:44 in the second. Brayden McNabb’s shot didn’t reach the net, but Cole Smith ended up with the puck. He fed a backhand pass to Colton Sissons, who crashed the net and banged it in.

The Mammoth regained the lead just 1:23 later. Carter Hart slid to the top of the crease to try to break up Kevin Stenlund’s pass for JJ Peterka in front. Instead, the puck took a hop into Kaedan Korczak, who mistakenly put it into his own net.

During the regular season, the Mammoth boasted a record of 29-2-2 when leading after two periods. But despite their regular-season record of 39-26-17, the Golden Knights were among the top teams in the league in time spent trailing, and tonight, that paid off. They played with composure and didn’t let the nature of Utah’s go-ahead goal rattle them.

“We didn't really pay attention to it,”said Ivan Barbashev postgame. “It's a tough bounce for our team and, of course, for our group. Our guys did a really good job of getting one back, on the power play, and especially the third goal by our fourth line. They've been outstanding today.”

Ivan Barbashev drew a penalty less than four minutes into the third period, and the Golden Knights scored on the ensuing power play.

Tomáš Hertl got a piece of Mitch Marner’s blast from the point, but Karel Vejmelka made the save. The puck kicked out to Mark Stone, who slammed the puck into the empty net.

The Golden Knights took their first lead of the night just 1:47 later. Nic Dowd picked off MacKenzie Weegar’s pass and played it to Colton Sissons, who cut around Nick Schmaltz and passed back to Noah Hanifin at the point. Dowd presented his stick as he cut down the middle of the ice, and Hanifin hit him with a shot-pass for the go-ahead goal.

The Mammoth pushed back and outshot Vegas 10-6 in the remaining 12:40 of regulation. However, despite getting very little practice in the regular season, the Golden Knights knew how to play with a lead and limited them to just one high-danger chance.

The Mammoth tried to pull Karel Vejmelka for the extra attacker, but timed it poorly, and Ivan Barbashev hit the empty net with 1:39 remaining in regulation to give his team the 4-2 lead.

“I think our team is best when we play physical, and I think we showed that today,” said Ivan Barbashev following the 4-2 win. “It’s hard to play like that for 82 games. But when playoffs come, I think it matters, and I think it matters for our group.”

Three Takeaways of the Knight

1. Mark Stone’s franchise-leading 39th postseason goal changed everything for the Golden Knights. At the start of the third period, it looked like the Golden Knights were just trying to hold on for dear life. After Stone’s goal, however, it was all Vegas. They came in waves, and rode that momentum-high all the way to Nic Dowd’s game-winning goal.

2. Physicality ramps up in the playoffs, and very few players feed off of it quite like Ivan Barbashev. He was a wrecking ball tonight, recording eight hits and drawing the penalty that led to the game-tying goal.

“I think [Barbashev] is a good, honest player,” said Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella following the 4-2 win. “That’s what I like about him. He’ll run you over, he’ll take a hit, he’ll make a play, he’ll score a goal… I think he’s an incredible pro.”

3. It doesn’t matter how many games this series goes— it’s going to be physically taxing on whoever emerges victorious. The Golden Knights won that war tonight, recording 52 hits against Utah’s 30. There were post-whistle scrums all game, but it all culminated in one big extracurricular after Ivan Barbashev’s empty net goal, and again after the final horn.

And just think— this was only Game 1. Typically, tempers grow as the series progresses. This is going to be a very nasty series.

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Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

Curtis Jones sums up Liverpool’s approach, Eddie Howe’s transfer record under scrutiny and Tammy Abraham shows his worth

For Manchester City, Gianluigi Donnarumma has always been a case of risk and reward. Perhaps only Thibaut Courtois is as fine a shot-stopper as Italy’s Euro 2020 hero, though many goalkeepers are better with the ball at their feet. Claudio Bravo, let alone Ederson, would be unlikely to dither in the fashion that alerted Kai Havertz to the possibility of pressing City’s keeper as close as possible for Arsenal’s goal. Donnarumma was the signing who bucked the Pep Guardiola doctrines, and his goalkeeping has been crucial to City’s revival but such mistakes have always been part of the giant Italian’s makeup. Paris Saint-Germain would not meet his wage demands, and opted for Lille’s Lucas Chevalier, a better ball-player as an ill-starred replacement. Donnarumma smothered a good chance for Havertz in the second half. His big mistake, seconds after Rayan Cherki’s opener, did not, after all, become the key twist in the title race. John Brewin

Match report: Manchester City 2-1 Arsenal

Match report: Everton 1-2 Liverpool

Match report: Tottenham 2-2 Brighton

Match report: Chelsea 0-1 Manchester United

Match report: Newcastle 1-2 Bournemouth

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Golden Knights Muscle Their Way To 4-2 Victory Over Utah In Game 1 Of Opening Round

LAS VEGAS -- The Golden Knights successfully carried their regular-season ending momentum into the postseason by overcoming a two-goal deficit with three third-period goals for a 4-2 win over the Utah Mammoth in Game 1 of their opening round series.

Captain Mark Stone scored the equalizer with a power-play goal 5:33 into the third period, Nic Dowd fired the even-strength game-winner in at the 7:20 mark, and Ivan Barbashev put the game away with an empty-net goal with 1:39 remaining.

Vegas, which closed the regular season 7-0-1 after coach John Tortorella took over for fired Bruce Cassidy, also got a goal from Colton Sissons in the second period.

Goaltender Carter Hart continued his own personal hot streak by stopping 31 shots, including the only two Utah could manage during its lone power-play opportunity.

KEY MOMENT

The Mammoth could've seized momentum early in the game when Dylan Guenther had time and space in the low slot, but was stymied by Hart, whose pad save kept the game scoreless. While he had a handful of key stops throughout the game, especially down the stretch, it was the early save that likely instilled confidence for Hart and kept Utah from taking control just four minutes into the game.

KEY STAT

52-30 ... The Golden Knights held a major advantage with hits, almost doubling up the Mammoth in what was an extremely physical game. Utah came in with a bully-like mentality, hoping to make the first punch count, but Vegas responded, led by Keegan Kolesar (9) and Ivan Barbashev (8).

WHAT A KNIGHT

In a game where Vegas' big guns of Stone, Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner turned in a combined goal and assist, a supporting cast that included Sissons (1 goal, 1 assist) and Noah Hanifin (2 assists) contributed on the stat sheet. Sissons' play stood out most, with his first multi-point game since Feb. 25, when he had a goal and an assist during a 6-4 win in Los Angeles. Fun fact with Sissons: the Knights were 8-2 when he registered at least one point during the regular season and are now 1-0 in the postseason when he hits the stat sheet.

UP NEXT

The Golden Knights continue their best-of-seven playoff series with the Mammoth in Game 2 on Tuesday.

PHOTO CAPTION

Vegas Golden Knights center Colton Sissons (10) awaits a face off against the Utah Mammoth 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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Wembanyama stars for Spurs as Thunder & Celtics win

Victor Wembanyama, wearing a black San Antonio vest with a turquoise, pink, and orange stripe across the chest, punches his right fist in celebration and smiles
Victor Wembanyama (centre), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic have been nominated for the NBA's MVP award [Getty Images]

Victor Wembanyama starred on his NBA play-off debut as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Portland Trail Blazers 111-98.

Wembanyama, one of three contenders for the Most Valuable Player award, scored a game-high 35 points, including 21 in the first half, as the Spurs won game one of the best-of-seven series.

"It's good to get this one out of the way," the Frenchman said. "We just tried to do the things we've been doing all year and stay solid.

"There was pressure on us to win the first game, but it wasn't that much pressure if we just stayed to the plan."

Elsewhere, defending champions Oklahoma City Thunder and the Boston Celtics both made dominant starts to the post-season.

The Thunder - the number one seeds in the Western Conference - thrashed the Phoenix Suns 119-84, led by last year's Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who had 25 points, seven assists and four rebounds.

Jayson Tatum scored 25 points with 11 rebounds and seven assists - and Jaylen Brown added 26 points - as the second-seeded Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 123-91.

Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic stunned Eastern Conference top seeds Detroit Pistons 112-101 to take a 1-0 lead in their seven-game series.

Victory for the eighth-seeded Magic, who qualified for the play-offs via the play-in tournament, extends an unwelcome NBA record for the Pistons, who have not won a post-season game at home for 11 matches dating back to 2008.

Forward Paolo Banchero starred with 23 points, nine rebounds and four assists, to help the Magic overshadow Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham's play-off best haul of 39 points.

"[We] didn't come out with the right energy, gave them life early on," said Cunningham. "Then we had to deal with that for the rest of the game.

"There's no confidence drop from us. It's going to be a long, fun series."

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Wembanyama’s historic playoff debut leads Spurs to Game 1 win over Blazers

SAN ANTONIO, TX - APRIL 19: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs celebrates during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers during Round One Game One of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 19, 2026 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

If the lights felt brighter in San Antonio on Sunday night, it’s because they were. For the first time since 2019, playoff basketball returned to the Frost Bank Center, and the San Antonio Spurs didn’t just show up. They made a statement.

Behind a historic night from Victor Wembanyama and his supporting cast, the Spurs pulled away from the Portland Trail Blazers for a 111-98 Game 1 win of their first-round playoff series — a game that was closer than the final score suggests, but never truly out of San Antonio’s control.

“I thought we did a good job. I thought we had multiple efforts in transition and got organized,” Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson said of the Spurs’ defense. “I thought we had some great stretches defensively.”

This was supposed to be Wembanyama’s moment. It turned into something bigger. The 7-foot-4 phenom poured in 35 points, the most ever by a Spur in a playoff debut, setting the tone early and never letting it slip. He stretched the floor, protected the paint, and, most impressively, looked completely unfazed by the stage.

San Antonio didn’t need him to do everything. But when the game tilted, he made sure it didn’t fall.

The Spurs wasted little time asserting control. A quick surge, fueled by ball movement and Portland’s cold shooting, built an early double-digit cushion. But this is the NBA Playoffs, where leads are rarely kept, and teams don’t stay comfortable.

Portland punched back in the third quarter, trimming what had been a sizable deficit down to just two points, on an 8-0 run, briefly shifting the energy inside the arena. That’s when San Antonio showed something it’s been building all season: composure. Instead of unraveling, the Spurs responded with defense, timely shooting, and contributions across the roster: stretching the lead back to double digits heading into the fourth.

Wembanyama was the headline. The rest of the Spurs made sure it was a full story. Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox combined for 34 points while Devin Vassell and Luke Kornet brought energy and minutes to maintain momentum.

“During that stretch, Devin, Luke Kornet, and Julian all had plays,” Johnson said. “Those are the plays that are going to be needed in games like this. A lot more than the shot making, especially when teams are making runs and can dictate the circumstances of the game. I thought we responded great.”

The Trail Blazers didn’t go quietly. Deni Avdija delivered a standout performance with 30 points and 10 rebounds, while Scoot Henderson added 18. Apart from those two, Portland struggled to find consistency, especially from deep, and couldn’t sustain the pressure needed to flip the game.

Every time they threatened, San Antonio had an answer. Game 1 didn’t decide the series. But it clarified something. The Spurs aren’t just back in the playoffs, they look built for this stage. They have a generational centerpiece playing beyond his years, a backcourt that controls tempo, and a system that doesn’t crack under pressure.

“We’ve been really good in the regular season,” Wembanyama said. “So we have no reason to prepare or do anything differently. We obviously prepare for the series, and we have to beat them four times.”

Game 2 looms quickly, again in San Antonio on Tuesday. While there will be things to correct and tape to review, And now, the question shifts: Not whether the Spurs can win.

But how far this version of them can go.

Game Notes

  • If this is the version of Luke Kornet the Spurs will get in these playoffs (10 points, 6 rebounds), the non-Wemby minute will not be much of an issue for this Spurs team.
  • Mitch Johnson got a technical foul in the second half and he was (along with the crowd) were upset at the inconsistency of the calls. That will happen in the postseason and Johnson was smart enough to not let his team get in their heads about it.
  • So happy the Spurs fans wore the free T-shirts. “You should absolutely wear your shirt if you’re coming to the game,” Wembanyama said.
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Los Angeles hosts Houston with 1-0 series lead

Houston Rockets (52-30, fifth in the Western Conference) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (53-29, fourth in the Western Conference)

Los Angeles; Tuesday, 10:30 p.m. EDT

LINE: Rockets -4.5; over/under is 205.5

WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Lakers lead series 1-0

BOTTOM LINE: The Los Angeles Lakers host the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference first round with a 1-0 lead in the series. The Lakers won the last meeting 107-98 on Sunday, led by 27 points from Luke Kennard. Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with 19.

The Lakers are 33-19 in conference play. Los Angeles has an 8-3 record in games decided by 3 points or fewer.

The Rockets are 29-23 against Western Conference opponents. Houston ranks second in the Western Conference allowing only 110.0 points while holding opponents to 46.0% shooting.

The Lakers' 11.8 made 3-pointers per game this season are only 0.6 fewer made shots on average than the 12.4 per game the Rockets allow. The Rockets are shooting 47.9% from the field, 0.4% lower than the 48.3% the Lakers' opponents have shot this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Deandre Ayton is averaging 12.5 points and eight rebounds for the Lakers. LeBron James is averaging 18.3 points over the last 10 games.

Kevin Durant is averaging 26 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists for the Rockets. Amen Thompson is averaging 18.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.9 steals over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Lakers: 7-3, averaging 113.2 points, 41.0 rebounds, 28.5 assists, 9.6 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 53.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.0 points per game.

Rockets: 8-2, averaging 121.5 points, 47.8 rebounds, 28.1 assists, 8.1 steals and 5.3 blocks per game while shooting 48.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.2 points.

INJURIES: Lakers: Austin Reaves: out (rib), Luka Doncic: out (hamstring).

Rockets: Kevin Durant: day to day (knee), Fred VanVleet: out for season (acl), Steven Adams: out for season (ankle).

___

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

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Noah Clowney season retrospective — Encouraging or disappointing?

Evan Bernstein/Getty Images

In his lone season at the University of Alabama, Noah Clowney shot 28.3% from deep on 7.2 attempts per 100 possessions. Through three NBA seasons (135 appearances), Clowney is shooting 33.2% on 10.7 3-pointers per 100 possessions. In 2025-26, Clowney played more NBA minutes than in his first two seasons combined, shooting 32.9% from deep on just under 11 attempts per 100 possessions.

You’d expect increased efficiency from a teenager with sudden access to NBA-level shooting instruction, but Clowney also takes a ton of threes, a skill by itself. Though he is 6’10”, Clowney doesn’t have the quickest release, bulked up before this past season, has to work through frequent slumps, and is entirely reliant on his teammates to set him up with catch-and-shoot opportunities. And he still gets ‘em up.

I think this Clowney quote from December is mostly alluding to that skill, a skill that, not coincidentally, Jordi Fernández often praises: “I think my problem was at a time where I would be too worried about how I looked from the outside. I don’t really care no more, because I had to realize the only people whose opinion I really care about and how I’m playing is my teammates and coaching staff that have seen me the whole summer.”

That perspective from the 21-year-old is easy to understand. There are plenty of 2-of-8 nights, who hopefully doesn’t see his mentions on social media, full of irate fans demanding he stops hoisting them up. But he has to keep shooting. Through two seasons as the Nets’ head coach, Fernández’s biggest pet peeve seems to be when players turn down open looks.

So clearly, Clowney has gotten better as a 3-point shooter since Brooklyn drafted him in June 2023. Not every young player can make the statistical shooting leap Egor Dëmin made from NCAA -> NBA, but Clowney’s improvement is commendable. Is it enough?

Noah Clowney is no longer a mysterious prospect. Two years ago, he was exceptionally young, wiry, and possessed a few tools that didn’t add up to a clear player archetype. After spending most of his rookie season with Long Island, he played a few games for Brooklyn at the end of an otherwise miserable 2023-24 season and had bunch of fun flashes, including a game with seven blocks!

The mystery is no longer. After some trial-and-error while surveying the wider NBA landscape, Brooklyn has landed on a preferred role for Clowney. He is a wing, expected to launch catch-and-shoot threes and accept a variety of defensive assignments, aided by a 7’2” wingspan that now exceeds the norm for his position.

I feel rotten typing such a cliché, but outside shooting truly is his swing skill, and low 30s percentages aren’t good enough. Per Synergy Sports, about 43% of his usage comes from spot-up situations, which includes opportunities where he drives to the basket. That’s an 88th percentile mark league-wide. Nearly 58% of his total field-goal attempts are catch-and-shoot jumpers, an 82nd percentile mark.

Clowney made noticeable strength + physicality improvements over last summer. He drew plenty of free-throws and had a couple wow moments on drives this season…

Still, Clowney is not going to be a dribble-handoff hub, nor a rim-rolling big. He also doesn’t have the handle to initiate much offense by himself. And that’s okay — not every 6’10” player, even in 2026, has to be a ball-handler…

But what does he excel at?. He’s made a couple nice drive-and-kick passes, but there’s not a ton of playmaking potential to write home about. He is a below-average offensive rebounder, grabbing 4.1% of available misses in his career and 3.2% this season. Per Stathead, 86 players at least 6’9” tall played at least 800 minutes this season; Clowney ranked 79th in offensive rebounding.

Can that be blamed partly on Brooklyn’s scheme, over-emphasizing transition defense? Is it because Clowney is always stationed at the 3-point line (though many teams crash hard from the corners and wings)? One league decision-maker views it as a motor issue, calling him “so soft defensively” before adding, “I just hate his casual demeanor. No intensity to him. Even though I like his game.”

I don’t really buy that. It’s more of a frame issue. Again, the 21-year-old only put on any real muscle before this 2025-26 season, and he has a high center-of-gravity without much burst to begin with. That being said, if Noah is the third-biggest Net on the court, he’s a fine defensive rebounder. This is fairly arbitrary, but judging by Cleaning The Glass’ positional designations, he would have been a 90th percentile defensive rebounder among “wings” this season, in the 60th percentile among “forwards,” and in the 25th percentile among “bigs.”

It helps explain Brooklyn’s evolving philosophy under Jordi Fernández. Recall that Clowney only entered the starting lineup in November once Cam Thomas, of all players, went down with injury. Fernández then assigned Clowney plenty of tough perimeter matchups; in one three-game stretch, his primary assignments were Kevin Porter Jr., then LaMelo Ball, then Josh Giddey. If nothing else, Brooklyn has done a great job of stress-testing Clowney’s abilities since drafting him.

It could be the many ankle injuries he suffered last season, it could be the extra muscle he added, but I found Noah to be a bit less explosive this season, both laterally and vertically. You see it on this closeout vs. KAT…

Despite shot-blocking wizardry in a small rookie sample, Clowney has been an unremarkable defender since then. He has a big help-side block every couple games, but it’s tough to say he’s a difference-maker either down low or on the perimeter, even if he is passable in most regular-season games.

In his third NBA season — his first with a full workload — Brooklyn greatly benefitted from Clowney’s insertion into the lineup. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Nets were 3.5 points per 100 possessions better with Clowney on the court, largely due to better 3-point shooting, better defensive rebounding, and fouling less. Some luck? Proof of concept that Clowney is a real, if unorthodox, wing prospect? It’s not nothing.

Which brings us back to the shooting. He’s made improvements, but there has to be another leap in there. By the end of the season, far more opponents were daring Clowney to shoot, particularly on above-the-break attempts.

“I shot pretty well from the corners, above the break not as much,” said Clowney at his exit interview. “It was some other stats that I found interesting, but for the most part, it boiled down to my shot selection. When I shot good shots, a lot of the time they went in. But a lot of times I make one, I might shoot something crazy, because I feel like I’m going.”

I worry that the effectiveness of his drives is going to dip if defenders respect him less, but clearly, Brooklyn’s line between good and bad 3-point shots is thin. This quote signals to me that Fernández & co. want Clowney to keep driving hard, even if defenders sag off. The third-year pro shot under 60% at the rim this season, like last season, but that doesn’t tell half of the story.

Clowney posted a .355 free-throw rate (meaning he took .355 free-throws for every field-goal attempt) in 2025-26 a preposterous rate for someone with his offensive duties…

Said Clowney: “I worked on it, and I kind of did it a whole lot more, so I was bound to get better at it. With that being said, I drew fouls, I was good at that, but when they didn’t foul me, sometimes I struggled to finish. Sometimes I get caught on one foot … things like that, I can get better at.”

The native South Carolinian has always been honest about his game. Here’s how he describes his season as a whole: “I progressed this year, maybe not as much as I wanted to, but I got better at some different things, and I got more experience. So I take that for what it is. You know, I got to gel more with the group that’s probably going to be around for a while.”

Outside of the five first-round picks, he was the youngest player on the youngest team in the NBA. But it’s already time to talk extension for Clowney; the deadline is just before next season tips off. It’s worth noting that the Nets did not extend sign former first-round picks Day’Ron Sharpe and Ziaire Williams to rookie extensions in the summer/fall of 2024, but signed both of them to two-year deals (with a team option) the following summer. Could Clowney be in for a similar fate?

It’s still a bit early for those talks, but the lanky wing is an interesting case. For a #21 overall pick, he’s progressed nicely through three years … but enough?

The Nets want to win some games next season without gutting their long-term assets. If another front office likes Clowney, I wouldn’t hesitate to include him in a trade for a player that helps Brooklyn reach relevancy in 2026-27. But assuming he’s back in the borough, it’ll be a prove-it season for Clowney. If Jordi Fernández doesn’t trust him to help the Nets compete, there’s far less incentive to play him 27 minutes per game, as he did this season.

In other words, Noah Clowney is already at an inflection point in his career. Time flies, doesn’t it?