Sunday 19th April 2026

Aston Villa v Sunderland – Premier League

Villa Park – Kick-Off: 14:00

Tickets & Match Coverage

Tickets: Tickets are sold out.

TV/Stream: Full live match coverage is available on Sky Sports.

Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online)

Don’t forget to follow the blow-by-blow account of the game on the Roker Report Twitter feed (@RokerReport) and check out the player ratings after the full-time whistle at www.RokerReport.sbnation.com!

The build-up…

Considering how brilliant a season it’s been, I was a bit surprised when I realised that after beating Spurs last Sunday, it was only the second time this season that we had won in successive games in the Premier League. The only previous time we managed this feat was the back end of October, when we beat Wolves at home then went and beat Chelsea in the big smoke.

Since suffering defeat at the Stadium of Light against Fulham in late February, we’ve seen the return of some of that early-season form. That defeat meant we’d lost five of seven games but since then, we’ve seemingly gone back to what we do well, with the solid foundations of our structure combining with getting the big moments right when they come along.

The five games since contain a blip in terms of the loss against Brighton on our own patch, but away performances at Bournemouth, Leeds and up the road was backed up with picking up three points last Sunday against Spurs — which ended up as a fairly convincing win, taking the chances on both sides into account.

The stats aren’t on our side when looking at goals — which apparently win games. Only Wolves have scored fewer on the road than we have this season and only Citeh, Arsenal and ourselves have conceded fewer on home soil. But, not many people gave us a chance at Elland Road under the lights or at St James’, where it was assumed they would get revenge.

In terms of incentive, Liverpool have a small matter of a Merseyside derby kicking off at the same time as we do — and if they lose that and we manage to claim maximum points, the gap to a Champions League place is reduced to three points. Food for thought.

It’s been around three-and-a-half years that Unai Emery has been in charge at Villa Park now, and he hasn’t done bad. The Spaniard took over from Steven Gerrard in late October 2022 with Villa three places and three points above the drop after twelve games, and they ended up finishing 7th.

This resulted in European football for Aston Villa for the first time since 2010-11, which was also the last time they had finished in the top half of the Premier League before the arrival of Emery. They bettered that in his second season, finishing 4th (which brought Champions League football to Villa Park), and then 6th last season.

So, five games into this season, questions were asked when Villa hadn’t won in their first five games of the season and performances matched the points on the board. The final game of that sequence was the draw at the Stadium of Light and after that draw, they won twelve out of the next thirteen fixtures.

This saw them rocket up the table to the point where they were considered to be in the title race during the festive season. But since the final game of 2025 — which ended up a 4-1 defeat at Arsenal — Emery’s side have won just four out of fourteen games, which has slightly gone under the radar on a national level. Most recently, they are on a run of one win in the last six.

With just six games remaining however, Villa are quite comfortably in the top four, with a seven point gap between themselves and Chelsea in 6th, so something would have to go spectacularly wrong for Villa fans to once again not to have Champions League football to look forward to.

The betting…

The bookies have the Lads at 4/1 to win the game. Villa are 13/20 to take all three points, and the draw is 27/10.

Head to head…at Villa Park

(All competitions)

• Sunderland wins: 16
• Draws: 20
• Villa wins: 58
• Sunderland goals: 107
• Villagoals: 183

Last time we met…at Villa Park

Tuesday 21st November 2017

Championship

Aston Villa 2-1 Sunderland

Sunderland: Ruiter, Matthews, O’Shea, Browning, Oviedo, McManaman (Asoro), Gibson (Robson), Honeyman, McGeady, Gooch (Vaughan), Grabban

Substitutes not used: Steele, Love, Galloway, Beadling

Aston Villa: Johnstone, Hutton, Taylor, Whelan (Jedinak), Samba, Chester, Snodgrass, Hourihane, Davis (Grealish), Onomah, Adomah (Elmohamady)

Substitutes not used: Steer, De Laet, Bjarnason, Lansbury

Attendance: 27,662

Prediction…

Aston Villa 0-0 Sunderland

They’re not at their best, going on recent form, and I reckon we’ve got a bit of momentum, so I’m going for a goalless draw.

Martin Wanless predicts…

Score prediction: Villa 1 Sunderland 1

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Brian Brobbey

After an excellent result last Sunday, we have a tough test against a Villa side who’ve done well after a tough start to the season and a midweek European game.

The Spurs head-loss has distracted from our good performance but that’s fine in my book — Brobbey will be the focus of attention and he’ll respond with the opening goal in a tight draw.

‘The Champion’ Malc Dugdale predicts…

Score prediction: Villa 0 Sunderland 0

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: N/A

After scrapping to two wins in a row I think the Lads will be happy with an away draw today.

Villa are in a rich vein of form and anything other than a loss at Villa Park would be a great top up to the six points taken from the Mags and Spurs.

Park the bus, Régis, and let’s head home with seven from nine and keep the charge for the fringes of Europe going.

Better than that and we’re really shooting for Europe!

Jack Howe-Gingell predicts…

Score prediction: Villa 1 Sunderland 2

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Brian Brobbey

After completing a back to back wins over the Mags and the ‘Mags of the South’, we come up against tough opposition in Aston Villa.

They’re flying high in fourth place after another impressive season — although just a solitary win in their last five gives us some reason for hope. This coupled with their Thursday night European action will mean tired legs and tired minds.

The lads will be full of beans, and I think they can go to Villa Park without fear. Yes, they’re clearly a good side but we’ve played plenty of them this season and it’s rare that we’re bowled over.

We’ll snatch it with some physical play and take another three points to help our outside chance of European football next season.

Will Jones predicts…

Score prediction: Villa 1 Sunderland 1

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Chemsdine Talbi

A tough away trip but one we can get something from.

Both teams need the win to keep their respective European dreams alive. Villa will more than likely have more of the ball and carry a big threat — especially at home — but hopefully their game on Thursday has tired them out.

I believe that if we’re at the races and organised, we can keep it tight and make it frustrating.

Talbi to nick ours, and a point would do nicely to keep us ticking over.

Matty Foster predicts…

Score prediction: Villa 2 Sunderland 1

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Brian Brobbey

After back-to-back wins against the Hosts and Spurs, we face a strong Villa side, flying in the league and Europe.

They have aspirations to potentially finish in the top three, so have lots to play for.

I reckon we’ll make it tough for them, especially with tired legs from the European escapades. A point would be one to be savoured; however, I do think they’ll have too much for us today.

We just have to give the best account of ourselves and whatever will be will be.

Anthony Gair predicts…

Score prediction: Villa 0 Sunderland 2

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Brian Brobbey

Bad news, everyone: I’m feeling positive this week. I think we’re riding the crest of a Derby win wave, and Villa aren’t at their best.

We’ve timed playing them very well this season, and we’ll wallop them — giving Sky Sports News something to talk about.

This is the game where people actually start to take notice of what we’re capable of, and that puts us sixth in the table. Champions League, here we come!

Gary Winter predicts…

Score prediction: Villa 1 Sunderland 1

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Brian Brobbey

With the return of Robin Roefs, Nordi Mukiele and Reinildo, I quite fancy us to get a result at Villa, as they gave us a proper foundation again against Spurs.

Villa are in a poor patch of form in the league and are hopefully a little jaded from their Europa League quarter-final second leg on Thursday night. Also, we’ve had quite a decent record over the years at Villa Park and were really quite comfortable against a struggling Spurs side who really should’ve shown more, given the trouble they’re in.

Brobbey was an absolute nightmare for Spurs to deal with last weekend. I expect more of the same, and he can get a goal for us on the road. I wouldn’t be surprised if we stole three points here, but I’m going conservative and would happily take one.

Brett Lyons-Davis predicts…

Score prediction: Villa 1 Sunderland 1

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Enzo Le Fée

A peek behind the curtain: we need to get these in before 7:00pm Thursday an hour before Villa play their quarter-final. Hopefully it’s gone to extra time and they’ve a load of injuries (No such luck, Brett!).

Whatever happens, this will be a tough one. They’ve had a great season and are pushing to get into the Champions League — either via Europe or the league — and as it stands, could do both.

We’ll go into the match with a spring in our step having beaten the Mags and Spurs, but let’s be honest: they’re crap and my daughter’s U11 team would give them a good game — and they only play nine-a-side! Spurs are also rubbish and will be playing Championship football next season.

A point would be a great result in my eyes, and Le Fée will be the man to get us off the mark.

Last time out…

It was another three points on International Fans’ Day Weekend. against a Spurs side that didn’t really step up to the level that was needed given their situation.

Although the goal which decided it was the result of a deflection, there was only one team who it seemed would win — even if narrowly — and that was The Lads. A much-deserved win in front of fans we all shared beers with on Friday after travelling the world to see the beloved red and white wizards.

A great notch for Nordi Mukiele too, who I’m told is likely to be the best-scoring defender on ‘Fantasy League’ if he carries on like this. What a find.

Last game predictions…

Five of the lads went for a win but only Matty got the score bang on and nobody went for Mukiele to get the winner, which isn’t a massive shock.

Nothing for Will, Gary or Anth, who went for a draw or worse. Hindsight says they are miles off, but who would’ve said in July that we would take four from six against Spurs, and we really may have won at their place too.

Crazy season, this!

Predictions table and standings

Malc extends his lead to two points at the top, and at the other end, our Anth was grafting so hard he submitted his prediction late twice in a month, so he ended up two points worse off — way may tag him ‘Gair Wednesday’ going forward.

Matty’s three-pointer pulled him into level fifth and Anth is now needing a Spurs-esque escape plan to win anything other than the wooden spoon.

How the points are awarded

Just a quick reminder of how we allocate points to our match-by-match predictions:

• Correct score = Three points
• Correct outcome (but not correct score) = One point
• Correct first Sunderland goalscorer = One point (no goalscorer is a valid call)
• Possible deductions for being lazy and not submitting on time = a two-point deduction.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Tomás Chancalay scored his first goal of the season and added an assist, Kelvin Yeboah had a goal for the second consecutive game, and Minnesota United beat the Portland Timbers 2-0 on Saturday night.

The Timbers (2-5-1) — who beat Los Angeles FC 2-1 last time out to snap a five-game unbeaten streak — have lost five of their last seven.

Minnesota (4-2-2) has won three in a row and is unbeaten in four straight following a 6-0 defeat — the worst loss in club history — to Vancouver on March 15.

Chancalay gave Minnesota a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute. Jefferson Diaz, along the right end line, passed the ball to Chancalay for a rising finish from the right edge of the penalty arc the slipped past the outstretched arm of goalkeeper James Pantemis and inside the back post.

Chancalay, on the counter-attack, ran onto a long ball-ahead played by Joaquín Pereyra and then rolled a cross from the left side of the area to a charging Yeboah for the finish into a wide-open net from point-blank range that made it 2-0 in the 60th minute.

Pantemis finished with five saves.

Minnesota's Drake Callender finished with two saves and had his third shutout this season.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer

On 19 April 1976, Sunderland AFC clinched only their second ever promotion, courtesy of a 2-1 win over Bolton Wanderers.

It was an occasion that some had feared would never come, such was our mediocre league form in the seasons that immediately followed relegation in 1970, but FA Cup success under Bob Stokoe in 1973 brought new hope and whilst there was to be a couple of “so near, yet so far” episodes thereafter, things finally fell into place on the back of a fantastic home record.

Unbeaten at Roker Park in the league during 1975/1976, one of the quirks of the campaign was that the only two teams able to come away with anything, in the shape of hard-fought 1-1 draws were the two Bristol clubs — Rovers and City.

It was somewhat ironic, therefore, that exactly a year before promotion was confirmed the latter had been the final visitors to Wearside for 1974/1975, a season that gave a good indication that the patience of the supporters was close to being rewarded.

The Lads were in the race throughout but their progress was somewhat hampered by a series of draws.

Goals from Viv Busby that brought a home loss to mid-table Fulham at the end of February — the final league reverse in SR6 for 17 months — were to prove costly but there was still a chance of going up when the Robins arrived for the penultimate fixture.

Going up against the visitors would be Dave Watson and Bobby Kerr — both of whom had been injury doubts in the build-up — plus Rod Belfitt, who was brought into the starting eleven due to Vic Halom suffering from a knee complaint.

Heavy rain earlier in the day meant that a slick surface ideal for passing football greeted the two sides and after losing the toss, Alan Dick’s men were invited to attack the Fulwell End in the first half — yet most of the early action was down at the other end.

Joe Bolton was the first to threaten for Sunderland with a long-range attempt that flew just wide, and he would end the half with an ever better shot to nudge the hosts ahead.

In between those incidents both Pop Robson and Belfitt had chances blocked, whilst City’s best opening led to Ivor Emanuel striking the base of the post. Whereas the ball bounced out to safety that time, Bolton, who’d picked the ball up and driven towards goal from deep, then saw his long-range blast clip the woodwork and go into the net.

Although they’d been comfortable in the first half, Sunderland struggled to build on their advantage after the break. Perhaps feeling a degree of nervousness, they let City in a couple of times with some sloppy defending, and when future Roker arrival Tom Ritchie broke through, it needed some brave goalkeeping from Jimmy Montgomery to keep it at 1-0.

It wasn’t until the final half an hour that Stokoe’s outfit regained some composure, and a brilliant finish from Robson after he had controlled a long ball from Watson helped settle things down.

Although Bolton was booked alongside Gerry Sweeney for his involvement in a flare up on the edge of their area, with about ten minutes left Sunderland were otherwise able to see things out with the minimum of fuss.

Belfitt rounded things off nicely when a Billy Hughes shot was blocked and he climbed up to nod the spinning ball under the bar, but whilst the goal was merely a bonus for the Lads ahead of a crunch trip to Aston Villa in a weeks’ time, it pretty much killed off any lingering City hopes of getting into the First Division.

In the end, a defeat at Villa Park plus results elsewhere meant that Sunderland would have to try again before they were able to climb out of Division Two.

Things were looking promising however, with the squad enjoying a period of stability – only 18 players were used across 1974/1975 and five of them — Hughes, Bobby Kerr, Dick Malone, Bobby Moncur and Robson — were ever-presents.

It gave Stokoe a strong base to work from, and twelve months later, the party was at last able to begin.  

Saturday 19 April 1975

Football League Division Two

Roker Park

Attendance: 30,530

Sunderland 3 (Bolton 44’, Robson 64’, Belfitt 88’)

Bristol City 0

Sunderland: Montgomery, Malone, Guthrie; Moncur, Watson, Bolton; Kerr, Hughes, Belfitt; Robson, Towers

Unused: Ashurst

---

Blue Jays' Nathan Lukes has been playing through vertigo originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Nathan Lukes got off to an abysmal start to the 2026 MLB season for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Turns out he was playing through vertigo.

According to Sportsnet's Arden Zwelling, Lukes was "recently diagnosed" with the condition.

"Nathan Lukes, 3-for-32 to begin the season, has been experiencing intermittent dizziness and nausea since spring training," Zwelling wrote on X. "He was recently diagnosed with vertigo. Blue Jays medical staff cleared Lukes to continue playing and coaching staff trusted him to battle through it."

Lukes saw a specialist in Arizona on Friday, according to Zwelling, and has said he is feeling better.

It's still, from the outside, an odd situation.

What is vertigo?

"Vertigo can cause an unusual sensation in which it feels as if your surroundings are in motion when still," Zwelling wrote on X. "Makes it difficult to shift visual focus from one spot to another quickly and track moving objects. Explains Lukes’ 44% chase rate, an extreme outlier for his career."

MORE: This Blue Jays prospect is related to an NBA Hall of Famer

Hitting is hard enough with full functionality of your senses. Major league pitchers are ridiculously talented.

Lukes has clearly not been right, and now the Blue Jays know why. It's just very bizarre that it took this long to figure out what was going on, and to think that Toronto has just been putting Lukes out there while he could hardly handle the task at hand.

The hope is clearly that he gets better from here on out and can return to a better place on the field.

But the fact that he's been out there all along while this was going on is going to remain an oddity as the season goes along.

More MLB news:

• Explaining the absurdity of 2 MLB players named Max Muncy
• This hitter has a worse OBP than his batting average
• Red Sox green uniforms have absurd walk-off magic
• This slider is really good and moves the entirely wrong direction
• This second-generation relief pitcher is on an absurd wins pace

It’s MATCHDAY! The red and white wizards are heading down to Aston Villa to take on Unai Emery’s side, and we’ve got all of the build up ahead of the game.

Join Martin, Bomber and Andrew as they have the crack about:

Sunderland’s chances of picking up a point or three

Will Dan Ballard come straight back into the side?

Will Rigg keep his place?

How good have Aston Villa actually been this season?

All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never miss another episode of our free daily show.

Want to get in touch with us? You can drop us an email at HawayThePodcastSAFC@Gmail.com, or you can contact us via social media – we’re @RokerReport on almost every platform. For your daily SAFC fan-written content, head over to⁠RokerReport.SBNation.com 

⁠

DENVER (AP) — Jamal Murray scored 30 points, going 16 of 16 from the free-throw line, and Nikola Jokic had a triple-double as the Denver Nuggets shook off a sluggish start to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-105 on Saturday in the opener of their first-round playoff series.

Jokic had 25 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists and a bloody nose in a physical game between the Northwest Division foes. There were 42 fouls called, along with an unsportsmanlike technical on Jaden McDaniels for pushing Jokic in the back and a technical on Nuggets coach David Adelman.

Denver has won 13 straight since losing on March 18.

Murray and the Nuggets trailed by as many as 12 points early, but used a 17-2 run in the third quarter to build a double-digit lead. The Timberwolves, who were held scoreless for more than four minutes at one point in the third, trimmed the deficit to 97-95 with 6:23 left.

Jokic had a five-point stretch to hold off Minnesota. Murray had one of the biggest shots of the game from halfcourt. With the shot clocking winding down, he heaved it at the hoop and it grazed the rim to reset the clock. It eventually led to a dunk from Aaron Gordon that gave Denver a 108-101 lead with 1:50 left. Gordon had 17 points despite early foul trouble.

Game 2 is Monday night.

Anthony Edwards scored 22 points while playing on a sore right knee. Donte DiVincenzo had four 3-pointers.

CAVALIERS 126, RAPTORS 113

CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points, Max Strus had 24 off the bench and Cleveland defeated Toronto in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

James Harden had 22 points and 10 assists while Evan Mobley had 17 and seven rebounds for fourth-seeded Cleveland, which hosts Game 2 on Monday night.

Mitchell has scored at least 30 points in an NBA-record nine straight series openers.

RJ Barrett scored 24 points and Scottie Barnes had 21 for the Raptors, who were playing in their first playoff game since 2022. Toronto was missing point guard Immanuel Quickley because of a mild right hamstring strain.

Jamal Shead started in place of Quickley and had 17 points, including five 3-pointers.

Barrett’s 3-pointer pulled the Raptors to within 45-41 before Cleveland broke it open with a 27-9 run over the last 1:11 of the second quarter and first seven minutes of the third.

Strus scored 11 points during the spurt and made all three of his 3-pointers as the Cavaliers went 10 of 16 from the floor, including 5 of 8 beyond the arc.

KNICKS 113, HAWKS 102

NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 28 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 19 of his 25 in the second half and New York beat Atlanta in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference playoff series.

OG Anunoby added 18 points and Josh Hart had 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Knicks in their first postseason game under Mike Brown after making four trips in five years under Tom Thibodeau, capped by their first trip to the Eastern Conference finals since 2000 last year.

The No. 3 seed in the East again this season hosts Game 2 on Monday night.

CJ McCollum had 26 points and Jalen Johnson added 23 for the Hawks, who went 20-6 after the All-Star break to earn the No. 6 seed.

Brunson, who already owns the Knicks’ record with eight 40-point games in the postseason, was almost halfway to another in the first quarter. He made his first six shots and had 19 points as the Knicks led 30-24. McCollum had 12 points in the second as Atlanta cut it to 57-55.

Brunson didn’t do as much in the second half, but Towns took over after he was just 1 for 6 for six points at the break.

The teams got off to sizzling starts, with the Knicks opening 8 for 9 and Atlanta starting 6 for 7, before play eventually slowed to a crawl in the third quarter. McCollum was reviewed for a hostile act and called for a technical foul after kicking his leg up on a jumper into Brunson’s groin area, and the Hawks twice intentionally fouled backup center Mitchell Robinson, and the poor foul shooter went 1 for 4.

By the time the Hawks got going again, it was too late.

LAKERS 107, ROCKETS 98

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luke Kennard scored a career playoff-high 27 points, LeBron James had 19 points and 13 assists, and short-handed Los Angeles capitalized on Kevin Durant’s injury absence for a victory over Houston in the opener of their first-round playoff series.

Deandre Ayton had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the fourth-seeded Lakers, who pulled off an impressive win without their top two scorers.

Both teams played the opener without their most important player. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have been out indefinitely with injuries since April 2, while Durant was a late scratch with a bruised right knee.

Los Angeles thrived by hitting 60.6% of its shots while holding the Rockets to 37.6% shooting with pesky defense.

Alperen Sengun scored 19 points and Jabari Smith Jr. had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the fifth-seeded Rockets, who finished one game behind Los Angeles in the regular season. Amen Thompson added 17 points, but Houston’s young core got off to an inconsistent start after becoming the firm favorite in this series due to the Lakers’ injury woes.

Game 2 is Tuesday night in Los Angeles.

Chivas took out on Puebla the thrashing they suffered at El Volcán and handed them a painful 5-0 defeat at Akron Stadium. 

The Red-and-Whites took the lead in the first half with two goals. Bryan González opened the scoring with a stunner, and Ricardo Marín doubled the advantage six minutes later. 

But the lead before halftime was not enough, and Gabriel Milito’s side returned to the pitch to put the match to bed. 

Brian Gutiérrez, Bryan González with a brace, and Hugo Camberos led the second-half celebration to give Chivas fans a night of joy.

The win allows Chivas to pull away at the top with 34 points, while Puebla sinks to the bottom part of the table with 13. 

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

Is Johnny Dawkins building the next Big 12 powerhouse? Master P visits UCF, could be next GM originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Johnny Dawkins has spent the last ten years as head coach of the UCF Knights basketball program and his hard work is starting to pay off. After back-to-back 20-win seasons in Orlando, which included an NCAA Tournament appearance last season, the encore might be sweeter to watch.

As the transfer portal heats up across the country, there was one visit to UCF's campus this past week that was noteworthy. However, it wasn't a player checking out what's next for the Knights. Percy 'Master P' Miller was seen on campus with Dawkins, which adds speculation to why he was there? Could he be the next general manager for UCF basketball? If so, this would be huge news for the Knights and the City of Orlando.  

The director of basketball operations and assistant coach for the University of New Orleans is leaving the post in his hometown on July 1st after the school is being moved under the LSU system

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Master P (@masterp)

Miller took on the position at UNO in the wake of a point-shaving scandal and showed immediate results with a roster of handpicked talent. The Privateers nearly quadrupled the win total from the 2024-25 season, including a win over TCU in the opener.

As for UCF, there might be a need for someone like Miller to guide the program into the depths of the NIL era. Outside his successful career as a musician, he's deeply immersed as an entrepreneur in multiple business ventures. With athletic programs now being used as big-time marketing arms of most Power Four universities, some unconventional methods need to be applied. Miller's business and marketing sense mixed with Dawkins' coaching ability would put UCF on the map in the Big 12.

More:What $1 million will buy in today's college basketball NIL market

If that's the case, it might be perfect timing as well. Chris Wash resigned from his role as UCF basketball's general manager and special assistant to Dawkins back in January. Miller might be looking for his next move. We'll see if that's the case or not. Regardless, this is an interesting bit of news from Orlando.

More college basketball news:

• Two fans ejected from NCAA Tournament after bringing FAFO energy, lose $6
• NCAA basketball tournament reportedly expanding to 76 teams: What to know
• Kansas Jayhawks Basketball transfer portal tracker live updates
• Why Michael Malone cut ties with 5-star recruit that shocked UNC fans
• Duke Blue Devils Basketball transfer portal tracker live updates

Luke Kennard stats vs. Rockets: Luka Doncic replacement shoots the lights out for Lakers in Game 1 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of their Western Conference playoff series on Saturday night. 

The Lakers entered the postseason with two major injuries, as both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were out. LeBron James was expected to take over and put the team on his back, and it showed in the first half when he had 10 assists. 

When the dust settled on the game, though, James had played a solid game, but he wasn't the driving force behind the team's 107-98 victory. That honor went to Luke Kennard.

Kennard was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks at the trade deadline as a reliable player to come off the bench, but with the injuries to two stars in the backcourt, he was thrust into a postseason starting role. Kennard didn't squander his opportunity and put forth one of the best games of his career as Los Angeles took the series opener. 

Here is more on how Kennard stepped up for the Lakers and led the team to a Game 1 win against the Rockets in the first round of the 2026 playoffs. 

MORE: Why did Kevin Durant not play in Game 1?

Luke Kennard stats today

• Points: 27
• Rebounds: 4
• Assists: 3
• Blocks: 0
• Steals: 0
• Turnovers: 3
• Fouls: 1
• Minutes: 38
• FG: 9-13
• 3FG: 5-5
• FT: 4-6

Kennard cracked the starting lineup for Game 1 due to the injuries to Reaves and Doncic. He shot lights out for the majority of the game, really coming on in the second half.

Kennard contributed to Los Angeles shooting 53% from beyond the arc, connecting on all five of his attempts from deep range. His 27 points were not only his most for the Lakers since he was acquired by the franchise, but is a season-high. It is also the most points he has scored in a playoff game in his career. The 27 points are tied for the eighth-most that Kennard has had in a game in his career. 

MORE:When is Luka Doncic coming back?

How did the Lakers get Luke Kennard?

Kennard spent the start of the season with the Atlanta Hawks. At the 2026 NBA trade deadline, he was sent to Los Angeles in exchange for Gabe Vincent and a future second-round pick. He played 36 regular-season games with the Lakers, but was mainly acquired to provide depth and an option off the bench. 

It wasn't until Doncic and Reaves were injured that Kennard consistently started, and it paid off against Houston on Saturday night. 

MORE:Victor Wembanyama named Sporting News Player of the Year

Lakers-Rockets schedule

Here’s a complete look at the series schedule:

*if needed 

Gilbert Burns left it all in the cage one last time.

In Saturday’s UFC Winnipeg main event, budding welterweight contender Mike Malott took care of business with a third-round knockout of Burns, who subsequently announced his retirement by removing his gloves and leaving them in the center of the octagon. It was the fifth straight loss for “Durinho,” who turns 40 in July, and he was given an emotional farewell as Malott praised him before Burns was given his own share of post-fight mic time.

“I work so hard,” Burns said. “I work very hard for these fights. I know Mike was going to fight at home and he was going to bring everything…”

Burns was then cut off by the appreciative Canadian crowd, who chanted “Gilbert” out of respect for the 14-year veteran’s accomplishments. They weren’t the only ones showing Burns love, as pros such as Belal Muhammad, Adrian Yanez, and Derek Brunson took to social media to pay their respects to the one-time UFC welterweight title challenger.

See how pros reacted below.

The Cincinnati Bengals shocked the football world by finalizing a blockbuster trade to acquire superstar defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence from the New York Giants.

The Bengals traded the 10th overall pick in next week’s draft for a generational talent in Dexter Lawrence, with a clear ‘win-now’ mindset.

This is a historical trade from the Bengals front office and is the most out-of-character move this franchise has made in its existence, LITERALLY.

This trade is the first time in the common draft era, which dates back to 1966, that the Bengals have ever traded a top-10 pick for a player, per Adam Schefter.

But the craziness doesn’t stop there…

The Bengals are also expected to agree on a long-term contract extension with Lawrence as soon as he passes his physical, according to Jordan Schultz.

Not only have the Bengals traded a first round pick for an instant-impact proven player, but they are also expected to break the bank on him as well….. WHAT?!!? Is this the Twilight Zone?

Enjoy it, Bengals fans, for the first time in a long time (maybe ever), the front office is truly all in.

WHO DEY!

WrestleMania 42 is back in Las Vegas for the second-consecutive year, with Night 1 taking place Saturday night from Allegiant Stadium. The opening night of WrestleMania had a little bit of everything, blending a standout celebrity moment, the long-awaited return of Paige, a show-stealer between Gunther and Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes fending off Randy Orton and Pat McAfee, plus much more.

As we wrap the first night of the two-night extravaganza, here’s our eight biggest takeaways from a busy night in Sin City.

1. Did we just get a double turn?

After Pat McAfee’s unwelcome inclusion in WrestleMania 42's main event, his immediate removal from the match by Cody Rhodes allowed the attention to focus on the champion and Randy Orton.

The escalation of Saturday's headliner was reminiscent of Bret Hart’s WrestleMania 13 match with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, all the way down to a vulnerable opponent being bloodied (Orton) while the tension sat with the babyface (Rhodes) as the duo teetered in their standings with the audience. Rhodes turning up heel tactics, like poking Orton in the eyes, felt like an intentional playing to the crowd reactions.

The end saw McAfee’s return as a substitute referee, Orton turning on him, and Rhodes completing a presumed heel turn by taking advantage of the opening to earn the pinfall. 

Ethan Miller via Getty Images

But the post-match festivities, including Orton punting Rhodes and standing tall holding the belt, felt like a real turning point in establishing the direction for both men as we hit the summer.

It’ll be interesting to see how far WWE leans in here. Saturday's Las Vegas audience clearly knew who they were supporting — and it wasn't the babyface — and that'll likely remain true come Monday night. But outside of Vegas, will the broader audience continue to see Orton favorably and Rhodes in a negative light? If the WWE chooses to bridge the gap to Night 2, with Rhodes showing some clear intent after his brief confrontation with CM Punk on Friday night, we could be in for quite the summer.

2. What a time to Liv

For as hard-hitting as the lead-up to their WrestleMania match was, Liv Morgan and Stephanie Vaquer picked up right where they left off.

In her first match on the big stage, “La Primera” continued to give reason to her meteoric rise alongside one of WWE’s most consistent in-ring talents. After a handful of distractions from the Judgement Day, it was Morgan who took advantage of Vaquer — tossing her into the steps, then landing an Oblivion — for the surprise pinfall to recapture the WWE Women's World Championship.

With Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez successful in helping Morgan earn the victory, it seems any potential for a Rodriguez vs. Morgan rivalry will continue to get kicked down the road, à la Finn Bálor vs. Dominik Mysterio until only recently.

For Vaquer, adding a faction to back her in this numbers game seems like the logical next step in a rivalry for the Women’s World Championship that’s seemingly only just beginning.

3. Gunther rolls, Breakker runs

Gunther and Seth Rollins are two of the best in-ring technicians in WWE today, so it's no surprise they put on a WrestleMania-worthy match that had a little bit of everything. 

Both men understand pacing, allowing moments to breathe, and how to pick up intensity at a level rarely seen across the top of WWE. Saturday night, they balanced brutality with precision, and after a spear from the returning Bron Breakker, it was Gunther who choked out Rollins for the victory.

For as messy as the build to WrestleMania 42 was, this duo more than made up for it in the ring.

While Breakker and Rollins are now clearly on a collision course, I'm most curious to see what happens with Gunther. Perhaps saving Paul Heyman opens the door for a colossal showdown with Brock Lesnar in the not-so-distant future?

WWE via Getty Images

4. Becky gets on the board

Becky Lynch is Intercontinental Champion yet again. 

After losing three consecutive times to AJ Lee, she finally got her hand raised when it mattered most, recapturing the belt on the biggest stage of the year. Lynch relied on the typical heel tactics she’s utilized since turning on Lyra Valkyria last year, exposing the steel behind the turnbuckle, tossing Lee into it, and then hitting the Manhandle Slam for the finish.

I would’ve expected a cleaner finish, with Lynch and Lee going in their separate directions after feuding for much of the last seven months. But it appears this is only the next step in their ongoing battle over the Intercontinental Championship. Referee Jessika Carr’s more prominent inclusion Saturday night — getting physical with Lynch after the new champion tested her one too many times — could be an interesting wrinkle in where WWE takes this one.

5. Turning the Paige

For the second consecutive year, WWE swapped out a competitor in a WrestleMania women’s tag titles match at the eleventh hour for a returning star. It was reported just a day before WrestleMania 42 Night 1 that Paige had re-signed with the promotion and was slated to take Nikki Bella’s spot, who was injured in the build to WrestleMania — and those reports turned out to be true.

Paige’s surprise return was met with a roar, and the match was clearly structured around highlighting the former Diva’s Champion in her return to a WWE ring. Once she got the hot tag, it was only a matter of time before Paige made the pinfall to become tag champs.

Between WWE’s rising stars and returning legends, the women’s division is suddenly more packed than it has been in a long time. There already seemed to be a backlog of talent and available air time before Saturday night, and that’s only going to get more challenging with another big-time star back in the fold.

6. Fatu continues his climb

After WWE pushed Drew McIntyre and Jacob Fatu out of the WrestleMania title picture and into their own program, the duo didn’t disappoint with another incredibly strong showing. 

McIntyre, the recent former champion, and Fatu, the hungry challenger rising up the ranks, played their roles perfectly in an unsanctioned match that accomplished everything it needed to. McIntyre had his moments, Fatu matched his brutality, and in the end WWE used McIntyre’s standing to elevate Fatu.

My only critique of this one has nothing to do with the actual match itself, and more to do with calling it “unsanctioned.” Unfortunately Triple H and Shawn Michaels set the bar for what unsanctioned looks at SummerSlam 2002 in terms of style and structure of the match. Proclaiming Saturday's match to be unsanctioned, but having it announced by the general manager, both guys show up in their ring gear, and the referee then call it like a no-disqualification match, feels like a lapse in attention to detail.

7. IShowSpeed steals the spotlight

Saturday night's opening match went largely how one would expect, with much of the heavy lifting taking place between LA Knight, the Usos and The Vision. IShowSpeed showed real potential with his athleticism though, holding his own across key moments in the match before Austin Theory and Logan Paul turned on him. 

Knight pinned Theory after a BFT, and Paul beat down Speed after the match. But the viral moment WWE relentlessly seeks on weekends like these came when The Usos made the save for Speed, setting him up for a highlight dive through Paul and the announce table.

If he wants it — which it seems likely he does, based on Saturday — Speed has all the makings of a consistent WWE star. His celebrity following makes him a perfect partner for the direction it seems WWE is moving.

With WrestleMania season moving toward the rear-view, it’s also a great time to reset The Vision. Injuries to Seth Rollins, Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker derailed the original vision for the group (pardon the pun) — Paul was meant to elevate into a potential main-eventer, and Theory was expected to move in a similar direction, finally stepping into the enormous potential he’s shown flashes of. Instead, they played a more simple supporting cast role at WrestleMania against The Usos, Knight and social media star Speed. 

If Theory and Paul are going to elevate, they need a strong leader guiding them into the next phase of their development. That doesn’t appear likely with the return of Breakker, who doesn’t have that much space between his current WWE standing and his fellow faction members.

8. Mommy DearEST

During a standard attendance announcement segment from John Cena, Bianca Belair’s surprise return caught the audience a bit off guard. 

Absent since last April’s award-winning WrestleMania 41 match against Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley, Belair’s return was accompanied with a WrestleMania-sized announcement that she and her husband, fellow WWE star Montez Ford, are expecting a child. 

It’s fantastic news for one of WWE’s top stars, and a welcome — if brief — return for one of wrestling's top talents before she enters this next phase in her personal life.

Kentucky battles Syracuse, Arizona, 10 others for former top-100 recruit in transfer portal originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The transfer portal remains a fertile battlegrounds for all sorts of programs.

Because there are so many players in the portal each offseason now, guys who are transferring can get a wide array of suitors, from the likes of Kentucky all the way down to mid-majors.

One such transfer is Devin Williams from Florida Atlantic.

According to The Portal Report, Williams has received interest from Kentucky, Arizona and Syracuse.

These 10 other schools have also expressed interest, according to that report:

• NC State
• Clemson
• USC
• Seton Hall
• Miami
• George Washington
• Washington State
• Hawaii
• Stanford
• Boston College

That's a fascinating mix of programs, for sure.

MORE: How D.J. Wagner went from Kentucky to Arkansas to Maryland

If Williams wants to go hang out in Hawaii, he appears to have that option.

If he wants a Stanford education, that appears to be in play, too.

A blue blood like Kentucky or Arizona would be notable, for sure.

Williams is 6-foot-10 and began his college career at UCLA as a top-100 recruit.

He ended up at FAU this past season and averaged 7.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

His size, length and athleticism give Williams a chance to be a contributor, but it remains to be seen where he'll be taking those talents next.

More college basketball news:

• Mikey Williams creates polarizing transfer prospect
• Duke's Cameron Boozer is taking his time
• The transfer portal has both 7-foot-9 and 7-foot-5 available
• Andrej Stojakovic makes his transfer portal decision
• Kentucky closing in on Syracuse transfer

Liga MX never stops delivering surprises, and tonight, Monterrey vs. Pachuca has taken center stage because of its third goal: was it really a goal?

The early surprise came when the players were arguing with the referee over a foul by Sergio Canales. Enner Valencia took the ball and took the free kick quickly, beating Cardenas in goal. 

With that goal, the Ecuadorian player scored his second of the tournament and moved Pachuca into second place in Liga MX. 

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets, 107-98, at Crypto Arena on April 18th, 2026 and The Sporting Tribune’s Jessica Cryderman was there to capture the following TST Images.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luke Kennard (10) shoots a three pointer during an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets on April 18th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) leaps for a dunk during an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 18th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) leaping for a lay up during an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 18th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart (26) shooting from the free throw line during an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets on April 18th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) dribbling past a rockets guard during an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets on April 18th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James Jr. (9) talking with his father, LeBron James, during an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets on April 18th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) dunking during an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets on April 18th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) shooting for three from the corner during an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 18th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (15) dribbling over the center court logo during an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 18th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) leaping for a lay up during an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets on April 18th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) helping a Rockets player to his feet during an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets on April 18th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) trying to recover the ball during an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets on April 18th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart (36) leaping for a lay up and drawing a foul during an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets on April 18th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Houston Rockets bench upset over a foul call during an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 18th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luke Kennard (10) celebrating repeated threes during an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets on April 18th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Dan Woike: Lakers win Game 1 107-98 against the Houston Rockets. Luke Kennard with a career playoff high 27 points. LeBron James with 19-8-13. Lakers shoot 60.6 perent, hold HOU to 37.6 percent shooting and survive a 20-turnover game.

Twitter

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Luke Kennard catches fire as the Lakers strike first against Houston

Michael J. Duarte: Arkansas basketball player Darius Acuff Jr, expected to be a top-5 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft is also courtside for Rockets-Lakers Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs tonight.

Twitter

Arkansas basketball player Darius Acuff Jr, expected to be a top-5 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft is also courtside for Rockets-Lakers Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs tonight. pic.twitter.com/rfH2DUNyMx

— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) April 19, 2026

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Darius Acuff Jr, expected to be a top-5 pick in the …

NBA on Prime: KAT 🤝 King of the North Towns was so hyped meeting Kit Harington postgame at the Garden 🐺

Twitter

KAT 🤝 King of the North

Towns was so hyped meeting Kit Harington postgame at the Garden 🐺 pic.twitter.com/u50yc2Equn

— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) April 19, 2026

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: KAT 🤝 King of the North Towns was so hyped meeting Kit …

Nobody’s perfect, not even the Dodgers.

Their steamroll hit a speedbump as they squandered opportunities in Saturday’s 4-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.

Even the hottest of Dodgers’ hitters cooled off as the night did. Collectively, they went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base, including two in the ninth inning.

Now 15-5, it was their first loss in five games and their first all season to a National League opponent

Read more:Tyler Glasnow weathers cold, leads Dodgers to win at Colorado

Kyle Tucker, the Dodgers’ pricey new right fielder, had three hits, including his third home run this season. And backup catcher Dalton Rushing hit his fifth home run.

But that was all the damage the Dodgers did in support of starter Emmet Sheehan, who left with a one-run lead that reliever Will Klein relinquished in a matter of three batters in the sixth inning.

Shohei Ohtani also saw his career-best on-base streak reach 50 when he singled in the ninth inning to tie Willie Keeler’s 50-game mark established in 1901.

The two-time reining World Series champs threw the proverbial first punch when Tucker launched a 435-foot two-run home run into the second deck, making it 2-0 two batters into the game.

Tucker’s third home run as a Dodger drove home Ohtani, who chopped the first pitch he saw to and would have been out at first if not for the errant throw by Johnston.

In the bottom of the first the Rockies responded when Mickey Moniak doubled and TJ Rumfield drove him in with a single to cut the lead in half, 2-1.

The Dodgers came right back in the second inning, when Rushing — in his one expected start behind the plate this series — kept crushing, launching a 1-1 pitch 371 feet over the right field wall to make it 3-1. It was his fifth home run in 18 at-bats until that point.

The Dodgers’ two home runs in the first two innings gave them multiple homers in 10 of their first 20 games this season — and ran their MLB-leading season total to 37 as a team.

But the Rockies returned serve in the bottom of the second, when Johnston scored on a Kyle Karros sacrifice fly to stay within a run, 3-2.

That’s how it stayed for the next three innings, as Sheehan got out of the third and fourth unscathed, despite the Rockies putting runners in scoring position in both the third and fourth. His only 1-2-3 inning was the nine-pitch fifth.

Read more:Dodgers don't need Shohei Ohtani's bat, just his arm, in rout of Mets

His control wasn’t as sharp as in his prior outing, but he left after five innings with the lead, having thrown 77 pitches, allowed four hits, two runs, struck out four and walked two.

The Dodgers got something going again in the sixth inning when Freddie Freeman hit a one-out triple into the gap in the expansive Colorado outfield, just beyond the grasp of diving center fielder Brenton Doyle.

A batter later, the Rockies’ diving third baseman Kyle Karros made a nifty play to throw out Teoscar Hernández after he drilled a ball up the line — holding Freeman at third in the process.

Then left-hander Brennan Bernardino came on in relief and tied up a clearly frustrated Max Muncy with a curveball, striking him out and ending a scoreless inning with Freeman stranded on third.

Klein took the loss after taking over for the Dodgers in the sixth and immediately gave up a double to Goodman before Ezequiel Tovar’s grounder ricocheted off Klein’s left foot and right knee. Tovar reached before Freeman could corral the ball and get it to Klein at first.

Both runners scored on a no-out double by Johnston and Colorado had a 4-3 lead that would stand.

In the eighth, “Let’s go Dodgers” picked up chants with Pages at bat and Ohtani and Tucker on first and second base. But Pages struck out on a strike that was determined to find the bottom of the zone by baseball’s new ABS system.

Hernández then walked to load the bases but Muncy grounded out to second base, leaving more runners stranded.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Will Smith also wants to sign an extension with the San Jose Sharks.

Following Macklin Celebrini in exit interviews — Celebrini expressed his desire to sign an extension with the Sharks — Smith followed with a similar want.

Smith also spoke on what he learned this season, what he’s looking to improve for next year, team expectations next season, World Championships plans, how close the San Jose Sharks room was, and more about Book Club and recipes.

Will Smith, on how he’d recap his second year:

It was a lot of fun. We had a great group. Obviously, we came up a little short, but it was a great jump for us, and definitely looking forward to next year.

Smith, on what he learned from the playoff push:

I think just how fun it was. We’re all striving to get into that race again next year. Obviously, the end goal is to be in the playoffs, and we wish we were playing right now. We just can’t wait to get back in that race for next year.

Smith, on what he learned from this season, especially from some of the lows, like getting benched:

I think I’m definitely relied on to be good every night for this team. It’s something that I definitely don’t take lightly, and want to make sure I’m ready to go every night next year.

Smith, on what the San Jose Sharks need to do to take the next step:

I think just at the end of games, making sure we could finish a lot of those out. Even at the beginning of the year, some of those points, you can see that we needed them at the end of the year and how close the race was.

Smith, on what he’s going to focus on this summer:

I think there’s a lot of personal stuff that I’m going to work on, just in my game. I think getting faster and stronger is always a common thing, and definitely something I’m still working on.

Smith, on what position he’ll stay at:

I mean, I played wing all year this year, so I haven’t really talked about it with Warsofsky or Grier, but I would assume that’s the plan.

I’m open to anything. I got drafted as a center, but I’ve definitely gotten familiar with playing wing, and playing with Mack’s been pretty special, too, so I’m up for whatever.

Smith, on what the team can take away from the end of the year:

I mean, we’re a young team. We have a really good core, and I think the older guys are great with us. A lot of guys who have won one in this league were on this roster this year. Whenever we had questions or needed something, they’re always there to help. I think being in the race this year is going to help us coming into next year.

Smith, on Macklin Celebrini setting the tone for the room:

Yeah, it’s big. I think when you have a young guy like that who, like you said, can kind of drive the culture and bring winning habits to an organization, it’s big, and something definitely that we’re all watching.

Smith, on if he’s going to join USA at Worlds:

This summer, I’m out for Worlds. I just want to make sure I’m ready to go next year. Like I said, get bigger and stronger and a big May is definitely a big head start.

Smith, on last year’s Men’s Worlds and winning gold:

Yeah, it was awesome. It was something I’ll never forget. It was a crazy experience, and getting to do it with those guys was pretty special. Whenever you get to wear that sweater, it’s unbelievable.

Smith, on whether he’ll be training with Celebrini:

We talked about it a little bit. I think he might come out to Boston for a bit, and then I’ll go out to Vancouver and train with him for a week. 

Smith, on joining Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon in the summer at Nova Scotia again:

That was a blast last summer. Not sure if that’s happening again, but if it does, though, I’ll definitely want to be there.

Smith, on his personal highlights from this season:

There’s a lot of them. Probably one of my favorite games was earlier in the year at MSG. That was pretty cool, just to get the first one of the year and in a special building like that. It was pretty cool.

Smith, on a contract extension:

That’s definitely going to be a topic, I think, just for Mack himself, too. That’s awesome. I think being able to get that done would be awesome. 

Honestly, I haven’t thought about it at all. Like you said, we have the third year [on the ELC], but yeah, we have a great group, I love being here. Just got to talk to Mike Grier and figure it out. I’m always open to anything.

Smith, on Collin Graf:

He was awesome. He definitely put up some big numbers. I played against him in college, and he was great there, so I knew what we were getting when he signed here. Just playing with him, it’s great too. He’s really smart and has an unbelievable stick.

Smith, on the growth of the San Jose Sharks fanbase:

It’s been crazy. I think just the following we’ve had this year has been pretty special, and I think we’ve gained a lot of new fans. Just in the Bay Area, it’s been awesome. The support from the whole city, and seeing the Tank full is pretty special. 

It was crazy. I think just even looking at photos from a couple years ago to now, and just also on Instagram, a Monday night compared to a couple years ago, to this year, and sold out, and the fans are into it. It’s definitely one of the loudest places in the league.

Smith, on how fun the room was this year:

We’re always joking around with them, but yeah, it was a crazy bond. I think the older guys were great with us, and just the way they treated us was pretty amazing. Having Misa and Dicky come in, and kind of do what Mack and I did last year was pretty cool too, to just see how well they fit in.

Smith, on the culture in the organization:

From top to bottom, it’s been amazing. I think you can hang out with any guy on this team. It’s a special group. I don’t know what to say about it, it’s just a different bond than maybe some other teams have had, and it really is like a family feeling here.

Smith, on the Book of Mormon outing:

[Ryan Reaves] sat in between Mack and I. The seats were small too, and he was manspreading. No, that was awesome. He brought the whole team there, and it’s my first time seeing it. It was a blast to just go to a show and be with all the guys.

Smith, on the change in the locker room:

I think when you’re winning, it definitely helps. You just come to the rink and every day was fun here, no matter what was going on on the ice, just being around the guys is just truly fun.

Smith, on the motivation they feel moving into next season:

It’s huge. This summer is going to be really big for all of us. I think we know the expectations now: it’s to be in the playoffs. I think everyone knows we came up short, but next year, we’re definitely expected to be in there.

Smith, on what he’s learned about leadership from some of the vets:

I’ve learned a lot from them. I think just kind of see how they include everyone. Like I said, we have such a tight group that when we have dinners, we all have the whole team there. We got 20 guys there. It’s truly special. Stuff like that off the ice, they’ve been nothing but the best.

Smith, on his shoulder injury:

We haven’t really talked about it too much. That sucks when I was out for 13-14 games, just kind of grinding in here. It was great to be around the guys when I was hurt. They would always hang out with me here, whenever they’re on the road, I would always call them. Besides that, just keep [focusing on] the rehab when it came to that.

I think if you ask anyone who gets hurt, it takes a couple games to get back to the speed and the timing. I think the first game was in Detroit and I felt pretty good that game, and then that week, I felt back to normal. 

I think I’m always gonna feel a little bit after something like that happens. I kept doing the rehab and all the activities that you have to do to keep that going.

Smith, on the message from Mike Grier:

Just the expectations of this organization. Like I said, everyone can see this is a winning team, and we’re expected to win next year and make that push. It’s definitely the goal. We wish we were playing right now, but it was such a tight race this year, it came down to the end. Like I said, we’re just excited to get back.

Smith, on the flight home from Winnipeg at the end of the season:

It’s a little bit of a weird feeling. I think when you go from playing pretty much every other day to finishing out and some of these guys won’t be back, or you won’t see him again for a while, it’s tough, but we’re definitely just trying to enjoy our company right now.

Smith, on having his family for the Chicago game recently:

They come to a lot of them. I’ve had a big group at a couple of games this year. It’s really special getting to play in front of all my family and friends, and I wouldn’t be here without them.

Smith, on what’s next for the Book Club this summer:

Well, two guys didn’t finish the book. Mack and I did, so…

Smith, on Michael Misa:

He was great. At the start of the year, we could just see how special a player he could be, and he definitely had a huge role for us that last month that we were making the push, and he’s definitely going to be a huge part of this organization for a while.

The post Smith on His Contract Extension, Summer Plans, Who’s Not Keeping Up With Book Club appeared first on San Jose Hockey Now.

WrestleMania 42 returned to Allegiant Stadium for the second straight year, with Night One running at four hours long. The ending saw a bloodied Randy Orton standing tall over an equally bloodied Cody Rhodes, even after losing the Undisputed WWE Championship match.

No match prior to Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes exceeded 15 minutes, with the longest being Seth Rollins vs. Gunther. There were wrestlers put through tables, big-time returns, title retentions, and several new champions.

It was a strong Night One of WrestleMania, and here are the grades for the event:

Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton w/ Pat McAfee for the WWE Championship

The buildup had many fans questioning the decision to insert McAfee a few weeks ago, but WWE quickly wrote him out before the match began. Rhodes had Jelly Roll put McAfee through the announce table, and as he was stretchered out, the bell rang and the match got underway.

Seeing Orton hit a Cross Rhodes and Rhodes deliver an RKO was fantastic, especially given the history between the two.

It was a strong match between two elite competitors.

Late in the match, things started to unravel. Rhodes teased a heel turn, stealing finishers, borrowing moves, and even poking Orton in the eye. The eye poke led to Orton accidentally hitting the referee with an RKO.

That moment proved costly. McAfee returned wearing a referee shirt, but as his hand was about to hit the mat for the third count, Rhodes kicked out. Orton, frustrated, dropped McAfee with an RKO, which opened the door for Rhodes to capitalize. Rhodes hit Cross Rhodes and secured the win. The crowd loudly booed the outcome.

Pop of the match: McAfee being stretchered out while the crowd chanted “you deserve it!”—only for him to respond with a thumbs up followed by a middle finger.

Real pop of the match: Rhodes getting booed while celebrating with the title, only for the crowd to erupt when Orton grabbed it and dropped Rhodes with it.

Grade: A

Both wrestlers showcased their best, delivering a main event that outshined WrestleMania 41’s clash between Cody Rhodes and John Cena. While Rhodes was met with boos at the end, it didn’t take away from what was a strong performance by both competitors.

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan for the Women’s World Championship

Vaquer looked really strong in the match, especially with the way she was able to counter some of Morgan’s offense.

The crowd went crazy when she hit the Devil’s Kiss on Morgan midway through the match. Then Morgan looked like she was about to attempt it herself, which got the fans even more excited, but Vaquer was able to counter.

There was a point where it looked like Vaquer was about to finish Morgan off with a moonsault from the top rope, but Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez showed up to run interference.

Morgan took advantage of a distracted Vaquer near the ropes and hit her with an ObLIVion. She then pinned Vaquer to become champion once again in WWE.

Pop of the match: When Morgan got the three-count and lifted the championship. Morgan is supposed to be a heel, but she has an Edge-like quality where, anytime she wins a title, she gets emotional, and that is exactly what happened after the bell rang.

Grade: B

This was the perfect call especially because Morgan is a top star of WWE. Vaquer won't look weak because the only reason Morgan beat her was due to outside interference. The match was good but it picked up once the interference came in from Perez and Rodriguez.

Seth Rollins vs. Gunther

Right away, these two went after each other—inside the ring, outside the ring, and even near the commentary table. They brawled all over the place for several minutes.

When they finally got back into the ring, the referee rang the bell to officially start the match.

It was the physical match you would expect from both wrestlers. Gunther powerbombed Rollins and punished him several times. Rollins hit Gunther with two curb stomps, one in the ring and another on the commentators’ table.

After the curb stomp, the crowd suddenly started barking. As Rollins turned around, he was speared by Bron Breakker, who had been out of action for several months.

Moments later, Gunther put Rollins to sleep, and that was the end of the match.

As Rollins was walking up the ramp, the barking started again as Breakker ran back down and speared him a second time.

Pop of the match: Breakker spearing Rollins the second time really got the fans going. Then Paul Heyman walked out and hugged him, which made the reaction even louder.

Grade: A-

It was a good showing from both Rollins and Gunther with the result not hurting the Iowa native. It shows that Gunther is on a tear especially since retiring John Cena and AJ Styles. Plus, it gives everyone what they want in Seth Rollins against his prodige Bronn Breakker.

Becky Lynch vs. AJ Lee for the Intercontinental Championship

Both superstars looked strong throughout the match, with AJ hitting Lynch with several of her signature moves.

The big moment came when Becky got frustrated with referee Jessika Carr and got in her face, leading to shoving between the two. Lynch ran at Carr looking to hit her with an elbow, but Carr moved out of the way and Lynch ran right into AJ’s arms. AJ hit Lynch with her own move, the Man Handle Slam, and went for the pin, but Lynch kicked out.

Lynch then moved toward the turnbuckle and uncovered it while Carr was checking on AJ. Moments later, AJ charged at Lynch, but Lynch grabbed Carr and AJ ended up sandwiching Carr against the turnbuckle. With Carr distracted, Lynch threw AJ headfirst into the exposed turnbuckle, then hit her with the Man Handle Slam and pinned her for the victory.

Pop of the match: Lynch pinning Lee to win back her Intercontinental Championship, though a close second was Carr shoving Lynch.

Grade: C+

This was a good overall match, and it was smart to have Lynch win a little dirty. It is always effective when a heel wins that way, and Lynch is one of the best in the business. It will be interesting to see who she faces next.

Bellas Twins (Paige) vs. Irresistible Force vs. Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria for the Women’s Tag Team Championship

It was supposed to be a standard Fatal 4-Way for the Women’s Tag Team Championships, but then the biggest pop of the night so far happened.

Nikki Bella walked out last with her sister and announced that she could not compete on Saturday night, but said she had called “an old friend” to help out. Allegiant Stadium went crazy when Paige’s music hit.

The match itself was fast-paced, with all of the competitors looking strong and getting the chance to show off their skill sets.

Five minutes in, the crowd got restless and started chanting, “We want Paige.” When she finally got tagged in, they went wild. A couple of minutes later, Paige stood across the ring from Charlotte Flair, which got the crowd even more excited.

Flair set Paige up to be hit with Twisted Bliss by Alexa Bliss, but Nikki Bella got involved and took Flair out of the ring. Bliss went for it anyway, but Paige got her knees up to block it, then hit her with the Ram Paige and pinned her to secure the win and the tag team titles on the night of her return. Paige was emotional after the victory.

Pop of the match: Paige returning after being gone since 2022. The crowd went crazy for her no matter what she did in the match.

Grade: B

Paige returning to WWE automatically makes this grade higher, especially with the warm welcome she received from the fans. Putting the tag titles on her and Brie Bella was the right call with her returning. Now the big question is how long this title reign will last.

Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre (Unsanctioned Match)

The buildup to this match was violent, which is why making it unsanctioned was the right call.

McIntyre was walking to the ring when Fatu launched himself through the ropes to start the match early.

Both wrestlers threw everything they had at each other—literally. They used tools, chairs, and anything else they could get their hands on.

The biggest spot came when Fatu was on the turnbuckle ready to attack McIntyre, but McIntyre ran over, shoved him off, and Fatu crashed through a table.

Later, Fatu placed McIntyre on a table, ran to the turnbuckle, and hit him with his signature moonsault before pinning the Scottish star for the win.

Pop of the match: Fatu pinning McIntyre after the moonsault. The crowd loves Fatu.

Grade: A-

This had the right amount of violence and big-time moves, which is exactly what WWE fans want at WrestleMania. It was a huge win for Fatu. He is a rising star in WWE, and beating someone like McIntyre is a major step for him.

The Usos & LA Knight vs. The Vision & iShowSpeed

It was a short match that began with The Usos hitting The Vision with superkicks, leaving Speed and LA Knight to face off.

There were moments for both teams, including Jey Uso hitting Austin Theory with a spear and Jimmy Uso getting his shots in on Speed.

Toward the end, Logan Paul was standing at ringside when LA Knight grabbed Speed for a BFT, but Speed shoved Knight into Paul and knocked him off the apron. Theory then got in Speed’s face before putting LA Knight in a headlock, trying to force Speed to hit Knight. Instead, when Theory hit the ropes, LA Knight tossed him into Speed, then hit Theory with his signature BFT and pinned him for the victory.

After the match, Paul turned on Speed by punching him in the face. He then set him up for a splash from the turnbuckle onto the announcers’ table, but The Usos and LA Knight came to the YouTuber’s aid by attacking Paul. They then helped Speed get his revenge when he hit a splash off the turnbuckle onto Paul through the announcers’ table.

Pop of the match: Speed launching himself off the turnbuckle onto the announcers’ table on Logan Paul. He hit Cristiano Ronaldo’s signature “SIU” celebration beforehand, which got the crowd hyped.

Grade: B-

The match felt a little rushed. The Speed experiment worked because he is athletic and looked similar to Paul when he first joined WWE. Speaking of Paul, his ability to make fans cheer against him is hilarious because as soon as he turned on Speed, the crowd erupted.

Texas football made a big addition to its 2027 recruiting class on Saturday with the commitment of Brookhaven, MS edge Derwin Fields during his visit to the UT Campus for the Texas Football Spring Fan Day. Fields' visit started on Friday and ends on Sunday. It's Fields' first time in Austin.

The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder chose Texas over Ole Miss, where he had an official visit scheduled for the end of May. Fields had offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC, and UCLA, among others.

A consensus four-star prospect, Fields is ranked as the No. 196 player overall and the No. 20 edge, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. In his last two seasons at Brookhaven, Fields has 117 tackles, 47 tackles for loss, 27 sacks and three forced fumbles.

BREAKING: Four-Star EDGE Derwin Fields has Committed to Texas, he tells me for @Rivals⁰⁰The 6’4 225 EDGE from Brookhaven, MS chose the Longhorns over Ole Miss, Tennessee, Miami, and Georgia

“LLSLIM 💔🩸”⁰⁰https://t.co/jogjKpq6Lbpic.twitter.com/JTQA8q9HwX

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) April 18, 2026

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Will Muschamp both got heavily involved in Fields' recruitment. He tells Horns247 it made Mississippi native feel like a real priority for the Longhorns. 

"It went from getting a text every couple of days to everyday," Fields said. "They're keeping in contact on everything. "Just the history behind it. I know they have a lot of history with all of the players they've developed and I know that they're a winning program. And it's in the SEC so it's just hard fought football."

This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: 2027 four-star EDGE Derwin Fields commits to Texas Football

The top five quarterbacks are unlikely to be linked to the Dallas Cowboys, and for good reason, as they have a franchise quarterback in his prime. They are attempting to develop a young g QB with good traits, signing Sam Howell to play if they need a steady hand for a game or two. Typically, quarterbacks have 3 or more Round 1 picks on a top five prospects list,, but not in this class. Is there an outside chance Dallas goes for a Day 3 quarterback if one of these QBs fall?

It’s possible, but unlikely, with how many holes they have on the team.

This doesn’t mean the position isn’t important to know. It’s the most important piece for every team. The Washington Commanders went to the NFC Championship game in Jayden Daniels's rookie season. The top QB in this class is going to the Las Vegas Raiders with the first overall pick. Still, the next four are completely unknown. Do teams want a traits-heavy quarterback they need to teach the position, or an undersized option with the anticipation to make all the plays? Those are the questions that will decide the order of the top five quarterbacks in the 2026 draft class.

QB Ty Simpson, Alabama

Ty Simpson does things the best quarterbacks can do at the highest level, and that isn’t always true for young quarterbacks. He reads the entire field, can set protections, and make the changes at the line of scrimmage. He moves well in the pocket without immediately bailing out to escape.

He does have plenty of negatives, beginning with being just a one-year starter. He also has a limited arm and NFL frame for a QB. Simpson needs to improve his anticipation throws as well; waiting for a pass catcher to get open typically means he isn’t open by the time the ball is thrown at the NFL level.

QB Drew Allar, Penn State

Drew Allar is the exact opposite of Simpson. He is of prototypical size at 6-foot-5 and 228 pounds, and has a cannon for an arm, above-average mobility, and plenty of college experience. His issues stem from not yet having the intangibles to succeed at the highest level.

Allar has unreliable decision-making and poor footwork, and he gets flustered under pressure with inconsistent ball placement. These are issues he must develop before he can try to be a useful starter in the League. If Allar can develop in those areas and become more reliable with the mental side of the game, his talent is unquestionable.

QB Taylen Green, Arkansas

Taylen Green is similar to Josh Allen was coming out of Wyoming; a big quarterback with a great arm and fantastic athleticism, without doing what most consider the easy things. He could escape a sack, leave the pocket, throw the ball 40 yards on the move for a big play completion, and then miss a five-yard dig by two yards. Green needs to develop, especially his decision-making. But if things click for him, he has every unteachable element a team could hope for in a quarterback prospect. He's the biggest boom or bust pick in the entire class. At his best, he is an unstoppable weapon at the most important position in the game, but he could be too turnover-prone to ever make a start in his career in the NFL if he doesn’t work hard to get better at everything.

QB Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

Garrett Nussmeier was nearly a first-round quarterback after his 2024 season, when he was a finalist for the Manning Award, given to the nation's best at the position. He had a poor showing in 2025, which dropped him from consideration at the top of the QB prospects this draft cycle, but his pre-draft performance could have Nussmeier bouncing back.

He reads defenses well, takes his time in the pocket to allow the offense to go through its paces, and can make all the throws. That arm strength can lead to turnovers because of his willingness to try to fit passes into windows that aren't truly open. His size also causes issues, at under 6-foot-2, and defenses take advantage of it. In 23 games, Nussmeier has had nine passes batted down at the line. The arm is good enough; plenty of quarterbacks his size have been great, but he needs better touch and anticipation going forward.

QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

Some quarterbacks wow scouts with how they escape the pocket to make a big third-down pass and extend a drive, but Fernando Mendoza tries to avoid getting to that point by making the plays in front of him to keep his offense moving. His player comp is Dak Prescott as they both win mostly presnap. They see what a defense is running and have the counter for it most of the time. He also has excellent technique, throwing to any level of the field. He is at his best throwing back shoulder, but his seam passes fit between the zones of the defense nicely. He has great leadership and plays better under pressure.

Mendoza doesn’t have dynamic athleticism or a cannon arm, but both are enough to win at the NFL level. Needs improvement in calling out protection and going through his reads, but those should get better with experience in more complex offenses.

You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or on YouTube at Across the Cowboys podcast

This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: The top five quarterback prospects from the 2026 NFL Draft

Wild's Kirill Kaprizov passes Wayne Gretzky in NHL playoff history originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Kirill Kaprizov has, in one way, surpassed The Great One in NHL playoff history.

On the all-time charts for goals per playoff game, Kaprizov is now ahead of Gretzky after notching a tally in the Minnesota Wild's win Saturday over the Dallas Stars to open the postseason.

Kaprizov had one goal and two assists in the 6-1 rout.

Kirill Kaprizov's .62 goals per game in his playoff career (16 in 26 games) ranks 6th in NHL history (min. 10 games)

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) April 19, 2026

MORE: Sabres' playoff ticket costs are mind-blowing

That post from Michael Russo of The Athletic doesn't quite match what Hockey Reference shows, but in both instances, Kaprizov is ahead of Gretzky.

Gretzky averaged 0.59 goals per game in his playoff career.

There are four players shown ahead of Kaprizov on Hockey Reference: Mario Lemieux (0.71), Mike Bossy (0.66), Barry Pederson (0.65) and Maurice Richard (0.621).

Regardless of the total specificity here, it's remarkable.

Kaprizov is the active leader in this category, ahead of Nathan MacKinnon, Jake Guentzel and Leon Draisaitl.

The likes of Bobby Hull, Alex Ovechkin, Mark Messier, Connor McDavid, Jarome Iginla and Eric Lindros appear further down the list, too.

Kaprizov might not be quite as much of a household name as some since he plies his trade in Minnesota, but if he keeps performing like this in the postseason, everyone is going to know who he is soon enough.

More NHL news:

• Maple Leafs' president brought AI trade pitches to deadline meetings

• Alex Ovechkin reveals his retirement plans

• A Brady Tkachuk trade warning is in play

• Offseason trade still might be coming for Sabres

• Connor McDavid makes 100-year hockey history with Wayne Gretzky

This article originally appeared on PGHHockeyNOW.com.

The Pittsburgh Penguins (0-1) fell to the Philadelphia Flyers (1-0) 3-2 at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday night, dropping the first game of the series. The Flyers outhit, outshot, and out chanced the Penguins in the series lid lifter and will look to take a 2-0 series lead back to Philadelphia when the two teams clash again in Game 2 on Monday night.

The cross-state hate was prevalent in the first period. While there were no goals scored, there were a combined 30 hits, 20 by the Flyers. The Flyers also outshot the Penguins 9-5 in the frame. There were also about a dozen after-the-whistle scrums.

Both teams had a chance on the power play in the first, but neither could convert. The Flyers thought they scored on their power play opportunity, but Flyers forward Christian Dvorak ran into Penguins netminder Stuart Skinner, making no attempt to avoid contact with him. While the puck did enter the net, the goal was immediately disallowed by the officials on the ice and the Flyers did not challenge.

Although Skinner turned aside three different Flyer breakaways and a two-on-one, it would still be the Flyers broke the stalemate at 9:19 of the second period. With the Penguins’ entire five-man unit stuck on the ice for over a minute, the Flyers cycled with the puck, grinding down the weary group. Eventually, the puck ended up on the stick of Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale (1) who wristed the puck from the bottom of the right circle, through traffic in front and then through the five-hole of Skinner.

Click here to read more from PGHHockeyNOW.com.

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Mike Malott picked up the biggest win of his career with a third-round knockout over Gilbert Burns, who announced his retirement following the conclusion of the UFC Winnipeg main event.

It was a patient yet impressive performance from Malott, who picked his shots throughout the fight as he methodically chipped away at Burns through the first two rounds. When he finally saw his opening, Malott cracked Burns with a slick combination that put the Brazilian down.

From there, Malott just went after Burns before landing another devastating right hook scored a vicious knockdown. The assault continued until the referee stopped the at 2:08 in the third round with Malott getting the victory.

“I’m on top of the world right now,” Malott said after his win. “Let’s give it up to one of the greatest legends in the sport … a true MMA legend [in Gilbert Burns].

“I thought that it could be some success with the uppercut. We sharpen every weapon. This guy’s got a chin. I’m not going to get arrogant. I’m absolutely elated right now.”

Following the conclusion of the fight, Burns immediately removed his gloves to lay down in the center of the octagon before emotionally announcing that this would serve as his final appearance in the octagon.

“I work so hard. I worked very hard for this fight,” Burns said. “I know Mike was going to fight at home. He was going to bring everything. I put on a great camp. I left no stone unturned. I couldn’t show it. Shout out to Mike Malott. I work so hard.

“I think that’s it. I had a great career. I fought so hard. I want to win so bad. I think that’s it. I fought the best guys in the world. I think that’s it. But I’m content.”

If this truly is the end for Burns, he retires after spending the past 12 years in the UFC where he was a ranked welterweight for much of his career including a title shot in 2021. He walks away with a 22-10 record overall.  

Prior to the knockout, Malott was quick to establish his striking in the early exchanges as he cracked Burns with several stiff shots as the Brazilian tried to set up a potential takedown. Burns was still winging a huge overhand right looking for the knockout but Malott was answering him with a stiff jab right down the middle.

Following a one-minute break between rounds, Burns came out and snapped off a couple of nasty leg kicks after his coaches advised him to avoid those big, looping overhands. Moments later, Malott started to find a home for his right hand and he popped Burns with a couple of stiff shots in succession.

That led to more aggression from Malott as he was really starting to unload with his combinations with hopes of scoring the knockout in front of a home audience. Burns was showing the damage on his face with some cuts under both eyes as he tried to find a way to turn things around after a tough start.

As time passed, Burns was still trying for a takedown but he continued to come up short as Malott just blocked him at every turn.

Malott finally scored his first knockdown in the third round after he blasted Burns with a nasty uppercut followed by a left hook that rattled the one-time welterweight title challenger. Smelling blood in the water, Malott just continued his attack until he put Burns down again with a vicious right hook.

From there, Malott unleashed a barrage of punches until the referee saw enough to rescue Burns from further harm. The finish puts Malott on a four-fight win streak as he takes another step forward in a deep and dangerous welterweight division.

PITTSBURH (AP) — Travis Sanheim scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period and the Philadelphia Flyers announced their return to the playoffs with a 3-2 win over Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night.

Philadelphia pulled off a stunner in the opener when Sanheim split a pair of Penguins at the top of the zone, glided down the slot and then fired the puck by Stuart Skinner. Porter Martone, the Flyers’ 19-year-old rookie forward, provided some needed insurance when he beat Skinner on a wrist shot with 2:37 to play.

Game 2 is in Pittsburgh on Monday.

Jamie Drysdale also scored for the Flyers, who hardly appeared intimidated by an electric PPG Paints Arena crowd buzzing by Pittsburgh’s first playoff appearance since 2022. Dan Vladar stopped 14 shots to pick up the first postseason win of his six-year career.

Evgeni Malkin scored his 68th career playoff goal for Pittsburgh but the Penguins, the NHL’s third-highest scoring team during the regular season, had trouble sustaining pressure against the Flyers. Bryan Rust pounded home a rebound with 1:01 remaining to get Pittsburgh within a goal, but Vladar stoned Anthony Mantha in the final seconds as Philadelphia held on.

HURRICANES 2, SENATORS 0

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Logan Stankoven and Taylor Hall scored and Frederik Andersen came through with a big third-period performance in net to help Carolina beat Ottawa to open their first-round playoff series.

Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour had gone with Andersen’s veteran experience as the starter over Brandon Bussi for this one, and it paid off for the Eastern Conference’s top seed.

Andersen finished with 22 saves, including back-to-back stops on a third-period power play that had Ottawa buzzing with quality chances. One of those was initially ruled a goal, only for a replay review to overturn the call in showing Andersen had gloved a loose puck as it bounced off his skate near the post.

By the end of the game, Andersen was holding up against Ottawa spending most of the last 2 1/2 minutes with a 6-on-4 advantage after pulling Linus Ullmark from the net with the Senators on the power play.

It was a physical game with hard hits and chippiness throughout, starting with captains Brady Tkachuk of Ottawa and Jordan Staal of Carolina locking up in an immediate fight on the opening faceoff and heading to the box just 3 seconds into the game.

Game 2 is Monday night in Raleigh.

The Hurricanes are in the playoffs for the eighth straight year, reaching the Eastern Conference Final in two of the past three years and thrice overall in this current run that began in 2019.

WILD 6, STARS 1

DALLAS (AP) — Matt Boldy had two goals with an assist, Joel Ericksson Ek scored two power-play goals and rookie goalie Jesper Wallstedt stopped 27 shots in his postseason debut to help Minnesota beat Dallas in Game 1 of their Western Conference playoff series.

Kirill Kaprizov added a goal and two assists and Mats Zuccarello had three helpers for the Wild, who have lost nine consecutive playoff series since 2015. This was an impressive start in a long-expected matchup of Central Division rivals who finished behind Presidents’ Trophy winner Colorado.

Even though the Stars have made the West final each of the past three seasons, they are 1-7 in Game 1s at home during that span.

Game 2 is Monday night in Dallas.

Dallas allowed the first goal in 15 of its 18 playoff games last year, and gave up three power-play goals in a 5-4 win over the Wild just nine days earlier. The Stars trailed for good only 5 1/2 minutes into the series when Ericksson Ek scored on a pass from Boldy to make it 1-0. Ericksson Ek added another power-play goal past Jake Oettinger in the third.

Kaprizov and Boldy, the first Wild teammates with 40 goals in the same season, scored during a three-goal surge in the first 6 1/2 minutes of the second period for a 4-0 lead. Ryan Hartman scored in between, after having the primary assist on Kaprizov’s goal.

DENVER (AP) — Troy Johnston had a go-ahead, two-run double in the sixth inning and finished with three hits to lead the Colorado Rockies to a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night.

The Rockies had been 5-22 against the Dodgers over the past three seasons, including 3-12 at Coors Field. Los Angeles had won 11 of its previous 13 games and entered Saturday 6-1 in road games this season.

After allowing three runs in the first two innings, Colorado shut down the most productive offense in the majors with 3 1/3 shutout innings from its bullpen. Victor Vodnik gave up two singles in the ninth inning, but Kyle Tucker popped out to left field to end the game as Vodnik earned his third save of the season.

Brennan Bernardino (2-0) earned the win for the Rockies. Will Klein (1-1), who gave up Johnston’s double in the sixth, took the loss.

TJ Rumfield and Kyle Karros each added an RBI in the win for Colorado.

On an afternoon in which the Shohei Ohtani was in the same two-mile radius in Denver as fellow global superstars Lionel Messi with Inter Miami and the Nuggets' Nikola Jokic, the Dodgers' two-way star singled in the ninth inning to extend his on-base streak to 50 games. That tied Hall of Famer Willie Keeler for the franchise’s third-longest run since 1900. Ohtani had reached base twice earlier in the game, both times as a result of errors.

The Dodgers had a chance in the eighth inning to tie the game or take the lead, with the bases loaded and two outs. But, Max Muncy grounded out to end the threat.

Tucker had three hits for Los Angeles, including a two-run homer in the first inning.

Up next

Colorado RHP Michael Lorenzen (1-2, 8.10 ERA) will face RHP Roki Sasaki (0-2, 6.23) in the third game of the four-game series.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Michigan's Fred Richard won his second straight all-around individual crown Saturday night, and Cooper Kim and Jun Iwai each won individual titles to lead Stanford to its sixth NCAA men's gymnastics championship since 2019.

Richard took home silver in the floor and parallel bars as he ran away with his third all-around individual national championship with a score of 83.598. Nebraska's Max Odden (78.698) was second, 0.432 ahead of third-place Kristian Grahovski of Ohio State.

Stanford had 329.825 points, second-place Oklahoma finished with 328.495 and Michigan — the defending national champion — was third with 324.857. Asher Hong (14.300) took silver and Nick Kuebler (14.166) bronze on the rings in the final rotation to seal it for the Cardinal. Asher Cohen finished with a 14.500 to become the first Nebraska gymnast to win the rings since Jim Hartung in 1982.

Stanford claimed the program's 11th national championship and the Cardinal has won at least one NCAA team title for 50 straight seasons, since the men's water polo team beat UCLA 13-12 for the national championship on Nov. 28, 1976. The next longest active streak is North Carolina's seven straight years with at least one team title.

Iwai had a 14.433 on the vault, tied with Nebraska’s Tyler Flores for first. Landen Blixt of Michigan was third (14.366).

Flores, Nathan Roman (14.800 on the parallel bars) and Kelton Christiansen (14.400, high bar) each won individual titles for the second-place Sooners.

Kim scored a 14.466 to win gold on the floor to beat Richard (14.400). Kuebler and Tate Costa of Illinois finished third with 14.166.

Brandon Dang (Illinois) won the pommel horse with a score of 14.700, Michigan's Aaronson Mansberger was second (14.566) and Colby Aranda of Oklahoma finished third with 14.133 points.

___

AP Sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports

Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman reaches new low point, leaves Toronto begging for change originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

It didn't seem like things could get much worse for Jeff Hoffman.

But they did. Saturday night was a new low for the Toronto Blue Jays closer.

He entered in a tie game in the eighth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It didn't stay tied for long.

Hoffman allowed a single, then another single, then walked a guy.

In stepped Corbin Carroll, and out went the baseball. A grand slam, and a 6-2 Diamondbacks win.

Hoffman's ERA raised to 7.71, and the calls to have him replaced at the back end of the bullpen will only increase.

Grand slam, D-backs.

Jeff Hoffman just loaded the bases and gave up the big blow here in the 8th.

Single, Single, Walk, Grand Slam.

The #BlueJays are down, 6-2, one inning away from their fourth straight loss.

— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) April 19, 2026

MORE: This Blue Jays prospect is related to an NBA Hall of Famer

Hoffman was already off to a rough start to the season, and even dating back to the end of last year, he's been iffy at times.

A night like this could be the nail in the coffin, though. It's hard for a manager to continue trusting a guy in the closer role after this.

Hoffman has good stuff, but it isn't playing particularly well right now. 

The Blue Jays need someone who can finish games effectively. Hoffman has lost that ability, and it's not clear when he'll be getting it back.

More MLB news:

• Explaining the absurdity of 2 MLB players named Max Muncy
• This hitter has a worse OBP than his batting average
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The Bengals reached out to the Giants two weeks ago about Dexter Lawrence. They believed, with him, they’d be a Super Bowl contender. That’s why they were willing to part with the No. 10 pick for the former Pro Bowl nose tackle.

The Giants weren’t there yet.

On Saturday, they arrived.

Lawrence, a captain who spent the first seven years of his career in New York, is headed to Cincinnati. The return: That No. 10 selection in this year’s NFL Draft. 

An offer like that seems like a no-doubt, slam-dunk. The Giants, though, still hoped they could figure out something to keep Lawrence with them. No matter what they did, though, per sources, it “wasn’t good enough.”

They tried – and kept trying. They simply couldn’t agree to the structure of a reworked deal. Lawrence, per team sources, never even gave the team an idea of what he was looking for in terms of per-year salary or guarantees.

So they decided to stop and shipped Lawrence away. He’s the first non-quarter traded for a top-10 pick since the Rams sent defensive tackle Sean Gilbert to Washington for the sixth pick in the 1996 NFL Draft.

Lawrence, at one point, was among the game’s most dominant defensive players. The Giants selected him 17th in 2019, but he truly blossomed in 2022. He earned Pro Bowl honors each of the next three seasons, and was a Second-Team, All-Pro the first two.

In 2024, Lawrence was a front-runner to be named Defensive Player of the Year, registering nine sacks as an interior defensive linemen in his first seven games. He suffered an elbow injury, though, that landed him on the injured reserve after Week 12.

The 2025 season was the worst of Lawrence’s career. He finished with lows in both sacks (0.5) and quarterback hits (eight). General manager Joe Schoen, at the NFL Scouting Combine, said he never felt his elbow was fully back. Lawrence also reported to training camp out of shape and never appeared to play himself into it.

In May of 2023, the Giants awarded Lawrence a four-year, $90-million contract extension. It made him the third-highest paid interior defensive lineman in the NFL. Since then, though, the market for Lawrence’s position erupted with the inflated salary cap. Entering this season, Lawrence’s $22.5 million per-year salary ranks 12th.

He made it clear to the Giants he wanted a new deal – one that represented the surge at his position. The Eagles giving Jordan Davis a contract worth $26 million annually seemed to be a specific sore spot.

The Giants, who didn’t feel like they had to do anything, per sources, because they had Lawrence under contract for another two years, were still willing to work with him on a deal that worked for both the player and team – they added $3 million in incentives to his contract before the 2025 season. Sources described the attempted talks with Lawrence as going “nowhere.”

A trade evolved to the most appealing option. While the Giants valued Lawrence and hoped to find a way to keep him, they realized he’s going to be 29 in November, believe “his best days are behind him,” and the No. 10 pick gives them a significant resource to add to their young core.

Lawrence hasn’t had a full sack in his last 22 games.

SNY touched base with four head coaches in the NFL after the Lawrence trade became official. All were stunned New York got what they did. Three pointed out Lawrence’s dip in production and conditioning, describing him as someone who needs his snaps limited to maximize his production. Another described him as a “one-position player.”

“Truly crazy return,” one coach said. “I truly thought the most they were getting was a second, maybe a second and fifth.”

The Baltimore Orioles received a promising update during their current series against the Cleveland Guardians from catcher Adley Rutschman, who has been sidelined for one week with a left ankle injury.

Rutschman was placed on the 10-day injured list on April 11 after sustaining the injury while running to second base on a double during a game against the San Francisco Giants.

He felt his ankle tweak on the play, finished the game, but woke up the next morning with significant swelling. The setback halted what had been a strong start to his season. However, Rutschman is hoping he can return sooner rather than later.

“Adley Rutschman (ankle), who traveled with the club despite being on the IL, said he’s ‘feeling good.’ He doesn’t want to get ahead of himself and predict when he could return, but he seems optimistic. The earliest he can return is Tuesday,” reported Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun.

Adley Rutschman (ankle), who traveled with the club despite being on the IL, said he’s “feeling good.”

He doesn’t want to get ahead of himself and predict when he could return, but he seems optimistic. The earliest he can return is Tuesday.

— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) April 17, 2026

The update is a good sign for an Orioles team that has been playing inconsistent baseball to open the year. Rutschman was one of the few consistent bright spots before the injury, posting a .294 batting average, .385 on-base percentage and .855 OPS through his first 10 games.

He looked like he was returning to the form he showed early in his career, when he earned two All-Star selections and a Silver Slugger Award while quickly establishing himself as one of the best catchers in MLB.

Last season was a difficult one for Rutschman, who battled multiple injuries and never found his stride at the plate. The Orioles believed a healthy offseason would help him bounce back, and his early performance supported that hope. Losing him this early in the year was a blow, especially for a team that has struggled to find consistency in the lineup.

Rutschman has spent his entire career with Baltimore after being selected first overall in the 2019 MLB Draft, and he remains central to the Orioles’ long-term plans. If he returns to full strength, the Orioles’ path back to playoff baseball becomes far more realistic. Baltimore sits at 10-11, playing mediocre baseball but still carrying high expectations for the season.

The Orioles need to get healthy, and Rutschman’s progress is a major step in that direction. If his optimism proves accurate, Baltimore could have its franchise catcher back in the lineup as soon as Tuesday, and that would be a significant boost for a team trying to regain momentum.

UFC Winnipeg is now in the books and the event had a little bit of everything: brutal wars, quick finishes, impressive comebacks, draws, judging screwjobs, you name it, it happened in Manitoba tonight.

Of the 12 bouts booked for the card, five ended with finishes. But only two of those will get $100,000 performance bonuses. Here’s some of the top choices:

John Yannis, who kicked off the UFC Winnipeg card with a first round knockout (watch HERE).
Gokhan Saricam beating on an extremely durable Tanner Boser until “The Bulldozer” couldn’t stand upright no more (watch HERE).

Marcio Barbosa with a picture perfect one punch knockout of Dennis Buzukja (watch HERE).
Jai Herbert, who came back from some serious trouble to crack Mandel Nallo on the jaw, spoiling his debut (watch HERE).

Here’s the official choices from UFC brass:

Fight of the Night: Kyler Phillips vs Charles Jourdain
Performance of the Night: Mike Malott
Performance of the Night: Marcio Barbosa

For complete UFC Winnipeg results, highlights, and discussion click here.

Through their social media channels, Colo Colo officially announced Fernando Ortiz’s squad list to face Palestino during the week of celebrations for their 101st anniversary. 

For this match, the Albos are also celebrating a return, as Javier Correa is once again in the plans of the coaching staff after spending four weeks sidelined with a hamstring tear in his left leg. 

Colo Colo have an important mission at El Monumental, as they go into the match needing a win to reclaim the top spot in the table that Deportes Limache took from them. 

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

Arman Tsarukyan put on another dominant performance in the RAF 8 main event but only after he grabbed a single leg takedown and literally drove Urijah Faber off the stage during their match.

It was one of the crazier moments in recent wrestling history, although that’s become commonplace anytime Tsarukyan appears in RAF. On this occasion, the UFC lightweight snatched Faber’s leg and drove him backwards trying to score the takedown, which would have actually ended the match after he was already up 8-1 after racking up points early in the match.

Instead, Tsarukyan ended up pushing Faber all the way off the stage as both athletes went flying over the commentary team and crashed on the floor below. Somehow neither Tsarukyan or Faber suffered any kind of injury and the match continued.

“No, how can I throw him on purpose? He’s an OG,” Tsarukyan said about the wild moment. “I was doing my technique and I couldn’t stop.”

On the restart, Tsarukyan wasted no time grabbing another takedown and this time he turned Faber perfectly for a four-point throw to end the match with a 13-1 score. The tech fall victory puts Tsarkyan at 3-0 in his RAF career and he’s already gunning for another top opponent.

Following his win, Tsarukyan turned his attention to Colby Covington, who was sitting nearby with a match against Chris Weidman already booked for RAF 9 in May.

“You see guy over there?” Tsarukyan said pointing to Covington. “He’s one of the best wrestlers from the UFC so I want to prove my wrestling against him and beat him.”

Covington made his way on stage and said he would happily set aside his matchup against Weidman to instead face Tsarukyan in May.

“That match can wait,” Covington said about facing Weidman next. “You need an American who can beat him. Very soon. I just talked to Hunter Campbell, we’re going to get it done.”

It remains to be seen if the UFC will sign off on that match but Tsarukyan and Covington are clearly both interested in mixing it up in RAF in the near future.

The UFC Fight Night 273 main event Saturday, represented a changing of the guard.

Canada's Mike Malott hit a new peak in his career, finishing perennial contender Gilbert Burns, who announced his retirement following the conclusion of the bout at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Malott (14-2-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) stopped Burns (22-10 MMA, 15-10 UFC) with punches for the stoppage at the 2:08 mark of Round 3.

The opening two rounds were largely Malott's. He seemed a step ahead of Burns, who was busted up prior to the final sequences. Burns tried to hang tough, but it appeared the years may have caught up to him. He was unable to avoid a big right hook from Malott, that marked the beginning of the end. Malott pounced and finished the fight.

Burns, 39, took off his gloves and dropped them in the cage following the bout's conclusion.

"I think that's it," Burns said during his in-cage interview. "I'm content."

MIKE MALOTT STOPS GILBERT BURNS IN THE 3RD RD!!!

📺 @paramountpluspic.twitter.com/GK6VoRXF3v

— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) April 19, 2026

If that's it, Burns concludes a career during which UFC fans saw him grow from a raw prospect to title challenger. For years, he fought the welterweight division's best and picked up wins over the likes of Jorge Masvidal, Tyron Woodley, Stephen Thompson and many others. Burns departs the sport on a five-fight skid.

Malott, 34, wins his fourth fight in a row during what was his first UFC headlining bout. His only UFC loss came against Neil Magny in January 2024. Malott was winning the bout handily before Magny flipped the script in Round 3 and finished the fight.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 273 results:

• Mike Malott def. Gilbert Burns via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:08
• Charles Jourdain def. Kyler Phillips via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Jai Herbert def. Mandel Nallo via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:05
• Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Karine Silva unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Gauge Young def. Thiago Moises via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Marcio Barbosa def. Dennis Buzukja via knockout (punch) – Round 1:20
• Robert Valentin def. Julien Leblanc via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:22
• Gokhan Saricam def. Tanner Boser via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 4:43
• Melissa Croden def. Daria Zhelezniakova via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• JJ Aldrich def. Jamey-Lyn Horth via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• John Castaneda vs. Mark Vologdin declared majority draw (29-27 Castaneda, 28-28, 28-28)
• John Yannis def. Jamie Siraj via TKO (elbows) – Round 1, 2:43

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Winnipeg results: Mike Malott retires Gilbert Burns with TKO

The Bryan Clay Invitational has been very kind to Habtom Samuel.

Friday, New Mexico’s star distance runner finished the meet’s 5,000-meter final in 13 minutes and 3.47 seconds — a new NCAA record by 2.4 seconds.

Racing in Azusa, Calif., Samuel ran the final 800 meters in 1:58 to narrowly beat his previous record (13:05.87) set at last year’s Bryan Clay Invitational. Only Oklahoma State’s Denis Kipngetich (13:13.43) finished within 10 seconds of Samuel at the Azusa Pacific-hosted meet.

Tayvon Kitchen of BYU finished third with a time of 13:16.27.

UNM senior Iker Sanchez Lopez (13:29.11) came in 12th and Lobo junior Evans Kilpagat (13:36.31) came in 18th.

With the record, Samuel remains the odds-on favorite to win a national title in the 5K — and the 10K — after placing second at last year’s NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in June. The Keren, Eritrea finished 0.30 seconds behind Oklahoma State’s Brian Musau, denying him a shot at his second outdoor championship.

Samuel won an NCAA title in the indoor 5K in March, making him the first Lobo to win national championships in cross country and both indoor and outdoor track and field.

In the Women’s 5K, UNM’s Pamela Kosgei (15:03.09) secured her qualification for NCAA West Region Prelims with a third-place finish. BYU’s Jane Hedengren (14:50.50) and professional athlete Lexi Halladay-Lowry (14:58.83) finished in first and second. All three finished below the previous meet record.

UNM’s Marion Jepngetich (15:19.93) moved up to No. 2 on the UNM Outdoor List behind Kosgei with a new personal best that will also assure her advancement to NCAA Regionals.

The 2026 prep baseball season began with both the Sandia Matadors and Eldorado Eagles in transition.

So far, it’s Eldorado that has more smoothly navigated its changes.

“The pieces we needed to work on are starting to flourish at the right time,” Eldorado coach Ambrose Romero said after an 8-6, 13-7 District 2-5A doubleheader road sweep of Sandia on Saturday afternoon.

As the two rivals, who met in last May’s Class 5A state baseball final, shared a field for this key doubleheader on Saturday, there was a definite contrast on display. First Sandia, a roster that was forced to absorb several major personnel hits, and hasn’t yet been able to duplicate the type of magic that propelled the Matadors to a 2025 championship — a title that came at Eldorado’s expense.

“We took it personal, because they did take a championship ring away,” Eldorado senior catcher Sully Wilson said. “They took everything from us.”

On the other hand, there are the Eagles, whose promising newcomers have allowed them to adeptly fill their roster holes to mix with returning veterans, and Eldorado has quietly stitched together one of the best seasons of anyone in 5A.

Eldorado’s sweep allowed the sixth-ranked Eagles (17-4, 4-2) to leapfrog the Matadors (11-11, 3-3) into second place in the 2-5A standings behind La Cueva (18-3, 6-0). It also puts Eldorado in excellent position, with a strong finish during the final two Saturdays of the regular season — versus Manzano and Santa Fe — to probably secure a first-round home series in the 5A playoffs.

“It’s a whole different team, but we’re finally figuring out how to play together,” said Wilson, who had a monster day at the plate with seven hits in the two games. “We always preach that we’ll be ready in May.”

And that is fast approaching.

The Eagles had an early and ugly loss to Cibola. There was a metro semifinal loss to Rio Rancho. And, most recently, a pair of 2-5A losses to La Cueva.

Eldorado scored the first six runs of Game 1 before having to hold off hard-charging Sandia, which had the tying run at the plate in the seventh. The Eagles scored three in the first, three more in the fourth.

Wilson had three hits and an RBI in the opener. This game also featured the following statistical oddity: Eldorado’s Maddox Gonzales drove in three runs in his first three plate appearances without the benefit of a hit. He brought in runs on a fielder’s choice ground ball, drove in another with a sacrifice fly and was also hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

“We had to get these two wins over a special team like that, feels amazing,” said senior centerfielder Tim Kamphuis, who belted a two-run homer in Game 2 during a monster eight-run sixth inning for the Eagles. “I took it very personal what they did to us last year. (Today) meant a lot to us.”

Speaking of Game 2, Sandia was leading 6-3 into the fifth inning. The Matadors scored four in the fourth, with RBI hits from Kyle Wormington, Xavier Newsom-Gonzales and Andy Jaramillo.

Eldorado pulled within 6-5 with a pair of runs in the fifth, then exploded with that eight spot in the sixth.

At the bottom of the order, Sylas Tavarez lashed a bases-loaded, three-RBI double to the left-field wall, and he was followed by Kamphuis, and his homer to right; these two hits put Sandia away.

Eldorado has two against Manzano on Saturday. The Eagles need to keep winning to lock up a top-eight seed for the playoffs.

“We’re feeling pretty good,” said Wilson, who was 4-for-5 with two RBIs in the second game. “We just have to keep the energy up. When the energy is down, that’s when we struggle.”

Said Kamphuis: “I was kind of scared at the beginning of the year. I didn’t know how the people that came up, how they were gonna do. But they took in our culture and they’re (playing) better than ever.”

Romero believes Eldorado is beginning to peak as it looks to mount another postseason run next month.

“Our whole goal is to play the best baseball late in the tournament,” he said. “We’re looking to make a run, but it’s a work in progress, it always is every day in this sport.”

FEIST IS PERFECT: La Cueva senior Luke Feist, a University of New Mexico signee, threw a five-inning perfecto in Game 2 of the Bears’ 2-5A doubleheader at Capital on Saturday.

And this effort was very nearly a literal perfect game: Feist allowed a ground ball to shortstop on the first batter he faced, then struck out the next 14 Capital batters in a 21-0 La Cueva victory.

James Yodice covers prep sports for the Journal. You can reach him at jyodice@abqjournal.com or via X at @JamesDYodice.

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – East Tennessee State softball split its doubleheader with Wofford on Saturday, using a 7-4 win in the second game to secure the Southern Conference series victory.

The Buccaneers (17-23, 5-10 SoCon) dropped the opener 15-3 before bouncing back in game two to claim their second conference series win of the season.

Wofford moves to 28-15 overall and 6-9 in league play.

In the second matchup, both teams struck early as the Terriers scored twice in the first inning before ETSU answered with three runs in the bottom half, using a string of singles, a double to take the lead.

Catlin Pennington kept Wofford in check in the circle, holding the Terriers scoreless through five innings. Wofford plated two runs in the seventh, but Muncy closed the door with her second save of the season.

The Bucs return to the diamond Tuesday, April 21, on the road against Tennessee Tech.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.

Giants awarded an "F" in early grade for 2026 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The San Francisco Giants have gotten off to a rocky start in 2026. Through the first 20-ish games of the  season, Bleacher Report awarded them with a grade of an "F". 

Looking over their record of 8-12, they sit at the bottom of a highy-contested National League West. They are already 7.5 games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who look they are on a one-way trip to their World Series three-peat. 

The Giants have had a hard time finding sustainable pitching, as their rotation has been beat up. Logan Webb, Tyler Mahle, and Adrian Houser have not been able to find solid footing with ERA's exploding over 5.00. 

Landen Roupp has been a nice surprise, with a 2.38 ERA and 3-1 record to start the season. He could be a nice trade piece at the midway point of the season, as the Giants are likely not going to be able to compete in this division for another year or two. 

From the plate, shortstop Willy Adames has been the representative of the power. He has 10 doubles already, which is tied for the league-lead with Baltimore Orioles left fielder Tyler Ward. Adames also has three home runs, which is 1/4 of the team's home run total. 

This "F" grade is a perfect one, as the Giants are simply not living up to their standard. This season could have been something more and different for them, but instead, it seems like they are going to fall right back into the same position they have been over the last four seasons.

More MLB News:

• Shohei Ohtani on-base streak: How Dodgers star can continue eye-popping stretch of hitting dominance

• Giants' Logan Webb shares honest thoughts on struggles: 'I'm just kind of hurting the team'

• Yankees' Gerrit Cole shines in debut rehab start with Double-A Somerset

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Travis Sanheim scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period and the Philadelphia Flyers announced their return to the playoffs with a 3-2 win over Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night.

Philadelphia pulled off a stunner in the opener when Sanheim split a pair of Penguins at the top of the zone, glided down the slot and then fired the puck by Stuart Skinner. Porter Martone, the Flyers' 19-year-old rookie forward, provided some needed insurance when he beat Skinner on a wrist shot with 2:37 to play.

Game 2 is in Pittsburgh on Monday.

Jamie Drysdale also scored for the Flyers, who hardly appeared intimidated by an electric PPG Paints Arena crowd buzzing by Pittsburgh's first playoff appearance since 2022. Dan Vladar stopped 14 shots to pick up the first postseason win of his six-year career.

Evgeni Malkin scored his 68th career playoff goal for Pittsburgh but the Penguins, the NHL's third-highest scoring team during the regular season, had trouble sustaining pressure against the Flyers. Bryan Rust pounded home a rebound with 1:01 remaining to get Pittsburgh within a goal, but Vladar stoned Anthony Mantha in the final seconds as Philadelphia held on.

The eighth all-time playoff meeting between the cross-state rivals may also be the most surprising. The Penguins' retooling under general manager Kyle Dubas unexpectedly picked up speed under first-year coach Dan Muse. The Flyers — who arrived at PPG Paints Arena for their morning skate wearing T-shirts with sleeves that had “3.8 percent” printed on them as nod to their slim postseason chances a couple months ago — used a scorching final stretch to reach the postseason for the first time since 2020.

Yet with so many new faces on both sides — only a handful of players remain from the 2018 teams that met in the first round — the series began with something that felt more like curiosity than animosity.

It did not take long, however, for familiar feelings to emerge as things quickly grew testy. Philadelphia's Rasmus Ristolainen, making his playoff debut after 820 regular-season games, drew a roughing call less than two minutes in for taking down towering 6-foot-8 Penguins forward Elmer Soderblom. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was hit with a roughing minor after getting tangled up with Drysdale, who was called for interference during the same sequence.

The Flyers asserted command in the second. Philadelphia created a handful of odd-man rushes that Skinner — who backstopped Edmonton to consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances before being acquired by Pittsburgh in December — turned aside before Drysdale's first career playoff goal just before the game's midway point.

The defenseman skated into the right circle and flipped a puck toward the net that found its way past Skinner, who had trouble locating it thanks to a terrific screen by Flyers forward Denver Barkley.

Pittsburgh evened it just over six minutes later when Malkin swooped into the right circle and blistered a shot from the faceoff dot that split Vladar's legs to tie it.

___

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

The Toronto Blue Jays suffered another gut punch loss on Saturday night, falling 6-2 against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

Tied 2-2 in the eighth inning, closer Jeff Hoffman surrendered a single to Illdemaro Vargas, a single to Alek Thomas and a walk to Ketel Marte, before giving up a go-ahead grand slam to Corbin Carroll.

The Blue Jays, who are already inundated with injury problems, cannot buy a break. They are now 7-13 on the season and one of the most disappointing teams in the league. They are in last place in the American League East.

Hoffman is now 1-2 with a 7.71 ERA on the season. 

On the offensive side of things, the Jays actually had 12 hits, with Nathan Lukes getting three of them. Ernie Clement had two, but the Jays only had one extra-base hit as a team, which limited their scoring chances.

On the pitching side, Max Scherzer took a tough-luck no decision. He went six innings, giving up just two runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out one. Unfortunately, with the one strikeout, he fell just short of MLB history.

He now has 3,499 career strikeouts, making him one away from being the 11th player to record 3,500 Ks.

The other 10? Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Steve Carlton, Bert Blyleven, Tom Seaver, Don Sutton, Justin Verlander, Gaylor Perry and Walker Johnson.

He's likely to hit the mark when he takes the mound next week.

The Jays will take on the Diamondbacks again on Sunday afternoon at 4:10 p.m. ET. Ace right-hander Kevin Gausman will pitch against Ryne Nelson. Gausman is 0-1 with a 2.42 ERA while Nelson is 1-1 with a 3.54.

Elsewhere in Blue Jays news

Trey Yesavage, who has missed the entire season with right shoulder inflammation, will make one more start at Triple-A Buffalo next week.

That means he likely won't be back in the big league rotation until next weekend (April 24-26), at the earliest. Depending on when he makes the minor league rehab start, he might be back until the middle of the following week.

Yesavage's last rehab start came on Wednesday afternoon against the Rochester Red Wings.

Yesavage went 4.1 innings, surrendering three earned runs on seven hits. He walked one and struck out five, tossing 71 pitches, 42 for strikes. It's likely that his next rehab start will see him push the 80-pitch mark, readying him for a return to the majors.

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The Baltimore Orioles currently have more than 10 players sidelined with an injury just two weeks into April. On Saturday they received an update on one of those players, outfielder Tyler O’Neill, who remains on the 7-day concussion injured list.

O’Neill has been sidelined since April 9 after suffering a concussion caused by fainting due to severe dehydration and illness, which led to him hitting his head and experiencing dizziness.

While he has made progress, the Orioles are not ready to bring him back just yet. “OF Tyler O’Neill (concussion) won’t be activated in next day or two. Manager Craig Albernaz said O’Neill still has some boxes to check before returning,” reported Jake Rill of MLB.com.

OF Tyler O’Neill (concussion) won’t be activated in next day or two. Manager Craig Albernaz said O’Neill still has some boxes to check before returning.

— Jake Rill (@JakeDRill) April 17, 2026

The Orioles have not specified what those remaining boxes are, but the tone from Albernaz suggests that O’Neill is trending in the right direction. Even so, Baltimore is being cautious, and understandably so, given the nature of head injuries. The team needs him healthy, especially with the roster already hit hard by injuries across multiple positions.

O’Neill’s absence has been felt. The Orioles envisioned him as a platoon option in left field, hoping he could rebound after a difficult first season in Baltimore.

In 2025, O’Neill played just 54 games due to recurring neck inflammation, a left shoulder impingement and right wrist inflammation. When he was on the field, he struggled, posting a .199 batting average, .292 on-base percentage and .684 OPS. It was a disappointing debut season for a player in the first year of a three-year, $49.5 million contract.

Now in the second year of that deal, O’Neill still has time to turn things around, and the Orioles believe he can.

He remains a strong defensive presence as a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, and his athleticism continues to be an asset when healthy. This is his ninth MLB season after spending six years with the St. Louis Cardinals and one with the Boston Red Sox before arriving in Baltimore.

If O’Neill can rediscover his offensive form, it would be a major boost for an Orioles team sitting at 10-11 and trying to regain momentum. Baltimore’s expectations remain high as the club hopes to make a return to the MLB playoffs this year, but getting healthy is the first step. O’Neill’s progress is encouraging, and once he clears the final hurdles, the Orioles hope he can help stabilize an outfield that needs his presence. 

LAS VEGAS – It looked like Randy Orton was going to take the high road on Saturday night, refusing to pin an all-but-finished Cody Rhodes after his cohort Pat McAfee ran into the ring as a replacement ref. With McAfee’s professional wrestling career hinging on an Orton win, it made sense that the first ballot Hall-of-Famer would want to get a “tourist” far away from the industry he loves despite their alliance during the build up. 

Rhodes took advantage of the opportunity of course, landing his signature Cross Rhodes to end the match and McAfee’s wrestling career once and for all. It was Orton who got the last laugh, however, turning on Rhodes with an RKO and a vicious boot to the head. With blood soaking Rhodes’ bleach blonde hair, Orton stood over the newly-crowned champion with the belt he clearly believed still rightly belonged to himself.

Morgan back on top, Belair reveals big surprise

The co-main event saw Elmwood Park, New Jersey’s own Liv Morgan become a three-time WWE Women’s World Champion with her defeat of Stephanie Vacquer by pinfall just under seven minutes into the match. Morgan is now the fourth three-time holder of the belt, joining Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch and Naomi in the exclusive club. 

Morgan also stole the show with her entrance, doing her best Tate McRae at Coachella impersonation by performing her new ring song Trouble with the assistance of an ensemble of scantily clad backup dancers. In a way, it didn’t feel completely unlike something we would have seen from one of the Divas during the Attitude Era.

Following the match, Bianca Belair accompanied WrestleMania 42 host John Cena in the ring and revealed to the 50,000+ crowd and the millions watching at home that she was expecting 

Gunther and Rollins Go For Instant Classic

Gunther vs. Seth Rollins was a war that any purist would love, with Gunther earning the win by choke-out in what was surely the match of the night and potentially the entire weekend. Despite the relatively bare history between the pair, they delivered nearly 17 minutes of highly technical and tastefully violent action and had the notoriously hard to please Vegas crowd in their back pocket the whole time. 

It appeared Rollins was in prime position to win the match after curbstomping Gunther’s head on the announcer’s table, but a timely interference from Bron Breakker knocked the wind out of Rollin’s sails and allowed Gunther to capitalize shortly after with the finishing submission.  As Breakker was about to make his way back to the backstage area, he and Rollins engaged in an Old Western style staredown. 

Predictably, that staredown ended with Breakker turning around and sprinting down the ramp to hit Rollins with a legitimate nuke of a thunderbomb, with the encouragement of none other than Paul Heyman. 

Lynch downs Lee, Paige’s surprise return saves Bellas

AJ Lee’s first WrestleMania match since 2015 certainly didn’t end the way she would have liked. Becky Lynch ended Lee’s 49-day reign as WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion, earning the belt after incapacitating Lee by smashing her head off the ringpost before landing a chokeslam and the pin. The win marks Lynch’s 13th title within the WWE/NXT ranks and made her the first two-time Women’s Intercontinental Champion since the belt was introduced in November 2024 

The pay-per-view portion of the show opened with the confirmation of some unfortunate news, as Nikki Bella announced she was unable to compete with her sister Brie in the fatal four-way tag team match also featuring The Irresistible Forces, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax and Lash Legend. 

That, of course, meant Brie needed a tag team partner in order to stay in the match. It presented the perfect opportunity for the return of former Divas champion Paige, who returned to a raucous fanfare and made good on her first WWE appearance since 2022 by landing the match-winning pinfall on Bliss to become WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion alongside Brie and Nikki. 

iShowSpeed, Jacob Fatu highlight opening hour

The night began unlike any other in WrestleMania history from a broadcasting perspective, with the first hour of the event airing for a nationally televised audience on ESPN2. The action itself began with a six-man trios match that saw The Usos and LA Knight make relatively quick work of Logan Paul, Austin Theory and iShowSpeed before Paul turned on his fellow internet icon and partner. Knight and The Usos eventually came to Speed’s assistance, propping him onto the announcers table so Speed could execute a devastating frog splash off the ringpost. As it turns out, Paul ends up 

The free-for-TV window continued with one of the most genuinely intriguing matches on the card, an unsanctioned match between Jacob Fatu and Drew McIntyre. The match mostly lived up to the hype, with Fatu earning the win after plowing McIntyre through the table successfully after a lengthy set-up. It was a poetic moment for the Sacramento native Fatu, who spent extended time in the Las Vegas based-indie Future Stars of Wrestling

These baseball recaps are getting easier to write up.

LSU (23-17. 6-11) has lost a second consecutive SEC weekend, losing game two of its series against #10 Texas A&M (30-7, 11-5) 7-2 Saturday evening at The Box. After getting back to .500 in league play two weekends ago against Tennessee, LSU has now dropped five straight SEC games and run the risk of being swept in back-to-back weekends.

Saturday kind of followed the same beats that we’ve seen since SEC play started which is to say A&M got up early, and any time LSU responded with a run the Aggies would come back out and get that run back.

William Schmidt threw a career-high 105 pitches but couldn’t get out of the sixth inning. Schmidt allowed seven runs, all earned, off of seven hits, and had an even four walks and four strikeouts.

If there is a silver lining, the bullpen had themselves a pretty solid evening. Conner Benge might have given up a bases loaded single to the one and only batter that he faced, but outside of that the Tiger relievers didn’t allow a single earned run. True freshman Marcos Paz had arguably his best outing of 2026, pitching the final two innings and retiring six of the eight batters that he faced. Paz struck out three, issued a walk, and gave up one hit.

The LSU offense was once again quite bad, Steven Milam excluded. The top-3 of LSU’s lineup (Derek Curiel-Jake Brown-Cade Arrambide) went a combined 1-12 today with six strikeouts. Milam, to his credit, was 2-4 with a solo home run in the second inning that got LSU on the board. Too bad it was already a 3-0 deficit at that point, and A&M scored two runs their next time up.

Jay Johnson made headlines for what he said after Friday night’s loss to A&M saying he made mistakes in constructing this year’s roster and “it’s a deep-rooted thing, we’re off and this will never happen again.” Less than 24 hours after being called out, Jay’s team proved exactly why he said that in the first place, and I think that tells us all we need to know about this group.

LSU will try to avoid the indignity of getting swept at home tomorrow afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 P.M. Great news everyone, tomorrow’s game is being broadcasted on ESPN, so the whole world can tune in to see if LSU lies down for a second day in a row.

Kentucky Basketball could be closing in on a major addition to its frontcourt, according to KSR’s Matt Jones.

Jones posted on Twitter that “Kentucky will have (absent a major change) either Freeman or Rancik by tomorrow,” while also noting the Wildcats still need to add another shooter and another big to round out the roster.

One of the top targets is Donnie Freeman, a 6-foot-9, 205-pound sophomore forward transferring from Syracuse. Freeman arrived in Lexington on Tuesday night and began his visit on Wednesday before leaving without a commitment. While there was concern he could land at UConn, that visit has since been canceled, leaving Kentucky and St. John’s as the top teams.

Freeman averaged 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game last season, while adding nearly a block and a steal per contest. He shot 47.4% from the field but 30.2% from 3-point range across 23 games.

The other option is Sebastian Rancik, a 6-foot-11, 220-pound sophomore forward transferring from Colorado. Rancik visited Kentucky starting Wednesday through Thursday and brings a versatile skill set, averaging 12.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2 assists per game while shooting 33.1% from 3.

Either Freeman or Rancik would provide a significant boost at the power forward position for head coach Mark Pope. Kentucky has already added guards Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins in the portal.

The Cleveland Browns have to rethink the NFL Draft after Dexter Lawrence arrived in the AFC North originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

There are a lot of people hoping the Cleveland Browns draft a wide receiver in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Those people believe the club will want to pair a prize prospect at wide receiver with second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders. A move some think will transform the young quarterback into a true franchise starting-caliber quarterback. It may work, it may not. Sanders had one of the worst statistical rookie seasons on record, and a stud wide receiver may just help Sanders make a jump in production.

Despite the obvious, that no rookie is a guarantee, what's more likely to help Sanders excel at quarterback (or whoever starts under center) is a strong offensive line. It's an obvious need for the club, and one that has to be addressed. Especially after the news broke on Saturday of a major player landing in the AFC North. 

The Cincinnati Bengals traded for All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence from the New York Giants in exchange for the Bengals' first-round pick, 10th overall, in the 2026 NFL Draft. That move alone makes the Bengals' front four all that much more vicious. It's a move that puts the entire AFC North on notice, with each of the other three clubs now needing to prepare to face Lawrence a combined six times. 

More: Why Giants trading Dexter Lawrence to Bengals is gut-wrenching news for Browns

The move should make the Browns worried, after all, they had a hard enough time keeping their quarterbacks upright in 2025 without Lawrence in state. The Browns gave up 51 sacks in 2025, seventh-most in the NFL last year, and ensuring that doesn't happen again should be paramount.

To help with that, the Browns landed Tytus Howard, Zion Johnson, and Elgton Jenkins in the offseason, while re-signing Teven Jenkins. Except for Jenkins, everyone the Browns signed so far to "bolster" the offensive line is a mediocre offensive lineman on their best days, according to PFF. Howard posted a PFF grade of 62.3 in 2025, with Johnson sitting at a 56.5, and Jenkins at 62.0. The Browns need better than average, especially when you're looking at a division that contains Lawrence, T.J. Watt, and Trey Hendrickson. 

They are now in one of the scariest divisions in the NFL with one of the worst offensive lines going. If the goal is to keep Sanders upright and healthy, then the Browns have to focus heavily on the offensive line. Seeing as how the Browns have two first-round picks, a second, and a third as of press time, they should draft two, if not three, offensive linemen. It may seem excessive, but they simply didn't do enough in the offseason before the Lawrence trade, and now with his arrival, it's become all the more obvious.

The Browns would be wise to get a center, a guard, and a tackle to help balance out the line and prepare the team for the pressure to come. Otherwise, it won't matter who the Browns are throwing to if the man who's throwing it is constantly on his back.

More NFL 

• Colts' historic $88 million QB signing named worst of offseason
• Latest A.J. Brown trade rumor is bad news for Patriots, Bills, Chargers, and Chiefs
• Giants sign 33-year-old former 49ers, Rams quarterback to compete with Jaxson Dart

The Indianapolis Colts are doing their homework on the tight end position ahead of the 2026 NFL draft.

According to Essentially Sports' draft analyst Tony Pauline, Mississippi State tight end Seydou Traore had an official pre-draft visit with the Colts.

During the pre-draft process, each NFL team can have up to 30 draft prospects take an official visit. These visits can be with first-round prospects all the way to UDFAs.

Let's take a closer look at what Traore could bring to the Colts.

Colts 2026 NFL draft prospect to watch: TE Seydou Traore

Traore has been a big factor in the passing game over the last three seasons, totaling 164 targets during that span. He's been reliable as well, catching 72% of those passes, while averaging 11.2 yards per catch with 10 touchdowns -- five of which came this season.

This past season, a career-high 50.1% of Traore's snaps came as a blocker. For what it's worth, by PFF's metrics, he did not grade out well as a run-blocker.

Pro Football Network is projecting that Traore is taken in the sixth round.

Seydou Traore's athletic profile

Seydou Traore is a TE prospect in the 2026 draft class. He scored a 9.42 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 87 out of 1471 TE from 1987 to 2026.https://t.co/nIeXGP7VXbpic.twitter.com/efWCeM68KX

— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 15, 2026

What is the Colts' need at tight end?

Another addition doesn't have to be made here, but adding some competition for that fourth tight end spot on the roster wouldn't be a bad idea. Also, the draft is about planning ahead, and Alie-Cox, Ogletree, and Mallory are all free agents in 2027.

This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: 2026 NFL draft: Colts host TE Seydou Traore on visit

Real American Freestyle (RAF) returns TONIGHT (Sat., April 18, 2026) with its eighth event, streaming live from Liacouras Center of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Former two-division UFC champion, Henry Cejudo, was supposed to headline the card against former Bantamweight champion and former rival, Merab Dvalishvili; however, a last-second injury forced Cejudo off the card (details here).

The new main event is No. 2-ranked UFC Lightweight contender, Arman Tsarukyan, taking on mixed martial arts (MMA) legend, Urijah Faber. The co-main event now features a championship match as Kyle Snyder defends his Light Heavyweight title against Rizabek Aitmukhan.

RAF 08 kicks off at 8 p.m. ET and airs exclusively on FOX Nation.

Below, you’ll find live results, highlights and discussion throughout the evening.

RAF 08 Results and Highlights:

RAF 08 Main Event

175 lbs: Arman Tsarukyan vs. Urijah Faber — Tsarukyan def. Faber via Tech-Fall (13-1), Round 3

RAF 08 Co-Main Event

215 lbs: Kyle Snyder vs. Rizabek Aitmukhan (championship match) — Snyder def. Aitmukhan via Points (12-6)

RAF 08 Main Card

190 lbs: Zahid Valencia vs. Aeoden Sinclair — Valencia def. Sinclair via Points (8-2)

285 lbs: Anthony Cassioppi vs. Shamil Sharipov — Sharipov def. Cassioppi via Pinfall, Round 1

130 lbs: Helen Maroulis vs. Alexis Janiak (championship match) — Maroulis def. Janiak via Tech Fall (10-0), Round 2

145 lbs: Real Woods vs. Anthony Ashnault — Woods def. Ashnault via Points (7-2)

175 lbs: Jason Nolf vs. Joey Blaze — Nolf def. Blaze via Points (11-2)

145 lbs: Vladimer Khinchegashvili vs. Johnni DiJulius — Khinchegashvili def. Johnni DiJulius via Points (8-5)

155 lbs: Lance Palmer vs. Cayden Henschel — Palmer def. Henschel via Points (3-2)

145 lbs.: Jordan Oliver vs. Mike Vanbrill — Oliver def. Vanbrill via Points (5-0)

135 lbs.: Lucas Byrd vs. Darian Cruz – Byrd def. Cruz via Criteria, (2-2)

For the latest wrestling-related news and notes click here.

BYU and Utah's rise as College Football Playoff-contending programs over the last decade has a lot to do with the rise of high school talent in the state.

Every year, a good crop of five and four-star talent comes out of the state and takes their talents to one of the in-state programs or another program likely contending for a playoff spot.

This year is no exception, with numerous prospects ranked in the top 200 by multiple recruiting outlets.

Here's a look at the top 10 players from the Beehive State in the 2027 class.

1. Bode Sparrow, Davis (Kaysville)

Position: Athlete

Height: 6-2

Weight: 180

Commitment: Uncommitted

Football recruiting notes: Sparrow did a little bit of everything last season for the 10-2 Darts. On offense, he caught 83 passes for 1,218 yards and 16 touchdowns. Defensively he totaled 71 tackles, seven interceptions and 6.5 tackles for loss.

2. Kamden Lopati, West (West Valley City)

Position: Quarterback

Height: 6-3

Weight: 220

Commitment: Uncommitted

Football recruiting notes: Lopati was the definition of efficient as a junior. He led the Panthers to an 11-win season in 2025, completing 65% of his passes for 2,671 yards and 34 touchdowns while also rushing for 730 yards and 10 more touchdowns.

3. Krew Jones, Orem

Position: EDGE

Height: 6-4.5

Weight: 233

Commitment: Oklahoma

Football recruiting notes: Jones transferred from one state championship team in Ridgeline to another in Orem. He helped the Riverhawks finish 14-0 last season, totaling 80 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles.

4. Jaxton Itaaehau, Davis (Kaysville)

Position: Athlete

Height: 5-11

Weight: 185

Commitment: Uncommitted

Football recruiting notes: Itaaehau was another two-way standout for the Darts last season. He totaled 1,286 total yards of offense and 16 touchdowns on offense while also recording 33 tackles on defense.

5. Christian Hanshaw, American Fork

Position: Tight End

Height: 6-5

Weight: 230

Commitment: Uncommitted

Football recruiting notes: Filling in more as a blocker, Hanshaw will likely be relied upon more in the receiving game his senior season. In 2025, he caught 27 passes for 356 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

6. Ian Aloisio, Timpview (Provo)

Position: Interior Offensive Lineman

Height: 6-4

Weight: 280

Commitment: Uncommitted

Football recruiting notes: Arizona and Utah have been in a battle for Aloisio, with each set to host him for official visits this summer. He'll be in Arizona on June 12 and Utah a week later.

7. Peyton Higginson, Salem Hills

Position: Athlete

Height: 6-3

Weight: 181

Commitment: Uncommitted

Football recruiting notes: Higginson will have his choice of where to play in college, as he excels on both offense and defense. Offensively, he caught 40 passes for 574 yards and a team-high nine touchdowns in 2025. On defense, he totaled 81 tackles, four tackles for loss, and three interceptions.

8. Broncs Baker, Stansbury (Tooele)

Position: Linebacker

Height: 6-1

Weight: 215

Commitment: Uncommitted

Football recruiting notes: Baker's name is fitting as he plays for the Mustangs and was also one of the state's top linebackers in 2025. He capped his junior season with 66 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and two sacks.

9. Sam Ngata, Olympus (Salt Lake City)

Position: Linebacker

Height: 6-3.5

Weight: 215

Commitment: Oregon

Football recruiting notes: Sam Ngata is the son of longtime NFL defensive lineman Haloti Ngata. He committed to Oregon on January 24 and recorded 23 tackles in 2025.

10. Uhila Wolfgramm, Maple Mountain (Spanish Fork)

Position: EDGE

Height: 6-3

Weight: 245

Commitment: Uncommitted

Football recruiting notes: The Eagles struggled in 2025, but Wolfgramm was a bright spot. He finished his junior season with 36 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and five sacks.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY High School Sports Wire: Bode Sparrow headlines top 2027 college football recruits from Utah

NEW YORK — Ahead of tipoff in Game 1 of the first-round Eastern Conference playoff series between the Knicks and Hawks on Saturday, Atlanta coach Quin Snyder detailed the many ways his team could potentially have trouble defending Karl-Anthony Towns, the six-time All-Star center who's averaged close to 30 points over the seven regular-season games he’s played against the Hawks since his 2024 trade to New York.

Snyder called the Towns assignment a challenge. He was complimentary of the 7-foot scorer whose game he’d come to know well after coaching the Utah Jazz for the better part of a decade. And in true candid fashion, Snyder openly admitted the matchup would be a problem for the Hawks, who only have one experienced, trusted center in Onyeka Okongwu available as Jock Landale recovers from an ankle injury.

Snyder was so effusive of his praise — and steadfast in his desire to find a way to stop the Knicks’ center — one could surmise the Knicks’ big man was top priority on the Hawks’ scouting report.

Which was Atlanta’s undoing in Game 1, because the second you forget about Jalen Brunson is the second you’ve hammered the final nail into your own coffin. And in what became a wild game, Brunson put the Hawks on the grill: 28 points, seven assists and 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range.

The Knicks have taken a 1-0 series lead over the Hawks with Game 1 looming on Monday.

Snyder will make adjustments. He said as much ahead of tipoff on Saturday. But he detailed the plight of this very quandary before the opening tip as well.

“It’s a little bit of pick your poison, you know? How do you handle [KAT] on the post with a mismatch? Do you just guard him? How do you handle pick and roll? How do you handle him and Brunson on pick a roll?” Snyder said. “I think for us to be prepared for all those situations, you can adjust every time down the court.”

Towns did not score in the first quarter and had six points on 1-of-6 shooting at the half. The Knicks, of course, went three quarters of the season with Towns as an afterthought offensively before folding him more permanently into scoring actions. He has also become much more content with his fluctuating role.

Some nights may not call for a Big KAT masterclass. Others will. And in the playoffs, games will call for both: Towns scored just six points in the first half but finished with 25 points on 6-of-13 shooting and a perfect 10-of-10 shooting from the foul line.

Yet despite Towns’ late start, despite an Atlanta defense built to be aggressive and physical at the point of attack, the Knicks still built an 11-point lead, watched it go to zero, then led by as many as 19 points with four minutes left in the final frame.

It’s why The Daily News took the Knicks to win this first-round series in not six, but five games. Because the Knicks, at their best, are light years ahead of the Hawks, whose franchise cornerstone — Jalen Johnson — is experiencing his first-ever playoff series.

Game 1, of course, had its hiccups, moments the Hawks applied pressure many assumed capable of breaking the Knicks. The first quarter was a doozy. Brunson’s heroics saved the day. The Knicks built a double-digit lead in the second quarter and suddenly found themselves tied at 48 shortly before the half. Brunson, even in a hot night, shot 8 for 11 to start the game and 1 for 11 to finish it.

And then there were the injuries: Officials assessed C.J. McCollum a technical foul for kicking Brunson below the belt. Jonathan Kuminga grabbed a rebound and elbowed Towns in the face on the way down. OG Anunoby limped out of the game in the second quarter then checked himself back in shortly after. And Josh Hart came up limping in the third quarter before playing through the visible pain displayed on his face.

The Hawks are going to do more beating-up of the Knicks than actually beating them on the hardwood floor. They’ll need to find a way to beat the Knicks at their own game, too. Because taking away Towns freed up Brunson, and re-focusing on Brunson opened up Towns.

It’s the very poison Snyder spoke of — and the Hawks drank it on Saturday.

The road to WrestleMania is when WWE builds its storylines for the "Showcase of the Immortals," creating iconic moments that lead to must-see matches in the biggest show of the year.

The Undisputed WWE Championship feud was headed in that direction earlier this year, but the polarizing introduction of Pat McAfee and Jelly Roll into a main-event matchup has been a controversial topic among WWE fans in recent weeks.

See:WrestleMania Night 1 live grades, results for every match

Here's how the McAfee storyline played out on Saturday night during Night 1 of WrestleMania 42:

McAfee was the first to make an entrance, flipping double middle fingers as he sauntered down the ramp, something not many (if anyone) has had license to do since Stone Cold Steve Austin at his peak. Audio also picked up McAfee saying "f*** you" to someone in the crowd.

Whether you love him or hate him, people are ALWAYS talking about @PatMcAfeeShow! 👀

Stream #WrestleMania LIVE RIGHT NOW on the @ESPN app!

➡️ https://t.co/jKAIj8nxxtpic.twitter.com/E77XnmjG9b

— WWE (@WWE) April 19, 2026

Orton brought some positive energy back into the building with his entrance, which got the usual sing-along from the 50,000+ in Allegiant Stadium.

Rhodes got an extended entrance which features close-ups of four mannequins wearing his gear from his many character changes throughout his long WWE career.

McAfee took the mic from ring announcer Alicia Taylor to give his own Paul Heyman-style intro - which couldn't really compare to the WWE legend.

Very classy, @PatMcAfeeShow 😒 pic.twitter.com/AtJusfONK2

— WWE (@WWE) April 19, 2026

Before referee Charles Robinson signaled for the bell to ring, McAfee attacked Rhodes with his microphone. Rhodes rallied and hit a Cross Rhodes on McAfee, then dragged McAfee onto an announce table to pummel him. Jell Roll appeared at ringside and jumped from one announce table to the other, driving an elbow through McAfee and the table.

ELBOW THROUGH THE TABLE 💪@JellyRoll615 takes out @PatMcAfeeShow!

Stream #WrestleMania LIVE RIGHT NOW on the @ESPN app!

➡️ https://t.co/jKAIj8nxxtpic.twitter.com/mdXA7P9qF0

— WWE (@WWE) April 19, 2026

Jelly Roll yelled at Rhodes to give the fans what they came for, and medical staff rolled out a gurney to remove an injured McAfee from the area. McAfee capped his performance by raising a middle finger from the gurney.

A message for the Vegas crowd on his way out 🙄@PatMcAfeeShow

Stream #WrestleMania LIVE RIGHT NOW on the @ESPN app!

➡️ https://t.co/jKAIj8nxxtpic.twitter.com/EBpokEDcBS

— WWE (@WWE) April 19, 2026

This may be WWE's way of extracting McAfee from the rest of the show and giving us a match, but I have a feeling McAfee may not be done on Saturday.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: What happened with Pat McAfee in WrestleMania main event?

Spain’s next big thing in tennis

As Rafael Nadal’s time at the top of tennis began to wind down, it didn’t take long for Spain to find its next superstar.

Carlos Alcaraz has already made a massive impact on the ATP Tour, and he’s only 22 years old. In that time, he’s already picked up 26 ATP titles, including seven Grand Slams.

At 19, Alcaraz became the youngest player to reach world number one. By 22, he had achieved a Career Grand Slam, winning all four majors at least once.

Boris Becker recently spoke about another young Spaniard who he believes could be a major star. The teenager has started making appearances on the main tour and is ranked just inside the world’s top 600.

Boris Becker speaks highly of Rafael Jodar after Barcelona victory

Rafael Jodar made a bit of history at the Barcelona Open on Friday, and he did it in front of a home crowd.

At just 19, he became only the fifth Spanish teenager in the Open Era to reach the semi-finals of the ATP 500 event.

By beating Cameron Norrie in straight sets, he joined Alcaraz, Nadal, Carlos Moya and Alex Corretja in that select group.

Becker also shared his thoughts on X, formerly Twitter: “Love his composure and maturity already. Spain is lucky to have another diamond in its arsenal.”

How Rafael Jodar has fared on Tour so far this year

Jodar began 2026 by reaching the final of a Challenger event in Canberra, where he was beaten by Alexander Blockx.

He then qualified for a Grand Slam for the first time at the Australian Open and made it through to the second round before losing out to Jakub Mensik.

After an early exit in Dallas, Jodar picked up two wins between Delray Beach and Acapulco, defeating Ethan Quinn and Norrie along the way.

His Sunshine Double didn’t start well with a first-round defeat at Indian Wells, but he reached round three of Miami after getting past Yannick Hanfmann and Aleksandar Vukic.

Read more:

A first Copa del Rey final in 13 years gave Atlético Madrid a real shot at silverware for the first time since 2021 at La Cartuja against Real Sociedad. But a painful penalty shootout defeat after a 2-2 tie means more suffering and pain for Colchoneros.

Here’s where Atleti went wrong on Saturday night.

1. Juan Musso showed why he’s second-choice

First of all, full credit to Juan Musso for being the closest Jan Oblak has had to a real rival in his entire time at Atlético Madrid. But in Seville, it all went wrong.

Musso didn’t cover himself in glory with the first goal. I don’t include the decision to give a penalty for a tap on Gonçalo Guedes’ shoulder here to avoid it becoming a refereeing rant after a game in which Javier Alberola Rojas is not the main reason for Atlético’s defeat. But that decision was an appalling one. And it was one that Musso gave him to make.

Then the penalty shoot-out, where Musso went the wrong way repeatedly, as he did for Mikel Oyarzabal’s in-game effort, reflected a lack of preparation and a poor penalty record. In his career, Musso has saved 10.9% of penalties, compared to Oblak’s 20.8%. That could’ve been the difference.

2. The difference in rest periods

Between Real Sociedad’s last match ending last Saturday and the Copa del Rey final starting, Atlético Madrid played two matches: a La Liga tie against Sevilla, with heavy rotations, and a Champions League quarter-final second leg against Barcelona. It was logical, therefore, that Atleti struggled to find a breakthrough late on against tired legs as the clock ticked. Where their quality could have made the difference in other circumstances in these closing stages, Atleti were exhausted.

Why? In part, because the RFEF screwed up. Their decision to place the Copa del Rey final in Seville in the middle of their incredibly-popular Feria de Abril holiday in the city meant a late change to the schedule, bringing forward the final by a week to avoid the clash, albeit coinciding with a week including Champions League action in midweek. Had both finalists — or neither — been involved in Europe, it wouldn’t have been a problem. Unfortunately for them, it was.

3. This wasn’t Atleti’s strongest XI

It’s an excuse, but it’s a good one. Aside from Musso, the deputy for the cup, you could count at least two players who most likely would not feature in Atleti’s strongest line-up. Nahuel Molina and Robin Le Normand, impressive in recent weeks but enjoying his worst season in many years, are firmly squad players who would almost certainly have been on the bench had Dávid Hancko and Pablo Barrios been fit. It would have seen Marcos Llorente return to right-back, his normal role, and could have changed the game entirely from the early moments.

A perfect line-up is rare, but this Atleti side was missing several key players across the board.

4. Penalties aren’t Atleti’s forte

There was almost a sense of impending doom as a shootout neared. Many saw it coming that the shootout ended in defeat, repeating the outcome of the only previous Copa final between the two clubs in 1987, when La Real also prevailed on penalties.

The pattern is uncomfortable enough that it has become part of how Atlético fans process big nights, echoing the painful 2016 Champions League final. Julián Alvarez’s “double-touch” penalty against Real Madrid a year ago had left a scar, and no other player has stepped forward as a clinical spot-kick taker since then.

Once again, 12 yards provided to be the killer for an Atlético side who will feel that they edged it in the 120 minutes.

5. A lack of depth on the bench

It said a lot that when Diego Simeone was forced into changes, he was forced into changing the formation.

Simeone’s captain, the 34-year-old Koke, should not have been required to play 120 minutes. The fact that he was, in testament to him and his work rate, reflects poorly on the squad management by the likes of Carlos Bucero, Mateu Alemany, and Miguel Ángel Gil.

If we consider the period of 25 to 28 to be the peak of a footballer’s career, it is notable that Atlético currently have no midfielders in that age range. Rodrigo de Paul, for all his sins, filled that gap as an experienced leader who could rotate with Koke, but he was sold. Barrios, Johnny Cardoso, or January signings Rodrigo Mendoza or Obed Vargas are some way off cementing such a role.

There can be those who argue that the starting XI should get the job done, but when they didn’t, the chances fell to Cardoso, Sørloth and Álex Baena. All three missed.

6. One eye still on the Champions League?

The big question: if Atleti were out of the Champions League, would the likes of Barrios, Hancko or José María Giménez have been risked here?

“I’m not thinking about Arsenal; this really hurts,” Cholo Simeone said after the game in Seville, but could the same be said for his players and his medical team?

It is hard to envisage that the opening goal on 15 seconds would have been conceded with the experienced leadership of the backline which is offered by Hancko or Giménez. It’s hard to envisage that Atleti would have struggled through to battle to the final whistle with barely any creativity had Barrios been on the field.

These are small differences, but at this level, the fine margins make a significant difference.

7. A one-dimensional approach through Ademola Lookman

You could be forgiven for forgetting that Giuliano Simeone was on the field or that anyone was on the right flank for much of the first half. Time and time again, Atleti would opt for the long ball over the top to the left flank and for Ademola Lookman to chase. Sometimes it worked, but it exhausted the Nigerian and it made Atleti’s approach incredibly predictable.

Contrary to what many Atleti fans may argue, taking him off made sense. Atleti needed more presence in the box, without sacrificing the quality of Julián or Antoine Griezmann. To do so meant a change in shape, and Lookman plays no role as a wing-back. He was tiring, struggling to track back, and leaving gaps that could be exploited.

On paper, replacing Lookman seemed madness given his performance, but it was striking while the iron was hot, rather than waiting for it to go lukewarm.

8. A lack of cutting edge

It’s not the first time this season that we talk about Atleti missing their chances. But once again here, Atlético Madrid had the chances to win this game inside 120 minutes.

Their 1.96 xG was far more than Real Sociedad’s 1.62, but the Basque side were just more clinical. They had 40% of shots on target, compared to Atleti’s 21%. Even if we just look at Baena’s 87th-minute chance worth 0.61 xG, or Cardoso’s 91st-minute chance worth 0.29 xG, the chances were there for Atlético to take this game, but they failed to do so. That was ultimately the difference between the two teams.

The New York Giants have added a second pick in the top ten selections of the 2026 NFL Draft with a blockbuster trade Saturday night. The team sent defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals, gaining the 10th overall pick in exchange – landing the Giants right in front of the Miami Dolphins, who hold the 11th and 30th picks in the first round round this year.

The Giants will now pick 5th and 10th when the Draft kicks off on Thursday.

Lawrence was the 17th overall pick by the Giants in 2019. He has been selected to three Pro Bowls in his seven seasons and has been named a Second-Team All-Pro twice. He has recorded 341 career tackles, 15 passes defensed, one interception, five forced fumbles, and 30.5 sacks. He had requested a trade earlier this month as he and the Giants could not come to an agreement on a new contract. He has two-years remaining on a four-year, $90 million extension he signed before the 2023 season.

What impact do you think this trade has on the Dolphins’ draft pick? Let us know in the comments.

For more on the Bengals’ side of this trade, check out Cincy Jungle. For Giants’ reactions, head over to Big Blue View.

Dexter Lawrence trade grades: Bengals pay hefty price to upgrade problematic defense in deal with Giants originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

While the rest of the NFL focuses on the upcoming draft, the Bengals still had some offseason business to handle.

Cincinnati swung a blockbuster deal with the Giants for DT Dexter Lawrence on Saturday, landing the three-time Pro-Bowler in exchange for the No. 10 pick in Thursday's draft.

The deal leaves the Giants with two top-10 picks but a void up front on their defense, while the Bengals add a defensive anchor after losing Trey Hendrickson in free agency.

Here's how the Bengals and Giants did in the Lawrence blockbuster.

MORE: Full 2026 NFL Draft order

Dexter Lawrence trade grades

Bengals grade: C

• Bengals receive: DT Dexter Lawrence

Make no mistake: the Bengals badly need a talent infusion on their defense, and that was true even before Trey Hendrickson's exit in free agency. Lawrence makes their defense better from day one, and a stronger defense is critical to Cincinnati's hopes of returning to the playoffs with Joe Burrow.

This is still a hefty price to pay for player heading into his eighth season who is presumably asking to become one of the highest-paid defensive linemen in the NFL. The Bengals might not get a player of Lawrence's caliber with the No. 10 pick — ESPN's Adam Schefter reports the team considers 2026 "a big year" and want an immediate impact — but considering how much more cost-controlled that player would be, Cincinnati has to hope Lawrence plays like an All-Pro to live up to this deal.

Instead, a Bengals team that needs help just about everywhere other than the skill positions now owns only three top-180 picks in the 2026 draft.

The Bengals are betting that Lawrence will prove his 2025 was an aberration. He wasn't as effective at getting to the passer or stopping the run, something he owed to playing through an elbow injury. Lawrence was much more effective in 2024 and even more effective in 2022 and 2023, when he was an All-Pro Second-Team selection.

It's certainly possible Lawrence becomes that type of player again, but there is enough uncertainty to say this trade could be looked back upon as a desperation move.

MORE:2026 NFL mock draft with trades

Giants grade: A

• Giants receive: DT Dexter Lawrence

Trading a defensive anchor just as you're expecting to come out of a rebuild and make a leap isn't ideal, but the Giants clearly drew a line in the sand in contract negotiations with Lawrence. Is that because they believe he won't be the player he once was? Only time will tell.

Regardless, landing a second top-10 pick is a major coup that will allow coach John Harbaugh to better put his stamp on the Giants' roster. No, that player might not have the immediate impact of someone like Lawrence, but New York now has two chances to add a cost-controlled, high-level talent to its roster and more flexibility to move around in the first round if needed. 

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported executives expected the Giants to land a late first-round pick for Lawrence, which sounds about right for a player who isn't an edge rusher, isn't coming off his best season by any means and is demanding a massive third contract. To land a top-10 pick, particularly as a team that already has a quarterback and has multiple major roster needs, is a significant win that makes the temporary void on the defensive line much easier for Harbaugh to stomach. 

The Giants want to win in 2026, but Harbaugh is under far less pressure to win right now than the Bengals' regime. That difference showed in this trade. 

The Dallas Stars could never really get going in a 6-1 Game 1 loss against the Minnesota Wild at American Airlines Center on Saturday. Minnesota leads the series 1-0.

Stars lines

• Steel – Johnston – Rantanen
• Robertson – Duchene – Bourque
• Bäck – Hryckowian – Benn
• Erne – Faksa – Blackwell

• Lindell – Heiskanen
• Harley – Lundkvist
• Bichsel – Myers  

• Oettinger
• DeSmith

Scratches: Bunting, Hyry, Lyubushkin, Petrovic, Capobianco, Bastian (injured), Hintz (injured), Seguin (SELTIR)

Top story

Game 1s, for good and for bad.

The Stars have a history of falling in Game 1. Including tonight against Minnesota, they have dropped nine of their past 11 Game 1s to open a playoff series.

In there, have been some lopsided losses like this one, and others where they just didn’t have their best stuff, mixed in with some OT losses and close games. Tonight, they were clearly the inferior team for most of the game and lost by five goals.

Okay, that’s all the bad stuff. Purge!

On the flip side, Dallas has won five of those nine series. They have gone on long playoff runs and come within a couple of wins of the Stanley Cup Final. They have even dropped down in some series 2-1 and won three straight to turn it on its head.

And even better, they are absolutely never out of any fight.

If I have learned one thing above all else while covering this team for six seasons and watching them for 20 or more, it is that they can be incredibly frustrating, while also being incredibly determined to right their wrongs. They get down, they start slow, they lose Game 1, they go down 3-2 in a series, whatever it is. Yet, pretty much without failure, they bounce back. They rise from the dead, get that important next goal, and find a way to come back and win a game or a series.

That’s the attitude this group has right now. Are they disapointed? Sure. Do they have plenty to work on to be better in Game 2? 100 percent.

But they also understand the highs and lows of the sports, especially in the playoffs, and they are fully confident they will have a much better performance on Monday night.

Maybe I’m a fool, but I believe ’em.

Live game notebook

Period 1

• Not only is the energy high inside the AAC, but the on-ice and in-arena presentation is awesome. Live view of players walking out of the tunnel projected onto the ice. Love that.
• The pace is SO high. Everybody finishing checks.
• Dallas has the puck more here early on. Not a ton actually on net, but created a bit of chaos with cycle and forecheck.
• Tyler Myers chicken wings Mats Zuccarello, taking an unnecessary penalty away from the puck. Minnesota works a PP breakout to perfection, then goes tick-tac-toe down low to Matt Boldy and quickly to the slot for Joel Eriksson Ek, who beats Jake Oettinger to the glove side. Miro Heiskanen got a piece of the pass, but it still got there. Tough to allow the entry pass after outnumbering the puck carrier four to one, too. Don’t take penalties in this series.

• Jason Robertson looks like the best Stars skater so far. He has been flying, winning battles, and looks confident with the puck.
• Jamie Benn tried to curl up the wall after entering the zone, but fell. But he made a nice play to dive and knife the puck down the wall because four Wild skaters were heading up ice to start 4-on-2 the other way. Sometimes, those “boring” plays make a huge difference. Don’t be the one to make the big mistake.
• Oettinger makes a big-time left pad save in tight after Vladimir Tarasenko made a slick pass off the wall to Danila Yurov.
• Mikko Rantanen gets a chance on one end, but takes a high-sticking minor on the other. Massive PK for Dallas here in the final 90 seconds of the period.
• Oettinger with another good save, moving right to left on a perfectly executed set entry play from Minnesota. Zuccarello’s vision is absurd.

• Not a bad period from Dallas. But Minnesota has to really like how it played. They weathered a bit of Dallas pressure early, killed off the Stars only PP, scored on their own PP, and shifted the scoring chances 5v5 in their favor as the period ended.
• And, exhale.

Wild 1, Stars 0

Period 2

• Stars killed off the remaining seconds of the Wild PP, but Kirill Kaprizov absolutely picked a corner shortside on Oettinger shortly after. Thomas Harley looked to be waiting for support as Kaprizov skated in from the top of the circle, trying to stay home in front of the net. But Wyatt Johnston was too far away, Rantanen didn’t get back enough on the backcheck, and nobody got there to contest one of the most dangerous players in the game. It’s 2-0 early in the period.

• Quinn Hughes turns nothing into a chance with an absurd spinning pass in the neutral zone as he is heading back toward center ice. There was nothing there before that. Then, he makes another great pass to get a backhand across to Brock Faber, whose slapper hits Ryan Hartman and bounces in. 3-0 Wild just like that.

• Rantanen takes his second minor of the game seconds later. Wheels are coming off right now. Dallas needs to settle down.
• When you are getting bounces, you are getting bounces. After the puck slides across the crease, Harley tries to clear it behind, but Boldy gets there at the same time and slides it inside the post to make it 4-0.

• Worst-case scenario start for Dallas midway through the game.
• Dallas has not created a ton, but Jesper Wallstedt has been solid in there when they have gotten to him. Made a huge save on Heiskanen coming down the slot on the power play.
• But… now they do get to him, and it’s Robertson on the backhand from the right of the crease. Wallstedt didn’t look to be expecting a shot at all, but rather a cross-crease pass of some king. He barely moved. Robertson has a sneaky release.

• Dallas with a glorious chance to make it 4-2. Johnston picks up a missed shot carom off the glass and has a 2-on-1 with Rantanen from center ice and no back pressure. He wanted to move it to Rantanen so bad, but Minnesota took away pass, and Wallstedt got the tip of his glove on Johnston’s shot.

• The AAC crowd is very much back into the game. Look out if Dallas gets another.

Wild 4, Stars 1

Period 3

• Rantanen looks like he has a little extra juice to start the third. Can he do it again?
• Dallas came so close on multiple chances down low on the PP. Jared Spurgeon probably saved a goal coming out and blocking Rantanen’s one-timer at end of a crazy sequence.
• The good news is Dallas has played better in the third. The bad news is they waited until trailing 4-0 to wake up.
• Huge PK for Minnesota, and now Esa Lindell is called for tripping. Not scoring there felt like maybe game over. But if the Wild score here, it certainly is game.
• And, they do exactly that. Oettinger makes a good save, but Dallas leaves Eriksson Ek all alone in the low slot. Not the best shot in the world, but still standing alone with time to pick a spot shortside. Minnesota will win Game 1.

• Dallas has a kryptonite. Its name is Game 1. They will drop another one here at home. Maybe getting outplayed and losing by a big number will be what sparks them to come out motivated in Game 2. Score doesn’t matter. They all count as one win and one loss.
• EN for Minnesota makes it 6-1.

Final: Wild 6, Stars 1

Quotable

Stars coach Glen Gulutzan

“I thought that they certainly, to a man, were better than us… That hasn’t happened to us a lot during the year, and it was to a man. So, there’s certainly room for growth for our team. But you can’t get your game going if we’re not going to win battles. You can take any metric, and if you lose the skating battles and puck battles, you’re always on the receiving end of everything negative.”

Fans of both the Green Bay Packers and the NFL draft are extremely fortunate. Not only do Packers fans have great team-specific draft analysts available, such as Packers Wire's Brennen Rupp, who puts together his 100-player "Unpacking Future Packers" draft preview series every year, but fans also get access to some of the best, most in-depth draft guides available among the 32 NFL teams. Leading the way is Packer Report's "Green Bay Draft Guide," an annual masterpiece in combining smart draft analysis with a rigorous understanding of how the Packers handle the process.

As a result, the "Green Bay Draft Guide" does one thing better than most all the rest: identifying the players who check all the boxes, fit into the "Packer people" category and have the best chances of being picked by the Packers.

To help preview the 2026 draft, Packers Wire reached out to Jacob Morley of Packer Report, who does some heavy lifting for the guide. Our question was simple: Who is the most Packers-y prospect at every position?

Here are Morley's picks, along with analysis about each player:

Before you dive in, strongly consider buying the draft guide. For fans of the Packers and the draft, the guide is a steal of a deal at $11.99. The draft is just days away, but you still have time to learn all you need to know from a Packers angle with the guide.

QB: Taylen Green, Arkansas

Morley: "I think Matt LaFleur got a taste of what life is like with a super athlete at backup QB. Green has a lot of work to do has a passer, but he has a ton of upside and if anyone is going to turn him into a viable option at QB, it is Matt LaFleur."

Our analysis: Big, athletic, can run, huge arm. Green is like a supersized Malik Willis. But there is a ton of development required.

RB: Kaelon Black, Indiana

Morley: "Josh Jacobs is your early down back and one of the best pure runners in the NFL, but you don’t love having him on the field in pass pro if you can avoid it. Chris Brooks is a great third down back due to his ability in pass pro. Black is a bit of both with the ability to break off explosive plays. He is what they have been looking for at RB2."

Our analysis: Black looks like one of the best options at running back in terms of experience, versatility and future starting potential.

Unpacking Future Packers: Kaelon Black

WR: De'Zhaun Stribling, Ole Miss

Morley: "There will be other options here as well, Ted Hurst and Bryce Lance are great options and big time Packer fits too. The one thing Stribling does that separates himself from other Packer types: blocking. That is not to say some of the other WRs in this class don’t block well, they certainly do. Stribling is just better at it, he takes pride in his ability in the run game and it shows up all over the field."

Our analysis: If Matt LaFleur were to craft his perfect receiver in a lab, it would look something like Christian Watson or De'Zhaun Stribling.

Unpacking Future Packers: De'Zhaun Stribling

TE: Sam Roush, Stanford

Morley: "Taking into consideration the fact that Tucker Kraft is on the verge of becoming an All-Pro at the position, Green Bay needs to factor in a Robin to his Batman. Roush is one of the biggest, most athletic tight ends in this class. Coming in at nearly 270 pounds, with explosive first step ability, he has the upside to be a nightmare in 12 personnel grouping with Kraft, who is also a threat in the pass and run game."

Our analysis: Roush can run, block, make it happen after the catch and play special teams. Luke Musgrave, the current No. 2 tight end, can do only one of those things.

Unpacking Future Packers: Sam Roush

Use PROMO CODE: draftweek for 15% off!https://t.co/p4JKzeLJo4

— Packer Report (@PackerReport66) April 17, 2026

OL: Trey Zuhn III, Texas A&M

Morley: "When Zach Tom came out of Wake Forest, we all just agreed he would be a Packer, and he now is. Zuhn is cut from a similar cloth, we did not get the agility numbers from him but turn on the tape and you see a player that moves well, can play multiple positions, and simply put, stays between himself and the QB at all costs. He would likely kick inside in GB, but the Packers may be a team willing to let him fail at tackle first, and sometimes (Zach Tom, David Bakhtiari) they just don’t. Even with the recent extension of Sean Rhyan, it wouldn’t surprise me if Zuhn is the starting center by October."

Our analysis: Great size and athleticism, with vast left tackle experience at the collegiate level, dominant pass-blocking ability and the versatility to play multiple positions. The Packers often hit home runs with this offensive line profile.

DL: DeMonte Capehart, Clemson

Morley: "Capehart may be a good 'when need meets value' type of player. Green Bay desperately needs an interior run defender, Capehart is that, and he has the type of prerequisite athleticism they have tended to value in the past. There may be other IDL options that they like more, but I don’t know if the draft will fall the way they want it to, specifically at the IDL position."

Our analysis: Capehart has an awesome blend of size and athleticism, and he's terrific against the run. He feels like a safe pick for a team needing to get bigger and tougher up front.

Unpacking Future Packers: DeMonte Capehart

EDGE: Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State

Morley: "Green Bay has tended to lean towards long, dense, athletic freaks at the pass rusher position. DDS has the holy grail numbers that tend to make pass rushers successful at the NFL level. They would likely have to take him with the 52nd pick, but if the board falls a certain way it should not be surprising to see GB make a run at him."

Our analysis: It's hard to imagine an edge rusher with his combination of size, athleticism and experience/production at a top program not working out at the NFL level. And the upside is immense.

LB: Jake Golday, Cincinnati

Morley: "Golday fits the mold of players they have taken in a similar range in the past (Edgerrin Cooper, Quay Walker). Both Cooper and Quay were linebackers that were super athletes and Green Bay thought they could get more out of. That has worked out well with Cooper and they had varying degrees of success with Quay. Golday is a long athlete that they have loved to have on the field in the past."

Our analysis: It's hard to imagine the Packers investing a Day 2 pick at linebacker, but if they are going to do it, Golday looks like the most natural fit.

Unpacking Future Packers: Jake Golday

CB: Julian Neal, Arkansas

Morley: "Checks every single athletic box the Packers have typically valued. Plus he is a dog in the run game and attacks the ball well in zone coverage. He seems like a match made in heaven for Jonathan Gannon. If GB wants their secondary to play with better ball skills, plus add in a guy that loves the ball and embodies the Micah Parsons 'I dare you to beat me to the ball' quote, Neal should be at the top of their list."

Our analysis: A mock draft favorite for the Packers. Neal looks the part, has receiver-like ball skills and is fearless on the field.

S: Skyler Thomas, Oregon State

Morley: "Thomas does not check every single box they typically like from an athletic profile perspective. But two things he does offer that GB will be interested in: He is going to go on Day 3. Green Bay is deep at the safety position and it is unlikely (though not impossible) they target a safety early. And he is one of, if not the best, special teams players in this year's class. Thomas would likely be a Zayne Anderson replacement, and they have shown they are willing to roster those types of players."

Our analysis: Losing Zayne Anderson and having Javon Bullard play so much in the slot opens up an opportunity for the Packers to add depth at safety via a Day 3 pick. Special teams would be the way to the 53, and Thomas was productive (18 tackles) over almost 700 career special teams snaps at Oregon State.

Keep those 5-Star reviews coming.

They are much appreciated!https://t.co/y6ya9YItD8pic.twitter.com/G3ebi7b8Av

— Packer Report (@PackerReport66) April 15, 2026

This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Identifying the best prospect fit for Packers at each position in 2026 NFL draft

There was a lot of violence traded between Jai Herbert and Mandel Nallo for a fight that lasted just over two minutes. In the end, Herbert survived the storm and caught Nallo with a big right hand that dropped his opponent to the canvas. He didn’t let Nallo get back up, earning a TKO stoppage at 2:05 of round one.

“Yo Canada, you enjoyed that or wha?” Herbert yelled to a largely unresponsive crowd (Nallo fights out of Vancouver). “Canada, is that $100 grand or what? C’mon, help me out!”

“I was coming here to get the finish and that was it,” he added. “So when he hurt me four times, I knew I was gonna get the finish. He backed me up, and I knew I’d get the counter.”

The victory puts Herbert back in the win column after a split decision loss to Chris Padilla in March 2025. It’s been a rough five years for Jai, who is now 4-4-1 over that time period.

That was Mandel Nallo’s UFC debot after punching his ticket to the big league off a first round TKO on Contender Series in September 2025. The loss drops him to 14-4 in MMA.

Take a look at the wild action from that fight, courtesy of UFC and Paramount+:

For more highlights and play-by-play from UFC Winnipeg, click here.

Seahawks, Giants and Broncos could have interest in Saints 61-TD trade candidate originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The New Orleans Saints added a pair of running backs during NFL free agency this offseason.

New Orleans started by signing Travis Etienne to a four-year deal worth $52 million, and the team followed that move up by inking a deal with Ty Chandler.

With the Saints making running back a priorty, it has raised questions on whether Alvin Kamara will be on the roster in 2026. Kamara was once one of the league's top backs, but his play has seen a sharp decline over the last few years.

Kamara named Saints draft day trade candidate

With the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh just days away, USA Today's Jack McKessy listed Kamara as a possible trade candidate.

"Kamara will turn 31 in July, and the Saints seem to have found their new (and younger) lead back in free agency by signing Travis Etienne. There are plenty of teams that should be enticed by a veteran running back with the kind of dual-threat abilities Kamara has," McKessy wrote.

Seahawks, Giants, and Broncos could have interest in Kamara

The Seattle Seahawks, New York Giants, and Denver Broncos could be interested in trading for Kamara, as all three teams could use more talent in their running back rooms.

Seattle lost Kenneth Walker in free agency to the Kansas City Chiefs and hasn't done much to replace him outside of signing Emanuel Wilson.

Kamara's ability to contribute in both the rushing and passing attack would make him a nice fit in the Seahawks' offense, and the veteran would also pair well with Zach Charbonnet when he returns from a torn ACL suffered in last season's playoffs.

Though Cam Skattebo showed some promise during his rookie campaign in 2025 before going down with a dislocated ankle, New York would be wise to add some insurance behind the Arizona State product.

Kamara could be a potential target for the Giants as they look to surround quarterback Jaxson Dart with as much talent as possible.

Denver's running game was incredibly lackluster last season, and though Kamara wouldn't fully solve that issue, the five-time Pro Bowler would take some pressure off RJ Harvey and add much-needed experience to the Broncos' running back group.

Kamara would also be a solid security blanket for quarterback Bo Nix, a role the 30-year-old has played throughout his career.

Keeping Kamara doesn't make sense for the Saints, and general manager Mickey Loomis should look to cut ties with the franchise legend soon to officially usher in a new era.

More NFL News

• Why Giants and Bengals pulled off blockbuster trade involving Dexter Lawrence
• Cowboys $4 million trade candidate could receive interest from Packers, Steelers, Rams and Jets
• Packers, Rams, Bucs and Ravens could show interest in Colts $33 million trade candidate
• Latest Trent Williams update should interest Packers, Chiefs, Bears and Steelers
• Seahawks, Packers, Vikings and Giants named top landing spots for Chargers 779-yard trade candidate

Giants draft picks 2026: Here's a look at New York's stockpile after Dexter Lawrence trade originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

With only five days until the 2026 NFL Draft, the New York Giants traded DT Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals. In exchange, New York received the Bengals' No. 10 pick to gain their second top-10 pick.

Giants fans were already excited for the possibility to aid either the offense or defense in landing a top-five talent from the draft pool; now, the team can do both. Jim Harbaugh and Co. have established a new regime in New York and are starting with some new firepower at the expense of a defensive lineman demanding more money or a trade.

Many draft experts believe the Giants are targeting a wide receiver and a defensive player, whether that's a safety, linebacker, or edge rusher. It largely depends on who is still on the board at No. 5, but they are guaranteed two stars from this year's draft pool.

New York is set for the future, combining their recent draftees in Jaxson Dart, Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo. Now, here's what they can do during this year's draft.

MORE: What was the complete package in the Dexter Lawrence trade?

New York Giants 2026 draft picks

Prior to Saturday night's trade with the Bengals, New York was slotted to take an elite defender or wide receiver with the fifth pick. Names like Carnell Tate, Caleb Downs, or Sonny Styles have all been mentioned by draft insiders. Now, the Giants have a lot more versatility and can land both a WR and a defensive star. Here is their current pick capital with just over a week till draft night.

New York now has two top-10 picks in next week's draft. This is a beautiful sight for Giant fans to take in ahead of the upcoming season. The team is set up to give second-year QB Jaxson Dart some help on the offensive side of the ball, while still improving their defensive front.

MORE: Who are the Giants projected to land in this year's draft?

Giants first round mock

After Fernando Mendoza is inevitably taken No. 1 overall by the Las Vegas Raiders, the draft order begins to have some questions. The New York Jets will most likely take either edge rusher in David Bailey or Arvell Reese. A few teams near the top of the draft may also have interest in Notre Dame standout RB Jeremiyah Love. The Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans both need help in their running back room, and Love may be enough to take that first step forward.

That leaves the Giants with pick No. 5. Many names have been linked to join the Jim Harbaugh era in the Big Apple. A combination of Tate, Downs, Styles and WR Jordyn Tyson may be there for their first pick. Now with the Bengals' pick in the tenth slot, the Giants could reload at one of their other necessities. What looks to be on the horizon is New York picking a defensive star at No. 5, whether that be Downs, or if Bain or Styles fall. According to Mike Garafolo, the Giants have already met with Tyson, who is projected to still be on the board at No. 10.

#Giants GM Joe Schoen flew to Arizona to attend Jordan Tyson’s workout yesterday. Schoen also had dinner with Tyson the night before, sources told me and @RapSheet.

With NYG at 10 after the Dexter Lawrence, Tyson’s odds of being a top 10 pick have now increased significantly. pic.twitter.com/KY0ycxflfp

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) April 19, 2026

With it being impossible to mock No. 5 and 10 in an isolated capacity, here is how the first 10 picks of the draft could play out with the draft order being what it is (drawn from Vinnie Iyer's most recent mock). This was how Iyer's first 10 picks were predicted prior to Saturday's trade.

The Giants need help on both sides of the ball to push them in a top-heavy NFC East division. While they are most likely still not better on paper than the Philadelphia Eagles, they could be in a prime position for a wild-card spot with the guarantee of two top-10 talents in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Fans were already excited, landing one standout player in the top five, and now they can double up through ten picks, as things stand now.

MORE: Who are the 10 best WRs in the 2026 NFL Draft?

Less than a week before the 2026 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals have struck a blockbuster deal with the New York Giants. In exchange for their No. 10 overall pick, the Giants are sending three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II to Cincinnati.

When rumors of Lawrence’s discontent with New York and how they were handling his contract negotiations surfaced, his request for a trade soon followed. Who Dey Nation held on to what seemed like a pipe dream of the gigantic nose tackle landing in The Queen City.

Throughout Saturday, there were reports that Lawrence very well could land in the AFC North, but those centered around the Browns. Cincinnati eventually swooped in with a high pick to get Lawrence on their rebuilding defense. The trade will become official once Lawrence passes a physical with the Bengals.

Needless to say, the Bengals’ staff and fans are overjoyed to have this gigantic presence in the AFC North. Cincinnati’s defense struggled in almost every aspect throughout most of 2025, but the addition of Lawrence with other free agent hauls paints a much brighter picture for defensive coordinator Al Golden’s unit in 2026.

Let’s have a look at some tweets about the move.

Bengals Twitter Reactions to Dexter Lawrence Trade

What are your feelings about the Bengals giving up the No. 10 overall pick for Dexter Lawrence?

CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — Sean Johnson finished with four saves and had his third shutout this season for D.C. United in a 0-0 tie with the Philadelphia Union on Saturday night.

D.C. United (2-4-2), which had lost back-to-back games, is winless in four straight.

The Union (1-6-1), who won the 2025 MLS Supporter's Shield title, beat Montreal 2-1 last Saturday to snap a season-opening six-game losing streak.

Philadelphia had 54% possession and outshot D.C. United 17-5, 4-0 on target.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer

Blessing ‘Adde’ Adebanjo often had the word “raw” affixed to her talent, but that didn’t keep her from having high profile suitors on the transfer market. The former Arizona Wildcat visited Tennessee, Georgia, and DePaul before committing to Georgia on Saturday.

The native of Nigeria joined the Wildcats a bit late after spending several years in Japan. She finished high school at Japan Aviation Academy then played college ball at Yamanashi Gakuin University. It took a little time to adapt to U.S. college basketball, but she showed a great deal of promise on an Arizona team that was in dire need of size and athleticism.

She contributed 3.7 points on 50 percent shooting, 2.5 rebounds, 0.5 steals, and 0.9 blocks in 10.4 minutes per game. The blocks put her in the 92nd percentile of DI basketball. On a per-40 basis, that worked out to 14.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 3.6 blocks.

Adebanjo played double-digit minutes in the last eight games of the season and made four starts. During those final eight games, she averaged 7.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, and 2.0 bpg in 18.3 mpg.

Her best game came in the win against Kansas State on Feb. 4. That game was the first of three straight starts in February. She went 5-for-8 from the floor and 7-for-8 from the line to score 17 points in 33 minutes on the court. She also logged 6 blocks in that game.

The programs Adebanjo considered had a great deal of need. Tennessee lost eight players to the portal while Georgia lost nine. It was more understandable for the Bulldogs, who just hired a new head coach. DePaul is heading into the second year under a new head coach, which is often a year of considerable movement, as well.

Adebanjo was initially listed as a sophomore by Arizona, but head coach Becky Burke later said that she was actually a freshman by NCAA eligibility standards. That would give her three more years to play.

Although she didn’t make a formal announcement on social media Achol Magot is listed as a new member of the Sacramento State Hornets on the portal tracker at on3.com. Magot has one more year of eligibility.

The two bigs join guard Kamryn Kitchen as the three former Wildcats who have chosen their new programs.

On Saturday night the UFC heads north to Canada for another edition of UFC Fight Night.

The card is set to take place at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Canada. UFC Winnipeg will be headlined by a matchup at 170 pounds, when veteran Gilbert Burns (22-9) squares off against the Canadian native Mike Malott (13-2-1). Burns will aim to get back to the win column. He is currently in an 0-4 skid, which dates back to 2023. Since his UFC debut in 2022, Malott has compiled a 6-1 record. Only two of those wins were decided by the judges.

Below, you can catch up on all the UFC Winnipeg results and fight-ending highlights.

UFC Winnipeg Results (Prelims)

Jaime Siraj (-256) vs. John Yannis (+216)

Yannis defeats Siraj by TKO (2:43 of Round 1)

John Castaneda (-155) vs. Mark Vologdin (+135)

Contest ruled a majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)

JJ Aldrich (+150) vs. Jamey-Lyn Horth (-175)

Aldrich wins by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Melissa Croden (-138) vs. Daria Zhelezniakova (+118)

Croden defeats Zhelezniakova by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Tanner Boser (+126) vs. Gokhan Soricam (-146)

Gokhan wins by TKO (4:43 of Round 2)

Julian LeBlanc (+150) vs. Robert Valentin (-175)

Valentin defeats LeBlanc by submission, due to a rear-naked choke (2:22 of Round 1)

Dennis Buzukja (+285) vs. Marcio Barbosa (-350)

Barbosa wins by KO (3:39 of Round 1)

UFC Winnipeg Results (Main Card)

Thiago Moisés (+137) vs. Gauge Young (-157)

Young wins by split decision (28-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Jasmine Jasudavicius (-320) vs. Karine Silva (+270)

Jasudavicius defeats Silva by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Mandel Nallo (-160) vs. Jai Herbert (+140)

Herbert wins by TKO (2:05 of Round 1)

Kyler Phillips (+116) vs. Charles Jourdain (-136)

Gilbert Burns (+235) vs. Mike Malott (-275)

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This was a short and unremarkable game. If you’re are a Guardians fan . . . well, what are you doing reading this blog? OK. If you’re a Guardians fan, there was much to celebrate in Gavin Williams’ seven-inning, three-hit, one-run, eleven-strikeout performance. The current MLB strikeout leader continued a fabulous streak where he’s allowed two ER in 24.2 innings, and now has a 2.12 ERA in 29.2 innings.

But without taking away anything from Williams, for the Orioles, the real story seems to be the bats, which remain missing in action after tonight’s 4-2 loss, a game where they managed just four hits total. The good news: Gunnar Henderson = still a stud. He finished 2-for-4 with a homer. Leody Taveras also went deep. He’s looked like a good signing thus far, doing it with the bat and the glove. Taylor Ward hit a double.

But that’s it, folks. Pete Alonso finished 0-for-4 with four K’s. Golden Sombrero territory is not where we want to be with the offseason’s biggest signing. Dylan Beavers, 0-for-4 with three punchouts. Colton Cowser, another Golden Sombrero. And these are the No. 3-5 hitters in the lineup. How is the team exactly to produce runs while going a combined 0-for-12 with 11 K’s from this chunk of the lineup?

Cleveland’s rotation may be on a red-hot streak, but there have been too many of these performances.

The Orioles made some noise early, but as usual of late, no runs. Taylor Ward doubled in the first, but Dylan Beavers swung through a fastball and couldn’t push him home. Gunnar singled and made it to third on a throwing error in the third inning, but two K’s in a row left him stranded. Cleveland’s Williams fed Pete Alonso and Dylan Beavers a bunch of breaking stuff that they swung through. It was frustrating.

In the top of the fourth, Leody Taveras opened the scoring by walloping a curveball into the right field seats. This is the way the few teams that have scored runs off Gavin Williams have done it—by long ball. It was a good idea, but to make a 1-0 lead stick, you need ace pitching on the other side. Instead, the O’s had Dean Kremer.

Maybe that’s too harsh. I continue to be happy to see Dean Kremer in the rotation. He threw six innings today and struck out seven. He allowed only two hits in that stretch. Regrettably, one of those was a home run with two on, courtesy of Brayan Rocchio. Dean Kremer has, in the past, had the tendency to go “boom” in the fifth inning. Today, he was nearly perfect through four, and then allowed three runs in the fifth. He walked Rhys Hopkins, hung a splitter that Daniel Schneeman roped into right, and then Bryan Rocchio made it 3-1 with that one swing, powering a fastball into the right field bleachers.

I’ll still take it, under the circumstances. He has a 6.12 career ERA in April. Considering, three runs on two hits and two walks in six innings from your No. 5 is fine, frankly.

No, I think we can safely say that the offense is the real problem here. They struck out 16 times and had just four hits, half of which belonged to Gunnar Henderson, who made it a manageable 3-2 game with an eighth-inning solo shot off Hunter Gattis, pitching for the third straight day and not maybe at his freshest. Down just one run, the O’s could smell another comeback.

But no comeback was forthcoming today. Bo Naylor took Albert Suárez deep off a low-and-inside changeup, and this was a 4-2 game. Then Cleveland’s Cade Smith struck out the side swinging in the ninth.

Maybe the bats will heat up as the weather does. But for now, the Birds are not doing it at the dish, and there are lots of questions to be asked and answered. Game Four of the series, a Trevor Rogers start versus Joey Cantillo, is at 1:40 ET tomorrow.

There’s a shake-up at the top of the NFL Draft order, and it involves one of the league’s best defensive tackles.

The New York Giants have dealt disgruntled star Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals, who have sacrificed the No. 10 overall pick in the process. That means John Harbaugh’s first season as Giants head coach will involve two picks in the top 10.

Unless they trade back into the first, this will only be the second time in franchise history the Bengals have not held a first-round pick. I’m not even sure they’ve ever traded a first-round pick for a player, so this is a splash move for a franchise not known for monumental offseason moves.

Lawrence wanted a contract extension from the Giants, the two sides were reportedly far apart on money, and the two-time All-Pro requested a trade. The Giants obliged, sending Lawrence to a Bengals squad that lost Trey Hendricks on in free agency but signed Jonathan Allen, former Seahawk edge rusher Boye Mafe, and now they’ve got one of the best interior defensive linemen in the league.

The Seattle Seahawks were probably never really in the Lawrence sweepstakes, if only because it’s hard for the Super Bowl champions to one-up a deal involving a top 10 pick, but the good news is he’s no longer on the Seahawks’ regular season schedule.

Film Profile | Analytical Profile

This article originally appeared on The Huddle: Antonio Williams: Fantasy Football Model Comps and NFL Draft Fit

The Auburn media voted freshman wide receiver DeShawn Spencer offensive MVP and sophomore EDGE Jared Smith defensive MVP of the Auburn A-Day spring game.

The freshman wide receiver had a busy day hauling in passes. Spencer finished with nine receptions for 93 yards receiving on 10 targets. His longest play came on a 23-yard reception and had 33 yards after the catch. Auburn could have a vital role in developing in the young freshman from Mobile, Alabama.

On the defensive side of the ball, it was 6-foot-6 sophomore EDGE Jared Smith taking home defensive MVP. Smith recorded one tackle and a 75-yard pick-six. He had picked off the ball in the middle of the field from starting quarterback Byrum Brown.

All around, the defense shone in today's spring game. The unit had four interceptions, nine tackles for a loss, seven sacks, and two pass breakups. The offense did not really have too many flashy plays from its starters. Head coach Alex Golesh and his staff still have four months to get this team ready for week one against Baylor in Atlanta.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jac on Twitter@Jac_Myrick

This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn football's MVPs of offense and defense from A-Day

ESPN Disrespects Bruins With Sabres Playoff Series Prediction originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Most Boston Bruins fans are in agreement that drawing the Buffalo Sabres in their first playoff series since 2011 is the best-case scenario in head coach Marco Sturm’s first season. 

However, much of the mainstream media is backing the young and exciting Sabres to turn their first playoff berth into their first playoff win.

ESPN’s flagship NHL writer, Greg Wyshynski, doesn’t think it will be particularly close. 

“I don't think the Bruins defend well enough to pull an upset here,” Wyshynski wrote. “Bruins coach Marco Sturm said this week that ‘we are bigger, stronger, and we are more physical.’ Even if that were true -- and a glance at the rosters says it isn't -- the Sabres showed in their epic regular-season battles against the Lightning that they can take a punch, wipe their mouths and score the next goal. Despite their postseason pedigree, they're ready for this.”

Wyshynski’s official prediction is that the Sabres will take this series in just five games, and I simply cannot get behind that.

I have no clue where Wyshynski is pulling this number from. The Bruins took the regular season series 3-1 with backup goalie Joona Korpisalo starting a majority of the games. 

The Sabres only won five more games than Boston and ended the season with a very favorable schedule down the stretch. The Bruins have a chance to remind the young Buffalo squad what competing with playoff teams feels like, and, if Sturm’s quote was any indication, they’re looking forward to doing exactly that.

I believe the Bruins will have every opportunity to take this series and would be absolutely dumbfounded if it ends in five, as Wyshynski predicted.

More NHL: Bruins Plan To Rely On The 'Big Guys' To Set Tone Against Sabres

Texas A&M claimed its fourth consecutive SEC series win with a 7-2 outing against the LSU Tigers on Saturday evening at Alex Box Stadium.

Every Aggie in the lineup reached base again in Game 2, as Texas A&M secured seven runs on nine hits, including two home runs. Infielder Gavin Grahovac and catcher Bear Harrison notched the massive hits for the Maroon and White against the Tigers, while Aiden Sims had one of the most impressive outings of the season for Texas A&M on the mound.

Through 7.0 innings pitched, Sims recorded six strikeouts and allowed just two earned runs. Clayton Freshcorn closed things out by striking out two hitters and allowing just two hits to help the Aggies claim another integral conference win.

Next up, Texas A&M will look for the sweep of LSU on Sunday afternoon. First pitch at Alex Box Stadium against the Tigers is slated for 1 p.m. CT and will be nationally broadcast on ESPN.

Here are some of the best social media reactions from Texas A&M's series win over LSU on Saturday evening in Baton Rouge, Louisiana:

Final from Alex Box Stadium

Louisiana Saturday night, turned maroon 😈#GigEm | @BrookshireBrospic.twitter.com/aW4Touxmxj

— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) April 19, 2026

Freshcorn closes it out for the Aggies on the mound

Series ours. Finale tomorrow. 😤 pic.twitter.com/dfE54rOlcg

— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) April 19, 2026

Sims has another impressive outing on the mound

Another dominant performance from Sims 👏 pic.twitter.com/DIVprloBGO

— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) April 19, 2026

Every Aggie reaches base for the second consecutive contest

Second straight game: every Aggie on base 👏 pic.twitter.com/PVkP18y4LB

— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) April 19, 2026

Grahovac's web gem

Grahovac with the web gem double play 😤 @GavinGrahovacpic.twitter.com/t9EfJofdUp

— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) April 19, 2026

Grahovac's 12th home run of the season

His 7th SEC homer this year 😤 @GavinGrahovacpic.twitter.com/eSKZ8xLWBH

— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) April 18, 2026

Harrison records his sixth home run of the season

GONE. His 6th homer of the year 👍 @bearharrison32pic.twitter.com/t5IOTf4JS6

— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) April 18, 2026

Texas A&M dominates for the series win over LSU

SERIES. AGGIES. 🔥🔥

Texas A&M dominates LSU to take the series and Aggies are tied with Texas for 2nd in the SEC at 11-5 pic.twitter.com/nOPyfOdyWY

— 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) April 19, 2026

The Aggies' dominance against LSU continues

Mike Elko and Mike Earley go into LSU and pull the fire alarm pic.twitter.com/uhwGyenjBJ

— Ryan Brauninger (@R_Brauninger) April 19, 2026

Solid outing from the Aggies in Game 2

Comprehensive outing from the Aggies.

They get a fantastic start from Aiden Sims, strike early offensively, and play stellar defense from start to finish to capture the series in Baton Rouge.

Weston Moss will likely get the ball tomorrow as A&M looks to sweep. https://t.co/M4RqTtp3r8

— Ryan Brauninger (@R_Brauninger) April 19, 2026

The streak against the Tigers continues

It’s been 714 days since LSU won a season series against A&M in football, men’s basketball, baseball, softball or volleyball. The Tigers’ next chance on the schedule to do so is the football game in Baton Rouge on Sept. 26. pic.twitter.com/SVqIGt5JHS

— Robert Behrens (@rcb05) April 19, 2026

Where does the RPI stand?

College Baseball
Southeastern Conference
Baton Rouge, LA, Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field

Final
(rpi: 11) Texas A&M 7
(rpi: 63) LSU 2https://t.co/WR7q7dJkG4

— RPI Update (@RpiUpdate) April 19, 2026

Aggies > Tigers

In seven of eight Texas A&M vs. LSU sporting events played during the 2025-26 season in Baton Rouge, the Aggies won the game or the series.

Football, men's basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, women's tennis and men's tennis 👍

— Kay Naegeli (@KayNaegeli) April 19, 2026

Terrific performance from the Aggies in Game 2

A&M continues its hot play with a 7-2 win over LSU to take the series. @AggieBaseball’s Aiden Sims was terrific on the bump yet again. Things are looking extremely iffy for LSU right now. https://t.co/lzmMiz6PKI

— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) April 19, 2026

Texas A&M looks for the sweep of the Tigers on Sunday

Game 2 is ours, onto the next... pic.twitter.com/lCbzexLQiF

— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) April 19, 2026

Hacopian with an inspiring message after the injury sustained in Game 1

Chris Hacopian was hit in the face with a 93 mph fastball last night. He now highlights John 3:16 on the helmet that may have saved his career. Good bull👍❤️ pic.twitter.com/NF4BUzIsWW

— Trevor Knight II (@undercoverags) April 18, 2026

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.

This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Social media reactions from Texas A&M's 7-2 win over LSU in Game 2

20.5-sack star named "best fit" for Cowboys in 2026 NFL Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

It's no secret that the Dallas Cowboys want to be better on defense in 2026. 

The team's defense was absolutely abysmal in 2025. So bad, that defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus was fired after just one season in the role. The horrible season wasn't JUST due to trading away edge rusher Micah Parsons, but that definitely didn't help. 

As a result, the team has made a couple of moves this offseason to help turn the unit around. Otito Ogbonnia Jalen Thompson, and Cobie Durant were all added in free agency, while Rashan Gary was added in a trade with the Green Bay Packers. 

However, it's clear the team still needs to add to the pass rush. Gary and Donovan Ezeiruaku are currently slated to start on the edges, with James Houston and Sam Williams making up the top depth options. 

It's therefore easy to see the Cowboys taking an edge rusher early in the 2026 draft. Douglas Clawson of CBS Sports recently identified the best first-round fits heading into the draft. One of Clawson's best fits is edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. to the Cowboys. 

Regarding Bain's fit in Dallas, Clawson offered the following:

The Cowboys ranked top 10 in pressure rate last season but it wasn't impactful pressure. They allowed the most pass touchdowns with pressure (17) by any team on record (PFF tracks this since 2017).

Bain Jr. had the most pressures (83) by any player in a season since 2017 and racked up 5.0 sacks and 24 pressures in four CFP games during Miami's run to the title game. He should make an instant impact for a team trying to capitalize on a window to win with Dak Prescott.

As Clawson mentioned, the Cowboys HAVE to get home more on defense in 2026. Bain certainly had no problem doing that in college, as Clawson pointed out that Bain had more pressures than any player in college since 2017. 

In total, Bain played in 16 games and collected 54 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, and 9.5 sacks. The defender was a big reason why the Hurricanes made it to the National Championship Game, and he earned First-team All-American honors for his performance. 

There's no question Bain would immediately come in and make a difference in Dallas. The defender was productive against NFL-level talent and has some of the best tools of any defender in this class. 

More NFL news:

• Titans suggested to make bold trade for disgruntled star
• Ravens-Cowboys urged to link up for blockbuster deal
• Could Vikings shake up the 2026 NFL Draft?
• Wild trade idea sends Hall of Famer's son to Green Bay
• Could Lions trade for Titans' star player?
• Matt LaFleur delivers promising update on injured star

Matchday 12 of the 2026 Brasileirão kicked off on Saturday night (18) with four matches taking place. 

Botafogo steamrolled Chapecoense, who have not tasted victory since the opening round.

Also in the 6:30 p.m. slot, Vasco came from behind to beat São Paulo and end their winless run.

The next match was a Vitória vs Corinthians game that produced just one shot on target.

Meanwhile, Cruzeiro beat Grêmio, who are still struggling, to shake up the Brasileirão’s bottom four.

Check below for the updated Brasileirão table and the remaining matches. 

📊 UPDATED Table

Flamengo, Bahia, Botafogo, Vitória, Mirassol and Chapecoense are the teams with postponed matches - one each. 

Rest of the matchday 📅

4/19 - Sunday

11 a.m. - Internacional x Mirassol - Beira-Rio

4 p.m. - Santos x Fluminense - Vila Belmiro

4 p.m. - Coritiba x Atlético - Couto Pereira

6:30 p.m. - Palmeiras x Athletico - Allianz Parque

6:30 p.m. - Red Bull Bragantino x Remo - Cícero de Souza Marques

7:30 p.m. - Flamengo x Bahia - Maracanã

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sei Young Kim had an eight-stroke lead with five holes left Saturday at El Caballero Country Club in the JM Eagle LA Championship. She ended up needing to get up-and-down from off the back of the 18th green to salvage a two-shot advantage.

“Oh, wow, it feels like roller-coaster,” the 33-year-old South Korean said.

Her late meltdown with four straight bogeys gave two-time event winner Hannah Green and others who thought they were playing for second a chance Sunday in the final event before the first women’s major of the season.

“It’s golf. It can be happen again," Kim said. "It’s learn and then learn and learn. Mistake and then learn. Hopefully, success end of the day tomorrow.”

Kim shot a 1-under 71 to get to 15-under 201. Green, the 2023 and 2024 champion at Wilshire Country Club, had a 67 to join Suvichaya Vinijchaitham (67), Jessica Porvasnik (68) and Ina Yoon (71) at 13 under. Former UCLA star Patty Tavatanakit was another stroke back after a 67.

“I’m just going to go out there and play golf,” Tavatanakit said.

The tournament is being played at El Caballero for the second straight year because of course renovations at Wilshire. The Chevron Championship is next week in Houston for the first of the five women’s major tournaments.

A shot ahead entering to day, Kim birdied the par-5 first and all the other odd-numbered holes on the front nine, running in a 20-footer on the par-3 ninth for a seven-stroke lead. She pushed the lead to eight before falling back with the bogeys on Nos. 14-17.

“Every hole is downwind starting 15 until the 18,” said Kim, who hit into the water on 16 going aggressively at a difficult pin. "I was struggling with the downwind today.”

She won the BMW Ladies Championship last year at home in South Korea for the last of her 13 LPGA Tour titles.

“I’m very confident, but I just keep doing what I’m doing the last couple days," Kim said. "That’s what I can do the best. So we’ll see tomorrow.”

Green has three worldwide wins this year — the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore on the LPGA Tour and the Women’s Australian Open and Australian WPGA in her home country.

“I don’t really know where they put the pin locations for tomorrow, but I’m sure they’ll be tricky and there will be some holes that will probably play easy,” Green said. “I’ve noticed the last two days the wind is kind of switched at times so that will be tricky to manage. The ball is going far off the tee.”

Amateur Asterisk Talley was tied for 23rd at 7 under after a 69. The 17-year-old Talley is playing her first event since losing the lead on the back nine in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

During the round, the sponsors raised the purse $1 million to $4.75 million.

___

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Devon Larratt proved he’s still among the best arm wrestlers in the world tonight (Sat., April 18, 2026) in Germany, defeating the much younger Vitaly Laletin in their Right Arm Super Heavyweight championship bout 4-1.

Laletin and Larratt last competed at East vs. West 22 in a Left Arm super heavyweight championship bout, with Laletin taking the win 4-0.

Given Latelin’s size and age (nearly 15 years younger), another big win over the nearly 51-year-old Larratt wouldn’t have surprised anyone, despite his left arm being his specialty. But, Larratt came into the rematch as feisty as ever and bounced back from a 1-0 deficit to cruise to a 4-1 win.

Checkout some highlights from the event (care of East vs. West Arm Wrestling):

For the latest combat sports-related news and notes click here.

Well, the New York Giants granted Dexter Lawrence his wish. Lawrence demanded that he’d be traded, and he was.

Late Saturday night, the Giants announced that they will be trading Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the 10th overall pick in next week’s draft. 

Mike Garafolo tweeted about the trade:

“Cincy Dexy: The #Giants are trading DT Dexter Lawrence to the #Bengals in exchange for the 10th overall pick in next week’s NFL Draft, sources tell me and @RapSheet. 

Lawrence gets a new deal from his new team, while picks 5 and 10 now run through East Rutherford.”

Cincy Dexy: The #Giants are trading DT Dexter Lawrence to the #Bengals in exchange for the 10th overall pick in next week’s NFL Draft, sources tell me and @RapSheet.

Lawrence gets a new deal from his new team while picks 5 and 10 now run through East Rutherford. pic.twitter.com/CMPWC7b1Jz

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) April 19, 2026

Garafolo added:

“When word spread around the league the #Giants were likely getting a first-round pick in exchange for Dexter Lawrence, many believed it would be a late 1 but Joe Schoen, John Harbaugh & Co. land a top 10 pick in exchange for the 17th pick in 2019.”

When word spread around the league the #Giants were likely getting a first-round pick in exchange for Dexter Lawrence, many believed it would be a late 1 but Joe Schoen, John Harbaugh & Co. land a top 10 pick in exchange for the 17th pick in 2019. https://t.co/rcfrKk2r0F

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) April 19, 2026

This trade accomplishes two things: First, the Giants now get two first-round draft picks, No. 5 and No. 10.

The Bengals have now found a replacement for Trey Hendrickson, who signed with the Baltimore Ravens about a month ago. So this is a win-win move for both teams.

This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Giants make blockbuster trade with Bengals ahead of draft

Iga Swiatek’s first tournament campaign on the WTA Tour since changing coaches came to an end in the quarter-finals.

Swiatek parted ways with Wim Fissette in March after an opening round exit at the Miami Open, splitting with the Belgian after a year and a half of working together.

The Pole has since appointed Rafael Nadal’s former coach, Francisco Roig, who spent six months with Emma Raducanu between 2025 and 2026.

Roig was in Swiatek‘s corner this week at the Stuttgart Open, where she picked up her first win of the clay season against Laura Siegemund.

This wasn’t Andreeva’s first big result either. She reached last year’s French Open quarter-finals and took Aryna Sabalenka to three sets at Indian Wells earlier this year.

Following her victory over Swiatek, Andreeva moved into just her second semi-final on tour and will play Elena Rybakina for a place in Sunday’s final.

Despite Stuttgart exit, Iga Swiatek finds positives under new coach Francisco Roig

Andreeva fought back from a set down to beat Swiatek 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, setting up a semi-final clash with world number two Elena Rybakina.

Even with the loss, Swiatek sounded positive about her first tournament working with Roig.

“I think for now, you know, we’re getting to know each other,” she said in her post-match press conference.

“He’s giving me space to kind of figure it out in matches. You know, I have a clear vision of what to do. It’s just sometimes hard to do that. That wasn’t like a main thing today, I would say.”

Iga Swiatek pleased by progress despite defeat in Stuttgart quarter-finals

Reflecting on the loss to Andreeva, Swiatek told reporters: “She played better for a while, so I think these parts of the match that I played well, I felt like, you know, full control over what’s going on. So this is something positive. You just need to keep that towards the end of the match.

“I think the baseline game was, you know, it made sense. I felt like I kind of knew what I was doing, and this is something positive, because honestly, for, you know, previous matches, it wasn’t always like that.

“I think I returned the first serve of her pretty well, looking at the speed and everything. So these are the positives.”

Swiatek has dropped from second to fourth in the rankings after an inconsistent start to the year and will be looking to build momentum heading into the French Open next month.

Read more:

The New York Giants traded star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals in a blockbuster deal less than a week ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.

The Giants acquired the 10th overall selection in the draft in exchange for Lawrence's service, USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon confirmed. The deal is subject to Lawrence passing a physical examination, which is expected to take place April 19.

Lawrence spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Giants after being a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. The Clemson product developed into a high-quality nose tackle, making three consecutive Pro Bowls from 2022-24 and twice earning All-Pro second team nods.

Lawrence's departure leaves a gaping hole in the middle of New York's defense, one it's sure to address at some point during the 2026 NFL Draft. It also gives the franchise two top-10 selections, which will give Joe Schoen's squad unique buying power to reshape itself in the mold of new head coach John Harbaugh and add talent around young quarterback Jaxson Dart.

Here's a look at how the Giants could upgrade their roster during the 2026 NFL Draft after trading Lawrence for an additional first-round selection.

New York Giants mock draft

Round 1, Pick 5: LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State

Harbaugh's defenses with the Baltimore Ravens seemed to always sport high-end, middle-of-the-field playmakers. That should put Styles and Caleb Downs in play with the No. 5 overall selection, but the athletic linebacker will get the nod here.

Styles has rare size at 6-5, 244 pounds and starred at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. He should be a dominant, sideline-to-sideline defender at the professional level and has earned comparisons to Fred Warner.

Round 1, Pick 10: WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State

The Giants now have two, top-10 selections after trading Lawrence to the Bengals. The 10th overall selection should be an ideal range for New York to land some support for Dart, whether it's at wide receiver or right tackle.

Tyson gets the nod here for now. The 6-2, 203-pound receiver is one of the draft's best separators and would be a perfect fit across from Malik Nabers.

Round 2, Pick 37: G Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon

The Giants brought in Daniel Faalele from the Ravens on a one-year deal, but he is merely a stopgap option at right guard. Pregnon would be a long-term fit to protect Dart, and his power and abilities as a downhill blocker should help make him a Day 1 starter for the G-Men.

Round 4, Pick 105: DT Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati

The Giants need to add talent to their defensive line to help replace Lawrence. Corleone would give the team a powerful nose tackle option, as he carries a whopping 340 pounds on his 6-1 frame. Corleone didn't notch a sack in his final season at Cincinnati, but he still closed his four-year college career with 9.5 sacks to his name.

Round 5, Pick 145: OT Isaiah World, Oregon

The Giants re-signed Jermaine Eluemunor to a three-year, $39 million contract, but it wouldn't hurt the team to add a younger player to challenge him.

World is coming off a torn ACL suffered in the College Football Playoff, so it isn't clear how much he will be able to play as a rookie. That said, he has great size and length with his 6-5, 323-pound frame, so he's a nice developmental option for the Giants. He will just need to work on his pass protection to become a quality professional starter.

Round 6, Pick 186: RB Adam Randall, Clemson

Cam Skattebo is coming off a gruesome ankle injury that prematurely ended his rookie season. He is expected to be ready for Week 1, but it wouldn't hurt the Giants to add extra depth to their running back room as they ease the Arizona State product back into action.

Randall is a former receiver who converted to running back at Clemson. He's still raw, but his pass-catching skills and 6-3, 232-pound frame could make him an ideal long-term partner for Skattebo.

Round 6, Pick 192: C Pat Coogan, Indiana

John Michael Schmitz graded 28th among 37 qualified centers for the 2026 NFL season, per Pro Football Focus. The Giants could stand to add competition for him, and Coogan's 6-5, 311-pound frame and three years of collegiate starting experience make him a solid candidate to challenge the former second-round pick for playing time.

Round 6, Pick 193: DB Lorenzo Styles Jr., Ohio State

OK, look, having the Styles brothers go to the same team may simply be wishful thinking. However, the Giants could use depth at safety – as Harbaugh often played three safeties during his final years in Baltimore – and Styles blazed a 4.27-second 40-yard dash at the 2026 NFL Combine.

Styles' speed could also make him a special teams asset, so this seems like a quality, late-round gamble for the Giants.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Giants 7-round mock draft updated after Dexter Lawrence trade, new pick

Nikola Jokic's 25-point triple-double and 30 points from Jamal Murray propelled the Denver Nuggets to a 116-105 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in their NBA playoff opener on Saturday.

Three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic added 13 rebounds and 11 assists, shaking off a slow start that saw him score just six points in the first half to help the Nuggets pull away in a game tied 62-62 at halftime.

Murray scored 17 of his 30 in the first half to keep the Nuggets close, finishing a perfect 16 of 16 from the free-throw line.

The third playoff series in four seasons between the teams got off to a physical start at Denver's Ball Arena, with more than 40 fouls called, a flagrant foul called on Minnesota's Jaden McDaniels and a technical on Denver coach David Adelman.

The Nuggets trailed by as many as 12 in the first quarter before bearing down in the second period and pulling away after the break.

Adelman was pleased with the way his team responded after the early punch from the visitors.

"Winning a grimy game, it's good," Adelman said. "Both teams are experienced and used to winning these games. They know what it means to play in a physical match-up. There's a respect on both sides. There's also a want to win.  

Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 22 points and Rudy Gobert added a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds, but ultimately they couldn't find an answer for Jokic.

"(Jokic) is such a patient player," Adelman said. "Early it was a lot of our guys making plays for each other and as they changed their coverages then he went to work."

The Nuggets, who beat Minnesota in the 2023 playoffs on the way to the NBA title, then lost to them the following year, host game two of the best-of-seven Western Conference series on Monday.

In the Eastern Conference, the third-seeded New York Knicks and fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers opened with comfortable victories.

Jalen Brunson scored 28 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 25 for the Knicks in a 113-102 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden.

Brunson scored 19 points in the first quarter to help the Knicks emerge from the back-and-forth period with a 30-24 lead they wouldn't relinquish.

Towns stepped it up in the second half, scoring 19 points in the second half to keep things rolling for a Knicks team aiming to improve on their trip to last year's Eastern Conference finals.

CJ McCollum scored 26 points to lead the Hawks.

In Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points to fuel the Cavaliers in a 126-113 win over the Toronto Raptors.

James Harden added a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds and Max Strus scored 24 points off the bench for the Cavs, who host game two. 

RJ Barrett scored 24 points for the Raptors, who never led after the opening minutes and trailed by as many as 24.

Mitchell has now scored at least 30 points in an NBA record nine straight playoff series openers.

"You see the focus," Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said of Mitchell. "How he just gets more locked-in than ever."

- Durant out for Rockets -

The final game of the day saw the West's fourth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers host the Houston Rockets.

The series was billed as a matchup of old foes LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

But Rockets star Durant was ruled out of game one with a bruised knee suffered in practice.

"Hopefully it's a one-game thing," coach Ime Udoka said.

James, 41 and playing in his unprecedented 23rd season, is in the playoffs for a record-equaling 19th time and chasing a fifth NBA title.

He's leading a Lakers team missing NBA leading scorer Luka Doncic and fellow guard Austin Reaves, who are sidelined indefinitely after late-season injuries.

bb/jgc

We do not know if the Jacksonville Jaguars had any interest in New York Giants' defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. When GM James Gladstone was asked about trading for Lawrence recently, he had little to say.

"That's not something we've gone into," Gladstone said. "Obviously, he's under contract with them, so not at liberty necessarily to even talk about it."

But even if some level of interest was there for the Jaguars, acquiring Lawrence was likely never in the cards, given his price tag.

Giants trade Dexter Lawrence to Bengals

On Saturday evening, the Giants traded Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the 10th overall pick in this year's NFL draft. The Bengals will also likely sign Lawrence to an extension.

The Jaguars could never compete with that offer. They do not have a first-rounder this year, and even if they were willing to part with their 2027 first-round pick, a future selection compared to one in the current year doesn't carry the same value, not to mention that no one expects the Jaguars to be picking near the top 10.

The Jaguars need help at the defensive tackle position -- it is arguably their biggest need -- making Lawrence an obvious fit. Depth and more pass-rush juice are required. However, Jacksonville will continue looking elsewhere.

Hopefully, the addition of Ruke Orhorhoro can help, but the need at this position isn't solved with that addition either. Investing in the defensive tackle unit in the draft should remain on Gladstone's to-do list.

This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Dexter Lawrence trade: Cost not realistic for Jaguars if interested

Giants rumor from ESPN reveals who New York could target to replace Dexter Lawrence originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The New York Giants agreed to a blockbuster trade with the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday, dealing defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals for the No. 10 overall pick.

"Giants star Dexter Lawrence is being traded to the #Bengals in a pre-Draft blockbuster that includes the No. 10 pick heading to the Giants, per me and Tom Pelissero," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on X.

Though Lawrence is coming off a down year in 2025 with just 0.5 sacks, the 28-year-old has played a pivotal role on the Giants' defense over the last few years, and New York will now be tasked with filling that void.

The Giants could search free agency or even the trade market to find Lawrence's replacement, but it sounds like there is a certain prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft from Ohio State who could be on New York's radar to add to the defensive tackle room.

Giants linked to Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald

ESPN's Jordan Raanan says multiple sources have told him that McDonald would be a perfect fit on New York's new look defense run by head coach John Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson.

"Something to note: Multiple sources told me earlier this week that DT Kayden McDonald is perfect for the Baltimore-style defense that the Giants will run," Raanan said on X after Lawrence was traded.

McDonald is arguably the top defensive tackle in the draft, and according to ESPN's Matt Miller, many around the league believe he will be the first interior defensive lineman off the board.

"Kayden McDonald, Ohio State. My final board didn't include any defensive tackles in the top 40 players, with Peter Woods (Clemson) and McDonald taking the top spots. However, word around the league is McDonald will be the first interior defender off the board," Miller said.

McDonald isn't a prolific pass-rusher, as the Georgia native tallied just three sacks in his college career. However, the 6-foot-2 defensive tackle is a stout run defender who posted 34 defensive stops and a 91.2 run-defense grade for Ohio State in 2025.

Though there's a solid chance he's the first defensive tackle taken, McDonald will likely be on the board when the Giants are picking at 35 in Round 2, and the 21-year-old would be a no-brainer selection there to replace Lawrence and beef up the interior for New York.

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Bengals' best 2nd round options after trading 10th pick for Dexter Lawrence originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Cincinnati Bengals swung a massive trade with the New York Giants less than a week before the 2026 NFL Draft. According to Jordan Raanan of ESPN, the Bengals are trading for Dexter Lawrence.

In an uncharacteristic move, the Bengals sent the 10th overall pick to the Giants for Lawrence to be their new defensive tackle. It's a steep price to pay, as the Bengals are parting with a top-10 pick for a DT who's set to receive an extension in this deal too.

After trading the 10th pick for Lawrence, the Bengals' first selection in the upcoming draft is at 41st overall. With that selection, there are still some very interesting prospects the Bengals could draft to help round out the defense alongside Lawrence.

Bengals 2nd round options after Dexter Lawrence trade

With defense still the priority, the only thing that this trade can cross off is the need for interior defensive line help. Between Lawrence and Jonathan Allen, the interior is set. So the secondary, edge, and linebacker are all in play still. Here are some of the best options:

Cornerback:  4

1. Colton Hood, Tennessee: While he might not be likely to make it here with some first-round buzz recently, he'd be an incredible pick at this spot. The 21-year-old had a pick-six last year and has a very high ceiling coming into the NFL.

2. Chris Johnson, San Diego State: He would be a solid CB option as well. He's 21 years old and had four interceptions this past year. While he's had some buzz lately, there is a chance he could be on the board for the Bengals at 41.

3. Brandon Cisse, South Carolina: Cisse is another fun option for the Bengals at 41. He's only 20 years old and had a pick-six this past season. He has a decent chance of making it here.

4. D'Angelo Ponds, Indiana: Ponds is a very unique player. At 21 years old, Ponds is 5-foot-9, 173 pounds. A smaller CB comes with some risk, but he's a great player who had two interceptions this past season, and would be very fun 

More: Bengals fans should be confident in $40M Bryan Cook signing for 60% reason

Edge Rusher: 7

1. Keldric Faulk, Auburn: Faulk is highly unlikely to make it here to No. 41, but if he did, he's a developmental option to work behind Shemar Stewart and Myles Murphy.

2. Cashius Howell, Texas A&M: Coming off a 12-sack season, the 23-year-old edge would be a better productive player who could slip down the board to 41 overall.

3. T.J. Parker, Clemson: Parker had six sacks this past season and 12 the year before. He's 21 years old and is someone who can both rush the passer and defend the run.

4. Zion Young, Missouri: The 22-year-old edge is coming off eight sacks this past season, and while he might not be the best edge in this class, he'd be a solid option at 41.

5. R Mason Thomas, Oklahoma: Thomas is 6-foot-2, 249 pounds. That's on the smaller side of things for an edge rusher. But, he's a productive pass rusher, coming off six sacks in 2025 and nine in 2024.

6. Malachi Lawrence, UCF: After adding Lawrence in a trade with the Giants, the Bengals could add another Lawrence in Round 2. He's 22 years old and had seven sacks this past season.

7. Gabe Jacas, Illinois: There has been a ton of buzz about Jacas lately in NFL circles, and the 21-year-old edge has 12 sacks this past season, and has a good chance to make it to the 41st pick in the NFL Draft.

More: Boye Mafe signing might’ve been a mistake by the Bengals

Linebacker: 1

1. Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech: The Red Raiders linebacker is a fascinating option for the Bengals at 41 overall. He's 23 years old, so a bit older, but the on-field production is incredible, as he would be perfect for a win-now team. He's a fit in Cincinnati.

While unlikely, if Georgia's CJ Allen is still available, he'd be a great option as well. Cincinnati could reach a bit and take Missouri's Josiah Trotter or Pittsburgh's Kyle Louis, but they would be better off waiting until Round 3 for those options.

Safety: 1

1. A.J. Haulcy, LSU: The 22-year-old is someone who the Bengals could take as a deep-safety option to pair with Bryan Cook and Jordan Battle. While safety might not be the biggest need, he's someone to keep an eye on with this pick.

Emmanuel McNeil-Warren out of Toledo would be a no-brainer if he somehow slipped to this pick, but the odds are very slim. USC's Kamari Ramsey and Arizona's Treydan Stukes and Genesis Smith are Round 3 options, but would be reaches here at 41.

The Bengals have a lot of solid defensive options at the 41st pick. Even though they no longer own the 10th pick in the draft, there should be some solid help in Round 2 for Cincinnati.

More Bengals news:

• Bengals' Joe Flacco calls other teams 'dumb' for not signing him in free agency
• Tee Higgins is Bengals' most overpaid player
• Joe Flacco re-signs with Bengals instead of joining Raiders

Kansas City Royals captain Salvador Perez got a day off Saturday, apparently against his will.

The fun began when the Royals posted a lineup without Perez. Royals manager Matt Quatraro then told reporters he was giving Perez a “mental breather” after some recent struggles, with Carter Jensen getting the start behind the plate instead.

That seemed simple enough … until about nine hours later, when Perez bluntly posted, “I don’t need a mental breather” on social media.

So it might not be the most harmonious state of play in Kansas City right now. The Royals also lost 13-4 to the New York Yankees on Saturday, worsening their record to 7-14, tied with the New York Mets for the worst in MLB.

Jensen homered in that game, bringing his season total up to five.

What’s particularly awkward is that the 35-year-old Perez has barely been playable so far this season, after a down 2025. He’s slashed .160/.210/.307 in 20 games so far this season, with 17 strikeouts and four walks in 81 plate appearances. Jensen hasn’t been much better at .214/.274/.446, but he has been better (except when it comes to waking up).

Similar to what just happened on the Toronto Blue Jays with Eric Lauer, there’s probably a conversation to be had behind closed doors. Perez commands immense respect in Kansas City as a nine-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger, five-time Gold Glove and World Series MVP of the Royals’ 2015 title, but he’s simply a different player now.

Quatraro has been the manager in Kansas City since 2023 and entered this season with a 224-262 record, with a playoff berth in 2024.

Pumas got another important victory by defeating Atletico San Luis by a 2-0 score. It was a controversial match at times but Pumas was the slightly better team and got a deserved three points that now place them in second place of the standings. Pumas continue with their surprising run and are already settled in the Liguilla. They will hope to continue in the upper part of the standings but will have another tough clash at home against FC Juarez, a team that had at times complicated things for them in Mexico City. Atletico San Luis will host Santos as they need a miracle to get to the post season.

The 1st half started with Pumas coming out with their normal starting 11, the exception being Antonio Leone getting a start in defense. A left footed shot from outside the area from Alan Medina would go wide. A cross into the area was headed wide by Juninho. After getting the ball in the area, Medina got off a left footed shot that was easily saved by San Luis’ goalkeeper, Andres Sanchez. Sebastien Salles-Lamonge got of a right footed shot from outside the area that was blocked by Pumas’ goalkeeper, Keylor Navas. Off a counter, a great pass from Adalberto Carrasquilla would find Robert Morales, who looked like he was taken down, and then he got off a right footed shot that went wide. After going to VAR, the ref determined Juanpe had taken down Morales with his slide and gave Pumas a Penalty Kick. Juninho stepped up to take the PK and got off a low right footed shot past Sanchez to score and give Pumas the 1-0 lead. Off a frege kick, a great cross from Carrasquilla was volleyed by Nathan past Sanchez but it hit the post.

The 2nd half started with San Luis subbing out Sebastian Perez Bouquet for David Rodriguez. After getting the ball in the area, Salles-Lamonge got off a right footed shot that went wide. Off a corner kick, Joao Pedro got off a good header that forced Navas a fantastic save. The ball would fall to Roberto Meraz, whose shot would hit the post. The ball would eventually fall to another left footed shot from Jesus Medina that Navas saved as incredibly San Luis couldn’t tie the match in that play. A cross into the area was deflected badly by Sanchez but Uriel Antuna couldn’t get the header on goal. Pumas subbed out Uriel Antuna for Jordan Carrillo. Atletico San Luis subbed out Roberto Meraz and Jesus Medina for Santiago Muñoz and Miguel Garcia. A cross into the area from Alvaro Angulo was right into the path of a wide open Carrillo but his right footed shot hit the post. Pumas subbed out Adalberto Carrasquilla and Rodrigo Lopez for Guillermo Martinez and Pablo Bennevendo. A cross into the area was almost deflected by Bennevendo into his own net. San Luis subbed out Oscar Macias for Leonardo Flores. Pumas subbed out Juninho for Cesar Garza. After a longball was won by Morales, he would go past Sanchez and then was brought down in the area by Eduardo Aguila and Sanchez, the referee gave Pumas a PK. After going to VAR, he changed the play to a free kick and a Yellow card for Sanchez. Off the ensuing free kick, Jordan Carrillo got off a great right footed shot past Sanchez to score and give Pumas the 2-0 lead. It was a great shot from Carrillo and although Sanchez got his hands on the ball, it was too strong for him to keep it out. San Luis subbed out Aldo Cruz for Lucas Esteves. Off a Corner kick, the cross was headed just wide by Flores. Martinez got off a left footed shot in the area that went just wide. It was the last play of the match as Pumas got another important victory in their great Clausura 2026.

Pumas got another key three points and now sit in 2nd place of the Clausura 2026. It’s a great season as Coach Efrain Juarez has surprised everyone by having the team fight for first place. Pumas didn’t have a great performance but was the better team on Friday night. The match had controversial moments like the Penalty Kick not given to Pumas until going to VAR but more so the play in the PK against Pumas that was later changed to a free kick. The telecast showed Horacio Elizondo, director of the referees, during the VAR ruling in the VAR room, something that isn’t allowed. Still the moment will be judged later as Pumas was the aggrieved team in the play, so it didn’t hurt the score. Pumas will now have a tough match at home against FC Juarez, a team that has given Pumas trouble at times in Estadio Olimpico Universitario. Worse yet would be tat both Keylor Navas and Adalberto Carrasquilla will miss the match because of Yellow card suspension. Still Pumas should be favorites for the match. Atletico San Luis will face off against struggling Santos but they will need a miracle to qualify to the Liguilla.

The Cincinnati Bengals have decided to part ways with the 10th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft for star DT Dexter Lawrence. But was it the right move? We grade it.

Most of the NFL world sat on a very quiet Saturday night just days before the 2026 NFL Draft, with growing anticipation for this Thursday’s marquee event on the NFL calendar. But behind the scenes, the action that predates the draft is very busy. Teams are calling one another, aiming to move up the board.

In the case of the Cincinnati Bengals, however, they appeared to be in no-man’s land. Likely out of range from any of the blue-chippers and knowing that a team like Dallas is behind them, armed with more capital and also trying to move up, Cincinnati went for the win-now move.

Bengals trade 10th pick in 2026 NFL Draft for Giants DT Dexter Lawrence

“Draft week blockbuster: The Giants are trading three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals in a deal that will include the 10th overall pick going to New York, per ESPN sources. The Giants now head into Thursday night with the 5th and 10th overall picks.” – Adam Schefter, ESPN

It has been reported that the move for Lawrence is a direct swap. Cincy receives Lawrence, the Giants get the 10th pick. If you are unfamiliar with the situation in New York, it’s pretty straightforward.

Lawrence wants a new deal, but the Giants are starting fresh with long-time AFC North HC John Harbaugh. Harbaugh has made it very clear that if you’re not all the way in, then you can get out. Lawrence requested the trade, and while it was quiet for most of the last week, the Bengals came with premium capital, and it was an offer too good to refuse. But was it the right offer? Here’s John Sheeran of A to Z Sports Cincinnati’s take and grade.

Final trade grade: A

“This is the most shocked I've ever been about the Bengals. While Dexter Lawrence is indeed a force multiplier and absolute difference maker at defensive tackle, trading a first-round pick straight up is definitely unexpected behavior for this franchise. They protect their first-rounders like they're locked in a bank vault, never even entertaining the idea of trading up in the round for a better player. Giving up pick No. 10 for a three-time Pro Bowler and signing him to a new deal is completely uncharted territory for this club, and you can bet the fan base will be energized for the better.” – Sheeran

Michigan State football has made a splash in the transfer portal today, earning a commitment during their spring showcase on Saturday afternoon. The Spartans gained the commitment of Jameel Gardner, a Jackson State wide receiver transfer.

A Detroit (MI) native, formerly of Cass Tech, started his career with Kent State before transferring to the Tigers. At Kent State, Gardner hauled in 24 receptions for 298 yards and a touchdown. With the Tigers this past season, he corralled 32 passes for 483 yards and two touchdowns, following a 12 reception, 145 yard season in his first with Jackson State.

He is a 6-foot, 185 pounder that projects to play as an outside receiver. He will provide veteran depth to the Spartans wide receiver room in 2026.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on X @Rex_Linzy

This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Michigan State lands commitment from Jackson State WR transfer

MSU Football had its final spring practice today and opened it up to the public. Even though I stayed up way too late watching Coachella Livestream, I still was undeterred by the cold, rain and my three year old who did not want her hair brushed this morning. I was curious to see what things were looking like and my family managed to accompany me so here are a few takeaways I noticed.

It was a no tackling, keep everyone healthy demonstration and that makes it difficult to really see strength and weaknesses in the trenches. Obviously we all know the trenches were torturous to watch last year, but it did seem Alessio had some time to make plays and did a nice job of stepping up in the pocket and checking down. It is pretty obvious that McCray is the WR1 and he and Alessio seem to have some chemistry and that will only further develop. Alessio did have a back to back play sequence that we as Spartan fans have to hope gets cleaned up. He had a beautiful play where he stayed in the pocket stepped down out of the pressure and found an open receiver down the middle. Unfortunately, it was followed by an ugly interception that Grose read all the way and took it with ease. That back and forth play will make it tough for fans but the good news is this is spring. The pocket passing mixed with the ability to scramble are a positive sign and the accuracy seems closer than what we were getting with Chiles. Ultimately the QB play left me with optimism knowing there is room for growth but nice fundamentals in place. Kayd Coffman also looked solid with limited action. He was 4-7, 45 yards and 16 yards rushing.

The kicking game looked like it needs some work. When you are used to Eckley punts, todays short shanks left a lot to be desired. There was one nice pin down punt inside the 5. Field goal wise Boyd and Ahmetbasic combined for 2-6. Both makes were from Boyd at 35 and 44 yards. Ahmetbasic missed badly on both of his and it looks like both kickers will continue to work and hopefully improve.

The secondary was a place I was intrigued to watch. Since there was no tackling, the corners vs receivers match ups became the most exciting moments to watch. There were some flags thrown and there probably could have been more. I will say it was nice to see the aggression of the corners who were actually playing up on receivers and getting physical with their hands. Tyran Chappell was all over the place as Brantley was out with an injury. He had two solid pass break ups and was a difference maker in some incompletions too. There are still some questions and once we get a look at more contact play later in the summer we’ll see if the corners are still playing tight and physical.

The running game was really tough to gauge with no tackling. Kenneth Williams had a nice 67 yard sprint down the sideline that he managed to be untouched on. Hard to tell if that was a positive for him or a big negative on the defense for not laying a finger on him. Jaziun Patterson had the most carries at 5 for 19 yards.

I will say it was pretty great seeing Max Bullough on the sideline. The defensive staff in general was really animated and rowdy. It was nice to see sideline energy, the players vibing off of that and getting excited about big stops. It was a pretty small crowd turnout and that may have been due to the cold and rain but those that were there were studying the action. The Spartan faithful are looking for a turnaround and they are paying attention. We even got to see the debut of Zeke V and watch him nail his first catch. My kids hung around and stayed in line for some player autographs and they lucked out with the line they chose as they got to meet the likes of Hall and Alessio. I will say Alessio and Hall were pretty awesome with my kids, giving them the time of day and chatting for a bit. My son even told Zion Gist that the fireworks are his sister’s favorite part of the game and he can make those happen so he better score a lot. Gist replied with, I’ll get that first one just for her. It was nice of the players to take that time to sign and meet with the fans. I know it made a big difference with my kids as they have already hung the posters up in their bedrooms.

Next time we see some practices, it gets even realer. I think we are going to see a very different type of team out there this fall. Will it be one that wins? Maybe, maybe not. It will be a team that sets the tone to turn the program around as the energy did not feel like a team that wants to plunge further into obscurity.

Gavin Williams hasn’t just established himself as the Cleveland Guardians' ace of their rotation, but as one of the top starting pitchers in all of MLB. 

That narrative only got even stronger on Saturday night as Williams dominated the Baltimore Orioles in the Guardians’ 4-2 victory.

Cleveland’s starting pitcher only gave up one earned run all night, which was a solo home run, and allowed three hits in 7.0 innings of work.

One of Williams’ biggest struggles throughout the early going of the year has been giving away too many free passes to first base, but against the Orioles, he only issued one walk.

The most impressive part of this start, though, was Williams’ 11 strikeouts. This was the second time in 2026 that Williams has notched a start with double-digit punchouts, with the other coming against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Gavin Williams, 11th K pic.twitter.com/PNKQ9T5FDU

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 18, 2026

In this outing alone, Williams has a whiff rate of 36 percent (18/50), with the majority of those swings and misses coming off his sweeper (12).

It was that pitch, along with the fastball and curveball, that simply has Orioles hitters guessing all night long, especially Pete Alonso, who struck out all three times he faced Williams. 

Stephen Vogt said that Williams on Saturday was “The best I think we’ve seen from him.”

Now, after this start, Williams has 40 logged strikeouts through his first five starts, which is the most in all of MLB. The other pitches among baseball strikeout leaders include Jose Soriano (39), Cam Schlittler (36), and Cristopher Sanchez (35). 

“That’s not the biggest goal for me,” said Williams on the 40 strikeouts. 

“I’m just trying to help the team win games anyway possible to do that, that’s what I’m going to do. It’s cool, but I don’t think it’s necessary if I have to punch that many people out. Just trying to win games.”

Williams may not be trying to get strikeouts, but considering he keeps forcing hitters to strike out is just another fact that he’s entered the conversation for one of MLB’s top pitchers. 

The Guardians don’t just have their ace, but could have an All-Star and Cy Young candidate in their pitching staff if he keeps this up. 

Guardians Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Guardians. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.

Dexter Lawrence wasn’t happy with the New York Giants, and now he’s on the move.

The Giants traded the Pro Bowl defensive tackle to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for a package that includes the No. 10 overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Lawrence will reportedly be receiving his desired extension with his new team.

This article will be updated with more information.

WWE via Getty Images

Bron Breakker made his return to help Gunther get the win against Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 42, Night 1 in Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The interference marked the second surprise of WrestleMania weekend, following Paige's tag team title win earlier on Saturday night.

Gunther drop-kicked Rollins as soon as Rollins entered the ring and hit him with a big Powerbomb. The match couldn't even get going properly, as Rollins went for Gunther's eyes outside the ring, leading to a brawl around the ring. He even resorted to grabbing and tossing chairs at Gunther before they entered the ring to start the match. Not before Rollins gave Gunther the double birds, though, of course.

After the match's hot start, they moved at a bit of a snail's pace, trading some slow chops and strike exchanges. They eventually climbed a corner that saw Gunther countered when Rollins leapt over him to set up a Bucklebomb all the way into the opposite corner. He nailed a big Clothesline afterward, halting the pace again before Rollins rushed Gunther to trade shots on their knees. Rollins rattled off machine gun-like chops that backed Gunther into the corner. The "Ring General" simply ate them all and planted Rollins with another big Powerbomb that couldn't get the job done.

Gunther gained steam late in the match with a trio of Clotheslines, until the third failed and nearly resulted in a Rollins Pedigree. Gunther escapes, but still gets hit with it after a bridge suplex failed. A Stomp from Rollins followed, and still, Gunther kicked out. He wanted a Stomp off the top rope afterward. A Gunther sleeper choke followed after Rollins missed. He fought out, biting the arm of Gunther and landing rolling forearms.

Rollins dug deep into his bag of tricks by finding the Superplex-Falcon Arrow combo and locking on Gunther's sleeper. Had it not been for connecting his foot to the rope, Gunther may have went out. A pair of suicide dives landed for Rollins, with the third resulting in his downfall. He gets caught, Bucklebombed onto the apron, then Powerbombed onto the announce desk. Gunther wanted another, but was countered to take a Pedigree on the table. Rollins wasn't done, adding a Stomp to finish it off — as the referee simply didn't work the 10-count.

Then Bron Breakker appeared and Speared Rollins out of his shoes. The referee seemingly missed it while he checked on Gunther. That allowed for the "Ring General" to re-enter and lock the choke onto Rollins for the win.

Breakker wasn't done with Rollins after the match. One more Spear came at "breakneck speed," when Breakker sprinted down the long 'Mania ramp to drill his former stablemate.

Check out full WrestleMania 42 Night 1 results, highlights and match-by-match updates here.

The San Francisco 49ers attempted to improve their group of pass rushers last offseason, taking Mykel Williams in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft out of Georgia and trading for Bryce Huff right before the season started.

Williams suffered a season-ending torn ACL, which could impact his start to the 2026 season, and Huff shockingly retired with one year left on his contract.

With that information, the 49ers may consider attacking the group again early in the 2026 NFL draft, and Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski even went as far as to call UCF's Malachi Lawrence the "ideal pick" for San Francisco in the first round.

"The 49ers' setup is perfect for UCF's Malachi Lawrence, because he's not an every-down defender at this point in his development. However, he has the physical tools and athletic profile to instantly boost San Francisco's defensive front on passing downs," Sobleski wrote.

"Lawrence can primarily serve as a designated pass rusher early in his career and enter the lineup as part of sub-packages, where Williams reduces down into an interior role, thus getting the team's three biggest defensive line investments on the field at the same time."

The 22-year-old was a three-star recruit out of duPont Manual High School in Louisville, Kentucky, before committing to Central Florida. He went on to record 72 tackles, 20 sacks, five passes defensed, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in 39 games over four seasons.

San Francisco hosted Lawrence for a top-30, pre-draft visit this month, showing just how interested they are in the 6-foot-4 defensive end. Allowing Williams and Lawrence to rotate opposite Nick Bosa could really help Raheem Morris' defense reach their potential in 2026.

More 49ers: Who should the 49ers have drafted instead of Trey Lance in 2021?

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 2026 NFL draft: Malachi Lawrence identified as 'ideal pick' for 49ers

Penguins vs. Flyers Final Score, Highlights: Flyers Spoil Pittsburgh's Playoff Return with Game 1 Victory originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Add SportsNet Pittsburgh as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Pittsburgh Penguins took the ice in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in four years on Saturday night when they hosted the Philadelphia Flyers in the highly-anticipated first round matchup. But, in front of the PPG Paints Arena crowd, it was the road team Flyers who came away with the Game 1 victory, beating Pittsburgh 3-2 to take a 1-0 lead in the Battle of Pennsylvania.

After a scoreless first period, Jamie Drysdale silenced the building in the second, jumping into the play to fire a wrist shot past the glove side to open the scoring for Philadelphia. The lead didn't last long, however, as Evgeni Malkin responded for the Penguins before the end of the frame, sending the teams to the third period tied.

In the final frame, Philadelphia pulled ahead behind goals from Travis Sanheim and rookie sensation Porter Martone. Sanheim’s point shot found its way through traffic midway through the period, followed quickly by Martone’s clinical finish on a rush that proved to be the eventual game-winner.  Philadelphia relied on a stifling defensive effort — holding Pittsburgh to just 17 shots in the contest — and timely goaltending to quiet the home crowd from there, holding off a late third-period push from the Penguins to secure the road win.

Despite a frantic final minutes where Pittsburgh pulled Stuart Skinner and made it a one-goal game behind Bryan Rust's shot, the Flyers' Dan Vladar stood tall, including making a prime save on Anthony Mantha with five seconds remaining. The win marked a statement for Philadelphia, stealing home-ice advantage early in what is expected to be a grueling series. Both teams will remain in Pittsburgh for Game 2 on Monday night, where the Penguins will look to even the score before the rivalry shifts across the state.

Check out all the highlights from Game 1 of the Battle of Pennsylvania, as Philadelphia took a 1-0 series lead over the Penguins.

Penguins vs. Flyers score

Penguins vs. Flyers live updates, highlights from Game 1

Final: Flyers 3, Penguins 2

10:55 p.m.: The Penguins had a last chance opportunity, with Mantha walking right in front, but his backhander is saved by Vladar and the game is over.

It's the Flyers who take a 1-0 lead in the series, walking into PPG Paints Arena and making a statement in Game 1. Two goals in the third period were enough against a Penguins offense that was dormant for a lot of the night.

The teams will return to the ice on Monday night, where the Penguins will look to even the series.

Flyers 3, Penguins 2

10:53 p.m. GOAL: We have a one goal game. It's Bryan Rust, who finds a loose puck in the slot and rips it past Vladar. It cuts the Philadelphia lead in half with 1:01 left.

10:51 p.m.: The goalie is pulled for Pittsburgh, who will go full blast trying to tie the game down two.

But, now both Crosby and Sanheim will go to the penalty box for a slashing and cross checking penalty, respectively.

There's 1:09 remaining.

Flyers 3, Penguins 1

10:46 p.m. GOAL: Philadelphia has taken a two-goal lead.

It's Porter Martone, who made his NHL debut late in the regular season. Here, he holds a puck at the right circle and blasts it past Skinner's left shoulder.

PORTAH MAHTONE TO PUT PHILLY UP BY 2 LATE!!!! 🔥🚨

The poise by a 19 year old here... 🤯 pic.twitter.com/QR9bbAOQiq

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 19, 2026

In his first career playoff game, he has his first career playoff goal. It might be the dagger, with the Penguins trailing 3-1.

10:41 p.m.: Time is running out for Pittsburgh, who trails 2-1 with 6:20 left in the final period. 

The Penguins have only two shots in the final frame, but will need to be on the front foot to get back into the game.

Flyers 2, Penguins 1

10:33 p.m. GOAL: Travis Sanheim is one of three Philadelphia players remaining on the roster from these teams' last playoff meeting, and now he breaks the deadlock.

The Flyers minute-leader walks in from right to left, faking a few defenders then ripping it past Skinner. It gives the Flyers the lead for the second time tonight.

SANHEIM WITH A BEAUTY OF A MOVE AND THEN RIPS IT HOME!!!😳🚨 pic.twitter.com/YHP7ZDFQjx

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 19, 2026

The goal came at exactly 10:00; the Flyers strike first in the third, and we have half of the period remaining.

10:32 p.m.: The Flyers have had a few breakaway-like plays in this game, but Skinner has saved every one. Now, it's Denver Barkey who walks in, but Skinner pads it away.

10:26 p.m.: The Penguins have killed another Flyers power play, and we're back at even strength with 14:00 remaining.

Both teams have played conservative to start off the period, unlike the start of the second when the game was high paced. Expect every loose puck to be battled for, every hit to be harder and every shot to be met with a gasp of the crowd.

It's playoff hockey, the Battle of Pennsylvania, a tie game in the third. This is what hockey fans live for.

10:22 p.m.: Now, the Flyers are heading back to the power play. 

It's Mantha again, who goes to the box for the second time tonight for a high-sticking penalty.

Philadelphia is 0-for-2 on the man advantage so far.

10:21 p.m.: Elmer Söderblom has a prime chance, walking in from the right side of the ice right to the front of Vladar; he gets a shot off and the Flyers goaltender makes the save, sprawling to cover up the rebound.

10:17 p.m.: The third period has started in Pittsburgh, with the Penguins and Flyers locked into a 1-1 score.

Philadelphia starts the period on a power play, with just under a minute remaining on the man advantage.

End of the second period: Flyers 1, Penguins 1

9:59 p.m.: We'll head to the third period with the game tied.

Both teams found the net in the second, first it was the Flyers with Drysdale followed up by Malkin on the other end. Now, the teams head to the final period with the score 1-1.

The Battle of Pennsylvania has lived up to the bargain so far. Let's see who takes the upper hand in the third period of Game 1.

9:55 p.m.: Ever since the Flyers goal, the Penguins have been the better team in the period, controlling time in the zone and getting more shots on goal.

With 1:12 left, there's a penalty on Anthony Mantha, who goes to the box for cross checking. It sends Philadelphia to the power play for the second time tonight.

Flyers 1, Penguins 1

9:49 p.m. GOAL: Pittsburgh has evened it up, and the first postseason goal since 2022 for the Penguins comes from the three-time Stanley Cup winner Evgeni Malkin.

GENNNNNNNOOOOO MALKIN AND WE HAVE A TIED GAME!!! 🔥🚨 pic.twitter.com/Bgn9tk1xiM

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 19, 2026

After a period of sustained zone time, Malkin comes off the boards and slides a shot from the right circle through Vladar's pads. It's back to a tie game, and the Penguins are on the board in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

9:46 p.m,: The Penguins can't score on the power play, with the game still 1-0. As the clock winds towards the six-minute mark in the first, Philadelphia still leads 1-0.

Pittsburgh has had more puck possession at 60%, but does not have a goal to show for it.

9:38 p.m.: The Penguins are going to have a chance to level up the game on the power play.

It's Travis Sanheim going to the box after he knocked down Crosby right in front of Vladar. It gives Pittsburgh — who only has nine shots in the contest — a prime opportunity.

Flyers 1, Penguins 0

9:35 p.m. GOAL: The road team Flyers are the first team on the board.

ZEGRAS TO DRYSDALE TO OPEN THE SCORING!!! 🔥🚨 pic.twitter.com/Wf73inKTIj

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 19, 2026

It's Drysdale, who rips a wrister from the right circle and past Skinner, who looked like he couldn't see on the play. It's his first career playoff goal.

With it, the Flyers have the first lead of the series.

9:34 p.m.: The pace of the game has sped up, with teams going end to end and getting shots off.

Now, Owen Tippett has his wrist hot saved by Skinner.

9:29 p.m.: With 13:48 remaining in the middle frame, the score is still 0-0.

Pittsburgh has had more zone time this period, but a few giveaways have allowed Philadelphia to have the better opportunities so far this period. Though, Skinner has passed every test so far.

9:24 p.m.: The Flyers have the first real chance of the second, with a 2-on-1 being saved by Skinner after Pittsburgh lost the puck at the blue line.

9:20 p.m.: The second period is underway in Pittsburgh.

The Penguins and Flyers traded chances in the first, but neither could light the lamp. Expect the physicality to go up this period as both teams are settled in.

End of the first period: Flyers 0, Penguins 0

9:02 p.m.: At the end of one, we're scoreless in Pittsburgh. 

The Flyers have outshot the Penguins, but Skinner has stood tall. On the other side, Vladar has made all the saves he's had to make. Let's see what team can break the deadlock in the second.

8:55 p.m.: As the clock ticks under four minutes, the Penguins have some sustained zone time but fail to register a shot. They only have five in the period.

Both teams have had solid goaltending in the first frame, with Vladar and Skinner making saves.

8:46 p.m.: The teams are heading to a 4-on-4 with Crosby going to the box for a roughing penalty and Jamie Drysdale, the Flyers defensemen, going as well for not getting his helmet.

Crosby got a penalty for ripping off Drysdale’s helmet 😭 pic.twitter.com/lbaU7Et8E1

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 19, 2026

8:44 p.m.: Halfway through the first, the game is still scoreless at PPG Paints Arena.

Philadelphia currently holds the shot advantage at 6-3 as both teams are settling in.

8:40 p.m.: It looked like the Flyers might have had a goal, but Christian Dvorak kicked the puck into the net. Though, he fell on top of Skinner, who is being attended to by trainers.

Dvorak puts it in, celebrates, it gets called no goal and then a scrum happens.

This is the battle of PA madness we were expecting.😂 pic.twitter.com/LoShCJArny

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 19, 2026

The Penguins goaltender is back up with the score 0-0.

8:35 p.m.: Now, Philadelphia will head to the power play.

After Tyson Foerster gets hold of a puck and has his backhander saved by Skinner, a whistle is blown, and Kris Letang is going to the box for interference.

8:31 p.m.: Yegor Chinakov had two shots on the power play, but the game stays 0-0. Then, Philadelphia gets its first shot back at full strength, but it's staved away by Stuart Skinner.

8:28 p.m.: Less than two minutes in, we have some physicality already. It's Rasmus Ristolainen of Philadelphia who gets called for interference, giving the Penguins power play an early opportunity.

8:25 p.m.: The puck has dropped and the Battle of Pennsylvania is officially underway. 

Towels swirling. Boos for the Flyers. Huge cheers for the Penguins as Sid and Geno take the ice. The playoffs are different man. pic.twitter.com/OnuSk73X59

— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) April 19, 2026

Here. We. Go.

When you play Pittsburgh, you play the whole city 💛🖤

Let 'em hear us back in Philly 🗣️ 🗣️ 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/3ULesiVXKk

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) April 19, 2026

8:22 p.m.: Puck drop has been delayed due to the Stars vs. Wild game going long, but it should be coming in the next few minutes.

The Battle of Pennsylvania has to wait just a little longer.

8:10 p.m.: It's time, Penguins fans.

Sidney Crosby and the Penguins faithful (a lot of which are rocking Crosby jerseys) are READY for another run @NHL 🥹🐧 pic.twitter.com/rgHKHaGttg

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 18, 2026

7:59 p.m.: Puck drop is minutes away.

The Penguins and Flyers meet in the postseason for the first time since 2018, when Pittsburgh won in six games. This time around, the stakes are just as high.

Let's see how Game 1 unfolds.

7:55 p.m.: Here are Pittsburgh's lines for Game 1.

How we're lining up for Game 1 👇 pic.twitter.com/uOXjPwSmU3

— x - Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 18, 2026

7:44 p.m.: Penguins fans are filling up PPG Paints Arena for the first playoff game since 2022.

Fans are heading into PPG Paints Arena for the first Penguins game since 2022! @KDKApic.twitter.com/pOPar0r4wr

— Ricky Sayer (@RickyReports) April 18, 2026

7:36 p.m.: The Penguins and Flyers split their four-game regular season series with two wins apiece, though Pittsburgh managed to secure points in every contest. The Flyers took both of their victories in shootouts, winning 3-2 in October and 4-3 in March, while the Penguins earned more decisive regulation wins of 5-1 and 6-3 during the middle of the season.

With both teams finishing the year tied at 98 points in the Metropolitan Division, this even split has set a perfect stage for their first-round playoff matchup beginning tonight.

7:26 p.m.: Get ready for the Battle of Pennsylvania.

Less than an hour away until the Battle of Pennsylvania. Buckle up. 🍿 pic.twitter.com/D1n41SERk1

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) April 18, 2026

7:17 p.m.: In goal for the Penguins for Game 1 is Stuart Skinner, who was traded from the Edmonton Oilers in December.

Dan Muse said Stuart Skinner will start Game 1 against Philadelphia. pic.twitter.com/DEzSz2LzU4

— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) April 18, 2026

Skinner brings playoff experience, appearing in the last two Stanley Cup Finals. The goaltender is 26-22-0 in 50 games with a goals against average of 2.88 and a save percentage of .893 in the playoffs in his career.

7:07 p.m.: With Pittsburgh back in the postseason, all eyes are of course on No. 87, Sidney Crosby.

The Penguins captain has three Stanley Cups and is looking to add another in the late stage of his career. His stats against the cross-state rival are near video game category.

Sidney Crosby always brings his best against the Flyers. 🐧

Will his dominance continue? The @penguins host the @NHLFlyers in the #StanleyCup Playoffs Game 1 TONIGHT at 8p ET on @espn, @Sportsnet, & @TVASports! pic.twitter.com/aEbnLcPC0g

— NHL (@NHL) April 18, 2026

7:00 p.m.: The Pittsburgh Penguins are back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2022, and the opponent is the perfect opener for Dan Muse and co.

Tonight, we have Game 1 of the Battle of Pennsylvania, with the Philadelphia Flyers coming into PPG Paints Arena; Philadelphia also snapped a playoff drought under a first year head coach in Rick Tocchet.

Stay tuned for live updates and highlights throughout the night as Pittsbugrh gets its playoff campaign started. 

How to watch Penguins vs. Flyers Game 1: TV channel, live stream

• TV channel: SportsNet Pittsburgh
• Live stream: SNP 360, fubo

Penguins vs. Flyers will air locally on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Game 1 will also be available to stream on SNP 360 and fubo.

Fubo offers a free trial for new subscribers, so you can try the service before you buy. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox and 100-plus top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)

Penguins vs. Flyers Game 1 start time

• Date: Saturday, April 18
• Time: 8 p.m. ET

Penguins vs. Flyers is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 18. Game 1 will be played at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.

Penguins vs. Flyers schedule

*If necessary

NHL Playoffs schedule, key dates for 2026

Here are the key dates to know for the NHL Playoffs:

*Can move up depending on earlier series

More Penguins

• Latest Penguins news
• 2025-26 Penguins schedule
• 2025-26 Penguins roster
• Complete history of Penguins championships

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Rod Brind'Amour bet on Frederik Andersen's veteran experience as the Carolina Hurricanes opened the NHL playoffs as the Eastern Conference's top seed.

Andersen rewarded his coach with a shutout performance — along with a highlight-reel save that helped the Hurricanes stay in control.

The 36-year-old Dane had 22 saves and earned his sixth playoff shutout, and third in the past two postseasons, as the Hurricanes beat the Ottawa Senators 2-0 on Saturday to open the best-of-7 first-round series. He held up when clean looks were coming intermittently in a game with little open ice against a pair of hard-checking teams, then stepped up huge when the Senators were buzzing with multiple quality third-period chances in a one-goal game.

“Of course you’re looking for goalies to make saves at the right time, and that’s the right time,” Brind’Amour said. “And that’s what he did tonight. Like, I don’t even know how you explain it. That was exactly the game, right there. And he was up for the challenge tonight.”

“Right there” was the third-period stop on Drake Batherson, followed quickly by one on Brady Tkachuk with the Hurricanes protecting a 1-0 lead against Ottawa’s power play.

Initially, Andersen stopped Batherson at the top of the crease, but Batherson batted a rebound attempt near Andersen’s stretched-out left leg near the post that sent the puck airborne. Andersen reached out to stop the puck before ultimately gloving it, though an official signaled a tying score.

It was unclear whether Andersen’s glove might have been behind the goal line when he controlled the puck, leading to a replay review.

“I had a pretty good idea, you never know I think when they slow it down obviously from those angles,” Andersen said. “I had a good feeling that my glove wasn’t really across the goal line.”

Officials ultimately disallowed the score, saying the puck never completely crossed the goal line.

“I haven’t, to be honest,” Senators coach Travis Green said when asked if he had seen the replay. “Probably won’t look again, either. It didn’t count, it’s not going to count tomorrow.”

Moments later, Andersen had another big stop when Tkachuk had position at the top of the crease, only for Andersen to fall backward with the puck stopping between his legs.

It was a sequence that had Hurricanes fans roaring “Freddie! Freddie!”

“It gives us energy, it gives us a win, really,” forward Taylor Hall said of Andersen's play. “We don't want to have him tested as much as he was. Their PP started to figure us out by the end of the game. But he was there."

Andersen had started 32 playoff games for Carolina the past three years. But he had struggled early this season, going 7-10-5 with a 3.26 goals-against average and an .871 save percentage before the Olympic break.

Meanwhile, former waiver pickup Brandon Bussi had blossomed into a huge story, going 23-3-0 with a 2.16 GAA and .908 save percentage in that time. That was enough to earn Bussi a three-year extension from the team in February, along with questions of how well Andersen might play after the break.

But Andersen regrouped by going 9-4-0 with a 2.70 GAA after the break while Bussi cooled (8-3-0, 3.16 GAA, .865). That opened the door for Brind'Amour to lean on Andersen's history of solid play in net for a team that has reached the playoffs for eight straight years, this run starting against a Senators team that had surged since late January to earn a wild-card spot.

“If you look at his game at the end of the regular season, he was really trending in the right direction," Hall said. "I think he’s a guy that, at least I saw last year, when the lights are brightest, he’s going to be there standing tall.”

___

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

This article was first published as the Jazz Insiders newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox each Friday.

For the most part, Utah Jazz players intend to spend a lot of time in Salt Lake City this summer, preparing for the 2026-27 season. That’s pretty normal and tracks with how the Jazz players have preferred to train in-market.

They’ll also take breaks, traveling to their home states, going on vacations with family and friends and training at other locations. But outside of the normal training plans, I thought I’d update you on the three most interesting offseason plans from Jazz players.

First up is Lauri Markkanen, who will be in-market until his kids are out of school, then he plans to go back to Finland and play for the Finnish national team in 2027 World Cup qualifying games. Those matches will be in the first week of July.

Next, we have Jaren Jackson Jr., who is going to need to spend more time locally than some might think. He wants to do a lot of conditioning in Utah so that he can use his acclimation to the altitude as a weapon during the regular season.

But, there’s also a logistical side to this. He said he needs to get a house and set up a home here. It’s that simple. Midseason trades often put players in really transitional situations where they’re in temporary accommodations and need time to get things settled.

Finally, we have the winner for the most interesting offseason plans and goals — two-way player Blake Hinson. Hinson said that he will obviously take part in the usual offseason plans of training and fine tuning his game, but with an added twist.

He wants to land a modeling gig.

Hinson is really proud of the transformation his body has gone through since college and he’s done a little bit of modeling in recent years, but he figures that if he’s aiming to get his body lean and cut in the way that would be necessary to have brands interested in him, it will be extra motivation to get into that kind of shape for basketball.

When talking about the offseason goal, Hinson described himself as having been “the fat kid” before getting to the NBA. He then said, wouldn’t it be something if people who had known about him before said, “Oh, now he’s Blake the model?!”

That would be something! So here’s to hoping for success for Markkanen in Finland, success for Jackson in setting up a home base in Utah, and to Hinson landing some offseason modeling work.

New with the Jazz

From the archives

Extra points

• Expectation for the 2026-27 Utah Jazz is the playoffs — period (Deseret News)
• What Austin Ainge said about the NBA’s proposed anti-tanking solutions (Deseret News)
• The Jazz’s lottery position will come down to a coin flip (Deseret News)
• It’s time for the Jazz to put up, or shut up (Deseret News)

Around the league

• Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham win 65-game appeals, Anthony Edwards denied
• NBA playoffs are about to begin, predicting the bracket
• Doc Rivers out as Milwaukee Bucks evaluate future

Up next

• NBA Playoffs begin Saturday
• NBA Draft Lottery | May 10 | Time: TBD

The No.12 USC Trojans could not keep up with the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ fast-paced offense in a 12-2 run-rule loss Saturday afternoon.

USC never saw a lead in the game, unlike Friday night’s comeback walk-off victory by Nebraska. This afternoon was all Cornhuskers, ending the game with a two rbi single that implemented the ten-run-rule after just seven innings.

Grant Govel took the mound for USC for his tenth start of the season, but could not replicate the exceptional performance from Mason Edwards in the first game of the Nebraska series. Instead, Govel lasted three innings and gave up seven runs off of eight hits with one strikeout. 

The Nebraska takeover started with a four-run cascade in the first inning. The Cornhuskers formulated a series of extra-base hits to bring runners home, such as RBI doubles from Jett Buck and Drew Grego. It was a 37-pitch inning from Govel and the first time he's given up a run in the first inning since February 28 against the Cal Poly Mustangs in San Luis Obispo. 

The drubbing continued in the third inning with back-to-back solo home runs to right field from Case Sanderson and Dylan Carey. Drew Grego followed suit with a solo home run of his own later in the inning to up the score to 7-0. 

USC's Chase Herrell succeeded Govel in the fourth inning, an atypical appearance for the common weekday starter. His most recent weekend showing was against UCLA in the 10-4 loss on April 5. Herrell pitched one inning and gained zero hits against Nebraska before being relieved by Paul Grossman in the fifth. 

The Cornhuskers continued to put runners on base, this inning in small-ball fashion. Carey singled up the middle to center field before stealing second and third during Buck's at-bat. Buck then walked and stole second during Grego's at-bat before he drove in the two RBIs off a single to left field.

The Trojans' bats were ineffective nearly the entirety of the ballgame, having obtained just two hits in the first six innings. Adrian Lopez provided USC with their first score off of a solo home run driven to center field in the seventh inning. Richard Tejada doubled to right field and was driven in by Diego Velazquez after a short-hop mishandled by third baseman Joshua Overbeek to make the score 10-2.

But the USC comeback was short-lived after a two-RBI single floated to left field by Trey Fikes put Nebraska up 12-2 in the seventh inning to end the game due to the NCAA's ten-run-rule. The ten-run-rule is applicable in games beginning in the seventh inning, which allowed Nebraska to walk-off against USC in unusual style.

Nebraska starter Carson Jasa pitched a complete game, finishing with five hits, one earned run, and seven strikeouts in the seven-inning matchup. Jasa's high-nineties fastball complemented his off-setting curveball, which left USC batters incapable of extending the game to a full nine innings. 

USC will face Nebraska for the final game of the series Sunday at 10 a.m. PST. USC, who now reside in the fifth spot of the Big Ten standings, will look to end their three-game losing streak. Nebraska, sitting in the second spot of the Big Ten standings, hopes to sweep the series and keep their number of home losses to one.

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox pushed back the start of Sunday's game against the Detroit Tigers by three hours because of a forecast of rain.

The first pitch at Fenway Park is now scheduled for 4:35 p.m. The original schedule had the game at 1:35 p.m.

The team said it consulted with Major League Baseball because of a forecast for rain from mid-day into the afternoon. The later start could take advantage of better weather expected later in the afternoon “and provides the best opportunity to play the game on Sunday.”

The teams have split the first two games of the four-game series, with the finale the traditional Patriots' Day morning start in Boston on Monday.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb