Sports
Oilers hope to keep staying afloat without Connor McDavid, face Flames
Nov 1, 2024; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames center Jonathan Huberdeau (10) celebrates his goal with teammates against the New Jersey Devils during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images This season’s first full game without superstar Connor McDavid was a roaring success. Now, the goal for the Edmonton Oilers is to replicate their latest performance when they visit the Calgary Flames on Sunday.
The Oilers somewhat surprisingly limped out of the gates when the season kicked off, but thanks to a dominant 5-1 victory over the Nashville Predators on Thursday, they have won three of their past four games.
Winning in such emphatic fashion without McDavid, who is expected to miss two to three weeks due to an ankle injury, is a confidence boost.
“We don’t want to play without Connor, but everyone was just a bit better,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said after his team’s practice on Saturday. “Also, we were able to finish on our opportunities, which is something we haven’t been able to do earlier.”
The Oilers had huge expectations after reaching the Stanley Cup Final last season but opened the new campaign with three straight losses, including a 4-1 setback against the Flames on Oct. 13. Edmonton managed only two victories in its first seven outings.
Beating the Predators has the Oilers believing the ship has been righted.
“We’re pretty confident. We’re not just a one-man team,” Edmonton forward Zach Hyman insisted. “We have a lot of pieces that can step up. It’s nice to get that win, and before that we were confident as a group.
“Every team goes through injuries. It’s unfortunate we have the best player in the world and he’s not playing. It doesn’t help, but it does give others opportunities to step up and play better. That’s a good thing for this team. … Hopefully, when he comes back, we’re a better team.”
The Flames are coming off an impressive win of their own, a 3-0 home-ice victory over the New Jersey Devils on Friday, which snapped a four-game skid.
“We deserved to win, I thought our effort was much better all around,” said Calgary forward Blake Coleman, who scored twice against New Jersey. “I thought we checked tight, didn’t give up a whole lot and when we did, Vladdy (goaltender Dan Vladar) was great. That’s the way we’ve got to play, we know that, and we know we got away from it for a couple games. It’s a tough brand of hockey, but when we’re on, that’s what we look like.”
Vladar, who stopped 22 shots to post the shutout, will likely be in net against the Oilers, breaking the rotation the Flames had been using.
“It’s a huge win for us after a couple losses in a row. I want to point that out,” Vladar said. “Obviously, this is a nice day for me … but the most important thing is two points.”
The Flames returned home after a horrid road trip in which they lost two games by a combined score of 10-1, with the second setback coming in Calgary captain Mikael Backlund’s 1,000th career game. Backlund was honored prior to puck drop against the Devils.
“Mikael’s an emotional guy, too, so I think it means probably more to him than people would think, just because of the way he is,” Flames coach Ryan Huska said. “We didn’t play well the last game in Utah, and I felt like we got a little bit closer to the way our team needs to play to have success, and it was even nicer to see it done on a special night for Mikael.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Royals acquire RHP Nate Pearson from Astros
Jun 26, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Nate Pearson (55) throws a pitch against the Detroit Tigers in the sixth inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images The Kansas City Royals acquired Nate Pearson from the Houston Astros on Wednesday in exchange for fellow right-hander Max Martin.
Pearson, 29, was designated for assignment by Houston on Sunday after going 1-0 with one save and a 3.60 ERA in 16 relief appearances this season.
He is 10-6 with four saves and a 4.99 ERA in 139 career games (six starts) with the Toronto Blue Jays (2020-21, 2023-24), Chicago Cubs (2024-25) and Astros.
Martin, 22, is 6-2 with a 2.01 ERA in 26 relief appearances across two Class A levels this season. Kansas City drafted him in the 10th round in 2025.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Scottie Scheffler ready to tackle 3M Open for first time
Jul 18, 2026; Southport, ENG; Scottie Scheffler plays his shot from the second tee during the third round of The Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Birkdale. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Competing in the 3M Open for the first time this week, Scottie Scheffler fielded nearly as many questions about Minnesota’s NFL team as he did about the golf tournament.
The World No. 1 met with reporters at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minn., after playing in Wednesday morning’s pro-am with Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell.
“This might be my first time in Minnesota. I’m not sure if I’ve ever actually been to this state before,” said Scheffler, who is coming off a T4 finish at The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
Scheffler said he added the 3M Open to his calendar this year because he didn’t want to take time off with the PGA Tour playoffs starting next month.
“This was a tournament that I had heard a lot of good things about and so far everything seems true,” he said. “The people have been tremendous, the fans have been really nice to me so far and the tournament seems to do a really good job just taking care of everybody.”
Even though he’s a football fan, Scheffler said he tried not to pump McConnell for information.
“I love the NFL,” Scheffler said. “I wasn’t going to just start hammering him with questions about football. He’s about to start the season so he’s going to be thinking about football for quite a long period of time, but we did a little bit.
“Yeah, he seemed like a really nice guy. You can tell why he’s such a good coach, seemed very smart. I got to ask him a few questions and he told me some stuff. It was definitely very fun for me to be able to spend some time with him. Like I said, I love the NFL and I’m fascinated by what they’re able to do, especially the head coach. I think in football it’s easily the most important position on the team. I mean he’s got to handle a lot of different personalities and the X’s and O’s. He was definitely an impressive guy to be able to talk to and spend some time with.”
Scheffler was asked he if he had any advice for O’Connell on the X’s and O’s of golf.
“He actually moved it pretty well and hit some really nice shots,” Scheffler said. “I think any advice I give him now will surely be wasted because he’s probably not going to see the golf course for the next six months or so, and hopefully a deep postseason run for them.”
Scheffler, 30, is looking for his first win since The American Express in January.
He said the golf course “has a decent amount of length to it” and the biggest challenge will be keeping the ball in play off the tee.
“There’s some pretty long par 4s and a good amount of water, and so when the rough is up like that there’s going to be a premium I think on hitting fairways,” he said. “When you’re in play, you’re going to get some scorable clubs on some certain holes. And the green are fairly big, so if you’re in the fairway, things are going to be a lot easier for you. Once you start hitting in the rough it could be tough to get on the greens in two.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Azzi Fudd lone rookie to compete in WNBA 3-point contest
Jul 20, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd (35) warms up before the game against the New York Liberty at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images Rookie Azzi Fudd is accustomed to being in the national limelight after winning an NCAA championship with UConn in 2025 and being drafted No. 1 overall by the Dallas Wings last April.
On Friday night in Chicago, Fudd will be back in the spotlight as one of six WNBA players participating in the 3-Point Contest during All-Star weekend festivities.
Also competing is Atlanta Dream star Rhyne Howard, who, like Fudd, was a rookie the first time she took part in 2022. Rounding out the field are Marina Mabrey of the Toronto Tempo, Bridget Carleton of the Portland Fire, Natisha Hiedeman of the Seattle Storm, and Janelle Salaun of the Golden State Valkyries.
Only Mabrey and Howard have competed in the past.
Defending champion Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty declined to take part.
The 3-point contest is a two-round event, with all six players getting their turn in the first round. The championship round will be the top two finishers only.
The contest is set to start at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, and it will be televised by ESPN. The All-Star Game will be played Saturday night at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Game time is 8:30 p.m.
–Field Level Media
Royals acquire RHP Nate Pearson from Astros
Scottie Scheffler ready to tackle 3M Open for first time
