Sports
Quinton Byfield, Kings look to fluster Flyers again
Dec 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Kings right wing Quinton Byfield (55) celebrates his goal scored against the Edmonton Oilers for the overtime victory with goaltender Darcy Kuemper (35) at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images After a pleasant return home from a challenging pre-Christmas road trip, the Los Angeles Kings will search for consecutive victories for the first time in nearly three weeks when they host the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday.
The Flyers also will be in the hunt for consecutive victories after they weathered a 1-4-0 stretch that included a 7-3 home loss to the Kings on Dec. 19.
The Kings’ seven-goal outburst against the Flyers represents their highest scoring game of the season.
While Los Angeles did earn points in five of seven games on its recent trip (3-2-2), stringing together wins proved challenging.
The Kings started the frequent-flyer bonanza with a 3-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Dec. 10 that came at the tail end of a recent six-game winning streak. Overtime losses at Pittsburgh (Dec. 17) and Nashville (Dec. 21) prevented back-to-back wins for Los Angeles.
On Saturday at home, the Kings finally conquered overtime in a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Quinton Byfield scored in overtime to cap his two-goal, one-assist performance, and Warren Foegele also had three points (one goal, two assists).
Byfield has eight goals on the season, with five coming in his past six games.
“We’ve been using our speed the last couple games and using our size, and we’re just wearing them down and getting pucks to the net,” Foegele said. “It’s a pretty simple recipe, but we’re sticking with it, and credit to the guys for playing the right way.”
In their victory at Philadelphia, the Kings received goals from Byfield, Foegele and Tanner Jeannot, as well as two each from Kevin Fiala and captain Anze Kopitar.
The Flyers enter off their own victory in Southern California after they got past the Anaheim Ducks 3-1 on Saturday. Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee each scored a third-period goal, while Samuel Ersson made 32 saves.
Noah Cates scored in the first period to extend his goal-scoring streak to five games. He has seven total goals in 32 games.
“I feel like I’ve been playing good hockey for a while,” Cates said. “It’s been going in (the net) for me, but I’ve got to keep playing the same way, playing smart, just playing the right way. That momentum and that positive karma comes to you later on, or whenever, during the season.”
The Flyers have won a game at Los Angeles in each of the past two seasons and have a victory against the Kings in each of the past five campaigns.
Travis Konecny leads Philadelphia with 16 goals and 25 assists for 41 points but does not have a goal in his past four games, starting with the home loss to the Kings. Konecny played in his 600th career game Saturday and had a single shot on goal in 20:17 of ice time.
Philadelphia rookie forward Matvei Michkov has 11 goals and 16 assists but no points in seven games.
“It’s just been a struggle, energy,” Flyers coach John Tortorella said of Michkov, who was benched for the third period on Saturday. “The skating, energy, it’s just not there.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: RB David Montgomery 'wants out' of Detroit
Dec 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) looks on before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images Lions running back David Montgomery “wants out” of Detroit after three seasons, ESPN reported on Sunday.
Montgomery, however, immediately appeared to refute the report on X, posting: “Damn, Dmo told you that?”
The ESPN report claims the Lions would want “a decent Day 3 pick (possibly a fifth-rounder)” in the 2026 NFL Draft in return for Montgomery, who turns 29 in June and is owed $6 million next season.
The report follows general manager Brad Holmes’ remarks after the season about Montgomery being unhappy with his playing time in 2025. Sharing a backfield with Jahmyr Gibbs, Montgomery rushed for a career-low 716 yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games (no starts).
“Those are conversations that we’re going to have to have because I’ve got a lot of respect for that player,” Holmes said of Montgomery in January. “He deserves to be in a situation where his skillset can be utilized, and so yeah would love for it to be here, but if it can’t be here then you’d just love to see where could work out best for him.”
At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, Holmes said the situation with Montgomery is “fluid.” He signed a two-year extension during the 2024 season that runs through the end of the 2027 campaign.
“Yeah, I have been in touch with David’s agent, and his representation,” Holmes revealed. “Obviously, we love David, he’s a great player, we love to have him, you know, kind of want to put last year in the rear view, and just move forward. But, obviously, a player has to want to be at a certain place as well. The conversations are still fluid, but we’ll see how it goes.”
Montgomery has rushed for 2,506 yards and 33 touchdowns in 45 games (28 starts) in three seasons with Detroit (2023-25). He has 76 catches for 650 yards in that span.
He began his career with the NFC North rival Chicago Bears, who drafted him in the third round in 2019. Montgomery rushed for 3,609 yards and 26 scores in 60 games (51 starts) with the Bears (2019-22).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Yankees LHP Ryan Yarbrough joins U.S. roster for WBC
Jun 18, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Ryan Yarbrough (33) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images New York Yankees left-hander Ryan Yarbrough was added to the Team USA roster for the upcoming World Baseball Classic on Sunday.
The 34-year-old reliever replaces Minnesota Twins right-hander Joe Ryan, who is dealing with low back tightness. Ryan moves into the designated pitcher pool, meaning he is eligible for a call-up after each round of the WBC.
Yarbrough went 3-1 with a 4.36 ERA and one save in 19 games (eight starts) during his first season with the Yankees in 2025, striking out 55 batters and walking 19 in 64 innings.
Ryan Yarbrough has been added to our roster for the World Baseball Classic!#ForGlory???? pic.twitter.com/RrtKJQ20gz
— USA Baseball (@USABaseball) March 1, 2026
Team USA will play its first game of the 2026 WBC on Friday night, meeting Brazil in a Pool B contest in Houston.
Yarbrough has a career record of 56-41 with a 4.22 ERA and four saves in 215 games (76 starts) with the Tampa Bay Rays (2018-22), Kansas City Royals (2023), Los Angeles Dodgers (2023-24), Toronto Blue Jays (2024) and Yankees. The side-arming southpaw signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal in November to return to New York in 2026.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ex-pitcher Dan Serafini gets life sentence for '21 murder
Dan Serafini (file photo) pitched in MLB with seven teams. He was convited of first-degree murder. Former major league pitcher Dan Serafini was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Friday for the 2021 shootings of his in-laws in North Lake Tahoe, Calif.
Serafini, 52, was convicted in July of the first-degree murder of father-in-law Gary Spohr and the attempted first-degree murder of mother-in-law Wendy Wood during a burglary. Spohr, 70, died from a single gunshot and Wood, then 68, survived but died by suicide the following year.
In the courtroom on Friday in Auburn, Calif., Placer County prosecutor Morgan Gire described Spohr and Wood as loving grandparents.
“The impact of this attack has extended far beyond the immediate victims, deeply affecting family members and the broader community, and highlighting the lasting harm caused by deliberate violence,” Gire said.
Serafini, who pitched for six MLB teams from 1996 to 2007, addressed the court and maintained his innocence. He said he was out partying with his wife, Erin Spohr, at the time of the shooting and referred to himself as a “broken, imperfect man that makes mistakes,” according to MyNews4.
The Minnesota Twins selected Serafini, a native of the San Francisco area, with the No. 26 overall pick in the 1992 MLB Draft. He made his debut in 1996 and went on to appear in 104 games (33 starts) with the Twins, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies before his retirement in 2007.
He had a 15-16 record with a 6.04 ERA and one save. He threw 263 2/3 innings and struck out 127 batters.
–Field Level Media
Report: RB David Montgomery 'wants out' of Detroit
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