Sports
Matthew Tkachuk, Panthers take aim at Blackhawks
Mar 10, 2023; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) watches a face-off against the Chicago Blackhawks at FLA Live Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-Imagn Images Although the Florida Panthers weren’t able to string more than two wins together in the month of January, head coach Paul Maurice seems confident the defending Stanley Cup champions are headed in the right direction.
The Panthers will try to continue making incremental strides toward another long playoff run when they host the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday afternoon in Sunrise, Fla.
Florida opened its three-game homestand with a 3-0 win against the struggling Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday.
Sergei Bobrovsky made 29 saves for his second shutout of the season and 13th with the Panthers, tying John Vanbiesbrouck for the third most in franchise history.
The Panthers also received a goal and two assists from Matthew Tkachuk for his second three-point performance in the past three games.
Maurice said he’s not only happy to see his star player producing, but he’s pleased with how the entire team is developing.
“We’re getting to the net better and there is less from the perimeter,” Maurice said. “We have been working on that for a month and we’re starting to get there, get there more consistently.”
Tkachuk was especially pleased with Florida’s effort against the Kings, who had dropped the first two games of their road trip and were desperate for a win.
“At this point in the year, it may not make sense to everyone, but you need a game like this,” Tkachuk said. “To come to the rink and just give it absolutely everything you can.”
Florida lost to the Blackhawks 3-1 on Nov. 21, part of a season-long four-game losing streak for the Panthers, who haven’t lost more than two in a row since then.
Chicago received goals from Teuvo Teravainen, Craig Smith and an empty netter from captain Nick Foligno in that victory, but the Blackhawks have continued to lose much more than they’ve won this season.
Chicago particularly has been porous since just before Christmas, posting a 4-11-3 record over its past 18 games. The wins came against a good group of teams consisting of the Montreal Canadiens, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights and Tampa Bay Lightning, but the Blackhawks haven’t been able to back up any of those successes with a second straight victory.
Chicago opened its current three-game trip with a solid 4-1 win at Tampa Bay on Tuesday. The Blackhawks, however, couldn’t repackage that performance against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday and dropped a 3-2 decision.
“We did a lot of good things except that spurt of a couple minutes there in the second that hurt us, obviously,” Chicago coach Anders Sorensen said. “We battled really hard in the third, created some opportunities. The result wasn’t there, but there were definitely some positive things.”
Chicago second-year center Connor Bedard scored against the Lightning to extend his point streak to four games (two goals, two assists) and give him points in 16 of his past 18 games.
After being limited to single digits in October and November, Bedard reached double digits in points in each of the past two months.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft had six goals and 10 assists in 14 games in December, and five goals and seven assists in 13 games in January.
–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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