Sports
More Than Just a Game: Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings Battle for Wild Card Spots
Suddenly, the clash Saturday between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings is about more than just another outdoor game.
To the surprise of many when it was announced and even on the eve of the season, the battle before an estimated 90,000-plus fans at Ohio Stadium will have serious playoff implications.
When the clubs take the ice for the Stadium Series affair, the Red Wings and Blue Jackets will be holding the Eastern Conference’s two wild-card playoff positions.
Considering the Red Wings and Blue Jackets are far from natural rivals and have barely any Stanley Cup playoff history—Detroit delivered a four-game sweep in their lone meeting in 2009—you could not ask for a better scenario.
With the league in the final third of the regular season, both Detroit and Columbus have earned 66 points in 59 games. The Red Wings hold the first wild-card spot, having earned one more regulation-time victory. They also have two more regulation/overtime wins, the second tiebreaker.
But the Blue Jackets have a golden opportunity to make a huge statement in this battle for the inside track during the chase for a playoff position.
Detroit may have won four straight meetings, including the first of three this season, but Columbus sent a message in the first half of a home-and-home set Thursday.
The Blue Jackets delivered an impressive 5-2 win in Detroit, not only erasing a 1-0 deficit but pulling away with a four-goal second period. The result was enough for Red Wings coach Todd McLellan to call out his players, notably captain Dylan Larkin, for a subpar performance.
By snapping Detroit’s two-game winning streak and earning a third consecutive victory, the Blue Jackets continue to write one of the season’s best stories. Between the horrific death of star forward Johnny Gaudreau just before training camp and the rash of injuries that impacted the first half of the season, this could have been another disappointing campaign in the Ohio capital.
Instead, the underdogs are hanging tough and pushing to snap a four-year run of missing the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“This has been awesome,” forward Kent Johnson said. “I’m so proud of how this team is playing.”
Speaking of playoff droughts, the Red Wings are making a strong push to end a swoon of their own. Detroit, which fired coach Derek Lalonde and hired McLellan over the holiday break, has since posted a 17-5-2 record and has missed the playoffs the past eight seasons.
These squads have been on torrid paces since Christmas, and they needed every last point.
The Eastern Conference playoff race has become extremely tight, with a couple of perennial powers in the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins not far behind the wild-card positions. If that is not enough, a couple of other teams are also on a mission to end lengthy stretches without advancing to the NHL’s second season.
Right there with the Rangers and Bruins as the calendar readies to flip to March are the Ottawa Senators, who last reached the playoffs in the spring of 2017, and the Montreal Canadiens—who have not only failed to advance the last three seasons since their surprise run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final but have finished at the bottom of their division all three campaigns since.
Usually, outdoor games are most relevant to the fans in the stands. With the playoff chase heating up, it will be worth keeping tabs on how the next chapter plays out in the Buckeye State.
Sports
Tyler Reddick starts bid for 3rd straight NASCAR Cup win with pole run
Feb 22, 2026; Hampton, Georgia, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Tyler Reddick rounds the track at EchoPark Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mady Mertens-Imagn Images AUSTIN, Texas — One of the few things that wasn’t startling about Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session at Circuit of the Americas was Tyler Reddick’s run for the pole position.
Negotiating the 2.4-mile road course in 97.760 seconds (88.380 mph) in the second qualifying group, Reddick claimed his third Busch Light Pole Award in six attempts at the track. He will lead the field to green in Sunday’s DuraMAX Grand Prix Powered by Reladyne (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Of course, there’s more at stake for Reddick than simply a victory at COTA. In winning at EchoPark Speedway near Atlanta last Sunday, the driver of the No. 45 Toyota became the sixth Cup competitor to start a season with two consecutive wins. No driver has ever won three straight to open a season.
The 23XI Racing driver acknowledged that the pole position, the 12th of his career, is a positive first step toward that goal.
“It helps the chances, certainly,” said Reddick, whose series-best average finish of 4.6 at COTA includes a victory in 2023. “I think starting up front is huge.”
Michael McDowell led the first qualifying group of 19 drivers with a lap at 88.031 mph but fell to sixth soon after the second group took to the track. Ultimately, Ross Chastain posted the second-fastest lap at 88.256 mph (97.897 seconds) and will start on the front row beside Reddick.
The shocker was not that Chastain, the 2022 COTA winner, fashioned an excellent lap. What was surprising was that his two Trackhouse Racing teammates, Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch — both vaunted road course racers — failed to crack the top 10 in qualifying.
Van Gisbergen was 13th fastest on his third lap. Zilisch could do no better than 25th. Van Gisbergen is seeking his sixth straight road course victory in the Cup Series, a mark that would tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon for most consecutive road course wins.
Chase Briscoe (88.242 mph) will start third, followed by Ryan Blaney (88.179 mph) and Chase Elliott (88.161 mph). Elliott leads active drivers with seven road course victories.
Behind McDowell in sixth, AJ Allmendinger qualified seventh, followed by defending race winner Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs and William Byron.
“We’ll see how it gets going,” Reddick said. “Certainly, Ross, Shane, Ryan Blaney-there’s a number of good drivers who were really strong in practice today. We’ll try to understand what that all looks like and make our best decisions on the car and everything.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Warriors F Gui Santos signs multi-year extension
Feb 25, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Gui Santos (15) passes the ball as Memphis Grizzlies guard Javon Small (10) defends during the third quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images Golden State Warriors forward Gui Santos signed a multi-year contract extension on Saturday.
Specific terms were not disclosed by the Warriors. However, ESPN reported it was a three-year, $15 million contract extension with a player option in 2028-29. Santos was in line to become a restricted free agent prior to this extension.
Santos, 23, is posting career-best averages in points (6.6), rebounds (3.2) and assists (1.7) in 48 games (13 starts) this season.
He is contributing 4.9 points, 3.0 boards and 1.4 assists in 127 career games (15 starts) since being selected by the Warriors in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Isaiah Evans, No. 1 Duke overwhelm No. 11 Virginia
Feb 28, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Isaiah Evans (3) grabs a pass as he moves around a pick center Patrick Ngongba II (21) as Virginia Cavaliers guard Sam Lewis (5) defends during the first half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images Isaiah Evans used a hot start on the way to 19 points and top-ranked Duke’s defense contained No. 11 Virginia for much of Saturday afternoon’s showdown in a 77-51 victory at Durham, N.C.
The Blue Devils, with two games remaining, secured at least a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season championship and locked up the top seed for the upcoming ACC tournament.
Cameron Boozer racked up most of his 18 points on free throws for Duke (27-2, 15-1 ACC), which built its lead to 28 points in the second half. Boozer also had a team-high nine rebounds, while Patrick Ngongba II added 11 points.
Thijs De Ridder had 16 points for Virginia (25-4, 13-3), which was bidding to pull even atop the ACC standings. Instead, the Cavaliers’ nine-game winning streak was halted as they were held to a season-low point total.
Virginia went 29.1% from the field, including 7-for-35 on 3s, so the Cavaliers’ 12-for-13 shooting at the foul line couldn’t save them. Virginia collected nine offensive rebounds despite its volume of missed shots.
Evans shot 5-for-9 on 3-pointers and was 7-for-11 overall from the floor, accounting for nearly half of Duke’s 12 baskets from 3-point range.
Boozer had 11 first-half points on 11-for-12 free-throw shooting, but didn’t make a field goal until a 3-pointer early in the second half. He ended up 3-for-9 from the field in 33 minutes in Duke’s second-to-last home game of the season.
Aside from De Ridder, Virginia’s starters shot a combined 4-for-22 from the field.
An 11-0 run in the second half stretched Duke’s advantage to 70-43.
Duke built an 18-9 lead across the first 11 minutes, with Evans providing 14 of those points. The Blue Devils carried a 41-26 lead into halftime.
Virginia shot 4-for-17 on first-half 3s, while going 4-for-8 on 2-point range attempts.
By game’s end, Boozer attempted 12 of Duke’s 14 free throws.
–Field Level Media
Tyler Reddick starts bid for 3rd straight NASCAR Cup win with pole run
Warriors F Gui Santos signs multi-year extension
