Sports
More drama expected as Jets, Stars clash in Game 1
May 3, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) and center Tyler Seguin (91) and center Wyatt Johnston (53) celebrates the game tying goal goal scored by Rantanen against the Colorado Avalanche during the third period in game seven of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images After a couple days to soak in their stunning-yet-similar comebacks in the first-round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, it’s back to business for the Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars on Wednesday night.
That’s when the Jets are scheduled to host the Stars in Game 1 of their best-of-seven, second-round series.
Winnipeg survived its opening-round matchup against the St. Louis Blues with a dramatic rally in Game 7 on Sunday.
The Jets trailed 3-1 before scoring two goals in the final two minutes of regulation with goalie Connor Hellebuyck pulled for the extra skater, including the tying goal with three seconds left. They won 4-3 late in the second overtime.
“These games are special,” Winnipeg forward Nikolaj Ehlers said. “You don’t get these very often. To be able to come back in the third period like we did and battle our (butts) off in overtime, yeah, it’s really special and we did it as a group. So we want to carry that forward.”
A day earlier, the Stars trailed the Colorado Avalanche 2-0 with 12 minutes remaining, but Mikko Rantanen scored two straight goals to tie it against his former team. Wyatt Johnston put Dallas ahead with 3:56 left and Rantanen sealed the 4-2 win to complete the hat trick on an empty-net goal with three seconds remaining.
Looking ahead, much of the attention will be on the injury lists for both teams.
Winnipeg played the final two games against the Blues without top-line center Mark Scheifele, who sustained an undisclosed injury in the first period of Game 5.
Scheifele was second on the Jets in goals (39) and points (87) during the regular season.
The best defenseman on the Jets, Josh Morrissey (upper body), was injured in the first period of Game 7 and did not return.
Scheifele and Morrissey attended Tuesday’s optional practice but wore non-contact jerseys. Another player who was injured in Game 7, defenseman Logan Stanley (undisclosed), also wore a non-contact jersey.
Morrissey and Stanley left the ice before the official start of practice, but Scheifele remained. All three are considered game-time decisions, Jets coach Scott Arniel said.
The Stars will likely get forward Jason Robertson (lower body) back against Winnipeg, but defenseman Miro Heiskanen (knee) will remain out of the lineup.
Robertson and Heiskanen each skated during an optional practice Monday and again on Tuesday in Dallas, but Heiskanen did not participate in any drills with the top three pairings, while Robertson was on a line with Mason Marchment and Johnston.
Both missed the entire first-round series against the Avalanche.
Robertson led Dallas in goals (35) and was second in points (80) during the regular season, while Heiskanen is considered the team’s best defenseman.
“It would be really nice to get our full team together,” said forward Matt Duchene, who led Dallas with 82 points in 82 regular-season games. “At the same time, we’re not counting the hours until we get those guys back. We know we can do it with what we have. We just showed that.”
The Stars also are expected to be without fourth-line wing Colin Blackwell, who sustained an undisclosed injury in Game 7.
Jake Oettinger will continue to start in goal for Dallas. He is 6-4-1 in his career against the Jets with a 2.57 goals-against average and .905 save percentage.
He will be opposed by Hellebuyck, who is 14-10-5 in his career against Dallas with a 2.45 GAA and .922 save percentage.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Angel Reese exits Dream's win after injuring leg
Jul 19, 2026; College Park, Georgia, USA; Chicago Sky center-forward Elizabeth Williams (1) blocks a shot against Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) during the first quarter at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese left Sunday’s 93-91 win over the visiting Chicago Sky early in the fourth quarter after injuring her left leg during a layup attempt and did not return.
Just 15 seconds into the fourth, Reese was driving for a layup when she appeared to roll her ankle as she released the ball and went down to the floor.
Courtney Vandersloot was called for a foul as she defended on the play but a replay showed Vandersloot did not touch Reese and the foul call was overturned. Reese was also wearing a sleeve over her left knee.
After getting back to her feet, Reese went back down to the floor before returning to the bench. She was ruled out for the rest of the game, and no update was provided on her status, though coach Karl Smesko did speak with the media.
“It’s hard because we’re in the timeout. It seemed like a really long timeout, and there wasn’t a lot being said because we were all just looking at Angel,” Sesko said. “And when I was looking at her, it seemed like she was in a lot of pain, and she wanted to go out there and keep playing because she’s competitive and she wants to win the game. … I just didn’t feel comfortable with it because she looked like she was in a lot of pain.”
Reese, an All-Star in each of her first two seasons with Chicago, entered the game averaging a career-best 15.7 points along with a league-leading 11.8 rebounds.
She was traded from Chicago along with a second-round pick to Atlanta for a pair of first-round picks in the offseason.
She scored eight points with five rebounds in 20 minutes Sunday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Joey Logano fastest to finish in first North Wilkesboro points race since '96
Jul 19, 2026; North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, USA; Team Penske driver Joey Logano (22) takes the second stage during the Window World 400 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Joey Logano dominated by leading a career-high 323 laps as NASCAR welcomed historic North Wilkesboro Speedway back to the Cup Series’ regular-season points schedule for the first time since 1996 in Sunday night’s Window World 450 in North Wilkesboro, N.C.
Winless since early May of last season at Texas Motor Speedway, the three-time Cup Series champion notched his 38th career victory in 16 seasons by topping Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota over the final half of the race, beating the points leader by 0.859 seconds in a long stretch of green-flag racing.
Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs and Shane van Gisbergen finished as the top five.
Sixth-place Bubba Wallace was the final car on the lead lap.
After three cleanly-raced support events over the weekend, Ryan Blaney was slotted first after qualifying was washed out Saturday, but his No. 12 Ford team had to fix a power steering issue that sent him to the back of the 37-car field.
That gave the point to Gibbs, who took them to green in a points race for the first time since polesitter Ted Musgrave did so on Sept. 29, 1996, before a nearly three-decade-long shutdown of the 0.625-mile short track.
Gibbs led the first 40 circuits until John Hunter Nemechek spun after contact with Zane Smith, and the first caution period ended with Hamlin taking two tires to claim the lead on the restart.
Gibbs hustled back in his No. 54 Toyota and narrowly beat van Gisbergen to win Stage 1, which consisted of 80 laps. Logano, Hamlin and Carson Hocevar were the next three finishers.
Logano, the 2024 winner of the All-Star Race at NWS, took the lead from van Gisbergen on Lap 113 in Turn 4 in the 185 laps that made up Stage 2.
The No. 22 Team Penske driver increased his advantage over second-place Chase Elliott to 3 1/2 seconds by Lap 150 and soon lapped Gibbs (speeding penalty), but Hamlin found his way to move by Elliott in the first long green-flag run on the short track.
On Lap 183, Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman wrecked coming off Turn 2 and slid onto the pit-road entrance for the third caution, putting William Byron and Elliott two laps down after their green-flag stop.
Logano captured Stage 2 for his first segment win this season, and Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, Wallace and van Gisbergen earned top-five bonus points.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Royals RHP Stephen Kolek (flexor) hurt on rehab assignment, placed on IL
Kansas City Royals pitcher Stephen Kolek (32) pitches in the third inning between the Kansas City Royals and Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. The Kansas City Royals placed right-hander Stephen Kolek on the 15-day injured list on Sunday after he strained his right flexor during a rehab start.
Kolek was injured on Saturday while pitching for Triple-A Omaha to get him ready to return to the major league squad as soon as this week after an extended absence on the family medical emergency list.
He was scheduled for four innings or 65 pitches but made it through only 51 pitches (30 strikes) over 2 2/3 innings against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs before he exited in the third inning with the Omaha Storm Chasers’ trainer.
Kolek allowed two runs on six hits with a hit batter, no walks and three strikeouts.
“He said he didn’t feel great playing catch, but then as he got on the mound, he felt better,” Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said Sunday. “The first couple of innings were pretty good. In the third inning, he felt more aggressive discomfort. They thought it was best to get him out of there.”
Kolek, 29, is scheduled to get imaging done on Monday.
He last pitched in a major league game on July 2, allowing three runs on four hits in two innings of a 5-2 home loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Kolek has been away from the team since before the birth of his daughter, Faye, who was born seven weeks premature on June 25, MLB.com reported. He has been in the hospital with his wife, Jessica, and their baby, leaving only for that July 2 start. The Royals placed him on the family emergency medical list three times and the paternity list twice as well as the restricted list on July 11, according to MLB.com.
With his child making progress, Kolek planned to return to the Royals, including Saturday’s rehab start. Major League Baseball gave the Royals permission for Kolek to have a rehab assignment, which is not the norm for players on the restricted list.
Kolek is 4-3 with one shutout, a 4.50 ERA, 12 walks and 34 strikeouts in 54 innings over 10 starts this season.
He is a career 12-10 with a 4.13 ERA, 55 walks and 150 strikeouts in 213 1/3 innings over 71 games (29 starts) for the San Diego Padres (2024-25) and Royals (2025-present). The Padres traded Kolek and right-hander Ryan Bergert to the Royals for catcher Freddy Fermin on July 31, 2025.
–Field Level Media
Angel Reese exits Dream's win after injuring leg
Joey Logano fastest to finish in first North Wilkesboro points race since '96
