Sports
Brad Marchand tallies twice as Panthers return with win over Leafs
Feb 26, 2026; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Evan Rodrigues (17) scores against Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll (60) during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Brad Marchand scored two goals Thursday night as the Florida Panthers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-1 at Sunrise, Fla.
Evan Rodrigues added a goal and an assist for the Panthers, who were playing their first game after the Olympic break. Carter Verhaeghe and Matthew Tkachuk also scored. Anton Lundell added two assists and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots for Florida, which was on a 1-5-0 run ahead of the break.
John Tavares scored for the Maple Leafs, who have lost their first two games after the break. Joseph Woll made 31 saves.
The Panthers took a 3-0 lead in the first period in a matchup of teams trying to get into playoff contention. Marchand scored from the edge of the crease at 3:18 after Lundell sent the puck toward the net. A turnover by Toronto’s Matthew Knies started the sequence.
A funky bounce on Toronto defenseman Troy Stecher’s clearing attempt from behind the net helped Verhaeghe score a power-play goal from 20 feet at 5:13. Nicolas Roy was off for tripping.
Rodrigues scored his first career short-handed goal on a breakaway at 16:40 after stripping the puck from William Nylander in the neutral zone.
Toronto played with more energy in the goalless second period. Bobrovsky made two big saves in the final two minutes of the period, first on Nylander’s break-in and then on Simon Benoit.
Tavares scored a power-play goal from the edge of the crease at 47 seconds of the third period. Auston Matthews earned his 350th career assist with a pass that deflected off the skate of Florida’s Gustav Forsling. Aaron Ekblad was serving a roughing penalty.
The Panthers had a goal called back at 9:02 of the third after a video review determined that the play was offside.
Toronto withstood a Florida power play midway through the third with Woll contributing a key save.
Marchand hit the post with Woll removed for an extra attacker but then made no mistake on his next attempt at 16:51.
Tkachuk added another empty-net goal at 18:08.
It was Florida’s first win this season against Toronto. The Maple Leafs had won the two previous games and the teams will play once more, on April 11 in Toronto.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Thomas Muller's first-half brace leads Vancouver to rout of Toronto
Feb 28, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Whitecaps FC forward Thomas Muller (13) celebrates scoring on a corner kick from midfielder Sebastian Berhalter (16) (not pictured) against Toronto FC goalkeeper Luka Gavran (1) during the first half at BC Place. Mandatory Credit: Simon Fearn-Imagn Images Thomas Muller scored a first-half brace, leading the Whitecaps to a 3-0 victory over visiting Toronto FC on Saturday night in Vancouver.
Brian White also scored a first-half goal, while keeper Yohei Takaoka made three saves for his second consecutive clean sheet to open the MLS season.
With the victory, Vancouver (2-0-0, 6 points) improved to 4-0-1 in its last five regular-season matches against Toronto.
The Reds (0-2-0, 0 points) are now 6-9-4 in 19 MLS meetings against their Western Canadian rivals.
Trailing 3-0, Toronto had an excellent chance to cut into the lead early in the second half. Djordje Mihailovic thought he’d put Toronto on the board in the 55th minute, but the midfielder was caught offside.
Then in the 74th minute, Takaoka made a diving save off Toronto midfielder Jose Cifuentes – the Reds’ first shot on target of the match.
Vancouver controlled possession in the first half with five shots on target.
Aziel Jackson was awarded a penalty kick after being taken down in the area by Walker Zimmerman in the 24th minute. On the ensuing penalty kick, Muller opened the scoring, putting his right-footed strike in the bottom-left corner past Luka Gavran.
Muller added his second of the half 12 minutes later as Sebastian Berhalter’s corner was headed across to Muller by Mathias Laborda, and the German midfielder ripped his left-footed shot into an open goal.
In first-half stoppage time, off another Berhalter corner, Gavran was caught out of position, allowing White to score on a right-footed strike.
Up next, Vancouver travels to Portland for its first away match of the season next Saturday. Toronto visits Cincinnati next Sunday to wrap up a three-game road trip to open the season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Pelicans close 1st half strong to beat Jazz for 4th straight win
Feb 28, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones (2) dunks the ball during the second quarter against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images Saddiq Bey scored 24 points and the visiting New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Utah Jazz for the second time in three nights on Saturday, 115-105.
Bey, who scored a season-high 42 points in the Pelicans’ 129-118 victory Thursday night, was joined in double figures by rookie Jeremiah Fears (18), who added a season-high 11 rebounds, Bryce McGowens (18), Herb Jones (17), and Jordan Poole (11) as New Orleans won its fourth consecutive game.
Leading scorer Trey Murphy III missed his fifth consecutive game because of a right shoulder contusion, and second-leading scorer Zion Williamson had just four points in 11 minutes before leaving the game with a right ankle injury.
New Orleans still had plenty of firepower, leading by as many as 27 points just as it did two nights earlier.
Isaiah Collier scored 21, Keyonte George (ankle) returned from a six-game absence to score 17, Elijah Harkless added 14, Ace Bailey had 13, Kyle Filipowski had 12 and Brice Sensabaugh 10 to lead the Jazz, who lost their fifth straight game.
The Pelicans pushed their 25-point halftime to 27 with 3:57 left in the third quarter, but the Jazz climbed within 89-73 at the end of the period. Utah got as close as seven points early in the fourth quarter, but New Orleans scored the next eight points and maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
The Pelicans scored the first nine points of the game as the Jazz went nearly five minutes before making their first field goal. Utah pulled even at 17 and 19 before New Orleans held a 27-22 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Yves Missi, returning from a five-game absence due to a calf strain, made a dunk to start the second-quarter scoring and Poole followed with a 3-pointer to expand the lead to 10 points.
Jones made two 3-pointers and Bey had five points during a 15-0 run that completed a 20-2 surge, giving New Orleans a 65-40 halftime lead. The Jazz didn’t make a field goal in the final 4:55.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cole Hocker fastest in 3K at national indoor track championship
Cole Hocker is shown after winning the 3,000 meters, Sunday, February 1, 2026, at The Armory, during the Millrose Games. Cole Hocker remained unblemished for his career at the USA Track and Field Indoor Championships with a split-second victory in the 3,000-meter race on Saturday in Staten Island, N.Y.
Hocker outkicked fellow Olympians Yared Nuguse and Nico Young to win the race in 7 minutes, 39.25 seconds at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex. Nuguse was second (7:39.28) and Young third (7:39.29).
Gold medalist in the 1,500 at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and the 2025 world outdoor champion in the 5,000, Hocker has not lost at the USATF Indoor Championships. He won both the 1,500 and 3,000 in 2022 and the 1,500 in 2024.
“It was just staying attached to both Yared and Nico,” Hocker said, per NBC Sports. “I know both of them are such good finishers. It was just staying connected to them because only two go (to worlds), so I needed one of them.”
The meet is a qualifier for the World Indoor Championships on March 20-22 in Poland. A country can qualify up to two spots per individual event and possibly a third if the athlete earned a World Indoor Tour wild card.
Both Hocker and Nuguse are running in the 1,500 on Sunday, when the national meet concludes.
Chase Jackson broke the U.S. indoor record for women’s shot put with a throw of 20.44 meters to win on Saturday. A two-time world champion, Jackson shared the old mark of 20.21 and holds the outdoor record of 20.76 meters.
Zach Bradford became the eighth American to clear 6 meters, indoors or outdoors, in capturing the pole vault at 6.01 meters.
Emily Mackay set a championship record in winning the women’s 3,000 (8:30.01), just ahead of Elle St. Pierre (8:30.07). Dylan Beard captured the men’s 60-meter hurdles (7.37 seconds) and Alia Armstrong the women’s race (7.82).
Vashti Cunningham’s run of nine straight national indoor titles ended when Charity Hufnagel won the women’s high jump (1.96 meters). Cunningham was second at 1.93.
Jasmine Moore won the women’s long jump (6.86 meters), and Lauren Harris was fastest in the 5K racewalk (22:14.69).
Russell Robinson was best in the men’s triple jump (16.59 meters), Isaiah Rogers in the weight throw (23.41 meters) and Nick Christie in the 5K racewalk (19:13.37).
–Field Level Media
Thomas Muller's first-half brace leads Vancouver to rout of Toronto
Pelicans close 1st half strong to beat Jazz for 4th straight win
