Sports
Islanders again own overtime, edge Blue Jackets
Feb 28, 2026; Columbus, Ohio, USA; New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin (30) sprays his face with water during a stop in play against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the second period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images Simon Holmstrom scored with 3:12 left in overtime for the visiting New York Islanders, who remained perfect in the extra session and earned another comeback win by beating the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 on Saturday night.
Islanders defenseman Tony DeAngelo skated back deep into the New York zone before firing a pass to Holmstrom, who was wide open at the Blue Jackets’ blue line. Holmstrom bore in on Jet Greaves, went to his forehand and beat Greaves over his blocker.
Anders Lee, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Scott Mayfield also scored for the Islanders, who trailed 2-0 before earning their fourth straight win and improving to 8-0 in games decided in overtime. Three of New York’s last four victories have been of the comeback variety.
Goaltender Ilya Sorokin made 27 saves for the Islanders.
Isac Lundestrom, Mason Marchment and Adam Fantilli scored for the Blue Jackets, who have lost two straight (0-1-1) following a seven-game winning streak. Greaves recorded 22 saves.
Lundestrom won the faceoff with Casey Cizikas to start the sequence that ended with his deflection just 2:30 after the game’s opening faceoff. Miles Wood picked up the puck and dished to Dante Fabbro, whose shot glanced off Lundestrom as he and Cizikas glided across the crease before the puck trickled through Sorokin’s legs.
The teams combined for five goals, two ties and one lead change during a chaotic second period.
The Blue Jackets doubled their lead at 3:58, when Zach Werenski’s cross-ice pass glanced off the stick of Charlie Coyle and to Marchment, whose shot sailed over Sorokin’s stick shoulder.
The Islanders began their comeback bid with three unanswered goals in a span of fewer than six minutes in the back half of the period.
Greaves got a glove on Mayfield’s shot before Lee put back the rebound with 8:23 left. Pageau tied the score just 22 seconds later when his shot glanced off Greaves and off Fabbro’s stick before it ticked off Pageau’s stick and into the net.
Mayfield collected his first goal since Dec. 16 in similarly unusual fashion with 2:50 remaining, when his shot rattled in the crease and off Werenski, who was battling for position with Islanders center Bo Horvat.
Fantilli tied the score with 1:02 left when he redirected Werenski’s shot from above the left faceoff circle.
–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
