Sports
Blue Jackets continue playoff surge vs. desperate Panthers
Mar 10, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (90) and defenseman Dante Fabbro (15) react after beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third period at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Conor Garland is apparently quite comfortable in his new surroundings.
He’s been a massive addition in the Columbus Blue Jackets’ continued surge toward a playoff spot as they prepare to face the Florida Panthers on Thursday in Sunrise, Fla.
Garland, who was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks at last week’s trade deadline, scored twice for the second straight game in the Blue Jackets’ 5-2 road win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night.
Columbus stretched its point streak to seven games (4-0-3) with the victory and is just two points outside of the final wild-card playoff spot entering Wednesday’s action. The Blue Jackets defeated the Panthers 4-2 at home last Thursday.
Garland has four goals in three games with his new team. Garland also scored twice in the Blue Jackets’ 5-4 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night. It is the first time he has recorded consecutive multi-goal games in his eight-season career.
“Just winning is what matters, it’s the best time of year to play in,” Garland said. “You’re going to be in tight games from here on out. It’s stressful, but that’s what makes it so fun.”
Ivan Provorov,Kirill Marchenko and Dante Fabbro also had goals on Tuesday, while Zach Werenski and Sean Monahan each had two assists.
“He plays the right way,” Werenski said of Garland. “He competes. He works extremely hard in battles. He’s a smaller guy but he doesn’t play like it, and that brings everyone else into the fight.”
Elvis Merzlinkins only had to make 16 saves and added an assist against Tampa Bay.
The Panthers, who are in desperation mode in their effort to make the postseason and have a chance at a third consecutive Stanley Cup, shocked the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 at home on Tuesday night as Carter Verhaeghe scored twice in the final 1:30.
It was their second straight win, both over the Red Wings, moving them 11 points back from the final wild-card spot.
“I think we deserved to win that,” Verhaeghe said. “There is only one way to play and that is to go out, win games, try and do your best. Once you start thinking about other stuff, it really doesn’t go that well. There’s one way to play, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Vergaeghe tied it 3-3 with goaltender Danill Tarasov pulled for the extra attacker with 90 seconds left and got the winner with 15 seconds left.
Matthew Tkachuk provided the primary assist on both goals.
“We have one job and it’s not to figure out where we finish in the standings. It’s to handle your day,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said. “The best that we can do is come out, have respect for the game and for each other. And, you know, hope for a miracle, I guess. With the guys out (captain Aleksander Barkov, Brad Marchand and Sam Reinhart), we know that’s going to be a challenge. But we still have to be pros, and we have to almost honor the Florida Panthers game.”
Vinnie Hinostroza had a goal and an assist in his first contest with the team since being picked up at the trade deadline. It is his second stint with the Panthers. Hinostroza played nine games with Florida during the 2020-21 season, recording no points.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Iowa rides Cooper Koch, 21-0 run to move past Maryland
Mar 11, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Darius Adams (1) defends Iowa Hawkeyes guard Isaia Howard (23) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images Iowa exploded past Maryland in the second half, capitalizing on turnovers and the tandem of Bennett Stirtz and Cooper Koch to advance to the third round of the Big Ten tournament on Wednesday afternoon in Chicago.
Koch wasn’t bothered by a bloody nose, as the freshman forward scored team-best and career-high 19 points, and Stirtz added 17 after a quiet first half. Stirtz also had eight assists and six rebounds.
Koch cashed his fifth 3 of the game in transition to put ninth-seeded Iowa up 59-47 with under seven minutes remaining.
Iowa (21-11) ended a three-game losing streak. The Hawkeyes are first on the court again Thursday with a noon ET against eighth-seeded Ohio State (20-11) at United Center. Iowa defeated the Buckeyes 74-57 on Feb. 25.
Maryland (12-21) had 16 turnovers and missed 14 of its 21 3-point tries.
Isaiah Watts had four 3s and finished with 12 points and Darius Adams scored a team-high 14 for the 17th-seeded Terrapins. Surging scorer Andre Mills was 1 of 13 from the field for Maryland, which trailed by double digits most of the second half.
Iowa took control with a 21-0 run and had Maryland coach Buzz Williams shaking his head with a second timeout in 80 seconds when Stirtz found Koch on the right wing for a 3 — his third of the second half — and buried the Terrapins in a 50-34 hole.
Maryland held Stirtz, the Big Ten’s third-leading scorer at 20.2 points per game, to four points in the first half. He ignited Iowa with back-to-back 3s as part of a the run that staked the Hawkeyes to a 42-34 lead with 14 minutes to play.
Streaky Maryland trailed early but turned to a 2-3 zone defense and knocked down open shots as part of a 15-0 run to build a double-digit, first-half lead, 21-10. Iowa cut it to 26-25 in the final minute of the half with an 11-2 run of its own thanks to Maryland’s eight turnovers in 33 first-half possession.
Maryland started the Big Ten schedule with a 1-10 record. The Terrapins picked up momentum with a close loss to No. 9 Illinois in the regular-season finale and led wire to wire in Tuesday’s tournament victory over Oregon.
–Field Level Media
Sports
KC Current acquire F Penelope Hocking from Bay FC
Nov 2, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Bay FC forward Penelope Hocking (55) dribbles the ball during the first half against Racing Louisville FC at Lynn Family Stadium. Mandatory Credit: EM Dash-Imagn Images The Kansas City Current acquired forward Penelope Hocking from Bay FC on Wednesday.
The Current sent $350,000 in intra-league transfer funds to complete the deal for Hocking, 26.
“We are very excited to welcome Penelope to Kansas City,” general manager Ryan Dell said in a statement. “Penelope’s aptitude for scoring goals from anywhere on the field, combined with her ability to create chances for those around her, will only strengthen our attack. Above all, she is a great person and teammate who will positively impact our club on and off the pitch.”
Hocking recorded a team-high six goals and one assist in 18 regular-season matches (10 starts) last season with Bay FC. She scored seven goals with the Chicago Red Stars from 2023-24.
“I’m extremely excited to be joining the Kansas City Current,” Hocking, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft, said in the team’s news release. “This is a club with high expectations and high standards, and I’m excited to bring my energy, compete every day and help the team win trophies.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Quadir Copeland, NC State too strong for Pitt
Mar 11, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; NC State Wolfpack guard Quadir Copeland (11) reacts after scoring in the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images CHARLOTTE — Quadir Copeland collected 24 points and eight assists in North Carolina State’s 98-88 victory over Pitt in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament on Wednesday afternoon.
Ven-Allen Lubin racked up 18 points, Paul McNeil Jr. had 15, Tre Holloman notched 14 and Darrion Williams and Matt Able both scored 12 as the Wolfpack shot 60.8% from the field. NC State made 13 of 23 shots from 3-point range.
Seventh-seeded NC State (20-12), which won for only the second time in eight games, will meet No. 10-ranked and second-seeded Virginia in Thursday’s first quarterfinal.
Cameron Corhen poured in 27 points on 9-for-12 shooting for No. 15 seed Pitt (13-20), which had won four of its previous six games. Nojus Indrusaitis, who hit five 3-point shots, and Omari Witherspoon each scored 19 points and Barry Dunning Jr. added 11 points, but the Panthers’ 57.1% shooting wasn’t enough.
The Wolfpack scored 22 of the first 30 points of the second half to create a 73-58 lead on a Pitt team that pulled off an upset of Stanford a day earlier on a last-second shot off a rebound.
Pitt used an 11-3 run to close the gap and later trailed 78-72 with more than 10 minutes to play before Terrance Arceneaux’s 3-point shot resulted in his only basket of the game.
By the game’s eight-minute mark, NC State had five players with double-figure point totals and soon after Williams joined them by bagging his fourth 3-pointer on four attempts. Later, Copeland made a nifty move to the lane to score and expand on NC State’s 88-83 edge.
Both teams shot over 61% in the first half, which ended with NC State holding a 51-50 edge. The teams combined to make 16 of 25 shots from 3-point range prior to the break.
As a result of the shooting success, there were only three offensive rebounds in the opening half. NC State held a 16-7 scoring edge from the free-throw line.
Pitt made 12 of its first 18 shots from the field, including 8-for-12 on 3s, and led 34-25. But the Wolfpack got rolling, with McNeil’s three 3-pointers contributing to a surge of less than four minutes that produced a 10-0 run on the way to a 43-40 lead.
–Bob Sutton, Field Level Media
Iowa rides Cooper Koch, 21-0 run to move past Maryland
The Star Trek Cameo So Great It Almost Created A New Series
