Sports
Ahead of Dallas duel, Avalanche can't overlook Penguins
Mar 6, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (8) skates against the Dallas Stars during the game between the Stars and the Avalanche at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images The Colorado Avalanche are in a tight battle with Dallas for first place in the Central Division, so every point matters. They can pick up two more when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night.
Colorado has been atop the NHL standings for most of the season, but the Stars’ 14-0-1 surge has cut the gap to three points with a showdown looming on Wednesday night. But the Avalanche, who have played one fewer game than Dallas, can’t afford to look past Pittsburgh, which is also in a fight for a playoff spot.
The Penguins are in second place in the Metropolitan Division but their hold on a postseason seed is thin. They are just a point ahead of the second wild card in the Eastern Conference, and a loss Monday could put them out of a playoff spot with 15 games remaining.
Monday should have been the return of defenseman Samuel Girard, whom Colorado dealt to Pittsburgh on Feb. 24 for defenseman Brett Kulak, but Girard has missed the last three games with an upper-body injury. The Penguins have not updated Girard’s status for Monday night.
Pittsburgh does know it will not have Sidney Crosby in the lineup. Crosby has been out since suffering a knee injury playing for Team Canada in the Olympics last month and Pittsburgh is 4-3-3 without its captain.
Despite his absence, Crosby leads the team with 59 points (27 goals, 32 assists).
The Penguins rallied to win at Utah on Saturday night, scoring twice in the third period to get the crucial two points.
“I think it really showed how resilient this group is,” goaltender Stuart Skinner said.
Colorado tried to be resilient after a tough day of travel on Friday. The Avalanche, who won at Seattle on Thursday night, had their flight to Winnipeg delayed and didn’t reach the city until 11 p.m., 15 hours before puck drop.
“Stuff like that’s going to happen and it’s obviously out of our control, but I felt like it was a good team-bonding experience,” defenseman Cale Makar said.
Colorado, which had won six straight road games prior to the 3-1 loss to the Jets, won’t have Artturi Lehkonen or Gabriel Landeskog available while they recover from injuries. Once they do return, Nazem Kadri, acquired at the trade deadline from Calgary, can move back to his natural center position.
Kadri has been playing the wing on the top line and has a goal and an assist in four games since the trade.
The Avalanche are led by Nathan MacKinnon, who is second in the NHL in scoring with 109 points. His 44 goals lead the league and he is third with 65 assists. Martin Necas is second on the team with 80 points, which includes a career-high 31 goals.
Necas has goals in six of the last seven games and has nine goals and nine assists in the 10 games since the Olympic break.
Makar, with 19 goals and 48 assists, is third on Colorado in points and third in the NHL among defensemen.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Bucks waive Cam Thomas to convert Pete Nance's contract
Suns guard Jalen Green (4) drives against Bucks forward Pete Nance (35) during a game at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on March 21, 2026. The Milwaukee Bucks converted forward Pete Nance’s two-way contract to a fully guaranteed deal.
The Bucks waived guard Cam Thomas in a corresponding move prior to their game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. Thomas, 24, signed with the team as a free agent on Feb. 8 and averaged 10.7 points in 18 games off the bench with Milwaukee.
As for Nance, he was elated with the notion of receiving a new deal. The contract made him available to play in the team’s final 11 games this season and runs through the 2026-27 campaign.
“To be able to be in this spot is just awesome,” Nance said after the Bucks’ shootaround, per the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “Obviously I’m super thankful for the Bucks for giving me the opportunity. I think it’s just a testament to growth and the work that I’ve done and the experience that I’ve had over the years.”
Nance, 26, is averaging 4.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 12.1 minutes in 37 games off the bench this season.
Thomas was benched after playing just three minutes against the Atlanta Hawks on March 14. He was held out of consecutive games on March 15 and 17 due to what was listed as a coach’s decision before returning to the court against the Utah Jazz last Thursday.
“There are things we don’t need to talk about,” Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said, per the newspaper. “That’s not anybody’s business. Like I said before, that’s where as a coach you have to make decisions on what’s best for the team at that time. People don’t understand that. They start talking about other stuff. And, that’s not for anyone to know.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Buccaneers, LB Lavonte David schedule news conference
Jan 3, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David (54) warms up before the game against the Carolina Panthers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Veteran Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David is scheduled to hold a news conference on Tuesday afternoon at the team facility.
The Buccaneers did not divulge an official reason for the conference, however speculation is strong that David will announce his retirement from the NFL.
David, 36, is a free agent after spending his entire 14-year career with Tampa Bay.
He recorded 114 tackles, 3.5 sacks, an interception, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries while starting all 17 games last season. It was his 12th season with triple-digit tackles.
An All-Pro selection in 2013 and a Pro Bowl selection in 2015, David has 1,716 tackles, 42.5 sacks, 14 interceptions, 33 forced fumbles and 21 fumble recoveries in 215 games (all starts).
David was selected by Tampa Bay in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft out of Nebraska.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mikaela Shiffrin on cusp of season World Cup title
Feb 18, 2026; Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy; Gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States celebrates during the medal ceremony for the women’s slalom during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-Imagn Images Mikaela Shiffrin will ski Wednesday for the season World Cup overall title.
Heading into the giant slalom, the final race of the season, Shiffrin has an 85-point lead over Emma Aicher of Germany.
Shiffrin won her ninth slalom in 10 World Cup starts this season on Tuesday, earning 100 points. She increased her overall lead on Aicher, who finished third to grab 60 points.
To take the title, Aicher must win the race — a discipline in which she never has finished higher than fourth — and hope that Shiffrin finishes worse than 15th.
Shiffrin, 31, is striving to win her sixth overall World Cup title, which would tie her with Annemarie Moser-Proll. The Austrian won five season titles from 1971-75 and the final one in 1979.
The 2026 Olympic champion in the slalom, Shiffrin won the World Cup title in consecutive years from 2017-19 and again in 2022 and 2023.
With her slalom win on Tuesday, Shiffrin earned her 110th career victory on the World Cup circuit, extending her lead over Ingemar Stenmark of Sweden, who won 86 before his retirement in 1989.
–Field Level Media
Wordle today: Answer, hints for March 25, 2026
Hurdle hints and answers for March 25, 2026
