Sports
Playoff-bound Wild, Lightning out to improve positioning
Mar 22, 2026; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) during the face off against the Calgary Flames during the first period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images The Minnesota Wild and Tampa Bay Lightning, two powerhouses preparing for the playoffs in their respective conferences, will complete their two-game season series in Tuesday night’s matchup in the Sunshine State.
Minnesota (40-19-12, 92 points) won the first meeting with a 5-1 home thumping of the Lightning (43-21-5, 91 points) on March 3.
Wild star winger Kirill Kaprizov set the franchise record with the final tally, an empty-netter, for his 220th marker to surpass Marian Gaborik for the all-time lead in goals.
Since that victory, the Central Division’s third-place club has posted a 4-3-2 record, not enough to catch the Dallas Stars but leaving a 12-point advantage over the Utah Mammoth, who hold the Western Conference’s top wild-card spot.
Kaprizov is tied for the team lead in goals with 38, matched by Matt Boldy. The electrifying Russian scorer paces the squad with 80 points.
Third in goals scored, winger Vladimir Tarasenko made his 20th count in Saturday’s 2-1 overtime winner against Dallas. The victory closed out a seven-game stretch with a 3-3-1 mark, with all but one of the games on home ice.
Tarasenko recorded his 324th career goal and 54th game-winner, hitting the net from the slot after taking a swift cross-ice pass from Bobby Brink, who put up the game-tying tally in the second period.
Wild coach John Hynes said Brink brings a scrappiness to the team, which opens a three-game road swing that visits Tampa, Florida and Boston.
“He’s a tenacious competitor, we knew that coming in,” Hynes said. “That’s what you love about him. He’s fast and quick. … Because of his speed and hockey sense — that combination of his competitiveness makes him an effective guy for us.”
Tampa Bay was on the brink of sweeping its four-game road trip Sunday after rallying from a two-goal deficit, getting goals from Darren Raddysh and Pontus Holmberg, and forcing overtime against the Calgary Flames.
However, Ryan Strome netted the game-winner just 26 seconds into three-on-three to prevent the visitors from winning the finale on a swing that took them to Seattle, Vancouver and Edmonton.
Coach Jon Cooper said leaving Alberta with three points in two nights after topping the Edmonton Oilers 5-2 on Saturday night was needed.
“The final leg after playing back-to-back in 22 hours and we’re down 3-1 halfway through the game and we get a point out of it, so there’s a lot of good to take out of this especially with the way the Eastern Conference is going,” said Cooper.
The result was a noticeable shift for Ryan McDonagh, who scored the first goal.
“Coming out of the Olympic break here, we’ve been down in games and haven’t been able to crawl back and get points out of it,” said the defenseman, who has six markers. “It stinks to lose, but we showed signs of sticking with our structure, being patient, not going rogue and being rewarded with a goal late to give ourselves a chance in overtime.”
With the primary assist on Raddysh’s goal, Nikita Kucherov moved his point streak to four games (six goals, seven assists) and leads the NHL with 119 points, three ahead of the Oilers’ Connor McDavid.
The Lightning, who did not commit a penalty in a match for the first time this season, are 20-12-0 on home ice.
–Field Level Media
Sports
UCF extends coach Johnny Dawkins through 2028-29
Mar 19, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCF Knights head coach Johnny Dawkins conducts a press conference during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images UCF coach Johnny Dawkins agreed to a three-year deal through the 2028-29 season, the school announced Thursday.
Dawkins, 62, guided the Knights to a second consecutive 20-win season in 2025-26 as well as appearances in the Top 25 poll and the NCAA Tournament.
“Johnny has led our men’s basketball program with outstanding poise and class,” athletic director Terry Mohajir said. “The stability and continuity he has provided have been, in my opinion, a major reason for the program’s growth. As a result, we’re excited to extend his contract. He is a strong leader and an outstanding role model for our young men. Johnny is highly deserving of this extension, and we’re excited about the future of UCF men’s basketball under his leadership.”
Dawkins reportedly had the lowest salary among Big 12 coaches last season at $2.1 million.
Dawkins has compiled a 189-132 record in 10 seasons at UCF, overseeing the Orlando-area school’s transition from the American Athletic Conference to the Big 12 Conference in 2023-24. His team also reached the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
The Knights were 21-12 last season, appearing at No. 25 in the Associated Press poll on Jan. 5. As a No. 10 seed, they lost to No. 7 seed UCLA 75-71 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
“What we accomplished this season was a testament to the hard work of our student-athletes, coaches and staff as we continue establishing ourselves in the Big 12,” Dawkins said. “I’m proud of the progress we’ve made and excited about where this program is headed. UCF has become home for my family, and I’m committed to continuing to build a program that our university and fans can be proud of.”
Dawkins was 156-115 with one NCAA Tournament appearance in eight seasons at Stanford from 2008-16, leading the Cardinal to NIT championships in 2011-12 and 2014-15. His overall record is 345-247.
Dawkins was a two-time All-American point guard and the Naismith National Player of the Year during a decorated career at Duke from 1982-86. A first-round pick (10th overall) by San Antonio in 1986, he played nine NBA seasons with the Spurs (1986-89), Philadelphia 76ers (1989-94) and Detroit Pistons (1994-95).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tennessee rides Elsa Morrison HR, tames Texas bats
Tennessee Lady Volunteers catcher Elsa Morrison (22) celebrates after hitting a home run in the second inning during a Women’s College World Series softball game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Texas Longhorns at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Thursday, May 28, 2026. Tennessee won 6-3. Freshman Elsa Morrison smashed the first pitch she saw over the center field fence for a three-run home run in the second inning and Tennessee beat defending national champion Texas 6-3 in the Women’s College World Series at Oklahoma City on Thursday afternoon.
Sage Mardjetko (15-2) got the win for Tennessee in four shutout innings and muted the high-powered Texas offense. She has 16 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings this postseason.
SEC Player of the Year Katie Stewart went hitless for the Longhorns in three at-bats.
Morrison doubled off the top of the wall in the sixth and was 2-for-3 despite missing her second homer by a narrow margin.
Taelyn Holley scored two runs for Tennessee, which avenged a 2-0 loss to Texas in the 2025 WCWS semifinals.
Morrison’s heroics are becoming expected. She belted a tiebreaking homer to sink Northern Kentucky in the regional opener and now has seven homers this season.
Texas cut the lead to 5-3 in the bottom of the sixth. After Gold Glove senior catcher and cleanup hitter Reese Atwood got Texas on the board, second baseman Leighann Goode delivered with two outs. She roped a two-run home run to center field off the Volunteers’ Karlyn Pickens, who was clocked at a record 78 mph — the equivalent of 109 mph from an MLB regulation pitching mound.
Pickens and Tennessee (48-10) advance to meet Texas Tech and starter NiJaree Canady on Friday for a spot in the semifinals. The Red Raiders won 8-0 in five innings in the WCWS opener Thursday.
The Longhorns will face Mississippi State, which managed two hits and zero runs Thursday against Texas Tech, in an elimination game.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Charles Schwab first round suspended with four tied for lead
May 28, 2026; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Tom Kim watches his shot from the sixth tee during the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images Tom Kim of South Korea and Erik van Rooyen of South Africa had one hole left to break out of a four-way tie for the lead when first-round play at the Charles Schwab Challenge was suspended due to a dangerous weather situation on Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas.
When play was delayed at Colonial Country Club, Ryan Gerard and Andrew Putnam were in the clubhouse with 6-under-par 64s while Kim and van Rooyen were 6 under with the par-4 ninth hole left to play.
The tournament was suspended at 4:15 p.m. local time and it was not clear whether it would resume Thursday. Many groups from the afternoon wave had between one and nine holes left to play.
A 10-man logjam at 5 under par included Keegan Bradley, Brian Harman and Alex Smalley in with scores of 65, while J.J. Spaun, Gary Woodland and Lee Hodges were 5 under with some holes to go. Max Homa, Russell Henley and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama highlighted the 12-man clump at 4-under 66.
Putnam, who had a bogey-free day, seeks his second PGA Tour victory and his first since the 2018 Barracuda Championship. Gerard’s only win on tour, coincidentally, came at the Barracuda Championship last year. He mixed eight birdies with two bogeys Thursday.
–Field Level Media
UCF extends coach Johnny Dawkins through 2028-29
Tennessee rides Elsa Morrison HR, tames Texas bats
