Sports
Daniel Vladar, Flyers confident against East-best Canes as second round begins
Apr 29, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers goalie Dan Vladar (80) reacts against the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime in game six of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images The Philadelphia Flyers pulled off their first postseason upset since 2012 when they knocked the Pittsburgh Penguins out of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Wednesday.
The Flyers begin their quest for another upset when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday in Raleigh, N.C., to kick off their Eastern Conference semifinal showdown. Philadelphia, which used six games to take out its in-state rival, finished 15 points back of the Hurricanes in the regular season.
Despite the odds against them, the Flyers begin the series with confidence. That starts with their last line of defense, goaltender Dan Vladar, who was a huge key to the first-round victory.
“I think I can speak for the whole locker room. There was never a doubt,” said Vladar, who posted a 1.61 goals-against average with a .937 save percentage and two shutouts in six games against Pittsburgh. “If somebody had a doubt, it’s their problem. That’s not us.”
Certainly, beating the Hurricanes would be a huge feat for the Flyers. Carolina finished atop the Eastern Conference and second overall in the league. Plus, Carolina won three of four meetings during the regular season and has claimed 16 of their last 18 encounters with the Flyers.
However, all four clashes between the clubs this season went to overtime.
“They’re a really good team, play with a lot of pace,” Philadelphia defenseman Travis Sanheim said. “We had really good games with them all year. … Really excited about the challenge.”
As good as the Flyers have been at defending, especially after the Olympic break, their abilities will be put to the test. Carolina has a lethal attack that was on full display during a first-round sweep of the Ottawa Senators.
“We’ve got to possess the puck more. That’s the next level,” Philadelphia coach Rick Tocchet said. “We have to be better at controlling the puck, but that’s controlling the ice.”
Carolina, the only team from last year’s final four to reach the second round of this year’s playoffs, was surgical in dismissing the Senators.
The Hurricanes never trailed in any of the games, propelled by goaltender Frederik Andersen’s shutout in the opener. While Andersen was stellar between the pipes while posting a 1.10 goals-against average and .955 save percentage, the Hurricanes showed off their ability to stifle opponents.
“The way we played, I thought, was really consistent, from start to finish of every game,” said Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour. “It was just the same, and everybody was dialed in. You’re not always going to win those games, but it gives you a chance to win every night.”
If there is one cause for concern for the Hurricanes — beyond the fact that 31-goal, 70-point forward Andrei Svechnikov was held without a point in the first round — it is their time off since finishing the Ottawa series on April 25. Carolina has gone one week between games.
“It’s a gift and a curse,” defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, a former Flyer, told reporters. “If we play (well), people will be like, ‘It’s the rest.’ If we play bad, they’ll be like, ‘It was the rest.'”
To this point, the break has been a gift because it provided much-needed recovery time. Defenseman Alexander Nikishin and forward Nikolaj Ehlers practiced fully on Friday. Nikishin suffered a concussion in the clinching game, while Ehlers is poised to be back in the lineup after missing Game 4 against Ottawa due to a lower-body injury.
“We hope everyone will be ready to go, and it certainly looks like that,” Brind’Amour said.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Courage transfer M Manaka Matsukubo to Chelsea
May 8, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; North Carolina Courage midfielder Manaka Matsukubo (34) controls the ball against the Orlando Pride in the second half at Inter&Co Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images The North Carolina Courage transferred 2025 NWSL Midfielder of the Year Manaka Matsukubo to Chelsea FC on Friday.
The 21-year-old Japan international signed a five-year contract with the English club, which competes in the Women’s Super League.
“I’m so excited to be joining Chelsea, a club with a lot of history,” Matsukubo said in a Chelsea press release. “As a small child, I followed Chelsea because it is a club everyone in the world knows about.
“The club has a strong history of winning trophies and has done so well at the top of the game, so I couldn’t pass up this opportunity, and I want to help continue this club’s tradition of winning trophies for years to come.”
Matsukubo joined the Courage on loan in 2023. She tallied 19 goals and 10 assists in 58 matches with North Carolina, including 11 goals last season and five goals through nine matches in 2026.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Yankees place Carlos Rodon on IL, reinstate Trent Grisham, Ryan McMahon
Jun 23, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone (17) takes the ball to relieve pitcher Carlos Rodon (55) in the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images The New York Yankees returned center fielder Trent Grisham and third baseman Ryan McMahon to their active roster prior to Friday’s home game against the Minnesota Twins.
To make room for them on the 26-man roster, left-handed starting pitcher Carlos Rodon was placed on the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation and utility man Oswaldo Cabrera was sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Grisham, 29, has not played since June 12 due to a hamstring strain and was on the 10-day IL. The Yankees’ frequent leadoff hitter has posted a .232/.341/.406 slash line with eight home runs, 35 RBIs and six stolen bases in 66 games this season.
McMahon, 31, has not been in the Yankees’ lineup since June 21 due to ear and throat issues and was on the 10-day IL. An All-Star in 2024 with the Colorado Rockies, McMahon has delivered a .210 batting average, eight homers and 23 RBIs in 69 games this year.
Rodon, a three-time All-Star including in 2025, hits the injured list after one of his best starts of the year. The 33-year-old surrendered one hit and no earned runs over five innings on Sunday at Boston. In nine starts this season, Rodon has fashioned a 4-2 record and 3.30 ERA with 52 strikeouts and 26 walks over 46 1/3 innings. He began the season on the IL following offseason elbow surgery and later injured his hamstring in March before making his season debut on May 10.
He was slated to start Saturday against the Twins.
Cabrera, 27, appeared in three games while McMahon was sidelined. He went 0-for-9 with two sacrifice bunts in his 11 plate appearances.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Williams sisters to play doubles Saturday at Wimbledon
Jul 6, 2015; London, United Kingdom; Serena Williams (USA) and Venus Williams (USA) hug at the net after their match on day seven of The Championships Wimbledon at the AELTC. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images Serena and Venus Williams will play their Wimbledon first-round doubles match on Saturday after organizers gave Serena time to recover from a knee injury.
The sisters, who won the grass-court Grand Slam doubles title six times (most recently in 2016), take on Argentina’s Solana Sierra and Colombia’s Camila Osorio at the All England Club.
Playing her first singles match in nearly four years on Tuesday, the 44-year-old Serena tweaked her knee in the first set of a 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 loss to Australia’s Maya Joint.
Tournament director Jamie Baker told the Associated Press the first-round doubles match was pushed back to give Serena “as much time” as possible to recover. All other first-round matches in the Ladies’ Doubles draw were contested Thursday and Friday.
“We want her to play if she … possibly can,” Baker said Friday.
Venus, 46, and Serena last played doubles at the 2022 U.S. Open, losing in the first round to Linda Noskova and Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic.
The winner of Saturday’s match will face ninth-seeded Ellen Perez of Australia and Demi Schuurs of the Netherlands in the second round.
–Field Level Media
Courage transfer M Manaka Matsukubo to Chelsea
Yankees place Carlos Rodon on IL, reinstate Trent Grisham, Ryan McMahon
