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First-period spree brings Hurricanes to verge of Stanley Cup Final

May 27, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; during the first period in game four of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn ImagesMay 27, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; during the first period in game four of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

The visiting Hurricanes scored three times in less than three minutes in the first period and Frederik Andersen made 18 saves, lifting Carolina to a 4-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday.

The Hurricanes hold a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Carolina can punch its ticket to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in franchise history with a win in Game 5 on Friday in Raleigh, N.C.

Sebastian Aho scored a power-play goal and captain Jordan Staal and Logan Stankoven also converted in a 2:47 stretch late in the first period. Andrei Svechnikov added an empty-net tally late in the third period.

Andersen turned aside three shots in the third period to preserve his eighth career postseason shutout and fifth with the Hurricanes, surpassing Cam Ward for the most in franchise history. Andersen has three shutouts this postseason, one in each round.

Nikolaj Ehlers and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere each notched two assists for the Hurricanes, who became the seventh team in NHL history to win each of its first six road games of a postseason.

Jakub Dobes made 39 saves on his 25th birthday for the Canadiens, who have lost four in a row at home and six of eight overall in Montreal during the playoffs.

Carolina opened the scoring for the fourth time in as many games in this series after Aho’s one-timer from the right circle beat Dobes inside the near post with 5:01 remaining in the first period.

Aho’s 11th career power-play goal in the playoffs eclipsed former captain Eric Staal for the most in franchise history.

The Hurricanes doubled the advantage 68 seconds later after defenseman K’Andre Miller skated below the goal line and backhanded a centering feed that caromed off the stick of Jordan Staal and into the goal. Montreal’s Josh Anderson was attempting to fend off Jordan Staal in front of the net.

Gostisbehere blocked a shot by Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson, setting up a 2-on-1 rush that saw Jackson Blake feed Stankoven for his team-leading eighth goal of the playoffs 1:39 later.

Dobes extended his left pad to deny Blake on a breakaway to keep the game scoreless just over two minutes into the game.

–Field Level Media

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Dodgers place IF Kike Hernandez (oblique) on IL, recall Alex Freeland

May 25, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Enrique Hernandez (8) hits a RBI double in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesMay 25, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Enrique Hernandez (8) hits a RBI double in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers returned infielder Kike Hernandez to the injured list on Wednesday due to a left oblique strain. With Hernandez back on the shelf after a mere two-game return, infielder Alex Freeland has been recalled in a corresponding move.

Hernandez, who started the season on the IL due to offseason elbow surgery, was activated Monday and started his season 4-for-4 with a homer, two doubles and two RBIs before exiting Tuesday’s 15-6 win over the Colorado Rockies with the injury.

While Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn’t share a timeline for how long Hernandez will be out, he did admit that his MRI showed a “significant tear.”

Hernandez, 34, is in the fourth year of his second stint in Los Angeles. He’s a career .237 hitter with 131 homers and 472 RBIs over 1,278 games.

Freeland, 24, started the season on the Dodgers’ roster. He hit .235 with two home runs, four doubles and eight RBIs in 33 games before being optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he hit four homers and drove in 16 runs in 11 games.

A third-round pick by Los Angeles in the 2022 MLB Draft, Freeland made his debut for the Dodgers in 2025 and hit .190 with two homers and six RBIs in 29 games.

–Field Level Media

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Gucci taking over title sponsorship for F1's Alpine in 2027

Italian fashion company Gucci will take over as the title sponsor for Formula 1 team Alpine beginning in 2027.Italian fashion company Gucci will take over as the title sponsor for Formula 1 team Alpine beginning in 2027.

The Alpine Formula 1 team will have a new look next year when Gucci takes over as the title sponsor.

The Gucci Racing Alpine Formula One Team will feature the sponsor’s red and green color scheme, a switch from Alpine’s current blue and pink.

According to Alpine, the agreement will create “a new business and experiential platform built around the values of performance, precision, discipline, and excellence at the intersection of luxury and sport.”

Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore added in a statement, in part, “Partnering with a prestigious brand of Gucci’s calibre in Formula 1 as title partner of Alpine Formula One Team is something I am incredibly proud of.

“Not only that, but I am also excited about the possibilities the partnership with Gucci brings and the great things we can achieve together at a global level. The Enstone Team has a history of doing things differently to others and has previously shown that fashion can finish first in Formula 1.

“With the improved performance on track, and Alpine having its best-ever points total to start a season, this new collaboration with Gucci shows the growing momentum behind the team.”

Gucci president and chief executive officer Francesca Bellettini lauded the company becoming the first luxury fashion house to act as the title sponsor of an F1 team.

“That reflects our ambition for the brand and the role we want Gucci to play on this stage,” Bellettini said. “Formula 1 represents today a unique convergence of performance, culture, and global reach, and Alpine Formula One Team is the right partner to bring this vision to life.

“Gucci Racing is more than a presence on the grid. It is an expression of who we are and where we want to take the brand. And there is much more to come. We are grateful to Alpine and the entire Renault Group for sharing this ambition with us.”

After coming in last place (10th) in the F1 team standings in 2025, Alpine currently sit in fifth place. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly holds eighth place in the driver standings, and teammate Franco Colapinto sits in 11th.

–Field Level Media

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David Sandlin dazzles in debut as White Sox smash Twins

May 27, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA;   Chicago White Sox pitcher David Sandlin (54) delivers the ball during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn ImagesMay 27, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher David Sandlin (54) delivers the ball during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images

David Sandlin pitched six innings of one-run ball in his major league debut and Munetaka Murakami homered for the third straight game as the host Chicago White Sox blasted the Minnesota Twins 15-2 on Wednesday.

Chicago secured at least a split of the four-game series behind a sterling outing from Sandlin, a right-hander acquired in a February trade with Boston which also brought reliever Jordan Hicks to the White Sox.

An 18-hit attack propelled Chicago. Sam Antonacci and Randal Grichuk collected three hits apiece. Chase Meidroth hit a seventh-inning grand slam off Travis Adams before Murakami followed immediately with his 20th home run, tied for the American League lead.

Sandlin yielded a leadoff homer to Minnesota’s Byron Buxton two pitches into the game but didn’t buckle after that. He retired the next 18 Twins in a row, the most for a White Sox pitcher in his big league debut over at least the last 100 years.

Sandlin (1-0) struck out four while throwing 41 of his 61 pitches for strikes. He needed just eight pitches in the fourth and showed similar efficiency after the White Sox racked up five runs in the fifth, sandwiching two flyouts around a strikeout over 10 pitches to end his outing.

Chicago recalled Sandlin from Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday after placing fellow rookie starter Noah Schultz (right knee patellar tendinitis) on the 15-day injured list.

Twins lefty Connor Prielipp sputtered in his seventh career start, allowing six runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. Prielipp (1-3) walked three against five strikeouts.

He gave up the lead in the second, as Antonacci grounded a two-run single off Prielipp’s glove to score two.

Colson Montgomery extended the lead to 3-1 with an RBI double in the third. Edgar Quero, Meidroth, Murakami and Montgomery had two hits apiece for the White Sox. Antonacci had three RBIs and Grichuk added two.

After Buxton’s homer, the White Sox pitching staff retired 21 straight Minnesota batters before Kody Clemens connected against Brandon Eisert for a leadoff home run in the eighth. The White Sox allowed three hits, with two coming in the eighth inning.

Chicago has won eight of the past nine meetings against Minnesota dating back to last season.

–Field Level Media

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