Sports
Avalanche power past Jets for 5th straight win
Dec 31, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews (7) bases the puck Winnipeg Jets left wing Alex Iafallo (9) in the second period at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Casey Mittelstadt scored the go-ahead goal in the third period as the Colorado Avalanche beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-2 in Denver on Tuesday night.
Artturi Lehkonen and Devon Toews also scored, Josh Manson had two assists and Mackenzie Blackwood turned away 20 shots for Colorado, which has won five in a row.
Gabriel Vilardi and Rasmus Kupari had goals and Eric Comrie made 33 saves for Winnipeg, which had its four-game winning streak snapped.
Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo limped off the ice and into the locker room after getting hit with a shot late in the third period.
The Avalanche outshot the Jets 25-17 through the first two periods before Mittelstadt deflected Manson’s shot by Comrie at 7:22 of the third to break a 2-2 tie.
It was his first goal since Nov. 18 at Philadelphia, a span of 19 games, and just his sixth point in 13 December games.
Comrie came off for an extra skater with 2:06 remaining and Mikko Rantanen scored into the empty net at 18:31 to ice it. Nathan MacKinnon got the assist for his NHL-best 61st point.
Ross Colton added another empty-net goal at 19:53 to cap the scoring.
Lehkonen got the Avalanche on the scoreboard at 11:51 of the first period when he deflected Manson’s shot from the point as he was being checked by Logan Stanley.
Colorado carried the play for much of the second period, but the Jets got the first goal of the frame when Morgan Barron sent a pass to the far side of the crease and Kupari tipped it over Blackwood’s left pad at 10:20.
The Avalanche got the lead back later in the second. Cale Makar, who shook off a puck hitting his skate minutes earlier, passed diagonally through the slot to Toews in the left circle. Toews whiffed on his shot, getting Comrie off-balance, and then poked the puck through his pads at 16:37.
Winnipeg again tied it before the second intermission when Vilardi roofed a loose puck in the crease over Blackwood’s left shoulder at 18:32.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Dodgers put 1B Freddie Freeman on paternity list, call up OF Ryan Ward
Apr 8, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) hits a single against the Toronto Blue Jays during the sixth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Dodgers placed first baseman Freddie Freeman on the paternity list Sunday and called up outfielder Ryan Ward to the major leagues for the first time after seven minor league seasons.
Freeman, 36, is batting .296 with three home runs and 14 RBIs over 20 games this season. He had two hits in each of the last three games and four times in the past five games to raise his early batting average nearly 40 points.
Ward, 28, was drafted in the eighth round by the Dodgers in 2019 and is in his fourth season at Triple-A Oklahoma City. He won the Pacific Coast League MVP last season when he hit 36 home runs with 122 RBIs in 143 games.
Ward finally gets his first call to the major leagues after 154 home runs, 530 RBIs and a .266 batting average over 696 games in the Dodgers’ system, including 420 games at Triple-A.
“You talk about performance and he’s performed as well as, if not better than, anyone,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said about Ward in spring training, according to the Orange County Register. “So for him to not get a shot, I’m sure he’s frustrated and understandably so. But the message for him is to keep putting up numbers and knock the door down and hopefully the opportunity comes for him sometime this year.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Transfer portal roundup: Kentucky adds Furman transfer Alex Wilkins
Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Furman Paladins guard Alex Wilkins (10) dribbles the ball against the UConn Huskies in the second half during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Former Furman guard Alex Wilkins has transferred to Kentucky.
His move was one of the biggest on a busy transfer portal weekend.
Wilkins excelled in his freshman season with the Paladins, averaging 17.8 points, 4.7 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 35 games (all starts).
Listed at 6-foot-5, Wilkins showed his skills to a national audience in Furman’s lone game of the NCAA Tournament. He made four 3-pointers and scored 21 points in the Paladins’ 82-71 loss to eventual national championship runner-up UConn in the first round.
–Ex-Belmont forward Drew Scharnowski announced his transfer to Duke.
In his recently completed sophomore season at Belmont, the 6-9 Scharnowski averaged 10.7 points. 6.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists over 21.9 minutes per game. He shot 68.1% in 30 games (24 starts).
He takes the roster spot of forward Nikolas Khamenia, who transferred to UConn on Saturday.
–Florida State gained the commitment of 6-11 forward Sebastian Rancik, who heads to Tallahassee after two seasons at Colorado.
A native of Slovakia, he attended high school in Southern California, where he was ranked as a four-star prospect in the 2024 class.
In 29 games (26 starts) with the Buffaloes as a sophomore, he averaged 12.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Astros place OF Joey Loperfido (quad) on injured list
Apr 11, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Houston Astros left fielder Joey Loperfido (10) is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after scoring a run during the second inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images The Houston Astros placed outfielder Joey Loperfido on the injured list with a right quad strain on Sunday and recalled right-hander Jayden Murray from Triple-A Sugar Land.
Loperfido, 26, was batting .259 with six RBIs in 20 games this season. He started at least one game in all three outfield positions.
Traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2024 and then re-acquired via trade in February, Loperfido is a career .249 major league hitter with eight home runs and 45 RBIs in 142 games over three seasons.
Murray, 29, had one appearance earlier this season and has a 2.63 ERA in 10 games over the past two seasons for the Astros. His addition increases Houston’s staff to 13 pitchers.
Also on Sunday, the Astros traded minor league right-hander Wilmy Sanchez to the New York Yankees for infielder Braden Shewmake, a former first-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2019.
In 31 major league games for the Braves and Chicago White Sox, Shewmake, 28, is batting .118 with a home run and four RBIs.
–Field Level Media
Dodgers put 1B Freddie Freeman on paternity list, call up OF Ryan Ward
Transfer portal roundup: Kentucky adds Furman transfer Alex Wilkins
