Sports
Behind Jordan Staal's 2 goals, Hurricanes level Stanley Cup Final 2-2
Jun 9, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Logan Stankoven (22) carries the puck in front of Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson (71) during the 1st period in game four of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images LAS VEGAS — Jordan Staal scored two goals, including the go-ahead tally in the third period, and Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and two assists as the Carolina Hurricanes evened the Stanley Cup Final at two wins apiece with a 5-3 victory on Tuesday.
It marked the fourth straight game that Staal scored a goal. He has five total in the finals after registering just two in Carolina’s first 13 playoff games this spring.
Jackson Blake had a goal and an assist and Logan Stankoven also scored for Carolina. Brandon Bussi, making his first NHL playoff start after coming off the bench in Game 3, made 18 saves.
William Karlsson had a goal and an assist and Brett Howden and Mark Stone also found the net for the Golden Knights. Vegas’ Carter Hart stopped 23 of 27 shots.
Game 5 in the best-of-seven series is set for Thursday in Raleigh, N.C.
The Hurricanes led 3-1 after one period, but the Golden Knights leveled the contest 3-3 in the middle frame.
Staal put Carolina back in front at 6:32 of the third period, flicking in the rebound of Ehlers’ shot over Hart’s glove while diving to the ice near the right post. The score came after the Hurricanes’ Seth Jarvis intercepted a clearing pass from Shea Theodore in the high slot, but Hart turned away Jarvis’ backhand try.
The Golden Knights pulled Hart for an extra attacker late in the game, and Ehlers sealed it with an empty-netter from behind his goal with 54.9 seconds remaining.
The Hurricanes needed only 66 seconds to take a 1-0 lead, and they did it with a goal similar to the one that beat them in double overtime on Saturday. Jalen Chatfield fired a point shot that, like Theodore’s winning tally in Game 3, bounced off the end boards. This one went to Stankoven, who beat Hart with a backhand shot.
Blake made it 2-0 at 3:28 of the first, firing in a wrist shot from the bottom of the left circle off a Taylor Hall crossing pass.
Vegas halved the deficit at 7:22 of the opening period. Stone took a long stretch pass from Theodore and broke in, faked a shot in the slot and then wrapped a wrist shot around Bussi’s right pad.
The Hurricanes, taking advantage of a Vegas penalty for too many men on the ice, extended the lead to 3-1 at 12:48 of the first period. Staal, stationed in front of the crease, knocked in a rebound of a Shayne Gostisbehere point shot.
Vegas nearly scored at the end of the period on a Brayden McNabb shot from the right circle at the buzzer, but the goal was waived off when replays showed time had expired before the puck crossed the goal line.
The Golden Knights battled back to tie it 3-3 in the second period on goals by Karlsson, a one-timer through traffic from the left circle at 4:22, and Howden, who finished an odd-man rush with a wrist shot through the legs of defenseman K’Andre Miller and over Bussi’s right shoulder at 17:08.
It was Howden’s league-leading 14th goal of the playoffs, setting a franchise record for most goals in a postseason campaign.
–Steve Guiremand, Field Level Media
Sports
A's recall RHP Joey Estes from minors, option RHP Kade Morris
Apr 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Athletics starting pitcher Joey Estes (68) pitches in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images The Athletics made a change of right-handers on their pitching staff, recalling Joey Estes from their Las Vegas affiliate and optioning Kade Morris to the Triple-A club.
Estes, 24, went 2-6 with a 5.95 ERA in 12 starts for Las Vegas this season. He struck out 39 and walked 38 in 59 innings.
Last year, Estes made two early-season starts and one midseason relief appearance for the Athletics, going 0-2 with a 9.82 ERA.
Across parts of three major league seasons, all with the A’s, Estes owns a 7-12 record and a 5.51 ERA. He has fanned 105 and walked 35 in 148 2/3 innings.
Morris, a 23-year-old rookie, was rocked by the Astros on Saturday in his major league debut. In four-plus innings, he allowed nine runs on nine hits, three of them homers. Morris struck out four and walked three, taking the loss as the Athletics fell 13-3 in Houston. He hasn’t pitched since.
The moves involving the Las Vegas affiliate come as the A’s are in the midst of playing a series in the minor league park in Sin City against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Athletics are building a stadium in Las Vegas and plan to move there from their temporary home of West Sacramento, Calif., in 2028
–Field Level Media
Sports
Otto Lopez contributes early and often as Marlins defeat D-backs
Jun 9, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez (6) hits an RBI single against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the eighth inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Otto Lopez, whose .341 batting average leads the majors, went 3-for-5 with four runs and the go-ahead RBI in the eighth inning as the host Miami Marlins defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-6 on Tuesday night.
Joe Mack, Miami’s rookie catcher, went 4-for-4 with three runs as the Marlins improved to 6-1 over their past seven games.
The Diamondbacks, just 3-8 in their past 11 games, were led by Ketel Marte, who went 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Arizona was also helped by solo home runs from Corbin Carroll and Gabriel Moreno.
Brandyn Garcia (0-1), who entered the game with a 0.69 ERA, took the loss due to Miami’s four-run eighth-inning rally. Mack singled, advanced on a hit-by-pitch and scored on Lopez’s 105-mph single. The Marlins added Javier Sanoja’s two-run single and Esteury Ruiz’s RBI double.
All four runs were charged to Garcia, whose ERA ballooned to 3.29. Pete Fairbanks (3-3) struck out two in the ninth for Miami.
Arizona needed just six pitches to take the lead as Carroll hammered a one-out solo homer. Carroll got a high fastball and drilled it 400 feet to the upper deck in right for his 11th homer of the season.
Miami tied the score in the bottom of the first as Lopez doubled and scored on Xavier Edwards’ single over second baseman Marte’s glove.
The Marlins went up 2-1 in the second as Mack singled and scored from first on Connor Norby’s 392-foot double to left-center.
Lopez scored again in the third as he doubled, stole third and trotted home on Edwards’ deep sacrifice fly.
Arizona cut its deficit to 3-2 in the fourth on Moreno’s 417-foot blast to left-center.
Miami chased Arizona starter Zac Gallen in the sixth before taking a 6-2 lead on Liam Hicks’ RBI double and Kyle Stowers’ two-run double.
Arizona kept battling in the seventh as Tommy Troy walked, advanced on a passed ball and scored on Marte’s 103-mph double to left-center, making it 6-3.
The Diamondbacks tied the score 6-6 in the eighth. After Arizona loaded the bases with one out against reliever Tyler Zuber, Miami went to Calvin Faucher, who allowed all three inherited runners to score on Marte’s two-run single and Carroll’s RBI groundout.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Randy Arozarena goes deep in 10th to lift Mariners past O's
Jun 9, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Mitch Garver (18) applies the tag for an out at home plate to Baltimore Orioles right fielder Tyler O’Neill (9) during the second inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images Randy Arozarena hit the second pitch of the 10th inning for a two-run home run and the Seattle Mariners held on to defeat the host Baltimore Orioles 6-5 on Tuesday night.
It was Arozarena’s third hit of the game and seventh homer of the season. Seattle’s Mitch Garver hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning and Logan Gilbert pitched six strong innings.
The Orioles scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to extend the game.
The Mariners won for the second night in a row to assure no worse than a split in the four-game series. The Orioles have lost four straight.
Seattle’s Victor Robles, who had two singles, joined Arozarena as the game’s only players with more than one hit. Arozarena also drove in a run in the seventh with a two-out single.
Gilbert recorded outs on 14 consecutive Baltimore batters to cap his outing, which concluded after 105 pitches. He gave up one run on three hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
Mariners reliever Jose Ferrer threw 42 pitches in the ninth as he blew the save, but he wriggled out of a bases-loaded, one-out situation with the winning run on third. Gunnar Henderson and Pete Alonso did not deliver, so the game went into extras and Ferrer (1-1) ended up with the win. Rookie Nick Davila notched his first career save.
Baltimore’s Coby Mayo homered with one out in the bottom of the ninth on a Ferrer full-count pitch. Jeremiah Jackson followed with a pinch-hit single and Tyler O’Neill laced a double after fouling off three two-strike pitches. Samuel Basallo hit into a fielder’s choice to tie the score, then Taylor Ward walked to load the bases.
Baltimore pulled within 6-5 in the 10th on Leody Taveras’ RBI single, but the Orioles didn’t score again despite having runners at the corners with no outs.
Orioles starter Trevor Rogers went 5 2/3 innings. He was charged with three runs on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Rico Garcia (3-1) was charged with the loss.
Garver had only seven RBIs this season coming into the game. His third home run of the season, coming with two outs in the fourth, boosted that total into double figures. Arozarena and Rob Refsnyder reached on singles to set up Garver.
Baltimore began the scoring in the first inning when Ward led off with a single and scored on Taveras’ sacrifice fly with the bases loaded.
The Orioles threatened in the second with O’Neill’s one-out walk followed by Sam Huff’s ground-rule double. But O’Neill was out at the plate on Ward’s grounder before Henderson struck out.
The Orioles didn’t have another base runner until Mayo reached on an error to begin the bottom of the seventh. That was followed by Jackson Holliday’s infield single and O’Neill’s double-play grounder. Mayo scored on Alex Hoppe’s two-out wild pitch to make it 4-2.
–Field Level Media
