Sports
Canadiens, Red Wings vie for playoff position in clash
Mar 17, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens right wing Cole Caufield (13) reacts after scoring the game winning goal in overtime against the Boston Bruins at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images The Eastern Conference playoff picture changes on a daily basis. The contenders for most of the playoff spots are tightly-bunched, making every remaining game important.
The Montreal-Detroit matchup Thursday night can certainly be classified as pivotal. The Canadiens will venture into Detroit with 84 points, while the Red Wings have 82. Detroit could pull even with Montreal in the Atlantic Division via a regulation victory, though the Canadiens have a game in hand.
The Canadiens (37-20-10) collected a 3-2 overtime victory against Boston on Tuesday, as Cole Caufield scored his 40th goal of the season with 22 seconds remaining in overtime.
“This was a pretty important game for us as a team,” Caulfield said. “At the end of the day, it’s a big two points. Obviously a hell of a job by our team to get it done. Obviously (scoring 40) is pretty special, but it says a lot about where our team is headed.”
Nick Suzuki set up Caulfield, who became Montreal’s first 40-goal scorer since Vincent Damphousse in 1993-94.
“I was just trying to work the puck around the offensive zone,” Suzuki said. “I pulled up (got the puck) to Cole. He made a nice play going to the net. It’s what (Caufield) does. Forty is just a start for him probably. It’s a special night for Cole and a huge two points for our team. He’s the OT guy. I try to find him in good spots. I thought we wore them down as the game went on.”
The first two meetings between the Canadiens and Red Wings this season have produced lopsided results. Montreal spoiled Detroit’s season opener with a 5-1 victory on Oct. 9. Detroit won the rematch on Canadian soil, 4-0, as John Gibson recorded a 27-save shutout on Jan. 10. The game on Thursday will decide the season series.
The Red Wings (37-23-8) snapped a three-game losing streak Monday with a 5-2 victory over Calgary that began a four-game homestand. Patrick Kane broke out of a scoring slump with two goals. Kane had notched just two goals since Jan. 10.
“We all want to be known as big-game players,” Kane said. “If you have the right mindset and attitude coming into it that you’re going to play confident, going to get the job done, more often than not you play with a little bit of an edge and kind of put together a better showing individually and team-wise too. We all want to be good this time of year.”
The offensive boost is needed for a team missing centers Dylan Larkin and Andrew Copp due to lower-body injuries.
“We got some really strong performances from some guys that elevated their games and we’re going to continue to need that to have success,” coach Todd McLellan said. “It was good to see some of the old Kaner, J.T. (Compher) and (Alex DeBrincat) and a few others get rewarded for their elevated play.”
The five-goal output on Monday was the most by the Red Wings since a 5-1 victory over Winnipeg on Jan. 24.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Bucks waive Cam Thomas to convert Pete Nance's contract
Suns guard Jalen Green (4) drives against Bucks forward Pete Nance (35) during a game at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on March 21, 2026. The Milwaukee Bucks converted forward Pete Nance’s two-way contract to a fully guaranteed deal.
The Bucks waived guard Cam Thomas in a corresponding move prior to their game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. Thomas, 24, signed with the team as a free agent on Feb. 8 and averaged 10.7 points in 18 games off the bench with Milwaukee.
As for Nance, he was elated with the notion of receiving a new deal. The contract made him available to play in the team’s final 11 games this season and runs through the 2026-27 campaign.
“To be able to be in this spot is just awesome,” Nance said after the Bucks’ shootaround, per the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “Obviously I’m super thankful for the Bucks for giving me the opportunity. I think it’s just a testament to growth and the work that I’ve done and the experience that I’ve had over the years.”
Nance, 26, is averaging 4.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 12.1 minutes in 37 games off the bench this season.
Thomas was benched after playing just three minutes against the Atlanta Hawks on March 14. He was held out of consecutive games on March 15 and 17 due to what was listed as a coach’s decision before returning to the court against the Utah Jazz last Thursday.
“There are things we don’t need to talk about,” Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said, per the newspaper. “That’s not anybody’s business. Like I said before, that’s where as a coach you have to make decisions on what’s best for the team at that time. People don’t understand that. They start talking about other stuff. And, that’s not for anyone to know.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Buccaneers, LB Lavonte David schedule news conference
Jan 3, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David (54) warms up before the game against the Carolina Panthers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Veteran Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David is scheduled to hold a news conference on Tuesday afternoon at the team facility.
The Buccaneers did not divulge an official reason for the conference, however speculation is strong that David will announce his retirement from the NFL.
David, 36, is a free agent after spending his entire 14-year career with Tampa Bay.
He recorded 114 tackles, 3.5 sacks, an interception, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries while starting all 17 games last season. It was his 12th season with triple-digit tackles.
An All-Pro selection in 2013 and a Pro Bowl selection in 2015, David has 1,716 tackles, 42.5 sacks, 14 interceptions, 33 forced fumbles and 21 fumble recoveries in 215 games (all starts).
David was selected by Tampa Bay in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft out of Nebraska.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mikaela Shiffrin on cusp of season World Cup title
Feb 18, 2026; Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy; Gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States celebrates during the medal ceremony for the women’s slalom during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-Imagn Images Mikaela Shiffrin will ski Wednesday for the season World Cup overall title.
Heading into the giant slalom, the final race of the season, Shiffrin has an 85-point lead over Emma Aicher of Germany.
Shiffrin won her ninth slalom in 10 World Cup starts this season on Tuesday, earning 100 points. She increased her overall lead on Aicher, who finished third to grab 60 points.
To take the title, Aicher must win the race — a discipline in which she never has finished higher than fourth — and hope that Shiffrin finishes worse than 15th.
Shiffrin, 31, is striving to win her sixth overall World Cup title, which would tie her with Annemarie Moser-Proll. The Austrian won five season titles from 1971-75 and the final one in 1979.
The 2026 Olympic champion in the slalom, Shiffrin won the World Cup title in consecutive years from 2017-19 and again in 2022 and 2023.
With her slalom win on Tuesday, Shiffrin earned her 110th career victory on the World Cup circuit, extending her lead over Ingemar Stenmark of Sweden, who won 86 before his retirement in 1989.
–Field Level Media
NYT Strands hints, answers for March 25, 2026
Wordle today: Answer, hints for March 25, 2026
