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Cubs, Nationals conclude high-scoring series

MLB: Washington Nationals at Chicago CubsMar 28, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ (8), center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) and right fielder Matt Shaw (6) celebrate after defeating the Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has delivered multiple hits in both of the team’s games to open the season.

As he aims to stay hot Sunday and help the Cubs to a series victory against the visiting Washington Nationals, Crow-Armstrong credits a confidence that stems from an exciting off-field development.

The Cubs this week announced a six-year, $115 million extension for Crow-Armstrong through the 2032 season.

“That’s the best part is knowing that I’m here, it’s where I wanted to be,” Crow-Armstrong said. “And I’m just glad that that idea could be created and made into some real thing, getting to be here for the next six years, knowing that I’m going to be somewhere is the coolest thing ever when it’s somewhere that I’ve really wanted to be for a long time.”

Crow Armstrong contributed two hits to Saturday’s 10-2 rout of Washington after collecting two others during Thursday’s 10-4 loss to the Nationals on Opening Day.

Chicago capitalized Saturday on the kind of formula that it hopes is a constant throughout the season: timely hitting and effective starting pitching.

Miguel Amaya hit a solo home run and Ian Happ belted a three-run blast as part of separate four-run rallies. Right-hander Cade Horton, meanwhile, allowed two runs in 6 1/3 innings.

Lefty Shota Imanaga (9-8, 3.73 ERA in 2025) gets the call for the Cubs on Sunday. After yielding 31 home runs in 25 starts last season, Imanaga hopes to limit the long ball moving forward. He struck out 13 batters in 9 2/3 innings over his last two spring starts.

Washington managed just one extra-base hit Saturday, as James Wood hit his first home run of the season leading off the fourth. Teammate CJ Abrams missed the game due to a death in the family.

Daylen Lile reached base twice, contributing a single and a walk.

Right-hander Jake Irvin (9-13, 5.70 ERA in 33 starts in 2025) is set to start for Washington. A durable option for the Nationals, Irvin has started 33 games and worked at least 180 innings in each of the past two seasons but pitched to a career-worst ERA in 2025.

As with the rest of the club’s starting rotation, Irvin figures to see a mix of catchers Drew Millas and Keibert Ruiz in the first few weeks of the season.

“I think it’ll be pretty close to even split, at least to start off,” first-year Nationals manager Blake Butera said. “Let those guys play themselves in or out of playing time, and then take it from there.

“But early on, want to keep both of those guys fresh, rotate them in and out pretty frequently.”

Irvin is seeking his first career victory against the Cubs, entering Sunday at 0-4 with a 9.70 ERA in five previous starts. He went 0-2 with a 10.80 ERA in two starts versus Chicago last season.

Imanaga is 2-0 with 2.08 ERA in two career starts versus Washington with 12 strikeouts in 13 innings.

–Field Level Media

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Habs outlast Devils in shootout to earn eighth straight victory

NHL: Montreal Canadiens at New Jersey DevilsApr 4, 2026; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Montréal Canadiens right wing Cole Caufield (13) swipes at the puck in front of New Jersey Devils goaltender Jake Allen (34) during the first period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Salus-Imagn Images

Oliver Kapanen scored in the fifth round of the shootout to extend the Montreal Canadiens’ win streak to eight games after Saturday’s 4-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils in Newark, N.J.

Cole Caufield failed to find his 50th goal of the season, but tallied a pair of assists in the win, while Ivan Demidov, Jayden Struble, and Cole Hutson all scored for the Canadiens (45-21-10, 100 points).

Both goaltenders impressed as Jakub Dobes made 35 saves en route to his fifth consecutive win, while Jake Allen stopped 26 shots in the loss.

Jack Hughes, Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer all scored for the Devils (39-34-3, 81 points).

Struble broke the deadlock with 4:02 remaining in the first as he sent a rocket of a shot into the top corner for just his second goal of the season.

Caufield picked up his second assist of the night just over eight minutes into the second period as he slid a sneaky pass across to Demidov, who made no mistake to bury the power-play goal and extend his point streak to five games (two goals, four assists).

Hutson stretched it to a 3-0 lead 9:28 into the middle frame as the puck bounced out to him with Allen sprawled out and an empty net in front of him.

Mercer finally solved Dobes as he sent a short-side snipe over the netminder’s shoulder with 6:52 left in the second.

Just moments after Bratt was denied on a short-handed odd-man break, Hughes made the most of the second consecutive 2-on-1 chance, cutting the deficit to one with 2:20 left in the second.

Caufield had his best chance at finding his 50th goal with 7:44 left in the contest as he fired off a high shot from the slot, but Allen got it with the blocker.

Meier knotted things up at three with just 2:15 remaining in regulation as he took a pass from Hughes and sent his shot off the post and in.

Dobes robbed Bratt at one end, before Allen stoned Kapanen at the other during an exciting overtime frame.

–Field Level Media

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Clayton Keller's hatty surges Mammoth past lowly Canucks

NHL: Utah Mammoth at Seattle KrakenApr 2, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Utah Mammoth right wing Clayton Keller (9) looks to pass while defended by Seattle Kraken center Chandler Stephenson (9) in the second period at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Clayton Keller collected his third career hat trick in a four-point game to lead the visiting Utah Mammoth to a 7-4 victory over the cellar-dwelling Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.

Dylan Guenther and Lawson Crouse both scored once and added an assist for the Mammoth (40-30-6, 86 points), who pulled closer to clinching a playoff berth.

Kailer Yamamoto and Liam O’Brien also tallied, while Logan Cooley collected a pair of assists and goaltender Karel Vejmelka made 19 saves.

Utah, which has won six straight versus Vancouver, is firmly in control of the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot.

Linus Karlsson scored twice while Jake DeBrusk and Marco Rossi added singles for Vancouver (22-46-8, 52 points), which has lost eight of nine games.

Goalie Nikita Tolopilo stopped 17 shots.

Keller broke open a 2-2 tie with a power-play goal at 7:04 of the second period by deflecting Guenther’s high point shot. It was originally waived off but video review showed Keller’s stick was even with the crossbar at impact.

The Mammoth have scored on the power play in five consecutive outings, converting nine times in that span.

After a string of near misses, Utah extended the lead when Guenther buried a sharp-angled chance into a yawning net at 11:55.

To their credit, the Canucks kept fighting but could not draw even.

DeBrusk’s power-play goal 20 seconds into the third period, a nifty deflection of Filip Hronek’s point shot, made it a one-goal game. But Crouse restored Utah’s two-goal bulge with a top-shelf shot at 1:32 of the final frame.

Rossi again pulled the hosts within one with another power-play goal at 4:40, only to see O’Brien tally seven minutes later with a deke on a partial breakaway in his first game since Feb. 4.

Keller’s empty-net goal rounded out the scoring, and gives him 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in a four-game streak.

Both clubs staked and squandered a lead.

Karlsson opened the scoring at the 2:28 mark, but Yamamoto drew Utah even 11 minutes later and Keller potted his first of the game with 90 seconds remaining in the opening period to give the Mammoth a 2-1 edge.

Karlsson tied the clash at 2-2 by deflecting the point shot 125 seconds into the second period.

–Field Level Media

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Miami rallies twice to earn draw in new stadium opener vs. Austin

MLS: Austin FC at Inter Miami CFApr 4, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi (10) kicks the ball against Austin FC during the first half at Nu Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Substitute Luis Suarez scored his first goal of the season in the 82nd minute after Lionel Messi scored his fifth and Inter Miami salvaged a 2-2 draw against visiting Austin FC to officially open their new permanent stadium on Saturday night.

Both goals pulled Miami (3-1-2, 11 points) back from a goal down at the 26,700-seat Nu Stadium just west of downtown Miami, which replaces the Herons’ temporary home of Chase Stadium in nearby Fort Lauderdale.

Austin’s Guiherme Biro scored the first goal in the venue early in the first half, and Jayden Nelson temporarily restored the visitors’ lead early in the second.

It was the first time the Verde (1-2-3, 6 points) have scored multiple goals since a 2-2 home draw against Minnesota in their season opener.

But Austin were forced to settle for a share of the points when Suarez leveled nine minutes after his entrance on a well-worked corner.

Mateo Silvetti struck the inswinging service to the near post, and German Berterame met it with a flick-on header to the far post. That’s where Suarez showed up for a first-time volley from close range.

Once level late, Miami looked far more likely to get the winner. Suarez briefly thought he’d dispatched a rebound into the net for a winner, only to be ruled offside. Then Austin’s Brad Stuver sprawled to deny Messi’s low effort in second-half stoppage time.

A rare turnover from Messi led to Austin’s second goal in the 53rd minute.

Joseph Rosales took the ball off the Argentine, took several touches forward to begin a break and then sprayed a pass further up the left flank to Myrto Uzuni.

From there, Uzuni played a very clever first-time diagonal ball — benefiting from a fortunate deflection off Miami’s Noah Allen — into the path of Nelson sprinting up the center channel. Nelson finished the sequence off the inside of the left post and into the net.

Austin first went in front on a sixth-minute corner. Facundo Torres provided the outswinging service, and Miami’s Tadeo Allende slightly misjudged his clearing header attempt.

That allowed the ball to drop for Biro, who powered a low header off the turf and past Dayne St. Clair.

Messi pulled the Herons level four minutes later after Telasco Segovia orchestrated a flowing left-to-right move, eventually playing the ball to Ian Fray on the right flank.

Fray looped a cross back toward the penalty spot, where Messi connected with a relatively rare headed goal into the top-right corner.

–Field Level Media

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