Sports
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 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
Sports
Ian Happ breaks out of slump, Cubs snap 10-game skid vs. Pirates
May 27, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ (8) hits a two-run single against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Ian Happ drove in five runs and ignited a six-run seventh inning with a three-run home run that eventually helped the Chicago Cubs snap a 10-game losing streak with a 10-4 win over the host Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night.
The Cubs last scored 10 runs in a game in their prior win May 15th before the losing streak began. The skid was the longest active losing streak in the majors and the longest for the Cubs since June 4-16, 2022. Chicago won for only the third time in its past 17 games.
Happ finished with two hits, marking his first multi-hit game since May 15th after he entered the game mired in a 2-for-31 slump.
Happ’s 11th home run of the season off Pittsburgh reliever Yohan Ramirez (2-2) helped the Cubs break a 4-4 tie on the way to snapping the Pirates’ three-game winning streak.
After Seiya Suzuki Happ’s homer with a single, Michael Conforto belted his fourth homer of the season off Justin Lawrence to add two more runs. Michael Busch capped the frame with an RBI single.
The Cubs opened the game with two runs in the first on a 2-run single by Happ and another in the second on an RBI single by Nico Hoerner. Pirates starter Bubba Chandler allowed four runs on eight hits, walked two and struck out five over five innings.
The Pirates tied the game in the bottom of the third when Brandon Lowe smacked his 14th home run of the season off Cubs starter Jameson Taillon.
Chicago took a 4-3 lead in the top of the fourth on back-to-back doubles by Dansby Swanson and Pete Crow-Armstrong before the Pirates tied it again on rookie Konnor Griffin’s fourth home run in the bottom of the inning.
Taillon, who allowed four runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four against the team that drafted him, combined with relievers Jacob Webb (1-1), Phil Maton, Caleb Thielbar and Ethan Roberts to keep the Pirates scoreless over the final five innings.
Hoerner finished with two hits and an RBI while Swanson, Carson Kelly and Alex Bregman each had two hits for the Cubs, who totaled 14 overall.
Bryan Reynolds had three hits, including a double, for Pittsburgh.
–Field Level Media
Sports
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 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
Sports
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. 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
