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Jared Spurgeon comes up big again, netting OT winner as Wild top Predators

NHL: Nashville Predators at Minnesota WildNov 30, 2024; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon (46) celebrates his game winning goal in overtime against the Nashville Predators at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Jared Spurgeon scored the game-winning goal 58 seconds into overtime to lift the Minnesota Wild to a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Saturday night in St. Paul, Minn.

Spurgeon and Kirill Kaprizov each finished with a goal and an assist for Minnesota, which won its third game in a row. Declan Chisholm also had a goal.

Fedor Svechkov and Ryan O’Reilly each scored for Nashville, which sustained an overtime loss for the third consecutive game. Roman Josi tallied two assists.

Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson made 25 saves on 27 shots to earn the win.

Predators goaltender Juuse Saros gave up three goals on 28 shots.

Kaprizov prompted the game-winning goal when he carried the puck into the offensive zone and flipped a backhand pass toward Spurgeon in the slot. Spurgeon buried a one-timer for his third goal, all of which have come during the past two games.

It marked the second game-winning goal in as many days for Spurgeon, who lifted the Wild to a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday afternoon.

The Wild seized a 1-0 lead with 1:03 to go in the first period. Chisholm ripped a slap shot through traffic and into the net for his first goal of the season and the fourth of his career.

Nashville evened the score with 21 seconds left in the first period, as Svechkov tallied his first NHL goal on a one-timer from the right circle.

The 21-year-old Svechkov celebrated along the boards before his teammates greeted him with fist bumps and hugs. He was the Predators’ first-round pick (No. 19 overall) in 2021.

Nashville grabbed a 2-1 lead on the power play with 17:31 remaining in the second period. Steven Stamkos fired a hard pass to the slot and O’Reilly redirected it into the net for his fifth goal.

The Wild responded with a power-play goal of their own with 11:36 to play in the second period. Kaprizov used one hand to redirect the puck into the net for his team-leading 15th goal.

–Field Level Media

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Phillies place closer Jhoan Duran (oblique) on injured list

MLB: Texas Rangers at Philadelphia PhilliesMar 28, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jhoan Duran (59) throws a pitch against the Texas Rangers in the tenth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies placed closer Jhoan Duran on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a left oblique strain.

In a series of moves, right-hander Seth Johnson and utilityman Felix Reyes were recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, while utilityman Otto Kemp was optioned and minor league outfielder Pedro Leon was released.

Duran’s move to the IL was retroactive to Wednesday. The 28-year-old right-hander is 1-1 with a 1.35 ERA and five saves in seven appearances for the Phillies this season. Over five major league seasons with the Minnesota Twins and Phillies, he has a 2.41 ERA and 95 saves in 253 appearances.

Johnson, 27, made one appearance with the Phillies earlier this season and has a combined 9.72 ERA in 12 appearances (one start) for Philadelphia over three seasons.

Reyes, 25, is set to make his major league debut after he batted .272 with 48 home runs and 247 RBIs over six seasons (374 games) in the Phillies’ system. Kemp, 26, was 2-for-20 in 10 games for Philadelphia this season.

Leon, 27, was batting .283 in 12 games at Lehigh Valley. He has seven games of major league experience with the Houston Astros in 2024.

–Field Level Media

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Late goal helps Toronto FC salvage tie, point vs. Austin FC

MLS: Austin FC at Toronto FCApr 18, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Austin FC defender Jon Bell (15) passes the ball against Toronto FC defender Richie Laryea (22) during the first half at BMO Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

Kobe Franklin delivered the game-tying goal in the 88th minute and host Toronto FC pulled off a 3-3 draw with Austin FC on Saturday afternoon in just the third-ever match between the sides.

Franklin was in the penalty area when Malik Henry ripped a shot off the right post and scored off the rebound to beat Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver low to the right side and even the match.

The draw allowed Toronto FC (3-2-3, 12 points) to extend a six-match unbeaten streak, while outscoring opponents 11-8 during the 3-0-3 run.

After conceding the late goal, Austin FC (1-3-4, 7 points) remained winless since March 1 with an 0-3-3 record during the run.

Jon Bell scored Austin FC’s opening goal in the 29th minute while turning onto his left foot in traffic and beating Toronto keeper Luka Gavran. The score came off a feed from Guilherme Brio.

Myrto Uzuni tried to double the Austin FC lead with a shot in the 34th minute before Gavran made the save. Toronto FC’s Josh Sargent and Daniel Salloi responded with low-percentage shots that Stuver turned away.

Salloi tied the score 1-1 in the 52nd minute, running to the far post to volley home a pass from Sargent that deflected off an Austin defender and directly to the right knee of the Toronto striker.

Gallagher’s shot eight minutes later forced Gavron into a key save and kept the game tied. Richie Laryea’s goal in the 67th minute gave Toronto a 2-1 lead.

Austin FC tied the score 2-2 on a nifty Facundo Torres goal in the 75th minute off assists from Robert Taylor and Uzuni. Christian Ramírez gave Austin FC a 3-2 lead when he booted home a deflected shot by Torres in the 82nd minute.

That set stage for Franklin, who beat an Austin defender to Henry’s shot off the right post to produce the draw and earn Toronto FC a point in the standings.

–Field Level Media

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Fresh off play-in win, Suns take on top-seeded Thunder

NBA: Playoffs-Golden State Warriors at Phoenix SunsApr 17, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green (4) celebrates after a slam dunk against the Golden State Warriors during the first half in the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Suns come into their first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder with some momentum after knocking off the Golden State Warriors in the play-in finale Friday to earn the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.

The Thunder haven’t played in a week heading into Sunday’s Game 1 of the series in Oklahoma City.

After letting a big lead slip away in the play-in opener against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Suns bounced back with a 111-96 home win over the Warriors.

Jalen Green was one of the biggest factors in Phoenix advancing, with 36 points in Friday’s victory.

“They’re going to come in, play hard, play their game, but I think if we bring the same energy that we brought (Friday night) and getting stops, playing defense, getting out and running, we can use that to our advantage,” Green said, looking forward to facing Oklahoma City. “It should be a good series.”

The Thunder are looking to become the first team since Golden State in 2017-18 to repeat as champions.

“It’s an opportunity,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I think just going through last year and realizing that’s so far down the line. So many things are going to happen before we get to the Finals clinching game. … So many things have to go our way that aren’t in our control and so many things we have to control that are hard to control at this level for a long period of time for us to have that opportunity.”

Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren said there’s value in having the experience, but that his team can’t take any team lightly.

“You have to try to carry over the experiences that you learn from, but you can’t carry over the result, because the result means absolutely nothing,” Holmgren said. “If you’re sitting here in the playoffs saying, ‘Oh, we won last year,’ that’s not going to win you a playoff series or a game or get a stop on a possession.”

The series features two of the best defenses in the league.

The Thunder had the NBA’s best defensive rating, allowing just 106.5 points per 100 possessions during the regular season while the Suns were ninth at 112.9.

In Friday’s win, Phoenix scored 30 points off Golden State turnovers to help fuel the win, while Oklahoma City led the league with 22.0 points per game off turnovers during the season. The Thunder also limited opponents to just 14.7 points per game off turnovers, second-best in the NBA.

The Thunder won three of the five regular-season matchups between the teams, with Phoenix being one of just three teams to hand Oklahoma City multiple losses this season.

The teams closed the regular season against each other, though that game — a 32-point Suns win — will bear little resemblance to Sunday’s matchup.

With their playoff/play-in positions set, both teams sat most of their starters, with the Thunder’s only regular starter to play being Luguentz Dort.

Phoenix was without Grayson Allen (hamstring) and Mark Williams (foot soreness) for Friday’s win.

–Field Level Media

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