Sports
Jets take high-octane offense into contest with Predators
Dec 28, 2024; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Winnipeg Jets center Gabriel Vilardi (13) celebrates his third period goal with left wing Nikolaj Ehlers (27) and center Mark Scheifele (55) against the Ottawa Senators at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images The Winnipeg Jets, owners of the highest point total (53) and the most wins (26) in the NHL, will host the struggling Nashville Predators on Monday.
Winners of three straight, the Jets trailed the visiting Ottawa Senators 2-0 early in the second period on Saturday night before scoring four straight goals en route to a 4-2 victory.
Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg’s leading goal-producers with 22 apiece, tied the contest in the second period and Gabriel Vilardi and Nikolaj Ehlers scored within a span of 1:32 in the middle of the third period. Vilardi’s winner came on the power play 9:47 into the third and was set up by a one-touch pass from Ehlers.
“Our power play, when we play it the right way and play it fast, get pucks to the net and get some chaos going, that’s when we’re at our best,” Ehlers said. “When we work it around slow, it’s not very good. … I think with the skill that we have on both our power plays, things will open up once you get that chaos going.”
Ehlers had two assists to go along with his goal while Scheifele and Connor each added an assist. Connor Hellebuyck made 33 saves for the Jets, who have points in seven of their last eight (6-1-1).
“We didn’t try to chase it, I think that was the biggest thing,” said Scheifele, who has 10 goals and eight assists in his last 12 games. “When we got down 2-0, there was still lots of game left. Sometimes you can go and try to chase offense, but we just tried to stick to our game. We knew that if we did the right things over and over, good things would happen. It showed.”
Connor leads Winnipeg with 49 points, while Scheifele is second with 44.
The Predators fell 7-4 to the St. Louis Blues on Friday night in St. Louis. Nashville was 3-0-1 in its previous four games before the loss.
“There were some opportunities there to win the hockey game,” Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said. “Unfortunately we did some things early in the game that was hard for us to come back and obviously taking a penalty there late, I thought we had good momentum. That one hurt.
“I didn’t like our mindset early in the game right from the first goal against. We didn’t do that the whole (previous) homestand. … We weren’t playing quite as direct as we have been playing.”
The Blues scored the first two goals of the game and led 4-2 after the opening period.
Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault each had a goal and Mark Jankowski and Nick Blankenburg also scored for the Predators. Juuse Saros gave up five goals on 15 shots before being replaced by Justus Annunen in the second period. Annunen made 12 saves.
“It was just too sloppy early,” Stamkos said. “I know it’s coming off (the Christmas break), but those are the games you want to be on the right side of, to build the momentum off of what we did before the break. I thought it was a missed opportunity, but … too sloppy with just giving them some chances with our own mistakes.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: RB David Montgomery 'wants out' of Detroit
Dec 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) looks on before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images Lions running back David Montgomery “wants out” of Detroit after three seasons, ESPN reported on Sunday.
Montgomery, however, immediately appeared to refute the report on X, posting: “Damn, Dmo told you that?”
The ESPN report claims the Lions would want “a decent Day 3 pick (possibly a fifth-rounder)” in the 2026 NFL Draft in return for Montgomery, who turns 29 in June and is owed $6 million next season.
The report follows general manager Brad Holmes’ remarks after the season about Montgomery being unhappy with his playing time in 2025. Sharing a backfield with Jahmyr Gibbs, Montgomery rushed for a career-low 716 yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games (no starts).
“Those are conversations that we’re going to have to have because I’ve got a lot of respect for that player,” Holmes said of Montgomery in January. “He deserves to be in a situation where his skillset can be utilized, and so yeah would love for it to be here, but if it can’t be here then you’d just love to see where could work out best for him.”
At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, Holmes said the situation with Montgomery is “fluid.” He signed a two-year extension during the 2024 season that runs through the end of the 2027 campaign.
“Yeah, I have been in touch with David’s agent, and his representation,” Holmes revealed. “Obviously, we love David, he’s a great player, we love to have him, you know, kind of want to put last year in the rear view, and just move forward. But, obviously, a player has to want to be at a certain place as well. The conversations are still fluid, but we’ll see how it goes.”
Montgomery has rushed for 2,506 yards and 33 touchdowns in 45 games (28 starts) in three seasons with Detroit (2023-25). He has 76 catches for 650 yards in that span.
He began his career with the NFC North rival Chicago Bears, who drafted him in the third round in 2019. Montgomery rushed for 3,609 yards and 26 scores in 60 games (51 starts) with the Bears (2019-22).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Yankees LHP Ryan Yarbrough joins U.S. roster for WBC
Jun 18, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Ryan Yarbrough (33) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images New York Yankees left-hander Ryan Yarbrough was added to the Team USA roster for the upcoming World Baseball Classic on Sunday.
The 34-year-old reliever replaces Minnesota Twins right-hander Joe Ryan, who is dealing with low back tightness. Ryan moves into the designated pitcher pool, meaning he is eligible for a call-up after each round of the WBC.
Yarbrough went 3-1 with a 4.36 ERA and one save in 19 games (eight starts) during his first season with the Yankees in 2025, striking out 55 batters and walking 19 in 64 innings.
Ryan Yarbrough has been added to our roster for the World Baseball Classic!#ForGlory???? pic.twitter.com/RrtKJQ20gz
— USA Baseball (@USABaseball) March 1, 2026
Team USA will play its first game of the 2026 WBC on Friday night, meeting Brazil in a Pool B contest in Houston.
Yarbrough has a career record of 56-41 with a 4.22 ERA and four saves in 215 games (76 starts) with the Tampa Bay Rays (2018-22), Kansas City Royals (2023), Los Angeles Dodgers (2023-24), Toronto Blue Jays (2024) and Yankees. The side-arming southpaw signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal in November to return to New York in 2026.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ex-pitcher Dan Serafini gets life sentence for '21 murder
Dan Serafini (file photo) pitched in MLB with seven teams. He was convited of first-degree murder. Former major league pitcher Dan Serafini was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Friday for the 2021 shootings of his in-laws in North Lake Tahoe, Calif.
Serafini, 52, was convicted in July of the first-degree murder of father-in-law Gary Spohr and the attempted first-degree murder of mother-in-law Wendy Wood during a burglary. Spohr, 70, died from a single gunshot and Wood, then 68, survived but died by suicide the following year.
In the courtroom on Friday in Auburn, Calif., Placer County prosecutor Morgan Gire described Spohr and Wood as loving grandparents.
“The impact of this attack has extended far beyond the immediate victims, deeply affecting family members and the broader community, and highlighting the lasting harm caused by deliberate violence,” Gire said.
Serafini, who pitched for six MLB teams from 1996 to 2007, addressed the court and maintained his innocence. He said he was out partying with his wife, Erin Spohr, at the time of the shooting and referred to himself as a “broken, imperfect man that makes mistakes,” according to MyNews4.
The Minnesota Twins selected Serafini, a native of the San Francisco area, with the No. 26 overall pick in the 1992 MLB Draft. He made his debut in 1996 and went on to appear in 104 games (33 starts) with the Twins, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies before his retirement in 2007.
He had a 15-16 record with a 6.04 ERA and one save. He threw 263 2/3 innings and struck out 127 batters.
–Field Level Media
Report: RB David Montgomery 'wants out' of Detroit
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