Sports
Knights cruising toward playoffs; Predators looking to next season
Mar 11, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin (15) moves the puck against Pittsburgh Penguins center Noel Acciari (55) during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images The Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights will put their five-game winning streak on the line when they visit the Nashville Predators on Saturday evening.
The Golden Knights (44-20-8, 96 points) arrive in Nashville, the final stop on a three-game road trip, knowing they must be better from start to finish than they were in a 5-3 comeback victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.
“We knew we weren’t at our best,” Vegas defenseman Noah Hanifin said. “The effort’s always there with our group, but we weren’t executing. We knew we were capable of winning that game and just had to put together a good third period. … It was a fortunate two points not playing our best.”
Against the Central Division cellar-dwelling Blackhawks, Vegas blew a second-period lead and even trailed going into the third period before scoring three unanswered goals. The Golden Knights have a seven-point lead over the Los Angeles Kings for the division crown with 10 games to play.
“We can build off that third period,” Hanifin said. “Those first two, you’ve got to flush it. It’s another big opportunity for us to get two points and finish off a good road trip.”
The Golden Knights saw their big guns step up when they were needed most, but they also showed off their depth in the victory. Victor Olofsson not only snapped a 20-game goal-scoring drought with a second-period tally, but he cued the third-period comeback with a game-tying goal 126 seconds into the final frame.
“I haven’t scored in a while, so it definitely helps with the confidence and gives me a good boost,” Olofsson said. “I have a bit more pop in my stride and am attacking a bit more.”
The Predators (27-37-8, 62 points) were eliminated from playoff contention with a 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, a death knell in what has been a massively disappointing season.
“I know it’s the numbers, but I feel like we were eliminated a long time ago,” forward Ryan O’Reilly said. “We knew it was coming; we haven’t been great by any means. Myself, I haven’t been great by any means. So, it was expected.”
The defeat was a perfect microcosm of Nashville’s season, which began with promise after an offseason in which the club added a trio of big-name and big-ticket veteran free agents in forwards Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault and defenseman Brady Skjei. But the season quickly fizzled into a disaster.
The Predators led the Blues 2-0 lead at the midway point Thursday but watched the lead disappear and the game turn into a dismal defeat.
“Pretty much epitomizes the whole year in one game,” Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said.
The Predators have 10 games remaining and will have plenty of time for a post-mortem, but a few faults are easy to spot. Offensively, they are the league’s lowest-scoring team, and only the Chicago Blackhawks have earned fewer points on the road.
Nashville, which has only two victories in its past eight games (2-5-1), lost three times to the Blues in a 10-day span by a combined score of 11-4.
“We showed kind of where we are — why we are where we are versus where they are,” forward Filip Forsberg said.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Eagles draft North Dakota State QB Cole Payton
Feb 28, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; North Dakota State quarterback Cole Payton (QB15) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images The Philadelphia Eagles selected quarterback North Dakota State Cole Payton in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Payton was selected with the 178th overall pick and was one of six quarterbacks selected in the first five rounds.
Payton established himself as a dynamic dual threat quarterback at North Dakota State. After four seasons as a seldom-used reserve, he took over as starting quarterback last season, throwing for 2,719 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. On the ground, he rushed for 777 yards and 13 touchdowns.
As a backup, he was a two-time FCS champion (2021, 2024).
At the NFL combine, the 6-foot-3 left-hander ran a 4.56-second 40-yard dash and posted a 40-inch vertical.
The 23-year-old will join a crowded Eagles’ quarterback room that includes Jalen Hurts, Tanner McKee, and Andy Dalton.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Magic withstand Pistons’ rally to gain series lead
Apr 22, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley looks on in the second half against the Detroit Pistons during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane scored 25 points apiece as the Orlando Magic withstood a fourth-quarter rally to beat the visiting Detroit Pistons 113-105 on Saturday in Game 3 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.
Detroit trailed 96-79 with 8:34 remaining before Cade Cunningham’s 3-pointer capped a 25-8 run and tied the game at 104-all with 3:15 left.
Cunningham made one of two free throws to put top-seeded Detroit ahead by one with 2:52 left before Orlando closed on a 9-0 run to take a 2-1 lead in the series. Game 4 is set for Monday in Orlando.
Banchero had 12 rebounds and nine assists for the eighth-seeded Magic, who improved to 7-1 in their last eight home postseason games, including play-in tournament games. Bane was 7-for-9 from 3-point range.
Franz Wagner added 17 points for Orlando. Jalen Suggs scored 15, and Wendell Carter Jr. had 14 points and 17 rebounds
Cunningham scored 12 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter for the Pistons. Tobias Harris scored 23 points, Ausar Thompson had 17 and Duncan Robinson added 10.
The teams were tied at 26-all after the first quarter. Suggs was held scoreless before hitting a 3-pointer to put the Magic ahead 42-36 with 6:50 left in the second quarter.
Suggs had 12 points in the second quarter to help Orlando take a 61-54 at the half.
Thompson tallied 15 points to lead all scorers in the first half. Bane’s 14 points paced the Magic.
Bane made his first six 3-point attempts, including one with 8:32 left in the third quarter to give Orlando a 74-62 lead.
The Magic led 87-79 at the end of the third quarter and opened the fourth on a 7-0 run to move ahead 94-79 with 10:05 remaining.
Cunningham committed nine turnovers and was 8-for-23 shooting from the field and 3 of 10 from 3-point range for Detroit, which shot 34.4% (11 of 32) from beyond the arc.
–Field Level Media
Sports
2026 NFL Draft: Round 4 and 5 recap
Feb 26, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Tennessee defensive back Jermod McCoy (DB20) speaks to media members during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images The third and final day of the 2026 NFL Draft began with a name many thought would go in the first round.
Instead, Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy went No. 101 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, as the opening pick of the fourth round on Saturday in Pittsburgh.
The Buffalo Bills owned the No. 101 selection entering the day, while the Raiders sat at No. 102. Las Vegas traded a 2027 seventh-rounder to Buffalo to move up one spot and secure McCoy.
Rated the 16th overall prospect in the draft class by Scouts Inc., McCoy’s fall was attributed to a health concern. McCoy tore his ACL and missed the 2025 college season, but while the ACL has healed, a degenerative cartilage issue was discovered in his right knee.
“All of my doctors that did my surgery told me (that) I’m good,” McCoy said, per ESPN. “But if there’s something that (the Raiders) want me to do for the longevity of my career, I’m willing to do that because I feel like they have my best interest.”
McCoy had four interceptions and nine pass breakups for Tennessee in 2024 after one year at Oregon State.
Two days after the Raiders selected Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick, they continued to make waves Saturday by sending former top-10 pick Tyree Wilson to the New Orleans Saints in order to trade up from No. 219 overall to No. 150 in the fifth round.
Wilson, the seventh overall pick in 2023, amassed 12 sacks in three seasons as a Raiders defensive end. The Raiders attempted to trade star pass rusher Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens earlier this offseason, but Baltimore backed out due to a failed physical as Crosby recovers from knee surgery.
At No. 150, the Raiders drafted safety Dalton Johnson from Arizona.
The quarterback class continued to prove thin, as just one signal-caller was selected in the fourth round and one went in the fifth.
The New York Jets moved up in a trade with the Cincinnati Bengals to select Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik at No. 110 overall. The Bengals received the 128th overall pick in the trade, while sending New York the 199th pick in exchange for No. 140.
Klubnik, once seen as a top college quarterback, never quite realized his potential in three-plus seasons as Clemson’s starter. The 6-foot-2 prospect threw for 2,943 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions for the Tigers in 2025.
The Jets have again revamped their quarterback room but waited till the fourth round to take a flier on an incoming rookie, having opted for pass rusher David Bailey with the No. 2 overall pick. Klubnik joins a QB room featuring Geno Smith, Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe.
“I woke up this morning hoping the Jets were going to pick me,” Klubnik told reporters after the pick.
The Philadelphia Eagles used the 178th overall pick on North Dakota State quarterback Cole Payton, a former FCS national champion who’ll slot in on the depth chart behind Jalen Hurts, Tanner McKee and veteran Andy Dalton.
While just six quarterbacks were drafted through five rounds, a more popular position was tight end. Seventeen were taken in Rounds 1-5, more than the 16 total drafted in 2025.
Mississippi State tight end Seydou Traore, originally from London, went to the Miami Dolphins at No. 180, the penultimate pick of the fifth round. Though not announced as part of the prospect “green room” Traore appeared on stage in Pittsburgh and was celebrated by commissioner Roger Goodell, an unusual moment for Day 3 of the draft.
The Cleveland Browns kicked off the sixth round by selecting Arkansas quarterback Talen Green with the first pick. Green will join Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel on a crowded Cleveland depth chart.
–Field Level Media
Eagles draft North Dakota State QB Cole Payton
Magic withstand Pistons’ rally to gain series lead
