Sports
Maple Leafs rolling as struggle continues for Blackhawks
Feb 8, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (34) celebrates a goal scored defenseman Morgan Rielly (44) against the Vancouver Canucks in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images The Toronto Maple Leafs will look to build off an imperfect win when they hit the road to face the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.
The Maple Leafs kick off a four-game trip on the heels of a 6-3 home-ice victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.
Toronto saw a 4-0 lead become a one-goal game when Carolina scored a trio of goals in less than three minutes during the third period, but the Maple Leafs sealed the victory thanks to a pair of empty-net goals.
“Some unlucky bounces, but it was a good win,” forward Steven Lorentz said. “We’ll take that right after the break, after 10 days off. We’re happy with it and will just get right back to it (Sunday).”
Thanks to four victories in five games, the Maple Leafs are one point behind the Florida Panthers for top spot in the Atlantic Division and boast two games in hand.
Of the half-dozen markers Toronto collected in the Carolina win, two were significant milestones. Captain Auston Matthews’ insurance goal was the 389th of his career, which moved him into a tie with Darryl Sittler for second place on Toronto’s all-time list. Mats Sundin is the franchise leader with 420.
As well, Alex Steeves, the 25-year-old forward who leads the American Hockey League in goals this season with 29, was summoned from the minors and opened the scoring with his first career NHL goal in his 12th big-league game.
“It felt really good. A bit of a relief. It was nice to get the game started like that,” Steeves said. “Anytime anyone gets called up, you just want to make an impact. Goals are nice. I am a goal scorer and I know I can be a goal scorer at this level.”
The Blackhawks are at the other end of the spectrum.
Chicago, which is ahead of only the San Jose Sharks in the overall standings, returns home after suffering a 5-1 road loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.
Even though they are in the throes of a rebuild and destined to finish well back of a playoff spot, the losses — especially in the manner the Columbus defeat transpired — are wearing on the Chicago players.
“Frustrating. Especially coming off the break and a couple days of practice to prepare ourselves,” forward Craig Smith said. “It’s the way it goes, but it’s frustrating. It’s unacceptable. It’s embarrassing. To a certain point, it’s getting embarrassing. We have to continue to dig deep, personally, before every game.”
The Blackhawks fell behind early and managed to pull close at 2-1 midway through the affair but were no match when the Blue Jackets pulled away, leaving them with only one victory in six games and two in 10 games.
Although the Blackhawks have a long way to go to be a contender, interim coach Anders Sorensen has the job of finding ways to motivate his players down the stretch, especially in games against teams either battling to make the playoffs or solidify their position in the standings.
“Pride. You have pride as a player and have pride as a group,” Sorensen said. “Let’s be honest, there’s a lot of guys you’re playing for your future, if it’s for us or with someone else. You’ve got to be ready to go. Take pride in what you’re doing. I don’t think it should matter where you are in the standings.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
WNBA All-Star Game tickets soar to $340
May 9, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) passes the ball while Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Ticket prices for the WNBA All-Star Game continue to rise leading up to the tipoff on Saturday night in Chicago.
The get-in price at United Center escalated from $74 on June 19 to $118 on July 19 to $233 by Friday, according to ticket-tracking service TicketData.com. At 12:20 p.m. ET on Saturday, the price stood at $343.
The game is sold out, TicketData.com reported.
Chicago last hosted the WNBA All-Star Game in 2022 at Wintrust Arena, the 10,387-seat home of the Sky.
Per Front Office Sports, last year’s WNBA All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis had a gameday get-in price of $71. And that was in a smaller venue than the United Center.
Gainbridge Fieldhouse fits about 17,200 fans. The United Center, home of the NBA’s Bulls and NHL’s Blackhawks, can seat more than 20,000 people.
The All-Star teams will be headlined by Paige Bueckers of the Dallas Wings and Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever, the leading vote-getters.
Bueckers’ team features three former UConn players — Bueckers, Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty and Gabby Williams of the Golden State Valkyries — in the starting lineup, along with Kelsey Mitchell of the Fever and Natasha Howard of the Minnesota Lynx.
Joining Clark in the starting lineup are her teammate, Aliyah Boston, rookie Olivia Miles of the Lynx, Jessica Sheapard of the Wings and Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson.
A four-time WNBA MVP, Wilson is leading the WNBA in scoring (25.5 points) and blocks (2.0) per game.
ABC will televise the game, which has an 8:30 p.m. ET tipoff.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Richard Carapaz, Tadej Pogacar stand tall at Stage 20 of Tour de France
Richard Carapaz of Ecuador is in action during Stage 20 of the Tour de France on Saturday. The race ends Sunday. Richard Carapaz of Ecuador won the stage and Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia all but wrapped up his fifth general classification title in seven years during a wild penultimate day at the Tour de France on Saturday.
The 33-year-old Carapaz capped a monumental week with his second victory in three stages, and third of his career, while also taking over the polka-dot jersey for top climber of the three-week stage race. He also finished third in Friday’s Stage 19.
Stage 20 unfolded in dramatic fashion as Sepp Kuss of the United States held a comfortable lead with just over 7 kilometers remaining in the 170.9-kilometer stage as it approached the finish at the resort town of Alpe d’Huez.
Kuss then crashed against a curb on the right side of the road while exiting a tunnel but got back on his bike and continued with the lead. Misfortune struck again when Kuss crashed against a left-side curb with 5.8 kilometers remaining.
Carapaz passed Kuss after his second solo crash and went on to the stage victory for the U.S.-based EF Education-EasyPost team. Remco Evenepoel of Belgium passed Kuss near the finish line to take second place, while Kuss made his way to the podium with a disappointing third-place finish.
Kuss was trying for his second career stage and stands as the last American man to win a Tour de France Stage when he reached the finish line first in 2021.
Race leader Pogacar finished fourth in the stage, while his UAE Team Emirates teammate Isaac del Toro of Mexico was fifth. The finish kept del Toro in the white jersey given to the top rider under 26 years old.
All that remains is Sunday’s mostly ceremonial final Stage 21. Barring major disaster, Pogacar will wrap up his third consecutive Tour de France title as he takes a 6-minute, 26-second lead over Evenepoel into the final day.
In third place overall is del Toro, who is 9:42 off his teammate’s pace. Paul Seixas, the 19-year-old sensation from France, is fourth overall and nearly two minutes behind del Toro for the white jersey. Seixas finished 10th in Stage 20.
The final stage into Paris on Sunday was cut from 133 kilometers to 89 kilometers because of nearby wildfires, with fans now treated to two extra circuits along the Champs-Elysees before a climbing finish on the nearby Montmartre loop.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tour de France final stage rerouted due to wildfires
A firefighter works to battle wildfire near the A9 motorway near Beziers, France, July 3, 2026. Wildfires in southwest France have forced organizers of the Tour de France to reconfigure the final stage, set for Sunday.
The change is necessary because multiple first responders have been diverted to the fires. The new route will leave a smaller race footprint for local officials to secure.
“As numerous wildfires are currently affecting France, particularly the Gironde region, emergency services are fully mobilized to combat the blazes, while internal security forces are working to secure the affected areas and protect the population,” the Amaury Sport Organisation said in a statement.
“In light of this, the Ministry of Interior has decided to redeploy a portion of the internal security forces initially mobilized to ensure security for the final stage of the Tour de France, in order to reinforce the response efforts in the areas affected by the wildfires.”
The wildfires have led to the evacuations of about 200,000 people.
Stage 21 had been set as a 132.5-kilometer ride from Thoiry down the Champs-Elysees in Paris.
The re-imagined Stage 21 still will end along the famed road, just after a circuit on the Montmartre. But the run now will occur solely within the Paris boundaries and travel just 89 km. Cyclists will take two extra circuits along the Champs-Elysees before heading out for the Montmartre climb.
The Montmartre circuit has proven to be popular after it was used in the 2024 Paris Olympics and then added to the 2025 Tour de France. The area can accommodate large gatherings of fans, who turn the area into a party atmosphere.
Earlier in the Tour de France, fans were asked to stay away from the final 40 kilometers of Stage 3 because of wildfires and the need to deploy first responders to the area.
–Field Level Media
How A 2010s Sci-Fi Stunner Was Kneecapped By Tom Cruise Success
WNBA All-Star Game tickets soar to $340
