Nikita Kucherov scored twice in a four-point performance to lead the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning to a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.

Anthony Cirelli scored twice, Jake Guentzel added a single and Brandon Hagel collected a pair of assists for the Lightning (43-21-4, 90 points), who have won three straight to maintain a hold on the second spot in the Atlantic Division.

Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 saves.

Kucherov, who recorded his fifth consecutive road game with three or more points, has collected six goals and six assists in the past three outings. He moved to the top of the NHL’s scoring race with 118 points.

Tampa Bay has won 12 of 14 games this season against Pacific Division clubs.

Connor McDavid and Josh Samanski replied for the Oilers (34-28-9, 77 points), who remain in second place in the Pacific Division despite losing two straight.

Goalie Connor Ingram stopped 22 shots for Edmonton, which opened the scoring but was done in by a trio of second-period goals by the Lightning.

Cirelli evened the score 97 seconds into the middle frame, burying a loose puck during a scramble.

Guentzel’s power-play goal put the Lightning ahead. Upon gaining the puck at the side of the net, he went to the front and sent a shot inside the far post at 12:13.

Right after the Oilers came within a whisker of tying the clash during a 5-on-3 power play, Kucherov made it a 3-1 game by converting a short-handed breakaway upon leaving the penalty box. It is his first career short-handed marker.

Samanski was credited with his first career goal on a crazy play to make it a one-goal game at 7:16 of the third period. During a scrum at the side boards, Tampa Bay’s Oliver Bjordstrand chipped the puck toward his own net. It ricocheted off the stick of Lightning defenseman Emil Lilleberg and eluded Vasilevskiy.

However, Kucherov quashed those comeback hopes with his second of the game, a quick one-timer from the bottom of the right circle set up by Hagel with 4:28 remaining in regulation.

Cirelli’s empty-net goal sealed the game.

McDavid opened the scoring with 23 seconds remaining in the first period by deflecting Evan Bouchard’s point shot.

–Field Level Media

After its first postseason win since 2014, second-seeded Cal faces Saint Joseph’s in a second-round clash of the NIT’s Albuquerque Region on Sunday night in Berkeley, Calif.

“Someone told me that it had been (over) a decade (since) Cal had had a postseason win, so that’s good to see,” said Cal coach Mark Madsen after his team’s first-round win over UIC Wednesday. “We wanted to be in the NCAA Tournament. We did not play well enough in the course of the season to get in, but I believe that we can do something special in the NIT and it will be a springboard and a catalyst going into next season.”

The Bears (22-11) are in the postseason for the first time since 2017. They won 12 of their first 13 games, but finished ninth in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Dai Dai Ames led Cal with 17.0 points per game and earned a third-team All-ACC honor.

The star of the Bears’ 91-73 win over the Flames was Chris Bell, who had a season-high 31 points and made 7 of 8 3-pointers as Cal rallied from an early nine-point hole.

“Dagger shots when they counted,” said Madsen. ” … Chris is a special player. He’s a special person. His work ethic reminds me of the work ethic of an NBA player.”

The Hawks (23-11) were one of the biggest surprises in the Atlantic-10. Coach Steve Donahue, who joined the staff as an assistant in May, got the head coach job when Billy Lange left for the New York Knicks in September. Donahue rallied the Hawks into third in the conference and was named the 2025-26 A-10 Coach of the Year.

The good vibes continued in the first round of the NIT as the Hawks went on the road to beat No. 3 seed Colorado State 69-64 on Wednesday. It was the school’s first NIT win since 2006, snapping a five-game losing streak.

“This group just has that understanding of not quitting, particularly on the defensive end,” Donahue said after the win to the Rocky Mountain Collegian. “If we make some really bonehead plays, which we did on the offensive end, our ability to stay focused and compete is why we can figure out how to win those one-possession games. It’s all our mental toughness, really.”

Jaiden Glover-Toscano and Deuce Jones lead the Hawks with 15.8 points a game apiece.

–Field Level Media

Movsar Evloev didn’t let Lerone Murphy’s home advantage amid a hostile crowd prevent him from scoring a majority decision and improving his chances for a title shot at UFC London on Saturday.

The undefeated Russian (20-0 MMA, 10-0 UFC) also didn’t let losing a point for low blows in the fourth round keep him from victory by 48-46, 48-46, 47-47 on the judges’ scorecards at The 02 Arena. English featherweight Murphy (17-1-1, 9-1-1), in suffering his first loss, also saw the end of his nine-bout winning streak.

“With my head coach, we prepare level change, takedowns and then punches,” Evloev, 32, said afterward. “I think my punches are hard, I hurt him even if I didn’t finish him. Look at his face, he’s damaged.

“I showed that I don’t necessarily need to use my wrestling,” he said.

The No. 1 contender in the official UFC rankings should be in line for a shot against champion Alexander Volkanovski.

“Alex (Volkanovski) mentioned my name a lot of times. I accept this challenge, let’s fight,” Evloev said. “UFC, there is no excuse to not let me fight for the title.”

In the UFC Fight Night co-main event, Liverpool’s Luke Riley defeated American featherweight Michael Aswell Jr. by unanimous decision (30-27 on all cards) to improve to 13-0, 2-0. Aswell dropped to 11-4, 1-2.

English middleweight Christian Leroy Duncan also won by unanimous decision (29-28 on all cards) over Roman Dolidze of Georgia. Duncan (14-2, 7-2) has six wins in his past seven fights after a 1-1 UFC start. Dolidze (15-5, 9-5) was coming off a loss to “Fluffy” Hernandez that snapped a three-fight win streak.

American featherweight Danny Silva didn’t let it go the distance against previously unbeaten Kurtis Campbell of England, winning by second-round TKO. Campbell (8-1, 0-1) made his Octagon debut. Silva improved to 11-2, 3-1.

Fireworks erupted early between lightweights Mason Jones and previously unbeaten Axel Sola in perhaps the fight of the night.

Jones, a winner by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28), improved to 18-2 and both fighters left the octagon bloodied.

Jones of Wales was knocked down with a spinning elbow in the first round and absorbed multiple direct blows. He had a cut above his right eye and under his nose when his hand was raised, but Frenchman Sola (11-1-1) had at least three cuts and was covered in blood at the final bell.

“I just like fighting people. Axel wanted to fight. I took it to him,” Jones said. “I opened him up. There was fear in his eyes at the end of the first round. There was fear in his eyes in the end.”

In a featherweight match, England’s Nathaniel Wood (11-3) got his fourth consecutive win and dealt Belgium’s Losene Keita his first loss in a split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28). Keita was 5-0 in the past three years and now has a 16-2 record overall in mixed martial arts.

Michael Page (25-3), who questioned whether he’d upset UFC officials because of the low-level spot on the card and his relatively anonymous opponent, defeated fellow Englishman Sam Patterson (14-3-1) via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) in a welterweight match. “MVP” had more to say post-fight about a bout that drew plenty of pro fighting critics on social media for a lack of action.

“It’s getting more and more difficult when nobody really wants to engage. Everyone’s on the back foot,” Page said. “He knew how to frustrate me by not wanting to engage. It’s more difficult to fight somebody that doesn’t want to fight than fight someone difficult that wants to fight.”

Light heavyweight Iwo Baraniewski (8-0) struck American Austen Lane, a former NFL defensive lineman, with a quick left hook and then landed repeated right hands to win in just 28 seconds. Lane (13-8) was dazed and rocked back before ever throwing a punch or kick as the referee stopped the fight with Lane planted on his back taking cover.

Poland’s Baraniewski, a graduate from the Contender Series, could be in line for a marquee opponent in his next bout. He’s been buzzworthy since the December action-packed duel with Ibo Aslan at UFC 323.

Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady (16-4) of Palestine scored his first UFC win with a 30-27 unanimous decision over English lightweight Shem Rock (12-3-1). Al-Selwady dropped Rock with an overhand right in the first round, but he rebounded off the mat quickly with an attempt to lock up Al-Selwady. Rock kept moving toward Al-Selwady and made contact after the ball, narrowly ducking a haymaker in retaliation before being led to his corner.

–Field Level Media