Sports
NHL roundup: Anze Kopitar makes Kings history in loss to Devils
Mar 13, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11) celebrates his goal with Los Angeles Kings left wing Artemi Panarin (10) and Los Angeles Kings center Alex Turcotte (15) against the New York Islanders during the first period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images Anze Kopitar scored twice to become the all-time points leader in Los Angeles Kings history, but Jack Hughes scored the go-ahead goal late in the third period that sparked the New Jersey Devils to a wild 6-4 victory Saturday in Newark, N.J.
Nico Hischier scored twice in a four-point performance, Arseny Gritsyuk and Timo Meier both collected one goal and one assist and Cody Glass added a single for the Devils, who snapped a two-game skid. New Jersey goaltender Jake Allen made 27 saves.
Kopitar, who announced this will be his final NHL season — all 20 with Los Angeles — netted his 1,308th career point to move ahead of Marcel Dionne’s total for the Kings. In 1,505 games, Kopitar has 450 goals and 858 assists.
Artemi Panarin scored once in a three-point game, Taylor Ward tallied once and Brandt Clarke collected three assists for the Kings, who are battling for the Western Conference’s final wild-card spot. Goalie Anton Forsberg stopped 22 shots.
Jets 3, Avalanche 1
Connor Hellebuyck made 28 saves as Winnipeg defeated visiting Colorado.
Kyle Connor picked up a goal and an assist, while Alex Iafallo and Cole Perfetti also scored for Winnipeg. Mark Scheifele added two assists as the Jets moved within five points of the second and final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
Martin Necas got Colorado’s lone goal. Mackenzie Blackwood made 15 stops for Colorado, which holds the best record in the NHL.
Stars 3, Red Wings 2 (OT)
Defenseman Thomas Harley scored 2:06 into overtime to give host Dallas a win over Detroit.
Harley delivered on a shot from the left circle off the rush. Wyatt Johnston had a goal and an assist and Michael Bunting also scored for the Stars, who tied a franchise record by extending their point streak to 15 (14-0-1). Jake Oettinger made 22 saves.
Defenseman Simon Edvinsson and Lucas Raymond scored the goals for the Red Wings, who have lost three straight (0-2-1). John Gibson stopped 21 shots.
Golden Knights 4, Blackhawks 0
Pavel Dorofeyev scored two goals and had an assist and Adin Hill made 21 saves for his first shutout of the season as Vegas moved into first place in the Pacific Division by shutting out Chicago in Las Vegas.
It was the second straight game of two goals and three points for Dorofeyev. Mark Stone and Mitch Marner each had two assists and Rasmus Andersson and Keegan Kolesar also scored goals for Vegas, which leapfrogged Anaheim into the top spot in the division.
It was the 12th career shutout for Hill as the Golden Knights improved to 10-2-1 all-time against Chicago at T-Mobile Arena. Spencer Knight finished with 28 saves for the Blackhawks, who had a four-game road point streak (2-0-2) snapped.
Bruins 3, Capitals 2 (SO)
Fraser Minten scored in the ninth round for the lone goal of the shootout, allowing Boston to snap a seven-game road winless skid with a victory over Washington.
Boston defenseman Charlie McAvoy scored a pair of goals to extend his point streak to six games (four goals, four assists). He has totaled 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in his past 16 games for the Bruins, who got 25 saves from Jeremy Swayman.
Rasmus Sandin collected a goal and an assist and fellow defenseman Matt Roy also tallied for the Capitals, who have lost five of their last seven (2-4-1).
Penguins 4, Mammoth 3
Noel Acciari scored with just under 12 minutes left in regulation for Pittsburgh, which rallied from an early two-goal deficit to beat Utah in Salt Lake City.
Anthony Mantha recorded a goal and an assist for the Penguins, and Bryan Rust and Tommy Novak also lit the lamp for Pittsburgh. Stuart Skinner made 26 saves for his first win since Jan. 31, ending an 0-1-4 stretch.
Dylan Guenther scored twice in the first period and defenseman Ian Cole ended a 38-game dry spell for the Mammoth, who have lost four straight (0-2-2).
Sharks 4, Canadiens 2
Macklin Celebrini had two goals and an assist as San Jose held on to beat host Montreal for the Sharks’ second straight win.
Mario Ferraro scored, Colin Graf had a goal and two assists, and John Klingberg had two assists for the Sharks, while Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves for his third win in four starts.
Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki scored and Noah Dobson had two assists for the Canadiens, who had won three straight games. Sharks forward Igor Chernyshov exited the game after the first shift of the first period with an apparent upper-body injury. He did not return. After the game, the Sharks said their prospect will travel with the team to Ottawa for its game against the Senators on Sunday.
Sabres 3, Maple Leafs 2 (SO)
Alex Tuch scored the decisive goal in the shootout of Buffalo’s win over visiting Toronto.
The Sabres made two of their three shots in the shootout. Owen Power and Jack Quinn scored for the Sabres in regulation. Quinn also scored in the shootout for the Sabres, who have won nine of 10. Alex Lyon stopped 16 shots.
Dakota Joshua and Max Domi scored for the Maple Leafs, who misfired on both attempts in the shootout and have lost nine of 10 (1-6-3). Joseph Woll made 31 saves and was the prime reason the game went to overtime.
Hurricanes 4, Lightning 2
Jordan Martinook scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period, and Eastern Conference-leading Carolina won over host Tampa Bay.
Logan Stankoven’s empty-net goal with 91 seconds remaining gave Carolina a 9-3-0 record in the past 12 games. Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho had a goal and an assist apiece. Rod Brind’Amour coached his 600th NHL game behind the Carolina bench and won for the 367th time.
Tampa Bay’s Yanni Gourde and Charle-Edouard D’Astous tallied, while Andrei Vasilevskiy made 31 saves as the Lightning fell to 2-7-0 over their last nine games.
Senators 2, Ducks 0
Linus Ullmark made 23 saves for Ottawa in a win against visiting Anaheim.
It’s the second shutout of the season for Ullmark and the 14th of his 11-year NHL career. Michael Amadio and Thomas Chabot scored for the Senators — who have won four of their past five games — and Shane Pinto had two assists.
Ville Husso made 27 saves for the Ducks, who have lost three of four and were shut out for the second time in four games.
Rangers 4, Wild 2
Vladislav Gavrikov scored a goal and dished two assists and New York held on to beat Minnesota in Saint Paul, Minn.
Noah Laba, Jaroslav Chmelar and Vincent Trocheck also scored for New York, which won its fourth game in a row. Adam Fox picked up a pair of assists. Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin tied his career high with 46 saves to earn the victory. He made six saves in the first period, 20 saves in the second and 20 more in the third.
Matt Boldy and Danila Yurov scored one goal apiece for Minnesota, which saw its point streak end at five games (3-0-2). The Wild lost in regulation for the first time since March 1. Filip Gustavsson gave up four goals on 18 shots.
Islanders 3, Flames 2
Simon Holmstrom scored consecutive goals late in the first period to cap New York’s three-goal flurry as the Islanders ensured they would maintain their position in the Eastern Conference playoff race by edging Calgary in Elmont, N.Y.
Casey Cizikas opened the scoring for the Islanders, who entered the day tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins for second place in the Metropolitan Division. David Rittich made 30 saves as New York improved to 6-3-0 since returning from the Olympic break.
Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman scored in the third for the Flames, who have lost seven of 10 (3-6-1) since resuming play following the Olympics. Dustin Wolf stopped all 17 shots he faced in relief of Devin Cooley, who gave up the three first-period goals on 10 shots.
Blue Jackets 2, Flyers 1 (SO)
Kirill Marchenko scored his 100th career goal and also tallied in the shootout to lift visiting Columbus past Philadelphia.
After the first five shootout attempts were unsuccessful, Marchenko made a late move to his backhand and lifted the puck past Dan Vladar. Marchenko is 10 for 15 in his career on shootouts, among the best marks in NHL history.
Blue Jackets goaltender Jet Greaves made 18 saves in regulation and overtime before denying Matvei Michkov, Trevor Zegras and Travis Konecny in the shootout. Columbus has recorded a point in nine straight games (5-0-4). Vladar finished with 27 saves for Philadelphia, which had won six of its last eight contests. Alex Bump scored the lone goal for the Flyers.
Kraken 5, Canucks 2
Bobby McMann scored twice and had an assist in his debut for his new team as Seattle snapped a four-game losing streak with a win over host Vancouver.
Matty Beniers had a goal and two assists and Jordan Eberle added three assists with McMann on the No. 1 line. Jared McCann and Jamie Oleksiak also scored and Brandon Montour had two assists for the Kraken, who remained a point behind San Jose in the chase for the Western Conference’s second and final wild-card playoff berth. Goaltender Philipp Grubauer made 32 saves.
Evander Kane and Marco Rossi scored for the league-worst Canucks, who dropped to 7-21-5 at home this season. Nikita Tolopilo stopped 28 of 33 shots.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Yankees to honor late broadcaster John Sterling with uniform patch
May 4, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees wear “JS” stitched on their hats honoring radio play-by-play announcer John Sterling during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images The New York Yankees will honor longtime radio announcer John Sterling, who died on Monday at the age of 87, with a patch on their uniforms for the reminder of the season.
The Yankees will continue to wear caps with the initials “JS” on the back through May 17. The team will switch to the patch as their tribute to Sterling on May 18, when the Yankees’ next homestand begins.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone approves of the tribute.
“I think it’s appropriate, certainly,” Boone told the New York Times after the Yanks’ 7-4 victory over the Texas Rangers. “(I’m) glad we’ll be able to honor his legacy throughout the rest of the season.”
The patch will feature Sterling’s name, as well as a microphone with the Yankee logo on a pinstriped background.
Sterling passed away from complications of heart failure on Monday, the Times reported. Sterling was honored prior to Monday’s game with a ceremony that featured a moment of silence and a video of some of Sterling’s most iconic radio calls.
After Monday’s game, Sterling’s signature call of “Thuuuuuuuuuuh Yankees WIN!” was played over the PA system at Yankee Stadium, followed by Frank Sinatra’s “Theme from New York, New York.”
Both manager Boone and Yankees captain Aaron Judge called for making that combo a permanent tradition. But Sterling’s call was not part of Tuesday’s post-game victory celebration, and it was unclear if the team intends to continue it, the Times reported.
Count Jazz Chisholm Jr. among those who feel the patch is a good way to honor Sterling this season.
“He was here for a long time,” said Chisholm. “He represented the Yankees well. We all, in our childhood, have that John Sterling call rising in our ears. I think it’s pretty cool that we, as a team and organization, get to recognize him for all the great things that he’s done here.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
MLB Panic Meter: Mets, Red Sox, Angels Among Biggest Early Concerns
May 4, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; New York Mets left fielder Juan Soto (22) during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images The season isn’t one-fourth complete, meaning it’s relatively early by MLB standards.
But it’s also time for concern for a spate of underachieving teams and players to be calibrated against the potential for a rebound.
Here’s our look at some particularly worrisome slow starts around the game.
1. The New York Mets
David Stearns’ nonsensical off-season overhaul — dumping a spate of franchise icons all in the name of improving the defense by signing or moving a bunch of people to positions they’d never played — left the Mets in a much more vulnerable position than any team should be with a $352 million payroll. But it shouldn’t be going THIS badly, even with Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor playing just seven full games together due to their calf injuries.
At least the Mets no longer have the worst record in the bigs after winning three of four from the Los Angeles Angels and Colorado Rockies. But when you’ve got to win three of four from the Angels and Rockies just to escape the basement.
2. The Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies
May 1, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) runs the bases after hitting a three-run home run against the Houston Astros during the third inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images The 2-for-1, you-both-got-your-managers-fired deal here. As with the Mets, the off-season should have provided more of a hint that the Red Sox (who didn’t re-sign valuable veteran leader Alex Bregman) and Phillies (who re-signed every aging veteran this side of Steve Jeltz) might stumble out of the gates. A 4-0 start under interim manager Don Mattingly served as a reminder the Phillies have an immeasurable edge of the Red Sox in terms of postseason-tested players and, especially, competent upper management. Boston’s geniuses apparently thought it’d be a good idea to toss Triple-A manager Chad Tracy into a locker room filled with angry players. Hard to believe “chief baseball officer” Craig Breslow actually played in the majors.
3. The Los Angeles Angels
May 5, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) is greeted after hitting a solo home run against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images We should all be immune to being disappointed by the Angels, who have the longest playoff drought in the majors as well as the longest streak of consecutive sub-.500 finishes despite employing both Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout from 2018 through 2023.
But the American League is a mashup of mediocrity and Trout is enjoying a renaissance season, so it wouldn’t take much for the Angels to at least hover around the fringes of contention. So of course they’ve lost 13 of 15 to fall to 13-23, which is the worst record in the bigs and puts the Angels on pace to lose 100 games for the first time ever. So there is that.
4. Willy Adames and Rafael Devers, San Francisco Giants SS/1B
Buster Posey’s weird plan to construct a contender around a bunch of singles hitters was always contingent on Adames, the one Giants position player star who chose to play in hitter-unfriendly Oracle Park, and Devers, a blockbuster trade addition last year, providing the token bit of power.
But the duo have combined for just five homers and rank 161st and 163rd, respectively, in OPS at .579 and .572 as the Giants have started 14-21. Adames’ poor strikeout-to-walk ratio — he’s struck out 45 times while drawing just six walks — is a big red flag after he increased his walk total each of the previous three seasons.
5. Andrew Abbott, Cincinnati Reds P
Jun 10, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Andrew Abbott (41) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images Abbott outperformed his peripherals (a 2.87 ERA but a 3.66 FIP) while making the All-Star team for the first time last season. But the market correction has been unforgiving for Abbott, whose 5.97 ERA is seventh-worst in the NL amongst pitchers who have thrown at least 30 innings. He is also striking out just 6.2 batters per nine innings, easily the lowest figure of his career and a concerning trend as the Reds bank on a bounce-back.
Sports
Should the Celtics Blow It Up? Analyzing Every Major Option
Feb 28, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens before their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images Everyone seems to have an opinion on how to “fix” the Celtics.
You’ll probably not be surprised to hear I have a few myself. OK, more than just a few.
Raising a 7-foot bar on a bunch of wishful thinking among Celtics fans and senseless knee-jerk reactions among the unfaithful, here’s where I stand on some of the more popular suggestions:
Fire Brad Stevens.
Let’s get the most ridiculous one out of the way.
Stevens was NBA Executive of the Year this year for a reason. He did the seemingly impossible (or so Golden State tells us) … He got rid of a bunch of overpaid veterans, remained competitive even without Jayson Tatum for the most part, and restructured a roster that should be able to compete for Eastern titles for most of the next decade.
Fire him? I say: Reward him.
Fire Joe Mazzulla.
He did such a great job during the regular season, he set himself up for a hard fall in the playoffs. And even at that, you have to wonder what might have happened had Tatum not contracted a case of Embiid-itis.
Did he mismanage the Philadelphia series? Sure. The Pistons would have fired their coach if he’d done that. Maybe even the Knicks and Cavaliers. But they haven’t won a title, made the Finals twice and been a perennial contender for the better part of a decade.
Based on the improbable regular season alone, Mazz deserves the benefit of the doubt. But don’t let it happen again.
Trade Derrick White.
On the surface, this one makes sense. As the 76ers series demonstrated, the Celtics could use a Robert Williams III type more than a White type. But that’s what Stevens, in a rare blunder, thought when he exchanged Anfernee Simons for Nikola Vucevic.
Look at the Eastern Conference. When Joel Embiid isn’t playing – which is most of the time – the top players are almost all guards: Cade Cunningham, Jalen Brunson, Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Tyrese Haliburton … You need somebody to slow them down.
Yeah, the Celtics could move Jaylen Brown fulltime to the backcourt, but that likely would force Tatum to actually have to guard somebody. Giving Brown the tough frontcourt assignments allows Tatum to freelance, grab cheap rebounds and stay fresh for his late barrage of missed 3-pointers. Wait, that was supposed to be a positive.
Trading White maybe gets you Wendell Carter Jr., but does that make you better? I say: Just bigger.
Trade Jaylen Brown.
May 2, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) talks with Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7)after Philadephia’s win in game seven of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images Let’s be honest: Breaking up the Brown/Tatum tandem would take a lot of guts. But after watching the Celtics play without Tatum for two-thirds of last season, it’s at least worth considering.
So which one gets shopped? That depends what type of team you want.
We’ve seen what the Celtics look like without Tatum – energetic, defensive-minded and all-inclusive on offense. And that’s without whatever high-level player or players you would get by trading Tatum.
You turn Brown into, say, Naz Reid and Terrence Shannon Jr., and you improve defensively on the interior and offensively on the perimeter. But you lose what made the Celtics so fun to watch this season – the team’s best defender and emotional leader.
I’d keep Brown.
Trade Jayson Tatum.
It might take just one call to turn the Celtics into the Eastern frontrunner again …
Stevens: If we give you Tatum for Giannis, how many first-round picks would you want?
Bucks GM Jon Horst: Let me get back to you on that.
If the response is anything you can count on one hand, the Celtics’ off-season is complete.
Tatum has done a lot of good things for this team, but he’s not in Giannis’ league. Few players are.
The Celtics would get their interior force, a runner who would allow the team to pick up the pace and another elite shot-blocker who would make Boston the most well-rounded defensive force in the league, with White shadowing star little guys, Brown locked onto mid-sized scorers and Giannis pitching a tent in the middle.
Stop dreaming? OK, then I’d settle for Domantas Sabonis and De’Andre Hunter.
Stand pat.
Stevens earned a nice, long vacation. Maybe he should take one.
No phones. See you in October with the same pieces that made the Celtics the favorite in the Eastern playoffs. Even with Tatum at less than 100 percent.
After all, it ain’t broke.
Unless, of course: Brad, this is Horstie getting back to you …
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