Sports
NHL roundup: Devils defeat Rangers behind Jack Hughes' hat trick
Mar 7, 2026; Newark, New Jersey, USA; New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes (86) celebrates his goal against the New York Rangers during the third period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Salus-Imagn Images Olympic hero Jack Hughes recorded his fourth career hat trick and second this season, lifting the New Jersey Devils to a 6-3 victory over the New York Rangers on Saturday in Newark, N.J.
Hughes, who also had an assist, scored one of the Devils’ three power-play goals before converting on a breakaway with 3:04 to play in the third period. He completed the hat trick by scoring into an empty net with 32 seconds left. New Jersey’s Jesper Bratt collected a goal and two assists, and captain Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer also tallied.
Jacob Markstrom made 17 saves for the Devils, who rode a 3-for-3 performance on the power play to their fourth straight win.
New York’s Will Cuylle scored his third goal in two games, defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov tallied in his third consecutive contest and fellow blueliner Will Borgen also found the net. Jonathan Quick turned aside 29 shots for the Eastern Conference cellar-dwelling Rangers, who have lost 15 of their last 19 games (4-12-3).
Bruins 3, Capitals 1
Viktor Arvidsson scored the game-winning goal at 4:28 of the third period, leading Boston past visiting Washington for the Bruins’ 12th straight home win.
Pavel Zacha and Elias Lindholm also scored, David Pastrnak dished out two assists, and Jeremy Swayman made 22 saves for Boston, which has won three of five since the Olympic break. Elias Lindholm clinched the victory on an empty-net goal with 23.2 seconds left.
Aliaksei Protas scored the lone goal and Logan Thompson stopped 27 shots for Washington, which lost its third straight after having veterans Nicolas Roy and John Carlson traded in recent days.
Jets 3, Canucks 2 (OT)
Josh Morrissey scored in overtime and added an assist in his first game back from an upper-body injury as host Winnipeg rallied past Vancouver.
Mark Scheifele had a goal and two assists and Gabriel Vilardi also scored for the Jets, who got 21 saves from Connor Hellebuyck. Morrissey scored the winner from high in the zone, with the puck deflecting off the skate of the Canucks’ Filip Hronek and into the net at 1:49 of the extra frame.
For Vancouver, Linus Karlsson had a goal and an assist and Liam Ohgren also scored. Teddy Blueger added two assists and Kevin Lankinen made 32 saves
Penguins 4, Flyers 3 (SO)
Trevor Zegras scored the game-winner in the shootout and Dan Vladar made 20 saves and stopped all three shootout attempts to lead Philadelphia to a victory over host Pittsburgh.
Alex Bump, who helped lead Western Michigan to its first NCAA hockey title in 2025, scored a goal in his NHL debut for the Flyers. Owen Tippett and Denver Barkey also scored for Philadelphia. Head coach Rick Tocchet secured a win in his 700th game as an NHL coach.
Rickard Rakell collected a goal and an assist, Egor Chinakhov had two assists and Erik Karlsson and Tommy Novak also scored goals for Pittsburgh. Stuart Skinner stopped 12 of 15 shots for the Penguins, who lost their third straight game and fell to 1-9 in shootouts.
Mammoth 5, Blue Jackets 4 (OT)
Utah’s Logan Cooley scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner in overtime against host Columbus.
Alexander Kerfoot and Michael Carcone each tallied a goal and an assist for the Mammoth, who improved to 3-0-0 on their five-game road trip. Dylan Guenther also scored, while Clayton Keller tacked on a pair of assists and Karel Vejmelka made 27 saves.
Adam Fantilli, Mason Marchment, Damon Severson and Mathieu Olivier all finished with a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets, who saw their three-game winning streak halted. Elvis Merzlikins tallied 18 stops.
Islanders 2, Sharks 1 (OT)
Bo Horvat scored the winner at 4:20 of the extra period as New York edged host San Jose.
Horvat, on a partial break, put a backhand between the legs of Yaroslav Askarov for his 27th tally of the season. Tony DeAngelo scored in regulation for the Islanders, who avoided a third straight loss and improved to 9-0 in overtime this season.
Ilya Sorokin made 30 saves to improve to 5-0-3 in eight career appearances against the Sharks. Macklin Celebrini scored in regulation and Askarov stopped 32 shots for San Jose, which has dropped back-to-back games in overtime.
Lightning 5, Maple Leafs 2
Jake Guentzel and Brandon Hagel each had a goal and an assist and visiting Tampa Bay defeated Toronto.
Nikita Kucherov added four assists to give him 100 points (32 goals, 68 assists) for the season. Ryan McDonagh, Corey Perry and Oliver Bjorkstrand also scored for the Lightning, who snapped a four-game losing streak. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 27 shots.
Matias Maccelli and Nicholas Robertson scored for the Maple Leafs, who have lost seven in a row (0-5-2) since the Olympic break. Anthony Stolarz made 28 saves for Toronto.
Sabres 3, Predators 2
Tage Thompson extended his career-high point streak to 10 games with a goal as host Buffalo held on to beat Nashville for its sixth straight win.
Thompson has six goals and five assists during the streak. Jason Ducker and Josh Doan also scored for the Sabres, who were opening a five-game homestand as they look to keep pace atop the Atlantic Division with the Tampa Bay Lightning, whom they host on Sunday. Alex Lyon made 23 saves.
Zachary L’Heureux scored his first goal of the season for the Predators, who have lost four of five and were kicking off a five-game road swing. Matthew Wood also scored, and Juuse Saros made 21 saves.
Canadiens 4, Kings 3
Juraj Slafkovsky had two goals and an assist for Montreal in a comeback win against host Los Angeles.
Nick Suzuki notched a goal and two assists, Jake Evans also scored and Jakub Dobes made 36 saves for the Canadiens, who were coming off a 6-5 shootout loss at the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night.
Scott Laughton scored in his first game with the Kings, who are 2-4-0 since the Olympic break. Los Angeles acquired Laughton from the Toronto Maple Leafs at Friday’s trade deadline. Anze Kopitar and Alex Laferriere also scored, Brandt Clarke had two assists and Darcy Kuemper made 19 saves for Los Angeles.
Flames 5, Hurricanes 4
Joel Farabee scored two goals and added an assist and Ryan Strome scored once and added an assist in his team debut as host Calgary rode a three-goal second period to upset Eastern Conference-leading Carolina.
Morgan Frost netted one goal and two assists while Blake Coleman also collected one goal and one assist for the Flames, who snapped a four-game skid (0-3-1) after dealing away key veterans MacKenzie Weegar and Nazem Kadri this week. Goaltender Dustin Wolf made 25 saves.
Seth Jarvis netted one goal and two assists, Andrei Svechnikov posted one goal and one assist and Sean Walker and Alexander Nikishin each tallied once for Carolina. Sebastian Aho collected three assists and goalie Brandon Bussi stopped 20 shots as his personal nine-game winning streak ended.
Senators 7, Kraken 4
Shane Pinto had a goal and two assists as Ottawa defeated host Seattle.
Michael Amadio added a goal and an assist, and Tyler Kleven, Dylan Cozens, Warren Foegele, Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk also scored. Nick Cousins and Thomas Chabot had two assists for the Senators, who extended their point streak to six (4-0-2) and improved to 3-0-1 on their five-game trip. Linus Ullmark made 17 saves.
Jacob Melanson, Eeli Tolvanen, Matty Beniers and Brandon Montour scored and Jordan Eberle had two assists for short-handed Seattle, which dropped to 2-2-0 on its six-game homestand. Joey Daccord stopped 29 of 36 shots.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cardinals down Marlins behind Nathan Church's homer
Apr 21, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dustin May (3) throws against the Miami during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images Nathan Church slugged a two-run homer and Alec Burleson also drove in a pair of runs as the visiting St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Miami Marlins 5-3 on Tuesday.
St. Louis, which has won six of its past seven games, also got 5 1/3 strong innings from Dustin May (3-2). He allowed one run on six hits and one walk while striking out five.
Riley O’Brien pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his seventh save.
However, Cardinals star Jordan Walker had his 15-game hitting streak broken. The stretch ended two games short of his career high, set as a rookie in 2023.
Miami was led by Jakob Marsee, who finished 3-for-4 and homered on his first swing with a new bat. On the previous pitch, the bat slipped out of Marsee’s hands and landed in the netting. That bat was given to a fan, and Marsee went deep for the first time this season the new lumber.
Marlins starter Chris Paddack (0-4) gave up five runs on eight hits and a walk in 4 2/3 innings. He fanned seven. His ERA rose to 6.38 as Miami had its modest two-game win streak snapped.
Both teams scored in the first inning.
St. Louis got a run on rookie JJ Wetherholt’s leadoff double and Burleson’s RBI single.
Miami tied the score on Marsee’s 351-foot leadoff homer, pulled down the right field line. On the play, Marsee ran hard on his way to a potential triple before the umpires ruled that the ball had cleared the wall.
Wetherholt started another rally in the third when he drew a one-out walk, advanced to third on Ivan Herrera’s single and scored on Burleson’s grounder to first baseman Connor Norby, who threw wildly to the plate for an error.
The Cardinals made it 4-1 in the fourth. Masyn Winn singled, and Church swung at an inside cutter, pulling that pitch for a 370-foot homer to right.
St. Louis kept coming in the fifth, chasing Paddack with a Burleson double and Nolan Gorman’s two-out RBI single for a 5-1 score.
Miami cut its deficit to 5-3 in the eighth as reliever Ryne Stanek walked the bases loaded before allowing Heriberto Hernandez’s two-run single.
George Soriano replaced Stanek and struck out Norby looking on a pitch that caught the corner, low and inside, to end Miami’s best chance at a comeback.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Inter Miami visits Real Salt Lake for second test following coaching change
Apr 18, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi (10) celebrates his game winning goal midfielder Rodrigo de Paul (7) in the second half against the Inter Miami CF at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Inter Miami passed their first test since the surprise departure of coach Javier Mascherano. As interim coach Guillermo Hoyos would attest, having Lionel Messi at his peak helps.
The Herons complete a two-game trip through the Rocky Mountains when they play Real Salt Lake on Wednesday in Sandy, Utah.
Messi scored on a penalty kick in the 18th minute and set up his own game-winner with a nifty run in the 79th minute of Miami’s 3-2 win over the Colorado Rapids Saturday. The match was played at the Denver Broncos’ stadium before an audience of 75,824 fans.
That was the first outing for Miami (4-1-3, 15 points) since Mascherano announced his resignation, citing “personal reasons,” mere months after he guided the club to the MLS Cup title.
“The best coach in the world is on the pitch,” Hoyos said afterward. “We have the best player in history who changes the course of matches and a team that gave everything football-wise.”
Hoyos was Miami’s sporting director before stepping in for Mascherano. With the Herons now second in the Eastern Conference, it’s his task now to keep the club on a stable path.
“This result means a continuity of what was being done,” Hoyos said.
They’ll have a quick turnaround to face Real Salt Lake (5-1-1, 16 points), who’ve begun a three-game homestand with two-goal wins over Sporting Kansas City and San Diego FC.
Diego Luna scored within the first five minutes of each match and Sergi Solans potted three goals in that span. The high-powered offense was just what RSL coach Pablo Mastroeni wanted to see.
“We have to bring the fans into the game and be electric and front-footed,” Mastroeni said before the San Diego game. “Both (San Diego and Miami) offer opportunities in transition and we’ve improved drastically in that area.”
Neither RSL nor Miami has lost since dropping their respective season openers Feb. 21. They’ve each scored 16 goals on the year, Messi accounting for seven of Miami’s and Solans scoring five for RSL.
Messi’s co-star Luis Suarez could draw back in after not being utilized against Colorado.
Meanwhile, Miami forward Mateo Silvetti (hamstring) participated in practice Monday, per the Miami Herald, and his status for the match is up in the air. The 20-year-old has scored two goals.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Strong second period allows Bruins to level series with Sabres
Apr 21, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Boston Bruins center Fraser Minten (93) controls the puck during the first period against the Buffalo Sabres in game two of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images The visiting Boston Bruins scored three second-period goals and held off a late Buffalo Sabres rally to post a 4-2 win on Tuesday and even their Eastern Conference quarterfinal playoff series at one victory apiece.
Viktor Arvidsson scored in the last two periods, giving the Bruins 1-0 and 4-0 leads. Morgan Geekie and Pavel Zacha also lit the lamp for Boston, which heads home for Game 3 of the best-of-seven series on Thursday.
Jonathan Aspirot, Casey Mittelstadt and David Pastrnak each dished out two assists for the Bruins, and Jeremy Swayman made 34 saves.
Bowen Byram and Peyton Krebs scored as Buffalo climbed within 4-2 in the closing minutes.
Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen allowed four goals on 19 shots before Alex Lyon entered in relief following Arvidsson’s second marker, which came just 16 seconds into the third period.
Buffalo had a 36-26 shot advantage, including 20-8 in the third period, but its power play went 0-for-5. Boston finished 1-for-6 on the man advantage.
The physical contest featured 47 penalty minutes for each team.
Following a scoreless opening period, the Bruins took over in the second, scoring on three of their 11 shots against Luukkonen.
Arvidsson broke the deadlock 4:54 into the middle frame, taking Aspirot’s lob pass in ahead of the defense and beating Luukkonen five-hole with a backhander from the left circle.
A gaffe by Luukkonen helped Boston double its lead with 3:31 left in the period, as Geekie’s high backhanded dump from the far side of center ice eluded him over the glove.
The Bruins’ power play got in on the action 1:41 later. After Geekie’s one-handed keep-in at the blue line extended the play, Zacha tipped in Pastrnak’s shot from the top of the right circle while stationed in the bumper position.
Arvidsson made it 4-0 early in the third, prompting Sabres coach Lindy Ruff to change goaltenders. Aspirot banked a long feed off the boards to set up the play, leading Arvidsson down the left wing to score on a 2-on-1 rush with Zacha.
The Sabres struck twice in a 1:14 span to make things interesting. Byram accepted Beck Malenstyn’s back pass for a wrister from the top of the right circle to break Swayman’s shutout bid with 6:06 left.
Krebs soon made it 4-2, batting down and scoring the rebound of a Rasmus Dahlin point shot that caromed off the post and back into the crease.
–Field Level Media
Cardinals down Marlins behind Nathan Church's homer
Inter Miami visits Real Salt Lake for second test following coaching change
