Sports
NHL roundup: Hurricanes KO Devils in 2OT
Apr 29, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho (20) scores the game winning goal in the second overtime against the New Jersey Devils in game five of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images Sebastian Aho scored his second goal of the game at 4:17 of the second overtime period, and the Carolina Hurricanes advanced to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 5-4 win against the New Jersey Devils in Game 5 on Tuesday in Raleigh, N.C.
With less than a minute remaining on a high-sticking double minor to New Jersey’s Dawson Mercer, Aho beat goalie Jacob Markstrom with a one-timer from the right circle.
Aho also had an assist and Pyotr Kochetkov made 31 saves for the Hurricanes, who overcame a three-goal deficit on Tuesday to capture the best-of-seven series. Taylor Hall, Jackson Blake and Andrei Svechnikov also scored for Carolina, which will face either the Washington Capitals or the Montreal Canadiens in the next round.
Carolina’s Shayne Gostisbehere and Seth Jarvis each logged two assists. Stefan Noesen had a goal and an assist, and Brett Pesce had two assists for the Devils. Dawson Mercer, Timo Meier and Nico Hischier added goals, and Markstrom made 49 saves.
Golden Knights 3, Wild 2 (OT)
Brett Howden scored at 4:05 of overtime to give Vegas a victory over Minnesota in Game 5 of a Western Conference first-round playoff series in Las Vegas.
William Karlsson scored a short-handed goal, Jack Eichel had two assists and Mark Stone also scored for the Golden Knights, who took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. Vegas’ Adin Hill made 20 saves.
Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy each scored a goal and Joel Eriksson Ek had two assists for the Wild. Filip Gustavsson stopped 23 shots before giving way to Marc-Andre Fleury at the start of the third period because of an illness. Fleury finished with six saves and moved past Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy for the most Stanley Cup postseasons by a goalie in NHL history, 18.
Senators 4, Maple Leafs 0
Linus Ullmark made 29 saves for his first career playoff shutout in Ottawa’s win at Toronto in Game 5 of an Eastern Conference first-round series.
The Maple Leafs lead the best-of-seven set 3-2, but the Senators have claimed the last two, and they host Game 6 on Thursday. Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk each had a goal and two assists and Dylan Cozens and defenseman Thomas Chabot also scored for the Senators.
Anthony Stolarz stopped 15 of 17 shots for the Maple Leafs, who have lost 13 of their past 14 chances to close out a playoff series.
Oilers 3, Kings 1
Mattias Janmark scored the third-period go-ahead goal as visiting Edmonton beat Los Angeles to move one win away from advancing in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Evander Kane and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored for the Oilers in yet another comeback victory, which gives them a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series. Calvin Pickard made 21 saves.
Andrei Kuzmenko scored for the Kings, who have lost three consecutive games. Darcy Kuemper gave Los Angeles a chance with a 43-save performance.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Dodgers put 1B Freddie Freeman on paternity list, call up OF Ryan Ward
Apr 8, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) hits a single against the Toronto Blue Jays during the sixth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Dodgers placed first baseman Freddie Freeman on the paternity list Sunday and called up outfielder Ryan Ward to the major leagues for the first time after seven minor league seasons.
Freeman, 36, is batting .296 with three home runs and 14 RBIs over 20 games this season. He had two hits in each of the last three games and four times in the past five games to raise his early batting average nearly 40 points.
Ward, 28, was drafted in the eighth round by the Dodgers in 2019 and is in his fourth season at Triple-A Oklahoma City. He won the Pacific Coast League MVP last season when he hit 36 home runs with 122 RBIs in 143 games.
Ward finally gets his first call to the major leagues after 154 home runs, 530 RBIs and a .266 batting average over 696 games in the Dodgers’ system, including 420 games at Triple-A.
“You talk about performance and he’s performed as well as, if not better than, anyone,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said about Ward in spring training, according to the Orange County Register. “So for him to not get a shot, I’m sure he’s frustrated and understandably so. But the message for him is to keep putting up numbers and knock the door down and hopefully the opportunity comes for him sometime this year.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Transfer portal roundup: Kentucky adds Furman transfer Alex Wilkins
Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Furman Paladins guard Alex Wilkins (10) dribbles the ball against the UConn Huskies in the second half during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Former Furman guard Alex Wilkins has transferred to Kentucky.
His move was one of the biggest on a busy transfer portal weekend.
Wilkins excelled in his freshman season with the Paladins, averaging 17.8 points, 4.7 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 35 games (all starts).
Listed at 6-foot-5, Wilkins showed his skills to a national audience in Furman’s lone game of the NCAA Tournament. He made four 3-pointers and scored 21 points in the Paladins’ 82-71 loss to eventual national championship runner-up UConn in the first round.
–Ex-Belmont forward Drew Scharnowski announced his transfer to Duke.
In his recently completed sophomore season at Belmont, the 6-9 Scharnowski averaged 10.7 points. 6.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists over 21.9 minutes per game. He shot 68.1% in 30 games (24 starts).
He takes the roster spot of forward Nikolas Khamenia, who transferred to UConn on Saturday.
–Florida State gained the commitment of 6-11 forward Sebastian Rancik, who heads to Tallahassee after two seasons at Colorado.
A native of Slovakia, he attended high school in Southern California, where he was ranked as a four-star prospect in the 2024 class.
In 29 games (26 starts) with the Buffaloes as a sophomore, he averaged 12.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Astros place OF Joey Loperfido (quad) on injured list
Apr 11, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Houston Astros left fielder Joey Loperfido (10) is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after scoring a run during the second inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images The Houston Astros placed outfielder Joey Loperfido on the injured list with a right quad strain on Sunday and recalled right-hander Jayden Murray from Triple-A Sugar Land.
Loperfido, 26, was batting .259 with six RBIs in 20 games this season. He started at least one game in all three outfield positions.
Traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2024 and then re-acquired via trade in February, Loperfido is a career .249 major league hitter with eight home runs and 45 RBIs in 142 games over three seasons.
Murray, 29, had one appearance earlier this season and has a 2.63 ERA in 10 games over the past two seasons for the Astros. His addition increases Houston’s staff to 13 pitchers.
Also on Sunday, the Astros traded minor league right-hander Wilmy Sanchez to the New York Yankees for infielder Braden Shewmake, a former first-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2019.
In 31 major league games for the Braves and Chicago White Sox, Shewmake, 28, is batting .118 with a home run and four RBIs.
–Field Level Media
Dodgers put 1B Freddie Freeman on paternity list, call up OF Ryan Ward
Transfer portal roundup: Kentucky adds Furman transfer Alex Wilkins
