Sports
Oilers aim to shore up defense as roadie continues at Lightning
Feb 22, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner (74) makes a save against the Philadelphia Flyers in the third period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images The Edmonton Oilers and Tampa Bay Lightning both hold postseason expectations, but they find themselves heading in opposite directions following the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
In their second matchup this season, the teams will square off Tuesday night in Tampa to conclude their season series.
On Dec. 10 in Edmonton, the Oilers won the first meeting 2-1 by leaning on superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl for their scoring.
However, the Oilers’ season-long five-game road trek to the East has started off disastrously. Their active three-game losing skid matches their longest of the season that started the campaign.
In blowout losses to the Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals in a weekend back-to-back set, the Pacific Division’s second-place club had two chances to catch the first-place Vegas Golden Knights.
Yet it struggled mightily in the defensive end and was outscored 13-6, surrendering the baker’s dozen tallies over 66 shots, including empty-net goals by Philadelphia’s Rasmus Ristolainen and Washington’s Alex Ovechkin.
In a battle of elite scorers, Ovechkin was better than McDavid and Draisaitl in Sunday’s 7-3 win, recording his 32nd career hat trick to the Edmonton duo’s combined one goal and one assist to send the Oilers south to the Sunshine State in a dark mood.
“Just get back to work,” said McDavid, who has 22 goals and 50 assists in 51 games. “Sometimes this happens after breaks. Some teams come out flying, some come out flat. We’ve obviously been the latter, so (we have) got to get back to our game.”
During its three-game losing streak, Edmonton’s game has been leaky in the crease.
Goaltender Calvin Pickard started and lost twice — to the Colorado Avalanche before the break and to the Capitals on Sunday. He combined to surrender eight goals on 52 shots.
Stuart Skinner allowed a total of eight goals on 43 shots in a relief appearance against Colorado and the 6-3 setback in Philadelphia.
Facing the Lightning, who are one of three clubs along with the Capitals and Winnipeg Jets to score 200 goals thus far, may not be the best medicine for what ails the Edmonton defense.
Tampa Bay showed rust in its first post-break game Sunday night against Seattle with multiple turnovers and fumbled passes galore, but after 60 minutes the club had captured a season-high fifth straight win.
Coach Jon Cooper, who led Team Canada to a 3-2 championship win in the 4 Nations, said it was good that his three Lightning players — Brandon Hagel, Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli — had a little time to prepare for the season’s resumption.
“Thank goodness we had at least one day (off) before starting play,” Cooper said after his team beat the Kraken 4-1. “To come back here and there’s no rest for the weary. There was a bug going around the tournament. (Hagel) picked it up here and we weren’t even sure he was going to play.”
Hagel provided the spark Sunday, snapping a scoreless tie with his third short-handed tally and the team’s 10th overall, the second-most in the league.
“It’s a credit to his will and want to win hockey games, whether it’s for the Bolts or Team Canada,” Cooper added.
Riding a 6-0-1 mark in his past seven starts, Andrei Vasilevskiy (26-15-3, 2.29 goals-against average, .920 save percentage) is expected to be in net against Edmonton.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lionel Messi (rest) officially ruled out of MLS All-Star Game
May 17, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi (10) reacts against the Portland Timbers during the second half at Nu Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi was one of four players officially ruled out of Wednesday’s MLS All-Star Game at Charlotte, N.C., as the Argentina star continues to recover from a run to the World Cup Final.
Also on Saturday, Hugo Cuypers, Rodrigo De Paul, Mbekezeli Mbokazi were ruled out of the All-Star Game, which will match the best of MLS against the top players from Mexico’s LIGA MX.
Cuypers earned his All-Star spot with his play for the Chicago Fire, but he was transferred to Mexico’s CF Monterrey on Thursday. De Paul, an Inter Miami midfielder, will follow Messi’s lead and bow out of Wednesday’s festivities after playing for Argentina in the World Cup.
Mbokazi, a defender from the Chicago Fire, was ruled out with a lower body injury. The South Africa native also appeared in this summer’s World Cup.
To replace the foursome, Inter Miami midfielder Yannick Bright, Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Andres Cubas, Houston Dynamo forward Guilherme and Fire forward Philip Zinckernagel all were named All-Stars on Saturday.
Bright has guided Inter Miami to a 9-2-1 record in his 12 starts this season, while Cubas has three assists in 12 matches for the Whitecaps. Guilherme has eight goals and five assists in his first season with the Dynamo, while Zinckernagel has five goals and seven assists for the Fire.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Marlins' Class A pitcher fails drug test, suspended 80 games
Sep 11, 2020; Miami, Florida, USA; A general view of a illuminated Miami Marlins logo in center field after the Miami Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies split a double header at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images Miami Marlins minor league pitcher Eiver Mosquera has received an 80-game suspension for testing positive for Boldenone, a performance-enhancing substance.
This season with Class-A Jupiter and the rookie-level Florida Complex League Marlins in 12 games (nine starts), the 19-year-old was 3-3 with a 4.50 ERA, 30 strikeouts and 16 walks in 38 innings.
Mosquera joined the organization in 2024 as a $150,000 international signing out of Venezuela.
–Field Level Media
Sports
NYCFC focusing on Fire, not player's demand, fan reaction
Sep 20, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York City FC midfielder a(7) brings the ball up the pitch against Charlotte FC during the second half at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Their leading goal scorer wants out of town and their goalkeeper is public enemy No. 1 after a costly gaffe during the World Cup played a key role in the United States losing to Belgium in the round of 16.
But New York City FC is still relying on Nicolas Fernandez Mercau and Matt Freese for big contributions Saturday night when the Chicago Fire invade Yankee Stadium.
Fernandez Mercau scored his 11th goal on a penalty kick Wednesday night during a 2-1 win at Columbus that got NYCFC (6-6-4, 22 points) to .500. It came one day after reports that the club rejected an $18 million offer for his services, leading to his demand that the team transfer him.
“You see a player that is performing for and with his team with a lot of energy,” head coach Pascal Jansen said of Fernandez Mercau. “That’s what he’s supposed to do.”
Freese, whose whiffed clearing attempt led to a third goal for Belgium in a 4-1 win on July 6, was booed on every touch Wednesday. Despite the jeers, he made three saves in the team’s first fixture after the World Cup break.
Meanwhile, Chicago (8-5-2, 26 points) sits third in the East table despite a 3-2 loss Wednesday night at Inter Miami. The result snapped the Fire’s three-match winning streak.
Chicago opted not to stand pat during the summer transfer window, adding Robert Lewandowski from Barcelona on a two-year deal. The 37-year-old Lewandowski, the captain of Poland’s national team, started at Miami and played 63 minutes.
“After just two days with my new team, I didn’t expect everything to work perfectly in my first game,” Lewandowski said.
Lewandowski’s signing led to the departure of star striker Hugo Cuypers. The Fire sold him to LIGA MX’s Monterrey for a reported $7.5 million after he scored 40 goals in 75 league matches over the past 2 1/2 seasons. Cuypers scored 13 goals in 11 matches this season, tying Dallas’ Petar Musa for the league lead.
NYCFC is 3-0-2 in its last five matches against Chicago.
–Field Level Media
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