Sports
Oilers F Leon Draisaitl to miss ‘some time’ with unspecified injury
Mar 10, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl (29) during the first period against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images The Edmonton Oilers are preparing to play some stretch of games without star forward Leon Draisaitl.
Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch revealed that but little else to reporters Monday, one day after Draisaitl exited a game against the Nashville Predators after taking a hard hit.
“He had his doctor’s appointment this morning while we were on the ice and I haven’t heard anything since,” Knoblauch said. “I think we’ll be some time without him. I’m not sure if it’s one or two (games) or how long it’s going to be. I don’t have much information right now.”
Draisaitl, 30, is fourth in the NHL with 97 points, including 17 (six goals, 11 assists) on a current nine-game point streak.
Draisaitl was on the receiving end of Nashville forward Ozzy Wiesblatt’s hit early in the first period. After his exit, he did return to take two shifts at the end of the first but did not appear after that.
“It’s not the dirtiest check in the world, but it’s just who you hit and the result of it, unfortunately. If you want to hit our top guys, there’s going to be a response,” said star teammate Connor McDavid (37 goals, 77 assists for 114 points).
The Oilers entered Monday in third place in the Pacific Division (two points out of first) and have a homestand this week, with games Tuesday against San Jose, Thursday against Florida and Saturday against Tampa Bay.
“We don’t want to aggravate it and make it worse,” Knoblauch said. “Obviously we’re looking at the big picture, but the games are important. There’s nothing for sure right now making the playoffs and we need to win hockey games, but obviously if he’s not healthy to play, he’s not going to play.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: 49ers agree to 1-year deal with WR Christian Kirk
Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk (13) catches a touchdown against Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Brandin Echols (26) during the first half of an AFC Wild Card Round game at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images The San Francisco 49ers have agreed to a one-year contract with veteran receiver Christian Kirk, multiple outlets reported Monday.
The deal is worth up to $6 million, according to ESPN.
Kirk is the second veteran receiver the 49ers have signed in consecutive weeks. San Francisco also added longtime Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Mike Evans last week when free agency began.
Kirk, 29, has 432 career receptions for 5,415 yards and 30 touchdowns in 106 games (80 starts) over eight NFL seasons.
He struggled last season in his lone campaign with the Houston Texans. He had just 28 catches for 239 yards and one touchdown in 13 games.
Kirk did have a big game in the postseason with eight catches for 144 yards and a touchdown as the Texans beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-6 in the AFC wild-card round.
Kirk also has played four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals (2018-21) and three with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2022-24). His best season was 2022 when he established career highs of 84 receptions, 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns.
Kirk was a second-round pick by Arizona in the 2018 draft. He was a college football standout at Texas A&M.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Nate Diaz to make MMA return on Ronda Rousey-Gina Carano undercard
Sep 10, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Nate Diaz (red gloves) fights Tony Ferguson (blue gloves) during UFC 279 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images Nate Diaz is stepping back into an MMA cage for the first time in nearly four years as he has agreed to face Mike Perry in a five-round welterweight bout on May 16 in Los Angeles, Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions announced Monday.
The fight will take place on the card headlined by Ronda Rousey versus Gina Carano at Intuit Dome and stream live on Netflix as part of MVP’s first MMA event.
Diaz, 40, last competed in MMA in September 2022, when he submitted Tony Ferguson at UFC 279. He holds a 21-13 career record, including 12 submission victories. Since his last MMA fight, Diaz has remained active through crossover boxing matches. He lost by decision to Paul in 2023 before beating Jorge Masvidal in 2024.
“Glad to be back in action. It’s time,” Diaz declared via social media. “Don’t forget where this all came from. I got plans on doing a lot more in the next 10 years, no matter where it is. Time to set the bar again, so get ready for a new takeover again and again until the end of time.”
Perry, 34, brings his own second-act resume. After leaving the UFC in 2021, he rebuilt his brand in bare-knuckle boxing, remaining unbeaten and earning the BKFC symbolic “King of Violence” championship, while also briefly exploring boxing, which ended with a stoppage loss to Paul in 2024. He has a career 14-8 MMA record with 11 knockout wins and a perfect 6-0 record in bare-knuckle fighting.
Diaz-Perry becomes the third pillar of a star-studded night that originated with Rousey and Carano. Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou is scheduled for a heavyweight fight with Philipe Lins.
“MVP delivered the most-viewed boxing event since the advent of cable, and now we’re set to break records again with the biggest viewership in MMA history with the addition of Diaz vs Perry to Rousey vs Carano and Ngannou vs Lins,” Nakisa Bidarian, MVP CEO, said in a statement. “Nate Diaz is the Real BMF, and Mike Perry is the King of Violence — this will be a war from the first press conference all the way to the end when one of them has their hand raised.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Plagued by early deficits, Wild turn page to meet Blackhawks
Mar 10, 2026; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild left wing Nick Foligno (71) in action during the first period against the Utah Mammoth at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images A three-game winless streak has done little to compromise the Minnesota Wild’s solid playoff positioning.
Still, the locker room knows better than to get complacent as the stretch run nears.
A visit Tuesday to the slumping Chicago Blackhawks offers a chance for Minnesota to snap the skid and move closer to securing a postseason berth. The Wild are eager to seize it as they make the most of their current funk.
“The mood is good, I think. I truly do. I think adversity right now could be a positive,” defenseman Jake Middleton said. “We’ve got a lot of new bodies in the room. The lineup is kind of interchangeable game-to-game. Learning how to play in these types of situations could be a good thing for this group.”
Minnesota is entrenched in third place in the Central Division, six points behind the Dallas Stars and 14 ahead of the Utah Mammoth.
The Wild can thank the Blackhawks for preventing the Mammoth from creeping closer in the standings.
While Chicago is just 3-4-2 since play resumed after the Olympic break, all three victories during that span came against Utah.
After sweeping a home-and-home with the Mammoth last week, with both games requiring overtime, the Blackhawks were unable to sustain momentum Saturday in a 4-0 road loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Vegas beat Chicago goaltender Spencer Knight for three goals in the first 12 minutes. The Blackhawks allowed multiple power-play goals for the first time since Dec. 7.
“I don’t think we started well enough, pretty evidently,” Blackhawks defenseman Alex Vlasic said. “They jumped on us quick. (Against) a good team like that, they’re hard to compete with once they get a lead.”
Minnesota can attest to the difficulty of emerging from early holes, as home losses to the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday and New York Rangers on Saturday showed.
In Sunday’s 4-2 loss to visiting Toronto, the Maple Leafs struck for three goals in the middle period. Although Vladimir Tarasenko responded, scoring twice in 23 seconds to reach 700 career points, Minnesota fell short.
“Obviously when you’re down three, it feels like a huge mountain to climb,” Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt said. “But I thought we did an unbelievable job with sticking with what works for us and we continued to play the style of hockey that we want to play.
“We gave it a good push, but unfortunately (Sunday) it wasn’t enough.”
Tuesday marks the beginning of a home-and-home between the Blackhawks and Wild, who are set to conclude the season series on Thursday in Minnesota.
Minnesota defeated host Chicago 4-3 in overtime on Nov. 26 and earned a 4-3 shootout win at home on Jan. 27.
The Blackhawks expect defenseman Wyatt Kaiser (left shoulder) to play Tuesday after he missed the Vegas game due to injury.
Also set to return: former Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno. Tuesday is his first game in Chicago since the Blackhawks traded him to Minnesota on March 6.
Reunited with his brother Marcus, who is week-to-week with a lower body injury, Nick Foligno tallied one assist in his first five games with the Wild.
–Field Level Media
