Sports
O's sweep Twins, shift attention to AL wild-card series
Sep 29, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Baltimore Orioles catcher James McCann (27) celebrates his three-run home run with center fielder Cedric Mullins (31) during the fifth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images James McCann hit a three-run home run, Jordan Westburg drove in a pair and and the Baltimore Orioles pulled away for a 6-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.
Heston Kjerstad hit a solo home run for Baltimore (91-71), which completed a three-game sweep to finish the regular season. The Orioles will return home to host an American League wild-card series this week.
DaShawn Keirsey hit his first career home run for Minnesota (82-80). Carlos Santana hit a solo shot for the Twins, who finished the season with 27 losses in their last 39 games to squander a shot at the postseason.
Orioles right-hander Albert Suarez (9-7) allowed two runs on four hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out four, and he threw 48 of 71 pitches for strikes.
Twins right-hander Bailey Ober (12-9) allowed three runs on five hits in five innings. He walked none and struck out four.
Minnesota opened the scoring in the second. Santana pulled a 393-foot shot to left-center field for his 23rd homer of the season and No. 324 of his career.
The Twins made it 2-0 in the third. Keirsey led off the inning with a 368-foot blast to right for his first homer in six career games.
The 27-year-old reached the majors this season — six years after the Twins drafted him in the fourth round out of Utah. He has hit 43 homers across six seasons in the minor leagues.
McCann gave Baltimore a 3-2 lead in the fifth. He belted a changeup over the wall in left for a three-run shot that marked his eighth homer of the season.
The Orioles added two runs in the seventh. Westburg delivered a two-out, two-run single that drove in Cedric Mullins and Ryan O’Hearn.
Kjerstad hit a solo homer in the eighth to finish the scoring. His drive to center, which traveled 414 feet, gave him four homers in 39 games this season.
— Field Level Media
Sports
Anton Forsberg records shutout as Kings defeat Flames
Feb 28, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Kings center Alex Turcotte (15) shoots the puck during the second period against the Calgary Flames at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Griffin Hooper-Imagn Images Anton Forsberg made 29 saves for the Los Angeles Kings in a 2-0 win against the visiting Calgary Flames on Saturday afternoon.
Forsberg, who had allowed 16 goals while losing his previous four starts, posted his second shutout of the season and 10th in his 11-year NHL career.
Alex Laferriere and Adrian Kempe scored for the Kings, who had lost five in a row, most recently an 8-1 drubbing against the visiting Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.
Dustin Wolf made 35 saves for the Flames, who had won two in a row and three of four.
The Kings took a 1-0 lead at 15:36 of the second period.
Brandt Clarke started the play by making a diagonal pass from the neutral zone to Trevor Moore at the Calgary blue line. He skated in on Wolf before taking a wrist shot from the left circle that hit the near post.
Moore re-collected the puck in the corner, passed it to Quinton Byfield behind the net and he passed it out front to Laferriere. His initial shot from just below the right hash marks was saved, but Moore pulled the puck away from Wolf before he could cover it and Laferriere slapped in the puck from the side of the net for his 14th goal of the season.
The Flames went nearly 12 minutes without a shot on goal in the third period, helping the Kings maintain the one-goal advantage until Kempe scored into an empty net with 38 seconds left to make it 2-0.
Kempe has nine goals in his past 12 games against the Flames.
The Kings played without defenseman Drew Doughty (lower body) and forward Joel Armia (upper body), who were injured in the loss to Edmonton.
The Kings also announced on Saturday that winger Andrei Kuzmenko had surgery on a torn meniscus and is week-to-week.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Senators extend Maple Leafs' skid with resounding win
Feb 28, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot (72) celebrates with team mates at the bench after scoring a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images Dylan Cozens had two goals and an assist, Drake Batherson scored twice and the visiting Ottawa Senators defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 Saturday night.
Thomas Chabot added a goal and an assist for the Senators, who are 1-0-1 since the Olympic break. Linus Ullmark stopped 21 shots.
Morgan Rielly and William Nylander scored for the Maple Leafs, who are 0-3-0 since the break.
Joseph Woll allowed five goals on 28 shots before Anthony Stolarz replaced him late in the second period and made 12 saves.
The teams have split two games this season, with two more to come in the final month of the regular season.
Rielly scored from the left circle from Auston Matthews’ cross-ice pass from the right circle at 2:52 of the first period. It came two seconds after Cozens finished serving a roughing penalty.
Chabot leveled the game when he scored as the trailer from the high slot on Brady Tkachuk’s pass at 10:59 of the first.
The teams were tied after 20 minutes despite Ottawa holding a 16-2 advantage in shots on goal.
Cozens pounced on a loose puck to score from the edge of the crease at 3:03 of the second period. It came after Chabot’s shot from the left point was blocked in front of the net by Toronto’s Troy Stecher.
Batherson scored at 13:05 of the second on Ottawa’s third attempt during an onslaught on the Toronto net. Nylander answered 51 seconds later when he poked in his own rebound in the goalmouth.
Batherson came back to score on a 28-foot wrist shot at 15:15 of the second. Cozens added a power-play goal at 16:06. The Maple Leafs were serving a delay of game penalty after their unsuccessful challenge of Batherson’s goal.
A skirmish broke out early in the third period after a jam around the Toronto goal, resulting in two fighting majors and four minors.
Batherson had a chance at a hat trick but was foiled on a breakaway at 10:02 of the third period.
Toronto went on an ineffective power play at 10:27 that ended hopes of a possible rally.
Ottawa’s Shane Pinto rang the crossbar with a laser at 13:27.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cole Caufield, Canadiens grab early lead, cool off Caps
Feb 28, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield (13) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Washington Capitals during the first period at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images Cole Caufield scored two first-period goals and the Canadiens went on to beat the Washington Capitals 6-2 on Saturday night in Montreal.
Nick Suzuki had a goal and two assists for the Canadiens, who have points in seven straight (5-0-2). Jakub Dobes made 27 saves and improved to 9-0-2 in his past 11 starts.
Alex Ovechkin scored both goals for the Capitals, who had won three straight. Anthony Beauvillier had two assists and Charlie Lindgren made 19 saves for Washington, which was playing the second of a back-to-back after a 3-2 home win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday.
The Capitals went 0-for-4 on the power play after going 0-for-5 on Friday. Montreal was 0-for-3.
Caufield gave the Canadiens a 1-0 just 30 seconds into the game when he intercepted Jakob Chychrun’s pass, skated in on a breakaway and beat Lindgren with a wrist shot.
Ovechkin tied it at 13:16. Dobes made the save on Declan Chisholm’s shot from the point, but couldn’t control the rebound and Ovechkin knocked in the loose puck from the right post.
Caufield made it 2-1 at 14:19 when he backhanded in a loose puck at the right post after Lindgren made the save on Jayden Struble’s point shot.
Mike Matheson increased the lead to 3-1 at 12:22 of the second when he took a pass from Zachary Bolduc on the rush, skated down the open slot and beat Lindgren glove side with a wrist shot.
After Washington’s Aliaksei Protas hit the post, Suzuki gathered the rebound, skated down into the Washington end and fed Kirby Dach, who scored on a one-timer from the slot to make it 4-1 at 16:34.
Ovechkin pulled the Capitals within 4-2 at 12:12 of the third, scoring from the low slot when he tipped in a pass from Dylan Strome.
Suzuki sent a back-hander into an empty net at 16:44 to make it 5-2, then Jake Evans sent a shot nearly the length of the ice into an empty net for a short-handed goal during 6-on-4 play at 18:35.
–Field Level Media
