Sports
Panthers, Jets take measure of desperation into rematch
Jan 27, 2026; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) moves the puck against the Utah Mammoth during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images It’s late January, but there’s still work to be done for both the Florida Panthers and Winnipeg Jets just to move into playoff position.
With each looking to rebound from their latest defeat, the Panthers host the Jets on Saturday in Sunrise, Fla.
Florida is the two-time reigning Stanley Cup champion, but currently sits eight points out of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Winnipeg, meanwhile, won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2024-25 and made the playoffs in seven of the previous eight seasons, but resides among the bottom four teams in the West.
With the three-week Olympic break next week, every point is vital, and there’s already little room for error when it comes to their respective playoff chances.
“Urgency is high,” Florida forward Sam Reinhart said. “You’re going to need it. These next couple of games are as important as ever.”
Florida fought back from two goals down to tie St. Louis 4-4 on Thursday, but gave up the tiebreaker in the last 10 seconds of regulation for a 5-4 loss. Matthew Tkachuk scored his first two goals of the season and added his 400th career assist for the Panthers, who have allowed nine goals in two straight losses after winning six of eight.
“It’s disappointing right now to let points slip away,” said Reinhart, who leads the Panthers with 52 points and owns three goals and two assists over the last four contests.
Tkachuk has six points in his six games this season since recovering from hernia surgery. He’s recorded 10 goals with 15 assists in 28 career games against the Jets.
Tkachuk notched his first point of the season when he assisted on Sam Bennett’s goal during Florida’s 2-1 shootout victory at Winnipeg on Jan. 22.
Though that victory should give the Panthers some confidence for this matchup, they’ve lost two straight and four of five at home.
Winnipeg, meanwhile, is 2-3-2 since winning four in a row. Following Thursday’s 4-1 loss at Tampa Bay, the Jets have been kept to one goal or less four times in the last six contests.
“You look at our goal, we got traffic in front of (Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei) Vasilevskiy with a high tip, and he didn’t see it — and that has to be consistent,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said.
“It was too far between when we did that. We (have) to do it on a consistent basis.”
Kyle Connor was credited with that tip-in, snapping a five-game goal drought. He’s totaled eight goals and seven assists in 14 career games against the Panthers, but was blanked in the meeting earlier this month.
Jets star Connor Hellebuyck stopped 19 of 20 shots versus Florida last week, but has yielded 10 goals in his last three starts. Teammate Eric Comrie has stopped 45 of 47 shots to win his last two starts.
Florida veteran Sergei Bobrovsky has endured a rather inconsistent season. He’s allowed 18 goals while losing three of his last four outings. Meanwhile, Panthers No. 2 goalie Daniil Tarasov posted a 1.22 goals-against average while winning his first four starts of the calendar year, which included saving 17 of 18 at Winnipeg, but allowed all five goals on 31 shots faced Thursday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tarik Skubal fans 10 in 6 innings as Tigers take down Red Sox
Apr 18, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) pitches during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images Tarik Skubal pitched six dominant innings and Kerry Carpenter highlighted his multi-hit game with a home run, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 4-1 win over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday afternoon.
Skubal (3-2) struck out 10, twice fanning the side, while allowing just one run on four hits en route to the win.
Carpenter (2-for-3, two RBI) and Kevin McGonigle (2-for-5, RBI, run) led the offense for Detroit, which broke a nine-game road losing streak.
Tyler Holton and Kenley Jansen teamed up in relief as Boston was limited to five hits. Jansen notched his fifth save.
Brayan Bello (1-2) took the loss, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks in four innings. He fanned four, while throwing 84 pitches.
The Tigers grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning while forcing Bello to throw 35 pitches. After McGonigle lined a leadoff single to right, another base knock by Colt Keith and a walk to Riley Greene loaded the bases.
Bello fanned Spencer Torkelson, but another free pass to Carpenter forced home Detroit’s opening run.
Bello retired the next eight men he faced, including a strikeout to begin the fourth, before the visitors marked the scoreboard again on Carpenter’s towering homer into the right-center field bullpen. After two more baserunners continued the line, Jake Rogers’ sacrifice fly and another McGonigle single extended the Detroit lead.
The four runs proved to be enough support for Skubal, who retired the Red Sox in order the first time through the lineup and allowed just one baserunner before Boston got on the board in the fifth.
In the hosts’ run-scoring inning, a Wilyer Abreu single and Ceddanne Rafaela double set the table in the inning, but Connor Wong’s double play ball plating a run was all of the offense Skubal would allow.
Back-to-back hits by Roman Anthony and Andruw Monestario to begin the sixth gave Boston an opportunity to break into its deficit further, but Skubal escaped trouble with two strikeouts of the next three batters.
Skubal fanned the side in the second and fourth innings. Boston’s Willson Contreras and Trevor Story each struck out three times in the game.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Nikola Jokic posts triple-double as Nuggets outlast Wolves in Game 1
Apr 18, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) walks off the court after a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves in game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images Nikola Jokic had 25 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, Jamal Murray scored a game-high 30 points and the host Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-105 on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.
Murray was perfect from the line, hitting a career-high 16 free throws, while Aaron Gordon finished with 17 points and Cameron Johnson and Christian Braun pitched in with 12 points each for Denver.
The Nuggets fell behind by 12 in the second quarter, but they forged a halftime tie and never trailed after the break.
“First game of the playoffs, you have all of this adrenaline, nerves, excitement,” said Murray, who scored just three points in the game’s first 14 minutes. “Just come out, be relaxed, do what I do and be aggressive.
“It’s not a feel-out game. To me, it’s the most important game of the series. It sets the tone and this is why you work for home-court advantage, to win this game right here.”
Game 2 is Monday night in Denver.
Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 22 points while Rudy Gobert produced 17 points and 10 rebounds. Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle scored 16 apiece, Ayo Dosunmu posted 14 and Donte DiVincenzo added 12.
Edwards, who missed 11 of Minnesota’s final 15 regular-season games due to right knee issues, was listed as questionable prior to the game. He wound up playing a team-high 38 minutes and contributing nine rebounds along with a team-high seven assists and three blocks, but he shot 7 of 19 from the field.
“He looked normal for what he’s been through,” said Timberwolves coach Chris Finch. “I thought he got tired in the third, so I pulled him a little bit earlier. He had some good looks throughout the game; touch maybe wasn’t there. It wasn’t the ‘Ant’ we’re used to seeing, but it’s pretty much as expected considering where he is trying to find his rhythm.”
The Timberwolves trailed by 12 after three quarters, but they rallied to start the fourth. Dosunmu and Edwards hit 3-pointers, then Gobert made a driving layup and a putback during a 12-4 run that cut the deficit to 97-95.
But Jokic answered with a three-point play and a tip-in to extend the lead to seven with 5:45 left.
Following a Minnesota timeout, Edwards missed a 19-footer and Braun made two free throws. After a Minnesota turnover, Jokic completed his 22nd playoff triple-double by feeding Bruce Brown for a fast-break dunk to make it 106-97 with 4:10 to go.
Edwards missed a long 3-point attempt that would have made it a 2-point game with 2:25 remaining. Gordon hit a follow dunk and Gobert’s offensive goaltending miscue kept it at 108-101 with 1:39 left.
The Timberwolves led by as many as 12 in the first half but a strong second quarter by the Nuggets sent it into intermission 62-62.
Denver took advantage of a Timberwolves’ scoring drought of 4:22 to open up a big third-quarter lead. Gordon scored half of the points in a 14-0 run, capping it with a follow dunk to make it 82-68. McDaniels hit a jumper in the lane to end the run but also picked up a technical foul.
Murray hit the free throw and then a turnaround to make it 85-70. Edwards came back into the game with four points and fed Mike Conley for a corner 3-pointer, but Jokic’s floater gave the Nuggets a 91-79 lead heading into the fourth.
The Timberwolves outshot the Nuggets from the floor and beyond the arc, but Denver rode Murray’s free-throw prowess to outscore Minnesota 30-14 from the line. The Nuggets made 30-of-33 free throws (90.9%).
“(Murray) made a lot of free throws because he got fouled,” Adelman said. “A lot.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lionel Messi's brace helps Inter Miami slay Rapids in front of huge crowd
Apr 18, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi (10) kicks and scores a penalty kick in the first half against the Colorado Rapids at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Lionel Messi recorded a brace and German Berterame added a tally on a header as Inter Miami earned a 3-2 win over the Colorado Rapids on Saturday in Denver.
Messi scored the go ahead goal in the 79th minute. He started a run just inside midfield and went unchallenged until the box where he blasted a shot into the upper part of the left corner for a 3-2 lead.
Rafael Navarro and Darren Yapi each scored a goal for Colorado (4-4-0, 12 points) in a contest played in front of 75,824, the second-largest crowd in MLS history.
Miami (4-1-3, 15 points) took a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute after Colorado goalkeeper Zack Steffen’s pass was intercepted by Yannick Bright. Josh Atencio offered a hard challenge and drew a yellow card after video review.
Messi took the resulting penalty kick and rolled a shot straight down the middle as Miami took a 1-0 lead.
Colorado had a solid look at the goal when midfielder Wayne Frederick attempted a one-touch lob shot. Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair sprinted well beyond the penalty arc to head away a loose ball, but Frederick’s attempt sailed over the open net.
In the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, Miami extended its lead to 2-0 as it connected on a series of passes deep in their attacking third. Messi got the run of play started with a tight touch pass to Rodrigo De Paul.
De Paul sent Mateo Silvetti on a run to the boundary line. His inward-spinning cross floated to the front of the goal where Berterame rose above the Colorado defense and tucked a header under the cross bar.
Navarro’s goal cut the Miami lead to 2-1. He started a run at midfield and used a step-over move to get an open shot a few steps into the box that tucked inside the left post past a diving St. Clair in the 58th minute.
In the 62nd minute, second-half substitute Yapi settled on a direct pass from Lucas Herrington and sizzled a shot past St. Clair for the equalizer.
Miami closed the win playing a man down as Bright was sent off with a red card in the 87th minute.
–Field Level Media
Tarik Skubal fans 10 in 6 innings as Tigers take down Red Sox
Nikola Jokic posts triple-double as Nuggets outlast Wolves in Game 1
