Sports
Penguins, Senators brimming with confidence amid strong runs
Jan 29, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Anthony Mantha (39) skates up ice with the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images The temperatures may be frigid outside, but the Pittsburgh Penguins are keeping things hot on the rink. Winners of six straight and on a 7-0-2 roll in their past nine games, the Penguins will look to keep the good times rolling when they host the Ottawa Senators on Monday.
Pittsburgh is coming off a 6-5 win against the New York Rangers on Saturday. The Penguins have climbed into second place in the Metropolitan Division and sit seven points behind the Carolina Hurricanes after their win Sunday afternoon.
“I think what we’ve been showing there is just, it’s a team that’s going to work at both ends of the ice,” Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse said. “Just relentless in our puck pursuit, relentless in our working above, in our defensive play. Then, we’re playing a united game, a connected game, where when we transition to offense, we do it together. We find each other, and then back to being relentless on the attack. Then you press repeat and you do it again.”
Anthony Mantha has been a key contributor in the Penguins’ run of late. He scored twice against the Rangers and has eight points in a four-game point streak. He’s third on the team in points, with his 40 trailing only Sidney Crosby (58) and Evgeni Malkin (42), and his 19 goals are second after Crosby.
The 31-year-old is eight points away from tying his career high (48), reached twice previously — back in 2017-18 and 2018-19 with the Detroit Red Wings.
“Confidence,” Mantha said of his success. “The trust level from the team, teammates, coaches, my work I put in mentally, physically. And good things are happening.”
The Senators, meanwhile, are hoping to keep pace as they try to get themselves back in the race for a playoff spot. Ottawa has won three straight, most recently skating away with a 4-1 triumph against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday in goalie Linus Ullmark’s first start since Dec. 27 following a personal leave for his mental health.
“I felt like I came out of retirement during practices because I hadn’t had a real practice since before Christmas,” said Ullmark, who had dressed as the backup for two games before his start. “It’s been a battle coming back. The same thing happened now: I had been gone for so long, that there was an excitement, I was nervous, which I haven’t been in a long time. That’s positive.”
The Senators entered Sunday eight points back of the final wild card from the Eastern Conference, with three other teams between them and the last spot.
“I feel there’s some confidence in our room,” Ottawa coach Travis Green said. “You can’t manufacture confidence. People talk a lot about it in the NHL, and the best way to get it is to win.”
Dylan Cozens has been enjoying a solid first full season with the Senators. The center is fourth on the team, and third among forwards, with 41 points (18 goals, 23 assists) in 54 games. He’s on pace for 27 goals and 62 points, which would be the second-highest totals of his career.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Top Seeds in Eastern Conference in Trouble During NBA Playoffs Round 1
The New York Knicks looked like they would be cruising to a 2-0 series lead over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night, then CJ McCollum struck. New York was outscored 28-15 in the 4th quarter, and all the momentum has flipped back in the Hawks’ favor as the series heads down south to Atlanta for game three.
Then over in Detroit, the Pistons feel like they’re in a must-win game two, as they’ll be looking to even their series up at one game apiece before the series heads down to Orlando.
Both Detroit and New York had lofty expectations heading into the playoffs, but the road has been a little bumpier than expected. For the Pistons, it was shocking to see another team set the tone for aggression in game one. Specifically with Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren. Those two combined for only 11 points and 11 rebounds and struggled to handle the physical play Orlando has consistently brought to the playoffs over the last few seasons.
Detroit wouldn’t be the first 60-win team to get bounced in the first round, but this would feel like a massive setback for the organization. JB Bickerstaff has a reputation for struggling in the postseason, and a first-round exit would bring into question whether he’s the right guy to lead the Pistons, even after two tremendous seasons turning things around in the Motor City.
The vibe for the Knicks is a bit different than what we’re seeing in Detroit, but their fans are still starting to feel some heat. New York has been in control for 95 minutes of this series, yet it’s still tied at 1 game each.
Of course, you’d think that New York would still be confident that they’re going to win this series; unfortunately, you can’t help but remember what Trae Young and previous iterations of the Hawks have done to the city. It’s hard not to let negative thoughts creep into your brain after what you’ve experienced in the past. If there was one lower seed the city of New York wanted to miss, it was Atlanta, and we’re already seeing why in what might be the best series in the first round of the playoffs.
Boston is the third favorite in the East to drop a game, but the vibe in that series still feels entirely different. Boston has notoriously dominated the Sixers in the postseason, so I doubt that even after losing one game, they’re feeling any pressure in their series.
The Knicks are still -198 to advance, and Detroit is -205, so they’re still solidly favorites to advance, but the pressure has begun to creep in. Who would’ve guessed that James Harden and the Cavs would look the most comfortable in an Eastern Conference first-round series?
Sports
Fresh off offensive outburst, Brewers bid for series win vs. Tigers
Apr 21, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Milwaukee Brewers second baseman David Hamilton (6) hi-fives teammates after scoring a run against the Detroit Tigers during the seventh inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images The Milwaukee Brewers had their second-best offensive showing of the season on Tuesday.
The host Detroit Tigers will try to cool them off during the second contest of a three-game series on Wednesday night.
Milwaukee pounded out 16 hits in a 12-4 thumping of the Tigers in the series opener on Tuesday. That output included a seven-run eighth inning. Leadoff hitter Brice Turang led the way by driving in four runs.
The Brewers, who have won five of their past six games, reached double digits in runs for the second time. They scored 14 in their season opener against the Chicago White Sox last month.
Right-hander Casey Mize (1-1, 2.78 ERA) will make his fifth start of the season for Detroit on Wednesday. Mize finished 2025 with a 14-6 record in 28 starts and has been even more impressive this season — although his win-loss record doesn’t reflect that.
Mize allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings to Minnesota under miserable weather conditions on April 6. Otherwise, he has given up just two runs combined in his three other outings, spanning 18 1/3 innings.
His last effort was his best, as he limited Boston to three hits and one walk over 6 2/3 scoreless innings. He struck out seven but got no offensive support as the Tigers lost in 10 innings, 1-0.
“I feel good,” Mize said. “I feel like I’ve had three good [starts] and one bad one. I feel fine, but we’ve got to translate them to wins. That’s what I care about the most.”
He’ll get his share of victories if he remains this effective.
“We had a good game plan,” Mize said. “I was able to execute at a pretty high clip (Friday). I felt like I was moving well and the ball was coming out well. When you execute, more times than not you are going to have nights like this.”
Mize was the top pick in the 2018 draft and, after some injury issues during his career, is pitching like an ace.
“Casey was incredible,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said about his most recent performance. “What I told him afterwards was that’s the best combo of stuff execution, the way his body’s moving, I mean, he was excellent.”
Mize has lost his only career start against Milwaukee, in 2024, giving up five runs in 5 1/3 innings.
Right-hander Chad Patrick (1-0, 0.95 ERA), Mize’s mound opponent on Wednesday, is coming off his best outing of the young season. He held Toronto to one run and three hits over 6 2/3 innings in his team’s 2-1 victory last Wednesday. He struck out only two, but that didn’t faze him.
“I think everything’s coming together,” he said. “I’m not going to do anything sexy out there. It’s here you go, hit it, swing and miss, do what you do. My job is to get weak contact and swings and misses, they come and they go.”
Patrick is more than capable of getting strikeouts. He had 127 in 119 2/3 innings last season as a rookie and recorded 11 in nine postseason innings.
“Anytime I face a lineup, it’s pretty aggressive,” Patrick said. “I feel like I’m a strike thrower. Anytime I’m facing a team, I think that’s the message over there.”
He’ll face the Tigers for the first time in his career.
–Field Level Media
Sports
At 41, LeBron James Is Still Dominating the NBA Playoffs
Feb 1, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts during the second quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images LeBron James proved during Game 2 that he could still unlock the height of his powers when required.
Without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the Lakers are the talk of the NBA Playoffs. Los Angeles has taken a commanding 2-0 lead over the Houston Rockets after a narrow win on Tuesday night.
James has been stellar in this series. But in Game 2, his 28 points in 39 minutes helped power the Lakers over the Rockets, who had returned Kevin Durant from injury.
Durant hasn’t beaten James in an NBA Playoff game without Stephen Curry since 2011. When James takes a 2-0 lead in an NBA Playoff series, his teams are 32-0. This spells real trouble for the Rockets, who will return home for Game 3 on Friday evening.
James was spectacular in Game 2. Even though his son, Bronny, stole some of the attention in Game 1 for throwing his dad a few entry passes in the NBA Playoffs, the 41-year-old has been phenomenal without Doncic and Reaves, the top two scorers on the Lakers.
The Rockets came into this series as heavy favorites, priced at -600 to -750 on most major sportsbooks. Now, the popular prediction market, Kalshi, gives the Rockets just 46% probability of winning this series.
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Of course, when this thing flips back to Texas, and Durant gets his legs back under him, the Rockets could still turn this thing around. Without Doncic and Reaves, the Lakers have been leaning almost completely on James to lead them to victory. For two games, it worked. There’s no guarantee that it can hold up.
Regardless of that, what James has done in these first two games is remarkable. He has 80 25/5/5 statlines in the NBA Playoffs since he turned 30. He had 75 of those games before he turned 30. Michael Jordan had 73 of those games in his entire career.
James has completely lapped his peers. Carmelo Anthony was celebrated earlier this year for an induction into the basketball hall of fame. Chris Paul was somewhat abruptly forced into retirement.
Other aging NBA stars, including Curry and Kawhi Leonard, are already enjoying the NBA Playoffs from home. It’s supposed to be a young man’s league dominated by teams like the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
But old man James might have something to say about that. In just two nights, the Lakers have flipped from +10000 to win the Western Conference to +2500.
If James can keep this up for two more victories and eliminate Durant’s Rockets, it’ll be one of the coolest stories that the NBA Playoffs have ever seen. Sure, it’s just the first round. But James handling business without Doncic and Reaves, at his advanced age, is insane.
On Tuesday night, James threw down a reverse windmill dunk. He was moving around like a player in their early 30s – not early 40s. Prior to this series, there was a report that indicated that James doesn’t want a farewell tour and the pressure that comes with it. But this display in the postseason will only make fans want one more season, as it’ll feel like James would be stepping away from the game with plenty of gas in the tank if he decides to retire.
He’s an NBA legend that has nothing to prove. He has all of the records. He has all of the accolades. But enjoy what he’s doing right now. No 41-year-old has ever done this, and it likely will never happen again.
Top Seeds in Eastern Conference in Trouble During NBA Playoffs Round 1
Fresh off offensive outburst, Brewers bid for series win vs. Tigers
