Sports
Predicting Second Round Stanley Cup Playoff Surprises
As the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs readies to kick into full gear, it is time to pull out the old Upset-O-Meter.
Now that the NHL is (almost) down to its elite eight, the championship chase hits another gear.
We have seen some trends already. All four division champions advanced, with the Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche handily dispatching all four wild-card squads.
Curiously, three — and possibly four — of the third-place finishers knocked out the second-place squads. The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota Wild eliminated the Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks beat the Edmonton Oilers. Plus, the Montreal Canadiens are taking their best swing at the Tampa Bay Lightning, with Sunday’s Game 7 to decide that extremely tight, and exciting series.
So who will reach the final four?
The underdog with the best chance is the Anaheim Ducks. As well as the Golden Knights finished the regular season and pushed out the Utah Mammoth, do not simply award them the title from the Pillow Fight … sorry … Pacific Division.
Sure, Vegas has looked more like the club we all expected, but there are some cracks for the Ducks to expose, namely, the Vegas goaltending. The Golden Knights are a better defensive team than the Oilers, but Carter Hart’s sub-.900 save percentage will not scare a talented Anaheim team that lit up Edmonton’s netminders, especially when on the power play.
Throw into the mix Anaheim’s speed and size, and the Golden Knights will have their hands full, even with their experience.
On the other side of the spectrum in terms of upset potential, we have the Hurricanes-Flyers series, which opened with a 3-0 Carolina victory on Saturday.
Full credit to the Flyers for beating their state rivals in the opening round, but the Hurricanes showed in the opener why they finished atop the Eastern Conference.
By no means would it be fair to expect Carolina to sweep Philly, but the Hurricanes are poised to have this series done and dusted in five.
Looking at the other Eastern Conference semifinal, we do not know yet who the Sabres will meet, but whether it is the Canadiens or Lightning, it will be a tight series.
The Sabres will deservedly be the favorites, but not by much. No matter the opponents, Buffalo’s goaltending will be considered second best, even with Alex Lyon having a lights-out run upon taking the net in Game 2 of their series against the Boston Bruins. Also of concern is Buffalo’s power play, which scored only one goal on 24 chances against Boston.
In Buffalo’s favor will be the fatigue factor of whatever club advances.
Which brings us to the series that could top them all: Colorado versus Minnesota.
The marquee matchup within the marquee matchup will be the battle of the two best defensemen in the game, Colorado’s Cale Makar and Minnesota’s Quinn Hughes.
And that’s only the beginning of the cavalcade of stars. Colorado was the league’s highest scoring team in the regular season thanks to Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas and Makar, but showed its ability to defend against the Los Angeles Kings in its first-round sweep.
Granted, it will not be as easy for the Avalanche against a Wild team with far more firepower than the Kings, led by Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Hughes.
Unfortunately for the Wild, injuries to shutdown center Joel Eriksson Ek and defenseman Jonas Brodin put them on the back foot before the puck even drops.
Minnesota will put up a fight, but expect Colorado to be too much.
Sports
Brewers recall RHP Logan Henderson to start vs. Nationals
Apr 4, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Logan Henderson (43) pitches during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images The Milwaukee Brewers recalled right-handed pitcher Logan Henderson from Triple-A Nashville and announced him as the starter for their Sunday afternoon road game against the Washington Nationals.
Henderson, 24, will be inserted into the lineup immediately, starting on the mound for the Brewers. Milwaukee has won five of its past six games.
Ranked as the No. 6 prospect and the top pitcher in the Brewers’ system by MLB Pipeline, Henderson will be making his second big league start of the season on Sunday.
He is 1-0 with a 9.00 ERA in one appearance. He gave up two runs on three hits in two innings as an opener in an 8-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals on April 4.
Last season, Henderson started five games for the Brewers and was 3-0 with a 1.78 ERA.
In five games (three starts) for Nashville this season, Henderson is 2-0 with a 1.02 ERA. He has struck out 26 batters in 17 2/3 innings.
In a corresponding move, the Brewers sent right-hander Easton McGee, 28, to Nashville. He pitched two innings of relief this season in two games and allowed just one base hit.
Washington left-hander Peter Poulin (2-0, 4.11 ERA) will oppose McGee in the series finale.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Raptors' Brandon Ingram in walking boot ahead of Game 7
Apr 26, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram (3) shoots the ball as Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) defends during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram was seen in a walking boot during the team’s shootaround on Sunday morning, several hours before Game 7 of the Eastern Conference first-round series against the host Cleveland Cavaliers.
Ingram is listed as questionable to play in the game due to right heel inflammation.
An All-Star this season for the second time in his career, Ingram was limited to 11 minutes and scored one point in Toronto’s 125-120 setback to Cleveland in Game 5 on Wednesday. He did not play in Toronto’s 112-110 overtime victory in Game 6 on Friday.
During the regular season, the 28-year-old Ingram averaged a team-high 21.5 points over 77 games. He also averaged 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists and drilled 38.2% of his 3-point attempts.
–Field Level Media
Sports
76ers' Joel Embiid to home fans: 'Don't sell your tickets'
May 2, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) scores a three pointer against the Philadelphia 76ers with 25 seconds to go in game six of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images It’s just a little more than 100 miles from Madison Square Garden in New York to Xfinity Mobile Arena in South Philadelphia — a relatively short car ride or train trip for Knicks fans who wanted to see their team in action against the 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
But 76ers star Joel Embiid, who was the NBA’s Most Valuable Player and a first-team All-Pro selection in the 2022-23 season, wants no part of Knicks fans invading his team’s home arena.
In his postgame interview Saturday night after the Sixers stunned the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of their series to advance, he put 76ers fans on notice.
Don’t sell your playoff tickets — especially not to Knicks fans.
New Yorkers overtook the Philadelphia arena two years ago when the No. 2-seeded Knicks eliminated the No. 7 Sixers in the opening round of the postseason. It has been presumed that Knicks fans bought their tickets from 76ers fans.
“I just have a message for our fans,” Embiid said Saturday night. “Last time we played the Knicks, it felt like [Philadelphia] was Madison Square Garden East. We’re going to need the support.
“Don’t sell your tickets. This is bigger than you. We need you guys.”
Embiid offered a solution, if need be.
“Knicks fans travel — they buy tickets,” he said. “There’s going to be people who will sell the tickets because they need the money. Don’t do it, we need you guys. We need the support, and we need them to be extremely loud. If you need money, I’ve got you.”
The Eastern Conference semifinal between the teams begins Monday in New York, with Game 2 set for Wednesday. The series will move to Philadelphia on Friday for Game 3, followed by Game 4 on Saturday.
The Knicks defeated the Atlanta Hawks in six games to advance.
–Field Level Media
Brewers recall RHP Logan Henderson to start vs. Nationals
Raptors' Brandon Ingram in walking boot ahead of Game 7
