Sports
Raiders look to avoid 'shocker' vs. Andy Dalton-led Panthers
Sep 8, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew (15) prepares to take the snap against the Los Angeles Chargers in the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images The Las Vegas Raiders will experience a role reversal Sunday as heavy favorites against a visiting Carolina Panthers squad that is making a major change to a key position.
“There are shockers each and every week,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said. “Last week, it was us (winning). We don’t want to be on that headline (this week).”
The Raiders (1-1) are fresh off a comeback victory at Baltimore last weekend after a frustration-filled Week 1 result against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“How do we follow that up?” Pierce said. “I want to be consistent each and every week.”
The Panthers (0-2) are changing quarterbacks, deciding to have veteran Andy Dalton as the starter. He’ll replace 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick Bryce Young, who hasn’t gained much traction two weeks into his second season.
Carolina has been outscored 73-13 by the New Orleans Saints and Chargers but doesn’t want to be defined by just a pair of games.
“We still don’t know who we are yet,” Dalton said. “It’s still early. … Hopefully, we can really put it together and see what we can be.”
The Panthers weren’t willing to wait any longer before making a move after seeing an offense that was ineffective for the second straight Sunday in a 26-3 loss to the Chargers in Week 2.
“Focusing on the details,” Carolina coach Dave Canales said of what his team must do to improve. “Focusing on being right where you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to be there. Those are things we have to get better at as a whole group.”
Before facing the Panthers in their home opener, the Raiders showed the ability to bounce back on the road against the Ravens, despite entering the game as 8 1/2-point underdogs.
“Can we just do it for four quarters?” Pierce said. “Let’s see what that looks like in front of our home crowd.”
Las Vegas is led by well-traveled quarterback Gardner Minshew, who’s with his third team in as many seasons. He completed 30 of 38 throws for 276 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the 26-23 win at Baltimore.
With Dalton, 36, there could be a different vibe for Carolina’s offense.
“It’s nice to kind of be back in this position and affect the game,” he said. “I’m just thankful for an opportunity. I wasn’t sure I was going to get it again.”
Dalton is counting on his background to help him get through.
“I’ve been in this position before,” he said. “The experience I’ve had in this league for a long time.”
Canales was peppered with questions this week regarding what’s next for Young, 23, and what this move means in terms of his development.
“My concern is the football team,” Canales said. “My concern is that we push the whole group … and the focus is on the Raiders.”
Dalton has credentials as a three-time Pro Bowler, and the Panthers certainly hope that he’s the story this weekend rather than Young’s benching.
His only start as a Panther came a year ago in a Week 3 loss at Seattle, where he threw for 361 yards and two TDs. In his career, Dalton’s record is 83-78-2 as a starter, including 4-0 against the Raiders.
Carolina needs boosts in several areas. The Panthers began the week with only four healthy defensive linemen.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Kraken hope to finish hat trick this time vs. red-hot Hurricanes
Feb 28, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Kraken right wing Jordan Eberle (7) celebrates after scoring a goal during the third period against the Vancouver Canucks at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Blake Dahlin-Imagn Images Business is presumably booming at the Seattle Kraken’s souvenir store.
Because a lot of fans are again unnecessarily in need of a new hat entering Monday’s game against the visiting Carolina Hurricanes.
For the second time in five weeks, Kraken fans rained their headwear down on the ice at Climate Pledge Arena thinking one of the home team’s players had netted a hat trick with three goals.
And for the second time, Matty Beniers nixed the party hats.
Back on Jan. 27 against Washington, a delayed penalty against Beniers — called by a linesman, so neither referee hand their arms raised — wiped away a hat trick by Jared McCann.
It happened again Saturday in a 5-1 victory against Vancouver.
Captain Jordan Eberle, who tallied on a breakaway in the second period, appeared to score a power-play goal at 11:56 of the third when he took a pass in the left-wing corner, skated to the front of the net and stuffed the puck past the Canucks’ goaltender and just inside the far post.
When Eberle scored into an empty net with three minutes left, fans littered the ice with their hats.
But they were unaware the official scorer had changed Eberle’s previous goal, which apparently glanced off the toe of Beniers’ skate.
“I think we owe the fans some hats,” said Eberle, who has a team-leading 22 goals this season.
After McCann’s fiasco, the Kraken announced a “Hat Tricked” promo which allowed 1,000 fans who were in attendance to fill out a form to receive a new hat.
There was no immediate word on whether the Kraken would do that again after Saturday’s mishap.
Eberle (two goals, one assist) and Chandler Stephenson (one goal, two assists) both had three-point nights for the Kraken, who snapped a two-game skid. Seattle currently holds the second and final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, three points ahead of the San Jose Sharks, Nashville Predators and Los Angeles Kings.
“I liked our consistency from start to finish,” Kraken coach Lane Lambert said. “It was nice for us putting some pucks on net. We had talked about shot mentality. I still think we can do a better job of that. … If you look at the first two goals, we’ve got traffic (net front), and that’s the way you’re going to have to score down the stretch.”
The Hurricanes, who are riding a five-game winning streak and have points in 12 straight (10-0-2), lead the Metropolitan Division and are first overall in the Eastern Conference with 82 points.
The Hurricanes are opening a four-game trip that will also take them to Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary in a span of six days.
They are coming off a 5-2 victory Saturday against visiting Detroit. Taylor Hall and Shayne Gostisbehere each had a goal and two assists in the win.
“There was a stretch there where we took our foot off the gas and it didn’t look so good, but I thought overall the D played really well,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said.
This will be the second and final regular-season meeting between the teams. Carolina rallied with two goals in the final 10 minutes to win 3-2 on Jan. 10 in Raleigh, N.C., snapping Seattle’s 10-game point streak (8-0-2).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Warriors star Steph Curry out at least 5 more games with knee injury
Feb 22, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) cheers from the bench during a game against the Denver Nuggets in the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images The Golden State Warriors on Sunday said Stephen Curry will miss the next five games before his right knee injury is re-evaluated.
Curry, who hasn’t played since Jan. 30, is officially out for Monday’s home game against the Los Angeles Clippers with “right patellofemoral pain syndrome,” also called “runner’s knee.” It’s an overuse condition that is marked by pain around the kneecap.
In addition to the Clippers game, Curry will miss the Warriors’ three-game road trip to Houston, Oklahoma City and Utah and a home game against Chicago on March 10. The soonest he could be back is March 13 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Warriors have said Curry is making progress but is not doing work on the court yet.
Golden State (31-29) is in eighth place in the Western Conference and just 4-6 in the games Curry has missed before and after the All-Star break. The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Warriors 129-101 on Saturday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Anders Lee's game-winner downs Panthers, caps another Islanders comeback
Mar 1, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders left wing Anders Lee (27) controls the puck against the Florida Panthers during the first period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images Anders Lee scored the game-winning goal with 30.9 seconds left Sunday night for the surging New York Islanders, who overcame another two-goal deficit to beat the Florida Panthers, 5-4, in Elmont. N.Y.
Lee got a step on Aaron Ekblad, extended his stick to draw out goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and buried a forehand into the wide open left corner of the net.
Rookie Mathew Schafer scored twice while Carson Soucy and Bo Horvat also scored for the Islanders, who have won five straight games. New York has trailed 2-0 in each of its last three victories.
Goalie David Rittich made 29 saves.
Sam Bennett scored twice while Sandis Vilmanis and Sam Reinhart scored one apiece for the Panthers, who have lost seven of nine (2-7-0). Bobrovsky recorded 21 saves.
Vilmanis opened the scoring 3:44 after the opening faceoff, when he gloved a pass from A.J. Greer and backhanded a shot that trickled under Rittich’s legs.
Bennett doubled the lead by scoring six seconds into a power play with 5:06 left, when his shot from the left faceoff circle sailed past Rittich’s glove.
The Islanders began their latest comeback in unusual fashion with 1:59 remaining, when Schaefer’s shot from the right faceoff circle bounced before the crease, caromed over Bobrovsky’s head and glanced off the top post before bouncing off his back and into the net.
Soucy tied the score with a 4-on-4 goal 7:28 into the second. The defenseman took a drop pass from Simon Holmstrom, who was draped by the Panthers’ Gustav Forsling, and sent a shot under Bobrovsky’s glove.
Bennett gave the Panthers the lead again with 7:56 remaining, when his backhander from the middle of the right faceoff circle went under Rittich’s stick arm.
Horvat tied the score with 2:46 left with an angled shot from near the goal line that landed beneath Bobrovsky’s stick.
Schaefer gave the Islanders their first lead by scoring from the slot with 9:31 left in the third. This gave Schaefer 20 on the year at just 18 years old, making him the youngest defenseman to ever record 20 goals in a season and the youngest since Dion Phaneuf (20 years old) did it for the Calgary Flames in 2005-06.
With Bobrovsky pulled for an extra attacker, Reinhart tied it back up with 1:58 remaining.
–Field Level Media
Kraken hope to finish hat trick this time vs. red-hot Hurricanes
Warriors star Steph Curry out at least 5 more games with knee injury
