Sports
Rangers' goal-scoring run gets tested against Panthers
Oct 22, 2024; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; New York Rangers center Filip Chytil (72) celebrates with center Adam Edstrom and center Sam Carrick (39) his goal scored in hte first period against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images Five months ago, the New York Rangers scored 12 goals against the Florida Panthers and lost the Eastern Conference finals in six games.
In the early portion of another season with high expectations, the goals that could not be consistently produced are occurring frequently. The Rangers attempt to maintain their high-scoring ways Thursday night when they host the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers.
New York scored 35 goals in 10 games in the first two playoff rounds against the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes before encountering difficulties against Florida’s defense and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. The Rangers were blanked in the series opener and scored five times in the final three games after taking a two games to one lead.
After not making any major moves for a roster which claimed the President’s Trophy and scored the seventh-most goals last season, the Rangers are off to a 5-0-1 start. They have scored 31 goals, including 24 at even strength.
New York is on its longest point streak to start a season in team history and is the first team with 31 goals through the first six games since the Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils in 1993-94.
The Rangers return home on a four-game winning streak since an overtime loss to the Utah Hockey Club in its home opener on Oct. 12. New York outscored the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens 16-5 during the road trip.
The latest big night occurred in Tuesday’s 7-2 rout at Montreal when the Rangers scored four goals in the opening 11:05 while defenseman Ryan Lindgren made his season debut after sitting out with an upper-body injury. Six players scored as Filip Chytil tallied twice and 12 players finished with at least one point.
Kaappo Kakko scored and collected two assists while Braden Schneider, Jonny Brodzinski, Reilly Smith and Mika Zibanejad also scored. Artemi Panarin collected an assist and has 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in a season-opening six-game points streak.
“We got a lot out of all the lines right from the drop of the puck,” New York coach Peter Laviolette said “(It was) maybe the best team win of the year. I thought consistency from all lines just going over the boards was really good.”
The defending champions are starting a trip that culminates with two games against the Dallas Stars in Finland next week. Florida has scored 24 goals so far but also been held to two goals or fewer in four games.
The latest instance was a 5-1 loss to the visiting Minnesota Wild on Tuesday when Panthers players and coach Paul Maurice felt the effort was lacking. Florida allowed two goals in a span of 22 seconds in the first period and then two in a span of 2:07 in the second after Sam Bennett scored his fifth goal this season on a night when Bobrovsky was pulled from the net and remained one shy of his 400th career win.
Florida took the loss despite conceding a season-low 22 shots on goal as its offense generated 25 shots, marking the fifth time it was held under 30 shots on goal.
“There is an emotional level you have to get to, to play the way we play, or to play well in an NHL game and we were not there,” Maurice said “When you have a game that across the board, your best players were not your best players, the coach didn’t get them right. … We weren’t anywhere near where we needed to be.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Serena Williams, 44, wins doubles comeback in London
Aug 29, 2022; Flushing, NY, USA; Serena Williams of the United States serves to Danka Kovinic of Montenegro on day one of the 2022 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-Imagn Images Serena Williams successfully launched her comeback Tuesday with a doubles upset during the HSBC Championships at the Queen’s Club in West Kensington, London.
Ending a nearly four-year retirement, the 44-year-old Williams partnered with 19-year-old Victoria Mboko of Canada for a 7-6 (2), 6-2 win against No. 3 seed Nicole Melihar-Martinez and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe.
Routliffe is a two-time U.S. Open doubles champion (2023, 2025) and Melihar-Martinez was a doubles finalist at Wimbledon in 2018 and the U.S. Open in 2020.
“I was having so much fun playing with Vicky,” Williams said in a post-match on-court interview. “She was really able to hold up the team and play big on the big points. I could really rely on her. We never played together but it just felt so natural playing with her.”
Williams’ first-round victory at the WTA 500 grass-court tournament was the 23-time Grand Slam winner’s first professional match since a tearful farewell at the 2022 U.S. Open.
Williams, who received a wild-card entry into the tournament, and Mboko advanced to the quarterfinals. They will face the winner between Canada’s Leylah Fernandez and Germany’s Laura Siegemund vs. Russia’s Alexandra Panova and the Netherlands’ Demi Schuurs.
Williams was asked what her tennis schedule might look like down the road and why she picked the HSBC Championship for a doubles return.
“I don’t know … I had nothing better to do,” Williams said, drawing laughs from fans. “I got tired sitting at home. My kids are out of school for the summer so why not.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Andrew Putnam wins 9-hole playoff for final U.S. Open spot from Oregon
May 3, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Andrew Putnam watches his tee shot on the second hole during the final round of the Cadillac Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Romance-Imagn Images PGA Tour veteran Andrew Putnam took the concept of “Golf’s Longest Day” to a new extreme.
After playing 36 holes at Emerald Valley Golf Club for U.S. Open final qualifying Monday in Creswell, Ore., Putnam and Spencer Tibbits were tied for second on the leaderboard. The problem was that only two spots were available from Oregon, requiring a 2-for-1 playoff.
Putnam and Tibbits played six more holes late Monday and couldn’t break their deadlock. They returned to the course Tuesday morning, and Putnam finally claimed victory on the ninth hole.
Putnam, a 37-year-old from Tacoma, Wash., will play his second major championship this year after appearing in none of the majors in 2025. He tied for 55th last month at the PGA Championship. Putnam last appeared in the U.S. Open in 2023, when he tied for 43rd.
His only victory on tour came in 2018 at the Barracuda Championship.
Greyson Leach shot 4-under-par 140 over 36 holes for medalist honors at Emerald Valley. Putnam and Tibbits tied at 3-under 141, with Tibbits squandering an advantage by following an opening 66 with a second-round 75.
Emerald Valley was one of 10 final qualifying sites across the U.S. and Canada on Monday. They were also contested in Toronto (near this week’s RBC Canadian Open), at two locations in Ohio, one in California and several courses around the East Coast.
The U.S. Open will be contested June 18-21 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y.
Here is the final list of players to qualify Monday (three other qualifiers were previously held):
–Ball Ground, Ga.: Chris Kirk, Jake Peacock, Keith Mitchell, Robbie Higgins, Chase Kyes (a)
–Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.: Giuseppe Puebla (a), Ben Silverman, Ryder Cowan (a), Miles Russell (a)
–Purchase, N.Y.: Kevin Roy, Max Greyserman, Benjamin James (a), James Nicholas
–Gastonia, N.C.: Jackson Ormond (a), Carl Yuan, Jackson Van Paris, Brandon Wu, Cole Hammer
–Rockville, Md.: Jackson Suber, Ben Kohles, Logan Reilly (a), Jake Sollon
–Springfield, Ohio: Neal Shipley, Zac Blair, Dylan Wu, Billy Horschel, Nick Hardy
–Westerville, Ohio: Davis Thompson, J.B. Holmes, Vaughn Harber (a), Arni Sveinsson (a)
–Toronto: Emiliano Grillo, Alejandro Tosti, Marcelo Rozo, William Mouw, John Parry, Max McGreevy
–Sacramento, Calif.: Taylor Montgomery, Eric Lee (a), Matthew Robles (a), Marek Fleming (a)
–Creswell, Ore.: Greyson Leach, Andrew Putnam
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Brewers signing OF prospect Luis Lara to 7-year, $31M deal
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Luis Lara adjusts his cap during spring training workouts Monday, February 16, 2026, at American Family Fields of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. The Milwaukee Brewers are in agreement with outfield prospect Luis Lara on a seven-year, $31 million extension, multiple outlets reported Tuesday.
The contract with the 21-year-old Venezuelan begins this season and includes three club options, potentially taking the deal through 2035.
The extension could max out at $78 million if Lara reaches all the incentives, a source told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Lara is ranked No. 5 among Milwaukee’s prospects and No. 91 among all major league clubs by MLB Pipeline.
He is batting .338/.447/.500 with seven homers, 27 RBIs and 18 stolen bases in 56 games this season at Double-A Nashville.
The Brewers have signed similar long-term deals with up-and-coming prospects before, including outfielder Jackson Chourio in December 2023 and current minor league shortstop Cooper Pratt in April.
–Field Level Media
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