The Boston Bruins are working overtime in the midst of a heated playoff race.

After reaching overtime in three straight road games and five of their last six overall, coach Marco Sturm’s Bruins look to get back on the winning track at home when they entertain the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night.

“We wanted to be .500 and above (on the road trip) and we did that,” Sturm said. “So, now we got to go home and reset.”

The Bruins (37-23-8, 82 points) earned points but also left some on the table. As a result, they are tied with the Detroit Red Wings as the two current Eastern Conference wild-card teams, but the Columbus Blue Jackets sit just one point behind and have a game in hand.

During the final minute of overtime in Tuesday’s 3-2 loss at Montreal, Pavel Zacha’s breakaway opportunity was stopped by Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes. Cole Caufield scored the game-winner at the other end of the ice.

“Sometimes, it’s not on our side,” Sturm said.

Zacha was at the forefront of the attack Tuesday, scoring twice to establish a new career-high goal total of 22 and nearly lifting goaltender Jeremy Swayman to his fifth win in six starts with another tally in overtime. He has scored three in the last two games.

“We are clicking with our line, and it is a lot of fun playing with them. I also think power play helps a lot, too,” Zacha said. “We’re better on the power play than last year. That kind of gives you more of the looks and points there.”

The Jets (28-28-11, 67 points) have a tougher path to the playoffs, with three other teams separating them from the Western Conference cut line, and taking a 4-3 shootout loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday did not help.

Winnipeg held a 39-23 shot advantage and managed to tie the game with just over a minute remaining in regulation, but it wasn’t enough.

Gabriel Vilardi notched a goal and an assist, while Josh Morrissey and Jonathan Toews also scored goals for Winnipeg against Nashville. Kyle Connor assisted on all three Jets goals.

“We had 70 to 80 shot attempts. Their goaltender (Juuse Saros) was outstanding,” said Jets coach Scott Arniel. “In that second period, some shots he didn’t see. We hit a couple of crossbars and posts and missed the net a few times. We had tons of opportunities and Saros made some big stops.”

It was a point earned to conclude an eight-game homestand at 5-2-1. However, all three losses have come in the last five games.

“Every game’s playoff mode right now for us. That’s the position we put ourselves in because of our earlier in the season trouble,” Vilardi said. “Right now we’re in playoff mode obviously, and we got to preferably get two points, but what are you going to do?”

One downside recently has been the Winnipeg power play, which went 2-for-18 during the recent homestand and 1-for-4 on Tuesday. Improving that statistic will be crucial to navigate the competitive West playoff race.

“Special teams can be difference makers,” defenseman Josh Morrissey said. “We have done a lot of good things, but we have another gear as a group.”

–Field Level Media

Aryna Sabalenka didn’t mince words when asked about Dubai this week, saying criticism tied to her February withdrawal has left her questioning whether she’ll return to the event at all.

“I’m not sure if I ever want to go back there after his comment. For me it’s too much,” the world No. 1 said Tuesday at the Miami Open.

Sabalenka’s frustration stems from remarks by Dubai Tennis Championships tournament director Salah Tahlak after she and Iga Swiatek pulled out of the WTA 1000 event in February.

“It was an unfortunate surprise last night to get news of the withdrawal of Aryna and Iga,” Tahlak told The National in February. “And the reasons for withdrawal were a bit strange. Iga said she wasn’t mentally ready to compete, while Sabalenka said she has some minor injuries. I think there should be a harsher punishment on the players (for withdrawing). Not just fines — they should be docked ranking points.”

In Miami, Sabalenka called that stance “ridiculous” and said it reflects a bigger disconnect between tournaments and the players they rely on.

“For me it’s so funny — not so ‘funny,’ it’s actually so sad — to see that the tournament director and the tournaments are not protecting us, as the players,” she said. “They just care about their sellings, about their tournament, and that’s it.”

Sabalenka framed her decision to skip Dubai as part of a deliberate shift to protect her body in a calendar she believes is becoming unsustainably packed.

“I feel like scheduling, it’s too crazy,” she said, explaining the need for planned gaps to “reset, recharge” and build toward the biggest events.

The WTA echoed this concern in a statement, saying: “Athlete well-being is a top priority for the WTA,” and noting the formation of a Tour Architecture Council with recommendations to be put into action as soon as the 2027 season.

If Sabalenka were to follow through and skip Dubai going forward, it wouldn’t be a simple calendar tweak. WTA 1000s are mandatory events, and missing one results in an immediate ranking hit because a player receives zero points for that tournament week. It’s part of the structure the WTA uses to keep top players in its biggest non-Slam fields. Elite players are required to play the four majors, a set number of WTA 500s, and all 10 WTA 1000 tournaments.

For now, Sabalenka is focused on Miami — but her message to Dubai was clear. If the cost of prioritizing health is public scolding, she’s willing to take her schedule elsewhere.

–Field Level Media

Losing will not be not an option for Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg when the No. 1 seed Wolverines take the court in Buffalo to open the NCAA Tournament.

That’s the mindset the Wolverines preached after Howard beat UMBC on Tuesday night to claim the No. 16 seed in the Midwest Region. That sent the Bison to a Thursday afternoon first-round date with the Big Ten regular-season champions.

“Everybody is a threat. For them to get here, they have to win the championship,” Lendeborg said. “I’ve been in that predicament before when I was a mid-major.”

Michigan (31-3) ranks in the top six in offensive and defensive efficiency, a balance that invites plenty of people filling out brackets to pencil the Wolverines in for a Final Four trip to Indianapolis. But head coach Dusty May, who coached Florida Atlantic to the Final Four prior to his arrival in Ann Arbor, doesn’t believe his 6-3 record coaching in the NCAA Tournament has any bearing on what’s to come for either side.

If anything, May strolls into Buffalo wondering if the long string of routs on Michigan’s resume could work against the Wolverines.

“This year we had so many blowouts. We weren’t in very many close games so we didn’t get to learn as much about ourselves as we did in the Big Ten tournament,” May said, pointing to his team’s 80-72 conference tournament loss to Purdue.

“Obviously we’re still doing deep dives into when we’ve played well and when we haven’t and what’s been the difference. I think we’ve been getting 10 to 20 possessions less over the last month of the season than we got before that. So teams have slowed down tempo, teams have tried to restrict our freedom of movement, they’ve tried to get more physical with us. So we haven’t adjusted to that rugged play as well as we need to if we’re going to be as good as anybody in the country.”

Lendeborg led the Wolverines in scoring (14.6 points per game), just ahead of Illinois transfer Morez Johnson, a beast on the glass with agility and a jumper. Johnson averages 13.1 points per game and team-high 7.2 rebounds, narrowly in front of Lendeborg’s average (7.0 per game). Both are 6-foot-9 but play a vastly different style.

Howard (24-10) found its way through the First Four with a tightly contested win over UMBC in Dayton, Ohio. Head coach Kenny Blakeney said nobody owes his team an apology for the early workout in Buffalo hours after wrapping the 86-83 win in the First Four. Bryce Harris, who had 19 points, 14 rebounds and helped seal the win with a turnaround jumper with 12.7 seconds left, said the Bison pride themselves on being adaptable.

What might it take to slay top-seeded Michigan?

“I think it’s just staying composed. Aside from our coach’s extensive experience in the NCAA Tournament, I’ve actually been in this position before. We played Kansas my sophomore year as a 16 seed in Des Moines and one of the biggest things coming into the game, looking at the older guys, was just how composed they were,” Harris said.

“We talk about the lights kind of being a distraction, understanding you’re playing in the NCAA Tournament. It’s like, yeah, but it’s still a basketball game. You know what I mean? Rather than shying away from the energy and the hypeness around the game, you should embrace it. Embrace it, understand that you’re prepared for the moment.”

Harris and Cedric Taylor III each average 17.1 points per game entering the First Four. But they’re part of a starting lineup with only one player (the 6-7 Taylor) over 6-6.

Blakeney, who won a national title as a player with Duke, is no stranger to the stage awaiting his team. But slowing down Michigan will not be a simple task. Their three losses by a total of 16 points came against No. 2 seed Purdue, No. 5 seed Wisconsin and the top seed in the tournament, Duke.

Blakeney was present at the Duke-Michigan game in February after Howard played earlier in the day. He said he took a break that included a few tequila shots at a cigar bar before checking out the big boys in a sold-out setting in Washington, D.C.

“Instead of looking at the game like a coach, I wanted to just veg out and look at the game like a Cameron crazy,” Blakeney said. “So I was there as a fan cheering my brains out, enjoying my day, and just kind of taking it all in to be a fan.

“I saw they were big as hell. I was really impressed how fast they were in transition. Not really seeing them this year, I’m seeing 6-9. 6-10 guys sprint to the 3-point line, and then seeing them knock down threes. That was as high a level a game as I’ve seen in person in a very long time, just as a fan and as a spectator.”

The clock is ticking for Blakeney and Howard to transition into challenger mode, taking on Michigan less than 48 hours after beating UMBC.

“For us, it’s going to be certainly a challenge, but I think we’ll have fun trying to figure out the puzzle,” Blakeney said.

–Field Level Media