Sports
Sharks resume push to end playoff drought by facing Flames
Jan 31, 2026; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; San Jose Sharks center MacKlin Celebrini (71) during the face off against the Calgary Flames during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images The long-term goal for the San Jose Sharks will be to snap a six-year playoff drought.
The short-term quest when the Sharks host the Calgary Flames on Thursday is to snap a four-game losing skid.
As both teams return to action from the Olympic break, the Sharks are a handful of points out of a playoff position, but still close enough to make a strike, a big shift from finishing near the bottom of the league the past couple of campaigns.
“Excited to start playing again. It’s gonna be great,” said rising star forward Macklin Celebrini, who returned from winning silver with Canada at the Olympics. “It was a long break and I know the guys are excited to get started playing again, especially with our goal in mind.”
The Sharks have been in the playoff mix much of the season, but are well aware of the need to snap their skid, which included a loss to the Flames. San Jose went into the break after suffering a 4-2 road loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Feb. 4.
Celebrini, who had a huge hand in Canada’s success despite being a few months shy of his 20th birthday, returns to the club believing he learned plenty while being around the likes of Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid for a couple of weeks.
Celebrini said he noticed how the top players have a winning mentality he wants to replicate.
“A lot of those guys have won the Stanley Cup and won so many other things,” he said. “Being around them and knowing what you have to do to get to that goal, you see the habits and preparation they have.”
The Flames are a half-dozen points back of the Sharks, and are not only a longer shot to reach the Stanley Cup tournament but also coping with a whirlwind of trade rumors.
The likes of veterans Blake Coleman, Nazem Kadri and MacKenzie Weegar are all potential trade targets for other clubs heading into the March 6 trade deadline.
“For me, it’s always a focus on where I am,” Kadri said. “I’m not a one-foot-out-the-door kind of guy, wherever I am. I exert my full energy and give it 110%, so I try not to let it affect me too much. We’re all human in that sense, but you know, I’m a Calgary Flame, and my dedication is to here, for now.”
The Flames went into the break on a high after beating the Edmonton Oilers by a 4-3 score on Feb. 4. However, Calgary has only two victories in its last eight games (2-4-2).
On the positive, the Flames will receive a boost to the lineup with Coleman back in action after missing 11 games due to injury. Calgary also expects to have depth with forward John Beecher suiting up after missing 14 games due to injury and energy forward Martin Pospisil ready to play after skating for Slovakia during the Olympics.
“This gives us a group of forwards that have good speed to their game, and can a physical gritty game,” coach Ryan Huska said. “It gives us nice options going forward.”
Pospisil, who missed the first half of the season due a concussion, is eager to build on a solid performance at the Olympics, and see if the team can make a playoff push.
“Start winning right away, and just keep rolling,” he said. “I know there’s gonna be lots of games.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Titans release starters Lloyd Cushenberry, Xavier Woods
Dec 7, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Tennessee Titans safety Xavier Woods (25) intercepts a pass intended for Cleveland Browns wide receiver Gage Larvadain (84) during the third quarter at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images The Tennessee Titans announced Wednesday they have released center Lloyd Cushenberry and safety Xavier Woods.
Cushenberry started 15 games for the team in his second season in Tennessee, while Woods made 11 appearances (10 starts) in his first year with the club.
Cushenberry, 28, joined the Titans in 2024 after spending his first four NFL seasons with the Denver Broncos. He has made 80 appearances in the league — starting each game — and played 99% of the Titans’ offensive snaps when available in 2025.
Woods, 30, recorded two interceptions and a sack to go with 39 tackles for the Titans. He had stints with the Dallas Cowboys (2017-20), Minnesota Vikings (2021) and Carolina Panthers (2022-24) as a starting safety before inking a two-year contract with Tennessee last offseason.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly to miss opener with nerve issue
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly (29) during spring training workouts on Feb. 10, 2026, at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale. Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly will miss his scheduled Opening Day start because of an intercostal nerve irritation, the team said on Wednesday.
Kelly was scheduled for additional testing Wednesday, including a CT scan, after he was scratched from a throwing session against hitters last week because of mid-back tightness.
Kelly, 37, was scheduled to start for the Diamondbacks in the regular-season opener against the host Los Angeles Dodgers on March 26.
“We’ve done pretty much every test under the sun that we can think of and everything’s coming back clear, which is a positive,” Kelly said on Wednesday. “Structurally wise, we’ve looked at the spine, we’ve looked at the ribs, we’ve looked at the muscles, we’ve looked at the tendons, we’ve looked at everything back there, and that’s all coming back good, which is a positive, obviously. But there’s still something going on back there. Still feel something. So we’re just trying to turn over every rock and kind of look wherever we can to see what we can figure out about it.”
Manager Torey Lovullo has not named a replacement starter for Opening Day, nor has he placed a timeline on Kelly’s return to action.
“I saw it as kind of my one shot to throw Opening Day,” Kelly said. “And obviously that’s disappointing, but injuries are part of it, and all I really care about at this point is being able to throw again and then be ready for the team whenever, whether it’s Opening Day or the last game of the rotation, doesn’t really matter at this point as long as I’m back for it.”
Kelly was a combined 12-9 with a 3.52 ERA in 32 starts for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers last season. He was moved to the Rangers at the trade deadline before he re-signed with the Diamondbacks in the offseason on a two-year, $40 million contract.
In seven major league seasons, the majority of which have been in Arizona, Kelly is 65-53 with a 3.77 ERA in 172 regular-season appearances (all starts).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: USMNT M Weston McKennie to re-sign with Juventus
Jun 22, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Juventus FC midfielder Weston Mckennie (16) practices before the match against Wydad AC for a group stage match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Caean Couto-Imagn Images Weston McKennie’s busy year continues to take flight with ESPN reporting Wednesday that the United States men’s national team midfielder is close to a contract extension with his club Juventus.
With Juventus since 2021, including a short loan to Leeds United in 2023, McKennie’s contract was set to expire at the end of the current season in Italy’s Serie A. His new deal reportedly will go 2030.
McKennie has scored 15 goals in 161 appearances since 2021 for Juventus. In 62 games with the national team, since 2017, he has 11 goals.
Born in Washington, McKennie grew up in Texas but also spent time in Germany as his father was as an officer for the United States Air Force. McKennie came up in the FC Dallas system before a transfer to FC Schalke 04 in Germany.
McKennie is expected to play a pivotal role for the USNMT during the World Cup this summer, with all U.S. games set to be played on home soil.
–Field Level Media
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Titans release starters Lloyd Cushenberry, Xavier Woods
