Sports
Stars seek to maintain momentum in clash with Islanders
Feb 22, 2025; Newark, New Jersey, USA; New Jersey Devils defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic (8) and Dallas Stars defenseman Cody Ceci (44) battle for the puck after a save by Dallas Stars goaltender Casey DeSmith (1) during the second period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images The Dallas Stars started Saturday where they ended before the 4 Nations Face-Off break — with a win.
The New York Islanders can’t say the same and will begin the challenge of rediscovering the form they displayed for most of the three weeks before the time off.
Dallas will look to complete a back-to-back road sweep while New York will attempt to win the opener of a pivotal stretch Sunday night when the Stars visit the Islanders in Elmont, N.Y.
Four players scored one goal apiece Saturday night for the Stars, who never trailed in a 4-2 win over the New Jersey Devils.
The Islanders haven’t played since Feb. 8, when they fell 6-3 to the Minnesota Wild.
The win Saturday was the seventh in the past nine games (7-1-1) for the Stars, who are on track to return to the playoffs after reaching the Western Conference finals the past two seasons. Dallas is in second place in the Central Division, two points ahead of the third-place Wild.
“Our goal was to be our best come the end of the year — build the details into our game and get our game to the place where we feel really good about it going into the Stanley Cup playoffs,” said Stars goalie Casey DeSmith, who made 31 saves Saturday. “We’re almost there, so we just got to keep building.”
The Stars have outscored their opponents 37-24 over the past nine games. Dallas raced to a 2-0 lead in the first six minutes before withstanding a comeback attempt by the Devils, who outshot the visitors 33-26 for the game.
“I liked our grit and I loved our goalie,” Stars coach Peter DeBoer said. “(DeSmith) was our best player tonight, and we needed him to be.”
The direction of the Islanders’ season may be determined by the six games the team is scheduled to play before the March 7 trade deadline.
New York, which is five points behind the Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets in the race for the two Eastern Conference wild-card spots, got back into contention by going 8-3-0 in its final 11 games before the break.
“It’s crazy that, all of a sudden, it’s over and you’re back to the regular grind,” Islanders center Brock Nelson said. “This is equally as important now. You switch the mindset into playoff race now and getting back into it and how important these games are for us.”
The two-week 4 Nations respite came at the perfect time for the Islanders, who entered the break following losses to the Wild and Winnipeg Jets in a back-to-back road set.
Defensemen Ryan Pulock (upper body) and Scott Mayfield (lower body) are expected to return from injuries Sunday after missing the past seven and four games, respectively. Another defenseman, Noah Dobson, will miss his 10th straight game Sunday with a lower-body injury but returned to practice Saturday.
The break also might have helped first-line left winger Anthony Duclair, who hasn’t registered a point in his past seven games and has yet to round into form following a two-month absence this season due to a lower-body injury.
“I would say for all the guys that have been hurt, they’re progressing very well, which is good for us,” Islanders coach Patrick Roy said.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Richard Carapaz, Tadej Pogacar stand tall at Stage 20 of Tour de France
Richard Carapaz of Ecuador is in action during Stage 20 of the Tour de France on Saturday. The race ends Sunday. Richard Carapaz of Ecuador won the stage and Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia all but wrapped up his fifth general classification title in seven years during a wild penultimate day at the Tour de France on Saturday.
The 33-year-old Carapaz capped a monumental week with his second victory in three stages, and third of his career, while also taking over the polka-dot jersey for top climber of the three-week stage race. He also finished third in Friday’s Stage 19.
Stage 20 unfolded in dramatic fashion as Sepp Kuss of the United States held a comfortable lead with just over 7 kilometers remaining in the 170.9-kilometer stage as it approached the finish at the resort town of Alpe d’Huez.
Kuss then crashed against a curb on the right side of the road while exiting a tunnel but got back on his bike and continued with the lead. Misfortune struck again when Kuss crashed against a left-side curb with 5.8 kilometers remaining.
Carapaz passed Kuss after his second solo crash and went on to the stage victory for the U.S.-based EF Education-EasyPost team. Remco Evenepoel of Belgium passed Kuss near the finish line to take second place, while Kuss made his way to the podium with a disappointing third-place finish.
Kuss was trying for his second career stage and stands as the last American man to win a Tour de France Stage when he reached the finish line first in 2021.
Race leader Pogacar finished fourth in the stage, while his UAE Team Emirates teammate Isaac del Toro of Mexico was fifth. The finish kept del Toro in the white jersey given to the top rider under 26 years old.
All that remains is Sunday’s mostly ceremonial final Stage 21. Barring major disaster, Pogacar will wrap up his third consecutive Tour de France title as he takes a 6-minute, 26-second lead over Evenepoel into the final day.
In third place overall is del Toro, who is 9:42 off his teammate’s pace. Paul Seixas, the 19-year-old sensation from France, is fourth overall and nearly two minutes behind del Toro for the white jersey. Seixas finished 10th in Stage 20.
The final stage into Paris on Sunday was cut from 133 kilometers to 89 kilometers because of nearby wildfires, with fans now treated to two extra circuits along the Champs-Elysees before a climbing finish on the nearby Montmartre loop.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tour de France final stage rerouted due to wildfires
A firefighter works to battle wildfire near the A9 motorway near Beziers, France, July 3, 2026. Wildfires in southwest France have forced organizers of the Tour de France to reconfigure the final stage, set for Sunday.
The change is necessary because multiple first responders have been diverted to the fires. The new route will leave a smaller race footprint for local officials to secure.
“As numerous wildfires are currently affecting France, particularly the Gironde region, emergency services are fully mobilized to combat the blazes, while internal security forces are working to secure the affected areas and protect the population,” the Amaury Sport Organisation said in a statement.
“In light of this, the Ministry of Interior has decided to redeploy a portion of the internal security forces initially mobilized to ensure security for the final stage of the Tour de France, in order to reinforce the response efforts in the areas affected by the wildfires.”
The wildfires have led to the evacuations of about 200,000 people.
Stage 21 had been set as a 132.5-kilometer ride from Thoiry down the Champs-Elysees in Paris.
The re-imagined Stage 21 still will end along the famed road, just after a circuit on the Montmartre. But the run now will occur solely within the Paris boundaries and travel just 89 km. Cyclists will take two extra circuits along the Champs-Elysees before heading out for the Montmartre climb.
The Montmartre circuit has proven to be popular after it was used in the 2024 Paris Olympics and then added to the 2025 Tour de France. The area can accommodate large gatherings of fans, who turn the area into a party atmosphere.
Earlier in the Tour de France, fans were asked to stay away from the final 40 kilometers of Stage 3 because of wildfires and the need to deploy first responders to the area.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Robert Kraft: Patriots offered CB Christian Gonzalez record-setting deal
Jun 9, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (0) takes questions from the media at minicamp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said the team offered Christian Gonzalez a contract extension that would make him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.
Kraft did not reveal the specific terms of the deal on Saturday, the first day of training camp.
“We love Christian Gonzalez,” Kraft said during the team’s Pawtriots pet adoption event, per the Boston Herald. “We love him as a player, as a person. That’s why we’ve made an offer to him that makes him the highest-paid player ever to play that position in the NFL, and coincidentally, it’s the highest contract in the Patriots franchise history.
“So we’re glad we drafted him and we developed here, and we hope he’ll be with us for a long time.”
Gonzalez is eligible for a contract extension for the first time after being selected by the Patriots with the 17th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Los Angeles Rams’ Trent McDuffie is currently the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback, pocketing $31 million per season on his four-year, $131 million contract that he signed this offseason.
Gonzalez, 24, made the Pro Bowl last season after posting 69 tackles and 10 passes defensed in 14 starts. He has three interceptions, 24 passes defensed, one fumble recovery, one sack and 145 tackles in 34 career games (all starts).
–Field Level Media
Sci-Fi Action Thriller Is A Time Travel Modern Classic
Richard Carapaz, Tadej Pogacar stand tall at Stage 20 of Tour de France
