Sports
Three former Panthers return as Flames visit Florida
Feb 23, 2025; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames left wing Jonathan Huberdeau (10) during the face off against the San Jose Sharks during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images Saturday afternoon promises to be an emotional day in Sunrise as the Calgary Flames visit the Florida Panthers.
Calgary’s lineup features three former Panthers players — forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Ryan Lomberg and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar.
Lomberg was part of Florida’s team that won the 2024 Stanley Cup. Huberdeau was one of the biggest stars in Panthers history, scoring 198 goals and dishing 415 assists in 10 seasons. And Weegar produced 121 points in six years with the Panthers.
On the other side, Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk collected 152 goals and 230 assists in six seasons with Calgary before arriving in Florida in time to help his new team win the Stanley Cup.
Tkachuk, though, has missed three straight games due to a lower-body injury. He is not expected to play on Saturday.
Fortunately for the Panthers, they have center Anton Lundell, an emerging star at age 23.
Lundell, who was Florida’s first-round pick (12th overall) in 2020, posted a season-high three points on Thursday in the Panthers’ 3-2 home win over the Edmonton Oilers.
“He can take over and dominate a game,” Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt said of Lundell. “As a young player, he is just getting better. It’s fun to watch his progression as a young kid growing into a man in this league.”
Schmidt and Uvis Balinskis — Florida’s third-defense pairing — each scored a goal on Thursday. There’s apparently a good rapport between the two of them.
“When I was younger, a vet once told me that a defense pairing is like a marriage,” Schmidt said. “If we don’t talk, there are going to be problems.”
Florida’s top defense pairing is Aaron Ekblad (29 points) and Gustav Forsling (22 points).
Among Florida’s forwards, Sam Reinhart leads the team in goals (31) and points (64). Captain Aleksander Barkov tops the Panthers with 40 assists.
Meanwhile, Calgary is coming off a 3-0 loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.
Weegar, like many Calgary players interviewed after the loss, said he thought his Flames played well overall. However, he said, “I’d like to find a little bit of offense, contribute. We’ve got to help our forwards with the scoring.”
For the season, Nazem Kadri and Huberdeau lead the Flames in points (43). Huberdeau also leads Calgary in goals (22), and Weegar tops the Flames in assists (26).
Following the loss to Tampa Bay, Flames defenseman Joel Hanley asked for more balance on offense. For example, Huberdeau had five shots on goal on Thursday and Kadri had four, but the rest of the team combined for just 18.
“Other guys have to get themselves involved offensively,” Hanley said. “Somebody has to step up and generate. You can’t ask (Huberdeau and Kadri) to do everything. Other guys have to have a little more jump.”
The Flames, who are 11-12-4 on the road, have started 1-1-0 on their current six-game trip, and that includes an impressive 3-1 win at Washington on Tuesday.
“It’s a hard road trip,” Hanley said. “We have a lot to prove.”
Added Flames winger Blake Coleman: “I think we’re still confident. We felt good about our process (on Thursday), and if we do that again in our next game we will be alright.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
CF Montreal wins first game under Philippe Eullaffroy, beat Red Bulls
Apr 18, 2026; Montreal, Province of Quebec, CAN; CF Montreal forward Prince Owusu (9) celebrates with teammate midfielder Victor Loturi (22) after scoring a goal against the Red Bull New York during the first half at Saputo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images Prince Owusu recorded a goal and three assists as CF Montreal bested the visiting New York Red Bulls 4-1 in the home side’s first match under interim head coach Philippe Eullaffroy.
Owusu scored his fifth goal of the season, as Montreal (2-6-0, 6 points) claimed their 100th win all-time at Stade Saputo.
Montreal strode past the visitors’ backline with relative ease in the early going. Red Bulls (3-3-2, 11 points) captain Emil Forsberg failed to control a hurried pass from his goalkeeper, allowing Owusu to play in Victor Loturi, who blasted it past Ethan Horvath in the fifth minute to make it 1-0.
Owusu nearly extended their lead soon after when Ivan Jaime played him through on a one-on-one. The towering center forward opted to hold the ball up before sending it wide of goal.
Owusu made no mistake on his 39th-minute penalty, catching out Horvath with a sly stutter step and slotting it into the left corner to make it 2-0. The penalty came as a result of Dylan Nealis’s handball.
Montreal’s Matty Longstaff knocked balls into both nets at the start of the second half. Longstaff met Owusu’s perfectly threaded through ball to make it 3-0 in the 49th minute. The English midfielder then overhit an attempted backpass to goalkeeper Thomas Gillier four minutes later and inadvertently brought the Red Bulls back within two.
More than the flurry of goals, the single biggest change in Montreal’s approach was in their defensive setup. Eullaffroy’s zonal marking stood in stark contrast to Marco Donadel’s aggressive man-marking, the Red Bulls managing just one shot on goal all game long. Eullaffroy also started Samuel Piette in the midfield after the Montreal captain remained on the bench in their last two outings.
Owusu chipped the ball over Matthew Dos Santos and into the path of Kwadwo Opoku, who guided it into the open net to restore Montreal’s three-goal lead.
The victory marked Montreal’s first at home since August of last year. Both of Montreal’s wins this season have come against the Red Bulls. New York, meanwhile, has won just one of its last six league matches.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Carson Kelly's pinch-hit homer propels Cubs over hapless Mets
Apr 18, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pinch-hitter Carson Kelly (15) hits a three-run homer against the New York Mets during the sixth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images Carson Kelly hit a tie-breaking three-run pinch-hit home run in the sixth inning Saturday afternoon for the host Chicago Cubs, who beat the skidding New York Mets 4-2.
The pinch-hit homer was the second of Kelly’s career and his first since Aug. 25, 2021, when he went deep for the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Anthony Banda.
Ian Happ homered in the second for the Cubs, who have won four straight and have scored 51 runs while winning five of their last six games. Chicago scored 59 runs in its first 14 games this season.
Kelly’s homer off Brooks Raley made a winner of Jameson Taillon (1-1), who gave up one run on five hits and three walks while striking out four over six innings.
Mark Vientos provided the visitors a short-lived lead by homering in the top of the second for the Mets, who have lost 10 straight — their longest skid since an 11-game losing streak from Aug. 28-Sept. 8, 2004. New York hasn’t led at the end of an inning since first inning of an 11-6 loss to the Athletics on Apr. 11 — a span of 62 frames.
New York’s Bo Bichette scored when second baseman Nico Hoerner threw wide of the bag on Francisco Alvarez’s two-out grounder in the eighth. But reliever Ben Brown induced Vientos to ground out to third and strand two before Caleb Thielbar struck out two in a perfect ninth to earn his first save of 2026.
Freddy Peralta (1-2) took the loss after allowing three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out three over 5 2/3 innings. Peralta issued both walks with two outs in the sixth, after which Kelly took Raley deep on the first pitch he saw. The homer was the first surrendered by Raley since 2023.
The Cubs only managed five hits as Happ reached in 3-of-4 plate appearances with a pair of walks.
Francisco Lindor and Luis Robert Jr. had two hits apiece for the Mets, who were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
–Field Level Media
Sports
WTA roundup: Elena Rybakina continues sizzling start to 2026
Elena Rybakina waves to the crowd after advancing to the quarterfinals after Sonay Kartal retired from their match at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., Wednesday, March 11, 2026. Top-seeded Elena Rybakina continued her outstanding 2026 campaign by overwhelming sixth-seeded Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-1 on Saturday to reach the finals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany.
Rybakina, who represents Kazakhstan, will face No. 7 seed Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic in Sunday’s final. Muchova pulled off a mild upset with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 victory over No. 4 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.
Rybakina, who won the 2026 Australian Open and reached the finals at Indian Wells, exchanged breaks with Andreeva before winning four of five points on the Russian’s serve to capture the first set. She cruised in the second set, winning a combined 21 of 25 points on her first serves and Andreeva’s second service offerings.
The deciding set between Muchova and Svitolina looked to be going the distance, but the Czech won the final eight points of the match — four on her opponent’s serve in the ninth game — to set up the fourth all-time meeting with Rybakina. Muchova has won two of three prior matches, including a quarterfinal victory in January at Brisbane.
Rouen Metropolitan Open
Top-seeded Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine cruised past Germany’s Tatjana Maria 6-3, 6-0 to reach the finals in Rouen, France.
Kostyuk will take on teenage qualifier and countrywoman Veronika Podrez. She advanced in a walkover prior to her scheduled match against Romania’s Sonia Cirstea, who withdrew due to a leg injury.
Kostyuk, who will be trying to win her second WTA title and first since a 2023 championship in Austin, Texas, fended off all four break points in the match against the 38-year old German. Maria could not contain Kostyuk’s power, dropping 32 of 43 (74.4%) service points.
Podrez, 19, advanced to the semifinals with wins over Sloane Stephens, No. 7 seed Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy and Great Britain’s Katie Boulter.
–Field Level Media
