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Wild, Devils continue postseason pursuit

NHL: St. Louis Blues at Minnesota WildMar 15, 2025; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild left wing Marcus Foligno (17) jumps out of the way of a shot by defenseman Jake Middleton (5) which scored on St. Louis Blues goaltender Joel Hofer (30) in the second period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Minnesota Wild veterans Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek are getting closer to returning from injuries, but they are not ready yet.

That means the Wild will have to keep pushing toward the playoffs without two of their leaders when they face the New Jersey Devils on Saturday in Saint Paul, Minn.

The players’ return — and a playoff berth for Minnesota — are within reach.

“If it was up to those two, they’d be here tomorrow,” Wild forward Marcus Foligno said. “But (we’ve) got to play it smart. The big picture, we have to think about that. It’s a positive seeing those two guys out there.”

Minnesota (41-27-5, 87 points) is looking for back-to-back wins after beating the Washington Capitals 4-2 on Thursday night. The Wild would have a wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference if the season ended now.

Meanwhile, New Jersey (38-29-7, 83 points) also has the postseason on its mind as the regular season winds down. The Devils hold the third and final divisional playoff spot in the Eastern Conference’s Metropolitan Division, but they cannot afford their late slump to linger.

New Jersey will look to bounce back from a 4-0 loss at the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night. The outcome dropped the Devils to 1-3-1 in their past five games.

Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said he liked his players’ effort but cited a few key breakdowns that ultimately cost his team. Keefe said he wants to see better production.

“We’ve got to create more offense,” he said. “That’s the bottom line.”

Devils forward Dawson Mercer is expected to play after he caught a stick to the face against the Jets. Mercer was bleeding after the hit and exited the game for treatment.

“He’s going to be ugly for a little while, but he’s fine,” Keefe said.

The action on the ice also could be ugly as teams turn toward a tighter, more defensive-minded strategy with the playoffs so close.

Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin said he and his teammates are looking at the end of the regular season as something to embrace rather than feeling significant pressure.

“Just take it day-to-day and enjoy the challenge,” Brodin said. “We have teams behind us fighting for a playoff spot, and we’re in a playoff spot right now. We’ve just got to keep working and take it day-by-day every game.”

New Jersey likely will turn to Jacob Markstrom in net one night after Jake Allen started against Winnipeg. Markstrom is 23-14-6 with a 2.51 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage in 44 games this season.

In 13 career games against the Wild, he is 7-3-2 with a 2.24 GAA and a .925 save percentage.

Minnesota is expected to start Filip Gustavsson in net. He is 29-16-4 with a 2.46 GAA and a .918 save percentage in 50 games, and he is 2-1-0 with a 2.55 GAA and a .930 save percentage in three career games against New Jersey.

This will be the first game of a home-and-home set between the teams. After Saturday’s game in Minnesota, they will travel east to meet again on Monday night in Newark, N.J.

–Field Level Media

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Cincinnati cruises past Oklahoma State with 3-point barrage

Syndication: The EnquirerCincinnati Bearcats forward Baba Miller (18) makes a basket from the two point line in the first half of a NCAA men’s basketball game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Oklahoma State Cowboys, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati.

Day Day Thomas heated up from long range, draining seven 3-pointers en route to a 26-point performance, Moustapha Thiam added 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds and host Cincinnati rolled to a 91-68 home victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon.

The Bearcats (16-13, 8-8 Big 12), which entered No. 54 in the NET rankings, have won five of their last six. Jizzle James and Baba Miller each finished with 11 points for Cincinnati.

Oklahoma State (17-12, 5-11), playing its first game since losing big man Parsa Fallah to a torn ACL, was overwhelmed throughout. Vyctorius Miller led the team with 15 points, while Jaylen Curry and Kanye Clary both added 11 points. The Cowboys have lost six of their last seven games.

The Bearcats seized control early, going on an 11-2 run highlighted by 3-pointers from Thomas and Thiam to lead 12-4 less than four minutes into the game.

Those early minutes foreshadowed the rest of the game.

Cincinnati dominated from the start, leading 51-33 at halftime. The Bearcats shot 53.1% from the floor, made seven three-pointers and won the rebounding battle 20-15 in the first half. They finished with a two-handed dunk by Thiam. Miller was credited with an assist on the play as he found Thiam open underneath.

In the second half, the Bearcats pulled away. They went on an 11-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Thomas to lead 65-37 with just under 15 minutes remaining. Cincinnati continued to extend the lead, reaching as many as 32 points, with an 81-49 advantage after another 3 from Thomas at the 8:22 mark.

Cincinnati finished with 14 made 3s, dished out 24 assists, and had a 24-7 edge in second-chance points. The Bearcats also led for 39:24 of the 40 minutes and improved to 14-3 at home.

Both teams return to action on Tuesday. Cincinnati hosts No. 19 BYU, while Oklahoma State travels to UCF.

–Field Level Media

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Bobby Durkin has career night as Minnesota tops UCLA

NCAA Basketball: Minnesota at MichiganFeb 24, 2026; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Bobby Durkin (3) dribbles against Michigan Wolverines guard Elliot Cadeau (3) in the second half at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Bobby Durkin scored a season-high 23 points with seven made 3-pointers and Langston Reynolds added 21 points with six assists as Minnesota claimed another victim at home with a 78-73 victory over UCLA at Minneapolis.

Cade Tyson also scored 21 points for the Golden Gophers (14-15, 7-11 Big Ten), who shot 62.3% from the floor and 52.2% from 3-point range. Durkin, who reached 1,000 points for his college career in the first half, went 7 of 11 from long range.

Minnesota improved to 12-4 at home this season with victories in its own building over a trio of ranked teams in Indiana, Iowa and Michigan State.

Tyler Bilodeau scored 32 points with eight rebounds and Eric Dailey Jr. added 18 points for the Bruins (19-10, 11-7), who failed to build off huge victories over No. 10 Illinois and rival Southern California over the past week.

Skyy Clark scored 17 points, while Donovan Dent had 15 assists but just three points, as UCLA now prepares for a key home game upcoming against No. 12 Nebraska.

With the game tied 61-61 with 7:59 remaining, Cade scored four points in a 6-0 run for Minnesota to give the Gophers a 67-61 lead with 6:15 left. The Bruins got within 76-73 on a three-point play from Bilodeau with 1:50 remaining.

The Bruins then missed four consecutive 3-pointers over the final 1:08, including two by Bilodeau, as the Gophers held on for the victory.

In a first half of swings, Minnesota led by as many as nine points early before UCLA went on a 17-3 run to lead by as many as seven points before taking a 41-40 lead into the break. Bilodeau had 16 points in the first half, while Dent had nine assists for UCLA.

Durkin scored 15 points in the first half for Minnesota and reached 1,000 points on one of his five 3-pointers before halftime. UCLA’s Clark reached 1,000 career points on a basket in the second half.

–Field Level Media

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On his bobblehead day, Nick Martinelli lifts Northwestern over Oregon

NCAA Basketball: Oregon at NorthwesternFeb 28, 2026; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats guard Angelo Ciaravino (44) blocks the shot of Oregon Ducks forward Kwame Evans Jr. (10) during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

Nick Martinelli produced the game-winning runner with one second remaining as part of his game-high 22 points to lift Northwestern to a 63-62 Big Ten win over Oregon on Saturday afternoon in Evanston, Ill.

On a day Northwestern handed out bobbleheads bearing his likeness, Martinelli added 11 rebounds, a career-high seven assists and career-high-tying three steals to lead the Wildcats (13-16, 5-13) to their third win in a row. Jayden Reid added 11 points.

Nate Bittle paced Oregon (11-18, 4-14) with 19 points and nine rebounds. Kwame Evans Jr. piled up 15 points and 15 rebounds while Takai Simpkins posted 11 points.

The Ducks led 36-29 at halftime and by 12 two minutes into the second half before Northwestern scored 17 of the ensuing 19 points to leap to a 48-45 lead with 12 minutes left.

Over the final seven minutes, the teams swapped the lead six times in their battle to move into 14th place in the Big Ten.

Oregon regained the front on a 3-point play by Bittle at the 4:37 mark, but the Wildcats tied it at 59 on Martinelli’s second-chance layup with 4:10 to play.

After empty possessions by both teams, Northwestern went up on Jayden Reid’s turnaround jumper with 2:24 remaining. The Ducks regained the lead when Wei Lin hit a 3-pointer with 50 seconds to play.

Martinelli missed a go-ahead jumper with 18 seconds left, but Northwestern’s Tre Singleton grabbed the rebound and the Wildcats called a timeout to set up a play. Martinelli got hemmed in 12 feet from the hoop, but he spun free for a left-handed runner that hung on the back of the rim for a few beats before falling through.

Oregon launched a 40-footer at the buzzer that did not fall.

Neither team could create separation early on. Northwestern built a 24-18 advantage on two Martinelli free throws with 8:04 to play until halftime, but the Ducks owned the rest of the half. They used a 10-2 run, capped by Bittle’s 3-point play, to take a 28-26 edge.

Bittle’s 12 points led all scorers before halftime while Martinelli paced the Wildcats with eight.

–Field Level Media

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