Sports
Wild open up second round against high-scoring Avalanche
Apr 30, 2026; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov (97) and forward Vladimir Tarasenko (91) celebrate a series win against the Dallas Stars after game six in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images The celebration Thursday was a decade in the making for the Minnesota Wild, but now the road gets tougher. Minnesota eliminated the Dallas Stars in six games to advance for the first time since 2015, and the reward is taking on the Colorado Avalanche, the Presidents’ Trophy winners, in the second round.
Game 1 is Sunday night in Denver.
The series will mark the fourth time the organizations will clash in the postseason, and each time the lower seed has prevailed. The Wild won two Game 7s in Denver (2003, 2014) and Colorado beat Minnesota in six games in 2008. They split their four games during the regular season.
The Wild were bounced in the first round in their previous eight playoff appearances but got by Dallas in a matchup of two of the best teams in the NHL. They go against a fresh Avalanche team that completed a sweep of the first-round series with Los Angeles a week ago.
While Colorado rested, Minnesota earned some valuable experience.
“I think you learn so much throughout those other playoff series. Not that I’m old, but I feel like I was young during those and didn’t know what to expect or what the expectation was and stuff,” Wild forward Matt Boldy said. “I think it was just a group of guys that were ready to take that step.”
Minnesota has the talent to compete with the Avalanche, who finished the regular season with a franchise-record 121 points. The Wild, led by Kirill Kaprizov’s 89 points in the regular season (45 goals, 44 assists), have depth in their top lines and a superstar defenseman in Quinn Hughes.
Colorado is arguably the deepest team in the league when healthy. Nathan MacKinnon led the NHL in goals with 53 and was third in points (127), and Martin Necas recorded the first 100-point season of his career (38 goals, 62 assists).
The Avalanche’s projected third line could be a first line on other teams. Nazem Kadri, Gabriel Landeskog and Nicolas Roy were impactful in the sweep of the Kings and can jump up when coach Jared Bednar sees a need for more offense.
Landeskog tied with MacKinnon for the scoring lead against Los Angeles with four points (two goals, two assists) and Roy contributed two goals — including one in overtime in Game 2.
“(Roy and Kadri) find areas to get the puck to the net, which is great, and they read off each other really well,” defenseman Cale Makar said.
Both teams are dealing with injuries. Minnesota defenseman Jonas Brodin, who missed Game 6 against Dallas, did not travel to Denver and will miss Game 1. Center Joel Eriksson Ek is questionable for Sunday. Brodin blocked a shot in Game 5, and Eriksson Ek lost an edge and slammed hard into the side boards right-leg first in the third period of Game 6.
Colorado defenseman Josh Manson (upper body) went through a full practice on Saturday and is likely to play.
The biggest key is in net, and both goaltenders are playing well. Scott Wedgewood allowed just five goals in the first round against the Kings, and Wild rookie Jesper Wallstedt had a 2.05 goals-against average in the first round series.
–Field Level Media
Sports
LIV golfer acknowledges league's future 'not looking great'
Aug 15, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, United States; Carlos Ortiz of Torque GC reacts to his tee shot on the 6th hole during the first round of LIV Golf Indianapolis. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
Carlos Ortiz admitted Friday that the future of LIV Golf looks bleak, now that the Saudi group that bankrolled it said it will stop paying the bills.
“It’s looking a little bit tough, hopefully there’s a way forward,” Ortiz said following his second round at the BMW International Open in Germany, a stop on the DP World Tour.
“I mean, I honestly don’t know all the situation, but it’s not looking great, obviously, as we all know. That’s a shame. I’ve really enjoyed my time playing all around the world and it’s been awesome playing with my team.”
Ortiz, a 35-year-old from Mexico, has one LIV Golf win (LIV Golf Houston, 2024) and one PGA Tour victory (Houston Open, 2020). He joined LIV in 2022.
He said Friday that should LIV cease operations after the 2026 season, he knows he will come through just fine.
“We’ll see what happens, you know, but whatever happens, I’m sure I’ll find a place to play and, for me, it’s just about playing golf,” said Ortiz, a member of the LIV team Torque GC. “If I can start coming to places like this and seeing new places, then it will be great. For me, whatever happens is totally fine.”
After 36 holes at the Golfclub Munchen Eichenried in Munich, Ortiz was in a three-way tie for second place on Friday at 10-under after back-to-back rounds of 67, one shot behind the leader.
Joaquin Niemann of Chile, captain of Torque GC, struck a much more hopeful tone when he spoke on Friday. He told bunkered.co.uk that he plans to honor his LIV commitment in 2027.
“I know for sure he (Scott O’Neil, LIV CEO) is doing the best job he can to raise the money and keep getting the product that we have — which I think is the best,” Niemann, 27, said.
“Coming and seeing the difference on DP (World Tour) to what LIV has, LIV is great. But, yeah, hopefully we can get the money and please the fans who hope we keep going.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Hanwha Life sweeps opener in Mid-Season Invitational bracket stage
Gen.G advanced in the League of Legends competition at the Esports World Cup on July 19, 2025 Hanwha Life and G2 Esports earned wins on Friday as action in the League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational bracket stage got underway in Daejeon, South Korea.
Hanwha Life swept Secret Whales in a Round 1 upper-bracket match, winning in 26, 28 and 30 minutes. Geon-woo “Zeka” Kim of South Korea paced the victors with a 20-2-13 kills-deaths-assists ratio.
G2 Esports had to rally for a 3-2 win against Top Esports, who took a 2-0 lead with wins in 34 and 32 minutes. G2 answered with wins in 27, 41 and 36 minutes, led by Rasmus Borregard “Caps” Winther of Denmark with a 34-19-33 KDA ratio.
All matches are best-of-five in the $2 million tournament, which concludes on July 12 with a top prize of $500,000. The winner of the grand final also qualifies for this fall’s 2026 World Championship.
Play continues in the double-elimination bracket stage Saturday with two more Round 1 matches: LYON vs. FURIA and Bilibili Gaming vs. T1.
2026 Mid-Season Invitational prize pool:
1. $500,000
2. $300,000
3. $240,000
4. $200,000
5-6. $160,000
7-8. $110,000
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Hornets acquire Dorian Finney-Smith, 3 picks from Rockets
Jan 31, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Dorian Finney-Smith (2) warms up before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images The Charlotte Hornets are acquiring forward Dorian Finney-Smith and three second-round picks from the Houston Rockets, ESPN reported on Friday.
The Hornets are receiving the Memphis Grizzlies’ 2027 second-rounder as well as the Rockets’ 2028 and 2033 second-round selections.
The move gives Houston some roster flexibility and creates a $13 million trade exception, while Charlotte now has stockpiled 20 second-round picks over the next seven years, per ESPN.
Signed in June 2025 to a four-year, $53 million deal, Finney-Smith was largely ineffective during his lone season with the Rockets. He averaged 3.3 points and 2.5 rebounds in 37 games (one start) in 2025-26.
Finney-Smith, 33, has averaged 8.0 points and 4.4 rebounds in 628 career games (445 starts) for the Dallas Mavericks, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers and Rockets.
–Field Level Media
LIV golfer acknowledges league's future 'not looking great'
Hanwha Life sweeps opener in Mid-Season Invitational bracket stage
