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Stars find a way to get by the Wild and turn long, strange night into morning glory
ST. PAUL. Minn. — The insolent puck just sat there, about a foot outside of the Dallas Stars crease, taunting the three men converging on it midway through the third period of a one-goal game. Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger had been pulled too far to his left by the two-on-one he just stopped. He lunged for the puck, but it was out of reach. The Minnesota Wild’s Matt Boldy, who had just tucked it into Oettinger’s pads on the rebound of that two-on-one, desperately reached back for it, trying t...
Meet the college basketball transfer portal regulars on The Athletic's All-Frequent Flyer Team
It’s always portal season, coaches like to say — especially if you’re one of the players listed below.The transfer portal has become a frequent stop for some college hoopers, many of whom have been in three or four programs in as many years. Some people criticize players who have treated their college careers as a bunch of one-year contracts, but that’s just a reality in the pay-for-play era. And to these players’ credit, they’re quick to adapt — and thrive — in new environments.Advertisement
Ivan Demidov’s second trip to the playoffs is off to a strong defensive start
MONTREAL — Just prior to the start of the Montreal Canadiens’ first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Canadiens rookie Ivan Demidov was asked about the opportunity to face one of his heroes in a seven-game playoff series.Nikita Kucherov has long been a model for Demidov, and the similarities between the two were impossible to deny for both Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis, who once played with Kucherov, and Lightning coach Jon Cooper late in the regular season.Advertisement
Six Avalanche-Kings details to watch heading into Game 3: Strong defense, depth battles
LOS ANGELES — Early Wednesday morning, not long after the clock hit midnight following a marathon Game 2, a disappointed D.J. Smith said he believed his team played two good games in Colorado. The second, he believed, was better than the first.“We had every opportunity,” said the Los Angeles Kings coach, whose team trails 2-0 in the series. “Got a lead with (6:56) to go. You have to be able to close it out.”Advertisement
How do the Jets find a second-line centre? 5 types of players to target this offseason
The Winnipeg Jets’ biggest need is an upgrade at centre.If you could design the ideal acquisition in a lab, he’d be a dominant two-way player. He would be younger than No. 1 centre Mark Scheifele, and if he isn’t already a first-line player, there’d be hope of him becoming one. He’d need to be under contract, given Winnipeg’s limitations as a market for unrestricted free agents. He’d also need to lack a no-trade or no-movement clause, despite the frequency with which NHL teams hand those out.Kev...
Cincinnati Bengals NFL Draft 2026 pick tracker: Grades, fits and scouting reports
The Cincinnati Bengals enter the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23 with seven picks over the three-day draft.The Bengals moved out of the first round when they dealt the No. 10 pick to the New York Giants for Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence the weekend before the draft. Their first pick will come in the second round on Friday at No. 41. Adding Lawrence addressed a major need in the middle that had been high on the priority list for the draft. There are still plenty of draft needs, particularl...
The Jaden McDaniels-Donte DiVincenzo-James White bond quietly fueling the Wolves
On a cool January night in Houston, three Minnesota Timberwolves strolled into Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen the eve of an important game against the Rockets.It had become something of a ritual for Jaden McDaniels, Donte DiVincenzo and player development coach James “Flight” White to break bread on the road. It was their way of unplugging from the daily grind of the season, talking about anything but basketball and sharing a few laughs to lighten the load. White’s family lives in Houston, and he br...
Connor McDavid survived an injury scare. Now comes the bigger question
EDMONTON — Breathe easy, Oil Country.Connor McDavid may not yet look anything like his usual world-beating self to open these Stanley Cup playoffs, but all indications are that the Edmonton Oilers captain survived an injury scare after spending a few minutes consulting with the team’s medical staff during the second period of Game 2.Advertisement
The Pistons found their fight in Game 2 and pulled off a crucial win
DETROIT — The Pistons filed into the locker room at halftime Wednesday night and dispersed to the dark blue ergonomic chairs parked in front of their wood-grained stalls.At first, the silence dominated the room. The coaches, before joining the larger group, huddled in their own office so the players could get a moment to decompress.Advertisement
This Week in Sports Trivia: April 23, 2026
The NFL Draft is here, with a three-day extravaganza beginning Thursday.Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is widely expected to be chosen No. 1 by the Las Vegas Raiders. The last quarterback selected No. 1 by the Raiders was JaMarcus Russell in 2007. He went on to make 25 starts across three seasons. Hopefully for Raiders fans, things work out a little bit better this time.Advertisement
Projecting the Blues roster for the 2026-27 season: Who stays, who goes?
ST. LOUIS — Soon, the St. Louis Blues management staff will be traveling overseas for a scouting trip. Then they will be returning for a retreat, at which they’ll be discussing individual players and their futures with the club.Their decisions about the construction of the roster for the 2026-27 season will be based on last season as a whole, not just the final two months when they were a long shot to make the playoffs and went 17-5-3.Advertisement
Wild's response to double OT, gut-punch loss will tell us if they're different
ST. PAUL, Minn — Jesper Wallstedt sat back in his dressing room stall, trying to process what had just happened.A few minutes earlier, the electric, sellout crowd at Grand Casino Arena was chanting his nickname, “WALLY!” The Wild’s rookie goaltender very well could have been a hero — should have been — after back-to-back clutch saves in double overtime.The “State of Hockey” was ready to explode.Instead, some fans are in full fledged panic mode.Advertisement
Biggest questions for the New York Rangers as they enter a long NHL offseason
Though the NHL playoffs are just getting underway, the New York Rangers have already headed home for their second straight long summer.The offseason will be filled with questions for a team that plans to “retool,” not rebuild, as Rangers president Chris Drury told fans in his Jan. 16 letter. Exactly how he plans to do that is less clear. At the very least, he’ll have ample room to maneuver. Our most recent salary-cap projection had New York with around $27.5 million in available space, with fact...
Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Draft 2026 pick tracker: Grades, fits and scouting reports
The Pittsburgh Steelers enter the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23 with a league-high 12 picks over the three-day draft.As the host of this year’s draft, the Steelers are well-positioned for an eventful weekend. With a dozen picks — including a trio in Round 3 and two in Round 4 — they have plenty of draft capital to move into position to land priority targets, or simply assemble a well-rounded class that fills many needs.Advertisement
What's gone right and wrong for the Hurricanes entering Game 3 vs. Senators
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Hurricanes did what they were supposed to do in the first two games of their first-round playoff series with Ottawa: win both at home.Carolina, the Eastern Conference’s top seed, smothered the Senators in Game 1, picking up a 2-0 win Saturday, and followed that with a 3-2 double-overtime win in Monday’s Game 2.Advertisement
Cutter Gauthier's big bounce-back night helps the Ducks to a series-splitting win
EDMONTON – No Anaheim Ducks player tries to shoot the puck more, puts more shots on net or puts them in than Cutter Gauthier. By a lot.The 22-year-old winger is becoming a top sharpshooter in the NHL. His 559 shot attempts were 172 more than the next closest Ducks player, another talented sniper in rookie Beckett Sennecke. Gauthier’s 285 shots on goal put his sixth among NHL players. And the 41 goals he scored in his breakout second season were tied with Detroit’s Alex DeBrincat just outside the...
Maple Leafs 2026-27 roster decisions: Who stays, who goes when the new era begins?
Regardless of who ends up leading the Toronto Maple Leafs into the future, there is not one player on the team who feels like a sure thing to be back next season.Anyone could go this offseason — from stars such as Auston Matthews and William Nylander to franchise staples such as Morgan Rielly to supporting parts such as Max Domi and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.There are no sure things here.Advertisement
Washington Commanders NFL Draft 2026 pick tracker: Grades, fits and scouting reports
The Washington Commanders enter the 2026 NFL draft with six selections, only two of which are in the top 100. But they do own a top-10 pick for the second time in three years, giving them another shot to add a top-tier talent or potentially currency to collect more picks.General manager Adam Peters turned to free agency to bolster nearly every position of need on Washington’s roster, but there isn’t one positional group that could be considered finalized. Peters would be justified in using...
Navy secretary fired and our NFL draft predictions: Morning Rundown
Morning RundownNavy secretary fired and our NFL draft predictions: Morning RundownPlus, Republicans express their anger after Virginia voters approve a congressional map that could benefit Democrats in the midterm elections.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00ShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 23, 2026, 7:00 AM EDTBy Elizabeth RobinsonNavy Secretary John Phelan is the latest defense official to leave the Trump administration amid the Iran war. A look ahead at one of the most unpred...
College basketball transfer portal thoughts, now that it’s no longer open for business
This is mostly a time for men’s college basketball fans to fret — about players lost to the transfer portal, about desirable targets in the portal that their team didn’t get, about players their team did get, because how much money did that cost and is it going to tick off the previously highest-paid star player?Advertisement