l Page 269 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Rangers focused on developing younger players in game vs. Blackhawks
The New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks are using the final weeks of lost seasons to gauge some of their youth.,Plenty of youth will be on display Friday night when the Rangers host the Blackhawks. New York is eliminated from postseason contention, while Chicago isn't far removed from that fate....

Blazers intent on improving playoff position in matchup vs. reeling Mavericks
The Portland Trail Blazers already have clinched a postseason berth for the first time in five seasons, even if it's just a spot in the play-in tournament.,Interim coach Tiago Splitter and his team want much more than that, however.,After winning five of its last six games to get back to .500 for th...

Nearly locked into play-in, Warriors try to improve seeding vs. Wizards
With a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament almost a certainty, the Golden State Warriors will look to improve their positioning down the stretch, beginning with a Friday date against the Washington Wizards in San Francisco.,Golden State (35-38) pulled out of a recent tailspin in which ...

Oilers edge Knights in OT after Connor McDavid hits assists milestone
Evan Bouchard scored 3:10 into overtime and Connor McDavid had a goal and two assists as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 on Thursday night in Las Vegas.,It was the third overtime goal of the season for Bouchard. McDavid won a faceoff from Brett Howden in the right circle an...

Second-half explosion sends Illinois past Houston into South final
HOUSTON -- David Mirkovic and Keaton Wagler produced double-doubles as third-seeded Illinois parlayed a 17-0 second-half run into a 65-55 victory over second-seeded Houston on Thursday in the South Regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.,The Fighting Illini (27-8) advanced to the Elite Eight for...

Ducks' Mikael Granlund nets hat trick in last second of OT vs. Flames
Mikael Granlund completed his hat trick with a last-second overtime winning goal and the visiting Anaheim Ducks strengthened their hold on top spot in the Pacific Division with a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Thursday.,John Carlson collected a pair of assists and Ville Husso made 23 saves f...

Alex Ovechkin's hat trick powers Capitals' rally against Mammoth
Alex Ovechkin produced his 34th career hat trick and the Washington Capitals rallied from a two-goal deficit to a 7-4 win against the Utah Mammoth on Thursday night in Salt Lake City.,Ovechkin has 29 goals this season, including two hat tricks, and an NHL-record 926 for his career.,Ivan Miroshnichen...

Blues sink Sharks in OT, move closer to West wild-card spot
Dylan Holloway buried the game-winning goal in the dying seconds of overtime as the St. Louis Blues outlasted the San Jose Sharks 2-1 on home ice on Thursday.,Holloway was the first man on a loose puck and with just four seconds remaining, he placed his backhand shot high over the shoulder of Alex N...

Avs edge Jets as NHL goals leader Nathan MacKinon nets pair
Nathan MacKinnon scored two goals 3:42 apart early in the third period, Jack Drury also had a goal and the visiting Colorado Avalanche beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 on Thursday night.,Artturi Lehkonen had an assist in his return from an 11-game absence with an upper-body injury and Mackenzie Blackwood ...

Nico Hischier's late deflection lifts Devils over Predators
Nico Hischier's second deflected goal of the night broke a late tie, and the visiting New Jersey Devils won for the fifth time in six games, 4-2 over the surging Nashville Predators on Thursday.,Jesper Bratt had a goal with two assists, Jack Hughes recorded two helpers and Timo Meier added an empty-...

Flyers keep playoff hopes alive, thump Blackhawks
Christian Dvorak, Noah Cates and Alex Bump each registered a goal and an assist as the Philadelphia Flyers thumped the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 5-1 on Thursday evening.,Samuel Ersson made 25 saves for Philadelphia (35-24-12, 82 points), which has won six of its last eight games to make some late ...

Wild extend Panthers' struggles with game-winner in closing seconds
Marcus Foligno scored in his first game back from injury and Joel Eriksson Ek scored the go-ahead goal with five seconds left as the Minnesota Wild defeated the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Thursday night in Sunrise, Fla.,Ryan Hartman also scored for Minnesota (41-20-12, 94 points), which got 18 saves fr...

Playoff-hungry Islanders pick up crucial win over sliding Stars
The New York Islanders claimed two big points Thursday in their quest for a playoff spot with a 2-1 victory over the Dallas Stars in Elmont, N.Y.,Bo Horvat scored to reach the 30-goal mark for the fourth time in his career, and Calum Ritchie added his 11th for the Islanders (41-27-5, 87 points). Mat...

Canadiens stay hot with low-scoring defeat of Blue Jackets
Zachary Bolduc scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and assisted on Montreal's other goal in a 2-1 win for the Canadiens against the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday.,Jayden Struble also scored for the Canadiens (40-21-10, 90 points), who have won three straight. Jakub Dobes ...

Lydia Ko fires 60 for early lead at Ford Championship
LPGA Hall of Famer Lydia Ko came extremely close to a mammoth achievement: the second round of 59 in LPGA history.,Ko birdied four of her last five holes to shoot a 12-under-par 60 and set the pace in the first round of the Ford Championship on Thursday in Chandler, Ariz.,The Cattail Course at Whirl...

Jalen Duren, Kevin Huerter lead Pistons past Pelicans
Jalen Duren dominated inside with 30 points and 10 rebounds as the Detroit Pistons won for the fifth time in six games by thumping the visiting New Orleans Pelicans 129-108 on Thursday night.,Duren added seven assists, two blocks and two steals for the Eastern Conference leaders.,The Pistons (53-20)...

Pepperdine hires Virginia assistant Griff Aldrich as coach
Pepperdine hired Virginia associate head coach Griff Aldrich as its new men's basketball coach on Thursday.,"The opportunity to build a championship-caliber program within a University that promotes faith, academics, and excellence is tremendously exciting for our family," Aldrich said in a statemen...

TGL franchise values rise; Alexis Ohanian buys women’s team for $20M
At the conclusion of its second season, TGL is growing in more ways than one.,One of the indoor golf league's franchises has sold a minority stake for $100 million, and other teams have sold stakes eclipsing $90 million, Sportico reported Thursday.,The season just wrapped this week with Los Angeles ...

Panthers' Rasheed Walker says gun charge getting dismissed
New Carolina Panthers left tackle Rasheed Walker told reporters during his introductory press conference Thursday that a gun charge against him from early this year is being dismissed.,Walker, 26, was arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a firearm by New York ...

Boston College hires UConn assistant Luke Murray as next head coach
Boston College turned to a proven title-winning assistant Thursday, hiring UConn's Luke Murray as its next men's basketball head coach and placing a key member of Dan Hurley's staff in charge of a rebuild in Chestnut Hill, Mass.,Murray, 40, has been with the Huskies since 2021 and is widely credited...