preview Page 96 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Wild's drive for playoffs continues against struggling Sharks
The Minnesota Wild are in position to seize a playoff berth in a competitive Western Conference.,They just have to avoid a meltdown in the final four games of the regular season.,"It's been a grind, but we're excited we're in the driver's seat, still," Wild forward Marcus Foligno said. "Our fate's i...

Stephen Curry, Warriors aim to rebound vs. fading Suns
Looking to hold their ground in the packed Western Conference standings, the Golden State Warriors travel to face the freefalling Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.,Golden State (46-32) enters the final week of the regular season in a four-way tie with the Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Memp...

Clippers roll into matchup with eliminated Spurs
One of the hottest teams in the NBA is starting to see significant results from its recent hard work as the Los Angeles Clippers take a full head of steam into a matchup against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday in Inglewood, Calif.,The Clippers have gone 14-3 since March 5 and only recently have mov...

Golden Knights, Avs building momentum for postseason
The Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights will look to extend their win streak to three games when they visit the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night.,The Golden Knights (47-22-8, 102 points) entered Monday five points up on the Los Angeles Kings in the division and six points back of the Wi...

Rockies OF prospect Zac Veen may debut vs. Brewers
The Colorado Rockies debuted their top pitching prospect on Sunday, and now they are ready to introduce a top hitting prospect.,The Rockies brought up 23-year-old outfielder Zac Veen and are expected to play him on Tuesday to start a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers in Denver. Kyle Fr...

With an eye on West's top spot, Stars battle Canucks
The Dallas Stars likely can't afford any more setbacks if they're to remain in the hunt for the top spot in Western Conference.,Looking to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season, the host Stars can get back on track Tuesday night by sweeping the season series from the struggling Va...

Can Lakers muffle Thunder for second time in three days?
The Los Angeles Lakers showed just how dangerous their Big Three can be in Sunday's road win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team with the NBA's best record.,The Lakers (48-30) can reinforce that impression Tuesday when they run it back against the host Thunder.,"All three of those guys that we ...

Isles aim to boost playoff hopes vs. lowly Predators
After allowing Alexander Ovechkin's record 895th goal, the New York Islanders will continue their playoff chase when they visit the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.,The eyes of the sports world were on the Islanders' 4-1 win over the Washington Capitals on Sunday because Ovechkin passed Wayne Gretzky...

Bobby Portis returns from suspension as Bucks host Timberwolves
Bobby Portis returns just in time for the Milwaukee Bucks to gear up for a playoff run.,Portis is expected to take the court when the Bucks (44-34) host the Minnesota Timberwolves (46-32) on Tuesday night. It is the first game in which he's eligible to play since completing a 25-game suspension for ...

Sens visit Blue Jackets with chance to clinch first playoff berth since '17
The Ottawa Senators have a simple assignment Tuesday night. If they beat the Columbus Blue Jackets on the road, the franchise will clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2017.,Carrying out that assignment may not be as easy, even though the Senators (42-29-6, 90 points) are riding a three-g...

Playing out the string, Pelicans and Nets unleash rookies
The New Orleans Pelicans and Brooklyn Nets have combined for 100 losses and 84 different starting lineups.,While injuries derailed the Pelicans following a 49-win season, the Nets went into this season starting a rebuild. Regardless of the circumstances, two teams playing out the string get together...

Knicks out to deny Celtics regular-season sweep
The Boston Celtics will go for a regular-season sweep of the Knicks when they travel to New York on Tuesday night.,The Celtics (58-20) have a top-two seed in the Eastern Conference locked up, while the Knicks (50-28) need just one more win to sew up the No. 3 seed. Though there are no playoff implic...

Blackhawks gunning for home-and-home sweep of Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins eye revenge when they play host to the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.,Tuesday's meeting wraps up a home-and-home series that began Sunday with Chicago claiming a 3-1 home win.,Chicago (22-45-10, 54 points) had entered the contest on a five-game losing skid and with just...

Devils 'not done' as they put win streak on line vs. Bruins
The New Jersey Devils set out for a fourth consecutive win to continue their playoff push when the Boston Bruins pay a visit to Newark, N.J. on Tuesday night for only the second meeting of the season between the teams.,The Devils (41-29-7, 89 points) have been idle since a 4-0 win Saturday over the ...

Maple Leafs shoot to expand division lead at Panthers' expense
The Toronto Maple Leafs aim for a repeat win over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night in Sunrise, Fla., that would tighten their grip on the Atlantic Division lead.,The Maple Leafs (47-25-4, 98 points) entered Monday four points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning and six ahead of the Panthers (44-29...

Canadiens out to hurt Red Wings' wild-card chances
The red-hot Montreal Canadiens technically can't clinch a playoff spot on Tuesday, but they do have an opportunity to just about eliminate one of their closest pursuers for the last postseason berth in the Eastern Conference.,Winners of five straight, the Canadiens will try to take a giant leap towa...

Hawks, Magic battle with play-in positioning on line
The Orlando Magic face the visiting Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday in what could be a play-in tournament preview.,Seventh-place Orlando (38-40) has won two straight heading into the matchup against eight-place Atlanta (37-41), which has lost five of its last seven.,The Magic have had four days off since b...

Pacers, closing in on top-four seed in East, greet lowly Wizards
Winners of four straight and 10 of 12, the Indiana Pacers roll into the regular season's closing stretch looking to solidify home-court advantage for the playoffs with the Washington Wizards visiting Indianapolis on Tuesday.,The Pacers (47-31) continued their hot play on Sunday with a 125-120 win at...

Sabres' Tage Thompson aims to keep hot streak going vs. Canes
While a more prominent jumbo-sized sniper has been setting records and getting a lot of attention lately, Tage Thompson is quietly on an impressive run himself.,The Buffalo Sabres' 6-foot-6, 220-pound center had seven goals in his last four games going into Tuesday night's contest against the visiti...

Braves, Phillies prep for pitching duel between last year's best
The top two finishers in the 2024 National League Cy Young Award race square off Tuesday when the Atlanta Braves host the Philadelphia Phillies in the opener of a three-game series.,Chris Sale is coming off a tremendous season for Atlanta in which he went 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA to earn his first caree...