review Page 41 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Blue Jays, downplaying 'defending' status, open against A's
The Toronto Blue Jays might have been a surprise last season when they came close to winning the World Series.,Another successful season, however, would be no surprise. This year they will carry the burden of high expectations into their 50th anniversary season, which will open Friday night against ...

Pistons host Pelicans, looking to bounce back from rare loss
The Detroit Pistons had their four-game winning streak snapped by the red-hot Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. They'll look to start a new one when they host the lowly New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday.,Detroit dropped a 130-129 overtime thriller at home to the Hawks. Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren both mi...

Knights out to snap slide in key clash with rival Oilers
Second place in the Pacific Division will be on the line Thursday night when the Edmonton Oilers visit Las Vegas to take on the Vegas Golden Knights.,Edmonton (35-28-9, 79 points), which trails first-place Anaheim by five points, enters the contest with a one-point lead over Vegas (32-26-14, 78 poin...

Hungry for points, Kings face spoilers in Canucks
Pacific Division rivals meet in what could be a playoff-deciding matchup for the Los Angeles Kings when they visit the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night.,The game is the second of four between these teams this season, with the final three matchups in the final month of the regular season. Los Ange...

Freshmen take center stage when Illinois meets Houston in Sweet 16
HOUSTON -- Both Illinois and Houston have been forged by tradition and buoyed by veterans. Yet the Illini and Cougars owe a noteworthy measure of their success this season to freshmen.,Guards Keaton Wagler of Illinois and Kingston Flemings of Houston will serve as the showcase young stars for the th...

Mammoth out to bolster playoff position, dent Caps' chances
The Utah Mammoth look to solidify their hold on a playoff spot when they host the Washington Capitals on Thursday night.,Utah (37-29-6, 80 points) leads the surging Nashville Predators by three points for the first wild-card spot into the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the Western Conference.,Washington (3...

Jets bring hot stretch into clash vs. league-leading Avalanche
When the Colorado Avalanche visited Winnipeg on March 14th, they were in the midst of four losses in five games that trimmed their Central Division lead to two points.,Nearly two weeks later, Colorado (47-13-10, 104 points) is surging and has built a cushion in the division with 12 games remaining e...

Division title nearly in reach as Ducks travel to Flames
The Anaheim Ducks will not just be looking to continue their push for a playoff spot for the first time in eight years when they continue their road trip by facing the Calgary Flames on Thursday.,The Ducks are eying up a division title.,And to make things even better for the Ducks (40-27-4, 84 point...

Sliding Sharks looking to shake off buzzing Blues
The San Jose Sharks ride into Thursday's road meeting with the St. Louis Blues mired in an untimely five-game losing skid.,After being firmly entrenched in the playoff conversation for most of the 2025-26 season, the Sharks (32-31-6, 70 points) have slowly witnessed their hopes for postseason hockey...

Focused Predators take on Devils squad finally finding their footing
The Nashville Predators are playing their best hockey when it matters most.,Meanwhile, the New Jersey Devils might be out of the playoff race but look to continue their recent surge by keeping the host Predators from extending a season-high winning streak to six games Thursday night.,Poised to retur...

Flyers' playoff push in need of a home win vs. Blackhawks
If the Philadelphia Flyers fail to make the playoffs, they can place much of the blame on their home-ice performance.,The Flyers hope to post a much-needed home victory Thursday when they take on the Chicago Blackhawks.,Philadelphia (34-24-12, 80 points) enters Wednesday's action five points behind ...

Senators keep surging through injuries with Penguins up next
Despite a slew of injuries to defensemen, the Ottawa Senators prepare to host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night on a four-game winning streak.,The Senators have also won six of their last seven. Those runs have propelled Ottawa (38-24-9, 85 points) into the second and final wild-card spot in...

Kraken trying to end skid, face smooth-running Lightning
If there was a game that encapsulated the Seattle Kraken's season, it might have come Tuesday night.,Playing against the injury-riddled Florida Panthers, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, the Kraken rallied from a three-goal deficit in the final six minutes of regulation only to lose 5-4...

Struggling Stars travel to Islanders, aware of need for improvement
The Dallas Stars begin a four-game road trip Thursday in Elmont, N.Y., against the New York Islanders, hoping new surroundings improve their results.,The Stars (43-17-11, 97 points) were swept on their two-game homestand but still secured a Western Conference playoff spot. They fell behind 4-1 after...

No. 2 Purdue next up for surprising Texas in run to West Region semifinals
The lowest-seeded team left in the NCAA Tournament will try to continue its unexpected run when No. 11 Texas faces No. 2 Purdue in the West Region semifinals on Thursday night in San Jose, Calif.,The Longhorns (21-14) are the sixth team to go from the First Four to the Sweet 16, getting there by kno...

Magic hope to shake slump and beat up on woeful Kings again
With key games against the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks looming, the Orlando Magic hope to gain some momentum at the expense of the visiting Sacramento Kings on Thursday night.,The Magic (38-34) find themselves in the thick of a six-team battle for the final two guaranteed playoff positions in ...

Big Ten's Nebraska, Iowa play again, with South Region final on line
HOUSTON -- For Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg, there was ample familiarity in reviewing how the fourth-seeded Cornhuskers' next opponent, Iowa, dispatched both Clemson and Florida en route to the South Region semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.,For the ninth-seeded Hawkeyes (23-12), imposing their will ...

Sizzling Hornets, Knicks still have work to do for playoff seeding
Ahead of their meeting on Thursday night, the Charlotte Hornets and visiting New York Knicks are playing as well as any teams in the Eastern Conference. Still, both sides have ground to make up in the congested playoff picture.,Charlotte (38-34) has continued its remarkable run as the league's bigge...

Chris Gotterup, with 2 wins already this year, one to watch at Houston Open
The PGA Tour shifts to Texas for two weeks before the Masters arrives, though Scottie Scheffler will not be joining the field that tees up for the Texas Children's Houston Open on Thursday.,Scheffler withdrew early this week citing family reasons. He and his wife Meredith are expecting their second ...

Injury-ridden Panthers, with playoffs unlikely, welcome Wild
The Florida Panthers, who have won the past two Stanley Cup titles, never thought they'd be in their current predicament.,But largely due to a multitude of injuries, the Panthers (35-32-3, 73 points) are on the brink of playoff elimination with a dozen games remaining in the regular season. They are...