v Page 40 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Illinois State gets shot at No. 1 overall seed Auburn in NIT semis
After the disappointment of not hearing its named called on Selection Sunday to be part of the March Madness field, Auburn chose to play good basketball and focus on a championship.,The top overall seed in the NIT, the Tigers (20-16) can take one step closer to a title when they face Illinois State ...

Creighton, facing Rutgers, aims to extend Greg McDermott's tenure
After missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six seasons, Creighton coach Greg McDermott announced his retirement effective the end of the season.,Since the announcement, McDermott is devising a game plan he hopes will result in a few more wins. Creighton's next chance occurs Thursday in ...

WVU seniors face off with Stanford's freshman star in Crown opener
Senior-dominated West Virginia and freshman-led Stanford go head-to-head Thursday night when the College Basketball Crown Tournament continues in Las Vegas with its second day of quarterfinal matchups.,The second-year event pitting teams from the Southeastern Conference, Big 12, Big Ten and Big East...

Chasing Mammoth in wild-card race, Kraken out to trim deficit
The six-game trip the Seattle Kraken just completed was supposed to make or break their playoff chances.,It did neither.,Despite going just 1-3-2, the Kraken (32-30-11, 75 points) remain only three points out of the Western Conference's second and final wild-card spot entering a Thursday home game a...

Improving Blazers see play-in-positioning opportunity against Pelicans
Winners in seven of their past nine games, the Portland Trail Blazers look to continue their strong stretch run heading into the Western Conference play-in tournament when they host the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday.,Portland (39-38) moved to the right side of .500 on Tuesday, when they led almos...

John Tortorella looks to build off debut as Golden Knights host Flames
Taking over a Vegas Golden Knights team whose season was quickly heading south, new head coach John Tortorella quickly stressed one major change.,Go north.,"Trying to get the right mindset, an aggressive mindset of playing north," Tortorella said.,Tortorella, who replaced Bruce Cassidy as head coach...

Sizzling teams, MVP candidates square off as Lakers face Thunder
Two of the NBA's hottest teams, each with players making a case for Most Valuable Player honors, face off Thursday when the Oklahoma City Thunder host the Los Angeles Lakers.,The Lakers (50-26) come in having won 13 of their past 14, including the past four in a row.,The Thunder (60-16) have won thr...

Oilers have found new gear as they seek fifth straight victory vs. Blackhawks
The Edmonton Oilers have seemingly fixed the kinks in their armor at the perfect time during a season filled with question marks.,The lack of depth and trustworthy goaltending options have continually been the topic of conversation when it came to the Oilers' struggles during the 2025-26 regular sea...

Close to a wild-card spot, Jets battle playoff-bound Stars
The Winnipeg Jets are one point out of the second Western Conference wild-card playoff spot as they prepare to face the host Dallas Stars on Thursday night.,The Jets (32-30-12, 76 points) have won four of their last five, including a 4-3 overtime road win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night...

Caps must continue late surge vs. Devils to stay in playoff hunt
The Washington Capitals look to continue to gain ground in their pursuit of a playoff berth on Thursday when they visit the New Jersey Devils in Newark, N.J.,The Capitals (38-28-9, 85 points) have won three in a row and are 6-1-2 in their last nine games to move within three points of the Columbus B...

NHL-worst Canucks stun league-best Avalanche 8-6
Brock Boeser produced his seventh career regular-season hat trick and added an assist as the Vancouver Canucks recovered from blowing a four-goal lead to beat the Colorado Avalanche 8-6 in Denver on Wednesday night.,Teddy Blueger scored twice for the Canucks (22-44-8, 52 points), who set a season hi...

Penguins, Lightning hope to shake off erratic March in playoff push
As second-place teams having worked their way through an erratic March, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning will try to sharpen their respective games as the playoffs approach when they meet Thursday in Tampa.,The Penguins (38-21-16, 92 points), who have seven games remaining, went 8-6-3...

Timberwolves looking to avenge recent setback to Pistons
The Detroit Pistons clinched the Central Division title for the first time since 2008 on Tuesday. Now they are aiming to sew up the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.,Detroit, which leads second-place Boston by four games in the East, can move closer to that goal when it hosts Minnesota on Thursd...

Hornets hope to take advantage of Suns' road woes
The Phoenix Suns and Charlotte Hornets are both within the NBA's play-in tournament category in their respective conferences.,So when they meet Thursday night in Charlotte, it's a chance to improve their status.,The Hornets (40-36), who have won six of their last eight games, are jockeying for posit...

Deadlocked Wings, Flyers face off in critical encounter
The Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers failed to gain ground in the playoff race Tuesday, but they get another opportunity when the teams square off Thursday in Philadelphia.,Detroit (39-27-8, 86 points) and Philadelphia (37-25-12, 86 points) both trail the Columbus Blue Jackets by two points...

Sabres looking to clinch first playoff berth in 15 years in Ottawa
The Buffalo Sabres can clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 15 years when they visit the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.,The Sabres (46-21-8, 100 points) reached the century mark in points Tuesday with a 4-3 win against the New York Islanders, the first time they've done so s...

Canadiens seek 7th straight win at resurgent Rangers
A year after making a late run to claim a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, the Montreal Canadiens are chasing their first division title in nearly a decade thanks to a well-timed winning streak.,The Canadiens attempt to earn a season-high seventh straight victory and inch closer to first pl...

Playoff-hungry Bruins start four-game road trip at Panthers
Last season, the Boston Bruins missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015-2016. They also traded away long-time star Brad Marchand to Florida and watched him win a Stanley Cup title with the Panthers.,That was rough.,This season, however, the Bruins (43-24-8, 94 points) are currently the top ...

Roger Goodell: Steve Tisch doesn't own Giants; no violations found related to Epstein
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed that New York Giants chairman Steve Tisch is no longer co-owner of the club and has not committed any violations that are subject to the league's personal conduct policy.,Tisch was named 440 times in U.S. Department of Justice documents related to sex offende...

Blue Jackets desperate to break road drought in Carolina
The Carolina Hurricanes will look to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second time in three days when the Metropolitan Division rivals meet on Thursday in Raleigh, N.C.,Tuesday's game in Columbus was tied until 12:42 of the third period, when Nikolaj Ehlers' long-range shot beat a screened Je...