• The Canadian Press

    Disputed foul tip that put Rangers behind in opener not reviewable. Heim makes up for miscue

    ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim was going down to block a low pitch when he heard the ball tip off the bat and saw it change directions. Home plate umpire Chad Fairchild didn't hear or see the same thing in the ninth inning of the season opener for the World Series champions, and the Chicago Cubs took the lead on that disputed play before Texas rallied to win 4-3 on Heim's game-ending RBI single in the 10th inning Thursday night. As the ball rolled behind the plate, Heim

  • The Canadian Press

    Tyler O'Neill homers for record-setting 5th straight opening day as Red Sox top Mariners 6-4

    SEATTLE (AP) — Tyler O’Neill homered in his fifth straight opening day game to set a major league record, this time against the organization that drafted him, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Seattle Mariners 6-4 on Thursday night. Rafael Devers homered and doubled off Seattle ace Luis Castillo, but it was O’Neill’s homer on the first pitch from Cody Bolton in the eighth inning that gave the Red Sox a 6-4 lead and made history. O’Neill homered the previous four opening days with St. Louis, tying

  • The Canadian Press

    McDavid, Draisaitl help Oilers rule over Kings 4-1

    EDMONTON — If it was a playoff preview, the Edmonton Oilers liked how they looked in rehearsal. Connor McDavid scored a goal and added two assists as the Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 on Thursday as the two teams jostle for home ice advantage in what has often appeared like a destined first-round clash in the NHL playoffs. “It’s always hard against these guys. They are as solid as they come,” McDavid said. “They’re structured and responsible. They’re good, it’s always difficult. “It

  • The Canadian Press

    Logan Cooley has 1st NHL hat trick, Coyotes stop Predators' points streak at 18 with 8-4 win

    TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Logan Cooley had his first NHL hat trick, Clayton Keller added a goal and three assists and the Arizona Coyotes snapped the Nashville Predators’ point streak at 18 games with an 8-4 victory Thursday night. Nashville had been 16-0-2 since its last loss Feb. 15 at home against Dallas. It was the longest points streak in Predators history and the longest in the NHL this season. Arizona won its second straight and went 3-0-1 against the Predators this season. Connor Ingram made 3

  • The Canadian Press

    Shane Bieber and Guardians blank Athletics 8-0 as Stephen Vogt gets first win as manager

    OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Shane Bieber struck out 11 in six shutout innings, David Fry had three hits and Stephen Vogt won his managerial debut as the Cleveland Guardians beat the Oakland Athletics 8-0 on Thursday night. Bieber, the 2020 Cy Young Award winner, made his fifth consecutive opening day start and allowed four hits in six innings. Vogt spent six seasons as a player with the A’s in two stints before retiring in 2022. He was hired by Cleveland to replace Terry Francona after a year as a bu

  • The Canadian Press

    Dallas Stars clinch playoff spot with 3-1 win over Vancouver Canucks

    VANCOUVER — Roope Hintz scored and contributed a pair of assists, and the Dallas Stars clinched a playoff spot with a 3-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. Jamie Benn added a goal and a helper for the Stars (46-19-9) before Jason Robertson put a puck into the empty net. Joe Pavelski had two assists. Jake Oettinger stopped 27 of 28 shots as Dallas stretched its win streak to six games. The Canucks (45-20-8) got a goal from J.T. Miller and 30 saves from Casey DeSmith. Dallas sits first o

  • Yahoo Sports

    March Madness: Illinois fends off Iowa State in the second half to advance to Elite Eight

    Illinois is in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2005.

  • The Canadian Press

    D-backs unload on Rockies with 14 runs in third, most runs in inning on opening day since 1900

    PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks got their season started with an offensive flourish, scoring 14 runs in the third inning of their opening-day game against the Colorado Rockies on Thursday night. It broke the records for most hits, runs and batters in a single inning in franchise history. It's also the most runs in an inning on opening day for any team since 1900, according to Elias Sports. It took 34 minutes for the Rockies to get three outs. The D-backs led 16-1 after three innings. The

  • The Canadian Press

    Cubs lefty Justin Steele exits 1st opening-day start with left hamstring strain

    ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele exited his first career opening-day start with a left hamstring strain after going down awkwardly while fielding a sacrifice bunt in the fifth inning against World Series champion Texas on Thursday night. Steele came off the mound and lunged while reaching to pick up a ball. After tossing the ball to first base to get out Leody Taveras, Steele went down to the ground in foul territory, grabbing the back of his left leg above his knee. Af

  • The Canadian Press

    Barbashev helps Knights beat skidding Jets 4-1

    WINNIPEG — Head coach Bruce Cassidy felt some extra satisfaction after his Vegas Golden Knights grounded the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 on Thursday. The game was physical from the get-go and tied 1-1 after two periods. Forward Ivan Barbashev then led the charge, scoring the game-winner with 5:29 remaining in the third. He added an empty-netter with 1:45 left and Jack Eichel notched one with 34 seconds on the clock. “At the end of the day, those types of wins mean a little bit more,” Cassidy said. “They’r

  • Yahoo Sports

    Tearful Caleb Love left to lament missed chances as Arizona falters in Sweet 16 yet again

    Love went cold at the worst moment on Thursday, and the Wildcats are once again heading home from an NCAA tournament early.

  • The Canadian Press

    Panarin and Trocheck score shootout goals to lift NHL-leading Rangers past Avalanche 3-2

    DENVER (AP) — Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck scored shootout goals, Igor Shesterkin made 38 saves through overtime and two more in the shootout to lead the NHL-leading New York Rangers to a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. Chris Kreider and Kaapo Kakko scored in regulation for New York, which won its fourth in a row to reach 102 points, tops in the league. Casey Mittelstadt and Devon Toews had goals for Colorado, which has dropped two straight following a nine-game win

  • Yahoo Sports

    March Madness: Grant Nelson powers Alabama past No. 1 North Carolina to reach first Elite Eight since 2004

    Alabama will now take on Clemson in the Elite Eight on Saturday night after a dominant outing from Grant Nelson.

  • Yahoo Sports

    MLB Opening Day 2024: Reds clinch first win amid a decidedly different atmosphere than last year

    Frankie Montas delivered on the mound and Nick Martini was the unlikely hero at the plate as the Reds met the high expectations entering this season.

  • Yahoo Sports

    Diamondbacks set franchise record and Opening Day record with 14 runs in 1 inning vs. Rockies

    One Rockies pitcher finished the inning with a 38.75 ERA. The next one finished with a 162 ERA.

  • The Canadian Press

    Nick Suzuki, Cayden Primeau lead Canadiens to 4-1 win over Flyers

    MONTREAL — He didn't leave with a shutout, but Cayden Primeau won’t complain about the result on Thursday night. Primeau made 29 saves as the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1. After earning shutouts in his previous two home games, the 24-year-old netminder held Philadelphia off the scoresheet until the final 61 seconds before Owen Tippett broke the ice for the Flyers. Shutout or not, Primeau claimed the game’s first star and fans chanted his name at the Bell Centre. “It wo

  • The Canadian Press

    Matt Boldy breaks tie early in 3rd, Wild beat NHL-worst Sharks 3-1

    ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Matt Boldy broke a tie 18 seconds into the third period and the Minnesota Wild beat the NHL-worst San Jose Sharks 3-1 on Thursday to pick up a couple of points in their slim playoff bid. Joel Eriksson Ek also scored, Ryan Hartman added an empty-net goal and Kirill Kaprizov had two assists. Filip Gustavsson made 26 saves and assisted on Hartman’s goal to help Minnesota improve to 7-1-3 in its last 11 games. “It comes down to the guys in our locker room playing the right way

  • The Canadian Press

    Giordano honours late father after scoring in return from injury, Leafs top Caps 5-1

    TORONTO — Mark Giordano wasn't sure he would get a chance to honour his late father under the NHL's bright lights. The league's oldest player at age 40 had missed the last 12 games with a concussion as part of a Maple Leafs defence corps that ballooned to nine deep following the trade deadline. Life, as Giordano has become acutely aware over the last six weeks, can move incredibly fast. The veteran blueliner didn't flinch when he got his chance Thursday. Giordano scored an emotional goal in his

  • The Canadian Press

    Andersen posts shutout, Hurricanes clinch playoff berth with 4-0 win over Red Wings

    RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes clinched another playoff berth and they hardly even noticed. Frederik Andersen made 24 saves, Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis each had a goal and two assists, and the Hurricanes posted a 4-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night. “It’s kind of almost unfortunate that it gets overlooked a little because where we sit,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said of securing a postseason spot. “You forget how hard that is to accomplish, and to do it w

  • The Canadian Press

    World champion Rangers overcome disputed tip and beat Cubs 4-3 on Heim's 10th-inning single

    ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jonah Heim hit a game-ending RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning as the World Series champion Texas Rangers opened the season with a 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night. Adolis García and Travis Jankowski homered for the Rangers, who unfurled the franchise's first World Series championship banner from the rafters high above right field before the dramatic victory. Drew Smyly, the Cubs’ seventh pitcher, walked two to load the bases before Heim lined a s

  • The Canadian Press

    Oakland Athletics fans boycott home opener outside stadium in protest of Las Vegas move

    OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Many fans at the Oakland Coliseum were still hanging out in the parking lot when Alex Wood delivered the first pitch of the season for the Athletics against the Cleveland Guardians. And they had no intention of going into the stadium. In protest of the A’s planned move to Las Vegas in 2028, fan groups staged a boycott of the home opener Thursday, purchasing tickets to the game to organize a block party outside the stadium. A half-hour before the game's first pitch, hundred

  • Yahoo Sports

    MLB Opening Day 2024: Jonah Heim walks it off for Rangers after ump argument gaffe

    The Rangers catcher had an eventful couple of innings on Opening Day.

  • The Canadian Press

    Senators win fourth straight by blanking Blackhawks 2-0

    OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators were well aware of the Connor Bedard factor on Thursday but they were much more concerned with their own play than the young Chicago Blackhawks forward. Ottawa played a near perfect game and was rewarded with a 2-0 win for its effort and made rookie Bedard a non-factor for much of the night. Bedard was making his one and only appearance in the nation’s capital and a sold-out crowd was on hand at Canadian Tire Centre to see the 18-year-old centre, but in the end it wa

  • Yahoo Sports

    After Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye’s pro days, the Commanders may hold the keys to the NFL Draft

    The No. 1 pick seems to be a foregone conclusion, which means all eyes are on the Commanders and their decision that likely boils down to two QBs.

  • The Canadian Press

    Islanders keep playoff hopes alive with 3-2 win over Panthers

    SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Semyon Varlamov made 27 saves and Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored the go-ahead goal midway through the second period to help lift the New York Islanders past the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Thursday night. “He was stellar,” Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock said of Varlamov. “He made huge saves in big moments, he played the puck well and he looked really solid back there and was a key part of that win.” Pulock and Mathew Barzal also scored and Casey Cizikas had two assists for New Yor