Ronnie O’Sullivan thumped the table in frustration as John Higgins reeled in the seven-time world snooker champion in an enthralling second session of their second round match at the Crucible on Sunday night.
O’Sullivan twice led by five frames and looked set to cruise towards the quarter-finals at the expense of the out-of-sorts Scot, before Higgins drew on his decades of top-level experience to end the evening just two adrift at 9-7.
A pivotal final frame of the session proved too much for O’Sullivan, who gave the cushion a painful rap with his knuckles after missing an early red, before Higgins edged over the line to finish much the happier of the two players.
Ronnie O’Sullivan holds a 9-7 lead over John Higgins (Mike Egerton/PA)
Higgins never got going in the early stages, but clawed out frame 14 despite fluffing an attempted escape from a snooker, and never looked back. He reeled in a 55-point deficit in the next, then held his nerve in an edgy last frame of the night in which both players went in-off at crucial moments.
Wu Yize fashioned a 9-7 lead over four-time champion Mark Selby in an intriguing clash that is also set to conclude on Monday afternoon.
Selby had threatened to overwhelm his opponent after firing successive centuries in the first two frames, but the 22-year-old Wu hit back to haul level at 4-4 after their opening session.
Advertisement
Wu Yiize leads Mark Selby 9-7 ahead of Monday’s conclusion (Mike Egerton/PA)
And it was the Chinese player who dominated upon their return in the evening, pulling clear at 9-6 before Selby chiselled out the final frame of the night to keep himself within touching distance.
Earlier, defending champion Zhao Xintong moved closer to cracking the so-called ‘Crucible Curse’ by booking his place back in the quarter-finals with a 13-9 win over compatriot Ding Junhui.
Zhao shrugged off some evident nerves to build on a 9-7 overnight advantage despite losing an error-strewn, 46-minute opener that saw Ding temporarily reduce the arrears to a single frame.
The 29-year-old – looking to become the first first-time winner to retain his title at the Crucible – capitalised on a series of misses by his opponent to pull away, a break of 108 in the penultimate frame helping seal a last eight clash with Shaun Murphy.
“Today I think there was more pressure,” Zhao told BBC Sport. “I know Ding didn’t play very well in the last session but the pressure is very big. This year I just don’t want to lose any match so it feels very different.”
World number one Judd Trump inched closer to booking his place in the quarter-finals after establishing a 9-7 overnight lead in a pulsating contest against Iran’s Hossein Vafaei.
Advertisement
Judd Trump established a battling lead over Hossein Vafaei (Mike Egerton/PA)
Resuming at 4-4, Trump struggled to get into his stride as his inspired opponent edged 7-6 in front, but Trump responded brilliantly, a century followed by further breaks of 74 and 94 seeing him end their second session with a precious advantage.
Neil Robertson took advantage of a controversial moment in the 14th frame of his clash with Chris Wakelin to move four clear at 10-6 ahead of Monday’s conclusion.
Wakelin was well in the ascendency when he potted a long red, but a foul was called by referee Peggy Li who noticed him feather the yellow ball in the process.
Wakelin clearly did not agree with the referee’s call but the decision stood after Li called for a replay, and Robertson capitalised to take the frame with a 65 break, before further breaks of 65 and 101 took him to the brink of his first last eight appearance since 2021.
Apr 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates with first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) after hitting a solo home run against the Chicago Cubs in the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
As Shohei Ohtani emerges from an early-season downturn, the four-time MVP will now square off against a team that absorbed one of the best days of his career.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to open a three-game home series Monday against the Miami Marlins, who are midway through a six-game road trip in California.
Ohtani ended a 12-game home-run drought with a solo shot in a 6-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. It was his longest run without a home run since joining the Dodgers before the 2024 season.
Heading into Sunday’s game, Ohtani was on an 8-for-44 (.182) slide with just one RBI.
“Yeah, well, I think it’s been getting a little better since around (Saturday),” Ohtani said through a translator on the SportsNet LA broadcast. “So, I’d like to keep being patient while making further improvements.”
Advertisement
In 19 career games against the Marlins, Ohtani has eight home runs with 21 RBIs and had what was arguably one of the most historically significant games in MLB history against Miami two seasons ago.
On Sept. 19, 2024, Ohtani went 6-for-6 against the Marlins with three home runs, two doubles, four runs scored and 10 RBIs. It was also the game when he reached 50 home runs to become the first 50 homer-50 stolen base player in major league history.
Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-2, 2.48 ERA) is set to take the mound for Los Angeles after he took the loss at San Francisco on Tuesday when he gave up three runs over seven innings. He won his lone start against the Marlins in 2024, allowing two runs over eight innings.
Advertisement
After consecutive losses at San Francisco, the Marlins will send right-hander Chris Paddack (0-4, 6.38) to the mound. Paddack gave up five runs over 4 2/3 innings in a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday.
Paddack’s outing came after he rebounded from a rough season-opening outing by giving up a combined four earned runs over his previous three starts.
“I thought Chris, for the most part, did a really nice job,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “He threw some really nice changeups. They had a lot of depth at the bottom of the zone. I thought Chris threw well.”
Paddack is 1-4 with a 5.91 ERA in nine career starts against the Dodgers. He did hold Los Angeles to one run over six innings of a no-decision last season in his final start for the Minnesota Twins before he was traded to the Detroit Tigers.
Advertisement
On Sunday at San Francisco, Miami right-hander Max Meyer did not allow an earned run over five innings on 77 pitches before the bullpen failed to protect a 3-1 lead.
Marlins left-hander Andrew Nardi gave up a tiebreaking three-run home run in the seventh inning to Casey Schmitt in a 6-3 loss. Graham Pauley hit a three-run home run in the second inning for the Marlins, his first of the season.
Miami is 1-2 to open its six-game road trip and just 3-9 on the road for the lowest number of victories away from home in the National League.
Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, we discuss Nelly Korda’s second turn of dominance, the new Ryder Cup captain and its exorbitant ticket prices.
Nelly Korda won the Chevron Championship, blitzing the field to win by five and claim the first major of the year, the third of her career. Two years ago she won seven times, but followed it up with a winless 2025. This year she has already won twice. Is a summer of Nelly Korda dominance ahead? What’s changed?
James Colgan, news and features editor (@jamescolgan26): It is the hardest thing in golf to win a tournament. And yet, it is very, very hard to lose golf tournaments when you’re playing the way Nelly did this weekend. On the front nine on Sunday with a five-shot lead, feeling all of the pressure in the world to close it out, Korda made seven pars and two birdies. There’s a maturity in that kind of sensibility on Sunday at a major, and I think it explains a lot of her success in Houston.
Sean Zak, senior writer (@sean_zak): I think Nelly has settled in to a comfortable spot with what she wants to be to the game. When she last went on a run like this, there was immense pressure for her to carry the entire women’s game. To try and live up to cross-sport comparisons to Caitlin Clark. I’m not sure Korda ever really felt great about all of that.
Advertisement
To answer the question, I hope a Summer of Nelly is upon us. She is unquestionably one of the best golfers we’ve ever seen, which just makes me want to see what she’s capable of achieving at her very peak. This comes the same week that DataGolf launched its women’s rankings. I want to see her take off and plant her flag with one of the best seasons of all-time. And then, if I can be greedy, I want to see Jeeno Thitikul go toe-to-toe with her.
Josh Schrock, associate news editor (@schrock_and_awe): Here in Houston all week, it was very apparent that Nelly Korda is at peace with who she is, and her maturity on the golf course stems from both personal happiness and a decision that she and caddie Jason McDede made to approach things differently after 2025. She’s made a concerted effort to play smart golf, not take on unnecessary risk and not let negativity, both internal and external, seep into her game. McDede told me that the loss last year at Erin Hills was really the catalyst for the changes she made to her mentality, and I think there’s reason to believe she could rip off several more wins this year. Every part of her game is firing, and her decision to hire a “no nonsense” putting coach has helped address what was the Achilles’ heel of her game. The hype train leading into Riviera will be out of control.
A pre-tournament talking point at the Chevron was if the winner’s leap into Poppie’s Pond should continue with the tournament now taking place at a new venue, Memorial Park. A small pool was built as a placeholder this year (which Korda splashed into) until a more natural water feature is built by Tom Doak before next year. Should the winner’s leap have stayed put at the previous venue, Carlton Woods? Is it gimmicky? Or is it a fun tradition and important to preserve?
Colgan: Golf people get so worked up about the dumbest things. I’d argue sports are fun precisely because of our stupidly blind adherence to totally outrageous (and often watered down) traditions like the winner’s leap. We’re investing emotionally into someone’s capacity to put a white ball into a hole in the ground in fewer lashes than their opponent. That’s as dumb as it gets. If the winner wants to jump into a kiddie pool or battle an orangutan after, we should be unmoved.
Zak: If they battle an orangutan, I’m gonna be moved by that. Sorry, James. But I actually kinda dig this tradition, mostly because … who cares? Bring your hate elsewhere. There are more important — and way more gimmicky — things to get angry about. Nelly’s team seemed to enjoy the leap.
Schrock: Completely agree. What was all the fuss about? The players want to keep tradition alive and the LPGA created a stopgap move to allow it. There’s way too much hand-wringing about dumb things in golf. This was much ado about nothing. Korda was one of the players who wanted the tradition kept alive. She dove in. We move on. It’s sports. Go take a lap if you’re so aggrieved, maybe in a pool.
The PGA of America announced Jim Furyk as its Ryder Cup captain for 2027, and he’ll become just the fourth repeat captain in the modern era. While we already discussed the news earlier this week, Furyk has had plenty of experience since his 2018 loss (as Ryder Cup assistant and Presidents Cup captain). What do you think his biggest learning from Paris has been that will be most beneficial next year?
Advertisement
Colgan: Don’t allow yourself to start the Cup by getting punched in the face. A fast start is the biggest asset for any road team, and it’s especially true at the Cup.
Zak: Here’s what the biggest learning needs to be: pairings decided weeks in advance. Perhaps months in advance. The Euros have trotted out pairs they knew would be playing together back in June. It seems like a strategy that keeps working.
Schrock: There has to be a better strategy with the pairings than letting guys play with who they want to and flying by the seat of their pants as the competition goes on. The U.S. has the talent but they are lacking in every other area.
Speaking of the Ryder Cup, tickets for 2027 in Ireland were recently announced as $585, which is more than double the cost of the last European Ryder Cup (in Rome in 2023). It also comes a year after $750 tickets caused an uproar at Bethpage. The PGA of America said then it’s a “Tier 1” sporting event and priced accordingly. What say you? Is it good for golf that prices (and demand) for Ryder Cup tickets are soaring? Or outrageous that it’s boxing out certain fans?
Colgan: Oh, it’s totally pathetic and completely antithetical to the spirit of an exhibition meant to celebrate golf’s best virtues. If the Euros don’t ask for payment to play in the Cup after the latest ticket news, they’re being naive.
Advertisement
Zak: So is this price…Tier 2? Or is it still Tier 1, but in Ireland? I feel sad for those locals who have had this event circled on their calendars for years — after a very rich businessman won the bid to bring a now impossibly rich event to his very expensive resort. There’s a long tail of benefits that follow the Ryder Cup and make it worth everyone’s cause, but a lot of it now starts with fans paying a ton on the front end. It feels changed.
Schrock: Completely outrageous. Ticket prices for everything have unnecessarily gone through the roof, but for an exhibition match for a sport that is supposed to be about egalitarianism, this is pretty brutal.
It’s official — for the first time in nearly six decades, the PGA Tour will not stop in Hawaii during the 2027 season, a domino of the forthcoming schedule change. Will you miss Hawaii? And what was your favorite moment during the Tour’s time in The Aloha State?
Colgan: I’ll miss Hawaii. The golf course was fun and distinct, and the vibes were aspirational in a way few events on the golf calendar are. In a lot of ways, it feels like this is the moment we’ll look back upon as the Tour’s defining shift toward commerce in the mid-2020s. Not a bad thing, but a thing worth noting!
Advertisement
Zak: It’s okay to miss Hawaii as a season-starter and also know it was not an economically viable tournament. We live in an era of sports that will squeeze plenty of Things We Like out and replace them with Things We Still Like But Are Better Funded. It is what it is. This is a strictly commercial move and I think we’ll look back on it in five years in a totally accepting way. That said, the Tiger-Ernie battle from 2000 was one of the best mano a mano golf moments we’ve ever had.
Schrock: I’ll miss Hawaii for sure. Kapalua was a great course and it gave everyone buried in snow in the northeast an escape. That being said, I completely understand why the decision was made from a financial standpoint. Agree, this decision feels like a notable moment in the PGA Tour’s for-profit journey.
Apr 21, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Steven Matz (32) throws a pitch during the first inning against Cincinnati Reds at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn Images
The Cleveland Guardians spent the weekend on a working vacation in Toronto, playing a series against the Blue Jays and attending Game 3 of the NBA playoff series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors.
Now, they’re back at home to begin a three-game set Monday against the surging Tampa Bay Rays.
Guardians left-hander Parker Messick (3-0, 1.76 ERA) takes on Rays lefty Steven Matz (3-1, 4.81) in a matchup of pitchers whose teams have won nine of their 10 combined starts in 2026.
Their trip started on a high note as Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan posed on the court before cheering for the Cavaliers, while Austin Hedges was one of several players featured on social media videos from the stands.
Cleveland then won its series opener over the Blue Jays — thanks to Angel Martinez’s first career multi-homer game — before dropping the next two. Starting pitchers Joey Cantillo and Slade Cecconi unraveled in the sixth inning on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Advertisement
“That’s two nights in a row we’ve gotten burned in that pocket in the sixth inning,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “It’s a tricky situation because you don’t want to go to your bullpen too early, so you have to show some trust in your starters.”
The Guardians have won all five of Messick’s starts, each of which has occurred after a Cleveland loss — as will again be the case. The rookie had his first iffy outing in a no-decision against the Houston Astros on Tuesday, giving up three runs in five innings.
Messick made two late-season appearances against Tampa Bay last year, going 2-0 with a sparkling 0.69 ERA. He racked up 10 strikeouts without a walk over 13 innings, relying on his change-up to keep the Rays guessing.
Advertisement
“It’s been my pitch since I was a freshman in high school, so, hopefully, I can keep it rolling,” said Messick, who ranks third in the American League in ERA. “Every game is a new game, so I just trust myself to attack in a new way.”
Tampa Bay is rolling into town with a four-game winning streak, completing a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins with a 4-2 victory Sunday. Yandy Diaz belted a two-run homer in the third, coming to the plate after Jonathan Aranda stroked a two-run single.
Matz is still building up his arm after spending the past two years as a reliever with the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox. He took his first loss Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds, giving up four runs in three innings.
“It’s just not who I am as a pitcher,” Matz said of his rough game against the Reds. “I’m a strike thrower and I just wasn’t able to do that.”
Advertisement
The 34-year old has been terrific in eight lifetime appearances against Cleveland, posting a 3-0 record and 1.71 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings. Matz’s wins all came against the then-Indians in 2016, 2019 and 2021.
Tampa Bay’s bullpen will be on call early as Matz has gotten through the sixth inning only once. Setup man Cole Sulser and closer Bryan Baker each pitched twice in the last two days against Minnesota, but the team traded for right-hander Casey Legumina after he was designated for assignment by the Seattle Mariners.
“With where the bullpen is right now, we need to be opportunistic,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “And Casey is a guy we like. Hopefully, this helps him and he can help us.”
In one of the more quirky splits this season, Tampa Bay is 11-1 against AL opponents and 5-10 against National League Central foes.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – APRIL 25: Members of the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves get into a scrum in the fourth quarter of Game Four of the First Round of the 2026 NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Target Center on April 25, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets and Julius Randle #30 of the Minnesota Timberwolves were ejected from the game. The Timberwolves defeated the Nuggets 112-96. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Nikola Jokić and Julius Randle have been fined following an incident late in Game 4 between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Jokić received a $50,000 fine, while Randle was fined $35,000 for their roles in the altercation.
The situation started in the final seconds of the game when Jaden McDaniels scored a late layup with the Timberwolves already leading comfortably. The Nuggets took issue with the play, which led to a confrontation.
Advertisement
According to the report, Jokić approached and shoved McDaniels, while Randle escalated the situation by getting involved and pushing Bruce Brown.
Both players were given technical fouls and ejected from the game.
“He scored when we’d stopped playing,” Jokić said after the game. “You guys saw what happened.”
Advertisement
Despite the fines, both players are expected to be available for Game 5.
Minnesota currently leads the series 3-1, putting them at an advantage, although injuries to key players could still affect how the series plays out.
Just 2:29 into overtime, Ducks forward Ryan Poehling jammed a puck through Oilers netminder Tristan Jarry to win it for his side and take a commanding 3-1 series lead.
After some hesitation, on-ice officials called it a good goal and there was an automatic review triggered by the league.
Since the call on the ice was a good goal, the NHL situation room needed conclusive evidence the puck did not cross the line. After a lengthy discussion, the call on the ice was confirmed and the Ducks had, officially, earned the victory.
As is the case with most controversial playoff winners, there were a variety of reactions from around the hockey world as the two-time Stanley Cup finalists were pushed to the brink of elimination.
Matt Fitzpatrick will collect a check, but really, Alex Fitzpatrick will emerge from this week’s Zurich Classic as the winner.
You needed only to watch the scene on the 18th green on Sunday evening at the Zurich Classic to know that was true. It was there, on the 18th, that the Fitzpatrick Brothers emerged victorious after a glorious mid-range sand-shot from elder brother (and U.S. Open champ) Matt. And it was there, on the 18th, that Alex realized the fulfillment of his greatest life dream.
“Yeah, I’m still lost for words,” Alex Fitzpatrick said afterward, still gobsmacked. “Just an overwhelming emotion of happiness. Like Matt said, at the start of the week it was coming here to be a family and spend time with each other, eat Mr. B’s, and have a great week. To be sitting here now and done what we did, yeah, I’m pretty speechless.”
If you wanted to know why Alex Fitzpatrick was speechless, the trophy celebration didn’t provide all the answers. You see, his win was bigger than just a title at a PGA Tour event, and bigger than a winner’s check. By winning at the Zurich, the younger Fitzpatrick also clinched a series of career-altering perks, which we list in their entirety below.
Advertisement
What Alex Fitzpatrick really won at the Zurich Classic
1. A PGA Tour card
The biggest and most significant benefit of Alex Fitzpatrick’s victory is PGA Tour status. By virtue of a winner’s exemption, Alex earned full PGA Tour status through the end of 2028, giving him the rarest gift in pro golf — job security — for the next 18 months.
2. A PGA Championship invite
Hopefully Alex hadn’t planned out his spring break for the second week in May, because those plans went up in smoke the second his final putt hit the bottom of the cup. Fitzpatrick earned an invite into the PGA Championship at Aronimink with his win, giving him his second career major championship start, following only the 2023 Open Championship.
3. A Players Championship invite
Thanks to his victory on Sunday, Fitzpatrick will also play in the PGA Tour’s flagship event next March at TPC Sawgrass.
4. Signature Events!
If you’re a player with $3 million in career earnings and you’re hoping to multiply your bank account, the Tour’s $20 million Signature Events series is a pretty good place to start. Fitzpatrick will have the chance to do exactly that over the coming months thanks to the Signature Events invites he received on Sunday evening. Fitzpatrick will spend the rest of his 2026 teeing up in some of the most lucrative events in golf, including the Cadillac Championship, Truist Championship, Memorial Tournament and Travelers Championship.
Advertisement
5. $1,375,000
Fitzpatrick’s win wasn’t just about money, but it was a little bit about money. He’d won $3 million in his career as a pro prior to Sunday’s victory, and he won nearly half of that total on Sunday evening, adding $1.375 million to his career earnings with the win.
The men’s hoops rosters haven’t all been finalized.
The season outlooks remain fuzzy.
Advertisement
But I’m always ready to preach.
So here it is—your Way-Too-Early Power Ranking for Basketball Teams in the West.
1. Arizona
Tommy Lloyd is the man. There will be no more slander.
2. USC
L.A. plus money. Who says no? Eric Musselman is cooking.
Advertisement
3. Oregon
Dana Altman is building. Never doubt a legend. Always trust Oregon’s NIL Fund.
4. BYU
Kevin Wright didn’t forget how to coach. Rob Wright is back, and BYU has money. Let’s see if they advance in the Tournament this year.
5. UCLA
How could I forget about you, Mr. Cronin? Recruiting is going well. You’ll move up. This is a Way-Too-Early List, remember?
6. Gonzaga
Because they have to be here. Is the dynasty over? Some are saying it.
Advertisement
7. Utah State
Did the coach leave? Don’t matter. Utah State is a wagon. See you in the Pac-12.
8. Oregon State
I can smell what Justin Joyner is cooking. The money has been unlocked. The Beavers are in the hunt.
9. New Mexico
Well, how ‘bout that. Eric Olen kept Jake Hall. I’ll eat my crow and go home. Never thought it would be done. Some businessmen in Albuquerque stepped up.
10. Arizona State
Great hire. Randy Bennett is an excellent coach. And he is calling this his dream job. The expectation this year is to compete in the Big 12 and make the Tournament.
Advertisement
Miller covers College Basketball and College Football as well as Formula 1 racing as a Senior Writer and Assistant Editor for SuperWest Sports.
ANAHEIM — Can’t get a bounce, can’t catch a break.
Is it because the Edmonton Oilers, 4-3 losers in overtime Sunday, haven’t earned a break or a bounce? Or that the always-on-their-front-foot Anaheim Ducks have?
Or is a loose puck that’s slung out of the corner, then hits a skate and bleeds through the five hole just a sign that this isn’t Edmonton’s spring, after two trips to the Stanley Cup Final?
Oh, and then the Situation Room — which we know to be a coin flip on plays like this one — sides against you too, adding insult to injury.
Advertisement
“I don’t know how they see it as a conclusive goal,” said defenceman Mattias Ekholm, who, like all of us, only saw an angle where the puck was half-covered by the skate of goalie Tristan Jarry. “Maybe there is somebody who can prove otherwise, but it doesn’t matter. They called it a goal and we’ll have to abide with that.”
The good folks in the Situation Room emailed out this verdict: “The Referee’s initial call on the ice was that the puck completely crossed the goal line. Following video review, the Situation Room determined that the puck completely crossed the goal line.”
In their heart of hearts, the Oilers gave you the impression that they too thought the puck was likely over the line. But nobody was happy with the lack of video evidence, or the fact two referees did not make an on-ice call either way, finally settling on a “good goal” call after a centre-ice huddle with their linesmen a good minute after the goal.
“I thought we were going to get away with it,” said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch. “I’ve seen in the past where I thought goals have gone in and they haven’t been able to prove them (with video evidence). So I thought that’s what the call was going to be, but obviously they thought otherwise.”
Advertisement
To the Oilers’ credit, nobody was grousing too loud about the call. Not after blowing 2-0 and 3-2 leads.
The Oilers played their best defensive game of the series in Game 4, got excellent goaltending from surprise starter Jarry, and still walked out of The Pond with a sour taste in their mouths after a few bad bounces and a butt-ugly OT winner that was credited to Ryan Poehling.
“Just kind of a battle in the corner and it just gets thrown to the middle… It’s unlucky,” said Jarry, who watched Poehling’s centring pass carom in off Darnell Nurse’s foot. “An unlucky bounce goes off of the skate, just kind of bounces right between my legs, and it just kept going. It just died behind me.”
The Oilers talked about playing something a lot closer to 3-2 hockey before the series started, but four games in they’ve proven unable to hold these dynamic Ducks to anything less than three goals per game in regulation.
Advertisement
“I guess that’s something we have evidence now, through four games, that’s it’s been hard for us,” admitted Ekholm. “I thought we played better defensively. We have to stay out of the box and be better on the kill, but five-on-five I thought we took a step in the right direction.”
They’d better keep taking steps — and fast. Edmonton is down to its last life, with Game 5 set for Rogers Place Tuesday (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+ at 10 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. MT).
“We did a good job of putting ourselves in some pretty good spots and we just didn’t find a way to get it done,” said Connor McDavid, who had two assists, both on the power play. “We’re in a hole, no doubt about it. We have to find a way to get a win at home.”
McDavid was valiant, turning on whatever jets he has to skate around Beckett Sennecke, only to have Lukas Dostal make his best save of the game on him late in the third period. The Oilers captain is ailing, likely with the residual effects of getting his leg caught up Ekholm’s in Game 1.
Advertisement
We’d gauge him at about 70 per cent, but he logged 19:32 and was good defensively. He’s just missing the top 30 per cent of his game — the part that makes him the best player on earth.
Meanwhile Jason Dickinson returned, but he’s is playing at less than full speed. Zach Hyman isn’t close to himself, and we’re not entirely sure about Leon Draisaitl, who missed the last three weeks of the season with a knee issue.
How is McDavid’s health?
“We’re all doing the best we can out there. We’re all working and trying to get it done,” he said.
Advertisement
McDavid always falls into the team tense when he doesn’t want to talk about himself. Sometimes that’s when he’s doing otherworldly things, and sometimes it’s when he’s pushing through an injury.
“It’s not really about Connor McDavid here, it’s about two teams that are trying to figure each other out,” he said when pressed. “They’re playing well and we have another level as a group. I still feel there were some good signs tonight.”
The Oilers had won an NHL-record 10 straight Game 4s, and had won six straight Game 4s when trailing a series 2-1.
All of those streaks came to an end Sunday night in Anaheim, against a Ducks team that looks poised to set a few new marks of their own over the next few seasons.
Kenyan athlete Sabastian Sawe entered the history books by becoming the first man to run a marathon in under two hours. He won the London race in 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds.
Also in this bulletin:
Advertisement
Paul Seixas puts Tadej Pogacar under pressure at Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Marseille stumble in the race for the Champions League while their rivals keep winning, Lyon’s women’s team are in a difficult position in the Champions League semi-finals, Victor Wembanyama returns with San Antonio and Clermont upsets Toulouse in the Top 14.
Reigning ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion ‘The General’ Jonathan Haggerty of England may not be fond of his challenger, Yuki Yoza, but still holds him in high regard.
The British superstar acknowledged the Japanese contender’s world-class striking skills ahead of their high-stakes five-round war at ONE SAMURAI 1 this Wednesday, April 29, at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
The Knowlesy Academy and Team Underground affiliate told ONE Championship:
“Yoza is a great striker. An absolutely technical machine. He’s good. I’ve said it in interviews before. He’s up there with the best I’ve faced. We know what he brings. He has the style to stop the fight at any given moment. But I’m good at what I do, and as long as I stick to that, it should be a great night for me.”
Advertisement
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
Jonathan Haggerty is adopting a strictly business approach ahead of his second title defense. His most recent bout saw him dismantle Chinese challenger Wei Rui by unanimous decision at ONE 171 last February.
By doing so, Haggerty snapped ‘Demon Blade’s’ 21-fight winning streak in the process. Yoza has also been on a roll with three straight victories and a 13-fight overall winning streak.
Advertisement
The Team Vasileus star built a reputation for devastating kicks, sharp boxing, and proven finishing instincts.
Jonathan Haggerty left no stone unturned for Yuki Yoza bout
Jonathan Haggerty knew the caliber of his opponent and made sure to prepare accordingly.
‘The General’ told ONE:
“Everything’s been going great. There’s no rushing in this camp. We made sure everything’s on point so we don’t make the same mistake again. We’re getting all the work done. I’m executing what I’m already good at more efficiently.”
The English superstar continued:
Advertisement
“That means precision, power, movement, and the ability to time, land, and counter. Nothing has been left to chance. I’m only aiming to bring the very best version [of myself]. I’m hungry to compete.”
Order the ONE SAMURAI 1 pay-per-view at live.onefc.com and watch ‘The General’ defend his throne live on April 29.
;){kind=icon}
;)
You must be logged in to post a comment Login