Stankoven, Hall, Andersen help Carolina Hurricanes top the Ottawa Senators 2-0 to open NHL playoffs

April 20, 2026

RALEIGH, N.C. — Logan Stankoven and Taylor Hall scored, and Frederik Andersen came through with a big third-period performance in net to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Ottawa Senators 2-0 on Saturday to open their first-round playoff series. Carolina can take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series on Monday night in Raleigh. Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour had gone with Andersen's veteran experience as the starter over Brandon Bussi, and it paid off for the Eastern Conference's top seed. "We have good options and both guys have played well and we have confidence in both guys," ...

Murray, Jokic lead Nuggets to 116-105 win over Timberwolves in physical opener to 1st-round series

April 20, 2026

DENVER — Jamal Murray scored 30 points, going 16 of 16 from the free-throw line, and Nikola Jokic had a triple-double as the Denver Nuggets shook off a sluggish start to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-105 on Saturday in the opener of their first-round playoff series. Jokic had 25 ...

Kennard scores 27, LeBron leads Lakers to surprising 107-98 win over Rockets in playoff opener

April 20, 2026

LOS ANGELES — Luke Kennard scored a career playoff-high 27 points, LeBron James had 19 points and 13 assists, and the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers capitalized on Kevin Durant's injury absence for a 107-98 victory over the Houston Rockets in the opener of their first-round playoff series ...

Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder begin their quest for a repeat against the Suns

April 20, 2026

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City Thunder, no longer the young upstarts, begin their quest for an NBA title repeat on Sunday at home against the Phoenix Suns. The Thunder remain one of the youngest teams in the league. But now, reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads a group of grizzled ...

Brewers finding unusual ways to manufacture runs while key hitters are injured

April 18, 2026

MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers have grown accustomed to scoring runs without necessarily having much punch in their lineup. They're needing to do that more than ever as they wait for some of their top hitters to recover from injuries. Milwaukee has scored three runs or fewer in six of ...

Packers’ lack of a first-round pick will test GM Gutekunst’s ability later in draft

April 18, 2026

Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has a reputation for making his best draft picks well after the opening round. That trait should come in handy the next couple of years. Green Bay sent its 2026 and 2027 first-round picks to the Dallas Cowboys last August as part of the package to acquire All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons, who had 12½ sacks in 14 games last season before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament. That injury ended Parsons' 2025 season early and likely will cause his 2026 season to start a few weeks late. Any regrets? "Zero. None," Gutekunst said ...