Blackpink’s Jennie and Beats Hit Replay With All-black Headphones and Unreleased Track
JENNIE APPROVED: An unreleased track from Blackpink member Jennie is set to take center stage…
JENNIE APPROVED: An unreleased track from Blackpink member Jennie is set to take center stage…
Image Credit: Glen Wilson/Lionsgate Witness the rise of the late King of Pop on the…
OK, we’re above .500, hopefully we’re rounding into midseason form! Now, let’s get that money into the green!
Season Record 10-9-1, -0.02 Units
The Mets offense will likely not remain this bad forever. But right now that can’t hit their way out of a paper bag. They’ve slashed a pathetic 204/.245/.288 over their 11 game losing streak, good for a league worst 52 wRC+ over that span. It doesn’t matter lately whether they’re facing Dodgers aces or mediocre A’s starters, they make them all look like peak Pedro Martinez. But fwiw they face their one-time prospect Simeon Woods-Richardson today as the Twins bumped him up a day to replace the injured Mick Abel. SWR seemed to have discovered something in the middle of 2025 as he pitched to a 3.00 ERA and 1.06 after June 15th. Well whatever he discovered, he seems to have lost it again as he sits at 0-3 with a 6.00 ERA and 1.60 WHIP through 4 starts with a hideously low 12% K%.
Getting good pitching has not been a particular problem for the Mets lately, certainly not when Nolan McLean takes the ball.
Through four starts, he has a 2.28 ERA and 0.78 WHIP with a 31.8% K%. He’s yet to yield more than 2 ER or four hits in any start. It’s also going to be on the chilly side tonight, so I really just don’t see a scenario where there’s much offense. The Mets should finally end their two week winless drought…I mean it’s tough to get a more one-sided pitching matchup. But it’s probably on the back of McLean, so I’ll roll with the under.
Yankees at Red Sox
Our Current Best Offers
Channel debug: betting
Going to run counter the pitching matchup here as it’s kind of a mismatch that favors Boston at first glance. Connerly Early has a 2.29 ERA which sounds fantastic and is really helpful for a struggling team that hasn’t hit well and is getting scary bad results from ace Garrett Crochet. But that ERA is a little misleading as Early has a .4.25 SIERA and 5.24 xERA. He’s just walking too many as his 11.9% BB% will attest and yielding way too much dangerous contact with a 92 EV against. His K% is 23.8% which is above average, but not exceptional enough to consistently offset his other flaws.
He’s facing Luis Gil, who has pitched every bit as bad as his 7.00 ERA indicates. His 4.9% K-BB% is likely not a very small sample size fluke as he had a 3.3% K-BB% in 57 IP last year. If he can somehow get through the order twice and the Yankees are in range, they’ll take it.
So why ride with the weak pitcher? Well it gives us a rare chance to back the Yankees at a good price and there is a big gap in offense here. The Yankees have a teamwide 110 wRC+ and have mashed 32 homers, vs. an 87 wRC+ and league worst 13 bombs for the Sox. It’s debatable Boston can fully take advantage of Gil, so give me NY.
Our Current Best Offers
Channel debug: betting
OK, we’re above .500, hopefully we’re rounding into midseason form! Now, let’s get that money into the green!
Season Record 10-9-1, -0.02 Units
The Mets offense will likely not remain this bad forever. But right now that can’t hit their way out of a paper bag. They’ve slashed a pathetic 204/.245/.288 over their 11 game losing streak, good for a league worst 52 wRC+ over that span. It doesn’t matter lately whether they’re facing Dodgers aces or mediocre A’s starters, they make them all look like peak Pedro Martinez. But fwiw they face their one-time prospect Simeon Woods-Richardson today as the Twins bumped him up a day to replace the injured Mick Abel. SWR seemed to have discovered something in the middle of 2025 as he pitched to a 3.00 ERA and 1.06 after June 15th. Well whatever he discovered, he seems to have lost it again as he sits at 0-3 with a 6.00 ERA and 1.60 WHIP through 4 starts with a hideously low 12% K%.
Getting good pitching has not been a particular problem for the Mets lately, certainly not when Nolan McLean takes the ball.
Through four starts, he has a 2.28 ERA and 0.78 WHIP with a 31.8% K%. He’s yet to yield more than 2 ER or four hits in any start. It’s also going to be on the chilly side tonight, so I really just don’t see a scenario where there’s much offense. The Mets should finally end their two week winless drought…I mean it’s tough to get a more one-sided pitching matchup. But it’s probably on the back of McLean, so I’ll roll with the under.
Yankees at Red Sox
Our Current Best Offers
Channel debug: betting
Going to run counter the pitching matchup here as it’s kind of a mismatch that favors Boston at first glance. Connerly Early has a 2.29 ERA which sounds fantastic and is really helpful for a struggling team that hasn’t hit well and is getting scary bad results from ace Garrett Crochet. But that ERA is a little misleading as Early has a .4.25 SIERA and 5.24 xERA. He’s just walking too many as his 11.9% BB% will attest and yielding way too much dangerous contact with a 92 EV against. His K% is 23.8% which is above average, but not exceptional enough to consistently offset his other flaws.
He’s facing Luis Gil, who has pitched every bit as bad as his 7.00 ERA indicates. His 4.9% K-BB% is likely not a very small sample size fluke as he had a 3.3% K-BB% in 57 IP last year. If he can somehow get through the order twice and the Yankees are in range, they’ll take it.
So why ride with the weak pitcher? Well it gives us a rare chance to back the Yankees at a good price and there is a big gap in offense here. The Yankees have a teamwide 110 wRC+ and have mashed 32 homers, vs. an 87 wRC+ and league worst 13 bombs for the Sox. It’s debatable Boston can fully take advantage of Gil, so give me NY.
Our Current Best Offers
Channel debug: betting
Mar 15, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil (81) throws…
The PGA Tour has now officially decided not to hold its season-opening events — The Sentry and Sony Open — in Hawaii in 2027, according to people with knowledge of the plans.
The Sentry officially will not return in 2027, while Sports Business Journal learned on Monday that the tour is in the beginning phases of possibly transitioning the Sony Open to a PGA Tour Champions event, which would still give the tour a multi-event presence in the state.
The tour had played its season-opening tournament, The Sentry, at the Plantation Course at Kapalua dating to 1999, but canceled the 2026 tournament due to water delivery issues on Maui. In its press release announcing that move, the tour mentioned the “logistical complexities unique to staging a tournament on the island of Maui.” It isn’t the only major sports league to leave Hawaii; the NFL nearly a decade ago moved the Pro Bowl to Orlando.
The PGA Tour has now officially decided not to hold its season-opening events — The Sentry and Sony Open — in Hawaii in 2027, according to people with knowledge of the plans.
The Sentry officially will not return in 2027, while Sports Business Journal learned on Monday that the tour is in the beginning phases of possibly transitioning the Sony Open to a PGA Tour Champions event, which would still give the tour a multi-event presence in the state.
The tour had played its season-opening tournament, The Sentry, at the Plantation Course at Kapalua dating to 1999, but canceled the 2026 tournament due to water delivery issues on Maui. In its press release announcing that move, the tour mentioned the “logistical complexities unique to staging a tournament on the island of Maui.” It isn’t the only major sports league to leave Hawaii; the NFL nearly a decade ago moved the Pro Bowl to Orlando.
The PGA Tour has now officially decided not to hold its season-opening events -- The…
Former mixed team World Champion Shiva Narwal marked his return after a three-year gap to claim gold in the 10m Air Pistol men’s junior event on Day 1 of competitions in the ISSF Junior World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun on Tuesday in Cairo at the Egypt International Olympic City.
Chirag Sharma accompanied Narwal on the podium by securing bronze, while Panaah Bhugra added a silver in the women’s 10m air rifle.
Narwal continued his form from the qualification to claim gold with 241.8, finishing 1.8 ahead of Uzbekistan’s Sodikjon Abdullaev, who secured silver. India’s Chirag completed the podium with 218.9, while Abhinav Deshwal, the other Indian in the final, finished seventh with 136.7.
Earlier in qualification, Shiva qualified in top spot with a score of 576-19x, followed by Abhinav in third place with a score of 576-16x and Chirag who qualified in fourth place, shooting 575-13x. Abhinav Choudhary (570-14x), Himanshu Rana (568-12x) and Abhay Dhama (567-17x) missed out on a spot in the finals.
In the women’s junior 10m air rifle event, Panaah, who qualified for the finals with a score of 629.4 maintained her place in the medal positions from the first series and showcased consistency to eventually clinch the silver medal with a final score of 250.6. The French duo of Anceline Brackman and Helena Ecale secured gold and bronze with scores of 252.0 and 228.6 respectively.
Shambhavi Kshirsagar, who finished qualification in top spot with a high score of 634.0, finished outside the medal positions in fourth place with a score of 206.5. The third Indian in the final, Anvii Rathod finished sixth with a score of 164.6.
Anvii qualified for the finals in sixth place with a score of 628.6, while the other Indians in the competition, Manyata Singh scored 628.3 to finish in eighth place. With the rule of maximum of three athletes per country, the three top ranked after qualification round proceeding to the final, Manyata missed out. Anushka Thokur (627.9) finished in ninth and Aneesha Sharma (627.1) finished in tenth place.
The 25m pistol men and women precision round along with the first 75 targets of skeet men and women have also commenced at the first event for the juniors. The rapid stage and finals of the 25m Pistol Women and 50 targets and the finals of skeet men and women will be held on Wednesday. The medals of the 25m pistol men and 50m rifle prone for both men and women will also be decided on Wednesday from the qualification round.
Sejal Kamble – 292-6x
Parisha Gupta – 288-8x
Anjali Mahendra Bhagwat – 284-5x
Shikha Chaudhary – 282-4x
Manvi Jain – 281-7x
Agam Grewal – Disqualified by ISSF Rule 6.7.9.1b (Post competition check failure)
Abhinav Deshwal – 290-9x
Raj Chandra – 288-9x
Yug Pratap Singh Rathore – 287-11x
Jatin – 283-5x
Abhinav Choudhary – 281-5x
Sahil Choudhary – 278-3x
Risham Kaur Guron – 68 (24,23,21)
Sanyogita Shekhawat – 66 (21,22,23)
Agrima Kanwar – 60 (22,18,20)
Parmeet Kaur – 59 (19,22,18)
Harviraj Singh – 71 (25,21,25)
Ishan Singh Libra – 70 (25,23,22)
Zorawar Singh Bedi – 68 (22,21,25)
Yashwardhan Singh Rajput – 63 (19,22,22)
Anjaneya Singh Mandawa – 59 (21,21,17)
Published on Apr 21, 2026
Former mixed team World Champion Shiva Narwal marked his return after a three-year gap to claim gold in the 10m Air Pistol men’s junior event on Day 1 of competitions in the ISSF Junior World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun on Tuesday in Cairo at the Egypt International Olympic City.
Chirag Sharma accompanied Narwal on the podium by securing bronze, while Panaah Bhugra added a silver in the women’s 10m air rifle.
Narwal continued his form from the qualification to claim gold with 241.8, finishing 1.8 ahead of Uzbekistan’s Sodikjon Abdullaev, who secured silver. India’s Chirag completed the podium with 218.9, while Abhinav Deshwal, the other Indian in the final, finished seventh with 136.7.
Earlier in qualification, Shiva qualified in top spot with a score of 576-19x, followed by Abhinav in third place with a score of 576-16x and Chirag who qualified in fourth place, shooting 575-13x. Abhinav Choudhary (570-14x), Himanshu Rana (568-12x) and Abhay Dhama (567-17x) missed out on a spot in the finals.
In the women’s junior 10m air rifle event, Panaah, who qualified for the finals with a score of 629.4 maintained her place in the medal positions from the first series and showcased consistency to eventually clinch the silver medal with a final score of 250.6. The French duo of Anceline Brackman and Helena Ecale secured gold and bronze with scores of 252.0 and 228.6 respectively.
Shambhavi Kshirsagar, who finished qualification in top spot with a high score of 634.0, finished outside the medal positions in fourth place with a score of 206.5. The third Indian in the final, Anvii Rathod finished sixth with a score of 164.6.
Anvii qualified for the finals in sixth place with a score of 628.6, while the other Indians in the competition, Manyata Singh scored 628.3 to finish in eighth place. With the rule of maximum of three athletes per country, the three top ranked after qualification round proceeding to the final, Manyata missed out. Anushka Thokur (627.9) finished in ninth and Aneesha Sharma (627.1) finished in tenth place.
The 25m pistol men and women precision round along with the first 75 targets of skeet men and women have also commenced at the first event for the juniors. The rapid stage and finals of the 25m Pistol Women and 50 targets and the finals of skeet men and women will be held on Wednesday. The medals of the 25m pistol men and 50m rifle prone for both men and women will also be decided on Wednesday from the qualification round.
Sejal Kamble – 292-6x
Parisha Gupta – 288-8x
Anjali Mahendra Bhagwat – 284-5x
Shikha Chaudhary – 282-4x
Manvi Jain – 281-7x
Agam Grewal – Disqualified by ISSF Rule 6.7.9.1b (Post competition check failure)
Abhinav Deshwal – 290-9x
Raj Chandra – 288-9x
Yug Pratap Singh Rathore – 287-11x
Jatin – 283-5x
Abhinav Choudhary – 281-5x
Sahil Choudhary – 278-3x
Risham Kaur Guron – 68 (24,23,21)
Sanyogita Shekhawat – 66 (21,22,23)
Agrima Kanwar – 60 (22,18,20)
Parmeet Kaur – 59 (19,22,18)
Harviraj Singh – 71 (25,21,25)
Ishan Singh Libra – 70 (25,23,22)
Zorawar Singh Bedi – 68 (22,21,25)
Yashwardhan Singh Rajput – 63 (19,22,22)
Anjaneya Singh Mandawa – 59 (21,21,17)
Published on Apr 21, 2026
Former mixed team World Champion Shiva Narwal marked his return after a three-year gap to…
Apr 18, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) and forward Kevin Durant (center) watch during the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images All eyes will be on the great Kevin Durant when his visiting Houston Rockets seek to square the ledger against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of their best-of-seven playoff series Tuesday.
Durant was unable to play Saturday’s first-round series opener after accidentally bumping knees with a teammate at practice three days earlier.
The 16-time All-Star attempted to warm up a few hours before tipoff, but he ultimately didn’t feel his right knee was good enough to play.
Durant led Houston with an average of 26 points per game this season and is No. 5 on the NBA’s all-time leading scorers list.
In his absence, the fifth-seeded Rockets struggled offensively in a 107-98 loss to the Lakers in Game 1.
Houston had 27 more shot attempts but misfired badly, connecting at 37.6% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range and 68% from the free-throw line.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka didn’t hesitate when asked about the qualities that Durant brings to the table, which were sorely lacking Saturday.
“Efficiency and consistent scoring,” Udoka said. “On a nightly basis, he (Durant) shoots at a good, high clip. He doesn’t have too many nights like this (Houston in Game 1), struggling-wise. With all the young guys, he kind of calms you down … Regardless, if he’s back or not, if we’re shooting that poorly, it’s going to be tough to win.”
Alperen Sengun led the Durant-less Rockets with 19 points. Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard added 17 apiece, and Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason both had 16.
Durant is expected to be fit to take his place as the Rockets endeavor to overcome their 1-0 deficit, but the Lakers showed they are able to adapt whether or not Houston’s main man is on the court.
“I don’t think it (Durant not playing Game 1) affected our mentality,” Los Angeles coach JJ Redick said. “This is all we’ve talked about for two months, is our playoff mentality. You can’t worry about who’s in or out of a line-up. It’s our gameplan, it’s our standard, it’s how we play and we’ve built towards that.”
That standard saw the Lakers shoot a sizzling 60.6% from the floor, including 52.6% from deep. The star was Luke Kennard, who produced a playoff career-high 27 points and went 5-of-5 from three.
Thompson admits the Rockets should have been more dialed in on Kennard, a key reserve and the NBA’s most accurate 3-point shooter, who the Lakers acquired from the Atlanta Hawks in February.
“Just respect other players,” Thompson said when asked where his team can improve. “I knew what Kennard could do. But I’ve got to be more locked in for it — locked in for that match-up.”
LeBron James posted 19 points and 13 assists, while Deandre Ayton paired 19 points with 11 boards for Los Angeles.
The Lakers are without their two leading scorers — Luka Doncic (left hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (left oblique strain) — which means greater production is required from more sources.
“We don’t have a choice,” said James, who is participating in his 19th postseason. “It has to be that way — it has to be the collective group. When you’re missing so much firepower like we are right now with AR and Luka being out, we all have to pitch in. We all have to do our job, and even do a little bit more.”
–Field Level Media
Apr 18, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) and forward Kevin Durant (center) watch during the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images All eyes will be on the great Kevin Durant when his visiting Houston Rockets seek to square the ledger against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of their best-of-seven playoff series Tuesday.
Durant was unable to play Saturday’s first-round series opener after accidentally bumping knees with a teammate at practice three days earlier.
The 16-time All-Star attempted to warm up a few hours before tipoff, but he ultimately didn’t feel his right knee was good enough to play.
Durant led Houston with an average of 26 points per game this season and is No. 5 on the NBA’s all-time leading scorers list.
In his absence, the fifth-seeded Rockets struggled offensively in a 107-98 loss to the Lakers in Game 1.
Houston had 27 more shot attempts but misfired badly, connecting at 37.6% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range and 68% from the free-throw line.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka didn’t hesitate when asked about the qualities that Durant brings to the table, which were sorely lacking Saturday.
“Efficiency and consistent scoring,” Udoka said. “On a nightly basis, he (Durant) shoots at a good, high clip. He doesn’t have too many nights like this (Houston in Game 1), struggling-wise. With all the young guys, he kind of calms you down … Regardless, if he’s back or not, if we’re shooting that poorly, it’s going to be tough to win.”
Alperen Sengun led the Durant-less Rockets with 19 points. Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard added 17 apiece, and Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason both had 16.
Durant is expected to be fit to take his place as the Rockets endeavor to overcome their 1-0 deficit, but the Lakers showed they are able to adapt whether or not Houston’s main man is on the court.
“I don’t think it (Durant not playing Game 1) affected our mentality,” Los Angeles coach JJ Redick said. “This is all we’ve talked about for two months, is our playoff mentality. You can’t worry about who’s in or out of a line-up. It’s our gameplan, it’s our standard, it’s how we play and we’ve built towards that.”
That standard saw the Lakers shoot a sizzling 60.6% from the floor, including 52.6% from deep. The star was Luke Kennard, who produced a playoff career-high 27 points and went 5-of-5 from three.
Thompson admits the Rockets should have been more dialed in on Kennard, a key reserve and the NBA’s most accurate 3-point shooter, who the Lakers acquired from the Atlanta Hawks in February.
“Just respect other players,” Thompson said when asked where his team can improve. “I knew what Kennard could do. But I’ve got to be more locked in for it — locked in for that match-up.”
LeBron James posted 19 points and 13 assists, while Deandre Ayton paired 19 points with 11 boards for Los Angeles.
The Lakers are without their two leading scorers — Luka Doncic (left hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (left oblique strain) — which means greater production is required from more sources.
“We don’t have a choice,” said James, who is participating in his 19th postseason. “It has to be that way — it has to be the collective group. When you’re missing so much firepower like we are right now with AR and Luka being out, we all have to pitch in. We all have to do our job, and even do a little bit more.”
–Field Level Media
Apr 18, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) and forward…
Though there might be only one quarterback drafted in this year’s first round, multiple are expected to be square in the first-round mix in the 2027 NFL draft.
Quarterbacks already on the NFL’s radar for 2027 include Oregon’s Dante Moore, Texas’ Arch Manning, Texas Tech’s Brendan Sorsby, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss, Miami’s Darian Mensah, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, Notre Dame’s CJ Carr, LSU’s Sam Leavitt, UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava and Oklahoma’s John Mateer. Not all of those players will be first-round picks, but there are great expectations for many of them, and it provides a glimpse of the potential.
But some teams aren’t even waiting. At least evaluator acknowledged that, while they were out at pro days scouting the prospects for this year’s draft, they took a long hard look at some of the aforementioned quarterbacks in next year’s class. At least one team put in some extra work with a few of these QBs while it was in those college towns, and chances are, that team was not the only one. The NFL is already thinking about the Class of 2027.
Though there might be only one quarterback drafted in this year’s first round, multiple are expected to be square in the first-round mix in the 2027 NFL draft.
Quarterbacks already on the NFL’s radar for 2027 include Oregon’s Dante Moore, Texas’ Arch Manning, Texas Tech’s Brendan Sorsby, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss, Miami’s Darian Mensah, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, Notre Dame’s CJ Carr, LSU’s Sam Leavitt, UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava and Oklahoma’s John Mateer. Not all of those players will be first-round picks, but there are great expectations for many of them, and it provides a glimpse of the potential.
But some teams aren’t even waiting. At least evaluator acknowledged that, while they were out at pro days scouting the prospects for this year’s draft, they took a long hard look at some of the aforementioned quarterbacks in next year’s class. At least one team put in some extra work with a few of these QBs while it was in those college towns, and chances are, that team was not the only one. The NFL is already thinking about the Class of 2027.
Though there might be only one quarterback drafted in this year’s first round, multiple are…
Spencer Johnson, the Australian left-arm pacer who had been signed as Nathan Ellis’ replacement ahead of the season, joined Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Mumbai on Tuesday ahead of its marquee clash against Mumbai Indians.
Johnson may be drafted into the XI for the injured Khaleel Ahmed for Thursday night’s clash.
CSK has had an underwhelming start to its season with just two wins from its opening six games. Injuries have further weighed down its hopes of fighting back.
In its previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Ayush Mhatre suffered a hamstring injury which ruled him out of the remaining tourament.
The five-time champion is already without talisman M.S. Dhoni, who had been ruled out for two weeks even before the side’s first game. However, the 43-year-old is yet to feature in the tournament despite being a regular presence at the team’s practice sessions.
Published on Apr 21, 2026
Spencer Johnson, the Australian left-arm pacer who had been signed as Nathan Ellis’ replacement ahead of the season, joined Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Mumbai on Tuesday ahead of its marquee clash against Mumbai Indians.
Johnson may be drafted into the XI for the injured Khaleel Ahmed for Thursday night’s clash.
CSK has had an underwhelming start to its season with just two wins from its opening six games. Injuries have further weighed down its hopes of fighting back.
In its previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Ayush Mhatre suffered a hamstring injury which ruled him out of the remaining tourament.
The five-time champion is already without talisman M.S. Dhoni, who had been ruled out for two weeks even before the side’s first game. However, the 43-year-old is yet to feature in the tournament despite being a regular presence at the team’s practice sessions.
Published on Apr 21, 2026
Spencer Johnson, the Australian left-arm pacer who had been signed as Nathan Ellis’ replacement ahead…
Apr 19, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Kings right wing Adrian Kempe (9) and Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (8) fight during the third period in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Kings believe they have a plan heading into Game 2 of their Western Conference first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night in Denver.
After averaging 20.1 hits during the regular season, the Kings delivered 49 during the 2-1 loss to Colorado in Game 1 on Sunday afternoon.
Los Angeles coach D.J. Smith believes they can turn it up a notch, however.
“We’ve got to be more physical,” Smith said. “We’ve got to hit the D more, and I expect that in the next game.”
The Kings played their type of game in the first matchup on Sunday, holding the high-scoring Avalanche without a goal through the first half of the game and pulling within one with 2:22 remaining. Still, they couldn’t get a second puck past Scott Wedgewood.
“That’s the kind of game you can expect playing the Kings,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “It’s a tight-checking team. What’d they play, 50-something one-goal games and low-scoring games? I’m comfortable with that. I think our team’s comfortable with that.”
Colorado is comfortable with Wedgewood guarding the net as well.
He led the NHL in save percentage (.921) during the regular season and has limited the opposition to one goal or fewer in his past five starts.
“I thought he was fantastic,” Bednar said. “Did everything he needed to do. Obviously, bigger stakes, more emotion, but played the exact same way that he’s been playing for us all year.”
The Kings missed two opportunities to score into a wide-open net during the game, crucial wasted chances against a team that led the NHL with 3.63 goals per game during the regular season.
“I don’t think we can outscore them,” Los Angeles defenseman Mikey Anderson said. “We’re comfortable in the low-scoring games, so we’ve got to try and keep it tight, try and give them the least amount as possible.”
Colorado got its first goal on Sunday from the top line of Nathan MacKinnon, Artturi Lehkonen and Martin Necas, but its second goal came from the fourth line of Logan O’Connor, Joel Kiviranta and Jack Drury.
O’Connor did not have a goal in 13 regular-season games, but he could sense his line was gaining chemistry heading into the playoffs.
“For us, our game translates well to the playoffs,” O’Connor said. “It’s a lot of simplicity and muck it up and just wear teams down.”
The Kings scored their lone goal while on the power play and with their goalie pulled to create a two-man advantage. They’ll need to be even sharper on the power play come Tuesday.
Surprisingly, the Avalanche had just the 27th-best power play during the regular season, one spot better than the Kings.
“Whether it’s special teams or whatever, we’ve just got to bear down a little bit more on our chances,” Smith said. “I think we can get more pucks to the net and, again, I think we’ve just got to be a little meaner offensively.”
Anderson realizes the difference between a win and a loss could come down to a friendly bounce or two.
“They found a way to capitalize,” Anderson said of Colorado in Game 1. “So, we’ll watch it and figure out if we can change a few things and try to get better going into Game 2.”
–Field Level Media
Apr 19, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Kings right wing Adrian Kempe (9) and Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (8) fight during the third period in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Kings believe they have a plan heading into Game 2 of their Western Conference first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night in Denver.
After averaging 20.1 hits during the regular season, the Kings delivered 49 during the 2-1 loss to Colorado in Game 1 on Sunday afternoon.
Los Angeles coach D.J. Smith believes they can turn it up a notch, however.
“We’ve got to be more physical,” Smith said. “We’ve got to hit the D more, and I expect that in the next game.”
The Kings played their type of game in the first matchup on Sunday, holding the high-scoring Avalanche without a goal through the first half of the game and pulling within one with 2:22 remaining. Still, they couldn’t get a second puck past Scott Wedgewood.
“That’s the kind of game you can expect playing the Kings,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “It’s a tight-checking team. What’d they play, 50-something one-goal games and low-scoring games? I’m comfortable with that. I think our team’s comfortable with that.”
Colorado is comfortable with Wedgewood guarding the net as well.
He led the NHL in save percentage (.921) during the regular season and has limited the opposition to one goal or fewer in his past five starts.
“I thought he was fantastic,” Bednar said. “Did everything he needed to do. Obviously, bigger stakes, more emotion, but played the exact same way that he’s been playing for us all year.”
The Kings missed two opportunities to score into a wide-open net during the game, crucial wasted chances against a team that led the NHL with 3.63 goals per game during the regular season.
“I don’t think we can outscore them,” Los Angeles defenseman Mikey Anderson said. “We’re comfortable in the low-scoring games, so we’ve got to try and keep it tight, try and give them the least amount as possible.”
Colorado got its first goal on Sunday from the top line of Nathan MacKinnon, Artturi Lehkonen and Martin Necas, but its second goal came from the fourth line of Logan O’Connor, Joel Kiviranta and Jack Drury.
O’Connor did not have a goal in 13 regular-season games, but he could sense his line was gaining chemistry heading into the playoffs.
“For us, our game translates well to the playoffs,” O’Connor said. “It’s a lot of simplicity and muck it up and just wear teams down.”
The Kings scored their lone goal while on the power play and with their goalie pulled to create a two-man advantage. They’ll need to be even sharper on the power play come Tuesday.
Surprisingly, the Avalanche had just the 27th-best power play during the regular season, one spot better than the Kings.
“Whether it’s special teams or whatever, we’ve just got to bear down a little bit more on our chances,” Smith said. “I think we can get more pucks to the net and, again, I think we’ve just got to be a little meaner offensively.”
Anderson realizes the difference between a win and a loss could come down to a friendly bounce or two.
“They found a way to capitalize,” Anderson said of Colorado in Game 1. “So, we’ll watch it and figure out if we can change a few things and try to get better going into Game 2.”
–Field Level Media
Apr 19, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Kings right wing Adrian Kempe (9) and…
Champions League-bound Aston Villa will close one end of its stadium next season for construction to raise capacity above 50,000 before hosting European Championship games in 2028.
The club in Birmingham announced a faster timetable Tuesday to long-planned renovations for the North Stand that will cut stadium capacity to about 37,000 throughout next season.
Villa is well set in fourth place in the Premier League with five rounds left to qualify for the next Champions League, guaranteeing four home games in the main phase.
At Euro 2028 co-hosted across Britain and Ireland, Villa Park will stage four games including one in the round of 16. It hosted a quarterfinals game among four at the 1996 edition in England.
“By completing the works within a single season, the club will limit disruption to one campaign rather than extending it across two seasons,” Aston Villa said in a statement.
Villa Park has had crowds of 43,000 in the Premier League this season and 41,662 last week when coach Unai Emery’s team eliminated Bologna in the Europa League quarterfinal.
Published on Apr 21, 2026
Champions League-bound Aston Villa will close one end of its stadium next season for construction to raise capacity above 50,000 before hosting European Championship games in 2028.
The club in Birmingham announced a faster timetable Tuesday to long-planned renovations for the North Stand that will cut stadium capacity to about 37,000 throughout next season.
Villa is well set in fourth place in the Premier League with five rounds left to qualify for the next Champions League, guaranteeing four home games in the main phase.
At Euro 2028 co-hosted across Britain and Ireland, Villa Park will stage four games including one in the round of 16. It hosted a quarterfinals game among four at the 1996 edition in England.
“By completing the works within a single season, the club will limit disruption to one campaign rather than extending it across two seasons,” Aston Villa said in a statement.
Villa Park has had crowds of 43,000 in the Premier League this season and 41,662 last week when coach Unai Emery’s team eliminated Bologna in the Europa League quarterfinal.
Published on Apr 21, 2026
Champions League-bound Aston Villa will close one end of its stadium next season for construction…