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Wahab Riaz wants a Women’s Cricket League in Pakistan on lines of PSL Wahab Riaz, the mentor of the national women’s cricket team, wants the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to launch an international T20 women’s league in the country, on the lines of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).“The PSL has been a big success for us, and while our girls are not short on talent, they lack the experience and exposure of playing against stronger teams and players,” Wahab told reporters in Karachi.He suggested that the PCB should explore this possibility because when Pakistani players share the dressing room with international players and play with them and against them, it will help them grow.He also felt the Board should help in getting the members of the national women’s team opportunities to play in foreign T20 leagues.Wahab, who is also a national selector, is supervising the team’s training in Karachi ahead of a bilateral series against Zimbabwe.It is the first time a women’s team from Zimbabwe is visiting Pakistan for a white-ball tour. The teams will compete in three T20 matches and as many ODIs, starting April 29.Wahab said the series will help in the preparations for this year’s T20 World Cup.Published on Apr 13, 2026 #Wahab #Riaz #Womens #Cricket #League #Pakistan #lines #PSL

Wahab Riaz wants a Women’s Cricket League in Pakistan on lines of PSL

Wahab Riaz, the mentor of the national women’s cricket team, wants the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to launch an international T20 women’s league in the country, on the lines of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

“The PSL has been a big success for us, and while our girls are not short on talent, they lack the experience and exposure of playing against stronger teams and players,” Wahab told reporters in Karachi.

He suggested that the PCB should explore this possibility because when Pakistani players share the dressing room with international players and play with them and against them, it will help them grow.

He also felt the Board should help in getting the members of the national women’s team opportunities to play in foreign T20 leagues.

Wahab, who is also a national selector, is supervising the team’s training in Karachi ahead of a bilateral series against Zimbabwe.

It is the first time a women’s team from Zimbabwe is visiting Pakistan for a white-ball tour. The teams will compete in three T20 matches and as many ODIs, starting April 29.

Wahab said the series will help in the preparations for this year’s T20 World Cup.

Published on Apr 13, 2026

#Wahab #Riaz #Womens #Cricket #League #Pakistan #lines #PSL

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Wahab Riaz, the mentor of the national women’s cricket team, wants the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to launch an international T20 women’s league in the country, on the lines of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

“The PSL has been a big success for us, and while our girls are not short on talent, they lack the experience and exposure of playing against stronger teams and players,” Wahab told reporters in Karachi.

He suggested that the PCB should explore this possibility because when Pakistani players share the dressing room with international players and play with them and against them, it will help them grow.

He also felt the Board should help in getting the members of the national women’s team opportunities to play in foreign T20 leagues.

Wahab, who is also a national selector, is supervising the team’s training in Karachi ahead of a bilateral series against Zimbabwe.

It is the first time a women’s team from Zimbabwe is visiting Pakistan for a white-ball tour. The teams will compete in three T20 matches and as many ODIs, starting April 29.

Wahab said the series will help in the preparations for this year’s T20 World Cup.

Published on Apr 13, 2026

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#Wahab #Riaz #Womens #Cricket #League #Pakistan #lines #PSL

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Deadspin | Pistons reach 60-win plateau by racing past Pacers <div id=""><section id="0" class=" w-full"><div class="xl:container mx-0 !px-4 py-0 pb-4 !mx-0 !px-0"><img src="https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28716653.jpg" srcset="https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28716653.jpg" alt="NBA: Detroit Pistons at Indiana Pacers" class="w-full" fetchpriority="high" loading="eager"/><span class="text-0.8 leading-tight">Apr 12, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) dribbles against Indiana Pacers center Micah Potter (11) in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images<!-- --> <!-- --> </span></div></section><section id="section-1"> <p>The Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons closed out just the third 60-win regular season in franchise history on Sunday, leading wire-to-wire in a 133-121 defeat of the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis.</p> </section><section id="section-2"> <p>With the East’s No. 1 seed in the upcoming NBA Playoffs also secured, Detroit (60-22) limited its entire starting five to fewer than 26 minutes in Sunday’s regular-season finale. That was plenty of time for Paul Reed to make some more Pistons’ history, as he became the organization’s first player ever to score 25-plus points on a perfect field-goal shooting performance.</p> </section><section id="section-3"> <p>Reed scored a game-high 26 points on 11-of-11 from the floor. Tobias Harris added 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, including a perfect 4-of-4 from beyond the 3-point arc.</p> </section><section id="section-4"> <p>Detroit knocked down 15-of-33 from long distance overall and went a blistering 50-of-89 (56.2%) from the floor overall.</p> </section><br/><section id="section-5"> <p>The Pistons’ even distribution of minutes provided plenty of scoring opportunities for Detroit’s reserves, led by Kevin Huerter’s 15 points and Isaiah Stewart’s 16. The Detroit bench outscored Indiana’s, 60-45.</p> </section> <section id="section-6"> <p>The Pacers (19-63) made a late push in their final game of the worst season by won-loss record in franchise history, pulling to within six points with less than three minutes remaining. Ethan Thompson, one of four Indiana scorers with at least 18 points, scored the last of his 18 during the futile rally effort down the stretch.</p> </section><section id="section-7"> <p>Quenton Jackson and Obi Toppin led the Pacers with 21 points each, and Kobe Brown added 20 points. Micah Potter finished with a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double.</p> </section><section id="section-8"> <p>The Detroit reserves helped build a lead that peaked at 27 points in the third quarter when the visitors surged out of halftime with an 18-9 run. Reed and Ausar Thompson punctuated the surge with back-to-back dunks, part of the Pistons’ 62 points in the paint.</p> </section><section id="section-9"> <p>On a night Detroit was red-hot from the floor, Cade Cunningham was a rare exception shooting just 3 of 12. The Pistons’ star finished with only seven points, but neared a triple-double in his reduced playing time, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing 14 assists.</p> </section><br/><section id="section-10"> <p>–Field Level Media</p> </section> </div> #Deadspin #Pistons #reach #60win #plateau #racing #Pacers

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Deadspin | Wild hope to banish recent funk as they take on Blues Apr 4, 2026; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Minnesota Wild left wing Kirill Kaprizov (97) gets in position for a faceoff in the second period against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images Central Division foes square off one final time this season when the playoff-bound Minnesota Wild visit the St. Louis Blues on Monday night. This is the third and final regular-season matchup between these teams. They have split the season series so far, with the Wild winning 5-0 in St. Louis back in October and the Blues getting revenge in Minnesota 3-1 last month. The Wild (45-23-12, 102 points) are third in the Central Division and secured a playoff spot on April 2 after defeating the Vancouver Canucks 5-2. Minnesota has made the Stanley Cup playoffs in six of the last seven seasons, but hasn’t won a playoff round since 2015. John Hynes’ men are also looking to get back into the win column after losing two straight games. The Wild kicked off a three-game road trip by giving up a two-goal lead and falling 5-4 to the Dallas Stars, who will be their first-round playoff opponent. “This is the game. Score more goals and win,” Kirill Kaprizov said after that loss. “It’s OK. We just keep going. We still have a couple of games left and just keep playing. It was a good game. “I feel pretty good, and it’s always an exciting time. It’s the best time of the year. We still have a couple of games left and want to focus on those games.” Then, the Wild were held off the scoreboard for two straight periods in a 2-1 loss to the Nashville Predators. In that game, Hynes scratched forwards Joel Eriksson Ek and Mats Zuccarello, and defenseman Jared Spurgeon for rest. “I want to see guys play to their personal identities, and I want to see the team be able to play the way we want to play, regardless of if guys are in and out of the lineup,” Hynes said after the loss in Nashville. “There’s a lot at stake for some guys in the lineup as well. Like, what is the final decision going into Game 1? And then also as a team, there are some habits and details and style of game that we want to play moving in (to the playoffs), regardless of if guys come in and out of the lineup.” Meanwhile, the Blues (34-33-12, 80 points) have played well recently. They have won six of their last 10 games and stopped a two-game skid with a 5-3 win against the Chicago Blackhawks their last time out. In that matchup, Alexey Toropchenko, Jordan Kyrou and Cam Fowler scored in the second period to escape a 2-1 hole and propel St. Louis to victory. However, the Blues were also mathematically eliminated from playoff contention that night due to the Los Angeles Kings defeating the Edmonton Oilers 1-0. “I’m not going to really reflect on the team right now, but I can reflect on my own experience,” Blues head coach Jim Montgomery said. “It is the first time I missed the playoffs. I know I’m going to learn and grow from it because I realize some of the errors I’ve made and maybe some of the ways I didn’t stick to the way I believe to build a team throughout the year. “This group, when we play the right way, we tend to play really well and tend to keep pucks out of our net and tend to win games by 4-2.” –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Wild #hope #banish #funk #BluesApr 4, 2026; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Minnesota Wild left wing Kirill Kaprizov (97) gets in position for a faceoff in the second period against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images

Central Division foes square off one final time this season when the playoff-bound Minnesota Wild visit the St. Louis Blues on Monday night.

This is the third and final regular-season matchup between these teams. They have split the season series so far, with the Wild winning 5-0 in St. Louis back in October and the Blues getting revenge in Minnesota 3-1 last month.

The Wild (45-23-12, 102 points) are third in the Central Division and secured a playoff spot on April 2 after defeating the Vancouver Canucks 5-2. Minnesota has made the Stanley Cup playoffs in six of the last seven seasons, but hasn’t won a playoff round since 2015.

John Hynes’ men are also looking to get back into the win column after losing two straight games. The Wild kicked off a three-game road trip by giving up a two-goal lead and falling 5-4 to the Dallas Stars, who will be their first-round playoff opponent.

“This is the game. Score more goals and win,” Kirill Kaprizov said after that loss. “It’s OK. We just keep going. We still have a couple of games left and just keep playing. It was a good game.

“I feel pretty good, and it’s always an exciting time. It’s the best time of the year. We still have a couple of games left and want to focus on those games.”


Then, the Wild were held off the scoreboard for two straight periods in a 2-1 loss to the Nashville Predators. In that game, Hynes scratched forwards Joel Eriksson Ek and Mats Zuccarello, and defenseman Jared Spurgeon for rest.

“I want to see guys play to their personal identities, and I want to see the team be able to play the way we want to play, regardless of if guys are in and out of the lineup,” Hynes said after the loss in Nashville. “There’s a lot at stake for some guys in the lineup as well. Like, what is the final decision going into Game 1? And then also as a team, there are some habits and details and style of game that we want to play moving in (to the playoffs), regardless of if guys come in and out of the lineup.”

Meanwhile, the Blues (34-33-12, 80 points) have played well recently. They have won six of their last 10 games and stopped a two-game skid with a 5-3 win against the Chicago Blackhawks their last time out.

In that matchup, Alexey Toropchenko, Jordan Kyrou and Cam Fowler scored in the second period to escape a 2-1 hole and propel St. Louis to victory. However, the Blues were also mathematically eliminated from playoff contention that night due to the Los Angeles Kings defeating the Edmonton Oilers 1-0.

“I’m not going to really reflect on the team right now, but I can reflect on my own experience,” Blues head coach Jim Montgomery said. “It is the first time I missed the playoffs. I know I’m going to learn and grow from it because I realize some of the errors I’ve made and maybe some of the ways I didn’t stick to the way I believe to build a team throughout the year.

“This group, when we play the right way, we tend to play really well and tend to keep pucks out of our net and tend to win games by 4-2.”

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Wild #hope #banish #funk #Blues">Deadspin | Wild hope to banish recent funk as they take on Blues Apr 4, 2026; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Minnesota Wild left wing Kirill Kaprizov (97) gets in position for a faceoff in the second period against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images Central Division foes square off one final time this season when the playoff-bound Minnesota Wild visit the St. Louis Blues on Monday night. This is the third and final regular-season matchup between these teams. They have split the season series so far, with the Wild winning 5-0 in St. Louis back in October and the Blues getting revenge in Minnesota 3-1 last month. The Wild (45-23-12, 102 points) are third in the Central Division and secured a playoff spot on April 2 after defeating the Vancouver Canucks 5-2. Minnesota has made the Stanley Cup playoffs in six of the last seven seasons, but hasn’t won a playoff round since 2015. John Hynes’ men are also looking to get back into the win column after losing two straight games. The Wild kicked off a three-game road trip by giving up a two-goal lead and falling 5-4 to the Dallas Stars, who will be their first-round playoff opponent. “This is the game. Score more goals and win,” Kirill Kaprizov said after that loss. “It’s OK. We just keep going. We still have a couple of games left and just keep playing. It was a good game. “I feel pretty good, and it’s always an exciting time. It’s the best time of the year. We still have a couple of games left and want to focus on those games.” Then, the Wild were held off the scoreboard for two straight periods in a 2-1 loss to the Nashville Predators. In that game, Hynes scratched forwards Joel Eriksson Ek and Mats Zuccarello, and defenseman Jared Spurgeon for rest. “I want to see guys play to their personal identities, and I want to see the team be able to play the way we want to play, regardless of if guys are in and out of the lineup,” Hynes said after the loss in Nashville. “There’s a lot at stake for some guys in the lineup as well. Like, what is the final decision going into Game 1? And then also as a team, there are some habits and details and style of game that we want to play moving in (to the playoffs), regardless of if guys come in and out of the lineup.” Meanwhile, the Blues (34-33-12, 80 points) have played well recently. They have won six of their last 10 games and stopped a two-game skid with a 5-3 win against the Chicago Blackhawks their last time out. In that matchup, Alexey Toropchenko, Jordan Kyrou and Cam Fowler scored in the second period to escape a 2-1 hole and propel St. Louis to victory. However, the Blues were also mathematically eliminated from playoff contention that night due to the Los Angeles Kings defeating the Edmonton Oilers 1-0. “I’m not going to really reflect on the team right now, but I can reflect on my own experience,” Blues head coach Jim Montgomery said. “It is the first time I missed the playoffs. I know I’m going to learn and grow from it because I realize some of the errors I’ve made and maybe some of the ways I didn’t stick to the way I believe to build a team throughout the year. “This group, when we play the right way, we tend to play really well and tend to keep pucks out of our net and tend to win games by 4-2.” –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Wild #hope #banish #funk #Blues

Bihar pacer Sakib Hussain is set to make his debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Rajasthan Royals at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday.

Sakib was bought by SRH for Rs. 30 lakh at the IPL auction. He was first signed by Kolkata Knight Riders in the auction ahead of the IPL 2024 season, but did not get the opportunity to play that season.

The 21-year-old right arm pacer made his T20 debut for Bihar in the 2022-23 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. At the age of just 17, Sakib registered figures of four for 20 runs in just his second game.

FOLLOW THE IPL 2026 LIVE: SRH vs RR IPL 2026, Live Score: Jaiswal-Suryavanshi and Head-Abhishek in focus as Rajasthan Royals visits Sunrisers Hyderabad; team news, toss at 7:00PM IST

Sakib picked his maiden five-for in the 2025-26 edition of the Ranji Trophy- 6/41 against Arunachal Pradesh.

After spending a year on the sidelines with KKR in the 2024 season, Sakib gets his chance tonight for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Rajasthan Royals.

Published on Apr 13, 2026

#Sakib #Hussain #Bihar #pacer #set #debut #Rajasthan #Royals">Who is Sakib Hussain, Bihar pacer who is set to make his debut against Rajasthan Royals? Bihar pacer Sakib Hussain is set to make his debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Rajasthan Royals at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday.Sakib was bought by SRH for Rs. 30 lakh at the IPL auction. He was first signed by Kolkata Knight Riders in the auction ahead of the IPL 2024 season, but did not get the opportunity to play that season.The 21-year-old right arm pacer made his T20 debut for Bihar in the 2022-23 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. At the age of just 17, Sakib registered figures of four for 20 runs in just his second game.FOLLOW THE IPL 2026 LIVE: SRH vs RR IPL 2026, Live Score: Jaiswal-Suryavanshi and Head-Abhishek in focus as Rajasthan Royals visits Sunrisers Hyderabad; team news, toss at 7:00PM ISTSakib picked his maiden five-for in the 2025-26 edition of the Ranji Trophy- 6/41 against Arunachal Pradesh.After spending a year on the sidelines with KKR in the 2024 season, Sakib gets his chance tonight for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Rajasthan Royals.Published on Apr 13, 2026 #Sakib #Hussain #Bihar #pacer #set #debut #Rajasthan #Royals

SRH vs RR IPL 2026, Live Score: Jaiswal-Suryavanshi and Head-Abhishek in focus as Rajasthan Royals visits Sunrisers Hyderabad; team news, toss at 7:00PM IST

Sakib picked his maiden five-for in the 2025-26 edition of the Ranji Trophy- 6/41 against Arunachal Pradesh.

After spending a year on the sidelines with KKR in the 2024 season, Sakib gets his chance tonight for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Rajasthan Royals.

Published on Apr 13, 2026

#Sakib #Hussain #Bihar #pacer #set #debut #Rajasthan #Royals">Who is Sakib Hussain, Bihar pacer who is set to make his debut against Rajasthan Royals?

Bihar pacer Sakib Hussain is set to make his debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Rajasthan Royals at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday.

Sakib was bought by SRH for Rs. 30 lakh at the IPL auction. He was first signed by Kolkata Knight Riders in the auction ahead of the IPL 2024 season, but did not get the opportunity to play that season.

The 21-year-old right arm pacer made his T20 debut for Bihar in the 2022-23 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. At the age of just 17, Sakib registered figures of four for 20 runs in just his second game.

FOLLOW THE IPL 2026 LIVE: SRH vs RR IPL 2026, Live Score: Jaiswal-Suryavanshi and Head-Abhishek in focus as Rajasthan Royals visits Sunrisers Hyderabad; team news, toss at 7:00PM IST

Sakib picked his maiden five-for in the 2025-26 edition of the Ranji Trophy- 6/41 against Arunachal Pradesh.

After spending a year on the sidelines with KKR in the 2024 season, Sakib gets his chance tonight for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Rajasthan Royals.

Published on Apr 13, 2026

#Sakib #Hussain #Bihar #pacer #set #debut #Rajasthan #Royals
Deadspin | Sabres seeking two more wins, starting with Blackhawks Monday Apr 9, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres right wing Josh Doan (91) celebrates his second goal of the game with teammates during the third period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images With two games remaining in the regular season, the playoff-bound Buffalo Sabres can finish anywhere from first to third in a stacked Atlantic Division. Fortunately for the Sabres, they control the equation entering Monday’s visit to the slumping Chicago Blackhawks. With three points this week, Buffalo (49-23-8, 106 points) wins the division. With two, it’s home-ice advantage in the first round. “We’ve talked about where we wanted to be, and this is where we wanna be,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “We know how hard it’s been, and we know how hard it’s gonna continue to be. So, it’s not taking anything for granted. We’d love to win these last two games. We focus in on Chicago and go from there.” Buffalo will be well-rested when it meets a Blackhawks team that has lost three straight and eight of nine. The Sabres have been idle since Thursday’s 5-0 home rout of Columbus. Josh Doan scored twice in the third period, giving him a team-leading five multi-goal games this season. Channeling a resilience that has helped the franchise stop an NHL-record 14-season playoff drought, the Sabres also relied on a 37-save shutout from rookie goaltender Colten Ellis. Ellis was back with Buffalo after netminder Alex Lyon sustained a lower-body injury. Lyon has shared starting duties with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who earned the victory when Buffalo blitzed visiting Chicago 9-3 on Nov. 21. Luukkonen is 7-2-1 in his past 10 appearances. “He’s still in a situation, you know, where his game is growing,” Ruff said. “And I think since he’s been healthy, he’s put together a really good run, and he’s what we expected he could be, and he’s having fun playing the game.” Chicago (28-38-14, 70 points) is seeking a spark of its own. While the Blackhawks were eliminated from postseason contention for the sixth straight season weeks ago, the stretch run has proven especially difficult. The Blackhawks have lost the first two games of a four-game homestand to close the regular season, the latest coming Saturday in a 5-3 setback to St. Louis. Ilya Mikheyev scored twice for the Blackhawks. “I would say there’s probably a fragility to our team right now, more than even fatigue,” Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said. “I think some guys are starting to really probably struggle a little bit. The issue with where we’re at is we don’t have guys to lean on to pick you up a little bit when you’re struggling. We’re kind of all struggling together. So, we’re grinding through it. These are hard, hard, hard lessons, man, but it’s also life isn’t easy. You never have the opportunity to learn from it if you don’t go through it.” Forwards Frank Nazar and Andrew Mangiapane left Saturday’s game with injuries. With blueliner Ethan Del Mastro a late scratch due to injury, Chicago shifted forward Sam Lafferty to defense. Blashill said Del Mastro and Mangiapane are day-to-day. He added that Nazar, who took a deflected puck to the face, “will be all right.” Mikheyev notched his 200th career point with his second goal. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Sabres #seeking #wins #starting #Blackhawks #MondayApr 9, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres right wing Josh Doan (91) celebrates his second goal of the game with teammates during the third period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

With two games remaining in the regular season, the playoff-bound Buffalo Sabres can finish anywhere from first to third in a stacked Atlantic Division.

Fortunately for the Sabres, they control the equation entering Monday’s visit to the slumping Chicago Blackhawks.

With three points this week, Buffalo (49-23-8, 106 points) wins the division. With two, it’s home-ice advantage in the first round.

“We’ve talked about where we wanted to be, and this is where we wanna be,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “We know how hard it’s been, and we know how hard it’s gonna continue to be. So, it’s not taking anything for granted. We’d love to win these last two games. We focus in on Chicago and go from there.”

Buffalo will be well-rested when it meets a Blackhawks team that has lost three straight and eight of nine.

The Sabres have been idle since Thursday’s 5-0 home rout of Columbus. Josh Doan scored twice in the third period, giving him a team-leading five multi-goal games this season.

Channeling a resilience that has helped the franchise stop an NHL-record 14-season playoff drought, the Sabres also relied on a 37-save shutout from rookie goaltender Colten Ellis.

Ellis was back with Buffalo after netminder Alex Lyon sustained a lower-body injury. Lyon has shared starting duties with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who earned the victory when Buffalo blitzed visiting Chicago 9-3 on Nov. 21.


Luukkonen is 7-2-1 in his past 10 appearances.

“He’s still in a situation, you know, where his game is growing,” Ruff said. “And I think since he’s been healthy, he’s put together a really good run, and he’s what we expected he could be, and he’s having fun playing the game.”

Chicago (28-38-14, 70 points) is seeking a spark of its own. While the Blackhawks were eliminated from postseason contention for the sixth straight season weeks ago, the stretch run has proven especially difficult.

The Blackhawks have lost the first two games of a four-game homestand to close the regular season, the latest coming Saturday in a 5-3 setback to St. Louis. Ilya Mikheyev scored twice for the Blackhawks.

“I would say there’s probably a fragility to our team right now, more than even fatigue,” Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said. “I think some guys are starting to really probably struggle a little bit. The issue with where we’re at is we don’t have guys to lean on to pick you up a little bit when you’re struggling. We’re kind of all struggling together. So, we’re grinding through it. These are hard, hard, hard lessons, man, but it’s also life isn’t easy. You never have the opportunity to learn from it if you don’t go through it.”

Forwards Frank Nazar and Andrew Mangiapane left Saturday’s game with injuries. With blueliner Ethan Del Mastro a late scratch due to injury, Chicago shifted forward Sam Lafferty to defense.

Blashill said Del Mastro and Mangiapane are day-to-day. He added that Nazar, who took a deflected puck to the face, “will be all right.”

Mikheyev notched his 200th career point with his second goal.

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Sabres #seeking #wins #starting #Blackhawks #Monday">Deadspin | Sabres seeking two more wins, starting with Blackhawks Monday Apr 9, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres right wing Josh Doan (91) celebrates his second goal of the game with teammates during the third period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images With two games remaining in the regular season, the playoff-bound Buffalo Sabres can finish anywhere from first to third in a stacked Atlantic Division. Fortunately for the Sabres, they control the equation entering Monday’s visit to the slumping Chicago Blackhawks. With three points this week, Buffalo (49-23-8, 106 points) wins the division. With two, it’s home-ice advantage in the first round. “We’ve talked about where we wanted to be, and this is where we wanna be,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “We know how hard it’s been, and we know how hard it’s gonna continue to be. So, it’s not taking anything for granted. We’d love to win these last two games. We focus in on Chicago and go from there.” Buffalo will be well-rested when it meets a Blackhawks team that has lost three straight and eight of nine. The Sabres have been idle since Thursday’s 5-0 home rout of Columbus. Josh Doan scored twice in the third period, giving him a team-leading five multi-goal games this season. Channeling a resilience that has helped the franchise stop an NHL-record 14-season playoff drought, the Sabres also relied on a 37-save shutout from rookie goaltender Colten Ellis. Ellis was back with Buffalo after netminder Alex Lyon sustained a lower-body injury. Lyon has shared starting duties with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who earned the victory when Buffalo blitzed visiting Chicago 9-3 on Nov. 21. Luukkonen is 7-2-1 in his past 10 appearances. “He’s still in a situation, you know, where his game is growing,” Ruff said. “And I think since he’s been healthy, he’s put together a really good run, and he’s what we expected he could be, and he’s having fun playing the game.” Chicago (28-38-14, 70 points) is seeking a spark of its own. While the Blackhawks were eliminated from postseason contention for the sixth straight season weeks ago, the stretch run has proven especially difficult. The Blackhawks have lost the first two games of a four-game homestand to close the regular season, the latest coming Saturday in a 5-3 setback to St. Louis. Ilya Mikheyev scored twice for the Blackhawks. “I would say there’s probably a fragility to our team right now, more than even fatigue,” Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said. “I think some guys are starting to really probably struggle a little bit. The issue with where we’re at is we don’t have guys to lean on to pick you up a little bit when you’re struggling. We’re kind of all struggling together. So, we’re grinding through it. These are hard, hard, hard lessons, man, but it’s also life isn’t easy. You never have the opportunity to learn from it if you don’t go through it.” Forwards Frank Nazar and Andrew Mangiapane left Saturday’s game with injuries. With blueliner Ethan Del Mastro a late scratch due to injury, Chicago shifted forward Sam Lafferty to defense. Blashill said Del Mastro and Mangiapane are day-to-day. He added that Nazar, who took a deflected puck to the face, “will be all right.” Mikheyev notched his 200th career point with his second goal. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Sabres #seeking #wins #starting #Blackhawks #Monday

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