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Deadspin | Avs edge Jets as NHL goals leader Nathan MacKinon nets pair

Deadspin | Avs edge Jets as NHL goals leader Nathan MacKinon nets pair

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Mar 26, 2026; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Colorado Avalanche center Brock Nelson (11) and Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dylan Samberg (54) fight for the puck in front of Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) in the second period at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images

Nathan MacKinnon scored two goals 3:42 apart early in the third period, Jack Drury also had a goal and the visiting Colorado Avalanche beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 on Thursday night.

Artturi Lehkonen had an assist in his return from an 11-game absence with an upper-body injury and Mackenzie Blackwood turned away 22 shots for Colorado (48-13-10, 106 points). The NHL-leading Avalanche have won four in a row and increased their Central Division lead to nine points over slumping Dallas with a game in hand.

The Stars lost their fourth in a row Thursday night.

Mark Scheifele scored twice and Connor Hellebuyck made 32 saves for Winnipeg (30-30-12, 72 points). The Jets trail Nashville by five points for the second wild card in the Western Conference.

The two teams play again Saturday night in Denver.

The game was tied 1-all after two periods, and Colorado started the third with seven seconds of a two-man advantage. Winnipeg killed off the first penalty but the Avalanche cashed in 13 seconds into the period.

Nazem Kadri’s pass through the slot went off MacKinnon and dropped in the crease, and MacKinnon knocked it in before Hellebuyck could cover it.

MacKinnon made it 3-1 at 3:55 when he redirected Lehkonen’s pass to the front of the net before Hellebuyck could glove it. It was MacKinnon’s NHL-leading 48th goal of the season.

Scheifele cut the Jets’ deficit in half with his second of the game at 9:39, his 34th. Scheifele has a career-high 88 points.

Winnipeg couldn’t gain control of the puck in the final minutes to pull Hellebuyck for an extra skater.

The Jets struck midway through the first period when Colorado turned it over in its own end. Josh Morrisey gathered the loose puck, sent it to Kyle Connor, who skated into the slot. Connor fed it to Scheifele below the left dot, and his one-timer beat Blackwood high at 9:55.

The Avalanche got even later in the first period when Hellebuyck made the initial save on Sam Malinski’s shot from the point, but Drury cleaned up the rebound and scored at 17:40.

–Field Level Media

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With the NBA Draft Lottery less than 12 hours away, the Atlanta Hawks stand to alter their franchise trajectory the most by nabbing the No. 1 pick – at least in the immediate term. They may have clinched the top spot two short years ago with 3 percent odds, but not all No. 1 picks are created equal. 

Besides, the backstory of their 2026 lottery plight adds all the more intrigue.

Roster Resilience

After promoting General Manager Onsi Saleh and admirably re-tooling around Trae Young during the 2025 offseason, the Hawks 2025-26 campaign was about as turbulent and unpredictable as it gets. Trae sprained his MCL in late-October and it was not long before murmurings of Atlanta being better without him emerged. All the while internal tensions grew.

Within three months, Saleh and Co. replaced Trae Young and Kristaps Porziņģis with C.J. McCollum and Jonathan Kuminga – ultimately reloading their rotation and shifting identities on the fly with Jalen Johnson taking the mantle as franchise player. A series of events that would have derailed a season for most teams but only served to strengthen ATL’s collective resolve. It is that type of organizational adaptability and resourcefulness that render Atlanta proved a suitable landing spot for a blue-chip prospect.

Pulling a Rabbit Out of a Hat

Atlanta’s upper management preyed on newly-hired New Orleans Pelicans Executive Joe Dumars’ infatuation with Derik Queen by voluntarily moving down ten spots in the 2025 NBA Draft. The compensation? Rights to the better of New Orleans and Milwaukee Bucks’ first-round pick in the 2026 lottery – a 6.8 percent and 3 percent chance at the No. 1 pick respectively. It remains as shocking a move now as it did at the time, and Atlanta’s side of the bargain is about to come to a head.

High-end bites at the lottery apple like this are a luxury that every team dreams of stumbling upon. Not only would being drawn No. 1 have franchise-altering ramifications, but the lore of how it came about would go down as one of the greatest transactional triumphs in recent memory.

Hugging the Middle

Since their exciting, but fruitless, 60-win season in 2014-15, Atlanta has a cumulative regular season record of 658-701. Dwindle that sample size down to the last six seasons, their aggregate record is 247-235. As the internet would say, the Hawks have been as “mid” as an NBA franchise could possibly be for more than a decade.

That being said, there is a distinct sense of respectability in remaining competent all these years. While they have never quite risen to contender status – depending on how you classify their 2021 Eastern Conference Finals run – they have an air of persistence about them. Year-to-year competitiveness in a league that increasingly resorts to pulling the plug and bottoming out. Atlanta is more than likely one piece away from breaking through the ceiling of mediocrity that has plagued them for years. It just so happens that this is the perfect draft pool to twist their fate.

A Pre-existing Core

Last but not least, the Hawks already have a young, Playoff-tested nucleus to complement a prospective franchise cornerstone. After rising to an All-NBA level and testing his mettle as a go-to guy in the Playoffs, Jalen Johnson profiles as the perfect second option of a championship-hopeful roster. Onyeka Okongwu has cemented himself as their incumbent big man with defensive mobility and newfound shooting chops. Dyson Daniels boasts all-league perimeter defense with a burgeoning offensive game. Meanwhile Nickeil Alexander-Walker broke out as an upper-echelon starter and 20-point scorer on a nightly basis with a team-friendly contract until 2028.

Whether it be AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer, or Caleb Wilson, Atlanta has the personnel and infrastructure to accommodate, and develop, a future franchise superstar while winning at a high level every step.

#Hawks #Pick #Team #NBA #Draft #Lottery #Deadspin.com">Why the Hawks Need the No. 1 Pick More Than Any Team in the NBA Draft Lottery | Deadspin.com With the NBA Draft Lottery less than 12 hours away, the Atlanta Hawks stand to alter their franchise trajectory the most by nabbing the No. 1 pick – at least in the immediate term. They may have clinched the top spot two short years ago with 3 percent odds, but not all No. 1 picks are created equal. Besides, the backstory of their 2026 lottery plight adds all the more intrigue.Roster ResilienceAfter promoting General Manager Onsi Saleh and admirably re-tooling around Trae Young during the 2025 offseason, the Hawks 2025-26 campaign was about as turbulent and unpredictable as it gets. Trae sprained his MCL in late-October and it was not long before murmurings of Atlanta being better without him emerged. All the while internal tensions grew.Within three months, Saleh and Co. replaced Trae Young and Kristaps Porziņģis with C.J. McCollum and Jonathan Kuminga – ultimately reloading their rotation and shifting identities on the fly with Jalen Johnson taking the mantle as franchise player. A series of events that would have derailed a season for most teams but only served to strengthen ATL’s collective resolve. It is that type of organizational adaptability and resourcefulness that render Atlanta proved a suitable landing spot for a blue-chip prospect.Pulling a Rabbit Out of a HatAtlanta’s upper management preyed on newly-hired New Orleans Pelicans Executive Joe Dumars’ infatuation with Derik Queen by voluntarily moving down ten spots in the 2025 NBA Draft. The compensation? Rights to the better of New Orleans and Milwaukee Bucks’ first-round pick in the 2026 lottery – a 6.8 percent and 3 percent chance at the No. 1 pick respectively. It remains as shocking a move now as it did at the time, and Atlanta’s side of the bargain is about to come to a head.High-end bites at the lottery apple like this are a luxury that every team dreams of stumbling upon. Not only would being drawn No. 1 have franchise-altering ramifications, but the lore of how it came about would go down as one of the greatest transactional triumphs in recent memory.Hugging the MiddleSince their exciting, but fruitless, 60-win season in 2014-15, Atlanta has a cumulative regular season record of 658-701. Dwindle that sample size down to the last six seasons, their aggregate record is 247-235. As the internet would say, the Hawks have been as “mid” as an NBA franchise could possibly be for more than a decade.That being said, there is a distinct sense of respectability in remaining competent all these years. While they have never quite risen to contender status – depending on how you classify their 2021 Eastern Conference Finals run – they have an air of persistence about them. Year-to-year competitiveness in a league that increasingly resorts to pulling the plug and bottoming out. Atlanta is more than likely one piece away from breaking through the ceiling of mediocrity that has plagued them for years. It just so happens that this is the perfect draft pool to twist their fate.A Pre-existing CoreLast but not least, the Hawks already have a young, Playoff-tested nucleus to complement a prospective franchise cornerstone. After rising to an All-NBA level and testing his mettle as a go-to guy in the Playoffs, Jalen Johnson profiles as the perfect second option of a championship-hopeful roster. Onyeka Okongwu has cemented himself as their incumbent big man with defensive mobility and newfound shooting chops. Dyson Daniels boasts all-league perimeter defense with a burgeoning offensive game. Meanwhile Nickeil Alexander-Walker broke out as an upper-echelon starter and 20-point scorer on a nightly basis with a team-friendly contract until 2028.Whether it be AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer, or Caleb Wilson, Atlanta has the personnel and infrastructure to accommodate, and develop, a future franchise superstar while winning at a high level every step. #Hawks #Pick #Team #NBA #Draft #Lottery #Deadspin.com

NBA Draft Lottery less than 12 hours away, the Atlanta Hawks stand to alter their franchise trajectory the most by nabbing the No. 1 pick – at least in the immediate term. They may have clinched the top spot two short years ago with 3 percent odds, but not all No. 1 picks are created equal. 

Besides, the backstory of their 2026 lottery plight adds all the more intrigue.

Roster Resilience

After promoting General Manager Onsi Saleh and admirably re-tooling around Trae Young during the 2025 offseason, the Hawks 2025-26 campaign was about as turbulent and unpredictable as it gets. Trae sprained his MCL in late-October and it was not long before murmurings of Atlanta being better without him emerged. All the while internal tensions grew.

Within three months, Saleh and Co. replaced Trae Young and Kristaps Porziņģis with C.J. McCollum and Jonathan Kuminga – ultimately reloading their rotation and shifting identities on the fly with Jalen Johnson taking the mantle as franchise player. A series of events that would have derailed a season for most teams but only served to strengthen ATL’s collective resolve. It is that type of organizational adaptability and resourcefulness that render Atlanta proved a suitable landing spot for a blue-chip prospect.

Pulling a Rabbit Out of a Hat

Atlanta’s upper management preyed on newly-hired New Orleans Pelicans Executive Joe Dumars’ infatuation with Derik Queen by voluntarily moving down ten spots in the 2025 NBA Draft. The compensation? Rights to the better of New Orleans and Milwaukee Bucks’ first-round pick in the 2026 lottery – a 6.8 percent and 3 percent chance at the No. 1 pick respectively. It remains as shocking a move now as it did at the time, and Atlanta’s side of the bargain is about to come to a head.

High-end bites at the lottery apple like this are a luxury that every team dreams of stumbling upon. Not only would being drawn No. 1 have franchise-altering ramifications, but the lore of how it came about would go down as one of the greatest transactional triumphs in recent memory.

Hugging the Middle

Since their exciting, but fruitless, 60-win season in 2014-15, Atlanta has a cumulative regular season record of 658-701. Dwindle that sample size down to the last six seasons, their aggregate record is 247-235. As the internet would say, the Hawks have been as “mid” as an NBA franchise could possibly be for more than a decade.

That being said, there is a distinct sense of respectability in remaining competent all these years. While they have never quite risen to contender status – depending on how you classify their 2021 Eastern Conference Finals run – they have an air of persistence about them. Year-to-year competitiveness in a league that increasingly resorts to pulling the plug and bottoming out. Atlanta is more than likely one piece away from breaking through the ceiling of mediocrity that has plagued them for years. It just so happens that this is the perfect draft pool to twist their fate.

A Pre-existing Core

Last but not least, the Hawks already have a young, Playoff-tested nucleus to complement a prospective franchise cornerstone. After rising to an All-NBA level and testing his mettle as a go-to guy in the Playoffs, Jalen Johnson profiles as the perfect second option of a championship-hopeful roster. Onyeka Okongwu has cemented himself as their incumbent big man with defensive mobility and newfound shooting chops. Dyson Daniels boasts all-league perimeter defense with a burgeoning offensive game. Meanwhile Nickeil Alexander-Walker broke out as an upper-echelon starter and 20-point scorer on a nightly basis with a team-friendly contract until 2028.

Whether it be AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer, or Caleb Wilson, Atlanta has the personnel and infrastructure to accommodate, and develop, a future franchise superstar while winning at a high level every step.

#Hawks #Pick #Team #NBA #Draft #Lottery #Deadspin.com">Why the Hawks Need the No. 1 Pick More Than Any Team in the NBA Draft Lottery | Deadspin.com

With the NBA Draft Lottery less than 12 hours away, the Atlanta Hawks stand to alter their franchise trajectory the most by nabbing the No. 1 pick – at least in the immediate term. They may have clinched the top spot two short years ago with 3 percent odds, but not all No. 1 picks are created equal. 

Besides, the backstory of their 2026 lottery plight adds all the more intrigue.

Roster Resilience

After promoting General Manager Onsi Saleh and admirably re-tooling around Trae Young during the 2025 offseason, the Hawks 2025-26 campaign was about as turbulent and unpredictable as it gets. Trae sprained his MCL in late-October and it was not long before murmurings of Atlanta being better without him emerged. All the while internal tensions grew.

Within three months, Saleh and Co. replaced Trae Young and Kristaps Porziņģis with C.J. McCollum and Jonathan Kuminga – ultimately reloading their rotation and shifting identities on the fly with Jalen Johnson taking the mantle as franchise player. A series of events that would have derailed a season for most teams but only served to strengthen ATL’s collective resolve. It is that type of organizational adaptability and resourcefulness that render Atlanta proved a suitable landing spot for a blue-chip prospect.

Pulling a Rabbit Out of a Hat

Atlanta’s upper management preyed on newly-hired New Orleans Pelicans Executive Joe Dumars’ infatuation with Derik Queen by voluntarily moving down ten spots in the 2025 NBA Draft. The compensation? Rights to the better of New Orleans and Milwaukee Bucks’ first-round pick in the 2026 lottery – a 6.8 percent and 3 percent chance at the No. 1 pick respectively. It remains as shocking a move now as it did at the time, and Atlanta’s side of the bargain is about to come to a head.

High-end bites at the lottery apple like this are a luxury that every team dreams of stumbling upon. Not only would being drawn No. 1 have franchise-altering ramifications, but the lore of how it came about would go down as one of the greatest transactional triumphs in recent memory.

Hugging the Middle

Since their exciting, but fruitless, 60-win season in 2014-15, Atlanta has a cumulative regular season record of 658-701. Dwindle that sample size down to the last six seasons, their aggregate record is 247-235. As the internet would say, the Hawks have been as “mid” as an NBA franchise could possibly be for more than a decade.

That being said, there is a distinct sense of respectability in remaining competent all these years. While they have never quite risen to contender status – depending on how you classify their 2021 Eastern Conference Finals run – they have an air of persistence about them. Year-to-year competitiveness in a league that increasingly resorts to pulling the plug and bottoming out. Atlanta is more than likely one piece away from breaking through the ceiling of mediocrity that has plagued them for years. It just so happens that this is the perfect draft pool to twist their fate.

A Pre-existing Core

Last but not least, the Hawks already have a young, Playoff-tested nucleus to complement a prospective franchise cornerstone. After rising to an All-NBA level and testing his mettle as a go-to guy in the Playoffs, Jalen Johnson profiles as the perfect second option of a championship-hopeful roster. Onyeka Okongwu has cemented himself as their incumbent big man with defensive mobility and newfound shooting chops. Dyson Daniels boasts all-league perimeter defense with a burgeoning offensive game. Meanwhile Nickeil Alexander-Walker broke out as an upper-echelon starter and 20-point scorer on a nightly basis with a team-friendly contract until 2028.

Whether it be AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer, or Caleb Wilson, Atlanta has the personnel and infrastructure to accommodate, and develop, a future franchise superstar while winning at a high level every step.

#Hawks #Pick #Team #NBA #Draft #Lottery #Deadspin.com

As pointed out by none other than Will Buxton, who in addition to his duties broadcasting IndyCar with FOX Sports maintains an eye on F1 through the Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive, that put Antonelli in elite company. As Buxton noted, the first drivers in F1 history to take their first three poles consecutively? Antonelli, Ayrton Senna, and Michael Schumacher.

The drivers in F1 history to take their first three wins in consecutive fashion? Damon Hill, Mika Häkkinen, and Antonelli.

Every other driver on that list won at least one F1 Drivers’ Championship. Senna won titles in 1988, 1990 and 1991, Hill won in 1996, Häkkinen won titles in 1998 and 1999, and Schumacher still stands atop F1 history books (alongside Lewis Hamilton) with his seven titles.

But where the Mercedes driver sets himself apart is converting those first three pole positions to wins.

Because, as Buxton noted, the list of drivers to consecutively win their first three F1 races from their first three pole positions contains just one name.

Speaking after Antonelli’s win in Miami, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted that even he did not see this run of form coming.

“Yes, absolutely. I often said it last year: bringing an eighteen-year-old into the team would have given us moments of celebration and others where we wanted to tear our hair out over his mistakes,” said Wolff.

“But it was a necessary process to get him to know the team. Helping him is the fact that this is a new generation of cars and that all the drivers are still learning. I expected a good start, but I have to admit: three wins in a row was not something we had expected.”

Perhaps because it is something F1 has rarely seen.

#stat #highlight #Kimi #Antonellis #hot #start #season">One stat to highlight Kimi Antonelli’s hot start to the 2026 F1 season Kimi Antonelli is off to a scorching start to the 2026 Formula 1 season, of that there is no doubt.The young Mercedes driver stands atop the Drivers’ Championship standings with 100 points, 20 points clear of teammate George Russell and another 41 points ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who sits in third with 59 points. In just his second season, Antonelli began the year with a P2 at the Australian Grand Prix, and followed that with his first three Grand Prix victories. After taking the Chinese Grand Prix, Antonelli notched wins in both the Japanese Grand Prix as well as the Miami Grand Prix last weekend.With those three wins, Antonelli not only joined some elite company, but he made a little Formula 1 history of his own.In addition to those three consecutive wins — the first three of his career — Antonelli was on pole position for each of those, with his pole for the Chinese Grand Prix the first Grand Prix pole of his young career.As pointed out by none other than Will Buxton, who in addition to his duties broadcasting IndyCar with FOX Sports maintains an eye on F1 through the Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive, that put Antonelli in elite company. As Buxton noted, the first drivers in F1 history to take their first three poles consecutively? Antonelli, Ayrton Senna, and Michael Schumacher.The drivers in F1 history to take their first three wins in consecutive fashion? Damon Hill, Mika Häkkinen, and Antonelli.Every other driver on that list won at least one F1 Drivers’ Championship. Senna won titles in 1988, 1990 and 1991, Hill won in 1996, Häkkinen won titles in 1998 and 1999, and Schumacher still stands atop F1 history books (alongside Lewis Hamilton) with his seven titles.But where the Mercedes driver sets himself apart is converting those first three pole positions to wins.Because, as Buxton noted, the list of drivers to consecutively win their first three F1 races from their first three pole positions contains just one name.Speaking after Antonelli’s win in Miami, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted that even he did not see this run of form coming.“Yes, absolutely. I often said it last year: bringing an eighteen-year-old into the team would have given us moments of celebration and others where we wanted to tear our hair out over his mistakes,” said Wolff.“But it was a necessary process to get him to know the team. Helping him is the fact that this is a new generation of cars and that all the drivers are still learning. I expected a good start, but I have to admit: three wins in a row was not something we had expected.”Perhaps because it is something F1 has rarely seen. #stat #highlight #Kimi #Antonellis #hot #start #season

none other than Will Buxton, who in addition to his duties broadcasting IndyCar with FOX Sports maintains an eye on F1 through the Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive, that put Antonelli in elite company. As Buxton noted, the first drivers in F1 history to take their first three poles consecutively? Antonelli, Ayrton Senna, and Michael Schumacher.

The drivers in F1 history to take their first three wins in consecutive fashion? Damon Hill, Mika Häkkinen, and Antonelli.

Every other driver on that list won at least one F1 Drivers’ Championship. Senna won titles in 1988, 1990 and 1991, Hill won in 1996, Häkkinen won titles in 1998 and 1999, and Schumacher still stands atop F1 history books (alongside Lewis Hamilton) with his seven titles.

But where the Mercedes driver sets himself apart is converting those first three pole positions to wins.

Because, as Buxton noted, the list of drivers to consecutively win their first three F1 races from their first three pole positions contains just one name.

Speaking after Antonelli’s win in Miami, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted that even he did not see this run of form coming.

“Yes, absolutely. I often said it last year: bringing an eighteen-year-old into the team would have given us moments of celebration and others where we wanted to tear our hair out over his mistakes,” said Wolff.

“But it was a necessary process to get him to know the team. Helping him is the fact that this is a new generation of cars and that all the drivers are still learning. I expected a good start, but I have to admit: three wins in a row was not something we had expected.”

Perhaps because it is something F1 has rarely seen.

#stat #highlight #Kimi #Antonellis #hot #start #season">One stat to highlight Kimi Antonelli’s hot start to the 2026 F1 season

Kimi Antonelli is off to a scorching start to the 2026 Formula 1 season, of that there is no doubt.

The young Mercedes driver stands atop the Drivers’ Championship standings with 100 points, 20 points clear of teammate George Russell and another 41 points ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who sits in third with 59 points. In just his second season, Antonelli began the year with a P2 at the Australian Grand Prix, and followed that with his first three Grand Prix victories. After taking the Chinese Grand Prix, Antonelli notched wins in both the Japanese Grand Prix as well as the Miami Grand Prix last weekend.

With those three wins, Antonelli not only joined some elite company, but he made a little Formula 1 history of his own.

In addition to those three consecutive wins — the first three of his career — Antonelli was on pole position for each of those, with his pole for the Chinese Grand Prix the first Grand Prix pole of his young career.

As pointed out by none other than Will Buxton, who in addition to his duties broadcasting IndyCar with FOX Sports maintains an eye on F1 through the Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive, that put Antonelli in elite company. As Buxton noted, the first drivers in F1 history to take their first three poles consecutively? Antonelli, Ayrton Senna, and Michael Schumacher.

The drivers in F1 history to take their first three wins in consecutive fashion? Damon Hill, Mika Häkkinen, and Antonelli.

Every other driver on that list won at least one F1 Drivers’ Championship. Senna won titles in 1988, 1990 and 1991, Hill won in 1996, Häkkinen won titles in 1998 and 1999, and Schumacher still stands atop F1 history books (alongside Lewis Hamilton) with his seven titles.

But where the Mercedes driver sets himself apart is converting those first three pole positions to wins.

Because, as Buxton noted, the list of drivers to consecutively win their first three F1 races from their first three pole positions contains just one name.

Speaking after Antonelli’s win in Miami, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted that even he did not see this run of form coming.

“Yes, absolutely. I often said it last year: bringing an eighteen-year-old into the team would have given us moments of celebration and others where we wanted to tear our hair out over his mistakes,” said Wolff.

“But it was a necessary process to get him to know the team. Helping him is the fact that this is a new generation of cars and that all the drivers are still learning. I expected a good start, but I have to admit: three wins in a row was not something we had expected.”

Perhaps because it is something F1 has rarely seen.

#stat #highlight #Kimi #Antonellis #hot #start #season

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