Deadspin | Reports: Auburn fires coach Hugh Freeze

Deadspin | Reports: Auburn fires coach Hugh Freeze

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Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze walks the field after Auburn Tigers take on Kentucky Wildcats at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. Kentucky Wildcats defeated Auburn Tigers 10-3.

Auburn has fired head coach Hugh Freeze after two-plus seasons, multiple media outlets reported on Sunday.

The report comes one day after the Tigers (4-5, 1-5 Southeastern Conference) dropped a 10-3 decision to Kentucky. Chants of “Fire Hugh!” were audible in the second half.

“At the end of the day, I’m frustrated, too,” Freeze said after the loss. “We all know that when we sign up for this. We accept it. I love what we’re doing here, but we haven’t gotten the results.”

Freeze, 56, fell to 15-19 overall and 6-16 in the SEC during his time with Auburn. He be owed $15.4 million in buyout money.

Freeze, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier in the year, was coach at Liberty for four seasons before taking the Auburn gig after the 2022 season. He also has held Division I coaching jobs at Arkansas State (2011) and Ole Miss (2012-16) and has a 98-62 record.

Multiple media outlets reported defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin is expected to serve in an interim head coaching role.

–Field Level Media

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Deadspin | Michael Wacha earns win as Royals down Guardians Apr 6, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha (52) delivers during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images Carter Jensen hit a go-ahead, solo homer in the sixth inning and Jonathan India belted a two-run shot in the eighth, lifting the visiting Kansas City Royals to a 4-2 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Monday night. Jensen drove a fastball into the right field stands off rookie Peyton Pallette (0-1), giving the Royals their first lead at 2-1. India, who had an RBI single in the fourth, took Kolby Allard deep to left two innings later to plate Jensen and make it 4-1. Michael Wacha (1-0) pitched seven strong innings, giving up one run on a homer to Steven Kwan as part of three hits. The right-hander had three strikeouts and three walks as Kansas City won the opener of the three-game series. Lucas Erceg earned his third save in three opportunities with a clean ninth. Brayan Rocchio had a solo homer off Matt Strahm in the eighth for the Guardians, who only advanced two runners past second base. Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez appeared in his franchise-record 1,620th game, walking twice and going 0-for-2. The seven-time All-Star, who has spent all 14 of his major league seasons with the Indians/Guardians, surpassed Terry Turner for the mark. Kwan gave the Guardians a 1-0 lead in the third with his first homer since Sept. 21, 2025, a 381-foot shot that hooked inside the foul pole in left. It was the initial run allowed by Wacha in 8 2/3 innings to begin the season. Kansas City tied it in the fourth on India’s sharp, two-out single that scored Vinnie Pasquantino. Guardians starter Tanner Bibee appeared to end the frame one batter earlier when he struck out Jensen, but the wild pitch evaded catcher Bo Naylor. Bibee gave up one run in 4 2/3 innings, striking out three with a walk. The right-hander was visibly displeased when manager Stephen Vogt removed him with two on and one out, but Tim Herrin entered and retired Pasquantino. Cleveland shortstop Gabriel Arias exited in the fifth with left hamstring tightness, injuring himself while running to second base with a double. Maikel Garcia, Bobby Witt Jr., Jensen and India each had two hits for Kansas City, while Kwan accounted for half of the Guardians’ total output of four hits. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Michael #Wacha #earns #win #Royals #GuardiansApr 6, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha (52) delivers during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images

Carter Jensen hit a go-ahead, solo homer in the sixth inning and Jonathan India belted a two-run shot in the eighth, lifting the visiting Kansas City Royals to a 4-2 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Monday night.

Jensen drove a fastball into the right field stands off rookie Peyton Pallette (0-1), giving the Royals their first lead at 2-1. India, who had an RBI single in the fourth, took Kolby Allard deep to left two innings later to plate Jensen and make it 4-1.

Michael Wacha (1-0) pitched seven strong innings, giving up one run on a homer to Steven Kwan as part of three hits. The right-hander had three strikeouts and three walks as Kansas City won the opener of the three-game series.

Lucas Erceg earned his third save in three opportunities with a clean ninth. Brayan Rocchio had a solo homer off Matt Strahm in the eighth for the Guardians, who only advanced two runners past second base.

Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez appeared in his franchise-record 1,620th game, walking twice and going 0-for-2. The seven-time All-Star, who has spent all 14 of his major league seasons with the Indians/Guardians, surpassed Terry Turner for the mark.


Kwan gave the Guardians a 1-0 lead in the third with his first homer since Sept. 21, 2025, a 381-foot shot that hooked inside the foul pole in left. It was the initial run allowed by Wacha in 8 2/3 innings to begin the season.

Kansas City tied it in the fourth on India’s sharp, two-out single that scored Vinnie Pasquantino. Guardians starter Tanner Bibee appeared to end the frame one batter earlier when he struck out Jensen, but the wild pitch evaded catcher Bo Naylor.

Bibee gave up one run in 4 2/3 innings, striking out three with a walk. The right-hander was visibly displeased when manager Stephen Vogt removed him with two on and one out, but Tim Herrin entered and retired Pasquantino.

Cleveland shortstop Gabriel Arias exited in the fifth with left hamstring tightness, injuring himself while running to second base with a double.

Maikel Garcia, Bobby Witt Jr., Jensen and India each had two hits for Kansas City, while Kwan accounted for half of the Guardians’ total output of four hits.

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Michael #Wacha #earns #win #Royals #Guardians">Deadspin | Michael Wacha earns win as Royals down Guardians Apr 6, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha (52) delivers during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images Carter Jensen hit a go-ahead, solo homer in the sixth inning and Jonathan India belted a two-run shot in the eighth, lifting the visiting Kansas City Royals to a 4-2 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Monday night. Jensen drove a fastball into the right field stands off rookie Peyton Pallette (0-1), giving the Royals their first lead at 2-1. India, who had an RBI single in the fourth, took Kolby Allard deep to left two innings later to plate Jensen and make it 4-1. Michael Wacha (1-0) pitched seven strong innings, giving up one run on a homer to Steven Kwan as part of three hits. The right-hander had three strikeouts and three walks as Kansas City won the opener of the three-game series. Lucas Erceg earned his third save in three opportunities with a clean ninth. Brayan Rocchio had a solo homer off Matt Strahm in the eighth for the Guardians, who only advanced two runners past second base. Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez appeared in his franchise-record 1,620th game, walking twice and going 0-for-2. The seven-time All-Star, who has spent all 14 of his major league seasons with the Indians/Guardians, surpassed Terry Turner for the mark. Kwan gave the Guardians a 1-0 lead in the third with his first homer since Sept. 21, 2025, a 381-foot shot that hooked inside the foul pole in left. It was the initial run allowed by Wacha in 8 2/3 innings to begin the season. Kansas City tied it in the fourth on India’s sharp, two-out single that scored Vinnie Pasquantino. Guardians starter Tanner Bibee appeared to end the frame one batter earlier when he struck out Jensen, but the wild pitch evaded catcher Bo Naylor. Bibee gave up one run in 4 2/3 innings, striking out three with a walk. The right-hander was visibly displeased when manager Stephen Vogt removed him with two on and one out, but Tim Herrin entered and retired Pasquantino. Cleveland shortstop Gabriel Arias exited in the fifth with left hamstring tightness, injuring himself while running to second base with a double. Maikel Garcia, Bobby Witt Jr., Jensen and India each had two hits for Kansas City, while Kwan accounted for half of the Guardians’ total output of four hits. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Michael #Wacha #earns #win #Royals #Guardians

Deadspin | Goal is to get Stephen Curry in peak form as Warriors face Kings Apr 5, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) makes a shot over Houston Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate (8) and guard Aaron Holiday (0) in the third quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images The Golden State Warriors embark upon the Stephen Curry management portion of their schedule when they take on the Sacramento Kings in San Francisco on Tuesday night to tip off a stretch of four games in six days to close out the regular season. Curry returned from a two-month absence caused by a sore right knee with a crowd-pleasing performance Sunday against the Houston Rockets, going for 29 points in 26 minutes off the bench in a 117-116 home loss. The defeat entrenched Golden State (36-42) in 10th place in the West, from where it would have to beat consecutive opponents on the road in the upcoming play-in contests in order to make the eight-team Western Conference playoffs. While noting that Curry would return to the starting lineup by the time the Warriors enter the must-win games next week, Golden State coach Steve Kerr indicated after the Sunday loss that the next four contests would serve as opportunities to find the most compatible combinations, especially with Kristaps Porzingis a relative newcomer to the team as well. “We wanted to get Draymond (Green) and Steph together for obvious reasons, so we changed some of the other rotations to fit Steph,” Kerr said of adjustments he had to make by not starting his star point guard against the Rockets. “Obviously this won’t last for long. He’ll be in the starting lineup soon. I’m not sure when just based on minutes.” Playing four games in six days will factor into how much guys such as Curry, Green and Porzingis play this week, as well as the best possible time for Al Horford to return from a soleus injury. The Warriors have a back-to-back Thursday at home against the Los Angeles Lakers and Friday at Sacramento. Despite missing a potential game-winning 30-footer at the final horn, Curry felt great about the overall outcome of his first night back. “That group that we had down the stretch, it felt like old times,” Curry said after the game. “Just reading the defense, the overreact to me on the perimeter, (Gary Payton II) going to the bucket, Draymond’s finding guys. … It was awesome.” The Kings (21-58) enter the final week of the season tied with Utah Jazz for the fourth-worst record in the NBA. The three teams with the fewest wins will arrive at the draft lottery with the best odds of landing the first pick. Sacramento has four more wins than the Washington Wizards, three more than the Indiana Pacers and two more than the Brooklyn Nets. Other than the two meetings with Golden State, the Kings will play at Portland on Sunday to complete the regular season. Sacramento hurt its odds by winning twice last week — 123-115 at Toronto on Wednesday and 117-113 at home against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday. The Kings were thumped 138-109 by the visiting Los Angeles Clippers in their most recent game on Sunday. One thing left for the Kings to achieve would be helping center Maxime Raynaud earn NBA All-Rookie first-team honors. The former Stanford star was voted the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for March and has since had a 28-point game against the Pelicans last week. “He smashed through the ceiling,” Kings coach Doug Christie said. “The kid is ready, and he wants the opportunity to continue to improve. Sometimes you get an opportunity and you’re not ready to seize it, but he has seized the opportunity.” Raynaud is averaging 12.1 points and 7.5 rebounds and shooting 56.7% from the field in 71 games (53 starts). He has 18 double-doubles. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Goal #Stephen #Curry #peak #form #Warriors #face #KingsApr 5, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) makes a shot over Houston Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate (8) and guard Aaron Holiday (0) in the third quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The Golden State Warriors embark upon the Stephen Curry management portion of their schedule when they take on the Sacramento Kings in San Francisco on Tuesday night to tip off a stretch of four games in six days to close out the regular season.

Curry returned from a two-month absence caused by a sore right knee with a crowd-pleasing performance Sunday against the Houston Rockets, going for 29 points in 26 minutes off the bench in a 117-116 home loss.

The defeat entrenched Golden State (36-42) in 10th place in the West, from where it would have to beat consecutive opponents on the road in the upcoming play-in contests in order to make the eight-team Western Conference playoffs.

While noting that Curry would return to the starting lineup by the time the Warriors enter the must-win games next week, Golden State coach Steve Kerr indicated after the Sunday loss that the next four contests would serve as opportunities to find the most compatible combinations, especially with Kristaps Porzingis a relative newcomer to the team as well.

“We wanted to get Draymond (Green) and Steph together for obvious reasons, so we changed some of the other rotations to fit Steph,” Kerr said of adjustments he had to make by not starting his star point guard against the Rockets. “Obviously this won’t last for long. He’ll be in the starting lineup soon. I’m not sure when just based on minutes.”

Playing four games in six days will factor into how much guys such as Curry, Green and Porzingis play this week, as well as the best possible time for Al Horford to return from a soleus injury. The Warriors have a back-to-back Thursday at home against the Los Angeles Lakers and Friday at Sacramento.

Despite missing a potential game-winning 30-footer at the final horn, Curry felt great about the overall outcome of his first night back.

“That group that we had down the stretch, it felt like old times,” Curry said after the game. “Just reading the defense, the overreact to me on the perimeter, (Gary Payton II) going to the bucket, Draymond’s finding guys. … It was awesome.”


The Kings (21-58) enter the final week of the season tied with Utah Jazz for the fourth-worst record in the NBA. The three teams with the fewest wins will arrive at the draft lottery with the best odds of landing the first pick.

Sacramento has four more wins than the Washington Wizards, three more than the Indiana Pacers and two more than the Brooklyn Nets.

Other than the two meetings with Golden State, the Kings will play at Portland on Sunday to complete the regular season.

Sacramento hurt its odds by winning twice last week — 123-115 at Toronto on Wednesday and 117-113 at home against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday. The Kings were thumped 138-109 by the visiting Los Angeles Clippers in their most recent game on Sunday.

One thing left for the Kings to achieve would be helping center Maxime Raynaud earn NBA All-Rookie first-team honors.

The former Stanford star was voted the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for March and has since had a 28-point game against the Pelicans last week.

“He smashed through the ceiling,” Kings coach Doug Christie said. “The kid is ready, and he wants the opportunity to continue to improve. Sometimes you get an opportunity and you’re not ready to seize it, but he has seized the opportunity.”

Raynaud is averaging 12.1 points and 7.5 rebounds and shooting 56.7% from the field in 71 games (53 starts). He has 18 double-doubles.

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Goal #Stephen #Curry #peak #form #Warriors #face #Kings">Deadspin | Goal is to get Stephen Curry in peak form as Warriors face Kings Apr 5, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) makes a shot over Houston Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate (8) and guard Aaron Holiday (0) in the third quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images The Golden State Warriors embark upon the Stephen Curry management portion of their schedule when they take on the Sacramento Kings in San Francisco on Tuesday night to tip off a stretch of four games in six days to close out the regular season. Curry returned from a two-month absence caused by a sore right knee with a crowd-pleasing performance Sunday against the Houston Rockets, going for 29 points in 26 minutes off the bench in a 117-116 home loss. The defeat entrenched Golden State (36-42) in 10th place in the West, from where it would have to beat consecutive opponents on the road in the upcoming play-in contests in order to make the eight-team Western Conference playoffs. While noting that Curry would return to the starting lineup by the time the Warriors enter the must-win games next week, Golden State coach Steve Kerr indicated after the Sunday loss that the next four contests would serve as opportunities to find the most compatible combinations, especially with Kristaps Porzingis a relative newcomer to the team as well. “We wanted to get Draymond (Green) and Steph together for obvious reasons, so we changed some of the other rotations to fit Steph,” Kerr said of adjustments he had to make by not starting his star point guard against the Rockets. “Obviously this won’t last for long. He’ll be in the starting lineup soon. I’m not sure when just based on minutes.” Playing four games in six days will factor into how much guys such as Curry, Green and Porzingis play this week, as well as the best possible time for Al Horford to return from a soleus injury. The Warriors have a back-to-back Thursday at home against the Los Angeles Lakers and Friday at Sacramento. Despite missing a potential game-winning 30-footer at the final horn, Curry felt great about the overall outcome of his first night back. “That group that we had down the stretch, it felt like old times,” Curry said after the game. “Just reading the defense, the overreact to me on the perimeter, (Gary Payton II) going to the bucket, Draymond’s finding guys. … It was awesome.” The Kings (21-58) enter the final week of the season tied with Utah Jazz for the fourth-worst record in the NBA. The three teams with the fewest wins will arrive at the draft lottery with the best odds of landing the first pick. Sacramento has four more wins than the Washington Wizards, three more than the Indiana Pacers and two more than the Brooklyn Nets. Other than the two meetings with Golden State, the Kings will play at Portland on Sunday to complete the regular season. Sacramento hurt its odds by winning twice last week — 123-115 at Toronto on Wednesday and 117-113 at home against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday. The Kings were thumped 138-109 by the visiting Los Angeles Clippers in their most recent game on Sunday. One thing left for the Kings to achieve would be helping center Maxime Raynaud earn NBA All-Rookie first-team honors. The former Stanford star was voted the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for March and has since had a 28-point game against the Pelicans last week. “He smashed through the ceiling,” Kings coach Doug Christie said. “The kid is ready, and he wants the opportunity to continue to improve. Sometimes you get an opportunity and you’re not ready to seize it, but he has seized the opportunity.” Raynaud is averaging 12.1 points and 7.5 rebounds and shooting 56.7% from the field in 71 games (53 starts). He has 18 double-doubles. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Goal #Stephen #Curry #peak #form #Warriors #face #Kings

Deadspin | Mammoth host Oilers in high-stakes contest for playoff positioning Apr 4, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Utah Mammoth center Liam O’Brien (38) celebrates his goal against the Vancouver Canucks during the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Simon Fearn-Imagn Images The Utah Mammoth continue their push for a playoff berth as they host the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night in Salt Lake City. This will be the third and final game between these teams this season. The Oilers won the first two meetings of the season and have won five straight in the overall series. The Mammoth (40-30-6, 86 points) sit fourth in the Central Division and currently occupy the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference playoff race. They have won three straight and six of their last nine as they shoot for their first playoff berth since the franchise relocated to Salt Lake City in 2024. The franchise made the playoffs once in its final 12 years as the Arizona/Phoenix Coyotes, getting booted from the first round in the truncated 2019-20 season. Utah should be full of confidence after its last time out, a 7-4 win against the Vancouver Canucks. In that game, captain Clayton Keller had his third career hat trick and added an assist. Dylan Guenther and Lawson Crouse each had a goal and an assist, Logan Cooley had two assists and Karel Vejmelka made 19 saves. Liam O’Brien also found the back of the net after not being in the lineup since Feb. 4. “We have a deep lineup, and anyone that steps in is a great player, and someone that knows our systems well and can contribute,” Keller said. “We reacted good to a little adversity. Great effort by everyone and heck of a goal by ‘OB’ there, too. That was unreal. He’s such a great teammate, great guy, and he grinds every single day, so that’s awesome to see too.” “Everybody’s winning, so we need to win,” Mammoth head coach Andre Tourigny said. “At the end of the day, we want to play game 83. In order to do that, you need to win games. You’re not going in because anybody let you in. You need to keep winning games, and it’s not over.” It certainly isn’t over for the Oilers (39-29-9, 87 points), who are hunting for the franchise’s first Stanley Cup since 1990. Edmonton has gone to the Stanley Cup Final each of the last two years, losing both times to the Florida Panthers. Now, the Oilers are tied with the Anaheim Ducks for first place in the Pacific Division and have won seven of their last 10 games. They are also fighting to get back into the win column following a disappointing 5-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, who are just one point behind the Oilers in the division standings. Evan Bouchard scored the lone goal, and Connor Ingram made 28 saves for the Oilers, who were previously riding a five-game winning streak. “When things are going well, you forget about those details, those first couple of strides coming back, get a little extra aggressive on the pinch,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said. “You’re thinking maybe you’re overconfident, getting a little bit lazy, or whatever it is, I think we’re just not paying attention to those details.” “We got away from the way that we know how to play,” Oilers defenseman Jake Walman added. “We were slow (Saturday), and that’s the result against a team like that.” –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Mammoth #host #Oilers #highstakes #contest #playoff #positioningApr 4, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Utah Mammoth center Liam O’Brien (38) celebrates his goal against the Vancouver Canucks during the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Simon Fearn-Imagn Images

The Utah Mammoth continue their push for a playoff berth as they host the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night in Salt Lake City.

This will be the third and final game between these teams this season. The Oilers won the first two meetings of the season and have won five straight in the overall series.

The Mammoth (40-30-6, 86 points) sit fourth in the Central Division and currently occupy the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference playoff race. They have won three straight and six of their last nine as they shoot for their first playoff berth since the franchise relocated to Salt Lake City in 2024. The franchise made the playoffs once in its final 12 years as the Arizona/Phoenix Coyotes, getting booted from the first round in the truncated 2019-20 season.

Utah should be full of confidence after its last time out, a 7-4 win against the Vancouver Canucks. In that game, captain Clayton Keller had his third career hat trick and added an assist. Dylan Guenther and Lawson Crouse each had a goal and an assist, Logan Cooley had two assists and Karel Vejmelka made 19 saves.

Liam O’Brien also found the back of the net after not being in the lineup since Feb. 4.


“We have a deep lineup, and anyone that steps in is a great player, and someone that knows our systems well and can contribute,” Keller said. “We reacted good to a little adversity. Great effort by everyone and heck of a goal by ‘OB’ there, too. That was unreal. He’s such a great teammate, great guy, and he grinds every single day, so that’s awesome to see too.”

“Everybody’s winning, so we need to win,” Mammoth head coach Andre Tourigny said. “At the end of the day, we want to play game 83. In order to do that, you need to win games. You’re not going in because anybody let you in. You need to keep winning games, and it’s not over.”

It certainly isn’t over for the Oilers (39-29-9, 87 points), who are hunting for the franchise’s first Stanley Cup since 1990. Edmonton has gone to the Stanley Cup Final each of the last two years, losing both times to the Florida Panthers. Now, the Oilers are tied with the Anaheim Ducks for first place in the Pacific Division and have won seven of their last 10 games.

They are also fighting to get back into the win column following a disappointing 5-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, who are just one point behind the Oilers in the division standings. Evan Bouchard scored the lone goal, and Connor Ingram made 28 saves for the Oilers, who were previously riding a five-game winning streak.

“When things are going well, you forget about those details, those first couple of strides coming back, get a little extra aggressive on the pinch,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said. “You’re thinking maybe you’re overconfident, getting a little bit lazy, or whatever it is, I think we’re just not paying attention to those details.”

“We got away from the way that we know how to play,” Oilers defenseman Jake Walman added. “We were slow (Saturday), and that’s the result against a team like that.”


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Mammoth #host #Oilers #highstakes #contest #playoff #positioning">Deadspin | Mammoth host Oilers in high-stakes contest for playoff positioning Apr 4, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Utah Mammoth center Liam O’Brien (38) celebrates his goal against the Vancouver Canucks during the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Simon Fearn-Imagn Images The Utah Mammoth continue their push for a playoff berth as they host the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night in Salt Lake City. This will be the third and final game between these teams this season. The Oilers won the first two meetings of the season and have won five straight in the overall series. The Mammoth (40-30-6, 86 points) sit fourth in the Central Division and currently occupy the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference playoff race. They have won three straight and six of their last nine as they shoot for their first playoff berth since the franchise relocated to Salt Lake City in 2024. The franchise made the playoffs once in its final 12 years as the Arizona/Phoenix Coyotes, getting booted from the first round in the truncated 2019-20 season. Utah should be full of confidence after its last time out, a 7-4 win against the Vancouver Canucks. In that game, captain Clayton Keller had his third career hat trick and added an assist. Dylan Guenther and Lawson Crouse each had a goal and an assist, Logan Cooley had two assists and Karel Vejmelka made 19 saves. Liam O’Brien also found the back of the net after not being in the lineup since Feb. 4. “We have a deep lineup, and anyone that steps in is a great player, and someone that knows our systems well and can contribute,” Keller said. “We reacted good to a little adversity. Great effort by everyone and heck of a goal by ‘OB’ there, too. That was unreal. He’s such a great teammate, great guy, and he grinds every single day, so that’s awesome to see too.” “Everybody’s winning, so we need to win,” Mammoth head coach Andre Tourigny said. “At the end of the day, we want to play game 83. In order to do that, you need to win games. You’re not going in because anybody let you in. You need to keep winning games, and it’s not over.” It certainly isn’t over for the Oilers (39-29-9, 87 points), who are hunting for the franchise’s first Stanley Cup since 1990. Edmonton has gone to the Stanley Cup Final each of the last two years, losing both times to the Florida Panthers. Now, the Oilers are tied with the Anaheim Ducks for first place in the Pacific Division and have won seven of their last 10 games. They are also fighting to get back into the win column following a disappointing 5-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, who are just one point behind the Oilers in the division standings. Evan Bouchard scored the lone goal, and Connor Ingram made 28 saves for the Oilers, who were previously riding a five-game winning streak. “When things are going well, you forget about those details, those first couple of strides coming back, get a little extra aggressive on the pinch,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said. “You’re thinking maybe you’re overconfident, getting a little bit lazy, or whatever it is, I think we’re just not paying attention to those details.” “We got away from the way that we know how to play,” Oilers defenseman Jake Walman added. “We were slow (Saturday), and that’s the result against a team like that.” –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Mammoth #host #Oilers #highstakes #contest #playoff #positioning

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