Stanley Cup playoffs 2026: Brady Tkachuk, Jordan Staal fight 3 seconds into Hurricanes' Game 1 win over Senators

No fighting in the Stanley Cup playoffs? Apparently, no one told the Ottawa Senators’ Brady Tkachuk and the Carolina Hurricanes’ Jordan Staal.

As the puck dropped for Game 1 of their first-round NHL playoff matchup, the two team captains dropped their gloves right after the opening faceoff and began tussling three seconds into the contest.

Tkachuk appeared to have the advantage initially, connecting with a couple of right-handed punches. But Staal shook off those blows and countered with an upper cut, then followed with a punch that knocked Tkachuk to the ice. From there, officials stepped in and separated the two captains.

It’s unlikely to be remembered that Tkachuk won the opening faceoff. Especially when his team suffereda 2-0 defeatin the first game of their playoff series.

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After gloves dropped, the playoff game continued

The remainder of the first period was relatively anti-climactic after those opening fisticuffs with the Senators and Hurricanes tied 0-0. But Carolina took a 1-0 lead two minutes into the second period with Logan Stankoven scoring on a wrist shot.

Ottawa appeared to have scored the tying goal early in the third period with Drake Batherson flicking the puck past Carolina goaltender Frederik Andersen. The play was ruled a goal on the ice but replay could not conclusively determine that the puck crossed the goal line when Andersen caught it with his glove, so the score was waived off.

Four minutes later, Taylor Hall deflected in a rebound off a long shot by Stankoven to give Carolina a two-goal advantage. That was enough of a lead for Andersen, who stopped all 22 shots he faced from the Senators. On the other side of the ice, Ottawa goalie Linus Ullmark saved 27 of 29 shots.

Carolina takes a 1-0 series lead with Game 2 scheduled for Monday night.

The Hurricanes won the Metropolitan division witha 53-22-7 recordfor 113 points. That matched them with the Senators, who earned the second wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference at 44-27-11 for 99 points. The winner of this series will face either the Pittsburgh Penguins or Philadelphia Flyers in the second round.

byAnio Baumeister

in

April 20, 2026

Stanley Cup playoffs 2026: Brady Tkachuk, Jordan Staal fight 3 seconds into Hurricanes' Game 1 win over Senators

No fighting in the Stanley Cup playoffs? Apparently, no one told the Ottawa Senators’ Brady Tkachuk and the Carolina Hurricanes’ Jordan...

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Zay Flowers blames John Harbaugh practices for Ravens injury issues

Zay Flowersbelieves theBaltimore Ravens' offseason coaching change could help the team avoid the injury bug that has plagued them in recent seasons.

In an appearance onthe "4th and South" podcast, hosted by Jarvis Landry and Leonard Fournette, Flowers spoke about the Ravens' strenuous practices under former coach John Harbaugh.

"Bro, we're [in] full pads all the time," Flowers said, with a smile. "However many practices in pads you can get, every single one."

"We're doing one-on-ones in Week 17," Flowers added. "Week 17, we're doing one-on-ones, everybody out there, we're tired, we're still going."

OT Tytus Howard: Traded to Cleveland Browns (previous team: Houston Texans)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> CB Trent McDuffie: Traded to Los Angeles Rams (previous team: Kansas City Chiefs)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> RB David Montgomery: Traded to Houston Texans (previous team: Detroit Lions)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> WR DJ Moore: Traded to Buffalo Bills (previous team: Chicago Bears)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

2026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, trades

OT Tytus Howard:Traded to Cleveland Browns(previous team: Houston Texans)

Landry and Fournette cracked a couple of jokes about Flowers' remarks but seemed to be in disbelief about the 25-year-old receiver's claim. It also prompted them to ask Flowers how the players managed such a grueling schedule.

"We don't," Flowers said. "Low key, that's why we had a lot of injuries – because of how we practiced, how we went. The load was heavy."

The Ravens dealt with a plethora of injuries early during the 2025 NFL season, and were without seven Pro Bowl players in Week 5 against the Houston Texans. Star quarterbackLamar Jacksonmissed four games because of a hamstring injury, which played a role in the Ravens posting a 1-5 record over their first six games.

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However, the Ravens got healthier as the season progressed, as reflected by their 7-4 record over their final 11 games. Baltimore lost 183 total games to injury during the 2025 NFL season, which ranked 22nd league-wide and well below the average of 220 games missed, perSports Info Solutions.

NEW RAVENS UNIFORMS:Check out details from elaborate unveiling

Still, Flowers believes new coach Jesse Minter can help lower that number further as he becomes a first-time coach.

"[Minter] knows how we worked with Harbaugh," Flowers said. "So, he's like, 'You're going to get your work, but it's going to be a little easier on your body. You're going to be fresher for the game.'"

While Flowers was critical of Baltimore's practice habits under Harbaugh, he still lauded the Super Bowl 47-winner's ability to prepare his players for game action.

"How he prepared for games, he can get anybody prepared," Flowers said. "He's good at getting you ready to go play. Not even speeches, it's just the way we practiced. How he gets you prepared to go play and hit and do your job. It carries over to the game, without you even having to think about it."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Zay Flowers says Ravens injuries caused by 'heavy' practice workload

byAnio Baumeister

in

April 20, 2026

Zay Flowers blames John Harbaugh practices for Ravens injury issues

Zay Flowersbelieves theBaltimore Ravens' offseason coaching change could help the team avoid the injury bug that has plagued them i...

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NBA playoffs 2026: No. 8 seed Magic stun top-seeded Pistons with wire-to-wire Game 1 win

Jalen Suggs hit a 3-pointer for the opening bucket of Sunday’s playoff game between the top-seeded Detroit Pistons and No. 8 seed Orlando Magic.

The Magic never relinquished that lead as they stunned the Pistons fora 112-101 Game 1 win.

Orlando set the tone with a 35-27 advantage through one quarter. The Pistons would rally to tie the game in the third and put pressure on the Magic in the fourth. But Orlando had an answer each time and never allowed the Pistons to take the lead in front of their home crowd.

Franz Wagner led the late charge for the Magic, scoring 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter to help the Magic close out the upset win on the road.

After Orlando extended its lead to 108-96 in the final three minutes, fans started filing out of Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena.

Can Magic pull off rare upset of No. 1 seed?

With the win, the Magic have a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series and will seek to become justthe seventh No. 8 seed to win a first-round playoff seriesin NBA history. The 2022-23 Miami Heat were the last team to do it with a 4-1 win over the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks en route to the NBA Finals.

Per ESPN, the Pistons are the first No. 1 seed in the NBA’s play-by-play era (since 1997-98) to never hold the lead in their playoff opener.

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Orlando had to fight just to get here

The win follows up a dramatic play-in for the Magic, who lost their first play-in game against the Philadelphia 76ers and faced a do-or-die game against the Charlotte Hornets with the final Eastern Conference playoff berth on the line.

The Magic responded witha dominant, 121-90 win over the Hornetson Friday to secure their spot in the playoff field. And now they’ve secured the only upset of the first weekend of the playoffs through Sunday’s games. Higher-seeded home teams won each of the previous six matchups.

Balanced Magic effort vs. Detroit’s 1-man show

The Magic won with a balanced effort in which each of their starters scored 16-plus points. Paolo Banchero led the way with 23 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal. Wagner added 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals to his 19 points.

Wendell Carter Jr. (17 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals), Desmond Bane (17 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals) and Jalen Suggs (16 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals) each joined Banchero and Wagner with stat-stuffing efforts.

The Pistons entered Sunday’s game with the NBA’s second-best defensive rating. But it was the Magic who put the clamps down with 11 steals and six blocks while limiting the Pistons to 40% shooting from the field, 31% shooting from 3 and 16.8 points below their regular-season average of 117.8 points per game.

Cade Cunningham, who missed most of the stretch run of the regular season with a collapsed lung, led the Pistons with 39 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists while shooting 13 of 27 from the field.

But unlike Orlando’s balanced effort, Detroit’s was largely a one-man show. Tobias Harris (17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists) was the only other Piston to score in double figures.

The Magic now have home-court advantage in the series. Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday in Detroit (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) before the series shifts to Orlando for Game 3 on Saturday.

byAnio Baumeister

in

April 20, 2026

NBA playoffs 2026: No. 8 seed Magic stun top-seeded Pistons with wire-to-wire Game 1 win

Jalen Suggs hit a 3-pointer for the opening bucket of Sunday’s playoff game between the top-seeded Detroit Pistons and No. 8 seed Orlan...

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'Top Gun 3' officially confirmed, Tom Cruise to return

It's time to return to the danger zone.

A third "Top Gun" film has officially been confirmed, withTom Cruiseset to return.

The news was announced at Paramount's presentation during the CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas on April 16, with Paramount Pictures Co-Chair Josh Greenstein revealing the sequel is "in development with a script underway, reuniting Tom Cruise and [producer] Jerry Bruckheimer,"according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Reports firstswirled in early 2024that a third "Top Gun" film was in the works coming off the rousing success of the second installment, "Top Gun: Maverick." Cruise reprised his role of daring pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in the 2022 hit, a long-awaited follow-up to the original 1986 blockbuster.

Grossing $1.5 billion worldwide, "Maverick" provided a shot in the arm to movie theaters in 2022 amid their recovery from COVID-19 closures, and it stands as thefifth-highest grossing film of all timeat the domestic box office. It also received six Academy Award nominations, including best picture, and won the Oscar for best sound.

I went 'Maverick' in Tom Cruise's'Top Gun' training plane and didn't eject my lunch

The rest of the cast of "Top Gun 3" hasn't been confirmed, though "Maverick" introduced a new set of stars who could be back, includingMiles Teller,Glen Powell,Lewis PullmanandMonica Barbaro. In 2024, Powellsuggested he wouldreprise his role and even cryptically hinted he knew when filming would start.

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(L-R) Tom Hanks and Tim Allen attend the Walt Disney Studios presentation at Cinemacon 2026 on April 16, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nev.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Actor Johnny Depp promotes the upcoming film "Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol" during the Paramount Pictures presentation at CinemaCon at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on April 16, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nev.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> The biggest names in Hollywood are unveiling their buzzy new movies at CinemaCon 2026, the Las Vegas convention for theater owners, starting with Steven Spielberg.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> The filmmaker was on hand to promote "Disclosure Day."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Colman Domingo ("Disclosure Day").

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Robert De Niro (left) and Ben Stiller promote their upcoming film "Focker In-Law." .

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Robert De Niro

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Ben Stiller

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rapper Snoop Dogg revealed a biopic of his life is coming to theaters in 2027.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Snoop Dogg

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Snoop Dogg

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jonathan Daviss will star as Snoop Dogg.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Filmmaker Christopher Nolan hyped his upcoming movie "The Odyssey."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jack Black celebrated the success of "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jack Black

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Nicole Kidman (left) and Sandra Bullock were on hand to talk up "Practical Magic 2."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jason Momoa drove Lobo's motorcycle out on stage for "Supergirl."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jason Momoa (from left), Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya take a selfie.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Zendaya

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya were on hand for "Dune 3."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Milly Alcock ("Supergirl")

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Tom Cruise (left) and Jason Momoa.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Nicole Kidman

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sandra Bullock

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Tom Cruise promotes his upcoming movie "Digger."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Tom Cruise

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> DC superhero stars Jason Momoa and Milly Alcock.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jason Momoa (from left), Craig Gillespie, Milly Alcock and Peter Safran.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Tom Cruise (left) and "Digger" director/writer Alejandro González Iñárritu.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> J.J. Abrams (left) greets Tom Cruise.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Adam Scott promotes his upcoming film "Hokum."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Eli Roth poses in front of an ice cream truck as he promotes his upcoming film "Ice Cream Man."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> LaKeith Stanfield (left) and Boots Riley were on hand to tout "I Love Boosters."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Buddy the dog turned out in support of "Air Bud Returns."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Patton Oswalt

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Meredith Salenger

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> The stars of "Jumanji 3" (from left): Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson and Jack Black.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Dwayne Johnson

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jack Black (left) and Dwayne Johnson promote "Jumanji: The Final Level" during the Sony presentation.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Mandy Moore and Nate Bargatze ("The Breadwinner")

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Mandy Moore and Nate Bargatze

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Mandy Moore

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Nate Bargatze

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Writer/director Aaron Sorkin ("The Social Reckoning")

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Tom Hanks, Robert Downey Jr., more CinemaCon stars reveal their new movies

A director for "Top Gun 3" also hasn't been announced. "Maverick" was helmed by Joseph Kosinski, who took over directing duties after original "Top Gun" director Tony Scott died in 2012.

Fans won't believeTom Cruise's new look in first 'Digger' footage

During a 2025 interview onthe "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, Christopher McQuarrie, who cowrote "Maverick" with Ehren Kruger and Eric Warren Singer, confirmed a story idea was in place for "Top Gun 3," based on a pitch by Kruger.

"It's already in the bag," he said on the podcast. "I already know what it is. It wasn't hard. I thought it would be. And that's a good place to go from. You walk into the room going, 'Come on. What are we going to do?' And Ehren Kruger pitched something, and I went, 'Mmm, actually...' And we had one conversation about it. The framework is there."

Cruise is set to return to the world of "Top Gun" after he seemingly closed the book on his other big action franchise, "Mission: Impossible," which released its supposedly last installment in 2025: "The Final Reckoning." The actor will next be seen "Digger," a dark comedy from Alejandro Iñárritu out this fall. While teasing the film at CinemaCon, Iñárritu said that "this role may be his most challenging."

Contributing: James Powel, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:'Top Gun 3' with Tom Cruise announced at CinemaCon

byAnio Baumeister

in

April 19, 2026

'Top Gun 3' officially confirmed, Tom Cruise to return

It's time to return to the danger zone. A third "Top Gun" film has officially been confirmed, withTom Cruiseset to ...

Read More