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Elliott: Kings get a much-needed boost ahead of critical divisional road trip

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Elliott: Kings get a much-needed boost ahead of critical divisional road trip

The Kings’ season-high 50 shots on net produced merely two goals Saturday, both scored during power plays.

They gave up a shorthanded goal to the Ducks and committed enough giveaways to raise questions about how well they’ll fare if they replicate that during their upcoming trip to face division rivals Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver. For the second straight game, they were unable to produce a five-on-five goal.

The negatives are worrisome. But what mattered most to the Kings was that they conquered their shootout demons to get two points they urgently needed, prevailing 3-2 Saturday at Crypto.com Arena after scoring twice on beleaguered John Gibson during the shootout to one goal for the Ducks against David Rittich.

The victory, their eighth straight against the Ducks, wasn’t pretty. “It was kind of a grind game tonight, more than it’s been in the last couple of years against Anaheim,” Kings winger Adrian Kempe said. “Credit to them.”

The best case scenario for the Kings is that their second victory in seven shootouts this season will prove to be a confidence boost as they prepare for a challenging trip that could change their playoff positioning for the better — or for the worse.

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“It was huge. Every point matters right now,” said defenseman Matt Roy, who was credited with a career-high 10 shots on goal, nearly half of the defense corps’ collective 21 shots on net. “We dug ourselves in a bit of a hole there in January so we need to take what we can get now.”

Playing without steady defenseman Mikey Anderson, whose status was listed as week to week because of an upper-body injury, the Kings’ defense was sometimes burned by the Ducks’ playmaking off the rush. The Ducks didn’t manage much sustained pressure in taking 24 shots at Rittich, but they created some problems. Defenseman Drew Doughty played 27 minutes and 34 seconds, a heavy load.

But the Kings persevered, emerging with two points that kept them close to Edmonton and ahead of the teams chasing them in the West wild-card scramble. “It was huge,” Kempe said of earning the second point by winning the shootout. “I think we deserved the two points. Maybe it wasn’t our best performance out there but it was a big win.”

Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, left, battles Ducks and center Mason McTavish for the puck in the first period Saturday.

(Ryan Sun / Associated Press)

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Missing Anderson and winger Viktor Arvidsson, who was placed on long-term injured reserve Saturday because of a lower-body injury, will test the Kings’ depth. They should have enough to hold off the teams behind them, and putting Arvidsson on long-term injured reserve (which means he will miss at least 10 games and 24 days) gives them enough salary-cap relief to be able to make a move before the March 8 trade deadline.

The Kings and Ducks traded power-play goals in the first period Saturday, with Ducks winger Jakob Silfverberg scoring on a shot from the left circle at 9:33 and the Kings matching that at 15:23 on a shot by Fiala, who used Anze Kopitar as a screen. Fiala has scored a power-play goal in three straight games, a stat that Kings interim coach Jim Hiller noted happily.

“Goalscorers, they like to feel it. Once you get one, all of a sudden you’ve got a little more confidence. Instead of thinking pass, you’re thinking shot,” Hiller said. “And I think that’s what we’re seeing with Kevin.

“I thought it was one of Kevin’s better games of the year in the O zone. He looked like himself. He had a couple reverse hits. He protected the puck. He took people on, one-on-one. So I thought that was a really encouraging game for Kevin.”

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Special teams play was a factor again in the second period. The Ducks took a 2-1 lead on a short-handed goal by Sam Carrick at 9:08, a shot that appeared to deflect into the net off the body of Doughty. But Doughty brought the Kings even at 14:24 by taking a few strides in and unleashing a shot that eluded Gibson at 14:24.

In the shootout, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Thousand Oaks native Trevor Moore scored for the Kings, while Leo Carlsson scored for the Ducks.

Earning two points was a relief as much as a reward for the Kings (29-17-10). But their satisfaction will be brief, with a game at Edmonton coming Monday. They set an NHL record with an 11-game road winning streak from the start of the season but stumbled through a road-heavy January. They were 3-1 on their most recent trip, to Buffalo, New Jersey, Boston and Pittsburgh.

“It’s going to be a huge road trip playing Vancouver, who we haven’t played yet, and then Calgary and Edmonton, that are two really good teams,” Kempe said. “It’s going to be a tough road trip. We’re looking forward to it.

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“I think we’ve been playing well lately. We’ve been playing hard and that’s all we’ve got to do. And we’ve got to trust our game plan and just keep playing the way we’ve been playing and hopefully we can get some points on the road here.”

That one extra point they earned Saturday could make a big difference later this season. Stranger things have happened.

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Recent UFC champion Carlos Ulberg says he lost title belt while celebrating the win

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Recent UFC champion Carlos Ulberg says he lost title belt while celebrating the win

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UFC champion Carlos Ulberg says he lost his championship belt that he just won after capturing the light heavyweight title at UCF 327.

He told Fox Sports Australia Monday he misplaced his golden title belt while celebrating his victory.

“I’ve lost the belt, bro,” Ulberg told FOX Sports. “Initially after winning, the plan was to not have a drink. But you know how these things go, right?” he said.

“First, someone gives you a champagne to celebrate. Then one thing leads to another, and you’re doing shots.”

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Carlos Ulberg of New Zealand celebrates his knockout victory over Jiri Prochazka in a light heavyweight title bout at UFC 327 in Miami, Fla., April 11, 2026. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

The 35-year-old from New Zealand fought through a knee injury to defeat Jiri Prochazka in the main event at UFC 327 by knockout this weekend in Miami to become the new champion of the light heavyweight division.

His injury could keep him sidelined for a year, meaning he will have to give up his champion status anyway, with UCF holding an interim title fight to take his place.

Carlos Ulberg of New Zealand celebrates his knockout victory over Jiri Prochazka in a light heavyweight title bout during UFC 327 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Fla., April 11, 2026. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

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But Ulberg said he’s fairly confident his belt will be found before he heads to Las Vegas to get further evaluation from doctors on his knee. He then plans to spend time at the UFC Performance Institute before returning to New Zealand to be with family.

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“I didn’t want to be carrying the belt around, so I think it’s still there at the apartment somewhere. One of the boys probably has it in bed with him,” Ulberg said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Lakers ‘elevate’ work for playoffs with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves injured

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Lakers ‘elevate’ work for playoffs with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves injured

The elephant in the room for the Lakers as they enter the playoffs has been, and will continue to be, the status of their starting backcourt, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

Both are out because of injuries — Doncic with a grade 2 left hamstring strain and Reaves with a grade 2 left oblique strain — and neither is expected to play in the best-of-seven, first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets that begins Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at Crypto.com Arena.

After practice Friday, coach JJ Redick was quick to say “there’s not” when asked about an update on Doncic and Reaves.

After Doncic and Reaves were injured on April 2 at Oklahoma City, the Lakers said both would be out until the end of the regular season. According to people not authorized to speak on the matter, both are expected to be out four to six weeks.

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Doncic went to Spain to get treatment, and Reaves has been working diligently in L.A., with the hope that they can return sooner.

The Lakers miss their combined output of 56.8 points, 13.8 assists and 12.4 rebounds per game. Doncic led the NBA in scoring (33.5) and was third in assists (8.3); he was second on the Lakers in rebounding (7.7).

During the week of practice, Reaves was around his teammates and seen shooting after a few practices. He appeared to be in good spirits. Doncic was supposed to be back by Friday.

“We love having Austin here and we’re glad he is in a position to do his return-to-play [work], however long it takes with us,” Redick said. “Excited to get Luka back and be around the group. Austin and I talk just about every day about different things. So he’s … just being a part of this. …

“The mindset for our team and for those two guys, like we’re gonna try to make this season as long as possible so that we can get those guys back at some point. We don’t know what that is, and that’s just our job. And their job is to do everything they can to be in a position to come back at some point. It may not work, but that’s what we’re trying to do.”

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The theme of the Lakers’ week at practice was to “elevate” their work.

Yes, they won’t have Doncic and Reaves, but that didn’t mean the Lakers couldn’t work harder.

When they worked on box-out drills in preparation for the way the Rockets attack the offensive boards, the Lakers went hard. When they watched film and had practice sessions, the Lakers worked with a purpose.

“The word we’ve used all week is ‘elevate.’ I think that’s what it is,” Redick said. “We all know the playoffs are different. They’re harder. There’s no easy matchups, and you have to be able to elevate your play. But beyond that, it’s elevating your recovery, your attention to detail, your preparation.

“I talked about that with my coaches as we started this week on Monday morning. It was an off day for the guys, but we were in there for six hours and we’ve all collectively gotta elevate. And particularly when you’re missing two of your top guys, part of elevating is elevating each other and the belief that the group as a whole can be great.”

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The Rockets are a tough and rugged team that is good on defense and at rebounding.

They ranked fourth in the NBA in points given up (110.0) and sixth in opponents’ field-goal percentage (46.0). They were tops in rebounding (48.1) and offensive rebounds (15.0).

That has the Lakers’ attention and is why they worked so hard during practice.

“It’s been great. The level of focus and attention to detail, the communication, everything has been elevated,” forward Jarred Vanderbilt said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that’s been to the playoffs and know what it takes.

“Like you said, everything elevates around this time and having a veteran group that’s kind of been there and had a taste of the playoffs, we all know what it takes to win games in the playoffs. It’s everybody going out and doing their job and paying attention to the game plan.”

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WWE star Chelsea Green should be WrestleMania ‘headliner,’ Alba Fyre says

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WWE star Chelsea Green should be WrestleMania ‘headliner,’ Alba Fyre says

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Chelsea Green has been one of the hardest working pro wrestlers in WWE since she returned to the company in 2023 and has put together history-making moments.

Green was the first women’s United States champion in the belt’s history and the first to have multiple reigns. She’s been knocked off ladders and thrown in dumpsters, and yet, strings of bad luck have kept her off the WrestleMania card for the last three years.

Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre enter the ring during SmackDown at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, on Jan. 23, 2026. (Rich Wade/WWE)

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WWE star Alba Fyre, who is a part of Green’s Secret Hervice, told Fox News Digital she would have liked to have seen the Canadian star on the card.

“You know, we’re always rooting for Chelsea,” Fyre said. “Obviously, I’m a big fan of Chelsea, but I think it’s a shame that she’s not on the card this year. She should be the headliner.”

This year, it was a bit out of her hands.

Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre enter the ring during SmackDown at KFC YUM! Center in Louisville, Ky., on Feb. 27, 2026. (Craig Melvin/WWE)

WWE CHAMP JADE CARGILL VERY HOPEFUL TO MEET ‘STONE COLD’ STEVE AUSTIN AT HALL OF FAME CEREMONY

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Green suffered an ankle injury in the months leading up to WrestleMania 42. She hasn’t been in the ring in a few weeks, but still remained on screen. She was seen on “Friday Night SmackDown” as of late trying to be in the corner of Tiffany Stratton, who is eyeing the United States Championship herself in a battle with Giulia.

Green was off the card for WrestleMania 40 and 41. She last appeared at the event in a fatal four-way tag team match with Sonya Deville at WrestleMania 39.

Chelsea Green looks on during SmackDown at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Fla., on Feb. 20, 2026. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE)

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Pro wrestling fans will be interested to see how the next 12 months go for Green. She may work herself back up the ladder and get into contention for the women’s title once again. If so, she’ll either have to contend with Jade Cargill or Rhea Ripley.

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