Sports
‘I wanted to complete that wish tonight.’ Ducks lose as playoff berth remains just out of reach
The Ducks held their annual fan appreciation day Sunday, handing out thousands of gifts, from a new car to team jerseys and gift cards. But the one prize the Ducks’ long-suffering fans really wanted, a playoff berth, remained just out of reach.
Needing a win to clinch a postseason berth for the first time since 2018, the Ducks lost a sloppy 4-3 overtime decision to the Vancouver Canucks, the NHL’s worst team, leaving them a point shy of the playoffs with two games to play. The loss was the seventh in eight games for the Ducks, who have tumbled from first to third in the Pacific Division standings and may now have to settle for a wild-card berth.
So they’ll hit the road Monday for their final two games of the regular season needing one point from games in Minnesota and Nashville. The Ducks could also back into the playoffs if Nashville losses either of its final two games.
“We haven’t clinched anything yet,” captain Radko Gudas said. “With two games to play, there’s still a lot of work to do, 120 minutes to give it our all and make that push.”
“We just can’t be satisfied with what we’re at right now,” coach Joel Quenneville agreed. “We didn’t make it easy on ourselves, that’s for sure.”
The Ducks have already assured themselves of their first winning record since 2017-18 but the playoffs have been the Holy Grail the team has been chasing since then. And it appeared within reach until Marco Rossi scored on a power play with less than 11 seconds left in the extra period, silencing a sellout crowd that had repeatedly peppered the Ducks with rhythmic chants of “We want playoffs!”
“I loved it,” Quenneville said of the chant. “I wanted to complete that wish tonight.”
And it looked as if that would happen given the way the Ducks started, with Cutter Gauthier opening the scoring with the first of two goals 3:41 into a feisty and physical first period that was interrupted by seven penalties and two fights.
But Vancouver got the next three scores, taking a 3-1 lead when Brock Boeser intercepted a sloppy Leo Carlsson pass intended for John Carlson in Vancouver’s defensive end, then outskated Carlson the other way before lifting the puck over goaltender Lukas Dostal less than five minutes into the final period.
The shorthanded goal seemed to wake the slumbering Ducks, with Gauthier scoring on a power play 37 seconds later to halve the lead and become the first Duck with 40 goals in a season since Corey Perry in 2013-14.
“It’s a huge milestone and something I’m very proud of,” Gauthier said. “But that’s not why I’m playing hockey. I’m playing to win games and eventually win a Stanley Cup.”
Carlsson then evened things at 3-3 on a spectacular goal less than two minutes later, backhanding the puck over Canucks goalie Nikita Tolopilo while skating away from the crease for his 29th goal of the season.
“It was kind of a dagger when they score a shorthanded goal on us,” Gauthier said. “It’s supposed to be the opposite way. But I thought we responded really well, obviously tying it back up.”
The Ducks couldn’t keep it there, however, with Chris Kreider taking a slashing penalty with 2:07 left in overtime, giving Vancouver an extra skater. Dostal had kept the Ducks in the game, making seven saves in the extra period, including five huge stops on the power play, but he couldn’t stop Rossi on the final shot, one which sent the Ducks’ fans home disappointed and eager to end to the second-longest playoff drought in the NHL.
“They’ve been hungry to get back in the playoffs over these last seven years,” said Gauthier, who was in junior high school in Michigan the last time the Ducks played in the postseason. “They’re excited for it, we’re excited for it. We fell short tonight but we had a great opportunity to go on this road trip and get some get points.”
Actually just one point — the one they left on the ice Sunday — will be enough.
Sports
LeBron James fuels Cleveland Cavaliers reunion speculation after appearing to like Instagram post about return
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LeBron James’ eighth season in Los Angeles ended with a four-game sweep in the Western Conference semifinals at the hands of the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Lakers’ playoff exit fueled more questions about James’ NBA future and a potential 24th season.
James remains undecided about his basketball future, but he did reveal plans to take time with his family before making any decision. “I don’t know what the future holds for me, obviously, as it stands right now tonight,” James said on May 11. “I’ve got a lot of time now. I think I said it last year after we lost to Minnesota. I’ll go back and recalibrate with my family and talk with them and spend some time with them, and then obviously when the time comes, you guys will know what I decide to do.”
As speculation about his future intensifies, James’ name has been linked to the Lakers, Warriors and even a potential return to Cleveland, where his storied career began.
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LeBron James attends Game Four of the Eastern Conference Second Round Playoffs at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 13, 2024. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
If James ultimately did return to his native Ohio, it would mark his third stint with the Cavaliers. He reunited with the team in 2014 after a four-year run with the Miami Heat, bringing Cleveland its first NBA title in 2016.
The Cavaliers dropped Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the New York Knicks on Tuesday, but James still appeared to hint at a potential offseason destination on social media.
LEBRON JAMES NEXT TEAM ODDS: LAKERS, CAVALIERS, RETIREMENT IN MIX
James reportedly liked an Instagram post calling for a return to Cleveland.
Even if James wants a return to Cleveland, the Cavaliers would face major financial obstacles in making it happen. The 41-year-old would likely need to take a sizable pay cut, assuming the team could work out a sign-and-trade deal with the Lakers.
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during a timeout against the Golden State Warriors in the second half of a preseason NBA game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Oct. 5, 2025. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The Cavaliers already carry several sizable contracts on their roster, with star guard Donovan Mitchell and center Evan Mobley both scheduled to earn more than $50 million annually next season. James Harden could also exercise his $42.3 million player option, while forward Jarrett Allen is projected to count roughly $28 million against the salary cap next season.
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during a game against the San Antonio Spurs at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif., on Jan. 13, 2025. (Adam Pantozzi/NBAE/Getty Images)
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James averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists during the 2025-26 regular season.
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If anyone needs a definition for what grinding means in sports, sophomore Carlos Acuna’s performance on Wednesday at Cal State Northridge provided the answer.
In six of seven innings, the Birmingham High pitcher saw Carson get the leadoff man on base. That’s usually something that leads to disaster. But Acuna kept coming up with key strikeouts pitching into the seventh.
Coach Matt Mowry was asked if Acuna was close to being pulled.
“Heck, yeah,” he said. “He was on the edge of coming out.”
Except Acuna refused to give Mowry the chance. He got a fly ball out to right field to end a 4-1 complete-game victory to send Birmingham into the City Section Open Division championship game on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Dodger Stadium against West Valley League rival El Camino Real, a 4-3 winner over Granada Hills. Birmingham has won eight City titles. El Camino Real has won 10.
Acuna threw 102 pitches to finish his pitching season with an 11-0 record. He struck out seven, walked three and gave up four hits. As he has done all season, he pitched with the maturity of a senior. Nothing fazes him.
“It’s an amazing season he’s having,” Mowry said.
He has thrown 91 innings and since Birmingham has opted out of playing in the state playoffs, Saturday’s game at Dodger Stadium will be his last this season. He’ll be playing third base or second base, and that’s fine with him.
“I love this team,” Acuna said. “I want to play one last game.”
When in trouble, Acuna turned to his slider as his out pitch. The only run he gave up came in the sixth inning after Xavier Allen had a double and scored on a ground out.
JJ Rodriguez contributed two RBIs for Birmingham and JuJu Monroe-Truitt had two hits and one RBI.
It will be No. 1-seeded Birmingham against No. 2-seeded El Camino Real on Saturday in a venue both programs know well. Nathan Soto will start on the mound for Birmingham and Hudson December for El Camino Real.
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Chicago Cubs star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was reportedly fined an undisclosed amount of money for his interaction with a Chicago White Sox fan on Saturday.
Crow-Armstrong, 24, was heckled by a fan after making a play during the fifth inning of the team’s 8-3 loss to the White Sox. He had a vulgar response to the female heckler.
“You suck my f–-ing d–k b—-,” Crow-Armstrong told the female fan.
Pete Crow-Armstrong #4 of the Chicago Cubs stands on deck in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Wrigley Field on April 21, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images)
The fine for Crow-Armstrong is undisclosed, ESPN reported. He said he regretted his actions on Monday.
“I think I just regret my choice of words the most and who that affects in my life, directly and indirectly,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I don’t think that any of the women in my life would ever think that I would use those kind of words regularly, especially referring to them.
“So I’m just bummed out about the word choice, and that a bunch of little kids go and probably find their way to social media and see that as well.”
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Pete Crow-Armstrong #4 of the Chicago Cubs reacts after getting hit by a pitch in the eighth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on May 17, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Michael Hirschuber/Getty Images)
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said he spoke with Crow-Armstrong and called fan interactions as part of the job.
“He made a mistake, and we’ve got to move on from it,” Counsell said before Chicago’s 9-3 loss to Milwaukee. “It’s a reality of this job. It happens. Fan interactions happen. You want to try to keep them positive, even when they’re not. Sometimes when it’s a really emotional situation, it’s difficult, but it’s still a requirement of the job.”
Crow-Armstrong is one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball and made his first All-Star team last season. Last season, Crow-Armstrong hit .247 with 31 home runs and 95 RBI.
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Pete Crow-Armstrong #4 of the Chicago Cubs rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run against the Chicago White Sox during the ninth inning at Rate Field on May 16, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Bartel/Getty Images)
This season, Crow-Armstrong has not had the same success. In 49 games, he has hit just .229 with five home runs and 20 RBI.
The Cubs (29-20) will take on the Milwaukee Brewers (28-18) in the final game of their three-game series on Wednesday at 7:40 p.m. ET.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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