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Leon Draisaitl scores twice, Oilers top Sharks

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Leon Draisaitl scores twice, Oilers top Sharks

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Leon Draisaitl scored a pair of targets to guide the Edmonton Oilers to a 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday evening.

Kailer Yamamoto, Derick Brassard and Evander Kane additionally scored for the Oilers, who had misplaced their final two video games however improved to 6-1-1 of their final eight total.

“Each level issues at the moment of the yr,” Oilers ahead Zach Hyman stated. “I assumed it was superior to get the win and to maintain constructing confidence shifting ahead.”

Mike Smith made 28 saves within the victory.

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Edmonton Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl (29) celebrates a purpose towards the San Jose Sharks throughout second-period NHL hockey sport motion in Edmonton, Alberta, Thursday, March 24, 2022.
(Jason Franson/The Canadian Press by way of AP)

“We’ve executed a variety of issues right here in the previous few weeks which have given this crew a variety of confidence,” Smith stated. “We really feel like we will play with anyone on this league.”

Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl scored for the Sharks, whose two-game profitable streak ended. Kaapo Kahkonen stopped 36 photographs.

“Not the outcome we needed, clearly,” Kahkonen stated. “Good just isn’t ok on this league. I want I may have made one or two extra saves right here, hold it a little bit nearer. However total I felt wonderful. The fellows have been nice.”

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The Sharks acquired on the scoreboard first 68 seconds into the second interval when Karlsson shot right into a wide-open web with Smith sprawled on the ice.

Edmonton tied it 5 minutes into the second on the ability play as Yamamoto drove to the online and despatched a backhand shot by way of Kahkonen’s legs for this 18th of the season and seventh purpose within the final eight video games.

Three minutes later, Zack Kassian knocked a defender off the puck alongside the boards and it popped out to Draisaitl, who scored his forty third purpose.

The groups traded targets seven minutes into the third interval.

Brassard acquired his first purpose with the Oilers when he despatched a puck on web and it ticked off of Karlsson’s skate and in. San Jose responded simply 29 seconds later when Hertl was given some house within the slot and he put the puck into the highest nook for his twenty sixth.

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Edmonton took a two-goal lead with simply over six minutes left as Connor McDavid made an ideal feed to Draisaitl on the ability play for his second of the sport.

The Oilers put the sport away on an empty-netter from Kane.

“I really feel just like the final two or three weeks, we’ve actually acquired some traction right here,” Smith stated. “We’ve performed some good hockey towards some good hockey groups. I really feel assured that issues are trending in the suitable route on the proper time of yr.”

NOTES: Sharks F Logan Couture was injured when he acquired hit by a degree shot from his personal participant and didn’t return. … Edmonton had a totally wholesome lineup for one of many first instances this season as F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins returned after lacking 12 video games with an upper-body damage. The Oilers additionally welcomed two gamers they acquired on the commerce deadline: D Brett Kulak and Brassard. … Kahkonen, San Jose’s deadline day addition, made his first begin with San Jose after coming over from the Minnesota Wild. … Out with accidents for the Sharks had been Adin Hill (decrease physique), Mario Ferraro (decrease physique), Kevin Labanc (higher physique) and Matt Nieto (undisclosed).

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Sharks: Host Anaheim on Saturday evening.

Oilers: At Calgary on Saturday evening.

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For Palisades High players, baseball offers normalcy amid a charred L.A. landscape

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For Palisades High players, baseball offers normalcy amid a charred L.A. landscape

CHEVIOT HILLS, Calif. — The Palisades Charter High School J.V. baseball team huddled on the all-dirt infield of their temporary home, a makeshift venue for a displaced team. The playing surface and outfield grass were patchy and uneven. With no mound, its primary use was for softball.

But it was what they had to work with. And the tragic circumstances — a fire that ravaged their school and city — that led them to this spot mattered little in that moment. What was important? The varsity captain, Ryan Hirschberg, was displeased with the junior varsity group’s effort and focus during their joint practice.

“The only reason, J.V., that you had to run today, is that you weren’t paying attention,” Hirschberg told the team after practice had ended.

“It’s not because we want to make you guys run. If we mess up, we’ll run too.”

Hirschberg is running players-only practices until coaches are allowed to join in early February, and so he did his job. Scolded them for it, then watched as they all ran mandatory sprints past the outfield and onto an adjacent field.

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At that moment, this practice felt very serious. The consequences of failure felt legitimate. And there would be real punishments for not locking in on the purpose of their presence at Cheviot Hills Recreation Center, a public park the city had permitted the team to use to prepare for their season.

But in many ways, baseball didn’t matter. How could it for Ian Sullivan? A lefty pitcher whose home burned down, the fire taking with it all of his tangible childhood memories. How could it for Jett Teegardin? A junior infielder who visited his burned-down neighborhood a day later, before returning to the hotel that’s become a temporary home.

Yet in this moment, baseball mattered more than anything because they wanted it to matter. The Palisades fire upended life for all 38 baseball players who populate the J.V. and varsity rosters. They’ve come together to support one another through a traumatic experience. They don’t know where they’ll play this year, or with what uniforms or equipment, but they are determined to field a team, have their season, and now, with added meaning, compete for a championship. Baseball, for them, is a brief escape from tragedy. But it is also a chance to do something for a community that desperately needs something to rally around.

“Situations like this build character, and they show people who you are,” said Hirschberg, who has donated clothes, organized practice, started a GoFundMe that’s raised $13,000 and simply been a friend to teammates who need one.

“People don’t get to see the best of you in the best of times. It’s the worst of times where you have to show people who you are.”

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On Tuesday, Jan. 7, a now infamous fire overtook the Palisades and other neighborhoods in Los Angeles. It killed dozens and destroyed thousands of homes, charring the lives and worldly possessions of everyone in its wake.

The high school — which has been used as a set for films like “Freaky Friday” and shows like “Modern Family” — was significantly damaged. And while much of the baseball field remains intact, the surrounding area was heavily impacted. The facility is inaccessible. The uniforms and equipment within it are likely unusable.


The area around Palisades Charter High School was heavily damaged. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Head coach Mike Voelkel doesn’t know where they’ll play home games this season — the hope is a mix of Loyola Marymount University, UCLA and other local colleges — but it doesn’t matter. His team will play every game on the road, if it comes to that.

“I told the kids, I said, ‘We’re playing. I don’t care how,” Voelkel recalled. “We’ll go get T-shirts if we have to. For recovery, for wellness. For the promotion of a young kid’s development. It’s important that you get back out there.

“Some people have a tendency to dwell on it, or play the victim. Those are the kind of people that stay there, sometimes the rest of their lives. I was going to do everything I could to get our kids back on the field.”

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Voelkel, who lives south of the Palisades, remembers waking from a nap on the afternoon the fires began. He’d already received an email that morning instructing staff to not come ito work.

His TV was tuned to Spectrum News, where he saw California governor Gavin Newsom in the Palisades on his screen. It was then he realized just how concerning the situation could become.

He began contacting players and their families, many of whom were evacuating. A coach of 18 years, Voelkel had put so much emotional and physical labor into that team and facility. He spent that day not knowing if it would all be over.

Classes at Pali High, as it’s known colloquially, have since shifted to being completely online. But the physical separation didn’t stop his team from immediately jumping into action to help each other. Voelkel’s wife, Norma, who works in real estate, started working to make sure everyone had a place to stay.

Players were delivering supplies to their teammates. One player drove to the home of another who was out of town to collect essentials, in case the fire eventually got to them too. Major prominent companies and people started reaching out to offer supplies. Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he and some players are planning to attend a practice in the near future. The team also donated baseballs. Cincinnati Reds pitcher and L.A. native Hunter Greene donated cleats. The Pali High basketball team received tickets to Los Angeles Lakers-Golden State Warriors from Steve Kerr, who is an alum.

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The support is appreciated; it doesn’t erase the trauma of having their season and lives turned upside down, the tragedy still playing out as this baseball team immediately works to rebuild. When they do take the field again, their new jerseys will have a “Pali Strong” patch stitched on them.

Voelkel was asked what this season will mean, but cut off the question before it could be completed.

“A victory,” he said flatly, so assured in the answer.

“To take all of this stuff. To piece it together. To get our families taken care of. There’s so many things. I’d like to win games, I’m very competitive. But in this situation, you have to look at the whole. There are other things that far, far outweigh the winning.”


The practice uniform on Jett Teegardin’s back was delivered to him days prior by Hirschberg. It’s one of the only sets of clothes he has.

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He packed to leave for two days max, believing he and his mom would have a home to return to soon. That night, they looked at their Ring doorbell camera and saw embers flying around the neighborhood.

The next day, he returned to a home that no longer existed. Even the contents of their fireproof safe were destroyed. The neighbors he grew to love are now displaced with their community gone.

“It’s very hard. You picture yourself in your house, your room, everything that’s gone,” Teegardin said. “I was a sperm donor baby. So I didn’t really have a father figure. I’m just trying to be there for my mom, mainly. Throughout every situation, I’ve always tried to be there for her.

“Me talking to her to make sure she’s OK, makes me OK. Knowing she’s OK makes me 10 times better.”

When Ian Sullivan thinks about what he’s lost, his mind goes to his game balls. The one he earned when he was 8 years old. The yearbooks, trophies, pins from his trip to Cooperstown, N.Y. — all the relics of his childhood.

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On the day he was ordered to evacuate, Sullivan thought the winds would blow the fire in the opposite direction. His parents were working, so he packed family photos, their cat and dog, then left, thinking it would be a short departure.

Instead, a week after the fire, Sullivan and 12 of his friends from fifth grade met up at a friend’s house in Calabasas. Nearly all of their homes had been destroyed. The meet-up served as a chance to be together.

“It’s a dark time right now, but light will always shine through the dark.,” he said. “The Palisades is going to be back. I feel like I’m not just playing for myself and my teammates, but I’m playing for my town, and my home.”

After the fire, Sullivan and Teegardin sent a group text message to everyone on the team. They knew that teammates might be cautious around them, given their circumstances. Sending the text, they hoped, would break down that wall.

“If this fire isn’t something to light your ass, to get you motivated to win this year, then I don’t know what is,” they wrote.

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The responses started flooding in. “Hell yeah,” one sent. People that never contributed before were co-signing the messages with encouragements of their own.

“I think everyone’s more motivated than ever,” Teegardin said. “That was everyone’s spark to try their best. … We have to win now. We have to do this for us, and for our coach.

“This fire, it’s brought us a lot closer.”


It was a picturesque Wednesday afternoon, the sun just beginning to set over the practice, as a parkgoer approached the practice, curious about what was happening.

This was a regular occurrence, according to the players. People were curious for more information about what they were dealing with.

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This man, with his dog, approached the gate separating the field and the sidewalk. He asked Sullivan, who was there rehabbing his injured arm, what team they were with. A conversation ensued — talk of the fire, lost homes and the upcoming season. The chit-chat was so relaxed and friendly, almost non-reflective of its subject matter.

“Good luck,” he said to Sullivan. “It’s so horrible.”

A father, Joe Stanley, had driven three of the players to practice. He sat, watching intently from the top row of the bleachers, donning a cap from the team.

“I think it’s resilience and pride, definitely. These kids are like a family,” Stanley said. “They spend a lot of time together and are a tight-knit group. This is great. They need this.”

There’s a feeling of normalcy to it all. But even amid that lull, these kids are keenly aware of their reality. Jude De Pastino, a junior, said that everyone on his team is experiencing trauma, even if they don’t feel it yet. Practice, he said, brings some normalcy.

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In the first four days after the fire, he was “in a state of shock.” He traveled into the Palisades with a group of friends who’d all lost their homes. Logan Bailey, a senior captain who did the same, said he saw live wires zapping in the street, with telephone poles burning down. He said it appeared almost surreally cinematic.

“It’s beyond what you can imagine, pictures really don’t do it justice,” De Pastino said. “Our whole lives as we know it have quite literally been flattened.”

The group huddled again, just before the sun fully set, after nearly three hours of practice. Parents’ cars started filling the parking lot, waiting to pick up their sons. This reprieve was special. It was needed, and it will continue almost daily until the season starts in late February.

But for now, that reprieve was ending. And real life, scarier and more uncertain now than it’s ever been, was once again awaiting them.

“This is one of those stories you tell on your deathbed,” Bailey said. “You can be as old as it gets, and it still never leaves your mind. It’s going to stick with everyone here, for the rest of their lives.”

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(Illustration: Demetrius Robinson, The Athletic; Photos: Josh Edelson / AF via Getty Images, Sam Blum)

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Brandon Marshall on Josh Allen's woes against Patrick Mahomes: 'Sometimes you run into a Michael Jordan'

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Brandon Marshall on Josh Allen's woes against Patrick Mahomes: 'Sometimes you run into a Michael Jordan'

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As Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs head to their third straight Super Bowl, NFL fans can’t help but feel for the Buffalo Bills and quarterback Josh Allen. 

The Chiefs can make history in New Orleans Feb. 9 by winning their third straight Super Bowl. That history has come at the expense of Allen, who is 0-4 in postseason games against Mahomes and the Chiefs. 

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As good as Allen is — he’s an MVP frontrunner alongside Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson this year — he has been unable to get the Bills back to the Super Bowl for the first time in over three decades.

And his postgame interview after falling to the Chiefs 32-29 showed his raw emotion. He was short with his answers and looked dejected. 

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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen walks off the field after the AFC championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

One ex-NFL star, though, broke down Allen’s challenge of having to get through Mahomes to achieve the team’s goals to other sports greats. 

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“Sometimes you run into a Michael Jordan. Sometimes you run into a Tiger Woods in their prime, and you got to deal with it,” former All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Marshall told Fox News Digital while discussing his new venture with his “I Am Athlete” partnering with Revolt. 

“If these guys can pull off one or two, then that’s what they can do. But [Mahomes has] been in the league eight years and been to the Super Bowl five times. 

“Great job, Josh Allen, but this is the wrong era to be a quarterback.”

Marshall said that was “no knock” against Allen, Jackson, Joe Burrow or even C.J. Stroud with his Houston Texans falling to the Chiefs in the divisional round. 

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But as good as Basketball Hall of Famer Karl Malone was with the Utah Jazz, they couldn’t beat Jordan and the Bulls in the two NBA Finals they played. And when Woods was in his golfing prime, some players accepted that finishing second place any given week was an accomplishment because Woods would likely be lifting the trophy. 

It’s the unfortunate result of greatness. Someone or some team has to lose. 

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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes rolls out to pass against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first half Nov. 26, 2023, in Las Vegas.  (AP Photo/David Becker)

Marshall described Mahomes and the Chiefs as a “once-in-a-lifetime” phenomenon to watch in sports, and it’s not just because of the two-time MVP. 

“There’s a few people. There’s Patrick Mahomes. It shows his greatness,” Marshall explained. “It shows Andy Reid’s greatness, and they both need to be in the conversation of the greatest quarterback of all-time and also the greatest coach of all-time, challenging Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. 

“Another person that we have to include in this conversation since he’s taken over this defense is Steve Spagnuolo. Before he got there in 2018, this defense was dead last. It was one of the worst defenses in the league for a few years. Insert Coach Spags. Now they’re top 10, and they’re doing a phenomenal job, which results in Patrick Mahomes being more of a game manager. 

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“He’s still spectacular and magical, but he doesn’t need to go out there and put up 40 points. He doesn’t need to go out there … he doesn’t even need Tyreek Hill.”

Allen’s numbers in the last three Bills games against the Chiefs in the playoffs are outstanding: 931 total yards, nine touchdowns and no interceptions. Yet, he’s lost them all. 

Like Marshall said, it’s not a knock on Allen. It’s just clearly showing how great Mahomes and this Chiefs dynasty is it looks to make history against the Philadelphia Eagles. 

PUSHING BOUNDARIES WITH REVOLT

REVOLT Sports Weekly crew

Revolt Sports, co-hosted by Brandon Marshall and Kayla Nicole, aims to push boundaries with sports and culture talk in a new partnership with “I Am Athlete.” (Revolt Sports)

Marshall loves watching and discussing the league he played in 13 seasons and other sports and culture with his “I Am Athlete” sports media platform. But he feels he’s going to take it to the next level with the brand’s partnership with Revolt, the Black-owned multimedia platform that announced its launch of Revolt Sports. 

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Marshall, with media personality and cultural commentator Kayla Nicole as a co-host, will be featured on Revolt Sports Weekly powered by “I am Athlete,” which will feature unscripted discussions with the duo and other celebrity contributors from the top stories in sports to the hottest cultural topics. 

The first episode, which featured Marshall’s former UCF teammates, Josh “Beezo” Bellamy and Mike Sims-Walker, discussed the NFL’s conference championship matchups, while also going deep on whether celebrating rapper Big Meech with a welcome back party next month after spending 16 years in jail for drug trafficking and money laundering is right for the community.

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Super Bowl LIX will be streamed on Tubi. (Tubi)

“People want the real. They want authentic, and that’s what our culture is,” Marshall explained. “These are the conversations we’ve been having in the locker room since sports were established. It’s the same conversations we have in the salons and barbershops. This is the same conversation we have on the stoops on the block, same conversations.

“’I Am Athlete’ lives at the intersection of hip-hop and sports. So, talking about things that are relevant to the culture — pop culture, whatever you have it — is just a general conversation that is natural to us. That’s what you’ll get from this show every single week. We’ll dive into the hottest topics in sports and also the biggest stories in pop culture.”

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Prep basketball roundup: Cleveland improves to 17-4 with win over El Camino Real

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Prep basketball roundup: Cleveland improves to 17-4 with win over El Camino Real

There’s no slowing Cleveland High’s rise in the City Section basketball hierarchy this season.

The Cavaliers are 17-4 and 4-0 in the West Valley League after a 75-59 win over El Camino Real on Wednesday.

Serigne Deme, a 6-foot-8 junior center who became eligible last week after transferring from Blair, continued his impact play with 20 points and two dunks. Cayden Kelly, a 6-foot-6 senior, had 18 points, including 11 in the third quarter when he helped the Cavaliers pull away from El Camino Real.

Chatsworth 79, Birmingham 58: V’Elijahh Miller had 22 points and Alijah Arenas added 20 points and eight assists to lead Chatsworth.

Sun Valley Poly 86, Monroe 31: JD Wyatt scored 31 points for Poly. Quian Khawaja had 16 points and 10 assists.

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Arleta 78, Verdugo Hills 63: Joaquin Corleto had 20 points, including four threes, for Arleta.

Venice 62, Fairfax 51: The Gondoliers improved to 4-1 in the Western League. Rodrigo Trujillo had 25 points for Venice, including seven threes. Venice has a big game on Friday against first-place Westchester.

Westchester 93, University 36: Freshman Tajh Ingram scored 20 points and Tajh Ariza added 16 points for the Comets. Ariza, however, was ejected, which means he will miss Westchester’s game against Venice Friday.

Damien 89, Upland 42: Elijah Smith finished with 23 points. Damien made 14 threes to advance to the semifinals of the Baseline League tournament.

JSerra 62, Mater Dei 52: The wild Trinity League race now has four teams with two losses after JSerra completed a sweep of the Monarchs. JSerra is 6-2, St. John Bosco 6-2, Santa Margarita 5-2 and Mater Dei 5-2. It was the Lions’ fourth consecutive win in the series with Mater Dei during the past two seasons. BJ Ray-Davis had 23 points for JSerra.

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Santa Margarita 82, Orange Lutheran 36: Bryaden Kyman had 16 points for Santa Margarita (19-5, 5-2).

St. John Bosco 76, Servite 50: The Braves (22-4, 6-2) moved back into a tie for first place in Trinity League. Brandon McCoy scored 23 points.

St. Anthony 66, St. Paul 60: Donovan Pitts had 15 points for St. Anthony in the Del Rey League win. Dillon Chelsea led St. Paul with 21 points.

Malibu 85, Community Charter 39: Dylan Goosen scored 42 points.

Girls basketball

Birmingham 83, Chatsworth 39: The Patriots (16-6, 5-0) received 25 points from Kayla Tanijiri.

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