Arizona
‘Loose’ Arizona Coyotes start slow, can’t catch up to Vegas Golden Knights
Although the Arizona Coyotes made it interesting in the end, the first six minutes on Thursday night became the determining factor.
Coming off a 12-day break that combined the All-Star break and bye week, the Coyotes were rusty and surrendered three quick goals to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Clayton Keller helped the Coyotes rally later in the game, but it wasn’t enough as the Coyotes (23-23-3) lost 3-2 at Mullett Arena.
The Golden Knights came in riding the high after defeating the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 on Tuesday, ending the Oilers’ 16-game winning streak. The Coyotes hadn’t seen action since a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 27.
“Having a stretch off like that, we got to be more dialed in. A team like Vegas having a game on Tuesday, they’re sharp there,” center Barrett Hayton said. “That game on Tuesday was a big game and we just got to be more prepared and focus on the details more. We were a little loose. We did a pretty good job responding and getting momentum back and digging in, but we can’t afford a start like that against a team like that.
Down early
The time off didn’t go in goaltender Connor Ingram’s favor as he surrendered three goals on six shots. Ingram didn’t have much time to settle in when an odd man rush gave way for Jonathan Marchessault firing a shot past Ingram at 19 seconds for the lead.
From there it snowballed into a larger problem after goals from Nicolas Hague and Chandler Stephenson gave the Golden Knights a 3-1 lead within the first six minutes.
“We kind of shot ourselves in the foot a little early today, but I thought we got back to our game and played really hard and had opportunities, we just didn’t capitalize,” defenseman Matt Dumba said.
Ingram nearly gave up a fourth if it weren’t for the video review determining that William Karlsson had batted in the puck while on the power play at 12:20. It was too late for Ingram to close the period as Karel Vejmelka came in for relief during the review and finished the period with five saves.
Boosting the lineup
The break allowed the lineup to heal and return several key members, including Hayton and Dumba.
Hayton provided a boost to the forwards group in his return after being sidelined since Nov. 16 with an upper-body injury. Hayton was eased into the game with over 13 minutes of ice time and centered the fourth line with Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther.
“It was the longest time I’ve been out in my career and I’ve been chomping at the bit for a while to get back,” Hayton said. “Every game in this stretch is so important and it really kills you missing games and not being out there to help the team. It’s frustrating to not be able to come with a win.”
Dumba missed the final three games before the break with an upper-body injury and led all defensemen with six hits.
Relief is there
It was a bounce back performance for Vejmelka, who has struggled this season and had given up 15 goals over the last three games. His past struggles didn’t seem to show when he took over for Ingram in the first and blanked the Golden Knights on a power play.
Vejmelka provided a steady presence in net, recording a shutout and giving the Coyotes an opportunity to get back in the game in the last two periods.
Vejmelka isn’t new to thriving in relief this season and earned a win on Dec. 19 against the Ottawa Senators. His 28 saves are the most saves he has ever recorded in a game that he did not start.
The Coyotes will head to Nashville to start a two-game road trip with the Predators on Saturday and the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday. The Predators are currently five points ahead of the Coyotes in the wild card race.
Arizona
What have the Cardinals done in NFL free agency? – Arizona Sports
The NFL’s legal tampering window is officially open, and it didn’t take long for the Arizona Cardinals to get in the mix.
A running list of the new names and familiar faces coming to Arizona in 2026:
New names on Cardinals roster this free agency
Kendrick Bourne
The former San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots wide receiver brings another body to Arizona’s wide receivers room that includes Michael Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr.
He’s got plenty of familiarity with new Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur from their time together in San Francisco (2017-20). Bourne also spent a year with expected Cardinals starter Jacoby Brissett in 2024 with the Patriots.
The wide receiver caught 37 passes for 551 yards in 16 games played (eight starts) last year.
He’s now on board for two years in Arizona.
Isaac Seumalo
The guard spent the past three years with the Pittsburgh Steelers after a seven-season stint with the Philadelphia Eagles.
He’s started 104 out of 125 games played and has spent time at both left and right guard during his NFL career.
According to Next Gen Stats, the guard allowed a 3.7% pressure rate last year. That was the lowest rate among all eligible guards in 2025.
Gardner Minshew
Minshew agreed to terms on a one-year deal on Monday.
He’s expected to back up expected starter Jacoby Brissett in 2026, according to Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro.
Coming off his seventh NFL season and first with the Kansas City Chiefs, Minshew appeared in four games (one start) last year. He completed 46.2% of his throws for 37 yards and an interception.
Before landing with the Chiefs, Minshew spent time with the Las Vegas Raiders (2024), Indianapolis Colts (2023), Philadelphia Eagles (2021-22) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2019-20).
RB Tyler Allgeier
Allgeier comes over to Arizona on a reported two-year contract.
Before agreeing to terms on the $12.25 million deal with Arizona on Monday, Allgeier played four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons.
He ran for 514 yards and eight touchdowns on 143 carries last year, while adding another 14 catches for 96 yards.
While he worked mostly behind Bijan Robinson the past three years, Allgeier did surpass the 1,000-yard mark as a rookie in 2022.
Familiar faces
L.J. Collier
Collier is back on a one-year deal.
The defensive lineman appeared in four games in 2025 due to a knee injury suffered in Week 2.
He recorded six tackles and two QB hits in what was his third season with the team.
Roy Lopez
After a one-year stint with the Detroit Lions, Lopez is back with his hometown team on a reported two-year deal.
In 17 games played last year, he recorded two sacks, four tackles for loss and a pass defensed.
Before his time in Detroit, Lopez spent two seasons with Arizona from 2023-24. During that span, he registered a sack, six tackles for loss, three passes defensed and a forced fumble in 30 games played (21 starts).
K Chad Ryland
Ryland is back on a one-year deal, the team announced.
Ryland went through plenty of struggles last season after a having a career year in 2024. His accuracy dropped from 87.5% in 2024 to 75.8% last season. He was especially inconsistent from 40 yards and on, compiling a 13-of-20 mark (65%). Inside 40 yards, though, Ryland was 12-of-13 (92.3%).
Arizona brought in kicker Josh Karty late in the year (more on him later), but Ryland never gave up his role and appeared in all 17 games.
A one-year deal isn’t going to break the bank by any means.
P Blake Gillikin
The Cardinals must feel pretty good about where Gillikin is at in his recovering from a back injury last year with their signing of the punter to a one-year deal.
Before he went down five games into the season, the punter was leading the league in yards per punt with 51.7.
Not only that, across his five seasons (65 games) in the NFL, he holds the all-time record for yards per punt at 48.5.
Staying healthy is key for Gillikin, who also missed time in 2024 due to an ankle injury.
RB James Conner
Technically not a free agent, Conner was a potential cut candidate given his contract.
But after reportedly revising his deal, Conner is returning for his sixth season with the Cardinals.
The running back brings plenty of leadership and a bruising running style to the mix.
He’s coming off an abbreviated 2025 (three games) due to an ankle injury but had rushed for a pair of 1,000-yard seasons the two years prior. He scored at least seven rushing touchdowns each season from 2022-24.
CB Sean Murphy-Bunting
Much like Conner, Murphy-Bunting was another prime cut candidate due to his contract but reportedly revised his deal with Arizona as well.
Murphy-Bunting has a lot to prove after missing all of 2025 due to an injury suffered away from the team facility.
In his first season with the Cardinals, the cornerback recorded 52 tackles, three interceptions, five passes defensed and two forced fumbles across 15 starts.
Arizona
Arizona’s Jaden Bradley named Big 12 men’s basketball player of year
Arizona Duke and Michigan lead race for top seeds in March Madness
Arizona, Duke, and Michigan hold strong as top contenders for men’s March Madness number one seeds with UConn and Houston battling for the final spot.
The Arizona men’s basketball team went 29-2 overall and 16-2 in the Big 12, winning the conference’s regular season title.
The Wildcats were rewarded for their dominance in the Big 12’s men’s basketball awards, which were announced on March 9.
Arizona’s Jaden Bradley was named the Big 12 Player of the Year, while Tobe Awaka earned the conference’s Sixth Man of the Year award and coach Tommy Lloyd earned Coach of the Year accolades.
Bradley averaged 13.4 points and 4.6 assists. Awaka was the nation’s leading rebounder off the bench, averaging 9.7 rebounds and 9.9 points when entering the game as a reserve. Lloyd led Arizona to its first Big 12 regular-season title.
Arizona State was completely shut out of the awards, with Moe Odum not receiving honorable mention honors despite averaging 17.1 points per game and 5.9 assists per game for the Sun Devils.
2026 Phillips 66 All-Big 12 Men’s Basketball Awards
- Player of the Year: Jaden Bradley, Arizona
- Defensive Player of the Year: Flory Bidunga, Kansas
- Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
- Freshman of the Year: AJ Dybantsa, BYU
- Newcomer of the Year: Melvin Council Jr., Kansas
- Sixth Man Award: Tobe Awaka, Arizona*
- Most Improved: Christian Anderson, Texas Tech
- Coach of the Year: Tommy Lloyd, Arizona
All-Big 12 First Team
- Jaden Bradley, Arizona
- Brayden Burries, Arizona
- Motiejus Krivas, Arizona
- AJ Dybantsa, BYU*
- Emanuel Sharp, Houston
- Kingston Flemings, Houston*
- Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State
- Flory Bidunga, Kansas
- Christian Anderson, Texas Tech
- JT Toppin, Texas Tech*
All-Big 12 Second Team
- Richie Saunders, BYU
- Baba Miller, Cincinnati
- Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
- Milan Momcilovic, Iowa State
- Darryn Peterson, Kansas
All-Big 12 Third Team
- Koa Peat, Arizona
- Cameron Carr, Baylor
- Rob Wright, BYU
- Themus Fulks, UCF
- Xavier Edmonds, TCU
All-Big 12 Honorable Mention:
- Arizona: Tobe Awaka
- Baylor: Tounde Yessoufou
- Cincinnati: Moustapha Thiam
- Colorado: Isaiah Johnson
- Houston: Joseph Tugler, Milos Uzan
- Kansas: Melvin Council Jr.
- Kansas State: PJ Haggerty
- Oklahoma State: Parsa Fallah
- TCU: David Punch
- Texas Tech: Donovan Atwell
- West Virginia: Honor Huff
- Utah: Terrence Brown
All-Defensive Team
- Jaden Bradley, Arizona
- Motiejus Krivas, Arizona
- Emanuel Sharp, Houston
- Joseph Tugler, Houston
- Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
- Flory Bidunga, Kansas*
A tie resulted in an extra position on the team
All-Freshman Team
- Brayden Burries, Arizona*
- Koa Peat, Arizona
- AJ Dybantsa, BYU*
- Kingston Flemings, Houston*
- Darryn Peterson, Kansas*
All-Newcomer Team
- Cameron Carr, Baylor
- Themus Fulks, UCF
- Baba Miller, Cincinnati
- Melvin Council Jr., Kansas
- Donovan Atwell, Texas Tech
*- unanimous selection
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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Arizona
Arizona gas prices rise above national average amid Middle East conflict
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The average price of regular gasoline in Arizona surged more than 30 cents in just a few days, according to AAA, leaving the state’s average at around $3.84 per gallon as of Sunday. The national average stands at $3.45.
Arizona is now one of the most expensive states in the country to fill up, topping the national average by nearly 40 cents.
AAA said the war in Iran is affecting crude oil prices, which are now trading at more than $100 per barrel. Arizona’s Family also reported a slowdown in a major ship channel in the Middle East, adding further pressure to the market.
A seasonal factor is also contributing to the spike. The transition to summer-blend gasoline, which is required in spring, is driving prices higher as well.
Drivers at a central Phoenix gas station said they were caught off guard by the rapid increase.
“I was appalled,” one driver said.
“It was ridiculous,” said another.
“That is a lot, especially in such a short period of time,” said Andrea Webb.
The gas station attendant said some drivers are limiting how much they spend per fill-up, putting in only $10 to $20 at a time. Others said they are actively searching for the lowest posted price.
“I feel like I’m always on the hunt for whatever is the cheapest gas,” said Bailey Mitchell. “This was $4.09 versus $4.15, so I’ll take it.”
Not all drivers said they are cutting back.
“I’m gonna bite the bullet. I need gas in my car. I’ll fill it up,” said Webb.
ASU professor of supply chain management, Hitendra Chaturvedi, said oil prices could approach $130 per barrel if the war in Iran continues. That scenario could push Arizona gas prices close to $6 per gallon, the professor said. No timeline was given.
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