The Los Angeles Kings know all about coming back from a 3-0 deficit in the NHL playoffs.

The Kings trail the Colorado Avalanche 3-0 in their first-round series heading into Sunday’s Game 4. Los Angeles was down 3-0 to the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the 2014 postseason before rallying for the win.

They went on to capture the Cup.

“You’ve got to be loose now,” Kings interim coach D.J. Smith said. “You know the end result if you don’t win. Sometimes when that happens you grip it a little less and you make a play maybe you wouldn’t have made early on.

“The No. 1 thing you can’t do is get down on yourself, get down on your team, get down on your teammates. I don’t see any of that in the room. … I don’t feel for one second that anyone in that room doesn’t think we can win our next hockey game.”

Colorado leads a series 3-0 for the eighth time in franchise history. The last three times the Avalanche advanced in four games, including twice during their 2022 Cup run.

When/Where to Watch: Game 4, Sunday, 2 p.m. ET (TNT)

Series: Sabres lead 2-1

The Bruins will try to avoid a 3-1 deficit when they get back on the TD Garden ice against the Sabres on Sunday. The Bruins were 29-11-1 at home this season — tied for the most home wins in the league — going more than three months and 13 games without losing in Boston.

The Sabres’ 24 away wins were tied for the most in the Eastern Conference.

“We’ve been a good road team. We’ve put together some really good stretches on the road where we’ve played really well,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. “I said you’re going to get a different type of atmosphere, but just believe in the way we need to play. And I thought we executed that to a ‘T.’”

The teams had an extra day off after Game 3, which Buffalo won 3-1 to reclaim the home-ice advantage it earned by winning the Atlantic Division for its first playoff berth since 2011 — a drought that is the longest in NHL history.

The Bruins feel like they’re on the right track after scoring first in all three games.

“We’re a confident bunch here, and one game doesn’t change that,” Boston forward Mark Kastelic said. “We’ll have a good two days here to reset and continue to push forward.”

When/Where to Watch: Game 4, Sunday, 4:30 p.m. ET (TNT)

Series: Avalanche lead 3-0

Known for their speed and scoring, the Avalanche have shown their defensive prowess, too, by winning a pair of low-scoring games.

“You’re comfortable winning a 1-0 game. If it’s a little bit more run-and-gun, you can do that, too,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “If it’s physical, you’re able to do that. It’s well-rounded players that can play a 200-foot game that give you the best chance to win, and we have a team full of them.”

The Kings have added incentive to prolong the season — Anze Kopitar. The Kings captain is set to retire after the season.

And Avalanche defenseman has an added incentive to end it quickly: He was on the 2014 Sharks team that blew a 3-0 lead to the Kings.

When/Where to Watch: Game 4, Sunday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Series: Canadiens lead 2-1

All three games of the series have gone to overtime, with the Canadiens winning twice to improve to 21-6-6 in one-goal games this season.

Montreal’s fourth line was a plus-3 in Game 3 and the Canadiens are ahead in the series despite not getting a 5-on-5 goal from their top line. Juraj Slafkovsky, who is on the No. 1 line, had three power-play goals in the series-opening 4-3 victory.

The Lightning are beating themselves with penalties and defensive lapses, including three breakaways on Friday night. They have to figure it out quickly or they’ll be heading toward their fourth straight first-round exit.

“We’ve held some pretty darn good players to limited chances in this series,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “We’re just not capitalizing the way we think we can do some things. Our execution has to be (better), we have to elevate now. And it feels like we’ve had bits and pieces of this series where we’ve been pretty darn good, and on the other side of it it’s been a struggle at times.”

When/Where to Watch: Game 4, Sunday, 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Series: Ducks lead 2-1

The two-time defending Western Conference champion Oilers now appear to be in a bit of trouble against the upstart Ducks, who have scored 16 goals in the first three games to seize the series lead.

After four consecutive years of long springs stretching into summer, Connor McDavid and his teammates have looked weary. They’ve made far too many mistakes in their own zone, with star defenseman Evan Bouchard standing out for his giveaways and errors in the Oilers’ 7-4 loss in Game 3.

“Any time you let in seven, it’s not a goalie problem,” Oilers defenseman Zach Hyman said. “It’s just (about) defending better. We didn’t give ourselves a chance.”

The Ducks are comfortable playing firewagon hockey as a mediocre-to-poor defensive team with the talent to outscore its mistakes, particularly with the backing of its frenzied home crowd at Orange County’s first playoff hockey in eight years. The fans will be fired up again when the Ducks attempt to push Edmonton to the brink of its first opening-round exit since 2021.

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AP Sports Writers Greg Beacham, Pat Graham and Rob Maaddi contributed to this story.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston coach Ime Udoka said Saturday that injured star Kevin Durant was doing better but his status for Game 4 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night was still unclear with the Rockets facing elimination.

Durant missed Game 3 with a sprained left ankle on Friday night, when the Rockets blew a six-point lead with less than 30 seconds to go in regulation of an eventual 112-108 overtime loss to fall to 0-3 in the first-round series.

“He’s getting treatment still around the clock,” Udoka said. “I think there’s some soreness and (he’s) pushed a lot of swelling out, but it’ll be a matter of if he can go. We’ll try it out I’m sure tomorrow morning and before the game, and we’ll know his status then.”

Udoka was asked how likely he believes it is that Durant will play Sunday as the Rockets try to avoid being swept in the best-of-seven Western Conference series.

“Every day that goes by, the likelihood goes up,” he said. “But I thought he might be OK (Friday) based on shootaround and that’s different going half speed and then ramping it up right before a game. And so you really can’t tell, but he’s doing everything he can to get back.”

Durant missed the opener of the series because of a bruised right knee. He returned for Game 2, scoring 23 points in 41 minutes of the 101-94 loss, during which he injured his ankle late in the game.

His injury problems this postseason came after the 37-year-old ranked second in the league in the regular season by playing 2,840 minutes.

Durant, who is in his first season in Houston after an offseason trade from Phoenix, is the fifth-leading scorer in NBA history.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jermod McCoy’s lengthy wait to hear his name called at the NFL draft came to a quick end on Saturday.

The Las Vegas Raiders selected the Tennessee cornerback with the first pick of the fourth round, taking a small gamble that McCoy will return to form after missing all of last season with a torn ACL.

McCoy had six interceptions in 25 games with the Volunteers and Oregon State, where he began his college career in 2023 before transferring to Tennessee. He injured the knee during offseason workouts in January 2025, not long after the Vols lost in the College Football Playoff.

“I was prepared for whatever happened, but, I mean, I would’ve been excited to go higher, for sure, because, I mean, I had a good pro day, ran some good times and just did good things like that,” McCoy said. “But, I mean, I was prepared for whatever happened. Because, I mean, it’s not in my control.”

The Raiders are hoping McCoy can help a defense that failed to generate takeaways with much consistency during a miserable 3-14 season in 2025. Las Vegas had just eight interceptions in 17 games last season, 25th in the 32-team league.

The pick also reunites McCoy — in a way at least — with top overall pick Fernando Mendoza. McCoy’s first career collegiate interception came against Mendoza while McCoy was at Oregon State and Mendoza was playing at California.

“It was probably one of the top moments in my life, my first college pick,” McCoy said. “We talked after that game too, just chopped it up a little bit … We got the best quarterback in college football and now going to be the best in the league.”

McCoy added that watching the first three rounds pass by without being selected will “fuel” him as he looks to regain the form that had him on a first-round trajectory before the injury.

“I feel like I learned about myself, it’s just like, I feel like I’m super mentally strong,” he said. “I feel I’ve just been through a lot. I got a story that I’m still trying to tell.”

McCoy isn’t the only one.

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik, who began his last season with the Tigers with Heisman Trophy and national title hopes, only to endure a nightmarish fall in which Clemson went 7-6, went to the New York Jets with the 110th pick.

The fanfare of Thursday night’s opening round — replete with a walk down the red carpet for the top prospects who will be tasked to be contributors very quickly — was long gone by Saturday.

Perhaps no player had a more symbolic experience on what Day 3 is like than Iowa wide receiver Kaden Wetjen, taken by the host Steelers in the fourth round.

There was no draft party for Wetjen. No camera set up in his family’s living room to capture the moment. Instead, Wetjen went golfing while his parents headed to the Drake Relays to watch his younger brother compete.

“So, the plan was to kind of text everybody after I got the information and have everybody over tonight,” Wetjen said. “So thankfully it happened earlier than we expected, and I didn’t shank it into the pond after I got picked, so everything’s going good.”

The fifth round included Ohio State defensive back Lorenzo Styles Jr., following brother Sonny — selected seventh overall by Washington on Thursday — into the pros when he was taken by New Orleans.

The final day of the league’s offseason festival began with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell telling the rain-soaked fans outside Acrisure Stadium that Pittsburgh had set a record for attendance on Thursday and Friday, with more than 600,000 people packing themselves into the city’s North Shore and nearby Point State Park.

The record for attendance during the entirety of the draft is 775,000, set by Detroit in 2025. That mark appeared in jeopardy even on a day that began with a soft but steady rain, though the Pittsburgh visitor’s bureau did send out an email Saturday afternoon saying a late surge might be required to make history.

Then again, many in attendance didn’t need to look far to get their hands on the yellow Terrible Towels that have long been fixtures at games of the hometown Steelers.

All four of the club’s Day 2 picks made their way to the stage tucked in the stadium’s northeast parking lot, including former Penn State quarterback Drew Allar, who was a somewhat surprising third-round selection.

“I’m really excited,” Allar said. “Enjoyed my four years at Penn State … But I’m really excited to represent Steeler fans and Steeler nation and really win a lot of games.”

That part might not come right away. Allar joins a quarterback room that includes veteran Mason Rudolph and former Ohio State star Will Howard, a sixth-round choice by the Steelers in 2025. And that doesn’t include Aaron Rodgers, who very well could rejoin the club at some point before preparations for the 2026 season turn serious.

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AP Sports Writer Mark Anderson in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

The Toronto Blue Jays added yet another player to the injured list Saturday when outfielder Nathan Lukes was placed on the 10-day IL with a hamstring strain.

In Friday night’s 8-6 loss to the visiting Cleveland Guardians, Lukes led off the Toronto first against Gavin Williams with a double to right but hobbled into second with left hamstring discomfort. He was replaced by pinch runner Davis Schneider, who took third on a flyout and scored on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s ground out.

Lukes started the season 2-for-31 while struggling with dizziness and vision problems caused by vertigo before notching 11 hits in his last 21 at-bats. He’s hitting .250 with eight RBIs in 52 at-bats this season.

The 31-year-old played seven seasons in the minors before making his MLB debut with Toronto in 2023. He appeared in just 51 games over the 2023 and 2024 seasons before becoming an everyday player last season, finishing with a .255 batting average, 12 home runs and 65 RBIs across 135 games.

In a corresponding move, the Blue Jays called up outfielder Yohendrick Pinango from Triple-A Buffalo, where the 23-year-old prospect was hitting .288 with three homers, 13 RBI and 10 runs scored in 92 plate appearances. He will likely be a backup to Myles Straw, who is expected to make the bulk of appearances in Lukes’ absence.

To make room on the major league roster, Toronto moved right-handed pitcher Yimi Garcia (elbow) to the 60-day IL.

The injury to Lukes is the latest in a long line of Toronto players headed to the IL this season, a group of more than a dozen players that also includes designated hitter George Springer (fractured left big toe); outfielders Addison Barger (sprained left ankle) and Anthony Santander (torn labrum in left shoulder); catcher Alejandro Kirk (fractured left thumb); starting pitchers Bowden Francis (elbow surgery), Jose Berrios (stress fracture in right elbow), Cody Ponce (torn ACL in right knee), Shane Bieber (right elbow inflammation) and Trey Yesavage (shoulder).

In some good news for the Blue Jays, Yesavage is reportedly expected to come off the IL to start Tuesday’s game against the Boston Red Sox.

In less good news, Yesavage is coming off four rehab appearances in the minor leagues with a 7.50 ERA and 1.750 WHIP across 12 innings. He struck out two batters but lasted just 2.1 innings in his most recent outing, meaning the 22-year-old right-hander will likely be working under a pitch count when he makes his season debut.

Toronto manager John Schneider expressed his frustration Saturday at the continuing injuries, saying, “Feels like anyone who’s playing good is not allowed to play anymore,” according to Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae.

The Blue Jays sit in fourth place in the AL East standings with a 10-15 record. They face the Guardians Saturday afternoon in the second of a three-game series in Toronto.

–Field Level Media

The Chicago White Sox selected the contract of Drew Romo from Triple-A Charlotte and designated fellow catcher Reese McGuire for assignment on Saturday.

Romo, 24, is hitting .298 with three doubles, four home runs, 11 RBIs and 11 runs in 17 games with Charlotte. The White Sox claimed the switch-hitter off waivers from the New York Mets on Jan. 8.

He has limited major league experience, appearing in 19 games over the past two seasons with the Colorado Rockies. He hit .167 (9-for-54) with no home runs and six RBIs but threw out 23.8 percent (5-21) of runners attempting to steal a base with the Rockies.

McGuire, 31, appeared in 11 games as a backup to Edgar Quero and hit .172 (5-of-29) with three RBIs.

Kyle Teel typically shares the job with Quero but has yet to play this season because of a hamstring injury suffered in the World Baseball Classic. As a rookie in 2025, he hit .273 with eight homers and 35 RBIs in 78 games — 61 of them at catcher.

The White Sox host the Washington Nationals on Saturday.

–Field Level Media

Former Southern California center Gabe Dynes is transferring to his home state to join Louisville for his final college season, according to the 247Sports transfer portal database on Saturday.

Dynes is 7-foot-5 and played his high school basketball at Simon Kenton in Independence, Ky., about 90 miles away.

USC was the second stop for Dynes. He started his career at Youngstown State in 2023 and as a sophomore in the 2024-25 season, he led the nation with 104 blocked shots. He was selected to the Horizon League All-Defensive Team that season.

Dynes saw limited action with the Trojans in his only season in Los Angeles. He appeared in 30 games (six starts) and averaged 2.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 11.9 minutes per game. He shot 78.8% from the field.

The Cardinals were 24-11 last season and lost to Michigan State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

–Field Level Media

The Pittsburgh Penguins are making a goaltending change heading into Game 4 of their Eastern Conference first-round series versus the host Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.

Penguins coach Dan Muse announced hours before his team’s do-or-die contest that Arturs Silovs will get the nod over Stuart Skinner in net.

The Flyers hold a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

“Both guys have played very well for us all year,” Muse said of Silovs and Skinner. “You go through the entire regular season, both guys have won big games. We have a lot of confidence in both guys. Decision isn’t based on Stu’s play; I thought Stu’s played really well this series.

“We lost three games and so (we) decided that we made some changes there in the lineup.”

Skinner, who has started all three games, has a 3.08 goals-against average and .873 save percentage in the series.

Silovs, 25, posted a 19-12-8 record with two shutouts and a 3.07 GAA and .888 save percentage in 39 games (38 starts) this season.

“I think you’ve seen in his day to day, just his preparation, he’s a competitor, whether it’s in practice or in games,” Muse said. “You can say that obviously with both guys, but I think it’s a good thing and it’s a benefit to us, is you’ve got both guys that have been in a lot of big games, with Arty just going back to playoffs, Olympics, World Championships. He’s a young guy, but he has had a lot of big moments that he’s been in, and he’s attacked those big moments.”

As for the Flyers, head coach Rick Tocchet announced on Saturday morning that Dan Vladar will start in net for Game 4.

Vladar appeared to sustain an injury to his right arm during a chaotic sequence in front of the net in the third period of Philadelphia’s 5-2 victory over Pittsburgh in Game 3 on Wednesday.

Vladar, 28, did not practice on Thursday and the team had the day off on Friday before he participated in the morning skate on Saturday.

He has been in net for all three games, stopping 70 of 74 shots — including all 27 he faced in Philadelphia’s 3-0 win in Game 2 on Monday.

–Field Level Media

The Saturday scheduled game between the Mets and the Colorado Rockies in New York has been postponed due to rain in the forecast.

The game is scheduled to be made up as part of a single-admission doubleheader at 1:40 p.m. ET on Sunday. The second contest will begin approximately 30 to 45 minutes after the end of the first game.

Kodai Senga (0-3, 8.83 ERA) is scheduled to start the first game for the Mets, while fellow right-hander Nolan McLean (1-1, 2.67) is slated to get the nod in the nightcap.

Former Mets left-hander Jose Quintana (0-2, 6.23) was slated to start Saturday’s contest for the Rockies. Colorado has yet to announce its starting pitchers for the Sunday doubleheader.

–Field Level Media

New York City FC signed forward Arnau Farnos to a first-team contract through the rest of this season, the team announced Saturday.

The deal also has an option for an extension through the 2027-28 season.

Farnos, 23, previously signed four short-term agreements with the franchise.

“Arnau has taken advantage of his opportunities with both the first team and New York City FC II and has shown that he belongs,” NYCFC sporting director Todd Dunivant said. “His soccer IQ has earned the trust of his teammates and the staff, and we are looking forward to his continued progression.”

Farnos made his MLS debut against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC on April 11. He also competed against FC Cincinnati on April 22. He appeared as a substitute in both games.

He recorded a goal in NYCFC’s 5-2 win over Westchester SC in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

“I’m super thankful for the club and for the staff for giving me the opportunity to be part of this team,” Farnos said. “I’m really happy to continue my journey as a professional soccer player and look forward to continuing to develop and help this team achieve its goals this season.”

–Field Level Media

April 25 (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated on Saturday that he was focused on efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a day after the head of TotalEnergies warned of global energy shortages if the Iran war continues for months.

Macron, speaking at a news conference in Athens alongside Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said panic caused by geopolitical uncertainty can in itself lead to shortages.

“Our goal is to achieve a full reopening in the coming days and weeks, in accordance with international law, guaranteeing freedom of navigation without tolls on the Strait of Hormuz. Then things can gradually return to normal,” Macron said.

TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne pressed on Friday for the reopening of the strait, through which about a fifth of the globe’s oil and gas supply normally flows.

Movement through the strait, which is also a key transport route for goods including fertilisers and pharmaceuticals, has been choked due to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, as Iran has seized container ships and the United States has mounted a blockade on Iranian ports.

“If it lasts two, three months more, we are entering in a world of scarcity of energy, which Asian countries have already suffered,” Pouyanne told the World Policy Conference in Chantilly, outside Paris. “You cannot have 20% of the oil and gas of the planet being stranded and not accessible without major consequences.”

More than a dozen countries have said they are willing to join an international mission led by France and Britain to protect shipping in the strait when conditions permit, even as U.S. President Donald Trump has said he does not need allies’ help.

“We’re all in the same boat, and it’s not a boat we chose, if I may say. We’re victims of geopolitics and we’re victims of this war that started several months ago,” Macron said on Saturday.

(Reporting by Makini Brice in Paris; additional reporting by Claude Chendjou in Paris; Editing by Susan Fenton)