Sports Digest.

NHL Playoffs Around the Corner as Colorado Clinches Top Seed

Nothing major broke out of Minnesota today, but Wild fans are keeping a close eye on the NHL playoff picture — Minnesota is in the thick of the wild-card race with just a few days left in the regular season. Timberwol...

Minnesota Teams

Nothing major broke out of Minnesota today, but Wild fans are keeping a close eye on the NHL playoff picture — Minnesota is in the thick of the wild-card race with just a few days left in the regular season. Timberwolves fans are in a bit of a wait-and-see mode as the team's offseason future gets discussed league-wide. No scores or roster moves to report today for the Vikings, Twins, Lynx, United, or Gophers — but stay tuned, as the sports calendar is heating up across the board.

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NFL

The big off-field story: the U.S. Justice Department has opened an investigation into the NFL over how it handles TV broadcast rights. In plain terms, the feds want to know if the league's deals with networks like CBS, NBC, and ESPN are bad for fans (think: games you can't watch without a certain subscription). The NFL is pushing back, calling the investigation unwarranted — this one could take a while to play out, but it's worth watching. On a lighter note, the NFL Draft is just weeks away, and teams are buzzing about the top quarterback prospects heading into the late-April event.

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NBA

The NBA is cracking down on "tanking" — the controversial practice where bad teams try to lose on purpose to get a better draft pick. Commissioner Adam Silver reportedly has an enthusiastic response to a new lottery reform proposal that would punish the worst-performing teams. This comes after the Sacramento Kings were investigated for a suspicious late-game foul, though the NBA ultimately decided it wasn't intentional. In WNBA news, Brittney Griner — the two-time scoring champion who made headlines after her detention in Russia a few years back — is finalizing a seven-figure deal to join the Connecticut Sun.

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MLB

Baseball is a couple of weeks into the 2026 season, and things are humming along with games every day. One quirky storyline: the Blue Jays are complaining — again — that Shohei Ohtani (the Dodgers' superstar pitcher/hitter) has an unfair advantage during his warm-up pitches. They raised the same complaint during last year's World Series Game 7, so this rivalry has some history. On a fun note, eight MLB teams are rolling out new "City Connect" jerseys this month — these are special alternate uniforms designed to celebrate each team's city culture — and fans are already debating the rankings.

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NHL

Colorado is the team to beat. The Avalanche clinched the NHL's top overall seed for the playoffs with a 3-1 win over Calgary on Thursday — that earns them home-ice advantage throughout the postseason. Saturday features a packed 15-game slate with major playoff implications across the league, including races to see who clinches a spot and who gets eliminated. The playoffs are right around the corner, making every remaining game count.

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College Sports

In a fun bit of sports royalty news, Justin Pippen — son of NBA legend Scottie Pippen — has committed to Ohio State's basketball program after playing at Cal. The college basketball transfer portal is wide open, meaning players can freely switch schools, and several big names are on the move heading into next season. On the football side, Alabama holds its annual spring game (called "A-Day") this Saturday, where the big storyline is a quarterback competition between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell — essentially a tryout to see who leads the team in 2026.

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Other Sports

The Masters is underway at Augusta National — that's golf's most prestigious major tournament, held every April in Augusta, Georgia. Big names like Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler are in contention heading into the weekend rounds. In soccer, Arsenal sit atop England's Premier League and are focused on holding onto first place, with manager Mikel Arteta keeping spirits high despite some recent cup exits. And UFC 327 goes down Saturday in Miami, headlined by Jiri Prochazka vs. Carlos Ulberg in a light heavyweight fight — available on Paramount+.

Sources

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