SF Giants game wrap: Adames caps sloppy thriller as Giants pulls off 10-9 win in home opener over Seattle

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San Francisco Giants starter Justin Verlander deals against the Seattle Mariners in the top of the first inning for the Giants home opener at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Fri Apr 4, 2025 (AP News photo)

Friday, April 4, 2025

Oracle Park

Seattle Mariners 9 (3-5)

San Francisco Giants 10 (6-1)

Win: Spencer Bivens (1-1)

Loss: Carlos Vargas (0-1)

Time: 4:03

Attendance: 40,865

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–For the second year in a row and the third time in the last four years, the Giants won their home opener on a walk-off, as Willy Adames came up with the Giants down to their last out and lined a base-hit the other way to score two, and gave the Giants a thrilling 10-9 win to cap off a sloppy 11-inning thriller.

The Giants have always had the pageantry going for their home opener, but this year was a bit different. A week from today is the 25th anniversary of the first regular season game of what was then Pacific Bell Park. With the Giants on the road next Friday, they honored the 2000 team during the introduction of the 2025 Giants.

Several members of the 2000 Giants were on hand: 2000 National League Manager of the year Dusty Baker; Pitching Coach Dave Righetti; Bench Coach Ron Wotus; Kirk Rueter, who made the start in the first game against the Dodgers on April 11; Rich Aurilia; Russ Ortiz; Mark Gardner; J.T. Snow; Marvin Benard; and Barry Bonds were introduced.

The 2025 Giants were then introduced, and new San Francisco mayor Daniel Lurie threw out the first pitch. It was a bit smoggy in the morning, but that had cleared by the time of the ceremonies, and it was time for Baseball on a beautiful day on the shores of McCovey Cove.

Justin Verlander, who last pitched at Oracle Park in Game 1 of the 2012 World Series when he gave up the first two of Pablo Sandoval’s three home runs in that game, would take the mound for the Giants. Verlander received a nice ovation during the pregame introductions, which I assume was due to him coming to the Giants and not giving up the two home runs to Pablo, though there probably was a fan or two who applauded for the latter.

Verlander got Victor Robles to pop up to begin the game, but Julio Rodriguez hit an opposite-field cheapie to the first row atop the 24-foot Willie Mays wall in right-center field to give the Mariners a 1-0 lead. I have still yet to determine whether Rodriguez used the abomination known as the “torpedo bat.” Whether it was a cheapie or not, and whether or not J-Rod is using the torpedo bat, it would just be the start of an insane afternoon at the ballpark.

The Giants got the run back against Mariners’ starter Luis F. Castillo in the bottom of the first inning. LaMonte Wade Jr., who came into today’s game 1-for-19 on the young season, roped a double down the right field line, and he scored on a two-out infield hit off the bat of Matt Chapman.

Verlander settled down with a 1-2-3 top of the second, and the Giants again pounced off Castillo in the bottom of the second. Wilmer Flores lined a base-hit to left, and Patrick Bailey reached on a bunt single.

Tyler Fitzgerald laid down a bunt to move the runners over to second and third, but Castillo bobbled the ball, and the Giants had the bases loaded with nobody out. Wade then came up and lined another double to right, and this scored a pair to give the Giants a 3-1 lead.

Verlander ran into trouble in the top of the third, as the Mariners loaded the bases with one out. Randy Arozarena walked to make it 3-2, and Jorge Polanco lined a base-hit up the middle to tie it at 3-3. That did it for Verlander, who threw 65 pitches through two and third innings.

Randy Rodriguez got out of the inning without any further damage, and then he proceeded to throw a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the fourth.

Castillo was also done early, as he was pulled after throwing a scoreless bottom of the third.

Tayler Saucedo was the new pitcher for Seattle in the bottom of the fourth. Willy Adames reached on an infield hit with one out and stole second. Jung Hoo Lee grounded a base-hit up the middle, which scored Adames to put the Giants back ahead 4-3.

Mariners Manager Dan Wilson pulled Saucedo for Collin Snider, who walked Chapman to move Lee to second. That brought up Heliot Ramos, who continued his hot start with a base-hit to right. Lee Scored, and the Giants were up 5-3.

Lou Trivino was the new pitcher for the Giants in the top of the fifth. Unfortunately, the Mariners tied the game again, as Jorge Polanco hit a two-run home run to right.

Snider retired the first two men he faced in the bottom of the fifth, but Wade, who already had a pair of doubles, barely beat out a triple to right. The Mariners challenged the call by Third Base Umpire John Libka, but the call was upheld. Adames then lined a double to left, and just like that the Giants retook a 6-5 lead.

Camilo Doval, who was the Giants’ closer until last August, and who had gotten the save on Sunday in Cincinnati, was summoned for the top of the sixth. Doval got J.P. Crawford looking on a cutter on the outside corner to start the inning, but Victor Robles and Rodriguez both singled and stole third and second respectively on a double steal.

Cal Raleigh was now at the plate, and he hit a ground ball to second that went under the glove of second-baseman Tyler Fitzgerald. Robles and Rodriguez scored, and the Mariners were now back ahead 7-6. Arozarena lined out to first for the second out, but Raleigh, who had stolen third, scored on an infield hit by Jorge Polanco, and that made it 8-6.

Eduard Bazardo, who finished the bottom of the fifth was back out in the bottom of the sixth. Matt Chapman had an immediate response with a home run to left-center to make it 8-7.

Ramos reached on an infield hit, and Mike Yastrzemski moved him over to third with a base-hit to right. Wilmer Flores struck out, but Patrick Bailey got Ramos in when he grounded into a fielder’s choice.

The Mariners loaded the bases against lefty Erik Miller in the top of the seventh, but Miller was able to get out of it without any damage. Gabe Speier then came in and followed that up with a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the seventh.

Tyler Rogers threw a scoreless top of the eighth for the Giants, and Trent Thornton did the same for the Mariners in the bottom of the eighth.

Bob Melvin brought in his closer, Ryan Walker, for the top of the ninth. It was a luxury Melvin had with his team at home, and Walker rewarded his skipper with a scoreless top of the ninth.

The Giants had already won two of their last three home openers with walk-off hits. Austin Slater infamously sent Darin Ruf on the move with a walk-off double down the left field line in the season opener against the Miami Marlins on April 8, 2022. In the Giants’ home opener against the San Diego Padres on April 5, 2024, Thairo Estrada sent everyone home happy with a walk-off double to left-center.

The Giants were in prime position to make it three walk-offs in four years against Gregory Santos in the bottom of the ninth. Patrick Bailey doubled to lead off the inning, and Christian Koss pinch-ran and got to third on a wild pitch. Unfortunately, the Giants were unable to come through, and we went to extras for some Manfred Ball.

Spencer Bivens survived a Manfred-induced jam in the top of the 10th, and Andres Munoz did the same for Seattle in the bottom of the 10th.

Julio Rodriguez was up with the bases loaded and two outs against Bivens in the top of the 11th. Bivens’ first pitch to J-Rod was a cutter that sailed to the backstop, and Luke Raley scored to give Seattle a 9-8 lead.

Wilson brought in Carlos Vargas for the bottom of the 11th, and Wilmer Flores was the Manfred runner at second for the Giants. Luis Matos pinch-ran for Flores and advanced to third on a soft ground out by catcher Sam Huff.

Tyler Fitzgerald walked on a nut-cutter 3-2 slider right on the outside that Home Plate Umpire Sean Barber did not give to Vargas. Fitzgerald stole second for the Giants’ fourth stolen base of the game, but Wade struck out looking for the second out.

The Giants were down to their final out, just as they were on March 27 in the season opener in Cincinnati. That brought up the new Giant, Willy Adames, with a chance to be the hero. Like Wade, Adames was off to a rough start, but came up to the plate 2-for-6 on the afternoon.

Adames lined the first pitch he saw into right field for a base-hit. Matos scored to tie the game, and as Third Base Coach Matt Williams waived in Fitzgerald, Mariners’ right-fielder Victor Robles double clutched, and that allowed Fitzgerald to slide in ahead of the tag. The game was finally over, and the Giants won it 10-9.

When all was said and done, Spencer Bivens got the win, and Gregory Santos was saddled with the loss.

It was another incredible hard-fought win for the Giants, who are off to their first 6-1 start since 2010.

Adames went 3-for-7, and Wade went 3-for-6. Ramos had another big game, as he went 3-for-5, but he also struck out for the 12th time already this season. Patrick Bailey very quietly today.

With their four stolen bases today, the Giants have 10 stolen bags through their first seven games. For those of you wondering, it took the Giants 22 games to steal 10 bases last season. The only other time the Giants have stolen 10 bases in their first seven games in their history in San Francisco was in 1960.

The Giants will try and make it 7-1 tomorrow, as they will send Robby Ray (1-0, 5.06 ERA) to the mound. Bryce Miller (0-1, 4.76 ERA) will make the start for Seattle. First pitch will be at 6:05 p.m.

Extra-Inning Surge Lifts A’s to Wild 6-3 Win Over Rockies in 11 innings; Sac’s 4 game skid comes to an end

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Sacramento A’s hitter JJ Bleday swings and fouls off a pitch against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver on Fri Apr 4, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Mauricio Segura

In a game that felt more like a rollercoaster than a ballgame, the Athletics finally gave their early season something to smile about with a 6-3 win over the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver.

After a four-game skid and a week defined by frustrating losses and bullpen blowups, the green and gold clawed their way to a gritty 6-3 extra-inning win over the Rockies on Friday afternoon. It took 11 innings, four relievers, and one clutch swing from rookie Jacob Wilson to get it done.

But for the first time in a week, it was worth the wait.

Tied 3-3 in the 11th, Wilson stepped up with two outs and runners on second and third. The 22-year-old, already riding a seven-game hit streak to start the season, ripped a go-ahead single to right field, scoring both JJ Bleday and Shea Langeliers. Just like that, the A’s had a 5-3 lead.

It marked Wilson’s second RBI of the night and his tenth hit in just 25 at-bats this season. He’s now the first Athletic since Billy Butler in 2015 to hit safely in the team’s first eight games.

Gio Urshela added an insurance run with a double to right, capping the three-run frame and giving A’s closer Mason Miller the cushion he needed.

Miller, the 100-mph fireballer who’s struck out seven of the nine batters he’s faced this year, sealed the win in style. A walk, a groundout, and a game-ending strikeout of Ezequiel Tovar (his second of the night) was all she wrote.

The green and gold had their third win of the year. And for once, it didn’t come off as a home run.

The A’s opened the scoring early, manufacturing a first-inning run off a string of sharp singles. Tyler Soderstrom, who entered tied for the major-league lead in go-ahead home runs, knocked in JJ Bleday to make it 1-0.

From there, the game turned into a tug-of-war.

The Rockies tied it in the bottom of the first on a sac fly by Ryan McMahon, then again in the fourth on an RBI double from Kyle Farmer. Jacob Wilson briefly tilted the scales back in Sacramento’s favor with a solo homer in the fourth, and a throwing error by Colorado shortstop Ezequiel Tovar in the sixth opened the door for another A’s run to make it 3-2.

Colorado fought back in the eighth when rookie Jordan Beck lined a game-tying RBI single to left, sending the game into extra frames.

But where the A’s bullpen had crumbled throughout the week, posting a 7.03 ERA entering the game, Friday was a different story.

Justin Sterner, José Leclerc, Noah Murdock, and finally Miller combined for six scoreless innings. Murdock, especially, was impressive under pressure, working out of a bases-loaded jam in the tenth after intentionally walking two Rockies.

“Clutch” doesn’t always come with power. Sometimes, it looks like calm nerves and a good two-seamer.

This marks the A’s seventh win in their last 11 meetings with Colorado and continues a trend of success at Coors Field, where they’ve now won six of their last eight.

They’ll try to make it two in a row tomorrow behind JP Sears.

But for Friday night, under the thin air of the Rockies and the weight of a losing streak finally snapped, the A’s can sleep well tonight.

Barracuda take down first place Eagles 6-3

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San Jose Barracuda vs Colorado Eagles on Friday April 4th at Blue FCU Arena (via sjbarracuda/Instagram)

By Madison Montez

After 17 games missed due to injury, San Jose Barracuda Filip Bystedt returned to the lineup in Friday night’s game against Colorado Eagles. Previous to his injury, Bystedt was riding a four-game point streak. In tonight’s game, Bystedt registered two points. Scoring one goal and recording one assist. The Barracuda picked up the 6-3 win at Blue FCU Arena in Loveland.

In his first game back, Filip Bystedt opened up the scoring to give San Jose their first lead of the game. Colorado quickly tied the game 30 seconds later. Jayson Megna, the older brother of former Shark Jason Megna, scored his 17th of the season.

The second period was a scoring frenzy. Colorado took their first lead of the game at 9:41, Cooper Gay scored his first AHL goal of the season. San Jose tied the game four minutes later, Scott Sabourin scored his seventh of the season. Colorado regained their lead when Jere Innala scored his 16th goal of the season. San Jose tied the game up once again when Patrick Giles scored his second goal in back to back games.

Taking advantage of Colorado’s fifth penalty taken, Patrick Giles scored his second of the night. With the primary assist, Filip Bystedt recorded his second point in his first game back from injury. San Jose extended their lead to 5-3 three minutes later when Lucas Vanroboys scored his 11th of the season. Sabourin registering the secondary assist, recorded his second point of the night.

Anthony Vincent sealed the win, scoring an empty net goal to improve the score to 6-3.

Keeping the trend going, San Jose was the better team at staying out of the box. San Jose took four penalties while Colorado took five. Majority of the penalties taken were in the second period when each team had two guys drop the gloves. For San Jose, Patrick Giles and Braden Hache. For Colorado, Chase Bradley and Ivan Ivan. San Jose was the only team to captialize, scoring one power-play goal.

Aaron Dell was tonight’s starting goalie, with Yaroslav Askarov backing him up. Dell recorded 15 saves on 18 shots. Dell’s record now moves to 2-3. For Colorado, Trent Miner was the starting goalie. Miner made 22 saves on 27 shots. Miner’s record now moves to 19-8.

THREE STARS OF THE GAME:

  • 1. Patrick Giles, 2G
  • 2. Cooper Gay, 1G
  • 3. Filip Bystedt, 1G 1A

The Barracuda will be back in action tomorrow against the Colorado Eagles, looking to sweep the series.

NBA G League Playoffs: Mason Jones 47 points leads Kings to 122-114 win over Valley Suns

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Stockton Kings guard Mason Jones (15) brings the ball up the floor against the Valley Suns in the first round of the NBA G League playoffs at Adventist Health Arena in Stockton on Thu Apr 3, 2025 (Getty photo)

By William Espy

STOCKTON–The Stockton Kings started their postseason with a first round bye before hosting the Valley Suns on Thursday night. The Kings Mason Jones had himself an offensive evening scoring 47 points for a 122-114 win to advance to the next round of the playoffs.

Both teams had a strong offensive performance right out of the gate, with the Suns taking a 31-28 lead after the first quarter. Skal Labissiere was creating the majority of the Kings offense, and if they were going to walk away victorious they were going to need some others to step up as well.

Early in the second quarter, the Suns continued to extend their lead, yet weren’t able to pull too far ahead of the Kings either.

By the end of the first half, the Kings had pulled the game back within reach, and trailed by only a single point after 24 minutes.

While the Kings did take the lead momentarily in the third quarter, the Suns were leading for the majority of it early on. The Suns would maintain their lead at the end of the quarter, making it 97-92 after 36 minutes. Considering the Kings hadn’t been able to maintain a lead all night, it seemed like an upset may be on the horizon.

In the first three minutes of the final frame, the Kings went on a 7-0 run to quickly take the lead with minimal time remaining. It would be a back-and-forth battle until the Kings went on another late run to pull ahead, and secure the victory with a final score of 122-114.

Mason Jones was instrumental in the Kings’ success, as he was on fire following the first quarter. He ended the night with 47 points which led both teams in scoring. Meanwhile, the aforementioned Labissiere finished second on the Kings with 25. TyTy Washington led the Suns with 39 points of his own in the losing effort. The Kings will host the Western Conference Finals against the Austin Spurs on Sunday as they continue their push through the playoffs.

Kings Crush Hornets; Get Back On Track Winning 125-102

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Charlotte Hornets Miles Bridges (10) brings the ball up court against the Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (left) in the first half on Fri Apr 4, 2025 at the Spectrum Arena in Charlotte (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (37-40) put an end to a lengthy losing road streak beating the Charlotte Hornets (19-58) Friday night 125-102. They did it with their stars shining; Zach LaVine the leading scorer with 25 points, Domantas Sabonis with 24 and DeMar DeRozan with 22. Their bench put up good numbers scoring 46 points collectively.

The Kings continue to hang onto tenth place in the Western Conference. Their position became a little brighter today with the Suns losing to the Boston Celtics and dropping two full games behind the Kings.

Game recap: The first quarter of this game was all DeMar DeRozan who finished the opening quarter with 13 points. He is genius when it comes to drawing the foul and he successfully shot from the line throughout the first 12 minutes. Sacramento took a 26-18 lead into the second quarter.

The second quarter was lift-off for the Kings offensively taking as much as a 19 points lead. Sabonis, DeRozan and LaVine all had double digits as the quarter came to an end. Malik Monk also had 15 points off the bench as Sacramento went into the locker room at the half with a 68-49 lead. Monk was three of six from beyond the arc and Sabonis finished the half with 18 points. The Kings outscored the Hornets 42-31 in the second quarter.

The Kings continued to extend their lead in the third quarter leading going into the fourth quarter 98-72. They outscored the Hornets 30-23 in the quarter. Sabonis had a double double with 11 rebounds and 24 points very obviously back in top form after several injuries recently kept him sidelined for quite a few games.

The fourth quarter was a tough one for bench player Devon Carter. He played 14 minutes before fouling out having a lot of trouble guarding without fouling. Bench player Trey Lyles realized double digits mid-way through the final quarter and the Kings had total control in this game setting the pace from the second quarter on. The Hornets outscored the Kings in the fourth quarter 30-27 as the Kings starters sat for the final minutes of the game. The final was 125-102.

This was a great team effort for the Sacramento Kings. Zach LaVine had the game high with 25 points and 10 rebounds for the teams second double double. Domantas Sabonis had another double double with 11 rebounds and 24 points and DeMar DeRozan finished with 22. Malik Monk had a far improved game finishing with 17 points coming on strong after missing a number of game due to illness. Both he and Sabonis seemed to have gotten back into their stride.

Game notes: After a discouraging loss to the Washington Wizards Wednesday night, the Kings took it to the Hornets to end a miserable road game losing streak. The Kings won a game that they were highly favored to win.

After the loss Wednesday, all bets are off and the Kings need to put that game in their rear view and get down to the business of winning. With the starting roster that the Kings have and Jonas Valanciunas and Malik Monk off the bench, this team was able to put this game away before they head into some very challenging games which include the Cavaliers, the Nuggets, the Clippers and the Suns to finish off the season.

The Kings will finish the season with three home games the final game against the Phoenix Suns which could prove to be the most important game of the year for Sacramento depending on where the standings are in that last game.

Phoenix is one game behind the Kings right now and the win for Sacramento could go a long way towards a play-in spot. The Suns played the Celtics Friday night and Phoenix lost to the Celtics 123-103 which gives the Kings a two-game lead over the Suns. Where the Kings finish this season could be determined in their final season game.

The Sacramento Kings now have five games left in their season, two more on the road and their final three season games at Golden One. Next up for the Kings is a whopper playing the Cleveland Cavaliers Sunday with tipoff scheduled for 3:00 PM. The Kings beat the Cavs in their first season game last month 123-119.

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa: Sharks try to put an end to 4 game loss streak Saturday against Seattle

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Edmonton Oilers left wing Zach Hyman (18) dives after the puck next to San Jose Sharks defenseman Henry Thrun (3) during the second period at SAP Center in San Jose on Thu Apr 3, 2025 (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa:

#1 The Edmonton Oilers Jeff Skinner scored on a tip that broke a 2-2 deadlock against the San Jose Sharks in the latter part of the second period that eventually got the Oilers the 3-2 win.

#2 Skinner’s goal came after Leon Draisatil left the game with an undisclosed injury. Draisaitl never returned and head coach Kris Knoblauch that he had no update to Draisaitl’s injury.

#3 The Oilers Connor Brown and Viktor Arvdisson scored to give the Oilers their third straight win. Goaltender Calvin Pickard save 27 shots.

#4 The Sharks are on a four game loss streak and are in dead last place in the Western Conference and have lost the first of three games against the Oilers with two weeks left in the season.

#5 The Sharks host the Seattle Kraken on Saturday. Seattle are 32-38, they are seventh in the Pacific Division and have been playing .500 hockey losing four of their last ten games. Face off Saturday at 7:30pm PDT. How do you see this match up.

Mary Lisa does the San Jose Sharks podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro Fri Apr 4, 2025: Caps Ovechkin 3 goals away to catch the Great One: Canadiens push to make post season since 2021 win 3rd straight game; Senators Ullmark saves 31 shots in 3-1 win over Lightning; plus more news

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Montreal Canadiens left wing Juraj Slafkovsky (20) and the Boston Bruins defenceman Ian Mitchell (14) push each other as linesman Jonathan Deschamps (80) intervenes in the first period at the Belle Centre in Montreal on Thu Apr 3, 2025 (Canadian Press via AP photo)

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro Fri Apr 4, 2025

#1 It’s been a long time coming for the Montreal Canadiens as their push for a Stanley Cup Playoff birth continues. The last time the Habs were in the post season was in 2021. The Canadiens defeated the Boston Bruins 4-1 for their third straight win at the Belle Centre on Thursday night. Brendan Gallagher and Nick Suzuki scored a goal a piece and an assist. Sam Montembeault had 18 saves. The win gives Montreal a two point lead over the New York Rangers for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

#2  Linus Ullmark stopped 31 shots for the Ottawa Senators and put an end to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s four game win streak. The Senators came up with a 3-1 win on Thursday night at the Canadian Tire Centre. The Lightning’s Brandon Hagel tried to score on a short handed break away but Ullmark stopped the shot at 5:58 in the third period to keep the score at the time to 2-1.

#3  Cale Makar had himself an evening for the Colorado Avalanche scoring his 30th goal and picking up two assists in a 7-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena in Columbus Thursday. Makar became the ninth defenseman to score 30 goals in a season since the Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green had 31 in 2008-09.

#4  The red hot St Louis Blues tied a franchise record with their 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Enterprise Center on Thursday night. Robert Thomas scored at 2:12 in the overtime stanza for the winning goal. The win ties the Blues with the Stanley Cup Champions Blues who won 11 in a row between Jan 23-Feb 19 2019.

#5 The Dallas Stars Wyatt Johnson got a goal in his sixth game in a row and the Stars won their seventh game in a row with a 5-1 win over the Nashville Predators at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Thursday. In the NHL Johnson’s streak is the longest active run. The Stars Jake Oettinger saved 28 shots in the win.

Join Len Shapiro for the NHL podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson Fri Apr 4, 2025: Kings try to end 3 game skid tonight against Hornets

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All the Sacramento Kings defense can do is watch is awe as the Washington Wizards forward Alex Sarr shoots over Kings guard Keon Ellis (23) in the first half at the Capital Center in DC on Wed Apr 2, 2025 (AP News photo)

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Sacramento Kings lost a brutal game against one of the NBA’s worst teams the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night in DC 116-111. The Wizards Jordan Poole scored 23 points and the two teams wound up splitting the season series.

#2 The Kings lost to one of two teams with the fewest wins in the NBA at 16 the Utah Jazz being the other team.

#3 The Wizards Bub Carrington and AJ Johnson each scored 19 points. Tristan Vukcevic scored 17 and Anthony Gill had ten points.

#4 The Kings DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points for the night and had 20 points scored in the fourth quarter. The Kings came back from behind down 14 points outscoring the Wizards 34-25 but couldn’t catch them losing in the final minute and losing by four points.

#5 The Kings get another chance to get back in the win column as they take on the Charlotte Hornets in Charlotte Friday at 4:00pm PDT. The Hornets who are in 14th place in the Eastern Conference at 19-57, the are another struggling team who have lost eight of their last ten games. Jeremiah how do you see the Kings chances in this one?

Join Jeremiah Salmonson for the Kings podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservicce.com

Utah Hockey Club game wrap: Los Angeles Kings Rule 4-2 Over Utah HC With Wild Card Slipping Away

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Los Angeles Kings right winger Adrian Kempe (9) fights with Utah Hockey Club’s center Logan Cooley (92) in the second period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Thu Apr 3, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–The Kings scored twice in a 44-second span in the third period to take control of a tight game which they would go on to win 4-2.

Utah HC entered Thursday night’s tilt against the Los Angeles Kings nine points out of the final Western Conference Wild Card slot with seven games to go in the regular season. Mathematically it isn’t impossible for Utah to make the playoffs, but they are running out of race track. The Kings had all but officially punched their ticket to the postseason, entering the matchup in second place in the Pacific Division behind the Vegas Golden Knights.

The two squads kept each other off the scoresheet in the first period, with Karel Vejmelka turning away all three shots which got past his defensemen, and Darcy Kuemper fending off 16 shots from the Utah offense. Vejmelka made his 19th consecutive start in front of the net for Utah, extending his career high.

At 6:56 of the second period, Los Angeles forward Andrei Kuzmenko shot the puck at the Utah net as Logan Cooley pushed Adrian Kempe into Vejmelka, deflecting the puck over the goal line to give L.A. a 1-0 lead.

At 12:21 of the frame, Utah forward Lawson Crouse found an impossibly small gap between Kuemper’s shoulder and the upper corner of the net for his 11th goal of the season, assisted by Josh Doan and Jack McBain to even things up at 1-1.

Early in the third period, Utah defenseman John Marino gave the puck away in front of the Utah net to Kevin Fiala who knocked it past Vejmelka unassisted for his 29th of the season. In frustration, Marino swung his stick at the goal post, his stick blade joining the puck in the back of the net.

44 seconds later, Trevor Moore took advantage of a Utah miscue in their offensive zone and raced across the length of the ice to put the Kings up 3-1 with his 18th of the season, assisted by Quinton Byfield. With Vejmelka pulled for an extra attacker, veteran L.A. defenseman Drew Doughty scored into an empty net at 18:10 to put the game out of reach.

As fans headed for the exits, Utah went on the power play when Brandt Clarke was whistled for tripping against Alexander Kerfoot with 27 seconds remaining. Utah controlled the faceoff and Jack McBain cut the deficit in half with 20 seconds left on the clock with his 13th goal of the season, assisted by Kailer Yamamoto and Sean Durzi, but it wouldn’t be enough to change the outcome.

With the loss, Utah remains nine points out of the Wild Card picture with just six games remaining.

In the locker room, Lawson Crouse spoke about his team’s effort. “Yeah, frustrating. … We were in the driver’s seat for the first two periods, and unfortunately, what happened on the four on four and they capitalized on two chances. That’s how quick the game can get away from you, and we were playing catch up from there.”

Forward Dylan Guenther, who played with a transparent cage after breaking his nose in the previous game, commented, “I honestly thought we played pretty well. Maybe get inside a little bit more and try to create more secondary chances. I think we know that they were pretty good in the neutral zone. They had more speed, but we just need to find a way to score more goals.” When asked what the team is learning at this point of the season, Guenther added, “I think how every play matters. Every shift, no matter what happens, all you can do is go out there and try to win your shift so just take it a step at a time.”

Head coach André Tourigny said, “I think we played a really solid game, I think there’s a few broken plays which made the difference in the game, but I think the guys were ready and we were really structured. We didn’t give up much. Unfortunately, a few breakdowns made the difference.” With regard to Guenther’s broken nose, Tourigny commented, “there’s not many guys in any locker room in the NHL at this point of the year who don’t have something wrong. You know that’s for sure. When you have a cage and a bubble and you have a broken nose and everybody sees it, but there’s a lot of it… it’s a tough sport, and there are tough players and they go through a lot, and they demand a lot from their bodies. It’s 82 games, and that’s the way it is. And I think I have tons of respect for all of them who battle through and manage their life 24/7 to make sure they’re capable of keeping playing at the elite level. So Gunner and others, tons of respect.”

Utah returns to the ice for the third game of the homestand on Saturday afternoon against the division leading Winnipeg Jets.

Sharks fall 3-2 in Romanov’s 3rd NHL start, Walman’s return

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San Jose Sharks vs Edmonton Oilers on Thursday April 3rd at SAP Center (via sanjosesharks)

By Madison Montez

SAN JOSE- The San Jose Sharks dropped their fourth game in a row to the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 who got out to an early start at 6:20 of the first. Connor Brown with his ninth of the season, Jake Walman with the secondary assist in his first time back at SAP Center since the trade. San Jose quickly answered back two minutes later when Jack Thompson scored his fourth of the season.

Taking advantage of their first power-play opportunity of the game, the seventh ranked power play team retook their lead. Viktor Arvidsson scored his 13th goal of the season. In his second game back from injury, Draisaitl recorded the secondary assist.

San Jose tied the game again when Tyler Toffoli scored his 28th. Mario Ferraro registered the secondary assist, recording an assist on both San Jose goals. Edmonton extended their lead late at 14:57 when Jeff Skinner scored, deflecting the puck, his second point of the night.

For San Jose, Mario Ferraro excelled the most, assisting on both of San Jose’s goals. One primary and one secondary, adding up to a total of two points. For Edmonton, Jeff Skinner excelled the most, registering a goal and an assist, adding up to a total of two points.

Both teams excelled at staying out of the penalty box. San Jose took two penalties while Edmonton only took one. San Jose went zero for one on the power-play and Edmonton went one for two on the power-play.

Calvin Pickard was in the net for Edmonton, recording his 20th win this season. Pickard recorded the win, recording 27 saves on 29 shots. In between the pipes for San Jose was Georgi Romanov. Romanov with his 3rd start of the season, recorded 35 saves on 38 shots.

THREE STARS OF THE GAME:

  • 1. Jeff Skinner, 1G 1A
  • 2. Tyler Toffoli, 1G
  • 3. Jack Thompson, 1G

The Sharks will be back in action on Saturday April 5th, hosting the Seattle Kraken. The last time these two teams faced off was on January 30th where San Jose fell 6-2. Carl Grundstrom and Tyler Toffoli both scoring in the loss.