Paul George will miss Tuesday night’s game against the Phoenix Suns at Xfinity Mobile Arena with left knee injury management.
This comes after the 76ers forward missed Monday’s 113-104 victory over the Indiana Pacers with the same designation. George is averaging 15.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 23 games. Tuesday’s game will mark the 19th game (of 42) that he has missed this season. George missed the start of the season after recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in the offseason.
Sixers center Joel Embiid (right ankle injury management) is also sidelined due to not being cleared to play on both nights of back-to-backs. The 7-foot-2, 280-pounder finished with a game-high 30 points on Monday.
With the star duo out, Andre Drummond and Kelly Oubre Jr. join Dominick Barlow, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe in Tuesday’s starting lineup.
SANDY, Utah ― Was Bobby Brink the Flyers’ good luck charm?
Without Brink, the Flyers lost six straight. After he returned Monday, they snapped the skid and beat the Vegas Golden Knights, a team that was on a seven-game heater.
“I don’t think we changed anything,” he said Tuesday after the Flyers had a high-tempo practice at the Utah Mammoth’s practice facility near the picturesque Wasatch Mountains. “Sometimes you’re going to go through tough stretches [and] you play a long season. The way we were playing worked for us earlier in the year; it’ll work again. So, I think we showed that [Monday] night, didn’t change a thing, and it worked out for us.”
While Brink will, of course, not take any credit for being a catalyst, the coach did think his return helped boost the Flyers’ game.
“Really, really well,” Rick Tocchet said of Brink’s game.
“Bobby, for a guy that’s been out for a couple of weeks with that injury … I just like his speed to the middle. I mean, it’s noticeable when you’re on the bench, when you have those guys that can carry that puck with speed, separate, and transport the puck. We missed that speed from him.”
That injury was a concussion.
The Flyers forward missed the entire six-game losing streak after getting blindsided by Jansen Harkins in the first period of the Flyers’ 5-2 victory against the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 6.
It was the first time in his hockey career that he dealt with this type of injury.
“A concussion is never easy,” he said Tuesday. “It’s a different type of injury than a lot of, maybe arms and legs and stuff. But the medical staff was good to me, and we got through it, and now I’m back playing.”
Concussion recovery is not a straight line. Steps and milestones must be met in a graded return-to-play progression before one can put a game jersey back on.
“Just slowly kind of work up to game-level again,” he said of the ramping-up process. “Try to keep the symptoms to the least amount that you can and try not to elevate them as you’re working. Work on some vision stuff and balance, and try to rewire the brain to make it feel good again.”
Bobby Brink missed six games with a concussion after taking a blindside hit against Anaheim on Jan. 6.
According to the NHL’s concussion evaluation and management protocol, a player can only return when he does not have symptoms at rest, the symptoms do not return when he exerts himself at an NHL game’s pace, and the team’s doctors confirm he has returned to neurological and neurocognitive baselines.
Although Tocchet said they may monitor his ice time because of the injury, Brink skated 13 minutes, 28 seconds Monday, including more than two minutes on the power play. Tocchet did say some of his cut-back ice time was due to the exorbitant amount of penalties (seven) the Flyers took in the game. Brink had one shot on goal, two missed shots, and blocked two more.
The trio played together in nine games before Brink got hurt, beginning on Dec. 16 in Montreal. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Flyers scored five goals and allowed one with a 64.63% expected goal share. On Monday, when they were on the ice against the Golden Knights, the Flyers had seven shot attempts and allowed eight. They outshot the opposition 4-2, but allowed two scoring chances.
“It’s never fun sitting and watching, so it was good to be able to kind of come back and get in the game and go to battle with the guys,” Brink said.
Brink has 11 goals and 20 points in 42 games this season. The 24-year-old is one goal away from tying his career high set last season in 79 games and is shooting a career-best 15.3%. He is tied with Cates for the team lead in game-winning goals and has four points on the power play.
Breakaways
Forward Sean Couturier did not participate in Tuesday’s practice. “Maintenance day,” Tocchet said. “Just wanted to give him a rest.” … Goalie Dan Vladař did not participate in practice but did skate on his own on the other rink in Utah during the team’s practice time. Vladař was placed on injured reserve on Monday after suffering an undisclosed injury in the Flyers’ loss to the Buffalo Sabres last Wednesday. … Asked about Rodrigo Ābols, Tocchet didn’t want to say he would be out for months, “but it was a pretty tough injury.” Ābols was injured Saturday against the New York Rangers when he appeared to get his right toe stuck in the ice along the boards in the offensive zone, and his ankle buckled. He was unable to put weight on the leg as he was helped off. One of the first players named to Latvia’s team for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, he was replaced on the nation’s roster on Sunday.
Despite sharing half a name, Indiana University of Pennsylvania has no connection to Indiana University (located in Bloomington, Ind.). So why are some IUP alumni celebrating after the other Indiana won its first football national championship on Monday night in Miami?
The answer is Curt Cignetti. Before Cignetti’s Indiana team completed arguably the most improbable undefeated season in the history of the sport with a 27-21 win over the Hurricanes on their home field, Cignetti was the coach at Division II IUP.
Cignetti left his spot on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama in 2011 to take the IUP job, which was his first head coaching job. Cignetti’s father, Frank Cignetti Sr., played football at IUP and spent 20 seasons as the school’s head coach before retiring in 2005.
Curt Cignetti amassed a 53-17 record in six seasons with the Crimson Hawks, departing in 2016 to become the head coach at FCS Elon. Two of Cignetti’s assistants at Indiana, offensive coordinator Michael Shanahan and defensive coordinator Bryant Haines, were on staff with Cignetti at IUP.
So while the Hoosiers and the Crimson Hawks are not connected in any official capacity, IUP fans have plenty of reason to celebrate the Hoosiers’ perfect season. Cignetti even gave a nod to his IUP roots while on the podium with ESPN.
“Back when I was waxing the staff table at IUP, Thanksgiving weekend and the school was shut down for the playoffs, did I ever think something like this was possible?” Cignetti said. “Probably not. But if you keep your nose down in life and keep working, anything is possible.”
The school shared a video clip of Cignetti’s podium remarks on its official Facebook page.
“Congratulations Coach Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers!” IUP’s post read. “We are so proud to be a part of your story!”
Many members of the IUP community took to social media to express their excitement about the Crimson Hawks being represented on college football’s biggest stage.
“My freshman year at IUP was Curt Cignetti’s final season coaching our D2 football program,” Seth Woolcock posted on X. “The field there is named after his dad. This guy is Western PA born & raised. Watching him take IU to the Natty is the greatest sports feat of my lifetime.”
My freshman year at IUP was Curt Cignetti's final season coaching our D2 football program. The field there is named after his dad. This guy is Western PA born & raised.
Watching him take IU to the Natty is the greatest sports feat of my lifetime.
A few posters pointed out that Cignetti is not the only prominent coach to spend time at IUP. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni spent three years coaching wide receivers for the Crimson Hawks before joining the pro ranks in 2009.
“We wake up this morning to the fact that the winning head coaches of the most recent CFP and the Super Bowl were once coaches at IUP,” Matt Burglund posted on X on Tuesday morning.
We wake up this morning to the fact that the winning head coaches of the most recent CFP and the Super Bowl were once coaches at IUP. pic.twitter.com/MkRkKKlzZY
Nick Sirianni’s relative, Pete, made the same connection between Cignetti and the Eagles coach. Pete’s post references IUP alum Ben McAdoo’s unsuccessful stint as head coach of the New York Giants, acknowledging that “the IUP Difference only works for some.”
Eagles hired Nick Sirianni — Wins Super Bowl. Indiana hires Curt Cignetti — Wins national title. New York Giants hire Ben McAdoo — flames out in two years, gets fired (but does get better hair)
IUP had connections to both sides of Monday night’s title game, as Miami’s athletic director, Dan Radakovich, played football for the Crimson Hawks and graduated from IUP in 1980. Cignetti’s connection to the school seemed to overpower any Miami favoritism among IUP fans.
“Our Pick?” the IUP Alumni Association wrote in a Monday morning Facebook post. “I-N-D-I-A-N-A all the way!”
Just a few hours after J.T. Realmuto’s new contract became official Tuesday morning, he was at the Phillies’ facilities in Clearwater, Fla.
Pitchers and catchers don’t report until Feb. 11, but Realmuto’s family typically heads to Florida in mid-January. Not only does it offer a reprieve from chilly weather of his offseason home in Oklahoma, it also gives him a head start on his preparation for the year.
The routine seems like it will hold for the next few years after Realmuto re-signed with the Phillies for three years and $45 million. The new deal will take Realmuto, who turns 35 in March, through his age-37 season. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Realmuto, the Phillies designated utility man Weston Wilson for assignment.
“I’m glad we’re back here, and this is where we wanted to be the whole time,” Realmuto said. “My focus was just on my legacy here and being able to finish my career with the Phillies and not having to uproot my family and start over.”
But the veteran catcher conceded Tuesday that there were points during his free agency when it felt like an agreement wouldn’t come together. While both parties had been interested in a reunion from the beginning, they disagreed on the dollar amount.
“In my opinion, catchers are just undervalued in this game, as far as contracts and dollars go,” Realmuto said. “I truly believe it’s one of, if not the most important position on the field.”
Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto struggled at the plate last season but believes he can get back on track with a few tweaks.
The Phillies were prepared to move on from Realmuto last week as discussions intensified with free-agent shortstop Bo Bichette and had contingency plans in place at catcher. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said they had other targets they could have added to their mix of Rafael Marchán and Garrett Stubbs.
But when the New York Mets swooped in with a shorter-term, higher-dollar offer for Bichette — which Dombrowski described as a “gut punch” — the Phillies then called Realmuto back with an improved offer.
“We’re thrilled that J.T. is back because that was always a priority for us over the wintertime,” Dombrowski said. “We think he was the best catcher out there, as far as free agency was concerned.”
Realmuto posted one of his worst offensive seasons in 2025, hitting .257 with a .700 OPS over 134 games. But he remained elite defensively at catching runners stealing, catching plus-6 runners above average, according to Statcast.
For his pitching staff, most of Realmuto’s value comes from the work he does behind the plate and behind the scenes.
“Every time that I walk in, J.T. is already in the kitchen. He has a laptop in his hands. He’s looking at the opposing team, coming up with the report, helping us out,” Cristopher Sánchez said through a team interpreter. “And I just think that’s a testament to him and the preparation that he puts [in] for us to go out there and [be] able to thrive.”
Added reliever Tanner Banks: “After games, [he’s] doing workouts when guys are showering to go home. He’s a bulldog behind the dish.”
Realmuto said he was “self-aware” about his offensive decline over the last few seasons, but he believes he can turn it around.
“I know that I haven’t had my best years [the] last couple years, but I do believe that it’s not, like, age or physically related,” he said. “It’s something that I can improve on and work on and be better for the years to come.”
His training regimen is a big part of that, and it has evolved over the years. Rather than lifting as heavily as possible and bulking up, as he did when he was younger, Realmuto now focuses on training for mobility and longevity.
The aging curve typically is unforgiving for catchers. Yadier Molina is the only other catcher in baseball history to start more than 130 games behind the plate in his age-33 season or beyond.
Realmuto played 132 games behind the plate last season, at age 34, and stayed healthy. With a multiyear deal, the Phillies are betting that Realmuto can continue to defy the odds.
“He’s a great athlete. I mean, a lot of times you don’t see catchers in that same type of situation,” Dombrowski said. “… It wouldn’t shock me if you’re sitting here in another three years, and J.T. is talking about a multiyear contract beyond that. He’s that type of individual. You look at historical aspects, but I also think you’re talking about a unique individual that will continue to perform very well.”
Extra bases
Zack Wheeler continues to progress in his rehab from thoracic outlet decompression surgery and has thrown up to 90 feet. “He looks good, but there’s no guarantees when he’s going to get up on the mound. He eventually will,” manager Rob Thomson said. … There is mutual interest between Sánchez and the Dominican Republic national team for the World Baseball Classic, but Sánchez said he still is discussing it with the Phillies and has not made a decision on his participation.
Halfway through the regular season, with All-Star Weekend slowly approaching, the NBA has announced its best-selling jerseys from the season thus far — and Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey has cracked the top 10 of the sale list.
The 25-year-old has easily become a fan favorite throughout his six seasons in Philadelphia. And following Monday’s announcement that the former league’s Most Improved Player will be starting in his first All-Star Game this year — earning his second All-Star nod — those jerseys will most likely be even more in demand.
Maxey, who currently averages 30.2 points, 6.7 assists, and 4.4 rebounds, was followed on the list by Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg, and Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant. Golden State’s Stephen Curry and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic top the list.
Nine players on the list have been named starters for the 2026 All-Star Game, with Lakers star LeBron James as the only player to miss the cut.
Here’s the full top 15:
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers
Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks
Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
Meanwhile, the Sixers were named one of the teams with the top-selling NBA merchandise, coming in at No. 5 above the Boston Celtics and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After Temple football signed the top-ranked high school class in the American Conference last month, coach K.C. Keeler said the program was just beginning its recruiting process.
The Owls started their second phase on Jan. 2 when the transfer portal opened. Temple landed 22 transfers while also retaining most of its core pieces from this season.
“There’s really three phases to this whole recruiting process,” Keeler said. “The first phase is recruiting your locker room. I thought we did a phenomenal job. We’re probably one of the only [non-Power Four] schools in the country that didn’t lose a single starter. … Then the third phase is the portal. The portal’s unique in that it’s not just like who you get in terms of what their ratings are and those things. It’s a lot [of] what your needs are and are you meeting your needs. We graduated a bunch of starters, especially on defense. I thought we did a great job of filling those needs.”
The priority for Keeler was finding a quarterback for next season. Owls starter Evan Simon and backup Gevani McCoy will graduate this spring, and third-stringer Tyler Douglas entered the transfer portal.
Temple landed two quarterbacks from the transfer portal in Jaxon Smolik from Penn State and Ajani Sheppard from Washington State. They will compete for the starting role. Sheppard spent two seasons at Rutgers before transferring to the Cougars last year and was recruited by the Owls when he was in the portal last season.
Temple general manager Clayton Barnes says former quarterback Jaxon Smolik didn’t get his opportunity at Penn State but has the skill set to be an elite quarterback.
Smolik visited Temple in early January and became friends with tight end Peter Clarke, who hosted him. General manager Clayton Barnes said Smolik has a similar personality to Simon.
“So [Smolik is] a guy that things didn’t time up. He was behind a three-year starter the whole time he was there” at Penn State, Barnes said. “[He] really just needed that opportunity. So when we checked the box from a skill set, personality, all that kind of stuff, he’s a guy that we felt would be a great fit for us and was one of those first few guys we got on campus. And by the time he was there, it was like, ‘Hey, this is our guy.’”
Smolik was one of four players to join Temple from Penn State during the offseason. Since the programs have the same recruiting pool, Temple often uses Penn State coaches to source intel on prospective transfers. Two former Nittany Lions, defensive tackle Kaleb Artis and safety Kolin Dinkins, are among 11 defensive players the Owls brought in.
Artis is among six brought in to bolster the defensive line after Temple lost Sekou Kromah, K.J. Miles, Cam’Ron Stewart, and Charles Calhoun to graduation or the portal.
“So you look at what we graduated from the rush spot this past year,” Barnes said. “We had two seniors that played and another guy that sought other opportunities. We knew we needed to bring in guys to play that position.”
Keeler also wanted continuity along the offensive line after losing starting right tackle Diego Barajas to graduation. Left tackle Giakoby Hills and left guard Eric King stayed with the program on multiyear deals.
The Owls also brought in offensive linemen to add depth. Former Rutgers lineman John Stone will compete for the starting center role with Grayson Mains.
“How do we bring in guys to compete for that right tackle spot? We don’t want to just rest on our laurels,” Barnes said. “We want to get better. So we brought in a couple other guys that have multiple years that not only can push those current starters, but also give us guys that can play for us next year if they don’t end up being the guy.”
There will be times when passionate teammates have heated exchanges.
One of those occasions happened Friday night between the 76ers’ backcourt mates, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, during a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The two were spotted arguing near the bench during a break in action after Edgecombe left Cavs standout Donovan Mitchell wide-open for a three-pointer. Maxey yelled something to Edgecombe after the made basket, and the discussion continued on the sideline during a timeout. The two-time All-Star point guard even rose from the bench to further explain his point to Edgecombe, leading to a spirited discussion in front of teammates, coaches, fans, and cameras.
A video of the exchange, which circulated on social media, has gone viral.
“I was not aware until my dad called me and was like, ‘Hey, you and VJ good?’” Maxey said. “I was like, ‘Uh, yeah. Why?’ A couple of people sent [the video] to me, and I kind of just laughed at it. We want to win so, so bad. And we talked about the scenario of, like, not leaving Donovan Mitchell. … I didn’t want him to leave Donovan Mitchell.”
With Mitchell running down the court, Maxey wanted Edgecombe to switch off Craig Porter Jr., the ball handler. Instead, both players followed Porter, who passed to a wide-open Mitchell.
After catching the pass, the six-time All-Star stepped into a 27-foot three-pointer to knot the score at 16 with 6 minutes, 52 seconds remaining in the first quarter. The Sixers held Mitchell to 13 points on 4-for-13 shooting that night after he tormented them for 35 points two nights before.
Aside from the miscommunication, the Sixers guards did a solid job defending him. However, they struggled offensively. Maxey had 22 points on 9-for-23 shooting. Edgecombe scored 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting. He didn’t attempt a shot in the third quarter and scored three points on 1-for-2 shooting in the fourth.
But a lot of attention went to their exchange in the video.
“I just told him, like, man, in certain scenarios, certain principles go out the window,” Maxey said of wanting Edgecombe to switch on to Mitchell. “Like, this dude is really good, and he had 35 on us last night. I say all that to say, we just want to win. Like, we laughed about it after the game. I was the first person to tell him, like, ‘Dude, you shooting five times in a basketball game is not going to cut it for us. Like, we need you. You’ve got to be up to 10, 12. Like, you’ve got to be aggressive.’
“So, man, that’s fine. That’s my dog. That’s my little brother.”
McConnell’s milestone
On Friday, T.J. McConnell joined another former Sixer, Lou Williams, as the only players in NBA history to record 3,000 assists off the bench.
McConnell, who’s in his seventh season with the Indiana Pacers, reached the milestone with two assists in the first quarter of the Pacers’ 129-117 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Williams, who played a combined 17 seasons with the Sixers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, and Los Angeles Clippers, recorded 3,262 assists as a reserve and added 527 as a starter.
Former Sixers guard T.J. McConnell (9), now with the Indiana Pacers, posted a stat that is unique to only two players who spent time in Philly.
After adding three assists in Monday’s 114-103 loss to the Sixers, McConnell has 3,010 assists off the bench. The 11th-year veteran is just one of five players to reach career marks of 3,000-plus points, 2,000-plus assists, 1,500-plus rebounds, and 500-plus steals as a reserve.
“I feel like my playing here established the player I was going to be throughout my career,” McConnell said of spending his first four NBA seasons with the Sixers. “It established a mindset on how I’m going to play, how I’m going to go about it, and how I’m going to be a pro.
“Obviously, I’m very thankful for my time here, because I wouldn’t have been put in a position to play as many years as I did. For them to take a chance on me and establish the type of player I want to be, I’m thankful.”
Undrafted out of Arizona, McConnell began his NBA journey as the Sixers’ fifth-string point guard during training camp in 2015. At the time, the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder didn’t even have a locker.
The former Sixers fan favorite averaged 6.4 points and 4.7 assists in 314 games with 72 starts before signing a free-agent deal with the Pacers on July 29, 2019.
LAS VEGAS ― On Saturday, captain Sean Couturier stood in front of reporters in the Flyers locker room at Xfinity Mobile Arena after a 6-3 loss to the Rangers and said, “We [stunk]. Plain and simple. We can’t show up.”
Fast forward to Monday night at T-Mobile Arena after a 2-1 win against the Vegas Golden Knights, and Couturier said, “Yeah, it was a gutsy win.”
It wasn’t always pretty, but it was a win. Finally, after losing six straight, the Flyers were able to hold off the red-hot Golden Knights.
Here are four stars.
4. The penalty kill
The Flyers’ penalty kill has been dreadful. Since Jan. 1, it entered the game as the league’s second-worst unit at 57.7%. That led to assistant coach Todd Reirden, who is in charge of the penalty kill, calling a meeting on Monday morning. According to Travis Konecny, it was a detailed, long meeting focused on reminding the players what made them so successful early in the season.
“We had a really good meeting this morning, and had a game plan going into their power play,” defenseman Nick Seeler said. “Obviously, they’re a top-10 power play in the league. I thought our pressure was a smart, pressure, right? So, try to take away time and space for [Jack] Eichel, he’s a heck of a player, obviously. We did a good job, obviously. We need to stay out of the box, but, you know, PK was good tonight so that’s a positive.”
Eichel did help Vegas get its lone goal when he sent a shot-pass to Tomáš Hertl as he glided in front and deflected the puck past goalie Sam Ersson.
Flyers defenseman Emil Andrae and left wing Noah Cates sandwich Golden Knights center Jack Eichel during the second period.
But when you’re facing the fourth-best power play in the NHL, and you allow just one goal on seven power plays, that’s pretty darn good. And one of those penalty kills was in the last 1 minute, 33 seconds of the game when Owen Tippett sent the puck over the glass — in a one-goal game. The Flyers made two big blocks during that kill, one by Seeler and one by Cam York.
The structure was better as they didn’t collapse or shift into the box too often; coach Rick Tocchet likes to employ the diamond on the penalty kill. According to Natural Stat Trick, Vegas had 12 shot attempts, five shots on goal, seven scoring chances, and five high-danger chances. But in the end, the Flyers and Golden Knights each got a goal while the home team was on the man advantage.
“Obviously, on the PK you’re going to have to give up some shots. So just knowing which ones we want to kind of give up and the ones we need help to take away,” Ersson said. “Like a lot of our penalty kill, I think we build on like our urgency and our willingness to block shots. I think that’s huge for us to have success.
“And we did that tonight, and it kind of leads the way and gives so much momentum to the team when guys put their body on the line like that.”
3. Nick Seeler
Speaking of guys who like to lay their body on the line, Seeler came up big in several ways Monday.
Although Tocchet had shown different defensive pairings during recent practices and morning skates, he stuck to his pairings. Seeler was paired with Noah Juulsen and was on the ice during the final 1:33 of the game. Seeler slid and made a massive block with 44 seconds left on a Shea Theodore shot to preserve the win.
But it was earlier in the game when he made the biggest play.
In the second period, he faced a two-on-one when Juulsen pinched down the right boards. Seeler was the lone man back facing two of Vegas’ best in Ivan Barbashev and Mark Stone. He stayed on his feet and blocked the Stone pass intended for Barbashev across the crease.
It was a big moment in the game but also a big moment considering what Tocchet said Saturday after the loss to the Rangers.
“We’re just doing things,” an exacerbated Tocchet said. “Even on two-on-one, the guys on the outside site, why are you leaving your feet and letting them pass [across]? Just hold them; that’s something we’ve really worked on this year and have done a good job.
“But now we’re sliding again, and we’re trying to block a shot now. How many weakside goals have we been giving up lately? That’s something that I’ve been preaching since the start of the year: You cannot give weakside goals up.”
The play was huge as it kept it a one-goal game.
“Yeah, [Tocchet] likes the D to try not to leave their feet,” Seeler said. “Obviously, there’s situations where you need to desperation-wise, but, yeah, it’s good. It’s nice to break those up and get going the other way.”
Flyers right wing Travis Konecny (11) celebrates his first goal against Vegas during the first period.
2. Travis Konecny
From the onset, it looked like the alternate captain was determined and focused on ending the losing streak. In the end, he led the way with a pair of goals, each scored off turnovers by the Golden Knights.
His first goal came off a Hertl turnover just inside the Flyers blue line as the Czech center tried to pass to Vegas defenseman Kaedan Korczak. Konecny poked the puck away from Korczak and took off. He skated in one-on-one with goalie Adin Hill and beat him glove side to open the scoring 3:46 into the game.
“I wanted to make sure I had a good start, our line had a good start, because that had been something that was creeping into our game that we were struggling with,” Konecny said.
In the third period, he picked off an errant pass by Eichel during a Vegas power play and took off again. This time he went blocker side because he was “just trying to mess with [Hill’s] head a little bit.” Konecny knows Hill, who was also his teammate at 4 Nations, and his father, as the Flyers forward spends his summers in Calgary, where the Golden Knights goalie grew up.
“Yeah, he’s a great player,” Couturier said. “That’s what he does, he scores goals, uses his speed well. And what I love about it is, his two breakaway goals he’s in the right spot defensively and jumps on loose pucks and reads and reacts the right way and gets rewarded.”
1. Sam Ersson
Nine days ago, after allowing seven goals on 23 shots to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Ersson spoke to The Inquirer. He called his season tough and the loss to Tampa Bay embarrassing. Nineteen games into the season, he was 6-8-4 with a bloated 3.43 goals-against average and an NHL-worst .855 save percentage among goalies who played in at least 15 games.
With Dan Vladař on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury, Ersson got a chance to right the ship on Monday. And it was evident from the jump that this night would be different.
Vegas defenseman Jeremy Lauzon skates with the puck ahead of the Flyers’ Matvei Michkov.
In the first minute of play, he made a confident save on defenseman Noah Hanifin before stopping a Stone tip-in from seven feet out.
“It’s a nice way to get in the game, get in a groove and a flow of the game, getting some shots early, and obviously nice to come up with some big stops,” Ersson said. “So it definitely helps [with confidence].”
The Swedish netminder moved well, tracking the puck and positioning his body well in advance of shots. According to Natural Stat Trick, he stopped 12 of 13 high-danger shots. He finished with 24 saves.
“Awesome. Again, we know it. He just proved us all right,” Konecny said. “He’s an unbelievable guy, unbelievable goalie, and, guys that work hard like him, who are just like the most likable guys, you really want to push for those guys, and I’m just really happy for him. Awesome teammate and stud goalie.”
Ersson earned a lot of praise from his coach postgame.
“Nobody’s going to feel sorry for Sam. He doesn’t have that attitude,” Tocchet said. “It’s almost like he’s got that closer mentality. I’ve given up a bunch of home runs, but I want the ball again. And he took the ball and closed the game for us.”
Ryan Ogle, the PGA of America’s tournament director for the 2026 PGA Championship, announced his resignation via LinkedIn on Friday, four months before the Aronimink Golf Club outside of Philadelphia is set to hold the championship.
The historic golf course last hosted the PGA Championship in 1962.
“For the last year and a half,” Ogle wrote, “I’ve had the incredible privilege of leading the 2026 PGA Championship. We’ve been building momentum, telling the story of the event, and I’ve been sharing the journey with all of you right here on LinkedIn. That’s why this is a difficult message to write … in a few days, I will be stepping away from the PGA of America.”
Ogle, who cited the need to settle down and plant roots, is the third PGA of America executive to step away in recent months, following the departures of chief commercial and philanthropy officer Jeff Price in December and CEO Derek Sprague in January.
“I’ve reached a point where planting roots has become more important than planning the next move. I’ve decided to accept a new opportunity that allows me to finally settle my family in a permanent home while taking a significant step forward in my career,” he wrote.
Ogle moved to Newton Square in September 2024 to prepare for the championship — marking his family’s eighth relocation in 13 years. Ogle previously directed the PGA Championship in 2024 and in 2021.
The PGA of America has not announced replacements for any of the three vacancies.
“We would like to congratulate Ryan Ogle and wish him the best with his new opportunity,” the association said in a statement obtained by The Inquirer. “We’re grateful for his leadership and contributions to numerous PGA Championships, including the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink.
“Championship planning remains fully on track, supported by an experienced leadership team. We’ll share more about next steps at the appropriate time.”
The championship is set for May 14-17, marking the first major championship in the area since the 2013 U.S. Open was held at Merion Golf Club. Last spring, the PGA Tour hosted one of its signature events, the Truist Championship, at Philadelphia Cricket Club in Flourtown.
This year’s event joins a busy 2026 as one of many major sporting events coming to Philadelphia during America’s 250th celebration.
Late Thursday, within the hallways of One Citizens Bank Way, Phillies officials believed they were close to signing Bo Bichette.
How close?
“We were very close to having a deal done,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Tuesday without divulging details. “We thought it was going to happen.”
Bichette, through his agent, informed the Phillies that he would sign if they met his seven-year, $200 million asking price, two major league sources confirmed. The team agreed. All that was left, according to a source with knowledge of the situation, was “crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s” on the Phillies’ offer to the star infielder.
That process was underway Friday when Bichette changed course, agreeing shortly before noon to a shorter-term (three years), higher-salary ($42 million per year) contract with two opt-outs from the Mets, who lost in their attempt to sign free-agent outfielder Kyle Tucker.
Most Phillies officials found out about it like the public did — through reports in the media.
“It’s a gut punch,” Dombrowski said. “I mean, you feel it.”
Bichette didn’t give the Phillies the chance to outbid New York. Even so, they wouldn’t have sprung for the fourth-highest annual salary in the sport or included opt-out provisions.
And that’s how the Phillies and J.T. Realmuto found their way back to each other.
Because the Phillies “almost certainly” were going to sign Bichette or Realmuto, not both, a major league source said. And if things had gone as they anticipated Thursday night, their longtime iron-man catcher would be meeting the media from a different city this week.
Yet here were Realmuto and Dombrowski, narrowly spared from divorce, trying to avoid sounding like staying together was more than a consolation prize for either side.
“Things got a little hairy there at the end, but I’m glad we’re back here,” Realmuto said. “This is where we wanted to be the whole time.”
Said Dombrowski: “We always wanted to bring J.T. back. That was always a priority for us. They knew it. We also knew that he wanted to come back. Just there was a disagreement as far as dollars were concerned.”
Indeed, Realmuto made a catcher-record $23.1 million per year since 2021. At age 35, amid a three-year decline at the plate, he conceded he would have to take a pay cut.
But Realmuto also believed a team should pay a premium for his strengths behind the plate, notably game-calling and handling a pitching staff, among the last intangibles that can’t be measured by metrics. The Phillies appreciate his skills in those areas, but valued it differently.
“We couldn’t bridge that gap,” Dombrowski said.
It led the Phillies to Bichette, with whom they met over a Zoom call on Jan. 12. The positional fit didn’t seem obvious earlier in the offseason. Bichette has only ever played shortstop. But as talks with Realmuto stalled, the Phillies began thinking about improving the roster in other ways.
A shortstop with the Blue Jays, Bo Bichette would have played third base with the Phillies.
The Phillies would have played Bichette at third base and displaced Alec Bohm, who likely would’ve been traded. And Bichette was open to switching positions. The Zoom meeting went well enough that Dombrowski called Realmuto’s agent to inform him the Phillies might be going in another direction. Things began to get more serious.
Or did they? Given how it all turned out, did Bichette use the Phillies as a stalking horse to get the deal he wanted from the Mets?
“I can’t [say that] because you never know 100% what’s going on from their perspective,” Dombrowski said. “I do think he was sincere about thinking about coming to Philadelphia. Yes, I do. I think he was. We were at the numbers that they really asked us to match. [The Mets] jumped in at the last minute and made him a short-term offer that was very appealing to him.”
Some within the Phillies’ front office were furious. But Dombrowski said Bichette’s camp didn’t renege on a deal or negotiate out of bounds because the sides never reached the point of signing a “memo of understanding,” a document that would have preceded a completed deal.
“It wasn’t that we weren’t moving toward that direction,” Dombrowski said. “I did think that we were going to get there based upon our conversations. But we did not get to that point, so I can’t say that I ever thought we had it done.”
The Phillies thought their willingness to stretch the term of the contract to seven years with more guaranteed money would be an advantage over the Mets (or potentially the Dodgers if they hadn’t signed Tucker). It’s a tactic they used to help land other marquee free agents: Bryce Harper (13 years), Trea Turner (11 years), and Aaron Nola (seven years).
Instead, the Phillies missed out on a coveted free agent, a rarity since they signed Harper in 2019. They pivoted back to Realmuto within an hour of Bichette’s agreement with the Mets — “It was very quickly,” Dombrowski said — and bumped up their offer. They aren’t considering a run at any other big-ticket free agents, including Cody Bellinger.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said he was “upset” after finding out Bo Bichette picked the Mets, “but you have to pick yourself up and shake it off.”
They might actually be better off with Realmuto at the controls of the pitching staff than with Bichette’s right-handed bat in the lineup. Pitching, after all, remains the strength of the roster, and Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, and others swear by Realmuto’s guidance.
Still, four days after Bichette slipped through the Phillies’ fingers, it was impossible to not hear the disappointment in Dombrowski’s voice.
“That day you are very … upset, I guess is the way to say it,” he said. “But you have to pick yourself up and shake it off. Because you can’t just wallow in what took place. So, after a day of feeling that way, or a time period, you need to move forward. That’s how you handle it.
“We did rebound in the sense that we signed J.T. right away. We’re very fortunate he didn’t sign somewhere else.”
In time, maybe it will start to feel more like it.
