WASHINGTON -- Alex Ovechkin scored his 886th career goal into an empty net to seal the Washington Capitals' 4-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Sunday, moving nine back of breaking Wayne Gretzky's NHL record and helping the Eastern Conference leaders win their fourth game in a row.

Ovechkin backhanded the puck in from center ice with 1:31 left, sending the crowd into jubilation and chants of "Ovi! Ovi!" His 33rd goal of the season was also his 1,600th career point.

According to ESPN Research, it was Ovechkin's eighth empty-net goal this season, which pushed him one ahead of Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen and Tampa Bay forward Brandon Hagel for the NHL lead. Ovechkin also extended his NHL record for the most career empty-net goals with 65.

THE COUNTDOWN HAS OFFICIALLY HIT SINGLE DIGITS#Gr8Chase | @Venture_Global pic.twitter.com/2AowIfZZLM

Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 9, 2025

Connor McMichael scored the go-ahead goal a few minutes earlier, not long after a line brawl nearly broke out and all five skaters on each team were sent to the penalty box, where players kept jawing at each other before Washington's Brandon Duhaime was escorted to the locker room for his 10-minute misconduct.

The post-whistle pushing and shoving kept flaring up and went on for some time as officials worked to keep Tom Wilson and John Hayden from fighting.

Martin Fehervary and Dylan Strome also scored, and Charlie Lindgren made 30 saves for Capitals, who padded their lead atop the East and the Metropolitan Division.

Shane Wright and Jordan Eberle scored, and Joey Daccord stopped 20 of the 23 shots he faced for the Kraken, who were unable to string together back-to-back wins on the weekend.

Ovechkin and the Capitals will open a three-game California trip Tuesday night at Anaheim. His next goal in March, according to ESPN Research, will be the 158th of his career, which will surpass Gretzky for the most in any calendar month. Gretzky finished his career with 157 tallies in December.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Davante Adams agreed to a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams, the team announced Sunday.

Adams arrives as the Rams prepare to move on from standout wide receiver Cooper Kupp.

The New York Jets released Adams on March 4, three weeks after announcing they were parting with his favorite quarterback, Aaron Rodgers.

Adams' two-year deal with the Rams has an $8 million base salary in 2025 and $16 million in 2026. His 2025 base salary is guaranteed and he has a $6 million roster bonus guaranteed on the third day of the 2026 league year. He also has a $12 million signing bonus and $1 million available in incentives each year.

Adams was due to count $38.3 million on the Jets' salary cap -- a 2025 league high for wide receivers. That includes $35.6 million in nonguaranteed base salary, the contract they inherited in October when they acquired Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2025 third-round pick.

The Jets received major cap relief, clearing $29.9 million from this season's cap.

The Jets' new regime -- coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey -- worked to shed all remnants from the Rodgers era, which ended last season with a 5-12 record and triggered an organizational reboot.

After a slow start, Adams came on strong toward the end of last season and finished with 67 catches, 854 yards and 7 touchdowns in 11 games for the Jets. Combined with his Las Vegas production, he exceeded 1,000 yards for the fifth straight season. His signature performance was a nine-catch, 198-yard performance with the Jets in a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Adams, 32, a three-time first-team All-Pro, has 957 receptions for 11,844 yards and 103 touchdowns in 11 seasons.

A second-round pick of the Packers in 2014, Adams spent his first eight seasons in Green Bay and ranks second in franchise history in touchdown catches (93) and receptions (669) and fourth in receiving yards (8,121).

ESPN's Rich Cimini and Sarah Barshop contributed to this report.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Bills have rewarded NFL MVP Josh Allen with a record-setting six-year, $330 million contract through the 2030 season that includes $250 million guaranteed, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Sunday.

It's the largest guaranteed total given to an NFL player, surpassing the previous mark of Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, who received $230 million guaranteed.

Allen, who was previously signed through 2028, will be 34 years old when the final year of this extension begins. The extension takes Allen from the 14th-highest average annual value among quarterbacks ($43 million) to tied for second ($55 million). Only Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has a contract with a higher average annual value ($60 million).

"I love Josh and so proud of what he's done, and so, I could be here all day talking about how great he is and what he's done for our team and where he belongs in the pecking order of all that stuff," general manager Brandon Beane said at the end of the 2024 season. "He and I have a great relationship. We talk a lot. When the dust settles, before we're ever really talking to his agent or his agents calling me, like, Josh and I will have those conversations [about a potential extension], holistically about the team, things like that. And I'm not saying it will happen, I'm not saying it won't happen. ... There'll be a time and place, and not saying we will, but not ruling it out either."

Allen became the first player in NFL history to record at least 25 touchdown passes and 10 touchdown runs with fewer than 10 interceptions in a season. He finished with 28 touchdown passes, 12 rushing touchdowns and 6 interceptions.

Allen has accounted for 260 touchdowns in his career via passing or rushing, the most in a player's first seven seasons in NFL history and 29 more than the next-closest player, Patrick Mahomes.

Improving turnovers was a focal point for Allen heading into the 2024 season, and he responded with the lowest number in a season for his career (eight). That went a long way toward the Bills' success as they won their fifth consecutive AFC East title.

Allen also took a step forward in leadership in 2024, after an offseason of transition, by serving as one of two team captains.

"Josh Allen's leadership, his consistent leadership, was the biggest reason why we did what we did this season. So, anybody that tries to say otherwise, I know better," coach Sean McDermott said at the end of the season. "I've seen it, and him now doing that every season for us, not an easy undertaking."

Allen's play and leadership "went hand in hand," McDermott said.

"He continues to do that, we're going to win a lot of football games."

Allen became the team's third player to be voted MVP, joining Thurman Thomas (1991) and O.J. Simpson (1973).

Since entering the league in 2018, Allen has 65 rushing touchdowns -- 10 more than the next closest quarterback (Jalen Hurts). Allen has accounted for at least 40 touchdowns (passing or rushing) in five straight seasons, the longest streak in NFL history. No other player has done that in four straight seasons, and only Aaron Rodgers has had more such seasons (six).

Allen will go into 2025 with consistency, as coordinator Joe Brady enters his second full season in the role. Allen is coming off his second AFC Championship Game appearance and going into his eighth season looking for his first Super Bowl appearance after going 0-4 against the Kansas City Chiefs and Mahomes in the postseason.

"We're going to continue to turn every stone over and cross the T's, dot the I's and do whatever we can to try to bring a Lombardi back here to Western New York," Allen said at the end of the season.

The extension tops a slew of recent new deals for Buffalo players: defensive end Greg Rousseau reached a four-year, $80 million contract; linebacker Terrel Bernard got a four-year, $50 million contract; and receiver Khalil Shakir agreed to a four-year, $53 million extension.

Allen, the No. 7 pick in 2018 out of Wyoming, became the first player in 21 seasons to win MVP without being selected first-team All-Pro. Since MVP was first awarded in 1957, the only other players to win despite not being a first-team All-Pro were Broncos quarterback John Elway (1987, when Joe Montana was first-team All-Pro) and Titans quarterback Steve McNair (2003, Manning).

PITTSBURGH -- The Steelers cannonballed into free agency Sunday night, acquiring wide receiver DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks for a 2025 second-round draft pick and agreeing to a five-year, $150 million extension, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The Steelers and Seahawks also are flipping 2025 picks in the sixth and seventh rounds, sources said.

Metcalf, 27, a second-round pick in 2019, requested a trade Wednesday as he entered the final year of a three-year, $72 million extension signed in 2022. He previously had one year left on his contract worth $18 million, but the Steelers worked quickly to secure their new wideout to a deal worth $30 million annually.

That figure puts him in rare air among wide receivers and among Steelers free agents. Only six other wideouts have contracts currently valued for at least $30 million annually, and before Metcalf's extension, the most the Steelers had spent on an outside free agent was linebacker Patrick Queen's three-year, $41 million contract signed last free agency.

Metcalf's trade comes only a few days after the Seahawks dealt quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders. Following both trades, the Seahawks have five picks in the first three rounds of the 2025 draft: Nos. 18, 50, 52 (via Pittsburgh), 82 and 92 (via Las Vegas).

In Metcalf, the Steelers finally landed their long-sought-after big-play pass catcher to round out a wide receiver room that lacked depth and star power behind 2022 second-round pick George Pickens. Metcalf averaged 15.0 yards per reception and 66.1 yards per game in 2024, collecting 66 receptions, 992 receiving yards and a career-low five touchdowns.

Metcalf was more productive in the first six games of the season, averaging nine targets. But after hurting an MCL in Week 7, Metcalf missed two games and averaged just under six targets per game over the rest of the campaign.

Since the Seahawks traded up to snag Metcalf out of Ole Miss with the final pick of the second round in 2019, the big-bodied wideout has averaged 1,054 receiving yards and eight touchdowns per season along with 14.4 yards per reception. Meanwhile, Pickens -- the Steelers' top receiver -- averaged 64.3 yards per game and 15.3 yards per catch in 2024 during his third season in Pittsburgh. He also caught three touchdowns in an injury-shortened season.

Pickens is eligible for an extension this offseason as he enters the last year of his rookie deal, and general manager Omar Khan expressed a desire to keep the mercurial wide receiver in Pittsburgh when he spoke with reporters at the NFL combine less than two weeks ago.

"I can tell you that he has a desire to be great," Khan said of Pickens, via the team's website. "He has a desire to be great here. We have a desire for him to be great and to be great here with respect to the contract. But you know, we won't discuss that publicly, and usually those things are addressed at a later date."

The next-most productive wideout on the Steelers' 2024 roster was fellow 2022 draft pick Calvin Austin III, who averaged 15.2 yards per reception and finished the season with just 548 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

The Steelers' pursuit of a top-tier wide receiver dates back to the previous offseason, when they were in the mix for the 49ers' Brandon Aiyuk. Aiyuk, however, opted to remain in San Francisco with a four-year, $120 million deal. The Steelers also landed wide receiver Mike Williams at the trade deadline from the New York Jets for a 2025 fifth-round pick, but Williams wasn't a major contributor after a game-winning catch against the Washington Commanders less than a week after being traded.

Though the Steelers significantly upgraded their wide receiver room with the Metcalf acquisition, they still don't have a quarterback under contract for the 2025 season. Both Justin Fields and Russell Wilson are slated to be free agents when the new league year opens Wednesday afternoon, and sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that Fields wants to test the market before making an informed decision.

Wilson and Metcalf both starred together in Seattle, with Wilson serving as Metcalf's quarterback for the first three seasons of his career.

The Jets also have expressed interest in Fields, the former Chicago Bears first-round pick, sources indicated to Fowler. Khan told reporters at the NFL combine that Pittsburgh's top priority was sorting out the quarterback position; but Metcalf requested a trade earlier this week, expediting the Steelers' roster-building timeline.

ESPN's Brady Henderson contributed to this report.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert returned to action Sunday against San Antonio after a 10-game absence due to a lower back injury -- and joined in the team's highest-scoring game of the season.

Gobert was reinserted in Minnesota's most common starting lineup this season, with Mike Conley and Anthony Edwards at guard and Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle at forward. Naz Reid returned to a reserve role, after averaging 18.1 points and 9.7 rebounds as a starter while Gobert was out.

In 20 minutes, Gobert had 16 points and eight rebounds as the Timberwolves beat the Spurs 141-124 for their fifth straight victory.

"Do you believe in coincidences?" Gobert said jokingly afterward. "No, it was great. It was fun. When the ball is moving like that and the mindset is how it was tonight, I think we have a very powerful team."

Gobert is averaging 11.1 points per game this season, his lowest mark in 10 years. The four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year award winner is in his third year with the Timberwolves. He missed the opportunity Sunday to face fellow Frenchman Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs center who's out for the rest of the season with a blood clot in his right shoulder.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Kawhi Leonard stood at the top of the key, letting seconds tick off the clock. He dribbled to his right, then turned and moved across the paint. As the defense collapsed on him, he put up a left hook shot.

The ball hit the backboard and rim before dropping in at the buzzer, giving the LA Clippers a hard-fought 111-110 overtime victory against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night.

Leonard struggled most of the game, missing 12 of 18 shots before his winner -- the only shot he took in overtime.

"Players make big-time plays and he's done it throughout his entire career," teammate James Harden said. "For him to step up and hit a game-winner like that, it shows the confidence in the type of player he is."

Leonard punched his right fist in the air and ran to his jubilant teammates.

"We need these wins down the stretch," he said. "I think this will help us be a better team moving forward. Everybody was excited and know we needed it."

The win helped the Clippers tighten their grip on eighth place in the West over the ninth-place Kings, who dropped 1 games back.

Before the game, coach Tyronn Lue went home because of back pain, leaving assistant Brian Shaw in charge. Lue was watching and a couple of the other coaches FaceTimed him afterward.

"He looked like he was having a heart attack," Shaw said. "The same way that we felt out there not knowing how it was going to go."

The Clippers improved to 4-6 since the All-Star break. Norman Powell, the team's leading scorer, has been out for much of that stretch. Harden and Powell have carried the team for much of the season, with Ivica Zubac and Derrick Jones Jr. making solid contributions.

Leonard has gradually increased his minutes since making his season debut in early January. But he's still on a restriction and he sat down briefly in overtime.

"Just itching to get back in," he said.

Hitting the winning shot would seem especially satisfying to Leonard, who didn't make his season debut until January. He sat out the first 36 games with what the Clippers described as right knee injury recovery.

"I'm not thinking about that. It's one game," he said. "My goal is to be healthy at the end of this season so I can have a good summer and not worry about doing a whole rehab process again or missing a training camp."

It was Leonard's second career winning buzzer-beater. The other was in Game 7 of the 2019 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers. Both shots bounced on the rim multiple times before going in.

The five-minute extra session was a thrilling back-and-forth with Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan combining for the Kings' 13 points and Leonard, Zubac, Harden and Jones scoring the Clippers' 14 points.

With fans of both teams on their feet and the Kings clinging to a one-point lead, Leonard reentered the game. With everyone else in a tizzy, Leonard coolly read the defense and worked to get to his spot on the court.

"Just be patient. Even with five seconds on the clock or three seconds, you still got a lot of time to get a shot off," he said. "Just trust your work."

ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

DALLAS -- With a bandage over his left eye, Kessler Edwards returned from the locker room and headed to the scorer's table to check back into Sunday afternoon's game for the Dallas Mavericks with 6:05 remaining in the fourth quarter.

That was the last substitution that Mavericks coach Jason Kidd made in a 125-116 loss to the Phoenix Suns, primarily because he didn't have any choice.

The injury-ravaged Mavericks entered the game with only nine available players, three of whom suffered injuries Sunday afternoon, including two on the same play when Edwards and center Dwight Powell collided heads while chasing a rebound. Powell, who received seven stitches to close a gash in his forehead, and guard Brandon Williams (hamstring tightness) didn't return.

Guard Dante Exum and forward Caleb Martin weren't available after the midway point of the fourth quarter because they are on minutes restrictions after recently returning from extended injury absences.

"Never seen this," Kidd said. "Never been in a game where we could not take someone out to rest them because we had no one to put in. At the end of the bench, usually you can put someone in. If they were not in [street] clothes, they were in the back getting stitches or could not move or walk. It's tough. It is what it is, though. You've got to keep pushing forward."

Powell told ESPN he expects to be available for the second game of the Mavericks' back-to-back set in San Antonio on Monday. That would allow Dallas to field an active roster with the league-minimum eight players.

Kidd said he anticipates Williams, a guard on a two-way deal who started Sunday, will miss some time and that none of the players who were inactive against the Suns are expected to be available Monday night. The inactive list includes Anthony Davis (left adductor strain), Daniel Gafford (right knee sprain), Jaden Hardy (right ankle sprain), Kyrie Irving (torn ACL in left knee), Kai Jones (left quad strain), Dereck Lively II (right ankle stress fracture), Olivier-Maxence Prosper (right wrist sprain) and P.J. Washington (right ankle sprain).

The Mavericks can't add any reinforcements despite having an open roster spot -- and more than enough injuries to qualify for a hardship roster exception -- because they are only $51,000 below the salary cap's first apron and cannot exceed that threshold. A 10-day contract pays $119,972.

Center Moses Brown averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds in the final two games of his 10-day contract that expired March 1, but the Mavs couldn't afford to sign him to a second 10-day deal.

"We can't sign anybody, so me and Duds cost too much," Kidd said jokingly, referring to Mavs assistant coach Jared Dudley, whose 14-year NBA playing career ended in 2021. "You've got to laugh or else this will drive you crazy."

ESPN's Bobby Marks contributed to this report.

Houston Rockets emerging two-way force Amen Thompson will be sidelined for 10 to 14 days because of a left ankle sprain, sources told ESPN.

An MRI on the ankle Sunday showed no structural damage, but Thompson will receive treatment for swelling and rehab.

Thompson suffered the injury late in a blowout win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday. He took an awkward fall on a shot attempt with less than six minutes left in the game and limped to the locker room.

Thompson was a rebound shy of a triple-double with 15 points and 11 assists when he was injured.

The No. 4 pick in 2023, Thompson became a fulltime starter earlier this season and is averaging 16.4 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 33 games in that starting role.

Already a strong defender, Thompson has held opponents to 39% shooting as the contesting defender this season, the best in the NBA among players to contest at least 600 shots, per ESPN Research.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Cincinnati Reds prospect Cam Collier is scheduled to have surgery to repair a torn left thumb ligament on Thursday.

Manager Terry Francona told reporters Sunday about the injury that will keep Collier from hitting for 4 to 6 weeks.

The 20-year-old infielder sustained the injury to the ulnar collateral ligament in his glove hand in a game against the Chicago Cubs on March 2.

Collier was ranked No. 7 among Reds prospects for this season by ESPN's Kiley McDaniel.

Collier was the 18th overall pick in the 2022 amateur draft and has been ranked as one of baseball's top 100 prospects by multiple publications. He hit .248 with 20 homers and 74 RBIs for Class A Dayton last season.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Michael Grove will miss the upcoming season after having surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

The 28-year-old right-hander has pitched in parts of the last three seasons for the Dodgers. He had a 4-4 record with a 5.02 ERA last year, throwing in 39 games, including two starts. He had 54 strikeouts in 51 innings.

Manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Grove has been dealing with pain in the shoulder since last season.

"He's disappointed," Roberts said. "He's already had Tommy John and didn't want to do another surgery. He tried to tough it out and pitch through it, but it was just compromising his performance and recovery."

Grove was a second-round pick for the Dodgers in 2018 after playing in college at West Virginia.