I Dig Sports
NEW EGYPT, N.J. There isnt much left to accomplish on Stewart Friesens big-block modified résumé. But he added a first Saturday night at New Egypt Speedway.
After passing two-time defending Super DIRTcar Series champion Mat Williamson on Lap 24, he dominated the final 52 laps to win the second annual Power in the Pines, earning his first Series win at the seven-sixteenths-mile oval.
Its awesome, Friesen said. Fred Vahlsing with Valco Wheels, who owns the track is a supporter of us and its cool. It feels good to get another win in Jersey.
We have a pretty thick notebook here. Theres stuff that works track to track to track, and you just have to make some small changes from there. We had a really good time trial, and it kind of set the tone for the night.
Friesen lined up beside Williamson, the SRI Performance and Stock Car Steel Pole Award winner, as the field took the green in the 75-lap Feature. Williamson gained the early advantage, pulling away from Friesen and Tanner Van Doren, who snuck by the No. 44 as they completed Lap 1.
Friesen led the first nine laps before the races first caution for Daniel Johnson, who stopped in Turns 3 and 4.
When the race resumed, Friesen snuck underneath Van Doren for second and set his sights on Williamson. The NASCAR Trucks Series star closed in on the Buzz Chew Chevrolet No. 88 and made his move once Money Mat clicked off Lap 23.
Williamson picked the middle lane as they drove into Turns 1 and 2, allowing Friesen room on the bottom. Thats when Friesen thundered down the backstretch, gaining momentum through the tracks dog leg, and passed Williamson as they entered Turns 3 and 4.
Despite several cautions in the races second half, Friesen went unchallenged to score the $7,500 victory, his 48th career series win.
With two track prep sessions throughout the night, Friesen said it became a guessing game of which tires were the best to use.
I think he was on a softer tire, and we went a little harder, Friesen said. We tried some stuff in the heat race, and it paid off. Then they did all the track prep, and we had an idea, but we werent sure which way it was going to go. It was a big guess. He guessed one way, and we guessed the other.
We really didnt touch it after the heat race at all. We waited for the track to come back to us, and it did. We were fortunate.
DIRTcar Nationals Big Gator champion Alex Yankowski crossed the line second, his third podium finish of the season.
Yankowski fell back to 13th early in the race before driving back through the field and passing Logan Watt for the runner-up position with eight laps go.
I was just kind of riding, Yankowski said. I drew eighth, and not only was it the worst pill, it was bad starting on the outside there on the original start. We just got some bad bounces, settled in, and started driving back up.
We went to Georgetown last night and got second and came here and got second. Its those, oh, we were so close kind of deals. I feel like were running good, and Im really proud of that.
Logan Watt, who made his Super DIRTcar Series debut on Saturday, rounded out the podium. The 16-year-old driver ran consistently in the top five the entire race, narrowly missing out on a runner-up finish.
I was just trying to stay smooth and save the tire, Watt said. The track was slick in the beginning of the night, and I figured it would take rubber toward the end. I just tried to stay smooth and consistent and hit my mark every lap.
It sucked on that late-race restart. I just slid up, and Alex got by me for second. It was just experience that got me. I have to get more experience, and the more experience I get, the better Ill be. Im really happy for our team.
Williamson fell back to fourth, and Louden Reimert, the races hard charger, finished fifth after starting 18th.
The finish:
Feature (75 Laps): 1. 44-Stewart Friesen[2]; 2. 84Y-Alex Yankowski[8]; 3. 4M-Logan Watt[4]; 4. 88-Mat Williamson[1]; 5. 58-Louden Reimert[18]; 6. 4-Anthony Perrego[10]; 7. 25-Erick Rudolph[13]; 8. 26-Ryan Godown[16]; 9. 91-Felix Roy[5]; 10. 70A-Alex Payne[12]; 11. 83X-Tim Sears Jr[9]; 12. 12-Darren Smith[11]; 13. 9S-Matt Sheppard[25]; 14. 35-Mike Mahaney[6]; 15. 98H-Jimmy Phelps[22]; 16. 27-Tanner Van Doren[3]; 17. 21A-Peter Britten[24]; 18. 15X-Justin Stone[20]; 19. 28-Michael Trautschold[15]; 20. 2-Jack Lehner[14]; 21. 99L-Larry Wight[26]; 22. (DNF) 26R-Corey Cormier[23]; 23. (DNF) 16X-Danny Creeden[21]; 24. (DNF) 20-David Schilling[7]; 25. (DNF) 304-Ricky Wegner Jr[19]; 26. (DNF) 14-CG Morey[28]; 27. (DNF) 27JR-Daniel Johnson[27]; 28. (DNF) 29-Garrett Krummert[17]
MAQUOKETA, Iowa Bobby Pierce held off Ricky Thornton Jr. for the second consecutive night to win Saturday nights Nippy 50 at Maquoketa Speedway.
Pierce earned $15,000 in the MARS Late Model Championship Series event. It was his eighth victory of the dirt late model season.
Pierce started the 50-lap event from the pole and was able to keep Thornton behind him down the stretch.
Brian Shirley, Garrett Alberson and Ryan Gusin completed the top five.
Thornton was the fast qualifier for the 44-car field with a 13.077-second lap.
The finish:
Bobby Pierce, Ricky Thornton Jr., Brian Shirley, Garrett Alberson, Ryan Gustin, Brandon Sheppard, Dennis Erb Jr., Shannon Babb, Jason Feger, Tony Jackson Jr., Bob Gardner, Dan Ebert, Ryan Unzicker, Chris Simpson, Mike Spatola, Daryn Klein, Derrick Stewart, Justin Duty, Gordy Gundaker, Allen Weisser, Chad Simpson, Dylan Thompson.
CASA GRANDE, Ariz. For the second week in a row, a Kasey Kahne Racing 1-2 finish led the way with Kubota High Limit Racing.
Like last time, it was Brad Sweets No. 49 taking the win over bossman Kasey Kahnes No. 9 extending the wait for what is the much-anticipated first-career national sprint car win for the popular Kahne.
The big difference this time was that Kahne controlled his own destiny and led the opening 10 laps before Sweet pounced on his team owner in lap traffic at Central Arizona Raceways Avanti Duel in the Desert.
Ultimately, Sweet led the final 15 laps and survived a slight scare in the closing laps as traffic allowed Kahne to narrow the margin of victory down to 0.384 seconds.
The win marked Sweets 12th overall trip to Whiskey Myers Victory Lane, tying him with Rico Abreu as the winningest driver in Kubota High Limit Racing history.
It was his second win of the season, putting him alongside Aaron Reutzel as the only repeat winners through six races.
Kahne matched his career-best runner-up result from a week ago with another second-place finish in the Kahne Screen Print, HendrickCars.com No. 9.
Rounding out the podium was Tyler Courtney aboard his Clauson-Marshall Racing, NOS Energy Drink No. 7bc.
The finish:
Feature (25 Laps): 1. 49-Brad Sweet[3]; 2. 9-Kasey Kahne[1]; 3. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[5]; 4. 87-Aaron Reutzel[4]; 5. 24-Rico Abreu[8]; 6. 26-Justin Peck[6]; 7. 21P-Robbie Price[2]; 8. 19-Brent Marks[7]; 9. 13-Daison Pursley[9]; 10. 14-Spencer Bayston[14]; 11. 21-Tanner Holmes[11]; 12. 88-Tanner Thorson[21]; 13. 24D-Danny Sams III[15]; 14. 5-Brenham Crouch[10]; 15. 7-Ashton Torgerson[24]; 16. 9R-Chase Randall[13]; 17. 19T-Colby Thornhill[18]; 18. 73-Ryan Bernal[19]; 19. 3-Kaleb Montgomery[22]; 20. 10-Dominic Gorden[16]; 21. 34-Sterling Cling[17]; 22. 17GP-Landon Crawley[23]; 23. 88W-Austin McCarl[12]; 24. 42-Sye Lynch[20]
WHEATLAND, Mo. Crown him. Cade Dillard took command when it mattered the most and the veteran Louisiana driver staked claim to the USMTS King of America XIV on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Speedway.
Dillard made the big move on a restart with 16 laps remaining, supplanting race-long leader Tanner Mullens, and went on to capture the $20,000 prize. It was the first King of America victory for Dillard, who said hes chased it for a long time.
This King of America is something Ive always wanted to win, Dillard said. Ive won a lot of big late model races, but I love coming back and getting to race in Mod races like this.
Mullens led the opening lap from his pole position as the field started three-wide, but it took only a lap for the first caution flag came out. The leader wasted little time opening a gap, as Mullens was two seconds clear of Jim Chisholm by lap 10 with Terry Phillips advancing into third.
The impressive drive by Mullens continued as the green-flag laps clicked away with the margin swelling to four seconds when the race hit the one-third mark on lap 20.
Mullens caught lapped traffic at that point just as Phillips took second away from Chisholm with Alex Williamson taking fourth from Dillard. On lap 23, Mullens 3.6-second lead over Phillips was wiped away as Steve Lavasseur slowed on the track to bring out a caution.
Chisholm swooped around Phillips on the restart to claim second. As those two mixed it up, Mullens took advantage to start rebuilding his lead as he was quickly about 12 car lengths clear of Chisholm.
Dustin Sorensen was the big mover of the race, climbing to fourth by lap 30 after starting 12th. But it was all Mullens at the front as he led Chisholm by 2.5 seconds as the field marked lap 40, though the seventh-starting Dillard made it into second by that point.
With Mullens dealing with lapped traffic, Dillard cut the gap to under two seconds when a lap-44 caution bunched the field.
Mullens selected the inside line for the restart it did not work. Dillard grabbed the lead on lap 45 with Chisholm also rolling past the race-long leader as the trio briefly were three wide. Dillard quickly opened a one-second lead by Chisholm and Mullens slipped to fourth behind Bobby Williams with 10 remaining.
Dillard, with a clear race track ahead, pulled away down the stretch and held off Chisholm to take the victory.
Dillard said his background of lots of long races during his career, in both modified and late model races, might have helped him as the race proceeded.
Just fortunate to be able to race like I have, with a lot of long runs, Dillard said. We had a really good car and were able to maintain on the bottom. When we got to second and picked the pace up a little bit, when that caution came out I was able to hit my marks just right and got a good run.
I know we went three-wide at one point and knew I had to shoot the gap at one point. I knew I could get out there and ride and keep it under me.
Williams, moving up from USRA B-Mods this season, was third with Sorensen finishing fourth and Mullens settling for fifth after dominating the first 44 laps.
Twenty-six drivers started the 60-lap feature with eight rows going three-wide and the final one two deep with provisional starters Joe Duvall and Jake ONeil.
Chad Clancy overtook J.C. Morton with 10 laps remaining and rolled to the $3,000 feature win for the Clear Creek Golf Cars USRA B-Mods.
Jon Sheets in fifth.
Rodney Schweizer grabbed the lead in the early going and held off some late charges and restarts following cautions for the OReilly Auto Parts USRA Stock Cars feature.
The finish:
Feature (60 laps): 1. 97-Cade Dillard[7]; 2. 24C-Jim Chisholm[3]; 3. 1B-Bobby Williams[4]; 4. 19-Dustin Sorensen[12]; 5. 02-Tanner Mullens[1]; 6. 20-Rodney Sanders[10]; 7. 2S-Stormy Scott[6]; 8. 65X-Carlos Ahumada Jr[16]; 9. 25-Joe Chisholm[11]; 10. 75-Terry Phillips[5]; 11. 21-Jacob Bleess[20]; 12. 712-Trevor Hughes[19]; 13. 15WX-Kale Westover[13]; 14. 2SS-Mark Smith[8]; 15. 12-Jason Hughes[22]; 16. 15W-Alex Williamson[2]; 17. 65-Tyler Davis[21]; 18. 21K-Kyle Brown[24]; 19. 10B-Brandon Givens[17]; 20. 5-Reece Solander[18]; 21. 8-Kyle Strickler[15]; 22. 88-Chad Wheeler[14]; 23. 17-Henry Chambers; 24. 91-Joe Duvall[25]; 25. 0J-Jake ONeil[26]; 26. 99L-Steve Lavasseur[23]; 27. 95-Keith Foss[9]
NHL playoff watch: Who will win the Atlantic Division crown?
Many playoff races are coming right down to the wire. And while the three top teams in the Atlantic Division are expected to qualify for the postseason, the order in which they'll finish remains a mystery.
What's at stake? The winner of the division draws a first-round matchup against a wild-card team -- likely the Ottawa Senators. The teams that finish second and third will square off with one another, with the No. 2 seed having home-ice advantage.
When Sunday's games begin, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be in the No. 1 spot, with 92 points in the standings. The Florida Panthers are second, having earned 91 standings points in one fewer game (72) than the Tampa Bay Lightning (73).
By season's end, if there is a tie in points, the first tiebreaker is regulation wins; currently, the Lightning hold the edge with 37, while the Leafs have 36 and the Panthers have 35.
Florida is the first of the three clubs in action next, as it will host the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, NHL Network). The Leafs continue their West Coast road trip by visiting the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+), while the Lightning play Tuesday at the New York Islanders.
The Panthers have two games remaining against the Leafs (Wednesday in Toronto, April 8 in Sunrise) and one against the Lightning (April 15 in Tampa Bay). Toronto plays its last regular-season game against Tampa Bay on April 9 in Central Florida.
Overall, the Leafs have the toughest remaining strength of schedule of the three teams (opposing win percentage of 51.3%, 11th toughest in the league); the Panthers are next (49.5%, 21st), and the Lightning have the easiest road (47.6%, 25th).
Stathletes projects the Lightning to have the highest chances of winning the division (44.5%), followed by the Panthers (33.9%) and Leafs (21.6%).
Is that how everything will play out? Stay tuned.
There are less than three weeks left until April 17, and we'll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we'll provide details on all the playoff races, along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.
Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Today's schedule
Yesterday's scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick
Current playoff matchups
Eastern Conference
A1 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. WC1 Ottawa Senators
A2 Florida Panthers vs. A3 Tampa Bay Lightning
M1 Washington Capitals vs. WC2 New York Rangers
M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 New Jersey Devils
Western Conference
C1 Winnipeg Jets vs. WC2 St. Louis Blues
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC1 Minnesota Wild
P2 Los Angeles Kings vs. P3 Edmonton Oilers
Sunday's games
Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).
Montreal Canadiens at Florida Panthers, 1 p.m. (NHL)
Buffalo Sabres at Washington Capitals, 3 p.m.
Vancouver Canucks at Winnipeg Jets, 3 p.m.
Utah Hockey Club at Chicago Blackhawks, 4 p.m.
Ottawa Senators at Pittsburgh Penguins, 5 p.m.
New York Islanders at Carolina Hurricanes, 5 p.m.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Anaheim Ducks, 8 p.m.
San Jose Sharks at Los Angeles Kings, 10 p.m. (ESPN)
Saturday's scoreboard
Philadelphia Flyers 7, Buffalo Sabres 4
Tampa Bay Lightning 5, New York Islanders 3
St. Louis Blues 2, Colorado Avalanche 1
New Jersey Devils 5, Minnesota Wild 2
Vegas Golden Knights 3, Nashville Predators 1
Ottawa Senators 3, Columbus Blue Jackets 2
Toronto Maple Leafs 3, Los Angeles Kings 1
Detroit Red Wings 2, Boston Bruins 1
Edmonton Oilers 3, Calgary Flames 2 (OT)
New York Rangers 6, San Jose Sharks 1
Dallas Stars 5, Seattle Kraken 1
Expanded standings
Atlantic Division
Toronto Maple Leafs
Points: 92
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 9
Points pace: 103.3
Next game: @ ANA (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Florida Panthers
Points: 91
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 10
Points pace: 103.6
Next game: vs. MTL (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Tampa Bay Lightning
Points: 91
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 9
Points pace: 102.2
Next game: @ NYI (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Ottawa Senators
Points: 83
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 10
Points pace: 94.5
Next game: @ PIT (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 99.6%
Tragic number: N/A
Montreal Canadiens
Points: 75
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 85.4
Next game: @ FLA (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 28%
Tragic number: 19
Detroit Red Wings
Points: 74
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 83.1
Next game: @ STL (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 2.3%
Tragic number: 16
Boston Bruins
Points: 69
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 76.5
Next game: vs. WSH (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 9
Buffalo Sabres
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 75.2
Next game: @ WSH (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 10
Metro Division
x - Washington Capitals
Points: 103
Regulation wins: 40
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 10
Points pace: 117.3
Next game: vs. BUF (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Carolina Hurricanes
Points: 92
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 10
Points pace: 104.8
Next game: vs. NYI (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
New Jersey Devils
Points: 85
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 7
Points pace: 92.9
Next game: vs. MIN (Monday)
Playoff chances: 97.9%
Tragic number: N/A
New York Rangers
Points: 77
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 8
Points pace: 85.3
Next game: vs. MIN (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 18.7%
Tragic number: N/A
Columbus Blue Jackets
Points: 75
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 85.4
Next game: vs. NSH (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 28.7%
Tragic number: 19
New York Islanders
Points: 74
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 84.3
Next game: @ CAR (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 24.7%
Tragic number: 18
Pittsburgh Penguins
Points: 69
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 76.5
Next game: vs. OTT (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 9
Philadelphia Flyers
Points: 69
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 75.4
Next game: vs. NSH (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 7
Central Division
x - Winnipeg Jets
Points: 104
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 9
Points pace: 116.8
Next game: vs. VAN (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
x - Dallas Stars
Points: 100
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 9
Points pace: 112.3
Next game: @ SEA (Monday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Colorado Avalanche
Points: 93
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 8
Points pace: 103.1
Next game: vs. CGY (Monday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Minnesota Wild
Points: 87
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 8
Points pace: 96.4
Next game: @ NJ (Monday)
Playoff chances: 96.5%
Tragic number: N/A
St. Louis Blues
Points: 87
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 7
Points pace: 95.1
Next game: vs. DET (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 89.8%
Tragic number: N/A
Utah Hockey Club
Points: 76
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 85.4
Next game: @ CHI (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 0.6%
Tragic number: 8
e - Nashville Predators
Points: 62
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 69.6
Next game: @ PHI (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
e - Chicago Blackhawks
Points: 51
Regulation wins: 18
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 57.3
Next game: vs. UTA (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Pacific Division
Vegas Golden Knights
Points: 98
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 9
Points pace: 110.1
Next game: vs. EDM (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Los Angeles Kings
Points: 89
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 10
Points pace: 101.4
Next game: vs. SJ (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Edmonton Oilers
Points: 89
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 9
Points pace: 100.0
Next game: @ VGK (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 95.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Vancouver Canucks
Points: 81
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 91.0
Next game: @ WPG (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 6.4%
Tragic number: 13
Calgary Flames
Points: 80
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 91.1
Next game: @ COL (Monday)
Playoff chances: 10.8%
Tragic number: 14
Anaheim Ducks
Points: 72
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 82.0
Next game: vs. TOR (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 6
e - Seattle Kraken
Points: 68
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 75.4
Next game: vs. DAL (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
e - San Jose Sharks
Points: 49
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 55.8
Next game: @ LA (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Note: An "x" means that the team has clinched a playoff berth. An "e" means that the team has been eliminated from playoff contention.
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL's Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.
1. San Jose Sharks
Points: 49
Regulation wins: 14
2. Chicago Blackhawks
Points: 51
Regulation wins: 18
3. Nashville Predators
Points: 62
Regulation wins: 23
4. Buffalo Sabres
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 24
5. Seattle Kraken
Points: 68
Regulation wins: 25
6. Philadelphia Flyers
Points: 69
Regulation wins: 19
7. Pittsburgh Penguins
Points: 69
Regulation wins: 20
8. Boston Bruins
Points: 69
Regulation wins: 23
9. Anaheim Ducks
Points: 72
Regulation wins: 23
10. Detroit Red Wings
Points: 74
Regulation wins: 26
11. New York Islanders
Points: 74
Regulation wins: 25
12. Columbus Blue Jackets
Points: 75
Regulation wins: 23
13. Montreal Canadiens
Points: 75
Regulation wins: 24
14. Utah Hockey Club
Points: 76
Regulation wins: 24
15. Calgary Flames
Points: 80
Regulation wins: 26
16. Vancouver Canucks
Points: 81
Regulation wins: 26
Ajax's director of football has opened the door to a possible return for Christian Eriksen when his Manchester United contract expires at the end of the season.
Marijn Beuker, who was appointed as Ajax's sporting director in 2023, confirmed the club's interest in the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder in an interview with ESPN but said the 33-year-old's return could not block an academy player's path to the first team.
Eriksen joined Ajax's academy in 2008 and made his debut two years later at the age of 18. He spent three years in Amsterdam, winning the Eredvisie title in each of his three seasons and scoring 25 goals in 113 appearances.
He left to join Spurs in 2013 before spells at Inter Milan and Brentford followed. He joined United as a free agent in 2022.
"He is one of the players who has performed fantastically with us in the past that we are thinking about," Beuker told ESPN. "There will be multiples in the media. Other names mentioned are those of Dusan Tadic and Daley Blind.
"Such players are always an option. To look at it. It has to fit into the phase we are in, though. In the salary structure. You also don't want to block youth players coming up. That we are open to thinking about it is clear. Only it has to fit into the overall picture for the future."
Eriksen has said he expects to leave United at the end of the season as a new contract has not been forthcoming.
"I haven't been told anything and since I haven't, I assume the collaboration will end," he said in an interview to Danish outlet TV2.
"That's how I interpret it. Everyone knows my contract is expiring, so I expect there's only one way this will go.
"I haven't thought much about it. In my mind, I'm prepared to find something new. What that will be, I haven't decided yet.
"I don't have anything specific that I really want to try, so I'll see what comes along and what fits me and my family."
The Denmark international has made just 14 appearances in all competitions under United boss Ruben Amorim since his appointment in November.
50/50 card first of Ohtani to break $1M at auction
An autographed Shohei Ohtani relic card from last season's historic 50/50 effort became the first of the Los Angeles Dodgers star to sell for more than $1 million at auction early Sunday morning.
The sale of the on-card-autographed, 1-of-1 numbered Ohtani card features the Major League Baseball logo from the pants he wore in September 2024 while hitting his 49th, 50th and 51st home runs and stealing his 50th and 51st bases against the Miami Marlins. It sold for $1.067 million at Heritage Auctions, including buyer's premium, and is by far the most ever paid for an Ohtani card.
The card, however, fell short of unseating the $1.1 million Paul Skenes MLB debut patch autograph card as the most expensive non-Mike Trout modern baseball card.
Following Ohtani's establishment of the 50/50 club on Sept. 19, 2024, Topps acquired the pants and batting gloves that he wore. Topps then created a set dedicated to Ohtani's achievements, which included refractor cards, short prints, autographs, autographed relics -- all in a variety of numberings -- and Dynasty Black relics, of which there are only three cards: all on-card autographs, all numbered 1-of-1. The Dynasty Black autograph cards consist of one boasting a massive batting glove swatch, one including swatches of both the pants and batting gloves, and the now-$1.067 million card.
The previous record for an Ohtani card was the $533,140 paid for a 2018 Bowman Chrome Rookie Autographs Orange Refractor rookie card, numbered to 25, with Goldin Auctions in November.
Sabalenka powers to Miami Open final win against Pegula
World number one Aryna Sabalenka claimed her second title of the year by beating Jessica Pegula 7-5 6-2 in the women's Miami Open final.
There were seven breaks of serve in a hard-fought first set, which swung the way of both players, before the Belarusian won a game to love on Pegula's serve.
Sabalenka's power got her out of trouble on a number of occasions while Pegula's struggles to hold her own serve, along with her inability to deal with the force of her opponent's game, proved the world number four's downfall.
Her frustration grew as Sabalenka took control of the second set. The 26-year-old broke Pegula at 5-2 up to win the tournament without dropping a set as she hit 31 winners in the match, compared to 12 from her rival.
Sabalenka won the Brisbane International in January but had gone into the Miami Open final having lost her previous two finals, with defeats by American Madison Keys at the Australian Open and Mirra Andreeva at Indian Wells two weeks ago.
"I'm speechless," said Sabalenka, who beat Pegula in last year's US Open final. "The last couple of finals were really tough and tight and close ones for me, so going into this one I was so focused on myself.
"I was super focused and playing point by point. It feels super special and really happy with the title - the first in Miami.
"It was back and forth the whole match. I was fighting no matter what and, even after each game she broke, I was fighting back and breaking her back."
Meanwhile, British duo Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool were in action in the men's doubles final but suffered a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 defeat by top seeds Marcelo Arevalo-Gonzalez and Mate Pavic.
Gloucester scored nine tries in a show-stopping display as they beat neighbours Bristol 53-28 to move back up to third in the Premiership table.
Christian Wade and Seb Atkinson both scored hat-tricks for the Cherry and Whites as they completed a double over the Bears for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign.
The first half alone saw nine tries scored and 55 points shared, as Gloucester raced to an unopposed try-scoring bonus point in 17 minutes.
The home side scored another three unanswered tries after the break before James Williams managed a fourth for Bristol to ensure they left the sold-out Kingsholm with at least a point of their own.
If high-scoring entertainment is what the Premiership wants this season, fans were treated to another rip-roaring spectacle as Gloucester produced one of their most blistering displays in attack to delight the home crowd.
The debate about whether that quest to glitter in attack is coming at a detriment to defence will continue but the hosts were eye-catching almost every time they ran with the ball.
A week ago at Ashton Gate, Bristol achieved the second-fastest bonus-point score in Premiership history in just 16 minutes when they beat Exeter, and Gloucester seemingly started their own stopwatch and almost bettered it, with four rapid opening tries of their own helped by some poor Bears defending and errors.
A Bristol penalty deep in Gloucester's 22 immediately gave the hosts an opening, and Carreras chipped the ball through to a racing Wade to dab down in the corner on three minutes.
Four minutes later they had a second as Harry Bryne's ball went loose and Santiago Carreras pounced, scooping it up before cleverly sending a one-handed pass around the back to feed Josh Hathaway.
Chris Harris added their third, as another Bristol penalty gifted Gloucester a kick to touch for a line-out. Charlie Atkinson broke easily through a tackle and with Harris inside he scored next to the posts.
Nothing was going Bristol's way as Byrne's kick to restart into the swirling wind went straight out and from a Cherry and Whites scrum on halfway, the ball was passed out wide to Hathaway who raced downfield.
His long ball back inside was expertly picked out of the air one-handed by a jumping Tomos Williams, whose no-look pass then found Seb Atkinson to run under the posts for the crucial fourth score to make it 24-0.
Bath: De Glanville; Cokanasiga, Ojomoh, Redpath, Muir; Russell, Spencer; Obano, Dunn, Stuart, Molony, Ewels, Hill, Reid, Barbeary.
Replacements: Annett, Van Wyk, Du Toit, Pepper, Underhill, Carr-Smith, Butt, Coetzee.
Harlequins: Green; Isgro, Beard, Northmore, David; Smith, Porter; Baxter, Walker, Lamositele, Herbst, Lewies, Kenningham, Lawday, Cunningham-South.
Replacements: Riley, Els, Jones, Launchbury, Hammond, Schmid, Care, Benson.
Yellow Cards: Isgro, Smith.
Referee: Anthony Woodthorpe
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