ARLINGTON, Va. -- Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson is expected to miss at least a couple of games because of injury, coach Spencer Carbery said Friday.

"I won't call him day-to-day," Carbery said.

Thompson left the Capitals' game at Carolina on Wednesday night after the first period with what the team called an upper-body injury. It was not exactly clear when he got hurt, but Thompson took a puck off the mask that knocked it off his head during his 20 minutes of action in the middle of allowing three goals on 12 shots.

Charlie Lindgren is expected to shoulder the load in the absence of Thompson, who is having arguably the best season of his NHL career with a 31-6-6 record, 2.49 goals-against average and .910 save percentage. The 28-year-old signed a six-year, $35.1 million contract extension in late January.

Lindgren, 31, who carried Washington into the playoffs last year, alternated starts with Thompson for the first half of this season before effectively becoming the backup. He has started 33 games, going 17-12-3 with a 2.66 GAA and an .899 save percentage.

Although the Capitals recalled goalie Hunter Shepard from Hershey of the American Hockey League to backup, Lindgren figures to start not only Friday night against Chicago but Sunday at the New York Islanders, as well.

"I think it's a great opportunity for Chucky," Carbery said. "An opportunity like this to come up, he can now take the reins for a bit. ... It's a good chance for him to string some starts together and play well."

Carolina Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov will miss the team's four-game road trip with an undisclosed injury.

Head coach Rod Brind'Amour said Friday that Svechnikov's absence is for precautionary reasons.

Svechnikov, 25, missed seven games last month with an upper-body injury.

He ranks fourth on the team with 45 points (19 goals, 26 assists) in 66 games this season.

The Hurricanes (46-24-4, 96 points) already have clinched a playoff berth entering the road trip that begins Friday night in Detroit before heading to Boston, Buffalo and Washington.

Svechnikov's earliest return would be an April 12 home game against the New York Rangers. The regular season ends on April 17 for the Hurricanes.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Ryan Warsofsky will coach the United States at the upcoming IIHF men's world hockey championship.

USA Hockey announced Friday that the San Jose Sharks coach will run the team at worlds for the first time in his career. Warsofsky was an assistant on David Quinn's staff in 2023 and worked under him for two seasons with the Sharks before succeeding him as head coach.

"Ryan is an exceptional young coach," U.S. men's national team general manager Jeff Kealty said. "He connects well with players and is a great fit to lead our team in the world championship as we strive to bring home the gold medal."

Warsofsky, 37, is the youngest coach currently in the NHL and could potentially have players older than him at the tournament taking place May 9-25 in Herning, Denmark, and Stockholm, Sweden. The U.S. is set to play its preliminary-round games in Herning.

The U.S. has not won gold at the tournament since 1960, more than 27 years before Warsofsky was born.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti does not believe the decision to allow Barcelona's Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor to continue playing for the club will taint any competition, with his team potentially facing Barça for three trophies.

Spain's sports ministry (CSD) ruled on Thursday that Olmo and Víctor can continue to play for Barcelona for the remainder of the season despite opposition from both LaLiga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

Madrid are three points behind leaders Barcelona in LaLiga, and will also face the Catalan outfit in the Copa del Rey final on April 26.

The two teams are also still alive in the Champions League.

Asked in Friday's news conference if the CSD's decision adulterates the competitions, Ancelotti said: "No, I don't believe so. We are happy to play in a great [Copa del Rey] final and be closer to another aim. We have a lot of respect for Barcelona just as they have for us. Barcelona are playing well, they are in a good dynamic."

Madrid drew 4-4 against Real Sociedad in extra time on Tuesday for a 5-4 aggregate win to reach the Copa del Rey final.

Despite Madrid having a busy calendar with four games in the space of 11 days, Ancelotti is confident.

Los Blancos play at Valencia in LaLiga on Saturday before facing Arsenal in next week's Champions League quarterfinal fist leg.

"We have to be optimistic," Ancelotti said. "The team is fighting, we are alive in every competition. We are very close. We have confidence also because the experience we've had in the past. We are motivated. It's an important time of the season.

"I think we have improved and are playing better as a team."

Ancelotti, meanwhile, played down reports that Madrid are having a goalkeeping crisis and expects Thibaut Courtois to be fit to face Arsenal..

Courtois has missed Madrid's last two games having returned from international duty with Belgium with a muscular problem while Andriy Lunin, who started for Madrid in midweek, picked up a muscular problem.

"We are not worried at all," Ancelotti said. "Courtois is a lot better. We believe he can be available for Tuesday's game. Lunin is going to have a test later today having picked up a minor problem and if he can't play, we have plenty of faith in [third-choice goalkeeper] Fran [González]. He is young [aged 19]. We are all convinced he has a great future ahead."

Also on Friday, Antonio Rüdiger and Kylian Mbappé were cleared by UEFA to play against Arsenal.

UEFA had launched an investigation last week into the behaviour of Rüdiger and his teammates Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Dani Ceballos during their team's Champions League penalty shootout win at Atlético Madrid on March 12.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- United States women's national team coach Emma Hayes said she feels confident in her team's defensive personnel ahead of an Olympic gold medal-game rematch against Brazil, despite the "extremely unfortunate" injury to center-back Tierna Davidson.

Davidson tore her ACL last week and will miss the remainder of 2025. The USWNT was already without fellow starting center-back Naomi Girma, who is dealing with a calf injury, heading into Saturday's game at SoFi Stadium.

"Without Naomi Girma, without Tierna Davidson, this is the right time to develop individuals first," Hayes said at a news conference Friday. "I've been really clear that this camp, the next two camps, there is going to be experimentation, and that means that the connections on the field might not be as strong, but we get a chance to see where the individual development is in that."

Defenders Crystal Dunn and Emily Sonnett are the most senior defenders on the current roster. They are joined by some young and less experienced players like center-back Tara McKeown, who earned her first caps in February, and fullback Avery Patterson, who is in her first camp with the USWNT.

Hayes said on Friday that she would "drip-feed" young players into games alongside veterans to make sure that less experienced players are set up for success.

"What I have noticed in this camp is the gap closing across the board within the team, and that's our first starting point," Hayes said.

The USWNT will also play Brazil on Tuesday in San Jose, California. The Americans won the 2024 Olympic final 1-0 in August to capture a fifth Olympic gold medal for the program.

The USWNT is without nearly half their starters from that game. Forward Sophia Wilson (nee Smith) is on maternity leave, forward Mallory Swanson is on personal leave, and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher recently retired from international duty. In addition to injuries to Girma and Davidson, Rose Lavelle -- a longtime mainstay in midfield -- is also sidelined.

Forward Trinity Rodman has returned to the squad, however, for the first time since the Olympics after dealing with chronic back problems. The 22-year-old said recently that she might not ever be 100% healthy.

"I think the back's very difficult because you can't avoid using it at every moment in a game, every moment of your day-to-day life," Rodman said on Friday. "For me, it is about management and training my back to be in certain positions so I'm not overworking other muscles to overcompensate for it.

"It's been an interesting and hard journey, but it's been good getting back."

Hayes said she will manage Rodman to make sure she doesn't push her too hard too soon. Rodman made her first start of the NWSL season for the Washington Spirit last weekend.

Forward Catarina Macario is expected to play a significant role for the USWNT over the next two games against Brazil, which is her birth country. Macario was born in Brazil and moved to the U.S. with her family in 2012. She acquired U.S. citizenship in 2020 and received her first call-up to the USWNT on the same day.

"I haven't thought about it too much," she said Friday about playing Brazil. "But will obviously be very special -- kind of like a full-circle moment."

Hayes expects Brazil to bring high pressure defensively, which will force her team to make quick decisions. On Friday, she cited the famous Mike Tyson quote about how everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.

"Let's see what we're like when we've been punched in the game," Hayes said. "That's something that I think we're set up to do in the work that we're doing both on the pitch and in the classroom."

Naithan George, the top available point guard in the NCAA transfer portal, has committed to Syracuse, he told ESPN on Friday.

"They told me I'm the main target, the only target," George said. "They were the main ones calling me every day, the head coach, assistants, players. I love Syracuse, the history they have. It's a winning program. We're going to bring them back to the NCAA tournament and go on a run there."

George, who led the ACC in assists at Georgia Tech this season, says he picked the Orange from a long list of schools that included North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Stanford. He averaged 12.3 points, 6.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game as a sophomore.

Born and raised in Toronto, the 6-foot-3 point guard said the proximity to home played a role in his decision, as his family will be able to drive to watch him play.

The Orange have a significant need at his position, with starting point guard Jaquan Carlos graduating.

"They need someone to come in and run the show," George said. "They are returning some great pieces and bringing in new ones. We're going to have shooters everywhere."

This is the third portal commitment coach Red Autry has reeled in this cycle, along with UCLA center William Kyle and Oregon State wing Nate Kingz. Autry also retained his top two scorers in wing J.J. Starling and power forward Donnie Freeman.

Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service used by NBA, NCAA and international teams.

SAN ANTONIO -- Duke reserve forward Maliq Brown said he's ready for a bigger role in the Final Four this weekend after a shoulder injury significantly cut his playing time him in the Blue Devils' games last weekend.

Brown missed four games -- two in the NCAA tournament after two in the ACC tournament -- in the wake of his second left shoulder dislocation. That injury occurred in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament against Georgia Tech. His earlier shoulder injury came Feb. 17 against Virginia.

Duke's plan heading into the Sweet 16 against Arizona was to use Brown only if the game necessitated it. When Duke's front line got into foul trouble, he played four minutes against Arizona and then three minutes in the Blue Devils' dominant win in the Elite Eight against Alabama.

Brown said Friday that he's faring better after a full week of practice and a focus on more live reps from the medical staff. He's said he's ready to return to close to his old role, in which he averaged more than 15 minutes per game.

"So I would definitely say it's a different perspective [from last week]," Brown told ESPN. "I'm not sure of my percentage, but to be honest, I feel good, compared to last week I feel better."

Brown acknowledged that he's not 100 percent. He admitted to being inhibited and thinking about contact last weekend.

"It was definitely a thought -- just a thought," Brown said. "Obviously just going back from a second injury like that so quick. Definitely a thought that was going on my head the first couple days, but I feel like once the first day I got up there, I think it was deflection or something and then I was just locked in.

"Not trying to think about my injury or anything, just trying to keep the team on the same page and just go out there and get that win."

Brown is a 6-foot-9, 222-pound forward whose value to the team belies his modest stats -- 2.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He's a key defensive chess piece for Duke, as his ability to switch, guard multiple positions and deflect passes makes him a disruptive force and a pivotal role player.

He plays an average of 15.8 minutes per game, a number that's watered down because of a handful of injury-shortened performances. He played 29 minutes against Louisville, 25 minutes in Duke's win against Auburn in December and 24 minutes at Arizona.

Brown transferred to Duke this year from Syracuse, sacrificing more minutes and touches for more wins. That includes a chance to play a key role in the Final Four.

"I've been enjoying moment ever since I got here in the summer," Brown said. "Everything that I pretty much thought was going to happen, other than the injuries, [has happened].

"I've been enjoying the moment since I've been here. It's definitely a dream come true from high school, just wanting to obviously put on a Duke uniform."

BOULDER, Colo. -- A horde of NFL talent evaluators headed to the mountains Friday for the Colorado Showcase, where Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter was one of the big draws.

However, it was a limited look as Hunter took part only to run routes as a receiver for quarterback Shedeur Sanders' throwing session.

Hunter, who is expected to be a top-five selection in this year's draft and is the No. 1 player on Mel Kiper Jr.'s Big Board, was not seen when players' heights and weights were taken or for the jumps and 40-yard dash. He was initially not expected to participate in any on-field work before joining the throwing session.

Hunter did not work out at the NFL scouting combine or Big 12 pro day but did meet with teams in Indianapolis. Sanders, one of the top quarterbacks on the board and Kiper's No. 5 player overall, also did not work out at the combine.

Sanders' brother, Colorado safety Shilo Sanders, measured in at 5-foot-11, 196 pounds Friday, but he did not participate in the jumps or bench press that opened the workout, citing a right shoulder injury.

The highly attended event -- by scouts, coaches and personnel executives as well as fans packing small bleachers -- had a festive atmosphere. Colorado coach Deion Sanders named it the "We Ain't Hard 2 Find Showcase," complete with a large lighted "Showcase" sign next to the drills.

Hunter, who has said he wants to play offense and defense in the NFL, won the Chuck Bednarik (top defensive player) and Fred Biletnikoff (top receiver) awards in addition to the Heisman. He said whether he will primarily be a wide receiver or cornerback in the NFL depends "on the team that picks me."

He had 96 catches for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns as a receiver last season to go with 35 tackles, 11 pass breakups and 4 interceptions at cornerback. In the Buffaloes' regular-season finale against Oklahoma State, he became the only FBS player in the past 25 years with three scrimmage touchdowns on offense and an interception in the same game, according to ESPN Research.

Hunter played 1,380 total snaps in Colorado's 12 regular-season games: 670 on offense, 686 on defense and 24 on special teams. He played 1,007 total snaps in 2023.

With all NFL eyes on the Colorado campus to see Sanders throw, one player who made the most of it was wide receiver Will Sheppard, who was not invited to the combine. Sheppard, who measured in at 6-2, 196 pounds, ran his 40s in 4.56 and 4.54 to go with a 40-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-11 broad jump.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -= It looks like Dale Earnhardt Jr. has waved the red flag in a short-lived trademark dispute with Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

The NASCAR legend announced Friday on social media that he has secured the right to use a stylized version of No. 8 and will abandon the original No. 8 logo used by Earnhardt's JR Motorsports. This decision came two days after Jackson filed an opposition claim with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to stop Earnhardt from putting that JR Motorsports version of No. 8 on merchandising.

"We are looking forward to the remainder of an already successful season," Earnhardt wrote on social media.

pic.twitter.com/uZWk8kPlcW

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) April 4, 2025

Jackson, who has worn No. 8 since his college days at Louisville, previously registered the trademark "ERA 8 by Lamar Jackson." His filing had argued Earnhardt's attempt to trademark that particular version of No. 8 would create confusion among consumers.

The trademark review for a challenge can take more than a year. If the U.S. Patent and Trademark appeal board would have denied Earnhardt, Jackson could have sued him if Earnhardt had used it for merchandising.

This isn't the first time that Jackson has tried to stop another athlete from filing a trademark on this number. In July, Jackson challenged Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman's attempt to use "EIGHT" on apparel and bags.

When asked about this dispute last summer, Jackson said, "We're going to keep this about football. That's outside noise. We're sticking with [talking about training] camp, football, and that's it."

At 1:54 ET on Saturday afternoon, New York Yankees play-by-play man Michael Kay lit the fuse on what will be remembered as either one of the most metamorphic conversations in baseball history or one of its strangest.

During spring training, someone in the organization had mentioned to Kay that the team's analytics department had counseled players on where pitches tended to strike their bats, and with subsequent buy-in from some of the players, bats had been designed around that information. In the hours before the Yankees' home game against the Brewers that day, Kay told the YES Network production staff about this, alerting them so they could look for an opportunity to highlight the equipment.

After the Yankees clubbed four homers in the first inning, a camera zoomed in on Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s bat in the second inning. "You see the shape of Chisholm's bat..." Kay said on air. "It's got a big barrel on it," Paul O'Neill responded, before Kay went on to describe the analysis behind the bat shaped like a torpedo.

Chisholm singled to left field, and after Anthony Volpe worked the count against former teammate Nestor Cortes to a full count, Volpe belted a home run to right field using the same kind of bat. A reporter watching the game texted Kay: Didn't he hit the meat part of the bat you were talking about -- just inside where the label normally is?

Yep, Kay responded. Within an hour of Kay's commentary, the video of Chisholm's bat and Kay's exchange with O'Neill was posted on multiple platforms of social media, amplified over and over. What happened over the next 48 hours was what you get when you mix the power of social media and the desperation of a generation of beleaguered hitters. Batting averages are at a historic low, strikeout rates at a historic high, and on a sunny spring day in the Bronx, here were the Yankees blasting baseballs into the seats with what seemed to be a strangely shaped magic bat.

An oasis of offense had formed on the horizon, and hitters -- from big leaguers to Little Leaguers, including at least one member of Congress -- paddled toward it furiously. Acres of trees will be felled and shaped to feed the thirst for this new style of bats. Last weekend, one bat salesman asked his boss, "What the heck have we done?"

Jared Smith, CEO of bat-maker Victus, said, "I've been making bats for 15, 16 years. ... This is the most talked-about thing in the industry since I started. And I hope we can make better-performing bats that work for players."

According to Bobby Hillerich, the vice president of production at Hillerich & Bradsby, his company -- which is based in Louisville, Kentucky, and makes Louisville Slugger bats -- had produced 20 versions of the torpedo bat as of this past Saturday, and in less than a week, that number has tripled as players and teams continually call in their orders.

Said Yankees manager Aaron Boone: "It's taken on a life of its own."