MONTREAL – Oliver Kapanen scored his 20th of the season as the Montreal Canadiens held on for a 3-1 win and handed the Toronto Maple Leafs their eighth consecutive loss on Tuesday night.

Phillip Danault also scored, while Jake Evans added an empty-net goal for Montreal (35-18-10). Jakub Dobes made 17 saves.

William Nylander replied for struggling Toronto (27-27-11), which is on track to miss the playoffs after nine consecutive trips to the post-season.

Joseph Woll stopped 30 shots in a solid outing.

The Maple Leafs entered the night 11 points outside the playoffs and 13 behind the Canadiens, who held the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Kapanen opened the scoring 4:46 into the first period, finishing a slick passing play with Ivan Demidov and Alex Newhook with a deke from the goal line. Demidov held off two Maple Leafs in the corner before sending the puck to Newhook, who fed Kapanen down low.

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Danault then capitalized on a fortuitous bounce to put the Canadiens up 2-0 at 14:41 as Kaiden Guhle’s dump-in ricocheted off the glass and rolled in front of the Maple Leafs’ net, gifting the veteran centre his fifth of the season.

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Nylander buried his 22nd from a give-and-go with Easton Cowan, putting Toronto on the board at 14:33 in the second after Dobes’ flurry of saves kept it a two-goal game with the Leafs pressing.

TAKEAWAYS

Canadiens: Besides two shifts on the power play, Cole Caufield sat at the end of the Canadiens’ bench from late in the second period through the end of the game. Montreal’s leading goal scorer appeared to be in some discomfort, with trainers occasionally checking in, though it was unclear when he was injured.

Maple Leafs: The Canadiens dominated play early, toying with the Leafs in the offensive zone to lead the game 2-0 — and the shot count 15-8 — after 20 minutes. Toronto pushed back in the second period with Nylander cutting into the lead after Montreal missed several opportunities to pile on, but Montreal hung on in the third.

KEY MOMENT

Late in the first period, veteran Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher, after he interfered with Cowan, fought Leafs defenceman Jake McCabe as the building erupted.

KEY STAT

Toronto captain Auston Matthews — a former 69-goal scorer — extended his goalless streak to 12 games.

UP NEXT

Maple Leafs: Host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.

Canadiens: Visit the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2026.

&copy 2026 The Canadian Press

At Montreal’s Verdun Auditorium, the dream of playing professional hockey is already a reality.

But a new collaboration is hoping to inspire the next generation long before they step onto the ice.

Toy giant Mattel, through its iconic Barbie brand, has partnered with CCM Hockey on a new apparel and hockey gear collection.

The goal is to help young girls see themselves in the sport.

“I know it’s kind of a stereotype in a sense that girls who are more sporty are not as girly. But this allows girls to express themselves,” said Nicole Gosling, Montreal Victoire defender.

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“You see it with our game day walk in fits — so many girls are showing off their style and I think that’s important.”

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Women’s hockey has seen a surge in visibility in recent years, especially with the launch of the professional women’s hockey league.

In Montreal, the Montreal Victoire are helping lead that momentum. But brands say growing the game starts much earlier.

“Growing the game is super important for us at CCM hockey,” said Catherine Ward, vice-president of Product Commercialization & Innovation at CCM Hockey. “So this was an initiative to be not as traditional, a bit more inclusive, and bring new girls into the game.”

Experts say pairing Canada’s national sport with one of the world’s most recognizable brands creates a powerful crossover, one that could introduce hockey to a whole new generation.

‘A lot of girls who are sort of on the edge of if they should play or not, will just feel right at home — very at ease — wearing that equipment and feeling really recognizable as a female,” said Rocco Matteo, E3 Consulting managing partner.

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The Rangers are getting closer to having their captain back.

J.T. Miller, on injured reserve since March 3 with an upper-body injury, participated in the Blueshirts’ optional morning skate Tuesday while wearing a red non-contact jersey ahead of their game against the Flames — marking his first time practicing in a team capacity since landing on IR for a second time this season.

While head coach Mike Sullivan said the Rangers will take each day as it comes in regards to Miller being able to eventually shed the non-contact jersey, he anticipated it being “sooner than later.” Miller, who participated in the morning skate alongside defenseman Vincent Iorio and forward Jaroslav Chmelar, is eligible to return from injured reserve at any point, as he has already missed the minimum of seven days.

“He’s had a few number of skates on his own,” Sullivan said at the Garden. “… He joined the group today. Obviously suggests progress.”

When Miller returns, it’ll provide a jolt to a suddenly surging Rangers group that has picked up at least a point in five of six games since the Olympic break, creating a bit of a bright spot in a lost season where they still sit in the Eastern Conference basement. The last three games — two wins, including a 6-2 victory against the Flyers on Monday, and a regulation loss — have occurred with Miller sidelined while the 32-year-old recovered from a new upper-body injury. He also missed nine games across two separate stretches earlier this year.

Miller, in his first full season since returning to the Blueshirts and earning their captaincy, has collected 14 goals and 38 points, mostly struggling to produce after collecting 70 points last year and a career-best 103 in 2023-24.

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Jonathan Quick will make his 21st start and 22nd appearance of the season for the Rangers on Tuesday, and while he entered the night with an .888 save percentage and a 3.20 goals against average, Sullivan defended the 40-year-old, said “stats can be deceiving” and admitted that Igor Shesterkin’s stint on injured reserve — which forced Quick to start nine games heading into the Olympic break — impacted his numbers.

“When the roster was put together, I don’t think anybody had the intention of Quickie having to take the ball for that length of time,” Sullivan said, “so I think that had an influence on his overall numbers, but if you look at his game-by-game performance, he’s digging in and he’s giving us a chance to win.

“He’s making timely saves for us most nights that he’s in there, and that’s really what we can ask of him. I think he’s an inspiration to our group, just in how he carries himself. He’s a Stanley Cup champion. I think he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer.”

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Vladislav Gavrikov’s three-game goal streak ended Monday, but the defenseman picked up a pair of assists — on goals by Mika Zibanejad and Tye Kartye — to extend his point streak to five games. That marks the longest of his career.

PORT ST. LUCIE — Luke Weaver is less than thrilled by the perception that his 2025 performance was a regression from his 2024 breakout, when he received accolades for his work in the Yankees bullpen.

On the surface, his surge in ERA from 2.89 to 3.62 tells that story. But Weaver, who arrived to the Mets on a two-year contract worth $22 million, would argue he was just as dominant, if not better, last year.

Two September appearances, in a span of five days, brought havoc to his ERA. He allowed eight earned runs combined against the Tigers and Twins over two-thirds of an inning and suddenly a 2.81 ERA increased by more than a full run.

Such is the life of a reliever, on whom perceptions can change based on a bad outing or two. 

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Adding Bennedict Mathurin and Darius Garland has given them the youth and scoring they lacked before the trade deadline. Those additions alongside Kawhi Leonard make the Clippers much more dangerous than their record suggests.

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Why Trust New York Post Betting

Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.

This one was easy to foresee.

Trying to locate a pathway to lead for wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson back to the Giants was not a wasteful endeavor, as the team wanted the player and the player did not discount staying with the team.

There was always the feeling, though, that the Giants would not be the highest bidder for Robinson and that his greatest NFL advocate — Brian Daboll — would do everything in his power to get Robinson to Tennessee.

The start of NFL free agency arrived at noon Monday, when teams were officially allowed to begin negotiating with players.

Clearly, the Titans and Robinson had more than an inkling that they were meant for each other.

The Giants’ leading receiver in 2025 will move on to Nashville, running routes for Daboll, his former head coach and, now, his current offensive coordinator, on a four-year, $78 million deal with $38 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network.

The Giants braced themselves for this, realizing Robinson’s eventual new contract was going to exceed what they established as his value.

The Giants were never going to approach nearly $20 million a year for him. It is believed they were willing to go as high as $14 million per year to retain the 25-year-old Robinson, but the Titans — with $92 million in salary cap space, second in the league to the Raiders —anted up more to get him.

Daboll was instrumental in the Giants selecting the diminutive Robinson in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and Daboll was instrumental in alerting his new boss, Titans head coach Robert Saleh, that he needed Robinson operating out of the slot to make his passing attack go.

Follow The Post’s live updates of all the signings, rumors and deals from NFL free agency.

And so, the Giants need to replace the 92 receptions and 1,014 yards — both team highs — Robinson contributed last season. In his four years, Robinson had 268 catches, 2,465 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

He also was a calming presence in the locker room, a team-first battler who was pained by all the losing he endured with the Giants. He is well-versed in Daboll’s system and will be expected to be an inviting target for quarterback Cam Ward in his second NFL season the way he was for Jaxson Dart as a rookie.

Daboll always believed in the 5-foot-8 Robinson, even after he tore his right ACL six games into his NFL career.

The Giants’ offense, now under the direction of offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, is not expected to prioritize using a short slot receiver, making Robinson less of a must-sign than his past production would indicate.

They have much work to do for their wide receiver corps to keep any opposing defensive coordinator up at night.

Malik Nabers is coming off a torn right ACL that limited him to less than one-half of football with Dart in 2025. The Giants have Darius Slayton returning for an eighth year with the team but he is coming off a sub-standard season.

The Giants need Nabers to return to full health — the expectation is that he will be ready prior to the start of the season — and likely need to add both a No. 2 and No. 3 receiver, with free agency providing one avenue and the upcoming NFL draft another.

Daniel Jones received $40 million per season with the Giants.

He now believes he’s a $50 million quarterback.

The Colts quarterback turned down an offer in the range of Sam Darnold’s Seahawks pact — three years, $100.5 million — since he and his camp believed he deserves a deal closer to $50 million per season due to the leverage he would have with a franchise tag, according to Sports Illustrated.

Rather than use the $43.9 million franchise tag on Jones, the Colts pivoted and instead opted for the rarely used transition tag worth $37.8 million.

The transition tag allows Jones to negotiate with other teams and the Colts can match a potential offer, although they receive no compensation should he sign elsewhere.

Indications are the Colts and Jones want to find a way to extend their partnership but, as always, cash rules everything around us.

Jones is looking to cash in after a resurgent first season with Indianapolis, while the Colts are surely factoring in the torn right Achilles he suffered late in the year that will complicate his offseason rehab and possibly his availability for the 2026 season, plus his dip in production as the year went on.

The ex-first-round pick guided the Colts to a 7-1 start while throwing 13 touchdowns to three interceptions, before the Colts went 1-4 while he tossed six touchdowns to five interceptions in that five-game stretch.

SI’s Albert Breer noted that it makes sense for the two parties to find middle ground.

Jones, 28, risks potentially missing out on what could be his last major payday, especially coming of an injury that will affect his preparation for the 2026 season.

He would be setting himself up better for future success by remaining with a team where he’s already established comfortability rather than having to learn a whole new system.

The Colts, meanwhile, could always use the transition tag or franchise tag next season, but by then they may regret having passed up a less-costly deal now since the cap — and quarterback costs — keep rising.

The transition tag allows Jones to sign with other teams by July 21 before he can only negotiate with the Colts, and this year’s free agency class is not all that inspiring.

Green Bay backup quarterback Malik Willis is considered the top option, while Kyler Murray will attempt to revitalize his career somewhere else and Tua Tagovailoa is now on the market after being released by the Dolphins on Monday morning.

Teams may like Jones more than those options, but the transition tag means they may negotiate a contract for Indianapolis since the Colts have the right of refusal.

TORONTO – Ryan Nembhard’s had many great influences in his basketball career. His father Claude is the chief executive officer of the Ontario Basketball Association, his brother Andrew is the starting point guard for the Indiana Pacers, he grew up around Toronto Raptors star RJ Barrett.

But now Jason Kidd — one of the best point guards in NBA history — is his head coach on the Dallas Mavericks.

The youngest Nembhard signed a two-way deal with the Mavericks in July and he has become a fixture in Dallas’s rotation, appearing in 43 games so far this season.

The native of Aurora, Ont., said that he’s enjoyed learning from Kidd, who was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as an individual in 2018 and again in 2025 as a member of the so-called Redeem Team that won men’s Olympic basketball gold for the United States in 2008.

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“One of the greatest guards to ever do it, a super high basketball IQ and just understanding of the game,” said Nembhard on Sunday before Toronto routed the Mavericks 122-92. “He’s taught me a lot, and it’s been nice to learn from him and take a lot in.”

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The 22-year-old Nembhard played two seasons of U.S. collegiate ball at Creighton before transferring to Gonzaga for two more years of NCAA basketball. In the 2024-25 season Nembhard averaged 10.5 points, 9.8 assists and three rebounds over 35 games for the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

His 344 assists were the most of any NCAA men’s basketball player that season.

Despite that collegiate success, Nembhard said he still has room to grow.

“It’s been a learning process, obviously, but it’s been good,” said Nembhard in the visitors’ locker room at Scotiabank Arena. “Vets and the team in general have been helping me out throughout the process, just learning on the fly.

“I think I’ve picked it up pretty well.”

Nembhard was averaging 6.6 points, 4.7 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 0.3 steals over 18.5 minutes per game heading into Sunday. He had two points, two assists, a rebound and a steal in five minutes of play against the Raptors.

Kidd said that Nembhard isn’t afraid of NBA-calibre competition and that having an older brother in the league likely helps, too.

“So he understands what it means to work and be counted on. He deserves that contract,” said Kidd. “He’s played extremely well for us, and we need him to do that for the rest of the season.”

Barrett, who grew up playing with Andrew Nembhard, said that Ryan Nembhard has “always been around.”

“Him and my little brother (Nathan) were roommates at Montverde Academy (a prep school in Florida) and everything,” said Barrett. “So, Ryan’s like a little brother to me, and it’s great to see him out there.”

Added Barrett with a laugh: “He stole the ball from me, though. I’m just happy to see him out there getting a shot.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 9, 2026.

&copy 2026 The Canadian Press

A two-hour commute one way may sound daunting to some, but for Matthew Dos Santos and his mother, Ana, it has built a bond that has brought them closer together and laid a foundation that has helped the 17-year-old become a breakout star for Red Bull New York. 

Every day for training, since he first joined the Red Bull Academy nine years ago, Dos Santos and his mom, Ana, have made the trip from Sandy Hook, Conn., to the club’s training facility in New Jersey. It has given them a chance to connect and has made his meteoric rise this season even more special. 

“I think that’s what makes it so special for me to be where I’m at now, because those two-hour rides really help me with the relationship with my mom and my dad [Mauro Cesar Dos Santos],” Dos Santos told The Post. “Having those conversations about training, having those conversations about games is what kind of got me here to this point.” 

Dos Santos was back in the Red Bulls starting lineup Sunday in their 3-0 loss to CF Montréal after he played so well through the first two weeks of the season that the Red Bulls had no choice but to elevate him from a second-team contract to an MLS deal. If they didn’t, he would not have been eligible to play for the first team for the rest of the season. 

The teenager played 61 minutes and was effective in moving the ball with five of six accurate long balls. 

He helped create a chance in the 41st minute when he sent a cross to Adri Mehmeti. 

The header by Mehmeti was blocked. 

It comes after he had helped set up Julian Hall’s goal in the second game of the season against New England. 

There’s been plenty to appreciate about Dos Santos’ play on the pitch, but Red Bulls U18 coach Jonathan Rhodes told The Post the “secret sauce” that’s helped him grow over his career has been the family support that the young defender has. 

“He has such a good network around him. His family is so stable with him,” Rhodes said. “Whenever he’s had challenges in the academy, they’ve been supportive. … There’s lots of ups and downs throughout their career, but in his young career with the academy and then with the first team here, his parents, his network around him, so supportive of him, and so stable. They don’t get too high when it’s going well, they don’t get too low. They trust the process for him.” 

“I see how humble and dedicated he is every day,” Ana said of her son. “He works incredibly hard, respects his teammates and coaches, and always stays focused on improving both as a player and as a person. I hope people watching him play can see his love for the game and the hard work that brought him here.” 

Sunday’s loss was the first piece of adversity the young Red Bulls squad has faced after getting wins through the first two weeks of the season. Despite outshooting and controlling ball possession by a 67 percent-to-33 percent margin, CF Montréal scored three times on keeper Ethan Horvath. 

Prince Owusu scored on a penalty kick in the eighth minute and former Red Bull midfielder Wiki Carmona scored in the 44th and 68th minutes for CF Montréal.

TORONTO – RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., had a season-high 31 points to lead the Toronto Raptors in a 122-92 rout of the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.

Barrett add six rebounds and three assists as Toronto (36-27) won for the first time in three games. Jakob Poeltl had a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards.

Scottie Barnes added 17 points and five assists for the Raptors, who are trying to hold on to the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Daniel Gafford’s double-double couldn’t help Dallas (21-43) snap its seven-game losing skid. He had 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Rookie sensation Cooper Flagg had 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Reserve guard Ryan Nembhard of Aurora, Ont., added two points, two assists and a rebound as the Mavericks cleared their bench with five minutes left to play.

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Trayce Jackson-Davis dislocated his right middle finger during warm-ups, leaving Toronto short-handed at centre with rookie Collin Murray-Boyles already out with a sprained left thumb.

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TAKEAWAYS

Mavericks: Although Dallas had 27 second-chance points to the Raptors’ 12, the visitors were dominated in transition, getting four fast-break points while Toronto scored 21 on the break.

Raptors: A solid 48-for-95 (50.5 per cent) night on field-goal attempts helped Toronto overcome a poor three-point shooting performance where the Raptors went 10-for-36 (27.8 per cent) from beyond the arc. Toronto also shared the ball well, getting 39 assists to the Mavericks’ 22, even as it was outrebounded 48-41. The Raptors took care of the ball with only eight turnovers to Dallas’s 20.

KEY MOMENT

Brandon Ingram’s seven-foot running pull-up shot with 6:28 left in the third quarter capped a 10-0 Raptors run. It also gave Toronto a 21-point lead, its largest of the game to that point.

KEY STAT

Barrett became the eighth Canadian in NBA history to reach 8,000 career points. He joined Steve Nash (17,387), Andrew Wiggins (15,074), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (12,971), Jamal Murray (11,126), Rick Fox (8,966), Kelly Olynyk (8,253) and Dillon Brooks (8,014). Barrett has 8,018 points in his career.

UP NEXT

Dallas: Visits the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday.

Toronto: Visits the Houston Rockets on Tuesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2026.

&copy 2026 The Canadian Press