FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — The New York Jets went with protection over a pass catcher with their first-round pick in the NFL Draft. Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu was selected at No. 11 overall by New York after the Jets traded down one spot Thursday night. “I’m just excited about Olu,” general manager Joe Douglas said. “A proven pass protector, left tackle. I feel like he can really develop and become an impact player for us moving forward.” The pick came after the Jets dealt the No. 10 overall selection to the Minnesota Vikings — who took Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy ..read more

Two mistakes by Nestor Cortes doomed the Yankees’ 3-1 loss to the Oakland Athletics on Thursday night at Yankee Stadium. After 1-2-3 first and second innings, Cortes gave up a home run to Nick Allen and a two-run shot to Tyler Nevin in the third inning which created a deficit too great for the Yankees to get out of. Despite those two blips, Cortes went 7.0 innings, allowing thosest three runs on five hits while striking out four. Dennis Santana and Victor Gonzalez both put up scoreless innings apiece out of the bullpen, but the Yankees’ offense sputtered all night, leaving runners in scoring p ..read more

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid is suffering from Bell’s palsy and played Game 3 with a bulky knee brace to sturdy the 7-footer after dealing with injuries all season. The lingering effects of the time off from his most recent knee surgery s ucked him into a depression — and that was before Embiid was hit with a form of facial paralysis. Embiid pushed aside the pain — mental and physical — and embraced the pressure after he vowed the 76ers were “going to win this series” against the New York Knicks. Embiid scored 50 points, making all four 3-point attempts and scoring 18 in ..read more

ELMONT, N.Y. — New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin’s 2024 playoff debut lasted a little over 27 minutes before getting an early hook.  Sorokin made just 11 saves on 14 shots in Game 3 on Thursday night at UBS Arena, allowing the only three goals the Hurricanes scored in what finished as a 3-2 Carolina victory to put the Islanders in an 0-3 first-round series deficit. The decision came from head coach Patrick Roy, who opted to go to Sorokin despite backup Semyon Varlamov having the hotter hand. He won seven of his last eight appearances of the regular season to help the Islanders cl ..read more

The New York Giants have added a talent capable of becoming a bona fide No. 1 receiver in the pros, selecting LSU star Malik Nabers with the No. 6 pick of the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday night in Detroit.  Should general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll believe that Daniel Jones is their quarterback of the future — a notion that could change as the draft progresses — they certainly appear to be doing what they can to surround him with more playmaking talent.  Nabers set an LSU school record with 3,003 receiving yards in his career, including 89 receptions for 1,569 yards ..read more

ELMONT, N.Y. — Left winger Matt Martin will play in Game 3 of the New York Islanders’ first-round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night at UBS Arena.  The veteran fourth-liner had missed Wednesday’s practice and was labeled day-to-day because of maintenance by head coach Patrick Roy, adding that he was a game-time decision and that they would “see after warmups,” ahead of Game 3. Martin took warmups in his usual spot alongside Kyle MacLean and Cal Clutterbuck. For Hockey and IIHF World Championship odds and more, visit VM Hockey In his absence during practi ..read more

The New York Yankees returned DJ LeMahieu from his rehab assignment and will shut him down for at least another week, the team announced Thursday, due to continued swelling in his fractured right foot. The veteran third baseman suffered the injury during spring training on March 16 and has yet to make his season debut. He appeared to take a step in the right direction earlier this week when the team announced he would begin a minor-league rehab assignment on Tuesday with Double-A Somerset.  That lasted all of two innings as the 35-year-old was removed from his first game to undergo furthe ..read more

Tyrone Taylor might just be the Mets’ most valuable offseason acquisition of the early portions of 2024. Brought on as a fourth outfielder by David Stearns, who had him for five seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, the 30-year-old has forced his way into regular playing time — and deservedly so. In 18 games, he’s batting .327 with an .869 OPS, two home runs, and 13 RBI. “I’m definitely happy with the results. It helps build confidence,” Taylor said. “I’m doing a good job in having a consistent approach every at-bat and trying to just put together good at-bats… I’m just thankful to be here with ..read more

The largest indictment surrounding previous playoff runs by the New York Rangers — which ended all too prematurely by their standards — was that their biggest players could not leave their mark on the largest of stages.  Mika Zibanejad is doing everything he can to rectify that notion this postseason. The Blueshirts’ veteran center has a goal and two assists as his side has jumped out to an expected 2-0 advantage in their first-round series against the Washington Capitals. That has nearly matched his output from last year’s first-round series loss to the New Jersey Devils where he could o ..read more

EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — Amidst a decision to change goalies during their first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy was reminded of an old analogy made by his former goaltending coach with the Montreal Canadiens, Francois Allaire, while texting with his dad on Thursday morning ahead of Game 3. Allaire would call Roy’s backup, Brian Hayward, a Cadillac. A smooth, dependable car that helped create one of the best goalie tandems alongside Roy from 1986-1990, featuring three William Jennings Trophies, which is awarded annually to the netminding d ..read more