Two-time Stanley Cup champion Florida, Toronto, St. Louis and so many of the perennial contenders not being in the mix down the stretch turned the NHL trade deadline upside down. The Panthers, Maple Leafs and Blues were unfamiliar sellers, opening the gates for a whole new set of buyers who are looking to take the next step into the playoffs and beyond. That includes the New York Islanders, who agreed Friday to a deal with the Blues for versatile forward Brayden Schenn. The Buffalo Sabres got brother Luke Schenn as part of a pair of trades to bolster their odds of ending the league's longest postseason drought.

Caleb Wilson appeared close to returning for No. 17 North Carolina from a fracture to his left hand, just in time for the peak of March.

DULUTH, Ga. (AP) — Hannah Hidalgo scored 25 points, Iyana Moore added 20 points, nine rebounds and three steals, and No. 5 seed Notre Dame beat fourth-seeded N.C. State 81-63 on Friday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The first season for Minnesota under coach Niko Medved has become an iron man event, with injuries depleting the roster and forcing most of the current starters to be ready to play the entire game.

VERONA, Italy (AP) — The Milan Cortina Winter Paralympics officially opened Friday amid the tensions of war in the Middle East, and with some countries boycotting the opening ceremony because of the return of the Russian flag to the global sports stage.

Shohei Ohtani doubled on the first pitch of the game, then hit a go-ahead grand slam and an RBI single in a 10-run second inning to lead defending champion Japan over Taiwan 13-0 Friday night in its World Baseball Classic opener.

Cristiano Ronaldo's hamstring injury is more serious than first thought, Al-Nassr coach Jorge Jesus said Friday.

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Kraken signed captain Jordan Eberle to a two-year contract extension through the 2027-28 season with an average annual value of $5.5 million, general manager Jason Botterill announced Friday morning.

BOSTON (AP) — Celtics star Jayson Tatum's status upgraded to available, clearing way for season debut after Achilles tendon surgery.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Houston Astros All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña may miss opening day because of the broken finger that caused him to be sidelined for the World Baseball Classic.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian soccer club Corinthians completed the signing of former England and Manchester United forward Jesse Lingard on Friday.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Freshman Jordan Speiser scored 18 of her career-high 21 points in the second half and Tess Heal made a go-ahead free throw with 1.3 seconds left as Kansas State rallied to beat No. 4 seed Oklahoma State 74-73 on Friday in the Big 12 Conference Tournament quarterfinals.

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Joyce Edwards scored 21 points, Madina Okot added 12 points and 13 rebounds and No. 3 South Carolina routed 17th-ranked Kentucky 87-64 in the first of four Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinal games Friday at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

Big Ten Player of the Year Lauren Betts had 26 points and eight rebounds and Kiki Rice added 18 points and six assists to help No. 2 UCLA overcome a sluggish start and beat Washington 78-60 in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. UCLA faces either No. 11 Ohio State or No. 19 Minnesota in Saturday’s first semifinal game. The regular-season champion Bruins won their 23rd consecutive game to tie a school record as they try to win their second straight Big Ten tourney crown. Avery Howell finished with 18 points to lead the Huskies, who had a two-game winning streak snapped.

Center Yanic Konan Niederhauser has sustained a serious right foot injury that is putting an early end to his rookie season with the Los Angeles Clippers. The team says he got hurt in a win against Indiana. He has a Lisfranc injury that affects ligaments and bones in the middle of the foot and will require surgery. Niederhauser averaged 4.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 41 games. He started the season in the G League after the Clippers drafted him 30th. He had recently earned more minutes and improved his production after center Ivica Zubac was traded last month.

The Los Angeles Chargers have signed center Tyler Biadasz to help protect quarterback Justin Herbert and strengthen the offensive line. The team adds a proven starter with significant experience. Biadasz started all 31 regular-season games over the last two seasons with the Washington Commanders. He made the Pro Bowl in 2024. He has seven career postseason starts, including the 2024 NFC Championship game. Biadasz entered the NFL as a fourth-round pick in 2020 and started 53 games for Dallas over four seasons.

DULUTH, Ga. (AP) — Toby Fournier had 17 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, Delaney Thomas added 14 points, and No. 13 Duke cruised past Clemson 60-46 in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Friday.

The Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks found their starting quarterback in free agency last year, landing Sam Darnold.

LEEDS, England (AP) — Premier League club Leeds said the booing at Elland Road last weekend when its game against Manchester City was paused to let players observing Ramadan break their fasts was “disappointing and unexpected."

Fernando Mendoza won a Heisman Trophy, led Indiana to its first national championship and will be the No. 1 overall pick when the Las Vegas Raiders are on the clock next month.

Safety Kam Curl is re-signing with the Los Angeles Rams on a three-year, $36 million deal, a person with knowledge of the negotiation tells The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Rams hadn’t announced their new contract with Curl, a key component of their defense for the past two seasons. Curl started 33 of the Rams’ last 34 games, recording 201 tackles and two interceptions. He had a career-high 122 tackles last season, and his interception of Caleb Williams’ pass in overtime led to Los Angeles’ winning field goal against Chicago in the divisional round.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum visited the western state of Jalisco on Friday to address growing security concerns ahead of the upcoming FIFA World Cup following a wave of violence in the region.

The San Jose Sharks signed goalie Alex Nedeljkovic to a two-year, $6 million contract extension before the trade deadline. The 30-year-old Nedeljkovic was a pending free agent and could have been dealt away but now will remain in San Jose to team with Yaroslav Askarov in net for the near future. Nedeljkovic has an 11-9-2 record with a 2.83 goals against average and .902 save percentage in 26 games in his first season with the Sharks. He has won six of his last seven starts with a .935 save percentage and 1.99 goals allowed per game in those outings.

All Times EST

NEW YORK (AP) — The 35 remaining free agents:

NEW YORK (AP) — The 140 free agents who have signed, with name, position, former club if different, and contract. The contract information was obtained by The Associated Press from player and management sources. For players with minor league contracts, terms for major league contract base sa…

The Texas Rangers and outfielder Andrew McCutchen agreed to a minor league contract.

MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid has been fined 15,000 euros ($17,300) by UEFA, along with a suspended partial stadium closure, after a fan was seen giving an apparent Nazi salute moments before kickoff in the Champions League playoffs against Benfica.

Shohei Ohtani put on a giant show in batting practice hours before he hit a grand slam in the second inning as Japan hammered Taiwan 13-0 in Pool C at the World Baseball Classic. It was Japan’s first game of four in pool play. Ohtani spoke to the crowd after the game, bowing and tipping his cap. “It was a good game and we got off to a good start, so I think it was all because of your support,” he said to rising applause as he spoke in Japanese. Ohtani’s batting practice thrilled many who had traveled from afar to see him. Ohtani drew major Western star power to Japan for the game, with actor Timothée Chalamet and pop singer Bad Bunny in the stands.

PARIS (AP) — Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembélé has been included in Paris Saint-Germain's squad for its Ligue 1 game at home to Monaco on Friday.

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Iran will not participate in the Milan Cortina Paralympics because its only athlete set to compete can't safely travel to Italy amid the intensifying Middle East conflict, the International Paralympic Committee said Friday.

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United will raise season ticket prices by 5% at Old Trafford for the 2026-27 campaign and relocate several hundred fans to create more hospitality seats.

HAINAN ISLAND, China (AP) — Mi Hyang Lee played bogey-free in windy conditions on Friday and posted a 6-under 66, giving her a one-shot lead in the Blue Bay LPGA going into the weekend as the South Korean chases her first LPGA title in more than eight years.

International Paralympic Committee says Iranian athlete Aboulfazl Khatibi will not compete at Milan Cortina Paralympics.

Yul Moldauer offers no excuses for the 16-month whereabouts suspension he received from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for missing three drug tests in 2024.

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The NCAA has filed an appeal in the eligibility case of Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.

LONDON (AP) — The numbers tell an ugly story for Tottenham.

LONDON (AP) — Leeds manager Daniel Farke has been given a one-match ban for jogging toward the referee to complain moments after a 1-0 loss to Manchester City last weekend in the Premier League.

New York Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai has a vested interest in getting the most out of female athletes. What she found when she took over the team in 2019 was a major gap in data and training compared to the men. She jump-started efforts to change that by funding the Human Performance Alliance five years ago, and halfway through the 10-year project, she sees a bright future. Wu Tsai says most existing sports science research focuses on male subjects, but that should change as female sports participation has boomed in recent decades.

SYDNEY (AP) — Defending champions China and three-time winners North Korea are through to the Women's Asian Cup quarterfinals after their second consecutive wins in group matches Friday.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama had 38 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks and the San Antonio Spurs never trailed in completing a sweep of Detroit, beating the Pistons 121-106 on Thursday night.

LeBron James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record for career field goals in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-113 loss to Denver on Thursday night, with the Nuggets getting 28 points each from All-Stars Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. James injured his left elbow on a layup that pulled Los Angeles to 110-106 with four minutes to go and left the game. He returned with 2:05 left and the Lakers trailing by a point. The Lakers, however, never were able to take the lead as the Nuggets finished off a crucial wire-to-wire win. James finished with 16 points to go with Luka Doncic’s 27. Jokic had his 23rd triple-double of the season with 28 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists to offset nine turnovers.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jet Greaves made 26 saves, Mathieu Olivier scored twice and the Columbus Blue Jackets dealt another blow to Florida's playoff hopes with a 4-2 victory over the Panthers on Thursday night.

Zion Williamson had 23 points on 10-for-14 shooting, Trey Murphy III added 21 points and the New Orelans Pelicans beat the NBA-worst Sacramento Kings 133-123. Saddiq Bey shot 6 for 11 (3 for 5 from 3-point range)for 20 points for the Pelicans. Williamson added nine rebounds and five assists. Precious Achiuwa had 29 points and 12 rebounds and Russell Westbrook had 19 points and 10 assists for the Kings, who fell to 14-50 overall and lost their ninth in a row at home.

NEW YORK (AP) — Alexis Lafreniere scored the go-ahead goal on a deflection in the third period, and the New York Rangers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-2 on Thursday night to pick up their first regulation win at home in more than three months.

Los Angeles beat the New York Islanders 5-3 for the club’s first victory under interim head coach D.J. Smith. Artemi Panarin scored his first goal in a Kings uniform and added an assist. Mikey Anderson and Adrian Kempe had a goal and an assist apiece for the Kings, and Darcy Kuemper made 31 saves. Bo Horvat scored an improbable goal off a faceoff taken with a second left in the second period for the Islanders, but it didn’t prevent a second straight blowout loss for New York in Southern California. Adam Pelech scored the second short-handed goal of his 11-year career.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Formula 1's Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey said Friday his group was blindsided by the fact its then-incoming works power unit partner Honda had only retained about 30% of its original world championship-winning staff going into the project.

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Tennessee has never failed to qualify for the women's NCAA Tournament.

Venus Williams lost again in her return to Indian Wells, falling in three sets to France’s Diane Parry. On Thursday, Williams dropped the first-round match 6-3, 6-7, 6-1. The 45-year-old entered the BNP Paribas Open with wild cards for singles and doubles. She has now lost her last eight WTA matches. This is her 10th career appearance at the event and her first since 2024, when she also exited in the opening round a wild card. She also lost early at the Australian Open and in Austin last month.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Logyn Greer and Desiree Wooten both scored 10 points in No. 6 seed Colorado's 55-48 win over No. 11 seed Kansas on Thursday night to advance to the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Conference Tournament.