December 24, 2025 4:14 am
TORONTO (AP) — Max Domi scored the winner with 8:25 remaining to snap a 23-game goalless streak and added an assist to end the Toronto Maple Leafs’ three-game slide with a 6-3 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. William Nylander scored twice and added two assists, and Matias Maccelli and Steven Lorentz also scored for Toronto. Bobby McMann scored an empty-netter to give Toronto its third win this season against the Penguins. Bryan Rust, Rutger McGroarty and Anthony Mantha scored for the Penguins, who have lost nine of their last 10.
December 24, 2025 4:12 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to a two-year deal with All-Star Ryan O’Hearn to boost their struggling offense. A person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the deal is worth $29 million. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because it was not yet official. O’Hearn’s signing is the first multiple-year free-agent deal the Pirates have agreed to since 2016. O’Hearn is coming off the best season of his career. He hit .281 with 17 home runs and 63 RBIs in 2025 and made the All-Star team for the first time while playing for Baltimore and San Diego.
December 23, 2025 2:10 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The NFL has suspended Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf for two games following an altercation with a fan during the team’s victory over Detroit. Metcalf will miss Sunday’s game in Cleveland and the regular-season finale against Baltimore. CBS-TV cameras captured the confrontation between Metcalf and a fan during the second quarter of Pittsburgh’s 29-24 win over Detroit. The fan leaned over the railing and exchanged words with Metcalf before Metcalf ended the confrontation by swinging his right arm in the vicinity of the fan’s face. It’s unclear how much contact Metcalf’s arm made with the fan.
December 23, 2025 4:31 am
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Brock Purdy threw a career-high five touchdown passes and Dee Winters returned an interception 74 yards for a score to lead the San Francisco 49ers to a 48-27 victory at Indianapolis. Purdy was 25 of 34 for 295 yards with one interception and Christian McCaffrey had 146 total yards and two scores. The 49ers won their fifth straight game to stay in the chase for the NFC’s top seed one day after clinching a playoff spot by virtue of Detroit’s loss to Pittsburgh. But 44-year-old Philip Rivers sure didn’t make it easy on San Francisco in his second game back after a five-year layoff. He was 23 of 35 for 277 yards and two TDs before throwing the late interception that sealed it. Indy’s playoff hopes continued to fade with its fifth straight loss.
December 23, 2025 4:32 am
The Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Chargers have qualified for the AFC playoffs with the Indianapolis Colts’ 48-27 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. A fifth consecutive loss by the Colts clinched a seventh straight postseason trip for Josh Allen and the Bills. Justin Herbert and the Chargers are going for the second time in two seasons under coach Jim Harbaugh. Trevor Lawrence is set for his second playoff appearance in five seasons with the AFC South-leading Jaguars. All three teams were in position to advance after winning on the road Sunday.
December 23, 2025 4:33 am
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have announced they will leave their longtime home at Arrowhead Stadium for a new, domed stadium that will be built across the Kansas-Missouri state line and be ready for the start of the 2031 season. The announcement Monday came shortly after a council of top Kansas lawmakers voted unanimously inside a packed room at the state Capitol to allow for STAR bonds to be issued to cover up to 70% of the cost of the stadium and accompanying mixed-use district. The Chiefs have played at Arrowhead in Kansas City, Missouri, since 1972.
December 22, 2025 4:41 am
DETROIT (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers have pushed the Detroit Lions to the brink of elimination from the playoffs thanks to a wild finish. Pittsburgh held on for a 29-24 win when Jared Goff’s touchdown on the final play was negated by an offensive pass-interference penalty on Amon-Ra St. Brown. Goff threw a fourth-down pass to St. Brown just short of the goal line. The receiver pushed off cornerback Jalen Ramsey to get free, and before the Steelers could bring St. Brown to the ground, he threw the quarterback a lateral to set up an apparent score. Officials huddled for some time on the field before announcing the decision.
December 21, 2025 11:43 pm
DETROIT (AP) — Steelers receiver DK Metcalf swiped at a fan leaning over the railing in the front row at Ford Field during the second quarter of Pittsburgh’s 29-24 win over the Detroit Lions. Metcalf and the fan, wearing a black-and-blue shirt and a blue wig, were speaking to each other before the two-time Pro Bowler threw a right hand toward the man’s face. Metcalf did not appear to make much, if any contact. Although there wasn’t a penalty flag thrown on the field, the league will review the incident and Metcalf could face discipline.
December 22, 2025 4:42 am
BALTIMORE (AP) — Drake Maye guided New England to a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, rallying his team from an 11-point deficit to a 28-24 victory over Baltimore that clinched a postseason spot for the Patriots and dealt a devastating blow to the Ravens’ playoff hopes. Down 24-13 in the fourth quarter, Maye answered with a 37-yard scoring strike to Kyle Williams, and a 2-point conversion pass to Rhamondre Stevenson made it a three-point game with 9:01 to play. Then Stevenson scored on a 21-yard run with 2:07 to play. The Ravens lost Lamar Jackson to a back injury in the second quarter.
December 22, 2025 4:37 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby broke Mario Lemieux’s franchise scoring record and Rickard Rakell had the deciding goal in the shootout as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 on Sunday night to snap an eight-game losing streak. Rakell had a goal and an assist in regulation and Noel Acciari also scored for the Penguins. Arturs Silovs had 23 saves for his first win since Nov. 6 against Washington. Oliver Kapanen, Ivan Demidov and Noah Dobson scored for the Canadiens, who saw a brief two-game win streak end. Montreal is 4-1-2 since a 6-1 loss against Tampa Bay on Dec. 9. Jakub Dobes had 28 saves. Kevin Hayes also scored for the Penguins in the shootout and Cole Caulfield tallied for the Canadiens.
