GREEN MAG

San Jose saw four of its players compete at the 2026 Winter Games in Milan over the last couple of weeks, including forward Pavol Regenda for Slovakia, forward Alexander Wennberg for Sweden, forward Philipp Kurashev for Switzerland andforward Macklin Celebrini for Canada,who won silver.

Now, the full team is back and ready to trek along for the remainder of the season, starting with a six-game homestand beginning Thursday, Feb. 26 against theCalgary Flames.

"It's just the same approach every day, no matter what situation you're in," Celebrini told USA TODAY Sports. "That's what I found at the Olympics. It was the biggest stage I've ever played on, and the biggest games I've ever been a part of. So, I think it was just, come back to my same routine, doing all the same things to get prepared, and then whatever happens on the ice, happens."

The Sharks remain hopeful they'll continue playing into late April.

There has been a lot of buzz generating around the Bay Area over the resurgence of a Sharks team that has been in the draft lottery year in and year out and hasn't sniffed the postseason since 2019.

Still, heading back into the regular season with a 27-24-4 record (58 points), San Jose finds itself on the outskirts of a wild card spot in the Western Conference.

Jack Eichel #9 of Team United States and Nathan MacKinnon #29 of Team Canada face off in the first period during the Men's Gold Medal match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy.

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See USA and Canada clash as Olympic rivalry continues

Jack Eichel #9 of Team United States and Nathan MacKinnon #29 of Team Canada face off in the first period during theMen's Gold Medal match between Canada and the United Stateson day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy.

Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky told USA TODAY Sports that they aren't overlooking games, or looking too far down the road. The team is focusing its attention not on the last months of the season, but on how to improve every single day.

"When you walk in the building it says on the left side of the wall 'Focus on Today.' That's what we ask of our players and that's what we'll continue to do," Warsofsky told USA TODAY Sports.

"We gotta focus on today and that was our practice," he said. "(Thursday), we'll get ready for the Calgary Flames. We can't get wrapped in 'we have a six-game homestand, we gotta go 6-0'. Can't do that. Mentally, as (a) human being you get overwhelmed."

Warsofsky, 38, is in his second season as head coach of the Sharks.

He was an assistant coach before being promoted, becoming the youngest NHL head coach in June 2024. Although young, Warsofsky is ensuring that the team remains level-headed and focused on little tasks that make a huge impact.

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"So, we're going to focus, we're gonna have a morning skate tomorrow, it's gonna feel good. There's meetings and (we'll) prepare our players and making sure we execute it and get excited to play in front of our fans," Warsofsky said. "But we can't get wrapped up in the homestand. Today we had practice, we were focused on that and had a good practice."

Celebrini has been one of the bright spots for the Sharks. He is in his second year after being selected with the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL entry draft. Beyond being an Olympic selection for Team Canada, he finds himself in the top five of the NHL scoring leaderboard.

His production has been a big part of the Sharks' turnaround. In his rookie season, the Sharks went just 20-50-12 (52 points).

The 19-year-old phenom echoed some of the same sentiments as Warsofsky regarding the team's focus on the present, rather than looking too far into the future.

"It's a mentality for every game you want to win," Celebrini said. "Especially how important it is for us. Like I said, we're not going to try to look too far ahead, but, I mean, we know. We know how important all these games are."

That mentality is contagious amongst the entire team, setting up for an interesting finish to the season.

After seven years outside the field, the Sharks feel like now's the time to end their playoff drought. Regenda doubled-down, and said that is the goal.

"Everybody wants to win," Regenda told USA TODAY Sports. "Everybody wants to win. Everybody wants to make the playoff. And that's our goal."

Having an opportunity to play for his home country, Slovakia, provided Regenda with a newfound confidence that he needed as the Sharks lean on him and other players down the stretch.

"(I've gained) a little confident in (myself)," Regenda said. "I can play with the big guys. That's my goal, you know, come to the games, be confident and play my game, and, you know, help the team as much as I can."

Regenda said the team is happy to be back on the ice together after the break and is excited about the next couple of games, adding that "nobody wants to lose."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Can the San Jose Sharks make the playoffs? NHL back after Olympics

France League One Soccer

Last weekend's 3-2 home loss by Lens to Monaco opened the door for defending champion PSG to go back on top by two points.

The manner of the defeat saw Lens throw away a 2-0 lead by conceding three goals in 10 minutes, and raised questions about whether Lens has what it takes.

"We want to show that it was a blip," Sotoca said. "We're an ambitious team dreaming of going as far as possible."

As well as chasing its second French title, Lens faces Lyon in the French Cup quarterfinals next week.

Key matchups

Lens travels to the Alsace region to face Strasbourg on Friday. Strasbourg is seventh and can still make the Champions League places with a late push, but coach Gary O'Neil's side remains inconsistent.

PSG plays on Saturday at 13th-placed Le Havre, whose coach Didier Digard hardly sounded confident.

"We have to be realistic. I'd love to make you dream and tell you we're going to win," said Digard, who played one season in midfield for PSG. "But in reality, Paris, even with injuries, is in a completely different world."

After its13-game winning runended, third-placed Lyon faces a tough match at fourth-placed Marseille on Sunday.

A win for Marseille would close the gap on Lyon to two points.

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Players to watch

Striker Estéban Lepaul looks to add to his 12 league goals when Rennes hosts Toulouse on Saturday.

Lepaul is one behind Strasbourg's Joaquín Panichelli and two behind Marseille's Mason Greenwood in the scoring charts. But the fact he takes no penalties — compared to five each for his two rivals — makes him comfortably the top scorer from open play.

Lens goalkeeper Robin Risser will be in the spotlight after his sloppy second-half performance last weekend, when a handling error led to Monaco's equalizer.

Dro Fernández could feature again for PSG. The 18-year-old midfielder, whojoined from Barcelona, started in the 3-0 win against Metz last weekend.

Brazil forward Endrickwas poor against Strasbourg and coach Paulo Fonseca needs him at his best against Marseille.

Out of action

Le Havre is missing stalwart defender Loïc Nego due to a calf injury.

PSG is waiting on the fitness of Ousmane Dembélé, who has a similar injury, while Lyon's Argentina left back Nicolás Tagliafico is recovering from a sprained ankle.

Off the field

With Metz rock bottom in the league and staring another relegation in the face, supporters have had enough. The club's two main Ultras groups — Horda Frénétik and Gruppa Metz — called for a protest march before Sunday's home outing against Brest.

"Season after season, we experience the same scenario (with) no ambitious long-term sporting project to establish the club permanently in Ligue 1," the two groups said in a joint statement. "Fatigue has reached its peak." ___

AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Milan Cortina Olympics Ice Hockey

Having already ruled out center Jack Eichel and defenseman Noah Hanifin from the champion United States, the Golden Knights traveled without Canadian forwards Mark Stone and Mitch Marner and defenseman Shea Theodore.

"Well, it's a challenge to the group, and it's an opportunity for others, so we still got 20 NHL players in our lineup," Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. "Obviously, less room for error when you're missing some real difference-makers."

The United States beat Canada 2-1 in overtime in Milan on Sunday. Eichel, Stone and Marner are Vegas' top three point producers, Theodore and Hanifin lead Vegas defensemen in ice time and points.

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Eichel and Hanifin will join up with the Golden Knights in Washington and are expected to play against the Capitals on Friday night. Cassidy expressed optimism Stone, Marner and Theodore will make the trip from Las Vegas to the East Coast and also be available Friday.

Vegas does have reinforcements coming into the lineup with forwards Brandon Saad (undisclosed) and Colton Sissions (upper body) and defenseman Brayden McNabb (upper body) all having been activated off injured reserve Tuesday.

The Golden Knights have a four-point lead over the second-place Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Division. Vegas willplay 18 games over the next 35 days.

AP NHL:https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Abrego Garcia, whosemistaken deportationhas galvanized both sides of the immigration debate, claims that the criminal prosecution is vindictive, pushed by officials from President Donald Trump's administration to punish him after they were forced to bring him back to the United States.

While Abrego Garcia is a Salvadoran citizen, a court order from 2019 prevents him from being deported to that country. That's because an immigration judge determined he faced danger in El Salvador from a gang that had threatened his family. Abrego Garcia, 30, immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a teenager but has an American wife and child. He has lived and worked in Maryland for years under the supervision of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

After he wasdeported to El Salvadorlast year, theU.S. Supreme Court ruledthe Trump administration had to work to bring him back. He was eventually returned to the U.S. only to face criminal charges of human smuggling based on a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee. He has pleaded not guilty.

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Body camera footagefrom a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer shows a calm exchange with Abrego Garcia after he was pulled over for speeding. There were nine passengers in the car, and the officers discussed among themselves their suspicions of smuggling. However, Abrego Garcia was eventually allowed to continue driving with only a warning.

U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw previously found some evidence that the prosecution against Abrego Garcia "may be vindictive." The judge said many statements by Trump administration officials "raise cause for concern." He cited a statement by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that seemed to suggest the Department of Justice charged Abrego Garcia because he won his wrongful-deportation case.

Abrego Garcia's attorneys have been sparring with prosecutors for months over whether officials like Blanche would be required to testify at Thursday's hearing and what emails Department of Justice officials would have to turn over to them. First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Rob McGuire has argued that he alone made the decision to prosecute, so the motives of other officials were irrelevant.

Crenshaw reviewed many of the disputed documents. In an order that was unsealed in late December, he wrote, "Some of the documents suggest not only that McGuire was not a solitary decision-maker, but he in fact reported to others in DOJ and the decision to prosecute Abrego may have been a joint decision."

APTOPIX Jesse Jackson

The protégé of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. andtwo-time presidential candidatewill lie in repose for two days at the headquarters of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition before events in Washington, D.C., andSouth Carolina, where he was born.

"The outpouring of love and support received from around the globe has been abundant and deeply felt," Jackson's family members said in a recent statement.

Jacksondied last weekat age 84 after battling arare neurological disorderthat affected his mobility and ability to speak in his later years.

Remembrances have already poured infrom around the globe,and several U.S. states, including Minnesota, Iowa and North Carolina, are flying flags at half-staff in his honor.

But perhaps nowhere has his death been felt as strongly as in the nation's third-largest city, where Jackson lived for decades and raised his six children, including a son who is a congressman.

Bouquets have been left outside the family's Tudor-style home on the city's South Side for days. Public schools have offered condolences, and city trains have used digital screens to display Jackson's portrait and his well-known mantra, "I am Somebody!"

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His causes, both in the United States and abroad, were countless: Advocating for the poor and underrepresented on issues including voting rights, job opportunities, education and health care. He scored diplomatic victories with world leaders, and through his Rainbow PUSH Coalition, he channeled cries for Black pride and self-determination into corporate boardrooms, pressuring executives to make America a more open and equitable society.

"We honor him, and his hard-earned legacy as a freedom fighter, philosopher, and faithful shepherd of his family and community here in Chicago," Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement.

Next week, Jackson willlie in honor at the South Carolina Statehouse, followed by public services. According to Rainbow PUSH's agenda, Gov. Henry McMaster is expected to deliver remarks, however the governor's office said Thursday that his participation wasn't yet confirmed. Jackson spent his childhood and started his activism in South Carolina.

Details on services in Washington have not yet been made public. However, he will not lie in honor at the United States Capitol rotunda after arequest for the commemoration was deniedby the House Speaker Mike Johnson's office.

The two weeks of events will wrap up next week with a large celebration of life gathering at a Chicago megachurch and finally, homegoing services at the headquarters of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

Family members said the services will be open to all.

"His life is broad enough to cover the full spectrum of what it means to be American," his eldest son,Jesse Jackson Jr., told reporters recently. "We only ask people to come and be respectful in context of the extraordinary life he lived."