Minnesota pulled its goaltender in overtime and Matt Boldy scored to lift the Wild to a 4-3 victory over the Nashville Predators on Sunday at Xcel Energy Center.

Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury skated off 3:30 into OT, giving Minnesota a 4-on-3 advantage. Seconds later, Boldy got a pass from Mats Zuccarello and beat Predators goalie Juuse Saros for his 24th goal.

Nashville’s Ryan O’Reilly scored a power-play goal with 2:02 remaining in regulation, helping the Predators avoid what would have been their first regulation loss since Feb. 15. Nashville is 10-0-2 in its last 12 games.

Both teams scored in each of the three regulation periods. Ryan Hartman gave the Wild a 3-2 lead with an unassisted breakaway goal in the third.

Minnesota’s Joel Eriksson Ek was called for hooking with 2:47 to play, and O’Reilly’s 24th goal tied it at 3.

The first period had two fights. Minnesota’s Marcus Foligno and Nashville’s Michael McCarron dropped the gloves 2:57 into the game. The Wild’s Mason Shaw and Predators forward Kiefer Sherwood went at each other just less than seven minutes later.

Minnesota scored its first goal just 19 seconds after Foligno and McCarron went to the penalty box for their fighting majors. Jonas Brodin collected a rebound that escaped a scrum in front of the net and buried his seventh goal of the season.

Nashville tied it at 1 9:00 into the period. Sherwood passed from behind the net to Mark Jankowski, who beat Fleury for his third of the season.

The teams traded goals again in the second. Nashville’s Luke Evangelista gathered a bouncing puck off the skate of a Wild player and fired past Fleury for a 2-1 lead at 3:36.

Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov notched his 31st goal of the year on a power play late in the second.

Sunday marked the 1,000th game played by the Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The arena opened in 2000.

By Jake Coyle, Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Protests over over Israel’s war in Gaza snarled traffic around the Academy Awards on Sunday, slowing stars’ arrival at the red carpet and turning the Oscar spotlight toward the ongoing conflict.

Scattered demonstrations were held in the vicinity around the Oscars on Sunday. Los Angeles police, which had expected protests, beefed up their already extensive presence. The Dolby Theatre and the red carpet leading into it are cordoned off for several blocks in every direction.

But protesters carrying signs and chanting for ceasefire disrupted traffic near security checkpoints on Sunset Blvd. Some arrivals were slowed by as much as an hour. Some protesters shouted “Shame!” at those trying to reach the Oscars. Police in helmets and wielding batons declared an unlawful assembly and threatened arrest.

Several attendees, including Billie Eilish and Finneas, best song nominees for “What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie,” wore pins for Gaza. Ava DuVernay and Ramy Youssef were also among those wearing pins.

Protesters gather during a demonstration in support of Palestinians calling for a ceasefire in Gaza as the 96th Academy Awards Oscars ceremony is held nearby, Sunday, March 10, 2024, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

The Oscars, kicking off on ABC at 7 p.m. EDT Sunday, are springing forward an hour earlier than usual due to daylight saving time. But aside from the time shift, this year’s show is going for many tried-and-true Academy Awards traditions. Jimmy Kimmel is back as host. Past winners are flocking back as presenters. And a big studio epic is poised for a major awards haul.

“Oppenheimer,” the blockbuster biopic, is widely expected to overpower all competition — including its release-date companion, “Barbie” — at an election-year Oscars that could turn into a coronation for Christopher Nolan.

Still, much is circling around this year’s show. Aside from the Israel-Hamas war, the war in Ukraine will be on some attendees’ minds, particularly those of the journalist filmmakers behind the documentary favorite, “20 Days in Mariupol.”

“Our hearts are in Ukraine,” said Mstyslav Chernov, the Ukrainian filmmaker and AP journalist who directed “20 Days in Mariupol.”

And with the presidential election in full swing, politics could be an unavoidable topic despite an awards season that’s played out largely in a vacuum.

Hollywood also has plenty of its own storm clouds to concern itself with.

(L-R) Billie Eilish, America Ferrera and FINNEAS attend the 96th Annual Academy Awards on March 10, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)

The 2023 movie year was defined by a prolonged strike over the future of an industry that’s reckoning with the onset of streaming, artificial intelligence and shifting moviegoer tastes that have tested even the most bankable brands. The academy, while also widely nominating films like “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Poor Things,” embraced both “Oppenheimer,” the lead nominee with 13 nods, and Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” the year’s biggest hit with more than $1.4 billion in ticket sales and eight nominations.

HOW TO WATCH

Ahead of the broadcast on ABC, a red carpet preshow will begin at 6:30 p.m. EST. E! will kick off its red-carpet coverage at 4 p.m. EST and arrivals are being streamed on YouTube by The Associated Press.

The show will be available to stream via ABC.com and the ABC app with a cable subscription. You can also watch through services including Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and FuboTV.

WHAT’S IN STORE FOR THE TELECAST

Five past winners in each acting category will together announce winners for the first time since 2009. Among the many announced presenters are: Zendaya, Al Pacino, Jennifer Lawrence, Michelle Yeoh, Steven Spielberg, Dwayne Johnson, Matthew McConaughey, Lupita Nyong’o, Mahershala Ali, Nicolas Cage and Bad Bunny.

All of the best original song nominees will be performed, including the most likely winner, “What Was I Made For” from “Barbie,” to be performed by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell. The others are: “I’m Just Ken,” with Ryan Gosling and Mark Ronson; “The Fire Inside,” from “Flamin’ Hot,” to be performed by Becky G; Jon Batiste’s “It Never Went Away” from “American Symphony”; and “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People),” from “Killers of the Flower Moon,” to be performed by Scott George and the Osage Singers.

WHO ARE THE FAVORITES?

“Oppenheimer” comes in having won at the producers, directors and actors guilds, making it the clear front-runner for best picture. The film is widely expected to win in a number of other categories, too. Nolan is tipped to win his first best director Oscar, while Robert Downey Jr. (best supporting actor) and Cillian Murphy (best actor) are also predicted to win their first Academy Award. Paul Giamatti (“The Holdovers”) could challenge Murphy.

With the forecasted “Oppenheimer” romp, the night’s biggest drama is in the best actress category. Emma Stone (“Poor Things”) and Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”) are nearly even-odds to win. While an Oscar for Stone, who won for her performance “La La Land,” would be her second statuette, an win for Gladstone would make Academy Awards history. No Native American has ever won a competitive Oscar.

While “Barbie” bested (and helped lift) “Oppenheimer” at the box office, it appears likely it will take a back seat to Nolan’s film at the Oscars. Gerwig was notably overlooked for best director, sparking an outcry that some, even Hillary Clinton, said mimicked the patriarchy parodied in the film.

In supporting actress, Da’Vine Joy Randolph has been a lock all season for her performance in Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers.”

WHAT ELSE TO LOOK FOR

Composer John Williams, 92, is expected to attend the ceremony where he’s nominated for the 49th time for best score, for “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ” Meanwhile Godzilla is going to the Oscars for the first time, with “Godzilla Minus One” notching a nomination for best visual effects.

Also for the first time, two non-English language films are up for best picture: the German-language Auschwitz drama “The Zone of Interest” and the French courtroom drama “Anatomy of a Fall.” “The Zone of Interest” is the heavy favorite to win best international film.

Historically, having big movies in the mix for the Oscars’ top awards has been good for broadcast ratings. The Academy Awards’ largest audience ever came when James Cameron’s “Titanic” swept the 1998 Oscars.

Last year’s ceremony, where a very different best-picture contender in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” triumphed, was watched by 18.7 million people, up 12% from the year prior. ABC and the academy are hoping to continue the upward trend after a nadir in 2021, when 9.85 million watched a pandemic-diminished telecast relocated to Los Angeles’ Union Station.

Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP.

While Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus fills out his coaching staff, general manager Ryan Poles and the front office are preparing for the NFL scouting combine ahead of a potentially momentous draft with the Nos. 1 and 9 picks.

As he does every Wednesday, the Tribune’s Brad Biggs tackles reader questions in the Bears mailbag.

Do you recall another time when Bears fans have been this divided over an incumbent QB? I don’t believe even Ryan Poles truly knows what he will decide given he hasn’t seen what teams will offer for the No. 1 pick. Agree? — @rgbears69

I try to avoid the back-and-forth over the topic, to be honest with you. I’m not sure the masses are quite as divided as some believe. I imagine Poles will field phone calls, but barring something extraordinary, I believe he will stick at No. 1 and draft a quarterback. If the Bears arrive at a point in the evaluation process where they have strong conviction on a quarterback at the top of the draft, Poles should say, “No, thanks,” if he receives calls about the pick.

It simply doesn’t make sense to be at the top of the draft for two consecutive years and have an offense that is so consistently deficient throwing the ball and not take a quarterback. The Bears have a better roster in place than many teams that draft a quarterback at No. 1, and that’s in large part because the selection came from the Carolina Panthers. This shapes up to be an exciting, talented quarterback class, and if not now, when? It’s pretty clear to me the Bears will use a first-round pick, and likely the No. 1 selection, on a quarterback.

As I have written a few times, the idea they could trade down and secure the quarterback they want seems far-fetched. When Poles, coach Matt Eberflus and everyone involved reaches a conclusion on the quarterback draft board, eventually they will need to share that information with President/CEO Kevin Warren and ownership. They probably will be asked to summarize what went into their order. They surely will be asked some questions.

How in the world could Poles then explain to Warren and Chairman George McCaskey what went wrong if they came out of the draft without the top quarterback on their board? They have the first pick. Trading out of No. 1 would create an element of risk and they no longer would control the board.

Can you knock down the commentary crediting Ryan Poles with “the most lopsided trade in NFL history”? As things now stand, the Bears certainly have gotten more from last year’s trade of the No. 1 pick than the Panthers (though improvement from Bryce Young could eventually alter that assessment). Credit/blame for the outcome, however, belongs more with the Panthers than with Poles. If the Panthers had taken C.J. Stroud, as a number of wise heads recommended, no NFL GM on the planet (Poles’ press comments to the contrary) would have preferred the Bears’ side of the trade. I suspect that’s true even if you ignore that the Bears wouldn’t have gotten the first pick if Stroud had quarterbacked the Panthers. Elite QB play is priceless and in assessing the wisdom of passing on the opportunity to draft it, consideration should be given not only to the outcome of last year’s trade but to what that outcome could/should have been. — Dennis R.

I haven’t seen a lot of stuff claiming it was the most lopsided trade in league history. Jimmy Johnson might want a word with anyone making that assertion. He swapped running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings in a 1989 deal that involved 18 players and draft picks and helped fuel a run of three championships for the Dallas Cowboys.

It was a great trade by Poles. He wound up getting a No. 1 wide receiver in DJ Moore and, with a bit of luck, made a move with a team that went in the tank, earning the Bears the No. 1 pick again this year. I could make a very compelling case that the Bears would be better off right now had they remained at No. 1 and selected Stroud. Some would counter that he would have struggled without the assets the Bears received in the trade (Moore, right tackle Darnell Wright, etc.).

I won’t discount that, but it’s a lot easier to fix a wide receiver issue than a quarterback problem. Stroud joined a Houston Texans roster that was really bad in 2022 and he turned that organization around almost immediately. He was throwing to a group of receivers who were, at the start of the season anyway, just a bunch of guys.

What really matters is what Poles does moving forward, not whether we consider if he swindled the Panthers or the Panthers made a blunderous decision. For the Bears to get where they want to go, they have to nail this draft. They need to get their quarterback situation righted like the Texans did with the second pick a year ago. The Bears would be fortunate to get a quarterback as talented as Stroud, and now they have a decent group of offensive players surrounding the position.

For the Bears’ improvement on defense as the season went on, what percentages do you put on the following changes making the difference: (a) Matt Eberflus taking over the reins; (b) the Tez Effect; and (c) rookie improvement? Or any other reasons you can think of. — @thesnowpup

A lot of factors were in play for a defense that was, in a lot of ways, much better than in 2022. Eberflus taking over made a real difference. In speaking with pro scouts throughout the season who kept a close eye on the Bears, the common theme was it was easy to see a focused, week-to-week strategy that wasn’t necessarily there the year before. The run defense was terrific, really from the start of the season, and that can be credited to a number of factors, including some offseason personnel moves.

Takeaways started to come in bunches after the trade for Montez Sweat, and we saw veteran players improve, too, with cornerback Jaylon Johnson coming to mind. The Bears played with a lot more cohesion in 2023, and part of that was the holdover players being more accustomed to their assignments and part of it was an infusion of new talent, both free agents and rookies. The Bears were also pretty healthy throughout the season and didn’t face a murderer’s row of quarterbacks on their schedule.

The three biggest reasons for improvement were Eberflus running the defense, the arrival of Sweat and the addition of other rookies and veterans — such as linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards and nose tackle Andrew Billings. I’d say each of those was about one-third responsible for the gains. Now the Bears have to be better against the pass next season, more consistent rushing the passer and a heck of a lot better on third down after ranking 29th at 44.1%.

What is the next significant Bears news that will come out: Jaylon Johnson extension, Justin Fields trade, other? — @jtbarczak

If I were a betting man, I’d probably wager on Johnson being franchise-tagged as the next big news. If Johnson is set on becoming the highest-paid cornerback in the league — and that’s what he recently said — that leads me to believe negotiations could take some time. The Bears can create time by securing him with the franchise tag. The window for teams to use the tag runs from Feb. 20 through March 5.

What are the chances the Bears go running back shopping this offseason via free agency? If so, what free agents do you think they have a shot at landing? — @twashington1029

I’m generally opposed to sinking big money into a running back. In a passing league, it’s rare to find one who is worth the investment. There are a few, but most years you can count the number of truly special backs on one hand. Some have suggested this isn’t a great draft class for running backs. I would imagine the Bears will do something at the position with Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson under contract and D’Onta Foreman a decent bet to leave via free agency.

Some have wondered about Saquon Barkley. He turns 27 next month and has averaged 4.07 yards per carry over the last three seasons. The Giants have been poor on offense, but I wonder if a lot of things around Barkley need to be right for him to be super productive — and how much production are you going to get at this point? Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard and Austin Ekeler are slated for free agency as well. None of them looked fantastic this season.

I’d be a lot more interested in the Bears’ plans at wide receiver. A really productive WR2 is more important, in my opinion, than a running back. The Bears already have a pair of backs they can win with if they improve elsewhere on offense.

What happened with Sanjay Lal? — @mosconml

The former Seattle Seahawks wide receivers coach was a candidate to join the Bears, and his addition would have made sense as he has worked with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Lal reportedly removed himself from consideration for the job. What went into that decision, I don’t know. The Bears are expected to hire Chris Beatty for the position. He has worked in the NFL for three seasons as the Los Angeles Chargers wide receivers coach.

I can tell you that after speaking with a wide variety of coaches around the league, some folks have concern that it might not be the most stable position with Matt Eberflus entering Year 3 and an uncertain quarterback situation. Assistants seeking work might prefer to hitch their wagon to a head coach entering Year 1.

Is Ian Cunningham still interviewing with other teams or is he sticking with the Bears? — @quikwit25

It looks like Cunningham is out of the running for a GM job after the Los Angeles Chargers hired Joe Horitz. Cunningham and Jeff King, the Bears co-director of player personnel, both interviewed for the Chargers GM job. Cunningham was a finalist for the Washington Commanders GM job that went to Adam Peters. So absent something unexpected, Cunningham will remain with the Bears.

Some were interested in seeing him get a GM job elsewhere because it would have brought the Bears two compensatory third-round picks. High-level front-office personnel are worth more than that in the long run, though, so I’m sure Ryan Poles is happy to still have Cunningham as his assistant GM. Yes, he would like to see a friend and co-worker get a promotion, but Poles wants Cunningham to help him too.

If the city was seriously interested in working with the Bears on a new stadium, wouldn’t it make sense to build the Bears stadium at The 78, then tear down Soldier Field and put a baseball stadium there? — @halatekhall

I won’t pretend to have inside insight on the stadium situations for the Bears or White Sox. My opinion is the Bears’ ongoing dialogue with the city has been about gaining leverage in negotiations with Arlington Heights over property taxes for land the team already owns. The city is probably motivated to continue communication with the Bears so it can appear interested in keeping them.

As far as what space is best for what, I don’t know. What I do know is the Bears spent nearly $200 million for land in Arlington Heights, and that space is massive and would allow for a variety of income sources if developed. Good luck finding a 326-acre site like that in the city that’s in a desirable area and a situation in which the Bears would be in control, not the city.

Who’s going to replace Cliff Stein? — @stanleyk934

That’s a good question. Matt Feinstein was hired in 2022 as director of football administration, a role that oversees the salary cap and contract negotiations. He has handled nearly everything in that regard since the beginning of the 2023 season. Stein took the lead on some of that in 2022 and helped Feinstein along. I’m sure Kevin Warren has someone in mind with a legal background to add to the front office. I doubt Warren fired Stein without having a plan ready.

Do you think Baltimore’s offensive play (specifically Lamar Jackson) against the Chiefs will affect how the Bears view Justin Fields for the long term? — @stevenhbaumann

Why would it? The current regime has two full seasons with Fields as the starter and three years (38 starts) in all to evaluate. Fields struggled mightily in Week 3 in Kansas City. Jackson had a rough go of it Sunday in the AFC championship game but was lights out for the vast majority of the season. Fields was up and down all season and more down than anything. I don’t see a connection between the Ravens-Chiefs game and the Bears quarterback situation.

At No. 9 — OL or Brock Bowers? — @bubgallagher

If the Bears stick at No. 9, my guess is a wide receiver would be the most likely selection. There would need to be an early run on quarterbacks and receivers for Notre Dame’s Joe Alt or Penn State’s Olu Fashanu — the top two offensive tackles — to be on the board at No. 9. Bowers is a terrific talent and worthy of consideration, but I could see the Bears going with a wide receiver here and really transforming the position.

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