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NBA Preview: Phoenix Suns (35-29) at Dallas Mavericks (33-31)

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NBA Preview: Phoenix Suns (35-29) at Dallas Mavericks (33-31)

On Sunday, the Phoenix Suns play a matinee against the Dallas Mavericks, who are trying to win consecutive games for the first time since the All-Star break. This will be the final game of a four-game road trip for the Suns.

Phoenix defeated Chicago 125-104 on Friday, winning for the second time in a row in its second game with Kevin Durant in the lineup. Durant, who was acquired from Brooklyn in a trade last month, scored 20 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and had six assists against the Bulls.

He made his debut on Wednesday in Charlotte, scoring 23 points and grabbing six rebounds to help the Suns defeat the Hornets 105-91.

Booker scored 37 points in Charlotte and 35 points in Chicago after taking advantage of Durant’s absence in both of the previous two games. Josh Okogie scored 25 points on Friday, making him one of three Phoenix scorers with 20 or more points. Booker and Durant also scored 20 or more points.

Durant played 26:50 and 30:54 minutes in his first two appearances since joining the Suns following an MCL sprain.

Phoenix has a chance to finish its road trip at 3-1 and win three straight when it travels to Dallas. In contrast, the Mavericks are trying to win back-to-back games for the first time since losing three straight on Feb. 10.

Dallas defeated Philadelphia on Thursday by a score of 133-126 to get back on track after suffering consecutive defeats on Sunday to the Los Angeles Lakers and Tuesday to Indiana.

The Mavericks scored 133 points, which was their third-highest total of the season. Since returning from the All-Star break, they have now played two of their three most productive games of the season. They defeated San Antonio by 26 points after the break, scoring 142 points.

A franchise first was also established by Thursday’s victory. The first time two Mavericks have scored at least 40 points in the same game was when Luka Doncic scored 42 points and Kyrie Irving scored 40.

Phoenix’s arrival will pose a challenge to Dallas’ offensive progress as the Suns enter one of their best defensive periods of the season.

On February 26, Phoenix’s road trip began with a three-point loss to Milwaukee. However, in their final game without Kevin Durant, the Suns only allowed 104 points to the Bucks.

Monty Williams, the head coach of Phoenix, stated that the team “played the kind of defense we’re capable of playing” following Friday’s victory.

The Mavs have won two of their three meetings with Phoenix this season, including a 130-111 victory on December 5 in Dallas.

Rangers sign Free Agent LHP Will Smith to One-Year Major League Contract

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Rangers sign Free Agent LHP Will Smith to One-Year Major League Contract

Smith will join the club’s Spring Training workouts in Surprise, Arizona today

Surprise, Ariz. — The Texas Rangers this morning announced that the club has signed free agent left-handed pitcher Will Smith to a one-year Major League contract.  Smith will join the team’s Spring Training workouts in Surprise today.

To make room on the Major League roster for Smith, infielder Mark Mathias has been designated for assignment.

Smith, 33, split last season with Atlanta and Houston, combining for a 3.97 ERA and 5 saves over 65 relief appearances.  He was acquired by Houston on August 2 in exchange for current Ranger Jake Odorizzi and produced a 3.27 ERA (8 ER/22.0 IP) over 24 relief outings for the Astros.  Houston declined a 2023 club option for Smith on November 9, making him a free agent.

Smith has pitched exclusively for playoff teams over the past three seasons.  He made 3 appearances for Atlanta in the club’s 2020 National League Championship Series loss to the Dodgers at Globe Life Field.  He also totaled 11.0 scoreless innings over 11 postseason appearances in the Braves’ 2021 World Championship run, going 2-0 with 6 saves.  Smith was on the Astros’ World Series roster last year, but did not appear in the club’s Fall Classic win over Philadelphia.

The Georgia native produced a career-best 37 saves for Atlanta in 2021 and was an All-Star with San Francisco in 2019, which was current Rangers Manager Bruce Bochy’s final season with the Giants.  Since the start of 2018, Smith has a 3.27 ERA with 90 saves and a 1.125 WHIP figure over 271 relief outings, and his 11.61 strikeouts per 9 innings over that span ranks 15th among all MLB relievers with at least 200 appearances.

Smith owns a career 3.59 ERA with 91 saves over 513 games spanning 10 Major League seasons with Kansas City (2012-13), Milwaukee (2014-16), San Francisco (2016, 2018-19), Atlanta (2020-22), and Houston (2022).  He was originally selected in the seventh round of the 2008 MLB Draft out of Gulf Coast State College in Panama City, Florida.

Mathias has played in 5 games for Texas this spring, batting .300 (30-10) with 3 RBI and 3 walks.  He was acquired by Texas from Milwaukee in a trade on August 2, 2022, and hit .277 over 24 with the Rangers to end last season.  The Rangers have seven days to trade, release, or outright Mathias to the minor leagues.

Colorado Rockies agree to terms with left-handed pitcher Brad Hand

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Colorado Rockies agree to terms with left-handed pitcher Brad Hand

Right-handed pitcher Tyler Kinley placed on the 60-day injured list

SCOTTSDALE – The Colorado Rockies announced today that they have agreed to terms with left-handed reliever Brad Hand on a one-year contract that covers the 2023 season. To make room on the 40-man roster, right-handed pitcher Tyler Kinley has been placed on the 60-day injured list.

Hand, 32, went 3-2 with five saves and a 2.80 ERA (45.0 IP, 14 ER) in 55 appearances for Philadelphia in 2022 … held left-handed hitters to a .217 average (13-for-60) while righties hit .226 (24-for-106) … the three-time All-Star (2017-18, ‘19) has recorded seven 20-plus save seasons with his 129 total saves from 2017-22 ranking seventh-most in baseball … in 519 career appearances across parts of 12 seasons with Florida/Miami (2011-15), San Diego (2016-18), Cleveland (2018-20), Washington (2021), New York-NL (2021), Toronto (2021) and Philadelphia (2022), has gone 35-52 with 131 saves and a 3.62 ERA (718.1 IP, 289 ER) … the Minneapolis, Minn. native was originally selected by the Florida Marlins in the second round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft.

Cardinals trim seven from spring roster

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Cardinals trim seven from spring roster

58 PLAYERS REMAIN IN MAJOR LEAGUE CAMP

JUPITER, Fla., – The St. Louis Cardinals announced today that the team has reduced its Spring Training roster to 58 players, with seven players optioned or assigned to minor league camp.

The team optioned pitchers Freddy Pacheco and Guillermo Zuniga to the Memphis (AAA) roster and re-assigned non-roster pitchers James Naile, Tommy Parsons and Kodi Whitley to minor league camp along with non-roster catchers Aaron Antonini and Jimmy Crooks.

Colorado Rockies Spring Training transactions

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Colorado Rockies Spring Training transactions

SCOTTSDALE – The Colorado Rockies announced today that they have reassigned infielder Grant Lavigne, catcher/infielder Hunter Goodman, catcher Roniker Palma and right-handed pitcher Case Williams to Minor League Camp.

The Rockies have 58 players remaining in Major League Spring Training Camp, including 18 non-roster players. The Rockies have a full 40-man roster.

NHL Preview: St. Louis Blues (27-29-5) at Los Angeles Kings (35-20-8)

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NHL Preview: St. Louis Blues (27-29-5) at Los Angeles Kings (35-20-8)

ST. LOUIS BLUES NOTES:

CURRENT INJURIES
Jake Neighbours – Upper-Body (Will be re-evaluated in 5 weeks; announced on Feb. 20)
2022-23 Total Man Games Lost: 242

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
March
3 – Acquired forward Jakub Vrana from Detroit in exchange for Dylan McLaughlin and a 2025 7th-round draft pick
2 – Signed forward Sammy Blais to a one-year, $1,000,000 contract extension
1 – Signed defenseman Michael Buchinger to a three-year, entry-level contract February

BLUES VS. KINGS

  • The Blues and Kings will meet for the 2nd of 3 matchups this season (Last matchup on Mar. 26 in Los Angeles)
  • The Kings won the 1st matchup of the season, 5-1, back on Oct. 31 in St. Louis
  • The Blues went 2-0-1 against Los Angeles last season (2-0-0 at home; 0-0-1 away)
  • The Blues are 3-1-1 in their last 5 games against the Kings
  • The Blues are 4-2-2 in their last 8 games against the Kings
  • The Blues have earned points in back-to-back games in Los Angeles (1-0-1)
  • The Blues are 6-2-2 in their last 10 trips to Los Angeles
  • The Blues have not allowed a power play goal to the Kings in 4 of their last 5 matchups, going 15 for 16 (93.8%) on the penalty kill over those 5 games
  • Robert Thomas is expected to dress in his 300th career game
  • With his next appearance, Jordan Binnington will pass Greg Millen for 5th on the Blues all-time franchise list with 210 games played

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
3/7 – at Arizona
3/9 – vs. San Jose
3/11 – at Columbus
3/12 – vs. Vegas
3/15 – vs. Minnesota

A LOOK AHEAD

  • The Blues will continue their 3-game road trip to start the month of March on Saturday in Los Angeles (1-0-0 so far), which will finish Tuesday in Arizona
  • The Blues will play 14 more games in March (8 away; 6 home)
  • 11 of the Blues’ 15 games in March will come against Central Division opponents (3 against the Central)

LOS ANGELES KINGS NOTES:

MARCH 4 vs. St. Louis Blues – 7:30 PM PT // Venue: Crypto.com Arena // TV: Bally Sports West // Radio: iHeartRadio

  • The LA Kings host the St. Louis Blues for the second of three meetings between these two clubs this season (5-1 W on Oct. 31; Mar. 26).
  • The Kings aim for their third win in a row vs. the Blues (3-2 SOW on Nov. 3, 2021; 5-1 W on Oct. 31, 2022).
  • Tonight’s game marks the second game of the team’s three-game homestand (3-2 W on Mar. 2 vs. MTL; March 6 vs. WSH).

WARM-UPS
1) With his goal Thursday night vs. Montreal, Gabriel Vilardi eclipsed the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career.
2) Alex Iafallo has six points in his last six games vs. St. Louis, dating ack to March 6, 2021.
3) The Kings are 5-2 against Central Division teams at home this season.
4) No team has more one-goal victories this season than the Kings’ 20.
5) Adrian Kempe (118-114=232) is two points shy of tying Marty McSorley (71-163=234) for the 29th-most points in franchise history.

vs. ST. LOUIS ALL-TIME:
All-Time Record: 85-106-22-6
Home: 52-40-12-4
Away: 33-66-10-2
OT: 5-7 (13 ties)
Shootout: 4-2
2021-22: 1-2-0
2022-23: 1-0-0

FRANCHISE LEADERS vs. ST. LOUIS:
Marcel Dionne – 41 GP, 74 PTS (27-47=74)
Anze Kopitar* – 59 GP, 61 PTS (20-41=61)
Dave Taylor – 45 GP, 52 PTS (23-29=52)
Luc Robitaille – 48 GP, 44 PTS (22-22=44)
Butch Goring – 45 GP, 38 PTS (13-25=38)
*-denotes active roster player

LAST MEETING vs. ST. LOUIS: Oct. 31, 2022 – LAK 5 at STL 1
Venue: Enterprise Center
LAK Goals: Vilardi (8), Grundstrom (2, 3), Kopitar (2), Kaliyev (3)
STL Goals: Toropchenko (1)
Goalies: LAK: Quick (W; 27 saves – 28 shots) STL: Binnington (L; 14 saves – 19 shots), Griess (11 saves – 11 shots)
LAK PP: 1-for-3
LAK PK: 4-for-4

THE NEXT THREE:
Mon., March 6 | vs. Washington Capitals | 7:30 p.m. PT | Bally Sports West | LA Kings iHeart Radio Audio Network
The Kings host the Capitals at Crypto.com Arena for the first time since Nov. 17, 2021 (2-0 L)

Thurs., March 9 | at Colorado Avalanche | 7:00 p.m. MT (6:00 p.m. PT) | Bally Sports West | LA Kings iHeart Radio Audio Network
The Kings aim for their second victory in Denver this season (5-4 SOW, Dec. 29).

Sat., March 11 | vs. Nashville | 7:30 p.m. PT | Bally Sports West | LA Kings iHeart Radio Audio Network
Anze Kopitar has four points in his last three games against the Predators (0-4=4).

INJURY & MGL REPORT
Player, Games Missed, Date(s), Status
F Alex Iafallo, 23 games, Oct. 18 – Dec. 3 (lower-body)
F Trevor Moore, 21 games, Dec. 27 – Jan. 31 (upper-body); Feb. 23 – Pres. (upper-body)
F Brendan Lemieux, 18 games, Nov. 14 – Dec. 20 (lower-body)
F Arthur Kaliyev, 18 games, Dec. 22 – Jan. 31 (lower-body)
F Carl Grundstrom, 15 games, Jan. 19 – Feb. 26 (lower-body)
F Gabriel Vilardi, 10 games, Nov. 27 (lower-body); Jan. 19 – Feb. 13 (undisclosed)
F Quinton Byfield, 6 games, Oct. 27 – Nov. 5 (illness)
F Viktor Arvidsson, 3 games, Oct. 13 (illness); Oct. 25 (illness); Jan. 11 (illness)
D Sean Durzi, 2 games, Nov. 19 – Nov. 22. (lower-body)
D Drew Doughty, 1 game, Dec. 11 (lower-body)
2022-23 Total Regular-Season Man-Games Lost: 117

RECENT TRANSACTIONS (as of 3/1/23)
Feb. 28 – Vladislav Gavrikov (D) and Joonas Korpisalo (G) acquired from Columbus in exchange for Jonathan Quick (G), a conditional 2023 first-round draft pick and a 2024 third-round draft pick.
Mar. 1 – Tobias Bjornfot (D) loaned to Ontario (AHL).
Mar. 1 – Rights to Erik Portillo (G) acquired from Buffalo in exchange for a 2023 third-round draft pick.
Mar. 3 – Zack MacEwen (F) acquired from Philadelphia in exchange for Brendan Lemieux (F) and a 2024 fifth-round draft pick.
Mar. 3 – Nate Schnarr (F) acquired from Montreal in exchange for Frederic Allard (D).
Mar. 3 – Austin Wagner (F) traded to Chicago for future considerations.

NHL Preview: Minnesota Wild (35-21-6) at Calgary Flames (27-22-13)

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NHL Preview: Minnesota Wild (35-21-6) at Calgary Flames (27-22-13)

MINNESOTA WILD NOTES:

SERIES NOTES
GAME BROADCASTS
CALGARY FLAMES
All-Time Wild Record: 41-43-15 (25-16-9 at Xcel Energy Center, 16-27-6 at Calgary)

2022-23: The Wild fell in the first season meeting, 5-3, at Scotiabank Saddledome (12/7)…C Connor Dewar (0-2=2), D Jon Merrill (1-1=2) and C Mason Shaw (1-1=2) led Minnesota with two points each… LW Kirill Kaprizov (1-0=1) also scored a goal…G Marc-Andre Fleury saved 22-of-26 shots faced for Minnesota…D Rasmus Andersson (1-2=3) and C Elias Lindholm (0-3=3) led Vancouver with three points each…C Blake Coleman (1-1=2), C Adam Ruzicka (0-2=2) and RW Tyler Toffoli (2-0=2) all added multi-point performances…G Dan Vlader stopped 25-of-28 shots faced for the Canucks.

WILD LEADERS: D Jared Spurgeon leads the Wild with 13 points (5-8=13) in 37 games against Calgary…D Alex Goligoski owns 10 assists in 39 contests…LW Marcus Foligno has nine points (7-2=9) in 20 matches.

WILD GOALIES: Fleury is 14-6-1 with a 2.13 GAA, a .930 SV% and five shutouts in 22 career starts vs. Calgary…G Filip Gustavsson is 2-0-0 with a 1.61 GAA and a .949 SV% in three games (two starts).

FLAMES LEADERS: Toffoli leads the Flames with 18 points (9-9=18) in 25 games played against Minnesota …C Mikael Backlund leads the Flames with 17 points (6-11=17) in 37 matches…C Nazem Kadri owns 16 points (8-8=15) in 29 games…Lindholm owns 16 points (5- 11=16) in 18 games.

FLAMES GOALIES: G Jacob Markstrom is 5-2-2 with a 2.55 GAA and a .912 SV% in 10 games (nine starts) vs. the Wild…G Dan Vladar is 1-0-0 with a 3.01 GAA and .893 SV% in one start.

FAST FACTS: Minnesota is 15-11-4 in its last 30 games against Calgary…The Wild owns points in 26 of its last 36 games in Saint Paul (19-10-7) and is 13-9-2 in its last 24 games at the Saddledome after starting 3-18-4

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
3/3/23 Acquired a second-round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft and a fifth-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for LW Jordan Greenway. Buffalo previously acquired the 2023 second-round selection from the Vegas Golden Knights
3/3/23 Acquired C Oskar Sundqvist from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for a fourth-round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft
3/3/23 Acquired D John Klingberg from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for D Andrej Sustr, the rights to F Nikita Nesterenko and a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Anaheim retained 50% of Klingberg’s salary
3/3/23 Reassigned D Dakota Mermis to Iowa

ON THE POWER PLAY
• The Wild has converted 28.6 percent (28 of 98) of power-play opportunities at home this season, fourth-best in the NHL.

• Since Jan. 19, Minnesota ranks tied for second in the NHL with 13 power-play goals. Minnesota is 13-for-56 (23.2%) with the man advantage during that span, eighth-best in the NHL, and has scored a power-play goal in 12 of 19 contests.

PENALTY KILLERS
• Had a streak of 27 consecutive successful penalty kills across 14 total games snapped by allowing a PPG to Vancouver (3/2). Did not allow a power-play goal in 12 consecutive games from 2/8 – 2/28, the longest streak in the NHL this season, tied for the longest streak in franchise history and tied for the 13th-longest streak in the NHL’s Expansion Era (since 1967-68 season)

• For the season, the Wild is ninth in the NHL with a 82.0 penalty-kill percentage (160 for 195).

• Since Nov. 8, Minnesota is fifth in the NHL with a 83.9 penalty-kill percentage (135 for 161).

• Minnesota is seventh in the NHL with a 82.2 penalty-kill percentage (83 of 101) on the road this season.

CALGARY FLAMES NOTES:

FLAMES LAST GAME RECAP
March 2, 2023 – CALGARY FLAMES [1] vs. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS [2]
The Calgary Flames welcomed the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Scotiabank Saddledome amid a three-game homestand on Thursday night. Blake Coleman opened the scoring for the Flames just 2:32 into the game with his second shorthanded goal of the season and the Flames were up 1-0 through 20. In the second, both teams fired 14 shots on goal but it was Mitch Marner who scored the only goal to tie the game at ones. Calle Jarnkrok would give Toronto the lead 2:20 into the third, and the Leafs held on to win 2-1.
CGY GOAL SCORERS: Coleman (14)
GOALIE: Markstrom (32/34, .941 Sv%)
PP: 0/2 (0%)
PK: 2/2 (100%)
FLAMES LAST FIVE RESULTS, RECORD: 1-2-2
DATE RESULT GWG CGY GOALIE OPP. GOALIE
March 2, 2023 TOR [2] vs. CGY [2] Jarnkrok Markstrom Woll
February 28, 2023 BOS [4] at CGY 3 McAvoy Vladar/Markstrom Ullmark
February 25, 2023 CGY [1] at COL [4] Newhook Markstrom Georgiev
February 23, 2023 CGY [3] at VGK 4 Pietrangelo Vladar Brossoit
February 22, 2023 CGY [6] at ARI [3] Pelletier Vladar Vejmelka
*shootout winning goal

FLAMES UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
DATE TIME
(MST) OPPONENT VENUE
March 4, 2023 8:00pm vs. Minnesota Wild Scotiabank Saddledome
March 6, 2023 6:30pm at Dallas Stars American Airlines Center
March 7, 2023 6:00pm at Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center
March 10, 2023 7:00pm vs. Anaheim Ducks Scotiabank Saddledome
March 12, 2023 7:00pm vs. Ottawa Senators Scotiabank Saddledome

TONIGHTS STORYLINES & STATS
This is the second of three matchups this season between the Flames and Wild. The Flames won 5-3 in the clubs first meeting in December. This is a Pacific Division versus Central Division matchup; The Flames have an overall record of 7-7-2 against Central Division opponents this season and a record of 16-10-5 against Western Conference opponents.

LAST MEETING WITH THE WILD:
The Calgary Flames welcomed the Minnesota Wild to the Scotiabank Saddledome back on December 7th. The Flames fell behind early with Kirill Kaprizov and Mason Shaw both scoring before the three-minute mark to make it 2-0 Wild through 20. However, in the second period it would be the Flames who would come out of the gate flying, first with Nazem Kadri scoring just 16 seconds into the frame on the powerplay followed by Blake Coleman netting his fifth and Tyler Toffoli deflecting home his ninth and with just 3:11 gone in the second, the Flames had flipped the script and taken their first lead of the night, 3-2. Calgary would maintain that lead until 15:45 of the third when Jon Merrill’s point shot took a deflection to tie the game. Off the ensuing draw the Flames would gain possession and 12 seconds later Rasmus Andersson’s backhand would beat Marc-Andre Fleury to help the Flames regain the lead 4-3. Toffoli would add an empty netter for his second of the night, and the Flames closed out a five-game homestand with a 5-3 win over the Wild.

CALGARY FLAMES vs. MINNESOTA WILD
CGY vs. MIN ALL-TIME HOME AWAY L10 STRK
54-29-4-12 30-11-3-5 24-18-1-7 7-2-1 W1

GAME INFO:
Calgary Flames vs. Minnesota Wild
8:00pm MT
Scotiabank Saddledome
TV: CBC, Sportsnet, City
Radio: Sportsnet Fan 960

2022-23 Season Series: 0-0-0 (Home: 0-0-0, Road 0-0-0)
Dec. 7, 2022 – MIN [3] at CGY [5]
Mar. 4, 2023 – MIN at CGY
Mar. 7, 2023 – CGY at MIN

2021-22 Season Record vs. MIN: 2-0-1 (Home: 1-0-0, Road: 1-0-1)
Last Home Win vs. MIN: December 7, 2022 – Minnesota [3] vs. Calgary [5]
Last Road Win @ MIN: March 1, 2022 – Calgary [5] at Minnesota [1]
Last Home Loss vs. MIN: March 2, 2019 – Minnesota [4] vs. Calgary [2]
Last Road Loss @ MIN: April 28, 2022 – Calgary [2] at Minnesota 3

2022-23 CALGARY FLAMES
FLAMES RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
Feb. 5 – recalled Jakob Pelletier (F) and Dennis Gilbert (D) from Calgary (AHL)
Feb. 6 – activated Chris Tanev (D) from IR
Feb. 21 – recalled Walker Duehr (F) from Calgary (AHL); placed Michael Stone (D) on IR
Mar. 3 – acquired Dryden Hunt (F) from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Radim Zohorna (F)
Mar. 3 – acquired Troy Stecher (D) and Nick Ritchie (F) from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Brett Ritchie (F) and Connor Mackey (D)

FLAMES RECENT INJURIES (Total man games lost – 47)
Noah Hanifin – illness (1 game: Oct. 21)
Chris Tanev – upper-body (5 games: Nov. 3 – Nov. 10)
Jonathan Huberdeau – upper-body (3 games: Nov. 8 – Nov. 12)
Michael Stone – lower-body (11 games: Nov. 7 – Nov. 25)
MacKenzie Weegar – non-COVID illness (1 game: Dec. 12)
Elias Lindholm – upper-body injury (1 game: Dec. 12)
Chris Tanev – upper-body injury (3 games: Dec. 14 – Dec. 18)
Radim Zohorna – non-COVID illness (1 game: Dec. 18)
Dennis Gilbert – lower-body injury (4 games: Dec. 20 – Dec. 27)
Brett Ritchie – upper-body injury (8 games: Jan. 8 – Jan. 26)
Chris Tanev – injury reserve (2 games: Jan. 26 – Jan. 27)
Rasmus Andersson – day-to-day (3 games: Feb. 9 – Feb. 13)
Michael Stone – lower-body injury (4 games: Feb. 22 – Mar. 2)

MLS Preview: New York City FC (0-1-0) at Chicago Fire (0-0-0)

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MLS Preview: New York City FC (0-1-0) at Chicago Fire (0-0-0)

Since the start of the 2018 season, New York City FC has only lost one of its last ten matches against the Fire (W7 D2) NYCFC has come out on top in each of the last three encounters, keeping a clean sheet in each of them. D. C. United was the only team to defeat the Fire in four regular-season matches in 2002-03.

The Fire are winless in a MLS-record 13 straight season opening matches (D5 8L) tracing all the way back to 2010 with the last time they took three focuses in their most memorable match coming in 2009, a 3-1 win over FC Dallas. The first two games of Chicago’s season have drawn.

For the fourth year in a row, New York City FC lost its season opener against Nashville on Saturday by a score of 2-0. In the club’s history, NYCFC has only once lost two matches in a row to begin a season, in 2020 (lost the first four).

Zherdan Shaqiri led the Fire last season with 18 goals (11 goals, 7 assists), more than Nemanja Nikolic (28) and David Accam (22) did in the Fire’s last postseason appearance in 2017.

Before its opening 2-0 defeat at Nashville this season, New York City FC failed to score in only four of their 33 MLS games, including playoffs. NYCFC last went scoreless in back to back matches in the initial two matches of last season, at the Los Angeles Galaxy and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

MLS Preview: CF Montreal Impact (0-1-0) at Austin FC (0-1-0)

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MLS Preview: CF Montreal Impact (0-1-0) at Austin FC (0-1-0)

After Austin FC defeated CF Montreal Impact 1-0 on the road in June, this will be their second meeting. Montreal kept a success in Houston last August in the wake of neglecting to win any of its initial 14 visits to Texas (D2 L12, including end of the season games).

At Q2 Stadium, Austin FC suffered a 3-2 thriller defeat to St. Louis City SC, an expansion team. Recent Austin home games have typically featured goals, with 59 goals scored over the last 14 games, including playoffs, for an average of 4.2 goals per game. In those games, Austin has a record of W5 D6 L3.

With a 2-0 defeat at Miami on Saturday, CF Montreal ended its joint-regular season record seven-match road winning streak. Last season, Montreal suffered its first three defeats but recovered to score 65 points, a club record.

Against St. Louis City on Saturday, Austin FC’s Sebastian Druissi scored their first goal of the season. Druissi has now scored 13 goals in five straight games and in 10 of his last 11 home MLS games (including playoffs).

Even though CF Montreal attempted all 14 of its inside-the-box shots against Miami on Saturday, the team failed to score. Since 2010, this was only the third time in MLS history that a team had taken 14 or more shots, all of which came from within the area. The other two teams that did so, Seattle in 2020 and Toronto in 2019, scored a total of ten goals.

NHL Preview: Nashville Predators (30-23-6) at Chicago Blackhawks (21-35-5)

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NHL Preview: Nashville Predators (30-23-6) at Chicago Blackhawks (21-35-5)

NASHVILLE PREDATORS NOTES:

ALL-TIME vs. CHICAGO
OVERALL (130 GP) 64-50-(4)-12
HOME (64 GP) 36-22-(3)-3
ROAD (66 GP) 28-28-(1)-9
LAST MEETING Dec. 21, 2022 at CHI (W, 4-2)
PLAYOFFS (1-2) Last: 2017 WCQ (W, 4-0)

− The Predators are 64-50-(4)-12 all-time against the Blackhawks, including a 28-28-(1)-9 record on the road.

− This is the second of three matchups between Nashville and Chicago in 2022-23; it is the second and final at United Center.

− Nashville is 1-0-0 against Chicago this season, securing a 4-2 win on the road on Dec. 21 in a game that saw Roman Josi pass David Legwand for the most points in franchise history.

− The Predators are 4-0-1 in their last five games against the Blackhawks; they are 8-0-2 in their last 10; and 3-0-2 in their last five on the road.

− The Predators have earned at least a point in 22 of their last 25 games against the Blackhawks (18-3-4), holding Chicago to two-or-fewer goals 21 times in that span.

− Nashville is currently on a 15-game point streak against Chicago (12-0-3), its longest active point streak against a single opponent.

− The Predators went 7-0-1 vs. the Blackhawks in 2020-21, their most wins against Chicago in a single season in team history. Nashville outscored Chicago 25-14, allowing two-or-fewer goals in seven of those contests. The team’s seven wins against Chicago in 2020-21 were its most vs. a single opponent in a season since 2007-08 (seven vs. Columbus); it also was the fifth time in Preds history they won at least seven games against an opponent in a single season.

− On Jan. 9, 2020, the Preds defeated Chicago, 5-2, at the United Center in a game that featured Pekka Rinne’s first career goal and John Hynes’ first win as Nashville head coach.

− This will be the 131st time the Predators and Blackhawks clash in the regular season, Nashville’s most games played against a single opponent.

NOTABLES vs. CHICAGO
− Juuse Saros is 9-2-2 with a 2.13 goals-against average, .932 save percentage and one shutout in 14 career appearances vs. the Blackhawks.

− Kevin Lankinen played the first 69 games of his NHL career with Chicago from 2020-22. He went 25-29-11 and posted a 3.23 goals-against average and .901 save percentage for the Blackhawks.

− Dante Fabbro scored his first career NHL goal on April 6, 2019 vs. Chicago (Cam Ward).

− Predators prospect Ryan Ufko won the USHL’s Clark Cup with the Chicago Steel in 2020-21.

− Predators prospect Spencer Stastney is a product of the Chicago Mission youth hockey program.

− Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones was drafted fourth overall by the Predators in 2013; he skated in 199 games for Nashville from 2013-16, tallying 63 points (15g-48a).

− Chicago forward Colin Blackwell made his NHL debut with Nashville in 2018-19 and skated in 33 total games with the Predators, recording 10 points (3g-7a).

− Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi played in 35 games with the Predators from 2019-21

LAST TIME OUT
− Nashville Predators 2, Florida Panthers 1 – March 2 (FLA Live Arena)

− NSH goals: Duchene – PP (19), Leonard – GWG (1)

− FLA goals: Montour (11)

− Goaltenders: NSH – Lankinen (W, 30/31); FLA – Bobrovsky (L, 21/23)

− Power plays: NSH 1-1; FLA 0-0

− Notes: Nashville improved to 14-12-3 on the road in 2022-23… The Predators closed out their two-game, regular-season series against the Panthers with a 2-0-0 record… Kevin Lankinen made 30 saves, including 15 in the second period, to pick up his seventh win of the season… Tyson Barrie skated 21:58 in his Predators debut… John Leonard, also making his Predators debut, scored his first career game-winning goal… Luke Evangelista recorded his first career NHL point with an assist on Matt Duchene’s power-play goal… Duchene moved into a tie with Filip Forsberg for the most goals on the team (19)… Roman Josi tallied two assists.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS GAME NOTES
March 4, 2023 at Chicago Blackhawks

INJURY REPORT
Player Designation Dates Missed Games Missed
Mark Borowiecki Upper body – IR Oct. 27-March 2 52
Filip Forsberg Upper body – day-to-day Feb. 13-March 2 9
Ryan Johansen Right leg surgery Feb. 23-March 2 4
Juuso Parssinen Upper body – day-to-day Feb. 26-March 2 3
Total man-games lost: 131
Individual man-games lost: Borowiecki – 53; McCarron – 20; Carrier – 14; Forsberg – 9; McDonagh – 7; Smith – 6; Trenin – 5;
Johansen – 4; Glass – 3; Lauzon – 3; Parssinen – 3; Jankowski – 2; Duchene – 1; Lankinen – 1

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
− March 3: Acquired forward Rasmus Asplund from Buffalo for a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Signed defenseman Dante Fabbro to a one-year, $2.5 million contract for 2023-24. Signed goaltender Kevin Lankinen to a oneyear, $2 million contract for 2023-24.

− March 2: Recalled forward John Leonard from Milwaukee (AHL).

− March 1: Acquired a second-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft from Pittsburgh for forward Mikael Granlund

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: NBCSCH – Chris Vosters (PxP), Troy Murray (analyst) and Colby Cohen (analyst)
RADIO: WGN-AM 720 – John Wiedeman (PxP) and Joe Brand (analyst)
SPANISH RADIO: Univision Sports Radio 1200 AM – Miguel Esparza (PxP) and Jorge Moreno (analyst) 

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Monday, March 6 vs. OTT, 8:00 p.m. CT (NBCSCH, WGN Radio, Univision (Spanish))
Wednesday, March 8 at DET, 6:30 p.m. CT (TNT, WGN Radio)
Friday, March 10 at FLA, 6:00 p.m. CT (NBCSCH, WGN Radio)
Saturday, March 11 at TBL, 6:00 p.m. CT (NBCSCH, WGN Radio)
Tuesday, March 14 vs. BOS, 7:30 p.m. CT (NBCSCH, WGN Radio, Univision (Spanish))

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
March 3 – Recalled Anders Bjork from Rockford … Activated Nikita Zaitsev from non-roster … Assigned David Gust, Brett Seney and Isaak Phillips to Rockford … Feb. 27 – Activated Jarred Tinordi from IR … Feb. 26 – Activated Alex Stalock off IR and assigned Jaxson Stauber to Rockford … Feb. 25 – Placed Reese Johnson on IR retroactive to Feb. 20 … Activated Jujhar Khaira from IR … Feb. 23 – Signed David Gust to a two-year, two-way contract and recalled him from Rockford … Feb. 21 – Placed MacKenzie Entwistle on IR … Feb. 15 – Recalled Cole Guttman, Isaak Phillips and Brett Seney from Rockford … Placed Alex Stalock, Jarred Tinordi and Jonathan Toews on IR … Feb. 7 – Activated Tyler Johnson and Jarred Tinordi off IR … Feb. 5 – Recalled Jaxson Stauber from Rockford … Jan. 29 – Assigned Luke Philp, Filip Roos and Jaxson Stauber to Rockford.

LAST TIME OUT
Score: Chicago (2) vs. Dallas (5) – Thu., March 2 – United Center
CHI Goals: Guttman (3), Jones (7)
DAL Goals: Hintz (27; PP), Hintz (28; PP), Benn (25), Lindell (7), Hintz (29; EN)
Goalies: CHI – Mrazek (31/34, 58:15) DAL – Murray (19/21, 60:00)
CHI PP: 0/2; PK: 2/4
DAL PP: 2/4; PK: 2/2
Recap: The Blackhawks dropped a 5-2 decision to the Dallas Stars on Thursday … Cole Guttman scored his third goal of the season and the first of the night for the Blackhawks … Seth Jones also scored his seventh of the season … Jarred Tinordi tallied an assist, his first point since missing six games with injury … Tyler Johnson also posted a helper … Petr Mrazek made 31 saves.

TONIGHT’S OPPONENT – NASHVILLE PREDATORS
The Blackhawks play the Predators tonight in the second of three matchups against the club this season … Chicago is 2-4-1 in their last seven games against Nashville … Chicago fell to Nashville 4-2 on Dec. 21 Connor Murphy registered a multi-point effort (1G, 1A), his first of the season … MacKenzie Entwistle scored the other goal for the Blackhawks … Andreas Athanasiou has points in four of his last six contests against the team (4G, 1A) … Seth Jones was drafted by Nashville in the first round (4th overall) in the 2013 NHL Draft … Colin Blackwell played in 33 games with the Predators between 2018-20, registering 10 points (3G, 7A).

2022-23 Schedule/Results: HOME: Dec. 21 (2-4), March 4 | AWAY: March 16
All-Time Record: 252-243-101 | Home: 134-119-46 | Road: 118-124-55
Last Home Win: Nov. 7, 2021 (2-1) | Last Road Win: Dec. 3, 2022 (5-2) | Last Home Loss: Dec. 21, 2022
(2-4) | Last Road Loss: Nov. 16, 2019 (7-2)
  
ACTIVE BLACKHAWKS VS. NSH ALL-TIME
GOALS: Tyler Johnson, 6; Andreas Athanasiou, 4; 4 players with 1 goal
ASSISTS: Seth Jones, 9; Jason Dickinson, 6; Tyler Johnson, 4
POINTS: Tyler Johnson, 10; Seth Jones, 9; Jason Dickinson, 7

BLACKHAWKS RECORD ON…
One-Day Rest: 12-14-1
Two-Days Rest: 4-4-0
Three+ Days Rest: 2-2-2
First Game of a B2B: 2-6-1
Second Game of a B2B: 1-9-1

BLACKHAWKS RECORD BY DAY
Monday: 0-2-0
Tuesday: 3-8-1
Wednesday: 1-6-0
Thursday: 4-5-1
Friday: 5-2-1
Saturday: 5-6-1
Sunday: 3-6-1

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