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NHL Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs (37-16-8) at Calgary Flames (27-21-13)

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NHL Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs (37-16-8) at Calgary Flames (27-21-13)

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS NOTES:

LAST GAME
Score: Toronto 2 at Edmonton 5
Date: Wednesday, March 1, 2023
TOR Goals: Kämpf, Marner (PP)
EDM Goals: McDavid (PP), McDavid, Hyman, Yamamoto, Kostin
TOR Goaltender: Samsonov, 27/32, .844 SV%
EDM Goaltender: Skinner, 26/28, .929 SV%
TOR Power Play: 1-for-3
TOR Penalty Kill: 3-for-4

Player Notes: – Mitch Marner scored on a Maple Leafs power play opportunity at 1:08 of the third period. Marner also registered the primary assist on Kämpf’s goal. Marner has posted a multi-point outing in three of his last four games where he has collected 10 points (1G, 9A). Marner has recorded nine assists through his last three road games.

  • Morgan Rielly posted the primary assist on Marner’s power play goal, recording his 28th assist of the season. Rielly skated in his 700th career NHL game on Wednesday becoming the 15th player and sixth defenceman in Maple Leafs history to skate in 700 regular season games.
  • Auston Matthews posted the secondary assist on Marner’s power play goal, recording his 32nd assist of the season. Matthews has posted three points through his last two games (2G, 1A).
  • William Nylander skated in his 500th career NHL game.
  • Jake McCabe and Sam Lafferty skated in their Maple Leafs debut.

TONIGHT’S GAME
2022-23 Matchups vs. Calgary: Second of Two
2021-22 Record vs. Calgary: 1-1-0
Toronto Season Record: 37-16-8
Toronto Road Record: 14-10-4

TONIGHT’S STORYLINES
The Maple Leafs are set to take on the Calgary Flames tonight at Scotiabank Saddledome in the second of two matchups between the clubs this season. Toronto won the first meeting of the 2022-23 campaign against Calgary in a 5-4 overtime decision on December 10th at Scotiabank Arena. William Nylander recorded five points (2G, 3A) in Toronto’s win. The Maple Leafs have earned at least one point in six of their last seven games against the Flames (5-1-1). Toronto is skating in their second game of a back-to-back, the club has posted a 5-3-1 record in such games this season.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: TSN4 RADIO: TSN 1050
Toronto Maple Leafs: Media Notes

NEXT GAME
Date: Saturday, March 4, 2023
Opponent: at Vancouver Canucks
Time: 7:00 pm ET
Broadcast Information: Sportsnet (TV), Sportsnet 590 (Radio)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
February 28, 2023 The Maple Leafs acquired defenceman Luke Schenn from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a third round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft.
February 28, 2023 The Maple Leafs acquired a third round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft from the New York Islanders in exchange for forward Pierre Engvall.
February 28, 2023 The Maple Leafs acquired defenceman Erik Gustafsson and Boston’s first round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft from the Washington Capitals in exchange for defenceman Rasmus Sandin.
February 27, 2023 The Maple Leafs acquired defenceman Jake McCabe, forward Sam Lafferty, a conditional fifth round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft and a conditional fifth round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for forwards Joey Anderson and Pavel Gogolev, a conditional first round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft (top ten protected) and a second round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft. The Blackhawks will retain 50% of McCabe’s salary as part of the transaction.
February 18, 2023 The Maple Leafs have recalled goaltender Erik Källgren from the Toronto Marlies (AHL) on an emergency basis. Forward Pontus Holmberg has been loaned to the Marlies.
February 17, 2023 The Maple Leafs acquired Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari in a three-team trade with St. Louis and Minnesota. St. Louis receives Mikhail Abramov and Adam Gaudette, Toronto’s 1st round pick in
’23, Ottawa’s 3rd round pick in ’23 and Toronto’s 2nd round pick in ’24. Minnesota receives Toronto’s 4th round pick in ’25. St. Louis will retain 50% and Minnesota will retain 25% of O’Reilly’s salary as part of the trade. Toronto also received Josh Pillar from the Minnesota Wild as part of the transaction.

INJURY REPORT
Carl Dahlström Shoulder (LTIR)
Victor Mete Lower Body (LTIR)
Matt Murray Ankle (LTIR)
Jake Muzzin Neck (LTIR)
Nick Robertson Shoulder (LTIR)

ALL-TIME VS. CALGARY FLAMES:
First Matchup between Clubs: November 5, 1972 (Toronto 2 at Atlanta 2)
All-Time Record: 69-63-12-6 (150 Games)
All-Time Record at Home: 40-21-7-4 (72 Games)
All-Time Record on the Road: 29-42-5-2 (78 Games)
Last Road Win vs. Opponent: April 5, 2021 (Toronto 5 at Calgary 3)

ACTIVE LEADERS VS. CALGARY FLAMES:
Games Played: Ryan O’Reilly (40), Luke Schenn (30), John Tavares (28)
Goals: John Tavares (10), Auston Matthews (7), Ryan O’Reilly (7)
Assists: John Tavares (18), Ryan O’Reilly (18), William Nylander (14)
Points: John Tavares (28), Ryan O’Reilly (25), William Nylander (20)
Penalty Minutes: Jake McCabe (15), Justin Holl (15), Luke Schenn (14)

2022-23 AVERAGES
Points% GF/Game GA/Game PP% PK% SF/G SA/G FO%
Toronto .672 3.43 2.66 25.4 81.3 32.1 29.0 53.2
Calgary .549 3.15 3.08 19.9 80.7 35.8 26.9 50.8

THE MAN ADVANTAGE IN 2022-23
Power Play: 25.4%
Power Play Goal Leader: 11 – Tavares
Power Play Point Leader: 29 – Marner (7G, 22A)
2021-22 Power Play: 63/231 (27.3%)

ON THE PK IN 2022-23
Penalty Kill: 81.3%
Shorthanded Goal Leader: 2 – Marner
Shorthanded Point Leader: 3 – Järnkrok (1G, 2A), Marner (2G, 1A)
2021-22 Penalty Kill: 192/234 (82.1%)

FAST FACTS
Thursday games 12th of 15 (7 home, 8 road)
Back-to-Backs played 9 of 14
Record in first game of back-to-back 6-4-0
Record in second game of back-to-back 5-3-1
March games 2nd of 14 (5 home, 9 road)

CALGARY FLAMES NOTES:

FLAMES LAST GAME RECAP
February 28, 2023 – CALGARY FLAMES [3] vs. BOSTON BRUINS 4
The Calgary Flames welcomed the Boston Bruins to the Scotiabank Saddledome to start a three-game homestand on Tuesday night. Calgary would muster 19 first period shots but Dimitry Orlov would score twice to put the Bruins up 2-0 through the opening 20. In the second, Blake Coleman would score his 100th career goal 1:07 into the frame to draw the Flames within one, and it remained 2-1 through 40 minutes of play. Calgary would continue to battle back in the third with Dillon Dube drawing the Flames level midway through the frame before Jonathan Huberdeau gave the Flames their first lead of the game just over a minute later. Boston would tie the contest in the ladder stages of the period and the game required overtime. Boston would score with just five-seconds left in the extra-frame to win 4-3.

CGY GOAL SCORERS: Coleman (13), Dube (17), Huberdeau (12)
GOALIE: Vladar (3/5, .600 Sv%) Markstrom (13/15, .867 Sv%)
PP: 0/3 (0%)
PK: 2/3(66%)

FLAMES LAST FIVE RESULTS, RECORD: 1-2-2
DATE RESULT GWG CGY GOALIE OPP. GOALIE
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
February 20, 2023 PHI [4] vs. CGY [3] Allison Markstrom Ersson
*shootout winning goal

FLAMES UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
DATE TIME
(MST) OPPONENT VENUE
March 2, 2023 7:00pm vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Scotiabank Saddledome
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

TONIGHTS STORYLINES & STATS
This is the second and final matchup this season between the Flames and Maple Leafs. The Flames fell 5-4 in overtime during the clubs’ first meeting back in December. This is a Pacific Division versus Atlantic Division matchup; The Flames have an overall record of 4-6-4 against Atlantic Division opponents this season and a record of 11-11-8 against Eastern Conference opponents.

LAST MEETING WITH TORONTO:
The Calgary Flames headed to Scotiabank Arena to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs back on December 10th. Auston Matthews opened the scoring 5:03 into the first, but the Flames would respond with a pair of goals from Noah Hanifin and Nazem Kadri to take a 2-1 lead. William Nylander would score late in the frame and a busy opening 20 minutes would end with the teams deadlocked at two. The Flames and Leafs would trade goals throughout the rest of the game with Nylander scoring again to give Toronto their lead back, but Trevor Lewis netted his fifth of the season to tie the game back up. In the third Noah Hanifin scored his second of the night, giving the Flames their first lead since the opening period. However, Michael Bunting would draw the Leafs level and the teams remained in a stalemate through 60 minutes. Overtime was required and in the extra frame the Leafs would score to win 5-4.

CALGARY FLAMES vs. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
CGY vs. TOR ALL-TIME HOME AWAY L10 STRK
69-64-12-5 44-29-5-0 25-35-7-5 4-3-3 L1

GAME INFO:
Calgary Flames vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
7:00pm MT
Scotiabank Saddledome
TV: Sportsnet West
Radio: Sportsnet Fan 960

2022-23 Season Series: 0-0-1 (Home: 0-0-0, Road 0-0-1)
Dec. 10, 2022 – CGY [4] at TOR 5
Mar. 2, 2023 – TOR at CGY

2021-22 Season Record vs. TOR: 1-0-1 (Home: 1-0-0, Road: 0-0-1)
Last Home Win vs. TOR: February 10, 2022 – Toronto [2] vs. Calgary [5]
Last Road Win @ TOR: April 13, 2021 – Calgary [3] at Toronto 2
Last Home Loss vs. TOR: April 5, 2021 – Toronto [5] vs. Calgary [3]
Last Road Loss @ TOR: December 10, 2022 – Calgary [4] at Toronto 5

2022-23 CALGARY FLAMES
FLAMES RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
Jan. 27 – placed Chris Tanev (D) on IR; activated Brett Ritchie (F) from IR
Jan. 28 – reassigned Walker Duehr (F), Jakob Pelletier (F) and Dennis Gilbert (D) to Calgary (AHL)
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

FLAMES RECENT INJURIES (Total man games lost – 46)
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 – Feb. 28)

NHL Preview: Dallas Stars (32-16-13) at Chicago Blackhawks (21-34-5)

NHL Editor
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NHL Preview: Dallas Stars (32-16-13) at Chicago Blackhawks (21-34-5)

DALLAS STARS NOTES:

LAST DALLAS STARS GAME
March 1, 2023 – STARS 4 vs. COYOTES 2
Fueled by four unanswered goals, the Stars pulled off a 4-2 comeback victory over the Arizona Coyotes in front of 18,045 at American Airlines Center on Wednesday. Led by two goals and three points from forward Tyler Seguin (2-1—3) and tallies from forward Roope Hintz (1-0—1) and defenseman Miro Heiskanen (1-0—1), the Stars potted goals at even strength (Hintz, Heiskanen), on the power play (Seguin) and on the penalty kill (Seguin). Forwards Jason Robertson (0-1—1), Evgenii Dadonov (0-1—1), Wyatt Johnston (0-1—1) and Radek Faksa (0-1—1) added assists, as did defenseman Colin Miller (0-1—1). Jake Oettinger made 18 saves on 20 shots in the victory.
PP: 1-4 | PK: 4-5 | SF: 41 | SA: 20 | DAL TOI: Heiskanen (24:37) | Attendance: 18,045
Three Stars: 1. DAL– T. Seguin 2. DAL – R. Hintz 3. ARI – J. Valimaki

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time (CT) Location TV/Radio
Thu, March 2, 2023 Chicago Blackhawks 7:30 p.m. United Center BSSW/KTCK
Sat, March 4, 2023 Colorado Avalanche 2:30 p.m. American Airlines Center ABC/KTCK
Mon, March 6, 2023 Calgary Flames 7:30 p.m. American Airlines Center BSSW/KTCK
Thu, March 9, 2023 Buffalo Sabres 6 p.m. KeyBank Center BSSW/KTCK
Sat, March 11, 2023 Seattle Kraken 9 p.m. Climate Pledge Arena BSSWX/KTCK

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Feb. 21 – Loaned forwards Fredrik Karlstrom and Fredrik Olofsson to Texas (AHL)
Feb. 22 – Recalled forward Fredrik Olofsson and goaltender Matt Murray from Texas (AHL)
Feb. 23 – Loaned forward Fredrik Olofsson and goaltender Matt Murray to Texas (AHL)
Feb. 24 – Recalled forward Fredrik Olofsson from Texas (AHL)
Feb. 26 – Acquired forward Evgenii Dadonov from Montreal in exchange for forward Denis Gurianov
Feb. 26 – Loaned forward Fredrik Olofsson to Texas (AHL)
Feb. 27 – Recalled forwards Fredrik Karlstrom and Fredrik Olofsson from Texas (AHL)
Feb. 28 – Loaned forwards Fredrik Karlstrom and Fredrik Olofsson to Texas (AHL)
March 1 – Recalled forwards Fredrik Karlstrom, Fredrik Olofsson and goaltender Matt Murray from Texas (AHL)
March 1 – Placed forward Luke Glendening on injured reserve retroactive to Feb. 17

INJURIES
Man-games lost, 2022-23: 37
NAME INJURY # OF GAMES DATES
D Miro Heiskanen Upper body 3 Oct. 25-29
G Jake Oettinger Lower body 4 Nov. 1-8
F Denis Gurianov Upper body 6 Nov. 11-21
F Roope Hintz Lower body 1 Nov. 19
F Roope Hintz Upper body 7 Jan. 10-21
F Joel Kiviranta Lower body 9 Feb. 8-pres.
F Luke Glendening Undisclosed 5 Feb. 18-pres.
G Scott Wedgewood Undisclosed 1 Feb. 22-25
Undisclosed 1 Mar. 1-pres.

DALLAS STARS NOTES
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Stars get right back at it tonight with a matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center (7:30 p.m. CT, TV: Bally Sports Southwest, Radio: The Ticket 96.7-FM/1310-AM). Touching down in the Windy City shortly after 1:30 a.m. CT, this wraps up Dallas’ seventh set of back-to-backs this season. This is the third of four meetings between the Stars and Blackhawks and one of two in Chicago, as the two clubs will meet once more on March 28 at United Center.

MY SOURCES SAY THE ROADS ARE CLEAR AND STREET SIGNS POINT THE WAY

  • Captain Jamie Benn leads the Stars with four points (2-2—4) in two games against Chicago this season. Benn ranks second among active Stars in assists (32) and third in goals (12) and points (12-32—44) in 55 career games vs. the Blackhawks.
  • Forward Jason Robertson has three goals (3-0—3) in two games vs. the Blackhawks in 2022-23 and is averaging better than a point per game in his career against them (9-6—15 in 13 GP).
  • Through two games vs. Chicago this season, forward Tyler Seguin has a goal and two points (1-1—2). Seguin ranks second among active Stars in goals (15) and fourth in points (15-14—29) in 36 career games vs. the Blackhawks.
  • Forward Joe Pavelski leads active Stars in goals (23) and ranks second in points (23-24—47) and third in assists (24) in 56 career contests against the Blackhawks. Pavelski also paces the club in power-play goals (7) and shorthanded tallies (2) vs. Chicago.
  • Forward Roope Hintz has 16 points (6-10—16) in 17 career games against the Hawks.
  • Forward Evgenii Dadonov enters tonight’s matchup with six points (2-4—6) in 12 career games against Chicago.
  • Defenseman Jani Hakanpää has two of his three career points (0-3—3) in the first two meetings of the season against Chicago. Hakanpaa has faced Chicago eight times in his career averaging 15:24 TOI over that span.
  • Goaltender Jake Oettinger started both games against Chicago this season, posting a 1-1-0 mark with a 4.08 goals-against average and .852 save percentage. In 10 career appearances vs. the Blackhawks, Oettinger is 5-2-2 with a 2.75 GAA and .905 SV%. – Netminder Scott Wedgewood 0-2-0 with a 2.57 GAA and .924 SV% in two career appearances against the Blackhawks.

2022-23 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
Nov. 23, 2022 vs. Chicago – W, 6-4
Feb. 22 vs. Chicago – L, 4-3
March 2 at Chicago
March 28 at Chicago

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS NOTES:

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

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Saturday, March 4 vs. NSH, 7:00 p.m. CT (NBCSCH, WGN Radio, Univision (Spanish))
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)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
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 (1) at Arizona (4) – Tue., Feb. 28 – Mullett Arena
CHI Goals: Athanasiou (14)
ARI Goals: Boyd (9), Hayton (9), McBain (8), Schmaltz (18)
Goalies: CHI – Stalock (29/33, 60:00) ARI – Vejmelka (23/24, 60:00)
CHI PP: 0/2; PK: 1/1
ARI PP: 0/1; PK: 2/2
Recap: The Blackhawks dropped a 4-1 decision to the Coyotes on Tuesday in Arizona … Andreas Athanasiou scored the Blackhawks’ lone tally and has goals in consecutive contests for the first time this season … Philipp Kurashev and Isaak Phillips picked up the assists on the goal … Alex Stalock made his first start in 18 games and made 29 saves on 33 shots.

TONIGHT’S OPPONENT – DALLAS STARS
The Blackhawks have points in seven of their last 10 games against Dallas (4-3-3) … In Chicago’s last game against Dallas on Feb. 22, the Blackhawks erased a three-goal deficit by scoring four unanswered goals to win the game in regulation … Max Domi notched three points (2G, 1A) in the victory and Seth Jones tallied two helpers … Domi has five points (3G, 2A) over his last two against the Stars … Jones has three assists over his last two games against Dallas … Andreas Athanasiou has goals in his last three games against the Stars (2G) … Jason Dickinson celebrated a three-point night in his last game against his former team on April 18, 2022 with Vancouver … Dickinson was originally drafted by Dallas in the first round (29th overall) in the 2013 NHL Draft and played there from 2015-21 … Seth and Caleb Jones are both from Arlington, Texas. 

2022-23 Schedule/Results: HOME: March 2, March 28 | AWAY: Nov. 23 (4-6), Feb. 22 (4-3)
All-Time Record: 147-110-40 | Home: 83-45-18 | Road: 64-65-22 
Last Home Win: May 9, 2021 (4-2) | Last Road Win: Feb. 22, 2023 (4-3) | Last Home Loss: April 10, 2022
(4-6) Last Road Loss: Nov. 23, 2022 (4-6) 
  
ACTIVE BLACKHAWKS VS. DAL ALL-TIME  
GOALS: Max Domi, 6; Andreas Athanasiou, 5; Tyler Johnson, 5 
ASSISTS: Max Domi, 14; Seth Jones, 10; Connor Murphy, 9
POINTS: Max Domi, 20; Seth Jones, 13; Tyler Johnson, 13

BLACKHAWKS RECORD ON…
One-Day Rest: 12-13-1
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: 4-4-1
Friday: 5-2-1
Saturday: 5-6-1
Sunday: 3-6-1

NHL Preview: Seattle Kraken (33-21-6) at Detroit Red Wings (28-24-8)

NHL Editor
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NHL Preview: Seattle Kraken (33-21-6) at Detroit Red Wings (28-24-8)

SEATTLE KRAKEN NOTES:

LAST GAME
Seattle 5 at St. Louis 3
Goals: Geekie (2), McCann, Oleksiak, Tanev
Goalie: Jones (22/25)
PP: 0/2 PK: 4/4 Shots: Seattle 26 – St. Louis 25

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 158)
Joonas Donskoi (upper body; IR) – 60 games – no timeline for return
Andre Burakovsky (lower body) – 10 games – week-to-week

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
Feb. 22, 2023: Recalled F Jesper Froden from Coachella Valley (AHL)
Feb. 24, 2023: Reassigned G Chris Driedger to Coachella Valley (AHL)

UPCOMING GAMES
Friday, March 3: Seattle at Columbus, 4 p.m. PT
Sunday, March 5: Seattle at Colorado, 6 p.m. PT
Tuesday, March 7: Anaheim at Seattle, 7 p.m. PT
Thursday, March 9: Ottawa at Seattle, 7 p.m. PT
Saturday, March 11: Dallas at Seattle, 7 p.m. PT

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
• Tonight’s matchup is the second of two games the Kraken will play against the Red Wings this season and the first time the teams are playing in Detroit this year.
• A win or an overtime loss would give the Kraken points in four consecutive games against Detroit. The team is 2-0-1 all-time against the Red Wings. The Red Wings are one of four teams that the Kraken have never lost to in regulation, the others being the Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets and Ottawa Senators.
• A win tonight would also give the Kraken their fourth sweep of the season after having previously swept the Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins. Seattle topped Detroit 4-2 in the two teams’ first meeting of the season on Feb. 18.
• With 60 games played in total this season, the Kraken have played exactly 30 games at home and 30 games on the road. The team is 15-12-3 with 33 points (.550 points percentage) at home and 18-9-3 with 39 points (.650 points percentage) on the road.
• Vince Dunn, who has already set a career high with 44 points (11 goals, 33 assists) this season, was ranked in the top 15 among all NHL defensemen in goals (tied ninth), assists (tied 13th), points (tied 10th), even-strength goals (11, third) and even-strength points (33, tied fifth) entering play Wednesday.
• Jared McCann (1.83) was leading the NHL in goals-per-60 at five-on-five this season among players that have played in at least seven games this year entering play Wednesday. McCann has a point in eight of the last nine games he has played, totaling four goals and four assists during that span.
• Entering play Wednesday, Adam Larsson and the Rangers’ Jacob Trouba were the only two players to have at least 160 hits and 120 blocks this season.
• The Kraken have played 14 games this season in which they have had at least five different goal scorers.
• Since the start of the New Year, the Kraken are tied for third the league in wins (13) and tied for fourth in points (32). The team’s 91 goals rank third in the league since Jan. 1 entering play Wednesday.
• Despite only playing in 60 games this season, the Kraken are the first team to have scored at least eight goals in a game four different times since the Pittsburgh Penguins also had four eight-goal games in 2011-12.

CLIPPING THE WINGS
• Ryan Donato has six points (four goals, two assists) in his last six games against the Red Wings.
• Vince Dunn has three points (one goal, two assists) in his last three games against Detroit.
• Jordan Eberle has 17 points (12 goals, five assists) in the last 16 games he has played against Detroit dating back to Jan. 6, 2015. Eberle had three points (two goals, one assist) in the two teams’ last meeting on Feb. 18. Eberle recorded his 500th NHL point on Jan. 14, 2020 against Detroit.
• Yanni Gourde has four points (two goals, two assists) in his last four games against the Red Wings.
• Philipp Grubauer has 3-0-1 career record against the Red Wings with a .937 save percentage, a 1.72 goals-against average and one shutout.
• Jaycob Megna has an assist in each of his last two meetings with Detroit.
• Eeli Tolvanen has recorded a point in six of the last seven games he has played against the Red Wings, including scoring in Seattle’s last meeting with Detroit on Feb. 18. His four career goals against Detroit are tied with Dallas for his second-most against a single opponent (Chicago; five).

KILLING IT
• The Kraken have not allowed a power-play goal for seven consecutive games dating back to Feb. 14 at Winnipeg, going a perfect 15-for-15 during that span.
• If they were to remain perfect on the penalty kill tonight, it would match the franchise record for consecutive games without allowing a power-play goal against. The Kraken went a perfect 18-for-18 on the penalty kill during a franchise-best, eight-game stretch earlier this season from Jan. 16 to Feb. 7.
• Entering play Wednesday, the Kraken were one of only three teams (Toronto, Minnesota) in the NHL to remain perfect on the penalty kill since Feb. 14, the start of the team’s streak.
• Adam Larsson is leading all Seattle skaters in both total penalty kill time (170:38) and penalty kill time per game (2:51) this season.
• Among defensemen that have played at least 70 minutes on the penalty kill this season, Will Borgen was ranked 12th in the NHL with 5.34 power-play goals against per 60 entering play Wednesday.

EVEN STEVENS
• Entering play Wednesday, the Kraken were leading the league in both five-on-five goals (152) and five-on-five goals per game (2.53) this season.
• In total, the Kraken have scored 158 goals at even strength (including four-on-four and three-on-three), which also topped the NHL entering play Wednesday.
• Seattle has scored 76.0 percent of its goals this year at even strength, the highest mark of any team entering play Wednesday. 73.1 percent of the team’s goals have come during five-on-five play this year, which ranked second to only the San Jose Sharks (73.7) entering play Wednesday.
• The Kraken are pacing to finish the year with 208 five-on-five goals, which would be tied for the third-best mark since the NHL began tracking goals for by strength in 2009-10. Last year’s Florida Panthers (218) and Toronto Maple Leafs (210) rank first and second, respectively, in five-on-five goals in a single season since the stat was first tracked in 2009-10. The 2021-22 Minnesota Wild and the 2009-10 Washington Capitals also both finished their respective seasons with 208 five-on-five goals.
• Entering play Wednesday, Vince Dunn (83) and Adam Larsson (75) were ranked second and fifth, respectively, in the NHL in on-ice even-strength goals for this year.

DETROIT RED WINGS NOTES:

LAST GAME
RED WINGS 1 at OTTAWA 6 (2/28/23)
1ST PERIOD: DET Kubalík (Määttä) 3:50-EV; OTT Stützle 4:08-PS; OTT Watson (Gambrell) 7:52-SH; OTT Watson (Brassard,
Kastelic) 15:46-EV; OTT DeBrincat (Batherson, Chabot) 16:09-PP
2ND PERIOD: OTT Giroux (DeBrincat, Stützle) 8:34-PP
3RD PERIOD: OTT Tkachuk (Giroux, Stützle) 5:17-EV
SHOTS: DET 17 (5-6-6) / OTT 27 (16-3-8)
GOALIES: DET Husso (L, 21-27) / OTT Søgaard (W, 16-17)
PP: DET 0-8 / OTT 2-6
MAN GAMES LOST (games missed / out since)
Michael Rasmussen – lower body (4 / Feb. 25)
Jordan Oesterle – undisclosed (2 / Feb. 27)
Total Man Games Lost: 238
Individual Man Games Lost: Filip Zadina (37), Robby Fabbri (35), Jakub Vrána (33), Matt Luff (32), Tyler Bertuzzi (31), Robert Hägg (15), Elmer Söderblom (13), Gustav Lindström (11), Lucas Raymond (8), Oskar Sundqvist (7), Olli Määttä (4), Jake Walman (3), Ville Husso (2), Dylan Larkin (1)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
3/2 – Acquired a first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft from Boston in exchange for forward Tyler Bertuzzi. Detroit will retain 50 percent of Bertuzzi’s salary.
3/1 – Signed forward Dylan Larkin to an eight-year contract extension with an average annual value of $8.7 million … Acquired a conditional first-round pick and a second-round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft from Vancouver in exchange for defenseman Filip Hronek and a fourth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft … Signed forward Alexandre Doucet to a three-year entry-level contract 2/28 – Signed defenseman Jake Walman to a three-year contract extension with an average annual value of $3.4 million 2/27 – Activated forward Lucas Raymond from injured reserve … Placed defenseman Jordan Oesterle on injured reserve

TONIGHT’S GAME
RED WINGS vs. KRAKEN / 7:00 P.M. EST / LITTLE CAESARS ARENA / TV: BSD / RADIO: WXYT 97.1 FM
TONIGHT: Fourth all-time meeting, second in Detroit … Second of two games this season, only game at Little Caesars Arena
ALL-TIME vs. SEA: 1-2-0 / HOME: 1-0-0 / LAST 10: N/A / IN 2021-22: 1-1-0 / THIS SEASON: 0-1-0
DET top scorers vs. SEA: Dylan Larkin (1-3-4 in 3 GP), Robby Fabbri (1-1-2 in 2 GP), Lucas Raymond (1-1-2 in 2 GP), Pius Suter (1-1-2 in 3 GP), Moritz Seider (0-2-2 in 3 GP), Dominik Kubalík (1-1-2 in 4 GP), Joe Veleno (1-0-1 in 2 GP), Jake Walman (0-1-1 in 2 GP)
SEA top scorers vs. DET: Jordan Eberle (15-7-22 in 28 GP), Oliver Bjorkstrand (4-10-14 in 22 GP), Yanni Gourde (5-8-13 in 23 GP), Ryan Donato (4-2-6 in 7 GP), Eeli Tolvanen (4-2-6 in 9 GP), Brandon Tanev (3-3-6 in 10 GP), Vince Dunn (1-4-5 in 8 GP), Matty Beniers (0-2-2 in 1 GP), Jaycob Megna (0-2-2 in 4 GP), Will Borgen (0-1-1 in 2 GP)

UPCOMING GAMES (ALL TIMES EST)
Sat., March 4: RED WINGS at ISLANDERS / 12:30 p.m. / UBS Arena / TV: BSD / RADIO: WXYT 97.1 FM
Sun., March 5: RED WINGS at FLYERS / 6:00 p.m. / Wells Fargo Center / TV: NHLN, BSD / RADIO: WXYT 97.1 FM
Wed., March 8: RED WINGS vs. BLACKHAWKS / 7:30 p.m. / LITTLE CAESARS ARENA / TV: TNT / RADIO: WXYT 97.1 FM

LAST TIME OUT
Feb. 28 at Ottawa – 6-1 L
Detroit fell at Ottawa to move to 28-24-8 overall and 13-12-5 on the road … The Red Wings are 8-3-0 against Canadian clubs since Jan. 10 vs. Winnipeg … In all, the Red Wings are 7-4-0 in their last 11 games since Feb. 9 vs. Calgary … Detroit is also 6-4-0 in its last 10 road games dating back to Jan. 19 at Vegas … Detroit posted a 7-5-0 record in the month of February, marking the first time the club has finished above .500 in the month of February since going 7-4-3 during the 2015-16 campaign … Dominik Kubalík opened the scoring with his 17th goal of the season … Thirteen of Kubalík’s 17 goals this season have come on the road … Kubalík has four points (3-1-4) in seven games since Feb. 16 at Calgary … Kubalík also has six points (3-3-6) in seven career head-to-head meetings against Ottawa … Kubalík (17-21-38 in 59 GP) is tied for second place among Detroit skaters with 38 points … Moritz Seider matched a career high with eight hits, which he previously accomplished on March 10, 2022 vs. Minnesota … Robby Fabbri set a career high with seven hits … The Red Wings finished with 33 penalty minutes, which are their most in a single game since tallying 38 penalty minutes on Jan. 4, 2022 vs. San Jose … Detroit is 18-8-7 this season when scoring first, and 8-3-5 when doing so on the road.

NHL Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins (30-21-9) at Tampa Bay Lightning (37-19-4)

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NHL Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins (30-21-9) at Tampa Bay Lightning (37-19-4)

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS NOTES:

LAST 2 GAMES
Feb. 28: Pittsburgh 3, Nashville 1 – Bridgestone Arena
PIT Goals: Crosby, Zucker, Rust (EN)
Multiple Points: None
Goalie: Jarry (24 saves, 25 shots)
Key Stats: Jason Zucker’s game-winning goal was his second in as many games and fourth in his last seven contests.
PP: 0-3
PK: 2-2

Feb. 26: Pittsburgh 7, Tampa Bay 3 – PPG Paints Arena
PIT Goals: O’Connor, Malkin, Crosby (PP), Blueger, Carter,
Zucker, Dumoulin
Multiple Points: Malkin (1G-1A), Crosby (1G-1A), Dumoulin (1G1A), Petry (2A), Pettersson (2A), Letang (2A)
Goalie: DeSmith (26 saves, 29 shots)
Key Stats: Sidney Crosby hit the 70-point plateau for the 13th time in his career.
PP: 1-2
PK: 2-3

INJURIES
Position Player Status Consecutive Games Missed Total Games Missed
F Ryan Poehling Upper-Body 8 22
2022-23 Total Regular-Season Man-Games Lost: 146

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Date Transaction
Mar. 1 F Mikael Granlund acquired from Nashville for 2023 2nd round draft pick.
Mar. 1 F Peter DiLiberatore and 2024 3rd Round Draft Pick acquired form Vegas in exchange for Teddy Blueger.
Mar. 1 F Brock McGinn and D Mark Friedman re-assigned to WBS (AHL).

Penguins’ All-Time Record vs. Lightning: 54-38-11
In Pittsburgh: 33-12-7
In Tampa Bay: 21-26-4
OT Record vs. Tampa Bay: 4-5-7
Shootout Record vs. Tampa Bay: 0-2

2022-23 Results: Pittsburgh is 2-0-0.
Penguins All-Time Point Leaders vs. LIGHTNING:
Sidney Crosby – 45GP, 61 PTS (22G-39A)
Evgeni Malkin – 43GP, 60 PTS (27G-33A)
Jaromir Jagr – 33GP, 39 PTS (20G-19A)
Mario Lemieux – 18GP, 39 PTS (11G-28A)

TONIGHT’S GAME

  • The Penguins continue along their three-game road trip as they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena (TV: AT&T Sportsnet; Radio: 105.9 The X).
  • The Penguins have wins in four of their last five games against the Lightning (4-1-0) and have points in five of their last six against them (4-1-1).
  • Pittsburgh has wins in two-straight games at Amalie Arena. A win tonight would give them their first three-game road winning streak versus Tampa Bay since Jan. 15, 2012-Nov. 29, 2013 (4 consecutive wins).
  • This road swing will be the final road trip that is three or more games this season.

QUICK HITS
1) Pittsburgh has points in 76.5% of their games versus Atlantic Division opponents this season (8-4-5).

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING NOTES:

LAST GAME
Lightning 1 vs. Florida 4
The Tampa Bay Lightning dropped a second-straight contest with a 4-1 loss to the Florida Panthers Tuesday night at AMALIE Arena, snapping a franchise record 16-game home point streak…The Bolts fell to 37-19-4 on the season with a home record of 22-5-3…The Lightning went 2-2-0 vs. FLA this season to split the intrastate season series…Eric Staal opened the scoring at the 6:19 mark of the first before FLA added two more goals from Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen at the 15:56 and 17:37 marks to take a 3-0 lead into the intermission…FLA outshot Tampa Bay 16-4 in the opening frame…Brayden Point got the Bolts on the board with a power-play goal at the 11:39 mark of the second with Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov picking up the helpers…Anthony Duclair iced the game for FLA with an empty-net goal at the 19:55 mark of the third…Andrei Vasilevskiy got the start in goal for the Lightning and stopped 37 of the 40 shots he faced.
PP: TBL – 1-5 FLA – 0-2
SOG: TBL – 29 FLA – 41
Attendance: 19,092

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
The Lightning and the Penguins are playing the third of three matchups this season and the only meeting at AMALIE Arena…The Bolts are 0-2-0 against PIT this season after suffering a 6-2 loss Oct. 15 and a 7-3 loss Feb. 26, both at PPG Paints Arena…Nikita Kucherov (1-3—4) leads Tampa Bay in points vs. PIT this season, while Brayden Point (2-1—3) leads the way in goals…Steven Stamkos has picked up points in eight of his last 10 games vs. PIT (3-7—10)…Stamkos has recorded points in 16 of his 20 career home games vs. PIT (4-21—25)…Point has scored a goal in three of his last four contests vs. PIT (3-1—4)…Alex Killorn has points in five of his last seven home games vs. PIT (2-7—9)…In five career home games vs. PIT, Anthony Cirelli has notched five points (3-2—5)…Victor Hedman has pointed in nine of his last 11 home games vs. PIT (2-9—11)…Mikhail Sergachev has picked up points in five of his last eight home games vs. PIT (3-3—6)…Ian Cole won back-to-back Stanley Cups with PIT (2015-16 & 2016-17)…In 10 career home starts vs. PIT, Andrei Vasilevskiy is 7-3-0 with a .911 save percentage and 3.12 goals against average…The Lightning are 7-3-0 in their last 10 home games vs. PIT and 5-5-0 in the last 10 meetings overall…The Bolts are 44-51-3 with five ties all-time vs. PIT, including a home record of 28-21-0 with two ties…Vincent Lecavalier (27-18—45) and Martin St. Louis (15-30—45) are tied for the Tampa Bay franchise record for career points vs. PIT.

TBL ALL-TIME POINT LEADERS VS. PIT
T1. Vincent Lecavalier – 45 pts. (27-18—45, 52 GP)
T1. Martin St. Louis – 45 pts. (15-30—45, 49 GP)

  1. Steven Stamkos – 42 pts. (14-28—42, 40 GP)
  2. Nikita Kucherov – 27 pts. (8-19—27, 23 GP)
  3. Brad Richards – 26 pts. (5-21—26, 25 GP)

TONIGHT’S STORYLINES
Tampa Bay is playing the second game of a brief, two-game homestand tonight…The Bolts will play eight of their 16 games in March on home ice…The Lightning are 7-5-1 against Metropolitan Division opponents and 17-12-2 against the Eastern Conference this season…Tampa Bay is 22-5-3 on home ice this season…The Bolts have scored three or more goals in 10 of their last 11 home games and 25 of their 30 games at AMALIE Arena this season…The Lightning have scored a power-play goal in 10 of their last 11 home games.

INJURIES
2022-23 Regular Season Man Games Lost: 95
Current Injuries:
None

TRANSACTIONS
March 1 – Acquired F Michael Eyssimont from San Jose in exchange for F Vladislav Namestnikov
Feb. 26 – Acquired F Tanner Jeannot from Nashville in exchange for D Cal Foote, a 2025 first-round pick, a 2024 second-round pick, a 2023 third-round pick, a 2023 fourth-round pick and a 2023 fifth-round pick

HOME COOKING
The Lightning are 22-5-3 at home this season with a .783 points percentage, trailing only Boston (.879) for the NHL lead…Tampa Bay has scored three or more goals in 10 of their last 11 games at AMALIE Arena and 25 of 30 home games overall…The Lightning have surrendered two or less goals in 11 of their last 17 home contests…The Bolts are averaging over four goals per game on home ice for the second time in franchise history at 4.07 GF/GP (also: 4.02 GF/GP, 2018-19) and are the only team in the NHL averaging more than four goals per game at home…Tampa Bay’s power play is clicking at a 31.1% conversion rate on home ice, the second-best among all NHL teams, trailing only Edmonton (33.3%)…Since Dec. 1, the Lightning have given up just six powerplay goals on 50 attempts at AMALIE Arena, good for an 88 PK%, the third-best home penalty kill percentage in the NHL during that span, trailing only Boston (90.6%) and New Jersey (88.9%).

NHL Preview: Ottawa Senators (30-26-4) at New York Rangers (35-17-9)

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NHL Preview: Ottawa Senators (30-26-4) at New York Rangers (35-17-9)

OTTAWA SENATORS NOTES:

LAST GAME: Feb. 28, 6-1 win vs. Detroit: The Senators became the first team in NHL regular season history to score a power-play goal, shorthanded goal, even strength goal and a penalty shot goal on four sperate tallies in a single period to emerge with a 6-1 victory at Canadian Tire Centre. The four markers came in the first period and began when Stützle scored Ottawa’s first penalty shot goal since 3/29/18 (Pageau). Watson followed with his third shorthanded tally of the season (to move into a tie for fourth leaguewide) and an even strength marker to provide his first multi-goal game since 4/5/22. DeBrincat on the power-play at 16:09 capped the historic period. Giroux and Tkachuk added goals in each of the last two periods to give Ottawa 12 goals across its last two games, tied for the second highest two-game total in franchise history. Kubalik had the lone goal for Detroit. Sogaard earned the win for Ottawa with 16 saves while Husso took the loss for the Red Wings in turning aside 21 shots. Scratches: Kelly, Larsson; Injuries: Forsberg, Norris; Shots: OTT – 27, DET – 17; PP: OTT – 2-6, DET – 0-8.

BROADCAST INFORMATION: This evening’s game against the N.Y. Rangers will be broadcast regionally on TSN5 and RDS. On the radio, the game will be available locally via TSN 1200 (English) and 94,5 Unique-FM (French).

WHAT’S NEXT: Ottawa returns home to face Columbus Saturday evening at 7 p.m. The contest will mark the second of three regular-season meetings nd the second of two matchups at Canadian Tire Centre.

INJURY REPORT: G Forsberg and C Norris are on IR and will not oppose the Rangers this evening. Total man-games lost: 211.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS: Re-assigned C Greig and recalled C Kastelic to/from Belleville (AHL) on Feb. 25.

OTTAWA vs. N.Y. RANGERS – History:
2022-23 (1-1-0): Nov. 30 @ Ottawa (3-1 loss), Dec. 2 @ N.Y. Rangers (3-2 OT win), March 2 @ N.Y. Rangers
2021-22 (0-3-0): 10/23/21 @ Ottawa (3-2 loss), 2/20/22 @ Ottawa (2-1 loss), 4/9/22 @ N.Y. Rangers (5-1 loss)
Series record: Overall: 53-43-3-4; Home: 23-25-3-2; Away: 30-18-0-2
Last Ottawa win: @ Ottawa: 11/22/19 (4-1); @ N.Y. Rangers: Dec. 2 (3-2 OT)
Last N.Y. Rangers win: @ Ottawa: Nov. 30 (3-1); @ N.Y. Rangers: 4/9/22 (5-1)
Last OT result: Dec. 2 (3-2 OT win) @ N.Y. Rangers
Last shootout: 11/14/15 (2-1 SO loss) @ Ottawa
Most goals, game: Scored: 9, (1/24/04, 9-1 win); Allowed: 8, (3/18/14, 8-4 loss); Both teams: 12, (3/18/14, 8-4 loss)
Last Game: Dec. 2, 3-2 OT win @ N.Y. Rangers; OTT Goals: Tkachuk (x2), Stützle; NYR Goals: Kravtsov, Zibanejad; OTT Scratch: Holden; OTT Injuries: Bernard-Docker, Brassard, Norris; OTT Goalie: Talbot; NYR Goalie: Shesterkin; OTT PP: 1-4; NYR PP: 0-2; Shots: 37-27.
Career vs. N.Y. Rangers: Giroux leads all players in career games played (67), in goals (14), in assists (44) and in points (58); Hamonic leads in penalty minutes (45) against New York.

ROAD SCHOLARS: The Senators have a record of 12-14-2 on the road this season … Brady Tkachuk leads with 12 goals on the road
this season while also ranking first with 17 assists while the Senators serve as visitors … Through 28 road games this season, Tkachuk
maintains the club lead with 29 points … The Senators registered an 18-20-3 record over 41 road contests in 2021-22.

BACK-TO-BACK GAMES: Ottawa will play back-to-back games on 12 occasions in 2022-23 and will open their 10th set of the season
on March 11 when the team visits Vancouver ahead of visiting Calgary the following evening … The Senators played 17 back-to-back
sets last season and earned a record of 6-9-2 in the first half of contests on consecutive nights (6-3-0 this season) while posting an 8-8-
1 record (6-3-0 this season) in the second half of games on consecutive days.

ON THE POWER PLAY: The Senators are 58 for 228 (25.4%) on the power-play in 2022-23 … Drake Batherson leads with 12 powerplay goals while Alex DeBrincat maintains the club lead with 25 points while the team enjoys a man advantage … Ottawa has recorded
multiple power-play goals 15 times in an individual contest in 2022-23 after having done so 11 times in 2021-22.

ON THE PENALTY KILL: Ottawa has overcome 182 of the 220 occasions the team has been shorthanded in 2022-23 to maintain an
efficiency of 82.7% through 60 regular-season games … The team has registered six (Watson x3, Joseph x2, Motte) shorthanded
Ottawa Senators: Media Notes
markers this season after recording nine such goals in 2021-22.

NEW YORK RANGERS NOTES:

LAST GAME
New York Rangers 3, Philadelphia Flyers 2 – Overtime – March 1, 2023 – Wells Fargo Center
NYR Goals: M. Zibanejad (32), C. Kreider (26), V. Tarasenko (13)
PHI Goals: O. Tippett (18), S. Laughton (14)
NYR Goalie: I. Shesterkin (W – 25/27)
PHI Goalie: C. Hart (OTL – 22/25)
NYR Shots: 25
PHI Shots: 27
NYR PP: 1/1
NYR PK: 2/3

RECAP/NOTES: The Rangers earned an overtime victory in the first game of this back-to-back, last night in Philadelphia. New York quickly made it 1-0 but headed into the third period down 2-1 where Chris Kreider tied the game. In overtime, Vladimir Tarasenko scored the overtime winner to complete his three-point night (1G-2A).

RANGERS RUNDOWN

  • The New York Rangers host the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden in their final home game until March 14 (7:00 PM ET – TV: MSG Network – Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM). In the second half of back-to-backs this season, the Blueshirts are 6-4-1.
  • Newly-acquired three-time Stanley Cup champion Patrick Kane is set to make his Rangers debut tonight.
  • At home, the Blueshirts have won six of their last seven games and are 9-3-0 in their last 12 home games.
  • The Blueshirts have earned a point in 12 of their last 15 games (10-3-2) and 30 of their last 38 contests (25-8-5).
  • New York has points in five-straight games (4-0-1) against Ottawa.
  • The Blueshirts’ 17 comeback wins are tied for the fourth most in the NHL and their eight third-period comeback wins are tied for the third most in the NHL. Their eight third-period comeback wins are tied for the second most in franchise history (11 – 2010-11).
  • With the most recent outing coming on Sunday, the Rangers have scored five or more goals 18 times this season, tied for the fourth most in the NHL. The Rangers have scored five or more goals in five of their last 12 contests.
  • The Rangers defensemen group has collected 145 points, tied for the third most in the NHL and 116 assists, the fourth most in the NHL.
  • New York’s 78 third period goals are tied for the third most in the league and plus-23 third period goal differential ranks third in the NHL.
  • When scoring first this year, the Blueshirts are 24-4-4 and 18-2-3 when leading after the second period.

LAST FIVE GAMES
DATE OPPONENT RESULT
Mar. 1 at Philadelphia OTW, 3-2
Feb. 26 Los Angeles W, 5-2
Feb. 25 at Washington L, 6-3
Feb. 23 at Detroit L, 4-1
Feb. 20 Winnipeg L, 4-1

MAN GAMES LOST – 34
PLAYER INJURY/REASON DATES MISSED CONS. GAMES MISSED
Ryan Lindgren Upper Body Feb. 26-Mar. 1 2
K’Andre Miller Suspension Mar. 1 1

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
February 28 – Patrick Kane acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks.
February 28 – Austin Rueschhoff traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for future considerations
February 28 – Braden Schneider recalled from Hartford. Ryan Carpenter re-assigned to Hartford.
February 26 – Ryan Carpenter recalled from Hartford. Braden Schneider and Jake Leschyshyn re-assigned to Hartford.
February 25 – Will Lockwood and 2026 seventh round pick acquired from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Vitali Kravtsov.

ALL-TIME RECORD 47-48-3-5 (102 PTS)
2022-23 1-0-1
2021-22 3-0-0
NYR HOME 20-27-0-3 (43 PTS)
NYR AWAY 27-21-3-2 (59 PTS)
LAST FIVE MEETINGS 4-0-1
LEADING SCORER(S) – CURRENT RANGERS IN CAREER G: Kane (12) – A: Kane (21) – Pts: Kane (33)
LEADING SCORER(S) – ALL-TIME IN GAMES W/NYR G: Graves (16) – A: Messier/Leetch (20) – Pts: Messier (34)

2022-23 SEASON SERIES
November 30 at Ottawa W, 3-1
December 2 at MSG OTL, 3-2
March 2 at MSG 7:00 PM ET

NHL Preview: Nashville Predators (29-23-6) at Florida Panthers (30-26-6)

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NHL Preview: Nashville Predators (29-23-6) at Florida Panthers (30-26-6)

NASHVILLE PREDATORS NOTES:

ALL-TIME vs. FLORIDA
OVERALL (43 GP) 19-19-(3)-2
HOME (22 GP) 10-9-(2)-1
ROAD (21 GP) 9-10-(1)-1
LAST MEETING Feb. 18, 2023 at NSH (W, 7-3)
PLAYOFFS Never Met
− The Predators are 19-19-(3)-2 all-time against the Panthers, including a 9-10-(1)-1 record on the road.
− This is the second and final matchup between Nashville and Florida in 2022-23; it is the first and only at FLA Live Arena.
− Nashville is 1-0-0 against Florida this season, scoring a season-high seven goals in a 7-3 win at Bridgestone Arena on Feb. 18. Roman Josi (1g-2a) and Ryan McDonagh (3a) both had three points in the win.
− The Predators are 3-2-0 in their last five games against the Panthers; they are 4-6-0 in their last 10; and 3-2-0 in their last five on the road.
− In front of a sell-out crowd of 17,298, the Predators played their first-ever NHL game against the Panthers on Oct. 10, 1998.

NOTABLES vs. FLORIDA
− Filip Forsberg has 20 points (5g-15a) in 19 career games against Florida, with 10 of those points (3g-7a) coming in six contests in 2020-21. He recorded his first of two career five-point games on Feb. 4, 2021 at Florida (2g-3a).
− Roman Josi has 22 points (8g-14a) in 23 career games vs. Florida.
− Matt Duchene owns 24 points (12g-12a), including four multi-goal games, in 27 meetings with the Panthers.
− Colton Sissons went 16-for-16 in faceoffs on Feb. 22, 2022 at Florida, becoming the fourth NHL player since 1997-98 to take at least 16 faceoffs in a game and win them all.
− Yakov Trenin (Oct. 19, 2019) and Kevin Lankinen (Jan. 19, 2021) made their NHL debuts against Florida.
− Panthers forward Patric Hornqvist was selected by the Predators in the seventh round (230th overall) of the 2005 NHL Draft. He posted 216 points (106g-110a) in 363 games with Nashville from 2008-14.
− Florida forward Nick Cousins played in 120 games for Nashville from 2020-22, tallying 40 points (14g-26a).

LAST TIME OUT
− Pittsburgh Penguins 3, Nashville Predators 1 – Feb. 28 (Bridgestone Arena)
− NSH goals: Jankowski (5)
− PIT goals: Crosby (27), Zucker – GWG (17), Rust – ENG (15)
− Goaltenders: NSH – Saros (L, 31/33); PIT – Jarry (W, 24/25)
− Power plays: NSH 0-2; PIT 0-3
− Notes: Nashville moved to 16-11-3 at home in 2022-23… The Predators outshot the Penguins by a 17-9 margin in the first period… Mark Jankowski opened the scoring with an unassisted goal at 7:01 of the third period… Luke Evangelista made his NHL debut, logging 14:28 of ice time with two shots, six shot attempts, one hit and one takeaway… Cal Foote skated 12:14 with two blocked shots in his Predators debut.

INJURY REPORT
Player Designation Dates Missed Games Missed
Mark Borowiecki Upper body – IR Oct. 27-Feb. 28 51
Filip Forsberg Upper body – day-to-day Feb. 13-28 8
Ryan Johansen Right leg surgery Feb. 23-28 3
Juuso Parssinen Upper body – day-to-day Feb. 26-28 2
Total man-games lost: 127
Individual man-games lost: Borowiecki – 52; McCarron – 20; Carrier – 14; Forsberg – 8; McDonagh – 7; Smith – 6; Trenin – 5;
Glass – 3; Johansen – 3; Lauzon – 3; Jankowski – 2; Parssinen – 2; Duchene – 1; Lankinen – 1

NASHVILLE PREDATORS GAME NOTES
March 2, 2023 at Florida Panthers

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
− March 1: Acquired a second-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft from Pittsburgh for forward Mikael Granlund.
− Feb. 28: Recalled forwards Luke Evangelista and Mark Jankowski from Milwaukee (AHL). Acquired defenseman Tyson Barrie, forward Reid Schaefer, a first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft from Edmonton for defenseman Mattias Ekholm and a sixth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Acquired forward Austin Rueschhoff from NY Rangers for future considerations.
− Feb. 27: Reassigned defenseman Kevin Gravel to Milwaukee (AHL).
− Feb. 26: Recalled forward Zach Sanford from Milwaukee (AHL). Acquired a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft; a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft; a third-round, fourth-round and fifth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft; and defenseman Cal Foote from Tampa Bay for forward Tanner Jeannot. Acquired forward Isaac Ratcliffe from Philadelphia for future considerations.
− Feb. 25: Acquired a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft from W

FLORIDA PANTHERS NOTES:

BAPTIST HEALTH INJURY REPORT

  • F Patric Hornqvist | Games Missed: 37
  • F Sam Bennett | Games Missed: 5
  • F Aleksander Barkov | Games Missed: 2
  • F Givani Smith | Games Missed: 2
    Total Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 190

LAST GAME
Panthers 4, Lightning 1 – Feb. 28 – Amalie Arena
FLA Goals: E. Staal (12), Lundell (9), Luostarinen (14), Duclair (1)
TBL Goals: Point (37-PPG)
FLA Goalie: Bobrovsky (W) – 28 Saves
TBL Goalie: Vasilevskiy (L) – 37 Saves
FLA Shots: 41
TBL Shots: 29
Notes: Sergei Bobrovsky earned his 354th NHL win to surpass Evgeni Nabokov for most wins by a Russian-born goaltender…Eetu Luostarinen posted two points (1-1-2) to extend his point streak to three games (1-4-5)…Eric Staal logged two points (1-1-2)…Anthony Duclair scored his first goal of the season for his second point in as many games (1-1-2)…Ryan Lomberg matched his career high with five shots on goal…Radko Gudas tied his career high with seven blocked shots…Casey Fitzgerald made his Panthers debut…Florida snapped Tampa Bay’s franchise-record 16-game home point streak…FLA PP: 0-2, FLA PK: 4-5

RECENT TRANSACTIONS:

  • Feb. 24: F Zac Dalpe and F Grigori Denisenko recalled from Charlotte (AHL) | F Anthony Duclair activated from LTIR | F Givani
    Smith placed on LTIR
  • Feb. 23: F Chris Tierney claimed off waivers by MTL

PANTHERS vs. PREDATORS
ALL-TIME vs. NSH: 21-13-3-6
ALL-TIME HOME vs. NSH: 11-5-1-4
2022-23 vs. NSH: 0-1-0

CATS STATS

  • Tonight’s game features two teams that rank in the bottom three in 5v5 time on ice per games played. The Panthers lead the NHL with 741 PIMs, pacing all teams in penalties drawn (286) and penalties taken (299).

HOME SWEET HOME
The Panthers begin a season-long seven-game homestand tonight against Nashville. Florida owns the eighth-best home points percentage (.625), owning a 16-9-3 record at FLA Live Arena this season. The Cats’ 3.79 goals for per game at home ranks second behind TBL and they lead all teams averaging 39.1 shots on goal per game on home ice in 2022-23. Since Jan. 3, Florida owns a 7-3-0 record on home ice, outscoring their opponents 40-29. Over that span, Matthew Tkachuk leads the Panthers with 19 points (5-14-19) over 10 games on FLA Live Arena ice and Sergei Bobrovsky owns a 4-2-0 record with a .932 combined save percentage.

CATS AND PREDS
Florida faces off against Nashville for the second and final time this season. The Panthers own an 8-4-1 record against the Predators over their past 13 meetings since Oct. 19, 2019 and have earned at least a point in three of Nashville’s past five visits to FLA Live Arena (2-2-1). Sam Reinhart has recorded nine goals and 14 points over 13 career games against Nashville, while Matthew Tkachuk has amassed 17 points (8-9-17) over 15 total games vs. the Predators.

NHL Preview: Buffalo Sabres (31-24-4) at Boston Bruins (47-8-5)

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NHL Preview: Buffalo Sabres (31-24-4) at Boston Bruins (47-8-5)

BUFFALO SABRES NOTES:

LAST GAME
Tuesday, Feb. 28
Columbus 5 at Buffalo 3
Goals: Thompson, Quinn, Peterka
Goalies: Anderson (31 saves/35 shots) – 1 ENG
PP: 1/3; PK: 0/1; Shots: Buffalo 41 – Columbus 36

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 107)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Alex Tuch (lower body, Feb. 26; IR) – 2 games
Rasmus Dahlin (lower body, Feb. 26) – 2 games

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST SEVEN DAYS
2/26: Recalled F Vinnie Hinostroza from Rochester (AHL); Placed F Alex Tuch on injured reserve
2/27: Signed G Michael Houser and placed him on waivers
2/27: Acquired D Riley Stillman from Vancouver in exchange for F Josh Bloom
2/28: G Michael Houser cleared waivers and was assigned to Rochester (AHL)

UPCOMING GAMES
Saturday, March 4: Tampa Bay at Buffalo, 12:30 p.m.
Monday, March 6: Edmonton at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 7: Buffalo at NY Islanders, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 9: Dallas at Buffalo, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 11: NY Rangers at Buffalo, 5:00 p.m.

TODAY’S GAME
SABRES AT BRUINS
• This is the third of four meetings between the Sabres and Bruins this season.
• Last meeting: Buffalo defeated Boston 4-3 (OT) in Boston on Dec. 31, 2022.
• Next meeting: Sunday, March 19 in Buffalo.
• The Sabres are 2-7-1 in their last 10 games against the Bruins; 1-7-2 on the road.
• This is the 311th game all-time between Buffalo and Boston; Buffalo has a 127-136-47 series record.
• The Sabres are 52-79-23 on the road against the Bruins all-time.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
• A win in tonight’s game would give the Sabres consecutive wins over the Bruins for the first time since they earned victories on Feb. 10, 2018 (4-2) and Feb. 25, 2018 (4-1).
• Entering play on Wednesday, Buffalo (3.76) and Boston (3.73) ranked second and third, respectively, in goals for per game played.
• Tage Thompson has recorded 30 points (15+15) in his last 26 games, including 11 points (6+5) in his last seven games.
• A point in today’s game would extend the longest point streak of Thompson’s career to eight games.
• In his last 38 games, Jeff Skinner has notched 46 points (20+26), including 10 points (5+5) in his last seven games.
• A point in tonight’s game would extend Skinner’s current point streak to eight games.
• In his last seven games, Jack Quinn has recorded eight points (3+5).
• With one point tonight, Quinn would earn his third point streak of three or more games this season.
• Rasmus Dahlin has recorded 45 points (7+38) in his last 42 games, including 14 points (1+13) in his last 14 games.
• Dylan Cozens (6+3) and Casey Mittelstadt (2+7) have each collected nine points in their last nine games.
• A point in tonight’s game would give Owen Power a four-game point streak, which would match the longest point streak of his career (Jan. 21 to 26, 2023).
• Mattias Samuelsson needs one point to earn his third point streak of three or more games in his career, and his first of 2022-23.

BOSTON BRUINS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S GAME

  • The Bruins host the Sabres tonight in the 3rd of 4 games between these teams this season and the 2nd and last game of the season series at TD Garden.
  • They are 47-8-5 overall this season and they are 24-2-3 on home ice … The Bruins are 25-6-3 vs Eastern Conference opponents.
  • The Bruins open a 4-game stand tonight vs. Buffalo … They will next host NY Rangers on 3/4, Edmonton on 3/9 and Detroit on 3/11.

RECENT GAMES:

  • The Bruins have won their last 8 games with a 3-2/OT win in Dallas on 2/14, 5-0 win in Nashville on 2/16, 6-2 win vs. NY Islanders on 2/18, 3-1 victory vs Ottawa on 2/20, 6-5 win in Seattle on 2/23, 3-1 win in Vancouver on 2/25, 3-2 win in Edmonton on 2/27 and 4-3 OT win in Calgary on 2/28 … They are 10-3-1 in their last 14 games and they are 20-3-1 in their last 24 contests.
  • The Bruins are 5-2-0 in their last 7 home games … That followed a 22-game home unbeaten at 19-0-3 and a 14-game home win streak, the longest from the start of a season in league history and longest point streak from a season’s start in Boston annals … It was also their fourth longest home point streak overall in team history.
  • They have won their last 7 road games and are 16-2-2 in their last 20 road games, including a 9-0-1 road point streak from 12/11-1/24.
  • Boston 3 at Vancouver 1 … The Bruins got single goals from Hampus Lindholm (PP), Brad Marchand (GW) and Linus Ullmark (EN) with the 1st goal by a Boston goaltender in team history … Ullmark also recorded his 1st 30-win season … SOG: Bos 35, Van 27 … PP: 1/3 … PK: 0/3
  • Boston 3 at Edmonton 2 … Boston’s goals came from Tomas Nosek, Nick Foligno and Pavel Zacha and Dmitry Orlov had his first 2A as a Bruin … Jeremy Swayman earned his 3rd straight win in goal … SOG: Bos 28, Edm 24 … PP: 0/5 … PK: 0/1
  • Boston 4 at Calgary 3/OT … The Bruins swept their recent road trip after a 4-games-in-6-days stretch … Dmitry Orlov had 2-1=3 totals and Patrice Bergeron and Jake DeBrusk had 2A each … Pavel Zacha sent the game to OT where Charlie McAvoy finished with 4.3 remaining in the extra session … Linus Ullmark made a club-record 54 saves in the win … SOG: Bos 20, Cgy 57 … PP: 1/3 … PK: 0/3

INJURIES (Total man-games lost in 2022-23: 78)

  • Taylor Hall: Lower body
  • Nick Foligno: Lower body

BOSTON vs BUFFALO, LIFETIME SERIES

  • The Bruins and Sabres are meeting for the 311th time in their histories with the Bruins having a 154-114-29-13 record and 1,005-952 scoring advantage in those games.
  • The Bruins are 88-46-14-6 lifetime vs. Buffalo at home with a 548-441 scoring edge in those 154 contests.
  • The Bruins are 7-0-1 in their last 8 games vs. the Sabres.n

FUN FACTS

  • The Bruins currently have 23 players on their roster … 11 were drafted by the team, 6 were acquired in trade and 6 were signed as free agents.
  • The Bruins play 16 matinees this season (local start time 4:00 pm or earlier) … They have a 6-1-1 record in afternoon games so far.
  • The Bruins play 14 sets of back-to-back games this season … They are currently 7-0-2 in the 1st game of those sets and are 7-2-0 in the 2nd games so far.
  • The Bruins are opening their 15-game March schedule tonight (9 hm/6 rd, 0-0-0) … They will play 7 in April (3 hm/4rd) … They went 8-1-0 in October, 11- 2-0 in November, 9-1-4 in December, 10-3-1 in January and 9-1-0 in February.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Feb. 23: Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway acquired from Washington for Craig Smith, 2023 first round draft pick, 2025 second round draft pick and 2024 third round draft pick.
Feb. 23: Rights to Andrei Svetlakov acquired from Minnesota for 2023 fifth round draft pick.
Feb. 25: Vinni Lettieri placed on waivers (cleared 2/26).
Feb. 25: Shane Bowers acquired from Colorado for Keith Kinkaid and assigned to Providence/AHL.

NBA Preview: Philadelphia Sixers (40-21) at Dallas Mavericks (32-31)

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NBA Preview: Philadelphia Sixers (40-21) at Dallas Mavericks (32-31)

The Philadelphia 76ers are capable of winning on most nights, even if All-Star Joel Embiid is injured.

That was demonstrated by the Sixers on Wednesday in Miami, and they might have to do it again on Thursday when they play the Dallas Mavericks in the second game of a five-game road trip.

Thursday’s status for Embiid was unknown, but the Sixers are 9-4 without him this season.

Five players scored double-digit points for the 76ers, who defeated the Heat 119-96 despite Embiid’s absence due to left foot soreness.

On Wednesday, Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 27 points and seven assists. Tobias Harris scored 18, and James Harden scored 23 more points.

After two consecutive home defeats to the Boston Celtics and the Heat, the 76ers put on a much better show.

Paul Reed, a deep reserve, had arguably his best game of the season, scoring 16 points, grabbing a career-high 14 rebounds, and preventing two shots. Additionally, Shake Milton contributed 12 points from the bench.

Another crucial factor was the Sixers’ depth.

Rivers has had to adjust as Embiid, Harden, and Maxey have all missed a number of games this season.

Against the Sixers, the Mavericks will attempt to end a two-game losing streak.

With Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving leading the way, Dallas will also attempt to begin winning games. In the five games Doncic and Irving have played together, the team has lost four of them.

On February 6, the Brooklyn Nets acquired Irving.

The Mavericks were defeated by the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, 124-122, when Irving missed a three-point attempt at the final buzzer.

Irving contributed 16 points, nine assists, and five rebounds, while Doncic had 39 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.

Irving, who has played seven games for the Mavericks and has an average of 24.7 points and 6.9 assists, believes that the wins and chemistry will develop over time.

The Mavericks lost to the Pacers again one game after giving up a 27-point lead in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Clearly, if they want to beat the Sixers, their defense needs to get better.

MBB-FBS: Arizona Wildcats (24-5) at USC Trojans (21-8)

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MBB-FBS: Arizona Wildcats (24-5) at USC Trojans (21-8)

On March 2 at 8:00 p.m., the USC Trojans (21-8, 13-5) will play the Arizona Wildcats (24-5, 13-5) at the Galen Center. The two teams are tied for second place in the Pac-12 standings. Dave Pasch and Bill Walton will be the game’s announcers on ESPN. In its last ten games, USC has won eight.

USC’S STELLAR STRETCH: Over the past four seasons, USC has won a school-record 94 games (22 in 2020, 25 in 2021, 26 in 2022, and 21 in 2023). The school’s record for most consecutive seasons with 20 or more wins is four, breaking the mark set by three consecutive seasons from 2016 to 2018 with 20 or more wins.

WINNING WAYS: USC’s 73 wins over the previous three seasons ranked third among Power 6 basketball programs, behind only Kansas (83 wins) and Baylor (81 wins), which won the NCAA title last year. Additionally, USC ranked 13th out of all Power 6 conference teams with 160 wins over the previous seven seasons.

Enfield has won his 200th title as head coach of the USC program. In his tenth season at USC, Andy Enfield has a record of 204-126. He won his 200th game against Washington on February 4. Enfield’s win total is fourth on USC’s all-time wins list, behind only Forrest Twogood (251 wins), Bob Boyd (216 wins), and Sam Barry (260 wins). Enfield has a record of 245-154, including his two seasons as the head coach at FGCU (2012-13).

Ahead of Arizona, the No. 8/No. The 9 Arizona Wildcats (24-5, 13-5) are coming off a difficult home loss to Arizona State on February 25, when Desmond Cambridge Jr. of the Sun Devils hit a 60-footer at the buzzer. The Wildcats lost 89-88. The Wildcats are led by Azuolas Tubelis, who averages 19.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Five players from Arizona have scored double digits. On January 19, Arizona defeated USC 81-66 in Tucson, Arizona. Arizona leads USC 45-72* in the all-time series (1 win and 1 loss were later vacated due to a NCAA penalty; the original record was 46-73).

Arizona State Sun Devils (20-9, 11-7) on the deck — USC will play the Arizona State Sun Devils (20-9, 11-7) on March 4 at 8:00 p.m. at the Galen Center. Arizona State defeated Arizona 89-88 on February 25 and will play UCLA on March 2 before facing USC. The Sun Devils have won three consecutive games on the road, including four of their last five contests. With a 14.3 scoring average, guard Desmond Cambridge Jr. leads Arizona State. On January 21, USC defeated Arizona State 77-69 in Tempe, Arizona. Arizona State is Arizona State’s last opponent, but USC has won its last six games and is 60-42* ahead of Arizona State in the series history.

LET’S GET STARTED WITH THE DEFENSE: On November 30, USC held California to a 27.7 percent shooting percentage, its lowest mark since holding Stanford to a 25.4 percent shooting percentage on March 3, 2021. On February 9, USC let Oregon make 53.8% of its shots, making it the only team this season to let Oregon make more than 50% of its shots against USC. In 17 of its 29 games this season, USC has limited its opponents to under 40% shooting. This season, USC is holding its opponents to a 38.9 shooting percentage—eighth in the nation. USC’s defense has held opponents to a 2nd-place 38.8 field goal percentage over the past four seasons.

LEADERS OF THE PAC: USC has finished third among Pac-12 teams in wins during the regular season for the past six seasons (since the 2017-18 season). Through games on February 23, USC is 73-39, Arizona is 74-38, and UCLA is 76-35 in that stretch. Oregon at 68-42 and Colorado at 61-52 would be the next two teams.

ENJOYING THE HOME COOKING: USC is 14-1 this season at the Galen Center, losing to FGCU in the season opener on Nov. 7, but winning each of the next 14 games. Since the Trojans won their first 15 games at the Galen Center in the 2015-16 season, USC’s 14-game home winning streak is the longest in a single season. Additionally, it is tied for the third-longest streak of home victories in school history.

PETERSON PROVIDES A LITTLE OF EVERYTHING: Along with Penn State’s Jalen Pickett, guard Drew Peterson is one of two Power 6 conference players averaging at least 13.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game this season. In each game, Peterson is averaging 14.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. He has scored in double figures in 24 games, including a career-high 30 points against Cal on February 16. He also has more than one steal per game on average.

JEKYLL & HYDE FROM AWAY — On Feb. 16, when USC played California, it hit 52.2% of its 3-pointers. This was the school’s highest shooting percentage from beyond the arc since it hit 53.8% when it played Washington State on Feb. 20, 2022. The following game, on Feb. 18 against Stanford, USC hit a season-high 13 3-pointers. USC has made at least 38% from three-point range in 12 games this season. USC has made 46.7 percent of its 3-point attempts in those 12 games (119-for-255), while it has averaged 23.2 percent (65-for-280) from beyond the arc in the other 17 games.

When fully loaded, USC is 8-1 in games where all of its rotational players are available. Five victories over Pac-12 teams in the top six belong to that stretch. Arizona, which is 34-2 in its last 36 home games, was USC’s only loss when the entire roster was available. USC forward Vincent Iwuchukwu missed the first 16 games of the season, while forward guard Joshua Morgan (right ankle) and left foot guard Reese Dixon-Waters missed four games before returning against Stanford on February 18. On February 2, at Washington State, both players suffered injuries.

The Johnson Jump: Kobe Johnson, a sophomore, is leading the nation with 65 steals and averaging 8.8 points and 4.9 rebounds this season. Last year Johnson arrived at the midpoint of 1.2 places and 1.0 bounce back while playing in 27 games. In addition, Johnson ranks fourth on the team in blocks (13) and third in assists (74). He did not score in double figures in his first 35 games until Dec. 4, when he scored 17 points against Oregon State. In 11 of his last 21 games, he has scored at least double digits, averaging 10.1 points per game. His 21 points in the game against Washington on February 4 are his career high. This season, he has had at least five rebounds 16 times. He missed his first seven attempts at the three-point line this season, but he has made 26 of his last 63 attempts, resulting in a 41.3 percent shooting percentage from beyond the arc.

BOOGIE DOWN, BUT NOT FOR LONG Senior guard Boogie Ellis scored nine points on Feb. 11 against Oregon State, snapping a 14-game scoring streak. He then scored 22 points against California on February 16, a career-high 33 points against Stanford on February 18, and 21 points against Colorado on February 23. In the last 18 games, he has scored 344 points on average, including a career-high 31 points against UCLA on January 26. On December 18, he started his streak with a career-high 28 points against Auburn. With a 17.2 scoring average, 71 made three-pointers and 102 made free throws, Ellis leads USC. With 42 steals, he also ranks second among Trojans. He now ranks 17th on USC’s all-time list with 127 made 3-pointers as a Trojan.

Finding their stride: Over the past ten games, USC has hit 47.5 percent of its shots (266-for-560). In that stretch, USC has also made 7.9 three-pointers per game, compared to 5.5 attempts from beyond the arc in the first 19 games.

USC has scored 82.0 points per game over its last four games (328 total) and 81.3 points per game over its last six wins (488 total).

FOUR SCORE: USC has won its last four conference opponents by a combined 79 points, defeating California (97-60) at home on February 16, Stanford (85-75) at home on February 18, Colorado (84-65) on the road on February 23, and Utah (62-49) on the road on February 25. Since beating UCLA (55-22), California (60-32), California (36-26), and UCLA (43-33) by a combined 81 points from February 15 to March 1, 1935, this is USC’s largest margin of victory over conference opponents in four consecutive games. In the 2002 season, USC won four consecutive conference games by a margin of double digits for the first time.

WBB-FCS: East Tennessee State Buccaneers (22-8) at Samford Bulldogs (13-16)

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BUCS TOURNAMENT HISTORY

  • ETSU will look to win its first-ever SoCon Championship this season. The Bucs have won three tournament titles all-time — three-peating as a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
  • ETSU has advanced to a championship final nine times — including five as a member of the SoCon in 1984, 1991, 1995, 2015 and most recently in 2018 against Mercer.
  • This will mark ETSU’s 40th appearance in a postseason conference tournament with an all-time record of 31-36 — including a 20-30 record in SoCon tournaments and an 11-6 record in ASUN tournaments.
  • When seeded third or higher, ETSU has an all-time conference tournament record of 24-13. When excluding the ASUN tournaments, ETSU’s record is 13-10.
  • As the No. 3 seed, ETSU has a 7-7 tournament record, including a 5-5 record in SoCon games.
  • When facing a No. 6 seed — regardless of round — ETSU has a 6-3 record.
  • The last time ETSU had a No. 3 seed was in 2017. The Bucs played No. 6 Samford that season and the Bulldogs won 67-64 in a heartbreaker. In that game, former Buccaneer great and Johnson City native Tianna Tarter scored a career-high 39 points.
  • The last time ETSU matched up with Samford in a tournament was in 2021, as the No. 8 Bucs stunned the top-seeded Bulldogs with a 68-61 win in the opening round. Current Buc Jakhyia Davis (Knoxville, Tenn.) had 21 points and five rebounds in that game.
  • ETSU has had 40 all-tournament team selections in its history, including Davis making the second team for the 2021 tournament. Of the group, 27 were first team selections and 13 were placed on second team.
  • Two former Bucs have been named SoCon Tournament MVP, including Nicole Hopson in 1981 and DeShawne Blocker in 1995.

ABOUT THE BUCS

  • ETSU finished the regular season with a 22-8 overall record and a 9-5 mark in league play.
  • The Bucs are tied for second place in the final standings with Chattanooga — one-game back of regular season champion Wofford at 10-4. Due to the head-to-head tiebreaker, ETSU was awarded the No. 3 seed for the postseason tournament.
  • ETSU is one win away from tying the all-time school record for single season wins, set in 2009-10 with a 23-9 record. That season is also tied with two others for the fewest losses in a season all-time (since expanding the schedule to over 15 games in 1974-75).
  • This team and the 2009-10 team are the only two in program history to achieve 22 total wins. The 2009-10 team was also the last to represent ETSU in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.
  • The Bucs have only reached 21 wins in a single season five times. The first was the historic 1994-95 season, followed by the 2007-08 season and the record-holding 2009-10 season that brought ETSU’s last NCAA tournament appearance. Outside of this season, the other was in 2014-15.
  • Last time out, ETSU ended the regular season with a dramatic 90-84 win in double-overtime at Western Carolina. This marked ETSU’s first and only overtime game all regular season.
  • Three players were named to the SoCon all-conference teams from ETSU. Graduate guard Jiselle Thomas (Norwalk, Ohio) led the way with a first-team selection from both the coaches and media, finishing with 16.7 PPG in conference games and 15.4 PPG in the regular season to rank among the league leaders.
  • Sophomore Kendall Folley (Lebanon, Ohio) — a two-time SoCon Player of the Week — was named to the league’s second team by both the coaches and media, while also earned all-defensive team honors. Folley averaged 14.2 PPG in league play and ranked fourth in field goal percentage (48.2). Defensively, she had 39 steals in the regular season to rank fourth in the conference.
  • True freshman Journee McDaniel (New Bern, N.C.) was named to the SoCon all-freshman team by the SoCon Sports Media Association (SCSMA). McDaniel ranked second behind SoCon Freshman of the Year Raven Thompson among freshman in rebounding, while ranking second on the Bucs with 16 blocks.
  • This season, ETSU had two players earn College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors in sophomore guard Courtney Moore (Gainesville, Fla.) and graduate post Jayla Ruffus-Milner (North Hills, Calif.).
  • Leading the nation’s best turnaround this season, first year Buccaneer head coach Brenda Mock Brown was voted by her peers as the SoCon Coach of the Year. Coach Mock also had one of the most storied turnarounds of all-time at UNC Asheville in 2016, improving by 16 games to rank fifth all-time in NCAA D1 Women’s Basketball history. This year, the Bucs went from six wins last season to 22 already this season — a 16-win improvement to lead all of NCAA D1 Women’s Basketball.
  • ETSU has already broken the school record for best win improvement from season-to-season, going from six wins last season to 21 already this season. The 15-win improvement broke the previous school record of 12 set in the 2014-15 season.
  • Two weeks ago, ETSU nailed a school-record 16 made three-pointers in an 83-45 win over Wofford. The previous record of 15 was set back in ETSU’s last NCAA Tournament appearance in 2010 against Xavier. ETSU also netted 15 threes against North Florida in 2006. Entering that night, ETSU was averaging six made threes per game.
  • Since the start of the program in 1968, ETSU has never had a season that brought five separate four-game win streaks (or longer). ETSU enjoyed two four-game win streaks to start 8-2 overall, then had a five-game win streak to improve to 13-3. After a rocky start to SoCon play, ETSU won four in a row to improve to 17-6. The most recent win streak ended last week at four games. The last time ETSU had three win streaks of four or more games was the 2014-15 season that produced a 21-12 overall record.
  • For 10 straight weeks, ETSU either received votes or earned a ranking in the College Insider Women’s Mid-Major Top 25 Poll. That streak ended just this past week, despite the Bucs receiving 27 votes last week.
  • Two weeks ago, ETSU nailed a school-record 16 made three-pointers in an 83-45 win over Wofford. The previous record of 15 was set back in ETSU’s last NCAA Tournament appearance in 2010 against Xavier. ETSU also netted 15 threes against North Florida in 2006. Entering Thursday night, ETSU was averaging six made threes per game.
  • The Bucs set three more new school records this season, including the fewest points allowed in a game (26) and largest margin of victory (69) against Virginia-Lynchburg. In similar fashion, the Bucs also set a new record for fewest points combined in a gritty 44-31 win over Vanderbilt inside Brooks Gym.
  • The Bucs finished non-conference play with a 13-3 record — the best non-conference finish in modern era program history. That era began when the SoCon began sponsoring a women’s basketball championship in 1983-84 — the same season ETSU finished with 11 non-conference wins.
  • ETSU finished the regular season with the 20th best scoring defense in the nation, allowing just 55.7 PPG. Offensively, ETSU averages 64.0 PPG. Nationally, ETSU is also ranked 30th in offensive rebounds per game (14.2), 32nd in fewest turnovers per game (13.3) and 37th in field goal percentage defense (36.9).
  • As a team, the Bucs lead the SoCon in scoring margin (8.3), blocks per game (3.3), field goal percentage defense and overall winning percentage (73.3).
  • As an individual, Thomas is ranked among the Top 50 players in the nation with an 85.4 free throw percentage (111-130). She is also among the Top 100 leading scorers in the nation with 461 total points.
  • This season, ETSU has secured its first winning campaign since 2018, where the team finished 20-13 overall, 11-3 in the SoCon and made an appearance in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT). ETSU has made three NCAA tournament appearances all-time (2008, 2009, 2010) and four WNIT appearances (1995, 2006, 2015, 2018).

ABOUT THE BULLDOGS

  • Samford enters with a 13-16 overall record and a 7-7 record in conference play.
  • The Bulldogs dropped five straight to end the regular season, starting with a 75-63 loss to ETSU in Birmingham.
  • Samford finished the regular season with an 8-5 record at home, a 5-10 record on the road and with a loss in its only neutral site game (against Rhode Island in Orlando, Fla.).
  • The Bulldogs are led by SoCon Media Player of the Year Andrea Bailey — who became a two-time league MVP this season. Bailey was also named to the all-conference first team by both the coaches and media and to the all-defensive team by the coaches. She averaged a league-best 17.7 PPG and 2.89 steals per game.
  • Three other Bulldogs earned all-conference honors, including Sussy Ngulefac on the media’s all-conference third team and both Carly Heidger and Masyn Marchbanks on the all-freshman team.
  • Samford is led by fourth year head coach Carley Kuhns, who came to Samford from her alma mater Valdosta State after three successful years as head coach. She has a career record of 124-87 and an even 58-58 record at Samford.

SERIES HISTORY

  • Samford leads the all-time series, 11-9.
  • Only two of the 20 meetings happened in the postseason — the Samford win in 2017 and the ETSU upset victory in 2021.
  • The 2021 win for ETSU was the first time it had eliminated a top seed since defeating No. 1 Chattanooga in 2005.
  • The season series was split this season with the road team winning each time.
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