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NHL Preview: Los Angeles Kings (32-19-7) at New Jersey Devils (37-15-5)

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NHL Preview: Los Angeles Kings (32-19-7) at New Jersey Devils (37-15-5)

LOS ANGELES KINGS NOTES:

FEB. 23 vs. New Jersey Devils – 7:00 PM ET (4:00 PM PT) // Venue: Prudential Center // TV: Bally Sports West // Radio: iHeartRadio

  • The LA Kings visit the New Jersey Devils for the second, and final, meeting between these two clubs this season (5-2 L on Jan. 14).
  • The Kings aim to split series over the Devils, 1-1.
  • Tonight’s game marks the second game of the of team’s five-game road trip (2-1 L at MIN on Feb. 21; Feb. 24 at NYI; Feb. 26 at NYR; Feb. 28 at WPG).

WARM-UPS
1) Tonight is the first game of the Kings’ ninth set of back-to-backs this season. Prior to this weekend, the team is 9-4-3 in back-to-backs (6-2-0 in the first game, 3-2-3 in the second).

2) Defenseman Sean Durzi collected an assist Tuesday night vs. the Wild to extend his point streak to four games (0-4=4). With his helper, Durzi eclipsed the 30-point mark for the first time in his career.

3) Viktor Arvidsson and Drew Doughty each lead the team with eight road power-play points on the year.

4) The Kings have points in their last three consecutive games against Metro Division opponents (6-0 W vs. PIT on Feb. 11; 5-4 OTL at CAR on Feb. 31; 4-3 OTW at PHI on Feb. 24).

5) Mikey Anderson’s plus-9 rating on the road this season tops all Kings skaters.

vs. NEW JERSEY ALL-TIME:
All-Time Record: 59-36-11-4
Home: 33-14-6-2
Away: 26-22-5-2
OT: 4-4 (3 ties)
Shootout: 1-1
2021-22: 2-0-0
2022-23: 0-1-0

FRANCHISE LEADERS vs. NEW JERSEY:
Marcel Dionne – 47 GP, 90 PTS (35-55=90)
Dave Taylor – 49 GP, 70 PTS (29-41=70)
Bernie Nicholls – 24 GP, 33 PTS (17-16=33)
Butch Goring – 20 GP, 32 PTS (8-24=32)
Mike Murphy – 29 GP, 28 PTS (13-15=28)
*-denotes active roster player

LAST MEETING vs. NEW JERSEY: Jan. 14, 2023 – LAK 2 at NJD 5
Venue: Crypto.com Arena
LAK Goals: Fiala (16), Kopitar (12)
NJD Goals: Tatar (10), Haula (3), Okhotiuk (1) Graves (4), Bratt (18)
Goalies: LAK: Quick (L; 23 saves – 27 shots) NJD: Blackwood (W; 35 saves – 37 shots)
LAK PP: 2-for-4
LAK PK: 2-for-3

THE NEXT THREE:
Fri., Feb. 24 | at New York Islanders | 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT) | Bally Sports West | LA Kings iHeart Radio Audio Network
The Kings have won three of their last four against the Islanders (3-1-0).

Sun., Feb. 26 | at New York Rangers | 5:00 p.m. ET (2:00 p.m. PT) | Bally Sports West | LA Kings iHeart Radio Audio Network
Kevin Fiala has 15 points (7-8=15) in 11 career games against the Rangers for a points-per-game average of 1.36, the fourth-highest among active skaters vs. NYR (min. GP: 10).

Tues., Feb. 28 | at Winnipeg Jets | 7:00 p.m. CT (5:00 p.m. PT) | Bally Sports West | LA Kings iHeart Radio Audio Network
The Kings have points in six of their last eight games against the Jets in Winnipeg, dating back to Nov. 13, 2016 (3-2-3).

INJURY & MGL REPORT
Player, Games Missed, Date(s), Status
F Alex Iafallo, 23 games, Oct. 18 – Dec. 3 (lower-body)
F Brendan Lemieux, 18 games, Nov. 14 – Dec. 20 (lower-body)
F Arthur Kaliyev, 18 games, Dec. 22 – Jan. 31 (lower-body)
F Trevor Moore, 16 games, Dec. 27 – Jan. 31 (upper-body)
F Carl Grundstrom, 12 games, Jan. 19 – Pres. (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: 109

RECENT TRANSACTIONS (as of 2/22/23)
Feb. 10 – Pheonix Copley (G) re-signed to a one-year contract extension with an AAV of $1.5M
Feb. 11 – Trevor Moore (F) and Arthur Kaliyev (F) activated off injured reserve. Jacob Moverare (D) recalled from Ontario (AHL).
Feb. 12 – Jacob Moverare (D) loaned to Ontario (AHL).
Feb. 13 – Tobie Bisson (D) recalled from Ontario (AHL).
Feb. 14 – Tobie Bisson (D) loaned to Ontario (AHL).
Feb. 15 – Mikey Anderson (D) signed to an eight-year contract extension with an AAV of $4.125M.
Feb. 17 – Tobias Bjornfot (D) recalled from Ontario (AHL).

NEW JERSEY DEVILS NOTES:

Last Game:
Montreal Canadiens 5 New Jersey Devils 2
(24-29-4 -52 PTS) (37-15-5 -79 PTS)
Three Stars: 1. S. Montembeault 2. N. Suzuki 3. J. Barron
SCORE 1
ST 2
ND 3
RD OT SO FINAL
Montreal 1 2 2 – – 5
DEVILS 1 0 1 – – 2
Goals:
MTL: J. Barron, J. Kovacevic, N. Suzuki, R. Pitlick, M. Matheson (ENG)
NJD: J. Bratt, D. Mercer (PPG)

INJURIES/ILLNESS
PLAYER INJURY OUT SINCE GAMES MISSED
Jonathan Bernier – LTIR Lower-body, hip 2021-22 57
2022-23 Total Man-Games Lost to Injury/illness: 161

TRANSACTIONS
DATE PLAYER ACTION
2/6/23 John Marino Activated off I.R.
2/17/23 Alex Holtz Reassigned to Utica
2/21/23 Akira Schmid Recalled from Utica

WHAT TO KNOW
The Devils skate in their third game of a four-game homestand (1-1-0).
Remaining homestand schedule:
2/25, vs PHI, 7:00 0P.M.

After Montreal dished the Devils a 5-2 loss on Tuesday, Jersey’s team witnessed a six-game home winning streak end. The streak tied a season-long home winning streak, which was also earned from from Oct. 28, to Nov. 21.

The 18 shots against on Tuesday tied for the second fewest shots that the Devils allowed in a game this season:
Fewest shots against for New Jersey in 2022-23:
17 SA, Oct. 20, 2022, at NYI, 4-1 win
18 SA, Nov. 12, 2022, vs ARI, 4-1 win
18 SA, Feb. 21, 2023, vs MTL, 5-2 loss
19 SA, Jan. 5, vs STL, 5-3 loss

The team’s 37 wins after 57 games played from the start of a season are tied for the most in franchise history:
37 wins: 2022-23
37 wins: 2008-09
36 wins: 1999-00
36 wins: 2009-10
35 wins: 2002-03
35 wins: 1997-98
35 wins: 2006-07

The Devils are 29-4-4 when Nico Hischier recorded a point in a game this season and 18-6-2 when Jack Hughes scored a goal in a game for 2022-23. Jersey’s team is 34-5-4 when scoring three-or-more goals in a game this season. The most wins that the Devils earned in franchise history when scoring three-or-more goals in a game for a single season is 43 wins, which was earned in 2000-01. New Jersey’s 34 wins for this matter in 2022-23 rank third in the NHL, while Boston’s 41 wins when scoring three-or-more goals in a game rank first in the NHL this season. Tampa ranks second with 35 wins for this matter, per Feb. 22.

WILD WILD WEST
The Devils are 18-4-3 vs the Western Conference this season, and the 18 wins tied a franchise record which was earned in 2000-01.

NHL Preview: Edmonton Oilers (31-19-8) at Pittsburgh Penguins (27-20-9)

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NHL Preview: Edmonton Oilers (31-19-8) at Pittsburgh Penguins (27-20-9)

EDMONTON OILERS NOTES:

ALL-TIME RECORDS vs. PITTSBURGH GP RECORD HOME (42) AWAY (41) GF GA
OILERS ALL-TIME vs. PITTSBURGH 83 42-33-4-4 26-13-1-2 16-20-3-2 335 284
OILERS vs. PITTSBURGH – 2022-23 1 1-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0 6 3
QUICK FACTS
Thursday’s game will mark Edmonton’s second of two games against Penguins this season and the lone game in Pittsburgh.

The last time these teams met was on October 24th in Edmonton, with the Oilers winning 6-3.

Evander Kane leads the Oilers with 29 career points against the Penguins and has played in a team high 30 career games against Pittsburgh

LAST 10 GAMES vs. PITTSBURGH
Record: 4-3-3
GF: 31 GA: 29
2022-23 10/24/22 @ EDM 6-3 W
2021-22 4/26/22 @ PIT 5-1 W
2021-22 12/2/21 @ EDM 5-2 W
2019-20 12/20/19 @ EDM 5-2 L
2019-20 11/2/19 @ PIT 2-1 W (OT)
2018-19 2/13/19 @ PIT 1-3 L
2018-19 10/23/18 @ EDM 5-6 L (OT)
2017-18 11/1/17 @ EDM 2-3 L
2017-18 10/24/17 @ PIT 1-2 L (OT)
2016-17 3/10/17 @ EDM 2-3 L (SO)

OILERS LEADERS vs. PENGUINS
NHL CAREER
Games: Kane (30)
Goals: Kane (10)
Assists: Kane (19)
Points: Kane (29)
Penalty minutes: Kane (56)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Feb. 12 F Devin Shore placed on waivers
Feb. 13 F Devin Shore cleared waivers and assigned to Bakersfield
Feb. 14 F Devin Shore recalled from Bakersfield
Feb. 17 F Kailer Yamamoto activated from LTIR
F Dylan Holloway and D Vincent Desharnais loaned to Bakersfield
Feb. 18 F Devin Shore recalled from Bakersfield
Feb. 21 D Vincent Desharnais recalled from Bakersfield

OILERS IN FEBRUARY
Overall – 507 GP, 225-223-29-30 – 509 PTS
2022-23 – 8 GP, 3-1-4 – 10 PTS
2021-22 –12 GP, 7-5-0 – 14 PTS

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS NOTES:

LAST 2 GAMES
Feb. 20: NY Islanders 4, Pittsburgh 2 – PPG Paints Arena
PIT Goals: Guentzel, Zucker (PP)
Multiple Points: Malkin (2G)
Goalie: Jarry (28 saves, 31 shots)
Key Stats: Jason Zucker scored for the second time in the last three games (2G).
PP: 1-4
PK: 3-3

Feb. 18: New Jersey 5, Pittsburgh 2 – PPG Paints Arena
PIT Goals: Malkin (2)
Multiple Points: Malkin (2G)
Goalie: Tokarski (38 saves, 42 shots)
Key Stats: Evgeni Malkin notched his fourth multi-goal effort of the season in the loss.
PP: 1-5
PK: 1-3

INJURIES
Position Player Status Consecutive Games Missed Total Games Missed
D Jan Rutta Upper-Body 14 14
F Ryan Poehling Upper-Body 4 18
D Mark Friedman Upper-Body 4 4
2022-23 Total Regular-Season Man-Games Lost: 137

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Date Transaction
Feb. 20 G Tristan Jarry activated off of injured reserve.
Feb. 20 G Dustin Tokarski re-assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL).
Feb. 7 F Josh Archibald and F Kasperi Kapanen have been activated off of injured reserve.
Feb. 7 G Tristan Jarry has been placed on injured reserve, retroactive to Jan. 22.

Pittsburgh’s All-Time Record vs. Oilers: 37-38-8
In Pittsburgh: 22-14-5
In Edmonton: 15-24-3
OT Record vs. Edmonton: 5-3-5
Shootout Record vs. Edmonton: 1-2

2022-23 Results: Pittsburgh is 0-1-0.
Penguins All-Time Point Leaders vs. OILERS:
Mario Lemieux – 26GP, 43 PTS (14G-29A)
Jaromir Jagr – 21GP, 28 PTS (9G-19A)
Ron Francis – 13 GP, 21 PTS (7G-14A)

TONIGHT’S GAME

  • The Penguins conclude their three-game homestand with a visit from the Edmonton Oilers at PPG Paints Arena (TV: AT&T SportsNet; Radio: 105.9 The X).
  • Pittsburgh has points in 19 of its last 22 games versus the Oilers (15-3-4) dating back to December 5, 2007.
  • The Penguins have points in nine of their last 10 home games against the Oilers (7-1-2) dating back to Nov. 6, 2008.
  • Following tonight’s game, Pittsburgh will play four of its next five games on the road.

NHL Preview: Buffalo Sabres (28-23-4) at Tampa Bay Lightning (36-17-3)

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NHL Preview: Buffalo Sabres (28-23-4) at Tampa Bay Lightning (36-17-3)

BUFFALO SABRES NOTES:

LAST GAME
Tuesday, Feb. 21
Toronto 6 at Buffalo 3
Goals: Quinn, Tuch, Skinner
Goalies: Luukkonen (6 saves/10 shots); Anderson (17 saves/18 shots); 1 ENG
PP: 0/1; PK: 1/2; Shots: Buffalo 32 – Toronto 29

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 103)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Kale Clague (lower body, Feb. 21) – 1 game

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST SEVEN DAYS
N/A

UPCOMING GAMES
Friday, Feb. 24: Buffalo at Florida, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 26: Washington at Buffalo, 1:00 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 28: Columbus at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 2: Buffalo at Boston, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 4: Tampa Bay at Buffalo, 12:30 p.m.

TODAY’S GAME
SABRES AT LIGHTNING
• This is the third of four meetings between the Sabres and Lightning this season.
• Last meeting: Tampa Bay defeated Buffalo 6-5 (OT) in Buffalo on Nov. 28, 2022.
• Next meeting: Saturday, March 4 in Buffalo
• The Sabres are 1-7-2 in their last 10 games against the Lightning; 1-8-1 on the road.
• This is the 112th game all-time between Buffalo and Tampa Bay; Buffalo has a 56-45-10 series record.
• The Sabres are 29-23-4 on the road against the Lightning all-time.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
• Dylan Cozens has tallied 37 points (16+21) in his last 37 games, including five points (3+2) in his last five games.
• Cozens needs one point to reach 100 in his career.
• Rasmus Dahlin has recorded 43 points (7+36) in his last 40 games, including 12 points (1+11) in his last 12 games.
• A point in tonight’s game would give Dahlin his fifth point streak of four or more games in 2022-23.
• Dahlin’s current three-game point streak is his eighth of the season, making him just the second defenseman in franchise history to record eight or more point streaks of three or more games in the same season. Phil Housley recorded 10 such streaks in 1983-84. Jason Pominville (nine in 2011-12) was the last Sabres skater to record eight or more point streaks of three or more games in a single season.
• In his last five games, Casey Mittelstadt has tallied six points (2+4).
• Alex Tuch has notched 16 points (7+9) in his last 14 games, including a goal and an assist in each of his last three games.
• With a point in tonight’s game, Tuch would earn his fifth point streak of four or more games in 2022-23.
• A goal in tonight’s game would mark Tuch’s second four-game goal streak in 2022-23.
• In his last 15 games dating back to Jan. 10, Peyton Krebs, at 5-on-5, has been at or above 50 percent in on-ice corsi for percentage 14 times and at or above on-ice expected-goals percentage 11 times.
• Tage Thompson has recorded 21 points (9+12) in his last 20 games.
• A point in tonight’s game would give Thompson a four-game point streak, which would mark the fifth time this season he has notched a point streak of four or more games.
• In his last 34 games, Jeff Skinner has notched 40 points (17+23).
• With a point tonight, Skinner will have recorded his fourth point streak of four or more games this season.

DOWN BY THE BAY
• Tage Thompson has notched seven points (3+4) in his last seven games against Tampa Bay, including three points (1+2) in two games against the Lightning this season.
• In addition to Thompson, Dylan Cozens (1+1), Zemgus Girgensons (1+1), Jeff Skinner (2+0) and Alex Tuch (0+2) all have a point in both games against Tampa Bay this season.
• In 27 games against the Lightning in his career, Craig Anderson has recorded a save percentage of .915 and a goals-against average of 2.63.
• Owen Power recorded three assists in two career games against the Lightning, including at least one assist in both contests.

BACK-TO-BACK
Today’s game opens up Buffalo’s 10th of 15 sets of back-to-back games this season, which will conclude tomorrow night at Florida. The Sabres are 4-4-1 in the first game of back-to-back sets and 2-6-1 in the second game so far this season. Buffalo’s point breakdown in back-to-back sets this season is: four points (2), three points (0), two points (2), one point (2) and zero points (3).

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING NOTES:

LAST GAME
Lightning 6 vs. Anaheim 1
The Tampa Bay Lightning extended their franchise record home point streak to 15 games with a 6-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks Tuesday night at AMALIE Arena…The Bolts swept the season series with ANA after a 4-2 win Oct. 26 at Honda Center…Tampa Bay improved to 36-17-3 on the season with a home record of 22-4-2…After a scoreless first period, Nick Paul opened the scoring at the 7:15 mark of the second when he collected a pass from Nick Perbix and barreled into the ANA zone before beating Lukas Dostal for his 17th goal of the season, a new career high…After Cam Fowler was whistled for tripping, the Lightning doubled their lead with a power-play goal from Ross Colton, who hammered a one-timer past Dostal off a pass from Mikhail Sergachev with Alex Killorn recording the secondary assist at the 9:48 mark of the second…Just 1:03 later, Anthony Cirelli took a pass from Perbix and made a move to his backhand before beating Dostal to make it a 3-0 game with Killorn picking up another secondary helper…Zach Bogosian gave the Bolts a 4-0 lead 2:19 later when he took a pass from Pat Maroon and fired a slap shot into the back of the net with Colton recording the secondary assist…Tampa Bay outshot ANA 22-1 in the second period, marking the seventh time across the NHL this season that a team has recorded a shot differential of 21 or more in a single period…Brayden Point scored his team-leading 33rd goal of the season and his 200th career goal to make it a 5-0 game with a power-play tally 1:06 into the third as Nikita Kucherov and Brandon Hagel picked up the assists…Corey Perry gave the Lightning a 6-0 lead 1:17 later with a redirection off a pass from Vladislav Namestnikov that went top shelf as Perbix recorded his third assist of the night with the secondary helper…Ryan Strome got ANA on the board with 13:32 left in regulation, the final goal of the contest…Andrei Vasilevskiy made 24 saves on 25 shots against for his 12th-straight win on home ice…Every skater on the Tampa Bay roster recorded at least one shot on goal.
PP: TBL – 2-5 ANA – 0-4
SOG: TBL – 44 ANA – 25
Attendance: 19,092

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
The Lightning and the Sabres are playing the third of four matchups this season and the second of two meetings at AMALIE Arena…The Bolts are 2-0-0 against BUF this season with a 5-3 win Nov. 5 at AMALIE Arena and a 6-5 overtime win Nov. 28 at KeyBank Center…Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning with seven points in the two games vs. BUF this season (1-6—7)…Brayden Point leads Tampa Bay with three goals vs. BUF this season (3-1—4)…Brian Elliott has started both games vs. BUF this season and posted a 2-0-0 record with 53 saves on 61 shots against…Kucherov is riding an 11-game point streak vs. BUF (10-11—21) and has pointed in 20 of the last 21 meetings (14-18—32)…Kucherov has recorded at least one point in 10 straight home games vs. BUF (7-8—15)…Steven Stamkos has picked up points in four straight games vs. BUF (3-5—8)…Point has found the scoresheet in four consecutive games vs. BUF (3-3—6)…Brandon Hagel has scored a goal in all three of his career games vs. BUF (3-3—6)…Alex Killorn has recorded eight points over his last six games vs. BUF (3-5—8)…Anthony Cirelli has picked up points in five of his last six games vs. BUF (2-5—7)…Nick Paul has recorded a point in all three games vs. BUF since being acquired by the Lightning last season (1-2—3)…Victor Hedman has picked up nine points over his last 10 games vs. BUF (3-6—9)…Andrei Vasilevskiy has won six consecutive starts vs. BUF with a .906 save percentage and 2.47 goals against average…In 14 career games vs. BUF, Vasilevskiy is 12-1-1 with a .935 SV%, 1.77 GAA, two shutouts and one assist…In 27 career games vs. BUF, Elliott is 20-4-2 with a .931 SV%, 2.02 GAA and five shutouts…The Bolts have won seven consecutive home games vs. BUF…The Lightning are 9-0-1 in their last 10 home games vs. BUF and 9-1-0 in the last 10 meetings overall…Tampa Bay has scored five or more goals in four consecutive games vs. BUF and seven of the last eight meetings…The Bolts penalty kill is operating at 94.1% over the last 13 games vs. BUF…The Lightning have scored four or more goals in eight of the last 10 games vs. BUF…The Bolts are 50-48-8 with five ties all-time vs. BUF, including a home record of 24-24-5 with three ties…Stamkos (21-23—44) holds the Tampa Bay franchise records for career goals and points vs. BUF.

TBL ALL-TIME POINT LEADERS VS. BUF

  1. Steven Stamkos – 44 pts. (21-23—44, 47 GP)
  2. Martin St. Louis – 40 pts. (15-25—40, 47 GP)
    T3. Nikita Kucherov – 38 pts. (17-21—38, 30 GP)
    T3. Vincent Lecavalier – 38 pts. (19-19—38, 49 GP)
  3. Alex Killorn – 27 pts. (9-18—27, 37 GP)

TONIGHT’S STORYLINES
Tampa Bay is playing the second game of a brief, two-game homestand tonight…The Bolts will play just five of their 12 games in February on home ice…The Lightning are 9-6-0 against Atlantic Division opponents and 16-10-1 against the Eastern Conference this season…The Bolts are 22-4-2 on home ice this season and are riding a franchise record 15-game home point streak…Tampa Bay has scored three or more goals in nine consecutive home games and 24 of their 28 games at AMALIE Arena this season…The Lightning have scored a power-play goal in eight of their last nine home games…The Bolts penalty kill is 16-for-16 over the last five contests.

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

TRANSACTIONS
Jan. 30 – Recalled D Nick Perbix from AHL Syracuse
Jan. 30 – Re-assigned F Rudolfs Balcers to AHL Syracuse
Jan. 29 – Assigned D Nick Perbix to AHL Syracuse
Jan. 29 – Recalled F Rudolfs Balcers from AHL Syracuse

NHL Preview: Anaheim Ducks (17-34-7) at Washington Capitals (28-25-6)

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NHL Preview: Anaheim Ducks (17-34-7) at Washington Capitals (28-25-6)

ANAHEIM DUCKS NOTES:

LAST ANAHEIM DUCKS GAME
Feb. 21, 2023 – ANAHEIM 1 @ TAMPA BAY 6
The Ducks fell 6-1 in the second contest of a back-to-back matchup at Tampa Bay Tuesday night at Amalie Arena. Ryan Strome scored Anaheim’s lone goal, his 11th of the campaign. Cam Fowler earned the primary assist, his fifth point the last four games (2-3=5). Trevor Zegras also earned his team-leading 48th point, matching Troy Terry for the team lead in assists (29) and marking points in five of his last six games (1-4=5). Lukas Dostal made 38 saves in his eighth start of 2022-23.
PP: 0-4 PK: 3-5 SF: 25 SA: 44 TOI: Cam Fowler (20:58)
Three Stars: 1. N. Perbix 2. N. Paul 3. R. Colton

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE
DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME (PT) TV / AUDIO
Feb. 25 Carolina PNC Arna 4 p.m. BSSC / Ducks Stream
Feb. 27 Chicago Honda Center 7 p.m. BSSC / Ducks Stream
Mar. 1 Washington Honda Center 7 p.m. BSSC / Ducks Stream
Mar. 3 Montreal Honda Center 7 p.m. BSSC / Ducks Stream
Mar. 5 Seattle Climate Pledge Arena 5 p.m. ESPN+ / Ducks Stream

RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
Feb. 6 Placed D Urho Vaakanainen on Injured Reserve (IR).
Feb. 7 Activated C Derek Grant from Injured Reserve (IR).
Feb. 10 Recalled G Olle Eriksson Ek from San Diego (AHL). Placed Troy Terry on Injured Reserve (IR).
Feb. 11 Recalled G Lukas Dostal from San Diego (AHL) and reassigned G Olle Eriksson Ek to San Diego.

ANAHEIM DUCKS INJURIES
Man-Games Lost: 307
PLAYER INJURY/ILLNESS EXPECTED ABSENCE GAMES MISSED
John Moore Upper-body Indefinite 58
Jamie Drysdale Torn labrum (shoulder) 4-6 months 50
Justin Kirkland Car accident Day-to-day 18
Urho Vaakanainen Lower-body Day-to-day 8
Troy Terry Upper-body Day-to-day 7
Anthony Stolarz Lower-body Day-to-day 6
John Klingberg Lower-body Day-to-day 1

ANAHEIM DUCKS NOTES
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Anaheim Ducks begin the back half of a four-game road trip tonight against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena (4 p.m. PT, TV: Bally Sports SoCal AUDIO: Ducks Stream). Anaheim enters today’s game with a 4-4-3 record the last 11 road games and 6-5-3 mark over the past 14 contests away from home. The Ducks have also earned points in seven of their last 11 games overall (4-5-2) in addition to a 5-6-2 record the last 13 contests overall. Anaheim continues its 11-game February schedule today (1-5-2 to date), consisting of four home and seven road contests. All-time, Anaheim is 154-129-36 in the month of February. Since the start of 2012-13, Anaheim is 57-50-14 in the month, earning points in 71 of the 121 contests (.588%). Following tonight’s game, the Ducks will conclude the road trip with Saturday, Feb. 25 against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena (4 p.m. PT)

DUCKS-CAPITALS: Anaheim and Washington begin a two-game series tonight with the lone contest at Capital One Arena. Anaheim has earned points in seven of its last nine games against Washington dating to the 2016-17 season (5-2-2). In Washington, Anaheim has earned points in eight of its last 10 games (4-2-4). The Ducks earned points in each of the two matchups vs. the Capitals in 2021-22, including a 3-2 OT win Nov. 16 at Honda Center and a 4-3 OT loss Dec. 6 in Washington. Trevor Zegras posted 2-2=4 points in two games last season. All-time, the Ducks have posted a 20-14-7 record head-to-head vs. the Capitals, including a 10-7-4 mark in Washington. Ryan Strome (8-19=27 in 35 GP) leads active Ducks skaters in scoring and assists vs. the Capitals. Adam Henrique (9- 8=17 in 30 GP) paces active Ducks in career goals vs. Washington. The two teams will face off for the second time in a week to wrap up the season series Mar. 1 at Honda Center (7 p.m.) .

ANA-WSH SEASON SERIES:
DATE LOCATION TIME / RESULT TV / AUDIO
Feb. 23 Capital One Arena 4 p.m. PT Bally Sports SoCal / Ducks Stream
March. 1 Honda Center 7 p.m. PT Bally Sports SoCal / Ducks Stream

ANA-WSH ALL-TIME SERIES:
ANA RECORD @ ANA @ WSH
All-Time Series: 20-14-7 10-7-3 10-7-4
Current Streak: One WSH win One ANA win Two WSH wins
Last ANA Win: Nov. 16, 2022 (3-2 OT) Nov. 16, 2022 (3-2 OT) Dec. 2, 2018 (6-5)
Last WSH Win: Dec. 6, 2021 (4-3 SO) Dec. 6, 2019 (3-2) Dec. 6, 2021 (4-3 SO)
ANA Last 10: 5-3-2 4-5-1 4-2-4

WASHINGTON CAPITALS NOTES:

LAST GAME
Washington 1, Detroit Red Wings 3
February 21, 2023 * Capital One Arena * Washington, D.C.
Shots: WSH: 27; DET: 25
Power Plays: WSH: 1/3; DET: 0/2
Three Stars: 1. Suter (DET), 2. Husso (DET), 3. Wilson (WSH)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Loaned forward Aliaksei Protas to AHL Hershey, 2/21
Recalled defenseman Dylan McIlrath from AHL Hershey, 2/19
Loaned forward Joe Snively to AHL Hershey, 2/19
Loaned defenseman Dylan McIlrath to AHL Hershey, 2/18
Recalled defenseman Dylan McIlrath from AHL Hershey, 2/15
Recalled forward Joe Snively to AHL Hershey, 2/14

INJURIES/ILLNESSES
Carl Hagelin: 10/12/22-2/21/23 (59 games)
Connor Brown: 10/20/22-2/21/23 (55 games)
John Carlson: 10/31/22-11/9/22, 12/27/22-2/21/23 (29 games)
Tom Wilson: 10/12/22-1/6/23, 1/26/23-2/16/23 (49 games)
Nicklas Backstrom: 10/12/22-1/6/23, 1/24/22 (43 games)
Alex Ovechkin: 12/21/22 (1 game)
Dmitry Orlov: 11/7/22-12/9/22 (16 games)
Washington Capitals: Media Notes
Erik Gustafsson: 12/11/22 (1 game)
Lars Eller: 12/13/22 (1 game)
Sonny Milano: 12/15/22 (1 game)
Darcy Kuemper: 12/5/22-12/17/22 (7 games)
Hunter Shepard: 12/17/22 (1 game)
Alex Alexeyev: 12/11/22-12/19/22 (5 games)
Beck Malenstyn: 11/3/22-12/27/22 (26 games)
Martin Fehervary: 12/5/22-12/29/22 (12 games)
T.J. Oshie: 10/31/22-11/19/22, 12/19/22-12/31/22 (17 games)
Anthony Mantha: 2/12/23 (1 game)
Nic Dowd: 12/17/22, 1/17/23-2/18/23 (13 games)
Man Games Lost: 337

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Feb. 25, 1 p.m. ET vs. New York Rangers (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Feb. 26, 1 p.m. ET at Buffalo (NBCSW, NHLN, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
March 1, 10 p.m. ET at Anaheim (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
March 4, 6 p.m. ET at San Jose (NBCSW+, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
March 6, 10:30 p.m. ET vs. Los Angeles (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)

TONIGHT’S GAME
The Capitals host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday at Capital One Arena for the first of two meetings between the teams this season. The Capitals and Ducks will conclude their season series on March 1 in Anaheim. Last season, Washington and Anaheim split the season series 1-0-1, with the Capitals winning the most recent matchup 4-3 in the shootout on Dec. 6, 2021 at Capital One Arena. The Capitals have earned at least one point in four-straight games versus the Ducks (3-0-1) dating back to the 2019-20 season.

HOME vs. ANAHEIM DUCKS
Record Goals For Goals Against Streak
11-9-0-1 54 59 2 WSH wins (11/18/2019-12/6/21)

CAPITALS vs. DUCKS ALL-TIME (Career Totals)
Games Goals Assists Points
Oshie (26) Ovechkin (12) Ovechkin (16) Ovechkin (28)
Ovechkin/Johansson (22) Oshie (9) Carlson (13) Backstrom (19)
Irwin (19) Backstrom/Strome (7) Backstrom (12) Oshie (18)

Red Wings’ Larkin Fined for Cross-Checking

NHL Editor
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Red Wings’ Larkin Fined for Cross-Checking

NEW YORK – Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for cross-checking Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie during NHL Game No. 909 in Washington on Tuesday, Feb. 21, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 12:37 of the first period. Larkin was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for cross-checking.

The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

NHL Morning Skate – Feb. 23, 2023

NHL Editor
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NHL Morning Skate – Feb. 23, 2023

* Patrick Kane posted his third multi-goal outing in four games to climb another Blackhawks franchise list and propel Chicago to its first three-goal comeback win in almost two years.

* Ilya Sorokin allowed one goal or fewer for the 40th time in his NHL career en route to his second straight 20-win campaign.

* The race for the top spot in the Pacific Division continues Thursday when the Golden Knights, Kings, Kraken and Oilers all take to the ice during a 10-game slate.


KANE, DOMI HELP BLACKHAWKS EARN THREE-GOAL COMEBACK WIN

Patrick Kane (2-1—3) and Max Domi (2-1—3) each posted three-point performances while Jaxson Stauber made 29 saves to set the stage for the Blackhawks to earn their first three-goal comeback win in nearly two years (5-4 OT W vs. NSH on April 21, 2021).

* Kane, whose second tally evened the score, recorded his 59th career multi-goal outing and surpassed Denis Savard (58) for sole possession of the fourth most in Blackhawks history. Three of his multi-goal performances have come within his past four games (7-3—10), boosting his 2022-23 goal total to 16 after only scoring nine through his first 50 contests.



* Stauber (5-1-0) became the second Blackhawks goaltender to earn his first five NHL wins in six or fewer appearances, joining Scott Darling (5-1-0 in 2014-15).

SOROKIN SERVES UP 20TH WIN OF 2022-23
Ilya Sorokin stopped 25 of 26 shots to earn his 20th win of the season and help the Islanders defeat the Jets for the sixth straight game dating to March 28, 2019. New York (30-24-7, 67 points), which occupies the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, gained a three-point lead over Florida (29-25-6, 64 points), which holds the second Wild Card position.

* Sorokin became just the third Islanders goaltender in the past 20 years to post consecutive 20-win seasons (also 26-18-8 in 2021-22), joining Thomas Greiss (2x from 2015-16 – 2016-17) and Rick DiPietro (3x from 2005-06 – 2007-08).
 



LINDHOLM HITS 500-POINT MARK IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
The Wednesday edition of #NHLStats: Live Updatesfeatured a number of notes from the three-game slate, including Elias Lindholm (1-1—2) eclipsing the 50-point mark on the season (17-34—51 in 56 GP) and becoming the eighth active Swedish-born player to reach the 500-point milestone as the Flames picked up their fifth multi-goal comeback win of 2022-23.


STADIUM SERIES DELIVERS STRONG VIEWERSHIP, MERCH SALES
The 2023 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series game between the Capitals and Hurricanes at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C. on Saturday peaked at 1.5 million total viewers and was the second most-viewed game of the season across all networks. Per ESPN PR, viewership of the game, which aired on ABC and ESPN+, was up 79% from last year’s Stadium Series and up 13% from the 2020 edition.

* Additionally, the outdoor contest at Carter-Finley Stadium set game day and e-commerce sales records for a Stadium Series event.



QUICK CLICKS

* NHL launches ‘NHL Street’, official youth hockey league

* Nikita Zaitsev traded to Blackhawks by Senators
* Jake Muzzin out rest of season for Maple Leafs, recovering from spine surgery
* Dylan Larkin fined $5,000 for actions in Red Wings game
* Kraken, Climate Pledge Arena, Muckleshoot Indian Tribe announce partnership, jersey patch


PACIFIC DIVISION RACE SPOTLIGHTS NHL ACTION THURSDAY
The Golden Knights (34-18-5, 73 points), Kings (32-19-7, 71 points), Kraken (32-19-6, 70 points) and Oilers (31-19-8, 70 points) all take to the ice Thursday as the race for top spot in the Pacific Division features four teams separated by three points. Top-seeded Vegas, which clashes with Calgary on ESPN, holds a game in hand on both Los Angeles and Edmonton.  
 

* The Golden Knights, who have held top spot in the Pacific Division for 115 days this season and every day since Feb. 7, return to T-Mobile Arena with a seven-game point streak (5-0-2 since Jan. 28). Reilly Smith (19-19—38 in 57 GP) leads Vegas with 19 goals in 2022-23 and sits one shy of his third 20-goal campaign with the franchise – a feat only two others have accomplished.
 

* Anze Kopitar (19-32—51 in 58 GP) – within striking distance of a 12th 20-goal campaign – and the Kings have sat atop the division for one day in 2022-23 (Jan. 27). The longtime captain has found the back of the net in each of his past three games and can join a 37-year-old Luc Robitaille (4 GP in 2003-04) as just the second player in franchise history with a four-game goal streak at age 35 or older.

 
* The Kraken have held the second-most days atop the Pacific Division in 2022-23, doing so for 14 days and 10 consecutive from Jan. 28 to Feb. 6.Meanwhile, Matty Beniers (18-22—40 in 55 GP) leads all rookies in goals and can be the first to reach 20 in 2022-23 – a mark at least one rookie has reached in every campaign since 2013-14. A 10th consecutive season played with at least one rookie 20-goal scorer would be the third-longest stretch in NHL history behind 1967-68 to 1993-94 (27) and 1995-96 to 2011-12 (16).

* Connor McDavid (44-61—105 in 58 GP) leads the Oilers into action after reaching the 800-point milestone in his last contest and now sits one tally shy of establishing a single-season career high in goals (also 44 in 2021-22). Edmonton, which occupied top spot in the Pacific on Oct. 12, 2022, sits three points back of Vegas after trailing the top-seeded team by as many as 13 points this season and can become the first team to overcome a double-digit point deficit to finish atop a division since Florida (17 points, Atlantic) and Anaheim (16 points, Pacific) in 2015-16.

NBA Preview: Portland Trail Blazers (28-30) at Sacramento Kings (32-25)

NBA Editor
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NBA Preview: Portland Trail Blazers (28-30) at Sacramento Kings (32-25)

When the Sacramento Kings play the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, both teams’ first game back from the All-Star break, they will continue their quest for a spot in the Western Conference playoffs against two teams separated by just five losses but nine spots in the standings.

The Kings are currently in third place in the West, but their position could change by the end of the week due to a close race. They are only one game ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers and the Phoenix Suns by 1 1/2 games. On Friday, they will play the Clippers in Los Angeles on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Trail Blazers, on the other hand, are currently outside the playoff picture but within half a game of a play-in spot.

In order to begin the second half, both teams must endure a lengthy road schedule. The Trail Blazers will play eight of their next ten games on the road beginning with the trip to Sacramento, while the Kings will travel for three games after their home game on Thursday.

The Kings, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2005-06, may have issues with the rest of the schedule. In the second half, Sacramento will face the fourth-toughest group of teams in terms of winning percentage so far.

Harrison Barnes, a veteran, insists that this season’s added motivation is to give Kings fans a chance to experience an NBA postseason for the first time.

Over the remaining 25 games, the Kings will face the Trail Blazers three times. The clubs still have two Portland appearances scheduled for March 29 and 31.

Due to their victory over Sacramento 115-108 in the season opener for both teams, the Trail Blazers currently hold a lead in the series. One of only 10 games in which Domantas Sabonis did not record a double-double this season, Portland held him to 13 points, five assists, and four rebounds against the Kings.

Both Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox played for the Kings at the All-Star Game on Sunday. Sabonis was selected because he had 45 double-doubles, which led the league. Fox, who had just given birth, came back strong before the break, averaging 33.8 points in his last four games.

Damian Lillard, a Trail Blazers standout who nailed the game-winning shot in Team Giannis’ victory in the All-Star Game, joined the Sacramento duo over the weekend in Salt Lake City. That occurred one night following his victory in the 3-Point Contest.

During All-Star Weekend, Lillard made the claim that he is the greatest Trail Blazer of all time, which may have generated the most attention.

In the earlier victory over Sacramento, Lillard scored 20 points, Jerami Grant scored 23, and Anfernee Simons scored 22. Simons, on the other hand, will be out of the Thursday game with a sprained right ankle from last week.

WBB-FBS: Utah Valley Wolverines (21-6) at Tarleton State Texans (14-14)

NCAABB Editor
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  • Utah Valley takes its five-game win streak to the Lone Star State this week as the team travels to play Tarleton on Thursday night at Wisdom Gym in Stephenville, Texas. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. MT
     
  • Utah Valley sits atop the WAC standings with an 12-2 record. The Wolverines also hold the top spot in the WAC resume seeding system. If the season ended today, UVU would take the No. 1 seed into the WAC Tournament in Las Vegas.
     
  • Le’Tre Darthard led three other Wolverines in double figures with a team-high 19 points and Aziz Bandaogo matched a career high with 17 rebounds to lead Utah Valley to a 67-58 road win over Seattle U on Saturday night at a packed and rowdy Redhawk Center. Justin Harmon and Tim Fuller scored 10 points apiece, while Bandaogo was just two points shy of a double-double with eight points and 17 rebounds to go along with two blocks.
     
  • Utah Valley has hit the 20-win mark for a second straight season. This year’s team has hit the 20-win mark faster than any team in UVU history in the program’s full Division I status era. The 2003-04 team hit the 20-win mark through 25 games during UVU’s Division I provisional status era. It’s only the second team in UVU history that the Wolverines have won 20-plus games in back-to-back seasons.
     
  • Le’Tre Darthard is one of the top free throw shooters in the country. He ranks 11th nationally with an 89.9 percent mark at the line. He had a streak of 31 straight made free throws earlier this season and has knocked down 89 of his last 99 free throws.
     
  • Utah Valley has won 18 of its last 20 games over a nearly three-month stretch. During that stretch, Utah Valley rattled off 11 straight wins that began with an 88-78 win over Long Beach State on Dec. 3 and ended in an 85-80 loss to Seattle U on Jan. 14. The 11-game streak is the second longest streak in program history behind the 2011-12 team, which won 13 straight.
     
  • Utah Valley is the top shot blocking team in the nation with 172 blocks and a 6.4 blocks per game average. The Wolverines sit ahead of Iona (5.9), Illinois (5.8), Milwaukee (5.7),  Florida (5.6), and Western Kentucky (5.6). Utah Valley also ranks second nationally in defensive rebounds per game (29.67) and sixth in rebounds per game (40.33). Utah Valley’s 1872 blocks are the most swats ever recorded in a single season in program history, breaking the previous record of 157 set during the 2019-20 season.
     
  • Aziz Bandaogo ranks in the top-10 nationally in six statistical categories. He ranks third in blocks (78), fifth in defensive rebounds per game (7.93), sixth in rebounds (294), sixth in blocks per game (2.89), eighth in rebounds per game (10.9), and 10th in double-doubles (14).
     
  • The Wolverines committed a season-low five turnovers in its 71-55 win over California Baptist on Feb. 8. The five turnovers are the fewest turnovers in a game since 2014 when UVU had five against Seattle U (2/13/14) and three against Grand Canyon (1/11/14). The five turnovers are the fewest of the Mark Madsen era.


BROADCAST INFORMATION
Thursday night’s game at Seattle U will be broadcast live on the ESPN+, which is available on the ESPN+ app and at ESPNplus.com.  The game will also be broadcast over the Utah County airwaves on ESPN 960 AM with Jim McCulloch on the call.

ABOUT TARLETON
Tarleton enters Thursday’s game with an 14-14 overall record and a 8-8 mark in WAC play. The Texans hold an impressive 10-2 record at home. Tarleton dropped a pair of games last week, falling 65-60 at Stephen F. Austin before taking a 64-59 setback at home against Sam Houston. Freddy Hicks led the Texans with 18 points, while Shamir Bogues and Lue Williams each helped with 12 in the loss to Sam Houston on Saturday night. Jakorie Smith was also in double figures with 10 points. Hicks leads the Texans in scoring this season at 15.7 points a game. Williams also averages double figures this year at 11.2 points per game. Hicks also leads Tarleton on the boards, pulling down a team-best 5.8 rebounds a game. Tarleton averages 70.1 points a game while limiting opponents to a 67.6 points per game average. The team ranks fourth in the WAC in steals per game at 8.82 a contest. Tarleton’s Bogues ranks third in the league in steals at 1.57 a game. 

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE TEXANS
Utah Valley and Tarleton will meet for the fifth time on the basketball hardwood. The Wolverines hold an all-time 3-1 advantage in the series. Utah Valley has taken two straight from the Texans, including a 69-56 win in Stephenville in the last meeting between the two teams on Feb. 16, 2022. UVU’s win at Tarleton last season is the only time the two teams have played in Stephenville.

All-Time Results vs. Tarleton (UVU leads 3-1)
Feb. 16, 2022    Utah Valley def. Tarleton, 69-56    Stephenville, Texas
Jan. 01, 2022    Utah Valley def. Tarleton, 77-55    Orem, Utah
Jan. 30, 2021    Tarleton def. Utah Valley, 70-62    Orem, Utah
Jan. 29, 2021    Utah Valley def. Tarleton, 73-60    Orem, Utah

LAST TIME vs. TARLETON: Utah Valley 69, Tarleton 56 (Feb. 16, 2022 – Stephenville, TX)
Fardaws Aimaq scored 22 points with 20 rebounds for his nation-leading 22nd double-double of the season to lead the Utah Valley University men’s basketball team to a 69-56 road win over Tarleton on Feb. 16, 2022 in front of a raucous crowd at Wisdom Gymnasium.

WBB-FBS: Nevada Wolfpack (9-17) at Wyoming Cowboys (18-9)

NCAABB Editor
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WBB-FBS: Nevada Wolfpack (9-17) at Wyoming Cowboys (18-9)

Nevada women’s basketball travels to Wyoming on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Larry Burnett will call the game on 630 AM KPLY, and he will broadcast a 20-minute pregame show before the game. The Varsity Network allows fans to watch the game live online as well. Live stats can be accessed through Stat Broadcast, and the game can be watched on the Mountain West Network.

Ashley Elliott, a Nevada assistant coach, returns to her alma mater. Elliott had a Hall of Fame-caliber collegiate career as a player at Wyoming in the early 2000s, where she was honored with a Kodak/WBCA All-American award in 2005. She made First Team All-Mountain West twice and finished her career in the top 10 at Wyoming for three-point field goals, assists, free throws, steals, and other stats. In 2015, she was included in the Wyoming Hall of Fame.

The College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team included Megan Ormiston. Ormiston graduated from the University of Nevada with a bachelor’s degree in speech pathology and a grade point average of 3.84. She was named to the All-Mountain West Academic Team twice. She is one of 40 students enrolled in the program and the first student-athlete in 30 years to complete her master’s degree in speech pathology.

Numerous Pack players have reached the 500-point milestone in their careers. On January 21, Lexie Givens scored 500 career points against Fresno State. On February 2, Audrey Roden scored more than 500 career points against Boise State. She is the only sophomore under Nevada head coach Amanda Levens to score 500 points by their sophomore year. Ormiston and Alyssa Jimenez also reached the milestone of 500 career points earlier this season.

SCOUTING WYOMING

Wyoming wants to get to No. the Mountain West Tournament’s No. 2 seed. With an 11-5 record in conference play, the Cowgirls are tied for second place and have won three of their last four games heading into Thursday.

Wyoming is led by this week’s Mountain West Player of the Week, Allyson Fertig, who scores an average of 64.6 points per game for the team. In Wyoming’s first meeting with Nevada on Jan. 16, Fertig, who averages 14.5 points per game in conference play, scored 16 points and blocked two shots. Quinn Weidmann and Malene Pedersen are additionally hostile weapons, both averaging in twofold figures in scoring.

NBA Preview: Golden State Warriors (29-29) at Los Angeles Lakers (27-32)

NBA Editor
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NBA Preview: Golden State Warriors (29-29) at Los Angeles Lakers (27-32)

With their first meeting of the post-All-Star break schedule on Thursday at Los Angeles, the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers must work quickly to improve their playoff positions.

As they attempt to move up from play-in tournament eligibility to a top-six Western Conference spot and an automatic first-round spot, the Warriors, the defending champions, will be looking for defensive commitment.

The Lakers’ sole objective is to qualify for the postseason, regardless of whether they are in play-in or better status. The Lakers’ season has not been what they expected, placing them 13th in the 15-team Western Conference. However, they are just two games away from a play-in spot in the standings.

The Warriors lost three of their last four games before the All-Star break without star Stephen Curry, including a 134-124 road loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on February 14 that highlighted their defensive issues.

Curry’s return from a left leg injury is something like fourteen days away, despite the fact that he has gotten back to the training court this week for non-contact work. Gary Payton II was brought in to provide perimeter defense, but he will miss at least a month due to a hip injury.

Draymond Green, a seasoned player for Golden State, makes no apologies for the team’s defensive efforts and ultimately takes responsibility for himself.

With a new style, the Lakers will move forward. After being traded, Russell Westbrook’s polarizing time with the team has come to an end. With the additions of Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Mo Bamba, Los Angeles created a roster that was more diverse.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis will keep on driving the charge on the court as well as holding the essential obligation regarding benefiting from the redid program.

James averages 30.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game. Davis has 12.3 rebounds and 26.0 points. A bruise on James’ right hand prevented him from participating in the All-Star game’s second half; however, the injury is not thought to be serious.

James’ expectations for the remaining six to eight weeks of the regular season are far more serious.

James is expected to lead the Lakers through the playoffs, and the five newcomers have only played one game together.

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