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NHL Preview: New Jersey Devils (35-14-5) at Pittsburgh Penguins (27-18-9)

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NHL Preview: New Jersey Devils (35-14-5) at Pittsburgh Penguins (27-18-9)

NEW JERSEY DEVILS NOTES:

Last Game
New Jersey Devils 2 St. Louis Blues 4
(35-14-5 -75 PTS) (26-25-3 -55 PTS)
Three Stars: 1. J. Binnington 2. J. Kyrou 3. B. Schenn
SCORE 1ST 2ND 3RD OT SO FINAL
St. Louis 1 2 1 – – 4
DEVILS 1 1 0 – – 2

Goals:
STL: P. Buchnevich, A. Toropchenko, J. Kyrou, B. Schenn (PPG)
NJD: D. Mercer,E. Haula
Game Summary | Event Summary

INJURIES/ILLNESS
PLAYER INJURY OUT SINCE GAMES MISSED
Jonathan Bernier – LTIR Lower-body, hip 2021-22 54
Brendan Smith Lower-body Feb. 9, 2023 4
2022-23 Total Man-Games Lost to Injury/illness: 158

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

The Devils conclude a four-game road trip, which marks the team’s second-longest road trip for the season, but fell to 1-1-1 after Thursday night’s contest at St. Louis.
Road trip schedule:
2/11, at MIN, 3-2, Lso
2/14, at CBJ, 3-2, W
2/16, at STL, 4-2, L
2/18, at PIT, 5:30 P.M. E.T.

WHAT TO KNOW
The Devils enter Saturday’s contest with an 8-5-1 overall record in back-to-back games this season. The team opens its eighth back-to-back set for 2022-23 and hosts Winnipeg at 7:00 P.M. on Sunday at the Rock. Jersey’s team is 3-3-1 in a first half for back-to-back sets this season.
Is Saturday’s contest a matinee or night game? Per NHL Pr, “The NHL does not have a policy on which time of day takes a game from being considered a matinee or day game to a night game. The league shall consider 5 p.m. (local) as the cutoff unless the club advises otherwise.” After Thursday’s lost the Devils allowed four, or more, goals in a game for the 16th time this season. New Jersey earned one win for 2022-23 when allowing four, or more, goals in a game, which was earned on Feb. 6, 2023 vs Vancouver (5-4, OTW). As of Feb, 17, the Devils were one of seven teams that allowed four, or more, goals in a game fewer than 17 times, while Vancouver suffered the most games this season when allowing four, or more, goals in a game this season (36 games). The Devils are 11-2-2 in their last 15 games played dating to Jan. 7, vs NY Rangers. The team’s .800 points% ranks first in the NHL with Carolina since that time. The Devils, Tampa, Boston and Carolina all recorded 11 wins since that date.

The team’s 35 wins after 54 games played from the start of a season are tied for the most in franchise history:
35 wins: 2009-10
35 wins: 2022-23
34 wins: 2008-09
34 wins: 2002-03
33 wins: 1999-00
33 wins: 2006-07
32 wins: 1997-98

The 20 road wins after the team’s 54 games played from the start of a season are the most in franchise history:
1998-99: 18w, in 26 road GP
2008-09: 18W, in 27 road GP
2009-10: 17w, in 27 road GP

The Devils enter Saturday’s contest 20-4-3 on the road for the 2022-23 campaign, which ranks first in the NHL. The 20 road wins are the team’s most in a single season since 2017-18 (21-15-5). After Tuesday’s victory at Columbus, the Devils earned 20-or-more road wins in a season for the 12th time in franchise history. The most road wins in a single season for franchise history is 28 (28-10-3), which was earned in 1998-99. Per NHL Pr, New Jersey “became the first team in NHL history to record 20 road wins in 26 games or fewer – the previous mark was 27 contests, accomplished by the Capitals twice (2019-20 & 2015-16).” The team’s 102 goals for on the road were tied with Vancouver and Edmonton for the second most in the NHL, while Seattle ranked first with 109 goals for via road games, per Feb. 17. The Devils enter tonight’s contest with an 18-10-2 record vs the Eastern Conference this season and a 10-5-2 record vs the Metropolitan Division. New Jersey logged a 9-14-3 record vs the Metropolitan Division last season. The Devils are 27-4-4 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. The Devils are 20-7-1 when scoring first in a game this season and 15-7-4 when trailing first in a contest. New Jersey’s 15 wins when trailing first in a game this season ranks first in the NHL, per Feb. 17, while Boston ranked second with 14 wins (14-8-2). The Devils are 22-0-2 when leading after the second period this season, while Boston ranks first in the NHL for this matter with a 28-0-2 record. The team’s zero regulation losses when leading after two periods is tied for the fewest with 10 other teams this season, per Feb. 17. Yet, New Jersey recorded 18 total comeback wins this season, which ranks first in the NHL. Per Feb. 17, Tampa and Carolina ranked second for this matter with 16 total comeback wins. New Jersey’s six multi-goal comeback wins this season was tied with Chicago for the most in the NHL, per Feb. 17. The Devils and 18 other teams have not earned a 3-goal comeback this season, yet. The Devils are 13-2-2 when outshot by an opponent this season and 21-12-3 when outshooting teams. The Devils are 1-0-0 when shots are even vs an opponent for 2022-23. The team’s two regulation losses when outshot by an opponents is tied with CAR, CGY and NYR for the fewest in the NHL, per Feb. 17. Jersey’s team is 32-5-4 when scoring three-or-more goals in a game this season. New Jersey’s 32 wins for this matter are tied for the third most with Carolina , while Boston ranks first with 39 wins and Tampa ranks second with 34 wins, per Feb. 17. The Devils have allowed 1, or fewer, goals against 12 times this season in a game. Jersey’s team allowed one, or fewer goals against, in a game just eight times all of last season.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS NOTES:

LAST 2 GAMES
Feb. 17: NY Islanders 5, Pittsburgh 4 – UBS Arena
PIT Goals: Rakell (2), Crosby, Zucker
Multiple Points: Rakell (2G), Crosby (1G-1A), Joseph (2A), Ruhwedel (2A)
Goalie: DeSmith (23 saves, 28 shots)
Key Stats: Rickard Rakell’s multi-point night gives him five points (3G-2A) over his last two games.
PP: 0-1
PK: 1-2

Feb. 14: Pittsburgh 3, San Jose 1 – SAP Center
PIT Goals: Guentzel (2), Rakell
Multiple Points: Rakell (1G-2A), Crosby (3A), Guentzel (2G)
Goalie: DeSmith (38 saves, 39 shots)
Key Stats: Sidney Crosby’s ninth three-plus point night (3A) helped Pittsburgh cap off their California road trip with a win.
PP: 0-3
PK: 2-2

INJURIES
Position Player Status Consecutive Games Missed Total Games Missed
D Jan Rutta Upper-Body 12 12
G Tristan Jarry Upper-Body 8 15
F Ryan Poehling Upper-Body 2 16
D Mark Friedman Upper-Body 2 2
2022-23 Total Regular-Season Man-Games Lost: 134

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Date Transaction
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.
Feb. 4 G Dustin Tokarski recalled from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL).
Jan. 29 F Jonathan Gruden and G Dustin Tokarski re-assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL).

Pittsburgh’s All-Time Record vs. Devils: 114-113-28
In Pittsburgh: 64-52-10
In New Jersey: 50-61-18
OT Record vs. New Jersey: 8-11-11
Shootout Record vs. New Jersey: 2-1

2022-23 Results: Pittsburgh is 0-1-1.
Penguins All-Time Point Leaders vs. DEVILS:
Mario Lemieux- 74GP, 135 PTS (47G, 88A)
Sidney Crosby- 80GP, 88 PTS (39G-49A)
Evgeni Malkin- 63GP, 59 PTS (25G-34A)

TONIGHT’S GAME

  • The Penguins return home to the friendly confines of PPG Paints Arena to take on the New Jersey Devils (TV: AT&T SportsNet; Radio: 105.9 The X).
  • Pittsburgh has points in 10 of its last 13 games against New Jersey (8-3-2) dating back to Mar. 20, 2021.
  • The Penguins have points in five of their last eight home games against the Devils (4-3-1) dating back to Nov. 5, 2018.
  • Pittsburgh has wins in four of its last five home games overall (4-1-0) and has just two regulation losses at home in the 2023 calendar year (5-2-0).
  • The Penguins have points in nine of 14 games (5-5-4) against Metropolitan Division foes this year.

QUICK HITS
1) Pittsburgh has 41 goals over its last 12 games dating back to Jan. 16. In that span, the team’s 3.42 goals-per-game average is seventh in the NHL.

2) Bryan Rust has 25 points (13G-12A) and is plus-16 in 31 career games against the Devils. It’s the most points he’s picked up versus any one team and five more than his next closest opponent (Washington, 20 PTS in 29 GP).

3) Sidney Crosby’s goal last night was his seventh game-opening goal of the season. Only six players have more such tallies than Crosby.

4) Jason Zucker has 20 points (7G-13A) in 25 games at home compared to 12 points (7G-5A) in 25 road contests.

5) Among all defensive pairs in the NHL who have played a minimum of 250 minutes together, only 12 pairings have a lower expected goals against than Pittsburgh’s pair of Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang (11.9).

NHL Preview: New York Islanders (28-23-7) at Boston Bruins (41-8-5)

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NHL Preview: New York Islanders (28-23-7) at Boston Bruins (41-8-5)

NEW YORK ISLANDERS NOTES:

LAST GAME
DATE NYI RESULT SCORE NYI SCORERS IN GOAL
Friday, Feb. 17 Win NYI 5 vs. PIT 4 Lee (2), Nelson (2),
Parise
Sorokin (40/44)
Pittsburgh opened the score in the first frame, but Anders Lee and Brock Nelson each responded with multi-goal games
and Ilya Sorokin turned away 40 of 44 shots faced to help the New York Islanders defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-4, on
Friday night at UBS Arena. Mathew Barzal notched two points and four defensemen tallied assists to help the Islanders
improve to 2-0-0 in their four-game season series with the Penguins

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Feb. 17 Otto Koivula has been returned on loan to Bridgeport.
Feb. 16 Jean-Gabriel Pageau has been placed on IR. Andy Andreoff has been recalled from loan (Bridgeport).
Feb. 13 Otto Koivula has been recalled from loan (Bridgeport). Samuel Bolduc has been returned on loan to
Bridgeport.
Feb. 6 Hudson Fasching has been removed from the team’s IR list.

INJURIES GAMES MISSED

3 Adam Pelech Dec. 9 – Jan. 21

8 Noah Dobson Jan. 23 – Jan. 28

10 Simon Holmstrom Dec. 23 – Jan. 6

12 Josh Bailey Nov. 29

13 Mathew Barzal Jan. 6

15 Cal Clutterbuck Oct. 13, Nov. 8, Dec. 2- Dec. 6, Dec. 17 – Jan. 3, Jan. 21 –

20 Hudson Fasching Jan. 19 – Jan. 28

21 Kyle Palmieri Nov. 23 – Dec. 13, Dec. 17 – Jan. 21

25 Sebastian Aho Oct. 13 – Oct. 20

26 Oliver Wahlstrom Oct. 13, Dec. 29 –

40 Semyon Varlamov Dec. 19 – Jan. 1

44 Jean-Gabriel Pageau Feb. 14 –

Man Games Lost: 128

RECENT RESULTS
Friday, Feb. 17 vs. Pittsburgh W (5-4)
Tuesday, Feb. 14 vs. Ottawa L/SO (3-2)
Saturday, Feb. 11 at Montreal L/OT (4-3)
Thursday, Feb. 9 vs. Vancouver L (6-5)
Tuesday, Feb. 7 vs. Seattle W (4-0

SEASON SERIES
DATE LOCATION RESULT/TIME
Dec. 13, 2022 TD Garden L/SO 4-3
Jan. 18, 2023 UBS Arena L 4-1
Feb. 18, 2023 TD Garden 5:00pm

LAST FIVE MEETINGS VS. BOSTON:
Jan. 18, 2023 UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) Loss (4-1)
Dec. 13, 2022 TD Garden (Boston, MA) SO Loss (4-3)
Mar. 26, 2022 TD Garden (Boston, MA) Loss (6-3)
Feb. 17, 2022 UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) Win (4-1)
Dec. 16, 2021 UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) Win (3-1)

vs. THE BRUINS:
2022-23 0-1-1
Last five games 2-2-1
Franchise History 66-91-21-7
NYI Home 38-45-10-1
NYI Away 28-46-11-6

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
Tonight, the New York Islanders visit the Boston Bruins in the third and final matchup between the two clubs this season. The last time these teams met was January 18 at UBS Arena, a 4-1 decision in Boston’s favor. Their last visit to TD Garden was December 13, 2022, when Josh Bailey, Noah Dobson and Brock Nelson each tallied multi-point games to help the Islanders capture a point in a shootout loss. The Islanders will cap off their 12th of 15 back-to-back series of the season tonight, after they achieved their fourth comeback win of the season against the Pittsburgh Penguins last night at UBS Arena. They snapped a three-game winless streak, but have also collected points in seven of their last eight games.

BOSTON BRUINS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S GAME

  • The Bruins host the Islanders tonight in the 3rd and final game between these teams this season and the second of two games of this series at TD Garden.
  • The Bruins are 41-8-5 overall this season and they are 22-2-3 on home ice … The Bruins are 23-6-3 vs Eastern Conference opponents.
  • The Bruins open a two-game home stand tonight vs the Islanders and they will host the Senators on 2/20 … They will then face a 4-game road trip to Seattle on 2/23, Vancouver on 2/25, Edmonton on 2/27 and Calgary on 2/28.

RECENT GAMES:

  • The Bruins have won their last two games with a 3-2/OT win in Dallas on 2/14 and a 5-0 win in Nashville on 2/16 … They are 4-3-1 in their last 8 games and they are 14-3-1 in their last 18 contests.
  • The Bruins are 3-2-0 in their last 5 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 are 12-2-2 in their last 16 road games, including a 9-0-1 road point streak from 12/11-1/24.
  • Boston 1 vs Washington 2 … The Bruins dropped their return from their bye week with their lone goal from Nick Foligno … Jeremy Swayman took the loss in net … SOG: Bos 28, Wsh 23 … PP: 0/4 … PK: 1/4
  • Boston 3/OT at Dallas 2 … Taylor Hall scored the game’s 1st goal before the Stars scored to go up 2-1 … Pavel Zacha (1-1=2 totals) evened the score and David Pastrnak (1-1=2) then scored the GWG at 3:44 of OT … Linus Ullmark took the win in goal … SOG: Bos 37, Dal 31 … PP: 0/3 … PK: 0/4
  • Boston 5 at Nashville 0 … Patrice Bergeron (1-1=2 totals) and Hampus Lindholm and Nick Foligno (2A each) had multiple points, while Brad Marchand (GW), Craig Smith and Derek Forbort scored single goals … Jeremy Swayman had 28 saves for his 7th career shutout … SOG: Bos 30, Nsh 28 … PP: 1/4 … PK: 0/3

INJURIES (Total man-games lost in 2022-23: 70)

  • Tomas Nosek: Non-displaced fracture in left foot
  • Vinni Lettieri: Lower body injury suffered in practice

BOSTON vs NY ISLANDERS, LIFETIME SERIES

  • The Bruins and Islanders are meeting for the 186th time in their histories with the Bruins having a 98-59-21-7 record and 619-522 scoring edge in those games.
  • They are 52-24-11-4 lifetime vs. New York at home with a 318-241 scoring advantage in those 91 contests

FUN FACTS

  • The Bruins currently have 23 players on their roster (1 on IR) … 9 were drafted by the team, 4 were acquired in trade and 10 were signed as free agents.
  • The Bruins play 16 matinees this season (local start time 4:00 pm or earlier) … They have a 5-1-1 record in afternoon games so far.
  • The Bruins play 14 sets of back-to-back games this season … They are currently 6-0-2 in the 1st game of those sets and are 6-2-0 in the 2nd games so far.
  • The Bruins are playing game 5 of their 10-game February schedule tonight (3 hm/7 rd, 3-1-0) … They will play 15 in March (9 hm/6 rd) and 7 in April (3 hm/4 rd) … They went 8-1-0 in October, 11- 2-0 in November, 9-1-4 in December and 10-3-1 in January.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Jan. 17: Joona Koppanen recalled from Providence/AHL.
Jan. 23: Marc McLaughlin recalled from Providence/AHL.
Jan. 30: Joona Koppanen and Marc McLaughlin returned to Providence/AHL.
Jan. 31: Jakub Lauko and Vinni Lettieri recalled from Providence/AHL.
Feb. 2: Jakub Lauko returned to Providence/AHL.
Feb. 9: Jakub Lauko recalled from Providence/AHL.
Feb. 17: Jakub Lauko returned to Providence/AHL.

NHL Preview: Florida Panthers (28-24-6) at Nashville Predators (25-21-6)

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NHL Preview: Florida Panthers (28-24-6) at Nashville Predators (25-21-6)

FLORIDA PANTHERS NOTES:

BAPTIST HEALTH INJURY REPORT

  • F Anthony Duclair | Games Missed: 58
  • F Patric Hornqvist | Games Missed: 33
  • F Sam Bennett | Games Missed: 1
    Total Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 176

LAST GAME
Panthers 6, Capitals 3– Feb. 16 – Capital One Arena
FLA Goals: Forsling (8), M. Staal (1), White (7), Barkov (16), Lundell (8), Reinhart (20)
WSH Goals: Strome (12), Backstrom (3-PPG), Kuznetsov (9-PPG)
FLA Goalie: Bobrovsky (W) – 29 Saves
WSH Goalie: Kuemper (L) – 30 Saves
FLA Shots: 36
WSH Shots: 32
Notes: Anton Lundell posted a personal season high three points (1-2-3)…Carter Verhaeghe recorded his second consecutive multipoint game, notching two assists (1-3-4 in 2GP)…Marc Staal scored his first goal of the season and first with Florida…Brandon Montour logged an assist for the second consecutive game… FLA PP: 0-2, FLA PK: 3-5

RECENT TRANSACTIONS:

  • Feb. 12: F Grigori Denisenko recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
  • Feb. 10: D Josh Mahura agreed to terms on one-year contract extension through 2023-24
  • Feb. 6: G Alex Lyon loaned to Charlotte (AHL)

PANTHERS vs. PREDATORS
ALL-TIME vs. NSH: 21-12-3-6
ALL-TIME ROAD vs. NSH: 10-7-2-2
2022-23 vs. NSH: 1-1-0

CATS STATS

  • Sam Reinhart has produced 13 points (8-5-13) over 12 career games against Nashville.
  • Matthew Tkachuk has posted 16 points (7-9-16) over 14 career games vs. the Predators.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Tonight’s game marks the final game of a four-game road swing for the Panthers. Florida owns a 2-1-0 record on the trip thus far. Following games played Feb. 16, the Panthers 32 road games played were second only to Arizona’s 33. The Cats have earned at least a point in six of their past eight road games (4-2-2) since Jan. 16. Their 34.5 shots on goal per game on the road rank second among NHL teams. Matthew Tkachuk leads Florida with 35 road points (13-22-35), tied for fourth-most among League skaters.

CATS AND PREDATORS
Nick Cousins is expected to appear in his 500th NHL game tonight against Nashville, an organization that he played 120 games for over two seasons (2020-21 to 2021-22), amassing 40 points (14-26-40). The Panthers own a 6-3-0 record over their past nine games against the Predators since Feb. 5, 2021. The Cats own a 8-2-0 record in their previous 10 visits to Bridgestone Arena since Dec. 3, 2015, outscoring the Predators 41-28 over that span.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS NOTES:

ALL-TIME vs. FLORIDA
OVERALL (42 GP) 18-19-(3)-2
HOME (21 GP) 9-9-(2)-1
ROAD (21 GP) 9-10-(1)-1
LAST MEETING April 9, 2022 at NSH (L, 4-1)
PLAYOFFS Never Met

− The Predators are 18-19-(3)-2 all-time against the Panthers, including a 9-9-(2)-1 record at Bridgestone Arena.

− This is the first of two matchups between Nashville and Florida in 2022-23; it is the first and only home.

− Nashville went 1-1-0 against Florida last season, picking up a 6-4 road win on Feb. 22, 2022; the Panthers claimed the lone meeting at Bridgestone Arena, 4-1, on April 9, 2022.

− The Predators are 2-3-0 in their last five games against the Panthers; they are 4-6-0 in their last 10; and 1-4-0 in their last five at home.

− Nashville went 3-5-0 against Florida during the 2020-21 regular season when both teams were part of the Central Division for the first time.

− 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).

− Ryan Johansen posted a three-game point streak vs. Florida from Feb. 4-March 6, 2021, recording a goal and two assists. He owns 12 points (4g-8a) in 26 career contests against the Panthers.

− Roman Josi has 19 points (7g-12a) in 22 career games vs. Florida.

− Matt Duchene owns 23 points (11g-12a), including four multi-goal games, in 26 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
− Boston Bruins 5, Nashville Predators 0 – Feb. 16 (Bridgestone Arena)
− NSH goals:
− BOS goals: Marchand – GWG (17), Smith (4), Bergeron – PP (19), Forbort (5), Frederic (11)
− Goaltenders: NSH – Saros (L, 25/30); BOS – Swayman (W, 28/28)
− Power plays: NSH 0-3; BOS 1-4
− Notes: Nashville moved to 14-10-3 at home in 2022-23… The Predators were shut out for the fourth time this season and first since Dec. 12 at St. Louis… Nashville outshot Boston by a 10-7 margin in the second period and a 10-5 margin in the third period… Tanner Jeannot led all skaters with eight hits… Roman Josi skated a game-high 24:22 and had three shots, nine shot attempts, four blocked shots and two hits.

INJURY REPORT
Player Designation Dates Missed Games Missed
Mark Borowiecki Upper body – IR Oct. 27-Feb. 16 45
Alexandre Carrier Upper body Jan. 26-Feb. 16 5
Filip Forsberg Upper body – day-to-day Feb. 13-16 2
Total man-games lost: 106
Individual man-games lost: Borowiecki – 46; McCarron – 20; Carrier – 10; McDonagh – 7; Smith – 6; Trenin – 5; Glass – 3;
Lauzon – 3; Forsberg – 2; Jankowski – 2; Duchene – 1; Lankinen – 1

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
− Feb. 13: Recalled forward Philip Tomasino from Milwaukee (AHL).
− Feb. 8: Signed forward Tommy Novak to a one-year, $800,000 contract for 2023-24.
− Feb. 6: Signed forward Cole Smith to a one-year, $775,000 contract for 2023-24.
− Feb. 5: Recalled forward Tommy Novak and defenseman Kevin Gravel from Milwaukee (AHL).

NHL Preview: Colorado Avalanche (29-19-5) at St. Louis Blues (26-25-3)

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NHL Preview: Colorado Avalanche (29-19-5) at St. Louis Blues (26-25-3)

COLORADO AVAANCHE NOTES:

UPCOMING GAMES
Date Opponent Time (MT) TV Radio
Sat, Feb. 18 at St. Louis Noon Altitude / NHLN 92.5 FM
Sun, Feb. 19 EDMONTON 1 p.m. ESPN+, HULU / SNet 92.5 FM
Fri, Feb. 24 at Winnipeg 6 p.m. Altitude 92.5 FM
Sat, Feb. 25 CALGARY 8 p.m. Altitude, CBC 950 AM
Mon, Feb. 27 VEGAS 7 p.m. Altitude 92.5 FM

TODAY’S GAME
COLORADO @ ST. LOUIS
12:08 p.m. MT / 1:08 p.m. CT
Altitude, NHL Network / 92.5 FM
The Colorado Avalanche takes on the St. Louis Blues in a Saturday afternoon matchup at Enterprise Center … Today is the first half of a back-to-back for the Avs, who will return home to host Edmonton tomorrow afternoon at Ball Arena … This weekend marks the second of what is three consecutive sets of back-to-back games for the Avs … All three back-to-backs will require travel in between (either home/road or road/home) and all three opponents on the second half of the back-to-back will be waiting for the Avs … Colorado is 9-2-2 in its last 13 games and 5-1-1 in its last seven on the road.

ON THE CALL
Altitude TV: Marc Moser (play-by-play), Mark Rycroft (analyst), Katie Gaus (reporter)
Altitude Radio: Conor McGahey

LAST GAME
Feb. 15 – Colorado 3, Minnesota 2 at Xcel Energy Center
Alexandar Georgiev made 41 saves and Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist to give the Colorado Avalanche a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center … Andrew Cogliano and Denis Malgin also scored for the Avs and Devon Toews added two assists.
SF: 19 SA: 43 PP: 0-1 PK: 1-2
The 8:52 p.m. puck drop was the latest recorded start time in Avalanche history (regular season or playoffs) The Avalanche improved to 9-2-2 in their last 13 games The Avs won both games in Minnesota this year and are 10-4-1 against their own division in 2022-23 Colorado is 5-1-1 in its last seven road contests MacKinnon recorded his third straight multi-point effort (4g/3a) MacKinnon’s goal was his 48th career game-winning tally to pass Michel Goulet (47) for third most in franchise history Artturi Lehkonen picked up his 20th assist of season, tying his career high set in 2018-19 Georgiev started both games of a back-to-back for the second time this season (also Nov. 4-5 in Finland against Columbus) … He is 2-0 with a 1.50 GAA and .960 Sv% in the second game of those back to backs … Georgiev is 6-1-1 in his last eight appearances overall Josh Manson had an assist and a game-high four hits and five blocked shots in his first appearance since Dec. 1

CURRENT INJURIES
Pavel Francouz – lower body (Feb. 14 – present)
Darren Helm – lower body (Jan. 14 – present)
Erik Johnson – lower body (Feb. 14 – present)
Gabriel Landeskog – lower body (Oct. 12 – present)
Cale Makar – head (Feb. 9 – present)
Total: 302 (3rd in NHL)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Feb. 17 – Justus Annunen, Ben Meyers recalled from the Colorado Eagles (AHL)
Feb. 15 – Josh Manson activated from Injured Reserve … Brad Hunt, Jonas Johansson reassigned to Colorado (AHL)
Feb. 14 – Brad Hunt, Ben Meyers recalled from the Colorado Eagles (AHL) … Erik Johnson placed on Injured Reserve (retroactive to Feb. 11) … Ben Meyers reassigned to the Colorado Eagles (AHL)
Feb. 13 – Jonas Johansson recalled from the Colorado Eagles (AHL)
Feb. 12 – Brad Hunt cleared waivers and was reassigned to the Colorado Eagles (AHL)
Feb. 11 – Brad Hunt placed on waivers

TODAY’S OPPONENT – ST. LOUIS BLUES
The Avalanche and Blues close out the season series this afternoon with the fourth and final meeting of 2022-23 … Colorado is 2-1-0 against the Blues this season, 1-0-0 on the road … The Avs have won their last seven trips to St. Louis including the playoffs (2-0 in regular season, 5-0 in playoffs) … The Blues and Avalanche have faced off in each of the last two postseasons (both series won by Colorado).

SCHEDULE vs. BLUES
Nov. 14 vs. ST. LOUIS (L, 2-3)
Dec. 11 @ St. Louis (W, 3-2 OT)
Jan. 28 vs. ST. LOUIS (W, 4-2)
Feb. 18 @ St. Louis

RECORD vs. BLUES
THIS SEASON 2021-22 ALL-TIME SINCE 1995-96 PLAYOFFS
Overall: 2-1-0 Overall: 2-1-0 Overall: 72-68-18 Overall: 58-43-13 Series (record): 3 series (3-0)
Home: 1-1-0 Home: 1-1-0 Home: 45-26-10 Home: 35-17-7 Record Overall: 13-3-0
Road: 1-0-0 Road: 1-0-0 Road: 27-42-8 Road: 23-26-6

2022-23 SEASON NOTES
BACK-TO-BACK
This weekend marks the second of what is three consecutive sets of back-to-back games for the Avs … All three back-to-backs will require travel in between (either home/road or road/home) and all three opponents on the second half of the back-to-back will be waiting for the Avs … Colorado, which will play 13 back-to-back contests overall this year, owns a 3-2-1 record in the first game and 4-2-0 in the second … The Avalanche posted a 15-5-2 (.727) combined record in back-to-back games last season, the second-best mark behind Minnesota (.732, 19-6-3) … The Avs finished 7-3-1 in the first game and 8-2-1 in the second (.773), with only Tampa (10-0-2, .917) posting a better record in the second half of a back-to-back.
Feb. 14 vs. TBL (O, 3-4 SO)
Feb. 15 @ MIN (W, 3-2)
Feb. 18 @ STL
Feb. 19 vs. EDM
Feb. 24 @ WPG
Feb. 25 vs. CGY

GRAND CENTRAL
Colorado is 10-4-1 against Central Division teams this season, 5-1-1 at home and 5-3-0 on the road.

ST. LOUIS BLUES NOTES:

CURRENT INJURIES
Marco Scandella – Right Hip (Re-evaluated in 6 months, announced on Sep. 20)
Brandon Saad – Upper-Body (Announced on Feb. 16)
2022-23 Total Man Games Lost: 228

Recent Transactions
February
17 – Acquired a 2023 First and Third-Round draft pick, as well a 2024 Second-Round draft pick and forwards Mikhail Abramov and Adam Gaudette from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forwards Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari
16 – Recalled forward Jake Neighbours from the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL)
16 – Placed forward Brandon Saad on injured reserve
12 – Assigned defenseman Scott Perunovich to the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL) on a conditioning assignment

BLUES VS. AVALANCHE (Reg. Season)

  • This will be the 4th and final matchup between the Blues and Avs this season
  • The Blues are 1-1-1 against Colorado this season (3-2 win in Colorado on Nov. 14 / 3-2 OT loss at home on Dec. 11 / 4-2 loss in Colorado on Jan. 28)
  • The Blues are 4-3-1 in their last 8 games against Colorado
  • The Blues have earned points in 3 of their last 4 games against Colorado at home, going 2-1-1 in those 4 games
  • The Blues are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games against Colorado at Enterprise Center
  • The Blues have scored a power play goal in 4 straight games against Colorado, going 4 for 12 (33.3%) on the power play over those 4 games
  • The Blues have also scored a power play goal in 9 of their last 10 games against Colorado, going 10 for 30 (33.3%) on the power play over that span

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
2/19 – at Ottawa
2/21 – at Carolina
2/23 – vs. Vancouver
2/25 – vs. Pittsburgh
2/28 – vs. Seattle

A LOOK AHEAD

  • The Blues will play 6 more games in February, 4 of which will come at Enterprise Center
  • The Blues will play 3 more games against the Eastern Conference this month, as well as 3 more against the Western Conference
  • Only 1 of their remaining 6 games in February will come against Central Division opponents, today vs. Colorado

EXTRA NUGGETS

  • The Blues are 22-8-0 this season when scoring first, which shares the 9th most wins in the NHL (1. Carolina, 27-4-4 / Boston, 27-0-3)
  • The Blues are 1 of 4 teams to record 3 multi-goal third period comeback wins this season (Kings/Islanders/Ducks)
  • The Blues have 9 players who have scored at least 10 goals this season, which shares 3rd in the NHL (1. Seattle & Vegas, 10 players)

WBB-FCS: Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers (9-16) at Youngstown State Penguins (18-7)

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The Milwaukee Panthers women’s basketball team travels to kick off its last road trip of the regular season as the team takes on the Youngstown State Penguins on Friday evening inside Beeghly Center in Youngstown, Ohio beginning at 6:00 p.m. CST.

The game can be viewed on ESPN+; while live stats and live audio on the Black & Gold Network with Matt Menzl on the call are also be available on MKEPanthers.com.

SCOUTING THE PENGUINS
Youngstown State is coming off a pair of home victories last weekend as the Penguins knocked off Oakland and Detroit Mercy to improve to 18-7 overall with a 12-4 mark in league games, currently sitting in third place in the Horizon League.

It’s Lilly Ritz leading the way for the Penguins with 437 points (17.5 PPG), 264 rebounds (10.6 RPG), 45 steals (1.8 SPG) and 30 blocks (1.2 BPG). The senior had a 20-point, 11-rebound effort back on February 22 in Milwaukee to help lead the Penguins to a 61-51 victory.

Megan Callahan and Malia Magestro are both averaging 10.6 points per game, while Dena Jarrells leads the team with 96 assists (3.8 APG).

On Saturday against Detroit Mercy, the Penguins edged the Titans by five in a 72-67 win. Ritz had 26 points and 12 rebounds to lead the way, while Callahan added 16 points and Paige Shy scored a dozen.

The Penguins are the fourth-best team in the Horizon League averaging 68.2 points per game and are third defensively allowing 57.8 points per contest. Youngstown State is second in the conference in assist/turnover ratio at 1.15, trailing just Green Bay.

LAST MEETING
Milwaukee and Youngstown State met on January 22 at the Klotsche Center, with the Penguins picking up the 10-point win, 61-51.

The Panthers had three in double figures with Kendall Nead scoring 17, Kamy Peppler knocked down 13 and Emma Wittmershaus recorded a dozen. In comparison, it was four to score double figures for the Penguins with Lilly Ritz picking up 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Megan Callahan had 15, Malia Magestro had 13, and Dena Jarrells picked up 10.

The Panthers were within two after a three-pointer by Peppler with 1:39 left in the game, but Milwaukee was unable to get the bucket as Youngstown State connected on their free throws to escape with the 10-point win.

SERIES HISTORY
Milwaukee owns a 31-20 all-time lead over the Penguins as each side has exchanged three-straight wins over the last six. Youngstown State has wins in the last three matchups, which was preceded by three-straight wins by the Panthers.

From February of 1992 to February of 2004, the Panthers won nine-straight, while the Panthers also had a 15-game winning streak from January of 2006 to February of 2012.

The Panthers also own a 14-11 record in Youngstown, Ohio, having split the two previous matchups in Northeast Ohio.

WBB-FCS: Furman Paladins (10-16) at East Tennessee State Buccaneers (20-7)

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Fresh off dismantling Wofford on Thursday night, the ETSU women’s basketball team is set to face Furman on Saturday afternoon in its final regular season home game. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. inside Brooks Gym.

Saturday is Senior Day as the Bucs will honor graduate guard Jiselle Thomas (Norwalk, Ohio) with a pregame recognition. In her one season with the Bucs, Thomas has totaled 411 points, 134 rebounds, 53 assists, 21 steals and eight blocks in 27 games (26 starts).

For her career, Thomas has totaled 1,406 points, 469 rebounds, 206 assists, 124 steals and 32 blocks in 114 games played (62 starts) between her time at High Point, Florida International, Temple and ETSU.

MATCHUP INFO

Saturday, February 18, 2023 – East Tennessee State vs. Furman

Time: 2:00 p.m.

Location: Johnson City, Tenn.

Venue: Brooks Gym

ABOUT THE BUCS

ETSU enters the weekend with an overall record of 20-7 and a 7-4 mark in SoCon action.

The Blue & Gold are coming off a historic night on Thursday where ETSU throttled Wofford, 83-45, behind a school-record 16 made three-pointers. 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.

Paris McCarthy (Castleisland, Ireland) broke the record with a three-pointer at the 1:04 mark of the fourth quarter. Local product Sarah Thompson (Gate City, Va.) knocked down four triples of her own to finish with a career-high 17 points.

In addition to the barrage of threes going down inside Brooks Gym, the Bucs notched their 20th win of the season on Thursday night, becoming the ninth team in program history to reach the 20-win mark.

The Bucs will be looking to win their home regular season finale for the first time since the 2019-20 season when ETSU defeated Mercer, 56-54. This is the second straight year the Bucs are playing Furman in their home finale.

ETSU broke the school record last week for best win improvement from season-to-season, going from six wins last season to 20 already this season. The 14-win improvement broke the previous school record of 12 set in the 2014-15 season.

ETSU is also three wins 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). There are three regular season games remaining.

ETSU has enjoyed nation’s current best turnaround this season under first year Buccaneer head coach Brenda Mock Brown. 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.

ETSU’s 14-win improvement ranks atop the nation ahead of both Illinois and UIC at 12 games, followed by Virginia with a 10-win improvement. Last year’s most improved team was LSU with a 12-game improvement (17 more wins with 10 more opportunities).

Since the start of the program in 1968, ETSU has never had a season that brought four 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. The most recent win streak of four brought ETSU’s record to 17-6. The last time ETSU had three such streaks was the 2014-15 season that produced a 21-12 overall record. Another win this weekend would make it five such win streaks.

For the last nine weeks, ETSU has either received votes or been ranked in the College Insider Women’s Mid-Major Top 25 Poll. This week, the Bucs were outside the Top 25 but received 21 votes to sit six spots out.

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.

The Bucs are averaging 62.8 points per game, while ranking 11th in the nation with just 54.3 points allowed per game. The Bucs also rank 22nd in the nation in offensive rebounding with 14.7 per game.

Graduate guard Jiselle Thomas (Norwalk, Ohio) leads the Bucs with 15.2 points per game to rank sixth in the league. She has scored in double figures in 22 of her 27 games. She also has five games where she scored 20 or more points, and ETSU is 5-0 in those games.

This season, ETSU in on track for 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 PALADINS

Furman sits at 10-16 overall and 2-9 in SoCon play.

The Paladins have dropped their last two contests, most-recently falling at Chattanooga Thursday night, 70-63.

Sydney Ryan and Ella Riggs each scored 15 points in the loss to the Mocs on Thursday.

The Paladins are led by Grace van Rij as she’s averaging 13.2 points and 6.5 rebounds, while shooting 53 percent from the field and 72 percent at the free throw line. The xxx ranks ninth in the SoCon in scoring, sixth in rebounding, third in field goal percentage, blocked shots (1.0) and offensive rebounds (3.3).

Jaelyn Acker is the only other Paladin player to be averaging double figures in scoring as she’s posting 11.1 points per game. Acker leads the team in made threes with 49.

Seven of Furman’s 10 wins this season have come at home, while the Paladins have dropped 10 of their 13 on the road. Furman’s last road win came on Jan. 14 when they won at Western Carolina, 60-46. The other two Paladin road wins this season came at UNC Asheville (65-64) and Presbyterian (67-60).

As a team, Furman ranks third in the SoCon in scoring defense (63.4) and fourth in scoring offense (63.6). The Paladins do feature the league’s best three-point shooting defense as they are holding opponents to 27 percent shooting from beyond the arc, along with the best rebound team in the SoCon with a +7.4 rebounding margin. Furman also leads the league in offensive rebounds per game (17.0) and offensive rebound percentage (.430).

The Paladins are led by Jackie Carson, who is in her 13th season at Furman, and recorded her 200th career win earlier this season at UNCA.

SERIES HISTORY

Saturday marks the 71st all-time matchup in the series, making Furman the fourth-most-frequent rival for ETSU.

Furman leads the all-time series, 46-23, but the Bucs are looking for the season sweep after defeating the Paladins 64-56 back in January. The win in Greenville was ETSU’s first over Furman since Jan. 18, 2018.

The last time ETSU swept the regular season series over Furman was in that 2017-18 season.

The Bucs’ all-time record for most points scored (114) and most combined points (203) both came in a game against the Paladins in 1987, as ETSU defeated Furman by a final of 114-89.

MBB-FBS: Utah Valley Wolverines (20-6) at Seattle Redhawks (18-9)

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  • Utah Valley takes its four-game win streak into the Emerald City this week as the team travels to the Pacific Northwest to take on Seattle U on Saturday night at the Redhawk Center. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. MT
     
  • Utah Valley sits atop the WAC standings with an 11-2 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 scored a career-high 31 points and Tim Fuller added a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double to lead Utah Valley to an 90-83 win over in-state WAC rival Southern Utah last week at the UCCU Center. Trey Woodbury, Aziz Bandaogo, and Small each scored 10 points while Tim Ceaser added nine. Bandaogo was just two rebounds shy of a double-double with eight boards to go along with three blocks.
     
  • Utah Valley junior guard Le’Tre Darthard has been named the TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week. It marks the second time this season that Darthard has earned the award. In Saturday’s 90-83 win over Southern Utah, Darthard scored a career-high 31 points with nine rebounds and three steals. Over the two games last week, Darthard averaged 19.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals, and 2.0 assists per game. He shot 39.1 percent (9-of-23) from the floor and a 94.7 percent (18-of-19) clip from the free throw line.
     
  • 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 the Wolverines have won 20-plus games in back-to-back seasons. 
     
  • 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.
     
  • Utah Valley has won 17 of its last 19 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 165 blocks and a 6.3 blocks per game average. The Wolverines sit ahead of Iona (6.1), Milwaukee (5.8), Illinois (5.8), Florida (5.7), and Oral Roberts (5.7). Utah Valley also ranks second nationally in defensive rebounds per game (29.62) and sixth in rebounds per game (40.23). Utah Valley’s 165 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 fourth in blocks (76), sixth in double-doubles (14), sixth in rebounds (277), sixth in blocks per game (2.92), sixth in defensive rebounds per game (7.81), and ninth in rebounds per game (10.7).


BROADCAST INFORMATION
Saturday 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 SEATTLE U
Seattle U enters Saturday’s game with an 18-9 overall record and a 9-5 mark in WAC play. The Redhawks hold an impressive 11-1 record at home this season. The team won a pair of home games last week over Utah Tech and Grand Canyon. The team most recently dropped an 84-63 decision on the road to California Baptist on Wednesday night. Senior guard/forward Riley Grigsby finished with a game-high 23 points and redshirt junior guard Cameron Tyson had 17 in the loss to the Lancers. Tyson leads the team in scoring this season at 18.8 points a game. Grigsby and Alex Schumacher also average double figures at 13.7 and 12.1 points per game, respecitvly. Grigsby leads the team on the boards, pulling down 5.4 rebounds a game. Tyson leads the team with 82 three-point field goals, which ranks 13th nationally. He also ranks fifth nationally in three-point field goal attempts at 241. As a team, Seattle U ranks 10th in the country in three-point attempts per game (28.0) and 37th in threes made per game (8.9). 

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE REDHAWKS
Utah Valley and Seattle U will meet for the 26th time on the basketball hardwood. The Redhawks hold a slight 13-12 advantage in the series. The two teams have split the two-game WAC series two of the last three seasons. The two teams only played one game against eachother during the 2020-21 season. Seattle U handed the Wolverines their only loss at home this season on Jan. 14, taking an 85-80 win in Orem. UVU holds a 4-8 record against Seattle U in games played in Seattle. 

LAST TIME vs. SU: Seattle U 85, Utah Valley 80 (January 14, 2023 – Orem)
Aziz Bandaogo came up just short of a triple double with career-high 23 points, 13 rebounds, and career-best seven assists to lead Utah Valley in an 85-80 setback to Seattle U on Jan. 14 at the UCCU Center. The Wolverines had won 11 straight before falling to the Redhawks. 

WBB-FBS: Nevada Wolfpack (9-16) at Fresno State Bulldogs (9-19)

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WBB-FBS: Nevada Wolfpack (9-16) at Fresno State Bulldogs (9-19)

Nevada women’s basketball starts a three-game road trip on Saturday, beginning that stretch at Fresno State at 4:30 p.m. 

Larry Burnett will have the call on 630 AM KPLY with a 20 minute pregame show prior to tipoff. Fans can also listen live online through the Varsity Network. The game will be available to watch on the Mountain West Network and live stats can be accessed through Stat Broadcast. 

Nevada has had one fourth of its roster have at least one career 20-point outing. Alyssa Jimenez most recently scored 20 points on Feb. 11 against New Mexico, her second 20-point outing of the season. Megan Ormiston has registered a career-high 26 points on two occasions, most recently on Jan. 21 against Fresno State. Sophomore Audrey Roden scored 20 points on Jan. 21 against Fresno State, 22 points on Feb. 2 against Boise State while dropping a career-high 27 points on Dec. 3 against Idaho, hitting the game-tying 3-pointer. Junior guard Victoria Davis is coming off a career-high 23 points at San Jose State on Jan. 26. 

The Pack are currently second in the Mountain West in offensive rebounds per game with a 12.1 mark. Nevada has outrebounded its opponents 13 times this season and has had a player record double-digit rebounds 13 times. 

Ormiston averaged 7.9 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game in her first year at Nevada before an injury ended her season last year. Ormiston has stepped into a larger role this season, being one of three players to post multiple double-doubles and scored 26 points in a game twice this year. She is in Nevada’s Speech Pathology and Audiology graduate program, being one of 40 students selected and the first student-athlete in the program in 30 years. 

SCOUTING FRESNO STATE
After losing to Nevada 75-69 on Jan. 21 at Lawlor Events Center, Fresno State is looking to win its first game over the Pack since the 2020-21 season. Fresno State has held its opponents to under 60 points per game heading into this week’s games, but has only scored 57.9 points per game this season. 

Amaya West leads the Bulldogs, scoring an average of over 12 points per game while grabbing almost five rebounds per game. Fresno State also has a pair of players that average over 10 points per game in Yanina Todorova and Imani Lacy, with Lacy coming down with six rebounds per game. 

MBB-FBS: Miami-Ohio Redhawks (8-18) at Northern Illinois Huskies (11-15)

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MBB-FBS: Miami-Ohio Redhawks (8-18) at Northern Illinois Huskies (11-15)

On Saturday afternoon, February 18, the Northern Illinois University men’s basketball team will return to the NIU Convocation Center for the annual “Cram the Convo” doubleheader. The Huskie women’s basketball team will play Ball State at 1 p.m., and the NIU men’s basketball team will play Miami at 3:30 p.m. Northwestern Medicine will provide a pair of NIU black winter gloves to the first 1,000 fans who arrive at 12 p.m. Black attire is also encouraged for the doubleheader on Saturday.

Additionally, the matchup against the RedHawks on Saturday will be broadcast on ESPN3, 94-9 WDKB, and The Varsity Network app.

The Huskies and Ohio are currently tied for fifth in the Mid-American Conference standings with five games remaining in the regular season. The MAC’s top eight teams will advance to the conference tournament, which will be held in Cleveland, Ohio, from March 9 to 11.

Last time out, the Huskies lost to Ball State 87-77, snapping a four-game road winning streak. Against the Cardinals, Columbus, New Jersey’s David Coit scored a team-high 22 points and tied a career high with six assists. In addition to tying a career high with six triples, Coit now has the fourth-best total of 75 three-point field goals made in a single season in NIU history.

Coit is 32nd in the nation and has an average of 2.9 made threes per game, second best in the MAC behind only Akron’s Xavier Castaneda (3.5). Coit has scored at least 20 points in nine of his last ten games, averaging 19.8 points per game over that span.

The RedHawks travel to DeKalb with a record of 8-18 overall and 2-11 in MAC play. Miami has three players with double figures, led by Mekhi Lairy, who averages 17.6 points per game. Anderson Mirambeaux scores 13.5 points per game, while Morgan Safford contributes 15.6 points per game. With a free throw percentage of 77.5 percent, Miami leads the MAC and is 13th in the country.

This season, NIU has made 199 three-pointers collectively, which ranks sixth best in school history. This season, Phoenix, Ariz.’s Darweshi Hunter is shooting 42.5 percent (37 of 87) from three, which ranks sixth in the MAC. Hunter is shooting 46.9% (30 of 64) from three in league play, which is third best in the conference.

On January 17, NIU prevailed 81-77 over Oxford in the first meeting of the season between the two teams. NIU had four players score double figures, with Coit scoring 21 points to lead the way. Kaleb Thornton from Bolingbrook, Illinois contributed 13 points, and Anthony Crump from Inkster, Michigan contributed 11 points. Zarique Nutter from Newark, New Jersey scored 16 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.

NIU will play its final two road games of the season on the road following Saturday’s contest. On Tuesday, February 21, the Huskies will travel to Ohio, and on Saturday, February 25, they will travel to Central Michigan.

MBB-FBS: Nevada Wolfpack (20-6) at Utah State Aggies (20-7)

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MBB-FBS: Nevada Wolfpack (20-6) at Utah State Aggies (20-7)

Saturday evening, the University of Nevada Men’s Basketball team will travel to Logan, Utah, to face Utah State in an effort to maintain their lead in the Mountain West regular season championship race. The goal of the game is to end the team’s four-game winning streak.

Nevada and Utah State have already met once before this season, when the Pack won at the Lawlor Events Center by a score of 85-70.

On 9-15 shooting from the field, Kenan Blackshear scored a game-high and a career-high 28 points in the contest. He also had five assists.

In the first meeting between the two teams, Will Baker also put on a great performance, scoring 24 points on 10-to-14 shooting and 3-6 shooting from behind the arc.

In the first game, Jarod Lucas scored 21 points on 7-14 field goal shooting and 3-6 from behind the arc against Utah State. The Pack defeated the Aggies thanks to a phenomenal second half performance.

Prior to Saturday’s matchup, Nevada had won four straight games, the most recent of which was a 77-66 victory over Fresno State on Friday.

In the victory over the Bulldogs, Will Baker and Kenan Blackshear each scored a team-high 19 points.

In the game, Baker grabbed five rebounds and scored 19 points on 5-7 shooting from the field, 1-2 from behind the arc, and 8-9 from the free throw line. Throughout the season, Baker has continued to improve his stats, currently ranking third on the team and 14th in the Mountain West in scoring (13.6 points per game). In addition, Baker is fourth in the conference in free throw percentage (83.9%) and third in field goal percentage (56.5%).

Against Fresno State, Blackshear scored 19 points on 8-13 shooting from the field and 6-6 from the free throw line. He also had a game-high seven assists, three rebounds, one steal, and one block. In 35 minutes of action, he finished the game with a plus/minus of +17, which was a game-high.

This season, Blackshear is still in the top 15 of the Mountain West in a number of statistical categories. He currently ranks second in the league for assists per game (4.7 APG), fourth in steals per game (1.7 SPG), seventh in field goal percentage (46.0%), eighth in free throw percentage (79.4%), eighth in points per game (14.8 PPG), 10th in minutes played per game (32.4 MPG), and 13th in the assist to turnover ratio (1.5).

Blackshear has reached double figures in scoring in 17 of 26 games this season, including 19 points and seven assists against Fresno State. He has also given the Pack at least three assists in all but two games this year.

One of the best performances of his young career came from freshman Darrion Williams against Fresno State. He scored 16 points on 4-5 shooting, 2-2 from behind the arc, and 6-7 from the free throw line. He also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and gave five assists.

On Monday, Williams was honored as the Mountain West Freshman of the Week for the fourth time this season for his outstanding performance in Nevada’s victories over Fresno State and New Mexico.

Williams has continued to dominate the glass for the Pack this season, currently leading the team and ranking sixth in the conference in rebounds per game with an average of 7.1. Williams likewise positions 10th in the Mountain West in takes per game, as he is averaging a noteworthy 1.5 per challenge.

In the matchup with the Bulldogs, Jarod Lucas also scored in the double digits. He scored 13 points and made 6 of 6 free throws. Lucas has scored in the double digits in 24 of 26 games this season, totaling 25 of those games.

This season, Lucas leads the Mountain West in numerous individual offensive statistical categories. He ranks second in the conference for free throw percentage (85.8%), made 3-pointers (70), 3-point field goal percentage (40.0%), minutes played per game (34.5 MPG), points scored per game (17.7 PPG), and field goal percentage (41.5%).

With shooting percentages of 54.5 percent from the field (24-44), 50 percent from behind the arc (6-12), and 88.5 percent at the free throw line (23-26), the Pack’s offensive performance against Fresno State was outstanding overall.

Nevada also played well defensively, holding Fresno State to just 66 points on 41.4 percent field goal shooting and 31.3 percent from three-point range.

Throughout the year, the Pack’s offense has continued to improve; they now rank fifth in the league in terms of scoring offense (73.7 points per game), continue to lead the Mountain West, and have the highest free throw percentage in the country. This season, Nevada is making 79.9% of their free throw attempts, which is fourth best in the nation.

In a variety of statistical categories, Nevada’s defense continues to rank in the top five of the Mountain West, as it has for the majority of the season.

In terms of opponent field goal percentage (41.8 percent), forced turnovers (332), defensive rebounding (24.6 per game), opponent 3-point field goal percentage (35.3%), and opponent points per game, Nevada is third in the conference.

Nevada will face a difficult challenge on the road against the Aggies on Saturday because Utah State has one of the best offenses in the Mountain West this season and plays in a raucous home environment.

Scouting Utah State

Utah State’s offense has been the team’s main source of energy throughout the entire season. They currently rank second in the league in scoring, averaging 79 points per game.

This season, the Aggies have shot 41.1 percent of their 3-point attempts, placing them first in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage. They have also been fantastic from behind the arc.

In addition, Utah State has performed admirably from the free throw line. With a free throw percentage of 76.4%, they rank second in the Mountain West behind Nevada.

The Aggies have five individuals scoring at least 11.0 points per game on an individual basis. Utah State is led by Steven Ashworth, who scores 15.6 points per game and converts 47.1 percent of his 3-point attempts. Each game, Ashworth is making an average of 3.3 attempts from behind the arc. He also has the most assists on the team, with an average of 4.5 per game.

With 13.5 points per game and 5.4 boards per game, Taylor Funk is second on the team in scoring. He shoots 44.4 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from behind the arc.

The Aggies’ strong presence in the paint this season comes from Dan Akin. He is grabbing a team-high 7.1 rebounds per game in addition to scoring 12.1 points per game on 64.0 percent shooting from the field.

The other Aggies scoring in double figures are Max Shulga and Sean Bairstow. Shulga is averaging 11.9 points per game while shooting 36.8% from behind the arc, and Bairstow is averaging 11.0 points per game while shooting 49.2% from the field and 43.8 percent from deep.

The Aggies have been good on offense, but they have struggled on defense, allowing 70.1 points per game and eighth in the league in opponent 3-point field goal percentage this season.

Nevada will need to keep an eye on the 3-point line, play well offensively, and limit turnovers if they want to stop Utah State from getting open looks in transition and sweep the Aggies for the fifth time in a row.

History of the Series

Nevada and Utah State have played each other 58 times, with Nevada winning the series 34-24 over Utah State.

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