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NHL Preview: Edmonton Oilers (29-18-4) at Philadelphia Flyers (21-22-9)

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EDMONTON OILERS NOTES:

ALL-TIME RECORDS vs. PHILADELPHIA GP RECORD HOME (39) AWAY (41) GF GA
OILERS ALL-TIME vs. PHILADELPHIA 80 35-35-8-2 22-10-6-1 13-25-2-1 253 271
OILERS vs. PHILADELPHIA – 2022-23 0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0 0

QUICK FACTS
Thursday’s game will mark Edmonton’s first of two meetings against Philadelphia this season. The next time these two teams meet is on February 21st in Edmonton.

The last time these teams met was on March 1st in Edmonton, with the Oilers winning 3-0.

Evander Kane leads the team lead with 25 career points against Philadelphia and has played in a team high 27 games against the Flyers.

ROAD POINT STREAKS
Connor McDavid posted an assist on Feb. 7 at DET to extend his career-high road point streak to 15 games – the only other Oilers player with at least one run of that length was Wayne Gretzky, who had six.

WINNING WAYS
The Oilers are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games, outscoring opponents 48-27

GOALS BY PERIOD
The Oilers rank 1st in the NHL in goals for in the second period with 75.

They also rank tied for 4th in the league in third period goals with 63.

LAST 10 GAMES vs. PHILADELPHIA
Record: 5-4-1
GF: 38 GA: 29
2021-22 3/1/22 @ PHI 3-0 W
2021-22 10/27/21 @ EDM 5-3 L
2019-20 10/16/19 @ EDM 6-3 W
2018-19 2/2/18 @ PHI 4-5 L (OT)
2018-19 12/14/18 @ EDM 4-1 W
2017-18 12/6/17 @ EDM 2-4 L
2017-18 10/21/17 @ PHI 1-2 L
2016-17 2/16/17 @ EDM 6-3 W
2016-17 12/8/16 @ PHI 5-6 L
2015-16 3/3/16 @ PHI 4-0 W

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S GAME
Edmonton Oilers vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Wells Fargo Center
TV: NBCSP | Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic

UPCOMING GAMES
DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME (ET) BROADCAST INFO.
Sat., Feb. 11 Nashville Predators Wells Fargo Center 12:30 p.m. NBCSP, 97.5 The Fanatic
Sun., Feb. 12 Seattle Kraken Wells Fargo Center 1:00 p.m. NBCSP, 97.5 The Fanatic
Thur., Feb. 16 Seattle Kraken Climate Pledge Arena 10:00 p.m. NBCSP, 97.5 The Fanatic

CURRENT INJURIES
PLAYER INJURY DATES GAMES MISSED
Cam Atkinson IR-upper body 9/25-present 52
Sean Couturier IR-back 9/19-present 52
Ryan Ellis LTIR-groin/hip/back 10/11-present 52
Tanner Laczynski IR-lower body 12/7-present 26
Zack MacEwen upper body-jaw 1/28-present 2
2022-23 TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 276

FLYERS VS. OILERS: HEAD-TO-HEAD
FLYERS OILERS
37-34-9 ALL-TIME RECORD 35-35-10
26-13-2 HOME 22-10-7
11-21-7 ROAD 13-25-3
2-3-0 LAST 5 MEETINGS 3-1-1
5-5-0 LAST 10 MEETINGS 5-4-1

270 GOALS SCORED 253
20.2% POWER PLAY 15.9%
84.1% PENALTY KILL 79.8%
Ristolainen: 14 pts (2-12=14) in 15 GP
van Riemsdyk: 11 pts (5-6=11) in 17 GP
Braun: 11 pts (2-9=11) in 36 GP

TEAM SCORING LEADERS Kane: 25 pts (10-15=25) in 27 GP
McDavid: 21 pts (8-13=21) in 11 GP
Draisaitl: 16 pts (6-10=16) in 11 GP
Hart: 2-2-0, 3.61 GAA, .897 SV% in 4 GP
Sandstrom: Has not faced EDM

TEAM GOALTENDERS Campbell: 3-2-0, 2.60 GAA, .920 SV%, 1 SO in 5 GP
Skinner: Has not faced PHI

2022-23 SEASON SERIES (ALL TIMES EASTERN)
February 9 Wells Fargo Center 7 p.m.
February 21 Rogers Place 9 p.m

TEAM NOTES
QUICK HITS

  • Philadelphia is 10-5-2 in their last 17 games, outscoring their opponents, 53-45, since Dec. 29. The Flyers rank T-7th in the NHL in wins in that span.
  • The Flyers have earned points in 17 of its last 27 games (13-10-4), including a season-high four-game win streak, Dec. 29-Jan. 5.
  • Philadelphia has allowed the opposing team to score first in 31 of its 52 games this season. Philadelphia ranks T-5th in the NHL with 11 wins when trailing first in a game. The Flyers have scored first in 10 of their last 15 games, ranking T-2nd in the NHL in wins (7) when scoring first since Jan. 2.
  • The Flyers recorded a franchise-best 59 hits Nov. 12 vs. OTT. The 59 hits are tied for the ninth-most in a regular season game in NHL history.
  • Philadelphia ranks second in the NHL with 1,482 hits and 904 blocked shots.

HOME COOKIN’

  • Philadelphia is 4-4-1 in its last nine home games and 10-13-2 in 25 home games this season.
  • The Flyers have posted four five-plus goal games in their last nine home games.
  • Philadelphia has scored three-plus goals in eight of its last 12 home games. The Flyers are 10-2-2 at home this season when scoring three-plus goals.

VS. THE WEST

  • The Flyers begin a seven-game stretch against a Western Conference opponent, Feb. 9-21.
  • Philadelphia is 6-2-2 in its last 10 games and 10-6-4 this season against a Western Conference opponent.
  • The Flyers are 5-1-3 against the West on the road and 5-5-1 against the West on home ice this season.
  • Philadelphia swept the California road trip, Dec. 29-Jan. 2, for the first time in franchise history.

NHL Preview: Colorado Avalanche (27-18-4) at Tampa Bay Lightning (32-16-2)

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COLORADO AVALANCHE NOTES:

UPCOMING GAMES
Date Opponent Time (MT) TV Radio
Thu, Feb. 9 at Tampa Bay 5 p.m. ESPN 92.5 FM
Sat, Feb. 11 at Florida 4 p.m. Altitude 92.5 FM
Tue, Feb. 14 TAMPA BAY 7 p.m. Altitude 92.5 FM
Wed, Feb. 15 at Minnesota 7:30 p.m. TNT 950 AM

TONIGHT’S GAME
COLORADO @ TAMPA BAY
5:10 p.m. MT / 7:10 p.m. ET
ESPN / 92.5 FM
The Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning face off for the first time since the 2022 Stanley Cup Final tonight at AMALIE Arena … This evening’s matchup is the middle contest of a three-game road trip for the Avs, who fell 2-1 in overtime to the Penguins on Tuesday … Colorado will wrap up the road swing on Saturday night in Sunrise against the Panthers… The Avs are 7-1-1 in their last nine games and 3-0-1 in their last four on the road.

ON THE CALL
ESPN: Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Ray Ferraro (analyst), Emily Kaplan (reporter)
Altitude Radio: Conor McGahey (play-by-play), Mark Rycroft (analyst)

LAST GAME
Feb. 7 – Pittsburgh 2, Colorado 1 in overtime at PPG Paints Arena
Bryan Rust scored the tying goal with 3:38 left in regulation and Kris Letang notched the game winner in overtime as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Colorado Avalanche, 2-1, at PPG Paints Arena … Nathan MacKinnon had the lone tally for the Avs and Pavel Francouz made 36 saves.
SF: 42 SA: 38 PP: 0-4 PK: 1-1

The Avs are 7-1-1 in their last nine games
Samuel Girard had an assist to extend his point streak to four games, the longest streak of his career
MacKinnon has a four-game point streak (1g/3a) and has 21 points (6g/15a) in 14 games since January 1st
MacKinnon scored his 51st career game-opening goal and surpassed Peter Stastny (50) for the fourth most in
Avalanche/Nordiques franchise history … MacKinnon trails Joe Sakic (117), Milan Hejduk (66) and Michel Goulet (53)

CURRENT INJURIES
Darren Helm – lower body (8 games, Jan. 14 – present)
Gabriel Landeskog – lower body (all season, Oct. 12 – present)
Josh Manson – lower body (27 games, Dec. 3 – present)
Total: 283 (3rd in NHL)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Feb. 7 – Bowen Byram activated from Injured Reserve
Jan. 28 – Ben Meyers reassigned to the Colorado Eagles (AHL)

TONIGHT’S OPPONENT – TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Tonight is the first meeting between these two teams since Game 6 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final here at AMALIE Arena on June 26, 2022 … This is the first of two matchups between Colorado and Tampa Bay this season, which leaves San Jose as the only team who has yet to face the Avalanche in 2022-23 … In addition to winning the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, the Avs beat the Lightning twice during the 2021-22 regular season, sweeping the season series for the first time since 2009-10.

SCHEDULE vs. LIGHTNING
Feb. 9 @ Tampa Bay
Feb. 14 vs. TAMPA BAY

RECORD vs. LIGHTNING
THIS SEASON 2021-22 ALL-TIME SINCE 1995-96 PLAYOFFS
Overall: — Overall: 2-0-0 Overall: 25-18-6 Overall: 20-13-6 Series: 1 (1-0)
Home: — Home: 1-0-0 Home: 15-6-4 Home: 11-5-4 Record: 4-2
Road: — Road: 1-0-0 Road: 10-12-2 Road: 9-8-2 Last: 2022 Cup Final (W, 4-2)

ROAD WARRIORS
Colorado’s next road win will mark its 700th regular season away victory in franchise history (699-778-207) … The Avalanche’s 4-1 victory in Calgary on Jan. 18 was their 500th regular-season road win since moving to Denver … Colorado is 502-424-130 in 1,056 away contests since relocating … Only Boston (513) has more away wins during that span.

GRAND CENTRAL
Colorado is 9-4-1 against Central Division teams this season, 5-1-1 at home.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING NOTES:

LAST GAME
Lightning 3 vs. San Jose 4 (OT)
The Tampa Bay Lightning saw its franchise record 12-game home winning streak come to an end Tuesday night with a 4-3 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks at AMALIE Arena…The Bolts fell to 32-16-2 on the season with a home record of 20-4-2…Ross Colton opened the scoring 2:10 into the first period when Zach Bogosian pinched up the right boards and found Colton in front, who took advantage of a failed attempt to play the puck by Kaapo Kahkonen and buried his 11th goal of the season to give Tampa Bay an early 1-0 lead…Erik Karlsson scored a power-play goal at the 6:28 mark of the first to even the score at one apiece…Just 2:53 after Karlsson’s goal, the Lightning earned a power-play opportunity of their own and took a 2-1 lead when Brayden Point took a pass from Nikita Kucherov and rifled a wrist shot into the top left corner for his 30th goal of the season with Victor Hedman adding a secondary helper…Point scored his second goal of the game and made it a 3-1 game with 3:16 left in the opening frame after batting the puck out of midair and sliding a shot past the left pad of Kahkonen with Mikhail Sergachev and Kucherov picking up the assists…Timo Meier scored the lone goal of the second period with a power-play tally at the 16:23 mark to get SJS back within one going into the second intermission…Jonah Gadjovich tied the game at three just 3:08 into the third period before Meier scored his second goal of the contest at the 2:19 mark of overtime to give SJS the 4-3 win…Brian Elliott got the start in goal for Tampa Bay and made 18 saves on 22 shots against…Vladislav Namestnikov skated in his 600th career game.
PP: TBL – 1-6 SJS – 2-3
SOG: TBL – 37 SJS – 22
Attendance: 19,092

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
The Lightning and the Avalanche are playing the first of two matchups this season and the only meeting at AMALIE Arena…The two teams will meet again in just five days with a matchup Feb. 14 at COL…The Bolts posted a record of 0-1-1 in two reg. season contests vs. COL last season…Brayden Point (2-1—3) led Tampa Bay in goals and points vs. COL last season…The Lightning are 5-4-1 in the last 10 home games vs. COL and 6-3-1 in the last 10 meetings overall…Steven Stamkos has picked up points in six of his last 10 games vs. COL (7-6—13)…Stamkos has recorded nine points over his last four home games vs. COL (4-5—9)…Nikita Kucherov has scored a goal in two consecutive games vs. COL (2-0—2) and has picked up points in five of the last six meetings (4-2—6)…Point has recorded points in three consecutive games vs. COL (2-2—4) and seven of the last nine meetings (4-4—8)…Alex Killorn has pointed in 12 of his 16 career games vs. COL (4-8—12)…Victor Hedman has picked up points in three consecutive home games vs. COL (1-2—3)…The Bolts are 16-15-5 with three ties all-time vs. COL, including a home record of 9-6-3 with one tie…Stamkos (8-7—15) holds the Tampa Bay franchise records for career goals and points vs. COL.

TBL ALL-TIME POINT LEADERS VS. COL

  1. Steven Stamkos – 15 pts. (8-7—15, 19 GP)
  2. Victor Hedman – 14 pts. (2-12—14, 20 GP)
    T3. Tyler Johnson – 12 pts. (6-6—12, 14 GP)
    T3. Alex Killorn – 12 pts. (4-8—12, 16 GP)
    T5. Ondrej Palat – 11 pts. (4-7—11, 16 GP)
    T5. Martin St. Louis – 11 pts. (2-9—11, 16 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 8-2-0 against Central Division opponents and 16-6-1 against the Western Conference this season…The Bolts are 20-4-2 on home ice this season…Tampa Bay has scored three or more goals in seven consecutive home games and 18 of the last 20 contests at AMALIE Arena…The Lightning have scored a power-play goal in six of the last seven home games.

INJURIES
2022-23 Regular Season Man Games Lost: 91
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
Jan. 15 – Assigned F Rudolfs Balcers to AHL Syracuse for conditioning
Jan. 2 – Signed D Nick Perbix to a two-year contract extension

NBA Preview: Milwaukee Bucks (37-17) at Los Angeles Lakers (25-30)

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With LeBron James’ pursuit of the NBA’s all-time scoring record now complete, the Los Angeles Lakers can work on getting themselves back into the playoff chase.

James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s mark Wednesday against Oklahoma City, with another home game set for Thursday against the surging Milwaukee Bucks.

For all the pomp and circumstance Tuesday’s game provided for the Lakers, including a full complement of celebrities in the crowd, they ended up falling 133-130 to the Thunder. Los Angeles looked more interested in getting James over the scoring hump than playing defense.

James needed 36 points to set the record and ended up with 38. But fellow star Anthony Davis had just 13 points on nine shot attempts in 31 minutes. The Lakers are just 3-4 since Davis returned from a foot injury and are in 13th place in the 15-team Western Conference.

At issue now is James’ sore right foot, which flared up on him late in Tuesday’s game. It is merely the latest injury wrinkle for the Lakers. Afterward, though, James was just trying to wrap his mind around becoming the greatest scorer of all time.

The Bucks enter Wednesday’s game with a big-time scorer of their own. Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging a career-best 32.2 points per game, which is third best in the NBA.

The Bucks are more at peace with the standings than the Lakers, sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the NBA-best Boston Celtics entering Tuesday’s slate. Milwaukee is on an eight-game winning streak, while also winning 10 of its last 11.

The Bucks enter well rested after a 127-108 road victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday as Antetokounmpo had 24 points in 23 minutes. Antetokounmpo was two assists short of a triple-double as he played through right knee soreness. Brook Lopez passed the 15,000-point mark for his career.

The entire win streak has taken place as the trio of Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday have been reunited on the court together. Bobby Portis remains out with a right knee sprain.

The Bucks will be looking to avenge a 133-129 home defeat to the Lakers on Dec. 2.

NBA Preview: Chicago Bulls (26-28) at Brooklyn Nets (32-22)

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Spencer Dinwiddie’s successful first stint with Brooklyn was among the reasons Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant were drawn to the Nets during free agency in 2019.

His second stint is a result of Irving’s desire to leave the team. Dinwiddie is expected to officially get reacquainted with the organization that developed the guard starting with Thursday’s visit from the Chicago Bulls.

Dinwiddie will appear in his 275th regular season game for the Nets, who originally signed him on Dec. 8, 2016 in the midst of a 20-win season.

He averaged 14.3 points with the Nets, including 16.8 in 2018-19 when Brooklyn won 42 games. He contributed 20.6 the following season when Durant was recovering from his torn right Achilles tendon and Irving was limited to 20 games due to a shoulder injury.

Dinwiddie tore his ACL three games into the 2020-21 season and then signed a three-year contract with the Washington Wizards, who dealt him to Dallas for Kristaps Porzingis at last year’s deadline. He averaged 17.1 points in 76 games with the Mavericks, and scored 25 points in his final game with them Saturday at Golden State.

Dinwiddie’s farewell with Dallas occurred a day after Irving sought a trade. By Monday night, the 29-year-old Dinwiddie was officially back with the Nets and joined by Dorian Finney-Smith, who is expected to fill a reserve role.

Dinwiddie will have to wait a little while to actually play with Durant again. Durant is not expected to return from his sprained MCL in his right knee until after the All-Star break. The Nets are 5-9 without him after dropping a back-to-back set to the visiting Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns.

Brooklyn took its latest two losses despite Cam Thomas continuing his scoring barrage. After a career-high 47 points in Monday’s 123-116 loss to the Clippers, Thomas scored 43 in a 116-112 loss to the Suns. Those showings were the second-year guard’s first two starts of the season.

Chicago is 10-7 over its past 17 games, starting with a home win on Jan. 4 that ended Brooklyn’s 12-game winning streak.

The Bulls saw a three-game winning streak stopped when they endured their worst offensive showing of the season in a 104-89 loss at Memphis on Tuesday while DeMar DeRozan sat out with a sore right hip.

After averaging 123.6 in the previous three games, Chicago scored its fewest points of the season and also shot a season-worst 36.8 percent, including 5-for-19 in a 14-point fourth quarter.

Nikola Vucevic led the Bulls with 28 points and LaVine added 24 but Chicago also committed 20 turnovers.

NHL Morning Skate – Feb. 9, 2023

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* The two teams responsible for the last three Stanley Cup championships will be featured tonight on ESPN, TVA Sports, Sportsnet and Sportsnet 360 when the Avalanche visit the Lightning.

* Players age 23 or younger played a crucial role in a Rangers victory, including a career-high three assists from defenseman K’Andre Miller.

Jamie Benn reached the 20-goal mark for the 10th time in his career to help the Central Division-leading Stars collect their 30th win of 2022-23.




BATTLE OF RECENT CUP CHAMPS SET FOR ESPN, SPORTSNET, TVA SPORTS
The only two teams to claim a Stanley Cup championship since 2020 will face off nationally in the U.S. (ESPN) and Canada (SNO, SNE, SN360, TVAS) when the Avalanche (27-18-4, 58 points) visit the Lightning (32-16-2, 66 points) in the first contest between the clubs since meeting in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final.


* The Avalanche dethroned the two-time defending champion Lightning in six games in the 2022 Final to win the Stanley Cup for the third time in franchise history (also 1995‑96 and 2000‑01) and prevent the Lightning from becoming the first three-peat winners since the Islanders (1980-83). Colorado claimed its championship by going 16‑4 in the playoffs, becoming the sixth team since 1987 (when all four rounds went to the best-of-seven format) to capture the Stanley Cup with four or fewer postseason losses.

* Sixteen Avalanche players who appeared in the Cup-clinching Game 6 are still with the team (10 forwards, 5 defensemen, 1 goaltender) while the Lightning also have 16 players remaining from the contest (10 forwards, 4 defensemen, 2 goaltenders).

* The Lightning are led offensively by Nikita Kucherov (20-55—75 in 50 GP), who has reached 75 points in 50 games or fewer for the second time in his career. He previously hit the 75-point mark in 45 games in 2018-19, a season in which he captured the Art Ross Trophy and Hart Trophy after finishing with 41-87—128 in 82 GP.

Nathan MacKinnon (14-41—55 in 38 GP) has been Colorado’s catalyst offensively while averaging 1.45 points per game in 2022-23. Since the franchise moved to Colorado in 1995-96, only one player has finished a season averaging a higher point-per-game rate (min. 30 GP): Joe Sakic (1.46 in 1995-96). 

* The game will also pit two of the League’s most decorated active defensemen against each other, in Colorado’s Cale Makar (13-32—45 in 45 GP) and Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman (4-30—34 in 47 GP). Since Makar’s first regular season in the NHL in 2019-20, the pair rank second and third in regular-season points by a defenseman (Makar: 2nd; Hedman: 3rd) and first and second in postseason points by a blueliner (Hedman: 1st; Makar: 2nd).
 



* Before the game, fans can relive Colorado’s memorable 2021-22 season and 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs run with the ESPN+ premiere of 2022 Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup FilmCLICK HERE to watch the trailer.

HORVAT SET TO FACE FORMER TEAM THREE GAMES INTO ISLANDERS TENURE
After playing parts of nine seasons with the Canucks to start his career and captaining the club since the 2019-20 campaign, Bo Horvat will be facing his former team for the first time since being acquired by the Islanders in a trade Jan. 30.

* Horvat departed Vancouver ranking among the top 10 in multiple all-time franchise lists, including goalspointspower-play goalsshorthanded goals and overtime winners. Should Horvat find the score sheet Thursday, he would join Ottawa’s Claude Giroux (1-0—1 vs. PHI on Nov. 5, 2022) as the second player this season to record a point in their first game against the former team they captained.


YOUNGSTERS LEAD RANGERS TO THIRD STRAIGHT WIN
Twenty-three-year-olds K’Andre Miller (0-3—3) and Filip Chytil (1-0—1) each had notable performances to help the Rangers (29-14-8, 66 points) earn their third straight victory and move within three points of the idle Devils (33-13-4, 70 points) for second place in the Metropolitan Division.

* Miller assisted on each of New York’s first three goals to record his first career three-point game. Miller (23 years, 18 days) became the fifth different Rangers defenseman age 23 or younger to post a three-assist performance since 1990-91, with Adam Fox (21 years, 319 days on Jan. 2, 2020) last achieving the feat.
 
* Chytil (23 years, 156 days) found the back of the net for the fifth straight game to match his career high (also 5 GP in 2018-19). He became just the second player in Rangers history with multiple goal streaks of that length at age 23 or younger, joining Tomas Sandstrom (5 GP in 1984-85 & 1986-87).

Alexis Lafreniere (1-0—1; 21 years, 120 days) and Kaapo Kakko (0-1—1; 21 years, 360 days) also found the score sheet as the Rangers received six points from players age 23 or younger in their win.



BENN AND SEGUIN LIFT STARS TO 30TH WIN
Jamie Benn (1-0—1) scored to reach the 20-goal mark and Tyler Seguin (0-1—1) collected his 600th career point with Dallas as the Central Division-leading Stars (30-13-10, 70 points) improved to 15-5-6 at American Airlines Center this season. Dallas, 15-8-4 as the visitor in 2022-23, joined Boston and Carolina as just the third team with at least 15 home wins and 15 road wins.

* Benn, the third Stars skater to reach the 20-goal mark this season, hit the plateau for the 10th time in his career and first since 2018-19 (27-26—53 in 78 GP). Buffalo (4) and Edmonton (4) are the only teams with more 20-goal scorers in 2022-23.



QUICK CLICKS

Mikael Backlund talks charity work, ALS awareness in Q&A with NHL.com

Avalanche Stanley Cup film to debut Thursday on ESPN+

NHL Trade Deadline difficult time for players, coaches, GMs

NHL All-Stars marvel at No. 1-ranked Draft prospect Connor Bedard

Morgan FrostTravis Konecny play football during Flyers practice

NBA Preview: Phoenix Suns (30-26) at Atlanta Hawks (27-28)

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The Atlanta Hawks handed the Phoenix Suns their worst loss of the season when the teams met last week in Arizona.

The Suns will look to exact a bit of revenge on Thursday when they continue their five-game road trip in Atlanta.

Phoenix answered its 132-100 shellacking at the hands of the Hawks on Feb. 1 by winning its first three games of this trek.

Deandre Ayton followed up his 31-point, 16-rebound performance in the Suns’ 116-100 win over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday with a career high-tying 35 points while again collecting 16 boards in a 116-112 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday.

Devin Booker contributed 19 points on Tuesday in his return from a 21-game absence due to a left groin strain.

All told, Phoenix has weathered the storm in Booker’s absence. The Suns lost nine of their first 11 games without the three-time All-Star before winning eight of 10 prior to his return on Tuesday.

The flow was emphatically stopped last week by the Hawks, who led by as many as 43 points in the third quarter. The Suns did themselves no favors by shooting a paltry 14.3 percent from 3-point range (4 of 28).

Dejounte Murray scored 21 points, Trae Young had 20 and Bogdan Bogdanovic added 18 off the bench to pace Atlanta in that contest.

The Hawks won their next contest before dropping the final two on their five-game road trip, including a 116-107 decision at New Orleans. Atlanta was outscored 58-46 during the middle two quarters, much to the chagrin of coach Nate MacMillan.

Bogdanovic made five 3-pointers to highlight his 22-point performance versus the Pelicans. The Serbian admitted he’s still working his way back into game shape after missing the first 24 contests to begin the season due to a knee injury.

Murray had 19 points and Young collected 16 points and 16 assists on Tuesday.

NBA Preview: Denver Nuggets (38-17) at Orlando Magic (22-33)

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Orlando and Denver are in different stages this season. The Magic are a young team building a roster to compete for a title down the road while the Nuggets know their window is open now and have championship aspirations.

Those two phases collide when Denver visits Orlando on Thursday night.

It is the second meeting between the two, with the Nuggets prevailing at home on Jan. 15 when Nikola Jokic hit a 3-pointer in the final seconds. Orlando nearly stole the win behind two of its young stars, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, a pair who have become the building blocks for the future.

They have added toughness to the roster, which is the culture Magic coach Jamahl Mosley is trying to create.

Markelle Fultz, the No. 1 overall pick by Philadelphia in the 2017 draft, has found a home with Orlando. He is averaging 12.7 points a game and 17.5 in February.

The Magic have some veterans, too, including Gary Harris, who was acquired from Denver two years ago in the deal that sent Aaron Gordon to the Nuggets.

Gordon was thought to be the last piece needed when he came to Denver, but soon after Jamal Murray tore the ACL in his left knee and missed more than a year. Murray has been playing at his pre-injury level but is dealing with right knee inflammation that kept him out of Tuesday’s win over Minnesota.

The Nuggets sit atop the Western Conference and hope to strengthen that position by the trade deadline, which comes four hours before Thursday’s tipoff. Denver has been discussing possible deals for backup point guard Bones Hyland, who has not played the last four games while the trade possibilities progress.

Hyland is a popular, energetic second-year player who has been electric and exacerbating at times, but with the Nuggets in serious contention for their first NBA title he could be moved for a veteran piece. His teammates have been supportive and Hyland has not been a distraction while his future is being determined.

NFL: Super Bowl LVII Injury Report — Wednesday

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KANSAS CITY CHIEFS vs. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
 
Practice Report
    LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
 WednesdayWR Kadarius Toney (ankle, hamstring)
 
    FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
 WednesdayLB Willie Gay (shoulder), QB Patrick Mahomes (ankle), RB Jerick McKinnon (ankles), RB Isiah Pacheco (wrist), G Trey Smith (ankle), WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee)
 
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
 
 Practice Report
    LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
 WednesdayT Lane Johnson (groin, not injury related – resting player), C Cam Jurgens (hip, not injury related – resting player), CB Avonte Maddox (toe, not injury related – resting player)
 
    FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
 WednesdayG Landon Dickerson (elbow), DE Robert Quinn (foot)

Padres announce non-roster invitees to Major League Spring Training

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SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Padres announced today they have extended Major League Spring Training invitations to 30 players.

  • RHP (14): Aaron Brooks, Drew Carlton, Efrain Contreras, Anderson Espinoza, Wilmer Font, Jordan Guerrero, Eric Hanhold, Moises Lugo, Sean Poppen, Angel Sánchez, Craig Stammen, Domingo Tapia, Julio Teheran, Matt Waldron 
  • LHP (2): Daniel Camarena, Aaron Leasher
  • C (3): Juan Fernandez, Chandler Seagle, Pedro Severino
  • INF (6): Tim Lopes, Jackson Merrill, Rangel Ravelo, Alfonso Rivas, Max Schrock, Jantzen Witte
  • OF (5): David Dahl, Taylor Kohlwey, Luis Liberato, Tirso Ornelas, Preston Tucker

Among those 30 players are 16 minor league free agents that will be new to the organization and 19 have Major League experience. Of the invitees, nine of the 30 were originally signed or drafted by San Diego. Attached is a full roster of all 71 players who will attend 2023 Major League Spring Training with the Padres.

Red Sox add Right-handed Pitcher Jake Faria to 2023 Spring Training Roster as non-roster invitee

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BOSTON, MA—The Boston Red Sox have added right-handed pitcher Jake Faria to the team’s 2023 Spring Training roster as a non-roster invitee.

Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom made the announcement.

Jake Faria, RHP – Faria, 29, has made 72 Major League appearances (29 starts) with the Tampa Bay Rays (2017-19), Milwaukee Brewers (2019), and Arizona Diamondbacks (2021), posting a 4.70 ERA (106 ER/203.0 IP) with 185 strikeouts. The right-hander spent 2022 with the Minnesota Twins organization, recording a 7.48 ERA (36 ER/43.1 IP) over 12 appearances (nine starts) with Triple-A St. Paul. A California native, he was selected by the Rays in the 10th round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft.

BOSTON RED SOX 40-MAN ROSTER (40)

Pitchers (21): Brayan Bello, Richard Bleier, Ryan Brasier, Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck, Kenley Jansen, Zack Kelly, Corey Kluber, Chris Martin, Bryan Mata, Wyatt Mills, Chris Murphy, Kaleb Ort, James Paxton, Nick Pivetta, Joely Rodríguez, Chris Sale, John Schreiber, Brandon Walter, Garrett Whitlock, Josh Winckowski

Catchers (2): Reese McGuire, Connor Wong

Infielders (7): Triston Casas, Bobby Dalbec, Rafael Devers, David Hamilton, Adalberto Mondesi, Trevor Story, Justin Turner

Outfielders (6): Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, Adam Duvall, Rob Refsnyder, Alex Verdugo, Masataka Yoshida

Infielder/Outfielders (4): Christian Arroyo, Kiké Hernández, Ceddanne Rafaela, Enmanuel Valdez

BOSTON RED SOX NON-ROSTER INVITEES (22)

Pitchers (10): Dan Altavilla, Taylor Broadway, Matt Dermody, Jake Faria, Durbin Feltman, Norwith Gudino, Oddanier Mosqueda, Victor Santos, Ryan Sherriff, Chase Shugart

Catchers (4): Jorge Alfaro, Caleb Hamilton, Ronaldo Hernández, Stephen Scott

Infielders (2): Christian Koss, Matthew Lugo

Outfielders (3): Greg Allen, Narciso Crook, Raimel Tapia

Infielder/Outfielders (3): Ryan Fitzgerald, Niko Goodrum, Nick Sogard