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NHL Preview: San Jose Sharks (15-25-11) at Tampa Bay Lightning (32-16-1)

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NHL Preview: San Jose Sharks (15-25-11) at Tampa Bay Lightning (32-16-1)

SAN JOSE SHARKS NOTES:

LAST GAME
Game 51 – 1/28 – SJS 6 at PIT 4…San Jose ended their four-game winless skid with a six-goal effort, which matches the most goals the team has scored in a game this season. Logan Couture (2g, 3a) led the way with a career-best five points, with Alexander Barabanov (1g, 2a), Marc-Edouard Vlasic (0g, 2a) and Erik Karlsson (1g, 1a) also recording multi-point efforts. Mikey Eyssimont (1g) opened the scoring 1:25 into the game to mark his first NHL career goal-scoring streak. Kaapo Kahkonen stopped 34 of 35 shots at even strength and 37 of 41 shots to earn the win.
SJ Goals: Eyssimont (3), Karlsson (16), Gregor (3), Couture (18), Couture (19 en)
SF: 32
SA: 41
SJ PP: 0/2
SJ PK: 2/4
W: Kahkonen
L: DeSmith

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
2/5 Acquired a conditional 2023 fourth-round selection (Seattle’s choice) from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for D Jaycob Megna
2/5 D Nikolai Knyzhov returned from his long-term injury conditioning loan with the San Jose Barracuda; assigned Knyzhov to the Barracuda
1/25 Assigned D Nick Cicek to the San Jose Barracuda
1/25 Acquired D Jacob MacDonald and F Martin Kaut from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for F Matt Nieto and D Ryan Merkley; assigned Kaut to the San Jose Barracuda
1/23 Activated D Nikolai Knyzhov from IR; loaned Knyzhov to the San Jose Barracuda on a long-term injury conditioning assignment
1/18 Acquired F Kyle Criscuolo from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for F Jasper Weatherby; assigned Criscuolo to the San Jose Barracuda

TONIGHT’S OPPONENT – TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
San Jose looks to begin post All-Star break play with a win when they face Tampa Bay on Feb. 7 at Amalie Arena. The Sharks fell in game one of the season series, 3-4, on Oct. 29 at SAP Center at San Jose. Tomas Hertl (0g, 2a) and Erik Karlsson (2g, 0a) led San Jose in scoring as the Sharks outshot the Lightning, 27-26. Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov has been red-hot this season, with an NHL-best 53 assists this campaign and an active seven-game point streak. The Lightning are on the second leg of a back-to-back, with the team falling to their intrastate rivals, the Florida Panthers, by a 1-7 final score at FLA Live Arena on Feb. 6.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING NOTES:

LAST GAME
Lightning 1 at Florida 7
The Tampa Bay Lightning saw its three-game winning streak come to an end with a 7-1 loss to the Florida Panthers Monday night at FLA Live Arena…The Bolts fell to 32-16-1 this season with a road record of 12-12-0…Carter Verhaeghe opened the scoring for FLA at the 8:04 mark of the first period before Sam Bennett made it 2-0 1:42 into the middle frame…Nikita Kucherov fired home his 20th goal of the season off assists from Mikhail Sergachev and Brayden Point to make it a 2-1 game just 1:20 after Bennett gave FLA a two-goal lead…Following the Kucherov goal, FLA rattled off five consecutive goals to close out the contest…Andrei Vasilevskiy got the start in goal and made 42 saves…Tampa Bay fell to 2-1-0 against FLA with one meeting remaining this season…Vladislav Namestnikov skated in his 600th career game.
PP: TBL – 0-2 FLA – 1-2
SOG: TBL – 33 FLA – 49
Attendance: 15,882

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
The Lightning and the Sharks are playing the second of two matchups this season and the only meeting at AMALIE Arena…The Bolts skated to a 4-3 win over SJS in the first matchup of the season Oct. 29 at SAP Center…Victor Hedman opened the scoring for Tampa Bay 32 seconds into the first period when he took a pass from Brayden Point and fired a quick one-timer past James Reimer for his first goal of the season…Erik Karlsson answered quickly for SJS and tied the game at one just 50 seconds after Hedman’s game-opening goal…Ross Colton gave the Lightning a 2-1 lead at the 13:44 mark of the first period when he fired home a rebound after Alex Killorn rang a shot off the post…Nico Sturm got the game tied at two with a goal for SJS at the 5:36 mark of the second period…Killorn got a goal of his own with 1:19 left in the middle frame when he took a bank pass from Nick Paul and fired a quick wrister past Reimer to put the Bolts up 3-2…SJS earned a power play early in the third period before Karlsson buried his second goal of the contest to tie the game at three with 15:26 remaining in regulation…With less than a minute to play in the third period, Point used his speed to gain entry into the SJS zone and fed a pass to Brandon Hagel, who quickly found Nikita Kucherov alone on the back door before Kucherov beat Reimer with 56.2 seconds remaining to secure the 4-3 win for Tampa Bay…Andrei Vasilevskiy got the start in goal for the Bolts and made 24 saves on 27 shots against…The Lightning have won six consecutive games vs. SJS and four straight at AMALIE Arena…During the four-game home winning streak vs. SJS, the Bolts have outscored the Sharks by a combined total of 21-8…Tampa Bay has scored three or more goals in six consecutive games vs. SJS and seven of the last nine meetings…The Lightning are 6-4-0 in the last 10 home games vs. SJS and 8-2-0 in the last 10 meetings overall…Kucherov has points in three straight games vs. SJS (2-2—4) and seven of the last nine meetings (5-7—12)…Point has recorded points in four consecutive games vs. SJS (1-4—5)…Steven Stamkos has picked up points in seven of his last nine games vs. SJS (6-9—15)…Stamkos has recorded seven points over his last three contests vs. SJS (4-3—7)…Hedman has points in three consecutive games vs. SJS (2-2—4) and six of the last seven meetings (5-5—10)…Hedman has recorded a multi-point game in three straight home contests vs. SJS with a goal in all three games (3-4—7)…Killorn has scored a goal and picked up points in three consecutive contests vs. SJS (3-2—5) and has points in five of the last six meetings (5-5—10)…Colton has scored three goals in three career games vs. SJS (3-0— 3)…Brian Elliott has faced SJS one time since signing with the Bolts and made 27 saves on 28 shots against in a 7-1 win Jan. 22, 2022 at SAP Center…Stamkos (14-14—28) holds the Tampa Bay franchise records for career goals, assists and points vs. SJS.
TBL ALL-TIME POINT LEADERS VS. SJS

  1. Steven Stamkos – 28 pts. (14-14—28, 20 GP)
    T2. Martin St. Louis – 14 pts. (11-3—14, 15 GP)
    T2. Nikita Kucherov – 14 pts. (7-7—14, 15 GP)
    T2. Victor Hedman – 14 pts. (5-9—14, 19 GP)
  2. Alex Killorn – 13 pts. (6-7—13, 17 GP)

TONIGHT’S STORYLINES
Tampa Bay is playing the first 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 8-4-0 against Pacific Division opponents and 16-6-0 against the Western Conference this season…Tampa Bay is 3-5-0 in the second half of back-to-back games this season…The Bolts have won a franchise record 12 consecutive games at AMALIE Arena…The Lightning are 20-4-1 on home ice this season.

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

HOME COOKING The Bolts collected a franchise record 12th-straight win at AMALIE Arena with a 5-2 victory Jan. 28 vs. LAK…The Lightning are 20-4-1 at home this season with an .820 points percentage, trailing only Boston (.904) for the NHL lead…Tampa Bay has scored three or more goals in six straight games at AMALIE Arena and 21 of 25 home games overall…The Lightning have surrendered two or less goals in nine of their last 12 home contests…The Bolts are averaging over four goals per game on home ice for the second time in franchise history at 4.08 GF/GP (also: 4.02 GF/GP, 2018-19) and are the only team in the NHL averaging more than four goals per game at home…No NHL team has scored more goals on home ice than the Lightning’s 102…Tampa Bay’s power play is clicking at a 31% conversion rate on home ice, the second-best among all NHL teams, trailing only Edmonton (32.3%)…Since Dec. 1, the Lightning have given up just three power-play goals on 37 attempts, good for a 91.9 PK%, the best home penalty kill percentage in the NHL during that span.

NHL Preview: Colorado Avalanche (27-18-3) at Pittsburgh Penguins (24-16-9)

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NHL Preview: Colorado Avalanche (27-18-3) at Pittsburgh Penguins (24-16-9)

COLORADO AVALANCHE NOTES:

UPCOMING GAMES
Date Opponent Time (MT) TV Radio
Tue, Feb. 7 at Pittsburgh 5 p.m. Altitude 92.5 FM
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

TONIGHT’S GAME
COLORADO @ PITTSBURGH
5:08 p.m. MT / 7:08 p.m. ET
Altitude / 92.5 FM
The Colorado Avalanche returns from their All-Star Break/Bye Week as they open a three-game road trip tonight in Pittsburgh against the Penguins … This evening’s matchup is Colorado’s first game since Jan. 28, some nine days ago … The Avs were off seven full days before resuming practice this past Sunday … The club’s next home date will be on Valentine’s Day, a span of 17 days without a home game … The Avalanche entered the break going 7-1-0 in their last eight contests… The Avs have won three straight on the road … The club will head south next to play Tampa Bay on Thursday and the Panthers in Sunrise on Saturday to wrap up the road swing.

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

LAST GAME
Jan. 28 – Colorado 4, St. Louis 2 at Ball Arena
The Colorado Avalanche defeated the St. Louis Blues, 4-2, in the final game before the All-Star Break/Bye Week at Ball Arena… Alex Newhook, J.T. Compher, Evan Rodrigues and Matt Nieto scored for the Avs, while Logan O’Connor had two assists … Alexandar Georgiev made 26 saves for his 20th win of the season.
SF: 31 SA: 28 PP: 0-2 PK: 1-2
The Avs entered the break going 7-1-0 in their last eight games Colorado improved to 3-0-0 in day games this season, 2-0-0 at home … The Avs are 16-3-1 (.825) in afternoon contests since 2019-20, the second highest points percentage in day games during that span behind Carolina (20-3-3, .827) The Avs are 10-3-0 on Saturdays, tied with Tampa Bay (10-2-0) for the most wins on Saturdays this year Georgiev won his fourth straight start – tying a season high – and reached the 20-win mark for the first time in his NHL career Newhook scored on his 22nd birthday, the second straight year that he’s lit the lamp on his birthday … He’s the first player in Avalanche/Nordiques history to score on his birthday in consecutive years Newhook has five goals in his last eight games, with those five goals setting a career high a single month … He ranks fifth on the club with 12 goals, one shy of his rookie season total from a year ago MacKinnon finished with 20 points (5g/15a) in January, tied for fourth in the NHL …. His 15 assists during the month tied for the league lead … January marked his seventh career 20-point month O’Connor notched his third career multi-assist game, all of which have taken place in the last 14 days … He set a career high for a single month with six points (0g/6a)

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: 280 (3rd in NHL)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Jan. 28 – Ben Meyers reassigned to the Colorado Eagles (AHL)

TONIGHT’S OPPONENT – PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
Tonight is the first of two meetings between the Avalanche and Penguins, as Pittsburgh is one of three teams who has yet to face Colorado in 2022-23 (San Jose and Tampa Bay are the others, and the Avs will face Tampa in their next game on Thursday) …. Colorado swept the season series a year ago.

SCHEDULE vs. PENGUINS
Feb. 7 @ Pittsburgh
Mar. 22 vs. PITTSBURGH

RECORD vs. PENGUINS
THIS SEASON 2021-22 ALL-TIME SINCE 1995-96 PLAYOFFS
Overall: — Overall: 2-0-0 Overall: 44-36-12 Overall: 22-9-8 Series: None
Home: — Home: 1-0-0 Home: 23-16-5 Home: 10-4-5
Road: — Road: 1-0-0 Road: 21-20-7 Road: 12-5-3

2022-23 SEASON NOTES
ONE MONTH AT A TIME
The Avalanche finished 8-5-0 in January, the 25th consecutive month that Colorado has posted a .500 or better record dating back to February 2019 … And 23 of those 25 months featured a winning record, as only October 2021 (4-4-0) and October 2022 (4-4-1) did not … The 25 straight months with a .500 record or better is one shy of the franchise mark set by Quebec/Colorado (26) from March 1994 to February 1998 … This is the third-longest active streak in the league, as the Bruins have a current run of 29 straight months with a .500 or better record and the Carolina Hurricanes have an active streak of 26 months.

ROAD WARRIORS
Colorado’s next road win will mark its 700th regular season away victory in franchise history (699-778-123-83) … The Avalanche’s 4-1 victory in Calgary on Jan. 18 was their 500th regular-season road win since moving to Denver … Colorado is 502-424-46-83 in 1,055 away contests since relocating from Quebec … Only Boston (now 513) has more away wins during that time span.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS NOTES:

LAST 2 GAMES
Jan. 28: San Jose 6, Pittsburgh 4 – PPG Paints Arena
PIT Goals: Malkin (2), Crosby, Poehling
Multiple Points: Malkin (2G-1A), Crosby (1G-1A)
Goalie: DeSmith (26 saves, 31 shots)
Key Stats: Evgeni Malkin recorded his fifth three-point game (2G-1A) as Pittsburgh fell in the final game before the bye week.
PP: 2-4
PK: 2-2

Jan. 26: Washington 3, Pittsburgh 2 (OT) – Capital One
Arena
PIT Goals: Heinen, Rust
Multiple Points: None
Goalie: DeSmith (43 saves, 45 shots)
Key Stats: Bryan Rust’s game-tying goal to force overtime made him the 20th member of his draft class to 300 points.
PP: 0-1
PK: 2-3

INJURIES
Position Player Status Consecutive Games Missed Total Games Missed
F Josh Archibald Lower-Body 18 19
D Jan Rutta Upper-Body 7 7
F Kasperi Kapanen Lower-Body 5 5
G Tristan Jarry Upper-Body 3 10
2022-23 Total Regular-Season Man-Games Lost: 123

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Date Transaction
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).
Jan. 25 G Dustin Tokarski recalled from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL).
Jan. 25 D Ty Smith re-assigned to WBS.

Pittsburgh’s All-Time Record vs. Avalanche: 41-42-9
In Pittsburgh: 22-20-6
In Colorado: 19-22-3
OT Record vs. Avalanche: 6-4-6
Shootout Record vs. Avalanche: 1-0

2021-22 Results: Pittsburgh went 0-2-0.
Penguins All-Time Point Leaders vs. AVALANCHE:
Mario Lemieux – 33GP, 66 PTS (30G-36A)
Jaromir Jagr – 28GP, 36 PTS (18G-18A)
Kevin Stevens – 19GP, 31 PTS (16G-15A)

TONIGHT’S GAME

  • The Penguins return from the All-Star Break to take on the Colorado Avalanche at PPG Paints Arena (TV: AT&T SportsNet; Radio: 105.9 The X).
  • The Penguins have points in nine of their last 15 games against the Avalanche (8-6-1) dating back to Apr. 6, 2014.
  • Pittsburgh has points in five of its last seven games here at PPG Paints Arena versus Colorado (4-2-1).
  • Pittsburgh is 8-3-0 against Western Conference opponents at home this season.

QUICK HITS
1) The Penguins are currently 7-1-0 versus Central Division opponents for the 2022-23 campaign.

2) Jake Guentzel enters tonight’s game with a five-game point streak (3G-4A) versus the Avalanche dating back to November 28, 2018. Guentzel has been held off the score sheet just twice in his eight games versus Colorado.

3) Evgeni Malkin recorded his 14th career 50-point campaign. Only Alex Ovechkin (17), Sidney Crosby (16), Patrick Kane (15) and Anze Kopitar (15) have more seasons with 50-plus points among active players.

4) Goaltender Casey DeSmith is 1-0-0 in his career versus the Avalanche, making 42 saves on 45 shots in his sole matchup versus Colorado on December 4, 2018. His 42 saves are fourth highest in his career.

5) Ryan Poehling recorded his second shorthanded goal of the season on January 28th versus the Sharks, tying him with Brock McGinn for the team lead in shorthanded goals this season.

HOME COOKIN’
Pittsburgh enters tonight’s game with points in 13 of its last 16 home games (10-3-3), and 18 of 24 games at PPG Paints Arena this season (14- 6-4). The Penguins .667 points percentage at home is tied for seventh-best in the NHL, and the team ranks in the top-10 in multiple categories at home:

NHL Morning Skate – Feb. 7, 2023

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NHL Morning Skate – Feb. 7, 2023

* After being named MVP at the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Game, Matthew Tkachuk skated to a five-point performance to join Mario Lemieux on a unique list and surpass the 70-point mark on the season in the process.

* The Devils captured their eighth overtime win of 2022-23 – one shy of the most in a campaign in franchise history – with the help of Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton who assisted on the overtime tally.

* Connor McDavid, who is set to return from the All-Star break,can extend his point streak to 13 games when the Oilers visit the Red Wings in a contest carried by HULU, ESPN+ and Sportsnet.
 

TKACHUK FOLLOWS UP ALL-STAR MVP HONORS WITH FIVE-POINT PERFORMANCE
Matthew Tkachuk (2-3—5) factored on five of the Panthers’ seven goals for his third career five-point outing to help Florida (25-22-6, 56 points) move within one point of idle Pittsburgh (24-16-9, 57 points) for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. With the victory, Paul Maurice became the sixth head coach in NHL history to record 800 NHL wins.


* Tkachuk (27-44—71 in 50 GP) surpassed 70 points while skating in his 50th game and matched Jonathan Huberdeau (50 GP in 2021-22) for the fewest contests by a Panthers player to reach the mark in a campaign. Last season, it took Tkachuk 60 games to hit the mark – he went on to record a career-high 42-62—104 (82 GP).

* Tkachuk, who fell one point shy of the most by a Panthers player in a single game, surpassed Mike Hoffman (36-34—70 in 2018-19) for the second-most points by a Florida player in their first season with the club. He now trails only Sam Reinhart (33-49—82 in 2021-22).



* Brandon Montour collected an assist to extend his franchise-record point streak to 10 games (3-7—10 in 10 GP) and join Josh Morrissey (11 GP) and Erik Karlsson (14 GP) as the third defenseman this season with a double-digit run. The last campaign to feature more blueliners with a point streak of 10-plus contests was 1992-93 (7).

TRIO HELPS DEVILS DOWN CANUCKS WITH ANOTHER OT VICTORY
The trio of Jack Hughes (2-1—3), Dougie Hamilton (0-3—3) and Vitek Vanecek (26 saves) each played a pivotal part for the Devils (33-13-4, 70 points), who edged the Canucks in their 50th game of 2022-23. Eight of New Jersey’s 33 wins this season have come in overtime – one shy of the most in a single campaign in franchise history (9 in 2015-16 & 2008-09).

* Hughes (35-32—67 in 50 GP), with multiple points in five straight games, returned from the 2023 NHL All-Star Weekend and not only matched the longest stretch of multi-point contests in franchise history but moved into third place in the NHL’s Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy race behind Connor McDavid (41) and David Pastrnak (38).



* Hamilton, who factored on one of three Devils goals in a span of 50 seconds, has collected 3-8—11 through his active five-game point streak and has notched 13-36—49 (50 GP) in 2022-23. His 49 points eclipsed Scott Stevens (11-35—46 in 1993-94) for the most by a Devils/Rockies/Scouts defenseman through 50 contests in a season and his 36 assists also surpassed Stevens and Bruce Driver (6-35—41 in 1989-90) for the highest by a blueliner in that scenario.


* The Devils acquired Vanecek from the Capitals on July 8 in exchange for a second- and third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. His 10th straight victory improved his 2022-23 record to 22-5-2, besting 2020-21 (21-10-4) for his most wins in a single season.



PANARIN POSTS MULTI-POINT PERFORMANCE, JOINS RANGERS LEGENDS
Fresh off skating in 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend, Artemi Panarin (0-2—2) factored on two of his team’s five goals and Adam Fox picked up an assist as the Rangers rallied from a one-goal deficit to win in overtime at Madison Square Garden.

* Panarin boosted his career totals with New York to 83-218—301 (236 GP). He required the fewest games in franchise history to reach the 300-point mark, surpassing Mark Messier (94-206—300 in 249 GP).

* Panarin became the first player to record 40-plus assists in each of his first four seasons with the Rangers. Overall, he is the sixth player in franchise history to record four or more consecutive campaigns with 40 assists, joining Andy Bathgate (9x from 1955-56 to 1963-64), Rod Gilbert (6x from 1971-72 to 1976-77), Jean Ratelle (6x from 1967-68 to 1972-73), Brian Leetch (4x from 1988-89 to 1991-92) and Brad Park (4x from 1971-72 to 1974-75).



NHL PODCASTS WEEKLY ROUNDUP

* NHL Fantasy (Jan. 30): Fantasy waiver wire pickups – Week 17

* NHL Fantasy: All-Star Special (Feb. 2): Day 1, featuring Aleksander Barkov

* NHL @ The Rink: All-Star Special (Feb. 3): Denis Potvin, Angela James and Bernie Parent join

* NHL Fantasy (Feb. 5): All-Star wrap and Fantasy waiver wire pickups – Week 18

QUICK CLICKS
 

* #NHLStats: Live Updates – Feb. 6
* Matthew Tkachuk, Dylan Larkin, Mitchell Marner named NHL’s “Three Stars” of the week
* Stadium Series ice truck arrives ahead of Capitals-Hurricanes

* Former Kings captain Dustin Brown lift Stanley Cup on 3D billboard in Downtown LA
* Women in Hockey: Manon Rhéaume



TUESDAY HIGHLIGHTED BY McDAVID IN MOTOWN ON HULU, ESPN+ AND SPORTSNET
Tuesday’s six-game slate is highlighted by League scoring leader Connor McDavid (41-51—92 in 50 GP) looking to close in on 100 points this season and 800 in his career when the Oilers (28-18-4, 60 points) visit the Red Wings (21-19-8, 50 points) on HULU, ESPN+ and Sportsnet.

* Click here to read the newest #NHLStats Pack which details the various NHL lists that McDavid is on pace to join this season and in future campaigns, including several that feature current Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman.



MAKAR SET FOR HEAD-TO-HEAD MEETING WITH CHILDHOOD IDOL
Cale Makar (13-32—45 in 44 GP) and Sidney Crosby (24-36—60 in 49 GP) each represented their respective divisions during the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend in South Florida, but will go head-to-head Tuesday when the Avalanche (27-18-3, 57 points) travel to Pittsburgh to clash with the Penguins (24-16-9, 57 points) in a matchup of Wild Card hopefuls.

* Makar grew up idolizing the Penguins star, which included a life-size poster hanging on the wall of his family’s laundry room. “It’s what we used to measure our heights. We’d stand next to it and mark the lines on him,” the Avalanche defenseman said in an ESPN article in Dec. 2021.

NBA Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder (25-28) at Los Angeles Lakers (25-29)

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NBA Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder (25-28) at Los Angeles Lakers (25-29)

History awaits on Tuesday night as LeBron James puts the all-time NBA scoring record in his sights when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Oklahoma City Thunder.

After 20 seasons and 38,352 career points, James is just 36 points shy of breaking the career record set by former Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during his own 20-season career.

Abdul-Jabbar plans to be on hand for the moment after holding the scoring crown for nearly 39 years following his record-breaking skyhook during a game against the Utah Jazz on April 5, 1984.

With an average of 30 points per game this season, including an average of 27 over his last three games, there remains a chance that James fails to hit the target Tuesday. History of dogged determination, however, suggests the time is now.

Complicating the personal achievement is the Lakers’ bumpy ride as a team in a season in which James and fellow star Anthony Davis have missed time with injuries. Davis is back now after a foot injury, but the Lakers are just 3-3 since he returned.

The most recent defeat was Saturday’s head-scratching 131-126 road loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. James scored 27 points in the setback.

The Lakers are in 13th place in the Western Conference, although they are just 1 1/2 games out of the 10th and final playoff play-in spot. They are 3 1/2 games out of the sixth spot, which would avoid a play-in game.

The Lakers blew a 12-point lead against the Pelicans, committed costly turnovers and lacked a finishing kick. So while James’ scoring pursuit has been given the most attention, the Lakers have something more team-oriented they are trying to work on.

The Thunder enter Tuesday’s game after a 141-114 road loss to the Golden State Warriors on Monday. After scoring 42 points in just three quarters of action in a victory at Houston on Saturday, the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 against the Warriors.

After the Thunder shot 57.7 percent from the field in a win over Houston on Saturday while scoring a franchise-record 153 points, they watched the Warriors pull a carbon copy with 57.7 percent shooting.

Now comes a one-day turnaround to not only fix what went wrong on defense, but to enter the circus that will be James’ pursuit of the scoring record in a game that recently was moved to national television.

The Thunder are 3-5 since matching a season-best four-game winning streak from Jan. 12-18.

NBA Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves (29-27) at Denver Nuggets (37-17)

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NBA Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves (29-27) at Denver Nuggets (37-17)

The Denver Nuggets made a strategic decision to not only bench most of their starters but not even have them board a plane for Minnesota this weekend.

It ended as expected, with the Timberwolves rolling to a 30-point win on Sunday night.

Now it’s Minnesota’s turn to be the visitor and it’s likely Denver will have its top players in the lineup when the teams meet Tuesday night.

This will be the fourth and final meeting between the Northwest Division rivals, with the Timberwolves winning both games at home and losing on the road three weeks ago.

Minnesota didn’t have to deal with Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and two-time league MVP Nikola Jokic on Sunday, but at least three of those four will be back in action. Caldwell-Pope suffered a sprained ankle in a win over Atlanta on Saturday night and his status for Tuesday has not been updated.

The Nuggets’ decision to play short-handed Sunday night was based on caution and scheduling. The game at Minnesota tipped off just 22 hours after the start of Saturday night’s game against the Hawks, and players are dealing with bumps and bruises.

Murray (left knee management), Jokic (left hamstring tightness) and Gordon (ankle) could have played if it was a playoff game, but Denver deemed it unnecessary for an early February matchup.

One player was available and in uniform for the Nuggets but didn’t get off the bench on Sunday night. Bones Hyland, the backup point guard, played just five minutes against New Orleans on Jan. 31 and has sat each of the last three games. The NBA trade deadline is Thursday and Denver may be holding him out while working out a possible deal for the second-year player.

Minnesota has been without one of its stars, Karl-Anthony Towns, since late December due to a calf injury and he won’t play Tuesday. The Timberwolves could also be without Kyle Anderson, who has left the last two games with back spasms. Guard Austin Rivers will miss Tuesday while he serves a three-game suspension for his role in an on-court altercation with Orlando on Friday night.

Despite the injuries and absences, Minnesota is currently seventh in the crowded Western Conference and sits just two games out of the No. 3 spot. Guard D’Angelo Russell has helped keep the Timberwolves competitive but his name has been floated in trade rumors ahead of Thursday’s deadline.

Minnesota did get a boost from the return of Jordan McLaughlin, who had missed 30 games with a left calf strain before playing Sunday night. He had two points and three assists in 12 minutes, but his impact reached beyond the stat sheet.

NBA Preview: Chicago Bulls (26-27) at Memphis Grizzlies (32-21)

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NBA Preview: Chicago Bulls (26-27) at Memphis Grizzlies (32-21)

The Memphis Grizzlies will try to end a three-game losing streak on Tuesday night when they host a Chicago Bulls team riding a three-game winning streak.

The Bulls earned their latest victory in the first leg of a back-to-back on Monday, racing past the visiting San Antonio Spurs in the fourth quarter for a 128-104 rout at home.

Chicago outscored the Spurs 38-19 in the final period, opening the quarter with an 18-3 run.

Andre Drummond was instrumental in the decisive closing 12 minutes, scoring 12 of his season-high 21 points for the night on 6-of-6 shooting from the floor. He finished the game 9-of-9.

Drummond also grabbed five of his season-best 15 rebounds in the fourth quarter.

Drummond was playing sparingly before the recent three-game stretch, but after logging almost 21 minutes on Monday, he has played more than 13 minutes off the bench in each game of Chicago’s winning streak. He registered double-doubles in two of the three contests, as well, recording 15 points and 11 rebounds in a rout of the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday.

Fellow Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the Monday win for his fifth consecutive double-double and fourth with at least 22 points and 11 rebounds in that stretch.

The Bulls will come into Memphis just a game below .500 and competing for a playoff spot, as they sit ninth in the Eastern Conference. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, remain second in the Western Conference but have lost considerable ground amid a lengthy slump.

A 106-103 loss to the visiting Toronto Raptors on Sunday was Memphis’ third straight defeat and eighth loss in nine games. The Grizzlies have scored less than their average of 116.2 points per game in seven of those nine contests.

Memphis leads the NBA in offensive rebounds per game at 13.2 but ranks just 23rd with 11.1 allowed per contest. Toronto converted 11 offensive boards into 21 second-chance points on Sunday, 14 more than the Grizzlies had.

That, coupled with committing 20 turnovers that the Raptors turned into 29 points, resulted in Memphis squandering a lead it held for most of the game, an advantage that peaked at 15 points in the third quarter.

Grizzlies star Ja Morant sat out the Toronto game due to right wrist soreness but is due back on Tuesday. Veteran post player Steven Adams will miss his eighth consecutive game because of a sprained ligament in his right knee.

NBA Preview: Atlanta Hawks (27-27) at New Orleans Pelicans (28-27)

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NBA Preview: Atlanta Hawks (27-27) at New Orleans Pelicans (28-27)

The New Orleans Pelicans have rediscovered their offense.

After averaging 103.9 points during a 10-game losing streak, the Pelicans have won twice in two nights, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 131-126 on Saturday and scoring a season-high point total in a 136-104 victory against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.

New Orleans will play the third game of a four-game homestand when it meets the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.

The Pelicans routed the Kings despite the absence of three of New Orleans’ top four scorers – Zion Williamson (hamstring), Brandon Ingram (toe soreness) and Jonas Valanciunas (quad soreness). Williamson won’t play Tuesday, while Ingram and Valanciunas are day-to-day.

All 11 New Orleans players who entered the game against Sacramento scored. Trey Murphy III led the way with a season-high 30 points, making 6 of 8 shots from 3-point range.

The Hawks also are coming off back-to-back games, winning 115-108 at Utah on Friday before losing at Denver 128-108 on Saturday as leading scorer Trae Young (non-COVID illness) was sidelined.

Atlanta fell behind by 18 points at halftime against Denver before getting as close as eight in the fourth quarter.

Dejounte Murray scored 28 points and De’Andre Hunter added 20 to lead Atlanta, but overall, the offense was spotty without Young.

The Hawks made 6 of 20 3-pointers (30 percent) and the Nuggets made 15 of 38 (39.5 percent).

The Hawks, who are concluding a stretch of five road games in nine days, defeated the Pelicans 124-121 in overtime Nov. 5 at Atlanta.

NBA Preview: Phoenix Suns (29-26) at Brooklyn Nets (32-21)

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NBA Preview: Phoenix Suns (29-26) at Brooklyn Nets (32-21)

Devin Booker spent the weekend checking all of the final hurdles in his recovery from a left groin injury, playing five-on-five in practice in Boston and dunking during pregame warmups in Detroit.

By Monday afternoon, the Phoenix star had declared himself ready to go. The Suns are anticipating Booker’s first action since Christmas Day on Tuesday night when they visit a somewhat revamped version of the Brooklyn Nets.

Booker is listed as probable and is expected to be on a minutes restriction in his first game since re-injuring his left groin in a 128-125 overtime loss at Denver on Dec. 25. He had sat out Phoenix’s previous three games with the same ailment and overall has missed 26 games due to injuries this season while averaging a career-high 27.1 points.

Without Booker, the Suns went 10-11 over the past six weeks, though they have played better recently. Phoenix lost nine of its first 11 games in that stretch but is 8-2 over the past 10 games, including two wins in two games to open their current five-game road trip.

After enduring a 132-100 home loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, the Suns opened the trip with a 106-94 win at Boston on Friday, then shot a season-best 56 percent in a 116-100 win at Detroit on Saturday. Phoenix allowed 110 points or less for the eighth time in 10 games.

Deandre Ayton collected 31 points and 16 rebounds in Detroit for his fourth double-double in six games since he missed three games due to an illness.

Besides Booker’s return, the Suns reportedly were among the teams interested in Kyrie Irving before the Nets agreed to send him to the Mavericks. According to reports, the Suns offered Chris Paul, Jae Crowder and a first-round pick, but instead the Nets officially sent Irving and Markieff Morris to Dallas for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith a first-round pick and two second-rounders.

The deal was completed before the Nets dropped to 5-8 in the absence of Kevin Durant, who sprained his right knee in Miami on Jan. 8.

Durant watched from the bench on Monday as the Nets struggled down the stretch of a 124-116 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Brooklyn led by four with 3:29 left but was outscored 15-3 the rest of the way. The Nets committed seven turnovers in the fourth quarter.

Cam Thomas scored a career-high 47 after sparking the Nets’ comeback win over the Washington Wizards with a career-best 44 on Saturday. Thomas, 21, became the second-youngest player in NBA history to log consecutive 40-point games, trailing only LeBron James.

Dinwiddie and Finney-Smith are not expected to play Tuesday, but Brooklyn guard Ben Simmons could return after missing five games due to a sore left knee. The Nets also might provide an update on Durant, who hopes to return before the All-Star break and visited a doctor on Monday.

NBA Preview: New York Knicks (29-36) at Orlando Magic (22-32)

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NBA Preview: New York Knicks (29-36) at Orlando Magic (22-32)

After overcoming a 20-point deficit to win a game for the first time this season, the New York Knicks will try to carry the momentum into Tuesday’s matchup against the host Orlando Magic.

The Knicks’ roller-coaster season hit a new peak over the weekend. One night after losing 134-128 in overtime to the Los Angeles Clippers, New York rallied from a 21-point deficit to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 108-97 on Sunday.

Julius Randle had 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the victory, while Jalen Brunson added 21 points. The Knicks also received a welcome boost from reserves Evan Fournier (17 points), Miles McBride (14 points) and Isaiah Hartenstein (14 rebounds).

New York has struggled defensively since center Mitchell Robinson fractured his right thumb 10 games ago but held the Sixers to 18 points in the fourth quarter on Sunday.

Much of the blame for the Knicks’ defensive woes has been placed on fourth-year pro RJ Barrett, but coach Tom Thibodeau pushed back on that notion.

Barrett sat out Sunday against Philadelphia due to a non-COVID illness but could return to face an improving Orlando squad.

The Magic concluded a four-game road trip with a 3-1 mark after defeating the Charlotte Hornets 119-113 on Sunday. Paolo Banchero had 22 points and 10 rebounds in the victory, while Wendell Carter Jr. added 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Orlando has gone 17-12 since Dec. 7, when they were 5-20. The recent road trip included impressive wins over the Philadelphia 76ers and Minnesota Timberwolves.

After starting the season by losing 11 of its first 12 road games, the Magic have gone 8-8 away from Orlando.

The Magic are looking to avenge a 115-102 loss to the Knicks on Oct. 24. Randle scored 25 points for the Knicks in the victory.

Orlando will be without center Mo Bamba, who is serving a four-game suspension following an altercation during the game at Minnesota on Friday.

The Magic boast a promising young core led by Banchero, who is averaging a team-high 20.3 points. The 6-foot-10 forward leads all NBA rookies in scoring and minutes played.

Orlando guard Markelle Fultz has also been a consistent scoring threat, averaging 16.3 points on 61.8 percent shooting over his last three games.

Minnesota Lynx Sign Three To Training Camp Roster

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Minnesota Lynx Sign Three To Training Camp Roster

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL – The Minnesota Lynx today announced the team has signed forward Maya Dodson, in addition to guards Stephanie Watts and Kiana Williams to training camp contracts. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not released.

Dodson, a 6-3 forward, was selected 26th overall by Phoenix in the 2022 WNBA Draft and waived on May 5, 2022. At Notre Dame, Dodson averaged 12.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 2.8 blocks per game in 33 games. Her 2.8 blocks ranked eighth in the nation, led the ACC and was tied for sixth in program history. After her final season (2021-22), she was named to the Second Team All-ACC and 2022 ACC All-Defensive Team. She is currently playing overseas in Poland, averaging 14.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.

Watts, a 5-11 guard, made her WNBA debut in 2021 with the Chicago Sky. In six games with the Sky, she averaged 2.5 points and 3.7 rebounds in 14 minutes played. Watts was a 2021 first round pick (10th overall) to the Los Angeles Sparks before being traded to Chicago. The University of North Carolina product averaged 14.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. She ranks second in program history in three-pointers made (275) and owns the two highest single-game three-pointer totals in program history (10 on Nov. 22, 2016 and nine on Dec. 5, 2018). She is currently playing overseas in Spain, averaging 9.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.

Williams, a 5-8 guard, was drafted in the second round (18th overall) of the 2021 WNBA Draft to the Seattle Storm. During her sophomore campaign in 2022, Williams appeared in four games (one for the Connecticut Sun, three for Seattle) and posted averages of 1.3 points, 0.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists. At Stanford, Williams was apart of the 2021 NCAA Championship team, is a two-time Pac-12 Tournament Champion (2019, 2021) and was named the Pac-12 Most Outstanding Player in 2021. She led in the team in points (14.0), assists (3.1) made three-pointers (82) and free throw percentage (83.3%) which also ranks second in program history. Williams is currently playing overseas in Hungary, averaging 16.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.

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