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MLS Preview: FC Cincinnati (2-0-2) at Nashville SC (2-1-1)

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MLS Preview: FC Cincinnati (2-0-2) at Nashville SC (2-1-1)

Although the most recent meeting between Nashville SC and FC Cincinnati ended in a 1-1 draw in FC Cincinnati in July, Nashville SC is undefeated in their previous four encounters (W2 D2). In the two Nashville SC victories over FC Cincinnati in July and October 2021, C. J. Sapong scored four goals, and Hany Mukhtar assisted on five of the nine goals.

Nashville SC returns home after suffering its first defeat of the season, a 1-0 defeat at New England on Saturday. New England, on the other hand, defeated Nashville SC 2-0 in its first two matches. Since last season, Nashville SC has won five of its last seven home games (D1 L1), outscoring opponents 17-4.

At the Chicago Fire on Saturday, FC Cincinnati came back from a 3-1 deficit in the final ten minutes to earn a 3-3 draw. It marked the first time FC Cincinnati had earned a point in a MLS match in which it had trailed by more than one goal at any given time; the club had previously lost all 49 of these matches.

Only 15 times has Nashville SC turned the ball over within 40 meters of its own goal this season, the fewest in MLS. One of only two teams this season, along with St. Louis City SC, that has not had a shot after committing a high number of turnovers this season, had none of those 15 turnovers result in a shot.

Since the Portland Timbers’ 10-game road streak from October 2012 to June 2013, no team has gone unbeaten in nine consecutive road games since FC Cincinnati’s come-from-behind draw with the Chicago Fire on Saturday. Their road streak now extends to eight regular season games (W2 D6).

MLS Preview: Vancouver Whitecaps FC (0-2-2) at Minnesota United FC (2-0-1)

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MLS Preview: Vancouver Whitecaps FC (0-2-2) at Minnesota United FC (2-0-1)

Minnesota United FC was successful in both of its matches against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC last season. The Houston Dynamo FC were the only other team Minnesota defeated twice last season; In contrast, Vancouver did not lose to any other team twice in MLS play last season.

With both of this season’s victories coming on the road, the Loons have seven points through their first three games, their second-best start to a season after earning all nine possible points in 2020. Along with St. Louis City SC, Minnesota is one of two teams with two road victories thus far.

The Vancouver Whitecaps FC have only won two of its first four games (D2 L2), with both of its last two games ending in draws. nonetheless, the Whitecaps have scored in each game this season, with the 2016 season being the last time the Whitecaps scored in every one of their initial four association rounds of a season (W2 L2).

On Saturday, Miguel Tapia scored the game-winning goal against the Colorado Rapids in the 82nd minute, earning Franco Fragapane his first assist of the season. Fragapane played provider for Robin Lod’s opening goal in September 2021 against Houston, a 2-0 victory. This was the last time he assisted on a game-winning goal.

Julian Gressel has recorded the essential help on 12 put forth piece objectives starting from the beginning of the 2021 MLS season, including Vancouver’s solitary objective against the Los Angeles Universe on Saturday. Gressel is ahead of Carles Gil and Hany Mukhtar, who each have nine of these assists, with three more than any other player in that span.

MLS Preview: Seattle Sounders FC (2-1-1) at Sporting Kansas City (0-2-2)

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MLS Preview: Seattle Sounders FC (2-1-1) at Sporting Kansas City (0-2-2)

Since the start of the 2019 season, Sporting Kansas City has won five of its seven matches against the Seattle Sounders FC (L2). Only the Portland Timbers have more regular season victories over the Sounders than Sporting Kansas City (W9 D3 L4 in 16 meetings) since 2015.

Sporting Kansas City is off to the second-worst start in the club’s history, trailing only by zero points through four games in 1999. Sporting Kansas City has only conceded one goal in its last five games played at Children’s Mercy Park, and the team is unbeaten in its last seven matches played at home (W1 D1).

The Seattle Sounders FC have lost nine of their last ten road games (D1 L9), including five consecutive defeats. The team has gone 10 consecutive away games without winning, which is the longest such streak in MLS history. Seattle has only lost seven consecutive away games on the road, and that was in June-August 2015.

Sporting Kansas City’s first goal of the season came on a shot from outside the box that was deflected by Daniel Salloi against FC Dallas on Saturday. One of only two teams (Minnesota United FC) that attempts more than half of its shots from outside the box, Sporting Kansas City has attempted 36 of its 69 shots from outside the box (52.2 percent).

Ten Seattle Sounder FC players have started all four of their MLS matches this season. So far in 2023, only 13 starters have been used. Seattle had 19 starters after four games last season, but only four players started all four. This week, Nouhou and Alex Roldan, two of the 10, are on national team duty.

NHL Preview: New Jersey Devils (45-18-8) at Buffalo Sabres (33-31-6)

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NHL Preview: New Jersey Devils (45-18-8) at Buffalo Sabres (33-31-6)

NEW JERSEY DEVILS NOTES:

Last Game:
Minnesota Wild 2 (OT) New Jersey Devils 1
(41-22-8 – 90 PTS) (45-18-8 – 98 PTS)
SCORE 1ST 2ND 3RD OT SO FINAL
Minnesota 0 0 1 1 – 2
DEVILS 0 0 1 – – 1
Three Stars: 1. M. Boldy 2. T. Meier 3. V. Vanecek
Goals:
MIN: M. Shaw, M. Boldy (OTG)
NJD: T. Meier

INJURIES/ILLNESS
PLAYER INJURY OUT SINCE GAMES MISSED
Jonathan Bernier – LTIR Lower-body, hip 2021-22 71
Mackenzie Blackwood I.R. Lower-body 2/21/23 15
Nate Bastian Upper-body 3/13/23 5
Curtis Lazar Undisclosed 3/19/23 2
2022-23 Total Man-Games Lost to Injury/illness: 197

TRANSACTIONS
DATE PLAYER ACTION
3/17/23 Nolan Foote Recalled from Utica

WHAT TO KNOW
The Devils enter Friday night’s contest two points shy for 100 in the standings. The Devils finished a regular season with 100, or more, points 13 times in franchise history. The last time that the Devils finished a regular season with 100, or more, points was 2011-12, when New Jersey also advanced to the Stanley Cup final. The most points that Jersey’s team earned in a single season was 111, which was earned in 2000-01. The Devils enter Friday’s contest with a 1-2-2 record in their last five games dating to Mar. 14, vs Tampa. The Devils enter Friday’s contest six wins shy of tying the franchise record (51) for the most wins in a single season, which was earned in 2008-09. The last time that the Devils earned more than 45 wins in a season was in 2011-12 (48-28-6). The team earned more than 45 wins in a season 11 times for franchise history. The Devils open their 11th back-to-back set for 2022-23. Jersey’s team is 5-4-1 in first half games played for back-to-back sets this
season, and 8-2-0 in second half games played.

RUNNING WITH THE DEVILS (ON THE ROAD)
New Jersey enters Saturday’s contest tied with Boston for the most road wins in the NHL this season with 26. New Jersey is 26-5-4 away from the Rock this season, while the team’s points% (.800) on the road ranks first in the NHL – Boston is second at .750. New Jersey logged 28 road wins (28-10-3) in 1998-99, which marked the most road victories in franchise history. The Devils are scheduled for five more road games, after Friday night’s contest.

MARCH MADNESS
The Devils’ schedule for March entails 16 games, which marks the most contests that the team plays in a single month this season. The second most games played in a single month this season was 14 in November, after the team posted a 13-1-0 record. New Jersey’s schedule entails six more games vs Divisional opponents, while the next MET contest is on Mon. Mar. 27, at NYI.

VS CONFERENCE/DIVISION
The Devils are 21-4-5 vs the Western Conference this season. The franchise record for most wins vs the Western Conference was 18, which was logged in 2000-01.. The Devils enter Sunday’s contest with a 24-14-3 record vs the Eastern Conference and 10-9-1 vs the Atlantic Division.

BACK-TO-BACK GAMES
Overall: 13-6-1
First game: 5-4-1 | home: 0-1-0 | road: 5-3-1
Second game: 8-2-0 | home: 3-2-0 | road: 5-0-0

BUFFALO SABRES NOTES:

LAST GAME
Tuesday, March 21
Nashville 7 at Buffalo 3
Goals: Cozens, Thompson, Skinner
Goalies: Anderson (14 saves/20 shots); Luukkonen (6 saves/6 shots); 1 ENG
PP: 1/4; PK: 3/3; Shots: Buffalo 31 – Nashville 27

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 131)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Eric Comrie (lower body, March 10) – 6 games
Mattias Samuelsson (upper body, March 13) – 5 games
Jordan Greenway (upper body, March 21) – 1 game

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST SEVEN DAYS
N/A

UPCOMING GAMES
Saturday, March 25: Buffalo at NY Islanders, 5:00 p.m.
Monday, March 27: Montreal at Buffalo, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, March 31: NY Rangers at Buffalo, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 1: Buffalo at Philadelphia, 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, April 4: Buffalo at Florida, 7:00 p.m.

TODAY’S GAME
DEVILS AT SABRES
• This is the second of three meetings between the Sabres and Devils this season.
• Last meeting: New Jersey defeated Buffalo 3-1 in Buffalo on Nov. 25, 2022.
• Next meeting: Tuesday, April 11 in New Jersey
• The Sabres are 4-4-2 in their last 10 games against the New Jersey; 4-5-1 at home.
• This is the 172nd game all-time between Buffalo and New Jersey; Buffalo has a 83-60-28 series record.
• The Sabres are 44-31-12 at home against the Devils all-time.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
• A win tonight would give Buffalo 34 wins on the season, two more than they earned in 82 games in 2021-22.
• The Sabres last earned 34 or more wins in a season in 2015-16 (35).
• Alex Tuch has recorded 10 points (6+4) in his last 10 games dating back to Feb. 15 at Anaheim.
• Tage Thompson has recorded 38 points (17+21) in his last 37 games, including 19 points (8+11) in his last 18 games.
• Thompson needs one goal in tonight’s game to become the first Sabres skater to record 44 or more goals in a season since Pat LaFontaine (53) and Alexander Mogilny (76) in 1992-93.
• Jeff Skinner has notched 18 points (10+8) in his last 18 games.
• JJ Peterka has notched four points (1+3) in his last four games.

BACK-TO-BACK
• Today’s game opens Buffalo’s 12th of 15 sets of back-to-back games this season, which concludes with a road matchup with the New York Islanders tomorrow. The Sabres are 5-5-1 in the first game of back-to-back sets and 3-7-1 in the second game so far this season. Buffalo’s point breakdown in back-to-back sets this season is: four points (3), three points (0), two points (2), one point (2) and zero points (4).

NHL Preview: New York Islanders (37-27-8) at Columbus Blue Jackets (22-41-7)

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NHL Preview: New York Islanders (37-27-8) at Columbus Blue Jackets (22-41-7)

NEW YORK ISLANDERS NOTES:

LAST GAME
DATE NYI RESULT SCORE NYI SCORERS IN GOAL
Tuesday, March 21 Win NYI 7 vs. TOR 2 Parise, Fasching,
Clutterbuck (2),
Holmstrom, Dobson, Lee
Sorokin (25/27)
Cal Clutterbuck recorded his first career three-point game, while Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Anders Lee and Noah Dobson
each recorded multi-point contests as the New York Islanders defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, 7-2, on Tuesday night at
UBS Arena. Hudson Fasching and Simon Holmstrom each scored, while Ilya Sorokin captured his third win in his last
three starts to help the Islanders improve to 7-2-1 in their last ten games.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Mar. 20 Otto Koivula has been returned on loan to Bridgeport. Samuel Bolduc has been recalled from loan.
Mar. 14 Jean-Gabriel Pageau has been activated off the team’s IR list.
Mar. 11 Cal Clutterbuck has been activated off 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, Feb. 18 – Feb. 24

13 Mathew Barzal Jan. 6, Feb. 20 –

15 Cal Clutterbuck Oct. 13, Nov. 8, Dec. 2- Dec. 6, Dec. 17 – Jan. 3, Jan. 21 – Mar. 9

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, Mar. 21 –

26 Oliver Wahlstrom Oct. 13, Dec. 29 –

36 Otto Koivula Mar. 11 – Mar. 15

40 Semyon Varlamov Dec. 19 – Jan. 1

44 Jean-Gabriel Pageau Feb. 14 – Mar. 11

Man Games Lost: 182

RECENT RESULTS
Tuesday, Mar. 21 vs. Toronto W (7-2)
Saturday, Mar. 18 at San Jose W (4-1)
Wednesday, Mar. 15 at Anaheim W (6-3)
Tuesday, Mar. 14 at Los Angeles L (5-2)
Saturday, Mar. 11 vs. Washington L (5-1)
Thursday, Mar. 9 at Pittsburgh W/OT (4-3)

VS. COLUMBUS:
Last five meetings (5-0-0)
Dec. 29, 2022 UBS Arena W (2-1)
Nov. 26, 2022 Nationwide Arena W, 3-2
Nov. 12, 2022 UBS Arena W/OT 4-3
Mar. 31, 2022 UBS Arena W, 5-2
Mar. 29, 2022 Nationwide Arena W, 4-3

Franchise History 25-16-1-7
NYI Home 16-4-0-4
NYI Away 9-12-1-3

SEASON SERIES
DATE LOCATION RESULT/TIME
Nov. 12, 2022 UBS Arena W/OT, 4-3
Nov. 25, 2022 Nationwide Arena W, 3-2
Dec. 29, 2022 UBS Arena W, 2-1
Mar. 24, 2023 Nationwide Arena 7:00pm

TEAM NOTES
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
Tonight, the New York Islanders visit the Columbus Blue Jackets in the fourth and final matchup between the two clubs this season. The last time these teams met was December 29, 2022, when Jean-Gabriel Pageau tallied a goal and an assist in the 2-1 Islander win. The Islanders enter tonight’s matchup with a six-game win streak against the Blue Jackets, and an 8-1-1 record in their last ten meetings against them. The Islanders improved to 7-2-1 in their last ten games on Tuesday night. They matched their season-high seven goals (Oct. 15 vs. Anaheim) in a 7-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Islanders have also won their last three straight games and have a 5-1-1 record in their last six road games.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS NOTES:

Mar. 24, 2023 Game No. 71 (22-41-7, 51 pts.)
vs. New York Islanders (37-27-8, 82 pts.), Nationwide Arena Home Game No. 36 (13-20-2, 28 pts.)
The Blue Jackets Press Box website, which includes game notes, stats, releases and video/audio clips as well as the 2022-23 Media Guide can be accessed at bluejackets.com/pressbox. Follow @BlueJacketsPR on Twitter for comprehensive information and updates on the team.

THE LAST GAME: MAR. 21, 2023 – CBJ 7 at WSH 6 (OT)
CBJ Goal Scorers: Robinson (9), Boqvist (4), PP – Roslovic (8), Boqvist (5), Bemstrom (6), Jenner (24), OT – Roslovic (9)
WSH Goal Scorers: Ovechkin (40), Oshie (19), Sheary (13), Milano (11), Jensen (3), Jensen (4)
Goalies: CBJ – Tarasov (31/37); 62:07); WSH – Lindgren (32/39; 62:43)
CBJ PP: 1/1; PK: 1/1 | Shots: CBJ: 39 / WSH: 37
3 Stars: 1. Roslovic, CBJ; 2. Ovechkin, WSH; 3. Jensen, WSH
Noteworthy: CBJ went 1-2-1 in their season series vs. WSH… CBJ scored a season-high 7 goals, with 12 skaters recording a point and 7 skaters registering multiple points… CBJ earned their 11th comeback victory of the season, trailing 3-1 after the 1st period and 5-3 after the 2nd period… Laine recorded his 7th multi-assist/16th multi-point effort of the campaign (0-2-2) and has now registered multiple points in 3-straight contests (1-5-6)… Gaudreau tallied 2 assists for his 13th multi-assist/17th multi-point effort of the season… Roslovic notched his 3rd multi-goal contest of the season with 2-0-2… Boqvist notched his 3rd career multi-goal game with 2 goals.

OhioHEALTH INJURY REPORT
Danforth (torn labrum); Placed on Injured Reserve (Oct. 25); 6 months (64 games)
Werenski (torn labrum); Placed on Injured Reserve (retro to Nov. 10); rest of regular season (57 games)
Bean (shoulder); Placed on IR (retro to Nov. 15); out indefinitely (55 games)
Kuraly (left oblique strain); expected 6 weeks (9 games)
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 454

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Mar. 23 Loaned Sillinger to Cleveland (AHL)
Mar. 22 Assigned Tarasov to Cleveland (AHL)
Mar. 20 Signed McKown to three-year, entry level contract beginning in the 2022-23 season
Mar. 18 Assigned Pyyhtia from TPS (Liiga) to Cleveland (AHL)
Mar. 16 Signed Butler to a three-year entry level contract beginning in the 2023-24 season
Mar. 10 Added Tarasov to the roster on emergency recall from Cleveland (AHL)

TONIGHT’S GAME BROADCAST INFO
7pm ET | Bally Sports Ohio | 97.1 The Fan

AGAINST THE ISLANDERS
2022-23 Series: 0-2-1 (0-1-0 vs. NYI)
2021-22 Series: 1-3-0 (1-1-0 vs. NYI)
All-Time Series: 23-18-1-7 (15-5-1-4 vs. NYI)
Last 10 (Overall | Home): 2-6-2 | 5-4-1
All-Time GF/GA: 141/137
All-Time SF/SA: 1,604/1,517
All-Time PP: 37-of-165
All-Time PK: 116-of-138
THE LAST GAME VS. NYI: DEC. 29, 2022 – CBJ 1 at NYI 2
CBJ Goal Scorers: Bemstrom (3)
NYI Goal Scorers: Pageau (8), PP – Barzal (8)
Goalies: CBJ – Korpisalo (34/36; 57:47); NYI – Sorokin (20/21; 60:00)
CBJ PP: 0/2; PK: 2/3 | Shots: CBJ: 21 / NYI: 36
3 Stars: 1. Pageau, NYI; 2. Sorokin, NYI; 3. Barzal, NYI
Noteworthy: CBJ lost their 7th-straight game… NYI scored 2 goals in the 2nd period while CBJ scored lone goal with 22 seconds left in the game… Bemstrom scored to give him 2-1-3 in his last 4 appearances… Bjork registered an assist for the 2nd-straight game (1-2-3)… Gaudreau tallied his team-leading 25th assist of the season.

SEASON SERIES LEFT: Series is complete.

NOTED (Team Highlights vs. NYI)
CBJ are 9-11-2 vs. NYI since the start of 2016-17 but NYI has won the last 6 outings (CBJ; 0-5-1)… The home team is 8-3-1 in the last 12 meetings of the series dating back to 3/11/19… CBJ have killed off 24-of-29 NYI power play attempts over last 14 games (82.8 pct.)… NYI have posted 7 of the 11 shutouts in the all-time series, including the most recent occurrence on 3/10/22 at NYI… NYI has recorded all 3 hat tricks in the all-time series with the most recent recorded by Anders Lee in a 6-0 Isles win at NYI last season on 3/10/22.. Most goals scored vs. NYI: 7 – 2x (MR: 2/25/17)… Most goals allowed vs. NYI: 5 (1/10/15).

NOTED (Player Highlights vs. NYI)
Bayreuther tallied his 1st career assist on 11/18/18 at NYI… Gudbranson made his NHL debut on 10/8/11 at NYI… Jenner notched his 200th career NHL point (goal) on 10/19/19 vs. NYI… Laine skated in his 400th career NHL game on 3/31/22 at NYI… Peeke skated in his 100th career NHL game on 3/29/22 vs. NYI… Robinson skated in his 200th career NHL game on 11/12/22 at NYI.

SCORING NOTABLES vs. NYI
• Bemstrom – 3-1-4 in 6 career GP, including goals in both of his games against the club this season (2-1-3)
• Gaudreau – 4-11-15 in 14 career GP, including 3 multi-point outings in the last 5 games against NYI (1-6-7), and points in 10 of the last 11 games played (3-11-14)
• Jenner – 5-7-12 in 27 career GP, including points in 3 of his last 4 home games against New York (2-1-3)
• Laine – 2-5-7 in 13 career GP, including points in his last 2 home games against the Isles (1-2-3) and 1-5-6 in 6 career home outings

PLAY OF LATE
The Blue Jackets improved to 6-7-3 in their last 16 games following a 7-6 overtime victory at Washington on Tuesday. The club has registered points in 10 of its last 18 contests (7-8-3), with wins against four of the top-14 teams in the League in points (Toronto-5th; Dallas-8th; Edmonton-10th; Winnipeg-14th). The club has collected points in 11 of its last 18 games away from Nationwide Arena dating back to January 23 (7-7-4).

2022-23 TEAM QUICK HITS
• CBJ, who picked up their 11th comeback victory of the season (5 by multiple goal deficits) with a 7-6 OTW at WSH on Tue., have come-from-behind to win in 6 of their last 9 victories
• CBJ have killed off 59-of-75 opponent power play attempts over the last 30 games since Jan. 12 (78.7 pct.)
• CBJ blueliners have collected 7-23-30 in the last 20 games and have now recorded 28-79-107 in 70 games
• CBJ finished with a season-high 12 skaters recording a point on Tuesday at WSH (also on Nov. 17 vs. MTL)
• CBJ have had 38 different players play in a game this season (34 skaters, 4 goaltenders)
• CBJ have recorded 44 multi-goal periods this season, including scoring 2 goals in the 2nd period and 3 goals in the 3rd on Tue.
• CBJ were tied for 3rd-youngest team in the NHL (ARI and NJD) to start the season at 25.9, trailing only BUF (25.0) and OTT (25.7)

NHL Morning Skate – March 24, 2023

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NHL Morning Skate – March 24, 2023

* The Hurricanes are officially headed back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs by virtue of the Panthers’ regulation loss Thursday.

* The League-leading Bruins defeated the Canadiens to reach 55 wins and 115 points with 11 games remaining this season.

* The Devils can join the Bruins and Hurricanes as the third team to clinch a berth in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs when they square off with the Sabres on Friday.

HURRICANES HEADED TO PLAYOFFS FOR FIFTH STRAIGHT SEASON
The Hurricanes are headed to the playoffs for a fifth straight season, 10th time since relocating to Carolina in 1997-98 and 18th time in franchise history. Carolina became the second team to clinch a berth in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs by virtue of the Panthers’ regulation loss Thursday.

* Click here to read more #NHLStats about the Hurricanes, whose five consecutive berths into the Stanley Cup Playoffs stand as the second-longest run in franchise history behind a seven-year stretch achieved more than 30 years ago as the Hartford Whalers.
 


BRUINS CLOSE IN ON FRANCHISE RECORDS, ATLANTIC DIVISION TITLE

David Pastrnak (1-1—2)potted his 49th goal of the season and Tyler Bertuzzi (1-1—2) tallied for the first time in a Bruins uniform as League-leading Boston (55-11-5, 115 points) inched closer to clinching a first-place finish in the Atlantic Division for the third time in the last 10 seasons (also 2019-20 & 2013-14).

* Pastrnak (49-46—95 in 71 GP) established a new career high for markers and moved within one of becoming the first 50-goal scorer in 29 years for the Bruins, who need at least eight wins and 18 points over their final 11 games to establish new single-season NHL records.
 


MAPLE LEAFS, RANGERS INCH CLOSER TO PLAYOFF BERTH WITH VICTORIES
The Maple Leafs (43-19-9, 95 points) and Rangers (42-20-10, 94 points) increased their chances of joining the Bruins and Hurricanes in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs with victories Thursday. Toronto opened up a five-point cushion on Tampa Bay (42-25-6, 90 points) for second place in the Atlantic Division and New York moved within four points of second-seeded New Jersey (45-18-8, 98 points) in the Metropolitan Division.

* Auston Matthews (293-237—530 in 471 GP) scored twice to move within six of his fourth consecutive 40-goal campaign and within seven of 300 in his NHL career. Thursday marked Matthews’ 58th career multi-goal game – three shy of tying Mats Sundin (61 GP) for the third most in Maple Leafs history and two shy of equaling Pat LaFontaine (60 GP) for the most in NHL history by a U.S.-born player age 25 or younger.


* After Artemi Panarin (1-1—2) scored the tying goal, Adam Fox found the back of the net with the winner to help the Rangers defeat the Metropolitan Division-leading Hurricanes at PNC Arena. Fox’s goal marked his 12th career game winner, tied with Ott Heller, Dan Girardi and Harry Howell for fifth place on the franchise’s all-time list among defensemen.

23-YEAR-OLDS HELP DALLAS MAINTAIN DIVISION LEAD

Twenty-three-year-olds Jason Robertson (0-2—2) and Miro Heiskanen (0-1—1) helped the Stars (39-19-14, 92 points) fend off the Penguins and retake top spot in the Central Division from the Wild (41-22-9, 91 points), who briefly moved into first place after collecting a point against the Flyers on Thursday.

* Heiskanen (4-16—20 in 12 GP) extended his career-high point streak to 12 games and established a new franchise record for longest by Stars/North Stars blueliner, besting Craig Hartsburg (11 GP in 1986-87). Only two other defensemen have registered a point streak of at least a dozen contests this season: Erik Karlsson (14 GP) and Vince Dunn (12 GP). 

* Robertson(41-50—91 in 72 GP), skating in his 200th career NHL game, reached the 50-assist mark for the first time and became the fourth different player in franchise history with 40 goals and 50 helpers in a single season. The feat was last achieved by Dino Ciccarelli in 1986-87 (52-51—103 in 80 GP).
 


CAPITALS, SENATORS COMBINE FOR 13 GOALS IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
Thursday’s edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates featured more notes from the 12-game slate, including the Capitals (34-31-8, 76 points) and Senators (35-32-5, 75 points) securing high-scoring wins to gain ground on the Penguins (35-27-10, 80 points) for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.

* Washington defenseman John Carlson collected 1-1—2 in his return to the lineup after recovering from an injury which occurred on Dec. 23, 2022. The Capitals clash with the Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday, March 25 (8 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN+).
 

QUICK CLICKS

* Connor McDavid gets to 60 goals for Oilers with words, passes from Leon Draisaitl

* Connor McDavid‘s 60th goal felt like a video game sequence (and kind of looked like one too)
* 60-goal scorers in NHL history

* NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman talks technology, sports betting in sit-down with Bloomberg TV

*Eli Manning spotted in background of Wild celebration photo

CLINCH IN THE CARDS FOR DEVILS DURING THREE-GAME FRIDAY
The Devils (45-18-8, 98 points) travel to Buffalo on Friday in search of their 100th point of the campaign as well as an opportunity to clinch a berth into 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. New Jersey, which can hit a triple-digit point total for the first time since 2011-12 (48-28-6, 102 points), will qualify for the postseason with a win against Buffalo in any fashion.
 

NBA Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder (36-37) at Los Angeles Lakers (36-37)

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NBA Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder (36-37) at Los Angeles Lakers (36-37)

The Los Angeles Lakers will go into their home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday with a lot of optimism because they won two crucial games and received some encouraging injury news.

On Wednesday, the Lakers (36-37) defeated the Phoenix Suns 122-111 in a close contest at home. Then, on Thursday, reports in the media suggested that LeBron James would return to the team before the regular season ended.

“They’re intense and they’re going well,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said of James’ workouts as the superstar tries to recover from a tendon injury in his right foot.

On Thursday, James tweeted: “In response to the reports about his status.” My return date has not been specified, and there was no evaluation today. To give myself the best possible chance of recovering fully, whenever that may be, I’m just working continuously, three times per day. Sources, God bless you all. “I am my own advocate!”

Without their star player, the Lakers, who are vying for a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament, have been trying to succeed. Since James was injured in a win against the Dallas Mavericks on February 26, they are 7-5.

After James went down, Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell led the first charge, but a new go-to player has emerged. As a result of his career-high 35 points in Sunday’s win over the Orlando Magic, Austin Reaves got the start on Wednesday. He transformed that open door into a 25-point, 11-help execution against the Suns.

After scoring 10.8 points per game in 46 games to begin the season, Reaves has been averaging 19.8 points per game over the past nine games.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of The Thunder is also on a tear, but given that he has become a genuine star, his output was to be expected.

On Thursday, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting, but the Thunder (36-37) lost to the Los Angeles Clippers 127-105 on the road. The Clippers shot 56% from the field and 48.6% (18 of 37) from three-point range against the Thunder.

Oklahoma City has won eight of its last 11 games despite the loss, which came two days after the team defeated the Clippers on the road by a score of 101-100. In any case, the most recent misfortune tossed the Roar out of a play-in competition spot in the West, in spite of the fact that they are attached with three groups that are qualified, one of which is the Lakers.

NBA Preview: Charlotte Hornets (23-51) at Dallas Mavericks (36-37)

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NBA Preview: Charlotte Hornets (23-51) at Dallas Mavericks (36-37)

When it comes to trying to make the playoffs, the Dallas Mavericks are in a tough spot.

However, they are in for a pleasant circumstance in the coming days: a pair of games against the Charlotte Hornets, who are struggling and have no players. The two teams meet again on Sunday in Charlotte after their Friday night matchup in Dallas.

The Mavericks, who have been close to the playoffs in the Western Conference, need to win these crucial games.

Dallas (36-37) has lost five of its last seven games and two in a row. On Wednesday, the Mavericks suffered a contentious 127-125 home defeat to the Golden State Warriors.

Due to an incident in the third quarter, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban stated his intention to file a protest over the outcome. When the Mavericks thought they should have the ball, the Warriors got an uncontested dunk off of an inbounds pass after a timeout.

The Mavericks were happy to see Luka Doncic shine in his return from a five-game absence due to a left thigh strain, despite their ire at the referees. The star guard scored 30 points while dishing out 17 assists.

The Hornets (23-51) have lost five of their last six games, the most recent of which was a 115-96 road defeat on Thursday against the New Orleans Pelicans.

By halftime, the Hornets were without guards Kelly Oubre Jr. (shoulder) and Terry Rozier (foot).

Due to guard Dennis Smith Jr.’s illness during the third quarter, the Hornets finished the game on Thursday night with a smaller bench. Seven players were still available to Charlotte as a result.

The Hornets did not have a player score 20 points for the second time in their last three games.

Since the beginning of February, guard Kyrie Irving has led the Mavericks in scoring eight times. However, Irving is questionable for Friday’s game after suffering a foot injury earlier in the week and missing Wednesday’s game. Since he was acquired by Dallas in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets, he has scored 20 or more points in 12 of his 13 games.

Irving played for the Nets on New Year’s Eve and scored 28 points against the Hornets. He scored 33 points in a game on December 7 against Charlotte.

Due to illness, Tim Hardaway Jr. also missed Wednesday’s game, leaving the Dallas rotation shorthanded. He was listed as questionable to play Friday, like Irving.

Meanwhile, rookie guard Jaden Hardy, who came off the bench to score 27 points against Golden State, has provided the Mavericks with a welcome boost.

Hardy, according to Kidd, is learning when to drive and when to slow down and jump.

The Mavericks will play their final home game on Friday before playing three games from April 5-9 to end the regular season.

The Hornets’ rebounding has suffered greatly since rookie center Mark Williams’ thumb injury. By a score of 52-38, the Pelicans dominated Charlotte on the boards.

Dallas also has problems with rebounding. In their last three games, the Mavericks have been out-rebounded, including by 13 boards against the Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies.

NBA Preview: Phoenix Suns (38-34) at Sacramento Kings (43-29)

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NBA Preview: Phoenix Suns (38-34) at Sacramento Kings (43-29)

Western Conference partners moving for season finisher situating meet Friday in Sacramento when the host Kings hope to haul out of a horrible pallet against a physical issue tormented Phoenix Suns team.

After losing to the Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics in consecutive games, Sacramento (43-29) is two games behind Memphis for second place in the West. Monday’s 128-120 Utah defeat ended the Kings’ perfect 4-0 road trip, which included victories over Chicago, Brooklyn, and Washington.

Prior to its current slump, which extended to two games upon the Kings’ return home on Tuesday, Sacramento had won six of seven games.

In the 132-109 defeat, Sacramento gave up 36, 27 and 20 points to the Boston trio of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White, and no King scored more than 18 points.

With Phoenix (38-34) coming to Sacramento, Sacramento faces teams that have reached the last two NBA Finals consecutively. To compete for a second Western Conference championship, the Suns acquired Kevin Durant from Brooklyn before the trade deadline.

Durant made his Suns debut on March 1 and scored 37 points in a win over Dallas in his third game. However, Durant has missed the past seven games due to an ankle injury he suffered during pregame warmups on March 8, including Wednesday’s 122-111 loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles.

Phoenix tumbled to 2-5 since Durant’s physical issue with the loss. Through Wednesday’s games, the Suns trail Sacramento by five games for third place in the West and hold a tenuous half-game advantage over the Los Angeles Clippers for fourth place.

Phoenix and Minnesota are separated by only two games. The Timberwolves are the conference’s seventh seed, which puts them last out of a guaranteed playoff spot without having to go through the play-in round.

The Suns’ current run of five defeats in six games began on March 11 when they played Sacramento. Seven Kings players scored at least 12 points and the bench combined for 65 points in the Kings’ 128-119 victory in Phoenix.

In the mean time, Deandre Ayton – – who got done with 22 focuses and 12 bounce back in the misfortune – – has missed Phoenix’s last two games with a hip physical issue.

The Suns head to Sacramento hoping to avoid a further slide and increase their frequency at the free throw line with the absence of two key players. The difference in foul shots against the Lakers was 46-20 on Wednesday.

Since March 3, Phoenix has attempted fewer free throws in each game. On Feb. 26, the Suns shot more from the charity stripe than their rivals.

NBA Preview: Houston Rockets (18-55) at Memphis Grizzlies (45-27)

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NBA Preview: Houston Rockets (18-55) at Memphis Grizzlies (45-27)

On Wednesday, the Memphis Grizzlies’ rotation received a much-needed boost despite the fact that Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke remain out for the remainder of the season.

In the Grizzlies’ 130-125 victory over the Houston Rockets, All-Star guard Ja Morant came back from a nine-game absence and eight-game suspension to score 17 points, provide five assists, and steal two rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench.

Memphis (45-27), which extended its winning streak to four games with the victory, won the Southwest Division title and will play the Rockets again on Friday in the series finale. Houston is a 3-0 matchup for the Grizzlies.

The dynamism that has become a hallmark of his game was provided by Morant. His first two baskets were part of three-point plays and were scored with fouls.

Morant assisted on two baskets by Jaren Jackson Jr., who scored 37 points, after entering the game late in the first quarter. Morant also had a block, four rebounds, and the usual thrills.

Morant’s acceptance of a bench position demonstrated his readiness to rejoin a winning combination. With Morant out, Memphis won six of its final seven games.

The Rockets (18-55) were able to keep Memphis at bay thanks to their effective offensive play. Houston scored 20 fast-break points, grabbed 20 offensive rebounds, and shot 51.6% from the floor.

Despite their skill on the offensive glass, the Rockets’ 16 turnovers negated their plus-6 advantage in field goal attempts, and they only scored 12 second-chance points. Still, the Rockets made Memphis sweat out the victory with 88 points scored by Jalen Green, Kenyon Martin Jr., and Alperen Sengun on 64.7 percent shooting.

Green had his 13th 30-point game and scored a team-high 32 points. In his last four games, he has scored an average of 29.3 points.

On 12-of-18 shooting, Martin scored a career-high 31 points, marking the 34th time this season that he has shot at least 60 percent. In 28 of those games, he has scored at least two goals.

Stephen Silas, the coach of the Rockets, described Martin as “doing what he does.” He rolls and screens; He knows how to do it well. He was only assertive and hostile. At times, I thought he was even hit at the rim, but he kept going and finished or got to the free-throw line.

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