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WBB – FCS: Sacramento State Hornets (9-2) at Portland State Vikings (5-5)

NCAABB Editor
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SACRAMENTO — Let the (conference) games begin! The Sacramento State women’s basketball team rides a three-game winning streak into the Rose City this weekend, taking on Portland State at 2 p.m. on New Year’s Eve to officially tip-off Big Sky Conference play.

BUT WAIT… THERE’S MORE!: The accolades continued to roll in for Natabou, who was also named the Big Sky’s Preseason Player of the Year according to ESPN.com, which made its picks for all 32 Division I conferences on Oct. 25.

DEAN DOMINATES, EARNS BIG SKY HONORS: Senior guard Kahlaijah Dean has been named the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week for the second time this season following a career game in the green and gold at Cal State Fullerton to close out non-conference play. The Bakersfield, Calif., native tallied her fourth 20-point performance of the season in the Hornets’ 67-55 victory over Cal State Fullerton, finishing with a game-high 28 points on nine baskets and a perfect 8-for-8 from the line — the latter tied for 10th on the school’s Division I single-game free throw percentage list. Read the complete release at HornetSports.com.

WHAT IS THE JOUEUR DE LA SEMAINE?: It’s the player of the week. That’s sounds good, we’ll have that. Thanks to Dean’s award, a Hornet has been named Big Sky Player of the Week four times in the last six weeks (Isnelle Natabou took home honors on Nov. 29 and Dec. 13, while Dean won her first on Nov. 22) — the most in the league this season while matching the team’s total from last year and marking the most since the 2013-14 squad had five players of the week.

ABOUT THE VIKINGS: Portland State enters the start of Big Sky play with a 5-5 overall record, matching its entire win total from all of 2021-22 (5-24 overall)… The Vikings posted an 83-45 win over NAIA member Evergreen State College on Dec. 20 in their non-conference finale to snap a three-game losing streak… Portland State also has wins over Fresno State, Utah Valley, Seattle U, and Warner Pacific… The Vikings are 4-2 at home, winning three of their last four… Sophomore guard Esmeralda Morales leads the team in scoring at 15.5 ppg, shooting .446 from the field and .468 from three-point range… Senior guard Jada Lewis is also in double figures, averaging 13.6 ppg to go with 4.4 rpg, shooting .429 from the floor and .410 from beyond the arc.

SERIES NOTES: Portland State leads the all-time series with Sacramento State by a 33-21 count; however, the Hornets swept the regular season series from the Vikings last season by the scores of 70-58 in Portland and 73-62 at home to snap a three-game series skid… Prior to those two wins, Portland State had won eight of the previous 10 meetings… The Hornets are 10-17 on the road against the Vikings, winning two of their last three trips to the Rose City… Sacramento State won five straight in the series from 2014-16, part of a larger run that saw the Hornets win 10 of 11 beginning in 2012.

3… 2… 1… HAPPY NEW YEAR!: Saturday marks the ninth time — and the first since the 2016-17 season — that the Hornets will play a game on New Year’s Eve, the last two coming against Big Sky foes Weber State (W, 78-60) in 2011 and North Dakota (L, 94-71) in 2016… Sacramento State is 2-6 in its previous eight chances, posting its only other win against New Mexico State (W, 46-39) in 2004… Saturday will be the fourth time that the Hornets will be on the road for New Year’s Eve, playing at Saint Mary’s in 2005, at Louisville in 2006, and at North Dakota in 2016… Sacramento State has played on New Year’s Day only four times: 1976 vs. San Jose State (W, 82-55), 1988 at North Dakota State (L, 89-53), 1993 vs. Idaho (L, 64-59), and 2015 at Northern Arizona (L, 64-60).

FOR OPENERS… BIG SKY STYLE: Since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996-97, the Hornets are a combined 7-19 in league openers… Saturday marks the third consecutive season that Sacramento State will begin its conferene schedule on the road, playing at Idaho (L, 97-73) and Montana (75-59) in the last two seasons… The Hornets have lost their last six conference openers, last winning at home against Portland State on Jan. 2, 2016 by a 132-91 score… The 132 points in that game were a school and Big Sky record… Sacramento State has opened conference play against Portland State six times, with the Vikings holding a 4-2 edge in those contests… The Hornets are just 3-10 when opening league play on the road, dropping their last six dating back to a 69-65 win at Montana State on Dec. 20, 2012.

NINE TIMES? NINE TIMES.: Wake up and smell the coffee, Hornet fans, it’s already a record-setting season and we’re only halfway done. Sacramento State clinched its ninth non-conference victory of the season on Dec. 21 at Cal State Fullerton, breaking a tie with the 2013-14 squad (8-2 in non-conference games) for the most in the history of the program. That kind of start bodes well for the Hornets, who won 18 games during that 2013-14 campaign — which rank tied for the third-most in a single season in school history.

START ME UP: Despite having its six-game winning streak snapped with a loss at San Diego State, the Hornets are still off to its second-best start in the program’s Division I history with nine wins in their first 11 contests, trailing only the 10-1 start — one that eventually ballooned into an 11-1 start — to open 2013-14.

MMMM… TURNOVERS: Apple? Cherry? Basketball flavored? We don’t know about that last one, but what we do know is that the Hornets did well to take care of the ball in the win at Cal State Fullerton, committing a season-low eight turnovers against the Titans. It was Sacramento State’s fewest miscues in a game since it had only seven at Weber State on Jan. 29 of last season and broke the previous season low of 13 set at Santa Clara back on Nov. 14 on the road.

MIND IF WE JOIN YOU?: Sacramento State may not only be challenging for a Big Sky title this season, but the Hornets may also be making a play for a Big West Conference crown as well if it were possible. The win at Cal State Fullerton improved Sacramento State to 6-1 against Big West schools, suffering its only loss on a buzzer beater to UC Irvine in the regular season opener. 

ONE IS THE LONLIEST NUMBER: But 60 is the winningest number for the Hornets. Thanks to its 63 points at CSUN and 67 more at Cal State Fullerton, Sacramento State improved to 9-0 when scoring 60-or-more points.

DIZZYING DEAN: After doing a little bit of everything (16 points, seven rebounds, six assists) in a win at CSUN to kick-off the team’s Southern California trip, senior Kahlaijah Dean put on her scoring shoes and lit up Titan Gym to the tune of 28 points in the Hornets’ victory over Cal State Fullerton. The 28 points were the most in Dean’s Hornet career, besting the back-to-back 27-point performances against Santa Clara and UC Santa Barbara earlier in the year, while she scored the most points by a Sacramento State player since last year’s conference MVP Lianna Tillman scored 35 at Idaho on Feb. 24 last season.

20-20-20-20 VISION: Dean’s 28 points against the Titans marked her team-best fourth 20-point performance of the season and the 15th of the collegiate career overall when you include her eleven 20-point games in her four years at Oakland University.

LINE ‘EM UP… KNOCK ‘EM DOWN: A good part of Dean’s 28-point outburst came from the line against the Titans, where she finished the day a perfect 8-for-8 from the stripe in the win. The performance is tied for the 10th best single-game showing from the line by an individual in Sacramento State’s Division I history alongside 21 other such performances. The single-game record is held by Shelby Boudreaux, who was a flawless 14-of-14 from the line against Shippensburg on Jan. 5, 1996.

HERE’S A QUARTER: Of Dean’s 28 points against the Titans, 10 (of the Hornets’ 17 total points in the period) came in the fourth quarter alone, marking the fifth time that the senior has posted double-digit points in a single quarter this season — including a 14-point third period at Santa Clara.

17 AND COUNTING: Natabou’s 15 points at Cal State Fullerton gave her double-digit points in her last 17 consecutive games dating back to last season, averaging 16.9 ppg (287 total) in that stretch while shooting .692 (119-for-172) from the field.

I DOUBLE DOUBLE-DOUBLE DARE YOU: Keep on eye on your box scores. If Isnelle Natabou has a double-double, you may be in trouble. Thanks to her 15-point, 10-rebound effort in the win over Cal State Fullerton, Natabou collected her fifth double-double in her last six games and her seventh of the season overall — ranking eighth in the NCAA in that category as of Dec. 27. In her seven double-double performances this year, the native of the Czech Republic is averaging 17.4 ppg, 13.3 rpg, and shooting 51-for-72 (.708) from the floor.

DEEP THOUGHTS: By Katie Peneueta. The Hornet sharpshooter — whose 14 makes from distance over her last three games are more than in her previous seven games combined (13) — had only three-pointers on her mind in Sacramento State’s win at CSUN on Monday, draining 6-of-11 from distance in the Hornets’ two-point win. The six makes (overall and from distance) were both season high’s, while the six three’s tied Peneueta’s career high set at Northern Arizona on Feb. 3, 2022. The six makes from distance are also tied for the third-most in a single-game by a Big Sky player this year as Peneueta is one of only six players to hit at least six in a game.

THREE IS MORE THAN TWO: Trust us… Peneueta has certainly done the math. In 32 career games with the Hornets, the Vancouver, Wash., native has made a living from long distance, sinking 87 of her 92 career field goals from behind the three-point line. At the media timeout of the second quarter on Nov. 22 against UC Davis, Peneueta’s previous 30 makes from the field had all been three-pointers until she posted up and found room inside for a lay-up at the four-minute mark of the period — her first two-point basket since scoring inside at Northern Arizona with 21 seconds left in a 76-62 victory on Feb. 3 last year. Entering this week’s game, her last 20 consecutive makes have all been from three-point range.

BOXING OUT AND CLOSING IN: Following a year in which she grabbed the fourth-most rebounds in a single Hornet season, Natabou has her sights set on both the school’s all-time and Division I top-10 lists for career rebounds during her second season in the green and gold. Entering the week with 445 boards to her name, Natabou stands 125 rebounds shy of the all-time top-10 list (Linda Simmons is 10th with 570 from 1977-81) and only 84 back of the Division I list (Emily Christensen is 10th with 529 from 2007-12).

BLOCKING IT OUT: Boasting the Big Sky Conference’s second-best scoring defense at 58.3 ppg allowed, the Hornets have also done work on the defensive glass, holding opponents to a league-best 29.7 rebounds per game. The 27 rebounds by Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 21 are the third fewest surrendered by Sacramento State this season (25 allowed to Cal Poly and Fresno State are the fewest), while the total against the Titans marked the eighth time in 11 games that the Hornets have allowed fewer than 30 rebounds in a game this season.

OFF AND RUNNING: Through 11 games, Sacramento State has put opponents in a hole quickly, shooting 50 percent (74-for-148) from the field in the first quarter and 46 percent (66-for-144) in the second en route to halftime advantages in nine of its 11 contests. The Hornets are shooting a combined .479 from the field in the first half compared to “just” .431 after the break.

“HARNESS. ENERGY. BLOCK. BAD.”: Sophomore Katie Peneueta is feeling the flow at the defensive end of the court, swatting a career high-tying three blocks in the win over Cal Poly on Nov. 25 and blocking at least one shots in all but two games this season. Her lone block at CSUN brought her season total to 16 — just five shy of her 22-game total of 21 blocks last year — while she enters the week second in the Big Sky behind teammate Isnelle Natabou in both blocks and blocks per game (1.45).

THE THEME FROM SWAT: The paint has not been a pleasant place to be for opposing shooters as of late as the Hornets have collected 37 of their 50 total blocks on the year in their last seven contests, averaging 5.29 blocks per game as a team in that stretch. Sacramento State leads the Big Sky in both blocks and blocks per game and ranks No. 43 in the nation in the latter.

THE DEAN OF SCORING: Dean brings with her a pedigree of knowing where the basket is, reaching the 1,000 career point milestone as only a junior at Oakland University and finishing her four years with the Golden Grizzlies with 1,425 points. Following her first nine performances in the green and gold, the Bakersfield, Calif., native has brought her total up to 1,631 career points, ranking No. 29 among active scorers across the country as of Dec. 27 and posting a total that would rank third on Sacramento State’s all-time scoring list, passing Maranne Johnson’s 1,627 points from 2014-18 and trailing Heidi Carroll’s second-place total of 1,733 from 1982-86.

MINUTE WOMEN: There haven’t been many players in the Big Sky — let alone the entire country — who have seen more time on the court to start the year than the Hornets’ Kahlaijah Dean (35.92 mpg), Isnelle Natabou (35.57 mpg), and Katie Peneueta (35.57 mpg). The trio ranks second, third, and fifth, respectively, in the league in minutes entering the week and have combined to go the distance in regulation a total of seven times this season. Peneueta has done the most work, playing 40 minutes against Santa Clara, UTEP, and Cal State Fullerton, while also playing all 45 minutes in an overtime win against UC Santa Barbara. Dean and Natabou also played 43 minutes against the Gauchos, while Natabou went all 40 minutes in a win over UTEP.

PASSING THE CRASH TEST: Another 14 rebounds in the win over CSU Bakersfield (Dec. 10) is nothing new for Natabou, who owns four of the top seven single-game rebounding performances in the Big Sky this season, along with her 20 against UC Irvine (more on that in a minute) and 14 more against both UC Davis and UTEP. Natabou ranks among the top 30 in the nation in three of the four major rebounding categories: rebounds per game (17th), offensive rebounds per game (25th), and total rebounds (26th).

ARE YOU BOARD?: Natabou clearly wasn’t in the Hornets’ opener against UC Irvine, as her 20 rebounds were the most since she had 22 against Idaho in an overtime win on Jan. 22 last year and was her third career game with 20-or-more rebounds. Nationally, the 20-rebound performance is tied for the 12th-highest in the NCAA for a single-game — and the most of any Big Sky player — as of Dec. 27, and stands as one of only twenty-one 20-rebound games in the NCAA entering the week.

THIS IS PERFECT! PERFECT, PERFECT, PERFECT!: They say that nobody’s perfect, but junior Isnelle Natabou was just that against Fresno State on Dec. 3, finishing 7-of-7 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line en route to sharing team-high honors with 16 points in the win. The shooting performance is the best of the season by a Hornet, surpassing teammate Kahlaijah Dean’s 5-for-5 showing against UTEP on Nov. 26, and is the best single-game showing in the program’s Division I history, besting Margaret Huntington’s 6-for-6 from the floor against Montana on Feb. 16, 2017.

MIND THE GAP: The 22-point margin of victory over Causeway rival UC Davis on Nov. 22 marked the largest against an NCAA Division I opponent in head coach Mark Campbell’s tenure at the helm of the Sacramento State program and was the largest since a 23-point win over Sonoma State on Nov. 16 of last year.

WBB – FCS: Detroit Mercy Titans (2-9) at Milwaukee Panthers (3-7)

NCAABB Editor
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MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Milwaukee returns to action after a two-week break following a cancellation of the final non-conference game on December 22. The Panthers welcome Detroit Mercy to the Klotsche Center on Thursday for a 7:00 pm tipoff. The game can be viewed on ESPN+ with Matt Menzl on the call. Live stats will also be available with all links available on MKEPanthers.com.
 
SCOUTING THE TITANS
Detroit Mercy currently sits at 2-9 overall after dropping three straight non-conference matchups. The Titans began the Horizon League schedule 0-2 after falling to Purdue Fort Wayne and Cleveland State opening weekend.
 
First year head coach Kate Achter brings eight newcomers to join seven returners from a year ago. Senior Imani McNeal leads the way for the Titans, averaging 9.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists. Junior Irene Murua has been solid as of late, reaching double figures in five of the last six games. Murua leads the team with 11.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 47.7 percent from the floor.
 
Freshman Amaya Burch has provided a nice spark as well, averaging 9.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while hitting a team-high 11 three-pointers.
 
As a team, Detroit has struggled scoring the basketball, ranking 10th in the Horizon League in points per game (56.1) and 11th in field goal percentage (34.7 percent).
 
The Titans have been strong on the boards, however, ranking second with 41.3 per game.
 
LAST TIME THEY MET
Four players reached double figures led by Megan Walstad’s 18 points as the Panthers topped Detroit Mercy 71-55 on February 10. McKaela Schmelzer (13 points), Sydney Staver (12), and Macy McGlone (10) also reached double digits.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Milwaukee holds a 35-28 all-time advantage in the series thanks to winning  eight in a row  against the Titans. The last Detroit win over MKE was on February 2, 2017.
 
WHATS ON TAP?
The Panthers remain at home to host Oakland on Saturday, December 31 at 2:00 pm for a New Year’s Celebration.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Milwaukee women’s basketball team hung with Minnesota on the road, but the Gophers created separation from the three-point line and handed the Panthers a 75-59 setback on December 14.
 
Milwaukee owned the rebounding battle 42-31 and scored 30 points in the paint, but the Gophers’nine three-pointers deflated any comeback for the Panthers.
 
THAT’S WHAT WE NEAD
Kendall Nead has been finding her shooting touch recently, reaching double figures in three of the last four contests including a career-high 18 points against Minnesota on December 14.
 
Nead finished 6-for-12 from the floor and went 6-for-7 from the free throw line against the Gophers on her way to the new career-high.
 
Over the last four contests, Nead is shooting 48.7 percent from the floor while averaging 12.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
 
FINDING A WAY INSIDE
Emma Wittmerhaus has been the Panthers’ most consistent presence inside this season, averaging 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
 
The redshirt senior scored 10 points against Minnesota and has reached double digits in four of the last five games and seven games overall this season.
 
In the win over Green Bay, Wittmershaus recorded the second double-double of her career with 14 points and 11 boards.
 
The redshirt senior is having a career-year, leading the team in points per game while ranking second in rebounds and field goal percentage (46.6).
 
A LITTLE BIT FROM EVERYONE
As it stands right now, the Panthers do not have a single player averaging at least 10 points per game but have five players with 6.0 or more per contest.
 
Emma Wittmershaus leads with 9.7 points per game followed by Kendall Nead and Angie Cera at 8.7 points. Megan Walstad is putting up 6.7 per game while Grace Crowley is averaging 6.3.
 
The last time Milwaukee did not have at least one player averaging double digits was 2019-20. That year, Brandi Bisping (9.3 ppg) and Lizzie Odegard (9.0 ppg) led the charge for the Panthers.
 
MAGIC NUMBER
In college basketball, there is no perfect recipe for a win but for Milwaukee, field goal percentage has been a pretty good baseline.
 
In the last seven seasons, Milwaukee is 85-25 (.778) when hitting at least 40 percent from the field. Bump that field goal percentage to 43 percent and the Panthers are 65-12 (.844).
 
When shooting under 40 percent since 2016-17, Milwaukee is just 25-61 (.294).
 
The Panthers have been held under 40 percent in seven games this year, going 1-6 in those contests.
 
WELCOME HOME
Milwaukee has a much-needed home game on Thursday. The Panthers have found better success at the Klotsche Center, owning better shooting percentages from all over the court.
 
The Panthers are also averaging just over seven more points per game at home while holding teams to just 56.8 points on 25.4 percent shooting.
 
Two of MKE’s three victories have come on its home court as well.
 
STRONG ON THE OFFENSIVE GLASS
With 14 more offensive rebounds on December 14, Milwaukee now has at least 10 offensive boards in five straight games including 21 against Boise State on November 27, the most since the Panthers had 22 in a 65-68 victory at UIC on January 6, 2022.
 
MKE is fifth in the Horizon League with 11.4 offensive rebounds per game but is averaging 14.2 over the last five games which would put them second in the league rankings.
 
ARE YOU CERA-IOUS?
Angie Cera was on fire in the second half against Eastern Illinois on December 22, finishing with a career-high 21 points. The sophomore finished 7-for-15 from the floor and hit four three-pointers.
 
In the second half alone, Cera went 5-for-10 with three triples for 16 of the Panthers’ 29 points.
 
Cera is putting together a career-year so far with highs in points (8.7), rebounds (2.2), and assists (1.9). She’s already surpassed her previous career-best with 14 three-pointers this year.
 
DEFENSE ON LOCK DOWN
Milwaukee has been strong on the defensive end this season, holding the opposition to 60.1 points per game on 38 percent shooting.
 
MKE is fourth in the Horizon League in points allowed and fifth in opposing field goal percentage. The Panthers also rank third in the league with 3.60 blocks per game, led by Megan Walstad’s 14 swats.
 
MKE has held the opponent to under 60 points in five different games including a season-low 44 points against UIC on November 16. It is the lowest for an opponent since holding Oakland to 41 points on February 12 last season.
 
With the Panthers scoring just 43 points in that game, it marks the first time since February 7, 1974 that both teams failed to reach 44 points or more.
 
ON THE HORIZON
The win over Green Bay marked Milwaukee’s fourth straight year opening the Horizon League schedule with a win. It also improved head coach Kyle Rechlicz‘ record to 7-4 in league openers.
 
The Panthers have recorded seven straight winning seasons in Horizon League play including a 13-9 mark last year.
 
GO GET IT, GRACE
Grace Crowley has put together an impressive start to the season after playing limited minutes last season.
 
This year, Crowley is averaging 6.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. The redshirt sophomore is shooting 61.8 percent from the floor and is 21-for-26 (80.8 percent) from the free throw line. Additionally, Crowley has added 14 assists and eight steals this season.
 
She’s done all of that off the bench in just 16.0 minutes per game, which is eighth on the team. 
 
PRESEASON HONORS FOR WALSTAD
Megan Walstad was named to the Preseason All-Horizon League First Team following another impressive campaign in 2021-22. Walstad dominated down low, earning her second straight First Team All-League award last season. She led the team and was among the league’s leaders in points per game (14.4), rebounds per game (9.1), field goal percentage (48.8), free throw percentage (88.9), and blocks per game (1.5). Walstad was also named to the All-Defensive Team for the second straight year.
 
Walstad joined a group of just three others in program history to earn All-League First Team honors on more than one occasion in the Panthers’ Division I era and is just the second in MKE history to earn All-Defensive Team distinction multiple times.
 
Additionally, Walstad was one of 25 players to be named to the 2022 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year preseason Watch List.
 
MISS BASKETBALL IN THE HOUSE
Kamy Peppler was crowned 2022 Miss Basketball for Wisconsin but it’s not the first time Milwaukee has had a student-athlete with that title arrive on campus.
 
In fact, Megan Walstad earned that title in her home state of Minnesota after leading Eastview High School to a perfect 32-0 record as a senior.
 
Prior to that, just one other player in program history donned the title of Miss Basketball. Meredith Onson (2005-08) was a consensus Wisconsin Player of the year in 2002-03. Onson originally attended Boston University but transfered to Milwaukee for the 2004-05 season.

CFB: Music City Bowl Preview – Iowa Hawkeyes (7-5) at Kentucky Wildcats (7-5)

NCAAFB Editor
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CFB: Music City Bowl Preview – Iowa Hawkeyes (7-5) at Kentucky Wildcats (7-5)

IOWA HAWKEYES NOTES:

1ST & TEN

1 – Head coach Kirk Ferentz is one bowl win shy of tying Joe Paterno (10) for most bowl wins as a member of the Big Ten Conference. Ferentz has a 9-9 bowl record with the nine bowl victories tying Barry Alvarez for the second-most in league history

2 – LB Jack Campbell is the recipient of the 2022 William V. Campbell Trophy, an award that recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the nation for their combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. He is the first Hawkeye to receive the honor and the seventh player to be a NFF National Scholar Athlete.

3 – The nation’s top linebacker. LB Jack Campbell is the first Hawkeye to receive the Butkus Award, which is presented to the nation’s top linebacker. The Cedar Falls, Iowa, native had a team-high 118 tackles in 2022, his second straight 100+ tackle season (261 over last two seasons). Campbell was also the Nagurski-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Butkus-Fitzgerald Big Ten Linebacker of the Year in 2022.

4 – TE Sam LaPorta is the second Hawkeye to earn the Kwalick-Clark Big Ten Tight End of the Year Award and he was one of three finalists for the John Mackey Award, which is given to the nation’s top tight end.

5 – RB Kaleb Johnson, an honorable mention Freshman All-American and honorable mention All-Big Ten selection, has three 100-yard games this season – the most by a Hawkeye freshman running back in program history. Johnson has a freshman record 762 yards on 142 attempts this season with a team-high six touchdowns to go along with a team-best 1,114 all-purpose yards.

6 – A stout defense. The Hawkeyes held eight opponents at 10 or fewer points during the regular season – a first for the program since 1929. Iowa is limiting opponents to 277.9 yards and 14.4 points per game. Nine Hawkeye defenders earned All-Big Ten recognition.

7 – Campbell is the 29th Hawkeye to earn consensus All-America honors and the 13th to be a unanimous consensus first-team All-American. It is the fourth straight year Iowa has had a consensus All-American. Under Kirk Ferentz, 26 players have earned first-team All-America status.

8 – New Hawkeye QB… With starting QB Spencer Petras injured and QB Alex Padilla in the transfer portal, the Hawkeyes will turn to QBs Joe Labas or Carson May in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl. Labas is a 6-foot-4 redshirt freshman from Brecksville, Ohio, while May is a 6-4 true freshman from Jones, Oklahoma.

9 – Dynamic Duo… LBs Jack Campbell and Seth Benson have combined for 206 tackles this season. The two All-Big Ten linebackers have combined for 546 tackles in their Hawkeye careers; Campbell is 19th all-time with 295 and Benson is 34th with 251.

10 – K Drew Stevens has made 16-of-18 field goal attempts this season, which are the most by a Hawkeye freshman in program history. Stevens, who earned College Football News second-team All-America honors, is 6-for-8 from 40+ this season, including 2-for-2 from beyond 50. The South Carolina native is leading the team with 69 points.

IOWA TO MEET KENTUCKY AT TRANSPERFECT MUSIC CITY BOWL
The University of Iowa football team will face Kentucky in the 2022 TransPerfect Music City Bowl on Dec. 31 in Nashville, Tennessee. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. (CT) from Nissan Stadium and the game will be televised on ABC.

• The Hawkeyes will be making their 35th bowl game appearance and their first Music City Bowl appearance. Iowa accepted a bid to play in the bowl in 2020 against Missouri, but it was cancelled because of COVID.

• The Hawkeyes are facing Kentucky for a second straight season as the Wildcats edged Iowa, 20- 17, in the 2022 Vrbo Citrus Bowl. Iowa is 6-6 all-time in bowl games against current Southeastern Conference opponents.

• The Hawkeyes have been bowl eligible 21 times in the last 22 seasons. Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz is one bowl win shy of tying Joe Paterno (10) for most bowl wins as a member of the Big Ten Conference. Ferentz has a 9-9 bowl record with his nine wins tying Barry Alvarez for second-most in Big Ten history.

• Eighteen coaches have won 10 or more bowl games in their career. Among active coaches, only Nick Saban (18), Mack Brown (14), Kyle Whittingham (11), Mike Gundy (11) and Dabo Swinney (11) have more bowl wins than Ferentz.

• Since the 2001 season, only Ohio State (12) and Wisconsin (11), within the Big Ten, have more bowl wins (including FCS Playoffs and the BCS championship game), than Iowa. Iowa is 17-16-1 all-time in bowl games.

THE SERIES
• The Hawkeyes are 0-1 all-time against Kentucky, falling 20-17 to the Wildcats in the 2022 Vrbo Citrus Bowl in Orlando.

• Iowa is 6-6 all-time against opponents from the Southeastern Conference in bowl games.

2022 VRBO CITRUS BOWL RECAP
No. 22 Kentucky’s Chris Rodriguez scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:48 remaining and the Wildcats had the game-clinching interception with 48 seconds to play to down the Hawkeyes, 20-17, at the 2022 Vrbo Citrus Bowl in Orlando. QB Spencer Petras completed 19-of-30 attempts for 211 yards and one touchdown, but he was intercepted three times. RBs Gavin and Leshon Williams combined for 140 yards on 26 attempts and TE Sam LaPorta had seven catches for 122 yards and one touchdown. LBs Jack Campbell (14) and Seth Benson (10) combined for 24 tackles in the contest.

HAWKEYE HISTORY
Iowa has played 1,293 games since beginning football in 1889. Iowa’s overall record is 683-571-39 (.543). That includes a 424-227-16 (.648) record in home games, a 259-344-23 (.432) record in games away from Iowa City, a 353-389-25 (.477) mark in Big Ten games and a 308-192-15
(.613) record in Kinnick Stadium.

TROPHY COLLECTION
• Iowa is 2-2 in trophy games this season. The Hawkeyes fell 10-7 to Iowa State in their first trophy game of the 2022 season – the team’s first loss to the Cyclones since 2014. Iowa reclaimed the Heartland Trophy on Nov. 12, downing Wisconsin, 24-10, in Kinnick Stadium and defeated Minnesota for the eighth straight time, winning 13-10, to retain the Floyd of Rosedale trophy. Nebraska downed Iowa, 24-17, in the regular season finale to claim the Heroes Trophy for the first time since 2013.

• Iowa is 27-9 in its last 36 trophy games (includes bowl games and conference championships). The Hawkeyes are 24-8 in their last 32 rivalry trophy games (Iowa State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin).

THE NUMBERS BEHIND THE WINNING STREAK
• The Hawkeyes averaged 23.5 points during their four-game winning streak. Offensively, Iowa averaged 300 yards in the four games with the rushing attack averaging 105.8 yards per game.

• Iowa put together its two best offensive performances in consecutive weeks, finishing with a season-high 33 points and 398 yards total offense against Northwestern and 376 yards total offense at Purdue.

• The team’s rushing attack churned out 178 yards against the Wildcats and a season-high 184 yards in West Lafayette.

• The 398 yards against Northwestern were the most for the team since gaining 428 yards at Maryland (W, 51-14) in 2021.

• Iowa had a season-long 91-yard scoring drive at Purdue, which was capped by Sam LaPorta’s first touchdown reception of the season.

• The Hawkeyes scored on their first four offensive possessions to start the game (FG, TD, FG, TD) against Northwestern and on seven of their eight offensive possessions. (Iowa scored on nine straight offensive possessions at Maryland in 2021).

KJ2 = RECORD
Freshman RB Kaleb Johnson is leading the team with 762 rushing yards on 142 carries, which are the most rushing yards by a Hawkeye freshman in program history (passing Tyler Goodson’s 638 yards, 2019). Johnson has three 100-yard games and a team-high six touchdowns.

• Johnson had his first career 200-yard game (second career 100-yard game), finishing with 200 yards on 22 attempts with one touchdown – his fourth of the season – in the road win at Purdue. The yardage and attempts were both career highs.

• The 200 rushing yards are the 18th-most in a single game in program history and the second-most by a Hawkeye freshman all-time (Marcus Coker, 219 vs. Missouri, Insight Bowl). He is the first Hawkeye to rush for 200 yards in a game since 2015.

• Johnson tallied his third 100-yard game, rushing for 109 yards on 16 attempts with one touchdown against Nebraska. He had a 44-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, tying his third longest rush of the season. Johnson is the first Hawkeye with three 100+ yard rushing games in a single season.

• Johnson had a career-long 75-yard touchdown run on the second play of the third quarter at Purdue. It is Iowa’s longest rush since Tyler Goodson’s 80-yard touchdown run against Wisconsin in 2020.

• Johnson rushed for his first 100-yard game in his third career contest, finishing with 103 yards on seven carries and scoring two touchdowns against Nevada on Sept. 17. The Ohio native had touchdown runs of 40 and 55 yards to become the first Hawkeye in at least the last 20 years to have two rushing touchdowns of 40+ yards in a single game.

• Johnson is the first Iowa freshman to eclipse 100 yards since Tyler Goodson (13-116-1 TD) at Nebraska in 2019. Johnson is also the first Iowa freshman with 100+ yards and two touchdowns in a game since Coker in the 2010 Insight Bowl.

• Johnson has a team-high 1,114 all-purpose yards, averaging 92.8 yards per game. He is averaging 25 yards per kickoff return.

TURNOVER FREE
The Hawkeyes posted a 5-1 record during the regular season when they didn’t commit a turnover. The lone loss was the 27-14 home loss to No. 4 Michigan on Oct. 1.

IOWA’S DEFENSE..
• is No. 1 in FBS, allowing 4.10 yards per play.

• has given up 200 or fewer yards in five games.

• has held opponents to 13 or fewer points in nine of 12 games, eight opponents at 10 or fewer points and three at three or fewer points. It is the first time since 1929 that the defense has allowed 10 or fewer points in eight games. The 1929 team gave up 28 points the entire eight-game season.

• has held eight opponents under 100 yards rushing. Iowa limited Northwestern to 18 yards on Oct. 29 – the fewest since holding Northern Iowa to six yards in 2018. They were the sixth-fewest rushing yards allowed in the Kirk Ferentz era and the fewest allowed against a Big Ten foe since limiting Minnesota to seven yards in 2008.

• has held 10 opponents below their season scoring average and all 12 opponents below their season total offense average.

• kept Purdue out of the end zone, allowing only a second quarter field goal. It was the first time in 62 games (dating back to 2017) that the Boilermakers didn’t score a touchdown.

• is second in defensive touchdowns (4), fourth in total defense (277.9), sixth in scoring defense (14.4), seventh in team passing efficiency defense (108.96), ninth in passing yards allowed (173.8), 11th in first downs defense (193), 13th in rushing defense (104.1), 20th in interceptions (13), 21st in third-down conversion defense (.325) and 25th in turnovers gained (21).

SACK YOU VERY MUCH
Iowa registered a season-high seven sacks against Northwestern, with all seven sacks coming from different Hawkeyes – DL Lukas Van Ness, DL Deontae Craig, DL Ethan Hurkett, DL Logan Lee, DL Noah Shannon, LB Seth Benson and DL Joe Evans. The seven sacks are the most for the
program against a Big Ten team since tallying seven sacks against Northwestern in 2000. (Iowa had seven sacks last season against Kent State.)

• Iowa also had 10 tackles for loss against Northwestern – its second game with 10+ TFL this season. Van Ness leads the team with 9.5 TFL.

DEFENSIVE SCORING
Iowa’s defense extended its pick six streak to 15 consecutive years at Rutgers when sophomore DB Cooper DeJean made an over the shoulder catch and returned the interception 45 yards for his first career touchdown. It was the 30th longest interception return for a touchdown in school history and the 50th all-time. • Iowa leads the Big Ten and ranks third nationally with four defensive touchdowns (two interceptions, two fumble returns). Western Kentucky has a nation-best six defensive touchdowns.

• Iowa’s defense found the end zone a second time in Piscataway when DB Kaevon Merriweather scooped up a Rutgers fumble (forced on a hit by DB Sebastian Castro) and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown. It was the eighth fumble return for a touchdown in school history and the fifth longest in the record books.

• The Hawkeye defense scored its third touchdown at No. 2 Ohio State when DL Joe Evans sacked C.J. Stroud to force a fumble, recovered and returned it 11 yards for his first career touchdown. The score gave Iowa a 7-3 lead in Columbus.

• Iowa had its second pick six of the season against Wisconsin when DeJean picked off Graham Mertz and returned it 32 yards for the touchdown.

• Iowa’s defense has scored 28 points this season via four touchdowns and two safeties.

MIGHTY D
• The Hawkeyes gave up 59 points (9.8 per game) in the first six games. It was the lowest point total for the program through six games since 1956.

• The unit gave up just 20 points in the first four games — the fewest points allowed for the program in 66 years.

• Iowa held Purdue to season lows in points (3) and total yards (255), 189.6 below its season average (444.6). The unit held Purdue QB Aidan O’Connell to a season-low 168 yards and to a 46.5 completion percentage – his lowest of the season. Purdue was just 2-of-16 on third down.

• Iowa held Wisconsin to 10 points and just 51 rushing yards. The 10 points tied a season low and it was just the second time this season the Badgers didn’t rush for 100+ yards.

• The Hawkeyes gave up 360 total yards and 66 rushing yards to No. 2 Ohio State, an offense that was averaging 543.7 yards and 228.0 rushing yards per game.

• Iowa gave up 151 yards of total offense to a Nevada offense that was averaging 336.3 yards per game. It was the second time this season Iowa allowed 151 yards or fewer (120 vs. South Dakota State). It was the first time since 1986 that Iowa’s defense has given up 160 or fewer (125 at Iowa State, 159 vs. NIU, 150 vs. UTEP) in the team’s first three games.

• Iowa’s passing defense held the Wolfpack to 82 yards, tied for the 13th fewest in a game in the Kirk Ferentz era. The Hawkeyes have held three opponents under 100 yards passing (87 vs. South Dakota State, 87 at Minnesota).

KENTUCKY WILDCATS NOTES:

UK FACES IOWA IN TRANSPERFECT MUSIC CITY BOWL
For the second consecutive season, Kentucky and Iowa will meet during bowl season, as the schools follow up their meeting in the VrboCitrus Bowl to conclude the 2021 season, a 20-17 UK victory, with a showdown in the Transperfect Music City Bowl. It marks UK’s seventh consecutive bowl appearance, 22nd all-time and record sixth in the Nashville event. UK will be without the services of quarterback Will Levis and third-leading career rusher Chris Rodriguez Jr. after they opted out of the game. The Cats should still have plenty of weapons, including star freshman receivers Barion Brown, who is from Nashville, and Dane Key. The game also features a pair of top 20 defenses in what could be a physical, hard-hitting rematch.

QUICK NOTES
• UK is 12-9 all-time in bowl games. The Cats are appearing in a school-record seventh straight bowl. The Cats have won their last four bowl games.

• UK is appearing in the Transperfect Music City Bowl for the sixth time, the most of any participating schools. The Cats have a 2-3 record in the Music City Bowl, defeating Clemson (2006) and Florida State (2007) and losing to Syracuse (1999), Clemson (2009) and Northwestern (2017).

• Kentucky is coming off its fourth-straight win over intrastate rival Louisville, defeating the Cardinals, 26-13, on Nov. 26 at Kroger Field in Lexington. It also marked UK’s fifth-straight victory in the regular-season finale, first time in school history that has been accomplished.

• The Wildcats improved their streak to 20 straight nonconference wins, the longest such active streak in FBS, which dates back to the 2017 Music City Bowl loss to Northwestern.

• In their regular-season finale, Kentucky continued its streak of holding 15 of its last 16 opponents to 24 points or less as the defense continues to prove it’s one of the strongest in the conference. The Wildcats concluded the regular season ranked 20th in the nation in total defense (320.2 ypg) and 12th in scoring defense (19.1 ppg).

• On the other side of the ball, quarterback Will Levis concluded the regular season ranked fourth in the SEC and 27th in the nation in passing efficiency (151.9 rating points), while he also concluded the regular season ranked seventh in the league and 29th in the nation in
completion percentage (65.4). However, Levis has opted out and will not play in the bowl.

• Running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. put an exclamation point on his career at Kentucky, amassing 3,644 rushing yards after recording his school record 20th game of 100-plus rushing yards against Louisville on Nov. 26. His 3,644 rushing yards in his career are the third-most in program history. However, he has opted out and will not play ni the bowl.

• Seventeen different players have recorded at least one reception this season.

• The Wildcats have had 41 different offensive and defensive players start at least one game this season, which is 12th most in the nation. New Mexico leads the nation with 50 different starters in 2022.

• This is head coach Mark Stoops’ 10th year as head coach at UK, making him the longest tenured coach in program history. With Kentucky’s win at then-No. 12/19 Florida on Sept. 10, he surpassed Paul “Bear” Bryant as the winningest head coach in program history and now has a 66-58 overall record.

• Stoops is the second-longest tenured active head coach in the SEC, behind Alabama’s Nick Saban, and the ninth-longest in the nation (FBS).

• He has inked a contract extension that will keep him in Lexington through June 2031 with amended financial terms.

• Stoops began his tenure at Kentucky 12-26 (.316) (2013 – through first two games of 2016). He has since gone 54-32 (.623) (2016 – present).

• Stoops was on the midseason watch lists for the Bobby Dodd and Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Year Awards. He was also named the honorary head coach of the 2022 Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team for his work with the Kentucky Children’s Hospital.

• The Wildcats’ nationally-ranked defense is filled with experienced defenders, including seniors Jacquez Jones, Keidron Smith, DeAndre Square, Tyrell Ajian and Jordan Wright and juniors J.J. Weaver and Carrington Valentine.

• Senior linebacker DeAndre Square joins former Wildcat Josh Paschal (2019-21) as the only players in school history to be elected team captain three straight seasons.

• The Wildcats have 40 wins in the last four-plus seasons, which is the fifth most in the SEC and tied for 16th among Power Five programs.

• The Wildcats are tied for second in the SEC East with Florida (54) in wins from 2016 – present (54) and only behind Georgia (78).

• Last season, Kentucky finished 10-3 and won the Vrbo Citrus Bowl for the second time in the past four seasons, defeating No. 15 Iowa, 20-17, on Jan. 1, 2022.

• All three of UK’s second-place SEC East finishes have been in the last seven seasons under Mark Stoops.

• UK has recorded multiple wins against ranked teams in four of the past five seasons, including this season (three in 2018, two in 2020, two in 2021, two in 2022). Before 2018, the Cats had just one season with multiple wins against ranked foes in the previous 40 years (two in 2007).

• Kentucky has 11 players in school history who have rushed for at least 1,900 career yards. Four of those have come during Stoops’ tenure – Benny Snell Jr. (3,873), Chris Rodriguez Jr. (3,644), Stanley “Boom” Williams (2,511) and A.J. Rose (1,971).

• Since Brad White joined the staff in 2018, including defensive coordinator since 2019, UK has been ranked in the top 25 in total defense in three seasons (2018, ‘19, and ‘21) and twice in scoring defense (2018 and ‘19). UK concluded the regular season in the top 20 in both categories in 2022.

• UK has allowed 30 or fewer points in 57 of its past 64 games, including 42 of the last 49 games since Brad White became coordinator, and has held its last 15 of 16 opponents to 24 points or less (then-No. 3/3 Tennessee scored 44 points on Oct. 29).

• UK has allowed fewer than 400 yards in 13 of its last 15 games (then-No. 3/3 Tennessee combined for 422 yards on Oct. 29 and Vanderbilt tallied 448 on Nov. 12).

• During Stoops’ tenure, the Wildcats have had nine different starting quarterbacks win a game in Jalen Whitlow, Maxwell Smith, Patrick Towles, Drew Barker, Stephen Johnson, Luke Wright, Lynn Bowden Jr., Terry Wilson and Will Levis.

• Since 2016, UK is 21-10 (.677) in games decided by seven points or less.

• The Wildcats signed their highest-rated recruiting class in school history in 2022. Six of the first-year players are seeing significant action.

KENTUCKY IN BOWL GAMES
• The Wildcats own a 12-9 all-time record in bowl games, including a 4-2 record under head coach Mark Stoops.

• UK is appearing in its school-record seventh straight bowl game.

• Kentucky has won four straight bowl games which is tied with Northwestern, Syracuse, Texas and Troy for the third-longest active streak in FBS. The Cats defeated Penn State, Virginia Tech, N.C. State and Iowa for their bowl game winning streak.

• UK is appearing in the Transperfect Music City Bowl for the sixth time, the most of any participating school. The Cats have a 2-3 record in the Music City Bowl, defeating Clemson (2006) and Florida State (2007) and losing to Syracuse (1999), Clemson (2009) and Northwestern (2017).

Bowl Games : Consecutive bowl game wins
Alabama 7 years – 2015 .. 2021
Minnesota 5 years – 2015 .. 2021
Kentucky 4 years – 2018 .. 2021
Northwestern 4 years – 2016 .. 2020
Syracuse 4 years – 2010 .. 2018
Texas 4 years – 2017 .. 2020
Troy 4 years – 2010 .. 2018

KENTUCKY-IOWA SERIES
• This marks UK’s second meeting against Big Ten member Iowa, both coming in bowl games the past two seasons.

• Kentucky is 30-37-4 all-time against current Big Ten members.

• UK defeated Iowa, 20-17, in the teams’ first matchup, a thrilling game in the Vrbo CitrusBowl on January 1, 2022. The Cats mounted a last-minute scoring drive and then sealed the victoy on an interception by inside linebacker DeAndre Square.

A UK WIN WOULD…
• Be Kentucky’s fifth straight bowl win, improving its school-record streak of consecutive bowl wins.

• Give Kentucky eight wins, the fourth time in the last five seasons, and the 16th time all-time, UK has finished with at least eight wins.

• Be the school’s 13th bowl victory overall and third in the Music City Bowl.

• Extend Stoops’ all-time school records for wins (67).

• Improve Kentucky’s nation-leading nonconference winning streak to 21 games.

KENTUCKY VS. THE RANKED
• Kentucky has played 265 ranked teams in the Associated Press poll in its history, while the Wildcats are 50-210-5 in those games.

• The Wildcats are 2-3 against ranked teams this season, defeating then-No. 12/19 Florida on the road and then-No. 16/17 Mississippi State at home.

• The Cats fell to then-No. 14/11 Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi, in a heartbreaking, 22- 19, loss and it lost to then-No. 3/3 Tennessee on the road, 44-6.

• The Cats played top-ranked Georgia tough before falling 16-6.

• Kentucky has won five of its last nine ranked meetings, including No. 23 NC State in 2020, No. 10 Florida and No. 17 Iowa in 2021, and No. 12 Florida and No. 16 Mississippi State in 2022.

• Since 2015, the Wildcats are 11-15 against ranked teams.

• Kentucky has a 7-5 all-time record against ranked teams in bowl games.

• UK has defeated its last three ranked opponents in bowl games.

NHL Preview: Philadelphia Flyers (11-17-7) at San Jose Sharks (11-19-6)

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NHL Preview: Philadelphia Flyers (11-17-7) at San Jose Sharks (11-19-6)

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS NOTES:

UPCOMING GAMES
DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME BROADCAST INFO.
Sat., Dec. 31 Los Angeles Kings Crypto.com Arena 4 p.m. NBCSP, 97.5 The Fanatic
Mon., Jan. 2 Anaheim Ducks Honda Center 10 p.m. NBCSP+, 93.3 WMMR
Thur., Jan. 5 Arizona Coyotes Wells Fargo Center 7 p.m. NBCSP, 97.5 The Fanatic

CURRENT INJURIES
PLAYER INJURY DATES GAMES MISSED
Cam Atkinson IR-upper body 9/25-present 35
Sean Couturier IR-back 9/19-present 35
Ryan Ellis LTIR-groin/hip/back 10/11-present 35
Tanner Laczynski IR-lower body 12/7-present 9
Felix Sandstrom illness 12/22-present 2
Max Willman upper body 12/15-present 5
2022-23 TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 202

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
12/28 – Recalled F Olle Lycksell from Lehigh Valley (AHL) and placed F Max Willman on waivers; Placed G Carter Hart on Injured Reserve
12/21 – Recalled G Samuel Errson from Lehigh Valley (AHL)

FLYERS vs SHARKS HEAD-TO-HEAD
FLYERS SHARKS
17-19-12 ALL-TIME RECORD 27-16-5
8-9-7 HOME 13-9-2
9-10-5 ROAD 14-7-3
1-2-2 LAST 5 MEETINGS 4-1-0
3-4-3 LAST 10 MEETINGS 7-2-1
122 GOALS SCORED 140
19.8% POWER PLAY 15.2%
84.8% PENALTY KILL 80.2%
Hayes: 11 pts (5-6=11) in 16 GP
Konecny: 7 pts (1-6=7) in 8 GP
van Riemsdyk: 7 pts (3-4=7) in 19 GP

TEAM SCORING LEADERS Karlsson: 21 pts (4-17=21) in 31 GP
Couture: 14 pts (6-8=14) in 16 GP
Vlasic: 14 pts (2-12=14) in 25 GP
Sandstrom: 0-1-1, 2.43 GAA, .929 SV% in 2 GP
Ersson: Has not faced SJ

TEAM GOALTENDERS Reimer: 8-4-3, 2.27 GAA, .923 SV%, 1 SO in 16 GP
Kahkonen: Has not faced PHI

QUICK HITS

  • Philadelphia has earned points in five of its last 10 games (3-5-2).
  • The Flyers have scored three-plus goals in six of their last 10 games, posting a 2-3-1 record when scoring three-plus goals.
  • Philadelphia has allowed the opposing team to score first in 24 of its 35 games this season. The Flyers rank T-4th in the NHL with eight wins when trailing first in a game.
  • The Flyers set a season-high 41 shots Dec. 11 at ARI and have outshot their opponents in seven of the last 13 games, posting a 3-3-1 record in those seven contests.
  • Philadelphia 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.
  • The Flyers lead the NHL with 1,042 hits and rank second with 628 blocked shots.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

  • Philadelphia continues its five-game road stretch, Dec. 22-Jan. 2 that is split up by the NHL Holiday Break, Dec. 24-26.
  • Nine of the Flyers’ 11 games from Dec. 9-Jan. 2 are on the road.
  • Philadelphia is 4-8-6 on the road this season and have earned a point in seven of its last 13 road games (2-6-5).
  • The Flyers are 1-1-2 on the road against a Western Conference opponent this season.

RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR

  • Philadelphia plays its final two games of the 2022 calendar year on Thursday, Dec. 29 at SJ and Saturday, Dec. 31 at LAK before opening the 2023 calendar year Tuesday, Jan. 2 at ANA.
  • The Flyers are 3-1-0 since the 2017-18 season in games played on Dec. 29:

Dec. 29, 2017 at TBL (5-3 W)
Dec. 29, 2018 at FLA (2-1 L)
Dec. 29, 2019 at ANA (2-1 OTW)
Dec. 29, 2021 at SEA (3-2 OTW)
*No Games around this time in 2020-21 due to COVID

  • The Flyers will play their 21st all-time game held on New Year’s Eve, it’s 20th on the road. Philadelphia is 9-7-2-2 all-time in New Year’s Eve contests, 8-7-2-2 on the road. The Flyers are 1-1-0 in two all-time New Year’s Eve contests against the Kings:
    Dec. 31, 1967 vs. LA (9-1 W)
    Dec. 31, 2019 at LA (5-3 L)
  • Philadelphia has played two games on Jan. 2 since the 2016-17 season and three games on New Year’s Day in that span:
    Jan. 1, 2017 at ANA (4-3 SOL)
    Jan. 2 2018 vs. PIT (5-1 L)
    Jan. 1, 2019 at NSH (4-0 L)
    Jan. 2, 2020 at VGK (5-4 L)
    Jan. 1, 2022 at LA (6-3 L)
    *No Games around this time in 2020-21 due to COVID

SAN JOSE SHARKS NOTES:

LAST GAME
Game 36 – 12/27 – SJS 2 at VAN 6…The Sharks dropped their first game after the Holiday break. Timo Meier (2g, 0a) scored both of the Sharks to reach the 20-goal mark and move into T-10th among NHL goal scorers this season. Meier’s second goal marked his 300th NHL point. Erik Karlsson (0g, 2a) extended his point streak to 10 games, his personal best and the longest by a defenseman in franchise history.
SJ Goals: Meier (19 pp), Meier (20)
SF: 26
SA: 25
SJ PP: 1/2
SJ PK: 1/1
W: Martin
L: Reimer

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
12/22 Assigned F C.J. Suess to the San Jose Barracuda
12/18 Assigned D Nick Cicek and F C.J. Suess to the San Jose Barracuda
12/17 Placed F Luke Kunin on IR; activated F Matt Nieto off IR
12/12 Activated G James Reimer off IR; Assigned G Eetu Makiniemi to the San Jose Barracuda
12/7 Activated F Nico Sturm off IR
12/6 Placed F Matt Nieto on IR; recalled F C.J. Suess from the San Jose Barracuda
12/6 Assigned G Aaron Dell to the San Jose Barracuda; recalled G Eetu Makiniemi from the San Jose Barracuda
12/1 Assigned F Jeff Viel to the San Jose Barracuda

TONIGHT’S OPPONENT – PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
The Sharks dropped a 2-6 decision to the Vancouver Canucks to move to 0-2-1 against them on the season. Tonight, they welcome the Philadelphia Flyers for the first and only time this season. The Sharks have had the Flyers number recently, with a 13-3-1 record against the club since the 2013-14 season and a 6-1-0 against the Flyers in their last seven matchups at SAP Center at San Jose. San Jose shut out the Flyers, 3-0, in their first matchup of the season on Oct. 23, with nine separate Sharks recording a point in the contest. Kevin Labanc has 10 points (2g, 8a) in eight career games against Philadelphia. Philadelphia has scored three or more goals in each of their last four games and have gotten strong performances this season from Carter Hart, who owns a 10-11-6 record and .911 save percentage on the season and has earned at least a point in 9 of 13 road games (4-4-5, .918 save percentage).

DEFENSE TO OFFENSE…San Jose currently ranks first in the League in assists (78) and points (95) from defensemen this season. Last season, the Sharks finished 23rd and 25th in the League with 151 points and 117 assists, respectively, from defensemen. Sharks defensemen were in on 13 of the club’s first 14 goals from the start of the season through Oct. 23. Below is a table of defensive scoring this season.

NHL Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs (22-7-6) at Arizona Coyotes (12-16-5)

NHL Editor
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NHL Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs (22-7-6) at Arizona Coyotes (12-16-5)

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS NOTES:

LAST GAME
Score: Toronto 5 at St. Louis 4 – OTW
Date: Tuesday, December 27, 2022
TOR Goals: Holl, Tavares, Kerfoot (SH), Järnkrok, Nylander (OTW)
STL Goals: Rosen, O’Reilly, Faulk (PP), Kyrou
TOR Goaltender: Samsonov, 30/34, .882 SV%
STL Goaltender: Binnington, 32/37, .865 SV%
TOR Power Play: 0-for-2
TOR Penalty Kill: 3-for-4
Player Notes: – William Nylander scored the game-winning goal for Toronto at 4:03 of overtime. Nylander has scored in four-consecutive games and posted the seventh overtime goal of his NHL career. Nylander is currently on a four-game point streak where he has recorded seven points (4G, 3A).

  • Calle Järnkrok scored for Toronto at 15:16 of the second period and added two assists. Järnkrok has scored in back-to-back games. Järnkrok recorded his first multi-point game as a Maple Leaf and the seventh game of his NHL career with three or more points. Järnkrok tied a single-game NHL career second-best with three points during Tuesday’s game, his career-high stands at four points (1G, 3A) which he posted with Nashville on March 15, 2021 at Tampa Bay. Järnkrok extended his current point streak to three games where he has posted five points (2G, 3A).
  • Alexander Kerfoot scored shorthanded for the Maple Leafs at 5:26 of the second period. Kerfoot recorded the second shorthanded goal of his NHL career.
  • Ilya Samsonov stopped 30 of 34 shots in Tuesday’s overtime win. Samsonov improved to an 11-3-0 record on the season.

Team Notes – The Maple Leafs are 3-6 in overtime this season.

  • The Maple Leafs have registered four shorthanded goals this season. Toronto is one of 12 teams that have recorded four or more shorthanded goals during the 2022-23 campaign.

TONIGHT’S GAME
2022-23 Matchups vs. Arizona: Second of Two
2021-22 Record vs. Arizona: 0-1-1
Toronto Season Record: 22-7-6
Toronto Road Record: 9-5-3

TONIGHT’S STORYLINES
The Maple Leafs are scheduled to take on the Arizona Coyotes tonight in the second of two games between the clubs this season. The Maple Leafs lost their first meeting of the season against Arizona 4-2 on Oct. 17 at Scotiabank Arena. Toronto is entering tonight’s game on a three-game winning streak and have posted a 7-2-1 record through the month of December.

INJURY REPORT
Carl Dahlström Shoulder (IR)
Victor Mete Lower Body (IR)
Jake Muzzin Neck (LTIR)
Morgan Rielly Knee (LTIR)
Nick Robertson Shoulder (IR)
Rasmus Sandin Neck (IR)

ALL-TIME VS. ARIZONA COYOTES:
First Matchup between Clubs: November 10, 1979 (Toronto 8 at Winnipeg 4)
All-Time Record: 39-55-8-3 (105 Games)
All-Time Record at Home: 22-28-2-3 (55 Games)
All-Time Record on the Road: 17-27-6-0 (50 Games)
Last Road Win vs. Opponent: November 21, 2019 (Toronto 3 at Arizona 1)

FAST FACTS
Thursday games 8th of 15 (7 home, 8 road)
Back-to-Backs played 5 of 14
Record in first game of back-to-back 2-3-0
Record in second game of back-to-back 4-0-1
December games 11th of 12 (5 home, 7 road)

ARIZONA COYOTES NOTES:

3 HARD LAPS
• Arizona is 2-2-1 in its last 5 games but hold a 6-3-2 record at home this season, including a 5-1-1 home clip in December

• Nick Schmaltz comes into the matchup on a 6-game point streak and can set a new team-high by a Coyote this season with a point tonight

• Jakob Chychrun ranks among NHL defensemen leaders in goals, assists and points since 11/23. He also has recorded a share of the third-most assists by a Coyotes/Jets defenseman within his first 17 GP of a season

LAST GAME
Coyotes 6, Avalanche 3 – December 27, 2022 – Mullett Arena
ARI Goals: Gostisbehere (9), Crouse (14), Schmaltz (7), Moser (4), Carcone (1), Keller (13)
COL Goals: Rodrigues (8), Maker (8), Rantanen (24)
ARI Goalie: Ingram (W) – 28 svs on 31 shots
COL Goalie: Georgiev (L) – 27 svs on 32 shots
PP: 1-3 PK: 0-1
Notes: Arizona defeated Colorado for the third consecutive matchup (COL, 0-2-1) to establish the first 3+ game win streak against the Avalanche since 1/16/12 – 4/6/13 (4 games)…Tuesday was the first time the Coyotes scored 6 goals against the Avs in a game since 12/22/18 (6-4, W)… Tuesday also marked a season-high in goals at home for Arizona…Jakob Chychrun registered three points (0-3-3) and set a new career-high for assists in a game… Lawson Crouse kept his team lead in goals with his 14th of the season. He also chipped in two assists to tie his season-high in points (12/9 vs BOS)…Nick Schmaltz has extended his point streak to six games with a goal and an assist (3-9-9 in that span); That’s tied for the longest by a Coyote this season (Keller, 11/5 – 11/17)…Shayne Gostisbehere scored for his ninth goal of the season…Clayton Keller picked up his 20th assist of 2022-23 with the secondary helper on Gostisbehere’s goal… Keller also added the empty-net goal for his 60th career multi-point game and will enter Thursday a point-per-game player this season (13-20-33 in 33 GP)…Michael Carcone made his season debut with the Coyotes and scored his first NHL goal of the campaign…JJ Moser potted his fourth goal of the season and 16th point. His goal total matches last season’s output while the defenseman set a new single-season career-high for points…The last time the Coyotes had six different goal scorers in a game was 3/15/22 at MTL (6-3, W)…Nick Bjugstad registered his 250th career point (117-133-250)…Josh Brown skated in his 200th career NHL game…ARI’s 2 PIMs are its fewest PIMs committed in a game this season

MAN GAMES LOST (Name/Roster Status/Injury Type/Games Missed/Last Game Played)
Matias Maccelli…Week-to-Week…Lower-Body (1 / 12/23)
Liam O’Brien…Week-to-Week…Upper-Body (5/ 12/16)
Total man games lost: 69 games
Jakob Chychrun (16), Nick Schmaltz (15), Zack Kassian (9), Connor Timmins (9), Andrew Ladd (6), Josh Brown (3), Ben McCartney (3), Juuso Valimaki (1), Lawson Crouse (1)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
-12/27 – Recalled F Michael Carcone from Tucson (AHL)
-12/18 – Assigned F Jan Jenik to Tucson (AHL)
-12/17 – Recalled F Jan Jenik from Tucson (AHL)
-12/15 – Assigned D Dysin Mayo to Tucson (AHL)
-12/8 – Loaned F Dylan Guenther to Team Canada for the 2023 WJC

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
DATE TIME
(AZ)

OPPONENT VENUE TV RADIO
Sat, Dec 31 3pm at TBL AMALIE Arena Bally Sports Arizona ESPN 620
Tue, Jan 3 5pm at FLA FLA Live Arena Bally Sports Arizona TBD
Thur, Jan 5 5pm at PHI Wells Fargo Center
Bally Sports Arizona TBD

YOTES & LEAFS

  • Tonight is the second and final ARI-TOR matchup this season. The Yotes knocked off the Leafs 4-2 on 10/17, ARI’s first win of the season
  • Nick Ritchie, Shayne Gostisbehere and Christian Fischer each chipped in a goal and an assist in the first matchup this season
  • The Coyotes have beaten Toronto three straight times, are 5-1-1 in the last 7 meetings and 17-4-2 versus Toronto in the last 23 games dating back to 1/14/06
  • The last time the Coyotes beat the Maple Leafs four straight times was 5-game win streak from 11/4/14 – 12/15/16
  • Gostisbehere leads current Coyotes in career goals (6, tied) and assists (8) against Toronto, including 4 pts (2-2-4) in his last 4 games against them

-Coyotes franchise vs Maple Leafs:
• All-Time: 58-37-8-2
• Home: 27-17-6-0
• Road: 31-20-2-2
• L10: 6-3-1
• STRK: W3

SCORING NOTABLES AGAINST THE MAPLE LEAFS
Nick Bjugstad…6-5-11…24 career GP
Shayne Gostisbehere…6-8-14 in 18 career GP
Lawson Crouse…2-3-5…10 career GP
Nick Ritchie…2-3-5…10 career GP
Nick Schmaltz…1-5-6…8 career GP
Career Leaders
Goals (Bjugstad/Gostisbehere, 6)… Assists (Gostisbehere, 8)…Points (Gostisbehere, 14)
Career Leaders Among Defensemen
Goals (Gostisbehere, 6)… Assists (Gostisbehere, 8)…Points (Gostisbehere, 14)

HOME SWEET HOME

  • Arizona comes into tonight with a 6-3-2 home record on the campaign, good for the NHLs 12th best points percentage at .636
  • In December, the Coyotes have submitted a 5-1-1 home record. That .786 points percentage is good for 9th in the NHL for the month of December
  • The Coyotes have reached 6 home wins within 11 games at Mullett Arena. Last season it took the team 25 games to reach 6 home wins
  • Some key home wins for Arizona this season include Tuesday vs Colorado (defending champs), 12/9 vs Boston (NHL’s best record) and 11/1 vs Florida (reigning President’s Trophy winners)

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Shayne Gostisbehere (9-16-25 in 33 GP) enters tonight ranking among NHL d-men leaders in goals (4th), points (17th), power-play goals (3, T-6th) and even-strength points (15, T-12th) on the campaign

  • The blueliner has compiled 11 pts (5-6-11) in his last 12 games, as well as 15 pts (5-10-15) in his last 16 GP (since 11/23)
  • Gostisbehere’s tally last night was his third goal in his last 6 games
  • Since 11/23, Gostisbehere ranks T-1st among NHL d-men in goals, 5th in points as well as T-9th in assists
  • Gostisbehere (83-212-295 in 496 GP) is closing in on 300 pts and 500 games for his career. He is on track to become the sixth player and second defenseman from the 2012 Draft Class to play in 500+ games and record 300+ points (Filip Forsberg, Tomas Hertl, Morgan Rielly, Teuvo Teravainen, Alex Galchenyuk)

NHL Preview: Vancouver Canucks (16-15-3) at Winnipeg Jets (21-13-1)

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NHL Preview: Vancouver Canucks (16-15-3) at Winnipeg Jets (21-13-1)

VANCOUVER CANUCKS NOTES:

MATCH-UP INFO
• Tonight marks the second of three meetings between the Canucks and Jets this season, all occurring over the course of a month: Dec. 17 (5-1 L vs WPG), Dec. 29 (away), Jan. 8 (away).

• The Canucks are 19-23-1-2 all-time against the Jets, including a 9-13-0-1 record on the road.

• Vancouver is 5-5-0 in their last 10 games vs Winnipeg (3-2-0 in their last 5).

• Among active Canucks skaters, Luke Schenn leads the team in games played against the Jets (34).

• Oliver Ekman-Larsson has the most career points against the Jets with 21 (9-12-21) in 26 games played, among active skaters.

• Elias Pettersson has 10 points (6-4-10) in 13 career games against Winnipeg.

• Ilya Mikheyev has seven points (3-4-7) in 11 career games against the Jets.

• Conor Garland has four points (3-1-4) in seven career games against Winnipeg.

• Spencer Martin is 1-1-0 with a 3.00 GAA and .902 SV% in two career games against the Jets.

• Collin Delia is 1-0-0 with a 2.61 GAA and .926 SV% in one career game against the Jets.

QUICK NUMBERS
• Bo Horvat has 15 points (9-6-15) in his last ten games, including two consecutive nights with four points, and is tied for second in the NHL in goals (26) this season.

• Quinn Hughes has eight points (1-7-8) in his last ten games and ranks t-3rd in the NHL in assists among defencemen this season (28 in 30 GP). Hughes is also ranked third among NHL defencemen in power play assists with 15.

• Elias Pettersson has 15 points (5-10-15) in his last eight games and is tied for first in the NHL for even-strength goals (16), among centremen.

• Ilya Mikheyev has six points (3-3-6) in his last four games.

• Luke Schenn holds the NHL all-time record of most hits (2,999) by a defenceman.

LAST MEETING – DEC. 17/22: VAN 1 vs WPG 5
Bo Horvat scored his 22nd goal of the season with 5:24 remaining in the third period…Quinn Hughes and Conor Garland picked up the assists on the power play goal…Luke Schenn recorded nine hits, his second-highest total of the season, while also leading the team with five shots on goal…Horvat won 15 of 21 faceoffs for a win percentage of 71.4%, his fourth-highest win percentage of the season…Spencer Martin stopped 22 shots.

LAST GAME PLAYED – DEC. 27/22: VAN 6 vs SJS 2
Bo Horvat opened the scoring at 4:26 in the first period…Ilya Mikheyev registered his first of four points on the assist…Brock Boeser collected the second helper…Elias Pettersson would double the Canucks lead before the end of the period…Lane Pederson and Luke Schenn tallied assists on the play…Mikheyev reclaimed the two goal lead at 4:36 in the second period…Andrei Kuzmenko and Tyler Myers were both credited with assists…Quinn Hughes scored his first goal of the season less than two minutes later…Mikheyev and Horvat both got a point on the play…Horvat recorded his league-leading eighth multi-goal game of the season at 12:11 in the third…Boeser collected the lone assist…Boeser followed up with his own goal, the sixth of the season…Horvat and Mikheyev were once again on the helpers to both collect their fourth points of the contest…Schenn led the team in hits (7)…Riley Stillman led the team in blocked shots (4)…Spencer Martin stopped 24 shots.

LAST 5 vs WINNIPEG
• Dec. 17/22: VAN 1 vs WPG 5
• Jan. 27/22: VAN 5 @ WPG 1
• Dec. 10/21: VAN 4 vs WPG 3 (SO)
• Nov. 19/21: VAN 3 vs WPG 2
• May 11/21: VAN 0 @ WPG 5

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
• Travis Dermott recalled from Abbotsford (conditioning loan) and kept on LTIR, Dec. 27
• Collin Delia recalled from Abbotsford under emergency conditions, Dec. 22
• Arturs Silovs reassigned to Abbotsford, Dec. 22
• Arturs Silovs recalled from Abbotsford under emergency conditions, Dec. 21
• Collin Delia reassigned to Abbotsford, Dec. 21
• Collin Delia recalled from Abbotsford under emergency conditions, Dec. 20
• Arturs Silovs reassigned to Abbotsford, Dec. 20
• Nils Höglander reassigned to Abbotsford, Dec. 19
• Arturs Silovs recalled from Abbotsford under emergency conditions, Dec. 19
• Collin Delia reassigned to Abbotsford, Dec. 19
• Travis Dermott assigned to Abbotsford on LTI conditioning loan, Dec. 19
• Lane Pederson recalled from Abbotsford, Dec. 16

WINNIPEG JETS NOTES:

Scene Setter
The Winnipeg Jets started a two-game homestand on Tuesday with a 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild. The Jets are trying to end a three-game skid on Thursday when they host the Vancouver Canucks at Canada Life Centre. After Thursday’s game, the Jets play in Edmonton against the Oilers on New Year’s Eve.

Last Game
Minnesota Wild 4
Winnipeg Jets 1
Jets Scorer: Dubois (16)
Wild Scorers: Spurgeon (4), Zuccarello (16), Gaudreau (9), Walker (1)
Jets Goaltender: Connor Hellebuyck (24 sv, 3 ga)
Wild Goaltender: Filip Gustavsson (31 sv, 1 ga)
Jets PP: 0-for-2
Jets PK: 0-for-1
Recap: Pierre-Luc Dubois scored midway through the first period to cut Minnesota’s lead to 2-1, but the Jets lost 4-1 to the Wild on Tuesday night. Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele each paced the team with five shots, while Dylan DeMelo had five hits. Kevin Stenlund won 10-of-14 faceoffs for the Jets.

Above .600
The Jets are 11th in the NHL with a .614 points percentage, which also ranks third in the Central Division and fifth in the Western Conference… Winnipeg’s best points percentage in franchise history was in 2017-18 when the team finished at .695… The franchise has finished a season with a points percentage better than .600 four times.

Three Losses
The Jets have lost three consecutive games for just the first time this season… Winnipeg hadn’t lost three games in a row since a four-game losing streak from Apr. 15-21/22… Winnipeg can avoid losing consecutive games at home for the second time this season with a win on Thursday.

Busy Time of Year
Winnipeg plays 16 games in 30 days from Dec. 2-31… The stretch includes three back-to-backs… The Jets only consecutive days off in December were from Dec. 24-26 for the Christmas break… Winnipeg’s 13 games so far in December is tied with the Calgary Flames for the most in the NHL… The Jets only played eight games in December last season due to COVID-related postponements, going 4-3-1.

Against the Pacific
Winnipeg is 5-4-1 against the Pacific Division this season, including 2-1-0 in Winnipeg… Four of Winnipeg’s next five games are against Pacific Division squads… Kyle Connor (4G, 8A) and Josh Morrissey (12A) lead the Jets with 12 points in 10 games against the Pacific Division this season, while Mark Scheifele has eight goals in 10 games.

Home Comforts
The Jets are 12-6-0 at Canada Life Centre to start the season… Kyle Connor (10G, 15A) leads the team with 25 points in 18 home games… Mark Scheifele’s 12 goals at home is halfway to the career high 24 goals he had at home during the 2018-19 season… Connor Hellebuyck has been stellar on home ice this season, going 10-5-0 with a 1.87 goals-against average, .939 save percentage and three shutouts… Winnipeg is 241-155-36 all-time at Canada Life Centre and have posted a .500 record or better at home in six consecutive seasons.

Road Record
The Jets are 9-7-1 on the road this season… Winnipeg has lost three consecutive road games for the first time this season after matching a franchise record five-game road winning streak… Defenceman Josh Morrissey (1G, 19A) leads the Jets in scoring on the road with 20 points, but his franchise-tying 10-game road point streak ended in Washington… Pierre-Luc Dubois has a team leading eight goals.

Up to 27
The Jets have used 27 skaters this season, which is tied for fifth in the NHL and seven behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for most in the NHL… It matches the 27 players Winnipeg used during the 2020-21 season, which is the fewest in franchise history… The Jets are averaging 30 skaters
per season since relocation… The franchise record for most skaters used in a season is 39 during the 2001-02 season when the team was in Atlanta… Conversely, the Jets have had just two goaltenders see game action in each of the past four seasons.

On the PK
Winnipeg is seventh in the NHL with a penalty kill successful 81.1% of the time… The Jets have played 157:54 on the penalty kill this season, which is sixth fewest in the NHL… The last time the Jets had a penalty kill better than 82% was in 2013-14 when they finished the season at 83.2%… The franchise record for penalty kill percentage in a season is 85.2%, which occurred in Atlanta during the 2003-04 season.

1,000
Sam Gagner is set to play in his 1,000th NHL game on Thursday against Vancouver… Gagner has played for seven teams in the NHL, including the most with the Edmonton Oilers with 542 games… He’ll become the fifth player from the 2007 NHL Draft class to reach 1,000 games, joining Patrick Kane, Jakub Voracek, Wayne Simmonds, and David Perron… Gagner will also be the fifth player to play his 1,000th game with the Jets franchise, joining Peter Bondra (2005), Vyacheslav Kozlov (2007), Paul Stastny (2021), and Blake Wheeler (2021)… The Jets franchise is 3-1-0 all-time when a player is playing their 1,000th career game… Gagner registered an assist in his NHL debut on Oct. 4/07 with the Oilers against the San Jose Sharks.

Jets vs. VAN Notes

Season Series
This is the second of three meetings between the Jets and Canucks this season… The Jets beat the Canucks 5-1 in Vancouver earlier this month on Dec. 17… Winnipeg entertains Vancouver on Jan. 8 in the final game between the two sides this season.

Recent History
The Jets win on Dec. 17 ended Winnipeg’s three-game winless streak against the Canucks (0-2-1)… Winnipeg is 21-6-1 in its past 28 games against Vancouver.

In Winnipeg
The Jets are 2-4-0 in their past six games against the Canucks at Canada Life Centre.

Player Notes
Blake Wheeler has a team best 33 points (10G, 23A) in 36 career games against the Canucks. Ten (3G, 7A) of Wheeler’s point are on the power play… Mark Scheifele is averaging nearly a point per game against the Canucks with 30 points (13G, 17A) in 31 games. He had a seven-game point streak against Vancouver from Mar. 2-Dec. 10/21… Kyle Connor has 24 points (9G, 15A) in 20 games against the Canucks. Three of his past five games against Vancouver have been multi-point g

Jets vs. VAN Past 10 Games
Date Opp Res G GA S PPO PPG PIM SA PPOA PPGA PIMA
03/01/2021 Van L 0 4 27 1 0 4 19 2 1 2
03/02/2021 Van W 5 2 39 3 1 4 33 2 1 6
03/22/2021 @Van W 4 0 29 1 0 2 22 1 0 2
03/24/2021 @Van W 5 1 36 3 2 9 39 2 0 11
05/10/2021 Van L 1 3 40 3 0 2 31 1 0 6
05/11/2021 Van W 5 0 36 2 0 6 24 2 0 6
11/19/2021 @Van L 2 3 39 0 0 8 29 3 2 2
12/10/2021 @Van SOL 3 4 37 3 1 4 36 2 0 6
01/27/2022 Van L 1 5 34 3 0 9 33 2 2 11
12/17/2022 @Van W 5 1 27 2 1 6 23 3 1 4

NHL Preview: Los Angeles Kings (20-12-6) at Colorado Avalanche (19-12-2)

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NHL Preview: Los Angeles Kings (20-12-6) at Colorado Avalanche (19-12-2)

LOS ANGELES KINGS NOTES:

DEC. 29 vs. COLORADO AVALANCHE – 7:00 PM MT (6:00 p.m. PT) // Venue: Ball Arena // TV: Bally Sports West // Radio: iHeartRadio

  • The LA Kings visit the Colorado Avalanche for the first of three meetings between the clubs this season (March 9; April 8).
  • The Kings look for their first win in Denver since Feb. 15, 2020 (3-1 W).
  • With a win tonight, the Kings can extend their point streak to seven games (5-0-1).

WARM-UPS
1) Viktor Arvidsson (1-2=3) recorded his third three-point game of the year Tuesday night versus Vegas. In doing so, Arvidsson (10-17=27) reached the 10-goal and 25-point plateau for a seventh consecutive season. He enters tonight with five points (2-3=5) in his last four games.

2) Blake Lizotte has four points (1-3=4) in his last four games.

3) Trevor Moore returns to Colorado where he played collegiate hockey at the University of Denver. Moore recorded 120 points (47-73=120) in 121 career NCAA games.

4) Kevin Fiala leads all Kings skaters with 18 road points (4-14=18).

5) No skater has drawn more penalties on the Kings than Gabriel Vilardi (17).

vs. COLORADO ALL-TIME:
All-Time Record: 73-62-8-5
Home: 42-25-5-4
Away: 31-37-3-1
OT: 10-5 (4 ties)
Shootout: 3-4
2021-22: 0-3-0
2022-23: 0-0-0

FRANCHISE LEADERS vs. COLORADO:
Anze Kopitar* – 58 GP, 53 PTS (18-35=53)
Luc Robitaille – 40 GP, 52 PTS (32-20=52)
Marcel Dionne – 25 GP, 39 PTS (16-23=39)
Wayne Gretzky – 16 GP, 39 PTS (9-30=39)
Dustin Brown – 60 GP, 38 PTS (16-22=38)
*-denotes active roster player

LAST MEETING vs. COLORADO: April 13, 2022 – LAK 3 vs. COL 9
Venue: Ball Arena
LAK Goals: Kempe (33), Iafallo (16), Danault (23)
COL Goals: Aube-Kubel (10, 11), Nichushkin (20, 21), MacKinnon (27, 28, 29), Burakovsky (21), Makar (26)
Goalies: LAK: Quick (7 saves, 10 shots), Petersen (L, 19 saves, 25 shots) COL: Kuemper (W, 29 saves, 32 shots)
LAK PP: 0-for-2
LAK PK: 0-for-2

THE NEXT THREE:
Sat., Dec. 31 | vs. Philadelphia Flyers | 1:00 p.m. PT | Bally Sports West | LA Kings iHeart Radio Audio Network
o The LA Kings and Flyers met nearly one year from this date on Jan. 1, 2022. LA won, 6-3.

Tues., Jan. 3 | vs. Dallas Stars | 7:00 p.m. PT | ESPN | LA Kings iHeart Radio Audio Network
o Kevin Fiala (6-6=12) is riding an eight-game point streak against the Dallas Stars, dating back to Dec. 1, 2019.

Thurs., Jan. 5 | vs. Boston Bruins | 7:30 p.m. PT | Bally Sports West | LA Kings iHeart Radio Audio Network
The LA Kings look to sweep the season series against the Bruins after winning the first meeting between the two clubs, 3-2, in a shootout on Dec. 15 in Boston.

INJURY & MGL REPORT
Player, Games Missed, Date(s), Status
F Alex Iafallo, 23 games, Oct. 18 – Dec. 3 (lower-body)
F Brendan Lemieux, 18 games, Nov. 14 – Dec. 20 (lower-body)
F Quinton Byfield, 6 games, Oct. 27 – Nov. 5 (illness)
F Arthur Kaliyev, 3 games, Dec. 22 – Pres. (lower-body)
F Viktor Arvidsson, 2 games, Oct. 13 (illness); Oct. 25 (illness)
D Sean Durzi, 2 games, Nov. 19 – Nov. 22. (lower-body)
D Drew Doughty, 1 game, Dec. 11 (lower-body)
F Gabriel Vilardi, 1 game, Nov. 27 (lower-body)
2022-23 Total Regular-Season Man-Games List: 56

RECENT TRANSACTIONS (as of 12/29/22)
Dec. 19 – Rasmus Kupari (F) and Jordan Spence (D) recalled from Ontario (AHL).
Dec. 22 – Brendan Lemieux (F) activated from injured reserve.
Dec. 22 – Tobie Bisson (D) loaned to Hockey Canada for the Spengler Cup.
Dec. 23 – Rasmus Kupari (F) and Jordan Spence (D) loaned to Ontario (AHL).
Dec. 27 – Quinton Byfield (F), Rasmus Kupari (F) and Jordan Spence (D) recalled from Ontario (AHL).
Dec. 27 – Arthur Kaliyev (F) placed on injured reserve retroactive to Dec. 20.

LA KINGS TEAM NOTES:
WE’RE GOING STREAKIN’
The Kings enter tonight having secured points in their last six consecutive games (5-0-1), dating back to Dec. 15. During that time, the Kings’ five wins are tied for second in the league while their 11 points and .917 winning percentage both sit second. Forward Phillip Danault, who has led the Kings in scoring since their team point streak started, registered his sixth multi-point (1-2=3) effort of the season on Tuesday night versus the Golden Knights to extend his point streak into a fifth game (3-4=7). With a point tonight, Danault can extend his point streak to six games, one shy of his career-long of seven games set from April 7 to April 21, 2022 (5-3=8). Danault can also join Sean Durzi (Nov. 25 – Dec. 6, 2022, 6 GP, 1-8=9) as the only other Kings skater to record a regular point streak of at least six games this season.

KOPI VS. THE AVS
Kings captain Anze Kopitar leads all active skaters in assists against Colorado while his 53 points (18-35=53) sits third:

Most points against Colorado all-time among active skaters
Player GP Points
Blake Wheeler 40 57 (23-34=57)
Patrick Kane 57 54 (20-34=54)
Anze Kopitar 58 53 (18-35=53)
Jonathan Toews 53 52 (24-28=52)
Brent Burns 72 48 (17-31=48)

COLORADO AVALANCHE NOTES:

UPCOMING GAMES
Date Opponent Time (MT) TV Radio
Thu, Dec. 29 LOS ANGELES 7 p.m. Altitude 92.5
Sat, Dec. 31 TORONTO 5 p.m. Altitude 92.5
Mon, Jan. 2 LAS VEGAS 7 p.m. Altitude 2 950 AM

LAST GAME – Dec. 27 (Arizona 6, Colorado 3)
The Coyotes snapped the Avalanche’s four-game winning streak with a 6-3 victory at Mullett Arena … Cale Makar had a goal and an assist for the Avs, Evan Rodrigues notched a power-play goal and Mikko Rantanen also scored … J.T. Compher added two assists while Alexandar Georgiev made 28 saves.
SF: 29 SA: 33 PP: 1-1 PK: 2-3
• Rantanen’s goal was his 24th of the season (fourth in the NHL) and league-leading 20th even-strength goal … It was his 11th goal in December, the second most of his career in a single month (13 in March 2021) and the most by an Avalanche player in the month of December since the franchise relocated … Mikko has a three-game goal streak and a four-game ROAD goal streak

• Makar’s goal was the 56th of his career, tying Adam Foote for the sixth most by a defenseman in franchise history

• Rodrigues’ goal was his fifth power-play marker of 2022-23, tied for the club lead

TONIGHT’S GAME
COLORADO vs. LOS ANGELES
7:08 p.m.
Altitude / 92.5
Altitude: Marc Moser (play-by-play), Mark Rycroft (analyst), Katie Gaus (reporter) / Radio: Conor McGahey
The Colorado Avalanche opens a three-game homestand tonight against the Los Angeles Kings at Ball Arena … Colorado will play Toronto on Saturday before closing out the home stay on Monday against the Vegas Golden Knights … The Avs had their four-game winning streak snapped on Tuesday in Arizona but are still 6-2-0 in their last eight contests … Colorado has won three straight on home ice and is 4-1-0 in its last five at Ball Arena.

AVALANCHE & KINGS
Tonight is the first of three games between the Avalanche and Kings in 2022-23 … The Avs have won the last nine meetings against Los Angeles, the longest win streak by either team in this series and Colorado’s longest active win streak versus any opponent … In fact, if the Avalanche can stretch that winning streak to 10 games tonight, it would match their longest streak against an opponent in franchise history … Colorado won 10 consecutive games against Buffalo from March 7, 2007 – Jan. 20, 2016, against Columbus from Oct. 14, 2000 – Jan. 23, 2003 and the Nordiques won 10 in a row against Pittsburgh from Oct. 21, 1982 – Oct. 19, 1985 … The Avs out-scored the Kings 16-4 in last year’s three-game season series sweep.

SCHEDULE vs. KINGS
Dec. 29 vs. LAK
Mar. 9 vs. LAK
Apr. 8 @ LAK

RECORD VS. KINGS
THIS SEASON 2021-22 ALL-TIME SINCE 1995-96 PLAYOFFS
Overall: — Overall: 3-0-0 Overall: 67-66-15 Overall: 49-44-11 Series: 2 (2-0)
Home: — Home: 1-0-0 Home: 38-29-5 Home: 28-20-2 W-L Record: 8-6
Road: — Road: 2-0-0 Road: 29-37-10 Road: 21-24-9

NHL Preview: Dallas Stars (21-9-6) at Minnesota Wild (20-12-2)

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NHL Preview: Dallas Stars (21-9-6) at Minnesota Wild (20-12-2)

DALLAS STARS NOTES:

LAST DALLAS STARS GAME
Dec. 27, 2022 – STARS 3 at PREDATORS 2
With a flair for the dramatic, forward Roope Hintz (2-0—2) scored the go-ahead goal with just 52.3 seconds remaining in regulation to give the Stars a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday. The goal, his second of the night and 18th of the season, gave the Stars their second win in a row and seventh in their past 10 games (7-2-1). It also widened the gap between them (21-9-6, 48 points) and the second-place Winnipeg Jets (21-13-1, 43 points), who have lost three in a row. The Stars have won all three games against the Predators this season, outscoring them 12-4. Opening the scoring just 1:19 into the game, Stars captain Jamie Benn (343) surpassed Brian Bellows (342) for sole possession of second place on the franchise’s all-time goals list. Defenseman Miro Heiskanen (0-1—1) and forwards Joe Pavelski (0-1—1) and Jason Robertson (0-1—1) picked up assists, while rookie Fredrik Olofsson made his NHL debut. Olofsson finished the game with four shots (second-most on the team) in 9:16 TOI. Goaltender Jake Oettinger improved to 3-0-0 with a 1.33 goals-against average and .956 save percentage in three appearances this season against Nashville.
PP: 1-6 | PK: 3-3 | SF: 33 | SA: 28 | DAL TOI: Heiskanen (27:05 – game high) | Attendance: 17,768
Three Stars: 1. DAL – R. Hintz 2. NSH – J. Saros 3. NSH – Y. Trenin

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time (CT) Location TV/Radio
Thu., Dec. 29, 2022 Minnesota Wild 7 p.m. Xcel Energy Center BSSWX/KTCK
Sat., Dec. 31, 2022 San Jose Sharks 7 p.m. American Airlines Center BSSWX/KTCK
Tue., Jan. 3, 2023 Los Angeles Kings 9 p.m. Crypto.com Arena ESPN/KTCK
Wed., Jan. 4, 2023 Anaheim Ducks 9 p.m. Honda Center BSSW/KTCK
Sun., Jan. 8, 2023 Florida Panthers 2:30 p.m. American Airlines Center BSSWX/KTCK

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Nov. 22 – Recalled forward Fredrik Karlstrom from Texas (AHL)
Nov. 29 – Loaned forward Fredrik Karlstrom to Texas (AHL)
Dec. 12 – Recalled forward Riley Tufte from Texas (AHL)
Dec. 15 – Acquired defenseman Oskari Laaksonen from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for defenseman Joseph Cecconi
Dec. 23 – Loaned forward Riley Tufte to Texas (AHL)
Dec. 27 – Recalled forward Fredrik Olofsson from Texas (AHL)

INJURIES
Man-games lost, 2022-23: 14
NAME INJURY # OF GAMES DATES
D Miro Heiskanen Upper body 3 Oct. 25-29
G Jake Oettinger Lower body 4 Nov. 1-8
F Denis Gurianov Upper body 6 Nov. 11-21
F Roope Hintz Lower body 1 Nov. 19

DALLAS STARS NOTES
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Stars close out their two-game road trip against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center (7 p.m. CT, TV: Bally Sports Southwest Extra, Radio: The Ticket 96.7-FM/1310-AM). This is the second of four meetings between the Stars and Wild this season and the first of two in the Twin Cities. Minnesota opened the four-game set with a 6-5 shootout victory on Dec. 4 at American Airlines Center in a game that saw Dallas become the second team in as many seasons to overcome a four-goal, third-period deficit to at least tie the game. Following tonight’s matchup, the Stars will return home to host the San Jose Sharks on New Year’s Eve at AAC.

I KNOW I’VE DONE THIS BEFORE

  • Dallas is 0-0-1 vs. Minnesota this season, falling 6-5 in a shootout on Dec. 4 at American Airlines Center.
  • Forward Roope Hintz (3-1—4) recorded his second career hat trick and tied his career high for points in a game in the series opener against the Wild.
  • Hintz has six goals and 12 points (6-6—12) in 13 career games against Minnesota.
  • With two points (1-1—2) against the Wild on Dec. 4, forward Jason Robertson (23-18—41 in 25 GP) required the third-fewest games by a player in franchise history to reach the 40-point mark in a season.
  • Robertson has found strong success against the Wild in his career, recording six goals and nine points (6-3—9) in five career games against them.
  • Robertson led the offensive charge against Minnesota last season with five goals and seven points (5-2—7) in five games. He recorded a hat trick (3-0—3) in a 6-3 victory at Xcel Energy Center on March 6 to become the second player in franchise history (1967- present) to score a hat trick in consecutive games (also March 4 at Winnipeg). Robertson joined Bill Goldsworthy (2 GP from March 16-21, 1971) as the only two players in franchise history to hold that mark.
  • Robertson followed that up with a two-goal effort (2-0—2) in the series finale, a 4-3 OT loss on April 14 at American Airlines Center.
  • In the series opener earlier this month, forward Joe Pavelski (0-3—3) assisted on three of Dallas’ four third-period goals to match the franchise record for most in a single period – a feat last achieved by Tyler Seguin on April 2, 2022 (0-3—3 in the first period).
  • Pavelski lead active Stars in goals (21) and points (21-23—44), ranks third in assists (23) and shares second in game-winning tallies (3). He also paces the club in power-play goals (6) in a team-high 50 career games against Minnesota.
  • Captain Jamie Benn shares second among active Stars with 42 points (17-25—42) in his career against Minnesota. Benn also ranks second in goals (17), assists (25), power-play tallies (5) and games played (49), while ranking first in game winners (4) against them.
  • Forward Tyler Seguin shares second (with Benn) with 42 points (16-26—42) in 38 career games against the Wild. He also paces the club with 163 shots on goal vs. Minnesota.
  • Forward Mason Marchment enters tonight’s game with four goals and five points (4-1—5) in just two career games vs. Minnesota.
  • In his first career game against Minnesota on Feb. 18, Marchment recorded his first career hat trick (3-0—3) in a 6-2 Panthers victory at Xcel Energy Center. He added a goal and an assist (1-1—2) in Dallas’ 6-5 shootout defeat on Dec. 4.
  • Defenseman Miro Heiskanen has nine points (1-8—9) and a +8 rating in 12 career games vs. Minnesota.
  • Defenseman Ryan Suter spent nine seasons with the Wild from 2012-2020, recording 369 points (55-314—369) in 656 regularseason games.
  • Lakeville, Minnesota native Jake Oettinger is 2-0-0 with a 3.98 goals-against average and .851 save percentage in four career appearances against the Wild.
  • Goaltender Scott Wedgewood is 0-1-2 with a 3.29 GAA and .887 SV% in four career appearances vs. Minnesota.

2022-23 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
Dec. 4 vs. Minnesota – L, 6-5 (shootout)
Dec. 29 at Minnesota
Feb. 8 vs. Minnesota
Feb. 17 at Minnesota

MINNESOTA WILD NOTES:

SERIES NOTES
DALLAS STARS
All-Time Wild Record: 36-35-13 (23-12-5 at Xcel Energy Center,
13-23-8 at Dallas)
2023-23: Minnesota won the series opening game, 6-5, in a shootout (12/4)…D Jared Spurgeon (0-2=2) and RW Ryan Reaves (0-2=2) led Minnesota with two points each…C Connor Dewar (1-0=1), C Joel Eriksson Ek (1-0=1), LW Jordan Greenway (1-0=1), LW Kirill Kaprizov (1-0=1) and D Jake Middleton (1- 0=1) all scored goals…G Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 30 of 35 shots faced for the Wild…C Roope Hintz led Dallas with four points (3-1=4)…C Joe Pavelski (0-3=3), LW Jason Robertson (1-1=2) and LW Mason Marchment (1-1=2) all added multi-point performances…G Jake Oettinger started for Dallas and stopped 12 of 16 shots faced…G Scott Wedgewood entered and stopped 14 of 15 shots faced.

WILD LEADERS: Spurgeon leads Minnesota with 19 points (6-13=19) in 39 contests against Dallas…LW Mats Zuccarello owns 18 points (3-15=18) in 20 games against Dallas…C Ryan Hartman has 14 points (7-7=14) in 24 matches…D Matt Dumba owns 12 points (6-6=12) in 27 games.

WILD GOALIES: Fleury is 13-5-1 with a 2.13 GAA, a .927 SV% and one shutout in 19 starts vs. the Stars…G Filip Gustavsson is 2-0-0 with a 1.50 GAA and a .959 SV% in two starts.

STARS LEADERS: Pavelski leads Dallas with 44 points (21-23=44) in 50 matches against Minnesota…C Tyler Seguin owns 42 points (16-26=42) in 38 contests against Minnesota…LW Jamie Benn has 42 points (17-25=42) in 49 games…Hintz has 12 points (6-6=12) in 13 contests.

STARS GOALIES: Oettinger is 2-0-0 with a 3.98 GAA and a .851 SV% in four career games (three starts)…Wedgewood is 0-1-2 with a 3.25 GAA and a .887 SV% in four games (two starts).

FAST FACTS: Minnesota is 18-10-5 in its last 33 games against Dallas…The Wild is 12-4-3 in the last 19 games against the Stars at Xcel Energy Center… Minnesota has points in 11 of the last 18 games (9-7-2) played at American Airlines Center…Minnesota was defeated by Dallas in six games in the 2016 First Round

ON THE POWER PLAY
• Minnesota ranks 10th in the NHL with a 24.1 power-play percentage this season, converting 27 of 112 opportunities

• The Wild have converted 32.1 percent (18 of 56) of power-play opportunities at home this season, second-best in the NHL.

• The Wild have registered a PPG in 13 of its last 16 games. Since Nov. 23, Minnesota ranks seventh in the NHL with a 28.3 powerplay percentage (15 of 53).

• Minnesota recorded a power-play goal in a season-high six consecutive games from Nov. 23 – Dec. 4, going eight-for-19 (42.1 pct.) during that span. The streak tied for the fifth-longest in franchise history

PENALTY KILLERS
• Since Nov. 8, Minnesota is third in the NHL with a 82.9 penaltykill percentage (68 for 82).

• Minnesota is eighth in the NHL with a 82.8 penalty-kill percentage (48 of 58) on the road this season.

WE’RE HEADED TO OVERTIME
• This season, Minnesota has five victories in games decided past regulation. The Wild have two overtime wins and three shootout victories.

• Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Minnesota leads the NHL with 21 victories in extra-session games.

NHL Preview: Chicago Blackhawks (8-21-4) at St. Louis Blues (16-16-3)

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NHL Preview: Chicago Blackhawks (8-21-4) at St. Louis Blues (16-16-3)

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: NBCSCH – Chris Vosters (PxP) and Troy Murray (analyst)
RADIO: WGN-AM 720 – John Wiedeman (PxP) and Caley Chelios (analyst)

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Saturday, Dec. 31 at CBJ, 12:00 p.m. CT (NBCSCH, WGN Radio)
Sunday, Jan. 1 vs. SJS, 6:00 p.m. CT (NBCSCH, WGN Radio, Univision (Spanish))
Tuesday, Jan. 3 vs. TBL, 7:30 p.m. CT (NBCSCH, WGN Radio, Univision (Spanish))
Friday, Jan. 6 vs. ARI, 7:30 p.m. CT (NBCSCH+, WGN Radio, Univision (Spanish))
Sunday, Jan. 8 vs. CGY, 6:00 p.m. CT (NBCSCH, WGN Radio, Univision (Spanish))

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Dec. 19 – Activated Alex Stalock off IR and assigned Arvid Soderblom to Rockford … Placed Jarred Tinordi on IR and recalled Isaak Phillips from Rockford … Dec. 13 – Activated Tyler Johnson off IR and assigned Filip Roos to Rockford … Dec. 12 – Activated Petr Mrazek off injured reserve and assigned Jaxson Stauber to Rockford … Dec. 7 – Assigned Lukas Reichel to Rockford … Dec. 6 – Recalled Lukas Reichel and placed Petr Mrazek on IR … Dec. 1 – Recalled Ian Mitchell from Rockford and placed Jarred Tinordi on IR.

LAST TIME OUT
Score: Chicago (0) at Carolina (3) – Tue., Dec. 27 – PNC Arena
CHI Goals:
CAR Goals: Necas (15), Fast (5), Martinook (9)
Goalies: CHI – Mrazek (46/49, 60:00) CAR – Raanta (24/24, 60:00)
CHI PP: 0/3; PK: 3/3
CAR PP: 0/3; PK: 3/3
Recap: The Blackhawks were shutout by the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday 3-0 … Connor Murphy posted a game-high four blocked shots … Sam Laffery posted a season-high five hits, also pacing all players … Petr Mrazek made a career-best 46 saves on 49 shots.

TONIGHT’S OPPONENT – ST. LOUIS BLUES
The Blackhawks play in their second of four matchups against the Blues tonight in St. Louis … Chicago fell 5-2 in the first meeting between the two teams on Nov. 16 … Andreas Athanasiou scored both Blackhawks goals in that game … Patrick Kane notched an assist last game and has 15 points (7G, 8A) in his last 14 contests against the Blues … Max Domi also registered an assist in the Blackhawks’ last contest against the Blues and has 10 points (2G, 8A) in his last 10 games against them. 2022-23 Schedule/Results: HOME: Nov. 16 (2-5), March 30 | AWAY: Dec. 29, Jan. 21 All-Time Record: 153-125-46 | Home: 93-47-24 | Road: 60-78-22
Last Home Win: Nov. 26, 2021 (3-2 OT) | Last Road Win: Oct. 6, 2018 (4-3) | Last Home Loss: Nov. 26,
2022 (2-5) | Last Road Loss: Feb. 12, 2022 (1-5)

BLACKHAWKS RECORD ON…
One-Day Rest: 6-8-1
Two-Days Rest: 0-4-0
Three+ Days Rest: 1-2-1
First Game of a B2B: 1-3-1
Second Game of a B2B: 0-4-1

BLACKHAWKS RECORD BY DAY
Monday: 0-1-0
Tuesday: 1-4-0
Wednesday: 0-5-0
Thursday: 1-3-1
Friday: 2-2-1
Saturday: 3-2-1
Sunday: 1-4-1

ST. LOUIS BLUES NOTES:

CURRENT INJURIES
Scott Perunovich – Shoulder (Re-evaluated in 6 months, announced on Oct. 4)
Marco Scandella – Right Hip (Re-evaluated in 6 months, announced on Sep. 20)
Torey Krug – Lower-Body (Re-evaluated in 6 weeks, announced on Dec. 27)
2022-23 Total Man Games Lost: 126

Recent Transactions
December
27 – Recalled defenseman Tyler Tucker from the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL)
27 – Placed Torey Krug on injured reserve (LTIR)
19 – Activated forward Logan Brown from injured reserve

BLUES VS. BLACKHAWKS

  • The Blues and Blackhawks will meet for the 2nd of 4 matchups this season (Also: Jan. 21 in STL / Mar. 30 in Chicago)
  • The Blues won the first matchup of the season, 5-2 back on Nov. 16 in Chicago
  • The Blues went 3-0-1 against Chicago last season (2-0-0 at home; 1-0-1 away)
  • The Blues have won 3 straight games against Chicago, outscoring the Blackhawks 14-3 in those 3 games
  • The Blues have earned points in 10 straight games against Chicago (8-0-2), which is their longest point streak against Chicago in franchise history (Previous: 7-0-1 run from Dec. 17, 1988 to Oct. 14, 1989) (with the 1 being a tie)
  • In their 10-game point streak against Chicago, the Blues have outscored the Blackhawks 36-17 and are 8 for 26 (30.8%) on the power play
  • The Blues have also won 5 straight home games against Chicago and have earned points in 6 straight games against the Blackhawks at enterprise Center (5-0-1)
  • The last game the Blues lost in regulation to Chicago at home was on Apr. 4, 2018
  • The Blues are 4-1-3 in their last 8 games overall since Dec. 11 vs. Colorado
  • The Blues’ 4 wins since Dec. 11 share 9th in the NHL (1. Carolina, 8), while their 11 points share 7th in the NHL (1. Boston/Carolina, 16 points)
  • Pavel Buchnevich is expected to dress in his 100th game as a Blue

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
12/31 – vs. Minnesota
1/3 – at Toronto
1/5 – at New Jersey
1/7 – at Montreal
1/8 – at Minnesota

A LOOK AHEAD

  • The Blues will finish out the 2022 calendar hosting 2 central division opponents (Chicago tonight; Minnesota on Saturday)
  • The Blues will open 2023 on a 4-game road trip, 3 of which will come against the Eastern Conference
  • 4 of the Blues’ next 6 games will come against teams who currently hold a playoff spot
  • After their 4-game road trip ends against Minnesota on Jan. 8, the Blues will be at the exact halfway point of the 2022-23 season

BLUES HAVE SUCCESSFUL ROAD TRIP BEFORE HOLIDAY BREAK

  • The Blues went 3-1-1, completing a season-long 10-day, 5-game road trip on Dec. 23 in Vegas before the holiday break
  • The Blues earned 7 of a possible 10 points on their 5-game trip
  • The Blues went 5 for 15 (33.3%) on the power play over their 5-game road trip, which shared the 6th best power play in the NHL from Dec. 15-23, when their road trip started (1. Vegas, 6 for 13, 46.2%)
  • The Blues scored 20 goals on their road trip (including shootout deciding goals), marking just the 5th time in franchise history the Blues have scored 20 or more goals on a road trip of exactly 5 games (first time since the 1995-96 season)

SPECIAL TEAMS STARTING TO HEAT UP

  • The Blues have scored a power play goal in 5 straight games, going 6 for 15 (40.0%) on the power play over those 5 games (2nd time this season with a power play goal in 5 straight games; also: Nov. 17-25)
  • Since Dec. 16, the Blues 40.0% power play ranks 2nd in the NHL (Pittsburgh, 42.9%), while their 6 power play goals share 2nd in the NHL (1. Dallas, 7)
  • From the beginning of the season through Dec. 15, the Blues had a power play percentage 20.5%, which ranked 23rd in the NHL
  • From Dec. 16 to now, the Blues have improved their season power play percentage to 23.5%, which ranks 12th in the NHL (1. Edmonton, 32.3%)
  • The Blues have also not allowed a power play goal in 6 of their last 8 games (23 for 26, 88.5%), which is the 6th best penalty kill in the NHL in that span (since. Dec. 11) (1. Tampa Bay, 15 for 16, 93.8%)

DEFENSEMEN CONTRIBUTING OFFENSE FOR BLUES

  • The Blues defensemen have combined for 16 goals this season, which shares 13th in the NHL (1. NYI, 25)
  • The Blues are 8-2-2 this season when a defenseman scores
  • The Blues’ defense has contributed 6 power play goals this season, which shares 1st in the NHL (Ottawa)
  • They have also contributed 5 game-winning goals, which shares 3rd in the NHL (1. Carolina/Winnipeg, 6)
  • Justin Faulk leads Blues d-men with 6 goals, which also shares 12th in the NHL among all defensemen (1. Karlsson, 13)
  • Torey Krug’s 4 power play goals rank 3rd on the Blues (1. Kyrou, 6 / 2. Buchnevich, 5) and share 2nd in the NHL among all defensemen (1. Chabot, 5)

-Justin Faulk’s 2 game-winning goals share the 8th most among all defensemen in the NHL (1. R. Andersson/Morrissey, 4)

  • Colton Parayko has 49 career goals and with his next goal, he will become the 7th defenseman in franchise history to score 50 goals with the Blues

NHL Preview: Columbus Blue Jackets (10-21-2) at New York Islanders (20-14-2)

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NHL Preview: Columbus Blue Jackets (10-21-2) at New York Islanders (20-14-2)

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS NOTES:

Dec. 29, 2022 Game No. 34 (10-21-2, 22 pts.)
at New York Islanders (20-14-2, 42 pts.), UBS Arena Road Game No. 14 (2-10-1, 5 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: DEC. 23, 2022 – CBJ 2 at CHI 5
CBJ Goal Scorers: PP – Marchenko (4), Bjork (3)
CHI Goal Scorers: Kane (5), Domi (11), Athanasiou (7), Raddysh (10), PP – Toews (11)
Goalies: CBJ – Tarasov (16/20; 23:24), Korpisalo (17/18; 36:22); CHI – Stalock (27/29; 60:00)
CBJ PP: 1/4; PK: 4/5 | Shots: CBJ: 29 / CHI: 38
3 Stars: 1. Toews, CHI; 2. Kane, CHI; 3. Stalock, CHI
Noteworthy: CBJ lost their 6th-straight game… CHI led 4-0 until CBJ scored with 6:12 left in the 2nd period and again 3:21 into the 3rd period to make it 4-2… CHI scored a PPG with 7:44 left in the 3rd… Bjork notched his 1st career multi-point game (1-1-2)… Roslovic (0-2-2) recorded his 3rd multi-assist/4th multi-point effort to extend his assists streak to 3-straight games (0-4-4), while also notching his 100th career NHL assist (1st assist)… Marchenko scored in his 2nd consecutive game (2-0-2)… Nyquist registered an assist, extending his assist streak to 3-straight outings (0-3-3)

OhioHEALTH INJURY REPORT
Danforth (torn labrum); Placed on Injured Reserve (Oct. 25); 6 months (27 games)
Voracek (concussion); Placed on Injured Reserve (Nov. 4); out indefinitely (22 games)
Blankenburg (ankle); Placed on Injured Reserve (Nov. 10); 6-8 weeks (20 games)
Werenski (torn labrum); Placed on Injured Reserve (retro to Nov. 10); rest of regular season (20 games)
Bean (shoulder); Placed on IR (retro to Nov. 15); out indefinitely (19 games)
Jenner (thumb); Placed on IR (Dec. 19); approximately 4 weeks (3 games)
Chinakhov (ankle); Placed on IR (Dec. 20); 4 weeks (2 games)
Merzlikins (COVID); day-to-day (2 games)
Laine (COVID); day-to-day
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 206

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Dec. 28 Activated Sillinger off Injured Reserve, added Bemstrom to roster on emergency recall from Cleveland (AHL) and assigned Christiansen to Cleveland (AHL)
Dec. 24. Assigned Dunne to Cleveland (AHL)
Dec. 22 Activated Boqvist and Korpisalo off Injured Reserve, placed Sillinger on Injured Reserve retroactive to Dec. 17 and assigned Greaves to Cleveland (AHL)
Dec. 20 Placed Chinakhov on Injured Reserve and added Greaves to roster on emergency recall from Cleveland (AHL)
Dec. 19 Signed Richards to a one-year, two-way NHL/AHL contract for rest of 2022-23 season
Dec. 19 Placed Jenner on Injured Reserve and recalled Dunne from Cleveland (AHL)
Dec. 12 Recalled Tarasov from Cleveland (AHL) and assigned Greaves to Cleveland (AHL)

TONIGHT’S GAME BROADCAST INFO
7:30pm ET | Bally Sports Ohio | 97.1 FM

AGAINST THE ISLANDERS
2022-23 Series: 0-1-1 (0-0-1 at NYI)
2021-22 Series: 1-3-0 (0-2-0 at NYI)
All-Time Series: 23-17-1-7 (8-12-0-3 at NYI)
Last 10 (Overall | Road): 3-5-2 | 3-6-1
All-Time GF/GA: 140/135
All-Time SF/SA: 1,583/1,481
All-Time PP: 37-of-163
All-Time PK: 114-of-135

THE LAST GAME VS. NYI: NOV. 25, 2022 – CBJ 2 vs. NYI 3
CBJ Goal Scorers: PP – Chinakhov (4), PP – Johnson (5)
NYI Goal Scorers: Wahlstrom (6), PP – Pageau (6), Nelson (10)
Goalies: CBJ – Korpisalo (21/24; 58:04); NYI – Sorokin (24/26; 60:00)
CBJ PP: 2/4; PK: 3/4 | Shots: CBJ: 26 / NYI: 24
3 Stars: 1. Nelson, NYI; 2. Johnson, CBJ; 3. Barzal, NYI
Noteworthy: CBJ fell for 2nd-straight game… CBJ scored 2 PPG for 2nd time this season (also on Nov. 20 vs. FLA)… NYI scored the 1st 2 goals of the game, but CBJ scored 2 goals 33 seconds apart in the 2nd to tie the game heading into the 3rd… NYI scored GWG 6:10 into the 3rd… Johnson notched his 1st career multi-point game (1-1-2)… Gaudreau recorded his team-leading 5th multi-point and 3rd multi-assist effort of the campaign (0-2-2)… Chinakhov scored a PPG, giving him 2-3-5 in his last 6 games played.

SEASON SERIES LEFT: Mar. 24 at CBJ
CBJ/NYI CONNECTIONS
CBJ: Goto spent 7 seasons with NYI from 2005-12.

NOTED (Team Highlights vs. NYI)
CBJ are 9-10-2 vs. NYI since the start of 2016-17 but NYI has won the last 5 outings (CBJ; 0-4-1)… CBJ have picked up points in 2 of the last 4 games at NYI (1-2-1)… The home team is 7-3-1 in the last 11 meetings of the series dating back to 3/11/19… CBJ have killed off 22-of-26 NYI power play attempts over last 13 games (84.6 pct.) and 11-of-13 in the last 7 road contests (84.6 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… Neither team has recorded a penalty shot in the series… Most goals scored at NYI: 7 (12/23/00)… Most goals allowed at NYI: 6 (2/14/15).

NOTED (Player Highlights vs. NYI)
Bayreuther tallied his 1st career assist on 11/18/18 at NYI… Bjork notched a goal in his NHL debut on 11/12/22 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… Korpisalo posted 1st NHL shutout (24 saves) on 2/25/17 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… Sillinger scored 1st career
NHL goal on 10/21/21 vs. NYI.

PLAYER NOTABLES vs. NYI
•Bemstrom – 2-1-3 in 5 career GP, including 1-1-2 in the game on Nov. 12

•Bjork – 1-1-2 in 2 career GP with points scored in both contests of the season series including his first career NHL goal on Nov. 12

•Gaudreau – 4-10-14 in 13 career GP, including three multi-point outings in the last four games against NYI (1-5-6), and points in nine of the last 10 games played (3-10-13)

•Gavrikov – 3-2-5 in 9 career GP, including 2-1-3 in the last four contests

HIT THE ROAD, (BLUE) JACK(ETS)
The Blue Jackets fell for the sixth-straight game and moved to 7-12-2 in the last 21 games overall following a 5-2 loss at Chicago on December 23. Columbus plays two more games before the new year; Thursday at the NY Islanders and a Saturday matinee vs. the Blackhawks at Nationwide Arena. The Blue Jackets close out a stretch of six-of-eight contests away from Nationwide Arena tomorrow. The stretch of road games began back on December 13.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS NOTES:

LAST GAME
DATE NYI RESULT SCORE NYI SCORERS IN GOAL
Tues., Dec. 27, 2022 Win NYI 5 vs. PIT 1 Lee (2), Barzal (2),
Bailey
Sorokin (20/21)
Anders Lee and Mathew Barzal each scored twice, while Brock Nelson recorded two assists and Josh Bailey recorded a goal and assist to help the New York Islanders defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-1, Tuesday night at UBS Arena. Hudson Fasching recorded his third point as an Islander, Noah Dobson recorded his 14th assist of the season, and netminder Ilya Sorokin turned away 20 of 21 shots to earn his 12th win of the season in his 100th career NHL game.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Dec. 23 Kyle Palmieri (Dec. 16) and Semyon Varlamov (Dec. 17) have both been placed on IR, retroactive to their
dates. Aatu Raty and Parker Wotherspoon have been recalled from loan (Bridgeport).
Dec. 21 Cal Clutterbuck has been placed on IR (retroactive to Dec. 16).
Dec. 18 Cory Schneider has been emergency recalled from loan (Bridgeport).
Dec. 17 Cal Clutterbuck and Kyle Palmieri are both day to day with upper body injuries.
Dec. 16 Kyle Palmieri has been activated off the team’s IR list.
Dec. 15 Adam Pelech has been placed on IR (retroactive Dec. 6).

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
Tonight, the New York Islanders host the Columbus Blue Jackets in the third of four matchups between the two clubs this season. The last time these teams met was just over a month ago on November 25, when Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Brock Nelson each scored, and Mathew Barzal tallied two assists, to help the Islanders to a 3-2 win in Columbus. The Islanders enter tonight’s game with an 8-4-0 record against Metropolitan Division opponents after defeating the Penguins on Tuesday, and they have won each of their last five matchups against Columbus.

INJURIES GAMES MISSED

3 Adam Pelech Dec. 9 –

10 Simon Holmstrom Dec. 27 –

12 Josh Bailey Nov. 29

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

18 Anthony Beauvillier Dec. 10 – Dec. 13

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

25 Sebastian Aho Oct. 13 – Oct. 20

26 Oliver Wahlstrom Oct. 13

40 Semyon Varlamov Dec. 19 –

Man Games Lost: 47

RECENT RESULTS
Tuesday, Dec. 27 vs. Pittsburgh W (5-1)
Friday, Dec. 23 vs. Florida W (5-1)
Thursday, Dec. 22 at NY Rangers L (5-3)
Monday. Dec. 19 at Colorado L/SO (1-0)
Saturday, Dec. 17 at Vegas W (5-2)

UPCOMING GAMES
Jan. 1 at Seattle Climate Pledge Arena (Seattle, WA) 8:00pm
Jan. 3 at Vancouver Rogers Arena (Vancouver, BC) 10:00pm
Jan. 5 at Edmonton Rogers Place (Edmonton, AB) 9:00pm
Jan. 6 at Calgary Scotiabank Saddledome (Calgary, AB) 9:00pm
Jan. 10 vs. Dallas UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) 7:30pm

SEASON SERIES
DATE LOCATION RESULT/TIME
Nov. 12, 2022 UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) W (OT), 4-3
Nov. 25, 2022 Nationwide Arena (Columbus, OH) W, 3-2
Dec. 29, 2022 UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) 7:30pm
Mar. 24, 2023 Nationwide Arena (Columbus, OH) 7:00pm

LAST FIVE MEETINGS AGAINST COLUMBUS:
Nov. 25, 2022 Nationwide Arena (Columbus, OH) Win (3-2)
Nov. 12, 2022 UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) Win (OT) 4-3
Mar. 31, 2022 UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) Win (5-2)
Mar. 29, 2022 PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh, PA) Win (4-3)
Mar. 10, 2022 UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) Win (6-0)

vs. THE BLUE JACKETS:
2022-23 2-0-0
Last 5 meetings 5-0-0
Franchise History 24-16-1-7
NYI Home 15-4-0-4
NYI Away 9-12-1-3

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