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NHL Preview: Calgary Flames (24-17-10) at Detroit Red Wings (21-20-8)

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NHL Preview: Calgary Flames (24-17-10) at Detroit Red Wings (21-20-8)

CALGARY FLAMES NOTES:

FLAMES LAST GAME RECAP
February 6, 2023 – CALGARY FLAMES [4] vs. NEW YORK RANGERS 5
The Calgary Flames returned from the All-Star break for a four-game road trip beginning at Madison Square Garden for a tilt against the New York Rangers. Filip Chytil opened the scoring for New York just over five minutes into the game, but midway through the period Blake Coleman banged home his 11th of the season, and the 56 th first period goal for the Flames and the game was tied after 20. Filip Chytil again opened the scoring of a period, this time scoring just 2:02 into the second, but again the Flames would respond with Tyler Toffoli netting his 19th of the season. Mika Zibanejad would help the Rangers re-take the lead with just 14 seconds remaining in the frame, and it was 3-2 New York through 40. In the third Noah Hanifin would find Andrew Mangiapane who would redirect his fourth goal of 2023 into the net, and the Flames battled back to tie the game for the third time. Shortly after, Michael Stone would tee up a slap shot that zipped past Halak to give the Flames their first lead of the night. Mika Zibanejad would respond for New York later in the frame, and the two teams were deadlocked through 60 minutes of play. In overtime, the Rangers would score 1:37 in to win 5-4.

CGY GOAL SCORERS: Coleman (11), Toffoli (19), Mangiapane (11), Stone (5)
GOALIE: Markstrom (28/33, .848 Sv%)
PP: 1/3 (33%)
PK: 2/3 (66%)

FLAMES LAST FIVE RESULTS, RECORD: 3-1-1
DATE RESULT GWG CGY GOALIE OPP. GOALIE
February 6, 2023 CGY [4] at NYR 5 Lafrenière Markstrom Halak
January 27, 2023 CGY [5] at SEA [2] Zadorov Vladar Jones
January 26, 2023 CHI [5] vs. CGY [1] Katchouk Markstrom Stauber
January 23, 2023 CBJ [3] vs. CGY 4 Dube Vladar Korpisalo
January 21, 2023 TBL [3] vs. CGY [6] Dube Vladar Vasilevskiy
*shootout winning goal

FLAMES UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
DATE TIME
(MST) OPPONENT VENUE
February 9, 2023 5:00pm at Detroit Red Wings Little Caesars Arena
February 11, 2023 10:30am at Buffalo Sabres KeyBank Center
February 13, 2023 5:30pm at Ottawa Senators Canadian Tire Centre
February 16, 2023 7:00pm vs. Detroit Red Wings Scotiabank Saddledome
February 18, 2023 8:00pm vs. New York Rangers Scotiabank Saddledome

TONIGHTS STORYLINES & STATS
This is the first of two matchups this season between the Flames and Red Wings. The Flames swept the season-series in 2021-22, with a pair of 3-0 wins. This is a Pacific Division versus Atlantic Division matchup; The Flames have an overall record of 3-4-2 against Atlantic Division opponents this season and a record of 9-8-6 against Eastern Conference opponents.

LAST SEASON VERSUS DETROIT:
The Flames and Red Wings squared off twice last season, with the Flames going 2-0 against the Atlantic Division opponent. Calgary was triumphant by a 3-0 scoreline in both contests and the Flames were the only team the Red Wings did not score against last season. Jacob Markstrom backstopped the Flames in both games, making 33 saves during their first meeting in Detroit, and 19 in the return fixture in Calgary later that season, along with First Star honors in both games. The last time the Flames surrendered a goal to the Red Wings was on February 23, 2020 in a 4-2 Flames win. Dylan Larkin was the goal scorer, and his third period tally was countered just 1:48 later by an Andrew Mangiapane goal.

SUCCESS AT LITTLE CAESARS:
The Calgary Flames look to continue their winning ways at Little Caesars Arena tonight against the Red Wings. Since Detroit moved from Joe Louis Arena, the Flames have traveled to Detroit four times with a 3-1-0 record for a .750 points percentage, the second best points-percentage the Flames have in any rink they will travel to this year behind Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle (1.000 PTS%). The Flames fell in their first ever trip to Little Caesars Arena in its inaugural season, but since then have won three-straight tilts in Detroit, outscoring the Wings 12-5. Jonathan Huberdeau leads all Flames skaters in points at the almost six-year-old venue with 12 (0G, 12A) in 11 trips.

CALGARY FLAMES vs. DETROIT RED WINGS
ALL-TIME HOME AWAY L10 STRK
CGY vs. DET 77-68-16-5 48-28-6-2 29-40-10-3 9-1-0 W6
GAME INFO:
Calgary Flames vs. Detroit Red Wings
7:00pm ET
Little Caesars Arena
TV: Sportsnet One
Radio: Sportsnet Fan 960

2022-23 Season Series: 1-1-0 (Home: 0-1-0, Road 1-0-0)
Feb. 9, 2023 – CGY at DET
Feb. 16, 2023 – DET at CGY

2021-22 Season Series: 2-0-0 (Home: 1-0-0, Road: 1-0-0)
Last Home Win vs. DET: March 12, 2022 – Detroit [0] vs. Calgary [3]
Last Road Win @ DET: October 21, 2021 – Calgary [3] at Detroit [0]
Last Home Loss vs. DET: January 7, 2015 – Detroit [3] vs. Calgary [2]
Last Road Loss @ DET: November 15, 2017 – Calgary [2] at Detroit [8]

2022-23 CALGARY FLAMES
FLAMES RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
Jan. 7 – recalled Jakob Pelletier (F) and Walker Duehr (F) from Calgary (AHL); placed Brett Ritchie (F) on IR
Jan. 13 – reassigned Radim Zohorna (F) to Calgary (AHL)
Jan. 26 – recalled Dennis Gilbert (D) from Calgary (AHL)
Jan. 27 – placed Chris Tanev (D) on IR; activated Brett Ritchie (F) from IR
Jan. 28 – reassigned Walker Duehr (F), Jakob Pelletier (F) and Dennis Gilbert (D) to Calgary (AHL)
Feb. 5 – recalled Jakob Pelletier (F) and Dennis Gilbert (D) from Calgary (AHL)
Feb. 6 – activated Chris Tanev (D) from IR

FLAMES RECENT INJURIES (Total man games lost – 40)
Noah Hanifin – illness (1 game: Oct. 21)
Chris Tanev – upper-body (5 games: Nov. 3 – Nov. 10)
Jonathan Huberdeau – upper-body (3 games: Nov. 8 – Nov. 12)
Michael Stone – lower-body (11 games: Nov. 7 – Nov. 25)
MacKenzie Weegar – non-COVID illness (1 game: Dec. 12)
Elias Lindholm – upper-body injury (1 game: Dec. 12)
Chris Tanev – upper-body injury (3 games: Dec. 14 – Dec. 18)
Radim Zohorna – non-COVID illness (1 game: Dec. 18)
Dennis Gilbert – lower-body injury (4 games: Dec. 20 – Dec. 27)
Brett Ritchie – upper-body injury (8 games: Jan. 8 – Jan. 26)
Chris Tanev – injury reserve (2 games: Jan. 26 – Jan. 27)

DETROIT RED WINGS NOTES:

LAST GAME
RED WINGS 2 vs. EDMONTON 5 (2/7/23)
1ST PERIOD: DET Bertuzzi (Raymond, Larkin) 10:24-EV
2ND PERIOD: EDM McLeod (Broberg, Kane) 3:02-EV; EDM Foegele (Nugent-Hopkins) 3:38-EV; EDM Foegele (Desharnais, Broberg) 11:55-EV; DET Veleno (Seider, Walman) 19:51-EV
3RD PERIOD: EDM Nugent-Hopkins (Barrie, McDavid) 15:38-PP; EDM Kane (Kulak) 17:33-EN
SHOTS: DET 32 (10-12-10) / EDM 27 (9-8-10)
GOALIES: DET Husso (L, 22-26) / EDM Campbell (W, 23-23)
PP: DET 0-5 / EDM 1-4
MAN GAMES LOST (games missed / out since)
Total Man Games Lost: 223
Individual Man Games Lost: Filip Zadina (37), Robby Fabbri (35), Jakub Vrána (33), Matt Luff (32), Tyler Bertuzzi (31), Robert Hägg (15), Elmer Söderblom (13), Gustav Lindström (11), Oskar Sundqvist (7), Olli Määttä (4), Ville Husso (2), Michael Rasmussen (2), Dylan Larkin (1)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
2/5 – Recalled forwards Jonatan Berggren and Filip Zadina from Grand Rapids … Assigned forward Adam Erne to Grand Rapids
2/2 – Activated forward Filip Zadina from injured reserve and assigned him to Grand Rapids for conditioning

TONIGHT’S GAME
RED WINGS vs. FLAMES / 7:00 P.M. EST / LITTLE CAESARS ARENA / TV: BSD / RADIO: WXYT 97.1 FM
TONIGHT: 167th all-time meeting, 83rd in Detroit … First of two games this season, only game at Little Caesars Arena
ALL-TIME vs. CGY: 73-74-16-3 / HOME: 43-28-10-1 / LAST 10: 1-8-1 / IN 2021-22: 0-2-0 / THIS SEASON: 0-0-0
DET top scorers vs. CGY: David Perron (17-18-35 in 42 GP), Dylan Larkin (6-4-10 in 12 GP), Oskar Sundqvist (4-2-6 in 9 GP), Dominik Kubalík (2-2-4 in 6 GP)
CGY top scorers vs. DET: Jonathan Huberdeau (8-25-33 in 36 GP), Nazem Kadri (8-9-17 in 29 GP), Tyler Toffoli (7-7-14 in 17 GP), Blake Coleman (7-6-13 in 19 GP), Elias Lindholm (8-4-12 in 20 GP), Andrew Mangiapane (4-0-4 in 5 GP)

UPCOMING GAMES (ALL TIMES EST)
Saturday, Feb. 11: RED WINGS vs. CANUCKS / 12:00 p.m. / LITTLE CAESARS ARENA / TV: BSD / RADIO: WXYT 97.1 FM
Monday, Feb. 13: RED WINGS at CANUCKS / 10:00 p.m. / Rogers Arena / TV: BSD / RADIO: WXYT 97.1 FM
Wednesday, Feb. 15: RED WINGS at OILERS / 9:30 p.m. / Rogers Place / TV: BSD EXTRA / RADIO: WXYT 97.1 FM

LAST TIME OUT
Feb. 7 vs. Edmonton – 5-2 L
Detroit fell against Edmonton to move to 21-20-8 overall and 12-11-3 inside Little Caesars Arena … The result marks Detroit’s first loss to Edmonton on home ice since Nov. 3, 2018 … The Red Wings are 12-4-0 at home against the Oilers dating back to March 30, 2010 … Tyler Bertuzzi opened the scoring with his second goal of the season … Bertuzzi has five points (2-3-5) in six career head-to-head meetings against Edmonton … The Red Wings are 10-5-3 this season with Bertuzzi in the lineup … Joe Veleno tallied his seventh goal of the season with exactly nine seconds remaining in the second period … Veleno (7-8-15 in 48 GP) matched his point total from the 2021-22 season in 18 fewer games (8-7-15 in 66 GP) … Lucas Raymond recorded the primary assist on Bertuzzi’s goal, giving him 10 points (5-5-10) in 11 games since Jan. 10 vs. Winnipeg … Raymond (38-52-90 in 131 GP) has the third-most points in franchise history before age 21, trailing only Steve Yzerman (83-135-218 in 211 GP) and Gordie Howe (35-68-103 in 158 GP) … Dylan Larkin also picked up an assist on Bertuzzi’s goal … Larkin, who was named the NHL’s Second Star for the week ending Feb. 5, has 11 points (2-9-11) in 11 games since Jan. 10 vs. Winnipeg … Larkin continues to pace the Red Wings in assists (29), points (44) and shots (152) through 48 games … Larkin also finished 15-for-23 (65.2%) at the faceoff circle … Moritz Seider logged the primary assist on Veleno’s goal, giving him 12 points (1-11-12) and a plus-four rating in 11 games since Jan. 10 vs. Winnipeg … Additionally, Seider has three points (1-2-3) in three career head-to-head matchups against Edmonton … Detroit is 13-6-7 this season when scoring first, and 8-5-2 when doing so on home ice … The Red Wings are 6-2-2 this season when leading after one period, and 4-1-0 when doing so on home ice … Detroit has outshot its opponent in seven of its last nine games … In total, the Red Wings are 12-8-4 this season when outshooting their opponent, and 7-7-2 when doing so on home ice.

NHL Preview: Seattle Kraken (29-16-5) at New Jersey Devils (21-20-8)

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NHL Preview: Seattle Kraken (29-16-5) at New Jersey Devils (21-20-8)

SEATTLE KRAKEN NOTES:

LAST GAME
Seattle 0 at NY Islanders 4
Goals: N/A
Goalie: Jones (24/28)
PP: 0/1 PK: 1/1 Shots: Seattle 32 – New York 28

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 132)
Chris Driedger (ACL; IR) – 50 games – month-to-month
Joonas Donskoi (upper body; IR) – 50 games – no timeline for return
Justin Schultz (undisclosed) – 6 games – day-to-day

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
Feb. 5, 2023: Acquired D Jaycob Megna from San Jose in exchange for a 2023 fourth-round pick of Seattle’s choosing

UPCOMING GAMES
Friday, Feb. 10: Seattle at NY Rangers, 4 p.m. PT
Sunday, Feb. 12: Seattle at Philadelphia, 10 a.m. PT
Tuesday, Feb. 14: Seattle at Winnipeg, 5 p.m. PT
Thursday, Feb. 16: Philadelphia at Seattle, 7 p.m. PT
Saturday, Feb. 18: Detroit at Seattle, 7:30 p.m.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
• Tonight’s game against the Devils is the second of five consecutive games the Kraken will play on the road. The team’s five-game road trip ill conclude on Feb. 14 in Winnipeg.

• Tonight’s game also marks the first of a back-to-back set that will conclude tomorrow against the Rangers. It is the fifth of eight back-to-back sets the team will play this season and the third of which where both games are played on the road.

• Tonight’s matchup is the final of two games Seattle will play against the Devils this season, having previously defeated them 4-3 on Jan. 19 in Seattle. A win tonight would give the Kraken their third sweep of the season after having previously swept the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this year.

• In three meetings with New Jersey since the start of the 2021-22 season, the Kraken have never allowed a power-play goal, going a perfect seven-for-seven on the penalty kill. The Devils are one of four teams (Columbus, Montreal, NY Islanders) that the Kraken are perfect on the penalty kill against.

• Adam Larsson was selected by New Jersey with the fourth-overall pick of the 2011 NHL Draft. He went on to play for the Devils for five seasons (2011-12 to 2015-16), totaling 69 points (nine goals, 60 assists) in 274 regular-season games and had one goal in five playoff games. Kraken assistant coach Jay Leach also played for New Jersey for parts of two seasons (2008-09 and 2010-11).

• Since the start of the New Year, the Kraken are tied for the league lead in both in wins (11) and points (23).

• With 48 games played, the Kraken have already surpassed their win (27) and point (60) totals from last season.

• Despite only playing in 49 games this season, the Kraken are the first team to have scored at least eight goals in a game four different times since the Pittsburgh Penguins also has four eight-goal games in 2011-12.

DANCING WITH THE DEVILS
• Matty Beniers (April 16, 2022), Oliver Bjorkstrand (March 19, 2016) and Cale Fleury (Nov. 16, 2019) all scored their first NHL goals against New Jersey. In addition, Fleury recorded his first NHL assist and his first point as a Kraken in the two teams’ last meeting on Jan. 19 in Seattle.

• Oliver Bjorkstrand has seven points (six goals, one assist) in his last seven games against the Devils.

• Will Borgen has recorded a point (one goal, one assist) in each of the two games he has played against New Jersey since joining the Kraken.

• Vince Dunn enters tonight’s game riding a four-game point streak against New Jersey, scoring one goal and adding three assists during that span.

• Yanni Gourde has an assist in each of the three games that Seattle has played against the Devils.

• Philipp Grubauer is undefeated in his career against New Jersey, posting a 5-0-0 record with a 0.924 save percentage, 1.97 goals-against average and one shutout against the Devils.

• Jared McCann has 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in his last 12 games played against the Devils. He had four points (one goal, three assists) in three games against New Jersey since joining the Kraken.

ROAD WARRIORS
• The Kraken have posted an 16-6-2 record while playing on the road this season. The team’s 16 road wins have already surpassed their total from last season (11) despite only playing in 24 road games so far this year.

• Entering play Wednesday, the Kraken ranked in the top five in the NHL this season in road wins (16, tied fourth), points (34, tied fifth), regulation wins (15, tied third) and points percentage (.708, fifth). Seattle is one of only five teams this season to have a points percentage of .700 or better on the road this year.

• The team’s 99 goals and 4.13 goals-per-game-played on the road both led the NHL entering play Wednesday. The Kraken are the only team to be averaging more than four goals per game on the road this season.

• The Kraken have scored at least five goals in 13 of the 24 games they have played on the road this season.

• Matty Beniers is the Kraken’s leading scorer when playing on the road this season, totaling 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists) in 24 games played. He has 12 points (six goals, six assists) in his last 10 road games. Beniers’ 13 goals, 12 assists (tied), 25 points and 1.04 points per game on the road this year were the most among rookies entering play Wednesday.

• Vince Dunn has totaled 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in his last eight games played on the road.

• Daniel Sprong has 10 points (seven goals, three assists) in his last 10 games played on the road.

• Andre Burakovsky has nine points (two goals, seven assists) in his last eight road games.

• Jordan Eberle has eight points (two goals, six assists) in his last eight games played on the road.

• Yanni Gourde has six points (one goal, five assists) in his last six road games.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS NOTES:

Last Game:
Last Game
Vancouver Canucks 4 New Jersey Devils 5 (OT)
(20-26-4 -44 PTS) (33-13-4 -70 PTS)
Three Stars: 1. J. Hughes 2. O. Palat 3. J. Bratt
SCORE 1
ST 2
ND 3
RD OT SO FINAL
Vancouver 1 2 1 0 – 4
DEVILS 1 3 0 1 – 5
New Jersey Devils: Media Notes

Goals:
VAN: A. Kuzmenko, L. Schenn, C. Lazar, P. Di Giuseppe
NJD: J. Hughes, O. Palat, O. Palat, J. Hughes. J. Bratt (OTG/PPG)

INJURIES/ILLNESS
PLAYER INJURY OUT SINCE GAMES MISSED
Jonathan Bernier – LTIR Lower-body, hip 2021-22 50
2022-23 Total Man-Games Lost to Injury/illness: 146

WHAT TO KNOW
The Devils returned from their bye week and the NHL All-Star break with a dramatic 5-4 overtime victory vs Vancouver on Monday at Prudential Center.

Jersey’s team improved to 8-3 in overtime this season, while the most overtime wins in a single season for franchise history is 9 OT wins – accomplished three times:
2008-09: 9-2, led NHL
2013-14: 9-5, ranked 2nd in NHL
2015-16: 9-2, tied for 4th in NHL

Florida earned 13 (13-2) wins in overtime last season, which is the most earned in a single season for NHL history. The Devils conclude a two-game homestand on Thursday, and then travel and experience a four-game road trip, which begins on Feb. 11, at Minnesota.

The Devils are 9-1-1 in their last 11 games played dating to Jan. 7, vs NY Rangers. The team’s .864 points% ranks first in the NHL since that tie, while Carolina ranks second for this matter (.833).

The Devils finished the month of January with a 9-2-2 record and their .769 points% for the month ranked first in the NHL, while Seattle’s 7.67 points% ranked second in the league.

The team’s 33 wins after 50 games played from the start of a season are the second most in franchise history:
34 wins: 2009-10
33 wins: 2022-23
32 wins: 2008-09
31 wins: 2002-03
31 wins: 1999-00
31 wins: 1997-98

The Devils are 16-3-2 vs the Western Conference this season. The most wins earned in a single season vs the West for franchise history is 18, which was earned in 2000-01. The second most wins earned for this matter was 16, twice, logged in 1996-97 and 2015-16. The team also earned 14 wins vs the West in 2017-18.

The Devils improved to 12-0-1 vs the Pacific Division this season. Other Eastern Conference teams that won 12-or-more games in a single season vs the Pacific Division:
13 wins, Carolina: 2021-22
12 wins, Tampa: 2021-22
12 wins, Toronto: 2018-19
12 wins, Boston, 2018-19

Carolina’s 13 wins marked the most wins earned vs the Pacific Division by an Eastern Conference squad.

The Devils are 26-4-4 when Nico Hischier recorded a point in a game this season and 18-6-2 when Jack Hughes scored a goal in a game for 2022-23.

The Devils are 19-7-1 when scoring first in a game this season and 14-6-3 when trailing first in a contest. Boston and the Devils are tied for first when trailing first in a game this season (14-7-2).

The Devils are 22-0-1 when leading after the second period this season, which ranks (tied) for the third most in the NHL. Boston’s 27-0-2 record ranks first in the NHL for this matter.

The Devils are 11-2-2 when outshot by an opponent this season and 21-11-2 when outshooting teams. The Devils are 1-0-0 when shots are even vs an opponent for 2022-23.

Jersey’s team is 30-5-4 when scoring three-or-more goals in a game this season.

The Devils have allowed 1, or fewer, goals against 11 times this season in a game. Jersey’s team allowed one, or fewer goals against, in a game just eight times all of last season.

2022-23 TEAM STATS
RECORD ON DAYS OF THE WEEK
The Devils record on Thursday in 2022-23…4-3-2…at home: 1-1-1…road: 3-2-1
Record in night games in 2022-23…27-13-3…home: 10-10-1…road: 17-3-2
Record in day games in 2022-23…6-0-1…home: 4-0-1…road: 2-0-0
2022-23 Alternate jersey record…4-2-1

RECORD WHEN SCORING FIRST
Scoring first…19-7-1…Trailing first…14-6-3

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

VS SEATLLE
The Devils and Seattle conclude their 2022-23 regular-season series (0-0-1), after Jersey’s team fell to the Kraken on Jan. 19, in a 4-3
overtime loss at Seattle. The Kraken visit the Garden State for the second time in franchise history. New Jersey defeated the Kraken 4-2 on Oct. 19, 2021, at the Rock and in the two teams’ first-ever meeting last season. Jersey’s team was 1-0-1 vs Seattle last season.

ALL-TIME vs SEATTLE
Record: 1-0-2
Home: 1-0-0
Road: 0-0-2

DID YOU KNOW…
The most goals in franchise history earned in a single game vs Seattle was 4 on Oct. 19, 2021, at the Rock in a 4-2 win.
The most goals that the Devils allowed in a single game vs Seattle is 4, twice, last: 4-3 overtime loss on Jan. 19, at Seattle.
The most shots that Jersey earned in a single game vs the Kraken was 33, which was logged on Oct. 19, 2021.
The most shots that the Devils allowed in a single game vs the Kraken was 40, which was logged on Jan. 19, at Seattle.
The Devils, nor Kraken, have logged a shutout against each other.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE .
Thu. Feb 9, vs SEA, 7:00 P.M. E.T.
Sat. Feb 11, at MIN, 8:00 P.M. E.T.
Tue. Feb. 14, at CBJ, 7:00 P.M. E.T.
Thu. Feb. 16, at STL, 8:00 P.M. E.T.
Sat. Feb. 18, at PIT, 5:30 P.M. E.T.

LAST TRADE
The Devils and Kraken never executed a trade.

NHL Preview: San Jose Sharks (16-25-11) at Florida Panthers (25-22-6)

NHL Editor
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NHL Preview: San Jose Sharks (16-25-11) at Florida Panthers (25-22-6)

SAN JOSE SHARKS NOTES:

LAST GAME
Game 52 – 2/7 – SJS 4 at TBL 3 OT…San Jose became the first club to beat Tampa Bay this season when trailing after the first period
(trailing 3-1 at the end of the first period, prev. 20-0-0) and snapped the Lightning’s franchise-record 12-game home winning streak.
Erik Karlsson (1g, 2a) and Timo Meier (2g, 1a) led the Sharks in scoring and connected on the overtime game winner. Karlsson
passed Dan Boyle (47) for the second-most multi-point games by a defenseman in franchise history. Tomas Hertl (0g, 2a) logged
multiple assists. Kaapo Kahkonen saved 34 of 37 shots, including all 15 he saw in the final period.
SJ Goals: Karlsson (17 pp), Meier (29 pp), Gadjovich (3), Meier (30)
SF: 22
SA: 37
SJ PP: 2/3
SJ PK: 5/6
W: Kahkonen
OTL: Elliott

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
2/5 Acquired a conditional 2023 fourth-round selection (Seattle’s choice) from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for D Jaycob Megna
2/5 D Nikolai Knyzhov returned from his long-term injury conditioning loan with the San Jose Barracuda; assigned Knyzhov to the Barracuda

TONIGHT’S OPPONENT – FLORIDA PANTHERS
The Sharks and Panthers meet tonight for game two of the season series, as the Sharks look to sweep the Florida road trip for the sixth time in franchise history. The Panthers took the first meeting between these two teams, 4-3 in the shootout, on Nov. 3. San Jose erased a two-goal deficit entering the third period but gave up a late game-tying goal with Florida’s net empty. Matthew Tkachuk recorded three assists In the game, and Anton Lundell (0g, 2a) and Carter Verhaeghe (1g, 1a) also earned multiple points. Florida is coming off a dominant 7-1 win against Tampa Bay on Feb. 6. Tkachuk earned five points (2g, 3a) in the contest, his first five-point game of the season and third of his career.

FLORIDA PANTHERS NOTES:

BAPTIST HEALTH INJURY REPORT

  • F Anthony Duclair | Games Missed: 53
  • F Patric Hornqvist | Games Missed: 28
    Total Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 164

LAST GAME
Panthers 7, Lightning 1 – Feb. 6 – FLA Live Arena
FLA Goals: Verhaeghe (27), Bennett (13), Tkachuk (26), Luostarinen (11), E. Staal (8), Verhaeghe (28), Tkachuk (27)
TBL Goals: Kucherov (20)
FLA Goalie: Bobrovsky (W) – 32 Saves
TBL Goalie: Vasilevskiy (L) – 42 Saves
FLA Shots: 49
TBL Shots: 33
Notes: Matthew Tkachuk matched his career high with five points (2-3-5), extending his point streak to seven games (5-10-15)…Tkachuk’s six-game assist streak is tied for the longest of his career…Carter Verhaeghe matched his career high with four points (2-2-4)…Sam Bennett matched his personal season high with three points (1-2-3)…Brandon Montour notched an assist to extend his point streak to 10 games (3-7-10), the longest by a d-man in FLA history…Eric Staal scored his 449th NHL goal…Aaron Ekblad notched two assists…FLA PP: 1-2, FLA PK: 2-2

RECENT TRANSACTIONS:

  • Feb. 6: G Alex Lyon loaned to Charlotte (AHL)

PANTHERS vs. SHARKS
ALL-TIME vs. SJS: 20-13-7-1
ALL-TIME HOME vs. SJS: 8-6-5-1
2022-23 vs. SJS: 1-0-0

GOTTA GO TO MO’
Feb. 6 vs. TBL marked Paul Maurice’s 800th win as an NHL head coach, becoming just the sixth in League history to accomplish the feat following Scotty Bowman (1,244), Joel Quenneville (969), Barry Trotz (914), Ken Hitchcock (849) and Lindy Ruff (815). Maurice is one of just four with at least 1,700 NHL games as a head coach (1,737), and he is one of three bench bosses to earn at least 300 wins with two different franchises.

CATS AND SHARKS
The Panthers face off against the Sharks for the second and final time in 2022-23, with Florida earning a 4-3 shootout win at SAP Center on Nov. 3, 2022. Sam Reinhart tallied the lone shootout goal in the game, with Matthew Tkachuk (0-3-3), Carter Verhaeghe (1-1-2) and Anton Lundell (0-2-2) producing multiple points in regulation. The Panthers have earned wins in each of their past seven games against the Sharks dating to Jan. 1, 2019 and own a 9-1-0 matchup over their prior 10 meetings. The Cats have outscored San Jose 31-17 over their previous seven meetings, averaging 4.43 goals for per game.

HOME SWEET HOME
Florida has earned at least one point in three of their past four contests at FLA Live Arena (2-1-1). The Cats have averaged 3.92 goals per game on home ice this season, second only to TBL (4.04), and Florida’s 37.7 shots on goal per game at home lead the league. Matthew Tkachuk’s 1.73 points per game at FLA Live Arena is tied for third-best among League skaters, behind only Nikita Kucherov and Connor McDavid.

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

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

EDMONTON OILERS NOTES:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS NOTES:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TEAM NOTES
QUICK HITS

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

HOME COOKIN’

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

VS. THE WEST

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

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

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

COLORADO AVALANCHE NOTES:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING NOTES:

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

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

TBL ALL-TIME POINT LEADERS VS. COL

  1. Steven Stamkos – 15 pts. (8-7—15, 19 GP)
  2. Victor Hedman – 14 pts. (2-12—14, 20 GP)
    T3. Tyler Johnson – 12 pts. (6-6—12, 14 GP)
    T3. Alex Killorn – 12 pts. (4-8—12, 16 GP)
    T5. Ondrej Palat – 11 pts. (4-7—11, 16 GP)
    T5. Martin St. Louis – 11 pts. (2-9—11, 16 GP)

TONIGHT’S STORYLINES
Tampa Bay is playing the second game of a brief, two-game homestand tonight…The Bolts will play just five of their 12 games in February on home ice…The Lightning are 8-2-0 against Central Division opponents and 16-6-1 against the Western Conference this season…The Bolts are 20-4-2 on home ice this season…Tampa Bay has scored three or more goals in seven consecutive home games and 18 of the last 20 contests at AMALIE Arena…The Lightning have scored a power-play goal in six of the last seven home games.

INJURIES
2022-23 Regular Season Man Games Lost: 91
Current Injuries:
None

TRANSACTIONS
Jan. 30 – Recalled D Nick Perbix from AHL Syracuse
Jan. 30 – Re-assigned F Rudolfs Balcers to AHL Syracuse
Jan. 29 – Assigned D Nick Perbix to AHL Syracuse
Jan. 29 – Recalled F Rudolfs Balcers from AHL Syracuse
Jan. 15 – Assigned F Rudolfs Balcers to AHL Syracuse for conditioning
Jan. 2 – Signed D Nick Perbix to a two-year contract extension

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NHL Morning Skate – Feb. 9, 2023

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NHL Morning Skate – Feb. 9, 2023

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

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

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




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


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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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


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

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

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



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

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



QUICK CLICKS

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

* Avalanche Stanley Cup film to debut Thursday on ESPN+

* NHL Trade Deadline difficult time for players, coaches, GMs

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

* Morgan Frost, Travis Konecny play football during Flyers practice

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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