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MBB-FBS: Nevada Wolfpack (16-5) at UNLV Rebels (13-7)

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MBB-FBS: Nevada Wolfpack (16-5) at UNLV Rebels (13-7)

Coming off of a thrilling double overtime victory over #25 New Mexico, marking the Pack’s first victory over a ranked opponent since 2018, the University of Nevada Men’s Basketball team will make the trip south to Las Vegas to face intrastate rival UNLV on Saturday night. 

Following the Pack’s massive victory over #25 New Mexico, Nevada owns an overall record of 16-5, including a mark of 6-2 in Mountain West play.

The Pack enters Saturday’s contest deadlocked in a tie for second place with Boise State in the conference standings, as they will seek to improve to 7-2 in conference play and keep pace at the top of the league. 

Redshirt junior Will Baker had one of the most impressive outings of his career in the Pack’s win over New Mexico, pouring in a career-high 28 points on a highly efficient 12-17 shooting from the field. Baker logged a career-high 40 minutes of action in the contest. He pulled down five rebounds and dished out a career-high three assists, in addition to the 28 points scored. 

Baker has significantly elevated his game in conference play this season, as the center is averaging 15.5 points per game on outstanding clips of 58.5 percent shooting from the field, 38.9 percent from behind the arc, and 80.8 percent at the free throw line against Mountain West opponents. 

Jarod Lucas had another strong outing on offense against the Lobos, putting up 22 points while knocking down three shots from behind the arc throughout the game. Lucas also earned a plus/minus of +4 in 38 minutes of action. 

Lucas has now reached double figures in scoring in 20 of 21 games this season, and he has accomplished the feat in 19 straight contests. Lucas has also hit multiple 3-pointers in 18 games this year, including hitting three or more shots from deep in 12 contests.

Lucas currently ranks in the top-five of the Mountain West in multiple offensive statistical categories. He is tied for second in the conference in made 3-pointers (57), third in total points scored (358), fourth in points per game (17.0), and sixth in free throw percentage (83.6%). 

Kenan Blackshear had another sensational performance on both ends of the floor for Nevada against New Mexico, as the senior guard dropped 20 points on an efficient 8-13 shooting from the field and 4-5 at the free throw line. Blackshear also tallied four assists and matched a career-high by recording five steals. He logged 39 minutes of action in the contest and finished the game with a plus/minus of +4. 

Blackshear has now eclipsed double figures in scoring in 12 straight games, and in 18 of 21 games overall this season. He has also recorded at least three assists in all but two contests this year for the Pack.

As he has done all season, Blackshear continues to rank in the top-15 of the conference in an abundance of individual statistical categories. Blackshear is currently fourth in total assists (96), fifth in assists per game (4.6), sixth in steals per game (1.8), eighth in free throw percentage (80.9%), 10th in points per game (14.9), and 11th in minutes per contest (32.2). 

Freshman forward Darrion Williams had an exceptional game against New Mexico, as he recorded the first double-double of his collegiate career, putting up 13 points while pulling down a career-high 13 rebounds. Williams also recorded three assists and three steals, in addition to tallying one block in the contest.

Williams has now led Nevada in rebounding in 13 of 21 games this season, and he has surpassed double figures in rebounding in eight contests this year. He currently ranks first on the team and sixth overall in the Mountain West in rebounds per game (7.5), while also ranking eighth in the league in steals per game (1.6). 

Junior Forward Tré Coleman had an all-around phenomenal performance against New Mexico, scoring seven points, in addition to dishing out a game-high and career-high nine assists, pulling down four rebounds, and matching a career-high by recording three assists and three blocks. Coleman has continued to be a defensive force for the Pack this season, and he will look to have another strong defensive outing against UNLV on Saturday. 

As a team, Nevada had an impressive performance on offense in the win over the Lobos, as they shot 48 percent from the field for the game and matched a season-high by recording 23 assists. The Pack also only had nine turnovers throughout the 50-minute game. 

This season, Nevada continues to rank in the top five of the conference in a multitude of defensive statistical categories. The pack currently ranks third in opponent field goal percentage (41.5%), fifth in opponent points per game (66.7 PPG), fifth in opponent 3-point field goal percentage (33.4%), fifth in defensive rebounding (26.3 per game), fifth in turnovers forced (272), and fifth in steals per game (6.3).

Nevada will face a difficult road test against a talented UNLV team this Saturday, as they will look to earn their fifth true road win this season.

Scouting UNLV

UNLV had an impressive run through the non-conference portion of their schedule, as they entered Mountain West play with a record of 11-1 and marquee victories over Dayton and Washington State.

The Runnin’ Rebels have struggled since beginning the conference portion of their schedule, as they currently hold a record of 2-6 in Mountain West play. 

UNLV boasts one of the highest-scoring offenses in the conference this season, as they currently rank third in the league in scoring, averaging 76.4 points per game. The Rebels rely heavily on 3-pointers, as 41.4 percent of their total shot attempts have come from behind the arc this season. They rank seventh in the league in 3-point field goal percentage this year, holding a clip of 35.2% from deep.

Defensively, UNLV is giving up 68.5 points per game to their opponents, which ranks seventh in the Mountain West. 

The Rebels have struggled on the glass this season, as they rank ninth in the league in rebounding margin (-2.4) and last in combined opponent rebounds, as their opponents are pulling down 36.7 boards per game. 

Individually, Oklahoma transfer EJ Harkless has led the way for the Rebels throughout the season on offense. Harkless currently ranks first on the team and fifth in the conference in scoring, as he enters Saturday’s game averaging 17.0 points per game. Harkless is also second on the team in assists (3.4 PG) and third in rebounding (4.9 RPG) this season. 

Sophomore guard Keshon Gilbert is also having a strong season for the Rebels, as he ranks second on the team in scoring, putting up 12.4 points per game on 47.5 percent shooting from the field and 42.3 percent from behind the arc. Gilbert has done a solid job of facilitating in the UNLV offense, as he leads the team in assists this season, averaging 3.8 per game. 

Ole Miss transfer Luis Rodriguez is the third Rebel that is averaging double figures in scoring this year, as the senior guard is putting 12.1 points per game on 44.2 percent shooting from the field and 33.0 percent from behind the arc. Rodriguez also leads the team in rebounding, pulling down 5.7 boards per contest. Rodriguez has been a strong defender for the Rebels, and he enters Saturday’s game ranked second in the Mountain West in steals per game (2.2). 

Nevada will need to protect the 3-point line, win the rebounding battle, and have another efficient offensive performance against the Rebels in order to pick up their 17th victory of the season and progress to 7-2 in Mountain West play. 

Series History

Nevada and UNLV have met on the court 79 times throughout history, with the Rebels holding a 52-27 advantage in the all-time series.  UNLV won the most recent matchup between the two squads, picking up a 62-54 victory last February. 

MBB-FBS: New Mexico State Aggies (7-13) at Utah Valley Wolverines (16-6)

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UTAH VALLEY HOSTS NM STATE ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON AT UCCU CENTER

  • Utah Valley looks to bounce back from a tough road loss at Southern Utah on Thursday night as the Wolverines return to the UCCU Center to host WAC rival New Mexico State on Saturday afternoon. Tip off is set for 2 p.m.
     
  • Justin Harmon scored 16 points and Aziz Bandaogo recorded a 15-point, 13-rebound double-double to lead Utah Valley in a 79-67 setback to Southern Utah on Thursday night at the America First Event Center in Cedar City. Le’Tre Darthard and Trey Woodbury were also in double figures with 10 points apiece.
     
  • Utah Valley has won 13 of its last 15 games over a nearly two-month period. During that stretch, Utah Valley rattled off 11 straight wins that began with an 88-78 win over Long Beach State on Dec. 3 and ended in an 85-80 loss to Seattle U on Jan. 14. The 11-game streak is the second longest streak in program history behind the 2011-12 team, which won 13 straight.
     
  • Utah Valley’s road win streak ended at seven with its loss at SUU on Thursday night. The streak was tied for the third-longest road win streak in the nation. Prior to the loss at SUU, the Wolverines had not lost a road game since falling at Boise State on Nov. 26. UVU’s seven-game road win streak included wins at BYU, Northern Arizona, Oregon, UT Arlington, UTRGV, California Baptist, and Grand Canyon.
     
  • Utah Valley is the top shot blocking team in the nation with 142 blocks and a 6.5 blocks per game average. The Wolverines sit ahead of Iona (6.2 bpg.), Auburn (6.1 bpg.), Florida (6.0 bpg.), and Illinois (6.0). Utah Valley also ranks fifth nationally in defensive rebounds per game (29.41) and 12th in rebounds per game (39.82).
     
  • Aziz Bandaogo ranks in the top-8 nationally in six statistical categories. He ranks fifth in blocks (60), fifth in rebounds (232), seventh in blocks per game (2.73), seventh in double doubles (11), ninth in defensive rebounds per game (7.68), and 11th in rebounds per game (10.5).

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Saturday’s game against New Mexico State will be broadcast live on the ESPN+, which is available on the ESPN+ app and at ESPNplus.com. Brandon Crow and Josh Kallunki will be on the call. The game will also be broadcast over the Utah County airwaves on ESPN 960 AM with Jim McCulloch on the call.

ABOUT NEW MEXICO STATE
New Mexico State enters Saturday’s game with 7-13 overall record and an 0-8 record in WAC play. The Aggies not won a game since defeating North Carolina A&T, 85-76, in El Paso on Dec. 22. The team hasn’t played a game since last Saturday when it dropped an 89-76 decision at Utah Tech. Sophomore guard Anthony Roy led NM State with 20 points off the bench in the loss at Utah Tech on Saturday. Senior guard Xavier Pinson helped with 15 points, while sophomore forward Doctor Bradley and junior guard Deshawndre Washington were also in double digits with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Pinson leads the Aggies in scoring this season at 13.1 points per game. Washington also averages double figures at 12.1 points a contest. Washington is one of 19 players to record a triple double this season. The Aggies rank 48th nationally in bench points per game (25.50) and 84th in steals per game (7.6).

SERIES HISTORY VS. NM STATE
Utah Valley and New Mexico State will meet up on the basketball hardwood for the 20th time on Saturday. NM State holds an all-time 14-5 advantage in the series. The two teams split a pair of WAC regular season games last year with each team winning on its home floor. Three of UVU’s five wins in the series have come at the UCCU Center. The Wolverines picked up a 72-68 win over the Aggies last season in Orem. The game marks the final regular season WAC game between the two teams as NM State is headed to Conference USA next season. 

WBB-FBS: Nevada Wolfpack (8-12) at UNLV Lady Rebels (19-2)

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WBB-FBS: Nevada Wolfpack (8-12) at UNLV Lady Rebels (19-2)

Nevada women’s basketball wraps up a two-game road swing on Saturday at 2 p.m., traveling to UNLV in the Silver State Series. 

Larry Burnett will have the call on 94.1 FM/1450 AM with a 20 minute pregame show prior to tipoff. Fans can also listen live online through the Varsity Network. The game will be available to watch on the Mountain West Network and live stats can be accessed through Sidearm

The Pack is looking at having multiple players pass the 500 career point mark. Junior forward Lexie Givens surpassed the 500 career point mark on Jan. 21 against Fresno State. Sophomore guard Audrey Roden is just three points away from reaching the half century mark for points. She would be just the third player under head coach Amanda Levens to score 500 points at Nevada by their sophomore year.

Nevada was predicted to finish sixth in the conference, accumulating 142 points in voting by the Mountain West coaches. It was Nevada’s highest preseason predicted order of finish under head coach Levens. Defending Mountain West champions UNLV were predicted to finish first in the conference, receiving 26 first place votes. New Mexico, who received the final two first place votes, was predicted to finish second in the conference. 

Nevada has had one fourth of its roster have at least one career 20-point outing. Ormiston has registered a career-high 26 points on two occasions, most recently on Jan. 21 against Fresno State. Roden scored 20 points on Jan. 21 against Fresno State while dropping a career-high 27 points on Dec. 3 against Idaho, hitting the game-tying 3-pointer. Junior guard Victoria Davis is coming off a career-high 23 points at San Jose State on Jan. 26. 

SCOUTING UNLV  
The defending Mountain West champions UNLV are once again on top of the conference standings to start 2023. Receiving votes in both the Associated Press and Coaches Top 25 polls, UNLV has outscored its opponents by an average of 12.3 points per game. 

Desi-Rae Young is one of the top players in the Mountain West, averaging a double-double of 17.5 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game. Essence Booker also adds production with 13.6 points per game along with Nneka Obiazor brings in 12.4 points per game. 

MBB-FBS: Ball State Cardinals (13-7) at Northern Illinois Huskies (8-12)

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MBB-FBS: Ball State Cardinals (13-7) at Northern Illinois Huskies (8-12)

Having won three-straight, and four of its last five, the Northern Illinois University men’s basketball team will host Ball State on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 28, at 3:30 p.m. in the second game of a Huskie basketball doubleheader. The NIU women’s basketball team will host Bowling Green at 1 p.m., tickets are available now at NIUHuskies.com/tickets or by calling the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at (815) 753-PACK (7225).

The matchup against the Cardinals will also be available on ESPN3, 94-9 WDKB and The Varsity Network app.

NIU (8-12, 4-3 MAC) is coming off an 86-76 victory over MAC-leading Kent State on Tuesday (Jan. 24), snapping the Golden Flashes’ 10-game win streak, which was the third-longest in the nation at the time. David Coit (Columbus, N.J.) netted a new career-high 32 points to lead the way for the Huskies.

Coit was one of five Huskies that scored in double figures against Kent State as Darweshi Hunter (Cincinnati, Ohio) added 14 points, Kaleb Thornton (Bolingbrook, Ill.) scored 13 points, Harvin Ibarguen (Cali, Colombia) chipped in 12 points and Zarique Nutter (Newark, N.J.) had 11 points. Thornton also had 11 assists to go with his 13 points and his points-assists double-double was the first by a Huskie since Mike DiNunno had 21 points and 10 assists on Jan. 13, 2010, against Western Michigan.

In conference play, the Huskies are third in the MAC in three-point shooting at 39.2 percent and fourth in field goal percentage at 46.6 percent, while over the past five games, NIU is shooting 50.6 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three-point range, averaging 79.0 points per game.

During that five-game stretch, is averaging 21.2 points per game, shooting 52.2 percent (36-of-69) and 42.5 percent (17-of-40) from three.

The Cardinals come to DeKalb with a 13-7 overall record, including a 4-3 mark in league play. Ball State suffered its first home loss of the season on Tuesday (Jan. 24), falling to Buffalo, 91-65. Ball State leads the MAC, and ranks sixth in the country, in free throw attempts, going to the line 24.8 times per contest. The Cardinals also lead the conference, and rank 17th nationally, in free throw makes with 16.9 per game. Ball State is second in the MAC, and 45th in the nation, shooting 37.1 percent from three-point range.

THE SERIES WITH THE CARDINALS
• NIU holds a 26-23 advantage against Ball State in games played in DeKalb while the Cardinals have a 59-40 edge all-time in the series between the two schools.
• Last season, the two teams split a pair of games with both teams winning on the road. Ball State claimed a 74-67 victory in DeKalb (Jan. 27, 2022) while NIU was victorious, 64-58, in Muncie (Feb. 15, 2022).
• Keshawn Williams and Trendon Hankerson both netted 19 points in the victory at Ball State a season ago. Tied at 27 at the half, NIU shot 50 percent (11-of-22) from the fi eld in the second half to earn the victory. Ball State shot 35.2 percent (19-of-54) in the contest, including 13.3 percent (2-of-15) from three.
• Ball State has won each of its last four trips to DeKalb, including a one-point win, an overtime victory and a seven-point win. NIU’s last home victory over the Cardinals was a 66-65 win on March 2, 2018. Eugene German hit a pull-up jumper with 12.4 seconds left to lead the Huskies to the victory, German scored game-high 25 points.

After Saturday’s contest, the Huskies will return to the road for the next two, traveling to Western Michigan on Tuesday, Jan. 31, and Bowling Green on Saturday, Feb. 4.

NHL Preview: Boston Bruins (38-6-4) at Florida Panthers (23-22-6)

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NHL Preview: Boston Bruins (38-6-4) at Florida Panthers (23-22-6)

BOSTON BRUINS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S GAME

  • The Bruins visit the Panthers tonight in the 4th and final game between these teams this season and the 2nd of 2 to be played at FLA Live Arena.
  • They were the NHL’s 1st 30-win team this season and they are the fastest team in NHL history to reach 80 points in a season at 48 games.
  • The Bruins are 38-6-4 overall, are 16-5-1 on the road and are 22-4-2 vs. Eastern Conference opponents.
  • They are playing their 8th of 14 sets of back-to-back games tonight vs Florida and tomorrow in Carolina … They are currently 6-0-1 in the 1st game of those sets and are 6-1-0 in the 2nd games so far.
  • The Bruins play game 3 of a 5-game road stretch tonight in Florida (1-1-0), continuing in Carolina on 1/29 and concluding on 2/1 at Toronto … They are currently in span of 7-of-8 games on the road, having played at NY Islanders on 1/18 (4-1 win), at NY Rangers on 1/19 (3-1 win), vs San Jose on 1/22 (4-0 win), in Montreal on 1/24 (4-2 win) and Tampa Bay on 1/26 (3-2 loss).

RECENT GAMES:

  • The Bruins had their 6-game win streak stopped (1/14-24) on 1/26 with a 3-2 loss in Tampa Bay … They are 17-2-3 in their last 22 games.
  • The loss in Tampa Bay also snapped a 9-0-1 road point stretch.
  • The Bruins are 22-1-3 in their last 26 home games, including a 22-game home unbeaten at 19-0-3 and a 14-game home win streak, the longest from the start of a season in league history and longest point streak from a season’s start in Boston annals … It was also their fourth longest home point streak overall in team history.
  • Boston 4 vs San Jose 0 … Hampus Lindholm, Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak had 1-1=2 totals each and Nick Foligno also scored … Linus Ullmark (W,17 Svs in 57:25) and Jeremy Swayman (1 Sv in 2:28) shared the shutout after Ullmark suffered an equipment issue … SOG: Bos 22, SJ 18 … PP: 1/4 … PK: 0/2
  • Boston 4 at Montreal 2 … The Bruins opened their 5-game road trip with a 4-2 win, led by David Pastrnak’s 1-3=4 totals and 1-1=2 totals by David Krejci … Taylor Hall (PP) and Patrice Bergeron (GW) added single goals … Jeremy Swayman extended his point streak to 7-0-2 in his last 9 decisions … SOG: Bos 29, Mtl 22… PP: 0/3 … PK: 0/3
  • Boston 2 at Tampa Bay 3 … The Bruins came back twice from 1-goal deficits on Brad Marchand and Pavel Zacha goals but fell to the Lightning … Linus Ullmark took the loss in net … SOG: Bos 39, TB 35 … PP: 0/2 … PK: 1/3

INJURIES (Total man-games lost in 2022-23: 54)

  • Tomas Nosek: Non-displaced fracture in left foot
  • Jake DeBrusk: Hand and lower body injuries, IR

BOSTON vs FLORIDA, LIFETIME SERIES

  • The Bruins and Panthers are meeting for the 110th time in their histories with the Bruins having a 60-37-6-6 record and 321-278 scoring advantage in those games.
  • The Bruins are 30-19-2-2 lifetime in Florida with a 151-147 scoring edge in those 53 contests.

FUN FACTS

  • The Bruins currently have 24 players on their roster (1 on IR) … 11 were drafted by the team, 4 were acquired in trade and 9 were signed as free agents.
  • The Bruins play 16 matinees this season (local start time 4:00 pm or earlier) … They have a 5-0-1 record in afternoon games so far.
  • The Bruins play 14 sets of back-to-back games this season … They are currently 6-0-1 in the 1st game of those sets and are 6-1-0 in the 2nd games so far.
  • The Bruins are playing game 13 of their 14-game January schedule tonight (5 hm/9 rd, 10-2-0) … They will play 10 in February (3 hm/7 rd), 15 in March (9 hm/6 rd) and 7 in April (3 hm/4 rd) … They went 8-1-0 in October, 11- 2-0 in November, and 9-1-4 in December.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Jan. 5: Chris Wagner recalled from Providence/AHL.
Jan. 11: Chris Wagner returned to Providence/AHL.
Jan. 11: Joona Koppanen recalled from Providence/AHL.
Jan. 13: Joona Koppanen returned to Providence/AHL.
Jan. 14: Pavel Zacha signed to a four-year contract extension.
Jan. 17: Joona Koppanen recalled from Providence/AHL.
Jan. 23: Marc McLaughlin recalled from Providence/AHL.

FLORIDA PANTHERS NOTES:

BAPTIST HEALTH INJURY REPORT

  • F Anthony Duclair | Games Missed: 51
  • F Patric Hornqvist | Games Missed: 26
  • G Sergei Bobrovsky | Games Missed: 4
  • G Spencer Knight | Games Missed: 2
    Total Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 158

LAST GAME
Panthers 3, Kings 4 – Jan. 27 – FLA Live Arena
FLA Goals: Lomberg (7), Montour (9), Verhaeghe (26)
LAK Goals: Kopitar (15), Kempe (20-SHG), Arvidsson (13-SHG), Roy (6)
FLA Goalie: Lyon (L) – 29 Saves
LAK Goalie: Copley (W) – 45 Saves
FLA Shots: 48
LAK Shots: 33
Notes: Brandon Montour scored a goal to extend his point streak to eight games (2-6-8), the longest points streak by a defenseman in franchise history…Aleksander Barkov notched an assist to extend his point streak to 10 games (4-10-14), the longest point streak of his career…Carter Verhaeghe recorded two points (1-1-2), establishing new career marks for goal streak (4 games) and points streak (7 games, 7-3-10)…Nick Cousins produced an assist for the second consecutive game… FLA PP: 0-5, FLA PK: 2-2

RECENT TRANSACTIONS:

  • Jan 27: G Mack Guzda recalled from Charlotte (AHL) | F Grigori Denisenko loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
  • Jan 23: G Spencer Knight recalled from Charlotte (AHL) | G Mack Guzda loaned to Charlotte (AHL)

PANTHERS vs. BRUINS
ALL-TIME vs. BOS: 43-50-6-10
ALL-TIME HOME vs. BOS: 21-23-2-7
2022-23 vs. BOS: 1-2-0

CATS STATS

  • Since Dec. 29, Matthew Tkachuk leads all NHL skaters with 24 points (10-14-24) over 16 games, while Aleksander Barkov ranks tied for third-most with 22 points (7-15-22) over that span.

CATS AND BRUINS
The Panthers face off against the Bruins for the fourth and final time in 2022-23, with Florida owning a 1-2-0 record in the season series thus far. Florida has won each of its past two home matchups with Boston, owning a 2-0-1 record in the Bruins past three visits to FLA Live Arena. In their most recent matchup in South Florida on Nov. 23, Spencer Knight stopped 37 of 39 BOS shots (.949 SV%) and four different Panthers logged multiple points: Aleksander Barkov (1-2-3), Aaron Ekblad (1-2-3), Sam Reinhart (1-1-2) and Matthew Tkachuk (1-1-2) in a 5-2 victory.

POWER UP
The Panthers have scored a power-play goal in 11 of their past 14 games since the turn of the calendar. Since Jan. 3, the Panthers have converted on 16 of their 42 power-play opportunities for a league-leading 38.1% success rate. Florida’s 16 power-play goals over that span are six more than the next-closest teams over that span (5 teams, 10 each), from Jan. 1-Jan. 27.

NHL Preview: St. Louis Blues (23-23-3) at Colorado Avalanche (26-18-3)

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NHL Preview: St. Louis Blues (23-23-3) at Colorado Avalanche (26-18-3)

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)
Ryan O’Reilly – Broken Foot (Re-evaluated in 6 weeks, announced on Jan. 2)
Pavel Buchnevich – Lower-Body (announced on Jan. 24)
2022-23 Total Man Games Lost: 213

Recent Transactions
January
27 – Recalled forward Nikita Alexandrov from the Springfield Thunderbirds
27 – Assigned defenseman Tyler Tucker to the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL)
26 – Activated defenseman Robert Bortuzzo from IR
24 – Placed forward Pavel Buchnevich on IR
24 – Activated defenseman Torey Krug from IR
24 – Activated forward Vladimir Tarasenko from IR

BLUES VS. AVALANCHE

  • The Blues and Avalanche will meet for the 3rd of 4 matchups this season (Final matchup: Feb. 18 in St. Louis)
  • The Blues have gone 1-0-1 against Colorado this season (3-2 win on Nov. 14 in Colorado, 2-3 overtime loss on Dec. 11 in St. Louis)
  • The Blues are 4-2-1 in their last 7 regular season games against Colorado
  • The Blues are 2-1-0 in their last 3 regular season games in Colorado
  • Including the 2022 postseason, the Blues have won 3 straight games in Colorado and are 4-1-1 in their last 6 games in Colorado
  • The Blues have scored a power play goal in 3 straight regular season games in Colorado, going 3 for 8 (37.5%) on the power play over those 3 games
  • With his next win, Jordan Binnington will pass Grant Fuhr for 4th on the Blues all-time franchise list with 109 wins
  • Binnington’s next appearance will be the 200th game played of his career

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
1/30 – at Winnipeg
2/11 – vs. Arizona
2/14 – vs. Florida
2/16 – vs. New Jersey
2/18 – vs. Colorado

A LOOK AHEAD

  • The Blues will continue their 3-game road trip on Saturday in Colorado before hitting the All-Star break
  • After their 3-game road trip, the Blues will play 9 games in February, 7 of which will come at Enterprise Center
  • The Blues’ next 3 games will come against Central Division opponents

EXTRA NUGGETS

  • The Blues are 20-7-0 this season when scoring first, which shares the 6th most wins in the NHL (1. Boston, 24-0-2)
  • The Blues are 1 of 4 teams to record 3 multi-goal third period comeback wins this season (Kings/Islanders/Ducks)
  • The Blues have 8 players who have scored at least 10 goals this season, which shares the most in the NHL with Boston

COLORADO AVALANCHE NOTES:

UPCOMING GAMES
Date Opponent Time (MT) TV Radio
Sat, Jan. 28 ST. LOUIS 1 p.m. Hulu / ESPN+ 950 AM
– BYE WEEK / ALL-STAR BREAK –
Tue, Feb. 7 at Pittsburgh 5 p.m. Altitude 92.5 FM
Thu, Feb. 9 at Tampa Bay 5 p.m. ESPN 92.5 FM
Sat, Feb. 11 at Florida 4 p.m. Altitude 92.5 FM

TODAY’S GAME
COLORADO vs. ST. LOUIS
1:08 p.m.
Hulu, ESPN+ / 950 AM
The Colorado Avalanche wraps up a three-game homestand with an afternoon matchup against the St. Louis Blues at Ball Arena … Today’s game is the Avalanche’s final contest before the Bye Week/All-Star Break, as the Avs will not play again until Feb. 7 when they open a three-game road trip … The Avs will go nine days without a game and have seven full days off before resuming practice on Feb. 5 … The club’s next home date will be on Valentine’s Day some 17 days from now

ON THE CALL
ESPN+: Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Ray Ferraro (between benches), Dave Jackson (rules analyst), Leah Hextall (reporter)
Altitude Radio: Conor McGahey

LAST GAME
Jan. 26 – Anaheim 5, Colorado 3 at Ball Arena
The Anaheim Ducks rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Avalanche, 5-3, at Ball Arena … Frank Vatrano had a hat trick for the Ducks, who snapped Colorado’s six-game winning streak and ended a seven-game losing streak to the Avalanche … Mikko Rantanen scored twice for Colorado and Samuel Girard had a goal and one assist.
SF: 44 SA: 32 PP: 1-2 PK: 2-2
Rantanen scored his team-leading 33rd and 34th goals of the season, tying him for third in the NHL … His first tally of the night was his league-leading 27th goal at even strength … He is now at 199 career goals, one shy of 200 Rantanen scored his eighth game-opening goal of 2022-23, tied with Mark Scheifele for the second most in the NHL this season behind only David Pastrnak (9) The two-goal effort was Rantanen’s 125th career multi-point game, tying Alex Tanguay for ninth in franchise history When Florida took the lead in the third period, it ended a stretch of over 400 minutes in which the Avalanche did not trail (415:06), the longest such streak in the NHL this season Girard’s goal was his fourth of the season, second-most among Avalanche defensemen (Cale Makar 13) … Girard is just one goal shy of tying his career high (5) set in 2020-21 and 2021-22 Makar picked up his 163rd career assist, passing Mario Marois (162) for sixth place among franchise defensemen

CURRENT INJURIES
Bowen Byram – lower body (37 games, Nov. 5 – present)
Darren Helm – lower body (7 games, Jan. 14 – present)
Gabriel Landeskog – lower body (all season, Oct. 12 – present)
Josh Manson – lower body (26 games, Dec. 3 – present)
Valeri Nichushkin – upper body (1 game, Jan. 26 – present)
Total: 275 (3rd in NHL)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Jan. 25 – Matt Nieto and Ryan Merkley acquired from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Jacob MacDonald and Martin
Kaut … Merkley reports to the Colorado Eagles (AHL)
Jan. 24 – Anton Blidh reassigned to the Colorado Eagles (AHL)

TODAY’S OPPONENT – ST. LOUIS BLUES
This afternoon’s meeting is the third of four games between the Avalanche and Blues in 2022-23 and the second and final matchup here in Denver … They will conclude the season series on Feb. 18 in St. Louis … The Avs are 1-1-0 so far against the Blues … These Central Division rivals faced off three times last season, with Colorado winning two of those matchups … They went on to meet in the second round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, a series the Avalanche won in six games … The Blues and Avalanche have faced off in each of the last two postseasons (both series won by Colorado)

SCHEDULE vs. BLUES
Nov. 14 vs. ST. LOUIS (L, 2-3)
Dec. 11 @ St. Louis (W, 3-2 OT)
Jan. 28 vs. ST. LOUIS
Feb. 18 @ St. Louis

RECORD vs. BLUES
THIS SEASON 2021-22

ALL-TIME SINCE 1995-96 PLAYOFFS
Overall: 1-1-0 Overall: 2-1-0 Overall: 71-68-18 Overall: 57-43-13 Series (record): 3 series (3-0)
Home: 0-1-0 Home: 1-1-0 Home: 44-26-10 Home: 34-17-7 Record Overall: 13-3-0
Road: 1-0-0 Road: 1-0-0 Road: 27-42-8 Road: 23-26-6

ONE MONTH AT A TIME
The Avalanche are 7-5-0 in January, which will be the 25th consecutive month that Colorado has posted a .500 or better record going back to February 2019 … And 23 of those 25 months featured a winning record, as only October 2021 (4-4-0) and October 2022 (4-4-1) did not.

BACK-TO-BACK
The Avalanche have played five of their 13 back-to-back games, going 3-2-0 in the first contest and 3-2-0 in the second … The Avs swept their most recent back-to-back in Vancouver/Seattle from Jan. 20-21 … The Avalanche posted a 15-5-2 (.727) combined record in back-to-back games last season, the second-best mark behind Minnesota (.732, 19-6-3) … The Avs finished 7-3-1 in the first game and 8-2-1 in the second (.773), with only Tampa (10-0-2, .917) posting a better record in the second half of a back-to-back.

NBA Preview: Toronto Raptors (22-28) at Portland Trail Blazers (23-25)

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NBA Preview: Toronto Raptors (22-28) at Portland Trail Blazers (23-25)

Damian Lillard has quite an act to follow when the Portland Trail Blazers host the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night.

Lillard is fresh off the fourth 60-point outing of his 11-season career and has regained the form that was missing when he was limited to 29 games in his injury-riddled 2021-22 campaign.

Lillard was highly efficient while scoring exactly 60 points against the Utah Jazz during Portland’s 134-124 home victory on Wednesday. He made 21 of 29 field-goal attempts — including 9 of 15 from 3-point range — and was 9 of 10 from the free-throw line.

Lillard fell one point short of his career high while also contributing eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals.

Lillard, 32, ranks sixth in the NBA in scoring at 30.1 points per game. He has been on a solid roll over the past 10 games, averaging 38 points with four outings of 40 or more, including 50 against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 12 in addition to the 60-point effort.

The Trail Blazers have averaged 140.5 points while winning their last two games. The explosive stretch follows a period in which Portland dropped 12 of 16 games.

Toronto is 1-1 on a season-long, seven-game road swing. The Raptors defeated the Sacramento Kings 113-95 on Wednesday before falling 129-117 to the Golden State Warriors on Friday.

Fred VanVleet had 28 points and 10 assists against the Warriors while Scottie Barnes scored 24 and Pascal Siakam 21. Siakam was just 8-of-26 shooting despite posting his fourth straight 20-point outings and ninth in 11 games.

VanVleet has at least 25 points in five of the past six games and is averaging 28.2 points during that span. He has made 26 of 58 3-point attempts (44.8 percent) during the stretch.

Toronto’s OG Anunoby (left wrist) is expected to sit out Saturday’s game after being injured against the Warriors. He was hurt in a hard fall to the court after Golden State’s JaMychal Green contested his driving shot. The Raptors said X-rays were negative.

Precious Achiuwa played 36 minutes and had 17 points and 11 rebounds for his third double-double in four games.

Portland’s Jusuf Nurkic (calf) and Josh Hart (hamstring) are listed as questionable.

The Raptors recorded a 117-105 victory over the visiting Trail Blazers on Jan. 8 to halt a five-game slide in the series. Lillard scored 34 for Portland and Siakam had 27 for Toronto.

NHL Morning Skate – Jan. 28, 2023

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NHL Morning Skate – Jan. 28, 2023

* Martin Necas joined rare company in NHL history as he helped the Hurricanes win by scoring the tying goal in the final minute of regulation and the winner within the opening minute of overtime.

* Jack Hughes recorded a multi-goal game, including scoring the overtime winner, and moved into a tie with Jason Robertson for fifth place in the 2022-23 Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy race.

* The League announced that Aleksander Barkov, captain of the host Panthers, will replace the injured Auston Matthews on the Atlantic Division roster for the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Game.

* One week from today, All-Stars will go head-to-head in South Florida for the 67th NHL All-Star Game. But first, 19 more regular-season contests are to be played including more than half as part of an 11-game Saturday that begins with a matinee between the Blues and Avalanche on HULU, ESPN+, Sportsnet and TVA Sports.


NECAS, AHO COMPLETE CAROLINA’S LATE COMEBACK WIN
After the Hurricanes surrendered an empty-netter at 58:08 to face a two-goal deficit, it was Sebastian Aho (58:23) and Martin Necas (59:48) who immediately responded to send it to overtime where Necas completed the comeback just 55 seconds into the extra frame with his League-leading third overtime goal of 2022-23.

* Necas (2-0—2), who became the first player in Hurricanes/Whalers history to score an overtime goal in consecutive games (also on Jan. 25), became the fifth player in NHL history to net a tying tally in the final minute of regulation and the winner within the first minute of the extra frame. The others: Mikko Rantanen (Dec. 11, 2022), Alex Ovechkin (Dec. 15, 2006), Jeff Hamilton (Dec. 2, 2006) and Benoit Hogue (Nov. 16, 1995).

* Friday marked just the second time in Hurricanes/Whalers history that the club has won a contest after trailing by multiple goals in the final two minutes of regulation (also on Dec. 18, 2007 vs. TOR).


HUGHES HEADS TO SOUTH FLORIDA ON A HIGH NOTE
Jack Hughes (2-0—2) initiated New Jersey’s multi-goal comeback with a second-period goal and capped it off by scoring 20 seconds into overtime to lift the Devils (32-13-4, 68 points) to victory and help the club keep pace with the Hurricanes (31-9-8, 70 points) in the Metropolitan Division.

* Hughes (Orlando, Fla.), set to become the first Florida-born player to skate in multiple NHL All-Star games (also 2022), has found the back of the net 59 times in 98 games dating to 2021-22 after doing so just 18 times through his first 117 NHL contests.



* The Devils forward (33-31—64 in 49 GP) notched his seventh multi-goal outing of the season to move into a tie with Jason Roberton (33 in 51 GP) for fifth place in the 2022-23 Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy race. Hughes’ 33 goals and 64 points are the most by a Devils/Rockies/Scouts player prior to the team’s 50th game of a season.

* Hughes, who netted the third-fastest goal to start an overtime period in Devils franchise history, recorded his 10th career game-winning goal and tied John MacLean for the most by a player in franchise history at age 21 or younger.

PACIFIC DIVISION RACE CONTINUES TO HEAT UP
A pair of Pacific Division teams climbed in the standings as Los Angeles (28-17-6, 62 points) overtook Seattle (28-15-5, 61 points) and Vegas (29-18-3, 61 points) for first place in the division and third in the Western Conference, while Calgary (24-17-9, 57 points) moved into the final Wild Card spot with its win over the Kraken:


* Anze Kopitar (15-25—40) opened the scoring and recorded his 17th straight season with 40-plus points – joining Alex Ovechkin (17) as the only active players to achieve the feat – while Adrian Kempe (20-14—34) became the fifth Kings player in the past 10 years to record consecutive 20-goal campaigns. Kempe joined Jeff Carter (2012-13 – 2016-17), Kopitar (2017-18 – 2019-20), Dustin Brown (2017-18 – 2018-19) and Tyler Toffoli (2014-15 – 2015-16).

* Elias Lindholm (1-2—3) recorded all three of his points in the first frame and fell one point shy of the franchise record for most in a single period. Since joining Calgary in 2018-19, Lindholm is one of three Flames players to have recorded three or more points in a period at least three different times (also 0-3—3 in P3 on April 16, 2022 & 1-2—3 in P2 on Jan. 2, 2019). The others: Johnny Gaudreau (6x) and Matthew Tkachuk (4x).

HORVAT, HUGHES HELP CANUCKS BEST BLUE JACKETS
Two-time NHL All-Star Bo Horvat (0-4—4) factored on four of five Canucks goals while Quinn Hughes (1-1—2) posted a multi-point performance as Vancouver defeated Columbus at Rogers Arena on Friday.

* Hughes recorded his 40th assist of 2022-23 and became the only active defenseman to reach the mark in a season three times before age 24. He also became the first Canucks player, regardless of position, to accomplish the feat.


KREIDER ONE OF SIX 20-GOAL SCORERS FEATURED IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
The Friday edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates featured six players reach the 20-goal mark across the eight-game slate, including Chris Kreider who did so in the Rangers’ victory against the Golden Knights at Madison Square Garden.

* Kreider became the eighth player in Rangers history to record at least eight 20-goal seasons with the club, joining Rod Gilbert (12x), Jean Ratelle (9x), Adam Graves (8x), Andy Bathgate (8x) and Camille Henry (8x).

NHL PODCASTS WEEKLY ROUNDUP

* NHL Fantasy (Jan. 23): Fantasy waiver wire pickups: Week 16; Canucks’ coaching change

* NHL Fantasy (Jan. 23): Action Network Collab: Week 16

* NHL @ The Rink (Jan. 25): Oilers rolling, Tocchet’s impact, Devils trade targets, Top All-Star lines

* La Tasse de café LNH (Jan. 25): Renvoi de Boudreau à Vancouver et Match des meilleurs espoirs

* The Chirp with Daren Millard (Jan. 26): Bruce Cassidy discusses Eichel, All-Star dynamics

* NHL Fantasy (Jan. 26): Bruins’ dominance, Trade Deadline rumblings; Week 16 fantasy mailbag

* Draft Class (Jan. 27): Connor Bedard joins; CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game analysis

QUICK CLICKS

* Brandon Montour (8 GP) sets Panthers record for longest point streak by a defenseman

* Auston Matthews out at least 3 weeks for Maple Leafs with knee sprain

* NHL Buzz: Matty Beniers out 2 games for Kraken

* Jim Montgomery thriving with Bruins in 2nd chance as NHL coach

* Senators captain Brady Tkachuk finds doppelganger in crowd

RECENT CHAMPIONS SET TO CLASH IN NATIONAL BROADCAST IN CANADA AND THE U.S.
Two of the past four Stanley Cup champions will go head-to-head on ESPN+ and HULU in the United States as well as Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada when the Blues (23-23-3, 49 points) travel to Colorado to take on the Avalanche (26-18-3, 55 points).
 


* Jordan Kyrou (23-23—46 in 46 GP) leads the Blues with 46 points in 2022-23 and sits one assist shy of 100 in his five-season career (69-99—168 in 219 GP). Among skaters to debut with the Blues, Kyrou can become the seventh to reach the milestone in 220 games or fewer; Joe Mullen (163 GP), Mike Zuke (175 GP), Wayne Babych (175 GP), Bernie Federko (179 GP), Jorgen Pettersson (196 GP) and Robert Thomas (220 GP) have done so.


* Mikko Rantanen (34-26—60 in 47 GP) sits tied for third in the NHL’s 2022-23 Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy race thanks to a double-digit goal total since Jan. 1 (10-5—15 in 12 GP). Rantanen (199-269—468 in 455 GP) sits one tally shy of becoming the ninth player to score 200 goals with the Avalanche/Nordiques franchise – a feat teammates Nathan MacKinnon (255) and Gabriel Landeskog (248) have both accomplished.


McDAVID, OILERS READY FOR FINAL OUTING BEFORE ALL-STAR BREAK

Connor McDavid and the Oilers (27-18-4, 58 points) will partake in their 50th game of the season against Patrick Kane and the Blackhawks (15-28-4, 34 points) in their last outing before 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend. McDavid can collect his 90th point of a season in 50 games or fewer for the second time in as many campaigns (50 GP in 2020-21) – a feat Mario Lemieux last accomplished in 1991-92 (48 GP) and 1992-93 (34 GP).

* McDavid leads the NHL with 40-49—89 this season (49 GP), tied for the most points by any player before the All-Star/Olympic break over the past 26 years. Alex Ovechkin (42-47—89 in 54 GP) also had 89 points in 2009-10 before the League paused for the Olympics in Vancouver. The last time a player had at least 90 points before either the All-Star or Olympic break was 1995-96, when Mario Lemieux (40-60—100 in 38 GP) hit the 100-point mark with a goal in his final contest before the 1996 All-Star Game in Boston.

STREAKS LOOK TO SURVIVE SATURDAY SLATE
The Lightning (31-15-1, 63 points) and Sabres defenseman Owen Power (3-16—19 in 45 GP) enter the weekend with the hopes of maintaining their recent strings of success against the Kings (27-17-6, 60 points) and Wild (26-17-4, 56 points), respectively.

* Tampa Bay looks to become the second team to capture 12 consecutive home wins during the 2022-23 campaign after Boston went 14-0-0 at TD Garden from Oct. 15 to Dec. 3, 2022. In doing so, the Lightning would establish the longest home win streak in franchise history.
 



* Power has found the back of the net in each of his past three games. Should he do so against Minnesota, the 20-year-old can become just the fourth rookie defenseman in NHL history with a four-game goal streak. Barry Beck (6 GP in 1977-78 w/ CLR), Brian Benning (4 GP in 1986-87 w/ STL) and Stan Brown (4 GP in 1926-27 w/ NYR) are the only three to do so to date.

NBA Preview: Sacramento Kings (27-20) at Minnesota Timberwolves (26-25)

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NBA Preview: Sacramento Kings (27-20) at Minnesota Timberwolves (26-25)

The Sacramento Kings open a seven-game road trip on Saturday with the first of two consecutive games in Minneapolis against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Kings have dropped two of three since the end of their six-game winning streak, which ran Jan. 9-20. They scored a season-low 95 points their last time out in a loss Wednesday to Toronto.

Domantas Sabonis’ offensive woes underscored Sacramento’s collective struggles against the Raptors. Sabonis committed a season-high nine turnovers on Wednesday, one game removed from coughing up eight turnovers in a win over Memphis.

Despite the turnover issues the last two games, Sabonis has been a driving force behind Sacramento’s surge to third place in the Western Conference. He is averaging an NBA-best 12.4 rebounds per game and a career high of 7.3 assists per game to go with his 18.4 points a contest.

Sabonis is one of six Kings averaging at least 12.4 points per game, with De’Aaron Fox’s 23.8 setting the pace for the league’s highest-scoring offense at 119.7 points per game.

Sacramento brings its efficient and balanced offense into Minnesota to face a Timberwolves team playing the second game of a weekend back-to-back.

Minnesota opened its six-game homestand on Friday with a 111-100 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Timberwolves weathered a 27-point, 11-assist, 10-rebound triple-double from Ja Morant thanks to 25 points from Anthony Edwards. Kyle Anderson also scored 23 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the arc and the Wolves got 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists from D’Angelo Russell.

Nathan Knight came off the bench to score 10 points, his second game producing double figures in the last four.

Minnesota has used a variety of big men in the rotation with center Rudy Gobert while awaiting the return of Karl-Anthony Towns, who last played Nov. 28 due to a calf injury.

Knight, Naz Reid and Luka Garza have all seen significant minutes. Reid is averaging more than 10 points per game but has been limited to single-digit scoring in the last five contests after finishing with nine on Friday.

Edwards has effectively shouldered Minnesota’s scoring load at 34.3 points per game over the last four. Friday ended a streak of three straight outings posting at least 31 points.

Minnesota comes into Saturday’s matchup a winner in four of five and has climbed to a game above .500. The Timberwolves are 10-4 since the beginning of 2023.

NBA Preview: Chicago Bulls (22-16) at Orlando Magic (19-30)

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NBA Preview: Chicago Bulls (22-16) at Orlando Magic (19-30)

The Chicago Bulls’ season-long search for answers continues Saturday when they visit the Orlando Magic to wrap up a three-game trip.

The Bulls fell to 22-26 after another baffling performance on Thursday, when they shot 4 of 25 (16 percent) from 3-point range in a 111-96 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.

Chicago, which was outscored 34-17 in the fourth quarter, has lost two straight following a three-game winning streak.

DeMar DeRozan is averaging 26.3 points for the Bulls, who have been unable to build on impressive victories earlier this month over the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers.

The Bulls will aim for a more complete effort against Orlando, which is playing on short rest after losing 110-105 to the host Miami Heat on Friday.

Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Cole Anthony all scored 19 points for the Magic, which is 6-6 this month.

Orlando committed 20 turnovers against Miami, leading to 32 points for the victors.

Orlando has won nine of its past 12 home games and boasts an impressive young roster led by Banchero, who is averaging 20.3 points on 43.8 percent shooting in 12 games this month.

Orlando is seeking its second straight victory over Chicago after winning 108-107 on Nov. 2. DeRozan had 41 points in the loss and is averaging 32.6 points in his last five games against the Magic. Vucevic, who spent nine seasons in Orlando before joining the Bulls, is averaging 19.6 points and 13 rebounds in 12 games this month.

Chicago is tied for 10th in the Eastern Conference standings and will need to find solutions for its inconsistent play sooner than later.

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