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CBB: CS Fullerton (4-4) at USC (6-3)

NCAABB Editor
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CBB: CS Fullerton (4-4) at USC (6-3)

The USC Trojans (6-3) are hosting the CS Fullerton Titans (4-4) at the Galen Center at 8:00 p.m. The game will air on the Pac-12 Network with J.B.Long and Don MacLean calling the action.

FACING CS FULLERTON — The CS Fullerton Titans (4-4) are coming off a 69-62 loss at Seattle on Nov. 30. This will be CS Fullerton’s fifth true road game of the season. Senior guard Jalen Harris leads four Titans scoring in double figures with a 15.7 average. USC leads the all-time series with CS Fullerton 6-0, winning the last meeting 84-42 on Nov. 10, 2017.

LONG BEACH STATE ON DECK — USC’s next game will be vs. Long Beach State (4-4) at the Galen Center on Dec. 14 at 8:00 p.m. Long Beach State lost its last game 88-78 at Utah Valley on Dec. 3 and will play at Sacramento State on Dec. 10 before facing USC. Long Beach State like USC played in a tournament in the Bahamas over Thanksgiving, with The Beach going 2-1 at the Baha Mar Hoops tournament from Nov. 25-27. Senior guard Joel Murray leads Long Beach State in scoring with a 13.6 average. Former USC assistant coach Jason Hart’s son, Jason Hart Jr., is a freshman on the team. USC defeated Long Beach State 73-62 last season on Dec. 12 and leads the all-time series 11-6.

MONTH OF MERRIMENT — USC won its first game this month and has gone 15-2 during the month of December the last four seasons. USC won all 6 games last December.

IT STARTS WITH DEFENSE — USC held California to 27.7 percent shooting on Nov. 30, the lowest by an opponent since holding Stanford to a 25.4 shooting percentage on March 3, 2021. USC has held 6 of its 9 opponents this season to 37.5 percent shooting or less. USC held 22 of its 34 opponents during the 2021-22 season to under 40 percent shooting. USC held the opposition to a 39.0 shooting percentage during the season, 14th in the country. USC is holding its opponents to a 37.4 shooting percentage this season, 23rd in the country. Over the last four seasons, USC’s defense has held the opposition to 38.7 FG percentage, 3rd in the country.

MORGAN HOSTING USC’S BLOCK PARTY — USC has 58 blocks in the first nine games of the 2022-23 season, led by Joshua Morgan’s 32 blocks. USC is averaging 6.4 blocks per game, 4th in the country. Morgan’s 32 blocks this season rank second in the country. Morgan had 7 blocks vs. FGCU on Nov. 7 which tied him for fifth on USC’s all-time single game blocks list. He matched that total with 7 blocks at Cal on Nov. 30. His 32 blocks this season are more than the Trojans’ leader in that category during the 2021-22 season (Isaiah Mobley – 29). USC as a team has registered 528 blocks over the last four seasons which ranks 6th nationally.

IN THE SPIRIT OF THE HOLIDAYS, PETERSON IS GIVING TO ALL — Guard Drew Peterson leads USC and is second among Pac-12 players with 57 assists, which ranks tied for seventh nationally. Peterson is the only player nationally averaging at least 14.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game this season. Peterson is averaging 14.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game. His 3 double-doubles this season are tied for 28th in the country.

YOU CAN CALL ME JOHNSON — Sophomore guard Kobe Johnson keyed USC’s comeback from an 11-point halftime deficit to win 63-62 over Oregon State on Dec. 4. Johnson scored a career-high 17 points, made a career-best 3 three-pointers and matched a personal best with 5 steal. In the last 5 games he has averaged 9.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.3 steals.

ELLIS LEADS USC IN SCORING – Senior guard Boogie Ellis is averaging 15.4 points per game this season and leads USC with 18 three-pointers made. He was the only Trojan to score in double figures in the first seven games this season, before totaling 13 points the last two games. He also has a team-leading 31 free throws made and is second on the team with 13 steals.

TROJANS OPEN PAC-12 PLAY 2-0 — With the 63-62 home win over Oregon State on Dec. 4, USC improved to 2-0 to start Pac-12 play this season. It is the third time since the 2011 season that USC has won its first two conference games. In the last 20 seasons USC has begun conference play 3-0 just once (last season).

SATURDAY IN THE PARK…? — Well, maybe USC should spend Saturdays in the park as they will not be in the arena playing a game on Saturday until Jan. 14 vs. Utah. With the win over Oregon State on Sunday, Dec. 4, USC has played on every day of the week except Saturday and will play its first 17 games on any day but Saturday. Seven of USC’s final 14 games will be played on Saturdays.

NHL Preview: Minnesota Wild (13-9-2) at Calgary Flames (12-10-3)

NHL Editor
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NHL Preview: Minnesota Wild (13-9-2) at Calgary Flames (12-10-3)

MINNESOTA WILD NOTES:

SERIES NOTES
All-Time Wild Record: 41-42-15 (25-16-9 at Xcel Energy Center, 16-26-6 at Calgary) 2021-22: Minnesota went 1-2-0 against Calgary…The Wild fell in the first season meeting, 7-3, at Scotiabank Saddledome (2/26), lost the second meeting, 5-1, at Xcel Energy Center (3/1) and earned a 3-2 overtime victory in the third meeting in Saint Paul (4/28)…C Frederick Gaudreau (2-1=3) and LW Kirill Kaprizov (2-1=3) led the Wild with three points each…LW Kevin Fiala tallied two assists…G Kaapo Kahkonen made 28 saves in the first game…G Cam Talbot went 1-1-0 with a 3.07 GAA and a .898 SV% in two starts…LW Matthew Tkachuk led the Flames with six points (3-3=6)…LW Johnny Gaudreau (1-4=5), C Elias Lindholm (2-3=5) and RW Tyler Toffoli (3-2=5) collected five points each…G Jacob Markstrom went 2-0-1 with a 2.32 GAA and a .916 SV% in three starts.

WILD LEADERS: D Jared Spurgeon leads the Wild with 13 points (5-8=13) in 36 games against Calgary…D Alex Goligoski owns 10 assists in 38 contests…LW Marcus Foligno has nine points (7-2=9) in 19 matches.

WILD GOALIES: G Marc-Andre Fleury is 14-5-1 with a 2.03 GAA, a .934 SV% and five shutouts in 21 career starts vs. Calgary…G Filip Gustavsson is 2-0-0 with a 1.61 GAA and a .949 SV% in three games (two starts).

FLAMES LEADERS: C Mikael Backlund leads the Flames with 16 points (6-10=16) in 36 matches…C Nazem Kadri owns 15 points (7-8=15) in 28 games…LW Jonathan Huberdeau has 14 points (6-8=14) in 14 contests…Lindholm owns 13 points (5-8=13) in 17 games.

FLAMES GOALIES: Markstrom is 5-2-2 with a 2.55 GAA and a .912 SV% in 10 games (nine starts) vs. the Wild…G Dan Vladar has not faced Minnesota.

INJURIES
Jonas Brodin: lower body
Brandon Duhaime: upper body
Ryan Hartman: upper body

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Nov. 25, 2022 – Dec. 5, 2022
12/2/22 Recalled F Joseph Cramarossa from Iowa
12/1/22 Recalled D Andrej Sustr from Iowa
11/29/22 Reassigned G Zane McIntyre to Iowa
11/28/22 Assigned F Marco Rossi to Iowa
11/26/22 Recalled G Zane McIntyre from Iowa

IN THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT
• Minnesota is 6-1-0 in seven games played since Nov. 19. During that span, the Wild are tied for first in the NHL in wins and tied for fourth in points (12).

ON THE POWER PLAY
• Through 24 games the Wild has converted 25.6 percent (20 of 78) of power-play opportunities, 10th-best in the NHL.

• The Wild have converted 34.1 percent (15 of 44) of power-play opportunities at home this season, third-best in the NHL.

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

PENALTY KILLERS
• Through 24 games the Wild is seventh the NHL with a 80.8 penalty-kill percentage (63 for 78).

• Since Nov. 8, Minnesota is second in the NHL with a 86.4 penalty-kill percentage (38 for 44).

• Since Nov. 19, the Wild is fourth in the NHL with a 84.2 penalty-kill percentage (16 of 19).

• Minnesota leads the NHL with a 88.9 penalty-kill percentage (32 of 36) on the road this season.

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

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

• During the 2021-22 season, the Wild ranked second in the NHL with a franchise record 11 overtime wins and ranked tied for second with five shootout wins, good for 16 total extra-session victories.

• Minnesota went 16-7 in 23 extra session games during the 2021-22 season – its most extra session contests since 23 in 2013-14. The 16 extra session wins are the second-most in team history (17 in 2006-07).

CALGARY FLAMES NOTES:

FLAMES LAST GAME RECAP
DECEMBER 5, 2022 – ARIZONA COYOTES [2] vs. CALGARY FLAMES [3]
The Calgary Flames welcomed the Arizona Coyotes to the Scotiabank Saddledome on Monday night for the first and only time this season. A little over halfway through the opening period, Dillon Dube would break the scoreless deadlock when he deflected a Chris Tanev point shot past Arizona netminder Karel Vejmelka to give the Flames a 1-0 lead. Elias Lindholm would add to the Flames advantage later in the period with his team-leading ninth goal and fourth on the powerplay and the Flames finished the opening 20 up 2-0. In the second however, Coyotes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere would score the only goal of the frame to cut the Flames lead in half through 40 minutes of play. In the third, the Coyotes would get additional offensive production from their blueline when Jakob Chychrun snuck down from his point position to fire home the game-tying goal. But in the late stages of the third, Chychrun would take a tripping penalty that would prove costly as Nazem Kadri would finish-off a slick three-way passing play to give the Flames their lead back, and they would not surrender it again, hanging on to win 3-2.
CGY GOAL SCORERS: Dube (5), Lindholm (9), Kadri (9)
GOALIE: Vladar (18/20, .900 Sv%)
PP: 2/3 (66%)
PK: 2/2 (100%)

FLAMES LAST FIVE RESULTS, RECORD: 3-2-0
DATE RESULT GWG CGY GOALIE OPP. GOALIE
December 5, 2022 ARI [2] at CGY [3] Kadri Vladar Vejmelka
December 3, 2022 WSH [2] at CGY [5] Ruzicka Vladar Kuemper/ Lindgren
December 1, 2022 MTL [2] at CGY [1] Caufield Markstrom Allen
November 29, 2022 FLA [2] at CGY [6] Andersson Vladar Bobrovsky
November 26, 2022 CGY [2] at CAR [3] Pesce Vladar Raanta
*shootout winning goal

FLAMES UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
DATE TIME

(MST) OPPONENT VENUE
December 7, 2022 6:00pm vs. Minnesota Wild Scotiabank Saddledome
December 9, 2022 5:00pm at Columbus Blue Jackets Nationwide Arena
December 10, 2022 5:00pm at Toronto Maple Leafs Scotiabank Arena
December 12, 2022 5:00pm at Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre
December 14, 2022 8:00pm vs. Vancouver Canucks Scotiabank Saddledome

TONIGHTS STORYLINES & STATS
This is the first of three matchups this season between the Flames and Wild. The Flames won the season-series in 2021- 22, going 2-0-1 and outscoring the Wild 14-7. This is a Pacific Division versus Central Division Matchup; The Flames have an overall record of 3-1-0 against Central Division opponents this season and a record of 6-3-0 against Western Conference opponents.

LAST SEASON AGAINST THE WILD:
The Flames and Wild squared off three times during the 2021-22 campaign with just one of the three meeting coming at the Scotiabank Saddledome. The Flames won the season-series against the Wild going 2-0-1, outscoring Minnesota 14-7 over their three matchups. Over their history, the Flames are 8-1-2-1 against the Wild when they welcome them to the Scotiabank Saddledome during the month of December with a goal advantage 29-20. The last December meeting at the Saddledome between the two clubs came during the 2018-19 season where the Flames blanked Minnesota 2-0 with Elias Lindholm scoring both goals for Calgary in that contest.

LETHAL LINDHOLM:
Elias Lindholm scored for the third-straight game on Monday nights 3-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes. This is the first three-game goal-streak the Boden, SWE native has had this season, but has scored in back-to-back games twice on the campaign (Nov. 5-7 and Nov. 12-14). Last season, Lindholm opened the season with goals in four-straight games including a hattrick and later went on to record an eight-game goal-streak (Feb. 2-21) scoring nine goals over that span. Over his career, Lindholm has 13 points in 17 career matchups against Minnesota and recorded at least a point in all three of the club’s meetings last season (2-3 – 5).

FINISH STRONG:
The Flames will finish off their five-game home stand tonight against the Wild, having gone 3-1-0 so far. The Flames opened the homestand by welcoming back Matthew Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers to the tune of a 6-2 win. The Flames fell 2-1 to Montreal the following game but bounced back two nights later with a 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals. On Monday night the Flames edged the Coyotes 3-2 to improve to 5-1-0 in their last six contests at the Saddledome.

KADRI:
Nazem Kadri scored a late third period goal on Monday night to help the Flames past the Coyotes 3-2. Kadri is tied for the team lead in goals (9), points (19) and leads the team in powerplay markers with 5. Monday night was Kadri’s second three-point night of the season and is level with Adam Ruzicka for the most three-point games on the team. Kadri also had his second multi-assist game of the season and only Rasmus Andersson, and Elias Lindholm have more multi-assist games.

LOOK BACKS AT IT:
Mikael Backlund skated in his 851 NHL game on Monday night against the Coyotes. 424 of those contests have come at home, putting him third in most career home games played in Flames franchise history. He passed former Flame Robyn Regehr who spent 11 years with Calgary and played 826 games as a Flame, with 423 coming at home. The two were teammates from 2008 to 2011 and played all their home games but one at the Scotiabank Saddledome. The two were teammates for the 2011 Heritage Classic which was a home game for the Flames played at McMahon Stadium, a 4-0 victory for Calgary.

REVERSE RETRO:
Tonight will be the Flames third time wearing their 2022 Adidas Reverse Retro jersey. The jersey is a reverse of the Flames 1995 threads, this time in black instead of red or white. This is the third of four-straight home games the Flames will wear their 2022 Reverse Retro jerseys with the final game coming against Vancouver on December 14th. The Flames went 3-3-0 in their Reverse Retro jerseys from the 2021 series and are 2-0-0 so far in the 2022 series thanks to a 5-2 win over Washington and a 3-2 win over Arizona on Monday night.

DID YOU KNOW?
Three different Flames players recorded their first career NHL assist against the Minnesota Wild. Brett Ritchie had his first NHL assist against the Wild in his first multi-point game in January of 2015. Nikita Zadorov picked up his first big league helper in St. Paul in November of the same season, and Blake Coleman recorded his first NHL assist in St. Paul as well on January 17th, 2017. Wild Head Coach Dean Evason was a member of Calgary Flames during the 1995-96 season, skating in 67 games with 14 points (7-7 – 14) and was Co-Coach of the Calgary Hitmen during the 2004-05 season, taking them to the second round of the playoffs.

CALGARY FLAMES vs. MINNESOTA WILD
ALL-TIME HOME AWAY L10 STRK
CGY vs. MIN 53-29-4-12 29-11-3-5 24-18-1-7 7-2-1 L1

GAME INFO:
Calgary Flames vs. Minnesota Wild
6:00pm MT
Scotiabank Saddledome

TV: Sportsnet, Sportsnet 360
Radio: Sportsnet Fan 960
2022-23 Season Series: 0-0-0 (Home: 0-0-0, Road 0-0-0)
Dec. 6, 2022 – MIN at CGY
Mar. 4, 2023 – MIN at CGY
Mar. 7, 2023 – CGY at MIN

2021-22 Season Record vs. MIN: 3-0-0 (Home: 2-0-0, Road: 1-0-0)
Last Home Win vs. MIN: February 26, 2022 – Minnesota [3] vs. Calgary [7]
Last Road Win @ MIN: March 1, 2022 – Calgary [5] at Minnesota [1]
Last Home Loss vs. MIN: March 2, 2019 – Minnesota [4] vs. Calgary [2]
Last Road Loss @ MIN: April 28, 2022 – Calgary [2] at Minnesota 3

NHL Preview: Buffalo Sabres (13-11-1) at Columbus Blue Jackets (8-14-2)

NHL Editor
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NHL Preview: Buffalo Sabres (13-11-1) at Columbus Blue Jackets (8-14-2)

BUFFALO SABRES NOTES:

LAST GAME
Sunday, Dec. 4
San Jose 3 at Buffalo 6
Goals: Quinn (2), Thompson, Peterka, Skinner, Tuch
Goalie: Luukkonen (26 saves/29 shots)
PP: 2/4; PK: 0/1; Shots: Buffalo 38 – San Jose 29

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 58)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Eric Comrie (Lower body, Nov. 19; IR) – 8 games
Ilya Lyubushkin (Lower body, Nov. 30; IR) – 3 games
Vinnie Hinostroza (Undisclosed) – 0 games

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST SEVEN DAYS
12/4: Activated D Jacob Bryson off IR; Placed D Ilya Lyubushkin on IR

UPCOMING GAMES
Friday, Dec. 9: Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 10: Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 13: Los Angeles at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 15: Buffalo at Colorado, 9 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Buffalo at Arizona, 9 p.m.

TONIGHT’S GAME
SABRES at BLUE JACKETS
• This is the first of three meetings between the Sabres and the Blue Jackets this season.
• Last meeting: Columbus defeated Buffalo 7-3 in Columbus on Feb. 20, 2022.
• Next meeting: Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022 in Columbus.
• The Sabres are 4-3-3 in their last 10 games against the Blue Jackets; 3-5-2 on the road.
• This is the 39th game all-time between Buffalo and Columbus; Buffalo has a 14-19-5 series record.
• The Sabres are 5-9-3 on the road against the Blue Jackets all-time.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
• Six Sabres skaters (Dylan Cozens, Rasmus Dahlin, JJ Peterka, Jack Quinn, Jeff Skinner, Tage Thompson) have recorded at least one point in each of the team’s last four games.
• Dylan Cozens was named the NHL’s Second Star for the week ending Dec. 4.
• Cozens recorded nine points (4+5) in that span.
• Cozens has tallied 16 points (5+11) in his last 12 games and is riding a four-game point streak, the longest of his career.
• Tage Thompson has notched 31 points (15+16) in his last 18 games.
• Jeff Skinner has tallied 15 points (9+6) in his last 10 games, including 13 (7+6) in his last seven.
• Skinner has recorded more multi-point games (8) than single-point games (7) in 2022-23.
• JJ Peterka has notched four points (2+2) during his four-game point streak.
• A goal tonight would give Peterka the first three-game goal streak of his career and would make him the first Sabres rookie to record a three-game goal streak since Victor Olofsson (Oct. 5 to 9, 2019).
• Rasmus Dahlin is riding a four-game point and assist streak and has recorded 12 points (1+11) in his last 10 games.
• Jack Quinn owns nine points (5+4) in his last eight games.

COLUMBUS DAY
• Tage Thompson (4+3) and Rasmus Dahlin (1+6) are both riding five-game point streaks against the Blue Jackets and both have recorded seven points in that span.
• Dahlin has notched nine points (1+8) in his last seven games against the Blue Jackets.
• A goal in tonight’s game would give Kyle Okposo a three-game goal streak against the Blue Jackets.
• Victor Olofsson’s shooting percentage against Columbus (27.3) is tied for his highest shooting percentage among teams he has played at least five games against in his career.

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF
• Per NHL stats, 2022-23 marks the first time since 2006-07 that three Sabres skaters have recorded a three-game multi-point streak within the team’s first 25 games. Dylan Cozens, Jeff Skinner and Tage Thompson have each done so in 2022-23 and Maxim Afinogenov, Daniel Briere and Thomas Vanek did so in 2006-07.
• The Sabres have converted on 27.4 percent of their power-play opportunities through their first 25 games of 2022-23.
• The current franchise record for power-play percentage in a single season is 24.5 percent, set in 2016-17.
• Buffalo currently owns a 5-on-5 shot attempts percentage of 52.6 percent, the highest mark by a Sabres team in a single season since the league began tracking the stat in 2009-10.
• Buffalo’s 3.80 goals scored per game is the highest by a Sabres team since the 1992-93 Sabres recorded 3.99 goals per game.
• Three Sabres skaters (Rasmus Dahlin, 1.21, Jeff Skinner, 1.08; Tage Thompson, 1.36) have scored at least one point per game played through the team’s first 25 games.
• The 2006-07 Sabres were the last team in franchise history to have three or more skaters with at least one point per game played (Maxim Afinogenov, 1.09; Daniel Briere, 1.17; Thomas Vanek, 1.02).

TOE THE LINE
• According to Natural Stat Trick, the line of Jeff Skinner, Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch owns a corsi for percentage of 63.80 and an expected goals for percentage of 58.96.
• When on the ice together, Skinner, Thompson and Tuch have recorded 30 goals and allowed just 13.
• The trio has recorded a combined 40 goals on the season, 42.11 percent of all goals scored by Buffalo skaters in 2022-23.
• Skinner (eight multi-point games), Thompson (nine multi-point games) and Tuch (five multi-point games) have all recorded multiple points in at least five games in 2022-23.
• There have been 14 instances of a Sabres skater tallying three or more points in a single game in 2022-23 and nine of the 14 were recorded by Skinner, Thompson or Tuch.
• Entering play on Tuesday, Skinner and Thompson were two of the 16 NHL skaters who had recorded three or more multi-goal games.
• Skinner (27 points, 12+15), Thompson (34 points, 16+18), Tuch (24 points, 12+12) all rank in the top three in points among Sabres forwards.
• In Buffalo’s last five games, the trio has recorded 17 combined points (8+9).

THE KIDS TABLE
• According to Natural Stat Trick, the line combination consisting of Dylan Cozens, JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn has produced 35 high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5 for the Sabres in 92:22 of ice time at 5-on-5 together.
• All but three of the high-danger scoring chances they have created as a line have come at 5-on-5.
• At 5-on-5, the line’s expected goals for percentage is 64.86 and their corsi for percentage is 56.77.
• The line’s collective 5-on-5 corsi for percentage and 5-on-5 expected goals for percentage are higher than each individual member’s percentages without the other two.
• Cozens (21), Peterka (20) and Quinn (21) are all 21 years of age or younger.
• Entering play on Tuesday, Cozens (24 points) ranked third in scoring and tied for second in even-strength goals (7) among NHL skaters aged 21 or younger.
• Cozens recorded nine points (4+5) in the week ending Dec. 4 and was named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week for the first time in his career.

ENTER TAGE LEFT
• Through Buffalo’s first 25 games, Thompson is on pace for 112 points and would become just the fourth Sabres skater to record 112 or more points in a single season (Pat LaFontaine, 148 points in 1992-93; Alexander Mogilny, 127 points in 1992-93; Gilbert Perreault, 113 points in 1975-76)
• Thompson is also on pace to score 52 goals in 2022-23, which would make him the first Sabres skater since Pat LaFontaine (53) and Alexander Mogilny (76) in 1992-93 to record 50 or more goals in a single season.
 A 50-goal season would make Thompson just the fifth skater (Danny Gare, Pat LaFontaine, Rick Martin, Mogilny) in franchise history to reach that plateau at least one time.
• Entering play on Tuesday and dating back to Oct. 29, Thompson ranked second in the NHL in goals (15), third in points (31) and was fourth in points per game (1.72).
• Thompson leads all Sabres skaters in goals (16), points (34), even-strength points (20), points per game (1.36), shots (112) and power-play goals (7).
• Thompson is also tied for second in even-strength goals (8).
• Thompson ranks second among all Sabres forwards in time on ice per game (18:42) and is tied for first among all Sabres skaters in time on ice per shift (0:49).
• According to Natural Stat Trick, Thompson is tied for the team lead with 52 individual high-danger scoring chances and he leads the team with 41 individual high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5.
• Entering play on Tuesday, Thompson was tied for fourth in the league with 112 shots on goal and was one of eight NHL players who had recorded 110 or more shots in 2022-23.
• Thompson owned the second-highest shooting percentage (14.3) among the eight players who had recorded 110 or more shots on goal.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
• Buffalo is 7-1-0 in games in which Rasmus Dahlin records multiple points in 2022-23.
• Dahlin is on pace for 98 points this season, which would shatter Phil Housley’s single-season franchise points record by a Sabres defenseman (81).
• Dahlin would be the first NHL defensemen since Brian Leetch (102 points) in 1991-92 to record 98 or more points in a single season.
• Entering play on Tuesday, among NHL defensemen, Dahlin ranked tied for second in goals (8), second in points (29), tied for first in points per game (1.21), tied for first in power-play goals (4) and power-play points (15) and fourth in time on ice per game (25:58).
• Through his first 24 games, Dahlin has only failed to record a point on four occasions (Oct. 27 vs. Montreal, Nov. 12 vs. Boston, Nov. 23 vs. St. Louis and Nov. 25 vs. New Jersey).
• Dahlin has recorded a point in every road game he has played in 2022-23.
• Dahlin (623:23) is the only Sabres skater who has logged more than 600 or more minutes of ice time through the team’s first 25 games.
• Entering play on Tuesday, only 4 skaters in the NHL had skated more minutes in 2022-23 than Dahlin, and he had played at least two fewer games than all four of them.

UNLIMITED POWER
• Entering play on Tuesday, Owen Power and Jake Sanderson were the only defensemen aged 20 or younger who had notched 10 or more points this season.
• Entering play on Tuesday, Owen Power ranked tied for third among rookie defensemen in points (10) and was tied for second in even-strength points (7).
• Entering play on Tuesday, Power led all rookie skaters in time on ice per game (23:36), with the next closest rookie at 21:04 (Sanderson).
• Power’s time on ice per game trails just Tyler Myers (23:44) in 2009-10 for the most by a Sabres rookie in a single season.
• Power leads all Sabres skaters in even-strength time on ice per game (20:41). No Sabres rookie has ever averaged more than 20 minutes of even-strength time on ice per game.
• Through Buffalo’s first 25 games, Power has recorded multiple points on three separate occasions (Oct. 20, 0+2; Nov. 2, 0+2; Nov. 5, 0+2), tied for second among rookie defensemen in 2022-23 entering play on Tuesday.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS NOTES:

Dec. 7, 2022 Game No. 25 (8-14-2, 18 pts.)
vs. Buffalo Sabres (11-13-1, 23 pts.), Nationwide Arena Home Game No. 17 (6-9-1, 13 pts.)
The Blue Jackets Press Box website, which includes game notes, stats, releases and video/audio clips as well as the 2022-23 Media Guide can be accessed at bluejackets.com/pressbox. Follow @BlueJacketsPR on Twitter for comprehensive information and updates on the team.
THE LAST GAME: DEC. 6, 2022 – CBJ 1 at PIT 4
CBJ Goal Scorers: Gaudreau (9)
PIT Goal Scorers: Rust (7), Crosby (14), PP – Crosby (15), Blueger (1)
Goalies: CBJ – Merzlikins (30/34; 57:06); PIT – Jarry (38/39; 59:47)
CBJ PP: 0/5; PK: 4/5 | Shots: CBJ: 39 / PIT: 34
3 Stars: 1. Crosby, PIT; 2. Rust, PIT; 3. Blueger, PIT
Noteworthy: CBJ scored their lone goal 1 minute into the game, but PIT scored 4 unanswered goals (3 in the 2nd and 1 in the 3rd) to win… Gaudreau tied for the team lead (Jenner) with his 1st period goal, extending his points streak to five-straight games (2-7-9)… Laine tallied an assist and now has 2-1-3 in his last 3 outings… Berni made his NHL debut recording 1 shot and 13:39 of ice time… Marchenko made his NHL debut registering 2 shots and 10:03 of ice time.

OhioHEALTH INJURY REPORT
Danforth (torn labrum); Placed on Injured Reserve (Oct. 25); 6 months (18 games)
Boqvist (broken foot); Placed on Injured Reserve (Oct. 26); 6 weeks (16 games)
Voracek (upper body); Placed on Injured Reserve (Nov. 4); out indefinitely (13 games)
Blankenburg (ankle); Placed on IR (Nov. 10); 6-8 weeks (11 games)
Werenski (torn labrum); Placed on IR (retro to Nov. 10); Expected to miss rest of regular season (11 games)
Bean (shoulder); Placed on IR (retro to Nov. 15); out indefinitely (9 games)
Christiansen (illness); day-to-day (1 game)
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 135

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Dec. 5 Recalled Marchenko from Cleveland (AHL) and assigned Fix-Wolansky to Cleveland (AHL)
Dec. 1 Activated Laine and Merzlikins off IR and assigned Tarasov to Cleveland (AHL)
Dec. 1 Signed 2022 2nd round pick Luca Del Bel Belluz and 2021 5th round pick James Malatesta to 3-year entry level contracts
Nov. 29 Assigned Sweezey to Cleveland (AHL)
Nov. 28 Recalled Berni from Cleveland (AHL) and assigned Gaunce to AHL club.
Nov. 25 Signed 2022 third round pick Jordan Dumais to three-year entry level contract
Nov. 24 Recalled Meyer from Cleveland (AHL) and assigned Bemstrom to Cleveland (AHL)
Nov. 20 Placed Merzlikins on Injured Reserve retroactive to Nov. 15 and recalled Fix-Wolansky from Cleveland (AHL)

TONIGHT’S GAME BROADCAST INFO
7:30pm ET | TNT | 97.1 The Fan

AGAINST THE SABRES
2022-23 Series: 0-0-0 (0-0-0 vs. BUF)
2021-22 Series: 3-0-0 (1-0-0 vs. BUF)
All-Time Series: 23-12-1-2 (11-5-1-0 vs. BUF)
Last 10 (Overall | Home): 6-2-2 | 7-3-0
All-Time GF/GA: 123/103
All-Time SF/SA: 1,220/1,170
All-Time PP: 23-of-132
All-Time PK: 96-of-123

THE LAST GAME VS BUF: FEB. 20, 2022 – CBJ 7 vs. BUF 3
CBJ Goal Scorers: Kukan (2), Jenner (21), Kukan (3), Werenski (8), Gaunce (2), EN – Nyquist (13), Danforth (3)
BUF Goal Scorers: Pysyk (2), Thompson (20), Okposo (12)
Goalies: CBJ – Berube (33/36; 60:00); BUF– Anderson (32/38; 59:00)
CBJ PP: 0/2; PK: 1/1 | Shots: CBJ: 39 / BUF: 36
3 Stars: 1. Kukan, CBJ; 2. Gaunce, CBJ; 3. Berube, CBJ
Noteworthy: CBJ won 2nd consecutive game… CBJ scored 7 goals in back-to-back games for 1st time in club history… Berube earned victory in CBJ debut and 1st NHL action since 4/6/18… Gaunce collected 1st career multi-assist and 3-point game (1-2-3)… Kukan notched 1st career 2-goal and 3-point game (2-1-3)… Laine stretched points streak to 9-straight (10-8-18) with 2 assists… Werenski scored a goal to extend his points streak to 5-straight (2-4-6).

SEASON SERIES LEFT: Dec. 27 at CBJ… Feb. 28 at BUF
Columbus Blue Jackets: Media Notes

NOTED (Team Highlights vs. BUF)
CBJ have picked up points in last 7 meetings (5-0-2) and 13 of the past 16 games of the series since 4/8/16 (11-3-2)… CBJ have won the last 2 home games and are 7-2-0 in the last 9 games at NWA dating back to 4/10/15… 4 of the last 6 meetings have been decided after regulation with each team winning 2 games in OT… Winning team has recorded 4-plus goals in 4-straight contests and 8 of the last 9 since 10/27/18… Each team has recorded 3 shutouts (MR: Bobrovsky in 4-0 win at BUF on 3/31/19) and a penalty shot (MR: Nash unsuccessful vs. Miller on 10/19/07)… Most goals scored vs. BUF: 7 (2/20/22)… Most goals allowed vs. BUF: 5 – 3x (MR: 1/29/19).

NOTED (Player Highlights vs. BUF)
Foudy notched his 1st career NHL point (assist) on 2/13/20 at BUF… Gaudreau skated in his 300th career NHL game on 3/7/18 at BUF… Laine notched his 100th career NHL point (goal) on 1/9/18 at BUF.

SCORING NOTABLES vs. BUF
•Gaudreau – 8-7-15 in 13 career GP, including points in 6 of his 7 home contests (5-4-9)
•Gavrikov – 2-3-5 in 6 career GP, including points in 4-straight games played vs. Buffalo (2-3-5)
•Jenner – 5-5-10 in 20 career GP, including points in his last 4 consecutive games played against the Sabres (2-4-6) and assists in the last 3 (0-4-4)
•Laine – 1-6-7 in 10 career GP, including assists in 3 of his last 4 home games (0-4-4)
•Nyquist – 4-10-14 in 28 career GP, including points in 2 of the 3 meetings in 2021-22 (1-1-2)
•Roslovic – 3-1-4 in 8 career GP, including goals in 2 of his last 3 contests vs. the club (3-1-4)

A LOOK AT DECEMBER
The Blue Jackets fell for a second consecutive game and to 5-5-2 in the last 12 games overall following a 4-1 loss to the Penguins on Tuesday. Tonight’s contest against Buffalo opens up a three-game homestand with Columbus also hosting Calgary (Friday) and Los Angeles (Sunday). The team will then play six-of-eight contests on the road from December 13-29. Columbus closes up a stretch of three-straight contests against the East tonight. The Blue Jackets play 15 games in the month of December with two sets of back-toback games (Dec. 6 at PIT/Dec. 7 vs. BUF; Dec. 19 vs. DAL/Dec. 20 at PHI).

TWO DIFFERENT STRETCHES
Nine of the club’s first 12 games were competed against teams that made the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, including facing off against the Stanley Cup champion Avalanche twice and Stanley Cup finalist once (Tampa Bay Lightning). The club is now at the end of a stretch of 11-of-13 contests from November 10-December 7 played against teams that failed to make the postseason. The only playoff teams over the second stretch are Florida (Nov. 20) and Pittsburgh (Dec. 6).

A PAIR OF NHL DEBUTS
Right wing Kirill Marchenko, who was recalled from the American Hockey League’s Cleveland Monsters on Monday, and defenseman Tim Berni, who was recalled from Cleveland on November 28, both made their NHL debuts on Tuesday at Pittsburgh. Marchenko was selected by the club in the second round, 49th overall, at the 2018 NHL Draft while Berni was selected in the sixth round, 159th overall in the same draft. It’s only the sixth instance in franchise history that two players from the same draft made their NHL debut in the same game and the first instance that was not in a season opener. Marchenko played in the KHL from 2017-22 before making the move to North America this season. He ranked second among AHL rookies in points and power play goals (tied), fourth-T in assists and fifth-T in goals at the time of his recall on Monday with 8-11-19 and four PPG in 16 games this season and recorded points in 14 of his 16 outings. Berni has posted 4-15-19 with 54 PIM in 87 career AHL games with the Monsters since making his North American pro debut in 2021-22. The 22-year-old blueliner has collected 1-3-4, 10 PIM, 14 shots and a +1 plus/minus rating in 15 contests with Cleveland in 2022-23. Defensemen Marcus Bjork and David Jiricek have also made their NHL debuts with the Blue Jackets this season.

FROM THE BLUELINE
CBJ blueliners, who have recorded goals in two of the last three contests (2-1-3), have collected 9-21-30 in the last 18 outings and 13- 27-40 in 24 games this season to rank eighth-T in the NHL in goals. Defenseman Erik Gudbranson scored his first goal with the club on Friday at Winnipeg, picking up his 100th career point in the process (28-72-100 in 664 games). Vladislav Gavrikov, who has tallied an assist in two of the last four games (0-2-2), notched his second career overtime winner and fifth career game-winning goal on Nov. 15 vs. the Flyers, finishing with 1-1-2, while also skating in a career-high 28:40 TOI (previous 28:20 on Apr. 22, 2022 vs. OTT). He became the fifth different defenseman in NHL history to score each of his first two or more goals of a season in overtime and is also one off the franchise record for overtime goals by a defenseman in a single season (3; Seth Jones, 2016-17 & 2018-19).

ROOKIE REPORT
The club currently has eight rookies on the roster with forwards Liam Foudy, Kent Johnson, Kirill Marchenko and Carson Meyer along with defensemen Tim Berni, Nick Blankenburg (injured), Marcus Bjork and Jake Christiansen. They have combined for 10-15-25 in 24 games in 2022-23 after notching both goals in Sunday’s game vs. Detroit. CBJ rank fifth among NHL team rookies in goals and points. Johnson, who registered a goal on Sunday and has 1-1-2 in his last three games, ranks fourth-T among NHL rookies in goals, sixth-T in points-per-game (.62; min. 10 GP) and eighth-T in points with 6-7-13 in 21 games. He has registered 3-4-7 in his last 10 outings and 6-6-12 in his past 18 contests played. Bjork also scored a goal on Sunday and now has 1-2-3 in the past seven games (overall 2-3-5 in 11 GP). The blueliner tallied points in his first two NHL games after scoring his first career goal in his NHL debut on Nov. 12 at NY Islanders and picking up his first career assist on Nov. 15 vs. Philadelphia. He is the first blueliner and seventh player overall in franchise history to score in his debut.

CAPTAIN BOONE JENNER
Boone Jenner had his three-game points streak (1-3-4) snapped on Tuesday at Pittsburgh. He finished the month of November with 8- 3-11 in 11 contests, which was the third-most goals in the month in franchise history (tied). The forward ranks ninth-T in the NHL in goals scored at home this season with 9-7-16 in 16 outings. He also ranks fourth in the NHL in faceoff wins (298-of-525 faceoffs; 56.8 pct.). The 29-year-old, who was selected 37th overall at the 2011 NHL Draft, is the longest-tenured Blue Jacket in his 10th season with the club, including his second as the team’s captain. The forward skated in his 600th career game on Nov. 4 vs. Colorado, becoming just the third player to reach the milestone with the franchise. With his second goal on Nov.15 vs. Philadelphia, Jenner notched his 150th career goal with the Blue Jackets and became the third player to reach the milestone with the franchise, joining Rick Nash (289) and Cam Atkinson (213). He also ranks fifth on the franchise’s all-time list in points (302).

RK PLAYER TOTAL GP SEASONS WITH CBJ

  1. Rick Nash 674 2002-12 (9 seasons)
  2. Cam Atkinson 627 2011-21 (10 seasons)
  3. Boone Jenner 613 2013-current (10 seasons)
  4. Nick Foligno 599 2012-21 (9 seasons)
  5. David Savard 597 2011-21 (10 seasons)

HERE’S JOHNNY!
Left wing Johnny Gaudreau stretched his points streak to five consecutive games (2-7-9), including three-straight multi-point efforts from Nov. 25-Dec. 2, with the Blue Jackets’ lone goal on Tuesday. He has now collected 4-14-18 in his last 12 contests. The forward tied the franchise record for assists in the month of November with 3-11-14 in 11 outings (Andrew Cassels in November 2002). The six-time All-Star leads the club in goals (tied), assists and points with 9-18-27 in 24 games while recording points in 17 of his contests. The winger has done most of his damage at home with 8-13-21 in 16 outings, ranking eighth-T in the NHL in points. He played in his 318th consecutive game on Tuesday, the third-longest active iron man streak in the NHL and trailing only Phil Kessel (1,009) and Brent Burns (705). The Salem, New Jersey native, who signed a seven-year contract with Columbus in July, has collected 219-417-636 in 626 NHL games, including a career-high 40-75-115 in 82 games with Calgary last season when he earned First Team All-NHL honors.

TOUGH TO REPLACE Z
Defenseman Zach Werenski recorded his first multi-point game of the season with 1-1-2 in a win over Philadelphia on Nov. 10 to extend his points-streak to three-straight games (1-3-4) before leaving the with an upper body injury. Unfortunately, that was the last CBJ will likely see the club’s top defenseman this regular season as it was announced Friday that he suffered a separated shoulder and torn labrum and likely to miss six months. He led the club’s blueliners in goals, assists and points at the time of the injury with 3-5-8 in 13 games. The two-time NHL All-Star blueliner set single-season career highs in assists, points and time on ice and posted the third-most assists (tied) and points by a defenseman in a single season in franchise history with 11-37-48 and 25:40 TOI in 68 games in 2021-22.

NHL Preview: Washington Capitals (11-12-4) at Philadelphia Flyers (9-12-5)

NHL Editor
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NHL Preview: Washington Capitals (11-12-4) at Philadelphia Flyers (9-12-5)

WASHINGTON CAPITALS NOTES:

LAST GAME
Washington 3, Edmonton Oilers 2
December 5, 2022 * Rogers Place * Edmonton, AB
Shots: WSH: 50; EDM: 30
Power Plays: WSH: 1/3; EDM: 0/1
Three Stars: 1. Skinner (EDM), 2. Dowd (WSH), 3. McDavid (EDM)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Loaned forward Connor McMichael to AHL Hershey, 11/20

INJURIES/ILLNESSES
Nicklas Backstrom: 10/12-12/5 (27 games)
Carl Hagelin: 10/12-12/5 (27 games)
Tom Wilson: 10/12-12/5 (27 games)
Connor Brown: 10/20/22-12/5/22 (23 games)
Beck Malenstyn: 11/3/22-12/5/22 (16 games)
Dmitry Orlov: 11/7/22-12/5/22 (14 games)
T.J. Oshie: 10/31/22-11/19/22 (11 games)
John Carlson: 10/31/22-11/9/22 (6 games)
Man Games Lost: 151

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Dec. 9, 7 p.m. ET vs. Seattle (NBCSW+, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Dec. 11, 7 p.m. ET at Winnipeg (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Dec. 13, 9 p.m. ET at Chicago (ESPN, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Dec. 15, 7 p.m. ET vs. Dallas (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Dec. 17, 7 p.m. ET vs. Toronto (NBCSW, NHLN, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)

TONIGHT’S GAME
The Capitals visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday at Wells Fargo for the second of four meetings between the teams this season. Wednesday’s contest marks the sixth game (2-2-1) of a season-long six-game road trip for Washington. The Capitals overcame a one-goal deficit in the third period to defeat the Flyers 3-2 in overtime on Nov. 23 at Capital One Arena. It marked Washington’s third win this season when trailing after two periods, which is tied for the third most in the NHL. Marcus Johansson and Sonny Milano scored in regulation for Washington, while Alex Ovechkin scored his 25th career overtime goal to give the Capitals the victory. Washington is 96-110-19-11 all-time versus Philadelphia and 14-7-0 in their last 21 games against the Flyers dating back to the 2018-19 season. In addition, the Capitals are 8-2-0 in their last 10 games at Wells Fargo Center.

AWAY vs. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
Record Goals For Goals Against Streak
43-64-6-7 347 434 1 PHI win (2/26/22)

CAPITALS vs. FLYERS ALL-TIME (CAREER TOTALS)
Games Goals Assists Points
Ovechkin (68) Ovechkin (44) Backstrom (43) Ovechkin (75)
Backstrom (59) Backstrom (21) Ovechkin (30) Backstrom (64)
Carlson (53) Oshie (11) Carlson (28) Carlson (31)

POINT STREAKS
Lars Eller – 2 game point streak (1g, 1a)
Evgeny Kuznetsov – 2 game point streak (0g, 2a), 2 game assist streak (2a)
Dylan Strome – 2 game point streak (0g, 2a), 2 game assist streak (2a)
Sonny Milano – 2 game point streak (0g, 2a), 2 game assist streak (2a)

TOP CAPS FACTS
Pucks on Net

  • The Capitals recorded 50 shots on goal on Monday at Edmonton, marking their second-highest single game total this season (51 shots: Nov. 17 at STL) and their highest total in a regulation game.
  • It marked the first time Washington recorded 50 shots in a regulation game since March 16, 2009 (50 shots in 5-1 loss at Atlanta).
  • The Capitals were credited with 22 shots in the first period, which tied their single-period high this season (22 shots: Nov. 15 at FLA, third period; Nov. 17 at STL, third period).
  • Washington outshot Edmonton 50-30, marking their second-highest shot differential against an opponent this season (51-24, Nov. 17 at STL).
  • T.J. Oshie led the Capitals with eight shots, which marked a single-game career high.

Metro Matchup

  • Wednesday’s game marks Washington’s sixth game against a Metropolitan Division opponent this season (2-2-1).
  • Last season, the Capitals tied for the second-best record (16-9-1, .635 point percentage) among Metropolitan Division teams in division games.

Special Teams

  • The Capitals have killed off 54 of 64 power plays (84.4 percent) over their last 22 games, dating back to Oct. 22. During that span, Washington’s 84.4 penalty kill percentage ranks second in the NHL.
  • Through games played Dec. 5, the Capitals’ 80.8 penalty kill percentage ranks tied for seventh in the NHL.
  • Washington has drawn 120 penalties this season – the third most in the NHL – and their +19 net penalty differential ranks second in the NHL.
  • The Capitals have had 95 power play opportunities this season, which is tied for the second most in the NHL.
  • Washington has scored a power play goal in six of their last seven games, dating back to Nov. 23 (six goals on 21 opportunities = 28.6%).
  • The Capitals have scored a power play goal in three-straight games, tying their longest stretch of consecutive games with at least one power play goal (Nov. 23 – Nov. 26: 3 PPGs; Oct. 15 – Oct. 20: 5 PPGs).

400 for Hath

  • Garnet Hathaway played in his 400th career regular-season game on Monday at Edmonton.
  • Hathaway has played 225 of his 400 career games with Washington (also 175 games played with the Calgary Flames).
  • Hathaway’s 225 games played are the most on the Capitals since 2019-20, his first season with the team. During that span, Hathaway has played in 96.1 percent of Washington’s games.
  • In 400 career games, Hathaway has recorded 104 points (47g, 57a).
  • Among active forwards that went undrafted, Hathaway ranks 12th in games played (400).
  • This season, Hathaway ranks first on the Capitals in hits (100) and second in penalties drawn (13).

300 for Stromer

  • Dylan Strome played in his 300th career regular-season game on Monday at Edmonton, recording an assist.
  • Strome, who signed with Washington as free agent this past summer, has appeared in all 27 of the Capitals’ games this season.
  • Strome has recorded 20 points (5g, 15a) in 27 games this season. Strome ranks first on the Capitals in primary assists (10), tied for first in assists (15), and second in points and power-play points (2g-8a—10p).
  • Strome ranks tied for first on Washington in multi-assist games (3) and second in multi-point games (5).

1,302 for Ovi

  • Alex Ovechkin is expected to play in his 1,302nd career game on Wednesday at Philadelphia, which will move him past Sergei Gonchar (1,301) for the second-most games played by a Russian in NHL history.
  • Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leader in goals (793) and points (1,435) among Russia-born players, trails Alex Kovalev (1,316) by 15 for the most games played.
  • On Dec. 3 at Calgary, Alex Ovechkin played in his 1,300th career regular-season game.
  • Ovechkin became the 14th player in NHL history to play 1,300 games with one franchise.
  • Per NHL Stats, Ovechkin is just the second first overall pick to play in 1,300+ regular season games with the team that drafted them, joining Mike Modano (first overall pick in 1988) who played in 1,459 games with the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars.
  • Ovechkin’s 793 career goals are the second most by a player at the time of their 1,300th career game, behind only Wayne Gretzky (853 goals in 1,300 games).
  • Among players that have reached the 1,300-game mark, Ovechkin’s 1,435 career points are the ninth most in NHL history by a player at the time of their 1,300th game (courtesy of NHL Stats).

Player Teams Games Played Goals Assists Points
Wayne Gretzky EDM, LAK, STL, NYR 1,300 853 1,817 2,670
Marcel Dionne DET, LAK, NYR 1,300 722 1,021 1,743
Jaromir Jagr PIT, WSH, NYR, PHI 1,300 656 969 1,625
Steve Yzerman DET 1,300 644 963 1,607
Mark Messier EDM, NYR, VAN 1,300 585 988 1,573
Joe Sakic QUE/COL 1,300 601 963 1,564
Paul Coffey EDM, PIT, LAK, DET,
HFD, PHI, CHI, CAR
1,300 385 1,100 1,485
Ron Francis HFD, PIT, CAR 1,300 438 1,026 1,464
Alex Ovechkin WSH 1,300 793 642 1,435

  • As of Dec. 3, Ovechkin had played in 1,300 of the Capitals’ 1,347 games (96.5%) since entering the League in 2005-06. That’s the sixth-highest percentage of games played in NHL history among skaters that have played with one team at their respective 1,300-game marks (courtesy of NHL Stats).

Player Team Player Games Played Team Games Played Percentage of GP
Henrik Sedin VAN 1,300 1,330 97.74%
Nicklas Lidstrom DET 1,300 1,331 97.67%
Patrick Marleau SJS 1,300 1,331 97.67%
Alex Delvecchio DET 1,300 1,337 97.23%
Gordie Howe DET 1,300 1,341 96.94%
Alex Ovechkin WSH 1,300 1,347 96.51%

Road Goals

  • Alex Ovechkin scored his 402nd and 403rd career road goals on Nov. 29 at Vancouver, moving him past Wayne Gretzky (402) for the most in NHL history.
  • Ovechkin has scored 403 of his 793 career goals (50.8%) on the road, compared to 390 (49.2%) at home.
  • Wayne Gretzky scored his 402nd and final road goal in his 720th career road game (0.56 G/GP). Ovechkin scored his 402nd and 403rd road goals in his 652nd career road game (0.62 G/GP).
  • Since Ovechkin’s rookie year in 2005-06, only 11 players have more total goals than Ovechkin has road goals (403).
  • Ovechkin has scored 144 of his NHL-record 291 power play goals (49.5%) on the road.
  • Ovechkin has scored 54 of his 124 career game-winning goals (43.5%) on the road.

Approaching 800

  • Ovechkin is seven goals shy of becoming the third player in NHL history to score 800 career goals and nine goals shy of passing Gordie Howe (801) for second on the NHL’s all-time goals list.
  • Ovechkin (currently at 158 GP) can require the fewest games between milestone goals No. 700 and No. 800 and become the first to make the jump in fewer than 200 contests (Wayne Gretzky: 231 GP from Jan. 3, 1991 to March 20, 1994; Gordie Howe: 256 GP from Dec. 4, 1968 to Feb. 29, 1980).*
  • After reaching the 700-goal milestone on Feb. 22, 2020, against the Devils, the Capitals’ captain has found the back of the net 93 times since – an average of 0.59 goals-per-game over that span, a rate just shy of his overall career average (0.61 G/GP). Gretzky’s goals-per-game rate from No. 700 to No. 800 was 0.44, while Howe’s was 0.39.*
  • Ovechkin ranks first in NHL history in power play goals (291) and overtime goals (25), second in game-winning goals (124) and multigoal ames (160), and fourth in even strength goals (497).
  • Ovechkin’s first goal on Nov. 29 at Vancouver marked his 135th career game-opening goal, tying him with Jaromir Jagr for the most in NHL history.
  • Ovechkin has recorded 25 points (13g, 12a) in 27 games this season, which leads the Capitals. Ovechkin has recorded 11 points (5g, 6a) in his last nine games, which includes five multi-point efforts during that span.
  • Ovechkin is on pace to score 39 goals this season. Should Ovechkin reach the 30-goal mark, it would mark his 17th career 30-goal season, tying him with Mike Gartner for the most in NHL history.
    *Information from NHL Stats’ “The Road to 800” stats pack

Chuck Stops Here

  • Charlie Lindgren stopped 28 of 30 shots faced on Monday at Edmonton, including 26 of 27 shots at five-on-five (.963).
  • In addition, Lindgren stopped all three high-danger shots against at five-on-five on Monday and was credited with 1.95 goals saved above average, per Natural Stat Trick.
  • Lindgren improved to 2-0 against the Oilers this season, the NHL’s eighth-highest scoring team.
  • In his only career start against the Flyers on Feb. 26, 2018 with Montreal, Lindgren stopped all 33 shots faced in a 1-0 shootout loss, including stopping four of six Philadelphia shootout attempts.
  • In 38 career games, Lindgren has a record of 18-15-4 with a 2.87 goals-against average, a .909 save percentage with two shutouts.

Clutch Carly

  • John Carlson scored his eighth goal of the season on Dec. 3 at Calgary.
  • Carlson has scored six of his eight goals in the third period. Carlson’s six third-period goals lead the Capitals. In addition, Carlson has
    recorded two of his six assists in the third period.
  • Seven of Carlson’s eight goals have come when the Capitals have trailed, with two being game-tying goals in games the Capitals won (Oct. 17 vs. VAN; Oct. 22 vs. LAK).
  • Carlson has scored six goals in his last 10 games and his eight goals this season rank tied for second among NHL defensemen.

No Dowd About It

  • Nic Dowd scored the game-winning goal in the third period of Washington’s 3-2 win over Edmonton on Monday, marking his fourth goal of the season and his 12th career game-winning goal.
  • Dowd’s next goal will be the 50th of his career.
  • Dowd leads Capitals forwards in shorthanded time on ice per game (2:12).
  • Dowd is one of 13 NHL forwards to skate at least 55 minutes of shorthanded ice time and be on the ice for six or fewer shorthanded goals against (per Natural Stat Trick).
  • Dowd leads the Capitals and ranks tied for seventh in the NHL with 14 drawn penalties this season.

At The Dot

  • The Capitals won 29 of 56 faceoffs (51.8%) on Monday at Edmonton, marking the third-straight game in which Washington has won the majority of the faceoffs.
  • Since Nov. 1, the Capitals have won 52.3 percent of their faceoffs, which is the ninth-highest win percentage in the NHL during that span.
  • Lars Eller has won 57.4 percent of his faceoffs since Nov. 1, which ranks ninth in the NHL during that span (min. 200 faceoffs taken).
  • Since Nov. 1, all four of the Capitals’ centers have a faceoff win percentage above 50 percent (Dylan Strome: 52.8 percent; Nic Dowd: 52.3 percent; Evgeny Kuznetsov: 51.2 percent).

Did You Know?

  • The Capitals are 11-1-1 when scoring three or more goals this season.
  • Washington’s 717 hits this season are the sixth most in the NHL, through games played Dec. 5.
  • The Capitals rank fifth in the NHL in blocked shots (414), through games played Dec. 5.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS NOTES:

UPCOMING GAMES
DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME BROADCAST INFO.
Fri., Dec. 9 Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena 10 p.m. NBCSP+, 93.3 WMMR
Sun., Dec. 11 Arizona Coyotes Mullet Arena 7 p.m. NBCSP+, 93.3 WMMR
Tue., Dec. 13 Colorado Avalanche Ball Arena 9:30 p.m. ESPN, 93.3 WMMR

CURRENT INJURIES
PLAYER INJURY DATES GAMES MISSED
Wade Allison IR-oblique muscle strain, hip pointer 11/13-present 12
Cam Atkinson upper body 9/25-present 26
Sean Couturier IR-back 9/19-present 26
Ryan Ellis LTIR-groin/hip/back 10/11-present 26
James van Riemsdyk IR-upper body 10/27-present 20
2022-23 TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 151

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
12/6 – Placed F Tanner Laczynski on Injured Reserve
12/2 – Assigned F Kieffer Bellows to Lehigh Valley (AHL)
12/1 – Activated F Travis Konecny from Injured Reserve

FLYERS VS. CAPITALS: HEAD-TO-HEAD
FLYERS CAPITALS
121-85-30 ALL-TIME RECORD 96-110-30
71-40-9 HOME 53-46-17
50-45-21 ROAD 43-64-13
2-2-1 LAST 5 MEETINGS 3-2-0
3-5-2 LAST 10 MEETINGS 7-3-0
794 GOALS SCORED 719
20.2% POWER PLAY 19.5%
80.5% PENALTY KILL 79.8%
Hayes: 20 pts (7-13=20) in 34 GP
Ristolainen: 15 pts (1-14=15) in 27 GP
Laughton: 12 pts (11-1=12) in 29 GP

TEAM SCORING LEADERS Ovechkin: 75 pts (44-31=75) in 68 GP
Carlson: 31 pts (3-28=31) in 53 GP
Kuznetsov: 24 pts (5-19=24) in 33 GP
Hart: 3-4-1, 2.91 GAA, .905 SV% in 8 GP
Sandstrom: 0-0-1, 2.96 GAA, .906 SV% in 1 GP
TEAM GOALTENDERS Lindgren: 0-0-1, 0.00 GAA, 1.000 SV%, 1 SO in 1 GP
Shepard: Has not faced PHI

2022-23 SEASON SERIES (ALL TIMES EASTERN)
November 23 Capital One Arena WSH (4), PHI (3) OT
December 7 Wells Fargo Center 7 p.m.
January 11 Wells Fargo Center 7 p.m.
January 14 Capital One Arena 7 p.m

TEAM NOTES
QUICK HITS

  • Philadelphia plays 21 games in 40 days from Nov. 8-Dec. 17 – tied for the most games played among other NHL teams in that span (STL).
  • The Flyers have allowed the opposing team to score first in 20 of its 26 games this season. Philadelphia ranks T-1st in the NHL with seven wins when trailing first in a game. The Flyers are 2-2-2 when scoring first.
  • Philadelphia recorded a franchise-best 59 hits Nov. 12 vs. OTT. The 59 hits are tied for the ninth-most in a regular season game in NHL history.
  • The Flyers lead the NHL with 796 hits and rank second with 477 blocked shots.
  • Philadelphia ranks eighth in the NHL in team rookie scoring percentage (10.7) and ninth in team rookie points (19).
  • The rookies have netted a combined eight goals to rank fifth among NHL team rookie goal percentage (12.5) and seventh in rookie goals.

HOME SWEET HOME

  • Philadelphia concludes its five-game homestand Wednesday – it’s second-longest homestand of the season. The Flyers will host a seven-game homestand, March 14-28.
  • The Flyers are 6-7-1 on home ice this season, including a 2-2-1 record against a Metropolitan Division opponent.
  • Philadelphia ranks T-2nd in the NHL in shorthanded assists (3) and T-3rd in shorthanded goals (2) collected on home ice this season.
  • The Flyers have scored 36 of its 64 goals this season on home ice (.563) and out of those 36 home goals, 27 have been tallied at even strength.

‘TIS THE SEASON

  • The Flyers play 14 contests during the month of December, tied for their second-most in a month this season.
  • Philadelphia will play six games at home and eight on the road, including the start to five road games in a row, Dec. 22-Jan. 2, that will be split up by the NHL Holiday Break, Dec. 24-26.
  • Philadelphia owns a 353-223-82-30 all-time record for games played in the month of December – its second-most wins in a single month.
  • The Flyers rank second in NHL history with a .594 winning percentage during the month of December (VGK – .746 in 59 all-time games) and rank seventh with 353 December wins.
  • The December schedule also features Philadelphia’s 21st all-time game held on New Year’s Eve, it’s 20th on the road, when the Flyers visit the Kings on Dec. 31. Philadelphia is 9-7-2-2 all-time in New Year’s Eve contests, 8-7-2-2 on the road.

KONNECT FOUR

  • Travis Konecny scored his 10th goal of the season Monday to extend his goal streak to a season-high three games (3g).
  • He owns 16 points (6-10=16) in his last 14 games, including four multi-point contests and a seven-game point streak (3- 7=10), Nov. 2-15.
  • He leads the team in goals (10), ranks T-1st in game-winning goals (2) and second in assists (12), points (22), shots (62) and multi-point games (7) this season.
  • The forward recorded his first career shorthanded assist/point vs. VAN (10/15).
  • The 25-year-old netted two goals Oct. 13 vs. NJ for his 11th career multi-goal game. Per NHL Stats, he became the second player in Flyers history to have two-or-more multi-goal games in a season opener (Bill Barber, 3x, 10/9/80, 10/9/81 & 10/7/82).
  • He ranks second in Flyers history in GWG (18), third in goals (120), fourth in scoring (293) and assists (173) and fifth in PPG (23) since entering the NHL in 2016-17.

LUCKY NUMBER 13

  • Kevin Hayes collected two assists Monday for his second and third helpers in the last two games and eighth point (3-5=8) in the last six games.
  • He collected back-to-back multi-point games (2-2=4), Nov. 26-29, for the sixth time in his career and leads the team with eight multi-point games this season.
  • He owns 17 points (7-10=17) in the last 16 games, including a season-high six-game point streak (Nov. 12-21).
  • The 30-year-old leads the team in assists (19), PPA (8), PPP (9) and points (27) and ranks second in goals (8) this season.
  • He collected eight points (1-7=8) in a career-high five-game season-opening point streak, Oct. 13-22.
  • He tallied his 200th career assist Oct. 19 at FLA.
  • Set a career-high three-game PPP streak (3a) from Oct. 13-18.

SANNY ON A ROLL

  • Travis Sanheim tallied two points (1-1=2) Monday night for his second multi-point game of the season and extended his season high point streak to four games (2-3=5). His career best point streak is five games (4-2=6) set Feb. 23-March 3, 2019.
  • He owns seven points (2-5=7) in the last seven games and nine points (3-6=9) in the last nine contests.
  • He netted his first career shorthanded goal Nov. 29 vs. NYI to become the 41st defenseman in Flyers history to record a SHG.
  • The blueliner ranks T-1st on the team in assists (6), second in scoring (9) and T-2nd in goals (3) since Nov. 19 and leads NHL defensemen in even-strength points (8), ranks T-3rd in goals and T-5th in points in that span.
  • The 26-year-old signed an eight-year, $50 million contract extension ($6.25 AAV) on Oct. 13.

ICE ICE BABY

  • Tony DeAngelo netted his fourth goal of the season, second PPG, on Monday to stretch his point streak to three games (1-2=3).
  • He leads team defensemen with 13 points (4-9=13) in 25 games this season.
  • He ranks 15th in the NHL in average TOI/game (24:25).
  • He ranks third on the team in PPP (7), fourth in points, fifth in goals and T-5th in assists.
  • He recorded a career-high 31:03 TOI Nov. 19 at MTL to become the sixth defenseman in Flyers history to skate 31-plus minutes in two-or-more games, also: Matt Carle (2), Eric Desjardins (9), Derian Hatcher (2), Kim Johnsson (4) and Chris Pronger (3).
  • He recorded five points (1-4=5) in a four-game point streak, Oct. 13-19.
  • Per NHL Stats, he became the fifth defenseman in Flyers history to start a season on a point streak of at least four games: Behn Wilson (7 games in 1981-82), Chris Pronger (5 games in 2011-12), Gary Galley (four games in 1993-94) and Mark Howe (four games in 1988-89 & 1984-85).
  • The blueliner scored his first goal in a Flyers sweater, on the power play, Oct. 15 vs. VAN.
  • The Sewell, NJ native, made his Flyers debut on Oct. 13, registering two assists, a plus-3 rating and three blocked shots in a team-high 23:46 TOI.

IVAN THE GREAT

  • Ivan Provorov has four assists in the last seven contests.
  • He recorded his 200th career NHL point (assist) Nov. 26 at NYI to become the seventh defenseman in Flyers history to reach the 200-plus point milestone.
  • He ranks T-4th in team history for goals by a defenseman with Shayne Gostisbehere (60).
  • The blueliner ranks third on the team in assists (11), fifth in scoring (12) and shots (54) and T-5th in hits (42) this season.
  • The 25-year-old leads the Flyers and ranks third in the NHL with 71 blocked shots.
  • He tallied two assists, a plus-4 rating and 10 blocked shots in Philadelphia’s season opener on Oct. 13 vs. NJ.
  • The Russian native’s 10 blocked shots tied the franchise record for most in a game for the third time: Andrew MacDonald (3/11/16); Provorov (11/2/17 & 10/13/22).

WHOLE LOT OF HART

  • Carter Hart stopped 29-of-32 shots Monday night to earn his eighth win of the season. The win also marked his first career win against Colorado.
  • Monday’s contest was Hart’s 70th career victory to become the 11th goaltender in Flyers history to reach 70-plus wins (NHL Stats).
  • The backstop has seen 30-plus shots in 12 of his 19 games this season – he is 7-1-4 in those contests.
  • He ranks second among NHL goaltenders in shots against (596) and third in saves (543) this season.
  • He opened the season on an eight-game point streak (6-0-2) to become the fourth goaltender in team history to have started a season on an eight-game plus point streak: Pete Peeters (22-0-5 in 1979-80), Bob Froese (9-0-1 in 1982-83) and Dominic Roussel (8-0-0 in 1993-94). (NHL Stats)
  • He made a career-high 48 shots and tied his career high with 51 shots faced vs. FLA on Oct. 27.
  • He recorded a career-high season-opening five-game win streak.
  • Per NHL Stats, he became the seventh goaltender in Flyers history to win each of his first five games of a season and first since Ron Hextall (5-0-0 in 1995-96). The longest such stretch in franchise history is eight straight games, achieved by Dominic Roussel (1993-94) and Bob Froese (1982-83).
  • The 24-year-old’s 48 saves tied for the eighth-most by a Flyers goaltender while his 51 shots faced T-10th. Per NHL Stats, his 48 saves mark the highest single game save total by a Flyers goaltenders since Steve Mason on March 22, 2016 (51 at CBJ).
  • Outside of Philadelphia, he only has one NHL team he has not earned a win against: St. Louis.

BUZZIN’ JOEL

  • Joel Farabee has five points (2-3=5) in the last nine games.
  • He owns nine points (2-7=9) in the last 15 games, including a season-high three-game assist streak, Nov. 8-12, and two three-game point streaks, Nov. 8-12 & Nov. 19-23.
  • He ranks third on the Flyers in scoring (15) and fourth in goals (5) and assists (10) this season.
  • The forward tallied a season-high three points (1-2=3) on Oct. 22 at NSH.
  • He tied his career-high five shots for the seventh time on Oct. 19 at FLA.
  • The 22-year-old is one of seven Flyers players with a GWG this season, notching his fourth career on Oct. 27 vs. FLA.

CZECH HIM OUT

  • Lukas Sedlak has five points (2-3=5) in the last five contests.
  • He registered two assists Nov. 29 vs. NYI, including his first career shorthanded assist.
  • He recorded back-to-back multi-point games for the first time in his career (1-3=4), Nov. 26-29, and has three multipoint games on the Season.
  • The forward has eight points (3-5=8) with the Flyers since being claimed on waivers from Colorado on Oct. 19.
  • The Czech Republic native’s five assists are his second-most in a season (6 in 2016-17) and his eight points are tied for his second-most in a season (13 in 2016-17, 8 in 2017-18).

Giants agree to three-year contract with outfielder Mitch Haniger

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Giants agree to three-year contract with outfielder Mitch Haniger

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Giants and outfielder Mitch Haniger agreed to terms on a three-year Major League contract worth $43.5 million, which includes an opt-out following the 2024 season. Haniger will make $5 million in 2023, $17 million in 2024, and $15.5 million in 2025.  In addition, Haniger will receive a $6 million signing bonus and would earn a one-time assignment bonus of $1 million if he is traded during the term of this contract. He will also make an annual donation to the Giants Community Fund, donating $55,000 in 2023, $85,000 in 2024, and $77,500 in 2025. 

Haniger, 31, batted .246 with eight doubles, 11 homers and a .736 OPS in 57 games for Seattle last season, while going 5-for-21 with two doubles in five Postseason games. 

The Mountain View, CA native had a career-year in 2021 that saw him set career-bests in home runs (39), RBI (100), runs scored (110) and match a career-best in games played (157). His .804 OPS in 2021 was the second-highest of his career in a full season behind his All-Star campaign in 2018 that saw him post an .859 OPS with 26 homers, 38 doubles and 93 RBI in 157 games. In 2018, Haniger finished 11th in the voting for American League MVP.  

In seven Major League seasons for Arizona (2016) and Seattle (2017-2022), Haniger has slashed .261/.335/.476 with 109 doubles, 10 triples, 112 home runs, 323 RBI and an .811 OPS in 564 career games. Defensively, he’s played a majority of his career in right field, appearing in 455 games there while also seeing time in centerfield (87 games) and left field (13 games). 

Haniger was a supplemental first-round pick of the Brewers (38th overall) in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft out of Cal Poly. He also attended Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose.

Cardinals sign right-handed pitcher Guillermo Zuniga

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Cardinals sign right-handed pitcher Guillermo Zuniga

Former Dodgers Minor Leaguer pitched previous two seasons with Double-A Tulsa

SAN DIEGO, Calif., – The St. Louis Cardinals announced today that they signed free agent right-handed pitcher Guillermo Zuniga to a Major League contract for the 2023 season. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Zuniga, 24, previously split his six-year minor league career between the Atlanta Braves (2016-17) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2018-22) organizations, most recently at Double-A Tulsa in 2022 where he ranked among Texas League leaders in games (48, 2nd) and saves (11, T-3rd).   

The 6-foot-5, 230 lb. Colombia native was a combined 11-6 with a 4.10 ERA (90.0 IP) and 115 strikeouts over 73 relief appearances at Tulsa over the 2021-22 seasons. Over Zuniga’s career, the right-hander has appeared in 131 games (13 starts), recorded a 10.3 strikeout/9 IP ratio, and converted 20 saves. 

The addition of Zuniga brings the Cardinals 40-player roster to 38 players.

NHL Morning Skate – Dec. 7, 2022

NHL Editor
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NHL Morning Skate – Dec. 7, 2022

* In a head-to-head battle broadcast nationally on ESPN+, it was Mitchell Marner’s point streak that outlasted Jason Robertson as the Maple Leafs forward became the fourth active player to record a run of 20-plus games.

* It was four first-period goals for the Kings, who have the second-most tallies in the opening frame among all teams, and a season-high seven-goal outburst from the Blues that allowed each club to skate off victorious.

* The Devils blanked the Blackhawks at Prudential Center and became the third team in NHL history to post 10-plus wins both at home and on the road in 26 or fewer games.


MARNER EXTENDS POINT STREAK TO 20, MURRAY RECORDS SHUTOUT
It was Mitchell Marner’s point streak that remained intact Tuesday as he made it 20 straight games, while Matt Murray (44 saves) halted Jason Robertson’s run at 18 contests with his first shutout performance in a Maple Leafs uniform. Toronto (16-5-6, 38 points), which sits second in the Atlantic Division, extended its point streak to 12 games (9-0-3) to establish the second-longest run in franchise history behind 2003-04 (16 GP; 14-0-2).

* Marner (0-1—1) became the fourth active player and just seventh in the past 30 years to record a point streak of 20-plus games, joining Mats Sundin (30 GP in 1992-93), Patrick Kane (26 GP in 2015-16 & 20 GP in 2018-19), Sidney Crosby (25 GP in 2010-11), Dany Heatley (22 GP in 2005-06), Adam Oates (21 GP in 1992-93 & 20 GP in 1996-97) and Paul Stastny (20 GP in 2006-07).

* During his 20-game run, Marner has factored on the game-opening tally 10 times (3-7—10) and has recorded a point on the Maple Leafs’ first goal in 14 contests (3-11—14).

* While Marner continues to extend his franchise-record point streak, his impact goes beyond the ice. He’s a believer that when you have a platform to change people’s lives, you should do your best to do so and the Maple Leafs forward is doing exactly that through his Marner Assist Foundation.



* Murray has a 6-1-2 record to begin his tenure with the Maple Leafs and became the sixth Toronto goaltender in the past 40 years to earn a point in eight or more consecutive appearances. The Thunder Bay, Ont., native grew up cheering for the Maple Leafs and remembers spending lots of time watching their games alongside his late father, James, who passed away unexpectedly in 2016. When Murray was introduced as a member of the Maple Leafs in July he said he believed his father, his hero, was proudly peering down with a smile.


GOALS, GOAL, GOALS: EARLY GOALS & HIGH-SCORING AFFAIRS
Four first-period goals for the Kings and a seven-goal outburst from the Blues propelled each club to victory Tuesday:

* It was two tallies in the opening 2:15 and four goals in the first period that propelled the Kings (14-10-4, 32 points), who sit third in the Pacific Division, to their 14th win of the season. Los Angeles now has nine goals within the first five minutes of a game, only Dallas (11) and Vegas (10) have more this season. They also improved their first-period goal total to 30, which is tied with Calgary (30) for the second most among all teams in 2022-23 behind Vegas (33).


* The Blues scored a season-high seven goals – with 14 players contributing at least one point – and managed to hold off a third-period rally that saw their 5-1 advantage shrink to a 5-4 edge before emerging with their first road win against the Islanders since Oct. 9, 2017. New York’s comeback attempt was part of a seven-goal third period, the fifth frame this season in which clubs combined for as many goals.


DEVILS BLANK BLACKHAWKS TO EARN 10TH WIN AT PRUDENTIAL CENTER
Jack Hughes (0-2—2) and Dougie Hamilton (1-2—3) each put up multi-point performances while Vitek Vanecek (24 saves) blanked the Blackhawks to lift the Devils to their 10th win at Prudential Center in 2022-23. New Jersey (14 GP) has only required fewer home games to reach the mark in a season five times, most recently in 2006-07 (12 GP).

* The Devils, who have earned at least a point against all 19 teams they have faced this season, are now 10-3-1 at home as well as 11-1-0 on the road.



*Hughes boosted his 2022-23 totals to 13-18—31 in 26 games. Only two players in Devils/Rockies/Scouts history have required fewer contests to hit 30 points in a season at age 21 or younger: Paul Gardner (21 GP in 1977-78) and Kirk Muller (25 GP in 1986-87).

TWO FAST GOALS PROPEL CANADIENS PAST KRAKEN AT CLIMATE PLEDGE ARENA
Despite Shane Wright pulling the Kraken even with his first NHL goal, the Canadiens found the back of the net three times in the second period – including two tallies in a span of seven seconds courtesy of Cole Caufield and Josh Anderson – to earn a win at Climate Pledge Arena. Caufield and Anderson combined for the franchise’s fastest two goals on the road in both the regular season and playoffs.

* Caufield leads Montreal with 15 goals in 2022-23 (26 GP) and is just eight shy of his career high of 23 that he set in 67 outings last season. 


HRONEK JOINS COFFEY, RED WINGS CLIMB STANDINGS IN LIVE UPDATES

A nine-game night featured dozens of notes in #NHLStats: Live Updates, including two on Red Wings defenseman Filip Hronek,who became the first player in franchise history to notch a point in each of the club’s first 11 road games of a season (4-11—15 in 11 GP). He bested the previous benchmark of 10 contests achieved by Sergei Fedorov in 1993-94.

* With their regulation victory, the Red Wings (13-7-5, 31 points) overtook the Lightning (15-9-1, 31 points) and moved into third place in the Atlantic Division. Detroit is one of six non-playoff teams from last season that currently holds a playoff spot.

QUICK CLICKS

* Color of Hockey: Randip Janda making inroads on Canucks radio broadcasts

* 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship begins Dec. 26 in Moncton, Halifax

* Nathan MacKinnon out 4 weeks for Avalanche with upper-body injury

* Chandler Stephenson making most of opportunity with Golden Knights

* Everett Fitzhugh talks Kraken, radio play-by-play job in Q&A with NHL.com

NATIONAL TELECASTS FILL UP WEDNESDAY’S SEVEN-GAME SLATE

National doubleheaders on TVA Sports and TNT will begin in different cities – Philadelphia and Columbus, respectively – but conclude in Las Vegas where the Golden Knights will look to pad their lead atop the Western Conference. Sportsnet networks will carry three games, including a national telecast featuring Kirill Kaprizov – who is riding a franchise record-tying 12-game point streak – and the Flames.


* The TVA Sports opener will see Alex Ovechkin once again continue his pursuit of the 800-goal club as he faces a team against whom he has tallied 44 of his 793 career goals. Ovechkin has a 20.8% shooting percentage against Carter Hart (5 G on 24 SOG), his second highest against any active goaltender he has faced at least five times (34.8% vs. Alexandar Georgiev: 8 G on 23 SOG).

* The only team with both a forward and a defenseman among the top 25 in NHL scoring will hit the ice on TNT when Tage Thompson (16-18—34; 8th) and Rasmus Dahlin (8-21—29; 24th) lead the Sabres against the Blue Jackets. Thompson is scoring at a 50-goal and 100-point pace – benchmarks last achieved by a Buffalo player in 1992-93 – while Dahlin is tracking toward the highest single-season point total ever by a Sabres defenseman.

* TVAS and TNT will convene at T-Mobile Arena, where the hosts will be seeking their 20th victory. The Golden Knights (19-7-1, 39 points) can hit the 20-win mark within their first 30 games of a season for the second time after doing so in 2020-21 (20-6-1 in 27 GP). The Rangers have achieved that feat four times in their 96-year history (28 GP in 1993-94, 29 GP in 1971-72, 30 GP in 2016-17 & 30 GP in 1941-42).

NBA Preview: Boston Celtics (20-5) at Phoenix Suns (16-8)

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NBA Preview: Boston Celtics (20-5) at Phoenix Suns (16-8)

Suns hope to get back Chris Paul for showdown with Celtics

The Boston Celtics are not sure if they will have to deal with All-Star point guard Chris Paul when they visit the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night in a battle of NBA heavyweights.

Paul has missed the last 14 games since he injured his heel during a game at Philadelphia on Nov. 7. Earlier this week, Phoenix coach Monty Williams said Paul was close to returning, but he did not play in a 130-111 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night.

Paul is averaging 9.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 9.4 assists and 1.7 steals per contest in 10 games this season.

Phoenix forward Torrey Craig also sat out Monday’s loss to Dallas. He’s missed the last three games with a groin injury.

Phoenix will be facing a Celtics team that has won seven of its last eight games. Boston’s latest victory was Monday’s 116-110 win at Toronto.

The Celtics were without center Al Horford (back) and guard Malcolm Brogdon (illness) for that game, but received 31 points and 12 rebounds from Jayson Tatum and 22 points and eight rebounds from Jaylen Brown.

It was Tatum’s team-high 12th double-double of the season, and the 15th consecutive game Brown has scored at least 20 points.

Horford’s absence meant extra playing time for Blake Griffin, who contributed 13 points and eight rebounds for Boston in 32 minutes.

The Suns were limited to 15 points in the first quarter of Monday’s loss to Dallas. It was their lowest point total in any quarter this season.

Phoenix guard Devin Booker was held to 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting against Dallas. He averaged 39 points per contest in the four games leading up to that loss, and is averaging 28.4 this season.

NBA Preview: Golden State Warriors (13-12) at Utah Jazz (14-12)

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NBA Preview: Golden State Warriors (13-12) at Utah Jazz (14-12)

Following the Golden State Warriors’ loss to the Indiana Pacers on Monday night, Klay Thompson reflected on a positive development, even in defeat.

Thompson, who has been plagued by injury issues the past several years, has been on the court more and more as the season progresses. As the Warriors prepare to take on the Utah Jazz at Salt Lake City on Wednesday night, the sharpshooter is hopeful his minutes and participation will continue to increase.

Health also was a major topic around the Jazz heading into the showdown game. Utah veterans Mike Conley and Rudy Gay are aiming to return either Wednesday vs. the Warriors or Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves after being sidelined since the middle of November with injuries.

Conley (knee) and Gay (hand) fully participated in practice on Monday.

The Jazz are looking forward to adding their starting point guard and a key role player back into the rotation. Utah went 11-6 with Conley in the lineup and has struggled to a 3-6 record without him.

Utah has lost six of eight games, including a 116-111 setback at home to the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday. The Jazz should be fresh after getting three full days off between games.

Thompson is coming off a 28-point outing Monday. The Warriors saw their 10-game home winning streak snapped, but Thompson drained eight 3-pointers on the six-year anniversary of his memorable 60-point performance against Indiana. He moved ahead of Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd on the NBA’s all-time 3-pointers made list to 13th overall with 1,990.

Thompson scored 20 points and Steph Curry tossed in 33 when Golden State defeated Utah 129-118 at San Francisco on Nov. 25. Both players made six 3-pointers.

The game at Utah kicks off a road-heavy stretch for the Warriors, who return home for an ABC-televised contest vs. Boston on Saturday night before embarking on a six-game road trip.

Utah wraps up a six-game homestand on Friday night vs. Rudy Gobert and the Timberwolves after splitting the first four contests.

NBA Preview: Detroit Pistons (7-19) at New Orleans Pelicans (15-8)

NBA Editor
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NBA Preview: Detroit Pistons (7-19) at New Orleans Pelicans (15-8)

No team in the NBA is hotter than the New Orleans Pelicans.

At 8-2, they are tied with the Boston Celtics for the best record over the last 10 games — even though the Pelicans have played without multiple starters for most of that time.

They will be without second-leading scorer Brandon Ingram (toe) for a fifth consecutive game and fellow starter Herbert Jones Jr. (ankle) will be doubtful when they host the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.

CJ McCollum returned to the lineup from the health and safety protocols right after Jones was injured.

Williamson cited the fact that backup center Willy Hernangomez was the MVP in the Euro League but is averaging just 9.9 minutes with New Orleans.

Another prime example of the team’s depth is guard Jose Alvarado, who joined the team as a rookie undrafted free agent before last season and has become a key contributor off the bench. He scored a career-high 38 points and made a career-high eight 3-pointers in a 121-106 win over visiting Denver on Sunday.

Alvarado has been taking advantage of scoring opportunities that arise because of the attention defenses have to pay to Williamson, who is averaging 23.6 points after missing all of last season because of foot surgery.

The Pistons began a three-game trip with a 116-96 victory at Miami on Tuesday night. It was their second victory in six games.

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 28 of his 31 points in the second half as the Pistons pulled away to their largest margin of victory this season. Their 14-point victory against Golden State on Oct. 30 was their only other victory by more than seven points.

Alec Burks added 18 points (12 in the second half), Saddiq Bey scored 14, Isaiah Stewart had 11 points and 11 rebounds, Cory Joseph scored 11 and Jaden Ivey 10.

Detroit, which entered the game allowing the second-most points in the league (118.2), improved to 4-3 when holding its opponent to 109 or fewer points. The Pistons are 3-16 when they allow 110 or more.

That statistic will be put to the test against the Pelicans, who have scored at least 110 points in eight of their last 10 games.

Cade Cunningham, the Pistons’ second-leading scorer, has missed the last 14 games because of a shin injury.

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