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Yankees re-sign Brian Cashman to four-year contract

MLB Editor
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Yankees re-sign Brian Cashman to four-year contract

The New York Yankees today announced that the club has re-signed Brian Cashman to a four-year contract through the 2026 season to continue serving as Senior Vice President and General Manager.

Cashman, 55, is the longest-serving Yankees General Manager in franchise history and has the longest tenure among current Major League general managers. The Yankees have earned postseason berths in 21 of his 25 seasons as GM (1998-2007, ’09-12, ’15, ’17-22), claiming 14 Division titles, six American League championships and four World Series titles. Since 1998, the Yankees’ 21 postseason berths are the most in the Majors — five more than Atlanta (16) and St. Louis (16), who are tied for second in that span. The 21 playoff appearances are also eight more than any other American League team (Boston-13). Cashman’s feat of reaching the playoffs in each of his first 10 seasons (1998-2007) remains unmatched in Baseball history.

Over his 25 seasons as General Manger, Cashman’s lifetime winning percentage of .589 (2,322-1,622-2) is the highest of any General Manager with at least 10 seasons of experience whose career began in 1950-or-later. It also marks the best team winning percentage in the Major Leagues during that stretch. Excluding the abbreviated 60-game 2020 season, the Yankees have averaged 95.4 wins per year during Cashman’s tenure, while no other Major League team has averaged 90-or-more wins. Additionally, just one other American League team has averaged at least 85 wins per 162-game season (Boston, 89.5) in that span.

The Yankees have posted a winning record in each of Cashman’s 25 seasons as General Manager, winning at least 84 games in each 162-game season. No other Major League franchise has had 25 straight winning seasons at any point in their respective histories (confirmed by Elias). The St. Louis Cardinals (15) own the next-longest active consecutive-season winning streak in the Majors, and the Tampa Bay Rays (5) hold the second-longest active streak in the A.L.

According to Elias, the Yankees have been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention in just 16 of the 3,946 games during Cashman’s tenure as GM.

Over his 37 seasons with the Yankees, Cashman has earned five World Series rings, including four as General Manager, becoming the first GM to win four World Series titles since the Dodgers’ Buzzie Bavasi in the 1950s and ‘60s.

Cashman joined the Yankees organization in 1986 as a 19-year-old intern in the Minor League and Scouting Department. His career as a full-time Yankees employee began following his graduation from Catholic University in 1989, when he became a full-time Assistant in Baseball Operations. He was later promoted and transferred to Tampa, Fla., where he served as Assistant Farm Director from 1990 to 1992. He returned to New York and became Assistant General Manager of Baseball Administration in November 1992.

He became the second-youngest General Manager in Baseball history when he was named to the post on February 3, 1998 at age 30. In his first season in 1998, he became the youngest-ever GM to win a World Series. With subsequent championships in 1999 and 2000, he became the only GM in Baseball history to win world titles in each of his first three seasons. A pennant in 2001 gave him four straight League Championships, placing him alongside Hall of Fame Yankees General Managers Ed Barrow (1936-39, four) and George Weiss (1949-53, five) as the only GMs in Baseball history to win four-or-more straight league titles at any point in their careers.

NHL Preview: Vegas Golden Knights (18-7-1) at Boston Bruins (20-3-0)

NHL Editor
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NHL Preview: Vegas Golden Knights (18-7-1) at Boston Bruins (20-3-0)

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS NOTES:

GOLDEN KNIGHTS UPCOMING GAMES
Golden Knights 2022-23 Record: 18-7-1, 37 points (7-5-0 at Home, 11-2-1 on Road)

DATE OPPONENT TELEVISION RADIO SPANISH RADIO
Dec. 5 at Boston Bruins AT&T SportsNet Fox Sports 98.9 FM/1340 AM None
Dec. 7 vs. New York Rangers TNT Fox Sports 98.9 FM/1340 AM Deportes 1460 AM
Dec. 9 vs. Philadelphia Flyers AT&T SportsNet Fox Sports 98.9 FM/1340 AM Deportes 1460 AM
Dec. 11 vs. Boston Bruins AT&T SportsNet Fox Sports 98.9 FM/1340 AM Deportes 1460 AM
Dec. 13 at Winnipeg Jets AT&T SportsNet Fox Sports 98.9 FM/1340 AM None

GOLDEN KNIGHTS LAST GAME RECAP
December 3 – Vegas Golden Knights 4, Detroit Red Wings 1
The Vegas Golden Knights (18-7-1) used goals from four different players to claim a 4-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings (11-6-5) on Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena. For the second game in a row, Jack Eichel buried the game’s first goal as he beat Ville Husso at 1:04 of the opening frame. Jonathan Marchessault doubled the lead with a power-play goal at 7:50 of the second before Oskar Sundqvist got the Red Wings on the board with a power-play goal of his own. Late in the period, Nicolas Roy sent Phil Kessel in on a breakaway and Kessel made no mistake as he put Vegas ahead, 3-1. Reilly Smith tacked on an empty-net goal in the third as the Golden Knights came away with the 4-1 victory.

LAST GAME BY THE NUMBERS

  • Eichel posts his third point in two games (2-1—3)
  • Smith scores his 12th tally of the season
  • Kessel’s multi-point performance is the 238th of his career and first with Vegas
  • Adin Hill stopped 24 of 25 shots, good for a .960 save percentage on the evening

Jack of all Trades
Jack Eichel has points in 15 of the last 18 games for Vegas (10G-12A), including seven multiple-point efforts. His 29 points are tied for ninth in the league and his +17 rating is tops among all NHL forwards (third overall).

Hey Shea!
Shea Theodore has recorded seven points over the course of Vegas’ last eight games (1-6—7) and ranks 7th amongst defensemen in the league in points so far this season (19). Theodore has had four multi-point games, second to Pietrangelo (six) for the most multipoint games by a Golden Knights defenseman this season.

Dynamic Duo
Jack Eichel and Reilly Smith have both scored in back-to-back games for the third time this season. The duo are the top goal scorers for the Golden Knights and own a combined 25 goals.

The Iron Man
Phil Kessel (1G, 1A) recorded his first mult-point game as a Golden Knight and his first +2 game, while skating in his 1,008th consecutive NHL contest. Kessel’s multi-point performance was the 238th of his career. The Iron Man reached 1,000 consecutive games on November 17, in a win against the Arizona Coyotes.

Cassidy Returns to Boston
Monday’s game against the Bruins will be the first time Bruce Cassidy has returned to Boston since being named head coach of the Golden Knights. Cassidy led the Bruins through six seasons and Boston qualified for the postseason in each of his six seasons behind the bench. Cassidy and the Bruins reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2019, falling short in seven games against the St. Louis Blues. In the following season, Cassidy led Boston to the best record in the NHL (44-14-12), and he won the Jack Adams Award as the top coach in 2019-20. Before joining Boston as an assistant coach and the 2016-17 campaign, Cassidy spent five seasons (2011-16) as head coach of the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. In Providence, he led the team to an overall record of 207-128-45 in 380 games and qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs four times.

Rookie of the Month
Logan Thompson stopped a career best of 43 shots in a 4-3 losing decision in Pittsburgh on December 1. Thompson has been strong in net for the Golden Knights and was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for the month of November after going 8-2-0 with a 2.88 goals-against average, and a .909 save percentage in 10 starts. On Monday, Thompson secured his first career shootout win in Columbus. This was the third time Thompson has defended Vegas in a shootout, and has stopped 83.3% of shootout attempts faced in his career (20-of-24); only Boston’s Linus Ullmark has a better shootout save percentage among active NHL goaltenders who have faced at least 20 attempts in their career. Thompson is second in the league in wins (12) behind Ullmark (13).

Aye-Aye Captain!
Captain Mark Stone matched his career-best goal streak with tallies in four straight games Nov. 17-23 (5G-1A). Stone’s nine goals on the year are three off of Eichel’s team lead, and he is fourth on the team in scoring with 20 points.

Martinez Block Party
Golden Knights defenseman Alec Martinez leads the NHL with 110 blocked shots in 26 games and is the first player in the league to reach the century mark this season. Martinez has led the team in blocked shots in 19 of 26 games. After snapping his 114-game streak with at least one blocked shot on Nov. 23, Martinez recorded 7 blocked shots in the first period last Friday against Seattle. Martinez also recently recorded a season high of nine blocked shots against the San Jose Sharks on November 15, matching his career high and the franchise record, which he shares with Deryk Engelland.

Easy Steph-y
Chandler Stephenson has 21 points in Vegas’ 26 games, as well as three game-winning goals. Stephenson’s 63.8 faceoff win percentage ranks second in the NHL among all qualified skaters. Stephenson has recorded a point in five straight games twice this season including seven assists during his most recent point streak.

First Things First
Eichel’s goal in the first period against Detroit marked the 17th time Vegas has scored first in a game, for the second consecutive game. The Golden Knights have scored nine times in the first five minutes of the first period through 26 games, including Eichel’s goal 1:04 into the first period. The Golden Knights are outscoring opponents 31-14 in the opening frame and lead the NHL in first-period goals. Vegas is 14-3-0 when it scores first and 9-3-0 when leading after the first period.

O from the D
Vegas defensemen have accounted for an NHL-leading 55 assists and 64 points total, which trail only San Jose. Both Alex Pietrangelo (T-5th, 21 points) and Shea Theodore (T-8th, 19 points) are among the top 10 defensemen in scoring league-wide.

The Shorty King
Reilly Smith netted his third shorthanded goal of the season against St. Louis on November 12. Smith leads the league with his three shorties and Vegas is tied for first as the team with four short handed goals. His 11 shorthanded goals since joining Vegas in 2017-18 are the most in franchise history.

Spreading the Wealth
Eleven Golden Knights have recorded 10 or more points this season, the most of any team in the league. Jack Eichel leads the club with 29 points, followed by Alex Pietrangleo and Chandler Stephenson with 21 points each.

Golden Knights Point Leaders

  1. Jack Eichel – 29 (13G, 16A)
  2. Chandler Stephenson – 21 (6G, 15A)
    Alex Pietrangelo – 21 (3G, 18A)
  3. Mark Stone – 20 (9G, 11A)
  4. Jonathan Marchessault – 19 (9G, 10A)
    Shea Theodore – 19 (4G, 15A)
  5. Reilly Smith – 18 (12G, 6A)

Hot Streaks
Reilly Smith – 2 games (2-0—2)
Jack Eichel – 2 games (2-1—3)
Phil Kessel – 2 games (1-2—3)
Mark Stone – 2 games (0-2—2)
Chandler Stephenson – 2 games (0-2—2)
Shea Theodore – 2 games (1-1—2)

Against the Bruins
Vegas’ contest with Boston on Monday is the first of two meetings this season. The Golden Knights own a 2-5-1 record against the Bruins, and split their series in 2021-22. Vegas’ only win at TD Garden came last season on Dec. 14, 2021. In their last meeting on Mar. 3, 2022, the Golden Knights fell, 5-2, with goals scored by Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault. Mark Stone owns 19 points (8-11—19) in 20 meetings against the Bruins in his career.

2022-23 Season BOS Series: 0-0-0 (Home: 0-0-0, Road: 0-0-0)
Dec. 5 – at Boston
Dec. 11 – at Vegas

2021-22 Season BOS Series: 1-1-0 (Home: 1-0-0, Road: 0-1-0)
Dec. 14 – at Boston (Vegas 4, Boston 1)
Mar. 3 – at Vegas (Vegas 2, Boston 5)

BOSTON BRUINS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S GAME

  • The Bruins host the Golden Knights tonight in the 1st of 2 games between these teams this season and Vegas’ lone visit to Boston.
  • They are 20-3-0 this season and are 14-0-0 on home ice, which has extended the best home start in league history … They are 9-0-0 vs. Western Conference opponents.
  • The Bruins conclude a 4-game home stand tonight vs. Vegas…They will then face a 3-game road trip to Colorado on 12/7, Arizona on 12/9 and Vegas on 12/11.

RECENT GAMES:

  • The Bruins have won 10 of their last 11 games with a 7-game win streak from 11/7-21, a 5-2 loss in Florida on 11/23 and wins vs Carolina (3-2 OT on 11/25), Tampa Bay (3-1 on 11/29) and Colorado (5-1 on 12/3) … They are 16-2-0 in their last 18 games.
  • They have extended their home win streak from the start of a season to an NHL-record 14-0-0 … It is their longest home win streak overall since 14-0-0 in 2008-09.
  • Boston 3 vs Carolina 2/OT … David Krejci erased a 2-goal deficit to force OT where David Pastrnak won the comeback (1-1=2 totals) with Pavel Zacha adding 2A … Jeremy Swayman earned the OT win (0 GA, 6 SOG in 16 Mins) after Linus Ullmark (2 GA, 30 SOG in 47 Mins) left with an injury … SOG: Bos 41, Car 36 … PP: 1/6 … PK: 2/6
  • Boston 3 vs Tampa Bay 1 … Taylor Hall scored twice, including his 4th GWG of the season, and Brad Marchand added the team’s 8th ENG … Jeremy Swayman won his 2nd straight decision in net … SOG: Bos 26, TB 28 … PP: 1/1 … PK: 1/2
  • Boston 5 vs Colorado 1 … David Pastrnak and Trent Frederic scored twice each and Jake DeBrusk added his 100th career goal, while Charlie McAvoy had 2A … Tomas Nosek took an unsuccessful penalty shot … Linus Ullmark won his league-leading 14th of the season … SOG: Bos 40, Col 25 … PP: 1/5 … PK: 0/3

INJURIES (Total man-games lost in 2022-23: 32)

  • Craig Smith – Upper body

BOSTON vs VEGAS, LIFETIME SERIES

  • The Bruins and Golden Knights are meeting for the ninth time in their histories with the Bruins having a 6-2-0 record and 23-18 scoring advantage in those games.
  • The Bruins are 3-1-0 lifetime vs. Vegas at home with a 10-8 scoring edge in those four contests.

NUMBERS
1: Boston’s rank in win percentage (.870), both goals for per game (4.00) and fewest goals against per game (2.13).

2 / 3: Boston’s special teams ranking in the penalty-kill at 84.1% (14/88) and power play at 29.6% (26/88).

2: Player on the current roster new to the Bruins organization this season – A.J. Greer (free agent) and Pavel Zacha (trade).

4: Game-winning goals by Taylor Hall (tied for 2nd in the NHL), including three straight deciding goals from 10/20-25/2022 – deciding shootout goal vs. Anaheim on 10/20, OT goal vs. Minnesota on 10/22 and GWG vs. Dallas on 10/25.

4: Defenseman points in a game this season by Hampus Lindholm (1-3=4 vs PIT on 11/1) and Charlie McAvoy (4A vs CHI on 11/19).

4: Points by David Pastrnak (1-3=4 totals) on 10/12/2022 in Washington in the 2022-23 season opener … That is the most points in a Boston opener since Brad Marchand (2-3=5) and Pastrnak (2-2=4) in 10/13/2016.

8: Straight wins by Linus Ullmark from 10/12-11/3/2022 … It was a new career-best win streak and it also tied the longest win streak by a Boston goaltender from the start of a season (Tim Thomas, also 8-0-0 in 2010-11).

9: Game point streak by David Pastrnak from 11/7-25 with 6-7=13 totals in that span … That was his longest such stretch since a career-best 13-game stretch in 2019-20.

9: Players on the Bruins current roster who played college hockey – Connor Clifton, Charlie Coyle, Derek Forbort, Trent Frederic, AJ Greer, Matt Grzelcyk, Charlie McAvoy, Craig Smith and Jeremy Swayman.

10: Former first round draft picks on the current roster – Charlie Coyle, Jake DeBrusk, Derek Forbert, Trent Frederic, Taylor Hall, Hampus Lindholm, Charlie McAvoy, David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha and Jakub Zboril

14: Straight home wins to open this season, which is the longest such streak in NHL history … That is tied as Boston’s longest home win streak overall since a 14-game stretch in 2008-09.

19: Consecutive wins by Boston over Arizona after their 6-3 win on 10/15/2022 … That are the most wins by one opponent in club history.

+44: Boston’s league-leading goal differential, including an NHL-best 3rd period goal differential at 34-12 and +22.

390-25-20: Boston’s record since 2011-12 in games in which they have had a 2-goal lead in a game … That extends to 255-2-6 over that span when they have led by 3 goals

551: Consecutive Bruins games (regular season & playoffs) currently sold out at TD Garden … Their last non-sellout game was on 12/2/2009 when a Wednesday game vs. TB drew 16,553

FUN FACTS

  • The Bruins currently have 22 players on their roster … 10 were drafted by the team, 4 were acquired in trade and 8 were signed as free agents.
  • The Bruins play 16 matinees this season (local start time 4:00 pm or earlier) … They have a 2-0-0 record in afternoon games so far.
  • The Bruins play 14 sets of back-to-back games this season … They are currently 3-0-0 in the 1st game of those sets and are 2-1-0 in the 2nd games so far.
  • The Bruins are playing game 2 of a 14-game December schedule tonight (8 hm/6 rd, 1-0-0) … They will play 14 games in January (5 hm/9 rd), 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 and 11-2-0 in December.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
Nov. 2: Keith Kinkaid recalled from Providence/AHL.
Nov. 7: Jakub Lauko returned to Providence/AHL.
Nov. 9: Mike Reilly placed on waivers for assignment to Providence/AHL (assigned Nov. 10).
Nov. 16: Keith Kinkaid returned to Providence/AHL.
Nov. 28: Anton Stralman placed on waivers (cleared 11/29).

NHL Preview: St. Louis Blues (11-13-0) at New York Rangers (11-10-5)

NHL Editor
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NHL Preview: St. Louis Blues (11-13-0) at New York Rangers (11-10-5)

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)
Logan Brown – Upper-Body (Placed on IR on Nov. 9)
2022-23 Total Man Games Lost: 90

Recent Transactions
December
3 – Recalled forward Will Bitten from the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL)
2 – Assigned forward Jake Neighbours to the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL)

BLUES VS. RANGERS
-This will be the first of 2 matchups between the Blues and Rangers this season (Apr. 6 in STL)
-The Blues went 1-1-0 against the Rangers last season, with both teams winning at home
-The Blues are 3-1-0 in their last 4 games against the Rangers
-The Blues are 2-2-0 in their last 4 trips to Madison Square Garden
-The Blues have scored at least 3 goals in 4 straight games against the Rangers, outscoring them 17-10 over those 4 games
-Blues’ forward Pavel Buchnevich will visit the Rangers for the 2nd time since being traded to the Blues (first game back in New York was last season on Mar. 2)
-Buchnevich played in parts of 5 seasons for the Rangers, posting 195 points (79g, 116a) in 301 games with New York

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
12/6 – at NY Islanders
12/8 – vs. Winnipeg
12/11 – vs. Colorado
12/12 – vs. Nashville
12/15 – at Edmonton

FAST STARTS ARE KEY FOR BLUES
-The Blues are 6-2-0 this season when leading after the first period and are 7-0-0 when leading after 2 periods

-The Blues are also 9-4-0 this season when scoring first

-Their 9 wins when scoring first share 10th in the NHL (1. Boston/Vegas, 14)

DEFENSEMEN CONTRIBUTING OFFENSE FOR BLUES
-The Blues defensemen have accounted for 16.2% of the Blues’ goals this season, which ranks 11th in the NHL (1. NYI, 23.2%)

-The Blues are 7-1-0 this season when a defenseman scores

-Their 11 goals share the 14th most by a defensive unit in the NHL (1. NYI, 19)

-The Blues’ defense has contributed 5 power play goals this season, which shares the most in the NHL with Nashville and Florida

-They have also contributed 4 game-winning goals, which shares 3rd in the NHL (1. Boston/Columbus, 5)

-Torey Krug leads Blues d-men with 5 goals, which also shares 10th in the NHL among all defensemen (1. Karlsson, 11)

-Torey Krug’s 4 power play goals share the lead on the Blues (Buchnevich) and share 1st in the NHL among all defensemen with Dahlin, Makar, & Josi

-Justin Faulk’s 2 game-winning goals share the 4th most among all defensemen in the NHL (1. Fox/Karlsson/Morrissey, 3)

BLUES CONSISTENT UNDER ARMSTRONG
-Since Doug Armstrong took over the reigns as the Blues General Manager in 2010-11, the Blues have posted a 532-306-99 record

-Their 532 wins since then rank 5th in the NHL (1. PIT, 555)

-The Blues have made the postseason 10 out of the 12 seasons since Armstrong became GM, 1 of 5 teams in the NHL to clinch 10 or more playoff berths since 2010-11 (PIT, 12/WSH, 11/BOS & NSH, 10)

-Armstrong is also just 1 of 2 GMs to clinch 10 or more playoff berths since 2010-11 (David Poile, 10)

-Since 2010-11, the Blues rank 8th with 2.91 goals per game (1. VGK, 3.21) and rank 3rd in the NHL with 2.59 goals against per game (1. BOS, 2.45)

-The Blues also have the 3rd best penalty kill (82.8%) under Armstrong (1. BOS, 83.3%), and have the 5th best power play (20.8%) in the league (1. WSH, 21.5%)

BINNINGTON CHASING BLUES HISTORY
-Jordan Binnington, who has 99 career wins in 181 GP, will become the 6th goaltender in franchise history to reach 100 wins as a Blue with his next win (Liut/Allen/Joseph/Fuhr/Elliott)

-Binnington is on pace to become the 3rd fastest goaltender to reach 100 wins with the Blues

-Binnington also shares 7th on the Blues all-time franchise list with 11 shutouts, just 1 of 8 goaltenders in franchise history to record at least 11 shutouts

-Since Nov. 10, Binnington has 6 wins, which shares 1st in the NHL (Saros, Jarry, Vasilevskiy)

Fastest to 100 career wins with the Blues:

  1. Brian Elliott – 175 GP
  2. Jake Allen – 176 GP
  3. Curtis Joseph – 209 GP

BLUES STAY STRONG UNDER BERUBE
-Since taking over on Nov. 18, 2018, Berube has led the Blues to a 167-93-36 record (370 points)

-The Blues 370 points since Nov. 21, 2018 (Berube’s first game), rank 10th in the NHL (1. TBL, 407), while their 167 wins also rank 10th (1. TBL, 193)

-Their 3.23 goals per game share 7th in the NHL under Berube (1. TBL, 3.54)

-The Blues have posted a mark of 2.86 goals against per game under Berube, which ranks 10th in the NHL (1. BOS, 2.49)

-The Blues also have the 3rd best power play in the NHL at 23.9% since Berube became head coach (1. EDM, 26.7%)
-Berube is 4 games shy of becoming just the 4th Head Coach in franchise history to coach 300 games with the club (Quenneville – 593 / Hitchcock – 413 / B. Sutter – 320)

-Last season on Dec. 29 vs. EDM, Berube became the 7th different coach in NHL history to win 200 games and play in at least 1,000 career games

Wins as Coach / Games Played
Craig Berube – 242 / 1,054
Randy Carlyle – 475 / 1,055
Bob Pulford – 363 / 1,079
Craig MacTavish – 301 / 1,093
Red Kelly – 278 / 1,316
Brent Sutter – 215 / 1,111
Larry Robinson – 209 / 1,384

BUCHNEVICH STEPPING UP FOR BLUES
-Pavel Buchnevich ranks 2nd on the Blues with 8 goals (1. Kyrou, 9) and shares 2nd with 19 points (1. Thomas, 21)

-Buchnevich has 13 points in his last 9 games (7g, 6a) and also has points in back-to-back games (2g, 1a)

-Buchnevich also has 17 points in his last 13 games (7g, 10a), including 5 multi-point games in that span, after posting just 2 points (1g, 1a) in his first 6 games of the season

-Buchnevich has recorded at least 1 point in 10 of his last 13 games

-Since Nov. 10, Buchnevich shares 5th in the NHL with 17 points (7g, 10a) (1. Robertson, 22), and shares 13th in the NHL with 10 assists (1. Karlsson/Gaudreau, 14)

-Buchnevich shares 1st on the Blues this season with 4 power play goals (Krug)

-Buchnevich recorded 4 points (2g, 2a) on Nov. 19 vs. Anaheim, the 2nd 4-point game of his career (also: Mar. 17, 2021 w/ NYR: 2g, 2a vs. PHI)

-Buchnevich set career-highs with 30 goals, 46 assists, and 76 points last season

THE TARASENK-SHOW
-Vladimir Tarasenko has points in back-to-back games (1g, 2a)

-He also has 5 points in his last 4 games (2g, 3a), including 2 multi-point games

-Tarasenko ranks 2nd on the Blues with 12 assists (1. Thomas, 17) and ranks 4th on the Blues with 18 points (1. Thomas, 21)

-He also shares 1st on the Blues with 13 even-strength points (Thomas & Schenn) (6g, 7a)

-On Thursday vs. Carolina, Tarasenko recorded the 283rd and 284th assists of his career, moving him past Garry Unger for 8th on the Blues all-time franchise list (7. Demitra, 289)

-Tarasenko also ranks 5th on the Blues all-time franchise list in goals (258) and points (542)

BRAYDEN IS SCHENN-SATIONAL
-Brayden Schenn ranks 5th on the Blues with 17 points this season (6g, 11a) (1. Thomas, 21)

-He also shares 4th on the Blues with 6 goals (1. Kyrou, 9) and shares 3rd with 11 assists (1. Thomas, 16) -Schenn recorded 10 points in the first 10 games of the season, matching the 2nd best start of his career in the first 10 games of the season (10 points (6g, 4a) in 2020-21 in first 10 games / 11 points, (8g, 3a) in 2019-20 in first 10 games)

-Schenn has 24 power play goals since the start of the 2019-20 season, which ranks 2nd among all Blues in that span (1. Perron, 26)

-Schenn dressed in his 800th career NHL game on Saturday at Pittsburgh

KYROU FINDING HIS SCORING TOUCH
-Jordan Kyrou scored twice, including his first career overtime winner, on Nov. 26 at Florida

-Kyrou posted a career-long 8-game point streak (5g, 8a), from Nov. 14-26, including a career-long 6 game assist streak from Nov. 16-25 (2g, 8a)

-Nov. 26 at Florida was also Kyrou’s 10th career multi-goal game, which is the 3rd most among all Blues since his debut in 2018-19 (Perron – 14 / Tarasenko – 13)

-Kyrou leads the Blues with 9 goals and ranks 3rd on the team with 3 power play goals (1. Buchnevich/Krug, 4)

-Kyrou also ranks 3rd on the Blues with 7 power play points (1. Buchnevich/Thomas, 8)

-Since Nov. 10, Kyrou shares 16th in the NHL with 15 points (1. Robertson, 22)

-Kyrou now has 16 points (6g, 10a) in his last 14 games after recording just 3 points (3g) in his first 9 games of the season

THOMAS SETTING THE PACE
-Robert Thomas leads the Blues with 17 assists and 21 points this season

-Thomas has an assist in back-to-back games (2a)

-In his last 12 games, Thomas has recorded 14 points (2g, 12a), recording at least 1 point in 9 of those 12 games

-Thomas has also recorded 4 multi-point games in his last 12 games

-He also leads the Blues with 7 power play assists and shares 1st on the Blues with 8 power play points (Buchnevich)

-Since Nov. 10, Thomas shares 3rd in the NHL with 12 assists (1. Karlsson/Gaudreau, 14)

-Since Nov. 10, Thomas shares 2nd in the NHL with 7 power play assists (1. Dahlin, 8) and shares 9th in the NHL with 7 power play points (1. Kucherov, 11)

THE CAPTAIN IS COMING ALIVE
-Ryan O’Reilly has 3 points in his last 4 games (2g, 1a)

-O’Reilly has recorded 10 points (6g, 4a) in his last 14 games after just recording 1 point (1g) in his first 10 games of the season

-O’Reilly scored the Blues’ first shorthanded goal of the season on Nov. 16 at Chicago, the 11th of his career

-Nov. 12 at Vegas was O’Reilly’s 300th game as a Blue

NEW YORK RANGERS NOTES:

LAST GAME
Chicago Blackhawks 5, New York Rangers 2 – December 3, 2022 – Madison Square Garden
NYR Goals: M. Zibanejad (13), C. Kreider (12)
CHI Goals: R. Johnson (2), P. Kane (4), M. Domi (8, 9), T. Raddysh (7)
NYR Goalie: J. Halak (L – 16/20)
CHI Goalie: P. Mrazek (W – 21/22), A. Soderblom (ND – 5/6)
NYR Shots: 28
CHI Shots: 21
NYR PP: 1/4
NYR PK: 1/4
Game Summary | Event Summary
RECAP/NOTES: The Rangers fell to the Blackhawks on Saturday night at MSG, 5-2, in game two of the three-game homestand. New York scored one goal in the second and one in the third but couldn’t outlast Chicago. One of the Rangers’ goal came on the power play, their 18th PPG of the season.

RANGERS RUNDOWN

  • The New York Rangers complete the three-game homestand with their first meeting of the season against the St. Louis Blues on Monday night at Madison Square Garden (7:00 PM ET – TV: MSG Network/NHL Network – Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM).
  • The Rangers have earned at least one point in nine of their last 14 games against the Blues, dating back to the start of the 2014-15 season (7-5-2 record). At home against the Blues since 2014-15, New York has a 4-2-1 record for nine points.
  • Artemi Panarin has tallied a point in five of his past six games against St. Louis (1G-9A), and he has posted a multi-point game in three of the six contests. He has recorded a point in nine of his last 12 games against the Blues (3G-14A). -Mika Zibanejad has tallied a point in seven of the last 11 games (5G-4A) and in 10 of 15 career games against the Blues. He has also tallied four goals in the last eight games and five goals in the last 10 games against the Blues.
  • Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox all notched their 27th point of the season on Saturday. The Rangers are the only team in the NHL with three players with 27 or more points. With Fox and Panarin having 21 assists each, the Blueshirts and Oilers are the only two teams with multiple players with 21 or more helpers.
  • The Rangers rank seventh in the NHL in shots per game (33.8) and sixth in fewest shots allowed per game (29.2). New York has registered 35 or more shots in 14 games, tied for the third most occurrences in the NHL.
  • New York ranks third in the NHL in hits with 759.
  • The Rangers defensemen group has collected 57 points, tied for the seventh most in the NHL. New York’s 47 assists by defensemen are tied for the fifth most in the league.

UPCOMING GAMES (ALL TIMES ET)
DATE/TIME OPPONENT/LOCATION TV RADIO
Dec. 7/10:00 PM Vegas/T-Mobile Arena TNT ESPN 1050 AM
Dec. 9/9:00 PM Colorado/Ball Arena MSG 2 ESPN 1050 AM
Dec. 12/7:00 PM New Jersey/MSG MSG Network/NHLN ESPN 98.7 FM
Dec. 15/7:00 PM Toronto/MSG MSG Network ESPN 98.7 FM
Dec. 17/7:00 PM Philadelphia/Wells Fargo Center MSG Network ESPN 98.7 FM

LAST FIVE GAMES
DATE OPPONENT RESULT
Dec. 3 Chicago L, 5-2
Dec. 2 Ottawa OTL, 3-2
Nov. 30 at Ottawa W, 3-1
Nov. 28 New Jersey L, 5-3
Nov. 26 Edmonton L, 4-3
INJURIES (24 MGL)

PLAYER INJURY DATES MISSED CONS. GAMES MISSED
Filip Chytil Lower Body Dec. 3 1

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
December 4 – Jonny Brodzinski re-assigned to Hartford.
December 3 – Recalled Ben Harpur and Jonny Brodzinski from Hartford. Re-assigned Zac Jones to Hartford.
November 23 – Acquired fifth round pick in 2025 NHL Draft in exchange for Ryan Reaves

ALL-TIME RECORD 82-47-16-2 (182 PTS)
2022-23 0-0-0
2021-22 1-1-0
NYR HOME 49-15-6-1 (105 PTS)
NYR AWAY 33-32-10-1 (77 PTS)
LAST FIVE MEETINGS 2-3-0
LEADING SCORER(S) – CURRENT RANGERS IN CAREER G: Kreider/Zibanejad (6) – A: Panarin (15) – Pts: Panarin (20)
LEADING SCORER(S) – ALL-TIME IN GAMES W/NYR G: Gilbert (20) – A: Tkaczuk (36) – Pts: Tkaczuk (50)
2022-23 SEASON SERIES
December 5 at MSG 7:00 PM ET
April 6 at Enterprise Center 8:00 PM ET

TEAM NOTES
FOX ON FIRE
Adam Fox has points in four of his last five games (4A), six of his last eight games (1G-6A), and 13 of his last 15 games (4G-14A). Fox has recorded at least one point in 19 of 26 games this year and is currently riding a eight-game home point streak (2G-7A). Fox and Cale Makar are the only NHL players averaging 18:00+ of even strength ice time, 4:00+ of power play ice time, and 2:00+ of shorthanded ice time this season.
Fox has skated over 20:00 minutes in every game this season, over 25 minutes in 14 contests and his season-high was 30:04 against the Devils on Nov. 28. Fox’s latest assist on the power play was his 77th career point on the man advantage – tying with Jim Nielson for the 11th most among defensemen in Rangers history. On the season, Fox has six goals and 21 assists for 27 points, ranking among the best defensemen in multiple categories.

FOX AMONG NHL D-MEN
RANKS THIS SEASON
CATEGORY D-MEN RANK
Goals T-5th (6)
Assists 3rd (21)
Points 3rd (27)
Game-Winning Goals T-1st (3)
Total TOI 3rd (657:25)
Takeaways T-6th (19)

MIKA’S MISSION
Mika Zibanejad has a team-leading 13 goals this season and eight on the power play. Zibanejad’s eight PPGs are tied for the third most in the NHL. He has points in eight of his last 10 games (3G-6A) and in 15 of his last 18 contests (8G-11A). Zibanejad is one of eight players in the NHL to have 10+ goals, 5+ PPGs, and 100+ shots on goal. Zibanejad leads the NHL with 45 power play shots.

PANARIN PUTTING UP POINTS
Artemi Panarin has points in five of his last six games (1G-5A), 16 points in his last 18 games (2G-14A) and 28 points (6G-22A) in 26 games this season.. Panarin is riding a seven-game home point streak (1G-8A). Panarin posted his sixth multi-point game (2A) of the season and 164th of his career. Since 2015-16, his 164 multi-point games are tied for the sixth most in the NHL. Since 2019-20, his 81 multi-point games are the fifth most in the league. Panarin is three points from recording his 600th career point. Since he broke into the NHL in 2015-16, his 579 points are the fourth most in the league.

MOST POINTS SINCE 2015-16
PLAYER POINTS
Connor McDavid 744
Leon Draisaitl 649
Patrick Kane 643
Artemi Panarin 597

KREIDING TO MAKE HISTORY
Chris Kreider scored his 241st goal of his career on Saturday against Chicago, surpassing Brian Leetch and taking sole possession of the ninth most goals in Rangers history. Kreider became the all-time leading goal scorer among American-born Rangers. Kreider has points in 15 of his last 18 games (10G- 8A) and seven points (5G-2A) in his last seven games. Kreider has points in nine-straight home games (5G-4A), the longest stretch of his career. The last longest such streak by a Ranger was Artemi Panarin’s 10-game home point streak during the 2019-20 season.

MOST GOALS IN RANGERS HISTORY
RANK PLAYER GOALS
6th Camille Henry 256
7th Mark Messier 250
8th Steve Vickers 246
9th Chris Kreider 241
Kreider has 36 career game-winning goals, tied him with Adam Graves for the seventh most in franchise history. In addition, Kreider has 87 career go-ahead goals, the sixth most in Rangers history behind only Rod Gilbert (131), Jean Ratelle (96), Camille Henry (90), Vic Hadfield (90) and Adam Graves (89).

BLUESHIRT BULLETS

  • Vincent Trocheck is one of only three NHL players who have registered 15+ points and 65+ hits this season (along with Jason Zucker, Alex Ovechkin). In 23 of 26 games this season, Trocheck has had either 1+ points, 3+ hits, or a 50.0%+ faceoff win percentage; he has hit two of the three categories in 12 of the 26 games, and he hit all three categories in the same game on Nov. 8 vs. NYI.
  • Jacob Trouba has 88 hits and 62 blocked shots. He is the only player in the NHL with both 85+ hits and 60+ blocked shots. Trouba ranks sixth in the NHL in hits and fourth in blocked shots.
  • Sammy Blais ranks second in the NHL (min. 20 games played) in hits per 60 (21.34).

SPECIAL TEAMS

  • The Rangers are tied for fifth in the NHL in penalty differential (+10)

NHL Preview: Colorado Avalanche (13-8-1) at Philadelphia Flyers (8-12-5)

NHL Editor
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NHL Preview: Colorado Avalanche (13-8-1) at Philadelphia Flyers (8-12-5)

COLORADO AVALANCHE NOTES:

UPCOMING GAMES
Date Opponent Time (MT) TV Radio
Mon, Dec. 5 at Philadelphia 5 p.m. Altitude 92.5
Wed, Dec. 7 BOSTON 7 p.m. Altitude 92.5
Fri, Dec. 9 NY RANGERS 7 p.m. Altitude 92.5
Sun, Dec. 11 at St. Louis 1 p.m. ESPN 92.5

LAST GAME – Dec. 3 (Boston 5, Colorado 1 at TD Garden)
David Pastrnak and Trent Frederic each scored twice to lift the Bruins to a 5-1 victory over the Avalanche at TD Garden … Andrew Cogliano had the lone tally for Colorado and Pavel Francouz made 25 saves … Cale Makar appeared in his 200th career NHL game.
SF: 25 SA: 40 PP: 0-3 PK: 4-5

TONIGHT’S GAME
COLORADO at PHILADELPHIA
5:08 p.m. MT / 7:08 p.m. ET
Altitude / 92.5
TV: Marc Moser (play-by-play), Mark Rycroft (analyst), Katie Gaus (reporter)
Radio: Conor McGahey
The Colorado Avalanche wraps up a four-game road trip tonight in Philadelphia against the Flyers … The Avs are 1-2-0 so far on this journey, falling in Winnipeg, winning in Buffalo and losing in Boston … After tonight, the Avs will play seven of their next eight and 10 of their next 13 games at home … This trip started a run that has Colorado playing every other day from Nov. 29 until the holiday break: 13 games in 25 days.

AVALANCHE & FLYERS
Tonight is the first of two meetings between the Avalanche and Flyers, with the second and final matchup taking place a week from tomorrow in Denver … Colorado won both matchups last season and is 5-1-0 in its last six against Philadelphia.

SCHEDULE vs. FLYERS
Dec. 5 @ PHI
Dec. 13 vs. PHI
RECORD VS. FLYERS

THIS SEASON 2021-22 ALL-TIME SINCE 1995-96
Overall: 0-0-0 Overall: 2-0-0 Overall: 36-40-16 Overall: 22-11-6
Home: 0-0-0 Home: 1-0-0 Home: 21-13-13 Home: 12-4-5
Road: 0-0-0 Road: 1-0-0 Road: 15-27-3 Road: 10-7-1

ALL HAIL CALE
Cale Makar appeared in his 200th career NHL game on Saturday night in Boston … His 203 career points are the most by a defenseman through 200 games in NHL history, eclipsing the previous mark of 195 by Sergei Zubov … Among defensemen who appeared in at least 200 games during their career, only Makar (1.02), Bobby Orr (1.39) and Paul Coffey (1.09) averaged at least a point-per-game … Cale recorded his 200th career point on Nov. 21 in Dallas, reaching the milestone faster than any defenseman in NHL history (195th game) … As of Sunday, Cale was tied for fifth among NHL blueliners in scoring this season with 23 points (6g/17a) in 22 contests … He leads the entire NHL in ice time, averaging 26:55 minutes per game.

CLIMBING THE FRANCHISE CHARTS
Nathan MacKinnon tied a career high with five points on Thursday in Buffalo, his fifth career 5-point game to equal Michel Goulet and Marian Stastny for fifth most such performances in franchise history … Thursday was MacKinnon’s 57th game with at least three points, tying Anton Stastny for fifth place in career three-point games … MacKinnon’s two goals Thursday moved him past Gabriel Landeskog (248) for sole possession of sixth place on the franchise’s all-time list with 250, just two away from Anton Stastny (252) for fifth … Nathan’s three assists moved him past Milan Hejduk (430) for fifth place on the career helpers list with 431 … Saturday night in Boston was MacKinnon’s 660th career game, passing Cody McLeod (659) for ninth place on the franchise’s all-time games played list.

CLIMBING THE FRANCHISE RECORDS PART II
Mikko Rantanen’s goal Thursday moved him past Matt Duchene (178) for ninth on the franchise’s all-time goals list with 179 … Rantanen’s effort was his 115th multi-point game, one behind Paul Stastny (116) for 11th in club history

JUST CAN’T WAIT TO GET ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Colorado is 8-5-0 on the road this season, 9-5-0 if you include the one “home” game in Finland … The Avalanche finished a league-best 9-1 on the road during the 2022 postseason, tied for the fewest road losses by a Stanley Cup champion since 1987 (the 2012 Kings and 1995 Devils were both 10-1) … Colorado earned all four series-clinching wins on the road.

ONE MONTH AT A TIME
The Avalanche finished 8-3-0 in November, the 23rd consecutive month that the Avs posted a .500 or better record in …. And 21 of those 23 months featured a winning record.

IT TAKES TWO BABY
Nathan MacKinnon leads the Avalanche with 33 points, followed by Mikko Rantanen with 31, both of which rank among the NHL’s top-15 scorers … MacKinnon’s 22 assists and Rantanen’s 14 goals both rank among the league leaders as well… Rantanen was named the NHL’s First Star of the Week for Nov. 7-13 after MacKinnon was the NHL’s Second Star the week before from Oct. 31–Nov. 6.

SOMEONE SAVED MY LIFE TONIGHT
As of Sunday, Colorado ranked fourth in the NHL in team save percentage at .916 … Individually, Alexandar Georgiev ranked ninth in that category with a .922 mark.

QUARTER MARK
The Avalanche played their 20thgame of the season on Tuesday night in Winnipeg, the last NHL team to reach the unofficial quarter mark of their season … Colorado had the exact same record through 20 games as each of the previous two seasons (12-7-1) and nearly the same as three years ago (12-6-2).

DROP DEAD GEOR-GIOUS
Alexandar Georgiev is 11-3-1 in 15 starts with the Avalanche, ranking among the NHL’s top 10 in wins (11), save percentage (.922) and win percentage (.767) … He earned his 10th victory of the season in his 13th appearance on Nov. 26 against Dallas, tied for the second-fewest games to 10 wins in a season in franchise history … The only netminders to reach 10 wins in 13 games or fewer are Stephane Fiset (11 games in 1994-95 and 13 in 2009-10), Dan Bouchard (11 in 1980-81), Craig Anderson (13 in 2009-10) and Jocelyn Thibault (13 in 1994-95) … Going back to last year with the Rangers, Georgiev is 19- 4-1 in his last 25 games (24 starts).

THAT’S THE POWER OF LOVE
Colorado is the NHL’s top power play team at 32.5% (26-80) … The Avalanche scored three power-play goals in Thursday’s victory over the Sabres … Colorado is 12-4-1 when scoring a PPG this year, 1-4-0 when it fails to do so … The Avs tallied a power-play goal in a season-high eight consecutive games from Oct. 29–Nov. 26 … The club posted a 39.3 success rate (11-28) in October, the second-best mark in a single month since relocating to Denver behind only November 2018 (40.0%) … The Avalanche’s power play scored at a 32.8% clip during the 2022 playoffs, the highest rate on record (since 1977-78) by an NHL team that played at least 20 games … During the 2021-22 regular season, Colorado finished seventh in power-play percentage (24.0%) and led all teams in power-play goals (67) … It marked the Avalanche’s fourth top-10 finish in the last five seasons.

HOME COOKING
Mikko Rantanen has 23 points (11g/12a) in nine home games this season, which ranks him among the league leaders in home scoring … Mikko’s 2.56 points-per-game average on home ice is by far the highest in the NHL … He has two or more points in seven of his nine home outings, which includes five 3-point efforts and three 4-point nights.

SONG SUNG BLUE(LINE)
Colorado’s defensemen have combined for 59 points (12g/47a) this year, which ranks among the top 10 in the league as of Sunday … The Avs defense produced 64 goals last season, a franchise record and the most by any team since the 1992-93 Capitals (94) … The Avalanche’s blueline also lead all teams in points with a franchise-record 238, the most since the 1995-96 Red Wings had 240 … Colorado’s defensemen finished with 69 points (18g/51a) during the playoffs, the most by any blueline in a four-round postseason since the 1984-85 Oilers (77).

REVERSE RETRO JERSEY
The Avalanche debuted their adidas Reverse Retro 2022 ADIZERO jerseys in the Nov. 26th victory over the Dallas Stars … The 2022 Colorado Avalanche Reverse Retro uniform pays tribute to its home state by incorporating colors of the Colorado flag while reintroducing the original jersey design donned in the 1995 inaugural season … The Avs will wear the RR jersey four times this season: Nov. 26 vs. Dallas, Dec. 11 at St. Louis, Dec. 29 vs. Los Angeles and Jan. 2 vs. Vegas

DAYDREAM BELIEVER
Colorado will play nine afternoon games this season . The Avs finished 5-1-0 in day games last year, 3-0-0 at home and 2-1- 0 on the road … Colorado is 13-3-1 in day contests since the start of the 2019-20 campaign and 16-3-2 in home afternoon contests since 2017-18.

BACK-TO-BACK
The Avalanche will play 13 back-to-backs this season … The Avs have competed in four back-to-backs so far, going 2-2-0 in the first game and 2-2-0 in the second … 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.

POSTPONEMENT
The Avalanche and Predators game at Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 25 was postponed due to a water main break that significantly impacted the event level at the arena … The contest has been rescheduled for April 14 as Colorado’s final game of the regular season – it’s the second half of a back-to-back, the Avs play Winnipeg at home on April 13.

FINNISH FIREWORKS
Led by Nathan MacKinnon’s seven combined points (0g/7a) and Mikko Rantanen’s hat trick in the opener, the Avalanche swept the two-game NHL Global Series from the Blue Jackets in early November, out-scoring Columbus 11-4 … Colorado’s six goals in the 6-3 opening win set an NHL record for a single game outside of North America while the 11 combined goals were also the most over a two-game overseas series … Rantanen’s hat trick was just the third outside of North America in history, while MacKinnon’s four helpers that first night set a record for the most assists in a single game outside of North America … Alexandar Georgiev started and won both games, allowing four goals 71 shots (2.02 GAA, .944 Sv%) … His two victories already equal the record for career wins in games played overseas … MacKinnon’s seven assists and eight career points (he had one goal in the 2017 Global Series in Sweden) are both records for games played outside North America.

MOST GOALS, GAME, OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA
6 – Colorado, 2022 Global Series vs. Columbus (Nov. 4, 2022)
5 – Colorado, 2022 Global Series vs. Columbus (Nov. 5, 2022)
5 – Tampa Bay, 2019 Global Series vs. Buffalo (Nov. 9, 2019)
5 – New Jersey, 2018 Global Series vs. Edmonton (Oct. 6, 2018)
5 – Phoenix, 2010 Premiere Series vs. Boston (Oct. 9, 2010)
5 – St. Louis, 2009 Premiere Series vs. Detroit (Oct. 3, 2009)
5 – Calgary, GAME ONe Japan ’98 at San Jose (Oct. 10, 1998)

MOST CAREER POINTS IN GAMES PLAYED OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA
8 – Nathan MacKinnon (1g/7a)
7 – Patrick Kane (3g/4a)
7 – Dustin Byfuglien (2g/5a)

MOST CAREER ASSISTS IN GAMES PLAYED OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA
7 – Nathan MacKinnon
5 – Dustin Byfuglien
5 – Blake Wheeler

HAT TRICKS SCORED OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA
3 – Mikko Rantanen (COL), Nov 4, 2022 vs. Columbus (2022 Global Series)
3 – Patrik Laine (WPG), Nov. 1, 2018 at Florida (2018 Global Series)
3 – Theo Fleury (CGY), Oct. 10, 1998 at San Jose (GAME ONe Japan ’98)

MOST ASSISTS, GAME, OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA
4 – Nathan MacKinnon (COL) Nov. 4, 2022 vs. Columbus (2022 Global Series)
3 – Dustin Byfuglien (WPG) Nov. 1, 2018 at Florida (2018 Global Series)
3 – Blake Wheeler (WPG), Nov. 1, 2018 at Florida (2018 Global Series)

SCHEDULE NOTES
The Avs will play 26 games against their division foes, meeting Arizona, Dallas, Nashville, St. Louis Winnipeg four times each (two home/away) and Chicago (two home/one away) and Minnesota (one home/two away) three times apiece … Colorado will play 24 games versus the Pacific Division (three times each) and 32 against teams from the Eastern Conference (one home/away).

MILE HIGH MAINSTAY
Erik Johnson is in his 15th NHL season and 13th with the Avalanche … His 13 seasons rank fourth in franchise history behind only Joe Sakic (20), Adam Foote (17) and Milan Hejduk (14), with Foote the only other defenseman on that list … Johnson is the longest current tenured athlete of any of Denver’s four major sports teams, followed by Gabriel Landeskog and Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon (both 12 seasons).

BEST SINCE 2019-20
The Avalanche are 150-60-20 (.699) since the start of the 2019-20 season, the most wins, points and best points percentage in the NHL … Only Tampa (49) has more playoff wins during that span

MOST WINS SINCE 2019-20 POINTS % SINCE 2019-20 PLAYOFF WINS SINCE 2019-20
Colorado 150 Colorado .696 Tampa Bay 49
Boston 148 Boston .693 Colorado 32
Tampa Bay 145 Carolina .671 NY Islanders 25
Florida 142 Tampa Bay .664 Vegas 23
Carolina 142 Florida .662 Montreal 19

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH; AVS WIN STANLEY CUP
The Avalanche won their third Stanley Cup championship in 2022 following 1996 and 2001 … Colorado claimed its title by going 16-4 in the postseason, which included a pair of sweeps and defeating the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning in six games during the Final … The Avs became the sixth team to win a Cup with four or fewer postseason losses since 1987 when the NHL went to four rounds of best-of-seven … And of those six only one team had fewer losses, the 1988 Oilers (two) … The Avalanche did not lose consecutive games all playoffs.

ALL I DO IS WIN WIN WIN NO MATTER WHAT
The 2021-22 Avalanche equaled the NHL record for the most combined regular season/playoff wins with 72 (56 regular season, 16 playoff), a feat only three teams in NHL history had achieved before … The 2021-22 Avalanche joined the 1995-96 Red Wings, 1983-84 Oilers and 1976-77 Canadiens on that list.

RECORD REGULAR SEASON
The 2021-22 Avalanche set a franchise record with 56 wins and 119 points en route to winning their second straight division title and 11th since moving to Denver (13th in franchise history) … It marked the club’s first back-to-back division championships since their NHL-record run of nine straight from 1994-95 to 2002-03 … The Avs clinched the conference’s top spot despite facing a 10-point deficit behind the No. 1 seed on Dec. 3 … The last team to win their conference after overcoming a deficit of 10 or more points was the Rangers in 2014-15 (13) … After sweeping a back-to-back from Arizona on Jan. 15, the Avalanche remained in first place in the West over the final 106 days of the regular season … During a span of over two months from Feb 10–April 19, Colorado was first in the entire NHL for all but one day (68 out of 69)

WINS, FRANCHISE HISTORY POINTS, FRANCHISE HISTORY
56 2021-22 119 2021-22
52 2000-01 118 2000-01
52 2013-14 112 2013-14

TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT
The 2021-22 Avalanche posted their best home season in franchise history with a 32-5-4 record (68 points) … Colorado tied Florida for the league lead in home points, ending with the most home points in the NHL for the second straight season after tying Penguins for league lead with 46 in 2020-21 … The Avs are just the third team over the last 30 years to post the league’s best home record in back-to-back seasons (outright or tie), joining the 2016 and 2017 Capitals and the 2007 and 2008 Red Wings … Colorado went 30-3-3 over its final 36 contests at Ball Arena … The Avs posted an 18-game home winning streak from Nov. 11–Jan. 30, the fifth longest run in NHL history … The club had a franchise record 22-game home point streak (20-0-2) from Oct. 30–Feb. 10, the NHL’s longest since 2013-14 (Anaheim, 20-0-2) … Colorado recently completed its best 60-game home stretch in franchise history going 49-5-6 (.867) from March 10, 2021 to October 19, 2022.

AINT NO MOUNTAIN HIGH, AINT NO VALLEY LOW
Colorado’s Stanley Cup championship came five years after a last-place finish in 2016-17 …. The Avs became the fifth team in the expansion era (1967-68) to win a title within five years of a last place finish and the first since the 2009 Penguins … Colorado won the Presidents’ Trophy the previous year in 2020-21, becoming the first NHL team to go from worst to first overall in four seasons or less since the Bruins in 1970-71.

DOWN BUT NEVER OUT
Ten of the Avalanche’s wins during the 2022 postseason were earned in come-from-behind fashion, including four thirdperiod comebacks … Colorado’s 10 comeback wins tied the 2009 Penguins for the most in NHL history … The Avs trailed in all four of their series-clinching victories, the first team in NHL history to do so.

MAGIC YEAR FOR MAKAR
After becoming the first player in franchise history to win the Norris Trophy in 2021-22, Makar followed that up by winning the 2022 Conn Smythe as playoff MVP … At 23 years, 239 days, he became the youngest defenseman in 52 years to win the Conn Smythe and just the third overall to do so at age 23 or younger, joining Bobby Orr with the 1970 Bruins (22 years, 51 days) and Serge Savard with the 1969 Canadiens (23 years, 102 days) … Makar won the Conn Smythe just five days after receiving his first Norris Trophy … He became the third player to win both awards in the same season, following Orr in 1970 and Nicklas Lidstrom in 2002 … Makar led the Avalanche and all NHL defensemen with 29 points (8g/21a) in 20 games, the fourth-highest total by a defenseman in Stanley Cup Playoff history behind Paul Coffey (37) with the 1985 Oilers, Brian Leetch (34) with the 1994 Rangers and Al MacInnis (31) with the 1989 Flames.

IN BEDNAR WE TRUST
Jared Bednar is in his seventh season as the Avalanche’s head coach … Hired on Aug. 25, 2016, he is the third-longest tenured coach in the NHL behind Jon Cooper (March 25, 2013) and Mike Sullivan (Dec. 12, 2015) … Jared led the 2021-22 Avalanche to their most successful regular season in franchise history (56-19-7, 119 points) and continued that into the postseason with a 16-4 playoff mark en route to capturing the 2022 Stanley Cup … Bednar, who won a Calder Cup with the Lake Erie Monsters in 2016 and a Kelly Cup with the South Carolina Stingrays in 2009, became the first individual to win a championship in the NHL, AHL and ECHL as a head coach … He is the winningest coach in Avalanche history with a 253-176- 47 (.581) regular season record … Bednar owns a 40-22-1 (.635) record in 63 postseason games, the best playoff winning percentage among active coaches and the third highest all time (min 50 GP) behind Glen Sather (.706) and Toe Blake (.689).

TIP OF CAP
Gabriel Landeskog enters his 12th NHL season and 11th as team captain … Landeskog was the youngest captain in NHL history when he assumed the role at 19 years, 286 days on Sept. 4, 2012, a title he held for four years before Connor McDavid was given the ‘C’ by Edmonton at 19 years, 266 days on Oct. 5, 2016 … Landeskog is the second-longest serving captain in franchise history behind only Joe Sakic (17 seasons, 16 consecutive) … Only three players have been captain of their current teams longer:

Sidney Crosby (PIT) ………………… 16th season (since 2007-08)
Jonathan Toews (CHI) …………….. 15th season (since 2008-09)
Alex Ovechkin (WSH) ……………… 14th season (since 2009-10)
Gabriel Landeskog (COL) …………11th season (since 2012-13)

SUPER JOE ACHIEVES RARE FIRST
General Manager (now President) Joe Sakic, who captained the Avalanche to a pair of titles in 1996 and 2001, became the first individual in league history to win a Stanley Cup as a captain and GM with the same organization … He was just the third to win a championship as a player and general manager with the same franchise, joining Serge Savard of the Canadiens and Milt Schmidt of the Bruins.

2022-23 AVALANCHE TRANSACTIONS
Nov. 24 – Anton Blidh, Sampo Ranta recalled from the Colorado Eagles (AHL)
Nov. 25 – Anton Blidh, Sampo Ranta reassigned to the Colorado Eagles (AHL)
Nov. 26 – Kurtis MacDermid placed on Injured Reserve (retroactive to Nov. 12) … Anton Blidh, Sampo Ranta recalled from the
Colorado Eagles (AHL) … Anton Blidh, Sampo Ranta reassigned to the Colorado Eagles (AHL)

TRANSACTIONS CONTINUED
Nov. 28 – Anton Blidh recalled from the Colorado Eagles (AHL) … Alex Galchenyuk signed to a one-year contract for the 2022-23
season .. Jean-Luc Foudy recalled from the Colorado Eagles (AHL)
Dec. 2 – Andreas Englund recalled from the Colorado Eagles
Dec. 3 – Josh Manson placed on Injured Reserve (retroactive to Dec. 1)
Dec. 4 – Bowen Byram placed on Injured Reserve (retroactive to Nov. 4) … Charles Hudon recalled from Colorado (AHL)

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS NOTES:

UPCOMING GAMES
DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME BROADCAST INFO.
Wed., Dec. 7 Washington Capitals Wells Fargo Center 7 p.m. NBCSP, 97.5 The Fanatic
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

CURRENT INJURIES
PLAYER INJURY DATES GAMES MISSED
Wade Allison IR-oblique muscle strain, hip pointer 11/13-present 11
Cam Atkinson upper body 9/25-present 25
Sean Couturier IR-back 9/19-present 25
Ryan Ellis LTIR-groin/hip/back 10/11-present 25
James van Riemsdyk IR-upper body 10/27-present 19
2022-23 TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 146

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
12/2 – Assigned F Kieffer Bellows to Lehigh Valley (AHL)
12/1 – Activated F Travis Konecny from Injured Reserve
11/29 – Activated F Scott Laughton from IR; Loaned F Jackson Cates to Lehigh Valley

FLYERS VS. AVALANCHE: HEAD-TO-HEAD
FLYERS AVALANCHE
42-30-20 ALL-TIME RECORD 36-40-16
28-12-5 HOME 21-13-13
14-18-15 ROAD 15-27-3
1-4-0 LAST 5 MEETINGS 4-1-0
4-5-1 LAST 10 MEETINGS 6-4-0
312 GOALS SCORED 289
18.5% POWER PLAY 19.0%
81.0% PENALTY KILL 81.5%
Hayes: 15 pts (6-9=15) in 13 GP
Konecny: 6 pts (0-6=6) in 7 GP
Ristolainen: 6 pts (1-5=6) in 14 GP
TEAM SCORING LEADERS Galchenyuk: 17 pts (6-11=17) in 23 GP
Rantanen: 12 pts (7-5=12) in 11 GP
Johnson: 11 pts (1-10=11) in 17 GP
Hart: 0-2-0, 4.62 GAA, .885 SV% in 2 GP
Sandstrom: Has not faced COL
TEAM GOALTENDERS Georgiev: 5-3-0, 1.62 GAA, .943 SV%, 3 SO in 8 GP
Francouz: 2-0-0, 2.00 GAA, .938 SV% in 2 GP

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 19 of its 25 games this season. Philadelphia ranks T-3rd in the NHL with six 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 rank second in the NHL with 446 blocked shots and T-2nd with 759 hits.
  • Philadelphia ranks T-7th in the NHL in team rookie scoring percentage (11.0) and ninth in team rookie points (18).
  • The rookies have netted a combined seven goals to rank T-4th among NHL team rookie goal percentage (11.9) and T-7th in rookie goals.

HOME SWEET HOME

  • Philadelphia continues its five-game homestand Monday – it’s second-longest homestand of the season. The Flyers will host a seven-game homestand, March 14-28.
  • The Flyers are 5-7-1 on home ice this season, including a 2-3-0 record against a Western Conference opponent.
  • Philadelphia ranks T-2nd in the NHL in shorthanded goals (2) and shorthanded assists (3) collected on home ice this season.
  • The Flyers have scored 31 of its 59 goals this season on home ice (.525) and out of those 31 home goals, 24 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 352-223-82-30 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 – .741 in 58 all-time games) and rank seventh with 352 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 ninth goal, third PPG, of the season Saturday for his second marker in as many games and fourth goal in his last five games.
  • He owns 15 points (5-10=15) in his last 13 games, including four multi-point contests and a seven-game point streak (3-7=10), Nov. 2-15.
  • He leads the team in goals (9), ranks T-1st in game-winning goals (2) and multi-point games (7) and ranks second in assists (12), points (21) and shots (61) 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 (119), fourth in scoring (292) and assists (173) and fifth in PPG (23) since entering the NHL in 2016-17.

LUCKY NUMBER 13

  • Kevin Hayes registered an assist Saturday night for his sixth point (3-3=6) in the last five games.
  • He collected back-to-back multi-point games (2-2=4), Nov. 26-29, for the sixth time in his career and ranks T-1st on the team with seven multi-point games this season.
  • He owns 15 points (7-8=15) in the last 15 games, including a season-high six-game point streak (Nov. 12-21).
  • The 30-year-old leads the team in assists (17), PPA (7) and points (25) 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.

ICE ICE BABY

  • Tony DeAngelo has an assist in back-to-back games and leads team defensemen with 12 points (3-9=12) in 24 games this season.
  • He ranks 13th in the NHL in average TOI/game (24:37).
  • He ranks third on the team in PPP (6), fourth in points, T-4th in assists and T-5th in goals.
  • 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.

SANNY ON A ROLL

  • Travis Sanheim tallied an assist Saturday night to extend his point streak to a season-high three-game point streak (1-2=3).
  • He owns five points (1-4=5) in the last six games and seven points (2-5=7) in the last eight 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 leads the team in assists (5), second in scoring (7) and T-2nd in goals since Nov. 19 and ranks T-1st among NHL defensemen in even-strength points (6) and T-9th in goals and points in that span.
  • The 26-year-old signed an eight-year, $50 million contract extension ($6.25 AAV) on Oct. 13.

CZECH HIM OUT

  • Lukas Sedlak netted his third goal of the season Saturday, his fifth point (2-3=5) in the last four 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).

EMERGING TALENT

  • Noah Cates owns two assists in the last three games, including his first career shorthanded point (assist) on Nov. 29 vs. NYI.
  • He owns eight points (3-5=8) in the last 14 games.
  • He tallied his first power-play point of the season (assist), Nov. 15 at CBJ.
  • The 23-year-old recoded his first game-winning goal of the season, second career, Oct. 18 at TBL.
  • The forward leads team rookies with nine points (3-6=9) and is one of 17 rookies to register a GWG.

IVAN THE GREAT

  • Ivan Provorov has three assists in the last six 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 (10), T-4th in shots (54), fifth in scoring (11) and sixth in hits (41) this season.
  • The 25-year-old leads the Flyers and ranks third in the NHL with 67 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 has seen 30-plus shots in 11 of his 18 games this season – he is 6-1-4 in those contests.
  • He ranks third among NHL goaltenders in shots against (564) and fourth in saves (514).
  • 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 two NHL teams he has not earned a win against: Colorado and St. Louis.

BUZZIN’ JOEL

  • Joel Farabee has four points (2-2=4) in the last eight games.
  • He owns eight points (2-6=8) in the last 14 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 (14), fourth in goals and T-4th in assists (9) 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 six Flyers players with a GWG this season, notching his fourth career on Oct. 27 vs. FLA.

NBA Preview: Indiana Pacers (12-11) at Golden State Warriors (13-11)

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NBA Preview: Indiana Pacers (12-11) at Golden State Warriors (13-11)

The Golden State Warriors will get another opportunity to put on their dizzying passing display against a road-weary opponent when they host the Indiana Pacers on Monday night in San Francisco.

The Warriors recorded 30 or more assists for the ninth time in their past 11 games when they logged 34 in a 120-101 home win Saturday over the Houston Rockets, who were enduring the second night of a road back-to-back.

The Pacers will have to deal with the same handicap Monday, coming off a 116-100 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night.

Indiana’s date in Portland was its fifth on a seven-game trip that ends Wednesday at Minnesota. The Pacers are 1-4 on the trop, with the lone win coming Nov. 28 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Meanwhile, the Warriors haven’t lost a home game since falling to the Denver Nuggets 128-123 in the first week of the season. They’ve gone 10-0 since, giving them an 11-1 home record that is the best in the NBA.

The 34 assists in the win over the Rockets boosted Golden State’s season average to a league-leading 30.0. Only six teams in NBA history have finished a season at 30.0 or higher, including the Warriors in 2017, when they set a franchise record at 30.4 during their 67-win campaign.

The 1985 Los Angeles Lakers, led by Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, hold the all-time mark at 31.4.

The Warriors had 13 assists in the first quarter alone against the Rockets, running off to a 39-23 lead in a display that impressed their coach, Steve Kerr.

That helped the Rockets get as close as four in the final period, before the Warriors found the range again from beyond the arc, finishing off an entertaining show in which they shot 25-for-52 on 3-pointers.

The Warriors rested Klay Thompson on the second night of their own back-to-back against the Rockets, and they also could be a bit shorthanded Monday with Andrew Wiggins (right adductor tightness) and Jordan Poole (sore left ankle) both considered questionable.

The Warriors haven’t seen the Pacers since January, meaning they will encounter longtime nemesis Buddy Hield in an Indiana uniform for the first time.

Hield was dealt from Sacramento to Indiana in February along with Tyrese Haliburton, but the latter sustained a strained left groin on the Pacers’ current trip and is expected to miss his second consecutive game.

Hield helped keep the Haliburton-less squad in the game at Portland with 22 points and 11 rebounds. He hit four of his nine 3-point attempts.

The seven-year veteran has 71 career 3-pointers against the Warriors.

NBA Preview: Phoenix Sun (16-7) at Dallas Mavericks (11-11)

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NBA Preview: Phoenix Sun (16-7) at Dallas Mavericks (11-11)

The Phoenix Suns have dominated regular-season play with Dallas over the past three-plus seasons, but overshadowing that success is their epic collapse against the Mavericks in last season’s Western Conference semifinals.

Dallas won the final two games of those semifinals by an average of 30 points to reach the Western Conference finals and send Phoenix home earlier than expected.

But come Monday night in Dallas, the Suns will be looking to defeat the Mavericks for the second time this season and 11th in a row in the regular season. Phoenix rallied from a 22-point deficit to edge Dallas 107-105 on Oct. 19 in the season opener for both squads.

The Western Conference-leading Suns are also the hotter team entering the latest matchup. Phoenix has won seven of its last eight games while the Mavericks have prevailed in just two of their last seven contests.

The Suns started a two-game Texas road swing by pummeling the San Antonio Spurs 133-95 on Sunday. Deandre Ayton had 25 points and 10 rebounds and Mikal Bridges and Devin Booker scored 20 points apiece.

Booker was impressed Phoenix racked up 38 assists on 49 made field goals.

The Suns allowed just 11 second-quarter points and led 71-41 at halftime.

The big cushion allowed Phoenix to rest its starters as three reserves played at least 24 minutes and five saw at least 14 minutes of action.

Dario Saric, who started for just the second time this season, tallied 17 points in just 21 minutes.

Saric started the last two games due to Torrey Craig (groin) being sidelined. Craig could miss another game Monday while star point guard Chris Paul (heel) will sit out his 14th straight contest.

Dallas has been struggling of late but put together a solid game with Saturday’s 121-100 road victory over the New York Knicks.

Luka Doncic scored 30 points to reach at least that output for the third straight game. Tim Hardaway Jr. matched his season high of 28 points while draining a season-best eight 3-pointers.

The Mavericks knocked down 24 3-pointers in a franchise-record 61 attempts.

The Mavericks trailed 59-52 at halftime but turned the game around by outscoring New York 41-15 in the third quarter.

The game against the Suns is the start of a stretch in which Dallas plays five of its next seven games at home.

Big man Christian Wood sat out Saturday and is questionable for Monday due to a non-COVID illness. Wood has scored 20 or more points in five of his last eight appearances.

NBA Preview: Miami Heat (11-12) at Memphis Grizzlies (14-9)

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NBA Preview: Miami Heat (11-12) at Memphis Grizzlies (14-9)

The Miami Heat, who are set to end their four-game road trip with a game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night, said they never lost their confidence.

Last month, the Heat endured a four-game losing streak. Since then, however, the Heat have responded with four wins in their past five games, including a 120-116 overtime victory over the host Boston Celtics on Friday night.

The big news for Miami was the return of Jimmy Butler on Friday.

Butler, who had missed seven straight games due to a sore right knee, played 36 minutes on Friday, posting 25 points and 15 rebounds.

Indeed, Butler leads Miami in scoring (21.2) and steals (1.7). He also ranks second in assists (5.9), overall rebounds (7.2) and offensive boards (2.3).

But the Heat, who can climb back up to .500 with a win at Memphis, need Butler available on a more consistent basis. He has missed nine of Miami’s 23 games.

The Heat have just one player who has competed in every Miami game: point guard Kyle Lowry, who is averaging 14.8 points and a team-high 6.0 assists.

It’s a bit unusual that the Heat’s iron man — Lowry — turns 37 in March, making him the oldest member of their regular rotation.

The other key members of the Heat are Bam Adebayo and Herro. Adebayo ranks second on the Heat in scoring (21.0) and first in rebounds (9.1). Herro ranks third in scoring (18.9) and third in assists (4.1).

Memphis, like the Heat, has won four of its past five. The Grizzlies earned their second straight win on Sunday night, defeating the host Detroit Pistons, 122-112.

Point guard Ja Morant scored 21 of his 33 points in the third quarter and added a game-high 10 assists.

The Grizzlies played without center Steven Adams, who leads the NBA with 5.2 offensive rebounds per game. Adams, who averages 7.9 points and 11.2 rebounds overall, is day-to-day due to a hip injury.

Memphis is also without shooting guard Desmond Bane, who has been ruled out due to a toe injury. He is second on Memphis in scoring (24.7) and in assists (4.8).

Monday’s game will mark the start of Memphis’ five-game homestand.

Besides Morant, the Grizzlies player to watch is Jaren Jackson Jr., who scored 22 against Detroit. In his past seven games, Jackson has averaged 21.1 points.

Memphis wing Dillon Brooks, who also scored 22 against Detroit, is a defensive menace who rarely passes up a shot. Teammate Brandon Clarke, a forward who had 14 points and a game-high 14 rebounds against Detroit, is a dynamic talent.

The Grizzlies’ fifth starter is wing John Konchar, who started a total of just seven games in his first three NBA seasons. This season, he has already made 13 starts.

NBA Preview: Philadelphia Sixers (12-11) at Houston Rockets (6-17)

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NBA Preview: Philadelphia Sixers (12-11) at Houston Rockets (6-17)

Prior to embarking on a three-game road trip that has thus far produced losses in Cleveland and Memphis, the Philadelphia 76ers appeared to have concocted a winning formula despite their rotation lacking the starting backcourt of James Harden and Tyrese Maxey.

The 76ers had won seven of nine games before registering a 28-point loss to the Cavaliers and a 117-109 setback against the Grizzlies on Friday. Philadelphia will conclude the trip on Monday against the Houston Rockets, eyeing a return to the win column despite those who are missing.

The 76ers fell to 8-6 without Harden (foot) but are optimistic that he could return against the Rockets, for whom he averaged 29.6 points and 7.7 assists over eight-plus seasons and 621 games. Harden has averaged 22 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists in nine games this season.

After playing nine games over a span of two weeks, the 76ers are hoping to parlay the current two-day break between contests into an opportunity to get their feet back underneath them as they approach a lengthy homestand.

Like Philadelphia, the Rockets have a favorable span of home games upcoming. The matchup against the 76ers is the first of eight home games in a nine-game span, including seven in succession following a short jaunt to San Antonio to face the Spurs on Thursday. The Rockets completed a four-game road trip on Saturday with a 120-101 loss to the Golden State Warriors in the second half of a back-to-back that included a comeback victory over the Phoenix Suns.

For Houston, it’s become a troubling pattern: All four games of the road trip featured the Rockets falling into double-digit deficits early, with the win against the Suns the only game that featured a completed rally. The Rockets battled uphill earlier in the week in consecutive losses against the Denver Nuggets and dug a sizable hole in San Francisco only to battle back in vain.

At this stage, the Rockets are attempting to take everything as a learning experience.

NBA Preview: Boston Celtics (19-5) at Toronto Raptors (12-11)

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NBA Preview: Boston Celtics (19-5) at Toronto Raptors (12-11)

Celtics look to spoil Raptors’ home mojo

The visiting Boston Celtics can expect to see the best version of the Raptors on Monday night since Toronto seemingly takes things to the next level when it plays at home.

Toronto’s 121-108 triumph over the Orlando Magic on Saturday extended the team’s home winning streak to three games. The Raptors are 9-2 at home this season compared to 3-9 on the road.

It was a much-needed victory for the Raptors, who got off to slow starts in their two games leading up to Saturday’s matchup — a blowout loss at New Orleans and a nine-point road setback against the Nets. Toronto shot a season-high 56.0 percent from the field (47-for-84) against Orlando.

Toronto’s O.G. Anunoby tied his season high by scoring 32 points against the Magic. Pascal Siakam added 26 points and 10 rebounds, and Scottie Barnes finished the game with 17 points and a season-high 14 rebounds.

Siakam’s 26-point performance against Orlando moved him past Andrea Bargnani and into fifth place on Toronto’s all-time scoring list. He’ll enter Monday’s game with 6,604 points as a Raptor, which is 2,816 shy of Vince Carter for fourth all-time. Chris Bosh, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are the three players ahead of Carter.

Siakam, a 6-foot-9 forward, was selected with the 27th overall pick in the 2016 draft.

Boston is coming off Sunday night’s 103-92 victory over Brooklyn. It was the beginning of a six-game road trip for the Celtics, who received 34 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots from Jaylen Brown. Jayson Tatum added 29 points, 11 rebounds and four steals, but committed nine turnovers.

Point guard Marcus Smart did not play against Brooklyn because of a hip contusion, but may return against Toronto. The Celtics have often rested players this season when they play on back-to-back nights.

Smart is averaging 11.8 points, 7.7 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 21 games.

Although Boston is among the NBA’s elite teams, the Celtics have struggled with turnovers recently. The Celtics turned the ball over 20 times during Friday’s 120-116 overtime home loss to the Heat, with Miami scoring 21 points off those turnovers. Boston committed 15 turnovers in the victory over Brooklyn and has had at least 14 giveaways in eight of its last 11 games.

NBA Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder (10-13) at Atlanta Hawks (13-10)

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NBA Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder (10-13) at Atlanta Hawks (13-10)

After missing the last game with right shoulder soreness, Trae Young is expected to return to the lineup when the Atlanta Hawks host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.

The Hawks have won two straight, including a 117-109 defeat of Denver on Friday when they played without Young and starters John Collins and De’Andre Hunter. The Thunder have also won two in a row after Saturday’s 135-128 victory at Minnesota.

Atlanta swept the two-game series last season and has won three straight against the Thunder. The Hawks have a three-game winning streak against Oklahoma City in games played in Atlanta.

Collins will miss two weeks after injuring his left ankle while landing awkwardly on a failed lob attempt. Hunter is out a week with a right hip flexor strain. Atlanta’s Bogdan Bogdanovic played for the first time after offseason knee surgery, received a standing ovation and scored five points in 22 minutes against the Nuggets.

Rookie A.J. Griffin started for Young and scored a career-high 24 points. Jalen Johnson replaced Collins in the lineup and had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Atlanta is hopeful that Young can return after being a late scratch on Friday. He averages 27.8 points and 9.6 assists.

An Oklahoma native, Young enjoys playing against the Thunder. He scored 41 and 30 points against Oklahoma City last season and is averaging 24.3 points in seven career games against the Thunder.

The Thunder got their leading scorer back on Saturday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returned after sitting out a game with a bruised hip and scored 33 points on 10-for-17 shooting.

The Thunder had seven players finish in double figures, including Josh Giddey with 21 points. He also had 12 rebounds and seven assists.

The Thunder have made offensive rebounding a focal point. OKC has had at least 10 offensive rebounds in 18 of its 23 games. They had 13 on Saturday, including five by Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to match his career high.

Oklahoma City’s Mike Muscala was active for the first time since Nov. 21 but did not play. The veteran — who spent five seasons with Atlanta — had been out with a broken finger.

The teams will complete the season series on Jan. 25 in Oklahoma City.

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