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NFL: Week 13 Quick Capsules – Pittsburgh Steelers (4-7) at Atlanta Falcons (5-7)

NFL Editor
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NFL: Week 13 Quick Capsules – Pittsburgh Steelers (4-7) at Atlanta Falcons (5-7)

WEEK 13
PITTSBURGH STEELERS (4-7) @ ATLANTA FALCONS (5-7)
DATE: Sunday (12/4/22)
STADIUM: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
TIME: 1:00 PM ET
REFEREE: Ron Trobert

REGULAR-SEASON SERIES HISTORY
LEADER Steelers lead all-time series, 14-2-1
STREAKS Steelers have won past 3
LAST GAME 10/7/18: Falcons 17 at Steelers 41
LAST GAME AT SITE 12/14/14: Steelers 27, Falcons 20 (Georgia Dome)

PITTSBURGH STEELERS
LAST WEEK: W 24-17 at Indianapolis (Mon.)
COACH VS. OPP. Mike Tomlin: 3-0
PTS. FOR 17.6
OFFENSE 313.2
PASSING Kenny Pickett (R): 175-265-1,600-3-8-73.5
RUSHING Najee Harris: 158-585-3.7-4
RECEIVING Pat Freiermuth (TE): 47-521-11.1-1
PTS. AGAINST 23.7
DEFENSE 367.7
SACKS Alex Highsmith: 10
INTs Minkah Fitzpatrick, Levi Wallace: 3
TAKE/GIVE +2 (16/14)
PUNTING (NET) Pressley Harvin: 44.5 (41.3)
KICKING Matthew Wright (2022): 47 (14/14 PAT; 11/14 FG)

STEELER NOTES
• QB KENNY PICKETT completed 20 of 28 atts. (71.4 pct.) for 174 yards last week, his 3rd game this season with 70+ comp. pct, tied 2nd-most ever by Pit. rookie QB. Aims for his 4th start in row with 0 INTs. Needs 400 pass yards to join Ben Roethlisberger (2,621 in 2004) as only Pit. rookies ever with 2,000+ pass yards.

• RB NAJEE HARRIS aims for 3rd in row with rush TD. Has 90+ rush yards in 2 of past 3.

• RB BENNY SNELL rushed for season-high 62 yards & 1st TD of season in Week 12.

• WR DIONTAE JOHNSON led team with 5 catches last week. Aims for his 15th in row on road with 5+ catches & has 5+ catches in each road game since beginning of 2021 season. Leads team with 56 catches in 2022 & is 1st player in franchise history with 50+ catches in each of 1st 4 career seasons.

• WR GEORGE PICKENS (rookie) led team with 57 rec. yards last week. Aims for 3rd in row with 55+ rec. yards. Has TD in 2 of past 3. Ranks 3rd among rookies with 510 rec. yards & 4th with 36 catches.

• TE PAT FREIERMUTH has 55+ rec. yards in 2 of his past 3 on road. Ranks 3rd among AFC TEs in catches (47) & rec. yards (521).

• LB T.J. WATT had 23rd-career FF last week, most in NFL since 2017. Had 3 sacks & FF in last meeting. Has sack in 3 of his past 4 vs. NFC South. Needs 1.5 sacks to tie J.J. Watt as 2nd-fastest player (82 games) to reach 75 career sacks since 1982.

• LB ALEX HIGHSMITH had 6 tackles, sack & 4th FF of season last week, tied-most FF in NFL this season. Aims for 4th in row with half sack & has FF in 2 of past 3.

• S MINKAH FITZPATRICK had 7 tackles last week. Has PD in 3 of past 4.

• CB JAMES PIERRE had 1st INT of season last week.

ATLANTA FALCONS
LAST WEEK L 19-13 at Washington
COACH VS. OPP. Arthur Smith: 0-0
PTS. FOR 22.7
OFFENSE 315.3
PASSING Marcus Mariota: 171-276-2,052-14-8-89.5
RUSHING Tyler Allgeier (R): 121-552-4.6-1
RECEIVING Drake London (R): 41-438-10.7-4
PTS. AGAINST 24.4
DEFENSE 383.1
SACKS Grady Jarrett: 5.5
INTs Richie Grant, Jaylinn Hawkins, Mykal Walker: 2
TAKE/GIVE -1 (15/16)
PUNTING (NET) Bradley Pinion: 46.4 (40.8)
KICKING Younghoe Koo: 86 (26/28 PAT; 20/25 FG)

FALCONS NOTES
• QB MARCUS MARIOTA passed for 306 yards with 2 TDs (1 pass, 1 rush) in only career game vs. Pit. (11/16/17 w/ Ten.). Has 100+ rating in 3 of his past 4 at home. Aims for his 3rd in row at home with 0 INTs.

• RB CORDARRELLE PATTERSON has 50+ scrimmage yards in 3 of his past 4 at home & has 4 rush TDs in his past 4 at home. Aims for his 3rd in row with 50+ rush yards.

• RB TYLER ALLGEIER ranks 3rd among rookies in rushing yards (552) & 4th in scrimmage yards (639). Has 154 scrimmage yards (77 per game) & rush TD in 2 games vs. AFC North this season. Aims for his 3rd in row with 50+ rush yards.

• WR DRAKE LONDON (rookie) has rec. TD in 2 of his past 3.

• WR OLAMIDE ZACCHEAUS led team with season-high 91 rec. yards in Week 12.

• DL GRADY JARRETT has 6 TFL in his past 6 at home & aims for his 4th in row at home with TFL. Has 5+ tackles in 2 of his past 3.

• LB RASHAAN EVANS tied career-high with 13 tackles last week. Has 10+ tackles in 6 of his past 7 & aims for his 5th in row with 10+ tackles. Has 32 tackles, 2 TFL, FF & PD in his past 3 at home. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Pit. with 5+ tackles.

• LB MYKAL WALKER had 9 tackles, 2 PD & INT in Week 12. Has TFL in 2 of his past 3 at home. Aims for his 6th in row with 8+ tackles & 3rd in row with 2+ PD.

• LB TROY ANDERSEN (rookie) aims for his 3rd in row with 5 tackles & TFL.

• LB LORENZO CARTER has 5 tackles & TFL in 2 of past 3. Had 7 tackles in his last game vs. Pit. (9/14/20 w/ NYG).

• S JAYLINN HAWKINS has INT in 2 of his past 3 at home.

• S RICHIE GRANT aims for his 7th in row at home & 6th in row overall with 5+ tackles.

World Cup Preview: Netherlands vs United State

Agate Editor
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World Cup Preview: Netherlands vs United State

Netherlands vs United States is the first game of the knockout phase of the 2022 World Cup. It’s on the program on Saturday at 10 a.m. (Eastern Time) at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.

The Dutch got themselves into the round of 16 after finishing top of Group A with two wins and a draw. The USMNT qualified for the second stage of the tournament after finishing second in Group B with two draws and one win.

The decisive win happened in the final round of the group phase when Christian Pulisic’s goal brought them a win over Iran. Unfortunately, the goal scorer got injured during that drive and is questionable for the Netherlands vs United States game. Can the USMNT pull off a big upset without their best player being 100% fit? Let’s find out!

Netherlands vs United States Odds
Match-Winner
Netherlands -105
Draw +229
United States +333
Goals Over/Under
Over 2.5 +129
Under 2.5 -164
*Odds taken from Sports Odds Direct on Thursday, December 1.

When, Where, and How to Watch?
Place: Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar
Date: Saturday, December 3, 2022
Time: 10:00 AM ET
How to Watch: FOX/Telemundo

Louis Van Gaal’s Army Already Thinking About the Quarterfinals
If the Dutch win this game, they’re going to advance to the quarterfinals where they’ll play against the winner of Argentina vs Australia game. Obviously, it’s very likely that it’s gonna be Messi & Co., which needs to worry Louis Van Gaal’s men.

On the bright side, the Dutch have been doing okay in this tournament, especially at the back. They’ve conceded just one goal so far, which isn’t surprising knowing that their defensive line is made up of elite players – Virgil Van Dijk, Nathan Ake, Jurrien Timber, Denzel Dumfries, and Dailey Blind.

Their midfield and flanks are also decent, with Cody Gakpo being the standout player so far. Although he usually plays in the winger role in his club, Louis Van Gaal’s been putting him up in the front, which seems to be working. The evidence is that the PSV player is the one who’s scored 60% of the Dutch goals in this World Cup. We expect him to score once again.

Herculean Task Awaits USMNT’s Offense
The Americans have a score differential of 2-1 so far, keeping a clean sheet in two games. This shows that their defenders (helped by their tireless midfielders) have been doing a fine job. Their offense, on the other hand, hasn’t been too productive.

Timothy Weah was the one who scored the first goal against Wales. The USMNT’s second goal in the tournament happened in the game against Iran when Christian Pulisic found the net.

Chelsea’s forward is their key man, but he’s struggling with an injury and it’s uncertain whether he’ll start the game against the Netherlands. With or without him in the starting XI, the Americans are bound to struggle to score.

Netherlands vs United States Prediction
The Dutch are favored for a reason. Their players are way better than those playing for the United States, which is why anything but a win in normal time would be a huge shock.

NHL Preview: Columbus Blue Jackets (7-12-2) at Winnipeg Jets (14-6-1)

NHL Editor
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NHL Preview: Columbus Blue Jackets (7-12-2) at Winnipeg Jets (14-6-1)

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS NOTES:

Dec. 2, 2022 Game No. 22 (7-12-2, 16 pts.)
at Winnipeg Jets (14-6-1, 29 pts.), Canada Life Centre Road Game No. 7 (1-4-1, 3 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: NOV. 28, 2022 – CBJ 2 vs. VGK 3 (SO)
CBJ Goal Scorers: Gaudreau (8), Jenner (9)
VGK Goal Scorers: Karlsson (6), Carrier (8), SO – Cotter
Goalies: CBJ – Tarasov (34/36; 65:00); VGK – Thompson (26/28; 64:59)
CBJ PP: 0/2; PK: 4/4 | Shots: CBJ: 28 / VGK: 36
3 Stars: 1. Thompson, VGK; 2. Gaudreau, CBJ; 3. Cotter, VGK
Noteworthy: CBJ fell for 3rd-straight game (0-2-1)… It was the 1st overtime and shootout game in the all-time series… CBJ trailed 2-0 after the 1st period, but scored a goal in the 2nd and 3rd periods to tie the game… VGK won the shootout in the 7th round… Gaudreau notched his team-leading 6th multi-point game of the campaign (1-1-2)… Jenner scored his team-leading 9th goal of the season to give him 8-3-11 in the last 11 games… Nyquist recorded his 2nd multi-assist/point effort of the season (0-2-2)… Sillinger skated in his 100th career NHL game.

OhioHEALTH INJURY REPORT
Danforth (torn labrum); Placed on Injured Reserve (Oct. 25); 6 months (15 games)
Boqvist (broken foot); Placed on Injured Reserve (Oct. 26); 6 weeks (13 games)
Voracek (upper body); Placed on Injured Reserve (Nov. 4); out indefinitely (10 games)
Blankenburg (ankle); Placed on IR (Nov. 10); 6-8 weeks (8 games)
Werenski (torn labrum); Placed on IR (retro to Nov. 10); Expected to miss rest of regular season (8 games)
Laine (ankle sprain); (7 games)
Merzlikins (hip); (7 games)
Bean (shoulder); Placed on IR (retro to Nov. 15); out indefinitely (6 games)
Olivier (illness); day-to-day (1 game)
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 115

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
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)
Nov. 19 Recalled Sweezey from Cleveland (AHL)

TONIGHT’S GAME BROADCAST INFO
8pm ET | Bally Sports Ohio | 97.1 The Fan

AGAINST THE JETS
2022-23 Series: 0-0-0 (0-0-0 at WPG)
2021-22 Series: 1-0-1 (0-0-1 at WPG)
All-Time Series: 15-14-0-1 (7-7-0-1 at WPG/ATL)
Last 10 (Overall | Road): 5-4-1 | 5-4-1
All-Time GF/GA: 85/80
All-Time SF/SA: 920/871
All-Time PP: 21-of-110
All-Time PK: 99-of-118

THE LAST GAME: MAR. 22, 2022 – CBJ 3 at WPG 4 (OT)
CBJ Goal Scorers: PP – Boqvist (11), Gaunce (4), PP – Bjorkstrand (23)
WPG Goal Scorers: Toninato (6), SHG – Connor (41), PP – Morrissey (11), OT – Ehlers (20)
Goalies: CBJ – Merzlikins (29/33; 58:22); WPG– Comrie (33/36; 60:00)
CBJ PP: 2/2; PK: 1/2 | Shots: CBJ: 36 / WPG: 33
3 Stars: 1. Toninato, WPG; 2. Morrissey, WPG; 3. Roslovic, CBJ
Noteworthy: CBJ earned point for 5th time in last 7 games… CBJ tied game at 2 after trailing 2-0 and at 3 with 14 seconds remaining… CBJ scored a PPG (2 vs. WPG) for 4th-straight game… Bemstrom skated in 100th career NHL game… Voracek notched 43rd assist of the season to stretch points streak to 4-straight (1-3-4).

SEASON SERIES LEFT: Feb. 16 at CBJ
NOTED (Team Highlights vs. WPG)
The home team has won 6 of the last 7 meetings in the series, including 4-straight… Winning team has scored 3+ goals in 15 of the last 16 games, including 6-straight since 1/31/19… CBJ has scored a PPG in 6-straight games, converting on 50.0 percent of their chances over that stretch (9-of-18)… CBJ has 5 of the 6 shutouts all-time including the 1st game of the series this season on Nov. 24… Most goals scored at WPG: 6 (1/11/14)… Most goals allowed at WPG: 6 (12/10/15).

NOTED (Player Highlights vs. WPG)
Gaudreau recorded his 1st career assist on 10/19/14 at WPG, 100th career point on 12/22/15 vs. WPG (2nd goal), 100th career assist on 12/10/16 vs. WPG (2nd assist) and skated in his 500th career game on 3/27/21 vs. WPG… Gudbranson skated in his 300th career game on 3/1/16 at WPG)… Olivier made his NHL debut on 11/19/19 vs. WPG… Jenner scored his 1st career penalty shot attempt on 1/11/14 at Winnipeg, becoming the 2nd rookie in CBJ history to score a penalty shot goal and the 1st to score a GWG in that manner.

PLAYER NOTABLES vs. WPG
•Gaudreau – 11-16-27 in 27 career GP, including 0-5-5 in his last six games and seven career multi-point efforts vs. the club

•Jenner – 4-2-6 in 12 career GP, including 3-1-4 in four career road contests vs. the franchise

•Nyquist – 6-5-11 in 15 career GP, including points in three-straight games at Winnipeg (3-1-4) and five of the last six (3-3-6)

BLUE JACKETS NOTES
A LOOK AT DECEMBER
The Blue Jackets fell for a third consecutive game (0-2-1) following a 3-2 shootout loss to the Golden Knights on Monday. The club is now 4-3-2 in the last nine games overall. Monday’s game wrapped up a season-high seven-game homestand for the Blue Jackets (3-3- 1). The club concludes a two-game stretch against Western Conference teams with Friday’s game at Winnipeg. Columbus will play three-straight contests against the East from December 4-7 (Detroit, Pittsburgh and Buffalo). The Blue Jackets play 15 games in the month of December with two sets of back-to-back 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).

FROM THE BLUELINE
CBJ blueliners have collected 7-20-27 in the last 15 outings and 11-26-37 in 21 games this season to rank ninth-T in the NHL in goals. Defenseman Erik Gudbranson tallied two assists on Nov. 17 vs. MTL for his first multi-point game as a Blue Jacket as well as his third career multi-assist and seventh career multi-point effort. He is now one point from 100 for his NHL career with 27-72-99 in 661 games. Vladislav Gavrikov, who tallied an assist on Monday, 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 seven rookies on the roster with forwards Trey Fix-Wolansky, Liam Foudy, Kent Johnson and Carson Meyer along with defensemen Nick Blankenburg (injured), Marcus Bjork and Jake Christiansen. The skaters have had a strong start to the season, combining for 8-14-22 in 21 games. They have helped CBJ rank sixth-T among NHL teams in goals and fifth-T in points. Johnson, who notched his first career multi-point game on Nov. 25 vs. the Islanders with one goal and one assist, ranks fourth-T among NHL rookies in goals, sixth-T in points-per-game (.61; min. 10 GP) and seventh-T in points with 5-6-11 in 18 games. He has registered 2-3-5 in his last seven outings and 5-5-10 in his past 15 contests played. Bjork has 0-2-2 in the past four games (overall 1-3-4 in eight 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 scored his team-leading ninth goal of the season on Monday and 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 seventh-T in the NHL in goals scored at home this season with 9-5-14 in 15 outings. He also ranks 11th in the NHL in faceoff wins (256-of-454 faceoffs; 56.4 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 (299).

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 610 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 collected his second-straight multi-point effort with one goal and one assist on Monday and now has 3-10- 13 in his last nine games. He 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 assists and points and scoring and ranks second in goals with 8-14-22 in 21 games while recording points in 14 of his contests. The winger has done most of his damage at home with 8-12-20 in 15 outings, ranking eighth in the NHL in points. He played in his 315th consecutive game on Monday, the third-longest active iron man streak in the NHL and trailing only Phil Kessel (1,007) and Brent Burns (703). The Salem, New Jersey native, who signed a seven-year contract with Columbus in July, has collected 218-413-631 in 623 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
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.

WINNIPEG JETS NOTES:

Scene Setter
The Winnipeg Jets continue their four-game homestand on Friday when the welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets to Canada Life Centre for the only time this season. Winnipeg started the homestand with a convincing 5-0 shutout of the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night to extend their winning streak to three games. The Jets will also host the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday and Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.

Last Game
Winnipeg Jets 5
Colorado Avalanche 0
Jets Scorers: Wheeler (5, 6, 7), Morrissey (5), Scheifele (12)
Colorado Scorers: None
Jets Goaltender: Connor Hellebuyck (40 sv, 0 ga)
Avalanche Goaltender: Alexandar Georgiev (18 sv, 5 ga)
Jets PP: 1-for-2
Jets PK: 3-for-3
Recap: The Jets needed just 23 shots to tally a handful of goals in a 5-0 shutout of the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night… Blake Wheeler tallied a hat trick and added an assist for a four-point night, while Cole Perfetti had three assists… Connor Hellebuyck made 40 saves for his third shutout of the season. Perfetti paced the Jets with a career high six shots.

Reach For the Top
The Jets are sixth in the NHL with a .690 points percentage, which also ranks first in the Central Division and third in the Western Conference… Winnipeg has won three games in a row for the third time this season… The last time the Jets won four games in a row was the final four games of last season.

November to Remember
The Jets went 9-3-0 in 12 games in November for a .750 points percentage, which was fifth in the NHL during the month… Winnipeg finished 84.4% on the penalty kill last month, which ranked fifth in the league, while the power play was 11th at 27.0%… The Jets are outscored their opponents 42-28 in November… Kyle Connor (7G, 10A) and Josh Morrissey (5G, 12A) led the Jets in scoring in November with 17 points in 12 games… The Jets were 6-6-2 in November last season.

Shooting Star
Josh Morrissey was named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week on Monday… He tallied seven points (3G, 4A) in four games, including a pair of overtime game-winning goals… Morrissey is tied for third in the NHL among defencemen with 25 points (5G, 20A) in 21 games, which also leads he Jets in scoring… Morrissey’s 20 assists rank third among NHL defencemen… He has an assist in 15 of his 21 games, including four games with multiple assists… He hasn’t gone consecutive games without a point this season and is on a five-game point streak for the second time this season (6 games – Nov. 3-17)… He had a goal and an assist on Tuesday for his seventh multi-point game of the season, which sets a career high… Morrissey is on pace for 78 assists and 98 points this season… His career high for assists is 26, which he did 65 games during the 2019-20 season… He had a career best 12 goals and 37 points in 79 games last season… Morrissey is on pace to become the first defenceman to lead the team in scoring in franchise history… The franchise record for points by a defenceman in a season is 56, which Dustin Byfuglien did in 2013-14… Byfuglien (4 times), Toby Enstrom (twice), and Jacob Trouba (once) are the only defencemen in franchise history to post 50 points or more in a season.

Busy Time of Year
After having no games on Nov. 30-Dec. 1, Winnipeg plays 16 games in 30 days from Dec. 2-31… The stretch includes three back-to-backs… The Jets only consecutive days off in December are from Dec. 24-26 for the Christmas break… The Jets only played eight games in December last season due to COVID-related postponements, going 4-3-1.

On the Brightside
The Jets are 32-for-37 (86.5%) on the penalty kill in their past 14 games and ended a three-game streak of allowing a power play goal on Tuesday… Winnipeg is seventh in the NHL this season with a penalty kill clicking at 82.1%… The last time the Jets had a penalty kill better than 82% was in 2013-14 when they finished the season at 83.2%… The franchise record for penalty kill percentage in a season is 85.2%, which occurred in Atlanta during the 2003-04 season… Dylan DeMelo and Adam Lowry lead the Jets in penalty kill time per game this season with 2:25 and 2:00, respectively… Lowry is one of six NHL players with at least two shorthanded goals this season, while DeMelo is one of five players with a pair of shorthanded assists.

Home Comforts
The Jets are 8-2-0 at Canada Life Centre to start the season and have won 12 of their past 15 home games dating back to last season… This is the first time the Jets have won eight of their first 10 home games to start a season… The 16 goals Winnipeg has allowed on home ice this season is the second fewest in the NHL… The Jets are outscoring their opponents 3.3-1.6 at home this season… Mark Scheifele (6G, 6A), Pierre-Luc Dubois (5G, 7A), Kyle Connor (5G, 7A), and Josh Morrissey (4G, 8A) share the team lead with 12 points in 10 playoff games… Connor Hellebuyck has been stellar on home ice this season, going 7-2-0 with a 1.22 goals-against average, .959 save percentage and three shutouts… Winnipeg is 237-151-36 all-time at Canada Life Centre and have posted a .500 record or better at home in six consecutive seasons.

On the Road
The Jets are back above .500 on the road this season at 6-4-1… Winnipeg hasn’t lost consecutive games in regulation on the road this season… Defenceman Josh Morrissey (1G, 12A) leads the Jets in scoring on the road with 13 points, while Mark Scheifele has a team leading six goals… Winnipeg’s first 15 road games are against Western Conference teams… The Jets were 16-17-8 on the road last season.

Facing Eastward
This is Winnipeg’s sixth game against an Eastern Conference opponent this season, having gone 3-2-0 so far… Six of Winnipeg’s next 12 games are against an Eastern Conference team… Pierre-Luc Dubois has a team leading seven points (3G, 4A) in five games against the Eastern Conference this season.

Helle-lean Form
Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is 9-3-1 in his past 13 starts while having a 2.15 goals-against average, .935 save percentage and three shutouts… He’s won three consecutive starts for the second time this season… The stretch started with a 25-save shutout against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 24… On the season, Hellebuyck is third in the NHL with a .931 save percentage… With Tuesday’s 40-save effort, he’s 4-0-1 with a 2.17 goals-against average and .949 save percentage in five games this season when facing at least 40 shots.

Goal Leaders
Mark Scheifele leads the Jets with 12 goals this season and is averaging a career best .57 goals per game… He’s scoring 1.6 goals per 60 minutes of ice time, which is also a career high… Pierre-Luc Dubois has 10 goals in 21 games for a career best .48 goals per game… He also scoring a career best rate with 1.6 goals per 60 minutes of ice time.

20 Club
The Jets have four players with 20 points this season, which is tied for second in the NHL… That doesn’t include leading goal scorer Mark Scheifele, who needs two more points to give the Jets an NHL leading five players with 20 points.

Multi-Point Efforts
Tuesday’s game was the seventh time this season the Jets have had three players register two or more points in the same game… Josh Morrissey leads the team with seven multi-point outings, while Kyle Connor has five… Connor leads the team with three three-point games… Blake Wheeler’s four-point night was the first time this season a Jets player had four points in a game… Wheeler has multiple points in three consecutive games, which is halfway to the franchise record of six games done by Ilya Kovalchuk in 2006 and Marian Hossa in 2007.

The Rookie
Cole Perfetti is second in NHL rookie scoring with 14 points (4G, 10A) in 21 games… He has eight of his 14 points on home ice… He’s also fourth among NHL rookie forwards with an average of 15:11 ice time per game… Perfetti could become the fifth rookie in franchise history to post 50 points in a season, previously done by Dany Heatley (67 – 2001-02), Patrik Laine (64 – 2016-17), Kyle Connor (57 – 2017-18), and Ilya Kovalchuk (51 – 2001-02).

On The Power Play
The Jets are 14-for-67 (20.9%) on the power play through the first 21 games of the season… Winnipeg is 3-for-6 with the extra man in the past two games… The Jets have scored nine of their 31 power play goals in their past 11 games, going 9-for-35 (25.7%) … Pierre-Luc Dubois (4G, 4A), Kyle Connor (2G, 6A), and Josh Morrissey (1G, 7A) lead the Jets with eight points on the power play this season.

Extra Time
The Jets are 6-1 in overtime this season… Winnipeg’s seven OT games are the most in the NHL this season and the Jets are the only team with six wins in overtime… Five of Winnipeg’s six OT winners have come in the first two minutes of the extra session… Mark Scheifele holds the franchise record with 12 OT winning goals… The six wins is one better than the five overtime wins Winnipeg had last season in 12 games decided in OT… During the past three seasons, Winnipeg is 17-9 in games decided in overtime.

Goal-Games
The Jets have won their past two games by a season best five goals… Winnipeg’s previous four wins came by one goal… The Jets have seven victories by at least two goals, while five of Winnipeg’s six regulation losses this season have come by three goals… Eleven of Winnipeg’s 21 games this season have been decided by three goals or more, with the Jets going 6-5.

Zeros
The Jets have registered three shutouts this season, which is tied for first in the NHL… Winnipeg’s first two shutouts were by 4-0 scores (Oct. 24 vs. STL and Nov. 5 vs. CHI), while Tuesday’s 5-0 shutout gives the Jets all three shutout wins by at least three four goals… The Jets had five shutouts last season, which is two shy of the franchise record.

Comebackers
The Jets have come from behind in six of their 14 wins this season… Four of the comebacks have been from one goal, while two were from two goals… The Jets also have a pair of third period comebacks this season.

Games Played Leader
Blake Wheeler became the franchise leader in games played last Friday in Dallas… He’s played 846 games for the franchise, which is now three more than Bryan Little for the most in franchise history… Wheeler has played 414 of the 846 games at Canada Life Centre, which is the most by any NHL player in league history… Wheeler and Little are the only two players in franchise history to play in 800 games for the franchise.

NHL Preview: Nashville Predators (11-9-2) at New York Islanders (15-9-0)

NHL Editor
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NHL Preview: Nashville Predators (11-9-2) at New York Islanders (15-9-0)

NASHVILLE PREDATORS NOTES:

ALL-TIME vs. NY ISLANDERS
OVERALL (32 GP) 21-8-(0)-3
HOME (17 GP) 12-4-(0)-1
ROAD (15 GP) 9-4-(0)-2

PLAYOFFS Never Met
− The Predators are 21-8-(0)-3 all-time against the Islanders, including a 9-4-(0)-2 record on the road.

− This is the second and final matchup between Nashville and the NY Islanders in 2022-23; it is the first and only at UBS Arena.

− Nashville is 1-0-0 against the NY Islanders this season, claiming a 5-4 victory at Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 17.

− The Predators are 5-0-0 in their last five games against the Islanders; they are 8-1-1 in their last 10; and 5-0-0 in their last five on the road.

− The Predators have earned at least a point in 11 of their last 12 meetings with the Islanders (10-1-1), including wins in eight straight.

− Nashville’s eight wins in a row against the NY Islanders is its longest active win streak against a single opponent.

− Nashville’s only 3-on-5 goal in franchise history came against the Islanders on Oct. 15, 2002 (Karlis Skrastins).

NOTABLES vs. NY ISLANDERS
− Mattias Ekholm owned a six-game point streak vs. the Islanders (2g-6a) from Oct. 28, 2017-Feb. 13, 2020. He has 10 points (2g-8a) in 16 career games against the Islanders.

− Filip Forsberg has 13 points (7g-6a) in 15 career games against the Islanders, including points in five of his last eight games (5g-3a).

− Roman Josi has eight points (1g-7a) in his last six games vs. New York. He recorded his seventh career four-point outing on Nov. 17 against the Islanders, tallying four assists.

− Juuso Parssinen notched his first career three-point game on Nov. 17 vs. New York (2g-1a).

− Nino Niederreiter was drafted by the Islanders in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft

LAST TIME OUT
− Nashville Predators 4, New Jersey Devils 3 (OT) – Dec. 1 (Prudential Center)
− NSH goals: Johansen (6), Sissons (3), Granlund (3), Johansen – OT/GWG (7)
− NJD goals: Bahl (1), Bratt – PP (9), Holtz – PP (2)
− Goaltenders: NSH – Saros (W, 25/28); NJD – Vanecek (OTL, 20/24)
− Power plays: NSH 0-1; NJD 2-5

− Notes: Nashville improved to 4-6-0 on the road in 2022-23… The Predators moved to 4-2 in overtime/shootouts this season (2-1 in OT; 2-1 in shootout)… Four of Nashville’s last five games have required OT… Nashville pushed its win streak against New Jersey to seven games, its second-longest active such run; the Predators’ point streak against the Devils now stands at 13 (10-0-3), also its second-longest such run… Head Coach John Hynes improved to 4-0-0 against his former team… Mikael Granlund tied the game at 3-3 with 10 seconds remining in the third period… It was the third-latest gametying goal in franchise history… It was the third time in Predators history the team has tied a game with 10 seconds or less remaining in the third period and went on to win in overtime or a shootout; the last time was Feb. 27, 2020 vs. Calgary when Granlund tied the game with one second remaining and went on to score the OT winner… Ryan Johansen opened the game’s scoring just 11 seconds into the first period… It tied the Predators record for fastest goal to begin a game (David Legwand – April 5, 2007 vs. St. Louis); it was the fastest goal to begin a road game in franchise history… Nashville became the fifth team in the past 24 years to score goals in the first 15 seconds and final 15 seconds of the game and first since Boston on Feb. 3, 2021… Johansen notched his first multi-goal and three-point (2g-1a) game of the season… Johansen’s goal was Nashville’s fastest into OT since Roman Josi on April 7, 2016 vs. Arizona (0:20)… Josi pushed his point streak against New Jersey to five games.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS GAME NOTES
Dec. 2, 2022 at New York Islanders

INJURY REPORT
Player Designation Dates Missed Games Missed
Mark Borowiecki Upper body – IR Oct. 27-Dec. 1 15
Total man-games lost: 25
Borowiecki – 16; Trenin – 5; Jankowski – 2; Glass – 1; McCarron – 1

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
− Nov. 23: Assigned forward Zach Sanford to Milwaukee (AHL).
− Nov. 14: Signed forward Nolan Burke to a three-year, entry-level contract.
− Nov. 12: Recalled forward Juuso Parssinen from Milwaukee (AHL). Reassigned defenseman Jordan Gross to Milwaukee (AHL).

ALL-TIME LEADERBOARDS
Games Played
Rk. Player GP
1 David Legwand 956
2 Roman Josi 782
3 Shea Weber 763
4 Martin Erat 723
5 Mattias Ekholm 684
6 Craig Smith 661
7 Dan Hamhuis 600
8 Filip Forsberg 588
9 Kimmo Timonen 573
10 Ryan Ellis 562

SIX-GAME STREAK AT HOME
− The Predators extended their home point streak to six games by defeating Anaheim on Tuesday. Nashville has gone 5-0-1 at Bridgestone Arena since Nov. 12.

− It is Nashville’s longest home point streak since a seven-game stretch from Oct. 8-31, 2019 (5-0-2).

− Nashville went 4-0-1 during its season-long five-game homestand from Nov. 12-21, picking up wins over the NY Rangers, Minnesota, NY Islanders and Arizona and earning a point in an OT loss vs. Tampa Bay.

− Roman Josi has led the Predators in points (9) and assists (7) during the team’s six-game home point streak.

− Nino Niederreiter and rookie Juuso Parssinen have shared the team lead in goals with three.

− Juuse Saros has started each of Nashville’s last five games at home, going 5-0-1 with a 2.10 goals-against average and .936 save percentage. He’s stopped 189 of 202 shots faced.

Goals
Rk. Player G
1 Filip Forsberg 227
2 David Legwand 210
3 Shea Weber 166
4 Martin Erat 163
5 Craig Smith 162
6 Roman Josi 145
7 Viktor Arvidsson 127
8 Mike Fisher 111
9 Jason Arnott 107
10 Patric Hornqvist 106

Assists
Rk. Player A
1 Roman Josi 415
2 David Legwand 356
3 Martin Erat 318
4 Shea Weber 277
5 Filip Forsberg 262
6 Ryan Johansen 243
7 Kimmo Timonen 222
8 Ryan Suter 200
9 Mattias Ekholm 199
10 Ryan Ellis 195

Points
Rk. Player P
1 David Legwand 566
2 Roman Josi 560
3 Filip Forsberg 489
4 Martin Erat 481
5 Shea Weber 443
6 Ryan Johansen 348
7 Craig Smith 330
8 Kimmo Timonen 301
9 Ryan Ellis 270
10 J-P Dumont 267

NASHVILLE PREDATORS GAME NOTES
Dec. 2, 2022 at New York Islanders

MR. 100
− John Hynes won his 100th game as Predators head coach on Nov. 17 vs. the Islanders.

− He’s up to 253 career NHL wins, moving him into a tie for 63th on the NHL’s all-time list with Jared Bednar and Pierre Page.

− Hynes won his 100th game in his 183rd contest in charge of the Predators. Peter Laviolette hit the 100-win mark as Nashville’s head coach in his 189th game (Dec. 6, 2016); Barry Trotz reached it in his 274th game (Dec. 6, 2011).

THE CAPTAIN
− Roman Josi has 17 points (5g-12a) in his last 15 games after picking up an assist on Thursday at New Jersey.

− He scored his seventh career overtime goal on Tuesday vs. Anaheim, tying him with Shea Weber for the third-most in franchise history.

− Josi is inching closer to passing David Legwand for the most points in franchise history. Josi (560) needs six more points to tie Legwand (566) and seven to pass him.

− Tallying four assists on Nov. 17 vs. the NY Islanders, Josi notched the seventh four-point game of his NHL career, the most among active NHL defensemen. He led all NHL blueliners with four four-point games in 2021-22. In that same game, he became the ninth different defenseman in NHL history to record three assists in the first 10 minutes of a contest; he also became the fourth active blueliner to record three points in the opening 10 minutes of a game.

− Since Oct. 27, Josi is tied for fourth among NHL defensemen in goals (5); fifth in points (17); and tied for seventh in assists (12).

− Josi has scored 93 goals since the 2016-17 campaign, the most among NHL blueliners in that time span.

− He also recorded at least five shots on goal in five straight games from Nov. 17-29. It’s tied for the fifth-longest such streak by an NHL defenseman since 2000-01.

Where Josi ranks among NHL defensemen
Category Total Rank
Shots on Goal 94 First
Average TOI 24:59 Ninth
Goals 5 Tied for Ninth
Points 18 Tied for 11th
Assists 13 Tied for 16th

JUICE IS LOOSE
− Goaltender Juuse Saros is 6-0-1 with a 2.22 goals-against average and .930 save percentage in his last seven games dating back to Nov. 12.

− His five wins since Nov. 12 are the most in the NHL. Among NHL goalies with at least four games played in that time span, Saros is tied for third in save percentage and sixth in goals-against average.

− Additionally, Saros owns a 6.03 goals saved above average (GSAA) since Nov. 12, the second-best mark in the League (per Natural Stat Trick). GSAA measures the goals a goalie prevented given his save percentage and shots faced vs. the NHL average save percentage on the same number of shots.

− Per Natural Stat Trick, Saros has made 129 high-danger saves this season, the fifth-most among League netminders.

DREAM DEBUT
− Forward Juuso Parssinen, 21, who made his NHL debut on Nov. 12 vs. the Rangers, has five points (3g-2a) in his first eight career NHL games.

− He became the first Predators player to make his NHL debut this season.

− He is the only rookie in Predators history to score three goals in his first four career NHL games.

− He is one of three rookies in team history to record five points in his first four career NHL games, joining Denis Arkhipov (2g-3a in 2000-01) and Marek Zidlicky (2g-3a in 2003-04).

− On Nov. 17 vs. the NY Islanders (2g-1a), Parssinen also became the 15th rookie in franchise history to record a three-point game and is one of three to do so within his first three career NHL games, joining Smith, who did so in his second on Oct. 8, 2011 at St. Louis (1g-2a), and Tommy Novak, who did so in his third on Oct. 23, 2021 at Winnipeg (3a).

NASHVILLE PREDATORS GAME NOTES
Dec. 2, 2022 at New York Islanders
− Scoring his first career NHL goal on his first shot, Parssinen joined an exclusive group of Predators players. He became the fifth Nashville skater to score in his NHL debut, joining Miikka Salomaki (2014-15), Kevin Henderson (2012-13), Smith (2011-12) and Mikko Lehtonen (2006-07).

− The No. 210 overall pick (seventh round) in the 2019 NHL Draft became the sixth player in the last decade to score in his first career NHL game after being selected in the seventh round.

NUMBER NINE
− Filip Forsberg (483) passed Martin Erat (481) and moved into sole possession of third place on the Predators’ all-time points list on Nov. 8 at Seattle. He is 11 points from becoming the third player in team history to reach the 500-point milestone.

− After recording his 13th assist of the season on Thursday at New Jersey, he leads Nashville in points with 20 (7g-13a) and has four multi-point outings in his last 14 games. He posted a three-game point streak (1g-2a) from Nov. 8-12.

− Forsberg has 17 points (5g-12a) in his last 15 games dating back to Oct. 22 vs. Philadelphia. He’s recorded two three-point games in that time frame – Oct. 27 vs. St. Louis (3a) and Nov. 1 at Edmonton (1g-2a).

− Nov. 1 at Edmonton was Forsberg’s 32nd career three-point game, the most in Predators history.

EL NINO
− Nino Niederreiter, who signed as a free agent with Nashville in July, has nine goals and 11 points in his first 22 games with the Predators to begin 2022-23.

− He tallied a three-game goal streak (3g) from Nov. 15-19. It was the first three-game goal streak by a Predators player this seaso and was Niederreiter’s first since scoring in three straight from Dec. 7-13, 2018 (4g) with Minnesota.

− Two of his team-leading nine goals have been on the power play, with the most recent coming on Nov. 1 at Edmonton. Niederreiter has scored at least one goal on the man advantage in each of his last 10 seasons.

− Niederreiter became the second player in franchise history to score three or more goals through his first two career games with the Predators, joining Steve Sullivan (4g in 2004). He also became the fourth player in team history to score at least one goal in each of his first two career games with Nashville and the first since Luke Kunin in 2020-21.

QUICK HITS
− Predators defensemen have taken 478 shot attempts, the eighth-most among all NHL teams.

− Nashville’s 224 shots on goal from blueliners are the ninth-most in the NHL.

− The Predators are eighth in the NHL in face-off percentage (53 percent).

− Among NHL players who have taken at least 300 faceoffs, Ryan Johansen is third at 61.5 percent.

− Johansen won at least 50 percent of his faceoffs in a franchise-record 23 consecutive games, a streak that came to an end on Nov. 23 at Detroit. The previous record was held by current Predators Assistant GM Scott Nichol, who did so in 17 straight games during the 2006-07 season.

− Colton Sissons is tied for second in the NHL in shorthanded faceoffs won (44).

− Mark Jankowski was selected by Calgary in the first round (21st overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft. That pick was initially held by Nashville but was traded to Buffalo on Feb. 27, 2012 for Paul Gaustad and a fourth-round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, with which the Predators used to select Juuse Saros. To close the pick history, Buffalo traded the 21st overall choice in the 2012 NHL Draft to Calgary with a second-round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft (Patrick Sieloff) for the 14th overall pick (Zemgus Girgensons).

NEW YORK ISLANDERS NOTES:

LAST GAME
DATE NYI RESULT SCORE NYI SCORERS IN GOAL
Tues., Nov. 29, 2022 Loss PHI 3 vs. NYI 1 Dobson Sorokin (30/33)
Noah Dobson opened the score on the power play, but the New York Islanders were unable to answer Philadelphia’s two first-period goals, as they fell to the Flyers 3-1 Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center. Mathew Barzal and Brock Nelson recorded assists, while Ilya Sorokin made 30 saves on 33 shots in the loss.

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
Tonight, the New York Islanders host the Nashville Predators in the second and final matchup between the two clubs this season. These teams last met just 15 days ago, when Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Adam Pelech each recorded multi-point games in Nashville. The Islanders will play four home games in their next eight days. They enter tonight’s game with a 7-3-0 record against Western Conference opponents this season, and are 4-1-0 in their last five games at UBS Arena. Tonight, the Islanders look to earn their first win against the Predators since 2017.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Dec. 1 Kyle Palmieri is being placed on IR (retroactive to 11/21/22), Cal Clutterbuck is day-to-day with an upper body injury, Cole Bardreau and Hudson Fasching have been recalled from loan (Bridgeport).
Nov. 29 Josh Bailey is day to day with an upper body injury.
Nov. 28 Robin Salo has been recalled from loan (Bridgeport).
Nov. 27 Robin Salo has been loaned to Bridgeport.
Nov. 23 Simon Holmstrom has been recalled from loan (Bridgeport). Kyle Palmieri is day to day with an upper body
injury.

INJURIES GAMES MISSED

12 Josh Bailey Nov. 29 at PHI

15 Cal Clutterbuck Oct. 13 vs. FLA , Nov. 8 at NYR

21 Kyle Palmieri Nov. 23 vs. EDM –

25 Sebastian Aho Oct. 13 vs. FLA – Oct. 20 vs. NJD

26 Oliver Wahlstrom Oct. 13 vs. FLA

Man Games Lost: 12

RECENT RESULTS
Tuesday, Nov. 29 at Philadelphia L (3-1)
Saturday, Nov. 26 vs. Philadelphia W (5-2)
Friday, Nov. 25 at Columbus W (3-2)
Wednesday, Nov. 23 vs. Edmonton W (3-0)

SEASON SERIES
DATE LOCATION TV RESULT
Nov. 17, 2022 Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, TN) MSG L (5-4)
Dec. 2, 2022 UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) ESPN

UPCOMING GAMES
Dec. 4 vs. Chicago UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) 7:30pm
Dec. 6 vs. St. Louis UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) 7:30pm
Dec. 9 at New Jersey Prudential Center (Newark, NJ) 7:00pm
Dec. 10 vs. Carolina UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) 7:30pm
Dec. 12 at Boston TD Garden (Boston, MA) 7:00pm

LAST FIVE MEETINGS VS. NASHVILLE
Nov. 17, 2022 Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, TN) Loss (5-4)
Dec. 9, 2021 UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) Loss (4-3)
Oct. 30, 2021 Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, TN) SO Loss (3-2)
Feb. 13, 2020 Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, TN) Loss (5-0)
Dec. 17, 2019 Nassau Coliseum (Uniondale, NY) Loss (8-3)

vs. THE PREDATORS:
2022-23 0-1-0
Last 5 meetings 0-4-1
Franchise History 11-18-0-3
NYI Home 6-7-0-2
NYI Away 5-11-0-1

STORYLINES
HOME AGAIN
Including tonight, the Islanders will play five games in the next eight days, and four will take place at UBS Arena. They have won each of their last three home games, and were 4-1-0 on home ice in November. The Islanders’ home record is 8-3-0 through 11 games this season. Just four other teams have won at least eight games on home ice this season: Boston, Toronto, New Jersey and Winnipeg. At home, the Islanders have collected 16 points and have outscored opponents 38-24.

On home ice, Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin has posted a .954 SV% through eight starts at UBS Arena. His homeice save percentage is second-best in the league, behind Connor Hellebuyck’s .959% through nine starts.

GWGs
In the Islanders’ last win on Saturday night vs. the Flyers, Islanders forward Brock Nelson tallied his second consecutive game-winning goal and his fourth GWG of the season. He has scored the game-winner in each of the Islanders’ last two victories (Nov. 25 at CBJ, Nov. 26 vs. PHI) and is one of just five NHLers to tally four game-winners so far this season. His four GWGS are tied with Alex Tuch and Taylor Hall for second-most in the league, behind Leon Draisaitl’s six game-winning tallies.

Nelson leads the Islanders with 11 goals so far this season. Since his first goal of the season on October 28 (at CAR), the Islanders are 9-0-0 when Nelson scores a goal through 24 games this season. In the Islanders’ last matchup on Tuesday in Philadelphia, Nelson became the sixth active Islander to skate in his 700th NHL Game. He has recorded 410 points (216 goals, 194 assists) in his 700 games.

HOSTING THE PREDATORS
The Islanders have a 7-3-0 record against Western Conference opponents this season, including a 5-1-0 record on home ice against Western teams. They started the season with a 6-0-0 record against Western teams, their best in franchise history.

Tonight, the Islanders look to earn their first win against the Predators since October 2017. Tonight’s matchup is only the second time in franchise history that Nashville has visited UBS Arena. Their inaugural visit was almost exactly one year ago on December 9, 2021, when Oliver Wahlstrom recorded two assists, and Noah Dobson and Anders Lee each scored, but the Predators scored the go-ahead goal with just twelve seconds remaining in regulation to earn the 4-3 win.

The last time the Islanders and Predators met was November 17, in Nashville. Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Adam Pelech each recorded a goal and assist, while five other Islanders found the scoresheet in a 5-4 loss at Bridgestone Arena.

NOVEMBER
The Islanders finished the month of November with a 10-4-0 record. It is the fourth time in franchise history they have recorded ten wins in November, and the first time since the 2014-15 season.

POWER PLAY
The Islanders have scored on the power play in seven of their last eight games. Tuesday night in Philadelphia, Noah Dobson scored the lone Islander goal with the man-advantage. Islanders forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau leads the team with four power play goals, while Mathew Barzal has scored 12 points on the power play this season, tied with Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad for the most by any Metropolitan Division skater. This season, the Islanders power play on the road has been most productive, converting on 28.6% of power play opportunities.

PENALTY KILL
The Islanders’ penalty kill sits at 83.1% as they enter their 25th game of the season. They have allowed just three goals on 32 opportunities at home, good for second-best in the league. Scott Mayfield (plus-5) enters tonight’s matchup with 85:07 shorthanded TOI so far this season, the third-highest of any NHLer so far this season (E. Lindell, J. Hakanpaa).

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
On December 1, the Islanders announced that forwards Cole Bardreau and Hudson Fasching were recalled from loan (AHL Bridgeport).
Bardreau, 29, has two points (one goal, one assist) in ten career NHL games. His first career goal was scored on a penalty shot on November 5, 2019 vs. the Ottawa Senators. The Fairport, NY native has scored nine points (five goals, four assists) in 19 games with the Bridgeport Islanders (AHL) so far this season. Fasching, 27, has recorded three points (one goal, two assists) in 38 career NHL games. He served as captain of the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) during the 2021-22 season, before signing with the Islanders as a free agent on August 23, 2022. This season with Bridgeport (AHL), the Milwaukee, WI native has tallied 10 points (seven goals, three assists) in eighteen games. Fasching can make his Islanders debut tonight.

THIRD STAR OF THE WEEK
On Monday, November 28, the NHL announced that Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin was named Third Star of the Week ending November 27. Sorokin made 103 saves on 107 shots faced between November 21 and 25, leading all goaltenders in saves last week. Sorokin collected three straight wins, including his first career win against Toronto on November 21, a career-high 49-save shutout on November 23 vs. Edmonton, and the Islanders’ fifth consecutive division win on Friday in Columbus. This month, Sorokin has a 7-2-0 record, a goals-against average of 2.17 and a save percentage of .933, helping the Islanders earn ten wins in November for the fourth time in franchise history. Sorokin’s 49 saves on November 23 rank third in saves made by a goaltender in a game this season (A. Forsberg 53, A. Vasilevskiy 52). They were the third-most saves made in a shutout by a goaltender in Islanders history (J. Halak 51, G. Healy 50). Sorokin’s next win will be the 50th of his career.

18 Islanders forward Anthony Beauvillier enters tonight’s matchup needing one point to reach his career 200th, and two goals to reach his career 100th.

FIRSTS
Islanders forward Simon Holmstrom was recalled from loan from Bridgeport (AHL) on November 23. Holmstrom made his NHL debut that night, the first Islanders rookie to make their NHL debut this season. Holmstrom recorded his first NHL point on November 25 in Columbus, an assist on Oliver Wahlstrom’s sixth goal of the season.

NHL Preview: Ottawa Senators (8-13-1) at New York Rangers (11-9-4)

NHL Editor
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NHL Preview: Ottawa Senators (8-13-1) at New York Rangers (11-9-4)

OTTAWA SENATORS NOTES:

LAST GAME: Nov. 30, 3-1 loss vs. N.Y. Rangers: Lindgren had his first career three-point game as Ottawa fell for the fourth consecutive time to New York with a 3-1 setback at Canadian Tire Centre. The victory saw Halak record a win with his seventh different franchise to become the seventh goaltender in league history to earn a win with at least as many teams in making 35 saves for the Rangers. Goals from Vesey and Goodrow saw the Rangers out to a 2-0 lead before Pinto provided the lone tally for the home side at 13:47 of the middle stanza for his ninth of the season moving him into a tie for first in goals among rookie skaters. Kreider would cap the contest’s scoring with his 240th career goal, moving him into a tie with Leetch for ninth of the franchise list. Talbot took the loss for Ottawa by way of turning aside 32 shots. Scratches: Gambrell; Injuries: Bernard-Docker, Norris; Shots: OTT – 36, NYR – 35; PP: OTT

  • 0-3, NYR – 0-2.

BROADCAST INFORMATION: This evening’s game against the New York Rangers will be broadcast regionally on TSN5 and RDS. On the radio, the game will be available locally via TSN 1200 (English) and 94,5 Unique-FM (French).

WHAT’S NEXT: Ottawa returns home to begin a two-game homestand with San Jose tomorrow at 7 p.m. The contest will mark the second of two regular-season meetings and the lone matchup at Canadian Tire Centre.

INJURY REPORT: D Bernard-Docker and C Norris are on IR and will not oppose the Rangers this evening. Total man-games lost:
48.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS: Recalled D Zaitsev from Belleville (AHL) on Dec. 1.
OTTAWA vs. N.Y. RANGERS – History:
2022-23 (0-1-0): Nov. 30 @ Ottawa (3-1 loss), Dec. 2 @ N.Y. Rangers, March 2 @ N.Y. Rangers
2021-22 (0-3-0): 10/23/21 @ Ottawa (3-2 loss), 2/20/22 @ Ottawa (2-1 loss), 4/9/22 @ N.Y. Rangers (5-1 loss)
Series record: Overall: 52-43-3-4; Home: 23-25-3-2; Away: 29-18-0-2
Last Ottawa win: @ Ottawa: 11/22/19 (4-1); @ N.Y. Rangers: 11/4/19 (6-2)
Last N.Y. Rangers win: @ Ottawa: Nov. 30 (3-1); @ N.Y. Rangers: 4/9/22 (5-1)
Last OT result: 1/20/15 (3-2 OT loss) @ N.Y. Rangers
Last shootout: 11/14/15 (2-1 SO loss) @ Ottawa
Most goals, game: Scored: 9, (1/24/04, 9-1 win); Allowed: 7, (11/24/93, 7-1 loss); Both teams: 12, (3/18/14, 8-4 loss)
Last Game: Nov. 30, 3-1 loss @ Ottawa; OTT Goal: Pinto; NYR Goals: Vesey, Goodrow, Kreider; OTT Scratch: Gambrell; OTT

Injuries: Bernard-Docker, Norris; OTT Goalie: Talbot; NYR Goalie: Halak; OTT PP: 0-3; NYR PP: 0-2; Shots: 36-35.

Career vs. N.Y. Rangers: Giroux leads all players in career games played (66), in goals (14), in assists (44) and in points (58); Hamonic leads in penalty minutes (45) against New York.

SWEATER WEATHER: The Senators enter their third season of wearing a primary logo which sees the organization return to its roots with the implementation of the modified original “2D” logo. The team has earned a 63-79-12 all-time record (8-12-1 this season) while wearing its current sweater. Ottawa unveiled their Reverse Retro jersey on Oct. 20 and will wear the sweater on five occasions in 2022-23 (0-1-0 this season). The Senators hold an all-time record of 112-76-7-25 when wearing an alternate; 27-19-2-5 when wearing a red alternate, 84-56-5-19 when wearing a black alternate and 1-1-0-1 when wearing a cream alternate.

HOME ON THE RANGE: Ottawa has a record of 5-7-0 at home this season … Claude Giroux is the Senators leader with six goals at home while Tim Stützle and Brady Tkachuk maintain the club lead with 10 assists at Canadian Tire Centre … Through 12 home games, Stützle and Tkachuk lead the team with 15 points on home ice … The Senators earned a record of 15-22-4 at home through 41 home contests in 2021-22.

ROAD SCHOLARS: The Senators have a record of 3-6-1 on the road this season … Shane Pinto and Tkachuk lead with four goals on the road this season while Giroux ranks first with seven assists while the Senators serve as visitors … Through 10 road games this season, Giroux and Tkachuk maintain the club lead with 10 points … The Senators registered an 18-20-3 record over 41 road contests in 2021-22.

FRANCHISE RECORD: Ottawa has posted an all-time record of 1,012-995-115-177 over 2,299 games … The Senators are 553-442- 60-97 through 1,152 all-time home games and 459-553-55-80 through 1,147 all-time road games.

BACK-TO-BACK GAMES: Ottawa will play back-to-back games on 12 occasions in 2022-23 and will do so for the first time this evening when the team visits the N.Y. Rangers ahead of welcoming San Jose to Canadian Tire Centre tomorrow … The Senators played 17 back-to-back sets last season and earned a record of 6-9-2 in the first half of contests on consecutive nights (0-0-0 this season) while posting an 8-8-1 record (0-0-0 this season) in the second half of games on consecutive days.

ON THE POWER PLAY: The Senators are 19 for 80 (23.8%) on the power-play in 2022-23 … Drake Batherson, Alex DeBrincat, Pinto and Tkachuk lead with three power-play goals while DeBrincat maintains the club lead with nine points while the team enjoys a man advantage … Ottawa has recorded multiple power-play goals four times in an individual contest in 2022-23 after having done so 11 times in 2021-22.
Ottawa Senators: Media Notes

ON THE PENALTY KILL: Ottawa has overcome 66 of the 85 occasions the team has been shorthanded in 2022-23 to maintain an efficiency of 77.7% through 22 regular-season games … The team has registered one (Joseph) shorthanded marker this season after recording nine such goals in 2021-22.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES
COACH SMITH: D.J. Smith was introduced as the Senators’ 14th head coach in franchise history on 5/23/19. A native of Windsor, Ont., Smith spent the four previous NHL seasons as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Prior to joining the Maple Leafs (which was also the team for which he made his NHL playing debut in 1996-97), Smith guided the Ontario Hockey League’s Oshawa Generals to a record of 135-53-3-13 over three campaigns which included his having been recognized as the OHL’s Coach of the Year in 2013-14. One year later, he helped the team capture the Mastercard Memorial Cup. His 89 head coaching victories with Ottawa see him rank sixth in franchise history.

SECOND SEASON AS CAPTAIN FOR CHUCKY: Two-time NHL All-Star Brady Tkachuk was appointed the 10th captain in Senators franchise history on 11/5/21. A native of St. Louis, Tkachuk succeeded Erik Karlsson who served in the role for four seasons from 2014-15 to 2017-18. The bronze medal winner with Team U.S.A. at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship is the first American-born skater to serve as team captain. Tkachuk is assisted by full-time alternates Thomas Chabot and Claude Giroux.

PINNER STAYS HOT: With Ottawa’s lone goal on Wednesday, Shane Pinto moved into a tie with Seattle’s Matty Beniers for first in rookie goal scoring (nine) as of Wednesday evening. The centreman, who was the NHL’s rookie of the month for October, sees himself sitting at or near the top of the rookie leaderboard in several offensive categories including: first in shots-on-goal (45), tied for first in game-winning goals (two), tied for first in power-play goals (three), tied for first in even strength goals (six) and third in faceoff winning percentage (58.5%). His goal against the Rangers came as his first marker against one of the teams from his home state with the Franklin Square, N.Y. native currently participating as one of 23 active players from the Empire State.

ALL-TIME LEADERS: Chris Phillips is the Senators’ all-time leader in games played (1,179) … Daniel Alfredsson leads in goals (426), assists (682) and points (1,108) … Following Phillips is Alfredsson (1,178), Chris Neil (1,026), Wade Redden (838), Radek Bonk (689), Jason Spezza (686) and Mike Fisher (675) … Neil leads in penalty minutes (2,522) while Patrick Lalime holds the lead in shutouts (30) and ranks second (283) to Craig Anderson (435) in games played among goaltenders. Anderson leads in wins (202).

NEW YORK RANGERS NOTES:

LAST GAME
New York Rangers 3, Ottawa Senators 1 – November 30, 2022 – Canadian Tire Centre
NYR Goals: J. Vesey (3), B. Goodrow (6), C. Kreider (11)
OTT Goals: S. Pinto (9)
NYR Goalie: J. Halak (W – 34/35)
OTT Goalie: C. Talbot (L – 32/35)
NYR Shots: 35
OTT Shots: 35
NYR PP: 0/2
NYR PK: 3/3
Game Summary | Event Summary
RECAP/NOTES: New York improved to 7-4-1 on the road this season with a 3-1 win against Ottawa on Wednesday night. The Rangers have gained a point in seven of its last nine games (6-2-1) away from MSG. Jaroslav Halak earned his first win with the Rangers. The Rangers are the seventh different franchise that Halak has won at least one game with. In NHL history, six other goaltenders besides Halak have won a game with seven or more different franchises

RANGERS RUNDOWN

  • The New York Rangers finish their home-and-home with the Ottawa Senators with a Friday night meeting at Madison Square Garden (7:00 PM ET – TV: MSG Network – Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM). New York will play its next three games at home.
  • The Blueshirts will play 13 games in the month of December (7 at home, 6 on road). Eight of those 13 games will be against Eastern Conference opponents. Last December, the Rangers went 7-4-1 for 15 points while Artemi Panarin ranked tied for third in the NHL with 15 points (5G-10A) in his 11 games last December.
  • New York has wins in four-straight games against Ottawa. Last season, the Rangers swept a season-series with the Senators for the fourth time in history and first time since 1994-95 (3-0-0). In earning the win against Ottawa on Wednesday, the Rangers have 101 points all-time against the Senators, the 22nd different NHL franchise the Blueshirts have recorded 100-plus points against.
  • Artemi Panarin has 13 points (4G-9A) in his last 10 games against Ottawa and has points in 11 of 17 career games against them (6G-13A). Chris Kreider has points in nine of his last 14 games (5G-6A) against the Senators and has six points (4G2A) in his last seven games against them.
  • Adam Fox, Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin have 25 points this season. New York is one of six teams (DAL, BUF, TOR, NJD, EDM) in the league to have three or more players with 25-plus points.
  • The Rangers have six players with six or more goals, tied for the sixth most amount in the NHL and 13 different players with five or more assists, tied for the fourth most in the NHL.
  • New York has 54 points from defensemen, the ninth most in the league and 44 assists from defensemen, tied for the sixth most in the league.
  • The Rangers rank fifth in the NHL in shots per game (34.3) and sixth in fewest shots allowed per game (29.2). New York has registered 35 or more shots in 14 games, the third most occurrences in the NHL.
  • New York begins its sixth back-to-back of the season. In the first game of back-to-backs this season, the club is 3-1-1.
  • New York is third in the NHL in hits with 705.

UPCOMING GAMES (ALL TIMES ET)
DATE/TIME OPPONENT/LOCATION TV RADIO
Dec. 3/7:30 PM Chicago/MSG MSG Network ESPN 98.7 FM
Dec. 5/7:00 PM St. Louis/MSG MSG Network/NHLN ESPN 98.7 FM
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

LAST FIVE GAMES
DATE OPPONENT RESULT
Nov. 30 at Ottawa W, 3-1
Nov. 28 New Jersey L, 5-3
Nov. 26 Edmonton L, 4-3
Nov. 23 at Anaheim L, 3-2
Nov. 22 at Los Angeles W, 5-3

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
November 23 – Acquired fifth round pick in 2025 NHL Draft in exchange for Ryan Reaves

ALL-TIME RECORD 47-48-3-4 (101 PTS)
2022-23 1-0-0
2021-22 3-0-0
NYR HOME 20-27-0-2 (42 PTS)
NYR AWAY 27-21-3-2 (59 PTS)
LAST FIVE MEETINGS 4-1-0
LEADING SCORER(S) – CURRENT RANGERS IN CAREER G: Kreider (9) – A: Panarin/Trocheck (13) – Pts: Panarin (19)
LEADING SCORER(S) – ALL-TIME IN GAMES W/NYR G: Graves (16) – A: Messier/Leetch (20) – Pts: Messier (34)

2022-23 SEASON SERIES
November 30 at Canadian Tire Centre W, 3-1
December 2 at MSG 7:00 PM ET
March 2 at MSG 7:00 PM ET

TEAM NOTES
TWO MONTHS IN
As the Rangers head into December, below are the team rankings in a variety of individual categories.

RANGERS LEADERS THROUGH NOV.
CATEGORY NUMBER PLAYER(S)
Goals 11 Mika Zibanejad/Chris Kreider
Assists 19 Artemi Panarin/Adam Fox
Points 25 Artemi Panarin/Adam Fox/Mika Zibanejad
Plus/Minus +8 Adam Fox
PPGs 7 Mika Zibanejad
TOI/GP 25:04 Adam Fox
Hits 82 Jacob Trouba
Blocked Shots 60 Jacob Trouba
Faceoff % (min. 20) 55.4 Vincent Trocheck

FOX ON FIRE
Adam Fox has points in two of his last three games (2A), four of his last six games (1G-4A), 11 of his last 13 games (4G-12A) and has 13 points in his last 10 games (3G-10A). Fox has recorded at least one point in 17 of 24 games this year. On the season, Fox has six goals and 19 assists for 25 points. Fox has 25 points through 24 games for the second-straight season. Fox has skated over 20:00 minutes in every game this season, over 25 minutes in 12 contests and his season-high was 30:04 against the Devils last Monday.

FOX AMONG NHL D-MEN
RANKS THIS SEASON
CATEGORY D-MEN RANK
Goals T-5th (6)
Assists T-4th (19)
Points T-3rd (25)
Game-Winning Goals T-1st (3)
Total TOI 4th (601:47)
Takeaways T-6th (18)

MIKA’S MISSION
Mika Zibanejad has points in six of his last eight games (1G-5A) and has points in 13 of his last 16 contests (6G-10A). Zibanejad shares the team-lead with 11 goals and ranks tied for third in the NHL with seven power play goals. On Wednesday night, Zibanejad recorded his 300th career assist in the win over the team that drafted him. Zibanejad becomes the seventh player from the 2011 NHL Draft class to notch 300 or more assists.

PANARIN PUTTING UP POINTS
Artemi Panarin has points in three of his last four games (1G-2A), 13 points in his last 16 games (2G-11A) and 25 points (6G-19A) in 24 games this season. Last Wednesday night in Anaheim, Artemi Panarin recorded his 400th career NHL assist. Panarin reached the feat in his 529th career game, requiring the fourth-fewest games among all active players to reach the mark behind only Connor McDavid (426 GP), Sidney Crosby (448 GP) and Evgeni Malkin (527 GP). Panarin is the only active undrafted player to hit the 400-assist milestone and among undrafted players to debut since the first draft in 1963, Panarin is the fifth-fastest to hit the milestone, behind Wayne Gretzky (290 GP), Peter Stastny (411 GP), Bobby Orr (437 GP) and Adam Oates (471 GP). Since he made his NHL debut in 2015-16, Panarin’s 400 assists are the third most in the league (McDavid – 477, Kane – 409).

KREIDING TO MAKE HISTORY
Chris Kreider has points in 13 of his last 16 games (9G-7A) and five points (4G-1A) in his last five games. Kreider’s 11 goals are tied with Mika Zibanejad for the most on New York. On Wednesday, Kreider scored his 240th career goal, tying Brian Leetch for the ninth-most in Rangers history.

MOST GOALS IN RANGERS HISTORY
RANK PLAYER GOALS
6th Camille Henry 256
7th Mark Messier 250
8th Steve Vickers 246
T-9th Chris Kreider 240
T-9th Brian Leetch 240
Kreider has 36 career game-winning goals, tying him with Adam Graves for the seventh most in franchise history.
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 21 of 24 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 11 of the 24 games, and he hit all three categories in the same game on Nov. 8 vs. NYI
  • Jacob Trouba’s has 82 hits and 60 blocked shots. He is the only player in the NHL with both 80+ hits and 60+ blocked shots. Trouba ranks tied for seventh in the NHL in hits and fourth in blocked shots.

SPECIAL TEAMS

  • The Rangers went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill in their last game, have been perfect on the penalty kill in five of their last seven games and seven of their last 10 games.
  • The Rangers’ 83.3 PK percentage ranks fourth in the NHL.

NHL Morning Skate – Dec. 2, 2022

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NHL Morning Skate – Dec. 2, 2022

* Steven Stamkos celebrated 1,000 NHL points as the Lightning captain became the ninth active player to accomplish the feat and first to do so in franchise history.

* A goal in the first 11 seconds, a game-tying tally in the final 10 seconds of regulation before completing the comeback in overtime and holding off the high-flying Devils after they scored three times in 2:38 – it was quite the night for the Predators.

* The quick goals continued as both the Hurricanes and Panthers added to the action with a trio of goals in 1:04 and 0:59, respectively.

* Jason Robertson was one of the stars featured in a busy #NHLStats: Live Updates after scoring a hat trick and becoming the first player to reach 20-goals in 2022-23.


STAMKOS HITS 1,000-POINT MILESTONE IN LIGHTNING VICTORY
Steven Stamkos assisted on Nicholas Paul’s second goal of the game and reached the 1,000-point milestone – a feat only eight other active players have accomplished, with Patrice Bergeron celebrating the mark just 10 days ago. The Lightning captain was immediately embraced by all his teammates as he became the first player to hit quadruple digits with the franchise.

* Stamkos reached the 1,000-point mark against the Flyers – one of four teams he’s recorded 50-plus career points against (also 75 vs. FLA, 58 vs. TOR & 56 vs. WPG). Only four active players have more points versus Philadelphia than Stamkos (27-25—52 in 39 GP): Sidney Crosby (52-69—121 in 81 GP), Evgeni Malkin (29-53—82 in 68 GP), Alex Ovechkin (44-31—75 in 68 GP) and Nicklas Backstrom (21-43—64 in 59 GP).




PREDATORS SCORE EARLY AND LATE TO DOWN LEAGUE-LEADING DEVILS

After New Jersey scored three times in 2:38 during the second period to overcome an early two-goal deficit, Nashville roared back in dramatic fashion thanks to Mikael Granlund’s game-tying tally with 10 seconds remaining in regulation and Ryan Johansen’s winner just 33 seconds into overtime. The Predators (11-9-2, 24 points) handed the League-leading Devils (19-4-1, 39 points) just their second loss since the start of November as well as their first defeat when leading after two periods – New Jersey was 16-0-0 in that scenario prior to Thursday.

* Johansen (2-1—3) scored 11 seconds into the contest, tying David Legwand (April 5, 2007) for the fastest game-opening goal in Predators history, before bookending his three-point performance with Nashville’s quickest overtime tally since April 7, 2016 (Roman Josi: 0:20 vs. ARI). Johansen became the ninth player in NHL history to score in the opening minute of the first period and the opening minute of overtime in the same game – the last player to do so was Troy Terry on Oct. 12 (vs. SEA).



DID YOU KNOW?

The Predators (0:11) and Canadiens (0:13) each scored a game-opening goal within the first 13 seconds of regulation. It marked the ninth time in NHL history that a game-opening goal was scored within the first 15 seconds of regulation in multiple games on the same day. The most recent occurrence was Nov. 5, 2016: Chicago (0:11) and NY Islanders (0:13).

PANTHERS, HURRICANES BOTH SCORE TRIO OF GOALS IN QUICK SUCCESSION

* Jordan Martinook (3-0—3) scored the second hat trick of his NHL career (also Nov. 23, 2018), including recording one of Carolina’s three second-period goals in a span of 1:04. It marked the fifth time in franchise history that the Hurricanes/Whalers scored three goals in 64 seconds or less.

* After Matthew Tkachuk (1-2—3) opened the scoring and established a franchise mark for fewest games to 30 points by a Panthers skater from the start of their tenure with the team (11-21—32 in 22 GP), Florida proceeded to score twice more in 59 seconds – the fastest three goals in club history as well as the quickest trio of tallies by a team this season.



STAR PERFORMANCES LIGHT UP #NHLSTATS LIVE UPDATES
A number of star players had momentous performances and found their names on Thursday’s #NHLStats: Live Updates – here’s a taste:

* Jason Robertson (3-0—3) recorded his third career hat trick – the most among all Stars players since his debut season in 2019-20 – and pushed his goal total to 53 dating to Jan. 1, surpassing Auston Matthews (52) for the most thus far in the 2022 calendar year. Robertson (22-17—39 in 24 GP) also became the first player this season to hit 20 goals – only Dino Ciccarelli (15 GP in 1986-87 & 23 GP in 1981-82) required fewer games to hit the mark in Stars/North Stars history.



* Cole Caufield scored the 40th goal of his career – which stood as Montreal’s game winner – while skating in his 100th contest. Among players to debut with the Canadiens in the past 80 years, only three have required fewer games to hit the mark: Maurice Richard (67 GP), Jean Beliveau (90 GP) and Bernie Geoffrion (90 GP).

* Kirill Kaprizov (1-2—3) extended his career-high point streak to 10 games (6-11—17 in 10 GP) while also extending his assist streak to a franchise-record nine contests. In doing so, Kaprizov reached and surpassed the 100-assist milestone (158 GP) – among players to make their NHL debut with the franchise, he required the fewest games to reach the benchmark (previously Mikko Koivu: 230 GP).

* Matty Beniers scored seven seconds into extra time to help the Kraken secure their second multi-goal comeback of the season and extend their franchise-record winning streak – the longest active run in the NHL – to seven games. Beniers, who became the first rookie to reach the 10-goal mark this season, recorded the fastest goal by a rookie from the start of a regular-season overtime in NHL history (0:07), besting the previous mark held by Walter Jackson (0:08 on March 7, 1933 w/ NYA).

* Nathan MacKinnon (2-3—5) factored on five of Colorado’s six goals at KeyBank Center to record the fifth five-point outing of his career. He became the third player in team history with five five-point games for the Avalanche (since 1995-96), joining Peter Forsberg (9) and Joe Sakic (6).



QUICK CLICKS

* Golden Knights’ Logan Thompson Named NHL ‘Rookie of the Month’ for November

* Jason Robertson, Vitek Vanecek, Mitchell Marner Named NHL ‘Three Stars’ for November

* Canucks honor Sedin twins, Roberto Luongo for Hockey Hall of Fame induction

* NHL launches its first-ever FAST channel on The Roku Channel in the United States

* UPDATE: 2023 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series to be broadcast on ABC

ISLANDERS, JETS LOOK TO CARRY HOME SUCCESS INTO DECEMBER

A Hulu and ESPN+ exclusive will pit the Predators against the Islanders at UBS Arena, where the hosts are 8-3-0 so far this season. New York has won at least nine of its first dozen home games eight times, including hot home starts in three of the past five seasons (2020-21: 10-0-2; 2019-20: 9-2-1 & 2017-18: 9-1-2).


* Another of the League’s top home clubs will play host Friday as Winnipeg will look to improve upon its 8-2-0 record at Canada Life Centre. The Jets’ .800 points percentage on home ice this season ranks second in the NHL behind only the unbeaten Bruins (13-0-0 at home).

NBA Preview: Chicago Bulls (9-12) at Golden State Warriors (11-11)

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NBA Preview: Chicago Bulls (9-12) at Golden State Warriors (11-11)

Two teams with championship aspirations but without winning records entering December go head-to-head Friday night when the Chicago Bulls travel to take on the Golden State Warriors.

As has often been the case this season, the teams enter the game off a loss, with the Bulls having been drubbed 132-113 on the road by the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, one night after the Warriors completed a two-game trip with a 116-113 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Golden State will take an 11-11 record to the floor, having been no more than one game over .500 all season. Currently 9-12, Chicago hasn’t seen the north side of the break-even mark in exactly a month.

Each nonetheless has reason for optimism.

Most of the Warriors’ issues this season have come on the road, where they lost eight straight before taking two of the last four.

There have been no such issues at home, where Golden State has an eight-game winning streak and a 9-1 season record that ranks among the league’s best.

Excited by the contribution of his bench in Tuesday’s loss, coach Steve Kerr insists he’s happy with the current state of his team, even after the narrow defeat in Dallas.

The Warriors’ last four home games have been particularly impressive. They’ve beaten the San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz by an average of 18.8 points, putting up 124.0 points per win.

The Bulls, meanwhile, flew into San Francisco on the heels of having allowed an average of 118.8 points over their first four efforts on a six-game trip. They did manage to split those games, however, including a win at Milwaukee that followed a home victory over the Boston Celtics.

Bulls coach Billy Donovan isn’t pleased at all about the ups and downs of a club good enough to handle the Celtics and win at Milwaukee in consecutive outings but then bad enough to lose at Oklahoma City two nights later.

One issue the Bulls have encountered has been relatively poor 3-point shooting. Their 4-for-25 nightmare against the Suns made them 10-for-47 in their last two games.

The Warriors, on the other hand, made a total of 40 3-pointers in wins over Utah and Minnesota before going 11-for-43 in Dallas.

The discrepancy is best represented in the numbers put up by the clubs’ respective stars.

Golden State’s Stephen Curry leads the NBA in 3-pointers with 103, having been successful at a high rate (43.6 percent).

Chicago’s Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, meanwhile, have combined to make 58 at a 34.1-percent clip.

NBA Preview: Indiana Pacers (12-9) at Utah Jazz (13-11)

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NBA Preview: Indiana Pacers (12-9) at Utah Jazz (13-11)

After storming out to a surprising start and vaulting to the top of the Western Conference a month into the season, the Utah Jazz hit their biggest slump so far.

With a good chance of ending their season-worst losing streak Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers, Jazz coach Will Hardy wasn’t about to let the opportunity slide. That included him playing Kelly Olynyk, Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton for extended time while tightening up the rotation.

The move paid off for the Jazz, who are relieved to enter Friday’s contest against the Indiana Pacers in Salt Lake City on a positive note after defeating the Clippers 125-112.

The Jazz starters who logged the most amount of floor time responded. Clarkson had a season-high 33 points. Markkanen scored 23 with nine rebounds. Sexton totaled 21 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Jarred Vanderbilt put up 14 points and 12 rebounds. Olynyk added 12 points with seven rebounds.

Vanderbilt was the only Jazz starter who saw his usual amount of action with 25 minutes. Clarkson played 40 minutes, Olynyk and Markkanen each played 36 and Sexton was on the court for 31.

The Jazz shot 54.9 percent from the field and put away the short-handed Clippers when it mattered most in the fourth quarter.

The key is to string together solid performances in a row now that the schedule has turned in Utah’s favor. Friday’s game will be the third date of a six-game homestand.

Indiana is hoping to get back on track after falling to 1-2 on its challenging seven-game road trip.

The Pacers were walloped in Sacramento on Wednesday, 137-114.

Jalen Smith and Bennedict Mathurin each scored 22 points to pace the Pacers, who nevertheless have a better record in the past 10 games than the Jazz (7-3 vs. 3-7).

Indiana coach Rick Carlisle was disappointed by how the Pacers were outscored 31-8 in fast-break points.

Utah is 7-3 so far at home, while Indiana enters this matchup with a 5-5 record on the road. The Pacers kicked off their current swing in Los Angeles with a loss to the Clippers followed by a thrilling last-second win over the Lakers.

NBA Preview: Houston Rockets (5-16) at Phoenix Suns (15-6)

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NBA Preview: Houston Rockets (5-16) at Phoenix Suns (15-6)

Lauding efficiency can sometimes require a measure of subjectivity, for what is worthy of ceaseless praise from some doesn’t quite reach the benchmark for celebration from others.

What Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker accomplished on Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls isn’t bound by opinion. By every measure, Booker was extraordinary, amassing 51 points, six assists and four rebounds in the Suns’ 132-113 victory, and doing so with breathtaking efficiency.

Booker missed just five of his 25 shot attempts and only one of seven 3-point tries for the Suns, who will host the Houston Rockets on Friday riding a six-game winning streak. His otherworldly production came despite not participating in the fourth quarter, making Booker just the eighth player in the shot-clock era to record 50-plus points while logging 31 minutes or fewer.

Booker excelling in these moments is nothing new, but the timing of his recent run of excellence bodes especially well for the Suns. Phoenix played its 11th consecutive game without Chris Paul (heel), and Booker has once again showcased an ability to maintain his scoring rhythm while also shouldering a heavier load helping facilitate the offense with the star point guard sidelined.

Booker is averaging 30.7 points and 6.4 assists during Paul’s absence. Paul will be unavailable again on Friday.

As for the Rockets, they posted consecutive home wins over the Atlanta Hawks and Oklahoma City Thunder late last week and a competitive first half in the opener of back-to-back road at Denver on Monday, but Houston dropped that game to the Nuggets and was uncompetitive in a 120-100 loss during the rematch on Wednesday.

The Rockets, who trailed by 27 points at the intermission on Wednesday, will continue their challenging four-game road trip in Phoenix, where they lost 124-109 in the first of three regular-season meetings on Oct. 30. Houston will close the trek against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco on Saturday.

Houston coach Stephen Silas has routinely promoted his team’s effort this season, despite the Rockets owning the worst record in the Western Conference. The players left him little room to applaud their performance following the debacle against the Nuggets.

NBA Preview: New Orleans Pelicans (13-8) at San Antonio Spurs (6-16)

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NBA Preview: New Orleans Pelicans (13-8) at San Antonio Spurs (6-16)

The New Orleans Pelicans and host San Antonio Spurs, teams heading in opposite directions on the NBA escalator, will square off Friday for the second time in nine days.

The Pelicans (13-8) are going up, winning four of their past five games, including a 126-108 victory at home over Toronto on Wednesday.

Much of New Orleans’ ascendance has been credited to the solid play and overall impact of Zion Williamson, who scored a season-high 33 points on 12-of-15 shooting from the floor and took 10 rebounds in the victory over Toronto.

Trey Murphy III added 26 points and Jonas Valanciunas also had a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds in Wednesday’s win. Dyson Daniels had 14 points, Herbert Jones racked up 12 and Larry Nance Jr. hit for 10 for New Orleans, which played without starters Brandon Ingram (toe) and CJ McCollum (return to play reconditioning).

New Orleans led by 27 points at the break after its highest-scoring half of the season and by as many as 31 in the second half before Toronto got within 11 midway through the fourth quarter. The Pelicans shrugged off the comeback attempt via an 8-0 that started with two dunks by Williamson.

New Orleans is five games over .500 for the first time since the 2017-18 and continues to excel while dealing with injuries and absences.

The Spurs (6-16) are on the down ramp, losing 119-111 in Oklahoma City on Wednesday to drop their ninth straight game. San Antonio went 1-14 in November, its worst month in team history.

On Wednesday, the Spurs followed their highest-scoring half of the season (77 points) with their lowest-scoring (34 points). San Antonio led by 20 in the third quarter and by 96-88 heading into the fourth but shot 28 percent in the second half.

Devin Vassell led the Spurs with 25 points. Keldon Johnson added 19 points, Tre Jones 15, Romeo Langford 14 and Keita Bates-Diop 11.

New Orleans manhandled the Spurs 129-110 in San Antonio on Nov. 23 with Williamson scoring a then-season-high 32 points.

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