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NHL Preview: Los Angeles Kings at Vancouver Canucks

NHL Editor
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NHL Preview: Los Angeles Kings at Vancouver Canucks

LOS ANGELES KINGS NOTES:

NOV. 18 vs. VANCOUVER – 7:00 PM PT // Venue: Rogers Arena // TV: Bally Sports West // Radio: iHeartRadio
-The LA Kings visit the Vancouver Canucks for the first of four meetings between the clubs (March 8, April 2; April 10).

-Tonight is the third game of LA’s four-game road trip (6-5 L, Nov, 14 at CGY; 3-1 W, Nov. 16 at EDM; Nov. 19 at SEA).

-Tonight marks the first game in LA’s third back-to-back this season (5-4 W, Oct. 17 at DET and 4-3 W, Oct. 18 at NSH; 5-1 W, Oct. 31at STL and 5-2 L Nov. 1 at DAL ). The team is 3-1 in back-to-backs (2-0 in first game, 1-1 in second).

WARM-UPS
1) LA Kings forwards have combined for 139 points (56-83=139) this season, the most among any team’s forwards.

2) The Kings have won seven one-goal games, the most in the NHL.

3) The Kings are 8-1 when leading after two periods of play. Only New Jersey (11-0-0), Boston (10-0-0) and Dallas (10-0-0) have more wins in that scenario.

4) The Kings have generated 80 high-danger scoring chances when Drew Doughty is on the ice, the most by a team when a certain player is on the ice.

5) Following the Kings’ win in Edmonton Wednesday night, the Kings have now amounted for five of the 81 times that both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have both been held off the score sheet in a game (regular season and playoffs combined). Only one team has done so more: Calgary (9).

VS. VANCOUVER ALL-TIME:
All-Time Record: 112-109-32-7
Home: 68-44-16-3
Away: 44-65-16-4
OT: 13-10 (20 ties)
Shootout: 6-4
2021-22: 1-1-1
2022-23: 0-0-0

Franchise Leaders vs. VANCOUVER:
Marcel Dionne – 68 GP, 97 PTS (46-51=97)
Dave Taylor – 96 GP, 87 PTS (37-50=87)
Luc Robitaille – 81 GP, 84 PTS (39-45=84)
Bernie Nicholls – 59 GP, 78 PTS (25-53=78)
Wayne Gretzky – 47 GP, 75 PTS (20-55=75)
*-denotes active roster player

LAST MEETING vs. VANCOUVER: April 28, 2022 – LAK 2 vs. VAN 3 (OT)
Venue: Rogers Arena
LAK Goals: Vilardi (5), Kempe (35)
VAN Goals: Boeser (22, 23 OT), Chiasson (13)
Goalies: LAK: Petersen (L, 26 saves, 29 shots) VAN: Martin (W, 33 saves, 35 shots)
LAK PP: 0-for-4
LAK PK: 1-for-2

THE NEXT THREE:
Sat., Nov. 19 | at Seattle | 7:00 p.m. PT | Bally Sports West | LA Kings iHeart Radio Audio Network
o The LA Kings return to Climate Pledge Arena for third time in franchise history. Last season, the Kings swept both games in Seattle against the Kraken.
Tues., Nov. 22 | vs. NY Rangers | 7:30 p.m. PT | Bally Sports West | LA Kings iHeart Radio Audio Network
o Blake Lizotte scored his first NHL game-winning goal last season against the Rangers on Jan. 10, 2022. Fri., Nov. 25 | at San Jose | 7:30 p.m. PT | Bally Sports West | LA Kings iHeart Radio Audio Network
o No active skater has more points (66) against the San Jose Sharks than Anze Kopitar.

INJURY & MGL REPORT
Player, Games Missed, Date(s), Status
F Alex Iafallo, 15 games, Oct. 18 – Pres. (lower-body)
F Quinton Byfield, 6 games, Oct. 27 – Nov. 5 (illness)
F Viktor Arvidsson, 2 games, Oct. 13 (illness); Oct. 25 (illness)
2022-23 Total Regular-Season Man-Games Lost: 23

RECENT TRANSACTIONS (as of 11/18/22)
Nov. 6 – Quinton Byfield (F) loaned to Ontario (AHL).
Nov. 8 – Alex Turcotte (F) activated from IR, loaned to Ontario (AHL).
Nov. 13 – Brandt Clarke (D) assigned to Ontario (AHL) on conditioning loan.
Nov. 13 – Brendan Lemieux (F) placed on IR due to lower-body injury.
Nov. 13 – Lias Andersson (F) and Jacob Moverare (D) recalled from Ontario (AHL).

CALIFORNIA KID
Trevor Moore led the Kings past the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night, recording his first career hat trick and third multi-goal game of his career. Moore became the first California-born skater to record a hat trick for a California-based team in NHL history. The Thousand Oaks, Calif. native is the sixth California-born skater overall to record a hat trick in league history. It marked the first three-goal performance by an LA King since Viktor Arvidsson on March 4, 2022 versus Columbus. With four points (3-1=4) in his last two games and 15 (5-10=15) on the year, Moore sits tied for second-most points on the team with Gabriel Vilardi (10-5=15):

California-born skaters with hat tricks in NHL history
Player Birthplace # of hat tricks (most recent)
Rocco Grimaldi Anaheim, Calif. 1 (March 25, 2021 vs. DET, with ANA)
Auston Matthews San Ramon, Calif. 7 (April 4, 2022 at TBL, with TOR)
Trevor Moore Thousand Oaks, Calif. 1 (Nov. 16, 2022 at EDM, with LAK)
Matt Nieto Long Beach, Calif. 1 (Oct. 24, 2017 vs. DAL, with COL)
Jason Robertson Arcadia, Calif. 2 (March 6, 2022 at MIN, with DAL)
Jason Zucker Newport Beach, Calif. 2 (March , 2019 at TBL, with MIN)

SWISS-SATIONAL
Kevin Fiala, who leads the Kings scoring with 18 points (6-12=18), scored his sixth goal of the season and fifth multi-point game of the season on Monday night in Calgary to surpass the 300-point plateau for his NHL career. Fiala (130-171=301) became the fifth Swissborn skater in league history to record 300 career NHL points and eighth member of the 2014 NHL Draft class to reach such mark:

Swiss-born skaters with 300+ NHL points
Player GP Points
Roman Josi* 777 556 (143-413=556)
Mark Streit 786 434 (96-338=434)
Nino Niederreiter* 749 378 (189-189=378)
Mark Hardy 915 368 (62-306=368)
Kevin Fiala* 438 301 (130-171=301)
*denotes active player

Fiala has racked up a team-leading 18 points (6-12=18) through 19 games this season with 13 coming at even-strength, tied for the most on the team with Gabriel Vilardi. Fiala has found the scoring sheet in nine of his last 12 games (5-8=11), dating back to Oct. 25, and leads multiple categories among Kings skaters:

Fiala vs. Team Splits since Oct. 25
Category Team Rank
Goals (5) T-2nd
Assists (8) T-1st
Points (13) 1st
Plus/Minus (+4) T-2nd
Points/GP (1.08) 1st
Even-strength PTS (10) 1st
Shots (32) T-3rd

Fiala eclipsed the 15-point mark (4-11=15) in his 16th game on the season last Thursday against the Blackhawks with his game-winning overtime Goal with 1.4 seconds to go in the sudden death period. Per NHL PR, Fiala became the first Kings player to record his first 15 points with the team in 16 games or fewer since Ryan Smyth in 2009-10 (6-9=15 in 11 GP).

RETURN OF THE VET
Alex Edler returns to Vancouver for the third time since signing with the LA Kings on July 28, 2021, after 15 seasons with the Canucks. In 925 games played with the Canucks, Edler accumulated 409 points (99-310=409) with 177 power-play points and 2,021 shots. During his time with Vancouver, Edler’s 409 points sat third-most on the team behind Henrik Sedin (176-658=834) and Daniel Sedin (305-500=805). To this date, no defenseman in Canucks history has more games (925), goals (99), assists (310), points (409), even-strength goals (52), power-play points (177), shots (2,021) and takeaways (295) on their resume than Edler. Additionally, no skater in Canucks history has recorded more hits (1,432) or blocked shots (1,762) than Edler.

Since joining the Kings, Edler has scored three goals, 19 assists and 22 points in 57 games with a plus-17 rating. In 982 career NHL games, Edler has amassed 431 points (102-329=431). With 18 more games, Edler can become the 12th active defenseman to skate in 1,000 career NHL games, the second defenseman from the 2004 NHL Draft class (Alex Goligoski, 1,001 GP) and seventh overall skater from his draft class.

SOPHOMORE YEAR
Defenseman Sean Durzi, who is in his second career NHL season, enters tonight with nine points (3-6=9) in 18 games, one point shy of tying Drew Doughty for most among team defensemen. Durzi collected his second and third goals of the season for his first career multi-point game last Saturday against the Red Wings. Durzi is one goal from surpassing his total from last year of three in 64 games and establishing a new career high. With his assist on Moore’s game-deciding second period goal Wednesday night in Edmonton, Durzi tallied his 30th career assist, tied for the seventh-most by an LA Kings defenseman through their first 82 games from the start of their career:

Most assists by LA Kings defenseman through first 82 games of career
Player GP Assists
Larry Murphy 82 61
Alexei Zhitnik 82 37
Craig Redmond 82 35
Rob Blake 82 35
L’ubomir Visnovsky 82 32
Bill White 82 31
Sean Durzi 82 30
Gary Galley 82 30

SACRIFICING THE BODY
The LA Kings haven’t been afraid to sacrifice the body as of late, including getting in front of shots. The Kings had a collective 29 blocked shots against the Oilers on Wednesday, marking just the third time in franchise history the Kings have blocked 29 or more shots in a game (31 blocks, Feb. 19, 2018 vs. CHI; 29 blocks, Dec. 22, 2018 vs. SJ). LA’s 301 blocked shots so far this season sit third in the league behind Vegas (364) and Philadelphia (312):

Teams with most blocked shots
Player GP Blocks
Vegas Golden Knights 18 364
Philadelphia Flyers 17 312
Los Angeles Kings 19 301
New York Islanders 18 297
Detroit Red Wings 17 294

Anze Kopitar contributed to four of the Kings’ 29 blocked shots Wednesday night versus the Oilers and tied his single game career-high five Blocked shots two games earlier last Saturday night for the fourth time in his career and second time this season (Oct. 25 vs. Tampa). No forward has blocked more shots in the league than Kopitar:

Most blocked shots among NHL forwards
Player GP Blocks
Anze Kopitar (LAK) 19 27
Boone Jenner (CBJ) 16 24
Garnet Hathaway (WSH) 19 23
Nick Bonino (SJS) 16 21
Elias Pettersson (VAN) 17 21
Adam Erne (DET) 17 21

300 FOR #33

Viktor Arvidsson assisted on all three of Moore’s goals Wednesday night for his third career three-assist game to surpass the 300-point plateau for his NHL career, one day after teammate Kevin Fiala accomplished such feat. Arvidsson became the ninth member of the 014 NHL Draft class and 20th active Swede skater to reach such mark. Arvidsson officially hit 300 career points on his second assist of the night. At the time of hitting his milestone, Arvidsson sat at 150 goals and 150 assists. He is the 11th player in NHL history to record an even 150 goals and 150 assists at the 300-point mark and the first since Matt Moulson (Feb. 20, 2015).

KING ARTHUR
Arthur Kaliyev continued his recent scoring success with his fifth and sixth goals of the season on Monday night against the Calgary Flames, including his team-leading fourth power-play goal, marking his second career multi-goal game and second consecutive multipoint game (0-2=2, Nov. 12 vs. DET; 2-0=2, Nov. 14 at CGY). With the first of his two goals Monday, Kaliyev eclipsed the 20-goal mark in his career. Per NHL PR, Kaliyev (98 GP) is the sixth Kings skater in the past 25 years to score his first 20 NHL goals in less than 100 games (Anze Kopitar, 72 GP; Michael Cammalleri, 77 GP; Tyler Toffoli, 83 GP; Gabriel Vilardi, 92 GP; Alex Frolov, 94 GP). Kaliyev, who is the only Uzbekistan-born skater to ever play in the NHL, has recorded 13 points (6-7=13) in 18 games this season, ranking fourth on the team. On top of his team-leading four power-play goals, Kaliyev has six power-play points in total, which also leads all Kings skaters. Kaliyev is two power-play goals shy of tying his career-best of six set last season through 80 games, which placed second among all rookies behind Anaheim’s Trevor Zegras (9):

Most PPGs among rookies last season
Player GP PPG
Trevor Zegras (ANA) 75 9
Arthur Kaliyev (LAK) 80 6
Lucas Raymond (DET) 82 5
Cole Caufield (MTL) 67 5

Six Players 3
Since his NHL debut, no Kings skater has found the back of the net on the man-advantage more than Kaliyev: Most PPGs among Kings skaters since Feb. 2, 2021

Player PPG
Arthur Kaliyev 10
Adrian Kempe 10
Drew Doughty 9
Anze Kopitar 9
Alex Iafallo 7
Dustin Brown 7

At 99 career NHL games, Kaliyev sits one shy of becoming the eighth member of the 2019 NHL Draft class to play in 100 career NHL games.

OUR PAL, CAL
Cal Petersen has won three of his last four starts, including his best performance of the season Wednesday night in Edmonton. Petersen stopped 22 of the Oilers’ 23 shots while posting a season-high .957 save percentage and 1.00 goals-against average in route to his fifth win of the season and improving his record to 5-2. With his 44th career victory, Petersen tied Mathieu Garon (44) for ninth-most wins by a goaltender in LA Kings history. In 92 starts, Petersen has a built a 44-41-8 record with four shutouts. Sitting at 98 games played, Petersen can become the 12th netminder in Kings history to appear in 100 career NHL games as well as the third goaltender from the 2013 NHL Draft class and second Iowa-born to reach such feat:

Most wins by a goaltender in LA Kings history
Player GP GS Wins
Jonathan Quick 725 716 365
Rogie Vachon 389 383 171
Kelly Hrudey 360 334 145
Maria Lessard 240 222 92
Jamie Storr 205 178 85
Stephane Fiset 200 192 80
Felix Potvin 136 134 61
Gary Edwards 155 146 54
Cal Petersen 98 92 44
Mathieu Garon 95 89 44

DIFFEREN(TIAL) MAKERS
The Kings enter tonight’s game with the league’s third-highest special team differential overall at +23:32. 2022-23 Special Teams Time Differential

Team PP T PK T DIFF
Detroit Red Wings 105:13 79:14 +25:32
Washington Capitals 119:55 96:22 +23:33
LA Kings 122:26 98:54 +23:32
Buffalo Sabres 108:06 86:07 +21:59
Winnipeg Jets 81:31 61:43 +19:48

Additionally, LA’s special teams’ differential on the road sits fourth in the league:
2022-23 Special Teams Time Differential on the road
Team PP T PK T DIFF
Florida Panthers 63:41 42:14 +21:27
Seattle Kraken 46:35 34:45 +11:50
Washington Capitals 70:00 58:32 +11:28
LA Kings 60:02 48:48 +11:14
Detroit Red Wings 47:46 37:18 +10:28

FACEOFF FEVER
The LA Kings have found consistency in the face-off circle this season, especially at even-strength where the team’s faceoff winning percentage at EV has been 54% or higher in 12 of their 19 games on the year. LA’s even-strength faceoff winning percentage is fourth in the league, .01% behind Boston for third:

Highest EV faceoff winning %
Team GP EVFO’s EV FOW %
Chicago Blackhawks 16 707 57.6%
Carolina Hurricanes 17 838 56.0%
Boston Bruins 17 749 55.5%
LA Kings 19 848 55.4%
Nashville Predators 17 786 54.7%

Forwards Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault have been the driving forces for consistency in the face-off circle this season, centering the club’s top two lines. On Nov. 8, Kopitar’s even-strength faceoff winning percentage of 81.8% marked the second time this season he has had an EV FOW% of 80% or higher. In 13 of his 19 games played this season, Kopitar has had an even-strength faceoff winning percentage of 54% or higher.

Kopitar (61.4%) and Danault (57.1%) sit second and fourth, respectively, in the league in even-strength faceoff winning percentage (min. EV faceoff: 220):
Highest EV Faceoff winning % among all skaters (min. EV Faceoffs: 220)
Player GP EV FO’s EV FOW %
Patric Bergeron (BOS) 17 264 62.1%
Anze Kopitar (LAK) 19 267 61.4%
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (NYI) 18 243 60.1%
Phillip Danault (LAK) 19 233 57.1%
John Tavares (TOR) 18 223 56.5%

MULTI-POINT MANIA
The LA Kings have had contributions on the scoring sheet from 21 different skaters. Of the 21, 14 of them have had multi-point games with the most courtesy of Gabriel Vilardi (5), Kevin Fiala (5). Since Nov. 1, eight different Kings skaters have found the score sheet more than once in a game (Arvidsson, 1-1=2, Nov. 5; 0-3=3, Nov. 16; Danault, 1-1=2, Nov. 10; 0-2=2, Nov. 12; Doughty, 0-2=2, Nov. 14; Durzi, 2-0=2, Nov. 12; Fiala, 1-1=2, Nov. 14; Kaliyev, 0-2=2, Nov. 12; 2-0=2, Nov. 14; Kopitar, 0-2=2, Nov. 5; Moore, 1-1=2, Nov. 5; 3-0=3, Nov. 16). LA has had 36 multi-point performances from their players this season, the second-most in the league while their seven multi-goal games are fourth-most and one behind Vancouver:

Most multi-point games from players
Team # of multi-point performances
Tampa Bay Lightning 41
Dallas Stars 38
LA Kings 36
Boston Bruins 35
Colorado Avalanche 34

Most multi-goal games from players
Team # of multi-goal performances
Buffalo Sabres 9
Colorado Avalanche 8
Vancouver Canucks 8
Dallas Stars 7
Minnesota Wild 7
LA Kings 7

VANCOUVER CANUCKS NOTES:

MATCH-UP INFO
• Tonight marks the first of four meetings between the Canucks and the Kings this season: Nov. 18 (home), Mar. 18 (away), Apr. 2 (home), and Apr. 10 (away).

• The Canucks are 116-101-32-11 all-time against the Kings including a 69-38-16-6 record at home.

• Vancouver is 8-0-2 in their last 10 games vs Los Angeles (4-0-1 in their last 5).

• Among active Canucks skaters, Oliver Ekman-Larsson leads the team in games played and career points vs Los Angeles with 24 points (9-15-24) in 56 career games.

• Elias Pettersson has 16 points (5-11-16) in 10 career games against the Kings.

• J.T. Miller and Bo Horvat have 17 career points against the Kings (5-12-17 in 16 games and 4-13-17 in 26 games respectively).

• Brock Boeser has 15 points (10-5-15) in 12 career games against the Kings.

• Thatcher Demko is 2-0-0 in his career against the Kings, posting a 0.96 GAA and .971 save-percentage.

• Spencer Martin is 1-1-0 in his career against Los Angeles, posting a 3.38 GAA and .907 save-percentage.

QUICK NUMBERS
• Bo Horvat ranks second in the NHL in goals (14 in 17 games).

• Quinn Hughes is tied for second in the NHL for assists, among defencemen (14 in 13 games).

• Elias Pettersson has 13 points (4-9-13) in his last 10 games.

• J.T. Miller has 11 points (6-5-11) in his last 10 games.

• Brock Boeser has recorded an assist in five straight games.

LAST MEETING – APR. 28/22: VAN 3 vs LAK 2 (OT)
Brock Boeser opened up scoring for the Canucks with a power play goal at 6:52 in the third period…Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller recorded assists on the play…Alex Chiasson tied up the game at 14:31 in the third, pushing the game into overtime…Quinn Hughes collected the helper on the play…Brock Boeser scored the GWG in OT to grant the Canucks a win at their final home game of the season…Elias Pettersson notched the assist, registering a multi-point game (0-2-2)…Brock Boeser led the team in shots (5)…Juho Lammikko led the team in hits (6)…Quinn Hughes led in TOI (28:15)…J.T. Miller won 15 face-offs (65%)…Spencer Martin faced 35 shots.

2022.23 TEAM RANKS
VAN LAK
Goals For/Game 3.41 (10th) 3.32 (13th)
Goals Against/Game 4.06 (30th) 3.37 (23rd)
Power Play % 29.5 (5th) 19.5 (23rd)
Penalty Kill % 63.8 (32nd) 75.0 (t-25th)
Penalty Min./Game 13:07 (29th) 8:44 (11th)
*Rankings are accurate as of 3:30pm PT on November 17

LAST GAME PLAYED – NOV. 15/22: VAN 5 at BUF 4
Dakota Joshua scored his third goal of the season at 8:01 in the first…William Lockwood tallied his first point as a Canuck on the assist along with Nils Åman…Ethan Bear doubled the lead at 9:18 with his first goal as a Canuck…Bo Horvat and Conor Garland registered assists…Elias Pettersson would make it 3-1 at 0:31 seconds into the second…Oliver Ekman-Larsson was credited with the solo assist…J.T. Miller notched his 10th goal of the season with an assist from Horvat at 7:13 on the power play…Horvat would get the power play, game-winning goal at 8:25 in the second…Brock Boeser and Pettersson got assists on the play…Horvat led the team in shots (8), tying the season high, and won 17/26 faceoffs (65%)…Luke Schenn led in hits (3)…Spencer Martin collected his first win against the Sabres and stopped 28 shots.

LAST 5 vs LOS ANGELES
• Apr. 28/22: VAN 3 vs LAK 2 (OT)
• Dec. 30/21: VAN 1 at LAK 2 (SO)
• Dec. 6/21: VAN 4 vs LAK 0
• Dec. 28/19: VAN 3 vs LAK 2
• Oct. 30/19: VAN 5 at LAK 3

HUGHES’ HELPING HANDS
Picking up a power play assist to extend his personal assist streak to 10 games (0-13-13) on Nov. 13 at BOS, Quinn Hughes passed Jiri Bubla (1983.84) for the second-longest assist streak by a defenceman in Canucks history. He is only one of two Canuck defencemen to ever hit a double-digit streak, being one game short of tying Dennis Kearns for the franchise record (11 games in 1976.77).

• Hughes’ next assist will also mark the 161st of his career and will break a tie with Harold Snepsts for 10th-most assists by a defenceman in team history.

HARD HITTING SCHENN
Matching his personal career-high and the Canucks franchise-high (set by himself) with 12 hits on Nov. 12 at TOR, Luke Schenn became the first player in NHL history to record at least three games with 12+ hits in his career. With 2,916 career hits, Schenn is only 30 hits away from tying Brooks Orpik (2,946) for most in League-history by a defencemen. Schenn has collected the most hits in the NHL this season (76 in 17 GP).
*The NHL began tracking hits in 2005.06.

BO’S BLAZING START
Scoring his team-leading 14th goal on Nov. 15 at BUF, Bo Horvat tied Darcy Rota (1983.84) and Greg Adams (1987.88) for fourth-most goals hrough the first 17 games of a season in Canucks history, trailing only Alexander Mogilny (15, 1995.96), Pavel Bure (17, 1992.93) and Tony Tanti (17, 1983.84).

• Scoring his sixth power play goal of the season, Horvat surpassed Ryan Kesler and Henrik Sedin for 9th most power play goals in franchise history (62).

• Tallying eight goals in five games (Oct. 28-Nov. 8), Horvat tied Mikael Samuelsson (2009.10) and Alexandre Burrows (2009.10) as the only Canucks to do so in the last 26 years.

• Horvat is also the first player in franchise history to have five multi-goal games in the first 13 games.

• With 28 goals in 35 games since March 9, 2022, Horvat has the highest goals per game (0.80) in the League during that stretch (minimum 5 GP).

HORVAT HITS 200
Picking up an assist on J.T. Miller’s first period goal on Nov. 5 vs NSH, Bo Horvat recorded his 200th career assist, become the 22nd Canuck in team history to hit that mark.

HATS OFF TO KUZ
Recording a hat-trick with three goals, including the game-winner, on Nov. 3 vs ANA, Andrei Kuzmenko became just the fourth Russian-born skater in Canucks history to record a hat-trick, joining Pavel Bure (9x), Alexander Mogilny (4x), and Igor Larionov (2x). The winger became the fourth Canucks player in the past 20 years to record three goals in a single frame joining Horvat (Oct. 22/19), Mikael Samuelsson (Mar. 9/10) and Markus Naslund (Oct. 21/02).

FIVE-POINT PETEY
Posting one goal and four assists on Nov. 3 vs ANA, Elias Pettersson recorded his third career five-point game, joining Alexander Mogilny as the only other player in Canucks history to do so. He currently leads the team in assists (10) and points (15) in 11 games so far this season.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
• Karel Plasek on loan to HC Olomouc, Nov. 17
• William Lockwood recalled from Abbotsford, Nov. 15
• Jack Studnicka placed on injured reserve, Nov. 15

NHL Morning Skate – Nov. 18, 2022

NHL Editor
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NHL Morning Skate – Nov. 18, 2022

* The League-leading Bruins remained undefeated at TD Garden, while the Metropolitan Division-leading Devils picked up an overtime win at Scotiabank Arena to keep pace.

* New NHL “Ironman” Phil Kessel skated in his 1,000th consecutive game as Vegas earned a victory versus his former club.

* Ten of 13 games contested Thursday were decided by a one-goal margin or two-plus including an empty-netter, which marked the most in a single day in NHL history.

* The Kings, who are 5-1-0 in their last six outings and occupy second place in the Pacific Division, will contest a third consecutive game in Western Canada before concluding their road trip in Seattle on Saturday.
 

BRUINS, DEVILS EXTEND LENGTHY WINNING STREAKS
The top two teams in the Eastern Conference continued their winning ways as Boston (15-2-0, 30 points) collected another two points at TD Garden and New Jersey (14-3-0, 28 points) extended its double-digit winning streak:

* Jim Montgomery and the Bruins defeated the Flyers to improve to 10-0-0 at TD Garden in 2022-23 and become the fifth team in NHL history with wins in each of their first 10 or more home games to start a season. Of the four previous instances, two also involved a new head coach with a club: Billy Reay (1963-64 w/ CHI) and Alex Curry (1925-26 w/ SEN).

* Montgomery (17 GP) also matched the fewest games by a head coach to record his first 15 wins with a new team, a mark set by John Paddock (17 GP in 2007-08 w/ OTT).
 


* Vitek Vanecek made 25 saves and Yegor Sharangovich scored at 0:57 of overtime as the Devils extended their overall and road winning streak to 11 and seven games, respectively. New Jersey is now two games shy of matching its franchise record for longest winning streak, a mark set from Feb. 26 to March 23, 2001 (13-0-0).

* Vanecek improved to 8-0-0 in his last nine appearancesdating to Oct. 25 (1.78 GAA, .933 SV%, 1 SO), which was when the Devils’ 11-game run began.
 


KESSEL FIRST IN NHL HISTORY TO REACH 1,000 CONSECUTIVE GAMES
Three weeks after passing Keith Yandle for sole possession of the NHL “Ironman” record on Oct. 25, Golden Knights forward Phil Kessel became the first player in League history to appear in 1,000 consecutive games when he took to the ice Thursday. Prior to Vegas’ 4-1 victory versus Arizona, the club celebrated Kessel’s accomplishments in a pre-game ceremony.
 


FIVE CENTRAL DIVISION TEAMS EARN VICTORIES
Five of the seven Central Division clubs in action Thursday registered wins:

* Roope Hintz celebrated his 26th birthday by scoring two of his team’s six goals and Jason Robertson picked up an assist to help Dallas (10-5-2, 22 points) stymie Florida’s comeback attempt at FLA Live Arena and maintain the top spot in the Central Division. Hintz(6-9—15 in 10 GP) and Robertson (9-10—19 in 10 GP) both extended their point streaks to 10 games and became the first Stars players with a double-digit run since Patrick Sharp from Dec. 19, 2015 to Jan. 9, 2016 (6-9—15 in 12 GP).
 


* After Teemu Selanne and Teppo Numminen were inducted into the Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame during a pre-game ceremony, Kyle Connor netted his third career NHL hat trick to help the hosts improve to 10-4-1 (21 points) and reach the 10-win mark in 15 games for the first time in franchise history. Only four players have posted more hat tricks with the Jets/Thrashers than Connor, who also moved up the club’s all-time multi-goal games list: Ilya Kovalchuk (11), Patrik Laine (8), Mark Scheifele (5) and Nikolaj Ehlers (4).


* The Avalanche (9-5-1, 19 points) and Predators (8-8-1, 17 points) kept pace with the Stars and Jets on Thursday. Colorado goaltender Pavel Francouz made a career-high 46 saves and Artturi Lehkonen scored the overtime winner, while Nashville captain Roman Josi recorded four assists including three in the opening 9:41 of the first period.

* Thomas Greiss (47 saves) fell four saves shy of the most in a game by a Blues goaltender as St. Louis captured its fifth straight win on the heels of an eight-game losing streak. Only two teams in NHL history have recorded a longer winning streak immediately after suffering losses in eight or more consecutive games: Philadelphia in 2017-18 (6-0-0) and San Jose in 2005-06 (6-0-0). Each team had lost their previous 10 contests.

OVECHKIN CLIMBS NHL’S ALL-TIME POINTS LIST; CROSBY MAINTAINS LEAD
A pair ofveterans had themselves a big night as Alex Ovechkin (1-2—3) continued his ascent of the League’s all-time points list, while Sidney Crosby (2-2—4) recorded the 36th four-point game of his NHL career to remain ahead of his longtime rival.

* The first of Ovechkin’s three points was his 401st career road goal, moving the Capitals captain within one of Wayne Gretzky (402) for the most in NHL history. Two days after Crosby passed Bryan Trottier on the League’s all-time points list, Ovechkin’s Thursday-night performance witnessed him do the same.
 


BLUE JACKETS, CANADIENS QUICK GOALS IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
The latest edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates included many more notes from a busy Thursday, including a wild six-goal third period between the Canadiens and Blue Jackets that saw the two teams combine for four goals in less than two minutes. Columbus would hold on to win its sixth consecutive game versus Montreal dating to Nov 19, 2019, which stands as its longest active winning streak against one opponent.
 


QUICK CLICKS
 

* NHL announces updates to the 2022-23 regular-season schedule
* NHL proud to support the Trevor Project
* NHL and KEMB Productions re-release podcast, “Slim and None”
* Jonathan Toews rebound season helping Blackhawks to surprising start
* Ivan Miroshnichenko inspired by call from Mario Lemieux after Hodgkin’s diagnosis
 


KINGS, CANUCKS SET TO CLASH AT ROGERS ARENA ON FRIDAY
Friday’s slate features Los Angeles (11-7-1, 23 points) visiting Vancouver (5-9-3, 13 points) in the first contest of the Pacific Division rivals’ four-game season series. The Canucks are 8-0-2 in their last 10 outings against the Kings dating to Nov. 24, 2018 (LAK: 2-5-3), which marks Vancouver’s longest active point streak versus one franchise.
 

CFB: Week 12 Conference Previews – PAC-12 Conference

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CFB: Week 12 Conference Previews – PAC-12 Conference

AROUND THE PAC-12

WASHINGTON STATE (6-4, 3-4) at ARIZONA (4-6, 2-5)
Sat., Nov. 19 • 12:00 pm MT • PAC-12 NETWORK
WASHINGTON STATE: Bowl eligible for the 7th straight non-COVID season. Have won 4 of the last 5 meetings with Arizona including the last 2 by a combined 67 points. RB Nakia Watson has 3 games this season with 100+ rush yards including each of last 2 games, becoming first WSU player with back-to-back games with 100+ rush yards since Jerome Harrison in 2005. Watson had 3 rush TD last week, first WSU RB with 100+ rush yards and 3 TD in game since Harrison in 2005. Defense has held 6 straight opponents under 400 total yards, first time since 2017.

ARIZONA: First home game vs. Washington State since 2017 which Wildcats won 58-37 despite allowing 653 total yards. Beat UCLA last week, defeating their first AP Top 10 team since 2015 and first conference road win since 2019. Have scored 31+ points in 7 of 10 games this season, scored 31+ points 6 times in 29 games from 2019-21. QB Jayden de Laura, the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year with WSU in 2021, is first Arizona QB with 3,000+ pass yards in season since Anu Solomon in 2014.

23 OREGON STATE (7-3, 4-3) at ARIZONA STATE (3-7, 2-5)

Sat., Nov. 19 • 12:15 pm MT • ESPN2
OREGON STATE: Have won 2 of the last 3 in this series but have not won in Tempe since 2009. 12.6 PPG allowed in 5 home games this season, 31.3 PPG allowed in 4 road games. Defense held Cal to 156 total yards last week, the fewest by a Beaver opponent since 2009, after the Bears had put up 469 yards at USC the week before. Defense allowed 9 yards rushing last week, the 5th straight game they’ve allowed 100 yards or less on the ground. 4-3 this season against teams with winning records and all 3 losses coming to teams in AP Top 25. RB Damien Martinez 4 straight games with 100+ rush yards, first OSU freshman to do it since Jacquizz Rodgers in 2008.

ARIZONA STATE: Hosting Oregon State for first time since 2018 after playing in Corvallis each of the last 3 years. 17-1 at home against Oregon State since 1980. Will be their 6th game against an AP Top 25 team this season (1-4). RB X Valladay needs 14 rush yards to reach 1,000 in his first season at ASU after doing it twice at Wyoming (2019, 2021). Valladay 13 rush TD this season, had 19 total in 4 seasons at Wyoming (42 games).

STANFORD (3-7, 1-7) at CALIFORNIA (3-7, 1-6)
Sat., Nov. 12 • 2:30 pm PT • PAC-12 NETWORK
STANFORD: 125th Big Game. Have won 10 of the last 12 meetings with Cal including the last 6 in Berkeley. Have not lost a road game to Cal since 2008. 1-4 on the road this season but the win was at Notre Dame. Kicker Joshua Karty is 14-14 on FG this season, 1 of just 2 FBS kickers to have not missed a field goal this year with at least 14 attempts. Have played 17 true freshman this season. 2 Stanford players will face off against their brother who plays at Cal this week with WR Elijah Higgins facing his brother CB Kaleb Higgins and QB Ari Patu facing OLB Orin Patu.

CALIFORNIA: 40th anniversary of “The Play”. Have won 2 of the last 3 against Stanford including a 41-11 victory last year on the Farm, their largest win over the Cardinal since 2004 (41-6). Made changes to their coaching staff this week with offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave and offensive line coach Angus McClure both relieved of their duties with their responsibilities handled by current staff members for the remainder of the season. RS Freshman WR J. Michael Sturdivant leads all FBS freshman in receptions (55) and is 3rd in receiving yards (615).

7 USC (9-1, 7-1) at #16 UCLA (8-2, 5-2)

Sat., Nov. 19 • 5:00 pm PT • FOX
USC: Have won 7 of 11 meetings with UCLA in the Rose Bowl since 2000 including a 43-38 win in the last meeting there in 2020 when the Trojans outscored the Bruins 20-3 in the 4th quarter. Have scored 40+ points in 8 of their 10 games this season and have 4 straight games with both 500+ total yards and 300+ pass yards. QB Caleb Williams has 5 total TD in each of the last 4 games and is the only FBS QB this season with 26+ pass TD and 2 or fewer INT. RB Travis Dye suffered season-ending injury last week. DL Tuli Tuipulotu at least 2.0 sacks in each of last 2 games and leads FBS with 11.5 sacks this season. 1 of 3 FBS teams to not trail at any point this season by 8 or more points (Michigan, Ohio State).

UCLA: Beat USC 62-33 in the Coliseum last season, which was UCLA’s most points ever scored against USC and their largest margin of victory over the Trojans since 1954. 8-2 is UCLA’s best start since 2014. Seeking first win over an AP Top 10 team since 2010 (#7 Texas). Only offense in FBS with 2,600+ pass yards and 2,400+ rush yards this season. RB Zach Charbonnet 100+ rush yards in 7 of 8 games he’s played this season, only 4th UCLA RB with back-to-back season with 1,100+ rush yards (Paul Perkins 2014-15, Karim Abdul-Jabbar 1994-95, Freeman McNeil 1979-80). Dorian Thompson-Robinson needs 74 pass yards to become 2nd QB in UCLA history with 10,000 career pass yards.

COLORADO (1-9, 1-6) at #17 WASHINGTON (8-2, 5-2)
Sat., Nov. 19 • 6:00 pm MT • ESPN
COLORADO: Have won last 2 meetings with UW by a combined 9 points after not having previously beaten the Huskies since the 1996 Holiday Bowl. Looking for road win over AP Top 20 team for first time since 2002 (#20 UCLA). Have played 36 true freshmen this season, most in FBS. RB Alex Fontenot 108 rush yards vs. USC, his first game with 100+ rush yards since 2019.

WASHINGTON: Have won 9 of the last 11 meetings with Colorado and last 5 in Seattle. Have not lost to Colorado at Husky Stadium since 1989. Looking to go 7-0 at home for the 3rd time in last 30 years (1992, 2017). 3-0 vs. AP Top 25 teams this season and last week’s win over Oregon was their first road win over a Top 10 team since 2018. QB Michael Penix Jr. leads FBS in passing yards and has topped 300 in 9 of 10 games (298 vs. Oregon State). Penix needs 360 pass yards to become 2nd UW QB with 4,000 yards in a season (Cody Pickett, 2002).

10 UTAH (8-2, 6-1) at #12 OREGON (8-2, 6-1)

Sat., Nov. 19 • 7:30 pm PT • ESPN
UTAH: Went 2-0 against Top 10 Oregon team last year including the 2021 Pac-12 Championship Game. Looking for their first road win over a Top 15 team since 2018 (#14 Stanford) and last won in Eugene in 2015. 6 of their 8 wins this season are by at least 21 points. RB Tavion Thomas 180 rush yards and 2 rush TD last week vs. Stanford, first game with 100+ rush yards since season-opener at Florida. Dalton Kincaid has 649 receiving yards this season, most among FBS TE. Defense allowed 22 rush yards last week, 4th time this season holding opponent under 50 rush yards.

OREGON: Have won 5 of their last 6 home games with Utah including the last meeting in 2017. Had 23-game home win streak and 17-game home conference win streak snapped last week in loss to Washington. Have won 8 of their last 10 home games against AP Top 10 opponents including a 45-30 win over UCLA this season. 1 of 3 FBS teams this season to score 40+ points in 8 games this season. 500+ total yards in 7 of their 10 games this season. QB Bo Nix 39 total TD (24 pass, 14 rush, 1 rec) this season, tied for most in FBS. RB Bucky Irving back-to-back games and 3 of the last 4 with 100+ rush yards.

CFB: Week 12 Conference Notes – PAC-12 Conference

NCAAFB Editor
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CFB: Week 12 Conference Notes – PAC-12 Conference

THIS WEEK’S #PAC12FB SCHEDULE
Game Time (Local) TV
Saturday, Nov. 19
Washington State at Arizona 12:00 p.m. MT P12Net
Jordan Kent, Max Browne

23 Oregon State at Arizona State 12:15 p.m. MT ESPN2

Anish Shroff, Brock Osweiler, Taylor McGregor

Stanford at California 2:30 p.m. PT P12Net
Roxy Bernstein, Lincoln Kennedy

7 USC at #16 UCLA 5:00 p.m. PT FOX

Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, Allison Williams

Colorado at #17 Washington 6:00 p.m. MT P12Net
Ted Robinson, Yogi Roth

10 Utah at #12 Oregon 7:30 p.m. PT ESPN

Dave Flemming, Rod Gilmore, Tiffany Blackmon

QUICK HITS

6-PAC: The Pac-12 placed 6 teams in the latest CFP rankings, the most of any conference in this poll and the most for the Pac-12 since 2016. USC moves up to #7 this week, their highest ever ranking in the CFP and 3rd straight week in the Top 10. UTAH jumps 3 spots to #10, their first entry to the Top 10 since 2019. OREGON drops to #12 but the Ducks have been ranked in the Top 15 of every CFP poll the last 2 seasons. UCLA checks in at #16 and are in the first 3 CFP rankings of the season for the first time since 2014. WASHINGTON jumped 8 spots this week to #17, their highest ranking since 2018. OREGON STATE re-enters the poll this week at #23.

BOWL BLITZ: Washington State became the 7th bowl eligible team this season with their win over Arizona State last week. This week, the Cougars will try to play spoiler as the face Arizona who needs to win both of their final 2 games to become the 8th bowl eligible Pac-12 team.

VIVA LAS VEGAS: The 2022 Pac-12 Football Championship Game, presented by 76, is headed to Allegiant Stadium on December 2nd. Watch the Pac-12’s best take Vegas as the top 2 teams meet and compete for the championship. Get your tickets now at Pac-12.com/tickets.

Here are a few of the scenarios for this weekend
• USC would clinch a spot with a win over UCLA
• UCLA would be eliminated with a loss to USC
• Washington would be eliminated with a loss to Colorado
• If both USC & Colorado win this week, the championship match-up will be set with USC facing the winner of this week’s Utah-Oregon game.

AWARD TOUR: WIth their win over Oregon last week, Washington was named the Cheez-It Bowl National Team of the Week (Arizona was also a nominee) while Huskies’ Head Coach Kalen DeBoer was named Dodd Trophy National Coach of the Week. Other national awards notes this week:

• USC’s Tuli Tuipulotu named 1 of 4 finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy

• 6 Pac-12 players were named semifinalists for the Walter Camp Award, 2nd most among conferences: Zach Charbonnet (UCLA), Bo Nix (Oregon), Michael Penix Jr. (Washington), Noah Sewell (Oregon), Tuipulotu (USC), and Caleb Williams (USC)

• 5 Pac-12 QBs were named semifinalists for the Davey O’Brien Award, tied for the most of any conference: Nix (Oregon), Penix Jr. (Washington), Cameron Rising (Utah), Dorian Thompson-Robinson (UCLA) and Williams (USC).

• Nix was also named 1 of 5 finalists for the Johnny Unitas Award.

• 7 Pac-12 assistants named finalists for the Broyles Award: Jimmie Dougherty (Arizona), Kenny Dillingham (Oregon), Trent Bray (Oregon State), DeShaun Foster (UCLA), Shaun Nua (USC), Morgan Scalley (Utah), Ryan Grubb (Washington)

• 3 Pac-12 OL units nominated for Joe Moore Award – Oregon, UCLA, USC

• 3 Pac-12 players named semifinalists for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year: Matthew Cindric (Cal), Alex Forsyth (Oregon), Edefuan Ulofoshio (Washington)

NBA Preview: Detroit Pistons at Los Angeles Lakers

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NBA Preview: Detroit Pistons at Los Angeles Lakers

After some much-needed time away, the Los Angeles Lakers will return to the court Friday and play host to the Detroit Pistons.

The Lakers last played Sunday, and although they got the best of the Brooklyn Nets in a 116-103 victory, what they needed was some downtime instead of trying to see whether they could build any momentum off the victory.

LeBron James has not played the past two games because of a groin injury. He also missed a game Nov. 7 with a sore foot. While fellow star Anthony Davis has managed to play in 12 of the Lakers’ 13 games, he has been bothered by a lower back injury.

In a sign that his back soreness has loosened its grip, Davis had season highs of 37 points and 18 rebounds in the victory over the Nets. Lonnie Walker IV scored 25 points while making four of his five 3-point attempts.

The Lakers gave credit to a Saturday film session for altering their mindset, at least for a day. It was a humbling yet cathartic gathering, with the result being a vow to be more committed to the task at hand.

Davis, James, Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley all gave their assessment of the team’s situation.

Whether or not tough love is the Lakers’ way forward remains to be seen. Los Angeles has just three victories this season and a pair of five-game losing streaks. James has participated in practice this week and was upgraded to questionable.

Also close to a return are guards Dennis Schroder and Thomas Bryant. Both had thumb surgery last month, and they have yet to make their season debuts.

The Pistons will enter off a 96-91 defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday and won’t get much downtime between games, but at least they don’t have to change cities. Detroit shot just 37.5 percent but held the Clippers to 40.7 percent from the floor.

Against the Clippers, Bojan Bogdanovic scored 26 points and Jaden Ivey added 18, but Detroit lost its fifth consecutive game and fell for the eighth time in the past nine.

The Pistons will have to figure a way forward without big man Isaiah Stewart for up to three weeks. He has a sprained right big toe. Saddiq Bey returned to the starting lineup on Thursday after he came off the bench in a loss to the Toronto Raptors on Monday.

NBA Preview: New York Knicks at Golden State Warriors

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NBA Preview: New York Knicks at Golden State Warriors

The New York Knicks shoot for a hat trick when they go for a third road victory in four days as they visit one of the league’s top home teams, the Golden State Warriors, on Friday night at San Francisco.

The Knicks took advantage of the absence of reigning MVP Nikola Jokic for a 106-103 road victory over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. The win completed a two-night sweep that began with a 118-111 triumph over the host Utah Jazz on Tuesday.

A fourth-quarter comeback that produced the club’s first win in Denver since 2006 was accomplished with the unusual combination of a Julius Randle-Obi Toppin frontcourt to complement a three-guard look.

It worked against the Jokic-less Nuggets. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, still expected to be missing starting big man Mitchell Robinson, indicated he could go back to the look again against the Warriors, who demoted James Wiseman to the G League this week and left the team with Kevon Looney and an assortment of small-ball options.

Randle and Toppin combined for 41 points — Randle getting 34 of them — against the Nuggets, who had entered the game unbeaten at home.

The Warriors have won five straight and six of seven at home, a stark contrast to their 0-8 record on the road. Their two results in the past four days have mirrored their early season: A 132-95 shellacking of the San Antonio Spurs at home on Monday, followed by a 130-119 road loss Wednesday to the Phoenix Suns, who were missing two starters.

After Stephen Curry’s 50 points were not enough to end the season-long road skid, Golden State coach Steve Kerr pointed his finger at himself following Wednesday’s defeat.

Curry often has been at or near his best when up against the Knicks. He had 35 points in a home loss to New York in February, the fifth time in the last seven home meetings that he’s gone for 30 or more points.

When last at home, the Warriors were hitting 23 of their 45 3-point attempts against the Spurs. Golden State has connected at a 40.1-percent clip from long range at home this season.

The Knicks, meanwhile, watched R.J. Barrett’s slump from 3-point range continue in an 0-for-9 outing at Denver. New York shot 8-for-34 from deep (23.5 percent), leaving it at 31.1 percent on the road for the season.

Barrett has missed his last 17 3-point attempts over the last four games, dating back to a second-quarter long-range basket against the Detroit Pistons last Friday.

NBA Preview: Phoenix Suns at Utah Jazz

NBA Editor
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NBA Preview: Phoenix Suns at Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz’s challenging schedule to begin the 2022-23 season continues Friday night in Salt Lake City when they host the Phoenix Suns.

A matchup against one of the elite teams in the Western Conference might even seem more daunting considering the Jazz have cooled down considerably from their red-hot 10-3 start by losing three games in a row.

Remarkably, though, this rebuilt Utah squad has put together an unexpected amount of success so far despite playing the most games of any NBA team through Nov. 15 — 16 — and a difficult 10 on the road. As the team website noted, the Jazz have also played the most back-to-back sets to this point (four), with all of those games taking place in different cities.

Even playing at home earlier this week wasn’t as big of an advantage as one might assume, seeing as the Jazz were returning from a three-game Eastern Conference trip and only had one day between games.

The rest of November isn’t much kinder to the Jazz.

Beginning Friday vs. Phoenix, Utah will play eight games in 13 days the rest of this month, including two apiece against the Suns and the Los Angeles Clippers.

While acknowledging the brutal schedule, the Jazz aren’t using it as an excuse — nor do they believe they need to do wholesale changes to what worked for them while reaching the 10-win mark quicker than any other NBA team.

The Jazz will need to play that way to hold home court against Phoenix, which picked up a 130-119 victory over Golden State on Wednesday to remain near the top of the West.

The impressive part about the Suns’ win over the struggling Warriors was the balanced offensive attack.

While Devin Booker had his usual big night with 27 points, it was Cameron Payne who registered a career-high 29 to lead the offensive attack. All of Phoenix’s starters hit double figures in scoring. That included 23 points, nine assists and nine rebounds for Mikal Bridges, a 13-point, 10-rebound effort by Torrey Craig, and a solid outing from Deandre Ayton (14 points, seven boards).

Payne has three 20-point outings while starting the past four games in place of Chris Paul, who has a heel injury.

That all helped counter a 50-point night by Steph Curry.

Paul is questionable to return to action on Friday.

The Suns’ offensive explosion included 21-for-40 shooting from 3-point range (52.5 percent).

Utah, which hasn’t played since losing to New York at home Tuesday night, will visit Phoenix for a rematch on Nov. 26.

NBA Preview: Boston Celtics at New Orleans Pelicans

NBA Editor
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NBA Preview: Boston Celtics at New Orleans Pelicans

While the New Orleans Pelicans are on a modest winning streak, the Boston Celtics will bring even more success to the table when the teams meet Friday.

The visiting Celtics seek their ninth consecutive victory, while the Pelicans try for their fourth consecutive win.

On Wednesday, Boston was short-handed yet still rolled to a 126-101 victory at Atlanta, while New Orleans cruised past visiting Chicago 124-110.

The Eastern Conference-leading Celtics played without their third- and fourth-leading scorers as Malcolm Brogdon (hamstring) missed his fourth consecutive game and Marcus Smart was sidelined by inflammation in his right ankle.

Jaylen Brown scored 22 points to lead seven Boston players that scored at least 14 points.

Boston shot 54.5 percent from the floor and made 21 3-pointers on 46 attempts (45.7 percent).

The Pelicans followed a similar script without leading scorer Zion Williamson, who’s day to day after missing the last two games because of a bruised foot.

Like Boston, New Orleans showed off its depth with balanced scoring even without the missing firepower from Williamson.

CJ McCollum scored 23 points and Jonas Valanciunas had 22 to lead six double-figure scorers.

The Pelicans made 17 of 33 from 3-point range for a season-high 51.5 percent, one night after making a season-high 18 3-pointers on 38 attempts (47.4 percent) in a win against Memphis.

Trey Murphy III made 5 of 6 3-pointers and 7 of 9 field-goal attempts and had his first career double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Second-leading scorer Brandon Ingram’s 16 points were nearly five below his average, but he had a season-high nine assists as the Pelicans finished with 30 assists on 43 field goals.

The Celtics are playing the middle game of a three-game road trip that finishes at Chicago on Monday. The Pelicans are playing the fifth game of a six-game homestand that concludes against Golden State on Monday.

NBA Preview: Denver Nuggets at Dallas Mavericks

NBA Editor
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NBA Preview: Denver Nuggets at Dallas Mavericks

Two-time MVP Nikola Jokic’s value to the Denver Nuggets was on display Wednesday night.

Against a tired team playing on consecutive nights — at altitude — and 1,800 miles from home, the Denver Nuggets faltered in the fourth quarter without Jokic. The New York Knicks dominated down the stretch while Denver struggled to find offense.

If Jokic was playing instead of being in health and safety protocols, chances of the Nuggets holding on against New York would have been much better.

Denver likely will be without Jokic again when it travels to Dallas to face the Mavericks on Friday night. Aaron Gordon, who missed the loss to the Knicks with a non-COVID illness, is also questionable. Coach Michael Malone said Wednesday night he expects both players to be out.

The Mavericks are also coming off a disappointing home loss to Houston on Wednesday night in a game Luka Doncic sat out for rest. He is available for the game against the Nuggets.

Friday’s game is the first of two the teams will play in Dallas; they play again Sunday night.

Doncic, like Jokic with Denver, is the catalyst for the Mavericks’ offense. He leads the team in scoring (34.4 points a game), rebounding (8.8), assists (7.8) and steals (2.1), so having him out of the lineup against the Rockets was impactful.

Still, his teammates don’t want to blame his absence for the loss.

The Nuggets feel the same way, and one player, Zeke Nnaji, sees an opportunity to prove himself with Jokic out. Nnaji scored 13 points in 26 minutes in the loss to New York after averaging just 3.9 minutes in the eight games he had played this season.

Nnaji had never played more than nine minutes in a game this season or scored more than four points.

Nnaji, just 21 and in his third year out of Arizona, can show his value on the defensive end where he can switch and be effective.

Denver will also need more out of Michael Porter Jr., who followed up a 31-point performance at Chicago on Sunday night with just five points on 1-for-8 shooting in 28 minutes.

The bright spot coming out of Wednesday’s loss is Jamal Murray’s comfort level after missing all of last season. Murray scored 21 points and is averaging 18.9 points a game in November, and 16.5 in 13 total games.

The Nuggets’ Bones Hyland returned from missing three games while in health and safety protocols to score 21 points.

NBA Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder at Memphis Grizzlies

NBA Editor
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NBA Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder at Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies’ search to fill the scoring void left by Desmond Bane’s absence continues when they face the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.

Bane was averaging 24.7 points and shooting 45.1 percent from 3-point range before sustaining a Grade 2 sprain of his right big toe last Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The third-year pro is expected to miss two-to-three weeks.

Memphis averaged 117.5 points per game this season with Bane, compared to 99.7 points in three contests without him.

The Grizzlies’ next challenge comes against the Thunder, who are wrapping up a stretch of four road games in six days.

Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander matched a career high with 42 points to lead the Thunder to a 121-120 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.

Gilgeous-Alexander is playing at an MVP level for Oklahoma City, which has won three of its last four following a four-game losing streak. The fifth-year pro averages 31.5 points on 47.8 percent shooting.

Oklahoma City has also has receiving consistent play from forwards Aleksej Pokusevski and Luguentz Dort, who combined for 24 points Wednesday.

Coach Mark Daigneault praised his team’s clutch play after the Thunder improved to 2-3 in games decided by six points or less.

Thunder forward Darius Bazley has missed the past four games with a sprained right ankle, while guard Tre Mann has sat out two games with low back soreness. Both are listed as day-to-day.

Friday’s contest features a matchup of two of the league’s top 10 scorers in Gilgeous-Alexander and Memphis star Ja Morant, who is averaging 29.3 points, 6.8 assists and 6.2 rebounds.

Morant had 36 points in Tuesday’s loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, who held the Grizzlies to 9-of-35 shooting (25.7 percent) from 3-point range.

Third-year guard John Konchar started in place of Bane against New Orleans and tallied nine points and eight rebounds in 37 minutes. Forward Dillon Brooks had 19 points on 6-of-18 shooting.

One bright spot for the Grizzlies was the return of forward Jaren Jackson Jr., who made his season debut on Tuesday after missing the first 14 games while recovering from right foot surgery.

Jackson had seven points on 3-of-14 shooting along with six rebounds in 25 minutes.

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