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Oilers aim to reverse California disappointment in return home vs. Utah HC

NHL: Edmonton Oilers at Anaheim DucksDec 29, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) looks on during the second period against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Utah Hockey Club and host Edmonton Oilers will close out the 2024 calendar year on Tuesday night in the second matchup of the season between the Western Conference clubs.

Sitting in third place in the Pacific Division, the Oilers returned home after a disappointing showing in a two-game trek through California. They earned just a single point after skating to a 4-3 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday and a 5-3 setback versus the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.

From the standpoint of producing goals, no two players on Edmonton’s roster have been as hot as Zach Hyman and Leon Draisaitl.

After missing five games with injury and returning on Dec. 5, Hyman has collected 10 goals and three assists in 11 games this month.

Draisaitl paces the NHL with 26 goals after scoring twice versus the Ducks. He has totaled 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) in his past 11 contests.

Coach Kris Knoblauch said Monday after practice that he had not decided on a lineup for Tuesday’s game.

Much of that focuses on struggling veteran Jeff Skinner, who has one goal and one assist in the past nine games and just six tallies all season.

Skinner served as a healthy scratch against Anaheim.

“He hasn’t had the confidence with the puck as much as he has in the past, and you look at his shooting percentage — a lot of that’s luck and a lot of it’s feeling confident putting the puck in the net,” Knoblauch said Monday at practice. “A lot of it’s just him finding his game and how he usually plays.”

Edmonton recorded a 4-3 victory after Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored in overtime in the first meeting against Utah in Salt Lake City on Nov. 29.

Utah saw its seven-game road winning streak halted and its overall losing skid extend to four matches on Monday after the Seattle Kraken scored three goals in third period of a 5-2 decision.

Prior to that loss, Utah dropped a 4-1 setback to the Colorado Avalanche on Friday to conclude a fruitless three-game homestand.

In 16 home games, Utah has only five wins (5-7-4).

The road has been a different story, where the club is 11-7-2.

According to coach Andre Tourigny, much of the success lies between the pipes with goaltender Karel Vejmelka, who made 28 saves on Monday.

“Huge,” Tourigny responded when asked what the 6-foot-4 Czech netminder means to the club’s success. “He’s been tuned in and kept us in games and given us a chance to win the game every night.”

Vejmelka is 8-10-2 with a 2.40 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage.

Dylan Guenther tops Utah with 16 goals while Clayton Keller leads in assists (24) and points (37).

Utah will close out its four-game road swing with games against the Calgary Flames on Thursday and Dallas Stars on Saturday.

–Field Level Media

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Late homer helps Yankees earn doubleheader split vs. Dodgers

Jul 19, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) celebrates his solo home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn ImagesJul 19, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) celebrates his solo home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a tiebreaking homer with one out in the eighth inning Sunday night as the New York Yankees held on for a 2-1 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers, splitting a doubleheader in a bullpen game for both teams.

After wasting numerous opportunities earlier to expand a 1-0 lead, the Yankees regained the lead when Chisholm lifted a 1-0 fastball off Evan Phillips (0-1) into the lower rows of the left-center field seats. It was the second baseman’s 14th homer and his fifth in the eighth inning or later.

Before Chisholm homered, the Dodgers had two on in the top half of the eighth. David Bednar (4-3) struck out Shohei Ohtani and retired Andy Pages on a full-count pop-up that Chisholm caught in shallow right field.

Bednar kept the game tied after Fernando Cruz allowed a tying homer to pinch hitter Tommy Edman on an 0-1 splitter and issued two walks. Bednar opened the ninth by walking Freddie Freeman but ended New York’s second win in its last 11 home games by retiring the next three batters.

New York used five pitchers in the nightcap after Cam Schlittler lasted 4 1/3 innings in an 8-2 loss on Sunday afternoon. Ryan Yarbrough started and allowed two hits in 2 2/3 innings. Paul Blackburn followed with 2 1/3 innings, and Brent Headrick also tossed two scoreless innings before Cruz faltered.

Despite Edman’s heroics, the Dodgers lost for the sixth time in 10 games.

Los Angeles used seven pitchers after getting a complete game four-hitter from Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the opener. Will Klein started the game and allowed Cody Bellinger’s RBI single among three hits in the first.

After a double by Paul Goldschmidt, Bellinger ripped a single to center for a 1-0 lead. Jasson Dominguez followed with another base hit, but Chisholm struck out. The Yankees had runners at second and third with one out in the fourth following two walks and a wild pitch, but Anthony Volpe was thrown out at the plate and Trent Grisham grounded out to come up empty.

New York opened the fifth with three straight singles off Jack Dreyer but did not score. Brock Stewart replaced Dreyer and left the bases loaded by sandwiching two strikeouts around a popout.

Alex Vesia struck out the side in the seventh for the Dodgers before the Yankees lost and regained the lead.

–Field Level Media

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Angel Reese exits Dream's win after injuring leg

Jul 19, 2026; College Park, Georgia, USA; Chicago Sky center-forward Elizabeth Williams (1) blocks a shot against Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) during the first quarter at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn ImagesJul 19, 2026; College Park, Georgia, USA; Chicago Sky center-forward Elizabeth Williams (1) blocks a shot against Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) during the first quarter at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese left Sunday’s 93-91 win over the visiting Chicago Sky early in the fourth quarter after injuring her left leg during a layup attempt and did not return.

Just 15 seconds into the fourth, Reese was driving for a layup when she appeared to roll her ankle as she released the ball and went down to the floor.

Courtney Vandersloot was called for a foul as she defended on the play but a replay showed Vandersloot did not touch Reese and the foul call was overturned. Reese was also wearing a sleeve over her left knee.

After getting back to her feet, Reese went back down to the floor before returning to the bench. She was ruled out for the rest of the game, and no update was provided on her status, though coach Karl Smesko did speak with the media.

“It’s hard because we’re in the timeout. It seemed like a really long timeout, and there wasn’t a lot being said because we were all just looking at Angel,” Sesko said. “And when I was looking at her, it seemed like she was in a lot of pain, and she wanted to go out there and keep playing because she’s competitive and she wants to win the game. … I just didn’t feel comfortable with it because she looked like she was in a lot of pain.”

Reese, an All-Star in each of her first two seasons with Chicago, entered the game averaging a career-best 15.7 points along with a league-leading 11.8 rebounds.

She was traded from Chicago along with a second-round pick to Atlanta for a pair of first-round picks in the offseason.

She scored eight points with five rebounds in 20 minutes Sunday.

–Field Level Media

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Joey Logano fastest to finish in first North Wilkesboro points race since '96

Jul 19, 2026; North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, USA;  Team Penske driver Joey Logano (22) takes the second stage during the Window World 400 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn ImagesJul 19, 2026; North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, USA; Team Penske driver Joey Logano (22) takes the second stage during the Window World 400 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Joey Logano dominated by leading a career-high 323 laps as NASCAR welcomed historic North Wilkesboro Speedway back to the Cup Series’ regular-season points schedule for the first time since 1996 in Sunday night’s Window World 450 in North Wilkesboro, N.C.

Winless since early May of last season at Texas Motor Speedway, the three-time Cup Series champion notched his 38th career victory in 16 seasons by topping Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota over the final half of the race, beating the points leader by 0.859 seconds in a long stretch of green-flag racing.

Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs and Shane van Gisbergen finished as the top five.

Sixth-place Bubba Wallace was the final car on the lead lap.

After three cleanly-raced support events over the weekend, Ryan Blaney was slotted first after qualifying was washed out Saturday, but his No. 12 Ford team had to fix a power steering issue that sent him to the back of the 37-car field.

That gave the point to Gibbs, who took them to green in a points race for the first time since polesitter Ted Musgrave did so on Sept. 29, 1996, before a nearly three-decade-long shutdown of the 0.625-mile short track.

Gibbs led the first 40 circuits until John Hunter Nemechek spun after contact with Zane Smith, and the first caution period ended with Hamlin taking two tires to claim the lead on the restart.

Gibbs hustled back in his No. 54 Toyota and narrowly beat van Gisbergen to win Stage 1, which consisted of 80 laps. Logano, Hamlin and Carson Hocevar were the next three finishers.

Logano, the 2024 winner of the All-Star Race at NWS, took the lead from van Gisbergen on Lap 113 in Turn 4 in the 185 laps that made up Stage 2.

The No. 22 Team Penske driver increased his advantage over second-place Chase Elliott to 3 1/2 seconds by Lap 150 and soon lapped Gibbs (speeding penalty), but Hamlin found his way to move by Elliott in the first long green-flag run on the short track.

On Lap 183, Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman wrecked coming off Turn 2 and slid onto the pit-road entrance for the third caution, putting William Byron and Elliott two laps down after their green-flag stop.

Logano captured Stage 2 for his first segment win this season, and Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, Wallace and van Gisbergen earned top-five bonus points.

–Field Level Media

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