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Sharks strive to shake off collapse against lowly Flames

NHL: San Jose Sharks at Edmonton OilersJan 29, 2026; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini (71) and Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (97) battle for a loose puck during the second period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

San Jose’s playoff push hit a snag in Edmonton on Thursday, but the Sharks get another shot in Alberta when they visit the Calgary Flames on Saturday afternoon.

The Sharks sit on the cusp of the second Western Conference wild-card spot. They trail the Utah Mammoth by two points and the Anaheim Ducks by one point and hold two games in hand over both sides.

San Jose is one point behind the Seattle Kraken in the Pacific Division standings with a game in hand. Had the Sharks clung to their lead against the Oilers, they would have hurdled Seattle for third in the division.

After getting tallies from Collin Graf, Adam Gaudette and Michael Misa in the opening 11:40, San Jose allowed a trio of third-period goals — two in the final 3:05 with Edmonton’s net empty — before falling in overtime.

Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said they needed to be better with a chance to put away an elite offensive foe but had problems containing superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

“Our 6-on-5 was obviously not good enough,” Warsofsky said. “I mean, they’re the best offensive team in the world, (and) you’ve got to defend the two best players in the world.”

Star center Macklin Celebrini assisted Graf’s goal to move his point total to 79, fourth in the league.

William Eklund’s helper on Gaudette’s goal gave him 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists), though the 23-year-old left wing is last on the club with a minus-23 rating.

The Flames are lodged in their second-worst slump of the season. It sits at five games (0-3-2) as they prepare to open a three-game homestand that also features the Toronto Maple Leafs and provincial nemesis Edmonton.

Following a season-opening 4-3 shootout win over the Oilers on Oct. 8, Calgary proceeded to fall into an 0-7-1 skid that set a terrible tone.

Only the Vancouver Canucks’ abysmal 41-point showing has kept the 48-point Flames out of last place in the NHL standings.

Calgary’s 4-1 loss at the Minnesota Wild on Thursday was more of the same, results-wise, for the team and coach Ryan Huska.

Matters were made worse when Huska announced that 34-year-old winger Blake Coleman would be out through the Olympic break with an upper-body injury, hamstringing Calgary’s leadership.

Mentioned in numerous trade talks, Coleman is second on the team with 13 goals, has 21 points and owns a plus-10 rating.

“I think what he brings on the ice is invaluable for our team,” Huska said, “but if you can find another word to describe what he brings off the ice, I’d use that word. He’s an important piece of our team, for sure.”

Off an assist from Jonathan Huberdeau, Morgan Frost scored his 11th goal in the setback in St. Paul, tying him for fourth on the team with Yegor Sharangovich.

Matt Coronato paces Calgary with 14 goals, and Mikael Backlund’s 12 is right behind Coleman’s number.

Goaltender Dustin Wolf’s first of two shutouts came Nov. 13 when the Flames beat San Jose 2-0 at home.

The blanking was the second ever by a California-born netminder against a California club. Vancouver’s Thatcher Demko shut out the Los Angeles Kings on Dec. 6, 2021.

–Field Level Media

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Cincinnati cruises past Oklahoma State with 3-point barrage

Syndication: The EnquirerCincinnati Bearcats forward Baba Miller (18) makes a basket from the two point line in the first half of a NCAA men’s basketball game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Oklahoma State Cowboys, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati.

Day Day Thomas heated up from long range, draining seven 3-pointers en route to a 26-point performance, Moustapha Thiam added 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds and host Cincinnati rolled to a 91-68 home victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon.

The Bearcats (16-13, 8-8 Big 12), which entered No. 54 in the NET rankings, have won five of their last six. Jizzle James and Baba Miller each finished with 11 points for Cincinnati.

Oklahoma State (17-12, 5-11), playing its first game since losing big man Parsa Fallah to a torn ACL, was overwhelmed throughout. Vyctorius Miller led the team with 15 points, while Jaylen Curry and Kanye Clary both added 11 points. The Cowboys have lost six of their last seven games.

The Bearcats seized control early, going on an 11-2 run highlighted by 3-pointers from Thomas and Thiam to lead 12-4 less than four minutes into the game.

Those early minutes foreshadowed the rest of the game.

Cincinnati dominated from the start, leading 51-33 at halftime. The Bearcats shot 53.1% from the floor, made seven three-pointers and won the rebounding battle 20-15 in the first half. They finished with a two-handed dunk by Thiam. Miller was credited with an assist on the play as he found Thiam open underneath.

In the second half, the Bearcats pulled away. They went on an 11-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Thomas to lead 65-37 with just under 15 minutes remaining. Cincinnati continued to extend the lead, reaching as many as 32 points, with an 81-49 advantage after another 3 from Thomas at the 8:22 mark.

Cincinnati finished with 14 made 3s, dished out 24 assists, and had a 24-7 edge in second-chance points. The Bearcats also led for 39:24 of the 40 minutes and improved to 14-3 at home.

Both teams return to action on Tuesday. Cincinnati hosts No. 19 BYU, while Oklahoma State travels to UCF.

–Field Level Media

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Bobby Durkin has career night as Minnesota tops UCLA

NCAA Basketball: Minnesota at MichiganFeb 24, 2026; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Bobby Durkin (3) dribbles against Michigan Wolverines guard Elliot Cadeau (3) in the second half at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Bobby Durkin scored a season-high 23 points with seven made 3-pointers and Langston Reynolds added 21 points with six assists as Minnesota claimed another victim at home with a 78-73 victory over UCLA at Minneapolis.

Cade Tyson also scored 21 points for the Golden Gophers (14-15, 7-11 Big Ten), who shot 62.3% from the floor and 52.2% from 3-point range. Durkin, who reached 1,000 points for his college career in the first half, went 7 of 11 from long range.

Minnesota improved to 12-4 at home this season with victories in its own building over a trio of ranked teams in Indiana, Iowa and Michigan State.

Tyler Bilodeau scored 32 points with eight rebounds and Eric Dailey Jr. added 18 points for the Bruins (19-10, 11-7), who failed to build off huge victories over No. 10 Illinois and rival Southern California over the past week.

Skyy Clark scored 17 points, while Donovan Dent had 15 assists but just three points, as UCLA now prepares for a key home game upcoming against No. 12 Nebraska.

With the game tied 61-61 with 7:59 remaining, Cade scored four points in a 6-0 run for Minnesota to give the Gophers a 67-61 lead with 6:15 left. The Bruins got within 76-73 on a three-point play from Bilodeau with 1:50 remaining.

The Bruins then missed four consecutive 3-pointers over the final 1:08, including two by Bilodeau, as the Gophers held on for the victory.

In a first half of swings, Minnesota led by as many as nine points early before UCLA went on a 17-3 run to lead by as many as seven points before taking a 41-40 lead into the break. Bilodeau had 16 points in the first half, while Dent had nine assists for UCLA.

Durkin scored 15 points in the first half for Minnesota and reached 1,000 points on one of his five 3-pointers before halftime. UCLA’s Clark reached 1,000 career points on a basket in the second half.

–Field Level Media

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On his bobblehead day, Nick Martinelli lifts Northwestern over Oregon

NCAA Basketball: Oregon at NorthwesternFeb 28, 2026; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats guard Angelo Ciaravino (44) blocks the shot of Oregon Ducks forward Kwame Evans Jr. (10) during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

Nick Martinelli produced the game-winning runner with one second remaining as part of his game-high 22 points to lift Northwestern to a 63-62 Big Ten win over Oregon on Saturday afternoon in Evanston, Ill.

On a day Northwestern handed out bobbleheads bearing his likeness, Martinelli added 11 rebounds, a career-high seven assists and career-high-tying three steals to lead the Wildcats (13-16, 5-13) to their third win in a row. Jayden Reid added 11 points.

Nate Bittle paced Oregon (11-18, 4-14) with 19 points and nine rebounds. Kwame Evans Jr. piled up 15 points and 15 rebounds while Takai Simpkins posted 11 points.

The Ducks led 36-29 at halftime and by 12 two minutes into the second half before Northwestern scored 17 of the ensuing 19 points to leap to a 48-45 lead with 12 minutes left.

Over the final seven minutes, the teams swapped the lead six times in their battle to move into 14th place in the Big Ten.

Oregon regained the front on a 3-point play by Bittle at the 4:37 mark, but the Wildcats tied it at 59 on Martinelli’s second-chance layup with 4:10 to play.

After empty possessions by both teams, Northwestern went up on Jayden Reid’s turnaround jumper with 2:24 remaining. The Ducks regained the lead when Wei Lin hit a 3-pointer with 50 seconds to play.

Martinelli missed a go-ahead jumper with 18 seconds left, but Northwestern’s Tre Singleton grabbed the rebound and the Wildcats called a timeout to set up a play. Martinelli got hemmed in 12 feet from the hoop, but he spun free for a left-handed runner that hung on the back of the rim for a few beats before falling through.

Oregon launched a 40-footer at the buzzer that did not fall.

Neither team could create separation early on. Northwestern built a 24-18 advantage on two Martinelli free throws with 8:04 to play until halftime, but the Ducks owned the rest of the half. They used a 10-2 run, capped by Bittle’s 3-point play, to take a 28-26 edge.

Bittle’s 12 points led all scorers before halftime while Martinelli paced the Wildcats with eight.

–Field Level Media

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