Sports
Cole Caufield, Habs out to extend Knights' tough stretch
Jan 24, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Montreal Canadiens right wing Cole Caufield (13) reacts after scoring a goal during the second period against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images Cole Caufield will look to continue his torrid goal-scoring pace on Tuesday when the Montreal Canadiens host the Vegas Golden Knights.
Caufield recorded his second career hat trick in Montreal’s 4-3 setback to the Boston Bruins on Saturday, extending his point streak to five games (eight goals, two assists) in the process.
With a goal on Tuesday, Caufield will match Max Pacioretty and Max Domi for the longest goal streaks in franchise history over the last 30 years. Pacioretty scored in six straight games in 2014-15, and Domi matched that in 2019-20.
Boasting a team-leading 29 goals, Caufield is trending toward becoming the Canadiens’ first 40-goal scorer since Vincent Damphousse reached the mark in 1993-94.
Caufield isn’t interested in chasing records, only wins.
“It’s obviously frustrating,” Caufield said after Montreal dropped its second straight game on Saturday. “But it’s a team game and I think we all could have been better.
“This was a huge two points that we needed. So back to work (this) week and got to learn from this one.”
Caufield joined Zack Bolduc and former top overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky in collecting a goal and an assist in the Canadiens’ 4-1 victory over the Golden Knights on Nov. 28.
Captain Nick Suzuki, who has team-leading 59 points, set up a goal in the first encounter versus Vegas. He carries a five-game point streak (two goals, seven assists) into Tuesday’s rematch.
Sam Montembeault turned aside 30 of 31 shots in the first meeting with the Golden Knights. He has struggled of late, however, yielding seven goals on 37 shots over his last two games.
Jakub Dobes, who is 5-0-1 in his last six games, likely will draw the start for the Canadiens on Tuesday.
Vegas captain Mark Stone scored his team’s lone goal against Montreal in November. However, he saw his 14-game point streak come to a halt in a 7-1 shellacking by the Ottawa Senators on Sunday.
“It looked like an NHL team versus a junior team,” Stone said after his club fell for the third time in four games following a season-high seven-game winning streak.
“It just wasn’t, it wasn’t what we are. So, I’m sure there’s certain things that we’ll probably flush, but you can’t just flush it, because you can’t let this be the expectation.”
Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy wasn’t going to leave it there.
“I didn’t like our battle level at all, our compete, our races early on,” Cassidy said. “And typically the team will have pushback, but we didn’t really have that either. So this one, we’re going to have to have an honest discussion about it.”
New acquisition Rasmus Andersson provided his team’s lone goal on Sunday. Andersson was playing in just his second game with the Golden Knights after being acquired in a trade with the Calgary Flames on Jan. 18.
Jack Eichel, who leads the team in assists (42) and points (61), saw his 11-game point streak (seven goals, 13 assists) come to a halt on Sunday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Thunder's Nikola Topic back after cancer battle
Oct 5, 2025; North Charleston, South Carolina, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Nikola Topic (44) drives up the court against the Charlotte Hornets at North Charleston Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Arthur Ellis-Imagn Images Nikola Topic, an Oklahoma City Thunder first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, made his debut in the G League Monday night as he returned from fighting testicular cancer.
The 12th overall pick in that draft, Topic scored seven points and added seven assists in 16 minutes for the Oklahoma City Blue in their 137-135 overtime win over the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
He is a 6-foot-6 point guard from Serbia.
Topic, 20, has yet to play in a regular-season game for the Thunder. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee a few weeks before the draft and did not play as a rookie. Then, in October, he was diagnosed with cancer and underwent chemotherapy.
“There was probably a ton of emotions that he was going through,” Blue head coach Daniel Dixon told reporters postgame. “Having something taken away from you that you loved from a young age cannot be easy, and so, just to see his resilience and him to know that the whole organization is behind him, we’re pushing him forward.”
He added: “Just seeing him crack a smile while being out there on the court again, doing what he enjoys doing, what he loves to do, being out there with his teammates. I mean, there was so many positive things.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Raptors' Brandon Ingram to replace Stephen Curry in ASG
Feb 5, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram (3) holds the ball from Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams (44) in the second half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram on Tuesday was named to replace injured Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry on USA Stripes in the upcoming NBA All-Star Game.
The selection of Ingram was made by NBA commissioner Adam Silver. The All-Star Game will take place on Sunday at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.
Ingram, 28, will be playing in his second NBA All-Star Game and first since the 2019-20 season.
He is averaging 22.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 52 games (all starts) this season.
Curry, a two-time NBA All-Star Game MVP, will not compete in Sunday’s annual showcase due to an ongoing injury to his right knee.
The 37-year-old is averaging 27.2 points, 4.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 39 games (all starts) this season.
Curry, who has not played since leaving a Jan. 30 home game against the Detroit Pistons, joins Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdomen) as All-Stars who will miss the game. Gilgeous-Alexander has been replaced on the Team World roster by Houston Rockets’ center Alperen Sengun.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jayson Tatum’s Possible Return Changes Everything for Boston Celtics
This was supposed to be a down year for the Boston Celtics.
Al Horford, the heart and soul of the Celtics, went to the Warriors in free agency. Kristaps Porzingis was shipped off to the Hawks for virtually nothing. Jrue Holiday was flipped to the Trail Blazers for Anfernee Simons, and even depth pieces like Luke Kornet elected to leave for the Spurs in free agency.
Most importantly, in last season’s Eastern Conference Semifinals, Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles tendon — an injury most would have assumed would sideline him for all of this season.
Fast forward to today, and the Celtics are 34-19 and tied for second place in the East. Jaylen Brown has silenced plenty of haters with an MVP-level season, and head coach Joe Mazzulla continues to prove why he’s one of the best leaders in the NBA.
It’s truly been an incredibly fun season for Celtics fans. This year felt like house money, but now Boston is in position to win the East in what was supposed to be a down season.
I wouldn’t bet on this Celtics team to win the East as they’re currently constructed. I’m not sure I love their trade for Nikola Vucevic, but the move I’m most excited about is the potential return of Jayson Tatum.
Boston continues to say it’s being cautious with Tatum, so if that’s the case, he might be superhuman. Early reports highlighted how quickly Tatum was progressing in his recovery, and now he’s been cleared to practice with the Celtics’ G League affiliate in Maine.
Every rational person assumed Tatum would miss the entire season. He still might be out for the remainder of the year, but it’s starting to look like that won’t be the case. If he’s already able to fully practice, how long before he’s back as a full participant?
The Eastern Conference is completely wide open. You cannot rush Tatum back for the sake of his career, but if he’s able to play, would the Celtics instantly become the favorites again?
Most players need a full year of live action to get their legs back after an Achilles tear, but with how quickly Tatum has recovered, he may simply be an athletic anomaly.
Once again, Boston looks like the smartest organization in the league. They moved off big-money contracts in Porzingis and Holiday, retained an elite core led by arguably the best coach in basketball, and now their top-10 player could return for the playoffs.
Boston is +380 to win the East, and that number feels like it has real value. Revenge against the Knicks would certainly be on the table after last year’s second-round upset, and if James Harden doesn’t mesh in Cleveland, Detroit may be the only true competition.
It might be time to start respecting the Celtics again.
Thunder's Nikola Topic back after cancer battle
Primary Ventures raises healthy $625M Fund V to focus on seed investing
