Sports
Islanders clash with Canadiens in pivotal conference matchup
Feb 5, 2026; Newark, New Jersey, USA; New York Islanders left wing Jonathan Drouin (29) skates past New Jersey Devils right wing Lenni Hameenaho (29) pursues during the third period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images Two teams look to solidify their holds on a playoff spot when the New York Islanders visit the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday in the first game for each following the NHL’s pause for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
The Islanders sit third in the Metropolitan Division with 69 points, one behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for second in the division, though Pittsburgh holds two games in hand. New York won its last two games before the break and has won five of its past seven overall.
“The break gave us a chance to recover, both with little injuries and the mental aspect of the game,” Islanders center Jean-Gabriel Pageau said. “It gave us a chance to look at ourselves in the mirror and see where we can be better. We took advantage of practices in the past week to work on those details. We’re all excited to get back to action.”
The power play is one area that they will be watching. It’s been a season-long struggle on the man advantage for New York, which sits 30th in the NHL with a mere 15.7% success rate. The Islanders are 0-for-10 over their past five games, a drought that comes after their most successful stretch of the season on the power play over their previous seven outings. They went 6-for-24 during that run, connecting at a 25% clip.
They’ll also be looking for more offensive contributions from their depth, namely forward Jonathan Drouin. The 30-year-old has just three goals in 51 games this season while averaging 17:17 of ice time, third-most among active forwards on the team.
“If you probably ask him, (Drouin) probably would like to score a goal and take some pressure off of himself,” Islanders coach Patrick Roy said. “Eventually, I mean, his confidence will be back. But I like the fact that he’s focusing on the big picture. And to me, the big picture is how you play with or without the puck. … He’s bringing a lot to the team that maybe sometimes we don’t place enough attention on.”
The Canadiens will be looking to pick up where they left off before the break, having won four of five (4-0-1) and six of their previous nine.
They’ll welcome back forward Alex Newhook for Thursday’s tilt after a 40-game absence following surgery for a fractured ankle sustained Nov. 13.
“It’s been a while since he’s played, but it’s been encouraging watching him in practice this week. He has jump,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said.
Newhook was off to a solid start this season, with 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 17 games. He’s on pace for 30 points in 42 games, should he play in all of Montreal’s remaining 25 contests — an output that would match the third-highest total of his career.
“I think I gained a lot of confidence from the start of the year,” Newhook said. “I have expectations for myself and had expectations coming into the year as to where I thought I could be as a player and what kind of player I could be to this team. I think early on in the season I proved that.”
The Canadiens entered Wednesday in second place in the Atlantic Division with 72 points, tied with the Detroit Red Wings but holding a game in hand.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Cincinnati to sue ex-QB Brendan Sorsby for $1M
Nov 29, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby (2) throws the ball during the second half against the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images The Cincinnati athletic department said it will enforce its contractual agreement with former quarterback Brendan Sorsby in an effort to recoup university resources, the school said in a statement Wednesday.
The Athletic and On3 both reported Wednesday that Cincinnati was set to file a $1 million lawsuit against Sorsby after the quarterback transferred to Texas Tech in January.
Sorsby signed a multi-year revenue-sharing agreement with Cincinnati in July of last year, before he revealed in December that he would transfer. On Jan. 5, three days after he entered the transfer portal, Sorsby committed to Texas Tech.
On3 reported that Sorsby signed a $5 million deal to play for the Red Raiders in 2026.
“Cincinnati athletics is proud to partner with its student-athletes and honors the contractual commitments it makes to them,” the Cincinnati athletic department said in a statement. “We expect student-athletes and their representatives to do the same. In his lucrative NIL agreement with Cincinnati Athletics, Brendan Sorsby committed to stay and play for two seasons as a proud Bearcat representative.
“He also agreed that if he left the university before that time, he would pay the university a specific amount for the substantial harm that his breach would cause. Cincinnati Athletics intends to enforce that contractual commitment. As stewards of the university’s resources, the Athletics Department has a duty to do so. We thank Brendan for his time at Cincinnati and wish him success in the future.”
Sorsby threw for 2,800 yards and 27 touchdowns with five interceptions for Cincinnati last season. He also rushed for nine touchdowns.
Sorsby has three seasons of starting experience, one for Indiana in 2023 and two with Cincinnati.
Overall, Sorsby has passed for 7,208 career yards and 60 touchdowns against 18 interceptions. He has 1,295 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Why The Darryn Peterson Backlash Has Gone Too Far
There’s been so much backlash to Kansas star Darryn Peterson missing time that we’ve reached the backlash-to-the-backlash portion of the public discourse.
Jay Bilas called the criticism of Peterson “unfair” and said if he really wanted to shut it down for the season, he’d do so and still go No. 1 in the NBA draft. His coach Bill Self, whose bluntness a week ago gave credence to many of these narratives about Peterson’s availability, has taken the national media to task for those exact narratives.
So I’m here to provide the backlash to the backlash to the backlash.
It can probably be summed up in one sentence: If we accept that no questions can be lodged about Peterson’s heart, then something is really worrisome about Peterson’s body.
The freshman phenom has been terrific when he’s on the court. But after hurting his hamstring early in his season, he’s also missed time with cramping, ankle and quad issues and flu-like symptoms.
He’s played 465 minutes of a possible 1,130 — for comparison, teammate Melvin Council Jr. has been out there for 968 minutes. It’s earned him an undeniably funny nickname from the haters based on his initials: DNP.
This really hit a fever pitch earlier this month. Before Kansas faced undefeated No. 1 Arizona, Peterson was ruled out with flu-like symptoms 10 minutes before the game. The Jayhawks handed the Cats their first loss anyway. Then he scored 23 points at Oklahoma State but removed himself early in the second half and watched the rest of the game.
At that point, Self — who’s stuck up for his player all season and said he agreed with Peterson’s family that the guard should only play when close to 100% — made his revelatory comments.
“I thought we were past it, but obviously we’re not,” Self said. “It’s certainly a concern. You get into the NCAA Tournament, you’re playing a team just as good as you and you need to have all your best players available, so to speak.”
Ah, proof! Peterson (specifically, any “protect yourself” advice from his agent) was wearing on the Hall of Fame coach. The internet ran wild. What a bad teammate. These guys are paid now, so we can criticize them like professionals. And so on.
Peterson even did one of the rarest things imaginable and got “First Take” to talk about college basketball before March, Stephen A. Smith declaring that “no team in hell” should draft Peterson No. 1.
I agree, but not for the reason everyone seems to be settling on.
First of all, this class is loaded. AJ Dybantsa was the big thing coming out of high school. Cameron Boozer now looks like the can’t-miss prospect of this group. Wait, I meant Caleb Wilson at North Carolina. Then Arkansas’ Darius Acuff dropped 49 points – 41 in regulation! – after wearing a walking boot for two days, and the same night Peterson had a little cramp against Oklahoma State.
You, a tanking, rebuilding NBA franchise, don’t have to feel tied to Peterson at Nos. 1, 2 or 3. There are tons of great flavors of ice cream out there this year.
And moreover, the availability thing does not have to be a reflection on Peterson’s character or competitiveness. It can simply be about his body’s ability to withstand an 82-game NBA season, when he can barely play two-thirds of a college season. Why is he cramping so often and why can’t he get through it with some electrolytes and massage guns? It’s stumping Self, so it sure as hell stumps me.
It doesn’t help that Peterson has rarely spoken to the media throughout this campaign, leaving a vacuum for Reddit threads and conspiracy theories. He gave ESPN an interview before the Jayhawks’ game Monday, and said, “Basketball is my life… If you would have asked me last year, what were my goals for this year, I would never mention missing games.”
Then Kansas toppled No. 5 Houston on Monday, and Peterson (14 points) said afterward he ignores the internet’s criticism. “I’ve kind of been an anti-social loner my whole life, so I just kind of deal with it on my own,” he said.
I don’t know, I get Kawhi Leonard vibes when I hear him talk, but maybe I’m being unfair. I’m sorry, Jay Bilas!
Kansas has won and lost without Peterson. It’s won in impressive fashion and lost in embarrassing fashion with Peterson. One thing you shouldn’t do is pick the Jayhawks to go all the way in your bracket. We can take Peterson at his word that he wants to be out there, but you never know when the cramping will take hold.
Sports
U.S. Olympian Brady Tkachuk leads Senators against Red Wings
Feb 22, 2026; Milan, Italy; Brady Tkachuk (7) of the United States celebrates after defeating Canada in the men’s ice hockey gold medal game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images The Detroit Red Wings visit the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night in a matchup of teams beginning their final sprint for spots in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Red Wings, looking to snap a nine-year playoff drought, are tied for second place in the Atlantic Division with the Montreal Canadiens but have played one more game. The Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins are two and three points behind Detroit, respectively.
The Senators sit fifth in the Eastern Conference wild-card race, six points behind the second-place Bruins.
Ottawa welcomes back forward Brady Tkachuk after the Canada residents rooted against him Sunday in the gold-medal game at the Olympics.
“They’re not the happiest with me right now,” Tkachuk said on Fox News after helping the United States defeat Canada for gold. “I’m just going to go back and give them everything that I’ve got. It’s a funny feeling when you feel their support every day, and then, within two weeks, you’re Public Enemy No. 1.
“I’m going back with a smile on my face, and I’m getting ready for a playoff push.”
Ottawa rolled into the Olympic break, winning five of six, but faces a tough road — literally — as play resumes. After hosting the Red Wings, Ottawa embarks on a five-game road trip with stops in Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Seattle and Vancouver.
After a full week of practice for those who did not go the Olympics, play resumes
“I think once Thursday comes, we’ll be ready,” Senators forward Nick Cousins told Sportsnet. “I think I can speak for the guys in the room. I think everybody’s kind of itching to get going here and play some games.”
“The guys are sick of practice,” he joked.
After returning from a leave of absence, goalie Linus Ullmark played two games before the break. He won both, stopping 40 of 43 shots. Ullmark is 9-2-2 with a 2.13 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage in 13 games versus the Red Wings.
The Senators have allowed just 11 goals over their past six games.
Detroit stumbled into the Olympic break, losing four of five (1-3-1) and scoring a total of seven goals, but remain in control of its post-season fate.
“You work all season to be in that spot, and now we’re in a great position to hopefully do some damage along the way,” Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider said following his return from the Olympics. “I think everyone is looking forward to it.”
Red Wings goalie John Gibson is 6-3-2 with a 2.20 GAA and .926 save percentage in 11 games against the Senators.
Olympian Lucas Raymond also returned to Detroit practice on Tuesday.
“You kind of get pumped up to get back, and I think that kind of brings it up a notch,” he said. “We’ve had a tough (couple of weeks) here, where maybe we haven’t been playing up to our standard.”
After a stop in Ottawa, the Red Wings travel to Carolina and Nashville.
It’s the third of four meetings between the Atlantic Division rivals. The Red Wings beat the host Senators 5-3 on Jan. 5 behind a goal and two assists from James van Riemsdyk. On Jan. 19, Alex DeBrincat scored 36 seconds into overtime to lift host Detroit to a 4-3 win.
The Red Wings are 10-4-2 against the Atlantic Division.
–Field Level Media
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Reports: Cincinnati to sue ex-QB Brendan Sorsby for $1M
