Sports
New York Hockey Trades Add Fuel to NHL Deadline Fire
Gotham-and-area goings on are adding intrigue to the NHL’s March 6 trade deadline, not to mention the roster freeze that is one week away.
The New York Islanders pulled off deals on successive days with their New York City and area rivals in an attempt to solidify their playoff hopes.
After acquiring defenseman Carson Soucy from the New York Rangers on Monday for a third-round pick, the Islanders turned to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday and acquired forward Ondrej Palat along with a third-round pick and sixth-round selection in exchange for Maxim Tsyplakov.
For the Islanders, Soucy added much-needed depth on defense, especially with a pair of rearguards on the shelf in Ryan Pulock (day-to-day) and Alexander Romanov expected to be out until around May.
The Islanders, currently third in the Metropolitan Division, are also hoping the struggling Palat — whose contract with a $6 million cap hit runs through next season — can regain the touch that made him a key part of two Stanley Cup titles with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
It is a bold strategy to believe Palat, who turns 35 in March, can turn around his game, but give the Islanders credit for trying something to re-ignite their woeful-of-late scoring depth.
What the trades mean to the other parties are wise moves as well.
The Rangers, who have fallen off the cliff for good this season, are in sell-off mode. Moving Soucy is the first of what should be a handful of moves, with forward Artemi Panarin pegged to be the biggest name headed out of Madison Square Garden.
What direction the Devils take from this point is less obvious.
On one hand, acquiring Tsyplakov — who, despite his skillset, has managed only one goal and one assist in 27 games during his second NHL season — not only makes the Devils slightly younger, but also provides more salary cap room. Tsyplakov, 27, carries a $2.25 million cap hit through next season.
In turn, the Devils have a couple of options while sitting five points back of a playoff position.
New Jersey, which is looking to find a taker for defenseman Dougie Hamilton and his contract worth $9 million per season through the 2027–28 campaign, is not ready to throw in the towel on the season — yet.
Nobody would be shocked if the Devils became aggressive before the Olympic roster freeze in the hopes of turning things around immediately. One name that springs to mind is Calgary Flames forward Blake Coleman, who would provide a significant upgrade to their third line — or even the second line — as well as their middling penalty kill.
It remains to be seen whether the Devils would be willing to part with the pieces needed to bring Coleman, signed through next season, back to New Jersey. He was drafted by the Devils and spent a handful of seasons with the club before being traded to Tampa Bay, where he won two Stanley Cups alongside Palat. However, the Devils and Flames have completed several trades over the past three seasons, so the clubs have a working relationship to build upon.
Then again, the Devils are also well-positioned to pivot if nothing comes together quickly enough and they continue to flounder.
New Jersey could just as easily become a seller. For example, if forward Dawson Mercer and a high draft pick fail to land an offensive forward capable of providing much-needed punch, Mercer could instead be flipped for prospects and/or picks for the future.
Bet on the Devils pursuing Plan A in hopes of salvaging a playoff spot — but definitely brace yourself for more action.
Sports
Spurs hand Lakers historic blowout loss
Feb 10, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots against Los Angeles Lakers forward Maxi Kleber (14) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Victor Wembanyama scored 37 of his 40 points in the first half, Carter Bryant added 16 points off the bench and the visiting San Antonio Spurs turned a fast start into a dominating 135-108 victory over the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
Dylan Harper scored 15 points and Harrison Barnes added 11 as the Spurs matched a season high with their fifth consecutive victory. Stephon Castle had seven assists in 12 minutes before he departed after sustaining a pelvic contusion in the second quarter and did not return.
Wembanyama also had 12 rebounds while going 13 of 20 from the floor and left for good in the third quarter with the game well in hand.
The Spurs won the season series 3-1 over the Lakers, who were missing Luka Doncic (hamstring), LeBron James (foot), Austin Reaves (calf) Deandre Ayton (knee) and Marcus Smart (ankle).
Drew Timme and Luke Kennard each scored 14 points for the Lakers, who have lost consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 15-17. Bronny James had a season-high 12 points in 25 minutes for Los Angeles.
While Doncic missed his third consecutive game, James and Reaves were out on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Spurs were aggressive from the jump, taking a 14-4 less than three minutes into the game and leading 47-30 after one quarter. It tied the franchise record for first-quarter points, with the Spurs last doing it in 1993.
San Antonio led by as many as 30 points in the second quarter and took an 84-55 lead into halftime. It was the second highest scoring first half in franchise history and the most ever scored against the Lakers in any half in franchise history.
Wembanyama departed for good with 4:13 remaining in the third after scoring his 40th point on a 3-pointer that gave the Spurs a 100-68 lead.
The Spurs shot 63.8% from the floor in the first half and 56.5% in the game. The Lakers were shooting 44.7% at the half and finished the game at 48.2%.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Graham Ike puts up 20 as No. 12 Gonzaga wallops Washington State
Feb 10, 2026; Spokane, Washington, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (15) dunks the ball against Washington State Cougars forward Eemeli Yalaho (2) in the first half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images Graham Ike scored 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field and added a game-high seven rebounds in just 23 minutes as No. 12 Gonzaga cruised to a 83-53 victory against Washington State on Tuesday in Spokane, Wash.
Freshman Davis Fogle came off the bench to score 17 points and Adam Miller and Mario Saint-Supery added 11 apiece for the Bulldogs (24-2, 12-1 West Coast Conference), who will play Saturday at Santa Clara in a first-place showdown.
Jerone Morton led Washington State (11-16, 6-8) with 15 points. Rihards Vavers added 14 and Ace Glass scored 12.
Gonzaga shot 54.8% from the field (34 of 62) while limiting the Cougars to 39.1% (18 of 46).
The Bulldogs had a 33-7 edge in bench scoring, 50-22 on points in the paint and 31-8 on points off turnovers.
After trailing by 27 at the half, the Cougars pulled within 54-33 on a 3-pointer by Morton with 13:33 remaining.
Gonzaga then went on a 15-0 run, with Emmanuel Innocenti making a dunk followed by a 3-pointer, to leave no doubt. That streak came to an end when Ike was called for a technical for hanging on the rim after a dunk, with Glass making both free throws.
The Bulldogs made almost as many field goals in the first half (21) as Washington State attempted (23) in building a 48-21 lead.
That’s because Gonzaga forced 11 turnovers while committing just three, leading to a 17-0 scoring advantage off miscues.
Miller scored all 11 of his points before the intermission and Ike added 10.
The Cougars tied the score at 6-all on a three foul shots by Morton before Gonzaga went on an 8-0 run, with Braeden Smith making two free throws and a pull-up jumper in the lane.
Another 8-0 run, which included a jumper and a driving layup by Saint-Supery, gave the Bulldogs a 29-13 edge.
And a 9-0 run late in the half, sparked by an Ike dunk, made it 44-19. Fogle completed a three-point play and Miller capped that stretch with a driving layup and two free throws.
The Bulldogs played their eighth straight game without injured forward/center Braden Huff (knee).
Gonzaga swept the regular-season series against the Cougars, also winning 86-65 on Jan. 15 in Pullman, Wash.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Victor Wembanyama's 25-point quarter sparks Spurs' rout of Lakers
Feb 10, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots against Los Angeles Lakers forward Maxi Kleber (14) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Victor Wembanyama scored 37 of his 40 points in the first half, Carter Bryant added a career-high 16 points off the bench and the visiting San Antonio Spurs turned a fast start into a dominating 135-108 victory over the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
Wembanyama put up 25 points in the first quarter — a San Antonio record for any period since play-by-play was tracked.
Dylan Harper scored 15 points and Harrison Barnes added 11 as the Spurs matched a season high with their fifth consecutive victory. Stephon Castle had two points and seven assists in 12 minutes before he departed after sustaining a pelvic contusion in the second quarter. He did not return.
Wembanyama also grabbed 12 rebounds while going 13 of 20 from the floor. He left for good in the third quarter with the game well in hand.
The Spurs won the season series 3-1 over the Lakers, who were missing Luka Doncic (hamstring), LeBron James (foot), Austin Reaves (calf) Deandre Ayton (knee) and Marcus Smart (ankle).
Drew Timme and Luke Kennard each scored 14 points for the Lakers, who have lost consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 15-17. Bronny James had a season-high 12 points in 25 minutes for Los Angeles.
While Doncic missed his third consecutive game, James and Reaves were out on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Spurs were aggressive from the jump, taking a 14-4 lead less than three minutes into the game and going up 47-30 after one quarter.
San Antonio led by as many as 30 points in the second quarter and took an 84-55 lead into halftime. The Spurs tied the second-highest-scoring first half in franchise history, and it was the most scored against the Lakers in a first half in franchise history.
Wembanyama departed for good with 4:13 remaining in the third after scoring his 40th point on a 3-pointer that gave the Spurs a 100-68 lead.
The Spurs shot 63.8% from the floor in the first half and 56.5% in the game. The Lakers were shooting 44.7% at the half and finished the game at 48.2%.
–Field Level Media
Spurs hand Lakers historic blowout loss
Graham Ike puts up 20 as No. 12 Gonzaga wallops Washington State
