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
Led by Nick Boyd, Wisconsin stuns No. 8 Illinois in OT
Feb 10, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Will Garlock (23) screens Illinois Fighting Illini forward Ben Humrichhous (3) as guard Nick Boyd (2) drives the ball during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images Nick Boyd scored 19 of his 25 points after halftime and John Blackwell added 24 points to lead Wisconsin to a 92-90 overtime victory over No. 8 Illinois on Tuesday night in Big Ten play at Champaign, Ill.
Austin Rapp had 18 points off the bench as the Badgers (17-7, 9-4 Big Ten) won for the eighth time in their past 10 games. Wisconsin committed just four turnovers and recovered from a 12-point, second-half deficit to record its second huge road victory of the season. The Badgers notched a 91-88 win over then-No. 2 Michigan on Jan. 10.
Keaton Wagler scored 34 points and Tomislav Ivisic added 19 points and 11 rebounds for Illinois (20-5, 11-3), which lost its second straight contest following a 12-game winning streak.
David Mirkovic added 12 points, Jake Davis chipped in 11 and Ben Humrichous had 10 for the Fighting Illini, who played without Andrej Stojakovic (ankle).
Boyd converted a three-point play for the first points of overtime and Blackwell knocked down a trey to make it 87-81 with 3:24 left. Boyd added a driving hoop for an eight-point lead with 2:36 remaining.
Ivisic scored in the interior and Wagler buried a trey to bring the Illini within 89-86 with 1:30 left. Mirkovic split two free throws with 44 seconds left as Illinois moved within two.
Braeden Carrington made two free throws with 14.2 seconds left to give the Badgers a four-point lead. Humrichous then sank a trey to move Illinois within one with 6.3 seconds left.
Blackwell split two free throws with 5.7 seconds left, but Wagler’s running 3-pointer bounced off the rim as time expired.
The Illini shot 53.3% from the field, including 15 of 33 from 3-point range.
The Badgers made 43.4% of their attempts and hit 16 of 36 from behind the arc. Wisconsin beat the Illini for the second straight time after losing the previous nine.
Rapp buried a 3-pointer to give Wisconsin an 81-80 lead with 56.3 seconds remaining in regulation. Wagler was fouled and made the first free throw with 35.3 seconds left but missed the second to leave the game tied.
Blackwell made two 3-pointers as the Badgers opened the second half with an 11-2 spurt. His second trey gave Wisconsin a 49-46 lead.
The Badgers later led 51-49 before Illinois went on a 14-1 burst to take a 63-52 lead with 11:21 left.
Wagler’s 3-pointer gave Illinois a 68-56 advantage with 8:58 remaining. Illinois led by seven with under five minutes left before Blackwell and Boyd scored on layups and Rapp drained a 3-pointer to tie it at 76 with 2:19 left.
Ivisic scored 17 first-half points as the Illini led 44-38 at the break. Blackwell had 10 points in the half for the Badgers.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Emanuel Sharp's 3-point prowess powers No. 3 Houston past Utah
Feb 10, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Houston Cougars guard Emanuel Sharp (21) goes to the basket against Utah Utes forward James Okonkwo (32) during the first half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images Emanuel Sharp made a career-high eight 3-pointers and scored 27 points to lead No. 3 Houston to a 66-52 victory over Utah on Tuesday in Salt Lake City.
Sharp shot 8-for-13 from long distance to help the Cougars (22-2, 10-1 Big 12) win their fifth straight game and move into a tie with No. 1 Arizona atop the Big 12 standings. He has made 277 3-pointers at Houston, passing Marcus Sasser (276) as the school’s career leader in made 3-point field goals.
Sharp carried the Cougars on a night where no other Houston player scored in double figures. Leading scorer Kingston Flemings was held to four points on 2-of-9 shooting.
Keanu Dawes led Utah with 15 points and eight rebounds while Seydou Traore and Terrence Brown added 12 points apiece. The Utes (9-15, 1-10) committed 13 turnovers, leading to 20 Houston points, as they dropped their sixth game in a row.
Sharp gave Houston an early advantage with his hot outside shooting. He went 6 of 7 from 3-point range over the first 10-plus minutes to help the Cougars break open a close game.
Starting with Sharp’s last outside basket of the first half, Houston went on a 10-0 run to grab a 33-18 lead. Milos Uzan helped fuel the run with a pair of layups. The Utes went nearly 5 1/2 minutes without a point until Don McHenry ended the drought with a layup.
Houston missed seven consecutive shots to end the half, scoring a single point over the final four minutes before halftime. The drought opened the door for Utah to cut the deficit to 34-25 going into the locker room.
The Cougars kept Utah from drawing any closer. They scored four baskets on their first four possessions after halftime to fuel a 14-4 run. Sharp punctuated the surge with a pair of 3-pointers, giving Houston a 48-29 lead.
Houston led by as many as 22 points in the second half, going up 55-33 on a dunk from Chris Cenac Jr. with 8:13 remaining.
–Field Level Media
Sports
No. 21 Arkansas steamrolls LSU behind Darius Acuff Jr.'s 28
Feb 10, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr. (5) shoots against LSU Tigers forward Robert Miller III (6) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images Darius Acuff Jr. scored 28 points and No. 21 Arkansas never trailed in rolling past LSU 91-62 on Tuesday night in Southeastern Conference action at Baton Rouge, La.
Meleek Thomas added 20 points, Trevon Brazile had 14 points and 12 rebounds and Billy Richmond III scored 13 for the Razorbacks (18-6, 8-3 SEC) who won for the fifth time in six games, including an 85-81 victory over the visiting Tigers on Jan. 24.
Marquel Sutton scored 18, Pablo Tamba had 11 and Robert Miller III scored 10 to lead LSU (14-10, 2-9), which played its third consecutive game without starting point guard Dedan Thomas Jr., who leads the team in scoring (15.3) and assists (6.5), because of a lower-leg injury.
Arkansas played without two injured players — guards D.J. Wagner and Karter Knox, both of whom have started 18 games — and used just seven players until the final three minutes.
The Razorbacks shot 56.5% from the floor while the Tigers shot just 30.8% from the field and 14.3% on 3-pointers.
Acuff scored Arkansas’s first six points of the second half, and the Razorbacks increased their 15-point halftime lead to 19. The Tigers responded with the next four points, but Thomas scored five points during a 12-3 run that extended the lead to 60-36.
Miller made one free throw for LSU, but Arkansas scored the next nine points and held a 69-37 lead midway through the half.
Nick Pringle made a layup and Acuff and Brazile had consecutive three-point plays as the Razorbacks scored the first eight points of the game. Miller made a layup for LSU’s first points after nearly four minutes, but layups by Pringle and Acuff pushed the lead to 12-2.
PJ Carter hit a 3-pointer for the Tigers, but Arkansas answered with an 11-3 run to build a 15-point lead. The Razorbacks led by 15 again before Miller scored four points during a 6-0 run that brought LSU within 31-22.
Arkansas expanded its lead to 17 points before Jalen Reece’s jumper trimmed the lead to 42-27 at halftime.
–Field Level Media
Led by Nick Boyd, Wisconsin stuns No. 8 Illinois in OT
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