Sports
NHL roundup: Blues blitz Blackhawks in Winter Classic
Dec 31, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Blues defenseman Cam Fowler (17) celebrates after his goal against the Chicago Blackhawks during the second period in the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images Cam Fowler scored two goals in his 1,000th career game as the visiting St. Louis Blues routed the Blackhawks 6-2 on Tuesday in the NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Justin Faulk had a goal and two assists to boost the Blues, who improved to 3-0-0 in Winter Classic games.
Dylan Holloway and Alexandre Texier both had a goal and assist to help the Blues win for the third time in four games while sending the Blackhawks to their fifth straight defeat. Jordan Binnington stopped 28 shots for St. Louis.
Taylor Hall and Tyler Bertuzzi scored for Chicago, while Petr Mrazek made 22 saves. Chicago fell to 0-5-0 in the Winter Classic and 1-6-0 in outdoor games.
Capitals 3, Bruins 1
Washington scored twice in a first-period span of 5:06 and held on for a win over visiting Boston.
Aliaksei Protas scored two bookending goals around Jakob Chychrun’s game-winner for the Capitals. Tom Wilson dished out a pair of assists for Washington, and Logan Thompson made 26 saves en route to his third straight win.
Justin Brazeau opened the scoring with his third goal in four games while Jeremy Swayman stopped 24 shots for the Bruins, who finished 9-4-1 in December despite losing two of their last three.
Maple Leafs 3, Islanders 1
Steven Lorentz scored the go-ahead goal in the second period as Toronto defeated visiting New York.
David Kampf and John Tavares also scored for the Maple Leafs, who had lost three of their previous four games. William Nylander had two assists, and Joseph Woll stopped 30 shots.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored for the Islanders, who have lost three of four entering a home rematch against the Maple Leafs on Thursday. Ilya Sorokin made 22 saves.
Canadiens 3, Golden Knights 2
Kirby Dach scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period and Sam Montembeault made 27 saves as visiting Montreal scored three unanswered goals in its comeback victory at Las Vegas.
Cole Caufield scored his 100th career goal and Emil Heineman also scored for the Canadiens, who won their third straight game with their first multi-goal comeback win of the season.
Zach Whitecloud and Noah Hanifin scored goals for Vegas, which had a season-best six-game win streak snapped. Adin Hill finished with 19 saves for the Golden Knights, who fell to 15-4-0 at home this season.
Stars 4, Sabres 2
Jason Robertson had a goal and two assists for Dallas in a victory against visiting Buffalo.
Roope Hintz and Esa Lindell also scored, Thomas Harley added two assists and Casey DeSmith made 21 saves for the Stars, who are 3-0-1 in their past four games.
Jason Zucker and Beck Malenstyn scored for the Sabres, who had their three-game winning streak snapped. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 29 saves.
Wild 5, Predators 3
Marco Rossi had two goals and one assist as Minnesota pulled away for a win over Nashville in Saint Paul, Minn.
Mats Zuccarello and Jonas Brodin each added one goal and one assist for the Wild, who earned their third win in four games. Minnesota’s Declan Chisholm also scored, Joel Eriksson Ek logged two assists, and Filip Gustavsson stopped 43 of 46 shots.
Colton Sissons, Jonathan Marchessault and Ryan O’Reilly each scored for the Predators, who got two assists from Brady Skjei. Justus Annunen allowed five goals on 38 shots.
Blue Jackets 4, Hurricanes 3 (SO)
Adam Fantilli scored the shootout winner in the fourth round as host Columbus edged Carolina to improve to 4-1-1 in its past six games.
Kirill Marchenko scored twice, Dmitri Voronkov added a goal and an assist, and Sean Monahan had three helpers for the Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins made 32 saves for his third win in his past four starts (3-0-1).
Ty Smith, Jack Roslovic and Jesperi Kotkaniemi tallied for Carolina, which fell to 2-3-1 over its past six. Sebastian Aho had a pair of helpers, and Kochetkov stopped 25 shots.
Avalanche 5, Jets 2
Casey Mittelstadt scored the go-ahead goal in the third period as Colorado beat Winnipeg in Denver.
Artturi Lehkonen, Devon Toews, Mikko Rantanen and Ross Colton also scored, Josh Manson and Jonathan Drouin each had two assists and Mackenzie Blackwood turned away 20 shots for the Avalanche, who have won five in a row.
Gabriel Vilardi and Rasmus Kupari had goals and Eric Comrie made 33 saves for the Jets, who had their four-game winning streak snapped.
Red Wings 4, Penguins 2
J.T. Compher scored the go-ahead goal on a power play with 5:34 remaining as host Detroit topped Pittsburgh.
Detroit coach Todd McLellan, who replaced Derek Lalonde last week, recorded his 600th career victory. He improved to 2-1-0 behind the Red Wings’ bench. Compher and Jonatan Berggren each had a goal and an assist while Patrick Kane and Dylan Larkin also scored for Detroit.
Drew O’Connor notched the second multi-goal game of his career for the Penguins. Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 21 shots.
Oilers 4, Utah 1
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Troy Stecher scored 20 seconds apart in the second period as Edmonton beat the visiting Utah Hockey Club.
Mattias Ekholm had a goal and an assist and Leon Draisaitl also scored as the Oilers moved to 9-1-0 in their past 10 home games. Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Connor Brown had two assists apiece, and Stuart Skinner stopped 26 shots.
Jack McBain scored for Utah, which lost its fifth straight game (0-4-1). Jaxson Stauber made 34 saves.
Ducks 3, Devils 2
Ryan Strome scored the tiebreaking goal with 3:24 remaining as Anaheim escaped with its second straight win after blowing a two-goal lead against visiting New Jersey.
Troy Terry and Robby Fabbri scored the first two goals for the Ducks, who lost the lead in a span of nearly eight minutes in the third period. Strome wound up with two points, as did teammate Frank Vatrano (two assists). Lukas Dostal made 32 saves.
Jonas Siegenthaler and Timo Meier tallied for New Jersey, which has dropped back-to-back games. Jacob Markstrom stopped 23 shots but had a personal six-game winning streak end.
Flames 3, Canucks 1
Nazem Kadri scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period and Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and an assist to lead Calgary past visiting Vancouver.
Connor Zary also scored for the Flames, who improved to 13-4-3 at home and 4-1-2 in the past seven games overall. Calgary goalie Dustin Wolf made 23 saves, hiking his home record to 10-1-1.
Brock Boeser scored and Kevin Lankinen finished with 26 saves for the Canucks, who fell to 1-2-3 in the past six games.
Flyers 4, Sharks 0
Samuel Ersson and Aleksei Kolosov combined to stop all 22 shots they faced as Philadelphia sent host San Jose to its eighth straight loss.
Ersson made 15 saves across two periods before being forced out with an undisclosed injury. Kolosov handled all seven shots he faced in the third. Nick Seeler, Ryan Poehling, Travis Konecny and Egor Zamula all scored, with Jamie Drysdale and Bobby Brink each tallying two assists. Zamula added an assist.
Alexandar Georgiev turned aside 30 of the 34 shots he faced as the Sharks slipped to 0-7-1 in the past eight games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tre Carroll helps Xavier continue success over Georgetown
Feb 28, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Xavier Musketeers guard Roddie Anderson III (0) battles for the loose ball against the Georgetown Hoyas in the first half at the Cintas Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images Tre Carroll scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half, Roddie Anderson III added 21 points and Xavier powered past Georgetown 91-84 on Saturday in a Big East Conference game at Cincinnati.
Filip Borovicanin added 18 for Xavier (14-15, 6-12 Big East), which beat Georgetown for the eighth time in nine meetings while winning for just the third time in 11 games overall.
Georgetown (13-16, 5-13) dropped its sixth straight while playing its first game without its starting point guard and leading scorer KJ Lewis, who is out for the season with a left ankle injury that occurred in a loss to Marquette earlier in the week.
Kayvaun Mulready led the Hoyas with 19 points while Malik Mack added 17.
Jeremiah Williams replaced Lewis in the starting lineup and scored 10 points while making his second start of the season, and first since the Big East opener. Williams scored seven points and dished out four assists in the first half as Georgetown took a 39-38 lead into the break.
Xavier withstood a five-minute scoring drought in the first half and ended the first half on a 12-5 run that cut Georgetown’s eight-point advantage to one.
Borovicanin opened the second half with a 3-pointer and then a steal and a breakaway dunk on the next possession to cap off Xavier’s 10-0 run bridging the end of the first half and the end of the second half while putting the Musketeers up 43-39.
Following a Julius Halaifonua layup to bring Georgetown within one at 45-44, Carroll scored Xavier’s next 12 points. Isaiah Walker’s mid-range jumper broke the run but put Xavier ahead 59-53 with 11:34 remaining.
Anderson knocked down a 3-pointer with 8:08 left to put Xavier ahead 70-61 prompting a timeout from Georgetown head coach Ed Cooley.
Xavier led 73-63 on a Borovicanin three-point play with 6:58 left before Georgetown closed within 75-72 on a Vince Iwuchukwu three-point play with 4:38 left. Xavier built the lead back to 10 on a Borovicanin 3-pointer with 3:23 remaining.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Wolves, Nuggets each bring an edge into finale of season series
Jan 31, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images The Minnesota Timberwolves wrap up a three-game road trip at the Denver Nuggets on Sunday afternoon with a chance to improve their seeding in the Western Conference playoff picture.
Minnesota has won the first two games of its trip and now faces a tough task against its Northwest Division rival.
Denver already secured the tiebreaker in the season series by winning the first three matchups. With both teams holding identical 37-23 records, the winner of Sunday’s game will have sole possession of fourth in the Western Conference standings.
The Nuggets have lost three of their first five games out of the All-Star break, including a 127-121 overtime setback at Oklahoma City on Friday night. Sunday’s game gives them a chance to get back some momentum.
The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic appears to already have a postseason mindset after mixing it up with the Thunder during the loss.
Jokic was knocked down when Luguentz Dort hit him with his hip in the fourth quarter and then confronted the Oklahoma City forward. There was pushing and shoving before Dort was assessed a flagrant-2 foul and ejected.
Jokic, who leads Denver in points (28.7), rebounds (12.6) and assists (10.5), has a casual and deliberate demeanor on the court that belies his competitive nature.
“I think he was reacting to what was being done to him,” Denver head coach David Adelman said. “And his reaction’s not going to be to cower away. He’s competitive.”
Playing Minnesota again should keep that fiery spirit alive for Jokic and the rest of the Nuggets. The teams have forged a rivalry over the last four seasons, including two playoff series.
There is no question about the fiery nature and competitive spirit of Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.
Edwards missed the first game against the Nuggets this season but is averaging 35.0 points in the two games between the teams. That includes a 44-point performance on Christmas night before he was ejected in overtime for arguing foul calls.
Edwards, who leads the Timberwolves in scoring at 29.6 points a game, doesn’t confine his arguments to opponents and officials. He got into a verbal exchange with head coach Chris Finch after hitting a 3-pointer to seal a 94-88 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.
It is a feature of their relationship, according to teammates.
“They go at it. Honestly, they do,” Timberwolves guard Mike Conley said. “They go at it… They have days where they’re getting ready to fight, and then after the game they hug each other.”
Finch confirmed that in an interview on Fox Sports Radio.
“We’re both fiery competitors. It’s been part of our relationship since Day 1. … We say these things to each other and we move on,” Finch said. “We don’t take it personally.”
The task of stopping Jokic will fall mainly on Rudy Gobert, who leads Minnesota in rebounds (11.4) and blocks (1.7). Nobody could stop Jokic when the teams met on Christmas, with the three-time MVP recording a 56-point triple-double, including 18 points in overtime.
Jokic has averaged 36.0 points 15.7 rebounds and 12.0 assists in the three games against the Timberwolves.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cincinnati cruises past Oklahoma State with 3-point barrage
Cincinnati 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
Tre Carroll helps Xavier continue success over Georgetown
Wolves, Nuggets each bring an edge into finale of season series
