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
Florida State stays hot with thorough win over Georgia Tech
Feb 28, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Florida State Seminoles guard Robert McCray V. (6) drives to the basket against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the first half at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Robert McCray V scored a game-high 20 points to help visiting Florida State post a wire-to-wire 80-71 victory over Georgia Tech in Atlantic Coast Conference play on Saturday in Atlanta.
Thomas Bassong had 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Chauncey Wiggins chipped in 12 points for Florida State (15-14, 8-8 ACC), which won its seventh game in nine tries.
Kowacie Reeves Jr.’s 17 points led Georgia Tech (11-18, 2-14), followed by Jaeden Mustaf’s 16 and 15 points apiece from Akai Fleming and Kam Craft. The Yellow Jackets lost their 10th straight game.
After trailing by 16 points with three minutes left in the first half, Georgia Tech sliced its deficit to 45-43 on Reeves’ 3-pointer with 17:23 left in the second.
Florida State rebuilt its cushion to eight on AJ Swinton’s dunk and Cam Miles’ layup at the 10:54 mark. McCray’s stepback 3-pointer extended the lead to 65-53.
Meanwhile, Georgia Tech went 8:37 without a field goal until Craft’s 3-pointer with 5:52 remaining cut the Yellow Jackets’ deficit to 68-58.
Martin Sommerville was fouled and made an off-balance floater at the 4:13 mark, then completed the three-point play to give the Seminoles a 72-60 lead. Bassong put the finishing touches on the convincing victory with a dunk with 1:36 left.
McCray’s personal 7-0 run gave Florida State an early 9-2 lead. Kobe MaGee and Swinton drilled triples to extend the visitors’ advantage to 18-8 with 13:42 left in the first half.
Fleming’s 3-pointer pulled the Yellow Jackets within six, but Miles’ layup stamped a 6-0 Seminoles run to put them ahead 26-14 at the 8:34 mark. The margin ballooned to 16 on Wiggins’ corner 3-pointer with 4:41 remaining.
After Somerville drilled three free throws, Georgia Tech answered with a 12-1 run, including Craft and Reeves’ consecutive 3-pointers, to trim the halftime deficit to 41-36.
The Yellow Jackets held Florida State without a made field goal for the final 4:40 of the opening half.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Alex Karaban, No. 6 UConn sink Seton Hall
Feb 28, 2026; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies forward Alex Karaban (11) shoots the ball against Seton Hall Pirates guard Tajuan Simpkins (2) in the first half at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images Alex Karaban made 5 of 6 3-point attempts and scored a game-high 23 points, lifting No. 6 UConn to a 71-67 victory over Seton Hall on Saturday in a Big East matchup played In Storrs, Conn.
Solo Ball added 14 points for UConn (27-3, 17-2 Big East), which trailed by eight points midway through the second half.
Karaban sank two free throws to give UConn a 68-65 lead with 20 seconds to play.
After Seton Hall’s Adam Clark missed a 3-pointer, Ball made two free throws that extended UConn’s lead with eight seconds left. Following Najai Hines’ basket, Ball capped the scoring by making a free throw with three seconds remaining.
Seton Hall (19-10, 9-9) received 20 points from A.J. Staton-McCray, 12 from Elijah Fisher and 11 from Hines. Clark, who entered the game averaging a team-high 12.5 points per game, was held to four points.
The Pirates made 9 of 18 3-point attempts after going 0 for 18 from 3-point range in their last game, a 51-47 victory over Georgetown. Seton Hall was 1 of 16 from beyond the 3-point arc when it dropped a 69-64 decision to UConn on Jan. 13.
Despite 15 first-half points from Karaban, Seton Hall had a 33-32 halftime lead.
UConn took a 43-42 lead on a Jayden Ross layup with 14:57 left in the second half, but Seton Hall had a 54-46 advantage – its largest lead of the game – after a Staton-McCray 3-pointer with 9:33 remaining in regulation.
Braylon Mullins capped a 10-0 run that put UConn in front 58-56 with 5:57 left.
It was 63-63 after a Fisher jump shot with 2:02 to play, but the Huskies took a lead they wouldn’t relinquish when Ball made two free throws that erased a 65-64 deficit.
Mullins (11) and Tarris Reed (10) also scored in double figures for UConn.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Notre Dame stuns NC State in OT
Feb 28, 2026; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Braeden Shrewsberry (11) drives as NC State Wolfpack forward Darrion Williams (1) defends during the first half at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images Cole Certa scored 12 of his 32 points in overtime to lead Notre Dame to a stunning 96-90 win over North Carolina State Saturday afternoon in South Bend, Ind.
It was Certa’s second 30-plus-point performance in the last four games. After the Fighting Irish (13-16, 4-12 Atlantic Coast Conference) never led in regulation, they took their first lead on Certa’s 3-pointer to open OT and took the lead for good on his second perimeter shot on the ensuing possession.
Certa was 9 of 17 from the floor, making 6 of 10 threes. Jalen Haralson scored 25 points — including the team’s other three in overtime — making 8 of 15 field goals and 9 of 10 free throws.
Braeden Shrewsberry chipped in 16 points with five rebounds and three assists, and Sir Mohammed scored all 10 of his points in the first half for Notre Dame, which pulled off the significant upset to boost its hopes of making the ACC Tournament in Charlotte.
Ven-Allen Lubin scored a season-high 24 points with 10 rebounds for NC State (19-10, 10-6), which has lost four of its last five games to inch closer to the postseason bubble.
Quadir Copeland tallied 17 points and nine assists, and Darrion Williams added 17 on 7-of-17 shooting, including 3-of-10 shooting from 3-point range.
Notre Dame held a 40-32 rebounding advantage, a 38-15 edge in bench points and a 16-2 lead in fastbreak points, shooting 52.5% from the field and 48% from 3-point range (12 of 25).
NC State was held scoreless for the final 3:23 of regulation, with Notre Dame ending on a 7-0 run to rally from a nine-point deficit with 4:46 left. Haralson scored six points during that stretch, including the game-tying free throws with 19 seconds left to send it to OT tied at 81.
NC State jumped out to a 11-2 lead and never trailed in the first half. The Fighting Irish, though, battled back to tie the game at 25.
The Wolfpack immediately went on an 8-0 run, but Notre Dame again didn’t let them fully separate, making its final five shots to trail 44-38 at the half.
NC State also led throughout the second half, responding to each Notre Dame surge, but was never able to extend its lead to double figures. The Fighting Irish cut the deficit to one score three times before finally leveling the score on Haralson’s late free throws in his return to action from an ankle injury on Feb. 10.
–Field Level Media
Florida State stays hot with thorough win over Georgia Tech
Alex Karaban, No. 6 UConn sink Seton Hall
