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No. 1 Arizona beats Arizona State for best start in school history

NCAA Basketball: Arizona at Arizona StateJan 31, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Tobe Awaka (30) drives to the basket against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the first half at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Koa Peat scored 15 of his 21 points after halftime as top-ranked Arizona pulled away in the second half and maintained its perfect start with an 87-74 victory over host Arizona State on Saturday afternoon in Tempe.

Arizona (22-0, 9-0 Big 12) surpassed the 2013-14 team featuring All-American Nick Johnson, Aaron Gordon and T.J. McConnell for the best start in school history. The Wildcats also matched the program record for the longest winning streak, equaling the mark set during the 1914-17 seasons.

Arizona also tied the Big 12 record for the longest winning streak to start a season, equaling Kansas in 1996-97.

Peat shot 9-of-16 and finished with at least 20 for the fourth time this season and second time against Arizona State.

Brayden Burries added 17 and seven rebounds as the Wildcats outscored the Sun Devils (11-11, 2-7) 49-36 after halftime. Motiejus Krivas contributed 11 of his 15 points during the evenly-played first half and Ivan Kharchenkov contributed 12 for Arizona.

Jaden Bradley chipped in 10 and Tobe Awaka pulled down 13 rebounds to help Arizona finish with a 47-32 rebounding edge.

Arizona shot 60% in the final 20 minutes and 50.8% overall. The Wildcats also converted 20 layups and dunks as part of a 50-point showing in the paint.

Reserve Noah Meeusen paced Arizona State with 16 points and leading scorer Maurice Odum was held to 15 on 6-of-16 shooting while getting into foul trouble when Arizona surged ahead.

The Sun Devils shot 41.5% and lost for the fifth time in six games.

Arizona scored eight straight points in a little over two minutes for a 25-18 lead on Peat’s dunk with 7:05 left in the first half. The Sun Devils countered by outscoring the Wildcats 20-13 the rest of the half and Meeusen’s 3 with two seconds left forged a 38-38 deadlock by halftime.

Arizona scored six straight after halftime for a 44-38 lead on a jumper by Krivas a little over two minutes and a 56-47 edge when Burries connected with Peat for a dunk with 13:10 remaining.

Anthony Johnson hit a corner 3 to get the Sun Devils within 56-53 with 11:41 left but the Wildcats scored the next seven for a 63-53 lead on a sweeping layup by Awaka a little over a minute later.

Arizona finished things off by making five of six shots for a 77-64 lead on a drive by Kharchenkov with 3:26 left.

–Field Level Media

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Senators extend Maple Leafs' skid with resounding win

NHL: Ottawa Senators at Toronto Maple LeafsFeb 28, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot (72) celebrates with team mates at the bench after scoring a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Dylan Cozens had two goals and an assist, Drake Batherson scored twice and the visiting Ottawa Senators defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 Saturday night.

Thomas Chabot added a goal and an assist for the Senators, who are 1-0-1 since the Olympic break. Linus Ullmark stopped 21 shots.

Morgan Rielly and William Nylander scored for the Maple Leafs, who are 0-3-0 since the break.

Joseph Woll allowed five goals on 28 shots before Anthony Stolarz replaced him late in the second period and made 12 saves.

The teams have split two games this season, with two more to come in the final month of the regular season.

Rielly scored from the left circle from Auston Matthews’ cross-ice pass from the right circle at 2:52 of the first period. It came two seconds after Cozens finished serving a roughing penalty.

Chabot leveled the game when he scored as the trailer from the high slot on Brady Tkachuk’s pass at 10:59 of the first.

The teams were tied after 20 minutes despite Ottawa holding a 16-2 advantage in shots on goal.

Cozens pounced on a loose puck to score from the edge of the crease at 3:03 of the second period. It came after Chabot’s shot from the left point was blocked in front of the net by Toronto’s Troy Stecher.

Batherson scored at 13:05 of the second on Ottawa’s third attempt during an onslaught on the Toronto net. Nylander answered 51 seconds later when he poked in his own rebound in the goalmouth.

Batherson came back to score on a 28-foot wrist shot at 15:15 of the second. Cozens added a power-play goal at 16:06. The Maple Leafs were serving a delay of game penalty after their unsuccessful challenge of Batherson’s goal.

A skirmish broke out early in the third period after a jam around the Toronto goal, resulting in two fighting majors and four minors.

Batherson had a chance at a hat trick but was foiled on a breakaway at 10:02 of the third period.

Toronto went on an ineffective power play at 10:27 that ended hopes of a possible rally.

Ottawa’s Shane Pinto rang the crossbar with a laser at 13:27.

–Field Level Media

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Cole Caufield, Canadiens grab early lead, cool off Caps

NHL: Washington Capitals at Montreal CanadiensFeb 28, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield (13) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Washington Capitals during the first period at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

Cole Caufield scored two first-period goals and the Canadiens went on to beat the Washington Capitals 6-2 on Saturday night in Montreal.

Nick Suzuki had a goal and two assists for the Canadiens, who have points in seven straight (5-0-2). Jakub Dobes made 27 saves and improved to 9-0-2 in his past 11 starts.

Alex Ovechkin scored both goals for the Capitals, who had won three straight. Anthony Beauvillier had two assists and Charlie Lindgren made 19 saves for Washington, which was playing the second of a back-to-back after a 3-2 home win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday.

The Capitals went 0-for-4 on the power play after going 0-for-5 on Friday. Montreal was 0-for-3.

Caufield gave the Canadiens a 1-0 just 30 seconds into the game when he intercepted Jakob Chychrun’s pass, skated in on a breakaway and beat Lindgren with a wrist shot.

Ovechkin tied it at 13:16. Dobes made the save on Declan Chisholm’s shot from the point, but couldn’t control the rebound and Ovechkin knocked in the loose puck from the right post.

Caufield made it 2-1 at 14:19 when he backhanded in a loose puck at the right post after Lindgren made the save on Jayden Struble’s point shot.

Mike Matheson increased the lead to 3-1 at 12:22 of the second when he took a pass from Zachary Bolduc on the rush, skated down the open slot and beat Lindgren glove side with a wrist shot.

After Washington’s Aliaksei Protas hit the post, Suzuki gathered the rebound, skated down into the Washington end and fed Kirby Dach, who scored on a one-timer from the slot to make it 4-1 at 16:34.

Ovechkin pulled the Capitals within 4-2 at 12:12 of the third, scoring from the low slot when he tipped in a pass from Dylan Strome.

Suzuki sent a back-hander into an empty net at 16:44 to make it 5-2, then Jake Evans sent a shot nearly the length of the ice into an empty net for a short-handed goal during 6-on-4 play at 18:35.

–Field Level Media

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Sabres pile up goals early, cruise past Lightning

NHL: Buffalo Sabres at Tampa Bay LightningFeb 28, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Buffalo Sabres forward Peyton Krebs (19), forward Alex Tuch (89) and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli (71) battle for the puck during the first period at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

Josh Norris scored twice as Buffalo found the net four times in the first period, and the Sabres easily won their third straight outing since the Winter Olympics break in a 6-2 rout of the host Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night.

The visitors’ victory pushed their road point streak to a season-best nine games (8-0-1). The Sabres play six of the next seven contests on home ice.

Rasmus Dahlin hit the net and had two assists, while Zach Metsa had a goal and a helper. Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch also scored, and goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 36 saves.

Following a four-game absence for an upper-body injury, Zach Benson was back and contributed an assist as the Sabres finished 4-1-1 in February’s shortened slate because of the Olympic Games in Italy.

Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman tallied one goal and had an assist, and Dominic James scored. However, its 10-game home winning streak and Nikita Kucherov’s league-high 12-game active point streak both ended.

Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy surrendered five goals on 14 shots in 21:54 of ice time. Jonas Johansson stopped 20 of 21 shots in relief.

After losing 4-3 to the Lightning on an overtime goal by Jake Guentzel on Feb. 3, the Sabres struck twice in 50 seconds in the rematch after toppling the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Friday.

Dahlin slid left-to-right through the slot and whistled one past Vasilevskiy at 5:25 of the opening period. Before the visiting celebration could die down, Norris swooped in from the right side and beat the netminder between the pads for a 2-0 lead.

At 8:16 on Buffalo’s fifth shot, Norris stunned the Atlantic Division-leading Lightning again by redirecting Bowen Byram’s shot through two Lightning defenders and Vasilevskiy for his second tally.

Thompson maneuvered his way in and slipped in the club’s fourth goal with less than five minutes left. The Team USA gold medalist extended his point streak to seven games, his third streak that length thus far.

In the second, Metsa’s early goal chased Vasilevskiy from the match, but James put the Lightning on the board at 16:03.

Shortly after Guentzel was ejected for receiving a game misconduct and an unsportsmanlike penalty 2:02 into the third, Tuch hit the net at the 3:53 mark. Hedman scored his first at 5:27 for the final marker.

–Field Level Media

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