Sports
Penguins, Senators brimming with confidence amid strong runs
Jan 29, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Anthony Mantha (39) skates up ice with the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images The temperatures may be frigid outside, but the Pittsburgh Penguins are keeping things hot on the rink. Winners of six straight and on a 7-0-2 roll in their past nine games, the Penguins will look to keep the good times rolling when they host the Ottawa Senators on Monday.
Pittsburgh is coming off a 6-5 win against the New York Rangers on Saturday. The Penguins have climbed into second place in the Metropolitan Division and sit seven points behind the Carolina Hurricanes after their win Sunday afternoon.
“I think what we’ve been showing there is just, it’s a team that’s going to work at both ends of the ice,” Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse said. “Just relentless in our puck pursuit, relentless in our working above, in our defensive play. Then, we’re playing a united game, a connected game, where when we transition to offense, we do it together. We find each other, and then back to being relentless on the attack. Then you press repeat and you do it again.”
Anthony Mantha has been a key contributor in the Penguins’ run of late. He scored twice against the Rangers and has eight points in a four-game point streak. He’s third on the team in points, with his 40 trailing only Sidney Crosby (58) and Evgeni Malkin (42), and his 19 goals are second after Crosby.
The 31-year-old is eight points away from tying his career high (48), reached twice previously — back in 2017-18 and 2018-19 with the Detroit Red Wings.
“Confidence,” Mantha said of his success. “The trust level from the team, teammates, coaches, my work I put in mentally, physically. And good things are happening.”
The Senators, meanwhile, are hoping to keep pace as they try to get themselves back in the race for a playoff spot. Ottawa has won three straight, most recently skating away with a 4-1 triumph against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday in goalie Linus Ullmark’s first start since Dec. 27 following a personal leave for his mental health.
“I felt like I came out of retirement during practices because I hadn’t had a real practice since before Christmas,” said Ullmark, who had dressed as the backup for two games before his start. “It’s been a battle coming back. The same thing happened now: I had been gone for so long, that there was an excitement, I was nervous, which I haven’t been in a long time. That’s positive.”
The Senators entered Sunday eight points back of the final wild card from the Eastern Conference, with three other teams between them and the last spot.
“I feel there’s some confidence in our room,” Ottawa coach Travis Green said. “You can’t manufacture confidence. People talk a lot about it in the NHL, and the best way to get it is to win.”
Dylan Cozens has been enjoying a solid first full season with the Senators. The center is fourth on the team, and third among forwards, with 41 points (18 goals, 23 assists) in 54 games. He’s on pace for 27 goals and 62 points, which would be the second-highest totals of his career.
–Field Level Media
Sports
David Coit takes over late as Maryland beats Minnesota
Feb 8, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Isaac Asuma (1) works around Maryland Terrapins guard George Turkson Jr. (11) during the first half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images David Coit scored seven of his 29 points in the final 26 seconds as Maryland snapped a four-game losing streak, outlasting Minnesota 67-62 Sunday in Big Ten play at Minneapolis.
Andre Mills added 12 points and Darius Adams contributed 11 points as Maryland improved to 18-3 all-time against Minnesota.
Solomon Washington put up nine points and 10 rebounds for the Terrapins (9-14, 2-10 Big Ten), who had lost their previous four games by an average margin of 28 points.
After Cade Tyson hit two free throws with 53 seconds left to put Minnesota up 62-60, Coit scored the game’s final seven points.
The key play came with 26 seconds left when Coit drained a side-step 3-pointer to put the Terrapins up 63-62. Coit then added four free throws in the final 11 seconds.
“Coach got on me after the last game. He called me out. I was being selfish with my body language,” Coit said. “I had to respond.”
Coit made 9 of 13 shots from the floor, 4 of 7 from distance and hit all seven of his free throw attempts.
Isaac Asuma scored all 18 of his points from behind the arc to lead Minnesota (11-13, 4-9), which was coming off an upset of No. 10 Michigan State on Wednesday. The loss was the Golden Gophers’ eighth in their last nine games.
Tyson finished with 12 points and Langston Reynolds contributed 11 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Golden Gophers.
Midway through the first half, Mills made a 3-pointer which gave Maryland a 17-14 lead, before Asuma responded with consecutive triples to give Minnesota a lead that it held the rest of the period.
Two 3-pointers by Bobby Durkin pushed the Golden Gophers’ edge to 33-26. Coit answered with a 3-pointer and a driving three-point play to cut the deficit to 33-32 at the break.
Midway through the second half, two driving layups by Reynolds gave Minnesota the biggest lead of the second half, 53-47.
But Coit put the Terrapins on his back scoring 15 of his points in the final 8:41.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Bam Adebayo, Heat rout Wizards to snap out of miniature skid
Feb 8, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) inks the ball against the Washington Wizards during the second quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images Bam Adebayo and Kasparas Jakucionis scored 22 points apiece to help the visiting Miami Heat breeze past the Washington Wizards for a 132-101 victory on Sunday afternoon.
Norman Powell added 21 points and Kel’el Ware had 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Heat, who had dropped three of their previous four. Simone Fontecchio scored 12 and Andrew Wiggins had 11 points and 10 boards.
Tristan Vukcevic paced Washington with 14 points, while Justin Champagnie, Kyshawn George and Bub Carrington scored 13 each. Alex Sarr collected 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Wizards, who fell to a game ahead of the Indiana Pacers for last place in the Eastern Conference.
After leading by 22 at halftime, Miami extended the margin to 31 as Wiggins and Powell bookended an 8-0 run to give the Heat a 92-61 edge with 6:54 remaining in the third.
Jamir Watkins’ floater and six straight points from Vukcevic cut the Washington deficit to 22, forcing a Miami timeout with 3:35 left in the third.
From there, the Heat scored 10 straight to open up a 105-73 edge. Ware finished the third with a layup to send the visitors into the final quarter with a 107-75 lead.
Washington won the fourth quarter 26-25 to end the lopsided game.
Washington jumped out to a 20-11 lead on Bilal Coulibaly’s layup at the 7:21 mark.
Miami finished the opening quarter on a 14-2 run, with Jakucionis drilling a pair of triples in the final minute to give the Heat a 37-33 edge entering the second quarter.
Miami built its lead to double figures as Fontecchio’s trey began a 12-0 run, which was stamped with Adebayo’s 3-pointer to give the visitors a 58-39 lead.
George hit a pair of free throws to pull the Wizards within 15, but Adebayo’s layup began a 7-0 spurt to end the half, giving the Heat a 74-52 halftime advantage.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Two-time champ Damian Lillard to participate in 3-point contest
Dec 29, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) warms up before a game against the Dallas Mavericks at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images Rehabbing Portland Trail Blazers icon Damian Lillard will be part of the eight-man field competing in Saturday’s 3-point contest as part of All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles.
Lillard won the competitions in 2023 in Salt Lake City and 2024 in Indianapolis. He is sitting out this season after sustaining a torn Achilles tendon in a playoff game with the Milwaukee Bucks last April.
Hall of Famer Larry Bird (1986-88) and Craig Hodges (1990-92) are the only three-time winners of the event.
Lillard ranks fifth in NBA history with 2,804 treys over 13 NBA seasons.
The others in the competition are Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), rookie Kon Knueppel (Charlotte Hornets), Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers), Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers), Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets), Bobby Portis Jr. (Milwaukee Bucks) and Norman Powell (Miami Heat).
Mitchell leads the NBA with 180 3-pointers, five ahead of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, who is not part of the festivities.
Knueppel ranks third with 174, Maxey stands fourth at 169 and Murray is ninth at 156. Knueppel can become the first rookie to capture the title.
Portis boasts the best 3-point accuracy (45.1%) of the group this season. He has converted 92 of 204 attempts.
–Field Level Media
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David Coit takes over late as Maryland beats Minnesota
