Sports
Skidding Knights attempt to get well against lowly Canucks
Apr 6, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vegas Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel (9) during a stop in play against the Vegas Golden Knights in the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images The Vegas Golden Knights will try to snap the longest active losing streak in the NHL when they host the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night in Las Vegas.
Vegas, which is challenging for first place in the Pacific Division, has lost five in a row and dropped seven of its past eight games (1-5-2). For the season, the Golden Knights have more losses (30, 14 in extra time) than wins (25).
Vegas comes in off a 4-3 road loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday. That contest followed what has become a familiar script for coach Bruce Cassidy’s squad, falling behind early and then rallying in the third period to make things interesting at the end.
Anaheim led 3-0 midway through the second period, but the Golden Knights cut the deficit to one on goals by Mitch Marner and Ivan Barbashev. Ryan Poehling sealed the win for the Ducks by finding the empty net with 1:07 left. Tomas Hertl scored a 6-on-5 goal with 6 seconds remaining for Vegas, which couldn’t get another shot off after that.
The Golden Knights have allowed the first goal in seven consecutive home games and eight of 10 games overall. Cassidy became so frustrated after his team fell behind 4-1 after two periods in an eventual 5-4 shootout loss to the visiting Dallas Stars on Thursday that he held a video session between periods to try to get his team on track.
“I don’t know if I’ve done that in 10 years,” Cassidy, who also called his team’s turnover problems in their own zone “baffling.”
He added, “It’s strange in the NHL that you’d be doing that midgame, but if that’s what it takes to get their attention and get it right, then that’s what we’ll have to do. We’re going to do whatever it takes to win, or play better.”
Vegas followed that up with a 3-2 home loss to the Seattle Kraken on Saturday before losing in Anaheim on Sunday. Cassidy said he saw signs in the contests that his team, which plays at Los Angeles on Thursday in the second game of a back-to-back before heading into the Olympic break, is showing signs toward making a turnaround.
“Both our last games, our expected goals were very low,” Cassidy said following practice on Tuesday. “We’re defending better. … I don’t think we gave up much. Very few odd-man rushes. So I like that part of our game, and have for most of the year.”
If there is a “get well” game on the schedule for Vegas, it would figure to be the Wednesday contest against the Canucks.
Vancouver is at the bottom of the league with 42 points and has lost 16 of its last 18 games (2-13-3). It will be the final game before the Olympic break for the Canucks, who haven’t won on the road in 2026. Vancouver’s last road victory came on Dec. 29 at Seattle, 3-2 in a shootout.
The Canucks come in off a 6-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth on Monday in Salt Lake City. Forwards Conor Garland (illness) and Filip Chytil (migraine headaches) both missed the team’s practice on Tuesday in Las Vegas. Garland is expected to play, but coach Adam Foote said “it doesn’t look promising” for Chytil to participate.
Canucks defenseman Marcus Pettersson said the team is focused on heading into the three-week hiatus on a positive note.
“Just (give it) everything you got,” Pettersson said. “We’ve got a big break coming up. Try to feel good coming into it. You never want to go into a break on a losing skid. One game. Give it everything you got. Play harder.”
The Wednesday matchup is the first of the teams’ three regular-season meetings. Vegas is 18-4-3 all-time against the Canucks, having won the past four.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Bo Horvat nets OT winner as Islanders outlast Penguins
Feb 3, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders center Bo Horvat (14) celebrates his game winning overtime goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins with center Mathew Barzal (13) and defenseman Matthew Schaefer (48) at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Bo Horvat scored a breakaway goal 52 seconds into overtime Tuesday night for the New York Islanders, who overcame a trio of deficits to edge the Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-4, in Elmont, N.Y.
Brett Kulak whiffed on a shot deep in the Islanders’ zone before Mathew Barzal picked up the puck and passed to Horvat, who beat Stuart Skinner for his second goal of the game.
Barzal, Matthew Schaefer and Ryan Pulock also scored for the Islanders, who snapped a two-game losing streak and moved within a point of the second-place Penguins in the Metropolitan Division. Goalie Ilya Sorokin made 31 saves.
Anthony Mantha, Egor Chinakhov, Bryan Rust and Justin Brazeau scored for the Penguins, who have lost two straight following a six-game winning streak. Skinner recorded 18 saves.
Mantha opened the scoring with a nifty assist from Brazeau, who maneuvered a one-handed pass around Adam Pelech at the goal line to Mantha, who beat Sorokin stick side with 7:51 left in the first.
The Islanders tied the score and took the lead in the final 79 seconds of the period. After Barzal’s shot glanced off Skinner’s glove, Ryan Shea tried to backhand the puck out of the crease. But the puck hit Anders Lee’s skate and deflected off Skinner’s pads before Horvat lunged past Shea and tucked home a backhanded shot.
Schaefer gave the Islanders the lead with 3.3 seconds remaining, when his shot from the high slot sailed past Skinner as he was screened by Lee.
The Penguins evened the game at 3:52 of the second. Erik Karlsson’s shot glanced off the back boards and was retrieved by Thomas Novak, who fed Chinakhov before the right winger beat Sorokin from the left faceoff circle.
Rust put the Penguins ahead in unusual fashion with 5:51 remaining in the period, when his shot from the goal line glanced off Sorokin’s glove and into the net.
Barzal tied it again with 11:23 left in the third when his shot from the high slot caromed off the far post as Skinner was screened by teammate Ilya Solovyov.
Brazeau snapped the tie just 2:03 later, when he redirected a shot by Brett Kulak before Pulock again pulled the Islanders even by scoring from just above the left faceoff circle with 4:36 remaining.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lightning score late in regulation, late in OT to top Sabres
Feb 3, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning center Dominic James (17) and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) celebrate after they beat the Buffalo Sabres during the overtime period at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images Jake Guentzel scored a breakaway goal with 15 seconds left in overtime as the Tampa Bay Lightning won their ninth straight home game, beating the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 on Tuesday night.
Nikita Kucherov spun and fired a half-length-of-the-ice pass to Guentzel, who snared it and beat Buffalo goaltender Colten Ellis (31 saves) for his second straight game-winner.
Kucherov increased his point streak to nine games (six goals, 17 assists) with a tally and three helpers.
Tampa Bay’s Darren Raddysh scored a goal in his fifth straight game — tying the contest with 26 seconds left in regulation — and also had an assist.
Guentzel logged two points, and teammate Oliver Bjorkstrand tallied on the man advantage. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 23 shots as the Lightning improved to 18-1-1 in the past 20 games.
Buffalo’s Mattias Samuelsson hit double figures in goals with two markers, and Josh Doan scored on the power play. However, the Sabres fell to 6-1-1 in the past eight after splitting their back-to-back Florida trip.
Midway through the first period, Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Dahlin broke his stick, and Jason Zucker handed him his — a much more curved stick used by the forward. Dahlin tried to advance the puck with a weak pass, and Kucherov quickly stole it for a marker at 10:24.
Late in the frame, Vasilevskiy robbed Ryan McLeod’s rebound attempt, but Samuelsson rifled in the tying goal at 16:53 from a sharp angle after skating unimpeded through the left circle.
In the second, a diving Vasilevskiy reached out to deny a chance near the post by Alex Tuch at 5:24 after the Buffalo forward stole the puck on the goalie’s pass from behind the cage.
After Ellis’ stop on Brandon Hagel in the third, McLeod fed Samuelsson, who skated into the high slot and blistered a shot past Vasilevskiy on the glove side at 4:08. Bjorkstrand matched it by netting his eighth power-play goal of the season at 8:53.
With just two seconds left in the Sabres’ third power play, Tage Thompson fed a pass that Doan chipped in from the blue paint for the go-ahead marker at 14:53.
The contest opened the teams’ four-game season series.
–Field Level Media
Sports
No. 22 St. John's uses decisive second-half run to put away DePaul
Feb 3, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA: St. John’s Red Storm forward Bryce Hopkins (23) drives to the basket against the DePaul Blue Demons during the first half at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images No. 22 St. John’s reeled off 12 straight points early in the second half to trigger a 68-56 Big East win over DePaul on Tuesday night in Chicago.
Zuby Ejiofor produced 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists to pace the Red Storm (17-5, 10-1), who won their eighth in a row to set up a first-place showdown with No. 3 UConn (22-1, 12-0) on Friday night at Madison Square Garden. Bryce Hopkins notched 15 points and Oziyah Sellers added 13.
Layden Blocker posted 13 points for the Blue Demons (12-11, 4-8), who were trying to extend their home winning streak in league play to five games for the first time since March 2005. DePaul shot 34.6% from the field and committed 11 of its 15 turnovers in the second half.
The first half was a masterclass in physical and relentless man-to-man defense as the Red Storm and Blue Demons took umbrage at every shot, pass, dribble and cut.
St. John’s missed 12 of its first 14 shots and DePaul wasn’t much better as they combined for seven ties and six lead changes in the first half. Neither team led by more than one possession until the Blue Demons forged a 28-24 lead on Kaleb Banks’ free throw with 1:45 left in the half.
St. John’s responded with Sellers’ 3-point pullup and Hopkins’ layup to take a 29-28 lead into the break. The Blue Demons shot 33.3% from the field while the Red Storm hit just 30%.
The Red Storm cranked up their pressure another notch early in the second half. After CJ Gunn banked a stepback jumper from just beyond the free-throw line to give DePaul a 35-34 edge with 17:34 to go, the Blue Demons were held scoreless for the next 6:45.
While DePaul was busy committing four turnovers and missing seven consecutive shots, St. John’s went on a 12-0 spree. Ejiofor started it with a putback and two free throws before Sellers flew in for a tip-in and swished a 3-pointer. Ian Jackson closed the run with an open 3-pointer to give St. John’s a 46-35 lead with 11:10 to go.
As the Red Storm seized control, tempers boiled over and five technicals were handed out in less than two minutes. Sellers and DePaul’s Brandon Maclin picked up technicals at the 12:16 mark when Sellers didn’t appreciate Maclin trying to rip the ball out of his hands while calling a timeout, DePaul coach Chris Holtmann received a technical for questioning a foul call at 10:32 while Blocker and Hopkins got T’d up three seconds later for barking at each other after Hopkins fouled Blocker battling for a loose ball.
DePaul got as close as 56-50 when Blocker’s transition layup closed a 6-0 run with 3:35 to go, but St. John’s scored the next six to restore order.
–Field Level Media
