Sports
Stars put 5-game win streak on line against struggling Blues
Jan 27, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) celebrates with left wing Jamie Benn (14) after the Stars defeated the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images The streaking Dallas Stars have won five straight games heading toward the Olympic break. The reeling St. Louis Blues have lost seven of eight.
The Central Division rivals are traveling in opposite directions ahead of their game on Wednesday night in Dallas.
“I think we want to take care of business before the long break,” said Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger, who has won his last five starts.
The Stars began their streak by defeating the visiting Blues 3-2 on Jan. 23, then again 4-3 in St. Louis four nights later.
Dallas won just three times during a 14-game span before starting their streak at the expense of St. Louis.
“I think you can see that we’ve had meetings here about we lost a bit of our edge and our physicality over the last (stretch),” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “We had it early and then when you get out to a good start and then after Christmas you think it’s going to come easy, but that’s not the way it works.
“We had to get that back and we’ve got it back … it makes a difference in our play.”
The Stars are coming off a 4-3 overtime victory over the visiting Winnipeg Jets on Monday night in a game decided by defenseman Thomas Harley’s goal.
“I think it’s great,” said Harley. “I think we’re earning our wins now, which is even better. That stretch we went through when we weren’t winning was tough. We didn’t deserve to win and now we’ve worked our way out of it, and we’re a better team now.”
Forward Matt Duchene has five goals and two assists in his last five games. Winger Jason Robertson had four goals and four assists in his last seven games.
The Blues are coming off a dispiriting 6-5 loss at Nashville on Monday night. They raced to a 5-1 lead, then buckled when the Predators began their comeback.
“Once (the Predators) scored their second goal, I didn’t feel the same amount of confidence with our players with the puck,” St. Louis coach Jim Montgomery said. “We started turning pucks over that I thought we had time and space, and then it just started to snowball.
“Then after we regrouped in between periods, (the Predators) were rolling. They were feeling it, and we didn’t win enough battles to be able to gain lines and protect the lead that we had.”
On the positive side, the Blues have shown more life offensively while scoring 20 goals during their last five games. Jordan Kyrou (three goals, five assists in five games), Pavel Buchnevich (three goals, five assists in six games) and Jake Neighbours (two goals, three assists in five games) have been driving play.
But the Blues haven’t played well enough defensively to capitalize on that scoring uptick. Their collapse at Nashville represented a low point for their difficult season.
“Just learn from that as best as possible,” Blues defenseman Colton Parayko said. “It’s frustrating, obviously, to lose games, but you’ve got to learn from that and make sure that moving forward we take care of those games.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cleveland Cavaliers Take a Massive Gamble Trading Darius Garland for James Harden
In a trade that had been brewing all day, the Cleveland Cavaliers had traded Darius Garland and a second-round pick for Clippers former MVP James Harden. Late last night, rumors of the deal were bubbling to the surface, but the two sides have officially come to an agreement to swap All-Star point guards.
Honestly, I’m not entirely sure if I like this move for Cleveland. It’s rumored that Garland’s foot/toe injury is worse than reported, and with how long this has continued to linger, that very well could be the case. He’s dealt with postseason injuries throughout his career, but moving on from your 26-year-old All-Star for James Harden feels like a massive risk.
Let’s look at the positives. At his best, Harden does everything Garland does, but better. He’s an elite playmaker who, paired with Jarrett Allen, could be one of the best pick-and-roll pairings in the league.
Harden has had a few injuries over the course of his career, but overall, he’s a more durable option than Garland. He has more ability to create his own shot than Garland and could help create more space for Donovan Mitchell.
They’re both limited in what they can provide on the defensive end, but at least Harden has some size and can pretend to add more value when he’s switched onto a bigger player. Of course, Harden is 37, so he might not have many good years left in him, but if he can give you another couple of good seasons, it might be worth the risk.
The deal was on hold all day as many believed the Cavs were looking for extra draft compensation to acquire a superstar — specifically Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Bucks have not been impressed with the offers they’ve received so far for Giannis, but could a package centered around Evan Mobley and draft picks be the best deal they get?
Mobley is coming off a season in which he finished second-team All-NBA and won Defensive Player of the Year. If you plan to move Giannis to a contender, the picks you’ll receive from them may not be valuable until a couple of years down the road. Mobley would easily be the most impactful player for the Bucks to build around in these rumored trades.
On the other hand, Mobley was supposed to be Cleveland’s version of Giannis. He’s still only 24, and he’s only getting stronger in the paint. However, I think it’s fair to say he doesn’t have the Tim Duncan or Antetokounmpo upside that Cleveland was hoping for.
If you want to hang on to Mobley, how good does he have to be in order to not add him to a package for a top-three player in the world? Personally, if Cleveland can get away with their rumored deal of Mobley, Max Strus, Lonzo Ball, and draft compensation, you almost have to do it.
A core of Mitchell, Harden, and Giannis would put the league on notice. On the other hand, you could easily see these moves being short-sighted and blowing up in Cleveland’s face.
Sports
Burgers and returns: Patriots RB TreVeyon Henderson ready for any Super Bowl role
Feb 3, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New England Patriots running back Treveyon Henderson speaks to the media during Super Bowl LX press conference at Santa Clara Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images SANTA CLARA, Calif. — TreVeyon Henderson knows not to fumble when the Patriots call his number.
That was the case late-night Monday, when Super Bowl LX starting quarterback Drake Maye brought Henderson into a player entourage heading to In-N-Out Burger — a West Coast staple known for greasy cheeseburgers and other fast-food finds — for a quick bite.
“I’ve had In-N-Out less than five times in my life,” Henderson said Tuesday at the San Jose Convention Center of joining his fellow 23-year-old teammate for some grub. “In-N-Out is good. Every time I come out to Cali, I have to make sure I go there. What makes it even better is they have the little Bible verse at the bottom of it, so I like it.”
The Ohio State rookie was the 38th pick in the 2025 draft. He made a huge splash and turned in memorable games — 148 rushing yards and two TDs against the Bills in December, a three-TD game against the Jets.
But he became an afterthought in the AFC Championship at Denver with a season-low four total snaps in the snow. He played 45.8% of New England’s total offensive plays in the regular season in a shared running back role with Rhamondre Stevenson. Henderson led the Patriots with 180 carries, 911 yards and nine touchdowns during the regular season. Stevenson had 130-603-7.
Stevenson said Henderson’s approach and confidence are unchanged.
“He’s always prepared. It’s kind of a brotherly conversation between the two of us. ‘How can we get each other better?'” Stevenson said.
Henderson, who also returned kickoffs in the regular season, led the NFL with four rushing touchdowns of 50-plus yards in 2025.
Stevenson spent time in head coach Mike Vrabel’s doghouse earlier this season due to three lost fumbles.
But in the playoffs, Stevenson has 51 carries — to Henderson’s 24 — for 194 yards and no touchdowns. His more physical, attacking, between-the-tackles style made him the natural choice on the soggy track at Denver.
Henderson’s explosiveness might be needed against a Seattle front capable of clogging inside alleys. He’s also the superior receiver of the two backs but inconsistency in pass protection might be one reason he’s not getting many looks in the playoffs.
“(Vrabel) always tells us to prepare as a starter,” Henderson said, adding he does still participate in kickoff returns in practice. “I’m not first on the depth chart — we still get reps in practice. I’m still preparing as a starter.”
When pressed about Henderson’s declining role last month, Vrabel wouldn’t point specifically to the proverbial “rookie wall,” a reference to the significant increase in the length and volume of practices and games during the NFL season compared to college football. But he did skim the edges of the topic for a potential cause for his reduced reps.
“We’re always talking about the length of the season, what we need to do to continue, how the practices are and recovery,” Vrabel said. “And mentally, the finish line is not going to move towards us. It’s not going to move closer to us. We have to keep attacking.”
–Jeff Reynolds, Field Level Media
Sports
Avalanche look to build momentum vs. Sharks before Olympic break
Jan 25, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon (29) reacts after missing a scoring chance against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the second period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images A month ago, the Colorado Avalanche were chasing NHL history as one of the best regular-season teams, but with one game left before the Olympic break, they are struggling and feeling pressure in the standings.
Colorado is 3-5-2 in its last 10 games and is coming off its first scoreless game of the season but can enter the hiatus with some momentum when it hosts the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night.
The Avalanche still lead the league with 81 points, but the teams in second and third place are in their division — Minnesota and Dallas, which have won four and five games in a row, respectively. The Wild have 76 points and the Stars 75, narrowing the gap on Colorado in recent weeks.
Injuries have played a part, but the Avalanche did get defenseman Devon Toews back from a 12-game absence in Monday night’s 2-0 loss to Detroit, and forward Martin Necas is expected to return Wednesday night. He has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury.
Necas is second on the team with 62 points (22 goals, 40 assists), well behind Nathan MacKinnon, who has 91 points (40 goals, 51 assists). MacKinnon leads the NHL in goals and is second in points.
One bright spot for Colorado is goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood’s performance. He has allowed only one goal, making 51 saves on 52 shots in two games against the Red Wings.
“He’s stringing together some nice games here,” head coach Jared Bednar said. “He’s getting back in the swing of things. … He’s given us a chance to win every night.”
Blackwood’s former team visits on Wednesday night, led by 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini. The young center ranks fourth in the NHL with 81 points (28 goals, 53 assists) and has registered four goals and five assists in his last five games.
San Jose has struggled lately as well, having lost its last three games and four of its last six. Wednesday night will wrap up a five-game road trip and is the final of three matchups against the Avalanche this season.
The Sharks beat Colorado in overtime on Nov. 1 but were routed 6-0 in the second game on Nov. 26.
San Jose won’t have enforcer Ryan Reaves in the lineup Wednesday night after he was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. That opens a roster spot, which will likely be filled by forward Kiefer Sherwood, who would make his Sharks debut.
Sherwood (upper body) was acquired from Vancouver two weeks ago but hasn’t played since Jan. 10. Sherwood, who played 27 games for the Avalanche between 2020 and 2022, has 17 goals and six assists and is two goals away from matching his career high set last season.
San Jose is currently outside the playoff picture in the competitive Western Conference, so every point matters.
“We’ve got one game left until the (Olympics) break,” head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “We’ve got to really zero in on the things we need to do that have made us have success up to this point.”
–Field Level Media
Cleveland Cavaliers Take a Massive Gamble Trading Darius Garland for James Harden
Burgers and returns: Patriots RB TreVeyon Henderson ready for any Super Bowl role
