ew Page 1377 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Canucks stumble into matchup with Maple Leafs
The Vancouver Canucks, nearing the end of a disappointing road trip, will attempt to end a four-game skid when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.,The Canucks fell to 0-1-2 on their five-game trek when they lost 2-0 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday.,Vancouver has scored one goal over...

Rangers head to Vegas looking to build on recent success
Four points out of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference midway through the regular season, the New York Rangers hope to build on the momentum of their first overtime victory of the season when they face the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday in Las Vegas.,Before embarking on this challen...

Arizona puts 5-game win streak on line vs. UCF
Arizona enters Saturday's game in Tucson against UCF on a season-high five-game winning streak, with the last two wins on the road against ranked Big 12 opponents.,The Wildcats (9-5, 3-0 Big 12) beat No. 16 Cincinnati 72-67 on Jan. 4 and No. 21 West Virginia 75-56 on Tuesday. Those wins came after l...

Patrick Fishburn, Denny McCarthy on top at Sony Open in Hawaii
Patrick Fishburn carded a bogey-free second round at the Sony Open in Hawaii on Friday, and he shares the lead with Denny McCarthy at the midpoint of the event in Honolulu.,Fishburn produced a second consecutive 5-under-par 65 at Waialae Country Club. McCarthy carded a 66, and he is also at 10-under...

Ohio State set as 9 1/2-point favorite over Notre Dame in final
After a pair of thrilling semifinal games in the College Football Playoff, oddsmakers established Ohio State as a 9 1/2-point favorite to defeat Notre Dame in the title game on Jan. 20 in Atlanta.,The Buckeyes (13-2), seeded eighth in the inaugural 12-team CFP format, will face the seventh-seeded Fi...

Coming off faltering finish, Blazers await Heat's visit
The Portland Trail Blazers trailed just once during the first 45 minutes of their last game and still couldn't secure a victory.,The Trail Blazers will attempt to rebound from a painful collapse when they face the Miami Heat on Saturday night in the opener of a five-game homestand.,Portland seemed i...

NBA postpones two L.A.-area games due to wildfires
Two NBA games scheduled for Saturday in the Los Angeles area were postponed due to the wildfires that continue to rage in the region.,The San Antonio Spurs were due to oppose the Lakers in Los Angeles, and the Charlotte Hornets were set to face the Clippers in Inglewood, Calif.,No makeup dates were ...

Baylor shoots for first true road win at Arizona State
Baylor aims to register its sixth victory in seven games when it battles Arizona State in Big 12 play on Saturday night in Tempe, Ariz.,The Bears (10-4, 2-1 Big 12) are 0-3 in true road games this season, falling at then-No. 6 Gonzaga, then-No. 25 UConn and then-No. 3 Iowa State.,Baylor was blown ou...

Broncos coach Sean Payton: "Exciting to still be playing"
For the first time in four years, Sean Payton is headed to the playoffs, and the Denver Broncos coach is realizing he missed the experience.,The seventh-seeded Broncos (10-7) visit the second-seeded Buffalo Bills (13-4) in an AFC wild-card game on Sunday.,Payton retired after 15 years as the New Orl...

Blue Jays sign All-Star RHP Jeff Hoffman to three-year deal
The Toronto Blue Jays signed All-Star right-hander Jeff Hoffman to a reported three-year, $33 million deal on Friday.,The Blue Jays announced the deal with the reliever who was a first-round draft pick (ninth overall) by the team in 2014. He was traded to the Colorado Rockies at the 2015 trade deadl...

Caps G Charlie Lindgren exits with upper-body injury
Washington goalie Charlie Lindgren took a hit to the head and left the Capitals' home game against the Montreal Canadiens on Friday.,In the first minute of the second period, Lindgren was struck in the side of the head by Montreal's Nick Suzuki, who was checked into the goalie by Brandon Duhaime.,Li...

Two fans who interfered in World Series banned indefinitely
Following up on an ugly incident during the World Series, Major League Baseball banned two fans indefinitely from all stadiums and facilities.,John P. Hansen and Austin Capobianco, seated in the first row at Game 4 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium in New York, tried to prevent Los Angeles Dodge...

Josh Dix, Payton Sandfort lead Iowa into clash with Indiana
Iowa's Josh Dix and Payton Sandfort accomplished something Tuesday night that Division I teammates at a high-major school hadn't pulled off in 14 years.,The duo each scored at least 30 points and made six 3-pointers during the Hawkeyes' 97-87 overtime win over Nebraska, becoming the first teammates ...

Winless in Big 12, Utah to 'keep pushing' against Oklahoma State
After losses to No. 14 Houston and West Virginia, it looked like Oklahoma State might be in for a repeat of last season when it opened up Big 12 Conference play with six straight losses.,The Cowboys (9-5, 1-2 Big 12) avoided that fate with a much-needed 79-66 win over Kansas State on Tuesday, led by...

Timberwolves meet Grizzlies with both teams hunting consistency
The Minnesota Timberwolves have endured a streaky first half of the season.,Take the past 12 games, for example. That span has included a three-game losing streak, a three-game winning streak, another three-game losing streak and yet another three-game winning streak.,Minnesota will try to break the...

Villanova back in national conversation ahead of trip to St. John's
Villanova has been called a lot of things during Kyle Neptune's first two-plus seasons at the helm.,Now, finally, the Wildcats are being called an NCAA Tournament contender.,Villanova will aim to continue building its case for an NCAA Tournament bid Saturday night, when the Wildcats visit St. John's...

No. 25 Utah State puts perfect league record on line vs. Boise State
No. 25 Utah State is one of only two teams yet to be defeated in Mountain West Conference play, but it'll be a challenge to keep that spotless record intact this weekend.,The Aggies (15-1, 5-0 Mountain West) put their unblemished league mark on the line when they host Boise State (12-4, 4-1) on Satu...

Miami's challenges compounding with Wake Forest up next
Wake Forest is playing efficient basketball, while Miami, having already lost its coach, is spiraling downward.,Two teams on entirely different trajectories will meet Saturday when the Demon Deacons visit the Hurricanes in Coral Gables, Fla.,Wake Forest (11-4, 3-1 ACC), which hasn't lost consecutive...

No. 18 Gonzaga, Washington St. ready for first game as WCC rivals
It's not that Washington State and No. 18 Gonzaga are unfamiliar with each other historically. They've played 150 times prior to Saturday night's West Coast Conference matchup on the Bulldogs' floor in Spokane, Wash.,But this will be the first time they've met as WCC rivals, thanks to the Cougars ne...

No. 6 Kentucky heads to No. 14 Mississippi St. focused on the glass
Another battle against a ranked foe lies ahead for Kentucky on Saturday, as the nation's sixth-ranked team will travel to Starkville, Miss., to play No. 14 Mississippi State.,Playing away from Rupp Arena has not been the easiest task for the Wildcats (12-3, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) so far this s...