preview Page 206 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Surging Sabres out to extend Hurricanes' tough stretch
The Carolina Hurricanes have taken a detour, but there's time to get back on track for a team that has been one of the most difficult to face over the past few seasons.,Experiencing a challenging period of transition, the Canes will be looking for a reset of sorts when the Buffalo Sabres visit Ralei...

Slumping Oilers look to get back on track vs. short-handed Panthers
Leon Draisaitl is dominating, but his Edmonton Oilers are slumping.,That, in essence, is the state of the Oilers, who are set to visit the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.,Draisaitl has scored 43 goals, leading the NHL by a wide margin. He also has at least one goal in six straight games.,Yet, th...

Nuggets visit Bucks in battle of MVP candidates
Two MVP candidates face off for the first time in over a year as Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks welcome Nikola Jokic and the visiting Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.,Denver enters this matchup coming off a resurgent 125-116 win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday in the first contest ...

Jimmy Butler leads streaking Warriors into meeting with Magic
Jimmy Butler and the surging Golden State Warriors open a five-game road trip Thursday with a visit to Orlando.,The Warriors are 6-1 since acquiring Butler and have climbed to eighth in the Western Conference, just a half-game behind the sixth-place Los Angeles Clippers.,Butler had just six points i...

Fan favorites eyeing breakthrough at Cognizant Classic
As the PGA Tour begins its Florida swing at the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches on Thursday, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Daniel Berger are among the names vying for a redeeming victory.,A pair of fan favorites, Spieth and Fowler, have dropped to Nos. 70 and 95, respectively, in the Offici...

Cal needs win over SMU to make late ACC tourney push
Cal will have its top player while SMU probably won't when the Atlantic Coast Conference teams meet in a rematch Wednesday night in Berkeley, Calif.,Boopie Miller had 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals when the Mustangs (20-7, 11-5 ACC) beat the Golden Bears (12-15, 5-11) 76-65 i...

Valeri Nichushkin a 'possibility' to return for Avalanche vs. Devils
The Colorado Avalanche have stumbled out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break, but they may get a key player back when they host the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night.,Winger Valeri Nichushkin practiced with the team Tuesday and could return, though coach Jared Bednar would not fully commit to writing...

Stumbling Ohio State and Southern California desperately need win
Two teams mired in three-game losing streaks meet when Ohio State battles Southern California on Wednesday night in Big Ten play at Los Angeles.,The Buckeyes (15-13, 7-10 Big Ten) are locked in a 10th-place tie while USC (14-13, 6-10) finds itself barely on the right side of the Big Ten tournament c...

Kings' productive new line might stick together against Canucks
The Los Angeles Kings found another forward combination to boost their offense in a tight game, but it's unclear whether Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala and Quinton Byfield will remain together Wednesday night against the visiting Vancouver Canucks.,Kempe joined Fiala and Byfield in the second period Mond...

Cue the Spider-Man meme: Arkansas, Texas meet with matching records
Arkansas and Texas will try to create some separation from each other in the minds of the NCAA Tournament committee when they square off Wednesday in a key Southeastern Conference game in Fayetteville, Ark.,Differentiation is important for both teams because each owns a 16-11 overall record and a 5-...

Boston College heads to Stanford needing more wins to reach ACCs
Boston College will try to keep its hopes of reaching the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament alive when it tips off a critical two-game trip Wednesday night at Stanford.,The Golden Eagles (12-15, 4-12) began the week one game out of the conference's top 15 that will earn invitations to the prestig...

Rising Hoosiers aim to avoid flop against Penn State
After one of its biggest wins of the season, Indiana will try to avoid a letdown performance when it tips off against Penn State in a Big Ten Conference matchup Wednesday evening in Bloomington, Ind.,Indiana (16-11, 7-9 Big Ten) is coming off a 73-58 victory against then-No. 13 Purdue on Sunday. Now...

Wake Forest's sliding NCAA hopes on the line vs. Virginia
Wake Forest had avoided the pitfalls of what might be considered "bad losses" for most of the season.,After absorbing a couple of them recently, the Demon Deacons can ill afford another when Virginia visits for an Atlantic Coast Conference game Wednesday night in Winston-Salem, N.C.,Wake Forest (19-...

Villanova looks to continue climb against Seton Hall
It seems every time Kyle Neptune's seat gets piping-hot, Villanova pulls it off the burner with an unexpected win., ,Neptune's Wildcats remain on the periphery of the NCAA Tournament bubble thanks in large part to an 81-66 upset of then-No. 16 Marquette on Friday. Villanova has three games to go bef...

Zach LaVine, Kings aim to retain urgent tempo against Jazz
Two common themes emerged from the Sacramento Kings' blowout victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.,For one, the Kings liked how they responded while playing with "a sense of urgency." For another, they couldn't help but be wowed by the performance of recent acquisition Zach LaVine, who...

Dyson Daniels, Hawks go for two-game sweep of Heat
Dyson Daniels' goal prior to this season was to be named to the NBA's All-Defensive team.,Now, with the end of the regular season less than two months away, Daniels -- a 6-foot-7 wing for the Atlanta Hawks -- has amended his goal.,"Now it's to be Defensive Player of the Year," Daniels said this week...

Trail Blazers begin long trip against suddenly stingy Wizards
The Washington Wizards have been extremely generous throughout the season. However, they picked a fine time to get downright stingy.,After tightening the clamps on defense in their last game, the NBA-worst Wizards will try to string together wins on Wednesday when they welcome the Portland Trail Bla...

Thunder hope to learn from collapse, move on to face Nets
Because of their dominance for most of the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder rarely play close games or wilt in the fourth quarter.,That scenario unfolded against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night, resulting in a three-point overtime loss. Two nights later, the Thunder attempt to avoid taki...

Jets look to keep record win streak going in visit to Senators
The Winnipeg Jets have won a franchise-record 10 straight going into their road game against the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night.,The Jets' latest win was a 2-1 come-from-behind overtime decision over the visiting San Jose Sharks on Monday night.,Mark Scheifele got the game winner 1:33 into the O...

Emerging Paul McNeil sparks NC State into matchup vs. Syracuse
In the midst of a challenging season, North Carolina State may be able to find a silver lining in the form of Paul McNeil.,Coming off their best performance of the season, McNeil and the Wolfpack visit Syracuse in Atlantic Coast Conference action on Wednesday.,McNeil, a freshman guard, ranks ninth o...