preview Page 229 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Flyers strive to get back on track, face familiar foe in Blue Jackets
The Philadelphia Flyers have only won two of their last eight games, but one of those victories came against the Columbus Blue Jackets.,The Flyers hope to duplicate that effort Saturday when they host the Blue Jackets in the second of four meetings between the teams this season.,The first matchup ca...

With top line flying high, Penguins visit Devils
The Pittsburgh Penguins' potent top line has led the charge when it comes to the team's recent success.,Bryan Rust, superstar captain Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell will try to continue producing points on Saturday when the Penguins visit the New Jersey Devils in Newark, N.J.,Rust and Crosby each ...

Vanderbilt puts takeaway-heavy defense up against Austin Peay
Vanderbilt brings a four-game winning streak into its next-to-last tune-up for Southeastern Conference play with Austin Peay on Saturday in Nashville, Tenn.,The Commodores (10-1) come off their most lopsided win of the season, a 105-53 victory over The Citadel on Wednesday. That victory gave Vanderb...

New-look Colorado still needs cohesion on D, faces Bellarmine
Colorado lost its top five scorers from last year's NCAA Tournament team, so the start of this season was centered on replacing those points.,Colorado (8-2) has found some of that scoring and heads into its final game of nonconference play with a chance for momentum before Big 12 play. The Buffaloes...

Lakers chasing another victory in rematch with Kings
The Sacramento Kings hope limiting turnovers and fouling less can make a difference when they seek to split an NBA-style doubleheader with the Los Angeles Lakers in a rematch Saturday afternoon in the California capital.,When the Kings and Lakers met at Sacramento on Thursday, Austin Reaves had 25 p...

Louisville continues in 'rediscovery' mode vs. Florida State
Louisville ventures on the road for the second time in a week when it faces Florida State on Saturday in Tallahassee, Fla.,Coach Pat Kelsey's Cardinals (6-5, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) had the week off after a close 93-85 loss at then-No. 5 Kentucky last Saturday. Given the injuries that have sl...

Skidding Minnesota rested and ready to face Terrence Brown, FDU
Minnesota has been waiting for almost two weeks to turn the page on a pair of ugly losses.,On Saturday afternoon, Minnesota finally will get the chance to do just that. The Golden Gophers (6-5) will return to the court to host Fairleigh Dickinson (4-9) in Minneapolis.,Minnesota will try to avoid its...

Strong at home, Texas Tech remains cautious of Lamar
Texas Tech and visiting Lamar each close out their pre-Christmas schedule with a Saturday matinee in Lubbock, Texas, as both teams seek momentum for their respective conference seasons.,Lamar (6-5) is on a five-game winning streak, with four of those triumphs on the road, while Texas Tech (8-2) has ...

Surging Oilers out to exploit Sharks' late-game breakdowns
The Edmonton Oilers could get a chance to catch their breath when they host the struggling San Jose Sharks on Saturday afternoon, but they don't plan to slow down.,The Oilers have won six of their past seven games and nine of 11, knocking off several of the NHL's top teams along the way.,Edmonton mo...

Kings visit Predators riding hot streak
The Los Angeles Kings look to stay hot when they visit the Nashville Predators on Saturday.,The Kings head into the matchup on a 9-2-1 streak over their past 12 games, a stretch that includes a six-game winning streak from Nov. 27-Dec. 10. They're 3-1-1 on their current seven-game road trip, which c...

Strong offenses on display when FAU visits No. 20 Michigan State
If the season statistics are any indicator, it should be a high-octane contest when Florida Atlantic pays a visit to No. 20 Michigan State on Saturday afternoon in East Lansing, Mich.,Both the Owls and Spartans figure to provide plenty of entertainment, given they each have balanced scoring attacks ...

Mississippi St. out to protect ball vs. No. 21 Memphis' pressure
No. 21 Memphis will use its full-court press on Saturday to try to shake up a visiting Mississippi State team that ranks among the best at taking care of the ball.,The Bulldogs (10-1) have a 1.97 assists-to-turnover ratio (193 assists, 98 turnovers), which ranked sixth in Division I entering Thursda...

Utah aims to keep hot streak going against host Wild
The Utah Hockey Club have matched their season high with three straight victories.,On Friday night, Utah will have a chance to make history as it goes for its first four-game winning streak since moving to Salt Lake City. Utah will take on the Minnesota Wild in Saint Paul, Minn.,Utah coach Andre Tou...

Rangers, Stars trying to turn around disappointing seasons
Heading into the season, the Dallas Stars and New York Rangers were considered among the favorites to contend for the Stanley Cup. However, neither is playing their best hockey of late, as they meet for the first time this season on Friday in Dallas.,Dallas has lost four of its last seven, including...

Fresh off OT win, No. 11 UConn out to keep Butler reeling
Struggling Butler gets another big opportunity to right the ship on Saturday when it plays host to No. 11 UConn at Indianapolis in Big East play. ,In its conference opener, Butler (7-5, 0-1) fell for the fourth consecutive time, losing 80-70 to No. 9 Marquette on Wednesday after leading for nearly a...

Packers nearing playoff berth but focused on Saints
The Green Bay Packers are on the verge of locking up a playoff berth.,The Packers (10-4) can clinch and strengthen their seeding prospects by beating the visiting New Orleans Saints (5-9) on Monday night.,They might even clinch before taking the field Monday, depending on what happens in other games...

BYU relying on depth entering matchup vs. Florida A&M
Though most BYU basketball news this season has been about the Cougars' highly-touted freshmen and top-rated recruit A.J. Dybantsa, veterans of the program made it clear that this team has more weapons than just the big names.,That depth will be key for the Cougars (8-2) as they wrap up their noncon...

Capitals aim to ignite offense in divisional clash vs. Hurricanes
The Washington Capitals will try to break out of a rare offensive funk in a division showdown with the visiting Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night.,Washington has scored just three times over its last two games, losing both. It marks just the second time this season the Capitals have dropped consec...

Wings finding groove ahead of home-and-home vs. Canadiens
A trio of underperforming Detroit forwards broke lengthy scoring droughts in the team's last game. The Red Wings will aim to build off that outing in a home-and-home set with Montreal that begins Friday in Detroit.,Patrick Kane scored the decisive third-period goal in a 6-4 win over Philadelphia on ...

Maple Leafs aim to beat woeful Sabres twice in six days
The Toronto Maple Leafs will aim to extend their winning streak to three games when they visit the free-falling Buffalo Sabres on Friday.,The Maple Leafs defeated the Dallas Stars 5-3 on Wednesday to open a brief two-game road trip and have now won four of their last five games (4-1-0).,William Nyla...