preview Page 80 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Desperate Chiefs host Chargers fighting to keep playoff streak alive
With their decade-long streak of playoff appearances in jeopardy, the Kansas City Chiefs will try to ignite their long-shot postseason chances when they play host to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.,The Chiefs (6-7) are on the outside of the playoff field, two games behind the Houston Texans, who...

Riled Ravens on rebound as Bengals fight to avoid elimination
The Baltimore Ravens find themselves outside the playoff picture with four games remaining and a razor-thin margin for error. ,"We're 6-7. The urgency becomes a little more urgent," safety Kyle Hamilton said. "There's no excuses that are to be made at this point.",After losing consecutive games to A...

Depleted Trail Blazers wrap trip vs. struggling Pelicans
The injury-plagued Portland Trail Blazers will aim to end their five-game road trip on a high note when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday.,Away from home since the beginning of December, Portland slumped to 1-3 on the trip with a 119-96 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.,First-ch...

Predators aim to keep climb going vs. shorthanded Blues
After staggering to a 6-12-4 start, the Nashville Predators have worked their way back toward the Western Conference playoff race. They finally gained confidence while winning five of their last seven games.,"Hopefully we can develop a little bit of consistency," Predators coach Andrew Brunette said...

Hurricanes visit surging Capitals with first place on the line
In a crucial division rivalry, the Carolina Hurricanes travel to face the red-hot Washington Capitals on Thursday.,The Hurricanes are 4-2-0 in their last six games and sit a point behind the Capitals in the standings. A victory Thursday would move Carolina ahead of Washington for first place in both...

G Dennis Hildeby stepping up for Leafs, who next face Sharks
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been able to overcome injuries to their top two goaltenders, and they look to continue that trend Thursday night against the visiting San Jose Sharks.,With Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll out injured, the starting role fell to Dennis Hildeby.,So far, Hildeby has been imp...

Penguins, Canadiens try to recover from deflating losses
The Pittsburgh Penguins will try to rebound from one of their most shocking losses in recent memory when they host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.,The Penguins held a one-goal lead when they went on a power play with 18 seconds left in the third period against the visiting Anaheim Ducks on Tuesd...

Islanders, Ducks clash on Long Island riding hot streaks
On Tuesday night, the New York Islanders and Anaheim Ducks each helped bolster the other's surprising early-season surge.,On Thursday night, the two teams will try to cool each other off when the Islanders face the Ducks in their first matchup of the season in Elmont, N.Y.,Both teams earned shootout...

Devils, Lightning battle to build on skid-snapping wins
The New Jersey Devils and Tampa Bay Lightning each had a solid offensive performance to break their respective notable losing streaks.,The teams will look to build momentum at the other's expense on Thursday night when they meet in Newark, N.J.,Cody Glass scored the go-ahead goal with 7:36 remaining...

No. 4 Iowa State brimming with confidence ahead of Iowa game
Fresh off one of the biggest upsets of all time, No. 4 Iowa State hosts its biggest rival on Thursday when Iowa visits Ames.,The Cyclones (9-0) rolled to an 81-58 win at then-No. 1 Purdue on Saturday. The 23-point margin matched the worst home loss for a No. 1 team in AP Poll history.,In shooting 54...

No. 2 Michigan blasts Villanova for another lopsided win
Elliot Cadeau had 18 points and four assists as No. 2 Michigan overwhelmed Villanova 89-61 in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Tuesday night.,Michigan (9-0) came up just two points shy of a fifth consecutive victory by a margin of 30 or more points. The Wolverines, who led by 30 at halftime, had eight players w...

Unbeaten Iowa State brimming with confidence ahead of Iowa game
Fresh off one of the biggest upsets of all time, No. 4 Iowa State hosts its biggest rival on Thursday when Iowa visits Ames.,The Cyclones (9-0) rolled to an 81-58 win at then-No. 1 Purdue on Saturday. The 23-point margin matched the worst home loss for a No. 1 team in AP Poll history.,In shooting 54...

Lakers, Spurs square off in NBA Cup West semifinal
A pair of Western Conference powers, vying to become the primary threat to the defending NBA champions, will meet in an NBA Cup West semifinal Wednesday when the Los Angeles Lakers play host to the San Antonio Spurs.,Each team is hot as the Lakers have won nine times over their past 11 games with th...

Panthers clash with Mammoth in opener of 4-game trip
The Florida Panthers rediscovered their winning ways at the end of a six-game homestand they completed over the weekend.,Now, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions face the challenge of building upon that as they start a four-game road trip Wednesday in Salt Lake City against the Utah Mammoth...

Suns crave challenge of ousting dominant Thunder from NBA Cup
Devin Booker said figuring out the Oklahoma City Thunder is the easy part.,"The secret is out," the Phoenix Suns star said in the aftermath of the Thunder's 123-119 win over his Suns on Nov. 28 in Oklahoma City. "They do speed you up. They play aggressive. They'll grab, they'll hold, but it's never ...

Rolling Red Wings, Flames don't want to take steps back
The Detroit Red Wings are enjoying a two-game winning streak and a run of five games garnering points but are well aware they must not take a step back when they continue their road trip Wednesday at the Calgary Flames.,The Red Wings, who are coming off Monday's 4-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks, h...

Chasing NFC South title, Bucs wary of freefalling Falcons
Over the last four seasons, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have taken advantage of a consistently below-average NFC South.,In search of its fifth straight division title, Tampa Bay (7-6) will strive to avoid dropping its second consecutive game to a woeful rival when it hosts the reeling Atlanta Falcons (...

Cal has areas to address during visit from D2 Dominican
Complacency doesn't figure to be a concern for Cal. At 8-1, the Golden Bears are off to their best start since 2014-15.,If anything, Cal will be laser-focused when hosting Division II member Dominican University of California (5-1) on Tuesday in Berkeley, Calif.,The Golden Bears have won five straig...

Knicks own nine straight over Raps entering NBA Cup quarterfinal
The visiting New York Knicks can advance to the East semifinals of the NBA Cup Tuesday night by maintaining their mastery of the Toronto Raptors.,The Knicks have defeated the Raptors nine consecutive times entering their NBA Cup quarterfinal in Canada. That includes the only meeting between the team...

Best meets worst as Avs wrap up trip vs. Predators
The cellar-dwelling Nashville Predators scuffled through a forgettable first quarter of the season while the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche have thrived through 29 games.,The two teams on opposite trajectories meet in Nashville on Tuesday night for the first of two games in five days. They also play...