preview Page 9 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Heat face Magic in opener following pair of 1st-round exits
Coming off first-round playoff exits, the Orlando Magic host the rival Miami Heat in Wednesday's season opener.,Last season, the Boston Celtics eliminated the seventh-seeded Magic in five games. The Heat won twice in the play-in tournament to become the first No. 10 seed in NBA history to advance, b...

'Everything a captain should be': Dylan Larkin, Wings take on Sabres
Dylan Larkin and the Detroit will look to continue their torrid starts to the season on Wednesday night when the Red Wings visit the Buffalo Sabres.,Larkin was named the NHL's First Star of the Week on Monday after recording nine points (four goals, five assists) and a plus-7 rating in four games la...

No. 23 Illinois feeling rested, prepared for rare road trip to Washington
Big Ten Conference counterparts Washington and No. 23 Illinois will meet on Saturday in Seattle for what could be a pivotal matchup in finishing out their respective seasons.,Each team comes in off a league loss, though Illinois (5-2, 2-2) returns to action from a much-needed bye week.,The Illini ha...

Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz guide Mammoth against Avalanche
The Utah Mammoth haven't lost at home this season and the Colorado Avalanche are unbeaten on the road, so something will give when the teams meet Tuesday night in Salt Lake City.,Utah, behind the duo of Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz, has started the season 3-0-0 at home, the last a 3-2 win over t...

Blues put revitalized defense up against sputtering Kings
The St. Louis Blues reestablished their team defense to get a four-game homestand back on track. The Los Angeles Kings have embarked on a five-game road swing in search of last season's form.,These teams will come from different directions Tuesday night when the Blues host the Kings.,After losing th...

Hot Kirill Marchenko leads Blue Jackets into tilt with Stars
The Columbus Blue Jackets will look to replicate the effort from their most recent outing when they visit the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.,Unhappy with their play in a 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, the Blue Jackets responded with a 60-minute effort that resulted in a 3-2 victory agains...

Reigning champion Thunder open with upbeat Rockets
The Oklahoma City Thunder open the defense of their first NBA title Tuesday night when they host the Houston Rockets.,The Thunder return almost all of their roster from last season's team that won 68 games in the regular season, posted the best scoring margin in league history and ultimately beat In...

Mariners battle Blue Jays in ALCS Game 7 as Dodgers wait
TORONTO -- The Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays will decide who will move on to the World Series on Monday night in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series.,The Blue Jays forced the decisive game with a 6-2 victory in Game 6 on Sunday night, helped by three Seattle errors. The Ma...

Next up on Hurricanes' road trek is showdown vs. Golden Knights
Two of the hottest teams in the NHL face off on Monday night when the Metropolitan Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes face the Pacific Division leading Vegas Golden Knights in Las Vegas., ,Carolina, playing the fourth game of a season-long six-game western road trip that covers 5,225 miles, is the...

Struggling Flames hoping for home magic against Jets
The floundering Calgary Flames are hoping a return home will be the tonic to snap their losing skid when the high-flying Winnipeg Jets visit on Monday.,The Flames return to the Saddledome on a five-game losing skid, with the latest setback being a 6-1 road loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturda...

Will Kraken make it 5 straight overtimes against Flyers?
The Seattle Kraken are certainly getting used to overtime games.,With each of their last four games going to extra time, the Kraken would love to post a 60-minute victory Monday when they continue their road trip against the Philadelphia Flyers.,Every game Seattle has played on its current six-game ...

Sharks eye elusive first win as Penguins close out trip
The Pittsburgh Penguins played with the right attitude while snapping a two-game losing streak on Thursday, according to first-year coach Dan Muse.,He will hope to see the same intensity on Saturday when the Penguins wrap up a three-game California road trip with a matchup against the San Jose Shark...

Lightning, Jackets attempt to remedy to early-season issues
It hasn't been the start to the season that either Columbus or Tampa Bay envisioned. Both are stuck on one win, a matter they will each aim to rectify when the Blue Jackets host the Lightning on Saturday.,Columbus is 1-3-0, with its lone victory coming on the road, 7-4 over the Minnesota Wild on Oct...

Avalanche press to extend hot start vs. Bruins
The Colorado Avalanche want to build on their last game. The Boston Bruins want to flush their latest effort.,Colorado finished a quick two-game road trip with a 4-1 win at Columbus on Thursday night and makes a brief stop at home to host the Bruins on Saturday night before hitting the road again. T...

Canadiens surge into matchup with goal-starved Rangers
Coming off a late surge to reach the playoffs last spring, the Montreal Canadiens entered this season looking to take a step forward with their young core.,Through five games, the Canadiens are off to a strong start, and they attempt to earn a fifth straight win Saturday night when they host the off...

2025-26 NBA Preview: Atlantic Division capsules
1. New York Knicks,2024-25 record: 51-31, second in the Atlantic,Head coach: Mike Brown, first season with the Knicks,Coming and going: New York has more depth this season than a year ago thanks to the offseason acquisition of Jordan Clarkson, a former Sixth Man of the Year who averaged 16.2 points ...

2025-26 NBA Power Rankings: Thunder repeat talk more than noise
Even before the first bogus "back spasms" show up on an injury report, it's already the Year of Barely-Walking Wounded in the NBA.,Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard and Fred VanVleet are missing more than the season-opener next week. They're done for the year. ,Optimistic fans are counting the days ...

No Puka Nacua, Rams run with replacements vs. Jaguars in London
Pursuing a fifth playoff appearance in six seasons, the Los Angeles Rams are off to a strong start and in a three-way tie atop the NFC West.,The Rams (4-2) will be without one of their key players this week after star receiver Puka Nacua sustained an ankle injury in a win at Baltimore last week and ...

2025-26 NBA preview: Northwest Division capsules
1. Oklahoma City Thunder,2024-25 record: 68-14, first in the Northwest,Head coach: Mark Daigneault, sixth season with the Thunder (211-189 record),Coming and going: The biggest moves the NBA Champions made this offseason was locking down stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen William...

Rockets bank on liftoff after finally landing Kevin Durant
HOUSTON -- Years of losing and intentional asset accumulation put the Rockets in position to make the calculated gamble, but the franchise considers landing their missing piece more reward than risk. ,Kevin Durant was there for the taking.,Houston would need to make a hard right and veer off what wa...