review Page 254 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Bye, bye: NFC's top prize goes to 49ers-Seahawks winner
There will be plenty on the line Saturday night when the Seattle Seahawks meet the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif.,Namely, the NFC West title, the conference's top playoff seed and a first-round playoff bye.,Both the Seahawks (13-3) and 49ers (12-4) carry six-game winning streaks into the...
Jets fly to Toronto, resolve to snap 7-game losing streak
The Winnipeg Jets will try to start the new year by ending a seven-game losing streak when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night.,The Jets finished 2025 on an 0-4-3 skid after their 2-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday in the opener of Winnipeg's three-game road trip. Six of...
Penguins pursue third straight victory as Red Wings visit
Pittsburgh will ring in the new year on home ice Thursday night against the Detroit Red Wings as the Penguins seek their first three-game winning streak since October., ,Coach Dan Muse's team dispatched the Carolina Hurricanes, who lead the Metropolitan Division, 5-1 on Tuesday, and next up is the A...
Kings, Lightning provide preview of Olympians
The Los Angeles Kings lost more games than they won in December, but there are signs their season is beginning to tilt in the right direction heading into their matchup on Thursday against the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning.,The Kings are coming off a 5-2 loss on Monday at the Colorado Avalanche, who ...
Capitals carry momentum into matchup with skidding Senators
The Washington Capitals will look to bring their positive vibes into the new year when they visit the Ottawa Senators on Thursday afternoon.,Washington defeated the visiting New York Rangers 6-3 on Wednesday, the same day the Capitals learned that forward Tom Wilson and goalie Logan Thompson were na...
Inconsistent Panthers aim to clinch NFC South in rematch with Bucs
It's not exactly a winner-takes-all situation when the NFC South rival Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers clash for the second time in three weeks on Saturday in Tampa.,However, the Panthers can dictate their fate when it comes to qualifying for the postseason.,"We're aware of all those scen...
Kawhi Leonard turning back clock, leading Clippers into new year vs. Jazz
With a quicker tempo that has led to improvement on both sides of the floor, the Los Angeles Clippers will ride a season-best five-game winning streak into a game against the Utah Jazz on Thursday at Inglewood, Calif.,A disappointment early in the season with a plodding style, the Clippers no longer...
Struggling Kings started new year with visit from surging Celtics
Jaylen Brown's impressive streak of 30-point games is over, but teammate Derrick White is overshadowing him as the Boston Celtics enter Thursday night's road game against the Sacramento Kings.,White had a career-best seven blocked shots to go with 27 points, seven rebounds and six assists during Tue...
Top rookies face off as Mavericks host 76ers
After ending 2025 on a sour note, the Dallas Mavericks hope that flipping the calendar leads to a surge of new success., ,The Mavericks begin the new year with a matchup against Tyrese Maxey and the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday., ,Not much has gone right this season for Dallas, but the en...
Mammoth, Islanders look to start new year on right note
The New York Islanders and Utah Mammoth are in far better position entering 2026 than most people could have anticipated at the start of the NHL season -- and also a little dissatisfied with how they ended 2025.,The Islanders and Mammoth will each hit the midway point of their season Thursday, when ...
Cardiac Canadiens hope to get earlier jump on Hurricanes
The Montreal Canadiens are comfortable after falling behind in games because they have gained confidence with their ability to rally.,That is not the preferred route to victories, so the Canadiens would not mind altering the formula when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes for Thursday night's game a...
Road-weary Pistons open favorable home stretch vs. Heat
The Detroit Pistons spent most of the past two weeks on the road. The Eastern Conference leaders now have an extended stretch where they can enjoy the comforts of their own homes as well as their home court.,Detroit plays nine of its next 11 games at home, beginning with a matchup against the Miami ...
Alperen Sengun, hot-shooting Rockets take on Nets
Alperen Sengun sat out with a calf injury and enjoyed the sight of others stepping up as the Houston Rockets built a massive lead and produced one of their best shooting performances of the season on Monday.,The good news for the Rockets is Sengun is probable for Thursday, and the center expects to ...
Wake Forest has 'unfinished business' in Mayo Bowl vs. Mississippi State
Wake Forest is eager to make school history in the Duke's Mayo Bowl.,Mississippi State will be trying to avoid making history when it meets the Demon Deacons on Friday night in Charlotte, N.C.,Wake Forest (8-4) won six of seven before losing to Duke, 49-32, in the regular-season finale on Nov. 29.,"...
No. 17 Arizona, SMU expect to be near full strength for Holiday Bowl
Count No. 17 Arizona and SMU among the teams viewing bowl season as a gift, with relatively few known opt-outs on either side.,These teams playing at full tilt could create a very interesting strength-on-strength matchup when the Wildcats and Mustangs meet in the Holiday Bowl on Friday in San Diego....
Opt-out-battered Cincinnati hopes to hold off Navy in Liberty Bowl
Opposing a service academy in a bowl game is no cakewalk. Since 2021, Navy, Army and Air Force have combined to reel off seven straight bowl game wins, despite facing power-conference teams in four of the matchups.,Next in line for a service academy challenge is Cincinnati, which takes on Navy in th...
Under-.500 Rice glad to have Armed Forces Bowl bid vs. Texas State
Most coaches profess excitement to play in a bowl game, whether they mean it or not.,It's probably a safe guess that first-year Rice coach Scott Abell wasn't faking his thoughts about getting an invitation to take his team to the Armed Forces Bowl against Texas State on Friday in Fort Worth, Texas.,...
Blue Jackets see signs of improvement ahead of Devils' visit
The Columbus Blue Jackets and New Jersey Devils will end December just as they began it -- by playing each other.,They also might end the month tied in the standings, which neither team could have imagined 30 days ago.,The Blue Jackets will look to remain hot while the Devils will try to stop their ...
Flames carry hot home form into matchup with Flyers
The Calgary Flames will look to remain hot on home ice when they play host to the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday.,Connor Zary scored the overtime winner as the Flames edged the visiting Boston Bruins 2-1 on Monday, stretching Calgary's home winning streak to four games.,The Flames, who are 11-5-2 ...
Bruins continue western swing against fueled-up Oilers
The Boston Bruins continue their swing through western Canada with a trip to Edmonton for a Wednesday night matchup with Connor McDavid and the Pacific Division-leading Oilers.,The Bruins began the north-of-the-border leg of their five-game trip with a 2-1 overtime loss to the Calgary Flames on Mond...