review Page 319 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Packers primed for playoff push starting with visit from Vikings
GREEN BAY -- 'Tis the season for separating in the NFC North.,The Packers begin looking at playoff possibilities when they host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday in the first of three consecutive games against division opponents.,The Packers (6-3-1) rallied for a 27-20 win at the New York Giants to sn...

Depleted No. 20 Tennessee hosts rival Tennessee State
As 20th-ranked Tennessee prepares to host rival Tennessee State on Thursday night in Knoxville, it will do so with its top scoring threat off the bench lost until December.,J.P. Estrella, a 6-foot-11 redshirt sophomore forward, left Monday night's 91-66 win over Rice with a knee injury just before h...

Holding nation's longest win streak, Nebraska faces New Mexico
Nebraska and New Mexico will meet for just the second time in men's basketball when the schools square off in the first round of the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday.,Kansas State and Mississippi State round out the four-team field.,Nebraska (4-0) has the longest active win stre...

Macklin Celebrini, Sharks will have hands full with Kings
Intent on closing out a monster six-game road trip with a flourish, the Los Angeles Kings will at least be back in their home state when they face the San Jose Sharks on Thursday., ,The Kings started their journey on Nov. 9 with a victory at Pittsburgh then stormed through Canada with victories over...

Torrid point producers face off as Canucks host Stars
After a brief period to mull over self-inflicted wounds in their last outing, the Dallas Stars begin a four-game road trip through the West against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday hoping to restart a win streak.,The Stars had a five-game winning streak snapped in dramatic style during Tuesday's 3-...

Scott Wedgewood's surge fuels Avalanche entering Rangers' visit
When the Colorado Avalanche turned over their goaltenders last November, Scott Wedgewood was acquired to be a solid backup to Mackenzie Blackwood.,Wedgewood hasn't played like a backup, and he has given head coach Jared Bednar a good problem to have -- deciding which goalie to start.,Wedgwood has pl...

In scheduling quirk, Mammoth host Golden Knights twice in five days
Having played just seven of their first 20 games on home ice in Salt Lake City, the Utah Mammoth kick off a four-game homestand Thursday night against the Vegas Golden Knights.,It's the first of two meetings in a five-day span between the two teams, who will also play again Monday in the Delta Cente...

No. 2 Houston looks to stay perfect vs. Rider as freshmen shine
Houston is coming off its first close game of the season and now looks to remain unbeaten when it hosts Rider on Thursday night.,The No. 2 Cougars (4-0) made some late defensive stops while squeezing out a 73-72 win over then-No. 22 Auburn in Birmingham, Ala., on Sunday.,Freshman point guard Kingsto...

Texas Tech has JT Toppin to lean on in tricky matchup with Wake Forest
Texas Tech got the bounce-back performance it needed with a victory against Milwaukee last Friday and now has to ramp back up for higher level competition with a trip to the Bahamas this week.,The 15th-ranked Red Raiders (3-1) get tested for two days at the Baha Mar Championship, starting Thursday w...

No. 14 St. John's hosts Bucknell as Rick Pitino tests lineups
Coach Rick Pitino is still experimenting to find the right lineup combinations for No. 14 St. John's, especially before the schedule intensifies.,The evidence of the experimentation was seen in an underwhelming opening 20 minutes against William & Mary on Saturday.,One pairing that Pitino liked was ...

Young Blackhawks making their mark, aim to keep rolling vs. Kraken
Connor Bedard secured his second hat trick in three weeks on Tuesday with a pair of third-period goals that propelled the Chicago Blackhawks past Calgary.,A 5-2 victory hinged on his heroics, although other teammates are helping lately, too.,Chicago enters Thursday's visit from the Seattle Kraken at...

No. 11 BYU visits Cincinnati with Big 12 title, CFP hopes on the line
No. 11 BYU looks to continue its rise up the polls and to secure berths in both the Big 12 title game and the College Football Playoff when it visits slumping Cincinnati on Saturday night.,The Cougars (9-1, 6-1 Big 12) can clinch a spot in the Big 12 championship game in Dallas on Dec. 6 with a win,...

No. 25 Arizona State winning with backup QB, takes on struggling Colorado
No. 25 Arizona State faces Colorado on Saturday in Boulder, Colo., riding a two-game winning streak under veteran backup quarterback Jeff Sims, while the Buffaloes look to the future with freshman quarterback Julian "JuJu" Lewis.,Colorado (3-7, 1-6 Big 12) is assured of the second losing season in D...

Maple Leafs hope home ice favors them vs. Blue Jackets
The Toronto Maple Leafs will have one more chance to take advantage of the home-heavy portion of their schedule Thursday night in their clash with the Columbus Blue Jackets.,Toronto is 8-4-2 in 14 home games this season, playing over two-thirds of its schedule to date on home ice.,The Maple Leafs th...

Soaring Red Wings face another hot team in Islanders
The Detroit Red Wings are off to their best start in 14 seasons. They'll look to avenge their most lopsided loss when they host the New York Islanders on Thursday night.,The Red Wings recorded 12 wins through the first 20 games of a season for the first time since 2011-12, when they also posted an i...

Panthers' productive offense to test Devils' defense
Coming off their best offensive performance of the season, the Florida Panthers look to keep rolling when they host the New Jersey Devils on Thursday in Sunrise, Fla.,The Panthers' 8-5 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Monday saw Florida post season bests in goals, shots (41), and fewest shots allow...

Blues seek payback in rematch vs. Flyers
The St. Louis Blues don't have to wait long to exact revenge on the Philadelphia Flyers., ,Less than a week after losing at home to the Flyers, the Blues will pay a visit to Philadelphia for a rematch on Thursday., ,When the teams met on Nov. 14, Philadelphia came back from a 5-3 deficit to tie the ...

Kansas State faces challenge whoever plays QB for No. 12 Utah
Keeping quarterbacks healthy is once again a dilemma for No. 12 Utah as it heads into its final regular-season home game against Kansas State on Saturday in Salt Lake City.,Starting quarterback Devon Dampier has been battling an ankle injury for at least a month. Dampier's availability for the Utes ...

No. 18 Michigan prepares to avoid trap game at Maryland
While Michigan believes it has a path to a College Football Playoff berth, the Wolverines might have to navigate it with a former walk-on running back in the starting lineup.,With injuries piling up in the backfield, Bryson Kuzdzal could get the call on Saturday when No. 18 Michigan (8-2, 6-1 Big Te...

No. 20 Tennessee intent on finishing strong vs. rival Florida
Even with a strong two weeks to finish their regular season, the Tennessee Volunteers have no real chance to compete for a national title when they play Florida in Gainesville, Fla., on Saturday in their last annual meeting with the Gators.,The No. 20 Volunteers (7-3, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) pi...