review Page 576 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

After rare road win, resurgent Blue Jackets welcome Kraken
The Columbus Blue Jackets begin the second half of their season in position to make the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in five seasons.,The Blue Jackets their enter Thursday game against the visiting Seattle Kraken with 42 points and occupying the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Confer...

Heat look to build momentum during visit to Utah
While the Utah Jazz fell victim to a buzzer-beating half-court shot on Tuesday, the Miami Heat were earning a much-needed road win the same night.,The Heat next visit the Jazz in Salt Lake City on Thursday with hopes of building on the momentum they picked up in a 114-98 win over the Golden State Wa...

Trae Young, Hawks try to keep sinking Suns down
It will be hard for Trae Young and Atlanta to top Tuesday's win at Salt Lake City, but the Hawks will nonetheless look to finish their six-game road trip in style against the slumping Phoenix Suns on Thursday.,Young drained a half-court buzzer-beater to lift the Hawks over the Jazz 124-121 in the Ha...

With wildfires as backdrop, Lakers set to host Hornets
Entering a stretch of nine consecutive games in their home state, with seven of those in their own building, the Los Angeles Lakers are scheduled to play host to the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday intent on fine tuning their new look amid trying conditions.,Devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles ar...

Vegas hope return home means more wins, starting with Islanders
The Vegas Golden Knights have parlayed a 22-3-2 mark against Western Conference competition and a 17-4-0 home record into the top spot in the NHL standings with 59 points.,But one of the few blemishes for Bruce Cassidy's squad at the halfway mark of the season has been a so-so 6-6-1 record against E...

Surprising upstarts Rockets, Grizzlies to face off in Memphis
Jaren Jackson Jr. is growing accustomed to his role.,Jackson has seen an increased scoring responsibility while the Memphis Grizzlies contend with a rash of injuries, from star guard Ja Morant to key reserves Marcus Smart and Santi Aldama. Morant is closer to returning from his latest malady, a Grad...

Ducks, Blues out to shore up special teams ahead of clash
The St. Louis Blues will have to reestablish their home-ice advantage to stay in the Western Conference playoff race.,They bring an 8-9-1 home record into their game against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night. This game starts a stretch of 13 of 17 games on their ice for the Blues, who have just fo...

Hideki Matsuyama seeks Hawaii sweep at Sony Open
Hideki Matsuyama opened the PGA Tour season in record-breaking style last weekend at the Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii.,The Japanese star will ride a wave of birdies to Honolulu this week as he tries to make it a two-week sweep at the Sony Open in Hawaii, beginning Thursday at Waialae Country...

Maple Leafs hope to keep rolling against inconsistent Hurricanes
The Toronto Maple Leafs believe they can play even better than they already are.,That could mean trouble for the Carolina Hurricanes when the teams meet Thursday night in Raleigh, N.C.,The Maple Leafs head to Carolina on a five-game winning streak after Tuesday's 3-2 victory at Philadelphia. They'll...

Magic hope to have Paolo Banchero for clash vs. Wolves
Orlando Magic superstar Paolo Banchero caused a bit of a stir on social media Tuesday by saying that "the wait is almost over," presumably referring to his impending return from a torn right oblique.,The wait could finally end Thursday, when the Magic begin a three-game homestand against the Minneso...

System tweak has Sabres thriving ahead of clash vs. Senators
It's been a roller coaster of a season for the Buffalo Sabres.,It started with three straight losses before an 11-6-1 run, including a 7-2-0 stretch from Nov. 5-23. Then they lost 13 straight, going 0-10-3. Since snapping that skid Dec. 23, they are 4-2-1.,The Sabres will look to continue that solid...

Oilers visit Pens with teams on opposite paths
The Pittsburgh Penguins have a tough task ahead of them as they try to snap a four-game losing streak, welcoming an Edmonton Oilers squad that enters Thursday's contest winners of four straight.,Pittsburgh lost 4-3 in a shootout Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the team's third straight ga...

Devils try to continue dominance of slumping Rangers
Jack Hughes and the New Jersey Devils dominated the first two meetings with the New York Rangers last month as part of their ascent in the Metropolitan Division.,This time, the Devils enter Thursday's visit to the struggling Rangers amid a rough patch.,New Jersey outscored New York 10-1 in two meeti...

Pelicans, again without Zion Williams, aim to get past Trail Blazers
Zion Williamson and Dejounte Murray played together on the same team in a game for the first time on Tuesday night.,Having Williamson and Murray together on the court gave a glimpse of what the New Orleans Pelicans envisioned when they traded for Murray from Atlanta in the offseason -- even though t...

Struggling Bruins bid to halt skid in encounter vs. Lightning
If everything goes their way on Thursday night, the Boston Bruins will have accomplished the same thing as the Tampa Bay Lightning in their last outing: Breaking a losing streak.,The Bruins head to the Sunshine State for their first matchup this season against the Lightning having dropped five strai...

Ascending Stars aim to extend win streak vs. Flyers
After experiencing highs and lows through the first two-plus months of the season, the Dallas Stars finally are starting to deliver some consistent results.,The Stars go for their sixth straight win on Thursday when they skate into Philadelphia for a matchup against the scuffling Flyers.,Dallas has ...

No. 16 Michigan State streaks into matchup with Washington
No. 16 Michigan State has the longest winning streak in the Big Ten.,The Spartans (12-2, 3-0 Big Ten) will put their seven-game streak on the line when they host conference newcomer Washington (10-5, 1-3) on Thursday in East Lansing, Mich.,Michigan State has been idle since Friday's 69-62 win at Ohi...

Braden Smith, No. 20 Purdue visit reeling Rutgers
When junior guard Braden Smith is in attack mode, No. 20 Purdue can beat anyone.,In the Boilermakers' three-game winning streak, the Big Ten Conference's preseason Player of the Year has averaged 25.3 points and 9.7 assists. He had 22 points, seven assists and six rebounds Sunday in an easy 79-61 wi...

No. 15 Oregon visits Ohio State in 'new' atmosphere
Oregon will step outside its comfort zone when the Ducks play at Ohio State on Thursday evening in their first non-West Coast game as a member of the Big Ten.,The No. 15 Ducks (13-2, 2-2) opened conference action in early December against former Pac-12 foes Southern California and UCLA, then hosted ...

Kings face Flames, aim to continue strong play at home
The Los Angeles Kings are riding a four-game winning streak and have won nine in a row at home.,But with a lengthy stretch between games as they prepare to host the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night, the Kings had an intense practice session Monday.,"We've only practiced three times as a team in pro...