review Page 656 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Lightning end busy month with encounter vs. Kings
As the 4-Nations Face-Off tournament and the resulting break loom in February, the Tampa Bay Lightning are seeking one key as January comes to a close: normalcy.,After playing 15 games in 27 days, the Lightning will close a mediocre January on Thursday night against the visiting Los Angeles Kings. ,...

After first win without Kirill Kaprizov, Wild take aim at Canadiens
The Minnesota Wild passed their first test without star winger Kirill Kaprizov.,They will look to continue that good fortune on Thursday night when they visit the Montreal Canadiens.,The Wild announced Tuesday that Kaprizov, who leads the team in goals (23), assists (29) and points (52), will be out...

Blue Jackets look to continue playoff push at Vegas
In a season that began with the death of star left winger Johnny Gaudreau six weeks before opening night, the Columbus Blue Jackets are getting closer to ending a four-year playoff drought.,The Blue Jackets, who begin a key four-game road trip in Las Vegas on Thursday against the sputtering Vegas Go...

Sharks look to build on rare win as it heads to Seattle
It doesn't take advanced metrics to figure out Seattle Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer has struggled this season.,His 3.83 goals-against average and .866 save percentage, career worsts in both categories, are last among the 54 NHL goalies to play at least 15 games this season.,The Kraken, who are...

Magic hope to begin a big run, starting in Portland
Getting healthy has presented some unexpected challenges for the Orlando Magic.,Orlando has dropped six of its past seven games despite having its stars back in the mix, but the Magic feel like a turnaround is imminent as they head into a meeting with the host Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday nigh...

Rockets look for rare season sweep over Grizzlies
The Houston Rockets visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday in a Western Conference showdown, hoping to do something they haven't done in 15 seasons.,Sweep the regular-season series.,Houston won the first three games, starting with an Oct. 25 blowout in Houston (128-108), but the last two have been ...

Red Wings, Oilers face off, each looking for 4th straight win
The Detroit Red Wings begin a four-game Western swing when they face the host Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.,The Red Wings and the Oilers, playing the penultimate game of a six-game homestand, have each won three consecutive games.,Most recently, Detroit defeated the visiting Los Angeles Kings 5...

Ducks try to gain on Flames in Western wild-card race
The Anaheim Ducks have put themselves in position to play meaningful games in the season's second half and possibly join the hunt for a playoff spot.,They can take another step toward that goal when they go for a season-high fourth straight win Thursday night in Calgary against the Flames.,Anaheim e...

Torrid No. 19 Memphis looks to take down Tulane
Memphis is trending upward as it focuses on taking control of the American Athletic Conference race.,The No. 19 Tigers (16-4, 6-1 AAC) have won three straight and seven of their last eight as they prepare to visit Tulane (11-9, 5-2) on Thursday night in New Orleans.,Memphis had its season-high in po...

East-leading Capitals set to face contending Senators
The resurgent Ottawa Senators go for a third straight win when they host the Washington Capitals on Thursday night.,The Senators completed a successful weekend back-to-back set with a 3-1 win against the Utah Hockey Club on Sunday.,Washington enters the finale of a five-city road trip at 3-1-0 after...

Scottie Scheffler leads stars making season debuts at Pebble Beach
The second signature event of 2025 will bring out the PGA Tour's stars as Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth make their season debuts at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, beginning Thursday in Pebble Beach, Calif., ,Scheffler was scheduled to make two starts earlier this month, but he had...

Newcomers fitting in as Hurricanes face Blackhawks
The Carolina Hurricanes will be back in Raleigh, N.C., for a game Thursday night with a different look from when they last played on home ice.,The Hurricanes made a massive trade late last week and they'll be showing off new pieces when the Chicago Blackhawks visit.,The Hurricanes also are riding a ...

Jets aim to fly high in battle vs. Bruins
While a clash of the NHL's top two teams looms this weekend, the Winnipeg Jets have business to take care of first as they continue a three-game road trip in the East against the Boston Bruins on Thursday.,The Western Conference-leading Jets have won four straight after starting the current trip wit...

Ohio State seeks breathing room in encounter vs. Penn State
Coming off a rare blowout victory was so refreshing that Ohio State looks to duplicate its defensive effort at Penn State on Thursday in University Park, Pa.,The Buckeyes (12-8, 4-5 Big Ten) went 2-3 in a stretch of five games that was decided by a combined nine points. On Monday, they extended a fo...

No. 18 Illinois looks to control glass in clash vs. Nebraska
Illinois coach Brad Underwood is high on his 18th-ranked team.,"We can be a dominant team if we keep growing and finding ways," Underwood said Sunday after an 83-74 Big Ten Conference home romp over Northwestern. "It's growing steps and part of our process.",That process will take the Fighting Illin...

Eric Dailey Jr., surging UCLA take aim at No. 16 Oregon
UCLA has emerged from an ugly stretch to put together an impressive winning streak.,After losing five of six games, the Bruins are looking to record their fifth consecutive victory when they host No. 16 Oregon on Thursday night in Big Ten play at Los Angeles.,The Bruins (15-6, 6-4) have beaten Iowa,...

Santa Clara products clash as Warriors meet Thunder
The Golden State Warriors expect to have Stephen Curry available on Wednesday when they play a second game in two days, facing a rested Oklahoma City Thunder squad in San Francisco.,The Warriors chose to give Curry the night off Tuesday, and they found a way to win. His replacement, Dennis Schroder,...

Domantas Sabonis, Kings set to challenge ailing Sixers
The Philadelphia 76ers are trending in the right direction, but they could have their hands full with Domantas Sabonis and the visiting Sacramento Kings when the teams square off Wednesday.,The Sixers are the worst rebounding team in the NBA -- they are the only team that pulls down fewer than 40 pe...

Cal hopes to slow SMU's ACC-leading offense
SMU and Cal will meet Wednesday for the first time as Atlantic Coast Conference members on the hardwood, squaring off in Dallas. Both teams are bringing some momentum with them.,SMU (15-5, 6-3 ACC) has won four of its past five games, including a 63-57 victory at North Carolina State on Saturday. Ca...

Chris Bell returns home, leads Syracuse into matchup with Stanford
Chris Bell gets an opportunity to celebrate a San Francisco Bay Area homecoming under a new name when he leads Syracuse against host Stanford in an Atlantic Coast Conference game Wednesday night.,Known then as Chris Bunch, the Syracuse junior played three seasons at De La Salle High on the east side...