review Page 677 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Last-place Sharks, Blackhawks aim to build on recent wins
It may be a battle of the Western Conference's two divisional cellar dwellers, but both the Chicago Blackhawks and host San Jose Sharks head into Thursday's matchup on a winning note.,The Blackhawks hit the West Coast after snapping a four-game losing streak with a 5-2 road win over the Colorado Ava...

Mavs bring depth into in-state clash with Rockets
Mavericks guard Luka Doncic swooped in at the last minute on Tuesday and buried a dagger 3-pointer that put the finishing touches on a 120-114 victory at the Minnesota Timberwolves to help Dallas sweep a challenging, early-season back-to-back.,The busy Mavericks will play their third game in four ni...

Predators aim to get even vs. Connor McDavid-less Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are preparing to move on without their superstar for the time being. ,Meanwhile, the Nashville Predators hope their early struggles are behind them. ,With Connor McDavid injured, the visiting Oilers aim to win at Nashville for the second time this month on Thursday night. ,Less t...

Hurricanes aim to bring road success home against Bruins
After what the Carolina Hurricanes accomplished on an extended road trip, they want to make sure to impress their fans at home as well.,It will have been more than two weeks since the Hurricanes have played on home ice when the Boston Bruins visit for Thursday night's game at Raleigh, N.C.,Carolina ...

Skidding Penguins focus on defense as upbeat Ducks visit
The Pittsburgh Penguins will try to avoid matching their longest losing streak under coach Mike Sullivan when they host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.,The Penguins have dropped six in a row, getting outscored 27-13 in the process.,Sullivan, who's in his 10th season with Pittsburgh, said there'...

Surging Capitals take aim at slumping Canadiens
The Washington Capitals have been riding high with six wins in their last seven games.,The Montreal Canadiens, in turn, couldn't have felt much lower after being on the business end of a shellacking in their last outing.,The Capitals aim to continue their winning ways on Thursday when they host the ...

Blues seeking better effort in visit to Flyers
To say the least, the Flyers and St. Louis Blues are entering Thursday's matchup in Philadelphia with varying degrees of short-term momentum.,The Flyers are coming off a crisp 2-0 road win over the Boston Bruins -- their first regulation win in Boston in more than 13 years. The Blues, meanwhile, wer...

Kraken, Maple Leafs look to build on offensive fireworks
The visiting Seattle Kraken and Toronto Maple Leafs have already been tricking and treating this week before their game on Thursday night.,Both teams have treated their fans to high-scoring victories sparked by hat tricks.,Center John Tavares scored three goals -- his 12th career regular-season hat ...

Louisville debuts new coach, new roster vs. Morehead St.
Pat Kelsey will make his debut as Louisville's coach on Monday when the Cardinals host in-state foe Morehead State for both teams' season opener.,The former College of Charleston coach replaces Kenny Payne, whom the Atlantic Coast Conference school fired in March after two seasons. ,Kelsey had to es...

Jamir Watkins leads Florida State into season vs. No. Kentucky
Jamir Watkins opted to come back to Florida State for another season after passing on the chance to enter the 2024 NBA Draft.,Now, the senior guard is ready to help Florida State improve on last season's 17-16 record and be a contender in the ACC.,The journey starts Monday as Watkins and the Seminol...

Pitt prepares to showcase backcourt in opener vs. Radford
Despite losing its top two scorers from last season, Pittsburgh is far from entering a rebuilding phase.,Pittsburgh, projected to finish seventh in the ACC, will rev up its 2024-25 campaign Monday when it hosts Radford of the Big South Conference.,Blake Hinson (18.5 points per game) and Carlton Carr...

NC State debuts retooled roster vs. South Carolina Upstate
Coming off an unlikely run to the Final Four, North Carolina State enters its opener Monday against visiting South Carolina Upstate hoping to make new magic with a retooled lineup.,Four of his top five scorers have departed but eighth-year coach Kevin Keatts still has enough returning players and pr...

Maxime Raynaud leads Stanford, new coach into season vs. Denver
The Kyle Smith era tips off Monday afternoon when Stanford hosts Denver and its beefed-up coaching staff in a nonconference game.,Smith, who directed Washington State to 25 wins and into the NCAA Tournament last season, was hired to replace Jerod Haase, who went 126-127 in eight years with the Cardi...

Oregon tips off Big Ten season vs. UC-Riverside
Oregon kicks off its inaugural Big Ten campaign on Monday against UC-Riverside in a nonconference season opener in Eugene, Ore.,Oregon joined nine other schools in departing the Pac-12 after last season, but the Ducks were the only program to leave with a Pac-12 Tournament championship. ,Oregon ente...

Chattanooga packs proven resume, out to spoil opener for USC
The Eric Musselman era tips off at Southern California when the Trojans open the 2024-25 season in Los Angeles against visiting Chattanooga on Monday.,USC debuts as a member of the Big Ten Conference after its tenure in the Pac-12 closed with a disappointing 15-18 finish amid a rash of injuries a se...

Nebraska plans to deploy deep rotation as season begins
The sixth season of the Fred Hoiberg era gets underway Monday when Nebraska hosts Texas-Rio Grande Valley in a nonconference game in Lincoln, Neb. to open the 2024-25 season.,The Cornhuskers are coming off their first NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade, losing to Texas A&M in the first round and...

Overhauled Michigan ready for reveal starting with Cleveland St.
Michigan has so many changes within its basketball program since last season, it's almost as if the Wolverines swapped programs with another school.,Head coach Juwan Howard was fired after an 8-24 season and replaced by former Florida Atlantic coach Dusty May. The roster, revamped with a flurry of i...

Revamped Illinois roster chasing chemistry, faces Eastern Illinois
For the third year in a row, Illinois welcomes Eastern Illinois to kick off the season. But as the Fighting Illini prepare for Monday's game in Champaign, Ill., they bear almost no resemblance to last season's group.,The Illini retain just two scholarship players -- guards Ty Rodgers and Dravyn Gibb...

Iowa depending on depth to prove doubters wrong, welcomes Southland foe
Death, taxes and Fran McCaffery-coached teams putting points on the board.,Iowa looks like better than the 16th-ranked team in one Big Ten preseason poll. The Hawkeyes will get a chance to show they are capable of outperforming that prediction, beginning with their season opener on Monday when Texas...

Northwestern doesn't mind doubters ahead of opener vs. Lehigh
Northwestern enters 2024-25 coming off consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in school history and returning 66 percent of its minutes.,Still, a preseason media poll tapped the Wildcats 16th out of 18 teams in the Big Ten, due largely to the graduation of top scorer and floor le...