England are bullish, France are in flux, while Wales will be hoping just to beat Italy and avoid the wooden spoon
Fixtures: 7 Feb, Wales (h); 14 Feb, Scotland (a); 21 Feb, Ireland (h); 7 Mar, Italy (a); 14 Mar, France (a)
Last year’s finish: 2nd
Gauthier gets 25th goal and surging Ducks beat Kraken 4-2 to move closer to Pacific Division lead
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Cutter Gauthier scored his 25th goal and the Anaheim Ducks defeated the Seattle Kraken 4-2 on Tuesday night to win their final game before the Olympic break.
Jacob Trouba, Alex Killorn and Ross Johnston also scored as the resurgent Ducks built a 4-0 cushion before fending off a late Seattle push. They've won nine of 11 following a nine-game losing streak (0-8-1).
Anaheim climbed within one point of the Pacific Division lead and moved two ahead of the Kraken for third place. Seattle, which had won four in a row and five of six, holds a game in hand over the Ducks.
Lukas Dostal was 4 1/2 minutes from Anaheim's first shutout in 137 games when Jordan Eberle redirected Jared McCann's slap shot in front for his team-high 20th goal.
A giveaway by Dostal led to another Kraken goal when a pinballing puck caromed in off Shane Wright to make it 4-2 with 2:31 left.
Dostal was forced to make several more stops and Chandler Stephenson rang a shot off the post for Seattle before time expired. Dostal finished with 26 saves.
Jansen Harkins and defenseman Jackson LaCombe each had two assists for Anaheim, which improved to 17-8-1 at home. Those were the first two assists for Harkins this season to go with his three goals in 31 games.
Philipp Grubauer stopped 27 shots for the Kraken.
Gauthier opened the scoring at 4:01 of the second period on a snap shot from the top of the right circle just as a Ducks power play expired. Trouba made it 2-0 when the defenseman fired a hard slap shot from the right point with 32.8 seconds left in the period.
Killorn scored from a sharp angle 24 seconds into the third, and Johnston made it 4-0 at 13:54.
Anaheim's streak without a shutout is the longest active drought for any NHL team. The last time the Ducks blanked an opponent came when Dostal made 26 saves in a 2-0 victory at San Jose for their lone shutout last season on Oct. 12, 2024.
Up nextKraken: Play at Los Angeles on Wednesday night to conclude a three-game trip heading into the Olympic break.
Ducks: Host the Edmonton Oilers on Feb. 25 in their first game following the break.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Bussi Does it Again – Hurricanes 4, Senators 3
The Carolina Hurricanes won a tight battle with the Ottawa Senators, 4-3 on Tuesday night at the Lenovo Center.
Goaltender, Brandon Bussi earned the win and continued with his magical season by improving his overall record this season to 22-3-1.
While Bussi allowed three goals on the 25 shots he faced, many of his saves were off “high-danger” chances. The goaltender has now won six games in a row and his record is 15-1-0 on home ice.
After falling behind 1-0 early in the first period, Sebastian Aho was credited with his 20th goal of the season when his shot bounced in the net after Seth Jarvis crashed the net. The puck hit a Senator, so Aho got the credit for the score.
Aho now has 10 straight years of 20 goal seasons.
In the second period, Jarvis got on the scoreboard twice within a three minute time frame.
First, he blasted in a one-timer off a nice pass by Andrei Svechnikov during a powerplay chance.
Shortly after, he took a pass from Aho and made a pretty move to beat goalie, James Reimer to give the Canes a 3-1 lead. It was the 25th goal of the season for Jarvis.
The Senators took control of the game for awhile, especially in the third period. They tied the score and were looking to take the lead back, but Jordan Staal had other ideas.
During what looked like a bad line change by Ottawa, the Captain had a couple of steps on the opposition and roofed a perfect shot past Reimer which would eventually be the game-winner.
Nikolaj Ehlers made a beautiful pass to spring him.
The Hurricanes now have earned points in nine straight games. They are 7-1-2 in their last 10 and have an eight point lead over second place Pittsburgh in the Metropolitan Division, (76-68).
Staal also led the team with six hits. William Carrier was next with five.
The Hurricanes have one more game before the Olympic break which will be in New York against the Rangers on Thursday night.
Game Summary – https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20252026/GS020890.HTM
Event Summary – https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20252026/ES020890.HTM
No. 3 UConn remains perfect in Big East play and extends winning streak to 18 by rolling past Xavier
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Silas Demary Jr. had 17 points, Tarris Reed Jr. added 14 points, and Braylon Mullins had all 13 of his points in the first half as third-ranked UConn rolled to a 92-60 victory over Xavier on Tuesday night to remain perfect in Big East play.
Eric Reibe had 14 points and Jayden Ross had 11 points as UConn (22-1, 12-0) extended its winning streak to 18 games. It is the third-longest winning streak in UConn men’s basketball history and the longest since the 1998-99 season. The 12-0 start in the Big East is the best since UConn’s 1995-96 team won its first 14 conference games.
All Wright had 14 points while Roddie Anderson III and Malik Messina-Moore added 10 points each for Xavier (12-11, 4-8). Tre Carroll, the Big East’s leading scorer who averaged 26.4 points over his previous five games, was held to nine points.
Mullins had 10 of UConn’s first 12 points as the Huskies raced to a 16-2 lead. UConn shot 61% in the first half to take a 50-22 lead at halftime. The 28-point halftime lead is the largest in conference play for UConn this season. The Huskies won consecutive conference games by more than 20 points for just the second time in the last 10 seasons.
NO. 4 Duke 67, BOSTON COLLEGE 49
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Cameron Boozer had 19 points and 12 rebounds as Duke took control early in beating Boston College for its 10th straight victory.
Isaiah Evans scored 12 for the Blue Devils (21-1, 10-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who posted their fewest points in a league game this season but still rolled to a comfortable win ahead of Saturday’s showdown with rival North Carolina.
Boston College (9-13, 2-7), which has lost three in a row and seven of nine, matched its season-low point total. Fred Payne had 14 points for the Eagles, who are 0-4 against ranked opponents over the past month.
NO. 18 VIRGINIA 67, PITTSBURGH 47
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Sam Lewis scored 15 points, Thijs De Ridder had 10 points and 12 rebounds and Virginia beat Pittsburgh while scoring its fewest points this season.
De Ridder, the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week, had his third double-double of the season. Chance Mallory scored 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting for the Cavaliers (19-3, 8-2 ACC), and Malik Thomas had 10 points.
Virginia has won three straight and eight of nine, with its only loss in that stretch coming to now-No. 14 North Carolina.
The Cavaliers’ previous scoring low was 70 points in a win over Stanford on Jan. 10. A low-scoring, defense-first squad under Tony Bennett, Virginia came in averaging 84 points per game this season under first-year coach Ryan Odom.
Cameron Corhen and Nojus Indrusaitis scored 11 points apiece for the Panthers (9-14, 2-8), who have lost eight of 10.
NO. 19 SAINT LOUIS 91, DAVIDSON 82
DAVIDSON, N.C. (AP) — Brady Dunlap went 6 of 6 from 3-point range and finished with a career-high 22 points as Saint Louis used a second-half rally to beat Davidson for its 16th straight win.
Robbie Avila scored 17 and Amari McCottrey added 14 points and nine rebounds for the Billikens (22-1, 10-0 Atlantic 10), who trailed by 13 in the first half.
Saint Louis is three victories from matching its longest winning streak of 19 games set during the 2013-14 season.
Josh Scovens had 17 points and Parker Friedrichsen scored 15 for Davidson (13-9, 5-5).
NO. 22 ST. JOHN'S 68, DEPAUL 56
CHICAGO (AP) — Zuby Ejiofor had 16 points and nine rebounds as St. John’s beat DePaul for its eighth straight victory.
Bryce Hopkins scored 15 points, Oziyah Sellers added 13 and the Red Storm (17-5, 10-1 Big East) gave Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino his 902nd career win.
St. John’s shook off a sluggish first half before taking control in the second and withstanding a late push, sending DePaul (12-11, 4-8) to its third consecutive loss. The Red Storm improved to 6-0 in road games, the program’s best stretch since 1982-83.
Layden Blocker scored 13 points for DePaul, which lost its 24th straight game against Top 25 teams. The Blue Demons have not beaten a ranked opponent since taking down then-No. 8 Xavier on Jan. 18, 2023.
NO. 23 MIAMI (OH) 73, BUFFALO 71
AMHERST, N.Y. (AP) — Luke Skaljac scored a career-high 19 points and Miami (Ohio) held on for a victory over Buffalo, extending the longest winning streak in Mid-American Conference history to 23 games.
Brant Byers added 11 points for the RedHawks (23-0, 11-0), and Peter Suder had 10 points, eight assists and five rebounds.
Miami and Arizona (22-0) remain the only unbeaten teams in Division I.
Angelo Brizzi scored 22 points and Daniel Freitag had 18 to lead Buffalo (14-9, 4-7). The Bulls have lost seven of eight games following a 13-2 start that was the second-best in the program’s Division I history.
NO. 25 TENNESSEE 84, MISSISSIPPI 66
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nate Ament scored 26 of his 28 points in the second half to lead Tennessee to its fourth consecutive victory Tuesday night with a win over Mississippi.
The Volunteers (16-6, 6-3 Southeastern Conference) led 67-51 with 6:15 left when Rebels guard AJ Storr had the ball stripped from him and was called for a foul. Ole Miss coach Chris Beard was incensed and got ejected after being called for two technicals.
Tennessee hit three free throws and then Ament converted a three-point play to put the game out of reach.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie scored 20 points for Tennessee. J.P. Estrella had 12 and Bishop Boswell added 10.
Ole Miss (11-11, 3-6) lost its fourth straight. Storr and Patton Pinkins had 15 points apiece to lead the Rebels. Ilias Kamardine added 11 and Eduardo Klafke scored 10.
Olivier's two goals and Merzlikins' shutout power Blue Jackets to 6th straight win
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Mathieu Olivier scored twice in the third period, and Elvis Merzlikins made 23 saves for his first shutout of the season as the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the New Jersey Devils 3-0 on Tuesday night for their sixth straight win.
Dante Fabbro also scored for Columbus after missing the last six games with a lower-body injury.
Olivier’s first goal was a highlight-reel breakaway. Cole Sillinger sprung him behind the Devils’ defensemen, and he deked one way and went to his backhand, getting the puck past Jakob Markstrom at 12:05 of the third period to put the Blue Jackets up 2-0. He added an empty-netter with 4 minutes left, shortly after New Jersey’s Nico Hischer hit the post.
Fabbro snapped a wrister from the top of the left circle past Markstrom 5:24 into the third period, breaking a scoreless tie with his fourth of the season.
A first-period goal was disallowed. Danton Heinen scored, but his linemate, Miles Wood — who was drafted by the Devils and spent most of his career in New Jersey — had crashed Markstrom’s crease, taking away his ability to defend it. The goal was taken off the board after a coach’s challenge.
Markstrom made 22 saves.
HURRICANES 4, SENATORS 3
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jordan Staal scored the go-ahead goal with roughly five minutes left to help Carolina beat Ottawa.
The captain scored his 14th of the season after a neutral-zone turnover by the Senators, with Nikolaj Ehlers coming up with the puck and sending it ahead to Staal at the blue line. Staal skated in and fired from the left circle, banging the puck into the upper right corner of the goal at the 14:53 mark of the third period.
That finally put Carolina ahead for good on a night when it pushed to a 3-1 lead, only to have the Senators respond with a pair of power-play goals to tie it. Before those scores, Carolina had gone 14 for 14 on the penalty kill in its last six games.
Seth Jarvis scored twice in the second period for the Hurricanes, while Sebastian Aho struck for Carolina’s first goal late in the first. Brandon Bussi had 22 saves for the Hurricanes, including a big one while diving to his left in to deny Jake Sanderson with Ottawa going 6-on-5 late after pulling Reimer in an attempt to tie.
Sanderson blasted a one-timer to tie the game at 3 early in the third for the Senators, who got on the board less than 3 minutes in with Stephen Halliday’s redirection from the edge of the crease. Tim Stutzle also scored on the power play late in the second, a critical goal coming less than a minute after Jarvis’ second score pushed Carolina to a 3-1 lead.
Reimer finished with 14 saves.
FLYERS 4, CAPITALS 2
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jamie Drysdale scored on the power play to snap a 20-game streak without a goal, Dan Vladar made 26 saves, and Philadelphia ended a four-game losing streak by beating Washington.
Drysdale one-timed a pass from Trevor Zegras past Washington goalie Clay Stevenson to put the Flyers ahead to stay, 3-2.
Vladar kept the Flyers game, especially in the first period, stopping all 11 shots Washington fired at him in a period that was spent predominantly in the Flyers end.
He stopped a pair of one-timers by Alex Ovechkin from the high slot in the third period to keep the Flyers ahead. Ovechkin was trying to tie Sidney Crosby’s record of 29 goals, most by a Philadelphia opponent in the 30-year history of Xfinity Mobile arena.
Owen Tippett gave the Flyers an early lead when he took a cross-ice pass from defenseman Travis Sanheim and made a deft forehand-to-backhand move to slide it past Stevenson, who had 18 saves.
Carl Grundstrom, who was a healthy scratch the previous two games, returned to the lineup and snapped a 13-game scoring drought when his shot caromed of the skate of Washington defenseman Jakob Chychrun to give the Flyers a two-goal lead in the second period.
Travis Konency had a pair of assists, marking his fourth straight multipoint game and his 15th this season.
LIGHTNING 4, SABRES 3, OT
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jake Guentzel scored with 14 seconds remaining in overtime after teammate Darren Raddysh forced the extra session by scoring with 26 seconds left in regulation as Tampa Bay beat Buffalo.
Guentzel took a long pass from Nikita Kucherov just outside the blue line of the Sabres’ zone, skated in and beat Colten Ellis with a low shot to extend the Lightning’s winning streak to four games.
Kucherov had a four-point game with a goal and three assists. Oliver Bjorkstrand also scored and Raddysh finished with a goal and an assist. Guentzel also assisted on Kucherov’s goal in the first period. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 23 saves.
Mattias Samuelsson scored twice and Josh Doan added a goal for Buffalo, which was coming off a win over Florida on Monday night and has won six of its last eight games. Ellis made 31 saves.
The teams traded goals in the first period and, after a scoreless second, each scored twice in the third.
After goals by Samuelsson and Bjorkstrand early in the third, Doan appeared to give Buffalo the edge, scoring a power-play goal with just over five minutes remaining. But, Tampa Bay took advantage of an extra skater and struck in the final seconds as Raddysh scored with 26 seconds remaining to force the extra session.
ISLANDERS 5, PENGUINS 4, OT
NEW YORK (AP) — Bo Horvat scored his second goal of the game 52 seconds into overtime and New York beat Pittsburgh.
Mathew Barzal had a goal and two assists, Ilya Sorokin made 31 saves and New York snapped its two-game skid. Matthew Schaefer added a goal and an assist, and Ryan Pulock also scored for the Islanders.
Justin Brazeau had a goal and an assist for the Penguins, who dropped their second consecutive game. Anthony Mantha, Egor Chinakhov and Bryan Rust also scored. Stuart Skinner stopped 18 shots.
Horvat, who also had an assist, buried a breakaway in overtime to give the Islanders a critical victory in their second-to-last game before the Olympic break.
Barzal tied it at 3 midway through the third period, but Brazeau redirected a shot from Brett Kulak to put Pittsburgh ahead 4-3 with 9:20 remaining.
Pulock responded for the Islanders with less than six minutes left in the third to tie it again and force overtime.
MAPLE LEAFS 5, OILERS 2
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Matias Maccelli scored twice and Toronto defeated Edmonton.
Matthew Knies added a goal and an assist for Toronto. John Tavares scored his 20th of the season and Bobby McMann added an empty-netter.
Anthony Stolarz stopped 34 of the 36 shots he faced for the Maple Leafs, including a diving stop on Leon Draisaitl that prevent the Edmonton from getting back into the game in the final minutes of the third period.
Jake Walman and Kasperi Kapanen scored for the Oilers, who have lost two straight. Connor Ingram made 22 saves.
Toronto was coming off a 4-2 victory over the Flames in Calgary on Monday, and heads into the Olympic break with a three-game winning streak.
Kapanen tied the score at 2 early in the third period, but a pair of penalties proved to be Edmonton’s undoing. Rookie winger Matthew Savoie was sent off for interference, and Mattias Janmark joined him seconds later on a high-sticking infraction. Maccelli scored just under a minute into Toronto’s 5-on-3 advantage and Tavares swiped a shot in from the side of the net on the power play to give Toronto a 3-2 lead at the 7:42 mark of the third period.
DUCKS 4, KRAKEN 2
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Cutter Gauthier scored his 25th goal of the season and Anaheim defeated Seattle to win its final game before the Olympic break.
Jacob Trouba, Alex Killorn and Ross Johnston also scored as the resurgent Ducks built a 4-0 cushion before fending off a late Seattle push. They have won nine of 11 following a nine-game losing streak (0-8-1).
Anaheim climbed within one point of the Pacific Division lead and moved two ahead of the Kraken for third place. Seattle holds a game in hand over the Ducks.
Lukas Dostal was 4 1/2 minutes from Anaheim’s first shutout in 137 games when Jordan Eberle redirected Jared McCann’s slap shot in front for his team-high 20th goal.
A giveaway by Dostal led to another Kraken goal when a pinballing puck caromed in off Shane Wright to make it 4-2 with 2:31 left.
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Maccelli scores 2 as Maple Leafs beat Oilers 5-2, head into Olympic break with 3 straight wins
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Matias Maccelli scored twice and the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Edmonton Oilers 5-2 on Tuesday night.
Matthew Knies added a goal and an assist for Toronto (27-21-9). John Tavares scored his 20th of the season and Bobby McMann added an empty-netter.
Anthony Stolarz stopped 34 of the 36 shots he faced for the Maple Leafs, including a diving stop on Leon Draisaitl that prevent the Edmonton from getting back into the game in the final minutes of the third period.
Jake Walman and Kasperi Kapanen scored for the Oilers (28-20-9), who have lost two straight. Connor Ingram made 22 saves.
Toronto was coming off a 4-2 victory over the Flames in Calgary on Monday, and heads into the Olympic break with a three-game winning streak.
Kapanen tied the score at 2 early in the third period, but a pair of penalties proved to be Edmonton’s undoing. Rookie winger Matthew Savoie was sent off for interference, and Mattias Janmark joined him seconds later on a high-sticking infraction. Maccelli scored just under a minute into Toronto’s 5-on-3 advantage and Tavares swiped a shot in from the side of the net on the power play to give Toronto a 3-2 lead at the 7:42 mark of the third period.
Toronto went 2 for 2 on the power play, while Edmonton failed to score on its only man-advantage chance of the game.
Up nextMaple Leafs: Off for the Olympic break and at Tampa Bay on Feb. 25.
Oilers: At Calgary on Wednesday.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Sam Lewis, Thijs De Ridder lead No. 18 Virginia to 67-47 win over Pitt
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Sam Lewis scored 15 points, Thijs De Ridder had 10 points and 12 rebounds and No. 18 Virginia beat Pittsburgh 67-47 on Tuesday night while scoring its fewest points this season.
De Ridder, the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week, had his third double-double of the season. Chance Mallory scored 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting for the Cavaliers (19-3, 8-2 ACC), and Malik Thomas had 10 points.
Virginia has won three straight and eight of nine, with its only loss in that stretch coming to now-No. 14 North Carolina.
The Cavaliers' previous scoring low was 70 points in a win over Stanford on Jan. 10. A low-scoring, defense-first squad under Tony Bennett, Virginia came in averaging 84 points per game this season under first-year coach Ryan Odom.
Cameron Corhen and Nojus Indrusaitis scored 11 points apiece for the Panthers (9-14, 2-8), who have lost eight of 10.
Pitt took an early 7-3 lead in the opening minutes before the Cavaliers went on a 12-0 run to take a lead they would not relinquish. Both teams struggled with turnovers, with the Panthers committing 17 to the Cavaliers’ 10. But Virginia capitalized with 23 points off turnovers to just nine by Pitt.
The Panthers' most recent victory over a ranked opponent came at Virginia, a 74-63 win on Feb. 13, 2024.
Up nextPitt: Hosts SMU on Saturday.
Virginia: Hosts Syracuse on Saturday.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Islanders' Bo Horvat Breaks Out For Big Night Against Penguins
ELMONT, NY -- New York Islanders forward Bo Horvat had gone scoreless in eight games leading into Tuesday night's showdown against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
That slump is no more as Horvat scored two goals, including the overtime winner, while also adding an assist in a 5-4 win.
At 18:41 of the first, Horvat tied the game at 1-1, poking one in from the doorstep:
Horvat crashes the net to tie the game at 1-1. #Islespic.twitter.com/R5tSV6s0rc
— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) February 4, 2026
Then, at 19:56 of the second period, Matthew Schaefer scored after Horvat fed Pulock across the slot, who one-touched the puck to the 18-year-old for a one-time finish:
No. 48 give the #Isles a 2-1 lead heading into the second. pic.twitter.com/FZc2DcfFRn
— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) February 4, 2026
And lastly, came the overtime winner in which Horvat went top shelf glove side on a breakaway to send the Islanders' faithful into a frenzy at the 52-second mark of the extra frame:
Somehow the #Isles find a way to gain two points, pic.twitter.com/etpX178edq
— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) February 4, 2026
With the victory, the Islanders are one point behind the Penguins for second in the Metropolitan Division, with Pittsburgh earning a critical point.
The Islanders now have a four-point lead for third place in the division.
Horvat now has 23 goals and 15 assists for 38 points in 43 games.
Winners, Losers from Jaren Jackson Jr. trade to Utah
The Memphis Grizzlies realized that the Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. era had run its course — well short of the hopes and dreams they had for it just a few years ago — and it was time to start over. The Utah Jazz had reached the point in their rebuild that it was time to stop being patient and do something bold.
The result was the most unexpected deal of the NBA trade deadline: Former Defensive Player of the Year Jackson going to the Jazz in an eight-player trade.
So who are the winners here? Let's break it down, but first let's look at the details of the trade:
Memphis receives: Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, Walter Clayton Jr., Georges Niang three first-round picks (best of Jazz 2027 picks, Lakers 2027 pick, Suns 2031 pick).
Utah receives: Jaren Jackson Jr., John Konchar, Jock Landale, Vince Williams Jr.
Winner: Utah Jazz
NBC Sports' own Grant Liffman summed it up perfectly: He liked this "aggressive trade" and wished more teams would take chances like this.
The reality is, Utah was not going to get a player as good as Jackson in free agency, so they used their cap space and picks to go get one. Utah, at the urging of owner Ryan Smith, also knew this season needed to be the end of their bottoming out as they rebuilt. The fans were getting restless. The owner was getting restless. Yet the fans and the organization still carry a scar from how the NBA Draft Lottery treated them last year (when they had the worst record and still picked fifth). Danny and Austin Ainge decided not to trust their rebuild to luck anymore, they took a big swing.
I say they connected.
Utah now has an interesting — not finished, not polished, but loaded with potential — core going forward. They can pair Jaren Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen along the front line, a long, athletic duo who can score inside and out. They plan to re-sign Walker Kessler this summer and slot him in at the five to cover the rebounding and toughness deficiencies of Jackson and Markkanen, according to Tony Jones of the Athletic.
Utah also has Keyshawn George playing at an All-Star level at a guard spot and last year's No. 5 pick Ace Bailey on the wing, who has started to find his footing in the NBA of late.
However, there are caveats to loving this trade for the Jazz.
First, they have to continue tanking this season — they need another shot at the lottery in a deep draft to supplement what they already have.
The other is that Jaren Jackson Jr. gets healthy and consistently plays back at his peak, closer to his Defensive Player of the Year level. Utah is locked in to JJJ for at least three more seasons at an average of more than $50 million a season — in today's NBA, you can't miss on max contracts and contend.
Winner: Memphis Grizzlies
I get it, not every Grizzlies fan likes this trade — this is a total teardown when fans can look at the roster and think all they needed were tweaks. It's fair to be frustrated that the promise of this roster from 2021 and 2022 — which is not that long ago — has disappeared in a puff of smoke.
The reality is that Ja Morant did not continue on his upward trajectory and — as much as he is beloved in the city and by the fan base — he is not the guy who got his feet in the paint every time he drove, which was the engine of this offense. It would be a shock if Morant is still a member of the Grizzlies next season.
This rebuild really started when Memphis got four Orlando first-round picks for Desmond Bane. Combine that with the haul from this trade and their own picks, and the Grizzlies have a dozen first-round picks in the next seven years. It's a solid foundation for a rebuild.
Memphis needs to nail those picks. They need to better develop young players. They need to get a little lucky. But it was time for a reset, and this is the right long-term move for the franchise.
Losers: Adam Silver, anyone who hates tanking
The story of the end of this NBA season will be tanking.
This trade and these two teams embody it.
Memphis entered today as the No. 11 seed in the West, 3.5 games out of the play-in, ground it could make up if it got healthy and pushed for it. Instead, the Grizzlies surveyed the situation, looked at a deep draft, and went the other direction — they traded not just their best player on both ends right now, but also other role players who were playing hard.
Utah has been in tank mode for a while, even if the Ainges tell you how much they hate to tank and won't lose just to lose. The Jazz owe their first-round pick to the Thunder, but it is top-eight protected, and Utah wants to keep that pick, so we're not seeing a lot of Lauri Markkanen right now. We're not going to see a lot of Jackson either is my bet. The Jazz entered today with the sixth-worst record in the league and a 96% chance of retaining their pick. Jackson can help them win games now, so the real question is how much we will see of him through the end of the season.
Don't blame these teams, the NBA set up the rules, the Jazz and Grizzlies are just playing the game when the name of the game is "acquire the most talent you can."
Winners: Ja Morant trade suitors
This is really simple: Memphis is going to trade him, maybe before the deadline or maybe this summer, but they are going to trade him — and the price just went down.
Teams interested in Morant were doing so with some caution, this was more taking a chance you can get him healthy and back closer to his All-Star form than trading for a star, but at a lower price this becomes a better deal for someone.
Islanders 5, Penguins 4 (OT): Horvat, Barzal find their groove
The New York Islanders pulled out a late equalizer and 5-4 overtime win in an intense, back-and-forth meeting with the Pittsburgh Penguins that highlighted how we have Ilya Sorokin and they have Replacement Jarry.
True, Sorokin allowed at least one goal he would want back, when Bryan Rust banked a shot in off his glove from below the goal line to make it 3-2 in the second period, but he faced more shots (35-23) and stopped more nailbiters while Stuart Skinner offered holes the Islanders gratefully found.
[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]
That applies to Bo Horvat’s late first period goal, when Skinner bobbled a glove save and Horvat pounced on the loose puck with Skinner unawares (to be fair, it took an odd carom in between). It also applies to noted cannon-launcher Mat Barzal’s one-timer from the point to tie it at 3-3 and Ryan Pulock’s snap shot from the slot to tie it at 4-4 with 4:36 left in regulation.
Horvat finished things off on an overtime breakaway, snapping a shot past Skinner right as the wobbling, rolling puck finally settled down.
Notes
- It was a competitive game throughout, but felt too tilted Pittsburgh’s way for comfort. As has often been the case this season, Islanders goaltending provided an important difference, just enough cover to keep them in the game.
- There Barzal Offensive Zone Orbits aplenty, but his rushes and breakouts were also key to several goals, including his own. Made a nice chip to send Horvat on the breakaway for the OT winner, too.
- Matthew Schaefer continued his “moah than Bahbby Aahh” season with his 16th goal of the season, and 23rd assist on the winner.
- Was that a power play goal? No. No, the Isles did not score on the power play. 0 for 2.
- Gotta be huge for Horvat to put a couple in; he’s had some breakaways since coming back from injury, so finishing one will help make him feel whole going to Italy.
- Damn, Patrick Roy is cold and hard-ass with Anthony Duclair. Benched him after four shifts, 3:04 TOI. Per Andrew Gross, “Roy said this was a ‘big game’ and he didn’t like Duclair’s defensive tracking. But he said Duclair will be OK.” Duclair got back as the third man on Anthony Mantha’s goal, but he was covering no one. So I definitely get it, especially if this is a discussion they’ve had before.
- After the Isles tied it up yet again at 4-4, the Penguins thought they had another go-ahead goal, but Ben Kindel clearly was kicking Sorokin’s pad and then continuing to drive him into the net, so even by current random standards that was pretty obvious goalie interference. Took the refs long enough to review it though.
Sidney Crosby had a bout of Vintage Crosby Whiner when he tripped Simon Holmstrom as the Isles winger carried the puck out of the zone in the third period. It was special edition, since Crosby pre-whined, stopping and making a diving gesture as play carried on before a penalty was called…oh, by the way, no penalty was called. So it was fun to see Crosby continue to whine after he went to the bench, a display reminiscent of his early Entitlement Years in the league. It was one of those occasion where it didn’t take much to cause Holmstrom to fall — skating fast on edges can be like that — but it wasn’t a dive. I didn’t see Crosby’s reaction to his trip of Barzal, also in the third, but I’m sure it was totally dignified.
Second-Best Moment of the Night
Schaefer with the laser, after the Isles make a big push as the clock wound down in the first, making two goals in 1:15:
Best Moment of the Night
Gotta be the Horvat winner. Schaefer breaks up the play, Barzal pitches it forward, Horvat keeps the wobbling puck moving forward and is able to snap it just in time:
Up Next
Damn, the Isles needed those two points. It was not looking promising at several moments there. Unfortunate that they let the Penguins get a point, too, but it sure beats zero and two.
They finish the pre-Olympics stretch with a visit to the struggling Devils on Thursday.
Purple Row After Dark: How would you rank the Rockies’ offseason talent acquisitions?
Tonight, I’d be curious about your thoughts on a ranking published by Bleacher Report over the weekend. Joel Reuter asked this question: “Which MLB team has added the most talent this offseason?” (It kind of follows up some of the discussion we had today in the Rockpile comments.)
He then goes on to rank all 30 teams. (The Rockies come in 23rd.)
Watching a team truly rebuild is a bit disorienting since none of the familiar metrics apply. What constitutes a successful season for the Rockies won’t apply to most MLB teams.
So with that in mind, I’d like to pose Reuter’s question to the Purple Row Night Owls: How would you rank the Rockies’ offseason talent acquisition given that they are in the midst of a rebuild?
Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!
Bo Horvat’s overtime goal lifts Islanders to roller-coaster win over Penguins
The Islanders are sputtering to the NHL’s three-week Olympic break, that much is clear. You can see them night after night, treading water and trying to get results better than their play warrants.
Thing is, they have a way of finding a way.
That’s just what they did Tuesday night in a crucial match against the Penguins, overcoming themselves and three different Pittsburgh leads for a mad, mad 5-4 win in overtime at UBS Arena in which they flipped the night’s narrative on its head over the game’s last 10 minutes.
“I just think tonight was massive,” Mat Barzal said after assisting Bo Horvat’s OT winner. “You’re playing a team you’re right there with [in the standings]. Down a goal, up a goal, down a goal. Just a great game.”
The win, plus the loser point for the Penguins, meant the Islanders finished the night a point behind Pittsburgh for second in the Metro. Crucially, though, they kept the Capitals and Blue Jackets both four points behind for third.
All night, it looked like the Islanders were veering toward a third straight defeat that would have warranted some alarm bells.
They were struggling to generate a forecheck or sustain pressure. There was little physicality in their game. Anthony Duclair was benched early, and the list of players who could have followed him was not at all short. Pittsburgh led just 3-2 entering the third, which often amounts to nothing in the NHL.
It felt, though, like there was a measure of good fortune in the Islanders being that close, even after Bryan Rust’s sharp-angle shot broke a 2-all tie at 14:09 of the second.
Then the Islanders found what they’d been missing, and the night went all haywire.
After Horvat and Matthew Schaefer had scored the Islanders’ first two goals, it was only fitting that their third superstar, Barzal, would score their third, connecting on a blast from the top of the zone 8:35 into the third to tie the game at three and give the Islanders some badly needed momentum.
The momentum lasted all of 2:03 before Justin Brazeau’s tip from Brett Kulak gave Pittsburgh the lead back.
- CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND ISLANDERS STATS
The Islanders weren’t done yet, though, as Ryan Pulock — who, to that point, was having a rough night — connected on a wrist shot to tie it back up with just under five minutes left.
That got it to the extra period, where Horvat’s breakaway ended it, handing the Islanders two of their guttiest points of the season.
“I think just guys responding,” Horvat said. “Us not getting down on ourselves. Not shying away from the fight. … I think just the resiliency here in this room. We have the belief we can do it.
“We got it done.”
The Islanders had taken a 2-1 lead in the first with goals from Horvat and Schaefer after Anthony Mantha had opened the scoring. Under the hood, though, it was less encouraging.
All three defense pairs had been on the ice for at least one goal against, and the Islanders were bleeding traffic around their own net. The fourth line was struggling and so was Jean-Gabriel Pageau, whose linemates shifted all night after Duclair’s benching. The power play, across two chances, accounted for zero shots on goal.
Even Ilya Sorokin, usually the Islanders rock, let in a rare bad goal from Rust.
Two points doesn’t erase those worries, and truth be told, they’ve been building for the better part of a month.
But the Islanders have just one more game to get through, and then comes a three-week exhale in which they’ll hope that rest can solve at least a chunk of their problems.
So, again, they punted away the worries for another day.
“There’s belief in here we can do it the right way and find a way to win any night,” Ryan Pulock said. “This group is resilient. There’s nights where it works and there’s nights where it doesn’t. I feel like every night we push to the end and give it a shot.
“Obviously tonight we got rewarded.”
Guentzel's goal in the final seconds of OT gives the Lightning a 4-3 win over the Sabres
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jake Guentzel scored with 14 seconds remaining in overtime after teammate Darren Raddysh forced the extra session by scoring with 26 seconds left in regulation as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat Buffalo Sabres 4-3 on Tuesday night.
Guentzel took a long pass from Nikita Kucherov just outside the blue line of the Sabres' zone, skated in and beat Colten Ellis with a low shot to extend the Lightning's winning streak to four games.
Kucherov had a four-point game with a goal and three assists. Oliver Bjorkstrand also scored and Raddysh finished with a goal and an assist. Guentzel also assisted on Kucherov's goal in the first period. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 23 saves.
Mattias Samuelsson scored twice and Josh Doan added a goal for Buffalo, which was coming off a win over Florida on Monday night and has won six of its last eight games. Ellis made 31 saves.
The teams traded goals in the first period and, after a scoreless second, each scored twice in the third.
After goals by Samuelsson and Bjorkstrand early in the third, Doan appeared to give Buffalo the edge, scoring a power-play goal with just over five minutes remaining. But, Tampa Bay took advantage of an extra skater and struck in the final seconds as Raddysh scored with 26 seconds remaining to force the extra session.
The Atlantic Division-leading Lightning were coming off a 6-5 win over Boston in an NHL Stadium Series game at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday. Tampa Bay rallied from a four-goal deficit and won that game in a shootout.
Tampa Bay was without centers Anthony Cirelli (undisclosed) and Brayden Point (lower body) and winger Nick Paul (undisclosed). Lightning coach Jon Cooper said before the game that Cirelli and Paul would also miss Thursday’s game against Florida. Cirelli was replaced on Canada’s Olympic roster.
Buffalo was without Zach Benson (upper body), Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) and Jordan Greenway (abdomen). Luukkonen’s injury will keep him off Finland’s roster for the upcoming Milan Cortina Games.
Up nextSabres: Host Pittsburgh on Thursday.
Lightning: Host Florida on Thursday.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Cubs BCB After Dark: Who is the dark horse in the NL Central?
It’s Tuesday evening here at BCB After Dark: the hippest hangout for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs friends abroad. Come on in and relax for a while. Get out of the cold. We can check your coat for you. There are still a few tables available. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
Last night, I asked you if you’d be open to trading Matt Shaw to the Red Sox for a top 100 pitching prospect. When you add up the three “Yes” answers, 52 percent of you would make that deal with 32 percent of you willing to accept either Connelly Early or Payton Tolle in return. Another 48 percent of you would refuse to deal Shaw for such a package. So it was a close vote.
I don’t normally do movies on Tuesdays, but you still have time to vote in the BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic between 2001: A Space Odyssey and Planet of the Apes. But I always have time for jazz, so those of you who skip that can do so now. You won’t hurt my feelings.
Tonight I’m featuring South African saxophonist Sisonke Xonti’s tribute to a city that I worked in for four years, “Minneapolis.” (I lived across the river in St. Paul.) This is from 2020.
Welcome back to everyone who skips all that jazz.
Fangraphs is up with their first standings and playoff predictions and to no one’s surprise, they have the Cubs winning the National League Central with 86 wins.
But the Cubs have only a 44 percent chance of winning the division. As you might expect, the Brewers are given the second-best chance at 24 percent. After all they’re the three-time defending division champs and they’ve won the division four of the past five seasons. The Brew Crew certainly seem to have taken a step backwards with the trades of Freddy Peralta and Isaac Collins, but the Brewers have made trades like that before and not lost a step. So it makes sense that the Brewers would be given the second-best chances of winning the division.
We’d assume that the Reds would have the third-best chance. After all, the Reds finished in third last season and made the Wild Card round. They’ve just signed third baseman Eugenio Suárez, and that’s going to be worth a win or two against the Cubs alone, I would guess. The Reds have four excellent young starters in Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Brady Singer and Andrew Abbott. And while they weren’t able to sign Elly De La Cruz to an extension, he still plays for the Reds in 2026.
But according to the Steamer projections, the Reds are not the team threatening to come up from the outside. Instead, they give the Pirates to finish with 82 wins and a 20 percent chance to win the division. The Reds, on the other hand, are projected for 76 wins and only a nine percent chance at the division crown.
The Cardinals are going into a rebuilding phase and are predicted for just 75 wins. I think that’s generous. I think it was also calculated before the Brendan Donovan trade.
So are the Pirates a team to worry about? Of course, they have the chance to beat you everytime Paul Skenes takes the mound. But that was true last year as well. The Pirates only won 71 games with Skenes in 2025 and he went 10-10. Maybe we don’t put much stock in W-L records for pitchers anymore, but that does indicate that Pittsburgh doesn’t win every time Skenes takes the mound.
So why is the projection so bullish on the Pirates that they have them increasing their win total by 11 and being a legitimate threat to win the division? For one, the Pirates have attempted to improve their anemic offense, which was worst in the majors by run scored, by bringing in three new starters to the lineup. Outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia was acquired in a trade with the Red Sox. Second baseman Brandon Lowe came over from the Rays in a three-way deal. And the Pirates added first baseman Ryan O’Hearn in a free agent deal.
On top of that, the Pirates have two really, really good prospects who may be ready to play this year. Right-handed starter Bubba Chandler has already made his major league debut and he was quite solid over four starts. The ZiPS projection system has Chandler being an above-average starter this year.
Then there’s shortstop Konnor Griffin, who is the number-one prospect in all of baseball. Some are calling him the best prospect since Mike Trout. Keith Law of The Athletic was calling him “Willie Mays except he plays shortstop.” I think Law was being a bit hyperbolic there, but the point is that Griffin could be a superstar as early as this year. He’s only played 21 games at the Double-A level so he’ll probably start the season in the minors, but it wouldn’t surprise anyone if Griffin is playing in the majors by May.
Is that enough to make up a 12 game difference from last year over the Reds? I’m not sure. As good as he’s likely to be, Griffin isn’t a 12-win player. Garcia, Lowe and O’Hearn are certainly upgrades on what the Pirates ran out there last year, but none of those three players are what I’d call a star. Garcia is a rookie who played just five games last year. Lowe and O’Hearn had a bWAR last year of 1.9 and 2.4 respectively. Solid everyday starters, but not stars.
So between the Reds and the Pirates, which team is the “dark horse” to watch out for in the NL Central?
Thanks for stopping by tonight. We always enjoy it when you stop by. Please get home safely. Stay warm. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow evening for more BCB After Dark.