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Fantasy Basketball Stock Up Stock Down: Naji Marshall stepping up for Mavs

The midway point of the NBA season is almost here, as most teams have played close to 41 games, and some have already hit that mark.

Even with season-long data available, we will focus on the here and now. Which players are on the rise? Which ones are trending in the wrong direction? Let’s discuss.

→ Watch the NBA Coast 2 Coast Tuesday on NBC and Peacock, as the Thunder take on the Spurs in a marquee Western Conference matchup at 8 p.m. before the Trail Blazers visit the Warriors at 11 p.m. ET. Both games are available on Peacock. Check your local listings for the NBC game in your area.

NBA: New Orleans Pelicans at Washington Wizards
2025-26 Fantasy Basketball Top 200 Rankings: Should Trae Young managers be concerned?
Young is the newest member of the Washington Wizards, but how much will he play the rest of this season?

STOCK UP

John Collins — PF/C, Clippers

Before his three-point, five-rebound outing against the Hornets on Monday, Collins had a season-best performance against the Pistons in which he added 25 points, seven rebounds, four steals, four blocks, and five three-pointers. The dominant showing included several season highs and was part of a five-game stretch in which the veteran forward had averaged 19.8 points, 3.2 three-pointers, and 2.2 blocks per game. Collins’ uptick in production is massive for the Clippers, who traded away Norman Powell this past offseason to bring him over from Utah, and as he continues to play well and have a positive impact on the Clippers’ recent strong play, he should keep seeing opportunities to play an important role and provide fantasy production.

Naji Marshall — SF/PF, Mavericks

There’s been a lot of discourse surrounding the Mavericks, but probably not enough about Naji Marshall and his sustained production. He’s quietly had a productive season and has put up some particularly nice numbers of late — Marshall has scored 15 or more points and also collected multiple steals in three of his last four appearances and is coming off one of his most balanced performances of the season, tallying a 22/4/9/3/1 line in Monday’s win over the Nets. With Anthony Davis sidelined, it’s reasonable to expect that Marshall fills a lot of those open power forward minutes. His fantasy value will be even higher in games that P.J. Washington is also unavailable for. Marshall is rostered in only 24 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

LaMelo Ball — PG/SG, Hornets

Ball came off the bench for the first time in years in a recent game against the Pacers and proceeded to take his game to a greater level. The superstar point guard scored 33 points, dished out eight assists, and collected three steals in the much-talked-about recent game against the Pacers, but moved back into the starting lineup stating lineup a game later to tally a nice 17/5/5 line in just 23 minutes of a 55-point win over the Jazz, before heading to his hometown to give the Clippers 25 points and a near-double-double. He’s also drilled 15 three-pointers over the last three games and tallied 5.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game over that span. Ball is currently in a nice rhythm that will hopefully sustain throughout the rest of the fantasy basketball season.

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STOCK DOWN

Jaden Ivey — SG/SF, Pistons

The return from offseason knee surgery and a 2024-25 season-ending leg injury has not gone as planned for Ivey, who is searching for a consistent role and success on a Pistons team rostered with several impactful backcourt players. Even with Cade Cunningham missing Saturday’s loss to the Clippers, Ivey only found his way to 20 minutes, totaling eight points and three rebounds. He’s averaging 8.2 points and 1.6 assists on 40.5/11.8/83.3 shooting splits through five games during January and has shot 50 percent from the floor and scored in double figures in just one of those five games. It’s hard to predict when or how a corner is turned, but things certainly aren’t trending in the right direction for such a talented player.

Ace Bailey — SG/SF, Jazz

Rookie seasons often are filled with ups and downs. For Bailey, he’s in the midst of one of the “down” periods. His stock was rising after a four-game December stretch that saw him average 15.0 points and 2.3 three-pointers, but ended in the fifth game when a hip injury against the Pistons limited him to 11 minutes, and cost him to miss five straight contests. Bailey has returned and played in two of the last four games, but combined for only six total points in 25 minutes. How long does the injury linger? When does he reclaim his former role in the rotation? These are questions we’ll have to wait to get answers for. But hopefully, the young and promising player can get back on track soon.

Dylan Harper — PG/SG, Spurs

Harper’s rookie season has also featured several twists and turns, with a timeline that saw him start the season strongly before getting injured, then return and eventually succeed in his role off the bench, and now struggle to find consistent production. He went scoreless with one rebound, one assist, and one steal in the Spurs’ most recent game against the Timberwolves, and had only totaled 17 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists on 7-of-32 shooting in the four prior games. Harper is in a tricky spot off the bench playing behind two high-minute guards in De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle. Yet he’s proven earlier in the season to be a productive, difference-making player regardless. He’ll have to find his way, once again, to get out of this slump.

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The joy of watching amateur clubs in the first round of the Challenge Cup

Community clubs were front and centre this weekend, with games from Bedford to Banbridge and beyond

By No Helmets Required

On a gloomy and bitingly cold January afternoon, it was a sight typical of many grassroots rugby league clubs. Midway between the M1 and the A1, a few hundred spectators bustled through the busy clubhouse to gather around the pitch. There was a bloke in a Wakefield away shirt, another in a Hull FC coat and someone wore a Castleford hat. The home coach was a Cas lad; the visitors’ delegation was led by a Warringtonian. There were folk sporting their allegiances to Salford, St Helens, Hull KR and Wigan too.

Muddy kids in rugby kit chatted excitedly. One boy asked his mate what all the fuss was about. “It’s the Challenge Cup. It’s like the FA Cup,” said his friend. I heard another explain the difference between union and league – “there’s no lineouts or mauls and they don’t have proper scrums” – which was a reminder we were in Bedford, not Bradford.

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Three areas the Celtics should focus on instead of the officials

Three areas the Celtics should focus on instead of the officials originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics have, in various tones, utilized their last three losses to vent about a perceived lack of whistles this season. 

Jaylen Brown twice complained about a lack of whistles: first, calmly after a loss to the Nuggets, then not-so quietly after a loss to the Spurs. His expletive-filled outburst on Saturday night included a plea to be punished, and the NBA obliged with a $35,000 fine.

After Monday’s loss in Indiana, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla spent the entirety of a 44-second postgame media session repeating, “Illegal screen,” seemingly miffed at the lack of a call when Pascal Siakam stuck out a leg to stall Derrick White before Siakam banked home a game-winner in the closing seconds.

Do we understand the Celtics’ frustrations? Absolutely. Brown has relentlessly attacked the basket this season and doesn’t seem to get the same friendly whistle that many superstars generate. Mazzulla knows better than anyone that Monday’s loss did not hinge solely on Siakam’s questionable screen, but likely used it as a means to join Brown’s bigger battle for whistle equality. 

Sometimes you have to be your own advocate. Brown has not been bashful about voicing his mind this season. Mazzulla lives to make others uncomfortable. Our only quibble would be that, after three vent sessions in six days (all following losses), the gripes land a bit like sour grapes for a team that had otherwise been one of the league’s feel-good stories to start the season.

Time will tell if Boston’s cries leads to better whistles. In calling out a referee and his crew by name after Saturday’s loss, Brown has most certainly caught the attention of the referee fraternity.

Mazzulla’s “illegal screen” reply to every postgame question spread quickly on social media and might have been a clever way to express dissatisfaction without losing any money from his wallet. We doubt any admission of a missed call in the Last 2 Minute report will make Mazzulla feel any better.

But the referees are far from Boston’s only concern after dropping three of its last four. The Celtics were cruising after winning nine of 10 while storming into the new calendar year, then endured consecutive defeats for the first time since mid-December with losses to San Antonio and Indiana.

It’s probably time for Boston to put the focus back on itself.

Mazzulla has famously stated, “When you decide you want to win at something, you don’t get to pick the environment. You don’t get to pick the circumstances. The only thing you get to pick is how you respond.” He’s typically been a firm believer in controlling what you can control.  

It’s time for the Celtics to put their energy into their play and not what the referees are calling (or not calling, in this case).

Here are three areas the Celtics need to tighten up, regardless of whether their whistle gets better or not: 

1. Opponent 3-pointers

Starting with the 2007-08 title campaign, the Celtics have ranked in the top 10 in opponent 3-point percentage in 17 of the past 18 seasons. The wonky 2020-21 COVID season is the only outlier in that group — until this season.

The 2025-26 Celtics rank 23rd in the NBA in opponent 3-point percentage, with opponents shooting 37 percent beyond the arc. What’s more, Boston ranks 26th in opponent 3-point makes (14.4 per game). Zoom in on the past 10 games, and Boston ranks 29th while allowing 15.9 opponent 3-pointers per game. 

The Celtics watched the Nuggets make five more 3-pointers than them last Wednesday. The Raptors were +4 on 3-pointers on Friday (only offset by Boston’s dominance in the paint), and the Pacers were +7 in Indy. Spotting the opponent 21 points on 3-point makes is tough, particularly in a game where both teams failed to reach triple digits.

Despite their lack of size, the Celtics have done a good job limiting opponents near the basket. But opponents seem way too comfortable shooting from the perimeter. Each night, Celtics fans are scrambling to rosters to see which random opponent is catching fire from deep. 

The Celtics have to find the right balance between protecting the basket and hunting rebounds, while not giving opponents as much space to fire away from distance.

2. Clutch stumbles

The Celtics are now 8-12 in clutch games (score within five points in the final five minutes). They rank 27th in clutch defensive rating (123.6) and 25th in net rating (minus-13.5). It’s not a terribly large sample size at 56 total minutes, but Boston has certainly not played its crispest basketball in those moments.

Operating without Jayson Tatum and — on nights like Monday, without Jaylen Brown — obviously adds a layer of complexity to late-game situations. Boston is 5-8 in one-possession games in the final minute. Its offense has actually been solid but the team’s inability to generate stops has complicated matters. 

The 2021-22 Celtics taught us that regular-season clutch numbers are not indicative of what will happen in the postseason. The Celtics were 13-22 in clutch games during that season, then stormed to the NBA Finals. A healthy Tatum on a playoff stage could give the Celtics the focus they’ve lacked at times this season. 

But Boston still has a ways to go in nailing down the five-man lineup it wants to trot out in must-have situations, and can also tighten up the execution in those spots. 

3. Need more from the core

Derrick White is shooting 36.8 percent overall and 23.6 percent on 3-pointers over Boston’s last five games. He was 7-for-19 shooting vs. Denver, 11-of-26 vs. San Antonio, and 7-of-21 vs. Indiana. White ranks 133rd out of the 136 qualifiers in field goal percentage and 141st out of 164 qualifiers in 3-point percentage during that span. 

White’s defense has been excellent, and he’s clearly impacting winning on most nights. But he still hasn’t quite pulled himself out of an early-season shooting funk. And particularly on nights when the Celtics don’t have Brown, it’s even more imperative that he and the rest of his teammates find a bit more consistency. 

Payton Pritchard eventually kicked into high gear in the third quarter against the Pacers, but was 7-of-22 combined shooting against Denver and San Antonio. Anfernee Simons has quarters where he’s off-the-charts hot, and the Anferno is fun to watch in those moments, but he sometimes struggles to maintain that output.

On a night-to-night basis, it’s hard to know which of Boston’s young wings the team can lean on, and Mazzulla is forced to pick which dart to throw. He’s been more successful than not, but the wings could help that cause by all stating their cases more often.

The Celtics simply need more consistency from the supporting cast. It felt like Boston was finding that a bit during their December surge, but better opponents — and certainly more physical defenses — have diminished the team’s offensive efficiency. 

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How to watch San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: TV/live stream info for tonight's game

Tonight's Coast 2 Coast Tuesday features two exciting NBA matchups. First, at 8:00 PM ET, it's the San Antonio Spurs vs Oklahoma City Thunder. Then at 11:00 PM, the Portland Trail Blazers take on the Golden State Warriors. Live coverage begins at 7:00 PM on NBC and Peacock. See below for additional information on how to watch both games and follow all of the NBA action on NBCSN and Peacock. Peacock will feature 100 regular-season games throughout the course of the 2025-2026 season.

Click here to sign up for Peacock!

San Antonio Spurs:

The Spurs fell 104-103 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night. Victor Wembanyama led the way for San Antonio with a game-high 29 points. Keldon Johnson scored 15 off the bench, while Julian Champagnie finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

San Antonio, currently 27-12, is third in the league behind Oklahoma and Detroit. The Spurs look to end their six-season playoff drought, the longest in franchise history and the second-longest active drought in the league.

RELATED:NBA Trade Rumors 2025-26 - Ja Morant latest, Anthony Davis likely stays in Dallas, Celtics looking for big

Oklahoma City Thunder:

The Thunder defeated the Miami Heat 124-112 on Sunday night in their third straight win. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points. Jalen Williams finished with 18, and Ajay Mitchell and Chet Holmgren each added 16.

Gilgeous-Alexander is second in the league in scoring (31.9 ppg) and is on pace to become the first player since Michael Jordan to average 30-plus points per game for at least four consecutive seasons.

Tonight's game will be the fourth meeting between the Thunder and Spurs this season. Oklahoma City has won all three matchups.

How to watch San Antonio Spurs vs Oklahoma City Thunder:

  • When: Tonight, Tuesday, January 13
  • Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Time: 8:00 PM ET
  • Live Stream:Peacock and NBCSN
  • TV Channel: NBC

What other NBA games are on NBC and Peacock tonight?

  • Portland Trail Blazers vs Golden State Warriors - 11:00 PM ET
NBA: Milwaukee Bucks at Los Angeles Lakers
Week 13 Fantasy Basketball Schedule Primer: Low-rostered Lakers like Jake LaRavia should be popular
The Lakers have the NBA’s first five-game week of the season, while four teams only play twice.

How to watch the NBA on NBC and Peacock:

Peacock NBA Monday will stream up to three Monday night games each week throughout the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presents doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will be on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones.

Check local listings each week. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click here.

How to sign up for Peacock:

Sign up here to watch all of our LIVE sports, sports shows, documentaries, classic matches, and more. You'll also get tons of hit movies and TV shows, Originals, news, 24/7 channels, and current NBC & Bravo hits—Peacock is here for whatever you’re in the mood for.

NBA on NBC 2025-26 Schedule

Click here to see the full list of NBA games that will air on NBC and Peacock this season.

What devices does Peacock support?

You can enjoy Peacock on a variety of devices. View the full list of supported devices here.

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From Calder Buzz To Vezina Talk: How Schaefer & Sorokin Are Driving The Islanders

New York Islanders rookie phenom Matthew Schaefer has been tremendous in his first NHL season. The 18-year-old defenseman has 12 goals with 17 assists for 29 points through the first 45 games of his career. 

If we look at the Calder race, Schaefer sits in third place.  He is seven points back of Montreal Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov, who has 10 goals and 29 assists for 39 points to sit atop the rookie leaderboard. In second place is Anaheim Ducks forward Beckett Sennecke, who has 14 goals and 20 assists for 34 points. 

However, the fact that Schaefer is a defenseman plays a huge part in this, and if he can keep up his pace, there's no question that he should win the Calder. The last Islanders player to win that award was Mathew Barzal ater recording in 2017-18 after recording 85 points (22 goals, 63 assists) in 82 games. 

Now, to the crease. 

Despite a slow start to the season, Ilya Sorokin has been one of the most clutch goaltenders in the NHL this season. After turning aside 33 of 36 in a 4-3 overtime win against the Nashville Predators, Sorokin improved to 14-10-2, with a 2.47 GAA and a .915 SV%, with four shutouts. His 19.0 Goals Saved Above Expected leads the NHL. 

Sorokin was a Vezina finalist back in 2022-23 (31-22-7, 2.34 GAA, .924 SV%, 6 SO), a season where he owned a 38.7 GSAE. He fell to then Boston Bruins netminder Linus Ullmark, who owned a 1.89 GAA and with a .938 SV% and two shutouts, with a GSAE of 42.4. 

Could the Islanders win the Jennings Trophy, given how well backup David Rittich has played, too?

They've combined to give up 120 goals this season, the third fewest in the NHL this season. Ahead of them is the Tampa Bay Lightning, who doesn't really have a dominant tandem.

The Colorado Avalanche, who have allowed just 95 goals this season, are the front-runners for this award, given the play of Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood. 

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Steve Kerr remains committed to Warriors starting five, but should he be?

Steve Kerr remains committed to Warriors starting five, but should he be? originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

They still are searching for their first four-game win streak and haven’t been four games above .500 once.

Inconsistency in the starting lineup also was a major theme, until four weeks ago. Warriors coach Steve Kerr on Dec. 14 started Moses Moody and Quinten Post alongside Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green and hasn’t looked back since. 

Kerr says though the stats of the group together don’t show the best results, he’s sticking with them for multiple reasons. 

“I’m committed to it because we’re generally in a good place. … We committed, what was it, three weeks ago, to just staying with the same starting five and same rotation to try to get guys more comfortable and we’ve achieved that,” Kerr told reporters Monday after Warriors practice. “I know that five-man group hasn’t been great, but again, it allows Draymond to start at the 4. Like tomorrow, he doesn’t have to guard [Donovan] Clingan to start the game. That’s a big deal for us.” 

The first game Kerr unveiled the Curry-Moody-Butler-Green-Post starting five was in a 136-131 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in which Curry’s 48 points couldn’t result in a win. That same starting five is expected to begin the game Tuesday night when the Warriors play the Blazers for the fourth time this season. They’re 0-3 against them thus far, losing twice without the starting five and once with it. 

Moody and Post have each played and started every game since Dec. 14. Curry, Butler and Green each missed one, a blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Jan. 2. In the 13 games all five have played and started alongside each other in that span, the unit has produced a minus-1.3 net rating with a 113.5 offensive rating and 114.8 defensive rating. 

“While the numbers may not be that impressive, it allows the game to unfold in a way that we like,” Kerr explained. 

So, should Kerr be this committed to the current starting five? And does it really matter? 

Since turning to the starting five, the Warriors are 8-6 overall and 8-5 in the games they have played together. Following a three-game losing streak, the Warriors now have won eight of their last 12 games but haven’t gained ground in the Western Conference standings and remain the No. 8 seed. 

It was a goal of Kerr’s to not start Green at center all season and limit his minutes against giants like the 7-foot-2, 280-pound Clingan. That is a big deal for him and the Warriors alike. Theoretically, the lineup makes sense in putting size, shooting and defense around the Warriors’ veteran Big Three. 

Outside of the start of the first and third quarters, the group isn’t playing long stretches next to one another. Kerr quickly is turning to his depth and playing his bench players in short bursts, another stylistic decision he appears to be sticking to. 

“As a player, it’s not easy to play a four-minute stretch and come out,” Kerr admits. “You feel like maybe you don’t have a chance to get your rhythm. But with the speed and pace of the game and the nature of our roster, where we have a lot of depth but not a lot of clear separation, we’re definitely playing more people. 

“I think we’re playing an 11-man rotation right now, pretty consistently, which I don’t think we’ve ever done since I’ve been here, and as a result of that we’re playing guys in shorter bursts of four or five-minute stretches.” 

Defense and spacing is the idea around starting Moody and Post as the complements to Curry, Butler and Green. Post leads the Warriors in defensive rating (106.5) and Moody is second (107.2). Fast-twitch guards still give Moody problems, however, and teams aren’t exactly scared of Post protecting the rim. 

Advanced stats have flipped for the Warriors since implementing their new starting five. The Warriors rank fifth in offensive rating (117.5) and 19th in defensive rating (115.3) since Dec. 14. Oddly enough, Moody (30.6 percent) and Post (33.3 percent) have struggled shooting from long distance in their 14 straight games starting together. 

The Warriors rank dead last in first-quarter points per game this season (27.1) but are 22nd since Dec. 14 (28.9) and scoring 23 first-quarter points in the one game Curry, Butler and Green didn’t play doesn’t help. 

This starting five also rarely, if ever, closes games. 

Whenever De’Anthony Melton, who has been Kerr’s closer out of the bullpen, is able to play 30 minutes, he more than likely will be Curry’s backcourt mate. Post is shooting 41.2 percent from three in the first quarter, which is by far his best 3-point percentage of any quarter. He provides the size and spacing needed next to Green, and it allows Al Horford to thrive in lineups centered around Butler and be able to finish games. 

Changes could come eventually, and maybe even from the Feb. 5 trade deadline. Until then, Kerr is going to stick to one of the only parts of the season that has been consistent for the Warriors after searching for a starting five for so long early on.

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Frustrated Raducanu held up by rain with match suspended overnight in Hobart

  • Top seed was leading Osorio 6-3, 2-4 when play called off

  • Venus Williams lost 6-4, 6-3 to Tatjana Maria in Tasmania

Emma Raducanu cut a frustrated figure on Tuesday at the Hobart International as her first round match was suspended for the night due to rain with the Briton struggling to hold on to her precarious 6-3, 2-4 lead against Camila Osorio of Colombia.

Raducanu, the top seed in Hobart, will return to the court on Wednesday afternoon hoping to close out her first win of the season. She lost her only match of 2026 to Maria Sakkari at the United Cup mixed-team competition last week. Afterwards, Raducanu explained how her pre-season had been badly disrupted by the foot injury she had been struggling with since she prematurely ended her 2025 season in October. The 22-year-old only began to play points and move properly in her training sessions once she arrived in Australia at the end of December.

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Columbus Blue Jackets (45 pts) vs. Calgary Flames 42 pts) Game Preview

The Columbus Blue Jackets are back at home to face the Calgary Flames tonight at 7 PM. New Head Coach Rick Bowness makes his Blue Jackets debut behind the bench. 

Calgary Flames - 19-22-4 - 42 Points - 5-5-0 in the last 10 - 7th in the Central

Columbus Blue Jackets - 19-19-7 - 45 Points - 5-4-1 in the last 10 - 8th in the Metro  

Team Notes Per CBJ PR

  • Columbus wrapped up a four-game road trip with a 3-2 OT victory at Utah on Sunday. The club returns home to play seven of the next eight contests at Nationwide Arena from Jan. 13-28.
  • The Jackets have scored the first goal in 10 of the last 14 contests and 13 of the past 19. The team ranks sixth in the NHL in games scoring first in 2025-26 (25).
  • Columbus leads the NHL in goals by defensemen and ranks fourth in points with 34-79-113 in 45 contests.
  • The Blue Jackets rank third in the league in faceoff percentage since Dec. 13 (53.5 pct. in 14 GP).
  • CBJ have denied opponents on 30-of-34 power play chances over the last 11 games and rank third in the NHL in penalty kill pct. since Dec. 20 (88.2).

Blue Jackets Stats

  • Power Play - 18.8% - 19th in the NHL
  • Penalty Kill - 76.4% - 29th in the NHL
  • Goals For - 131 - 20th in the NHL
  • Goals Against - 152- 28th in the NHL

Flames Stats

  • Power Play - 13.6% - 32nd in the NHL
  • Penalty Kill - 82.2% - 8th in the NHL
  • Goals For - 114 - 32nd in the NHL
  • Goals Against - 133 - 14th in the NHL

Series History vs. TheFlames

  • Columbus is 36-26-0-8 all-time, and 21-10-0-4 at home vs. Calgary.
  • The Blue Jackets are 4-2-1 in the last 7 against the Flames.
  • The CBJ went 1-1-0 vs Calgary last season.

Who To Watch For TheFlames

  • Nazem Kadri leads the Flames with 24 assists and 32 points.
  • Blake Coleman leads Calgary with 13 goals.
  • Goalie Dustin Wolf is 14-18-2 with a SV% of .898

CBJ Player Notes vs.Flames

  • Zach Werenski has 11 points in 15 career games vs. the Flames.
  • Kirill Marchenko has 5 points in 7 games.
  • Sean Monahan has 6 points in 7 games against his former club.

Injuries 

  • Erik Gudbranson - Upper Body - Missed 37 Games - IR - Expected to practice with the team when the current road trip concludes. But there is no timeline for a return to the lineup.
  • Isac Lundeström - Lower Body - Missed 9 Games - IR
  • Brendan Smith - Lower Body - Missed 7 Games IR - Out 3-4 months after having knee surgery.
  • Miles Wood - Lower Body - Missed 6 Games - IR - Week-to-week.
  • Mason Marchment - Upper Body - Missed 4 Games - Week to week

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 115

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FANDUEL SPORTS NETWORK. Steve Mears will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play. 

Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!

Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News and never miss a story. 

Let us know what you think below.

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Canadiens: It Wasn’t Perfect, But It Was Enough

After falling 4-0 to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night, the Montreal Canadiens were hoping to bounce back by taking on the Vancouver Canucks. The British Columbia outfit rolled into two, having lost its last three games in regulation and its last six games if you count extra time, which should have made it easy prey on paper.

Unfortunately for the Habs, the game isn’t played on paper, and no matter how badly a team is doing, there isn’t a single squad in the NHL that will give you the win. If you repeatedly shoot yourself in the foot, there’s not a single team that won’t make life complicated for you, and the Canadiens must have realized that tonight.

Canadiens’ AHL Affiliate To Honour Rocket Richard
Canadiens: Big Dilemma Ahead
Canadiens: Taking On The Struggling Canucks

A Comedy Of Errors

After 40 minutes, goaltender Jakub Dobes had given up three goals on just 14 shots, giving him a .786 save percentage. While that’s clearly not good enough, it was hard not to feel bad for the masked man since each of those goals came from glaring defensive mistakes.

On the first goal, it was Oliver Kapanen who missed his defensive coverage and wasn’t in a position to make life complicated for Ellias Pettersen as he jumped on a rebound. On the second one, Arber Xhekaj, who had been playing very well since the start of the new year, was under pressure in his own zone with two Canucks hot on his tail. He opted for a no-look backhand pass at the top of the defensive zone, which, of course, became a giveaway and was in the net seconds later. Then, on the third goal, Xhekaj and Kaiden Guhle collided, taking themselves out of the play, and the Canucks had an easy two-on-zero to score easily.

Nobody expects the defensive game to be flawless, but there’s a world of difference between playing a perfect match and making such enormous mistakes. The Canadiens played a much better defensive game in the third period, and Dobes shut the door on the eight shots he faced in the final frame, although he did get some help from his posts a couple of times.

Carrier’s Milestone

Before Monday night’s game, the Habs had a single goal from their blueliner on the power play and Noah Dobson, freshly inserted on the first man advantage unit, added one to that small tally. In the second frame, fellow defenseman Alexandre Carrier scored a pair of goals, which turned out to be his 100th and 101st points in the NHL. The Quebec City native now has five points in his last five games and must really enjoy being paired with Lane Hutson.

Interestingly, in 245 games with the Nashville Predators, the right-shot rearguard had only 69 points, averaging 0.28 points per game. With the Canadiens, he now has 32 points in 97 games, averaging 0.33 points per game, a slight increase.

The Habs now have the second-most productive blueline in the league with 119 points, second only behind the Colorado Avalanche, who had 144 points from their defensemen at the time of writing.

Turning It On In The Final Frame

After making a lot of mistakes through 40 minutes, the Canadiens came out strong in the third frame. It was almost as if the players felt bad for their goaltender and decided to go and get two points for him. After six minutes in the third, the Habs scored three times to take a three-goal lead, which would hold until the end of the game.

It was a strong frame for the second line as the three youngsters scored two of the three goals. In two games against the Canucks this season, the duo of Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov has put up 11 points (five for the Slovak and six for the Russian). They certainly wouldn’t complain if they had to play them more often.

About The Roster

On Monday night, Arber Xhekaj played his worst game since the calendar turned to 2026, and it will be interesting to see if Martin St-Louis decides to replace him with Jayden Struble on Tuesday night in Washington. Will his strong start to the year have bought him a bit of leeway, or will his minus-three rating and juicy giveaway prove fatal? It’s also worth mentioning that Tom Wilson plays for the Caps and is a tough customer.

While Dobes has won four of his last five games, he has received a lot of offensive support, and his stats are not great. On Monday night, he finished the game with a .870 SV, and with Kent Hughes having said the Canadiens wouldn’t keep three goalies around for too long, one can wonder if the Slovak netminder might not be the one to go down. Speaking to the press after the game, Dobes said that he wouldn’t understand if he were sent back down to the Laval Rocket. Asked about that comment during his post-game media availability, the coach said whoever asked Dobes how he would feel if he was sent down had asked a bad question and did not say anything further.

After Monday morning’s practice, the coach said that it was a possibility that Josh Anderson could come back in the lineup on Tuesday night to face the Washington Capitals. If he is, in fact, inserted in the lineup, someone will have to come out. Against the Canucks, the fourth liners were the least-used forwards: Owen Beck spent 11:03 on the ice, Sammy Blais 11:06, and Joe Veleno 12:40.

After the game, the Canadiens took off for Washington, where they’ll join Samuel Montembeault, who had flown earlier to be fresh and ready for Tuesday night’s tilt—a wise move from the Habs who decided to take advantage of having three goaltenders around.

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'Pretty Cool To See Him Wear That': Why Kyle Lowry Wore An Auston Matthews-Signed Maple Leafs Jersey Into Scotiabank Arena

As the Philadelphia 76ers rolled into Scotiabank Arena on Sunday for a matchup against the Toronto Raptors, a familiar face walked in wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey.

Former Raptor Kyle Lowry sported an Auston Matthews-signed sweater going into the arena ahead of the first half of a back-to-back in Toronto. Lowry, who won an NBA Championship with the Raptors in 2019, has known Matthews ever since the Maple Leafs' forward was drafted into the NHL in 2016.

On the back of the jersey, Matthews wrote: "To Kyle, Toronto legend! Much love, Auston Matthews".

"I respect the hell out of Auston," Lowry told reporters (via TSN's Josh Lewenberg) with a smile on Sunday. "We have a mutual relationship, and I gotta pay tribute to my city and, I'm not going to say my country because it's the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"But you know, I'm a Maple Leafs guy, and that's a great jersey. I didn't know how big those damn jerseys were, but it looked good with my fit. I appreciate him and I wanted to show the support for the city and also for him, for giving me the jersey."

The video of Lowry entering Scotiabank Arena wearing the jersey received a lot of love from Toronto's fans, not only because of what he was wearing, but also for what the 39-year-old means to the city and the Raptors.

"He's a Raptors legend, Toronto legend and a guy I got a lot of respect for," Matthews said after being asked about Lowry wearing his jersey. "I bumped into him a few times in my tenure here, and he’s been nothing but class. It was pretty cool to see him wear that jersey."

Matthews had been to several Raptors games while Lowry was with the team. Lowry was with the Raptors from 2012 to 2021, playing 601 games for Toronto. He was an NBA All-Star in six of his nine seasons with the Raptors.

Lowry potentially played his final game in Toronto on Monday night with the 76ers. Once he calls it quits, Lowry said he will retire a Raptor, and it's also likely he'll have his number '7' retired and put up in the rafters inside Scotiabank Arena.

"If it does and when it does, it will be a super emotional day. I put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into that seven," Lowry added, "and to know that it probably won't ever be worn again, it'd be pretty special. I think, something that, for my basketball legacy, is pretty, pretty darn cool."

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Three takeaways: Strong third period, standout effort by AJ Greer help Panthers earn crucial win in Buffalo

Don’t look now but the Florida Panthers might be picking up some momentum.

After a frustrating start to their season-long six-game road trip, the Panthers have bounce back in a big way, picking up wins in Ottawa and Buffalo over the past few nights.

Monday’s win over the Sabres was particularly noticeable due to the fact that Buffalo had gone 13-1-0 since early December and were the hottest team in the league.

They also hadn’t lost a game on home ice since the day after Thanksgiving.

Now the Panthers get to take a few days off and relax in their own homes (they’re spending the off time in South Florida) as their roadie doesn’t resume until Friday when Florida plays a back-to-back set in Carolina and Washington.

Let’s get to Monday’s takeaways:

GREER GETS GOING

It had been a while since Greer put up three goals and five points in a six-game span back in late November.

We know what the gritty, skilled forward is capable of offensively, but it’s not often that he gets the opportunity to show it off.

Skating on a line with Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe this week, Greer took advantage and showed what he can do when playing in a top six role.

The 29-year-old scored two goals in a game for the second time this season while also picking up the game-winner in Monday’s 4-3 win in Buffalo.

“He plays hard,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “Our first introduction on day two of training camp a couple years ago, I don't think I've seen a guy work that hard straight through a brutal practice, and he's been doing it every night. Analytically, that line, they just score when they're together. Good for him. I don't know that he’s scored a lot of empty net goals in his career, because he wouldn't have got the opportunity to be out there, but he earned it tonight and deserved to be on the ice.”

STRONG FINAL FRAME

If ever there was a time the Panthers knew they’d be in for a fight for two points, it was during the intermission between the second and third periods on Monday in Buffalo.

The Sabres have turned KeyBank Center into a house or horrors for visiting teams over the past month during their ascent up the Eastern Conference standings.

They also had just tied the game a few minutes before the end of the second period, so both the crowd and the team were buzzing.

All Florida did was hold Buffalo to a single shot through the first 13:05 of the third period, which gave the Panthers an opportunity to apply some pressure of their own.

The Cats controlled puck possession and put up eight shots during that time, eventually taking their third lead of the game, one they would ultimately hold on to, on a goal by Anton Lundell.

“We were good,” Maurice said. “I think we had given up one shot in the first 11 minutes. I don't know when the shot came, but at the nine-minute timeout we'd given up one, so we weren’t sitting back, we weren't just flipping pucks out, we were trying to push the pace, but we were right.”

TWO BIG POINTS

The victory allowed Florida to keep pace in a fast-moving Eastern Conference playoff race.

That’s what will happen when there are so many teams competing for so few spots, so tightly packed together.

As it stands, there are two points separating top Wild Card spot (held by Toronto with 53 points) and the five teams below them, a group that includes the Panthers and their 51 points.

There are only eight points, and all eight non-playoff teams, between Toronto and Columbus, who sits in last place in the conference.

Buffalo is the second Wild Card team, one point ahead of Florida.

So yeah, beating them in regulation was fairly big for the Cats.

“They're huge,” Maurice said of the two points. “But the real takeaway is, I loved the way we played, and I felt the same way in Ottawa and the last two periods in Montreal. With some guys out, I get that, but the guys that were in there, they played hard, and we were on the puck, and we were frustrating to play against. We just played fast, and that's a great place to be at this point of the year, to understand that that's the way we got to play.”

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Photo caption: Jan 12, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; The Florida Panthers celebrate a win over the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)

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Prep talk: Verbum Dei set to retire jersey of the late David Greenwood

Former UCLA standout, David Greenwood, talks about his career during a National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame induction event on Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)
Former Verbum Dei standout David Greenwood in 2021. He died on June 8 last year at the age of 68. His jersey will be retired on Friday at Verbum Dei. (Colin E. Braley / Associated Press)

David Greenwood, one of the best high school basketball players in Southern California history, will have his jersey retired on Friday night during a ceremony at his alma mater, Verbum Dei.

Greenwood, who died on June 8 at the age of 68 after a bout with cancer, teamed with Roy Hamilton to make Verbum Dei one of the best teams during his high school days in the 1970s. He'd go on to be an All-American at UCLA and played 12 years in the NBA. He came back to coach at Verbum Dei.

Verbum Dei is playing Gardena Serra on Friday at 7 p.m. The ceremony will be held at halftime.

Greenwood was the No. 2 pick in the 1979 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. Magic Johnson went No. 1 to the Lakers. He'd win an NBA championship with the Detroit Pistons.

He coached Verbum Dei to state championships in 1998 and 1999.

"David was a hero to me," said Verbum Dei alumnus DeAnthony Langston. "He's one of the all-time greats in Verbum Dei history."

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Sergei Fedorov Reflects on Scotty Bowman’s Lasting Lessons

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A night that was years in the making unfolded at Little Caesars Arena on Monday evening in downtown Detroit, as the iconic No. 91 jersey of former Detroit Red Wings Hall of Fame forward Sergei Fedorov was officially retired and raised to the rafters. 

One of the greatest players in team history, Fedorov endeared himself to the fans of Hockeytown over 13 seasons with the club, during which he scored exactly 400 goals while also playing an integral role in their 1997, 1998, and 2002 Stanley Cup wins. 

Fedorov, whom the Red Wings selected with the 74th pick in the 1989 NHL Draft and first arrived in Detroit after famously defecting from the Iron Curtain of the soon-to-be-fallen Soviet Union in 1990, began his NHL career under head coach Bryan Murray.

But in 1993, the Red Wings hired Scotty Bowman, who was already regarded as perhaps the greatest coach in the history of the sport. 

Just as he did with Steve Yzerman, Bowman helped Fedorov become a special two-way player who was just as good on the defensive side of the puck as he was offensively. In fact, Bowman sometimes even played Fedorov as a defenseman. 

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Prior to his official jersey retirement ceremony, Fedorov explained that the greatest lesson that he learned while playing under Bowman was

"First of all, no matter how difficult things are going not your way hockey-wise, Scotty always was calm, leveled, and came to the locker room to talk to use without, if I may say, any panic in his voice," Fedorov said after taking a moment to contemplate. "He just basically addressed the issue in what we have to get better at."

"No matter how bad we lose, no matter how good we played, it was the same manner," Fedorov continued. "Because after a few seasons, when we couldn't get the job done, in other words, to win the Cup, we understood one thing - it was all in our hands."

Under Bowman, the Red Wings reached heights they hadn’t seen in decades, rising to the top of the hockey world three times, including back-to-back championships in 1997 and 1998.

Before arriving in Detroit, Bowman famously led the Montreal Canadiens dynasty of the 1970s, winning the Stanley Cup in 1973 and from 1976 through 1979, and later coached the Pittsburgh Penguins to the 1992 Stanley Cup.

He retired after guiding the Red Wings to their third Stanley Cup championship in six years in 2002, his ninth as a head coach, a record that still stands today.

It was that experience that particularly stood out to Fedorov. 

"Scotty was just that kind of person, obviously an experienced person," Fedorov said. "He knew before the game if we were going to win or not, I have no doubt in my mind. Lately, I've analyzed it and come to that conclusion.

"And he was just sort of cool in the sense that he gave so much belief, confidence, and guidance from his demeanor when he came to speak to us - in any situation, bad or good."

While Bowman himself wasn't able to personally attend the ceremony on Monday evening, he was one of several who recorded a special video message as part of the proceedings. 

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Giants ‘aggressively' pursuing Nico Hoerner, Brendan Donovan trade, per report

Giants ‘aggressively' pursuing Nico Hoerner, Brendan Donovan trade, per report originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Giants might not be done making moves this offseason.

After adding to the starting rotation and the bullpen this winter, San Francisco is looking for an upgrade in the infield and is “aggressively” pursuing either Chicago Cubs’ Nico Hoerner and St. Louis Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Tuesday, citing sources.

The Giants reportedly have had interest in Donovan throughout the offseason, and recently have been connected to Hoerner after Chicago agreed to a five-year, $175 million free-agent contract with star third baseman Alex Bregman last week, a move that many believe could make the long-time Cubs infielder expendable.

NBC Sports Bay Area’s Giants insider Alex Pavlovic highlighted both Hoerner and Donovan as potential fits for San Francisco earlier this month.

Hoerner, a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, batted .297/.345/.394 with seven home runs, 61 RBI and 29 stolen bases in 156 games last season with Chicago.

The 28-year-old also is a Bay Area native, born in Oakland.

Donovan, 28, is a former All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner, and batted .287/.353/.422 with 10 home runs and 50 RBI in 118 games with St. Louis last season.

The Giants saw improvement from infielder Casey Schmitt last season, who was the team’s primary second baseman down the stretch, and while they might feel comfortable with their in-house options, it’s clear they are on the hunt for a potential upgrade.

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NHL 'pleased' with test event for Winter Games

Ice hockey taking place at a test event at the Santagiulia Arena, which will be used during the Winter Olympics in Italy
There were three days of play during an ice hockey test event at the Santagiulia Arena [Getty Images]

The NHL says it will "continue to monitor" the unfinished Winter Olympic hockey venue in Milan but said it was "pleased" with a test event held at the Santagiulia Arena.

Delays in construction and doubts about the quality of the ice had raised concerns about players from North America's National Hockey League, the biggest in the world, taking part in next month's Winter Games for the first time since 2014.

"We expect that the work necessary to address all remaining issues will continue around the clock," said a statement from the NHL and NHL Players' Association after seven games were played in the arena over three days.

"The NHL and NHLPA will continue to monitor the situation, standing ready to consult and advise on the work being done to ensure that the local organising committee, the IOC (International Olympic Committee), and the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) deliver a tournament and playing conditions befitting the world's best players.

"We were pleased that this weekend's event was a good trial run and provided important insight into the current status."

The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics will take place from 6-22 February, with ice hockey matches split between the new Santagiulia Arena and the existing Milano Rho Arena.

The rink in Milan, approved by the IIHF, is shorter than the minimum requirement in the NHL, leading to suggestions there could be an increase in high-speed collisions.

During the test event, there was a short delay while a small hole in the ice had to be repaired on Friday before the other matches took place without incident.

IIHF president Luc Tardif said "the puck was sliding and not bumping" and believes "there is no reason that the NHL will not come".

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters: "There are still challenges because the building is still under construction and the ice is new.

"We've been assured that, or we expect, that everything that needs to be done on a timely basis will get done.

"But, as you know, it's not our event. We're invited guests. We've offered to help and consult and advise as they feel they need and would be appropriate because we do have a little bit of expertise in that area."