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Champions League review: Liverpool sidestep Salah saga as Chelsea slip up

Manchester City conquer the Bernabéu, Liverpool survive without Mohamed Salah and Atalanta find Chelsea’s flaws

• To say that Pep Guardiola and Real Madrid have history is to put it mildly. At Barcelona, Guardiola grew up amid an obsessive enmity on both sides, one deepened by his term as the Catalan club’s coach. They are highly familiar with Manchester City, too. City met Madrid for the fifth season in succession on Wednesday. Despite Madrid’s recent struggles under Xabi Alonso, winning at the Santiago Bernabéu is a huge result, a deserved win where City might have been out of sight by half-time. Rodrygo scored his habitual goal against City but one of Guardiola’s new generation in Nico O’Reilly equalised before a controversial penalty award, converted by Erling Haaland, decided the game. A player linked with a move to Madrid sometime in the distant future celebrated with a smirk; Jude Bellingham’s attempt to distract by trying to yank Haaland’s ponytail did not work. After the selection misstep that led to defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, Guardiola got it right in Madrid to leave a lifelong rival in flux. In acknowledging an opponent wracked by injury and infighting had made for an easier task than usual, high standards came to the fore. “I’ve been here [at the Bernabéu] many times in the last five years and we have played much better than today and not won,” Guardiola said. He talks – and his team plays – like he has his mojo back.

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Canadiens: Another Goaltender Debut In Pittsburgh?

After losing their last two games and suffering sizeable defeats over the previous two weeks, the Montreal Canadiens called up Adam Engstrom, Owen Beck, and Jacob Fowler. After yesterday’s practice, Martin St-Louis downplayed the importance of the young goaltender’s being recalled, but given recent events, he wasn’t very successful.

The organization also announced that Jake Evans will leave the team for personal reasons and will rejoin before the team faces the New York Rangers on Saturday night. According to RDS’s Luc Gelinas, Evans has been playing with an injured foot since November 20 and must meet a doctor in Philadelphia. Interestingly, the team chose to evoke personal reasons rather than mention the injury.

Canadiens Control The Narrative
Canadiens Prospect Has Big Opportunity With Call-Up
Canadiens: Home Sweet Home?

The center’s absence has forced St-Louis to shuffle his lines. In Brossard on Monday morning, Zachary Bolduc was back with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield; Juraj Slafkovsky skated with Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen; and newcomer Beck was centring a new line featuring Alexandre Texier and Josh Anderson. Meanwhile, Joe Veleno, Jared Davidson and Brendan Gallagher were reunited.

On the blueline, Engstrom alternated with Jayden Struble on the second pairing alongside Lane Hutson. Struble didn’t have a great game against the Lightning, finishing his night with a minus-two rating and being easily beaten by Brayden Point, who was on his way to score the game’s opening goal. It wouldn’t be shocking if Engstrom were called upon, given the circumstances.

All eyes will be on the Canadiens’ net tonight. Jakub Dobes has started the last three games, Samuel Montembeault has been dealing with an illness and wasn’t exactly sharp in relief of Dobes against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the coach has mentioned that he doesn’t even know if he’ll give a game to Fowler on the road trip.

If I were a betting woman, I’d put money on Fowler starting the first game of his career against the Pittsburgh Penguins nonetheless. Montembeault has a 2-3-1 record against the Pennsylvania outfit with a 3.72 GAA and a .880 save percentage, while Dobes has never taken on Sidney Crosby and co. Either way, since the three duels against them last season came before he was called up after the Christmas break.

As for the Penguins, goaltender Tristan Jarry has an 8-1-1 record against the Habs with a 2.50 GAA and a .911 SV. Meanwhile, Arturs Silovs has never taken on the Canadiens. The Latvian native has split the workload with Jarry this season and has a 4-4-5 record with a 2.98 GAA and a .900 SV.

Up front, the Canadiens will of course need to keep Penguins’ captain Sidney Crosby in check; the living legend has 69 points against the Habs in just 52 duels, including 25 goals. The Pittsburgh captain already has 18 goals this season and is on pace for 52 lamplighters, which would be a career high. He scored 51 goals in 2009-10. Unsurprisingly, Evgeni Malkin is not far behind him with 64 points in 52 games, and he’s also having a solid season; he’s got 29 points in 26 games, on pace for 74 points, but he’s currently on the injured reserve list. Defensemen Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang both enjoy taking on the Habs; the former Ottawa Senators captain has 42 points in 52 duels with the Habs, while the lifelong Penguins have 39 points in 47 games.

Meanwhile, Gallagher is the Canadiens’ top scorer against the Pens with 15 points in 31 games, followed by Suzuki with 11 points in 15 games, and Mike Matheson has 10 points in 19 games against his former team. Anderson is the only other Hab to reach double digits against the Pens; he has 10 points in 26 games. Meanwhile, Caufield, who just saw his 11-game point streak come to an end against Tampa, only has five points in 11 tilts.

Thursday night’s duel will be the first of three between the two teams this season, with the other two scheduled for December 20 and 21, just over a week from now. The Penguins have won seven of the last 10 duels, including the three from last season when they outscored the Habs 18-6.

The game is scheduled for 7:00 PM, and you can catch it on SN-PIT, TSN2, and RDS. The Canadiens don’t have a practice this morning, but there will be media availabilities at 11:45 AM at the team’s hotel. Will St-Louis show his hand, goaltending-wise, then? It remains to be seen.

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.

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Three With Islanders Ties Inducted Into 2025 U.S. Hockey Hall Of Fame

On Wednesday night, former New York Islanders forward Zach Parise, former Islanders assistant coach Scott Gomez, and Long Island native Bruce Bennett, the greatest hockey photographer of all time, were part of the 2025 Induction class into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. 

Joe Pavelski and Tara Mounsey were the other two inductees. 

Parise, who played 19 NHL seasons, two with the Islanders, sits ninth all-time in goals by an American, with 434.


He scored the tying goal in the 2010 Gold Medal game against Team Canada, before Sidney Crosby's infamous golden goal:

Gomez, who served as the Islanders' assistant coach from 2017-19, became the first Alaskan inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.  He played 1,079 NHL games and was a two-time Stanley Cup Champion (2000, 2003) with the New Jersey Devils. 

Bennett, the Levittown native who, as an 18-year-old, began taking pictures during the New York Rangers' 1973-74 season, has photographed 45 Stanley Cup clinching moments and became the first-ever photographer to be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. 

Congratulations to all the inductees on their tremendous careers. 

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Columbus Blue Jackets (32 pts) vs. Ottawa Senators (30 pts) Game Preview

The Columbus Blue Jackets are home to take on the Ottawa Senators tonight at 7 PM. 

Ottawa Senators - 13-12-4 - 30 Points - 4-6-0 in the last 10 - Lost 3 straight - 7th in the Atlantic

Columbus Blue Jackets - 13-11-6 - 32 Points - 3-3-4 in the last 10 - 8th in the Metro

Blue Jackets Stats

  • Power Play - 18.9% - 16th in the NHL
  • Penalty Kill - 72.3% - 29th in the NHL
  • Goals For - 87 - 19th in the NHL
  • Goals Against - 102 - 26th in the NHL

Senators Stats

  • Power Play - 24.7% - 5th in the NHL
  • Penalty Kill - 70.7% - 31st in the NHL
  • Goals For - 87 - 17th in the NHL
  • Goals Against - 96 - 22nd in the NHL

Series History vs. The Senators

  • Columbus is 19-20-2-3 all-time, and 12-7-1-2 at home vs. Ottawa
  • The Jackets are 8-1-2 against Ottawa in the last 11 home games.
  • The CBJ went 1-2 vs. the Sens last season.

Who To Watch For The Senators

  • Drake Batherson & Tim Stützle both have 12 goals and 26 points to lead the team.
  • Jake Sanderson leads the team with 18 assists.
  • Goalie Linus Ullmark is 10-8-4 with a SV% of .877. His last start was on December 9th.
  • Leevi Meriläinen is 3-4-0 with a SV% of .876. His last start was on December 4th.

CBJ Player Notes vs. Senators

  • Zach Werenski has 19 points in 19 career games against Ottawa.
  • Kirill Marchenko has 5 points in 9 games.
  • Sean Monahan has 19 points in 31 games vs. the Sens.

Injuries 

  • Erik Gudbranson - Upper Body - Missed 22 Games - IR - No timeline for a return
  • Boone Jenner - Upper Body - Missed 14 Games - IR - Could return this week
  • Mathieu Olivier - Upper Body - Missed 7 Games - IR- No timeline for a return

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 59

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FANDUEL SPORTS NETWORK. Bob Wischusen 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!

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Canadiens Control The Narrative

After the Montreal Canadiens lost Tuesday night’s game 6-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the organization decided to call up three players from the Laval Rocket: Adam Engstrom, Owen Beck, and Jacob Fowler. It’s the goaltender’s presence amongst the recalls that raised more than a few eyebrows.

Media and pundits alike had previously operated under the assumption that Fowler, who is primarily seen as the Canadiens’ goaltender of the future, would be spending the entire season honing his skills and getting used to the pro level in the AHL. That assumption led them all to conclude that the move was a desperate move stemming from Samuel Montembeault’s and Jakub Dobes’ performances this season.

Canadiens Forward Out vs. Penguins For Personal Reasons
Canadiens: Home Sweet Home?
Canadiens: A Cry For Help To Fowler

But after Tuesday morning’s practice, coach Martin St-Louis was a man on a PR mission. He said several times that the plan had always been to see what Fowler could do at the NHL level this year, and that now was as good a time as any, given the schedule, adding that he would have been surprised if the youngster didn’t get a game in the NHL this season.

When told that the move was primarily seen as a panic move because of the Habs’ current goalie predicament, St-Louis dismissed the idea. He argued that the situation the Canadiens find themselves in was caused by poor collective play, by the way the team played in front of the goaltenders, rather than by their own performances.

While he has a point about the team not consistently playing well in front of the masked men, taking the responsibility away from the goaltenders serves one specific purpose: to make it clear that Fowler is not coming in as the saviour of the team. This is a smart move, especially considering that the Montreal market is a pressure cooker for any player, but even more so for the netminders.

The coach added that he didn’t know if Fowler would play in the upcoming road trip, but that if he didn’t, he would still gain valuable experience just being around the team. Still, I believe the rookie will get a game sooner rather than later and hopefully, the rest of the team will play well in front of him, giving him a real chance to show what he can do.

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.

Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.

Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. 

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Lakers takeaways: Marcus Smart a bright spot as Lakers eliminated from NBA Cup

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 10, 2025: San Antonio Spurs forward Kelly Olynyk (8) grabs an offensive rebound against Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart (36) in the second half at Crypto.com Arena on December 10, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Lakers guard Marcus Smart challenges Spurs forward Kelly Olynyk for a rebound during their NBA Cup game on Wednesday night at Crypto.Com Arena. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

LeBron James’ emphatic one-handed dunk brought the crowd at Crypto.com Arena to its feet. It left Luke Kornet shrinking under James’ intense glare and scream. It will live on in the soon-to-be 41-year-old’s highlight reel, but for this night, James wanted it to fade into the background.

Because even though the moment left his teammates jumping on the bench and gasping for air, it did nothing to stave off a Lakers loss.

“It was just a play,” James said after the Lakers lost 132-119 to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, getting eliminated from NBA Cup play and setting up a regular-season matchup at Phoenix on Sunday at 5 p.m. PST.

The Lakers (17-7) went 2-3 during a revealing five-game stretch against teams with winning records, and needed fourth-quarter heroics to squeeze out both of their wins that came by a combined seven points. The Lakers’ plus-1.5 scoring margin ranks 15th in the NBA after their last three losses came by an average of 16.3 points.

“We really got to look ourselves in the mirror and figure out what we're gonna do,” guard Marcus Smart said. “We're going to lay down and get punked or we're going to fight back. And I'm not the one that's going to lay down and get punked.”

Here are three takeaways from the loss:

Marcus Smart adds a spark

After missing six games because of a back injury, Smart returned to score a season-high 26 points in 27 minutes, going eight for 13 from three-point range with three rebounds and one assist.

Smart struggled with injuries while with Memphis and Washington after getting traded from Boston in 2023. He hoped that coming to the Lakers, with their eternal championship ambitions, could help him revitalize his career. He got off to an uneven start, missing two of the first five games while shooting only 25.4% from three-point range.

Read more:LeBron James is just focused on the now as Lakers fall to Spurs in the NBA Cup

Then he hit his highest three-point total in a game since Jan. 5, 2024, on Wednesday.

“All I can do is control how I prepare, and that's to make the shot,” Smart said. “I've been doing it — everything right. Tonight was the night for me, and hopefully that starts a trend for me to start making some shots consistently.”

Playing his highest minute total since Nov. 14 against New Orleans, Smart said his back “felt good” during the game. His only physical shortcoming was getting his wind back after being sidelined for two weeks. Coach JJ Redick, who called Smart the team’s tone-setter on defense, commended Smart’s “care factor," even when the Lakers fell behind by 18 in the second quarter.

Smart didn’t score any points during a late second-quarter run that cut the Spurs lead from 17 to eight, but he played key roles on both ends of the court. His block on De’Aaron Fox's shot led to a Jaxson Hayes alley-oop dunk. Smart screened two Spurs players to clear the way for Luka Doncic on a driving layup with 1:51 remaining in the second quarter. Doncic immediately turned and pointed to Smart in appreciation.

“When he guards, when he talks to us, we listen,” said Doncic who finished with 35 points and eight assists, including three on Smart three-pointers in the third quarter. “Just got to be a little bit more of what he’s doing.”

Bench falls flat 

Outside of Smart’s 26 points, the Lakers bench produced only five points. Three came from Dalton Knecht on a garbage time three-pointer.

The Lakers have prolific scorers on their bench. Jake LaRavia’s 27-point outburst in Minnesota made him a viral sensation and earned him a custom “Who is No. 12?” T-shirt designed by general manager Rob Pelinka. Gabe Vincent shot a sizzling 55.6% from three-point range during the preseason before he suffered a sprained ankle in the third game of the regular season.

But LaRavia and Vincent combined for only two shots Wednesday. The only other regular rotation player who scored off the bench was Hayes.

Redick credited some of the bench struggles to San Antonio’s defensive coverages. Despite not having Victor Wembanyama (calf), the Spurs used center Luke Kornet similarly to how Phoenix used Mark Williams to dare Doncic and Austin Reaves to shoot shots in the paint instead of letting the star guards play-make for others.

Reaves struggled offensively for the second consecutive game, shooting six for 16 from the field for 15 points. Reaves, who leads the team in total minutes while also ranking second in points per game with 28.4, has made nine of 32 shots in the last two games.

Even Rui Hachimura, who had scored in double figures in each of the previous three games and made the game-winning shot in Toronto, had just two shot attempts in the first three quarters Wednesday. He finished with a quiet eight points.

Redick has marveled at the way Hachimura can go long stretches of games without touching the ball then still make crucial shots. Teammates have asked him for his advice on how to stay ready when coming off the bench.

“[The ball is] gonna come eventually,” Hachimura said before Wednesday's game. “And then that time comes, you have to make some moves. You have to do something about it, so you don't want to be surprised when it gets [to you].”

No strings attached 

The Lakers entered Wednesday’s game ranked 21st in defensive rating. They were the fifth-worst team in opponent three-point shooting percentage, allowing teams to shoot 38.2% from three. The percentage will get even worse after San Antonio (17-7) shot 44.7% from three on Wednesday.

Opponents have shot better than 40% from beyond the arc in six of the last seven games against the Lakers. The Pelicans and Celtics both shot better than 50% from three.

Without Wembanyama, the Spurs showcased their dynamic backcourt, led by Fox. The speedy guard who missed the last matchup against the Lakers had 20 points while Stephon Castle, last year’s rookie of the year, dropped 30 points to go along with 10 rebounds and six assists on the Lakers, who simply had no answers for the quick, athletic guards.

“Being able to contain the basketball is probably the most difficult thing for our team right now,” Redick said.

Doncic and Reaves have become the highest scoring duo in the league, but the guards will never be known for their defensive prowess. The soon-to-be 41-year-old James is well past his time of being a regular defensive standout. If the Lakers can compete defensively, it has to be as a unit, James stressed.

“Five guys being on a string,” James said. “Obviously, you can't do it individually by yourself. It has to be five guys on a string, communication, always at an all-time high.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Pitch Points: will Inter Miami be better next year, and can Nancy succeed at Celtic?

The world of soccer throws up no shortage of questions on a regular basis. In today’s column, we endeavor to answer three of them

Lionel Messi is a MLS Cup winner. That might rank lowly on the GOAT’s list of career achievements, but it was clear in the Argentine’s celebrations after the 3-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps in Saturday’s championship game just how much this meant. Even for Messi, this was more than just another trophy. This was a ‘mission accomplished’ moment.

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Sports Personality of the Year 2025: Lionesses square off on six-strong shortlist

  • Chloe Kelly and Hannah Hampton make the shortlist

  • McIlroy, Littler, Norris and Kildunne also up for award

The England teammates Chloe Kelly and Hannah Hampton are up against one another for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award on a shortlist that also includes Lando Norris, Rory McIlroy, Luke Littler and Ellie Kildunne.

Kelly and Hampton were at the centre of England’s dramatic penalty shootout win over Spain in the Euro 2025 final, with Kelly scoring the winning spot-kick after Hampton had made two critical saves. For Kelly, it came after a difficult period personally, but after leaving Manchester City for Arsenal within months she was a European champion and Champions League winner. Hampton’s heroics saw the Chelsea stopper win the Yashin Trophy for the world’s best female goalkeeper at the Ballon d’Or awards.

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‘It can be brutal’: Gian van Veen, the anti-Luke Littler, on overcoming teenage dartitis

Dutch rising star has gone from not knowing ‘how to grip the dart’ to a dark horse for the PDC world championship

It’s the deciding leg of the European Championship final. Gian van Veen, the 23-year-old from the Netherlands chasing his first major title, has just missed two match darts to win 11-9. Luke Humphries, world No 1 at the time, starts the final leg with a 140.

“Oh, you’ve blown it here,” Van Veen replies when asked to describe his internal monologue during that moment in October. “Luke Humphries is not going to crumble under this pressure. Maybe it was a negative thought. But it also released some pressure for me, in a way.”

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Thunder equal best 25-game start in NBA history

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder drives to the baske
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 32.8 points per game this season [Getty Images]

The Oklahoma City Thunder equalled the best 25-game start to a season in NBA history as they overpowered the Phoenix Suns 138-89 in the NBA Cup quarter-finals.

Defending champions the Thunder have won 24 of their first 25 games, equalling the Golden State Warriors' record from 2015-16.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, last season's Most Valuable Player, scored 28 points at Paycom Center, hitting the 20-point mark for a 96th straight game.

It was a franchise record 16th straight win for the Thunder, who face the San Antonio Spurs in the semi-finals in Las Vegas on Saturday.

"Winning is never boring," said Thunder forward Jalen Williams.

The Thunder have won 92 of their 107 regular-season games since the start of 2024-25, having topped last season's Western Conference with a 68-14 record.

The record for most wins in an NBA season is 73, achieved by the Warriors in 2015-16.

The Spurs reached the semi-finals by beating the Los Angeles Lakers 132-119 at Crypto.com Arena.

The NBA Cup is the competition's annual in-season tournament, with all matches except the final counting towards the regular-season standings.

The Thunder were beaten in last year's final by the Milwaukee Bucks.

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Victor Wembanyama 'very much' could return to court Saturday in NBA Cup semifinals

LOS ANGELES — Before his San Antonio Spurs went on to beat the Lakers with him watching in street clothes Wednesday night, Victor Wembanyama was out on the court, getting in a little light work. He looked good, moved well and didn't have any kind of wrap on his strained calf.

Is there a chance we see Wembanyama on the court in Las Vegas on Saturday for the NBA Cup semifinals against the Thunder?

"Very much," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said after the Spurs' win. "He had a really good day today. He had a very intense day this morning, and we have to see how he responds and reacts tomorrow."

It has been reported that Wemby was close to a return, and his on-court pregame work on Wednesday evening after an intense workout earlier in the day is a good sign.

Wembanyama has been out since Nov. 15 with a calf strain, missing a dozen games. Behind inspired play from De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper as a guard trio the Spurs have gone 9-3 in those 12 games, including beating the Lakers Wednesday to advance to the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas.

Already an All-Star, Wemby looked like a player making another leap this season, averaging 26.2 points, 12.9 rebounds and 3.6 blocked shots a game prior to his injury. He looked like an All-NBA player and someone who, in his third season, could even end up on a lot of MVP ballots.

San Antonio will need that guy to have a chance against the 24-1 Thunder in the NBA Cup semifinal Saturday in Las Vegas.