British roads will host the start of both races next year
First time both Grands Départs have been outside France
The men’s Tour de France will start in Scotland for the first time in 2027 and make its first visit to Wales when Britain stages the Grand Départ of the men’s and women’s races in the biggest festival of elite cycling on the isles since London 2012.
Across six days of racing on British roads, the men’s Tour will visit Edinburgh, Carlisle, Keswick, Liverpool, Welshpool and Cardiff, while the Tour de France Femmes races from Leeds to Manchester, then to Sheffield and also includes a central London stage. On Thursday night all host cities were illuminated by yellow beams in recognition of them staging the Tour.
There is still time before 2027 World Cup to rescue the drooping silver fern but rebuilding an international team is hard and New Zealand’s aura has faded
As a keen surfer Scott Robertson is well aware how abruptly situations can change. One minute you are riding the perfect wave, the next you’re being dumped from a great height and having your world tipped upside down. Which is essentially how “Razor” will now be feeling after being ousted as All Blacks head coach barely two years into his tenure.
On the surface he was everything New Zealand rugby could have wished for. The serial domestic winner who had guided the Crusaders to seven successive Super Rugby titles, the empathetic everyman with the break-dancing skills to match. If anyone could connect with younger generations and encourage everyone to fall in love with the ABs again, surely he was da man?
The Detroit Red Wings have recalled defenseman Erik Gustafsson from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, a move that could signal a potential injury on the backend that we're waiting to hear about or a possible last-ditch effort to generate trade interest ahead of the NHL trade deadline.
With Detroit continuing to evaluate its options, the recall appears to be an opportunity to get Gustafsson into the lineup for a few games and showcase his value to potential buyers. The veteran defenseman has drawn increasing attention in recent months, with multiple reports linking him to the New York Rangers as they search for help on the blue line.
Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman has reported that the Rangers are in the market for a power play quarterback while Adam Fox remains out on long term injured reserve. Friedman included Gustafsson among the players New York has checked in on, noting that his familiarity with the Rangers’ system and his affordable contract make him a logical short-term option. If Gustafsson can perform well in Detroit, the Red Wings could benefit by boosting his trade stock in the remaining weeks before the deadline.
Gustafsson has been a productive and steady presence in Grand Rapids this season. In 22 games with the Griffins, he has recorded two goals and 18 assists for 20 points, establishing himself as one of the team’s most reliable veteran players and a key contributor on the power play.
He has already appeared in one NHL game for Detroit this season. In that outing, Gustafsson logged 17 and a half minutes of ice time, registered two shots on goal, and finished minus one in a loss to the Nashville Predators. While he did not record a point, he showed the puck-moving ability the Red Wings were expecting when they signed him.
Gustafsson played 76 games for the Rangers during the 2023-24 season, finishing with six goals and 25 assists for 31 points. Over the course of his ten NHL seasons, he has appeared in 516 games. His most productive year came with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2018-19, when he posted 60 points and emerged as one of the league’s more dynamic offensive defensemen.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The 18-year-old, who has since emerged as the club's No. 1 defenseman skating alongside Ryan Pulock while averaging 23:56 minutes per game, was still skating on the third pairing alongside Scott Mayfield when the Islanders won 4-2 against Edmonton at UBS Arena.
At 5-on-5, with head coach Patrick Roy able to control matchups, Schaefer only played 2:06 against McDavid -- Islanders were outshot 2-0 -- and 3:01 against Draisaitl -- Islanders were outshot 3-1. He played a total of 17:38 minutes, the third fewest minutes he's played this season.
Things will be much different when the puck drops at 9 PM ET on Thursday.
While Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch is going to try to have his stars not on the ice against Schaefer, the rookie phenom plays too many minutes to be able to avoid him -- as do the Oilers' stars.
Schaefer, who powered through a jab to the ribs and a puck off the outside of the right knee in a 5-4 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, recorded his 13th goal and 30th point on the season.
While Schaefer has passed every test he's had and doesn't need to prove anything anymore, a successful game against McDavid and Draisaitl will show exactly how much growth he's shown in his game from the start of the season to now.
Vancouver Canucks - 16-25-5 - 37 Points - 1-7-2 in the last 10 - Lost 5 Straight- 8th in the Pacific
Columbus Blue Jackets - 20-19-7 - 47 Points - 5-4-1 in the last 10 - Won 2 Straight - 7th in the Metro
Blue Jackets Stats
Power Play - 19.0% - 20th in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 74.6% - 29th in the NHL
Goals For - 136 - 20th in the NHL
Goals Against - 155 - 28th in the NHL
Canucks Stats
Power Play - 19.6% - 16th in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 73.1% - 30th in the NHL
Goals For - 121 - 27th in the NHL
Goals Against - 165 - 31st in the NHL
Series History vs. TheCanucks
Columbus is 26-33-2-9 all-time, and 15-15-2-3 at home vs. Vancouver.
The Blue Jackets has won 5 straight games at home against the Canucks.
The CBJ went 1-1-0 vs Vancouver last season.
Who To Watch For TheCanucks
Elias Pettersson leads the Canucks with 28 points.
Filip Hronek leads Vancouver with 24 assists.
Goalie Thatcher Demko is 8-10-1 with a SV% of .897
CBJ Player Notes vs.Canucks
Zach Werenski has 8 points in 15 games vs. the Canucks.
Dmitri Voronkov has 5 points in 5 games.
Sean Monahan has 29 points im 40 career games against Vancouver.
Injuries
Erik Gudbranson - Upper Body - Missed 38 Games - IR - Skating with team, but there is no timeline for a return to the lineup.
Isac Lundeström - Lower Body - Missed 10 Games - IR
Brendan Smith - Lower Body - Missed 8 Games IR - Out 3-4 months after having knee surgery.
Miles Wood - Lower Body - Missed 7 Games - IR - Week-to-week.
Mason Marchment - Upper Body - Missed 5 Games - Week to week.
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 122
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.
The Philadelphia Flyers are in a bad way after losing their fourth straight in addition to losing Dan Vladar to injury. The silver lining, however, is that now is as good a time as any to evaluate a prospect who's completely turned his career around in one season.
Vladar, 28, exited the Flyers' 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres with an unspecified injury and did not return, even as a backup in an emergency capacity.
Vladar surrendered two goals on five shots, and Sam Ersson, who has struggled mightily this season, made six saves on eight shots in relief.
The Flyers, who were already reportedly considering alternatives to Ersson, now have no choice but to turn to prospect Aleksei Kolosov, who's had an excellent first real season in the AHL with the so-so Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Kolosov, 24, has posted a 9-9-1 record in 19 games for the Phantoms to the tune of a 2.54 GAA, .908 save percentage, and his first two shutouts on North American ice.
The numbers aren't amazing, no, but neither are the Phantoms, who have experienced a ton of player turnover and have a number of first-time pros occupying significant roles on the team, led by Alex Bump, Carson Bjarnason, Denver Barkey, Karsen Dorwart, and Devin Kaplan.
Kolosov, now in the last year of his entry-level contract with the Flyers, has earned himself at least one more opportunity to show his stuff at the NHL level.
The Belarusian has played well in the AHL, and on the other hand, it would be almost impossible to play worse than Ersson has for the Flyers this season; Ersson has been beaten 14 times on the last 57 shots he's faced and currently boasts a .855 save percentage and 6-7-4 record on the year.
Kolosov, as bad as he looked at times last season, still managed a .884 save percentage and 5-6-1 record.
It should ease the Flyers' minds, too, that Kolosov has a .929 save percentage across two NHL appearances for the club this season.
He's looked the part and played his role at both levels, and with he and Ersson both set to become free agents at the end of the season, the Flyers need to use Vladar's injury as an opportunity to evaluate and draw conclusions on both players, deciding who, if either, they will retain this summer.
Kolosov, at least for now, has the edge, if for no reason other than Ersson all but playing himself off the team, just as Egor Zamula had earlier in the season.
The 2005-06 NHL season was a disaster for the Boston Bruins.
They traded away superstar center and captain Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks early in the campaign for a lackluster return package. The team lacked talent and toughness, and it finished with the fifth-worst record in the league.
The franchise, which hadn’t been a real Stanley Cup contender since the late 1980s and early 1990s, appeared to be light years away from ending its championship drought, which in 2006 stood at 34 years.
It was, essentially, rock bottom for the Bruins.
And then everything changed July 1, 2006.
That’s when the Bruins, who were not big spenders at the time, splashed the cash to sign star defenseman Zdeno Chara to a five-year, $37.5 million contract. It’s without question the best free agent signing in league history.
“I’m willing to lead by my example of hard work, dedication, discipline and drive,” Chara said in his introductory press conference in July of 2006.
He also made it clear in that press conference what the objective was for him and the team: “I think the only thing we care (about) is the final goal and to win at the end.”
The Bruins will retire Chara’s No. 33 to the TD Garden rafters Thursday night before the B’s play the Seattle Kraken. It’s a fitting honor for a player who transformed the Bruins back into a Stanley Cup contender.
But it didn’t happen overnight. Playoff setbacks in 2008, 2009 and then blowing a 3-0 series lead in the second round to the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 created some doubt over whether the Bruins had what it took to be champions.
But Chara, with his leadership and determination, kept the B’s moving forward. One thing about Chara is he never backs down from a challenge. He looks at the impossible as very much possible.
The Bruins’ 2011 playoff run, which culminated with the franchise winning its first Stanley Cup in 39 years, was one of the most exciting three-month periods in the history of Boston sports. There were so many ups, downs, and memorable moments.
There were many heroes during those four playoff series. Tim Thomas set a record for playoff save percentage and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP. David Krejci led the playoffs with 23 points. Brad Marchand scored a then-rookie record 11 playoff goals, including five in the Cup Final. Nathan Horton scored two OT-winning goals and the only goal in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final.
Chara was also at the top of his game. When the Bruins needed it most, their captain stepped up with elite play at both ends of the ice on the sport’s biggest stage.
Chara played an astounding 37:06 of ice time in Game 5 of the first-round series versus the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs did not score and tallied only 14 shots when Chara was on the ice. The Bruins ended up winning in double overtime to take a 3-2 series lead. They won the series in overtime of Game 7.
In the second-round sweep against the Flyers, Chara helped tilt the ice heavily in the Bruins’ favor. Boston outscored Philadelphia 13-4 and generated more than 60 percent of all scoring chances during Chara’s 113:58 of ice time over four games.
In Game 7 of the East Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Bruins had a 16-7 advantage in shots, a 12-5 edge in scoring chances and allowed zero goals during Chara’s 26:43 of ice time. The Lightning only tallied two shots on net when Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos went up against Chara in that game. The B’s won 1-0 to clinch their first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 1990.
Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images
Canucks superstar Henrik Sedin struggled to score against Zdeno Chara in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.
The 2011 Cup Final against the Vancouver Canucks is where Chara’s defensive excellence really played a key role for the Bruins. He put on a defensive masterclass against a Canucks team that won the Presidents’ Trophy, scored the most goals of any team and had the No. 1 ranked power play. Daniel Sedin led the league with 104 points. His brother and linemate, Henrik, had 94.
Neither of those two superstar forwards made a profound impact in the Final. Daniel tallied four points in the series but was held without a point in five of the seven games. Two of his points were garbage time assists in Game 6. Henrik was completely invisible. He scored a meaningless goal late in Game 6. It was his only point of the series.
They couldn’t escape the physicality, long reach and towering presence of Chara. He played about 70 even-strength minutes against the Sedins in that series, per Natural Stat Trick, and Boston outscored Vancouver 5-2 and had a .960 save percentage in those minutes. Chara winning that matchup so decisively was pivotal in the outcome.
The Sedins were power-play maestros, too. Daniel led the league with 42 power-play points in the 2010-11 regular season. Henrik had 35. But in 28 minutes of power-play ice time against Chara in the Cup Final, the twins could only muster one goal — a garbage time tally in Game 6. Vancouver’s potent power play, which was supposed to tip the scale in its favor, was bottled up by the Bruins’ 6-foot-9 defenseman. The Canucks ended up going 2-for-32 on the power play in the series.
Overall, the Bruins outscored the Canucks 15-6 in Chara’s ice time over the seven games. He made a huge impact all over the ice versus a Vancouver team that many experts picked to win the series.
And when the final buzzer sounded in Game 7 and commissioner Gary Bettman brought the Stanley Cup onto the Rogers Arena ice and gave it to Chara, the greatest trophy in sports was lifted higher in the air than it ever had, or ever has been.
Winning the ultimate prize didn’t come easy, but those Bruins teams never did anything easy. There were many times throughout that journey toward winning the Stanley Cup that the B’s could have folded and given up. But Chara was never going to let that happen.
He set an example of hard work and dedication that was contagious. No challenge or setback was going to keep him from delivering on the goal he set during his introductory press conference in 2006. This is why the Bruins had the mental toughness to withstand a lot of challenges against the Canucks in the 2011 Cup Final.
Whether it was Patrice Bergeron getting bitten by Alex Burrows in Game 1 and Boston losing 1-0 on a late goal, or the Bruins losing in overtime of Game 2, or Nathan Horton getting knocked out of the series in Game 3 by a vicious hit, or the team losing 1-0 again in Game 5, or the B’s playing a must-win Game 7 on the road, Chara’s leadership kept his team laser-focused on the No. 1 objective.
Other legendary Boston athletes might have won more championships, or taken home more individual awards. But very, very few made the kind of transformational impact on their franchise that Chara did for the Bruins.
It’s one of many reasons why Chara will always be regarded as one of the best Bruins of all time. And it’s why the 2011 title will always matter a little more than some of the others that Boston teams have won.
Nine-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky clocked the second-fastest women’s 1500m freestyle time in history on Wednesday to launch the US Pro Swim Series event in Austin, Texas, with a dominant victory.
Ledecky was untouchable as she cruised to victory in 15min 23.21sec, more than a minute in front of 16-year-old runner-up Brinkleigh Hansen, who touched in 16:31.31.
Knicks star Jalen Brunson suffered a right ankle injury in the first quarter of Wednesday's 112-101 loss to the Sacramento Kings and never returned. However, there was a good sign following the game.
According to multiple eye-witness accounts, including from The Athletic's James Edwards, the Knicks guard left the locker room without a boot or crutches.
There wasn't an update on Brunson's condition from the team, but it's a good sign.
The incident occurred when Brunson tried to cross up Maxime Raynaud on the wing, but slipped and fell, appearing to turn his ankle.
The injury occurred with 7:45 remaining in the first quarter as Brunson tried to remain in the game, but checked out with 7:01 on the clock and headed to the locker room.
New York trailed Sacramento, 16-8, at the time and never recovered. Without their captain, the Knicks shot just 39 percent from the field, including 8-for-41 from three (19.5 percent).
Brunson was initially designated as questionable to return, but the Knicks delivered the update just before the second half started. Brunson had scored four points on 2-for-3 shooting, missing a three-pointer, in five minutes of action.
It's unclear whether Brunson will miss games this time around, but the Knicks have a quick turnaround as they continue their road trip against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night.
The Los Angeles Kings (19-16-11) played host to the Vegas Golden Knights (22-11-12) in a battle between two playoff hopefuls from the Pacific division. After a rough loss to the Dallas Stars on Monday, the Kings were in desperate need of two points as they are start to slip out of the playoff picture in the West.
Unfortunately, two points isn't easy to come by in the National Hockey League as the Los Angeles was unable to finish the job on home ice and fall to Vegas by a score of 3-2 in overtime.
The silver lining in all of these heart wrenching defeats is that they continue to walk away with the loser point, which could be seen as both a bad, and a good thing. The Kings now have the second most loser points in the NHL with 11, funnily enough, only Vegas has more with 12.
Kings Fail to Capitalize Early
In perhaps one of the biggest games of the season so far, the Kings needed to get off to good start early in order to compete with a Vegas team that has found their footing lately.
Los Angeles did control the majority of the play in the opening frame, while Vegas looked incredibly sloppy and were unable to get virtually anything going, as they struggled to even enter the Kings zone cleanly.
Unfortunately, the Golden Knights were able to weather the storm and get out of the first period with a 0-0 tie. The Kings outshot the Knights 9-5 to end the period but just couldn't beat Akira Schmid.
Golden Knights Get on the Board
After successfully escaping an ugly first period, the Golden Knights looked like an entirely different hockey team in the second period. Clearly, head coach Bruce Cassidy voiced his frustration because it didn't take long for Vegas control the game.
Just under four minutes into the middle frame, rookie forward Braeden Bowman gave his team the lead with his sixth of the season. After a defensive mishap by Brian Dumoulin, Jack Eichel scooped up the loose puck and found a wide open Bowman who ripped the puck past Darcy Kuemper.
Both teams had an opportunity on the power play in the latter half of the period, but neither could capitalize. After 40 minutes Vegas was outshooting L.A. 19-17.
Just like Vegas did in the first period, Los Angeles weathered the storm in the second period and were lucky to be down just 1-0 after 40 minutes.
Through the early stages of the third period the Kings began to look desperate as they were pushing hard to even things up. They were able to generate some quality chances but just couldn't finish.
That was until Kevin Fiala buried his team-leading 17th goal of the season past Akira Schmid was in the midst of a shutout bid. Fiala earned this one as he was stopped on his initial shot, the puck then came to Alex Turcotte in the slot who fired it on goal which led to a juicy rebound right on the tape of the Kings sniper who wasted no time firing it into the back of the net. Fiala, who was probably the most notable Kings prior to his goal gets rewarded for sticking with the play and crashing the net. Turcotte and Andre Kuzmenko register the assists.
Marner Puts Vegas on Top
After a strong first 10-12 minutes of the final frame, the Kings were tested after Adrian Kempe was sent off for hooking.
Just over 40 seconds into their man advantage, Vegas took the lead right back as Mitch Marner scored his 11th of the year with a blistering wrist shot. At this point it looked like Marner shoved the dagger into the heart of the Kings.
When all hope seemed to be lost after yet another Kings third period fumble, the team didn't give up and continued to fight for the game tying goal.
It came down to the final 90 seconds but Brandt Clarke made the building erupt as he slid home his 5th of the season past Schmid to tie the game at 2-2 which meant extra time was needed.
After an electric finish to regulation, the Golden Knights silenced the Kings crowd as they scored just 25 seconds into the overtime period.
In a somewhat broken play that had Kuemper facing the wrong way, Jack Eichel was able to find Mark Stone all alone who was able to put the puck in the wide open cage, giving Vegas the win in a hard fought battle between two divisional foes.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The Knicks had one of their worst shooting games of the season and lost to the Sacramento Kings, 112-101, on Wednesday night.
Here are the takeaways...
-- New York found themselves down 16-8 early in the first quarter and then things got even worse with Jalen Brunson leaving the game with a right ankle injury. Brunson slipped and fell with 7:45 remaining in the first quarter while trying to cross up Maxime Raynaud. He tried to stay in the game but left for the locker room with 7:01 on the clock and did not return.
-- It didn't get better for Mike Brown's new squad against his former team as NY trailed 32-17 at the end of the first quarter. The Knicks went 0-for-9 from three-point range and shot just 35 percent from the field compared to the Kings' 63 percent. Former Knick Precious Achiuwa, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine all scored 10 points in the first. Karl-Anthony Towns tried to carry the load for New York with seven points.
-- New York missed their first 12 three-point attempts before Josh Hart hit one to make it a 41-24 game in the second quarter. The Knicks slowly tried to mount a comeback despite their struggles from beyond the arc. Offensive rebounds and second-chance points were a big factor as Mitchell Robinson dominated the glass (11 total offensive rebounds in the first half, Robinson with six).
The Knicks outscored the Kings, 25-24, in the second quarter but trailed 56-42 at halftime. It's tied for their lowest scoring first half of the season. The team shot an abysmal 1-for-19 from three and 34 percent from the field. Towns was the go-to scorer with Brunson out (13 points on 5-for-11 shooting), but no one else was in double figures.
-- Sacramento scored seven quick points to open the third quarter before Mikal Bridges made the Knicks' second three-pointer of the night (2-for-21 at the time), making it a 63-46 game. The Kings continued to get to the foul line and extend their lead. Hart made the team's third three-pointer (3-for-25) and then Robinson picked up his seventh offensive rebound, scoring on a tip-in as the Knicks trailed, 79-57, with 4:47 left in the third quarter.
DeRozan made his first three-pointer in three games with just under a minute remaining in the third quarter as the Kings grew their lead to 23 points. They led 96-76 heading into the fourth as Achiuwa's revenge game continued, getting up to a season-high 20 points already. New York made a total of four three-pointers (4-for-10) in the third, improving to 17 percent from deep.
-- Jordan Clarkson gave the Knicks a spark with six straight points in the fourth quarter and then Bridges sank his second three-pointer to cut the Sacramento lead to 15 points. Brown emptied the bench with 2:34 left, down 108-94. They made it a nine-point game after a Tyler Kolek three and Guerschon Yabusele layup before Russell Westbrook banked in a three to have fans chanting to "light the beam."
-- The Knicks shot 39 percent overall and 20 percent from three, missing 33 attempts (8-for-41). Towns didn't score in the second half, finishing with 13 points and four rebounds, while Bridges led the team with 19 points. OG Anunoby finished with 15 points, Clarkson had 11 points, and Hart and McBride each had 10 points.
Sacramento made 32 free throws (84 percent from the foul line) and shot 47 percent from the field. The Kings won the rebound battle, 48-43. DeRozan had 27 points and LaVine added 25 points.
Game MVP: Precious Achiuwa
The former Knick and five-star recruit out of high school had his best game of the season, scoring 20 points on 7-for-14 shooting with 14 rebounds (six offensive), two assists, two blocks, and two steals.
This looked like it was going to be Brice Sensabaugh night. The forward scored 21 points off the bench in the first quarter alone and went on to score a career-high 43.
But the Bulls pulled out the victory on a Nikola Vucevic game-winner that came on the most improbable of plays.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Braden Smith scored all 16 of his points in the second half and tied the Big Ten record for assists in conference play, and No. 5 Purdue overcame a nine-point to beat Iowa 79-72 on Wednesday night.
Trey Kaufman-Renn added 12 points, Fletcher Loyer had 11 and Oscar Cluff 10 to help the Boilermakers (16-1, 6-0 Big Ten) win their eighth straight game. They have won their first six conference games for only the fifth time since 1940.
Smith finished the game with 478 assists in league games — the same number former Michigan State player Cassius Winston had.
Bennett Stirtz had 19 points to lead Iowa (12-5, 2-4). Kael Combs added 16 points as the Hawkeyes lost their third in a row overall, fell to 0-4 against ranked teams this season and extended their losing streak against top-10 opponents to 10 since 2021-22.
NO. 13 ILLINOIS 79, NORTHWESTERN 68
EVANSTON, Ill.(AP) — Keaton Wagler scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half, and Illinois beat Northwestern for their season-high sixth consecutive victory.
Tomislav Ivisic added 21 points and seven rebounds as Illinois (14-3, 5-1 Big Ten) won at Northwestern for the first time since Jan. 29, 2022. The Illini had dropped their last three games in Evanston.
Jayden Reid led Northwestern with a career-high 28 points, including 20 in the second half. Nick Martinelli had 20 points.
STANFORD 95, NO. 14 NORTH CAROLINA 90
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Freshman Ebuka Okorie had 36 points and nine assists and Stanford rallied from 12 points down in the second half to beat North Carolina.
Okorie outdueled Tar Heels freshman star Caleb Wilson and helped the Cardinal (14-4, 3-2 ACC) knock off the Tar Heels (14-3, 2-2) for the second straight season as conference opponents. North Carolina had won all 13 meetings between the schools before coach Kyle Smith took over last season in Stanford’s first year in the ACC.
Jeremy Dent-Smith hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:04 to play for his sixth long ball of the night to make it 88-87. After Wilson turned it over at the other end, Ryan Agarwal hit another 3 to but the Cardinal up by four points with 32 seconds to play.
The Cardinal held on from there for their second win over a ranked opponent this month after beating No. 16 Louisville at home on Jan. 2. That matches the most wins against ranked wins in a season for Stanford since the Cardinal had five in 2013-14 in the last season when they made the NCAA Tournament.
Dent-Smith and Agarwal each finished with 20 points as Stanford won despite playing without second-leading scorer Chisom Okpara, who is out with a lower-body injury.
Wilson and Henri Veesaar each scored 26 points for North Carolina.
NO. 15 TEXAS TECH 88, UTAH 74
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — JT Toppin had 31 points and 13 rebounds for his sixth consecutive double-double and Christian Anderson had his own with 26 points and 10 assists as Texas Tech beat Utah.
It was Toppin’s 11th double-double this season, his 30th in 49 games over two seasons with Tech since transferring from New Mexico, and his 42nd overall. The 6-foot-9 junior forward also had seven assists and five blocked shots while making a career-high three 3-pointers.
Donovan Atwell added 12 points on four 3-pointers for the Red Raiders (13-4, 3-1 Big 12), who shot 51.4% overall from the field (36 of 70) while improving to 9-0 at home this season. Anderson had six of their 13 made 3-pointers.
Keanu Dawes and Don McHenry each had 18 points, and Terrence Brown 17 for Utah (8-9, 0-4). The Utes have lost 11 consecutive true road games.
NO. 17 ARKANSAS 108, SOUTH CAROLINA 74
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Darius Acuff Jr. had 18 points and 13 assists as Arkansas routed South Carolina.
Meleek Thomas led six Razorbacks in double figures with 21 points off the bench. Reserve forward Malique Ewin scored 18, Trevon Brazile had 13 and D.J. Wagner added 12.
Nick Pringle, who spent last season at South Carolina, set a season high with 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Acuff, a freshman, posted his third double-double and set a career best for assists. He’s scored in double figures in every game for Arkansas (13-4, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) this season.
Meechie Johnson paced the Gamecocks (10-7, 1-3) with 29 points.
MISSISSIPPI 97, NO. 21 GEORGIA 95, OT
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Patton Pinkins sank a follow-up shot with 1 second remaining in overtime and Mississippi beat Georgia despite Jeremiah Wilkinson’s season-high 32 points for the Bulldogs.
Marcus “Smurf” Millender made one of two free throws for Georgia (14-3, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) with 10.2 seconds remaining in overtime to tie the game at 95.
Following a miss by AJ Storr, who led Ole Miss (10-7, 2-2) with 27 points, Pinkins grabbed the rebound and sank the winning shot to finish with 18 points.
Kanon Catchings scored 17 points for Georgia, including a 3-pointer for a 94-91 lead.
After scoring two goals or fewer in each of their previous four games, the Senators’ offence finally erupted on Wednesday night. Brady Tkachuk had a four-point night and scored his 200th career goal as the Senators defeated the New York Rangers 8–4 at Madison Square Garden.
The win was Ottawa’s second in as many nights and marked the first time all season the Senators have hit the eight-goal mark in a game. Ridly Greig chipped in with three assists, and Leevi Meriläinen made 18 saves in his ninth straight start.
It looked like it was going to be another night for the 23-year-old goaltender to improve his statistics. However, with Ottawa nursing a 6–1 lead, the Rangers scored three times in the third period, and suddenly, allowing four goals on 22 shots didn’t look quite so flattering.
James Reimer, who suited up for the first time as a Senator on Wednesday night, talked about signing in Ottawa this week.
The Senators came out hard, grabbing a 4–0 lead after 20 minutes on goals from Drake Batherson, Nick Jensen, Brady Tkachuk, and Dylan Cozens. Rangers fans responded by booing their club off the ice at intermission. The home side then gave up two more goals in the second period to make it 6–0, thanks to tallies from Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot. That ended the night for Rangers veteran goaltender Jonathan Quick, who allowed six goals on 17 shots.
Gabe Perreault scored twice, once late in the second period and again early in the third, to cut Ottawa’s lead to four. David Perron made it 7–2, scoring from a sharp angle. Noah Laba and Alexis Lafrenière got the Rangers to within three before Tim Stützle put it away with an empty-net goal. The goal was Stützle’s 20th of the season, marking the fourth time in the last five seasons he has reached that milestone.
The Rangers continue to struggle at home. The loss was their 17th in 22 games at Madison Square Garden, dropping their home record to 5-13-4 and leaving them in last place in the Eastern Conference.
The Senators still have a long way to go to climb back into playoff relevance in the East. They stand five points (and six teams) behind the second wild card spot. They'll look to make it three straight wins when they host the Montreal Canadiens (and a lot of their fan base) on Saturday at 7:00 pm, then they'll play in Detroit against the Red Wings on Sunday at 5:00 p.m.
Those will be big divisional games, but based on the position the Senators have put themselves in, they're all big games now.
Steve Warne The Hockey News - Ottawa
This story is from The Hockey News Ottawa. You can visit the site here or click on one of their latest articles below:
Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images
