Sports News – Worldwide Sports News

January 17, 2026

Penguins' Chinakhov Responds To Firing Of Blue Jackets Coach Dean Evason

It's safe to say that Egor Chinakhov's time with the Columbus Blue Jackets came to an ending that neither party wanted to reach.

After requesting a trade during the offseason, the 24-year-old winger was finally dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 29. There were a lot of rumors surrounding Chinakhov's desire to start fresh elsewhere, many of which were linked to an apparent rift with former head coach Dean Evason.

Well, Evason was fired by the Blue Jackets on Jan. 12 and replaced by Rick Bowness, and Chinakhov was asked Saturday in Pittsburgh if he was surprised to hear the news.

"I don't know," Chinakhov said. "I just saw the news, and I texted the guys and how they think about it. And, I mean, I'm not surprised."

Rumors about the strained relationship between Chinakhov and Evason came to a head on Jul. 17, when the trade request was officially initiated publicly by Chinakhov and his agent, Shumi Babaev. Babaev's agency shared Chinakhov's request on social media.

"I had some misunderstandings with the coach during the season. Now I would be glad to have a trade. I would like to move to a different location. Will I return to Russia? As long as I can play in the NHL, I will keep developing here," Chinakhov said via the agency's X post.

Yegor Chinakhov:
I had some misunderstandings with the coach during the season. Now I would be glad to have a trade. I would like to move to a different location.
Will I return to Russia? As long as I can play in the NHL, I will keep developing here @BlueJacketsNHL pic.twitter.com/DQ1qU2oHFb
— Shumi Babaev Agency (@BabayevShumi) July 17, 2025

And the Blue Jackets, suffice to say, were not very happy about how the situation was handled publically by Chinakhov or Babaev.

“I’m surprised his agent went public,” Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell told Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. “But I’m not surprised it because we’ve talked about it. He got back [from a back injury in 2024-25] and didn’t play well, and [Chinakhov and Evason] fell out of favour."

Waddell also added at the time: “When he came back, he was not the Chinakhov we were hoping he was, and he got healthy scratched at the end. That’s what happens with guys. He couldn’t handle that.”

Since being dealt to Pittsburgh for forward Danton Heinen, a 2026 second-round pick, and a 2027 third-round pick, the Omsk, Russia native has tallied three goals and four points in eight games, largely seeing time on the Penguins' second line with veteran star forward Evgeni Malkin.

Takeaways: Penguins Take Down Cross-State Rival Flyers In Commanding 6-3 WinThe Pittsburgh Penguins snapped their three-game losing skid with a big win over their rival Philadelphia Flyers to catapult themselves to third in the Metropolitan Division standings

And his new head coach has been complimentary of Chinakhov's work as a Penguin so far.

“I don’t think he gets enough credit for the way he works away from the puck," Muse said. "He’s done a really good job there in terms of the tracking, the getting back. He’s got some detail to his game. You watch, and he’s changing at the right time, he’s driving wide, he’s drawing a number of penalties.

"So, I think the scoring’s obvious with him, but there’s some things that I’ve learned about him since he’s been here that, maybe, I didn’t know as much but really like.”

Chinakhov has 40 goals and 81 points in 212 career NHL games. His best season came with Columbus in 2023-24, when he registered 16 goals and 29 points in 53 games.

Chinakhov Trade Shows Penguins Are Starting To Shift GearsKyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins traded for Yegor Chinakhov from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday, and it could be a sign of things to come over the next several months.

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!

January 17, 2026

Nottingham Forest 0-0 Arsenal: Premier League – live reaction

The points were shared on an evening when Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the table but almost certainly left the field feeling regret

An email: Arsenal fans will have mixed memories of Sean Dyche teams; probably most saliently here his new-manager-bounce inspiration of a previously useless Everton side to a 1-0 win, smashing a 14-game unbeaten Arsenal run,” writes Charles Antaki. “Admittedly Arsenal haven’t been quite that consistently good this year but Forest have certainly been that consistently bad, so there are omens around for those who care to read them.”

Having paid a visit to Dr Tottenham this afternoon and surprised nobody by leaving his North London clinic with three points and a restorative sense of enormous wellbeing, West Ham have closed the gap to Forest to just four points. No pressure Dychey …

January 17, 2026

Carrick has dream start as Mbeumo and Dorgu give Manchester United derby delight

On 65 minutes Michael Carrick’s second tenure went electric as Manchester United scored a classic breakaway goal by Bryan Mbeumo that sent the interim head coach berserk in the technical area.

After a clearing Harry Maguire header, the ball evaded Rayan Cherki and Bruno Fernandes galloped forward. He had Amad Diallo to the right and Patrick Dorgu and Mbeumo on the left; United’s streetwise captain delayed the pass, then found the Cameroonian, whose finish beat Gianluigi Donnarumma.

January 17, 2026

Game #48: Ducks vs. Kings Gameday Preview (01/17/26)

Coming off a 3-2 shootout win against the Los Angeles Kings on Friday, the Ducks are right back it on Saturday against the same opponent.

A strong game from Beckett Sennecke and a little bit of puck luck aided the Ducks as they erased a 2-0 deficit, with Sennecke and Mason McTavish scoring in the shootout to clinch a winning outcome.

“Second period, we had a great stretch there,” head coach Joel Quenneville said. “(Sennecke) had a great game.  (Goaltender Lukáš Dostál) was outstanding. We turned some pucks over and got some pucks to the net. I thought we checked well. We played hard, knowing that this team has a way of preventing you from even getting close to the net. Scored some greasy and some ugly goals, but we did have some good looks that didn't go in as well. It was a hard fought game.  All teams know what was on stake or was on the line and we get to go right back at it again tomorrow.”

Jan 16, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks right wing Beckett Sennecke (45) scores a goal against Los Angeles Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper (35) in a shootout at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Tim Washe was one of Anaheim’s goalscorers, collecting his first career NHL goal in the process. His goal tied the game at two apiece.

“We worked on making simple plays, grinding them down low, and then good things happened,” Washe said. “We got our bounces late in the second there, and we were able to put them in.”

Washe’s first NHL goal comes just one day after he was named an AHL All-Star. He had 25 points in 30 games with the San Diego Gulls this season prior to being called up to the Ducks on Jan. 7.

“Amazing feeling, right? That's what you dream of right there,” Washe said. “Credit to Ross (Johnston, who grabbed the puck) and everyone there that made it so special.”

“Pretty hard to believe. Special week and look forward to talking to my family a little bit tonight.”

Jan 16, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks center Tim Washe (right) celebrates with teammates after scoring the first NHL goal during the second period against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Anaheim has rolled together two consecutive wins without the likes of Leo Carlsson and Troy Terry, two of their top offensive players. Carlsson will be out of game action for approximately 3-5 weeks as he recovers from a procedure to treat a Morel-Lavallée lesion in his left thigh. Terry has missed the last four games with an upper-body injury and was placed on injured reserve on Friday, retroactive to Jan. 6.

“You could look up and down the lineup. Guys are excited for an opportunity.  I know I am,” Ryan Strome, who scored Anaheim’s first goal, said. “I'm excited to play a little bit more and get a chance with some of our top players and I know some of our guys from San Diego are really excited to be up and contributing, so it's good.  Everyone’s eager for more opportunity and everyone's hungry and everyone's kind of digging in.

“The thing I think I'm most proud of the boys is it’s been team-first. I think no matter who scores or who gets it done, everyone's happy for everyone.  I think we've learned a lot about ourselves in this tough stretch we went through. I think we're realizing what it takes to win and it's not easy and that's a great sign for a young team to kind of figure it out. These intangibles and these little things matter, and they're adding up. I'm really proud of the boys last two games.”

Jan 16, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish (23) scores the game winning goal on Los Angeles Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper (35) in a shootout at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Chris Kreider missed Friday’s game with an illness and will likely be a game-time decision for Saturday’s game. If he can’t go, the Ducks will likely roll out the same 11-7 formation from Friday, with defenseman Ian Moore acting as a forward.

The Ducks acquired forward Jeffrey Viel from the Boston Bruins on Friday, with Viel expected to arrive in Anaheim in Saturday. It is unknown if he will be available to play in Saturday’s game.

Tim Washe speaks to the media after their 3-2 shootout win against the Los Angeles Kings.

Ducks Projected Lines

Cutter Gauthier - Mason McTavish - Ryan Strome
Alex Killorn - Mikael Granlund - Beckett Sennecke
Jansen Harkins - Ryan Poehling - Sam Colangelo
Ross Johnston - Tim Washe - Ian Moore

Jackson LaCombe - Jacob Trouba
Olen Zellweger - Radko Gudas
Pavel Mintyukov - Drew Helleson

Ville Husso (projected)

Kings Projected Lines

Jeff Malott - Alex Laferriere - Adrian Kempe
Warren Foegele - Quinton Byfield - Joel Armia
Kevin Fiala - Alex Turcotte - Andrei Kuzmenko
Andre Lee - Samuel Helenius - Taylor Ward

Mikey Anderson - Drew Doughty
Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke
Brian Dumoulin - Cody Ceci

Anton Forsberg (projected)

January 17, 2026

Nwabali denies Salah, saves 2 penalties as Nigeria beats Egypt for 3rd place at Africa Cup

CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) — Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali saved two penalties including the first from Mohamed Salah for Nigeria to beat Egypt 4-2 in a penalty shootout for third place at the Africa Cup Nations on Saturday.

Ademola Lookman scored the winning penalty.

Salah and Omar Marmoush had their penalty kicks saved by Nwabali at the start of the shootout after the teams drew 0-0 in normal time. No extra time was played for the consolation of a bronze medal.

It was the Super Eagles’ second consecutive penalty shootout following a scoreless draw after losing the semifinal to Morocco on penalties on Wednesday.

Nwabali produced a strong hand to stop a well-taken penalty from Salah, then thwarted Marmoush’s effort straight down the middle with his foot.

Salah had been kept quiet by Nigeria’s defenders and was unable to add to his 11 Africa Cup goals altogether.

Victor Osimhen remained on Nigeria’s substitutes’ bench, suggesting he was carrying an injury from the semifinal defeat to Morocco. Osimhen was taken off in extra time of that game just before the penalty shootout.

The Super Eagles ended the Africa Cup on a positive note in contrast to the last edition, where they lost in the final to host Ivory Coast.

Morocco and Senegal will contest the final in Rabat on Sunday. Sadio Mané's goal was enough to send Senegal through with a 1-0 win over Egypt in their semifinal.

___

AP at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations

January 17, 2026

Forsberg: Strong performances against top teams in NHL is next step for Nashville Predators

The Colorado Avalanche weren't going to stay undefeated at home in regulation for the entire season. Still, many didn't think that the Nashville Predators would be the ones to end that streak.

Friday, the Predators found the back of the net seven times as it ended the Avalanche's home point streak and undefeated regulation streak in a 7-2 victory.

The Predators, being a team fighting for a Wild Card spot, the winning effort against the best team in the NHL came as a surprise to many, except for Nashville.

"That's the next step for our team. To keep stringing these really good performances together against the top teams in the league," Filip Forsberg said. "We know we can do this. We've just got to keep doing it on a regular basis."

It hasn't come easy. In addition to digging themselves out of the basement of the league, as the Predators were in mid-November, the latest wins have also been about playing more confidently.

That was abundant in the 4-3 overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, where Michael McCarron dropped the gloves with Darnell Nurse 3 seconds into the game, which was followed by a Steven Stamkos goal less than three minutes into the game.

The 1-0 lead was the first time Nashville had not given up the first goal of a game in 11 straight games.

Against Colorado, associate head coach Luke Richardson said it was a similar mentality of not backing down from anything the Avalanche were going to throw at them.

"It's taken months for us to get here and it's a lot of work," Richardson said. "You can see it from the last time we were in here until now, where a team like this flexed its muscles last time, and we crumbled a little bit.

"We talked about that a little bit before the game and I think our leadership showed that we were strong...when they (Colorado) pushed back and made it 2-2, we could've easily crumbled, but that showed the maturity in this team."

Ryan O'Reilly has been a critical part of the Predators' success this season, keeping his play steady through the good and the bad. Friday, he recorded his seventh career hat trick against his former team.

He leads the Predators with 43 points in 47 games.

Jan 16, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Nashville Predators center Ryan O'Reilly (90) celebrates his hat trick goal in the second period against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

"When we're all pulling the rope together, all five guys on the ice are working and communicating, we can compete with anyone," O'Reilly said. "Tonight, that was a great team we beat, but it's not going to get any easier."

It is what may be the Predators' most challenging two-game stretch of the season; they travel to Las Vegas 24 hours later to play the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights.

Nashville does have a win over Vegas this season, dispatching the Golden Knights 4-2 on New Year's Eve, but at the time, the Golden Knights were heavily injured and without their top scorer, Jack Eichel.

With Eichel and a handful of key players back, the Golden Knights have won six straight and gained some space between the Edmonton Oilers for the top spot in the division.

"We've got a tough one tomorrow that we kind of have to shift the focus, but you can tell for the group that it's a confidence-building win there that we can lean on."

Up next: Nashville Predators (23-20-4, 5th Central) at Vegas Golden Knights (23-11-12, 1st Pacific) on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 9 p.m. CST at T-Mobile Arena

January 17, 2026

SEE IT: Rangers' Brennan Othmann scores first career NHL goal vs. Flyers

After 34 career games, Rangers' Brennan Othmann finally recorded his first career NHL goal on Saturday afternoon against the Philadelphia Flyers.

The 23-year-old forward was able to blast a shot on the fastbreak past Flyers goaltender Aleksei Kolosov to make it a 3-1 game in the first period.

While it's his first NHL goal, Othmann has scored six times in the AHL this season with the Hartford Wolf Pack over 23 games. He has 39 career goals in the AHL across three seasons.

Check out the 2021 first-round pick's goal here:

🚨 BRENNAN OTHMANN'S FIRST NHL GOAL! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/uClwq0dAyz
— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) January 17, 2026

January 17, 2026

BYB 2026 Tigers prospect reports #44: OF Nick Dumesnil

Some of the top names in the Detroit Tigers’ 2025 draft class may take a while to really get cooking. With the group headed by prep shortstop Jordan Yost and prep catcher Michael Oliveto, the Tigers are unlikely to see one of them rushing the upper levels anytime soon. In the meantime, eighth round pick OF Nick Dumesnil was among the few who got a brief look at Single-A Lakeland last summer. He showed enough to keep an eye on him as the California Baptist University product looks to push his way to West Michigan and beyond this year.

Dumesnil is a 6’2” 210 pound outfielder, and he was drafted at age 21, so he was on the youngish side for a junior in his draft class and won’t turn 22 until March. The Tigers paid him $214,500, just a modest bump over the minimum, so he was another pick to save money for their top targets. His college career was impressive despite his small school background. The center fielder hit 19 home runs in his sophomore year across 61 games and he showed out pretty well swinging wood bats in the Cape Cod League later that season.

By that point his draft stock had rocketed to where he was pretty universally viewed as an early round pick. However, his power output cooled as a junior as he had a little more trouble with breaking stuff. He still cracked 10 bombs in 57 games while stealing 27 bases and drew his walks. The strikeouts were up somewhat but he still made a good deal of hard contact. Even so, the down junior year chilled his draft stock in some quarters, though Baseball America still had him 52nd on their draft board in one of their final mock drafts last spring prior to the July draft.

Dumensil only played 16 games with Single-A Lakeland, so we can’t really take anything from the results, though they were modestly positive, but he showed off some interesting underlying traits. He walked much more than he struck out and his swinging strike rate was a very low 8.7 percent. He averaged 89.5 mph with his average exit velocity, which is really good by MLB standards, though again, this was just a couple weeks worth of games. Still, those are some intriguing numbers for a player who has size and also carries the speed to play a fairly solid center field right now. As a quality college hitter handling Single-A pretty quickly is mandatory, but the amount of hard contact was nice to see.

There are plenty of questions that will need to start being answered in 2026 as Dumesnil makes his full season pro debut. Still, there’s a chance that the Tigers landed a sleeper here with a lot of strong tools. He’s probably not a full-time center fielder in the long-term, but he looks like he’ll be able to capably handle all three outfield spots. His arm is solid, though not a prototypical right fielder’s cannon.

Dumesnil has a tendency to get out in front rather than sitting back to drive pitches to the pull field, but there’s time to work on it. He did produce a lot of ground balls and precious little hard contact in the air in Lakeland. Still, his size and his history say there’s a chance to develop average power, particularly if he can start driving the ball in the air more. He’s not a burner, but he has above average speed as well. Put those tools together with a history of making a lot of hard contact and pretty good zone discipline, and there’s a ton to like considering the price the Tigers paid to draft him.

We’ll just have to see how he handles a better, more consistent brand of breaking stuff and offspeed this season. A good goal would be for Dumesnil to hit his way to West Michigan by this summer and hold his own there.

January 17, 2026

Wesley Saïd leads Ligue 1 leader Lens to 10th straight win

LENS, France (AP) — Winger Wesley Saïd scored a brilliant goal to secure Lens' 10th consecutive win across all competitions and place atop the Ligue 1 standings on Saturday.

Lens defeated Auxerre 1-0 after Saïd controlled with his chest Malang Sarr’s cross into the box and finished with a left-footed volley from the bounce. The 65th-minute score was his eighth this season.

Lens, which claimed its only French title in 1998, stayed one point ahead of defending champion Paris Saint-Germain, which beat Lille on Friday.

Next-to-last in the standings, Auxerre was not intimidated by the buoyant crowd and posed a strong challenge to the host with intense pressing.

After a first half of few clear chances, Lens showed more intent and Matthieu Udol, set up by Adrien Thomasson, came close to breaking the deadlock. The ball fell back to Udol who struck again only for defender Fredrik Oppegård to block.

Udol then delivered a low cross toward the near post for Thomasson, whose effort went just wide. Lens kept pushing and was finally rewarded when Saïd slotted home.

Other matches

Toulouse hosted Nice later Saturday and third-place Marseille was at mid-table Angers.

PSG warmed up for next week's Champions League match at Sporting with a convincing 3-0 win over Lille on Friday. Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembélé scored a brace. Monaco fell to its seventh defeat in eight games, at home to Lorient 3-1.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

January 17, 2026

Best NBA Player Props Today for January 17: Balling Out!

Saturday's nine-game NBA schedule offers a plethora of prop betting opportunities.

I’ve sorted through the betting markets and selected my top player props for all of the action.

Read more in my NBA picks for January 17.

Best NBA player props today

Player	Pick
Cade Cunningham	Over 9.5 assists	<<+102>>
Kyshawn George	Over 14.5 points	<<-112>>
LaMelo Ball	Over 18.5 points	<<-120>>

MORE NBA FREE PICKS

Prop #1: Cade Cunningham Over 9.5 assists

+102 at bet365

The Detroit Pistons have built a 4.5-game lead at the top of the East, and Cade Cunningham continues to play like an All-Star. Despite a wrist issue, I expect him to put up big numbers again tonight against the Indiana Pacers.

His assists prop is the one that really stands out to me here, with Cade serving up 11+ dimes in four of his last five games. He’s got options inside and outside, from Jalen Duren as a lob threat to a red-hot Duncan Robinson beyond the arc, and it’ll just come down to making the right reads.

Cunningham has passed those kinds of tests all season, and there’s a steadiness with his playmaking. He averaged 10.1 APG in December, and he’s inched that number up so far this month.

The Pacers arrive in Motor City on the second night of a back-to-back set, and Cade should be able to cut through an Indiana defense that allowed the lowly New Orleans Pelicans to shoot 50% from the field yesterday.

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Where to watch: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit, FanDuel Sports Network Indiana

Prop #2: Kyshawn George Over 14.5 points

-112 at bet365

It’s the banged-up Washington Wizards against the banged-up Denver Nuggets here, but that opens the door for big performances from the healthy players on the two rosters.

That’s part of the case for Kyshawn George, who’s taken big strides in his second NBA season, and he’s getting every chance to spread his wings as the Wizards look towards the lottery.

George has scored 15+ points in four of his last five contests, including a 23-point effort against the Los Angeles Clippers last week, and this is a nice spot for him against a Denver team that will be without Christian Braun’s gritty defense.

He’s served up some erratic nights from 3-point range, but he’s making his triples at a 39% clip overall this year, and Washington needs him to stay aggressive as a shooter after trading away CJ McCollum.

The Wizards don’t appear to be in a big hurry to get new addition Trae Young on the court, and that means more touches for George, Alex Sarr, and the rest of the team’s young core.

Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Altitude Sports, Monumental Sports Network

Prop #3: LaMelo Ball Over 18.5 points

-120 at bet365

As frustrating as the LaMelo Ball experience can be at times, the 15-26 Charlotte Hornets have beaten the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder this month.

They’ve also got the upside to trouble the Golden State Warriors tonight, and that starts with Ball delivering another impressive stat line. LaMelo dropped 30 points on the Lakers on Thursday, including nine 3-pointers, and he’s gone past this number in three of his past four games.

Ball finished with 25 points in his one outing against the Warriors last season, and I’m wagering on him embracing the challenge of going head-to-head with Steph Curry here.

Volume shouldn’t be an issue. LaMelo has jacked up 20+ shots in four of his last five games, so while the efficiency may not be great, he’ll have every opportunity to nail this Over.

Ultimately, this pick may come down to Ball’s 3-point stroke. He’s 24-for-54 from downtown in his last four games, and that’s a shot he should be able to get with ease here.

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Where to watch: FanDuel Sports Network Southeast, NBC Sports Bay Area

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January 17, 2026

Saturday Bantering: Bo, Tucker

Jon Heyman tells us that the Jays offer to Kyle Tucker was $350 million for 10 years. He signed a 4-year, $240 million contract with the Dodgers. So I guess the question is will he be able to find a 6-year, $110 million contract at age 33.

I guess it is best to get the money now. And there are likely tax issues that I wouldn’t know about, but I guess the Dodger contact would be the better one. We’ll have to see what happens in four years.

Either way, he won’t have to look for a job after baseball.

Jeff Passan has the information on Tucker’s contract:

Full details on Kyle Tucker's Dodgers contract, per ESPN sources:

– 4 years, $240 million guaranteed
– Opt-outs after Years 2 and 3
– $64M signing bonus
– $30M deferred
– $57.1M a year in net present value after factoring in deferrals — a record by $6M+

A staggering deal.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 16, 2026

Bo getting the three-year, $126 million contract is interesting, too. I’ve long thought he wouldn’t age well, that his impressive batting ability is mostly reflexes and that players who tend to age well are the ones who control the strike zone better. I didn’t expect anyone to offer him $40+ a season. It will take him to his age 31 season and he’ll likely be able to get a pretty good contract after that.

I’m not sure I think that third base is the right spot for him, but he’ll likely be fine there. I think second or left would have been better fit.

It will be strange seeing Vlad without Bo, we’ve had seven seasons with the pair of them. Between the two, they had a 46.9 bWAR and 294 home runs. They’ve made seven All-Star teams. By bWAR they are the 7th (Vlad) and 13th (Bo) best positions players in team history.

Jesse Barfield and George Bell came up the same season (1981, though Bell was back in the minors for the 1982 season). They played together until Barfield was traded in 1989. Thought the 1988 season Barfield had a 29.3 bWAR, Bell 17.1.

Carlos Delgado and Shawn Green came up about the same time, but we traded Green before he built up a lot of WAR.

I’m sure there are other pairings that came up at the same time for the Jays, I just can’t think of them at the moment.

Dante Bichette: $42M in career earnings
Bo Bichette: average of $42M/year for the next 3 years pic.twitter.com/qpEhWne4Pi
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) January 16, 2026

January 17, 2026

Columbus Blue Jackets At Pittsburgh Penguins Preview: Lineup Changes, Where To Watch

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets will meet for the fourth and final time on Saturday.

Each of the previous three meetings went beyond regulation, with the Penguins winning the last two in overtime.

The two teams most recently met on Jan. 4 in Columbus. The Blue Jackets jumped out to a 4-1 lead and had everything under control late in the second period until the Penguins stormed back to tie it late in the third. Rickard Rakell tied the game with 12.8 seconds left in the game before Sidney Crosby won it in overtime.

That loss for the Blue Jackets paved the way for a coaching change, as they fired Dean Evason this week and replaced him with Rick Bowness. Bowness is 2-0-0 as the Blue Jackets' head coach, and the team as a whole has won three in a row coming into Saturday's game.

Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski has been tremendous once again this season, compiling 18 goals and 51 points in 43 games. He does it all as the Jackets' top defenseman and will play a big role for Team USA at the Olympics next month.

Kirill Marchenko is second on the team in goals with 17 and also has 40 points in 43 games. He can strike from anywhere and scored against the Penguins in the game on Jan. 4.

Dmitri Voronkov has 16 goals and 30 points in 47 games, while Adam Fantilli has 12 goals and 30 points in 47 games.

Elvis Merzlikins will start in goal for the Blue Jackets after he made 30 saves in a 4-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.

The Penguins are set to go with the same lineup that they had against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.

Forwards

Rakell-Crosby-Rust

Chinakhov-Novak-Malkin

Mantha-Kindel-Brazeau

Dewar-Lizotte-Acciari

Defense

Kulak-Letang

Wotherspoon-St. Ivany

Shea-Clifton

Arturs Silovs will start in goal after having the night off on Thursday.

Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Fans can listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!

January 17, 2026

Want to improve your outfield? Just sign Kyle Tucker

Last year, the left fielders for the Los Angeles Dodgers put up a 99 wRC+. That number is actually flattering because Andy Pages managed to do some of his best work (226 wRC+) in his short time away from center field, in 64 plate appearances. Whether Kyle Tucker comes in to play left or we’ll see Teoscar Hernández make the shift to left, as neither one of them has played the position with any sort of regularity in the bigs, that production is what Tucker comes in to replace. Michael Conforto was the primary left fielder for the Dodgers last season, and we all know how well that turned out, given his complete absence on the postseason roster.

While we could have a lengthier conversation about what Tucker’s specific contract represents as MLB gears up for, at the bare minimum, some tense negotiations between owners and the MLBPA in the near future, there’s plenty to unpack on the field. Yet another perennial All-Star added to this collection of great players, Tucker only enhances the bullseye on the Dodgers’ back, if that was even possible.

Tucker is a fascinating example of a baseball player who makes the most out of his natural abilities. Not necessarily the fastest, Tucker has stolen 25-plus bases consistently for the past four seasons, with the exception of a 2024 campaign cut in half due to an injury. Nowhere near the top of the leaderboards when it comes to exit velocity, Tucker gets to enough power to have a .507 slugging percentage in his career, a master of pulling the ball in the air. Reliably, the former Astro and Cub also has outstanding plate discipline, accumulating nearly as many walks (223) as strikeouts (234) over the last three seasons — that particular aspect of his game has been evolving since his early days with Houston.

Over the last two seasons, for large enough samples, Tucker looked on his way to taking steps forward from the established 4.5/5.0 win player he’s been since 2021 into an even higher level as a perennial MVP candidate—only for it to fall short on that endeavor. Twice, injuries could be seen as the culprit in limiting the impact that was still rather impressive.

Back in 2024, his last season with the Astros, Tucker was magnificent in the first half, hitting 19 home runs with a near-1.000 OPS by June 3rd. Sadly, a right shin fracture, which was initially misdiagnosed as a contusion, kept him out until September, much later than initially hoped. What looked to be Tucker’s best season was cut short. This past season, once again, Tucker appeared set to take that step forward in the first half, hitting 17 homers, stealing 20 bags, and posting a .931 OPS through the end of June. From July onwards, though, Tucker started slumping, and while it’s only speculative, there’s a chance a hairline fracture he suffered on his right hand in early June affected his performance in the second half. Tucker played through the issue, arguing it was primarily a pain-tolerance problem, and his struggles in the second half could have nothing to do with it, but the possibility can’t be totally ruled out.

Having said all of this, the positive sign is that, even in a season with such a prolonged slump as he had last year (.378 slugging percentage in the second half), Tucker was able to put up his standard 4.5 fWAR campaign. While it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest to see Tucker produce career-high numbers if he can sustain the evolution he’s shown since 2024 for a full campaign, whichever version of Tucker the Dodgers get, he’s going to provide a massive boost to this lineup. His addition will help take some of the pressure off Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and company. Furthermore, as we touched on it a bit when discussing who the fans preferred between Bo Bichette and Tucker here, on top of everything else, Tucker is as great as it gets when it comes to left-on-left crime — Tucker is the rare left-handed hitter who looks completely unfazed batting against southpaws (career .842 against LHP).

The Dodgers needed help in the outfield, and they signed the top-ranked free agent on the market to fill that need.

January 17, 2026

Hornets vs Warriors Prediction, Picks & Odds for Tonight’s NBA Game

Call them the Legion of Doom, because the Charlotte Hornets have been road warriors since just before Christmas.

The Hornets have gone 7-1 ATS in their last eight road games. That includes a 27-point win at OKC, and ATS wins over three other winning teams.

Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors are just 2-4 ATS in their last six favored by single digits.

My Hornets vs. Warriors predictions look for both trends to continue and Charlotte to add to its list of road covers.

Read on for my NBA picks for Saturday, January 17.

Hornets vs Warriors prediction

Hornets vs Warriors best bet: Hornets +7 (-110)

The two teams put on a show in Charlotte on New Year's Eve, firing away from outside.

The Charlotte Hornets and Golden State Warriors combined to take 89 three-pointers, more than half of their field-goal attempts.

Each squad made more than 40% from three, and a trio of players — Steph Curry, Brandin Podziemski, and Charlotte's LaMelo Ball — knocked down at least five each.

The seven-point Golden State win started a stretch for Charlotte that has seen the Hornets go 7-2 ATS. On the flip side, it started a four-game ATS losing streak for the Warriors, though Golden State has bounced back to win four of its last five ATS.

The Hornets haven't just been winning and covering on the road; they've been bullying teams. In addition to the 124-97 win at NBA-leading OKC, the Hornets won at Chicago by 13.

On this trip, they beat the Lakers 135-117 and dismantled Utah, winning by 55.

Golden State will have Curry available. That was up in the air briefly after he limped away from Thursday's game with a quad contusion.

However, coach Steve Kerr confirmed Curry would be available for Saturday. The only injury issue for Golden State is Gui Santos, who will miss the game with a sprained ankle.

He contributes 11 minutes and 3.7 points per game, so it's not likely to sway things one way or the other.

Hornets vs Warriors same-game parlay

This point's total cutoff inspired a double-take. Yes, Charlotte and Golden State combined for 257 points two weeks ago, and yes, both teams are outstanding three-point shooters.

However, Golden State plays at the No. 18 pace in the league, and Charlotte is even slower, ranking No. 25 in tempo. Neither team will be pushing the ball, and Golden State has only one cutoff higher in its last six games.

Charlotte has had lower cutoffs in three of its last five. That New Year's Eve shootout is fresh in people's minds, and pushing tonight's game total too high creates opportunity.

LaMelo Ball put up 54 three-point attempts in the last four games, making 24. He's taken at least seven threes in 15 straight games and made four or more in 10 of them.

Hornets vs Warriors SGP

Hornets +7
LaMelo Ball Over 3.5 threes
Under 234

Our "from downtown" SGP: Curry no Favor!

Nothing against Curry, who is still the league's premier sharpshooter, but this is another case of the New Year's Eve game swaying people and creating an opportunity.

Curry has made five or more threes just twice in the eight games (he missed one of them) since the last Hornets matchup. Overall, he's done it just four times in his last 14 games, and he's hampered by a quad contusion.

Hornets vs Warriors SGP

Hornets +7
LaMelo Ball Over 3.5 threes
Under 234
Stephen Curry Under 4.5 threes

Hornets vs Warriors odds

Spread: Hornets +5.5 (-110) | Warriors -5.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Hornets +195 (-110) | Warriors -235 (-110)
Over/Under: Over 236.5 (-110) | Under 236.5 (-110)

Hornets vs Warriors betting trend to know

The Hornets have hit the moneyline in seven of their last 11 away games. Find more NBA betting trends for Hornets vs. Warriors.

How to watch Hornets vs Warriors

Location	Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
Date	Saturday, January 17, 2026
Tip-off	8:30 p.m. ET
TV	FDSN SE-CHA, NBCSBA

Hornets vs Warriors latest injuries

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This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

January 17, 2026

Championship roundup: Coventry back to winning ways as late Wright strike sinks Leicester

Leaders bounce back after trailing at half-time
Ipswich 3-0 Blackburn; Preston 0-1 Derby;

Frank Lampard hailed Coventry’s win against Leicester as “massive” after Haji Wright’s first goal since early October secured a 2-1 victory. Jordan James had opened the scoring for the visitors before Ellis Simms equalised shortly after half-time. Wright came off the bench to grab an 85th-minute winner as Coventry claimed a much-needed three points after a run of two victories in eight.

“It was a massive win because it was a tough match,” said Lampard. “They’re a quality team, you can’t get fooled by their league position because if they turn up and play well they give you problems. They gave us problems in the first half which makes us happier that we had half-time, dealt tactically with the problems and the feeling of the game and owned it in the second half.