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Blackhawks Vs Flyers: Projected Lineup, How To Watch, & More Ahead Of Game 36

The Chicago Blackhawks are set to finish the pre-Christmas portion of their 2025-26 schedule on Tuesday night with a match against the Philadelphia Flyers at the United Center.

Chicago, which is on a six-game regulation losing streak, has plummeted to the bottom of the NHL standings. As for Philly, they have stayed afloat with their second-place standing in the Metropolitan Division. 

Scouting Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Flyers are in their first year with head coach Rick Tocchet. He has helped them become a respectable team in the NHL. They work hard, have plenty of skill, and are hard to play against. 

This game will be the second half of a back-to-back for the Flyers. They defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 at home in Philadelphia. 

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York-Sanheim

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Ersson

This is a well-balanced group that features a nice mix of young players and veterans. With a head coach like Tocchet, it's the perfect blend. 

Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim are guys who could be considered for Team Canada at the Olympics. Both of them were members of the 4-Nations Face-Off team and made a big impact on the gold-medal-winning team. 

Other young players, like Matvei Michkov, are exciting to watch and can make plays at a high level. Even a guy like Trevor Zegras, who came over in a big summer trade with the Anaheim Ducks, is having a bounce-back season. Now that he's healthy, you see what he can do with his skills. 

Their captain, Sean Couturier, isn't the young star that he once was, but he is still an excellent player who makes an impact in all three zones. He has also dealt with some health battles over the last handful of seasons, but he is totally back and making an impact again. 

Dan Vladar, who may have taken over as the number one goalie on this team, started against the Canucks on Monday night. It is expected that Sam Ersson will play against the Blackhawks. 

Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago

The Chicago Blackhawks are now without Frank Nazar in addition to Connor Bedard. Nazar took a puck to the face in their last game, a loss to the Ottawa Senators, and he is going to be out for about four weeks. Bedard, of course, will be re-evaluated after the new year. 

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Knight

Ryan Greene is being given a big-time opportunity with the top-line center role. With Tyler Bertuzzi and Andre Burakovsky, this could be a solid trio that has a little bit of everything on it. 

Nick Lardis and Oliver Moore are also getting a big opportunity as they are looking to be on the second line with Ryan Donato in the middle. 

Teuvo Teravainen, who missed Monday's practice with a maintenance day, is going to play. Nick Foligno was also in the mix to join this group for the game based on Monday's practice, but he is not ready to return just yet.

Spencer Knight is scheduled to start in goal for Chicago. He has been playing well, but the team in front of him has been finding ways to lose over the last couple of weeks. It's hardly Knight's fault, but the Blackhawks could use one of those signature "stand on your head" wins from their goaltender in this one. 

How To Watch

The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. To view this game, it can be found nationally and locally on TNT. The puck is scheduled to drop at 8:25 PM CT. 

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Steve Kerr, Draymond Green have (another) argument, Green heads to locker room, does not play again

Instead of talking about how, on some nights — when everything clicks, like it did Monday against the Magic — the Warriors look like a team that can be a threat in the West, we are talking about this:

Steve Kerr and Draymond Green got into a heated argument on the bench early in the third quarter Monday night, with Green leaving and going straight to the locker room. Although he returned to the bench, he never got back into the game.

Everything started at the 8:47 mark of the third quarter when Green turned the ball over, which led Golden State's Quinten Post to commit a take foul. The Magic capitalized, with Desmond Bane knocking down the free throw and then Anthony Black hitting a turnaround jumper for a three-point possession. A frustrated Kerr called a timeout.

"We got into it, obviously," Kerr said after the game, via Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. "And I took the timeout because I thought we lost our focus there a little bit. And we had it out a little bit. And he made his decision to go back to the locker room to cool off."

Kerr said everything else was private and he would not give more details. It was much the same playbook from Green and Stephen Curry postgame.

"Tempers spilled over," Green said. "And I thought it was best that I get out of there. I didn't think it was a situation where it was going to get better. So, it was best to remove myself."

Why did Green think this latest in a long line of arguments with his coach would blow over? Because every other one has.

"We've been at this now for a long time," Green said. "So, sometimes when you're with people for a long time, there's a level of comfort, and s--t happens. We move forward."

Maybe it blows over, but it's worth noting that the Warriors outscored the Magic 54-26 after Green left the game. That comes on the heels of a game in Phoenix where Golden State flipped a 10-point deficit into a lead without Green on the court, and the Warriors went on to get the win.

The argument overshadowed one of those nights when the Warriors don't look like the 15-15 team they are, but show signs of being a threat in the West. Stephen Curry scored 26, Jimmy Butler 21, and the Warriors picked up a win over a quality Magic team.

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Van Gerwen shows his class but Peter Wright crashes out of PDC World Championship

  • Van Gerwen looked in form in win over O’Connor

  • Two-time champion Wright averaged just 79.20

Michael van Gerwen showed his class as he powered into the third round of the world championship. The three-time champion struggled in his opening match but brought his best to brush past William O’Connor 3-1.

It was an impressive performance by the Dutchman, who reminded everyone of his credentials after a difficult year on and off the oche. Luke Littler and Luke Humphries are the leading contenders for the title in January but Van Gerwen is a threat playing like this.

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Retired Goaltender Coming to Oilers?: Maybe We Should Pump the Brakes a Little

There is a lot of chatter surrounding the Edmonton Oilers' goaltending situation. And for good reason. In a matter of weeks, the Oilers changed starters, only to see the replacement sidelined by injury. They then turned to an AHL call-up acquired after another NHL team moved on from him despite poor results. At the moment, Edmonton is operating with two backup-caliber goaltenders, neither of whom is viewed as a legitimate long-term NHL No. 1.

To hear that insiders might still believe there's potentially more news coming should not come as a shock to anyone. 

But the idea that Marc-Andre Fleury -- a veteran who has officially hung up his skates and retired --  is a goalie the Oilers could have between the pipes in the next few weeks is a long shot. It's possible, but it feels unlikely. 

Why Is This Even a Rumor?

The idea that Fleury and the Oilers is possible comes from two sources, only one of which actually mentions Edmonton in the conversation. 

First, it was Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic and TSN. He wrote, "Probably not surprising but hearing that some teams have checked in on Marc-Andre Fleury to see if there’s any chance at all he would consider playing again. Again not surprised teams with goalie needs would want to check on it."

If LeBrun is tweeting this, it's legitimate. 

 Related: Oilers Looked Decent Enough In Ingram's First Game Back

Second, it was Frank Seravalli, who specifically connected the Oilers as a team that would have interest. Seravalli noted, “I think he’s got the itch to keep playing, and I think for a guy who really has made it home in Minnesota, there’s no room for him there with [Jesper] Wallstedt and [Filip] Gustavsson.” He added, Fleury is “going to be with a team that has an authentic chance to win, and that’s got the Oil written all over it."

A Lot of Hurdles If the Oilers Want to Sign Fleury

Again, while this is not impossible, there are a lot of what-ifs and hurdles to jump to make Fleury becoming an Oiler possibility. 

First, the money. Fleury isn't likely to sign with an NHL team for league minimum. He's not going to hold out for big money, but enough teams will be interested if he comes out of retirement that a pro-rated $2 million contract isn't out of the question. The Oilers have to move things around even make that work. 

Second, it's the fact that Fleury may or may not want to come out of retirement. Sure, he's staying near the game. That doesn't mean he's ready to jump back in. 

Third, he has to see the Oilers as a fit. Other teams that could be in the mix will have something to say about it, including the Montreal Canadiens. Their goaltending situation is far from secure, and if Fleury makes it known he's available, GM Kent Hughes will be all over this. They, too, are in a playoff position, and as a Quebec-born player, one has to assume there would be a draw to playing in Montreal. 

The idea of Tristan Jarry and Marc-Andre Fleury as the tandem in Edmonton sounds appealing. If Connor Ingram is your back-up to both, that might just be a winning forumla. However, Jarry has already shown injuries are a concern. Fleury is a bit of an unknown given the time away and his age. Ingram is a total question mark after months away from the game and just now jumping back into the NHL. 

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Mets sign RHP Tyler Burch to two-year minor league deal: report

The Mets are signing RHP Tyler Burch to a two-year minor league deal, according to Anthony Dicomo of MLB.com.

Burch is coming off elbow surgery, but will be ready to pitch during the 2026 season. 

The 28-year-old reliever is yet to make his big-league debut. 

Burch began his professional career as an undrafted free agent with the Phillies in 2019, but was traded to the Orioles for INF Freddy Galvis a few years later. 

He remained in Baltimore's system until he was scooped up by the Rockies in the Rule 5 Draft last offseason. 

After missing the entire campaign to injury, though, the righty elected to hit free agency and now he lands with the Mets. 

Burch has a 3.71 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 12 saves, and 186 strikeouts in his minor league career. 

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Why The NHL's 2 Richest Teams Rangers, Leafs Never Win Cups

Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Year after year, estimates of NHL franchise wealth place the Maple Leafs and Rangers virtually tied at the top of the list.

In The Hockey News' 2025 "Hockey Business Annual," Executive Chairman and Publisher W. Graeme Roustan of Roustan Media, Ltd., pegged the valuation of both franchises at $4 billion; ergo league-leaders in the NHL money market.

Yet the Torontonians haven't won The Stanley Cup since 1967 and the Rangers have  been Cup-less since 1994. Hard to believe, isn't it?

With that in mind, The Maven commissioned Toronto-based hockey fiscal expert Mark Nussbaum for capsule reasons why this uncanny non-Cup run continues despite vast riches for both clubs. Take it away Mark:

"Let’s start with the obvious: When you head into the Christmas break and you’re not in a playoff spot, the chances are you are not going to get in next April.

"That said, let’s take a deeper dive into why the Leafs and Rangers are not Stanley Cup contenders. Consider these factors:

1. Consistency: Both teams lack this vital trait. They can play a few good periods – here and there – to be sure. They can win a couple of games. But a consistent stretch of good hockey? It’s a tall task for them because they have not displayed the ability to play their game at a consistent level.

2. Belief In Their Core Players Is Lacking: Each team suffered issues with core players and their production this season. However, when Core players are at the top of their games, they inject life into the team. When they are not, the roster is like a failing house of cards. Breadman Panarin and William Nylander have enjoyed reasonably good seasons so far,  but other parts of both cores – such as Mika Zibanejad and Auston Matthews – have not been up to par.

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly: Rangers Vs. NashvilleThe Good, The Bad And The Ugly: Rangers Vs. NashvilleThe Good, The Bad, And The Ugly; <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers">Rangers</a> vs. Nashville

3. Team Chemistry: It's missing on both sides of the border. Sure, sniffs of it can be inhaled once in a while  but there's hardly enough of it. Part of this issue can be blamed on the Leafs captain, Matthews, and his Rangers' counterpart, J.T. Miller."

In order for a team to make a deep playoff run – let alone raise Stanley – the above- mentioned ingredients must be available in large doses. 

Despite all the monetary assets that the Maple Leafs and Rangers have accumulated it cannot buy them a Stanley Cup!

It seems incredible when you think about it, but it's true.

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Why Jeff McNeil is eager to join Athletics' ‘great' young core after trade

Why Jeff McNeil is eager to join Athletics' ‘great' young core after trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

It’s always good to have another adult in the room with a bunch of kids. 

The Athletics acquired veteran Jeff McNeil in a trade with the New York Mets on Monday. The 33-year-old utility player is expected to fill into the hole at second base, a big need for the A’s heading into the offseason. 

McNeil, who has played all eight of his MLB seasons with the Mets, is excited to join a promising young core. 

“It’s a super fun team to watch,” McNeil said Tuesday to reporters over a Zoom call (h/t Martín Gallegos). “I watched quite a bit of their games [from] New York. … Just a super fun, young team. They have a great young core. I just want to do my part to help them out. I’m super excited to be a part of it. I think we’re going to have a good squad.” 

The eight-year MLB veteran joins an infield that already boasts AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz at first base and runner-up Jacob Wilson at shortstop. 

The A’s had six different players make starts at second base in 2025. Having an established veteran to slot in at the position without much thought will make life easier for manager Mark Kotsay. 

“I feel like our middle infield this year is probably going to strike out the least amount in the league with Wilson,” McNeil noted. “He’s a free swinger. I love watching that guy hit. He’s so much fun. We’re both free swingers and like to put the ball in play quick and make things happen… I can’t wait to play with him.” 

McNeil, as of now, has the most MLB service among A’s position players, and the second-most on the overall roster behind starting pitcher Luis Severino’s 10 years. 

That helps the A’s front office meet an intangible need on top of their positional gaps. 

“I thought he was a really good fit in a lot of ways,” A’s general manager David Forst told MLB.com’s Martín Gallegos. “His overall experience — let’s be honest, we still have a generally young roster without a ton of experience, particularly on the position-player side. I think he brings a lot to the table in terms of having played in that market, played in the postseason, and bringing a lot of experience to our clubhouse.” 

The addition of the two-time MLB All-Star also will help boost an already potent lineup that came into form particularly in the latter half of the season. The A’s offense hit for a .260 batting average in their 64 games after the break, the fifth-best in MLB during that span. 

McNeil, a Central Coast native, returns to his home state. He also has family ties near his new home ballpark, according to Gallegos. 

With the second base position seemingly locked down in Sacramento, Forst told Gallegos that the team likely will look at internal candidates at third base. Young prospects Max Muncy and Darell Hernáiz started 30 and 17 games, respectively, at the position and figure to be the leading candidates along with Brett Harris. 

Forst and the A’s now probably will their offseason focus on acquiring another piece for the starting pitching rotation.

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Why Jeff McNeil is eager to join Athletics' ‘great' young core after trade

Why Jeff McNeil is eager to join Athletics' ‘great' young core after trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

It’s always good to have another adult in the room with a bunch of kids. 

The Athletics acquired veteran Jeff McNeil in a trade with the New York Mets on Monday. The 33-year-old utility player is expected to fill into the hole at second base, a big need for the A’s heading into the offseason. 

McNeil, who has played all eight of his MLB seasons with the Mets, is excited to join a promising young core. 

“It’s a super fun team to watch,” McNeil said Tuesday to reporters over a Zoom call (h/t Martín Gallegos). “I watched quite a bit of their games [from] New York. … Just a super fun, young team. They have a great young core. I just want to do my part to help them out. I’m super excited to be a part of it. I think we’re going to have a good squad.” 

The eight-year MLB veteran joins an infield that already boasts AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz at first base and runner-up Jacob Wilson at shortstop. 

The A’s had six different players make starts at second base in 2025. Having an established veteran to slot in at the position without much thought will make life easier for manager Mark Kotsay. 

“I feel like our middle infield this year is probably going to strike out the least amount in the league with Wilson,” McNeil noted. “He’s a free swinger. I love watching that guy hit. He’s so much fun. We’re both free swingers and like to put the ball in play quick and make things happen… I can’t wait to play with him.” 

McNeil, as of now, has the most MLB service among A’s position players, and the second-most on the overall roster behind starting pitcher Luis Severino’s 10 years. 

That helps the A’s front office meet an intangible need on top of their positional gaps. 

“I thought he was a really good fit in a lot of ways,” A’s general manager David Forst told MLB.com’s Martín Gallegos. “His overall experience — let’s be honest, we still have a generally young roster without a ton of experience, particularly on the position-player side. I think he brings a lot to the table in terms of having played in that market, played in the postseason, and bringing a lot of experience to our clubhouse.” 

The addition of the two-time MLB All-Star also will help boost an already potent lineup that came into form particularly in the latter half of the season. The A’s offense hit for a .260 batting average in their 64 games after the break, the fifth-best in MLB during that span. 

McNeil, a Central Coast native, returns to his home state. He also has family ties near his new home ballpark, according to Gallegos. 

With the second base position seemingly locked down in Sacramento, Forst told Gallegos that the team likely will look at internal candidates at third base. Young prospects Max Muncy and Darell Hernáiz started 30 and 17 games, respectively, at the position and figure to be the leading candidates along with Brett Harris. 

Forst and the A’s now probably will their offseason focus on acquiring another piece for the starting pitching rotation.

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Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson is The Associated Press men’s college basketball player of the week

The Associated Press national player of the week in men's college basketball for Week 7 of the season: Anderson scored 23 of his 27 points in the second half and hit two free throws with 3.4 seconds left to cap Texas Tech's rally from a 17-point deficit to beat No. Duke 82-81 Saturday at Madison Square Garden. The 6-foot-3 sophomore guard also converted a three-point play with 1:14 left to give the Red Raiders an 81-77 lead against the previously-undefeated Blue Devils.

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NBA reportedly brainstorming new ideas to discourage tanking

In the wake of the gambling scandal that rocked the league at the start of the season — where some gamblers allegedly used inside information about a team sitting key players late in the season to place bets — the NBA is again looking for ways to reduce tanking. The league wants to limit teams from "deliberately manipulating" their rosters or sitting players to improve their Draft Lottery odds.

That was a key topic at a Board of Governors meeting last Friday, with the league soliciting ideas from owners, general managers and others, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. He said the league presented several ideas seeking feedback, ones designed to keep non-playoff teams from tanking, including:

• Limiting pick protections to either top four or 14 and higher, which would eliminate the problematic mid-lottery protections.

• No longer allowing a team to draft in the top four two years in a row.

• Locking lottery positions after March 1.

No new regulations have yet been adopted, the league is still gathering information and floating ideas. Any changes would require approval from the Board of Governors (the owners).

Some of the teams tanking the hardest in recent seasons were when a team had a mid-lottery pick protection, and teams changed their rosters or sat players in order to retain those picks for a year. For example, Dallas had a top-10-protected pick in its 2023 and sat Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić in their final game; or, like the Jazz this season, who have a top-eight-protected pick, although they are not yet tanking hard (but other teams are watching their moves heading toward the trade deadline).

The third suggestion — locking lottery positions on March 1 (or another date) — would simply lead teams to tank earlier in the middle of the season.

The second proposal — not allowing a team to select in the top four in consecutive years — would have directly stopped two of the best young teams in the league from forming. San Antonio drafted Victor Wembanyama (2023), Stephon Castle (2024), and Dylan Harper (2025) with top-four picks in consecutive years and they form the core of the current No. 2 team in the West. Houston drafted Jalen Green (2021), Jabari Smith Jr. (2022), Amen Thompson (2023), and Reed Sheppard (2024) high in the lottery to form key parts of its young core as well.

The challenge for the NBA is that basketball is a sport where one player can literally change a franchise's prospects, and elite teams need a top-5-10 player and a couple more in the top-25-30 to contend. The best — and often only — way for most teams to get those players is through the draft. Teams have scouted the level of talent coming in for every class (and this coming June's draft is particularly deep at the top), which will always lead teams to look for ways to improve their chances of getting one of those picks.

The league last amended the draft rules to limit tanking in 2019, after "the process" 76ers became a story and the league was concerned about a race to the bottom by other teams. At that time, the league changed the odds so that the three worst regular-season teams each have a 14% chance of landing the No. 1 pick and a 52.1% chance of being in the top four. As a result, over the last three seasons, the team with the worst record in the NBA fell to fifth, while Atlanta (10th-worst record) and Dallas (11th) jumped up to land the No. 1 pick.

The NBA already introduced new injury reporting rules, which also were tied to the gambling scandal that hit the league. The league is forcing teams to update their injury reports on game days earlier and more often so that there is no inside information about a player or players sitting out (or coming back) that someone with inside information could profit from.

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Canadiens’ Montembeault Is Training In Brossard

After Sunday night’s defeat against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens coach Martin St-Louis was asked about why there was a change of plan with goaltender Samuel Montembeault.

The netminder was initially meant to be recalled from the Laval Rocket and join the team in Pittsburgh on Sunday, but that didn’t happen. According to the coach, the change of plans had nothing to do with Montembeault’s performance in his two games with the Rocket, but everything to do with what was best for the athlete.

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The Canadiens weren’t practicing in Pittsburgh on Sunday, and they weren’t going to practice in Boston on Monday, since they had just played in a back-to-back, meaning that the goalie wouldn’t have had any opportunities to work on his game. That being said, the Becancour native still hasn’t been officially called back up, according to the AHL’s transactions website.

Still, he was at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard on Monday morning, working with Rocket goalie coach Mario Marciano. There’s no denying that this course of action allows the player to log in a lot more ice time and work on his game, which is more likely to help than a day off in Boston.

St-Louis has already confirmed that Jacob Folwer will be handling the net on Tuesday night against the Boston Bruins, which will no doubt be a big moment for the young netminder who played his NCAA hockey with Boston College. Will that be his last game with the Habs this season? Will he be sent back down to the Rocket before the Canadiens continue their road trip on Saturday, December 28, against the Tampa Bay Lightning?

It remains to be seen. Some argue that the Canadiens cannot carry three goalies, especially with two of them rookies, and that makes sense. Fowler could still use some development time in Laval, but if he is sent back down and Montembeault hasn’t found his game yet, it would hardly be a good outcome. Personally, I’d stick with the three goalies on the roster, at least until the Quebecer has proven he can perform well in the NHL, again.

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