Category: Sports News

Worldwide Sports News

Posted on

Penguins Defenseman Erik Karlsson Hits New Milestone On Friday

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson continued his stellar season on Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

He got an assist on Bryan Rust's goal at the beginning of the third period, giving him 684 for his career. His 684 assists are 12th in NHL history among defensemen. He's 28 away from tying Scott Stevens for 11th on the all-time list. 

That assist gave him his 885th point, tying Peter Forsberg for the eighth-most points among Swedish players in NHL history. 

Karlsson has been the Penguins' best defenseman this season, compiling one goal and 15 points in 23 games. He's been great in all three zones and continues to drive offense from the blue line. 

After Bryan Rust made it a 3-2 game, Sidney Crosby scored his second goal of the game to tie it before Kris Letang won it for the Penguins in overtime. It was the Penguins' first overtime win of the year. 

Karlsson will look to keep climbing the ranks in these respective categories when the Penguins return to action on Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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

Posted on

Mike Brown: 'Not enough chatter’ about Knicks’ Jalen Brunson as a potential MVP

Jalen Brunson is once again doing Jalen Brunson things.

The All-Star point guard has led the way for the Knicks’ offense all season, and that was the case again during Friday night’s NBA Cup victory over the Bucks.

Milwaukee led by one by after a back-and-forth first two quarters. 

The captain took things over from there, though, scoring 16 of New York’s 31 points in the third quarter on an efficient 6-of-7 shooting from the field to push them in front.

Brunson added just six more points in a relatively quiet final frame, but his biggest bucket was an and-one layup to put the Knicks up six with just a minute and a half left. 

He out-dueled Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, finishing the night with a game-high 37 points on 12-of-21 from the field and 4-of-6 from three while dishing five assists.

“He’s a special guy,” Miles McBride said of Brunson.

“We love games where he’s able to get it going,” Josh Hart added.

There’s been plenty of games like that of late -- Brunson is averaging 31.6 points and 6.1 assists on 52 percent from the field and 44 percent from downtown over his past seven.

That’s brought his average up to 29.1 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.2 rebounds on the season.

While it’s still early, head coach Mike Brown feels he should be getting more love in MVP talks.

“There’s not enough chatter,” he said. “It’s early, so I’m not throwing a fit, but the guy had 37 tonight on 12-of-21 (shooting), and he gets blitzed often and he makes the right play -- he did what he’s supposed to do, and that’s why we don’t talk about it because that’s what he’s capable of.

“But hopefully you guys will start talking the right way about this young man in terms of him having some MVP talk because that’s what he is. We’re not playing the best basketball right now, but we’re trending in the right direction and he’s the engine behind it, so to me he did what he's supposed to do which equates to him being the MVP.”

Posted on

Sidney Crosby Climbs NHL All-Time Goals List

Pittsburgh Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby has been known throughout his career as one of the NHL's all-time great playmakers.

But he continues to impress in the goal-scoring department, too. 

With two goals against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday in a 4-3 overtime win, Crosby tied Dave Andreychuk at 640 career tallies to enter the top-15 in NHL history. Next up for Crosby is Brendan Shanahan at 656.

Crosby, 38, is in the midst of his 21st NHL season and among the league's top-five in goals. The Penguins' captain is on pace for 53 goals this season, which would be a career-high mark. He is also on pace for 89 points, which would be his all-time best 21st consecutive season at point-per-game or higher. 

In his NHL career, Crosby has 640 goals and 1,712 points. He is just 12 points shy of breaking Mario Lemieux's franchise record for points and entering the NHL's top-eight all-time in scoring. 

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

Posted on

Recap: Nashville Predators pick up 2nd straight win over Chicago Blackhawks on road

For the first time in a month, the Nashville Predators have won back to back games.

Powered by goals from Luke Evangelista and Ryan O'Reilly, the Predators defeated the Chicago Blackhawks, 4-3, on Friday at the United Center in Chicago. 

It's the first time since Oct. 25 that the Predators have won back-to-back games, and the first time this season that Nashville has won back-to-back games in regulation. 

The Predators had a slow start to the game as Ryan Donato scored the long goal of the first period to give Chicago a 1-0 lead. In the second, rookie Matthew Wood scored his seventh goal of the season off a pass up the boards from Nic Hague that sprung Wood for the game-tying goal. 

Later, Steven Stamkos got the puck on the opposite side from Nick Blankenburg and tapped it in on the backhand for a 2-1 lead. It was Blankenburg's third point in two games. 

Ryan Greene scored on the power play to tie the game back up at two, but Evangelista responded in the final five minutes of the period. He'd scored off a Stamkos rebound to give Nashville a 3-2 lead. Stamkos now has four points in two games after recording just three points in 21 games. 

Nov 28, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Nashville Predators center Steven Stamkos (91) celebrates scoring a goal on Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Soderblom (40) during the second period at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

In the third period, O'Reilly netted his second point of the game, scoring off a centering feed from Evangelista to the slot. Evangelista also finished with two points. 

Teuvo Teravainen scored in the third period for Chicago, but it wasn't enough. 

The line of Stamkos, Evangelista and Reilly logged 10 minutes of ice time and generated six shots. 

Nashville outshot Chicago, 29-27 and 62.9% of face-offs. The Predators struggled to stay out of the box as they had 10 penalty minutes to the Blackhawks' six. Nashville also went 0-for-2 on the power play and 3-of-4 on the penalty kill. 

Juuse Saros picked up the win, making 24 saves on 27 shots for a .889 save percentage for his sixth win of the season. 

Up next: Winnipeg Jets (12-11-0) at Nashville Predators (8-12-4) on Nov. 29 at 6 p.m. CST at Bridgestone Arena. 

Posted on

Blackhawks Lose 4-3 To Predators In Return Of Black Sweaters

The Chicago Blackhawks returned to action on Friday night, and there was an extra sense of excitement entering the game. 

For one, the team has been much better this year. They came in 10-8-5, which is right on the playoff bubble in the Western Conference. Even if they don't end with the most spectacular record of all time, this season will be remembered as the first stepping stone to winning. 

It is a Black Friday matchup against a division rival in the Nashville Predators as part of a weekend celebration. With the holiday season fully underway, it is an exciting time to be around the NHL as things are getting good. 

Chicago debuted their new black alternates, which it hasn't worn a version of since 2009. They coupled it with a blackout as fans were encouraged to wear black to the game.

It didn't come until the final minute of the first period, but Ryan Donato kicked things off on the scoresheet with his 8th goal of the season. 

Nashville took almost no time on the game clock to tie it up, however, as they scored at 1:46 of the second period. Matthew Wood scored the equalizer. At 7:18 of the second period, Steven Stamkos scored to give Nashville the lead. 

Ryan Greene evened things up again at 15:14 of the middle frame with a power-play goal. Greene has had tons of chances lately, but the finishing hasn't been as consistent in his game yet. This goal may be the marker he needed to gain his confidence back. 

Two goals in the third period for Nashville (Luke Evangelista and Ryan O'Reilly) gave them a two-goal advantage. Despite Teuvo Teravainen's "puck luck" goal to get them within one, the Blackhawks were unable to tie it and lost 4-3. 

The Blackhawks didn't play particularly well in this game and it cost them points against one of the worst teams in the NHL. They only have good teams on the schedule in the immediate future, so they must force that to bring out the best in them again. 

Watch Every Blackhawks Goal

What's Next For Chicago

Next up for the Blackhawks is one more home game to wrap up a long stretch of games at the United Center. This one will come on Sunday afternoon against the Anaheim Ducks, who have been on a roll this season. After that, they will hit the road for a handful of games. 

Image

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.

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

Posted on

Knicks advance in NBA Cup, set for road meeting with Raptors in knockout round

The Knicks are officially moving on in the NBA Cup. 

With Friday night’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks, the defending cup champions, New York locked up East Group C and booked its ticket to the quarterfinals.

It is now the only team to advance in all three years of the NBA Cup's existence.

New York went 3-1 in Group Play this time around with its only loss against the Chicago Bulls.

The Knicks now go on the road to face the Raptors in their quarterfinal matchup on Dec. 9 at 8:30 p.m.

Toronto is 14-5 on the season, and went a perfect 4-0 in group play to lock up East Group A.

The other quarterfinal matchup in the East will be the Magic (Group B) against the Heat (wild card).

Posted on

Nets fall to 76ers for third straight loss, finish winless in NBA Cup

NEW YORK (AP) — Tyrese Maxey scored 22 points, Jared McCain had 20 off the bench and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Brooklyn Nets 115-103 on Friday night in an NBA Cup game.

Quentin Grimes added 19 points, and Paul George had 14 to help the short-handed 76ers snap a two-game losing streak.

The 76ers played without starting center Joel Embiid (right knee management) and VJ Edgecombe (left calf tightness), and then lost backup center Andre Drummond (sprained right knee) midway through the second quarter.

Drummond attempted to block Tyrese Martin’s floater and then tried to grab the rebound with his left hand, but fell on the court and immediately reached for his knee.

Egor Demin scored a career-high 23 points, and Martin had 16 for Brooklyn. The Nets have lost three consecutive games and fell to 0-9 at home this season. They are the only team without a home win this season, with their last one at Barclays Center on April 8 against New Orleans.

The 76ers led by 1 points in the first half and saw their lead cut to nine after Brooklyn went on an 11-2 run, capped by Denim’s 3-pointer that made it 74-65 with 4:07 left in the third quarter.

Denim cut it to nine again with a 3-pointer with 4:35 to play. Demin’s layup made it 112-103 with 1:13 left in regulation before Grimes found an open Adem Bona, whose 3-pointer extended the lead for good.

Both teams were 1-3 in NBA Cup play.

UP NEXT

76ers: Host Atlanta on Sunday night.

Nets: At Milwaukee on Saturday night.

Posted on

Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson push Knicks past Bucks in Giannis Antetokounmpo's return

The Knicks won Friday's NBA Cup game against the Bucks, 118-109, for their third straight victory while they extended Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Milwaukee's seven-game skid.

Takeaways

  1. For the third straight game, the Knicks started Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns. Mike Brown's move paid off particularly with Hart, who gave the Knicks (12-6) a first-half boost by scoring 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting while adding six rebounds and two assists. Hart finished with a 19-point, 15-rebound double-double, plus seven assists, and continues to trend up after totaling 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting, eight rebounds and seven assists in Wednesday's 129-101 win at the Charlotte Hornets.
  2. Another notable contributor in the lineup was McBride, who gave the Knicks a pop with 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting from deep to complement Brunson's backcourt scoring. Among McBride's big shots was his triple with 2:53 left, an immediate and needed response after Kyle Kuzma's trey moments earlier cut the Knicks' lead to 107-105 at the 3:16 mark.
  3. Speaking of Brunson, the Knicks' catalyst offered a balanced game by dropping 15 first-half points while the Bucks (8-12) clung to a 62-61 halftime edge. Brunson especially came alive in the third quarter, scoring 16 of his game-high 37 points (12-for-21 shooting) during a 31-26 period where the Knicks outscored the Bucks. Before the Bucks closed the gap with the Knicks in the fourth quarter's tightly contested final six minutes, New York's largest lead of 101-88 at the 10:40 mark, fueled by Brunson's third-quarter heat check.
  4. The Knicks advance to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup after winning East Group C. In beating the Bucks, who won last year's NBA Cup, there will be a new winner this season. Also of note, Milwaukee's seventh straight loss is its longest skid since the 2013-14 campaign when it suffered multiple lengthy skids and went 15-67.

Who's the MVP?

Antetokounmpo, who was questionable with an abductor strain but willed the Bucks with 30 points on 10-of-14 shooting while adding 15 rebounds and eight assists in 28 minutes of what was his first game since Nov. 17.

Highlights

What's next

The Knicks host the Toronto Raptors Sunday at 6 p.m. The Raptors (14-5) enter Saturday's 6 p.m. game at the Charlotte Hornets with nine straight wins.

Posted on

Lukas Dostal out 2-3 Weeks with Upper-Body Injury, Importance of Upcoming Ducks Schedule

Anaheim Ducks netminder Lukas Dostal (25) has been the sole reason for several of Anaheim’s wins over the past two seasons. A season ago, he played behind one of the worst defensive teams in the NHL since the 2004-05 lockout, and this season, the Ducks are once again in the basement in terms of expected goals against per 60 minutes (3.03), 31st, behind only the Vancouver Canucks (3.08).

Again, to begin the 2025-26 season, he’s had to carry a heavy load early for Anaheim, as they continue to adjust to new defensive and offensive systems as well as several new faces on their roster. To date this season, Dostal has posted an 11-5-1 record, a .904 SV%, and has saved 10.1 goals above expected (10th in the NHL).

Dostal practiced with the Ducks on Tuesday, but was ruled out of Wednesday’s game against the Canucks ahead of the team’s morning skate with an upper-body injury, and was given a “day-to-day” designation. The team announced just before warmups, ahead of their Black Friday game against the Los Angeles Kings, that Dostal would miss the next 2-3 weeks.

Takeaways from the Ducks 5-4 Shootout Win over the Kings

Game #24: Ducks vs. Kings Gameday Preview (11/28/25)

The Ducks recalled Finnish goaltender Ville Husso before Wednesday’s game, and he started the Ducks’ game on Friday against LA, his first NHL action of the 2025-26 season. He posted a 6-4-3 record in the AHL, with a .908 SV% and three shutouts.

The Ducks will rely on Husso and regular backup Petr Mrazek. To date, Mrazek has started six games for the Ducks this season, has a 3-3-0 record, and an .881 SV%.

In the next three weeks, the Ducks will play eleven games, including seven on the road, mostly coming on a five-game road trip to the East Coast before returning to Anaheim on Dec. 19. The Ducks (31 points) exited Friday’s game in sole possession of first place in the Pacific Division, with only a two-point lead on the Kings (29), with the Seattle Kraken (28) and Vegas Golden Knights (28) just behind them.

The compressed NHL schedule and compressed NHL standings have left the Ducks in first place in the Pacific, but just four points separate them and the second wild card team (Utah Mammoth, 27 points), with the San Jose Sharks nipping at their heels. All that to say, this next 2-3 week stretch is tremendously important for Anaheim’s playoff odds.

They’ll have to tighten up several areas of their defensive game that have plagued them this season, including net-front defense, questionable pinches, and sorting assignments against rush attacks.

Husso and Mrazek have had relatively up-and-down NHL careers, and will have to be up to a difficult task if the players in front of them continue to surrender some of the chances that they have to this point in the season.

Takeaways from the Ducks 5-4 Loss to the Canucks

Beckett Sennecke Is More Than A Manchild

Pavel Mintyukov Returns to Ducks Lineup Impressing, Potentially Shifting Conversation