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Martinelli scores 34, Singleton has a double-double as Northwestern downs Penn State 94-73

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Nick Martinelli scored 34 points and Tre Singleton notched a massive double-double as Northwestern beat Penn State 94-73 on Thursday night.

It's the fourth time this season Martinelli has scored 32 points or more. He entered Thursday as the fourth-leading scorer in Division I at 23.4 points per game and has scored in double figures in all but one game this season. He was 13 of 19 from the field with four made 3-pointers.

Singleton racked up 17 points, 18 rebounds, four assists and two blocks for the Wildcats (10-11, 2-8 Big Ten). It was the freshman's first career double-double. Angelo Ciaravino added 20 points off the bench and Jake West had 13 assists.

The Wildcats led 45-40 at the half, but stretched that lead with an 11-2 run early in the second half, featuring five points from Martinelli and a pair of baskets from Ciaravino. The Nittany Lions drew back with an 8-0 run, before allowing a 9-0 run from Martinelli and Singleton to fall into a 17-point hole.

Freshman Kayden Mingo led the Nittany Lions (9-12, 0-10) with 15 points, as the Big Ten's youngest team remains winless in the conference. Ivan Juric added 14 points and six rebounds, while Josh Reed and Freddie Dilione V each scored 11 points.

Northwestern shot 60% from the field (38 of 63) and 55% behind the arc (12 of 22) compared to 49% and 33% for the Nittany Lions, respectively.

Up next

Penn State will host Minnesota on Sunday.

Northwestern will host Washington on Saturday. ___

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Don’t sleep on Ramon Laureano

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 19: Ramon Laureano #5 of the San Diego Padres at bat against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on September 19, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Bartel/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The San Diego Padres acquired outfielder Ramon Laureano in the July trade deadline spree that saw them part with six prospects to the Baltimore Orioles. Outfielder/first baseman Ryan O’Hearn was the headliner in that deal but he is now gone via free agency.

Laureano had a team option of $6.5 million for 2026 that the team quickly picked up in November of last year. After starting 2025 with one of the worst left field rankings in baseball (FanGraphs had them at 27 out of 30 teams), the acquisition of Laureano made the biggest upgrade of all the deadline swaps.

After arriving from Baltimore, Laureano played 50 games for the Padres. He hit .269/.323/.489 with an OPS of .812. His combined numbers for 2025 came out to .281/.342/.512 with a .855 OPS. Laureano had 24 home runs and 76 RBI for the season. His only better numbers came in 2019, his second season with Oakland.

The 2025 season saw his best hard-hit rate, his best barrel rate and his best K rate of his career. He also had his lowest chase rate during 2026. He finished the season with an fWAR of 3.0, which would have left him tied for seventh in fWAR rankings for left fielders for the year.

FanGraphs recently published their projections for 2026 and believe that Laureano will take a big step back. They project him to play in 119 games with a .242/.314/.428 line and .743 OPS. His projected WAR is 1.8. If correct, that would make 2026 his third worst season since his debut in 2019.

A career change

After finishing 2023 with a .224 average and .675 OPS, Laureano made a decision to remake himself. He reworked his approach in the batting box with the intent of making better contact and seeing breaking balls better.

Standing deeper in the box, moving away from the plate, closing up his stance and choking up on the bat were all incorporated into his new approach. The results started to show in 2024 with improved outcomes but 2025 was when the new adjustments really made a difference.

Laureano now ranks in the 80th percentiles for expected batting average, barrel percentage, hard-hit percentage and in the 93rd percentile in expected slugging (see Baseball Savant stats).

Expect a decline?

The decrease in projected value from FanGraphs could be due to Laureano’s age. He is 31 years old and will be 32 in July. Although still able to be productive at the plate, statistics project declines year over year from the year 31 season on.

As the Padres already have several aging players committed to long-term deals, don’t expect them to sign Laureano to an extension, so it is safe to assume this will be a walk year for him. Based on the improvements he has made and his mentality and make up, Padres fans should not be surprised to see a career year from their left fielder.

His 2025 season ended early with a broken finger suffered while swinging the bat. That should be completely healed going into this spring. With a normal offseason and a healthy spring, expect Laureano to easily outperform the projections.

Here is the writeup from FanGraphs for their fantasy projections for 2026.

Ramón Laureano (217 ADP)

In 2025, Laureano set a career high with 488 PA. From 2018 to 2024, Laureano’s paced 17 HR and 13 SB per 488 PA. That’s about what Friedl posted last season (15/13). If given enough playing time, he could be a solid fantasy value just by being himself.

Besides having a solid base coming into 2025, Laureano made two improvements. His contact% jumped from 70.8% to 74.8%, which is his highest since 2021. With more contact, his strikeout rate dropped from 31% to 24 percent, pushing his batting average up to .281.

The other improvement was a career high 90.3 average exit velocity and 112.7 max EV. With the extra power, he tied his career high with 24 HR.

As for the stolen bases, his sprint speed has varied from just 27.6 to 27.9 over the past six seasons. Around 8 SB to 10 SB is a reasonable estimate.

One final note: several of our playing time estimates seem a little on the low side (450 PA to 500 PA). If he were to go into the 600 PA or more range, he’s a steal at his current ADP.

Final Take: If Ramón Laureano can keep the contact and power gains he made in 2025 while playing a full season, he becomes a solid sleeper.

The best in baseball

Si.com recently published an article suggesting the Padres have the best trio of outfielders in baseball. Not surprisingly, they expect Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill to carry the bulk of the offensive load. Although Laureano’s offense could regress slightly, they don’t expect the big regression FanGraphs does.

The biggest negative for Laureano has been his defense. Although he has a plus arm in the outfield, his speed and range have been below average. It is not likely he will get faster but his defense could improve with better technique and it should be watched closely as the new season gets underway.

Another aspect of Laureano’s game is his attitude and intensity. Having an edge and a serious approach on the field is a steadying influence with the young outfielders he works with. Laureano stood out for Padres fans soon after his arrival in San Diego. After a walk-off hit in the Aug. 9 game against the Boston Red Sox, Laureano showed his honesty and endeared himself to most fans.

He could be one of the biggest surprises of 2026.

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Islanders sweep season series against Rangers after 2-1 win

NEW YORK (AP) — Carson Soucy scored against the team that traded him 72 hours earlier, Matthew Schaefer got the 14th goal of his stellar rookie year and the New York Islanders defeated the Rangers 2-1 on Thursday night.

Soucy became the first player to score for the Rangers and the Islanders at Madison Square Garden in the same season. The Islanders swept the back-to-back set between the crosstown rivals after winning 5-2 at home on Wednesday night.

Ilya Sorokin stopped 20 of 21 shots to pick up his 18th victory in 32 starts this season. Schaefer, the first pick in the draft last June, broke a tie with Hall of Famer Bobby Orr for the second-most goals by an 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history.

Schaefer’s goal came 1 minute, 35 seconds after Soucy beat former teammate Jonathan Quick short side from a tight angle. Soucy was playing just his second game with the Islanders since they gave up a third-round pick to get him in just the fourth trade between the New York teams and first since 2010.

Mika Zibanejad scored on the power play and Quick allowed two goals on 21 shots in his eighth appearance in 12 games since Igor Shesterkin was sidelined because of a lower-body injury. The long-term absences of Shesterkin and top defenseman Adam Fox exacerbated what was already a rough season for the Rangers, who recently signaled they are beginning a retooling process.

In line with that, they began sitting leading scorer Artemi Panarin rather than risking an injury that could prevent trading him before the March 6 deadline. Panarin is a pending unrestricted free agent whom the Rangers informed they were not re-signing.

The Islanders, who have won three in a row as they aim to make the playoffs, were without fourth-line center Casey Cizikas because of illness. Maxim Shabanov took his spot in the lineup.

Up next

Islanders: Host Nashville on Saturday night.

Rangers: Visit Pittsburgh on Saturday.

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Sabres Should Consider Pursuing Blues Defenseman

The Buffalo Sabres are in a position to do some buying at the 2026 NHL trade deadline. The Atlantic Division club currently holds a playoff spot and has a good chance of snapping its 14-year postseason drought, so they should not be afraid to be buyers.

The Sabres could use another impactful right-shot defenseman, and the St. Louis Blues have an interesting option worth considering in Justin Faulk.

Faulk is one of several Blues players currently in the rumor mill as they look to shake up their roster. With this, the Sabres should be open to kicking tires on the veteran defenseman.

If the Sabres landed Faulk, he would give them a very solid top-four defenseman for their right side. This would be excellent for the Sabres, as he would certainly strengthen their blueline if acquired. 

Faulk would also be a good veteran to have around for the Sabres' young players. This would be a nice bonus for a Sabres club that is looking to take that next step and officially cement itself as a playoff team. 

Faulk would be more than a rental for the Sabres, too, as he has a $6.5 million cap hit until the end of next season. With this, he would have the potential to benefit Buffalo beyond this season, which adds to his appeal. 

In 53 games this season with the Blues, Faulk has recorded 11 goals, 14 assists, and 25 points. 

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Brian Cashman believes Yankees retooled bullpen will emerge to make up for lost arms

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Fernando Cruz throws a pitch during the third inning of Game three of the ALDS against the Toronto Blue Jays in the Bronx, New York, October 07 2025. , Image 2 shows Angel Chivilli (57) in the fourth inning of a baseball game, Sept. 6, 2025, in Denver

With less than two weeks remaining in the offseason, most of the moves involving the Yankees bullpen this winter have been departures.

As in two former closers, Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, heading to Queens and a handful of other relievers being nontendered.

While some of those may be viewed as additions by subtraction, the Yankees are still going to have to cover those high-leverage innings somehow, even if they have yet to bring in any new established options — more or less banking on their pitching department to work its magic once again.

Fernando Cruz throws a pitch during the third inning of the Yankees’ Game 3 ALDS win over the Blue Jays on Oct. 7, 2025 in The Bronx. JASON SZENES/ NY POST

The Yankees believe they did the heavy lifting of their bullpen makeover at last summer’s trade deadline, when they acquired David Bednar, Camilo Doval and Jake Bird, who were all under contract beyond 2025.

They then picked up Tim Hill’s club option, re-signed swingman Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn, added Cade Winquest in the Rule 5 draft and acquired another project in hard-throwing righty Angel Chivilli from the Rockies on Wednesday.

Fernando Cruz is an important holdover, coming off his own breakout season, while left Brent Headrick (whom multiple Yankees officials have mentioned as a candidate to pop this season) and Yerry De los Santos are among the other candidates to carve out a role in the bullpen.

“As we enter spring training, we definitely are a different bullpen right now than we were last year, because we’ve had some departures,” general manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday. “But we also have some young pups pushing up the ladder, we have a Rule 5 pick we selected, we just made this addition [Chivilli]. So I think it’s a work in progress with a lot of quality choices. Some might be emerging talented players from our system, some might be more imports like [Chivilli].

“I’d just say stay tuned.”

The best of the “young pup” pitching prospects the Yankees boast are currently starters, though someone like Carlos Lagrange — who some scouts see as a reliever in the long run — could speed up his road to The Bronx in a relief role if the organization eventually chooses to go that route. They also have a group of relievers at Triple-A that could help at some point, including Kervin Castro (added to the 40-man roster earlier this offseason), Eric Reyzelman and Harrison Cohen.

Rockies’ Angel Chivilli throws a pitch during a Sept. 6, 2025 game in Denver. AP

None of those are sure things, though. While even the best of relievers are volatile — in the same season he thrived as the Yankees closer in a playoff chase, Bednar was demoted to Triple-A by the Pirates — the Yankees could still use another arm or two that are closer to safe bets to give Aaron Boone enough trustworthy options for the late innings.

They sat out the high-end (and now most of the mid-tier) portion of the free agent relief market, with those dollars reserved for Cody Bellinger, though the Yankees have had their best success acquiring impact relievers through trades in recent years.

“We’re going to continue to evaluate all choices that come our way,” Cashman said. “But I do think we have a lot of quality choices at the very least that we can fall back on if we do nothing more. But the job at hand is to see if we can improve in any aspect of the roster we can and we’ll continue to look at that.”

Perhaps they eventually get some relief from the rotation once the likes of Carlos Rodón, Gerrit Cole and eventually Clarke Schmidt get healthy, but until then, they seem to be putting an awful lot of faith in their pitching department — getting Bird back on track, continuing Blackburn’s transition to relieving, trying to harness Chivilli’s big arm and get something out of the rookie Winquest, among others.

The other issue with the projected 2026 bullpen is a lack of flexibility. Only Bird, Chivilli, Headrick, Doval and Cruz have minor league options remaining — and if they are used on Doval or Cruz, they will have bigger issues than flexibility — while they must carry Winquest on the big league roster all season if they want to keep him in the organization. For a team that often churns through arms with the last spot or two in the bullpen, that may prove to be more difficult this year.

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Penguins/Blackhawks Recap: Pens score six straight goals, easily beat Chicago

PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 29: Ryan Shea #5 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates his second period goal against the Chicago Blackhawks at PPG PAINTS Arena on January 29, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images

Pregame

New lineup for the Penguins, Ilya Solovyov makes his Pittsburgh debut, Rutger McGroarty is back from the AHL to get back in the absence of Bryan Rust (suspension). Arturs Silovs gets the call in the net.

First period

Chicago starts the game with their third line, so Dan Muse elects to put his fourth line out to match for a curious opening faceoff. No Sidney Crosby and Connor Bedard squaring up right off the bat.

Sloppy and slow start for the Penguins. Ben Kindel takes a penalty six minutes in, the Blackhawks get a lot going on the power play but don’t score (Bedard dents the crossbar with a shot to come close). It keeps building, Ryan Greene pulls up and hits Connor Murphy with a pass. The defender takes a shot, Kris Letang backs all the way into Silovs, which couldn’t have helped matters. 1-0 Chicago.

Pittsburgh gets a spark from their sparkplug fourth line. Blake Lizotte might have got away with a trip (surely the only thing a Penguin player got away with in the first period, considering they ended up in the penalty box four times in the first 20 minutes) and that opening is all they need. Noel Acciari shoots, Connor Dewar eventually finds the rebound, wheels out into a shooting area and fires the puck in for his 12th goal of the year. 1-1 game.

The refs make it up to Chicago by giving them their second power play of the game on the next shift. This one isn’t as good. Two coincidental minors later the period comes to an end. Not a pretty sight for the Pens still looking to get their legs back under them from the long road trip, but they get out of the first period even at 1-1.

Second period

The Pens get to work, McGroarty causes mayhem in the crease, Chicago can’t clear a little later and Anthony Mantha feeds Ben Kindel in the middle of the ice. Kindel hesitates on the shot and gets goalie Arvid Soderblom to think high glove side. That leaves a lot open five hole. 2-1 Pens.

History strikes – kinda. For the first time in the last six periods, the Penguins are awarded a power play. They look out of practice and don’t get much going.

The Pens get a pretty goal on the rush. Parker Wotherspoon stands up Tyler Bertuzzi, blocking his attempt as the hit gets delivered. The puck rolls to Evgeni Malkin who is off to the races. Malkin pulls up with a spinning backhand centering pass to Egor Chinakhov. Chinakhov blows by Artom Levshunov and lifts the puck past Soderblom. 3-1.

31 seconds later, Pittsburgh strikes again. Kindel puts a great pass for a streaking Mantha for a breakaway. In a move that would make Mario proud, Mantha feints a forehand shot, Soderblom bites and it’s an easy finish to the backhand. 4-1 game just like that.

There’s blood in the water, Pittsburgh gets another before intermission. McGroarty was causing more mayhem in the crease, Mantha found the loose puck and sent it back to the point for Solovyov. Solovyov quickly bumped it over for Ryan Shea to hammer. It finds its mark. 5-1 game.

It took 20 minutes for Pittsburgh to get their legs back, they found them in the second and exposed Soderblom as the backup goalie he is, while throwing 23 (count ’em, 23!) shots on goal in the second period alone. Four goals in the middle frame opens up a sizeable 5-1 lead.

Third period

The Blackhawks look like they are ready to get out of town, only one shot on goal in the first 14 minutes of the period. The Pens keep going, eventually the fourth line crashes the net, going crazy to smack another one home. Dewar gets there to do it for his second goal of the night. 6-1.

That wakes Bedard up, at least. He comes down on the rush and lets Brett Kulak slide himself completely out of position. Bedard has all day to pick a spot and snipe Silovs high to the glove. 6-2 game.

Silovs actually has to make one more save on a good chance from in close, then things settle down and the teams ease onto the final whistle.

Some thoughts

  • One of the trickle down effects of Bryan Rust’s suspension is that Egor Chinakhov is now on the top power play. Has shades of Jared McCann 2021 with that left handed option on the left side ready to fire that shot short-side.
  • The biggest impact of no Rust was Justin Brazeau moving up to the top line. He looked mostly in the way, isn’t easy to play with Crosby and the lack of familiarity was on display. Will be interesting to see if they give that more time to find more, Crosby rotated in with Malkin a couple times in the third period, Brazeau still only played 12:45 at even strength despite the label of being a first line player.
  • Keeping Mantha with Kindel proved to be worth whatever lead time the top line might need. They have something special going on. McGroarty didn’t register a point but was more visible in this game than he had been in several of his recent NHL showings too. Lots of chaos on that line, augmented by the skilled plays and finishes that Kindel and Mantha put on display.
  • The second period was a feast like nobody’s business; Mantha scored three points while only taking six shifts that period. That’s like ‘your best night happening against a bad team’ in beer league type of production there.
  • Speaks to just how dangerous and balanced the Penguins are when they score six goals on the night and their normal first power play (Crosby, Rust, Rakell, Malkin, Karlsson) have all of one assist on the night (Malkin’s pass to Chinakhov). Rust, of course, had a good reason for not producing any points since he wasn’t allowed to play, the rest of the most skilled and players relied on for offense weren’t required of much on this night. The third and fourth lines were more than Chicago could handle, combining for five goals between themselves.
  • Solovyov first impressions: good night and opening game. Has some good size, did pin Bedard to the wall once in the first. By design it was a quiet introduction to ease him in, with the blowout allowing him to get more ice time in each period. Earned a primary assist with a basic play but good idea. Stats were 16:51, 3 shot attempts (neither on net, two blocked, one missed), 1 hit, 2 giveaways, 1 blocked shot. (The giveaways stand out a little, but were nothing egregious. The NHL did change the standard and frequency of how they record giveaways before last season, increasing it dramatically). Too early to say much, Solovyov was deferring to his partner Shea to do almost all the heavy lifting moving the puck, but hey, to be expected on the first night with a new team.
  • It’s also too early to be watching the out of town scores for anything besides mostly fun, though it’s too much fun not to take a gander – especially when the Pens won their game without much despair. However, there was almost no help across the board so it’s not that much fun of an update besides holding serve. Carolina just scored three goals in the last two minutes to turn a regulation loss against Utah into a 5-4 win, the Pens remain six points out of first place as a result (with a game in hand). The Islanders defeated a hapless Ranger team to stay tied with the Pens (Pittsburgh does have two games in hand on NYI). The Devils earned an OT win, though they are seven points back of Pittsburgh. The Flyers lost again, which is always good, but losing relevance since they are way in the rearview mirror now (eight points back of Pittsburgh, who has one game in hand). Washington is currently tied.

Not the toughest of competition but the Pens can only play the team in front of them and handled business convincingly to keep their winning streak rolling. Next up is a visit from the Rangers on Saturday afternoon.

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Blackhawks Routed By Penguins, Lose 6-2 In Pittsburgh

The Chicago Blackhawks played the second game of their two-game road trip on Thursday night. In the first one, they blew a 3-0 lead and lost to the Minnesota Wild 4-3 in a shootout. 

In this game against the Penguins, things started well for them as they took a 1-0 lead on a goal scored by Connor Murphy. A great defensive play by Frank Nazar led to a great rush where he and Ryan Greene made a play to find Murphy, who didn't miss with his snipe. 

Murphy, who is likely to be traded by Chicago ahead of the deadline, has been playing exceptionally well in recent weeks. Contending teams are going to take a look. 

After going up 1-0, however, the Penguins took over in a big way. They scored six unanswered goals to make it 5-1. Four of those goals came in the second period, which was a truly awful period for the Hawks. They will watch the tape and see that it was one of the worst periods of their entire season. 

Connor Bedard had a wonderful snipe late in the game to make it 6-2 at 14:31 of the third period, but the game was well out of reach at that point. That stood as the final score. 

Although nobody would ever say that Arvid Soderblom played well, but he was asked to face 44 shots. 23 of them came in that brutal middle period. He stayed in the game to eat the loss, with Spencer Knight projected to go on Friday. Soderblom gave up six, but most goalies in the league are not winning when they face 44 shots. 

The Penguins put up six against the Blackhawks, and Sidney Crosby didn't have a single point. Usually, that's a sign that a team played horrible hockey, which was the case for Chicago on Thursday night. 

This is the type of game you scrap if you're a young Blackhawks team. They have had a few of these stinkers in 2025-26, but they don't have much time to think about this one. Another game awaits one night later. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Blackhawks are back in action on Friday night. The Columbus Blue Jackets will be at the United Center for a tilt to kick off the weekend. Puck drop is shortly after 7:30 PM CT. 

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Penguins have 4-goal 2nd period to rout Blackhawks 6-2 for 5th straight win

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Egor Chinakhov and Anthony Mantha scored on rushes in a 31-second span in Pittsburgh's four-goal second period, helping the Penguins beat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-2 on Thursday night for their fifth straight victory.

Connor Dewar scored twice, Ben Kindel and Ryan Shea added goals, and Arturs Silovs made 17 saves. Mantha, Shea and Noel Acciari each had two assists.

The Penguins had been off since sweeping a four-game trip with a victory over Vancouver on Sunday, with forward Bryan Rust starting a three-game suspension for a check to Canucks forward Brock Boeser’s head.

Connor Murphy and Connor Bedard scored for Chicago, and Soderblom stopped 38 shots in the first game of a back-to-back. The Blackhawks have lost four straight, falling 4-3 in a shootout in Minnesota on Tuesday night.

Kindel gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead at 5:54 of the second period. He came down the left side and beat Soderblom to the far side with a wrister.

Chinakhov slipped a shots between Arvid Soderblom’s leg pads with 4:30 left in the period, and Mantha also beat Soderblom through the legs with 3:59 to go. Shea capped the spree with 30 seconds left in the period, and Dewar added his second of the night with 6:01 left in the third.

Bedard fired a wrist shot past Silovs with 5:21 to go for his 21st of the season.

Murphy opened the scoring for Chicago at 9:32 of the first. Dewar tied it 1:52 later.

Penguins forward Rutger McGroarty was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League for his NHL game since sustaining a concussion in practice Jan. 6. He had five shots, three hits and a block in 10:36.

Up next

Blackhawks: Host Columbus on Friday night.

Penguins: Host the New York Rangers on Saturday.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

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Sharks trade rumors: Is San Jose positioned to acquire Artemi Panarin?

The San Jose Sharks look to take advantage of the market to enhance their team as they gear up for a hopeful playoff run.

According to San Jose Hockey Now, the Sharks have shown interest in winger Artemi Panarin, who will be an unrestricted free agent after this season.

Apparently the feeling is mutual. Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reported that Panarin would be interested in signing a contract extension with the Sharks.

Panarin is being held out of the lineup by the New York Rangers as they explore a trade and is not expected to play before the Olympic break. The retooling Rangers said they wouldn't be offering him an extension. Panarin, who has a no-movement clause, is reportedly exploring an extension as part of a trade.

TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun said some teams view Panarin as a "rental but aren't ready to get into a big extension" while other teams believe the opposite.

"Have the Sharks talked to them? Yes," LeBrun said. "My understanding is the Sharks had a discussion with the Rangers. We know (Sharks general manager) Mike Grier and (Rangers general manager and president) Chris Drury have the history, (they) worked together in New York."

However, a skeptical LeBrun shut down rumors of a potential Sharks play for Panarin, due to their recent signings including re-signing 31-year-old forward Alexander Wennberg to a three-year contract worth $18 million on Jan. 4.

"But beyond that conversation, I'm not sure how serious San Jose wants to be here," LeBrun said. "You know, they just traded for (Kiefer) Sherwood. They just signed Wennberg. So I wouldn't have San Jose as a front-runner right now. We'll see."

More San Jose Sharks: Will Sharks' Kiefer Sherwood play tonight vs. Canucks?

The 34-year-old has accounted for 19 goals and 57 points in 52 games played.

Panarin, a two-time NHL First-Team All-Star, has played 11 seasons in the NHL for the Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Rangers. He tallied 321 goals and 927 points in 804 career games.

The Sharks recently sent waves throughout the league when they completed a trade for Sherwood, sending Cole Clayton and two second-round picks to the Vancouver Canucks.

San Jose holds the final wild card spot in the Western Conference after finishing last overall the past two seasons.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Artemi Panarin trade rumors: Will San Jose Sharks bite?

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Madison Booker scores 24, and No. 4 Texas beats Florida 88-68 in front of Shaq

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Madison Booker scored 24 points, Aaliyah Crump added 14 and No. 4 Texas pounded Florida inside on its way to an 88-68 victory Thursday night in front of Shaquille O’Neal.

Playing for the first time in 11 days, the Longhorns outscored the Gators 60-30 in the paint to end a two-game road skid.

Texas (20-2, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) had its game at Arkansas last weekend postponed because of a winter storm, creating a lengthy midseason break. But the Longhorns showed little, if any, rust against the Gators (13-10, 1-7).

Booker, the reigning SEC player of the year, made 11 of 21 shots to go along with six rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block. She scored eight points in the decisive second quarter — helping Texas outscore Florida by 14 in the frame.

Laila Reynolds led the Gators with 18 points. Me’Arah O’Neal, playing in front of her Hall of Fame father, added 17 points. The elder O’Neal wore a purple sweatsuit with “Shaq” emblazoned on the front and sat in a roped-off section of media seats with several friends. He posed for pictures with fans at halftime.

Liv McGill chipped in 15 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for Florida, which led 19-16 after the first quarter but had no answer for the Longhorns’ superior size down low.

NO. 3 SOUTH CAROLINA 81, AUBURN 51

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Joyce Edwards scored 20 points, Tessa Johnson added 13 and South Carolina handled Auburn.

Edwards, the team’s top scorer, made 9 of 14 shots to go along with five rebounds. Johnson chipped in five assists and three rebounds for the Gamecocks (21-2, 7-1 Southeastern Conference), and Maddy McDaniel made all three of her 3-pointers for nine points.

Auburn (13-9, 2-6) shot 30% from the field in its third straight home matchup with a team ranked in the AP Top 25.

The Gamecocks started hot, going on a 14-0 run that took up nearly five minutes of action in the first quarter before Ja’Mia Harris knocked down a 3-pointer for the Tigers.

South Carolina’s size proved to be an issue for the Tigers. The Gamecocks held a 40-22 scoring advantage in the paint.

Harissoum Coulibaly, Auburn’s leading scorer, was held to 10 points on 5-of-16 shooting. She also had five turnovers. Syriah Daniels scored 11 points, and Khady Leye had nine points and seven rebounds.

NO. 6 LSU 92, ARKANSAS 70

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams each scored 17 points and LSU beat Arkansas for its sixth straight Southeastern Conference win.

The Tigers (20-2, 6-2) led by just three points at halftime against the Razorbacks (11-11, 0-7), who have lost all their league games by double-digit margins.

Johnson, Williams and reserve Kate Koval helped LSU pull away after halftime. Koval had 12 points and a season-high 15 rebounds for her sixth-double-double of the season.

Grace Knox and Jada Richard each contributed 12 points for the Tigers, and ZaKiyah Johnson had 11.

Taleyah Jones led the Razorbacks with 23 points. Jenna Lawrence added 12 points, and Bonnie Deas and Maria Anais Rodriguez had 11 each.

NO. 7 LOUISVILLE 84, STANFORD 66

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Laura Ziegler had 22 points and 11 rebounds as Louisville extended its winning streak to 13 games with a victory over Stanford.

Stanford has lost three in a row.

Mackenly Randolph hit a 3-pointer from the corner on the game’s first possession and the Cardinals (20-3, 10-0 ACC) stayed in front the rest of the way. Randolph connected on three 3-pointers in the first quarter and finished with 14 points.

Louisville’s biggest lead was 27 points at 82-55, with just more than two minutes remaining.

The Cardinals remained tied with No. 20 Duke for first place in the ACC. Duke won 74-58 at Miami on Thursday night. Duke plays at Louisville on Feb. 5.

Courtney Ogden led the Cardinal (15-7, 4-5) with 16 points. Chloe Clardy and Shay Ijiwoye had 15 apiece. Ijiwoye shot 6 for 8 from the floor.

SOUTHERN CAL 81, NO. 8 IOWA 69

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kara Dunn had 25 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, and Southern California defeated Iowa, snapping the Hawkeyes’ eight-game winning streak and handing them their first Big Ten loss of the season.

Jazzy Davidson added 21 points and eight assists, and Londynn Jones had 17 points for USC (12-9, 4-6 Big Ten). It was just the Trojans’ fourth win over a ranked opponent this season in eight such games. They had lost two in a row overall and six of seven previously.

Journey Houston had 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench for Iowa (18-3, 9-1), which last lost against No. 1 UConn on Dec. 20. The Hawkeyes never led against the Trojans.

NO. 9 MICHIGAN 95, INDIANA 67

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Olivia Olson scored a season-high 27 points and Mila Holloway added 17 to help Michigan beat Indiana.

The Wolverines (18-3, 9-1 Big Ten) have won seven of their last eight, including three straight since their only conference loss. They shot 51.5% from the field and outrebounded the Hoosiers 37-25 to earn their first win in Bloomington since February 2014.

Michigan’s relentless defensive pressure caused all sorts of problems for the Hoosiers. The Wolverines, led by Syla Swords’ career-high five steals, converted 23 Indiana turnovers into 34 points.

Shay Ciezki entered the game with a league-leading scoring average of 23.6 points, but fouled out midway through the fourth quarter with 13 points. Maya Makalusky had 17 to lead Indiana (11-11, 0-10), which has lost nine straight and finished its January schedule 0-8.

NO. 10 OKLAHOMA 85, TEXAS A&M 58

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Payton Verhulst scored 16 points and Aaliyah Chavez added 14 to help Oklahoma defeat Texas A&M.

Raegan Beers and Sahara Williams each added 12 points for the Sooners (17-4, 5-3 Southeastern Conference), who made 12 of 23 3-pointers and had assists on 25 of their 30 field goals.

It was Oklahoma’s third straight victory, a streak that started last Thursday with an overtime win over then-No. 2 South Carolina. The Sooners visit No. 4 Texas on Sunday.

Lauren Ware had 15 points and Ny’Ceara Pryor added 12 for Texas A&M (8-9, 1-7). The Aggies have lost five straight, with four of them by at least 25 points to top-10 opponents Vanderbilt, Texas, LSU and Oklahoma.

NO. 11 OHIO STATE 81, WISCONSIN 58

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jaloni Cambridge scored 21 of her 29 points in the second half, Elsa Lemmila had 14 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks, and Ohio State beat Wisconsin.

Ohio State (19-3, 8-2 Big Ten) has won five straight against Wisconsin to lead the series 57-18.

Chance Gray added 10 points for the Buckeyes.

Cambridge scored 13 points in the last four minutes, 18 seconds of the third quarter, which included a 3-pointer that capped a 19-6 run and gave Ohio State a 56-45 lead going into the fourth. Cambridge then made a layup, a jumper and a 3 that pushed the lead to 18 with 8:27 left in the game.

Destiny Howell led Wisconsin (13-9, 5-6) with 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting, 5 of 7 from 3-point range.

NO. 12 TCU 79, KANSAS 77

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Olivia Miles had 20 points and six assists, Donovyn Hunter added 15 points, and TCU never trailed in a win over Kansas.

TCU starters Clara Silva and Marta Suarez fouled out 32 seconds apart on back-to-back offensive fouls with a little more than five minutes to play and Miles fouled out in the closing seconds. Suarez had 13 points and eight rebounds and Silva added nine points for TCU (20-2, 8-1 Big 12).

Kansas, which went into the game shooting 36% (second in the Big 12) from 3-point range, made a season-low two 3s on 12 attempts.

Jaliya Davis, the four-time reigning Big 12 freshman of the week, had 29 points — her ninth 20-point performance in 12 games played this season — and nine rebounds for Kansas (13-9, 3-7). The 6-foot-3 Davis, who made 11 of 19 from the field and 7 of 8 from the free-throw line Thursday, is averaging 22.7 points since she returned from a lower-leg injury on New Year’s Day in a 79-72 loss to West Virginia.

S’Mya Nichols added 24 points for the Jayhawks.

NO. 13 MICHIGAN STATE 86, PURDUE 65

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Grace VanSlooten scored 17 points, Kennedy Blair had 15 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and five steals, and Michigan State beat Purdue.

Michigan State took control during a 12-0 run late in the first quarter to build a 27-12 lead. The Spartans also held Purdue to just eight points in the second quarter to extend their lead to 50-23 at the break. The Boilermakers were 2-of-16 shooting in the second quarter.

VanSlooten scored eight points in the third quarter and Michigan State’s lead did not drop below 20 points in the second half.

It was the most points Michigan State has scored in a Big Ten game this season.

Inés Sotelo added 12 points and Jalyn Brown scored 11 for Michigan State (19-2, 8-2 Big Ten). Former Boilermaker Rashunda Jones struggled in her return to West Lafayette after playing two seasons for Purdue. Jones was held to five points on 2-of-12 shooting for the Spartans.

Avery Gordon made 9 of 11 shots for 20 points to lead Purdue (11-10, 3-7). Madison Layden-Zay scored 18 points and made six 3-pointers. Hila Karsh added 10 points.

MISISSIPPI STATE 77, NO. 15 TENNESSEE 62

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Kharyssa Richardson scored 21 points and Mississippi State downed Tennessee.

Richardson was 9 of 11 from the floor and scored 16 in the second half. Trayanna Crisp added 15 points to go with five rebounds and three steals. Madison Francis added 12 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, while Favour Nwaedozi notched 11 points, 14 rebounds and two steals.

It’s the second win of the season for the Bulldogs (16-6, 3-5 SEC) against a ranked opponent. The Volunteers won the earlier meeting between these sides 90-80 on Jan. 8.

It’s the first home loss and conference loss for the Vols (14-4, 6-1 SEC) after entering on a seven-game winning streak and the last remaining team undefeated in SEC play. Their previously slated game on Monday — a contest with No. 17 Ole Miss — was postponed due to weather.

With 2:31 left in the first half, the game was knotted at 26 points apiece. The Bulldogs closed on a 9-0 run with a pair of 3-pointers from Crisp, and continued with an 11-3 run at the start of the second half to build a 14-point lead at the 5:53 mark of the third quarter. The Bulldogs’ lead grew to as much as 20, and never dropped below double digits from that point on.

Talaysia Cooper led with 19 points for the Vols. Mia Pauldo had 13 and four steals, and Janiah Barker added 10 and six rebounds.

NO. 20 DUKE 74, MIAMI 58

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Toby Fournier scored 23 points, Taina Mair added 18 and Duke won on the road against Miami for its 12th straight win.

Fournier also had 11 rebounds for her fifth double double of the season. She shot 10 of 16 from the floor, 1 of 2 from 3-point range, and 2 of 8 from the free throw line before fouling out.

Jordan Wood scored 12 points for Duke.

Ra Shaya Kyle led Miami with 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field and added nine rebounds before fouling out. Gal Raviv added 16 points.

NO. 24 ALABAMA 68, NO. 23 GEORGIA 53

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Essence Cody scored 16 points and Ta’Mia Scott added 13 for Alabama in a win over Georgia.

Cody, who put up 10 points in the first half, shot 6 for 7 from the field and a perfect 4 for 4 from the free throw line. Karly Weathers scored 11 points, eight rebounds and two steals and blocks each. Jessica Timmons added 10 points and eight rebounds for Alabama (19-3, 5-3 Southeastern Conference).

Mia Woolfolk scored 13 points for the Bulldogs (18-4, 4-4) before fouling out. Rylie Theuerkauf added 11. Dani Carnegie, who leads Georgia in scoring with a 19.2 points per game, was held to only six points.

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No. 8 Iowa State uses an early run to start 97-67 blowout against Colorado

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Freshman Jamarion Batemon scored 17 points off the bench to lead six Iowa State players in double figures, and the No. 8 Cyclones used an early flurry to take a big lead and go on to a 97-67 victory over Colorado on Thursday night.

Iowa State (19-2, 6-2 Big 12) won by 30 points for the second time in three games and has beaten all but two of its opponents by double digits. The Buffaloes (12-9, 2-6), who have dropped six straight and eight of their last 10, suffered their most lopsided conference loss since rejoining the Big 12 in 2024.

Colorado’s Sebastian Rancik opened the scoring with a 3-pointer, and then Iowa State outscored the Buffaloes 30-1 over the next 6 1/2 minutes and the rout was on.

Batemon, scoreless in Saturday’s game against Oklahoma State, hit a 3-pointer and converted a four-point play on consecutive possessions, and then Tamin Lipsey’s 3 and Nate Heise’s dunk put the Cyclones up by 26 points eight minutes into the game.

Milan Momcilovic scored 16 points for the Cyclones. Tamin Lipsey had 14 points and five assists and Joshua Jefferson had 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Freshmen Dominykas Pleta and Killyan Toure had 12 points apiece.

The Cyclones shot 61% from the field, their best mark in a conference game in four years.

Freshman Isaiah Johnson led the Buffaloes with 24 points and Barrington Hargress added 11.

Up next

Colorado: Hosts TCU on Sunday.

Iowa State: Visits Kansas State on Sunday.

___

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Giants trade Kai-Wei Teng for Minor League catching prospect Jancel Villarroel

Kai-Wei Teng standing on the mound.
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 20: San Francisco Giants pitcher Kai-Wei Teng (66) walks off the mound in between innings during the MLB game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 18, 2025 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

After agreeing to a contract with free agent center fielder Harrison Bader on Monday, the San Francisco Giants had work to do trimming their roster. They would need to trade or waive a player to accommodate Bader on the 40-man roster, and on Thursday they found the solution. As first reported by Chandler Rome of The Athletic, the Giants agreed to send right-handed pitcher Kai-Wei Teng to the Houston Astros in exchange for catching prospect Jancel Villarroel. The Giants have since announced the move, and added that they also received international slot money in the deal.

Villarroel is an intriguing prospect who signed with the Astros out of Venezuela after the 2022 Dominican Summer League season. The right-handed hitter, who turned 21 a few weeks ago, spent the bulk of the year with Houston’s Low-A affiliate, where he hit .258/.360/.385 for a .746 OPS and a 123 wRC+. He played a few weeks with the Astros’ High-A affiliate to end the year, and figures to open the upcoming season with High-A Eugene. He has a decent amount of raw power — though that hasn’t really shown itself yet on the stat sheet — and decent bat-to-ball skills. He had just a 17.2% strikeout rate in Low-A last year. In the midseason 2025 rankings, Villarroel ranked as the Astros No. 13 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and their No. 20 prospect according to Fangraphs. Earlier this month, Baseball America ranked the catcher as the No. 19 prospect in Houston’s system.

He’s a little bit of a project defensively at catcher, but also has experience all over the diamond. In his brief Minor League tenure, he’s seen time at every position except shortstop and pitcher.

As for Teng, it’s the end of a long, up-and-down tenure. And as the leader of the Kai-Wei Teng Believers Club, I’m pretty bummed seeing him leave. The righty came to the Giants in 2019, during his first full season of affiliated ball, in the Sam Dyson trade. He rose through the system as one of the organization’s top strikeout arms, but often struggled to control his walks and keep his ERA down.

The Giants rostered him as a Rule 5 protection prior to the 2024 season, but everything fell apart for him that year. He stopped striking people out, sported an awful 8.60 ERA in AAA, was even worse in his brief Major League stint, and was designated for assignment.

He re-signed with the Giants last offseason, and started to turn his career around. He was excellent for AAA last year, splitting time between the bullpen and rotation, where he had a 3.63 ERA and a 2.95 FIP, while his 14.05 strikeouts per nine innings were among the best in the Minor Leagues. That earned him another MLB opportunity, and the results in eight games were hot-and-cold: on the bad side, he had a 6.37 ERA and issued 5.16 walks per nine. On the good side, he had a 3.81 FIP, a 4.00 xERA, and 11.83 strikeouts per nine.

With the Giants entering the year with a full rotation, Teng was scheduled to join a very large group of unproven arms who would battle for a spot in the rotation and/or the sixth and seventh starter roles. That group includes fellow 40-man arms Hayden Birdsong, Carson Whisenhunt, Carson Seymour, Trevor McDonald, Blade Tidwell, and Keaton Winn. Given his strikeout ability, I thought Teng might have the inside position for a bullpen role, but either the Giants disagreed, or the Astros saw things similarly. It’s always hard to gauge with trades like this whether Teng was the outgoing piece because he was the player the Giants were ready to move on from, or he was the player that Houston was targeting.

Either way, the recently-turned 27-year old is headed back to the American League, and will get a chance to solidify his role in the Majors with the Astros. I, for one, will be rooting for him.

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Patrick Kane Breaks Mike Modano's Record For Most NHL Points Scored By An American Born

It happened. Patrick Kane already had a case to be considered the greatest player in USA Hockey history, but now he is the leading scorer of every NHL player to ever come from the United States of America. 

On Thursday night at Little Caesars Arena, playing for the Detroit Red Wings, Kane collected an assist on a goal scored by Ben Chiarot that tied the game at one. This was point 1375 for Kane, which passed Mike Modano for the American scoring record. 

Earlier in the game, Kane had an assist wiped off the board as the goal that was scored was waived off for offside after a challenge. The celebration had to wait for a period, but nobody doubted that Kane would find a way to get it done in this match. 

When he scored it, the entire Red Wings bench spilled over the boards to congratulate their legendary teammate. A video from Mike Modano himself played on the Jumbotron to congratulate Kane and speak of his impact on the game for young Americans.  

Patrick Kane's 1375 points that broke the record are comprised of 500 goals and 875 assists. 446 of those goals and 779 of those assists came while wearing a Chicago Blackhawks sweater. 

This record, three Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe Trophy, and many other individual awards will be marks on his resume that make Kane a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he's done playing. 

Next up for Kane is leading this Red Wings team back into the playoffs, which will end the second-longest drought in the league. It's been a couple of years since he last suited up for the postseason himself, so hockey fans will be treated to "Showtime" on the biggest stage once again. 

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Patrick Kane becomes top US-born scorer, breaking Mike Modano's record

Detroit Red Wings star Patrick Kane passed Hockey Hall of Famer Mike Modano to become the top U.S.-born scorer in NHL history.

Kane, 37, had an assist in the second period on Thursday, Jan. 29 against the Washington Capitals to give him 1,375 points, one more than Modano, the former Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars standout who finished his career in Detroit.

It was the second milestone that Kane reached this month. He scored his 500th goal on Jan. 8, becoming the fifth U.S.-born player and 50th overall to hit that mark.

He drew the second assist on a goal by Ben Chiarot to break the points record Thursday. Teammates poured onto the ice to congratulate him.

Kane, who was born in Buffalo, New York, has 500 goals and 875 assists with the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers and Red Wings.

Kane needs two attempts to break record

Kane looked like he might have the record early in the first period when he set up an Alex DeBrincat power play goal, but the play was ruled offsides after a Capitals challenge.

It was the second time in three games in which he lost a point. He was originally awarded an assist on a goal against the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 24, but it was later taken away. He had an assist late in that game to move within one point of Modano and then tied the record on Jan. 27 with an assist against the Los Angeles Kings.

Patrick Kane vs. Mike Modano

Modano, who was born in Michigan, played 1,499 games. Kane has played 1,343. Modano had been the U.S. leader for 18-plus years, passing Phil Housley in November 2007 shortly after Kane's NHL debut.

Modano (1988) and Kane (2007) are former No. 1 overall picks. Modano won a Stanley Cup with the Stars in 1999 and Kane won with the Blackhawks in 2010, 2013 and 2015. He won a scoring title with 106 points in 2015-16, the only American to do so, and also took home the Hart Trophy that season, ending a 91-year drought for U.S.-born players. His career best was 110 points in 2018-19.

Kane had a brief stint with the Rangers after a 2023 trade, then had hip surgery in the offseason. He signed with the Red Wings in November 2023 after recovering and has been in Detroit since.

Modano was not in the building but the Red Wings played a video message in which he praised Kane's skill level and the influence he has had on young American players.

"They all wanted to be Patrick Kane growing up," Modano said.

Modano's U.S. record of 561 goals (Brett Hull, who played internationally for the USA, was born in Canada) might hold up as the standard for a while. Kane is the next-closest active player at 500. Between him and Modano are Joe Mullen (502), Jeremy Roenick (513) and Keith Tkachuk (538).

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthew is the next active U.S.-born player at 427 goals and 772 points. He's averaging 1.14 points per game to Kane's 1.03.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Patrick Kane breaks Mike Modano record, becomes top US-born scorer