Source Confirms Winnipeg Jets Hosting Heritage Classic vs. Montreal Canadiens

Talk continues to build around Winnipeg as the likely host for the NHL’s next Heritage Classic, and new rumors suggest the Winnipeg Jets may face the Montreal Canadiens if the event is officially approved. Nothing has been confirmed by the league, but speculation has intensified in recent days as the NHL considers bringing back its outdoor game series.

The rumors around the event began on the October 22 edition of Hockey Night in Canada. During the weekly headlines segment, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman told host Ron MacLean that the league was looking at reviving the Heritage Classic and that Winnipeg had emerged as a strong candidate. Friedman did not expand further but said, “looks like there’s going to be one next year and the whispers from out west is that Winnipeg is going to be a serious contender to host it.”

Since then, Winnipeg has consistently appeared as the expected host city, though no official announcement has been made, and the opposing team remains unconfirmed. Recent unverified reports point to the Montreal Canadiens as the likely opponent for the Jets, but neither the NHL nor either club has commented on the speculation.

If selected, Princess Auto Field, the home stadium of the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers, would be the venue. The stadium previously hosted the 2016 Heritage Classic when the Jets met the Edmonton Oilers. Winnipeg lost that game 3-0, with Edmonton led by a young Connor McDavid who recorded an assist.

The Jets last appeared in a Heritage Classic in 2019 in Regina, where they defeated the Calgary Flames in overtime at Mosaic Stadium. That win evened Winnipeg’s outdoor game record at one victory and one loss.

Winnipeg’s history of hosting large events and its strong fan base have kept the city in regular consideration for NHL outdoor games. The league typically confirms Heritage Classic details several months in advance, and for now the possibility of a Jets–Canadiens matchup remains only a rumor but a potential exciting matchup for a standalone event.

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Islanders Matthew Schaefer Reaches 20-Point Mark vs. Colorado

ELMONT, NY --New York Islanders No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer reached the 20-point mark on Thursday night against the Colorado Avalanche

He recorded the primary assist on Bo Horvat's goal at 6:58 of the second period and now has eight goals and 12 assists on the season:

With the assist, he tied Montreal Canadiens' Ivan Demidov and Anaheim Ducks' Beckett Sennecke for the rookie point lead (20). 

Kings Vs Blackhawks Game Preview: Kings Looking To Bounce Back

The Kings are coming off a 3-1 loss against the Washington Capitals. That is the Kings' 4th loss in the last 6 games. The Kings' power play also continued to struggle, so they are looking to play better on the man advantage tonight against the Blackhawks, which may prove to be a difficult task, as the Blackhawks have the 5th-best penalty kill in the NHL. The Blackhawks are coming off a 4-3 Shootout loss to the Vegas Golden Knights and are looking to avoid losing two in a row heading into tonight's matchup. 

Projected Kings Lines: 

Here are the projected lines for the Kings tonight: 

Trevor Moore - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe

Kevin Fiala - Quinton Byfield - Joel Armia

Alex Laferriere - Phillip Danault - Andrei Kuzmenko

Warren Foegele - Alex Turcotte - Corey Perry

Mikey Anderson - Joel Edmundson

Brandt Clarke - Drew Doughty

Brian Dumoulin - Cody Ceci

Darcy Kuemper

Anton Forsberg

Projected Blackhawks Lines

Here are the projected lines for the Blackhawks tonight: 

Ryan Greene - Connor Bedard - Andre Burakovsky

Tyler Bertuzzi - Frank Nazar - Oliver Moore

Teuvo Teravainen - Jason Dickinson - Ilya Mikheyev

Colton Dach - Ryan Donato

Alex Vlasic - Louis Crevier

Wyatt Kaiser - Artyom Levshunov

Matt Grzelcyk - Connor Murphy

Sam Rinzel

Spencer Knight

Arvid Soderblom

Injuries and Line Changes

The Kings are seemingly fully healthy, with Drew Doughty, Warren Foegele, and Phillip Danault all returning to the lineup. The Blackhawks are without Nick Foligno, who is out tonight with a left-hand injury. The Blackhawks are also running 11 Forwards and 7 Defensemen, a common theme this season. 

Key Factors

The Kings will have to try to contain one of the best young forwards in the NHL, Connor Bedard, who has been on an absolute tear this season for the Blackhawks, with 17 goals and 38 points on the year, and in his last 5 games, he has 4 goals and 7 points. The Kings will have to be smart defensively, especially with how electric Bedard has been. For the Kings, they will be looking to their superstar player to be the difference-maker, as he has 2 goals and 3 points in his last 5 games. 

The goaltenders in tonight's matchup are very interesting, as both Kuemper and Knight have been very solid this season, with Knight taking a massive step forward in his play. Knight this season has played 18 games, with 8 wins, 1 shutout, a 2.52 GAA, and a .917 SV%. For the Kings, Kuemper has been very solid, playing 18 games with 8 wins, 1 shutout, a 2.37 GAA, and a .908 SV%. So the matchup between these two goalies is going to be very interesting. 

If the Kings can clean up their power-play chances in this game, it could be the deciding factor for them tonight. In the last 10 matchups between these teams, the Kings are 7-1-2, and while Chicago has played much better this season, I predict the Kings will win 3-1 tonight and get back on track. 

Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

Van der Ven may be key for Spurs, Wissa could make Newcastle debut and Dyche deserves warm Everton welcome

Arsenal’s recent memories of Aston Villa are of awkward opponents. Mikel Arteta’s side squandered a two-goal lead at the Emirates Stadium when the teams last met, in January, Arsenal dropping two points, their title charge dented. With such little margin for error, it was the kind of day that boosted Liverpool and crystallised the sense that the Gunners would come up short. Villa also defeat Arsenal in 2023-24, abruptly halting Arteta’s six-game winning streak. Now Arsenal are in a different position, at the summit with a five-point lead – and six clear of Unai Emery’s team. Victory at Villa Park on Saturday, against a side that have lost only once in the league since August, would offer another significant indication that this could be the season Arsenal take the crown. Ben Fisher

Aston Villa v Arsenal, Saturday 12.30pm (all times GMT)

Bournemouth v Chelsea, Saturday 3pm

Everton v Nottingham Forest, Saturday 3pm

Manchester City v Sunderland, Saturday 3pm

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"Would Be Really Cool": Patrick Kane Would Love Mike Modano In Attendance For Milestone Achievement

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Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane, a bonafide first-ballot future Hall of Fame player and arguably the greatest American-born forward in NHL history, is closing in on yet another milestone in his illustrious career.

With 1,359 career points, Kane trails Mike Modano by just 16 points (1,374) for the most by an American-born player in NHL history. He inched closer to Modano's record and actually tied him in a key category in the process.

During Detroit's 5-4 win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday evening, Kane registered a pair of assists and equaled Modano's mark of 358 career multi-point games. 

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As he moves closer to becoming the highest-scoring U.S. player in NHL history, Kane said that he would love it if Modano were to be in attendance to watch his record be broken. 

"It would be really cool, I've been a big fan of Mike since his playing days," Kane explained earlier in the week. "When I met him when I came into the League, it was really a surreal moment for me. Loved the way he played, his flair and style, his jersey flapping when he was skating, and just how effortless he played."

"His highlights were something I watched growing up, so it would be cool to have him in attendance."

Modano himself indicated that he would like to witness Kane surpass his scoring record in person. 

"I knew years ago that he might be one that if he stayed healthy, that he would be the guy that kind of goes after it," Modano said. "I'd love to be there and definitely would make the effort to be there for that one."

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Red Wings fans will recall Modano’s brief stint in Detroit at the end of his Hall of Fame career. The Westland native signed a one-year deal to join his hometown team before the 2010–11 season.

However, a lacerated right wrist suffered in a November 2010 game sidelined him for several months.

While Kane hasn't found the back of the net recently, he's had no shortage of good chances to score and is producing at nearly a point-per-game basis with 16 points in the 18 games he's played. 

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Amorim ‘angry and frustrated’ after West Ham’s Magassa denies Manchester United

Until Soungoutou Magassa’s 83rd-minute equaliser Manchester United seemed to be flowering in the cold of winter on the way to a win that would have been their fifth in eight games.

Instead Jarrod Bowen’s flick-on from Andy Irving’s corner from the right had to be cleared off the line by Noussair Mazraoui, only for the ball to go straight to Magassa, who drove home a first goal for the Hammers.

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Chris Paul reportedly does not want to retire, Clippers stars were surprised by move to send him home

Chris Paul may have suggested weeks ago that he planned to retire after this season, but being sent away from the team and parting ways with the Clippers is not how he wants his career to end.

Paul "absolutely" does not want to retire mid-season, reports Marc Spears of ESPN.

Paul, who signed a veteran minimum contract with the Clippers this summer, cannot be traded until after Dec. 15 and the Clippers reportedly will look to find a new home for the future Hall of Famer. However, any teams that have any interest in him would rather wait to pick him up on the buyout market after the trade deadline — or, after the Clippers just release him — than give up anything in a trade.

Paul is known for being a very vocal leader, unafraid to call out anyone — teammates, coaches, management — in meetings and in private, and over the course of his career, that has worn thin at places. With the Clippers stumbling out of the gate, the relationship between Paul and coach Tyronn Lue reportedly grew strained, to the point that they were no longer speaking. That's when the decision to send Paul home and keep him away from the team was made.

Whatever one thinks of the reasoning, the Clippers' handling of Paul's exit — with the news leaking at nearly 3 AM Eastern while the team was in Atlanta — was not smooth. It caught Clippers players off guard, as they told Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

"I'm just as confused and shocked as you guys, the world," (James) Harden said ... "Definitely surprised me. But not just Chris, it's a lot that we were dealing with. But that is out of my hands. I got to focus on what I got to focus on and what I can control. I guess the front office felt that was the best decision for the organization."

"It was shocking to me," (Kawhi) Leonard said. "I guess they had a conversation, and front office made a decision."

The Clippers did go out after all this drama and picked up a quality win in Atlanta, 115-92. LA is still 6-16 on the season and sitting 13th in the West.

Sharks Send Forward Down To AHL

Pavol Regenda (© David Gonzales-Imagn Images)

The San Jose Sharks have made a roster move, as they have assigned forward Pavol Regenda to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. 

Regenda was called up to the Sharks' NHL roster back on Dec. 1. From there, he scored a goal in each of his two games with the Sharks following being recalled. Yet, with this latest roster move, he is heading back to the AHL. 

Regenda will now be looking to make an impact after being sent back down to the Barracuda's roster. In 19 games so far this season with the AHL squad, the 6-foot-3 forward has recorded three goals, four assists, seven points, 10 penalty minutes, and a plus-2 rating. 

In 21 career NHL games over three seasons split between the Anaheim Ducks and Sharks, Regenda has recorded three goals, two assists, five points, and 22 hits. 

Sabres Ex-Files – Pacific Division

There are a number of former Buffalo Sabres players scattered throughout the NHL, having a varied level of success this season. Periodically, we will check in to see how their players are faring. Today we start with ex-Sabres playing for the eight teams in the Pacific Division. The Anaheim Ducks do not have any former Buffalo players currently on their roster, but here are those on the other seven clubs.

Calgary 

Devin Cooley - G: The former Rochester Amerk played 14 AHL games for the Sabres AHL affiliate in 2023-24 and was called up to Buffalo, but never played a game. Currently, as Dustin Wolf’s backup, Cooley has a 3-3-2 record, but a sparkling .920 save % and 2.17 GAA. 

Edmonton 

Matthew Savoie - F:  The Sabres 2022 first-rounder scored 54 points for AHL Bakersfield after being traded to Edmonton in the Ryan McLeod deal in the summer of 2024. Getting his first legitimate crack at the NHL, the 21-year-old has seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) in 27 games. 

Curtis Lazar - F: Lazar played in Buffalo for 71 games between 2019-21, and for his seven NHL clubs he has one goal in 11 games this season.  

Los Angeles

Joel Armia - F: The Sabres 2011 first-rounder spent three years in Winnipeg and seven seasons in Montreal before signing as a free agent in Los Angeles. The 32-year-old has 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists) in 26 games. 

Other Sabres Stories

Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere

Guerin Gathering Info On Possible Olympic Options 

San Jose 

Jeff Skinner - F: After being bought out by the Sabres in 2024, the former 40-goal scorer played for Edmonton and saw his first career postseason action. The 33-year-old had four goals in 17 games before being injured last month, but is expected to return to action this week.  

Seattle

Brandon Montour - D: The Cup-winning blueliner had 18 goals in his first season with the Kraken, and is having another solid offensive year thus far, with 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists) in 20 games. 

Vancouver

Tyler Myers - D: The former Calder Trophy winner was part of the Evander Kane deal in 2015 and, after five years in Winnipeg, is in his seventh season with the Canucks. The big righty has seven points (1 goal, 6 assists) in 27 games.

Evander Kane - F: The talented but undisciplined winger wore out his welcome in Edmonton after four years and was traded to the hometown Canucks last summer. In 27 games, Kane has 14 points (5 goals, 9 assists), but there are reports that he has already worn out his welcome. 

Vegas

Jack Eichel - F: The former Sabres team captain reached the 90-point plateau for the first time last season, and this season is on pace to set a career-high, with 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) in 26 games. Eichel will be on Team USA for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina next February.

Brayden McNabb - D: The stay-at-home blueliner won a Cup with the Golden Knights and, in his ninth season with Vegas, has one assist in 26 games. 

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