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George Ford inspired England to their first win over the All Blacks in six years
Beauden Barrett sends the ball into England territory and we’re underway.
We’ve had the anthems and now it’s Haka time. England let slip that they have a very special response planned…
Continue reading...For the first time in the 2025-26 season, the Pacific Division-leading Anaheim Ducks dropped back-to-back games when they faced the Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings this week on the road.
Until Tuesday, the Ducks were the NHL’s hottest team, winning their previous seven games and nine of ten. Leo Carlsson was the hottest player on the league’s hottest team through that stretch and dating back to just before the NHL’s “4 Nations” break in 2024-25.
Through the Ducks' first 17 games, Carlsson leads the team and is tied for third in the NHL’s scoring race with 26 points (11-15=26). He just saw his 11-game point streak snapped in the Ducks’ latest loss to the Red Wings on Thursday. During the 11-game streak, he tallied 20 points (9-11=20) and was the first NHL player 20 years old or younger to record a 10-game point streak in the last five NHL seasons. Before Tuesday, when the Ducks lost to the Colorado Avalanche, Carlsson and Paul Kariya (1994-95) were the only Ducks players 20 or younger to record multiple points in four consecutive games.
Takeaways from the Ducks 6-3 Loss to the Red Wings
Ducks’ Youth Leading Their Rise to the Top
Though Carlsson played well over the last two games, the Avs and Wings held one of the NHL’s brightest young stars to just a goal, the Ducks' lone goal against Colorado on Tuesday, in 42:44 TOI total. Did the Red Wings and Avalanche crack the code on how to shut down Carlsson (relatively), or did the bounces simply not go his way, keeping his presence on the scoresheet limited?
When healthy, Carlsson’s most consistent line has been centering Troy Terry and Chris Kreider. The trio has found a nice rapport, with Kreider’s small-area and net-front prowess opening up an abundance of open ice for Carlsson and Terry to operate in transition and on the cycle, two players who thrive with pucks on their sticks and at full speed. They’ve been one of the NHL’s best lines through the first part of the season, combining for 59 points between the three (26-33=59), ranking fifth in expected goals share (62.7%), fourth in xGF/60 (4.09), and 12th in xGA/60 (2.43) (min 100 minutes).
On the Ducks' recent two-game skid, Colorado head coach Jared Bednar and Detroit head coach Todd McLellan decided to hard-match strength vs strength at home with the last change, sending their top line and D pair over the boards to compete against the Ducks’ top line every chance they got at 5v5.
Every time Carlsson went over the boards at 5v5 on Tuesday against Colorado, Bednar put out his top line (Artturi Lehkonen-Nathan MacKinnon-Martin Necas) and his top defensive pair (Devon Toews-Cale Makar) in hopes of maintaining possession and keeping the puck off Carlsson’s stick. At 5v5, Carlsson’s line finished with 53.85% of the shot attempts share (14-12), 64.29% of the shots on goal share (9-5), and 63.72% of the xG share (1.2-.68).
The numbers suggest Colorado didn’t exactly shut down Carlsson and the Ducks’ top line, but visibly, they were hounding pucks and killing plays early to prevent cycle chances through the first two periods before locking down the middle of the defensive zone late to hold on to their decisive victory.
On Thursday against Detroit, McLellan took a page out of Bednar’s playbook and threw out his own top line (Lucas Raymond-Dylan Larkin-Alex DeBrincat) and D pair (Simon Edvinsson-Moritz Seider) against Carlsson every chance he got at 5v5. Carlsson’s line finished with 47.83% of the shot attempts share (11-12), 41.67% of the shots on goal share (5-7), and just 31.75% of the xG share (.33-.71).
Unlike Colorado, the numbers DO suggest Detroit shut down the Ducks’ top line. In a more low-event style, Detroit’s top line was able to do most of its damage on the rush and displayed a relentless forecheck to kill counters before they could build.
The Ducks will wrap up their three-game road trip with a Saturday afternoon matchup against the Minnesota Wild. Minnesota, unlike Colorado and Detroit, has deployed a lineup over their last ten games, where their top two offensive talents (Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy) have been playing on separate lines. They recently placed top center Marco Rossi on IR, who is set to be out week-to-week with a lower-body injury.
The Wild currently sit in sixth in the Central Division with a 7-7-4 record, perhaps a disappointing start to the season for them. However, they’ve notched points in five of their last six games (4-1-1), and will be hoping to get their record over the .500 mark for the first time since the first game of the season. With Rossi out and the blueprint utilized by Colorado and Detroit, it will be interesting to see if Minnesota and head coach John Hynes reconnect Kaprizov and Boldy in an attempt to control puck possession time and match them up against the Ducks’ Kreider-Carlsson-Terry line.
Joel Quennville Remains Jack Adams Favorite, Impact Sparked Ducks Hot Start
After a video session with his men yesterday, Martin St-Louis hopes his Montreal Canadiens have learned a few things and can get back on track when they take on the Boston Bruins at the Bell Centre tonight. The Habs have lost their last two games and have been outscored 12-1 in the process. In fact, they’ve now given 12 unanswered goals, and something has to give.
With Alex Newhook out of action for the next four months, the Sainte-Flanelle called up Jared Davidson from the Laval Rocket yesterday, and the 23-year-old fifth-round pick at the 2022 draft will be making his NHL debut against Boston. His arrival will no doubt force the coach to make some adjustments, as it’s doubtful that he could slot in Newhook’s spot.
Canadiens’ St-Louis Says He Did His Job Following Optional Skate On Friday
Montreal Canadiens Call Up Surging Prospect
Canadiens Provide Bad Newhook & Guhle Injury Updates
The Bruins have done surprisingly well this season so far, and just like the Canadiens, they’ve got 22 points to their name, although they’ve played two more games. Like the Habs as well, they find themselves with a pair of struggling goaltenders. In fact, since Jeremy Swayman signed his lucrative eight-year contract at the start of the last season, he’s not been the same goaltender, but he does seem to be on his way to recovery this year.
Boston’s starter has yet to be confirmed. Still, since Jonas Korpisalo played in Thursday night’s 5-3 defeat against the Ottawa Senators, it would be surprising if Swayman wasn’t back in net tonight. The American netminder has a good record against Montreal; he’s 9-1-1 with a 2.72 goals-against average and a .901 SV. Although his Finnish backup has an even better one, he’s 8-2-0 with a 2.49 GAA and a .916 SV.
As for the Canadiens, the coach has already confirmed that Samuel Montembeault will be in net after Jakub Dobes struggled in his last start against the Dallas Stars, allowing five goals on just 13 shots. The Becancour native has faced the Bruins 11 times in his career, posting a 3-6-1 record with a 3.84 GAA and a .880 SV%.
This tilt against a big rival might just be what Brendan Gallagher needs to break the ice this season. He has no goals in 17 games and only seven assists this season, but in 43 games against the Bruins, he has 30 points, leading the Habs with 13 goals. Nick Suzuki is the second most productive forward against Boston with 13 points in 18 games. Josh Anderson and Mike Matheson complete the top three with 12 points each.
As for the Bruins, their top scorer against the Habs is David Pastrnak, the Czech has a whopping 42 points in 32 games, including 20 goals. Charlie McAvoy is the visitors’ second-most-productive scorer against the Canadiens with 16 points in 23 games, while Pavel Zacha completes the top three with 14 points in 21 games.
Tonight’s game is the first of four meetings between the two sides this season, with the other three being scheduled in December, January and March. The visitors have won eight of the last 10 games between the rivals, but Montreal did win the previous meeting, at home last April. Meaning that, unlike the Stars and the Los Angeles Kings, the Bruins do not have a long winning streak at the Bell Centre.
It will be interesting to see how St-Louis decides to amend his lines. Newhook’s absence might give a better opportunity for Zachary Bolduc, who had a good start to the season but is struggling of late. The summer acquisition has got a great shot, but he needs someone to set it up, and that’s something Ivan Demidov could certainly do.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM, and you can catch the game on TVA Sports, City, Sportsnet East, NESN and NHLN. The Canadiens will practice on Sunday morning before flying to Columbus for a Monday evening game against the Blue Jackets for a one-game road trip.
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The Columbus Blue Jackets are at home tonight to face the New York Rangers.
The Blue Jackets welcome the best road team in the NHL into NWA tonight, so this won't be an easy game at all.
The Rangers are 8-1-1 on the road this season, with their only regulation loss coming at the hands of the lowly Calgary Flames back on October 26th. Before that, they suffered an overtime loss to Toronto on October 16th. That makes five wins straight on the road for the Rangers.
The Blue Jackets are coming off a 5-4 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night. The win marked their second straight after losing 4 in a row on a western Canada trip. The schedule doesn't get any easier, so they need to play the way they know how and score some goals to stay in the insane Metro Division race.
Blue Jackets Stats
Rangers Stats
Series History vs. Rangers
Who To Watch For TheRangers
CBJ Player Notes vs. Rangers
Injuries - Gudbranson on IR
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 22
How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FanDuel Sports Network. Steve Mears will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 93.3 The Bus, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.
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Jackson Rowe gives hilarious locker room speech after Steph Curry's big game originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Steve Kerr doesn’t always want to do all the talking.
Especially after the coach already had given the Warriors a passionate pregame speech before Friday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs, Kerr wanted to give someone else the opportunity to address the team in the locker room after a nail-biting 109-108 win.
So, Kerr turned to Draymond Green to pick a rookie or young player to put on the spot and evaluate another Steph Curry masterclass. Green originally chose rookie guard Will Richard before changing his mind and selecting second-year forward Jackson Rowe.
Rowe, like the rest of us, tried to find the right words to explain what the world had just witnessed from Curry. So he kept it simple.
“God just blessed Steph, man,” Rowe said as the locker room burst into laughter. “I don’t know. There ain’t no answer for him. There ain’t no answer.”
Curry, also hysterical sitting at his locker, loved it.
I mean, what more can you say?
Curry finished with 49 points on 16-of-26 shooting from the field and 9 of 17 from 3-point range, with four rebounds, two assists and two steals in 36 minutes.
He compiled a whopping 95 points in two consecutive games against the Spurs, both leading to wins for Golden State.
Curry might be blessed, as Rowe stated, but so is the basketball world that gets to watch him.
Once upon a time in the NHL, when an opponent destroyed you, there was a risk that practice the next day would be tough, that there would be some bag skating, that the coach may very well raise his voice, but this is not today’s NHL. After his Montreal Canadiens were beaten 7-0 by the Dallas Stars, coach Martin St-Louis decided that the on-ice practice would be optional.
Canadiens Provide Bad Newhook & Guhle Injury Updates
Canadiens: Gallagher And Evans Join Adam Nicholas
Canadiens: St-Louis Speaks On The Eve Of His 300th Game
That decision surprised some, and when the bench boss was asked what his players did in Brossard on Friday morning, he replied that there was a mandatory video session. Ask to describe what that was like. He said there was a TV showing some clips, and they talked about a few things. Further pressed by a journalist to know what the tone of the meeting was like, the pilot said:
Listen, I’m not going to tell you what my tone was like, alright? I did my job today.- St-Louis didn't like being questioned about his handling of Friday's practice
While he didn’t say it, St-Louis didn’t appreciate the fact that the way he handled the group following such a beating was put into question. While fans and media alike wondered whether it was the best time for an optional skate, they are not in the coaches’ shoes or have the beat of the room that the coach does.
The coach stated that the team had been on the ice for four consecutive days and that two games were coming up quick against the Boston Bruins on Saturday and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday and that the players knew what they had to do whether it was to skate like Oliver Kapananenm, Lane Hutson, Ivan Demidov and Zachary Bolduc decided to do, jump on the ice earlier with skills coach Adam Nicholas like Brendan Gallagher and Jake Evans chose to do or by just sticking to off-ice training like all the others.
As for the other burning question, he confirmed that Samuel Montembeault would be in the net against the Bruins, meaning he’s sticking with the “if you lose, you give up the net” formula.
While the coach didn’t have a full update on Alex Newhook, he did acknowledge that the forward would miss some time and that he would need to make some lineup changes. A couple of hours later, the verdict was handed down. Newhook suffered a broken ankle, had surgery and will be out for four months. Because bad news never comes alone, the Canadiens also announced that Kaiden Guhle had surgery on a partially torn adductor muscle and would miss from eight to 10 weeks—awful news for the Canadiens that comes at the worst possible time.
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Victor Wembanyama explains why he got in Draymond Green's face after poster dunk originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Victor Wembanyama‘s poster dunk over Draymond Green, and the theatrics that ensued, came from bottled-up emotions.
After the Warriors’ thrilling 109-108 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night, the young Spurs phenom explained to reporters why he got in Green’s face after the monstrous slam.
“It’s not trying to prove anything to anybody,” Wembanyama said (h/t Mike Finger). “It’s just, at some point, somebody speaks to you a certain way, you have to respond a certain way.”
After the dunk, which didn’t actually count because officials ruled Green fouled Wembanyama before the slam, the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama hunched over Green as the two began to exchange words.
The Spurs bench — and the entire Frost Bank Center crowd — got out of their seats in awe of what they just witnessed. Then, as Wembanyama and Green continued to go at it, Spurs fourth-year forward Jeremy Sochan got in between the two and shoved Green away from his teammate.
Eventually, players on both sides got involved as they tried to de-escalate the situation.
Wembanyama finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, one steal and three blocks in 38 minutes.
Ultimately, though, Green, in 33 minutes, finished with six points, eight rebounds, eight assists, three blocks, the win and the last laugh in San Antonio.
Texas vs. Georgia 2024 was marred by Texas fans throwing trash on the field after a controversial penalty, delaying the game.
Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin is the most popular candidate for the vacant Florida football coaching job. Given his success and offenses, it's easy to see why
Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin face Florida in a Week 12 football game today. Here's how to watch, including time, TV channel, streaming info and game odds.
Who is Chandler Morris? The sixth-year Virginia quarterback is looking to return from injury against Duke in Week 12.
Here's why Northwestern football is hosting Big Ten foe Michigan at Wrigley Field on Saturday, Nov. 15:
Who are the longest tenured college football coaches in 2025? Here's a look at the top 10 coaches at one school through 2025.
Here's a look at the schools Notre Dame football has the most all-time games with, including Pitt, which it will play on Saturday:
Indiana football enters Week 12 undefeated at a 10-0 record. Have the Hoosiers ever finished a season undefeated? Here's what to know:
