The Montreal Canadiens have made a roster move, as they have announced that they have recalled forward Sammy Blais from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Laval Rocket.
The Canadiens claimed Blais back off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs back in late November. This was after Blais posted one goal, two assists, three points, and 28 hits in eight games for the Maple Leafs this season.
Since being claimed off waivers by the Canadiens, Blais has recorded three goals, six assists, nine points, and a plus-2 rating in nine games with Laval. Now, after landing this call-up to the Canadiens' roster, he will be aiming to impress.
With Blais being called up, the Canadiens now have another gritty forward with plenty of experience to work with for their bottom six.
In 265 career NHL games over eight seasons split between the St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues, and Maple Leafs, Blais has posted 28 goals, 46 assists, 74 points, 126 penalty minutes, and 863 hits.
No. 5 UConn played without Solo Ball on Sunday for the first time this season. It took a while for the Huskies to adjust, but they figured it out eventually. Ball missed UConn's 72-54 victory over DePaul with a minor wrist injury.
SACRAMENTO — Their record might not indicate it, but Doug Christie has emphasized competitiveness for his Kings as they continue to figure out a solution to their now 7-22 record.
In the last three games, at least, including Sunday’s win, they’ve shown that.
Sacramento overcame a 14-point deficit thanks to a late fourth-quarter surge fueled by Keegan Murray and a clutch corner 3-pointer by Russell Westbrook with 1.8 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime.
Dennis Schröder sank a 26-foot 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds remaining in overtime to secure the victory.
The Rockets still had time to steal the lead — and win — but Kevin Durant’s missed jumpshot ended those hopes.
The Kings snapped a five-game losing streak, and it was a true team effort.
DeMar DeRozan’s 27 points led the way for the Kings, with Keegan Murray contributing 26 and Schröder adding 24 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds off the bench.
Rockets young star center Alperen Şengün dominated Sacramento for most of the game, finishing with 28 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in 40 minutes.
Here are the takeaways from Sunday’s win:
Extra basketball
The Kings got rolling at the right time, with Westbrook’s corner triple sending the game to overtime.
The action-packed thriller in Sacramento continued for five more minutes, as the game ended with a game-winning triple from Schroder.
In the extra period, Westbrook fouled Jabari Smith Jr. at the 3-point line with 10 seconds remaining, and Smith Jr. knocked down two of his three attempts from the charity stripe.
But it was Schroder who called game in the end.
Malik returns
Malik Monk recorded two consecutive DNP-CD (Did Not Play, Coach’s Decision) in a road and home loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday and Saturday.
Before Sunday’s game, Kings coach Doug Christie was swarmed with questions about the bizarre situation, and he hinted that Monk could see the floor against the Rockets.
Kings coach Doug Christie on Malik Monk’s back-to-back DNP-CDs:
“That doesn’t mean he’s out of the rotation. He could be in [the rotation] very well tonight. We’ll see.”
Monk entered Sunday’s game for the first time of the night toward the end of the third quarter. And as expected, he was welcomed with a loud and warm welcome from the Golden 1 Center crowd.
Oh, he also instantly drove to the basket and made a layup within seconds of being on the court.
While being repeatedly asked about the decision to bench Monk in the past two games, Christie maintained it solely was based on it being a “logjam” at the guard position and simply a “numbers game.” He also stated that Monk was the “odd man out” since the Kings decided to emphasize defense and insert Keon Ellis into the rotation over Monk.
Ellis played just nine minutes in Sunday’s game, and has been struggling as of late. It could be possible that Ellis is back to being the “odd man out,” while Monk resumes his role.
Keegan’s resurgence
Keegan Murray has struggled to find a consistent offensive flow since returning from a UCL injury.
But his confidence never wavered, and neither did his coaches’ or teammates’ in him.
Murray missed all six of his 3-point attempts in Saturday’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. On Sunday, his first attempt from downtown — a 30-point trey — was a make. He finished the first quarter with 10 points and scored just two points in the second quarter.
But he got going when it mattered most, helping fuel a late rally to keep Sacramento alive in the fourth quarter. Murray finished the game with 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field and 3 of 4 from downtown.
While the second game of a back-to-back has traditionally been unkind to the Detroit Red Wings this season, defenseman Moritz Seider made sure that it was a happier ending this time around.
Seider blasted home the overtime game-winning goal Sunday afternoon against the Washington Capitals, securing a 3–2 victory for the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena and their second win over Washington in 24 hours.
It was Seider's second goal in as many games, as he also scored on Saturday afternoon as part of Detroit's 5-2 win in Washington D.C.
With the victory, the Red Wings improved their standing atop the Atlantic Division with a 21-13-3 record, three points ahead of the second-place Montreal Canadiens (who have two games in hand).
The Capitals began the scoring in the opening 20 minutes of play, as fourth line forward Ethen Frank took advantage of Detroit defenseman Albert Johansson blowing a tire and beat goaltender Cam Talbot five-hole.
The Capitals largely controlled the play in the first period as Detroit did on Saturday, outshooting the Red Wings 14-5.
However, the Red Wings responded in the game's middle frame thanks to a power-play tally from Lucas Raymond, followed by the second goal in as many games for John Leonard.
The AHL's leading goal scorer, who was called up following the injury to Patrick Kane, deflected Alex DeBrincat's shot past goaltender Charlie Lindgren for his second goal with Detroit and eighth NHL goal overall.
But the Capitals would draw even midway through the third period after another goal from Frank, who once again slipped a shot through the pads of Talbot.
After an unsuccessful power-play chance in overtime by the Red Wings, both teams appeared destined for a shootout until some late-game heroics from Seider, who one-timed a feed from Andrew Copp past Lindgren with 23 seconds left in the extra session.
Talbot stopped 31 shots, picking up his first victory in his last seven outings. Lindgren countered with 24 saves in a losing effort.
The Red Wings have one game remaining before the Christmas break, as they'll host the Dallas Stars on Tuesday evening.
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NHL Player Safety has announced that Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Matt Grzelcyk has been fined $2,604.17 for cross-checking Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle. This is the maximum allowable under the current CBA for cross-checking.
The incident occurred during the Blackhawks' most recent contest against the Senators on Dec. 20. In a scrum after the whistle during the first period, Grzelcyk cross-checked Stutzle in the face. This led to the Blackhawks defenseman receiving a double-minor penalty for high-sticking.
While getting fined is never the best thing, the Blackhawks are certainly happy that this incident did not lead to Grzelcyk receiving a suspension, as he is a solid part of their blueline.
Grzelcyk signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Blackhawks at the start of the 2025-26 season. This was after he joined the club's training camp on a professional tryout (PTO), where he impressed enough to earn a deal for the season.
Grzelcyk has appeared in 35 games so far this season with the Blackhawks, where he has recorded zero goals, six assists, 30 blocks, and a plus-3 rating. This is after he scored one goal and set career highs with 39 assists and 40 points in 82 games during this past season with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The neutral-site game in northern Alabama included a pro-Crimson Tide crowd and hosted a coming-out party for Sherrell. The sophomore from Detroit scored 15 points in the first half and helped Alabama (9-3) build a 26-point lead. The Tide held on from there despite getting outscored by 15 in the second half and ended up with four players scoring in double figures, including Aden Holloway (17), Labaron Philon Jr. (17) and Jalil Bethea (11).
Georgetown men's basketball coach Ed Cooley was suspended by the school on Sunday for one game after throwing a water bottle into the stands at the end of a loss to Xavier the night before. The Hoyas fell to 8-4 and 1-1 in Big East Conference play with their 80-77 loss against visiting Xavier on Saturday.
That extended his point streak to seven games (two goals, five assists).
Then, on the power play with goaltender David Rittich on the bench for the extra attacker, Barzal hit Emil Heineman on the tape for the tying tally with 28 seconds to play in regulation:
The Islanders have gone 1-2-1 without Bo Horvat and it’s been a struggle to produce, especially off the rush.
Patrick Roy has been waiting for someone to rise up and he got that kind of performance from No. 13 when the team desperately needed a spark on Saturday.
“Well, it's a great opportunity for him to lead the team, and he's doing that,” Roy said. “So I mean, that's the leadership we need from him, producing every night, giving ourselves a chance to be in every game. And I feel that’s a role Barzy wants to play as well. So I mean, it's nice to see him be successful.”
Horvat isn’t expected to be out much longer, already a week and a half into what I heard was a 1-3 week timeline.
Could he return later this week against the New York Rangers on Saturday?
Given that Horvat skated on his own Friday morning — he didn't travel because there was no morning skate — one would think he's getting very close.
Until he's back, the Islanders need Barzal playing like a No. 1 center.
The point streak is nice, but if you noticed, he was making key plays defensively on Saturday. He was pushing the pace, crashing the net and he did win 7-of-13 face-offs (53%).
That's the Barzal that this team needs and that's the Barzal the Islanders got on Saturday.
While the Montreal Canadiens announced on Sunday morning that they had recalled Samuel Blais from the Laval Rocket, the organization stayed eerily quiet about goaltender Samuel Montembeault.
Blais’ call-up makes perfect sense since center Jake Evans left Saturday night’s game not even four minutes in after what looked like a knee-on-knee collision. In his post-game media availability, Martin St-Louis explained that he would not be flying with the team to Pittsburgh and that he was still being evaluated.
The absence of news on Montembeault was, however, surprising since the organization had already said a couple of times that the plan was for the netminder to rejoin the team in Pittsburgh this weekend. Following several media requests, the communications department confirmed that the goaltender's plan had been revised and that he would rejoin the team after the Christmas break.
Under the conditioning stint rules, a player can remain in the AHL for 14 days. Since Montembeault was assigned to the Rocket on December 16, he could conceivably stay there until December 30. The team has not confirmed the exact date the goalie will join the Canadiens, but, as previously reported, the goalie had to agree to this course of action.
On paper, his stay is extended, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that he will see more action in the AHL since the Rocket’s next game is on December 27 against the Syracuse Crunch, while the Canadiens’ next game will be on December 28 against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Florida. If Montembeault joins the team right after the break, he will likely travel with them before the Tampa game, meaning he wouldn’t have time to play another game in Laval in any case.
The Becancour native has lost his two starts with the Rocket: 5-2 on Thursday, when he gave up four goals on 24 shots, and 2-0 on Saturday, when he made 27 saves on 28 shots, the second goal was an empty netter. The Rocket was playing without several of its key contributors, with Owen Beck, Adam Engstrom, and Jacob Fowler all with the Canadiens, and Alex Belzile, Joshua Roy, and Laurent Dauphin serving three-game suspensions. The goalie can hardly be blamed for Saturday’s defeat, but it’s clear the plan didn’t really go as hoped.
While the Canadiens play in Pittsburgh tonight and in Boston on Tuesday night, Montembeault will benefit from more practice time with Rocket goaltending coach Marco Marciano. He has done a great job with Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler in getting them ready for the NHL, so more time with him might just be what the doctor ordered for the veteran goaltender.
Since Fowler played last night, you can expect Dobes to be in the net tonight when the Habs take on the Pittsburgh Penguins, although that has yet to be confirmed by the team, which didn’t hold a media availability today.
Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow remains active on the trade market.
On Sunday, the Red Sox acquired first baseman Willson Contreras from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for right-hander Hunter Dobbins as well as minor-league righties Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
Contreras, 33, will bring much-needed right-handed pop to the Red Sox lineup. The three-time All-Star slashed .257/.344/.447 with 20 home runs and 80 RBI in 135 games last season.
Defensively, Contreras should be a significant upgrade at first base. He ranked fourth among all players at the position last season with six Outs Above Average. Fellow Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas had -10 OAA in 2024, his lone full MLB season.
Contreras is signed through 2027 with $36.5 million remaining on his contract. He has a $17.5 million club option for the 2028 season that comes with a $5 million buyout.
This was the Red Sox’ second trade with the Cardinals this offseason. In November, they acquired veteran right-hander Sonny Gray in exchange for righty Richard Fitts and left-handed pitching prospect Brandon Clarke.
Boston still has not made a big-league free-agent signing.
When Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Matt Grzelcyk cross-checked Senators top scorer Tim Stutzle in the face on Saturday afternoon, he seemed to get off lightly, receiving only a double minor for high-sticking.
The officials then effectively reduced the punishment by handing Stutzle a roughing minor. Then the Sens lessened the severity even further with a too-many-men penalty near the end of their power play.
So Sens fans came away feeling like they didn't really get their pound of flesh.
On Sunday, in the light of day, when the NHL had a good chance to fully review Grzelcyk's actions, they swooped in with a $2,604.17 fine. Only time will tell whether Grzelcyk will ever financially recover.
The incident happened in the first period of Ottawa's 6-4 win over the Hawks when Stutzle and Grzelcyk began shoving after the whistle. Grzelcyk eventually hit Stutzle with a clear cross-check to the face, captured perfectly in high-definition, slow-motion replay and witnessed by one of the referees, standing 3 feet away.
This was clearly a much different situation than a player trying to lift an opponent's stick and accidentally catching him with a high stick, causing blood. And yet, Saturday's officials treated it the same.
After reviewing the tape several times, I now think that in the middle of the jousting, Grzelcyk was probably just intending to cross-check Stutzle in the chest area. Unfortunately for both parties, his stick shaft appeared to accidentally ride upward as Stutzle simultaneously raised his arms to defend himself.
Still, when your intention is to lay a hard cross-check on someone after the whistle, versus something that accidentally happens during a hockey play in game action, then what happens next is and should be on you.
So Grzelcyk was fortunate to stay in the game and only receive a double minor. And why the NHL continues to bother with its tiny fines is anyone's guess.
By Steve Warne The Hockey News Ottawa
This article was originally published at The Hockey News Ottawa. Read more:
Xaivian Lee scored 19 points, Thomas Haugh added 17 and No. 23 Florida pulled away late to beat Colgate 90-60 on Sunday and extend its home-winning streak against nonconference opponents to 18. Rueben Chinyelu finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Alex Condon had 16 points, 10 boards, five assists, two blocks and two steals.
