Oregon played Gonzaga tough in a back-and-forth first half, led by 16 points from Bittle, and it was tied in the final seconds before Grant-Foster's buzzer-beating 3-pointer put the Bulldogs up 42-39. Gonzaga pulled away in the second half, leading by 15. NO.
Momcilovic hits 7 3s, scores 27 points in No. 4 Iowa State’s 91-60 win over Long Beach State
Milan Momcilovic made seven 3-pointers and scored 27 points and No. 4 Iowa State routed Long Beach State 91-60 on Sunday night to improve to 12-0. Momcilovic, who entered the game leading the Big 12 in 3-point shooting accuracy at 52.6%, made his first six shots from beyond the arc for his best start since he was 7 of 7 against Fairleigh Dickinson on Nov. 3. Iowa State held Long Beach State (3-10) to six points in the opening 10 minutes and led 45-9 with 5 1/2 minutes left in the first half.
BREAKING: Sidney Crosby Breaks Mario Lemieux's Franchise Record To Become Penguins' All-Time Leader In Points
It may have taken him 472 more games to do it. But Sidney Crosby finally sits alone at the top of Pittsburgh Penguins' history.
With a first-period power play assist against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday - his second point of the game - Crosby earned his 1,724th career point, which means he officially surpassed franchise and NHL legend Mario Lemieux on the Penguins' all-time points list. The goal also put him in sole possession of eighth on the NHL's all-time points list.
Crosby, 38, is in the midst of yet another impressive NHL campaign, as he has 20 goals and 37 points in 35 games this season. He is currently on pace for 47 goals - which would be the second-highest total of his career - and he is on track to record his 21st consecutive season at point-per-game or higher, which would put him one season beyond his own NHL record at 20.
The future Hall-of-Fame center needs 32 more points to surpass Steve Yzerman for seventh all-time in points, and he is just 11 goals shy of surpassing Brendan Shanahan to take sole possession of 14th on the all-time goals list.
'It Just Made Sense For Us To Do It At This Time': Penguins' GM Kyle Dubas Gives Insight On Jarry TradeIt's safe to say that <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/breaking-penguins-deal-tristan-jarry-to-edmonton-oilers">the trade sending Pittsburgh Penguins' goaltender Tristan Jarry and forward Sam Poulin to the Edmonton Oilers on Friday</a> - which returned goaltender Stuart Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak, and a 2029 second-round pick - surprised a whole lot of people, fans and players alike.
Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!
Canadiens Soaring Rookie Has Been Big Surprise
The Montreal Canadiens have had a solid start to the 2025-26 season. At the time of this writing, they have a 19-12-4 record and are in the second place in the Atlantic Division. With this, the Habs are currently in a good spot.
One of the many reasons for the Canadiens' solid start to the season has been forward Oliver Kapanen's breakout. The 22-year-old forward has emerged as a nice part of the Canadiens' roster and is showing that he is already capable of providing solid offense at the NHL level.
After recording just two assists in his first 18 NHL games this past season, Kapanen has undoubtedly taken a big step in the right direction this season. In 35 games so far this season with the Canadiens, Kapanen has recorded 10 goals, seven assists, and 17 points. These are certainly solid numbers from the 2021 second-round pick.
Due to his strong offensive numbers, Kapanen currently ranks second among all rookies with his 10 goals and fifth with his 17 points. With this, it is clear that he has been one of the NHL's top rookies this season, which has undoubtedly benefited the Canadiens.
It will now be very interesting to see how Kapanen builds on his strong season with the Canadiens. Right now, it is hard not to be impressed with the young forward.
Corey Hadnot II scores 29 as Purdue Fort Wayne stuns Notre Dame 72-69
Hadnot made 10 of 16 shots with four 3-pointers and 5 of 6 free throws for the Mastodons (8-6), who entered the game 0-6 on the road and 0-7 all-time versus the Fighting Irish (9-4).
Tyler Nickel hits 8 3-pointers, leads unbeaten No. 13 Vanderbilt to blowout of Wake Forest 98-67
Tyler Nickel hit eight 3-pointers on his way to 26 points and No. 13 Vanderbilt continued its surprise season as one of a handful of schools in the country that are still undefeated with a 98-67 win over Wake Forest on Sunday.
Alex Karaban scores 21 points as No. 5 UConn beats DePaul 72-54
Alex Karaban scored 21 points and No. UConn shut down DePaul for a rugged 72-54 victory Sunday. Playing without Solo Ball, UConn (12-1, 2-0 Big East) posted its eighth consecutive win.
Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen reshapes front office by hiring Marc Bergevin and Josh Flynn
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Newly hired Buffalo Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has wasted little time reshaping the team’s front office by hiring former Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin and Josh Flynn to his staff.
The hirings, announced by the team on Sunday, come in Kekalainen’s first week on the job, and a day after he fired assistant GM Jason Karmanos. Kekalainen took over on Monday in replacing Kevyn Adams, who was fired with the Sabres already in jeopardy of extending their NHL-record playoff drought to a 15th consecutive season.
”(They) bring a wealth of unique experience and perspective,” said Kekalainen, the former Columbus Blue Jackets general manager, who spent the previous six-plus months as a senior advisor in Buffalo. “Adding both to an already strong group adds versatility and helps us continue to build a well-rounded hockey operations staff.”
Bergevin fills the associate GM position, and will serve as Kekalainen’s top adviser. He joins the Sabres after spending parts of the past five seasons as a senior adviser with the Los Angeles Kings.
The 60-year-old Bergevin most notably oversaw the Canadiens from 2012-21, over which Montreal made six playoff appearances, including a five-game series loss to Tampa Bay in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. He previously worked in player personnel and scouting roles with the Chicago Blackhawks.
“Marc has firsthand experience as an NHL general manager and a track record as a strong talent evaluator,” Kekalainen said. “His insight will be invaluable as we continue to identify and develop talent throughout the organization.”
Flynn was named assistant GM and previously worked under Kekalainen with the Blue Jackets specializing in salary cap management, statistical research and strategic planning. Flynn’s role will be similar in Buffalo.
“I know that his attention to detail and nuanced understanding of league processes will help to enhance how we support our broader organization,” Kekalainen said.
Flynn’s responsibilities are similar to that of Buffalo’s current assistant GM Mark Jakubowski. With Karmanos’ departure, Jakubowski’s duties will likely shift more to overseeing the Buffalo’s American Hockey League affiliate in Rochester, New York.
Kekalainen has also retained Sabres assistant GM Jerry Forton, who serves as the team’s chief amateur scout.
Hare beats buzzer with a winning 3 and Crooks scores 41 to lift No. 10 Iowa State over Kansas 79-76
Kenzie Hare hit the game-winning 3-point shot as time expired, Audi Crooks scored 41 points and No. 10 Iowa State beat Kansas 79-76.
Kings' compete level answers Doug Christie's plea in OT thriller vs. Rockets
Kings' compete level answers Doug Christie's plea in OT thriller vs. Rockets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SACRAMENTO – The 2025-26 Kings are not a playoff team.
But Doug Christie still would like to see some fight from his guys after losing 22 games before January and plummeting to dead last in the Western Conference.
Over the past three games, the Kings have shown that competitive edge that Christie was known for as a player and preaches now as a coach. The last two have resulted in losses to the Trail Blazers, with the first in Portland ending in overtime controversy and the second in Sacramento being a back-and-forth battle.
After Saturday’s 98-93 loss to Portland, the first question Christie responded to was whether the competitive level his team had displayed was what he’s been looking for with this roster, given its rocky start to the season and its realistic future.
“Yeah. Ultimately, defensively, I thought we were better,” Christie said. “We’re in a hunt. The competition level was higher. That’s what we need. You have to be in the hunt, and then once you get there, you have to execute down the stretch. [Us] missing 10 free throws, those are the things that are going to get us over the [hump].
“But first and foremost, you got to compete at a high level and be in the hunt. We did a pretty good job in Portland as well [on Thursday]. That’s the biggest thing. We have to compete at a high level. And then, in this league, you have to learn how to win games. And that’s where we’re at right now.”
Well, Sunday’s showing was a promising start.
In Sacramento’s second overtime game in four days, the Kings once again displayed resilience and, yes, that competition level Christie has been begging for from his squad. This time, though, it didn’t end in heartbreak or controversy; it ended with a win against one of the top Western Conference teams, the Houston Rockets, that snapped a five-game skid.
It was a true collective effort.
A late surge led by Keegan Murray erased Houston’s 14-point lead and kept the Kings alive in crunch time. Murray, who has been struggling offensively really since returning from a UCL injury this season, got going when the Kings needed him to most.
Over a two-minute-and-30-second span, Murray couldn’t miss. He scored 10 points in that time, including two big 3-pointers that pulled the Kings within two points with just over seven minutes remaining in regulation.
Then it was a cat-and-mouse game from then on.
And even when Houston took a 5-point lead with 2:17 remaining, Sacramento never wavered. In fact, the Rockets never scored again in the fourth quarter, and the Kings went on a 5-0 run to force overtime after Russell Westbrook’s corner triple hit nothing but net to force overtime.
The Kings have been notorious for their inability to close out games, even when starting them off strong. But their competitive spirit never died, not even on the second night of a back-to-back.
The back-and-forth scoring continued literally until the final seconds of the extra period.
Just when it appeared to be over for the Kings when Westbrook fouled Jabari Smith Jr. at the 3-point line, and Smith Jr. made two of his three free-throw attempts to give Houston a 2-point lead with 10 seconds remaining, it was another Kings veteran guard who stepped up and came up clutch.
Schroder knocked down a trey with 3.1 seconds remaining, and Kevin Durant’s missed jumper on the other end sealed the deal in Sacramento.
After the game, Westbrook stated that it all comes down to putting your best foot forward and competing. He added that Sunday’s win embodied the Kings finally “getting over the hump” and closing a game out.
Christie, too, was impressed with his team’s fight from start to finish.
“To come out and compete like that, for our guys, after some of the heartbreaks that we’ve had lately, says a lot about their character as individuals and collectively,” Christie said.
Christie also took a moment to shout out who he called two of the “best competitors” in the game in Sacramento in Westbrook and Schroder.
This win doesn’t solve everything for the plethora of issues in Sacramento, but it’s without a doubt a step in the right direction.
And right now, that’s all Christie can ask for.
“We haven’t particularly played at the level that we want to at home. Oddly enough, we’ve done it on the road quite a few times, where we competed really well. But these fans, this is what they deserve, and this is what we will give them. Ultimately, can win them all? No, but they want to know that you are pouring your heart and soul out on the floor when they walk out of the building. And they got that tonight.”
Michigan basketball rolls La Salle for first 11-0 start since 2020-21
Michigan basketball score: The Wolverines dominated La Salle, 102-50, on Sunday, Dec. 21. at Crisler Center, its eighth win by at least 25 points.
GAME DAY PREVIEW: Senators Begin Three-Game Atlantic Stretch On Sunday At Boston
As the Ottawa Senators enjoy a three-game winning streak, they're about to begin an important three-game stretch against some key Atlantic Division rivals.
Their holiday voyage through the Atlantic schedule starts Sunday night in Boston against the Bruins. They’ll then face the surging Buffalo Sabres at the CTC on Tuesday night, before wrapping things up right after the break with a Saturday night matchup in Toronto against the Maple Leafs.
The Senators have won four of their last five games, but the room for error in the tight division and conference remains virtually non-existent. Ottawa enters play three points back of both the Bruins and the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are currently tied at 41 points. Tampa Bay holds third place in the division thanks to a better points percentage (.586).
In an interesting quirk of the schedule, Sunday’s game will wrap up Ottawa’s four-game season series with Boston. The Senators won the opener, 7-2, in October. On November 6, the Bruins got revenge with a 3-2 overtime victory, before Ottawa took the third meeting, 5-3, a week later.
After winning four straight games, the Bruins have cooled off a bit, losing three of their last four, including a shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. The Senators are also on a back-to-back after defeating the Chicago Blackhawks, 6-4, on Saturday afternoon.
A win on Sunday night would give Ottawa its first four-game winning streak of the season.
The Senators are expected to make one lineup change. Tyler Kleven was injured in Saturday’s game against Chicago and has already been ruled out for Sunday. So Nikolas Matinpalo is the likely choice to re-enter the fray on his wrong side on the third pairing, as he did for most of the time Thomas Chabot was out.
Chabot was excellent in his return on Saturday, posting an assist and logging heavy minutes due to Kleven's exit.
For Boston, David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie have been leading the charge. Geekie leads Boston with 25 goals and 39 points, while Pastrnak sits one point back with 38. There’s a significant drop-off after that, though the Bruins still boast plenty of firepower.
With both teams playing Saturday, neither squad held a morning skate. After Leevi Merilainen started against Chicago, the Senators are expected to turn back to Linus Ullmark. Jeremy Swayman played on Saturday for Boston, so it's likely Joonas Korpisalo will get the call for the Bruins in a battle of two goalies starting against their former clubs.
Senators projected lineup (subject to change)
Brady Tkachuk-Tim Stützle-Fabian Zetterlund
David Perron-Dylan Cozens-Drake Batherson
Michael Amadio-Ridly Greig-Claude Giroux
Kurtis MacDermid-Stephen Halliday-Nick Cousins
Jake Sanderson-Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot-Nick Jensen
Nikolas Matinpalo-Jordan Spence
Linus Ullmark
Leevi Merilainen
Bruins projected lineup (NHL.com)
Marat Khusnutdinov-Elias Lindholm-David Pastrnak
Casey Mittelstadt-Pavel Zacha-Morgan Geekie
Tanner Jeannot-Fraser Minten-Mark Kastelic
Jeffrey Viel-Sean Kuraly-Michael Eyssimont
Nikita Zadorov-Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm-Andrew Peeke
Mason Lohrei-Victor Söderström
Joonas Korpisalo
Jeremy Swayman
By Steve Warne
Site Editor, The Hockey News Ottawa
European football: Lamine Yamal on target as Barcelona battle past 10-man Villarreal
Barcelona head into new year on top of La Liga
Kane scores again in Bayern’s 4-0 rout of Heidenheim
Barcelona enjoyed a composed 2-0 La Liga victory at Villarreal on Sunday thanks to goals from Raphinha and Lamine Yamal in a match that tilted firmly in the visitors’ favour when the hosts were reduced to 10 men just before the break.
It took only 12 minutes for Barcelona to take the lead from the penalty spot after Santi Comesana blocked Raphinha with his back as the winger tried to break through and the Brazilian calmly converted the spot-kick.
Continue reading...Georgetown coach Ed Cooley’s water bottle throw earns him one-game suspension
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.
How The Vancouver Canucks Stack Up To The Rest Of The NHL: 35 Games In
The Vancouver Canucks are 35 games into the 2025–26 season. Vancouver is coming off one of their biggest trades in franchise history, moving Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Öhgren, and a first-round pick. Since this trade, the Canucks have not lost a single game — and the results have shown in the improvement of their season records.
Team Stats
While they’re not at the best that they’ve been all season, the Canucks have improved from where they sat at the 30-game mark. In fact, for the first time since the 15-game mark, they do not rank last in any of the listed stats. Even more impressive is the fact that they do not rank 30th or lower in any of their team stats, which is something they have done throughout the entire season after the five-game mark. Their most noticeable stat of all included is their power play percentage, which sits at an unexpected 13th in the NHL with a success rate of 20.5%.
Individual Skaters
With Hughes no longer on the team, Vancouver’s leaders for individual skater stats start to look very different. While stats such as goals (16) and hits (153) already belonged to Kiefer Sherwood outright, Filip Hronek ends up stepping in as the Canucks’ leader in assists (18). The biggest shift is on the power play, where Hughes previously led Vancouver in all of their power play points and power play TOI. In his stead, Jake DeBrusk takes the lead with nine points on the man-advantage (tied for 60th in the NHL) and 129:11 minutes spent on it (19th in NHL).
Goaltenders
In making his return from injury on December 11, Thatcher Demko stormed back to put up more impressive numbers to lead his team in the majority of their individual goaltending stats. While the goaltender has consistently held the team lead for wins, he has since added three onto his previous tally. His .912 SV% is tied for 16th in the NHL, while his 2.34 GAA sits at 11th. In terms of high-danger stats, Demko’s SV% on high-danger shots faced is .858% — good for ninth in the league.
Vancouver will look to continue their winning streak when they visit former Head Coach Rick Tocchet in a match against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday. After a few days off for the holidays, the Canucks will reconvene for a match against the San Jose Sharks at home on Friday. They’ll take a quick trip south to face the Seattle Kraken on the 29th before returning to Rogers Arena to take on both the Flyers and Kraken again — this time on home-ice.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site:
Canucks Kevin Lankinen Continues His Historic Success In Shootouts
The Canucks Have A Surprising 2025–26 Breakout Candidate In Linus Karlsson
Canucks Forward Jonathan Lekkerimäki Has Been On A Heater In The AHL
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
