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As Sudan burns, the NBA’s embrace of the UAE shows how sport enables atrocity

VJ Edgecombe of the Philadelphia 76ers runs out of the tunnel before his team’s game against the New York Knicks in Abu Dhabi in October.Photograph: Jesse D Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images

As paramilitary fighters from the brutal Rapid Support Forces (RSF) overran the largest city in western Sudan – carrying out mass executions, rapes and ethnic cleansing with weapons supplied by the United Arab Emirates – the NBA’s annual in-season tournament, the Emirates NBA Cup, tipped off on Halloween night, proudly sponsored by the very same Gulf state.

The tournament is the most visible example of the NBA’s expanding partnership with the UAE – a partnership that includes annual preseason games in Abu Dhabi, a lucrative sponsorship deal with Emirates airlines, and plans for a new NBA Global Academy at NYU’s Abu Dhabi campus.

Larger deals are expected to follow. The NBA is reportedly seeking Abu Dhabi’s investment in a new NBA-branded European league, which could launch as early as 2027.

This blossoming partnership has already paid dividends for both sides: the NBA has gained a deep-pocketed investor, while the UAE has found a willing partner to help further normalize its autocratic regime, especially now that it is facing accusations of inflaming genocide in Sudan.

For its part, the NBA says it is following advice from the US government on its relationship with the UAE.

“Basketball has a century-long history in the Middle East, and our activities in the UAE – which include bringing live NBA games to fans in the region and teaching the fundamentals and values of the game to thousands of boys and girls annually – are consistent with our efforts to engage fans and aspiring players in more than 200 countries and territories around the world,” a league spokesperson told the Guardian. “We will continue to rely on US state department guidance everywhere we operate.”

Beneath its image of opulence and modernity, the UAE enforces silence with an iron fist. Dissidents and human rights advocates languish in prisons on arbitrary charges, punished for daring to oppose the state. The nation’s economic prosperity rests on the backs of migrant laborers, who make up 88% of the workforce and who toil with few rights and little recourse against abuse.

The UAE’s influence extends into bloodier terrain beyond its borders. A growing body of evidence links the Emirati government to Sudan’s RSF, the paramilitary faction behind many of the atrocities and crimes against humanity being committed in Sudan.

Sudan’s civil war began in April 2023, when tensions between the Sudanese military (SAF), under army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF paramilitary group, led by his former deputy chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti, plunged the country into a state of all out war. Urban centers such as the capital Khartoum were transformed into battlefields, destroying critical infrastructure and creating the world’s largest displacement crisis.

As the civil war approaches its third year, death toll estimates vary widely. The United Nations and other aid agencies have recorded 20,000 confirmed deaths. A more recent report by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine’s Sudan Research Group claimed that more than 61,000 people have died in Khartoum state,26,000 as a direct result of the violence. Meanwhile, former US special envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello claimed last year that up to 150,000 people had been killed.

The civil war has also been marked by horrific atrocities such as sexual violence, torture, mutilation and ethnic cleansing. This was further underscored when the Sudanese military’s last remaining stronghold in Darfur fell to the RSF recently. The militia embarked on a mass killing spree so severe that images of the blood saturating the ground could be seen from space.

Since the start of the conflict, the Emirates have helped fund and arm the paramilitary group, effectively sponsoring the group’s war crimes and atrocities. Sudan’s military government even brought a case to the International Court of Justice accusing the UAE of genocidal complicity in West Darfur. Despite substantial evidence to the contrary, the UAE continues to deny any role in the conflict, carrying on as though business were proceeding as usual.

In the past few months, the UAE has staged the Asia Cup in cricket, NBA preseason matchups, a Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event, and Formula 1’s year-end race, which featured a performance by Katy Perry. Next come the Abu Dhabi HSBC golf championship and a major padel tournament. Outside of Grammy-award winning rapper Macklemore, who canceled his Dubai concert in protest last year, no other entity attempted to distance itself from the controversial Gulf state.

The UAE has reaped enormous benefits from the sports world’s apathy. Abu Dhabi’s investment in Manchester City FC was a masterstroke, recasting the Al Nahyan ruling family as savvy investors rather than ruthless autocrats. Its stake in cricket carries a diplomatic edge, given the sport’s popularity across South and Southeast Asia, the same regions that supply much of the UAE’s migrant labor force. Meanwhile, investments in artificial wave pools, tennis and motorsports have broadened its growing sports tourism strategy.

And yet, the ongoing massacre in Darfur seems to have garnered some rare bad publicity for the UAE. Some Manchester City fans have even condemned their owner for “his country’s role in the Sudan conflict, where civilians continue to suffer.”

The silence around the NBA’s new partnership with the UAE is concerning. One of the few to call out the NBA for normalizing the UAE’s role in Sudan is Refugees International, an NGO that advocates for the rights of displaced people. “The Emirates NBA Cup COULD bring out the best in everyone. Instead, it’s being used to sportswash atrocities fueled + funded by the UAE in Sudan,” read the tweet. “The NBA shouldn’t let itself be a pawn in the UAE’s normalization of famine + genocide.”

Nevertheless, sports teams and organizations rarely sever lucrative partnerships without resistance. At FC Bayern Munich’s annual general assembly last week, lawyer and activist Michael Ott, who previously led a successful campaign to end Bayern’s sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways, was heckled by attendees after raising concerns about the club’s new agreement with the UAE’s Emirates Airlines.

Ott accused Bayern of “buttressing the image of sketchy political regimes that contradict our values” and warned that the deal with Emirates risked causing “lasting damage to the reputation of our club”. For his remarks, he was openly mocked by board chairman and CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen.

Despite ending previous sponsorship agreements with Qatar and Rwanda, the fact that Bayern Munich’s leadership refused to budge on its ties to the UAE further emphasizes how effective the Gulf state’s brand management and public relations strategies have been.

Don’t expect the NBA, which also maintains partnership with other autocrats like Rwanda’s Paul Kagame, is unlikely to speak out about the UAE’s human rights record … but imagine if they did. Imagine if genocide, war crimes and entrenched authoritarianism were red lines for global sports.

  • Karim Zidan writes a regular newsletter on the intersection of sports and authoritarian politics. He is also the Sports & Dictators fellow at the Human Rights Foundation.

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Observations From Blues' 3-2 Win Vs. Blackhawks

ST. LOUIS – Jim Montgomery spoke before the St. Louis Blues took on the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday that the players needed to play for each other, after being embarrassed against the Nashville Predators on Thursday.

Mission accomplished as the Blues rebounded with a strong effort and held off their divisional rivals, 3-2, at Enterprise Center, ending a two-game losing streak.

Logan Mailloux and Matt Luff each scored his first Blues goal, and Justin Faulk also scored, while Robert Thomas extended his point streak to four games (three goals, three assists) with a two-assist night. Joel Hofer made 27 saves as the Blues improved to 12-14-7 on the season.

“Very much so, right from the drop of the puck, you could feel it, the crowd was into it because our guys were there for each other, rallying for each other,” Montgomery said. “We were connected. We still made mistakes, and that’s going to happen in this game because there’s another team playing, but the effort and the second- and third-effort, playing for each other makes up for a lot."

Let’s look at Friday’s game observations:

* Mailloux sheds Monkey, Luff scores in place where he got first NHL goal – Role players can make all the difference in winning and losing, and although Mailloux isn’t a role player, Luff is.

But for Mailloux, it had to be a ginormous monkey off his back after going 19 games without scoring while seeing and obviously hearing that Zack Bolduc is producing with the Montreal Canadiens.

But Mailloux put the Blues ahead 1-0 at 3:41 on a beautiful shot from the left circle past Spencer Knight. It developed with Thomas gaining the zone, and feathering a puck to the opposite side of the ice knowing Mailloux is coming off the bench with open ice, and the defenseman took advantage of shooting through defenseman Louis Crevier’s legs and a Jake Neighbours screen on a delayed penalty, one that Neighbours helped induce:

“It felt good to get the monkey off the back,” Mailloux said. “It was a heck of a play, kind of an area pass by ‘Tommer.’ They had a delayed penalty there. I was coming off the bench and I saw it and jumped up and it was a great screen by ‘Jakey’ in front too.”

Luff’s first goal since April 4, 2023 with the Detroit Red Wings against the Montreal Canadiens was a nice play from Colton Parayko’s outlet pass to Robby Fabbri along the lefthand side, and Fabbri recognizes Luff is coming down the slot, finds him, and Luff whips his wrister by Knight to the glove side at 11:48 of the first for a 2-0 lead:

“It was a good pass by ‘Fabs,’” Luff said. “Always nice to get it done and nice to get a win too.

“Me, ‘Ginger’ and ‘Sunny’ just as a role line, I think were pretty good today so it’s nice to obviously contribute, roll that into the next game and see what happens.”

* Being way better at both net fronts – It’s obvious that the net fronts on Thursday were not nearly good enough.

The Predators could have pitched tents and camped out in front of the Blues’ goal, and the Blues were virtually non-existent at the opposite end.

That all changed on Friday, and it had to.

“Hundred percent,” Mailloux said. “I think especially after yesterday, had a few goals just kind of laying there in front and we got beat. That was definitely a big part.”

It included two fights (Mailloux vs. Colton Dach and Dylan Holloway vs. Connor Murphy).

“We had two fights tonight, but that’s not common anymore,” Montgomery said. “But that’s part of it. You see guys driving middle lane, stopping at the net. When defensemen were shooting, we had bodies at the net. Defensemen were pinching pucks, forwards were replacing them. In the D-zone, the box-outs were hard and heavy at our own net, getting back winning goal line races so we can break pucks out quickly. Those kind of things. It’s just effort-based and it’s doing the job so someone else doesn’t have to do it.”

* Needed a response after Thursday – Getting embarrassed is never fun. And it certainly wasn’t for the Blues.

They needed a response and got one.

“I think we talked about it before the game we have a homestand here of four games and we wanted to start off right, and I think we did,” Luff said.

“Team toughness makes us hard to play against,” Mailloux said. “That’s what we want to be. We don’t want teams looking forward to coming in here and playing us. It was fun.”

“It was really important. It was great to see that our leaders led and that our young players and players that have been on call-up, everyone chipped in,” Montgomery said. “It’s nice to see everybody again play hard and play for each other.”

* Blues offset Hawks push with big goal – The Blackhawks pushed to start the second coming in only down one (2-1) on Wyatt Kaiser’s goal late in the first at 15:50.

The Hawks quickly had the first five shots to even up with the Blues at 11-11, but the Blues pushed back, and had a gained edge for a number of minutes there when Faulk made it 3-1 at 8:57 when he stuffed a shot under Knight’s arm once he got a pass from Tyler Tucker from the point:

It was a critical goal because the Hawks would get one back on Andre Burakovsky’s goal at 14:08 of the third period but the Blues finished the win off.

* Unfortunate Bedard injury – One always says to not take a second for granted.

Well, for the Blackhawks, the final 0.8 seconds could prove to to be costly when star forward Connor Bedard was injured on what coach Jeff Blashill said afterwards was a “freak accident.”

Bedard and Blues captain Brayden Schenn lined up for the draw to the left of Hofer in the right circle, and Chicago basically needed to get a quick shot off to have any chance of tying it. Schenn went for a stick lift and Bedard fell backwards awkwardly, got up immediately clutching his right shoulder and down the tunnel.

Blashill said Bedard will not play against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, but if the center misses any extended period of time, it will be tough to see for Chicago and hockey fans in general.

* Fabbri continues to play well – It's only two games, but it's evident that Fabbri doesn't want this to be a short stint, his second with the Blues.

This is not points in back to back games (two assists); he had two shots on goal and three more hits, including this one on Teuvo Teravainen that put the Hawks forward into the Blues bench and nearly score on it:

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‘It’s not normal to walk into the tornado’: To fans, there was only one Ricky Hatton. Those who loved him knew many

Three months after Hatton’s death, his bereft former trainer Billy Graham, friend Jane Couch and his brother Matthew are all trying to find a hopeful future amid the grief

“Of course I remember,” Billy Graham says quietly as he pushes back his straw trilby to show me his wounded expression. “I can remember everything.”

Graham, who trained Ricky Hatton for all but the last three of his 48 fights, used to sit with his fighter on the grimy steps outside their first boxing gym in Salford in the late 1990s. It was a more innocent time and, rather than being called The Preacher and The Hitman, they were just Billy and Ricky then.

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'It Just Made Sense For Us To Do It At This Time': Penguins' GM Kyle Dubas Gives Insight On Jarry Trade

It's safe to say that the trade sending Pittsburgh Penguins' goaltender Tristan Jarry and forward Sam Poulin to the Edmonton Oilers on Friday - which returned goaltender Stuart Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak, and a 2029 second-round pick - surprised a whole lot of people, fans and players alike.

Even though there had been mounds of speculation surrounding Jarry and Edmonton for weeks, it was the timing that wasn't necessarily anticipated. The Penguins are in the midst of a very tight playoff race that Jarry had a huge role in, the rest of their goaltending depth is promising but young and unproven, and the team is about to play a back-to-back this weekend against the San Jose Sharks and the Utah Mammoth with the possiblity that Skinner won't even be available for either game. 

In other words, much of the surprise was centered on the timing of the trade, which happened early Friday. But Penguins' GM and POHO Kyle Dubas made it clear that the timing of the deal felt exactly right. 

"I just think where we're at and the opportunity to bring in a goalie that has deep experience in 'Stu' - plus what we feel is an opportunity to upgrade our defense, plus the draft pick - it just made sense for us to do it at this time," Dubas said. "I think Tristan is extremely talented, and it will be a great opportunity for him in Edmonton."

Of course, dealing Jarry while the Penguins are in the midst of a playoff race does come with a degree of risk. Even if he hasn't exactly been consistent throughout his NHL career, he is a veteran, and that experience is valuable. That's something that none of the other goaltenders in the Penguins' organization - aside from, now, Skinner - have very much of. 

But, at the end of the day, the Penguins do feel they have enough goaltending depth to have made a move like this, and the fact that Jarry is having such a strong bounceback campaign after the season he had last year made a deal make sense. 

BREAKING: Penguins Trade Tristan Jarry To Edmonton OilersBREAKING: Penguins Trade Tristan Jarry To Edmonton OilersThe <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> have made a blockbuster move.

Arturs Silovs has struggled as of late, but he had a great start to the season and will have a larger opportunity. Sergei Murashov is putting up video game numbers at the AHL level, and he showed well in a brief NHL stint earlier this season. Joel Blomqvist is also performing very well for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins since returning from a lower-body injury that kept him out since training camp. And that's not to discount Skinner, who has played much better as of late after a rough start.

The Penguins are comfortable with the guys they have, and Dubas expects them all to compete hard for the starting job at the NHL level.

“I think going forward, it opens the door wide open for competition between these goaltenders to earn NHL spots - and that would include the four guys we’ve talked about - so there’s a lot of incentive there in a number of regards," Dubas said. "So, we’ll see who can climb to the top and take it and run with it.”

'We Feel That We’re Getting Better In That Area': Oilers Coach And Players React To Skinner-Jarry Trade'We Feel That We’re Getting Better In That Area': Oilers Coach And Players React To Skinner-Jarry TradeThe Edmonton Oilers completed two trades yesterday, one of which was made to solve their goaltending issues. Although the move was made to upgrade the team, players and coaches were left feeling emotional.

The other part of the deal, too, was the acquisition of Kulak, a veteran blueliner who had a career year offensively last season with seven goals and 25 points and has always been known for his steadiness and stinginess in his own zone. He's having a bit of a down year, but it still presents an opportunity for the Penguins to improve their blue line. 

“The number one thing with him is that he’s been incredibly steady, and he’s done it in the hardest environments in the playoffs and down the stretch," Dubas said. "I know when we were watching him last month, he’d obviously had his struggles - I think their whole team was in that sort of a funk - and then he’s been able to come through it. He’s been able to play both left and right, he’s played with all types of different partners there, he can kill penalties, he had a good year last year offensively - all at even strength.

"And I know those things can be fleeting for defensemen, especially when they’re not on the power play. But, we just expect him to be steady, use his experience, come back, move the puck, be a complement to any of the guys on the right side that he’s playing with, and then he can also move to the left side if needed as well."

What Brett Kulak Brings To The Penguins After Trade From EdmontonWhat Brett Kulak Brings To The Penguins After Trade From EdmontonThe Pittsburgh Penguins got Brett Kulak back in the Tristan Jarry deal, and he has the tools to help this team.

At the end of the day, Dubas believes the trade helps the organization in both the short-term and long-term. That bit of goaltending assurance in the organization - as well as the pick and the improvement to the blue line - should still bode pretty well for the Penguins' hopes of a playoff run. 

And, yes, that aspiration hasn't changed this season. Even if the intent heading into the season was for this to be another transitionary year, the team's performance has made a believer out of their GM, their fans, and their room. 

Dubas wanted to make it clear that the message in the room is that they've made an attempt to mitigate the loss in net and simultaneously improve elsewhere. 

“I think we’re capable of more than we’ve shown," Dubas said. "So, that’s my expectation every day. I think that everyone in the room here has seen it, when we’re at our best, that we can not only play, but carry play against the very best teams in the league. And I think we’ve left points on the table that I think everybody in the room regrets and laments.

"But the thing that I like about the group most is when we have those moments - [Thursday's loss against the Montreal Canadiens] would be the first night where I didn’t feel, coming out, we didn’t push back right away - every other time where we’ve had a tough night or a tough finish, we’ve pushed, the next game we’ve been back in the saddle and rolling. So, I think we’re capable of continuing to get better throughout the year."

Edmonton Oilers Take Big Risk In Trading For Tristan JarryEdmonton Oilers Take Big Risk In Trading For Tristan JarryWill new Edmonton Oilers goalie Tristan Jarry be the final piece of a Stanley Cup championship puzzle, or will he be a flop with term left on his contract?

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What Brett Kulak Brings To The Penguins After Trade From Edmonton

The Pittsburgh Penguins made a big trade on Friday morning, sending goaltender Tristan Jarry and forward Sam Poulin to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for goaltender Stuart Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak, and a 2029 second-round pick.

The Oilers had been a rumored destination for Jarry for the last few weeks since their goaltending was really struggling to start the season. They had a combined .879 save percentage between Skinner and fellow goaltender Cal Pickard through the first two months of the season, and are hoping that Jarry can help stabilize things in the crease. 

Skinner had been with the Oilers organization since they selected him in the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft. He's been inconsistent throughout his career, but will now have a chance for a fresh start in a new organization. He'll be paired with Arturs Silovs for the foreseeable future while Sergei Murashov continues to get the starters' reps in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. 

As for Kulak, he becomes an immediate upgrade to the third pairing on the left side of the blue line and can even play on the second pair with Kris Letang. He's having a rough go of things this year and has seen his minutes decrease, but it doesn't help that the Oilers' goalies (Skinner and Pickard) had an .861 save percentage with him on the ice. 

Kulak had a great season last year, compiling seven goals and 25 points in 82 games. He also averaged over 20 minutes per game during the regular season and over 23 minutes per game in the playoffs. He brought the offense and was also stingy in his own end at 5v5 and on the penalty kill. 

Kulak played 1475:31 at 5v5 last year and was on the ice for 53.4% of the shot attempts, 54.2% of the scoring chances, 54.4% of the high-danger chances, and 54.3% of the expected goals. Kulak spent 576 5v5 minutes with Ty Emberson last year and also has experience playing with Darnell Nurse and Evan Bouchard. He spent 425 5v5 minutes with Nurse and 208 5v5 minutes with Bouchard last year. 

Emberson was in his first full NHL season last year after playing in 30 games with the San Jose Sharks during the 2023-24 season. Kulak got to mentor him a bit, and I bring that up because there's a chance (even if it's small) that Harrison Brunicke plays for the team again this season after he gets back from the World Juniors. Kulak could have the opportunity to play with him if the Penguins feel like they're ready to start Brunicke's ELC.

BREAKING: Penguins Trade Tristan Jarry To Edmonton OilersBREAKING: Penguins Trade Tristan Jarry To Edmonton OilersThe <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> have made a blockbuster move.

If not, Kulak's experience in a top-four spot could go a long way since Letang is really struggling right now. Letang had another rotten game against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night, and it might be in Dan Muse's best interest to give him a new partner, at least to test it out. 

Outside of his 5v5 impacts, Kulak can also kill penalties, which is a significant strength of the Penguins. Going into Saturday's game against the Sharks, the Penguins rank fourth in the league with a 84.7% penalty kill. Kulak played 141:58 on the PK last year, which is the second-most minutes he's ever had on that unit. He's already up to 44:54 in 30 games this year and should see plenty of time on the Penguins' unit due to his defensive capabilities. 

If he can get back to his level from last year while keeping up his strong work on the PK, there's a chance the Penguins could flip him around the trade deadline since he's an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.

Of course, that depends on how much Dubas wants to sell because the team is in the playoff race right now. Despite three losses in a row, the Penguins are still in the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 14-8-7 record. They have games in hand on the top three teams in the Metropolitan Division, but they only matter if you win them. 

Either way, Kulak has what it takes to help the Penguins' backend.

(Data via Natural Stat Trick and Dobber's Frozen Tools).

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Michael Porter Jr.'s fourth straight 30-point game not enough in Nets' 119-111 loss to Mavericks

DALLAS (AP) — Anthony Davis scored 20 of his 24 points in the second half to go with 14 rebounds and three blocks, and Cooper Flagg had 22 points and eight assists as the Dallas Mavericks rallied to beat the Brooklyn Nets 119-111 on Friday night.

The Mavericks (10-16) have won five of their last six games and two straight at home for the first time this season. Naji Marshall scored 17 points.

Michael Porter Jr. had 34 to lead the Nets (6-18), who had won three of four following a 3-16 start. Porter has scored at least 30 points in four consecutive games for the first time in his seven-year NBA career.

Brooklyn rookie Danny Wolf added 17 points, 12 in the second half. Nic Claxton had 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Mavericks outscored the Nets 66-44 in the paint despite Davis playing center instead of power forward with Dallas missing pivotmen Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford because of injuries.

The Nets shot a season-best 43.6% from behind the arc, hitting 17 of 39. Porter was 6 of 10 on 3-pointers.

The Mavericks outscored the Nets 29-19 in the fourth quarter, with Brooklyn shooting 28.6% in the period — including 2 of 9 from 3-point distance. With the score tied at 110 with three minutes left, Dallas’ Brandon Williams hit a second-chance 3 following Flagg’s rebound, and Davis followed with a floater following a turnover by Porter.

It was the Mavericks’ first game since Wednesday’s announcement that the oft-injured Lively will miss the remainder of the season following foot surgery. Gafford missed his third consecutive game because of a right ankle injury.

Up next

Nets: Host the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.

Mavericks: At the Utah Jazz on Monday.

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Watch Stephen Curry celebrate return with ridiculous length-of-court tunnel shot

We're running out of adjectives to describe Stephen Curry's shots.

Case in point: Check out Curry's from the tunnel, length-of-the-court pregame heave Friday night.

From another angle.

Curry had a famous from-the-tunnel pregame tradition at Oracle Arena — which was essentially a very long baseline extended shot — but with the move to the Chase Center, Curry had to adapt the shot, which is now longer than the length of the court. Which is not out of his range, apparently.

Curry returned to the court Friday night against Minnesota after missing five games with a quad contusion. He is averaging 27.9 points and shooting 39.1% from 3-point range this season, and the 13-12 Warriors will need more of that in the coming weeks as the team tries to find a groove and climb up from eighth in the West.

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Jeff Blashill Provides Tough Update On Connor Bedard's Injury Status

On Friday night, the Chicago Blackhawks paid their second and final visit of the season to the St. Louis Blues. After an 8-3 victory on October 15th, the Blues responded with a 3-2 victory this time around. 

On the final play of the game, while the Blackhawks were desperately trying to tie the game and force overtime, Bedard was injured. He left the ice quickly and appeared to be in some serious pain. 

Connor Bedard Injures Himself On Final Play Of Blackhawks' 3-2 Loss To BluesConnor Bedard Injures Himself On Final Play Of Blackhawks' 3-2 Loss To BluesThe Chicago Blackhawks were unable to start a winning streak again. This time, they lost to the St. Louis Blues.

After the game, head coach Jeff Blashill provided a quick update on Bedard. According to Blashill, Bedard will not suit up on Saturday night against the Detroit Red Wings. 

He also added that another update will be provided on Monday. Blashill gave his opinion that the play that injured Bedard was a "freak accident". 

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Connor Bedard Injures Himself On Final Play Of Blackhawks' 3-2 Loss To Blues

The Chicago Blackhawks were defeated on the road by the St. Louis Blues on Friday night. The Blues, who were embarrassed by the Nashville Predators one night prior, came out ready to play. 

St. Louis was also embarrassed by Chicago when the teams last met, a 8-3 Chicago win in St. Louis on October 15th. The Blues got their revenge in this one with a victory. 

The Blackhawks went down 2-0 quickly. Logan Mailloux and Matt Luff each scored their first goals as members of the St. Louis Blues to give them a multi-goal lead. 

After that, Wyatt Kaiser got the Blackhawks on the board with his second of the season. On the play, Connor Bedard made a great zone entry for Andre Burakovsky to make a brilliant pass to set up the Kaiser snipe. 

Before the Blackhawks could get it tied, Justin Faulk scored to re-give the Blues a two-goal advantage. That 3-1 score held through the second intermission. 

In the third, Connor Bedard made a big-time play that shows his growth as a player. After losing a face-off, he went right back to work to create a turnover, which ended up in the back of St. Louis' net thanks to Andre Burakovsky being in the right spot to take advantage of Bedard's play. 

The Blackhawks had some life after that, but were unable to get pressure with the goalie pulled, and the 3-2 held as the final. 

On the final play of the game, the Blackhawks tried to get a last-chance shot on net off a face-off. On the play, as the clock struck 0, Connor Bedard hurt what appeared to be his arm/shoulder. He couldn't get off the ice fast enough and was in intense pain. 

When the Blackhawks reveal an update on the status of Bedard, we will have it passed along to you on The Hockey News.

Watch Every Chicago Goal

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Chicago Blackhawks will return home for the second half of a back-to-back set on Saturday night. The Detroit Red Wings will be at the United Center for an Original Six matchup. 

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After Wild's Stunning Blockbuster Trade For Superstar D-man Hughes, Is Sabres Star Blueliner Next To Be Dealt?

Rasmus Dahlin (Sergei Beski, USA TODAY Images)

Certainly, the Canucks got a king’s ransom for Hughes. To get not one, but two high-end youngsters, an NHL-caliber player in center Marco Rossi, *and* a first-round pick is a solid haul for Vancouver executives Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford. But when it comes to Dahlin, we believe he’s sick to death of continuing to lose in Buffalo. And the Sabres haven’t done much of anything positive this year, so you have to believe he’s disgruntled the way Hughes was in Vancouver.

But there’s little question Sabres GM Kevyn Adams has to work with Dahlin on finding a new team to play for. And even then, with Dahlin holding all the cards with a no-move clause in his contract, you could find a taker team for Dahlin that still gives up draft picks and prospects.

And that’s the way the Sabres are headed – yes, once again, to the outside of the Stanley Cup playoffs looking in – so you can’t fault Dahlin for possibly wanting out. Other star players could’ve asked out of Buffalo far sooner , but like Hughes, Dahlin is trying his best, but just like Hughes, Dahlin isn't getting the results he wants. Hughes tried to mae it work in Vancouver, but he couldn’t do all the work himself. The same goes for Dahlin.

Sabres Freefalling Through Standings, But Have Your Say – Is It Time To Blow Things Up In Buffalo?Sabres Freefalling Through Standings, But Have Your Say – Is It Time To Blow Things Up In Buffalo?The Buffalo Sabres are losing once again. With another blowout loss, it's time to consider a drastic overhaul. What's your take?

And now, when NHL GMs go big-game hunting for a top-defenseman, the Sabres should be seeing what they can get for Dahlin. Adams may also explore a trade for youngster Owen Power, but he’s having a tough year and wouldn’t get Buffalo nearly as much as they would if they chose to deal Dahlin.

We’re not saying a Dahlin trade is imminent. He may want to stay in Buffalo and get this team on the right track. However, the Sabres are losing all these games with Dahlin, so why shouldn’t they explore the market for a Dahlin trade? If Buffalo is going to miss the playoffs for the 15th consecutive season, all bets are off when it comes to untouchable players.

The deal for Hughes shows you what you can acquire if you’re determined enough and clever enough to make it work. Wild GM Bill Guerin deserves credit for going all-in with Hughes, and a Minnesota defense corps that includes Hughes and Brock Faber is almost too good to be true.

Slumping Sabres Should Be Trading This Goaltender As Soon As PossibleSlumping Sabres Should Be Trading This Goaltender As Soon As PossibleThe Buffalo Sabres are at the bottom of the standings yet again, and they need to start making trades. And there's one goalie in particular who they need to deal -- and they need to deal them now.

But the Hughes deal proves that any team can choose to trade a top player – and that means the Sabres should be preparing for life after Dahlin. He’s put in his time, and it still hasn’t worked. Thus, it's time to move on, for the betterment of Dahlin and the Sabres as well.

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Flyers Miss Out on Egregious Quinn Hughes Trade

It's official: the Philadelphia Flyers pulling off a Quinn Hughes trade is not going to happen, and they should be thankful it won't.

On Friday night, Hughes, 26, was traded by the Vancouver Canucks for forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, top defense prospect Zeev Buium, and a 2026 first-round pick.

The Flyers were never going to be able to match that, especially given that Rossi and Buium are the two clear centerpieces of the deal.

Of course, the Flyers passed on Buium for Jett Luchanko in the 2024 NHL Draft and were rumored to be interested in Rossi, only to bypass that endeavor with rumors suggesting the club would be concerned with adding a player with his 5-foot-9 size.

For the Flyers to have matched the Wild's trade offer for Hughes, they likely would have needed to part ways with Porter Martone, Cam York, Luchanko or Alex Bump, and their 2026 first-round pick, if we're aiming for 1:1 comparisons.

Missed Opportunity? Ex-Flyers Prospect Reaching Heights of NHL Superstars After Controversial TradeMissed Opportunity? Ex-Flyers Prospect Reaching Heights of NHL Superstars After Controversial TradeThe Flyers and Flyers fans have to be feeling pretty bad about how good Cutter Gauthier has been playing for the Ducks this season.

The fruit of the disappointment for fans is obviously going to be missing out on a superstar player had the Flyers acquired assets commonly linked to them throughout the summer and in previous years.

At the same time, though, the Flyers are nowhere near a win-now position like the Wild are in, because they don't have Kirill Kaprizov, high-level veterans, and two of the hottest goalies in the NHL.

Putting together this kind of trade package, considering the lack of leverage the Canucks had from the start of this whole saga, would have been egregious from Philadelphia's perspective.

That said, though, it doesn't excuse the Flyers from needing to make another big trade in the future, because they'll need to in order to find their No. 1 center of the future somehow.

Trevor Zegras's arrival has worked wonders for Danny Briere and Co., but Matvei Michkov's descent under new head coach Rick Tocchet has effectively counteracted that acquisition.

Flyers' Quinn Hughes Trade Hopes Take a Major HitFlyers' Quinn Hughes Trade Hopes Take a Major HitIf the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> were hoping to execute a blockbuster Quinn Hughes trade, their competition for such an ambitious endeavor just got that much stronger.

Now, the onus is on the Flyers, who need a top center and a true No. 1 defenseman, to go out and make things happen, but the Hughes trade is really an example of what not to do.

But, if the market is always going to carry prices like Friday night's, well, they may not have much of a choice going forward but to make a tough choice.

It goes almost without saying that Tocchet, Briere, and the Flyers will be disappointed to have not gotten Hughes if they were ever truly in it, but their focus needs to be on the players they have in-house first until that day finally comes for them.